I don't own Danmachi
"I never noticed how small you are…" I whisper, my arms wrapped tight around the shivering, yet warm form in my arms, the large, gold trimmed, black coat preventing the both of us from seeing each other in our current state of undress.
Something it did quite wonderfully I might add, but it did nothing to prevent me from feeling the warmth of her flawless ivory skin, the smallness of her body as I hold it close nor just how soft her thighs are as I hold them so its easier for us to share our body heat.
Our ruined and pillaged clothes strung up near a fire to dry after our accidental dip in the nearby stream.
The dungeon is not a kind place, it's a place that will do anything to kill Adventurers. Whether it be an unending horde of monsters, an abomination of pure hatred summoned to punish us for damaging the walls of living stone or even the simple cold down here that permeates your entire being.
The Deep Floors haven't been kind to me. To us. Every turn has been littered with ambushes, confronting mortality and the nihility of death every fight, every break a mere five minutes of rest while we shared the resentment that we're leaving our partner to have double the workload for even a moment.
…
And yet I can't help the small smile or the warm feeling that blossoms within me, dispelling the bitter cold of the dungeon, when I think about that word. Partner. I know what it means, of course, but I never understood what it means to Feel like someone is your partner. Someone you can truly entrust your life to without a moment's hesitation, someone you can abandon self preservation and force out every ounce of power you possess just to make sure they're safe.
Someone you just know you would be nothing without.
"Ryuu…" I whispered once more. Her beautiful elven ears twitching slightly from my breath in her ear, an adorable and unavoidable side effect of our proximity.
"Mm… yes Bell?" that small grumble… she must have been resting.
"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." I apologized but honestly, as she tilts her head back, turns towards me a little, her soft green hair tussling with the movement, and locks her crystal-clear azure eyes with my own, I must admit it's a lie.
In truth I would do anything to stare into her gorgeous eyes forever. I don't know when it happened. The moment I realized that what I feel towards Ryuu, my partner, eclipses anything I ever felt towards Ms. Aiz by far that is.
She's always been someone I admired, she's so strong, beautiful, kind, and she's saved more times than I can count. But that was before. Before we fought together. Struggled to escape the Juggernaut together. Survived together.
Since we found ourselves on the 37th floor, I've been learning more and seeing sides of her that I never would have expected. I've seen her beautiful, strong, heroic soul. Even after hearing about her entire past, my opinion of her never changed from the paragon of justice I thought her to be. And I can tell, as I stare into her eyes now, I have fallen for her, completely and utterly.
Squirming in my arms tore me from my thoughts "-ell? Is everything okay? You've been staring at me for quite some time…" her face was flushed, and her ears wiggling slightly, red all the way to their tips.
In that moment, I don't think she could have been more perfect, the small, almost nervous, smile on her face engraining itself in my soul as something that I absolutely must protect, no matter what.
I smiled at her, we don't know what's to come, I don't want to risk dying with any regrets "Ah sorry, just feeling something weird happening with my hear-Woah!"
I barely finished the answer before she spun around in my arms, her eyes wide in panic "Are you okay? Where does it hurt? Did I miss an injury?" She asked the questions without taking a moment to breathe while checking me over.
"Ah no! Sorry, I'm okay! Seriously Ryuu!" Placating the worried elf, I gently fought off her probing hands before she starts trying to cast healing magic.
It was only when I saw both my hands clasping one of her own that I noticed exactly what had happened in her panic. The long black coat that had been preserving our modesty thus far had been dropped to the wayside and I in the light struggle, Ryuu had pinned me to the ground, her face mere inches from mine.
And we are naked. Completely. I know I shouldn't look, and yet in this moment, seeing Ryuu's own eyes drift and look at all of me, I do the same.
She is, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I've ever met. Her pale ivory skin with countless tiny scars from past battles, nothing less than perfection in my eyes, to the modest, perky pair of breasts and the light pink tip adorning them, to her sexy, taut stomach, to the wide curve of her hips that her combat attire has never done anything to hide how shapely her butt is, to her beautiful, thick thighs that I can't help wanting to have in my hands once more.
I take in the view, completely and utterly engraving it into my mind, even as my face burned red. I would have looked more, but something inside me tore my eyes from the flawless body of the women I've fallen for.
Instead, I looked straight up to where I once more met the sky-blue eyes of Ryuu and got lost in them once again.
The moment I locked onto those azure orbs, all rational thought abandoned me. The only thing on my mind being to kiss her. As I moved to do exactly that, I was caught off by her kissing me first.
My eyes, drifting shut on instinct as her pale pink lips meshed with my own and we shifted from me being pinned by her, to having my arms wrapped around her small body, her own hands coming and holding my face gently.
Our hands never wandered, even with our shared nakedness and the emotions currently running high, our instincts honed by the abyss we've been enduring for what must have been days now prevented us from doing more than sharing in our gentle yet passionate kiss. It is neither the time, nor place for that.
But as we finally drew apart for air, I couldn't help but wish otherwise.
I parted my lips, but Ryuu beat me to the words "Bell, my hero… I love you." There was no, fanfare, no trumpets, no fireworks, and yet, Ryuu's smile in that moment would have made each and every one of them look like the boorish stone of the dungeon with how radiant it was, and it engraved itself into my soul. Even if I died in this very moment, I know that in my next life I would forever remember and search out for that smile once more.
Pressing my forehead against her own, I gave my reply "I love you too Ryuu." And I meant it with every fiber of my being.
Ryuu and I stayed cuddled up like that for a while longer, the coat having been thrown over our bodies once more to serve as a makeshift blanket as we awaited our clothes to finish drying. An unspoken desire and fire lit within us to make it back to the surface and explore what our new relationship will be after this.
It was after we had finally reequipped our gear and were preparing to embark once more into the dungeon that I remembered something slightly out of the ordinary had happened that had led to us sharing body heat like… that in the first place.
"Ryuu, did you suggest we share body heat because you wanted to cuddle?" the moment I asked that, Ryuu, who had been bent over to fix her boots, shot up with her back straight as an arrow. Her ears twitching and burning as red as Welf's hair.
"N-no!" she stammered in her panic as she turned away, refusing to meet my eyes.
"Snrk!" I couldn't help it, the snort forced its way out of my throat. It was all I could do to not start laughing out loud.
My partner finally turned towards me, a furious blush on her face "I mean it!" she pouted "Ou-our wet clothes were leaching the heat from us it was a necessity!"
I couldn't contain it anymore and I started laughing "Haha! Of course of course, that we could get warmth from being close to each other was just a bonus, right?"
"Exactly!" Ryuu exclaimed before she noticed the smirk on my face and somehow blushing even more red.
I feel a little bad for teasing her like that but honestly, I can see why Syr does it to me so often. It's cute watching her blush and panic like this.
The two of us continued to play around a little bit like this as we journeyed further through the tunnel we had fallen into until we reached a dead end covered it jagged pink crystals. Drawing the Hestia knife I looked to Ryuu as though asking permission to hit it. For all the growing I've done since we got lost here, I'm still inexperienced with this floor. It only makes sense to defer to her judgement.
Ryuu, having calmed down at the new situation, nodded "Hit them, hopefully it'll lead us to a more open area."
Following her instruction, I bashed the handle of the Hestia knife against the crystals, which were surprisingly fragile and shattered immediately. A quick glance to Ryuu, and I kept bashing away, slowly breaking through the layers of crystal until finally the weight above couldn't be supported anymore and the remaining crystal crumbled down leaving a hole into the main dungeon for us to exit into.
As we climbed our way out and carefully made our way through a small tunnel connected to it, Ryuu gasped as she exited the tunnel "This is the fourth ring… and we're on the normal route…" she muttered before looking back to me "Bell, we just have one ring to go and then we'll be safe!"
It took a moment for her words to register, but once they did, my eyes went wide and I rushed my way out of the small tunnel. What awaited me on the beyond its confines was a massive ashen gray wall with a huge fissure splitting it into two sections with a path in between them and a wide-open space stretching for hundreds of feet in either direction.
"We're almost safe…" I muttered. The whole situation seemed to good to be true, but the ache in my shattered left arm forced me to admit that this couldn't be a dream. I was tempted to grab Ryuu and make a run for it, but something felt off. A feeling that only grew as I continued to stare at the path.
Ryuu looked to me, "Proceed with caution… something is wrong here…"
I see… so I wasn't the only one who had that feeling… I let my hand rest on the Hestia knife, the warmth of the weapon my Goddess poured her literal blood, sweat and tears into comforting me as we slowly cross the expansive path. It was only after we crossed the entire way in silence and entered the fissure to cross into the final "room" that it finally struck me what was wrong.
"Ryuu… do you sense any monsters?" I asked, surveying the area we had just crossed.
She nodded "I do. Why? Are you unable?"
I gripped the Hestia knife tighter "I do, but there aren't any monsters around… I can sense them, but I can't see them, and they aren't attacking."
Indeed, I could sense around many monsters in the vicinity, and yet we didn't even see one while we were out in the open just moments ago, something that would have been unthinkable at any point since we fell down here. We would hardly ever have even five minutes to rest before the next group of monsters would attack.
Ryuu stopped, seemingly verifying what I had said for herself, and then frowned. "You're right… something is wrong… like they're afraid of something…" she stared ahead at the opening we were mere feet away from, and the open expanse of stone laying beyond I "Bell, stay on your guard. I don't think we'll get through the next room without a fight."
Her words were short, but I can understand why. There was an eerie feeling in the air and the strange behaviour of the monsters did not help that feeling in the slightest.
As we exited the tunnel, we encountered the same lack of monsters, the entire "room" utterly devoid of monster, magic crystals or anything. The area was simply empty. So instead of focussing on my sight, I closed my eyes and listened.
A faint whoosh of air was the only warning we got. "RYUU MOVE!" I shouted leaping from where I was standing and pushing my elven companion to the ground, the both of us rolling to our feet and just barely out of the way of a pitch black claw made of impossibly sharp bone, my desire to keep her safe sending a rush of energy to my hand, the gentle chime of a bell signalling the start of Argonaut's charging phase.
Ryuu clicked her tongue, drawing the katana she had been using as a weapon "The Juggernaut! It's here!" she shouted.
Acting on instinct, I blocked the next claw slash with the Goliath muffler wrapped around my left arm. The force of the attack somehow stronger than it was the last time I fought it, sending me sprawling several feet through the air before I landed on my feet, skidding to a stop.
A quick glance confirmed that Ryuu had dodged the attack as well and she was now fending it off.
For just a moment, I watched as she desperately avoided the oncoming attacks and noticed the Juggernaut's new "addition": a grotesque claw made of Barbarian muscle, Spartoi bones and protected by dark blue Elite Lizardman scales.
It wasn't hard to connect the dots that the Juggernaut had been licking its wounds waiting for us by devouring all the surrounding monsters. We must not have been able to sense it's presence because it devoured Sheep Skulls too, stealing their ability to mask their presence.
All in all, in made for a brutal offensive weapon, but also…
"It's slower!" I shouted, rushing in to parry a blow that Ryuu didn't have the time for herself. Hestia knife arcing through the air and just barely pushing the claw over our heads.
Indeed, unlike last time, I could follow the Juggernaut's movements. The added weight from the new limb must have weighed it down and made it slower.
After dodging another vicious thrust from its original arm, Ryuu jumped back to get some distance, stealing a moment to catch her breath. I stayed in the fray, going on the offensive with Hestia knife even though the reach was lacking.
Most of my attacks were either deflected by its own claws or otherwise being unable to penetrate the hard scales on its head.
My arms strained under every blow, my chest heaved from exhaustion, the brutal, high-speed combat wearing fast on my already battered body.
"Bell!" Ryuu's shout was my only warning before the Juggernaut leapt backwards, launching a salvo of impossibly sharp bone-like needles directly at me. I blocked and dodged a few, but the sheer number overwhelmed me, puncturing my flesh above my left shoulder and right knee.
I staggered from the pain "Agh!" I shouted, just barely forcing myself to jump out of the way of the next volley of spikes "It has the Peludas' needles, but not the poison!"
That was the one saving grace as I grabbed the spines and tore them out of my body, the pain almost enough to break my focus on my still growing Argonaut charge. All the while, The Juggernaut simply waited, its blood red eyes seemingly twinkling in amusement as it watched me suffer.
We need a plan. Together we can fight it to a draw but in a battle of attrition we'll definitely run out of steam first. Neither Ryuu or I are tanks after all. We're built for short, intense battles.
Meeting Ryuu's eyes, I don't know how but I could feel that she wanted me to buy her some time and shatter its shield.
Well, if that's what my partner wants, I'll provide!
Crouching low, I grit my teeth as my leg flared in pain, and threw myself back into the fray, Goliath scarf held protectively in front of me. As I engaged the Juggernaut's deadly claws once more, my arms burning from the extreme use while already injured, I heard her chanting whispered on the wind.
"In the sky of a now distant forest. Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky." The words were quiet and yet I could still hear them clearly, even with the Juggernaut roaring next to my ear because I landed a lucky blow on it's regenerated claw, Hestia knife cutting deep into the exposed musculature. Black ichor spilling onto the stone floor
I felt a victorious smile spread across my face despite the circumstances. "I'll take that arm again!" I taunted. Twisting my body over an incoming slash and switching to my looted xiphos since I have an open wound to strike now. The extra reach will help me remove it.
"Respond to my foolish voice, give me now divine protection of starfire."
My experience fighting one-handed down here made it so switching weapons, even while dodging, is effortless to me. The familiarity with my movements fluid enough that I could swing my weapon the moment my feet landed on the ground inside the black beast's guard.
Unfortunately, the Juggernaut wasn't going to just let me take the arm it worked so hard to reconstruct, and it leapt away, but not before I cut a deep gash through it. The claw almost hanging from the muscle.
"Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you."
The Juggernaut hissed in pain, furious at the resistance I'm putting up. Clearly it thought it could just play with me like last time. Now it knows, I'm stronger now. "I won't be played with again…" I whisper, the Juggernaut's eyes narrowing "I will protect her and we will take you down!" I roared, going on the offensive once more, xiphos in hand.
This time though, the Juggernaut wasn't content to simply defend and so, with a roar, it tore of its lagging arm and threw it at me, the grotesque mix of creatures catching me by surprise and pinning me to the ground under its weight.
"Come, wandering winds, the wandering traveller. Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else."
With great effort I pushed limb off of me just to be met with the barred teeth of the Juggernaut. Time seemed to slow down as I threw up my left arm in its path. The jagged black teeth sinking into the fabric and crushing my arm once again, blood spraying onto its teeth.
I grit my teeth in pain, xiphos dropped in exchange for the Hestia knife. Ryuu is almost done her chant, I need to get that shield down. Now. And to do that…
GONGGGG!
Perfect. Argonaut is fully charged. The Juggernaut seemed confused by the sound, so it threw me away. It took everything I had not to loose focus in the crucial moment, but the monster gave me the opportunity I needed "Firebolt…" I muttered the fire appearing from the Hestia knife but not yet unleashed. The blade burning a brilliant white light as it was infused with the power of my skill.
"Imbue the light of stardust-" the Juggernaut turned to Ryuu. It must have sensed the intense magic building as she neared the end of her chant and vanished, its original speed having returned with the loss of it's new limb.
I didn't see the attack so much as I sensed it coming, but it wasn't for me. My eyes widened as the Juggernaut impaled its claw into the floor. Countless spikes of bone erupting over the entire floor.
Ryuu didn't have time to dodge, even with how skilled she is at concurrent chanting, without her top speed she won't have a chance at avoiding it.
"and destroy the enemy!"
She finished her chant, but simply couldn't move in time. Time stopped. Blood spilled from my nose and eyes as I pushed my body to its absolute limits. Thoughts of using Argo Vesta purged from my mind, the only thought permitted in my mind being save her admittedly a selfish wish, save the woman I love.
Yet Argonaut responded.
The silver light focused on my hand expanded covering my body completely and illuminating the entire area. My body moved faster than ever, the distance between myself and Ryuu vanishing in an instant as I pushed her out of the way.
"Luminou W-Ah!" it disrupted her chant, the magic aura surrounding her fading with her spell's failure. But she's safe.
In that moment, I could only smile even as dozens of bone spikes tore through my body. Lungs, stomach, legs, arms… nowhere was spared. And yet, I couldn't be upset.
"BELLLLLLLL!" Ryuu's screech of terror was haunting. I know I'll never forget it. And yet… if she can scream that loud, she's definitely unharmed. My smile dropped slightly… Sorry Ryuu… I don't think I'm leaving with you… I wish I could have saved you the first time you fought the Juggernaut, so you would have your friends with you.
In that moment, the silver light of Argonaut exploded once more, responding to my wish to be a hero to my partner, along with a dreadful sound of something shattering.
Before my eyes, the world shattered, my vision filled with incomprehensible swirls and branching lines. The impossible mix going deeper and deeper the more I looked at them, almost like fractals, and yet every line was slightly different than the last.
I tried to look at anything else, and yet, my mind refused, memories burning away as I held onto that one selfish desire, save her. Memories of my friends vanished. The sword princess was first. Someone once being the core of what I desired vanishing along with my respect when I watched her attempt to slay an innocent. The prum was second. The girl I saved from her familia fading quickly, then the blacksmith… what was his name? Crozzo? Next was Haru, a name incredibly important to me and yet I can't even remember her face. Then my mother, the Goddess Hestia who was the only one who gave me a chance. As I stared into this anomaly, memories of even her were torn away from me.
Then it tried to rip my memories of Ryuu away. And I Refused. Even as my mind burned, I refused to let the memories and feelings attached to her be taken from me! Her smile when we confessed our love and my desire to be a hero, my memories of her and my grandfather, the only things keeping me sane as my soul burned.
My knowledge of the dungeon almost torn from me but, with how closely associated they were to Ryuu and her help, I was able to keep them from burning away.
The pain and pull into insanity lasted forever, and ended immediately. The last thing I saw, a final explosion of white in a dark alleyway. Then my mind finally shut down from the strain as blood pooled around me.
It was yet another day of gray in Orario and while the streets were bustling with people, an underlying sense of unease lingered in the minds of the populace. The constant threat of Evilus' next attack weighing on the minds of everyone. From adventurers to civilians, everyone was on edge.
Ever since the fall of the Zeus and Hera Familias, a faction known as Evilus had been making themselves more and more known with increasingly violent and atrocious acts. With the loss of Orario's greatest heroes, the other Familias had to step up into shoes they simply were not fit to fill. And so, evil spread.
The Loki and Freya Familias were doing what they could to step up, diving deep into the dungeon pursuing power, but they simply couldn't compare to the strength lost. The Ganesha Familia was also trying to do their part, taking over the responsibility of being the dungeon city's main guards.
They spent most of their time patrolling the streets and guarding the gates to quell public unrest and to be in position to repel evil no matter where it arises.
But it wasn't the Ganesha Familia the populace considered the paragons of justice. No, that honor belonged to the Astraea Familia.
Though small in number, with only 11 members, the average strength of the Familia members was far above the norm. With ten level 3s and one level 2, every member was able to act as a combatant, making them incredibly versatile, and as members of a Familia under a goddess of justice, the people knew that they could be trusted to be fair and help anyone in need.
Despite lacking any level 5 adventurers, a great many people considered them the city's true heroes. Not in the same over top way that the Braver Finn or the Warlord Ottar were considered heroes, but in the sense that if evil rose, they were the first to appear to protect the weak.
And so when a blinding white light emerged from an alley off to the side of Daedalus street, it was a nearby pair of patrolling Astraea Familia members that were first on scene to investigate.
A woman wearing a dark green leaf-like cloak that covered the majority of her body, save for her knee high brown boots, pointed to the alley "Alise!" she shouted, drawing the attention of her companion "Over there! We need to investigate!"
Her companion smiled bright, flipping her bright red ponytail over her shoulder "Indeed Lion!" she exclaimed, her emerald eyes shining "The great and beautiful Alise Lovell is on the case!" she proclaimed and then took off, her crimson locks fluttering in the wind.
Her companion sighed, having expected the exuberant response from her captain, then took off after her. The woman jumping effortlessly between rooftops, reaching the source of the light shortly after her captain, who had grabbed her chin, face twisted in confusion as she stared at the source of the light. Or rather the lack there of.
"Alise? What's wrong? Is it some kind of spell?" The cloaked woman asked.
The redhead shook her head "I don't know Lion… The light isn't blinding when I look at the origin, almost like it isn't really there…" she said, closing her eyes in thought "hmm…"
The girl called Lion's eyes narrowed "That doesn't make any sense. How can there be light but it doesn't actually shine?" she muttered looking closer at the light before noticing something "Wait… is that a body?" she asked.
Alise snapped her eyes open and tried to peer through the light once again and she gasped "Lion, healing magic!" she shouted.
Slowly a body covered in wounds and blood was materializing from within the light. Garbed in shredded black clothes with some sort of black scarf wrapped around his left hand, utterly caked in dirt and grime, blood staining what appeared to be a head of pure white hair, the only indication to what happened being the two knives and the short sword laying on the ground next to him to mark him as an adventurer.
Based on his physique, Alise estimated that he was around 14 or 15 years old and seeing the horrid state of the person, her companion started chanting her magic.
"The song of a now distant forest. The nostalgic song of life. Please bring the mercy of healing to those that seek you." A brilliant green light surrounded her hands "Noah Heal!"
The moment she completed her spell, the green and silver light began mixing together before exploding, sending both her and Alise flying. The girl's hood and mask were flipped back from the force, revealing her long golden blonde hair and her long pointed ears that marked her as an elf.
Grabbing her head, the elf groaned in pain, staggering to her feet. Her captain already standing again, hand on her sword.
The light on the other hand had vanished and in its place was the boy, now fully materialized, was left on the ground, blood spilling from his open wounds, even as the healing light poured into him, slowly but surely patching the wounds littering his body.
Upon seeing the sorry state of the boy, Alise's eyes softened "Lion, we need to get him to Maryuu…" she said, approaching the boy and picking him up into her arms.
The elf's eyes shot open wide "What?! Why! He just attacked us!" to the elf, to help the boy rather than arrest him was improper conduct.
Alise just smiled at her companion, "Be that as it may…" she began "Look at his wounds. Your magic closed them a bit but I couldn't call myself a just person if I left him to bleed out in a cell without even knowing what happened to him."
Lion didn't look convinced, but ultimately she nodded "Alright then… but I'll stand watch over him. I refuse to let a potential threat be alone in our home."
Despite the situation, a grin spread on the redhead's face "Oh? Are you sure you don't want to keep looking at him? He is pretty cute after all~" she teased.
The elf's face turned red in an instant "Wha- I- That's not it at all! I am a proud elf, I would never find a boy cute the first time I see him! Even if he does look a bit like a rabbit!" She stammered.
Alise's grin spread further "Oh? I didn't mention anything about a rabbit?" she laughed.
"Why I-!" despite being a frequent victim of her captain's teasing, the elf was still entirely unable to defend against it and was going to say more when a groan interrupted them.
"Ugh…" the boy groaned just barely cracking open a single eye. The ruby color of it catching the girls off guard. Forcing his head to turn, he caught sight of the elf, and smiled despite his weakness "Good you're safe…" he mumbled, the sensitive ears of the two adventurers picking up the sound.
"Huh? Why does this feel familiar? That smile, and his eyes…" The elf grew confused. By all rights this should be impossible, a boy she had never seen before being familiar to her, and even beyond that, making her feel at ease, couldn't be happening.
The boy closed his eye once again, seemingly exhausted from the little bit of movement he had made but before he passed out once more, "Where am I?" he whispered "And since when is Ryuu blonde…"
The elf staggered as though struck "How does he know my name?" she thought.
Alise was shocked as well "Alright Lion, let's get your boyfriend to a healer. I think we both have some questions that need answers." Her words were teasing, but there was a finality to them that Ryuu couldn't do anything but nod to.
With their decision made, the pair started running, returning home to the Stardust Gardens where their Familia members would be waiting, and hopefully where they would get some answers from the boy.
And that's a wrap on the prologue of this story. This story is exactly what it seems, a time travel fic for Bell to be in the Astraea Familia. The idea for this story was one that popped up while I was talking to a fellow author in this fandom ExoriosGhoul. He's helping with ideas and feedback for this story and I would just like to thank him for the help. But I digress, I have a lot of plans for this, and an outline document that I have two copies of on separate devices so hopefully, it won't end up with me in a situation where I lose everything and am forced to abandon my work again… which reminds me I really should put a notice of abandonment on those stories… Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time!