Chapter 3 New Family
Disclaimer: I do not own God Eater or Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darouka / Danmachi
Note: I had a different idea for this chapter, but due to a comment I received, I decided to redo it and rewrite this chapter. Chapter 2 will also be rewritten, changing a few things about the conversation between Bell Pennywort and Hestia about joining her family, I did this to make it better written. And yes, there will be two Bells. Bell Cranel and Bell Pennywoet. Which will be called (Bell C = Bell Cranel) (Bell P = Bell Penywort)
[Orario]
(Hours before)
From the top of the Tower of Babel, a female figure wearing extremely sexy clothes was observing the life of a certain adventurer as he walked through the streets of the city.
"Oh, Bell... My dear Bell!" A silver-haired woman sipping a glass of wine spoke as she watched the boy with her magic mirror. Freya, the goddess of beauty and love, was observing, or rather snooping into Bell Cranel's life. "You felt so helpless that you went into the dungeon alone. Oh, Bell, I beg you not to do that kind of nonsense any more... Not until the time is right." Freya looks at Bell with a penetrating gaze, but she spots something strange.
Bell is about to fall to the ground, but he is caught by a person unknown to Freya. The Goddess looks at the scene and becomes slightly curious.
"Uh, it's not common for adventurers to help each other." Freya narrows her eyes, trying to get a better look at the face of the person who picked Bell up, but she is completely shocked to see the person's face. "He... He's just like Bell... But..." Freya frowns as she sees the boy's soul.
The Goddess observes the soul of the person who caught Bell, noticing that his soul is white, but with parts highlighted in very dark black and blood red. She worries a little when she sees the person carrying Bell across the rooftops.
"Is he some kind of thief or illusionist?" Freya puts her hand to her chin thoughtfully. "And those weapons of his... I've never seen weapons of that size before. He must be very strong to be able to carry them so easily..." Freya settles into her throne and takes a sip of her wine. "Well, let's wait and see how this plays out."
Freya spends some more time observing Bell and his double, watching him take Bell back to Hestia, Freya notices the surprise and shock on her face. After a few minutes observing the conversation, Freya deduces that he must be telling a very complex story, from Hestia's reaction. Freya sees Hestia walking around the room with her hand on her head.
"He must have said some very complicated things for her to take in..." Freya sees Hestia touch Bell's double's gun, and the gun reacts by creating a thorn that attacks Hestia. "What?!" Freya jumps up from her throne, in total shock she sees the thorn being sucked back into the handle of the sword. "What... What was that?..." Freya's shock gradually wears off, and an excited smile takes over her face. "É... Dear double, you've piqued my interest..." Freya sits back in her chair before an amused smile takes over her face.
(Moments before Bell Cranel wakes up.)
"Look, I know this might sound like a good plan. But I refuse to lie to my Bell like that!" Hestia says as she puts her fists on her waist.
"Okay, so, have you thought of anything better?" Bell P says sounding a little tired. "Well, what can we do? He wakes up and then we say-" Bell P interprets. "Hello, Bell! I'm you, but from another universe. A universe in which the world is in a constant apocalypse." Bell P finishes the interpretation. "Is that what you want me to say?"
"Of course not!" Hestia sighs, looking exhausted. "If you talk like that, his head will probably fry in a few moments." Hestia puts a hand to her forehead trying to think of something.
"Well..." Bell P thinks for a few seconds. "I can't really think of anything, apart from that story I made up, I don't know what to think about."
"AH!" Hestia snaps her fingers with an idea. "We could say you're a look-alike!" Hestia points at Bell P, who just blinks in confusion.
"Look-alike?"
"Yes, look-alike!" Hestia says proudly. "A look-alike is nothing more than an individual who looks very much like someone else and could even be mistaken for them."
"I know what a look-alike is, Goddess Hestia." Bell P says to the Goddess. "But won't the Gods find out if I say that?"
"Well..." Hestia realizes the inconsistency in her plan. "Yeah, you're right..." Hestia sits down on the sofa while holding her forehead, already exhausted. "What do we do?"
"Let's tell the truth." Bell P indicates as she watches Bell C sleep.
"What? Are you going crazy?" Hestia rises in alarm. "You want his head to explode with this information?!"
"Look, omitting the truth might even be a good idea for a while..." Bell P sighs. "But if he finds out the truth some other way, he won't trust you anymore." Bell P says, looking at the Goddess's face.
"But... What will you say when a god asks about you?" Hestia asks, still worried.
"Maybe..." Bell P looks thoughtful, with his hand on his chin he thinks for a few moments. "Maybe... If we say we're from the same family, it'll work."
"What do you mean? What do you mean?" Hestia asks in surprise.
"Look..." Bell P sighs. "If someone asks that question and we answer that we're from the same family, it won't be a total lie. Since I'm going to become one of your children, right?"
"É..." Hestia lowers her head thoughtfully. "Yeah, maybe it'll work out." Hestia ponders the options, but doesn't seem to have many viable alternatives. She hears a noise in the bed and sees Bell C stirring. "Bell, hurry up the stairs!"
"What, why?" Bell P asks confused.
"Quick! I don't want him to see you and have an existential crisis!" Hestia says as she shrugs Bell P towards the stairs. "And don't come down until I call you!"
"Right..." Bell P reaches the staircase and climbs up it. "Ouch, ouch! Is this my new life? I don't know if it's luck, fate or coincidence."
(Currently after explanations.)
"Ahmmm... That's a lot to process..." Bell C groans as she feels her head hurt and spin.
"Look, I know it's a lot to take in, but yes, I am you from another universe." Bell P speaks to Bell C, and of course, he omitted some parts of the explanation, like the part about infinite universes, leaving only his universe and Bell Cranel's universe.
"Bell, I know that all this may seem very extraordinary and unbelievable, but it's all true." Hestia says, holding her son so he doesn't faint.
"Ahhh... My head..." Bell C holds his head, already looking much dizzier.
"Look, man." Bell P says, drawing the attention of his other self. "I don't know how I got here either, and I don't know if there's any way back..." Bell P frowns a little. "And I don't know if it's possible to go back."
Hestia looks at the two boys and quickly changes the subject.
"Changing the subject... Bell!" Hestia approaches the boy. Putting her face close to his, she looks at him with an annoyed look. "Bell, you shouldn't have gone into the dungeon alone, and at such a late hour!" Hestia frowns angrily.
"Eh, Goddess! I'm sorry!" Bell C turns away embarrassed by the distance and afraid of Hestia's expression. "I... I really wanted to get strong and I didn't think much of it at the time."
"THAT'S NO EXCUSE!" Hestia shouts angrily. She jumps up and stands on the bed, looking Bell up and down she lets out a snort. "I don't want you risking yourself like that anymore, do you understand?"
"But, but Goddess! I really want to get strong and I only did it for-" Bell C tries to explain, but Hestia speaks angrily.
"Do you understand?" Hestia looks at Bell with a frank and firm gaze. Bell C swallows dryly, barely managing to say a word.
"Yes... I understand..." Bell C looks away, not having the courage to challenge her Goddess.
"Good!" Hestia's expression changes from annoyed to cute in a few moments. She gets off the bed and relaxes her body. "Now let's get down to business. Bell Pennywort!" Hestia points to Bell P and the boy looks at her. "Take off your shirt."
"What?" Bell P blinks his eyes in shock at the Goddess's request.
"Oh, well, it's just..." Hestia is embarrassed by the way she spoke. "Hunruf!" Hestia clears her throat and resumes her posture. "For me to give you my blessing and make you part of our family, I need to put a drop of my blood on your back."
"Oh yes!" Bell P understood the Goddess' explanation. "I think I saw something like that in the library. Well, okay then." Bell P unbuttons his collar, taking off his cape and setting it aside. He takes off his breastplate, which was attached by magnetism, and puts it aside too.
Bell C and Hestia are surprised to see Bell P's clothes and his slightly defined body. Bell feels a little jealous seeing the physical state of his other self, Hestia bites her lip in frustration that her Bell isn't like that.
"Hey, B-Bell." Bell C says looking at the boy. "Where did you get these clothes?" Bell C looks at Bell P's clothes with curiosity.
"Oh, this?" Bell P looks at his clothes. "They're made of a special fabric, and are able to stretch to adapt to the wearer." Bell P explains to the boy in front of him.
"Adapt?" Hestia raises an eyebrow in confusion.
"Yes, I've had them since I was five years old." Bell P explains. Taking off his shirt, he leaves it hanging on his God Arc. "What now?"
"Well... *Cough." Hestia clears her throat. "Now, lie down on the bed and I'll do the rest." Hestia says to the boy, but in her mind she shouts. "That's a very strange sentence to say out loud."
Bell P, in a few moments, lies face down on the bed. Hestia picks up a knife and climbs on top of Bell P, she makes a hole in his finger and spills a drop of blood on the boy's back. A strong light emerges from Bell P's back, Bell C covers his eyes to avoid the light, while Hestia is surprised, impressed and confused. After a few minutes, she places a sheet of paper on Bell P's back, runs her finger across it and a magic circle appears on the sheet. With the words and numbers being formed on the sheet, she gets off Bell P and sits down on the bed. Bell Pennywort now has a fireplace tattoo on his back, showing that he is part of the Hestia Family.
"Ready!" Hestia says, relaxing a little.
"So he's officially part of our family?" Bell C asks in surprise.
"Yes. He's officially part of the Hestia Family now." Hestia stretches and hands the sheet of paper to Bell P. "Here, Bell." Hestia frowns, still finding it very strange to call the boy Bell. "Check your status."
Bell Pennywort
Level 1
Strength: I0
Endurance: I0
Dexterity: I0
Agility: I0
Magic: I0
Abilities
Devourer: The user can make their God Arc activate, the Aragami activates and leaves the God Arc. It can devour any living being that the user wishes it to.
Mode Change: The user's God Arc can modify itself to change between four different modes. Double Blade, Staff, Shield and Pistol.
Gunsmith: The user is able to create different bullets to be used with the God Arc, but it is necessary to have the right items and know how the bullet should work in order to create it.
Magic
Burst: When devouring a living being, the user can activate Burst Mode. By activating Burst Mode, the user gains an extreme increase in their physical attributes. Burst Mode has a total of three levels, but it shouldn't be used all the time, or the user could lose control.
"Wow, you already have three skills and a spell!" Bell C says surprised and impressed.
"Is it really that impressive? And why is everything at zero? I'm sure I'm pretty strong." Bell P looks curiously at the paper.
"Well, that answers your first question." Hestia gets up from the bed. "Most people who receive a blessing start out without any skills or magic. And about your second question, everyone starts with their status at zero."
"I see..." Bell P ponders.
"There are a few things I don't understand." Bell C looks at the paper in Bell P's hands. "What's this God Arc?"
"Oh, that..." Bell P hands the paper to Bell and gets up. He walks over to his God Arc and takes them in his hands. "These are my God Arc."
"WOoww!" Bell C says impressed as Bell P lifts the two swords with great ease. "What cool swords!" Bell C approaches Bell P and faces the God Arc.
"She's really cool. But don't touch her." Bell P indicates to Bell C
"Why shouldn't I touch it?" Bell C asks curiously.
"Believe me, Bell." Hestia approaches Bell C and puts a hand on his shoulder. "You don't want to know why." Hestia squeezes his bandaged hand.
"Oh, yeah?" Bell C looks at Hestia in confusion, but he decides to put it aside. "Well, Goddess. Can you check my status?"
"Judging that I found you all broken up yesterday, they're probably pretty high." Bell P mocks Bell C a little.
"Gee..." Bell C lowers his head in shame, remembering the state he was in yesterday.
"Right, come off it!" Hestia speaks up, drawing their attention. "Bell, lie down on the bed."
After a few minutes of checking Bell C's status, Hestia gets off him and sits on the bed. Bell C stands next to her, and Hestia hands him the paper with his status.
Bell Cranel
Level 1
Strength: I82 - H106
Endurance: I13 - I31
Dexterity: I96 - H101
Agility: H172 - H197
Magic: I0
Skills:
Magic:
"Wow, I've gotten a lot stronger!" Bell C says excitedly as he looks at the paper in his hands.
"Your agility is pretty high, you must be pretty fast, huh?" Bell P pats Bell on the back.
"É... I guess so..." Bell C says a little embarrassed, but he looks away thoughtfully.
"Well... If you're going to the dungeon, you'd better take the other Bell to register with the guild." Hestia puts a hand on Bell C's shoulder. "Go on! I've got some things to sort out around here."
"Oh, are you sure?" Bell C asks worried and curious.
"Yes, go on! Go to the guild and then to the dungeon, and you'll get stronger!" Hestia nods with her hand. The two boys get ready and say goodbye to the Goddess in the basement. Hestia waves to the boys and as they leave, she lets out a sigh. "Bell Pennywort..." Hestia looks at Bell P's status sheet. "I just hope you coming to Orario isn't a universal... universal... mistake." Hestia looks up with a wistful gaze. "And to think there are other universes... He!"
[...]
"So tell me, why do you wear those metal bracelets?" Bell C asks as she walks alongside Bell P.
"Well..." Bell P looks at her bracelets as she walks with Bell C to the guild. "Let's just say, they're attached to my wrists. So I can't get them off. And if I try to take them off, it'll hurt a lot."
"And what did you do to get them stuck on your wrists?" Bell C asks, looking at Bell P.
"Let's just say that, without them, I wouldn't be able to use my God Arc." Bell P turns his head, he looks at his God Arc strapped to his back.
"And why didn't you let me hold it? Is it too heavy?" Bell C asks, looking at the God Arc.
"Actually, it kind of has a defense system implanted in it." Bell P explains to Bell C while scratching the back of his head. "If anyone other than me tries to pick it up, it activates." Bell P points to the handle of the God Arc. "You saw that Goddess Hestia had her hand bandaged, didn't you?"
"Wait, was that bandage on her hand because she tried to touch your God Arc?!" Bell C asks frightened and worried.
"She touched it without realizing it and the God Arc reacted without hesitation." Bell P reassures the boy. "But don't worry, her hand will heal in no time." Bell P taps Bell on the shoulder.
"Right..." Bell C lowers his head thoughtfully. "Well... At least no one will be able to steal it from you!" Bell C shrugs, but a part of him is still worried about his Goddess.
The two of them walk around Orario for a while longer. Finally arriving at the guild they enter, Bell P looks at the people inside, seeing some adventurers chatting and others exchanging their magic stones. He touches Bell C's shoulder to get his attention.
"Hey, Bell. Where exactly can we register with the guild?" Bell P asks as he looks around.
"Ah, we can register you with my guild advisor." Bell C speaks and indicates a half-elf woman sitting at one of the counters. "Hey! Miss Eina!" Bell C runs up to the counter.
"Oh, Bell!" Eina smiles when she sees the boy. "You're early today, haven't you been to the Dungeon yet?" Eina smiles, as Bell arrives at her table.
"Actually, I came here to register my new member of the Hestia Family!" Bell C says excitedly as she looks the half elf in the eye.
"Oh, what incredible news!" Eina clasps her hands together in surprise and joy at Bell C's words. "And where is he?"
"That's him!" Bell C indicates Bell P. "Penny, come here to register." An abelido they decided to put on Bell Pennywort so they wouldn't get confused
Bell P walks up to Bell C, while Eina is shocked to see Bell P's face. She sees the same face as Bell Cranel, but his eyes are blue instead of red. Bell P looks confusedly at the girl and waves his hand in front of the girl's face.
"Excuse me, are you all right?" Bell P looks at the girl a little worried.
"Oh, yes, yes, yes, I'm fine!" Eina clears her throat and resumes her posture. "Well, what would your name be exactly?" Eina looks at Bell P and smiles nervously at the boy.
"Bell Pennywort." Bell P points to the girl sitting in front of him.
"Bell... Pennywort?..." Eina looks at them both, with a slightly confused expression she looks at Bell C, then at Bell P, then at Bell C, then at Bell P, and so on for a few seconds until Bell C calls out to her.
"Miss Eina, is everything all right?" Bell C asks, looking very worried.
"Ah, yes, yes! Hooray! I'm fine!" Eina fixes her tie. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Eina says and they both nod. "Are you... Are you brothers?"
Bell Pennywort and Bell Cranel look at each other before turning their attention to Eina.
"Let's just say it, we're from the same family!" The two boys give an embarrassed smile, which Eina knows all too well. And now, she's seeing that smile double.
"Eh, hiruf!" Eina clears her throat and resumes her posture. "Well, I'm really surprised by that. You never told me you had a brother, Bell." Eina says, directing her gaze at Bell Cranel.
"Yeah, right!" Bell C looks away embarrassed. "It's just that a lot of things have happened, you know?"
"Right..." Eina breathes in and out to calm down. "All right, I'll start your registration." Eina says, looking at Bell P. "Right. Well, to do your registration, first you need to sign some papers." Eina bends down at her desk. Picking up some papers, she leaves them on the table. "You just need to sign a few papers and everything will be finalized."
"Right." Bell P picks up an ink quill and begins to make his signatures. After a while, he finishes his record.
"Well, that makes you an adventurer." Eina smiles. "Oh yes! Now that your family has more than one member, you need to decide on the family captain."
"Captain?" The two Bells ask in confusion.
"Huhu!..." Eina laughs lightly, seeing their cute faces. "Well, the Family Captain is responsible for making important decisions about the family and paying the appropriate taxes."
"My God! Even here there are taxes!" Penny mutters, sounding irritated and indignant. "Okay, but can we talk before we make this decision?"
"Well, if you want to think about it for a while, I'll wait, but don't take too long, okay?" Eina says to the boys. "But anyway, are you going to the dungeon?"
"Yes! Our Goddess told us to go there today!" Bell says excitedly.
"In that case." Eina adjusts her glasses. "There may be two of you now, but I don't recommend you go any further than the fifth floor of the Dungeon."
"What do you mean? Why only up to the fifth floor?" Penny asks confused.
"It's just that from the fifth floor onwards, the monsters in the Dungeon get stronger." Bell explains to Penny. "But judging that you were a God Eater, we'll-" Bell tries to speak, but Penny quickly covers his mouth.
"Uh? God Eater?" Eina asks in confusion.
"No! It's nothing, Miss Eina!" Penny quickly replies. He walks over to Bell and whispers in his ear. "Bell, we've already talked about you talking about my world, haven't we?"
"Uhn, is everything all right with you two?" Eina raises a suspicious eyebrow.
"Yes, yes! Don't worry!" Penny shrugs. "About the dungeon, is there anything else I need to know?"
"Well, I was going to recommend some equipment that the guild provides, but..." Eina looks at the God Arc on Penny's back. "It seems you already have weapons and protective equipment, Mister Pennywort."
"Penny." Penny says to Eina.
"What?"
"You can call me Penny. It's easier than calling me by my last name." Penny points to the receptionist.
"Hon, right!" Eina smiles at the boys. "Well, you're still new, and you don't seem to have any potions, do you?" Eina points to some potion bottles behind her. "If you want, you can buy some through the guild. Of course, if you don't have any vouchers, you can buy them and pay them back later as a debt."
"I see..." Penny thought. "Bell, have you ever bought anything here from the guild?"
"Oh, yes." Bell indicates his equipment. "This equipment of mine and my knife were bought here at the guild." Bell says proudly.
"And how much exactly do you owe?" Penny asks suspiciously.
"...5,000 Vales..." Bell says, looking away.
"Oh my God..." Penny sighs as she covers her face with her hands. "Miss Eina, can we go to the dungeon now?"
"You really don't want to take the potions?" Eina says worriedly.
"It's not necessary. We won't risk going too far down. So, we're going." Penny speaks and as she drags Bell away.
"Oh, yeah, see ya Miss Eina!" Bell shouts as he is dragged away.
"Ahhh..." Eina sighs. "Why didn't he ever tell me he had a brother?"
"Hey, Eina." A receptionist approaches Eina. "Didn't you think he was a bit weird?" "He's a newbie and he was carrying those huge swords. And I've never seen swords like that before."
"É..." Eina looks at the guild door, seeing more adventurers coming in, she puts it aside for now. "We'll see about that later, let's get back to work.
~PAUSE~
"Here, Miss Mia!" Bell hands a small bag of Vales to a very large, muscular woman.
"Hif, at least you came back to pay for what you ate yesterday" The woman says as she takes the bag from Bell. "If you hadn't come back, I'd have gone after you myself." Mia pats Bell on the shoulder as he feels a shiver run through his body. "Uhn, and who would that be?"
"Huh?" Bell is confused, but remembers that Penny is by his side. "Ah, yes! He's the newest member of my family! His name is-"
"Penny." Penny takes the lead. "You can call me Penny." Penny stands in front of Bell and looks Mia in the eye.
Mia looks back at Penny and glares at him, the two of them stay like that for a few seconds until Mia bursts into a comical laugh.
"Haha, Bell! Your brother here is quite the daredevil!" Mia slaps Penny lightly on the shoulder.
"Yes, he is." Bell scratches the back of his head, embarrassed and a little jealous.
"Oh, Bell!" A gray-haired girl approaches them both. "You ran off yesterday, and I couldn't talk to you about... Who are you?" Syr asks in surprise.
"Penny, just call me Penny." Penny points to the girl who has approached.
"Oh, you look just like Bell! Wouldn't you be his twin brother or something?" Syr asks in surprise and excitement.
"Sort of." Penny says with a tired look. He turns and starts walking towards the exit door. "I'll wait for you outside, Bell."
"Hey, wait!" Syr tries to catch the boy's eye, but he ignores her. "Gee..." Syr looks vaguely sad.
"Wow, few can resist Syr's cute face." Mia says, touching Bell's shoulder. "Say, kid. Why didn't you bring him yesterday?"
"Ah, well..." Bell looks away. "It's just that there's been some stuff going on recently.
"Anyway, here, Bell!" Syr approaches Bell and hands him a box of packaged food. "And remember, you're due back here tonight. And you'd better spend a lot of Vales."
"Right..." Bell speaks with a slight blush on his cheeks, he takes the box of food and nods in thanks.
"Oh, and make sure you bring your brother too!" Mia says to the boy. "Hey, Penny! You're coming too, aren't you?" Mia says loudly with a slight smile on her face.
"I highly doubt it!" Penny shouts back, leaving most of the employees shocked. "Honestly, my first impression of this place wasn't very good!" Penny says, leaving one of the girls in shock. "And I'm talking about you, Anya!"
"Hehe, I think she's got him confused with me!" Bell scratches the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well, I'll convince him to come tonight. See you later!" Bell says and says goodbye to Mia and Syr.
"Wow, to think he had a brother who looks so strong." Mia scoffs a little.
"É... I guess so..." Syr speaks in concentration for a few seconds.
[...]
(Dungeon, fourth floor.)
A Goblin runs through the corridors of the Dungeon, raising his club he jumps and tries to hit one of the boys, but Bell quickly cuts him down with his knife.
"Wuff... One more gone!" Bell celebrates as he picks up the magic stone that has fallen to the ground and puts it in his bag. "What's up, Penny! How's it going on your end?" Bell looks back and sees Penny take out two Goblins with a single slash from her God Arc.
"It's pretty quiet around here." Penny says, laughing a little. A Kobold tries to advance on Penny, but the boy quickly swings his God Arc and cuts the Kobold down. "Honestly, this is pretty easy." Penny crouches down on the ground and picks up the fallen magic stones.
"Really!" Bell stretches out his arms and looks at his bag with the magic stones. "We've only been here an hour, and we've already accomplished what I do in a whole day!"
"You see, what two can't do for one!" Penny says as she hits another Goblin. The Goblin disappears, leaving behind a magic stone and a Goblin Fang. "UH, monster item!" Penny crouches down and picks up the Goblin Fang.
"Wait, what did you say? Two make what out of one?"
"Nothing, it's nothing."
"...Penny, I know you've been through a lot of bad things in your world..." Bell says, looking around. "But I have to say, your God Arc is pretty awesome!" Bell looks at the God Arc while an imaginary glow emanates from her eyes.
"Yeah, she is." Penny looks at her God Arc as a slight smile breaks out on her face. "Honestly, I was angry after I won it, but... Without it I wouldn't have met my friends."
"Your friends..." Bell looks away a little sadly. "You really liked them, didn't you?"
"Yes, spending time with them was one of the few moments that made me forget my suffering." Penny gives a slight smile. "At least I know they're okay, and I know they'll have a better life!" Penny clenches her fist in determination.
"Woow!..." Bell mutters, impressed by his other self's determination. At the same time as feeling impressed, he feels envious, because even though Penny has suffered more than him, he still remains strong and confident. Bell feels a tightness in his chest, and seeing more monsters coming, he turns around. "Penny, leave those to me!"
Bell runs up to the monsters, managing to slash two Goblins in a single movement, he crouches down, dodging the onslaught of a Kobold and managing to slash its belly. The three monsters disappeared in a few moments, leaving only their magic stones behind.
"Wow! That was very impressive!" Penny pins her God Arc to the ground and starts clapping for Bell. "But it's not over yet. There are three more kobolds coming."
"Right!" Bell gets into position, he sees a Kobold advancing on him. Dodging the bite, he manages to cut the kobold's neck. Seeing the other two approaching, he jumps back. Preparing himself, he lunges at one of the Kobolds, managing to drive his knife into his head. But he doesn't notice the other Kobold coming, the monster lunges at Bell and slashes his shoulder with its claws.
Bell steps back holding his shoulder, seeing the Kobold approaching, he closes his eyes expecting the worst. But only a slashing noise is audible.
"Are you all right?" Penny asks approaching Bell, he reaches out to help his companion up.
"I'm..." Bell takes Penny's hand and stands up. He looks at his shoulder and sees his bruise. "Damn, I just got hit by a kobold."
"Do you have any healing potions?" Penny asks, looking at Bell's shoulder.
"Yes, but this is my last one." Bell reaches into a small pouch at his waist and pulls out a vial of orange liquid. "But it's my last one, I don't know if I should use it..."
"If you want, I can bandage your shoulder. Then you can save your potion for another time." Penny says, taking out a spool of gags.
"Did you have these with you?" Bell asks surprised.
"A God Eater always carries a first aid kit with him!" Penny winks at Bell. After a while putting a bandage on Bell's shoulder, Penny successfully finishes it. "That's it! Bandage finished."
"Wow, I don't even feel that much pain anymore! You're really good at this!" Bell says with a broad smile on his face.
"Yeah, when you fight monsters every day you get used to treating wounds." Penny shrugs and picks up her God Arc. "So, do you want to stay longer?"
"We did a lot more in an hour than I did on my own in a day..." Bell thinks. "But, no! Let's stay a while longer."
"All right. What do you say we take a snack break?" Penny says, but some growls and noises are audible at the end of the dungeon corridor. "What was that?"
The two boys look towards the end of the corridor, hearing the noises getting louder. They see a pack of Lizard running towards them. Bell is startled while Penny is confused.
"Oh my God! There's too many!" Bell is startled and prepares to run.
"Wait, Bell!" Penny says and the boy looks at him. "Want to see something cool?" Penny says with a mischievous smile on her face, while Bell is confused by the question.
Penny puts the two swords together, making her God Arc join and switch to Pistol mode. The Sniper extends and Penny raises it, taking aim at the approaching Lizards, he pulls the trigger and shoots them. A beam of white light shoots out from the tip of the Sniper and flies towards the Lizard, hitting four at once with a single headshot.
"WOOOWW!" Bell says impressed by the shot made by God Arc. "So that's the mode change you had in your status?!" Bell asks impressed.
"That's right!" Penny says proudly. He takes aim at the Lizard and fires a few more times, managing to hit most of it in the head, then stops firing, seeing that his oracle ammunition is running out. "Hmmm... That's bad."
"What? What happened?" Bell asks worriedly, seeing Penny's contorted face.
"Bell, since there are only three Lizards left, can you eliminate two and leave one left over so I can do a test?" Penny asks, indicating the other three Lizards approaching.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe I can..." Bell looks worriedly at the three Lizards coming towards him.
"Hey." Penny walks over to Bell and puts a hand on his shoulder. "You can do it, Bell. Believe me, they're nothing next to you."
Bell's eyes widen in surprise, but his gaze quickly changes to determination. He looks at the Three Lizards and inhales, then exhales. Positioning himself, he runs up to the three.
"Watch your movements and their movements." Penny says to Bell as the boy runs.
Bell nods and continues running. A Lizard leaps towards the boy, but he throws himself to the ground, sliding under the Lizard and managing to slash its belly. The Lizard falls to the ground, moaning in pain, but he soon lunges at Bell. The boy dodges his attack and slashes at the Lizard's shoulder. Bell hears a sound behind him and quickly ducks to avoid another attack from one of the Lizards.
Bell resumes his stance and sees the two Lizards in front of him, he looks back slightly and sees the last Lizard behind him. He sighs, feeling a little afraid.
"Right... My moves and their moves, right?" Bell thinks as he keeps his focus on the two Lizard in front of him. "One of them is too injured to attack directly, then-" Before Bell can think, one of the Lizards in front of him jumps at him.
With some difficulty, he manages to dodge and cut out Lizar's eye. The Lizard behind Bell jumps towards him. Bell quickly manages to duck and avoid the attack. The wounded Lizar jumps on Bell. Managing to jump on top of the boy, he knocks Bell to the ground and tries to bite him on the head, Bell moves his head to avoid his bite. Bell quickly hits the Lizard in the chest, making him disappear and leaving only his magic stone.
"Oh my God!" Bell mutters in despair, he moves his body in a circular motion and crouches on the ground. "Okay... Only two more to go..." Bell breathes heavily for the occasion just passed.
The injured Lizard and the angry Lizard growl at Bell, the boy breathes heavily as he faces the Lizard. Bell raises his hands as he holds his knife tightly.
"Bell, remember, you need to know where you're moving and where you're going to move." Penny says, looking at Bell.
"Where I move..." Bell mutters. He looks at the two Lizards and thinks for a moment, he looks at the ground and looks back at the Lizards. "Right..." Bell runs up to the Lizards.
The two Lizards advance against Bell and jump on him, Bell advances against the Lizard. Seeing the two leaping at him, he throws himself to the ground, sliding along the ground underneath them. The Lizards land on the ground and stare at Bell, but the boy quickly raises his hand and throws the earth and stones he picked up with his hand into the Lizards' eyes. The Lizards close their eyes to avoid the dirt in their eyes. Being distracted for a while, Bell takes advantage of the gap and lunges at one of the Lizards, managing to hit it in the neck and kill it instantly. Bell breathes heavily, seeing that only the wounded Lizard remains. The Lizard walks away, trying to wipe the dirt from its eyes.
"I... Did I really... I did it?..." Bell says, surprised to see that he managed to beat both Lizards.
"Well done, Bell!" Penny says, approaching him and patting him on the back. "You're really impressive!"
"Thanks..." Bell says, breathing heavily. "But... Why did you want me to leave one alive?" Bell asks curiously as he feels his body relax a little more.
"Well, I wanted to do a test." Penny raises her God Arc in pistol mode. "Since I can't fire my bullets without Oracle Cells, I decided to test something." Penny switches her God Arc to double-blade mode. "Bell, I beg you not to be alarmed."
"Uh?" Bell asks confused. He sees the Lizard advancing against him, Bell prepares to counterattack, but Penny acts faster.
Penny raises her right sword and points it at the Lizard. Oracle cells surround his God Arc, and secondly, an Aragami head comes out of the God Arc, the Aragami advances against the Lizard, opening its mouth to an enormous size, it devours the upper part of the Lizard. In a few moments, the Aragami returns to the God Arc. Penny looks at her God Arc and sees that the Oracle Cells have been absorbed.
"Did it really work?" Penny says surprised to see his God Arc replenished. "Wow... I didn't expect that to actually work!" Penny puts his hand to his chin, looking very proud. "Bell, you can-"
Penny looks at Bell, seeing his shocked and paralyzed face as if he were in a trance. Penny waves her hand in front of Bell's face.
"Bell! Hey, Bell! Are you all right?" Penny asks worriedly while the boy still maintains his shocked expression.
"Penny..." Bell says, still shocked. "What... Was... That?..." Bell looks at Penny with his eyes wide open.
"Ah, well..." Penny says worriedly as he scratches the back of his head. "Well, I forgot to tell you that-" Penny tries to explain, but Bell quickly catches him by his breastplate.
"Does your God Arc have a monster inside it?!" Bell shouts with an extremely cheerful smile on his face. "How does your God Arc do that?! Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Bell swings Penny from side to side.
[...]
(Hours later.)
The two boys are sitting and resting on the fifth floor of the Dungeon, with the boys eating the food that Syr had handed them before they entered the Dungeon.
"Ah, Penny. Are you really sure I can't hold your God Arc?" Bell asks while looking at the God Arc in Pistol mode, which is leaning against a wall. "I really wish I could hold it."
"Look..." Penny looks at her God Arc. "I really don't suggest you do that. It might activate defense mode and try to attack you." Penny eats her snack and thinks.
"Honestly, those shooting spells you did were really cool!" Bell says, sounding extremely excited and happy. "And your God Arc has a monster built into it! How did you get it to have a monster inside it?!"
"Well, I didn't really make my God Arc." Penny ponders. "Remember what I told you about my world?" Penny asks and Bell nods. "Well, remember that the world was in a constant apocalypse, and in order to survive we had to go to extreme measures? So my God Arc is basically an Aragami in the palm of my hand. And because it's an Aragami, I need to connect with it, and because I've connected with it, only I can handle it."
"Ohhh..." Bell sighs in amazement. "And does she have feelings or anything? Do you talk to her?"
"Talk?" Penny looks at her God Arc and is confused, but a little thoughtful. "Talk..." Penny looks thoughtful, but he hears noises and growls at the end of the floor.
Penny looks towards the place of the noise and sees some more Lizards and Goblins running towards them. Penny takes a last bite of his snack and gets up. Picking up his God Arc he looks at Bell.
"I think that's enough for today. So, do you want to kill some more monsters?" Penny asks with a slight smile as he puts his God Arc on his shoulder.
"I guess so..." Bell finishes eating and stands up. Picking up his knife, he faces the Lizards. "Ah, Penny. Can you come with me to the Hostess of fertility? I know you confused me about that payment, but it's a nice place."
"Ahh..." Penny sighs, he raises his God Arc and points it at the Lizard. "All right, but I can't promise anything."
"Great!" Bell speaks excitedly as he runs towards the Lizard, leaping up he hits one of the Lizard and ducks to avoid one of the attacks.
[...]
After a few more hours killing the monsters in the dungeon, the two boys leave the dungeon and walk towards the guild. Once there, they talk to Bell's receptionist and advisor.
"Hello, Miss Eina! We've finished our exploration for today!" Bell says excitedly as he runs up to the counter.
"Oh, hello Bell! Did you get back early, feel tired and decide to come back?" Eina asks with her usual smile.
"Actually, we only decided to come back early because we filled our bags with magic stones." Penny explains to the receptionist in front of her.
"Oh, I see!" Eina says, a little surprised by the boys' speed. "You must have worked very hard to fill your bags so quickly!"
"Actually, it was quite easy!" Bell says excitedly. "Penny managed to take out several Goblin, Kobolds and Lizard along the way!" Bell says as he flicks his wrists, punching the air.
"Wow, you really did it? And with your..." Eina looks at Penny and sees his God Arc in Pistol mode attached to his back. "Mr. Penny, what is that gun on your back? Where are your swords?"
"Oh, about that..." Penny picks up his God Arc and moves it as if it were made of paper. "It's just that my weapon has the ability to change shape."
"Shape-shifting?" Eina asks in confusion.
"Yes! He can turn his two swords into this shape-shifting weapon!" Bell says, moving closer to Eina's face. He realizes what he's done and quickly moves away. "Eh, sorry... But Penny, show her how you did it!"
"Look, I don't know..." Penny hesitates for a few moments.
"Oh, please, kid!" Another receptionist approaches the three of them and mocks Penny a little. "Please, newbie. I'd like to see that change of shape."
"Okay, I already hate you." Penny holds up his God Arc, causing it to split into double-blade mode, he quickly places them on his back in an X shape.
The guild falls silent at what they've just seen, especially the girl who mocked Penny, she blinks a few times before speaking.
"What... What was that?"
[...]
"Okay... With that, your reward is 25,000 Vales." The accountant spoke, still a little shocked.
"Wow! 25,000 Vales!" Bell picks up the huge bag of coins and stares at it with shining eyes. "I've never seen that much money before!"
"Exactly how much did you make when you were alone?" Penny asks, looking at Vales' bag.
"Normally, I barely made more than 1,200 Vales." Bell says a little sadly. Bell says a little sadly. "But with you with me, we can make a lot more Vales!" Bell says excitedly as he raises the bag of Jacks above his head.
"Well, boys." Eina says, approaching the two boys. "Could I talk to you for a moment? Eina says and the boys nod. Walking over to a more private table, she speaks to them both. "Look, I know this may sound strange, but Mr. Penny. I beg you, don't make your weapon change in front of people, understand?"
"And why shouldn't he do that?" Bell asks confused.
"It's just that your gun looks very... Special."" Eina says worriedly. "If you demonstrate its ability, some ill-intentioned people might want to take it from you."
"Oh, don't worry about that!" Penny shrugged. "No one will be able to steal it even if they want to." Penny picks up her God Arc and modifies it back to Pistol mode. "It has a very efficient anti-theft system."
"Still." Eina sighs. "Don't do that in front of people, understand?"
"Hm..." Penny looks at Eina's frank gaze, giving a slight smile as he replies. "Understood."
[Hours later]
[Hostess of fertility]
"You better eat a lot!" Mia places a large plate of pasta with tomato sauce and peppers in front of Bell.
"But I didn't order that!" Bell says nervously as Mia shrugs and goes to serve another customer. With Bell and Penny sitting at one of the tables that is close to the wall, making it possible for Penny to leave her God Arc in Pistol mode leaning against the wall.
"É... Looks like the place is pretty lively." Penny says, looking around. He sees people drinking, eating and having a good time. "And you... Are you going to be able to eat all this?"
"Maybe..." Bell looks defeated and picks up a fork. Starting to eat his noodles, he looks thoughtful.
"But, Bell." Penny speaks as Mia places a plate with a whole roast chicken in front of him. "Thank you, Miss Mia!" Penny says and Mia waves to him. "As I was saying... Bell, why did you decide to come to Orario?" Penny picks up one of the chicken thighs and takes a bite.
"What? What do you mean?" Bell asks in surprise as his mouth is smeared with tomato sauce.
"About why you came to Orario, because you don't look like you're from the city." Penny snorts a little as she continues eating.
"Ah, well..." Bell looks away, embarrassed that he doesn't want to talk about why. "Well, I don't know if I should tell you.
"Come on. I told you about my life, tell me about yours!" Penny said excitedly as he watched the boy continue eating.
"Ahhh... Okay, I'll tell you." Bell sighs, wipes his mouth and looks at Penny. "Well, I used to live in the mountains with my grandfather and-" Bell tries to say, but a commotion interrupts him.
With the people in the tavern talking and whispering about the people who had just come in, with a group of people, a red-haired woman wearing clothes... Vulgar, to say the least. A blonde girl with a closed expression, a werewolf, a dwarf, a child, two twins. This is the Loki family, one of the strongest families in Orario. They soon sit down at their table and begin to celebrate. Making noises, rioting and all sorts of other nonsense.
Bell and Penny watch the scene, with Bell focused on one of the people at the table, while Penny stares at the redhead, who seems relaxed and trying to rope in the blonde girl.
"Bell... Who are this bunch of lunatics?" Penny asks and in a few seconds the tavern falls silent, with everyone watching the two boys. Bell swallows at Penny's question, while he feels a shiver run down his spine. "I guess I shouldn't have said that..." Penny mutters, noticing the looks around her.
End of chapter.
salmonminecraft4826: Thanks for your comment. My idea for this chapter was going to be very different, but after reading your comment I thought about it and decided to redo this chapter and redo a small part of the conversation between Bell Pennywort and Hestia.
Note: When I'm writing parts in which the two Bells are together, the writing will be as follows: (Bell = Bell C = Bell Cranel) (Penny = Bell P = Bell Pennywort) So if at some moments it's just Bell, it's Bell Cranel, and if at some moments it's Penny, it's Bell Pennywort. So Bell Pennywort's friends will call him Penny.
Another thing, my knowledge of Danmachi is relatively average, so I don't know much about it, as I'm still watching the anime and reading the manga.