The Return Of The Plot

After the strange interaction with the Goddess, who Bell had realised only later on he had never told his name, nor had she told him hers, Bell spent the rest of the week on rather high alert. He continued his daily dives into the Dungeon, slicing his way through various floors until he could make it down to the bottom of the seventh floor consistently, and he had spent a large amount of time scouting out the 8th floor, though he made sure to take it slow and steady, taking a different path each time so that he could arrange the map within his head and compare it to the one Eina had been able to allow him glimpses of.

The Killer Ants were a challenge because they **** him to adapt his strategy to deal with enemies that would only increase in number the longer he took. Each blow had to be a kill shot to limit the threat of becoming overwhelmed. And that was no simple matter given how thick their armour was, and how terrible their bites became if they got a good chance at you. He suffered many a broken piece of cheap armour taming the 7th Floor, but each of them served their purpose in freeing him from a blow that could otherwise have been fatal.

The Purple Moths steadily became the more dangerous opponents as his experience grew and he began to instinctually learn exactly how much strength was required to break through each part of their armour. The little blighters flew through the cramped hive tunnels and rained down poison powder down across the entire battlefield, and he was **** to be very careful in his progression when any of them appeared alongside other monsters. Their danger came not in their poison or their actual danger when alone, but when they were serving as backup for other creatures. It became a battle of priority, and the Moths were very good at making sure that they should be the highest priority foe to slay, but also positioning themselves such that they were also the most difficult to reach.

Suffice to say his agility was put to the full test as he wreaked havoc on ever increasing hordes of the foul beasts. By comparison the Goblins and Kobolds that appeared on the 8th floor were far easier than the rest. Their primary danger came from their surprise factor. Any adventurer who came across the beasts might be lulled into a false sense of security at seeing the foes they were already acquainted with and had likely murdered in droves as they descended into the Dungeon's abyssal heart. And then the inhabitants of this floor would punish them for their prejudice. These new Goblins and Kobolds were in no way distinguishable than the others, but their strength, speed, reflexes and most importantly, their intelligence, were all far superior to those found on the floors above.

But no matter how much better they were, they were still just Goblins and Kobolds, and there was only so much better they could be. Bell was not the kind of person who was ready to underestimate anyone, and so the trap that had been laid was disarmed before it could ever hope to spring shut. The only reason he did not progress onwards to the 9th and 10th floor beyond was not at all because of the monsters that were inhibiting his way, but because he was making sure to take the appropriate caution and be thorough.

What did come as a good from fighting these new and more skilled kobolds and goblins was that they, as species, were much more humanoid than the enemies who had been present on the previous floors, and these more skilled ones were the closest he could get to fighting one of his fellow adventurers without actually challenging one to a spar or a duel. It was for that reason that he spent time facing off against them, not instantly slaughtering them as he was capable of, but instead learning to recognise their tells, analysing their smallest movements. This knowledge and skill could prove invaluable in the future.

But whatever the case, it was once again becoming time for him to return to the surface and collect his earnings for the day. He had already taken to bringing multiple sacks with him and tying them off to his belt so that he could carry the entirety of the collection from his many kills. It was a slight risk of drawing the attention of the more unsavory types when he was displaying his haul so obviously, but it wasn’t like he had any other way to carry them all, and for now he was content to simply try his luck.

He didn’t suffer any actual trouble on his exit of the dungeon. A few of his fellows gave him side eye or in one case just blatantly stared at the sacks hanging at his waist, but no one tried anything, and he made his way to the guild to hand in his large stash and receive its equal value in valis coins.

With his newly overflowing treasure purse, he once again returned to the church he shared with Hestia, and that the both of them had come to call home. But as he once against strode into the door even as the sun was going down outside, and yet did not receive the customary call of Hestia welcoming home, he just couldn’t help but feel it weighing on him. She had been gone for almost a week now and it was becoming increasingly distressing.

Hestia had always been there for him since they had first come to Orario and now he was alone without her for the first time. At the beginning it had been fine and he had been able to distract himself with Dungeon diving, but as the time went on he missed her more and more. The warmth of her body against his was missing when he went to sleep every night, as was her smile at him to let him know everything was okay despite how good or bad it might have been at the time. And more than anything, he wanted to warn her, to share with her what had happened with that Goddess he had met with the other day and find out what she wanted to do about it.

He removed his armour, boots and coat, and laid down his weapons down at the side of the door, and removed one of the monster crystals that he hadn’t traded in and slotted it into place within the lamp that immediately stuttered into light and illuminated the far too empty room. The couch had a thin layer of dust forming on it, and he was suddenly struck by the fact that he didn’t have anything available to eat for dinner.

With a small grimace, he turned down the lamp to its dimmest setting, and eased himself down onto the bed, swaddling himself in the thin bedclothes over and over to try and make himself as warm as possible. It was good enough, but nothing compared to Hestia’s body heat.

Sleep came slowly, like an elusive mistress taunting him just out of reach, and when he finally did nod off, the monster jewel had already crumbled to dust, its charge entirely spent.

He awoke early the next morning, and still quite groggy in truth, the bright glare of the sun quite aggravating as he stepped out into the morning sun and began to make his usual trip out towards the Hostess of Fertility where Ryuu would normally be found. He found himself passing by a rather unusually large crowd of people on the way there, and if he were in a better state then he might have mused on the cause, but in his current drowsy state, lacking in sleep, he barely paid it any mind whatsoever.

When he finally stumbled his way to the Hostess, he found himself wandering into a cafe already opened and in operation, the waitresses already hard at work and serving a veritable crowd of customers, though it was not so overcrowded that he couldn’t find himself a stool at the bar to sit on. Mama Mia took one look at him and practically slammed a mug of water down in front of him, which he graciously accepted.

With the cold water shocking the grogginess out of his system, he blinked the last of the sleep out of his eyes and finally took in the world around him. “Thank you.” He called out while placing the necessary amount of coin down onto the counter which Mama Mia snatched up in an instant. He looked around, seeing the huge hordes of customers that should never have been present. Hell, at the normal time the Hostess wouldn’t even be opened, and a quick glance back out of the doors towards the street let him know that he hadn’t overslept. The way the early morning sunlight was falling over the rooftops was easily recognisable.

“What’s going on?” He asked her, though he also took advantage of the situation to quickly order something hot for breakfast.

“Monsterphilia. Thousands of extra customers in the city for the festival, and we’re ready to serve them all. So we opened for breakfast. Got all hands on deck.” She replied for a moment between handling customers. Then she hesitated and turned back. “Well all hands save for Syr. Girl practically begged to be given the day off so she could go have fun.”

“And despite all of that, she still forgot her purse.” Ryuu said from behind him, and he immediately turned to see her standing there, the mentioned purse clasped in her hands. “Good morning Mr Cranel.” She said, and stooped down to plant a passionate kiss onto his lips which he eagerly returned, her empty hand coming up to stroke his cheek lovingly for a moment before finally pulling back and continuing to speak. “I was hoping you could grant me a favour and return it to her for me.”

“Sure.” He agreed immediately. There was no way he would refuse her a favour after she had clearly placed so much faith in him. And if it might hurt his chances of getting more kisses. Ryuu handed over the purse and he quickly stuffed his face with the breakfast Mama Mia provided, before heading back out into the crowded streets.

He couldn’t believe how much he had missed as he had walked from the church that morning. The streets were practically teaming with humans, prums, beastpeople of all species, elves, dwarves and more beside. That of course was practically normal for Orario, but it was the sheer volume of them all that was so incredible. There must be four people walking down the road for every one that would normally be seen there.

How was he supposed to find Syr in all of this throng? There were more people here then there were trees in a forest. He should really have asked for more direction before leaving the Hostess. Like what was she excited for? There were countless events for the festival all around the city. Some major, some minor. There would be roads lined with stalls all the way from the Dungeon to the colosseum, where Ganesha Familia hosted the largest of the special events. Live before adoring crowds of tens of thousands, the Ganesha Familia adventurers would tame Monsters, captured and brought to the surface specifically for the purpose of giving all of those people entertainment.

He decided that was probably the best place to start. It would be the most popular event, so if he was going to have any luck finding her, it would probably be there. With that in mind he headed for the centre of Orario, towards where the Tower of Babel rose up towards the heavens, and from there made his way towards the Colosseum. It wasn’t necessarily the fastest route, but it was the one that took him past the largest number of people.

And then he was suddenly being slammed into, a great weight flying right into his midsection and he almost entirely folded over at the waist. It was luck that kept him on his feet. He did stumble back a few steps though, and as he finally managed to make himself steady on his feet again, he looked down at what had hit him, and his heart leaped within his chest.

“Bell!!! I’ve missed you so much!!!”

“Lady Hestia!” He said, sweeping his hands down and around her, bringing her up into a huge hug and half flinging her around in the air, and she squealed with happiness as she returned the embrace. Finally he set her down on the ground, and she beamed up at him with just the brightest smile he had ever seen. She really had been missing him. The weight on his heart evaporated instantly. “Where have you been?”

“Just with a friend. That doesn’t matter though Bell! We’re in the middle of a festival.” She said, bouncing her body on the balls of her feet making her breasts jiggle tremendously, and she gestured around to all of the various stalls and their eager vendors. “And as your Goddess, you are going to be buying me crepes!”

“Of course Goddess.” He responded with a smile. “But do you mind if we get a bit closer to the colosseum? I’m looking for a friend. She forgot her purse.”

“Bell?” She asked, eyes screwing up a little as they looked up at him suspiciously. “Did you get a girlfriend while I was away?” She practically growled out, her teeth audibly gnashing together as she spoke.

“No no Goddess. Not at all. She works at the bar I went to for dinner the last few days. One of her colleagues asked me to play delivery boy.”

“Well now you are going to play escort. To me. And I demand crepe!.” She declared, latching onto his right arm and forcing it between her breasts.

“Whatever you say Goddess.”

This was not at all the way that Bell thought this day was going to go when Hestia had found him in the middle of the crowd just a few hours ago. Not in the slightest. But then again that was an entirely reasonable thing, given that most people didn’t expect to be chased through the streets of Orario by a rampaging Monster from the 11th floor of the Dungeon. But apparently life had decided to pull a fast one on him.

He sprinted up the wall of a building to evade the swing of one of the long chains that the Silverback was using like whips to lash out at them even as they ran. Hestia squeaked and ducked her head, pressing it even further into his head the chain linked snapped within centimetres of them.

“Sorry Goddess. Please hang on.” He cried out as he threw himself against another wall and used that as a springboard to launch himself down a thinner alleyway than the Silverback should have been able to squeeze itself into. He was correct in that assessment, but unfortunately for him that just meant the Monster launched itself up and began to leap across the roofs above them, lashing down into the alley with the chains when it could.

He mustered his strength and broke into a sprint, his legs burning as he momentarily **** them to work far quicker than they normally would. He practically burst out of the end of the alley, blasting out of the end of it at such speed that he left the Silverback far behind, and he rocketed across the street until he reached the alleyway at the opposite side, which would lead them right to Daedelus street.

Daedelus street was practically a labyrinth, a huge maze right in the middle of the city that took people months just to figure out any fast paths from one end to the other. The corners twisted and turned, some walls outright moved, or had contraptions that allowed them to be slid out of your way, and on top of that it was a street made for adventurers, so without their agility it became almost impossible to navigate.

If they could get into there and get lost, then hopefully the Silverback would get lost too. Then it would be trapped running in circles until the responding adventurers could hunt it down and kill it. If they could get in there, then the only thing they would have to worry about would be getting lost enough that they had to stay the night.

He would say that was his thought process anyway, but with the flailing barrage of chains incoming every few seconds that left him practically dancing and leaping around to dodge. He had to get Hestia away from here. He couldn’t let her get hurt just because he wasn’t good enough to keep her safe.

This was all too soon. He’d promised Aiz that he would keep getting stronger until he was running alongside her, and not watching her from behind. But it had only been a week! He couldn’t be expected to fight a battle like this so soon. Not when Hestia was at stake. He heard the sound of wood splintering as crates were shattered to pieces by the pursuing Monster, nothing spared from its rampage even as it continued to focus on them and them alone despite the occasional others that ended up crossing their paths. Why oh why couldn’t they just find an adventurer? A single high class adventurer could end this whole thing in an instant, so why did they just keep finding civilians?

He kept running. There was no other option. Hestia was counting on him.

They entered Daedelus street at top speed, and were instantly being enveloped by the maze like streets, turning corner after corner as the whole place twisted and turned. The sounds of the Silverback’s chains died away as they kept running, and as Bell sprinted out right into the middle of a courtyard, he dared stop for a moment and look back.

The Silverback slammed down like a cannonball, the entire pavement cracking and exploding beneath it, and Hestia was tossed from his arms, bouncing across the courtyard and ending up on the far side from where he skid to a stop. And right on the other side of the Silverback. “Hestia RUN!!!” He screamed even as he was shooting to his feet and dashing right at the back of the great beast, drawing one of his twin daggers as he ran.

The Silverback ignored him entirely, turning instead on his Goddess, who was making no move to run. Instead she just laid there on her back where she had fallen, looking up at the huge hand about to seize her in fear, her body completely locked up. Faster. He urged himself. Faster. You can’t fail her. Not now. Not Ever! Don’t fail!

He cut right in between it’s legs, ending up in front of it and skidding to a stop, spinning as he went so he was in between it and Hestia. With a leap he jumped right up onto the back of the outstretched arm, and the Silverback instinctively withdrew it and tried to shake him off, but he was already running up its body right to the head. It’s eyes were covered by some sort of metal visor, so he wouldn’t be able to strike there, but the rest of its head was wide open.

Gathering all of his strength he wielded his little dagger in both hands and brought it down in a mighty stab right against the exposed side of the Silverback’s head, and for a moment he thought he might succeed, the silver hair parting around the prying blade.

Snap

The blade found hard skin and snapped, and he was left holding only a hilt. The swing of one huge meaty arm came up and he was knocked off of its shoulder, rolling several times as he hit the stone ground. “Bell!” He heard from behind him, and Hestia sprinted over to his side.

The Silverback loomed all the larger, his act of trying to harm it only enraging the hulking beast as it lunged forwards once again, on all fours now as it charged to finish him off. He heard the ruffling of cloth behind him, before a hand clamped down over his face

He saw a bright light pour between the fingers covering his eyes, and he heard the beast roar in anger again. The hand was removed in a flash, and Hestia grabbed hold of his hand and tugged him to his feet. He repaid the favour by tightening his grip and sprinting past the beast while it was disoriented, leaving behind the smashed remains of his lantern.

‘What do I do? What do I do?’ He raged at himself inside of his head. He couldn’t hurt it. He couldn’t even pierce the skin, let alone strike deep enough to be able to hit its magic stone, or any of the other important organs. There was no doubt about it. This was an enemy he could not beat.

And it was already behind them again. He could hear it coming. What could he do? And then up ahead he saw it. Something that could work. An iron gate, leading to a tunnel underground. He was beside it in a moment, and with his strength he spun Hestia around him and into the tunnel before she could say a word in response. Then he slammed the gate shut behind her. “Escape Goddess. It is after you, but if I keep it busy long enough, you can get to someone strong enough to save you. Please don’t argue Goddess. Just go!”

“Bell, you can’t win!”

“I know. And that won’t change whether you are here or not, so please, let me save you.” He stepped back, the lightest shimmering of tears in his eyes as he backed away from the bars. “I don’t want to lose any more family.” And with that he took off, sprinting back the way he came, towards the Silverback. Hestia’s cries echoed after him.

A fist slammed into him, smashing him into a wall and then trying its best to blast him straight through. His everything hurt, and he felt as if any moment his skin was going to burst open, but the Monster drew back its fist. He could see the other fist coming into to do the same, and so he immediately dived to the floor, right under the blow and straight in between its legs, his body screaming in protest after that sudden blow had broken something. Probably more than just one something if the way his whole body was beginning to ache was anything to go by. His breathing was hard, and he could feel his ribs encroaching on his lungs as he desperately sucked in great gulps of air.

His mind was running a mile a minute trying to come up with any ideas that could help him survive this situation, but he just couldn’t get it to work straight. Any plans he came up with he had no way to judge. Should he try to find somewhere open to face the creature down, so that it would be easier to dodge any blows or attacks it tried to throw at him, or was it better to keep to these enclosed spaces so that it would be **** into uncomfortable positions and unable to use its size to its advantage? Should he just keep running until he dropped, or try to face it down and hope the commotion would bring the attention of someone capable of solving this whole mess? Had he made the right decision in sending Hestia away? What would Ryuu think when he never came back to the Hostess? What would happen with that Goddess who was after him?

Would Hestia cry?

All of these thoughts ran rampant through his head, making him question himself even as his muscles strained and cried out in agony just to keep him moving. This was absurd, he couldn’t take it, he couldn’t endure much more of this. And his speed had flagged, the Silverback had caught up. A huge fist swung down at him, and he was just ahead of the blow, but it still impacted the road behind him with enough **** to send him flying forwards.

Whatever it was that he had hurt before, now it was putting him in blinding agony. Apparently the Silverback realised that he wasn’t ready to be running off anywhere any time soon, and so it took its time in advancing towards his fallen position, stalking over slowly. Using that time, Bell tried to **** himself back to his feet, but the pain was just too great. His body shrieked in pain even just from the exertion of reaching over his shoulder into his bag. Hestia had pulled out his lantern, surely he must still have a potion left or something?

His fingers found something hard, cold and smooth, and his hand surged forth to seize it, only to stop when they found nothing more. It was a shard of glass from a broken potion. He’d had one in his bag the whole time, and when he bothered to look he found it shattered. Some adventurer he was.

He withdrew his hand, and it hung almost limply as he clambered slowly onto his feet. The pain was beginning to fade away, only to be replaced with a feeling of heaviness. His body simply didn’t want to move anymore, and every motion he made, even just the simple action of breathing, felt like he was moving through tar.

The Silverback crouched down, looking him in the eyes, and he saw its nostrils flare as it sniffed him. That must be how it was following them, following Hestia’s scent. He’d covered himself in enough of it that the creature had chased him instead of her. Thank the Gods. He’d kept it busy for a few minutes by now. Maybe once it killed him, it wouldn’t be able to find her again. It’s mouth opened and he saw its huge ape-like teeth, each the size of his head, as it roared in his face and he was rocked back by the **** of the bellow.

He weakly reached for his remaining dagger, aiming to make the world’s most pathetic last stand. He swung out with the blade, but his arms were so heavy now that he didn’t even swing with enough **** to break it against the impenetrable skin. The giant silver gorilla made a sound that to Bell’s ears sounded almost like laughter, though that might just be him hearing things.

“Bell!!!”

Hestia? His head turned, and indeed there she was, just off to the side, staring over at him and the Silverback. The Silverback mirrored his actions. In the same instant the both of them, man and monster, realised that she was there. The one it wanted to kill, and the one he wanted to protect. The Silverback acted quicker, and the sight of it getting ahead of him by even an inch flooded his body with adrenaline. He surged forwards, keeping pace just behind the hulking monstrosity, and in the moment it stopped and drew back its arm for a blow he bounded past it and tackled Hestia out of the way. He ignored the lance of pain that shot through him and flung himself down the nearest alleyway, dragging the Goddess behind him. The Ape let out a huge scream of rage at its prey having escaped a killing blow again.

Bell just kept going. He was running purely on adrenaline, purely on the desire to see Hestia safe. He was barely even dragging her behind him though, the damage to him so great right now that Hestia was able to run and keep up with him despite having none of an adventurer's advantages. “Bell!”

“Why did you come back?” He cried, his voice cracking with pain. “Why? I was trying to save you!”

“There’s no way I’m running off and leaving you behind. You want to save me? Well those are the same words I have to say to you! Because you can win this fight! But only with my help! Please Bell we need to stop!” He came to a stop at her command, but almost immediately he realised it was a terrible idea. Not because of the Silverback, but because the moment he stopped moving his body almost immediately seized up as pain wracked through him. There was no way he could keep going.

Hestia seemed to realise that fact too as her eyes went wider than he had ever seen them, and she almost immediately ducked forwards and slung his arm over her shoulder, practically dragging him over to the side of the road. “Bell, you’re hurt!”

“Goddess. How can we win?” He begged her desperately. Nothing else mattered. They won or they died, that was the hand they had been dealt.

“I can update your status. You’ve been adventuring for days without me, that will surely give you a boost. But not just that.” She said, as she rummaged into a pouch she had been wearing at her side all day, and withdrew a small strip of smooth metal. A dagger, currently sheathed away. “With this.”

“Goddess. I can’t fight anymore.”

“Yes you can. Because you are My Bell. And this time you won’t be fighting alone. This isn’t just any knife Bell. This is the Hestia Knife. It’s special, one of a kind, made just for you. It’s just as strong as you are. And it had my blessing just like you. If you wield this knife, then I will be fighting right beside you, and I promise that together, there is nothing that can defeat us. So please Bell, don’t give up!”

He looked up at Hestia, panting over him after shouting her small inspirational tirade, the emotion and sadness and futile hope plastered all over her face. How could he ever think of letting her down. “Let’s do it.” He wheezed out, even though the act of speaking hurt.

The Silverback wasn’t going to just let them get away with it undisturbed though. Already it was roaring and the ground shuddering as it made its way closer and closer to them, spurred on by its incredible lust for Hestia’s destruction. Immediately the Goddess was lifting him back onto his feet, dragging him up even though his legs failed him. She wasn’t an adventurer, she wasn’t fast, but she was strong enough at least to move them both away from it.

They moved practically at a snail's pace, the only thing saving them being that the path Hestia took had a large number of tight corners, the Silverback **** to shimmy side on through the passages to keep up with them thanks to the peculiar geography of Daedelus street making this entire passageway covered from above.

“Here.” She decided, setting him down. They had no way of knowing how long the beast would take to catch up, so they had to do this quickly. In a moment she had his shirt pulled up and was dropping her blood down onto his back, drawing out the gathered excelia and using it to strengthen him. And what she saw was incredible. Not a single stat, save for magic was below 500, and even that magic stat had annoyingly increased to 5 now somehow. She wasn’t the only one blown away by Bell’s sudden increase in strength though, as he felt the power rush through him. He felt so much stronger now. If he’d had this power before the fight with the Silverback had begun, then maybe he could have killed it without all of this happening. His knives wouldn't have worked still, but that just meant he would have had to beat it to **** with his fists. That wasn’t an option anymore. Not with how much pain he was still in.

The boost to his endurance allowed him to grit his teeth and bear with it a little more, but the blow he had taken was still an absurd one, and the pain he was in excruciating. But it was enough for him to be able to **** his legs back under him, and slowly accept the Hestia knife from Hestia’s offering hands. “Go Bell. Show that thing that power of a Goddess and her Child working together.”

“I’ll try my best, Hestia.” He said.

The Silverback was almost on top of them now. The street they had chosen to stop was a bit wider than the others, and the Monster was able to stand properly facing them. It roared at them, and whipped its hand, sending the chains clinking. He stared it down.

It moved first. It swung one of its arms, and the chain shot out towards him, ready to blast his feet from under him, but he ran forwards and stepped over the chain mid run. It’s other arm came down right in front of him, and he dodged to the side, the white of its fur brushing against the white of his hair.

He was faster. Just a little. Just enough.

It seemed to understand that something was different, and it leaped backwards to put more distance between the two of them, but he was already clearing the ground, one of his hands holding up the sheathed Hestia knife in front of his eyes, and the other firmly grasping the hilt. His fingers were wrapped so tightly about it that they were biting into the metal, almost causing his hands to bleed.

The Silverback was really worrying now, and began to frantically flail its arms towards him, its chains swinging about wildly, its arms trying desperately to strike a blow and bring him down. Any hit would be a finisher, any impediment would be like a mountain, but Bell was able to keep ahead just enough that nothing ever truly landed. And then he was at its base. His hand wrenched free the Hestia Knife from its scabbard, blue light running along its length as the runes upon it ignited, and the living blade breathed its first breath, just in time to have its first meal.

The Silverback stamped down at him, aiming to crush him under a foot larger than he was, but he deftly sidestepped and grabbed a tuftful of silver fur, before launching himself up with all his strength. With his new power he sailed up and right past it, and its head whipped up as he flew by, before the power of gravity inevitably pulled him down.

He spun in midair, making sure he aimed just right, and the Silverback roared in one last attempt to blast him away, its arms too slow to stop him now.

And then he landed, the Hestia Knife stabbing down right between its eyes, slicing clean through the metal visor, breaking skin and piercing right into its brain. The Silverback was dead instantly.

It wobbled for a few moments, Bell crouched atop its face, the buried blade’s hilt his only handhold he had. And then the titanic tower of a Monster toppled to the ground, its slayer going with it. The both of them were like marianettes with their strings cut. But as Hestia dashed over, Bell’s eyes followed her even if his body could not.

She was safe. It was all over.