Hestia Familia - Sacred Ash Premise Chapter 5 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter! With the escaped Silverback slain and questions for the Guild answered, Bell and Hestia are able to get home. But fighting a Silverback one on one should’ve helped Bell’s stats, so a Status Update is in order. Bell has a question for Hestia about his new xiphos as well. Learning about its origins may increase his desire to grow even more. But if he wants to make his way through the Dungeon more quickly…a Supporter would certainly help.

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 5 – The Hearth’s Debt, Supporter

At the abandoned church that Bell and Hestia called home, the evening was setting in as the sun set. After a lengthy meeting with the Guild to fill out a report of the incident with the escaped Silverback—along with selling the Magic Stone of the Monster—both Hestia and Bell had been permitted to leave. The two had walked home hand-in-hand and nearly collapsed onto the couch together. Hestia had cuddled up with Bell for a short nap, humming contentedly as Bell gently ran his fingers through her long black hair.

“It’s a bit odd to be giving you a second Status Update in the same day,” Hestia mentioned as Bell lay face down on their bed with his shirt off. “But after fighting that Silverback, I’m sure you’ve grown a bit more.” She let a single drop of her blood fall onto his back. The Falna glowed with white-blue light and Hestia moved the Excelia into the Basic Abilities and watched them grow. She smiled happily as the numbers came to a stop and then laid a blank paper onto Bell’s back. A gentle circle of her fingertip and the update transferred over to the paper.

“How is it, Hestia?” Bell questioned as he glanced at his Goddess over his shoulder.

Hestia grinned while moving off of him. “See for yourself, Bell.” Bell took the paper with his newly updated Status on it and looked it over.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – C 640 > C 655

Endurance – C 638 > C 643

Dexterity – C 662 > C 678

Agility – C 636 > C 648

Magic – C 653 > C 667

-Magic-

Sacred Ash – Incantation: “Remnants of the Sacred Flame, alight on the wind and scatter.” This Magic allows the user to conjure and manipulate ashes, ember, and smoke. They can control the temperature and form constructs with it. The user can change the effect of the spell to provide mild healing and remove Charms, Curses, and Anti-Status conditions by chanting Chari.

-Skills-

Liaris Freese – Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user’s feelings. As a side effect it makes the user immune to Charms and Magics that alter the mind.

-Status-

“An increase of sixty-two points just from the Silverback?” Bell blinked at the jump in his Status. Sure, the Silverback was from the Eleventh Floor, making it stronger than any of the other Monsters that he’d ever fought and killed, but still. It was quite a surprise that a lone Monster had boosted his Basic Abilities that much in a single fight.

“You did amazing, Bell.” Hestia leaned against him with a smile. “It’s only natural that you’d grow from defeating a Monster that strong.”

“Thank you, Hestia.” Bell smiled as he sat up and put his arm around her waist, pulling her into a warm side-hug.

Hestia giggled and nuzzled into Bell with a warm smile. “You’re the one that did the fighting, Bell.” She breathed in his scent and then playfully leaned away from him. “Someone needs a shower.” She teased Bell about the sweat that he’d worked up.

Bell chuckled at Hestia’s playfulness. “I guess I could use a shower, huh?”

“You protected me from that big Monster, you know?” Hestia murmured into Bell’s ear. “I should reward my Hero~” She purred hotly, pressing her body into Bell’s side.

Without a word, Bell smiled and swept Hestia into his arms before carrying her towards the small bathroom, his Goddess giggling the whole way as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The two took extra time with their bathing as hands roamed and kisses were shared. Hestia eagerly kept her promise to reward Bell as she kneeled before him, her soft hand stroking his hard cock while she kissed the head and swirled her tongue around it.

“Hestia…” Bell let out a low groan as he ran the fingers of his right hand through her long, wet, black hair.

“Mmm~” Hestia hummed as she took Bell into her mouth and began to bob her head. What she wasn’t taking into her mouth, she continued to stroke with her hand while her free hand came up to cup and gently massage Bell’s balls.

Bell let out a hum of pleasure as Hestia sucked his cock. Reaching down a bit, his left hand was able to reach one of her large tits and sink his fingers into her softness. Hestia’s muffled moan let Bell know how much she enjoyed the warmth of his touch and the way his fingers began to massage her tit and tease her hard nipple. Her speed increased as she bobbed her head faster, taking a bit more of Bell’s cock into her mouth until he was nearly reaching her throat.

“Hestia!” Bell nearly shouted as Hestia made her blowjob more intense. He lightly pinched her hard nipple while holding the back of her head as she took him deeper into her hot mouth and sucked him strongly as she pulled back.

“Mmph! Mmn!” Hestia let out muffled moans as she looked up at Bell, her blue eyes half-lidded and smoldering with desire as she bobbed her head.

Bell, having no real experience with this kind of pleasure, felt his body tremble and his hips bucked forward involuntarily. “Hestia! I’m gonna…”

Hestia took Bell as deep as she could right now, her lips meeting her hand on Bell’s cock as she nearly had him in her throat. With his cock throbbing inside, Hestia moaned as her tongue was suddenly covered in Bell’s thick, hot seed. “Mmm~” Her muffled monas were incredibly sexy to Bell as his cock pulsed again and again, filling Hestia’s mouth with another shot of his cum each time.

“Goddess…” Bell groaned out lowly and deeply, any and all tension in his body being drained from him just like his seed.

“Mhmm…” Hestia hummed as she swallowed Bell’s cum, her tongue swirling around Bell’s cock that was in her mouth as she moved her hand along the base of Bell’s length, practically milking another two shots into her eager mouth.

Bell certainly wasn’t complaining about his Goddess’s awakened libido as Hestia suckled his full release from him and slowly pulled back, her tongue cleaning off any remaining trace of his seed before she finally let his cock slip from between her lips.

Hestia smiled up at Bell as she licked her lips once. “Did you like that, Bell?”

Bell nodded, his rubellite eyes taking in Hestia’s naked, wet, kneeling form and saving it into his memory. “That was incredible, Hestia.” The bright smile he got from Hestia was an interesting mix of cute, beautiful, and sexy. He was a very happy young man as they dried off together, Bell making sure run the fluffy towel all over Hestia’s body until she was a mewling and cooing mess. As Hestia nearly collapsed into Bell’s arms, the two shared a quick kiss before leaving the bathroom and putting on comfortable clothing for the evening.

Hestia smiled as she put a pan on the stove and turned on the heat. With skill that came from her Domain of the Hearth, She easily prepared ingredients and added them to the pan. With everything prepared, Hestia put a lid on the pan so that the food would heat evenly, and then returned to Bell’s side. The two settled onto one of the couches in front of the hearth and cuddled as they waited for their dinner to finish cooking.

“Hey, Hestia?” Bell spoke up after a few moments.

Hestia was happy and filled with contentment and hummed softly. “Hmm, what is it, Bell?”

“I noticed a certain name on the sheath of my new xiphos…” Bell trailed off leadingly as he looked into Hestia’s blue eyes.

Hestia knew what Bell was talking about and replied without looking at him. “Yes, it’s a Hephaestus creation.”

“For it to have the Familia Name on it, means it was forged by a higher-ranking member of the Familia. One that Hephaestus herself has approved to use her name.” Bell continued on and he felt Hestia tense up slightly. “How much did it cost?”

“Don’t worry about that, Bell,” Hestia shook her head with a smile. “It’s all taken care of.”

“But how?” Bell leaned in a little more, his rubellite eyes looking deeply into her blue. “Hephaestus Familia weapons are very expensive and we don’t have that kind of money, right?”

“I just worked out a deal with Hephaestus, that’s all.” Hestia waved off his concerns, trying her best to avoid telling Bell the price.

Bell was putting the pieces together now and he wasn’t sure he liked what the puzzle showed. “Wait…you worked out a deal with Hephaestus directly?”

Hestia cocked her head at his change in tone. “Yes?”

“Did Lady Hephaestus make my sword herself?” Bell couldn’t help how the volume of his voice faded near the end as he felt like a pit had formed in his stomach.

“Yeah, but I told you, I worked it out.” Hestia tried to reassure him as she began to panic that Bell would find out how much debt she’d acquired to get him the Hestia Xiphos.

“Hestia,” Bell took her hands in his and looked her in the eye again. “How much did my sword cost?” The tone of his voice was almost desperate as he gently squeezed her hands.

“…I’ll pay it all myself, Bell.” Hestia mumbled out as she averted her eyes. “You don’t have to worry about it. It’s a private deal between Hephaestus and me.”

Bell caught her eyes again and she couldn’t help but give in when she saw the concern for her in those ruby-red eyes. “Hestia, please?”

“250,000,000 Valis…it was made by Hephaestus’s own hand from Mithril and then given my Blessing. It wouldn’t actually classify on the Weapon Grade Scale.” Hestia squeezed Bell’s hands in return. “It’s a Divine Weapon, Bell. That’s why it can grow along with you. Its only defect is that it requires a person that has my Falna to use it.”

“D-Divine…Weapon…?” Bell felt like he was getting lightheaded from both the cost and the truth of his new knife.

Divine Weapons were created by the Gods themselves. They could have EVERY type of Enchantment in existence within them! But only a chosen wielder could use their power. Even Mythical Grade and Legendary Grade Weapons couldn’t measure up to the full power of a Divine Weapon! Only the Gods of Smithing were known to be able to make these weapons. Deities like Hephaestus and Goibniu would be the only ones capable of making his sword in Orario.

“Bell, Bell!” Hestia shook him a bit to prevent him from passing out.

Bell gently put his hands on Hestia’s shoulders. “What are the abilities of the Hestia Xiphos?” He needed to know the full capabilities of the shortsword to make sure he understood his weapon.

“It grows with you, it’s unbreakable, and it can channel magic.” Hestia listed off the three powers of the Hestia Xiphos. “Hephaestus made it so that you would be able to grow instead of relying solely on the sword’s power.”

“Unbreakable? Isn’t that a high enchantment that only High Smiths can impart and it requires both the Blacksmith Developmental Ability and high quality metal like Adamantite?” Bell had learned as much as he could about the Weapon and Armor Grade System at Anna’s prompting. Magic channeling was also impressive since that ability was almost solely relegated to staves. For a shortsword to be capable of it was a show of true skill. But to a Goddess of the Forge like Hephaestus, she probably thought of it as only a simple part of her craft.

“Like I said, you don’t have to worry about it, Bell.” Hestia shook her head, making her silky black hair sway from the motion. “I’ll take care of it myself.”

“It’s my sword though,” Bell pulled her into a hug. “At least let me help pay for it, please.”

“Bell, I made the deal knowing what I was getting myself into,” Hestia leaned her forehead against his. “You shouldn’t worry about it. Hephaestus will let me work in her shop to pay off the loan, so it’s no big deal. It’ll take me a while, but I’ll see it through.”

“I’m helping you, even if I have to deliver the Valis straight to Hephaestus myself.” Bell showed his stubborn side and Hestia collapsed into his arms with melodious laughter.

“Bell, you’re too good for me.” Hestia beamed at him beautifully and Bell smiled back at her just as warmly. “We may be in the red, incredibly so, but since it’s a private debt, no one has to know about it. We’ll work hard and pay it off little by little.”

“Yes, Goddess!” Bell kissed her lips and Hestia leaned into him. The two fell back onto the couch as they continued to kiss. Hands began to roam, Hestia cooing as Bell’s hands began to grope her ass over her night clothes. But before anything got too hot and heavy…the sound of loud sizzling filled the basement from the stove.

Hestia shot up, her head turning to look at the stove so fast that her long black hair practically slapped Bell in the face. “Our dinner!” She hopped off Bell and was at the stove in only a couple of seconds, managing to take off the lid of the pan and use a wooden spoon to stir the contents and check them. “Safe!” She declared brightly, not seeing any of the ingredients burned yet.

Bell could only chuckle when Hestia smiled so cutely. Even if their ‘fun’ had been interrupted.

-Next Day ~ Dungeon – Seventh Floor-

“It’s not too different down here.” Bell noted of the tunnels and caverns on the Seventh Floor. “Supposedly some Rare Monsters spawn on this Floor.” Getting one of those Rare Monsters and retrieving its Drop Item would be a boon for Hestia Familia and their new enormous debt. “Let’s try out my new strength.”

It wasn’t much later that Bell got his wish as the infamous ‘newbie killer’ the Killer Ant, appeared in his path. It was more than just one, though.

“Kree!”

“Skree!”

“Reee!”

Bell had the Hestia Xiphos at the ready and his left hand held to the side as he stared down the group of Killer Ants. One of the ant Monsters charged forward, the rest following behind swiftly. Bell charged to the left, forcing the group of Killer Ants to bunch up a bit as they all turned to try and face him. Bell lashed out with his shortsword and cleaning sliced through the lead ant’s head, killing it instantly. The one that swung its clawed front limb at Bell next lost the limb for its attempt, then lost its head as the Hestia Xiphos passed cleanly through where its head met its thorax.

“Kree!” The third Killer Ant snapped at Bell with its mandibles, but Bell had managed to backstep and then stable is sword forward, piercing straight through the ant Monster’s head. With a quick pull, the blade slipped out of the dead Monster and its body collapsed to the ground.

“Hyah!” Bell spun low, dodging the fourth ant’s claw swipe, and using the momentum of his spin, brought the Hestia Xiphos into an upwards slash that split the Killer Ant’s head in two cleanly.

“Skree!” The final Killer Ant snapped at Bell with its mandibles, but lost one of the in the process as Bell’s sword proved durable and sharp as it cut easily through the left mandible. The Monster didn’t even get to let out a pained cry before Bell stabbed it straight through the head and killed it.

Bell looked around, listening carefully for any other sounds nearby. Not hearing the cracking of the Dungeon walls, nor the sounds of any approaching Monsters, Bell cleaned off his xiphos while admiring the black blade. “Hephaestus truly made something incredible! Thank you, Goddess Hestia!” He thanked his Goddess as he imagined her smiling face in his mind. Sheathing his shortsword, he pulled out his knife and began to open up the Killer Ants one by one to harvest their Magic Stones. “Am I getting stronger?” Bell wondered as he fished out the first Magic Stone. “I managed to take down five Killer Ants without my magic and no injuries.” He had a little pride in his progress and smiled as he moved to the second Killer Ant.

The rubellite-eyed Adventurer made his way further into the Seventh Floor while following his map of the Floor. He’d spend the day thoroughly exploring this Floor, honing his skills against all the Monsters he found. As the Monsters got stronger the lower one went and the spawn rate increased as well, it invariably led to an increased rate of Drop Items. Bell was determined to make plenty of Valis for his Familia, so he continued on, taking a turn into a corridor, he headed down the tunnel until he entered a slightly large cavern.

Hearing something in the cavern ahead, Bell paused for a moment to listen.

“Sounds like Killer Ants again.” Bell murmured to himself, recalling the sound of their claws on stone. “I can handle five-on-one, so this shouldn’t be too hard.” With that he stepped into the cavern, only to blink at what he saw before him. “That’s a lot more than five…”

“Skree!”

“Reee!”

“Kree!”

“Skree!”

A large group of Killer Ants awaited the young man as he entered the cavern. Bell brandished his shortsword and held his left hand at the ready as the large, reddish-black ant Monsters rushed towards him in a swarm.

“Remnants of the Sacred Flame, alight on the wind and scatter!” Bell chanted and black ashes poured forth from his left hand.

“Kree!” The lead Killer Ant screeched as it closed in on Bell.

Bell sliced the head of the Killer Ant before it could snap its mandibles on him, sending blood flying through the air. A second later and a black cloud of ashes filled the space between Bell and the swarm of Killer Ants, the cloud quickly turned a bright, burning hot yellow-orange amidst the black ashes. “Cinder Shot!”

“Skree!” The next Killer Ant screeched until its head and body were torn through by the fast-moving, burning, hardened bullets of ash.

It wasn’t the only one to die though. The swarm was assailed by a barrage of the burning hot ash bullets. At least a dozen Killer Ants died almost instantly, their exoskeletons perforated and filled with holes that let off thin smoke as the burning ‘bullets’ lodged within them cooked their insides.

“Hup!” Bell swept his ash cloud towards the next closest Killer Ant as the burning ashes engulfed the Monster, killing it almost instantly. With a swift charge, Bell brought his shortsword down on the head of another Killer Ant, splitting its normally tough exoskeleton easily.

“Kree!” Another Killer Ant tried to claw Bell from his right side.

Bell dodged the claws, barely, and then sliced it off the limb with his shortsword. Conjuring more ashes into a large cloud, Bell focused. “Take this!” The cloud compressed noticeably around Bell’s hand and with a strong toss multiple black throwing knives of hardened ashes blurred through the air, one burying itself deeply into the injured Killer Ant’s head, killing it, while the rest stabbed into the other ant Monsters that were swarming closer. Two more Killer Ants came at Bell from both the left and the right, catching him in a pincer maneuver. “Blade of Ember!” Bell brought his ashes into a solid form that quickly heated up to a burning orange-yellow glow. With a grunt and a twist of his body, Bell cut through both Killer Ants, separating their upper halves from their lower halves. As the dying Killer Ants tried to screech and release their pheromones to call in as much backup as possible, Bell stabbed through both of their heads, one with the Hestia Xiphos and the other with the ‘Blade of Ember’, killing them both.

“Reeee!” Another Killer Ants climbed over its dead kin and practically leapt at Bell with both its mandibles and its claws looking to tear the Adventurer apart.

“Yah!” Bell threw the ‘Blade of Ember’ at the airborne ant and the burning blade easily pierced deeply into its head through its jaws and cooked its entire head from the inside out from the heat.

With a thump, the last Killer Ant hit the stone floor and lay dead, leaving the cavern covered in ant Monster corpses.

“Is that the last one?” Bell looked around carefully, not wanting to miss any Monsters. Not seeing any other Monsters, nor hearing or seeing any cracks forming in the Dungeon walls, Bell let out a slow and steady breath. “That would’ve been bad without my magic.” He could fully admit that without shame. As a solo Adventurer, groups of Monsters would always be a threat. As he began collecting the Magic Stones from the strewn about Killer Ants he thought about the fight. “I need to learn to keep better track of all the Monsters. With my magic, I could potentially take all of them out in a widespread attack.” He mumbled to himself as he put another Magic Stone into his backpack. “However, I can’t neglect my sword training. I need to get better since I have such a great weapon now. But…that would require actual training from someone way more experienced. I’m not sure we can afford that right now.” Bell looked at the Hestia Xiphos again. It was a great blessing to have a Divine Weapon, of course, but it had also brought along a massive problem as well.

-Guild Exchange ~ Late Afternoon-

“Your total value from Magic Stones is 15,686 Valis, and your Drop Items were worth 9,200 Valis. Your total exchange today comes out to 24,886 Valis. Have a nice evening.” The man behind the window pushed the drawer onto Bell’s side with a polite smile and a nod.

“Thank you, sir.” Bell smiled back as he placed his Valis into his backpack. With this much money he’d have plenty to put towards the Familia’s debt. He was certain that Hestia would be happy about that.

After giving Anna his report for the day, Bell smiled at his Dungeon Advisor as he bid her farewell. “Have a good night, Anna.”

“Have a good night, Bell.” Anna smiled back as she watched Bell head out of the Guild Building while collecting his report and slipping it into his file.

-Orario Streets-

Bell noticed the setting sun and decided to take some backstreets he had become familiar with over time. If he could avoid the congested areas on the way back, then he should get home before it got dark. He was making good time and was looking forward to getting home and telling Hestia about his successful day in the Dungeon. As he neared a corner, he thought he heard the sound of feet on the paved street. He stopped just as he crossed the corner but a running short person glanced off of him and hit the ground with a grunt.

“I’m so sorry,” Bell apologized as the person pushed themselves up and into a sitting position on the ground. ‘A Prum…’ Bell noticed that it wasn’t a short human, but a Prum girl that he’d inadvertently knocked down. She had chestnut-colored brunette hair and matching brown eyes. She was quite cute in Bell’s opinion. “Are you okay?” He held his hand out to help her up. But the whole time the girl simply stared at him warily.

“Found ya, bitch!” A rough male voice barked out and Bell saw the girl stiffen in fear. “Piece of shit Prum…” The man panted out, clearly having been chasing the girl for a while. “You’re not getting away!” His glare was locked onto the girl as he took a step forward. “Don’t even twitch!”

Bell noticed the fear in the girl’s eyes as the man moved towards her. He didn’t think about what he was doing, he just did it. He stepped in front of the girl with his arms spread to cover her and block the angry man’s approach. With his back to her, he didn’t see the girl’s eyes widen at the gesture.

“What the hell are you doing?” The Adventurer growled at Bell, annoyed. “Beat it kid, yer in my way.”

“Look, I don’t know what happened, but why don’t we calm down?” Bell suggested, not moving from his spot between the man and the Prum girl.

“Shut it!” The man spat angrily. “Who the hell are ya? One of the runt’s friends?”

Bell shook his head once. “We just ran into each other.” It was the entire interaction he’d had with the Prum so far.

The older man glared at Bell in a mix of annoyance and confusion. “Then why protect her?!”

“Because she’s a girl,” Bell replied instantly, not seeing the Prum’s cheeks flush pink. “You’re a grown man chasing her through the backstreets with the clear intent to hurt her.” It was just the right thing to do in Bell’s eyes.

“The hell are you sayin’?” The Adventurer reached for the sword hanging over his shoulder. “You don’t know anything, but if you want… I’ll just kill ya first!” He started drawing the blade.

Bell didn’t hesitate; he drew the Hestia Xiphos and held it at the ready as he faced down the older man. Bell was a man protecting a girl. This was the right thing to do. It would be his first time fighting another Adventurer and it made him a bit nervous. After all, this guy was clearly more experienced…but Bell didn’t get the feeling he was Level 2. His clothing and armor were a bit too plain for a Level 2 Adventurer from everything that Bell had seen in Orario.

The other man nearly growled in annoyance and rage as he drew his sword fully. “You wanna die, huh?”

Bell adjusted his stance, bringing the Hestia Xiphos up slightly. He didn’t notice how the Prum girl’s eyes locked onto the black shortsword. Her gaze was intent as she practically saw a faint aura around the weapon. The man placed both hands on his sword’s handle and prepared to swing it down on Bell.

“Freeze.” A familiar female voice demanded and both Bell and the man stopped in their tracks.

“Another one?” The man growled out. “Who the hell are you?!” He demanded of the woman approaching from a side alley.

“The one you are trying to harm…” Ryu spoke as she stepped into the fading light in the backstreet. She was wearing her waitress uniform and holding a bag of groceries. “…is a friend of mine. I will not allow any harm to come to him.”

“Miss Ryu…” Bell blinked at the unexpected appearance of his acquaintance. ‘Wait…did she call me a friend?’ That was a bit unexpected given they hadn’t known each other for too long and Elves were famous for their pride when it came to other Races.

“Nobody is making any fuckin’ sense today!” The Adventurer snarled at Ryu and the whole situation. “More shit in my way! Do you want me to slice you too?!” He demanded, pointing his sword in Ryu’s direction.

“Silence.” Ryu demanded in a cold tone that sent shivers through the other three in the backstreet. The Elf woman seemed to exude a palpable feeling of dread as she stared down the Adventurer. “I don’t want to use force. I always go too far, you see?” Everyone blinked as they realized the waitress suddenly had a short blade in her right hand, pointing at the man.

‘A stiletto? When did she…?’ Bell hadn’t even seen her draw it!

The older Adventurer quickly ran off back the way he’d come. “D-Damn it…shit!” he stuttered out loudly as he disappeared around the corner at the end of the side street.

“Are you hurt?” Ryu questioned Bell, taking a few steps towards him. He briefly noticed that the stiletto had disappeared again.

Bell gave her a short bow of thanks. “I’m fine…thank you for your help, Miss Ryu.”

“I’m sure you could’ve dealt with him if I hadn’t stepped in.” Ryu gave him that tiny smile that she showed him sometimes. Bell felt slightly proud that she considered him a friend and even praised his skill.

“Thank you for your confidence, Miss Ryu.” Bell accepted the compliment, but he wasn’t sure how well that fight would’ve actually gone. He simply didn’t have enough experience to accurately judge another Adventurer’s strength yet. “What brings you out here, Miss Ryu?” He asked as he sheathed the Hestia Xiphos.

“An errand.” Ryu raised the bag of groceries she was carrying slightly. “I noticed the commotion and stepped in. What led you to your altercation?”

“Oh, this girl here…” Bell trailed off as he noticed the Prum girl had vanished.

Ryu didn’t see anyone else on the backstreet. “Was someone there?”

“There was…” Bell blinked at the empty backstreet.

“I’ll be on my way, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu gave him a short bow, careful not to spill her groceries.

“Thank you again for your help,” Bell smiled at the Elf. “I’ll come by for a meal again soon.” Ryu nodded, the tiny smile on her lips again, before heading back towards the Hostess of Fertility. Bell took off towards the Abandoned Church again, but a single look up at the sky would make it obvious that there wasn’t going to be any light left by the time he got there.

-Hestia Familia Home-

“You did incredible today, Bell.” Hestia said as she watched his Excelia for the day and saw his fight against the Killer Ant swarm. “But maybe don’t challenge dozens of Monsters all by yourself, if you can help it?” While Bell hadn’t even been injured, this time, Hestia still worried about him getting hurt or worse.

Bell turned his head so that he could look over his shoulder at Hestia with a smile. “I’ll do my best, Goddess.” He knew she worried, and he didn’t actually want to fight dozens of Monsters solo if he didn’t have to. “I’m just grateful for my magic. If I didn’t have it, then there’s no way that I’d be able to fight a swarm like that by myself.”

Hestia smiled at Bell, happy that he understood her worry for him. “You are making a lot of progress with your magic. You have a talent for being an Adventurer, Bell.” She assured him while moving his Excelia into his Basic abilities and watching the numbers rise. When they stopped, she placed a blank paper on Bell’s back and then copied it over with a twirl of her fingertip. “But when you do well and work hard, your Skill maximizes the Excelia you gain.” She handed Bell the Status Update with a warm grin.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – C 655 > B 719

Endurance – C 643 > B 704

Dexterity – C 678 > B 743

Agility – C 648 > B 710

Magic – C 667 > B 732

-Magic-

Sacred Ash – Incantation: “Remnants of the Sacred Flame, alight on the wind and scatter.” This Magic allows the user to conjure and manipulate ashes, ember, and smoke. They can control the temperature and form constructs with it. The user can change the effect of the spell to provide mild healing and remove Charms, Curses, and Anti-Status conditions by chanting Chari.

-Skills-

Liaris Freese – Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user’s feelings. As a side effect it makes the user immune to Charms and Magics that alter the mind.

-Status-

“All of my stats are ‘B’ Rank now.” Bell said, still amazed by his growth, even as he briefly read over Liaris Freese again.

Hestia lifted herself up a bit as Bell rolled over beneath her before straddling him again. “You work so hard for us, Bell. You’re trying to keep your promise to me and our Familia and chase your dreams. Never doubt that your strength comes from the effort that you put in and that you’ve earned every bit of it.”

Bell smiled up at Hestia, feeling better as he accepted her words and they looked into each other’s eyes. “Thank you, Hestia.”

“You’re welcome, Bell.” Hestia giggled before laying herself on him her tits molding against Bell’s chest as they shared a soft kiss. “Mmm…” She hummed happily when Bell’s arms wrapped around her waist.

They’d spend a while cuddling before making dinner together.

-Next Morning-

“Mmm…go get ‘em…Bell~” Hestia mumbled in her sleep. This was her first day off since she’d taken up her second part-time job at one of Hephaestus’ shops, so Bell was happy to let her sleep in.

Hephaestus had been kind enough to allow Hestia to work as a shop hand in one of her shops that catered exclusively to Second and First Class Adventurers. All of the equipment there was top quality and had prices to match. The good part was that the pay for working in such a shop was very good too. Hestia would make almost as much as an average Adventurer per week working part-time for her niece. The majority of that money would go straight into the debt for the Hestia Knife though.

‘It would still take Hestia over one-hundred-fifty years to pay that debt off by herself though.’ Bell wasn’t bad at math, and he shook his head at the thought of letting Hestia shoulder that debt alone. “Just a simple and quiet breakfast today.” He chuckled quietly to himself as he ate the meat and cheese sandwich that he’d made before tiptoeing up the stairs and opening and closing the hidden door as quietly as possible. Heading out of the abandoned church, Bell headed down the street towards Babel Tower for another day of dungeon crawling. While he walked, he pondered on what he could do to increase the amount of Valis for the Familia. He didn’t want to have the debt for his shortsword hanging over their heads forever. That would certainly make recruiting new members almost impossible in the future.

As Bell approached Babel Tower, he eyed the line into one of the nearby food shops. Since he’d let Hestia sleep in, she hadn’t made his lunch for him today, so he’d have to buy one. The line wasn’t too bad this early, so he decided to get in line now. Just as Bell was about to head for the food shop, someone called out to him.

“Mister! Mister! With the white hair!” A female voice called and Bell knew they were talking to him. He turned to face the speaker and noticed it was the girl from the evening before. She had a beige cloak on today and a massive green backpack on her back. But the face and the eyes were the same from last night. “Nice to meet you, Mister!” She smiled cutely at him.

“Meet me?” Bell blinked in confusion. “Didn’t I see you yesterday?”

The girl completely ignored Bell’s question as she asked her own. “Sorry to bother you, but are you looking for a Supporter?”

“Supporter?” Bell blinked at the short girl. He figured that she was a Supporter, considering the large backpack and all, but he was still trying to confirm if she was the girl from last night.

“Yes!” The girl’s smile brightened.

“Well…” Bell trailed off at the cute smile. ‘I have been considering hiring a Supporter recently. Having one would be nice, especially since they make Dungeon crawling more efficient.’ He mused as he thought of how much more he stood to make each day with a Supporter. He did want to start bringing in more money for the Familia because of their new debt.

“Are you confused?” The Supporter tilted her head slightly. “It’s a pretty simple question, you know.” She put a smile worthy of a salesman on her face. “A poor Supporter has come to you, an Adventurer, looking to sell her services in the Dungeon.”

“It’s not that I’m confused, but…” Bell shook his head slightly. “Aren’t you the girl from yesterday?”

“Yesterday?” The Supporter held her chin with her right index finger and thumb. Bell now noticed the brown Supporter gloves she was wearing. “Have we met before, Mister? Lili doesn’t remember seeing you.” She tilted her head a little and Bell couldn’t help but find her cute. He also learned her name was Lili, apparently.

“Hmm…” Bell mulled over her seeming lack of memory of last night.

Lili blinked up at Bell and asked again. “So, how about a Supporter?”

“I do want one…” Bell admitted after a moment.

“REALLY?!” Lili beamed at him and for a second Bell would’ve sworn he saw sparkles around Lili’s form. “Then please take Lili with you into the Dungeon, Mister!” She clasped her hands together in a classic begging pose.

“Um, alright then, let’s go sit down and talk it out.” Bell agreed with the cute girl. They both walked off to an empty stone bench and sat down to discuss their working arrangement.

“Lili’s full name is Liliruca Arde. Lili belongs to Soma Familia. They’re pretty well-known.” Lili informed Bell of her Familia as was necessary when forming an inter-Familia Party. No one wanted to potentially partner up with someone from a rival Familia, after all.

“Then why come to me?” Bell looked confused at Lili selling her Supporter services when she had the option of going into the Dungeon with her own Familia members. “Wouldn’t it be easier to go into the Dungeon with a Party from your own Familia?”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible…” Lili shook her head with a sigh. “Lili is considered the runt of the Familia, so no one will take her with them.”

Bell’s heart went out to her for being left out by her own Familia. It reminded him of all the time that he’d spent getting rejected all over Orario before meeting Hestia. In Bell’s mind, no one should be left out by their own Familia. ‘Isn’t the whole point of a Familia to be a family and support the same Deity?’

“It’s gotten so bad lately that Lili has to sleep at cheap motels.” Lili crossed her arms with a dejected sigh. “I’m almost out of money and can’t take much more.” She turned to face Bell and leaned closer. “So, please, please, please! Take Lili into the Dungeon with you, Mister!”

“I understand your situation, Miss Liliruca.” Bell calmed the girl down. “But can I ask you something first?”

Lili sat back in her original spot on the bench. “Yes, what is it?”

“Have we really never met before?” Bell asked her straight out. He wouldn’t forget a face so soon and he was certain that Lili was the Prum girl from last night.

“Lili thinks this is the first time…are you confusing her with someone else?” Lili looked at him closely.

“If it’s okay… Could you take off your hood?” Bell requested, knowing that if he saw her completely, then he’d know for sure.

“Oh…um, okay.” Lili seemed hesitant, but she slowly moved her hands up to her hood. When the cloth was pulled back and fell down to Lili’s back, a pair of fluffy dog ears were revealed.

“Eh?” Bell blinked in shock. They looked very similar to Naaza’s ears! “You’re a Chienthrope?”

“Yes,” Lili nodded slightly as she lifted her beige cloak out of the way and an equally fluffy brown tail was revealed. It also gave Bell a view of her legs and thighs. Lili wore thigh high black stockings that were a bit torn near the top. She also had a red skirt on with a brown belt. The belt was left unbuckled and the skirt was left unzipped in the front. If the wagging of Lili’s tail hadn’t distracted him, Bell might have guessed that the skirt was actually a size too small for Lili.

‘Not a Prum, but a Chienthrope? No way…’ Bell couldn’t believe it. Unbidden his hands moved forward. Lili blinked at him before his hands gently grasped her ears and began to play with them. ‘They’re real!’ He exclaimed internally as he continued to play with the fluffy dog ears. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Lili gasping and mewling at having her ears played with. ‘I’m sure of it. Real ears. She isn’t that Prum girl. They look almost identical, but Lili is a different Race altogether!’

“U-Um…Mister…” Lili’s face was bright red as Bell continued to play with her ears. “Lili doesn’t offer those kinds of services…”

Bell let go of her ears and drew back as if smacked. “S-sorry!”

“To think that Lili’s precious ears would be felt up like that…” Lili covered her ears and pouted at Bell. “You’re going to take responsibility for this.”

“I’m really sorry.” Bell gave her a short bow as he apologized. “Um…why are you hiding what you are?”

“Lili’s fur is dirty and matted. I don’t want people to see it like that.” Lili pulled her hood back up to hide her ears. “Well, what do you say, Mister? Will you hire Lili?”

“Do I need to pay anything in advance?” Bell asked the Supporter how she operated.

“Today is a trial run, so you can just split the Dungeon loot.” Lili smiled and clapped her hands together. “Thirty percent would make Lili jump for joy!”

“Alright then,” Bell smiled back at the happy girl. “I’m a little late, but my name is Bell Cranel. Miss Liliruca, please help me in the Dungeon today.” He offered her his hand to shake.

“Thank you so much!” Lili cheered as she shook his hand and Bell couldn’t help but smile more.

Bell led the way to the food shop first. After waiting in the short line, he ordered two lunch meals ‘for the Dungeon’—meaning that they’d be wrapped up securely and placed in simple boxes—and after paying for them, Bell handed both to Lili. When she blinked at him in confusion, he smiled at her.

“Can you hold onto our lunches today, Lili?” Bell requested of the Supporter.

Lili stared at him as if she’d never seen a person like him before. “You bought one for me too?”

“Well yeah, you’re helping me out in the Dungeon today, the least I can do is feed you.” Bell explained simply, feeling like that would be what any Adventurer hiring a Supporter should do.

“Oh, thank you.” Lili set her backpack down and opened it up. She secured the two sealed lunches into an interior pocket before closing the top and putting the straps back on her shoulders. “Lili is ready, Master Bell!”

Bell nodded after a moment to process the way Lili addressed him. “Right. Let’s go!”

The two headed for Babel Tower and the Dungeon together for the first time.

-Dungeon ~ Floor Seven-

“It’s only my second day on this Floor.” Bell mentioned to Lili as they walked through the corridors, following the route that Bell had taken yesterday. “So, any progress we can make will be great.” He said with a smile and got a quick nod from Lili. ‘I’m ready; I’ve got my magic, the Hestia Xiphos, and even a Supporter now. Bring it on!’ He silently challenged the Dungeon as he readied his shortsword when he heard the telltale sounds of approaching Monsters.

“Master Bell!” Lili called out as group of Killer Ants appeared from the darkness of one of the tunnels. “The ‘newbie killers’ right off the bat!”

“Not a problem!” Bell stepped forward to face the ant Monsters. “If it’s just these guys, we’ll be fine!” Lili stared at the black shortsword in Bell’s hands before he rushed forward.

The first Killer Ant lost its head as Bell severed the weaker connective tissue between the body segments. He lunged forward and stabbed straight through the exoskeleton of the next ant Monster with the Hestia Xiphos, just as easily as he’d done yesterday. The exoskeleton split under the force as the blade went deep, but Bell pulled it out smoothly, letting the dead ant collapse to the ground. Bell grimaced as Killer Ant took a swipe at him from the side. He raised his left arm and blocked the three claws of the Killer Ant with his vambrace and cut it down swiftly. He only briefly glanced at his white vambrace and was happy to see it only had a few faint scratches on the surface of the metal.

“Master Bell, above you!” Lili alerted him and Bell saw a large moth with purple wings flying overhead.

“Got it!” Bell raised his left hand, pointing his palm at the Purple Moth. “Remnants of the Sacred Flame, alight on the wind and scatter!” Black ashes poured off Bell’s hand and arm, swirling about under his control. With a deft toss from within the cloud of ash, a black blade stabbed straight into the Purple Moth, killing it as it careened straight into the stone ground. ‘Nice! My aim is getting better!’ Bell thought before he sliced off another Killer Ant’s claw when it lashed out at him. The ant Monster lost its head before it realized it and Bell charged back into the fray to finish off the Killer Ants before they closed in.

“So strong!” Lili complimented Bell’s strength as he fought and killed one ant Monster after another. She was moving efficiently, grabbing one Killer Ant corpse after another and making a pile out of the way of the fighting.

‘This is so much easier!’ Bell noticed as he continued to fight. ‘Miss Liliruca is moving all of the Monster bodies out of the way. I can focus solely on combat!’

Bell noticed something new approaching among the Killer Ants. They were white rabbits with a single horn emerging from their heads like a Unicorn. He remembered learning about these from Anna, even though he hadn’t seen any yesterday.

Needle Rabbits, fast and with a lethal stab, they launched themselves at their targets to impale them and were known to be opportunistic in picking their targets.

“Not you don’t!” Bell decapitated the last Killer Ant with his shortsword and waved his left hand to blast the first Needle Rabbit that launched itself at him with a wave of burning hot ashes. The Hestia Xiphos cleaved through a second Needle Rabbit as it launched itself at Bell from the side, but he was forced to block with his vambrace when the third attacked from the opposite direction. As the Needle Rabbit was hanging in the air from its blocked attack, Bell bisected it with a swift swing of his shortsword, the two halves hitting the ground with a splat as the stone was painted with fresh blood.

“Master Bell, one is about to be born!” Lili warned as one of the walls near her began to crack. The claws of a Killer Ant broke through the stone as it began to emerge.

“Got it!” Bell punted the last Needle Rabbit into the rock wall with all his strength. The small Monster stood little chance against his strength or the impact with the stone. Needle Rabbits were all offense and no defense. They weren’t much more durable than a regular rabbit. “One…” Bell blitzed towards the emerging Monster and then jumped up to meet it. “And two!” He slashed down with the Hestia Xiphos and split the new Killer Ant’s head in two before it could fully emerge from the wall. The Monster was left half stuck in the wall with its forelimbs hanging down.

“Master Bell is really, really strong!” Lili praised before looking up at the stuck Monster corpse. “But…what do we do about that?” She reached up and could barely get her hands around one of the dangling legs.

“One second.” Bell smiled as he cleaned off the Hestia Xiphos and sheathed it. He grabbed both of the dangling legs, one in each hand, and with a heave dragged the dead Killer Ant out of the wall entirely. Bell let it hit the ground before smiling at Lili. “That should make it easier for you, Miss Liliruca.”

“Thank you,” Lili pulled out her own knife and rolled over the first Killer Ant corpse in the pile she’d made. Bell watched on at the speed, ease, and efficiency that Lili extracted the Magic Stone from the dead Monster. As it was crumbling away into the familiar white-gray dust, Lili had already moved on to the next ant in the pile.

“You’re very good at extracting Magic Stones, Miss Liliruca.” Bell praised her while watching her work. He was also keeping his eyes and ears alert for the sounds of approaching Monsters.

Lili disagreed with a shake of her head, even as she collected another Magic Stone and moved on to the next Monster in the pile. “Not really, Master Bell, this is just the only way to be useful.”

“Um, Miss Liliruca, you don’t need to call me ‘Master’…” Bell said, not believing such a form of address was necessary between them.

“Master Bell,” Lili sighed and looked at the stone floor. “Please call Lili ‘Lili’, never add ‘Miss’ to her name.”

Bell blinked at the change in her tone. Lili sounded so…resigned. “But why?”

“Listen carefully, Master Bell.” Lili set her knife aside as she looked up at Bell. “Supporter might sound important, but the vast majority of us just carry the bags. When brave Adventurers that risk their lives fighting Monsters look at us, all they see are weak leeches living off their hard-earned money.” She gave him a lopsided smile before continuing. “It would be arrogant for Supporters to think we are equal to Adventurers. If we did that, Adventurers wouldn’t give us any of the loot.”

“Is that true?” Bell couldn’t understand why. Lili had made this last fight so much easier with her support.

“Lili knows that you’re nice. Unfortunately, the world is not.” Lili shook her head slowly. “If other Adventurers heard that Lili was getting full of herself and demanding equal respect…they’d never be willing to work with her.” Bell looked saddened by the treatment Lili had obviously gone through in her time as a Supporter. That suited Lili perfectly though. “I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, Master Bell, but think of it as helping Lili, please?”

Bell agreed with a soft sigh. “Okay…Lili…”

“Thank you very much.” Lili gave him a small smile with her eyes closed. When she opened them again, she decided to move the conversation along. “On a different note, are you really a newbie Adventurer? You slayed all of these Monsters by yourself…” She motioned to the dead Killer Ants that she was working through.

“I might have won, but they almost had me a few times…” Bell admitted with a shake of his head, recalling both times he’d had to block an attack with his vambraces. “Every time I go to a new Floor and encounter new Monsters, I just kind of stumble and flail against them until I get used to their attacks. I’m still inexperienced, so I can’t identify and react like a better Adventurer would.”

“That’s only because you fight alone.” Lili replied to Bell’s self-evaluation. “Most Adventurers travel in Parties of between three and five members. No one wants to fight solo.”

“But that’s not to say they can’t.” Bell shrugged, knowing very well that there were plenty of Adventurers that could fight solo. The images of Tiona and Tione briefly appearing in his mind. “I’m only Level 1. So there’s a lot of Adventurers that’re stronger than me.”

“Yes…that’s true.” Lili admitted, hiding her confusion at Bell’s humbleness. Most Adventurers, especially newbies that hadn’t known failure yet, were braggarts and arrogant.

Bell smiled at Lili’s reaction with a chuckle. “I’ve still got a long way to go.”

“Well, Master Bell’s strength is more than just his Status.” Lili eyed the sheathed Hestia Xiphos for a moment. “That shortsword seems to be very powerful too.”

“That’s true…” Bell agreed as he gently placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. “I’m trying not to rely on it too much.” He wanted to have skill in his own swordsmanship, that way, even without the Hestia Xiphos, he could still fight effectively.

“No, no, wielding a powerful weapon like that is proof of your true strength.” Lili disagreed with a smile. “Even so, how in the world did you get a sword that powerful?” She questioned as she continued to extract Magic Stones. “Lili doesn’t mean to be rude, but Master Bell is still a newbie, so you wouldn’t be rich.”

“My Goddess gave it to me.” Bell answered with a fond smile on his face. “She went through a lot of trouble to get one of her friends to make it.”

“What a nice Goddess you have.” Lili kept her head down as she replied. The pain in her voice she could hide, but only the blind would miss the pain in her eyes. “Huh?” She broke from her melancholy as a Drop Item was left behind from the Needle Rabbit she’d just finished harvesting. The horn of the Needle Rabbit was its Drop Item, known as a Needle Rabbit’s Tusk, and they were worth a bit at the Guild Exchange.

Bell smiled as he saw the horn left behind. “A Drop Item? Nice.”

“Yes, the Needle’s Rabbit’s Tusk sells for a decent amount of Valis at the Exchange.” Lili gave Bell a smile as she continued her work. By the time she was done, she was nearly gaping at what she was seeing.

“Something wrong, Lili?” Bell questioned, noticing that she’d gone still after the last Monster, the Purple Moth, had crumbled away into the white-gray dust.

“This is crazy…” Lili looked beside her and then back in front of her. “Drop Items don’t occur this often.” She shook her head and showed Bell the three Needle Rabbit’s Tusks she’d already collected and the Purple Moth Wing that had been left behind after the Purple Moth’s body had turned into the white dust. “We’ve only been in the Dungeon for a short time and we’ve already collected four Drop Items!”

Bell blinked at her shocked expression. “That’s good though, right?” Wasn’t getting Drop Items always a good thing?

“I mean…it’s great, of course, but still…” Lili looked between the four Drop Items and Bell. “Are you some kind of lucky charm, Master Bell?”

“Lucky charm?” Bell had never been called that before and wasn’t sure how to take it.

“Perhaps we should call it a day, even though it’s early?” Lili suggested as she placed the Drop Items into her large backpack.

Bell cocked his head to the side. “Already? But I can keep going easily.”

“No, no, that’s being overconfident.” Lili shook her head and pointed at the off-colored dust on the ground where the Purple Moth had fallen. “The dust that the Purple Moth spreads is poisonous. The effects aren’t immediate, but breathing in too much will poison the body.”

“Right!” Bell pounded his right fist into his left palm. “I remember now, Anna taught me about them.”

“Lili isn’t sure she actually has an Antidote on her; she was careless.” Lili apologized with a short bow. “I can check, but if there’s not one in my pack, then we’ll have to return to Babel for treatment.”

“It’s fine, Lili, I’ve got an Antidote.” Bell pulled out a vial of a transparent green liquid from his thin, black backpack. “Naaza told me I should keep one on me at all times once I went past the Fifth Floor.” He uncorked the vial and downed the Antidote in one go. “Egh… She was right, that’s not like a potion.” He scrunched up his face at the taste.

“Oh, Master Bell is well prepared, that’s a relief.” Lili smiled at him. “Then we can continue if you’d like, Master Bell.”

“Let’s head deeper into the Seventh Floor today, Lili.” Bell grinned as they walked onwards. “I’d like to make as much money as possible for my Familia.”

“Yes, Master Bell!” Lili followed along. ‘He wants to gain money for his Familia, while Lili wants to get enough money to leave hers. The world was truly an unfair place.’ She thought to herself as she walked a couple of steps behind Bell, her eyes still occasionally looking at the shortsword on Bell’s hip.

-Late Afternoon ~ Guild Exchange-

“You’ve got to be blessed with the best kind of luck, Master Bell…” Lili shook her head slowly. Fifteen…Fifteen Drop Items in a single day! She couldn’t believe it! This had never happened in all the years she’d been a Supporter. ‘The most Lili ever saw before was SEVEN in a single day!’

“We did well today, Lili, that’s all.” Bell was all smiles as they placed their collection of Drop Items and Magic Stones into the tray and drawer at the Exchange window. They had six Needle Rabbit Tusks, three Purple Moth Wings, four Kobold Nails, one Killer Ant Claw, and one Wall Shadow’s Finger Blade.

The Guild worker behind the Exchange window went about her work quickly and efficiently. After shaking her head at the ludicrous amount of Drop Items that a two-person team had managed to acquire in a single day. Magic Stones were weighed, the Drop Items were inspected and graded for quality, and calculations were made. “The Drop Items were worth 28,360 Valis, the Magic Stones come out to 37,820 Valis, so your total is 66,180 Valis.” A rather large sack was placed in the large drawer and pushed over to their side.

“Thank you, ma’am.” Bell picked up the sack filled with the coins and grinned happily. He and Lili went over to one of the sitting areas so that Bell could give Anna his report.

Lili eyed the large bag of Valis. “Master Bell, about today’s loot…”

“You were a great help today, Lili.” Bell thanked her with a bright smile. “Let’s just split it fifty-fifty.”

Lili had to stop herself from choking on her breath.

“A-Are you sure, Master Bell?” Lili looked into his red-eyes and saw only honesty in them.

“Of course, Lili, you helped me slay more Monsters today than I’ve ever been able to do on my own.” Bell was already opening the bag and pulling out Valis coins. “I’d like it if we could go into the Dungeon again tomorrow too.”

“Lili would like that, Master Bell.” Lili agreed as she watched him count out her share. Her brown eyes glanced at the shortsword on his waist again. She’d bide her time for now. If Bell continued being so lucrative, she’d hold off on taking it until she needed to. A sword of that quality and power would surely sell for enough to finally let her buy her way out of Soma Familia.

“There you go, Lili, 33,090 Valis for your share.” Bell handed her the bag while adding his own half into his leather backpack.

“Thank you very much, Master Bell.” Lili grinned as she stowed the bag into her large backpack. “I’ll meet you by the big fountain in front of Babel tomorrow morning at the same time, if that’s alright?”

“That sounds great, Lili, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Bell agreed with a smile and a nod before he waved as Lili headed out of the Guild Building and Anna approached him for his report.

Anna smiled at Bell, noticing the way that his backpack was a bit swollen with his earnings. “I see you did well with your new Supporter, Bell.” She was honestly happy that Bell had taken it upon himself to find a Supporter now that he was past the Fifth Floor.

“She really knew what she was doing. I made a lot today thanks to her.” Bell smiled back as Anna sat down and then laid out a blank report form and got her pen ready.

“That’s good. I hope you two continue to work well together.” Anna said with a little giggle as she began to write down Bell’s report for his day in the Dungeon.

-Hestia Familia Home-

Hestia was quite thrilled when she found out how much Bell had made that day. She’d kissed him senseless before they’d sat down for dinner and Bell told her about hiring Lili as his Supporter. While Hestia was slightly curious about why Bell had hired a ‘female’ Supporter, she didn’t believe that Bell would cheat on her or go around chasing skirts, so she didn’t say anything about it. After eating, the two had enjoyed a relaxing soak in the bath together, even though the tub was a little small for two people. As they got ready for bed, Hestia had settled Bell on his stomach on their bed for a Status Update to see if having a Supporter had also been helpful to his growth.

“Hmm, that’s definitely a hefty boost.” Hestia said as she finished watching bell’s Excelia for the day and moved it over into the Basic Abilities, watching them rise significantly. Placing a blank paper onto Bell’s back, she twirled her finger once to copy the Status Update over and then handed it to Bell.

“Let’s see…” Bell took the paper from Hestia and looked it over.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 1

Strength – B 719 > B 798

Endurance – B 704 > B 786

Dexterity – B 743 > A 825

Agility – B 710 > B 789

Magic – B 732 > A 813

-Magic-

Sacred Ash – Incantation: “Remnants of the Sacred Flame, alight on the wind and scatter.” This Magic allows the user to conjure and manipulate ashes, ember, and smoke. They can control the temperature and form constructs with it. The user can change the effect of the spell to provide mild healing and remove Charms, Curses, and Anti-Status conditions by chanting Chari.

-Skills-

Liaris Freese – Fast growth as long as feelings last. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user’s feelings. As a side effect it makes the user immune to Charms and Magics that alter the mind.

-Status-

“Both Dexterity and Magic reached ‘A’ Rank already?!” Bell nearly gaped at the new milestone. “We didn’t even work more than a normal day in the Dungeon. Lili just made it easier to focus on slaying the Monsters. Since she took care of all of the bodies and harvesting the Magic Stones, I could focus solely on slaying Monsters. I never realized how much having a Supporter could help…” It was amazing that he’d made so much more at the Exchange already, but his growth had increased substantially as well!

“You’re doing amazing, Bell.” Hestia leaned against his back with a soft smile. “If I didn’t have to get up for work tomorrow, then I’d give you a very thorough reward.” She playfully sighed at the ‘missed’ opportunity.

“Can I try something, Goddess?” Bell asked and Hestia leaned back to look him in the eye. “You just have to sit with your back facing me.” He told her, knowing that she was working two different parttime jobs now, he wanted to try helping her out however he could.

Hestia did as he requested and let out a gentle coo when she felt his hands on her shoulders. “What’re you up to, Bell?” She hummed out as Bell began to massage her shoulders.

“Grandpa showed me how to do this growing up.” Bell told Hestia with a warm smile as the memories came back to him. “He always said it helped after a day in the fields, and I think I got pretty good at it over the years.”

“Mmm, I’d say so…” Hestia was already feeling her muscles unwinding. Her Bell just continued to surprise her. “Just don’t beat on me like I’ve heard about some massages.” She requested with a soft giggle.

“Grandpa didn’t mind, but he wasn’t as soft as you are, Hestia.” Bell teased as he continued to massage and moved his hands a little closer to her neck.

Hestia smiled as she relaxed back into his hands. “I love you, Bell~”

“Love you too, Hestia.” Bell kept up the massage, even moving down Hestia’s back, until she was eventually lying face down on the bed, fast asleep. With a smile that he’d made her relax and sleep easier, he gently wrapped his arm around Hestia’s waist and pulled the blankets over them. Bell kissed the top of her head softly and quickly dozed off himself.

-End Chapter-

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Well, well, well!

Bell got a sexy reward from Hestia for protecting her from the Silverback! Hehehe~

The two are so cute together, aren’t they? All lovey-dovey!

Bell has another reason to work harder for the Familia now, with a 250,000,000 Valis debt for the Hestia Xiphos hanging over their heads!

But a run-in with a certain Prum, and Bell being his usual good man self, leads to him getting a Supporter!

DA BEAN IS HERE!!! Yay!

While she’s still eyeing Bell’s weapon, like canon, when Bell splits the day’s earnings with her 50/50, Lili holds off on any plans of theft. After all, Bell is VERY lucrative if he’s going to keep giving her half of their loot every day!

Bell’s two most used stats are already ‘A’ Rank! Will that make a difference as things continue to change?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!