Hey everyone, how are you all doing? I just wanted to clarify the essence of this revisit as I feel I did a bad job before. So, the short version is that this a "Remaster" of the original. So, the story will follow similar beat as to the original, but I will be adding things and changing how a handful of things playout. Also, the best example of how I will be adding things will be the next chapter. Also, events might shift around, but I generally will try to expand things and add more character interactions than just Ryu and Bell, as it was a major flaw of the original in my memory. Either way I hope you enjoy and continue reading, I'm still on track to release one chapter a week as I have several chapters backlogged. -EG
Word Count: 6545
Chapter 4
Ryu breathed a deep sigh of relief. She had spent the last two hours with her hero cautiously making their way through the tiny portion of Knossos. They had hidden under the cloaks that were given to them, every twist and turn sounded like an unknown entity was about to pounce on them. Then it would be eerily quiet for an extended portion of time.
She could hear Bell taking similarly deep breaths. They just stood there and took in great breaths of fresh untainted air. When Ryu's heart had calmed a great deal, she decided to speak. "We should get moving, will you be able to remember where this location is? Looks like an illusion is blocking it from a cursory glance."
Bell looked around, noting the various landmarks. "I believe so, but let's do this as well." Ryu watched as Bell grabbed a couple of handfuls of small rocks in the grassy plane and placed them in a small pile a dozen steps outside the affected area. "This should be good enough," Bell remarked, turning his back to the city and hefting the small pack that Fels had given them.
Ryu nodded in agreement; it was still night. But she guessed the sun would begin to light the sky in an hour. "Right..." she did her best to let out the knot of nervous tension in her heart.
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The pair had been walking for almost eight hours. It was still several hours until night would begin to fall. "I think we should start to get ready to set up camp. I'm not sure about you but I'm starting to get tired." Bell commented, seeing how neither had any sleep since yesterday it made sense.
Ryu wondered if he had noticed her starting to favor her leg, it was much better than his hand but still had been fractured in the deep floors. "I agree, let's go ahead and look for a secluded spot."
The pair moved for almost an hour before finding a small set of low hills that could act as cover. Ryu had a small smile on her face as she let down the bag she had been holding. With a silent exertion, she lowered herself to the ground and sat in relief. She looked and could see Bell moving around their small impromptu camp. Setting up a small ring of stones for a fire, gathering the bedrolls that Fels had forgotten to mention and whatnot. 'He definitely noticed.' Ryu couldn't help but think.
'Why am I so happy and nervous to be alone in the wilderness with him?' Ryu thought as Bell managed to procure some wood from who knows where and place it in the small ring. But he didn't light it, there was no reason. It was still comfortably warm in the sunlight.
Bell noticed her smiling softly and gave a small one in return. "What's up?"
Ryu paused for a second, "Nothing, just feeling a little happy. Being able to spend time together without the risk of a monster attacking us the moment we let our guards down."
Bell paused and sat down about a foot away from her. "I'm glad... glad that I'm not the only one."
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They sat in a comfortable silence until the sun had begun to set, Bell held out his palm towards the ring of stones and wood. "Don't look at the ring, I don't know if this will work."
Ryu agreed and closed her eyes and placed her head facing away. She heard a soft exhalation of "Firebolt." Her eyelids lit up red for a second, followed by the sound of a small explosion. "Should be good. I used the absolute smallest amount of mind I could manage." She opened to see Bell kneeling next to the wood moving several pieces that had been forcefully moved due to the blast.
But a few patches of fire did begin to grow as Bell moved pieces on top and around the growing fire. After ten minutes, they had a respectable source of warmth.
They sat in silence for a few minutes just watching the fire, Ryu noticed that there was a hint of white in the fire but thought nothing of it. "Normally, I would advise against using magic to start a campfire, but at least it seemed to work out."
Bell just nervously rubbed the back of his head. "True, but I'm out of practice. Usually, it's Welf or Lili that starts the fires in the dungeon."
Ryu only chuckled softly at that, of course, the supporter or smith would start the fires.
"Ryu, can I ask you something?" Bell asked softly as if to shatter the peaceful scene that sat between them.
Ryu wanted to chuckle, after everything he was still nervous to ask her a question. She managed to hold it in, "Of course Bell, feel free to ask anything you want."
He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, "Alright... Well, I want to learn more about you. About how you came to Orario, what it was like... before everything had happened." He hesitated for a second but managed to push through. "If you want, I can tell you about myself first though there isn't much to talk about." He almost added hastily, as if not to put pressure on her.
Ryu smiled knowing, "Sure, if you want to you can start, I don't mind either way." A second thought appeared and disappeared just as quickly, 'I wonder how much he has told everyone else?'
Bell paused for a second and nodded, "I feel kinda silly but here we go. I was raised in a small village about a week out from Orario. That tiny village was my tiny world... well unfortunately not everything can stay peaceful forever, and a part of me is glad it didn't otherwise I never would've traveled to Orario."
He paused for a second to gather his thoughts before continuing, "My grandfather raised me on stories of adventure and heroes of old. Always said that I would have the potential to eventually become one myself if I worked hard enough. He told me to find a nice Goddess and that I would make a name for myself."
Ryu didn't speak, just let Bell speak. That of course didn't stop her thoughts from blossoming, 'He was right, you have become a hero. More than you even know."
"After he died, I was heartbroken. I had stayed in the small cabin we had for weeks, but eventually, I decided almost on a whim to test whether my grandfather was right or not. I sold everything I knew I wouldn't need including the cabin, I... I didn't want to give myself the option to return if I failed and left for Orario." Taking a deep breath, he continued speaking, his eyes seemed to be locked onto the fire.
"It... wasn't easy, I had applied to almost every single Familia I could. Everyone threw me out as they couldn't or didn't want to help someone become an adventurer if they had nothing to offer. Considering that I had no equipment, almost no money, and no experience in fighting... well I don't blame them." He had spoken into the fire, letting his mind wander as he spoke. "Sometimes... I can't help but wonder 'What would've happened if I had been accepted into a different Familia?' Well, it doesn't matter."
He took a soft inhalation, "Well, when I was certain that I was going to have to sleep on the streets as all my money had run out, a tiny Goddess approached me instead. I honestly thought I was imagining things, gone crazy by the mixture of hunger and depression." He looked up to the sky and saw several sparkling stars.
"I joined the Hestia Familia as soon as I could. She hadn't wanted to lead me to her home originally considering that she was living in the basement of a collapsed church. But I wouldn't have minded, anywhere would've been a nice improvement over the streets." He waited for a second but added one last portion. "You pretty much know the rest."
X
Bell's mind wandered to a fact that he wasn't sure about. Time has been moving so quickly, 'That's right, it's almost my birthday, isn't it? Well, it's not important.' He sighed but turned his gaze back to the fire.
X
Ryu paused for a moment, letting the silence grow heavy but eventually finding the will to speak. "I grew up in the forest we are heading too now. Much like you, it was a smaller village of nothing but elves. My family had been the guardians of the Sacred Tree for generations, even the sword I used had been made from a branch of that tree. Time passed and I had a growing hatred towards my own kind, the way they hated every other race disgusted me."
She searched her memories, as flashes of memory returned to her. "After I couldn't stand it any longer, I left and traveled to Orario, despite my hatred of my own people, their innate hatred and distrust of others it had been ingrained into me as well. I hated myself, I hated the unfamiliar locations. Much like you I was getting ready to give up, that changed when Goddess Astraea found me. She talked to me like an actual person and didn't try to push me to join her Familia. I, of course, had tried at many different Familia, but they only wanted me because I was an elf so I would likely have a high magic skill, or they wanted me to join for lustful reasons." Ryu sighed, the pint-up flash of anger at the memory sparking but fading as the breath left her.
"Goddess Astraea had been different; all she did was leave a few words, some food, and a map to her Familia home. She gave me a chance to think it over, it was enough time to consider what type of Familia I wanted to join. Almost like fate played a role, right when I had decided to give the Goddess a try or at least a chance to converse, Alise made her appearance. I guess I had a gloomy look that her ever-cheerful personality wouldn't allow, much like her Goddess she talked to me about a random assortment of things. By the end, I even began to have a small smile on my face. I can remember it well." Ryu watched as a log that had been burned began to crack and ended up collapsing.
"I remember her asking if I had a Familia, when I replied in the negative but that I had an idea for one to apply at. She grabbed my hand... and ended up saying something about how she could see good in me. Truth be told, I wasn't really paying attention as my focus was entirely taken up by the fact that I didn't act negatively towards her or try to swat her hand away..." Ryu paused trying to find the right words, "It's hard to explain, but as you know elves typically don't let others touch them, especially if they are a different race, it's something special..."
Bell watched as Ryu fidgeted, her hands wandered towards the grass and began to pull at a couple of strands. After a moment, she began to speak as she worked on something. "Some of our kind think there are two potential reasons why our haphephobia doesn't act up when a stranger is involved." Bell noticed the slightest blush on her face, but she continued all the same, "The first is that we might be able to sense a portion of a person's soul unconsciously and see if they are someone we can trust."
She didn't speak for almost a full minute until Bell asked a question. "What is the second believed reason?"
Ryu looked directly at Bell, then looked back at the fire, tossing the couple strands of grass she had braided together into the fire, the moisture causing them to pop with a burst of steam. There was a partial blush on her face as she leaned into her knees and continued to speak. "The second reason is... it is believed that especially when dealing with the opposite sex... that they might be our fated... p-partners..." She spoke hesitantly and somewhat stuttered on the last word.
Ryu was embarrassed, she glanced at Bell and saw a similar reddening on his face. The fact that she had managed to say something so embarrassing to someone, especially to someone with whom she had a strong affection made her almost want to faint.
Bell took a couple of calming breaths, trying to let the embarrassment fade from his bubbling thoughts. He even avoided looking directly at Ryu in the hope that it would help the blush lessen. He knew he couldn't just let the silence rain, so he spoke. "That's... interesting. Truth be told, I have been interested in learning more about Elvish culture for a while... Would you be willing to teach me more?"
"Yes." Ryu blurted out before she could stop herself. She was so overjoyed with his willingness to learn; she took a shallow breath. 'Most don't care much about learning the cultures of the people they interact with. Most only care about how effective the person will be as a Familia member. The fact that he would be willing to learn about elvish customs at least revealed an interesting personality quirk.' Her mind rushed out the thoughts with a single breath.
Ryu smiled softly, "I would be honored to teach you if you are willing to have me as a teacher. Many aspects won't be relevant, so those can wait until later." She paused for a second, debating where to start. "I guess we can start in the beginning, as you probably know, many elves truly believe they are superior to every other race. Despite me finding the idea nauseating, do you know why?"
Bell had laid back and thought, nothing came to mind for a few seconds. Something in his lines of thought triggered a memory, one from when he was extremely young. Him lying in bed looking up at his grandpa as he read from a book. The memory was mute only a handful of jumbled words were audible. He gave up with a sigh, "I'm positive my grandfather had told me something about this, but the memory is too hazy, and I can only remember a couple of jumbled words. So, I must say that I don't."
Ryu looked at him and laid down on the soft grass as she continued to speak with a soft smile still on her lips. "Many believe we are the closest related race to the gods, besides spirits, especially compared to the other races. This is mostly caused by the gap in lifespan when comparing the races."
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Bell and Ryu talked for a few hours, wasting away the night in idle conversation about different aspects of elven culture. "Do you mind... if I tell you about my family or at least what I remember?" Ryu asked, but quickly added "I know that we should probably be getting to sleep, but still."
"I don't mind, I highly doubt I would be able to get almost any sleep anyway." Bell sighed but looked over to Ryu giving her his full attention.
Ryu hesitated to see the bags under his eyes that she swore weren't there, "Are you sure? You look like you are about to pass out. Is it due to..." she was about to ask the cause.
But Bell waved her off, "Yes, I'm sure. I... had trouble sleeping recently, but that's not important right now. Please continue your story."
Ryu hesitated a moment more but eventually acquiesced "Well, if you say so... right... well, my family has always been guardians of the tree as I said earlier. Truth be told my father was rather disappointed that I had been born instead of a male, you know someone to carry his legacy. He was... dissatisfied when I told him that I was leaving. He had... wanted me to stay to eventually bear children." She clenched her fist but spoke when Bell's hand grasped hers.
She gave him a knowing smile, "Right... Well, despite his wishes he had to train me to be able to do our family's job. I was trained in swordsmanship and archery, though I never really got too far before I left."
She sighed, "While it's true that I left because of elven hatred that plagued our kind. But I also just ran. Ran from that world, I abandoned that life, and the expectations as a 'Guardian'. So, when I left, I took what I could. I stole some resources that would let me survive a bit in the city."
She sighed but spoke, "Then I arrived in Orario foot sore but very much determined." She clenched his hand tightly in frustration, "I'm sure my father expected me to return after a while, probably thought I would beg for forgiveness. But I never did, I... refused to return."
Ryu was silent, staring at the fire but watching Bell out of the corner of her eye. "There is much that happened while I was in the city, much I hate, much I regret. But I'm still alive, here right now. I can breathe freely despite my desperate bids to say goodbye honorably. I... I don't think I would have it any other way." Ryu concluded. Turning to face Bell, she could see the natural empathy written across his face.
Bell's mouth parted, but nothing came out immediately but after a second, he spoke. "I'm glad, glad that you're alive and free."
Ryu could only hesitate before nodding in agreement, "Truth be told I don't remember anything about my mother. She had died when I was very young, as elves' mate for life I'm sure it destroyed my father..."
The silence was thick as another log snapped in the fire and sent a short spray of sparks toward the heavens. Neither flinched nor watched them fade.
"I'm sorry, I... was raised by my grandfather, he's the only family I had known my entire life before traveling. His calming presence was almost everything I needed. But in the blink of an eye, he was gone, and had left me alone." Bell spoke, watching the fire. As he focused on the blaze, he could almost see dancing figures twirling around in the twisting core of the fire. But it was gone the moment he blinked his eyes.
Ryu watched Bell carefully out of her periphery, she was curious but also afraid to dredge up memories he might not be ready for. After a second, she spoke soft and steady, "You don't have to answer, but do you mind if I ask what happened?"
He sighed but spoke quickly. "I would rather not, but I probably should, let's see... I suppose I should start in the beginning. I've only told Goddess about this, but not the details, I never knew my parents but from what I've been told they had been adventures or at least had a falna. But they died and I was left in the care of my grandfather."
Bell grabbed the water skin in his bag and took a swift drink before continuing, "Although I was told that I had my mother's hair, but almost everything else was from my father. He raised me and taught me how to live despite only living in a tiny village."
He gave a soft chuckle when remembering the 'Lessons' he was taught. "Though truth be told, most of the things he taught me were completely inappropriate for a child to learn." Ryu watched him blush slightly and knew what had probably been taught.
"Alright, my favorite part and the memories I treasure are the stories he had told me about the heroes of the past. The list he knew was staggering, he told me how they rose to prominence and eventually fell. Heros recent and from long ago before the gods descended." Ryu smiled at the goofy smile he had on his face; she was curious about who could be considered a hero in recent history but didn't interrupt him.
Bell rubbed his eyes to remove the hint of a tear that began to form but continued, "I think the most important thing he taught me was to always be true to who I want to be and to not be who everyone else wants me to be."
Ryu noticed the echoes of sorrow, moved her hand from his own, and wrapped him in a gentle reassuring hug, it took a handful of seconds, but he eventually continued. "Truth be told, I don't know if my grandfather is actually dead or just wanted to push me to leave and grow. When I was living with him, rarely but every once in a while, mostly when he was remembering sections of history, a strange feeling seemed to come off him. One that since coming to Orario I recognize."
She noticed that he was mostly talking to himself now, but still couldn't restrain asking, "What was that feeling?"
"That he was a God, he was always evasive when I asked his name. He only wanted to be known as Grandfather." His voice was more monotone than the energy he would normally give. "I miss him, I really do. There have been so many times I've wanted to ask him for advice."
"I... I know it's hard, but if he is still alive then I doubt he wanted to take that path." Her memories of forcing her own Goddess Astraea out of Orario right after the goddess had lost everything. She didn't recognize the look of fear and sorrow on the goddess's face in her anger-driven state.
"Bell..." she paused, looking at the position of the moon, surprised by how far it had traveled. So, she changed what she was planning on saying, "We should head to sleep soon. It's already extremely late, but first I want to ask you. Goddess Hestia was the first blessing you received, right? Why didn't he give you his if he was a God."
Bell looked over to the elf that was still embracing him, he noticed that she forced a subject change like she had wanted to say something else. "I think there are two reasons looking back, the first probably being the most important. He wanted to keep his nature from me and everyone else in the village. The second reason I can only guess at, but I believe he had lost all of his children in the past and couldn't bring himself to start again."
Ryu wanted to admit her fear of the future but couldn't. Bell spoke again looking up and noticing how the moon had traveled as well. "Wow, time really did go by quickly, but you're right. We should get some rest." Bell paused, she wondered why but noticed that she was still hugging him.
A flash of embarrassment flooded her, but she maintained her composure on the outside well all except the tip of her ears. She extracted her arms and stood moving to where she had her pack laid out.
Neither would admit it, but they both felt slightly colder after the withdrawal. The pair both lay in their individual bedrolls and looked up towards the star-filled sky, hundreds of thousands all twinkling.
Both glanced at the other and couldn't help but chuckle as sleep began to overtake them. "Goodnight... Ryu..." Bell's eyes were already closed, a gentle smile on his face.
"Goodnight Bell." A simple thought crossed her mind even as her eyes drifted closed. 'It's... nice to have someone to say goodnight to... after so many... years...'
She had expected that it would be difficult to sleep, nervous to sleep so close to her hero, which she would admit seemed ridiculous. Even so, she was wrong, it only took a pair of minutes before the haze of sleep took control.
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Ryu's eyes shot open at the sound of sobbing. She listened but didn't hear anything for a few seconds then a rustling followed by another sob.
Ryu looked over towards Bell who was shifting around rapidly, seemingly drenched in sweat. Without the slightest hesitation, she shot up to her feet and moved closer.
She placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently, but he didn't respond; he just clutched at his right arm. "Wake up Bell."
'Nightmares.' Ryu instinctively knew what was happening. She hasn't had her own since they got back to the surface that day.
She paused, but only for a second. Her cheeks and ears pulsed crimson, but she still curled up right next to her hero content in the warmth he radiated. "Bell." She spoke softly, no more than a whisper in truth. "Bell, it's alright. You're alright. I'm here." She placed her arm around him clutching at the hand that was wrapped around where his arm had once been severed.
She repeated the words for several minutes holding him tightly until the trembling slowed and stopped. Even then she held on tightly, the sobbing that was the last sign of his torture eventually stopped.
"Nightmares... probably from everything that happened." She whispered into his back. Judging by his finger having dug into his arm as if trying to stop the blood from flowing, it was an easy assessment.
"It's easy to forget, but he is still young. He's only been an adventurer for half a year, yet he has faced an inexplicable amount of trouble." The pace that he had been pushing forward, she was surprised that he hadn't collapsed like a doll with severed strings.
'Over the course of six months he has surpassed what took me years...' That wasn't a fair explanation, and she knew it. He's bled almost every day to pursue his goals. 'But due to that rapid growth, he hasn't gained the experience required to...' Ryu stopped herself before she thought too much. She's had several years to get used to the travesties required.
When she was hit hard, she lost herself. He was doing better than she had, sure he hadn't lost everything that was special to him. She spoke into his back knowing he was unconscious. "We'll need to talk to everyone about what had happened down there soon." She knew the irony in that statement, but she hoped that would be an ideal first step towards healing.
She glanced upwards at the moon and saw only half an hour had passed since they had talked. She only had a single thought before her eyes closed again as the warmth caused her to blush slightly. 'Now... more than ever... I hate myself, even as I embrace the warmth... the hope he gave me... I hate that I didn't finish the job all those years ago... maybe he... wouldn't have to... suffer.'
Her mind rapidly gave into the exhaustion, finding the thick impenetrable fog of sleep.
X
Bell woke slowly, he could feel warmth radiating from behind him, but he knew he had slept more last night than the total combined time of the last week. His eyes slowly adjusted to the light that began to peak over the horizon.
The warmth behind him twitched, he turned his head slightly, catching the glimpse of a pointed ear and green-blonde hair. He then felt something tighten around his stomach, moving as little as possible he could see the slender arm holding him loosely.
As he shifted slightly in an attempt to extract himself the grip tightened noticeably, but not to the point of hurting. He took a couple of shallow breaths and as much speed as he could muster, he managed to escape.
He glanced down at the elf with a soft smile, "Ryu..." he noticed a slight grimace on her face. He chuckled softly and rolled up a discarded blanket and with as much caution as possible he slowly nudged the blanket in the spot he once laid.
He wanted to lay down again when he saw her face waver into a peaceful slumber. 'Good, she deserves the rest.' He clenched his left hand and noticed the numb feeling radiating from it. He grimaced but remembered the warning Amid gave him about that.
He sighed, moved a couple dozen paces, and got to work on several hand exercises meant to rebuild its mobility and ease the pain that would follow the numbness.
About a half hour passed with him regaining most of the mobility in his hand, but he winced as he tightened his grip too tightly around the Hestia Knife. He sighed and glanced at the camp and noticed a pair of sky-blue eyes watching him diligently.
X
Ryu squeezed tightly but noticed something was wrong, first was the give in the object she was latched onto, and second was the coldness she felt. She could feel her embarrassment and disappointment at the lack of warmth, even then she could hear the faint sound of a distant songbird.
Her eyes finally opened to see a neatly rolled-up blanket in her arms. 'How had he managed that?' She asked herself, she might have been asleep, but she was still a skilled adventurer.
She didn't know this, but Bell had mastered the art of escaping from an unconscious embrace after living with Hestia alone for so long.
She glanced around and noticed Bell standing in a clearing about thirty feet away. His hands were connected palm to palm; the thumb on his left hand moved upward for about an inch. Then the index finger followed the same pattern moving about half an inch and closing in the gap between the fingers. He continued until he got to his ring finger.
She watched him grimace in disappointment as it failed to move almost at all. Nothing else of note happened with that exercise. Next, she watched him grip his left hand around his main knife and tighten, she noticed the hand jerk suddenly in pain dropping the knife but managing to catch it in his main hand. 'Not good.' She thought.
She watched him sigh almost looking... dissatisfied, but after releasing the full breath he turned to face her. She blushed lightly but stood up completely and moved towards him. "Are you sure you'll be alright like this?"
She knew the damage his hand had taken after using the Goliath Scarf as a shield against the Juggernaut, but still, she wanted to make sure.
He started to nod but stopped himself and opened his mouth, "I want to say yes, but not entirely. It's normally the worst first thing in the morning. Amid advised me to keep up the exercises and it should fully heal in time."
On instinct, Ryu grabbed the hand, "I'm not as strong a healer as Amid, but I can at least try and help."
She closed her eyes and began to chant, "The song of now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life. Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you. Noah Heal."
The magic flashed green and penetrated his hand causing it to glow for a second. She didn't give any sign about the massive amount of mind she used in the spell. It was almost half of her total. She sighed and looked directly into his eyes looking for his reaction. "Did that help at all?"
Bell smiled and tilted his head slightly, "Yes, thank you. It eased the pain considerably."
'Eased, but not removed.' Ryu thought but nodded. "That's a good start." She had been careful to ease the magic into his hand, Amid had healed and fixed the main damage. But not all the strains that resulted from bones being pushed around inside a hand. "I... I wish I could deal more with this." She whispered, breaking the blue and red connection.
"Ryu, this is more than enough. I... I have to deal with the consequences of the path that I chose. Besides, your magic has saved me... no us several times over." Bell watched her and took a breath inward.
"I... I know." That was all she managed for a few seconds. But eventually, she found the will to speak again. "We should get moving. Let's eat on the move."
Bell nodded and the pair cleaned up the sight they had used to rest, leaving almost no sign they had been there.
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It had been three days total, and night was falling quickly on the third. Each night, Ryu would help with the nightmares he would have, Ryu found that it was easier to hold Bell close without feeling too embarrassed after the first night. Each morning she healed him to the best of her limited ability.
But little changed in that department, the mobility in his hand did improve but only slightly. That didn't matter now, as the pair was crouched down on the curve of a small hill watching the village that was their target.
It looked like it could hold about a thousand people, which was impressive considering the comparatively isolated location.
The village sat on the edge of the forest, with the trees pushed back about thirty feet from a wall that stood fifteen feet tall. Ryu couldn't help but grimace, "They would have a wall. It would be too easy otherwise."
Bell was about to say the last part, but she beat him to it. They waited and watched, seeing the slightest hint of motion between the houses. The only reason they could see anything was because the forest the village rested against was lower in elevation than the surrounding hills by almost twenty feet.
"That will make this more difficult, let's try to get a better vantage point closer to the village," Ryu spoke, truth be told she was much more talented at this kind of work compared to Bell and he would fully admit that.
The pair moved under a single cloak so they could see each other, as they moved closer angling around the village walls towards the woods that peaked about the same height as the wall.
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Ryu glanced over the village significantly closer, she and Bell were easily balancing on a large limb of an oak tree. "Let's rest here for a while, at least until the night fully consumes the sky," Ryu whispered, not wanting to potentially alert anybody to their presence. Bell only nodded in agreement.
An hour passed and they passed along their observations about the village, "That manor is probably where the Xenos is being held. The price would've been exorbitant to procure one." Bell had whispered, pointing towards the largest building in the village.
It was a large building, standing two stories tall made of a whitish stone and the wooden portions seemed to be made from the ones around the village. It had a dark gray slate-tiled roof. The pair could see a handful of windows lit in the structure.
Compared to the average buildings in the main portion of the village which were small, mostly one-roomed wooden buildings.
They also noticed that the guards seemed to patrol the village in a lazy pattern, showing they didn't think anything could happen. Ryu couldn't help but smile at how lazy the guards were. That would make their jobs much easier. The only problem was that no banners flew from the manner, no sign of alliance, and not even a personal crest was displayed anywhere they could easily see.
This had concerned Ryu and Bell when she brought it up, but that wouldn't change what they had to do.
At Ryu's motion, Bell jumped down to where they had rested the packs as it would've been hard to move into the tree with them. Picking up each pack he easily tossed Ryu's with his right hand. She picked through the pack and chose to grab the smoke bombs and red potion and slipped it into a small pouch at her waist.
Bell's pack was in his left hand, he had already put the potion in his leg pouch and the smoke bombs into the pocket of that same punch. The key to Knossos was placed in a small pouch on his waist.
He twisted his body and grabbed at his left hand which had spasmed from the sudden movement. He dropped to one knee, Ryu noticed and was about to jump down to help him, but he waved her off as the pack landed in Ryu's arms. She quickly tied it off and jumped down, "I'm alright." Bell whispered, getting to his full height.
She looked quickly at his hand which now seemed perfectly fine resting at his side. "Are you sure? I know you said that, but you can wait here if you want. I can do this mission alone if needed."
"Please don't say that. I'm alright now, besides I have as much responsibility to finish this as you do. I've made promises to the Xenos, and I plan on keeping them." His resolve hardened as he looked Ryu directly in the eyes, a mischievous grin spread across his face. "Besides..." he paused for a second, "Weren't you the one who said they don't want to work alone anymore?"
"You're funny." She released an obviously fake sigh of resignation. 'I'm glad he thinks that way, but... I'm worried that his hand will cause a problem.' She thought, shifting on the invisibility cloak again.
The pair moved silently further around the wall; their plan decided upon. It was time to start the mission.
X
Despite it having been almost a full year, it was still angry about the goddess that had escaped its grasp. That foolish girl had been devoured as a result, buying enough time to let the divine entity escape its grasp. But it had managed to touch the untainted divine purity. That was all it took to make a simple and tiny connection to draw upon. It knew the Goddess couldn't last another year so it contented itself to wait and slowly sip at the divine power that it could consume.
It was a creature made to consume, but it wasn't stupid in its actions. So, it waited.
Review Responses:
HildeVonKrone: Going forward the average length of a chapter will be between 5k-10k, of course things can change, as you never know what could happen.
Lestat719: Thanks, I only hope it feels like it pays off.
Blazeburn006: That was a partial plan, as stated before. But I hope to expand that, and I appreciate your advice on the fighting.
pix25: Glad to hear it.