Hey everyone, I just wanted to say thank you for the response to the 'Interlude Chapter'. I was a little nervous to see what people would think about that those chapters. So, Thank you again. - EG
Word Count: 11,078
Chapter 5
"The main gate is undefended; I don't trust that we should just go over the wall. It's not that tall." Ryu whispered as she was looking at the 15-foot wall.
"Right," Bell whispered in kind, they were at the edge of the woods, the thirty feet that separated the trees and the walls was nothing for the pair of level 4 adventurers.
"If the owner is anything like Ikolas Familia, then, the Xenos are probably being tortured for the owner's pleasure," Bell muttered, coldly as if it was only natural.
Ryu sat in silence just watching Bell, she was surprised, to say the least. Despite everything she has been through with him, he's never shown signs of actual loathing and hatred before. She placed a hand on his shoulder, "Come on let's get to work."
Bell took a breath and nodded, they had agreed to tie a thin string between them so they would realize where the other was, as they slipped on the invisibility cloaks.
The pair dashed towards the walls, 'Hmmm, interesting. The wall is like a mashing of elven and human design.' Judging by the lattice-like design with a solid core.
"Top," Ryu whispered, so quietly that Bell almost missed it. With little difficulty, she launched herself 15 feet landing on the wall, catching a full glimpse of the unblocked village. Noting a couple of things they had missed, at least while looking from a blocked view.
Ryu heard the soft pad as Bell landed about a foot away. 'Close.' She couldn't help but think. They only had 20 feet of black string that guided them.
Bell watched, noticing several things that seemed off about the village. First, was the quality of the housing, he grew up in a village that had been even smaller than this one. Even then, the houses weren't what looked like hastily glued-together pieces of wood, with clay acting like the glue that would have to be replaced every time it rains.
The second obvious note was the lack of people outside, well besides an occasional guard, in the early fall weather it was nice. It was very late but even then, not a single person was visible from their perch on the wall.
'I feel sorry for them, those are nothing more than unsecured hovels.' Bell thought, seeing these structures.
Ryu's mind shot out towards a different idea, 'If a fire got started. All of the houses would probably get lit up like an oiled rag.' She sighed silently as she realized the direction her mind was going.
'We need to continue moving.' Ryu thought lightly tugging on the black string that connected them.
Bell responded in kind, as he jumped downward both left a minuscule puff of dry dirt.
Moving quickly but quietly they pushed through the village finding one of the three nicer buildings not near the manor. Bell looked at the building as they passed, it was still a wooden building but had a large patch of stone attached to the side of the building. He recognized the tools and set pieces from his time with Welf. 'A smithy… interesting.' But he pushed that thought out of his mind.
It took several minutes until they finally noticed a couple of people, besides the guards, they sat around an upturned barrel with a set of four chairs circling it, though only three were filled. Bell could hear a scratching sound coming from the barrel as the three played with a set of cards on top. 'A mouse? Not sure, Ryu is ignoring it.'
Ryu had in fact been ignoring the non-blessed civilians, but the sound of the scratching did bother her. 'If they would be that cruel to a mouse, how far would they go against a creature that could actively communicate and plead?' She didn't let the thought linger in her mind for long.
She could see a new wall in the distance, one that had a gray shine to it in the full moonlight. She judged the wall guessing it was twenty-five feet tall. As they approached, she could pick out more details.
A solid stone wall, it was smooth almost too smooth to be natural, every three feet there was a metal bracing leading up to the top. From what she could see up top metal spikes were pointing slightly downward sitting every foot, an effective way to… dissuade would-be attackers.
'Either the owner of the manor is either powerful, wealthy, or over-cautious. Maybe all three or a combination of any.' Ryu thought, glancing to where she knew the invisible form of Bell jogged alongside her. She knew that he would see all this as well.
The only actual problem was the height of the wall, they didn't want to get separated by cutting the string.
So, she tugged on the string to get his attention, he got within touch distance, she knew because she felt the cloak shift from something touching it.
"We are going to have to jump at the same time, are you ready?" Ryu voiced, looking towards the wall, tensing her legs in preparation.
Bell nodded, but realized he was invisible, "Yes." He tensed as well.
Ryu could feel the slightest twinge of pain in her leg but ignored it, it was to be expected. "3…2…1" As soon as she finished, she launched her body upward, her leg flared from the exertion, but she managed to jump to the full height. With a slight hobble, she balanced on her good leg. She really wished it hadn't been broken a couple of weeks ago.
Bell on the other hand wasn't so lucky. He might have the Luck developmental ability, but luck often swung both ways. The moment he pushed off the ground, he felt his back tingle slightly, as the grass underfoot broke and shifted, causing him to slip slightly. Even then he managed to jump high enough to grab onto one of the spikes.
Even as his left hand wrapped around the spike, he could feel the freshly mended sensitive tendons strain, he let out a near-silent groan in pain which caught Ryu's attention.
What she saw was a hand poking out of thin air grasping a metallic spike, he wasn't slipping due to his enhanced strength. But she noticed it was his bad hand by the angle. Without thinking she kneeled down and reached her hand out from beneath the cloak for him to grab for support.
A split second was all it took for Bell to notice and grasp, with assistance being pulled up between two spikes, each being about a foot long. "Sorry, Ryu." He whispered looking at the wall directly. The first thing was the spikes went on both sides, 'To keep people in and out at the same time.'
Second was the thickness of the wall, for a nearly solid stone wall it was thick, about four feet. It surrounded the manor, which was such a massive step up from the hovels everyone else lived in. It made Bell feel sick seeing the disparity between them. 'Sure, Hestia Familia started in the basement of an abandoned church, but I would rather live there than one of these houses.'
Bell noticed a single guard in common leather armor with a sword held in his right hand and a torch in his left as he squinted in the dim torchlight. The guard was slowly approaching cautiously, Bell could hear him whispering in a quiet voice. "Really a floating hand grabbing another, did I take something I shouldn't have?"
He felt a tug and heard a whisper, "We need to knock him out. Do it when I tug again." Judging from the man's gait Bell could guess that he was an unblessed individual. 'Need to be careful with the amount of strength I use, probably why Ryu told me to do it. She has a tendency to go too far.'
The guard must've caught the sound of an indistinct voice, "Who's there?" He took a step back even as Ryu tugged, launching them both into action.
All the man saw was the air in front of him ripple-like cloth being moved. A white-haired face he didn't recognize peeking from below the ripple and a violet light shooting out as pain erupted across his head then nothing.
All Bell had done was move quickly and smack across the head with the pommel of the Hestia Knife. At a speed, any level 2 or higher adventurer could follow, but for an unblessed individual, it might as well have been like lightning.
Even as the man collapsed, Bell grabbed him and eased him down to the ground to prevent more damage, "We should find a place to hide him until he wakes up." Ryu's voice whispered from right behind Bell.
"You… you're right." With that said Bell shifted and slung the unconscious guard over his shoulder under the cloak.
With new cargo, they began to move around the manor skirting the inside wall, looking for a decent place. They had landed just outside a courtyard garden; all the plants and bushes were neatly trimmed to perfection. The garden area was large, but not very concealing so they moved to pass it until they noticed a small shed at the edge of the garden, only a handful of feet away from the inner wall.
Looking around Bell didn't notice any other guards or personnel, "Let's check that shed. If it's locked, we can just leave him leaning against the shed facing away from the manor."
Ryu smiled not that anybody noticed, "Alright, I'll check the door."
She tugged the string as she moved closer to the door, Bell could see the knob turn but it didn't open. "Locked" Ryu whispered in the vague direction of Bell.
Bell walked around removed the newfound cargo, and eased him against the shed, giving a silent apology for having to be rough.
Even as he stood, he felt his back itch again. Ryu noticed the scratching sound, "You alright over there?"
"Yeah, just… well how do I put it, it feels like my falna is squirming, starting to itch," Bell whispered, moving closer to the sound of Ryu's voice.
"Does this happen often?" Ryu was genuinely interested, at first it sounded terribly uncomfortable. Also, she's never heard of a falna doing that.
"Not too often, I believe it's my Luck developmental ability, it happened right as I began to push off the ground when we jumped," Bell spoke as the tingle faded slightly.
Before Ryu could say anything the faintest sound of a whip crack could be heard in the air. 'Luck huh,' Ryu thought as instinct they both moved towards the sound.
As they got closer to where the sound came from, Bell saw a slight crack in an unblemished wall. Light was just peeking out, only fifteen feet away. "I think that's our goal… Are you ready?" He whispered to his companion.
"Yes, let's pick up the pace." Ryu gritted her teeth as another crack made its presence known.
Not even a second later she cracked the door open, fortunately it opened silently. The first sense that was attacked was the scent, the smell was powerful reeking like fecal material, followed by the scent of blood and rust.
Second, was the sense of sound, an echoing crack followed by a moan of pain. Then a voice, "Come on scream for me! You know you want to." The voice was disjoined and hoarse, fist shouted then whispering lovingly.
Without a second of hesitation, Ryu rushed inside. Bell caught the cloak that flew off her shoulders and rushed after her.
Two dozen stairs were heading downward, everything was made from an immaculately carved stone, and there was a glow towards the bottom of the stairs. Bell watched in concern seeing how tightly Ryu was holding her short sword he hadn't even noticed her draw. Bell debated cutting the string that was tethering them, but he didn't have the time, Ryu was jumping down six stairs at a time. If the roof wasn't so low, she would've just jumped down all of them at once.
All the same, Bell drew his knife and removed the hood of the cloak dispersing the magical effect. He reached the bottom step not even half a second after Ryu, he saw a severely overweight man with bright blonde hair and a small mustache. He was wearing a nearly immaculate purple suit, the only blemish was a small botch of blood on his chest, a simple-looking sword was sheathed at his hip, and he was holding a whip that had a red gemstone attached to the end.
They saw a short figure chained to the wall, sporting long matted dark gray-brown hair, bleeding from several locations, they weren't even supporting their weight as the manacles rattled from their connection to the roof of the building.
Ryu dashed faster towards the fat man her naturally ingrained sense of justice wouldn't allow this to continue further, Bell was forced to cut the string otherwise it would've knocked Ryu off balance before it snapped, she moved over thirty feet in less than a second.
She lunged with the flat of the short sword and hit nothing but air, "Ryu duck!" Bell shouted alarmed by the speed the fat man managed.
Without even thinking she listened rolling to the ground, avoiding a hand that would've wrapped around her neck, "tsk." The fat man voiced in disdain, "An elf? What a surprise. I thought your kind learned their lesson years ago."
Bell was surprised by the speed the unhealthy-looking man could move, 'Level 5? Judging by that speed, but that's insane. There should only be a couple of dozen total, he doesn't look familiar.' His mind raced; he could keep up but only due to breaking the cap of his abilities at each level. 'Ryu's fast, but I don't think she's maxed out her abilities before leveling.' They both were near max level 4, his mind raced even faster.
Ryu was stunned for a second, 'If not for Bell, I would be… well getting strangled.' Her heart thumped heavily.
Bell swapped the Hestia Knife to his left hand and drew his White Hakugen. He would have to focus on speed, the Hestia Knife was too heavy in comparison. He moved closer his knives crossed in a defensive posture; his injured left hand would prove to be a disadvantage and moved to be in front of Ryu who finished rolling backward.
"Oh, so the child wants to play, well maybe he will provide some entertainment. How long do you think you can last before your spirit breaks like the others?" The man paused with a look as if in deep thought, "Did you say Ryu? Why does that name sound… familiar."
Bell did the foolish thing and glanced at Ryu, then towards the chained figure. Ryu understood but hated it. Bell was saying to help the chained person, they are the goal, not the man.
As soon as Ryu moved towards the chained individual, Bell darted towards the fat man, a trail of white followed the blade Bell was holding as the fat man moved and thrust his arm out that held the whip it cracked and flew towards Bell.
He swiftly moved his left knife up leaving a trail of violet in its wake as it blocked and dug into the leathery material of the whip. With a swing of his white knife, the man danced backward, leaving a white arc in the air.
Ryu focused her mind and tried to push the self-recriminations thoughts down. But she failed, 'Again… again, I am holding Bell back.' But she began to chant her song, "The song of the now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life."
Bell ducked underneath a wide swipe of the fat man's fist, using the momentum of him shifting downward he kicked the man in the shin, he grunted in surprise but that didn't matter. His whip cracked out landing against the violet knife that arced upward in defense.
Bell felt the tendon behind his left ring finger snap, he groaned in pain but refused to let go of his weapon.
"Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you. Noah Heal." Ryu's magical energy entered the humanoid shape but did nothing, she knew her healing wasn't perfect and took time to fully take effect, but even then, it normally began to stitch together injuries immediately.
"Oh oh, so you have healing magic? That's a shame, isn't it? Nothing is happening." Ryu ignored them and glanced the figure over properly, she noticed the lacerations from the whip left black marks around the edge of the cuts, which webbed outward like a spiderweb. She also noticed the small horns peeking out from the top of the figure's head, which was very much female.
"Sorry, miss elf but your magic won't work." He gloated, holding his whip with a manic love.
"So, like Dix's spear?" Bell's eyes narrowed remembering the effect, these two were very much alike.
"Bingo! So glad you know about it. I took inspiration and had this made. I find as a whip it makes the pain last so much longer." He kissed the gemstone at the end of the whip, the tool for pain was perfect.
Bell tried to grip his knives tightly but winced when he moved his left hand, he was only able to hold that one loosely. A soft light began to leak from his hand, his aspirations, his hatred towards the man started to flood. But he took a deep breath in the fetid dungeon. His mind eased and he focused on what needed to be done. He moved as the whip cracked out towards him, but he avoided it. It had only been a second, but any attacks he made would trigger his skill.
The man pulled the whip backward as he shifted to the left, Bell looked over to Ryu as he shifted around a punch from the man's left hand, "You know what to do."
With any hesitation, she began her next song, "In the sky of a now distant forest. Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky." All the while she swung her short sword at a furious speed, redirecting a jab that was inches away from hitting Bell in the ribs.
Bell worked and focused on avoiding attacks while charging his Argonaut skill. 'Soon.' He thought, despite everything, he didn't want to kill the man. 'The speed of her chant is picking up. The only time…' his mind refocused as the whip landed a shallow nick on his left forearm.
The man went in for a kick to Bell's left side, finally noticing the weakness in the hand. A loud smack echoed through the dungeon, as Ryu diverted the kick with one of her own. She made sure to use her stronger leg, she couldn't stop the pure strength but managed to stall it enough for Bell to rotate to the side and swung the glowing Hestia Knife, which managed to bite deeply into the whip causing his skill to detonate the stored power.
The fat man's arm lurched backward as the whip shredded to pieces and the gem shattered.
"Respond to my foolish voice, give me now divine protection of Starfire. Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you. Come wandering wind, the wandering traveler." She chanted her song, never hesitating instead she picked up the speed.
The man realized the real threat, it was common knowledge the longer the chant the stronger the spell could be as a result.
With his whip, his precious beloved whip, destroyed he pulled the longsword from his belt. In the half second it took for him to recoil and pull his sword out Bell managed to sheath the White Hakugen and swap the Hestia Knife to his right hand. "Firebolt!" Bell shouted as three bolts made of fire and lightning shot out his left causing the strain on the tendons to grow and renew the pain for the one torn tendon.
The man managed to slap two out of the air and jumped his bulk over the third. Ryu continued her chanting all the while, "Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else. Imbue the light of Stardust and destroy the enemy." She pointed her free hand at the man still in the air. "Luminous Wind!" Fifteen glowing spheres shot outward strike the airborne man who in reaction tucked his arms into a defensive position.
The dungeon shook with the reverberations of the magical explosions, each sphere landing and striking down the man. He was launched ten feet straight into the stone wall, his head making a sickening thud, causing the wall to crack and break apart. It was a miracle it didn't collapse on the man.
Ryu moved closer to the man, realizing he was still alive, just unconscious and probably concussed. Her instincts told her to simply kill the man and be over with it. But she didn't, she was trying to make those actions part of her past. So, she sighed, grabbed a red vial, and poured it over his head. He didn't wake, but the bleeding from his ears and arms began to slow.
She turned to Bell, noticing his limp hand at his side, he gave a soft smile "Good work. Can you focus on getting them down and healed?"
"Y… yes, I can do that. Can you finish removing his torn outfit and getting his back out? I…" she hesitated, "I have a status thief." They were an illegal item, so she always kept it secured deep in the pouch at her hip.
Bell looked at her dubiously but nodded in agreement. Learning about the Familia he was associated with could be useful for the future if they strike back.
Ryu quickly cut the now confirmed Xenos free and began to chant her Noah Heal spell. She breathed a sigh of relief as the wounds began to slowly close by stitching the open flesh closed. "Good, looks like destroying the whip broke the anti-healing effect."
Bell only nodded lost in his mind as he cut the clothes away, careful to not use his left hand.
Ryu was quick to cover up the nude figure she had healed, she knew it would be alright, but a part of her mind rebelled at letting Bell see them like that. She glanced around seeing the inert cloak on the ground nearby, to which she used to cover them.
"I'm all done here. I just cut the back of the suit off instead, much faster." Bell looked down at his bare back, it looked surprisingly muscled.
Ryu approached searching through the pouch before pulling out a vial that contained a thick ruby liquid. She removed the top and poured it on the man's back. She couldn't read the language of the gods, but she was looking for the symbol. She has the symbol of a downward sword with wings surrounding it, hidden on her back. Each symbol was unique to a god, they watched as the liquid was absorbed into his skin a black ink bubbled out forming a symbol of three crossed broken arrows on a ruined flag. She looked at it for a while, fully committing it to memory; she then looked through the rest of the dungeon but found nothing except dried blood, rope, and rusted implements of torture. The total size of the dungeon was about twenty wide by thirty-five long. Each cell was only a five by five-foot space.
"We need to leave quickly," Bell spoke, barely being able to hear the clacking of metal boots.
"Right," Ryu spoke, pulling the unconscious Xenos onto her shoulder. The aversion to touch was still there, but less. 'Is it due to being a monster?' She questioned herself, but no answer revealed itself. Bell pulled the unused cloak on and activated it holding out a piece of rope. They only had the one string, but there was plenty of rope lying around, probably used to tie the tortured up.
They each held an end as Ryu activated the cloak as they ran up the stairs, the moment they got a foot out of the doorway a group of fifteen guards rushed towards them, they carefully moved next to the entrance to not draw attention and dashed the moment all started to go down the stairs.
'How incompetent can these guards be? They left the inner gate open as they charged in.' Ryu mused to herself, Bell led the way with Ryu less than five feet away as they pushed through the open gate and quickly through the village. They didn't care at this point, they were invisible, and from what they saw before no one would be outside anyway.
The outer wall rapidly approached as the pair ran easily crossing the distance, they had carefully crossed in just over thirty minutes, now only taking two minutes at a full dash. They both jumped and landed over the wall, as they moved toward the forest, Bell deactivated his cloak and retrieved their bags from the tree, and Ryu reappeared still carrying the unconscious body. They ran and didn't stop for several hours.
.
.
.
"I… think… we… need… to take… a… break." Bell wheezed, as they moved. Looking up and judging by the progress of the moon, he could tell they had run full-blown for over an hour. They were miles away from the village at this point, they needed a break, and he knew Ryu would need one after carrying the Xenos the entire time.
Ryu began to ease her pace, feeling her leg flaring in pain, "I… Agree… plus this… isn't going to… help her…" she managed between gasps of her own. They slowed to a brisk walk as they started searching for a decent patch. It was still nighttime, no more than two am. Bell moved quickly to gather and set the remaining supplies out. There wasn't much for fire materials, but he managed after a minute of gathering.
Ryu in the meantime set the Xenos down and examined her condition before casting another healing spell on them, just to be sure. "How are they doing?" Bell asked, approaching with a bundle of dead wood in his arms.
Ryu twisted looking at Bell and then back at the Xenos, "Not great, but don't look at them right now." Ryu warned but began to blush at her inward motives, she remembered the rumors that had spread around before. She knew they were false but even then. "She doesn't have anything to cover herself, let me try to make something to cover her first."
Bell understood, turned his back, and began to build up the wood and start a fire. Although it was much harder with his hand, he would manage. He could hear the sound of fabric being cut apart. After a couple of minutes, Ryu let him know it would be alright.
"I had to use one of our bags, but… well it seemed to be enough at least." Ryu managed.
It wasn't great, she had cut a sack in half and made holes for the limbs, like she said it would work as a temporary outfit. She was lucky this Xenos was on the shorter side, only standing four and a half feet tall.
"Good work," Bell said, noticing the slight blush on her ears.
'I can't tell him, calm down. I can't tell him the main reason I didn't want him to see her nude. It was to protect her modesty, definitely not because I didn't want him to see anyone else naked. Nope… wait, what am I thinking? I must be tired.' Ryu's mind raced as she noticed Bell watching her.
Bell decided to change the subject to spare the elf the embarrassment, "How are you on mind?"
"Not bad, probably about two-thirds full." Ryu focused for a second, she hadn't used any of her skills that drained her mind, nor cast much magic.
"That's good… I'm pretty sure I tore a tendon in my hand during the fighting." Bell confessed, scratching the back of his head with his right hand.
She approached, grabbing his left hand gently noticing the wince of pain. She examined the hand; it was bruised black and began to sing her magic. Bell could only think one thing as she chanted with a soft green glow. 'Beautiful.'
The pain eased to the point it was before the fight, healing could mend wounds, but it couldn't eliminate the stiffness and soreness that radiates outward.
Bell took a look at the unconscious form, noticing the horns and the brown-gray hair. "Looks like the one we were looking for at least." Bell tried to change his line of thought through conversation.
"Looks like it, they don't look like a Wendigo, but the Weine you described to me didn't look much like a Vouivre." Ryu thought as she nearly collapsed from the exertion and pain in her leg.
Bell sat, but a couple feet away, "Well not much we can do until she wakes up." He sighed in relief, happy to be sitting. He shifted and took his boots off, followed by his shirt which had become soaked with sweat.
Ryu took her own boots off and rubbed her leg to try to relieve the pain that eased to an ache after taking the weight off it. She couldn't help but glance at Bell as her ears turned a shade of pink.
The embarrassment lasted only a second, then she saw all the scars their descent into the dungeon had caused. Most were faded from all the magic healing he had received.
Her surprise was obvious but took note of the scars. A solid line where his arm had been severed, a massive splotchy scar on his left side from the Lambton stomach acid, a large, jagged scar on his stomach where he was forced to use his fire magic to cauterize a puncture wound, and the one that scared her the most it was extremely small only the size of her index finger. It was the spot where his neck had been broken by the Juggernaut's tail.
Bell winced when he noticed Ryu staring, "I know, it's not pretty."
"Did… were they unable to remove the scars?" Ryu asked, knowing the only visible sign of the bodily trauma she had was a slight acid burn scar on her right hip.
"I…" he chuckled lightly, "I probably could have, I… don't know if I would've been able to spend the money that it would probably require, sure Lord Ouranos had paid for the healing but still." He paused for a breath, but Ryu knew he was lying about that aspect. Her scars had been healed for essentially free as part of the healing magic.
She then paused for a moment, 'Maybe not, his hand is unscarred, and they had to open it up to heal directly.' Ryu's mind worked in a direction she didn't like. 'Was it because of how much of my healing was poured into him? How my healing is more like an accelerated regeneration. That… could cause scarring.'
"Besides, with time they will fade, and it's a lesson for future me. Also, they'll fade faster when I level again. Goddess says I could level now, but we haven't pushed it through yet." Bell, spoke softly as he looked towards the star-filled sky with a small smile, "I don't mind honestly. I'm stronger for it if nothing else. All I want is to be strong enough to protect the ones I love. The Familia will need to be stronger soon if we keep drawing in enemies. Well, that's not worth worrying about for now."
Ryu wanted to ask, wanted to try to do something about his scarring. Maybe just help with her magic to accelerate the body's natural processes for healing scars. But she bit back the offer when she noticed the acceptance in his eyes and words. "I… see."
She placed a hand against the acid burn scars, "I understand, for what it's worth I'm sorry." She could feel the warmth from him again but drew back after a second.
"Don't… don't apologize alright, I couldn't blame you if I tried. I chose it, and I think it was worth it." He stood and picked up some of the stockpiles of food they had in reserve and began to work on warming up some of the dried meat.
.
.
.
Half an hour passed in near silence, neither had much to say. Not yet at least, so they were both relieved for two reasons when the unconscious Xenos began to stir.
As they sat up swaying, Bell spoke "Here you must be ravenous." He held out a piece of meat for the girl to grab.
She flinched backward moving a hand length away, she then noticed the surroundings were different from what she remembered, she looked at the two looking back at her. Then snatched the food out of Bell's hand and started to eat with reckless abandon as the scent grew unbearable to their empty stomach.
This repeated three times before Bell spoke again. "Can you speak? We mean you no harm, we're here to help." His voice was calm, Ryu bet it could calm down a scared rabbit. They had noticed the longer k-9 teeth that jutted out only when she tore into the meat. Along with the back row of teeth that were meant for grinding the meat she consumed, which were unused.
The Xenos tilted her head to the side slightly like a puppy, "A… little… not very well. You help me? Why?"
Bell smiled gently, "I've made a promise to help your kind, Do you have a name we can call you?"
"Talvi… it what others called me." Talvi was on guard, it was obvious she was scared this was a trap.
"Was it the other Xenos that called you that?" Bell asked calmly, he wasn't going to call her that if it was the name the fat man had chosen for her.
Talvi nodded, "Yes… before. I was take away for look like you."
Bell could see the fear in her mismatched eyes, one blue the other golden. "I know them, Lyd, Ray, and Gros. I've helped them before; I want to help you return to them. Those… hunters are gone now." Bell could tell she wanted to trust him, he could see the hope in her golden eye, but couldn't trust not after everything she had been through.
Talvi opened her mouth, but Bell cut her off before she could speak. "I… know you cannot trust us; I don't blame you. I know I wouldn't, but I make this promise to you. You will be back with your people so long as you want to be."
"I… trust you for now. Until home." Talvi managed with a shiver.
Bell smiled, "Here use this, it should help." He held out his blanket, Talvi flinched back but sniffed the blanket suspiciously. But grabbed it and placed it on her legs.
"Right, sorry I forgot to mention our names." Bell looked over at Ryu who nodded. "My name is Bell, and this…" he waved to Ryu who was sitting fairly close to Bell. "Is Ryu."
Talvi looked at them both, "Bell… Ryu…" she nodded as if trying to commit it to memory.
"Well, I suppose we all should get some sleep." Bell managed with a stretch as he laid out across the grassy field, feet facing the fire. He didn't have a blanket anymore, but he didn't mind.
"I agree, with how fast we ran we probably covered about half a day in an hour. We should be alright to sleep." Ryu voiced, laying out her bed and blanket completely.
"Hmmm," she hesitated as she watched Bell lying on the grassy floor. She felt guilty sitting on her roll.
Bell, having noticed Ryu looking at him, said, "It's alright, besides we are not in the cold season yet." He felt a growing urge, an urge to tease the elf he'd gotten to know all too well. "Or were you wanting to share?"
A wave of red rushed over her face, "I… w-wish you wouldn't… s-say it like t-that." She took a breath, failing to calm herself. "But yes… I was planning on m-making that offer." A part of her felt faint from embarrassment. "Although… I won't lie… it'll be embarrassing."
Bell wanted to chuckle, but despite his best efforts, he could feel the slight blush forming on his pale face. He could see the shyness in her heart despite being a hardened warrior. He couldn't stop himself from speaking, even as he ignored the mismatched eyes watching them "I gratefully accept, but will it be that… embarrassing? You didn't seem to… mind on the way."
Ryu's blush grew in brilliance, turning a similar color to Bell's eyes. "Do… Do you really not know? No, I know you should…" She sighed but waved away her thoughts. "That'll be for another time. "She shifted the banker to make room for both of them.
An hour seemed to pass both quickly and slowly for Ryu, she was having trouble sleeping for… obvious reasons. At some point in the hour, she noticed Bell's left arm wrapped around her stomach, but she didn't mind. The warmth rapidly caused her eyes to grow heavy despite the urges swelling in her heart. She could hear Bell whispering something, perhaps already dreaming, but the words were fuzzy in her fading mind. Right when her conscious mind faded, she could clearly understand the words. But she fell into a deep sleep, wrapped in his arms.
X
Bell laid there more comfortably than even when he was in his bed. He looked at the green-blonde hair, feeling her stiffness fading as she began to drift asleep.
Almost without thought, he whispered, not expecting her to understand. "Ryu… I know why. Thank you, Ryu, thank you for everything."
His mind began to drift away like his companions, he felt content. Sleeping like this simply felt… right. That was the only way he would've been able to describe it.
X
Those words rattled around in Ryu's empty mind; she didn't dream but those words helped to ease the… pressure she felt on her heart.
Her mind began to shift, her senses started to return to her. First was the feeling of warmth she felt radiating into her, which slowly started to cause hormones to burn.
Second, was the scent of a long-dead fire mixing with the sweet smell of morning dew. Several minutes went by and judging by the light peeking through her eyelids, she guessed it was early, probably around the same time she would wake normally.
She sighed inwardly, knowing it was time to get up. She shifted in an attempt to slip out of Bell's grasp. She failed, in fact, she was pulled closer as a result.
Ryu focused for a second trying to wrangle in her overactive mind. That lasted exactly three seconds until she jumped at something poking her, that rapid movement gave her enough moments to slip out of his hold.
Ryu, growing full red from her face to her ears, moved to the edge of the small camp they had built. 'Remember, it's a natural part of the morning for them. Remember, your figure is undesirable, it's a natural phenomenon." She repeated to herself on repeat for almost a full minute, both reassuring and putting herself down. Her hands were pressed tightly against her cheeks as if hoping to disperse the blush. Without warning she remembered what Bell had told her only a couple days ago. He had described her as a beautiful person, this caused the embarrassment to flare even higher.
She then noticed a pair of mismatched eyes watching her with a twinkle lit in them. "Oh… morning," Ryu spoke hesitantly.
Talvi couldn't stop herself from laughing, despite everything that's happened, much to the dismay of the elf. 'It's amazing what giving someone food and a good night's sleep will do to their morale' Ryu thought as she recoiled.
Bell stirred at the noise and jumped straight to his feet, the rapid movement causing the blanket to tangle around his feet. "What… is everything alright!?" The unexpected noise caused his mind to shoot to the worst possible situation. He noticed Talvi giggling and a Ryu whose face was an extreme shade of red.
"Yes!" Ryu shouted, unable to deal with everything going on.
The sudden unexpected shout caused Bell to try to take a step back and immediately fall. Causing Talvi to start laughing again, even Ryu started despite herself.
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Two more days passed as the trio traveled across the plains and hills that consisted of the general geography outside of Orario. Eventually, the walls around the city grew visible, they were on edge, surprised they hadn't seen any signs of the overweight man and his troop, but nothing showed itself.
X
Slowly, Talvi started to open up bit by bit. But they didn't rush the Xenos and gave them the time they would need. Talvi found no matter when or where the pair always seemed to be cautious of the surroundings. That simple action let her trust the pair. The elf was stoic, and the human was overly honest. She began to recognize some of the terrain and knew the journey would be over soon.
X
It took an hour of searching the area before they eventually found the stack of stones Bell had placed before they left.
They noticed Talvi flinch as they approached the area, "Is this the area they took you out of?" Bell asked in a calming voice.
Talvi nodded, remembering the horrible sounds and scents they endured during their… travel.
Bell glanced at Ryu then back to Talvi, "I know it's scary in there. It terrified us when we snuck through. But this is the only easy way back into the dungeon. Unfortunately, we cannot go over the walls. You might be able to pass as an animal person at the gate check-in, but we wouldn't be able to pass through there."
Bell got down on one knee in front of the Xenos and spoke even softer. "I know it's hard, but trust me, but by the end of the day you will be with the others. I promise you this."
Talvi watched and listened to the strange human who was kneeling before her. It took a few minutes, but eventually, she nodded and spoke. "Trust you… promised." Her hand shot out at a speed that defied her size, Bell didn't flinch even as he felt a pressure against his hand.
He smiled gently, as he looked down and saw her hand wrapped around his own, he hadn't noticed before, but they had an extra finger on the hand compared to a normal humanoid.
He tossed the rope towards Ryu, noting the slightest hint of jealousy, he could tease her about it later. But she caught it without issue, and they moved the cloaks onto them with Bell spreading it out to cover Talvi.
They approached the large metal doors, which glimmered as Bell raised the key he had been given and took the first step into the man-made dungeon Knossos.
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An hour later, they reached the doors they had been carefully moving towards. The second time through Knossos felt even more off than last time. For the entire hour, they heard nothing, no sounds of unknown monsters, nothing. Bell silently thanked his luck ability for their safe passage.
They could hear the stone breaking as the doors forced their way open, to reveal floor 18. Nothing had changed fortunately, the grass spread out with large trees growing fifty feet from the dungeon wall. A completely normal scene on the 18th floor. Behind them, the doors snapped shut and the stone wall of the dungeon started to regrow, beginning to conceal the door again.
Bell tugged lightly on the rope, to get Ryu to approach. "Let's go ahead and get uncovered, that way Fels can find us."
"Right." She immediately deactivated the magical effect of the cloak and sighed in relief. They were useful, but they always felt stuffy after a couple of minutes.
Bell did the same, and Ryu noticed that Talvi was still holding… no clinging onto Bell, she was shaking violently. 'Did she notice something we hadn't? Hmmm, what level of monster were Wendigo's supposed to be again? I… cannot remember.'
Ryu sighed and waved them over to the edge of the trees, no point in waiting in the middle of the clearing. "How does it feel to be in the dungeon again?" Ryu asked Talvi, genuinely curious.
Talvi looked to be in thought for almost a full minute before speaking. "Feels strange… almost not known…" she scrunched up her face trying to think of the right words. "...Relax… little."
Ryu nodded, even as Bell spoke, "That's good. When we reconnect, you should find Weine. I think you two will get along well."
A snap alerted everyone, causing Bell and Ryu to jump up drawing weapons, with Talvi hiding behind Bell. "Good to see you all on guard." The grinding voice of Fels rose out of thin air.
Bell let out a sigh of relief at seeing the sage deactivate the magic item turning visible. "Fels, good to see you again."
Fels caught the small figure hiding behind Bell, "Is that the Xenos that you went out for?"
Bell nodded, "She said they called her Talvi."
"Well, Talvi." Fels spoke in his almost emotionless voice, "The rest are hiding on floor 20. Did everything go alright with the extraction?" Fels spoke, not expecting much but needed to make sure.
"Not exactly." Bell spoke up, "There was a person, who seemed like the mayor of the village. He seemed to be about mid to high level 5."
Ryu took a step forward, "If not for Bell's speed, I doubt we would have succeeded, well at least not without taking the entire building down. We did manage to get a Familia symbol on his back but almost nothing else as we couldn't read anything."
"That's… troubling, but not unmanageable. Can you draw it out?" Fels withdrew a piece of paper from his cloak and a fountain pen, one that didn't need ink to be replenished.
Ryu took the materials and took a second to find a stable place before drawing the three crossed broken arrows on top of a ruined flag. "Do you recognize it?" Ryu asked as she handed the paper and pen back.
Fels looked it over for a second, "Not off the top of my head. But I will discuss it with Ouranos and do some research later. For now, I'm sure Talvi would like to return to the others. Will both accompany us to floor 20?"
Ryu nodded, while Bell smiled broadly, "Yes, it will be nice to see all of them again."
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It took less than an hour to arrive at the hidden village, three level 4 adventures made the descent easy, despite guarding Talvi. They could hear the sound of an echoing voice singing like a lure guiding them.
All the Xenos cheered when they arrived, with Lyd and Ray being the first to approach. Followed by Weine throwing herself at Bell and wrapping him in a hug.
To which Bell laughed, showing more energy than he had almost the entire mission. Ryu watched at a slight distance. She felt awkward, almost like an outsider watching a… peaceful event unfolds.
"Ryu, come here," Bell called out to her, welcoming her into the circle of monsters and a single human. She hesitated for a second but accepted approaching with a little caution. Who wouldn't when approaching several monsters with the same strength as she was? Well, Bell that's who, despite her inward instincts she trusted Bell more.
"Bell-cchi, Ryu-cchi, come tell us what happened. We're glad that Talvi-cchi is safe, we owe you again." Lyd spoke in his strange insistence on using the cchi at the end of names.
'How is he able to vocalize so easily? He looks like a normal Lizardman, it cannot be easy. Probably through years of practice.' Ryu thought but glanced at the other Xenos that populated the small section of the hidden alcove, 'Ray… she probably had an easier time with it, judging by how she is a siren. Weine has a mostly humanoid structure, so there's that.'
"Of course, Lyd, Ryu, would you help me explain the events?" Bell called out to her, not wanting her to feel isolated.
Ryu nodded and began to speak first. As she spoke, however, her mind wandered. 'I… I cannot help but wonder what would've happened if Alise was here to see them.' She already knew the answer to her silent inquiry, she would've welcomed them with open arms much like Bell did. They really are very much alike.
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Almost a full hour passed as they retold the story, Talvi had taken Bell's advice and was trying to communicate with Weine. Unfortunately, Talvi's ability to communicate was still limited, but Bell hoped that a few weeks of practice with others who could speak would help them greatly.
Ryu after a while despite Bell's efforts began to drift towards the edge of the circle. They had finished the story almost twenty minutes ago, out of everyone gathered only Bell and Ray noticed her move towards a quieter portion of the cave.
She took this opportunity to examine the cavern they found themselves in, it was an unmapped section of floor twenty, hidden by a crystal embedded into the wall. The walls like all on all the floors 19-24 were wooden, with the soft blue stone peeking through in large patches that were spotted throughout. There were patches of luminescent moss that gave a soft blue glow.
Fels had provided the Xenos with materials occasionally allowing them to have a handful of magic stone lanterns that provided more light. The section they were in was small, it could fit probably twenty people. But considering how many were monsters it was a much smaller room. Connecting it was a much larger section that held the rest of the Xenos.
She wanted to sigh, but held it in as she watched the moss glowing gently, "Is everything alright?" A beautiful voice spoke to her softly.
Ryu twisted around seeing the Xenos Ray, 'Maybe it's an effect of being a Siren but her voice is beautiful.' She shook it off and nodded. "Yes… sorry, I'm just a bit overwhelmed by all of you." She hesitated for a second but continued, "I'm surprised you all allowed me into here."
Ray's head shifted her head sharply like a bird, revealing her still avian nature. "Why would you assume that? You are Bell's friend, so you are ours."
Ryu paused for a second thinking how best to explain but gave up and spoke bluntly. "I had attacked one of your own after Dix took several of your kind."
Ray chuckled, in a more of a fluting whistle tone, "Maybe, but you didn't know what had happened, correct?" Ryu nodded so Ray continued, "Not to mention you had bought time for some of our kind to escape when we got trapped on the surface. We know of the efforts you've put into helping Bell, Us, and Talvi. So, you have our gratitude." Ray gave a soft bow, "Thank you."
"No, please don't bow, I'm not one to deserve it. I… I just did what I was asked, and Lord Ouranos has information I need." Ryu spoke softly, almost as a whisper.
"The motives don't really matter, only your actions. But I can see you're uncomfortable with this line of conversation. Let's change the subject." Ray placed a winged arm on her chin as if in thought. She then crouched down close to Ryu using her other wing to form a barrier and whispered conspiratorially. "So, what's the relationship between you and Bell? I can… smell the pheromones you both exude when talking or looking at each other."
Ryu blushed due to the sudden change in topic, and then the second part registered, "Pheromones?" She asked quietly.
Ray nodded, the feathers on her head bobbing with the motion. "That's right. It's subtle even for creatures like us, probably completely unnoticeable by your kind, probably not even by the beast people races."
Ryu, who was sitting comfortably against the wall, pulled her knees in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. "I… I see, well… I… just please don't tell anyone. But your sense is correct… for me at least. I… I do l-love him…" Ryu paused, she was equal parts surprised and afraid at how easily she could say it. It… well it started to feel less special with each utterance. It was a ridiculous notion, but she couldn't let that part of her go.
With a knowing smile, "I had expected as much, as you've been honest so can I. His heroic nature makes me feel similar to you. He saved not only me but almost everyone in this hidden village. If you don't mind hearing from someone like me. I believe you should try, out of everyone I've seen him talking to, I believe you can make something truly special."
Ryu glanced up towards the still kneeling Ray, "I want to, but he already… loves someone. He's been very open to his Familia about it. She saved him when he was just getting started. She is someone who… has a vendetta against monsters. Aiz Wallenstein, she has golden hair and eyes."
Ray lowered her voice even more, "I have heard about her before. She fought with Asterius and was the only one who did some serious damage to him. He's the strongest of us, growing stronger by himself on the lower floors. I believe I heard Weine say that she backed off on trying to kill her when… well after she was fighting against Bell and Weine injured herself to save Bell."
Ray thought for a second imagining the scene… it wasn't pretty. "Even so, I believe you should try. I can tell from our talk that you would grow to hate yourself if you didn't at least try."
"I… Thank you, I don't know if I'll be able to. But I can try." Ryu gave a soft smile, the first true smile since they had arrived.
Ray backed up and started to clap her wings together in excitement, which drew everyone's attention. A noticeable blush of embarrassment showed on the Siren's face, she quickly spoke in an attempt to cover up her actions. "I think we should celebrate, celebrate for the safe return of a sister who was thought lost. Celebrate in the names of those who rescued her, I shall sing a song for Bell and Ryu!"
Every Xenos cheered at the same time, hearing the Siren's song was rare and it's been almost a month since the last time.
Ryu could see Fels' sigh as he heard Ray speak as he raised the back of his right gauntlet to where his mouth would've been. Followed by a bob of the hood, "Very well." Fels said loud enough for everyone to hear.
Lyd was the next to speak, "Alright, I agree. Bell-cchi and Ryu-cchi deserve it. Not to mention that Ryu-cchi hasn't heard Ray's song yet." He clapped Bell on the back and pushed him closer to Ryu.
Bell held out a hand to help her up, speaking as she was lifted. "I've only heard it once before; it was really beautiful." Bell smiled revealing his excitement, he then turned to Ray, "I believe I speak for the both of us when I say we would be honored to hear your song."
Ray smiled pleasantly, "I'm glad to hear it, I'll be starting shortly." Ray turned and whispered something to Lyd and the gargoyle Gros who looked at the two adventurers and nodded with Lyd.
Ray raised her voice for everyone to hear, "As this is a special occasion, I will allow us to dig into our stockpiles. Enjoy! I will start in five minutes!" She flapped her wings and lifted into the air landing on what looked like a dais and started to shift around in anticipation.
Bell and Ryu watched as Lyd rushed to another section and ran back holding several mugs of all different shapes and sizes. As well as a light brown carafe, they watch the lizardman place two mugs in front of the pair and fill each with a golden-brown liquid, Ryu could tell it was alcohol—a decent quality alcohol on top of that.
She hesitated, it was well known at the pub she had worked at that she had abysmal tolerance, but she didn't want to be rude. So, she decided to take it slowly, trusting that Bell would stop her before doing anything if she ingested too much.
Bell clacked mugs together with Ryu and they both began to sip at the alcohol, after the first sip they realized it wasn't diluted with anything. Ryu gulped in hesitation feeling the acid in her stomach react with the liquid.
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Two more hours passed, and Ryu decided to only have one, Bell only had two. He knew they would have to travel back up the dungeon so he restrained himself with the responsibility he would have when they arrived on the surface. They knew it was starting to get late and as much as they wanted to stay, they knew they couldn't.
Ryu was clinging to Bell like the last piece of driftwood, her face was flushed with alcohol and her ears were shifted in different directions. She was bobbing from side to side. He smiled at her drunken state, finding it adorable.
So, after some convincing, the Xenos began to wrap the impromptu party to a swift finish.
Fels knowing that it was time that they started to return, began to chant his magic with his hand held out towards Ryu and Bell. "Here let me help you both with the alcohol. "
"Pius' staff, Pione's light. Intersect with the authority of healing and heal everything. Dia Panakeia."
"Come on, we should get moving else the night grows any heavier. Lord Ouranos is waiting on us, and you have information to gain." Fels spoke rapidly as the pair felt the effects of the alcohol fading rapidly.
Saying their goodbyes, Ray began to sing them a song as they left, "You sing along to travelers' song. Oh, how I wish I knew the words. Even so, it feels nostalgic to me, whenever I'm by your side. There's a world we see in our dreams…"
They listened, feeling the effects even as they could no longer hear her beautiful echoing voice. They passed through the quartz tunnel that left the mark of their hidden village. When Ryu thought nobody was looking, she wiped a lone tear that began to fall.
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The travel was easy, almost no monsters attacked the party as they made their way up through the floors. There had been a discussion about possibly using Knossos to travel to Daedalus Street, making it a quicker process, but they decided against it. The unknown risks were too dangerous, so they ignored the shortcut and traveled up the floors.
Luckily the Goliath on floor 17 was already taken care of. Once they hit floor 12 Fels activated his invisibility cloak and took the two from Bell and Ryu as they didn't need them anymore.
It only took a total of two hours to get back onto the surface. The night air was clear, and refreshing having been underground for so long. A distant magic clock showed that it was close to ten.
Deciding not to stay out any longer than necessary the pair with Fels trailing them invisibility. They eventually made it to the spot where they had seen Fels originally, going down the same tunnel they had originally used. The same web-like glowing pattern on the door that entered Ouranos' domain.
They had little small talk, both starting to grow exhausted from the long several days.
"Welcome, Cranel and Lion. I am pleased to see you both again. Just by that is it safe to say the mission was successful?" Ouranos spoke in his deep voice, ever sitting on his throne of stone.
"They have." Fels spoke before either could, "I have seen the Xenos with my own eyes. Not that I have any. Besides, we have much to discuss with what they've learned in that village." He then took several stairs up to stand close to the old god.
"Good. As I stated before, there is little I can offer you as this isn't an official guild mission. Lion, two weeks ago a letter arrived from Astraea. It was addressed to me; it contained a small note and another letter I didn't read."
Despite the low flickering light, Ryu could see the all too familiar symbol emblazoned into a wax seal, the one of the Familia she had loved so much.
"Cranel, I don't have anything for you personally, despite already owing you a favor. Instead, Astraea said they had something that would be interesting to the captain of the Hestia Familia if you decided to meet with her." Ouranos was a man of few words, so him giving out so many meant something.
"Thank you, Lord Ouranos, Ryu received word from Lady Astraea is more than enough for me," Bell spoke looking directly into the ancient god's eyes, who then nodded in understanding.
"One last thing," he said, placing two badges onto the letter before handing everything to Fels. "Those are passage badges, they essentially let you enter and leave the city twice per month. Take those as proof of the trust I impart to you."
Fels walked down to where the two waited, and handed the letter and a badge to Ryu, followed by handing Bell the other badge.
Ryu and Bell bowed and spoke in unison "Thank you."
Ouranos remained stone-faced but spoke again, "Now, I think you both should head back to the Hearth Manor. Hestia was… displeased with your sudden departure."
Ryu turned to start making her way back, but stopped when Bell spoke up, "Lord Ouranos, you said you owe me a favor in the past right? I have a request to make then."
Ouranos raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, "Very well, if it is within my capabilities."
Bell took a breath before speaking, he had known what he was planning on requesting but needed a second to collect his tired mind and focus his will. "As you say, first a preemptive question, what are you planning on doing about Gale Wind, not Ryu Lion, but the Gale Wind whose bounty still stands after so many years?"
Ouranos shifted slightly in his seat, even as Ryu nearly fainted at the mention of her Title. "Well," Ouranos began, "We were planning on saying that she had died in an accident."
Bell nodded, "What about what happens when people eventually learn that they are still alive? So here is my request, in addition to declaring that she had died, would you wipe the bounty clear? So that they can have a fresh start in a new life." Bell lowered his head, almost pleading but never letting his voice waver.
Bell heard a sound no mortal, nor God had ever heard before. Ouranos laughed only for a couple of seconds, but it happened. "Very well. If that is your request, then it will be done. By my word, by my heart, by my dive blood, you have my word. By tomorrow the entire guild will be notified of the change, and posters will be posted on the quest board in the guild hall." He took a deep breath and smiled very subtly, "Now, that you've seen a miracle, go get some rest, you both deserve it."
With that said, Fels could only walk in silence as he opened the hidden path out of the Sky Gods Chambers.
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Bell and Ryu stood in that empty courtyard, Bell looked over towards Ryu, her features were illuminated by the brilliant glow of the moon high in the sky. He felt his heart rate increase perceptibly, and something changed in his mind.
Ryu turned to face Bell as a few tears began to flow down her cheek making a soft splash onto the stone floor, she said words she spoke so much to her hero, but they needed to be repeated. With all the emotion she could muster without breaking down in tears, "Thank you, Bell."
Review Responses:
Blazeburn006: I think I already told you my response, but l will repeat portions here. That was kind of the idea, while having Bell there helps them significantly, they are not entirely reliant on having him there. Hestia getting drunk with Miach is basically just another week for Miach at this point I imagine. As Miach is a God of Healing I figured it would be reasonable that he would get the gist, if not the details, of what happened. Syr is Syr... that's all. And Haruhime is 10/10 too pure for that line of Conversation.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan: Not a bad idea, considering that I had a hard time reading them before I started this revisit. Glad you are enjoying so far.
pix25: Glad to hear it.
jetjedi (Chapter 4): I plan on it.