BELL-O-EMON AND A QUEST FROM MIACH FAMILIA

Freya slowly sipped the wine in her glass, her gaze fixed on the nighttime scenery of Orario. Living atop the Babel Tower had its perks, and one of them was the ability to observe the entire city and its inhabitants from such a vantage point. She licked her lips thoughtfully, her eyes directed towards one particular church in the distance. Even beneath the night sky, he still shone brilliantly, radiating a beauty that captured her attention.

Such a glittering, pure soul, nearly transparent at a glance—so beautiful and untainted. The longing to possess him welled up within her. But alas, this was not the right time; not yet. While his untainted soul was undeniably beautiful, she desired more. She yearned to witness his struggles, his triumphs, and see him shine even brighter than before.

"Ottar?" she called.

A large, muscular Boaz man stepped forward. His gaze remained rigid, yet his eyes conveyed nothing but unwavering loyalty. His very presence exuded strength, which he modestly concealed, though not entirely successfully, in the presence of his Goddess.

"Yes, my lady?" he responded.

"I want to see him... more than he is now," Freya stated. "Would you mind giving him something to play with? Make sure it's meant only for him—I don't want anyone ruining his fun." She flashed Ottar a knowing smile.

"As you wish, my lady."

"Oh, and Ottar, before that, would you please fetch me one of our Grimoires?"

"Which one, my lady?" Ottar inquired.

Freya's smile took on a playful edge before she answered, "I'll leave that choice to you."

Ottar paused for a moment, then nodded. "Understood."

Freya savored the last drop of her wine, humming to herself. The groundwork had been laid by her. She couldn't wait for the day when her beloved rabbit would rise above it all.

...

It was the day after Monsterphilia. The resonating clash of steel meeting steel filled the air as Ais sparred with her new friend, Bell, on the training grounds of Twilight Manor. From her office, Loki observed her favorite child from afar.

A knock on the door interrupted her contemplation, and as the door swung open, her captain, Finn, strolled in with a mischievous grin playing on his lips.

"Still fretting about him sweeping Ais away from under your nose?" Finn quipped.

Loki let out an exasperated huff. "Well, duh! These days, it's all rabbit this, rabbit that. It's driving me insane!" She clutched her head in mock frustration.

Finn leaned against a nearby wall. "Wanna know what Ais asked me last night?"

"Spill it."

Finn chuckled before divulging, "She asked if it's alright for her to join Bell's party."

Loki's jaw dropped, and she slammed her hand on her desk in disbelief. "No! Absolutely not! That's...that's too much!"

Amusement was showed in Finn's eyes as he laughed. "No worries. I said no to that idea. We've got a deep Dungeon expedition on the horizon, and everyone needs to be in top form."

Loki heaved a sigh of relief before she tilted her head "But... my adorable Ais, I bet she's not taking it well, huh?"

Finn's smile turned wry. "You've got that right. She's been avoiding me ever since."

Loki offered a thumbs-up with a grin. "Good job, Finn. Your sacrifice won't be forgotten."

"Hahaha.."

Finn cleared his throat, steering the conversation back to business. "Speaking of which, I'd like to discuss our preparations for the upcoming expedition and something intriguing Ais shared with me."

Loki nodded, settling into her seat as Finn took the opposite chair.

Finn continued, "Preparations are on track. Hephaistos and Goibniu Familia are onboard, ready to send their skilled smiths when needed. Logistically, we're more or less set. Though, we're scraping our Valis reserves. We need the next expedition to be profitable, or our finances will take a hit."

Pausing, Finn's gaze sharpened. "To cut costs, I've been considering borrowing one of Bell Cranel's gadgets that can mend anything. However, this might sour our relations with Goibniu and Hephaistos."

Loki waved her hand dismissively. "Just do it. Borrow some of the rabbit's gadgets while still maintaining cooperation with both Goibniu and Hephaistos. Let's just trim down the number of contracted smiths. I trust you to handle the details."

"Understood," Finn replied. "Now, about what Ais mentioned..." He trailed off, his expression contemplative.

Loki leaned forward. "What is it?"

"Ais mentioned that the Captain of Hermes Familia issued a Quest specifically for Bell. It reminded me of what happened fifteen years ago."

Loki's demeanor grew serious. "You mean... that day?"

Finn nodded solemnly. "Asfi Al Andromeda is known as the finest magical items maker in Orario. Her curiosity about Bell's gadgets is understandable. The troubling part is... she was present with that man back then." Finn paused, his eyes closed for a moment. "I remember how she pleaded with him to escape... and begged me not to harm him."

Finn smiled wryly, as this might be the reason why Hermes Familia had a strained relationship with Loki Familia. While not outright hostile, the tension was there.

Loki winced, absorbing Finn's words. "This is the first I've heard of this, Finn."

"I apologize... I never found the right moment to share it before." Finn's shoulders slumped. "Regardless, she was with that man, and they appeared to be close."

"The man who you said change your perspective?" Loki inquired.

Finn's chuckle held a hint of nostalgia. "More or less, yes. Repeatedly having your head knocked to the ground is... quite humbling experience to have."

Loki clenched her fists, she never liked when someone hurt her children.

Finn continued, his tone reflecting deeper contemplation. "The way that man fought was eerily similar to Bell. Both employed powerful items with unique powers." He rubbed his chin in thought. "And now, the captain of Hermes Familia, who presumably has a connection to that man, seems to be attempting to get close to Bell. This can't be mere coincidence."

A chill ran down Finn's spine as he recalled the final words that man uttered to him.

"You're an idol, someone revered and praised for standing apart from others. You were never a hero."

...

"That is enough for today," Ais said as she sheathed her sword.

In front of her knelt Bell, panting and trying to catch his breath after the intense training. It took him a few more seconds before his breathing stabilized, and he stood back up.

"Level 5 sure is amazing. I couldn't even return your strikes," Bell said, still catching his breath.

"Of course, the difference between our stats is... vast," Ais nodded, "But you're growing strong pretty quickly too. Before this, you could barely keep up with me. Now your eyes can follow my movements most of the time." She encouraged Bell.

"Is that so? Then that means training with you really bore fruit. I hope you won't be bored with training me."

"No, I would never!" Ais replied quickly, perhaps a bit too quick. She realized a moment later and felt her cheeks heat up. Clearing her throat, she continued, "I mean, this training also benefits me. It's a win-win situation."

Bell pouted slightly, "Well, that's only when I use my gadgets, like Denkomaru."

Bell had chosen to use Denkomaru and dual-wield it with Hestia Dagger for today's sparring, avoiding Strongest Mic due to potential side effects that might hinder his dungeon activities.

"That gadget was amazing," Ais praised, her eyes sparkling. "It was difficult for me to break through your defense when you used Denkomaru. What if you used it with the Reflecting Cape at the same time? Wouldn't that be even more powerful?"

Bell scratched the back of his head, considering her suggestion, "Hmm, I never thought of using my gadgets like that. My Goddess also told me to grow strong using my own effort."

Ais sighed, looking at Bell's sheepish smile, "...at least keep it in mind. It might be useful in the future."

Ais quickly discovered Bell's peculiar habit – he often didn't think much about his gadgets beyond their basic use. Sometimes he either forgot or didn't even consider different ways to utilize them.

And people called her an airhead, but they clearly hadn't met Bell.

He was a bit dummy.

Her dummy, but still a dummy nonetheless.

"Master Bell, are you finished?" Lili approached the two of them. "Don't push yourself too hard, Master Bell. We still need to go to the dungeon. Here..." Lili retrieved a thermos from her bag and poured its contents into a small cup, "please drink this," she offered to Bell.

"Thank you, Lili," Bell said, taking the cup. He sipped it slowly. "Hm... lemon and honey?"

"It's honey lemon tea, to be exact. Lili heard it's good for replenishing your energy," Lili explained with a smile. She then poured the thermos into another cup. "Here, for you, Ms. Wallenstein."

Ais weakly nodded, accepting the tea. As she sipped the cup, she watched Bell and Lili chat, trade smiles, and plan their upcoming dungeon dive. She pouted and shot Bell a sidelong glance, though he remained oblivious.

The sweetness of the honey lemon tea had a slightly bitter aftertaste for her now.

...

"It seems partying up with you is not a wrong decision, Mr. Cranel," Asfi said as she wrote her observations for the day in her notebook while walking with Bell and Lili.

Bell, Asfi, and Lili were currently on the sixth floor of the dungeon. According to the contract that both Bell and Asfi had signed, when they were in a party together, he needed to show her at least one of his gadgets. He showed her the Infinity Lasso, which was used to restrict and trip monsters' movements. Asfi took a deep interest in the self-moving ropes and immediately started taking notes as the rope went into action.

"Lili still thinks that rope is creepy," the Pallum chimed in. "Come to think of it, most of Master Bell's gadgets are creepy."

"Dora?" Mini-Dora, who sat on top of Lili's big bag, pouted as it heard Lili's words.

"You're not an exception, and you know it. Do you remember how many people freaked out when they saw you before?"

Mini-Dora responded with a huff.

"I'm glad that you find my gadget interesting, but your magical items are strong too, Ms. Asfi," Bell said. "Like before, you easily set a monster party on fire and defeated all of them singlehandedly. Oh, and please just call me Bell, Ms. Asfi."

Asfi smiled at Bell's praise of her item. "Thank you... Bell. Burst Oil is one of my earlier creations that I still use regularly. It's simple to make and effective when used. Do you want to know how to make one?"

"Lili thinks Master Bell honestly doesn't need more dangerous items in his possession," Lili chimed in. "Especially one capable of causing explosions and fires."

"Sometimes you treat me like a kid too much, Lili," Bell puffed his cheeks.

Lili smirked. "Well, it's because Master Bell is still a kid. Need Lili to remind you that Master Bell is the youngest here."

"You're not that much older than me," Bell childishly retorted.

"But still older," Lili grinned.

Asfi chuckled as she witnessed the bickering between the two before her. "I'm okay with teaching you how to make one, Bell. But I'm sure you already have at least one gadget that could do a similar thing."

Bell pondered. "Explosions and fire... from the top of my head, I can think of one of my gadgets that could do that."

Lili sighed. "Why is Lili not surprised?" She said, shaking her head.

"And you don't want to use it?" Asfi asked. "I'd love to see it in action; who knows, it might inspire me to upgrade Burst Oil."

Bell scratched his cheek slowly and awkwardly smiled. "I... I don't think I could show you this one, Ms. Asfi."

"Why not?"

"This gadget, when used, will cause a massive explosion that would annihilate a continent, and it might even destroy the whole world," Bell explained to both Asfi and Lili.

"...oh"

"Wha..."

Lili massaged the bridge of her nose. "Please tell Lili that that's a joke?"

"It's not, though."

Asfi raised her hand. "If it's okay with you, can you tell me the name of the gadget?"

"It's called Bomb of Mass Destruction, and it's this big." Bell spread his arms wide.

Lili's mouth gaped in shock. "W-Why in the world would you have that scary-sounding gadget in your possession, Master Bell?!"

"Oh, you know," Bell shrugged. "Just in case," he replied with a smile.

Lili stared at Bell with disbelief, while Asfi was too stunned to react.

Just in case...

Just in case for what?!

...

Naaza Erisuis, the sole member of Miach Familia, stood at the counter of her Familia potion shop just like usual. There was no one else beside her in the shop. Business was also slow at noon. The adventurers who usually came to buy their potions came in the morning, leaving the shop quite barren of customers as the sun rose. Thus, Naaza stood almost motionless as she stared at the shop with sleepy eyes.

Then a pink door appeared out of thin air. Naaza, for the most part, maintained her stoic face except for her raised brows. The door opened, and their usual white-haired male customer stepped out of it. Naaza had heard rumors, but this was the first time she had seen it directly.

"Hello there, Bell. Good afternoon. What can I help you with?" Naaza said in her usual customer service tone, which was still flat but she attempted to be a bit more welcoming.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Naaza. You see, I forgot to stock up on potions," Bell said sheepishly.

"And that was a mistake that could lead to fatal results. Thankfully, Master Bell is... Master Bell," said a pallum girl who Naaza recognized as Liliruca, the newest member of Hestia Familia. She followed behind Bell.

Behind Lili stood Asfi Al Andromeda, whom Naaza knew well due to her fame. Asfi was eyeing the pink door she had just walked out of while muttering to herself. She noticed Naaza's gaze and greeted her with a silent nod.

"So, what do you want to buy?" Naaza asked Bell.

"Five normal potions and another five mind potions, please."

"Sure, normal potions and mind potions, five of each. Please wait." Naaza then prepared Bell's order.

"By the way, where's Lord Miach?" Bell asked.

"Lord Miach is at the back, experimenting on our future product," Naaza replied.

"New product?"

"A potion that could heal both body and mind at the same time," someone answered Bell's question before Naaza could. It was Miach, who emerged from the back of the store. "Hello, Bell. Good to see you. How is Hestia?"

"Goddess is doing fine, Lord Miach."

"Is that so? Good for her then."

"Um, excuse me, but did you just say a potion that heals both body and mind, Lord Miach?" Asfi asked the sole God in the room.

"Why yes, I just said that," Miach nodded.

"Is it even possible?" Asfi wondered.

"If such a potion were available, it would make the lives of many adventurers easier," Lili chimed in, already thinking of how much more effective it would be to carry around one potion that could heal both body and mind than two separate potions.

"It should be possible," Miach assured them.

"But we're stuck because we lack certain ingredients to make it," Naaza added.

Miach's shoulders slumped. "... yeah, there's that."

Naaza silently gripped the fabric of her skirt. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly in frustration. If only she could go back to the Dungeon... the mere thought of stepping inside the Dungeon sickened her so much now.

"Is there anything I could help with?" Bell asked, surprising both Naaza and Miach.

"To be honest, Lili is curious about this new type of potion and would be okay helping to make it," Lili said. "But of course, with proper compensation, like a discount for all future purchases." She smiled.

"Y-You guys want to help us?" Naaza tilted her head, glancing at Miach, who nodded at her.

"We actually already posted a Quest to the guild about this," Naaza reached for the counter drawer and pulled out a Quest paper. She handed the paper to Bell.

Bell read the Quest paper. "So you need a Blue Papilio Wing..."

"That's a rare drop item, but doable..." Lili nodded.

"... and a Bloodsaurus Egg," Bell continued.

"B-Bloodsaurus? That's a monster from floor thirty!" Lili exclaimed.

"Wait, what?!" Bell also said in disbelief.

Asfi, on the other hand, fared better than her current two party members. She turned her head to Miach. "I assume this Bloodsaurus Egg you want is the one in Seolo Forest and not the one deep in the dungeon?"

Miach smiled in confirmation. "Yes, you're right. A long time ago, a group of Bloodsaurus broke out from the dungeon and lived on the surface. Their descendants are still around in that forest, but of course, the ones who currently reside in the Seolo Forest are weaker variants of Bloodsaurus. Even a level 1 Adventurer could take down one of them... theoretically."

"Theoretically?" Lili's eyes twitched. "That doesn't reassure Lili at all!"

"Then how about I'll be the one to get it?" Asfi suggested. "Of course, that's only if Bell agrees to take on this Quest."

"Are you sure, Ms. Asfi?" Bell asked.

Asfi nodded. "Yes, I don't mind. I'm also interested in this new type of potion."

"So, Master Bell and Lili would go to find Blue Papilio Wing, and Ms. Asfi would go to Seolo Forest to get the Bloodsaurus Egg?" Lili said as she hummed. "Lili could work with that."

Bell turned to Naaza. "Ms. Naaza, we'd like to take this Quest, please," he said with a smile.

Naaza stared at Bell for a while before smiling a bit. "Yes, thank you, Bell."

Naaza watched as Bell said "Seolo Forest" to the pink door before opening it, revealing Seolo Forest. Asfi entered the door but before that, she told Bell that she would return by herself, so there was no need to pick her up. Then Bell closed the door and said "floor seventh of the Dungeon" and opened the door again. This time, the inside of the dungeon was visible through the door.

Naaza felt like she was about to throw up as she saw the inside of the Dungeon once more, but she managed to hold it together. Bell and Lili then walked in after bidding her and Miach goodbye. The door was closed and slowly fading away.

"Just like Hestia said, huh," Miach chuckled. "Her child sure is a special one."

"More like... weird," Naaza commented. "Weird, naive, and too kind for his own good. Also, he forgot to bring the potions with him."

...

Naaza stared in disbelief at what was laid on the counter in front of her. There were several Blue Papilio Wings and four Bloodsaurus eggs. She averted her gaze to the three adventurers in front of her. Bell was smiling as usual, Lili gave her a knowing look and the "go along with it" eye, and Asfi just shrugged at her.

"How?" Naaza simply asked. "You just like... went to get these half an hour ago."

"Well, we just found them," Bell replied, which clearly didn't answer the question.

Lili sighed. "Master Bell is just lucky. We encountered many Blue Papilio wandering around." She then massaged her forehead. "It doesn't make any sense even to Lili. Rare monsters should be... you know, rare."

"For me, I sneaked into their nest and just took them before leaving," Asfi said. "I have my own way to sneak undetected." She added when Naaza looked at her puzzled.

Naaza gave up with a sigh. Clearly, she wasn't dealing with normal adventurers here.

"Do you want to wait for the first batch of this potion?" Miach asked.

"Hmm, I'm okay with it, but..." Bell turned to Lili and Asfi. "How about you, Lili? Ms. Asfi?"

"Lili is fine too, as long as it doesn't take too long."

"No problem, I can also wait."

"Don't worry, we've already done all the necessary parts aside from adding these two ingredients," Miach told them. "It will be done quickly."

Miach and Naaza went to the back and started working on their new potions while Bell and his party waited. Just as Miach had said, the potions were ready after a couple of minutes. Miach and Naaza then brought several cases of the new potions.

"So this is the new type of potion," Lili said as she held one vial of the potion in her hand.

"Are you sure we can have all of this?" Bell pointed to the small crate filled with several vials of the new potion and asked Miach and Naaza.

"Yes, this is, after all, the reward for completing the quest," Naaza told Bell.

"We also still have enough ingredients left to make some more batches before we run out," Miach added.

Bell then separated the total potions Miach gave by half.

"Ms. Asfi, here's your share of the potion," Bell gave Asfi half of the total potions they got.

"Are you sure I can take half of this?" Asfi said, unsure.

"Technically, this quest was completed by a joint effort of Hestia and Hermes Familia. It's only fair to give you half, Ms. Asfi," Bell explained his reasoning.

"I see, then I'll accept it."

"So, is this going to be a regular quest?" Lili asked Naaza.

Naaza nodded. "Yes, these two ingredients are vital in the making of this potion." She then joked, "It's not like we could just grow them like normal herbs."

"Oh!" Bell put his right fist on his open left palm. "But you could though, with the help of this..." Bell reached into his pouch.

"Oh, here we go again," Lili smiled wryly.

"Hoo," Asfi waited in anticipation.

Bell pulled out a bulky gadget. Naaza and Miach thought the gadget had a similar look to a microscope, only bulkier, with many small buttons and levers.

"New Plant Making Machine," Bell cheered. "With this, we can solve your problem of needing specific ingredients, Ms. Naaza!"

"Is that so?"

"Yes, look, I'll show you. Can you bring me a small sample of the Blue Papilio Wing and Bloodsaurus eggshell?"

Naaza nodded and brought Bell a small cut of the wing and the eggshell. Bell then reached for some seeds inside his pouch, he put the seed and the small cut of the wing under the microscope-looking gadget, and began tinkering with it for a while, turning knobs, pulling levers, and pressing buttons.

Then...

"It's done!" Bell exclaimed, holding up a seed that eerily glowed with a dim blue light.

"And what's that exactly?" Miach asked as he stared curiously.

"You'll see. First..." Bell pulled out a pot filled with dirt from his pouch. "We plant the seed in here, then..." He pulled out a cloth with a clock pattern all over it and covered the pot with it. "We use Time Cloth to speed up the growth." Immediately, the cloth was lifted up by something underneath it.

Bell took the Time Cloth and revealed to the others a beautiful yet strange blue tulip. The petals resembled those of butterfly wings folded in a way to make a tulip shape.

"That's... a strange-looking tulip, Master Bell," Lili pointed out, an opinion that was shared by everyone else in the room except Bell.

Bell cheekily grinned. "But this is not just an ordinary tulip. Here, Ms. Naaza, look closer."

Naaza walked closer to the weird tulip, staring at it closely. Then, she widened her eyes in shock as she realized what Bell meant.

She quickly turned to Bell in disbelief. "Bell... this tulip is... a Blue Papilio Wing?"

"Close," Bell replied. "This is a new species of tulip flower made by genetically engineering a normal seed and the Blue Papilio Wing to create this. The nectar inside the tulip has the same composition as a Blue Papilio Wing extract, so you can use this to replace the need for the actual Blue Papilio Wing! Also, because it's a plant, it would continue to produce the needed nectar as long as you take care of it." Bell explained.

"I see?" Bell's explanation was lost on Naaza; she didn't understand anything at all.

"Genetically what?" Lili tilted her head in confusion.

"Interesting..." Asfi began writing in her notebook. "Can you elaborate more, Bell?"

Meanwhile, Miach, while surprised, had a different reason for his surprise. "To even know the lost knowledge of the last age... Hestia, you have one interesting child," he murmured unheard by the others.

Bell then repeated the process, this time with the shell from the Bloodsaurus egg. After a while, another weird plant, this time looking like a rose, was created using Bell's gadget.

"This new species of rose should be enough to be a renewable replacement for the Bloodsaurus egg," Bell said. "One flower should be equal to one Bloodsaurus egg after processing."

"Wait, wait, Bell, hold up," Naaza waved her palms. "I... don't understand what just happened here!" Naaza, in a rare show of emotion, furrowed her brow.

"Hmmm, I see..." Bell hummed. "Then how about you try it yourself later?"

"Eh?"

"I'll lend you this gadget and..." Bell reached into his pouch and pulled out a book, then another, then a few more books. "...these to learn more about Biology, Chemistry, and Botany."

Naaza... didn't even know how to react anymore.

"No, Master Bell. You need to stop lending your gadget left and right like that," Lili complained. "At least ask for compensation, a fee!"

"Ms. Arde is right. Bell, you need to be more careful about your gadget," Asfi joined in.

Miach cleared his throat. "Bell, while my Familia's situation is... not ideal, you don't need to go this far for us."

"O-Okay, jeez. You guys don't need to gang up on me," Bell pouted.

Meanwhile, Naaza was now flipping through the books Bell had pulled out before, and she didn't understand a single word in them.

"Bell, this is not written in Koine. I can't read it."

"Let me see..." Miach picked up one book and flipped through the pages. As he went through the pages, his face became more serious and surprised. "...How do you even have this?"

Being a God, he could understand any language. This language used in Bell's books wasn't the common language Koine nor the less common but still widespread hieroglyphs.

"...One of the lost languages of the last age," he muttered.

Bell, meanwhile, sheepishly smiled. "Ah, I forgot about that issue. Here." He reached into his pouch. "Translation Konnyaku!" he exclaimed, holding a rectangular-shaped konjac jelly.

"Here, eat a piece of this." Bell gave Naaza a small piece of the konjac jelly. "Do you two want to try it too?" He offered Lili and Asfi.

Lili shrugged and accepted. "...Eh, whatever, sure. Lili wants to try it," she said before eating it.

Asfi also took a piece of the konjac jelly. She examined it first before also eating it. Naaza, Lili, and Asfi then tried to read the books, and to their surprise, they could read them. The contents were still beyond their comprehension for now, but they could read this unknown language.

Asfi, being the brightest person in the room, flipped through the pages of the book and scoured through it quickly. The book she was currently holding was about the biology of plants, a botany book. The book explained in detail about many kinds of plants; some were plants believed to be extinct long ago, some she didn't even know existed.

Asfi pondered for a moment. A gadget that could make a new species of plant and the knowledge needed to use it.

"Bell, can this gadget of yours make a... moving plant like an animal?" Asfi carefully asked, intentionally replacing "monster" with "animal."

"Yes, it should be possible, just need to program the seed in the right way," Bell answered.

Asfi narrowed her eyes. "...Have you done something like that before?"

"Nope," Bell shook his head. "I never thought to use it like that."

Asfi could see that he wasn't lying. "Then is there anyone who might have used it that way? Maybe they borrowed it from you or have one themselves?"

Bell shook his head again. "That shouldn't be possible though. I've never lent this gadget to anyone else before, and there should be no one who has this kind of gadget anymore. What's with the questions, Ms. Asfi?" Bell tilted his head, wondering.

Asfi averted her gaze as she let out a sigh of relief. "Just... asking."

-[Chapter 8 END]-

New Plant Making Machine: A gadget that can be used to alter plant genetic information, creating entirely new plant species.

Translation Konnyaku: A konjac jelly that, when consumed, grants the ability to understand any language, both spoken and written.

Bomb of Mass Destruction: (Possibly) A nuclear weapon on steroids, capable of causing widespread and total destruction when used.