Calm before the (Nightmare)
Rabbit
Yeah, I'm not ready to be a leader! This was the first real time I led us and this is what happened?! First we got surrounded by monsters, then pass paraded, then Viole went into a rage and lost consciousness, to be followed by Welf and Lily! I was lucky as a dookie to be able to bring everyone with me just as a monster Rex began spawning! Thank the Gods I didn't pass out until we reached floor 18. Slowly opening my eyes, I expected to see maybe a roof or the dungeon's ceiling, not LADY AIZ STARTING DOWN AT ME! IN HER CASUAL CLOTHES NO LESS! "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I'M SORRY!"
"Good morning Bell. " SHE SAID MY NAME! THANK YOU GODS! Jumping out of my futon, I was in a tent. I knew that because the wall I ran into was soft, instead of hard. A reasonable response to have when meeting your hero, I'll have you know! Looking around the tent, I was thankful to see Lily and Welf both in here as well, still asleep. Thank the gods. Wait, where's- "If you are worried about... Viole. Don't worry. He's with Riviera."
"Oh! That's great! He was in really bad shape earlier. I hope he's alright." Lady Aiz flinched at my sentence for some reason before sighing. If the legendary Riviera's looking after him, then he'll be fine. I could only blame myself for what happened. If I was a more responsible leader, then I'm sure he wouldn't have thrown himself into that fight. But knowing him, he would have done it anyway if he thought it'd protect us. I wish he'd rely on me more. "um , Lady-"
"Our heads would like to hear your explanation of what happened, seeing as one of our own ended up hurt. But... I'd like to know what happened first. Please tell me." Of course my lady! Hearing her ask me that, there was no way I could refuse! I was a little caught off guard by her sincerity, but that must show just how much she cares about us. Uuuu! If only I could have been in her familia. NO! Remember all that Lady Hestia has gone through for me! Even if I am a little jealous.
"O-Okay! Um, so we started on floor twelve and..." As lady Aiz lead me towards where the top of her Familia sat, I explained our entire hellish day. All the while, she barely emoted or even spoke. I wouldn't have thought she was listening to me if it wasn't for the occasional tensing of her eyebrows or twitch of her hand. We were closing in on their tent as I was finishing my tale. "And just as the rex woke up, I threw us onto the slide and... that's it! Any quiestion L-Lady Aiz?" Phew I did it! And I only stuttered twenty two and a half times! I'm getting better at this! Being able to speak with the sword princess for so long, oh I was on cloud nine! Please don't let this end, Lady Aiz! Ask me a question! Anything! Even if it's about something embarrassing, I'll answer it!
My wish unfortunately didn't come true. Shaking her beautiful head, Aiz turned me down. NOOOOO! "No, but thank you, Bell. I would accompany you here but... I have someone to visit, please take care." She gave me one grateful bow and walked in the opposite direction. Leaving me alone... in front of a tent filled with Viole's familia. Uh oh. I just hope they don't tear me a new one for getting him hurt. Please let them be as nice as Lady Aiz!
Capped
"Viole. I promise, from now on, if you ever need help I will be there. If there (...) save you. I promise, (...) you!"
My eyes slowly opened and I was met with a roof I didn't recognize. What was that? A memory? It had to be. Was it that girl? Wait, where am I? I bit back a snarl as pain erupted through my whole body while I forced myself to sit up. My arm felt like it was on fire and my body felt like pins and needles. Looking around, I noticed that I was in a tent. A fancy one too. Furniture was around and I seemed to have been lying in a comfy bed. Looks like we made it to the eighteenth floor. Looking down at my body, it was covered in bandages and my right arm was in a sling over my stomach. Turning my head once more, I noticed a young looking woman in the corner of the tent, reading a book with my scarf laying next to her. "Riviera."
"Good Morning, Sir Keres. How'd you sleep?" Closing her book she turned her full attention to me. "I'd imagine well. You looked like you were remembering something pleasant. Convenient, seeing as it made it easier to treat you." Was I?
"I see. Thank... Thank you for helping me." If this was how I felt after a solid round of healing from Riveria of all people, then I really must have been fucked up. That's what I get for losing control like that. Dammit, I need to learn how to control Nightmare Rage before it gets me killed. Thinking back on my actions, I realized something else. It was only Riviera and I in the tent. "Where's Lily, Bell and Welf?"
"No need to worry. They're in another tent, resting. We had to separate you because you had much worse injuries than them. Even that blacksmith's broken leg was an easy fix compared to that." Walking over to me, the elf poked at my broken arm, making it sting for a moment. "Just how did you get that hurt?"
I bit back the desire to blow her off. I didn't see why she would care enough to ask, but clearly there are things I don't understand yet. Not everyone is like him. Loki said she was close to dad, so she must be nice. In her own way. "I lost control and almost got killed. I still don't have a handle on my Nightmare Rage skill."
"I see, so you inherited it." She whispered, clearly not intending for me to hear. So Dad also had it. Wait, then the person Aiz knew was him too. Just how many memories am I missing? Huffing to herself, the elf took out a small bottle filled with liquid and handed it to me. "Take this whenever the pain gets too much to handle. Only a sip. I did the best I could for you at the moment, so you are going to have to let your arm rest for it to heal completely. About two weeks. Until then, relax and don't get into any fights. Understood, Keres?" I nodded at her instructions. Guess this is my just desserts. Oh well, I'm sure after yesterday I've got a decent jump in my stats anyway. "Good. Now I-" The sound of the tent being open interrupted her. "I expected you to be here sooner."
"I was assisting Bell. How is..." The one who walked in was Aiz Wallenstein. The sword princess looking at the floor as she walked in. When she looked up, her sentence trailed off before she suddenly sat at my side. That's some impressive speed. "Viole, are you okay? Do you need anything? Would you like something to eat or drink? You aren't in too much pain, are you?" Her constant questions had the dual effect of confusing me and overwhelming me. Noticing this, she took a deep breath and composed herself. "I... please just tell me if you're alright."
Staring into her amber eyes, I could see the restlessness in them. Her eyes darted to every part of my body and her eyebrows noticeably twitched at certain times. She... "I'm fine. Could be better, but I'm not complaining." I forced out. I wanted to apologize to her. The way I thought about her and treated her was just not right. Why does she have to look so relieved too? Dammit.
"Well then, Aiz, keep an eye on him. I'm going to meet with the rest of the heads." With that, the Elf left the tent, whispering something to herself.
For a while, Aiz and I simply sat in silence. The girl staring at me as I tried to organize my thoughts. "Aiz, I'm sorry."
"Hm? For what?" Her blank expression was back in full force, but she tilted her head in confusion.
"I... my view of you was a little skewed. I know I may not have said anything aloud, but... I insulted you in my head and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry."
"Okay, I forgive you." Without even a moment of thinking or hesitation, she placed her hand over my free one. "You're going through a lot, so it's okay. I told you I'd be here for you, no matter what."
Seriously, this shit makes no sense. Could what Loki said be true? "Aiz, this might sound like a strange question. But please answer me seriously. Have we ever met?"
Like the answer to that question was obvious, she blinked a few times. "Did you hit your head too hard? Of course. You're always wearing my scarf, remember?"
"..." Then what the fuck happened to me? Pulling my hand from her grasp, I placed it on my head and tried to think. Anything, just a single image. I looked for just any memory of this girl before I came here. Nothing, nothing! What the hell happened to me?! My memories of the scarf, of my apparent time in Orario and of her were all gone. Just small bits and pieces that let me know that those memories did in fact exist. But nothing that I could truly grasp. "Are you sure?"
"Viole?" Gently, the princess took my hand away from my head. "Do you not..."
"I... Some of my memories seem to be missing. I always knew that scarf was important to me because someone saved me and gave it to me. But, everything else is blank. I honestly don't know what's going on." Slowly, her grip on my hand began to tighten. "Aiz?"
"... I'll..." Her eyes were slowly narrowing and a strange feeling began to waft off of her. "I..."
"Even if my memory is gone, will you still be with me?" Why'd I say that? A Strange feeling came from my chest as I said that. Almost like a strange fear but... why?
Her mood immediately went back to normal, and her grip became more gentle and soft. "Of course. I... I'm sorry but give me a moment." Closing her eyes, my apparently long lost friend sat still. Looking at her like this, my guilt began to spring forth once more.
"I'm so-"
"It's not your fault. Don't worry." Opening her eyes, she looked to be back to normal. I couldn't help but notice that she seemed a bit more tense. "As long as you're here, it's fine. We'll simply make different memories." Woah. That's surprisingly profound and mature coming from her. Then again, I don't really know Aiz, now do I? Not anymore at least. Like a caring friend, she helped me stand up. "We should visit your party."
"Yeah. thank you, Aiz." Her sigh at my response confused me a bit. But that's for another time. I hope everyone's alright.
F-Rank
As we walked throughout the tent town that my Familia had put up, I noticed a few things that made me feel uncomfortable. For one, we were once again earning the stares of our familia and a few blacksmiths I didn't recognize. The second... is that Aiz seems to be a very protective person. She refused to let go of my hand as we walked and stood dangerously close to me as well. No doubt, causing some misunderstandings in the onlookers minds. I wanted to pull away or tell her to give me some space, but that worried look in her eyes made it impossible to do so. I don't know if I prefer her strange stalking to this. Deciding this was too much embarrassment for my feeble mind to handle, I tried to focus on something different. "Aiz, about the person who you knew with Nightmare Rage. It was my father, wasn't it?"
Surprisingly, she showed little to no reaction to me finding it out. "I did not want to... to be the one to inform you about your father's status. I apologize." Turning her head away she kept silent.
"I understand that, but you don't have to worry about me. I'm not a child anymore. I can handle the hard truths." Besides, it's not like I didn't have my suspicions. Susano'o's knowledge of my father was a very big hint at that. For him to follow my father so far... I'll destroy him! Swallowing my anger, I glanced at my escort. "But, thanks for worrying about me. Didn't think anyone other than Bell or Lily would do that for me."
"Bell and Lily..." Hm? She whispered something I couldn't catch before suddenly stopping. "This is it." Sure enough, we stopped in front of a tent. That looked exactly like every other tent here in this makeshift town. Would it kill you guys to put up a sign or something? "I'll be back in a bit, so please be careful."
"Relax, I don't see any minotaur here, do you?" The slight glare she had on sent a shiver down my spine. "I'll see you later." And with a nod, the princess left me in front of the tent. Great, now I don't know how to act around her. I don't know if I can relax around her like I do with Lily and Bell yet. But not doing so makes me feel bad. Ugh, this is Loki's fault somehow. Putting that issue to the back of my head for now, I walked in.
Sitting inside were Bell, Welf and Lily. All three of them were in a circle, eating some food that had been given to them. "Yo! Look who's finally up!" Welf said with a smile. Just as Riviera said, each of them had bandages wrapped around them, but to a much smaller degree than me. "So, how's the arm?"
"Never been better." I took a seat between Lily and Bell after grabbing a piece of bread. "But, I'm more worried about you guys, how are you holding up?"
"Your arm is broken and you're worried about us? You need to fix your priorities, Viole." Lily's exasperated sigh made me question myself for a moment, before just throwing the thought away. "I'm better knowing that you're okay though."
"Shesh girl. Just make out with him already." A wooden spoon was thrown at Welf's head for that. "Ow! Hey, I'm trying to help!"
Laughing at the situation in front of him, Bell turned his head to me. "We're alright. But, Viole. You need to be more careful, okay?" It was getting annoying hearing everyone tell me not to be so much of an idiot. The most annoying part was that I couldn't just brush them off. Not only was it the most important people telling me this, but they were right too. "A-Anyway, we may have had a rough time but... we made it to floor eighteen! That's an accomplishment, no?"
"We practically ran from most of our fights and almost died, but sure. Thank you Bell for being such a great leader~"
"Lily, don't be so mean!"
E-Rank
Floor eighteen was pretty interesting. The cleaning of the floor was covered in beautiful crystals that shone brightly like the sun in the morning. But it turned dark during the night. Perfectly reflecting the outside world. It was interesting, I must say, and made me question what truly was the dungeon? It's not my problem. The entire Loki familia was having a large celebration, celebrating the rescue of the "four idiots" as Riviera nicely put it. I watched from beside a tree away from the celebration. I wasn't exactly in the mood nor physically able to really participate in the celebration. I watched as Bell, Welf and Lily mingled and spoke happily with my familia.
Watching Bell happily talk with Aiz and Tiona made me feel strange. I don't care for my familia, other than Aiz, but... just seeing him so easily mingle made me feel horrible. They are strong, so very very strong, And yet, they aren't dismissing Bell. Or even Lily and Welf. Would they treat me the same way? But I'm capped. I'm sure they won't see any reason to. As a capped, I'm aiming for an impossibility. I'm sure they only see me as a temporary member. Yeah, that must be it. There's no need to even try to get along with them then. But what about Dad? Dad was capped too, and according to Loki he got along well with some of his familia. At least Riviera. Not to mention he visited Orario every two years. But that's him. Dad was great while I... "I need to take a walk."
I was spiraling. I'm sure it was because of my fatigue and I just needed to rest. Standing up straight, I adjusted my sling before walking away from the party. Intending return to my tent. Along the way, I realized that I had gotten a bit lost. Damn woods. Walking around aimlessly, I suddenly appeared in front of what looked to be the entrance to a town. Oh right. The eighteenth floor has a town. Rivira if I remember correctly. Weirdly close to Riviera's name. Leaning against a wooden pole stood a strange man. Unlike what you'd expect an adventurer to wear, he was wearing a three piece black suit and tie. His gray hair cut in the shape of a bowl and covered his eyes. "Well hello there! You must be one of the Loki kids. I'm afraid you got turned around." His tone was strange. It was playful but with a strange edge to it. Almost remaining me of a snake for some reason.
"Yes, I apologize. I'm not very familiar with this floor." Hoping he'd point me in the right direction, I engaged in conversation. Even if he was a little odd.
"I see, I see. Must be that newbie that everyone's talking about." A slight smile appeared on his face. "You're the one who was with Little Rookie when he killed the minotaur, correct?" For that to be how I'm remembered... well, it's not like I've done anything significant yet. I nodded at his statement. I really tried to not let how I was being addressed get to me. Tried being the key word. "That story was veeeery interesting. You'd expect Loki to choose em strong, but turned out the real prodigy was of a different familia. Oh well, you can't win them all."
Don't let it get to you. "If you could just point me in the direction of the camp, that'd be great."
"Oh, sorry! That must have seemed rude! No, no. I didn't mean it like that." Shaking his hands frantically, the strange man moved backwards a bit. "I'm sure your time is coming, kid. I mean, everyone's saying you're the Sword Princesses' favorite! That girl's got an eye on her, I'm sure." Shut up. "Unless she's just letting her... feelings get in the way. But noooo! I'm sure that's impossible! I mean, it's Wallenstein we're talking about! That statue can't feel for shit!"
Who the fuck did this guy think he was? It was one thing to shit on me, but Aiz? No, she doesn't deserve that. "Take that back, you bowl headed shit for brains." I felt my hands clench in anger, and all I could think of was ways to rip this dickhead apart.
His smile turned worried. "A-Ah! Sorry, sorry! Really! It was just some rumors I heard, is all! We don't get a lot of chances to interact with celebrities down here, so rumors are all we have! I didn't mean to offend." Sucking in my teeth, I guess his reason made sense. "We sort of started off on the wrong foot, haven't we? My name is Ophis, pleasure." Putting his hand out, I debated whether or not to shake it. But, I strangely was compelled to do so.
"Viole." I knew better than to give him anything other than my first name. Even if he knew I was of the Loki familia, this is better. Who knows who this guy is.
Shaking my hand, the man pointed behind me. "By the way, looks like someone's looking for you." Turning around, I saw Aiz walking through the woods, looking around for something. For me. "Now you shouldn't leave her waiting, Viole. Judging by those wounds, I'd say you need some Rest." He had a point, my eyes were barely staying open right now. Letting go of his hand, I walked towards my long lost friend. "I hope you show me an interesting play, Viole."
What...? One moment, I was walking towards Aiz, the next, my eyes opened and showed me the roof of the tent. "Huh?" When did I get back? Well, I was tried so I must have passed out as soon as Aiz found me. Yeah, that makes sense. Of course it does.
Trickster
"I need a drink!" Seriously, who did I piss off this time? As a long lived, but still very young, goddess, I know life has its ups and downs, but the past month has felt like someone's been playing a prank on me! Hmm, maybe one of Chibi's curses actually worked for once... N-Nah, no way! That'd be way too scary! That bitch already has those fat bags, can't I catch a break?!
Shit seems to be even worse this week. Well, first off I haven't seen most of my beloved familia for weeks, making my Aiz and Rivy battery fall dangerously low! And then Vi and his groupie had to run into the dungeon! Ugh, who do they think they are, leaving me all alone? Well, whatever! Now I get to laze around and no one can yell at me~ Was what I thought, till those two didn't come home yesterday, I got a little worried. That combined with the stress of knowing my familia's stuck on floor eighteen wasn't fun at alllll! Those plant monsters... they're becoming more of an issue than I thought. My gut is telling me there's something off about them.
Just when I thought shit couldn't get worse, I found out this morning Take's kids parade passed Vi and Chibi stupidly ran into the dungeon with Hermes! Those dumbasses! I really don't like the fact that I have to lay my hopes on those two... but whatever. Lily's a smart girl, I'm sure she'll make sure those two come out alright. Wait, am I actually worrying about that Pallum? I-It's just cuz she's cute dammit! No other reason! I swear! It was as I became a tsundere that I realized something. "Wait, shouldn't I be there by now?" The whole time, I've been walking towards Hostess. No way I walked past it, the smell of food is way too delicious for me to not notice, and I've been walking for too long to not get there by now. Now that I think about it, isn't it supposedly empty for this time of night? I haven't run into a single other person as I walked. "The hells going- oh. Of course."
Suddenly, standing in front of me was a short being wearing an oversized black cloak over their body. Huh? Why am I referring to them like this? "Dammit, Bh^hn), what the hell are you doing here? And stop messing with my speech and thoughts!" That party trick got old the first thousand times they used it.
Amused, she giggled into her hand. Finally! "It's nice to see you as well, Loki. Forgive me, but you and I both know that I am not supposed to be here. Though I may have gone a bit overboard just now." Her silky voice would have made me swoon if it was anyone else. But I really fucking hate this bitch. "So, how have you been?"
"Shove it, M&GAb. I know you didn't break out of Heaven just to say hi. So just spit it out so I can get my drink." AGh! I hate it when she erases her name!
"Now that's what I appreciate about you, Loki. You know how to get down to business." Fuck off. "Now, while I have a very important piece of advice for you, I'd like to indulge my curiosity for a bit. How is Keres' boy growing?"
Oh come on. "What, you're willing to break out of heaven to talk to me, but you can't look for yourself? I didn't know a cunt like you cared so much about privacy. Or are you trying to pull a Freya, because I won't hesitate to shove my foot up your asshole if you try!"
"My, my. Your insults are just as crude as I remember. I'm glad you're still the same woman." I want to punch this bitch so hard she flies back into heaven! Leaning to her left, the enigma placed her right hand onto her hidden cheek. "But no, I have no intention of being like Freya. That woman has always been quite selfish, wouldn't you say? She wants to own her fascinations. I believe that it's better to leave the things that you love free. So I wouldn't invade my Pride's privacy. Even if I have indulged myself once or twice."
Love? Your pride? I decided against asking what this psycho was talking about. I learned better than to take what she says seriously. Even if what she's saying makes no sense considering who she is. Never thought I'd hear her say the word "love" in reference to someone other than herself. "You know what. Fuck it, I really just want to get this shit over with so fine. He's doing great. If things go well, he could surpass his first stat soon. Happy now?"
"Is that so... ah...how amazing!" Wrapping her arms around herself, she began to shiver. Ew, she's definitely getting off right now. "N-No! I must calm myself, we are not there yet. Okay... thank you Loki, that is all I needed from you."
"Great! Now by-"
"But before I let you go, there are a few things I must tell you." You time sucking- "You are planning to go to Melen soon, no?" How the hell did she know that?! Reading my surprised expression, I just knew that shithead grinned under that hood. "Well, I am not going to tell you what to do, it's a beautiful city. Wonderful beaches I've heard. But if you go on vacation right now, my Pride will die. Susano'o has already made his first moves."
Just when I thought the past few months haven't already been going bad enough, now... Susano'o? But how? What?! Why?! Ignoring my thoughts, Bh6G kept talking. "I've already done all I could to influence these early outcomes. But it is up to you to keep Magenta alive. I hope the beach is worth it."
"The hell are you talking about?! Outcomes? Magenta? You aren't making sense! Can't you speak like a normal person for once in your fucking life?!"
"Ah, it seems like I've had a slip of the tongue. Well, it is all the same." Turning away from me, the small figure began to walk away from me. "I believe you will make the right choice, Loki. You are the once I chose, after all."
"Wait!' Running, I caught up to the bitch and grabbed at her cloak. "We're not done talking!"
"Ah, but Lady Loki. That is where you are wrong. After all, You and I unfortunately didn't meet tonight."
And like that, the world shifted. Making sure that what she had said was indeed factually correct. There I stood, in front of the Hostess, holding onto a piece of cloth that one of the maids dropped from the rooms above. "Dammit, I hate when she does that!" Taking in all that had just Not happened, I decided to walk into the restaurant anyway. I'm gonna need a drink or ten.
An: Happy Halloween everyone. Hope you all are enjoying it. Once again, apologies for the delay. I find myself in a strange mood when it comes to writing FF right now. I always keep thinking of this story and what will come next, but also I can't seem to get myself to write. Whether it's I don't find the time or I procrastinate. I hope I'll get over it soon because I really do want to get back to writing more consistently, especially my other stories as well. Maybe it's just end of year blues. I don't know. We'll see. Anyway, thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed this update.
Incognito74: Thank you once more for your kind review and words. Honestly, when it comes to this rewrite I planned out quite a bit ahead but I still haven't thought of whether or not there will be a ship nor who would it be with. If I do, Lily is in the running, that's for sure. Guess that's something I should really figure out soon, huh? Either way, thank you for reviewing once again!