The Fallen Argonaut
Rated; M (Blood/Gore)
Disclaimer; I do not own Danmachi or anything created by the author Fujino Ōmori, all rights go to him.
Authors: Eli-er01 & ViceroyChalister
Patreon: Elier01
Summary: The will of a hero is strong, yet unwavering but all good things must come to an end, even at the cost of one's Heroic Will. Imprisoned and blamed for a crime he hadn't committed, Bell seeks a way out of his predicament so that he can live without fear of being hunted by the people he once looked up to.
76: Bad Omens
=Central Front, Close to Sirimon Castle=
Gareth sat, rubbing his beard in thought as he stood in position, waiting for the signal from Tione that she was ready. One of the newer castles that had been constructed by Rakia for the purpose of stalling potential invaders a couple of decades ago stood in front of his view. In a way, they had it tougher than Finn had due to it being a full-blown castle, but not only that, currently, Ottar was nowhere to be seen, meaning they were one level eight down which was a considerable chunk of their power.
Originally, Ottar was supposed to be where Gareth was in their preliminary plans due to it being the focal point of the enemy's fortifications.
Tione had been delegated to the south and Ais to the north, forming a three-sided attack. While a pincer attack could have worked, but that approach would have forced them to hunker down and fortify even further, turning the battle into a battle of attrition.
Sure, they could break down the walls, but these walls were anything but easy to rebuild, and they would not have time, or resources to do that. They would need the fort taken quickly and efficiently, similar to the southern front. They too, were launching their attack today, as they needed the supply lines up and running before they began running low…
So here he was, waiting with practiced patience as he saw people running back and forth on top of the walls.
Gareth idly wondered if there would be another artifact they'd use here as they did with Finn's front. It would make sense given what Tione had shared in regards to the meeting she'd been in with Finn and the others.
…
No matter, in the end, what the old dwarf had to focus on was the siege that was about to occur at any moment.
Close by, to the north, Ais' mind was elsewhere, standing there as her foot was idly tapping the ground, her thoughts on her most recent encounter with Bell. The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't help but think that she failed.
She'd made a promise to herself, and the first opportunity she had to hold it true, she'd failed. Even with the part of her telling her that she did everything she could, another said the opposite. Myriads of what-ifs crossed her mind.
What if she'd just been a bit faster?
What if she'd been just a bit stronger…
What if…
What if…
It never seemed to end, and plagued her endlessly.
But there was one boon among those thoughts, which ironically had come from a source of heartache.
Bell's daughter had eased her mind, telling her a bit of what Bell thought of her, and… it had eased her more than anything else, that she mattered to him and that he saw her as someone who helped define who he was.
Forcing herself to ground herself in those thoughts, her foot slowly started to ease the incessant tapping.
"Ehm… are you okay?" Ais nearly jumped in surprise as a voice right next to her spoke out, rapidly turning her entire body in its direction and feeling a bit embarrassed she'd been so deeply bound in her thoughts she hadn't noticed their approach.
Her gaze flicked slightly downwards, meeting familiar red ones once more, this time, with hair to match as she momentarily thought she'd traveled back in time, before reminding herself of the half-elven ears protruding through his hair.
"Yes… I think" She uttered, a little unsure herself as the boy awkwardly hummed, and looked around for a moment, seemingly having indecision in which words to use.
"That's good… I think? It just seemed like something was bothering you" Jannor smiled slightly as Ais nodded, glancing around for a moment, wondering if she wanted to ask what was on her mind.
"What…" Her mouth began, betraying her as the boy's attention turned back to her, eyes gleaming in curiosity at her cut-off sentence.
"What… do you think of Bell?" Her question tumbled out of her mouth eventually as she finally decided that she might as well finish what she'd begun to ask.
"What I… oh… well, it a bit of a mixed bag to be honest" Jannor stated at first, rubbing the back of his head in that same manner Bell does… has always done. His thoughts were clearly written on the boy's face as he searched for the right words.
"It's mostly good but… like everyone, there are things that can be a bit… extreme or annoying" He eventually continued. "He's an amazing father, and isn't controlling. He's… perfect in that regard… but he's brutal in the way he trains us, too much if you ask me" Jannor laughed, the sound tainted by a hint of haunted memories as Ais herself remembered how he'd practically pummeled her and Fiona during their own training.
"He's stubborn too… but not too much, just enough to be annoying at times… like now" He continued as Ais listened intently, slotting his descriptions right into place with the man she'd gotten to know once more.
"If there is one thing I can definitely mention is his biggest flaw… it's his fear" That… caused Ais to blink as she tilted her head to the side, her hair following as her lips parted slightly in surprise.
"What do you mean?" She asked slowly as Jannor turned and looked towards the fort, eyes held firmly on the horizon where the signal for the attack would come from, his expression shifting from an awkward boy fumbling with his words, to one who knew exactly what he was talking about, almost as if this was something he had pondered about for a long time.
"Dad… he's afraid. He's lost so much in his life. Every family he has had, has either ended up abandoning him, or died on him. He was born into the Zeus and Hera familias, but they died around the same time he was born alongside his mother shortly after. His aunt never visited him and died before he could meet her… his grandfather abandoned him when he was fourteen…" Jannor stopped, eyes turning back to her.
"Then he found a new family in Orario… only for it to be ripped from him again… and now, he's so afraid of losing the family he has built again, that…" He trailed off, as Ais picked up the pieces.
His fear was pushing him to seek the destruction of a perceived threat… namely, Kaius and the Empire.
-and it was leading him to alienate the family he was trying to protect.
Ais thought back on the words she'd uttered to him in that forest, how she'd known what he was feeling… but did she? She had lost her family, her mother, and father… but… her motivation was revenge… his, while a part of it was that… his was driven by fear.
Suddenly, she felt like she understood him better, the image of the man he was now, becoming just a bit cleared, the imperfections showing just a bit more… but in a way, she silently thought that it just made him look all the more human… all the more like… Bell.
The image of that boy who was terrified of minotaurs… a boy who pushed forward and through that fear to overcome it.
…
She hoped he'd overcome it again this time.
A loud noise reverberated around them, echoing across the open grassland between the adjacent forests as Ais looked up, seeing a shining light rising into the sky… the signal.
For a moment, she hesitated, remembering she was technically in charge of her side of the siege as Hogni wasn't the best… choice for a leader given his aversion to attention.
Which left her in Gareth's stead, who took Ottar's place.
Unsure of what to say, she uttered the first word that came to her mind. She remembered what Gareth had told her, and she knew personally she was by no means a strategically inclined person, so she simply followed his instructions.
""Charge!"" She screamed called out as loud as her voice would allow, and to her surprise, her voice was amplified by another as her gaze turned and met ruby red.
"Sorry, I usually am the leader with just me and my siblings" He chuckled with a smile as she nodded, a small one forming on her lips in amusement.
"No, it is fine. I am not good at it anyway" He nodded before his expression hardened, and he shot forward, her head following him before shaking her head, her own legs pushing against the ground as she shot down towards the fort.
Arrows immediately began raining down on them as she waved her hand in front her her, muttering the activations phrase for her magic as the wind instantly followed her command and burst out, creating an almost impenetrable wall of wind for a split second before pushing the arrows back, breaking or deflecting them all before dissipating.
Quickly, she began outpacing everyone except for Hogni, who matched her own pace somewhat, though was falling a bit behind due to her wind being active, but they had already gained a significant amount of ground, nearly halfway to the fort.
The plan had been simple. The north and southern sides were meant mainly to draw away attention from the eastern side of the castle.
Now… how do you draw attention? Drawing upon quite a lot of wind, she wrapped it around her rapier as she burst forward just a bit quicker, the wall nearly in front of her as Ais meant for this to be a bit of a redemption for her attack failing to truly work on Bell.
"Lil Rafaga!" Her roar echoed around her as her blade embedded itself into the wall. The wind burrowed into the thick matter as it cracked and burst as a cloud of dust instantly shrouded her and exploded everywhere followed by the entire wall shaking, resulting in multiple enemy soldiers either losing their balance or straight up falling off the wall if they happened to be a bit too close to the edge.
"W-we aren't supposed to destroy the wall…" Hogni whispered a bit further behind as he began to catch up. His heart hammering as he knew he was about to participate in a battle.
"Unleash, King of the magic sword. Compensation of reason, offering of fresh blood." He chanted before he lowered himself, his legs shaking as he imagined his vision of his perfect self as a warrior.
"Until the end of the banquet-" He leaped into the air, high above the wall as multiple soldiers turned up in surprise before rapidly aiming their bows up at him.
"-Slaughter. Dainsleif!" He finished and within an instant, his fear seemed to wash away as his expression hardened, eyes glaring down at the soldiers that had suddenly begun to seem like prey.
Arrows began to launch upwards and with a swift motion, he drew his black longsword, quickly slicing each projectile that was close enough into tiny pieces before grabbing the final one, hurtling it downwards with power as it smashed into the chestplate of one of them, shattering the metal and arrow, but the force was enough to flatten the soldier against the ground and crack it completely.
The man next to him gaped at his fallen comrade but before he could think of anything else, the heel of a boot smashed against the side of his face, his neck giving out a sickly snap before he was sent flying deeper into the fort, disappearing amongst the buildings.
Ais glanced up at Hogni as he rapidly descended before shooting in the direction of a group in the opposite direction right as Hogni landed and went for his own group.
Outside, Jannor and the rest of their group were entering through the gap that Ais had created in the wall, not too large, but big enough for a few people to enter at a time.
It had not taken long for them all to spread out and engage in battle with the enemies as Jannor's heart hammered. He was well trained, he knew that, but this was his first time actually fighting people for real, as in not in a safe training environment… well, as safe as it can get…
But nonetheless, he shook his head and got to action, shooting forward toward the nearest enemy, intent on making sure that this ended as quickly as possible.
The first soldier he came across made for a sideways swipe of his blade towards the boy as Jannor swiftly brought his staff up, parrying the blow to the side that was ingrained within his own body so deep it was second nature before smashing the bottom of his weapon against the soldier's knees, eliciting a short but clear cry of pain before his staff twirled swiftly and flew upwards, flicking itself against the jaw underneath the protective helmet.
Within an instant, the soldier's head snapped upwards as he collapsed on the ground.
For a moment Jannor stared at the man on the ground before shaking his head. His auntie had told him with clear seriousness that they all most likely would have to kill during the war… and that she wished they wouldn't have to, that it was most likely inevitable… but as Jannor stared down at his opponent out cold with such ease, he couldn't help but want to try to get through this with as little bloodshed as possible.
Killing just didn't sit right with him… so turning around, he left heading towards his next opponent, leaving the unconscious soldier there as the battle slowly moved further and further into the Castle, though making sure not to go too far. They had a plan to follow after all.
=Southern Front=
Riveria would not say she was enjoying herself. She never enjoyed fighting other people, and never will if she does say so herself… but it's something she knows and understands is necessary. People were inherently flawed, even if they were capable of such great things as well.
In a way, it's one of the things that made her despise her family's ways of looking at the outside world… one of the things…
…
She shook her head as she refocused her efforts on the spell she was casting, the heat of battle not being the place for mulling about as her gaze turned back up to a fortified village at the center of a large clearing overlooking the road leading directly south towards Port Melen and branching out to varying villages, one such being Anfesera.
It was the largest and most traveled road heading due north on this side of the continent, so there was no wonder they had chosen this place to fortify themselves, even if the fortifications were… well, pathetic was one word for it, which matched was Finn had described on his side.
It appeared that only Gareth was going to have to handle a proper fort.
…
No matter, her focus returned once more as she hardened her gaze, opening her mouth to speak those final words as a signal.
"My name is Alf!" She called out loudly, and almost as if in a perfect imitation of another certain Prum, Lili instantly shot her hand forward.
"Retreat behind Nine Hell!"
Riveria could almost smirk. She'd been trying to teach the prum slowly with a sort of hands-off approach, and so far, it seemed to be working.
When Finn had first mentioned Taliye all those years ago as a potential second coming of himself, she'd thought him a bit mad, but as time had passed, and she'd continued to grow and delve deeper into the dungeon, proving her mettle again and again, Riveria couldn't help but be intrigued.
After having watched how she handled her leadership during their unexpected ambush, she had come to a few conclusions.
She was good, yes, intelligent and guile, but she lacked conviction. Sure, she had no qualms about making hard choices, but the ones that matter, which can change the very course of a battle that may sacrifice lives… she's been having issues with it.
She has squandered opportunities, those she knew Finn would have capitalized on without hesitation simply due to her hesitation when it came to the lives of those she led.
This was war, and war… was always without fail, ugly. People die, some for good causes, others for no good reason at all. People were fickle beings, capable and willing of committing to unimaginable horrors… so sometimes, one has to let go of one's humanity, and be a monster to succeed.
In this battle, on the other hand, she had seen a mild improvement in Taliye's judgment. She hadn't given the order too early to retreat behind her, waiting until the last possible moment, meaning…
"Rea Laevateinn!" With the enemies not having had much time to react at all to the enemy retreating, the Torrents of flames erupted from underneath them, engulfing them and a large portion of the battlefield as their screams mixed together with the sound of the explosions and wind currents formed from the flaming vortexes.
As the heat died down and the flames began to extinguish, Riveria was pleased to find Taliye not wasting a single second.
"Frontline, into position! Mages, secondary spells!" Riveria almost smirked as she watched more spells fly onwards, balls of fire, beams of light, lightning bolts… everything rained down on them as the front liners rushed in, Allen amongst them.
It was akin to a bloodbath, but as per her previous statement of war. It was ugly and brutal.
Nonetheless, it was an improvement from earlier, and if things kept going as they did now, then the fort would fall within an hour or two. Three at the most.
Silently, her eyes turned up as she readied her staff for another chant, wondering how Bache's mission was going.
…
Oh well, she'll worry about that later.
=Inside the fort=
"Oh come on! Stop being cowards!" Bache screamed in anger as another group of enemies simply turned tail and ran. Seriously, what does it take for a woman to find a strong man to fight!?
All she was finding was cowards with limp noodles hanging from their groins. Growling to herself, she turned her attention away from the cowering milksops towards the flimsy wall.
God, why did Lili assign her this mission again? Oh right… because she couldn't trust Allen completely, and it wasn't exactly Riveria's forte. They couldn't really spare anyone else either, as her entire plan hinged on things going as she wanted.
So here she was, alone against their entire rearguard with the entire purpose of her being there, to wreck as much havoc as humanly possible… well, Amazonianly.
That's beside the point…
"Di Asla" She chanted, drawing her fingers across her forearms as they became laced with poison.
"If it's chaos she wants… then fine!" With a great leap forward, she pushed her entire bodyweight and power into the punch as the flimsy wall never stood a chance. In an instant, the entire area shook for a split second before everything exploded in a wide array of smoke, stone, wood, and anything else in the vicinity.
Growling and not satisfied, her senses instantly homed into a few people in the smoke, unseen by her eyes as she shot forward, leaping between them and covering both their heads in her poison-clad fist before dragging them with her and smashing them together as they screamed in agony, the poison melting their skin before dropping them and moving on.
"Hey! Intruder!" She heard someone scream out and her head snapped in that direction.
"It's Veregina!"
It still felt a bit weird being well-known enough to be recognized by sight.
"Shit, we can't take one of the Terata's-" Time slowed to a crawl as she heard that word again… that word they borrowed from her native tongue.
…
That word since she first heard it coming from them, aimed at her with such venom grained against a nerve in her as her eyes twitched, his lips moving in slow motion.
He didn't get to speak another syllable as she jumped to the side, kicking off a nearby wall hard enough to cause it to crumble from the force, and shot her forward as she sent a hard kick against his head, intending to snap it before he could say anything…
A satisfying crack entered her ear as her leg continued to move, only to be followed by a sick squelching sound as his head caved in and split apart in slow motion in her viewpoint.
It surprised her a great deal as her leg continued right through with barely a shred of resistance as she landed and came to a halt, watching as the body was sent flying backward, headless as the crushed pieces of his skull splattered across the ground, some of it covering her leg as she heard something she had never heard before coming from anyone but Bell.
Boom!*
She nearly jumped in shock at the sound of the sonic boom, nearly causing her to jump.
Had she just…?
Turning her gaze towards one of the soldiers that had been nearby, staring at the body in stupefied shock, she shook her head, deciding to mull over what that was about once she was alone before shooting forward, crushing his chest with ease. And sending him flying across the ground, tumbling and rolling through and into one of the buildings.
Now… she'd just broken the sound barrier… the closest she'd come to that was… well, it was that high-pitched whistling wound when she ran at full speed.
It felt good to know she was able to break it but… how? She hadn't been able to in the last battle… so why now?
"Bache-sama, report!" Her gaze went down to her belt, her thoughts breaking as she grabbed the oculus and activated it.
"I'm here"
"How are things progressing over there? Lili is almost finished on our end" Lili asked as Bache turned and met the gaze of a gathering group of people, all glaring at her but shivering nonetheless in fear.
"Well, I'm inside, they are either running like sissies or shivering in terror… oh, and I broke the fucking sound barrier. I'd say things are going fucking splendid" She spoke sarcastically, silently cursing Erebus and Bell for infecting her with it.
"Lili… sees. Push onwards towards their armory. Do you still have it?" She asked as Bache offhandedly patted the pouch on her belt out of habit as she spoke.
"Yeah, I'm not a child. I can keep track of my belongings. Now what the fuck am I even supposed to do with it?" She answered back as the enemies decided it was now or never to attack apparently as she simply leaned backward as a strike went past her.
"Place it close to where the boxes are stacked in a corner. Allen's report gave me an idea, so make sure it's the right spot or it will do nothing" Lili instructed just as Bache kicked and shattered one of the blades lazily.
"What part of 'I'm not a child' didn't you understand? Apparently, the only one here is you" She almost smirked as she could practically hear the girl growl back through the oculus.
"Okay, boys, It's getting boring, can't you at least do something interesting?" She spoke after a second, getting bored of the lackluster attacks from the group of enemies who were clearly trying too hard for the results of their efforts.
"Shut up! It's not our fault you're too fucking fast!"
…
A grin spread on Bashe's face as she turned to the man who spoke, blinking in front of him as he nearly backpedaled into a wall out of shock.
"No, it's your fault, for being too weak, dipshit" She didn't even deign him with a punch, simply dragging her finger across his cheek as her poison rapidly melted through the skin and into his bloodstream.
At that point, she knew he was as good as dead before sprinting around everyone, doing the same… and within a few seconds, they were all on the ground, writhing and choking on their own spit.
"Really… way too weak…" She shook her head…
…
Maybe she should have kept one alive and conscious to tell her where the armory was… Oh well… guess the next person will have to tell her.
With that, she shot forward fully intending to get it all over with… why did she have to be assigned to the boring missions…
=Orario=
Bell walked into his and Elora's room, eyes downcast and stewing in inner turmoil. He so wanted to listen to Asuka… but he just… he couldn't. Not when he was still out there, when the man responsible for…
His eyes slowly turned upwards as he saw Elora's form lying on the bed, her chest rising and falling evenly with her eyes closed, not an inch of her moving apart from that.
It was as if she was in stasis, time having stopped with her breathing as the only proof of that being false.
… that was why he had to keep going. To make him suffer for this…
…
He honestly didn't know if he was thinking about Kaius or himself at this point. Kaius had done this… he had nearly killed her but….
He had let it happen.
And he hated to admit it, but a part of him wanted himself to suffer for that. He deserved it after letting this happen… and for pushing everyone away.
He'd already committed so…
Walking forward, he approached the bedside before taking a seat, the back of his hand softly and tenderly caressing her warm cheek, the feeling of their skin touching sending a shiver down his spine.
"I'm sorry…" He uttered, his voice coming out soft, yet raspy from emotions.
"I just… I don't know what to do…" And wasn't that the truth? He was at a loss for a lot of things lately. He'd been so sure of everything before, it all slotted perfectly in his head, but now. It was all a mess.
He didn't know what to do about his Bache. He didn't know what to do about Kaius. He didn't know what to do about the kids… and he didn't know what to do about his rising affection for Ais.
"But one thing I know for certain… is I won't ever betray you… no matter what I feel. I made a vow, and I intend to keep it" He gave a weak smile before he looked up and out of the window.
…
He should go. He'd already spent most of the day here as it was already late afternoon. Soon the sun would begin to set.
"I'll be back, I promise…" He leaned forward, kissing her forehead softly and with care before giving her one last, heart-wrenching look before opening the window and leaping out of it.
He didn't want to leave the others down there, but he had to… he just… had to. He couldn't explain it, but that was just how it was.
There was one thing he needed to make sure of… and it was here, in Orario. So instead of sprinting across the rooftops towards the nearest section of the wall leading west, he went south towards a certain building he visited last time he was here.
His gaze quickly locked on the building sticking up and out from every other one in the area, not only due to its size in comparison, but also its extravagance.
It took next to no time to traverse the city, and quickly he found himself on the wide, open space he remembered members of the familia owning the property fighting each other to the death every day.
It's a wonder that there aren't any deaths usually with how brutal they are.
Shaking his head, Bell headed onward toward the doors before ringing the Bell. Last time, he'd broken in, this time, he'll try the more diplomatic approach.
It took a minute before he felt the presence he had noticed on the property closing in. It didn't take a genius to know who it was, as there were only two people he knew with a presence like this.
The large doors opened as Bell took a step back as he was met face to face with the familiar respectful gaze of the boaz, the two nodding at each other as if in silent understanding as the Freya familia captain stepped to the side, allowing Bell to enter.
"Milady has been expecting you" He spoke cordially as Bell nodded slowly.
"I wouldn't expect anything less. Now, while we walk, tell me what you got out of her" He spoke as Ottar nodded, leading Bell along.
"Not much. She was not important to the inner workings of the empire, and instead, he sole purpose was for intel on Orario." Ottar began as Bell nodded along.
"... anything else?" Bell spoke after a moment.
"Yes, there was one thing. While she did not seem knowledgeable about the current inner workings of Kaius' intelligence branch, she knew about some safehouses Nakul uses. Strangely, the memories seemed to have been… suppressed if not outright blocked. It took Freya-sama a great deal of effort to attain this information" Ottar answered, his tone not shifting, but Bell knew that the words were meant to tell him.
"I'm grateful, truly" He answered back, seemingly pleasing the boaz as they finally made it to a giant spiral staircase as Bell frowned. This wasn't the way to Freya's bedroom. Slowly, walking up the obscene amount of stairs, they eventually made it to the top which was a giant stargazing tower with an extravagant throne on it.
One that curiously lacked the goddess one would have expected to sit there, instead, he saw her standing by the railing, a wine glass in her hand, her hips tipped to one side as she leaned forward, her gaze focused on the scenery of Orario.
The tower was by no means Babel, heck, even Belit Babili levels of tall, but it did tower over the rest of the buildings, enough so that one could even see over the walls of Orario.
"A beautiful view, is it not?" Freya asked, smiling slightly as her purple eyes shifted over her shoulder for a moment before she turned, leaning backward against the railing, tilting her head with a soft smile.
To Bell's credit, he avoided gazing at her form, but instead turned his attention to what she had been talking about, taking in the sight and couldn't help but marvel at it as well. One thing he had come to accept is that sometimes, height can impede the beauty of a sight as smaller details become unnoticeable. Freya appeared to have found the perfect balance between tall and short, meeting in the middle so one could see it all.
"It is a beautiful sight. I'm guessing you chose the height of the tower for the added details one could notice?" He queried as the goddess nodded, her smile turning amused.
"Indeed, it is quite the bonus, isn't it?" She answered before motioning towards Ottar as he bowed and left to do… whatever she wanted him to do.
Bell honestly had no idea how he even knew what.
"Now, how are you? I know it hasn't been long, but from my experience, much can happen even in such a short time as a few hours" She asked, as Bell turned his head in confusion at the small talk.
"It's been… the same-? Why the small talk?"
"Isn't it obvious? You're my friend, one of the very few I can have in the world who doesn't try to curry my favor for one reason or the other. I merely enjoy the company" She answered honestly, before hesitating for a moment.
"... and also the only one that has no qualms with showing me my faults straight to my face without fear or hesitation… and despite my… immaturity at times, as much as I loathe to admit it, I do appreciate it"
That… that was something Bell could smile to. She had been trying to do better, he knew that, he had seen it. He figured a little small talk wouldn't hurt.
"I try, isn't that what friends are for?" He stated as he walked up to her, leaning on the railing as he let himself enjoy the breeze.
"Hmm, friends is… a difficult concept at times. Everyone has a different definition of what a true friend is"
"Right… well, my definition, is someone you enjoy spending time with, and helps you become a better person"
"...and isn't afraid to tell someone they are wrong" Freya added as Bell chuckled with a nod.
"That too" The two fell into a companionable silence for a bit as Freya shifted herself back towards her original leaning position, only her fingers gracefully holding her head up by the side, the tips of them gracing her chin almost seductively.
"Now… I do believe you came here for another matter" She spoke after a moment as Bell nodded.
"...Yes. Ottar mentioned there wasn't much to learn, but that there were some other useful bits of information like safehouses?" Freya nodded at his query, a frown forming slightly on her features.
"Indeed. It was tricky to get out of her, in fact, I do not think I've had such a challenge before apart from you" She stated as Bell nodded.
"Do not get me wrong, charming her was easy, and as much as I know you do not like me doing that, it was the quickest way to get the information… yet despite that, she seemed… troubled when it came to remembering the information. It took hours, nearly an entire day of constant trial and error despite her… compliance" Bell nodded slowly. She was right about him not liking her abusing her charm, but he could agree that they needed the information fast.
Well, he didn't expect her to change within a few weeks, that'd be… optimistic doesn't even describe it. An impossibility would be more in the right line.
"Why? Ottar mentioned some… memory block?"
At that, Freya's entire body shifted, turning towards him entirely. She continued leaning on the railing with one shoulder and nodded, a contemplative expression marring her features.
"Quite right, and from what I understand and know, the empire has spent centuries, if not the entire millennium since the gods descended towards collecting artifacts with their conquering antics as a front" Bell nodded as he thought on it.
"Yeah… but to what end? I'd understand a country going out of their way to collect valuable or powerful artifacts on the side as either line the coffers or as a sign of power… but doing it for that long, as a main focus?" Bell shook his head, blinking in confusion as he tried to make sense of it. He hadn't really thought about it, but it honestly made no sense.
Artifacts were powerful, yes, and could overpower first-class adventurers if used correctly, but they were a one-off. If it's destroyed, they are gone, if they lose, they never get it back. Adventurers are generational, each year hundreds if not thousands of mortals gain a blessing, the vast majority centered within Orario.
In other words, even if Orario loses nearly all their strongest adventurers, they will eventually recuperate, but Artifacts doesn't have that kind of leeway.
Eventually, all artifacts will have been used, and what then?
"You are correct, it is strange. It's almost as if they are stockpiling them for a specific purpose…" Freya seemed… worried, and that… that scared him a bit.
Not even when he had been an inch from taking her life in the mortal realm, did she hadn't so much as flinch.
"It worries you…" Bell commented as she slowly, yet surely nodded.
"That it does. If there is one thing I've learned, despite my apparent arrogance at times, it is that mortals are… infinite in their possibilities and are without a doubt, not to be underestimated. With the right circumstances, soul, and opportunities, a mortal may even slay a god, permanently" She motioned towards him "Such as the one converting with me at the moment"
Bell instinctively reached back and touched the pommel of his spear, knowing exactly what she was alluding to.
"I… suppose you're right. But that doesn't answer the question… why? Why stockpile it in the first place?"
…
"... I honestly do not know, and as much as we want, nor how much we try, we won't figure it out here- ah, Ottar" The boaz returned, seemingly sneaking up on them as Bell blinked. Had he been so focused on their conversation that he hadn't even noticed the giant of a man approach, despite his size or presence?
…
And was that tea? Was he gone that long for… tea?
Quirking an eyebrow, he glanced at Freya who just looked amused at Bell's hesitance and confusion. Slowly, he took the offered cup and nodded at Ottar.
"Now, back to the girl. As Ottar has likely already let you know, she was not as knowledgeable as we'd have liked, and despite my troubles and Kaius' seemingly endless ways of annoying me, she knew of one safehouse Nakul frequented quite often among many" That… caught Bell's attention quickly as he had originally thought he'd have to go hunting through each one until he found him but…
"Where?"
"Risha Forest, North Eastern region, located inside a cove" Bell glanced out towards the outside of Orario.
"Do you think Nakul will avoid it?" he asked, his fists clenching as she shook her head, and despite his eyes being elsewhere, he felt it.
"The memory block was powerful, most likely caused by an artifact. To resist a goddess of beauty charm and prodding for so long, is one most likely linked to one of the great spirits" Oh, great. That's just fantastic! An artifact specializing in mental manipulation, a greater artifact at that. He just hopes his Psych will be enough.
"What will you do now?" He froze at the question as he looked at her for a moment. Her posture or features spoke of her lack of intent to try to stop him, so he spoke honestly.
"I'm going to kill him" His voice was laced with venom as she nodded slowly.
"If that is your intention, then so be it. I have given you my advice, and it is up to you to heed it"
For a split moment, he wavered, his eyes returning to hers, and for that split moment, Freya saw it once more, those cracks fighting to finally break through the black flame, but then he turned once more, the moment gone before anything could be done.
"Thank you, Freya… you're a good friend" With that, he lept off of the balcony as the goddess stared after him, not unlike she had done recently… but this time, a smile grazed her lips.
"He's so close… one more great push… that's all he needs…" Was what she said before the area descended into silence for a moment.
…
"Ottar, return to the battlefield. I have a feeling you all will need everything for what is to come"
"Milady? Is there something I am not privy to?"
Honestly, Freya didn't know, so she simply shook her head.
"No, call it godly intuition, but something will happen soon, and it will be a trial for everyone, even you… but if possible, do me a favor" Ottar nodded as she continued.
"If the opportunity arises, help the others break Bell out of those black chains" Ottar stared for a moment as he contemplated her request before nodding, mostly to himself as she was looking away.
'So that's what she calls that flame… apt'
"As you wish, Milady" The boaz bowed for a moment as Freya frowned for but a second before her features returned to her usual serene smile as he departed.
Oh, how hard it was for her not to notice the long-lasting effects of her ignorance now after Bell had pointed out her faults.
Oh well… only time will mend and change… or so she hoped…
It was all she could do right now.
=Central Front, Sirimon Castle=
Tione could honestly say that things were looking up since the start of their siege. Since Ais had made a bold move and simply breached the wall on one end of the fort (oh, she knew she'd get an earful for that), the enemy forces were in complete panic. Gareth had successfully breached the front gate, and she'd managed to secure an entrance thanks to one of the mages forming a stone pathway over the wall.
'Useful' was the only thought she could form in response to that, and sure as that, it was useful. The first stage of the plan was a success…
An arrow slammed into her unprotected shoulder and her eyebrow twitched as she felt it break and break her skin.
Turning her head towards the direction it came from, she glared at the archer who seemed to have frozen solider.
"Bad move…" She growled out before shooting forward, leaping across rooftops as the archer promptly turned around and ran.
'Why do they always run!?' She thought irritably as she quickly closed the distance, her target becoming larger and larger and right as she was about to grab hold of him, something slammed into her from her left, sending her spiraling through the air and through a roof, knocking her head on some form of edge before landing on her back with a loud crack…
"Ow…"
Okay… what… was that?
…
She slowly moved her arm around, making sure nothing was broken. Good, fighting with a broken arm was not fun. It's doable, but not fun.
Getting up, she threw a piece of debris that had landed on her to the side before shaking her head and after a moment to clear her head, she leaped up onto the roof through the hole she'd made coming in.
This time, taking in her surroundings, she spotted the culprit as a predatory grin spread on her face.
'A mage? Oh, you screwed up, didn't you?' She thought as she struggled slightly to push her anger down as she still felt a bit numb on her side. A lightning-based magic maybe? She still remembered how the lightning from that black minotaur had completely numbed and paralyzed her.
This was similar but… weaker.
No matter, shooting off of the roof towards her target, she glanced to the sides, making sure nothing would intercept her and as she felt happy about it, she sped up even more as her foot just landed on another tile and pushed hard enough to cave the structure in.
The mage had barely even a second to react before she'd closed the distance and promptly covered the woman's face with her hand, slamming her into the pavement and swinging her around like a limp noodle, throwing her across and out of the fort.
For a moment, Tione thought it may have been a bit overkill as she saw the mage ragdoll, and slam into a protruding rock hard enough to shatter on impact and clearly break the woman's back.
…
"Oh well!" She shrugged before turning around, noticing the empiric soldier she'd gone after earlier down for the count, probably Fiona's or someone else's doing. She hoped it was Fiona, because whoever did it knew how to kick.
Without further ado, she traveled deeper into the fort, wondering if Ais was doing okay.
=Central Front, Sirimon Castle=
Jannor would reiterate to himself however many times he could, things were not going okay! While Ais seemingly had rushed ahead on a solo mission of complete annihilation of whoever was in her path, and Dainsleif had apparently done the same, that had left the rest of them against… whoever this weirdo was…
Jannor narrowly dodged and leaped away as the shockwave of the hammer slammed into the ground, only for the said ground to become jagged as a piece shot up and smacked into him, sending him spinning backward as he moved to correct his trajectory, turning and shifting just in time to save himself from landing ungracefully.
'Okay, Dad, guess that flexibility training on top of our status was good after all' He thought as he quickly glanced at his side for any potential injuries, relieved to find none.
It might leave a bruise though.
Glancing back up at the giant hulk of a man, he swore he had to be at least 160 kgs of pure muscle as he hoisted the comically large hammer (did he mention comically? That thing was huge!) on his shoulder.
If not for the full-body plate armor, paired with a full-face helmet that looked slightly like a skull but smoothed out with no mouth and a few small spikes, he'd have wondered if this was Ottar's long lost secret brother. The two were terrifyingly similar in size.
Gripping his staff tightly, the half-elven boy frowned as he took another look at that giant hammer. While it was, as he stated, it was comically large, he did notice that it didn't exactly look… ordinary… in fact, its design was anything but.
While normal hammers, stupidly large or not, usually were decorated on the edges and at the bottom of the hilt, the design somewhat stayed the same. A streamlined handle with a rectangular head of varying metal depending on the quality.
This… this was anything but streamlined. The handle was made out of metal, engravings littered around it with a sort of guard that was usually reserved for bladed weapons. It all looked so… nordic. He remembered seeing similar engravings when his mother had gone over the different pantheons and their unique history aesthetics and meanings.
…And the head… was that… stone? No, no way it was, otherwise it would have shattered from that hit earlier. It had left a small crater in the ground, and the man hadn't even seemed to exert any real strength with it.
Not that it said much, clearly he was big… big enough for such a hit to not be that much…
…
And he was in front of him now… strange…
Jannor mused for a split moment before his brain kicked in just in time as he saw the man raise the hammer and clearly with a lot more force than last time, send it down so fast and hard, that the boy had barely an instant to react before the giant surface area of the hammer flattened him into a pancake…
Boom!* Jannor was swiftly sent flying as a shockwave slammed into him point blank as all the air was thrown right out of him along some spit, promptly sending him flying back clean through a building and all its walls before skidding and rolling on the ground, his back hitting another structure, finally stopping his momentum as he groaned out.
Okay… that… was not, what he had expected.
Pushing himself off the ground, he looked up before blanching. The building he had gone through had been obliterated by the shockwave that had sent him flying… alongside most of the ones in his vicinity, in fact, a hammer that had previously created a small crate had dug a large one now instead as he could only stare.
"Oh, it's going to be one of those days… isn't it…" he wined slightly.
"Hey, what the hell's going on!?" Jannor turned and looked over as relief filled him. Tione leaped down onto the ground and frowned at the destruction around them before turning her gaze towards Jannor.
"You alright?" She asked, smiling slightly, almost teasingly as she tilted her head.
"Oh you know, Peachy. Average day, you?" He threw back quickly as he silently cursed Erebus (and his father) for infecting him.
A quick laugh tore itself through Tione's throat as her smirk widened.
"I'll be just fine once I get to actually- oh, that's one big guy." She spotted the giant muscle mass covered in armor walking over towards them with his huge hammer on his shoulder.
"...and that's one stupidly big hammer. Is that even usable?" She snorted out as Jannor looked at her quickly before nodding.
"Yeah, I… I think that may be an artifact…"
That instantly sent the joking atmosphere out of the window as her smile fell and her expression turned serious.
"What?" She asked, contemplating how to handle the situation as Jannor nodded.
"Yeah… that guy may be one of their few level sixes, but I'm unsure, but the destruction around us with a single attack is too much. I've only seen and heard of level sevens being able to do something like this" He informed her as Tione couldn't help but agree. Jannor didn't mention that his father had been capable of the same as a level six. Still, he was an outlier, so he didn't think that counted, meaning the only logical conclusion was something akin to an artifact assisting in the result around them.
"Alright, I'll handle this. Head over and help Ais will you? I think she's somewhere over in that direction" The amazoness nodded to the side as Jannor nodded and for a split moment looked torn, before following the order and left.
Now… to handle this guy.
Her entire focus turned towards her opponent who stared at her, his head tilted to the side, no words leaving his lips, hidden beneath his plate helmet.
Cracking her neck, she crouched down for a second as her eyes narrowed, a small smirk playing on her lips before her leg kicked forward, blurring as she shot towards her target like a bullet.
The knight didn't waste a moment either, immediately swinging the enormous hammer, the weapon flying in an arch deceptively fast as Tione leaned back and let the attack fly right over her body before righting herself and twisting around, connecting her ankle point to his chest, blowing him back as he held his stance firm, not tumbling but only gliding backward.
'He didn't break eye contact…' Tione noted. In other words, he has no intention of letting her out of his sights, even to handle attacks better.
As she was about to head for another attack, the giant of a man swung the hammer despite the distance between them, much to Tione's confusion.
Why atta-
Slamming her arms together and jumping slightly into the air, she curled up into a ball as the wind pressure blew into her full force as the ground was ripped out from under her.
The result?
The area where she had been standing alongside everything behind her had been blasted away alongside her as she spun in the air, untangling herself before landing and skidding to a halt.
Did… did he just attack her with just the pressure from the blow?
Narrowing her eyes at the weapon in his hand, she started taking it more seriously if she could feel it, even if it was only slightly when it was just the wind from at least a fifteen-meter distance. She did not want to take one of those blows head-on, even if it would activate her skill.
And now that she was looking, where she had kicked him earlier, the armor was only slightly dented, but his movements showed no discomfort… so durable.
Level six without a doubt.
One of Kaius' generals.
In other words, with that piece of information, she knew that this man had suddenly become a priority target. After all, they only had around a dozen level sixes at most from what they knew, so taking even one down could make a decently sized difference.
If it's power he's got…
Pushing herself forward as fast as she could, Tione began to throw punch after punch, followed by kick after kick, making sure to weave them together in an as unpredictable manner as possible.
Kick, Punch, Punch, Dodge, Punch.
One after another, she carefully analyzed how her opponent moved, drawing from the plethora of times Finn had taught her more personally how he fought… or more specifically, how he approached a fight.
Observe, Analyze, Deconstruct… Those three aspects were at the core of how the prum fought, and as much as the style of fighting wasn't her forte or even a style she enjoyed using, she had not only seen but also felt how effective it was at dismantling opponents.
Her eyes followed each and every micromovement. He so much as twitched, and she knew about it.
She heard his shoulder move to the right, and at the same time, she spotted his hips twist slightly to the side as she was throwing another hit toward his side.
'Left hip turning back, attack from said direction' She thought out of habit as the hammer flew towards her at full speed, only for her to deflect it to the side, sending all the force in that direction while she followed up with a swift counterattack, wrapping her other arm around his forearm before flipping over him, using her grip as a hold to not overshoot.
Quickly pulling herself down as her feet were pointing straight up above him, she shifted position, wrapping her legs around him, one around the neck, and one under the shoulder.
Connecting and digging her fingers into the ground, she pulled, and with tremendous force, slammed him into the ground, resulting in a shockwave as the ground around the fort shook.
Not wanting to give him any opportunity to get up, she clenched her leg muscles and squeezed hard, twisting to the side as she sought out that pop, signifying a broken or pulled bone.
'Come on…' she thought as a second turned to ten…
For a long moment, she wondered why his bones hadn't broken yet… was it because of the armor? Did it make her hold weaker, or not quite right-
Her eyes snapped down as she felt him move, only for her to get a face full of stone, rattling her bones and sending her flying bouncing on the ground and through a couple of buildings.
Tione's head spun as she came to a stop, pain radiating around her body as she could taste the blood in her mouth…
So… he probably slammed his hammer into her… with his one free hand… yeah, should have made sure it was out of reach.
Honestly, Tione felt a little stupid for making such a simple mistake. She forced herself onto her feet, wincing as she felt the tell-tale signs of a broken bone.
'Well… I wanted my skill active…' She thought, as she looked up and glared at where she had come from, feeling her skill activate.
Just as she was about to continue, a large hand landed on her shoulder as she froze, glancing at whoever it was.
She was met with the face of a familiar dwarf looking up at her as she calmed down slightly.
"You alright, lass?" Gareth tilted his head slightly as he snuck a peek around her, where her opponent was walking towards them.
"Did he do this?" He asked before Tione could follow his eyes, though she knew who he meant. Nodding slowly, she turned to look at the man.
"Yeah, the shithead's got some huge hammer, probably an artifact… Broke my bone… like I'm gonna break his" She hissed at the end, glaring daggers.
Hadn't she tried to work on anger management? Honestly, she didn't really see a reason to care at the moment as Gareth hummed.
"Quite an intimidating weapon, ain't it? Know what it does?" For a moment she didn't answer before shrugging.
"I don't know but looks to make any attack he does with it stronger… stupidly strong if you ask me. He broke my bone with a bad angle, and my head is still spinning" Gareth made a small sound of understanding at that, though his expression was a bit grim.
"Aye, shall we take him together?" Gareth suggested, smiling under his beard as he readied his axe.
Honestly…
"Do you have to ask?" She asked, grinning.
After all, the Loki familia wasn't just known for their strength… but their unparalleled teamwork in comparison to any other familia.
Together, the two shot forward, as the combatants met for a final bout.
=Southern Front=
Had Bache said she was bored? She thinks she has… because she's bored.
Why is it that the damn prum got to fight someone challenging, while she is stuck with this… rabble?
She let out a deep sigh right as she wrapped her arm around the neck of one of her opponents, if they could be called that before snapping it with a swift motion, much to the horror of the others.
She had been running around for half an hour now, thinning them out from the inside as she looked for their armory. Honestly, they must have picked the most inconspicuous building for it, because she just can't find it.
It doesn't help either that the place was bigger than it looked…
Quickly, parrying a blow she punched the jaw off of one of the level ones that were cornered by her before shooting between her opponents, hitting every single one of them once each. It was enough, she knew that, and the result showed that she was right as they all promptly collapsed or were sent flying into the wall, unconscious or for a few of them, dead.
Looking over the horizon where tornadoes of flames danced around one another, she whistled slightly at the spectacle. Riveria's magic was like a beacon and it was honestly sort of beautiful in its own... Fiery… destructive manner.
Shaking her head, she turned towards the direction of her search, she leaped towards the next rooftop as she jumped around, searching for any sign of the armory.
…
Her thoughts drifted slightly for a moment towards Elora. A random, stray thought, one of those you just can't explain. She just knew if she'd been here, she'd already have found it within five minutes.
A small smile made its way onto her face, just as she heard a couple of voices. Stopping and peeking over one of the rooftops, she narrowed her eyes as she spotted a large group of soldiers… and a mage. A mage who seemed to be calling out orders.
"Jassenz, take three squadrons and reinforce the east, we need to buy time. Bernaud, heads to the armory with Nikola and Henderson. Start evacuating the supplies through the tunnel, do you understand? We can't lose it" Everyone who she had called out to nodded and left, leaving the mage and the soldier to her side.
"Briggs-sama, what about us?" The soldier asked as the mage turned towards her.
"The terata, Veregina has infiltrated from the rear. We will find her and deal with her" She spoke as Bache narrowed her eyes.
'Deal with me? I'll show you who deals with who' She thought as a small smirk made itself onto her face before glancing at the group headed towards the armory, still running down a straight path.
'...After I finish what I came here to do' She finished her trail of thought as the mage and soldiers had disappeared. It surprised the Amazonian a bit as she'd only looked away for a second, but it didn't matter.
Turning back, she shot forward, following the group heading towards the armory. Turning corners and passing multitudes of buildings before finally, they stopped in front of an inconspicuous one… with a unique tilted roof…
'You have got to be kidding with me… ALLEN!?' She screamed in her head as her eyes twitched. Why the hell… didn't he just report that…!? Or was he just bitter enough to exclude it?
Damn cat, she should rip his tail off and use it as a whip.
Quietly jumping down and sneaking behind the one in the rear, she smacked him in the face with her elbow, breaking his fall with her foot so as to not make noise before moving on to the next, then finally the last. With a smack on his neck, he collapsed quickly.
"Well…" She uttered as she fished out the item Lili had handed her, a fiery orb wrapped around in three small bags of liquid. What it was, she didn't know, and didn't care.
Entering the building, she glanced around at the assortment of weapons, before promptly walking past them.
"Boxes in a corner…" She uttered, silently praying Allen was at least trustworthy in this…
"Aha! Fucking finally" She practically ran up to the boxes before placing the item in between them and pulling out her Oculus.
She was about to call Lili, but stopped for a second, glancing at the barrels… and in a fit of curiosity, opened one up and peeked inside, right as she was assaulted by a scent that made her want to vomit as she instinctively backed up. What the hell... Was that!?
Forcing herself back, she peeked inside once more, resisting the urge to just, get away from it, and actually looked.
It was full of some kind of powder that smelled horrible, but despite it all, she recognized the smell a bit… like she'd smelled it before…
…
"Holy shit…" She breathed out. Where are these people utterly insane keeping this stuff here!? How'd they even get their hands on it?
Babycerasaurus Powder.
The only drop item of the little suicide bomber of the jungle paradise. No one knows why it has the drop item, at least from what Elora told her, but it is thought to be located inside the egg it wears to enhance the explosion… and this stuff is explosive alright…
AND THEY HAVE SIX BOXES FILLED WITH IT!?
And then it clicked, she glanced down at the item she'd placed next to the boxes, glancing between the boxes and the item… which she knew was some kind of explosive…
"Oh… shit…" She whispered as she took a step back, her heart hammering. She was standing, at what was going to be ground zero of one, massive god damned explosion.
…
If I had a bucket list, this… would probably be on it, who am I kidding? It would probably be amazing to watch when she was out of the explosion radius.
Activating the Oculus in her hand, she decided to just get on with it.
"Lili, what the fuck…" She uttered without a beat as she heard a chuckle and a snort, followed by an explosion. The snort sounded suspiciously like a certain high elf.
"Bache-sama, what's wrong?"
"You could have told me I was taking a bomb and placing it next to six boxes filled with Babycerasaurus powder!" She hissed.
"What?" Riveria's voice came through, clearly surprised as Lili sighed.
"Sorry, Bache-sama, but I wasn't sure if you'd do it if you knew" Lili tried to explain, though Bache saw right through it.
"Bullshit, you know I would have, you just like messing with me!" Laughter followed her statement, probably Welf in the background, and the silence from the prum spoke volumes. She could almost feel the disapproving stare from Riveria aimed at the Prum.
"That's beside the point. I take it the item is planted?"
"Yeah, it is, I'm looking at it" Bache responded as Lili hummed.
"Good, set the building on fire and leave quickly, I don't think I have to tell you that you would not appreciate the result if you are too close" Bache was silent for a moment before glancing at a torch.
(Later, Bache was a bit confused as to why they even had torches when magic stone lamps were much better, both short and long-term)
"Yeah, keep an eye on the horizon. You're about to get a light show that will make Riveria's magic look like a spark"
With that, she put away the oculus and walked over to the torch, grabbing and holding it out. Well… here's nothing. Dropping it, she watched it land on the floor, the flames taking a moment to start spreading before she ran, bursting out of the building as she pushed her legs as hard as she could, feeling the sound barrier breaking and before long, she was at the edge of the fort, looking back and waiting.
Three seconds passed before-
BOOM* To call it an explosion would be kind, the sheer power of the blast nearly sent her flying as she had to grip hard into the ground to stay on it, and still, she was pushed backward, clawing away at the ground.
Once the force dissipated, she took a good, long look at the mushroom cloud that emanated from the other side of the fort, and just… admired it because holy shit!
…
She had no idea how much time passed, but one thing she did not expect to break her out of her thoughts, was the sound that did.
"SCREEEEEE" An inhuman shriek echoed across the fort, or at least, the parts that were left as the north was basically… well, gone.
"Monster…?" She whispered slowly as she frowned. There was no way that sound came from a mortal.
…
Breaking out into a sprint, she ran straight in the direction of its origin. Maybe it was stupid, but something told her it was important.
It didn't take long to arrive at the location, further to the east of the fort, closer to the fighting, she stood on a roof, staring down at a plaza… one that had multiple corpses, and fresh given that the pools of blood were still growing in size.
Leaping down, she walked forward, the sound of footsteps in a liquid echoing across the plaza.
A loud rumble echoed around the area, causing Bache to snap her head around, only to realize it was an aftereffect of the blast.
…
"God damn it, give me a break…" She uttered before continuing. Near the edge of the corpses, one stood out above the rest as Bache looked positively horrified. The… thing, looked like a heavily disfigured mortal… no, was it? It was honestly almost impossible to tell.
It was crumpled up, greyish in color… almost decayed. Its skin seemingly had shrunk into itself leaving only it and bones remaining, said bones protruding out from where she figured was its ribs, but she was not able to make out much else. The rest had either turned to dust or too disfigured to make out… but one thing gave her a shiver.
It's the right arm, which unlike its dusted left one, was whole, though decayed… it was dripping with blood, its fingers akin to claws…
Glancing back at the corpses, she recognized a few of them mixed with the empire's soldiers.
The sounds of battle close by didn't even register to her as she pieced together what had happened here.. Whatever this thing was… it had killed all these people. The marks on their wounds were too gruesome and wild to have been from a sword, blade, or fist. It was as if their flesh and guts had been ripped out suddenly.
And the thing that had done it… was the creature she was standing over, a creature that had somehow died without a wound.
One thing Bache was certain of… was that this… was not good at all. A feeling in her gut told her that this was bad news.
"Lili, I've got a situation" She spoke into the oculus.
"What's going on?"
"I found corpses… mixed corpses"
…
"Where?- Welf, northeast!" Flames lit up the horizon once more, illuminating even the still-present mushroom cloud before Bache answered.
"Close to you, maybe a hundred meters over where the wall was"
"Signs of perpetrators?"
"Perpetrator, and it isn't human… and very dead when I got here"
"Dead?" Lili asked, confused.
"Yes, it's… some kind of disfigured… creature or person. I don't know. It's disgusting but… it looks like this thing ripped out the guts and slaughtered everyone here… some of these people were second class"
…
"Noted, Lili will inspect it later… but she does not like it. Hopefully, we will not see more of it" She spoke as Bache hummed.
"Yeah, me too. I'd rather not fight whatever this thing is…" Bache answered.
"Besides that, the explosion has the enemy in a panic and we are rounding things up over here. We'll secure the fort after that, so try to search where you can for any enemies" Bache nodded, despite her not being able to see it as she spoke.
"Yeah, yeah…" She put the oculus back down and turned to leave before looking back one more time at the monster, before leaving the area.
If she hadn't, she would have seen the sun touch its skin as it began decaying even more, the parts exposed, turning to dust, and rendering the evidence in the wind.
And that's chapter 76. Sorry for such a long delay, my Gmail was hacked for a time during october, and I've been working on another story a bit more lately as a focus as I've felt a bit burned out from TFA.
Anyhow, I'm glad I was able to finish this finally, alongside three chapters of Freiheit Aus Dem Käfig.
I know it doesn't make up for… two months of absence, but it's all I got, unfortunately. Anyhow, there isn't much else I wanna say, so I'll instead get right into the reviews!
NinjaFan1331: Great work and I like how Bell seems to slowly recover and Aiz is slowly making her way into his heart again.
Author: Yeah, key word: Slowly. It's a gradual process, but it is happening. Bell is slowly coming to his senses as you might have noticed in this chapter, and Ais is earning his affection, this time more understanding of her own feelings. I wonder where this will lead ;)
Fallendemon248:Oh man Zeus is gonna come to orario to see bell one last time before he goes back to heaven?! I think bell would be mad his grandfather disappeared for so long but I think he would understand in the end and it would give him that last push and determination to finish what his Family died trying to do. Loving the development and growth, I kinda hope Elora wakes up and gives bell her blessing for Bell to make a harem but it's probably not gonna happen and I really hope you don't just leave Elora in a coma.
Author: Most of what you stated, I can't give answers to (well, I can, but won't. Spoilers), but yeah, it's a given that Zeus is returning for a final bout. Can't wait to show you all what I have in store for you, even if the next Arc after this one is mostly political which is the beginning of the final Act of the story.
Stevenpiskunov2: Thats the thing with situations like these. People will say things like "Its not worth it" or "This isnt right" but its entirely different when this circumstance actually happens to them.
Also I already explained myself in that pm. Unless you didn't understand what I meant in the pm either?
Author: True that, being in a situation and being an outsider viewer severely skews one's perspective and understanding of events. For someone else, it might seem like the actions are too far, but when you're in their situation, you begin to understand just why they made the choices that they made. Grief and anger can be powerful motivators, but can easily corrupt one's actions to something darker and more malicious.
About the PM, yeah, I understood, and I can actually answer that as it's not really a spoiler due to me already revealing that Zeus is heading back to Orario for a final time. I was intending on Bell before he arrives, visiting the grounds of the Zeus and Hera familias and looking at old mementos, pictures, and other objects of value left behind after their exile.
It'll happen in the intermission between this and the next arc, so its a bit of a way ahead, but it will happen.
Mairsarmy321:Wow i have to say that im extremely impressed with this chapter and i loved it so much. Keep up the excellent work my friend.
Quick question Hermes told Zeus that Bell was level 7, does he not know that bell is level 8 or did i miss the fact that it was a secret lol.
Author: Thanks, we worked hard on it. As for your question, yeah. Bell leveled up but never announced it to the guild, so as far as the world knows, he's still level 7. Ryuu and the others at the manor know he's leveled up alongside Bache, Adrienne, Aralaya, and Jannor. Otherwise, Finn now is the only one outside of that who knows that he went through with the level-up.
Redeyehawk23: I'm so confused about how his life is so fucked up when he has the luck skill lmao
Author: Lol, this made me laugh xD. But seriously, it's because luck is subjective. Events that can seem horrible and unlucky, could really be the opposite because they shape and prepare you for future events. Let's say something is coming your way that requires you to be stronger, so something happens before that which makes you struggle, but grow and become stronger to be ready for that other event. That is luck in and of itself. Or a better word as Hestia once put it. Divine protection. Something that transcends logic and even time.
It also only affects him, so his family doesn't benefit from it. They are still susceptible to horrifying events outside of Bell's luck abilities protection (in certain ways).
Strikerstriker315: (All of his reviews are included in my answers are there are too many)
Author: It was funny how you went from calling the story bullshit then ending up saying it is a great story. I take that as a compliment and proof of my growth as a writer. So thank you for your feedback, negative and positive, even if it wasn't much. I also found the reviews amusing xD.
Guest: You already have well established wife for Bell. Why are you trying to force Aiz?
Author: Does it feel forced? Man, I suck at writing romances. If you have feedback on what makes it feel that way, please let me know. I do want to improve in that regard!
That's all, and with that done, I'll wish you all happy readings and to see you next time!