I do not own Danmachi
"You did what?!"
Gareth sighed. "I told Ais that she should train with Lancelot," he repeated, knowing the confirmation would only upset the elf more.
Finn mentally groaned. He had hoped that his dwarf friend would have more tact than that, if only for the sake of self-preservation.
If not his, than mine.
"Why, in all that is good, would you recommend that Ais train with the leader of the Holy Knights, who, I apparently need to remind you, are not only the rivals of Orario, but whose leader attempted to kill my lover?!" Riveria demanded.
"Ais is returning to that lost place where she feels like she fears she's falling behind. We know what that means. The desperation. The pathological need to push herself harder and harder, even at the risk of her own health and safety. Unfortunately now, I think it's worse," Gareth explained. "With Bell added to the mixture, not only does she have another, greater reason to grow stronger, but she also has found competition that she's having great difficulty competing with, likely at no fault of her own. We've suspected Bell Cranel of having some sort of growth related skill for some time, but that, again unfortunately, makes the situation even worse. Maybe it wouldn't be for someone else, who could accept such a skill giving Bell a leg up but this is Ais. If we were to tell her of our suspicions I suspect it would only make her desperation all the worse as she would feel compelled to push herself past the breaking point in order to make up for the lack of the skill. Maybe I'm wrong on that front, but I certainly don't want to test to find out."
"Neither do I," Riveria agreed, "but that doesn't mean I want her working with the Knight of Knights either! Both are bad options!"
"I'm not so sure. Lancelot is a prick, but I haven't sensed any malevolence from him directed at Ais. If anything he seems genuinely interested in her and her abilities."
"Is that supposed to give me comfort?" the elf shot back.
"Sort of," Gareth attempted to joke, though his smile dropped when he saw his friend's glare deepen. "If Ais is to get out of this new funk then something has to change. Bell's certainly not going to slow down any time soon, if this rescue mission is any indication, and though I love the girl, I know Ais isn't going to calm down any time soon either; not unless the One-Eyed Black Dragon were to suddenly explode, her mother suddenly returned to her, and any danger threatening Bell suddenly became a cuddly bunny. As such, her getting the opportunity to train with the Knight of Knights is not an opportunity that she should disregard lightly."
Riveria, despite knowing that what he said was true both with regards to Ais as well as her ward's lover, wasn't about to concede and continued to glare at him. Seeing that he was set in his position, she turned her flaming emerald eyes towards Finn.
"Any other arguments you'd like to add to this ludicrous discussion?"
Finn sighed, giving Gareth a look that silently said, "Thanks a lot," before replying.
"Lancelot is our rival, but that hasn't stopped collaboration before, as Ais's training with Ottar proves," he pointed out.
"That came with a price," Riveria counter pointed.
"True, and no doubt Lancelot has his own price or reason for making his offer. That said, if it means getting Ais out of this current, as Gareth put it, funk, then I'm willing to at least give Ais a tentative permission to proceed."
"You've both gone mad!" the High Elf declared. "We are talking about the man who tried to kill Achilles and Bell! Gods! How can we be discussing this like we're having a disagreement over what to have for dinner?!"
"What's all the damn noise about?" came the irritated voice of Bete as he and the younger members of the Loki familia entered the tent, including Ais herself.
Riveria's gaze immediately fell upon her ward, whom she desperately wished to shake at the moment, but she managed to restrain herself in order to turn back towards Finn.
"Perhaps we should ask for everyone's opinion on this matter," she suggested, confident the others would likewise think the whole matter to be madness.
Finn well recognized her intentions, but before he could make any sort of decision, Tione jumped in.
"What's going on?"
"If there's some sort of problem we'll do what we can to help," Lefiya added.
The mention of trouble immediately activated Ais's currently fraught and paranoid mind and she all but cried, "We aren't abandoning Bell are we?!"
"No!" Riveria quickly reassured her, a twinge of guilt poking her heart at the unintentional alarm she'd given the young woman. "No," she repeated more calmly, but also more firmly as she steeled herself. "Our discussion has nothing to do with Bell for once. At least not directly. In fact, our discussion was focused on you, Ais, and your desire to accept the Knight of Knights's offer to train you."
Her friends' eyes all turned towards her, with only the steady eyes of Bete doing so with something other than shock.
"Why would you want to train with that jerk?" Tiona asked. "He attacked Argonaut-kun and Achilles!"
"I'm curious too. I know I'm more aggressive than most girls, but I can't imagine being near someone who hurt my man and desiring anything but their bloody death," Tione seconded.
Lefiya didn't say anything, but the confused and somewhat hurt look in her eyes made the Sword Princess twitch with discomfort and anger as she felt like she was being ganged up on.
"She wants to get stronger."
All eyes turned to Bete, who was standing with unusual calm as his gaze centered on Ais.
"She can grow stronger without training with that pretty boy," Tione stated.
"Yeah! She can train with us or Achilles until the cows come home!" her sister added.
"She has trained with us, and Achilles, enough times now that she knows how we all fight," Bete countered gruffly. "Now all we offer is a status boost and even that is lessened by all her previous experience with us. If she wants to keep growing stronger so that shitty situations like the one we're currently in don't keep happening, she needs something different. Someone different."
The surprisingly calm and mature answer from the werewolf caused the tent to fall silent for a moment before Gareth stepped back in.
"Precisely. The only true way to grow is to take on new challenges. Lancelot, for all your valid worries, is a new challenge for Ais to take on, even if only in a training setting. He provides Ais the opportunity to grow that she desires. A desire, given all we've seen and dealt with this last year, that I think everyone here can appreciate."
None of them could argue with that, the Expedition to reclaim Bell from the Evilus alone had made each of them double their training regime. Even so, half the tent didn't like the idea of Ais going to the Knight of Knights as a solution.
"If it's a matter of training with someone new, why not ask the Hades familia?" Tione suggested. "Uriel is a level six, a swordswoman, and would provide a unique challenge given her wings."
"Yeah, and that new vice-captain looks like a beast! I was actually hoping to fight her myself!" Tiona cried with excitement as she imagined battling Cerberus.
"Neither of them is a level seven," Bete pointed out. "And Lancelot is also regarded as the best swordsman in the world," he turned towards Riveria, "even better than Achilles."
Riveria frowned, but managed to nod.
"On pure swordsmanship skill, he might be better than Achilles. However, on the point of Uriel and Cereberus, I suspect those two combined would offer just as much of a challenge for Ais as Lancelot could," she offered, turning her hopeful orbs towards Ais.
"I'd be more than willing to train with Uriel and the Hades familia," Ais stated calmly, "but I also think training with Lancelot, despite my dislike for him, could be beneficial."
Before Riveria could continue arguing the matter, Finn stepped in.
"Well there's little point in arguing about it now when we have two adventurers to rescue and a powerful monster to deal with. Who knows, maybe by the time we've cut our way to Bell and Ryuu, and deal with the Juggernaut, we'll all have grown enough to make this whole discussion moot."
That was a ludicrously optimistic view, but that was better than simply conceding to the idea of Ais training with their foe.
"Fine, we'll leave it be for now, but I want a proper discussion on this when we get back to Twilight Manor," Riveria demanded, leaving no room for argument.
"Agreed," Finn replied, noting the way his Amazonian lover was eying him with the same demanding and skeptical eyes as the High Elf.
The group parted, Ais making the quickest retreat in order to avoid any questions from the others.
Damnit, Riveria internally hissed, having planned to confront Ais in private and convince, if need be through force, her surrogate daughter to reconsider her desire.
How did we get here? The elf wondered. How did we go from Ais jealously guarding Bell from the slightest hint of positive female attention, to her seriously considering training with the man who tried to kill him?
She sighed heavily.
"I need to speak with Achilles."
She went in search of her lover, walking down the rows of tents. She passed a few adventurers, which was a bit of a surprise given how exhausted everyone was after the constant fighting. Still, despite her own exhaustion, she politely waved at them as she continued on her way. At last, she found her beloved exactly where she expected to; alone, looking out onto the 50th floor, pipe cradled between those lips she loved so much.
He turned as she approached, his worry for his son and familia member hidden under decades of hard-won experience and the warmth of his affection for her.
"Hello beautiful," he greeted, offering her a small smile.
Riveria did not reply, instead, she grabbed his pipe, pulled it from his mouth, then placed it within her own lips and took a long drag.
"Haaaa," she breathed as a stream of smoke passed her beautiful lips.
"What's wrong?" he asked, wrapping a strong arm around her waist and pulling her against him for comfort.
The action and his warmth made her smile. She removed the pipe from her mouth so that she could pull him down into a kiss.
Though he still wanted to know what was bothering her, Achilles was not about to deny her affection and happily returned the kiss, pouring his love into her as his arms tightened around her luscious form.
For a few, wonderful moments, the two simply enjoyed the simply pleasure of their kiss, letting all worries drop away as they focused only on each other.
Riveria eventually pulled back, far too soon for either of their liking, her hot breath tickling Achilles's lips as his did the same towards hers.
"It's been too long since we've made love," she whispered sultrily to him.
"Is that what's bothering my princess? If so," his large hand cupped her full backside while his mouth hovered teasingly over her sensitive ear, "I am more than happy to rectify that problem."
The High Elf moaned in temptation and the wonderful feeling of her lover's strong hand massaging her ass, but despite the desire pumping through her veins, she managed to shake her head.
"No, that's not why I'm upset," she sighed with both worry and disappointment. "Ais wants to train with Lancelot."
"What?" Achilles's hand immediately stopped its delightful ministrations as he eyed the woman in his arms with confusion, concern, and a bit of anger. "Why would she want to train with that pompous bastard?"
"Her desperation to grow stronger has returned due to Bell's success and her inability to protect him from the Evilus, Tiamat, or Asterios," she explained.
"So she runs off to the man who tried to kill him not that long ago?" her loved questioned with no small amount of incredulity. "Why not come to me or any of you?"
"As Bete pointed out, she is used to training with us and won't grow as much or as quickly if she continues training with those she's familiar with."
"Bullshit," the ex-captain snarled. "If that silly girl thinks she knows even half of my arsenal maybe I should do a few rounds of 'surprise training' to teach her otherwise."
"Achilles," Riveria softly chastised.
He huffed, then sighed as his shoulders sagged.
"Alright, I'm sorry," he replied, taking a deep breath of her hair to calm himself before continuing. "But if she's really that worried about growing complacent with old training partners, why doesn't she try training with new familias within the city? I'm sure there are well over a hundred familias that would jump at the chance to train with the Sword Princess. Hell, she could train with all of them at once, that would give her loads of new experience and without having to turn to that prick, Lancelot Chevalier."
"We actually made that suggestion with Uriel and the Hades familia," Riveria explained.
Achilles's frown deepened at the mention of the albino succubus, which was not missed by the woman in his arms.
"You don't like that idea?" she questioned.
"Uriel is hiding something. Something to do with Bell, which means that Hades is hiding something to do with Bell," he explained.
"Any idea what that 'something' is?"
"Only that it's related to this expedition and that it makes Uriel incredibly uneasy, especially around me."
Riveria, being an intelligent woman, quickly figured out what that suggested.
"She has a mission related to Bell."
Achilles nodded.
"One that goes beyond a rescue mission."
This disturbing news made Riveria even more uneasy than before and she instinctively tightened her arms around Achilles.
"Whatever comes, we'll deal with it together," she vowed.
Achilles, despite his worry and anger, couldn't help but smile and leant down to reclaim her lips.
"You have no idea how much that means to me," he whispered against her lips.
"Then don't try to tell me in words, show me," she commanded lustfully.
Achilles immediately recaptured her lips as his arms retightened their hold upon his lover.
The previously silenced passion quickly returned as their lips danced against each other. It wasn't long before Achilles's hand possessively squeezed her breast, making the royal elf moan into his mouth and begin grinding against his leg.
Achilles pulled back from her lips, making her moan in disappointment.
"My tent or yours?" he asked huskily.
A shot of excitement struck Riveria's core, sending wonderful tingles through her nerves.
"Mine's bigger and better furnished," she responded.
Achilles smiled in that playful, yet sexy way that made Riveria's legs weaken.
"Your tent it is, princess," he readily acquiesced, the pure sex of his voice practically sending the elf over the edge right there.
Their night of passion was not to be, for it was at that moment that a distant, but powerful roar, echoed from somewhere deep within the Dungeon, before being swiftly followed by a quake.
"SOMETHING'S COMING!" Achilles roared, alerting the entire camp.
Within moments, adventurers began rushing in, weapons drawn and looking around for enemies as the first quake was followed by a second, more powerful one.
"What's the situation?" Finn ordered as he, the Loki, the Freya, and the Hades familias, streamed in, along with Alfia and Galadriel.
"Quakes of unknown origin coming from deeper down the Dungeon and getting closer," Achilles answered, "and if my gut's right, our skeletal friend is about to make a reappearance."
"Good, then I will have the chance to finally punish that hideous creature for its transgressions," Alfia stated with bone-chilling scorn.
"We'll fight it together," the Braver stated firmly before turning to the rest of the expedition. "PREPARE FOR BATTLE!"
The adventurers quickly formed in battle lines, none quicker than the Hestia familia, who were all more than ready to rescue their friends and punish the beast that had tried to take them away.
The quakes kept coming, each more powerful than the last until, at last, the ground of the 50th floor exploded and the massive figure of the Valgang Juggernaut burst onto the scene.
The sight of the evolved monster stunned every member of the expedition, but that shock was replaced almost immediately upon sighting what, or should it be said, who was driving the beast skyward.
"By all the gods," Uriel gaped.
"He's evolved again," Achilles stated as his electric blue eyes widened in shock.
"Yeesh, I almost feel bad for the bag of bones," Bete growled.
This will interest my lady greatly, Ottar thought.
Is that really you, Bell? Alfia thought, unable to reconcile the sight of the White Dragon with the image in her mind of her little nephew.
"Would you stop getting bigger, Bell-sama?!" Lili bellowed, though her voice was shaking fiercely from the awesome and terrible sight of her captain tearing into the evolved Juggernaut.
"B-Bell," Ais gasped as she took in the titanic, pale form of her lover in his newest evolution. He looks like the Dragon, she thought as her heart quaked with both her fear and its own desperate attempt to deny what her eyes were telling her. Luckily for her heart and sanity, Bell's familiar, if deeper voice, suddenly echoed across the Dungeon.
"Here's your stop," he growled before casting down the broken form of the Valgang Juggernaut. "RYUU! FINISH THIS!"
All eyes turned as a stream of emerald light shot from the giant hole Bell had made with the Juggernaut's body.
Ryuu flew high into the air as the expedition watched in stunned silence.
"LUVIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The Gale roared as she fell like a shooting star straight down into the Juggernaut's form, plunging a long, emerald blade into its body, obliterating the terrible creature and finally ending its reign of terror.
For a few moments, everyone was too shocked to do or say anything, but then Alise, her cheeks stretching to tearing point, cried out, "They did it!"
Not a second later, she was running towards her friends like the world's most enthusiastic madwoman. This broke the spell and the rest of the expedition rushed after her while calling out the victorious adventurers' names.
Alise, with her headstart and great excitement, reached the two first, finding Ryuu snuggled up to the very human Bell.
Achilles, Ais, and Alfia arrived a moment later, the father quickly checking on his familia members.
They've been pushed past their limits and will require weeks to recover fully, but they will recover, he found. "Thank Heaven," he sighed as his head fell with relief.
A moment later, the rest of the expedition showed up and Finn ordered the healers to work, which they promptly did, including Lefiya, who set to work helping the two unconscious adventurers.
"Well, this isn't quite how I expected this expedition to go, but hey, a success is a success," Finn joked as the weight of his own worries began to fall away.
"My lady will be pleased that Cranel has returned safely, and no doubt Syr will be relieved that Lion is also safe," Ottar stated stoically.
"And I think we'll all sleep better knowing that infernal beast is gone," Uriel added, her heart practically bursting with relief now that she wouldn't have to enact Hades's secondary orders.
Her relief died a quick death as she caught Achilles's gaze and found him eying her warily.
He suspects us, she realized, unable to stop herself from turning to Cereberus and thus confirming to the Father On High that something was indeed amiss.
Which doesn't sit well with me at all, he thought as his hand tightened around Dragonsbane, but only for a moment as he exchanged his suspicions for taking care of his two family members. At least for the moment.
Achilles, after checking with the healers, picked the two victors up, easily holding them both in his massive arms, then took them to the camp.
He carried Bell and Ryuu to the Hestia familia's tent and waited patiently for Haruhime and Mikoto to set-up two bedrolls, before putting them down as gently as humanly possible.
"They look like they've been through hell, even after all the healing," Welf noted.
"Good! After all the worry they've put us through, they deserve a butt-kicking to teach them not to do such stupid, selfish things!" Lili declared, though everyone, even non-Hestia members, knew that her anger was just a mask to hide how absolutely terrified she had been for both of them.
"Oh their punishments are just beginning," Achilles stated. "These two have a small army of people who want to discipline them for their recklessness," he smiled, "and yet…I doubt any of us are going to have the heart to fully go through with any of our punishments, at least not fully. No, I think we're all just so damn relieved that they're back in our arms that these three loveable idiots will somehow skate on by with a slap on the wrist."
"Speak for yourself, you sentimental old fool," Alfia hissed, "my relief will, if anything, ensure a greater punishment as it is proof of how worried these three idiots made me," she sent a glare at Alise to ensure that the Astraea captain understood she was not escaping punishment either. "In fact, these injuries just serve as physical proof of how right I was to command them to stay out of this matter."
"You say that now, but 100,000 valis says that one, apologetic, bunny-like look from Bell, and you'll find it difficult to do anything but squeeze his cheeks and hug him in relief," Achilles teased while several adventurers around him felt their own anger waning as they imagined one of Bell's apologetic looks or big smiles. The effect was doubly profound amongst that group of ladies who had already given him their hearts as they had all-but forgiven him already.
"You forget, Achilles, I was with him when he was a child. I witnessed him at his most innocent and adorable and learned how to resist him back then. He will not find me so weak as all of you," Alfia stated confidently.
"Oh? And precisely how many times were you actually able to resist the full-force of a cute, innocent Bell asking you for something?" her old comrade inquired with knowing eyes.
To the amazement of everyone there, a light dusting of red came to her cheeks.
"About half the time," the Silence admitted quietly.
The tent filled with laughter not a second later and Galadriel couldn't stop herself from cooing and teasing her big sister, despite the furious and embarrassed look on Alfia's face.
Unseen by everyone, the two newly returned adventurers were smiling as, even in their sleep, the sound of their friends and loved ones laughing and teasing each other, brought a smile to their faces.
We're home, Bell thought in his sleep as he instinctively reached out and took Ryuu's hand, who immediately squeezed it back as her smile grew.