Hey everyone, Like I stated last time. This is the first Interlude Chapter; the plan is to take a perspective chapter and focus on other characters. For example, this one follows the Hestia Familia. I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think of the idea of chapters like this.
Word Count: 4968
Interlude 1
The entirety of the Hestia Familia, besides Bell, sat around the main dining table. It was large enough to hold forty people, but now it only held five. It was quiet as they ate the morning breakfast that Mikoto and Haruhime had prepared.
Hestia and Lili looked like they hadn't slept at all, worried and angry that Bell had taken off with Ryu and didn't at least tell them. If it wasn't for the letter from Ouranos, Hestia would've banned Bell from leaving the home for a week. Not that she would've truly enforced it on her captain. She knew she had made several rules for the Familia based on her emotions, for example not allowing any physical contact between different sexes when she saw Bell helping Haruhime with the laundry.
She never really enforced any of those rules, but Bell would hear all about it when they got back. Hestia sighed and looked at the rest of the table. "Well, what are the plans for today? I'm guessing they'll be gone for at least three days."
Lili's mood seemed to drop even further when Hestia spoke, "Lili thinks we should head into the dungeon to gain some money. We will need to pay the fine the guild levied against us. We have enough to pay for it now, but it will be... uncomfortable on our finances." While Lili was the unofficial accountant for the Familia, everybody knew the generals about the numbers.
"I agree. Plus, it will give us some time to stretch after our time recovering from the expedition." Welf spoke up, surprising everyone.
"What? You don't want to stay cooped up in the forge? You just learned how to make the swords and isn't Master Bell's armor almost done." Lili spoke, not having expected this.
Welf locked eyes with her, "Yes, and Yes, but Bell isn't here to help me put the finishing touches on the armor. As for the swords... well as much as I dislike them, they are going to be expensive to make. Remember what I had to use to make the one in the dungeon? That was Adamantine, I don't think I'm going to be able to get a massive amount of the metal. Maybe others like Mithril will work, but those are almost just as expensive."
Lili nearly fainted at the thought of the financial burden making the new series of unbreakable magic swords with cost. Especially because they are not going to sell them, it would be too dangerous to allow one of those wild into the world.
"Alright then, you make good points. Let's head into the dungeon." Mikoto spoke, looking at the others. "Do we want to invite our allies to explore with us?"
Lili thought for a second, as she was essentially third in command after Bell and Welf. "... No, let's not. Sure, we won't make as much progress, but we would have to split everything up evenly through the Familia's. Otherwise, it wouldn't feel... fair."
Haruhime, the almost always upbeat soul of the Familia smiled, "Alright then consider that it's only a bit after 7 do we want to go and find a quest or something from the guild before heading into the dungeon?"
"Very well." Welf stood and stretched out his shoulders, "Meet at the front door in fifteen minutes." He said marching off towards the equipment shed attached to the smithy.
"Come on, Haruhime. Let's go get ready." Mikoto stated, moving out of the room and headed for their room.
Lili looked at Hestia as they were the only two in the room now. "Lady Hestia, what are you planning on doing? I believe you have today off, right?"
Hestia nodded, then sighed again. "Yes, that's correct, I was debating on bothi... talking to Miach. That or starting to work on some of the paperwork I've been avoiding."
Lili understood the stack of papers was almost a foot and a half tall. "Lili would advise you to go through the paperwork before it grows too tall. Then bothering Miach this afternoon that way you have something to look forward to while working."
With that Lili stood as did Hestia, "I understand, well as always be safe down there." Hestia spoke as she watched Lili leave.
Hestia thought as she was alone, 'It'll be a good chance for Lili to get used to her level up. I know everyone else is... dissatisfied with the recent expedition. They'll need to grow more, especially if Loki is correct about Freya. Well, that is something to worry about later.' She looked up at the symbol of her Familia, a bell wrapped in the divine protection of her hearth.
She was a goddess of the Hearth, the sacred flames of protection that guide her children home. Secretly a part of her hoped that something would happen between Bell and Ryu, as it was better than Loki's child. A Hearth is meant to be sat around with family, but to juxtapose that idea she was also a virgin goddess. One of three in the world, myself, Artemis, and Astraea, funny enough. 'With Artemis no longer on the surface, that leaves only Astraea.' That thought hurt Hestia more than she would've admitted. 'Will she accept them and accept the transfer to my Familia?' She thought so, at least so long as she had managed to begin another Familia outside Orario.
Hestia shook those thoughts from her mind and got moving, she waved everyone good luck by the door like a mother reminding them to stay safe and to protect each other. Rounding the stairs, she entered her office and sighed at the stack which had actually grown to two feet without her notice. She groaned in annoyance but got to work without much complaining, she had expected it to be like this when she had decided to descend. Boredom with flashes of thrilling excitement, in the time she has been here the excitement seemed to outstrip the boredom, so she couldn't actually complain.
.
.
.
Hestia groaned; her hand was beginning to cramp as she finished what must've been the thousandth document. 'Well, at least that's almost half stack. Almost, well a third in honesty.' But she didn't mind, she glanced up at the small clock hanging on the wall, '11:49? Hmm, too early to visit.'
Hestia sighed and stood, she decided to pass the time by taking a nice relaxing bath in the onsen they had built for Mikoto. The Hestia Familia had spent a fortune ensuring that those who left their Familia to join Hestia's were welcomed.
Hestia stripped down and being alone didn't bother to cover herself, she eased her body into the hot water. With an involuntary groan of relief, she sat and relaxed. Dipping her cramping hand into the water helped to ease the pain and stiffness.
.
.
.
It was time to visit their allies and see how they were doing. First was Miach, Hestia opened the door to the Blue Pharmacy as the bell over the door rang, "Good afternoon, how can I help you today." The clienthrope Naza, said with a polite bow, then she noticed who had entered the shop.
"Ah, afternoon Lady Hestia, is everything alright?" Naza said with a small tilt of her head. Her always droopy eyes locked on Hestia.
Hestia moved to the counter and got straight to the point. "Is Miach around? I was hoping to talk to him." She noticed Naza flinched, but she didn't understand why.
"L-lord Miach, of course, give me a m-moment." Naza, without waiting for a reply, bowed and left for a back room.
Hestia looked around trying to figure out the cause for distress but didn't see anything. So, she waited... somewhat impatiently. After a minute Miach strolled out from the back of the shop, where Hestia knew the supplies were kept. She also noticed Naza almost hiding behind the god.
Now Hestia was getting suspicious and narrowed her eyes at the animal person. "Sorry for the wait Hestia, how can I help you?"
Hestia brightened when Miach spoke, "Yes Miach, do you have time to talk in private?"
Miach paused for a quarter of a second, but nodded "Of course, if you give me half an hour." He had a feeling this 'talk' would take longer than expected. "I have a potion brewing in the back that I cannot leave for too long."
Hestia smiled, "Of course Miach, your work comes first."
Miach gave a little bow, patted Naza on the head who blushed slightly, as her tail wagged back and forth, and returned to the brewing room leaving Naza alone with Hestia.
Hestia spent a few minutes looking at the various potions for sale, most were the standard and weak healing potions that were only useful for small cuts.
There was a set of dual potions sitting behind an enclosed glass case, those were nice Hestia knew. According to what Miach had told them before, it was the only reason they were actually making profits recently. Being able to both heal the body and mind was worth the exorbitant price.
"Hey Naza, can I ask you something?" Hestia asked without looking directly at the animal person.
Naza flinched, "Yes, Lady Hestia." She spoke with a nod in an attempt to hide her emotions better.
"Why are you suddenly afraid of me? Before our failed expedition, everything was normal." Hestia asked innocently, she was a little hurt by the sudden shift in attitude from an ally.
Naza hesitated, she couldn't lie to Hestia. Gods can see through most deceptions innately, so after a second, she decided to be simply honest. "I'm afraid you'll ask for compensation."
Hestia turned and faced her, "Why would I ask you for compensation? I don't remember anything that would warrant compensation." Her usual cheerful manner was tempered, as she tried to remember anything. Her hand sat against her chin in thought for a few seconds.
Naza spoke before Hestia could think of anything. "Because... Daphne and Cassandra... leveled."
Hestia lit up like a flare, "Really that's amazing, congratulations. Are they here now?"
Naza could only blink, stunned for a second. "Right, I suppose you wouldn't know. Normally when an adventurer levels when on another Familia's expedition, they will normally ask for compensation as a service for providing the means of leveling."
Everything clicked for Hestia in a second, she couldn't help but laugh. "Is that all you were worried about? Then banish the thought from your mind. The compensation has already been paid, by helping my children survive. Please don't think anything of it, you are my allies... no you are my friends, I wouldn't demand compensation from a friend."
Miach poked his head out hearing the sound of Hestia's laugh, he also caught sight of Naza who looked like she was going to cry in relief. He took that moment to pat Naza again, he didn't have any potions that needed attention. He only saw how Naza was acting and decided to give her a chance to clear the concern that had been growing.
"Well Hestia, you wanted to talk?" Miach spoke as he made his presence known to the tiny goddess.
"Right! I almost forgot, let's talk as we celebrate!" Hestia practically dragged Miach out of the Blue Pharmacy.
.
.
.
The pair spent much of the night talking about nothing important, gradually getting drunk, until the drink brought down Hestia's defenses enough for her to confess. "I'm worried about them."
Miach has known Hestia for eons, he had guessed at the reason for their sudden 'talk.' He took a second to respond, even as the stars twinkled above. "About whom?"
Hestia almost started sobbing, "Bell and Ryu. Something happened during the expedition, he refused to tell me. I only caught a scant handful of memories when I updated his status. Every single one was filled with fear and darkness, and now they are out of the city."
Miach paused, as he was slowly sipping from the drink he had. "I've heard what happened to Daphne and Cassandra, but if I remember correctly. Bell had split from the party to join a 'hunting' party. So, he hasn't said anything at all?"
Hestia only shook her head, "The worst memory I had seen was a voice desperately calling out his name as if something terrible had happened. And judging by the scars that cover his body I can only imagine."
Miach didn't respond, he could remember the scars Naza had after her final dungeon dive.
The mood was somber as the night passed, at Miach's prodding she began to describe a dozen scars, and gradually Miach with his professional experience began to put pieces together. He didn't say his thoughts out loud, but if what he expected was true, then Bell was either much stronger than he imagined or much more determined.
X
Syr sat and listened, having had the day off. She spent the time wandering the city watching people, which had always been a favorite pastime of hers. When she noticed a pair of deities walking. It wasn't like she was in any danger, she caught glimpses of black-clad figures avoiding the sight of most. But not her eyes, they were especially sharp when it came to noticing people.
Still, she sat, 'So, with his body damaged to such a degree. I... I can only imagine how Ryu acted as this all happened, Ryu had changed rapidly in the aftermath of everything.' True, Syr knew that her soul itself had probably been slowly changing since she left to rescue Bell the first time. 'But the changes were much more rapid, she smiled more and even hugged Mia. I'll learn the secrets eventually.' Syr nodded in determination before departing to her true home.
X
Welf charged at the Ligerfang, panting all the while his great sword swung through the air breaking one of their long fangs, shearing the head in half and killing the monster.
He jumped to the side, placing the sword between himself and another lunging Ligerfang. He grunted as the weight of the monster tried to push him into the ground, the monster jerked as a small bolt pierced its left eye courtesy of Lili. "Get your head out of the gutter! Another four are moving in." Lili had shouted, which caused the smith to groan.
It didn't matter, Mikoto dashed leaving Lili to guard Haruhime, she might not be as strong as Mikoto or Welf, but Lili was still a level 2. It also helped that they knew Lili held onto a magic dagger made by Welf in case of emergencies.
Mikoto, moving almost twice as fast as Welf, drew her katana and cut in one smooth motion. It wasn't a killing blow, it only managed to sever a limb on a Ligerfang. But she didn't pause as she twisted around avoiding the bite of another monster. In that same motion bringing the edge of the blade down and severed the spinal cord of the offender killing it instantly.
Taking the opportunity Lili had opened, Welf jerked his great sword down, decapitating the Ligerfang with the bolt in its eye. Welf launched himself to the left landing two feet away from another who was about to leap towards Mikoto and jabbed the blade deep into its side piercing its lungs. It roared in pain as a red-coated froth seeped from its mouth killing it.
Mikoto threw a small knife into the paw of one, causing it to yowl in pain. But that was enough of a distraction for Mikoto to run, slamming the point of her blade into the monster's eye, piercing the brain killing it instantly.
Welf shouted, blocking a paw slap with the flat of the great sword, and using the momentum as an opportunity he turned gathering momentum, and bisected the Ligerfang in half barely missing the magic stone at its core.
Haruhime clapped in excitement, at the job well done by the two fighters, she immediately got to work with Lili to start gathering various drops and collecting the magic stones, luck it seemed had been on their side for this encounter. Aside from the magic cores that every monster had, out of the twelve total they had killed in this room, seven left drops. Three pelts and five fangs, true while they might not be worth a massive amount, every vails added up.
They had been on floor 15 for almost a full hour when six of Ligerfangs charged them in a pack. When three had fallen, two more jumped into the room followed by four more. It was a large amount out of nowhere, but nothing suspicious.
With the grizzly job of collecting done, they decided to begin their journey back towards the surface. That's when the fireball burst from the dark shadows of a hallway impacting Welf's right side. Burning through the material of his battle clothes, he winced feeling the fire spread across his arm leaving a splotchy burn on a third of his arm.
Welf was surprised, not because of the sudden attack that was expected in the dungeon after all when monsters can spawn literally on the roof directly above you. No, what bothered him was the amount of damage that he had received. It had burned straight through his fire-resistant clothing but was still powerful enough to overcome the high fire resistance he had from his skill Veritas Burn. 'If anyone else had been hit by that, it might have killed them.' He realized, jumping to the side as another ball was launched at him.
The entire party took evasive action, Lili and Haruhime ran to the far side of the cavern as Mikoto maneuvered to the edge that was closest to the tunnel the fire emerged from.
'That's too powerful to be normal.' She had an encyclopedic knowledge of every member's capability; she was the strategic mind of the Familia after all. Knowing what everyone could do was important in case of an emergency. So, her mind ran through several possibilities, the one she landed on made her grimace. "An enhanced Hellhound. Welf prepare to try and detonate the fire, Mikoto get ready to start chanting!" She yelled then glanced at Haruhime, who looked calm despite the events. "Begin casting on both of them." She had decided on a plan, time to see if it would work.
With all of its prey scattered, the monstrosity approached. Confidently, it fell into the trap, it could hear the start of one chanting, and it knew that was trouble.
The Hellhound leaped out of the tunnel; it immediately turned its fangs towards Haruhime who was almost glowing under the power of her chanting. Its jaws opened as gouts of flame started to rumble "Now!" Lili shouted to Mikoto.
Lili saw the beast, it was massive compared to a normal Hellhound, standing six feet on all fours. Its fur was a more metallic black. The only other obvious difference was its eyes, it was far more intelligent than a normal monster, not to the same point as a Xenos but an in-between. Its fangs were also nearly seven inches long and had a soft red tent to them.
"Burn out, illegal work" Welf chanted as nearly invisible strands of magic reached out towards the hellhound. "Will-o-Wisp" as an explosion rocked the cavern-like walls of the dungeon.
The Hellhound's mouth was damaged, lit ablaze from a new blaze, one it didn't control. It scratched at its maw, but the fire didn't go out.
"I respectfully speak to you my war god that can break through anything." Mikoto started her chant the moment Lili signaled, she prepared to take evasive actions as a slight purple glow began to emit from her hands.
The creature, having been damaged by its own attack looked for the cause locking eyes with Welf, and snapped its jaw towards him, Welf prepared for such an action shifted to the side prying his great sword between its jaws, in the action he received a cut across the inside of his left forearm.
Welf winced but didn't fall back, the strength of the attack reminded him of a minotaur. The monster's jaw began to glow again, "Shit." He managed, he removed one hand from the blade and held out his palm.
Seeing the opportunity, the monster clenched its jaw and tore the blade from Welf's hand launching it across the room, nearly hitting Haruhime who didn't flinch at the sudden crash next to her.
Then it happened, more tails began to sprout from Haruhime, one launched towards Welf and the other towards Mikoto. Haruhime sagged slightly at the sudden mind consumption, but she began to move.
"Lead me from this precious heaven. Give my petty body divine power of your grand body." Mikoto focused and chopped at the tendon of the monster. She grunted as it felt like hitting a stone wall, but she managed to part the skin. Pulling the blade, the cutting edge dug deeper into the monster.
The power of Haruhime's magic Uchide no Kozuchi flooded into Mikoto, disorienting her for a second as the sudden temporary level increase threw off her senses. But she managed to keep focus and slashed again, this time feeling much less resistance.
The monster unleashed its breath as it lashed its paw out towards Welf. "Burn out..." the moment he had to pause to cast his spell locked him in place long enough to be struck. Welf launched across the room as his focus wavered causing the magic to explode on him instead, as the other tail connected with Welf giving him the same level increase. The fire erupted out at the smith exploding as it connected with his torso.
In mid-air flight, he couldn't do anything. He collided with the far way with bone-jarring force. He would've broken several bones if it wasn't for Haruhime's magic. Now they are only bruised.
Lili watched all this as her mind raced, 'Think!' She told herself reaching for the magic dagger in her coat. But she hesitated, 'No, it's not needed yet.'
With Haruhime's magic out there was very little she could do, so Lili took that opportunity, "Haruhime take Welf his sword." Lili moved, aimed, and launched a bolt from her wrist-mounted crossbow, as the monster looked towards Haruhime, the missile missed its mark and bounced off the cheek of the powerful monster. It opened its mouth and breathed its fire at the Renard.
"Burn out... illegal work." Welf managed, doing the job that was assigned to him. The invisible magic tendrils moved fast with his level up causing a massive explosion again inside the mouth of the hellhound.
Mikoto forced her voice to come out faster, she nearly bit her tongue several times, "Rescue them light of purification, sword of crushing evil. Sweep sword of suppression, sacred sword of conquest. It arrives here now by my order descend from the heaven, rule the earth. Shinbu tousei." She was nearly done, and her magic built to a climax. The Hellhound's back paw launched out towards Mikoto; with her enhanced level she could see it coming. 'I have to risk it.' Her mind raced as she ducked underneath the leg landing a small cut across several pads.
She sheathed her blade, jumped back, and held her hands out. Only inches apart "Futsunomitama!" She roared as a pair of magic circles appeared one on the roof above the monster, the other on the ground below it. A translucent purple blade pierced the circles. Everywhere the sword touched gravity grew heavier.
The reaction was immediate, the hellhound fell to the ground, crushing its already injured paw. It struggled but was slowly collapsing to its stomach being crushed by the gravity field. "Finish it!" Mikoto roared.
Lili nodded, pulled the magic dagger, and swung it. A whirlwind of ice erupted causing a blizzard centered on the monster. She held the blade out for a second until it shattered. Revealing the final effect, the monster's skin was frozen, as it cracked in three dozen locations only amplified by the gravity magic.
The flames in its core could be seen glowing through the cracks, violently combating the frost that entered its body as the blizzard tore through it. With a pitiful whine, the glow faded, and the ice turned dark once again.
The room was cold, and, in the aftermath, everyone's breath could be seen without any trouble. Welf appreciated the chill air as it helped soothe the burns. The glow around Mikoto and Welf faded as Haruhime's magic burned out. Mikoto took a deep breath as she released her magic feeling her senses return to their normal state.
Haruhime helped Welf stand as he was still four inches embedded into the dungeon wall. "That must have been a level 3?" Haruhime asked, relieved to see Welf breathing fine. Handing him a high potion that he greedily consumed already feeling the burns begin to heal.
"Lili thinks so, good work everyone." She immediately got to work breaking the ice apart to try and find the magic core.
It took a minute, but she grabbed it and pulled sharply causing the entire monster to turn to dust. "Let's... let's head back yeah?" Welf asked, panting, feeling the sourness spread across his back.
.
.
.
The trip back was uneventful, but they turned in all the magic stones and most of the drop items to the guild. Receiving 95,430 Valis for their day of work. Lili was happy about the total, it helped soften the impending fine. The guild seemed worried by the news about the abnormal hellhound.
They began to leave when a soft voice called out to them, "Lili, Mikoto, Welf, Haruhime."
They could see a half-elf, with short straight brown hair wearing the black uniform of the guild with a pair of glasses sitting over emerald eyes. They knew who this was, "Miss Eina?" Haruhime questioned in her gentle voice.
She was well known as Bell's dungeon advisor. "I was just wondering if everything was alright. I haven't seen Bell and it's rare to not see him with you all."
'So that's it.' Lili thought, adding another to the long mental list. "Yes, you're correct. Bell-sama is... preoccupied with other things at the moment. Unfortunately, Lili cannot say anymore."
Eina's ears seemed to droop slightly, the smaller length nearly concealing the fact. "I see, well at least he is alright." She gave a small but polite bow and left the group before they could say any more.
They all glanced at each other and sighed in unison, not even surprised. "You know." Welf spoke, stretching out his bruised back, "With how popular Bell is, we should put him on display and charge a fee to see him." Welf chuckled in a joking manner, but he noticed Lili considering the idea. "We're not doing it."
"Oh fine, although it could raise a good amount of money." Lili turned to Haruhime and an evil smirk showed on her face. "Haruhime, can you imagine Bell up on a stage, swapping between various outfits? Paying more to choose the outfit."
Haruhime paused and considered the idea, it took a full five seconds for the reaction Lili wanted. Haruhime blushed heavily, as steam could almost be seen coming from her fox ears. She then proceeded to faint.
Mikoto caught her with a startled yelp, "I... I don't even want to know." She sighed and picked Haruhime up as they all chuckled at the poor Renard.
.
.
.
The remainder of the day passed quickly, it had only taken three minutes for Haruhime to regain consciousness, but the blush never seemed to leave her cheeks as her imagination ran wild.
Mikoto prepared dinner for the party, placing five sets of plates around the massive table. They had just begun to wonder where Hestia was when a bell rang out announcing a presence at the front gate.
Haruhime, having finally calmed down, left the front doors and checked the gate to see Miach holding up a passed-out Hestia.
They had apparently been drinking for the last several hours, although Miach had mostly stuck with water. "I'm sorry." Haruhime bowed and repeated several times.
"It's fine, this isn't the first time it has happened." Miach sighed, transferring the tiny goddess into Haruhime's arms. "I hope you all have a fantastic night. But I need to return home before Naza grows concerned."
Haruhime watched the god leave, as Hestia shifted, "Alright, let's get you to bed."
She deposited the goddess into her bed, tucked her in, and left a cup of water on the bedside table. Haruhime smiled gently and watched after the goddess for about an hour to make sure nothing happened much like a mother would. She sighed, knowing it never would happen, and left Hestia to finish some of the other small chores she had before heading off to bed.
.
.
.
The next morning Hestia was miserable and had a massive hangover, but unfortunately, she had to leave early to get to the Hephaestus shop for work. It was destined to be a long day.
Review Responses:
Blazeburn006: Glad to hear it, and you are right as for the timing and the talking. As for Bell's hand, we will have to see as I don't think that much damage should be instantly wiped away with magic, Time will help but we'll see. Also, I haven't Ready Like A Fairy Remake mostly due to not wanting to Subconsciously steal ideas from Vents story.
pix25: Thanks Glad to hear it.