Familia Myth: Journey to Hero Chapter 38 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter of Familia Myth: Journey to Hero! The War Game is fast approaching with only a week of preparation given to the much smaller Hestia Familia. Bell and Lili, along with a single helper from a Familia not based within Orario, versus the one-hundred members of the Apollo Familia. Will more help arrive unexpectedly? Just how different will this War Game be from Canon?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 38 – War Game Preparations

In the Blue Pharmacy, Hestia and Miach were speaking with each other about the upcoming War Game and what the Hestia Familia might need.

“I can’t thank you enough for all of your help, Miach.” Hestia said to her friend with a grateful smile.

Miach waved off her thanks. “You’ve done far more for my Familia than we can repay. If you ever need our assistance, you only need to ask, Hestia.” He smiled at Hestia while Naaza brought in a small bag containing six Elixirs.

“These are the highest-quality Elixirs that I can brew, Lady Hestia.” Naaza gave a short bow to Hestia, a smile on her face. “Short of losing a limb, they’ll heal any injury that a person could sustain.”

“Thank you, Naaza.” Hestia beamed at the Chienthrope woman. “We need every advantage that we can get.”

-Atop the City Wall-

Welf swung his greatsword in a powerful swing, putting all of the power and torque his body could produce behind it.

Ryu easily hopped over it and smacked his shoulder with her wooden, sending Welf to his knees as he barely kept hold of his weapon. “A powerful swing means nothing if your opponent can dodge it.”

“Yeah… Yeah, I got that.” Welf grimaced at the throbbing pain in his shoulder. He was certainly learning a lot about different fighting styles by sparring with the four upper level Adventurers. ‘Tiona always meets my force head-on and overpowers me. But Ryu dodges and counters my attacks easily.’ He needed to be able to adjust his own fighting to deal with different opponents, but that was proving harder than Welf thought it would be.

Lili skidded backwards, doing everything that she could not to lose her footing after her hasty block of Ais’s scabbard. ‘Lili can barely see the attacks!’ She thought before having to duck low to avoid another swing. Lili lashed out at Ais’s leg with her knife, hoping to score her first hit since they started training.

“Mm.” Ais simply lifted the leg that Lili was aiming at, letting the knife pass through empty air, before the same leg kicked Lili and knocked the Prum onto her back.

“Guh!” Lili hacked out a heavy breath as the wind was forced out of her.

Ais stopped and leaned over to look at Lili. “Are you…okay?” She asked with a slight tilt of her head.

Lili took a second to breathe before speaking. “L-Lili…is fine…” She accepted the hand up from Ais and readied her knife again.

“You’re doing better…” Ais encouraged Lili, the attempt to cut her leg was the closest that Lili had gotten to a counter so far in their training. “Once you can follow the attack…you’ll be able to counter.” Lili smiled at the encouragement, not knowing that Ais was basing her words from the only other person that Ais had ever trained, which was Bell. “Are you ready?”

“Ready!” Lili was the one to launch the first attack this time feinting low, only to jump upwards as Ais’s scabbard tried to knock her aside. Lili thrust her knife forward, but Ais pivoted on her foot and kicked Lili aside, thankfully controlling her street properly so that the other girl wasn’t knocked unconscious. “Oof!” Lili hit the ground, but rolled once before springing back to her feet in the fastest recovery that she’d ever had before. Her left hand shot upward and Ais’s golden eyes tracked the incoming object easily.

‘A stone…?’ Ais deftly dodged just by leaning her head to the side and letting the small rock fly past her. ‘She picked it up from the ground when she rolled.’ It wasn’t hard to figure out where the sudden projectile had come from.

Clack

The blue scabbard stopped Lili’s swing cold.

“Damn it…” Lili cursed that her sudden plan hadn’t worked out. She’d managed to get closer thanks to the distraction, but it wasn’t enough.

Ais gave Lili a small smile. “That was good.” She pushed the Prum back easily. “Using everything possible to your advantage…is how Finn fights too.” Though for Finn that was mostly his use of a Prum’s shorter stature and nimbleness to constantly dodge and attack an opponent in ways that most others couldn’t hope to pull off.

Further down the wall was where Bell and the Hyrute Sisters were currently training. Bell being the only one capable of handling direct training from any of the four women in a two-on-one scenario.

Bell weaved around Tiona’s Urga, the massive blade moving the air around it from its size and weight being swung with force. He didn’t get a chance to tray and capitalize on his successful dodge, Tione coming in with her Kukri knives to lock Bell’s weapons down.

“Come on, Bell!” Tione urged him with a wild grin on her lips. “You can fight harder than this!” She knocked Zan Kyojin to the side, opening up Bell’s guard, while still keeping the Hestia Knife at bay with her opposite knife.

“Nngh!” Bell’s response was to lean back just enough for the Kukri to hit his armor, instead of his unarmored side, and slam a front kick into Tione’s stomach. The brief instant that the deadlock between their weapons lessened, Bell fell backwards and rolled to make distance. He popped back up onto his feet just in time to block one of Urga’s blades with both of his weapons and still be sent skidding backwards from the force that vibrated through his arms.

Tiona was on Bell a split-second after the first impact, Urga swinging in a full circle, the dual-bladed weapon cutting through the air as it came at Bell. “Hyah!”

Bell threw himself to the side, seeing Urga leave a clean cut straight across the bricks and masonry that made up the wall. He shot forward into Tiona’s guard and aimed straight for her stomach with Zan Kyojin and her chest with the Hestia Knife. Tiona only grinned as she brought her right arm in close to her chest, her massive weapon instantly becoming a pseudo shield that Bell’s blades clashed against, stopping their momentum.

Tione’s knives hit Bell’s back, pushing him forward into the flat side of Urga. Tiona threw Bell to the side and spun her weapon once before both sisters were back on the offensive. But their eyes widened when Bell raised his left hand, Zan Kyojin on the floor, and grinned at them both.

“Firebolt!” Bell cast his spell, forcing Tione and Tiona to dart to either side to avoid the flames. The reprieve allowed Bell to grab Zan Kyojin and get back to his feet, feeling the boost from his Dual Wield Skill return as he launched himself at Tione. The flames from the Firebolt had only just cleared the wall when Bell’s knives clashed with Tione’s making his girlfriend smile at him with a grin that he found incredibly sexy.

-Later-

“How does… he keep going?” Welf was still breathing heavily after his last round of sparring for the day.

Lili sat beside Welf, draining a canteen of water to quench her thirst, before she replied. “Bell has a lot of stamina…”

The two watched as Bell fought Ryu and Ais, this time using Kokutogenishiki, and tried to keep the two swordswomen at bay.

“Gah!” Bell hacked out as Ryu’s wooden sword slammed into his side.

Bell clearly wasn’t having much luck in the ‘keeping Ais and Ryu at bay’ part of the training.

“The reach of a spear is one of its advantages,” Ryu said as she and Ais gave Bell a moment to catch his breath. “But it can be made into a disadvantage if your enemy gets into your guard. Range is always something that you have to keep in mind, Bell.”

Bell nodded in understanding, already having seen the mistake he’d made by letting Ryu take his back and get in close. “Right… I need to make better use of the characteristics of my weapon.” He stood up again and readied his spear. “I’m ready!”

Ais nearly blurred as she moved in and aimed for Bell’s opposite side. Bell’s rubellite eyes focused on her and he moved his spear into a wide sweep to cut off Ais’s charge. The blue scabbard blocked Bell’s swipe, and Ais deflected the thin blade a fraction of a second later. Bell went with the deflection, pivoting into a full spin as he practically felt Ryu behind him. Ryu backstepped and avoided the blade by just a handful of centimeters, before lunging forward with a jab of her wooden sword. At the same time, Ais’s scabbard was heading straight for Bell’s head, looking to knock him down and put him out of the spar.

“Firebolt!” Bell cast his spell into Kokutogenishiki. Ais and Ryu both knew what was about to happen and changed course. The rapier-like blade of Bell’s spear exploded into flames and he swung it in a full circle, leaving a trail of fire in the air surrounding him for a moment. Welf, Lili, Tione, and Tiona all marveled at the sight of Bell spinning his spear once behind him, leaving a burning ring glowing behind him in the fading sunlight.

Ais stood before Bell, the two locked eyes as Ais raised her scabbard. In a blur followed by flames, Bell thrust his spear towards her with all the speed and strength that he could muster to take advantage of the opening that he saw. Ais sidestepped the flaming blade, a few embers alighting along her long hair, making it appear to shine, and knocked the spear to the side with a deft strike from the ‘pommel’ of her scabbard as she held it like a sword. Bell tried to correct his stance, but in the time it took him to move one foot, Ais was behind him, her scabbard slamming into the back of his head just hard enough to knock him to the ground.

“Hah…hah… Ow…” Bell was breathing heavily, and in pain, as he slowly pushed himself off the ground.

“You jumped on that opening, Bell.” Ais said as she and Ryu knelt next to Bell to check on their boyfriend. “Fighting Monsters and fighting people is different. Monsters always attack seriously, looking to kill. But people are smart, they’ll see what you do and react to it. Sometimes when a person sees an opening, their movements become easy to predict. Just like you back there.” Bell looked up at Ais as she spoke, wanting to take in whatever advice and experience that she was about to impart to him. “This is what I was taught,” Ais looked into Bell’s rubellite eyes, seeing the focus on her and her words. “A finishing blow is the closest thing to letting your guard down. And just when you’ve almost been beaten is when you truly have a chance.” Ais gently placed her hand on Bell’s head and moved his hair away from his face. “Don’t forget that.”

Bell nodded once, seeing the warmth in Ais’s gaze made him smile. “Yes, thank you, Ais.”

He didn’t expect for Ais to gently roll him onto his back and then give him a lap pillow though.

“I suppose training is done for today.” Ryu smiled down at Bell as Ais’s fingers began to gently move through his hair.

Tione and Tiona quickly agreed as they started handing out Low Potions.

“I survived…” Welf let out a long breath of relief before downing his potion and feeling the soreness throughout his body lessen.

Lili drank her potion and sighed as her aches and pains faded away. “Lili thought she might die this time.”

While Tione had said they’d practically be living atop the wall for the week of prep time they’d been given, it turned out to be a bit different, much to Lili and Welf’s surprise. Tione wasn’t a fool and knew that rest and recuperation were vital to any training. From sunrise to just as the sun was setting was training time for the group, but the evening and nights were for rest and whatever else they chose to spend their time on.

Lili and Bell often used that time to plan with Hestia, incorporating everything that Ryu had told them of her abilities into a plan to take down the castle that would be guarded by Apollo Familia during the War Game. A rather well-drawn map of the Shreme Old Castle Ruins, the castle being used for the War Game that was located in the plains southeast of Orario, had mysteriously been left secured to the door of the Hestia Familia Home the day after the Denatus. Hestia wasn’t sure who exactly had delivered it, but had a sneaking suspicion that it was probably Hermes or one of his Familia members. But given the situation that they were in, Hestia would take the useful information and deal with Hermes later.

-Hephaestus Familia Home ~ Evening-

“Why are you putting yourself through all of this, Welf?” Hephaestus asked as she watched Welf’s training via his Excelia.

“For my friends.” Welf spoke strongly, a smile on his face. He knew that he didn’t technically need to go through this training, he could’ve begged off and neither Bell nor Lili would’ve held it against him. But Welf Crozzo wasn’t that type of man.

Hephaestus had a small smile on her lips as she placed a blank paper onto Welf’s back and copied his update onto it. “Are you still requesting a Conversion?”

Welf took his Status Update, but didn’t look at it as he turned and kneeled before his Goddess. “Yes. When the time comes, I want to convert to Hestia Familia.”

“Why would I let you do that?” Hephaestus questioned Welf with a neutral look.

“Because the Goddess that I admire would be infuriated with me if I didn’t go.” Welf answered, looking up into Hephaestus’s red eye.

Hephaestus barely held in a sigh at how well Welf knew her. “I thought you wanted to craft weapons that are superior to Magic Swords?”

“As long as I have the burning passion of a craftsman, I can make weapons anywhere.” Welf said confidently, his eyes never wavering. “You’re the one that taught me that.”

“Hah…” Hephaestus sighed at Welf using her own words and teachings to make his case for converting to Hestia Familia. “You’re willing to go that far for your friends, huh?”

Welf nodded resolutely to her, before a grin crossed his face. “But that doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten our deal.” He smiled even wider when he saw just a hint of pink on Hephaestus’s cheeks. “I will make a weapon that even you will be impressed with! No matter where I go or how long it takes, that will never change!”

Hephaestus felt her cheeks practically burning and she had to look away from the fire that she saw in Welf’s eyes.

Welf grinned a little at Hephaestus’s reaction before actually looking at his Status Update.

-Status-

Welf Crozzo

Level 2

Strength – H 118 > H 139

Defense – H 102 > H 127

Dexterity – H 110 > H 132

Agility – I 96 > H 113

Magic – I 73 > I 91

-Magic-

Will o’ Wisp

Anti-Magic Fire – Incantation: ‘Ignite, heretic spell.’

(Can cause an Ignis Fatuus to enemies if timed correctly.)

-Skills-

Crozzo Blood – The user can create Magic Swords. Can raise the power of Magic Swords during creation.

-Developmental Ability-

Blacksmith – I

-Status-

“At least this training is paying off.” Welf chuckled at the numbers. It made getting beaten and tossed around for several hours at least a bit more worth it.

-Hestia Familia Home-

Lili waited patiently as Hestia gave her a Status Update. She hoped that all of her hard work would pay off and that she’d see noticeable growth so that she could be ready for the fast approaching War Game.

Hestia hummed slightly as she saw all of the effort and hard work that Lili was putting into her training with Ryu, Tiona, Tione, and Ais. “You’ve had a bit of a jump, Lili.” She smiled as she finished up with the Status Update, copying it over with a twirl of her finger onto a blank paper presses against Lili’s back.

Lili took the Status Update as Hestia locked up her Falna.

-Status-

Liliruca Arde

Level 2

Strength – I 91 > H 110

Defense – I 83 > H 104

Dexterity – H 121 > H 143

Agility – H 112 > H 135

Magic – H 115 > H 139

-Magic-

Cinder Ella

Transformation Magic – Incantation: ‘Your wound is mine. My wound is mine. Echoing message of midnight.’

(Enables the user to transform into anything around their own size.)

-Skills-

Artel Assist – When the user is carrying a certain amount of weight, this skill will help compensate in abilities. The amount compensated depends on the weight.

Harvester – When breaking down monsters the user is more likely to acquire a Drop Item and higher quality ones too. Also enables the harvesting of other monster parts for material.

Merídio Range – User’s attacks with projectiles increase in both power and accuracy. The increase is proportional to how many of their Familia are with them.

-Developmental Ability-

Abnormal Resistance – I

-Status-

“Lili did go up a bit.” Lili was surprised at the improvement from the training, but then considered just who she was training with and accepted the increase as normal.

Bell pulled her into a warm hug and kissed the top of her head. “You did amazing, Lili.”

Lili happily returned Bell’s hug, snuggling into the warmth of his embrace for a long moment, both of them topless.

Hestia patted the spot on the couch that Lili had vacated. “You’re turn, Bell.”

“Thank you, Hestia.” Bell sat down and only had to wait for a second before he felt the drop of Hestia’s blood touch his back.

“Let’s see…” Hestia said as the familiar blue-white glow shone from Bell’s back and his Falna appeared. Looking through Bell’s Excelia showed Hestia firsthand just how hard he was working to get stronger. ‘You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, Apollo.’ Hestia thought to herself as she moved the Excelia into Bell’s stats and watched the numbers rise as the Falna grew stronger. ‘After this is all settled… I think it’s time I told you the truth, Bell.’ Hestia looked at the first Skill that Bell had ever developed, and the one she’d hidden to protect him. “Amazing as always, Bell.” She smiled while placing a blank paper onto Bell’s back and copying the Status Update over, not letting her thoughts show for now.

“I promised you that I’d get stronger than anyone that attacked us, Hestia.” Bell smiled lovingly at her as he accepted the paper. “I won’t break my promise.”

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 2

Strength – SSS 1,369 > SSS 1,458

Defense – SSS 1,261 > SSS 1,356

Dexterity – SSS 1,433 > SSS 1,525

Agility – SSS 1,485 > SSS 1,577

Magic – SSS 1,457 > SSS 1,547

-Magic-

Firebolt

Vesta Enhance

Enchant Magic – Incantation: ‘Rise’

(Increases all Basic Abilities for five minutes. Then can’t be cast for five minutes after the increase wears off. Effect rises based on the Magic Stat.)

Thunderbolt

-Skills-

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Dual Wield – Significantly increases Strength and Dexterity when wielding a weapon in each hand.

Argonaut – Executes automatically after charging from active actions.

Heroic Will – Raises Stats when the user refuses to give up in the face of adversity. Those with lower Stats see the user as near unassailable.

Dragon Slayer – Heavily increases all abilities when fighting Reptilian Monsters, massively increases all abilities when fighting Dragon Type Monsters, potentially making the user stronger than their actual Level when fighting them. Passive.

-Developmental Abilities-

Luck – I

Hunter – I

-Status-

“I’ll have to get even stronger to make sure that I can defeat him.” Bell said as the image of Hyakinthos appeared in his mind.

-Takemikazuchi Familia Home ~ Temporary Residence Townhouse-

Takemikazuchi was pacing on the back walkway of his Familia’s home. “I want to help Hestia, but what can I do?” His Familia wasn’t well-off, they couldn’t provide support in the form of items or anything. Miach was able to cover all of Hestia Familia’s potion needs. “What can I do?”

Mikoto approached her God as he was pacing. “I have a request, Takemikazuchi-sama.”

“Mikoto?” Takemikazuchi saw the look in her purple eyes: determined, unwavering, and strong.

“Please allow me to go to Bell-dono’s Familia.” Mikoto requested, showing her resolve through her eyes and her posture, not a trace of doubt seen anywhere.

Takemikazuchi felt his heart swell with pride for raising such an honorable warrior. A part of him didn’t want to let her go though, the part that still recalled the small girl that had come to the orphanage so many years ago, seeking shelter and needing protection. But as they looked into each other’s eyes, Takemikazuchi knew that he couldn’t deny Mikoto, the decision had already been made and he wouldn’t dishonor her choice. It was the best way that they could help the Hestia Familia, and it would also settle the lingering debt that Mikoto still felt she hadn’t repaid to the Hestia Familia after the Pass Parade.

-Next Day ~ Atop the Wall-

“Hm? Who’s the new girl?” Tiona asked bluntly as she saw Mikoto with Bell, Lili, and Welf.

“This is Miss Mikoto, she’s part of Takemikazuchi Familia, but she’s converted to help us with the War Game.” Bell explained, giving Mikoto a grateful smile.

Mikoto gave a proper bow to everyone. “I will give my all for the Hestia Familia. Please, train me so that I will not falter to anyone in battle.” She requested of Ais, Ryu, Tione, and Tiona.

Ais nodded to Mikoto. “Alright.”

“I like her spirit!” Tiona beamed at Mikoto. “I’ll take her on first!” She hefted her Urga into the air with a wide grin.

“Welcome, I apologize in advance if I go a bit too far.” Ryu nodded to Mikoto, reminded a little bit of her late Familia member, Kaguya. She put that thought aside so as not to confuse the present with the past.

Tione stretched a little as she looked at Mikoto. “Thank you for helping out Bell and Hestia Familia. If we could do it, we would, but we can’t just leave Loki Familia.”

Mikoto drew her katana and held it at the ready. “I will do my utmost to assist Bell-dono. Let’s begin.” The swordswoman knew they didn’t have much time as it was and didn’t want to waste a minute.

“I really like you!” Tiona declared as she readied her Urga.

“Watch it! You’re going to hit someone with that thing by mistake!” Tione chastised her twin.

-Two Days Later ~ Evening-

Bell and Tione were walking hand in hand, the two on a date to relax and enjoy themselves after days of hard training. The War Game was only a couple days away and everyone was making the most out of the time that they had left.

“So, your blacksmith friend won’t be joining us these last couple of days?” Tione wanted to clarify why Welf had told them he wouldn’t be available after today. “Any idea why?”

Bell leaned into her ear and whispered. “Welf says he wants to spend the last couple of days getting some extra firepower for insurance.”

Tione’s eyes widened. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what that meant when a Crozzo said it. Given that Welf was also the only currently living Crozzo that could make the infamous Magic Swords that his family was known for, it was rather obvious what the rest of the blacksmith’s time before the War Game was going to be spent on.

“We’re not planning to rely on them, of course.” Bell said quietly, just so their conversation wouldn’t be overheard by anyone on the semi-busy street they were walking through together. “Our plan makes the most of everything we can do ourselves. But I’ve seen what Welf’s swords can do before and there’s no way we’ll turn his offer down.”

Tione smiled at Bell approvingly. “That’s good, Bell. Magic Swords can be powerful, but your own abilities need to be enough to get you through a situation whenever a Magic Sword inevitably breaks. I’m glad you already know that.” She squeezed his hand a bit and felt her heart beat a little stronger when Bell squeezed back.

“We’re here.” Bell smiled as he stopped in front of a building.

“Huh?” Tione blinked at where they’d stopped, it was a rustic-looking building and had a lively atmosphere that could be heard from outside. “Jarun’s?” She wondered why that name sounded somewhat familiar. ‘Did I hear about it from someone else?’

Bell smiled and led her inside, the noise getting a bit louder until their ears adjusted to it. “I thought this would be a fun place.”

Tione took in the establishment, with its well-lit interior, the smell of food and booze in the air, and along the far wall were lanes with targets painted on the thick wood at the back. The laughter of the various patrons; and there were people of all kinds from Dwarves to Prums, Humans, Chienthropes, Amazons, Cat People, Bulls, Elves, Sheep, everyone was having a good time as they ate, drank and took turns challenging each other to throwing weapons down the lanes at the various targets.

“What do you think?” Bell asked Tione after she had a few moments to take in the place.

“I think you’re lying when you said you haven’t studied up on Amazon culture~” Tione said to him with a warm smile on her lips before she pulled him into a kiss. “Let’s get some food and booze, then I’ll beat you in weapon throwing!”

Bell laughed as Tione practically dragged him off to a free table.

A waitress came over to them only a few moments later with menus and both Tione and Bell ordered some ale to start. When the waitress walked towards the back to get their drinks, Bell looked at Tione and the too went over the menu together.

“The brisket sounds good.” Bell mentioned, having seen it on the beef portion of the menu.

“It does.” Tione agreed and pointed to the largest portion that the place served. “Want to get the biggest one and split it?”

Bell liked the sound of that. “Sounds good to me.”

“WOOOO!!!” A loud cheer rose up from the lanes and a Dwarf woman raised a fist into the air in victory. At the end of the lane, every single target had been hit dead center by hatchets.

At the lane next to the Dwarf woman’s, a Sheep man rubbed the back of his head. Every target, except one, had a knife dead center in it. “Good round, good round… Next drinks are on me.” He said, which made the Dwarf woman laugh and pat him on the back for being a good sport.

“So, you can choose what kind of weapon you want to throw? Nice.” Tione’s grin was wide and her green eyes nearly glowed with a competitive fire.

“Two ales!” The waitress came back with their drinks, the woman clearly in a good mood at the revelry in the establishment. “Are you two ready to order?”

“We’ll take the largest brisket to share.” Bell ordered before pointing to the menu., “The fried potatoes come with it, right?”

The waitress nodded as she wrote it down. “They do, and you can get free refills on the basket as long as you’re ordering drinks.”

Bell and Tione talked and planned out which lanes they’d try out as they waited for their food. Most had the multiple targets painted on the wall, but the furthest lanes near the far wall had hanging and even moving targets for those that had more skills with weapon throwing.

When their brisket came, along with the basket of fried potatoes, the two quickly dug in, both hungry from their day of training.

“That’s good!” Tione’s eyes widened at how tender the meat was and the smokey flavor of the slow-cooked meat.

Bell agreed with a nod, still savoring his first piece. “We had brisket back in the village on special occasions…but this one is even better.” He marveled at how well-cooked the meat was and smiled at a few of the happy childhood memories the flavor brought up.

Tione grinned at Bell and held out a fork with another slice of brisket on it. “Say ‘Aah’, Bell~”

“Aah…” Bell welcomed Tione’s offering and happily let her feed him. He quickly returned the favor with a bright smile. “Say ‘aah’…”

“Aah…” Tione was thrilled that Bell was going along with her desire to be all lovey-dovey with him. It was something that she’d thought about as she’d grown up and wanted to do whenever the day came that she found a man for herself. ‘I couldn’t have found a better man.’ Tione thought to herself as she took the meat from Bell’s fork into her mouth.

Once the brisket was gone, and most of the fried potatoes were devoured, both Tione and Bell took their drinks towards the lanes after paying for the food.

Tione set her drink on one of the smaller tables nearby and smirked at Bell. “So, which one do you want to lose on first, Bell?”

“We’ll see who loses.” Bell shot back with a grin.

They chose a basic lane first, the targets painted on the walls would be a good warmup.

Thunk

The largest target had a knife dead center a second later. Tione smirked at Bell, barely having to try to hit the bull’s eye.

“Okay… I might lose…” Bell admitted after a moment of letting Tione smirk at him.

“Heh!” Tione’s smirk became smug as Bell prepared to throw his first knife.

Thunk

Bell grinned. “Not bad.” He’d hit just at the edge of the center ring.

“But not good enough~” Tione breathed into his ear teasingly before flicking another knife down the lane.

Thunk

Another knife was dead center, this time in the second largest target.

“I’ve got this…” Bell said with some confidence, now having a bit of a feel for the weight of the throwing knives.

Thunk

-Later-

“I didn’t have it at all…” Bell shook his head slowly as Tione stood smugly, a proud grin on her lips and her hands on her hips, next to the lane with the moving targets, every single one nailed dead center with a throwing knife.

“You didn’t do bad.” Tione shrugged, making her tits bounce on purpose as she saw Bell’s eyes drop down to take in her obvious tease. “You almost tied with me on the hatchet throwing.” She had no real experience throwing hatchets, and Bell didn’t either, but years of throwing knives in the Dungeon had honed Tione’s skill and carried her to the win anyway.

Bell sighed a little before smiling at Tione. “Alright, you win.”

Tione’s grin became almost predatory. “Then I claim my prize.” She nearly stalked towards Bell before pulling him towards her and kissing him, quickly deepening it as she pushed their bodies flush together. “Let’s get out of here~” She purred into his ear after separating from his lips.

“Okay.” Bell readily agreed, especially when Tione started nibbling lightly on his ear.

Tione nearly dragged Bell out of the building and led him through the darkened streets, lit up by the street lamps now that the sun had set. Bell wondered where he was being taken until Tione stopped a while later. After a second to take in his surroundings, Bell was fairly certain they weren’t too far away from some of the clothing shops in the northern part of Orario.

“What’s this place?” Bell asked as Tione led him to a stone building with a sign that he couldn’t read.

“It’s Amazonian.” Tione teased him with a non-answer as she pulled him through the door.

An older Amazon woman, still gorgeous and sexy and wearing very revealing clothing, looked at Tione and Bell from behind the large front desk. “Bath?” She asked Tione specifically, a grin on her lips.

“Yes.” Tione nodded and put down a small stack of Valis on the counter.

The other Amazon counted it by eye and then scooped it up. “Number 6.” She tossed Tione a key while her dark honey-colored eyes looked Bell up and down. “Mmm…şanslı.” She grinned at Tione and shot a wink at Bell.

“Damn right.” Tione smirked at the older Amazon before leading Bell down the hallway next to the front desk.

Bell quickly found out what kind of an establishment this place was when Tione unlocked the door bearing the numeral for six. “A bathhouse?”

Indeed, the Amazon run facility was a bathhouse, with large tubs capable of fitting multiple people built into the stone ground and tiled floor of each room. The scent in the air was light, and yet Bell’s nose didn’t grow numb to it. If anything, it was becoming almost like a pleasant background noise to his sense of smell. The sound of the water flowing into the large tub, steam lightly wafting off the warm water, was also a constant background noise that drew Bell further into the atmosphere.

“Why’re your clothes still on, Bell~?” Tione asked with a sexy purr in her voice.

“Oh…” Bell turned and was enraptured by the sight of Tione’s naked body.

Tione beckoned him towards her as she headed for the inground tub with a sexy sway in her hips, making her ass bounce as she walked. “Come on~”

Bell didn’t remember removing his clothes, but he must’ve because he was naked when he joined Tione in the warm water. “Let me…” Bell trailed off, but his meaning was clear as he grabbed a freshly laundered washcloth from the stack that was near the edge of the bath on a raised table. He grabbed the soap next and quickly lathered the rag before Tione turned her back to him and moved her long hair out of the way, letting it fall over her right shoulder.

“Love me, Bell~” Tione encouraged him with look of love and desire in her eyes as she looked over her shoulder.

Bell didn’t need any more words as he stood behind Tione and began to wash her back, cleaning away the sweat of the day gently and covering Tione’s bronze skin in soapy suds. There was nothing but love and tenderness for Tione in all of Bell’s movements as he washed her back, then her shoulders, her arms, her sides, her stomach, her breasts, her ass, her thighs, her legs, and then her feet.

“Mmm~” Tione moaned lowly as Bell’s hands continued to run over her body. Little kisses were left behind on her skin whenever Bell rinsed her off and her heart was overflowing with her love for him. Her Amazon blood was burning in her veins, the passionate fire within only growing hotter as Bell took her into his arms and gently dipped her, soaking her long hair before lifting her back to her feet and kissing her lips. “Ahhh…” Tione sighed in bliss as Bell’s fingers massaged her scalp as he started washing her hair.

“You’re so beautiful.” Bell whispered to Tione as he slowly ran his fingers through her hair, finding any small tangles and gently loosening them until Tione’s hair was as smooth as possible. When he leaned her back again, she pulled his lips to her as he brought her back up.

Tione smiled at Bell as her hands ran over his chest and then turned him around. “Your turn.” She kissed his shoulder and began to wash his body. She scrubbed his back, then his shoulders, she ran the cloth over his sides and across his abs, taking her time to explore them with her fingers. Bell leaned back as Tione washed him, feeling her breasts pressing into his back as she washed lower and lower.

“Tione…” Bell breathed out as Tione ran her hands over his length, stroking him a few times.

“Soon.” Tione promised as she kissed his neck and then moved to wash his legs, making Bell sit on the edge of the large tub when she got to his feet.

Bell didn’t know what it was, maybe the atmosphere of this place, but Tione looked gorgeous as she finished with his feet and looked up at him with love and desire in her eyes.

Tione moved closer as she kneeled in the tub and then wrapped her tits around Bell’s hard cock. “You like my breasts, don’t you Bell~?” She asked rhetorically with a delightful purr as she moved her soft tits up and down Bell’s length. The hitch in Bell’s breath was exactly the answer that Tione wanted. “Mhmm, you’re all mine tonight~” She spoke with heat and passion pouring from every word. She opened her mouth and kissed the tip of Bell’s cock.

“Haaah…” Bell exhaled long and low as Tione’s tongue circled the head while her breasts massaged his shaft. When Tione took the head into her mouth, lightly sucking on it as her tongue continued to swirl around the tip, Bell let out a rumbling groan from deep within his chest.

Tione continued to titfuck Bell, letting him feel her soft breasts all over his cock as she teased the head, working him closer and closer to his release. Some part of her competitiveness reveled in the knowledge that of his lovers, only she and Hestia could completely bury Bell’s cock with their tits like this. “I can feel you throbbing~” Tione took her mouth off of Bell’s tip and looked up at him with eyes filled with desire. “Do it.”

Bell’s hips bucked at the intensity of Tione’s request as she was still massaging his cock with her tits finally got the better of him. “Tione!” He jerked and Tione took his head back into her mouth. “Oh, damn…you’re…” Bell saw black spots in his vision as Tione sucked and drained him, her tongue continuing to stimulate the tip the entire time.

“Pah!” Tione pulled back, her mouth full, as another shot of Bell’s seed landed on her cheek, then her breasts were covered by the final few shots as Bell’s release died down. The white seed stood out against her bronze skin rather nicely, in Tione’s opinion, and she locked eyes with Bell as she showed him her full mouth before closing it and swallowing it all, opening her mouth a moment later to show him it was all gone. “Always so much for me, Bell~”

Bell could only watch, mesmerized, as Tione hefted her tits up and licked them clean of his cum. Once her breasts were spotless, she wiped the cum from her cheek and sucked her finger clean. “Love you.” Bell said as he pulled Tione into his lap and held her close, their wet skin pressed together and Tione hummed in approval.

“Love you too.” Tione kissed Bell’s shoulder, then his neck, and then his lips. When Tione felt Bell’s cock pressing against her again, she grinned at him and reached down to line him up with her eager sex. “Sssss…mmmm~” She let out a hiss that turned into a moan as Bell’s girth stretched her once again. “Too long…” She rolled her hips, sending bolts of pleasure racing up her spine to slam into her brain. “Too long…since last time~” She moaned and kissed Bell again as his hands took hold of her ass and began to help bounce her on his lap.

The two lovers didn’t care about anything but each other after that. Bell continued to bounce Tione up and down, while Tione rolled her hips and stole his breath with her intense kisses. All either of them knew was the pleasure and the heat building between them as they chased the peak of their ecstasy together.

“Bell!” Tione threw her head back and cried out her lover’s name as she crashed over the edge.

“Tione!” Bell pulled her tight against him, his thrusts becoming short and powerful, bottoming out inside of Tione’s tight sex every time as he latched onto her neck with kissing and nibbling on her skin as he filled her to the brim with his seed.

The two held each other close, panting and trying to get their breath back as they slowly came down from their high. Their lips met the second that they’d gotten enough air and Bell stood up, stepped out of the bath, and laid Tione on the nearby bench. He know understood why it was so wide and padded, but his mind didn’t focus on that for more than a fraction of a second.

Tione looked up at him with love and desire smoldering in her eyes. “More…” She held out her arms to him and Bell leaned down to kiss her. His hands took hold of her thighs and pushed her legs upward until they were in the Mating Press position. “You’re getting hard inside of me~” Tione moaned, trying to move her hips, but unable to in her current position.

Bell didn’t make her wait long as he pulled his hips back until just the tip was left in Tione’s dripping wet heat, then he filled her completely with one powerful thrust. The slapping sound was loud in the room and was followed by Tione’s cry of ecstasy as Bell set an intense and powerful pace, as if his every instinctive desire was to give Tione a child right then and there.

“More! More! More!” Tione chanted before pulling Bell’s lips to hers and kissing him deeply, their tongues fighting for dominance before Bell made Tione orgasm and then dominated her mouth, stealing her breath away just as she’d done to him earlier.

Bell continued to fuck Tione with intense passion, the bench creaking from their coupling. The two didn’t think, only felt and experienced, as they delved deeper and deeper into their love and passion for each other. “Tione~” Bell nearly growled as he pulled his lips from Tione’s.

“Inside…” Tione panted out, her tits bouncing from the force of Bell’s thrusts. Every single one of her instincts screamed for Bell to give her his seed. “Give it to me~”

“Yes.” Bell gave Tione exactly what she wanted as he kissed her again and pressed himself into her deepest spot as he hit his peak and went crashing over the edge.

“Mmmmmm~” Tione’s blissful moan was muffled by her kiss with Bell, but her entire body shivered in ecstasy as she came to the feeling of Bell’s hot seed filling her again.

Neither of them knew when they finally came back to reality, but Bell pulled himself from Tione’s depths and watched a small stream of his thick seed spill out of her. Tione moaned lowly and looked at Bell with hazy eyes filled with warmth and affection. Without a word, Tione slowly sat up, kissed Bell’s lips, and then turned around, getting on all fours on the bench and shaking her ass teasingly at Bell.

Bell felt himself get hard almost immediately. He was behind Tione before he realized it and guided his cock into her pussy again. He took hold of her hips and Tione threw her ass back into his pelvis with a loud smack, burying him to the hilt inside of her again.

“Fuck~!” Tione cried out as she shook in pleasure.

“Tight.” Bell murmured into her ear as he pulled his hips back and then thrust forward again.

Tione moved forward a bit, her arms bracing her as she pushed back into Bell, making sure he was as deep as possible. “More, Bell~”

Bell didn’t need another invitation. He leaned over Tione’s back and wrapped his arms around her, his hands taking hold of her heavy breasts and playing with them as he picked up the pace for their third round of the night.

“Yes, mmm, yes…” Tione wantonly moaned as she threw her hips back into Bell’s powerful thrusts. The way he was playing with her tits was fanning the flames of her desire, especially when he teased her nipples and gave her bouncing tits a squeeze as if he was milking them. “Mmnnn, ah, Bell…” Her Amazon instincts longed for the day when her breasts would produce milk as she carried Bell’s child.

“Tione…” Bell breathed into her ear before kissing it, his hips never slowing in the slightest. He didn’t realize how much he needed this release until they’d started. But now he didn’t care if they ever stopped as he heard Tione moan beneath him and felt her pussy tighten up as she shook from another orgasm.

-Later-

It was an amused Amazon woman that watched Bell and Tione leave well over four hours after they’d come in. Tione had dropped the key on the desk, a blissful smile on her face, as she walked out with both of her arms wrapped around Bell’s left arm.

Suffice to say, Tione had managed to get rid of any and all pent up stress tonight. She couldn’t wait to share her date experience with Tiona and make her sister the envious one this time!

-End Chapter-

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Woo…getting steamy in here! Heh!

Welf is going to join the Hestia Familia!

Mikoto HAS joined the Hestia Familia!

The training is going well and Bell’s stats are getting absolutely ridiculous!

Welf needs the last couple of days before the War Game to make some ‘extra firepower’…I think we all know what’s about to happen.

Oh, Apollo, you have no idea what you’ve gotten your Familia into…

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!