Chapter 13: Overcoming Fear
"And… done! What do you think?" Welf asked as he stepped away from the mannequin.
"It looks good," Taylor said, looking the suit of armor up and down. Her old outfit had been damaged, and the repairs she'd been able to do to it on her own had been limited. Now, though, with somebody who knew what they were doing? It looked a lot better.
"Try it on!" Welf offered, and she took him up on that offer, stepping behind a curtain to change.
When she emerged, she was wearing a costume that was superficially similar to the one she'd had while acting as Warlord of Brockton. Dark plates of armor over a black bodysuit.
With Welf's help, Taylor had been able to restore her old suit while also improving it in places. Broken and missing armor plates were replaced with Killer Ant chitin, while the replacement fabric of the suit was woven out locally sourced spider silk. For the past week, this was what the two of them had been doing when not delving into the Dungeon.
Taylor had discovered several breeds of spider living in and around Orario that had been very interesting. One of which, the Labyrinth Weaver, had silk that was as strong as the Darwin Bark Spider's silk in terms of tensile strength, being ten times tougher than similarly sized pieces of Kevlar.
The fact this spider commonly lived in what was known as Daedalus Street, an almost slum-like region of Orario, meant Taylor had been able to acquire hundreds of them and spin huge amounts of silk in a short amount of time.
The parahuman didn't like that area all that much. Something was twisting space within it, reminding her of Vista's power to an extent. It was passive and covered the whole district, which was why it was so easy to get lost within it. The 'street' was significantly larger on the inside than it seemed from the outside.
But the curious spatial disruption going on had caused the creatures within to mutate and evolve slightly. Hence the unique qualities of the local spiders who made tesseract-like webs to catch teleporting flies and matter-phasing roaches. Though their curious abilities seemed to weaken or disappear once outside of Daedalus Street, for whatever reason.
"Thank you, this is wonderful," Taylor said with a smile.
"Thanks for letting me keep the broken pieces of your armor," Welf said, looking at the pile of shattered ceramic shards that hadn't been able to be reused or recovered. "I can't wait to try and figure out how to replicate them! It's a novel composite alloy that has a lot of applications for more than just defense if I can work out a way to make more!"
"I wish you good luck in that," Taylor said, completely honest. She had no idea how well the advanced Tinker tech alloy would stand up to Adamantite, but it was still tougher and lighter than the steel and leather most adventurers wore. It was on par with the Killer Ants' chitin, if a touch less flexible and heavier.
"You gonna give a stress test?" Welf wondered.
"Yes. I'm going to join Bell and Lili in the Dungeon later today, so it will be a nice test run," Taylor said.
"Oh? Mind if I join you?" Welf asked.
"Sure, knock yourself out," Taylor replied with a shrug. "Anything in particular you're looking for?"
"I want War Shadow Magic Stones to go with War Shadow Finger Blades," Welf said. "Their fingers can be rendered down for Adamantite, one of the few Drop Items in the Upper Floors that provides more than a few grams at a time. Or they can be made into knives that are wickedly sharp. Gonna use 'em to make Bell's throwing knives. As for their stones, if you mix a couple in with the coals and Carbon Grass it makes the blades you forge sharper."
"The type of Magic Stone can influence things that much?" the parahuman asked, intrigued.
"Oh, yeah," Welf nodded. "Goblin stones make materials softer, so they're easier to shape and forge small, delicate things like jewelry. And an Orc's stone helps make materials more durable. You don't see many high-class smiths or craftsmen using Magic Stones like that, though, because a proper Blacksmith ability can just make a sword or armor stronger through enchanting. But for Level 1's like myself, or even non-Falna equipped craftsmen, it's a neat little trick. Doesn't see much improvement, only around a ten percent increase, but it's supposed to really help prepare for when you do get the Development Ability."
"Interesting," Taylor hummed, impressed. "Is there anything else the Magic Stones can be used for besides powering appliances?"
"I've heard you can use them to boost the potency of spells or use magic without a Falna," Welf said after a moment as he took his apron off and replaced it with his combat outfit. "But I don't really know anything about that. The Hephaestus Familia doesn't work with magic beyond enchantments, really. If you want to know more, the Dian Cecht Familia is one of the largest producers of magic tools after the Ptah Familia. I bet they'd know."
"They might, but would they offer what they know freely? Or for a not ruinous price?" Taylor asked and Welf chuckled weakly at that.
Dian Cecht was a greedy man, who fiercely guarded his secrets as well as the spheres of influence he deemed to be his own. An outsider would never have a chance to learn anything, and even his own Familia was strictly divided. Someone who worked with magic tools had little to no contact with somebody in the same Familia who made potions, for instance.
Taylor had never met him, but she had a low opinion of the 'god' already thanks to Naaza, as well as what she'd overheard from others, both within and without the Familia. Bugs were quite good at eavesdropping, after all.
"So, how's Bell been doing?" Welf wondered, glancing at Taylor as they walked to the Dungeon, Chris trailing behind obediently like always.
"He's well. He's been putting up with his training quite admirably," Taylor praised.
"I'll bet. You know, he's got most of the male adventurers – and quite a few ladies too – frothing at the mouth," Welf snorted. "How he managed to catch the eye of the Sword Princess, I'll never know."
Taylor nodded in agreement. She had not expected much to come from Bell's little late-night excursion, but somehow, he'd impressed one of the most powerful adventurers in the city and been offered exclusive training by her. It was incredible, and a major boon for the white-haired adventurer.
Bell had been training with Ais Wallenstein for a week now, and it had done the boy good. His movements were sharper, and he was learning how to take a hit and roll with the punches. Literally.
Ais was able to hold back, but she was still a Level 5 – though she'd heard it was now 6 – adventurer, and his Endurance stat had risen ridiculously fast. It was already in the S rank after a single week!
"What do you think of her?" Welf asked.
"Ais?" Taylor asked for confirmation. When Welf nodded, she hummed.
"She is definitely strong, but can be hard to talk to," the parahuman admitted.
"Pot meet kettle," Welf muttered under his breath. Taylor ignored him and continued.
"Although her incessant hatred for monsters is… annoying," she added. That was a bit of an understatement. Ais Wallenstein loathed the Dungeon and its denizens. Behind that placid, blank face was a seething well of hatred.
As a result, Taylor couldn't bring Chris or Anne around to watch the training. Ais had nearly decapitated the Crystal Mantis when she'd gone to inspect the duo's training the first time, and only shoving a swarm of bugs into the blonde's face had been able to deter her long enough for her to order Chris to retreat back to the Church.
If there was one upside to the encounter, it was discovering that yes, even a high-class elite adventurer could be stopped if you choked their eyes, ears, and nose with insects. Much like with Alexandria, super-human durability, strength, and speed meant nothing if you couldn't breathe.
'Thankfully, once Chris was no longer in sight, she calmed down,' Taylor mused.
"I've heard a couple people gossiping about how the Sword Princess has never done something like this before. Do you think she's fallen for our little rabbit boy?" Welf asked in a teasing tone, waggling his eyebrows.
Taylor shrugged. She had no idea. She'd only met the Sword Princess that one time, when Bell had started training with her and she'd gone to check on him. Compared to Glory Girl, the other blonde and superstrong girl Taylor knew, there was something cold and off about Ais. Glory Girl had exuded an aura of joy and liveliness that Ais lacked. The Sword Princess was certainly beautiful, even Taylor could admit that, but she was too emotionless. She was beautiful like a doll, not a person.
"What about you?" Welf asked. "Anybody you fancy?"
"Once," Taylor said, her mind flashing to Brian. Had he survived Golden Morning? She desperately hoped so.
Seeing the pain that flashed through her eyes, Welf stayed quiet.
"So, tell me the truth," Welf eventually asked, looking over at her curiously. "Are you a princess?"
"What?" Taylor asked, stumbling a bit at the query. She looked over at him in disbelief. "Where did you come up with that idea?"
"Well, you know things that a regular citizen wouldn't," Welf said, listing off his reason. "Most people can read and write and do a little math, but you're a lot more well-read than the basics. You know a lot about weapons and combat, too, which isn't something the average novice adventurer knows about, unless they had military training beforehand. I'd almost assume you were from Rakia but you're clearly not, otherwise… well, you'd act differently, is all I'm saying."
Welf then rubbed his chin as he continued. "You know a lot about administration and handling paperwork and the Guild, to boot. And there's a lot of different things that just don't add up. Unless, of course, you had the sort of upbringing that allowed for that kind of broader knowledge to be learned. Which in my experience is something only nobles can afford. So. Are you a noble?"
"I'm a not a noble," Taylor said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not a princess, either. I have no royal blood or anything."
"Then how'd you get so smart?" Welf asked.
Taylor snorted at that. She didn't think she was that smart. If she was, some of the problems that she'd had to face could have been resolved differently.
"My mother was a professor at a college… a place of learning. My father was the head of hiring at the Dock Worker's Association. I was no better educated than any other girl who lived where I came from. In fact, some might even say my standards of education were considerably lesser compared to some other places I could have gone."
Winslow had been the bottom of the barrel when it came to high school education in Brockton Bay, and a hell on Earth for the people forced to attend it. Taylor silently hoped it'd gotten wiped off the face of the Earth when Scion had thrown his little tantrum. Nobody would miss it.
"Ah, so your family was connected to a merchant's union. That explains it," Welf hummed to himself. "Yeah, now things are starting to line up."
"I wasn't anything special where I came from," she replied.
"Riiight," Welf drawled, clearly not believing her.
"What's it like being part of the Hephaestus Familia?" Taylor asked, unsubtly switching topics. Welf laughed, but played along.
"It's nice enough," Welf said. "There's over two hundred of us with Falna in the Familia, so we can't all get our stats updated whenever we want. Everyone has to make an appointment, and the waiting list can be kinda long, like a month or more. We can jump ahead if we do or make something really spectacular but that's not exactly common."
"Makes sense," Taylor said slowly. She appreciated having a smaller Familia, and couldn't imagine Hestia trying to manage two dozen adventurers, let alone two hundred!
"Yeah, I'm a little envious of you and Bell," Welf admitted. "Must be nice, not having to jockey for a spot in your Familia. As for Hephaestus, there's around fifty Level 2 Blacksmiths, twenty Level 3's, eight Level 4s, and our captain, Tsubaki, is Level 5."
"That's quite impressive," Taylor hummed. "Is she the highest ranked Blacksmith in Orario?"
"She's the highest level Blacksmith in the world," Welf said proudly. "Nobody else compares!"
He then paused. "Well, Hephaestus might be better, but that's an unfair comparison."
"You have a lot of respect for your captain," Taylor noted.
"Yeah, she really helped me when I came to Orario," Welf said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I also really respect Hephaestus as well. Someday I hope to be half as good as either of them."
"That's what our contract is for," Taylor assured him. "We'll make you great, or die trying."
"Hah! Don't go jinxing us, now!" Welf laughed. "But yeah, someday, I'll be great! I'm sure Hephaestus will be looking forwards to that day as well. She's always seen potential in me, and I'll live up to that belief."
"'She?' Wait, are you saying Hephaestus is a woman?" Taylor asked incredulously, cottoning onto that.
"Huh? Yeah, of course she is," Welf said, looking at her with a confused look. "Hephaestus, Goddess of the Forge. Would have thought you'd know that."
'Well, that's just another point towards these 'gods' being Trumps who took on godly titles for their cape names,' Taylor thought to herself with a shake of her head.
Further conversation came to an end as they reached the Dungeon. Stepping into its long, darkened tunnels, Taylor frowned. However, something felt off. The atmosphere was tense.
Welf didn't seem to notice anything amiss. Nor did the other adventurers as they went about their day. But she could feel it, and it worried her.
'It feels as if something is pressing down… no, that's not it. It's like… somebody leaning in closer to get a better view of something,' Taylor thought to herself. That was the closest sensation she could liken it too. She was not the target, either, that much she was sure of. But beyond that, she wasn't sure of anything else.
Immediately, she began to move quickly through the Dungeon, heading towards the closest stairs. She wanted to descend and find the source of the odd sensation. Welf kept pace with her, confusion on his face at the sudden burst of speed.
"Something wrong?" he asked her.
"Maybe," she hedged. Welf grimaced at that response.
"Damn it," he sighed. "Alright, lead the way, Bug Girl."
Down they went, storming through the Upper Floors until they reached the Ninth Floor.
Here, on the Ninth Floor, was the source of the odd feeling. The reason it felt like a group of people were crowding around and trying to get closer in order to find a better view of something interesting.
Taylor soon found out way as the bugs she'd sent ahead found out what was going on.
The Dungeon was practically shivering in anticipation as Bell fought a Minotaur, a Level 2 monster. This wasn't just any Minotaur, either. The scars on its body, the blackening fur, the sword it wielded… this was a monster that had somehow survived being hunted down and exterminated by adventurers and learned how to fight, then made its way up to where the prey was weaker. It was a terrifying bit of proof that a monster, if allowed to live long enough, would develop more than just base instincts.
"Miss Taylor!" Lili exclaimed, the supporter spotting Taylor and Welf approaching the scene from a different tunnel. This caused the group she was with to turn towards them with surprise.
"What's going on?!" Taylor demanded, keeping an eye on the scene with her swarm. The adventurers from Loki Familia were watching with Lili off to the side, not moving to help.
The member of the Hestia Familia was confused as to why the top ranked members of the Loki Familia were watching a Level 1 without stepping in to help, but perhaps this was Ais' demented idea of a test?
"B-Bell and Lili were hunting Killer Ants earlier, when that Minotaur appeared!" Lili said, rushing over to Taylor's side. "Bell told Lili to run, that he would hold it off. Lili didn't want to, but he created a Lightning Clone that dragged me away!"
"I see," Taylor said slowly. Her Familia member's heroic nature struck again, huh? She glanced at the Loki Familia, who were observing her curiously. "And them?"
"Lili ran into the Loki Familia who were descending into the lower levels, and begged them to help! But, but Bell said he didn't want any help! That he could do it on his own!"
"That idiot," Taylor muttered, but she couldn't keep a note of fondness out of her voice. She'd heard about how a Minotaur had nearly killed him before she'd appeared in the Dungeon. That was how he'd gotten acquainted with Ais Wallenstein in the first place.
To overcome what must have been bowel-clenching terror for the sake of proving himself was worthy of admiration, and Taylor would support his decision. That didn't mean she wouldn't scold him afterwards. He could have just used the Lightning Clones as a distraction and run away with Lili, and not stayed behind to fight.
"Are we not going to back him up?" Welf asked in a low voice, and Taylor shook her head.
"If this is what he wants, then we will watch, and only step in if it seems he cannot surmount this obstacle," the parahuman declared.
"See, that vocabulary right there is why people think you're a missing princess or something," Welf snorted.
"Shush," she huffed, keeping her eyes and those of her swarm focused on Bell.
Taylor had no idea how long Bell had been fighting, but he looked exhausted and battered. His armor was ruined, with several large gouges tearing apart his chest plate while his green vambrace had been shattered. One arm was hanging limb and there were a lot of cuts and scratches on his legs. A cut above his left eye was preventing Bell from keeping his eye fully open, and there was far too much blood.
Yet he refused to fall. Bell had not given up, and he clutched the Hestia Knife tightly in his good hand while a pair of Lightning Clones harassed the Minotaur, eyes firmly locked onto the monster, memorizing every move it made.
One of the clones charged forward, punching the Minotaur's stomach. A sizzle could be heard as the dense fur burnt a little at the tough, but a backhand sent the clone tumbling. The second clone moved in low, and jumped up to deliver a spin kick to the Minotaur's neck.
The blow did little, but it successfully distracted the Minotaur, drawing its gaze away from Bell, who darted in and scored a blow against the Minotaur's left wrist which was holding the Landform Weapon. Hot, red blood spurted, and its arm slumped a bit.
"GROOOAR!" bellowed the Minotaur, snarling and spinning around, trying to go after the adventurer who'd wounded it, but a clone leapt into the way, barring its path.
Angrily, the Minotaur swung at it. The crude sword cleaved through the clone, yet it did not falter. Interestingly, instead of exploding outwards, the Lightning Clone seemed to implode, the enormous discharge of energy concentrated inwards onto the blade. This caused the Landform Weapon to shatter, unable to handle the currents running through it.
The condensed burst of lightning also served to blind and violently char the hands of the Minotaur, smoke and the stench of burnt meat filling the Dungeon as the monster mooed loudly in pain.
Taylor narrowed her eyes, able to see flashes of ivory bone peeking through the black, charred flesh on what was left of the Minotaur's hands.
However, even with its primary method of attack removed, it was still a huge, lumbering beast with incredible strength and durability. And no matter how sharp, a tiny knife wouldn't be able to slay a Minotaur without a well-placed blow to a vital area.
Bell didn't appear too worried, as he was already on the move, lashing out and carving bloody gouges through the monster's legs, causing it to wobble unsteadily.
'Not to mention, a Minotaur's legs are structurally weaker compared to a human. Bovine limbs aren't designed for bipedal movement,' Taylor mused to herself, having noticed how awkwardly the Minotaur had been walking even before Bell had focused his attacks there.
It was soon too much for even it to handle, and the Minotaur sank to its knees as the strength in its lower limbs gave out. Blood loss and repeated damage to the legs had forced it to kneel, something that caused the 'presence' Taylor was detecting to vastly increase in intensity.
Even on its knees, the Minotaur didn't stop fighting. It tried to punched and thrash around, mooing wildly. The Lightning Clone took a couple hits, as did Bell, but none of them were strong enough to hurt them that much.
Then, the Minotaur lowered his head, trying to gore Bell with its deadly horns, but the last Lightning Clone leapt into the way, tanking the hit. The clone then grabbed the horns with both hands, keeping them lodged inside of it. This pinned the Minotaur in place and let Bell plunge his own weapon through the clone's chest and up into the Minotaur's mouth now that it was closer to the ground.
As it passed through, lightning wrapped around the Hestia Knife, causing the runes to light up with a fiery crimson glow. With a roar, Bell drove his lightning wreathed blade deep into the Minotaur's gaping maw and up into its skull, piercing it and causing power to flood its insides.
The monster let out a bovine groan before toppling backwards, steam gushing out of its mouth. Before it hit the ground it exploded into black ash, leaving behind a Magic Stone and a single horn.
Like a bubble popping, the tension and pressure that had previously filled the Dungeon vanished. Yet even though it was gone, it had left something else behind. A sense of fulfillment and achievement. Power and victory and the taste of a legend being born.
'Level Up,' Taylor realized, staring at Bell from behind her mask, eyes wide. The buzzing hum around the white-haired adventurer had increased a little as well, the sound of chiming bells louder than before.
From the way the elf and pallum in Ais' party were eyeing Bell, they too suspected the same as she. Taylor wasn't certain they'd felt the same things she had, but duo were certainly aware somethinghad happened. They were too experienced for it to be anything but.
"Bell!" Lili called out, and both she and Welf ran over to Bell's side as he suddenly wobbled and then fell to his knees, utterly exhausted.
They weren't the only ones to rush to his side. Ais had also blurred into motion, reaching Bell before anyone else. Much to the loud and vocal protestations of a werewolf. Bete, Taylor believed he was called.
'A Level 5… and someone who Sophia would have liked,' Taylor thought to herself as she regarded Bete with narrowed eyes. And that was not a compliment. But that was something for another day. Right now, her Familia member needed congratulations.
"Well done, Bell," Taylor said, walking over to her party. She made sure to leave Chris and the rest of her monstrous swarm behind. Best not to tempt anyone coughAis! coughinto accidentally attacking them.
"Heh, thanks," Bell replied, raising a shaky thumbs up her way.
"Don't think I won't be scolding you about what you did wrong," Taylor warned him, and he wilted under her tone. "I saw several times you could have done something different. To say nothing of leaving clones behind to distract the Minotaur so you and Lili could flee."
Bell continued to shrink down under the barrage of words.
"Still, you survived and overcame your fears. That's worthy of celebration," Taylor continued, and he lit up at the praise. "Rest. We'll return to the surface when you're feeling better."
"Here! Drink this!" Lili urged, handing over a potion bottle. He drank the liquid, wincing as Lili also splashed some healing potions onto his wounds.
"Good job," Ais said, patting Bell's head. He giggled and blushed at the contact, which only made Bete howl louder.
"Lucky dog," Welf muttered in a low voice.
"Lucky rabbit," Lili snickered, and that caused the blacksmith to snort in amusement as well.
Taylor rolled her eyes at that, but couldn't deny that it fit. She then walked over to the Loki Familia.
"Thank you for keeping an eye on my reckless little Familia member," Taylor said, bowing her head towards Finn, Riveria, and Gareth, the three most powerful people in the Dungeon right now.
Gareth Landrock was a dwarf, squat and strong, and his aura sounded like the grinding of metal on stone. Riveria Ljos Alf, being an elf, had a haughty and beautiful appearance, and her aura sounded like the crackle of flames, the rumble of thunder, and the breaking of ice. Last but not least was the leader of the Loki Familia, Finn Deimne. The hum of his aura was the most curious. The swish of a spear and the clack of moving game pieces across a board.
Two Level 6s and a Level 7, Finn having Leveled up during some sort of disaster during their last expedition, making him the newest contender for the throne of 'World's Strongest Adventurer.'
It was almost overwhelming to be so close to them with her enhanced senses, but Taylor endured and took off her mask. It was only polite to show your face when you were thanking somebody.
"It was no problem," Finn said with a smile. "In fact, it was quite interesting."
"Aye! Not often you get to see the birth of a new legend!" Gareth laughed boisterously. Riveria just hummed.
"His clones were interesting," she said simply, her attention on Ais instead of Taylor.
"I understand you are down here to try and recoup some of the losses you gained while traveling to the lower floors recently," Taylor said.
"It's unfortunate, but delving deep can be quite costly," Finn said with a nod.
"It's not much, but as thanks for your assistance today, I can help you out a bit," Taylor said. "Killer Ant Magic Stones and Drops aren't worth a lot, but I'm sure you can make use of them all the same."
The offer caused the veteran adventurers to perk up. Gareth looked eager, while Finn merely raised an eyebrow. Riveria even glanced towards the parahuman in surprise.
"Is that so?" Finn inquired.
"Yes. All the drops are yours, until Bell is able to walk on his own again," Taylor said. Knowing how fast the potions worked and how stubborn the boy was, he'd be up in just a few minutes. The only thing that would keep him in place was Ais, and the three of them knew it.
Finn nodded sharply at Riveria, who nodded back in understanding before striding over to Ais. The elf whispered something into the blonde's ear, and Ais blinked slowly before sitting down and giving a very surprised Bell a lap pillow, something that had everyone gawking. Ais had just bought them a few more minutes of free looting thanks to Bell being pinned in place.
Finn and Gareth didn't wait another second, and immediately ordered their weaker Familia members to get to work.
Taylor herded the docile Killer Ants towards the adventurers, and turned them against each other. The Loki Familia tore into the monsters as well, spilling blood and ash everywhere to the point the latter started getting quick think on the ground.
A few hundred valis per stone and piece of carapace was pocket change for a Familia who could reach the Fiftieth Floor, but considering how poorly their last expedition had gone, every little bit helped.
Indeed, the Loki Familia's near perpetual poverty was a common joke among the adventurers in the city. Taylor overheard a lot thanks to her swarm, and their penny-pinching and constant lack of money was a topic gossip-mongers loved to discuss.
"Man, this is easy!" an amazon commented as she smashed in another Killer Ant's head. Her fists were painted black and purple with monster guts, but she had a wide grin on her face. This was the elder amazon twin and one of the Loki Familia's Level 5 executives, Tione Hiryute. She was a berserker and a brawler, and she was clearly having fun.
"What are your exterminator rates?" Tiona, the younger amazon twin, asked Taylor.
"I have a flat rate of five hundred valis per hundred square feet of building," Taylor replied flatly. It was even true! She'd helped several businesses in the market district with their bug problems, and a couple landlords had paid her to clear out their buildings.
Taylor kept the price relatively high because she didn't exactly want to be bothered constantly for her ability to control insects, even if it wasn't hard and didn't take very long.
"I don't think we need to hire an exterminator, Tiona," Finn chided.
"But captain, I saw a cockroach in my room last week!" Tiona complained.
"We'll get some glue traps," the pallum told her. Tiona whined a bit more, but didn't manage to make Finn budge on the matter.
The parahuman understood why Finn would turn down such an offer. Letting an outsider into your base of operations was something no commander would allow easily, and the captain of the Loki Familia seemed to be aware of how simple it would be for Taylor to use her swarm to get an accurate image of the interior of the Twilight Manor. Letting a rival Familia get a glimpse of your home would be foolish and dangerous.
'Even if our Familia's aren't enemies, it's best to keep our distance,' Taylor thought to herself, nodding her head at Finn, conceding to him that she knew about his worries, and would respect that by staying away.
The pallum's shoulder's sank a bit, some tension seeping out of his stance, and Finn returned to coordinating the collection of Magic Stones that Taylor was graciously granting them.
Fifteen minutes later, Bell's wounds had healed up nicely, to the point he could move about under his own power.
Ais clearly didn't want to let him out of her lap, if the tiny pout on her lips was any clue, but Bell's face was almost pure red from embarrassment and it was honestly adorable how he scrambled up and tried to act like nothing had happened.
"Miss Taylor! Are we ready to go back up?" he asked loudly, and the parahuman chuckled.
"We're ready to leave when you are, Bell," Taylor assured him, and he nervously fidgeted a bit, shooting sideways glances at Ais as he did so, before finally nodding.
"Y-yeah, I think I'm ready!" Bell claimed.
"Alright then," Taylor nodded. She looked over at Finn. "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Captain Finn. But we really must be going now."
"Of course," the pallum said with a smile. "Have a safe trip to the surface!"
"Awww, can't they stay with us?" Tiona whined. "I bet Bug Lady could really help us with the lower levels! Can you imagine what she'd be able to do with a Mad Beetle, Deadly Hornet, or Gun Libellula?"
Taylor made a mental note to look into the insectoid monsters down below. She'd only looked into the ones that appeared above the 18th Floor for now, since she wouldn't be able to descend any further for a while.
"They have their own business to take care of," Finn said, putting his foot down, and while there were a few grumbles from a handful of lower leveled Loki Familia members they let the Hestia Familia party leave without incident.
Sure, Bete and a couple others glared holes in the back of Bell's head, including a brown-haired elf who'd been giving Bell jealous looks when he'd been lying in Ais' lap, but they didn't make any moves.
'I wonder how Hestia will take this?' Taylor wondered to herself. The tiny twin-tailed girl would probably scold and congratulate Bell in equal measure. But what else was new?