Hello my friends. I hope you're all doing well. I know things might seem a bit chaotic right now, but things will be alright in the end. Now, seeing as I don't want to dwell on the problems of the world too long, why don't I give you the distraction you came here for? Let's see how out dear gods and dungeon crawlers are doing, shall we?
P.S. If you need a pick me up then I suggest maybe taking a page out of Achilles's book and listening to J2's Lean on Me, youtube link here: watch?v=MYbyMyeuvXA&list=RDMMtEJpGPHlXo0&index=3
I'll throw in a personal recommendation as well. Trevor DeMaere's, Heaven Above, one of my all-time favorites: watch?v=H7LyzCwlYTM&list=RDMMtEJpGPHlXo0&index=2
I do not own Danmachi
Achilles stared at the letter, with tired, worried eyes.
"Well, this does present a bit of a problem," he said, his voice doing nothing to hide his exhaustion.
"Ya think?!" Hestia called back, though her eyes were not on Achilles at the moment, but solely on the captain of her familia.
Bell was practically crying as both Hestia and Lili painfully pulled on his ears, bringing him to his knees as they scolded him.
"This is why I told you to be careful about what you said to a goddess, especially Freya!" Hestia reminded.
"I'm sorry!" Bell cried out.
"Sorry's not good enough!" Lili said, pulling again, causing the rabbit-like young man to cry out.
Achilles sighed. He didn't like seeing his son in pain, but he knew that discipline was required in this situation, at least in Hestia's mind, given what had happened. He had let Bell off easily yesterday, unable to give a punishment after his heartfelt display, but that was then and this was now, and now Hestia had reason to be angry.
"You can't just go and challenge Freya! You'll be playing right into her game. Or worse yet, doing something unexpected which she will absolutely freak out over!" Hestia informed, her fingers getting tighter on Bell's ear with every passing moment.
"I-I'm sorry. I-I just-."
"No excuses!" Hestia cut off. "I thought you were a pure boy, Bell. I never expected you to be a philanderer!"
"I'm not!" her captain defended desperately.
"Alright," Achilles cut in. "I think he's received the point."
"I'm not through yet. We need to drill these lessons into his head and as his goddess it is my duty and my right to discipline my captain as I see fit."
"And it is my duty and my right to protect my son," Achilles threw back. "And if there's one thing that trounces your status as his goddess, it is my status as his father."
Hestia glared at Achilles, trying to force him into submission. However, despite his knowledge of how terrible goddesses can be, Achilles was no pushover and held firm until the loli goddess was forced to relent.
"Fine!" she said, letting go.
Lili, however, remained resistant and, if anything, twisted Bell's ear all the harder.
"Lili," Achilles said, his eyes and tone giving warning.
She glared back, all the hurt and anger she had felt with Bell recently, burning inside her.
"Lil' Lili." She turned to see Welf giving her a gentle look. "Let him go."
Her glare intensified at that, but a quick scan of the room made her quickly realize that she was thoroughly outnumbered. Understanding this, she turned to Bell himself, intent of giving him a piece of her mind. However, she was stopped before she could utter even a single word.
"Lili," Bell said, a hurt in his eyes that was not coming from the pain in his ear. "I'm sorry."
The gentle, honest tone broke whatever resistance Lili had as all the love she felt for the boy before her rushed to the surface, reminding her that, while she was hurt by his recent actions, it was these very kinds of actions that made her fall in love with him in the first place. As such, slowly but surely, her fingers loosened on his ear, until they finally let go and her arm fell.
"Fine," she said quietly.
Everyone eased, Bell most of all, who, after gently rubbing his ear, placed his hand on Lili's head and affectionately stroked her hair.
"Thank you, Lili," he said, giving her a smile.
As much as she didn't want to at that moment, Lili couldn't stop herself from blushing, which irritated Hestia, but she did not interfere and let the moment pass.
"Good," Achilles said once things had calmed down. "Now, let's figure out what to do about this."
"What's there to do? We can't let a meeting take place," Lili stated firmly.
"Unfortunately we can't simply prevent it," Achilles replied. "Though we might want to, outright denying Freya will likely have negative effects, if not from Freya herself, than from her familia. We know they are willing to act on their own, especially if they think some slight has been given to their goddess and, in this case, a slight will have been given," he explained, filling the room with reluctant acceptance and worry. "So we can't just tell her to shove this," he held up the letter. "Somewhere personal. Bell has to have this meeting. However, she did put at least a few cards in our hand." That perked everyone up. "She specifically stated that, in an attempt to make herself trustworthy to Bell, she was willing to have this meeting at any time and at any place. That last bit gives us an advantage in that it can be a place of our choosing, for example," he gestured around. "Here. She also says she is willing to answer any questions and do any request. If we put our minds together we might be able to come up with something that either, one: puts us on a more level playing field with regards to her, or two: if we're very lucky, knocks her off balance."
Everyone nodded. None of them liked this, that was a given, but there was an opportunity here and while they did not doubt that disrupting any plan the goddess of beauty had in mind would be difficult, they all were willing to try.
"Then we'll prepare something really big and knock her off her pedestal," Hestia declared, now pumped up.
The others nodded and smiled, now feeling a bit better and more confident about what was to come.
"Glad to hear it. Now," Achilles said, getting up. "I think it's about time we headed out. Can't keep the Loki familia waiting, Lady Flat-Chest will chew my ear off if we're late."
A few of the Hestia familia chuckled, while one suddenly had an idea.
"Why don't we have the meeting at Twilight Manor?" Ryuu suggested.
Everyone paused and thought about that for a moment.
"That could work. It would certainly be safer. Freya, undoubtedly, will bring at least Ottar with her, if not more of her familia, so having adventurers able to counter them would be beneficial," Achilles noted. "Hestia, would you mind asking Loki about that?"
"Normally I wouldn't like the idea of owing a favor to her, but if it protects Bell and the rest of you, I can accept it, but I want someone else besides Aiz Wallen-whatisit guarding Bell!"
Bell blushed and looked down, knowing now was not the time to try and argue the point.
"Right. Then I guess you'll be tagging along with us on today's visit," the Olympian said.
"Great! It's been too long since me and my Bell-kun have gone on a walk together."
"What makes him yours!?" Lili demanded.
Achilles and the rest of the Hestia familia, minus Bell, who was too busy with the two ladies, all shared a look and Achilles's rolled his eyes.
"They sure got over their anger quickly, didn't they?" he thought.
With that, the Hestia familia, plus one made their way out, knowing that the Miach familia would be taking up the duty of looking after the manor while they were gone.
"How are the Miach familia doing? Anyone talked to them recently?" Achilles asked.
"They're still shaken up and worried about the future, not that I think anyone can blame them," Hestia said solemnly. "However, their shop is already back up and running and is doing better than it was before. As much as I hate to admit it, Freya's children cleaned and fixed it up really well, and the money she gave them was enough to make some noticeable improvements. I even hear they might be getting another familia member or two soon."
"That's good. They shouldn't suffer because they were dragged into someone else's fight," the Olympian stated resolutely.
No one failed to notice the feeling of guilt that suddenly appeared on the shoulders of Achilles and Bell
"It's not either of your faults'," Hestia said gently.
"Isn't it?" Bell asked.
"No, and don't even think for a moment that it is," Welf said. "Just because Freya and her familia are crazy doesn't mean that any of this is your fault."
"He's right, Bell-san," Ryuu added. "Your kindness and goodness is something to aspire to. While it did attract Freya, her actions, and the actions of her familia are hers and theirs alone."
"Both of you are good people just trying to do what you think is right, there is nothing to be ashamed about," Mikoto confirmed.
"Guys," Bell said, looking around, touched by their affirmations.
"Bell-sama." He turned, finding himself next to Haruhime. "I've said it before, but I'll say it again. You are a hero, as is Achilles," she said giving the older man a smile. "And that is nothing to be ashamed of. Indeed, I fully understand why Freya-sama fell in love with you and Achilles, but that is a far different thing from thinking that all she's done is alright. And though bad things have happened, the blame is hers, not yours. Please try to remember that."
The intensity of this final declaration was too much for Bell, and his head fell as he tried to hide his embarrassment.
"I-I'll do my best. To remember, I mean. What you all said," he further clarified.
"Good. And I hope you do as well, Achilles-kun," Hestia added.
"I'll try," the ex-captain said, smiling.
They finally arrived at Twilight Manor, where the guards, having expected them, escorted them inside to the training area in the gardens where they found the Loki familia already waiting for them.
"Good morning everyone," Finn welcomed, smiling.
"Good morning, Finn-san. Thank you for having us," Bell returned with a bow.
"Think nothing of it," the older captain said.
"I'm glad you could all make it," Riveria said, stepping forward.
"Of course, we'd be foolish not to take this opportunity," Bell replied before his eyes caught sight of a certain golden-haired sword user.
"Morning, Bell," Aiz greeted with a smile.
"Morning, Aiz," he said, returning her smile and adding in a small blush.
Everyone watched the exchange with the usual mixture of reactions. Blatant jealousy from Lefiya, Lili, and Hestia. A more controlled, but also terrifying jealousy from Ryuu. A growl from Bete. Amused looks from Welf, Riveria, Finn, Gareth, Tiona, and Tione. Finally, a roll of the eyes from Achilles. The most interesting however was Haruhime who showed no hint of sadness, jealousy or distress, only a look of content determination.
"I will not lose hope."
"Anyway," Achilles said, snapping everyone back to reality, including a now quite embarrassed Aiz and Bell. "We should get to it."
"Right," Finn replied. "You're free to stay and watch if you like, Hestia-sama."
"I'd like that, but first I was hoping to speak to Loki about something," the goddess returned.
"Of course. I'll escort you to her."
"Thank you."
The two broke from the group and began to walk away, but after a few steps, she turned back and called.
"Bell-kun is not allowed to be alone with Aiz Wallen-whatisit!"
The Loki familia was thoroughly confused by the sudden proclamation, none more so than Aiz herself, while the Hestia familia, minus Bell who simply blushed, all sighed.
"As I said," Achilles stated to Riveria. "Over-eager goddesses."
"Ah," the elf replied in understanding, a smile growing upon her lips.
"Putting that aside for the moment, I think it's about time we get started," he said, pulling out his sword. "Let's see what the kiddies can do."
Hestia and Finn made their way through the halls, Hestia eying the mansion all the way.
"Not as bad as Freya's but I like mine so much better. It's cosier."
"She's probably still eating breakfast at the moment so we'll head to the dining area first. Hopefully it's not too crowded," Finn explained.
"And hopefully Loki hasn't moved on to the girl's bathroom," he thought, unable to prevent a sigh.
"Knowing her she's probably stuffing her face. Honestly, I don't know how she's remained so skinny," Hestia said.
"I suppose that's the benefit of being a goddess," he said with a smile.
"Hm, true. Shame that also means she'll always be flat as a board," the loli goddess returned with a triumphant smile as she thrust out her chest.
Finn chuckled.
"Please just don't say that to her face. I don't want to have to pull two goddesses apart."
"Only if she promises not to call me chibi!"
The two arrived at the dining area and soon discovered that Loki was indeed still eating, or perhaps more accurately, gorging herself.
"Still better than if we found her peeking on the girls," Finn thought with reluctant thanks.
They approached and Loki quickly noticed them and stopped her feasting.
"Whatcha' doing here, Chibi?"
Finn sighed and a tick mark appeared on Hestia's forehead, but she did not start her usual banter with Loki, instead she pressed forward with as much professionalism as possible.
"This is for Bell," she reminded herself.
"I was hoping we could talk about something."
"Whatcha want to talk about?" Loki asked, taking a bit of food off her plate.
"This," the blue-eyed goddess pulled out the letter and held it up.
Loki stopped and looked at the piece of paper.
"What's that?" she asked.
"That's Freya's letter to Bell, isn't it?" Finn guessed.
Hestia nodded.
Her interest now piqued, Loki's eyes opened up just a sliver before she reached out and snatched the letter away before beginning to read it.
As she did so, Hestia waited, looking around at the Loki familia present in the room. Most were eating or enjoying some socializing with their familia, but there was one other thing that more than one was doing that alarmed her. They were glaring at her.
Hestia actually jumped a bit when she suddenly found the hostile eyes pointed in her direction, and they were pointed in her direction, of that she was sure. Some adventurer, a man with red hair and rough features, had his eyes pointed directly at her, unashamedly boring into her as if he would pierce her skull.
"What's going on?" she thought
"Let me guess." Hestia jumped as Loki's voice pierced the air. She quickly turned and found that Loki had finished the letter. "You want to have the little meeting here."
Pulled back to why she had come, Hestia, after a moment to regain herself, nodded.
"Yes. We had originally thought of doing it at our home, but we realized that here would be a safer bet, if you were willing to help us."
"Eh, I don't know," Loki said, leaning back into her chair. "I may have an alliance with you guys, but I think I've pissed off Freya quite enough lately. I'm sure she's already pissy that your little rabbit likes my Aiz-tan and I'm not sure I want to push her anymore."
Things went quiet for a moment as Loki and Finn waited for Hestia's response.
"I understand," she finally said.
That caught them off guard.
"Ya' do?" Loki asked.
Hestia nodded.
"I do. You've been dragged into our mess and delving even deeper isn't exactly something anyone wants to do in any given situation. However," her eyes became resolute. "I will do what I must for my familia and for Bell so please," she bowed deeply before Loki. "Help me once again."
"Chibi," Loki said, a bit stunned.
"Name your price. If it's within my power, I will give it."
This was not a side that Loki saw from Hestia often, if ever, and quite frankly, it freaked her out a bit.
"S-Stop bowing to me, it's weird!" the trickster goddess practically shouted.
Hestia stood up and looked her directly in the eyes, her own sapphire marbles holding such sheer determination that it was kind of hard for Loki to hold her gaze.
"Alright, geez! No need to look at me like that, I was just pulling your leg anyway. I'll help ya, but you owe me a big favor!"
"Really?!" Loki nodded. "Thank you, Loki!" Hestia shouted, smiling brightly.
Heat came to Loki's cheeks.
"When did Chibi get so freaking cute?"
Finn smiled at the whole exchange, not failing to notice the bit of red on his goddesses cheeks.
"Looks like everything's worked out," he thought.
"Well, I'm glad that's settled," he said.
"Yeah, yeah. Now can I get back to eating my breakfast?" Loki asked.
"Of course, we'll leave you to it. Thank you again, Loki," Hestia said before bowing again.
"Geez, stop with the bowing already, it's weirding me out!"
Finn and Hestia departed, leaving Loki, with a bit of red still on her cheeks, to resume eating and hopefully distract herself from the weird things and thoughts the day had been offering her.
Not too far away, more than one member of the Loki familia was eying the departing goddess with malice.
"Why does Rabbit Foot's familia get so much attention?"
Finn and Hestia returned to the others and found them all in the midst of training.
"How's it going?" Hestia asked, Achilles, who was watching everyone from a distance.
"Well. Very well," he replied. "How did things go with Loki?"
"She agreed to help us, but I do owe her a favor now. But, if it helps Bell, I don't mind," she said with a smile.
Achilles smiled back then turned to Finn.
"Quite the familia you've got here."
"Thank you. They've all worked very hard to get where they are now."
"I can tell. And they're willing to help less experienced adventurers along the way. That's not something everyone can say."
"They're all good kids, even if they sometimes appear rough around the edges," Finn said, taking note of Bete, who was currently, it appeared, helping Haruhime and Lili with learning some basic hand-to-hand techniques while looking extremely frustrated.
"Well I know a thing or two about rough edges," Achilles stated.
His eye caught sight of Mikoto who was training with Tione at the moment and seemed to be having a bit of a tough time.
Deciding to help, he walked over to the two young ladies, causing them to stop.
"How are things going?" he asked.
"Tione-dono is very strong," Mikoto answered, clearly a bit worn down.
"I told you, Tione is fine, or Tione-san," the amazon said.
"Well, she is a level six, so I'm not expecting you to win the fight, however, remember what I told you before, Mikoto. Have confidence in yourself. Use your arsenal of skills to your advantage. You don't just have to use your swordsmanship. For example, have you ever thought of adding throwing knives to weaponry?"
She shook her head.
"No. I have a spare knife in case I lose my sword, but I do not have any knowing knives."
"Then I'd suggest adding them. They're a good back-up and range weapon, and can be used to distract your enemies and keep them at a distance. You could also try needles. They're not as damaging as knives and are a bit of a niche weapon, but they're harder to deflect and, if you want, you can add a little something to them."
"'A little something'?" Mikoto questioned.
"Yeah. Like poison." Seeing the grimace on Mikoto's face, he added. "It doesn't need to be full-on poison. Maybe something that causes paralysis or puts your enemies to sleep. That last one could be useful if there's someone you don't really want to fight, but need to pass."
A bit calmer now, Mikoto thought this for a moment, before nodding.
"I will take that into consideration, Achilles-dono."
"Thank you. Be sure to talk to Welf about the knives at least. Specializing in one weapon is all well and good, even admirable, but everyone needs a backup. Speaking of which, how's our resident smith holding up?"
He turned his attention to Welf, who was currently battling against Tiona. Achilles had set them up because they were both heavy hitters focusing on large, two-handed weapons. He watched them for a few moments, taking note of their different styles, and checking for openings and weaknesses. After a quick, but thorough inspection, he went over to them.
"You guys seem to be having fun," he noted.
"Yeah, Red here is a really good sport!" Tiona said happily.
"Just doing my best to keep up with you," Welf said with a tired smile.
"Hehe."
"Well, I'm glad to see you're getting along," Achilles said. "And both of you seem to be quite comfortable with your weapons. However, I noticed that both of you have a tendency of leaving your sides open during your big swings, especially you, Welf. You don't have the strength and speed that Tiona does, obviously, so you can't protect yourself as well. That's why I wanted to ask you if you've given my idea on wearing armor more thought."
Welf brought his sword down and nodded.
"I have. I have been working on some chainmail to give me some protection without losing my mobility, though I'm concerned about adding too much weight."
Achilles nodded.
"Chainmail is a good choice. Flexible, but durable in most cases. And weight will be a concern, no matter the armor. Going from no armor to armor does make things a bit more difficult, but it's the price we pay for better protection. If you're willing, I might also suggest scaled armor. It's heavier and not as flexible as chainmail, but offers more protection, especially from piercing attacks. Or perhaps you could use what I used, lorica segmentata. It's even heavier than scale, but the overlapping plates give great protection and allow more flexibility than standard plate armor. Hephaestus herself made mine. I still remember how she made the individual plates skinnier than the average lorica, which allowed me even more flexible while maintaining the protection. Of course, because it was special and took more effort she charged me a fortune for it, but almost nothing got through it, so it was worth it."
Welf took this all in with eager appreciation.
"I'll start experimenting when I get home and see what works best," he said.
"Excellent. Glad to hear it. You might want to think of some armor as well, Tiona-san. I know you're a level six and with your strength and speed you can handle yourself, but that doesn't make you invulnerable."
"I don't know. I've always kind of not liked armor. Just kind of gets in the way," she said.
"That's why you've got to find the right kind. It doesn't have to be bulky plate armor like they depict in fairy tales, it can be something more simple. Arm guards, for example, can be used to block incoming attacks while giving you just that much more protection. I actually think some gauntlets would fit you quite nicely. You look like you enjoy a good fist fight, and if you added some spikes to the knuckles you could do some nasty damage to any poor sap that decided to tangle with you."
"I can add spikes to them?!" Tiona asked, suddenly very excited.
"Of course. Seen it plenty of times before."
"Cool!"
"Indeed," Achilles said, glad to see the girl was now considering it. "And, if you're willing, maybe some leather armor for your torso. Nice and light, while giving decent protection."
Tiona looked down at her torso and, suddenly, her excitement disappeared.
"But...won't that make it impossible for them to grow?"
The two men were confused what she meant by this for a moment, but after thinking on it, and seeing where she was looking, they both realized and they both quickly turned away, a bit of red on their cheeks.
"I don't know about that," Achilles said, looking anywhere but at the girl.
However, upon noticing the silence that met him in return, he slowly turned back and saw the sad look the formerly bouncy girl had. Seeing it, he sighed.
"Tiona," he called.
She looked up.
"I know that you might be feeling that you haven't...forgive me if I'm stepping over the line here...developed, as you would have wanted, but I'm going to tell you two important things, if that's okay with you?"
Sad though her eyes were, she nodded.
"One: we men have our own version of...feeling inadequate, as it were."
"You do?" she asked.
"Indeed we do. In our…" his blush grew. "Personals."
Tiona took a moment to process this then looked down, causing Achilles's blush to intensify as he turned a bit away.
"So you're not alone on this issue," he said, forcing the issue forward.
Luckily Tiona played along and her eyes snapped back to his face.
"Secondly, I'll tell you a little secret about us men."
"A secret?" Tiona asked, now a little bit interested.
"Yep, one that you members of the fairer sex seem to not have figured out for some reason. That secret is, for every kind of woman, there is a man that will desire her."
Tiona cocked her head in confusion.
"What does that mean?"
"It means that not all men want the same thing. In fact, I've known quite a few men in my life who would find your figure to be ideal."
Light filled Tiona's eyes.
"Really?!"
"Mhm," Achilles responded, nodding. "There's a guy out there for every kind of woman. Those men I was talking about, would be more than happy to snatch you up and love on you until you burst, so, with that in mind, don't think of yourself as inadequate, Tiona. You're not. Some men may like 'fuller' figures, others will like tall girls, and still others will think your figure is absolute perfection. In fact, there's a word for women like you. It's called lithe, and believe me, plenty of men are fans of that."
The last of Tiona's disappointment and unease disappeared as she beamed at him.
"You really think there's guys out there who would like me?"
"I'm sure there's plenty out there that already do, Tiona, not only because you match their preferences physically, but also because you're a fun, strong young woman who a man would be lucky to have."
"No one's ever said that to me before. Thank you!" Tiona said, before hugging him.
"Just telling the truth, Tiona. No need for thanks," he said, returning the hug.
Tiona pulled away, still beaming.
"Well, I'm pumped up now!" She declared.
"Alright, then maybe ask one of your familia to train so you can burn off that energy," he suggested.
"Roger that!" she returned before running off.
The amazon now gone, Achilles turned to Welf.
"Tell no one about that conversation."
The smith readily nodded.
"No problem."
That settled, Achilles turned his attention to Bell, finding him exactly where he had been before; with Aiz, a smile on his face with a smaller, but still very present one, also taking residence on the Sword Princess's lips.
"These two are so close it's almost painful to see them dance around each other not knowing how the other feels," he thought. "Then again," his eyes turned. "It appears I may have been dancing too."
Riveria was with Lefiya, teaching her ways of improving her magic.
"Take deep breaths and be patient with yourself. No one becomes strong overnight. It's a process and frustration will only hurt you," she said gently.
The girl nodded, but it was clear that Lefiya was stressed and Riveria suspected it had something to do with the white-haired young man a few paces away.
"His growth is remarkable, but I suspect it's unique to him," she thought as she watched the young man battle against her favorite blonde.
She suddenly felt as if she was being watched and turned towards the source. She jumped a bit when she found that it was Achilles who was staring at her. He smiled at her and she smiled back, but even at the distance she was, she noticed that something seemed different somehow.
"They feel…" she thought for a moment. "Warmer."
Soon enough, her cheeks felt warmer at the possibility that sentiment presented, and she turned away, afraid he might see her cheeks, leading to yet another episode of embarrassment.
"But...if that's true," she thought. "Then...does that mean Bell was right?"
She didn't know, but she dared, if only for a brief moment, to hope that perhaps the young man she had made an alliance with not so long ago, was correct.
Achilles watched Riveria for a moment, still smiling, before realizing what he was doing, blushing, and turning away.
"Stop it, you already told yourself it was ridiculous, there's no reason to start ogling her. Though," his smile returned. "The fact that I am ogling her is quite the shift for me, embarrassing as it is to admit."
Setting aside those thoughts for now, he made his way over to Bell and Aiz who, upon seeing him, stopped their spar, both a little worn down, but both undeniably happy.
"You two seem to be natural sparring partners," the Olympian commented.
"We've had a lot of practice. I wouldn't have gotten nearly as far as I did without Aiz," Bell said.
"You've been a good student and sparring partner, it's been interesting to watch you grow," Aiz replied.
Achilles noted that, whereas before there was the tiniest shred of jealousy in Aiz's voice upon noting Bell's growth, now there was none. If anything, she seemed to take pride in his rapid advancement and her part to play in it.
"So damn close, yet so damn far," Achilles thought.
"I can imagine. I've only been here for a few weeks and things have been exceedingly interesting. That said, Bell," he turned to his son. "Would you mind if I borrow Aiz?"
"Oh. Not at all," the young captain replied.
"Thank you. Tiona! Tione! Would you two mind coming over here for a moment?"
"What's up?" Tiona asked.
"I want to compare how Aiz deals with one and two weapon wielders. Mind helping me out with that?" Achilles asked.
"No problem!" the amazon said happily.
"That okay with you, Aiz?" Achilles asked.
She nodded.
"Of course."
"Great, then take your positions."
The three ladies moved into place, Achilles's eyes carefully watching them and checking their form. Seeing that everything seemed as it should be, he called out.
"Begin."
The sisters came at Aiz with the ferocity their race was known for. However, Aiz took their attacks in stride. Blocking, then countering, then dodging with ease, her speed being more than enough to match them, even in a two-on-one situation.
"She is quite good," Achilles recognized, nodding as he watched Aiz gracefully move about. "Pretty easy to see why Bell became smitten."
He allowed himself a quick glance out of his peripheral vision and saw the look of awe on Bell's face.
"Well," he thought, growing a smile. "Even if it's not the one I wanted for him, at least I know it's real."
The three battled for another minute or so, before Achilles called an end to it.
"Well done, all three of you. You're all quite something."
"Hehe," Tiona said with a smile.
"All in all you seem to know what you're doing or are aware of where your weaknesses are, so there's not too much for me to say. That may be especially true for you, Aiz. Your focus and drive are quite remarkable, even amongst high level adventurers. The only thing I can really recommend is maybe try and be a bit more spontaneous. Try something new, just to shake things up. It might disrupt your flow, but it could help in making sure that no opponent of yours gets used to your style."
Aiz was a bit stunned. Yes, they had trained together before, but she was acutely aware that the older adventurer did not much care for her, or at least held some disdain for her, especially after recent events. Yet here he was, giving both honest advice and praise. As such, it took her a moment to take it all in.
"Um...thank you," she said.
"You're welcome. Anyway, I'll let you three get back to it," he replied.
Making his way back to Bell, he found his son smiling even more brightly at him, having clearly heard the kind words his father had given his beloved.
"She's really something isn't she?"
Achilles rolled his eyes.
"Yeah she is. Now, shouldn't you be training too?"
"Yeah, but," Bell's eyes focused back on the Sword Princess who was currently battling an enthusiastic Tiona. "I want to watch her. Just for a moment for two."
Achilles stared at his son for a moment, before sighing.
"It really is going to be a challenge for Haruhime, even if there is room in his heart," he recognized.
"Alright, take a short break to catch your breath. But when you come back, I expect all that giddiness to be translated into fighting energy."
Bell blushed, but still managed to smile and nod.
Leaving his son to his new favorite pastime, Achilles went around, checking up on everyone and giving pointers. He found himself both impressed with the skill and dedication of those around him, as well as a few surprises, like when Bete, who was still training Haurhime in basic hand-to-hand combat, yelled at the girl, not because she was failing, but because, as he put it, he had seen her strength during the monster incident and she needed to have more confidence in herself. That had surprised the renard princess as well, but after getting over her surprise, she had smiled and redoubled her efforts, getting the closest thing to approval the wolf was willing to give.
"Just don't try anything puppy dog. I consider that girl my daughter in all but blood and will act as such if you decide to get presumptuous," Achilles thought, eying Bete warily.
Finally, after making his rounds, he returned to Bell and found him still watching Aiz.
He rolled his eyes again.
"Still watching?"
Bell jumped, and spun around, his cheeks nice and red.
"I-I'm sorry! It's just," he turned back to Aiz. "Watching her..how she moves so effortlessly...so perfectly...it kind of makes me want to learn swordsmanship."
That caught Achilles's attention.
"You want to learn swordsmanship?"
Bell nodded.
"But I can't just ask Aiz. She's busy and already done more than enough for me."
Things went quiet for a moment as Bell simply continued to watch Aiz.
"Bell."
The young man turned and found his father giving him an odd look.
"What?" he asked.
The look intensified.
"Did you forget who your father was?"
The wheels in Bell's head began to spin and, after a second or two, he realized his mistake and his eyes widened.
"Oh!"
Achilles was honestly afraid his eyes were going to roll out of his head if this kept up, so decided to simply grab Bell and pull him along.
"Aiz!" the Olympian called.
"Yes?" she returned, stopping her spar.
"Looks like Bell wants to learn swordsmanship, so you and I are going to give him the basics today."
Aiz turned to Bell.
"You want to learn how to use a sword?" she asked.
Bell blushed and nodded, hoping she wouldn't ask why he wanted to learn.
For some reason that she couldn't explain, that made Aiz really happy and soon she was smiling at Bell.
"I'd be happy to teach you," she said.
The smile surprised Bell, but only for a moment, as soon the joy within it infected his soul and he found himself smiling as well.
"Then I put myself in your care."
Achilles, who had watched the entire exchange take place, pinched the bridge of his nose.
"How have they not figured it out yet?"
"In both our care," Achilles pointed out.
"O-Oh...r-right," Bell replied, embarrassed that he had forgotten about his father. "B-But...I don't have a sword."
"You can borrow one from us," Aiz pointed out. "We have plenty of sparring weapons ready for just that purpose."
"That won't be necessary," Achilles said, causing them both to turn to him. "You can use this."
Then, to the shock of both of them, and soon enough, everyone else, Achilles pulled out Dragon's Bane and held it out towards Bell.
The older members of the Loki familia couldn't believe it. They knew how much that sword meant to Achilles as well as the fact that no one else had ever had the privilege of using it, so for Achilles to be offering it so easily was, simply put, more than a tad shocking.
Riveria was the first to recover from her shock and soon a smile graced her lips.
"He really isn't that far from his former self and, in some ways, he's even stronger."
"A-Are you sure?" Bell asked, his eyes moving back and forth between the sword and his father.
"Of course," Achilles replied instantly. "There's no other sword I'd want you to use. Besides, that'll probably be yours one day."
Bell's eyes widened further while Riveria's smile grew in tandem,
"Yes. He really has grown," Riveria thought, happily watching the scene.
"I...I don't know what to say," Bell finally managed to say.
"You don't need to say anything. Just take it," Achilles stated, giving him a small smile.
Finally, his hands a bit shaky, Bell reached out, and took the sword.
"How's it feel?" his father asked.
Bell took a moment to reply, feeling the sword in his hand and trying to come up with the right words.
"It's...heavier than it looks, but lighter than I expected. And...it kind of feels...right?"
Achilles's smile grew.
"Of course it does, it knows who it's future partner is going to be."
Bell, after hearing that, couldn't have stopped his smile even if he had wanted to.
"Thanks Dad."
"You're welcome. Now come on, hold it up," the ex-captain said, signally to Bell. "A little higher. Over your head. Move your feet here, like this. There you go. Now straighten your back like so. Alright. How's that feel?"
"It's a bit different, but this isn't the first time I've used a sword so it's not so awkward."
"Good, then Aiz, if you're willing to help a bit, I want you to just go through the basic motions right now. Focus on defense for now. I'll be off to the side watching his posture and feet."
"Right," Aiz said, now smiling quite brightly herself having gotten a front row seat to Bell and Achilles's moment.
"Alright, then whenever you two are ready," Achilles said, before backing away.
The two began, Aiz on the offense and Bell on the defensive getting used to the new weapon in his hands.
Achilles watched them silently, focusing on Bell so he could figure out how best to help the young man improve.
"I never thought I'd see the day that you let someone else use your sword."
Achilles turned to find Riveria now beside him and smiling.
"It's just a sword," he tried to brush off.
"That's not true and we both know it."
He sighed.
"Perhaps it should be."
That gave her pause.
"Achilles?"
He was silent for a moment, his eyes trained on Bell and Aiz.
"You remember when I got that sword? How excited I was?"
She nodded.
"I do."
"Do you know why?" he turned back to her, his eyes boring into her.
"Why?" she asked, her voice quiet in fear of an answer she wasn't sure she wanted.
"Because it represented something. Hope. A bright future without the Great Beasts. A future where the fear of them was gone. A future with endless possibility. A future where I-," he stopped.
"Where I was with Freya."
His fists tightened.
"And that future was destroyed. In a way, my failure to kill the Dragon made the world even worse. If my and Hera familia could kill the other two beasts, but were destroyed by the third, then what could kill it? That's the question that has sat, hanging in the air, ever since. Because we failed. Because I failed," blood creeped through his fingers as his nails bit through the skin of his palm. "Now the sword is a painful reminder of my failure. Of everything I lost. In all honesty, I considered getting rid of it more times than I can count. However," his eyes refocused on Bell and a small smile came to his lips. "A future where it becomes Bell's weapon. Where he wields it, is a future I'm willing to fight for."
He expected Riveria to deny his words. To give him some grand speech about how it wasn't his fault. He wouldn't believe her of course, but he would appreciate the effort. However, he found himself jumping a bit when, instead of words, he found the soft caress of skin against his hand.
Turning, he found Riveria opening up his hand and fitting her own inside. That done, she looked up at him and smiled.
"And I'll be there, fighting right beside you."
He was stunned. Her words. Her hand. Her eyes, so filled with honesty, determination, compassion, and one more thing that he recognized, but didn't dare voice.
"Riveria."
Slowly, but surely, his shock turned to calm, then to joy as his smile returned and he gently squeezed her hand.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Feeling closer than they ever had, the two, still hand in hand, turned back to Bell and Aiz who were still sparring, though, unbeknownst to the ex-captain and motherly elf, they were the only two that were still training as all the others were focused on the Olympian and the Nine Hells.
Tiona was barely able to stop herself from bursting with excitement as she bounced up and down with extreme vigor, her sister having to restrain her, even as she herself smiled. Finn and Gareth both smiled approvingly, glad with how close their friend was to completing her goal. Lefiya, for all her complaints with regards to Achilles, was content to smile. Bete, still not happy with the new revelation, was willing to keep his growls to a minimum and wish the elf luck, though that was only to himself of course. The Hestia familia also looked on happily at the two. Hestia smiled, glad to see this weary child finding some happiness himself. Lili, Welf, Mikoto, and Ryuu all smiled at the soon-to-be couple, happy for them and wishing them a joyful future. Lastly, Haruhime watched the two, a hand over her heart as her love for the man that she more and more saw as her father finally found some peace and love himself.
"I'm so happy for you, Achilles. I know she'll make you happy," she thought.
Luckily for the two, they were completely oblivious to all this, else they would have broken apart and distanced themselves from the other out of sheer embarrassment. As it was, Achilles simply continued watching Aiz and Bell spar with a smile as he allowed Riveria's warmth to pass into his hand.
"The two really are remarkable aren't they?" he thought as he watched them trade blows. "Both determined. Both wicked fast, yet in such different ways. Bell, like a rabbit, bouncing around" he chuckled. "And Aiz, like she's floating on the wind, or even the wind itself."
He suddenly found himself being blinded as the sunlight reflected off of Aiz's hair, getting him right in the eye.
"Sheesh, those are some golden locks," he thought as he blinked repeatedly.
The moment he turned back, he froze.
Aiz's back was to him, as she stood between him and Bell, her position portraying a strength that few possessed, and which seemed all too familiar to Achilles.
He was face down on the ground. His entire familia was gone, as was the Hera familia. His friends. His family. Destroyed by the creature in front of him, now smiling at him with that malevolent red eye.
"Not like this," he growled. "If I'm going down," he pushed himself up, his body screaming, especially his abdomen that he knew, without even looking down, now openly displayed his muscle and internal organs. "I'm taking you with me," he said.
The Dragon, whether because it heard him or simply didn't like that its prey was still resisting, lost its smile.
"Come on you ugly flying lizard." The Dragon glared at him. "This fight isn't over until we're both dead."
The Dragon did not look like it agreed with that sentiment and prepared to finish this lowly human.
"Stop!"
Suddenly, to the shock of the all-but-dead Achilles, a figure appeared. A woman with golden hair and blue eyes jumped between him and the Dragon, holding up her arms.
"That's enough!"
He could nothing but stare as this woman, who appeared as quickly as the wind, placed herself between him and the most dangerous creature in the world.
"Who is she?"
Achilles's eyes widened.
"I finally know who it was."
"Achilles?"
He blinked and turned and found a worried Riveria looking at him.
"What's wrong?" she asked, having noticed the change in demeanor even before his hand began to squeeze hers.
"I-," he turned back to Aiz, his eyes still wide as the truth overwhelmed him. "I just figured out who saved me from the Dragon."
"You did? Who was it?" Riveria asked in surprise.
He turned back to her, a hint of pain entering his eyes as he began to realize the repercussions of his discovery.
"Aria Waldstein."
Riveria's mouth fell open.
"Aria...Waldstein?"
He nodded.
"Yes. It all makes sense now," he turned back to Aiz. "Aria is a powerful spirit that doesn't age and was captured by the Dragon. Even if it's been over a millennia since her capture it would be possible for her to be alive. But-," his face scrunched in confusion. "I have no idea why the Dragon didn't kill her."
Riveria didn't know what to say. This was a lot to take in and at the same time was clearly very upsetting for Achilles.
"What...What are you going to do?" she finally decided on.
He sighed.
"There's really only one thing I can do if I want to claim I have any sort of integrity," he looked her in the eye. "Aiz's mother saved me, at the very least she has the right to know that, as of fifteen years ago, her mother was still alive."
She agreed with him, but there was one problem.
"But if you tell her she might-."
"Revert back to her obsession over the Dragon?" he finished for her.
"Well...I don't think she'll completely revert," she tried to defend. "But it could damage the progress she's made."
"That seems very likely," he said, his voice now tired and his body having lost the energy it had only a moment ago. "But I owe it to her. I haven't been the kindest to her and every child deserves to know if their parent is still alive."
She couldn't really disagree with that, but that didn't mean she liked the idea.
"She's so close to moving on. To filling the hole in her heart," her eyes turned to Bell who was smiling at Aiz. Worse yet, she was smiling back and seemed so happy and fulfilled. The idea of breaking that with this news felt like a knife to Riveria's heart.
"I understand why you think you should tell her, and I agree in principle, but," she stared into his eyes, pleading with him, begging him to take her next words to heart. "Does it have to be now? When she's so close to opening her heart? Can't it wait? Just for a while?"
"Gods," he thought.
The sight of Riveria's pleading eyes hurt him in ways that few things could. He wanted to tell her 'yes'. Wanted to smile and say that things could be put off for a while. To tell her that they would wait for a better time. A happier time when the revealing would not disrupt the progress Aiz had made. A future where, instead of falling back into her thirst for revenge, she would turn to all of them for help and they all, together, would find a way to rescue the person who had rescued him. He wanted to say this, but he couldn't. It wasn't fair to Aiz to hide the truth, even for a moment.
He leaned forward and kissed Riveria's forehead, before placing his own against hers.
"I'm sorry."
He pulled away and made his way over to Aiz and Bell, his heart heavy and his eyes full of sadness.
Aiz and Bell were both sweating, their friendly spar having turned into an excited bout of slashed and blocks, yet not for a moment had their smiles left them.
"Seems things are going well."
They turned and found Achilles right next to them, staring down at their exhausted selves.
"Yes. Very well," Bell said with a smile.
"Yes," Aiz added, smiling as well.
However, their smiles soon began to wane, then disappeared as they noticed the chill in the air. Both focused on the source and discovered that Achilles was not sharing their joy, but looking down upon them with sad eyes.
"Dad?"
Achilles turned to him and tried his best to give his boy a smile, though he knew it was pitiful.
"Bell, do you mind if I borrow Aiz for a moment?"
"Um," Bell turned to Aiz and the two shared a look. Neither understood what was going on and were a bit nervous, but they decided to press on even so. "Not at all."
"Thank you," Achilles turned to Aiz. "Would you mind following me?"
Aiz simply nodded and, with that, the two left Bell whose anxiousness grew with each passing second.
Achilles and Aiz made their way away from the group, far enough away for privacy and to make sure that no one heard them. When they were, Achilles turned back to Aiz, his expression even sadder than before.
"Aiz, there is something important I have to tell you, but before I do, there's something I want to say, that is, while I have not always held you in the highest esteem, I do recognize the goodness within you. You are a wonderful young lady and I'm glad that Bell has gotten to know you. In the recent weeks you have grown quite profoundly and shown yourself to be more than just the Sword Princess. Please remember that last bit especially when I tell you this. That you are not merely an adventurer or a warrior, but someone others care about quite dearly. Can you do that for me?"
Stunned and not sure what else to do, Aiz simply nodded.
"Good. Then I'll explain why I brought you here," he took a deep breath. "You see, Aiz, people often ask me how I survived my fight with the Dragon and I always tell them the same thing, 'I got lucky'. That's not me being modest or trying to simply end the conversation, it is the truth. For, you see, I was rescued by someone."
The moment he said those words, her entire demeanor changed. In an instant she went from confused to something else. Something that could only really be described as determined rage.
"It appears," Achilles said, immediately seeing the change. "You know what I'm about to say."
"She rescued you," Aiz said, her voice frigid and hard.
"Yes. I didn't know who it was at first and only just realized it, but yes, your mother, Aria Waldstein rescued me and as of fifteen years ago was still alive."
The Sword Princess's eyes looked ready to burst into flames.
"What happened after she saved you?" Aiz all but demanded.
"My memory is still a bit hazy, but I remember that she and the Dragon flew off after I was rescued and she healed my wounds as best as she could."
The area was silent for a moment, all the rage the Aiz had done so much to unburden herself of, reemerging from the dark part of her heart as the knowledge she had known all along, that her mother was still alive, was finally confirmed.
"Thank you," she said finally, her voice holding no hint of warmth. "I appreciate you telling me this," she finished before turning away.
"Aiz!"
She stopped and turned back to him.
"Don't let this ruin everything you've built. You have friends. A familia that cares about you. You have Bell who would do just about anything for you. Don't throw that all away for your hatred. I understand, better than anyone, how much hate for that thing can consume you, but please, for your sake and theirs, don't let go of everything else because of that monster."
For a second, the anger ceased. Thoughts of her friends, her familia filling her mind. Their smiles. Their laughter. The challenges they had faced and overcome together. Then Bell entered her mind. His smile and the way it made her feel so warm. So safe. So at peace. She hadn't truly felt that way since before the Dragon had taken everything from her.
"No," her eyes turned cold again. "Not everything. It won't take everything. I won't allow it."
"Thank you, Achilles," she repeated. "But I won't allow that monster to take anything else from me. I will rescue my mother and I will do it alone so that I won't risk losing any of you."
She turned and left, leaving Achilles nothing but a heavy mind and heavier heart.
"And what if they lose you, Aiz Waldstein? Do you think that pain in their hearts will be easily overcome?"
He made his way back, his feet dragging as he had not the energy to properly lift them. Finally though, he returned to everyone and found them all looking with concern at Aiz, who was now throwing herself into her training with an unnatural vigor.
"Dad." He turned. "What's going on?" Bell asked, his eyes filled with worry. "What happened?"
Achilles sighed.
"I'm sorry, Bell, but I do believe I just made things quite a bit harder for you."
And done! Goodness, this one was a bit harder than I thought it would be. I've had this one planned for months, but as I wrote it, it just seemed kind of off or like it was missing something. I actually almost changed it at the very end to give you guys the option of whether or not Achilles would tell her or not when Riveria asked him not to, but I was afraid it would mess up the next chapter, so I ended up not, so my apologies, especially to all the Aiz and Aiz X Bell fans. Still, you wouldn't expect a story to be able to provide such resistance would you?
Anyway, I do hope you guys enjoyed it. Please tell me what you thought of the chapter, also, given that I want to cheer you guys in these difficult times (if you're in the future, I hope you're doing much better), I am opening this story up to you guys. If you have any recommendations to brighten peoples' day, feel free to share them. Music. Videos. Art. Anything. Send me your recommendations and I'll put a link to them in the next chapter or chapters, based on how many come in and when. I do hate how this whole situation has played out, and it truly seems ridiculous to me, but if tackling it head on gives me the opportunity to better light up your day (assuming I have that power) then I'll do it. Please just be appropriate. Don't send me a link to a hentai or suggest Down with the Sickness by Disturbed or something like that, please.
That said, I wish you all the best and I'll see you all next time for the BIG chapter I've been waiting to write since before I even officially began this story. So, until then, bye for now.