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.
A/N: Next chapter, we are doing a director's cut instead of review responses where we will talk about our thought process in creating the story as well as our inspirations. If any of you have a question about those things, don't hesitate to ask as we will answer as much as we can
19: For Better or For Worse
=Anfesera, 2 weeks before the wedding=
No matter if Bell was extremely excited, the last 2 weeks have been hectic to say the least. The village seemed to be working overdrive and Bell practically ran around, helping out where he could. He even started picking up some simple blacksmithing and mechanical engineering from the dwarf smith as he required help.
The planning had been split in two between Elora and Bell, Elora taking care of the Venue, decorations and sitting arrangements while Bell took care of actually making sure the decorations were accurately made alongside designing the rings. He had been adamant about using a Vouivre's tear for Elora's ring as a symbol of him, as it not only is red in color, similar to his eyes, but also has a special place in his heart.
As for his own ring… that was a little more tricky. He didn't want to spoil the surprise of the ring's appearance to Elora, so he asked around and eventually got a good idea from Chief Saena.
Bell didn't know much about Elora's status as she didn't know too much about him apart from his level and Liaris Freeze. The only thing he knew is that she was a high level 4 with a skill that made her faster and more dexterous if she used mind power.
When Saena told him her status' fixation upon wind, as even she mentioned the meaning of her Alias while she was an adventurer being that of the elven word for Wind. It had made him determined to have his ring give off the vibe of the wind, and so it did.
It was a beautiful gold color which was laced upon the durandal material it was made out of. Around the gold laced Durandal ring were green decorative letters in Elvis alongside depiction of a moving wind. The letters spelled out the words 'Elora, My beloved, always and forever'. The small cut gem on the ring was a brilliant green color. It was actually something that was only found within lava mountains in the north. Apparently the rocks could only form under specific circumstances.
Meanwhile, Elora was running around, moving things around where the Venue was being prepared, fully determined for everything to be in pristine condition and absolutely perfect, much to Bache and Erebus' annoyance. Thankfully, Adrienne was too young to help out so she was spared from it as she was sitting nearby with her minotaur figure in her grasp. Her chocolate skin almost glistened in the sun alongside her orange eyes. The white, growing hair looked almost ethereal as she giggled at Erebus complaining about him having to do this even though he's a god.
In General, things were progressing well. The only things that really needed to be done is take the measurements for the suit and dress for the groom and bride. Currently, Bell is leaving the smithy, to head towards the tailor that's located to the north of the village.
As he walked, he couldn't help but smile at the happy atmosphere that seemed to radiate around the village. Bell knew it was for two reasons, one being the obvious with the wedding plans. The other one, is because of the massive change to the village's daily life for the past 2 years.
Bell didn't really notice a difference, but Elora had told him how it was before he, Bache and Erebus arrived. Monster attacks were usual, happening around once every week at a minimum.
Now they were extremely rare, only happening once every month and they were always swiftly ended by Bell, Bache and Elora. The massive difference just 3 blessed people can make is honestly astonishing which helps to reinforce the concept of quality over quantity.
He arrived at the tailor and walked inside. The catgirl that was working in the shop on what Bell figured was Elora's dress, looked up and smiled at Bell. The dress wasn't much to look at right now as it was just in the beginning stages of it's making, but would be done within 2 weeks.
"Ah, Bell! Come in, Come in!" She said as Bell smiled. He was glad she wasn't like Anya in the hostess, always making no sense with her 'nya'.
"Alright, you can just stand there and take off your shirt. It's a little too baggy for measurements and might make things more difficult" She said as Bell complied. He would have blushed if it wasn't for the fact that Elora had practically been over the top the last 2 weeks with her affections. He honestly felt he was half immune to teasing, even though the possibility was laughable, he always blushed whenever Elora did anything remotely intimate with him.
Alright, could you raise your right arm?" She asked as Bell did so. She measured what she needed to and asked him to move different limbs to get more accurate results. Bell wanted to sigh, this was going to take a while. He just hoped it was worth it.
He looked to the side, out the window, seeing Elora ordering Bache to carry a large piece of decoration. He smiled at the scene as his eyes locked onto Elora, his features softening as he smiled.
'I hope things work out…' Was his thoughts before the catgirl asked him again to move a limb in a different location, making him internally groan.
=Dungeon, floor 6=
Within the usually quiet hallways of floor 6, the chatter of an ongoing expedition was impossible not to notice. The expedition to the deep floors had begun around two hours ago as the familia was marching at a steady pace.
It took longer to get through the dungeon in big groups as they didn't want to risk leaving someone in the dust just because they were eager.
Normally, the first day only allowed them to reach the 18th floor, and the speed at which one traveled down the dungeon slowed down exponentially as the floor became humongous.
The first floor of the dungeon was barely 500m in diameter while the 18th was 10km. Things only got worse faster the deeper you went as the 37th was 50km in diameter which is the same as Orario.
This was the reason it took 2 weeks to get down to the 50th floor and launch a party to get down to the 60th at breakneck speeds.
At the front of the expedition were the executives of the familia, that being Finn, Riveria, Gareth, Ais and the others.
Behind them were the ones straight under them, being the level 4's with the level 3's and 2's mixed together behind them.
"Finn… I never asked but… why did we need Salamander wools as well?" Riveria asked. The upper levels were basically harmless to their familia as even a monster parade could and would be easily handled by a level 4 up here, making where the salamander wool was useful, almost pointless to have, that being against hellhounds.
"Do you know the secondary property of Salamander wool?" Finn responded with a question of his own.
"Yes, it helps isolate heat and keeps the user warm. Why?" Finn smiled as he pulled out a record book and threw it to the elf.
"Remember what the 59th floor was supposed to look like? Well, we have no confirmation that the floors below are the same. They might still be the 'Glazier Territory' that the Zeus Familia mentioned" Finn gave his reasoning as Riveria flipped through the records, reading the book at extreme speeds with the help of her enhanced senses and reaction time.
"Hm… it seems that there is nothing mentioned of the 60th floor here…" Riveria muttered before remembering the fact that Zeus and Hera familia never reached deeper than the 59th floor.
The expedition moved forward as time passed, the first day soon ending with them sleeping on the 18th floor.
=Anfesera, the night before the wedding=
Everything was finally done. The decorations were in place, the suit and dress were done, the food had been prepared for cooking tomorrow morning and the venue was completely finished. All the other small details were finished and Bell was nervous as hell as he laid in his bed, the night before the wedding.
He just couldn't sleep. He attributed this to two reasons. One being that he was so used to having another warm body next to him that without Elora there, it made things… weird in a way. After all, it was tradition to not see the groom the last day before the wedding until they were at the altar.
The second reason… was that he was just that nervous. His heart was beating a thousand miles an hour just thinking about what would happen the next day. Just imagining her in whatever wedding dress that the tailor had been working on made his heart beat faster, if that was possible.
"Okay… calm down… calm down" He muttered as he kept his eyes closed. He was a first class adventurer for crying out loud, he should be able to handle this! He's fought a minotaur as a level 1 and won, he's defeated an abnormal goliath at level 2, won a war game at overwhelming odds!
But the mere thought of marriage is what defeats him. He wanted to laugh at that but refrained as he began thinking about other things. Trying to remove his fixation upon the day to come.
Time passed, and after what felt like an eternity he finally started to doze off and without even dreaming, night turned to day as the door banged. Bell flew up from the bed from the noise as he groggily stretched before the banging sounder again.
"WILL YOU STOP THAT!" He called out loudly before swinging the door open "You'll break the door down with your strength Bache!" He complained as the amazon leaned on her hit while her other arm held Adrienne who giggled.
"Oh? Well it's 9 in the morning. Thought you might want to start preparing and you weren answering when I called" She said cheekily as Bell sighed before grinning.
"Yeah actually, I would, Thanks. Just… don't break the door down next time" He said, closing the door, only for it to slightly lean out of place, making it wobbly as Bell groaned.
"See?" He whined as Bache looked sheepish.
"Bad Mama!" Adrienne giggled as Bache glared at her daughter with no real emotion in it.
"Oh now you little missy was in it too. You're just as responsible" Bache started jokingly arguing with her daughter as she poked her chest. Bell shook his head with a smile as he put on a simple shirt he could discard later for his suit.
He walked past Bache, still poking at Adrienne before walking downstairs and instantly entering the shower.
He made sure to be thorough as he wanted to look pristine. As for his hair, he was getting a haircut from the chief of all people. Apparently she thought it had gotten too long, and Bell couldn't help but agree. It was practically shoulder length by now without the tiny ponytail containing enough hair so his eyes weren't blocked.
Once he was done, he quickly grabbed a quick piece of bread, put some butter and cheese on it just to get something in his body before he left, bread in mouth.
He immediately headed for the chief's house as that was his first stop for the day. Thankfully, he knew that Elora wouldn't be able to leave the house closest to the altar until the ceremony. This was to make sure Bell didn't see the bride until she was led to the altar by the chief this time as she didn't have a father to do that. It was a little unorthodox but neither really cared.
As for Bell's best man, well there really was only one choice right now. If Welf was here, he would have chosen him in an instant, but he only had Erebus, which was honestly just as good.
Bache had once commented that they didn't really interact like god and child, but almost like brothers sometimes, bickering and mocking each other all the time. Thinking about it, he had realized that it was true in a weird way. It was similar to his and Welf's relationship as they could bicker and mock each other for fun, but also give each other advice and help out.
As Bell reached the chief's house, he walked up and knocked on the door. After a minute, she opened and smiled at Bell.
"Ah, Bell. You're here for your haircut, right?" She asked as he nodded.
"Yes" he replied as she led him inside. She quickly pulled out a chair in an open area, motioning for Bell to sit down.
Once he did, she got out the scissor she usually used and got to work.
"So… how does it feel?" She struck up conversation after the first cut. Bell thought about it before smiling.
"Nerve Wracking. I thought fighting in a life and death scenario was the peak excitement, but I was so wrong" He replied. Saena smiled and nodded.
"I used to be married a long time ago, even had a daughter with him that looked so much like me, so I know what it's like the day you marry. At least for a woman" She added the last part as a precaution as Bell chuckled.
"Yeah… and that makes me curious. What's your daughter's name?" he asked, his intuition telling him he knew her, but he had to make sure his suspicion was correct.
"Oh you know her. Her name was Fina, Fina Cremond" She said as Bell nodded.
"You knew?" She asked, surprised at his lack of reaction.
"I had a suspicion. After all, the resemblance between you and her is just too eerily similar" He said with a smile as more hair fell to the ground.
"Well… My daughter seemed to take after me more than her father. It's sad, but that's how nature decided it's course" She said, Bell nodded in understanding her feelings. It was quiet for a little while before Saena spoke up again.
"You can refrain from answering if you don't want to, but… I'm curious on how close you are to leveling up" She asked, catching Bell off guard. She had never shown any interest in his progress so it was a little shocking she asked all of a sudden.
"Oh, I just need a feat. My status maxed a long time ago" He told her as she nodded.
"I'm guessing finding a feat outside of Orario is not easy" She said, her tone in a half question, half statement.
"Yes. I've been trying to find something for almost 2 years now, but nothing seems to be enough" He said, a hint of impatience in his voice.
"It will come, just don't give up. Patience will be rewarded with time" she advised as Bell nodded.
"I understand but… it's just that I'm not used to waiting this long. In one year, I leveled up 4 times to level 5. In 2 more, I haven't reached 6 at all. It's a steep difference in speed of growth" He tried to explain which she clearly understood judging from her next words.
"That's understandable. You were so used to constantly leveling up without actually looking for a feat, that not that you have to, it's weird and frustrating" Bell nodded. It was true, it was really frustrating.
"There, I'm done. You look just dapper" She said with a warm smile as Bell stood up and walked to a mirror. He smiled at himself as he noticed that she had done a very specific cut that is very hard to make.
"You're very talented, Saena. A skin fade is not an easy thing to do" he said as the chief nodded.
"Thank you. I have practiced after all" She smiled during her reply before Bell nodded and walked over to the door.
"I'm sorry, but I have to go and get ready. I would stay and help clean up otherwise" He said with a sheepish look. She nodded in understanding before bringing out a mop, before Bell left. Heading towards the tailor where his suit was, smiling as the time neared for the ceremony.
=The 58th floor, Morning of Bell's wedding=
"Gareth, 9 O'clock!" Finn called out as Gareth turned in the direction, dodging the dragon's claws before grabbing its tail, stopping it's flight as the dwarf pulled hard, sending it backwards before it flopped into the ground, hard.
"Younglings, Duck!" Gareth called out to Ais and Bete who were battling two Valgang dragons and four wyverns. He pulled the dragon out of the ground and started spinning. Ais and Bete looked back, noticing his intention and leaped to the side as the dwarf flung the dizzy reptile into its allies, turning the wyverns into dust as the thrown dragon was killed on impact.
Ais and Bete, now only having to handle one Valgang Dragon each, quickly launched their attacks onto their opponent, quickly overpowering it.
Tione and Tiona returned, covered in dragon blood, launching a flurry of kicks onto a dragon that was charging straight at the chanting Riveria and Lefiya.
"No you don't you ugly dragon!" Tiona screamed out as it shrieked at the sudden attack. Finn smiled at that before he listened in, hearing that Lefiya had finished her chant, but waited for Riveria.
"Sweep completely, bring a close to the great war. Burn them through, Sword of Surtr- My name is Alf!" At that signal Finn gave his command.
"All forces, withdraw!" Everyone instinctively reacted to the call, rushing back behind Riveria and lefiya as the high elf opened her eyes, hair lifting up as she aimed her staff forward.
"Rea Laevateinn!" The heat created cracks in the ground as tornadoes of flaming explosions erupted all around the enemies. Melting their heat resistant scales before-
"Wynn Fimbulvetr!" The magic stored inside her elf ring was released as it rapidly cooled them down, freezing them solid before Gareth smashed the ice into pieces, the dragons disintegrating with it.
Everyone relaxed after looking around, spotting no enemies in sight.
"Alright everyone, gather up by the entrance to the 59th!" Finn gave the order, everyone following it as they stood at the top of the staircase.
"Now, remember the quest we have. We were requested to gather minerals from the terraformed 59th floor for the Goibnu Familia and as we do not know the available resources of the floor below, we need to keep an eye out. We will stay for about 1 hour before meeting up by the entrance to the 60th which is on opposite ends of the floor from this staircase entrance" Finn instructed as he got nods in return.
"Yes captain!" Tione said as he smiled at her understanding.
"Alright, let's head down" Everyone went down the stairs towards the floor below, ready to start truly exploring the unknown. No one in history had ever reached below the 59th, not even Hera or Zeus familia, mainly because of issues of navigation which plagued them for over a hundred years in the maze that's known as the dragons crucible between the 51st to 57th floor, after all, each floor is a maze larger than Orario.
As they entered the jungle-like area, before splitting up as planned. Ais and Bete traveling on opposite ends of the floor, clearing any monsters in the way and creating gashes in the walls as they went in order to temporarily prevent monsters from spawning for the next hours or so. They were perfect for the task because of their speed.
Next was Tione and Tiona, mercilessly traveling and pummeling any stray monsters left in the center while Finn, Gareth, Rivera, Raul and Anakitty followed and finished off any stragglers while looking around, inspecting the environment and trying to figure out uses for any minerals they could find.
To Finn, the floor was really fascinating. It was jungle like, but the minerals were odd to say the least. It was as if every mineral was a cell of a living being, creating the perfect environment for something. His only guess was for the Demi spirit to be born since this was not the dungeons doing.
The thing that caught most of everyone's attention was that the floor itself was made of incredibly pure Adamantite. To the point that it was thought to be impossible to get it this pure.
They made sure to stock up on plenty of samples of the environment and geography of the floor as every little thing could have special properties that could be used.
Eventually, an hour passed and everyone met up by the entrance to the 60th floor. Ais had found some kind of gem that glowed green, and she showcased how it became translucent in the dark too. It was a fascinating item that might sell for a fortune depending on its properties.
"Riveria… do you feel that?" Finn said after he handed the gem to Raul who packed it up in the supporter kit he had on his back.
"Yes… it's chilling" She muttered as she stared down the staircase that had frost covering it completely around the walls and stairs about half way down.
"Seems that the 59th was the only terraformed floor… just as predicted" He said as he nodded at Anakitty who got out the salamander wools.
"Everyone, put on a Salamander wool, the cold blizzard on the floor below will be able to freeze the blood of top class adventurers" He said as the other obliged.
"So… what's the plan?" Tiona asked as Finn responded.
"As this is the unknown, just like the last expedition, be on high alert. We have no idea what awaits us below as Zeus and Hera never traveled deeper than this" Finn began.
"Once down on the floor, we need to push onwards, and act the part of our job. We are adventurers, and down below and adventure awaits" Finn almost grinned at the words, truly excited at the wonders that might be below.
Everyone's heart increased at the thought of once again, exploring the unknown that not even the gods had seen before.
Finn took one step down, the salamander wool hugging his body tightly as it's wrapped completely around him, even covering most of his face. Even his hands were covered in it.
He took another before he started to travel down the steps at a steady pace, every sound of every touch on each step, increasing his heart beat as he pondered about the possibilities of the floors below. This moment was historical, as each step was a new record of depth taken into the abyss of the dungeon.
Eventually, everyone got more careful as the steps became slippery, increasing the time it took to reach the floor by a large margin, but eventually, a blinding white light interrupted their vision as a cold chill they had never experienced before assaulted them at full force.
Shivers went through all of their spines and they mentally thanked the salamander wool for protecting them. That chill was cold enough to freeze a human solid in a split second.
The entire floor was covered in snow and ice, the trees somehow living, but the leaves were gone, replaced by snow.
They couldn't see far at all as the floor was completely obscured by a snowstorm, making vision especially horrible. Finn started moving forward, one hand in front of his face as he pushed through the wind.
He had a really ominous feeling down here, his thumb was thumping like no tomorrow. Every fibre of his body told him to keep his senses sharp, and that something very powerful was nearby.
Behind him, Ais was in awe on the floor. This was such a stark difference from anything she had ever seen. They had snow during one month of the year in Orario, but it was never much and only a thin layer on the ground and roofs. Down here, it went up above her heels, and the chill was so cold it made even a level 6 with salamander wool covering their body shiver. The Zeus familia weren't exaggerating when they said this place was a death sentence for anyone below level 7 without salamander wool.
"KEKEKEKEKE" Everyone halted and looked around at the incredibly loud mandible clicking before-
"KIIIIYAKKKKKKKK" The chrill scream echoed loudly across the whole floor as the adventurers flinched at the sound. Everyone pulled out their weapons as washing around could be heard as thousands of steps at once was heard all around them.
"GET READY TO ENGAGE!" He called out as they instinctually went into formation, covering all flanks, trying to spot their enemy.
Bete's eyes widened as he leaned back and sent a kick upwards, narrowly missing the monster that moved so fast, it was almost teleporting in their eyes.
"RIVERA, WE NEED TO CLEAR THIS STORM! WE CAN'T FIGHT SOMETHING THAT FAST WITHOUT VISION" He screamed out as she instantly positioned herself at the center and started chanting her wind magic.
Everyone was extremely alert, hearts pounding at whatever this unknown monster was, it was making them all nervous.
Finn felt it and instantly reacted, he turned around, throwing a durandal knife as the monster attacked at Tione's backside. The amazon was reacting, but a little too slow. The knife hit the monster on it's mandible, knowing it slightly off course and only grazed Tione's shoulder.
'The blade didn't pierce it's skin? Does it have external armor? That would mean this is a bug type monster' Finn reasoned in his head as they got ready again, the noises of it moving around the walls and roof of the floor was enough to give them an understanding of it's speed.
It could probably travel around Orario in a split second if it wanted to, meaning it's speed was absolutely ludicrous.
"My name is Alf!" Riveria finished her chant, aiming her staff upwards before releasing it "Vas Windheim!" The subsequent wind blew apart the entire storm and cracked the roof of the floor. The storm instantly ceased as it was pushed onto the walls and the floor, giving them all a clear view of the monster as everyone's eyes widened.
"What the hell is that!?" Tiona screeched at the disgusting creature as Bete's eyes scrunched up in disgust.
Ais stared at the monster, sitting on the wall, looking right at them with it's mandibles. It was a humongous, clearly coldblooded myriapoda with blue skin and red spikes on its back, steaming with heat. It's eyes looked like a mantis while it's mouth was wide with thousands of teeth visible, even if it was closed. It had two antennas that twitched from side to side that Finn guessed detected movement since sight would normally be useless here.
One second it was there, and the other it had traveled half the distance towards them. Everyone got ready, launching themselves towards the monster that they guessed was a monster rex, engaging it in a frontal assault.
=Anfesera, 3 PM=
Bell was standing on the altar in his wedding suit, which was white in color with a black shirt underneath. He had a red tie on to accentuate his red eyes, and it was held in place by a golden tie pin. The suit truly fit him in the truest sense. He was a nervous wreck as he stood there, the entire village sitting on two sides, a path at the center open for the bride to walk through. Next to him was the chief, and Erebus was right behind him, holding the velvet box with the rings inside.
A small group of people started playing instruments as Bell went rigid.
'It's time!' He thought as he looked down the aisle, before he spotted two people walking towards the altar. Once they passed the furniture blocking the full view of them, and entered the pathway towards Bell, his jaw dropped… at least mentally.
Elora is already an incredibly beautiful woman, but what she was wearing was an incredibly gorgeous elven wedding dress. Flowing down her frame with an ethereal glow that held Bell's gaze a little too strongly for his heart rate. The dress was mint in color at the bottom and slowly faded into a whitish color at the top, making her features, especially her amber eyes stand out all the more, matching his own look.
The dress itself somehow flowed but also hugged her gentle curves, though it covered her cleavage it still managed to stick out, much to Bell's dismay. She had a veil over her head that was snow white, being held in place by a golden headband that looked like branches of a tree. Likely as homage to the Elven Sacred Tree. It was as if Bell was staring at a being that transcended even goddesses of beauty.
As she walked up the steps to the altar, she took her place in front of him, her smile blinding to his eyes. He couldn't help but return it, his eyes speaking volumes of what he felt and it melted her heart.
"We are all gathered here today to celebrate the union of these two wonderful people" Saena began, as the entire village listened in closely.
"Elora Carleen, the head of the village guard" Saena gave Elora her hand as she took it before the chief turned to Bell.
"Bell Cranel, ex-adventurer and a Hero in the truest terms" Bell smiled, half disbelieving her words before taking her hand as well. She intertwined Bell's and Elora's hand, before wrapping.
"Now, the vows you are about to take are unbreakable, they are eternal until death do you part. Your responsibility is to care for each other, to be there for one another in the worst of times, as well as the best of them" She said as the two nodded, still staring into each other's eyes.
"Now, do you, Bell Cranel, take Elora Carleen, to be your wife, to have and hold from this day forwards, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until you are parted by death?" She asked Bell.
"I do" He responded instantly, with a clear voice and a large smile as Elora's voice hitched. Saena nodded and turned to Elora.
"Do you, Elora Carleen, take Bell Cranel, to be your husband, to have and hold from this day forwards, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until you are parted by death?" Elora had tears in her eyes as she nodded, trying to get the words out of her clogged throat before they finally escaped.
"I do" Bell's smile grew in size as both of them were extremely emotional, hearts ready to explode. Saena turned to Erebus who walked forward, and held out the box to her. Saena opened it and took both rings, already knowing which is who's and handing Elora's to Bell and Bell's to Elora.
Bell gave Elora his hand, as she placed her left hand in his. He carefully put on the intricate ring as she smiled, before they did so in reverse.
"Now, in my power as chief, and officiant of this union, I hereby name you… Husband and Wife. You may kiss the bride" Bell instantly grabbed ahold of her hip, pulled her in and kissed her passionately. She squeaked, not expecting the very forward kiss, but instantly melted into it, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaned deeper into the kiss.
Cheers rang around as clapping began. They separated, staring into each other's eyes with wide smiles, tears leaking down booths eyes before they wiped them away.
"Now, Let the feast begin!" Saena called out loudly as she spread her arms wide. Everyone moved away from their seats, and towards the table where the food was. Bell and Elora walked arm in arm towards their table where Bache and Adrienne were waiting, smiling at the new married couple.
=The Dungeon, 60th Floor, Time of the vows=
"Aiz, Give me your wind, will ya?" Bete screamed out as she did so.
"Tempest, Ariel" The wind enveloped Bete before being absorbed by his right Flosvirt. He launched an attack, hitting one of it's protective shells that had been focused on for the last minute.
The tenacity to attack the same spot over and over was rewarded as a crack was formed in the shell.
Finn launched himself forward, twirling his spear expertly as he dodged and weaved between it's attacks using its thousands of legs. It was the only part of the monster that wasn't protected by protective layers, and thus were the most damaged parts.
His spear cut off one of the legs, but it wasn't a viable strategy. There were simply too many legs to throw it off balance, it would take them way too long to bring it down like that.
"Earth Raid" Gareth slammed his foot onto the ground, as the magic made it's work. It cracked and split the ground, extending up the wall, as the monster rex moved over it, losing balance.
"Rea Laevateinn" Riveria finished her chant as the magic exploded upon the monster in a huge display of fire, it screeched as everyone jumped back.
Once the flames started to dissipate, and the smoke disappeared, the monster was shown standing up, almost glaring at the group with its shells completely gone, shedded onto the floor.
Finn was about to launch forward again to finish the job before something felt really off.
'Wait… the shells are shedded? Not destroyed or melted?' He thought before he realized what was going in, but it was too late.
The monster disappeared and the next millisecond, blood splattered out of his mouth as he was launched back at blinding speeds, crashing into the wall, ripping the salamander wool and completely caving in the area.
"FINN!" practically everyone screamed, but they didn't even have time to utter another sound before Gareth was pummeled into the floor, and Riveria got a large gash up her back.
Ais was the only one able to somewhat perceive what was happening because of Ariel enhancing all her basic abilities by a large degree. The monster had sped up by an unimaginable degree. It was in a completely different league now.
She managed to block one of the strikes, but it sent her flying backwards, gliding on the ground from the pure force of the attack.
'The speed is adding power to it's attacks!' She realized before she noticed Tione being impaled in her gut by one of its legs, before launching away, bouncing on the ground before hitting the wall.
Tiona tried to help but was soon hit by a tackle that sent her flying upwards, breaking one of her ribs, before impacting the roof, getting her stuck up there as she groaned out in pain.
Bete wasn't much better as his chest was cut open before it used it's body as a sledge, hitting him back deeper into the floor, disappearing behind the treelines before a large explosion happened as he impacted the ground.
Finn leaned on his shoulder before looking up in a haze, pain surging in his entire body as he assessed the situation. The monster rex had shedded it's shells in order to increase its speed. It made total sense for it to do so. The battle had been going in their direction.
'A monster that's able to sacrifice it's endurance for overwhelming speed and power' He thought bitterly. It was almost as if it was a skill they were fighting against. First a monster with magic, now one with something similar to a skill. Things were really getting tough.
He pushed himself up, before limping forward, keeping his eyes on Ais as she desperately kept it's attacks at bay as best as she could. She was the most powerful of them all at the moment simply because of her magic, and Finn was using the time she was buying to its fullest potential.
He limped towards the spots Gareth and Riveria were, collapsing on one knee before chuckling.
"Riveria… Gareth…" He said in a weak voice as the two groaned out, signaling that they heard him.
"Remember… what we promised before… coming down here? What our goal… was?" he got out as he pushed himself upwards on his feet, forcing himself to stand as his body was resisting with passion.
"Yeah… I do ya damn prum" Gareth muttered as he put his fist on the ground and pushed himself upwards, gasping as he felt his body was at its limit, but he didn't listen.
"Finn… we promised… we would overcome… our limits… and push forwards…" Riveria said as she crawled up on her knee, her staff in hand as blood flowed down her back.
"We… will go on an adventure… just like that boy did before our eyes" Finn finished as the three nodded, pushing themselves to their feat in defiance.
"This is not enough to bring us down. Today, we prove not to the world, or to our familia… but to ourselves. What. We. Are. Made. Of!" The three said in unison, before launching forward.
"Magic spear, penetrate my forehead offering blood. HELL FINEGAS!" Finn called out his chant, as his eyes went red.
"AHHHHHHH" He screamed as Ais heard him, before he launched past her, intercepting the monster's next attack before chain attacking it without mercy, his now enhanced speed allowing him to keep up somewhat.
Gareth ran forward without his axe as Ais called out to him.
"Gareth! Your axe!" She tried to warn but he just grinned at her as he ran.
"I don't need an axe! I only need my fists!" He jumped forward, launching into the air towards the Myriapoda. The monster was too focused on Finn to notice him before it was too late.
He crashed into it, causing it to shriek in surprise before crashing onto the floor.
"Younglings, now!" He screamed as Raul and Anakitty jumped into the action, the insect pinned down temporarily.
"AHHHH!" They assaulted the monster rex with their sword, surprised slightly at being able to cut in, but instantly steeled themselves as the monster got out of Gareth's hold, and started thrashing around, causing the two to hold onto their swords as they swayed violently in the air.
Raul was the first of the two to stabilize himself, before pulling the sword backwards with a large scream as he pushed his body beyond its limit with the amount of resistance he got.
This action sent the sword out of its body after it cut open a large gash at it's side that now gushed out disgusting green blood.
Anakitty, being more powerful than Raul, managed to stay on, before running across it's flesh as it stopped thrashing because of Raul's gash, screaming out in pain.
She jumped over its head, and with all her might, cut it's eye, blinding one side of it.
"Fusillade Fallaricia!" Everyone jumped back at Lefiya's magic attack, sending arrows of fire that exploded all over the monster, before a half the body detached from it from a large focused cluster.
For a split second, it looked done, but the wound healed at an extraordinary pace.
'Superspeed regeneration? But why not use it on the other wounds as well?' Riveria thought as she continued her chant.
"Closing light, the freezing land, Blizzard, the three severe winters- My name is Alf! WYNN FIMBULVETR" She had taken her time chanting, using all her mind power by chance connecting continuously. The ice that was summoned was so extreme, it made the blizzard from earlier look like childsplay.
The bottom half of the monster rex's body completely froze over. Now stuck, Finn used his remaining strength with Gareth as he used his trump card.
"Tir Na Nog!" His ability he can only use once a day adds all his levels and point totals to his magic power. That plus all his mind power was infused into the tip of his spear, creating a glowing light of power… and he threw it with all his power that he had left.
The moment it was out of his hands, he went into mind down as his entire mind was used up, flopping limply on the ground as Gareth impacted the monster with all his strength, crushing and liquifying it's innards before the spear exploded on its head, ripping through its entire body before it exploded into millions of smaller pieces, before it turned to dust.
The explosion had come from the back of its body where it's magic stone was located, the spear embedded deep within it as the top half of it had been blown apart.
Everyone collapsed onto the ground, the floor warm at the moment from the heated battle, but slowly returning back to it's freezing conditions.
"We… did it" Riveria muttered as Lefiya was limping towards her. Her eyes fell back into her skull, before she collapsed forward into Lefiya's arms as she screamed out in worry at her mentor.
Gareth was laying on the ground, unable to move as all the bones in his body were broken. He was laughing in delight at the battle and was feeling extremely groggy from the pain.
Ais smiled from the background, awed at the display. She had been shaken by it's attacks, so she had stayed back, waiting for an opening that never came. Her features and stance had relaxed as she noticed Bete, limping from the forest, holding the large gash it had made on his chest with a wince, a grin plastered on his face.
Tione put her hand on her shoulder, smiling at Ais with one eye closed, blood flowing from her head and the other hand covering the impaled part of her gut.
Tiona had got down from the roof and was holding her broken rib with a shit eating grin, other hand in the air in a signal for victory.
Raul and Anakitty were leaning on each other, back to back while sitting, looking up while panting.
"We won…" Ais said with a smile before she nodded at Tione, walking forward, helping her walk towards the unconscious Finn.
"Well done captain… This expedition… was a success…" Ais muttered to him, before looking up, smiling and enjoying the victory, unknown of their goddess sighing in relief as she had felt the weakening of some of her connections return to full once again.
=Anfesera, Morning after the wedding=
Bell smiled as he started to return from the world of dreams, smiling wider as a sweet scent filled his nostrils.
His eyes opened slowly, noticing him holding Elora tightly as she leaned on his chest, a beautiful smile plastered on her face. Bell tried to get his head on right as before he pulled on the sheets, only to reveal the completely nude body of the elf. Bell's eyes widened as he nearly threw himself backwards into the wall, before the events of last night hit him full force.
Him and Elora… We're married. They danced and celebrated for hours with their friends and family, smiling and laughing before returning home. Bache, Erebus and Adrienne had stayed in Elora's house for the night. He wondered for a split second why, before he remembered what happened… what he and Elora did.
He slumped down on the bed, before a smile split his lips. To think that this… absolutely gorgeous woman had chosen him of all people. It was still surreal to him, even if it had been almost a year since they started dating.
He covered her with the sheets again before looking down at her, admiring her with loving eyes as he played with her hair gently. She looked so peaceful, and he didn't want to interrupt that, though it seemed he didn't have to wait long as she moaned lightly before slowly opening her eyes.
"Morning Beautiful" Bell said with an adoring smile as her eyes locked onto his. The moment they did, she instantly smiled brightly before responding.
"Morning babe… or is that Honey now?" She asked as Bell shrugged.
"Up to you" He answered as she nodded, slowly leaning in.
"Honey it is!" Were her words before connecting their lips in a chaste kiss, quickly separating before she snuggled more into his hold.
"I could stay like this forever…" she mumbled into his chest causing him to chuckle.
"Yeah… and it is our honeymoon now… so we are free to do whatever" He said, her taking it in a way he definitely did not mean. She instantly straddled him with a seductive smirk on her face. The fact that the two were smirking didn't help Bell's blood flow the least
"Oh? I can think of some very good ways to spend our time" She said in a tone that made Bell's resolve go weak.
"How about…" She began, running her finger down his chest and kept going lower and lower as her eyes followed, the smirk still plastered on her face "We continued last night, hon? Here and now" She said the last part slowly, accentuating each word as Bell decided to screw it and nodded, before flipping her over on her back, him leaning over her before he connected their lips.
She squeaked in surprise and approval, before pushing him downwards, farther into the kiss as the two moaned into it.
Some who passed the house during the morning heard questionable noises coming from the house, but let it be, knowing things would probably be wild for the next month or so.
That's chapter 19! They are married and Loki familia overcame another adventure! Where will the story go from here? You'll just have to wait to find out.