A/N: WARNING: GRAPHIC VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER. Torrhen gets pissed.

I really hope you enjoy this one! It's the next major event, so I hope I did it well. This chapter does have a bit more graphic violence than I usually have, you can guess where, but I did include a warning in the chapter.

I do have a couple questions for you.
First: What should Bell's alias be? I'm not a big fan of Little Rookie but if that's the best we can use, I'll go with that. If you have any suggestions for a better one though, I'd love to hear them.

Second: Any other suggestions for Torrhen's battle armor? It's still not gonna be used for a while so I'd love more feedback on what it should be.

I hope you enjoy the chapter. I've left question answers at the bottom. Please leave comments, questions, or reviews if you have anything you'd like to say.

Hearthfire

Chapter 14

Bell

Bell dashed forward, his knife easily slicing through the neck of a Needle Rabbit. He heard a cry to his left and looked to see the last of the Needle Rabbit pack explode into dust, one of Lili's bolts sticking out of its neck. He and Lili were on the 9th floor and had been doing very well even though they were rushing more than they probably should. The Loki Familia were leaving on their expedition soon, so he and Lili wanted to get their dive finished before the large group went through.

"Looks like that's all of them," he said as he sheathed his knife and stood straight.

"It's been getting much easier to handle monsters from the first 10 floors," Lili commented as she began picking up the drop items and stones. "Maybe we should speak to Eina about heading down to the 11th floor." Eina had taken over as Lili's advisor now that she was becoming more of an adventurer than a supporter.

Bell shook his head at that. "She won't let us," he grimaced. "Eina says that no matter how skilled you are, two Level 1's can't handle the lead up to the middle floors. She wants us to recruit another party member before we head below the 10th floor." He was very appreciative of Eina and her advice had kept him alive more times than he could count, but it was starting to get frustrating that they couldn't head to the 11th floor. Still, he had promised to follow her advice, so he would stick to the first 10 floors until she gave him the ok to move below them.

"I suppose she's right about that," Lili said as she stood and adjusted her pack, "but I don't have a clue about how or where we should start recruiting."

Bell sighed. They'd had that conversation several times, trying to figure out the best way to find a new party member that they could trust. "In a perfect world I'd love to ask Naaza, but I completely get why she flat out refuses to go into the Dungeon at all."
"Given what happened to her, I can't really blame her for not wanting to even think about it," Lili said, grimly. Bell nodded. Naaza's arm had been eaten by a monster right in front of her, so he couldn't blame her for now wanting to go anywhere near the Dungeon.

"We should probably get moving," he said. "The Loki Familia has probably started their descent and I'd like to be on the way back up before they reach us."

"Agreed," Lili nodded. The two set off down the passageway, searching for their next encounter when a loud, terrified scream rent the air. Bell and Lili froze, staring down the hall and straining to see or hear anything more. A bellowing roar echoed down the passage, causing Lili to cover her ears. The hairs on the back of Bell's neck suddenly stood up. He knew that roar. There was no mistaking it.

"A Minotaur," he said, faintly. The sound of heavy footsteps reached them as a hulking figure emerged from the other end of the passageway.

Torrhen

"My enchanting method is, in principle, very simple to teach but it can take many long months, sometimes even years of practice and work to become even reasonably proficient let alone to become a master." He said to Tsubaki. Torrhen was on the 5th floor with the advance party of the Loki Familia, headed for the 18th floor. So far, it had been smooth sailing. He'd only had to dispatch 3 monsters personally with the Amazon twins, Ais, and the lightweight Werewolf handling most of their encounters with ease.

He'd quite enjoyed himself so far. After being introduced, he'd been approached by the Amazon twins who seemed quite eager to speak with him, especially the one with shorter hair.

Flashback:

"Hey, aren't you the guy who helped us at Monsterphilia?" The shorter-haired Amazon asked, staring up at him. They hadn't actually entered the Dungeon yet, their group still moving towards the entrance.

"Torrhen, right?" The longer-haired one asked.

"That's right," he chuckled. "I don't think I got your names last time," he prompted them.

"Tinoa!" The short-haired one said with a blinding smile. She pointed to her sister, "This is my sister Tione, and that's Bete." She gestured to the Werewolf he recognized as being the one who'd gone on a drunken rant at the tavern the night before Monsterphilia.

"Tch" The Werewolf scoffed as he moved away from them, towards the head of the group.

"Not exactly friendly, is he?" Torrhen asked in a deadpan.

"Bete's an ass," Tiona said, "but he's alright. He's a soft little puppy deep down."

"What did you say, shitty Amazon?!" Bete yelled from the head of the column.

"Quiet down, Bete!" Riveria interrupted him. "Watch your language."

"Sorry about him," Tione said. "He really isn't a bad guy but he's very confident in himself and has pretty much zero people skills."

Torrhen chuckled. "Not to worry, I've met quite a few people like him in my life."

"Ais says she's been sparring with you, is that true?" Tiona asked. "She says you've beaten her every time."

"I have," Torrhen nodded. "Ais is extremely skilled with a sword, but even the best of the best have room for improvement. I am simply helping her with that."

"He's got a point," Finn cut in from behind them before addressing Torrhen. "I didn't even realize how many mistakes I was making until after you wiped the floor with me."

"No way," Tiona's eyes went wide. Tione's jaw had dropped to the floor. "He beat you, Captain?"

Finn nodded. "Gareth too. It wouldn't surprise me if Torrhen here was the strongest adventurer in Orario."

Torrhen couldn't help but let out a small laugh at that. He was definitely the strongest. "Perhaps I am," he said with a chuckle, "but one must never become complacent. Being too assured of your own strength is the best way to make a mistake and get yourself killed."

"Wise words," Finn said with a nod. "By the way, I meant to introduce you," he gestured to the black-haired Half Dwarf girl with the eyepatch, "this is Tsubaki, Captain of the Hephaestus Familia. She's borrowing one of the packs you gave us for this expedition."

"So, you're the one who made these things?" She asked, gesturing over her shoulder to the bag fastened to her back. "I've been hoping to ask about your enchanting process, they're unlike anything I've seen before."

"I did make them," Torrhen said, extending a hand for her to shake. "It's a pleasure to meet you. When last we talked, your goddess, Hephaestus spoke of you quite fondly."

Tsubaki's eyes widened as she shook his hand. "You've met Hephaestus?" She asked.

Torrhen nodded. "She visited my forge not too long ago, hoping I'd teach my enchanting skills to one of your members. Welf, I believe his name was."

Tsubaki nodded at that. "Yeah, of all our members he's the one who would benefit most from learning to enchant like this. Can I ask what your process is? I've examined this pack, but I can't figure out how you did it."

Flashback End:

That question had prompted a discussion that had lasted quite a while as they descended the first few floors.

"I wish I had the time to work with you and learn it all," Tsubaki said, sadly. "Still, I hope Welf accepts the offer to be your apprentice. He would really benefit from it."

"I hope he does as well," Torrhen said. "As for yourself, if you wish to come by and observe or talk shop, feel free. I am always happy to compare notes with another craftsman and who knows, you might pick up a few things."
Tsubaki grinned. "I might just take you up on your offer," she said. "Beyond all that, how much would it cost me to get you to make one of these expanded Adventurer Packs for me? This thing is ridiculously useful."

Torrhen smiled. "I wouldn't say that it would cost you too much," he said. "Perhaps we can work out a trade deal. I am still in need of quite a few materials that my Familia cannot currently get access to. What do you say to trading those materials for a pack or two?"

Tsubaki grinned. "I can certainly agree to that!" She said. "I'll come by your forge after this expedition is over and we'll work out a trade."

Bell

"Aim for its eyes!" Bell shouted, ducking under a swing from the Minotaur's sword. He and Lili had tried to run from the Minotaur but it was just too fast for them. Not only was it way faster than the one Bell had encountered on the 5th floor, but it was much stronger and carrying a huge sword! Bell had never heard of a Minotaur using a sword before but it certainly made fighting it tricky.

Since they couldn't outrun it, their only option was to fight and hope for the best. He and Lili were running circles around it, trying to divide its attention. It may have been faster than them in a straight line, but the two of them were far more agile. Bell was getting in close, trying to score hits on the Minotaur's thick hide, while Lili would take potshots with her crossbow to distract it. This method had allowed them to score several good hits and there were three bolts sticking out of the Minotaur at various points on its body.

Still, the Minotaur seemed undeterred by the bolts and shallow cuts. If anything, they just made it angrier. It let out a bellow and Bell was forced to roll backwards, just narrowly avoiding being split in half by the Minotaur's massive sword as it came crashing into the ground. Lili tried to dart past the Minotaur to get to him but in the narrow corridor, she misjudged the distance and got too close the monster.

The Minotaur's meaty fist lashed out and caught Lili in the side, sending her careening into the wall. She let out a cry of pain as she slumped to the floor.

"Lili!" Bell shouted, dashing forward. His approach was halted by the Minotaur swinging its sword at him in a wide arc.

"Master Bell!" Lili cried out. Blood had flowed quickly from a headwound of some kind and blinded one of her eyes.

"Run, Lili!" Bell hollered, flipping over the massive sword. "Go for help! I'll hold it off as best I can!"

"I'm not leaving you!" She shouted as she struggled to her feet.

"Go!" Bell replied as he slashed at the minotaur's leg. "It's our only choice!" They had used up all of the potions they had prepared for emergency use and although both had a few potions left in their packs, the Minotaur was just too strong and too fast. They didn't have the time to get the potions out, and they wouldn't be of much use anyway.

Lili

Lili tried to hold back tears as she ran as fast as her legs would carry her. Now was not the time to break down. She had to get help, just like Master Bell had said. It was their only chance at surviving against a monster like that. It was clearly an abnormal mutation and there was no telling how long Master Bell would last against it without help. She just hoped she found help and got back to him in time.

Torrhen

Torrhen smiled as he dispatched a simple Needle Rabbit. They had just entered the 9th floor and he was having fun. There was no challenge to be found here, but he was getting along very well with his current companions. He had already gotten to know Ais well and found her to be slightly airheaded and childlike but very kind and with a determination that honestly impressed him.

He had a feeling that Finn and Riveria could turn out to be very good friends. They were both older, Riveria especially, and he had started to feel a sense of camaraderie with them as he had gotten to know them. As for Tsubaki, her passion for smithing and innate curiosity reminded him of a girl he'd known back in Skyrim.

Dorthe had only been a child when he'd first met her, but she'd gone on to become one of the best smith's in Skyrim's history. Her Father, Alvor, had been the blacksmith of Riverwood and once she'd completed her training under him, she'd set out to adventure and hopefully learn more about smithing. After a few years of traveling, she'd ended up in Whiterun and had become Torrhen's apprentice, learning from both him and an aging Eorlund. She had wound up marrying one of Eorlund's grandsons and the two had taken over running the Skyforge together while Torrhen had been serving as Harbinger.

Torrhen had also very quickly grown fond of the Amazon twins. Tione, the older, mostly had a calmer and more serious demeanor while the younger, Tiona, was upbeat and constantly smiling. He'd admit that part of why he liked them so much was that they reminded him of his daughters when they had been teenagers. Sofie had been calm and serious while Lucia had been rambunctious and carefree. Not only that, but both the Amazon twins and his daughters had truly impressive tempers.

As for their supporter Raul and the Werewolf, Bete, Torrhen hadn't interacted with them much. Raul had been pretty quiet for most of the trip, and Bete clearly didn't want to talk to anybody. Torrhen was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of frantic running coming from one of the side tunnels. To Torrhen's shock, sprinting out of the tunnel with her head covered in blood, was Lili!

"Lili!" He cried, dashing to her followed by Riveria and Ais.

"Master Torrhen!" She let out in relief, slumping against the wall. "You have to help! A Minotaur! Back there! Please, Master Bell is fighting it alone and he needs help!"

"Riveria!" Torrhen snapped. "Please take care of Lili."

"Of course," she said, kneeling next to the injured girl.

Torrhen dashed down the corridor, Ais hot on his heels.

"Wait for us!" He heard Tiona shout from behind him.

(GRAPHIC VIOLENCE WARNING)

Torrhen did not slow down though. He continued to race through the Dungeon, hoping to make it in time to save his student. Torrhen and Ais barreled through the halls of the Dungeon until Torrhen's danger sense prompted him to skid to a halt and bend backwards in order to avoid a massive sword that had come out of an adjacent corridor and was swinging for his neck.

Out of the shadows stepped a large Boaz man, one sword in his hand and the other strapped to his back. Torrhen had seen depictions of this man on the noticeboard. This was Ottar, Captain of the Freya Familia and the strongest active adventurer in Orario.

"Out of the way," Torrhen said. The blood trail he was following led down the corridor Ottar now guarded. "I've no quarrel with you, and I must reach my student."

"You have caught my Lady's eye." Ottar said, bluntly. "Your worthiness must be tested."

Torrhen was starting to get impatient. "If you wish to spar, we can do so another time. Stand aside or I will remove you. My student is in danger and I must aid him."

"The boy's test does not matter. His life is inconsequential. I will fight you here and now." Ottar glared at Torrhen.

"Test?" Torrhen asked. "You mean this is your doing?" When Ottar nodded, Torrhen could feel the old fury of his Dragon Soul rising. "You would dare to stand between me and my student? You would endanger him for your own twisted ends?" An enraged Dovah was a very dangerous thing and Torrhen had worked long and hard to keep his rage and his dark side under lock and key, only to be unleashed upon those that threatened the people he cared for.

"You have caught my Lady's eye." Ottar said again. "I must see if you are worthy of her attention."

"Ais," Torrhen said, his voice low and dangerous. "Continue on and assist Bell. I must teach this fool a very painful lesson."

"Are you certain?" Ais asked.

Torrhen nodded. "Go," he said as he drew his sword, Stormcaller. Ais dashed forward, aiming to move around Ottar who swung his sword to stop her. The blade came to a sudden halt as Torrhen seized the fool's wrist in an iron grip and Ais flew down the corridor. He was angry now. There was no restraint to be found. He was no longer teaching a student or observing the strength of a possible friend. An ant has no quarrel with a boot, but still should not anger it. This ant had angered a Dovah.

With a lazy heave, Torrhen swung the Boaz into the air and sent him crashing into the wall of the Dungeon. He withdrew a stone from one of the pouches on his belt. He had deliberately left his sword uncharged for quite some time, since using a charged enchanted weapon to train was a bad idea. This was one of the few Grand Soul Gem's he had left but it was well worth its use to teach this fool the folly of endangering his loved ones.

"I do not care if you are acting of your own volition or on your goddess' orders." Torrhen said, his voice still low. He ran the soul gem along the length of the blade, carving a crack into the stone with the edge. The magic flowed from the stone as it shattered and into the sword bringing the Chaos and Vampiric Drain enchantments back to full power. It was a special enchantment that he had spent years tweaking. It was guaranteed to cause lightning damage and drain vitality, with a 50% chance to cause additional frost and/or fire damage.

"You have dared to endanger my student. You dare to stand in my way." Torrhen continued. Ottar had risen, shakily and drawn his other sword, staring at Torrhen. A small spark of fear could be seen in his eyes. "You have attacked my family and you will pay."

For the first time in decades, Torrhen moved at full power and full speed. He was on Ottar before the fool could react, his sword carving through the Boaz's left- hand sword leaving only a useless hilt shard behind. Torrhen's sword cut through Ottar's armor and into his shoulder before the broken blade could hit the ground. Probability was on Torrhen's side as all 4 damage types were triggered.

Ottar screamed in pain as the skin, muscle, and bone of his shoulder was frozen, seared, and electrocuted all at once. Torrhen could feel some of the fool's vitality flowing through the blade and into his hand. He quickly spun his sword and destroyed Ottar's remaining blade. Kicking the Boaz in the stomach, Torrhen sent him crashing into the wall. Walking up to him, Torrhen plunged his sword through Ottar's leg and into the Dungeon floor below as lightning, frost, and drain activated. The man let out a bellow of pain and clutched at his leg. He looked up at Torrhen, terror in his eyes.

"Oh, don't worry." Torrhen said, calmly. "You may be an enemy but I won't kill you. I won't even cripple you. You won't show a single mark once I'm done." He knelt down in front of Ottar. "That would cause problems for my family that they aren't ready to deal with. I am going to hurt you though. You will never forget the fear or the pain. You will never dare to challenge me or my family again because what you experience today…" Torrhen paused. "Is me treating an enemy with mercy."

Torrhen stood, his sword still embedded in Ottar's leg. He had spent decades learning to cast Master Level spells without that silly wind-up dance. He now called one into his hands. To ensure his lesson held maximum effect, he allowed the dual-casted Master Illusion spell Hysteria to wash over Ottar. Next he called upon the Wall of Storms and let it splash into the ground. The lightning surrounded Ottar and the man began to scream. Hysteria had taken hold and the man stared in utter and complete terror as he screamed in pain.

Under the sound of his pained screams, Torrhen could hear hurried footsteps coming down the passage. "It would seem I must cut our lesson short." He thought and pulled his sword from Ottar's leg.

"Torrhen!" He heard from behind him as the others rounded a corner.

"Is… Is that Ottar?!" Tiona said, dumbfounded.

"He tried to stop us." Torrhen replied. "Bell's predicament is his doing. I sent Ais on ahead."

"You can't kill him, Torrhen" Finn said, warily.

Torrhen smiled, wryly. "Don't worry, Finn. I have no intention of killing or crippling him." He knelt down. "In fact," he pulled a potion out of his belt. "I intend to heal him. He's learned his lesson about attacking my family. Haven't you, Ottar?"

The man could only nod, staring at Torrhen in terror. Torrhen popped the cork out and handed the Ultimate Healing Potion to Ottar. The Boaz was too scared to do anything but comply as he raised the potion to his lips and drank. It would heal his physical injuries, but Torrhen knew the fool would never forget the lesson he had learned.

Torrhen moved away from the downed member of the Freya Familia. "Come on," he said to the others. "We should catch up to Ais." Finn just nodded in understanding. They were watching him with a mix of wariness and awe, but he could understand that. He had just thoroughly trounced the supposed strongest in the city after all and didn't even feel winded.

Ais

Ais could only stand and watch as Bell fought the massive Minotaur. It was clearly abnormal and she had intended to intervene as soon as she had arrived when Bell, who had noticed her, had called for her to stop.

"I don't want to be saved again!" He cried. "This is my fight. I have to finish this!" Bell sounded more determined than she could ever remember hearing him be. His armor was in tatters, his second knife was lying shattered on the floor some distance away, and he was covered in blood, cuts, and bruises. Still, Bell stood and faced his enemy determined to end this fight. One way or another.

Ais wasn't sure how long she stood there watching. She wanted to help the boy who had become both an inspiration and a friend over the short time she'd known him. At the same time, she wanted to respect his wishes and admired his determination.

"Bell!" Torrhen's voice shouted as he entered the corridor with Lili and the other members of Ais's Familia hot on his heels.

"Don't!" Ais called to them. "He has asked to finish this fight alone."

"What?!" Torrhen exclaimed.

"He does not want to be saved again," Ais said, gravely. "This is his adventure."

Torrhen sighed and turned to observe the fight. "If that is his wish, I cannot interfere. Still, if he lives, he is in for a lecture the likes of which he will never forget."

They turned to watch as Bell used his impressive agility to dodge and weave around the Minotaur. After a moment, he ducked under the Minotaur's attack winding up directly underneath its arms.

"Tch, idiot" Bete commented.

"He's fine," Ais said.

Sure enough, Bell leapt up, his knife plunging into the Minotaur's wrist and twisted. The severed hand dropped to the ground as the monster howled. Bell picked up the dropped sword and charged, getting in four powerful blows before the blade shattered on the Minotaur's horn.

A piece of shrapnel lodged in the Minotaur's eye and Bell capitalized on that moment of distraction. He ducked under the Minotaur's guard, the hilt shard of the broken sword plunging into the Miontaur's foot while Bell stabbed his knife just under the monster's ribcage.

"Firebolt!" Bell cried. Ais could see flames swirling in Bell's hand, traveling up the knife and into the Minotaur. The monster let out a howl of pain. "Firebolt!" Bell cried again and again the monster howled, unable to move. "Firebolt!" Again and again, Bell let the spell loose, until eventually the Minotaur exploded into dust.

The magic stone and one of the monster's horns clattered to the ground as Bell stood there, silent.

"Mind Down," Riveria said. Torrhen and Lili dashed forward, catching him before he could fall. Torrhen's hand lit up with a golden light which slowly covered Bell's wounds.

"You once called that boy a wimpy little newbie, didn't you Bete?" Finn asked. "What do you think now?"

"What the hell happened to him?" the Werewolf said, dumbfounded.

"That was so cool!" Tiona said, jumping for joy. "He looked like a real hero there!"

"What are his stats?" Bete demanded. "Elf, you can read them, what does it say?"

"He is a member of a friendly Familia! It is locked and I will not spy on him without permission!" Riveria exclaimed, offended.

"All S," Torrhen's voice cut in, quietly as he healed Bell. "His stats are all S."

Ottar

He had managed to get out of the Dungeon mostly unseen and was now sequestered in an abandoned building, trying to stop the shaking. Never in all his life had he experienced such terror. That man was terrifying and Ottar could not best him. Not as he was. The man was right, Ottar would not mess with his Familia. Not even on his Lady's orders. At least, not until he was strong enough to exact his revenge on the man who had bested him.

Ottar tried and failed to repress a shudder. Training and revenge would have to wait. He needed to stop the shaking and hopefully the feeling of terror would eventually go away. While it would eventually fade, even the very sight of that man would terrify Ottar for quite some time following the events of that day.

A/N: That's that! The minotaur incident and Ottar gets curb stomped. I hope I did this justice and what I wrote works. Hopefully the violence wasn't too bad, but if you think I should up the rating because of this chapter, please let me know. Oh, and Bell doesn't have to say 'firebolt,' he just likes to.

Translations: Dovah (Dragon)

Answers To Questions/Comments

On FFN

Christalm: I don't think Detect Life or Aura Whisper would let Torrhen see Aura's the way Freya and Hestia (in my version anyway) do. It's more of a lifeforce thing than actually seeing their souls.

On AO3

Bigtime12: Sorry I forgot to answer this before, but in Torrhen's version of the Skyirm timeline, Serana was cured and eventually died a natural but happy death.