The Fallen Argonaut
Rated; M (Blood/Gore)
Disclaimer; I do not own Danmachi or anything created by the author Fujino Ōmori, all rights go to him
Authors: Eli-er01 & ViceroyChalister
Summary: The will of a hero is strong, yet unwavering but all good things must come to an end, even at the cost of one's Heroic Will. Imprisoned and blamed for a crime he hadn't committed, Bell seeks a way out of his predicament so that he can live without fear of being hunted by the people he once looked up to.
4: Journey and Arrival
Normal POV
=The Open Roads=
It's been one day since Bell and Erebus had set off from the town of Agris, their supplies were barely holding and were depleting at a rapid pace. Bell had only bought enough to get them out of the wasteland and once they were out, they, meaning Bell, had to resupply.
"Bell, I can see the grass in the distance" Erebus said as Bell turned to him. Erebus had a finger pointing to the side as he looked at Bell. Once he followed the direction of where Erebus was pointing, he saw the tiniest speck of green, peeking over the horizon.
"Finally!" Bell exclaimed as he bent down, causing Erebus to lift an eyebrow in question.
"The faster we get there, the faster we will be able to resupply. If you get on, I can sprint there since I drank water recently and run out of stamina and breath slower" Erebus thought about it for a second before nodding and got on.
Bell quickly took off at a rapid pace, or at least as fast as he could with luggage alongside Erebus on his back. Erebus held on tighter as the wind resistance threatened to push him off. Time flew by quickly like this, and before they knew it, they were about half way there. Erebus quirked an eyebrow as they passed a man in shining armor that looked brand new who tried to get them to stop. Bell snorted at the choice of clothing but decided not focus on it.
Eventually, the surroundings started to slowly morph into something more hospitable for life. Grass started to appear by the side of the road, There were trees scattered far away from each other, but slowly becoming more abundant. Eventually, the sun started to get lower and Bell's stamina started to run out as the running took its toll. Bell eventually gave up as he was nearly hyperventilating. They stopped before Bell let Erebus down, and Bell quickly collapsed up to a tree that was close by. In the meantime, Erebus looked back over the Horizon with a long, questioning stare.
"Is something wrong?" Bell asked as he peeked up through his white locks.
"No. I was just wondering who that idiot was with full metal armor in a place that's practically a desert" Bell wanted to laugh at the mention, but his heavy breathing made that hard, and instead, choked snorts came out instead.
"I don't know, but I have to agree that it is a weird choice of clothing," Bell said through breaths as he shook his shoulders. Erebus simply shook his head at the impractical choice of the man.
"Downright idiotic if you ask me. The metal would only wear him down over time because of its weight, and it would trap the head inside making it even warmer than it has to. There are so many things wrong wit-" Bell stopped listening as he opened the luggage he had on him before looking at the supplies they had.
"Erebus" Bell said as Erebus stopped rambling and looked back.
"Yes?"
"We should set camp here, we barely have enough water for one day and the food is basically enough for one meal" Bell said as he took out two bottles of water and some meat jerky.
"Hm, you have a point" Erebus said before taking a look at a sign nearby which told of where this one way road took them "But are you sure you want to go 'there'?" Bell looked at the sign before nodding.
"Yeah, the people of Orario, the ones that will be after us won't look there. From what I know, 'they' don't allow people of Orario in there and only accept travelers that can prove their fighting strength, though only temporarily if they are men" Erebus understood what he was insinuating. Originally they had planned to let the roads take them somewhere, but quickly realized that they had a higher chance of walking straight back into Orario with the abundance of roads that twisted and turned in that direction. It wasn't called the center of the world for nothing after all. Instead, Bell had chosen one location to stop that from happening so that they could stay there until they could pinpoint a location that they could safely place to settle. At least safe enough not to be found.
"So… what did you bring for us to eat?" Erebus asked as he turned around from the road.
"Oh, I just bought something simple. Some meat jerky, two sandwiches and lastly a simple spice to make the jerky taste less… bland" Erebus nodded before walking and sitting down.
"I will go and gather some firewood. You never know, there might be some wandering monsters nearby" Bell nodded before walking away. Meanwhile, Erebus took a quick sip from the water before pulling out some simple camping equipment.
Bell walked through grasslands, stopping by, picking up different sized sticks from the ground to make a campfire. He may have lived in a city, but he was a farmer once and had been taught basic survival. The trip was relatively short as the trees were relatively close by and sticks had accumulated under the trees around over time as it's very rare for them to move.
Once Bell came back, he quickly started a fire with his magic before heating up the meat and eating with Erebus. They had fallen into a comfortable silence.
It wasn't long before the night had consumed the daylight, and the duo went to sleep. The last thing on Bell's mind being of happier days, alongside his familia.
=The Camp=
The light breeze alongside the sunlight woke Bell. Cackling of a campfire started to fill his ears as his eyes fluttered open slowly as he blocked the sunlight. By the campfire was Erebus, tending to the fire to keep the temperatures at a comfortable level.
"Good morning, Erebus" Bell said as he yawned. Erebus turned his head around, giving him a light smile.
"Morning. You won't be able to guess who passed us an hour ago" Bell tilted his head groggily, before pondering the options. His face lit up slightly before shifting into suppressed laughter
"Please… Please don't say it was the guy in armor" Bell said as Erebus chuckled, nodding at the same time. Bell couldn't take it as laughter broke out of his mouth.
"Hahaha, you're kidding! The guy is still going around in that armor?" Bell kept laughing for a while with Erebus' chuckles somewhat in the background. Once he calmed down, Bell put on a more sheepish look.
"Maybe we should tell him something lighter might be better" Erebus thought about the suggestion for a moment, before shaking his head
"No, let him suffer the consequences of his own choice. Might teach him something" Bell seemed to want to object but shut his mouth before getting up. He began packing up, folding the blanket he slept on before putting the fire out and covering up their tracks. Erebus put the equipment on his back once everything was packed.
"Shall we?" Erebus asked as Bell nodded, leaning down to allow him on his back. They took off like a rocket once again, knowing they would arrive at their destination by noon if no interruptions happened.
The run for Bell was nice. It allowed him to simply feel the fresh air as it flew by his face in a pleasant manner. It also allowed him to stop thinking, as his mind was solely focused on the running, as well as not to go the wrong way as there were intersections that led to villages nearby.
"So… what should we do once we arrive?" Erebus' voice snapped Bell out of his focus as he nearly tripped, before pondering an answer. The answer wasn't something as simple as 'We will make money before leaving'. They needed some time there because of them needing to find another place to settle. That would mean they would need to buy a temporary place to stay, which would mean even more money needed.
"Well… first things first, we find some place to stay the night…" Bell began ,trying to form a plan, but as he painfully knew, he wasn't 'The Braver' with his tactical mind. It was the one thing Bell lacked and needed to work on.
"It doesn't matter if it's in the alleys or streets, anything is better than that damn cell. It was just uneven rocks surrounded by a glass square. It was as if they tried to make it as uncomfortable as possible" Erebus said as Bell nodded, agreeing with his thinking.
"We will also need money…" Bell muttered. Erebus looked down for a second before thinking.
"Well, the place we are going is kinda wild… and barbaric in a sense so… perhaps something along the lines of a street fighter" Bell peeked back, quirking an eyebrow
"It's basically other people watching you fighting someone else until one can't keep going, kinda like the wargame, but with less stakes and only one person you're fighting." Erebus explained, slightly surprised at Bell now knowing what it was. Bell nodded, pondering the idea.
"I don't know… but it's not like I can be picky" Bell muttered, not really liking the idea but relenting anyway
"Think on the bright side. This place has higher level people too. You will increase your status along the way" Bell nodded at that, after all, he would need to get stronger if he wants to clear his name.
"No…! Get off me!" Bell's ears picked up screams from far away, stopping quickly, making Erebus jerk forward quickly, grunting at the change of speed.
"What was that for?" Erebus groaned as Bell looked in the direction of sound.
"I hear screams. Someone is screaming for help and we should help them" Erebus looked around trying to listen to no avail.
"I can't hear anything, and either way, why should we help? We don't owe them anything" Bell looked at Erebus with wide eyes before glaring at him. Wasn't he the one that wanted to do good too?
"Erebus! Didn't you want to do good too since Evil and Good are two sides of the same coin?" Erebus froze, before sighing.
"Yeah… you're right. Sorry, I kind of thought that out of my base nature" Bell nodded before taking off in the direction of the screams.
As they got closer to the sounds, Erebus started hearing it too and before they knew it, a wagon got into view. It was covered with blood, originating from the driver that was missing his hand alongside a slit throat, laying on the wagon itself, slowly letting the blood drip down the side, covering it.
As their eyes turned to the side, their eyes widened with recognition.
"I will be damned! It's our resident idiot knight!" Erebus exclaimed, recognizing the plated armor that was shining in the sunlight.
In front of them was a woman, on the ground, protecting a little girl, most likely her daughter. In front of her was the knight, holding a shaky sword, pointing it at 8 other people.
"Seems he's trying to protect her from them. Judging from their attire… bandits?" Bell asked as Erebus nodded. He quickly got off Bell's back. Bell was about to take action before the 'knight' spoke, making Erebus laugh.
"Thou are not worthy of my blade, Fiends!" He spoke with an extremely heavy accent.
'What was this? The barbaric age of kings and knights?' Erebus asked himself within his thoughts while he laughed.
"Great… he even speaks like a weirdo," Bell muttered before shaking his head. He quickly launched himself forwards. The 8 bandits turned around, only to see Erebus, laughing, and next, two of them were sent flying into the wagon.
"Huh?" The bandit who seemed slightly larger looked behind him, to see that they were 6 now instead of 8 and that the other two had gone through the cloth covering the wagon and lying unconscious by the other side.
"What the hell!" one bandit screamed
"Boss! What are we sup-" The man was interrupted by a knee in the face, and for a split second, the leader saw a silhouette of red eyes and white hair.
"Who's doing this! Show yourself and be a man!" He screamed in provocation, hoping for it to work.
"Gah!"
"Phuuu…"
Two others were knocked away unconscious, leaving only three remaining. The icing on the cake was that whoever that black haired guy with a nice suit was, he was laughing at them
"You- hahaha- You're all getting pummeled by a rabbit-hahahaha" Erebus said through his laughs, confusing the bandit leader.
*Crack*
The bandit leader looked behind him, only to see the only two other bandits beside him that were not knocked out, were now on the ground, face… inside the ground, and a boy on his knees with his hands on their heads.
"Who the hell are you! Do you even know who we are!?" The leader screamed out, aiming his sword at Bell.
Bell simply stood up, before looking around, before locking his eyes back on the leader.
"Why would I tell you who I am?" Bell asked, staring hard at the sole bandit remaining, the red aura starting to seep out of him, making the leader shake in fear.
"When the rest of us find out what you did… you're done!" The leader screamed, taking two steps back.
"Hmm… why don't you tell me where they are so I can personally pay them a visit?" Bell asked as he took two steps forwards, keeping the distance between them the same.
"Why would I do that…?" He said, getting confused as of why the boy asked him something he clearly wasn't going to get an answer too
"Because you're not telling anyone anything" Before the bandit could process the words, Bell's fist made itself acquainted with his face, knocking him out instantly.
Bell stared at the leader for a second, the aura dissipating before turning around, and looking towards the knight, who aimed his sword at him now.
"Do not get closer, Fiend!" The knight spoke in a shaky tone. Bell shook his head before knocking the sword out of his hands.
"Before you point your sword at other people, make sure they are your enemies" Bell said simply before walking past him to the woman and child
"I- I challenge thou to a duel, Sir!" Bell groaned before turning around
"Can you just stop it! I'm trying to help these two and you're making it worse!" Bell exclaimed, trying to get him to understand, but the knight wasn't having it.
"I insist!" Bell groaned before hearing chuckles getting closer. He looked to the source, finding Erebus approaching with an amused smirk.
"What are you smirking at?" Bell asked, annoyed at the situation
"Oh, just smirking at the good, and horrible luck you have" Bell groaned again before aiming his glare towards the knight
"Listen here! I don't have time for you and your honor or whatever it is. I came here wanting to help someone, and that's what I did. Now I just want to make sure they are okay. So will you stop being such a prick!" Bell said as Erebus whistled
"Haven't seen him this mad before, you might want to listen" The knight recoiled before hanging his head to the side. Bell, taking it as him relenting, turned back around before leaning down at the scared woman and child.
"Hey, are you two alright?" Bell asked in a soft tone as the woman looked up with fear filled eyes.
"Hey, I won't hurt you or the girl, I promise. I just want to make sure you're alright" Bell asked the woman, who looked at her young companion who nodded. The woman looked back before doing the same. Before Bell could say or do anything else, the little girl's stomach growled, making her blush.
"Sorry…" She said, embarrassed. Bell smiled before standing up.
"Wait a second" Bell walked over to Erebus before rummaging through the backpack on his back. He pulled out the remaining meat jerky and poured some of the spice on it. Once he got back to the girl, he handed her the food making her eyes sparkle.
She quickly ravaged the food, making it seem she just gulped it down in a single bite.
"Sorry, that's all I had" Bell smiled. It didn't quite reach his eyes it seemed since the girl had walked forward, pulling on his sleeve. Bell opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Mister… You're really nice and cool but… why are you so sad?" The question threw Bell completely off guard. Erebus looked at Bell with an expression of sympathy.
Bell completely lost his voice, tears started to prick his eyes as a sudden wave of emotions filled his entire being. The question alongside the girl, who had ribbon eerily similar to the one of his previous goddess, proved to be too much. Before he knew it, the tears were freely falling down his cheeks as sobs escaped his mouth. The girl had given up on his sleeve and instead took it upon herself to completely envelop him in a hug, or as much as she could.
"I'm sorry… Don't cry!" The girl tried to make his tears and sobs stop but just ended up making it worse. Erebus walked up to him, putting his hand on his shoulder.
Bell stayed like that for a minute before he calmed down
"Sorry for reacting like that… Just… a lot has happened to me recently..:" The woman reached out and patted his leg, her eyes saying everything for her.
"A lot has happened to me too…" The girl started as Bell looked at her "My mommy left not long ago, and I became what others call an orphan"
Bell's mind went directly to the orphanage Syr goes to, the kids there he played with… and their words that hurt him so much
"But my mommy used to say something that I remind myself of everyday. She always said that people we love and care about may leave for long times, but they will always leave us a part of them behind, and it's our job to keep that part alive and that what my aunt and I will do" Bell took the words to heart, understanding the meaning of it much deeper than the girl did.
"Here" Bell once again felt his eyes tear slightly as the girl had taken off the ribbon, holding it out to Bell.
"A part of me for you to remember" Bell smiled as he accepted it, holding it tightly.
"My name is Adrienne, it means night, as for my hair being dark" She said. She did have unusually dark hair, even darker than Hestia.
"Thank you. I will treasure it" Bell said with a smile that for once, reached his eyes" The girl smiled back. Erebus decided on the other hand, it was time to break the moment.
"Anyway, where are you headed? You did lose your driver" Erebus said as the woman stood up.
"We were heading to the city of Amazons, Telskyura" The woman said as Erebus smirked
"What a coincidence, me and my companion were heading there too. How about him and I drive the wagon instead?"
The women agreed and the knight split ways as he was headed to a nearby village. They took off with the sun slowly rising towards its peak
=Close to Telskyura's Walls=
Bell and Erebus were idly chatting at the front of the wagon, the horses enjoying the fresh air. Inside the wagon the girl and her aunt that seemed to have adopted her were eating some of the remaining food they had that wasn't spilt.
"So, once we get inside we find a place to work and sleep. What about after that?" Erebus asked. Bell looked at Erebus before answering
"Well, we will need to get some maps and find a good place to settle. The Far East is too far, and quite frankly, from the stories from one of my old familia members… I don't really want to live there. That makes finding a good place that much harder" Bell answered as Erebus nodded.
"Alright, that sounds good… ah, we can see the walls now" Bell looked where Erebus was looking, seeing the walls. They weren't as impressive as Orario's but they still stood strong and proud. These walls only covered this side of the city as the rest was protected by oceans, after all, Telskyura is a Peninsula.
As the four reached the gate, the Amazonian guards halted the wagon, before stepping forward.
"What's your business here? Men aren't allowed inside" One guards asked as Bell smiled
"We are here with two women. We met them on the road, attacked by bandits. We were hoping to stay for a while, I am an ex-adventurer after all. Doesn't that meet your requirements?" The women looked at each other before turning their gaze to Erebus
"What about your companion?" Erebus simply looked at the woman blankly
"I'm his god" The amazoness froze for a second before throwing a suspicious look at him
"You're not hoping to build a familia, right?" Erebus shook his head
"Heavens no, I merely seek to travel with this boy and experience the lower world for all it's worth, and maybe say hello to Kali, an old friend" The amazoness nodded, taking a look in the wagon, confirming that there weren't anything there that wasn't allowed before waving up towards guards stationed there.
The gate opened and they started moving inside. Bell looked back before sighing, releasing the stress he had felt.
"Those guards are strong, they felt like level 4" Bell said in surprise and Erebus nodded
"Yeah, Telskyura is sometimes said to be the second Orario because of its strength. Kali is cruel and quite frankly, childish but I have to give her credit. She has accomplished something here" Erebus nodded as he looked around, seeming slightly impressed.
"There really are only women here… and they are all amazons…" Bell said, beginning to regret his decision slightly as the women started noticing him and looking at him like a piece of meat.
"Pfft, you're the one that suggested it. Just make sure not to get kidnapped, you'll never be the same" Bell groaned as Erebus chuckled.
Eventually, they reached a place that looked like it was a central marketplace for the city. Bell got off before letting Adrienne and the woman out.
"Thank you for getting us here safely" The woman bowed as Bell smiled at her and Adrienne
"It was our pleasure, and Adrienne" The girl looked at him with a smile "Take care of her, alright" She nodded excitedly before hugging Bell, which he returned.
"Goodbye, !" She exclaimed, before taking the woman's hand, leading her into the crowd of people
"She sure is a sweet girl" Erebus commented. Bell just hummed in agreement before looking around. The city reminded you of Orario by how busy it seems, but the people and architecture was what set it apart, alongside the absence of Babel Tower. Instead of two to three story buildings with brick roofs, the houses were made of some sort of hardened clay. The windows were simple, made of wood that completely closed the airflow and the stalls were inside buildings instead of outside and inside. The people were mostly amazons with some other species. The thing that was most noticeable was the complete absence of Men, though Bell already knew that.
From his intense study sessions with Eina, she didn't just teach him about the dungeon, but also the outside world. After all, an adventurer may take on requests that take you outside Orario, so she made sure to prepare him. One of those lessons talked about Telskyura, and to avoid it if you were male as they were not allowed there at all unless it was for… breeding purposes. Though from one law Bell read up on, a man that was strong enough, which was level 3 or above, was allowed inside to test his metal, though it was ill advised.
"Bell, let's ask around for some place for you to work" Bell nodded before looking around, spotting the perfect spot to start at.
"How about that place first? We might find something to cover up your hair and fix that 'thing' you call a beard" Bell threw the jab at him as Erebus waved at him in dismissal.
"Sure, sure" He said simply as they headed towards the store
"Hello miss- huh? Oh, I mean Mr" The human woman at the counter said
"Don't worry, miss. I understand why you made the mistake" Bell said, chuckling slightly as he looked behind him at the crows… of only females. The owner laughed sheepishly before clapping her hands together.
"Anyways, what can we help you with?" She asked. Erebus was about to answer before Bel put a hand on his mouth
"We would like something that could dye the hair, preferably white, alongside a pair of scissors. Is it possible to get it under 1000 valis?" The woman nodded before going around back.
She came back with exactly what Bell asked for, before smiling.
"That will be 875 Valis please" She said as Bell pulled out the money.
"Here" He handed her the money "Also, is it possible that you would know of any…" Bell turned to Erebus
"Street fights, or shows where two people fight for money?" The woman nodded at the weird question
"Yeah, There is one down at the Canal, they fight there every day and night. In case you're thinking of fighting, then they are hiring right now and since you're men, you would most likely be paid more since it would attract more people" Bell thanked her before taking his leave with Erebus. They walked around before finding an Alleyway where Bell pulled out the scissors, pointing at the ground.
"Are we doing this now?" Erebus deadpanned as Bell nodded
"Yeah, You look homeless. You're also attracting more attention than normal for men here with that look" Erebus relented and sat down before Bell got to work.
"So Bell, you told me about your childhood and old familia before, but you never mentioned what happened in Orario for you to be sent to Kauhea Forbande" Bell froze before sighing, deciding to tell Erebus. What has he got to lose?
"Well, to put it simply. The people had turned on me because I protected a monster. That added to the fact that it was believed I killed my goddess, which I did not, got me sent there"
"Hm, why did you protect a monster?" Bell's eyes fell for a second before composing himself and continuing to cut Erebus' beard.
"Let's just say it wasn't a normal monster. It was different, kind, intelligent… a friend. I couldn't let her die" Erebus seemed to want to continue asking questions but decided against it.
"Alright, but there is one thing that confuses me. Why didn't they just ask a god to question you. They would be able to tell if you lied" Bell pondered it for a moment, coming up short and shaking his shoulders
"I don't know. From what I heard, I was sent immediately to the prison" Erebus thought about that deeply
'Something isn't right here' His gut told him, but he stopped thinking about it.
"There, you look much better! And now for this…" Bell pulled out the dye. Normally when someone mentions dye, they think about a liquid that you pour over something to dye it. This… this was another type of dye. It was a magic item that completely changed a body's hair color just by putting it on the head. One of the key components is a magic stone since the magic in it is used for imbuing the hair with the color.
Bell put the dye on Erebus head, and it started to shine slightly as Erebus hair started going white, spreading from the center. Eventually all his hair matched, and Bell took a step back, nodding as he looked him over.
"You look better, less recognizable to people who have seen you. All we need now is new clothes" Bell said as Erebus shook his head
"What's wrong with my clothes? I like my suit"
"Oh, you can have a suit, just a different one. People will recognize it… it's kind of unique" Erebus grunted before standing up
"Anyway, should we head towards the canal?" Bell nodded as they took off
=Telskyura Arena=
"Two men arrived in Telskyura?" A goddess asked, slightly annoyed
"Yes, Kali. One is an ex-adventurer, and from his aura, he was a level 4 which means he was allowed inside" Kali nodded
"And the other?" The guard looked up and opened her mouth
"His God. I didn't get his name, but he only wanted to follow the boy. Something along the lines of experiencing the lower world for all it's worth. He also mentioned you were an old friend" Kali was surprised at that. Most of her old friends, she had already met down in Gekai, the only ones remaining were Parvati, who would never go to the lower world and… Erebus… which can't be right. He was sent back to Heaven. This was getting interesting
"Alright, keep an eye on them and report back. I would like to see what they will do here in the city of amazons" The guard nodded, taking her leave as Kali smirked on her throne, the sounds of battle reaching her ears from down below.
"This might prove interesting" She said chuckling like a child
Hello, I'm sorry for the wait. I had some difficulty getting my Heroic Will Chapter up, but it seems to only be an issue for that fic. I will get it up once the issue is resolved.
Also, I am going to try to get a chapter up once every other week at the latest from here on out!
That's it everyone! I hope to see you next time!