Author's notes: Guess who's back!
First of all, my apologies for the long wait. But as I explained, I was getting fed up with the Danmachi fanfic and needed to do something else. That's why I did some work on RWBY, to get it out of my head. But I've also done a lot of other creative hobbies and written work, including forum RP.
Anyway, enough about me, let's get back to the crazy adventures of Bell and Ishtar! Where were we again? Oh yes! The famous movie which, according to the author, isn't canon, but we don't care because it's a fanfic. Enjoy your reading.
Chapter 22: In the name of the moon...
On stage, Hermes continued his show, inviting people to try and remove a strange spear stuck in a crystal block. Several people gave it a go, without success.
Encouraged by Lefiya, Ais also tried her luck, hoping to get her mind off the bizarre ideas she had in her head. Unfortunately, the weapon didn't move one inch and the beautiful blonde quickly admitted that she couldn't do it. This depressed Lefiya, who had believed in her idol.
"Why don't you give Bell a try?" Ishtar asked her little protégé, hoping to distract him from his embarrassing questions about Ais.
Hearing this, Lefiya suddenly raised her hand.
"Me! I want to try! I want to try!" said the elf as she climbed onto the platform. It was out of the question for her to let herself be overtaken by this filthy human without doing anything.
"The charming Thousand Elf takes her turn!" shouted Hermes, keeping the crowd entertained.
Standing on the stage, Lefiya pulled on the spear with all her might. The weapon made a tiny movement, but... no, it refused to free itself from the crystal. And it was with eyes clouded with sadness that Lefiya went down to join Ais, who tried to console her as best she could.
"Come on, Bell, it's your turn." Ishtar patted him on the back to motivate him.
Bell took to the stage, much to the delight of Hermes, who was always pleased to see him in action.
Oh? Bell, are you next?"
"Yes" replied the young man politely before stepping up to the stage.
"The Little Lion faces the challenge!" continued Hermes, fully into his role as host.
Bell took a firm hold of the weapon and it was then that a voice echoed briefly in his head.
"I've found you."
The young man was startled by this voice from nowhere, and then runes began to glow along the weapon before the crystal holding it began to shatter and release it. Bell was taken by surprise a second time and fell on his back, still holding the weapon in his hands, as the crowd fell silent.
While Hermes thought to himself that fate had chosen him, Ishtar sighed heavily.
"It's strange, I guess I've seen him do so many improbable things that nothing surprises me any more..."
Then the crowd erupted in cheers to congratulate the winner, while his friends applauded and Lefiya was disappointed by her victory, which Lili took advantage of to taunt her a little.
Ishtar came up on stage and stroked Bell's head with an affectionate smile.
'Well done Bell. Strangely enough, I never doubted your success. Her goddess teased him, reminding him of her ability to get herself into unlikely situations, which made him blush with embarrassment.
"Congratulations, Bell," said the travelling god as he held out his hand to help him to his feet.
"Thank you, but I didn't quite understand what happened."
"That's not important Bell, let me introduce you to the sponsor of this trip instead."
"The sponsor?"
As he spoke, Hermes pointed to someone on the other side of the crowd.
A woman... no, a goddess, Bell recognised. She gave off that special aura, that little feeling that is unique to gods. Of course, like all goddesses, she was a great beauty. Her long hair was a lovely pale blue, her eyes were a magnificent green and her face was soft and gentle.
"Artemis!" exclaimed Hestia with immense joy, who had been rather silent until then.
"Do you know her?" Bell asked, surprised by the little goddess's reaction of joy. He rarely saw her in such a good mood. Even if Hestia wasn't unhappy, her current situation wasn't much fun either, and that lowered her spirits from time to time.
"She's my best friend!"
Hestia's reaction was understandable, after weeks of being a maid at the Astral Mansion, finding the one she considered her best friend was enough to make her happy.
"Artemis!" cried Hestia as she walked towards her friend, her arms wide open.
The goddess of the hunt began to do the same, rushing towards her... before passing by the little goddess, ignoring her completely to climb onto the podium.
"I've found you, Orion!" said the beautiful goddess before jumping into Bell's arms, who no longer understood anything about what was happening.
"Orion?" asked Welf and Lili, who didn't understand much either.
Ishtar just remained silent, her eyes wide open as she watched this totally improbable scene, while Bell, as usual, could only manage to blush and make strange sounds and Hestia was going through a great moment of solitude.
"What-what-what... What's all this mess!" cried the little goddess, while Hermes gave an amused chuckle.
However, the wandering god didn't have time to laugh any longer, because a shiver of fear suddenly overcame him as two hands were placed on his shoulders and he felt Ishtar's cold aura behind his back.
"Weeeeeeeell... My dear Hermes, knowing you, I know there's a scam going on. So, show's over, you're going to kindly come and explain everything to us." The goddess of beauty said to him, in a voice as sensual as it was cold.
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" replied the other deusdea in panic.
They all met up at the Astral Mansion, the only quiet place where they could take stock of the situation in the company of Artemis and Hermes. Speaking of Hermes, many noted that Asfi was not at his side. However, it was very rare for her not to accompany him, especially on this kind of business, but there were more urgent matters to deal with.
"Well, now I think we're entitled to a few explanations. After all, it's obvious that this whole trip thing is a big lie, isn't it, Hermes?" Ishtar asked in an icy tone as she took a puff from her kiseru.
"Let's say... a pretext." Replied the blond god in a cold sweat.
"We don't care!" interrupted Hestia, visibly very disturbed. "Artemis! Can I ask what got into you? Why did you jump on Bell like that?"
"Sorry Hestia, I was just happy." Her friend replied sheepishly.
"Hermes! Is that really Artemis? Why is she so weird?"
"Well, maybe Artemis has just got used to life in the lower world. She's been here a lot longer than you have. Spend a few decades here at least and you'll see the difference." Hermes replied, happy to escape the inquisitive tone of the goddess of beauty.
"Why do you say that, Lady Hestia?" Lili asked. "What kind of goddess is Lady Artemis?"
"Artemis is one of the virgin goddesses, a guardian of chastity and the moral authority against impure relationships. In fact, she's even a fierce enemy of romance."
As soon as Hestia had finished her explanation, all eyes turned to Ishtar, still sitting quietly smoking.
"Basically, your complete opposite." Lena simply said to the goddess of beauty.
"Indeed." Ishtar replied soberly. The amazoness' comment was totally relevant, Artemis and her were perfect opposites. "But that still doesn't answer our questions, Hermes. Why is Artemis sponsoring this event? Her familia isn't even based in Orario as far as I know."
"I was about to come to that, Ishtar." The god replied, as uncomfortable as ever in the presence of the goddess. "A rather... peculiar monster has appeared in an area near Orario. The Artemis familia is fighting it, but things are more complicated than expected."
"The Artemis familia may not frequent the Dungeon, but that doesn't mean they're weak, as far as I know. And the monsters on the surface, even the most powerful ones, are no match for those in the Dungeon. So I ask you again, Hermes, what's the scam?"
"This is no ordinary monster." Artemis replied. "It's called Antares, it's a unique monster, sealed for a long time in the ruins of Elsos."
"Elsos..." repeated Ishtar as she seemed to search for where she had heard that name before. "It's not that close to Orario, Hermes, it would take a month's journey to reach those ruins."
I've already planned for that, a small group could be there in barely ten days and my familia is already there."
So, this world tour, in fact, is just a quest for the Artemis familia." Lili replied.
Exactly."
"That's suspicious." Said Aisha. "Why all the fuss at the festival? Why not just go through the Guild and make an official request?"
The amazoness' questions were legitimate, the whole thing was strange. This kind of staging wasn't shocking for Hermes, but Artemis seemed much calmer.
"Customer request." Hermes replied with a small smile, pointing at the chaste goddess. She had turned towards Bell and still seemed impassive, as if none of this really concerned her. Her behaviour was a little disturbing.
"Only you can help me, Orion."
Orion? No, my name is Bell Cranel.
No, you're Orion, my hope." She said, handing him the mysterious spear.
"But why me? There are plenty of adventurers stronger than me, like Ais. Even in my familia." He replied, looking in Aisha's direction.
"It's not a question of strength, but of heart. The spear chose you because your soul is pure... surprising as that may seem." She finished, glancing in the direction of Ishtar and the two amazoness.
"I have the strange impression that we've just been insulted." Aisha said softly.
What do you mean a pure soul? How can that be when Bell is such a beast?" asked Lena with her usual delicacy.
"A beast?" said the young man, red-faced with shame.
"May I ask just what other nonsense you're talking about, Lena? Let me remind you that even I haven't managed to claim him yet."
"What? What are you talking about? Are you telling me he's still a virgin?" she pointed at the poor boy, who was looking for the nearest mouse hole to bury himself in. "But, but... how is that possible? And all those times when..."
"Lena." The goddess of beauty interrupted her coldly. "I don't know what strange story have been running through your head, but we're going to have a long talk about that."
The little amazoness felt a long shiver of fear run up her back as Hestia grew impatient.
"Enough of your nonsense! Don't worry, Artemis, we'll do everything we can to help you." Said the little goddess as she took the hands of her best friend, who returned her smile.
"Hestia."
Then she suddenly remembered that she had no authority in this matter and came to plant herself in front of Ishtar, her hands clasped and her gaze pleading.
"We're going to help her, aren't we?" She asked with a particularly insistent puppy-dog look, to the point where it was becoming embarrassing, even for Ishtar.
"Yes, we're going to help her, so stop looking at me like that." The beautiful goddess replied before turning to the huntress. "Very well, Artemis, my familia accepts your request, but under certain conditions."
"Thank you Ishtar." Replied the chaste goddess with a smile.
"You're the best Ishtar!" said Hestia suddenly, giving her a big hug, which was particularly embarrassing.
"Get off me Hestia. Now, where was I? Oh yes, I'm not going to be able to mobilise my berberas for a quest this far out of town, so you'll only have the Delebat. I hope that's enough for you."
"Yes, as long as Orion is by my side, it will suffice."
"In any case, I can only carry a small group." Hermes pointed out.
"How many people exactly?"
"At the moment, eight is my limit. But knowing that there's already Artemis and me, there are only six people left."
"I see. Bell will be there, of course, as will Lili."
"Count me in too, I'm not going to let my party down now." Said Welf. "And don't worry about my goddess, I'm still going to ask her permission, but I don't think she'll object."
"Me! Me! I want to go too!" said Lena, jumping up and down on the spot, clearly very excited at the idea of taking part in this trip.
"Very well, since you're so keen on it, Lena."
"Great! Thank you."
"Don't forget me!" said Hestia. "I have no intention of letting my best friend down."
"Of course not, Hestia. In that case, I'll take the last place." Said the goddess of beauty, surprising everyone.
"Are you coming too, Ishtar?" Asked Hermes, who had not expected this.
"Is that so shocking? Sometimes I feel like going off on an adventure myself. And I don't intend to abandon the Delebat while it's away so far. And no Haruhime, it's useless to give me that look, you're not going in my place." The goddess said, seeing the little look the fox was giving her. "And I'd prefer Aisha to stay in town too, to look after you."
"As you wish." Replied the voluptuous amazoness, not particularly attracted by this adventure.
"I hope you don't have any problems with me coming, Artemis?"
"Not at all, thank you for your help Ishtar."
The goddess of beauty remained silent at her reply before speaking again.
"Very well, let's look at the logistics, we're going to have to make some preparations, can we postpone the departure until the day after tomorrow at dawn Hermes?"
"The situation is pretty urgent, but we're not a day away, so it should be fine."
"Perfect, if I'm going to be away for about three weeks, I need to make sure of some preparations first."
Once everyone agreed, Hermes and Artemis left, leaving Bell with the spear and plenty of questions...
The next day, while everyone was getting ready for Artemis' expedition, Aisha was complaining to Goibniu's workshop, and more specifically to the god himself.
"What do you mean my order isn't ready yet? I gave it to you weeks ago!" shouted Aisha.
"I know you did." Replied the blacksmith god with a sigh. "It's just that we've had problems of our own. Loki's familia never stop overloading us with priority work with their unbearable deadlines. Between their expeditions and everything else... and they've been at it again recently, it's messing up my whole order book."
"Your management, that's your problem, I'll have you know I paid good money for my weapon."
"I know, I'll give you a discount Antianeira. And let me reassure you, I've finally been able to start getting serious about it, so unless Loki pulls one of her pranks on me again, it should go pretty quickly."
"I hope so too."
"By the way, about your second request. Now that I have an idea of the stock I have available, it should be more than possible."
"Oh? Interesting, I'll be counting on you then." The amazoness replied with a mysterious smile.
Within Belit Babili, the atmosphere was much more turbulent. When Ishtar announced to her inner circle that she was planning to leave, it caused quite a stir.
"Goddess! You can't just leave like that!" Samira began. "This is all happening too fast and..."
"Calm down Samira, I'm only going away for three weeks, the entertainment district won't collapse for so little."
"Why go to all this trouble for a common second-rate quest, issued by a goddess with no prestige?"
"Choose your words better Samira before insulting a goddess so openly. And this quest may be more complex than expected."
"Then why send the Delebat? They are inexperienced! Leave it to us instead."
"Artemis wants Bell and I'd rather keep an eye on him for now. You, I trust you. You're well experienced at keeping the district safe."
A trust that was going to cost her dearly...
"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to be away? Especially at the moment?" the amazoness asked, referring to their various plans.
"On the contrary, this is the best time."
"I don't understand you."
"Kali has proved unreliable. And according to our information, Loki intends to go to war with the Evilus. It would be better for me to be on the outside when the storm breaks between them. Besides, if I'm away, it'll give me an excellent cover - who'd believe I'd leave while planning an attack on the most powerful familia in this city?"
"Your reasoning... is a bit flawed goddess. But I guess we'll just have to comply with your will." Samira said wearily.
"Always, Samira. Believe me, I know what I'm doing and it's not like I'm leaving without leaving you instructions in case something goes wrong."
All this only reinforced Samira's idea that her goddess had lost her way because of Bell. She would never have gone off adventuring like that before, too attached to her comfortable life and consumed by her hatred. She was doing anything she could, jeopardising everything they had built, and it had to stop.
With Ishtar away for several weeks, it would give the conspirators plenty of time to prepare their plan and recruit more people for their project. The only one he'd have to watch out for was Aisha, but that was manageable.
"It will be done according to your wishes, my goddess." Samira said as she bowed.
She and the other amazoness present withdrew, leaving the goddess alone in her room. Alone with her thoughts, Ishtar went to a cupboard in the corner of the room. A lion was engraved on it. With a slow movement, she raised her hand and gently brushed against it, as if afraid to open it.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in." She said soberly and moved away from the cupboard. The person who entered her chambers was Tammuz, her precious right-hand man, who looked troubled.
"Let me guess. You don't want me to leave either?"
"I'd like you to stay, that's true. But if you want to leave, then take me with you."
"Tammuz... you know that's not possible." She said, placing a gentle hand on his cheek. The man gently grasped it and pressed it against his skin.
"Don't you trust me any more, my goddess?"
"Of course I do, Tammuz."
"Then why do you favour this kid so much?"
It was a legitimate question and Ishtar was well aware that she had been doing Bell and the Delebat far more favours than the rest of her familia of late.
"Bell is someone I expect a lot from. The only thing is, he and the Delebat are still immature, which is why I supervise them a lot, to make sure everything's going well. That's not something I need to do with you. You're strong, experienced, you can handle yourself."
"I feel like I'm losing you, my goddess."
"That's not the case Tammuz. I'm sorry to give you the impression that I'm letting you down. Some things have changed and I can see that it's unsettling for some of you, but everything will soon be better I promise."
"Yes, everything will soon be better..."
But the two of them had very different ideas of what those words meant. And since Tammuz wasn't lying when he said that, she couldn't see it.
"I'm going to be away for three weeks, it's going to be a long time for you, stay with me tonight, if I can't take you, I can at least devote myself to you tonight."
No one would be able to refuse such a proposal from Ishtar, but it only made the man smile sadly.
"I would be honoured, my goddess, but I'd rather leave you in peace. You have a long journey ahead of you and you must prepare for it properly, I will only distract you."
"Are you sure Tammuz?"
"Yes."
"I don't tell you this enough Tammuz, but you really are one of the best assistants I could have, I know I could always rely on you."
"Of course my goddess, you know I would always do everything in your best interest..."
But he had his own definition of what was in Ishtar's best interest. However, as he was sincere in his words, she naturally did not see any lies and so could not guess what he was up to.
Ishtar took the loyalty of her familia for granted, but this complacency would soon cost her dearly... very dearly...
Early the next morning, with the first rays of sunlight barely illuminating the distant sky, a number of people gathered on the ramparts of Orario. Bell, Lili and Hestia were the first to arrive, wearing different outfits to those they were used to.
"I wasn't expecting Ishtar to give us new clothes for the occasion." Said Hestia, wearing a white dress with much more coverage than her usual outfit.
"Yes, she said it was to celebrate our first real trip together outside." Bell replied. The quest he had done for Miach a few weeks earlier had been much shorter.
"Besides, they're much better suited to this kind of trip, so it's perfect." Concluded Lili, also in a much more presentable outfit than her old rags.
"Ah? I see you've got the travel outfit too." The blacksmith said to them as he arrived in his turn, himself dressed in an outfit more suited to the journey that awaited them.
"Welf. Are you all right? You look... tired." Bell remarked, noting the dark circles under his friend's eyes.
"Let's just say I had to make a lot of preparations yesterday and it wasn't all plain sailing."
"Is everyone here yet? Perfect."
The voice belonged to Ishtar, who arrived, accompanied by Lena, but also Aisha and Haruhime, who had no doubt come to wish them a safe journey. The goddess was covered in a large cloak, as she was every time she went out. Lena also wore a more appropriate travelling outfit. Even though, as a perfect amazoness, she always wore clothes that showed a lot, she was still much more covered than usual.
"I see I've chosen your outfits well, they fit you perfectly."
"Yes, thank you goddess, they're perfect." Bell replied with a big smile.
"And you, Ishtar?" Hestia said. "I hope you have something with more coverage than your usual outfits underneath."
Ishtar gave an amused little laugh in reply, before taking off her thick cloak and letting it fall to the ground, provoking a number of admiring reactions, and with good reason. The goddess was indeed wearing an outfit that was very different from her usual clothes, if her usual clothes could even be described as clothes because there was so little fabric.
The goddess was dressed in what looked much more like combat gear. On her upper body, she wore a metal bustier covering her torso up to her navel and part of her back, with long sleeves on her arms, covered by metal armbands on her forearms and reinforced gloves on her hands. On the lower part of her body, she had a long dress that came down to her ankles, with two long slits so that her legs could be seen when she walked. For once, she wasn't barefoot and was wearing thick leather sandals with long laces running up her calves, which were themselves covered by metal shin guards.
The metal parts of her outfit appeared to be masterpieces, forged from rare metals, and were all decorated with fine engravings that enhanced the majesty she exuded. The back of her dress was beautifully embroidered with the emblem of her familia.
"So, how do I look?" said the goddess as she spun around.
"You are magnificent, goddess." Bell replied with a big smile, feeling that he was seeing a new side of Ishtar that he hadn't seen before.
"Hooo! Ishtar in her warrior goddess regalia. That's a sight I haven't seen for centuries!" came the admiring voice of Hermes, as he arrived, accompanied by Artemis.
"Hermes." She replied politely as the travelling god joined them.
"Goddess, you're beautiful, it's true, but... are you planning to fight?" said Bell, a little worried to see her in such war attire. It was one thing to know that Ishtar was a warrior goddess, it was quite another to see her in action.
"Are you worried about me, Bell? I'm touched, but you see..."
As she spoke, she reached for something on her belt and in one swift, precise movement, Bell found himself with a blade to his throat. More precisely, the blades of a war fan. The finely worked blades were assembled in a precise manner and Ishtar seemed to wield this object to perfection.
"...I can manage." She said as she lowered her weapon. "Against the monsters in the Dungeon, I'd be no match, against the ones outside, that's something else. Without my arcanum and access to my divine powers, I'm certainly no stronger than an ordinary human, but what I lack in power I make up for in technique and experience.'
"I see." The young man replied, still a little surprised.
"Remember this lesson well Bell, the falna is powerful, but you mustn't rely on it alone, training and personal experience will also make you strong."
The goddess then folded up her war fan and returned it to her belt before turning to Welf.
"Have you got what I asked you for?"
"Yes, I made them in a hurry and had to work like hell, but they're ready."
At these words, the blacksmith took a wooden box out of his bag and opened it in front of the goddess. Inside were two war fans, similar to the model Ishtar used, but each was adorned with a red stone on the joint and red decorations were engraved on the blades.
"Magic weapons?" Lili asked, curious and recognising the peculiarity of the two objects.
"Compensate with technique, experience, but also a little magical help if necessary." Replied the goddess with a knowing wink.
"I've managed to do what you want, particularly in terms of managing the flow of energy. I've had to sacrifice power in favour of duration of use, but it matches what you asked me for."
"Excellent work Welf." Said the goddess as she grabbed the magic weapons and put them on her belt. "And I'm sorry I asked you to do it so quickly."
"Well, don't worry, it was an interesting exercise for me too."
"Should I conclude that everyone is ready to leave?" asked Hermes, who clearly didn't want to stay too long.
"By the way, if we're going to leave the city, why are we on the walls?" asked Bell, underlining an essential point.
"I was thinking the same thing." His goddess replied. "Artemis?"
However, the goddess of the hunt replied to the goddess of beauty with a negative nod.
"They're coming." Hermes said, looking up at the sky.
Then there was a gust of wind and a powerful sound of wings that took everyone by surprise. The group looked up into the sky and saw four imposing flying forms. From one of them, a shadow sprang up and landed in front of the small group.
"Ganesha?" asked the little goddess, surprised by the appearance of the god in the elephant mask.
"Oh yes! It's me, Ganesha!" he said with his usual enthusiasm as the four imposing creatures landed on the ramparts.
"Lesser dragons? Our transport, I suppose?" The goddess of beauty asked when she saw the four creatures.
"Exactly. By land, the journey would take a month, but with them, it should only take ten days. I don't think you want to be away too long, and I'll have to be quick too or Asfi will give me a hard time."
Behind them, Lili, who was not reassured by the four large animals that had just landed, began to be licked by one of them, which made Ganesha laugh.
"Don't worry, they're not from the Dungeon, these ones have been trained since the egg, they're docile and obedient."
It soon became apparent that, despite their monster-like appearance, the four creatures were rather affectionate and even had a touch of the adorable when you looked at them closely. Enough, in any case, to let themselves be petted without fuss.
"I guarantee they'll get you to your destination in ten days, as true as I am Ganesha!"
Without a word, Ishtar began to wave and the four creatures headed towards her, while the other two gods continued to speak.
"On the other hand, Hermes, we were talking about three dragons in the first place, I've managed to get you a fourth like you asked, but it's going to cost you extra."
"Give a discount to an old friend." Hermes tried to negotiate, knowing that any explosion in the budget would be tantamount to an explosion on Asfi's part.
Ganesha was about to reply when his eyes caught a strange sight, that of Ishtar stroking the muzzles of the four dragons, who suddenly seemed to like the goddess a lot.
"There, there, good dragons. I'm counting on you to get us to our destination quickly."
The four dragons all gave a cheer and suddenly looked... on fire.
"Goddess, what have you done again?" asked Bell, somewhat worried.
"Stop acting like I'm some rambunctious kid, it's getting vexing." Ishtar replied, pouting slightly.
"Ishtar! You didn't use your charm on them, did you?" A very worried Ganesha asked.
"what a nasty suggestion, I just... motivated them to give it their best shot." Replied the goddess with a knowing wink. This didn't reassure Ganesha too much, who was a little worried that the goddess was using her abilities as a doping agent.
"No discount, Hermes." The elephant god soberly told the travelling god, undermining the latter's morale.
On the other hand, aren't we going to be short of dragons?" Welf asked.
"Two people per dragon I suppose?" said Lili to the elephant god.
"Absolutely, they can carry two people without any problem."
The time then came to pair up for the journey. Ishtar would have liked to travel with Bell, but Artemis had quickly claimed her 'Orion' for her. As no other option seemed to suit them, Welf and Lili decided to ride together. After a small sigh of frustration, and before Hermes could speak again, the goddess of beauty turned to the little goddess.
"Will you ride with me, Hestia?"
"Gladly." Replied the goddess of the hearth after a quick glance at Hermes. The latter could only turn to the charming amazoness who was also part of the trip.
"Well, I suppose I'll be travelling in the company of the lovely Lena, then." The travelling god said seductively.
"Don't forget we're on a mission and not in the pleasure district, if you try to take advantage I have permission from my goddess to tear your *beep* off and *beep* them." She said with her big adorable smile, which suddenly made the travelling god turn pale.
"So lovely..." he managed to say with a few wobbles in his voice.
Once the last... details had been sorted out, everyone climbed onto the dragons and they took to the skies as the sun began to peek over the horizon.
Remaining on the ramparts, Ganesha waved his hand to wish them a safe journey, as did Haruhime and Aisha, although the latter were more discreet than the god in the elephant mask.
The great journey of the Delebat had just begun, and it would lead them to harsher trials than they had imagined.
Just after leaving, Hestia and Ishtar witnessed a most extraordinary phenomenon. Artemis and Bell seemed to be in the middle of a conversation and seemed to be enjoying each other's company when they saw the goddess of the moon suddenly cuddle up to the young man. The two goddesses reacted in exactly the same way, looking at each other with shocked eyes.
The fact that Artemis spoke to a man without giving him a cold look was already an extraordinary fact. That she agreed to get on the same mount for the journey was a miracle. But for her to be so affectionate defied all logic to the point of breaking the space-time continuum.
"Artemis! What are you doing?" the little goddess asked, a little panicked. "Ishtar! Tell that gigolo to stop seducing her!"
All she got in reply was a little atemi on the head from the goddess of beauty to help her come to her senses.
And you, why don't you tell your best friend to stop hitting on Bell?" she replied mockingly.
Everyone looked on, which made Artemis smile, as she seemed to be enjoying the situation. As did Lena, who decided it was time to tease her favourite plushie a little.
"Well Bell, what a man! You made two of the three virgin goddesses fall into your arms."
"Huh? But... no!" the poor boy tried to protest as Hestia turned red.
"Lena! Stop taking your delusions for realities! I don't have a crush on Bell!"
"You don't? Yet you seem soooooooooo worried every time he comes back from the Dungeon a bit late."
"I'm just worried that he'll die, because then I'll lose my job, my wages and my accommodation!" replied the little goddess, even though she wasn't fooling anyone. She wasn't so heartless, and without going as far as Lena claimed, she had still become attached to Bell, Lili and even the other people who came to the Astral Mansion.
"It seems it's going to be a lively trip..." concluded Hermes with a hint of amusement.
However, the journey went off without a hitch; in fact, Ishtar became even quieter as the days went by. But thanks to her aura, the four dragons remained highly motivated.
In the evening, the troop set down and camped. Stopping off in a town or village was also an option, but they feared both attracting too much attention and frightening people with their mounts.
Although they had enough provisions for the whole journey, they took advantage of their stops to stock up on fresh produce. After all, if you're going to have a goddess of the hunt with you, you might as well make the most of it, and Artemis was very good at bringing in fresh meat. And Lena didn't have the slightest problem getting her hands in to gut the prey. A bit of fishing, a bit of gathering and the meals suddenly became much better than with the travel rations.
But although this great adventure was a lot of fun, especially for people who hadn't left Orario for years, it eventually became tiresome and boring after almost a week's travel.
The four dragons were flying over a large area of forest when Artemis saw something through the branches. She immediately ordered Bell to lower their mount. This did not escape Ishtar's notice, who, although not very talkative since the start of their journey, continued to watch Bell and Artemis closely.
"Something's going on... Everyone! We're coming down! Hang on, Hestia." Said the goddess of beauty before suddenly making her mount prick up.
"Wait. Whaaaaaaaaaatttt!" only managed to do the little goddess who had barely had time to hear Ishtar's words before she found herself taking a sudden fall.
Hermes and Welf took a few moments longer to understand, but they also lowered their mounts.
Ishtar quickly understood the problem when she saw a woman and a child trying to escape from a whole pack of horrible black scorpion-like monsters. Artemis had shot one of them with her bow and Bell had begun to clear it away with her magic.
The goddess could see how much he had refined his mastery of his spell, as he seemed able to vary it between a concentrated attack or a more diffuse flame throw to cover a wider area.
But that wasn't enough, as the two runaways found themselves too close to the monsters for him to continue using his magic without the risk of hitting them too.
Artemis then jumped off her mount and decided to engage in hand-to-hand combat. She could handle these monsters in single combat, proof that they were not very powerful, because as it stood, the goddess was no stronger than an ordinary human and could only rely on her talent and experience.
The problem was that she couldn't handle so many monsters on her own, and she soon found herself surrounded.
Ishtar put her hand on one of the war fans at her belt, ready to hand over the reins to Hestia and leap to the rescue of the other goddess, but in the meantime, Bell had seized Orion's spear and in a magnificent throw, the weapon had been transformed into a tool of pure destruction, perforating a large number of monsters while digging a deep furrow in its path and provoking a shockwave that drove the creatures back. Those that survived retreated and calm quickly returned to the area as the other mounts landed.
Welf and Lili were shocked by the power of the spear and weren't sure how to react. As for Bell, he was busy lecturing Artemis, who seemed very amused by his remarks, all under the amused gaze of Lena.
And meanwhile, Ishtar, still as backward as ever, simply went to remove Orion's spear.
"Where did you get such a weapon, Artemis?" asked the goddess of beauty for herself. Then, a few runes glowed faintly for a very brief moment as Ishtar gritted her teeth with an indecipherable expression on her face. "Artemis... what have you done..."
All this only made Ishtar quieter, even more so when she realised that Hermes himself was urging Bell not to use the power of the spear too much. He was obviously hiding something. In any case, the man was devious beyond belief. Of course, Hermes would always say that he never lied to anyone, but he knew how to play on words, hide information and manipulate both mortals and his own kind with great ease. If he hadn't been a god, he would have been an actor or a politician.
The small party took the opportunity to question the two people they had rescued, a mother and daughter, who confirmed that they had never seen such monsters and that several villages in the vicinity had been attacked.
After making sure that they were in no immediate danger, the group let the two go again, but not without leaving them some provisions...
In fact, almost all their provisions, with the exception of a few pieces of bread that were starting to look a bit old. A generous gift from Artemis, who justified herself simply by pointing out that she didn't need to eat.
Lili, who was as nervous as ever, reminded her that was not the case for them. And to everyone's great surprise, the goddess of the hunt bowed her head to the ground to apologise for her mistake. And once again, Ishtar was silent, as if lost in thought.
Artemis wasn't the type to refuse to admit when she was wrong, but since when had she been so humble? There were so many things that didn't add up...
However, the goddess of beauty snapped out of her reflections to take up with the little prum, who was in full throttle yelling at the poor moon goddess, even though Welf was trying to calm her down by reminding her that she was a goddess.
"Welf is right, Lili, Artemis is at fault, but she's still a goddess, so calm down. If you don't, you could end up doing the 'laundry' when you get home."
Immediately, the young girl turned as white as a sheet. She knew exactly what her goddess was saying, and Bell had probably told her about the traumatic experience of having to clean all the bed sheets in a brothel.
However, Ishtar wasn't the only one to realise that there was something strange about Artemis and Hestia told a few anecdotes about her best friend, which included baths, peeping toms and fond memories for Hermes, even if he was on the side of people who had done reprehensible things.
But he did his best not to dwell on this old story, offering instead to set up camp for the night as the sun was waning.
Fortunately for everyone, especially Hestia, Bell was once again the man for the job and the group enjoyed a delicious meal of masala nuts. Because apart from him, only Hermes knew anything about these fruits.
"That's great Bell, I didn't know there were fruits like that." Lena said cheerfully, enjoying her meal.
"A little trick my grandfather taught me before I came to Orario. I used to live in a small village and when the harvests weren't good... well, you had to improvise to fill your stomach."
Bell was once again complimented by his friends for his talent, which had enabled them to avoid dry bread as their only meal. It was then that he noticed that Artemis still hadn't touched her share, and when he pointed this out to her, the goddess surprised everyone by extending her spoon towards him to feed him.
Once again, Ishtar said nothing, but watched the scene with round eyes, shocked by the situation.
A situation that became even crazier when Lena decided to add another layer.
"No, no, Lady Artemis, you're doing it wrong. When you want to feed a man, you have to do it like this."
Putting her money where her mouth was, the friendly amazoness stood up and quickly sat down on Bell's thighs, sideways, so that she could feed him in a more... daring manner.
"Come on Bell, open your mouth." She said in a seductive voice as she extended her spoon towards him.
"Lena, stop being so indecent and don't put any weird ideas into Artemis' head!" protested Hestia, her face red.
But Bell being himself, the result was a short panic and a fall, which made the rest of the group laugh.
The conversation became very serious again after dinner, with the question of the strange monsters crossed earlier naturally returning to the table.
"I know scorpion monsters, but none that look like that." Said Lili, who wondered what these creatures were.
"Same here, never seen these things in the Dungeon." Added Lena, also puzzled.
"But I'm sure you've got a good explanation for us, don't you Hermes?" asked Ishtar with an icy stare that made the travelling god shiver, but he began to tell what he knew.
"It all started when these monsters appeared in the area. Several small familias investigated to find the source, but disappeared. Soon, all this ended up pointing to the place where we're going, the ruins of Elsos. There's an ancient seal in those ruins."
"A seal? What for?" Bell asked, worried by the turn of events.
"To keep locked up a monster once sealed by the spirits." replied the Moon Goddess. "Antares."
Silence hung over the group as the goddess continued her explanation.
"Unfortunately, over time, the seal weakened... until it broke." She concluded gravely.
"And that's where you come in, I suppose." The goddess of beauty said to the blonde god.
"Exactly, as soon as the news reached Ouranos, he took the situation very seriously and sent my familia to investigate. That's when I bumped into Artemis, who had the same objective. We left our familia in place to watch the ruins and hurried towards Orario to find reinforcements."
"Wait!" interrupted Lili. "In that case, why us? Why not ask the Berberas for help instead, or even a familia more specialised in exploration and combat?"
The pallum's question was a legitimate one. The small group was not lacking in goodwill, but it was clearly not the biggest strike force available in Orario.
"It's no use." Artemis replied coldly. "Only the spear can defeat Antares... and that spear has chosen you." She finished by looking Bell straight in the eye.
Seeing that the conversation was taking too serious a turn, Hermes stood up and played down the situation with his usual eloquence.
"There's no need to worry! The main thing is that as long as we've got the spear, everything will be fine! Let's get some rest and we'll see what happens tomorrow." He said as he walked away, Ishtar following him with her eyes.
"Do you really expect me to believe that everything will be so simple, Hermes?" murmured the goddess of beauty to herself. It was obvious that she had been sceptical about the whole thing from the start...
However, night had fallen and everyone had returned to their tents. Hermes, Welf and Bell shared a tent, just as Lili and Lena had one between girls. To the great displeasure of the pallum, as the amazoness tossed in her sleep and sometimes grabbed her room-mate as if she were a big plushie.
As for the three goddesses, they had a tent for her. However, it wasn't time for sleep, but for a wake, as Hestia and Artemis chatted happily under the gaze of Ishtar, who was still silent.
"That's when I heard them moaning so indecently, only to find out it was simply because Bell was giving them massages!"
"Massages, really?"
"Yes, massages, can you believe it!"
"I'm sorry you still don't have a familia Hestia, but I'm glad you've found a place of your own after all."
"Yes, of course, but I'm forced to play the maid. Well, there are worse things, I suppose."
"Hestia. What do you think of Orion?"
"Who? Bell? Nothing in particular... I mean... yes, he's a good boy, but I don't have... any particular thoughts about him..."
She replied, hesitantly and with a few blushes on her cheeks. She was already expecting Ishtar to step into the breach and tease her about it, but nothing came, instead her gaze fell on the goddess of beauty, still silent.
"Ishtar?"
"Hmm? Yes Hestia?"
"Is everything all right? You've been... strangely quiet since we left the city."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes, you're much more talkative normally, even I can tell."
"I hadn't noticed, sorry, I'm a bit lost in thought."
"I can see that, what's going on?" asked the little goddess, a little worried, given that she'd never seen Ishtar like this.
"It's... hard to explain. How can I put it... I find it hard to believe that you're really Artemis." The goddess simply said to the lunar goddess.
"What do you mean?" asked the woman in question in return.
But Ishtar simply held out her hand in response. By way of reply, Artemis extended her hand in turn and placed it on Ishtar's hand.
"This is what I wanted to say. In my memories, Artemis was a proud goddess who abhorred everything I stand for as a goddess of beauty and sexuality. She would never have tolerated me coming within fifty meters of her, let alone touching her or sleeping in the same tent with me."
"Wait, you're going a bit far Ishtar!"
"Are you sure, Hestia? You certainly know your best friend well."
"Yes, I do, but..."
The goddess of the hearth could not deny it, Artemis was behaving very strangely. Admittedly, she hadn't seen her for ages, but the gods didn't change so easily.
"And you?" replied the goddess of the hunt to Ishtar. "Can you assure me that you really are Ishtar? You're also very different from the one I remember."
"Yes... you're not wrong. I've met certain people and had certain experiences. I suppose it's the same for you."
"Me too, to a certain extent." Hestia said. "I mean, living in the lower world, without arcanum, without everything we've acquired in the heavens, it inevitably changes our point of view on many things."
"Yes, you're probably right, Hestia. Sorry for the awkward question, Artemis."
"Don't worry, I understand." She replied with a small, tender smile.
"Well, I suggest we leave it at those wise words of Hestia's and go to sleep. Good night."
The light went out in the tent and the three goddesses were now silent. But Ishtar continued to wonder. Artemis really had changed a lot. Was it simply the effect of life here on the Gekai, as Hestia suggested?
Or... had Artemis had dreams too? Like her? Like the ones that had put her on Bell's path and pushed her to change. In fact, she hardly had any at all at the moment, was that a good sign or not?
And then there was this spear, which gave her this strange sensation every time she touched it and created an unease in her that she couldn't quite understand.
But despite her questions, sleep eventually got the better of her and she too fell peacefully asleep.
The next day, the group took to the skies again, flying for some time over a forest that had seen better days. The trees and plants were taking on an unhealthy colour, as if a disease were contaminating the whole forest.
"It's horrible." Hestia said sadly at the sight.
"The forest... it looks like it's dying." Bell observed.
"And it stretches far... I've never seen corruption like this. Is it because of Antares, Artemis?" asked the goddess of beauty.
"Yes. And over there is our destination, the ruins of Elsos..." she replied, pointing to a building in the distance that seemed to be emerging from the trees.
It was then that the goddess of the moon seemed to fall victim to a strange uneasiness. The next moment, something began to stir Ishtar's warrior instincts, a horrible premonition. A saving instinct that prompted her to raise her head and see the rays of light that were about to break over them.
"It's coming from above! Dodge!" shouted the goddess as she grabbed the reins to make her flying mount change course abruptly. Thanks to her warning, Bell, Welf and Hermes were able to do the same, but the bombardment forced them to land hard.
After making sure Artemis wasn't hurt, Bell rushed off to find the others.
"Goddess! Everyone! Are you all right?"
"Over here, Bell!" came Ishtar's voice. "We're fine. Just shaken up." Said the goddess of beauty, pointing at her divine sister, who seemed dizzy after all that.
"Beeeell!" came Lena's voice, "I'm fine! And my package too!"
"You're cruel to me, Lena!" protested Hermes.
Leaving everyone behind, Bell concentrated on finding the last members of the group.
"Master Bell! This way!" the pallum called out to him, urging the young man towards them.
"Lili, Welf, are you all right?"
"Yes, we're fine, but..."
No need to say more, the sight of the poor dragon licking his wound spoke volumes. Everyone quickly regrouped as Welf stated the question everyone was asking.
"What was that light?"
"That was me it... no, it was aiming at the spear." Artemis replied. However, they were unable to say any more, as disturbing noises soon told them that they were surrounded as scorpion monsters emerged from the wood.
The group quickly closed ranks, trying to block the two most vulnerable members, Hermes and Hestia. Ishtar herself had grabbed her fans and spread them as everyone took up arms.
"Those things again?" asked Welf, very nervously.
"No, they're not the same." Lili replied.
"Yeah, these are bigger, more... developed." Lena continued, proving that behind her mischievous side, there was indeed a seasoned adventurer.
The troop was about to defend its skin dearly when a voice was heard. They quickly recognised a chant, then a silhouette sprang from the trees to tower over the group before a powerful wind magic was unleashed to sweep away the monsters around them.
"Is everyone all right?" asked the green-hooded figure who approached them. It was someone Bell recognised immediately.
"Eh... Ryuu?"
"Cranel... I wasn't expecting to find you here. As usual, you have a knack for ending up in... strange positions."
"Don't say it like that!" Protested the boy as the elf was still making some bizarre innuendo. "But... what are you doing here?"
"I accepted a rather special mission... for them." She said, revealing the small group in the distance. The familia of Hermes, with a certain young woman with azure hair at their head.
Her first instinct was to grab her god by the collar and give him a good scolding. Clearly, Hermes hadn't really told his familia that he was going to Orario for reinforcements and had left them in the lurch with a huge problem to contain. However, Artemis stepped in to defend the travelling god and Asfi eventually calmed down, before noticing Bell and what he was carrying on his back.
"Bell Cranel... So it was you who took the spear out of the crystal? Frankly, I was hoping for... something else." She said with a small sigh as Ishtar stepped in front of her.
"I'm sorry you're disappointed Perseus, but you'll just have to deal with it."
Asfi was suddenly concerned when she remembered that she had just more or less directly insulted Ishtar's little favourite... in her presence.
"Er... I... I meant..."
"Enough of that, give us an update on the situation instead." Commanded the goddess of beauty.
"It's got worse. The contamination of the forest is spreading, the monsters continue to multiply at an alarming rate. There isn't a single village in the surrounding area that hasn't been attacked. We've done what we can to limit the damage and allow the inhabitants to flee, but we're beginning to be overwhelmed"
"And the ruins?" asked Hermes in a much more serious tone.
"It's impossible to get in, the door is sealed and it's the only possible access for us."
Ryuu gave some other information, but nothing new, the door to the ruins seemed to be the biggest problem.
To be on the safe side, the group decided to let the dragons go so that they could take cover and continue on foot with the rest of the Hermes familia.
The road was calm, if gloomy. No new monster attacks, but the erosion of the forest gave it a particularly sinister appearance. It was then that Hestia took the opportunity to take Artemis aside, as the two goddesses seemed to have a lot to talk about.
When Bell saw them, he wanted to go and see them, but Hermes stepped in, telling him that they had goddess things to talk about, and the boy said nothing more. It was then that Ishtar put her hand on the travelling god's shoulder and spoke up.
"And they're not the only ones, I too could use a little chat with you Hermes, from one deity to another. Bell, you can go on ahead, it won't take long."
Bell nodded and set off with the rest of the group, while the goddess of beauty led Hermes on.
And as soon as they were in peace, she slammed him hard against a tree.
"Woooh! Ishtar! Like that? Right here? Right now? In this gloomy forest?" he laughed.
"Spare me your jokes, Hermes! I've put up with a lot of your whims and your nasty habit of hiding the most important things. But this time, don't expect to escape my questions."
"Ishtar, I assure you I'm not hiding..."
He was cut off when he saw the blades of one of Ishtar's fans stick into the trunk, right next to his head.
"Not to me, Hermes! Hiding things is in your nature. So now you're going to talk. That attack earlier, that light that bombarded us from the sky... tell me why I felt the power of Artemis' arcanum in that attack!"
The blonde god's face turned dark and strangely weary.
"That, Ishtar... is... something you'll find out soon enough..." he replied with great sadness in his voice.
And that was the only answer she got...