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.
26: Accomplishment
=Gekai=
Time passed as Adrienne's training fell into full swing. Just like Bell had mentioned, she cycled between Bell teaching her weapons mastery and to improve her stats at a rapid pace, Elora educating her properly with her elven spartan methods and Bache's brutal hand-to-hand training sessions.
Most of the time, Adrienne wanted to crawl into a hole and die with the muscle pain she felt. The first month or so, she practically puked everyday with the excess strain on her body, but that didn't stop them from pushing her.
Her only solace from the physical training was Elora's lessons… which only resulted in her going brain dead for 6 hours.
It was pure and utter hell, just like Bell had told her and she hated her teachers… as well as herself for even deciding to do this.
Eventually though, things got easier. She felt better, stronger, faster and her status was going up so rapidly that Adrienne began to believe that it wouldn't be so bad anymore.
Just as that happened and she saw Bell smiled at her with this glint in his eyes, she just knew that things were going to go downhill fast.
The next 6 months… were even worse. Bell pushed her so far that her bones practictically liquified with the strain he made her put on them.
Now according to him, Elora and Bache. That wasn't even enough from him. He even started making her go into the forest and MINE WITH HER FISTS! She quite literally stood at the base of a small mountain before Bell blew a large hole in it.
His next words had scarred her for life.
"Go there and hit the stones until your fists bleed. Your goal is to mine a hole through the mountain"
The way he had grinned at her with those words tumbling out of his mouth had just sent her straight into depression.
Oh, and no! That wasn't enough. Elora intensified her studies, shoving books worth of information into her head EVERY. SINGLE. SESSION. Bache made her work harder than before, hitting her more often, harder and with less care.
It was as if they were trying to break her.
Honestly the only thing that she felt good about from all this was that her status was rising rapidly, so fast in fact that it made Bache and Elora beam with pride. Bell just smiled slightly but with this look that just said 'Not as fast as it could be'. She wanted to complain that he shouldn't compare her with him and his skill, but refrained in fear of him worsening her training.
Before they knew it, a year and a half had already passed.
=1 year, 6 months later=
*Clang*
Adrienne parried Bell's blow as she twirled around, her sword slicing at him with precision she had worked hard on.
He dodged before switching to his daggers, moving forward swiftly and bombarding her with attacks again and again as she struggled to keep up, some attacks going through and making small cuts on her skin.
Bell had gotten a lot better over the last year and a half with controlling himself during sparring. He perfectly moved at the speed and fought with the strength and techniques that was at the limit of Adrienne's status and skills to handle.
Bache was standing back and watching Adrienne. Today was a test for her. She was meant to use all the skills and techniques she had learnt to beat Bell using only a specific amount of his power and skills.
The reason for this was that they felt she was ready. Her status was close to maxing out. She even got magic from the grimoire that Bell had procured. The magic actually reminded Bell a bit of the magic Braver has that he had gotten a glimpse at.
"Steel is my body, fire is my blood. Thymor Colasis!" Her entire body started to glow as her eyes became bloodshot. She shot forward to Bell and rampaged at him. He desperately tried to keep fighting with the same amount of speed and skill as he had, but the increase in her status had thrown him off a bit.
Bell quickly parried a blow only for her fist to fly towards his face, he looked at it and dodged under it and attacked.
She redirected his blow to the side before she counterattacked, her blade slowly approaching his midsection as his eyes widened.
Out of pure instinct, similar to what Ais had one a couple of times before against him, he sped up, blocked the blow and hit Adrienne hard, sending her flying backwards.
"Ow!" She groaned out as Bell looked sheepish.
"Sorry, you surprised me is all" Adrienne shook her head as her magic deactivated.
"I did?" She asked as Bell nodded.
"Yes, you did" Bell answered as both Elora and Bache walked forward, Erebus being further back with Aralaya and Jannor.
"So… Do I pass?" She asked as the three looked at each other with a smile before turning back to her.
"You pass" Bell grinned as Adrienne's eyes lit up. She pumped her fist into the air and-
"YESSSSS!" Her cheer made everyone laugh as they looked at her proudly. Adrienne turned to the side of the house where she saw some villagers that had been watching and among them was Saena who smiled.
"SAENA! I PASSED!" Adrienne called out as the chief chuckled before cupping her mouth and hollered at her and congratulating her success.
Bell wrapped his arms around Adrienne and pulled her up on his shoulder, causing her to yelp in surprise.
"Dad!?" She asked as Bell smiled up at her.
"You know what this means right?" He asked as Adrienne tilted her head questionably.
"We will max your stats before having you level up… though it is time for you to achieve a great feat so it can be done once you do reach that max value" That made her grin even more. She had worked hard for a year and a half and now… she was ready… Finally ready.
The hellish training she had undergone, Bache beating the living crap out of her, Elora making her brain melt and Bell making her regret even being born. Like come on, who pushes their stats by mining into a mountain with their fists!? It's ridiculous… although effective.
"Now, do you want to rest or go now?" He asked as Adrienne thought about it.
"Let's go now" She answered as Bell smiled and put her down.
"Alright. Erebus, stay with those two, we will go into the forest" Erebus nodded at him, understanding his reasoning. The three had been the ones to train Adrienne for the last year and a half. All of them want to watch this go down.
As the group headed into the forest, Adrienne was simultaneously nervous and excited. What would she fight? Could she pull it off? Was she even truly ready?
Questions filled her mind as the answers all lied in the forest. As they walked inside, Bell led the way, being the one knowing it's landscape the best.
Everyone had entered it a lot but Bell had been in it a significant amount of time longer than the others.
"So… Dad, what am I going to fight?" She asked as Bell turned to her with a smile before coming to a halt, around 2 km inside.
He didn't answer, but just pointed forward. Adrienne followed his gaze as she laid her eyes on the monster. She gaped at it, before turning back towards Bell.
"That's a level 2 monster! I can't beat that!" She hissed as quiet as she could without losing the venom in her voice. Bell just grinned at her.
"Yes you can. I did… so can you" She just stared at her blankly.
"You had Liaris Freeze, dad… not fair" She muttered as Bell chuckled.
"That strengthens my point. I hadn't exceeded the limit of my status at the point when I achieved my feat to reach level 2. My agility was the only one in SS, and only going to 1049. You technically have the advantage over me, having higher strength, endurance, dexterity and magic than me at that point" He explained as she stared at him, trying to spot if he was lying.
When she spotted nothing… she looked down with a thoughtful look on her face. If he did that without breaching the limit, agility was excluded… maybe… she can do this?
She looked up at her father, smiling at him before turning to her mother and Auntie, both doing the same.
Her gaze next fell onto her opponent, determination glowing in her eyes as she looked at the bull.
It was the strongest monster that spawned in the forest, and the very same type that her father slayed to level up for the first time.
She took one step forward and she instinctively reached and pulled out her shortsword before Bell called out to her, just loud enough for her to hear.
She turned around before he threw something to her. She caught it with her freehand before noticing what it was. An amazonian dagger.
"Might be useful" He smiled at her as she nodded. She had learnt how to dual wield so it should be fine. She got her weapons into a stance quickly and efficiently as she stalked forward as the Bull turned around, noticing her approaching.
A drop of sweat rolled down her forehead as she practically felt the monsters glare aimed at her before it-
"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU" It roared before clenching it's stone-like axe, rushing forward at incredible speeds, sending it's axed straight towards her face as her eyes widened.
'It's fast!' She thought as she narrowly dodged to the side before correcting her stance, getting ready to counterattack.
The Bull quickly sent another blow to Adrienne from the side which she managed to divert above her before jumping up and kicking it in the face.
It flinched for a second before recovering, reaching for her leg in the air but Adrienne hardened her eyes and twisted her body into a different position, messing up it's aim which allowed her to land on her feet.
'It may be fast… but it's nowhere near as fast as Dad or Mom' Her thoughts made her smile as she looked at it's movement, predicting it's next attack before-
She raised her shortsword upwards in a parry position as it moved to attack from above, sending it's axe down onto her blade. She began her parry, sending it's attack into the ground to her left before retracting the blade and thrusting towards it's abdomen.
To her surprise, the blade didn't pierce the skin, but only glided across it's flesh, giving it a small cut.
'Alright… Not too fast… but very durable' She noted as she tried to make distance as she saw it's rage increase.
It's muscles bulged as it went in for another attack before Adrienne had time to think. The blow impacted the place she had stood just a millisecond before before it exploded into a dust cloud, blinding her.
Her eyes widened before a horn blew out from the cloud, impacting her in the stomach and piercing her skin as she screamed out in pain, blood flowing from the wound and her mouth.
She heard the scream from the side, seeing her mother wanting to interfere, but Bell holding her back, a very concerned look on his face as the horn dislodged from her abdomen as it stopped it's charge, sending her flying backwards through multiple trees and bushes.
"Ughhhhhhh" Adrienne groaned as she looked down at the wound.
There was a hole in the right side of her abdomen, but it wasn't that big as the entire horn hadn't gone in. She got up with a struggle as she readied her blades again, her determination rising to greater degrees at seeing the uncertainty and concern in her parent- no, teachers faces.
'I will prove to them… that I am ready… I want to be like them… I want to impress them… I want to rise above their expectations… I want to be someone… that they can rely on… not a student they have to teach… not a daughter they have to protect, but someone they can trust. I want… to be their equal' Her thoughts spurred her on as she started to ignore the pain, pushing forward as her desire… no, lust for victory grew in massive proportions.
Similar to a certain white haired boy, years before this moment stood up to a supposedly impossible challenge, she enacted a similar act of resistance and defiance, standing against the impossible odds in front of her with determination in her eyes, the goal in sight.
Bell's eyes widened at the mirror images of him and his daughter at those moments, but he could tell her desire wasn't to become a hero… but something else that he couldn't place.
As she pushed her feet hard against the ground, the dirt underneath shook at the force she exerted. She rushed forward at speeds that should be impossible for someone as injured as her at her level
Quickly, she closed the gap between her and her opponent, sending a flurry of attacks at the Bull, the two trading blows as the forest was filled with the chorus of their blades clashing, her desire being transformed into the melody of battle.
Bache had calmed as she stared, transfixed with the change of events, Elora in a similar position, but less so as she analyzed her movements. Bell almost laughed at the twist of fate.
Only 9 or so years ago, it was the Loki familia that were transfixed with his battle… Now it was him that was unable to force his eyes away from his Daughter, fighting a battle of wills, a battle to the death.
Adrienne howled out her desires with all her might, subconsciously following her fathers words to always cry out your desires for the world to hear, to not be afraid to let the world know what you want and what her goals were.
The Minotaur answered in the same, howling at its opponent as it fought back with equal fury. It's howl emanating it's emotions of wanting to win their battle.
Both opponents received blows as both bodies were covered with small cuts and large wounds.
Both were tiring, but the intensity only managed to increase as the tension grew. Who would win… Who would come out on top and claim the ultimate glory of victory.
Every time the bull got in one attack, so did Adrienne. For every cut, another cut was answered back. For every wound, another wound was answered back.
As the fight continued and the combatants continued to wear each other down, both their weapons were looking worse for wear, it's stone axe practically a stick at this point and Adrienne's blades having deep cracks in them.
As the two sent one powerful blow at each other, sending both of them back, the two stopped and started circling each other, taunting the other to attack. It was at this moment, Adrienne finally decided to use her trump card.
"Steel is my body, Fire is my blood. THYMOS COLASIS!" She instantly got a large boost to her stats as her judgement of the situation decreased, her vision turning blurry as she charged forward.
The Bull, surprised at the sudden increase in power of it's opponent, stumbled backwards as it started to get overwhelmed, every attack it blocked, chirping a chunk away from it's already ruined weapon.
*CLANG*
'I WILL win this!'
*CLANG*
'I will NOT disappoint my family!'
*CLANG*
"I WILL BE THEIR EQUALS!" She screamed out as her attack broke it's weapon in half, her sword slowly slicing at it's skin as blood was drawn. As the blade went deeper, the bull's eyes widened before-
*Crack*
It's eyes bulged as its body split horizontally, blood and guts gushing out of its body as the magic stone was cut alongside the body itself.
The next second, a large explosion of dust blew up around Adrienne as she stood there, looking down with lidded eyes, panting heavily with shaking limbs, fighting with all her might to not collapse then and there.
Just the action of moving a single muscle felt more demanding than going through her training ten times over.
After a minute of struggling, her head tilted upwards, her arms limp to the side as her hair fell back, long and beautiful, glowing in the sunlight with her sweat illuminating her skin. She stood there, looking up before-
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
The primal scream echoed across the entire forest and reached into the village. Erebus who was outside with Aralaya and Jannor turned his head to the forest alongside the entire village at the noise.
Closer by, Bell smiled at his daughter in pure, unadulterated pride. She had done fantastic, better than he could ever hope. That battle was absolutely magnificent and a testament of what a warrior… no, Hero should strive to be
Unwavering in their wills and desires. To never give up and fight to the last breath, no matter the odds.
His daughter had turned out so much like him. She had the will… and the capacity of becoming a Hero.
He smiled at that before it turned into a full blown grin that split his face.
Adrienne tilted her head to the side, unable to move any more and smiled at her family, before opening her mouth.
"I… did… it…" She muttered before falling backwards, Bell instantly at her side before anyone could react, catching her carefully.
"Let's get her back to the village" He said before pulling her into princess carry as Bache nodded.
Bell blew away at incredible speeds, fast enough to be a blur to both Elora's level 5 senses, and Bache's level 6 sense.
The two nodded at each other before quickly heading back to the village, hoping that the girl would be alright after that battle.
=Orario=
The last four years and a half had passed in Orario in the blink of an eye as nothing interesting had really happened. Everything went as planned, the monsterphilias happened like usual, the goddess festivals went without a hitch, Expeditions were completed to the end.
The only thing that had been different was that Loki familia during the entire time span, had only gone on the required expeditions the guild needed from them during that time and hadn't gone down on their own choice.
Many had speculated as to the reason for this. Had they given up on catching up to Freya familia's Ottar? Was there internal conflict? Did they slow down because of Fiona?
An endless sea of questions and theories were thrown out there but none came to the true issue at hand. The thing that had thrown Loki Familia upside down had been the information that Loki had told them four and a half years earlier, after the final assault on the Knossos.
Flashback
"Finn…" Loki uncharacteristically said in a thoughtful tone as said Prum quirked an eyebrow at her.
The Loki familia had returned from the 11th floor of the dungeon an hour or so after the masked man had left. Everyone looked like they had gone through a train wreck while Ais had a pale complexion on her face.
The fact that Loki hadn't gone straight to Ais because of that had worried the captain of the familia.
"Loki? Is something the matter?" He asked as Loki hummed at him with a slight nod, signaling him to talk with her in private. He nodded and turned around.
"Alright everyone! You know the drill. Get some well deserved rest and don't train or dive into the dungeon tomorrow. It's a forced rest day after how hard we fought today" Once the words were said, everyone hummed out in satisfaction and piled into the manor, talking to each other with content smiles on their faces.
After a minute, the only ones left outside were Loki, Finn, Riveria and Gareth. The Elf and Dwarf got an understanding of what was happening between Loki and Finn from their previously shared words.
The group quickly headed inside and went upstairs towards the Office. Once inside, Finn took his usual seat before addressing their goddess.
"So… did something happen with Dionysus?" Loki nodded at his question before her mouth slowly opened.
"Well… it seems that what happened to the shrimp's kid…was orchestrated" The words hit the three first-class adventurers full force as their eyes widened. Finn was the one least surprised as he had thought of this being a possibility… but for it to be true.
"Could you elaborate?" Riveria asked as Loki nodded.
"I was asking about the kid out of curiosity… but it turns out he had him framed… but not by his own hands" Finn pondered the information for a second.
"So… before he forsaken his allies, he had them frame Bell Cran-" He muttered but was interrupted by Loki as she shook her head.
"No, it turns out he didn't want it to lead back to him, no matter how unlikely… so by his words, 'She's a goddess of beauty'" That… would make things difficult. Finn's thoughts instantly went to Freya before shaking his head.
"There are only three goddesses of beauty that we know of that have descended… and logically, it isn't one of them. Freya is out of the question, sure, she has had dealings with Bell Cranel, but all of them have helped him grow" Finn said as everyone nodded. The silverback, The minotaur.
"Then there is Ishtar… she's in heaven because of Freya so can't be her" Flashes of the endless sea of fire in the entertainment district flashed in their eyes.
"Lastly, there is Aphrodite. She's currently located in Melistora. Maybe she traveled to Orario without us knowing?" Finn said, before turning to Loki who shook her head.
"No way, Aphrodite would never do this. She may be a pain in the ass, but she does have a sense of right and wrong. It's the reason she and Astraea always got along so well in Tenkai. She did also but heads with Dionysus a lot so she has more incentive to decline than accept any offer he gives her" Loki explained as they tried to think about anyone else.
"Maybe… a goddess of beauty has descended without our knowledge?" Gareth offered as everyone turned to him as they thought of his suggestion. After a second they nodded.
"Finally… you had something good to say you drunkard" Riveria muttered as Gareth grinned.
"Gotta do something around here, don't I?" Finn and Loki smiled at their antics before getting back on track.
"Alright… Finn, what have you gathered about the kid in the last two years?" Loki asked as Finn quickly pulled out a paper.
"This… is everything. He's like a ghost, barely anything to trace at all. Either he's become a master at stealth… or someone is helping him out" Finn reported as Riveria peeked at the paper.
"My… most of the things noted down are what we already knew. The only thing I can see that you added, was of the clue up north that Freya had departed to investigate" Gareth and Loki nodded.
"So… Nothin?" Finn nodded at Loki's words.
"Unfortunately, that's how it is. The only good thing is that our search for him has gained us a strong ally. That masked man was powerful… way stronger than he should be" His words made Riveria and Gareth nodd.
"Indeed. He was as fast as Ais, if not faster than her. That and his strength and endurance was top class as well. I couldn't spot a single hole in his fighting style as well. How did the outside world foster such a powerful young man I wonder" Riveria asked as they all nodded.
"It is indeed weird. More and more powerful figures are showing up, to the point of an army of level 3's and 4's. It's unthinkable. Something is amiss" The room went quiet for a minute before Finn nodded.
"Alright, I think that's as much as we are getting done today. I am putting the focus of the Familia on solving this mystery. If too many powerful figures pop up outside Orario, then the safety of the city may be in jeopardy" The group nodded as they departed, the three executives going to shower and Loki heading to the dining hall to get a drink.
Flashback End
For the last 4 and a half years since then, they had been collecting all the information they could about Bell Cranel, The goddess of beauty and the reason for more powerful people coming from outside Orario.
Not much had been found on the first and third point but the second had made one breakthrough.
The Goddess of Beauty is in one way or the other… related to Ishtar
=Anfesera=
Bache was pacing back and forth next to the Bed where Adrienne was resting, a healer currently looking at her condition.
Bell was sitting next to Bache with Elora by the side of the bed, holding Adrienne's hand. All three were worried and patiently waiting for the healer's conclusion… Well, everyone but Bache was patient, though that was understandable.
"Well… It seems she will be alright. She only needs rest for a couple of weeks. You have really been pushing her beyond her limits and her body needs time to fully recuperate" The woman said with a scowl.
"If I catch any of you training her even a little, there will be hell to pay" Bell nodded, having planned to let her rest after her feat anyway. She more than deserved it.
After a moment, the healer left, leaving the three in the room. The space fell quiet before Bache exploded out.
"We should never have let her do that!" Her voice made the two turn to her as Bell smiled sadly, Elora looking back at Bell as it was his idea.
"I understand what you mean… but with her stats so high, something like an infant dragon wouldn't have been enough for her to level up. A Minotaur was the only option for us and besides…" He turned to Adrienne as his sad smile was now filled with pride.
"She did excellently. Didn't you see the look in her eyes? She fought with such vigor because she was chasing her dream. Her desire so vehemently that her body moved on it's own, her very soul demanding victory. If we had intervened… she would never have forgiven us" Bell explained as he knew that very feeling well. He had the very same one in his heart, that desire, that lust to reach one's goal.
"Yes… It's definitely something she inherited from you. That single minded pursuit towards one's goal. The only difference being what you want. While you desire to be a hero…" Elora said with a teasing smile at Bell who grinned at her.
"Adrienne wants to be our equals from what she said before the final blow" Bache stopped pacing as she remembered her words. When they had touched her ears, she had also understood her desire.
Her daughter looked up to them so much that her desire that consumed her entire being was something as simple as being able to stand by their sides. To be their equals.
"I am both happy and scared that she inherited that single minded pursuit of yours Bell…" Bache muttered. Bell turned to her with a questioning gaze.
"It's a great quality that will allow her to strive with all her being towards her goals… but it will also lead her down such a dangerous path…" Bell nodded at that.
"I know… It scares me as well, but I know that she has to live her life as she desires to. We can't control her life or we will have failed our job as parents. We are meant to teach and guide them towards the safest path towards their goal. Unfortunately, there is no safe path towards the goal she had decided on" Bell explained as Bache nodded, knowing he was right.
It pained her to see her daughter in such a condition, but knew just as well as Bell did that the life of an adventurer… a blessed person is a perilous one, filled with danger.
"BELL! ELORA! THEY ARE FIGHTING AGAIN!" Erebus' voice sounded from downstairs as Bell laughed, Elora groaning.
"I am going to teach them manners later… whether they want it or not!" Elora seethed out at the occurrence that had become basically hourly.
"Let's handle it together, Adrienne needs rest" The three left downstairs, being met with the twins wrestling around with each other, pulling at each other's hair.
"Aralaya! Jannor! What do you think you are doing?" The two looked up, Aralaya looking very scared while Jannor looked relieved.
"Mama! I tried to stop her!" He said while Aralaya tried to back away and get out of the situation.
Elora turned to Aralaya with furious eyes, her finger pointed at her.
"Aralaya… you need to be nicer to your brother! Don't you understand that you could hurt him?" The half-elf fiddled with her fingers as she looked down at the ground.
"Sowy…" She whispered out sheepishly as Bell put a hand on Elora's shoulder before taking her place.
"Hey there Sunshine" He said as she looked up at Bell "Could you explain why you keep fighting with your brother?" He asked slowly and waited patiently for her to answer.
"Well… he always makes me mad… he never understand what I mean and is dumb" Bell almost frowned at the last word.
"Now, don't call him that. Being clueless isn't the same as being dumb. Try explaining things to him instead of resorting to violence, alright?" He suggested as she nodded.
"Okay Papa… I will try" Bell smiled before patting her head.
"That's all I can ask for, now what do we do after you hurt someone?" She instantly nodded and walked forward to Jannor who looked at her curiously.
"Sowy Jannor… I was being mean" She apologized as Jannor smiled.
"It's okay sis. I understand" He smiled as he pulled her into a hug which Aralaya returned. Elora practically cried at the scene as Bell sweatdropped. She was such a mamabear, he almost felt bad for the two as it would only get worse with age.
The household quickly fell into its usual routine. Bell gathers firewood for the night before repairing Adrienne's weapons, Elora, being the one on dinner duty, cooks her elvish inspired feast while Bache takes care of the twins with Erebus.
=Next Evening=
"Ugh…." Adrienne groaned out as she opened her eyes slowly and heavily, blocking the light coming from the window. She looked around, confused at her surroundings.
The last thing she could remember was…
The memory of her fight hit her full force as she understood where she was. It was her room, and she most likely have been healed.
She pulled the covers to the side before looking down, seeing the bandage at her abdomen. It seemed new so her Dad, Mother, Aunt or Erebus had cleaned it recently. She sat up with surprising ease, most likely because she was healed, only a little pain coming from her wound.
The door opened as Adrienne looked up. Bell walked in with a bowl and glass of water and the smell of it instantly made her mouth salivate.
Bell kicked the door lightly back before he noticed Adrienne sitting up. His face split into a wide smile.
"You're awake, Firefly! How are you feeling?" Adrienne smiled at the question as she put a hand on the bandaged wound.
"I'm feeling pretty good. Just hurts a little still" Bell nodded at her answer before handing her the food which she happily took and started to devour.
"That's to be expected. We couldn't heal it completely, but got most of it done. Will leave a nasty scar though for a year or so" She looked at her father curiously at that.
"A year? But scars don't heal?" She said in the tone of a question as Bell nodded.
"Normally, no, but with a blessing, it slowly heals overtime. It's faster for higher levels but even a level one can heal the worst of the worst scars" Adrienne nodded at him before she took another spoonful of her soup.
"So… how did I do?" She asked as Bell grinned.
"Better than I thought. God… you reminded me of myself so much…" He said as Adrienne grinned. She reminded him of himself… that was progress.
"Though… you want to be our equals?" He asked with a smile as she blushed, hard.
"Oh… well-I-How...Gah!" She lost her ability to speak as her face reddened even more, likening a tomato.
"Don't worry, having a desire is nothing to be embarrassed over, no matter what it is. I mean, it's less embarrassing than desiring to be a hero" He gave her as she smiled.
"True…" She muttered as she brought the bowl to her mouth and sipped down the last of her food.
"Now, do you feel like you can walk?" He asked as she looked at him scared.
"Please… no training…" She told him pleadingly as he laughed.
"I promise, no more training for a week. You both need and deserve a rest" She sighed out with relief before getting on her feet, slightly limping out the door with Bell and walking downstairs.
The moment she set foot on the floor of the living room, Bache flew into her at full speed and brought her into a soul crushing hug.
"Thank god you're alright…" she said over Adrienne's shoulder before she returned the hug.
"I am, mom… though you're crushing me…" She wheezed out, air not able to get in from the power of the hug.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" She let go as Adrienne smiled at everyone there.
""Sis!"" She heard the twins exclaim as they ran up to her and hugged her waist together. Adrienne laughed and returned it.
"Hey… I'm alright" She said before they let go and smiled at each other.
"Will you play with us later?" Aralaya asked Adrienne nodded.
"Of course, someone's got to keep you two from wrestling with each other" Everyone laughed at her words before Adrienne turned to Erebus.
"Can I get my status updated?" The feeling of suspense filled the air as the god nodded. Adrienne hopped up and revealed her back to him. He quickly bit his finger and let a drop fall onto her back and got to work. Adrienne looked up at the others and smiled.
"How about you? Did any of you update your status?" Bache and Elora shook their heads before Bell nodded and got out a sheet of paper, handing it to her. Adrienne looked it over and grinned at his stats.
Name: Bell Cranel
Lv 6
Status:
{STR} SS-1198 - SSS-1200
{VIT} SS-1176 - SS-1179
{DEX} SSS-1232 - SSS-1238
{AGI} SSS-1312 - SSS-1322
{MAG} SSS-1365 - SSS-1378
Magic:
Firebolt: Swift strike magic. Casts a bolt of fire and electricity on command that explodes on impact upon contacting any surface.
Legacy's Rebirth: Catalyst Magic. Generates a shroud of lightning around the user that interacts with the body, strengthening it and protecting from outside dangers. May also be used offensively as magic but takes a strong toll on the body if doing so.
Requires a Storm Crystal as a catalyst to activate.
Skills:
Liaris Freeze: Precocious Maturation. The effect is maintained so long as the user maintains their feelings, and the effect is heightened depending on how strong these feelings are (Current Bonus: 11%)
Argonaut: Heroic strike, the possibility of turning any situation around with an overwhelming amount of force. Able to be dual charged but drains massive amounts of mind power.
Scourge: Raises the power of the user exponentially depending on the amount of Malice the user lets out
Blade Master: When the user uses a bladed weapon, increases proficiency of the weapon and technique that is currently used
Development Abilities:
Luck: C
Abnormal Resistance: C
Psych: F
Intuition: D
Strong Body: H
"Your stats are ridiculous…" Adrienne smiled at him as Bell chuckled.
"Yeah… but it seems my skill is almost completely deactivated from what Erebus said. Soon, I'm going to grow like everyone else" His words were filled with a bit of sadness but understood there was nothing he could do about it.
"That isn't so bad. You won't leave us in the dust anymore than you already have" Elora told her as Adrienne snorted. He was already ridiculous. From what Bache had said, they were the same level, but he could run circles around her and she wouldn't even have a clue.
"Well… congratulations Adrienne. Your battle seems to have pushed you over the limit" Adrienne grinned at Erebus' words.
"What are my stats?" She asked.
"Your strength rose by 12 points to 999. Your Endurance is still maxed at 999. Your Dexterity rose by 9 points to 999, agility at 999 and magic rose the most by a whopping 20 points, also maxing at 999. I'd say you're ready to level up" Everyone grinned, having originally thought she would need a little more magic training to reach that limit.
"Then do it" She said before Erebus laughed.
"Not so fast, we still need to choose a development ability, don't we" Adrienne made an 'O' before she smiled.
"Okay… what can I choose?"
"Well, you have Abnormal Resistance, Fist strike and crush" He said as she thought of the choices, her spartan education from Elora making sure she knew their effects.
Fist strike and crush would increase her punch power or crush strength respectively… but the versatility of Abnormal resistance would benefit her more in the long run.
"Choose Abnormal resistance" She said as Erebus nodded and continued writing. Soon he copied her status and handed it to her.
"Oh, and lastly, you got a skill" The words excited her instantly as her eyes now glued themselves to her status, the others smiling at her while Aralaya and Jannor, knowledgeable with how a status works just listened curiously.
Name: Adrienne Cranel
Lv 1 - 2
Status:
{STR} S-988 - S-999 - I-0
{VIT} S-999 - I-0
{DEX} S-991 - S-999 - I-0
{AGI} S-999 - I-0
{MAG} S-980 - S-999 - I-0
Magic:
Thymos Colasis: 'Steel is my body, Fire is my blood'
Short chant magic. Strengthens the users masic abilities by a large degree at the cost of proper judgement.
Skills:
Alpha: While fighting with those the user sees as equals, the power of all basic abilities are boosted by a large degree.
(Boost: Stats +250) Uses Mind power
Development Abilities:
Abnormal Resistance: I
Adrienne grinned and shook at seeing her status.
"I DID IT!" She screamed out as smiles took their place on everyone's faces.
"Congratulations, Firefly" Bell said as he walked up to her, hugging her as she returned it.
"Thanks Dad!" Bache soon did the same alongside Elora.
"So… now what?" Erebus asked as he took his normal seat again. Bell thought about it before he remembered something after he had visited Zolingham a year before he started Adrienne's training.
"Right… Have we made any progress on the list Orithur gave us?" Bell asked. Orithur was a dwarf he had met in Zolingham that had struggled with finding specific resources for a project of his. Bell had helped him out and gotten to know him.
He had told him the required ingredients in order to make an item to make one's soul blend in with the environment. A large step in the right direction for Bell… if the ingredients weren't so damn impossible to find.
"No… Unfortunately, the first ingredient, essence of the sacred tree will be basically impossible to get. The elves in that forest are stubborn and too damn prideful for it to be healthy. They won't speak to anyone that isn't a full blooded elf and getting even a kilometer's distance from the sacred tree… is said to be impossible" Elora said as Bell noticed a form of hatred in her eyes, almost as if she had personal experience or ties to it.
He ignored it before nodding.
"That makes sense, let's get that one last. How about the other two?" Bell asked as Bache sat down next to Adrienne and thought about it while Bell walked over to the dining table, leaning on it. Aralaya and Jannor were sitting on the floor, now playing with some toys they had brought out.
"Well, it is manageable to get a powerful magic stone, at least level 5, right?" Bache asked as Bell nodded.
"Me and Elora could go to Orario and head into the dungeon. There isn't really any laws against non-registered adventurers to enter" She said as Bell nodded.
"Yeah… but… maybe Dragon Valley would have them. It's said that the monsters there are powerful enough to challenge even first class adventurers" Elora suggested as Erebus nodded.
"That is logical. The Valley was created from The Black Dragons most powerful attack, thousands of years ago and the residue from that energy gave birth to powerful monsters" He added. Bell couldn't help but wonder why everything led back to the black dragon. It's like it and the dungeon is the center of everything.
"Well… those pieces are at least possible to get. It's this last one that is the real issue…" Bell said as he walked over to a drawer and got out a parchment.
"Spirit Steel…" Bell muttered as Elora and Bache looked at each other.
"Well… I have searched through all our books, even the childrens stories and no mention of that metal is heard" Elora said as Bache nodded.
"Yeah, it's as if it doesn't exist…" Bache added as Erebus puth his hand on his chin, remembering the name.
"Right… If my memory serves me right, it's a metal from before the age of the gods, back during the age of heroes. It's supposed to be more durable than adamantite and more conductive to magic than Mythril, even able to conduct the arcanum" Erebus informed them as Bell nodded.
"The only issue… is that Lakrios, the kingdom that mined the mineral, has been lost to time. From what Erebus has said before, the reason that Lakrios was so fertile compared to the lands surrounding it was because of the mineral abundance underneath it. Spirit Steel was nurturing the surrounding area and gave life to it. The issue is that when the mineral was depleted, the city was abandoned as life was no longer sustained. Eventually, it's location was lost to time" Bell said as the others nodded.
"That is an issue. If we can't find the only place where this mineral existed, then we can't get it. How did Orithur get his hands on it?" Elora asked.
"Oh, he was lucky. It was discovered in a ruin, a dagger made of the stuff was discovered by him when he explored it. Unfortunately, that was all there was of the mineral there" Bell explained as she hummed.
"Maybe we can find it in another ruin?" Bell shook his head.
"That's just as unlikely. Chances of finding ruins of outposts so far from Lakrios' original location is nigh impossible. It's better to follow the only clue the world has of its location. Far up north, further than ever explored before it's time" Bell's words made them look down.
"So… you'll have to go on a journey…" Elora said sadly as Adrienne frowned slightly. She always hated it when he left for long periods of time.
"Unfortunately… yes. The journey might even take years since we don't know the exact location" That deepend Adrienne's frown, but she respected his reason for it. He wanted to clear his name and be a hero. This was the only way.
"We understand Bell. Just… be careful when you do" Elora pleaded as Bell smiled.
"Of course, but it won't be a while until that happens. I still need to train this one once she is rested" He said as he patted Adrienne's head.
That satisfied them as that meant it wouldn't be a long time until it happens. Bell smiled at his family, having decided years ago to enjoy his life while working towards his goal… and nothing was going to stop him from doing just that.
Author's notes:
An explanation of Liaris Freese:
There seems to be a misunderstanding about the true way that Liaris Freese works (Within this universe). In this universe, the skill works based on Bell's feelings of Ais. Skills aren't always exact in the conditions for their use and sometimes use words that can be broadly defined in an almost infinite amount of ways. Liaris Freeze is one of these skills.
Someone had mentioned that it would make it a minor skill. I completely disagree. The skill without this limitation is just borderline broken. It's a skill that is impossible to spot on another person before it's too late, it protects against all charms, it boosts one's growth to limitless degrees and even allows one to become more powerful than what should be possible (He's around high level 7, new level 8 power right now). Adding one limitation, even if it's this large, just makes it more balanced.
Most skills have a drawback if they are powerful, even if they don't state it. Maybe they drain a massive amount of stamina, or they reduce one stat in favor of another. That's exactly what scourge does. It reduced his endurance in favor of explosively increasing the rest of his stats. Give and take.
In canon, Liaris Freeze completely contradicts this 'rule' and only takes as there is no drawback.
Now, I want to personally ask all of you to not ask about this anymore. If you do, I will redirect you straight to this chapter's bottom notes.
A side note directly from ViceroyChalister:
I would like to put a type of reminder out, we have planned TFA to work as a story that will span a long time. How events will pan out, and how things will come together you will find out soon or perhaps even later. Quite the mind blowing statement isn't it? But let me be clear on this part, we plan each part out to play together. Obviously we have the main story line, and you all should know, what's a story without intricacies? Smaller stories are to come within the bigger picture.
As far as characters we have whole stat sheets planned and set up for finalized and current status for almost all characters, known and unknown. Not to mention, I personally have fun plans for most characters… well fun for me atleast. BUT, Eli plans to keep things tame, so I'll give you this to think about:
"Existence itself is the struggle to strive and prosper as Death is the constant principle that this struggle without exception leads towards. Eventually, it catches up to all of us, mortal or immortal, as there is no greater power than Death itself, so I will give you this. Your greatest challenge, your ultimate struggle to exist will be fought under the hills of blackened snow alongside a river of blood. Genkai's long drawn out struggle will soon reach its climax. Now, begone, murderer…"