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.
56: Enigma
=The 50th floor=
Wiene sat over Haruhime, watching her just like a protective mother would. It was an ironic twist, at one point this same situation was reversed with Haruhime being the one that was the hovering mother-like figure.
Seeing her like this, so weak, was incredibly taxing for her psyche. So much so that it even had an effect on her physical capability.
She felt weaker, unable to leave the side of the people that were essentially family to her despite the few times they were actually able to interact.
Her eyes drifted towards the cave opening where Bache and Elora had set up tents and a sort of makeshift fence with planks, harvested from cut down logs. It wasn't ideal for the dungeon, but it was better than nothing admittedly.
Wiene was happy to have finally met the two women who were so incredibly important to Bell, though the circumstances couldn't have been worse. With everyone she knew and loved on the surface currently either being missing or in bad to critical condition, it was practically the worst time to have happened.
Either way, she had found Elora to be a delight, even with her somewhat sorrowful mood she shared with Bache. Speaking of the amazoness, she was just as Bell had described. Fiery but friendly to those that mean no harm.
"Hey, are you okay?" Wiene's head turned to the side where she met the ruby red eyes of the half-elf girl healing the prum at the moment.
It had taken Aralaya a few hours to wake up, but by morning, she was up and already healing everyone that needed it… which was practically everyone.
It was due to her healing having an effect, clearly giving the wounded more color to their faces that gave Elora and Bache hope that they would all be fine.
Sadly though, that didn't really say much for Bell. That topic was something that Wiene was avoiding at the moment though as she too felt like thinking too much would just end up with her launching straight down into the dungeon without a second thought.
She didn't have to mention why that was a bad idea as Elora and Bache had clearly bashed into her skull earlier.
"Yeah… just, I really wanted us all to meet. Just not like this" Wiene responded as both Adrienne and Aralaya looked at each other before turning back to her, nodding at the same time.
"Yeah, me too. I wasn't planning on having my lower half completely broken and screaming my lungs out at the sight of you but here we are" Adrienne said after a moment, chuckling to herself as Wiene let out a tiny giggle at the memory.
"Wait, you screamed?" Aralaya asked, confused as her magic stopped.
"Oh yeah she did" Wiene said, glad for the light banter that seemingly sprang forth "Like a small girl" She teased as the amazonian girl's eyes narrowed, her half sister covering her mouth while clearly hiding a growing grin.
"I am a small girl you know" Adrienne shot back as Wiene turned to her, her long hair moving in sync as her draconic eyes twinkled with mirth.
"Is that so? From what Bell said, you don't like being called a small girl" At that, Aralaya couldn't hold it in as she burst out laughing, Wiene following suit shortly after.
Adrienne couldn't help but blush in embarrassment just as footsteps were heard.
"Well… I'm glad you can all laugh at the moment" the voice of Elora came through with a sense of lightness to her words as her amber eyes took in the mood, smiling at the group.
"Yeah, Mom. Wiene really knows how to lighten the mood" Aralaya said while Adrienne grumbled something under her breath that was lost to them all.
"Oh, I know. I have talked to her over the oculus. It's actually really nice to be able to place a face to the name now, even if the circumstances are less than ideal" Elora smile strained a little at the mention of the current situation, even if better, it was still bad.
"Anyway, how's everyone doing?" She asked as Aralaya's expression instantly hardened into an almost professional manner.
"They are definitely doing better. Jannor is sleeping but should wake up in an hour or so. Welf and Mikoto are unconscious still but could wake at any moment. It's honestly Lili and Haruhime that were the worst off" She trailed off as her thoughts swirled.
What she said was true. Jannor had been very lucky. Its claws may have pierced his chest, but it somehow missed all important organs. The two claws closest had just missed the heart, sliding between it, the lungs and all major blood vessels in the area. The remaining three claws had gone under the lungs due to the angle so his worst enemy had been blood loss. By this point, his survival was basically guaranteed.
Haruhime and Lili on the other hand were a different story. Haruhmie's entire stomach had been practically slashed into pieces alongside one of the claws literally piercing her stomach sac all the way from the upwards angle.
Lili's left lung had been smashed into a pulp with her windpipe severely damaged. Her liver was almost unsavable but should be good with extensive healing.
A little more to the right and she'd be dead, her heart would have been crushed completely, stopping all blood flow to and from her brain.
Adventurers may be extremely hard to kill and can survive normally fatal injuries, but some things would never change. If the heart or brain were completely destroyed with no trace… well that's it.
"I understand… just… make sure he's alright- they…" Elora corrected herself as Aralaya snapped out of the thoughts as she met the elf's terrified gaze.
Elora smiled as slightly as the girl nodded before turning back to Wiene.
"Bache wanted me to ask you to switch with her in an hour. She hasn't gotten any sleep and she'd rather get it sooner than later" Elora asked as Wiene nodded.
"I'll do that, Elora. You should also get some sleep too" She suggested as the elf hummed.
"Maybe…" Was all she said as she left, leaving the trio alone together.
Aralaya quickly turned back towards Haruhime and put out her hands and began chanting her magic while the other two began with idle chatter.
If there was one thing Aralaya was sure with one hundred percent certainty at the moment, is that she'd be damned if she didn't do everything in her power to heal them all, even if she collapsed in on herself.
=Floor 73=
Hours had passed with him walking across the heatstroked floor. He knew by now that he was getting close. The wall on the opposite side of the floor was in view and if he had to guess, it was only fifteen minutes left until he reached it at his current pace.
His throat felt positively parched and the constant walking with nothing to do in this god forsaken heat was starting to take its toll. There were times he swore he saw figures in the corner of his vision, things that weren't there when he really took a look.
At first, he thought that some kind of monster was playing with him, but the more it happened, the more he realized that it was his mind playing tricks.
Most of the figures were familiar even with the limited details he could perceive before they disappeared. People of his past, his grandfather, wife, son, daughter, Bache among others.
Others… were foreign, almost as if his mind had a recollection of someone but he himself had no memory of it.
A woman with snow white hair, eyes the most gorgeous shade of blue he'd ever seen. Her hair was long with her features smiling at him in the most loving manner one could, almost like the look a mother gives to her precious child.
The strangest part was that despite him having no recollection of this woman, she was the more prominent one that he saw, and every time she showed up, his heart practically stopped with the emotions that welled up from a geyser he had no idea was there.
Shaking his head, he tried to get the thoughts out of his mind. This heat was really starting to mess with him. Why did his Psych decide now was a good time to take a hike?
Glancing around again, ignoring the desire to search for that visage of a woman due to his curiosity, he reached the edge of a canyon and looked down.
The monsters were barely present, clearly having thinned out to the point of them being a rarity.
As he had found out and which Erebus hadn't known, these monsters in the canyon became more prominent the closer to the next floor's entrance one got.
The further away you get from it, the less there are. Only issue now is finding the way to the passageway to get closer to the glacier territory.
Deciding on taking a risk as time was slowly ticking down, he carefully leaped down the canyon.
Once at the bottom, he looked around before continuing his march, with bated breath.
As it was the edge of the floor, the canyon itself spread itself apart wide, almost like a large savannah with still some protrusions blocking the view to the east and west.
Taking the first steps, Bell's eyes and ears perked to any abnormalities, yet all that was detected was the sound of the blowing artificial wind and tiny movements from dust being caught up in the sand.
It was moments like these that always put him on edge no matter how strong he got. Times when no matter how strong you are, or how attentive you try to be, there is always that nagging sense of danger just waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Granted, most of the time, nothing happened but this was the dungeon he was talking about and the deepest parts of the deep floors. There was no way the dungeon wouldn't do something to try to exterminate him. It always does without fail, at least from his original, albeit short, tenure as an adventurer.
Continuing the trek forward was surprisingly quiet and before he knew it, he was by the wall of the floor, heading down towards the direction where the passageway should start.
'Guess there's a first for everything' Bell couldn't help but think to himself as his eyes darted around the open area.
As he walked it seemed there was nothing, aside from shriveled and dry trees, all seemingly ready to fall apart if the breeze picked up more than it was.
Fragile would describe the state that this area was existing in, Bell thought it ironic though as he walked. It started off this way, the floor nearly peaceful aside from the scorching heat and decrepit trees.
It truly fit the dungeon's nasty habit of tricking people into the false security of safety.
A perfect insanity reaching a climatic epilogue of despair and wonder. As Bell walked he saw what seemed to be a watering hole. His senses screamed both relief and worry.
There were no trees or shrubbery to indicate anything alive and yet, the water seemed to call to him, whispering release from the heat.
Bell paused, watching for any abnormalities, focused intently for anything strange. During his intense tunnel vision, something passed him and this snapped him out of his concentration, as he reached for his spear he realized that the monster was not focused on him, but the water.
Bell relaxed at the fact before curiously shifting his eyes to the monster now perched by the waters edge. It was strange, he didn't recognize it at all, meaning that either Hera and Zeus Familia never encountered it or Alfia and Zald just forgot to mention it. It was insect-like, flat exoskeleton with hints of gray and red. Bell thought it looked eerily like the rock and boulders on the floor.
'How many did I pass?' Bell thought as she turned around, mind reeling at the sheer number of slumbering monsters he might have been unaware of. With the heat, and no seemingly relative day cycle apart from it suddenly becoming pitch black, time seemed to go by strangely on this floor.
As Bell pondered on this he heard a sudden screech but when he turned to look where it came from, the monster was gone.
Now Bell was worried more than he had been, a suspicious water hole, a monster suddenly gone, and the possibility that there's either something up with the water, or something really fast grabbed the bug like monster before he could see it.
Bell sighed.
"This is dumb…" Bell muttered after a few moments of nothing happening. Deciding to go against the odds, he began to walk towards the water, keeping his ears ready for any sound of movement, his eyes moving back and forth watching diligently for threats.
As Bell neared the edge of the pool he stuck the hilt of his spear in the water to test for a reaction. Receiving none, he proceeded to put his hand into the water, this threw him off slightly, because it felt cold.
Compared to the mesa-like dungeon, it was nearly fridged, freezing almost. As Bell brought his hand up from the water and got ready to drink it, he realized that there was no water in his hand.
This was a moment that even for Bell was too late to react to, a tentacle had grabbed him by his ankle, he pulled out a dagger to try and cut it.
This failed too when one after another grabbed him, pulling his body to a straining position, like a stretch gone wrong.
Throughout this struggle, the pool of water slowly faded, only to turn into a funnel with rows of teeth and a beak at the bottom of it.
"REALLY?" Bell yelled in frustration at his hope seemingly vanishing into thin air.
He began charging Argonaut as scourge went off at slight intensity from the frustration, As his arms began to glow he readied to break free.
With his right hand he fired a firebolt, the monster screeched in agony and surprise.
Time stopped for a second. "Really…" Bell said, slightly disappointed. "It's weakness… is fire?"
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" Bell's frustration morphed into a mixture of anger and disbelief, began to pump all he had into Scourge, "IT'S A BILLION AND ONE DEGREES HERE" Bell fired off a few more firebolts, "AND YOUR WEAKNESS IS FIRE?"
As the monster screeched and squirmed it's grip loosened on Bell's appendages, giving him leeway to aim his hand directly into the mouth of the monster as another firebolt flew straight into its maw.
"JUST DIE ALREADY YOU HALLUCINOGENIC SON OF A BITCH!" Bell yelled.
=Twilight Manor=
To think that it had already gone 10 days since Themis Familia had headed down into the depths of the deep floors Finn mused to himself as he leaned back in his chair, having finished with the necessary paperwork for the day alongside quite an interesting request from Eina Tulle.
Time these days seemed to flow like water between one's hands, slipping through one's grasp without a thing you could do.
He guessed that it had to do with age, the longer you live, the faster time passes. After all, he was a prum at the age of fifty-seven years of age.
If not for the Falna, he'd probably already have some wrinkles and a few graying hairs with prum's average lifespan in mind.
In his freetime between paperwork, meetings and the familia he spent it one of two ways. Spending time with Fiona and Tione or reflecting on the past.
God, he really was getting old wasn't he?
Throwing away that though, he couldn't help but think towards a certain white haired man once again.
For the longest time, he had tried his damndest to revitalize his race, no matter the cost, even if that very cost were at the expense of the people closest to him.
That very way of thinking had caused a young man with a bright future to be thrown away into a time which said man had described as… hell.
He had lost people, he had been forced to do things he never wanted to do and endure pain that clearly still haunted him. What would have happened if he had tried harder? If he had stood up for what was right, not just for the prum race, but also for others around him?
Would things be different? Would things have turned out better than now? A paperthin alliance with Themis familia, semi-estranged relationship with Ais, a woman he viewed as a daughter alongside those almost disappointed glances from Fiona that no one but him seemed to notice.
All in all, he had somehow managed to not only put his familia in a precarious position, but also make his daughters, biological or not, to either be angry with him but suppressed, or disappointed with an attempt of secrecy.
To be honest, he didn't know what to do with the situation. It's clear Ais was trying to get over it, but she clearly hasn't forgotten. He doubts that she will, after all, what they did was… well, it was basically paramount to betrayal.
If Gareth or Riveria had hypothetically done the same if Ais, Fiona or Tione had been in Bell's position… he didn't know if he would be able to let it go.
As for the Familia part, it was somehow even more complicated. Bell Cranel himself said that he forgave them, but much like Ais, he clearly hasn't forgotten.
That added to the fact that his family was… abnormally caused complications. The ways that Thúl's eyes had clearly glared at them during their visit with Bache's hand's twitching, on the ready for any sudden moves. It spoke volumes of their opinions of them.
He might have gotten forgiveness from Bell… but to get it from his family? He truly feared that it was an impossible task.
And to think that all of his current issues stemmed from one source. His admittedly bullheaded and single minded pursuit towards a single and admittedly selfish goal.
Had he even made progress towards that goal? From what he knew and had gathered, most just looked up to him, but not in the way he wanted. They saw him as an unreachable man. Someone that is beyond the capacity of prums.
"Finn, you in here?" A long mop of green hair peeked in through the door as the prum figured he had missed the knock while deep in his thoughts.
"Yes, Riveria. I'm here" He answered back as the high-elf walked in calmly, closing the door behind her.
"Is something the matter? You seem… troubled?" Of course she would pick up on it. Despite the three Loki Familia top executives seemingly having a bickering relationship, all three got along very well. Even Riveria and Gareth despite their constant insults towards each other.
Thanks to them having been together for over four decades at this point and gotten to know each other through thick and thin, there were moments like these where it felt like the others knew him better than he knew himself.
"Is it about Ais?" She elaborated her question, figuring that she was correct in her assumption.
She only proved his own point further.
Sighing, Finn looked up to her and nodded "Yes, I quite frankly don't know what to do. Bell Cranel managed to calm her down but… it's clear that she holds some animosity towards us still" He explained as Riveria hummed.
"Well that's a given Finn. To her, we practically destroyed any chance she had at keeping their relationship, however unevolved it was at that point, functional. She's had to completely relearn who he is, his likes and dislikes and come to terms with the fact that he's married" Riveria's words only made him feel worse.
He had known she had a romantic attachment to Bell long before his banishment. Figuring and actually hearing the damage their choice had made only solidified it in his heart.
"I-" He stopped as words were lost to him for once in his life as Riveria just looked at him for a moment before uttering her next words.
"Finn… If I may… whatever you decide, please don't make this worse. I don't know if I'll be able to hurt Ais any more than we already have" Finn's head shot up as he inspected her features.
The saddened shift in her eyes, the dip in her eyebrows and slight quivering of her lips. It was an expression that was alien on the face of the royal high-elf. One he had never seen before and never thought possible.
A face of conflicted despair, as if she was begging him with her entire soul on the line. All of it packed into a single expression.
'Ais really is her daughter… in everything but blood' He couldn't help but think.
'She's yours as well… and you broke her heart' A voice shot back as his heart clenched.
'It was for my entire race'
'But is it worth it if it comes at the cost of everything and everyone you love?'
Emotional conflict. It was the only description adequate enough to describe what he was feeling. Despite building the entire Loki familia up to be a tool for his goal of revitalizing the Prum race, it had grown to be much more than just that.
It had become his family, and everyone he loved was in it.
'What if you had to choose between the prum race and your family. Riveria, Gareth, Tiona, Tione, Bete, Lefiya… everyone… Ais and Fiona…' His thoughts drifted as his forehead hit the desk as his eyes clenched shut.
Why? Because he was disgusted with his own answer.
He didn't know
What kind of hero, artificial or not, chooses fame over family?
'Is that who you want to be?' The question sounded in his head without his permission as he froze.
'Do you want to be remembered as the man who abandoned his own family, the people he loved for fame?' The question only made him pale even more than he already was.
He was brought out of his thoughts as he heard the door slam shut as his head shot up, Riveria nowhere to be seen.
Shaking his head as he put one hand on his forehead, a single thought repeated in his head.
I don't know
=Twilight Manor=
SLAM*
Ais nearly jumped as the walls practically shook from the sheer force the door to Finn's office was slammed shut.
Her eyes widened as the visage of a furious yet somehow… despaired Riveria shot past her as if she didn't realize she was there.
'What's going on?' She asked herself as she looked to where Riveria turned a corner and practically sprinted down the stairs.
Her head went back and forth between Finn's office and Riveria as a difficult choice seemed to present itself for her.
Should she confront Finn for what was going on?
Or should she follow Riveria and ask her?
After a few seconds, her feet decided for her as with a blur, she disappeared down the stairs, following the stomping noise of the footsteps she heard at the base floor of the manor, heading towards main doors.
"Awaken, Tempest" She uttered as the wind enveloped her, speeding her up as she managed to shoot out the gap between the main door and grab ahold of Riveria's wrist before she could take even two steps away from the door.
"Riveria… what's wrong?" She asked as the high-elven woman stared at her in shock, before morphing into conflicted indecision.
"Ais…I-" Her voice wavered as her head shot to the side, her wrist shooting to the side as if she was trying to escape but Ais wasn't relenting.
Tightening her grip before pulling her closer to her before hugging the arm of the woman who had raised her since she was eight, she pushed her face an inch away from her nose, forcing her to look at her.
"Riviera… please, tell me what's wrong" She asked with as much conviction as she could muster as she felt a few pairs of eyes looking at them.
Not that she cared at the moment anyway.
"I-" Riveria stopped before her eyes glanced up and around before closing for a second.
"Not here… the wall?" She asked as Ais tilted her head. Riveria hadn't been there since fifteen years ago… but as far as privacy goes, it was a good choice.
Nodding, Ais pulled Riveria along with her as she silently commanded the wind forward as it practically shoved the gates open hard enough to slightly bend the hinges.
The guards outside shouted in surprise as they stumbled back in surprise, only for the resulting wind to push them onto their rear before a blur shot past them, leaving them none the wiser to what had happened.
It barely took them a few minutes to shoot across the rooftops with Ais pulling Riveria along before she stopped atop the wall where she, Fiona and Bell trained.
Ais hadn't been here in over a week now, not since their last training session preferring to keep that to when Bell was here.
Turning around, she faced Riveria who looked over the horizon, on the opposite side of the city where the setting sun slowly dipped towards the horizon.
"Riveria… what… what happened?" She asked as the high-elf's ears twitched before sighing.
"It's just… Finn… no, we hurt you badly and I just…" She stopped for a second as she tilted her head back.
"I just don't want to hurt you anymore…" Her words had almost gone silent as Ais looked at her in slight shock.
"Riveria…"
"You don't have to say anything. I understand that it's hard to forget, and I respect that so… if you need space" Riveria said as Ais shook her head.
"No, it's okay. Yes, you hurt me but… despite that, your family" Emerald eyes turned to meet pure gold as the look in each other's eyes spoke enough.
"Precisely the reason to which what we did was unacceptable"
"But isn't it my decision what I want?" Ais shot back as Riveria shook her head. After a second, her eyes grew serious as she looked straight into Ais' eyes.
"You're right… Ais… What do you want?" She asked.
"For you to be honest… a family protects each other… They are honest with each other… so… please be honest with me" After a moment, Riveria nodded.
"Alright then. I will promise you this, If Finn asks me to do anything that might hurt you in any way…" She stopped for a second as her hand rose and carefully set itself onto Ais' shoulder "I will refuse to do it, even if it's a direct order from my captain"
The resulting smile from Ais was like candy to her eyes as her shape turned to a golden blur before she felt arms envelop her.
Without a single thought or hesitation, Riveria's own returned the gesture, closing her eyes as she let her promise to Ais settle into every fiber of her being.
A promise she refused to break, even if it cost her everything.
=Dungeon, Floor 73=
As the firebolt impacted into the maw of the monster again as the ground shook from its squirming, clearly indicating its deep burrowing into it.
"FIREBOLT! FIREBOLT! FIREBOLT!" As Bell kept firing his magic again and again, feeling his mind power draining piece by piece before finally, it relented its hold on him as Bell came crashing down as he shoved his good hand into the ground, stopping himself from gliding down towards the monsters thrashing maw
Pulling himself upwards rapidly, he shot out of the pit before landing on his feet, skidding to a halt before sighing.
That had been close and in all honesty, pissed him off. He just wanted to get out of this scorching heat, and the moment he thought he had salvation, the dungeon bared its fangs as usual.
'I should really stop trusting anything down here' He thought bitterly to himself before walking away. His eyes are still inspecting the pit where the monster lies as he decided to let it go. It was an unmoving monster from what he can tell and hunts other monsters as well as adventurers.
It was better to leave it be as it would attract other monsters to it in case some head this way.
Shaking his head, he looked down at his foot, before getting a better look at his injury. The walking and fighting had slowed the healing process on top of hurting like hell, but from what he could tell, he was an hour or so away from it healing completely.
After all, it had already closed by the time he woke up into a scab. By now, pieces of the scab were falling off, indicating it being in the final stage of healing.
If that were the case, it also would mean his wound on his back was in a similar position. Only issue…
He inspected his left hand, its healing not having come very far. His usage of it down in the canyon had exerted it too much. Now it'll probably take at bare minimum of six hours to heal this kind of a complicated wound.
Sighing, he looked back up towards the giant wall of the floor. Before looking at its base at where the entrance to the next floor lies. At least he hopes it is.
Shaking his head, he began the walk, careful not to put too much weight on his foot just in case. Keeping his mind open to the possibility of those rock like beetles whilst pondering what to do with this….. "Enigma! That's what you should be called!" Bell pointed. "But I have no energy to deal with you".
Bell turned and as if the monster heard him it roared as if it was aware of his verbal dismissal. "Yeah, yeah" Bell scoffed, waved his hand and proceeded to walk away.
Approximately an hour or two later walking through the flat mesa Bell had arrived at the stairs to the 72nd floor.
Or at least what he thought it was… only that it clearly wasn't.
"Haaaaah" Bell sighed in the most exasperated voice he could. "Of course there's more…" He finished. This was something Alfia and Zard hadn't mentioned. They had talked about the vast open area but nothing about any passageways.
Heck, there weren't any passageways between the 74th and 73rd floor but that may just be due to the entire floor being the den of a monster rex.
Shaking his head, he walked forward, entering the admittedly, almost dark passageway. Without any true natural lights, the entire inside was quite dark. It was only due to his enhanced senses that he could navigate it. His hearing, sight and smelling enhanced to the point that combined, it was like a complete three dimensional view of his surroundings. The rock protrusions, the tinies gaps and inconsistencies were noticed the moment he walked within a ten meter radius of it.
It was partly what made him so difficult to actually land a good hit on. He was able to 'see' every single movement even without really seeing it with his sight. His hearing gave away the sounds of shifting muscles and bones when he listened for it, his nose allowing him to smell any poison or surprises the enemy may pack and lastly his touch. It was the sense that was the most fascinating in its increase.
Normally, it seemed like a useless sense to heighten, but it's the reason he could 'see' everything around him for 10 meters, even in a pitch black environment. More accurately, from what he can tell, he can feel even the tiniest air vibrations around him. That included soundwaves.
With his hearing giving him the location and distance, his touch gave him the shape. Combining the two gave him a three dimensional view of his surroundings.
Of course, he had to really focus to do that as otherwise everything became a tangled mess of sensations.
It was like a string. You hold it in your hand and focus on it, it will be straight and also makes sense, but shove it in your pocket and move around and it becomes a tangled mess that needs to be resolved in order to make sense of it all.
Stopping suddenly, Bell's head shot up before turning to the side and down before tilting it in confusion.
He'd easily miss it if he didn't listen for it, but he could hear a slight rumbling noise all around him. Shifting rocks and minerals, walls cracking and healing simultaneously.
"Is…" Bell muttered before he walked up to one of the walls and touched it with his good hand, feeling the vibrations flowing into his body.
'Is the dungeon moving?' he asked himself. The idea both intrigued and terrified him.
He had never heard of such a phenomenon. Sure, the dungeon was always said to be 'alive' but each floor was unmoving. This… it was almost as if the passageway was shifting slowly enough to not be noticeable.
Sighing and hating his curiosity for being so strong, he moved the center of the passageway and sat down, closing his eyes and focusing all his energy to detect any presence whatsoever as he waited.
'God, this might just be the stupidest thing I've ever done'
=Archian Manor=
The past two days for Fina had been a single word… confusing. One one side, excitement was prominent with how different she felt after she started her work again. The sheer amount of stamina she had now felt almost unreal.
What would make her collapse before was like a breeze now. Tasks that were nigh impossible went without so much as a shred of difficulty. Of course, an entire day's work still made her tired, but the difference was absolutely astronomical.
Is this what adventurers meant with the 'Gap between levels'? The difference between level 0 and 1 truly gave her insights.
But the thing that made the past two days confusing was the worry that had etched its way into her heart. Ever since her deity had said 'those' words…
I don't know… but one of the links to the others just weakened
She wasn't daft and understood what that meant. The others were in danger, if not hurt. Badly.
After what happened to Rye and Roux, she had felt completely helpless… and now she had felt that feeling again. The people who had pulled her out of that shack she had called home. The only people who had shown her even a shred of kindness were in the dungeon, hurt and possibly dying.
She felt helpless. She was helpless. She couldn't do a thing and it ate away at her.
Even with her status, she knew they were in a realm she couldn't even fathom and the depths they had headed for were an impossible feat for her.
So instead, she channeled all of her worry and fear into motivation to do her best. To make sure they came back to the best and most comfortable home they could if- No, she had to stop thinking like that… When they come back.
Erebus had also stepped up quite a bit when it came to handling Marx much to her surprise. Her honest opinion she had gathered of him from the short time she had known the deity was that he didn't do much apart from updating statuses, lounge about or read books. Oh, and a few snarky comments or philosophical questions here and there.
Don't get her wrong, she was without a doubt surprised at the fact that he could just do nothing without complaining. That's different from the vast majority of gods who would do quite literally anything for any entertainment whatsoever, the consequences be damned.
It was a breath of fresh air to interact with a god outside that norm.
As she walked through the hallway and into the main entrance to the house. She couldn't help but let a smile graze her lips at the thoughts swirling in her head.
Her eyes shifted up towards the window above the main door with a clear view of the towering central structure of Orario.
The red irises stared at them, her smile slowly melting away before being replaced by a somber look.
'Please be alright…' She thought.
Knock* *Knock*
Fina jumped as the doors down the stairs of her position were rattled slightly from the disturbance.
Quickly moving down the stairs, she grabbed the handles of one of the doors and pulled it open.
Bright red eyes met emerald green as Fina blinked, trying to place where she had seen her before.
"Ah… Fina?" The half-elven woman (Judging by the length of her ears) asked, tilting her head slightly, her eyes wide in surprise. The girl tried wrestling with a memory, trying to place the face before it hit her like a brick.
"Eina Tulle?" She asked as the two just stared at each other for a moment. It was quickly broken as the half-elf raised her left hand to her mouth and giggled slightly.
"Sorry, I wasn't expecting you. Maybe Themis-sama. It's a welcome surprise, don't get me wrong" She said with a smile as the chienthrope nodded dumbly, the last memory she had of the woman almost completely overwritten with the grief of what she had told her at that time.
Flashback
Fina felt completely out of place in the guild office she had wandered into as a result of her worry.
Rye and Roux had told her that the expedition down to the water capital would take two weeks, at most four if they got sidetracked.
The issue was the fact that it'd been over a month and a half since they entered the dungeon. Her work performance had been dipping and Arthur's father had even visited and asked if she was alright.
Eventually, it got to the point that her worry boiled over, leading her here, within the eastern guild office to ask for information.
Adventurers with armor, swords, axes and magicians with their wands and robes littered the place making her feel completely out of place. It was as if a prostitute decided to walk into an active church.
Ignoring the feeling, she walked towards the reception before her eyes landed on that of a… half-elf? Most likely due to her ears being shorter than other elves she had seen. In fact, they were similar in length to that of Roux who also was a half-elf.
"Ehm… excuse me" She uttered, almost cringing at the uncertainty in her voice. The half-elf receptionist's eyes turned to her before smiling.
"Hello, welcome to the guild. My name is Eina Tulle, What can I help you with?" Her voice was incredibly polite and made her feel… welcome somehow.
"Hello… I wanted to-uhm- I wanted to ask if the expedition that Sett familia went on has returned yet" She asked as Eina nodded.
"Of course, let me just look over the monthly expedition reports" She responded before taking a step back before bending down. Some shuffling was heard before she came back up and opened a file. Curious, Fina glanced at the title of the document she pulled up before smiling slightly.
'Sett Familia - Expedition Reports'
Eina seemed to be incredibly efficient in her work and from what little she could tell, was very friendly and caring as well. But what does she know? She had exchanged a grand total of four sentences.
Looking around as she waited for Eina to find the report, she couldn't help but notice that the guild looked different from what Bell had described all those years ago.
Her heart fell into the pit of her stomach at the thought of him. Those last words she had uttered to him echoing in her mind, his tearfilled eyes, devoid of any semblance of hope running away.
God, she really hated herself for that. He didn't deserve it… he only did what he thought was right, even if she didn't agree.
As Maria always used to say. Don't judge people for the decisions they make when you don't know why they made them in the first place.
Despite that, she had still done it… she had judged him for an action without knowing his reasons. She hadn't even given him a chance to explain.
If only she had known that those would be her last words to him before he'd be gone. Maybe then she would have told him how much she cared about him… god, she loved him like family and he'd never know.
The disturbing thought was interrupted as Eina's words intruded upon her sensitive hearing.
"Excuse me miss?" Fina turned around, wiping her eyes quickly from the tears she felt had resulted from her thoughts before nodding at Eina.
"What's your name?" The question confused her but decided that it was best to just answer.
"Fina… I am a friend of two of the members that came along on the expedition" Eina's eyes widened slightly before reflecting sadness in them.
"Fina… could you follow me into one of our booths? It'd be best if we took this privately" The pit in her stomach came back full force as she couldn't help but think up on reasons for them needing to not do this publicly.
Were they alright?
Did something happen to them?
Were they alive?
Her head nodded on its own before her feet in a similar manner followed Eina along into the nearest available booth as her mind whirled.
As they took seats, the half-elf put the document down on the table before reaching over and carefully putting her hand on top of Fina's.
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this… but there was a complication three weeks ago that took place in Sett Familia's expedition" She began as Fina listened, banishing her thoughts to absorb the information.
"A-alright… wha-what happened?" She stuttered, her nervousness making itself known.
"Apparently an Irregular Moss-huge intercepted the expedition party down in the Water Capital. Do you know what an Irregular means?" Eina asked as Fina nodded. Bell had talked about it once when Rye had asked about adventuring.
"The Irregular… wiped them all out" Eina said, her eyes reflecting how sorry she was as Fina's world came crashing down.
Wiped out? As in all dead? Rye… Roux… dead?
No… that can't be… they promised they'd be alright… they… they..
"N-no…" She mumbled as a sob escaped her mouth, her free hand shooting to cover it as tears quickly overpowered her resolve as they began running down her cheeks.
The next hour or so was a complete blackspot for her, most likely filled with her despair and Eina trying to console her.
Flashback end
"Oh, yes. I ran into Bell-sama two or so weeks ago. I've been living here ever since and working as a maid." She explained as Eina looked at her with a somber, reminiscent look.
"Bell's always so kind…" She muttered as Fina nodded.
"That he is, so much so that I sometimes don't believe it… Ehm… do you want to come inside?"
Blinking, Eina shook her head before shuffling with her pockets before pulling out an envelope, holding it out close to Fina's bosom.
"Oh, may I inquire what it is?" She asked as Eina nodded.
"Of course. I've been thinking of a way to… reveal the truth of the situation. With Bell that is."
Oh? That had Fina intrigued. That pause made it seem that she was searching for words… as if she didn't want to be direct. She is the head of the guild after all so… maybe not seeming to be preferential? Not as if her coming personally to deliver it wouldn't but she didn't know if she did this or not.
"Do you mean with… you know… the monsters? Fifteen years ago?" She asked as Eina nodded.
"Yes. Looking back, I couldn't help but notice that things were… bizarre. Some facts didn't add up and everything just stank of something that I can't place." Fina could only nod. She didn't know the details of the situation, only what most people said word from word.
So this would be enlightening to her as well.
"And what do you propose if I may ask?" There was a pause as Eina just smiled.
"I have talked personally with both Ankusha and Braver with Ganesha-sama to discern between truth and lies. In other words, a public show through the divine mirror to reveal the truth of what truly went down at that time" Eina revealed as she had a glint in her eyes, almost as if there was something more to it.
As if there was something more to the purpose of this show.
"That would be wonderful. Thank you Tulle-san. I will make sure Bell-san gets this"
"Wonderful. I won't take up more of your time. Hope you have a good day" Eina turned around and waved slightly before swiftly stopping and looking at her with a smile.
"I'm glad you're doing well, Fina" She said before continuing onwards, heading out of the gates and disappearing into the crowd, Fina staring at the retreating form before smiling.
"Likewise" She whispered before turning her back and closing the door, heading back towards her duties, a clear smile on her face.
=Floor 72=
It's nearly been ten minutes and Bell was sure the wall was closer to him, opening his eyes and looking towards the side, he hummed at the clear conformation.
The wall had shifted. But if that's the case, that means there is no set path that will lead him back to the surface.
This entire region of the Scorched hell was a maze like no other. While the Dragon's Crucible was a huge elaborate maze yet stagnant, this… this was something completely different. A Maze that changed each time you traversed it.
'I'd like to see Finn map this' He thought humorously to himself.
Getting back up, he continued onwards, deciding to rely on the one thing he could now.
Luck
There was nothing else he could do. He didn't know which turns to take, or what part of the passageways he was headed towards.
For once in his life, he prayed to everything he could that his luck ability would not decide to take a lunch break.
"Here goes nothing" He muttered as he came to a turn and on a whim, turned left. The next one he went right… then right again… then left.
Time and time again, he went one way or the other, just guessing and following his gut in hopes that it was his intuition that was trying to lead him forward.
As time passed and one turn after another passed, he couldn't help but wonder why it was so… tame.
No monsters, no traps… nothing. It was almost as if no monsters were spawning.
Shaking his head, Bell chastised himself for even thinking that. If there was one thing the dungeon wasn't, it was forgiving. This was the way it worked. It ate away at your hope and just when you think there is no hope, it shows a tiny glimmer of it to reignite the flame… before snuffing it out in one fell swoop in a whirlwind of despair.
An entity that fed off of the collective suffering of all mortals and as far as he could guess… Xenos.
Taking another right, Bell continued onwards towards the next crossway before-
Clang*
Without him even realizing, his hand had drawn one of his knives from its sheath, twisting it into a backhand grip, blocking something before-
BOOM*
Whatever it was spontaneously combusted in a tiny yet violent explosion as Bell's eyes stared at it for a moment with wide disbelieving eyes.
Quickly turning towards the source of the projectile while the explosion still provided light, he had to squint his eyes to see it.
On the wall was a protrusion he had just thought was a rock, similar to the ones all around him, only its tail was aimed straight at him and acidic green irises glaring at him.
The thing didn't even have a heartbeat or breath. How the hell was it even alive? With no heartbeat, breath or movement. It made literally no noise whatsoever… if that was the case then… how many had he walked past?
Quickly deciding to take care of the threat, he tilted his body backwards, close to the ground as he shot his hand forward, the knife flying out of it just as it shot another projectile through its tail.
With no spare distance, both projectiles sped past each other, creating sparks as they slit side by side before the knife dug its way into its head and its shot impacting the rock right above Bell's head as he looked up.
Tsssssss*
His eyes widened as he shifted to move to the side only for what he feared to happen.
BOOM*
The tiny thing exploded practically point blank as the heat combined with the innate one from the floor and shrapnel shot into the side of his face as Bell cried out.
Quickly grabbing the wound and leaning forward, he hissed as blood began seeping through his fingers.
"FUCK!" He cursed out loud as every muscle stayed tense from the searing pain. Stumbling to the side, he put his injured hand on the wall without thinking before cursing again as a wave of pain shot through it.
Slowly forcing himself to calm down, he pushed past the pain and instead analyzed it, feeling where it came from more accurately.
His ear and side of the head and face were definitely singed. Not burned beyond healing but definitely won't be able to open his left eye for the next day or so.
He couldn't tell if his hearing was compromised due to the ringing that was making a mush of his head.
On a good note, it was getting quieter so no internal ear injury. The worst of it seemed to be the violent bleeding as his skin was broken by the shrapnel but not much else.
All things considered, from such a mistake, he got off easy. He should have been able to avoid it but he had only seen the damn thing happen once.
At least his eye seemed fine with his eyelid taking the brunt of the blast. He won't be able to see for the next day and his hearing might be worse for a while.
Shaking the pain off, he stood up straight and leaned his head back. After a moment, he slowly let go of the wound and took a deep breath.
The bleeding had already stopped. With it being a skin and burn wound, the bleeding was very quick to go due to his quick healing.
"Alright, Bell… gotta keep moving…" He muttered to himself before straightening his head, keeping his right eye open before grabbing his knife, pulling it out of the wall before crushing the magic stone on the floor with his foot hard enough to echo across the entire floor.
'That felt better' he thought bitterly before continuing onwards, his knife on the ready as he used his sense of touch and right ear to listen for any whooshing noises.
He just hoped that this was the last of the injuries he would sustain…
Before another thought could even formulate, the entire passageway rumbled and shook around him as his right ear picked up on something going straight up behind the wall.
Disappearing as quickly as it came, it all stopped at Bell blinked with his remaining good eye before dread filled his gut.
There was only one thing he could think of that being. The very thing that had dragged him down here in the first place.
And if it was headed up… then… oh god… it was heading for everyone… it was going back to his family.
HEYO! Chalister here, the sadist has returned. I would say fear me but I'm sure that's already the case lol. Nonetheless, I wanted to thank you all for reading, we're aware that this story is hard to read for some, unacceptable for others… but do understand this readers, we appreciate all insight to the story.
In addition we apologize about the 2 month delay, I won't go into details on our personal lives, but I'll at the least, say that it's been rough for the both of us. Personally I've had issues with my job (not fired) just things have been going haywire.
As for me (Eli), I've had family issues and want to spend time with them as much as I can. That on top of serious writers' block.
Anyways, let's do some reviews shall we?
Stevenpiskunov2: I know this might be a bit too early to say this but I remember when Artemis mentioned how the spear is like Thor's Hammer, or did she just say Mjolnir I don't remember. Anyway does this mean that eventually we will see Bell fight Thor's familia or maybe Thor himself(idk because gods cant use their arcanum)? 2 people with 2 divine weapons that can only be picked up by them, that battle would be a sight to see. Like say have them both throw the weapons at each other and the spear and the hammer are just locked in place in the air waiting to see which one would give out first.
Author: Have you ever seen the anime Heroic Age? If you have or haven't, it would be similar to the battles between the people who had the powers of the Heroic Tribe. Just unparalleled destruction. Even if they were lower leveled.
Shark: This is the best Danmachi Fanfic 100%
Author: This may seem biased, but we are inclined to agree.
RebornLikeablackPhoenix: Considering the multiple hints, only one quarter of the time in the dungeon passed. I mean, they are in for around a week and it was hinted they might be a month in there...
It gives of bad vibes
Author: Psssh nooo….. nothing bad's gonna happen and take a bunch of time, they're all gonna come out safe, sound and unharmed… maybe. :3 (This was Chalister… That sadist…)
Timmbarney94: Would you accept a Harry Potter/ Rising of the Shield hero fanfiction request?
Author: Might as well say it here. Unfortunately we don't really take requests for stories as we prefer to take our time to plan it out, make it cohesive and in depth. It's what I (Eli) personally believe to be one of the major ingredients for a great story. If it's not there, then it doesn't have an identity. It doesn't know what it wants to be because it has no idea what will happen next.
This story is gritty, dark and realistic. Our next one might be the opposite, or something else entirely.
What we do though is look through requests and think about them, so feel free to request.
One thing I will say… our next story after TFA and Heroic Will is finally finished, will be based around Alfia in one way or another. We don't know the plot yet, but we know that's where we wanna go… so feel free to feed us ideas to munch on!
Temporal-kitsune73: Really great fanfic. I really enjoyed your take on a darker and more realistic version of the danmachi universe. I am not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to the greater lore behind danmachi, as I have never touched any of the light novels, but nonetheless I think your take on the different factions and the many hidden agendas in relation to Bell is very intriguing. Can't wait for more chapters and can only recommend it, when somebody wants to see more of the danmachi universe outside of Orario.
Author: We are really glad that you think so. It's actually what we were going for in the first place. A gritty, dark and realistic story that describes the true depth of cruelty and despair the danmachi would have to offer.
Here is some food for thought in relation to this story:
There are no true victors in war and conflict. Everyone loses something, no matter how small or large. Nothing and no one is safe, so one should always use the time they have wisely, because you have no idea when it could all suddenly be taken away.
Nonameguy123: Bruh am I the only one checking daily for a new chapter lol
Author: Well… for everyone that was, the wait is over!
Anyway, I'll end it there. Hope you all enjoyed it and as always, to see you all next time!