Hey everyone, how are you all doing? I'm excited to release this chapter, as it is the first real difference from the original. I won't say what for now, but I will add a note at the end for reference. Either way, I hope you all enjoy and let me know what you thought. -EG
Word Count: 10,135
Chapter 9
Traveling was easy for Bell and Ryu, without noticing they had ended up holding hands the entire day. Until they had found a nice location to rest for the night, as the sun was just beginning to fade into the distant landscape lighting up the sky in a beautiful blend of orange and red. Bell glanced around for a second, "Looks like a good place to rest. Plus there is a source of water." He pointed to the three-foot-wide stream.
Ryu nodded in agreement, but she was distracted. Every step she took felt just a hint harder than the last. The anxiety of seeing Astraea again after so many years was wearing on her heart. She snapped back to the moment when Bell waved his hand in front of her face. "Ryu, are you alright?"
Ryu shook her head to clear the mental fog that had begun to settle. "Sorry, just growing anxious." She glanced around to find the camp was already mostly set up. "Why didn't you snap me out of my stupor earlier? I should've helped."
Bell shrugged, "It's fine, I don't mind doing this much." He paused for a moment, "Starting tomorrow you'll have to be the one who hunts. I don't… think I can use the bow properly. Especially with my hand as it is, so I think it's fair."
Ryu could still feel the warmth and noticed they were still holding hands, "How…" she muttered. 'How had he managed to set up the majority of the camp with his hand still in mine.' She then looked around again, almost all of the small items had been set up but none of the larger items. Things that would require two hands. She then began to loosen her hand, with a small blush, "Sorry about that. I hadn't realized."
Bell looked at his hand as the pressure lessened, "I don't mind… I found it… comforting." Bell wasn't facing her, but Ryu had the distinctive idea that he had been blushing slightly.
Dinner was a pleasant but simple set of paper-wrapped half-dried meats and fruits. They wouldn't last long so they decided to just have them over the first night. Bell had managed to start a fire normally for them to heat the dried meats.
Ryu took a bite off of the freshly heated meat, and she was surprised by the lighter flavors. She had prepared herself for the rich and heavily seasoned it normally had. Bell noticed her jolt of surprise, "I had asked Mikoto to try to make it very light on seasonings."
Ryu chuckled lightly and nudged him in the ribs, "Just how much do you know about elves that we prefer lighter flavors?"
Bell blanched and the insinuation and blushed heavily, "No… nothing like what you're thinking. I just remembered a story from the past. Besides I doubt you would want the stuff Welf would make. He put enough seasoning to knock out a silverback."
Ryu caught the obvious change of subject, "It's fine, truth be told, that's what I had expected. So, this is… pleasant." She hummed lightly just enjoying the warmth from the small fire and the peace that having Bell next to her brought.
"Are you feeling a bit better?" Bell asked softly after they had finished the food for the night.
Ryu nodded, "I am, I think the warmth and the shock of the food helped me disentangle the anxiety. It's… not gone, but it's better." She plucked a few strands of grass and shifted around in her hand for a bit until she eventually sighed and tossed them into the small fire.
The grass popped and sizzled as the moisture in the blades began to boil. "What do you think might have been left for me with Goddess Astraea?" Bell asked suddenly, snapping Ryu's mind to attention.
She took a few seconds to gather her thoughts, "It could be a dozen things, but if I had to guess I would suggest a letter. But that raises many questions, if they know you are the captain of Hestia Familia then why not just have it sent to you."
Bell nodded in agreement, "That's what I had been asking myself, I… I think there must be a specific reason it was left with Goddess Astraea. But I cannot think of a reason why that would be necessary."
Ryu thought back to all the time she had spent with Goddess Astraea, the good and the bad. 'Is there a reason?' Her mind raced as she considered several things that popped into the front of her mind, 'Kind, Selfless, Charitable, Devoted, Humble, Calm. What would all those qualities be significant for?' Ryu thought, even when she had raged at her goddess, Astraea never got angry.
Ryu realized something, 'Maybe if it's a letter, it might be terrible news, and that Bell might need someone like that.' She kept those thoughts to herself. She didn't want to plague her hero with doubt and anxiety. 'But at the same time, it could help him mentally brace for anything that might reveal itself, but no… I… can't.'
Instead of stating what she thought, she instead placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke as calmly as possible. "Whatever the reason, I'm sure it's a reasonable one."
Bell could see a hint of doubt in Ryu's expression, but he gave a false reassuring smile, "You're right. Sorry, I know this is hard on you as well." Bell shifted slightly, stretching out his shoulders and back.
Ryu decided to change the subject, "Do you want me to heal your hand a bit?" She asked, mostly to distract Bell but also she truly wanted to try everything possible to help.
Bell turned to face her, "Sure, let's do that." He had already taken his armor off so he just held out his left hand.
Ryu closed her eyes, took his hand between hers, and focused as she chanted. "The song of now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life." As she focused, she could visualize her pool of mind. It was like a slow tap of power that was only turned just enough for the spell to work. But that wouldn't work for what she wanted, so she forced more mind into the spell. The effect was immediate, the slow tap turned into a deluge. She watched her pool of mind lessening significantly.
But that didn't stop her, "Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you. Noah Heal." She muttered as the mental deluge of mind exploded out towards her spell. Ryu could see the green healing light through her eyelids.
To Bell the light was nearly blinding, the amount of healing nearly caused his hand to go numb. He gasped as the light faded, and he caught Ryu as she stumbled slightly. "Ryu… how much mind did you force into that?!" He was alarmed, he didn't want her to go into a mind down state just to help him.
Ryu shook her head as her vision bruised, "Not… not too much more." The lie was obvious and Bell knew it. She had used almost two-thirds of her mind on the spell.
Bell sighed, but it was a sigh of relief as he watched Ryu grow steady again after a couple of seconds. "You're reckless." He whispered seriously.
This only caused Ryu to chuckle, "You… are one to talk." Bell looked offended for a second but started to chuckle along with Ryu.
X
Eina sat alone in her apartment, she hadn't even realized that night had arrived. She was sitting on a plush light green couch she had bought eight months prior, but now it had a stain of red. The wine glass had tipped out of her hand and spilled over the immaculately cleaned couch. But she didn't have a care in the world about it, what would it matter anyway? Everything she had been working for over the past five years, down the drain for telling the truth.
She would be homeless in two months, that was all her savings would allow. She knew that if she reached out to either Riveria or Bell, they would both be willing to take her in. The thought brought bitter tears to her blushed drunken face. She hated to be reliant on someone else, if she would reach out she would have to be willing to be an adventurer or a supporter.
She mumbled in an intangible drunken slur, the words spoken for everyone and no one to hear. She stood on unsteady legs as she moved back towards the kitchen of her apartment.
The cold tiles caused her to shiver and that simple involuntary movement caused her to trip. She fell on her butt and winced, she rolled over to her side and tried to force her limbs to move to push her body up. But the effort was in vain as the strength left her arms and she collapsed onto her chest. She gave up and just laid there, the edges of her vision turning blurry as the tears renewed themselves.
She ended up crying, silently until she passed out due to the alcohol and emotional drain.
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There was a sound, it felt so loud that it would destroy her half-elven ear drums. It took a handful of painful minutes to realize it was just the sound of a bird chirping away on the window sill of her kitchen. She grimaced as she forced her body up. The motion made her feel nauseous, but she managed to keep herself from vomiting.
She blearily looked around her apartment, each note the bird sang caused her vision to pulse painfully. Through the pain, she could see the mess the apartment became over the course of a single day. Flashes of memory came rushing back, how after two cups of wine she began to throw things in anger. After the fourth, she tried to clean the mess and only made it worse. After the fifth, she gave up trying and sat on her sofa. After the sixth, things became hazy and she remembered something about reaching out to either Bell or Riveria.
It took a concentrated effort to stand and move on unsteady legs to the bathroom, she stripped her now useless guild uniform, which had already been partially removed in her drunken state. Removed her light green undergarments and forced herself to step into the shower.
The sudden flood of water felt like she had taken a dip in an ice bath, which sharpened her mind considerably. After the initial blast of the unforgiving icy water, she slowly turned up the heat making sure she wouldn't faint from the change.
She stood in there for almost an hour as she furiously cleaned her body, she could smell the alcohol on her. The scent never seemed to leave her, so she gave up, turned off the water, and dried herself. She walked naked into her bedroom and after a minute opened her dresser and picked out some clean clothes and got dressed. She chose a white blouse with a red skirt.
She wanted to sleep more, but she couldn't. She had to decide what to do. So instead she sat on her plush bed and got started. "Riveria and the Loki Familia, or Bell and the Hestia Familia." Her mind raced as she remembered something or someone. "I could… also reach out to… no that wouldn't work. Last time we talked it didn't go well." So she gave up on the third option before she even really considered it.
She recalled everything she could about the first two options and categorized what would likely happen with either. "I would essentially guarantee either, Hestia Familia is or at least was looking for members plus Bell as the captain…."
Eina shook her head trying to clear a rogue, unrelated thought. "Loki Familia is an absolute guarantee due to Goddess Loki's proclivity towards females, also my connection to Lady Riveria will help ease into the Familia. But would I want the attention that would bring?" She shook her head, "Probably not. Not to mention Lady Riveria would probably coddle me… if I am going to be a potential adventurer… that wouldn't be a good idea, because I could easily grow reliant on that support."
Eina sighed, "Well I guess that makes the decision for me then, an absolute guarantee but be overprotected or a near guarantee with more freedom but less safety." She knew her decision, "I should get moving before I lose my nerve."
Standing despite not feeling great, she got moving. Each step seemed to send a throbbing through her head. As she entered the living room and winced at the mess she had made last night. "I… just can't leave it like this."
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It only took an hour for her apartment to be mostly presentable, in that time she found her glasses… tucked into a plant. "Why did I…" she sighed, "Never mind, I probably don't want to know."
With all of the furniture moved back into their appropriate positions, she cleaned all the random papers and other miscellaneous objects that had been thrown around. "Finally, now it's time to get moving." She tried her best to smile but it felt… wrong. "Working at the guild had been stressful, especially over the last six months. But still… did he have to fire me?" She muttered, opening the door and taking a step outside.
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With quick and determined steps Eina made her way to where she knew the Hearth Manor was. She knew Bell probably wouldn't be there when she arrived, "Judging by his words when we spoke he was planning on leaving the city almost immediately." She muttered as the large structure came into view.
Her memory didn't serve justice explaining its size, it was significantly larger than she remembered. 'Is it because this might become my home?' She wondered, but a larger portion couldn't help but wonder how the small Hestia Familia kept it clean.
With a quick tap of a button at the front gate she could hear the distant sound of a notice bell, alerting the Familia to her presence. She waited five minutes before a golden-haired head showed itself.
"Hello, how can I help you today?" Haruhime politely asked, currently wearing her maid uniform.
Eina was stunned by the vibrant beauty of the Renard in front of her. After a moment she collected her thoughts, "Right. Is Lady Hestia available? I was hoping to join the familia."
Haruhime glanced Eina over, and then a small light of recognition appeared in her eyes. "Wait, aren't you Master Bell's guild advisor?"
Eina's ears drooped slightly, but being only a half-elf they didn't show it much, she just shook her head. "Was, unfortunately… I am no longer." Eina could feel the swell of anger and sadness at the sudden change in her lifestyle.
Haruhime bowed slightly, "I'm sorry to hear that. Please come in." With a swift shift of her gloved hands, Haruhime opened the large gate. "Please, follow me. I'll take you to the common room." She voiced, bowed slightly and turned her back to Eina.
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It took almost half an hour of waiting before a somewhat disheveled Hestia entered the common room where Eina was waiting. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I… was up extremely late last night and this morning."
Eina just smiled knowingly, "Bell?" She voiced her thoughts.
Hestia nodded, "Bell… and well never mind. Haruhime has briefed me on your situation. Would you follow me so we can talk in my office?" Hestia spoke softly, the exhaustion was obvious on her face.
"Of course Lady Hestia. If you'd trust me to be alone with you." Eina stood and gave a small bow.
Hestia waved her hand in front of her face, "It's fine, you know more about Bell than the majority of Orario. If he trusts your guidance then I can provide similar… trust."
Eina followed behind the tiny goddess her words touched her heart, 'Did Bell really trust my guidance so much? I would've argued otherwise by how much he ignored my advice. But if that's so, then… I'm proud.'
She followed the small Goddess into a relatively small office, to which Hestia sat in the main chair behind the desk. Hestia placed her head on the desk for a moment until she forced her head upward. "Well Miss Advisor, why would you want to join our Familia?"
Eina sat politely on a stool, placing her hands in her lap, "Well a couple of reasons first, I want to offer Bell continued support as I had so far. Second, I would hope to have… well I don't want to be coddled. If I am going to be an adventurer, I will have to deal with the risks that entails."
Eina sighed and almost on instinct went to adjust her glasses, just to realize she hadn't grabbed them on her way out, not that she needed them. "I… I was also hoping to potentially help with peace between Hestia and Loki Familia's. I have a strong connection with Lady Riveria, their vice-captain, so that would be a strong foundational bridge for future deals."
She took a breath before continuing, she noticed that Hestia never seemed to blink as she spoke. Hestia remained vigilant, her hands wrapped together supporting her head. "If you don't want that, then I would rather avoid being trapped and being looked at negatively by the elves of Loki Familia. Normally elves aren't… fond of half-elves."
"Isn't that a contradiction? Willing to be the bridge, but also not wanting the attention for being a half-elf." Hestia stated, with her dark blue eyes boring into Eina.
Eina nodded in confirmation, "It is, but so is life in general from my experience. I would be willing to accept either side of a metaphoric coin."
"Fair enough." Hestia whispered, "So, Eina. What would you want from the Hestia Familia, if you were to join?"
Eina, placed one of her hands on her chin, "Well, I would hope for help starting in the dungeon. But not be overly protected, with that said I would also like to provide lessons to future members of the Familia or current members who aren't extremely knowledgeable with the dungeon." She clenched her fist a bit, "If… I can prevent more deaths in the dungeon… then that would make me happy." Memories of Maris came to mind, but she quickly shifted her mind to focus.
She paused for a second taking a deep breath, but continued, "With how fast Bell was growing, I had prepared my knowledge of the dungeon down to floor 40. So I know most of the information until that deep, just not the exact layout."
Hestia nodded, "Very well. I will accept you into Hestia Familia if you still want. Knowing that you would likely be in more danger than in another like Loki Familia." Hestia held out her hand for a handshake, Eina paused for a second then shook it. "Good now, To put my blessing on you, I will need you to remove your blouse and show me your back."
Eina blushed but understood, after a moment of hesitation she turned around and slipped her blouse off revealing her pale back to the goddess. After a moment she felt a hot drop land on her back, it sent a shiver down her spine as her skin burned with the birth of a fresh falna.
"Let's see here. Looks like you have a Skill and a magic spell to start with, very nice." Hestia muttered quietly as she traced her fingers along the newly written divine words.
Eina could feel the slender finger tracing a couple of lines on her back then the pale blue glow that had perfused the room faded. "Here you go, your fresh sheet."
She looked at the goddess who held out a piece of paper with several lines of information. "Thank you, Goddess Hestia." She slipped her blouse back on and glanced over the papers.
…
Name: Eina Tulle
Race: Half-Elf
Age: 19
Level: 1
Strength: I0 Dexterity:I0 Agility: I0 Endurance:I0 Magic: I0
Skills:
Alf Aett
-Increases Magic Potency, allows the user to hold a magic spell after casting with a heavy mind penalty. While holding magic, allows for further channeling of mind if holding a spell.
Magic:
Fror Gruidae
-Ice and Light Small area of effect spell. The caster can guide the magic through the air.
- "May the Glacial Freeze, by my word and blood, destroy my enemies. Thus bringing peace to the lost ancestral forest once more."
…
Eina glanced over the sheet for what felt like minutes, trying her best to truly accept the fact that she was now an adventurer. Not only that, but she had skill and magic. "The name of the skill… Alf Aett. Doesn't that stand for…"
Hestia looked over at the half-elf, stopped sucking on her index finger that was bleeding, "Yes… although, I will say a falna doesn't lie."
Eina wanted to collapse, if she hadn't already been sitting she very much would've. "I… see. That will take some time to process." She shook her head trying to understand, 'I guess that makes sense, considering my mother… but I was always told…'
She was snapped out of her mental debate by the goddess's voice, "Now, the Hestia Familia is going to be starting a mini expedition soon. We need the money, unfortunately, I don't think it would be a good idea for you to join us. Considering you are a fresh adventurer, they are planning to spend a few days on floor 20 or so. What are you planning on doing?"
"Right…" she paled at the thought of going that deep immediately, "While I might be able to gain a lot of experience by doing that. I would be nothing but a liability, I have some savings to get basic gear and I will need to move everything over to here." She placed a hand on her chin, "It will take two or three days. Maybe at most, with someone with me, I would like to try my magic. So I know my limits."
Hestia breathed out a sigh of relief, "Good, I'm glad you're not as crazy as Bell when he got his magic. I would recommend talking to Welf for basic gear, you might still want to have a weapon even if you focus on magic. Plus he can…" Hestia glanced over Eina's body, "Adjust a set of armor for you."
Eina blushed lightly, "I'll do that." She bowed in respect, "Thank you, Goddess."
Hestia just waved an exhausted hand in front of her face, "It's fine, just stay safe and help the others. That's all I care about for now. Now I need to get some sleep."
Eina gave another quick bow and made her way out into the main sitting room. "Time to get moving," Eina whispered.
X
Ryu sighed in relief, even as a shiver ran down her spine, slowly lowering herself into a large stream they had found along the way. It had been four days of hiking through the wilderness, and to the best of their knowledge, there wasn't a road that led to their destination.
She could feel the warmth being sapped out of her body as the cool pure water flowed around her. She had to clean herself off, so she would deal with it. She kept a constant vigil as she bathed. Bell had snuck up on her once before and while she didn't expect him to do so again she wasn't prepared for… that, especially if they were to sleep under the same blanket.
She splashed the cool water over her face, in an attempt to eliminate the heat that began to spread from her chest to her face. It only took a couple of minutes to clean her body, after which she dressed in a basic set of traveling clothes and made her way back to camp.
She noticed that while she bathed, Bell set up the rest of the camp including starting a fire. A thought crossed her mind, 'What would Alise do in a situation like this.' She thought for the briefest of seconds, blushed, and shook her head. Instead, she raised her voice, "I didn't expect everything to be set up already."
Bell glanced over to her and sighed in relief. "Well, I've been told I'm a quick study."
She moved and stood next to the fire, in an attempt to dry herself. Bell stood, "Can you keep an eye on the food? I need to clean off as well."
Ryu nodded, "I can do that. Just so you know the water is cold." She let out an involuntary shiver, as she glanced through the shrubbery that happened to block the stream from clear view.
Bell sighed, "I shouldn't be surprised." With that, he made his exit.
Ryu watched him leave, "Bell…" she whispered, just saying his name without any hesitation felt… fulfilling but also embarrassing despite how many times she had said it. It was growing easier to do so, but slowly.
She could see the glint of armor sitting on his pack, the look of it caused her to blush, "Welf really had to make it those colors."
She brushed the thought away and focused on the food, she was never allowed in the kitchen at the Hostess as she was a terrible cook, but she could prevent it from burning.
She felt sorry for the rabbit they had to kill, luckily it wasn't a snow hare otherwise she really would've felt even worse as it would've reminded her of Bell too much to shoot. No, she had managed to hit the rabbit with the first arrow, but it was a gut shot. The strength of the bow hadn't killed it due to her poor aim, it was still squirming when she got to it. It bled out quickly from its struggle, the memory of Alise being impaled by the Juggernaut and still pushing through flashed in her mind. The memory nearly caused her to start crying but with a concentrated effort, she managed to prevent that.
She rotated the rabbit a couple of times over five minutes until she heard rustling coming from the shrubbery that blocked the stream. She could see hints of white hair through the leaves. After a moment Bell's head poked around from the bush, he was shivering slightly and pulled himself up to the fire "You were right that was terrible." Bell whispered in a chuckling tone.
"It was, fortunately, dinner should be done soon. That should finish warming us back up." Ryu spoke softly, doing her best to keep a cheerful attitude.
She noticed Bell was watching her, 'He probably guessed that something was off.' She thought, glancing back at him waiting to see if he would push the subject, question her, or give her some reassurances. But to her muted surprise and relief he didn't, all he did was give her a pat on the shoulder and focused on what needed to be attended to.
If Bell had pushed, she knew she would've caved under the weight, 'Bell is… more mature than his age would suggest. He knows, for the most part, when to push the path or divert and find a new trail.' She thought, with how kind and generous Bell was, she was a little surprised he could resist his nature.
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…
Ryu watched in horror, as her friends… her family was torn to pieces one by one. She could smell the thick pungent, iron smell of blood in the air. She could hear the splashes of ruby liquid flying through the air and colliding with the ground. She could see her best friend charging the monster despite every other member already having fallen all so her poor excuse of a life could be spared.
The sight of her being impaled was permanently etched into her memory, she could remember every detail. How only half of the monster's sword-like claw had passed through her, and how her ruby blood was in stark contrast to her brilliant red hair. How she coughed up a mouthful of blood, and despite everything the fierce determination never left her eyes. The will that would never shatter.
But then everything changed so sharply, as a haze of Bell overlapped and empowered Alise, followed by the memory being destroyed bit by bit as a white film filled her view. Then she blinked and she was in a white room, the tears still fresh and sharp on her cheeks. Then one wall flickered, and she could see a brilliant smile that she had grown all too accustomed to, the mop of brilliant snow-white hair.
"It's alright." The voice of her hero echoed from the wall. Then another wall lit up with a different memory of Bell. "It's alright." The voice echoed again.
Then to her surprise, she wanted to believe it to believe the voice as it spoke. "You are free." The two images echoed in unison.
The third wall flickered, she expected another image of Bell. But it wasn't, it was an image of Alise, the day they had first met. Then the last wall flickered as the final moments of Alise's life played and the soft knowing smile on her lips. The voices of Bell quieted to a murmur, and Alise whispered, "Ryu, live freely."
Ryu in the white room collapsed, tears falling from her eyes again, she could do nothing to stop them once they started. There she laid rolled into a ball, and she cried freely. Without any warning, an all-encompassing warmth wrapped around her like a blanket. Her tears slowed, as the warmth tightened its grip around her, she didn't feel any panic, it felt like a welcoming relief that soothed her weary mind.
An unknown amount of time passed for Ryu as she lay curled up, and her tears eventually stopped completely. It took several moments for her to harden her heart to look at the walls of memories. Alise was gone, the four walls were memories and impressions of Bell.
"Wha… Bell." She watched what she considered the southern wall. It was the first real encounter she had with him. At how thankful he was for getting his knife back, she could still remember the surprise she felt when he was able to grasp her hand. "At that time I didn't understand why Syr loved Bell. He seemed so unremarkable, she must have seen something in him that I didn't or couldn't."
Then the wall shifted to when she was on floor 18, she hadn't realized at that point the feelings that had begun to bubble, it wasn't love at that point. "I can still remember how brave he was when he refused to give up, ordering everyone to move out and save Mord and his lackeys if possible, despite them having just goddess-napped Lady Hestia. How after taking the massive hit as he stood with the sound of his skill echoing across the forest to deal the last blow."
Those budding feelings of interest were the only real reason she had agreed to help during the war games, "I can remember seeing the review of what happened between Bell and the Apollo Captain. That was a close one, if he had been forced into Apollo Familia, I don't know what I would've done…" She let those thoughts invade her mind, but they slowly washed away as the wall changed again.
"The monste… Xenos." She corrected, "He was trying to help them, trying to give them the opportunity to return to the dungeon without being killed. I think my feelings had started to sprout at that point, why else would I have agreed to challenge Aiz to a duel to buy time." She shook her head at the memory, "Foolish really, I didn't stand a chance even with Haruhime's magic. So short, it didn't buy any time at all."
Ryu was getting used to how this was working at this point, she knew what to expect next. "The J… Juggernaut." The sight of such a monster still terrified her, but it didn't cause her to immediately start panicking like before. She watched silently, as the memory replayed the events until it jumped to right before the last moment. It wasn't fully her memory, as she could see her sleeping body as Bell hunched over her.
She could see him turn back to her and speak softly, reassuringly, "Sleep, rest, you deserve it. I won't let you die, I have to do this. I… I love you." The last words were nothing but a whisper, but she could hear them. She watched him lean down and kiss her forehead, and stand straight.
She blushed but calmed herself. "Remember this is only a dream." She watched Bell turn and face the tunnel that led to certain death, even as he sprinted to face the monster she yelled in the dream, "Wait please, Don't Go!"
Then it jumped back to her perspective, how they had been cuddled together in order to share body heat. She could see the stream that looked so beautiful in the dim crystal glow. She could feel Bell's breath on her neck, she was embarrassed then but now remembered, and feeling it again caused her body to burn almost uncontrollably.
"You're so slender and soft… it makes me realize that you're a woman… I think I understand that feeling a person has… to protect someone special." She could remember Bell saying those soft gentle words, each breath now caused her heart rate to increase and her body burned with anticipation. She realized just how deeply she loved him.
She was about to say something to give her response, but the walls fell away and vanished leaving nothing but a dark void. The comforting warmth never left, but there was nothing. No other sensations, no memories replaying nothing. She waited, but she could feel how her mind shifted and her thoughts became clearer. "It's… time." She whispered, a hint of disappointment filling her.
…
X
Bell couldn't sleep, he was worried about Ryu. The slight expression she had when he returned from bathing bothered him. So he forced his tired mind to keep working, to keep thinking, anything that would keep his mind awake.
He had expected something to happen that night, he just didn't know how late it would be. Ryu had been asleep for three hours before she started to shift back and forth on the sleeping roll. "Alise… Bell" She quietly muttered.
Bell noticed Ryu had a slight streak of tears forming and she was starting to sweat. Without a word, Bell shifted closer and did what he knew Ryu would and had done for him. 'I… hope it will work the same for you as it does for me.' He nestled closer and wrapped her in a tight embrace.
He whispered to her, hoping it would help in her nightmare, "It's alright Ryu, listen you're free… free from the burdens of your past, you won't have to carry them alone."
He waited and embraced her significantly tighter as time passed, eventually, he could feel the stiff tension leaving her body and her breathing became easier. He let out a silent breath, and let his own body relax slightly. "Ryu… I… l…" he couldn't say it, not yet at least. So instead he gave her a soft kiss on the top of her head, and let his mind slowly fade to the void. His last thought was his surprise that the scent of pine needles still could be smelled.
X
When Ryu woke up, she felt a strange mixture of cold and warmth, the warmth came from within her heart and mind. The coldness took a second to realize the reason, she was alone underneath the blanket. She glanced around and couldn't see him, with the adrenaline that came with that realization she jumped to her feet even though the cursed blanket trapped her.
"Bell!" She called out, as her voice echoed over the relatively flat landscape. Her face and body burned remembering the dream with a strange clarity.
There was an uncomfortably long pause, she was about to start panicking when she heard a voice coming from behind the bushes that hid a portion of the stream. "Sorry, I'm in the stream." Without any thought or hesitation, she untangled herself from the blanket and moved quickly over to the bush. "Don't come over yet," Bell shouted back, but Ryu ignored it. Her mind was racing with worry and adrenaline from her dream, she just had to see him to make sure he was alive and well. Nothing else mattered at that moment.
There she saw Bell standing knee-deep in the stream, almost nothing on just his underwear, his body glistened with water, his snow-white hair weighed down by the water. She could see every detail, how his body had become toned after all the dungeon exploration, she could see the scars standing out sharply on his pale skin. She could also see the blush on his face, she froze for a moment, "So… sorry. I'll… wait back at camp." She managed but her voice cracked slightly.
She darted quickly back to the camp, which was only twenty feet away, and immediately tried to find something to distract her. She tried to restart the fire but failed. 'What am I doing? I should've known better. It's… we're even now, he has seen me naked or nearly naked multiple times.' She tried to justify her actions, as the blush she already had from her dream only amplified as the scene of her hero was burned into her mind.
She shook her head in a failed attempt to clear her thoughts, 'No, we're not even. On floor 18, he had no warning like I just had. Not to mention I had nearly sent a rock through his head.' She remembered she was surprised that she couldn't remember feeling embarrassed at that moment.
'I… I might have… fainted if he was completely naked.' She thought, and she knew it was the truth. She wasn't ready for that. Although with some trepidation she admitted to herself that liked what she saw. Her mental rambling caused her to come to a dreadful realization, "Oh gods I'm becoming like Chloe."
She heard rustling of leaves and snapping twigs, as a fully clothed Bell came out from around the bush. "What about Chloe?" He asked innocently.
'Does he not know?' Ryu thought but snapped her mind to focus. "Nothing… nothing at all."
Bell fidgeted slightly, "Listen Ryu… about what…" The words were interrupted by the sound of rushing rustling in the grass.
Both jumped into defense positions, ready for whatever might happen. It took a moment, but a snow-white rabbit darted into the camp. It seemed to be scared by the sudden pair of humanoids, and darted in another direction. After a moment, they chuckled, "I wonder if it was attracted to your hair." Ryu said between breaths, the brief chance of violence caused her adrenaline to shoot up.
"Please not you too Ryu. I already have to deal with being compared to an Almiraj." Bell complained and pouted lightly.
Ryu took a moment to look at Bell and pictured the monster standing next to him. She started chuckling again much to his dismay.
.
.
.
Two more weeks flew by for the pair, Bell had noticed that the dye in Ryu's hair was fading and her natural blonde hair color was emerging from the roots. She also hadn't trimmed it short again, though he suspected that was mostly due to them not having scissors. They stood only a handful of steps outside of the sparse forest that surrounded the mountains which was their goal. Over the two weeks, Ryu continued to heal Bell's hand. Only two days prior, he decided that it would be good enough for most actions.
Bell looked up towards the massive mountain that loomed over them, he had noticed the mountains almost a week prior. "I… wow those are massive," Bell commented.
"I agree, I had heard rumors about their size but assumed those to be false." Ryu was looking upwards as well, even with her enhanced vision from her blessing she couldn't clearly see the top of them. All she could see was a splattering of clouds hovering around the mountains.
Bell looked down towards Ryu, "Lady Astraea didn't give an exact location of this village right?" Ryu shook her head negatively, she patted her chest, there was a pocket inside her clothing that held the letter.
Retrieving the letter she glanced over it quickly, "No, just directly north of Orario." She looked at the landscape and furrowed her eyes. "Bell…"
He took a step before replying, "What's up? Want me to send a Firebolt into the air as a signal?" He said in a half-joking manner.
"No, that's a… well it's not important. The forest. It's… too quiet." Ryu listened and didn't even hear a distant bird call, not even the wind seemed to want to blow.
Bell placed his hand on his knife, "You're right. What do you want to do? There is probably some sort of apex predator on the hunt." Bell paused and took a sniff. "Do you smell that? It's… almost like a fire."
It took a few moments of Ryu sniffing and turning lightly for her to catch the scent. "I do it seems to be co…" her voice was interrupted by a colossal roar followed by the scream of a female voice.
Without thinking Ryu dashed off directly east towards the sounds, it was a voice she could vaguely recognize. Bell was not even a foot behind her. They dashed and ducked through the trees, in the distance they could now see smoke rising from a fire in the distance. They ran at top speed, what seemed like a massive distance was only about a dozen seconds away. If it was flat open ground still they would've been even quicker.
The heat was the first thing they noticed, followed by the sight of a wall made of a liquid emerald green fire standing fifteen feet high. "This… can't… be…" Ryu gasped looking for an opening in the wall. When she didn't see an option immediately she leaped high into the sky and landed on a branch twenty feet in the air and leaped over the wall of fire.
Bell wanted to ask what she meant, but Ryu was already gone leaving him on the ground, he could hear the sound of stamping feet and the voice screaming again. So he followed after Ryu moving as quickly as he could, pushing himself off through the air.
As he crossed over the wall of fire, he could see the massive two-headed monster. It looked like it could barely fit in the wooded terrain. A memory stirred in his mind, one of Eina warning him about the Amphisbaena.
But something was off, not only was it not in the dungeon despite being a floor boss, the colonization of the monster was… wrong. Instead of being blue and red, it was instead green and red. "Wait, Ryu!" He shouted, following after Ryu who had just jumped in with one of her short swords landing a deep cut on its left front leg.
X
Ryu ran, she knew that voice and she was panicking. It didn't show, but she was scared, anxious and disturbed. She noticed the color differences, but in her panic to save her goddess she ignored it. She drew one of her short swords, the ones Kaguya had left her, and slashed; she had activated her skill Mind Load and the blade had a tinge of blue encasing it. She could feel her mind trickling away as the skill burned it.
Her other skill Aero Mana was also active as she was running, the combination allowed the blade to bite into the monster's scaly hide. Green blood burst free and landed on her, it burned but the sensation passed quickly.
She couldn't speak at the moment, her focus was so intense. The single desire was to force the monster to leave her goddess alone, she let one stray thought pass through her mind. 'Bell get her out of the fire.' Then her mind snapped back to focus on the situation in front of her.
She could see her goddess standing tall and defiant, but she could see fear in the divine indigo eyes. The goddess hadn't seemed to noticed Ryu's appearance. Ryu dashed around the monster keeping her momentum, she twisted and cut the front right leg. Knowing what would happen she used her speed to avoid the splatter of burning liquid.
She heard the sound "Firebolt!" As the left head swiveled around about to snap at her leg, it jerked only an inch which was enough for Ryu to only receive a glance that drew no blood.
Still running she could see Bell, his white hair flaring. He approached her goddess and spoke to her, but in the heat of the moment, Ryu couldn't hear what was said. After a second she saw him then wrap her in his arms and jump backwards through the fire before they were lost.
'Good.' She thought, as she continued dancing between the heads barely avoiding the snapped jaws. She watched the green head jerk back and an ominous green glow formed in its throat. The red head was already whipping the red mist through the air.
She could see the first drops of liquid green fire beginning to emerge from its throat. She knew she couldn't fully avoid what was coming, so she crossed her arms and prepared for the pain. She blinked as she was still moving and the world turned white for a moment.
X
Bell ran, he knew Ryu would be too distracted protecting the figure that stood stunned. His eyes glanced over to Ryu and he could see a head closing in on her, he pointed out his hand and shouted "Firebolt!" He poured a considerable amount of mind into the spell, all it did was shift the head slightly. But it was enough and Ryu managed to avoid the majority of the strike. He got within five feet of the female figure, he could feel the divinity radiating off her. "Lady Astraea?" He called out.
This seemed to snap the goddess's mind back into action, "Yes." She spoke softly with a shaking voice.
Bell nodded, "Alright, I need to get you to safety."
Astraea looked at the violence that was taking place in front of her, the spurts of blood brought back terrible memories. "N…no Ryu…"
Bell could tell the goddess was about to go into shock, "Forgive me for this, I have to go help her." Without permission he wrapped his arms around the goddess, tight enough that she couldn't slip out. 'Not enough time.' He prepared himself and jumped through the wall of fire. He could feel his skin burning under his armor, his clothes became charred but held together.
He gasped as he landed on the other side, he shifted Astraea quickly so she would take as little harm as possible. "Lady Astraea… Please, I need you to stay here." He had jumped over thirty feet.
Astraea looked at the clear determined ruby eyes, disbelief evident, she winced as they landed. She could see motes of light forming around the human's left hand.
Bell could see a burn running down the exposed left leg, the white dress had been charred and was flaking from her knee down. "Here use this." He pulled a potion out of his leg holster. With as much determination he could muster in a voice he hoped would get through to the goddess, uncapping the potion "Drink."
Astraea hesitantly grabbed the slender glass vial and pressed it against her lips. Once Bell saw the first movements of her throat he nodded, "Good, now please stay here."
A light seemed to fill the goddess' expression, "Wait Ryu is she there?" The worry was evident in the tone of her voice.
Bell nodded, "Gale has come." The burn was already starting to fade on Astraea's leg, as the skin became a smooth pale white again. With as much force as Bell could muster, he jumped; it had only been a few seconds but that was more than enough time for his skill to be useful.
He eyed his target, the red head that had started to spew its mist. His feet landed against the high branch of a tree. He was right about to launch himself towards the red draconic head, but his back burned in his skills section.
He glanced over to the green head and saw the mouth expanding and glowing. He made his decision as time seemed to slow just slightly. Adjusting his footing, he pulled the ebony knife from its sheath and launched his body rocketing forward. The blade shone a brilliant white, and before the molten fire could leave the mouth his knife punctured into its jaw.
The short infusion from Argonaut wasn't enough to destroy the head, but it was enough to snap the head towards a different direction as the green liquid flew out of its jaw, some landing on its back but most flying across the forest like an explosion. A dozen trees ignited as the emerald-green liquid fire landed on them.
"Are you alright!?" Bell asked, seeing Ryu slowing her movement.
The red head stopped spraying mist and shot toward Bell, he was still in mid-air but was close enough for Ryu to reach out and grab his ankle. With as much force she could muster she pulled, Bell felt several hairs on his head be tugged and severed from his scalp.
"I'm fine, is Goddess safe?" Ryu danced backward and leaped to her left. As a massive clawed leg slammed downward.
Bell focused for a moment and started focusing on charging another Argonaut. "Yes, I gave her a potion and told her to stay away. Any more I cannot say."
He lunged forward and rolled underneath the monster's body, he had to guess it was a bit smaller than the normal floor boss, probably four-fifths the original size.
Only a second had passed, he stood and raised his glowing hand. The monster grew distracted by the light and started spewing red mist in his direction. He leaped to the right and was on the opposite side of the monster as Ryu.
He could hear the sound of Ryu's blades making contact, as she started to chant her magic. "In the sky of a now distant forest."
X
Ryu sighed with relief as she heard the news, "Good." She whispered, she radiated a soft blue glow as she swung and left three small gashes along its ribs. 'Weapons are too short.' She thought, wishing she had Alf's Lumina again but couldn't change. "Alright, I won't let you harm either of them." She whispered as she glanced around seeing the red mist, so she started to chant. "In the sky of a now distant forest."
She dodged a reckless swipe of its tail, which was mottled red and green as its scales blended together. Taking the opening she swung the blade in her right hand leaving a small scratch. "Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky. Give me now the divine protection of Starfire."
She could vaguely hear the sound of bells, they seemed to be far away. 'He's charging his skill again. He won't be able to attack while charging, he can only use the glowing as a distraction.' She thought, returning her focus to the monster.
She maneuvered around the monster's strikes with practiced precision, the monster was faster than the normal Amphisbaena, but it didn't seem to be as powerful in pure strength. 'I hope the difference in strength counts towards its mist as well.' She thought, with the monster dividing its attention she could avoid the clumsy bites and claw strikes.
Her chant continued, "Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you. Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveler." The red mist continued to spread, growing thicker around the monster.
It had enough of the constant small cuts and the green head pointed towards Ryu and the liquid fire emerged, jetting out with furious force. It missed Ryu, but its head rotated covering the entire area to its left filled with the emerald liquid.
Ryu was forced to dash under the base of the tail as she left a jagged cut across the back right leg. She joined Bell on the same side. She could feel the blade reverberate through her hand, she knew her alignment was off. She caught a glimpse of the blade and it broke her heart, it was damaged, but the damage was fixable. It left her with only a single blade left.
The sound of the bells was growing clearer as more time passed, "Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else. Imbue the light of Stardust and destroy the enemy." She finished her chant, she could feel her mind draining rapidly as she poured more mind into the spell.
She nodded towards Bell who held out his glowing hand, less than a minute had passed as she chanted so the accumulated power wasn't massive. Still, he shouted "Firebolt!" As a beam of glowing white light exploded from his hand, it tunneled through the mist growing dimmer and smaller as it did.
The explosion was mighty but was diluted by the mists. A foot-wide chunk was missing from the base of the green head's base. The head was still moving but barely, green liquid fell to the ground starting small fires.
Before the tunnel that Bell created in the mist closed, Ryu shouted "Luminous Wind!" Two dozen orbs of light and wind rushed down the narrow tunnel, several clipped the mist but most landed on its mark. The explosion from the wind magic helped to disperse the red mist. The portion where the green neck connected to the main body was vaporized from the impact of both spells.
The green head fell to the ground with a solid thump, the red head gave a deafening roar of pain, it launched itself towards Ryu the jaws moving closer she could dodge left or right, back wasn't an option either. So, she jumped straight up, and as the jaw snapped shut the heel of her boot got caught and was torn off. But that was fine, her other boot landed on the closed mouth, and she leaped off sending a small shockwave through the snout.
"Ryu!" A voice shouted, the sound of her goddess call snapped her attention to her goddess, she took her eyes off the enemy. She could see the worry and what looked like exhaustion on her goddess's face. She looked back to the enemy and could see the large jaw only two feet away, 'Can't dodge' There was a flash of white, then pain as one of her ribs close to her heart buckled and she was flying through the air through a patch of forest that didn't have fire.
Her head snapped towards the jaws; time froze for her. 'Bell…' was her thought as she saw her hero in the jaws of the monster. He screamed in pain, as the long teeth punctured the armor he wore and dug into his torso.
X
Bell reacted on instinct, his Savior skill had activated, and he wouldn't let Ryu get hurt. He dashed with the full speed his status and skill would allow. It was faster than the blink of an eye. He placed a hand on Ryu's chest and pushed as hard as he could muster without harming her. The force had sent her well outside of the bite, he turned his head as the skill deactivated.
He couldn't escape, so he reached for his pouch, the pain of the jaw snapped shut around him nearly causing him to black out. An involuntary scream tore from his throat, but it didn't kill him outright, he could feel his lung filling with blood, but he still acted doing everything he could.
X
"Bell!" She roared loud enough for her voice to break. She could see the hand not in its mouth reaching for the pouch at his hip and pulling out the lightning-blue blade. He stabbed it into the muzzle of the red head, and lightning erupted from the weapon, burning the hand that was holding it from the backlash, wave after wave of electricity coursed through its body.
In the second that she was flying through the air, five pulses of electricity rushed from the weapon. As Bell grew limp from a mind down, the monster disintegrated, dropping Bell ten feet to the ground with a sickening smack.
Ryu ran, pulling out both of the potions she had and chanting her magic. "The song of now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life. Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you." She chanted as she moved, she reached the unconscious body of Bell. The pool of crimson blood that flowed from his body was terrifying.
She uncapped the potions she held and poured them over his body, it was less effective than drinking them, but he couldn't… not with the damage he had taken. Even as she poured, she whispered, "Noah Heal."
"The song of now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life. Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you. Noah Heal!" She shouted, pouring more mind into it. She tore his leg pouch off and grabbed both potions that sat there, a red one and a blue one. Using both hands in rapid movement, she drank the blue and poured the red over his body again.
She began chanting again, as the blue vial refilled some of her mind. "The song of now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life. Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you. Noah Heal!" She shouted even louder.
"Bell… please Bell you promised. Why did you?" She grabbed his hand and could see the punctures closing, but slowly… too slowly. She could see his organs, several of which were punctured and torn. His left lung wasn't any better, half of it was gone.
She chanted again and again, four more times. She could feel the lethargic symptoms of a mind down, but she didn't care. She chanted again; she was sitting in the warm pool of blood that surrounded his body.
Ryu held him tightly crying, heavy tear drops splashing in the pool. Her vision was going dark, so she bit the inside of her mouth to force herself to stay conscious, as she chanted again. She leaned in and kissed him as she couldn't do anything else.
The last thing she saw as the darkness covered the world, was the bare leg of her goddess, the charred portion of her white dress that was mottled with dirt and mud. She kneeled beside the pair, adding blood to the mixture that stained her dress. "Bell… I l… love yo…u." she whispered, and the final effect of mind down took hold, and Ryu lost consciousness.
X
In Orario, the Hestia Familia sat around the dining table for one last meal before everyone besides Eina entered the dungeon for a prolonged expedition that was slated to last two weeks, everyone had smiles on their faces despite the worry all of them held. Eina had been warmly welcomed as a member of the Familia almost two weeks prior, her knowledge would be and has been useful as none of the other members had an adviser they actively visited.
Eina had just taken a bite of food, commenting on how delicious the food was when the sound of a dropped glass of wine caused everyone to look at Hestia, they could see tears forming in the goddess's eyes. She felt the connection she shared with a child severed.
There was only one option as to who it could be, she started crying, muttering Bell's name over and over again. That fact let the entire Hestia Familia know that something terrible happened. The wine that was held in the glass went everywhere as did the shards of glass. It stained the white cloth that covered the table. Almost like blood had been splattered across the table.
NOTE: Eina joining the Familia, in the original it happened much further into the story. This is close to the equivalent of chapter 7 in the original version. She didn't join until chapter 17 in the original version. So... I have reasons, and I hope you all enjoy the reasons why in the future. Either way, Have a good day! Now onto the Review Responses. -EG
Review Responses:
Blazeburn006: You already know what I have to think. Have a good day.
The Quotable Patella: I understand what you're saying, and I have plans beyond what happened in the original.
pix25: Glad to hear it!