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.
29: Painful Growth
=Messis Storocia=
The city twice the size of Orario, Endaria, was a sight to behold. As far as the eye could see, there were buildings, still whole and somewhat ready for use, if not for the vegetation.
"Wow… they must have left in a hurry. The shops still had linens and other trade goods" Bell said as he grabbed a soft red blanket that had dirt over it.
It did make sense that the people left in a hurry. After all, they hadn't realized the spirit steel was losing its effect until they already were in grave danger.
From what Bell had managed to gather from Elora's lessons, they had sent out a notice of immediate evacuation. In other words, drop all things and leave.
'Must not have been a pretty sight' Bell thought as he looked around. There was stuff all over the place from people just dropping their bags and leaving, spilling their contents everywhere.
Food had rotted a long time ago and insects probably had a field day from the sudden mass increase in their food supply.
That had probably sparked the rise of predators as their numbers must have skyrocketed once life could be sustained again.
In other words, it was places like these that allowed this region to bloom with wildlife, among other things.
Bell dropped the blanket after a while and continued through the city, taking in it's views. Landmarks such as churches, boat passages and lastly, and most interesting for Bell, were the statues depicting heroes of old.
All of them were split apart in a passageway with the statues to the left and right of where one walks, their stories written on the stones below.
Bell walked up to the first one. The statue of a man with a long spear etched into the ground, holding it with both hands while smiling. Bell instantly recognized the aethstetic. This was the hero of the flame, Prometheus. He smiled before beginning to read, mentally thanking Elora again for her lessons.
'Prometheus, a hero beloved for his kindness. Always ready as he is always prepared. Any battle, whether suspected or not, he was there to fight for the greater good of all. His flames, originated by his salamander spirit companion, Ignacio, burning down endless seas of monsters and pushed onwards, following the example of his greatest friend. Here lies a man, a husband and a hero, immortalized with the respect one such as him deserves' Bell read as he thought back to his childhood.
"Weird… that's not the same as the stories I read… well, apart from the ones grandpa wrote. I wonder why his version was more accurate than the official one…and who was this 'greatest friend?'" He commented as his mind sought answers.
He shook his head before continuing onwards towards, skipping a few statues whom he knew he wasn't interested in before stopping and tilting his head at one statue.
It was like he was seeing a copy of someone from his memory. It was eerily similar looking to… "Tiona?" Bell muttered as he stared at the statue.
The body, the face, the hair. It was all practically identical. The only things different were the clothes and the way the version of her as the statue carried herself. It was kind of freakish how similar it was, but Bell bit down and walked towards the statue, intrigued upon the story written on it.
'Orga Garof, a woman most wouldn't count as a hero. She never cared much for heroes, never deeming them needed. Through the actions of the first and Orga combined, the seed of the age of heroes was born, and thus, an action of such importance, cements her as a hero, no matter what one may think. Here lies a woman, a princess and a friend, immortalized with the respect one of the founders of this age deserves' Bell finished as he blinked. Orga Garof… he remembered her from the story of the clown hero. To think she had played such a major role as to have a statue of her in memorial.
Bell for a split second wondered about the others before looking around, not focusing on one statue to the next, but all of them. The moment he did, his eyes widened. Statues of people that looked so similar to the people he knew were surrounding him.
Welf, Gareth, Bete, Ryuu, Tione… Bell stopped as his eyes locked onto the statue of Ariadne Lakrios. She looked just like Ais. His mind wandered to the last time he saw her to the time she never even showed up.
He shook himself out of his stupor before swiftly shifting his eyes onwards before instantly freezing once again.
Straight forward, on one pedestal was a hero, his name written largely into the wall behind him. The statue itself was much larger than all of the others and even had some gold outlining some of the details on his gear, even if it was only stone.
Normally, Bell would have been intrigued upon why that particular hero was put on such a spot if not for the fact that he was staring into a mirror image of himself. It was worse than his son. The statue in front of him matched his features inch by inch. Every detail it included matched his own.
'What the hell…' Bell couldn't help but think as he took one step back in shock.
'This is way too weird… and that name…' He continued as his eyes reread the name over and over, once again questioning its purpose on such a spot.
'Argonaut, The hero of thunder. The founder of the age of heroes' Bell read out in his head as the title perplexed him. Wasn't he the clown hero?
Bell's curiosity got the better of him as he moved towards the statue, completely forgetting about every other statue around him.
The moment his eyes could make out the letters, he began reading the text, becoming more and more confused by the second.
'What the… This… What is this?' His thoughts ran wild as confusion took its place at the forefront of his mind.
"THIS MAKES NO SENSE!"
=2 weeks later=
Bell was walking through the woods, following the faint outline of the road, reading the signs that led him to his destination.
The only issue is the land he was looking for had no clear time of arrival, and he would have to double back and try another direction because the path was blocked from overgrowth.
He came across many villages, and all of them showed the exact same thing… a mass exodus. Bell caught himself thinking many times 'What would cause such a panic? I know the Black Dragon could do something like this, but to an entire continent? Sure, the land was going infertile very fast but to cause this level of panic… I really am not sure I want to meet whatever, or whoever did this. ' This thought would run through his mind many more times further on.
His head drifted to the side towards an overgrown farmhouse. Once again, no damage apart from age, otherwise, it was in perfect condition.
Bell sighed as he looked back down at the map. It had been over a month since he had left Anfesera, and he wasn't even half way there if the map was to be trusted.
He was currently on the main road, hard to tell to be honest, towards a city called Aerilion. That's all well and fine until one realizes that the city Bell is aiming for, Lakrios, is located at the opposite side of the map.
Bell sighed in frustration. So much for being able to get home in a year. The trip is going to take much longer.
"Mouuu…?" Bell's eyes turned to the side in confusion as he stopped. His eyes met the confused ones of a Bull. He stared as the bull did the same.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" Bell muttered as the bull tilted it's head further to the side, as if considering how to act.
"Great… I'm talking to a bull…" He mocked himself before turning away, leaving the Bull to it's business.
This… is going to be a long journey. On the bright side, Bell did have a long time to ponder the meaning of the words left in Endaria. Words, that somehow, were meant for him…
=Unknown=
"How are the preparations going?" A woman asked, her sharp eyes scanning the progress of the task she had laid out underneath her hooded robe.
"M-milady! We are ahead of schedule, Miss! The current estimation for completion is by the end of the year!" A human woman responded, clipboard in hand as she stood at attention as rain poured down around them.
"Good. Make sure you keep the pace. The game laid out 24 years ago is reaching its climax…" The woman stopped and looked back into the clouded sky where the spectacle she watched weeks ago occurred "Oldurin, the game is changing, and yet you do not adapt. That pride of yours will be the end of you…" The woman muttered the last part as she turned back.
"Keep up the good work Alice" The human woman, Alice, looked down and smiled, nodding in confirmation of her lady's words.
As the woman continued onwards into the estate she was staying at, she pulled back her hood, revealing sharp pale ears and a glowing red stone embedded into her forehead. Her eyes seemed to glow a serene blue. All of these features added together to form one species that was highly sought after within the dungeon city… A vouivre.
To most, she looked like a subspecies of an elf. The thing that changed that very fact, was the fact that on her back, two wings protruded out, standing tall and proud in clear view.
"Milady, here is the daily report" A maid came forth, a human woman with feathered arms instead of hands. A harpy to be exact.
"Thank you Milia" The woman smiled as Milia nodded, following closely behind as the woman read the report.
"Hmm… there seems to be a bit too much violence between mortals and monsters. Do you have any suggestions to resolve the issue?" Milia looked up at being called before responding.
"As far as I can tell, these instances are happening the majority of the time between criminal groups. Perhaps adjusting the budget to support law and order a little more, Milady?" Her words ran through the woman's head as she pondered the possibility.
"A reasonable approach, but money can only get you so far. I'll assign some of my personal guards to patrol the streets" She responded as Milia took the report out of the woman's hands.
"Of course milady" Milia finished as they reached their destination.
"What are we going to do about Oldurin?" The Harpies' unexpected question threw the Vouivre for a loop before composing herself.
"That old half blind dragon is too prideful to change. While we prepare for the unavoidable conflict, he will sit in his cave with that price of his until it's too late. We don't have to do anything, his pride and ignorance will do everything for us" Milia nodded as the Vouivre sat down in a chair.
"Now, I have business to attend to. After all, we do have a war to prepare for"
=Anfesera, 1 year later=
"Body worn and tired, mend thy self, be made whole and rise again. Balm Touch" The six year olf half elf girl activated her magic on her half sister, a warm green light enveloping her entire body.
"Thanks sis, I don't know what I'd do without you" Adrienne smiled at the female twin who kept focusing on Adrienne's wounds.
"Well, if Auntie would be more careful, I wouldn't have to heal you every other day…" Aralaya muttered under her breath in response, her cheeks reddening as she sent a glare towards Bache who leaned against the wall of the house.
"She decided to walk down this path and I agree with Bell. Rather you get hurt here and prepare yourself instead of you getting hurt and dying in a real situation" Bache told them bluntly as she peeked one eye open.
"I know mom… Just, it's a little much sometimes…" Bache chuckled at her daughter's words before standing up straight, turning towards the duo.
"I can understand that, but from what I have experienced out there, from what I've seen. Sometimes, you have to go beyond your limits and that requires you to be able to push yourself when your body wants nothing but to collapse. That's something that you learn over time through constant struggle" Adrienne nodded, having heard the words many times before.
"I know…"
"Anyway, I think this is enough for today. The sun is going to set in an hour and Elora should be done with Jannor's lesson soon" Bache turned and looked up to the balcony of their house before shaking her head.
"Once you're done, head on inside. I'm going to check on the two" Aralaya nodded as she doubled her efforts with her magic while Adrienne merley looked at her.
Bache headed on inside the house that had gotten larger over the last year. They had wanted more space and had extended the house. It set them back a few million valis, but it's nothing Asuka doesn't pay Bell every month.
Speaking of the far eastern girl, now a woman. She had been an empress for, what, almost 6 years now. To say the woman was doing well for herself was an understatement. She had done so much in the wake of her predecessor and Bell's help to the point that she was probably the most widely loved empress the Far East has ever seen.
Bache smiled as she saw a souvenir that Asuka had gifted them when she had visited once. It was a cute little figurine of Bell in his armor and mask. She had said that it looked stupid when she saw it and brought it to laugh at.
To be honest, it did look dumb, as much as one could make such armor look. It's eye holes were too far apart and even had a nose. The mask DIDN'T have a nose on it so it made no sense.
That and the limbs were stupidly thin, to the point of one thinking it was a figurine of .
Bache shook her head and headed upstairs, hearing Elora talking. Once she opened the door, she saw Elora standing in front of a chalkboard that they had bought to make teaching easier.
"-tree is what defines the elves as a whole. Within the history books, it is said that the very essence that gives Elves their longevity and magical aptitude originates from the sacred tree that stands at the center of the High elf village where Royalty lives" Elora continued on with the lesson with only a glance in Bache's direction.
"Mom… where did the tree come from?" Jannor asked as he was writing down in his book.
"No one truly knows as there are thousands of theories upon its origin. Some say that when the gods were bestowing life to the lower world, they created different races with different methods in order to create life as close to them as possible. One theory and the most prevalent one is that the elves were the second last race to be created and thus, superior to the others as they were supposedly closer to the gods. The only other race said to be closer are the spirits" Elora finished, unable to stop the frown from taking its place on her face.
"Do you think it's true…?" Jannor asked as he frowned too.
"No, never. If you ask me, all of it is only Elven pride speaking as they have always believed themselves better than everyone else" She said as cooly as she could, but both Bache and Jannor noticed the hint of anger, borderlining on hatred in her voice.
Jannor nodded and wrote down his mothers words as Elora walked to the side and picked up a few books, dropping them on Jannors table.
"This is your homework due in two days. I want you to read and memorize the important bits within the historic books I've picked out" Elora said, nodding at herself as Jannor have a sheepish nod.
Bache smiled before walking forward.
"Is your lesson done, Elora?" Bache asked as Elora turned to her and nodded.
"Well, yes. How did the sparring go?" she asked as Bache smiled.
"Well, I'd say that it went well. Aralaya and Adrienne were quite beat up, but they did well for being level 2 and 3" Bache said as Elora nodded.
"Good, then shall we make dinner? Perhaps a new recipe with this thicc smoky sweet sauce from Telskyura? You probably ate it a lot when you were still living there" Bache pondered the offer before nodding.
"That would be awesome Elora, I haven't eaten that in… years!"
"Alright but it'll take longer and it might not be as good as you remember" Elora said
"It's fine, you can't get better at the dish if you don't try and make it, plus you might be able to get a dish down before Bell and have bragging rights that you learned a new type of food before him." Bache chuckled at the thought of the face he would make. Bell takes great pride in his food.
This statement seemed to blow the minds of all the children there, 'Being better at something than dad?' This is unheard of. This also sparked a new idea and almost competitive joy in the children, 'I want to find something and show dad that I'm good at it and show it to dad and teach him'
A couple of hours would pass and Elora had completed the meal, and as they sat down one could argue that Bache was drooling like a starved animal. But was quickly blind sided when Elora smacked her outstretched hand. They hadn't given thanks yet.
As the food was passed out and they began to dig in, the kids were the first to react as they bit into the food, eyes were practically bulging out of their skulls. They savored the thick sauce and the meat that was almost melting in their mouths. Bache was to the brink of tears, and was well pleased by this. Elora was just happy that she could have this great an impact on her family, but it was missing something… Bell. Elora also shed tears as she ate, but she didn't let anyone see that they were sad ones.
=Messis Storocia, 5 months later=
Bell has finally arrived at the city that he's been looking for, but unlike everywhere else, the city itself seemed to have been under attack. The other villages and cities were affected by the passing of time, otherwise untouched. This city though was almost flattened to the ground, walls seemingly torn apart and blasted to oblivion. Only a few structures remained standing, as Bell took this sight in as chills ran down his back. He may be strong, but he is still a human.
Monsters could be seen roaming the city, he had seen some every now and then. But this was almost more populated with monsters than the first dozen floors of the dungeon combined.
He could see them fighting each other or sleeping, but a few seemingly standing watches gained his attention the most. The thing that caught his attention the most was the type of monsters, all what seemed he heard roam the 37th floor. Spartoi seemed to be the most common and patrolled with Skull Sheep at their sides, There were Barbarians scattered here and there, they were the ones he saw most commonly fighting between themselves. But what intrigued Bell the most was the Obsidian Soldier being escorted by 3 more Obsidian Soldiers. The one being escorted through the city concerned him a little, instead of the normal blackened color they should have, it was more of a silver color, this one had crack-like lines running throughout it that glowed red with a matching red eye, and easily stood at about three meters tall.
It was as if it was a king being escorted by his guards. Bell, as quiet as he could, followed the escort as they headed through the city, avoiding all other monsters as well as he could.
The weird thing was that all other monsters were avoiding them. Whenever they were heading in a direction where one monster was, it instantly moved out of the way, as if running for its own life.
Bell decided to ignore it as they were approaching the castle that overlooked the entire city. The escort entered through a broken gate before Bell lost track of them.
After all, it wasn't really organized and rubble was everywhere.
He carefully maneuvered over the rubble, making as little noise as he could before he arrived at a giant hole with an elevator. It was driven by a pulley system instead of a magic stone.
Bell peeked down, seeing that the monsters just exited the elevator that had somehow survived all this time.
"Damn… Can't use that, would just attract attention from it moving all of a sudden" He muttered before sitting down at the edge before vaulting down.
'Guess I gotta climb' He thought as he began descending down the hole. It took him nearly half an hour to descend with a cloud of dust as he landed.
Once it cleared he looked around before frowning. It almost looked… like a mine. Bell walked towards the wall and grabbed a loose mineral, cracking it before pulling it out.
As he inspected it, his frown deepened. This was not Iron, copper, or gold. Heck it wasn't even rare metals such as Orichalcum or Adamantium. It was something else, but it couldn't be Durandal as that was man made and he just broke it with ease. It also didn't have any residual energy as the metal he's looking for should have…
Bell's eyes widened as he noticed something peculiar. It's properties of Spirit Steel that aren't dependent on the residual energy are there.
"This… is spirit steel… but… why is it drained?" Bell muttered as he kept inspecting it. He was interrupted by a noise down the large mine.
'Right… monsters' Bell reminded himself as he put the piece of metal in his pouch. He headed deeper into the mine, passing what seemed like endless streams of the mineral he found, all still drained.
He still could scarcely believe that it was spirit steel, a mythical metal that is so rare, a single nugget of it would be worth half a city. The question on the top of his mind though was of what could have drained all that makes the metal so special.
'Don't tell me-' Bell seemed to realize something as he began ignoring his surroundings and headed straight for the noise.
When he came to a large cavern, he was stopped in his tracks as claws and a dagger were descending from above, straight towards his throat.
Bell, in the matter of nanoseconds, pulled out his longsword and deflected the blow, rolling on the floor before getting in a battle stance.
In front of him was an obsidian soldier, one of the ones escorting the special one. In it's left hand was a dagger.
"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII" It screeched as it launched forward, swinging the dagger and it's claws at Bell as he dodged and tried to counterattack. His sword slid across it's chest, doing nothing but scratch it's outer shell.
"Tsk…" Bell clicked his tongue before he sheathed his blade before smiling.
'In situations such as this…' Bell began his inner monolog as he pushed forward, clenching his fist 'This… is the best weapon'
His fist hit the monster in the chest, cracking the shell as it gasped out, being sent back into the wall.
'Blunt attacks are the best for breaking one's defense' A lesson he had taught his children right before he left.
The Obsidian Soldier was now regaining its footing and was preparing to attack but it was too late, Bell not wanting to give it too many chances had already come rushing forward with an axe kick to it's shoulder. The monster had barely dodged the kick and moved to the right but lost it's footing again from the impact of the kick landing on the ground.
Dust now scattered and fell within the tunnel, Bell had activated Scourge and was now bleeding the red mist walking towards the obsidian beast. It bagan to back away realizing that it was outmatched by the few seconds it fought him. It soon regained its confidence once one of its allies arrived.
The 2 monsters looked at each other letting out small chittering sounds, and the back to Bell 'Making plans now are we, clever little monsters' Bell thought, with a smile and Scourge pooling around him he rushed forward. The 2 glass like creatures didn't react in time as Bell had grabbed one by the face and proceeded to slam one into the other, Bell at this point began to dual cast Argonaut on his fists.
The monsters tried to recover as they were sent through the air, one managed to land on its feet while the other crashed into the floor and bounced into the cave wall. The one who had taken Bell's punch earlier was the one that landed, now having it's footing back rushed and met Bell half way.
A flurry of kicks and punches were thrown between the 2, Bell landing the most, this exchange lasted only a few seconds as the other monster was now coming in to assist it's ally. Bell noticed this and took the creature he was fighting by the arm and tossed it into the air now focusing on the new opponent he threw an Argonaut charged punch now sitting at about a minute charge, the punch landed dead center on the monster's chest shattering it, causing it to cave, fragments of the outer shell ripping apart it's insides.
Bell, satisfied with the defeat of one monster, now looked up to see the former creature now plummeting down towards him; he could tell it was mad by the defining screech it produced. Using his other hand he prepared to punch it out of the cave system.
His fist landed straight on its jaw as it's head was lobbed straight off it's tendons, being sent up into the ceiling as the body levitated for a moment from the force before falling limp on the ground before exploding into a cloud of dust.
Scourge started deactivating as Bell looked at the two now piles of dust, frowning. The monsters were too strong. It was way stronger than they are supposed to be even in the dungeon so what gives?
The only thing he knew for sure is that the answers laid ahead, so he did the only thing he could. He marched onwards towards the answers he sought.
As he went deeper, he began noticing that the cave seemed more… ethereal. It was as if the minerals glowed with magic, stronger the deeper he went.
Eventually, he arrived at the end, a relatively large circular room where at the back, the last monster was hunched over, it's silver armor shining in the glow that was around it.
As Bell looked around, he instantly knew this was it. This was pure Spirit steel, and a lot of it too. Enough to buy him the entire continent the mortals lived at the moment.
Bell shook his head before once again inspecting exactly what the monster was doing. He quietly walked to the side, getting a better look at what it was holding.
What he saw horrified him. It was the very metal he was looking for. It was sucking on it as if it was the tastiest candy in the world.
"What the…" Bell muttered. The noise set the monster off as it shot up and glared at him.
"SKRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII" It screamed as Bell just gaped at the metal it dropped. It had lost some of it's glow, as if the energy had been drained.
'Are you telling me the monsters have been feeding on all this energy!? For thousands of years!?' Bell was horrified at the thought. That would explain their absurd levels of power and this one… it seemed a big step up from the others.
Bell, already knowing that it's outer shell was hard enough to resist bladed attacks, simply prepared his hands in a fighting stance before the monster instantly cleared the distance between the two.
Bell's eyes widened as his intuition screamed at him. He jumped over a kick before sending his own above him, kicking away a surprise attack from a third monster.
It was sent flying sideways before Bell was landed, wedged between the two.
'Damn, Forgot there was a third guard' Bell chastised himself for the mistake before activating scourge at its most powerful. The entire area became consumed by the red mist as the world slowed down to unbelievable levels. The guard was barely moving in Bell's view, but that wasn't the issue.
He twisted his head to the side before vaulting sideways, punching the ankle of the leader, his other hand landing on the floor, pushing him forward before rolling and correcting his posture.
A loud boom entered Bell's ear as his eyes widened.
'Did I just… Did I just break the sound barrier?' he thought to himself for a split second. He had never gone that fast and… it still kept up with him?
Bell frowned as he glared back at the monster, time still practically frozen as the guard had just begun to move.
Bell shot forward like a bullet, air shockwaves all around his body as the monster met his attacks, blow for blow.
Each blow, sent shockwaves around it, cracking it's shell just slightly while every attack with it's claws chirped away at Bell's armor or drew blood from his cheeks.
'It's strong… really strong'
Bell twirled, backflipped over the monster before kicking it in the head, sending it face first into the floor.
He turned around and shot forward towards the guard, intending to even out the playing field, but before he could, was tackled to the side and into a wall.
"Gah!" Bell spat out saliva from the impact before snapping his neck to the side. The next split moment, claws were embedded into the wall that his head had just obscured.
'That was close' He thought before kicking it to the side, quickly moving in front of where it landed and peppering it with hits as fast as he could.
A millisecond later, he dodged a claw headed for his eyes before the other hand smacked him away.
As Bell landed he pulled out one of his dagger, shooting forward once again before meeting it's claws with the blade, diverting it's trajectory and meeting it's shocked eye with his left fist.
He pushed it hard into the ground as the ground cracked and a large boom echoed across the entire cave.
The guard, who still had barely moved from its position, was launched backwards into the wall. In it's point of view, the two had become a blur for a few seconds and the room had descended into complete and utter chaos before being pushed back by a shockwave.
Back with Bell, his fist had pushed the monster into the ground and half the room's floor had been caved in severely as rocks protruded out around it from the sudden force.
For a split second, Bell thought it was done before-
*Shing*
Pain flooded Bell's mind as he jumped back and looked down. It had cut right through his armor and deep into his stomach. Those claws were no joke at all, at the right angle, it cuts Adamantium, second only to Durandal in it's durability excluding spirit steel.
Bell frowned as the creature stood up again, the left side of it's face completely destroyed, bleeding like hell as it's eye was crushed.
He took one step forward only to flinch. God, that wound hurt. He went to grab a potion he still had left but was interrupted as a blade was in his face all of a sudden.
'Shit!' He thought as he narrowly dodged it and kicked it behind him, crashing into the wall.
Bell took the opportunity to take out the potion and splashed it across his wound as it stung. It would take a while to heal at the speeds he was moving at, but the bleeding had at least stopped.
He took one step forward before nodding. Alright, he can fight like this. Bell cracked the ground once again with his sudden forward momentum as he moved straight for the monster.
He pulled out his spear before throwing it at full power, heading straight for the unaware monster who was still recovering.
It's eyes turned up and the world stopped as Bell watched the monster cut the spear in three pieces.
"Oh come on!" Bell called out as he watched the weapon he had treasured for nearly 10 years be completely destroyed in an instant. Scourge now flowing profusely from his body.
'Alright, this monster is going to pay' Bell dual charged argonaut in one arm, as he shot forward, grabbing a piece of loose spirit steel from the ground.
He parried the attacks the monster was sending him, over and over as sweat began to pool around his entire body from the strenuous action.
'Come on! A little more! Just a little more!' Bell thought as he charged Argonaut.
*DING*
The Bell sounded, cuing him that it was time for his plan. An idea he had for a while but unable to test.
"FIREBO-!" Bell halted the magic as an extra claw came out of nowhere "WHOA!" He lost all focus as the bodyguard had somehow managed to sneak up on Bell. He had severely slowed down after the wound, much like the monster. Enough for it to keep up.
Now, defending against two monsters at once, one as strong, if not stronger than himself was a little too much.
Scratches began accumulating on Bell's body as his eyes scrunched up in pain.
*DING*
'TWO MINUTES!' Bell thought as he parried another blow.
"FIREBOLT!" Bell screamed as he focused the magic into the piece of unrefined Spirit steel. The flame that was created from it burned like hellfire, causing both monsters to jump back in shock.
Bell stared in awe for a split second before hardening his look. This attack he named in memory of his goddess. The one who lent him a hand when he needed it the most, a time when no one else would.
"ARGO…. VESTA!" Bell screamed out as he slashed and his vision exploded in a sea of white as his ears were deafened in the subsequent explosion as he was launched back into the wall.
He groaned as he picked himself up, the wound now completely closed from the potion but the rest of the body covered in cuts.
Bell peeked forward as the dust cleared only to see both monsters, completely cut in half before turning to dust.
The next second, his head hit the floor behind himself as he closed his eyes. Every muscle hurts. He'll just take a minute to rest, he deserved it.
'Just… a minute' his thoughts drifted off as his breathing evened out, his mind turning to the world of dreams.
=2 hours later=
Bell's eyes slowly opened as he took in his surroundings. For a split second he wondered where he was. He tried to sit up only to be hit by aching muscles and a river of pain. That jolted his memories as he leaned on one hand.
"Ouch…" He muttered as he carefully got up on his feet, limping towards the spirit steel. The moment he was in reach, he collapsed on his knees as his body constantly complained.
"God… you… were a pain… in the ass… to get… my hands on" He hissed as he carefully collected chunks of the metal and stored it in his pouch. For what felt like hours, Bell collected as much as he could before deciding to head back.
From the rumbling that was going on around him, the cave was going to collapse any second now, most likely from all the blows from the fight.
As Bell headed towards the exit, he stopped for a second and looked down at the magic stone that laid on the ground.
Bell stared at it for a second before carefully leaning down, wincing in pain before picking it up.
"Spirit steel, Check. Magic stone, Check" Bell said as he limped onwards. The only ingredient left now… was the essence of the sacred tree.
He stepped onto the platform of the elevator before pulling the lever, collapsing and leaning back on the wood as he watched the cave collapse.
The elevator headed up just in time for the collapse to miss it. Bell smiled as he waited. He is going to head back now… back to his family that he so dearly missed. He wondered how much they have grown.
He smiled as he fantasized about the moment he returned. His fantasy was quickly interrupted by the sound of the elevator stopping.
"Guess that's my cue…" He muttered as he stood up. He pulled out his sword as he just knew with his luck, monsters would attack him while heading towards the gates of the city.
Much to his annoyance, he was correct. It was as if the entire universe was laughing at his misery as he was constantly attacked and casually sliced the monsters in half. At least these ones weren't as strong as the other ones.
They must have kept the supply to themselves. Maybe why all monsters avoided them.
Hours later and when the sun had set, Bell was a few kilometers outside the city, laying in the grass as the fire cackled to his side and a sizzling sound was heard.
He ran through the entire journey here in his head. How long has it been? He honestly had no idea. If he had to estimate, it had probably been around a year. No more than two. God, he's going to feel like a stranger when he returns.
At least he could count on his family to welcome him back… he loved them for a damn good reason.
Bell leaned over and grabbed the meat from where he had set it to cook and took a bite. There was no seasoning or sauce, just pure unaltered meat. In his current state, he didn't have the energy to make anything fancy.
He quickly chowed down the meat before closing his eyes. His thoughts drifted back towards his family. The last thing on his mind about how much he missed them.
=2 years later, Anfesera=
"Mom! Stop it!" Aralaya complained as she was being smothered by a hug.
"Oh come on, let me hug you silly!" Elora complained with a pout as the half elf debated about complaining or letting it happen.
"Fine… anyway, I'm quite happy with my status update. I'm closing in on level 3!" Aralaya smiled, Elora mirroring it as she peeked down at the parchment that she was clutching.
"I'm close to level 4! Jannor, how close are you to level 3?" Adrienne jumped in as Jannor grinned.
"Almost there! I only need a push" He exclaimed as Bache looked over her shoulder from the kitchen table.
"You better be! Do you have any idea how often you update your status? You're going to bleed me dry at this point" Erebus complained sarcastically with a grin.
Laughter spread across the room as Adrienne leaned over and poked the gods nose.
"That's the point!" She grinned as Erebus chuckled.
"Sure thing, Daemonias" he said as Adrienne laughed.
"You know that just makes me sound cool, right?" She asked as Erebus made a show of thinking about it for a second.
"Nah, it sound idiotic" He eventually said as Adrienne fell backwards at the pointless words.
"So, Erebus, I was thinking…" Bache said as all the attention turned to the Amazonian "Those nicknames you have for them. What do they mean? You have used them for over a year now and we still don't know why" she asked as Erebus smiled.
"Well, as you all know, in Orario, it is custom for the gods to decide the Alias for the children of the familias situated there. I was thinking of deciding on your nicknames. Bell and Elora already have good ones though" He said as Bache looked scandalized.
"I have one too!" She called out as everyone stopped and stared at her.
"Mom… no offense… but yours sucks" Adrienne said.
"Yeah auntie, it's a no go"
"Agreed" The twins said
"Bache, you're my best friend. You're basically my sister, but that nickname… It needs to go" Bache looked at all of them in shock, horrified at their words.
"What's wrong with 'King of Poison'!?" She asked as Erebus sighed.
"First, it sounds dumb. Second, you're not even a king… you're a woman" He said. Bache was about to say something and put up her finger before slowly lowering it, finding his points kind of valid.
"Then what should I be called?" Bache asked as Erebus frowned.
"Hmm… I wouldn't change it too much… perhaps… yeah, that sounds good…" He muttered as Bache impatiently frowned.
"Tell me!" She called out as Erebus nodded.
"Fine, Fine. I was thinking your nickname would be Veregina. It means 'Poison Queen'" He said as she mouthed it.
"Hm… not bad" Bache accepted the name as everyone around nodded.
"Alright, so her name is Veregina. Elora's alias is Thúl. Adrienne is Daemonia, Jannor's Cerberus and Aralaya is Novae Sanguis" Erebus announced as everyone nodded.
"Oh, and I don't have to mention Bell's. We all know it's Apollyon" He added as everyone chuckled.
They were about to continue their talk before there was a loud knock on the door.
"Everyone! Quick, come!" The voice of Saena came through, causing Elora to stand up, letting Aralaya go before heading towards the door.
When she opened the door, Elora was met with the chief, smiling ear to ear, calming her down.
"Saena, you had me worried there. What's going on?" She asked as Saena's smile somehow widened.
"Well, you see. We just spotted a certain person heading towards the village a few mi-" She wasn't even able to finish the sentence before Saena was shoved to the side and Elora had sprung forward, running down the village.
The rest were still in the same position, processing the words before Erebus broke the silence.
"About damn time" He muttered as everyone else stood up with smiles on their faces.
Meanwhile, outside the village, Bell was slowly walking towards the village, a smile on his face as he had taken the mask off. The way back had been much longer as the map had been destroyed during the battle, so he had aimlessly been wandering before finally finding directions.
Now, finally back, he couldn't wait to see everyone. Learning that he had been gone for 3 years had been a slap to the face. God, he had probably missed so much.
"BELL!" He heard a familiar voice in the distance as he looked closer, seeing the silhouette of his wife, tears in her eyes as she sprinted at full speed towards him.
She slammed into him hard, knocking him backwards a few steps as she hugged him tighter enough to crush any normal human.
"Oh god! You're back! You're finally back!" She exclaimed as she pulled him back before crashing her lips onto his.
Bell instantly responded, pulling her closer. They were quickly interrupted as more voices were heard.
"BELL!" Bache could be heard before the children overpowered her voice with their collective yell of 'Dad!'
Bell disengaged from Elora as she followed him for a split second before snapping back to reality. He looked up to be just in time for three bodies to smash into him, nearly managing to knock him onto the ground.
"DAD! YOU'RE BACK!" Adrienne grinned up at his frame as Jannor did the same.
"Yeah! You were gone for so long!" Aralaya followed up as Bell laughed. He got down on one knee before ruffling their hair.
"Look at all of you! You've grown so much since I left! Soon enough, you'll be too much for me to handle" Bell joked as everyone laughed.
"Yeah! Just you wait and see" Jannor exclaimed as Bell grinned in return.
Bache walked up, smiling as Bell stood straight. When she didn't move closer, he took her hand and shoved her closer to him, hugging her, shocking the amazon who shortly after returned it.
"It's good to see you, Bache" Bell said as he kissed the top of her head, a smile plastered on Bache's face.
"Hey! What took you so long you lazy child!" Bell grinned so hard one would think his face would split as he turned to the voice.
"You know, Dragons blocking the path, Irregular monsters nearly killing me. The usual" Bell shrugged as Erebus laughed before gesturing to his armor.
"I can see that, it looks like you were attacked by the one eyed black dragon" Erebus joked as Bell froze.
"Eh… well…" The mood instantly soured as glares were aimed at Bell.
"Honey… tell me… what did you do?" Elora said in a scary even tone as Bell turned to her.
"Eh… how about I say that over dinner? After I shower… oh what I wouldn't give for a hot shower right about now" Bell almost drooled as the mood was saved.
"Well, why don't we head back and catch up?" Erebus suggested as everyone nodded.
The family headed back towards the village, Bell being one step closer towards his goal
That's chapter 29! Funny enough, we are actually closing in on the return to Orario. Only one more 'sub-arc' left! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it and had a merry christmas! Well, apart from that, I will get right into the reviews.
Soul of Horus:Nice to see this. I click on these instantly. The stories have a charismatic feel, I guess. Slightly embarrassing to admit but hey, it's how I feel.
So, Fiona…you've had that planned for a while. Well, Bell is going to be so happy and sad at the same time. Loki knows and I slightly wish we knew what she was really thinking. A Goddess from nine years ago suddenly is reincarnated. Similar to Limrix's White-Haired Elf with Artemis, something that I find no fault in. (Not shaming at all, just it's the first thing I thought of.)
Bell finding the…[spoiler], since people probably spoil themselves by checking reviews. Well, that theory of how they popped into existence is not so far fetched as we like to think.
I'm still seriously betting—unironically—that Bete will be the first to make the connection. All he needs is a scent to figure it out. Should that happen though, Orario will get a massive wake up call.
I'm always pleased to see a new chapter, I can't exactly pin down the writing style but I guess it's one of the things that draws me in.
Safe writing.
Author: Well that was… flattering. No other way to describe it. Hehe. Thanks for the kind words!
Lordfinn: Interesting. I wonder if Fiona also inherited her past life's memories along with her divine power. Well we just have to see if she starts having an interest in rabbits and wearing her hair in twintails.
It might just be fanon and speculation but the black dragon being a xenos would make perfect sense. The zeus and hera familia were one of the most powerful and experienced adventurers in the whole world, having taken down multiple ferocious monsters as well as the other 2 great beasts easily. A monster is dangerous because of the raw power they easily wield in mindless rage. But power is nothing without skill to utilize and refine it. We actually see a glimpse on what a monster can do if it has the thought process to channel that strength during asterius' battle against loki familia where he almost dominated them.
But aside from big D making his shocking appearance i think the bigger bomb would be aria. Something tells me Bell won't leave her to suffer the dragon any longer. He doesn't have to fight and beat the dragon first in order to rescue her and maybe an additional blessing from a great spirit might empower bell to surpass albert, then he could finish the job that albert did and finally kill the black dragon. The only thing dangerous about pulling the rescue off is maybe not making Aria fall in love with him since that would be extremely awkward and funny.
Author: Well, I can say for a fact that Bell didn't spot Aria back there. She was too far away from him and the only ones who know what happened to Aria are the OEBD and the Loki Familia.
Also the last part… Awkward, 100%. Funny, even more so. Can't say what will happen though, but this gave me a good laugh.
Ladis11:You little and slimy lovely bastards. I want to shout from excitement right now. That chapter is masterclass and you're geniuses. I never expected something like that which, now more than ever, announces the role the future generation will have in the upcoming events. More characters join the plot, players who will bring with them their own stories and fights (may they be morals, physicals or what not). And I, in the middle of it all and, I'm sure, just like many other readers, am going to have the opportunity to follow it till the end. And I... I'm so grateful you decided to give life to this all, and what's more on . Just... Just thank you
Author: This… This put tears in my eyes. Thank you so much for the kind words. We do try our best and it's reviews like this that make it so worth it!
Pix25:Smashing
Author: Smashing… Indeed.
That's it for the reviews. I also wanted to shout out MarcoSketcher for literally summarizing every chapter xD. Otherwise, I hope we see you next time!