Loki Familia Premise Chapter 9 (Patreon)

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you a new chapter! After Bell’s battle against the Strengthened Species Infant Dragon, he and Lili take a day or so off from the Dungeon. Bell has somethings to look over and make some decisions on. Meanwhile, Ais is still feeling all sorts of emotions and is having inner turmoil. But the group of Finn, Riveria, Tione, Tiona, Lefiya, and Ais head back into the Dungeon to finish making money to pay off debts. After seeing Bell near death, will Ais push herself to be stronger even at the risk of her life?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 9 – Tumultuous Winds Bring Change

Bell looked over the various materials before him: white scales, equally white hide, a few large fangs, and a couple of large claws. “All of this is for me?” He asked, nearly dumbfounded.

“You slayed the White Infant Dragon, so it’s Drop Items are yours, Snow Bunny!” Loki smiled brightly at Bell as he kept looking over the materials. “Strengthened Species often leave a Drop Item behind, and sometimes they leave multiple like this. No one is sure why, but the going theory is that because they’re stronger than normal, more of the parts that can become Drop Items are able to survive the destruction of the Monster.”

“Shouldn’t Lili get some of this too?” Bell looked at Loki curiously. “She helped me out and everything. I don’t think I’d have been able to take it down without her there.”

Loki laughed a bit, knowing that Bell would say something like this. “I figured you’d say that; so, I called Lili Bean here earlier!” She pulled open the door to the room right as the first knock was heard.

Lili blinked at the door swinging open suddenly. “H-Hello…” She looked at Loki and then Bell. “You asked Lili to come here after breakfast, Goddess?”

“Yep!” Loki grinned at Lili. “Bell says you earned some of the Drop Items from the White Infant Dragon, so take your pick, Lili Bean!” She motioned towards the materials laid out on the large table.

“B-But Lili didn’t really do anything to the irregular monster…” Lili said with a shake of her head.

Bell disagreed with a smile. “I wouldn’t have been able to defeat the White Infant Dragon without your help, Lili. You poisoned it and took out one of its eyes, saving me from a direct blast of its fire breath. You did way more than you think, Lili; and you definitely earned your share of the Drop Items.”

Lili felt her cheeks heat up a bit at the praise for her actions in the fight against the irregular Infant Dragon. She’d gotten used to being treated well since being in the Loki Familia, sure, but genuine praise like this had been absent most of her life…so, hearing it from others always made Lili get a little flustered. “Thank you very much, Bell.” She gave Bell a bright smile and walked over to look at the gathered Drop Items.

Loki watched Bell and Lili look over the various materials with a warm smile. She’d never get tired of seeing her Familia happy like this; there was just something about it that was a joy like no other.

“Hmm… The claws are a good size for a Prum…” Lili hummed as she picked up one of the few large claws and measured it against her forearm. Taking hold of the base of the claw, Lili got a feel for the weight of it before picking up a second one with her free hand. “They’re not too heavy either.” Lili looked at Bell with a smile as she held up the two claws. “Lili will take these two and some of the hide, if that’s alright, Bell?”

“Half the hide and the two claws then.” Bell said, splitting the white hide with Lili evenly without a second of hesitation.

Lili blinked in surprise. “H-Half?! Lili said ‘some’!”

Bell waved it off as no big deal. “There’s plenty, Lili, you earned it.”

“Thank you, Bell.” Lili gave Bell a bright, cheery smile that made her warm brown eyes nearly glow.

With the agreement made, Lili took half of the white hide and both of the large claws for herself. That left Bell with the white scales, the other half of the white hide, and the large fangs.

“Now we just need to decide what to use these materials for.” Bell said, mostly to himself, as he picked up one of the large fangs. “Could I use these for a new sword?” He asked Loki as he turned to look at his Goddess.

Loki nodded with a grin. “Sure can, Snow Bunny! I’d recommend either Hephaestus Familia or Goibniu Familia for a personal commission.”

Lili clearly had her own ideas as she held up her half of the white hide to her body to check its full length and width. “Lili could make a new cloak…this is dragonhide, so it should be strong.”

“These scales are strong already too.” Bell said as he picked up one of the thick white scales. “I wonder how much it would cost to make another set of armor with them?”

“You can use our Familia name for a loan if you need to.” Loki gave Lili and bell a warm smile. “Since Finn and Riveria’s group headed back into the Dungeon to earn enough to pay off current debts, we don’t have to worry about being I the red.”

“Thank you, Goddess.” Bell and Lili bowed to Loki simultaneously before glancing at each other and breaking up into laughter.

Loki waved her generosity off with a little laugh. “No worries, I can’t be too stingy with getting my newest Level 2’s all kitted up again, right?”

Bell looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking again. “How long do you think the others will be gone?”

“Hmm, they said they were going to go to the Deep Floors to make all the money they need. So, I’d say around a week, give or take a day?” Loki said after a moment to estimate how long it would take the Party to get that far in the Dungeon, hunt and collect material, and then make it back to the surface.

“We might have our new gear by the time they return then.” Lili mentioned as she rolled the length of time around in her head for a moment.

Bell looked over the fangs and scales again. “We could show them our gear when everyone gets back then.” He smiled at the thought of how Tione, Ais, Tiona, and Lefiya would react to his new gear.

-Dungeon ~ Floor Twenty-

“ROOOAAARRR!!!” Several Bugbears roared to as they charged towards the Party from Loki Familia.

In a blur of white, blue, and gold all of them were hacked to pieces.

Ais landed behind the slaughtered group of Monsters and flicked Desperate to the side, cleaning it of blood. Her mood had been off since the Party had returned to the Dungeon. She rarely spoke and every time that Monsters appeared, Ais was the first to attack.

“You’re taking most of the fun, Ais!” Tiona said as she jogged over to Ais with Urga in her right hand. “Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked with concern, seeing the slow, but steady, change in Ais’s mood.

“I’m alright.” Ais said as she sheathed her sword.

Tiona knew that Ais wasn’t ‘okay’, but she also knew that Ais wasn’t likely to explain what she was thinking.

Lefiya helped Rakta (a green-haired Hume Bunny young woman of their Familia) harvest the Magic Stones and any Drop Items that were left behind. She occasionally gave worried glances to Ais as she too noticed the drop in her idol’s mood the deeper they went into the Dungeon. “Miss Ais…” Lefiya mumbled out as she saw Ais standing a bit away from the rest of the group, her hand still on the hilt of her sword as she stood guard.

“Ais is acting strange.” Tione mentioned to Riveria and Finn as she was closest to the leaders of the Party.

Riveria agreed, her jade eyes looking at Ais’s back. “Yes, she’s become withdrawn since we entered the Dungeon. I believe it got noticeably worse when we passed through Rivira earlier.”

“I don’t want to make assumptions; however, I believe it most likely as to do with that red-haired Tamer woman that escaped after the attack on Rivira.” Finn said as he looked between Ais, Tiona, Lefiya, Rakta, and then to Riveria and Tione. “If her mood deteriorates to the point of becoming a potential hazard to the Party, then we’ll end our trip early and return to the surface.”

Both Riveria and Tione nodded at Finn’s decision. As Captain of the Familia, his word was second only to Loki’s, and he more than earned the trust and respect of every single member of the Loki Familia. Everyone would follow his plans, especially while in the Dungeon.

-Hephaestus Familia Workshop ~ Next Day-

Bell wasn’t expecting to receive such a professional welcome when he’d requested a consultation for a commission. It turned out that being from Loki Familia had quite a few secondary perks for an Adventurer. “I’d like a new sword forged from these fangs, and new armor made from these fangs.” Bell said as he pulled the materials from the bag that he’d brought with him and laid them on the table between him and one of the Hephaestus Familia’s blacksmiths.

“Hmm…” The older man picked up one of the fangs and examined it with experienced eyes. “Dragon fangs? They’re bigger than an Infant Dragon’s…but not quite the size of a Green Dragon’s.” He looked up at Bell curiously. “What did you get these from?”

Bell briefly explained the situation with the strengthened species Infant Dragon and the Drop Items that had been left behind.

The blacksmith’s eyes widened as he looked over the materials again. “Materials from a strengthened species, eh? That’s rare.” He’d have to let Tsubaki Collbrande, the Captain of Hephaestus Familia, know about this commission. ‘Since he’s coming to the Familia, and not a specific Smith, the commission goes to Tsubaki first and if she passes on it, then it goes to the High Smiths.’ As the largest, and considered by many to be the best, Blacksmithing Familia in the world, they had a hierarchy structure that helped commissions reach blacksmiths of the proper skill level to help them grow and develop their art. “You said a new sword and new armor? We can definitely handle that for you.” The blacksmith nodded to Bell with a polite smile. “Since you’re providing the base materials, aside from whichever metals will be used to make the sword and armor, the price will reflect that.”

“I see.” Bell was pleased to hear that the price would be adjusted and a bit cheaper since he’d brought the rare materials. “Would it be possible to request specific features for the commission?”

“Of course, of course!” The blacksmith nodded with a chuckle. “I’d be more surprised if you didn’t.” He pulled out a binder and opened it up before spinning it around for Bell to look at. “This is the catalogue of services our Familia can provide for weapons and armor.”

Bell looked at the binder and was practically bombarded by terms he was only vaguely familiar with: Attributes, various weapon styles and types, materials, armor styles, shield types, and more.

“I’m sure you have questions, fell free to ask about any or all of them.” The blacksmith offered his vast knowledge to Bell as a customer. “For example, if you’re planning to cast magic through your new sword, adding Mithril to the alloy will significantly increase the blade’s magic conductivity.”

Bell didn’t realize just how long putting in his commission would take, but was grateful for the Hephaestus Familia’s thorough process as he learned quite a bit about various terms and what he wanted in his new equipment.

-Dungeon ~ Floor Thirty-Seven ~ Five Days Later-

In the area of the Dungeon known as the ‘White Palace’, a whirling gale of green-ish wind was tearing through a large horde of Barbarians, which were large, hulking Monsters covered in thick fur along their backs and arms, with horns on their heads that looked vaguely like Minotaur horns.

‘Not enough…’ Ais thought as she cleaved another Barbarian in two. A flash of her sword lopped off the head of another a split-second later. ‘Not enough…!’ Three more Barbarians touched Ais’s wind and were sliced into bloodied chunks. ‘Not nearly enough!’

“Hasn’t Ais been a little scary since Rivira?” Tione asked Tiona as the entire Party fought the large horde of Barbarians. It was a subtle probing question to see if her sister had also noticed the ever worsening of Ais’s mood. “Just watching her is giving me chills. Was that Tamer woman really that strong?”

Tiona shrugged once. “Hmm, I dunno… But I’m gonna go back her up!” She rushed off, ignoring the Barbarian charging at her and Tione with a large landform club held high over its head.

“Take care of the ones around us first, will you?!” Tione leapt upward and slammed a powerful kick into the charging Barbarian’s face, crushing it and killing the large Monster instantly.

‘Miss Ais…’ Lefiya looked worriedly at Ais from the back line with Riveria, both Mages watching over the battlefield and readying their spells to wipe out large numbers of Monsters, if necessary.

The Barbarian horde was wiped out without needing Riveria or Lefiya to cast a single spell, mostly by Ais.

“Alright, let’s collect as much Adamantite as we can!” Finn called out to the Party as he eyed the visible veins of the special Dungeon material throughout the nearby walls.

Rakta set down her large backpack, playing Supporter for this trip, and quickly pulled out a couple of pickaxes. Only a short time later and the sound of stone breaking and metal ore falling to the ground filled the air.

“What a surprise! Break a few walls and all that Adamantite pops out!” Tiona cheered as she was making quite a pile of the incredibly strong material.

“That much Adamantite alone should be worth a great deal of money.” Lefiya said as she saw how much material was being collected.

Tiona had a bright smile on her face that reminded Lefiya of sunshine. “For sure! Enough to put a huge dent in Urga’s bill!”

Finn and Riveria scanned the area again as the Adamantite collection was wrapping up.

“There’s been no sign of any of those strange Flower Monsters.” Finn said quietly to his vice-captain.

“They seem to have vanished along with the red-haired Tamer.” Riveria agreed as she listened for the sound of approaching Monsters or the telltale cracking of the Dungeon walls. “I don’t think we’ll find them on this trip.”

Finn nodded as not a single trace of the odd Flower Monsters or the Tamer that controlled them had been found as they’d made their way all the way into the Deep Floors. “We’re also at half of our prepared supplies, so we’ll need to turn back anyway.” With a plan made both Captain and Vice-Captain gave each other a nod before glancing over at Ais, who was sitting against one of the torn up walls with her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped under her legs.

Tiona plopped down next to Ais with her usual bright smile and warm personality. “Ais, you sure you don’t want a snack while we have a break? I’ve still got a bit left if you want it.” She offered with a hopeful smile, wanting to improve Ais’s mood.

“Thanks, Tiona…” Ais said quietly, her eyes not leaving the spot of floor that she was looking at. “…but I’m fine.”

Finna rubbed the back of his head, seeing even Tiona not being able to get through to Ais. “Riveria, has Ais said anything? Losing one fight shouldn’t make anyone this depressed.”

“I have not.” Riveria said simply. “She only says, ‘It’s nothing’ and not a word more.” It worried her, but there wasn’t much they could do while so deep in the Dungeon.

“I see…” Finn sighed. “Seems like there’s no point in pursuing this now.”

Lefiya approached Finn and Riveria with clear nervousness and worry. “Captain Finn, Lady Riveria… Is Miss Ais alright?”

Riveria looked at Lefiya with one eye and instantly worked to try and mitigate some of her student’s concern. “Usually, Ais acts in this manner when she’s hungry… Since she hasn’t eaten, be prepared to feed her should she display the desire. That may put her at ease.”

Lefiya’s cheeks turned pink and she almost flinched at Riveria’s words. “What?! I… F-feed her…? I couldn’t!” In her mind a daydream of Ais asking Lefiya to feed her played, complete with Ais opening her mouth to say ‘Ahhh’. “I…will do my best!” Lefiya saluted, her face bright red. “My heart will be prepared for that moment!”

Riveria was visibly confused by Lefiya’s sudden salute and raised voice. “Good?”

Ais had lowered her head to rest against her knees. Her mind was once more going over the fight that she’d had with the redheaded Tamer. It continuously played in her mind ever since the Party had passed through the rebuilding Rivira a couple of days ago for supplies. ‘That redheaded Tamer… She was strong… So very strong.’ Her golden eyes narrowed. ‘She knew ‘Aria’…!’ Ais brought up the most important point in her mind. ‘And I might have found out how if only I were stronger…! If only…!’

“Hey, Ais?” Tiona tried to get her friend’s attention. “Ais? Are you listening?”

“…Huh?” Ais raised her head to look at Tiona.

“I was saying that we’ve already took out most of the Monsters around here and picked up a ton of loot, don’t you think?”

Ais considered what they’d done in the last few hours. “…maybe?”

“We’ve probably got a good thirty million Valis if we took everything back up top to sell, right?” Tiona said before calling out to Lefiya. “Lefiya, how much will we make from IOU’s?”

Lefiya flinched, pulled from her daydream of feeding Ais, and quickly reached into the bag she carried with her. “Just a moment, um…” She pulled out multiple papers, each one an IOU from an Adventurer in Rivira that had made a request of the Loki Familia Party for items from the Deep Floors. “Combining everything we got from Rivira, we should have close to ten million Valis.”

Tiona smiled brightly at Ais. “Yep! See, Ais? Don’t ya think it’s about time we head home? Yeah?”

“…” Ais couldn’t answer right away. The loud noise of a huge horde of skeleton Monsters known as Spartoi got the entire Party’s attention. Before anyone else reacted, Ais had shot from her position and unsheathed Desperate in the same movement.

“Come ooon! Take a hint!” Tiona exclaimed as Ais had already reached the Spartoi horde.

“Well… There are Monsters…” Lefiya said with a small sigh, also wishing that Ais’s mood would improve and they could return to the surface.

‘That’s right… I came to pay off the rapier I broke…’ Ais thought as she shattered dozens of Spartoi with a swing of her sword wreathed in her wind. ‘And to get stronger…like Bell has…’ Her mind filled with Bell’s face, his warm rubellite eyes, the smile that made her heart speed up, how kind Bell was… ‘But… Right now… I don’t want him to see me.’ Ais thought as she destroyed several more of the skeleton horde, her golden eyes morose. ‘Bell seeing me as I am now…is scary.’ She shattered three more Spartoi, their bone weapons unable to even slow down Desperate as she swung it through the Monsters. ‘He’s like a nostalgic wind… Like distant memories that I want to keep pure.’ Her eyes widened slightly as she made that realization. ‘Precious memories.’

She recalled her mother in that moment as so many feelings swirled inside of her. Far more than she was used to dealing with at once.

‘My mother, my ‘wind’…’ Ais could see her mother’s gentle smile in her mind. ‘She was like the wind. A gentle wind that could make anyone smile. I wanted to be just like you.’ She saw her mother turn and begin walking away. ‘Wait… Don’t go…! Don’t leave me behind!’ Ais cried out in her mind, seeing her mother and father standing together. Before she could reach her parents, a stone wall grew high between them, turning into the familiar wall of the Dungeon. ‘Don’t leave me…all alone.’ Ais had returned to her childhood, only a little girl in her mind’s eye. The much younger Ais reached upwards as much as possible, unable to come close to the unseen top of the wall. ‘I can’t reach. Even with hundreds… Thousands… Millions of slain Monsters beneath me.’ She thought, the image of millions of Spartoi skulls piled up beneath her feet. ‘Defeating all those powerful Monsters during the expedition and my Status only improved by sixteen points. Three years at Level 5. This is my limit… My wish…’ Her small hand became her adult hand in her thoughts. ‘Will never come true.’ Ais’s head dropped in her turmoiled mind. ‘I can’t become strong.’ She screamed within her head. ‘I’m weak.’

In the real world, however, Ais stood amid the destroyed horde of Spartoi, a massive field of shattered and broken bones surrounding her.

“…took them all down herself…” Tiona uttered out in surprise; as before any of the Party could jump in to help, Ais had already finished off the large horde.

Rakta and Lefiya jogged forward to start collecting the Magic Stones, but Lefiya stopped as she and Ais passed by each other.

“Miss Ais, wonderful work.” Lefiya praised, even though she was clearly worried by the look she saw in Ais’s golden gaze.

“Thanks… Please take care of the rest, Lefiya.” Ais requested softly as she headed straight towards Finn and Riveria. “Captain… Riveria… I have a request…” Seeing that she had their full attention, Ais continued. “I want to stay behind. Alone.” Her eyes weren’t really looking at either Riveria or Finn as her gaze slowly dropped down towards the ground. “I don’t need any rations. I don’t want to cause problems for anyone.” Ais took a breath. “…I beg you.”

“W-Wait! Ais, we can’t leave you down her by yourself!” Tiona denied after hearing what Ais wanted.

Tione agreed strongly with her sister. “Agreed. No matter how weak these Monsters are, it’s too dangerous!”

Seeing Ais’s gaze on the floor and her shoulders beginning to sag, Riveria stepped in. “Finn, I ask as well. Please honor Ais’s request.”

“Riveria?!” Tione and Tiona both exclaimed at the same time.

Ais’s head shot upwards as she looked towards Riveria, not having expected her support with the selfish request.

“Hmm?” Finn looked at Riveria curiously.

“She hardly ever makes a selfish request. Please consider it.” Riveria requested of Finn.

Finn rested his spear against his shoulder. “Asking with the air of a parent won’t sway me, Riveria. Not so long as this Party’s well-being is my responsibility.

Riveria was silent for a short moment before speaking again. “I shall remain as well.”

“All right. I’ll allow it.” Finn said with a nonchalant shrug.

Everyone else in the Party looked shocked at Finn’s sudden agreement.

“What?! Fiiinn! Talk some sense into her!” Tiona said with an almost childish whine in her voice.

“Even if Riveria’s with her, we shouldn’t just leave them down here alone, Captain!” Tione pointed out with her arms crossed over her chest.

Finn smiled at both Amazons placatingly. “As long as Riveria is with her, we won’t have to worry. I’m more worried about the rest of us, to tell the truth.” They were leaving Riveria, their only healer and the most powerful Mage in Orario behind, after all.

“Huh? You’re staying behind, Miss Ais?” Lefiya asked in surprised as she and Rakta returned to the group form harvesting all of the destroyed Spartoi.

“Yes… Sorry for being selfish…” Ais apologized softly.

Lefiya looked uncertain for a moment before steeling herself. “…I-I shall stay behind as well! I promise I will not hold you back! Please allow me to be your Supporter!”

“Ah! Then I wanna stay too!” Tiona declared, raising her Urga into the air with a bright smile on her face.

Tione had to be the one to burst their bubble. “We don’t have enough supplies for that. We can split what left we have for two people, but not four.”

“Awwww…” Lefiya and Tiona pouted at the reality.

Away from the rest of the Party, Finn looked at Riveria again. “So, what’s the real reason? You don’t think I’d take that request at face value, do you?”

“Even if we were to stop her, we would only delay the inevitable.” Riveria said simply, knowing that Ais wasn’t going to stop trying to get stronger. “No matter what actions we take, something is bound to happen. I would much rather have her explode under my supervision.”

“I get it.” Finn held his chin between his index finger and thumb with his eyes closed. “Almost didn’t recognize you there.” He smirked at Riveria, seeing a hint of pink on the High Elf’s cheeks at being called out as a ‘parent’. “I doubt that Tamer will show up, but please be careful. I’ll leave all of the remaining Mind Potions with you.” Finn said to Riveria with seriousness. “You’re the one who agreed with her. You’re just as responsible for what happens as she is.”

Riveria closed her eyes and nodded once. “I am aware. And my apologies…thank you.”

A short time later the Party was splitting with Finn, Tione, Tiona, Lefiya, and Rakta heading back to the surface, while Ais and Riveria remained on the Floor Thirty-Seven.

“Tiona! We’re going!” Tione called out to her sister who was still standing with Ais.

“Welp, I’ll be going.” Tiona gave Ais a small smile.

Ais looked down a bit. “Yes. …um…sorry.”

Tiona lightly flicked Ais’s forehead, making the blonde blink in surprise. “Okay! Now we’re even.” She smiled at Ais, giving her a smile and a wink. “I’ll be waiting for you up top!”

Ais felt her cheeks turn pink as Tiona turned and jogged after the rest of the Party. It took her a moment to pull herself together and turn to face Riveria. “…thank you, Riveria.” Seeing Riveria looking at her flatly, Ais felt like she had to apologize again. “…sorry.”

“I would prefer you not make a habit out of this, but what is done is done.” Riveria smiled at Ais softly. “However, I will complain if I’m forced to do too much.” She lightly joked, closing one eye in a playful wink.

The two only had to walk for a short time before a howl echoed throughout the vast area of Floor Thirty-Seven.

“It’s here.” Ais said suddenly, right before the ground began to tremble and shake.

Looming white walls that stood five-stories tall in seemingly endless circular hallways larger and wider than any Floor before it, large enough to rival Orario itself. It had been called ‘daunting’ and ‘demon’s gate’, by those that had passed through this Floor to reach the Deep Floors below.

With a thundering rumble, a massive black stone rose up from the floor, larger than most buildings within Orario. With a loud crack, eight sharp points broke through from the middle of the stone. A large crack split the massive black stone in two as a massive Monster broke free with the crashing and shattering of the rock.

The Monster was a towering black skeleton with large demonic horns and sharp spikes protruding from its shoulders and parts of its arms. Its eye sockets burned with a baleful red glow; its joints were connected with red orbs that glowed with the massive magical power that the enormous Magic Stone visible within its ribcage provided. Below the spine and pelvis were not legs, the titanic Monster seemingly grew from the Dungeon floor directly.

This was the Level Six Monster Rex, known as the White Palace’s Black Skeleton King: Udaeus.

“So, it’s already been three months.” Riveria said to herself as she saw the familiar Monster Rex again.

Unlike normal Monsters, the Floor Bosses or Monster Rexes revived a set time after being slain. In the case of Udaeus, it took three months for the Boss to return. The last group to slay Udaeus was, in fact, the Loki Familia on a previous expedition. But that had been with their full power expedition Party.

“Riveria, don’t help me.” Ais requested as she unsheathed Desperate and held her sword at the ready. “I’ll do this alone.”

‘Ais’s intention is…!” Riveria realized what Ais was pushing herself towards.

“Awaken, Tempest!” Ais chanted and her wind spiraled around her powerfully. In the next blink of the eye, Ais was already halfway towards Udaeus.

Riveria now understood what Ais’s plan was. ‘Ais has plateaued as a Level 5 Adventurer… To obtain the greater strength that she seeks, she must Level Up and grow her ‘container’… She’s throwing her own safety aside to achieve a Grand Feat right now against Udaeus instead of repeatedly taking down stronger opponents in a group.’ Riveria narrowed her jade eyes at the blur that was Ais. ‘This behavior echoes of your younger days…Ais. A reckless pursuit of strength spanning a single year and allowing you to Level Up at only eight-years-old.’

Ais increased her speed even further as Udaeus’s left hand came swinging at her in a wide swipe, looking to slap her aside like an annoying insect. ‘Udaeus… An enemy that’s far stronger than I am!’ She dodged the swipe and rocketed straight towards Udaeus’s ribcage. ‘Defeat an invincible opponent, make the impossible possible!’ She targeted the glowing, dark purple Magic Stone and lunged for it. ‘An undeniable Grand Feat!’

Clang

The sound of Desperate hitting the black bones sounded like metal on metal.

Udaeus had easily shifted enough to protect its Magic Stone from the incredibly fast strike.

“Keh…” Ais looked at where her attack had landed. ‘Nevermind the Magic Stone, Ariel couldn’t even leave a mark on the bones surrounding it!’ She looked down to where she was going to land on the floor, only to see it crack and massive black spikes shoot upwards to impale her. Ais’s wind swirled around her, allowing her to alter her course to dodge the sharp spike as they rose higher and higher. ‘Udaeus’s pikes!’ She’d seen this power multiple times as she landed deftly on the ground farther away and took of quickly as more and more of the black spikes shot upwards from the ground, looking to skewer her. The line of spikes forced Ais to move further and further away from the Monster Rex.

Udaeus did not have legs, instead the portion of its body that was underground spread out like roots. This structure allowed it to continuously summon these ‘pikes’ anywhere within its range.

But that wasn’t Udaeus’s only trick.

Bam

Udaeus slammed its hand onto the ground and in the wide space between itself and Ais, the ground broke as hundreds of Spartoi rose up from the ground as a small army. The Level Four Monsters were an endless army that the ‘king’ called forth to overwhelm enemies. It was another reason that a full Battle Party of at least thirty Adventurers of Level 3 and higher all working together to overcome.

But now all of that force was aimed solely at Ais.

Ais sliced through the large numbers of Spartoi like their bones were no more than paper. The bone weapons shattered against the swirling wind around Ais as she tore through the numbers.

Riveria shattered the skull of a few Spartoi that came her way with her staff, all the while watching Ais carefully in case she needed to step in. ‘What is pushing you to this extreme, Ais?’

Ais shot to the left to avoid Udaeus’s large hand slamming down where she’d been not even a second ago. The stone floor shattered like it was spun sugar, turning the floor into noting more than large chunks of gravel. The Spartoi caught up in the attack were naught more than bone fragments now.

‘Not enough! This level of wind can’t…’ Ais thought as her wind swirled around her legs and she blasted forward. ‘I need more… More than back then!’ She thought of her fight against the red-haired Tamer. ‘More.’ She poured more Mind into her enchantment. “Wind!” Her wind howled and her speed briefly doubled. ‘More strength!’ She yelled in her mind as she swung Desperate and crashed into Udaeus’s spine from behind, staggering the massive Monster Rex.

Udaeus fell forward, barley catching itself with its hands, shattering the ground it fell upon regardless.

Ais shot straight upward in a spiraling gale. She raised her sword high and aimed its point directly at her next target. ‘More speed!’ She rocketed downward faster than most would be able to follow. Just as Desperate stabbed into the glowing red shoulder joint of Udaeus’s right arm, Ais poured her Mind into Ariel even further. “Rage, Tempest!”

BOOM

WOOSH

The red glowing orb exploded in a blast of wind that rushed across the battlefield, staggering many of the Spartoi and launching Udaeus’s right arm through the air to crush even more of its minions.

“Such power…” Riveria had not seen this level of power from Ais before. But as the best Mage in Orario, her sharp eyes could already tell that Ais was going above what her body could handle.

A wave of the black ‘pikes’ shot upwards from the ground, forcing Ais to block a few of them and then escape the ever expanding wave of death with her wind.

With distance made, Udaeus did something that neither Riveria nor Ais had ever seen before. A towering black sword rose up from ground with a rumble. It was a pitch-black sword with a wavy blade and a wide cross guard. Udaeus reached out and took hold of the hilt of the sword with its remaining left hand.

‘Udaeus… With a sword?! I’ve never heard of that before…’

Udaeus raised its arm high, the red orbs in each joint (shoulder, elbow, and wrist) all glowed brightly as the sword was raised to the limit of the Monster Rex’s reach.

Ais shivered, feeling the intense magical power within Udaeus and its massive black sword. ‘Ariel, full power!’ The green-ish wind blasted behind Ais making her nothing more than a blur…heading away from Udaeus. ‘Full-power escape!’

Udaeus brought its sword down in a wide slashing arc with murderous intent, unleashing a devastating force comparable to Riveria’s powerful special, if not greater. Ais was hit by the shockwave of the attack, barely having managed to get out of range of the actual attack in time.

Riveria braced herself against the same shockwave, even from the distance between her and the area that the sword swing had destroyed the High Elf was nearly staggered. Ais crashed down onto the rocky ground several meters in front of Riveria.

“Koff…” Ais hacked out a ragged breath from the damage she’d taken. ‘That wasn’t…even…a direct hit…’ She thought to herself as she felt the pain wracking her body.

“Ais!” Riveria ran towards the downed young woman, only to stop as her eyes widened at what she saw before them. “What…is this?”

The land in front of Udaeus was a scarred wasteland. Everything that had been in that wide area had simply vanished.

“The pikes, countless Spartoi, Ais’s wind… All gone in a single swing?” Riveria had never seen such power from Udaeus before.

Udaeus’s red glowing eyes sockets seemed to burn as the red light intensified even further. A desire for death and slaughter was the feeling that Riveria and Ais got from the towering black skeleton. A murderous intent that only a Monster Rex could exude and one that made countless adventurers flee from them over the centuries. Udaeus stabbed the tip of its black sword into the destroyed ground. The blade vibrated and pulsed with magical energy as it poured power into the stone below.

The King has no kin.

The King has no compassion.

Cannot be conquered…

Cannot be dominated…

Trampled…

Crushed…

…or killed in anyway.

Hundreds of Spartoi tore their way from the stone floor by the dozens, quickly reforming the massive horde that had been wiped out by the battle so far. The white bones marched forward, weapons in hand, as they sought to kill the Adventurers before them.

Feel the awe and tremble.

The King is here.

The King is here.

The Tyrant King is here!

The massive army of undead rattled and raised their weapons in time with Udaeus pulling its sword from the ground.

“You!” Riveria aimed her staff at the oncoming wave of skeletons, preparing to wipe them out in one powerful spell.

“Riveria!” Ais yelled out as she got to her feet. “Stay out of this!”

“Don’t be a fool!” Riveria shot back immediately. “Engaging alone at close range is far too reckless! Am I supposed to just watch you die?!”

“Please!” Ais begged as she aimed her sword at the oncoming horde.

Riveria clenched her teeth, but stepped back.

Ais forced her legs to steady, even as pain radiated from her body. ‘That massive attack needs time to charge…’ She took hold of Desperate with both hands. ‘If I can close the distance… As fast as possible…and take its left arm…’ Ais raised her sword, aiming the tip of the blade at Udaeus, behind the charging horde of Spartoi. “Awaken, Tempest!” Her wind swirled around her at full power again. ‘…I can win.’ Ais blasted forward, wrapping her wind around her while pouring more and more Mind into her spell. The wind spiraled into a howling force of incredible speed as she shot straight at the Spartoi and Udaeus behind them. ‘Ariel!!!’

The Spartoi were shredded into bone chips before they even got close to Ais. The powerful wind surrounding her like a titanic drill was far beyond what the Level Four Monsters could hope to withstand. The space between Ais and Udaeus vanished in mere seconds, even as the waves of Spartoi acted like a wall to slow Ais down. The huge black spikes that tore through the ground and Spartoi alike tried to pierce the howling wind surrounding Ais to little success, the shattered fragments becoming shrapnel and leaving weeping cuts along Ais’s body.

‘I’m weak. Still weak.’ Ais thought as she grit her teeth through the pain. ‘How could I allow that?! Why could I accept such weakness?! When did I lose my edge?!’ She questioned herself as blood flew from her body. ‘When did I let my one true desire become a memory?!’

Udaeus had raised its arm again, preparing to unleash the devastating attack again. The red orb in the shoulder joint glowed fiercely and then the one in the elbow joint followed.

‘Faster!’ Ais pushed herself and her magic even harder as she finally broke through the Spartoi and black spikes.

The red orb of Udaeus’s wrist joint flared with red light form the intense magical energy pouring through it.

Ais aimed straight for Udaeus’s shoulder joint, closing in at high-speed.

Only for her spell to falter and her body to feel like it was breaking as pain crashed into her mind. It felt like her bones were cracking all across her body as her speed dropped and she flew through the air without control.

‘Backlash?!’ Ais realized what was happening, having experienced it before. ‘I’ve used Ariel at full power for too long… My body couldn’t handle it…’

The murderous intent from Udaeus broke through the pain trying to fog her mind. Ais tried to force her body to turn and watched as the massive sword, vibrating from the sheer amount of magical energy within, came down on her.

In Orario, most Adventurers’ stories ended at Level 1. For those that put their lives on the line and achieved Grand Feats, they were rewarded with a Level Up.

On the other hand, the only thing waiting for those who fail is a permanent, irreversible reality called ‘Death’.

The towering black sword came down on Ais.

“AIS!!!” Riveria screamed out as blood flew through the air along with Ais’s breastplate that had been cleanly split in two.

BOOM

The area exploded from the force of Udaeus’s attack, filling the air with thick dust as all of the remaining Spartoi were reduced to dust once more.

It was a short time later that Ais, still clinging to consciousness, tried to move…only to fail. ‘I want to be strong.’ Udaeus had gone still, having used so much power that even the great black skeleton needed a moment to recover. ‘I want to be stronger more than anything.’ She felt the blood she was lying in as her newest wound bled severely. ‘But I… I can’t…get any stronger.’

Ais was laid out on the ground, a puddle of blood slowly forming beneath her. Desperate was sticking out of the destroyed ground at an angle in front of Ais’s injured body.

Udaeus moved slightly, slowly, and a few Spartoi began to emerge from the ground.

‘I can’t…move.’ Ais thought to herself, feeling blood running down her face. ‘No…! I have to stand…’ She saw the Spartoi approaching her with their bone weapons in hand, while Udaeus began to move a bit faster, regaining its mobility as she lay their unmoving. ‘Not here… I…’

“You’re weak, Aria.” The redheaded Tamer said, seemingly appearing from nowhere.

“Why are…you here?” Ais questioned, noticing that Udaeus and the Spartoi had vanished.

The redheaded Tamer only spared a brief glance at Ais. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to kill your friends, because you’re not strong enough to protect them.”

Ais felt her heart go cold in her chest. “Wh-Why…?”

“Because you are ‘weak’.” The Tamer said uncaringly. “Face always in the dirt… You couldn’t even stop my finger…”

“Stop…” Ais reached out for the other woman desperately. All of her insecurities about her strength and lack of growth were being dragged out and attacked. She forced herself to crawl, dragging her beaten and broken body closer to the Tamer woman.

The redhead stared down at the barely moving Ais. “Pathetic… What can you do from down there? After losing to me like that.”

Ais could barely look up at the redhead. “I…”

“..can’t win.” Her own voice came from behind her.

Ais was shocked and her eyes widened as she turned her head to look over her shoulder.

Multiple versions of her were slowly crawling over her, reaching out to take hold of her battered body. All while saying thoughts and feelings that Ais had desperately tried to purge form herself for years.

“It’s…impossible.”

“The pain.”

“I’m scared.”

“I want to run away…”

‘These are…’ Ais tried to move away from the grasping hands. ‘…me?’

“I don’t want to die.”

“I’ll never get what I really want.”

“It’s too much.”

“Somebody, save me…”

‘No… I’m getting pulled in…’ Ais thought as the other forms of herself began to cover her. She recalled her promise with Lefiya, to always protect her friend. ‘Only the strong can say that… I have to get rid of…the weak me… Get rid of everything.’

“Ais.” Bell’s warm voice filled Ais’s mind.

The words of the other Ais’s quieted down.

“Miss Ais.” Lefiya’s bright voice called out to her.

“Ais!” Tiona’s bubbly voice cheered.

“Ais.” Tione’s reassuring voice followed.

Ais felt warmth spread through her chest, right from her heart.

“Your weakness will kill your friends.” The redheaded Tamer said, readying a sword that she suddenly had in her hand.

“You’re amazing, Ais.” Bell’s kind voice brought back the memory of sparring with Bell at the Twilight Manor. All the times she’d helped Bell train, helping him learn to control his enchantment magic, just spending time with him. The ugly black flame that had grown into a roaring blaze within her flickered and died down significantly. In the next instant, Ais had forced herself upward and grabbed the sword in the red-haired Tamer’s hand, uncaring of the cut it caused her.

“I refuse…to get rid of them!” Ais glared up at the Tamer and grabbed Desperate, slashing through the image of the Tamer and all of the copies of her. “I won’t lose everything again! If I’m weak… If I need power… Then I’ll get stronger! I’ll surpass myself!”

Reality snapped back into focused as Ais realized that the ‘Tamer’ she’d cut through was more of Udaeus’s black ‘pikes’ and the copies of her were, in fact, Spartoi.

‘Udaeus…!’ Ais realized that she’d must’ve passed out for a moment. But her resolve had not only returned, but had grown stronger from the realization that she’d just had.

A soft glow surrounded her body and healed her wounds slightly while leaving a faint glow of protection around her.

“This is Riveria’s…” Ais turned to look back at Riveria, seeing the High Elf pointing her staff towards her.

“At least allow me do this, you foolish girl.” Riveria said to Ais, after finishing her spell. ‘Pikes in pieces, no more Spartoi, forcing Udaeus to fight at close range, too close for it to use its most powerful attack at full strength… However, Ais is in no condition to handle Ariel at full power.’ Riveria tightened her grip on her staff until her knuckles almost went white. ‘Both of them only have one option left…’

Ais walked forward, through the shattered ‘pikes’ and towards Udaeus, uncaring of her loss of armor and the fact that her battle dress was torn up, exposing her bare skin. ‘All the power I have left is for one last strike. Just a little more. All the life I have left.’ She took Desperate into both hands again. “Awaken, Tempest.” Her wind began to swirl around her again. ‘Surpass this enemy and become strong.’

Udaeus loomed over Ais and raised it immense sword.

“Ariel!” Ais chanted and the green wind exploded around her powerfully. “Full power!”

Udaeus and Ais swung their swords at the same time.

BOOM

The clash shattered the floor further, spiderweb cracks traveling far beyond the shallow crater they were fighting in.

‘Ariel was overpowered in one blow?!’ Ais was surprised that Udaeus still possessed so much power. ‘But…’ Airel wrapped a tornado around Desperate’s blade as Ais poured more power into the enchantment and controlled it to increase the power even more. A slash struck Udaeus, leaving small chips in the ribcage and sternum of the towering black skeleton. ‘I won’t give up!’ She slashed again, her strike meeting Udaeus’s attack in another resounding clash.

BOOM

‘More!’ Ais attacked again.

BOOM

‘More!’ Ais slashed at Udaeus’s swing.

BOOM

‘More power!’ Ais knocked Udaeus’s sword back.

BOOM

‘More, more, more!’ A flurry of attacks, each faster than the last, slammed into every strike from Udaeus’s towering sword.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

“AAAAAHHHHHH!!!” Ais roared out, unable to feel the pain of her battered body any more. All of her focus was on fighting Udaeus, to defeat the Monster Rex as they clashed over and over again.

“ROOOAAARRRGGGHHH!!!” Udaeus roared out, a rare bellow from the normally silent Floor Boss as it swung its massive sword to clash with Ais over and over again.

‘I want power.” Ais knocked Udaeus’s blade back and closed the distance more.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

‘To reach new heights… To achieve what I’ve always wanted…’ Ais slashed the wavy black blade to one side and a slash of wind slammed into Udaeus’s right side, cracking the black bones.

BOOM

BOOM

‘To protect the people that’re important to me!’ Ais pushed Ariel even further, her golden hair wildly flying upwards. “ARIEL!!!” She was far beyond her limits at this point.

BAM

Crack

Udaeus’s sword snapped halfway along the blade and the rest of the weapon was torn from the black skeleton’s grip.

‘I missed…?’ Ais gasped as the backlash hit her again, her bones creaking as blood poured from every small injury she’d accumulated throughout the fight. She fell forward, the ground seemingly rising up to meet her.

Udaeus cocked back its fist, the red orbs in each joint flaring with bright red light as it prepared to unleash its greatest attack without its sword.

Ais’s left foot slammed into the ground before her, preventing her from falling forward. Remembering that Tiona had said that she’d be waiting on the surface and the flick to the forehead that her friend had given her. ‘Compared to that pain…’ She dumped nearly all of her remaining Mind into her spell. The wind went from howling to screaming as it spun faster and faster, further tearing parts of Ais’s battle dress and making her entire body feel like it was breaking apart. “LIL RAFAGA!!!” Ais shot forward just as Udaeus threw its most powerful punch.

Giant fist of black bones met Durandal sword and incredibly powerful wind magic.

The clash sent a shockwave throughout the area, nearly staggering Riveria even at a distance.

‘Wind…’ Ais pushed harder.

Crick

‘Wind…up!’ Ais focused everything she had left.

Crack

‘Wind…wake…up!’ Ais slammed every bit of her willpower and wind into Udaeus’s fist. “AAAAHHHHH!!!” Ais roared as she gave everything that she could and more. ‘Wake up, my Ariel, my ‘wind’!’

CRACK

BOOM

Udaeus’s fist shattered, the red orb at its wrist shattered, the radius and ulna fractured into pieces, the elbow orb nearly exploded into tiny fragments, the humerus was shredded into fine bone dust, the shoulder orb exploded backwards as Ais passed through it in a tornado of power. The shockwave of the blast shattered half of Udaeus’s skull into fragments that fell to the ground all around its now armless body.

A second later, Ais slammed into the ground several meters behind Udaeus, bounced once, and then slid to a stop.

‘Left arm…broken. Numb from the right ankle down… Several broken ribs…I think. Right hand?’ Ais looked at her hand and saw a mess of badly broken fingers. “Awaken, Tempest…” Ais cast and made the wind gather around her shattered right hand before forcing it to grab the handle of Desperate. “AUUGGHH!!!” Ais screamed in pain before breathing heavily to fight off the shock and not pass out. “…good… I feel…pain.” Ais breathed out heavily as she slowly forced herself to stand up on her one good leg. “I can…still fight.” She faced down the shattered Udaeus, the Monster Rex having turned to face her with what remained of its body and skull.

A couple of Spartoi pulled themselves from the ground and black spikes rose from the ground, but much slower than before.

Ais forced her wind behind her, launching herself forward to stab straight through the cracked sternum, knocking Udaeus onto its back with a crash. Her wind forced the cracks in the sternum to grow and expand before the black bone finally gave way and shattered, revealing the massive Magic Stone to Ais. Without hesitation, Ais raised Desperate, wrapped the blade in her wind, and stabbed it straight down.

Crack

The Magic Stone split int two and shattered.

“Oooooo…” Udaeus’s death rattled was the sound of wind passing over bones as the last of its form broke down into a massive pile of white ashes.

Ais collapsed towards the ground, only to be caught by Riveria.

Several minutes later, all of the potions that Finn had left with Riveria were used up, and Riveria was finishing with healing all of Ais’s most serious injuries with her magic.

“Ais…” Riveria looked into the golden eyes that were still showing their tiredness. “…what is troubling you?”

Ais looked up at Riveria, her head resting on Riveria’s lap. “That woman… That redheaded Tamer called me ‘Aria’…” She finally admitted what had been bothering her so much.

Riveria’s eyes widen in shock. Only a VERY small number of people should know that name and its relation to Ais. Riveria took a short moment to compose herself before speaking again. “Ais, won’t you rely on me?” She gently ran her hand through Ais’s soft blonde hair. “I…no… Not just me, but Lefiya, Tiona, Tione, and the others all consider you to be a part of our family. You are not alone anymore. Do not forget that.”

Ais closed her eyes for a long moment. “…yes.” She just enjoyed the gentle care that Riveria was showing her. “…Riveria?”

“Yes?” Riveria replied softly, knowing this area would now be devoid of Monsters for quite a while.

“…I’m sorry.” Ais apologize sincerely.

Riveria accepted the apology silently, continuing to gently soothe Ais.

-Twilight Manor ~ Late Night-

Bell had gotten a drink as he prepared to head to bed. He’d been a bit worried after Tione, Tiona, Lefiya, Finn, and Rakta had returned earlier today without Ais and Riveria. Upon hearing that Ais and Riveria had stayed behind for a bit longer, Bell chose to believe in them…even if he was still a bit worried.

Footsteps in the hallway behind him made Bell stop and turn around. “Ais?” He blinked at seeing Ais so suddenly. He noticed that her breastplate was patched together with some unskilled smithing. She was also missing her normal shoulder and arm armor completely. But what really got his attention was the damage to her white battle dress. The garment was so torn up that he could see all of Ais’s stomach and the underboob of her right breast because of how her breastplate was made.

“Bell?” Ais blinked, her eyes brightening a bit, even though the blonde woman was clearly tired. “I’m home.”

“Welcome home.” Bell said softly with a warm smile for Ais.

Ais closed the distance between them with a few steps and wrapped her arms around Bell’s shoulders. Bell returned the hug gently, feeling Ais nearly sinking into his chest.

“Sleepy.” Ais said softly, a cute yawn making Bell smile. “Bed.”

“Your room is…” Bell was about to offer to take Ais to her room when she took his hand and entered his room, closing the door behind them. “Eh?” bell blinked at suddenly having Ais in his bedroom late at night.

Ais removed her head armor and placed it on top of Bell’s dresser. Her breastplate was removed and placed next to her head armor. Without seeming to notice Bell’s reddening face, Ais pulled her thigh-high blue boots off her right leg and then her left, leaving her in just her heavily damaged battle dress and her socks. As she leaned forward and lifted her legs one by one to remove her socks and let them fall to the floor, Ais finally seemed to think she was ready for bed.

“Bell…bed.” Ais said sleepily as she moved towards bell and the bed behind him.

“W-Wait, Ais…” Bell wasn’t sure how to react to this situation.

Ais stopped in front of Bell and her damaged battle dress finally gave up and the final parts holding it up tore. The white dress fell from Ais’s body, leaving her in nothing but her simple white panties right in front of Bell.

“Uh…” Bell took in Ais’s bare breasts for the first time, each of them round, somewhat large, and capped with soft pink nipples. He looked away and tried to figure out how to handle this accidental exposure. “I-I’ll get you a shirt!”

“Huh?” Ais looked down and saw her near nakedness. She looked at Bell, golden eyes meeting rubellite, and smiled softly at him. Gently placing her right hand on Bell’s chest, Ais pushed Bell lightly, making him fall onto his bed.

“A-Ais…?” Bell scooted backwards on the bed, only for Ais to crawl onto it as well.

Ais smiled when Bell’s head reached his pillow and she laid on his chest, her soft breasts molding against Bell’s chest. “Goodnight, Bell.” She yawned once more before closing her eyes, nuzzling into Bell’s neck as she rested her head on Bell’s shoulder.

Bell laid there as Ais dozed off, wondering what to do for quite a while. But seeing how cute Ais looked as she slept, he couldn’t bring himself to move her. With a soft sigh, Bell managed to pull the blanket over them and gently wrapped his arms around Ais, one of his hands gently trailing up and down Ais’s bare back while the other combed through her long golden blonde hair. Ais snuggled into Bell more and Bell couldn’t help himself as he kissed the top of her head and then relaxed, allowing himself to fall asleep with Ais lying on his chest.

They’d deal with whatever happened in the morning when the morning came.

-End Chapter-

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Adorable ending is warm and fluffy! Bell and Ais might have some explaining to do in the morning though! Kek!

Bell and Lili have divvied up the Drop Items from the White Infant Dragon! Bell is having new armor and a new sword made! Nice! But what ideas, other than a new dragonhide cloak, does Lili have for the two claws that she took?

Ais took down Udaeus solo! That’s certainly Grand Feat worthy! Will Loki Familia be celebrating ANOTHER Level Up so soon? Did Ais gain anything else from her tumultuous emotions and overcoming them?

Loki is gonna want to snuggle Ais for what she went through! But will Ais let her?

Cuddle Piles make everything better! Lol

With the Denatus approaching, will multiple Level Ups, especially Bell’s record breaking Level Up speed, cause Loki Familia to get even more attention than they already do?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!