I do not own Danmachi
Bell awoke to the wonderful feeling of a naked body in his arms. Instinctively, he tightened his grip and began to rub his hands up and down the toned stomach of the feminine form within his grasp as the image of a certain swordswoman formed in his mind.
A soft, pleased moan emerged from feminine lips and Bell's eyes shot open.
Wait…that wasn't Ais.
He looked down and found the familiar short golden hair and pointed ears of Ryuu beneath his chin while the woman herself snuggled deeper into his arms, which were still tightly wrapped around her waist.
Being that he was a man with a pulse, Bell could not stop the natural reaction that occurred, even if a wave of guilt coincided with his physical enjoyment of the beautiful body snuggling into him.
"Mmm, Bell~" Ryuu sighed as she unconsciously grinded against his hardness.
Bell moaned and had to bite his lip so that he wouldn't be overcome by instinct and raw desire.
"Ryuuuu…please…" he didn't know what he was pleading for her to do at that moment. His mind screamed for her to stop, his body all-but demanded that she continued.
Luckily, he didn't end up needing to make a decision as hearing her captain call her name caused the elf's eyes to flutter open. After taking a moment to fully awaken she turned.
"Good morning Bell," she greeted as calmly as she could with her beloved pressed up naked against her back. There was nothing she could do about the bright scarlet blush that instantly appeared on her cheeks though.
"M-Morning Ryuu. Would…you mind scooching up a bit?" he asked with no small hint of desperation.
Ryuu blinked and wondered for a brief moment why he was begging, when the feeling of his twitching manhood against her firm ass awakened her to his plight.
Her eyes widened into saucers and she flew from Bell's side, rising to her feet as their shared blanket dropped to the ground. Of course, this meant her pale body, beautiful as any goddess's, was revealed for Bell's now wide ruby orbs.
Bell stared. There was nothing he could do but stare.
When a man is presented with a vision of Heaven, it is his right, nay, his duty, to take it all in until it's seared into his brain! The distant voice of his grandfather boomed.
"Wow."
The word passed Bell's lips before he could stop it, forcing Ryuu's eyes towards his. For a moment, they simply stared at each other before the cold air of the Dungeon finally reminded Ryuu of her current state.
With a cry of embarrassment, Ryuu covered her breasts and squatted down to try and hide her body. The situation was mortifying beyond words and the poor young woman may have thrown herself into the Dungeon's icy waters had Bell not sprung into action, grabbing the blanket and wrapping it around her body.
"I…didn't see that much," he lied. It was so obviously a lie that it might have been funny to the elf had she not been so embarrassed.
"Y-You saw…e-e-everything," she stuttered as her blush spread to the tips of her ears and all the way down her neck.
Bell blushed too and tried to think of how to respond for he knew he had to in order to try and make her feel better. In his desperation to say something, he spoke the first thing that came to mind which, as one can imagine, were not the ideal words to say.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of. You're gorgeous, Ryuu."
Both froze.
Seconds ticked by until, finally, after what could have been an eternity of silent torment, Ryuu spoke.
"I-In elvish culture, seeing a naked woman's body without her permission is considered a heinous crime," she whispered.
"I…I think my grandfather once told me that," Bell responded.
"Did he also tell you that a human seeing an elven maiden's body is considered a crime worthy of death?" she asked, her voice eerily serious.
Bell swallowed.
"N-No…he didn't."
Ryuu's sky blue eyes turned upwards and, as terrified as Bell was at that moment, he couldn't help but meet her gaze.
"Normally, I would be one of the first to strike down an offending man for such a crime," she continued, her voice still as cold and hard as stone.
"B-But…?"
"But you are my beloved captain," she replied, "and I know I'm at least partly to blame. Also," her blush returned, "I appreciate your compliment," she admitted.
"T-Thank you for not killing me," Bell responded with a sigh of relief.
"If you wish to thank me, then turn around," she ordered, immediately becoming deadly serious again.
Bell spun around faster than should have been possible, even for him.
Ryuu took a moment to appreciate that she could make someone so powerful so terrified…and to appreciate Bell's well-formed backside.
Turnabout's fair play, she smiled before going over to the fire and grabbing their now dry clothes.
She tossed Bell's clothes to him, reminding him of his own nudity, and they both quickly got dressed.
"We need to find the Juggernaut as quickly as possible," Bell stated with uncharacteristic coldness once they were fully dressed and equipped once more.
"I don't expect that to be difficult. Not only did we fall together, meaning it can't be too far away, but it has a tendency of leaving a trail in its wake," Ryuu responded, making sure not to mention that the trail tended to be heavily made up of corpses and blood.
"Then let's not waste a second."
Hades stared up at Babel, his fire and ice eyes nearly bursting with contempt, desperation, just the tiniest bit of hope This was not because of the tower itself. While he had never liked the gaudy construct that acted as the lid to Tartarus, he did not hold such mixed and intense feelings towards things made of stone, cement, and glass. No, his mixed feelings were because of what he was about to do or, more accurately, what he was about to ask his children to do.
"Hades-sama, everyone is ready," Uriel called gently.
Hades turned and stared at the group before him.
His children came from every background imaginable. Nobles and beggars, slaves and thieves, the adventurous and the downright mad, and that before any mentioned their species, which included vampires, succubi, and the rarest assortment of chienthropes anyone would ever find in a single mortal lifetime. Yet, he loved each and every one of them and he feared that this might be the last time he saw some of them.
He turned his eyes towards Uriel who, naturally, noted the terrible concoction of emotions in his eyes, and signaled that she was there for him. However, now was not the time for comfort, now was the time for action and dark orders.
"We have been assigned a mission of the highest priority from Ouranos himself," he began, piquing the interest of many of his children. "You are to find Bell Cranel and bring him back to the surface, no matter what. Bell Cranel is currently hunting an extremely dangerous monster called the Juggernaut," he signaled for Uriel and Cerberus to distribute leaflets describing what they knew of the creature. "An expedition has already been sent after the monster, but Bell Cranel has a habit of finding himself in excessive amounts of danger and will likely find the Juggernaut soon, if he hasn't already."
A few of his children chuckled, but quickly quieted when they saw how serious their god was.
"Bell must be found and brought back to the surface, this is not a mission that is allowed to fail. Do you all understand?"
"Yes Hades-sama!" they all cried in unison.
"Good. Prepare yourselves," Hades ordered. "Uriel. Cerberus. A word."
The captain and vice-captain quickly followed after their deity while nearby, Laura and Leanna watched from under their dark cloaks.
"Should we listen in?" Leanna asked as her vampiric eyes watched the three head off somewhere more private.
"No. Something tells me we don't want to know what Hades is going to talk to them about," Laura replied.
Once Hades was sure they were alone, he stopped and with a deep breath, turned back to his captain and vice-captain.
"This must be something pretty nasty if you can't talk about it in front of the others," Cerberus noted with her usual growly voice.
"Unfortunately, it's far worse than nasty," Hades replied, his heart growing heavier with every word.
"Whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it, my love," Uriel assured, getting a nod from Cerberus.
Hades was silent for a moment longer before sighing so heavily, Babel would not have been able to hold up the weight of his breath.
"The primary goal is to bring Bell back to the surface safely…however," his fists tightened, "if there is any risk that the Juggernaut may capture him…any chance at all that Bell should fall into its claws…" he swallowed painful as his eyes closed, "then you must kill him."
Uriel's jaw dropped as her eyes widened to truly inhuman proportions.
"H-Hades…my love…what are you saying? Isn't he your family?" she questioned as confused racked her brains.
"Uriel." She froze at the iciness in his voice. "Do not think for a moment I want to give you and Cerberus this order. I do not," his eyes reopened and both orbs glowed with an equal part rage and sadness. "I give it, because I must," he explained.
Uriel didn't know how to respond to that, which presented her vice-captain the chance to step in.
"Because, for some reason a monster wants to capture him?" she growled.
Hades nodded.
"And why would a monster want to capture some kid and not kill and eat him like, ya know, every other monster out there?" the giant werewolf asked.
"Monsters are more than just mindless killing-machines, Cerberus, and it would be wise to remember that," Hades warned firmly, startling both her and Uriel. Seeing their expressions he took a deep breath. "As for why it wishes to capture Bell…I'm sorry, but that's not something I can share, not even with you two."
Cerberus and Uriel turned to each other. They were Hades's most trusted companions and knew all his secrets or…they thought they did.
"This must be the world's biggest shitstorm if you're keeping..." Cerberus waved her paw, "whatever you're hiding, from us."
"You can't begin to imagine," Hades replied as a deep exhaustion set into his voice and body.
"Then we will trust you, my love, as we always have," Uriel moved to his side and took his hand. "We will do all we can to save Bell, but, if we truly must, then we shall end his life as quickly and mercifully as possible."
Hades could only nod for he did not trust words at the moment.
The three soon returned to the others and Hades addressed his familia one last time.
"Best of luck to you all! Watch each other's backs and fight hard! Now go!" Hades ordered.
His familia ran with all speed into the Dungeon as he watched, more afraid than he'd been millennia.
"May all the powers aid you, my children."
"Of course we'll come, Mania!" the statuette of Nemesis boomed, as if insulted that her little sister asked such an stupid question.
The three had made the special statuettes right before they descended from the Heavens. The creations could communicate over large distances, but had some limitations and risks, including that the statues required divine power so, if any of the three were caught with them, the goddesses would be sent back to the immortal plane. However, Mania knew that something was unfolding in the world that she had little to no control, which she didn't like that one bit. As such, it was time for the three "Sinister Sisters" to rejoin forces and retake control of the situation, for even Hades, Ouranos, and Zeus had a difficult time resisting all three of them when they joined forces.
Mania smiled.
"Thank you. Both of you."
"There is absolutely no need for you to thank us. It has been far too long since we three have seen each other," the statuette of Eris joined, its blood red eyes glowing as the goddess's voice echoed through the room.
"Especially if Hades and Ouranos are hiding something. That does not bode well for anyone," Nemesis stated, her purple eyes glowing with both menace and worry.
"Indeed," Eris continued. "Do you have any ideas on what they are trying to keep secret?"
"It has something to do with my grandson, Bell Cranel," Mania answered.
"Ah, I've been hearing quite a bit about that name recently, though all of it is tainted with so much rumor that I doubt anything I've heard is true," Eris stated.
"He's a good boy and I'm sure you'll like him," Mania assured them, before pausing, "he does have a very dark power though. It's not like anything I've ever seen from a mortal before."
"A dark power?" Eris questioned.
"It's a skill called Wrath of the Dragon. It's…terrifying, even for me."
"That is saying something," Eris noted.
There was a brief, uncomfortable pause, before Nemesis jumped back in.
"Sounds to me like he'll fit right in with us 'Sinister Sisters'."
Both Mania and Eris laughed.
"I suppose you're right," Mania agreed.
"It is hard to find fault in that logic," Eris agreed. "But is there anything else you can tell us? Something that might give us a clue about Hades and Ouranos's intentions towards Bell?"
Mania thought for a moment, before her tiger tail suddenly stopped and went ramrod straight.
"Something in my gut tells me it has something to do with Tiamat."
"Tiamat?" Both Nemesis and Eris questioned.
"She attacked Orario not too long ago and Bell fought her directly. In fact, she seemed focused on him."
"Your grandson fought Tiamat?! The Queen of the Skies herself?!" Nemesis cried, the purple eyes of her statuette practically burning with light.
"Yes, and he even managed to hold off all six of her heads," Mania informed them.
Another prolonged pause passed between the sisters.
"That's…incredible," Eris finally stated, her voice filled with disbelief.
"And a little terrifying," Nemesis joined. "Few adventurers throughout history would have been able to survive against a Herald, let alone the Herald for the Black Dragon. To hold their own against her is nearly unheard of. The only one I can think of who could is Albert Waldstein."
"And Achilles," Mania added with a tinge of pride.
"And Achilles," Nemesis agreed, "but he's been an adventurer for four decades in comparison to your grandson. I presume Bell has not been Dungeon delving for that long."
"Not even a year," Mania replied.
Another pause.
"Something is going on in the world. Something strange and powerful and dark," Eris stated, her voice barely more than a whisper, "and, if what you say is true Mania, which I'm sure it is, then your grandson is at the very center of it. How, why, and what that means, I do not know. However, it does mean Nemesis and I need to be with you as soon as possible."
"I'll have my familia pack up immediately," Nemesis stated.
"And I'll keep my eyes and ears open," Mania seconded, her cat ears flicking to further cement this point.
"Good. Be careful out there you two. Things are getting out of hand very quickly and I fear that even our three powers combined will have difficulty managing whatever is coming."
"Goodness, if the Goddess of Disorder is worried about things getting out of hand, than things truly are entering a fearful stage," Mania tried to joke.
"As the Goddess of Disorder, I know better than anyone the destructive power of Chaos," Eris responded seriously.
Mania swallowed and she was sure Nemesis did the same.
"Please…hurry," Mania pleaded.
"We'll be there soon sister, I promise," Eris reassured before the eyes of her statuette went dark, followed quickly by those of Nemesis.
Mania sighed and looked down at her shaking hand.
"The dark days truly aren't over," she whispered.
Taking a deep breath, Mania left her room and headed towards the living room, where Hestia and Astraea were waiting for her.
Both goddesses' heads spun towards her when she entered and Mania nodded.
"They're on their way."
Hestia and Astraea sighed in relief.
"That's good. You three are nothing to trifle with alone, but together we should be able to manage whatever storm comes our way," the Goddess of Justice stated confidently.
"Assuming Nemesis doesn't join forces with Loki to spend all her time teasing me," Hestia huffed, making the other two goddesses smile.
The laughter eased their hearts, but only for a moment as, unexpectedly, the doorbell rang.
"I wonder who that could be," Hestia said as she and the other two deities headed towards the door.
They arrived just as Haruhime, dressed in her usual maid outfit, opened the door to reveal Riveria, Lefiya, and what must have been half the Loki and Freya familias.
Immediately, Hestia's heart sank.
"What's happened?" she asked the High Elf.
"Finn has called in reinforcements. Apparently the situation with the Juggernaut has gotten completely out of hand and…" she paused, knowing this would not be easy for any of them to hear, "Bete told us that Bell was severely wounded while fighting the Juggernaut before both he and Ryuu Lion fell deeper into the Dungeon. They, at this moment, missing in action."
The scene before them made both Bell and Ryuu uneasy and, if they were being completely honest, a little queasy.
All across the Dungeon floor were bone spikes, deep claw marks, and splatterings of monster blood. If they hadn't known better, they would have thought there was a full-fledged monster battle there. However, they did know better and they knew which monster had created the carnage.
"There aren't any magic stones," Bell quickly noticed. "It's eating them to get stronger."
A shiver crawled up Ryuu's spine as she swallowed.
"If the Juggernaut is going for magic stones in order to get stronger, then it will delve deeper into the Dungeon to find more powerful monsters," Ryuu surmised with a shaky voice. She turned to Bell and gave him an uneasy look. "Are you truly sure that you want to go after it, Bell? The only time we've been to the deeper floors was…" she paused trying to find the best wording, "due to Dionysus," she decided.
A quick flash of the god smiling at him made Bell freeze. Dark memories soon filled his mind, while the echoes of past torment wracked his body.
Going down deeper also brings me closer to those voices, he thought as his hand began to shake at his side. Ryuu did not fail to notice this. She was about to reach out and take his hand and to reassure him that she would fully understand heading back towards the surface. However, Bell's hand suddenly clenched into a fist.
"We need to destroy the Juggernaut. Both of us," he confirmed, turning his eyes towards hers. "Especially if it's getting stronger. We have to stop it before it has the strength to hurt anyone else."
Ryuu could tell he was scared and that alone scared her, given how strong she knew he was, but she also understood his position. Even now, knowing they would face an even stronger Juggernaut, she needed to rid the world of it.
And if he's scared, then I will be his strength, she decided.
She nodded and steeled herself.
"Let's be off then."
Bell nodded back and the two ran further into the depths of the Dungeon and the challenges that awaited them.
Bloody drool dripped down the Juggernaut's maw as the magic stone of the Cadmus crunched between its razor sharp teeth.
Still not enough, it thought after swallowing the stone and feeling its power growing. Even after all the monsters it had devoured, including one as powerful as the Cadmus, the Juggernaut could still picture the power of those adventurers and of the traitor, Typhon, and it shivered in fear. I need more.
Just then, its masters sent an image straight into its mind. It was a vision of the 58th floor with a massive number of Valgang dragons.
A feast to be consumed in its entirety, the Juggernaut thought as more viscous drool dripped from its jaws.
With a creaking roar, the Juggernaut shot off towards the 58th floor, hungry and more eager than ever for its rematch with Typhon.
Hello everyone. You're kind words gave me the motivation to finish up this chapter, so thank you. I just wanted to quickly reiterate that this story isn't dead dead, but simply very very slowed. I made my author's note as an acknowledgement of that and to give others the opportunity to take up the story if they wished for a more timely schedule. That offer is still available, and if you're interested, please PM me and I will provide you with my email or you can give me yours so that I can inform you of my overall plan for the story. Of course, you do not have to follow my plan. If there are things you want to do with the story or don't like my ideas, feel free to take it down your own path. The point of the note was, in part, to give everyone free permission to do that.
All that said, I can't fully drop this story as it means too much to me. I have put almost 1,000,000 words into this story, after all. I will still be making chapters every now and then, I just can't give a timeline and don't want to get anyone's hopes up for bi-weekly updates or anything like that.
With that, I will bid you all the finest of days, weeks, months, and years. Truly, thank you all for the outpouring of support, I do appreciate it more than you can know. Best wishes to you all.