R18

Chapter Forty-Three: Shin'nyū

At level 3, Stephen was a veteran and ranking member of Odin and Frigg Familia, and a rare power little found in the world outside of Orario, and even then those of his level were still rare. The human man was the second of one of his Familia's commanders: a level 4 were-tiger named Hullonde Vernon, who he was- not very secretly- in love with.

As her aide-de-camp, he was mainly responsible for the day-to-day function of the fortress their company was stationed at: Midgard, a fort roughly in the middle point of the chain blocking the Dragon Valley from the rest of the occupied lands under their protection, hence its name. Of late, however, their activities had been anything but day-to-day.

An unusual assault from monsters within the valley had provoked an increased number of sorties from the fort, always led by Hullonde. The most recent had proved… concerning. As he stepped away from the infirmary, he centered himself on the news he had received.

More monsters, stronger monsters, and they were on the move. Strangely enough though, was that they were becoming better equipped. No longer their own natural weapons alone, or landform-based cudgels or spears, but crafted gear.

Hullonde and her company had come across such an army of monsters, proper weapons and armor, and had engaged them. All had returned injured, or they didn't return at all. One fifth of the group she left with had been lost; nearly a dozen people fallen in one battle…

Heaving a harsh breath through his nose, Stephen continued marching through the halls of Midgard, making his way for the battlements. Hullonde had been the most severely injured, covering the group's retreat in a rearguard action.

While not in mortal danger, her wounds were nothing to overlook, and it spoke of something troubling on the horizon. Already they had notified the Familia executives and Captain Baldr; apparently they weren't alone in the circumstances, as not many members could be spared to them to bolster their defenses.

The executives were too busy investigating as far into the Valley as they could to help them directly, so it was up to the lower level commanders and members to stave off whatever was happening.

'It's a risky call, but we need to halt the sorties for now; we'll consolidate our strength within the fort and resist them from here if they come this far. Otherwise we won't leave unless we need to go back for supplies'

Just as he arranged things in his mind, his gaze caught on something at the far reach of his sight. Focusing for a moment, his eyes widened as he raised his voice, "To arms! Battle stations the lot of you; archers to the walls, and be quick about it! Monsters on the approach, and not two hours away, hurry!"

The letter was urgent, so they acted with proper haste. Having already set things in motion to allow them leave, he was able to convince Ouranos to allow most of them to go ahead of schedule.

For the time-being, Ganesha Familia would work on constructing a fort on the 18th floor using funds from their alliance in concert with Goibniu Familia, and Charles, Kyrian, and Tsubaki would remain behind to work on equipment- having Welf as an assistant. Which also left powerful aid in addition to the level 3's and 4's of Orario- as well as Mia Grande and Anya Fromel- should anything unexpected happen.

With that, they moved up their expedition to the Dragon Valley to an instant priority, and left Orario at once. In a tactical decision that was first voiced by Bell, all of the divines agreed to remain in Orario and await their return, though most were quite unhappy with it. They each made Bell understand that he would owe them and their familia for asking it of them, Hestia including herself in that deal, of course.

"So can you explain why this was arranged for us to do now? I had thought we were targeting these Harbingers next?" Shakti asked. She had nearly remained behind, too, but eventually she and Ilta saw the need in going over staying. As they marched, she was at the front with himself, Bell, Finn, Ottar, Allen, Aiz, Riveria, Lidari, Minerva, Oda, Thors, and Freki. The latter two answered her.

"If my co-captain sent for help, it is bad" was all the dwarf said.

"Every once in a while, the valley surges with monsters, but this sounds different. The normal deal is something we could handle even with us being here with you guys" she said, "Like Thors said: if they need help, it's bad, and strange"

"It's a sign that the Dragon is nearing his awakening" Aedan started, shocking even the natives of the area they were going to, "Something similar was the case in the Far East, but I suspect that the monster issue in the Valley is getting out of hand. In number, power, and skill, they are probably becoming a greater threat. All signs that the One-Eyed Black Dragon is radiating more power as it recovers; though something else may yet be amiss"

"Then has our quest just been moved up itself?" Finn asked.

"… I don't think so; I believe we can simply use this as a training venture as I intended for us originally, then return to finish our other objectives and preparations. If my predictions hold, we will push into the valley to weaken the monster presence there.

"Unlike the Dungeon, it should take much more time to recover, even with the Dragon's power. It should buy the time we need; we will avoid conflict with the Black Dragon unless we are forced here, since our full strength cannot yet be brought to bear"

"Even with the Dragon's influence, is it necessary for all of us to come for this mission?" Riveria questioned.

"Well, maybe not. I don't expect many challenges for us among the horde beyond numbers, but there are sure to be some. Not to mention that battle with the Dragon itself is still possible" his warning made the rest of them shiver nearly imperceptibly.

The journey was quicker than it might have been, as they had travelled light and on foot, their first-class status granting them speed and endurance enough. Once they arrived, the members of Odin and Frigg Familia led their way; forgoing the seat of Vinland, they made way straight for the Dragon Valley under their own authority. Their first destination was the centrally located fortress of Midgard; from there, they would decide on their course of action moving forward.

Stephen released a breath, scratching at the gauze wrapped around his head, and obscuring his vision in one eye. Somehow they had staved off the invasion, for now. That was exactly what it was, too; no other way to describe it.

The monsters weren't exactly organized into an army, but it was close; it was as if they were simply missing their head, some true sense of leadership. Thinking of it made him queasy, so he left the train of thought alone.

Heaving himself to his feet, he patrolled the wall, taking note of the piles of ash, monster corpses, and his own downed allies. They had paid nearly as many lives as were lost in the prior sortie to repel the attack.

Now twenty-two were dead; nearly a third of their fort's company had been wiped out in less than a week, and those left were not fit to fight another such battle which was surely coming, and soon.

Fighting the despair nipping at his heart, Stephen turned his eyes up at just the right time to see approaching figures once more, but this time from the opposite direction.

Thors was speechless as he spoke with the commander of Midgard and her second. The coalition leaders were present, and all took notice of the heavy air as the news was exchanged.

"An armed horde of Drakespawn, supported by wyverns, infant dragons, and even some surface Valgang Dragons" Finn bit down on his thumb, having a new respect for the blessed outside of Orario.

"The Drakespawn are the notable thing" Aedan had his lip curled up in a snarl, "Humanoid dragon monsters, but taking on a near military mode of acting; this is disturbing. We need to act quickly"

"Monsters mentioned on the inscriptions of the Dungeon walls, yet not born of the Dungeon…" Riveria muttered.

"Purely a manifestation of the Black Dragon's own power; I hate to say it, but it seems as though your conjecture was spot on, Haroeris" Hedin sighed, "and it also appears these Drakespawn are on the level of a strong level 4 adventurer, too"

"Well, if this is the case across the mouth of the valley, shouldn't we just split our forces and sweep up into the heart of it? At some point we should come across the Odin and Frigg leaders" Ottar asked.

"That seems for the best. Leave Odin and Frigg Familia to maintain the line while we push in like we planned" Finn nodded.

"It should be fine, but we ought to remain in communication daily to ensure cohesion. We need to advance abreast, and rendezvous at regular intervals. The depths of the Valley are unexplored, after all; this will be different from our last expedition" Aedan cautioned; he stepped aside after that, though, to let the captains sort out the fine details.

Instead, he left the room and went about the fort. He had been told of the loss of twenty-two defenders; a quick count by his eyes confirmed that the number of monsters slain by piles of ash and corpses was somewhere between 350 and 400 spoke of not only the fierce fighting, but the magnitude of what they were facing here.

'An expeditionary force equivalent? If so, then it was basically a scouting group, nothing more than a probe. The true fighting strength will be held back, and then the elite in reserve still. Had we not arrived, the next assault would have shattered the line, if not at least broken through here. If casualties were similar elsewhere across the mouth of the Valley, then Odin and Frigg have lost nearly a fourth of their Familia, while a force of thousands still waits to pour out from the north yet…'

Not wanting to wait, arrangements were made quickly and they left without delay. Finn led a group north, to penetrate up that border of the Valley, while Ottar went to the South to do the same. Belisarius was chosen to lead the center, and coordinate their forces overall, as well as organizing their logistics.

As the true commander of the Empire's entire military forces, it was a logical decision. What was not so logical to most was that the man chose Bell to act as his aid, rather than as a member of the Vanguard. Still, their forces were split into three groups and began their advance, which was not long in coming to their purpose.

On the second day from setting out, they spotted the monsters.

Messages between their groups confirmed the truth of what they were witnessing: a mass of monsters spread across the breadth of the Valley, weaving between the forests, rivers, vales, and hills of the lowlands, and all heading for Vinland.

Estimates put the force in the range of tens of thousands; it seemed that they had encountered the main body of the enemy. Belisarius had given each leader on site authority to act as they saw fit, and each of the three groups all decided on launching a frontal assault.

The purpose of which was to probe their capability, kill monsters, compare their strength to what they had heard and monsters of the Dungeon, kill some more, and push them back further into the Valley, after killing off yet more, of course.

They accomplished all of their objectives in the initial engagement, but this wasn't met with wholly good news.

"Hmmm… then if our estimates are accurate, we slew somewhere between 1,500 and 1,800 monsters" Belisarius muttered, surrounded by a group of the force assigned to the center.

"They are far stronger than any other monsters of the surface" Alfia said softly.

"They were not bred like others on the surface" Aedan noted, "Most are born of the Dragon's own power, while some are the same ones who escaped the Dungeon centuries ago; like some other monsters such as unicorns, many types of dragon monsters will not die from aging"

"So that is what you meant by saying we can have a victorious effect here by slaughtering a mass of them" their leader groaned, "Still, our initial effort was too easily caught, and we couldn't drive them back far enough.

"The main body of their force is a day away from the border into Vinland, and if they advance en masse, we cannot stop them with our numbers; we'll be overrun" It was true that they were arguably the most powerful force ever assembled in known history, but they weren't invincible; more to the point, they could only stop so many for so long.

Even monsters that were relatively weak to them could overpower them with numbers, and more importantly: time.

"Force us to exhaustion, then death by a thousand cuts" Shakti crossed her arms under her chest, "So what are we to do?"

"It isn't a bad situation" Belisarius observed, "We have the momentum with the first victory, and we did stop their advance; next, we will catch them in a pincer repeatedly with hit-and-run attacks"

"How can we do that?" Ilta demanded, "This valley is filled to the brim with monsters, if we could break through their lines we would have already"

"Finn will assemble a team to advance through the mountains to the north, while Ottar does the same in the South; we will need to be more… creative"

"Ah, now I see where the gliders come into play" Aedan nodded, having been consulted on the matter beforehand, "Thank goodness for that Altenian inventor"

"I don't follow" Falgar scrunched his forehead.

"Here we have two options: go under or over, and going over is faster"

"Wait, you mean~"

"Yes, our selected group will be sent over the monster horde in the sky, and will land on the other side with gliders, courtesy of our friend Orophen"

"Is this truly a good idea?" Ryu couldn't help but ask.

"It is better than trying another frontal assault and hoping for better results" Alfia admonished her. They- along with Bell as the acting commander, Aedan, and a half dozen others had been selected for the team to go behind enemy lines.

This is why they were loaded into modified trebuchets to launch them high into the sky and gliders to carry them a safe distance to regroup. All of them were chosen for being able to defend themselves from any flying monsters that appeared in transit, and the ability to wreak havoc and kill many monsters as the hammer to the main forces anvil formation.

The goal for this new strategy was simple: at a minimum, half the monster force. At best, they could kill more and force the horde to retreat from its current position.

Thanks to the best minds of Altena's history, they had assembled two trebuchets to send five each over a kilomeder into the air, where their gliders would let them drift another five, passing the waiting mass of monsters. If they were unblessed, the launch itself would knock them out or kill them, but as first class adventurers?

The launch was something more akin to a ride that would be at home in one of the cities of amusement and entertainment: Meilstora and Santorio Vega. Nearly 10g of force was merely exhilarating, not deadly, as they soared high into the night sky.

Just as the two groups peaked in their trajectory, they removed the paragliders from their backs as one, holding them up to catch the wind beneath their sails. Thankfully, they went the whole way unmolested by flying monsters, and landed safely with the monsters now caught between their forces.

Short hours later, the dawn brought battle.

The horde may have resembled an army, but it was undisciplined, and was caught unaware, dosing, and immobilized as their surprise attack fell upon them. The monsters were tired from moving through the valley, and being stopped by them previously.

Magic bombarded them from front and rear, but their instincts took over as soon as they realized where their prey was. They broke off to attack whichever adventurers they happened to see, playing right into the commanders' hands. The rear groups caused massive amount of damage and devastation, having most of their specialty in that arena, while those that remained behind made a bulwark to force the monsters to take the punishment.

This brutality left the monsters with two options: fight to the death, which most chose, or flee. The latter was chosen after even the horde of monsters was demoralized by the sheer force being brought to bear on them. In the end, some 4,000 fled back the way they came, with the majority of the invasion force having been reduced to ash and dust.

"Fuuu, haaaaa" Bell breathed deeply in the aftermath; he had taken the last two battles to begin to adjust to his recent level up, which came after a single expedition of him being a level 6. Still, he felt that he was truly getting comfortable with himself as a level 7, now.

"Are you alright, Captain?"

He smiled, "Yes, Alfia, no problems" She returned his gesture.

"It's amazing to think that in the same time most would have risen to level two, you have climbed to a pinnacle unimagined by even the most ambitious adventurers"

"But it's not the pinnacle, not yet, at least" he shot a glance at the man who seemed to be trying to keep an eye on everyone and everything at once.

"You will" the certainty in her words regained his focus on her, "he knows it as well as I; we are counting on it, too. It will take nothing less to kill the Black Dragon"

"When you say it like that, it feels like everyone is relying on me to kill it"

"That may be true, in the end, but we will be with you; a hero needs his allies, right?" her gentle teasing only made him smile, not embarrassed. With ease she soothed his worries.

"The Grand Quest is important, but don't let anything become an obsession for you; nothing besides your true goal" she reassured him.

"I know; I just need to worry about protecting what is important to me, even if I look foolish doing it"

Their next move was to resume a simultaneous push through the valley, picking off stragglers as some monsters had turned back by instinct to wander on their own. As they went, the majority of monsters kept away from them, continuing to flee.

They wound their way east, then north, and finally back west as the valley twisted and turned. After closing in on a new section of the valley- a pass between two mountain ranges that drew very close to each other- they all made camp as one cohesive group again.

"Ya know, I've ne'er been up ta this valley b'fore, but it seems strange ta me, this whole business with this army o' beasties" Gareth hummed, drinking deeply from a mug of mead.

"It is unusual" Belisarius agreed, "Whether in the Dungeon or outside it, the use of landform or improvised weapons isn't uncommon for monsters; they even use equipment from people who have died, but this is something different"

"They are being properly equipped, and it seems unlikely that some monsters have suddenly discovered mining and blacksmithing" Finn brushed his chin with the tip of his thumb.

"If I had to guess, they are supplied by a third party" Haroeris added around a hank of deer.

"!" The Loki Familia executives tense, and Finn nods to Riveria after the two share a silent conversation with each other.

"We may have a lead on that possible third party, then" she waited for Aedan to gesture for her to continue, "You see, shortly before you and Silence returned to the surface, our Familia was engaged with an operation to subjugate the Man-Made Dungeon, Knossos. We had battled there previously, but failed, and lost a number of our members. This operation was also a failure, though we didn't lose anyone, thankfully"

"We were unable to capture the culprits, and succeeded only in forcing their retreat" Finn completed for her.

"What can you tell me of this enemy? Are they the Evilus remnant I heard of from Fels?" he looked at them seriously.

Riveria glanced at Lefiya and Aiz, who were both eating with the junior members of their alliance, "An unknown entity called Enyo seems to be the figurehead, at least, though I believe they are a god or goddess; their elite members are mortals- possible members of Enyo's Familia- but there is something about them"

"They are creatures, having decided to consume monster cores as a shortcut to power" Finn grimaced, "They were able to fight on or above the level of our executives individually. To top it off, they seemed to have some sort of synthetic monsters, combined with some sort of magical core they call Demi Spirits.

"These are also much more powerful than regular monsters. We were desperate enough to ally with the Xenos, but still couldn't win; they were able to retreat, and in a following action we swept the whole of Knossos, only to find it had been abandoned by the enemy"

"From what we know, they were able to pull back with the materials needed to create more Demi Spirits- though we destroyed all they had in the attack- as well as their elites. Working with the Xenos and Ganesha Familia confirmed that somehow they have managed to flee the city" Riveria concluded.

"… I'm assuming they have not acted in the interim since we returned?"

"No, and the Deusdea that have regular access in and out of Orario have all been canvassed; we were at a loss before you recruited us for this quest. Our expedition before was for more than just levelling up, after all" Finn grinned, "but it seems that this foe really did leave Orario, with little trace, too. Hermes has been working on the matter for us, but with no leads as of yet"

"Ah, that may be why his captain was withheld from joining us" Aedan nodded, "This presents a major issue, though; we will need to ensure that such a powerful enemy doesn't have us off guard. Luckily we left some strength behind in Orario… If these foes are agitating things here in the Valley though, they could be targeting the city, anyway"

"Should we send some of our number back to help make sure things stay secure?" Riveria asked.

"That wouldn't be a bad idea, given how far we have pushed and how many we have slain; they need to be fast though. I recommend Loga, Fromel, and Bell to return; three level 7's with their speed should have no problem engaging the enemy you describe, but also in responding quickly to any threats that may occur around the whole city; not to mention we did leave a few behind which can assist them, too"

"I have no problems with that, Ottar?"

"That's fine, Finn, Haroeris; Allen won't complain anyway since he will get to see our Goddess" Ottar stated, looking slightly put-off by the fact that his vice-captain would return to see Lady Freya before himself.

"Alright, they should also bear in mind that if the enemy has been able to collect information on our movements, they could be targeting our goddesses, too"

"Then should we send them off now?"

Aedan nodded at Finn's question, standing up, "I'll inform them; in the meantime, you all should discuss our next moves, too"

It had completely gone over his head that someone might try to hurt their goddesses while so much power was away from Orario. Bell silently berated himself at his lack of foresight. Still, he raced at the head of Allen and Bete as they rapidly reversed course from deep in the Dragon Valley. Kilomeders were passed quickly, and they retraced their path past the fort, through Vinland, and back across the open road to Orario without stopping. In less than two days, they had Babel in sight, and arrived soon thereafter.

Without having spoken a word, they each split to check on their own residences and goddesses, and Bell was relieved to find Hestia having dinner with their guests and those who had stayed behind: Charles, Kyrian, and Tsubaki, who was present at dinner with Lady Hephaestus.

"Bell! You're back so soon. Where is everyone; what happened?"

He rendered as quick an explanation as he could, but noticed that the gathered goddesses weren't as concerned as he had been.

"Aw, you were worried even after asking us to stay behind? Don't worry young one, this seems to be a lack of communication between all of the captains, not solely on your shoulders" Lady Hecate encouraged him.

"It is admirable that you returned as quickly as you could after investigating the Valley" Athena nodded, "Although I can't imagine a threat being significant enough to warrant more than these three here" she gestured to Charles, Kyrian, and Tsubaki, a high level 7, 5, and middling level 6 respectively.

"To send back three fresh level 7's, it must be fairly serious" Charles nodded, "These remnants of Evilus: Enyo, creatures boosted by magic stones, Demi Spirits. It all sounds like a group of impure abominations"

"If they gave the Loki Familia executives a hard time, I don't know what we would do if they attacked" Oriana muttered grimly, "but given that all this happened a little over a year ago…"

"It seems unlikely, but they might have heard about the return of Alfia and Horus, and that kept them away" Hephaestus shrugged, "If they were trying to keep track of our moves, then they may be biding their time"

"Mr. Aedan guessed that the Valley acting up could have been a diversion by them, that's why we were sent back sooner" Bell said, "but I'm honestly worried about them, too"

"Eben wid all dose po'er-hul kiddos tha' we hab wid 'em?" Kali asked around a mouthful of food.

"I guess it is weird to think about it that way, but I can't help it"

"Hold on" Emma interjected, "They said that the elites of this group got stronger faster by eating magic stone cores, right? That and they were able to flee Orario without being tracked, too. Doesn't that seem like something Sekhmet Familia could be capable of?"

"If not, then they may well be aiding these enemies in some other way" Bheara nodded.

"Could it also be possible that they have an operation to smuggle magic cores out of Orario, then?" Karen spoke up, "If that's true, then all this time they have been quiet has been spent building up their power, and if Sekhmet is in league with them, they could be turning her own Familia into a powerful army of creatures"

Her observation silenced the room, before Tsubaki clenched her fists, "After everything that's happened, can't say it's an impossibility; Goddess, we need to share this with Ganesha and Ouranos; Freya and Loki will know by now. Although, I'm not sure what more could be done to secure the city"

"All of this is giving me a headache" Hephaestus groaned, making Welf chuckle.

"Well, we'll figure it out; maybe if I can crank out enough weapons with Tsubaki's help and Kyrian's lessons, then even the lower level members of our familia could beat them"

"Master Bell, what should we do?" Lili asked.

"For now, stay with the goddesses until they can meet and make a plan for going ahead; I want to visit the 18th floor as quick as I can, and check on the progress of the fort for the Xenos, and speak with them about this, too"

"Lili can't believe that Loki Familia worked with the Xenos and didn't tell us, hmph!" Bell laughed awkwardly at her statement, before taking his leave and dashing to the Dungeon.

'Goibniu Familia sure works fast…' Bell marveled at the simple but solid fort built in the Under Resort for the Xenos. The structure had been erected close to the entrance to Knossos away from Rivira, between the Man-Made Dungeon and the entrance to the 19th floor. As he approached, he noted that there was little activity around, and even entered without seeing anyone.

'Ganesha's emblem… I guess it makes sense' he entered into the courtyard before stopping, and finally seeing others as he was quickly surrounded by Xenos.

"Belluchi!" he was quickly wrapped in a hug by Lyd, returning it wholly, "Good to see ya; can you believe how fast this place went up? Ah, now where are my manners? Welcome, to the Hollow Bastion!"

"It's nice, I almost can't believe how fast they were"

"Yup, we're just holding down the fort for now; we think Lord Ganesha will send some adventurers down to occupy it, too, but there's plenty of space"

"Would you mind showing me around, then? I actually have something I came to speak to you about…"

Several kilomeders deep into the Dragon Valley, the expeditionary force had chased the remaining 3,000 or so monsters far into the uncharted territory, when their scouts brought back interesting news.

"The Gulliver brothers said what?"

"They found signs of civilization, Finn; little more than ruins, but still" Ottar rumbled.

"That should be impossible, though" Riveria's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"No, they're being truthful" Aedan cut them off, "After all, I believe we're getting close to my homeland"

"Seems they took the bait"

"Right? Look though, the report says a trio doubled back to Orario"

"Well that sucks balls; which ones are they?"

"Loki's dog and Freya's tom, as well as the newbie rabbit"

"Little Rookie, Rabbit Foot, Fair Hair, the little rising star" one goddess mockingly heralded.

"All strong after their return, doubtlessly; the agents we sent will be sufficient for it?"

"Yes" the figure at the head of the table, Enyo, nodded, "A pair on par with those three, as well as our new ace to ensure things are carried out as planned… Even with Revis on her assignment, this won't be any trouble"

After spending a short but reassuring time with the Xenos at Hollow Bastion, Bell was returning to Hearthfire Manor at a leisurely pace, thinking back on the speech he gave to Rivira to introduce the Xenos as partners to the adventurers.

"Well, at least they've been living peacefully for the week, that's not a bad start" he was satisfied leaving Lili and some of his other Familia members with the Xenos to facilitate the transition to them living and working with some of Ganesha Familia at Hollow Bastion, and working with other adventurers from Rivira.

From there, he arrived back home, and discussed the situation with Hestia, urging her to cease working outside the home and to stay safe there with the other goddesses. "Of course not, Bell, why would I do that when I've got such a great bodyguard in you!" was her simple response.

So it was that since they returned, Bell acted as Hestia's constant guard, rather conspicuously as he attracted a great deal of attention from the people. Still, despite her jealousy at the amount of female attention he received, the crowd he drew bought a lot of potato snacks…

After one such busy shift three days after he returned, Bell was returning home with Hestia when his thoughts slowed as he felt his skin crawl, the feeling like icy fingers running up his back to grip at his throat.

Grabbing his goddess in a fraction of a second, he lunged away from the attack of three concealed assailants. In that same instant, he was able to discern that the opponents were powerful enough to contest him even at his level; still, he didn't have much choice but to protect Hestia in this dire situation.

"Oh ho ho… you've grown quite nicely little rabbit" the tallest chuckled, giving herself away as a woman, "I'll definitely savor you this time…" alarm bells rang in his mind at the statement that failed to jog his memory, so dispensing with words, he simply fought.

Luckily, Fels had the pair on surveillance even since the party first left Orario. Using his owl, he kept Hestia in his sights, while the situation unfolded, he sent for Asterius to assist the young captain, as well as warnings to be carried to Freya and Loki. He frowned after that, "Also, send for Asfi to rescue Hestia, and alert those at her Familia home to be prepared for any attack" Laurier, obscured in disguising clothing, nodded before racing off

Lightning crackled around him as his magics allowed Bell to fend off the three ambushers from harming his goddess or himself, having done so long enough that they were beginning to chatter about how unbelievable his resistance was.

In their distraction, Asfi used her flight-giving sandals to swoop in and pull Hestia away from the battle, having already caught Bell's eyes to alert him to her action.

As they tried to stop this, Bell kept them locked down with his own effort.

"Tch! Enough, we'll focus on him and at least have something to show for the effort!" the tall woman ground out, and they relentlessly resumed their attack on him in a frenzy.

Quickly, he wore down as wounds accumulated, and after a slight slip, the tall woman brought her wicked ax directly toward his exposed neck, but a massive form covered in a cloak tackled her away from them. This reprieve let Bell rally against the other two, frustrating them further without the other woman.

In a minute, one of the two shouted, "That's it, retreat!" and used a smokescreen to allow them to run. To their shock, Bell and the other figure tailed them easily, rendering the screen moot.

Bell, having figured out the identity of his ally, urged the companion, "They're going for the wall, head them off Asterius!" his ally did so without hesitation, jumping ahead to ascend the wall before they could arrive; noticing this, the three altered their course more directly to try and beat him to the wall.

However, he beat them to it, and stood braced to stop them, but Bell was shocked to see the tall woman rear back and bat the bull to the side with a mighty swing with her ax. Still, Asterius scrabbled to recover and Bell arrived hot on their heels, at the same moment, Fels activated an item from the shadows, managing to cause the one who ordered their retreat to freeze on the spot.

Without a pause, the other two vaulted over the edge of the wall outside the city, quick to flee and leave their comrade behind. Asterius watched from the wall, noting that he wouldn't be able to keep up with their raw speed even if he had leave to pursue them, he looked back as the last of the three broke free, but before she could follow her allies, Bell grabbed her from behind, wrapping himself around her as they fell to the wall in a suggestive manner, not that the bull cared.

Snorting, he muttered to Fels, "Seems its handled for now, call if you need me again" before rushing back to the Dungeon.

Bell, lacking an option, revealed the prisoner as a dark-haired elf with red eyes and pale skin. Not recognizing her, he spoke, "Fels, have you got anything we can do from here?"

"Bring her along; the Guild has facilities for imprisoning troublesome persons…"