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Chapter Text

Prologue - Fateful Encounter

~ Grove Near Paros Village, 7 Years Before Canon ~

In the heart of this tranquil forest, the signs of the Autumn season are everywhere, in the form of the vibrant hues of fiery red, burnt orange, and golden yellow leaves. Many have already made their descent from the branches of the towering trees surrounding the grove, many stand tall around a crystal-clear stream, its mirror-like surface reflecting the splendor of colors overhead. A crisp breeze stirs the fallen leaves alongside a worn down footpath, brushing alongside the trees and knocking more of the leaves off of their perches on the branches of the sentinel trees surrounding the forest. 

As the breeze carries through the forest, the earthy smell of fallen leaves cascaded throughout the grove, the enchanting sounds of nature echoing between the trees and the river. The soft crunch of fallen leaves alongside the footpath is heard by the nearby wildlife as two figures are seen walking the path towards the river, carrying some fishing gear. One of the figures is an older gentleman, the years well etched into his weathered, tired face. Despite the crown of silver hair and the graying beard on his head, he bore a sturdy frame and broad shoulders, born from working the land as a farmer in an unknown village. He wears a slightly frayed, white long sleeve shirt, alongside a set of faded blue overalls that covered the lower half of his body. A pair of thick, brown boots, and a brown scarf with a pair of black working gloves completed his outfit, solidifying him as a simple farmer. He also carried a thin fishing rod on his back, tied to a small backpack, and a metal bucket in his right hand. His companion, clearly much younger and on the shorter side, walked slightly behind the old farmer, his shorter legs making it difficult to keep up. His snow-white hair stuck out in places, although not completely unkempt. His ruby-red eyes filled with wonder as he admired the beautiful colors of nature during this time of year. He wore a simple black t-shirt and pants, both with stitches to show the numerous times it was lovingly sewn back together. A brown jacket overtop his t-shirt, with a simple pair of leather gloves, a pair of brown boots all too similar to the old man’s own pair, a small bag slung over his shoulder with a small fishing pole held on by a leather strap alongside the bag, the boy was following the old man as they walked ever closer to the stream, the soft melody of flowing water filling his ears with the rustling of the trees’ leaves tantalizing his thoughts. 

A sort of yearly tradition they had, where they’d gather their fishing poles and head to a small clearing by a bend in the river near their village. A simple day trip, where they’d catch a few fish, enjoy a simple lunch, and enjoy the wonderful view of Autumn by the riverbed. Bell’s small bag contained a few things, but his most prized possession was an old story book he loved reading with his granddad, the Dungeon Oratoria. He wanted to finish up the retelling of his favorite story, the Argonaut, while they ate dinner together by the river. His grandfather loved telling different sections of the many stories the book had to offer, never finishing the story and always leaving him with a cliffhanger, and started a retelling of a different hero story the following night. Bell loved this, as he never knew which story would be next, always keeping him in suspense, always excited for the next time his Granddad would continue another story.  

However, this fishing trip would not be like the many others they’ve been on. The odd pair would become a trio, with an encounter that would alter the fate of the world, all starting with a shrill scream.

~ River Clearing, A few minutes prior ~ 

As the river flows, it seeps into a small clearing within a dense forest. The water gracefully travels downstream, bringing with it a cascade of vibrant leaves, dead branches dragged along as they bump along the numerous rocks that make up the riverbed. The river bank offers a clear, grassy patch of grass to relax on, with the edges covered in small stones, worn from the unknown time spent by the riverside. 

Rapid footsteps can be heard from close by, accompanied by heavy breathing and almost-animalistic growls and screeches. From a patch of bushes covered by shadows, a small boy throws himself onto the ground, dodging a set of yellowing claws from the darkness. He rolls, well more tumbles, onto the ground nearby before scrambling to stand himself back up and face towards his attackers. The boy had a set of dirty white hair, almost seeming to be gray in color, almost long enough to reach to his shoulders. His eyes, a soft blue-gray color, were wide with fear, adrenaline pumping through his small body. The thin, brown shirt stuck to his small chest, heaving up and down due to the amount of running he had just endured. His black pants, frayed and dirty from running through the forest, were barely holding on his body. The boy wore no shoes, his feet dirty from running on the forest floor. What drew attention to him more than his ragged clothing was the nasty wounds on his right arm. Thick gashes on up and down his forearm, with a chunk of flesh missing on the underside. His hand, also coated in blood from it running down his arm, numerous gashes on his fingers and the back of his hand, with bruised knuckles, was held close to his dirty body, the blood coating his already dirty shirt. 

The boy frantically looks around, trying to locate his attackers. Luckily, or unluckily, his pursuers decided to make themselves known by stepping through the foliage. A pair of short, green creatures come out of the bushes nearby. Covered in green skin, with a short pair of horns on their head. Their arms are long, compared to the rest of their body, with short claws on the end of their fingers. A thin set of brown fur covering their lower body, with yellow beady eyes staring daggers into their prey, the scared little boy. A pair of goblins are the boy’s pursuers, looking for a quick meal. 

 One of the goblins decided it had waited long enough, screeching loudly as it dove towards the child, claws reaching out to grab its prey in order to secure the kill. The young boy attempted to jump away, only to get a large gash on his left thigh. He lets out a scream, the pain shooting through his thigh and body, increasing the severity of his situation. Falling over onto his back, he whimpers as he clutches his arm, tears spilling out as the goblins close in on him, appearing to cackle with glee at the turn of events. The boy closes his eyes, cursing his poor luck and waiting for his approaching death. But it never came, for when the boy shut his eyes, a rock shot over his head, nailing one of the two goblins in the face. With a cry, the goblin is thrown onto its back from the surprise attack, the other looking in confusion. 

His eyes shooting open at the sudden outcry, he didn't have time to react before something grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him away from the other goblin, as a large old man stepped between him and the monsters. 

"Check on him, Bell! He's bleedin' bad!" the old man yelled as he pulled out a small hatchet from his bag, facing the goblins who, now recovering from the attack, were snarling at the man standing between them and their prey. 

Bell was, understandably, freaking out at the whole situation. He heard the scream and immediately ran past his granddad, ignoring his yelling to wait. Once he reached the clearing and saw the scene unfold, he wasted no time in picking up a nearby stone and throwing it towards the goblins. He initially wanted to just spook them, but wound up nailing one in the face. It worked out in the end, but now was not the time to worry about that. Act first, think later. Like the heroes in his stories. 

Digging through his little bag, he pulled out a spare shirt he had, and began wrapping it around the other boy's arm, tears beginning to build up in his own eyes as he did his best to help. 

"D-don't worry! Grandpa will t-take care of those g-goblins!" Bell stuttered out, trying to sound confident but ultimately failing as his anxiety rose at an alarming rate. The other boy only nodded, whimpering as his arm was wrapped in the old shirt, blood beginning to seep through the fabric quickly. 

Before Bell had a chance to check on his grandfather, he saw the old man putting away the hatchet, the goblins nowhere to be seen, the blood on his hatchet the only signs they were there, as he rushed over to the boys. 

"Rough, but it will hold for now. Come on kiddo, let's get you back to our home." Bell's Granddad said, carefully lifting both the injured boy and Bell into his arms before briskly jogging back towards their village. 

Although Bell was looking forward to his fishing trip with his grandfather, he knew helping this boy was far more important. After all, his biggest wish was to be a hero, so helping others was only natural. The boy in question had closed his eyes, his breath ragged from both the running and the pain in his arm and now his leg, which had not been patched up yet. 

"Sorry Bell, looks like we'll have to take our trip sometime later." Bell's Granddad said softly, as he continued jogging on the footpath, the village slowly coming into view. 

"N-no, it's okay! We had to help him! I'd be sad if he got hurt more.." Bell stammered out, his voice losing its volume by the end. He was scared from the ordeal, but his biggest worry was the other kid. He couldn't have been much older than Bell, and yet he was attacked by not one, but TWO goblins. Where were his parents? Or his friends, or guardians? Where were any of his people? Why was he alone, in the middle of the woods with, apparently, no supplies? Many questions swan through Bell's head, all having to be placed on hold until the other child recovered. 

After a short trip back to their home, Bell and his Grandfather set to work to make the boy comfortable while he recovered. They stationed him on Bell's bed since it was closest to the front door. After a visit from the village's doctor, well more of a herbalist, they concluded that a few herbal medicines and fresh bandages, and the boy would be fine. No fever had set in, and although the boy lost a decent amount of blood, he wasn't in any particular danger. In fact, the 'doctor' mentioned how the boy appears quite healthy despite the whole incident. After changing the boy's bandages and dressing him in one of Bell's shirts and a pair of pants, they left the boy to rest. Unbeknownst to them, as the boy slept on, his right arm began to softly glow an electric blue before fading away. 

~ Bell's Home, 24 hours later ~ 

Slowly, the light from the morning sun begins to bleed through the curtains in the bedroom, specifically shining onto a small mop of white hair in the bed. Stirring from the sudden rays of light assaulting his face, the boy stirs from his slumber, wincing at the numb pain in his arm and leg. Remembering the events that happened, he looks around the room, his eyes examining every square inch of the bedroom. 

The bedroom was relatively spartan, minimalistic in design and décor. No paintings hung on the wall, just basic white-gray colored walls, the wooden roof a dark brown color. The bed he laid in was basic, a thin mattress with some cotton sheets covering it, a wooden frame holding the bed up from the floor, and a straw pillow. A nightstand sat by the bed on its right side, with a glass of water sitting on top. A wooden chair was set by the bedside, possibly showing someone was keeping an eye on him. Small toys were scattered around, signifying that this was a child's room. 

The boy reached out with his good hand, picking up the glass and drinking down its contents, the cool liquid working wonders on his aching body. As he finishes his drink, the door rattles slightly before it swings open. The boy snaps his attention to the door, eyeing an old man walking in with a tray of food, a simple plate of eggs, bacon, and some bread. 

"Oho, looks like you're up! I was worried, lad. You've been sleeping for a full day. Are you feeling alright?" The old farmer questioned the boy, his eyes examining the boy’s physical condition. He wore a simple white collared shirt with khaki colored pants. 

The boy just nods, not speaking as he watches the old man place the food on the nightstand, pulling the chair up and sitting down with a grunt. He leans forward and looks at the boy, a small smile on his face. 

"What's your name, lad? Never got a chance to ask as you went out like a light after we dealt with those goblins." the old man asked, crossing his arms over his chest, his smile still held on his face.

The boy, for whatever reason, felt that he could trust this complete stranger. Despite the unknown, this man had that feeling, an aura of protection, almost like the caring nature of a parent. 

"Nero. My name is Nero." he replies, blue-gray eyes staring at the old man. 

"Nero, huh.. well it's good to put a name to the face!" The old man laughs out, smacking his thigh in the process. "Bell's been lookin' forward to speaking with you since you've been here." 

Nero looks at the farmer quizzically. "Bell?" That name… wasn't that the name of the kid that wrapped his arm up? He couldn't really remember, as the adrenaline pumping through him at the time was prioritizing safety and survival, so small details like names eluded him. 

Luckily, Bell had come by the room, holding another glass of water to replace the one that was there. After peering in, he saw Nero looking around as his granddad spoke to him. Bell quickly ushered his way over towards the nightstand, being as careful as possible to not make a mess. Nero had noticed him come in, and was staring at him curiously. 

"Uhm.. H-hello. My name is B-Bell Cranel. I hope my bed was okay.." He introduced himself nervously, slightly bowing towards his fellow albino. 

"...Name's Nero. The bed.. is fine, better than nothing.." He nods towards Bell, awkwardly introducing himself to the other kid while eyeing him up and down. 'He looks like a rabbit,' he thought. 

Grandpa laughed as they spoke, enjoying the little bits of tension between the two before clapping his hands. "Alright! Now, down to business." He leaned forward in the chair, his hands clasping together as a serious expression appeared on his otherwise jolly face. The boys, sensing the tone shift, both looked at the older man with curious looks, with Bell being slightly more confused than anything. 

“How come you were out there all on your own? Where are your parents or guardians at?” the old man questioned, his posture never shifting beyond his breathing. He was curious about the child, as there were not many villages nearby. 

Nero flinched at the question, looking down at the bed while gripping onto the blanket. “...gone.. They left me..” he muttered out, his eyes reflecting the anger and sadness deeply situated within his being. He didn’t plan to say much more, but that did not seem to be needed, as Bell quickly scrambled up and grabbed Nero’s hands, the blue-eyed albino surprised by the sudden reaction.

“Grandpa!” Bell snapped his attention to his grandfather, his ruby eyes boring into his granddad’s own. “Can Nero live with us? He can be part of our family instead!” he shouted, while Nero stared at him, dumbfounded by the boy’s sudden offer. Here he was, a complete stranger in a home not his own, being taken care of by these two people who had saved his life. Who have no reason to continue helping him in any way, much less keep him around for longer. Yet the boy- No, Bell- had decided to offer him a new home, a new family with them. It was just the three of them, as far as Nero knew, but it was still a happy family despite the size. 

“Hmmm…” The old man rubbed his beard, closing his eyes as he hummed. “That isn’t up to me to decide, it’s his choice whether he wishes to stay or not. We shouldn’t force him.”

Bell looked back at Nero, his rubellite eyes meeting the other’s electric blue eyes. He hoped he would say yes. Then they’d be brothers! They already shared the same hair color, so it wouldn’t be too hard to pass it off. 

Nero looked at Bell for a bit, before turning his attention to Bell’s grandfather. “.. would you be okay with me staying longer..?” He questioned, his hands gripping tighter on the blanket, the pain in his right arm throbbing from the slight exertion. 

The old man smiled warmly, relaxing his posture by leaning back into the chair, the wood creaking slightly at the movement. “I can say this: If you decide to stay with us, we will readily accept you. You will be one of us, we will be family in all manners but blood.” 

Tears welling up in his eyes, Nero only nodded. Bell cheered while hugging his new adoptive brother, with his -their- Grandfather laughing loudly as he ruffled Nero’s hair. With this decision made, a new path towards the future awaits our two young heroes-in-training. 

~ Paros Village, 7 years later (Start of Canon) ~ 

The town of Paros, an unremarkable village tucked away from the world, barely even tracked or marked on many maps, sat in a small valley, surrounded by hills which isolated the village from the view of the many roads that pass nearby, trees dotting the rolling landscape. Covering the vast expanse of the sky was a patchwork of numerous shades of gray, signifying the potential for a downpour sometime soon. 

The villagers milled about, continuing on with their day to day lives, collecting firewood or working the fields to continue nurturing their upcoming harvest. Despite the clouds covering the majority of the sky, or the isolated nature of the village, the people were at peace. A place where the cares of the world were nothing more than whispers and gossip. A place where life unfolded in quiet harmony, with only the heavens to bear witness the events of this village. 

Within the small, but active, crowd of villagers was a tall, young man. Reaching 190 cm, his snow-white hair reached down to his neck, his bangs brushed to the sides to prevent his hair from covering his electric blue eyes. He sported a thick, navy-blue overcoat with a red inner lining, and a red zip-up hoodie/vest. Underneath, a plain, black t-shirt with a small bag slung over his shoulder. His dark blue pants, slightly faded from age and use, covered his lower body. A pair of thick, brown workman’s boots covered his feet, and a thick layer of bandages covered his right arm, a thick black glove covering his right hand from view. His left hand held onto the bag as it rattled with the sounds of metal clinking, as well as occasionally clashing with the large steel sword on his back. The blade was nothing special, just a standard single-edged longsword, its 65 cm blade worn from age and use. In terms of physical stature, he was no titan, but he was quite fit, the clothing he wore doing well to hide his toned muscles.

Nero sighed as he walked towards the home on top of the hill, slightly separate from the rest of the village. He could see from here there were no lights on in the house, only the smoke billowing from the chimney showing signs of life within the home. ‘Again.. I hate to be so hard on him..’ he thought to himself as he got closer to home. It’s been over half a year since their grandfather disappeared while out hunting, no signs of him anywhere. They couldn’t even locate his body, and despite him and his brothers’ best efforts, they could not find a single trace of him. 

Since that day, Bell has been inconsolable, barely eating much food and staring at the walls or ceilings, completely numb to the world. Nero did his best to cheer him up, bringing him his favorite foods, or even rereading the hero stories he loved hearing. It helped somewhat, but Bell just mulled through the day to day, doing the bare minimum to keep active. Nero had to force him to bathe last night since he started to smell. 

Reaching the door, he pulled his key out, unlocked it and stepped inside. The main living space in the house incorporated the kitchen, living room, and dining room all in one large open space. A simple couch by the fireplace, a small dinner table with 3 chairs positioned around it, and a kitchen with the essentials: Stove top, countertops, a sink, and cabinets to store the dishes. The place was minimalistic, just the way they liked it. Nero spotted a mop of white-hair by the couch’s armrest. Closing the door a little louder than he normally would, he called out, “I’m back.” as he set the bag down as quietly as he could on the table, propping up the sword on one of the chairs. 

“Welcome back, Nero.” Bell called out, his voice monotone as he stared off into the fireplace. He didn’t budge from his sitting position, on the floor leaning against the couch’s armrest. He’d been sitting here since Nero stepped out with a bag, something about ‘getting something important’ before he walked out for a few hours. 

Nero looked towards where Bell sat, his concern for the boy ever present. However, he had a plan this time. A life-changing decision that could pull Bell out of this metaphorical rut and back onto the saddle, so to speak. “Hey Bell, can you come over here? We need to talk about something.” He asked as he sat down at the dinner table, his sword now leaning on the table. Bell stood up with a soft grunt, his joints popping from sitting so long. 

As he made his way over to the table, Nero began speaking, “Look, I know that things haven’t been so great since Grandpa… disappeared.” He didn’t want to say ‘died’ as Bell winced, bringing it up, and reopened that fresh wound. “But I want us to try and move forward, to live our lives as he would’ve wanted us to. So..” He pulled the bag onto the table, an audible amount of clanking heard once he did so. Bell looked at the bag curiously as he sat down across from Nero, then swept his ruby-red eyes over to Nero with a confused expression on his face. Nero smiled softly at Bell, opening the bag and pulling out a decently sized bag of Valis, as well as a wooden, black box. Bell’s eyes widened at the items he pulled out from the bag, wondering what was going on. “I made a decision, and sold off the tools and equipment we weren’t using. Alongside some odd jobs I took up and trades I made with passing merchants, I’ve collected over 15 thousand valis in this bag here.” He tapped the bag for emphasis. “As well as getting you a gift, but not like anything I’ve gotten you before.” Nero smiled as he pushed the box over to Bell. 

Bell looked at Nero, his surprise at the staggering amount of valis still present on his face before he tackled the mystery of the box, his supposed gift. His curiosity ate at him, and with Nero motioning towards the box, he didn’t hold back much longer. He quickly, but carefully, lifted up the lid on the box to reveal a pair of simple steel daggers. Their blade designs are reminiscent of standard combat knives used by warriors from the Far East, but without any intricate patterns or runes on the blades. Just simple onyx black blades, fixed with a thin metal crossguard and leather wrappings on the handles. Bell stared at the blades in wonder, quickly looking back up at Nero with a myriad of emotions on his face, namely excitement as well as confusion. 

Nero chuckled at this, before continuing, “I decided to fetch you a pair of daggers. After all, you’ll need some way to protect yourself somehow on the trip.” He deadpanned as Bell tilted his head, the gears in his head still not able to come up with a conclusion. Nero facepalmed, “I’m saying I want us to try and pursue your dream of being an adventurer, and head together to Orario, Bell. Is that forward enough?” Bell, finally seeing the puzzle pieces fitting together, dashed over and wrapped Nero in a tight hug, his excitement radiating the entire room, almost brightening up the room with his happiness. Nero returned the hug, smiling as he finally was able to pull Bell out of his depression, although not completely as he was sure there would still be some bumps down the line, but that’s a future Nero problem. For now, he’ll enjoy the small victory here. 

Bell pulled back from the hug, looking up at his older brother with tears in his eyes. “N-Nero, are you s-sure? *sniff* G-going to Orario will t-take awhile..” He stumble-stuttered his way through the sentence, as he wiped his eyes clear from the tears, still smiling ear to ear. 

Nero smiled as he ruffled Bell’s hair. “I hear you, and we’ll prepare for that. We’ll plan to leave relatively soon, I want to aim for next month. But” Nero held up three fingers towards Bell. “There are three important things we must plan for ahead, so we can be ready by the time we get to Orario.” Bell nodded, sitting back down, this time besides Nero with the open chair. “Firstly,” holding up one finger. “Is you and your knives. We need to practice, as you have no combat experience whatsoever. Now, I can teach you the absolute basics but beyond that, you’ll be as self-taught as me. It will carry us far to have some form of experience.” Bell nodded, his serious expression dampened by his innocent, child-like excitement as he bounces in his chair. Holding up another finger, Nero continued, “Secondly, once we get to Orario, we have a time limit. I’m sure our funds won’t last long outside of the village and in the big city, so we’ll need to get into a Familia as soon as possible. Which ties into the third, and in my personal opinion, the most important issue at hand.” Bell tilted his head, confused. Nero proceeded to roll up the right sleeve on his jacket, revealing his bandaged arm with no signs of blood or injury present.  Bell immediately understood what he was referring to as Nero began to unwrap his arm, revealing the limb underneath.

Since the incident where he was adopted by Bell and his Grandfather, his arm had healed in the most bizarre way. Instead of his usual skin-tone arm, in its place was a clawed, almost reptile-like appendage, with lightning-style cracks down the forearm, and a small spike sticking out at the elbow. A soft, purple-blue under glow was seen beneath the cracks, appearing to radiate power. His arm, which Bell affectionately dubbed the ‘Devil Bringer’ as it sounded cool, had been this way since then. Initially, Nero freaked out thinking his arm was infected and beginning to rot off. He was only 10 at the time, so it was an understandable fear. But after his Grandfather, seemingly out of nowhere, figured out the cause of why his arm was like this and ordered Nero to hide it until further notice. 

His Grandfather’s answer to his arm winding up this way?: “Your lineage apparently had someone who was part demon. Could’ve been your father, or his father, or even a distance ancestor. Either way, it’s manifested now, likely responding to your injuries.” 

To say Nero was freaked out was an understatement. He was afraid that, with the revelation of his arm and confirmation of his bloodline, he would be scorned and hated by everyone. Luckily, Bell and Grandpa took it in stride, although they prepared precautions in case people started asking questions after seeing it. 

Holding up his right arm with three fingers held up, Nero used his other hand to point at it. “And three: We keep this a secret from everyone as much as possible. Don’t need to get hunted down like an animal or purged from this world or whatever. Considering we’ll be applying to a Familia, we may need to talk to the God or Goddess that takes us in about it, but we’ll approach that topic when we get that far.” Bell nodded, now fully serious. He was worried about Nero’s… ‘condition’ since it showed it. Grandpa always said it was fine as it was ‘dormant’, so it wasn’t anything to worry about now, but that was years ago. Who knows what could happen, especially when he enters the dungeon. 

Nero, while reapplying the wrap on his arm, continued, “Now, that is something we will deal with later down the line. We’ll tackle the first issue now, getting you adjusted to using knives. I have a set of wooden training daggers and a wooden sword for myself. We’ll spar together, getting you used to dual wielding as well as working up your fighting instincts. Sounds good?” 

Bell nodded, a sweat-drop appearing while thinking about it. “Okay, Nero, but uh… you will take it easy on me, right?” Nero grinned. “...Right?” Despite their only one year difference in age, Bell was much shorter than Nero, only reaching about 165 cm in height. On top of that, their physiques were quite different. Bell had a thinner frame, where his agility was his best attribute, whereas Nero’s much taller and well-built frame was better suited for strength and endurance. ‘Well… trial by fire I guess.’ Bell thought, internally crying at the impending bruises he was going to get. 

~ Paros Village, 3 1/2 weeks later ~ 

As the sun ascended in the azure sky,  stray clouds glided across as the wind carried them. Paros Village was active, the villagers were milling about, going along their daily routines. Nothing much has changed with the village, being quite isolated from the outside world influencing the calm nature of the village. 

Although the villagers were enjoying a nice sunny day as they continued on with their lives, one home separate from the village was a plethora of activity. Two figures clashing in their yard, the sounds of wooden blades crashing against one another. One of the two figures, a shorter albino teen, with ruby-red eyes and messy hair, stood with a pair of wooden daggers. A black t-shirt and a pair of brown pants with brown work boots completed his simple training outfit. The other albino stood across from him, wielding a single-edged sword in his left hand, his right covered by a glove and his forearm wrapped in bandages. He wore a black sleeveless shirt, with a pair of gray pants held up by a brown belt with a rectangular belt buckle, and a pair of black combat boots. His hair, white like his counterpart, reached to his neck and close to his shoulders, was brushed straight so it wouldn’t cover his eyes, colored like a bright aquamarine gemstone, staring into the rubellite pair in front of him.

Bell swiped his training daggers at Nero, sweat glistening off of his forehead as the red-eyed albino rapidly stabbed at him, doing his best to overwhelm Nero with numerous attacks to create an opening. Nero countered each blow with the flat edge of his sword, favoring the use of his left arm while occasionally countering with his right, grinning like an idiot. Ever since his suggestion to spar with Bell to practice with his knives, he’s been enjoying the fights. Maybe that made him a little bit of a battle-obsessed maniac, who cares what others thought. 

Seeing an opportunity, Nero countered one of Bell’s attacks by swinging his sword upwards, forcing Bell to retreat slightly. As he stepped back, Nero stepped forward, swinging his right arm to punch him in the chest, his fist connecting and sending Bell to the ground with a grunt. Raising his sword in a position like an executioner, he swung downward. Bell rolled to the side, lashing out with his leg to kick Nero’s leg out from under him. With the sudden shift in his leg’s position, Nero slightly staggered, before receiving another swift kick, this time to his stomach which sent him rolling backwards. Both men scrambled to their feet to recover from the attacks, eyeing each other from a distance and watching to see who’d make the next move. 

Nero sighed as he planted the tip of the sword into the ground. “Let’s call it here, Bell. Our time frame is almost up, and we need to start preparing for the journey to Orario.” Nero quietly chuckled as Bell let out a long groan, flopping onto the ground on his back. 

‘ Kid learns quickly, it didn't take long for him to adjust to the daggers. Course he’s still green but he’s better off now than if he just dove straight to traveling to Orario, flying by the seat of his pants like an idiot ’ he thought to himself, smiling as he walked towards the house, setting his training sword against the wall and fetching the two water canteens for him and Bell. 

“Man… how do you have so much stamina?” Bell whined, reaching to grab the canteen and take a swig of water. Nero chuckled at him as he drank and shook his head. 

“Who knows, might just be a natural at combat.” Nero replied, smiling to himself as he sipped at the canteen. He was quite winded from their spars, but didn’t show it. It didn’t take long for Bell to start offering Nero an actual challenge. Thanks to this training, both of them had toned out a bit more in terms of muscle, Bell more so than him. He also apparently hit a small growth spurt, his height increasing slightly to 170 cm. 

Since they started training together, Nero has been doing more odd jobs around the village to get more Valis for their trip. From there, as well as selling off the rest of the tools and equipment they had, he was able to push the 15 thousand to a little around 25 thousand Valis. Their grandpa apparently also had a small stash of emergency funds, roughly 5500 valis that Bell had stumbled upon in the house, which he added to their trip funds, so their total was roughly 30,500 valis altogether for their trip. He felt this should be more than enough to get to Orario and find a temporary place to stay while they looked for a familia. 

After a short break, the two teens went into the house to quickly bathe and clean themselves up before preparing for their long journey. Fortunately, Lady Luck was smiling upon them as a merchant caravan was in the village taking a short rest and were planning to head towards Orario by the following morning, and even offered rides. After paying a small fee for the both of them, Nero secured themselves a ride to the Center of the World. Bell, the ever excitable child he was, ran around the house gathering his personal belongings and preparing everything so once the day came, he could jump right out the door. Nero, although calm on the outside, was affected by Bell and soon joined him in his excitement. Although he was excited, his arm was still a big concern for him. He's come to accept that the Devil Bringer (Still feels iffy on the name) was part of himself and there wasn't much he could do, save for cutting his own arm off, and that was… less than ideal to consider. It didn't mean he was comfortable with it, the arm was strange. The texture was tough with the carapace being quite strong, but flexible enough to allow full mobility. The claws were sharp enough to be used as talons, and made a knarly back scratcher according to Grandpa. On top of that, since the arm's appearance, he's felt different. He couldn't understand it, so he shelved the thoughts for now. 

Bell was examining his daggers, working on polishing them the way the village blacksmith had shown him. Despite the excitement, he was being careful to make sure nothing was forgotten from his bag. He had an extra set of clothes, a few bundles of dried jerky, his water canteen, and the Dungeon Oratoria book. He refused to part with it, as it was a gift from his late grandfather. Since they were going to be traveling by carriage to Orario, He didn't need to pack a sleeping bag or camping supplies. 

"Okay, from the 1200 valis cost for the trip, we are down to 29,300 valis. Should be enough for the entrance fee, which is 4,000 per person according to one of the merchants." Nero said, gathering the money pouch and placing it into his own bag, alongside his own clothes and supplies. He had packed his bag similar to Bell's, the biggest difference is that he grabbed a framed photo from the living room. A picture of the three of them from a few years ago. Bell and Nero, arms over each others shoulders smiling like idiots, with Grandpa's hands on top of their heads and a big, toothy grin on his face. It was the only family photo they had, and Nero didn't want to leave it, so he packed it up. 

"So we'll have enough to rent out a room at an inn and find a familia. Awesome!" Bell eagerly said, bouncing in place as he closed up his bag and placed it by the front door.

"Depending on the rules about registering as an adventurer and entering the dungeon, we'll need to be careful with spending. Planning for the worst case scenario, where we cannot enter the dungeon without being part of a familia, we will have to find a cheap place to live and eat little bits here n there. gotta stretch out the funds as long as possible." Nero theorized, closing up his own bag and following Bell's example. 

"I can't wait! Soon, we'll be in the Center of the World, we'll join a familia and work hard to become heroes!" Bell shouted while skipping back to the couch, Nero chuckling at his antics. 

"Yeah okay, drop it down a notch. We still have the rest of the day before we depart in the morning. No sparring, we should be at 100% by the time we reach the city. It's safer that way." Nero lectured the young boy, earning himself a groan. Ever since he was adopted, Nero took up the 'Protective Older Brother' role between him and Bell, especially now that he physically looks older than him. 

"Yeah yeah, I know.." Bell replied in a sarcastic tone while smiling to himself. He loved Nero, they were brothers after all, but he could be overprotective of him at times. Bell wouldn't complain, he feels the same way about Nero and his own well being, especially since the manifestation of the Devil Bringer. He noticed how much effort Nero put into hiding his arm from everyone. He rarely even showed it around the house. He's a little better now but Bell couldn't help but worry that he'd loop back once they made it to the city. 

"Hey Nero.. can we make a promise?" Bell asked, his voice laced with nervousness. 

"A promise? I mean, sure. what's the promise for?" Nero replied, crossing his arms and looking at Bell shift nervously in place.

"Can we promise to stick together? I don't want us to be in separate Familia or anything because they offer only one of us a spot." Bell said, looking back at Nero while fiddling with his fingers. 

"... Was that not already obvious?" Nero replied, smiling as his brother's eyes lit up. "We're family, Bell. I would happily throw out every invite to every Familia in Orario if they try to pull us apart. But, to make it more official.." Nero took the glove off of his right hand, revealing the claws of the Devil Bringer. Holding his hand out to Bell, he locked his eyes with him. "I promise to stick by your side, no matter what. We are brothers, and nothing and no one will change that." 

Bell, smiling dumbly with tears pricking the edge of his eyes as he grabbed Nero's hand with his own. "No matter what, Nero. Even if it's us against the world!" 

Nero chuckled, shaking Bell's hand. The brothers smile at one another before separating, with Nero sliding the glove back on his hand. "Now that the lovely moment is over. We still have some time before we go. Let's figure out what we wanna do." Nero said, walking towards the front door with Bell following behind. 

~ Outskirts of Orario, 1 week later ~ 

The sky was covered in a thick layer of fluffy clouds, an ever changing collection of grays and whites. A gigantic stone tower appears to pierce the skies, ignoring the blanket of fluff covering everything, with darker sections hinting at the possibility of rain later down the line. Large, stone walls surrounded the walls of Orario. 

Bell was looking towards the city as the caravan began to approach the front gates, his excitement barely contained as he bounced his knee while sitting by the edge of the carriage they were in alongside a handful of other travelers. Nero, sitting across from Bell, opened one of his eyes as he stared at him. ‘ Kid’s about ready to explode. ’ he thought, a smile forming on his face. The two albinos’ trip was unremarkable, as it was just open roads and woods. Nero had told Bell that they would sleep on rotation, where at least one of them was awake at all times. He was a little confused but readily accepted it. Course, now that they were reaching their destination, Nero woke up a little sooner so they were both awake. Now that they’ve reached the Labyrinth City, their dreams sitting just beyond the gate, their anticipation was palpable. 

Once the carriage came to a stop, Bell and Nero jumped out with their belongings to make the line of other travelers wishing to go into the city. Bell was examining every brick of the wall, trying to burn the sight of the massive gate into his memory. Nero had pulled his hood up, quietly observing the crowds while quietly chuckling at Bell looking around. He wore his favorite outfit, the blue coat with red liner, the red zip up hoodie, a black shirt underneath, blue-black colored pants, and a pair of brown boots. The sleeves on his coat and hoodie he had rolled down to cover both his forearms, his demonic arm covered in bandages and a full black glove. His single-edged longsword was strapped onto his back, the blade’s condition looking better than prior thanks to the village smith cleaning it up a bit and sharpening the cutting edge.

Bell wore a simple outfit: A brown jacket over a thick, black shirt and pants with a brown belt around his waist, with a pair of brown work boots. A black cloak over his shoulders with the hood pulled down, given to him by Nero to cover himself in the event of a sudden downpour. His daggers were strapped to his backside, the black sheathes parallel to one another. He felt this was the most natural wait to hold onto them considering his clothing. 

Reaching the front of the line, the guard at the front gate checking people in was an older gentleman. With jet black hair and brown eyes, his uniform consisted of a white button up long sleeve shirt, a black vest and black pants, brown boots, and complete with a gray bow tie. He had a stack of papers beside him, appearing to be check-in papers from other travelers. Another worker, in the same outfit, sat behind him next to a black box, appearing to be writing down some information into a large ledger of sorts “NEXT!” the man shouted.

As Bell and Nero stepped up to the window, the check-in employee looked up at the two before pulling two sheets out and grabbing a feather pen, dipping it into a nearby inkwell. “We’ll start with the short one. Name?” He said gruffly, motioning towards the rabbit-like teen. 

“..Bell Cranel, sir.” Bell answered the man, slightly pouting at the jab at his height. He wasn’t that short, was he? He couldn’t compare himself to the giant that is his adoptive brother, and the other people around didn’t make him feel much better, so he gave it up with a sigh. 

The man looked up at Bell quizzically, before continuing to fill out some information on the sheet. “White hair… red eyes… human…roughly 170 in height.. Where are you from, kid?” the man asked as he filled out the other spots. 

“Paros Village, sir. A week or so away from Orario by carriage.” Bell responded, placing his hands into his pockets while he waited, slightly swaying back and forth. Just a little longer and he’d be in the city! 

“Gotcha… are you here to visit or are you coming for permanent residence?” The man asked, looking up towards Bell and Nero, who wasn’t looking at the man and just stared off elsewhere, listening into the convo so he knew what to expect. 

“Permanent residence, sir. For both of us.” Bell answered excitedly, preparing to grab his coins from his pouch. This was it! One more step and he would be one step closer to fulfilling his dreams! 

“Gotcha. No problem then, the entrance fee is four thousand valis per person. We’ll fill out your companions form next. After that, you can pay and you’ll be on your way. Step up, sir” The employee explained, motioning for Nero to step up. 

Nero walked over as Bell took a step back behind him, giving himself the time to explain the people around him. The man had to look up farther now, since Nero was much taller than Bell. 

“Name?” the employee asked, dipping his fountain pen into the inkwell again and pulling over a blank form. 

“Nero. From the same village as well.” He stated, his voice monotone and facial features neutral. Although he was relaxing the muscles in his face, unfortunately Nero suffered from the fatal condition that Grandpa referred to as ‘Resting Bitch Face’, so his neutral expression was more of a scowl. 

The man seemingly flinched at hearing Nero, before continuing to fill out the form. “White hair… blue eyes… human… about 190 cm?.. From Paros Village..” the guard finished up before sliding the forms over to the completed stack of pages. “The fee for permanent residence is four thousand Valis per person, so your total comes to eight thousand.” The man stated, his coworker coming over with the black box. 

Nero swung his backpack around to lean it off of his shoulder before pulling out a small pouch of coins and placing it onto the table. He had separated the required valis on the way over so they could pay and go from there. ‘ This check-in process is… pretty bare bones. But I’m not complaining. Paperwork sucks to do .’ he thought to himself as the employee opened the pouch and counted out the coins. After he confirmed the total, the coins were placed into the black box the other worker had, before being closed and locked. “That concludes your check-in. Welcome to Orario” the employee stated, before pulling over another blank form and shouting “NEXT!” for the next person to come up. 

Nero wasted no time in pulling his bag back onto his back, grabbing Bell and pulling him slightly towards the open square in front of them. Bell eagerly looked around, child-like glee shining through his eyes as he took in the nearby sights. 

The square was nothing special, just a fountain with small decorations on it, a few benches surrounding the fountain with the locals milling about. The road they were on stretched far towards the massive tower in front of them, the Tower of Babel which resided over the entrance to the dungeon. 

Grabbing onto Bell’s shoulders and spinning him around, Nero made eye contact before continuing, “Now. We made it to the city. Now, I know you’re excited to explore and we will get to that eventually. But right now, we need to try and start applying to Familia. We’ll stick together and see where that leads up. Once it starts getting darker, we’ll need to find a place to stay for a few nights, if we don’t get accepted right away.” He lectured, Bell nodding along. 

Bell then had a quick thought. “Uh, Nero. We don’t know where any familias are at..” he said nervously. “How are we supposed to apply to them if we don’t know where they are?” 

Nero paused, realizing he didn’t think that far ahead. ‘Well… shit.’ He sighed, "We'll work it out. We could go and ask someone for directions to the Guild. We can ask them there about adventure registration as well as the info to find and apply for any Familia in the city.” Bell nodded along, quietly agreeing to the new makeshift plan. 

After questioning a few people, and Nero scaring them with his neutral scowl, the pair were able to get directions to the Guild. The building was immaculate, with beautifully carved stone bricks laying the foundation. The outer walls were painted red to contrast the gray-white colored foundation, then followed above by a layer of white stone, then repeated that pattern up until the roof. Small banners waved as they hung from the walls of the Guild, numerous colors and designs shown by the fabric. Overall, a very unique and elegant design, and one that was certainly hard to miss. 

Entering the building, the two albinos drank in the atmosphere. Numerous people, all armored with weapons on their hips or staff in hand, were around. Many different races milling about. Dwarves with their heavy armor and weapons, laughing with beards covering the majority of their faces. Amazons walking around, their bodies barely covered by their scantily clothing. Elves quietly talking to one another, their outfits the polar opposite of Amazons. Pallums running about, shorter than humans and dwarves, like kids at a party. Many guild workers, wearing similar outfits to the gentleman at the check-in gate, were stationed at a large reception station, with a couple of lines filling out on one half. The other half of the massive desk was separated by a clear, glass window with metal bars reinforcing them. A pair of trays, one small and another large, were installed by a small opening by the window to allow the worker to communicate with the adventurers. Two lines made up this side, which Nero assumed was the exchange where the adventurers made their money. 

"Woah.." Bell was in awe of all the people around, admiring the armor and weapons of the fighters, with the elegant robes and staves of the mages. This was no dream now, this was reality. And this would become his future, this would become the norm for him. Just one more step to take. 

Nero lightly tapped Bell's shoulder before motioning towards the line. "Let's get in line. We're burnin' daylight.. or what little there is." He said, looking outside towards the clouds. Nodding, The two joined the short line, Bell still looking around excitedly and Nero, still with his hood up, quietly stood in place. 'Findin' out real quick that I'm not a social butterfly..' He thought to himself. 

After a short time waiting, they were greeted by one of the receptionists, a young woman with pink hair and brown eyes. She was short, with Bell even standing taller than her, but she filled her guild uniform nicely. 

"Hello! My name is Misha Flott, how can I help you today?" The woman, introducing herself, said with a smile while shuffling some papers in front of her. 

Bell stepped up, smiling his usual innocent smile, "Hello Miss Flott, my name's Bell Cranel. Me and my brother, Nero, just got into the city not too long ago and are wanting to start applying to Familia. Could you help us by providing some information about where we can start?" He asked, tilting his head slightly. 

'Like a rabbit, cute!' Misha chuckled to herself, before recollecting her thoughts. "Of course. I am a little new so I may not be the best, but I do have a coworker who would be much better suited for this. If you would please follow me." Misha said while gathering some forms and stepping away from the desk, heading towards a large hallway. Bell followed her, with Nero trailing slightly behind. 

Reaching one of the doors, Misha unlocked the door and swung it open. A pair of couches sitting across from one another with a small coffee table between the two. A small bookshelf in the corner, a large glass window with metal reinforcement, and some plants completed the décor of the room. Simple but effective for private discussions. 

Nero stepped into the room, immediately plopping down onto the couch with a sigh. 

"Thank you, Miss Flott." Bell said while bowing forward slightly, before stepping into the room and sitting next to his brother. 

"No worries, Mister Cranel. I'll be back shortly with my worker who can help you better." Misha responded, bowing before closing the door and walking off. 

"She seems nice." Bell said, leaning back into the couch. "How are you holding up? I noticed you were quite quiet throughout our trip, as well as in the city." He looked towards Nero, blue eyes meeting red. 

"... I think I'm not much of a social person.. I think the word is 'introvert'? Something like that..?" Nero responded, pulling his hood down and brushing his hair with his hand to straighten it. 

After a couple of minutes, the door opened and another guild employee stepped in, carrying an armful of forms and documents. Bell locked eyes with the woman, particularly her red hair and red ears, with yellow-orange eyes; a werewolf. The standard guild outfit fit her form perfectly, with a fluffy red tail completing her look. 

The woman looked at Bell with a slight glare, before clearing her throat. "My name is Rose Fannett. My coworker, Misha, informed me that you were looking for some information regarding Familia?" she asked, her voice neutral. 

"That's right" Nero piped up, leaning forward. "Just want to know what familia are here and how to find them to apply. We're new here." He made eye contact with the guild worker, Rose, while keeping his face neutral without the scowl, and failing. 

Adding her own slight scowl, Rose sat across from the pair, placing the documents on her lap. “So, Familia information. Anything particular you are looking for in terms of function or day to day tasks?” Rose questioned, skimming through the documents she had. 

“Preferably one that goes into the dungeon often!” Bell excitedly added, leaning forward on the couch. Nero sighed and sat up from the couch. 

“Yes, but any info is good. Also.. I’d like a list of familia to avoid. Due to reputation or otherwise..” Nero added, looking at Rose with a serious expression, hands clasped together while leaning on his knees. 

Rose looked at Nero with a scrutinizing stare, before sighing. “Alright, then. Let's start then..” 

~ Guild Entrance, 3 hours later ~ 

After a large info dump from Rose about the types of Familia, as well as the locations of numerous Familia homes, Nero and Bell stepped out of the Guild, Bell joyfully skimming down the list he wrote down with Rose’s help, while Nero was trying to restore the puddle of gray matter that was his brain. 

“That was.. A lot of information..” Nero complained as he shook his head. “But we got a lot of information. I’ll let you lead us, Bell.” Bell turns to him, stars in his eyes as he looks down at the list. 

“Let's start simple, we’ll apply to moderate sized Familia. Then we’ll go from there” Bell stated, folding the paper and placing it into his jacket pocket. “This way!” He begins marching off, with Nero chuckling while following behind him while pulling his hood back up. 

Thanks to Rose, they got plenty of information regarding the Familia active in the city. Firstly, the Familia are split into two primary types: business or exploration. Exploration Familia are ones that go into the dungeon often, tracking information about the floors or completing quests given by the Guild or other Familia. Business Familia are self explanatory, dealing in some form of exchange of products or services. Traditionally, Business Familia don’t often go into the dungeon for materials, rather putting quests with the Guild to have the Exploration Familia take care of the labor. 

However, working through the list of familia, starting in the middle, to save the bigger Familia for later, they realized one important fact very quickly: The Familia here judged people not on skill, but by their physical appearance. For Nero, they were ready to accept him on the spot due to his physical size and obvious muscle mass. Combine that with the intimidating face and large sword on his back, and he was a prime candidate. Bell, with his smaller physique and child-like looks, was rejected if not down-right ignored by the recruiters due to ‘not wanting to play babysitter’. Of course, Nero made it abundantly clear that either they accepted the both of them, or lose them both. The recruiters declined this, of course, which Nero would take in stride and walk away with Bell following him. After another few hours of rejections, around midday, the dense clouds finally gave way to a sudden, and heavy, downpour. Nero and Bell had to quickly find cover so they didn’t get fully soaked to the bone. 

They quickly ran through a nearby alleyway which opened up into a nearby courtyard. The courtyard was fairly large in size, surrounded on all sides by the nearby wooden buildings, with some alleyways leading to the nearby main roads. A few benches and some small gardens along the edges of the courtyard could be seen, but the albinos darted past all of this and into the nearby doorway with a large awning that covered the doorway, its stairs, and a little bit of the landing by the stairs. 

“Damn.. even moving so quickly, I still got a bit soaked. Hope my spare clothes are dry” Nero complained, looking down at himself, his outfit relatively soaked despite the short time they were out. He bent over, checking his bag and shoes. Bell was a little better off, thanks to the cloak and his jacket taking up the brunt of the rain. 

“Yeah, plus it was getting late. We have to look for a place to stay soon..” Bell mentioned, checking on the list he made as well as his bag with the Dungeon Oratoria. Both appeared to be fine, no signs of water anywhere near them, making him smile. 

“Excuse me, sirs. This isn’t the entrance to the Hostess. It is around the other side.” A female voice startled the two teens. Snapping their attention behind them, they were greeted by a young human woman, with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. Her outfit was a green dress and a white apron. A pair of brown boots, black leggings, a white bonnet, and a small orange little ribbon on her shirt completed the outfit. She looked at the two curiously, awaiting their answer.

“Oh my apologies, ma’am.” Bell replied, slightly bowing. “The rain caught me and my brother off guard, so we ran to the nearest cover.” 

“No worries, I understand. The rain was quite sudden after all.” The woman nodded, before stepping to the side. “If you need a place to wait the rain out, you can enter on this side. I can escort you to the main room. We can even serve you food.” She smiled, motioning towards the door with one of her hands. 

“Go ahead, Bell. I’ll catch up in a second here.” Nero waved his hand over his shoulder as he dug through his bag, making sure everything was okay. 

Bell, nervous, just nodded to the girl, and followed her into the building. As he followed her, the immediate aroma of food hit him, starting to make him partially drool and his stomach to quietly rumble. The woman went past a closed door and nearby staircase, where the smell was strongest, towards an open archway. Bell continued forward with the woman, entering the main room of the building. A bunch of wooden, nicely made rectangular and circular tables were stationed around, intricate wooden chairs placed so each table had at least 4 to 6 chairs, depending on the size. The restaurant was relatively empty, the last customers just packing up and ready to run out, trying to get home to weather the storm. 

“Mama! We got two more for a quick dinner!” the woman shouted, startling Bell. Turning to him, she motioned towards the bar while adding “Come, you and your brother can sit at the bar.” Bell nods, while walking over to the bar. 

Heading over to the bar’s edge, a loud voice shouted back at the woman. “Huh?! We got another two with this weather, Lunoire?!” Followed by loud footsteps. Bell, standing by the corner of the bar top, was met with a large woman, almost a full head taller than him. With broad shoulders, brown hair pulled into a ponytail, brown eyes, and an outfit like the other woman, now revealed to be named Lunoire, but in a navy-blue color with a navy colored ribbon. 

“So, boy, you’re the last of the customers. We’re in a storm, why the hell are you here?” She questioned Bell, towering over him with her arms crossed, looking down at him. 

“O-oh, I’m s-sorry ma’am!” Bell quickly bowed apologetically. “The r-rain caught me and my b-brother off guard!” He tried to explain himself, slightly panicking, before the face of a girl suddenly appeared in front of him, causing him to shriek slightly. 

“Meow, he’s a jumpy one.” The girl who surprised him had short, brown hair, a pair of brown ears behind her bonnet, her tail swishing behind her playfully. She wore the same outfit as Lunoire as she stood beside the large woman. 

“Because you surprised the young man, Anya.” Another voice, neutral in tone but lovely, made itself known. Another waitress in the green uniform stepped from behind the catgirl -Anya, now named, this time an elf. She had short, blonde hair which held the same bonnet as the other two girls, sky blue eyes which held no emotion, and pointed ears which showed her lineage. She stood slightly shorter than Bell, but held herself in a very calm demeanor. She looked at Bell, quietly observing the young man as he had an internal freak-out.

“Also doesn’t help that he's awkward with girls.” Nero stepped in, saving the young man from his mental shutdown, as he walked in between him and the women in the room. He had pulled his hood down, and his hair was somewhat wet but brushed straight. Nero observed the women, his eyes slightly glaring thanks to his natural scowl and from his concern for Bell’s well-being after hearing him shriek. “Now, is there an issue with us eating here? If so, we can leave.” He stated bluntly, looking at the larger woman, her presence and uniform showing she was clearly the owner. 

A quiet stare down took place between everyone in the room. Nero, standing protectively in front of Bell, stared down the large statured woman who returned his gaze without flinching. Bell, worried about picking fights, was grabbing onto his brothers’ arm, looking between the two and the other waitresses, who now were staring with a serious expression on their faces. Seconds passed, which felt like an eternity, the pressure in the room slowly increasing as the two tall individuals stared each other down.

As luck would have it, Bell’s stomach would be the grand peace-maker of the situation, loudly grumbling and pulling everyone’s attention to him. Blushing hard, he looked down at his feet while tugging Nero’s sleeve. 

Nero sighed, smiling to himself as his eyes softened looking at his brother. Looking back to the large woman, whose own posture eased up as well as the other waitresses, he slightly bowed. “I’m sorry about that. Can we take a seat to eat?” 

The woman grinned. “As long as you’re paying, I’ll be happy to serve you.” As she rolled her sleeves up and headed towards the kitchen. The two waitresses stepped to the side, motioning towards the bar. The two albinos went over to the bar and took a seat, Nero sitting by the corner edge of the bar, with Bell sitting on his left. 

“Let’s start with drinks. What would you two like?” Lunoire, who was standing off to the side, stepped up with a small notepad. 

“I’ll just have water, thanks.” Nero responded, then turned his attention to Bell who nodded. “Make that two glasses of water, please.” 

“Of course, I’ll be right back.” the waitress bowed and stepped away. As she moved away, the elf and cat girl, stepped closer towards Nero’s right side. 

“Meow, you two are ny-ew to the city, yes?” Anya questioned the pair, her ears perked up in curiosity. The elf was quiet, but silently listening in with her own ears slightly angled towards the group. 

“Yeah.. we are. Just got in today actually.” Nero responded as Lunoire returned with their drinks. Placing the glasses in front of them, she bowed then stepped back to stand beside her coworkers. 

“We came to join a familia and become adventurers!” Bell excitedly shouted, quickly moving past his embarrassment. “We may have gotten rejected now, but we got plenty of more tries to go for!” Nero smiled at Bell’s short but determined claim, taking a sip from his glass. 

“Oh, so you attempted to apply to some Familia already and got rejected?” The elf tilted her head quizzically, looking at the rabbit-like teen. The large woman reappeared behind the bar, deciding to listen into the conversation as it peaked her interest. 

Bell sighed, slightly sagging into his chair. “Yeah.. My brother was almost guaranteed to get in, but they didn't want me to join.” He pouted slightly, his frustration showing on his face as his fingers tapped the bar top. 

“Bunch of jackasses..” Nero muttered, his own irritation at the recruiters’ rejecting his brother just because of his looks surfacing. Remembering the faces of those recruiters who sneered at Bell, harshly judging him without even giving him a chance, was causing his irritation to rise. His face, the neutral but slight scowl began forming into a true scowl, his brow narrowing as he glared at the bar, his hands tightening into a fist. Bell, noticing his brother's reaction, placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him slightly. Nero, realizing he started to lose himself to his emotional tendencies, took a deep breath, loosening the tension that built up in his shoulders and relaxing his hand by laying it on his lap. “Sorry, Bell. The whole thing still irks me.” 

“No worries, I understand. I’d feel the same way if I were in your shoes.” the teen replied, smiling at his older brother. Although the recruiters’ rejections did hurt him a bit, his brother standing up for him, and getting mad on his behalf, was enough to release the bit of annoyance that the rejections formed in his chest. 

The waitresses, watching the scene unfold in front of them, couldn’t help but smile softly. The large woman also saw this and smiled, but decided to get things moving along, coughed loudly to gain everyone’s attention. “Well that was cute. But let’s get things moving along now. What are you eating?” She grinned as she held out two menus towards the now blushing teens. 

Nero reached for the menu with his right hand, his sleeve slightly rolling down to reveal the bandages around his forearm, before he pulled the menu back, his sleeve rolling back into position. This, unfortunately, was not missed by any of the waitresses. Though they didn’t intend to poke into someone’s personal life. Anya, however, did not seem to have the same thought process. 

“Is your arm hurt, meowster?” Anya asked, leaning forward towards Nero, meeting his gaze as his blue eyes stared at her, narrowed slightly. Ever the airhead, this didn’t seem to bother her. 

“... something like that.” Nero responded quickly, then pointed at a menu item. “I’ll take this.. chicken yakitori.. Never had something like this before.” 

“I’ll have this, the spaghetti, Miss. It sounds good!” Bell pointed at his menu, smiling while holding out the menu for the large woman to take. 

The owner, taking both menus, grinned before loudly proclaiming, “The name’s Mia Grand. You can call me Mama Mia or Mama. I’ll have these out shortly. One of you girls refill the young man’s drink.” She stated, pointing towards Nero’s empty glass. 

Lunoire, having already fetched a pitcher, leaned in and refilled Nero’s glass with more water, bowing as she stepped away. Anya and the elven waitress, not having much to do as of yet, took a seat at the bar to wait in case they were needed. 

“So.. your name is Anya, the other is Lunoire, and the owner is Mama Mia.. What’s yours?” Nero questioned the elf, curiously looking at her, his gaze flicking to her ears. 

“My name’s Ryuu Lion. You can call me Ryuu. I believe I heard your name was Bell.” Nodding towards Bell before looking towards Nero. “But I don’t believe I caught yours, mister..” 

“Name’s Nero, no need for formalities or honorifics.” He waved his hand. “Never really liked it, made me feel old or something. I’m only 17 after all.” 

“Alright.. Nero..” Ryuu replies slowly, meeting his eyes as he raises an eyebrow at her. Ryuu just holds her neutral expression, which Nero shrugs off after a moment.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Miss Ryuu!” Bell piped up, smiling as he nodded his head towards her. Ryuu bowed her head slightly in response, greeting the young teen. 

“Alright, enough flirting with my staff, your food’s here!” Mama Mia came back, holding two plates in hand. One, a plate of spaghetti coated in a lovely pasta sauce, with small flecks of garlic, shrimp and green onions coating the pasta. The other plate has a layer of fluffy, white rice with four kebabs of chicken and vegetables coated in a delicious looking yakitori sauce, covered in green onions as garnish. Both plates were mouth-watering to the two albinos, as their diet over their trip consisted of dried jerky and simple rations. Even the meals they had at home were basic, like potato and beef stew. This, however? It’s like the heavens themselves have come down to bless the pair despite the tough time they were facing. 

“Holy shit. Now THAT’S a meal!” Nero exclaimed, grinning ear to ear as the plate was dropped in front of him, Bell’s shortly after. 

Bell immediately grabbed his fork, putting his hands together hastily. “Thanks for the meal!” He quickly gave his thanks before diving into the pasta he had, rolling the fork to gather a hefty amount of spaghetti with some shrimp before chomping it down in one bite. The pasta was cooked to perfection, nice and fluffy as expected. The sauce was delicious, with trace amounts of meat in the taste. The shrimp was a nice bonus to the taste, adding a nice taste of seafood. “By the gods, we should’ve come sooner!” Bell happily moaned out, tears at the edge of his eyes. 

Nero, as Bell was having his moment with his plate, decided to join him, grabbing one of the skewers and taking a few chunks of chicken and veggies off. The chicken was beautifully tender, juicy and rich in flavor, the vegetables were grilled to perfection. Adding the sauce into the equation, and his taste buds couldn’t handle the overload of delicious tasting food. “Fuck me, that’s good.” He groaned out, taking his fork and scooping up some of the lovely rice, now slightly coated in the same sauce as the kebabs and taking a bite of that. “And the rice is so fluffy! Beats anything from home!” 

“Mhmm” Bell hummed, his mouth full of more pasta and the edges of his mouth covered in a layer of the sauce. Nero chuckled while taking another bite of his kebab, placing his fork down and passing over a few napkins to Bell, who hummed his thanks while still chewing.

“Oh, since you guys are locals, could you direct us to a nearby inn? We didn’t really get ourselves situated before we jumped to applying to Familia.” Nero sheepishly admitted, using his freehand to scratch his cheek. He picked this little nervous tick up from Bell, who got it from Grandpa. They may not be blood, but they are definitely related. 

Mia, sensing an opportunity, grinned while crossing her arms on the bar top. “As a matter of fact, I do. This pub doubles as an inn. We charge 900 valis a night, dinner included.” She smiled and motioned behind her, where the staircase was. “We got two rooms available, since some of my staff live here too. No funny business though.” She glared at the two, Bell flinching while Nero deadpanned at her. 

“I’d rather not catch a case when I just got here.” Nero said with a neutral tone. 

Mama Mia let out a boisterous laugh, before wiping a tear from her eye. “Smart boy! Also, for your meals, they’re each 300 valis.” 

“Yeah. Anyways, 900 a night with dinner? Sounds good. I’ll rent out a room for a week then.” Nero replied, grabbing his coin pouch. After counting out the coins to pay for their room as well as their dinner, he handed it over to Mama Mia, who grabbed the coins without question and slid them into a bag. 

After dinner, Nero and Bell went up to their shared room. It had two smaller beds, simple mattresses with cotton pillows and blue sheets covering them. A nightstand sat between the two beds, with a small deskside lamp. A wardrobe sat in the corner, with a rectangular window facing outside, which overlooked the courtyard they had initially ran through. Nero removed his blue overcoat and hoodie, still wearing his black t-shirt and pants as he flopped onto the bed, kicking off his boots. “Much better. Trying to sleep on a carriage is awful for one’s back.” 

“Heh, you are right there.” Bell responded, removing his overcoat and cloak and sitting onto the other bed. “So, once morning comes, we get a quick breakfast and then head out to try for other Familias, yeah?” he asked, removing his boots. 

“Sounds like a plan. But for now, let’s get some sleep in. ‘Early bird gets the worm and’ all that.. Night, Bell.” Nero responded, placing his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes to start dozing off. 

“Good night, Nero.” Bell responded, tucking himself into bed, surrendering himself to sleep. Hopefully in the morning, things would look up. 

Chapter Text

~ Chapter 2: New Beginnings ~ 

The following morning started a little later than anticipated, since the boys were quite exhausted, the trip combined with running around yesterday took a lot out of them. After getting cleaned up and dressed for the morning, the albinos went off to pick up from where they left off on their list of Familia to apply to. However, their luck would be quite nonexistent, with every familia they tried they were met with one of two results: Either they only wanted Nero, or neither of them due to lack of a skill or experience. This only fed into their frustrations, Nero’s more so than Bell’s since every time they declined to let Bell join, it was always just judging his brother by his looks. ‘We aren’t babysitters!’ or ‘He’s a liability.’ and ‘We aren’t recruiting dead weight.’ were a few of the many insults chucked towards Bell. A few Familia were interested in having both of them, but some issues made them give off bad vibes or display red flags. The Soma Familia, for one, required each new recruit to drink some type of wine. Nero was not having any of that, so he and Bell declined it and left. 

Bell was also frustrated, but for a different reason. He was always present anytime they applied, and each time the recruiters were impressed with Nero but never gave him another glance. He was jealous, of course he was. He wanted to be an adventurer, a hero! It was his biggest dream, his drive! But he also could not help but be extremely happy, proud even, of how incredible his brother was to other people, complete strangers even. Good enough looks to attract attention from women without meaning too, a physique of a rough and tumble fighter, a reclusive personality that people saw as ‘mysterious’. Nero’s looks were the prime example of a lone vigilante, fighting for justice alone. It’s almost like he was a hero already without doing any of the legwork! Every time they were rejected and he got insulted, Bell only got more determined, wanting to get the chance to prove himself, to prove that he was more than his looks. 

They continued this cycle of applying to a Familia, arguing with the recruiters, getting rejected or rejecting their insistence for Nero to abandon Bell, and moving forward to the next Familia to repeat the process. Throughout the week, as they returned to the Hostess, they did run into the other two waitresses, introduced as Syr Flova and Chloe Rollo who were a human girl with gray hair and a black haired cat girl respectively. The end of the first week quickly approached, a nice and sunny day with few clouds covering the sky, letting plenty of sunlight pour throughout Orario. The people milling about their day-to-day jobs or tasks. Adventurers going in many directions, many heading towards Babel and the dungeon. Some moved elsewhere, like bars and pubs for food and drink. Some complete jobs for their Familia by transporting goods, collecting quest rewards, or just wandering about as a day off. 

The teens had already cleared their list of the mid-level Familia. All considered rejections, since Nero refused to join a Familia without Bell. So they decided to go up the list, to some of the higher ranking Familia. They did avoid certain ones, however, due to the nature of the familia itself. The Hephaestus and Goibniu familia, as an example, are smithing familia, with the latter also expanding into the business of construction work. The Ishtar Familia, another example, run the Pleasure District, and only accept ‘beautiful people’ into their ranks. That, on top of their shady reputation and rumors of underground dealings, and that was a no-go there. That only left a handful of top ranking Familia. They lead off with the Freya Familia, but they never made it past the front gate before being threatened by a demi-human at the gate. Nero wanted to insult him, poking fun at his height, but Bell pulled him away before he could pick a fight. 

They also tried the Ganesha Familia, but they were only told ‘We’ll take your application into consideration’ before sending them off. There was the Apollo Familia to consider but some people, Rose especially, says that god is extremely eccentric and does not particularly care for his children, mostly collecting them like prizes. So they were one to avoid at all costs, if they wished to not become a trophy child. So here they were, walking towards the location of the Loki Familia home. The sun had reached its apex in the sky, with clouds dotting the sky enough to help with keeping the temperature moderate despite the sun beaming down on the city. Nero had pulled his hood up once again, hands in his pocket as they walked towards the home. Bell, walking ahead of him while looking down at a small map of the city they had picked up from the Guild. 

“According to the map, we should be getting close. Just gotta look out for a large structure on a small plot of land, with tall towers and spires.” Bell stated, looking at the nearby buildings to monitor his whereabouts. 

“Gotcha. After we try here, we can go and get something to snack on. I’m a little hungry, since our breakfast wasn’t the most filling.” Nero said, his tone a little antsy since they were applying to another Familia. ‘ Another familia, another rejection. ’ he internally sighed at his pessimism. 

After another short 15 minutes of walking around, they finally could see the Twilight Manor, the name of the Loki Familia home. The description of the building nailed exactly what they can see of the building. The land the structure was built on is indeed a small plot of land, although it was roughly the size of their own plot of land back in Paros. The building was quite large, towering over the nearby homes and businesses, with the towers rising even beyond that. The plot of land was surrounded by a nicely designed wrought iron fence, painted in a matte black finish. Near the front gate of the manor, a lone guard stood on watch. With short, spiky black hair and brown eyes, he looked quite average in comparison to the numerous other adventurers the albinos have seen throughout the city. He wore a long sleeved black top with brown gloves and boots, a pair of lightly-colored pants. A white toolbelt was settled around his waist, where a sword’s sheath was situated. With a set of metal pauldrons, a chestpiece that covered his upper chest, and a set of metal leggings that covered the front of his thighs and shin, all colored a dull gray, it pulled together his identify as an adventurer, even if Nero thought he looked too normal to be in that line of work. Granted, Bell wanted to be an adventurer as well. Takes all kinds, as he shrugged to himself. 

The young man noticed Bell and Nero approaching the gate and stepped forward to meet them, his left hand resting on the handguard of his sword. Raising his right hand, he calmly stated, “That’s close enough, you two. Please state your business here.” 

Bell and Nero stopped in front of the man a short distance, roughly about 10 paces away so they didn’t have to shout at one another to talk. “Hello, sir. My name is Bell Cranel. Me and my brother, Nero, are actually looking to apply to the Loki Familia to become adventurers.” Bell introduced himself with a polite bow, his right hand over his chest and a small smile on his face. Nero removed his hood, brushing his hair straight slightly before also bowing himself. 

The guard looked at the two of them curiously, before crossing his arms, nodding. “No problem, you two. Name’s Raul Nord, level 4. Although we are not actively recruiting, I’d be happy to see if I can speak with my goddess and captain to see if they’d be interested in seeing you two.” Both Bell and Nero looked up at him, surprised by the sudden charity from the adventurer. 

“Yes, please. If it doesn’t interrupt your work at all, we would appreciate that very much, Mister Nord.” Nero blurted out, bowing even deeper. He saw an opportunity here and he was not going to waste it. Even a small chance is a chance, especially with the Loki Familia, considered one of the top dogs in Orario. 

“Sure. Also, just call me Raul. I’m only 21 after all.” He chuckled, before turning around and heading into the manor, leaving the two albinos in front of the gate. Bell looked at Nero, stars in his eyes as his excitement was starting to peak. 

“Calm yourself, Bell. We likely will be tested, either by an interview or by hands on sparring. We gotta be ready for anything.” Nero stated to his brother. He did not want to seem too childish so they would just deny him outright. But he could not deny it, he was getting excited as he was fighting himself to not grin like an idiot. They were so close, now they just need to be careful and not screw up this chance. 

~ Meanwhile, Inside the Twilight Manor ~ 

Raul stepped into the manor’s entrance hall, beelining for the Captain’s office on the second floor. The hallways of the Twilight were relatively blank in terms of décor, a few banners of the Familia emblem and a large red carpet that ran down the length of the hallway, but otherwise, it was pretty bare. Going up the stairs, he made his way to the west wing of the manor, where all the top executives had their offices at. After a few minutes, he was able to see the Captain’s door ahead of him. As he approached, he could hear the muffled discussion going on inside. Likely talking about the expedition they were going to be taking within a week, heading to the 59th Floor of the Dungeon. Knocking on the door, he stepped back to wait for confirmation to enter. 

“Enter!” a youthful voice shouted from inside the office. Raul opened the door to enter, saying “Excuse the intrusion.” as he closed the door behind him. 

The office was relatively small compared to most bedrooms. A large, wooden desk with a black leather chair sat on the far side of the room, a window with purple blinds behind the chair. A pair of couches sat in the center of the room, facing one another and ran perpendicular to the desk, with a coffee table sat between. A spare chair sat in the corner, with red fabric and a wooden frame. Two people sat by and on the desk, and another pair sat on the couches, each on one couch.

The first person was a short Pallum, with short blonde hair and dark blue eyes. His outfit consisted of a purple, long-sleeved collared shirt. A yellow vest with red stripes was over the shirt, with a brown belt over his waist. A yellow and black skirt covered up the purple trousers. He was leaning back in his chair, watching Raul curiously. This was Finn Deimne, the Captain of the Loki Familia. 

The person on top of the desk was a beautiful woman, light red hair tied into a ponytail on top of her head. She wore a blue crop top that stopped at her ribs, with long sleeves and a small hood sewn into the sleeves. A pair of very short shorts and leggings, both black, with a pair of blue heeled boots completed her outfit. Despite the outfit not covering much, she was quite petite, lacking the definitive curves some women have. Her eyes, normally sat closed, were slightly opened, revealing her cherry red irises. None other than the Trickster Goddess herself, Loki. 

The third person in the room was quite the beauty, rivaling even the Goddess herself. With jade colored hair and eyes, and long, pointed ears revealed her to be a High Elf. A white cloak sat on her olive green robes, with a gold colored sash over her chest. A pair of brown boots and black leggings completed her outfit. This was Riveria Ljos Alf, the Vice-Captain of the Loki Familia and the daughter of the King of the Elves, Larval Ljos Alf. 

The final person, sitting across from Riveria, was a dwarf. With long brown hair, a beard of the same color, and brown eyes, the man’s face, etched with wrinkles from age, sat on the couch with a forward lean on his knees. He wore a brown, long sleeved tunic and trousers underneath a layer of plated armor, covering his chest, shoulders, forearms, and shins. In addition, there was a green kilt that covered his lower body, with a color that sat around his neck. A red cape, frayed at the bottom, completed his ensemble. This was Gareth Landrock, another top Executive alongside Riveria and Finn. 

“Raul, what’s up? I remember placing you on guard duty today, is there an issue at the gate?” Finn asked, watching Raul with a curious gaze. The other two executives, as well as Loki, watched the High Novice with interest. 

“No issue, Captain. Actually, we have a pair of brothers at the gate who wish to apply to join the Familia. I wanted to come by and inform you.” Raul explained his reasoning for leaving his post. 

The Executives looked at one another, a silent conversation brewing as they stared at one another. However, the Trickster herself had other plans. Jumping off the desk, she walked over to Raul, grinning. “Oh, this’ll be interesting! Come on you guys, let's at least meet our applicants.” She patted Raul on the back, smiling at her three top children. 

Finn sat quietly, paying close attention to his thumb. It was throbbing, but not in a way to warn of danger. In fact, it was the polar opposite. It was almost encouraging him to seek these two out, as this meeting could bear very valuable fruit. 

Gareth noticed Finn’s focus being elsewhere, and put two and two together. “You gettin’ a feelin’ old friend?” He asked as he turned his head to his Captain and friend. 

Riveria piped up, looking towards Finn. “Well? Don’t keep us in the dark now.” 

“... let's go and meet these two. My thumb is almost freaking out, in a sense.” Finn quickly hops off his chair, moving towards Loki and Raul, the latter already opening the door. “If I miss this opportunity, I believe we will come to regret it.” He responded, his voice serious. It’s been awhile since his intuition kicked in like this. The last time was when he was deciding which Familia to join all those years ago. 

The other executives, hearing the tone of his voice, jumped up to follow their Captain as the group quickly walked towards the front gate. The meeting of a lifetime was about to begin. 

~ Outside Twilight Manor ~ 

Nero and Bell were still standing outside the front gate, waiting for Raul to come back to either pass along the good or bad news. Nero leaned against the fence, hands in his pockets, near the left side of the front gate, his hood back up and eyes closed as he tried to relax the tension building in his shoulders. Bell, completely giving up on calming down, was slowly pacing back and forth in front of Nero, his arms folded over his chest as he nervously tapped on his forearm.

“Bell, relax. Your pacing isn’t helping us, you’re making me more nervous.” Nero commented, opening one of his eyes to watch his brother quietly freaking out. 

“I can’t help it! I’m nervous as shit!” Bell blurted out, before covering his mouth. He didn’t like swearing or using profane-like words. Being around Nero has messed with his vocabulary, where he would use swear words if his emotions were running at an all-time high, like now. 

Luckily, they did not have to wait long before the front door opened up, revealing Raul leading the executives and their Goddess towards the gate. Bell immediately snapped to attention, with Nero quickly getting off of the fence, standing besides Bell. He watched the crowd, eyeing each curiously.

Finn put on a smile as he walked up to the albinos. “Hello there. I heard you two are looking to apply for the Familia, correct?” 

Bell nodded, “Yes, sir. I don’t know if Raul had mentioned our names so I’ll introduce myself.” He bowed with his hand over his heart. “My name is Bell Cranel, sir.” 

Nero, removing his hands from his pockets, copied Bell’s introductory bow. “My name is Nero. I thank you for taking time out of your day to see us, sir.” He wasn’t one for formality, but he’d suck it up if it gave them a better chance. Although he spaced on removing his hood from his head.

Finn, smiling, held his hand up. “Please lift your heads. No need to be so formal.” The two stood back up, nodding towards the Pallum. “My name is Finn Deimne, Captain of the Loki Familia.” He motioned towards his comrades and deity, allowing them to introduce themselves. 

Gareth piped up first. “Name’s Gareth Landrock! Good to meetcha both!” He said, letting out a boisterous laugh. The two teens smiled at that, it reminded them of their late grandfather’s way of laughing. Nostalgia aside, they nodded towards the Dwarf. 

Riveria stepped up next, bowing slightly, “I am Riveria Ljos Alf, Vice-Captain of the Loki Familia. I hope we can get along.” She smiled, her voice regal but soft and caring, almost motherly. Nero felt his heart tug a bit before he nodded towards the High Elf, stomping that feeling out quickly. 

Finally, Loki stepped up, wrapping her arm around Bell. “I am Loki, the Trickster Goddess and the head of this lovely Familia!” She proudly stated, shaking the blushing rabbit-like teen. 

‘Holy shit, we’re meeting the top brass?!’ Nero thought to himself, sweating nervously. 

“Well, now that introductions are done, let’s head to the training yard. We can hold your trials there.” Finn piped up before walking over to the training yard, heading to the east side of the property. The group followed behind. Nero walked between Raul and Riveria, who finally pulled down his hood and fixed his hair. Gareth walked next to a grinning Loki, who still had her arm around Bell, his face still red from the whole situation. 

The training yard wasn’t anything special. A large open field, with 3 sizable dirt patches each roughly about 10 meters in diameter. Along the edges of the manor were a set of picnic tables, each with small umbrellas for coverage from the sun. A large tree was near a corner of the training yard, by the edge of the property with the fence going around it. Near the tree was a wood storage shed, a little old based off of the wear and tear on the doors, but overall still usable. 

Gareth made his way towards the shed, while Riveria and Loki took a seat at the side tables. Finn, Raul, Nero, and Bell walked over to the nearby dirt patch, with Finn and Raul standing in the center. Nero and Bell stood by the edges of the patch, awaiting further instruction. 

“Alright so for our recruitment process, we like to lead off with a light spar against one of our Executives or Second String members. Don’t worry, we’ll be holding back of course.” Finn smiled as he explained their due process for recruitment to the brothers, each nodding in understanding. “Now, as a question for the two of you: Do you have any sort of combat training, formal or otherwise?” 

“Nothing formal between either of us. I have some minor fighting experience from our village due to the threat of bandits. Bell was taught the absolute basics by me, and has fought a surface goblin before. Beyond that, nothing else.” Nero stated, explaining their very limited training. He sort of undersold the training, but comparing their ‘training’ to the experience these first class adventurers had was like comparing iron to mithril, so he felt it was fair game. 

Finn nodded, bringing his hand to his chin. “Thank you for being honest with me. It’ll help in decide how we-” 

“What’s going on out here? Who are these two guys?” A new voice made itself known from the direction of the manor. All eyes turned towards the sound, which turned out to be from a group of 4 people, more members, coming to mingle with the crowd. 

The first was a young Amazon, with medium length black hair and dark green eyes. She had a white tube top over her petite chest, with a multi-colored pareo, specifically orange with green accents and brown for the underside. A snake-skin belt, with gold accessories littered through her body, namely two gold bands in her hair, a set of golden collared necklaces, a pair of gold painted bracers, and a set of two golden ankle bracelets on each leg. This was Tiona Hiryute, alias ‘Crusher’. She seemed to be the energetic and childish type, if her bouncy attitude was anything to go by.

“Possible new familia members?” Another Amazon spoke, essentially the twin of the other, only with longer hair which reached down to her lower back. Unlike her petite twin, she was well endowed, sporting a wrap around bra, a pareo that was much shorter than her sisters, and red colored leggings. She wore similar accessories to her sister, only these were colored silver instead of gold. The older twin of the Hiryute sisters, Tione Hiryute, alias ‘Jormungand’. She appeared more level headed than her sister, although the gazes she sent towards Finn were odd. 

“Yeah right. And I’m a cat man.” The next voice was gruff, angry almost, with a hint of curiosity in it. With short gray hair that stuck out in numerous places and a set of pointed ears on his head and a fluffy, gray tail, confirmed he was a werewolf. His amber eyes held disdain to the two albinos, and a blue face tattoo sat on his left cheek underneath his eye which ran down to his chin. The werewolf wore a short, gray jacket with a fluffy collar, a black long sleeve undershirt, black pants held up by a simple brown belt, and a black choker. His forearms had a strange set of bracers, the design covering up to his elbow but not restricting movement. His boots were armored, with added shin guards, and flexible plates in front of his knee to allow proper articulation of his joints. This was Bete Loga, alias ‘Fenris’. He stood quite tall over the rest of the crowd, only surpassed by Nero’s impressive height. He held a scowl on his face, as he walked over towards the patch, eyeing the two white haired teens, specifically eyeing Nero. 

“Come on Bete, cut them some slack, they’re unblessed!” The final member of the newly arrived group said, a young girl. She had golden yellow hair and dark blue eyes, with pointed ears signifying her lineage as an elf. She wore a long sleeved white blouse with a purple ribbon tied to the collar and a short, dark pink cape over that. Over her stomach and lower half sat a pink corset with fabric that ran down to cover her legs a bit, and a skirt that matched the cape in color. She also had a pair of white leggings with small pink shoes that completed the outfit. This was Lefiya Viridis, alias ‘Thousand Elf’, and apprentice to Riveria. A younger member of the familia but immensely gifted, if the High Elf had any say in the matter. 

  “Perfect, Bete thank you. I’m going to need you for these trials.” Finn said, smiling as he beckoned the werewolf onto the field. 

“Huh?! Why do you need me?” Bete growled, but complied with the request as he made his way over, his hands in his pockets and leaning forward. 

“I wanted to test the two applicants separately. Due to the height difference, I felt you’d be a better sparring partner for Nero than any of us would. I’ll be sparring with Bell once you finish.” Finn explained, as he watched the two albinos widen their eyes in concern. 

“Tsk. Whatever.” Bete just sighed and positioned himself onto the field, keeping his hands in his pockets and eyeing Nero. “Come on, let’s get this over with.” 

Nero stepped up to the field, grabbing the handle of his sword with his left hand and flexing his right hand’s fingers. “Okay.” As he stopped onto the field, both men stared each other down, Electric Blue meeting Blazing Amber. 

Finn stepped off the field with Raul. “The spar will go for 3 minutes or until failure. Do your best and show us what you can do!” Finn explained the conditions of the trial as he raised his hand up. 

‘ Fuckin’ hell, I got to fight one of the toughest right out the gate for my trial.. Well, in for a penny.. ’ Nero braced himself, gripping his sword and slightly crouching down. 

“BEGIN!” the small hand dropped. 

Nero, not wanting to waste time and knowing he was outclassed, decided to take the initiative, rushing Bete at full tilt while unsheathing his longsword in a bisecting swing. Bete stepped back, taken aback by the sudden speed the man was displaying and dodging the blade. ‘ The hell?! He’s unblessed, isn’t he?! ’ the werewolf thought, getting ready to step in to strike Nero. However, using the momentum from the sword swing, Nero spun his body around in a risky maneuver, allowing the blade to twist him around, swinging his right arm with the movement to try and strike with the back of his fist. Bete stepped back once again to dodge the attempt, but was not ready for the blade to go from a bisecting angle to flip to a downward slash, this time now amplified by the added momentum and the weight of gravity on its side. Thinking quickly, Bete pulled his left arm up, bracing his forearm for the impact. As the blade made contact, Bete gritted his teeth as he felt the force behind the swing, which cracked the ground beneath him. 

‘ He’s unblessed, but that speed and that swing alone puts him near lower level 1 ranges. ’ Bete thought to himself, swinging his arm around to toss the blade to the side. ‘ I’ll keep my arm out. This might shape up to be fun .’ Grinning to himself, the werewolf decided to up the ante by charging towards Nero, matching his strength to that of lower level 1s to make it an even match-up. Nero braced himself, pulling the sword onto his shoulder. Bete quickly pivoted on his right foot, while twisting his body into a spinning back kick with his left. Not expecting the sudden twist, Nero braced his right arm, tanking the full force of the kick as he was sent backwards, his feet dragging along the ground for a few feet. Bete, standing back up and watching Nero, could only grin as he saw the teen shake his arm a bit before assuming his fighting stance once again. ‘ Good. He ain’t a pushover. ’ 

Their fight continued till the time limit, with Nero working his ass off to try and surprise Bete with different flourishes he made up on the spot, and the werewolf striking the teen in different ways with his arms and legs to knock him down. In the end, the time limit was hit, with both the fighters smiling, the newbie breathing heavily. 

“Excellent fighting, Nero.” Finn praised the young man with a smile on his face. “You call yourself a newbie but you can definitely handle yourself. Your strength and speed alone put you around lower level 1 adventurers, and you’re unblessed. Impressive, I’m surprised you weren’t already snatched up if you’re still looking for a familia.” 

Bete stuck his hand out to Nero, offering a hand to pull him up. “It’s not you, is it? It’s the kid.” He said, his voice neutral. He had a feeling, based on their looks alone, the weak link was the shorter brother. 

“Yeah. The other familia didn’t want to ‘babysit’ him. Fuckers..” Nero grumbled as he took Bete’s hand and hoisted himself up, brushing the dirt off of himself while scowling. “And yeah, other familia wanted to take me, but they didn’t want Bell. I refuse to abandon my brother, which will apply here too. You get both of us, or neither.” Nero stated, his blue eyes locking onto Finn’s own, solidifying his stance. 

Finn smiled and nodded. “That is admirable, Nero. I promise to be fair and judge you both based on your skills, not by your looks.” He received a nod as he and Bete stepped off the field, Bell stepping forward on one side with his daggers in each hand. 

“Ah, you dual wield daggers? Interesting. Gareth, toss me a training spear please.” Finn called out to Gareth, who was by the shed, watching everything. After a moment, a simple wooden training spear was tossed over to him. “I’ll be using this instead of my primary weapon, for obvious reasons.” Finn explained, smiling awkwardly. 

Bell nodded, getting into a ready space, his daggers held in front of him just enough so he could respond to any attacks quickly, but not enough to restrict his vision. His knees were bent down slightly, ready to move in any direction needed as a response. 

Nero and Bete walked over to the picnic table, the others watching the two new competitors on the field. Nero stood a short ways away, crossing his arms and watching the two prepare for Bell’s own trial. 

“Good fight.” Bete said, standing beside Nero. “You’re still green, but you’ve got some potential. Don’t slack off or get comfortable, or I’ll kick your ass.” He said, nudging the white hair teen’s shoulder before walking off to sit at the table. The others, watching this exchange, could only nod their approval, as they turned to watch the younger brothers’ trial. 

“Same rules apply!” Raul called out, his hand in the air. “3 minutes or until failure! Are you ready?!” Both fighters nodded. “BEGIN!” He dropped his arm downwards.

Only to be met with shock as Bell, copying Nero’s initial tactic, charged forward first, moving slightly faster than Nero and prepping both blades to strike. Finn, eyes widening, swung his spear in a circle to discourage a frontal assault. Unfortunately, the young rabbit used this to his advantage, letting one of his blades catch the spear and pull him around, twisting his body in the same manner Bete did, performing a backward spin kick at Finn. The Pallum braced the spear in front of himself to take the blow, only to be surprised as the momentum behind the kick staggered him slightly. Not wasting a second, Bell twisted again, this time swinging his right dagger to slice at Finn’s spear, which connected. His left dagger, held in a reverse grip, swung with his movement, striking a different part of the spear. Strike after strike, Bell was peppering Finn with an onslaught of dagger strikes, forcing the Pallum on the backfoot temporarily. 

Everyone, minus Nero, was stunned by the aggressive nature of the young man. Grinning, Nero decided to add a little fuel to the fire. “Well, that’s a new trick. He never did that in any of our spars.” It was the truth, Bell did use some kicks with his fighting style, but he mostly used them defensively, to either disarm a target or to kick their legs to make their stances unbalanced to escape a bad situation. 

Bete snapped his eyes towards Nero. “What?! So he… just saw my kick and copied it?” 

Tiona was in awe. “That’s crazy cool! He’s super talented if he could pull that off!” 

Tione was shocked that the love of her life, the glorious Loki Familia Captain, was struggling with this rabbit boy! 

Riveria could only blankly stare. “To copy a move by just seeing it.. Almost like the Monster of Talent herself..” her eyes narrowed slightly, with everyone realizing what she meant by that. 

Nero watched the others voice their thoughts, although his gaze stopped after Riveria’s comment. ‘ Monster of talent? Her? Who’s that.. I’ll need to ask about that later. .’ he thought to himself, watching the fight again.

Finn finally found the pattern Bell was attacking with, and began countering each of his dagger strikes with the spear, rapidly spinning it around himself to match Bell’s attack speed. This didn’t deter the rabbit, only encouraged him to continue striking, forcing more strength behind the strikes, moving and twisting his body to either add momentum to the attack’s or to dodge a counter and strike from a different angle. The Pallum watched this boy as he switched his tactics each time he countered his daggers, changing angles or adding more strength to disrupt his rhythm. ‘ Incredible.. He’s adapting so quickly to the fight, and even mixing things up despite the lack of familiarity.. ’ Finn grinned as their spar continued, their blades clashing. 

The fight ended via a knockdown, with Finn hitting Bell in the chest with the blunt edge of his spear at the 2 minute and 30 second mark, knocking the wind out of the teen. “Let’s call it Bell, I believe I've seen enough to make a decision.” 

Bell looked up at the Pallum, initially frightened that he messed up their chance, but upon seeing Finn’s hand reaching down to him and the big smile plastered on his face, he couldn’t help but be hopeful with the outcome. 

“So.. how’d we do?” Nero asked nervously. He was hopeful, but still worried about the decision to be made. Nothing was set in stone yet.

Gareth walked over to the rest of the Loki Familia by the tables, with Finn joining him. Each of the executives, as well as the Goddess, exchanged glances with smiles on their faces. The answer was unanimous. 

“Nero. Bell Cranel.” Both teens snapped to attention despite their exhaustion. “Me and my familia have reached a unanimous conclusion, and would love to offer the both of you a spot in the Loki Familia. Will you accept?” Finn made the offer, smiling as he folded his arms. Each member of the family smiled, even Bete was grinning like a madman. 

“It would be our honor! Thank you for having us!” Both the teens accepted the gracious opportunity, bowing towards the group as they laughed at the two being in sync. 

Bell began to tear up, overjoyed that he was able to take the first big step. As the group came over to congratulate them, Bell muttered to himself while wiping tears from his eyes, “Grandpa.. We did it..” Luckily, Nero was the only one who heard this. Grabbing Bell, he brought him into a brotherly hug as the crowd surrounded them, excited about the prospect of new, talented members of the familia. 

But the celebration was cut short, as Bell realized they had forgotten one crucial piece of information. “NERO!” He suddenly shouted, spooking the crowd as everyone stepped back, Bete flattening his ears at the sudden sound and Riveria glaring at the young man, rubbing her own ears. 

“Why the sudden shout, you okay?” Nero asked, confused from the sudden outburst from his brother.

Bell was wide-eyed, and pointed at Nero, specifically his right arm, still bandaged and covered. “We forgot about THAT.” 

Nero was confused until he followed Bell’s finger, seeing it pointed to his arm. The puzzle pieces slammed into place in his head. “...Fuck.” 

“Language.” Riveria scolded the blue-eyed teen, folding her arms over her chest with a disappointed scowl. 

“Sorry, but can we take this to somewhere private. I know you offered and we accepted, but just in case… There is one more thing you must know before we finalize anything.” Nero stated, now even more anxious than ever. They had done it! They were accepted into a Familia, and one of the highest ranked ones no doubt! But him forgetting about his bloodline and his Devil Bringer could completely shatter their offer to smithereens. 

Finn and Loki shared a look, before Loki piped up, her eyes slightly opened. “Okay, but these are all executives so if it’s important, they need to know. Come on, we’ll head over to Finn’s office. Riveria can mark it so no one can hear what we speak about.” She started making her way inside, with the group following behind, the two white haired teens surrounded by the confused Loki Familia members. 

After a short walk they arrived at the office, with everyone taking a spot on the couches, leaving the two teens sitting on the floor in a seiza position by the coffee table. 

“Riveria. If you can, please.” Loki motioned towards the High Elf, who nodded. She waved her hands, a small magic circle lit up in her hand before expanding to encompass the room. 

“There. No one can hear what will be said here, whatever that is.” Riveria stated. 

“Thanks..” Nero nodded towards her before passing a glance at everyone in the room. “The reason why I wanted privacy is because of what I’m going to tell you regarding my bloodline.” He explained this as he took off his blue overcoat and red hoodie, giving them to Bell. Now in just a black t-shirt, the bandaged arm and black glove on his hand was obvious. 

Everyone leaned in close, curious as to why the arm was bandaged. Riveria, her motherly instincts kicking in, got concerned for the teen’s well being. 

“You fought while injured?! How foolish can you be?!” The Mama Elf scowled Nero, who didn’t even budge at the sudden outburst. 

“I’m not injured.” Nero calmly stated. “To be blunt, I am part demon. My arm was injured over 7 years ago by some surface monsters, where Bell and Grandpa saved me. Although my arm wasn’t too badly injured, the arm healed in a very strange way.” He began to explain as he unraveled the bandages, revealing the reptile-like skin to the others as they gasped at the site, Loki opened her eyes completely at the revelation. 

Placing the bandages on the floor, he removed the glove and sat it down on the floor, holding his arm up, slowly rotating it so everyone could see it in its entirety. The reptile-like skin was a deep blue, his entire forearm from his elbow down to his hand covered in the leathery layer of armor. His claws appeared to have grown slightly, now roughly 1.5 cm in length. The cracks on the armored skin still held its faded blue glow. 

Silence permeated through the room, all of the executives staring at Nero’s now revealed demonic arm, some in amazement and extreme interest, others in concern and worry. Bell sat quietly, watching everyone’s gazes with his anxiety rising by the second. He was worried that Nero would get scrutinized, shunned even, by the familia. 

Bete was the first to break the silence, after thinking for a moment about the situation. “I don’t have a problem with you bein’ part demon. But you better hide that around Aiz.” He pointed out, which snapped everyone out of their stupor.

“Aye, the boy’s got a point.” Gareth agreed, stroking his beard. 

“Indeed, Aiz can never find out about you and your heritage.” Riveria shook her head. “That’ll be disastrous.”  

As everyone else muttered their agreements, Bell tilted his head to the side. “Who’s Aiz? Is she another member of the Loki Familia?” He asked no one in particular. 

“Yea, she’s one of our best. Level 5, earned the alias of ‘Sword Princess’. Holds the record for fastest level up, reaching level 2 in a year.” Loki stated, crossing her arms, her eyes half open while staring at Nero. “And she despises monsters..” 

“...shit.” Nero sighed, grabbing his bandages to cover his arm up again. “So, she can’t find out. Otherwise, I get stabbed like a pincushion. Is that about right?” 

“Firstly, language.” Riveria scolded before shifting her tone of voice. “But yes, that’s the jist of it.” 

Finn clapped his hands together, gaining everyone’s attention. “Well, we’ll devise a plan to deal with that, so don’t worry about it for now. She’s normally in the dungeon training, so as long as nothing serious happens, we can deal with it.” the Captain stated, earning nods from everyone. “In the meantime, let's get back on track. Now, regardless of your origins Nero, I still would love to have you and Bell as part of our Familia. Bete had no issues with it, and no one else appears to have anything to say.” Murmurs of agreement confirmed his statement. “So, how about we get you two your Falna?” 

Bell jumped to his feet, excited at the prospect of getting the Goddess’ Blessing. “Yes!” He cheered, throwing his fists up in the air. 

“Then since you’re so excited, you can go first, Bell.” Nero beckoned his brother forward. 

Loki smiled. “Aight then, strip.” She grinned as Bell’s excitement dropped like a stone in water, his eyes wide as a heavy blush formed on his face, Nero also slightly blushing at the idea. 

“Ugh Loki, don't mess with the two newcomers already.” Riveria said before turning to the two albinos. “The falna gets etched onto your backs, so you just need to lift your shirts up.” 

Bell heaved a sigh of relief, before stepping over towards Loki. Sitting back down, he lifted his shirt to reveal his back to the Goddess and his stomach and chest to the rest. The two Amazons watched with curiosity, Tiona playfully whistling at Bell, causing the rabbit-like teen to blush. 

Loki stepped forward with a small pin, pricking her finger so a little blood began to seep out. Dropping two droplets of her divine ichor, Bell’s back lit up, beginning to form the insignia of the Trickster Goddess, which appears to be a Jester holding its hands out while crossing its legs, with a card-like shape behind it. With Finn handing her a piece of paper, she placed it on Bell’s back, writing his status sheet down before her eyes widened. “...What the..” she muttered, before finishing up and hiding his falna. 

Bell had heard what Loki -His Goddess- had said, and turned to her. “Is everything okay? Did I mess up?” he said, a little worry showing on his face. 

“No, you’re fine. Your status sheet threw me off… you’re level 1 but your basic stats are not at 0, and you have a skill..” Loki stated, handing over his status sheet to the teen to examine his own status. 

“What?!” Bell exclaimed, grabbing his status sheet and looking at it with excitement. 

“Level 1, never had a falna, and has a skill the moment he is blessed?” Finn shook his head, grinning. “If that’s Bell, I’m getting excited for Nero’s own status.” 

Name : Bell Cranel 

Race : Human 

Level : 1 

Strength : I 56

Endurance : I 41

Dexterity : I 83

Agility : H 117

Magic : I0 

Skills : 

[ Heroic Desire ] 

-Increased Growth proportional to the user’s desire Greater desire amplifies the effect. 

Magic : 

None

“A growth skill?” Bell looked up at everyone after blurting that out, tilting his head like a confused rabbit. 

“WHAT?!” Everyone shouted in unison. 

“A growth skill… that’s extremely rare, kiddo.” Loki said, a massive grin on her face as she stared at Bell’s rubellite eyes with her own. “So. You wanna be a hero, huh?” 

Bell immediately began to blush, shoving his face into his status sheet, as he tried and failed to explain himself, with everyone softly laughing at his reaction and sudden revelation of his goals. Internally though, he was cheering, excited that he got a Familia, and even got a rare skill. This was the start of the story he was going to form. 

Nero shook his head before standing up. “Alright, let’s leave him be, I’ll tease him later about it. Let’s find out what this demon can throw into the mix.” He said, as Bell quickly shuffled back over where he was, still receiving teasing smiles from everyone. 

Loki watched as Nero sat down, completely removing his shirt and setting it down on his lap. The crowd, minus an embarrassed Bell, stared at the teen. His body, thanks to his demonic blood, was perfectly sculpted. Toned, lean muscle made up his upper body, with toned biceps and forearms, broad shoulders, and shaped abs. If the others didn’t know any better, they’d assume Nero was already an adventurer, and a veteran at that. 

Repeating the same ritual, Loki placed her Blessing onto Nero’s back. Suddenly, Nero’s arm began to light up, the faded blue cracks of energy flaring up to a bright electric blue. Everyone stared in wonder at the demonic appendage lighting up, before Loki finished by writing down Nero’s status. The glow faded slightly away, however it was brighter than before, still keeping its electric blue color, but now not glowing. It appeared to settle between the cracks of the reptile skin, visually similar to flowing lava. 

Loki stared in amazement at Nero’s status sheet, before handing it off to the teen. “Brace yourself.” Nero raised an eyebrow before looking at his status sheet. 

Name : Nero

Race : Human/Demon Hybrid  

Level : 1 

Strength : H 107

Endurance : H 105

Dexterity : I 80

Agility : I 89

Magic : I 68

Skills : 

[ Legacy of Sparda ] 

-All basic abilities are raised; Raise maximum status caps of all basic abilities.

-Excelia gain increased when in combat. Increases regeneration of mind and body.

Magic : 

[ Spectral Claw ] Quick Cast, At Will

-Short ranged melee spell, can grab and throw targets and objects smaller than the user {Snatch} or used to pull the user towards a location or enemy {Hell Bound}.

“..It took the name Bell gave it, huh.. And I have a magic ability?” Nero tilted his paper to the side, confused at the information on the page. 

Bell, finally shaking off his embarrassment, came over and inspected his brother’s status sheet. “Oh cool! It did take the name, so now it's official!” Bell proclaimed, smiling. “That magic sounds pretty useful, even the names are kinda neat. ‘Snatch’ and ‘Hell Bound’ huh.” he examined the sheet, reading aloud while placing his hand on his chin. 

Finn walked over to Loki’s side, who was sitting there with her eyes closed deep in thought. “So what’re you thinking, Loki?” the Captain asked, his arms folded over his chest.

Loki opened her eyes slightly, a serious expression on her face as her Divinity leaked out. The group, who were talking amongst themselves and towards the new members, snapped to pay attention to their Goddess. “Nero. Bell.” The two in question looked up at her. “You two have incredible skills for level 1s. However, I must emphasize this: Do not, under any circumstances, talk about your abilities to anyone outside of this room. The Gods and Goddesses out there are greedy and opportunistic, and crave entertainment above all. If they even catch a whiff of you two, they’ll stop at nothing to try and claim you for their own. In a way, I’m being greedy too by telling you this, but you are my children now, and I’m not one to hand them out like trading cards.” the Goddess stated, her eyes closing as she finished her statement. 

The two albinos nodded in agreement. This was definitely something they’d need to keep under wraps for now, until they were stronger. 

“Okay, me and Bell need to go to the Hostess of Fertility. We were staying there while we found a Familia, so we’ll need to go and grab our stuff.. There wasn’t much there though.” Nero stated, earning approval from Finn and Loki. 

“I’ll go with you.” Bete said, standing up by the door. “With these revelations, you can't be too safe.” 

Riveria stood up and walked over to Bete. “I’ll come along as well. You’ll need one of the Top Executives to register you at the Guild, and I can do that as Vice-Captain.” she stated with a soft smile. 

Gareth immediately crossed his arms. “Yeah right, ya ol’ hag! You’re tryin’ to get outta plannin’ the expedition!” He pointed an accusatory finger at the High Elf, who glared at him but held a smug smile. 

Finn sighed. “It’s fine Gareth, we’ll just make her handle all the paperwork later” He grinned at Riveria. 

“Damn you two.” The High Elf muttered, before beckoning the albinos to walk over. “Come on, we can get you registered and then settled in. Afterwards, we can discuss your first dungeon dive.” 

As the brothers stood up, Nero paused for a moment, looking back at where his jacket was left, which was on the edge of the couch Gareth sat on, about 3.5 meters away. “Hmm..” 

Loki and Finn noticed him staring at his jacket and were wondering what he was thinking of. The Amazon Twins, as well as Lefiya and Raul, also saw this and were watching Nero curiously. Bete raised an eyebrow as Bell approached him and Riveria, turning to watch his brother as well. 

‘ Well.. I’ll need to practice with it anyway, why not a simple test. ’ Nero thought to himself, raising his Devil Bringer up. ‘ It said at will, and my understanding of magic is limited, but that implies I can just think it and it will go.. Let's try it! Snatch! ’ He commanded, as his demonic arm began glowing once again. Surprising everyone, a large mass of spectral energy formed beside the Devil Bringer. The mass of energy shaped itself into the form of a disembodied Devil Bringer, although this arm had the reptile-like skin up to the bicep as well. The arm stretched itself across the short distance, grabbing onto the back of the blue overcoat, then whipped it backwards towards Nero who, standing there with his right arm up, grabbed the coat and draped it over his shoulder. “Neat.” was his only comment before making his way towards the door, leaving everyone who witnessed the spectacle in stunned silence. 

Nero stepped out of the office, in the middle of wrapping his arm in the bandages once again before throwing on his coat and hoodie. Bell quickly followed behind, scurrying up to Nero. “That was cool! Was that your spell?!” He excitedly interrogated his brother, as Bete and Riveria stepped out of the office as well, now filled with excited chatter about what they witnessed. 

“Yeah, it said it was a spell I could cast ‘at will’ so I thought of what I wanted it to do, and it did it.” Nero shrugged. “I’m no mage nor a scholar, but even I could interpret it worked that way.” 

“That is correct, Nero. Well done figuring that out.” Riveria voiced her compliment to the teen, who nodded. 

“Yeah! It seems pretty useful, even outside the dungeon!” Bell added in his two cents. 

“We can kiss his ass later, we still gotta get them registered and get their crap from the Hostess.” Bete growled, earning a glare from Riveria for his profanity. 

The group, after Nero had covered his arm, made their way out of the manor. As they made their way towards the Guild, they made small talk amongst one another. Nero and Bete weren’t much for words but were tolerant of one another’s company. Bell spoke with Bete a little, stating that he looked similar to the description of the hero Yulis. Nero backed that statement up, and explained that both he and Bell had a shared interest, or obsession in Bell’s case, for the stories from the Age of Heroes way before the Gods had descended. Bete didn’t verbally say anything as a response, but his tail was slightly wagging side to side. Riveria did notice this, quietly chuckling and earning an embarrassed glare from the werewolf. 

Luckily, registering the albinos as part of the Loki familia was a straightforward process, with Riveria handling the majority of the paperwork. Course, they attracted a lot of attention with the sudden announcement of two new Loki Familia members. In fact, a few of the adventurers from the Familia they had applied to were here, and they only held dumbfounded faces as they saw Nero and Bell be announced as new Loki Familia members. With proud, smug smiles on their faces, they finished up their registration as adventurers from Loki Familia. 

The group walked out of the Guild and began making their way towards The Hostess, the afternoon sun sinking beneath the walls. With the ice broken more with their walk, the group was able to make casual conversation. Bell was talking with Bete about possibly getting training with martial arts, namely kicking to add to his own fighting style. Bete readily agreed, but warned Bell he was no softie when it came to teaching, which Bell accepted without protest. Nero was talking with Riveria about getting more guidance with his magic as it was completely new to him, which Riveria was more than happy to assist with. 

“Ah yes, I remembered something.” Nero looked at Bete and Riveria. “There was mention of an expedition. What’s all that about?” 

“Basically, we’re diving as deep as we can go into the dungeon with a mission from the Guild. Captain thinks it’ll take us up to 2 weeks to complete the whole trip.” Bete summarized. 

“It’s as Bete said.” Riveria nodded, approving Bete’s quick and concise answer. “Specifically, we’re going to the 59th Floor, but Finn wishes to aim for the 60th.” 

“Woah! That’s quite far!” Bell said, stars in his eyes. “Is that the deepest anyone’s gone?” 

“Well it will be once we’re done.” Bete said with pride in his voice, grinning. 

“When do you guys leave?” Nero asked. “I know we asked for training, but I’ll assume that’ll occur after you return instead of before.” 

“We leave next week for the expedition. We can save the proper training for after our return. In the meantime, we’ll be working on teaching you two about the Dungeon’s upper floors, and getting you some experience fighting monsters there.” Riveria explained as they approached the Hostess. 

Stepping into the Hostess of Fertility, the room was buzzing with customers for the dinner service. Adventurers enjoying a nice meal and drinks with their party members, and the waitresses serving them their meals and drinks with bright smiles, or a blank expression in Ryuu’s case. Anya, upon seeing Nero and Bell walking, made her way over with a toothy smile on her face. 

“Meow, the brothers are back!” the cat waitress said, her tail squishing from side to side. 

“Yes we’re back, Anya. And with some good news.” Nero’s tone was neutral but he held a soft smile on his face. Bell, on the other hand, had a massive grin on his face, eyes filled with pride. Anya tilted her head slightly to the side, confused at the statement until Bete and Riveria stepped into the restaurant behind them. 

“We got into the Loki Familia.” Bell said proudly, puffing out his chest in a mock hero pose. Anya giggled at this, clapping and celebrating with him. Nero just shook his head softly. 

“Yes, yes, we get it. Calm down, rabbit.” Bete teased with a grin as Bell turned to him with a pout. He didn’t really enjoy being compared to a rabbit. 

After a few more playful jabs, the brothers went and grabbed the little bit they owned before heading back down to the floor. After thanking Mama Mia and the waitresses, and being pressured into coming to the Hostess to eat for dinner by Mama Mia, the four Loki adventurers made their way back to the Loki Familia home to get the two albinos settled into a room. Since they were brothers, it was an obvious decision to let them share a room. After unpacking their belongings, they were invited to sit with Bete, Lefiya, and the Amazon Sisters at their table for dinner. Bete sat on the same side as the sisters, with Lefiya sitting on his other side, leaving the opposite bench from them completely open.

Bell grabbed himself a healthy mix of rice, a few cuts of beef, and a small side salad. Nero grabbed himself a healthy serving of mashed potatoes with gravy, rice, and cuts of beef and chicken which had to sit on another plate. After grabbing their plates, they sat across the group and began to dig in.

Bete, seeing Nero’s choice of dinner, nodded his approval. “Take notes, Rabbit.” He motioned towards Nero. “That’s how you feed yourself to get strong.” 

“Well a balanced diet is better for my long term health.” Bell said, taking a bite of his salad. Lefiya hummed her agreement as she sipped on some juice.

“And that’s why you’re so short, Bun-Bun.” Nero teased his brother, grinning, as Bete chuckled to himself. 

“I don’t wanna hear that from you, Scalie.” Bell retorted playfully, biting into his beef cuts as Nero bumped shoulders with him. The twins were giggling at the antics of the brothers, while Bete was grinning, gaining a new nickname to tease Bell and Nero with. Lefiya was confused by the antics but assumed they were just messing around.

As they were all conversing with one another, a new voice quietly spoke next to Bell. “Oh, who are you?” The voice was female, spoken softly and with very little emotion. Bell turned, aiming to respond to the person who was questioning him only to freeze up at the sight.

Long, golden-blonde hair brushed straight which reached down to the small of her back. Gold eyes shone in the soft lights of the manor, stared at him with a calm but curious stare. Her face, devoid of emotion, was truly beautiful with hardly any blemishes; a true work of art. She wore a simple, very short, white dress with a black underskirt. Although not visible, she also wore blue spanks underneath the dress. Finishing off the outfit was a pair of thigh-high boots with black soles. 

She looked at Bell curiously, tilted her head as she examined him while Bell’s mind completely shut down, with Lefiya beginning to blush furiously upon noticing the golden-haired girl’s arrival. Nero raised an eyebrow at the oddball reaction. 

Tiona piped up, smiling but with a small sweatdrop by her forehead. “O-oh, hey Aiz! Back from the dungeon?” she asked curious, flicking her gaze to Nero.

Nero, after hearing the name of the golden haired girl next to him, slowly turned his attention to his food. ‘ Shit! The one person I had to avoid and she’s standing right by me and Bell! ’ 

“Mhm” Aiz responded, then sat down on the other side of Nero, sitting across from Bete and Lefiya. Nero kept his composure, continuing to dig in while staying quiet. Bell, finally snapping himself out of his stupor, blushed intensely as he picked at his food while occasionally flicking his gaze over to the girl. 

Finally deciding to rip the band-aid off, Nero swallowed his food before turning to Aiz. “Name’s Nero, that’s my brother Bell.” He points to the rabbit-like teen. “We just joined the familia.” 

“Mm. I’m Aiz.” She introduces herself politely, but without much emotion before digging into her food, a plate of rice and meats, a very simple dinner. 

Taking that as a sign that she wants to eat, Nero quickly finished his own meal, ushering Bell to do the same. Once the two finished, they bowed out and said their goodbyes. Returning their trays to the kitchen before heading up to their room in the men’s wing of the manor. After piling into their room, Nero quickly closed and locked the door while Bell plopped onto his bed. 

The room was decent, despite being just a low level familia members’ room. It had two small, twin sized beds that sat on the right side of the room, with a set of light purple colored sheets and bedding. A pair of nightstands on opposite sides of the beds with a small lamp on each for lighting in the room. Two medium sized storage chests sat on the foot of each bed for the two to store equipment or items. Finally, a pair of large wooden dressers sat on the opposite walls of the beds for their clothes, despite the lack of clothes the two brothers had. The walls of the room were painted a basic cream color, and no paintings or décor were hung up on the walls either. A tall, rectangular window sat opposite of the door, the evening sunset barely visible now, with a simple curtain that matched the color of the bedding. 

Upon seeing the room, the brothers had selected their beds, with Bell taking the bed closest to the window, and Nero taking the other which was the closest to the door. They’ve already unpack all of their belongings which didn’t take long for obvious reasons. 

“So. Aiz caught your eye, I see.” Nero said in a teasing voice, which caused Bell to snap to attention with a fierce blush. 

“I-I don’t know what you’re t-talking about!” Bell crossed his arms, stuttering through his retort, his face reaching the same tone of red as his eyes. 

Nero sighs, before continuing with concern in his voice. “Look, I don’t mind if you decide to chase anyone, but I’d say please be careful not to make mention of me around Aiz, specifically about my you-know-what.” He stared at Bell while pointing at his demonic appendage underneath the bandages. 

“Of course! I’ll never utter a word about it to anyone outside of us and the captain and Loki.” Bell vowed, giving Nero a salute. 

“Well alright then.” Nero sighed before stripping himself of his coat, hoodie, boots, and pants. “I’m gonna tuck in for an early night. We’ll try to go to the Dungeon tomorrow after asking the higher ups.” he said before closing his eyes. 

“Okay, good night Nero.” Bell said while getting himself ready for bed. 

“Night, Bell.” Nero responded, rolling over in the bed and allowing his exhaustion to take over.

The two brothers dozed off into their beds, satisfied after all of their time and efforts had finally paid off, and in such a big way. Getting into the Loki Familia was one of the best scenarios they could’ve asked for. Now, they could prove themselves, one aiming for their dreams of stepping into the realm of legends, the other aiming to prove that he was more than what his upbringing entailed, to prove himself worth people’s time, people’s admiration. 

~ Daedalus Street, Orario ~ 

“GAHHH!” A cry of pain echoed throughout an abandoned warehouse in the middle of Daedalus Street. Old boxes and create lined the walls, empty and filled with dust. The walls worn from age, cracks in the stone foundation, the windows either shattered in or cracked from age, years of age and dirt coated the panes. 

Within the warehouse, a strange looking man is crouched on the floor, holding his left arm, or the stump of what is left. Severed at the elbow, the arm was covered in scrapes and bleeding but the man showed no signs of weakening. He had gashes all over his body, each quite deep but hardly bleeding. His face was quite ugly, with wrinkles over his forehead and a large burn mark on the left side of his face, which went over his eye and back to his left ear.  His teeth, yellowed slightly with sharp K-9s visible as he breathed heavily. With short black hair and brown eyes, his face was dripping with blood and sweat, as he locked eyes with his assailant. 

His attacker walked out of the shadow, revealing her golden hair tied into a ponytail with a black headband sitting on her head. Her eyes, a beautiful shade of ocean blue, held a glare for the ugly man in front of her. She was young, around 16 years old, with some baby fat still on her cheeks dotted with freckles that went over her nose. She wore a white blouse with a ruffled trim on the collar and the short sleeves. Over the blouse, a deep red vest with pink ribbons held the vest in place, and a blue pendant sat on her neck. She wore a pink skirt, the same color as the ribbons of the vest, with black spanks underneath. On her right thigh were two black straps holding a small holster, where a handle stuck out. She wore a pair of high cut boots that covered up to her shins, with small metal bands covering the front. With a pair of black gloves and a small bag on her back, she held a bronze shortsword in her right hand and a strange device in her left. The device was shaped like a compass, but instead of signifying directions, was glowing an ominous, yet faded, shade of red, with a black arrow that pointed towards the injured man in front of her. 

“Damn you, child.” the man hissed, struggling to stand up. “I am Argen, you are nothing but some pathetic worm, a mortal who shouldn’t even-” He was cut off as the girl lunged at his head with her blade. He barely dodged the sudden attack, which scraped the side of his head near his left eye. With a screech, he closed that eye and stumbled backwards and fell to a knee, sneaking his good arm behind him.

“Shut it, demon.” The girl retorted, revealing her young voice. Her annoyance at her opponent became apparent, but she continued. “I am Sparrow, the Devil Hunter of Daedalus. And you are my next bounty.” She raised her blade while bending her knees, preparing for another lunge. 

The man grinned, before throwing a rock towards the ceiling. The rock, glowing a deep orange, hit the warehouse’s worn roof before exploding, the supports giving out to the sudden explosion. “DIE, YOU RUNT!” He shouted, before throwing himself backwards, away from the collapsing ceiling. 

The girl, with excellent acrobatics skill, dashed backwards to dodge the falling debris which kicked up a bunch of dust that coated the former warehouse floor and walls. As she ran towards a nearby exit, she quickly put on a black robe and a pink Jaxon-style hat. She cleared the warehouse, now starting to fully collapse as the rest of the old building could not withstand the sudden shock. Running towards the side where Argen ran, she held her device up while trying to find some trace of him but failing. No bloodstains, no shred of clothing, nothing to signify a route he took. She cursed herself, before quickly disappearing as a Ganesha patrol quickly approached the area with lanterns, responding to the sudden explosion. After safely distancing herself, she continued walking with her disguise towards an old pub, named ‘Huntress’, a few blocks away from a well known orphanage run by an old lady named Maria. 

As she entered, she encountered two men inside the empty pub. One was an older gentleman with mocha colored skin and a well trimmed beard on his face, graying from age. He wore a well tailored 3 piece suit. With a white collared button up shirt, a black vest with purple colored floral patterns, and a black overcoat with pants to match, and a black fedora with a purple ribbon tied around it sat over his bald head. He stood quite tall over the bar top, estimating to be around 185 cm in height

The other person was also of an older age, but his features held well against time. He had flowing black hair, which reached down to his shoulders, and a trimmed black beard over his face. His eyes, the left as red as blood and the right as blue as ice, looked towards the girl with a kind look, like a grandfather overlooking his grandchildren. He had quite the massive physique, compared to that of a warrior of the Spartans. Standing at 200 cm, With broad shoulders and toned muscles, he could be mistaken for a veteran adventurer, if it wasn’t for his very sophisticated outfit and pale, unblemished skin. He wore a classy, formal outfit as he sipped from a glass at the bar table. A black trench coat sat over a black, silky long sleeved turtle neck and a pair of dark brown slacks. To finish off the outfit, he had a stylish pair of black dress loafers, and a set of fingerless gloves over his hands. 

“Welcome back, Sparrow.” The fair skinned man welcomed the girl as she made her way over, raising his glass. “How was your hunt?” 

“Terrible.” Her annoyance was easily heard in her tone. “The bastard blew up the building we were in, and I lost him in the confusion. Sorry, Lord Hades.” She bowed towards the black haired man, his eyes never leaving her form. No disappointment shown, only concern. 

“Are you okay, Sparrow?” Hades, revealed as the God of the Underworld himself, asked, placing his glass down and overlooking the young girl in a mild panic. “Any injuries?” He asked as he examined the girl from head to toe, eliciting a chuckle from the other man. “Shush Morrison, and get the first aid kit!” 

J.D. Morrison, the other gentleman who sat behind the bar, pulled out a small red bag and placed it on the bar top. “No need, she’s okay. Clothes are intact, albeit a little dusty. No limp or wince as she moved. She definitely kicked that demon’s butt before he pulled a fast one.” 

Sparrow nodded. “Yeah, J.D. I was winning without issue.. But…” She looked at her feet, her eyes downcast as she twiddled her fingers. 

Hades sighed, patting the girl’s head. “You got cocky again, and let that get to your head. It happens but you must rein that in or it will get you seriously hurt or worse.” He scolded the girl before bringing her into a hug. “But as long as you make it back home, that’s all I want.” 

“Thanks, grandpa..” She said, her voice muffled as she wrapped her arms around the worried God. “I’m sorry I worried you.” 

Morrison sighed, before pulling out a notebook and scribbling some notes into it. “Well, now the plan is to lay low. We’ll track down Argen again, and this time.” He closed the journal harshly, causing Sparrow to jump in surprise. “You better finish the job. The longer he remains in the shadows, the stronger he will become. You know this better than anyone, Patty Lowell.” 

Sparrow -her name revealed to be Patty Lowell- nodded her head to Morrison, her blue eyes sharp and serious. “Next time, he won’t leave alive. This I swear.” 

Chapter Text

~ Chapter 3: Foundations ~ 

The following morning was a surprise wake up call for the brothers, namely as the resident mother Elf Riveria decided to give them a spook by opening their door in a rush and loudly proclaiming, “WAKE UP CALL!” 

Nero’s eyes shot open, before rolling off the bed and grabbing his longsword defensively, eyeing the room for danger. Bell’s reaction was to scream, fall off the bed, and tangle himself in his blanket in a panic. After being thoroughly laughed at by the High Elf, the two were told there was no rush and to get dressed as they were in for some basic lessons on the first few floors of the dungeon before they dive in, with company of course to ensure safety. Nodding, the two quickly got themselves cleaned up via the bath, and changed into their usual basic outfits, black shirt and pants. Bell swung on his favorite brown jacket over top of his shirt, and holstered his daggers in a different position, this time one on each side of his hips at a 45 degree angle with the handles facing upwards. Nero grabbed his signature coat and hoodie combo, using his ‘Spectral Arm’ ability to its fullest. 

They met with Riveria in the library of the Twilight Manor. A large room with numerous bookshelves lined the walls, towering up to the ceiling. An open area with plenty of tables and couches for those wanting to read in comfort, and a small room positioned away for meditation if the pillows on the floor were anything to go by. 

What followed was a 2.5 hour tongue bathing session for Riveria as she educated the two albinos on the monsters on the first 3 floors of the dungeon, their expected stats as well as information on ‘irregulars’ or ‘variants’ which signified a stronger breed of the monster. She also taught them the importance of harvesting the crystals from the fallen monsters, as the Irregulars only exist if they live long enough to consume monster crystals, which increases their strength. After their lecture ended, with Bell memorizing the majority of everything and taking notes, Nero's mind melted from the absolute overlord of information. He can remember it, but he’d rather just go and fight things. Kept things simple for him, although the crystals rewarding money when exchanged was one thing he did keenly listen in on. 

“Well” Riveria closed a textbook she was using and set it down on the table. “I believe that should cover everything you’d need to know for your first dive. For your first dive, I’ll have Finn join me in observation so we can figure out your strengths and weaknesses, and have you trained appropriately from there.” She finished with a smile. 

“THANK THE GODS!” Nero cried out. “Can we go now? I need to fight something to recover my brain matter.” 

“Nero, this stuff’s important.” Bell scolded his brother, softly punching his shoulder. “This kinda info will save us.” 

“I know, I know. But it’s soooo muuuuuchhhh” Nero complained, leaning back in his chair like a sack of potatoes, earning an amused snort from Riveria. 

“Alright you two, let’s get you ready for your dive. Although…” Riveria looked towards Nero. “I noticed a distinct lack of armor on you. Would you like us to pick up some on the way?” 

Nero waved his right hand in the air. “Nah, I’ll be fine. Never was one for much armor. Plus..” He looked up at Riveria’s concerned glare. “To be frank, I’d like to test that skill of mine, namely its passive effects. ‘Increase regeneration of mind and body.’ I want to see how potent it is, and how reliable it is. Better to learn it’s limits now so I don’t go and gamble its effects on a mortal wound later.” He shrugged. 

Riveria held her glare but sighed after a moment. “It’s a dumb plan, but unfortunately a necessary one. It would also be a good idea later to test how the effects of poison are treated.” She told Nero, his blue eyes serious as he noted her suggestion. “Well in any case, let’s head on out.” 

Nero and Bell jumped up and made their way towards the door, excited for their first dungeon dive. Heading towards the entrance to the manor revealed Finn and, apparently, a very tired and annoyed Bete at the front. Riveria noticed his presence there to be odd as well. 

“Hey Bete.” Bell tilted his head curious as he walked up to Bete, who had a scowl. “Why are you up? Are you comin’ with us?” 

“Hah?!” Bete growled at Bell before sighing and slouching. “The hag’s yell woke me, so now I’m just here.” His ear flicked as he heard Riveria cross her arms, staring at him. 

“Well, the more the merrier or whatever.” Nero shrugged as he walked by, tapping Bete’s shoulder with a fist before petting Finn on the head like a child. “We’ve got the morning, so let’s get it done!” 

Finn, fixing his hair while shaking his head with a smile, just followed behind Nero, with Bete and Bell following him and Riveria making up the rear. The group of five walked through the streets with light chatter between them. Nero asked Finn about some more info on the familia as a whole, as well as any responsibilities he and Bell may have as new members. He wanted to contribute where he could, so Finn filled him in. Bell and Bete chatted as they walked, although Bete was noticeably more calm as Bell spoke to him. Riveria watched the four with amusement in her eyes. Before long they were a few blocks away from the Dungeon before Nero, in the lead of the group, bumped into someone who was walking out of an alleyway nearby, followed by a squeak. 

“Oh my, I’m sorry.” Nero looked down towards the person he just bumped into, who staggered back but luckily didn’t fall over. It was a young girl, around their age, roughly 155 cm in height. She wore a pink newsboy cap, with her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun. Her blue eyes met Nero’s, a look of surprise emanating from them. With a pink jacket and a red ribbon around her neck, all she had on her was a brown satchel over her shoulder and some compass looking device in her hand. His group of familia members watched the scene unfold with curiosity. 

She was about to say something or react in some way, if her mouth beginning to open was any indicator, before the compass began sharply flashing a very bright red color, almost crimson, and letting out an audible *BEEP* every second or so. She quickly opened the object and watched as the single black arrow in the compass snapped to point at Nero, the red flashing being extremely prominent now that the device was opened. 

Nero only saw the girl’s eyes widen in terror as she slowly turned to examine him, his eyebrow raised in confusion, before she snapped the compass closed and sprinted away in the opposite direction of the group, running towards Daedalus street. The albino turned to the group, each confused in their own right besides Bell. “Did.. I do something wrong?” Nero asked, extremely confused over the short encounter. 

Bell snorted before laughing and pointing at his brother. “And you said I’m bad with girls?!” He continued laughing, now accompanied by Bete as they pointed at Nero, who blushed and began stuttering out a defense of some kind. Finn just chuckled dryly as he placed his hands on his hips. Riveria, although amused by the antics, decided to end the teasing by lightly bonking the rabbit and werewolf on their heads. 

“Although it was amusing, no offense.” she held her hand up to Nero, who was glaring at the three of them as they grinned at him. “We’ve only got so much time, as me and Bete have to assist with the final checklist of supplies before our departure.” she explained as she made her way towards the Dungeon entrance. The others followed, although Bete and Bell were still snickering behind Nero, who had crossed his arms, with Finn looking sympathetically at him. 

They reached the entrance to the dungeon, where Finn stopped their small group a few meters from the entrance. “Alright you two.” Finn addressed the albinos, who were listening intensely. “Once we go down, you two will be fighting as a team. Me, Bete and Riveria will be sitting back and observing, only jumping in if the situation is dire. Beyond that, you two will be on your own with minimal support from us. This is to make sure you two can both handle the dungeon on your own when we leave, and to also develop your combat senses. Now, you two were quite decent during our initial spars, but fighting monsters presents a new challenge, as they are not holding back. If given the chance, they WILL go for the kill.” Finn explained, emphasizing the final part of his small lecture to the brothers. After receiving a nod of confirmation the group descended the staircase into the Dungeon below. 

~ Meanwhile, Daedalus Street ~ 

Patty quickly dashed between the winding alleyways of the second Dungeon that is Daedalus Street, approaching the Huntress, and quickly made her way around back. Reaching the back door of the tavern, she quickly unlocked the door and dove in, slamming the door behind her. Within the backroom she entered, was a large office space. The office consisted of a wooden desk sitting in a corner of the room with small books stacked on one of its corners. A bookshelf sat behind it, which had more books sitting on the dark oak shelves of varying titles and genres. In the center of the room was a large circular table with a large map of Orario, with numerous red marks of either X’s or O’s throughout the map. A small chest with a rack of weapons sat on the opposite corner from the desk. The rack had a strangely designed crossbow, a javelin, the bronze shortsword she used against Argen, and a purple colored dagger. 

Within the room, Morrison was sitting at the desk filling out paperwork before the sudden appearance of Patty shook him out of his focus. Hades was at the table, examining the map more until the door slamming took his attention. 

“Young lady, I told you not to slam those doors.” Morrison scolded the girl, who ran to the table and quickly overlooked the map before marking a red O on the map, a street away from the Dungeon entrance. “What are you even-” 

“There’s another demon in the city.” She said after finishing the mark she made. “It was with the executive members of the Loki Familia and some kid.” 

Both the older men stood silent, before quickly moving to Patty’s side and looking at the map, as she pulled a small journal out of her bag and wrote down some notes. 

“Another? What was it doing? Why were there Loki Familia members with it?” Morrison questioned the girl as she wrote her notes down. 

“Not just any members either.” Patty grimaced, before finishing her notes. “Braver, Nine Hells, and Fenris were the members with it. I’ve not kept up with any news coming from the Guild so I’ll need to listen around. The kid was some young teenage boy, around my age and height, with white hair and red eyes. The demon was quite big, around your height J.D., with shoulder length white hair and blue eyes. He also had a large sword on his back, a red and blue coat, and his right hand was gloved.” She explained as she closed her journal. 

Hades scratched his chin. “We have very little information, as well as Argen on the loose right now. We need to get some info on the new demon arriving on the scene.”

Morrison nodded, crossing his arms. “We also need to prepare in a worst case scenario that the two demons here team up. I’ll go meet up with Mia, see if her or her maids have heard anything about new members of Loki's.” 

“I agree. No offense to you, my little Sparrow,” Hades placed his hand on Patty’s shoulder when she pouted slightly. “But this may get dangerous. I’d love to call back our Founder, but..” 

“He’s been busy trying to find his brother.” Morrison finished, sighing to himself. “I’ll still try and get in touch with him, but plan to not have him around. You know how he is. I’ll get in contact with our other two, and we’ll work from there.” He finished, and walked over to his desk to grab a small cane and hat that was tucked away. 

Patty nodded, before grabbing her journal and inserting it into her bag. She also went over to the weapon rack, grabbing the shortsword and strapping it to her hip on her left side. She grabbed the dagger and strapped it to her right thigh. “I’ll head back out and see if I can catch any more information on Argen and our new demon.” 

Hades stood by Patty and smiled at her. “I’ll go out with you. More ears, the better. Not to mention, as a god we can tell lies from truth.” He leaned over to pat her head. “Better to have accurate information.” As he finished up, he grabbed a cloak for himself and strapped it onto himself, pulling the hood over his head so it hid his entire face, minus the intimidating glow of his blue and red eyes. 

Patty nodded, and went over to the back door, opening it as all three stepped out of the tavern. “Let’s hope things work out for the best. I’m sure we’ll need it.” 

~ Dungeon, First Floor ~ 

The first floor was strange to the teens. Unlike the surface, or even small caverns, the air here was heavy in their lungs, almost making it difficult to breathe. The walls were a faded brown color and looked like they were shaped, similar to the style of a mine shaft but without the wooden structural supports or rails all over the floor. On the upper side of the walls were small lights that brightened things down in the Dungeon, although it wasn’t by much. It didn’t take long for the albinos’ eyes to adjust to the gloom of the first floor. 

“Good luck, we’ll be evaluating you two from here!” Riveria called out, roughly 10 meters away from Nero and Bell, standing besides Bete and Finn. Bete was listening around intently while watching the brothers, while Finn was quietly observing their behaviors. 

“Alright Nero, let's do this!” Bell tapped his cheeks to pump himself up before unsheathing his daggers. Nero chuckled and pulled his single-edged longsword out, settling it on his left shoulder. They began walking down a nearby corridor off of the main footpath for the floor, ‘Beginners’ Road’ as Riveria taught them. As they walked, Bell and Nero were chatting casually, which made the three executives following from a distance concerned with their nonchalant attitudes. 

That was, until a small group of 3 Kobolds rounded a corner in front of them. Bell and Nero immediately had snapped their focus onto the small group. The Kobolds noticed them and began snarling, lowering themselves to charge at the brothers. There was roughly a 6 meter distance between the pair and the dog monsters. Covered mostly in fur, these creatures had wolf-like heads and occasionally held weapons. This group however were unarmed. Although they were monsters from the first floor, they were considered stronger than goblins as they were able to coordinate with one another. 

“DIBS!” was the only thing heard as Nero’s Spectral Arm shot forward, grabbing the ground between the Kobolds and them. Then he was shot forward like a bolt from a crossbow, angling his body to swing his sword. Within a second, Nero had cleared the distance between him and the Kobolds, too stunned to react in time as Nero whipped his body into a circle, swinging his sword like a cyclone and bisecting each of the three Kobolds at the waist. After killing his momentum by planting his feet down, the wind caught up with him, blowing his coat tails over in a dramatic fashion as the top halves of the dog monsters slid off their lower halves, dropping to the floor dead. Whipping the sword to rid it of the excess blood, Nero planted the sword on his left shoulder again before grinning at Bell. “And that is 3 points for me.” He said proudly, puffing his chest out. 

Bell saw the whole thing from start to finish, but couldn’t help but be amazed. ‘ That was so cool! ’ he thought to himself, before shaking his head, eyes brimming with determination. “Alright then, show off. My turn next.” He said, declaring his challenge to his brother, who met his challenging gaze with his own, electric blue eyes locking with rubellite. 

As the two brothers were declaring their challenge to one another, the three executives were watching with amazement. Fresh recruits of their familia who had just received their falna just the day before, one receiving magic and being able to use it freely as if he’s practiced with it for years. 

“These two are going to be handfuls to deal with later down the line, huh.” Riveria sighed, shaking her head with a smile plastered on her face. 

“Hmph.” Was Bete’s only reaction, although his tail betrayed his actual feelings as it slowly wagged back and forth behind him. 

“Well Nero’s obviously going to have to be a vanguard in a formation if that performance was anything to go by.” Finn observed the two, scratching his chin while planning something out in his head. 

As they discussed this, Nero had heard cracks behind him. Remembering what Riveria taught him, he turned to engage the newly spawning monsters… If it wasn’t for Bell dashing past him with his daggers drawn. The Dungeon had spawned a new group of 4 Kobolds. As they turned to confront the albinos, they were instead met with a pair of fierce, crimson eyes before their necks were slashed open. The first 3 had barely reacted, being closest to the brothers, and fell quickly. The fourth was a little farther and had a moment to lift its arms before Bell slashed through the monster’s arms, before spinning to stab the back of its head, killing it instantly. 

“4 points.” Bell smugly grinned at Nero, who narrowed his eyes at Bell with his own cheeky smile. 

Until Bete smacked the blue-eyed teen in the back of the head. “Morons, don’t forget to collect the stones.” He growled. “We don’t need a Variant this high in the dungeon. It’ll kill some unprepared newbie like you two or even weaker.” He scolded the two, who felt embarrassed that they had forgotten one of the most important procedures they were supposed to do in the dungeon. 

Being scolded by Bete, the two quickly gathered their stones from their slain monsters, 3 crystals and a Kobold nail for Nero and 4 crystals for Bell. 

Finn was surprised to see Bete scold the two brothers, especially since he typically doesn’t stick his own nose with the newer members. Riveria grinned to herself, watching Bete observe the two as they finished cleaning their hands from the blood from their kills. 

As Nero and Bell continued on their dive, Bete lagged behind to join the other two executives, hands in his pockets as he watched the two, his ears on a swivel. Riveria slightly picked up her pace, walking besides Bete as the two brothers continued to hunt down monsters. 

“I see you began doting on the two.” the High Elf teased, snorting as Bete began to growl, a blush forming on his face. Course, he had to make a mental effort to stop his tail from wagging or puffing up so he didn’t give the Elf more to tease him with.

Finn chuckled, seeing the werewolf’s reaction to his old friend’s teasing. As they proceeded to observe the two fighting for the next hour, they realized very quickly the first floor was not enough to challenge the two anymore. So they decided to move to the stairs and descended to the second floor. After another 2 hours, and a few more fights with the albinos racing to collect kills, they made their way to the third floor since the second still didn’t provide them a challenge. The third floor served as a better challenge, now that the Goblins and Kobolds were stronger and spawned in larger groups, roughly around 5-8 per small cluster. One of these encounters, 3 Goblins and 4 Kobolds, Nero had received a few injuries, namely a few scrapes around his non demonic arm, a relatively large gash on his lower back, and a few claw marks on his right leg. 

“Damn.” Nero said, barely reacting to his wounds as he recovered the last of the crystals from the slain monsters. “I got sloppy at the end there, decided to try and mix up my fighting style.” 

Riveria sighed, then walked over to the demon teen and lightly bonked him on the head. “That was foolish. You should’ve tried to mix things up a floor above or two. Best to be safe now since you’re only level 1.” She scolded him, who turned to glare at her while rubbing his head. 

Finn chuckled, scratching his head. “Just try and be more careful, Nero. We don’t want you getting hurt too badly when we’re gone on our expedition.” He advised the teen, who nodded while still rubbing his head. 

Bell chuckled at his brother, before walking over to him and pulling out bandages from his bag. “Here, Nero. Let’s get you patched up.” He said, holding up the bandage wrap. 

“Sure, although I don’t feel the pain anymore. Better to patch it now.” Nero responded, as Bell began wrapping his arm up. As the rabbit teen wrapped his arm, he was thinking. ‘ I don’t really feel the pain though.. Must be my skill at work .’ 

After getting patched up by his brother with some basic bandage wraps, and scolded by both the High Elf and the Werewolf, Nero and Bell continued their hunt on the third floor, with Bell getting a few injuries himself, the exhaustion of fighting constantly getting to him. Nero wasn’t doing much better, thanks to the earlier injuries he had received. After another 2 hours, Bete had to bail them out of a bad fight where Nero and Bell got sloppy fighting a large group of 8 kobolds. 

“Alright, call it here.” Bete called out. “You two are going to get yourselves killed if you don't monitor your limits.” 

Bell sighed, flopping down onto his butt and leaning back on his hands. Nero sat down next to him, placing his sword next to himself and leaned against the Dungeon wall. After a short 10 minute breather for the brothers, everyone gathered themselves and made the trip back up, only encountering a few monsters from the main path, which Bell and Nero worked together to engage. Finally, after another hour working back up, the group made it back to the surface. 

Bell was pretty scraped up from the fights, with his shirt and pants having gashes where he was hit at. His jacket fared a bit better, with the sleeves taking the brunt of the damages and a small tear by one of the coat tails. Nero’s clothes, mainly his coat and shirt, were torn up. His shirt had multiple tears from close calls with Kobolds and their long nails. His coat was frayed in places, namely his right sleeve as he started using his Devil Bringer as a makeshift shield. 

Luckily, they were not injured anymore, as Riveria had used her magic to heal them before they surfaced, which left just their exhaustion from a half day’s worth of work from the dungeon, which ended quite well if Bete and Finn’s approving faces were to go by. In total, a solid 10 goblin crystals, 10 kobold crystals, 3 goblin fangs, and 2 kobold nails from Bell made up his loot which sat in his bag. Nero had 12 goblin crystals, 12 kobold crystals, but only a single kobold nail. They decided to let the exchange amounts be the deciding factor in their little brotherly challenge. 

Riveria and Finn needed to return to the Manor to monitor the preparation for the expedition, and make sure everything was going smoothly. Bete offered to walk the brothers to the Guild and help with the exchange process. Once again entering the large building, Bete led them to the exchange window and let them join the line as he stood off to the side to watch, his ears listening in case something happened. In the line they were in, two of the Guild workers were there. One was a beautiful werewolf, with long red hair that went down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were an amber color, similar to Bete’s but slightly darker. She wore the typical guild uniform, a white long sleeved button up shirt with a gray bow tie, a black vest and slacks, and a pair of black gloves on her hands. She stood by another worker, this one a half-elf. Shoulder-length brown hair and a pair of emerald green eyes with thin framed glasses, she was quite beautiful in her own right as well, thanks to her elven heritage. She also wore the standard Guild uniform, and was currently working on some paperwork next to her coworker. 

Bell was the first to reach the front of the line, with Nero right behind him. Holding his bag of drops, he was nervous as he doesn’t do too well with women, according to his brother. 

“Next.” Came a dead toned voice, and Bell immediately flinched at it before stepping up to the exchange. “Please deposit your drops here.” The Werewolf followed up and Bell nodded. Dropping his stones and drop items into the box, he pushed it closed. The guild employee opened her side, and after counting the drops and examining the drop items, she pulled out a box and began counting out the valis to give to the rabbit-like teen. 

“10 Goblins, 10 Kobolds, 3 fangs, 3 nails. Your total is 5,750 valis. Good work” the Guild Employee, whom Bell was able to identify as Rose according to her nametag, told in her monotone, emotionless voice as she dropped the money into the exchange box and pushed it to his side. 

“T-Thank you, Miss Rose.” Bell collected his money, bowed to the guild employee, and stepped off to the side with a grinning Bete. 

“Not bad for a half-day, Rabbit. Especially for a first dive.” Bete teased, as Bell began to pout, blushing slightly at the nickname. 

The small group of people perked up after listening to what the Fenris said, and murmurs began to circulate. The two guild employees were also surprised at the revelation. An apparent green-horn adventurer, who just finished his first dive and even only spent half a day in the dungeon, was able to walk away with a decent bounty. 

Nero stepped up to the exchange window after Bell, his height and neutral scowl being a little intimidating. He poured his crystals and single drop item into the box, following Bell’s lead by closing the box. 

“12 Goblins, 12 Kobolds, One Nail.. Your total is 5650 valis. Good work.” Rose responded, dropping off the valis into the box and passing it over to Nero. 

“Fuck.” Nero sighed, as Bell jumped up with an excited shout, Bete laughing as Bell ran up to his brother and pointed in his face. 

“HA! I win this time, Scalie.” Bell teased, proudly puffing his chest up as Nero rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah yeah, Bun Bun. You got lucky this time. Watch, next time I’ll hand you your ass on a platter.” Nero scowled playfully, gathering his valis before walking towards Bete with Bell still smirking. 

“Uh, excuse me.” Both the brothers, as well as Bete, turned towards the guild employee who called out, which was the Half-Elf. “You two wouldn’t happen to be Nero and Bell, the newest members of the Loki Familia, are you?” 

Nero raised an eyebrow, putting his valis away in his bag. “Yeah? What about it?” He didn’t like the wording of that question.

“My apologies, I just was curious. I heard Loki had gotten two new children. Just wanted to confirm the rumors, more or less.” The elven guild worker bowed her head and continued working. This relaxed Nero a bit, but not by much now that they were getting envious looks from the other adventurers around them. 

Bete growled, noticing what Nero noticed. “Let's go, we’re done here.” He said, before walking towards the exit of the Pantheon. Bell looked around confused before being ushered out by his brother, who held an annoyed scowl to dissuade others from trying anything. They made their way back to the manor with Bete leading them, chatting with the two brothers.

“Ahh, that reminds me, Bell.” Bell looked at his brother, tilting his head curiously. “The leftover money we have. We actually made enough to split it evenly between us. Roughly 11,400 valis for us both.” 

“Wait, are you sure? That’s a lot of money..”  Bell asked, his expression filled with worry. He and Nero were not well off in the village, and only had a lot of money coming here since they essentially sold everything but the bare essentials of their home. 

“Of course. We gotta get armor and better equipment if we’re gonna be on our own for dungeon dives.” Nero explained. He felt this would be necessary for them both, but he mainly wanted to get armor for Bell to make sure he would be okay. 

Bell nodded in agreement, now thinking about the kind of armor he could get. As he considered this, they reached the manor and walked inside, with Bell saying hi to the guards outside. It was roughly midday still, so there was some time in the day before the day was over. Nero decided to ask Bete for some info on where they could go and find equipment to buy that would be within their price ranges. The werewolf recommended going to Babel tower, specifically the 8th floor. There’s a shop run by a dwarf there that sells armor and weapons from the newer smiths of the Hephaestus Familia. Thanking him, Nero went to grab Bell so they could go and get their equipment sorted so their next dive would go better. 

He found his brother talking with Tiona, both nerding out about hero stories and which were their favorites. Smiling, he approached his brother as he went on a quick rant about the Argonaut. 

“Yo, Bell.” Nero called out, with Bell and Tiona turning to look at him. “Sorry to disturb your flirting,” a blush from Bell and a giggle from Tiona. “But I grabbed all the money, so we can fetch you some armor.” 

“Oh alright, let's head on out.” Bell said, walking over to Nero and waving goodbye to Tiona, who waved back smiling. The two albinos made their way towards the massive tower in the center of the city, Babel. As they walked, they chatted about ideas for what they’d grab in terms of gear. Out of nowhere, Bell felt a strange chill down his spine, and whipped around to find the source. 

“Woah, Bell are you alright?” Nero asked, quickly looking around himself out of concern.

“Yeah.. sorry I just. Something felt odd, like someone was watching me?” Bell tried to explain, shaking his head. He didn’t understand the odd feeling, but decided not to dwell on it as there was no immediate threat. 

“Gotcha. Well, let’s keep going but keep an eye out. Never know what could happen.” Nero said, before continuing on their walk to the tower, Bell followed behind. Babel was quite interesting, as numerous open shops could be seen lining the walls as they entered. With this being the first floor, they saw the price tags of the second and first class weapons, and nearly fainted on site at the amount of zeros behind each weapon. After getting directions, they entered an elevator and took it up to the 8th floor and found the shop Bete had mentioned to them. It was an older shop, with lines of multiple weapons of differing kinds, as well as lines of armor pieces placed on what appeared to be bookshelves. 

Reaching the store entrance, the dwarf acknowledged them with a short wave. “Welcome, browse around, see what ya like. Anything you want, bring ‘er here.” he explained, before returning to a book he was reading at the countertop. 

The brothers decided to split up and look through the equipment, Nero just casually browsing while Bell was digging through armor pieces to find something he’d like. Nero was looking around, not really aiming to buy anything, until he saw some strange equipment on a nearby shelf. They were a pair of brown leather leg holsters, designed to be strapped to the user’s thighs. The large leather portions felt like they had light metal behind them for protection or stability. They had a few adjustable leather loops on the holsters, designed to hold potions or even spare weapons like daggers. Another leather holster was there as well, however this appeared to be for the shoulders and back, almost like a back brace. The back brace had hardened leather to cover from the shoulder blades to the center of the back, also reinforced with metal plates for durability. There were also two metal disks at an angle on the leather, at a slight angle. Nero grabbed the equipment, checking the price tag. The leg holsters were roughly 2500 valis together, with the upper leather piece being another 4000 valis. Nero pulled his sword and held it close to the metal disks on the upper leather piece, and felt the blade get almost sucked into the metal disks. 

‘ Woah, magnets !’ Nero got a little excited as he jiggled the shoulder piece around, but his sword barely budged from the disks. ‘ 6500 Valis, huh? Worth the investment to carry some supplies .’ He shrugged, grabbing the leg holsters and shoulder piece and walked over to the front of the store with the Dwarf. Short cut brown hair, a long beard of the same color, with a black shirt and brown shorts covered in a blacksmith’s apron. 

Bell was rummaging through the other end of the store, where some of the armor pieces were tucked away. As he dug around, his foot picked a small box near the bottom of the stack underneath a small towel. He removed the towel and immediately widened his eyes in excitement. Within the box was a full set of light armor, a white-silver color with a red streak through some of the left side pieces. He picked up the chest piece and examined it. Despite it being thin and light, it felt extremely sturdy. He crouched down to the box and looked for a price tag. ‘ 9900 valis? That’s a lot but it’s a full set.. That’s worth it I think .’ Bell nodded to himself, putting the chest piece back and picking up the box to head to the front of the store. 

After paying for the equipment, Nero had asked the Dwarf for directions to a shop that sold basic supplies, like backpacks, water canteens, and the like. After receiving the direction, and tipping him an extra 150 valis, Nero and Bell made their way towards a nearby shop. Since Bell was low on funds, the older brother decided to cover the extra equipment cost. He grabbed a slightly larger backpack for Bell, two cantees, a small knife for getting crystals, a small bell and a spool of silver thread, a simple hammer with some nails, and some medicinal bandages. Overall It cost another 1500 valis for Nero, which was still a great deal in his eyes for the extra equipment that would help them. 

It was reaching towards the evening as they finished their shopping, the brothers made their way back to their familia home, chatting on the way about their next dive and what they wanted to try and do. They reached the front gate, and were greeted by two guards, Raul and Bete, at the gate. 

“Oh, welcome back you too.” Raul nodded towards the albinos. “Looks like you had a nice day shopping after your first dive.” 

Bell, grinning like a maniac, jogged up to Raul and Bete, and held up the box with his armor in it. “Check it out! This was a little under 10k valis for a full set, and it feels really well made.” He removed the small cover on the box to show the two, who leaned in curiously. 

“Hmm.. this was at that shop? It’s well made for a low level smith.” Bete muttered to himself as he knocked a knuckle to the chest piece at the top. The werewolf looked to Nero and saw the new leather holsters and shoulder piece he wore. “Looks like you found something as well.” 

Nero nodded, a little calmer than his brother but his eyes betrayed his joy at the new equipment. “Yep. Stuff is pretty nice. Lightly armored, but made easy to wear and adjust for different equipment, and even has a nice magnet mount on the back for my sword.” He turned around, showing his single edged longsword was almost stuck onto his back, held by the magnetic disks. 

Raul looked at the shoulder piece, grabbing the sword’s blade softly and tugging at it, feeling how solid it was. “Nice! I never really noticed how you held it before, it looks like it was on some loops before?” He tilted his head curiously at Nero. 

“Yeah, I had it held via a small leather strap on the hoodie. But with this, it’ll be easier to prepare my sword.” Nero said, smiling. “Now, it’s late and I’m getting a little hungry. You guys can join us if you get off of guard duty in time.” 

Bete grunted his approval, while Raul nodded, opening the gates and letting the two inside. They made their way to their shared bedroom, dropping off their equipment into their chests, with Nero dropping off his leather shoulder piece and leg holsters, as well as leaving his sword by his bedside. He kept his hoodie and coat on to cover his arm better. Afterwards, the two went over to the cafeteria, getting their plates of food and finding an empty table to eat at. The dining hall wasn’t too crowded, since everyone was finishing preparations for the expedition. 

“Heyoo!” A cheerful greeting echoed out, followed by the redheaded goddess of the Familia wrapping her arms around Nero’s shoulder. “There’s my two new kiddos. How was your first dive?” As she nuzzled into Nero’s blushing face, Finn, Riveria, and Gareth walked up behind her smiling.

Nero chuckled at her antics, reaching up to pat Loki’s head. “The dive went decently. I messed up a bit but overall, it was alright. Me and Bell made about 11k valis together, then used our earnings and a bit of our savings to buy him some armor, and me a few new bits of equipment for future use.” He explained. 

Loki gasped, her eyes opening up. “Woah, for a buncha newbies you two did really well! Most new adventurers make around 1k valis. Hell, even larger parties make around 10 to 20k valis, and those are visits to lower floors.” She grinned and hugged Nero tighter. 

Finn and Riveria grinned, while Gareth was wide-eyed. “Aye, these two sound like they gave ‘em hell in the dungeon.” The dwarf said, laughing out loud. 

Bell sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “Heh, I don’t think it’s all that impressive. I'm sure we could’ve done better if we were more careful. Like managing our stamina more.” He said, continuing to eat his plate of food. 

Loki smiled, letting go of Nero before ruffling his hair. “How about a status update? You two worked hard, so your growth might be nice!” 

The brothers nodded in approval, quickly clearing their plates. After putting their plates away, they went with the executives and the goddess to Finn’s office once again. As they piled in, Riveria closed the door and locked it before turning around and standing by one of the couches. Gareth sat on the other couch, while Finn took his seat at his desk. Nero sat on the floor, beginning to take off his coat and hoodie as Bell sits at the couch. Once removed, Nero lifted his shirt, revealing his back to Loki as she grabbed a needle and dropped a bit of blood onto his back, unlocking his falna and updating his status.

“Holy Hell!” She exclaimed, quickly grabbing a paper and finishing the status update, before handing the sheet over to the teen. “Check it out!” 

Name : Nero

Race : Human/Demon Hybrid  

Level : 1 

Strength : H 107 > H 137

Endurance : H 105 > H 134

Dexterity : I 80 > H 103 

Agility : I 89 > H 117

Magic : I 68 > I 94

Skills : 

[Legacy of Sparda] 

-Slightly Boosts all basic stats; Raise maximum status caps of all basic abilities.

-Excelia gain increased when in combat. Increase regeneration of mind and body

Magic : 

[Spectral Claw] Quick Cast, At Will

-Short ranged melee spell, can grab and throw targets and objects smaller than the user {Snatch} or used to pull the user towards a location or enemy {Hell Bound}.

“Woah. That is… almost 136 points in all my stats.” Nero nodded, smiling at his growth. He felt that this was solid progress, if the amount of money he and Bell made was anything to go by. 

“Alright, Rabbit! Time to see how you compare to your older brother!” Loki called out to him, and giggling as Bell began to pout but scooted over to the floor, while Nero passed his status sheet to Finn to look at, as Riveria and Gareth quickly scooted over to examine the sheet as well. 

Repeating the same process onto Bell’s back, she updated his status, her eyes bulging out of her eyes. “By the Gods, you two are doing extremely well!” She finished the status update, and handed Bell his status sheet. 

Name : Bell Cranel 

Race : Human 

Level : 1 

Strength : I 56 > I 93

Endurance : I 41 > I 75

Dexterity : I 83 > H 131

Agility : H 117 > H 167

Magic : I0 

Skills : 

[Heroic Desire] 

-Increased Growth proportional to the user’s desire Greater desire amplifies the effect. 

Magic : 

None

Bell was smiling at his status sheet, feeling proud that his work was being rewarded. “About.. 169 points in growth! Look!” He cheered, holding his status sheet towards his brother with a smile. Nero rolled his eyes, smiling at his brother. 

The Top Executives were completely speechless at the status sheets in front of them from their newest members. Normally, status updates for newer adventurers were only increased up to 25 to 30 total, yet these two had completely upended the norm. Finn mentally predicted at this rate, these two could hit the upper requirement for Level 2 within the next couple months, easily smashing Ais’ record of one year to get to level 2. 

“We need to talk about something, regarding these two, Loki.” Finn piped up, earning everyone’s attention. “I was intending to suggest this anyways, but this growth basically sealed the deal. I want these two as part of the Second String.” 

Gareth stroked his beard. “Hmm.. I feel that it is too early. Sure, they’re developing fast but they’re green. They’ve got no experience in dungeon diving. I’d like to wait till they’re at least to Level 2 before we toss ‘em to the dogs, so to speak.” He explained his stance on the matter, earning a supporting nod from Riveria. 

“I’ll have to agree with the Dwarf. It’s much too early for them to pick up the responsibility just yet.” Riveria supported Gareth’s stance, crossing her arms. 

“I support the decision, Finn, but the others are right.” Loki said, her eyes slitted. “It would be good to wait, would look bad on y’all if you put ‘em in the Second String so soon.” 

Nero and Bell listened to the back and forth as the Goddess and the Executives discussed their options. After an hour, they would just leave things as-is, shelving the conversation topic for a later time to proceed with monitoring and preparing for the expedition. The brothers looked at each other, determination flaring in their eyes. This time around, they’d miss out on joining the expedition due to being new and low level. But they would work hard, get stronger, and gain enough strength to support the familia that gave the two a chance. Their hearts flared, the desire to prove themselves worthy brightening their souls and appeal to a pair of violet eyes observing them from the top of Babel, a beautiful smile adoring their face. 

~ Time Skip, 2 weeks Later ~ 

Nero and Bell had said goodbye to the expedition crew about a week ago, wishing them luck on their trip earlier in the morning. Due to them leaving that day, Loki advised that they take the day off and relax a little. They had vowed to work hard and gain strength by both training in the dungeon as well as sparring with one another at the manor training grounds. They had considered working with the other lower levels in the Familia, but they were not really liked. Some were cordial, but strangely others disregarded them and went about their own business. Nero shrugged them off, and convinced Bell to do the same. Over the last 2 weeks, Nero and Bell were hard at work in the dungeon, training to get stronger and even earning a good bit of valis, totaling 89,500 valis which was split between the two of them. Alongside that, they were also examining their newest status sheets, courtesy of Loki and her curiosity at how fast they were developing. They hadn’t updated their status since then due to them wanting to accumulate more time into the dungeon. Since Loki had forced a day off on them, they took the opportunity now. 

Name : Nero

Race : Human/Demon Hybrid  

Level : 1 

Strength : H 137 > F 375

Endurance : H 134 > F 333

Dexterity : H 103 > G 266

Agility : H 117 > G 295

Magic : I 94 > G 276 

Skills : 

[ Legacy of Sparda ] 

-Slightly Boosts all basic stats; Raise maximum status caps of all basic abilities.

-Excelia gain increased when in combat. Increase regeneration of mind and body

Magic : 

[ Spectral Claw ] Quick Cast, At Will

-Short ranged melee spell, can grab and throw targets and objects smaller than the user {Snatch} or used to pull the user towards a location or enemy {Hell Bound}.

Name : Bell Cranel 

Race : Human 

Level : 1 

Strength : I 93 > F 327 

Endurance : I 75 > G 290 

Dexterity : H 131 > F 382

Agility : H 167 > E 427

Magic : I 0 > I 0

Skills : 

[ Heroic Desire ] 

-Increased Growth proportional to the user’s desire Greater desire amplifies the effect. 

Magic : 

None

“Wow! You two are crazy, with this growth. You tryna fight the whole Dungeon itself?!” Loki exclaimed, her eyes wide and grinning like an idiot. 

Nero was smirking at his Goddess, while Bell was looking at his status with a slight pout. His brother noticed this, and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Everything okay, Bell?” He asked the rabbit-like teen, who turned to him. 

“..Kinda disappointed I don’t have any magic yet..” Bell said, still pouting a bit. Loki sighed, and walked over to pat his head. 

“I understand kiddo. Some people don’t always get magic. But don’t worry, you’ll get there.” Loki comforted him, lowering herself to wrap her arms around Bell from behind. He leaned a little into the hug, appreciating his goddess. 

“Thank you, Lady Loki.” Bell said. He looked down at his daggers sitting on his hips in their sheathes. Recently, the blades were starting to wear down and chip the blade, so it made it difficult for him to slice the monsters cleanly. “I’m gonna need to get a new pair of knives soon.” 

Loki, while hugging Bell from behind, sat her chin on his shoulder. “Oh? Would you like me to have Hephaestus commission you a weapon? I could probably convince her~” she asked in a sing-song tone of voice. 

“N-No! That would be way too expensive for my budget!” Bell exclaimed, blushing from Loki’s face being so close to his own. 

Nero was lost in thought as Loki and Bell were talking. Recently, he’s been having a strange dream. Each time, he was wandering in some old manor, run down and ancient. But each time, he would wander, he’d always follow the same path. Through the front door, passed the . There he would find an old sword mounted in an old statue. Every time, he’d hear a voice similar to his own, softly whispering something. A riddle of some kind that he couldn’t figure out. 

“ With thunderous whispers and sinister gleam, This cursed blade holds an ominous dream. In chambers of lightning, secrets shall rise, To claim the sword, the one under Olympus’ skies. ” Nero repeated the riddle out loud, not realizing both his brother and Goddess were watching him intently. After a nudge on his shoulder, he snapped out of his thoughts and turned, snorting at seeing Bell looking at him with an eyebrow raised, while Loki rested her chin on his shoulder, also looking at him curiously. 

“You two must be comfy.” Nero smiled. Bell blushed a bit at this, while Loki grinned and snuggled into the teen more. 

“I know I certainly am. But what was up with that riddle you just said?” Loki asked, tilted her head to the side, with Bell following suit. 

“I’ve been having this dream. It’s been repeating in my head for the last two weeks.. Every time, it mentioned some sword or something.” Nero recalled the dream a bit, explaining the tidbits about the old manor with the other two, as they listened intently. Loki’s eyes slightly opened, as she contemplated the interpretation of the riddle. 

“That’s a weird riddle. But it sounds interesting! Like a whisper of a legend, forgotten in time..” Bell was getting excited. It felt like a treasure hunt for an artifact from the Age of Heroes! 

“...’chambers of lightning’... I think I know what the riddle is talking about, or at least where.” Loki said, her eyes observing Nero as he looked back at his Goddess with curiosity. Bell, being the hero story lover he is, had stars in his eyes, excited to hear the answer. “I think your dream is trying to get you to visit the old home of the Zeus familia. I know where it is, so we can swing there. But.. why there?” Loki asked no one in particular. She shrugged it off, finally letting go of Bell and standing up. 

“Well. Worst case, we just visit a historic place. Think we can do it now? We can go and eat some lunch together, Lady Loki.” Nero offered, standing up and tucking his status sheet onto the desk. Bell stood up, stretching his back a bit. 

“Sounds lovely, Nero. Let’s go on an adventure!” Loki smirks, grabbing the two brothers by their hands and walking out the office towards the front of the manor. They walked out, the gate guards wondering what kind of antics that Loki is getting up to. As they walked, they exchanged small talk, namely regarding a potential find. 

“To be honest, I just replaced my sword. It’s not different from my old one, just better quality.” Nero stated. “I know you needed a new weapon, Bell. If we find something, you can have it.” 

“Really?!” Bell said, his eyes wide. “It was your dream, are you sure you wanna give it to me?” 

“Why not. As I said, I don’t need it.” Nero stated, shrugging. Bell responded by hugging his brother, which got a chuckle from Loki, who was walking backwards with her hands behind her head. 

“Well aren’t you two cute~?” Loki said, smirking as Nero slightly blushed while smiling, patting his brother’s head as they walked towards the northwest quadrant of the circular city of Orario, where the original home of the Zeus Familia was. After about 15 minutes of walking, with Loki teasing the two brothers occasionally, they had arrived at the old manor. 

They wound up near an old district in the northwest section of the city where the Zeus and Hera familia made their home. Now, since their defeat at the hands of the One Eyed Dragon and subsequent exile from the city, the homes and buildings were left abandoned, only further destroyed by the attacks of Evilus over the years before they themselves were hunted by the Gale Wind, though there was speculation that a second party was assisting them, it is only baseless rumors. The buildings around had a Tudor architecture style, with triangular shingled rooftops, with the foundations made of brick and mortar and the upper half made of half timber or stone as the upper half of the buildings. However now, the foundations of the nearby homes and former businesses were cracked with age, some even collapsing. Over a fifth of the buildings were abandoned and in complete disrepair, unable to be salvaged. The rest of the buildings were still usable, if only barely due to the years wearing down on the bricks. 

The old Zeus familia home was an old manor off the main road on its own plot of land, surrounded by large trees. An old dirt path led to what was left of the mansion’s training grounds. Numerous holes in the orange shingled roof could be seen from the dirt road, with a massive chunk of the rooftop missing on one of the backends of the old building. Numerous windows were cracked and shattered, now barely functional anymore. Walking to the front revealed the front entrance, with a concrete staircase that led up to the front door, one of the doors barely hanging on its hinges. The concrete itself was holding well, an attest to its ability to withstand the wear of time. 

The Albinos, and their red-headed Goddess, walked up to the front door, with Nero kicking in the door to open it wider. Bell stood next to Loki, hands on the hilts of his daggers. They were entering an unknown place, so it was best to be safe. The foyer of the manor was falling apart. A large split staircase was one of the main entry designs in the room, although the left side was completely broken, the upper half of the staircase had collapsed into the wall, essentially rendering that side into nothing more than debris. What used to be a large statue centerpiece was nonexistent, with another layer of foundation from the upper floor having fallen during the time it was abandoned, shattering the stone to nothing recognizable. There used to be two matching doorways on each side before the staircase, but the left wall was shattered, making any attempt to enter through that doorway almost impossible without a falna. 

Nero, remembering the dream, went straight to the right side, underneath the right split of the staircase to an old wooden door, still standing in semi-decent condition. Bell and Loki followed, with Bell keeping close to his Goddess while observing the ceiling for any stray debris or potential collapses. Entering through the door opened to a large dining hall, the tables and chairs left in splinters as it appears that the ceiling had caved in completely. Early morning sunlight poured through the massive hole in the ceiling, with some puddles of dirty water in the room. On the farthest wall from them sat a small stage, where a band could play music at. Ignoring this, Nero turned to the right, immediately spotting another doorway and walking towards the door to open it. Realizing it was jammed, he kicked it down once again, the rotted frame barely able to withstand the simple kick from the teen. The next room appeared to be a lounge area, but the furniture was smashed around. The wooden floors were in disrepair, dirty and cracked from the years of exposure to the elements. Nero walked by the furniture, heading towards the right side, where an old door could be seen. Some of the furniture was shoved around, with a bookshelf tipped over the doorway. 

“Hey Bell, help me clear this out.” Nero said, grabbing onto the bookshelf. Bell quickly jogged up, grabbing the opposite side of the shelf. Together, the two easily tossed the bookshelf to the side. 

“It’s crazy that you’re able to remember the directions.” Loki remarked. “Gotta thank you for that, otherwise we’d be digging through the manor like moles.” 

“Don’t thank me yet..” Nero stated, opening the now unblocked door to the next room. The room was empty, hardly any furniture was in this room, with a dirty green carpet. A large hole in the wall to their left let the light inside the room, which opened to a wood deck on the backside of the manor. A pair of dirty glass windows sat perpendicular to the open wall, barely able to be seen through but they weren’t damaged like the wall was. 

 Bell and Loki entered the room behind Nero, and observed the empty room. Bell raised an eyebrow while looking around, while Loki put her hands on her hips. 

“Now where to, kiddo? This place seems empty.” Loki said, looking through the dirty windows. As she stared out, she noticed a pair of figures nearby the manor. Both cloaked in brown colored robes, they appeared to be observing the manor. She couldn’t detect any hostility but was still on edge about them. They walked away soon afterwards, seemingly satisfied with their impromptu investigation. ‘ Odd.. ’ 

Nero walked over to the corner opposite the hole in the wall and the windows. He bent down, gripping the carpet before lifting the corner, revealing an old door. Bell and Loki looked surprised, as Nero just tossed the bit of carpet to the side and lifted the door open with some difficulty, thanks to the rusted hinges. Looking down the newly revealed staircase showed a few old magic stone torches hanging on the walls, the stones off but did not appear to be used fully. 

The staircase didn’t go down far, but the stairs were made of wooden beams supported by the brick foundation of the manor. Although the manor was abandoned, this cellar appeared in decent condition. Leading the way, Nero stepped into the cellar, followed by Bell and Loki. Once they entered, the magic stone lamps lit up, bright enough to show the room. After a short descent, they came across a door, made of oak wood with metal supports bolted into the door. Nero pushed on the door, which slowly swung open to reveal an old blacksmith’s forge room, lit up by more magic stones within the room. The room was spacious, filled with workbenches and furniture but having plenty of walking space. Within the center of the room was a square forge, with old charcoal sitting within the forge, long since cooled down from lack of use. Next to the forge was an anvil, still in decent condition, and a barrel used to quench the weapons when being molded. To the right of the forge were two benches, with weapon racks on the walls behind them, and numerous sword fragments and old monster stones strewn all over them. On the other side of the forge was a simple stool next to a grindstone. Just like the tables, there were metal fragments everywhere around the grindstone. On the left side of the room was a table with numerous old maps on the table, with an old candle on top. Near the candle were old scrolls and books, possibly journals, stacked nearby. Next to this table was another workbench covered in half-made swords without their hilts, each was slightly rusted from age but otherwise were in decent condition, at least to a teen with barely any experience with good quality weapons. However, what was truly interesting was this table had a weapon on a rack above this table which appeared to be wrapped in linen cloth with numerous markings and symbols all over the cloth. 

“Woah.. a whole blacksmith’s workshop down here? There’s a lot of broken metal around.. What happened?” Bell wondered out loud, wandering towards the forge and the quench. 

Nero walked over to the table with maps, taking a look over it. The map was a map of the city, with a circle and knife through an odd section of Daedalus street, off of one of the main roads. He decided to move over to the books and scrolls, opening one of the scrolls up and skimming for information. Loki came to his side and joined him, grabbing a journal and opening it up to read it. 

“These journals were made by the blacksmith here.. Someone by the name of ‘Nell Goldstein’ worked down here making weapons for the Zeus and Hera Familia..” Loki stated as she read through the notes from the now-named Nell. 

“These scrolls are weird. I think.. They’re instructions for a weapon. A longsword of sorts.” Nero stated as he continued reading, “The materials that were needed were quite rare. Damascus steel and mithril were required as well as…” Nero trailed off, his face going pale. 

Loki and Bell were listening in as he was reading. Bell had walked up from looking at the forge, standing with Loki as she read one of the journals, but both had looked at Nero as his voice lost its strength. “Everything okay, Nero?” Bell said, his voice tinged with worry. 

His brother turned to look at him, his eyes reflected fear and concern, before he opened his mouth. “..demon material..” he said, his voice weak. He looked down at the scroll, questions racing through his head. 

“..well that explains this then.” Loki said, lifting the journal she was reading slightly upwards. “This Nell was apparently a genius smith, alongside Agnus, a researcher from another unnamed familia. Both were studying an apparent ‘sentient weapon’. Nicknamed ‘Devil Arms’, these weapons were the fusion of demonic material, such as blood and skin or even their souls, and fused with the materials we are familiar with. They were comparable to first class weapons in terms of their quality and durability.” Loki explained, as she waved the notebook around. Nero was listening to all of this, feeling worried but also curious. 

“It also depends on the demon material used.” Bell said, lifting another one of the journals. “Apparently, using demon blood or material like scales or flesh would create Devil Arms comparable to first or second class weapons. But if you were able to imbue a demon’s soul into the weapon, this would create a weapon comparable to a divine grade weapon. It is considered a ‘growth’ weapon, which says it gains strength alongside its wielder. But these are more volatile, since the demon is still active and will only submit to a strong wielder.” He read from the journal, then handed it off to Loki, who skimmed through to confirm the information. Nero, once again, was slightly worried but his curiosity was peaking. 

“So.. I could use my blood to create a super strong weapon?” Nero asked, looking towards his right arm, which held the Devil Bringer. 

“I mean, in theory, yes. But I’ve never heard of Nell or Agnus anywhere and it appears all of their notes are here. Since I’ve never heard of these Devil Arms, safe to assume the two kept this stuff under wraps.” Loki stated, setting the journal back in the stack. “But, to be honest, this isn’t something that should be public knowledge.” 

“I wholeheartedly agree, Loki.” A new, deeper voice, one unfamiliar to the three, could be heard. It wasn’t filled with malice or anything, it was softer, almost friendly. The trio spun around, Nero stepping forward with his hand gripping his sword. Bell stepped between Nero and Loki, unsheathing his daggers and taking a defensive position. 

In front of them stood two people. A large man stood in front of them, standing even taller than Nero, with shoulder length black hair tied back into a ponytail. His eyes, a piercing pair of ice blue and crimson red, held a particular affectionate look despite his imposing physical looks. His beard was trimmed nicely, colored the same as his hair, outlined the smile that sat upon his face. His outfit was a strange one, but was quite nice in design and quality. He wore a red tailcoat with black accents tracing throughout the tailcoat. Underneath, he wore a black button up shirt with a red striped tie on it. His pants were a set of black slacks, with a pair of matching leather dress shoes. 

His partner was a short girl, with blonde hair brushed straight which went down to her upper back. Her dark blue eyes held suspicion towards the two albinos, specifically to Nero. Her freckled face, despite holding an angry scowl, was still cute and not very intimidating. She wore a simple black shirt and pants, with a pair of black boots on. Over the shirt was a simple leather vest, and a shortsword in its sheath sat on her left hip. On the right was a small leather pouch with a pair of potions held by straps on the side. The girl gripped her sword, positioning herself in front of the large man. 

“Now, now Sparrow. At ease, we did not come here for a fight.” The large man said, placing his hand on her head and softly ruffled her hair. She batted his hand away, blushing slightly while relaxing slightly. 

“Hades. Good to see you.” Loki nodded towards the now revealed God of the Underworld, who smiled back at her. Both the brothers immediately sweatdropped at this, with Nero internally freaking out now knowing the God of Death is here. 

“C-can we help you?” Bell asked, his nervousness leaking into his voice as he held his daggers in his hands, flexing his fingers to prevent a cramp. 

Nero squinted his eyes slightly towards the girl, before realization hit him. “Wait.. you’re that girl I ran into near Babel that ran away.” He pointed towards the girl, slightly relaxing. 

“Oh, so you’re acquainted with Patty already?” Hades asked the teen, tilting his head while Patty pouted slightly. 

“Patty? Uh, not really. I just bumped into her before my first dungeon dive, then she looked at me and ran.” Nero said, scratching the back of his head in awkwardness. 

Hades laughed out loud, while Patty was blushing furiously, pounding the God’s shoulder with her fists, pouting. “D-don’t laugh, Lord Hades!” she yelled at him in embarrassment. 

“Sorry, sorry.” The God said, wiping the tears from his eyes. “Haaa, anyways. Getting back on topic. I wanted to talk with you, Nero. My child here has told me something quite interesting regarding who, or rather what, you are.” He said, smiling with that same friendly smile. 

Nero narrowed his eyes, his suspicion at the God and his child rising more. His mind flashed back to when he first saw the girl, and that odd item in her hand. It was beeping and pointing at him. Hades held his hands up. “No worries, although I know you’re part demon, I’m not here to hunt you or anything. Quite the opposite actually.” 

Loki raised her eyebrow questioningly towards Hades. “Opposite? That’s my kiddo, thank you very much!” She stated, walking over to Nero and wrapping herself around his arm. Bell walked up with Loki, sheathing his daggers now that everyone was more relaxed but still kept his eye on the girl. 

Hades waved his hand as if to dismiss the statement. “No, I don’t want him switching familia. I wanted to potentially hire him for a.. business I help run. We can discuss more details at the shop itself if you’re interested.” 

Bell, now realizing that there was no more danger to be had, relaxed and walked back over to the table, which also had a small bag next to it. The bag was in rough condition but usable, so he grabbed it and put all 6 journals and 3 scrolls into the bag before closing it up. As they talked more in detail, he noticed the wrapped sword and leaned over to grab it. As he removed the blade from the wall by grabbing onto its blade, his hand felt warm. No burning sensation but a warm sensation as if you were holding a cup of freshly brewed tea. It was weird, but the symbols on the cloth looked like they were glowing. 

“So you want to, what, hire me for this business?” Nero said, his hands crossed over his chest. “What kind of business is it?” 

“The business is called ‘Devil May Cry’, and our purpose is to hunt down troublesome demons that people report. Sorta like bounty hunters.” Hades explained with a smile. “We currently only have 2 members, as it’s a relatively.. niche area of work.” He chuckled at that. 

“So you guys hunt demons, but didn’t come to hunt Nero? Why is that?” Loki questioned, her eyes squinted open towards Hades. 

“Well, simply put.. I believe Nero would fit in well. After all, it’s not like he’s the only hybrid running around.” Hades stated, as Patty gave Nero once over, before placing her hands on her hips. 

Nero’s eyes widened at this revelation. “Wait, so I’m not the only one? How many more are there?” He leaned over towards Hades, almost desperate for an answer. 

Hades looked over to Nero, his eyes scanning him over before smiling. “Well of course, you're only a quarter demon after all. In fact, the founder of Devil May Cry and Patty’s mentor is a half demon. As for how many, I cannot say for certain. They do exist out there, I’m sure, but as of now, I’m only aware of 3 of them, with one’s whereabouts completely unknown.” 

Nero thought about this, scratching his chin. ‘ 3 demons, and their leader is a half-demon.. Being only a quarter demon means a half-blood is either my father or mother.. I could find out my lineage, and why I was left.. ’ He frowned at this thought process. “Okay, I’ll hear you out at the very least. Let’s finish up here and we can head on out.” Nero stated. 

Loki patted his shoulder, having guessed his reasons for hearing out the God of the Underworld’s offer. ‘ This may not pan out as you want it kid.. But I’ll still support you as much as I can .’ “No worries then. We can go to your shop and check things out and have that discussion from there.” the Trickster said, then turned towards Bell. “Come on, Rabbit. Let’s get-” she cut herself off, seeing Bell with the wrapped up sword, the symbols glowing softly as he examined it with great interest. 

“Something is interesting with this sword. It’s.. warm.” Bell explained, as he held the sword and tried reading the symbols to no avail. 

“Because that’s a true Devil Arm.” Hades stated, surprising everyone in the room. His face was a neutral mask, unreadable by all. “Not made by the traditional demonic materials, but with a demon’s soul. That blade is alive.” 

“Uhh.. is that bad?” Bell stated, as he held the sword, a little wary of its revealed nature. 

Hades shook his head in response. “No, it’s likely dormant right now. It’s been down here for some time, at least 15 years.” He was watching the cloth’s symbols, as the glow they held dissipated. 

Bell, noticing the glow die down, grabbed the hilt of the sword with his right hand, holding the wrapped blade upwards. “Huh..” without realizing it, he ended up removing the linen wrap from the sword, letting it drop to the floor to reveal the blade. 

The blade was nothing extravagant, designed as a larger ‘hand-and-a-half’ broadsword, with a blade roughly 80 cm in length. The design of the hilt is what was eye-catching. The pommel of the blade was a set of skulls with a spike pointing opposite of the blade. The blade’s 25 cm grip was a swirling pattern which, although visually odd, was quite comfortable to hold. The handguard of the sword was designed as draconic wings, which stretched outwards as if in flight. Finally, at the base of the blade was the head of a dragon, which appeared to be biting down on the blade. The sword emitted a soft glow, as symbols appeared from the base of the blade up towards its center. 

Bell could do nothing but stand in awe as the symbols went down the blade, tracing downwards until they reached his hand, going past and tracing over his forearm. As it reached his forearm, the symbols tightened around his arm, though he didn’t feel it, then disappeared after a moment. The blade stopped glowing, and everything appeared to be over. 

“W-what.. What just happened?” Bell asked, confused at everything that just happened. He looked at his forearm, seeing that the symbols were gone. He looked towards Loki and Nero, his confusion etched onto his face.

“Interesting…” Hades walked over to Bell, grabbing his chin and looking at him, before taking a walk around him to fully examine the boy. “I believe the sword has bound itself to you, boy. Congrats, the Devil Arm has marked you as its wielder.” He leaned back, smiling. 

“Oh… wait what!?” Bell snapped his attention to Hades, his mouth open in shock. 

“Well.. you got a new weapon now, Bell.” Nero said, scratching the back of his head. “Were there any notes on the weapon in the journals?” He asked, but received a head shake from Bell and Loki. 

“Well, anyways, let’s head on out. We have a few things to take care of.” Hades said, walking over to Patty. “So we’ll have to table this discussion for a later time.” 

“W-wait. C-can I ask you two for a f-favor?” Patty stammered out towards the brothers, who turned to give her their attention. “W-would.. you be interested in partying up for the Dungeon?” She appeared to be nervous asking the two this question, based off of her twiddling her fingers and shuffling in place. 

The albinos looked at one another, then looked back at the blonde. “I’m okay with it, how about you, Nero?” Bell said, scratching his cheek. 

“I don’t have any problems with it. Though, I’m curious as to why?” Nero asked the girl, crossing his hands over his chest. He was more curious than anything, although his neutral scowl didn’t help. 

“I need to get stronger. I’m in training as a devil hunter, as part of the business, and I had run into a demon in the city.. but I failed to finish it off and it got away.” Patty explained her reasoning, twiddling her fingers while her tone of voice leaked more embarrassment and frustration. 

“... I see. Sure, why not. We can do a test run, and see how we do as a team." Nero said, before walking over to Loki. "We can figure it out tomorrow. Me and Bell will be at the fountain by Babel, 7 am. Sounds good?" 

“Yeah, I’ll.. see you two there.” Patty said, bowing slightly before quickly walking towards the stairs. Hades chuckled, gave his farewells while also bowing, then followed behind the blonde girl. After a moment, Loki and the brothers decided to call their little adventure there and head back to the manor. Bell, after looking around, found a makeshift sheathe for the blade and slid it in, placing the sheathe onto his back and strapping it there. It was a little awkward to carry the blade on his back, although it barely weighed anything. As he kept messing with the sword on his back, the three left the old manor and walked back towards the Twilight Manor, to call it a night and rest so they could go to the dungeon tomorrow, now with a plus one with them. 

~ Meanwhile, Tower of Babel ~ 

A lone goddess sat atop her throne high up in the massive tower overlooking the city. She swirled a glass of wine in her hand as she watched a pair of souls wandering the streets. One of the souls belonged to Bell Cranel, the pair of the Albino brothers that had stayed at the Hostess almost 3 weeks ago. As her ‘Syr’ persona, she could do nothing but be flirty with the young boy. His soul, however, was so pure, so clear and untainted. She desired it more than anything she’s ever run into in this world, to the point where she was tempted to have Ottar grab him and bring him over directly. The other brother, Nero, was interesting to her but for a completely different reason. His soul was unique, but not like Bell’s clear one. His was a swirling mass of gray, almost like the eye of a storm. It caught her attention as it gave her a feeling that he wasn’t a normal mortal. There were all kinds of people in Orario, being the Center of the World, but he was nothing like she’s seen in a very long time. She didn’t desire him the same as Bell, but knowing that they rejected every familia that tried to split them, she wanted to bring him willingly so Bell would follow suit without protest. 

However, she was upset to hear that they had joined the Loki Familia after being tested by one of their executives and passing their test. As Syr, she did ask if they applied to the Freya Familia, stating that ‘If you were able to get accepted into Loki’s, Freya would’ve accepted them too.’ Nero had gotten upset, stating that they tried but some manlet of a demi-human cat with a spear turned them away without even trying to test them, and even threatened them. Bell apologized for his brother’s insults, but he was clearly upset by the interaction as well. The ‘manlet’ in question was Allen Fromel, Orario’s fastest adventurer and her Vice-Captain. She was peeved about the turn of events, but she couldn’t do much at this moment. But what she could do is aid the brothers in their growth, pushing them further and helping them gain strength until they would be ripe for her to come and claim. Licking her lips in anticipation, she turned to her loyal attendant, the strongest adventurer in Orario, Ottar ‘the King’. Her Captain and the only Level 7 adventurer in Orario, he always held her in the highest regard. 

“Ottar, I have a request for you.” She said, her sultry voice laced with excitement. 

“Anything you desire, my Lady.” Ottar stated, bowing towards his precious Goddess. 

“I need you to keep an eye on a pair of young men from the Loki Familia. They have.. piqued my interest and I wish to aid them in their growth. Just observe them for now, and report to me any changes.” Freya commanded her child, turning towards the city once again to watch the young boys. 

“As you wish, my Lady.” Ottar bowed, before stepping out of the room, closing the door behind himself. 

Freya, smirking as her hands caressed her body as her desire for Bell was overwhelming her. ‘ Game on, Loki. They will be mine, sooner or later. ’ 

Chapter Text

~ Chapter 4: Blood Bonds ~ 

The next day came for the albinos in the form of a clouded morning. Nothing to show it would rain beyond maybe a few light showers, but cloudy enough to block out the light of dawn from the city. After spending some time eating breakfast, the two got geared up and walked on out of the manor, waving their goodbyes to their Goddess. 

Nero had on his favorite dungeon diving outfit and gear on. His trusty blue overcoat sat atop his crimson colored hoodie. His upper leather brace was set over his overcoat, with his single-edged longsword held onto his back by the magnets. Underneath the jacket, he wore a simple black shirt. A pair of blue pants and brown boots covered his lower half. Over his thighs were the lower leather holsters over his legs. On his right holster was a special storage bag given to him by Loki. Apparently, it was a small belt pouch but was enchanted to hold more than its physical size. He had it on his right leg holster, while the left one had a pair of daggers. They were meant for digging out monster crystals, as well as a set of backup weapons in case. And, of course, he wrapped the Devil Bringer up in bandages to hide it from others. 

Bell was happily marching towards the Dungeon with his own equipment on as well. His clothing consisted of a simple black long-sleeved shirt, dark olive green pants, and brown boots. However, now he wore his new armor. Silver colored, with its trademark red streak on the chestpiece and left shoulder pauldron, it covered the more important parts, like his forearms, knees, hips, shoulders, and torso. But thanks to its design as light armor, this armor also allowed for maximum flexibility and movement. Over his right leg was a small brown potion pouch he carried, which held 4 Low-Grade Healing Potions, and a Mind Potion for emergencies. He also wore a thin, black backpack to aid in carrying supplies, namely some food and water, as well as being able to hold more magic stones in case. The sword he had gotten with Nero and Loki from the mansion was held by a shoulder sheath he had picked up in the Twilight Manor, a spare from their storage room which fit the weapon nicely. 

The brothers reached the fountain 15 minutes before 7. Patty didn’t appear to be here yet, and a few adventurers were already making their way towards the dungeon for their daily dive. They didn’t have to wait long, as Patty made her way over to them quickly. She was wearing an odd, yet cute, outfit that appeared to lack armor. A red vest tied with pink ribbons, a white button up blouse and a blue pendant around her neck. She also wore a skirt the same color as her ribbons with black spanks underneath. A bronze shortsword sat in a simple black sheath which tied to a leg holster around her right thigh, and black boots completed the outfit. She held a small pack over her shoulder, while whistling and walking over to them. 

As she approached, Bell couldn’t help but comment about her gear. “Hey, Patty.. how come you aren’t wearing armor?” He asked, tilting his head curiously. 

She appeared to be slightly embarrassed. “Well… I’m comfortable in this! Plus, he’s not wearing armor either!” She pointed towards Nero, who rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, but I’m able to heal quickly, cuz. Well you know.” Nero stated in a low but firm tone, which Patty responded by sticking her tongue out at him. Sighing, he shrugged it off. “Well, no time like the present. What’s your style, Pats?” 

“Pats?” The blonde asked, before sighing at the nickname. “I use a shortsword. Get in, attack, get out. Simple and effective.” 

“Oh, so you fight like Bell.” Nero nodded, tapping his chin while thinking. “That’s good. Although we’re a little unbalanced, it’ll work out.” 

“Yeah, we can work it out on the ground. In any case, what floor have you been to, Patty?” Bell asked. For him and Nero, they had gone down into the dungeon solo before, both reaching the 7th Floor. Nero was slower to reach the floor than Bell was, but was able to last a little longer thanks in large part to his faster recovery speed and Endurance. Overall, the two were quite evenly matched, although it was difficult to see who was the stronger of the two. 

“I’ve made it to floor 6 on my own. I’ve tried making it to Floor 7, but my stamina isn’t the greatest.” Patty admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head. 

“Perfect. Me and Bell have made it to the 7th ourselves. Meaning with our team, we could probably push the 9th, even the 10th floor. So from the sounds of it, our dive will be quite lucrative.” Nero stated, grinning. 

Bell sighed heavily at Nero’s declaration. Since the two lived in a remote village, they were never really used to money. In fact, the amount of money they’ve both saved is triple the amount they had when coming here, and that initial bundle was more money than they’ve seen in their lives up to that point. Now that isn’t to say they were impoverished, but ‘fun money’, as Grandpa referred to it, was in short supply. With them becoming adventurers and being able to live their dreams and get paid quite handsomely for it, Nero’s gotten quite obsessed with having money at the ready. Although he hated spending it, which was odd to Bell but he couldn’t say much since he was much the same, arguably more frugal than his brother. 

“Right, right… Let's get going, we’re burning daylight.” Bell said exasperated. He began making his way towards the dungeon entrance, followed by Patty with Nero taking up the rear. Thanks to their relative group strength, they breezed through the first 4 floors with ease, clearing up any stragglers from other parties’ battles. Reaching the 5th floor, they decided to slow down by the entrance. 

“Okay, so we’re not fully used to fighting with one another. Me especially, since I’m using this broadsword over my typical weapons, which are daggers.” Bell said, unsheathing the sword. He wasn’t using it yet since he wanted to get to this floor first. 

“That’s fair.” Patty stated. “So how're we going to work this out? We’ll need to come up with a formation since this is our first dive together.” 

“Well, that’s easy.” Nero stated, getting the other two’s attention. “Bell acts as vanguard, I think it’s called. Pats, you back him up since he’s adjusting to his weapon. I’ll act as rearguard and support.” He pointed to himself at the end of the explanation, which his brother and the blonde nodded in agreement. 

Bell sheathed his daggers, and pulled out the Devil Arm he received from the old Zeus manor. The blade felt light enough to wield it one handed, but he wanted to properly get the hang of it so he held it two handed for now. Patty had her shortsword held in her left hand, following Bell on his left side about a few paces back. And Nero was on the right side behind them both, following about a meter or two behind. It only took a few minutes of them walking from the stairs before running into a group of 5 kobolds. Bell, leading the group, immediately charged into the group. Two of the kobolds, closest to the trio, couldn’t react fast enough as the rabbit-like teen swung the Devil Arm in a horizontal sweeping motion, beheading the two Kobolds with a clean swipe. With the wide open swing, the other Kobolds finally snapped their attention to the teen, with one diving towards him, claws bared to swiped at his face. The teen quickly leaned back, his agility score being more than enough for the creatures on this floor. As Bell leaned back, he repositioned the blade in his hands, positioning his blade into an inside stance favoring his right side. Using enough force, he thrust the blade forward, piercing straight through the Kobold’s chest and piercing the magic stone. The final two Kobolds dove forward, both armed with clubs, attempting to rush the teen to force an advantage. With Bell getting the feel for his sword, he decided to experiment and go one handed, keeping the blade in his right hand. Using his greater speed and reflexes, he focused on defense, parrying and clashing against the two monsters. The first fell easily, with a simple downward sweep which cleaved through its weapon and into the Kobold’s skull, killing it instantly. The second took a little longer, requiring Bell to bait an attack by thrusting his sword towards the Kobold, which blocked the blade with its club. What the monster didn’t anticipate was for Bell to press the attack, using numerous thrusts and slashes to force the monster back before the blade just pierced the club and into the crystal once again. 

“Nice one. For a first try, you did well.” Nero smiled, patting Bell on the back. “How’s the sword feel?” He said, admiring the sword. 

“It’s great. It’s light and easy to wield, and super sharp.” Bell said, flashing a million Valis smile. 

Patty shook her head, before smiling. “Boys will be boys..” She walked over to the bodies, pulling out a basic cutting knife. “Cover me, I’ll collect them.” The boys acknowledged this, positioning themselves on each side of the tunnel while the blonde removed the crystals. After a minute, she held up 5 crystals, and 2 Kobold Nails in her hand. “Congrats, you got 2 drop items, Bell.” 

Taking the drops, he placed it into his backpack. “Nice! If this keeps up, our dive will do quite well.” Bell said, excited as he closed up his backpack and smiled at the other two. Nero narrowed his eyes, seemingly blinded by the smile while Patty averted her gaze. 

The trio continued their dive towards the 7th floor, with Bell leading the charge and Patty following, while Nero cleaned up any stragglers and monsters trying to ambush the group. Over 3 hours later, of dense fighting and going to the staircase to proceed downwards, the trio had set up in a small room with 3 tunnels for a break on the 6th floor. Bell and Patty had sustained a few injuries but were mostly okay. Nero was essentially untouched, although his recovery factor would’ve restored whatever damage he may have gotten. 

“Phew, today was fun!” Patty stated, wiping some sweat from her forehead. Although she wasn’t leading, the amount of monsters down here were enough to grant everyone an opportunity to fight. 

Bell chuckled a little, scratching his cheek. “Yeah, I think we work well as a team, Patty. If you’d like, we could keep this up, and form an official party.” He made his offer, with his brother humming his agreement. 

“Really?!” Patty exclaimed, leaning towards Bell’s direction with wide eyes. “I’d be delighted to join! Thank you so much!” She bowed towards them, blushing slightly but bouncing with excitement. 

“Heh, no worries. We do well as a team.” Nero said, leaning forward on his knees. “Although we’ll need to start considering getting a mage or a ranger of some kind. Three frontline fighters isn’t completely ideal.” 

Bell and Patty nodded. The rabbit-like teen opened his mouth, about to say something, before a blood-curdling scream echoed through one of the tunnels nearby, before being cut off. The three immediately jumped up, grabbing their gear and running towards the sound of the scream. It didn’t take long until they came across the grizzly scene. 

Another small room, similar to the opening the trio was resting in,  was dimly lit with the natural lights from the Dungeon. The smell of blood was thick in the air, as the floor was layer with streaks and splashes of blood throughout the floor. 2 bodies were in the room, covered in blood. One of the two, an older human man by the looks of it, was laying on his back to the side. Numerous gashes across his chest and legs, his left arm was missing and sat a few paces away from him. A large backpack was leaning on a side of his torso, blood coating the outside of it with equipment and adventuring supplies pouring out of a tear in the side. The other body, a female demi-human, was laying a few meters away from the man, her body in no better condition but she had put up more of a fight. Her armor was shredded in places, but most of the wounds were in her arms and legs, with a massive gash on her back. Her axe was intact, but chipped along the blade, and lying embedded in a rock by the wall.  

Patty let out a gasp, her legs shaking witnessing the gorey scene before them. Bell wasn’t doing much better, feeling tempted to empty the contents of his stomach from the scene. Nero, however, was on guard, gripping his sword and frantically looking around.. 

“It’s too quiet.. Where’s the monster that did this?” Nero wondered out loud. He didn’t know why, but his instincts were flaring, trying to warn him of something. 

Bell looked around, observing the room while holding his sword in a guarded stance in front of him, his back towards Nero. He agreed with Nero, the room was too quiet, so he was staying quiet, trying to sharpen his senses to detect anything. That was, until something told him the answer. 

‘ The blonde’s shadow. NOW! ’ it shouted, and Bell wasted no time in running towards Patty and swinging down towards her shadow. Patty screamed in panic, but Bell’s blade clashed against her shadow, which resulted in a loud screech emanating, and a crystal pop up from the shadow as ashes floated up into the air. 

“War Shadows!” Bell yelled, repositioning himself with his sword in a guarded stance again. Thanks to the screech, two more followed as they revealed themselves from the shadows of the fallen adventurers. One was a shadowy mass, completely black with a glowing red eye in the center of where its ‘head’ would be and consistently shifting around, like someone’s shadow in candlelight. With thin, pointed legs and three-clawed fingers, these War Shadows were considered the strongest monster on the 6th floor, as well as sharing the moniker of ‘Newbie Killer’ alongside the Killer Ants of the 7th. However, the second War Shadow was not like its fellow creature. Although relatively the same size, this War Shadow’s body was smooth, more uniform, and shared the same dark colored ‘skin’, however its eye was a deep purple. Its claws had 4 points instead of the usual 3, and were surrounded in a purple hue. 

“Shit! Irregular!” Nero growled through gritted teeth, brandishing his longsword. As he positioned himself, he heard rustling towards the male body nearby, followed by an agonized, wet cough. “We got a live one! Bell, you got the potions!” The teen shouted, before charging towards the Irregular War Shadow. 

“Me and Nero can hold them off, help the survivor!” Patty shouted, before quickly diving towards the regular War Shadow, her blade clashing with its claws. 

Bell quickly ran as fast as his legs would carry him towards the bag, sliding onto the floor to stop beside the bag. Lifting it up revealed a small girl in a bloodied cloak. Torn in places, with a few cuts along her shoulder and back, she didn’t appear to be badly injured. Once Bell had pulled her from underneath the bag, the real damage was revealed. Her stomach had a decently sized puncture hole in it, which was still bleeding, slowed only by the cloak and the girl’s hoodie underneath. An open head wound was also visible, a cut above her right eye which was bleeding but not as bad or as deep. Groaning in pain with tears in her eyes, she gripped onto Bell’s sleeve. 

“D-don't worry, We’re here to help!” Bell said, slightly panicked but steeling his nerves. Quickly pulling out a healing potion, he poured half on the wound on her stomach, eliciting a cry of pain from the girl as the wound sizzled before closing up slightly. He held the potion to her mouth, helping her swallow it which would help with the rest of the wounds. As he helped her, he noticed the girl’s brown hair and eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks as she whimpered and gripped Bell’s sleeve. 

Nero and the Irregular were clashing with one another, his longsword and Devil Bringer versus the Claws of the Irregular War Shadow. Nero was suffering from a few scrapes and cuts on his arms and torso, but thanks to his Endurance stat being high, as well as his demon blood enhancing his recovery, he was able to stand his ground, even inflicting some damage onto the creature himself. 

“Damnit!” Nero hissed as the Irregular granted him another gash, this time on his right bicep as he failed to react fast enough to block the claw. He swung his longsword in a wide arc, which the creature dodged by jumping back, narrowly missing its waist. He decided to start using his magic to give him a better chance, since he wasn’t as fast as the Irregular. Crouching down, he prepared a spectral arm by grabbing the floor. “Hellbound!” the teen shouted, feeling the pull of the arm as he threw himself forward at immense speed. Closing the distance, he prepared his sword, thrusting it ahead of himself, becoming a human arrow, piercing the War Shadow’s Arm. Thanks to the momentum, the two bodies collided into the wall, his sword piercing the wall and mounting the Irregular into it. Thinking quickly, Nero pinned the other arm with his right leg, getting on top of the War Shadow before pummeling it with his right arm, smashing its head into the dungeon wall with brutal hits which echoed through the room and down the tunnels. “Die you bastard!” Nero shouted as the creature’s head was turned into nothing but blackened paste against the cracked dungeon wall. 

As Nero finished up with his War Shadow, Patty had a bit of an easier time keeping up with the creature. She did get herself a scrape on her cheek, and a gash on her arm, but otherwise was able to face and finish off the War Shadow, thrusting her sword into its chest and destroying the magic stone. “Phew.. too close. Bell, how's the girl?” Patty asked, walking over while wincing at the pain in her arm. 

“She’s not in immediate danger now.” Bell said as he cleaned up a few of the wounds on the girl with some bandages he had on hand. He had positioned her against the Dungeon wall, out of the way so the others could fight. “The healing potions did some decent work, so hopefully a day’s rest will get her back up without issue.” 

“Good. Let’s take a minute to relax.” Nero said, plopping himself onto a stone nearby, hissing at the wounds he gathered from his spar with the Irregular. A few gashes on his right bicep, a cluster on his chest, and a few on his legs, the left from their initial scuffle, the right from when the War shadow clawed him as he pinned it against the wall. “We’ll need to figure out what to do about the fallen here..” He pointed out, motioning towards the bodies. 

“Well.. we can’t leave them here. We aren’t far from the main route.” Bell pointed out. “Maybe another party can send up a message to the Guild for a recovery.” 

Patty looked towards the rabbit-like teen. “Even so, that could be awhile. It’s probably midday, when a good majority of adventurers are already down here.” She retorted, keeping a neutral tone. 

Bell deflated a little, slouching slightly as he look towards the girl they rescued. ‘They’re right.. It would be difficult, but I want to help..’ he said, his face twisting a little into a scowl, frustrated at himself. 

A sigh escaped Nero’s lips. “Bell.” His brother turned his head up. “I’ll stay with the bodies and make sure no monsters get close. You run up and let the guild know what’s up, I trust you can get there without issues.” He offered a solution, which earned a soft smile from his adoptive brother. 

“Are you sure, Nero?” Patty questioned him. “We just got out of a rough fight with a few War Shadows, you even fought an Irregular. The longer we’re down here, the riskier it gets.” 

Nero gives the blonde a nod. “I’ll be fine, I can recover quicker than most. If anything, you two should head up so you can bring the girl up. Be safer that way. One can carry her, the other can fight.” He explained, as he pulled the bodies together, covering them with the torn fabric from the large backpack.

Patty nodded. “I’ll carry the girl up. Bell, help me with her.” Bell nodded, and lowered himself towards the girl. She appeared to have passed out due to the pain. He carefully picked her up, helping to place her on the blonde’s back so she could carry her. After settling her on Patty’s back, the two made their way out towards the stairs to the 5th floor. 

“Good luck and stay safe!” Nero called out before sighing to himself as sounds of the walls cracking made themselves known. ‘ Well, my growth is going to be crazy this time around. ’ he chuckled to himself. 

The journey back up wasn’t too rough on Bell and Patty, since they had caught a larger party heading up and joined them in their ascent. Within half an hour, they had reached the entrance to the dungeon. By this time, the girl was stirring but stayed silent throughout the journey, her eyes closed as she rested. Bell raced towards the Guild, and ran through the doors to the hall. 

“Miss Eina!” The rabbit-like teen shouted into the room, which startled the few people and the employees behind the counter, earning a scowl from Rose. 

“Mr. Cranel, what in the hell are you doing, shouting like that?!” Rose snarled towards the teen as he slid into the employee desk, bumping it slightly. 

“I’m sorry Miss Rose, but it’s an emergency!” Bell bowed quickly as Patty ran up towards the desk. “We rescued this girl from the 6th floor, and we wanted to request a recovery for the bodies of her party members that didn’t make it.” 

Eina, after hearing the commotion, quickly scurried up to the desk, hearing what Bell was saying. “No worries, Bell. We can get together a quick team from the Ganesha Familia to recover the bodies.” She looked around and noticed the lack of a third person. “Oh, is Nero outside?” she asked, looking at Bell, who went pale and scratched his cheek. 

“He… stayed back to protect the bodies..” Bell said sheepishly, eliciting a shared glare from Eina and Rose. 

Rose sighed, then scowled at the teen. “If you two weren’t already soloing the 7th floor, I’d be more concerned. But if anything happens to him-” She started scolding Bell, only to lose her voice as another guild employee, a short girl with pink hair and amber colored eyes, walked up with a cheeky smirk. 

“Didn’t expect you to get so worried over an adventurer, Rose.” She teased the werewolf, who blushed while trying to glare at the human girl, which wound up looking more like a pout. 

Bell chuckled lightly. “It’s Nero afterall, plus we haven’t been gone that long. I’m sure he’s doing just fine…” 

“GODS DAMMIT, WHY ARE THERE SO MANY?!?” A frustrated human-demon hybrid screamed out as he swung his blade through a horde of Goblins, Kobolds, and Dungeon Lizards. A couple of bodies already stacked beneath him, he dashed around cleaving monsters in half while ghostly arms grabbed and flung around small goblins towards their allies like rocks, bowling over their allies.

“Ahem,” Eina cleared her throat, gaining everyone’s attention. “In any case, the first priority is to get your brother and recover the bodies.” Eina said, gathering a small clipboard and some forms, before quickly walking out of the Guild building with Bell in tow. Patty decided to stay back with Rose, who guided her to one of the couches in the lobby so they could put down the young girl they saved. 

The pair quickly walked out, encountering a few Ganesha members patrolling, a Chienthrope spearman, a Dwarf tank, and a Human ranger. Quickly explaining the situation, the Ganesha patrol offered their assistance, but stated it would be difficult to return back up with the bodies in tow. Bell nodded, saying his brother just needs a potion, which he has, and he can help with escorting them back up. After a few minutes, the group immediately went back into the dungeon, running down to reach the room Nero was in. Another 30 minutes of fighting back to the room, the group reached their destination. Bell was the first in the room, followed by the Ganesha recovery team, and witnessed the mess in the room.

Nero sat on a nearby rock, coated in blood with plenty of splashes, slashes, and puddles of the stuff covering the entire floor of the Dungeon room. The devilish albino himself appeared physically okay, albeit distraught if his furrowed eyebrows were anything to go by. He sat in his black shirt, which was torn in numerous spots, and his black pants and boots, the pants holding a little better than the shirt but not by much. His single-edged longsword was hoisted over his shoulder. Hearing the party arrive, he looked up and heaved a sigh of relief. 

Bell immediately ran up to his brother, a potion in hand. “Oh gods, are you okay?!” Bell thrust the potion into his hands, before quickly looking him over for any serious injuries. 

“Bell, calm down.” Nero grabbed his brother’s shoulders, shaking him a little. “I did get injured but I’m alright, nothing I can’t walk off. I’m okay.” He reassured his little brother, who nodded though his eyes still showed his concern. “On the plus side, I filled my bag quite nicely today.” He grinned, holding up his bag which was puffed up with items. 

Bell sighed, scratching the back of his head. “I’m just glad you’re okay, Nero.” 

Nero stood up and patted Bell on the head, ruffling his hair. “Course I am. Now, let’s go ahead and get outta here. These drops are gonna go into replacing my coat and hoodie. The thing got shredded to bits so I gotta replace it.” 

After assisting the Ganesha patrol with placing the bodies on stretchers, the group decided that Nero would help with carrying the bodies up, as well as any salvageable equipment into small bags, before heading up with Bell escorting them up. After another hour of carrying the fallen adventurers up, the group made it to the surface once again. 

Nero, since he wasn’t in combat on the way up, was able to heal some of the injuries thanks to his Skill. Nero followed the Ganesha patrol to the nearby Dian Cecht hospital to drop off the bodies in their morgue. Bell returned to the Guild, seeing Eina and Rose sitting with Patty and the small Prum girl in the lobby couches. Walking over to the group, he began overhearing the conversation they were having. 

“...tried to abandon you and use you as bait?” Rose was questioning the girl, who was looking down towards the floor, her eyes showing no emotion.

“Yes, Lili is just a supporter.. They see me as expendable, so they shoved me into the monster, and Lili got hurt.” Lili said, her tone filled with frustration and sadness while rubbing her abdomen. She was looking down until Bell approached from the side. Everyone turned to acknowledge his arrival, only to pause after seeing the expression on his face which could be summed up in one word:

Pissed. 

Nero was currently sitting in Dian Cecht’s hospital. After he had finished helping the Ganesha recovery team, Loki had found him and immediately shoved him towards the hospital. He’s now been here for about an hour, receiving some treatment for his wounds from the proclaimed ‘best healer in Orario’. 

This healer was Airmid Teasanare, the Dea Saint of the Dian Cecht familia. She was quite small, standing around 149 cm, with long silver hair and purple colored eyes. A lot of people compared her looks to that of an elaborate doll, considering the lack of emotion on her face and in her voice as she completed his check-up. All of his wounds were patched up, either with bandages or with the potion he was given by Bell earlier. His clothes, although torn, were still wearable so she wrapped his wounds up and let him put his clothes back on from there. 

A sigh came from the woman as she finished her examination. “.. considering how injured you were, I’m surprised you’re still on your feet.” Airmid half scolded, half wondered. 

Nero chuckled, leaning on his knees. “Well what can I say? I’m built a little different.” He said smugly, eliciting no reaction from the healer. “..Am I good to go?” He asked awkwardly. 

“Yes, you are good to go, Mr. Nero.” Airmid bowed. “Please try to get a full day of rest before you head back into the dungeon.” 

Nero nodded and walked out towards the front of the hospital, running into Loki who was in the lobby waiting for him, reading a small booklet there. Noticing his exit, she jumped up and wrapped her arms around his. 

“Looks like the Doc gave you the green light to go home, yes?” Loki asked, eyeing her child and his bandaged body. 

“Yep.” Nero said, popping the ‘p’ for emphasis. “Just was told to take it easy at least for a day. Although I still gotta exchange my stones." He had just remembered he hadn't done that, feeling the weight of his stones in the special pouch. 

"Well, let's go and get that done! Cant let your hard work sit around." Loki said with a smirk as the two made their way to the Guildhall. Within a few minutes, they entered the Guild building. Looking around, Nero spotted Bell alongside Patty, Eina, Rose, and the Prum girl they had saved in the dungeon gathered around the couch. As they approached, both Loki and Nero noticed Bell’s immense scowl, his arms crossed as his eyes burned with fury. 

“Uhh, everything okay, bro?” Nero asked, cautiously approaching Bell’s side. The albino only responded with a frustrated grunt as he stood a bit to the side. Eina sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

“Bell, I understand you’re frustrated, but there isn’t much we can do.” the half-elf advisor explained with minor annoyance. “Would we like to? Yes, but when it comes to the Dungeon, the Guild’s influence only goes so far.” 

“I know that. Doesn’t make it any better.” Bell gripped his bicep with one of his hands, looking down. The Prum girl shifted awkwardly, and Nero assumed it had something to do with the dungeon incident. 

“Can someone fill us in?” Nero asked, with Loki tilting her head curiously. Rose took the opportunity before Eina could pipe up to explain what they were talking about.

According to the Prum Supporter, revealed to be Liliruca Arde of the Soma Familia, was hired as a supporter for a pair of adventurers from other familia, one being from the Apollo Familia and the other was a more recent member belonging to the Ogma Familia. They hired Lili to join them for a regular dive, but were surprised by the Irregular War Shadow showing up and attacking them. They didn’t believe they could escape unscathed, so the Apollo Familia member had grabbed Lili and used her as a sacrifice, throwing her to the War Shadow before trying to run. Lili was stabbed in the stomach by the monster before it attacked the other two, killing one while another War Shadow showed up and surprised the other adventurer, killing them as well. Lili tucked herself by one of the bodies, hiding under the backpack to try and survive as long as possible, which wasn’t long before Nero and the party showed up. 

“Well I know the story now, but that doesn’t explain why my brother is angry.” Nero stated, pointing his thumb behind his shoulder towards Bell. Loki walked over to hug the teen from behind, appearing to try and comfort him. 

  Eina cleared her throat, adjusting her glasses. “Bell wanted to have the Guild push fines onto those two Familias for essentially trying to kill a fellow party member.”

Nero narrowed his eyes into a glare. “And I’m assuming due to the fact that no one holds any jurisdiction over the Dungeon, they get away scot-free.” 

Rose nodded. “Yeah. Sorry, but it’s out of our hands. Best we can do is recommend just talking about it whenever given the chance. The rumor mill of Orario can be quite devastating to a Familia’s reputation, depending.” 

Nero shrugged. “Whatever, we’ll see how things go.” He turned to the Prum girl and crouched down next to her. “So your name is Lili, correct?” 

The girl nodded. “Yes, Lili’s name is Liliruca Arde, but she prefers just to be called Lili.” She looked towards Nero, seeing that he wasn’t angry or upset, his face held a neutral expression. 

Suddenly, he smiled towards the girl. “Well, I’m sorry you had a bad experience with those assholes. If you are looking to still dive into the Dungeon, you are more than welcome to join our party.” He made the offer, catching Bell’s attention as he turned around, his gaze softened. Patty smiled and leaned on her knees, bumping her shoulder into Lili playfully. 

“Yeah, unlike those thugs, we’ll take care of you. We don’t betray or backstab our own.” Patty declared proudly, standing up and placing her hands on her hips. 

Rose and Eina couldn’t help but smile at the small party. They clearly had faith in one another despite hardly knowing one another. 

“..Lili will need time to think on it.. Plus I need to get a new backpack and equipment.” The Prum stated. She bowed towards Nero. “Thank you for considering hiring Lili.” 

Nero reached over, softly patting her head. “Of course. We will need to take a day off anyways, since I got quite beat up down there. Doctor’s orders and all that.” He said sheepishly, which earned a quiet giggle from the girl. “If you do wish to join us, we will meet the day after tomorrow by the Fountain at 7 in the morning.” 

The girl nodded, before hopping off the couch and bowing towards the group before taking her leave. Since the report was already made with Patty and Bell, Nero just went over to the exchange counter and gave them all of his drops and crystals, surprising the clerk as well as some nearby adventurers. 

“Wow, nice work.” The clerk stated, taking the drawer and counting out the loot. After a few minutes, he finalized the amount, putting the Valis into a large bag and pushing it through the exchange box. “Your total comes to 30,250 valis. Good work today!” 

“Thanks!” Nero smiled with a toothy grin, grabbing the bag and heading over to the group. Rose and Eina had already made their way back to the reception desk to get back to work, leaving Patty, Bell, and Loki, the latter draped over Bell’s shoulders. 

Holding up his earnings, he smirked. “Looks like today was quite lucrative. Earned myself a cool 30 thousand.” Bell and Patty’s jaws dropped at the amount he earned, while Loki grinned. 

“That’s my boy! I believe this calls for celebration!” Loki proclaimed. “Let's head over to the Hostess. Don’t worry y’all, I’ll cover it this time.” She waved off their concerns, which turned into them smiling. “Firstly though, clean yourselves up. Y’all smell like the Dungeon. Patty, go ahead and invite your god too, why not.” 

The group agreed to meet up outside the Hostess in 2 hours, so they could get cleaned up. Nero and Bell separated from Patty and walked with Loki back to the manor. The group made it to the manor after 10 minutes, and the brothers went to their rooms to grab some fresh clothes and went to clean themselves off, while Loki went to her office space. After an hour, the brothers quickly walked over to Loki’s office, freshly dressed in their casual clothes with their swords on their backs, and knocked on the door. 

“Come on in!” they heard their goddess call out from inside the room, so they opened the door and stepped in. Loki was finishing getting ready, with her usual tomboyish outfit and tying her hair into a ponytail. “You two wanna update yer falna before we go?” 

The brothers nodded, and Loki beckoned them over. Bell went first at Nero’s suggestion, lifting his shirt so Loki could update his status. After a minute, Loki chuckled and pressed a sheet to his back. “Good work, you’re making quite good progress considering your growth rate.” She handed Bell his status sheet, which he began looking over. 

Name : Bell Cranel 

Race : Human 

Level : 1 

Strength : F 327 > F 381

Endurance : G 290 > F 325

Dexterity : F 382 > E 441

Agility : E 427 > E 487 

Magic : I 0

Skills : 

[ Heroic Desire ] 

-Increased Growth proportional to the user’s desire Greater desire amplifies the effect. 

Magic : 

None

Bell smiled. A whopping 208 points in this update, which isn’t a surprise considering he had to exit and reenter the dungeon a few times from the incident. “Awesome. Let’s see how Nero did!” He excitedly said, moving over so his brother could sit and get updated. Loki started the process, witnessing his experience during the monster party with amazement. 

“Yer crazy for fightin’ all those monsters, kiddo.” She tapped him playfully on the head, smiling. “Good work though.” She placed a sheet on Nero’s back and handed him his sheet. 

Name : Nero

Race : Human/Demon Hybrid  

Level : 1 

Strength : F 375 > E 460 

Endurance : F 333 > E 427

Dexterity : G 266 > F 326

Agility : G 295 > F 380

Magic : G 276 > F 348

Skills : 

[ Legacy of Sparda ]  

-Slightly Boosts all basic stats; Raise maximum status caps of all basic abilities.

-Excelia gain increased when in combat. Increase regeneration of mind and body

Magic : 

[ Spectral Claw ] Quick Cast, At Will

-Short ranged melee spell, can grab and throw targets and objects smaller than the user {Snatch} or used to pull the user towards a location or enemy {Hell Bound}.

“Holy shit..” Nero said breathlessly while looking at his status sheet. A massive 394 point boost to his status. That monster party really got him a bunch of Excelia. Bell and Loki were looking over his shoulder, with his brother staring wide-eyed at the growth. After a little teasing from Nero towards Bell about how he’s now stronger, while Bell reassured he’d surpass him, the trio made their way towards the Hostess, arriving a few minutes before the allotted meet up time. They chatted a bit before Hades and Patty walked up, Patty in a simple white dress with yellow flowers and thigh high boots, and Hades dressed in a nice black, long sleeved turtleneck and khaki dress pants with black dress shoes, with his hair brushed back. 

“Thank you for inviting us out, Loki. It is nice to get out of the tavern every so often.” Hades thanked the Trickster with a bow, one hand over his heart and the other behind his back, almost like a butler. 

“No worries, we’re all here to have a good time. Speaking of, lets get to it!” Loki cheered, with the albinos greeting Patty. The group walked into the tavern, its dinner service currently nearing the end. It was still relatively busy, but there were plenty of spaces for the small group. Ryuu was the first to notice the group, and quickly made her way over.

“Greetings. Table for 5, I presume?” The elven waitress asked, receiving a nod from the group. Turning around she called out “Table for 5!” before guiding the group over to a table nearby the bar top where Mia worked with the kitchen staff. Hades and Loki sat next to one another, allowing the adventurers to sit together. Bell was on the left side, closest to the kitchen, with Nero on his right, and Patty on his right near the wall. 

As they got comfortable, Ryuu pulled out a notepad and pencil to take the group's order for drinks before they were served food. Hades ordered a nice wine, Loki ordered some ale, and the trio of adventurers ordered some juice. Ryuu bowed and walked off towards the kitchen to get their drinks. 

As they waited, Loki and Hades began talking, reminiscing over the eons they’ve known one another, exchanging stories. Bell and Patty were chatting across Nero, discussing the topic of a party name for them since Bell thought having one would be cool, and a great way to build a reputation as adventurers. Patty had agreed, and was happily helping Bell come up with names, while Nero sat, contently listening with a soft smile on his face.

‘How long has it been since we were able to just.. Sit and enjoy time with friends and family..’ Nero thought to himself, as Ryuu returned and passed them their drinks, with Hades getting his wine in a nice glass and the rest in mugs. Nero stared into the red juice as his thoughts wandered. ‘We haven’t done this since.. Grandpa passed away. This is nice.. I’ve missed this so much. I hope I can get strong enough to protect them all, to keep this sense of peace around.’ Nero closed his eyes, smiling as he reaffirmed his new desire, to protect the ones he cared for, and relaxed quite a bit. 

By this point, the restaurant was emptied out except for their party, so the waitresses were hanging around them chatting while Mia cleaned some glasses by the bar. The group continued their chatter, except for Bell who noticed Nero looking nowhere in particular with a smile on his face. “Everything okay, Nero?” the rabbit-like teen asked his brother, who appeared to snap out of his thoughts and turn to Bell. This question garnered the attention of everyone, who turned to look at Nero.

“Yeah.. I’m just.. Remembering Grandpa is all.” Nero said, a soft but sad smile permeating his face as he fiddled with the handle of his mug. The others caught onto the wording, and felt the grief in his tone. “Sorry, I didn’t want to bring up a sad topic but-”

“You miss him too, right?” Bell said softly, loud enough for everyone to hear but his voice also betrayed his feelings of grief as well. “It’s okay, Nero. I miss him too.. I miss him a lot.” Bell leaned into Nero’s shoulder, who reciprocated the motion so his cheek was resting on Bell’s head. 

Patty was fidgeting in her seat, wanting to try to liven the mood a bit, but didn’t know how to. Luckily, Hades figured out exactly what to do. Looking towards the albinos, he gave them a soft smile. “Say, I don’t know if you’ve spoken about it. But tell us about your grandfather. You two clearly loved him lots, and I’m curious about the man.” He asked them gently, his words were soothing which brought the boys out of their moment. 

Bell looked up towards the ceiling, smiling softly. “Where to begin? Grandpa was one hell of a character.” Nero chuckled, sipping at his drink. “He always loved talking to women, hitting on them and failing miserably, or peeping on them when they bathed or when they changed.. The definition of a massive pervert.” He chuckled at this, which earned smiles from everyone and a playful scowl from Mia. “But.. More than anything, he valued honesty. He valued caring for your neighbor, to extend a hand to the helpless. To care for family, to build bonds that not even the strongest of blades or the fiercest of monsters could break.” As Bell spoke, his voice grew from his soft tone of remembrance, to a firm tone, filled with pride and confidence. Everyone stared at this young man, admiring the fierce look in his eyes. “He always loved the idea of Heroes, which heavily influenced us as kids. He even had this saying he told us.” Nero tapped Bell’s shoulder, smiling and pointing to himself. Bell nodded, and Nero stood up from the table while everyone watched curiously. 

Planting a foot on the chair, Nero cleared his throat before continuing, taking on a rougher voice to mimic his grandfather. “If anyone has the right to be called a hero, it’s not the one who took up the blade. It’s not the one who raised his shield, nor the one who healed the wounded. Only one who truly risks his life may be called a hero. Protect your friends, save the girl, and face the danger. It doesn’t matter if you fall. No, that’s just fine. Cry your heart out over it. Within the defeated, a victor waits to emerge.” He began speaking louder, more confident, as the group leaned in slightly. Nero smirked, seeing everyone watching his performance, mesmerized by the words his late Grandfather instilled upon the albinos. He opened his arms, almost like inviting a hug. “Stay true to your wishes. Cry out your desires! And if you do..” 

Bell stood up, wrapping his arm around Nero’s waist and grinned. Nero placed his arm over Bell’s shoulder and smiled. Both the brothers took a breath, before completing their favorite line of the saying together. “ That’s what will make you the coolest hero! ” The two laughed together at this, sitting back down as everyone laughed with them, aside from Ryuu but her genuine smile compensated. 

Loki and Hades, although they enjoyed the performance, recognized the voice Nero was trying to imitate, alongside the description from Bell solidified who their adoptive grandfather was. ‘Zeus.’ Loki thought to herself, smiling at the brothers although her thoughts were in turmoil. ‘I’ll probably have to tell them later down the line.. But I’ll leave that for another day.’ She shrugged it off, and continued chattering with the boys, listening to them tell stories about their grandfather’s shenanigans to everyone. 

~ Dungeon 8th floor, 6 Days Later ~

Over the last 6 days, the trio turned to a quartet as Lili decided to agree and join their dungeon party as the supporter, and they’ve been diving together since, each making a hefty amount thanks to Bell’s apparent luck and being able to carry more out to exchange. They were in the middle of another dive, this time heading towards the 8th and 9th floors, with approval from both Rose and Eina, which came with numerous warnings and multi-hour long lectures about the floors and its monsters. Bell was able to absorb the info like a sponge in water, whereas Nero struggled to keep up. Although Patty and Lili did not have the stats require for the floor, thanks to Lili’s role as a supporter, as well as Patty having a magic skill which helps boost her stats, they were given the green light for the dive. They were on hour 3 of their dive, having slowed down around the 7th floor to gather stones and warm up before diving through the 8th and onto the 9th floor. 

“..Something’s wrong.. There are no monsters anywhere..” Lili stated, looking around. Nero was behind her, watching down the hallway they came from. Patty and Bell were ahead of the two, taking up the vanguard for their group. They hadn’t run into many monsters down here, only a few stragglers on the floor which were swiftly dealt with. 

“Yeah.. it’s way too quiet for the Dungeon.” Patty agreed, her grip on her shortsword tightening slightly as the group moved deeper into the floor.

“Do you think-” Bell began to hypothesize until a primal roar interrupted his train of thought. It was distant, but the group were able to hear it thanks to the echo-y nature of the Dungeon walls, and froze in place to get their bearings. What followed was a loud scream of anguish. One that was distinctly human, which stirred the heroic hearts of Bell and Nero as they ran towards the source of the sound, Patty and Lili following behind.

“W-why..” A young girl questioned, picking her wounded self off of the floor. “.. is there a minotaur.. on the 9th floor?” 

The adventurer had long, raven-black hair tied, with violet colored eyes. Her normal adventuring outfit was a purple kimono with a sarashi wrap over her chest. Red colored thigh-length boots and a red shoulder guard. However, the outfit was torn in numerous places due to the sustained injuries. The shoulder guard was done, smashed to bits on the dungeon floor. The purple kimono was torn in places, with blood splotches dotting her outfit. She had plenty of cuts on her body, but she had two larger injuries. The first being a large diagonal slash on her chest, which tore her kimono and her sarashi, with her laying face-down on the ground being the only thing keeping her modesty. The second being a heavy gash on her left leg, making it difficult to move around or even stand. 

This is Yamato Mikoto, Level 1 adventurer of the Takemikazuchi Familia. She would normally be with her party, but the others had decided to take a day off to repair equipment and gather supplies for later trips, according to their captain, the Level 2 Kashima Ouka. But Mikoto decided to try and dive on her own to gather more excelia to boost her stats a little higher. She was ready to hit level 2 but wished to boost her stats a little higher beforehand. Hence, her diving to the 9th floor on her own. What was not expected, however, was the sudden appearance of a Minotaur, a bull monster that only spawns on the Middle Floors, specifically floors 15 to 17. It isn’t uncommon for a monster to roam up or down a floor, but to see a monster over half a dozen floors above its normal stomping grounds was unheard of and incredibly dangerous. 

She slowly dragged herself away, as the Minotaur slowly made her way towards the injured adventurer. Heavy stomps shook the ground as Mikoto tried pulling herself away. Her katana she used for her dives was on the floor, shattered into pieces. She held a kunai in her hand as she forced herself away, more to comfort herself than to be used for protection in her current state. 

The Minotaur huffed, as its face appeared to twist into a grin, although that could also be attributed to Mikoto’s fear. She got to pull herself up and start hobbling away, although she got unlucky and chose a wide open room with multiple exits. At this stage, she stumbled into the room, falling onto the ground as the Minotaur came through the entrance she just fell through. In its hand was a large landform axe. As it approached, she tried seeing her escape options as she backed off, only to feel her back hit the Dungeon wall, the Minotaur only a couple meters away. 

‘ I can’t go further… I’m sorry Ouka.. Chigusa… Lord Take..’ Mikoto resigned herself to her fate, but decided to look her attacker in the face. If she were to go down, she’d at least appear defiant till the very end. The landform axe has lifted up, the Minotaur moments away from ending her life. 

“CATCH THIS!” a shout, followed by a body flying in at top speed, drop-kicking the off-guard Minotaur, causing it to fly to the side from the momentum while the surprise attacker landed on the ground with a thud, before scrambling up and positioning themselves between Mikoto and the Bull monster. She looked up in surprise to the back of her sudden savior. A young man, with snow-white hair, and a blue jacket with a red hoodie underneath, wielding a longsword in his left hand. 

~ Dungeon, 9th Floor, 30 seconds beforehand ~ 

The quartet party was running through the Dungeon, towards the sound of the scream. Nero and Bell were in the lead, with Patty and Lili following behind at a distance. Desperately searching the dungeon, the two albinos were frantically looking around as they searched the floor. As they rounded a corner, they saw in the distance a large bull monster. A Minotaur, according to their advisors' lessons, was one of the strongest monsters in the upper and middle floors, minus the Infant Dragon and the Goliath on the 17th’s ‘Wall of Sorrow’. Considered on par with Level 2 adventurers, they were dangerous to go ahead unless well equipped as a party. 

As they saw the Minotaur, they also noticed the adventurer on the floor in front of it. Bell sped up, slowly outpacing Nero as he sped up towards the room. However, Nero decided to use his abilities to speed himself up faster. 

‘Hellbound! ’ Nero shouted internally. The spectral claw reached out, gripping the ceiling of the dungeon before yanking the teen forward, shooting past Bell like a crossbow bolt. As he flew forward, he quickly twisted his body around to position himself so his bent legs could spear the Minotaur in the face. “CATCH THIS!” he shouted, as he straightened his legs forward, immediately making contact with the monster which, caught off-guard, got thrown onto the other side of the room. Nero, not expecting his plan to work so well, fell onto his back unceremoniously with a grunt. Quickly, he picked himself back up, much to his embarrassment, and positioned himself between the adventurer and the Minotaur. 

Turning around, Nero looked down at the adventurer, his electric-blue eyes meeting her violet ones. They locked eyes for a moment before Nero’s eyes trailed down slightly, running his line of sight over her cleavage, which caused him to snap his attention forward with a blush. Quickly, he removed his blue coat and tossed it down to the girl, leaving him in his red colored hoodie and pants, with the longsword over his left shoulder. 

Bell and the others reached Nero as the Minotaur was recovering itself from the sudden shock from Nero’s dropkick. Bell took up his sword by Nero’s side, while Patty and Lili appeared by the girl’s side, Nero’s blue coat draped over her shoulders. 

“Patty, take care of her! Lili, cover her!” Nero called out, before flexing his right hand and gripping his sword more. “Bell, let’s make some ground beef.” He said, his tone showing signs of his nervousness but his eyes showed determination. 

“Right!” Bell said, gripping the Devil Arm in two hands, putting himself into a hanging stance, the blade on his right side pointed towards the beast. 

Mikoto was pulled a short distance away, towards the tunnel her saviors came through by the blonde girl while the prum was watching over her, a small hand crossbow in her hand. She was pulled into a sitting position, with the blue coat over her chest to prevent any wardrobe malfunctions, while the blonde pulled out some healing potions. 

“Here, drink this one, I’ll pour another on you.” Patty said, uncorking the potion and handing it over to the Far Eastern girl, who chugged it down quickly. The second one she uncorked with her left hand, lifting the coat slightly to reveal the chest wounds. It was already healing slightly thanks to the first potion, but the blonde wasn’t taking chances. Pouring the second over the wound caused Mikoto to gasp in shock, the pain apparent as she balled her hands into fists. That definitely did the trick, as the wound began closing up from both potions. 

“GAH!” Patty and Mikoto turned their attention to the fight, which Lili was already watching, as Nero tried blocking a wild swing from the Minotaur only to get sent flying and tumbling onto the ground towards the girls. Skidding to a halt next to Lili, he looked towards the girls, who were staring at him. 

“Hello, ladies.” Nero chuckled dryly, before doing a kip-up, springing himself back to a semi-crouched position and charging back into the fight. 

Nero dove back into the fight with the Minotaur, where Bell was evading the wild swings of the bull while trying to inflict his own wounds. The rabbit-like teen was already sporting a few wounds, a scrape to his cheek and a few tears in his armor but otherwise was unharmed. Nero, being the front-liner he is, had already suffered a few indirect cuts from the minotaur, but thanks to his skill the wounds were already healed. 

Diving back into the fray, Nero heaved his longsword from his shoulder, bringing it down in a downward slash, which the Minotaur parried with his landform axe. However, this left the Bull open to a free slash on his back from Bell, who quickly dashed away as the monster tried swinging the axe towards him, where Nero slashed at its leg and dash back as well. Over and over, the two albinos clashed with the bull, pulling hit and run tactics to keep the minotaur busy. However, the wounds they were inflicting onto the Minotaur were miniscule and weren’t slowing down the monster whatsoever while they themselves were starting to slow down from exhaustion. That’s where Bell got sloppy, and swung at the Minotaur on uneven ground, causing him to stumble slightly. The Bull was in the middle of a swing, and thanks to the lack of balance, the bull’s forearm got a clean hit on Bell’s chestpiece, sending the boy flying into the dungeon wall with a sickening crunch as he cried out in pain, blood flying out of his mouth. 

The Minotaur let out a powerful howl, causing the level 1 adventurers to freeze, their bodies refusing to challenge the beast. It sauntered over to Bell’s collapsed body, its axe dragging on the ground in a display of intimidation. Bell, afflicted by the howl and with possible broken ribs, could only whimper and crawl away as the Bull towered over his cowering body. 

‘NononononoNONONONO FUCKING MOVE!!’ Nero tried to get himself going, to protect his brother, his only remaining family in this world. That fear etched into his heart from the howl was being overshadowed with the fear of losing his little brother. Slowly, his body regained its ability to move, and he used it to undo the bandages on his right arm, revealing the Devil Bringer. “HELLBOUND!” Nero screamed out, the spectral claws gripping the ground and launching him forward, onto the back of the Minotaur which staggered it into the wall next to Bell. Running on the instinct to protect his brother, Nero could only swing the claws of the Devil Bringer onto the Minotaur’s face, clawing into its right eye and drawing blood. 

The Minotaur let out a cry, surprised by the sudden pain inflicted by its prey, and began wildly bucking about, trying to shake off the adventurer on its back. Dropping the axe, it reached over and grabbed Nero’s arm, immediately throwing him against the dungeon wall with a resounding crack of the stone. Nero could only gasp in pain, the wind knocked out of his lungs, as he tried to correct himself into a standing position only to see the Bull charging him, and its head slamming into his chest and pushing him into the wall. The horns pierced his lower stomach while the other pierced into his shoulder. 

Screaming out in pain, Nero could only try to defend himself as the Bull yanked him upwards, the horns still embedded in his body tearing at his skin, as the Bull flung him to the other side of the dungeon room. He landed hard on his right arm, hearing a crack, and tumbling into the wall. The gashes on his chest and shoulder were bleeding profusely, thanks in large part to the bull throwing him around like a sack of potatoes. Tears welling in his eyes, he felt himself get hoisted up by his hair only for something heavy to crash into his face as everything went white from the shock. 

~ 10th Floor Dungeon, 1 minute earlier ~

“Fuckin’ hell, how’d we lose that big bull?!” Bete growled, running alongside Ais and Finn as they ran through the 10th floor. 

The Loki expedition force was returning from their expedition, which was cut short due to a surprise visit from some odd monsters, large caterpillar-esk creatures that spit acid which destroyed the majority of the weapons the expedition force had. Their return to the surface was relatively uneventful, until they had run into a monster party of Minotaurs. The Bull monsters, upon seeing the powerful Loki executives, turned tail and ran towards the stairs to the upper floors. Sensing the potential catastrophe, Finn called out to everyone to kill them before any lower level adventurers get caught in their charge. 

Nearing the stairs up to the 9th, they encountered the other executives of the familia running towards the stairs as well. Riveria and Gareth, followed by Tiona and Tione with Lefiya trailing behind slightly. 

“No luck?!” Gareth called out, as they reached the stairs and all ran up together, Bete and Riveria leading the charge thanks to their heightened senses of hearing and smell. 

“No! Keep searching!” Finn called out. His thumb, known for its predictive reactions, was throbbing quite hard. ‘ Where is this Minotaur ?!’ He thought to himself, frustrated that this situation had occurred. 

Upon reaching the 9th floor, the group were ready to split up, until they heard a distance howl of a Minotaur. Bete and Riveria began tracking down the sound, leading the team as the other followed behind. That’s when they heard someone shout “HELLBOUND!”

“That’s Nero! Why is he here?!” Riveria shouted out in frustration as the executives rammed up their speed, desperate to reach their familia member. They rounded the corner into a small room and witnessed the Minotaur holding Nero up, his body covered in blood from the open wounds, and the fist of the bull crashing into his face, breaking his nose and tearing open a gash on his forehead, blood pouring out of the wound. The teen was limp, his arm dangling down at his sides and his legs barely holding himself as the Bull dropped him. The executives also noticed Bell, limply laying against the wall across the room, his eyes wide with shock and tears streaming down his face. There was also a group of girls piled into a corner, witnessing the act with fear in their eyes, unable to move which was likely due to the Minotaur’s howl. 

“BASTARD!” Bete shouted, dashing forward at top speed before whipping his body around and delivering a full power kick to the Bull’s jaw, snapping its neck around 180 degrees, instantly killing it. Ais dashed towards Nero, catching him before his body fell to the floor. 

“Shit, Riveria!” Finn called out, while the High Elf was already dashing over to Nero. Finn quickly ran to the girls while Bete slid over to Bell. 

“The hell were you thinking you moron, fighting that thing?!” Bete growled at Bell while quickly checking him for any serious wounds. That was, until Bell shoved him to the side and limped over to where Nero was, crying. 

“Nero?! NERO!?” the rabbit-like teen cried out, falling over himself few paces from Nero as Bete raced over and grabbing him by his shoulders to keep him from tumbling onto the floor. 

“Calm down Bell!” Riveria said, quickly chanting her healing spell and focusing her mind onto the albino, healing his wounds. “He’s alive but heavily injured. He’ll pull through.” 

Bell could only sit and watch while his brother was being healed, tears still falling from his face as he clutched his chest, the pain of his ribs nowhere close to the pain in his heart witnessing his brother getting ragdolled by the beast. He was terrified and couldn’t move, watching the beast loom over him, while Nero was able to attack the beast and save Bell. 

“I’m sorry” was all Bell could utter out, rubbing his face trying to stop the tears, as Bete stood by his side, awkwardly trying to comfort him by rubbing his back. 

~ Orario, 1 hour later ~

The Loki executives, once they were able to heal Nero to a stable condition, as well as heal Bell and the Far Eastern girl, who introduced herself, met back up with the rest of the expedition force and continued their march back up, their moods somewhat somber due to Bell shutting himself out. Nero was being carried by Bete on his back, while Bell followed behind flanked by Riveria and Tiona, who were trying to console him but with no success thus far. 

Reaching the surface, they were greeted by Loki, cheerfully welcoming them back but upon witnessing Nero being carried up, immediately stopped and walked over to Finn.

“What happened?” The trickster asked her captain, curiosity and concern radiating from her. 

So Finn explained the events that occurred, starting from the surprise visit from the caterpillars on the 50th floor that destroyed their weapons, to the sudden monster party of Minotaurs, up until their encounter with the brothers and their party. 

Walking over to Bell after Finn finished his report, Loki wrapped an arm over his shoulder. “Come on kiddo, let’s get your crystals traded in and get you home.” She only received a nod from him. The majority of the supporters from the expedition went to trade in their stones, alongside Lili who picked up Nero’s and Bell’s stones to trade everything in. Bete, under orders from Riveria, carried Nero over to Dian Cecht’s with Bell and Loki following him. The rest of the expedition went back to the Twilight Manor to rest. 

Patty and Mikoto were walking by Riveria, Ais, and Lefiya as they walked towards the hospital. Mikoto was wearing Nero’s coat over her torn kimono, buttoned all the way up to cover herself. The coat was quite large on her body, almost touching the ground like a dress would. The sleeves were quite long, going down her arms and over her hands, although she didn’t mind this. As they walked, the Far Eastern girl couldn’t focus, her mind kept sweeping back to the moment that man saved her, Nero was his name from what she heard the other albino yelled. Every time she thought about her savior, she could see him turning to her, his electric-blue eyes piercing her soul, his snow-white hair flowing through the wind-

Mikoto shook her head, a blush creeping on her face. ‘Nono, calm down! None of that right now!’ she scolded herself. Riveria, who was walking a little behind her, raised an eyebrow at her sudden movement but shrugged it off. “Uh, pardon me, Miss Nine Hells.” Mikoto awkwardly grabbed the High Elf’s attention. “Would it be okay if I visited Nero? I’d like to express my gratitude for him saving me.” she asked, while bowing slightly towards the mage. 

Riveria let out a strangely uncharacteristic giggle, covering her mouth before clearing her throat. “Of course, you are more than welcome to visit. Either here or, if he gets released, you are welcome to come by the manor directly. I’ll let our guards know so you can come by whenever you are able.” 

Mikoto bowed towards the High Elf. “I thank you for your generosity. I’ll head to my god to let him know I am okay and what had transpired. I will return his coat when I visit again, after I’ve washed it.” Finishing her sentence, she bid the others farewell and began walking off towards the Takemikazuchi Familia home. 

“A nice and respectful girl.” Riveria commented once the Far Eastern adventurer was out of earshot. “Anyways, let’s head home you two.” she began walking towards the Twilight Manor with Ais and Lefiya. 

“.. I hope they are okay.” Ais said as they walked home. Despite the lack of emotion showing on her face, her tone of voice was slightly muddled with concern for the two albinos, and her newest familia members. 

“They should be okay. Since they’re going to see Airmid, she’ll take good care of them.” Lefiya said with confidence, walking beside Ais down the street. 

“Speaking of.. Riveria.” Ais called out slightly to the High Elf, who turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “What’s going on with Nero’s arm..?” She asked, tilting her head slightly. 

‘ Ah, I knew she would’ve noticed. ’ Riveria sighed, before turning to Ais. “Unfortunately, although I know what it is, I cannot say. If you wish to know, you can ask him directly once he comes home.” Riveria said, offering a partial answer to the Sword Princess. 

Ais, disappointed, only nodded before continuing their walk to the Manor. She’d ask him the next opportunity she got. 

Mikoto walked towards the Northeast sector of the city, where the Takemikazuchi familia home was located. The home itself was not very large, but it kept its traditional Far East style architecture and layout. The home consisted of 3 separately constructed buildings, each positioned into an L-shape on the property, interconnected via 3 walkways with tile roofs over them to prevent rain from getting onto the wooden floors. The rest of the property had stone footpaths that connected the foremost building to the one at the rear, as well as grass patches with plants growing in small troughs for gardening. One larger, fenced off section of the outside yard was a flat dirt patch, which was used as the training yard for the familia. The entry to the familia home sat on the front of the property, closest to the main road. 

“Welcome back, Mikoto!” A young girl sitting on the front porch of the building. She was quite short, around 154 cm tall, with medium length black hair that covered her face, hiding her eyes. She wore a purple kimono, similar to the one that Mikoto wore, but had a red wrap around her waist. She also had a bandage wrapped around her neck like a choker, with red gloves on. This was Hitachi Chigusa, another Level 1 member of the Takemikazuchi familia, and Mikoto’s best friend. 

“Hey, Chigusa, is Lord Take in?” Mikoto asked the girl as she approached the porch side, still wearing Nero’s oversized coat.

Looking up, she opened her mouth only to pause noticing the coat her friend was wearing. Tilting her head in confusion, she continued, “Yes, he’s with Ouka in the meeting room.. What are you wearing?” 

Mikoto slightly blushed at this, looking slightly down and bringing up her hands to her stomach, although being covered by the sleeves of the coat made her look like a shy toddler. “Let’s go to the room, I need to let you guys know what happened today.” 

Nodding, the two girls walked over into the entrance of the Familia home. The entrance of the home was rectangular in shape with the girls entering one of the shorter sides. A nice tatami room with a table in the center of the room and 5 floor chairs, 2 on each of the long sides with one at the head of the table. The room had 3 doors that lead to different areas. The doorway to the entrance opened with the girls’ entering the room. The door directly across from the entry way was opened up which lead to one of the walkways to the neighboring building, which also had a view of the gardening plot. 

At the table in the tatami room sat two men. One was the god of the familia, Takemikazuchi himself, sitting at the head of the table. He had long black hair which was tied into a messy man bun, and black eyes. He normally stood at 176 cm tall, but currently he was sitting and slightly slouching, clearly relaxing himself. His outfit was a plain, white-colored jinbei, and he sat at the head of the table sitting at some freshly brewed green tea.

His companion at the table, sitting to his right side, was the Familia Captain, Level 2 Kashima Ouka. He was a large young man, standing at over 190 cm with a tough build, broad shoulders and toned muscles on his arms and legs. He had short and spikey black hair and eyes, and wore the standard purple kimono of the familia, but on top of it he normally wore a red, gold, and black kamishimo over the outfit, but it was currently folded and placed next to him on the floor. 

Both Lord Take and Ouka turned to greet the return of their fellow familia member, as they had heard her through the door, but also paused upon seeing the large coat over her body. “Uhm, Mikoto.” Take asked, his face with a smirk on his face. “What’s that you are wearing?” 

Mikoto sat down by the table, across from Ouka’s seat, and got herself comfortable, still not taking off the coat. Chigusa sat next to her, curious about the coat and awaiting the explanation. 

“Lord Take, Ouka, Chigusa.” Mikoto named them one by one, garnering their attention. “As you know, I decided to dive into the dungeon alone to improve my strength before my next level up.” They all nodded, with Take leaning forward slightly. “Well, I was in the middle of my dive, having reached the 9th floor, when.. I ran into a Minotaur.” 

“WHAT?!” They all shouted, with Take being the loudest. Chigusa immediately began checking Mikoto for any lingering wounds, while Ouka and the War God sat waiting for an explanation. 

“Yes. It was a bizarre event that will be explained shortly. But yes, I had run into a Minotaur. Knowing I couldn’t fight it, I tried to run away. However, I was forced to fight it head on after a few encounters and dead end tunnels. I got a nasty wound over my chest and was thrown into one of the many rooms on the 9th floor, and was ready to face my death.” She softly rubbed the sleeve of the coat with her hand, a blush forming on her face. “Until he came.” 

“He? Who’s he?” Take asked, his curiosity peaking. Ouka nodded, although he was confused about the blush on Mikoto’s face. Chigusa, meanwhile, was shocked at her friend’s expression, but kept quiet. 

“His name is Nero, a new adventurer of the Loki Familia. He actually surprised the Minotaur, effectively drop-kicking it into the wall. Upon seeing me, he gave me his coat to cover myself, as my kimono isn’t able to cover my chest all that well anymore.” She blushed at that, remembering his reaction to realizing her lack of chest coverings. Take and Ouka nodded, with Ouka slightly blushing at the image but quickly shook that out of his head. “But afterwards, his party came to help me. His brother, I think his name was Bell, came alongside a blonde girl named Patty, and a prum supporter named Lili. The girls protected me while the brothers fought the minotaur off.” 

Take’s eyes widened at this. “Were they all level 1s? That’s suicide!” The war god said, leaning towards Mikoto. 

“Even I’d be cautious trying to face a Minotaur, and I’m level 2 now..” Ouka said, scratching the back of his head. 

“Yeah.. but he and his brother charged fearlessly, almost to certain death. Even when they both got tossed away and the Minotaur’s howl hit all of us, he snapped himself out of it to save his brother..” Despite the impending doom and the potential trauma an event like this would cause any other adventurer, Mikoto could only see the positives, always seeing Nero as he fought, despite his lack of technique or skill, he fought valiantly. Her face was layered with a blush, as she stared at the sleeve of the coat with a soft smile. 

Chigusa and Take immediately caught on to her act, with the War God chuckling while the girl covered her mouth with a smile on it. Ouka, being the dense brick he was, could only look confused, crossing his arms. Mikoto snapped out of her stupor, and explained the rest of the encounter, the aftermath and meeting with the Loki familia, as well as the ascent to the surface.

“Well, at least your home, safe and sound.” Take said, giving his child a soft smile. “Considering the encounter, let's go ahead and update your status. You likely got a few extra points.” Mikoto agreed, and the two left the tatami room towards the other building across the room. 

The next building over was Lord Take’s wing of the home. It was smaller than the rest of the property, and square shaped. This room had a few sections to it, one being Take’s futon where he slept, the other a closed off shower and bath, and the other his toilet. The center of the room contained a small table with a few books stacked on top, and a small cup with pens and needles inside for status updates, with some floor cushions for the children to sit when they spoke with the War God for anything they wanted or needed.

Mikoto sat down at the table, unbuttoning the coat until only the top-most button was still connected, before spinning it around. Since her kimono was ruined, Patty and Lili, with some aid from Riveria, had given her new bandages to cover her ample chest in case of an emergency. Take sat down behind her, grabbing a needle out of the cup and dropping his blood onto her back. As he witnessed the events unfolding from her dive, as well as the encounter with the Minotaur, his child’s falna was changing, almost shifting. And with this shift, bore the birth of a new skill on her back. After reading the name of the skill, he couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Is something wrong, Lord Take?” The raven-haired girl asked, slightly turning her head to look at her God in her peripheral vision. 

“Nothing is wrong, quite the opposite in fact.” Take clarified, his voice filled with pride as he copied Mikoto’s status onto a sheet. “Your growth was quite large this time around. A whole 81 points in all categories, with your Dexterity moving up a letter grade. You also..” He snickered for a moment, which the girl raised an eyebrow at. “..got a new skill. Congrats.” He finished copying Mikoto's status and handed her the sheet. 

She fixed the coat, rebuttoning it down, then rolled up the sleeves so she could grab the status sheet properly. Once she did, her eyes widened at her growth. Skimming down the sheet, she could only blush once she read the skill’s name. “W-What?!?” 

Name: Yamato Mikoto

Race: Human

Level: 1

Strength: F 348 > F 360

Endurance: F 311 > F 325

Dexterity: E 483 > D 500

Agility: D 554 > D 574

Magic: E 415 > E 433

Skills: 

[ Yatanokurogarasu ] Active Trigger

-Grants the ability to search for enemies within a specific range, including enemies hidden from view. Only works on monsters or enemies the user has encountered prior. 

[ Yatanoshirogarasu ] Active Trigger

-Grants the ability to search for Familia members within a given range. Only works on members of the same familia as the user. 

[ Koi no Yokan ] 

-Minor boost to all stats, boost increases in the face of adversity. 

-Increased growth corresponding with the user’s feelings. 

Magic:

[ Futsunomitama ] Medium Mind Cost
{Chant: I respectfully speak to you, my War God that can break through any thing, lead me from the precious heaven. Give my petty body divine power of your grand body. Rescue them light of purification, sword of crushing evil. Sweep sword of suppression, sacred sword of conquest. It arrives here now by my order. Descend from heaven, rule the earth - shinbu tousei }

-Heavy Gravity magic that crushes a particular area, up to a certain size. Requires concentration to maintain.

Chapter Text

~ Chapter 5: Guts and Glory ~ 

~ Dian Cecht Hospital, Day After Minotaur Incident ~

The hospital room was quiet, despite the amount of people in the room. Bell sat in a chair by his brother’s bed, on its right side. Loki stood besides him, softly rubbing his back. Bete stood off to the left side, leaning on a wall on the other side of Nero’s bed, eyes closed and his arms crossed. Riveria sat with Finn and Gareth on the other side of the room. 

They all quietly sat, until a groan emitted from the bed. Everyone’s attention immediately snapped to where Nero laid on the bed. Shifting in the bedside, he brought his right arm, now bandaged up to cover the Devil Bringer, and laid his arm over his face, covering his eyes. 

“I feel like a building fell on me..” Nero complained, his voice hoarse from disuse. 

Bell immediately came over to Nero's side. “Brother! Are you feeling okay?” He said, tears forming at the corner of his worried eyes.

Nero lifted his right arm, patting Bell’s head. “I’m alive. Now, could I get some water?” He asked, motioning towards the water pitcher by Bete’s side. 

Bete grunted, but went over to pour out a glass of water. Bell helped Nero sit up in his bed, groaning slightly from the aches in his body from the healed injuries. Bete handed over the glass to Bell, who helped his brother drink to prevent spillage. 

The executives stood up, walking over to the foot of the bed, while Loki leaned onto Bell, her head resting on his own. “How are ya feelin’, kiddo?” Gareth questioned, while Finn gave him a small smile with Riveria showing signs of relief in her eyes.

“Like shit.” Nero said, while Riveria sighed at his profanity. The others chuckled, with Bell smiling softly. 

Airmid entered the room after hearing that Nero was awake. She moved everyone out of the room to perform an examination. Once she finished, Nero was cleared to leave the hospital, and joined the others who were in the main lobby waiting. 

“Oh, I never asked, did that girl get back okay?” Nero asked, as they made their way back to the Twilight Manor to finally get home and rest. 

Riveria smiled at this. “Yes, the young girl, Yamato Mikoto, made it home just fine. She still has your coat though, so we’ll likely see her at the manor at some point.” She clarified, as they approached the gates, although there was some commotion with the guards and three visitors at the gate. 

Getting closer, they were able to pick up bits of the conversation happening between the tallest figure and the gate guard, Raul who was on post today. 

“Look, as far as I am concerned, we are not expecting visitors nor do you have a meeting with Lady Loki. Once they return, I’ll happily double- oh, speak of the Trickster.” Raul was in the middle of repeating himself until he noticed the group coming back, with Loki and Finn in the lead followed closely by Riveria on the Captain’s left side, Gareth on her right, and Nero and Bell beside him.

“Is everything okay?” Finn asked Raul, as Loki noticed the three surprise visitors, revealed to be The God of War, Takemikazuchi, alongside two of his children, his Captain Ouka and Mikoto, the girl from the Minotaur incident, holding Nero’s coat which was folded nicely in her hands. Noticing the girl, Nero walked over, hands in his pocket, with Loki and Bell following behind.

“Oh, it’s you. Mikoto, correct?” Nero waved his hand towards the trio, the girl slightly blushing at his approach. “Are you doing okay?” 

“Y-yes, I’m doing okay. T-Thank you for your concern, Sir Nero.” Mikoto bowed towards the teen, her face filled with a blush as Lord Take chuckled. 

“Sir?” Nero tilted his head. He was never one for formalities, so he waved his hand. “Just Nero is fine. No need for any formalities, we’re adventurers here.” 

Ouka had stayed quiet, his arms crossed with a neutral expression on his face. Take, however, was trying not to laugh out loud as Loki approached him. 

“Ey, how’s it going, Take?” Loki greeted the god, who took a deep breath to try and relax himself. 

“Loki, it is good to see you.” Take greeted the Trickster, bowing slightly. “It’s been going well. I heard about the incident that happened from my child. So I came by to thank you, as well as the young man who saved her.” Take stated as he looked over towards Nero, who had heard him being referred to. 

“Oh, that would be me, sir. You are Mikoto’s God?” Nero asked, as Bell bowed towards the War God in respect. 

“That is correct. I am Takemikazuchi, Mikoto’s God and head of the familia. I wanted to come by to personally thank you for saving her life.” Take bowed his head towards the young man, a smile on his face. 

“No need to thank me. I couldn’t just leave her to her fate.” Nero said, with Bell nodding his support of his brother. 

“Yeah, it’s just natural for us to help others in need, after all.” Bell said, smiling as his brother ruffled his hair.

“You are quite humble, considering all things, you two.” Take said, looking towards the teenager with a smile. 

Nero and Bell tilted their heads in confusion, earning a round of chuckles from everyone. “Well you two are young adventurers in the prestigious Loki Familia.” Take explained his reasoning, and the albinos turned towards one another. 

Bell turned back towards Take. “No offense to Loki or anything but..” the rabbit-like teen scratched his cheek smiling sheepishly. “The falna we receive is all the same, is it not?” 

Loki smiled, wrapping her arms around the two albinos, pulling them in for a hug. “That is true. The falna is not what matters, but what is in the heart of those who receive it. And these two.” She squeezed them softly, getting chuckles from the two brothers as everyone smiled at the scene. “Are my little pair of white-haired heroes-in-training.” 

Mikoto smiled, before realizing she was still holding Nero’s coat. “Oh I forgot. Here you go.” She held out his coat to him, and he reached over to take it. “I washed it for you. Thanks again.” She bowed. 

Nero, once with his coat, placed it underneath his arm still folded. “Thank you. I’m glad you did well. Speakin’ of.” He turned to Bell. “We gotta get in touch with Patty and Lili, let ‘em know I’m back up and alive.” 

Bell nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we can try to find them tomorrow and let them know. For now, you should rest.” He told Nero, which earned a round of agreement from everyone around, even Bete grunted his approval. 

“Uh, excuse me.” The brothers looked towards the raven-haired girl. “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could I also join your party in dungeon dives? I’ve been working on increasing my status before I attempt to level up.” Mikoto bowed after asking the boys. Although it was a little selfish to ask them to aid her, the revelation of her new skill manifesting in her status sheet threw her for a loop. She couldn’t believe that she had developed feelings for someone she had just met, and it was from a chance encounter. However, she’s always read romantic novels and stories from the Far East, and many have always had this ‘Fateful Encounter’ with their love interest. And she just had one, albeit one very painful and violent one, but it was a chance encounter if her Falna had anything to say about it.

“Hm.. I wouldn’t be opposed. What about you Bell?” Nero rubbed his chin as he turned to his rabbit-like brother. 

“Hey, the more the merrier I say. Only thing we’re missing is a healer or mage really, and then our party composition would be a lot more balanced.” Bell said, smiling to himself. Suddenly, his gaze narrowed as he spun around, frantically looking around with a serious but panicked expression. Suddenly seeing the shift in alertness from their comrade, the fellow Loki Executives, as well as Raul, immediately braced themselves for combat, but upon seeing nor sensing a nearby threat, everyone looked to Bell.

“Sorry.. Just.. I have a bad feeling someone’s been watching me.” Bell said, looking down but his left hand was twitchy, his gaze looking towards Babel’s top floor. The others relaxed, although Loki and Nero were concerned at that revelation, Loki most of all seeing the direction he was facing. 

After shaking off the feeling, Everyone said their goodbyes to the Far Eastern God and his children, and went their separate ways. Entering the manor, Loki pulled both Bell and Nero to her room for status updates since they haven’t done them in awhile, namely due to the albino’s insistence to focus more on training and using their off days for the status updates and rest. 

“Aight, you know the drill kiddos, shirts up and butts down.. In the chair.” Loki said, grabbing a needle from a nearby cup as Nero sat down first, removing his hoodie and placing it with his coat in Bell’s hands. After a minute, Loki whistled before starting to copy down his status onto a sheet. “Sheesh, that Minotaur really let you have it.. But you did get one hell of a growth.” She handed him the sheet so he could look at it.

Name : Nero

Race : Human/Demon Hybrid  

Level : 1 

Strength : E 460 > D 587

Endurance : E 427 > D 565

Dexterity : F 326 > E 434

Agility : F 380 > D 518

Magic : F 348 > E 466

Skills : 

[ Legacy of Sparda ]  

-Slightly Boosts all basic stats; Raise maximum status caps of all basic abilities.

-Excelia gain increased when in combat. Increase regeneration of mind and body.

Magic : 

[ Spectral Claw ] Quick Cast, At Will

-Short ranged melee spell, can grab and throw targets and objects smaller than the user {Snatch} or used to pull the user towards a location or enemy {Hell Bound}.

“Woah, that’s… a lot. I know we were going quite deep despite our time as adventurers, but.. It’s still bizarre to see our growth.” Nero stated, looking at his numbers. 

Bell, leaning over his brother’s shoulder, was shocked at the numbers but couldn’t fault him for it. It was a rough battle, after all. “Good job, Nero.” He patted his back. 

“Come on rabbit, your turn, git over here.” Loki said, waving him over while Bell grumbled under his breath about not being a rabbit. Following the same method, she winced as she witnessed the moment the Minotaur was about to attack Bell only for Nero to jump on its back. Leaning forward to grab a paper, she whispered in his ears, “It’ll be okay.” before placing the sheet on his back and updating his status. 

Bell only nodded, understanding the reasoning for her supportive message. He barely responded to her or the others trying to cheer him up after the Minotaur incident. He was, understandably, torn about the whole thing. It was a frightening experience for the boy, but it paled in comparison to the thought of losing Nero, watching his limp body hit the ground had been engraved in his memory, and he couldn’t sleep well without it flashing back into his mind. But he didn’t blame anyone but himself. He beat himself up senseless about the entire ordeal, calling himself weak, pathetic, a failure. He didn’t deserve to stand side-by-side with the Loki Familia. He felt Nero deserved it much more, being able to fearlessly protect his family and friends, almost throwing his life away to buy time for back-up to arrive. While he just sat and cried, like a lost child, powerless to do anything as the beast almost killed his brother, almost killed him, and all he could do was cry and whimper. After Loki tapped his shoulder, snapping him out of his self-deprecating thoughts, he read over his status. 

Name : Bell Cranel 

Race : Human 

Level : 1 

Strength : F 381 > E 444

Endurance : F 325 > E 410 

Dexterity : E 441 > D 525

Agility : E 487 > D 578

Magic : I 0 > I 0

Skills : 

[ Heroic Desire ] 

-Increased Growth proportional to the user’s desire Greater desire amplifies the effect. 

Magic : 

None

Although his growth was good, he felt like he was falling behind Nero, especially since he didn’t have any magic available to him. ‘I hope I can get some magic.. Something cool like Nero’s claws..’ he prayed internally for something, although he knew it was futile. After all, to develop magic, you must have the innate ability, as well as always studying up on magic and meditating. And all he read were hero stories and never meditated, not even tried to do so. So trying to pray for magic was just foolish-

‘ So shall it be.. ’ 

Bell's eyes widened. ‘ That voice… it was there when we saved Lili. It warned me about the War Shadow.. What, or who, is it? ’ his thoughts raced through his head, although it wasn’t getting him anywhere as the moment he sensed the voice, it vanished once again. Just deciding to pin that self-discussion point for later, he moved on, giving over the sheet to Loki and letting her put them away. Best to keep that stuff under wraps and all.

“Alright, it’s getting late. You two get some rest. Tomorrow is your rest day, so take it easy. Later that night, we’ll be going to the Hostess to celebrate so I expect you to be joining us there, capiche?” Loki explained, earning a nod from the albinos before ushering them out the door to bathe and get ready for the night. Nero made his way to the baths alongside Bell, and wound up running into Raul, Bete, and Finn also approaching the baths. 

“Oh hey you two, getting cleaned up?” Raul greeted the brothers, as Bete nodded towards them and Finn waved, each holding a towel and change of clothes. 

“Yeah, especially me. I didn’t get to bathe properly after that whole Minotaur shit-show, so I’d like to get an actual bath in.” Nero said, scrunching up his nose. He wasn’t a clean freak, but basic hygiene is a must. 

“Fair enough.” Finn mused. “Then let us head in, the bath’s are large enough for us all.” The others agreed and walked into the bath together. Luckily enough, things weren’t all that awkward for the guys, as they stripped down and went over to clean themselves off. After 10 minutes of scrubbing, as well as some chit chat between the dudes, they all cleaned off the soap and dipped into the warm bathwater, simultaneously letting out a satisfied ‘ahh’ as they settled. 

~ Twilight Manor, Later that Night ~

After having dinner with the others, everyone had gone to their rooms to retire for the night. Outside, the windows of the manor were hit by a soft rain, the pitter-patter of the water droplets hitting the panes as thunder echoed in the distance, combined with the soft, warmth of their beds was a soothing melody to help anyone sleep. Although for one individual, our resident Rabbit of the Loki Familia, he’d be in for a surprise this very night. 

~ ??? ~

“ ...ke..p… ” 

‘Hmm..?’ A voice?... I’m tired.. Let me sleep…’ 

‘ ...ake.. up… ’ 

‘ Let me sleeeeeeeppp… ’ Bell said, rolling over onto his side as he felt the sound of shifting water. ‘ Wait, water? ’ 

‘ WAKE UP DAMMIT! ’ A deep, echoing voice, commanding in its tone, shouted into the void, startling the albino. Bell realized he was in a strange world, devoid of structure or life, a very small ocean of water, up to one’s ankles, covered everything off into the distance. What grabbed his attention was the being in front of him. 

Standing at over 210 cm in height, the being was humanoid in shape but that was the only similarity. A large pair of scaly, dragon-like wings sprouted from the back of the creature alongside a long dragon-like tail. Its body was covered in scales, a royal purple in color, with large orange claws on his hands and feet. The chest was a lighter shade than the rest of the body, with cracks throughout the chest that glowed with a deep blue energy, similar to Nero’s Devil Bringer. It wore a deep purple colored happuri over his face, a style of men-yoroi helmet from the Far East, and had a set of orange horns protruding from the helmet with a skull emblem between them on the helmet. Its eyes were strange, the iris being a crimson color but was shroud in black. The teeth were razor sharp, like a serrated blade, and had black hair, short in length and extremely spiky, brushed to the back. 

“ About time, boy. ” The creature spoke in front of Bell, its voice deep and menacing but lacking any true hostility towards him. He recognized the voice, the same one from the dungeon and from his status update.

“Uhm.. I recognize your voice. W-Who are you?” Bell asked the figure, who appeared to smirk at him. 

Raising a clawed hand, it pointed a thumb at itself. “ I am Alastor, the Spirit of Lightning, and the being inhabiting the Devil Arm you wield. ” He introduced himself with pride, before leaning in close. “ And you are my new wielder, Bell Cranel. ” 

“Oh.. wait you’re alive?!” Bell gasped at the revelation. It meant his sword was a Devil Arm comparable to a divine weapon. 

“ Of course. That is how Devil Arms of my caliber are made! ” Alastor boasted, before sighing. “ Then I was left to rot in that damn basement for years. My power had weakened significantly until you and those others pulled me from there. ” 

“I see, and now you’re awake. How is that?” Bell asked, tilting his head curiously. “I never heard you speak until more recently.” 

“ Of course not, I was trying to conserve energy. However those.. Monsters you face in that Dungeon, I can absorb some of their life force as you slay them. I’d rather rely on your magic but.. Well you don’t have any. ”  

Bell looked down in sadness. “I’m sorry..” 

Alastor waved it off. “ No worries, you’re human. Not all of you are able to learn magic. However.. ” Bell looked up, and noticed Alastor’s face was only a few cm from his own. “ I can fix that. ” 

“What?! Wait… you’re a demon, aren’t you?” Bell said, his eyes narrowing suspiciously towards Alastor, who just laughed at his reaction. 

“ Technically a Spirit, but anyways. I am here to offer a deal that benefits us both. After all, it is an honor to be able to fight alongside one of the descendants of Sparda. ” Alastor smiled with pride, despite the fact his fangs made it seem like the smirk of a maniac. 

“...Sparda? Who’s that?” Bell asked, and watched Alastor turn slowly to him in shock.

“ Y-you.. You don’t know who Lord Sparda is?!? You?! A lover of hero stories doesn't know about the Hero of the Demon World?! ” Alastor scolded the teen, who held his hands up in surrender at his mini-tirade. 

“He was a hero that was also a demon? That’s cool! What’s the story?” Bell, now invested with the mention of a potential new hero story he’s never heard before. 

And so Alastor retold the tale from the start of the Age of Heroes, of a demon by the name of Sparda, the Legendary Dark Knight. During his time, he held the title of the ‘Strongest Demon Swordsman’ in the Netherworld. At the time, he had served as the right hand man of the Emperor of the realm, Mundus. Over the years, the demons had traveled between the realms, wrecking havoc upon an already struggling mortal realm. Bearing witness to the injustice and tyranny inflicted upon people who were already struggling to survive on their own, Sparda decided enough was enough and rebelled against Mundus. Fighting the armies of hell, former friends and allies, and even facing the Dark Emperor himself, The Dark Knight prevailed over them all. 

Once defeated, the armies fled throughout the Netherworld, as Sparda worked to seal the demon realm away from the mortals, to prevent their escape again. Sacrificing the lionshare of his power, he poured his demonic energy into his blade as well as a special magic amulet to close the portal between the realms. Within this, he also sealed away the Gatekeepers of the underworld, the likes of Cerberus, Nevan, Beowulf, and such as seals within the portal as added security. 

Once he sealed off the demon realm, he proceed to rule over the humans as a benevolent ruler, protecting and nurturing the likes of many heroes whose tales exist to this day, including the famous story of the Argonaut, Crozzo the First, a blacksmith that received the blood of the Spirit Urus, and even trained the famous Mercenary Hero Albert Waldstein himself. However, Sparda never interfered with the lives of the mortal races, instead granting them the freedom to live as they wish. Hence, when Albert faced the Black Dragon, Sparda never interfered. Though Albert had failed to slay the Dragon, he did wound it gravely, taking its eye and forcing it back. 

Afterwards, Sparda had all but disappeared until more recently, about 40-ish years ago, when it was rumored he had closed another portal to the Netherworld in the City of Fortuna, and even fathered children, twin sons, but then disappeared once again. No one had seen him since and it is presumed he is possibly dead. 

“Woah.. that’s awesome. Wait.. Sparda.. Nero has a skill called ‘Legacy of Sparda.. He’s a descendant? Meaning one of the sons of Sparda had a kid!?” Bell immediately put it together, with Alastor nodding. 

“ Yes. It appears to be so, it’s hard to mistake the blood of a Sparda after all. ” The Spirit stated, crossing his arms, his tail waving casually behind him. 

“I see. Considering all things, to have my brother be the descendant of a renown hero.. It’s awesome!” Bell cheered, with Alastor laughing. 

“ It’s quite amazing, if I say so myself. BUT! ” Alastor suddenly got serious, stopping Bell in his tracks. “ Back on topic. You learning magic. ” 

Bell positioned himself in a cross legged sitting position in front of Alastor, who was sitting in the same way with his arms crossed. “ Putting it simply, you cannot handle my full strength as you are. ” Bell deflated at this, but Alastor held a hand up. “ However, it does not mean I cannot give you something. I can offer a portion of my power, and can grant you more as you develop further, and I regain my own strength. ” 

Bell nodded, as Alastor took up a thinking pose. “ Hmm… now what to share in terms of my power.. Ah! ” The Spirit snapped his fingers, grinning. “ I know the perfect spell for you to start with. A self-enhancement ability, called ‘Tempest Cloak’. ” Bell eyes, wide as stars, leaned in closer with excitement. “A simple ability, it will boost all your abilities by a small margin, but your Agility will rise even further. ” Bell was ecstatic, he was gonna get magic! “ It will wear you down quite a lot early on, but as you develop your magic stat, it will get easier. Even at your current state, you’d likely be able to use this spell for at least.. A minute, give or take, without a Mind Down. ” 

“Awesome! So uh.. How does this work..?” Bell asked sheepishly. He didn’t understand how it was supposed to happen. 

“ It is as simple as 1… ” Alastor lifted a hand. “ ...2… ” He began reaching and touched Bell’s forehead with a claw. With a grin, he tapped once. “ ...3. ” Then everything went black. 

~ Twilight Manor, The Following Morning ~ 

Bell woke up with a start, slightly sweating. Looking around, he was in his shared bedroom with his brother, who was still snoring in his bed. A little bit of sunlight was bleeding through the space between the curtains. Sitting up, he saw his sword, Alastor, laying by his bedside. He moved to sit on the edge of the bed, and picked up the Devil Arm. 

“Good morning, Alastor.” the rabbit-like teen whispered, softly patting the blade. He chuckled quietly to himself, thinking the whole thing was silly.

“ Mornin’, Bell. ” Alastor responded suddenly, making Bell yelp in surprise, which stirred Nero on the other side. 

“Huh? Oh, morning bro.” Nero said groggily, stifling a large yawn as he stretched in bed, his joints popping. He apparently decided to go shirtless last night, only wearing sleeping pants. 

“Mornin, Nero.” Bell nodded towards his brother, before setting the sword down and quickly getting dressed. 

“Everything good? You seem to be in a rush, Bell.” Nero sat up, looking at his brother curiously, although his slouch still showed he was still waking up. 

“Uhm…” Bell didn’t know how to explain it. ‘Should I tell him about Alastor? Should I tell the others about him?’ He scratched the back of his head in confusion, which only heightened his brother’s curiosity. 

“ It’s fine to tell them, Bell. ” Alastor piped up suddenly. Bell looked towards the sword in surprise, which confused Nero. “ Unless I will it, they cannot hear me. Although for now, keep it within your upper echelon and your Goddess. ” He nodded, before turning to his brother. 

“The Devil Arm woke up.” Nero’s eyes widened at this, looking at the sword. “His name’s Alastor. And he gave me magic!” Bell was giddy, remembering their conversation. “But let’s let Lady Loki and the others know, at least the executives. Alastor wishes to keep it only with them for now.” 

“That’s fair.. A sentient weapon that could speak? You’d get robbed on the spot by everyone, at best. At worst.. Who knows.” Nero said, before hopping up and getting ready himself. 

The brothers quickly stepped out, passing by numerous members of the lower ranks of the Familia, which eyed them with jealousy. They didn’t pay much mind to the scowls, and approached the dining area, seeing that the executives were already there. Riveria was eating with the Hiryute twins, Lefiya, and Ais. Finn, Gareth, Bete, and Raul were sitting at a different table with Loki, each trying to wake up from the morning. 

Bell quickly made for Loki, cradling the Devil Arm in his hands with Nero right beside him. As they approached, Finn noticed them and gave them a tired wave. 

“Good morning you two.” He said, softly smiling while sipping at some coffee. “Sleep well?” 

The two nodded, before Bell immediately walked over to Loki’s side. “Psst, Loki. We gotta get the execs together for a meeting. It’s important.” Bell said, which Loki just groaned at. 

“It’s too early for a meetin’ kiddo, why we gotta do important stuff now? It’s a rest day, so rest!” Loki pouted, her head resting on the table while Bete grumbled as well, his ears flat on his head. 

Bell pouted, before tapping Loki on her shoulder, and quietly saying, “The Devil Arm woke up.” 

Immediately, Loki snapped to attention, turning to the rabbit-like teen, her eyes squinted at him. “Yer serious?” Receiving a nod, Loki immediately sprung up. The others, confused at the whole thing, only watched while Loki turned towards the other group of executives. “Ey, Mama. Gather the execs, vital meeting time!” 

“Who’s a mama?” Riveria sighed while pinching her nose, before quickly standing up with the others and walking over. Once they gathered, Loki and Bell led the group over to Finn’s office area. Piling in, everyone took their usual spots in the room. Finn at his desk, Loki at the head of his desk, leaning against it. Riveria, Lefiya, and the Hiryute sisters on one couch. Gareth and Raul sat on the other couch with Nero. Bete and Ais remained standing, while Bell walked over to Loki and stood by her side. 

“Aight, so before we continue, we gotta catch everyone up to speed.” Loki explained, earning a nod from the brothers while the others had raised eyebrows. So Nero took over, explaining their impromptu visit to the old Zeus manor, their discovery of the sword that Bell wields, and the explanation behind what ‘Devil Arms’ are and how they are created. 

The executives were quiet, absorbing the information and trying to understand it. Course, Tiona was the first to be extremely lost alongside Ais, as the Loki Familia’s resident airhead. 

Bete snorted. “So, this ‘Devil Arm’ of yours, rabbit.” A pout from Bell. “You said there are two types. One made with the materials, another made with the soul. Which is yours?” 

“ I believe I can take over from here, Bell. ” A deep voice resonated from the blade, as it softly began to glow. The others froze at the voice, aside from Bell who essentially was speaking to the Spirit all night. “ Good morning, Loki Familia. I am the Devil Arm, Alastor. ” 

Loki’s eyes completely opened. “The Spirit of Lightning?” Everyone gasped at the knowledge, especially Ais. 

“ The very same, Loki. I’ve awoken thanks to Bell’s continuous usage of me in the dungeon. Speaking of the young boy. ” Bell smiled and puffed his chest out. “ I will request you to update his falna. I’ve decided, as my current chosen wielder and brother of a descendant of Sparda, to grant him a portion of my power. ” 

Loki, remembering Nero’s first skill, immediately snapped her attention to him, which he reacted by looking back. “Yer a descendant of the Dark Knight? I thought you just knew of his story..” 

Nero raised an eyebrow, leaning on his knees. “Who’s Sparda? Never heard of that story or person or whatever.” He waved his hand, earning a gasp from Alastor. 

“ You don’t even know who your ancestor is?! Actually.. Bell said the same thing.. Who here has heard of the tale of the Dark Knight Sparda? ” Alastor asked the room, but received a chorus of no’s, which he groaned. “ Oy vey.. How could no one know of your legend, Lord Sparda.. ” Alastor sounded like a kicked puppy as he sighed, before clearing his throat. “ Fine. Let’s catch you up to speed. ” 

~ One Sparda Story-Telling Session later.. ~ 

After catching everyone up to speed on Sparda and his history, everyone was looking towards Nero, especially the sharp eyes of a specific Sword Princess. While Alastor was retelling the story, Loki took to updating Bell’s falna so they could check out this new spell the Lightning Spirit gifted the boy. Sure enough, plain as day, was the new spell in all its glory. 

Name : Bell Cranel 

Race : Human 

Level : 1 

Strength : E 444

Endurance : E 410 

Dexterity : D 525

Agility : D 578

Magic : I 0 

Skills : 

[ Heroic Desire ] 

-Increased Growth proportional to the user’s desire Greater desire amplifies the effect. 

Magic : 

[ Tempest Cloak ] Quick Cast , Active Toggle, Low Mind Drain

-When active, greatly increases Agility. All other stats received a slight boost.

“And there’s the spell.. A quick cast spell? And it can be toggled on and off?!” Loki exclaimed, catching everyone’s attention. 

“That’s quite a useful spell. Sir Alastor, are you sure that is not overkill for the novice?” Riveria asked, one of her eyes closed. 

“ Well, to be frank, sorry in advance, Bell. ” Alastor said, which Bell raised his eyebrow at. “ This spell is a very low-grade version of the actual spell. Think of this like a chest piece of an entire armor set. ” the Spirit explained, which Riveria nodded at the explanation in understanding.. For about 3 seconds. 

“Wait, this is a toned-down version?! What the hell is the original?” Lefiya piped up in shock, which Finn, Bete, Ais, and Gareth all grunted their acknowledgement. This spell was already quite versatile, but for it to be a child-proof version is ridiculous. 

“ The original spell is less of a spell and more of a transformation. Akin to the demi-human’s ‘Beastification’, we demons have something similar called the ‘Devil Trigger’. ” Everyone nodded, then looked to Nero, who was learning more about both his heritage and even his own race and their native abilities. “ Don’t get your hopes up. The Devil Trigger is difficult to obtain, and will likely require a catalyst to aid in unlocking your own, Nero. ” 

A sigh from the resident quarter-demon. “Damn, that sounds hella useful.” Nero leaned back into the couch, slightly disappointed. 

“ Well in any case, Bell. ” The rabbit-like teen looked towards the Devil Arm. “ Come. We will go to the yard and practice using your new spell. Gotta get used to it before you try it in combat. ” 

“Right!” Bell said excitedly, dropping his shirt and grabbing Alastor before bolting towards the door. That was, until Riveria grabbed his collar and stopped him in his tracks.

“I’m coming too. No offense to Alastor, but I’m the best mage in our familia, so I feel I’d be more reliable in practical application.” Riveria clarified, looking at Bell. 

“ Do you doubt my teaching abilities? I am the Spirit of Lightning, Alastor! I will be more than enough for the young lad. ” The Spirit retorted. Bell sheepishly chuckled as a bizarre argument ensued, between a High Elf and… a sword. 

Meanwhile, Ais had walked over to where Nero was, who was watching the argument, his eyes flickering in amusement at the antics. “Excuse me.” Nero turned to her. “Sorry, but.. Can we talk a little later?” Nero raised an eyebrow but nodded in agreement. He didn’t see the harm in it. Finishing their short conversation, Nero stepped over to try and quell the storm, stating that both of them could easily go and guide Bell, which they reluctantly agreed to. Nero sighed, expecting this was going to be a handful now that Bell had magic.

~ Streets of Orario, 1 hour later ~

After settling the argument with everyone, Bell went to train with Alastor, Riveria, and Lefiya. Nero, since it was still early, decided to go and take a walk around town. Ais, not having much to do, decided to accompany him as they just walked around, chatting about nothing in particular. Ais did comment that his longsword was starting to wear down, and Nero agreed. He’d consider getting a replacement but for now he’d stick with the original he had. As they walked, they wound up running into Takemikazuchi and Mikoto, who were out running errands. 

“Oh, good morning, Lord Take. Mikoto, good to see you.” Nero waved towards the two, with Ais giving them a polite wave. 

“Nero! H-hello!” Mikoto stuttered out a greeting, much to her embarrassment and Take’s pleasure. 

“Good to see you, Nero. You as well, Sword Princess.” Take greeted the two with a bow. 

“Just Ais is fine, everyone calls me that.” Ais requested, which Take nodded in acknowledgement. 

“What are you guys up to?” Mikoto asked the two, which they looked at one another for a moment. That somehow didn’t sit well with her, for some reason. ‘ Why did they look at each other? Are they.. Out on a d-date? ’ 

“Uhm, honestly? Just walking around. I didn’t have a destination in mind and decided to just wander aimlessly, and Ais decided to join me.” Ais nodded in agreement. 

“I see..” Mikoto nodded in understanding, while internally she sighed in relief. Although that immediately was followed by her questioning herself on why she was relieved. 

“Well we’re running errands for our familia, having to gather a few things for the home.” Take said with a smile. 

“Oh okay, I don’t wanna take up much of your time so we’ll be on our way.” Take bowed as Nero and Ais walked away, now heading alongside the wall to the west side of the city, towards where the Hostess was located. With nothing in particular to look for, they just walked around, picking up some Jagamarukun at Ais’ recommendation. They were coming up to the west-side entrance, the entrance where Nero and Bell had initially entered the city roughly a month ago. However, Nero noticed some commotion in a nearby alleyway. Telling Ais he’d be right back, he wandered towards the alleyway to figure out what was going on. 

“Back off!” He heard a woman shouting, so he sped himself up and reached a small open courtyard a short distance off of the main road. A woman was surrounded by 3 guys, adventurers judging by their simple leather armor and swords on their hips, and they were cornering her. 

“Come on, cutie. We’re just tryna show ya a good time.” One of the men, a human with black straight hair, leered at the girl, getting a few chuckles from his friends as they stepped closer. 

“N’ I said I ain’t interested, now scram!” The woman was quite good looking to Nero, with an attractive figure, a nice face with freckles over her nose and cheek. Standing at 175 cm, her arms were covered in tattoos as well as having a tattoo that circled her thigh, and a tattoo over her lower stomach that went a bit too low for Nero’s taste. She had wavy, black hair tied back and held with a hairband. She wore a pair of glasses with an orange frame. She wore a white tank top that revealed her midriff, with a dark-yellow jacket that was cut similarly to her tank top. To match, she had a pair of denim shorts with a belt that held a pouch on her backside, a pair of gloves that hung on her right hip, and a large toolbelt on her left hip which was tied at the bottom to her thigh for stability. A pair of brown cowboy style boots finished off the outfit. 

“Don’t be that way, we don’t wanna get rough with ya~” Another of the group, a Chienthrope, held the hilt of his sword. 

‘Yeah this is going nowhere. Time to play hero.’ Nero internally sighed, before cracking his neck. “Oi, the woman said she isn’t down to play, so fuck off.” The teen piped up, catching the attention of everyone, including the woman. 

“What’d you say, you little shit?” The third man, a bald man with a beard, snarled at Nero, grabbing at his own sword. “This don’t involve you, so scram!” 

“I believe it does now.” Nero observed the three. Sensing their strength, they couldn’t be higher than mid level 1s. “Last warning. Fuck. Off.” Nero threatened, removing the longsword from his back and rolling his shoulders. 

“You wanna fight?! Bring it!” The bald man shouted, pulling his sword out from its sheath before charging at Nero. 

Nero dodged the man’s first few swings easily, realizing this one was weaker than he anticipated. Using the flat part of his sword, he immediately swung and collided with the guy’s face, sending him rolling onto the ground and colliding with one of the nearby buildings, completely out-cold. Placing the sword on his back, he looked as the Chienthrope dove towards him. Dodging the initial lunge, Nero decided to not use his sword and just go unarmed. ‘Snatch’ Nero thought as a spectral claw grabbed the chienthrope’s collar, yanking him back into Nero’s awaiting right fist and slamming him into the ground, knocking him out again. The final human decided to tuck his in and run away in fear. 

“YEAH! And stay away!” The girl shouted, kicking a rock towards their general direction as Nero tied up the assailants. “Phew, thanks for the help, stranger!” 

“No problem. Those guys didn’t harm you, right?” Nero asked, which the girl gave him a thumbs up, which was odd but amusing to him. In the meantime, Ais dove into the courtyard, surprising the girl and Nero.

“I heard some commotion, are you okay?” Ais asked Nero, receiving a nod as he pointed towards the tied up bodies. “We can bring them to some Ganesha familia members, they can take care of it from there.” 

“Perfect, less work for me. Especially since it’s supposed to be my rest day.” Nero chuckled, before feeling someone touching his right arm. Looking over, the girl he protected was touching his arm. “Uhm. Excuse me?” 

“Oh sorry, I haven’t introduced myself!” The girl smiled, still touching Nero’s arm. “The name’s Nicoletta Goldstein. Just call me Nico!” She gave him a toothy smirk, before resuming the slight groping of his demonic forearm, still wrapped up. 

“Okay, you can stop that now.” Nero said, slowly pushing Nico’s hands away, only for her to push back slightly, pouting. Ais tilted her head in confusion. 

“Come on! I gotta see it for research purposes! Pretty please?” Nico pleaded with the teen, who looked confused and slightly weirded out by the request.

“Research? The hell are you researching that someone else can’t do, much less yourself?” Nero asked, still holding Nico off with his hands. 

Nico deadpanned. “I mean, unless you know of any other demons ‘round here, then yes it has to be you.” Nero narrowed his eyes at the girl. 

“What demon? You must be confused, girlie.” Nero shrugged his shoulders, but Nico looked at him with a blank expression. 

“Don’t bullshit me, white-y. I know demon energy when I see it!” Nico exclaimed, grabbing Nero’s right arm and tearing at the bandages, which surprised him. “See?! That’s a demon carapace on ya arm!” 

Nero, quickly looking around, before rolling down his sleeve. “Alright, alright fine! Quit that, I’m not tryna advertise my heritage, thanks!” He hissed at the bespeckled girl, who just placed her hands on her hips and whistled innocently. 

“Wait.. that’s why your arm is like that?” Ais asked, surprised. Nero looked at her, but nodded. “Then… we’re the same..” she whispered, though Nero caught it.

“The same? You aren’t a demon though.. right?” Nero asked, tilting his head. Ais shook hers in response, before pulling him away from Nico for a moment, who looked confused but didn’t follow. 

Ais, leaning towards Nero much to his slight embarrassment, whispering to him “I’ll tell you later, in private.” He nodded in response, before she leaned away. Nero, breathing slightly, walked back to Nico. 

“So, why do you care that I’m a demon?” Nero asked, Ais nodding out of curiosity. 

“Cuz I like learnin’ about y’all. Plus, I could study and possibly make something outta your material, with your permission of course.” Nico smiled, which caused Nero’s eyes to widen.

“Wait… you can make Devil Arms?” Nero asked. He was excited. If he could have a Devil Arm made, he wouldn’t need a replacement weapon for a while. 

“Oh you know bout Devil Arms? How’s that?” Nico asked, which Nero placed his hands in his pockets.” 

“I had read some notes from a smith and a researcher.. Actually.. The smith shared your last name.” Nero recalled, before leaning in. “You wouldn’t happen to know Nell Goldstein, would ya? 

“Course I do, she’s my grandma. Adoptive anyways.” Nico waved it off, earning a deadpan from Nero and Ais. 

“Well.. how about a deal? If you can make me a Devil Arm using my material, be it blood or some of the skin here.” Nero pointed at his arm. “Then I’ll let you examine me or use me for research.” 

“REALLY?!?” Nico grabbed his shoulders and pulled him in for a hug. “DEAL! Haha, I can’t wait! Now, I need to figure out how I’m gonna hook you up.. I’m no smith but.. I knew a guy who came here, although I don’t know if he’s still around.” 

“I mean, if he’s a smith or something, we could go by the guild to see if we can find his familia or something.” Nero offered, earning a nod from both Nico and Ais. They made their way towards the Pantheon, exchanging small talk between one another, with Ais being a little more vocal towards Nero. 

~ Hephaestus Familia Workshops, 1 hour later ~ 

They were able to get a solid lead on the person Nico was looking for. A smith formerly from Rakia, a smith by the name of Welf Crozzo. From what the guild provided, he was a low level smith in the Hephaestus familia, but Nico assured that his skill was better than his level suggested. So they made their way over towards the workshops to locate the man in question. 

Approaching the familia workshop area, they ran into a woman guarding the entryway. Standing at 170 cm, the woman had brown skin, with long black hair that went down to her back, and the one eye that they could see was a dark red, the left one covered by an eye patch. She wore a sarashi around her chest which held her well endowed chest in place, although it still showed quite the generous amount of cleavage, and a red hakama and sandals on her lower body with a naginata strapped to her hip. 

Ais approached first, waving towards the woman. “Hello Tsubaki.” The smith, now revealed to be the captain of the Hephaestus familia, waved back cheerfully. 

“Hey Ais! Haven’t seen you around in awhile. You lookin’ for some weapon maintenance?” Tsubaki walked over to meet her halfway, then noticed Nero and Nico behind her. “Friends? Oh wait.. White hair, blue eyes.. That’s the new guy from your familia, uhhhh, Nemo?” She scratched her head. 

“The name’s Nero. And we’re actually looking for someone, friend of a friend.” Nero stated, pointing his thumb towards Nico, who waved. 

“Ah close enough. Anyways, who are ya lookin for? If it’s a smith ya need, I can always be of service!” Tsubaki said proudly, puffing her chest out which jiggled quite a bit from the movement, causing Nero to look elsewhere with a slight flush. 

“We’re actually lookin for a specific smith. Man by the name of Welf Crozzo. ‘Round my height, red hair, blue eyes? Is he around?” Nico specified, which Tsubaki smiled at. 

“Ah, Welfie! Yeah, he’s at his forge. Head in, and he’s near the end on the right side, final row. Ya can’t miss it.” Tsubaki let the group in, knowing the Loki Familia was trustworthy as their familias were on good terms. 

Following the directions the Hephaestus captain gave the trio, they noticed an argument in the final smithy, which ended with a metal bucket getting chucked at an adventurer. 

“I SAID NO, NOW BUZZ OFF!” A man shouted, which the adventurer just grumbled and walked off, his fists clenched. 

“Sounds like a fun guy..” Nero said sarcastically, which Nico laughed at. 

“No worries, he’s pretty cool. I’m sure I know why he yelled, so let me take point in the chit-chat.” Nico said, walking over to the entrance of the smithy, before a young man stepped out. 

“Pain in my ass..” the young man grumbled. He was around the same height as Nico, with short red hair and dark blue eyes. He wore a black kimono over a blue long-sleeved shirt, with white pants, black boots, and a blue scarf tied around his neck. A brown belt was tied around his waist to hold the kimono, and he had a hammer in hand, scratching the side of his head with it. He then noticed Nico and the others standing nearby. “Can I help- Ack, Nico?!” Welf exclaimed, earning a smirk from the aforementioned girl. 

“In the flesh, Crow! How’ve ya been?” Nico said, walking over with her hands on her hips. Nero and Ais walked over as well, which Welf seemed to sweatdrop at.

“Been fine.. But who’s the guy? Also, why’s the Sword Princess here?” Welf questioned, crossing his arms suspiciously. 

“The guy’s named Nero, and they were traveling through the city till they saved me from a buncha punks. But that’s not important.” Nico waved off any worry emitting from Welf before continuing. “Anyways, I need yer help to commission a weapon for the gent there.” Nero waved before placing his hand in his pocket. 

“Okay, what kinda weapon?” Welf asked, leaning forward towards Nico. Nero removed his sword from his back, holding the handle so the blade was pointed downward and held it out. 

“Think you could make a sword similar to this one? It’s the one I’ve been using and I like the feel of it.” Nero asked. Welf took the sword and examined the blade, Nico tapping her chin while muttering to herself. 

“Yeah, I think I can get something workin with this. This work for you, Nico?” Welf said, with Nico nodding while still examining the design. 

“I’ll need to draw a design but I think I got something.. Hehe.” Nico said, rubbing her hands together smugly, earning a sweatdrop from Welf and Nero. 

“Well, depending on the materials and such, I’ll have to adjust the price. Think we could discuss this once we have something definitive in a day or two?” Welf asked the albino.

“Sure, just head over to the Loki familia. I’ll let ‘em know I’m expecting you two. I have a decent budget and in the worst case, I’ll just dive into the dungeon and get extra funds.” Nero said, tapping his pockets. After nodding his agreement, Nero and Ais decided to call off their little trip there, and head back home. Ais was a little anxious, despite not showing it on her face, while Nero was curious about the conversation she wanted to have with him. 

~ Meanwhile, Twilight Manor ~ 

“Hahhh.” Bell fell onto the grass, breathing heavily. He was outside in the Twilight training yard, practicing using his new spell with Riveria and Alastor training him. Well more like pushing him to his absolute limits. At Alastor’s request, the High Elf grabbed a bunch of mind and stamina potions at the ready. Since his magic stat was far behind, Alastor decided to power train Bell by pushing his mana limits to the max then having him rest for a short time with a mind potion then redoing the process. He was at this since Nero and Ais had left, which has been roughly 2 hours or so. 

“ How are you feeling, Bell? ” Alastor said. He was currently on the ground a short distance away from Bell. Since they were practicing magic, the Spirit suggested mixing in full body training as well. So Bete was training with Bell via sparring while he used his magic to its fullest. 

“Rough, like sand.” Bell groaned, his body aching from all the sparring and from his mind being pulled from full to near-zero every few minutes. He knew this would bear fruit, as he was determined to master the abilities and catch up to Nero, but it didn’t make the training any easier in the end. 

“Let’s call it here for now. Kid’s gonna keel over any second.” Bete called out, crouching down to hand Bell a healing potion and stamina potion. “Here, these should help.” 

Bell took the potions and down them, instantly feeling better from the stress of the training. “Thanks, Bete. I love ya man.” The albino sighed, closing his eyes and sprawling himself out on the grass. “Weather’s nice.. I’ll just rest here for a bit..” 

Bete chuckled as Riveria walked over. “You could also just get up and go inside, Bell.” The High Elf pointed out. 

“Nah.. I’m comfy here..” Bell said groggily, the exhaustion getting to him as he sighed softly, before dozing off on the spot. 

“Eh, why not.” Bete said, before laying down next to the rabbit-like teen, his hands behind his head and closing his eyes. “A nap sounds nice right about now.” 

Riveria sighed at the two. ‘He may not be related, but Bete might as well be the third brother to those two..’ She smiled at the two as their impromptu napping session kicked off. She decided to go inside and collect a few books to read and something to drink, before walking back over and sitting at the tables to watch over her familia members in the grass. 

Loki, Finn, and Gareth walked out to the training yard after about 30 minutes. Loki was about to yell out, but was cut off by Riveria holding a finger to her lips, shushing her, then pointing to the yard where Bete and Bell were napping. The trio just smiled at that and joined Riveria in sitting at the table. 

After another half an hour, Nero approached the house with Ais and went towards the training yard. As he approached he saw Bell and Bete casually napping in the grass, while the Top Executives with Loki relaxed nearby. Riveria waved towards them but motioned with her hands to stay quiet. Ais nodded and walked over to join them. Nero, on the other hand, decided to quickly walk over, much to the protest of Riveria if her whispered hissing was anything to go by, and flopped himself over the two, earning grunts from them. 

“Gah, fuckin shit!” Bete growled, looking down and noticing Nero draped over him and Bell. “Asshole.” 

“Why must you be this way, Nero?” Bell grunted but smiled alongside Nero, who was tearing up, as he shoved him off. 

“What's wrong, Rabbit? You like takin’ your wittle naps?” Nero mocked his brother sarcastically, before getting tackled by him, rolling over in the grass. 

The two began play fighting as they tumbled around the yard, while Loki and Gareth laughed at their antics, Riveria pinched the bridge of her nose, Ais smiled at the boys, and Bete decided to tag in, making it a 3 man rumble as they tumbled over one another. 

Loki, wiping the tears from her eyes, smiled at her familia. “These two are a blessing, aren’t they?” the Trickster smiled, earning surprised glances from Riveria, Finn, Gareth, and Ais. “I have a feeling these two are going to really change things around here..” 

~ Twilight Manor, Following Day ~ 

After a nice rest day, Bell and Nero met up with Lili and Patty at the Huntress, by Patty’s request. The brothers met up with Patty and Lili, who were chatting casually until they rolled up. The girls were sporting their normal adventuring gear, save for Lili’s backpack which she left with Lord Hades in the back of the bar.

“Hey Nero, Bell, over here!” Patty called out, waving as Lili also gave a sheepish wave. 

The brothers waved back, then joined them at the table they were sitting at. As they sat down, Patty looked over the two, specifically Nero. “Are you feeling okay?” 

Nero chuckled, holding up a hand. “Yeah, I’ve fully recovered, approved by Airmid and Riveria, so I’m good to tackle the dungeon… however.” He crossed his arms. “I want to get stronger.” 

Bell nodded in support. “Same here! That whole incident.. Just showed we aren’t strong enough yet. So we want to push ourselves harder. You two don’t have to join if you aren’t comfortable with doing so.” 

Patty and Lili looked at each other. “Well, Master Bell, Master Nero.” The Prum began. “If we say no, you would still go, yes?” A pair of nods. “Then it would be safer to travel together, Lili believes.” 

“I second that.” Patty declared, pouting. “I’d rather not get left back again. I know it was important.. But I feel like I missed out.” 

Nero chuckled, while Bell scratched his cheek. They appreciated the support they received, but one question rang in Bell’s mind, so he vocalized it. “Is there a good way to get a lot of monsters to come to us?” 

Lili chimed in. “Yes, Master Bell, Lili knows a way.. But Lili does not recommend it.” She pointed towards the back, where her bag was stored. “Monster bait can help with that..” 

“Really now?” Nero began to grin wildly, almost matching the sinister grin of a villain. Lili began to freak out, flashbacks to other adventurers using her as bait for monsters and almost dying on numerous occasions. “Oh, Lili~” He asked in a sing-song tone of voice. 

“Y-Yes, Master Nero?” Lili stuttered, her heart beginning to race, her pessimism and paranoia getting to her as she was ready to sprint out. 

“How much of that monster bait do you have?” Nero was still grinning like an idiot, a plan formulating in his head, as Bell was casually watching, already putting together what his brother was planning. 

“L-Lili has 3 lures.. Master Nero..” Lili looked down towards her knees, her hands gripping her cloak. The haunting memories were getting to her, as tears began to form at the corners of her eyes, the others not able to see this due to the hood of her cloak being pulled up. ‘ Not again… please not again.. ” 

“Good. Once we go down into the dungeon, I want you to coat me and Bell in the stuff.” Nero stated, pounding a chest with his fist. “With enough monsters, we’ll really get a boost to our stats!” 

“Y-yes.. L-Lili will act as.. Wait what?” Lili looked up towards the two albinos. Both smiling like cheshire cats, excitedly bouncing in their chairs as Lili deadpanned at them, Patty just flabbergasted at the request.

“Wait! You want her to coat you in monster bait, to force monster parties to attack us, just to get stronger faster..?” Patty asked, seeking clarification from the two, who gave her dumb nods. “Ugh, boys..” 

“Well? What are we waiting for?!” Bell said, immediately standing up. “Let’s get a move on, we’re burning daylight!” Nero joined him, as Lili rushed to get her bag, and Patty sighing at the headache she’s going to be getting soon.

After a quick stop to Dian Cecht’s to pick up some potions, the group made their way down into the Dungeon, focusing on the descent to the 9th floor. Thanks to this, they made it down to the 9th relatively quickly. Nero turned to Lili, giving her a thumbs up while Bell grinned. Lili sighed, knowing this was going to be a headache to deal with, so she pulled out one of the lures and threw it at the two albinos, splashing them in the substance. Luckily, or unluckily, the Dungeon reacted almost immediately, as the wall began cracking and releasing more monsters. The brother readied their weapons, grinning like idiots, as they dove headfirst into their summoned Monster Party. 

~ Guild Hall, 7 hours later ~ 

Numerous adventurers were coming into the Guild Hall, exhausted after diving into the dungeon all day, they were there to exchange their drops and head home for the day. What they didn’t expect was shouting from a pair of particular irate Guild Advisors as they scolded a pair of white haired adventurers. 

Bell and Nero, wrapped in bandages and wearing torn clothing and damaged armor, were enduring their scolding from their advisors. Patty and Lili already received an earful, but were sent off to fetch Loki and her executives. That was an hour ago, and Eina and Rose were standing in front of the two, both upset. 

“Do you have any idea how reckless that idea was?!” Rose scolded Nero, who was rolling his shoulders, sore from their dive. 

“I’m well aware, but we also were able to handle it. So it’s all good.” Nero stated, as he smiled at the two very angry guild advisors. “Plus, our stats are good enough to dive that low, and there are 4 of us.” 

Rose and Eina were about to grill the teen once again, but Loki had entered the Guild with the Top Executives in tow. “I hear we got some troublesome adventurers over here?” The Trickster called out, followed by the top brass. 

Bell sheepishly scratched his cheek. “I wouldn’t say troublesome..” 

“Yes.” Eina stated, crossing her arms. “They are troublesome. Now I have to get back to work alongside Rose, so I’ll leave them to you.” A final glare and the guild workers were walking away. 

Nero and Bell got dragged along by Riveria and Loki, with Finn and Gareth scolding them about their decision to use lures to get better excelia gains from the Dungeon dives, although Finn secretly thought it wasn’t a completely terrible idea, if the proper prep was done to brace for anything out of the ordinary. Walking back towards the manor, the two albinos were pulled into Finn’s office with the Goddess and executives. 

“Aight, you two.” Loki grabbed a needle from the table. “Shirts up. You worked hard, so let’s see those gains.” 

Nero was first up, since he hadn’t received a status update since the minotaur incident. Loki’s eyes opened slightly observing the growth the teen got. “By the gods.. You two are.. Something else entirely.” She copied the status over and handed Nero the sheet to look over. 

Name : Nero

Race : Human/Demon Hybrid  

Level : 1 

Strength : D 587 > B 758 

Endurance : D 565 > B 755 

Dexterity : E 434 > D 583 

Agility : D 518 > C 660

Magic : E 466 > C 634

Skills : 

[ Legacy of Sparda ]  

-Slightly Boosts all basic stats; Raise maximum status caps of all basic abilities.

-Excelia gain increased when in combat. Increase regeneration of mind and body

Magic : 

[ Spectral Claw ] Quick Cast, At Will

-Short ranged melee spell, can grab and throw targets and objects smaller than the user {Snatch} or used to pull the user towards a location or enemy {Hell Bound}.

“Holy shit!” Nero exclaimed in excitement. This growth was massive this time around, which made him thrilled. His idea, although being a one time deal, had paid off massively. 

Loki proceeded to update Bell’s status sheet, freaking out at the growth she witnessed already. “You two are going to break everything we know about the Falna..” Handing the rabbit-like teen his sheet, she flopped onto the couch, laying her head on the armrest. 

Name : Bell Cranel 

Race : Human 

Level : 1 

Strength : E 444 > C 604

Endurance : E 410 > D 588

Dexterity : D 525 > B 700

Agility : D 578 > B 760 

Magic : I 0 > E 452

Skills : 

[ Heroic Desire ] 

-Increased Growth proportional to the user’s desire Greater desire amplifies the effect. 

Magic : 

[ Tempest Cloak ] Quick Cast , Active Toggle, Low Mind Drain

-When active, greatly increases Agility. All other stats received a slight boost.

“Woah.. my magic skyrocketed.. Thanks Alastor and Riveria! Your training worked wonders for me!” Bell bowed towards Riveria, while patting Alastor’s sheath. 

Loki crossed her arms, while Riveria tried to scowl although her ears twitching at Bell’s praise gave away her feelings. Finn just sighed while Gareth laughed out loud. 

“Look, you two will need to be more careful.. But I can’t deny these numbers..” Finn thought for a moment, before shaking his head and leaning towards the two. “You will go and rest, and tomorrow we’ll all go to the Dungeon so you can try that strategy again. You might level up at this rate, which would shatter Ais’ record of one year by a wide margin.” 

“You want them to try that again?!” Riveria shouted at her Captain. “That’s reckless as all hell!” 

“Yes. But this time, we’ll be there. We’ll monitor them, pull them out of dangerous situations, and overall guide their growth. This should make sure they get the growth they want, and we can keep them safe.” Finn explained his reasoning, which Gareth appeared to agree with. 

Riveria groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “This is dumb.. But fine, if you think it will benefit them.” 

“I’m sure it will. Sorry Loki, but looks like we’re going to push these two to their limits.” Finn said, grinning towards his goddess. 

“Fine.. but once they level up, a one week ban from the Dungeon!” Loki declared. “They need proper rest after the fact, and that is final!” 

“Yes, Lady Loki.” Both Nero and Bell agreed, sighing simultaneously. They knew they wouldn’t like the aftermath, but the idea of being so close to leveling up excited them. They wanted to truly push themselves, to gain strength enough to join their comrades in the dungeon dives they go on often. It was so close, just a few more steps, and they’d be fighting alongside their brothers and sisters of the Familia. 

~ Fortuna , Outskirts of Rakia ~

Outside the city limits of Rakia, roughly a few kilometers out east, was the town of Fortuna. A city with a small wall that isolated itself from the outside world. Despite being isolated, the population was decently diverse and was roughly a third of Orario’s population. The majority of the city followed the militant religion that stationed itself in the city, called the Order of the Sword. Their religion worships the Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda, as a God, and vows to eradicate all demons in his name. With statues of his likeness within the city walls, and in their primary chapel which stood tall in the center of the city, their worship of the Dark Knight was well known throughout the city. 

Within the city, a cloaked person casually stood by a street corner, writing in a journal as he watched some of the Order’s soldiers patrol the chapel in the center of the city. Majority of the citizens in the city wore hooded cowls, colored white, with the order wearing silver plated armor and helmets with cowls over their heads, the same as the citizens.

“The patrols are the same as always.. Keeping a routine..” The cloaked person stated, finishing his notes and placing the journal in a pocket in his coat before walking off. Whistling as he walked, he distanced himself from the chapel. He returned to a small residential zone near the west side of the city. The citizens around this area are not too terribly active, and typically it is void of people. 

As he walked, a rift opened up in front of him, a black void with dark blue-purple colored energy flaring around it. The cloaked man braced himself, reaching behind him, until through the portal a man fell through, covered in blood. 

The bloodied man wore a torn blue trench coat with gold trim on the edges of the coat. Beneath the coat, a bloodied black vest was beneath it. Navy blue pants, with numerous cuts and gashes, and a pair of boots completed the rest of his outfit, or what was left of it. As he looked up, his white hair, brushed to the back, flecked with blood was seen by the cloaked man. He held himself up with his signature katana, the Yamato, in its black sheath with a golden ribbon tied to the sheath. His electric-blue eyes stared at the man, as he whispered, “Dante..” before falling over himself.

“Vergil?!” The now revealed man, Dante, ran over to his brother and caught him before he hit the ground, the cloak falling off from his sudden dash. He wore a large red trench coat with the sleeves rolled up, and a black jacket with three belts strapped over the front of the chest. A pair of red pants sat below leather leg armor, black fingerless gloves, and a pair of boots made up the rest of his outfit. With long, silver hair brushed to the side, his blue-gray eyes filled with worry and confusion.

“The hell happened?!” Dante quickly reached into his pocket, pulling out a  red elixir and popping the cork off. 

“..Mundus.. Is back…” Vergil quietly whispered, as he drank the elixir, feeling the effects rejuvenating his exhausted and worn down body. 

“Shit.. Okay, come on. We’re going back to my temp place here.” Dante ordered, before positioning himself to sling Vergil’s arm over his shoulder, making sure to tie the Yamato to his brother’s hip, before the pair hobbled away towards a small house near a park with a fountain. Pulling him inside, he quickly dragged his semi-conscious brother to the door, unlocking it and pulling him inside while kicking the door closed behind him. The home wasn’t anything special, with a single room that accommodated the living room, kitchen, and dining room in one space. Two doors could be seen, one towards the master bedroom and the other a guest bedroom, each had their own bathrooms with showers. The decor was bland, hardly any fixtures or plants, with a basic brown couch and loveseat with a coffee table in the center on a square black rug made up the living room. The kitchen had the basics for cooking; a stove, sink, some cabinets, and a small box for cold storage. The dining section was a small table placed against the wall with three chairs, and it had a small box on top of it from a local pizza restaurant. 

Dante laid his brother down on the couch, before running over and locking his door completely, chain and deadbolt, before closing the blinds to every corner of the house. Afterwards, he kicked on some of the lights in the living room, then grabbed a nearby medical bag to treat his brother. The elixir did most of the work, but he needed to clean up any leftover wounds so they healed properly. He helped to remove Vergil’s clothes, namely his coat and vest, before getting to work.

“Fuckin’ hell, Verge.. You disappear for almost two decades, barely showing up anywhere tangible, then pop up outta nowhere like you ran through a meat grinder..” Dante scolded his brother while he cleaned up the wounds on his chest. 

“.. I’m.. sorry.” Was all Vergil was able to say before his exhaustion kicked over, and all went black for him. 

~ 24 hours later ~ 

Dante sat by the couch, reading his journal and adjusting some notes. His brother was still on the couch, his upper body covered in bandages, resting from his wounds. It was nighttime now, roughly 2 in the morning, and Dante was still working. Initially, he had gone out to follow an old lead on his brother in this city. How old, you may wonder? Well over 17 years old, which was plenty of time for the trail to dry out. However, upon arrival, what he did not expect was to find not only a small trail that his brother left, but that the city followed a religion that worshiped Sparda, their father. 

Suddenly, Vergil began to shift, groaning from his wounds. Dante looked up from his journal as he saw his brother drape his arm over his face. “How long..” his voice was raspy, likely dry from just laying around. 

“At least a day.” Dante said, while going up to the kitchen to get some water. “Your wounds are healing but you won’t be at 100% for a solid bit.” 

“I’m aware.. I need to get back..” Vergil declared, sighing as he pulled himself up to rest his head on the armrest of the couch. 

“Get back? Where?” Dante asked, curious since his brother normally traveled aimlessly, trying to amass strength which was his one and only goal for the longest time. 

“Back to the village of Edgemere.. Back home.” Vergil stated, placing his hands over his chest. 

“Edgemere, huh. That’s a decent distance away, but it is on the way to Orario from here.. If you’d like, we can travel together till we get there at the very least.” Dante offered, standing up to stretch. 

“.. I’ll consider the offer.” Vergil said, before his stomach growled. “What kind of food do you have here.. It better not be-” 

“Pizza!” Dante cheerfully declared, slightly skipping to the kitchen while Vergil groaned. “But.. why did you want to go back? Did ya have a girlie there~?” He teased his ‘older’ brother, who growled at him, but then went silent which caught his attention. 

“.. my son is there..” Dante stumbled in the kitchen, knocking over a few things of cutlery on the countertop. 

“YOUR SON?!” Dante ran back, sliding next to Vergil’s couch. “I’m an uncle?! And you didn’t tell me till NOW?!” Dante shouted, earning a knuckle tap from his brother in the stomach. 

“Shut it, fool.” Vergil grumbled. “Yes, I had a son.. But I wasn’t able to be around when he was born.. Due to an attack on the city, I was forced to seal off the demon portal that appeared by entering it and closing it from the inside..”  

“Did you atleast know his name?” Dante leaned on the couch towards his brother. 

“Yes… I gave him his name, which his mother agreed to.” Vergil gave a rare smile, which Dante was surprised at. 

“And his name is..?” Dante leaned even closer, which Vergil didn’t enjoy and pushed his face away. But sighed and looked at his red-clad brother. 

“... Nero..” 

Chapter Text

~ Chapter 6: Shattering Expectations ~ 

~ Dungeon, 10th Floor , 2 days later ~ 

Within the 10th floor of the dungeon stood Loki Familia’s top executives. Finn, Gareth, and Riveria were monitoring the progress of their newest arrivals, Nero and Bell, as they fought on the 10th floor. Well, they initially were wanting to watch a fight, but now bore witness to a slaughter, as the brothers went on a killing spree, the fog covering some of the fight, with only the clashing of blades from Nero, as well as the flashes of lightning from their resident rabbit as he weaved in and out of the battle. 

“Are we sure these two have been adventuring for only a month or so…?” Riveria was flabbergasted at their performance, watching them effortlessly cleave through their enemies. 

“Just means we gotta work harder to keep up!” Gareth let out a boisterous laugh. 

“Indeed.” Finn smiled, crossing his arms as he observed the battle. “I believe once they level up, we should bring them on our next expedition. The experience would be valuable for them.” 

“Agreed.. I was skeptical but.. Seeing their performance here, I can’t deny it.” Riveria sighed, but kept an eye on the battlefield in front of her. 

A short time later, Lili and Patty ran over to them, covered in a mix of their own blood as well as monster blood. Lili dropped her bag next to the wall and plopped down onto her butt, sighing. “Master Bell.. and Master Nero.. are psychos..” Lili complained, gasping for breath. 

“Yeah.. they’re definitely insane..” Patty popped open a healing potion, then followed it with a mind potion. “But I have to admit.. It’s effective.” She rolled her shoulders, then dove back into the fight, clashing blades with a few nearby Imps. 

Finn smiled, reaching over and handing Lili a healing potion. “Here, this should help.” The prum accepted the potion without complaint, considering her exhaustion. 

After another hour, when the lures wore off, the team were able to clear out the rest of the monsters. Nero and Bell were covered in blood, their clothes scraped and torn from their fights but they were grinning as they approached. Lili, pouting, went over and kicked at Nero’s ankle to vent her frustration, getting a laugh out of the teen. 

“You two will cause me to age faster, I swear..” Riveria sighed, then prepped her healing spell. 

“Sorry, Miss Riveria..” Bell sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. “We just don’t want to hold you guys back.” Nero hummed his agreement, as he drank a healing potion. 

“No worries, lads.” Gareth said, patting Bell’s shoulder. “At this rate, you two will be fightin’ alongside us real soon!” The Dwarf let out a laugh, as Bell smiled. 

“Now let’s head up. You two are in need of new clothes again.” Finn stated. “You will need to get some specially made clothes at this rate that can self repair.” 

“Plus, I gotta get back up and meet up with my smith.” Nero stated. “He should be finished with my weapon today.” 

“You commissioned a weapon?” Finn asked curiously. “We could’ve bought you something good from the Hephaestus familia.” 

Nero smiled. “Actually.. It’s being made by someone I had helped a few days ago. She, alongside another smith named Welf, are designing a new weapon for me.. A Devil Arm to be precise.” The teen smirked, seeing everyone’s reaction to the announcement. 

“A Devil Arm?!” Riveria’s eyes raised, then narrowed as she stared at Nero. “And how did this person know about those? Last I checked, only Loki has the journals that contain that information, and we agreed no one else should know.” 

“Well.. strangely enough, this girl is actually the adoptive granddaughter of Nell Goldstein, the author of those very journals.” Nero explained, placing his hands in his pocket. “She knew the process from start to finish, and even had developed new techniques for creating the weapons.” 

“Interesting.. And are you meeting with them today?” Finn asked, tilting his head as Riveria and Gareth listened in.

“I believe they’ll be coming over to the manor once it finishes to drop it off. I still gotta pay them after all.” Nero shrugged, as the group decided to stop standing around and get a move on back to the surface after they collected their stones for the day, which they had to leave behind quite a few due filling Lili’s back to the brim, alongside Nero’s pouch, Patty’s backpack and Bell’s bag. 

“That’s fair. So what’s the material being used for the weapon?” Gareth asked enthusiastically. 

“I’m the material. Since she knows how to make Devil Arms, we used some of my arm’s material and a little blood, for the forging process.” Nero proudly stated. “Can’t wait to see how it turns out.” 

“Now you got me curious as well.” Riveria placed her hand on her chin. “We’ll find out soon enough anyways.”

The ascent was just filled with casual chatter, the brothers messing with one another while Patty and Riveria chatted about magic. Finn, Lili, and Gareth were exchanging pleasantries but overall were quieter than the rest. Once they reached the surface, the group exchanged their stones, netting a nice 112,000 valis to split amongst the four of them, since the Executives refused to take any since they were only observing. After that, since it was around 4 PM, Patty and Lili decided to head back to their homes, so the Loki familia members went back to the Manor for rest, status updates, and to await the arrival of Nero’s new weapon. 

As they approached the gates, they were greeted by Raul talking with Welf and Nico, while Bete was standing to the side listening in, leaning against the gate. As the group approached, Bete’s ear twitched. “Oi, they’re back.” He stated, as he got up and everyone turned to greet the returning party.

“Nero! Got some grand news!” Nico shouted, with Welf grinning. He had a wrapped box on his back, as his hands sat on his hips. 

“Oh? What’s up?” Nero walked over, fist bumping Welf, Raul, then Bete to greet them. Bell came up and did the same, although Bete ruffled his hair to mess with the teen, earning a pout from the rabbit-like teen. 

“Well we decided to take your weapon’s design and alter it slightly.” Nico explained, a proud smile on her face. “I took some inspiration from some weapons I saw back in a city called Fortuna when I left Rakia, but made it even better. Come on, let’s go test it!” The curly haired girl said, grabbing Welf and Nero and dashing towards the back of the Loki Familia home, with everyone quickly following behind. 

As they reached the back, they ran into Ais, The Hiryute sisters, Lefiya, and Loki in the back in the training yard. Ais was practicing her sword techniques, The Amazon twins were arguing, and Lefiya was fending off Loki from groping her. They noticed the crowd arriving, and stopped to observe curiously. 

“Ok, Welf! Reveal Nero’s new weapon!” Nico proclaimed, motioning towards Welf, who sighed with a smile. He removed the strap on his back carefully, slightly straining, unwrapping and holding the box towards Nero, who looked excited by the prospect of a Devil Arm that he helped make. The box was made of wood, no intricate designs or patterns on it. 

“Well don’t wait, open it!” Welf shook the box in his hand slightly. Nero grabbed the top edge of the box and lifted it up, revealing the blade within. The entirety of the blade from handle to the tip of the blade was a massive 125 cm, towering over the current blade Nero used. The style of the sword was the same, a single-edged longsword, but the length of the blade was over 93 cm long, with no curvature in the design. Its blade was quite thick in width, and the blade remained a true single edge, bar a few design choices in the casting. Two points of the blade were altered, the first being the tip of the blade having a trapezoid-like shape on the flat edge, and the second being the blade coming down towards the hilt and sticking out forwards slightly, like a handguard. The non-cutting edge of the sword near the hilt had an intricate red and gold trimmed covering, with vent-like opening slightly above that. The handle was the same red and gold color design, but was divided around the upper quarter of the grip, with a strange-looking lever-like metal rod sticking out in front, facing the same direction as the cutting edge. 

Nico leaned over to Nero, who was admiring the blade with an open mouth, hand twitching slightly. “Well? Wacha think?” She asked, which the teen slowly turned towards the group and gave them a massive grin. 

“It’s beautiful..” He muttered, before slinging both arms over Welf and Nico, pulling them in for a side-hug. “Thanks, you guys!” He cheered, earning chuckles from the two. 

“Go ahead, give her a couple swings!” Welf encouraged. “Just be careful, the blade’s a little heavier than expected.” 

Nero gripped the handle of the sword, lifting it up effortlessly. The crowd, finally being able to see the blade in its glory, collectively let out sounds of admiration, commenting about the design. “It feels perfect.. What’s it called?” 

Welf stood proud, puffing his chest out. “I’ve decided to name it ‘Akaiittou ’. Pretty good right?” He looked at Nero, who deadpanned at him alongside the rest of the group, even including Nico. “..what?” 

“That name is a little.. On the nose, dontcha think?” Nico cringed slightly at the name, although Nero look to be thinking as Welf was slightly hurt by the comment. 

“.. How about ‘Red Queen’, instead?” Nero suggested. “The designs on the handle are nice, and gives it a ‘royal’ feel.” 

“Hm…” Welf and Nico pondered on the name, although everyone appeared to like the name better. “I dig it, Red Queen it is!” A small round of applause from the group, and it caused Welf and Nico to fist bump, proud of their creation. 

“Well, now that the name is settled, ready to see the unique function of the Red Queen?” Nico asked, smirking at Nero who nodded hard enough to knock his head off. “Alright, plant the tip of the blade in the ground, you need the blade to be still for it.” 

Nero complied, placing the tip of the sword into the ground. “Now, wrap your index and middle finger around that little level, and pull it down.” Nero followed the instructions, hearing a soft click from the sword. “Now twist your hand, NOT your wrist, your hand only counter-clockwise!” Nero twisted his hand, as instructed, and the blade began to made an odd mechanical noise, which just encouraged him to twist the mechanism two more times, revving the blade to the point where the cutting-edge was glowing red, and heat was dissipating from the back of the blade where the vents were. 

“Woah! What the hell is that?!” Nero exclaimed, holding his sword up as it purred in his hand, the head radiating from the sword. 

“That’s what the Red Queen’s unique ability is! I called it the ‘Exceed Charge’!” Nico declared, cheering in place as Nero admired the blade, with everyone else staring with jaws open in awe. “This’ll grant you a temporary fire attack to your swings, causing even more damage!”

“That’s crazy! How does it work?!” Nero, bouncing like a child, looked at Nico as she was smiling at him. 

“That’s the best part: your sword is special in that, thanks to the devil material mixed with the Mithril, it allows the usage of magic without shattering the weapon!” Nico explained, as she pointed to the blade. “The blade consists of an alloy made up of your demon material and steel as the primary metal, with a core made of Mithril.” She pointed towards the vents. “This area here has the special mechanism I built which utilizes your innate demon magic through the hilt, which also consists of Mithril, to channel that energy here.” She pointed towards the red and gold guard on the blade, above the handguard and trigger. “Once channeled here, the mechanism begins to channel fire magic into the Mithril core of the blade via a magic stone inside acting as a conduit, which heats up the blade enough to allow a short-ranged fiery explosion after you hit something.” 

“That’s a very complex blade.” Finn stated, walking over with the Executives towards Nico, Nero, and Welf. “But it’s Mithril, so the magic won’t stay, it has to go somewhere, correct?” 

“Normally that would be true for a normal blade, but this is a special Devil Arm made especially for Nero.” Nico stated proudly, placing her hands on her hips. “Thanks to Welf’s smithing skill and my genius mind, the mechanism runs off of a decaying feedback loop. Essentially, the magic constantly cycles within the blade and magic stone, slowly losing power as it cycles, but since Nero’s demon magic is absorbed through the grip, it will retain the equivalent charge.” She grinned as everyone’s eyes widened at the explanation. 

“Did you get all that, Nero?” Bell asked, a sweatdrop forming on his head as he watched his brother, who was still admiring the sword. 

“Yeah. Blade’s an alloy made of me and steel, core is Mithril. It absorbs my demon power when I pull the lever and twist the grip, and I can use the mechanism to do more damage. Right?” Nero summarized the function of the sword in a handful of sentences, surprising everyone. 

“Yep! Good that you caught that.” Nico stated, before getting serious. “Now, for maintenance. Only bring that blade to me and Welf. No one else will be able to figure it out nor take care of it enough to not damage anything, capiche?” 

“You got it, Nico. Hehe, this is so cool!” Nero was giddy about the sword, until he remembered the potential costs. “Wait.. right the cost. How much are we dealin’ with here?” 

“To be frank with you..” Welf scratched the back of his head. “This thing was one hell of a headache to make. You did provide some material so I’m willing to knock it down but..” 

“To put it bluntly, this thing’s unique design, combined with the mechanism inside would put this guy close to second class weapons.” Nico explained, pointing at Nero. “The Red Queen’s final price is at least 450 thousand.” 

“450 thousand..” Nero freaked out at the sudden cost. “I guess I have no choice..” He pouted slightly, until Welf cleared his throat. 

“I might be willing to swing a discount.” He looked away shyly, with Nero’s attention perking up. “If you can do me a solid favor.” 

“Sure! Anything you need man!” Nero jumped at the opportunity to lower the cost. He could pay off a hefty amount now but he just built up his savings to a decent margin. 

“Take me with you in the Dungeon!” Welf clapped his hands together and bowed towards Nero. “ I need to get more excelia so I can level up and get the Blacksmith developmental ability.” 

“Wait.. You are level 1 but were able to make something like that?!” Finn exclaimed, with everyone surprised at the skill this low level smith had. “That’s a quality weapon.. With Blacksmith added in, you could be a true master of the craft.” 

“You just want to tag along? Sure, that’s an easy request to grant.” Nero stated, placing the Red Queen onto the magnets on his shoulder mounts, where it attached easily. 

“Thanks man! Here, as a favor, I’ll drop the cost to.. 360k. Deal?” Welf held his hand out, which Nero immediately shook. Nico shook her head but didn’t mind the impromptu price drop. 

“Here, a small payment now. I’ll pay in installments for ya.” Nero handed his earnings from their dive, roughly about 40 thousand valis, to Welf, who took the money and placed it in his shirt. “Now.. how do I turn off the charge?” 

Nico laughed, before clarifying, “Just let go of the lever and handle, it’ll go out pretty quick.” Nero followed the instructions, and shortly after, the heat dissipated from the blade. 

“Well now.” Loki chimed in, clapping her hands. “I’m all for the new weapon, but lets go ahead and get the brothers updated now!” The albinos nodded, saying their goodbyes to Welf and Nico before heading to Finn’s office. 

Walking through the office, the room filled with the Executives taking their usual spots. Nero and Bell walked over to the table where Loki was getting a needle, with Bell lifting his shirt to get this status updated. Thanks to the numerous dives into the Dungeon, as well as the consistent fighting, his body was no longer thin, but toned with lean muscles, matching that of a swimmer’s body. Completing the update, Loki handed the sheet over to Bell, smirking at his results.

Name : Bell Cranel 

Race : Human 

Level : 1 

Strength : C 604 > B 799 

Endurance : D 588 > B 784

Dexterity : B 700 > A 889 

Agility : B 760 > S 943 

Magic : E 452 > A 812

Skills : 

[ Heroic Desire ] 

-Increased Growth proportional to the user’s desire Greater desire amplifies the effect. 

Magic : 

[ Tempest Cloak ] Quick Cast , Active Toggle, Low Mind Drain

-When active, greatly increases Agility. All other stats received a slight boost.

“I’m glad I focused on training my magic stat a ton this time.” Bell smiled, then sighed softly. “Although I think I’m developing a distaste for mind potions..” 

“ No shit, you downed like 10 during our dive while fighting.. ” Alastor stated, speaking to Bell directly. Although he is only a blade, he easily bore witness to Bell during the fights. Watching this teen push himself on the verge of a mind down, only to down a mind potion mid fight while STILL using Tempest Cloak was ridiculous in of itself. 

As Bell was reviewing his status sheet, Nero had removed his coat and hoodie, and lifted his shirt to Loki. Similar to Bell, the constant fighting had really developed his body. His body type was similar to Bell, although his muscles were larger due to his physical size and height. Finishing with the update, A smirking Loki handed Nero his status sheet. 

Name : Nero

Race : Human/Demon Hybrid  

Level : 1 

Strength : B 758 > S 912

Endurance : B 755 > S 909

Dexterity : D 583 > A 853

Agility : C 660 > A 842

Magic : C 634 > A 821

Skills : 

[ Legacy of Sparda ]  

-Slightly Boosts all basic stats; Raise maximum status caps of all basic abilities.

-Excelia gain increased when in combat. Increase regeneration of mind and body

Magic : 

[ Spectral Claw ] Quick Cast, At Will

-Short ranged melee spell, can grab and throw targets and objects smaller than the user {Snatch} or used to pull the user towards a location or enemy {Hell Bound}.

Nero smiled, but wondered aloud, “How high do the basic abilities go normally..?” as he lowered his shirt. 

“Normally the highest possible level is S rank, 999.” Riveria clarified. “But with your skill… who knows how high yours could go, Nero.” 

“Got it. Well in any case, I’m quite hungry. I’m gonna swing by the Hostess to grab a bite to eat.” Nero declared, gathering his coat and hoodie under his arm and handed back the status sheet to Loki. 

“Oh, I’ll come with you, Nero!” Bell declared, rolling down his shirt. “I’ve been meaning to visit again.” He smiled, which earned a chuckle from the rest of the group. The executives, as well as the Goddess herself, decided to stay home and consider planning for a short term expedition to gather funding, as the Familia funds were declining. 

After the brothers showered and cleaned themselves up, the sun was beginning to set as the two left the Twilight Manor, making their way towards the Hostess for a nice evening meal. They carried their blades with them, Bell with Alastor on his hip and Nero with the Red Queen on his back. You could never be too careful.

Halfway there, they ran into Mikoto and Ryuu nearby, talking to one another. Ryuu was wearing her usual Hostess uniform, the green dress with white apron and bonnet, while carrying numerous bags. Mikoto was off to the side, wearing the usual violet-purple kimono and visible sarashi wrap over her chest, with thigh-high dark purple boots, her katana strapped to her hip. She was also holding a few bags herself. 

“Hey, Miss Mikoto! Miss Ryuu!” Bell called out, waving his hands as the two girls turned to their direction, watching their approach. Ryuu kept her same blank expression, however Mikoto began to slightly blush seeing Nero, which Ryuu noticed in her peripherals. 

“Good evening, Mr. Cranel, Mr. Nero.” Ryuu bowed towards the two albinos. “How are you this evening?” 

“Come on, Ryuu. Just Nero is fine.” Nero sighed, waving his hand slightly. “You know I’m not one for formalities..” 

“We’re doing fine! Even better than fine! We’re actually almost ready to level up!” Bell proudly stated, earning a surprised expression from Mikoto and Ryuu. 

“Wait.. you two have only been adventuring for a little over a month.. How?” Mikoto asked in surprise. “What kind of training did the Loki Familia put you two through..?” She shivered at the thought, only to get a hand on her shoulder from Nero. 

“They didn’t do anything, just us being extremely determined.. And slightly stupid.” He gave a sheepish smile, placing his hands back into his pockets. Mikoto blushed at the unexpected but not unwelcome contact. 

“Surely you two couldn’t have done such foolish things.” Ryuu stated, watching the two albinos squirm under her gaze. “Unless you would beg to differ?” 

“Well.. Nero suggested we go to the 10th floor.. And cover ourselves in monster bait to attract more monsters than usual to us.” Bell explained, dryly laughing as Ryuu narrowed her eyes at the brothers. Nero just looked away, casually whistling as if nothing was wrong. 

“That is extremely reckless!” Mikoto exclaimed, leaning towards Nero with her hands on her hips. “You could’ve gotten someone badly injured or even killed!” She was upset at the teen for thinking of a reckless idea, but she was more concerned for their wellbeing. 

Nero, holding his hands up in mock surrender, just casually laughed it off. “Hey, hey, we weren’t alone! We had the Executives with us, so we were safe.” He reasoned with the girls, who sighed but could accept that if the executives were watching them throughout the process. 

“Well anyways, what are you doing out here, Ryuu? I thought the Hostess’ dinner service was running right now..” Bell asked, tilting his head curiously. 

“We ran out of a few ingredients, so Mama sent me out on a quick shopping run.” Ryuu held up the bags, which contained vegetables and various meats. “Mikoto offered to assist me in carrying them back.” 

“Well we’re going to the Hostess for some food, we can help too.” Nero offered, which the girls nodded in acceptance. He leaned over to grab a few bags out of Mikoto’s hands, while Bell followed suit, carefully grabbing the bags out of Ryuu’s hands while trying to avoid skin contact, since elves were sensitive about that. 

“Since we’re going, Mikoto.” Nero turned towards the Far Eastern girl, who turned to him. “Would you like to join me and Bell for dinner?” 

Mikoto blushed at the invite, although she softly nodded. “S-sure.. I would be glad to join you..” 

“Cool. Let’s go then, I’m starvin’!” Nero stated, walking toward the Hostess followed by Bell, Ryuu and Mikoto. As they walked, they exchanged some small talk about their days, how the dives were going, and all that. As they walked, Ryuu and Mikoto pointed out Nero’s new sword. 

“I see you have gotten a new sword, Nero.” Mikoto pointed out, increasing her pace slightly to walk side-by-side with the teen. “It’s quite a different look than your old blade.” 

Nero, putting on a smug grin, puffed his chest out. “Indeed, this beauty is incredibly unique. In fact.. It’s the only one of its kind.” He explained, which surprised Mikoto and Ryuu, with Bell chuckling. “Her name’s the Red Queen, chosen by yours truly.”

“It is quite the blade, N-Nero.” Ryuu stuttered his name out, not fully used to it. “It’s good to equip yourself with reliable weapons and tools.” 

“.. Hey Miss Ryuu?” Bell asked curiously, which earned a small head tilt from the Elf. “Were you an adventurer at one point?” Although Bell couldn’t catch it, Ryuu’s ear twitched slightly upon hearing his question. 

“..A long time ago, I was. Why do you ask, Mr. Cranel?” Ryuu responded, her expression as blank as normal, despite her curiosity leaking from the tone of her voice. 

“..I just wanted some advice. How do you level up?” Bell said, sheepishly chuckling. If his hands didn’t have the bags in them, he’d scratch his cheek. 

“I see. Well to put it simply, you must go on an adventure.” Bell tilted his head in confusion. “In practice, you must defeat a powerful opponent. But that alone is not enough. You must perform a feat so grand, even the gods would acknowledge it.” Ryuu explained, which got the rabbit-like teen to ponder her words more carefully. Nero and Mikoto were listening as well, with Nero thinking to himself on how he could accomplish something like that. 

“Thank you Miss Ryuu. I appreciate your advice.” Bell bowed towards Ryuu slightly. 

The group finished making their way to the Hostess, entering through the backdoor. Syr was there looking like she was about to get scolded by Mama Mia, as Bell came in followed by Ryuu, then Mikoto and Nero stepped in behind her. “Oh, Bell can help!” the gray-haired waitress offered. Before anyone could react, or Bell could protest, Syr had grabbed him and dragged him to the kitchen. A small silence lingered, followed by a complaint from Bell.

“Washing Dishes!?” 

Nero couldn’t help but laugh at his brother’s unfortunate circumstances. Handing over the ingredients to Mia, the albino turned to Mikoto, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. “Well.. since Bell’s busy being drafted into the Hostess. “A gruff laugh from Mia in the kitchen. “Guess it’s just us for dinner.” 

“Oh.. n-no worries, I’m okay if it’s just us..” Mikoto waved her hands in front of her. ‘ This is almost like a d-date! ’ 

The two decided to get a small table in the back, closer to the bar where Nero and Bell usually sat. Once they sat, Anya came over. “Welcome Nya-ro.” A snicker from Mikoto, while Nero gave a strained smile. “What would mew two like to drink?” Nero, deciding to mix it up for once, decided to get one of their berry flavored ales, hearing it was good. Mikoto followed suit and requested the same. 

“So how have your dives been for you, Mikoto? Since the whole minotaur thing, I’ve been wondering how you’ve been handling it.” Nero asked the girl, his hands on his thighs as his electric blue eyes met her violet ones. ‘ I hope she’s okay.. ’ 

“Ah, y-yeah. I’m doing better now, thankfully.” Mikoto softly smiled at Nero. “Thanks to you, I was able to see the next morning. Not to mention that incident encouraged me to work harder than ever, so I’ve been improving myself bit by bit.” She smiled, patting her bicep in a mock flex, which earned a chuckle from Nero.

“That’s good, I’m glad you’re doing good, better even.” Nero was relieved that the event didn’t traumatize the girl. He was okay despite getting his shit rocked by that Raging Bull, but thus was the life of adventurers. 

“Indeed. How about yourself? You got roughed up by the Minotaur yourself..” Mikoto asked, trying to keep a poker face but her eyes betrayed her concern. She was watching the whole encounter, and saw him getting thrown around, gored, and almost killed. 

“I’m much better now that I don’t have two holes in my chest from the horns.” Nero joked about the injuries he received, getting a soft giggle from Mikoto from his sarcastic joke. 

Anya had returned with their drinks, which both thanked her for. Afterwards, they placed their orders in with Anya. Nero requested a chicken katsu don, while Mikoto ordered herself a plate of tonkatsu. After confirming the orders, the catgirl bowed and quickly went off to drop off the order with Mia in the kitchen. 

“Hey, N-Nero..” Mikoto grabbed the albino's attention. “Would.. It be okay if I tagged along with your party for the Dungeon?” She expected to be denied, but received a smile from the teen. 

“Sure. I wouldn’t say no.” Nero accepted her request, which rewarded him with a beautiful, and relieved smile, from the raven-haired girl, which Nero couldn’t help but blush slightly. 

“Thank you for being so considerate to me. When would you like to meet up?” Mikoto asked, which Nero confirmed to meet the next morning around 7 AM by the fountain in front of Babel. 

As they ironed out the details, Bell finally walked from the back, joined by Ryuu at his side. The rabbit-like teen was drying his hands, while Ryuu calmly walked by his side, her hands crossed over her front, as they approached Nero and Mikoto. 

“Ah, welcome back Bell. Did you do a good job?” Nero teased, earning a shoulder punch from his brother, a giggle from Mikoto, and a small smile from Ryuu. Bell took a seat next to Nero, while Ryuu sat next to Mikoto across from him. So now, Nero and Mikoto were facing each other while Bell and Ryuu were also facing one another. 

“Hello, Ryuu.” Mikoto bowed slightly towards the waitress, who nodded towards her. “I’m surprised you are here with us and not working. The dinner service is still busy.” 

“Syr got herself in trouble for throwing Bell at the dishes, knowing it was her responsibility.” Ryuu said, a small smile gracing her face which mesmerized Bell. “So I get a longer break while she gets more work.” 

“Careful, Ryuu.” Nero jokingly stated as Anya approached with their food. “You’re gonna start sounding like Syr at that rate.” 

“Hmm..” Ryuu closed her eyes, then opened them to playfully scowl at the two albinos. “Then I guess I’ll have to choose my next targets soon.” They all laughed at that, with Ryuu smiling more. Afterwards, Bell threw in an order for some fruit juice with spaghetti, as it was his favorite dish and drink, and continued conversing with everyone, just talking as friends should despite the strange mix. A Far Eastern samurai, An Elven waitress, A rabbit, and a demon hybrid sat at a table in a tavern. Could’ve been the front for a joke if someone knew Nero’s heritage. 

~ Meanwhile, Tower of Babel ~ 

The Goddess of Love and War sat on her throne overlooking the city, watching the souls of the two boys she’s become heavily interested in. Their souls danced as they spoke to the girls with them, clearly enjoying themselves. She bites her lip slightly but then pauses. ‘ Am I jealous? ’ she giggles to herself, realizing that these boys are giving her new experiences by just existing in the city. 

“Allen, come here for a moment.” She requested, and as she finished, a short cat man appeared by her side. He had short black hair that came down to his chin on the sides, with a pair of small cat ears, and a tail. His sharp, amber colored eyes were watching the city in front of him. He wore a skin-tight black muscle shirt, slightly baggy sweatpants, and matching boots with brown gloves. This was Allen Frommel, the Vice-Captain of the Freya Familia, Level 6 and considered to be the ‘Fastest in the City’. 

“Yes, how may I be of service, Lady Freya?” Allen inquired, bowing to his goddess as he spoke. 

“How is Ottar’s project doing? Any new developments?” Freya asked, curiosity leaking from her tone. 

“From what I’ve gathered, Ottar has made significant progress. He believes the trial is ready to go tomorrow, or whenever you deem it ready.” Allen explained, his hands at his side still bowing. 

“Excellent. I’m glad he was able to adapt so quickly. Thank you, Allen.” She patted him on the head, earning an ear twitch. “You are dismissed.” The cat man disappeared as quickly as he came. Freya sighed, as she watched her most favorite souls as they brightened throughout their dinner. She intended to test the brothers during Monsterphilia, but the entire event got delayed, something about a ‘security risk.’ The normal Ganesha familia members she encountered as Syr in the hostess only spoke about surface level regarding the event. More than likely the upper echelon of Ganesha’s familia would know, or possibly the Guild could have an idea as to what happened but she’d likely not get anything without direct involvement, which wouldn’t bode well for her. She poured herself a glass of her favorite red wine, and swirled the liquid in the glass as she smiled at the brothers. ‘ Let us see how you two handle this next trial.. For your sake, I wish you luck. ’ She prays for them, holding her glass towards the boys’ souls. 

~ Babel, Dungeon Entrance ~ 

As night fell upon the city, A cloaked man was walking alone in the empty streets, devoid of life, minus the Ganesha members guarding the dungeon entrance. The cloaked man stopped by an alleyway shrouded in shadows, eyeing the two guards with discontent. As a cloud slowly drifted away in the cool breeze, releasing a ray of moonlight, the face of the cloaked man was revealed, hideous in its looks. Wrinkled forehead, uneven teeth grinding in his mouth, and his brown eyes were seething with anger as he watched the guards. 

Argen bit the urge to just charge into the guards. ‘ I must be patient.. I need to be as strong as possible to face that girl again.. Then maybe I can have my way with her before I consume her.. ’ His face twisted into an ugly yet sinister grin as his vile thoughts permeated onto his features. So he waited, although it wasn’t long before the guards were unfocused and tired, dozing off already before he quickly passed behind them, running into the dungeon. 

He had fully healed from his injuries from the last encounter with the so-called Devil Hunter, but he knew she was just a child. A trainee with her master nowhere to be seen. Not to mention, he saw her little party she would join. And the man that stood out. The white haired hybrid.. The blood descendant of Sparda. Drool leaked out of his mouth as he thought of the potential power he’d absorb if he could get his hands on that boy. He’d be unstoppable over time, with his quick wits and the power of the Dark Knight’s lineage, anything could be done. But to do that, he needed strength. And what better way than to hunt monsters and consume them instead? He already started with the beasts in the underground lock up beneath the arena, but those were nothing but small fry, they barely fed his power. He needed something substantial.. Like a War Shadow, or an Orc.. or if he got lucky, an infant dragon.. That would push his strength beyond his meager limits, and let him hunt the girl and the boy with little difficulty. At his current strength, he was no better than a mid level 1 adventurer. The girl was of that strength herself, but her combat prowess was enough to give her a slight edge over Argen. But he’d remedy that very, very soon.

‘ Just you wait.. My hunt will begin soon, little Sparrow ’ Argen grins, licking his yellowed teeth as he ventured into the darkness, with the cries and howls of monsters echoing through the tunnels. 

~ Fortuna ~

Dante was sleeping on the floor, laying by his brother’s side against the arm of the couch as his brother slept on the couch. Vergil’s been bedridden since he returned to the human world. Luckily, he recovered enough so his demon energy was able to stitch his wounds closed, so he wasn’t in mortal danger. He wasn’t close to fully healed, but he would be there much quicker now that his wounds were healed. 

After a slight jolt from falling over slightly, Dante woke with a start, looking around before remembering where he was. Yawning, he looked at his brother’s sleeping form before looking outside, the moonlight bleeding through the thin curtains in the kitchen window. The skies were clear tonight so the moon was fully visible. Deciding to be productive, he quietly grabbed some ingredients to begin cooking. Some pasta, tomato sauce, cheese, and ground beef. ‘ Cheeseburger pasta.. Can never beat it, ey? ’ Dante mused, remembering this was one of the meals his father, Sparda, was able to make, the second being grilled cheese. 

Sparda was a warrior, not a chef. His mother, Eva, handled the cooking as she was great at it. 

After 30 minutes of cooking, he was relatively finished before hearing a soft groan come from the living room. He quickly peeked over, seeing Vergil trying to pick himself up from the couch. Dante sighed, before walking over and helping his brother sit up.

“..I didn’t need help.” Vergil hissed, which Dante scoffed at. His brother was always like this, pushing him away and insisting he could handle whatever was thrown at him. Normally, that would be okay, but at this moment he was still recovering so fair is fair.

“Whatever, Verge. I made some food for us, so eat up then go and shower. Get yourself cleaned up.” Dante instructed, earning a scoff from Vergil but no protest. Progress, then. He went and grabbed two bowls of his pasta and some forks before coming back to the couch, handing his brother one of the bowls. 

“.. you made Dad’s favorite..” Vergil muttered, which Dante caught, earning a smile from him and a scowl from his older brother. 

“Yes, I did. You can praise me later, Verge.” A tsk from his brother. “But now, just eat, shower, and rest. I don’t plan on staying here long, and if you are aiming to find your son, we can at least look around together.” 

Vergil was silent, opting to let his actions answer his brother as he began softly blowing on the pasta, before scooping the pasta into his mouth. Memories from long ago, of them eating their father’s pasta after a scuffle in the yard, covered in scratches and grass staining their clothes. Their mother would scold them about being dirty while their father would laugh and defend their actions, calling it ‘brotherly bonding’. 

He wished things were different, but it was far too late for that. 

“Dante..” The younger Sparda twin looked up, his eyes curiously observing Vergil. “..how long have I been gone..” 

“.. Depends, what’s the last major event you remember hearing about?” Dante asked, which caused Vergil to calmly think about any big events he heard about that came through the grapevine of merchants and travelers into the town. 

“The failure of the great quest by the Zeus and Hera familia.. To slay the dragon.” Vergil stated, which caused Dante to cough violently as pasta got lodged in his throat. “What!?” He snarled at his brother, who looked at him with anger and… sorrow? 

“Verge.. I hate to be the one to break it to you.. That was over 17 years ago.. You’ve been gone a long time brother.” Dante said, which caused Vergil to freeze, his breath hitching in his throat. 

“..No.. impossible.. It’s only been 4 years at most!” Vergil tried to argue, but Dante shook his head. He knew his brother was being honest, Dante was never a good liar to anyone and he always wore his heart on his sleeve. The Elder Sparda’s shoulders drooped, the bowl sitting on his lap as he contemplated the reality of the situation. His son.. Nero has grown up without him. He missed it all, his growth, his first words, learning to walk, to teach him to fight, learning about his heritage. He lost the chance to be a father.

“..Fuck.” Vergil angrily, but carefully, set the bowl down onto the coffee table before running his hands through his hair. Dante was quiet, witnessing Vergil swearing was a once in a lifetime event, and it had to be when he found out he effectively abandoned his son without meaning to. 

“Look Vergil. Whatever it is, we can figure it out. Maybe we can go back to your home.” his brother looked at him, his eyes filled with guilt and sorrow. “We can see if he’s still there or if he has moved out. Hell, it’s been long enough, maybe he got a girl himself.” A scowl from his brother stopped his train of thought, but he kept going. “All I’m saying is he is family. We’ll find him, and we can try and explain things. We’ll work it out, Vergil. Together.” 

“..Fine. I’m going to go and shower.” Vergil accepted his help, before slowly standing up and wobbling his way towards the guest room and shower. Dante sighed, before setting his own bowl down. Both were still ⅓ the way full, but this news clearly killed their appetites. 

‘ Hope you're okay out there, kid. For Verge’s sake.. And possibly mine. ’ Dante leaned into the couch, aimlessly looking into the ceiling of the small house, praying that Lady Luck wouldn’t forsake them again this time. 

~ Twilight Manor, Next Day ~ 

The next day rolled around, sunny with a few clouds lingering in the air like long strips of torn paper stretching over the sky. The weather wasn’t too hot or cold, more mild with a cool breeze that coasted through the city. A lovely day for a simple picnic in a meadow, if these boys were still simple farmhands. 

Nero and Bell got up early, around 6 AM, and quickly got themselves cleaned up and geared up. After 30 minutes, the brothers made their way out of the Twilight Manor to head over to the agreed meeting point for their party. As they walked, the brothers were quiet, just enjoying the weather together. It didn’t take long to reach the meeting point, and they noticed that Mikoto was there already, quietly sitting by a bench at the fountain. 

“Good morning, Mikoto.” Nero stated, waving towards the raven-haired girl as they approached. She stiffened up slightly, but relaxed as she saw the albinos approaching. 

“Good morning, Mikoto!” Bell cheerfully said, smiling brightly as Mikoto stood up from the bench. 

“Good morning, Bell. Nero.” Mikoto bowed towards the brothers. “I hope you are rested for our dive today.” She graced them with a soft smile, her trusty katana seated on her hip. She wore her normal purple kimono and red thigh high boots, but she had added a red shoulder pauldron on her left shoulder, which also had a portion of armor that wrapped around her neck on the right side. 

A small chorus of greetings rang from the side, which caught the trio’s attention. Approaching them was the rest of the party. Welf was in the lead, wearing a black colored kimono with white pants and black boots. Two belts were wrapped around him, one on his waist which held a small pouch and two potions, the other on his back which held his greatsword. 

Lili was behind him, her large supporter backpack was obvious. She wore her usual khaki colored cloak and red hoodie underneath. A small crossbow was strapped to her left wrist, and a dagger was situated on her hip on the right side. 

Patty was walking alongside the Prum, wearing her typical adventuring outfit, but a few obvious changes were made aware. She wore her normal white blouse, red vest, and pink skirt with black spanks, boots, and gloves. What changed was the armor. Patty had stepped it up with some leather shin guards and forearm protectors. Her sword sat strapped to her on her left side, a dagger and potion on her right thigh, but she held an additional weapon: A long, strange-looking crossbow was held in her hands, a bolt already racked and ready to fire at a moment's notice. 

“Morning you guys!” Bell waved at the group with his million valis smile. Welf laughed and waved back, Lili shyly waved her hands, and Patty skipped up and high-fived him, eliciting a cheer from the teen. Nero chuckled at the reaction while Mikoto just smiled, standing by Nero’s side while slightly blushing. 

“One hell of a party here. We’re gonna need to organize ourselves here, so we’ll need to pick a team captain to lead us.” Nero clarified, earning a round of approval from the others. “In that case, I nominated Bell.” 

“That's fair enou- wait me?!” Bell was about to agree until the sentence clicked in his head, spinning his head around to look at his brother with a flabbergasted expression. “Why me?” 

“A leader needs everyone’s trust, not to mention ya got the best Charisma.” Nero explained, placing a hand on his hip. “None of us would complain about you takin charge, far as I know.” 

“Yeah, I second that notion. You’re a trustworthy guy, from what Nero’s explained.” Welf seconded Nero’s decision. 

“Lili does not mind who leads us, but Lili trusts Master Bell to lead us safely.” The Prum supporter bowed her head slightly towards Bell, who was now blushing at the praise he was receiving. 

“You fought to protect me when I got attacked before, and were able to call out directions for your party back then.” Mikoto also agreed. “I am more than happy to let you lead us.” 

“And I’ve got no complaints. So there ya have it, Bell-y Boy!” Patty cheered. “You’re the captain of our team here. S’ up to you to guide us from here~” 

Bell was nervous, extremely so. He was now held responsible to lead his friends, and brother, into the Dungeon and they trusted him completely. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves. Now was not the time to get flustered or worried. They needed a leader, and he would do his absolute best. A new learning experience, if Finn or Riveria was there to acknowledge their decision. “Okay. Considering our size and relative strengths.. We’d need to push to Floor 10 before we start running into problems regarding monsters.. Before then..” Bell looked up to Patty and Welf. “You two will be our vanguard. You’ll lead and cut through whatever is standing in our way. Mikoto,” He turned to the group’s vigilant samurai, who was giving her full attention. “You will sit middle guard with Lili. Lili will provide support fire and call out strays for the Vanguard while you reinforce them from the middle, while diving back to protect Lili when necessary.” Bell finally turned to his brother, who was watching with a serious, but proud, expression on his face. “Nero, me and you will take up the rearguard. You will focus on protecting our butts, and stepping in to protect Lili when Mikoto reinforces Welf and Patty. I’ll take the middle guard position as I am the most mobile of us, as well as the most versatile.” 

“...Damn, that was quickly deduced. Good shit, Bell!” Nero proudly stated, grabbing the grip on his sword with a grin. “You got it, Captain!” 

“You heard the man, let’s get into position and prepare for a fight!” Welf called out, which Patty giggled, placing the crossbow on her back and gripping her sword. 

The group made their way towards the Dungeon entrance, falling slowly into their allotted positions by their appointed leader. Welf and Patty led the group, blades out and ready to swing. Lili prepared her crossbow, making sure it was ready to fire while Mikoto held a hand on her katana walking slightly ahead of the supporter. The albinos brought up the rear, Alastor in Bell’s sheath on his back and the Red Queen on Nero’s shoulder. 

“To prepare for the later half of the dive,” Bell called out as they reached the entrance. “By the stairs to floor 10, Welf and Patty will swap with me and Nero. Mikoto and Lili, you two will remain in position but Welf and Patty should be able to stick close then.” A small chorus of approval sounded off of their members, and they proceeded to dive in. 

The group of teens were able to make their way through the dungeon’s numerous floors with relative ease. Luckily enough, Welf was able to synergize with Patty quite well in their fighting styles, with Welf acting as a frontline tank and Patty covering his flanks and blindspots. Mikoto didn’t need to dive to assist them much early on, and only left Lili’s side a handful of times. Nero and Bell only had to deal with a few stragglers. Reaching the 9th floor within a few hours, the group made it to the stairs to the 10th floor without much difficulty. They were resting by the entrance before they decided to dive in. 

“Welf, Patty, you two holding up okay?” Nero inquired, as Welf was a little scratched up and breathing a little heavy, while Patty was sitting on a nearby rock catching her breath. 

“Yeah, I’m good.” Welf pumped a fist in the air, grinning. “I’m ready for these floors now that I had a warm-up.” 

“Me too!” Patty cheered, smiling and playfully started swinging her arm like she held her sword. “I’ll cut these monsters down, easy!” 

Bell chuckles at this, smiling at his friends as they rested by the entrance. “Well you guys already know the formation. We’ll rest another 10 minutes, then we’ll head down.” A chorus of agreements were heard, so they just chatted while keeping an eye out for any monsters. 

~ 1 Hour Later, 11th Floor ~ 

Everyone was quietly walking through the 11th floor, the mist obscuring the floor. As they walked, everyone kept an eye out for any activity on the floor either from monsters or from other adventuring parties. 

“It’s quiet..” Nero said, flexing the fingers gripping on his sword which was resting on his shoulder. “.. Way too quiet for this floor.” 

“Lili agrees, Master Nero.. This is not right.” The Prum supporter mentioned, nervously shifting their gaze around.

The group had walked through the 10th floor with relative ease, at least much easier than normal. They were hardly attacked, a handful of Imps and Bad Bats, with the occasional Orc but nothing more than 5 at a time. Hoping that the 11th floor would provide a better challenge was fruitless as the same story was here, almost even quieter than the previous. In fact, they were barely attacked at all, and the stairs to the 12th were close by, if what Lili’s map said was correct.

“I don’t like this one bit.” Welf stated, nervously looking around. “Maybe we should turn back..” 

Before anyone could reply, yelling was heard towards the direction of the staircase. Both Bell and Nero took off running, with the others following shortly. Reaching the entryway to the stairs, they were greeted by a party of 4 adventurers, 2 of them were injured badly. The front was a male human with jet black short hair, wearing basic leather armor. He carried a wounded elven mage, whose blue robes were shredded with some of the fabric bound to her more grievous wounds if the dense blood spots were anything to go by. The second, still-standing, party member was a Chienthrope woman, wearing half-plate armor and chainmail, who carried a female woman with orange hair. The orange-haired woman appeared to be a ranger, however her outfit was torn in numerous places, barely able to conceal her body as a lot of it was used to clot the massive wound on her stomach. She was extremely pale, with sweat on her forehead and her breathing strenuous. 

“Get them here!” Bell shouted. “Lili, get them some potions so they can make it to the surface!” 

“On it, Master Bell!” Lili was already pulling out the parties’ two emergency Elixirs that Nero recommended getting, at his expense. As they reached the party, the wounded were quickly placed down, and half-doused with the elixirs to heal external wounds, and then aided in drinking the other half. Immediately, the orange haired ranger was able to breathe easier and the pained expression eased up on her face. The mage was better off, her wounds almost completely healing and she was even conscious again. 

Nero grabbed the shoulder of the supposed party leader, the black haired male, and spun him around. “What happened?” 

“There’s a Minotaur on the 12th floor! But it’s a variant, an Irregular!” The man shouted out, his fear leaking into the area. Bell immediately froze up upon hearing about this. 

“Shit! Again?!” Nero hissed. “Are there any others down there?” 

“Y-yeah, there’s at least another 6 people down there! They got a handful of injured but no one is strong enough to fend off this Minotaur!” The man explained. 

Bell slapped his cheeks hard, attracting everyone’s attention. “Okay, change of plans, team!” Everyone snapped to attention, serious expressions on their faces. “We’re going in! You guys get your teammates out of here and try to find some back up! We’ll hold it off as long as possible!” 

The man nodded, quickly picking up the mage again as his Chienthrope teammate grabbed the ranger, and the group quickly left, shouting their good luck and support. Bell’s party ran down the stairs to reach the battlefield. It didn’t take them long, as they reached the base of the stairs they were greeted by the 6 adventurers mentioned. 3 were down for the count, with numerous wounds on their bodies. Another adventurer was looking over them, trying their best to heal any wounds. The final two were standing with weapons drawn, although one of them was facing a different direction.

“Hey!” Nero called out, getting their attention. “We’re here for backup! What’s the situation!” He yelled, jumping down and landing between the healer and the guards. 

“This shit went from bad to worse! We got an Infant Dragon down here too!” One of the adventurers, a Dwarf with a large greataxe called out. He wore heavy plate armor, but his chest piece was damaged, and his helmet missing. 

“Yeah! It was already bad with the Bull!” The other adventurer, an Amazon with a set of curved daggers in her hands. Like most amazons, she had worn little armor, so her wounds were more serious, but she was managing. 

Bell appeared by Nero’s left side, with Mikoto showing up on his right. Welf, Patty, and Lili stopped by the healer, with the Prum dropping her bag and handing out medical supplies to treat the wounded. As they treated the wounded, two sets of heavy footfalls could be heard approaching from the front. On the right side, a massive huff was heard, and the reveal of the Irregular Minotaur showed itself. Its fur was a deep crimson red with the skin a deep charcoal black, a complete change from the normal brown and orange color scheme of regular Minotaurs. The skin of this Minotaur had numerous scars on its body, indicating its fighting history. A large black two handed cleaver was its weapon of choice, which was held in one hand thanks to its immense strength. 

A large roar was heard on the left side of the 12th floor, and the Infant Dragon made its grand appearance with its large steps. Despite being a dragon, it had no wings so it was more reminiscent of a Drake. It had orange colored scales, with faded rose colored scales covering its underbelly. Its large black claws were easily over 30 cm in length, the size of a standard dagger from the Guild. It gave a defiant roar, which also affected the Minotaur as it huffed in its general direction. 

All of the adventurers were nervous, as they were facing 2 extremely powerful enemies, at least to their current level. If they did not play their cards right, they could be killed easily here. However, despite the fear and desire to run firmly etched in his head, Bell was the first to step forward. 

That was, until an inhuman cackling could be heard. Further to the right side of the Infant Dragon was a humanoid being covered in a cloak. He was laughing as he approached from the fog, his hood down revealing his ugly face and crooked yet sharp teeth. He held a nasty looking pair of hooked weapons, similar to the design of ice axes used for climbing mountains. He gave a vicious grin, looking towards the group of adventurers, specifically towards Patty, who face was contorted in anger. “THERE YOU ARE!” 

“Friend of yours, Pats?!” Nero called out, flexing his fingers on the grip of the Red Queen. 

“Hell no! That’s the demon that went loose!” Patty called out, earning a shared growl from Nero and her as the demon in question laughed. 

“Don’t worry, little Sparrow! Argen will soon put you down!” The now-named demon smirks, licking his lips. “After I finish your friends off and enjoy myself a little with you~” 

“Yea, screw that.” Welf said, gripping his greatsword and removing it from his back. 

“Guys.” Everyone turned at the sound of Bell’s voice. Firm but tense if his tone was anything to go by. “We’re going to take all three of these monsters out.” 

“How? We’re quite outmatched here, Bell..” Mikoto was nervous, but her grip on her katana was firm and ready to strike out. 

“Nero. I’ll leave the dragon for you and Mikoto.” Nero grinned, removing the Red Queen off of his back, wielding it in his left hand and flexing his right hand. “Welf. Patty. You two will take care of that demon. Argen or whatever his name is.” Welf and Patty grunted in response, prepping their blades towards Argen, who growled while lowering himself to a slight crouch with the axe-like weapons in his hands. “The Minotaur’s mine.” The two adventurers gasped at the proclamation. 

“Y-you can't fight that thing alone!” The Amazon shouted. “You’ll die!” 

“Someone has to protect the injured back there while Lili and the other healer keep them alive!” Bell shouted back, removing Alastor from his back. “You two keep them safe and get them out of here! Lili, provide support where you can!” 

“RIGHT!” Everyone called out, getting into their battle stances, weapons drawn and ready for the fight of their lives. 

Bell, his hands shaking but his eyes serious, held his sword facing the Irregular Minotaur, who held its blade in preparation to fight the rabbit-like teen. His memory of the initial incident, not very long ago, flashed in his mind. Remembering the fear, the heartache of watching his brother getting hurt, his feeling of inadequacy and powerlessness at the time, not being able to protect his only remaining family, ignited a flame in his heart. His desire to fight to protect the weak, to protect his family, his friends. To stand equal to the amazing adventurers of his familia, to make his Goddess proud and establish himself as a true adventurer. Ryuu’s words echoed in his mind: ‘ an adventurer must go on an adventure. In practice, you must defeat a powerful opponent. But that alone is not enough. You must perform a feat so grand, even the gods would acknowledge it. ’ He felt Alastor’s power hum through the blade, acknowledging his desire to fight, and the Spirit’s willingness to grant him his power. 

Nero flexed the Devil Bringer, his clawed fingers popping slightly from the minor strain. Despite never facing off against an Infant Dragon before, he couldn’t help but feel the excitement getting to him. His heart thumping in his ears, his breathing heavy but controlled, his feet shifting in his stance. The thrill of the battle was getting to him, and Nero couldn’t help the battle-crazed grin that formed on his face. ‘ It’s time to push our limits! ’ 

Mikoto was worried. She was face-to-face with an extremely powerful enemy. An Infant Dragon, a large and rare monster on the 12th floor. Its strength was equivalent to a Level 2 and considered a mini-Floor Boss to the Guild. Her hand was shaking on the grip of her katana, and she looked towards Nero to see his own reaction. Much to her surprise, she saw the grin that was plastered on her face despite the antsy flexing of his right hand. ‘ He’s scared too.. ’ She steeled her resolve. Despite the embarrassing nature of her newest skill, she truly did admire Nero’s willingness to fight, to push himself and to protect others even at the risk of his own life. Steadying her breath, she lowered her stance, standing to Nero’s right side and preparing to fight the Infant Dragon. ‘ I’ll fight too.. I’ll prove myself worthy of fighting alongside them! ’ 

Patty spun her shortsword in her hand, facing the demon that she had faced a few weeks ago. Her face was twisted into a scowl, her teeth grinding against one another in anger. This disgusting demon was still around because she couldn’t clean house and finish the job. And now here he is, threatening to hurt her newfound friends, and even wanted to commit vile things to her! She wasn’t going to let him get away this time. She was making sure this time, she’d finish the job. 

Welf stood by Patty’s side, his greatsword on his shoulder similarly to Nero’s relaxed position. He was angry too, at the proclamation of the disgusting demon in front of him. But he noticed that Patty was riled up quite a bit, so he stepped to her side, nudging her shoulder and earning him a glare from her peripheral. “Breathe.. Don’t lose yourself yet. We’ll take him down but don’t stoop to his level.” Patty nodded, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves. “Now. Let’s send this bastard back to whence he came!” He grinned, holding his greatsword in front of him with two hands. 

A short break between everyone ensued, with hardly any noise minus the rough breathing from the Infant Dragon and the Minotaur. However this was cut short once a rock chipped off of the Dungeon wall and fell with a small thunk, echoing through the room. All at once, Bell’s party, shouting in defiance and pride, charged against the berserk monsters, roaring their fury at the charging mortals, and the demon’s insane cackling as he charged at his prey. 

Their battle had begun. 

~ Meanwhile, Dungeon, 5th floor ~ 

Finn was nonchalantly walking through the Dungeon, followed by the upper echelon of the Loki Familia and supporters, as they walked through the dungeon. Their goal was to go to the 28th floor to use that as a base while farming up the monsters in that area. They wished to train to get a little stronger, their desire somewhat influenced by their newest rising stars, the albino brothers of the Loki Familia. Course, they also needed to fill the familia coffers as they were in the red once again, so this was a great opportunity for the first-class adventurers to make a trip out of it. 

“Hey, Ais. you okay?” Lefiya asked the blonde-haired swordswoman, as she was lost in thought, hardly focusing on the monsters around her. Ais hummed in response, still somewhat lost in thought as they walked. Tiona and Tione were bickering with one another nearby, but noticed her lack of an answer and looked towards the girl, concern etched on their faces. 

“Ais.” Riveria called out to her pseudo-daughter, who turned to her name being called. “Lefiya had asked you something, are you doing okay?” She asked, a neutral tone but she was also concerned on her behalf. 

“Yes. Sorry.. I was just thinking..” Ais said slowly, aligning her thoughts which caught the ears of everyone. “I wanted to speak with Nero..” 

Bete’s ear twitched, looking towards Ais. “Oh? What, did he upset you or somethin’?” Ais shook her head quickly, denying Bete’s assertion. “Well what is it?” 

Before she could reply, a group of adventurers ran up towards the group, stopping suddenly as they noticed the Loki Familia approaching. “PERFECT!” a black-haired man with leather armor shouted, as they dragged their wounded over. Finn immediately got serious alongside his peers, at the approach of the adventurers. 

“Please, Sir Braver!” another, a female Chienthrope, begged. “There are adventurers fighting an Irregular Minotaur on the 12th floor! A party came to assist but I don’t know if they can do it! Numerous injured, and an unknown amount of possible dead!” 

“Who was in that party?” Finn asked, his face serious as his thumb throbbed. ‘ The hell is going on? ’ 

“I-I didn’t catch any names… but two of them stuck out. A pair of albinos..” The black haired man explained, which everyone’s eyes widened at this.. It couldn’t be who they thought it was.. “One was short, with red eyes. The other with blue eyes, taller than his counterpart..” 

“Shit. Where were they at on the 12th?!” Bete snarled, startling the adventurers. 

“By the staircase!” The Chienthrope shouted. “They weren’t able to get farther than that since the injured were there!” 

The Loki familia didn’t need more, they just ran off to the directed location, Bete and Ais in the lead followed closely by the rest of the group, with the supporters and Lefiya slightly behind due to the level difference. They bombed through the numerous floors of the Dungeon with little difficulty, lifting their usual restraint and letting their auras bleed out, chasing away any weaker monsters with the foolish ones getting decimated along the way.

 As they reached the 9th floor’s staircase, they quickly descended, missing the lone person hiding nearby in the shadows. Ottar, the level 7 adventurer of Orario and the Captain of the Freya familia, was nearby. He intended to stop anyone who interfered, possibly expecting Bete or Ais to be the ones ahead, but refrained realizing the rest of the executives of their familia were nearby. ‘ Damn… No matter.. We shall see what they do. ’ He thought to himself, walking away from the stairs back to the surface to return to his precious Goddess. 

It didn’t take long for the Loki Executives to reach the staircase to the 12th floor. Ais and Bete leaped over, not caring about the fall as a pair of level 5s, and saw the battles ensuing. They landed by the base of the stairs, noticing Bell’s Prum supporter and another adventurer, a female human healer, fretting over 3 injured bodies by the staircase. 

Lili shouted in relief, “Sir Finn!” as the Loki Familia approached. 

“What’s the situation like?” Finn questioned the Prum, his thumb still throbbing. 

“The Minotaur was not the only enemy! There’s an Infant Dragon here as well as a demon man!” Everyone was shocked hearing this. Riveria and Lefiya looked towards the battlefield, the fog making it difficult to discern who was fighting. 

“Where are the boys!?” Riveria shouted at Lili, her concern for the young teens bleeding into her tone. 

“M-Master Bell is taking on the Minotaur solo. Master Nero is with Miss Mikoto fighting the Infant Dragon, and Miss Patty and Mister Welf are fighting the demon.” Lili broke down the fights individually, earning a glare from the Top Executives. 

“You mean to tell me they decided to fight?!” Riveria scolded the girl, who flinched. “You didn’t try to stop them?!” 

“Calm down, ya old hag.” Bete snarled. “We’re here now, so we can pull them out. Get ready, Ais!” The blonde swordswoman nodded, gripping her blade’s handle. They began to charge in, Bete diving towards the Minotaur while Ais dashed to the Dragon.

Bete, however, was interrupted by a flash of lightning, and a boot to his chest throwing him backwards. Ais was similarly interrupted, a spectral claw grabbing her armor from behind and flinging her backwards towards the group, startling them as they returned to the base of the stairs despite intending to join the fray. 

“STAY OUT OF OUR FIGHT!” They heard Nero’s vulgar tone, his aggression and fury etched deep within his voice as they noticed him running back into the fight. His coat was gone, and his hoodie was torn in places. His pants weren’t fairing better, with scorch marks on his left leg. 

“THIS IS OUR ADVENTURE!” Bell followed, his voice leaking with grim determination as he appeared from the fog, stopping besides Bete and Ais. His light armor was heavily damaged, the chest piece completely missing. His black suit held numerous gashes and a wound on his head was bleeding over his eye. However, his eyes were flaring with ambition, his body coated in a shroud of lightning, as it snapped and crackled the air around him. He pointed his Devil Arm towards Bete’s face, only a few centimeters away. “Stay out of it.” were his last words, before the storm-like energy flared once again, with the rabbit-like teen dashing back into the fight, the sounds of clashing blades signifying him re-engaging his fierce opponent. 

“Tsk.” Bete clicked his tongue, before taking a few steps backwards, Ais followed his lead, as they stood by the stairs. 

The adventurers that were there, the Dwarf and Amazon, were shocked by the behavior of the Loki Executives. Even Riveria, Finn, and Gareth, who was silent through their trip, were standing watch, quietly listening to the battlefield and trying to see their fights through the fog. 

“I can’t see shit..” Bete growled, his ears twitching as he tried following alongside the fights. 

As if to answer his complaint, a massive quake shook the floor, staggering everyone nearby as the fog rushed away, revealing the floor. The lights here made things seem like color was nonexistent beyond differing shades of white and black. The ground was sparse with life, occasional large patches of short grass dotted the landscape, with leafless trees outlining the rest of the open field. 

The source of the quake appeared to be the Infant Dragon, as it had jumped up to slam onto the ground to attack the pair of adventurers facing it. Nero was above the Dragon, soaring through the air with the Red Queen on his back. Mikoto had dashed away to its left, dodging the body slam. The raven-haired samurai was slightly injured as well, her legs and arms were scratched up but otherwise she was in good physical condition. 

“HELLBOUND!” Nero shouted, a spectral claw reaching out to grip the head of the dragon, pulling him forward with immense speed. As he flew, he spun his body into a circle as fast as he could, turning into a flying Buzzsaw as he whipped past the Dragon’s head, cleaving its left eye and leaving a large gash on its face as it cried out in pain, shaking its head. Mikoto, seeing the opportunity, dashed forward, and let out multiple slashes, leaving numerous cuts on its legs and underbelly before running beneath and passed the Drake. Her blade was not able to leave deep gashes, lacking the power to pierce the tough scales but it was enough to stagger the dragon. 

The battle between the Minotaur and Bell was just as intense, the massive cleaver clashing against the Devil Arm. Despite the Irregular being physically stronger, Bell’s new immense speed with his magic active was able to match the power of the Bull. Clash after clash, the sparks of the metal flying everywhere as Bell pushed the Bull back centimeter by centimeter. Considering the speed difference, Bell was able to get numerous hits into the Bull and deal some damage. Its left leg held a large gash on its thigh, the chest had numerous cuts which were actively bleeding, and one of the horns was completely shattered, leaving a stump in its place. 

The final clash was a 2 to 1 between the blacksmith Welf fighting alongside Patty, the blond haired devil hunter, clashing blades with the ugly faced demon. Both Welf and Patty sustained some injuries already, Welf with two puncture wounds in his shoulder and left thigh, and Patty with one in her left forearm. However, the demon in question was also covered in wounds, numerous gashes on his chest and back, and a large cut on his right calf and ankle, limiting his movement. Their bout was evenly matched, his strength matched with Welf, and his speed was on par with Patty’s own, so they were able to clash and counter one another consistently. 

“They’re all in stalemates to a degree..” Gareth stated, stroking his beard thoughtfully, his foot tapping with anticipation. 

“Indeed.. It’ll take something decisive to tilt the favor over.” Riveria stated, her grip somewhat tight on her staff. 

“Come on you two..” Tione and Tiona watched with excitement, witnessing the clashing of wills and blades from their fellow adventurers. 

“You better not lose..” Bete growled, his tail thrashing side to side. Ais was silent, her eyes boring into the backs of Bell and Nero, her thoughts wondering what it was that pushed them beyond their limits and fighting at this level, despite being only adventurers for a little over a month. 

Nero was dashing alongside Mikoto, inflicting a few more wounds, when the tail of the Infant Dragon lashed out towards the pair. “Shit!” Nero stepped between the tail and Mikoto, bracing the Red Queen against his shoulder and taking the brunt of the hit, sending the pair flying. A simultaneous gasp was audible from the onlookers as Nero and Bell crashed onto the ground, groaning. Nero lifted himself up, his left arm hanging limp while he propped himself up with his sword, the tip in the ground. Mikoto rolled herself over, getting herself up but crying out in pain as she tried putting weight on her right foot, falling to her knee. The Infant Dragon stared at the two adventurers, watching their next move. 

“Nero…” The mentioned albino turned to her. “I have a plan.. But I need you to buy me time.. I can use my gravity magic to pin the dragon down..” She said between breaths as the Infant Dragon roared, its face still bleeding from the earlier gash on its eye from Nero. 

Nero gave her a toothy grin, getting a slight blush from her. “Then I’ll trust you with my life, Mikoto..” her eyes widened at this, only to grant him a beautiful smile and a determined nod, causing him to flush at her. 

“Hey asshole!” Nero shouted, getting everyone’s attention. “It’s time to end this! ROUND TWO, LETS GO!” The blade of Red Queen stabbed into the ground, and he gripped the trigger and revved the blade up, the Exceed engine rumbling as the blade began to glow red. “HELLBOUND!” He shot forward, the raging blade of the Red Queen rumbling behind him as he flung himself towards the Infant Dragon, too slow to react as he flew past, swinging his blade and leaving a deep gash on its right side, eliciting a pain-filled roar. But before he hit the ground, he cast his movement spell, gripping onto the dragon’s back and flinging himself around, similarly to a grappling hook as he swung around. 

Mikoto, bracing herself in her kneeling position, moved both hands clasped together in front of herself, then began her chant. “God of Strength.. Bringer of Destruction, I humbly beseech thee..” her body began glowing a soft lilac purple hue as the magical energy began to concentrate in her body. The Loki Executives watched on, curious as to the magic this samurai was preparing. 

The Infant Dragon, feeling the rush of magic, roared defiantly at her and aimed to move towards the girl, before Nero flew by and drop-kicked it in its wounded eye, knocking it off course and causing the beast to cry out in surprised pain, before twisting around and trying to attack the Albino, who had pulled himself towards the ground, slashing at the beasts front left leg with Red Queen. Crying out, the Infant Dragon began trying to move away from the source of flowing magic while engaging the insect flying around its head and body, limping as the injuries on its legs were significant enough to slow it down. 

Mikoto, seeing the dragon trying to get away, lifted herself up on one leg, slowly dragging herself towards the dragon, continuing her chant. “Grant me guidance from the heavens. Fill my meager body with thy sublime and sacred power..” She limped her way over, refusing to let the dragon out of her range. 

“She’s insane for trying to get closer.” Tiona frowned, getting nods from Riveria, Lefiya, and Finn. 

Nero kept whipping himself around, maintaining his speed as he hacked and slashed at the dragon, revving Red Queen to her maximum. His body felt the strain of the amount of mind he had to use to keep the momentum up, as well as his dizziness as he flung himself around the dragon. ‘ Come on, hold out just a little longer! ’ He gritted his teeth and pushed forward. 

The Infant Dragon began to panic slightly, trying to get itself away, only to cry out in pain as Nero threw himself into another leg at full tilt, the Red Queen piercing through the scales and cracking the bone beneath. The Infant Dragon flopped over, having difficulty standing back up. It turned to the source of the magic aura, the density ramping up heavily. 

“Save us, O’ Purifying light, Blade of Righteousness.” Mikoto released her hands, spreading her fingers open and separating her hands slightly, leaving space between them. A small black orb formed between her hands, its core a deep purple. Her magic was straining as she pushed her limits, her body screaming in pain with every hobble forward. “Swing true, o vanquishing sword. Miraculous, steely punishment.” 

“What the hell is that spell..?” Bete stated, feeling the density of the magic in the air. His hair was standing on end as a reaction to both the fierce fighting, and from the magic flaring up from the samurai woman. 

“I can’t tell.. One thing for sure, it’s quite powerful for a level 1..” Finn stated, feeling his thumb throb but not as fiercely as it was earlier. 

“Indeed..” Riveria stated, in awe at the magic control and concentration of the young raven-haired girl as she cast her magic, with Lefiya beside her staring forward as well, pouting slightly as Ais was mesmerized by Bell, Nero, and their party fighting their hearts out. 

The Infant Dragon tried to move back towards the injured samurai girl, aiming to at least prevent her from finishing her spell’s chant. Mikoto had stopped short, roughly 20 meters away from the dragon. The black orb between her hands began to expand slowly, with a massive magic circle forming below her and the Infant Dragon, expanding into a massive field that engulfed her and the beast. “Here and now, I call upon thy name! Descent from the heavens, and take hold of the Earth!” The circle reached its maximum size, over a 40 meter diameter centered between Mikoto and the Infant Dragon. 

Nero, upon seeing the circle forming, threw himself as high as he could go, reaching the ceiling of the dungeon and stabbed the Red Queen into the stone above, holding himself up there. He grinned, as the spell came to its conclusion. ‘ Let's end this together, Mikoto! ’ 

With one last burst of movement, the Infant Dragon threw itself at Mikoto, as a massive purple sword appeared from the magic circle and crashed down towards the lower circle. “Conquest of the Gods!” As the Infant dragon closed the distance, over 10 meters away now, the sword made contact with the lower magic circle. “ FUTSU NO MITAMA !” With the completion of the spell, the entire field that was covered by the magic circle was slammed down with a heavy gravity field, slamming the Dragon into the Dungeon floor, cracking the stone beneath its body as it struggled to lift its body. However, being so close caused Mikoto to get caught in the field as well, experiencing the gravity as the Infant Dragon did. She cried out as the weight slammed on her, the broken ankle flaring up as she fell onto her knee. Despite the pain and of her injuries escalating, she held the spell, locking eyes with the Dragon, her eyes fierce and determined to keep the spell going. 

“Gravity magic!?” Finn exclaimed, with everyone surprised at the reveal of the type of magic the samurai had. “She trapped herself in the magic field. That’s bad..” 

Bete growled, knowing it was only a matter of time before the girl gave out. The Dwarf adventurer standing by looked around “Where is-” 

“NEROOOO!!” Mikoto screamed out as loud as she could, still maintaining the gravity field in place. 

Nero pushed off of the ceiling of the Dungeon as hard as he could, revving Red Queen’s Exceed engine to its absolute max, the blade flaring to a deep red and emitting flames throughout the blade. Diving into the gravity well increased his speed immensely, and prepped his blade with his right hand. “DOWN TO HELL YOU GO!” He yelled out, his voice resonating within the walls as his arm reacted, enhancing the flames around Red Queen. Once he got close, he thrust his sword into the body of the Infant Dragon, ripping through the body, blood and viscera flying out from the sudden wound, and smashing the magic stone of the dragon into smithereens. With a final monstrous cry, the Infant Dragon was slain, blowing up with a cloud of dust, leaving The Red Queen thrust through the stone ground, over half the blade mounted into the ground with Nero slumped next to it covered in blood, a mix of his own and the dragon’s. 

The gravity field dissipated, with Mikoto falling over onto her stomach, gasping for air. She looked up, noticing Nero was leaning forward, against his blade, not moving. “N-Nero..” She tried to pick herself up but failed due to the strain on her muscles. “Nero!” she called out louder, dragging herself towards the teen. It didn’t take long for her to pull herself towards Nero, reaching up and grabbing his arm, only for him to flop over landing on his injured shoulder and groaning out in pain, his eyes closed. “..I’m s-sorry..” she stuttered out, noticing he landed facing her. 

“S’all good..” he whispered to her. “I’m too exhausted to move… one hell of a spell ya got..” he opened an eye, and smiled at her. “Good shit, partner.” 

A few moments before the end of Nero and Mikoto’s bout with the Infant Dragon, Bell and the Irregular were still clashing blades. Throughout the fight, they had begun running on fumes, with the Minotaur slowing down and its strength waning while Bell quit using his magic as he was running low on mind. New wounds were visible on their bodies from the violent nature of their clash. The Minotaur had lost function in one of its hands as it hung limply by its side, its torso littered with more gashes, and a large slash on its face around its snout. Bell had more cuts on his chest as well, almost mirroring the Minotaur’s own, and even had one of his forearms pierced by the Bull’s horn, which it hung limply to his side. One final blade clash shattered the cleaver the minotaur used, throwing it back a few paces as Bell jumped backwards. 

“Nero is right.. It’s time to end our fight.” Bell breathed out, bracing himself by crouching down and holding Alastor like a lance. The Minotaur, now without a weapon, crouched down on all fours, in a position to charge forward in a last-ditch effort to kill the adventurer in front of him. 

Bell vision was blurred, as he swayed slightly from the exhaustion that was rapidly catching up to him. But he shook his head, flicking blood from his head injury onto the floor. “One last charge. Alastor.. Let’s end this.” He called out. 

“ You got it! ” The Lightning Spirit growled out, his pride and excitement present in his voice as the blade began to glow. Bell grinned, feeling the power of the Spirit radiating from the blade. The Minotaur and Bell let out one final fierce cry before charging towards one another. 

“Bell, No!” Riveria called out.

“Wreckless youngling..” Gareth sighed. 

“Dumb rabbit!” Bete snarled. 

“No.. he won.” Ais stated, smiling. 

Moments before the two met, Bell took a deep breath, before shouting “TEMPEST CLOAK!”, igniting the air with electricity as he dashed forward.. Slightly to the side to miss the Minotaur. As they reached one another, the Bull realized too late it had missed the rabbit-like teen, as Bell swung himself into a circle, slicing off the bull’s arm and slashing the side of its neck open, blood pouring out of the wound as he crash landed on the ground, failing to catch himself due to Mind Zero. The Minotaur gurgled out before falling over onto the dungeon floor, bursting to black ash and leaving behind its stone and a glowing red horn. 

While Bell and Nero were preparing to finish their fights, Welf and Patty had gotten the upper hand on Argen. A similar situation was playing out, Argen missing a hand and leg and numerous gashes on his body as he tried pulling himself away. Patty loomed over the demon with Welf close by, his greatsword over his shoulder. 

“You.. bitch..” Argen snarled out, coughing up blood from the numerous wounds. ‘ I’m not healing fast enough.. ’ 

“Shut it, you disgusting monster.” Patty growled out, holding her sword up. “I failed to get you last time, but this time, there’s nowhere to run.” 

Welf walked to one side, watching Argen carefully. “Damn right. You’re goin’ down here and now.” 

“NEVER!” Argen tried throwing himself forward at Patty, but missed terribly and flopped over onto his face. 

“Well.. you tried.” Patty shrugged, before thrusting her blade into Argen’s back, piercing through his heart. The demon screamed before beginning to fall apart, slowly decaying until nothing was left of his body but a small purple colored orb. Patty sighed, falling onto her butt. “It’s finally over..” she grabbed the orb and pocketed it.

“Yeah.. and it looks like the others cleaned house too..” Welf grinned, looking at the rest of the party. “Let’s get back so we can get healed.” A thumbs up from Patty was all he received as a response, so he helped her up and let her use him as a crutch to walk over to where the others were. 

Bete had gone over and grabbed Bell and Alastor, laying the teen down next to the other injured and setting his sword beside him. “Good work, kid.” He whispered, before sitting down on the nearby steps. 

Riveria, Tiona, and Ais walked over to where Nero and Mikoto were laying. Ais helped lift Mikoto while Riveria lifted up Nero. Tiona grabbed the Red Queen and, with some minor difficulty, pulled the blade out of the ground and carried it over to the other injured. Nero was set down next to Bell while Mikoto was laid beside him. Patty and Welf came over, both still standing albeit barely, and sat nearby their captain and fellow party members. 

Nero had passed out from exhaustion alongside Mikoto, and Bell was completely out due to Mind Zero. But the Loki Executives could help but smirk at their members. Within a month, they had pushed to the 12th floor, fighting against numerous odds and coming out on top. 

“Congratulations you two.” Finn stated, smiling like a proud father figure over the two unconscious albinos. “You fought very well.” 

Chapter Text

~ Chapter 7: Rising Stars ~ 

~ Fortuna ~ 

Dante was cleaning his trusty blade, the Rebellion. The blade was quite large, over 100 cm in length, with a 76 cm double-edged blade. The blade design was similar to that of Damascus Steel, with swirling patterns in the metal. The handguard was unique in design, with the upper torso of a human skeleton etched into the guard. The ribs sat at the base of the blade, with the head being the separation point from the blade to the grip. The crossguard was pointed slightly upwards at 45 degree angles, and the skull was open-mouth, like a scream, with horns on the top of the skull. The grip was black in color and lacked much design, with the pommel being slightly spiked. Dante was just wearing black sweats and a plain white t-shirt.

Since Vergil’s return, he’s been resting while Dante’s been continuing his investigation, although that had led nowhere quickly. No demons were in or around the city, and that apparently was handled by the Order’s personal guardsman. So Dante called it off, calling his investigation complete, and was getting ready to move shop back home, to Orario and the Huntress tavern that he enjoyed hanging out in. Vergil, being who he was, was dead-set on recovering to 100% before seeking out to find his son. 

Speaking of the devil, Vergil walked out of the bathroom, fully bathed with his hair slicked back. He wore a new outfit, with his old one being bloodied and torn and not ideal to wear. So he opted to upgrade his outfit, which swapped out a few things. The large overcoat lost its golden trim, swapping to light neon blue trim, and the color is black in color over the original navy. His old vest was completely unusable, so he switched it out to a sleeveless zipper-turtleneck with a midnight blue formal vest over it. A pair of black pants, fingerless gloves, and black boots with teal gaiters finished off his outfit. (For ref, Vergil’s outfit in DMC5) 

Dante whistled at his brother, nodding. “Y’know, I normally insult your voice of wear but this..” He motioned towards his brother, who raised an eyebrow. “This is nice.” 

Vergil held a smug grin. “Of course, unlike your uncouth and tasteless ensembles, I have taste. Perhaps I could give you some pointers.” He walked over to his brother, who scoffed at his comment. 

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up nerd. Here.” He reached behind him and held out Vergil’s blade, the Yamato. “I took the liberty of sharpening and treating the blade. She needs an actual blacksmith to treat it but I believe this should be enough for now.” 

Vergil grabbed the blade and examined it. The tsukamaki, or handle/grip coiling of the blade, was white in coloring with diamond shapes in the negative space. The handguard of the blade was a gold and navy blue color, octagonal in shape with two trapezoid shapes on opposite sides, with a golden dot pattern. The scabbard of the Yamato was made of traditional lacquered wood, colored a deep black, with metallic ornaments on its end and a sageo, the cord used to tie the katana to the waist, colored blue with gold accents. Unsheathing the blade slightly, Vergil admired the design of his precious blade. The blade had prominent temper lines, with a wave crest pattern running along the cutting edge of the blade. Closing the blade, he looked to his brother. “Good enough for now. Let’s make haste.” 

“Sure, let me get decent at least. You ain’t the only one changin’ outfits!” Dante grinned, before setting down the Rebellion and running to his room. Vergil rolled his eyes, but took a seat on the couch, pulling out his favorite book of poems and reading it. The book was basic in design, brown leather cover with gold accents, and a large, gold “V” plastered onto the front. After a short wait, Dante came strolling out with his ‘new’ outfit. “Well?” 

Vergil looked up from his book, then deadpanned at his brother. He wore his favorite red jacket, which had a skull design on the back. Underneath, he wore a black, long-sleeved Henley t-shirt, with the buttons opened. The sleeves of his jacket and shirt were rolled up to his elbows, and he wore a pair of black gloves with the index finger exposed, with bandages wrapped around his wrists underneath. He had a black leather belt with a gold, rectangular buckle, black leather pants, and brown boots. (For ref, Dante’s DMC 5 outfit, no facial hair.)

Dante grinned, spinning around to flaunt his look, stopping across the table from his brother. “I decided to be a little less flashy, let my fighting show my style.” The Devil Hunter grinned, pointing finger guns up to the air, smiling. 

“You’re an idiot, Dante.. But the outfit is satisfactory.” Vergil closed his book, placing it back into his jacket and stood up. “Are we ready?” 

“Just a moment. I need to grab my weapons.” Dante stated, walking over to a small chest tucked in the corner. 

“You have your sword. What else would you need?” Vergil scowled at his brother, glaring at his back as he opened the chest and grabbed some things out of it.

“I realized bein’ a one trick pony was boring.” A scoff from his brother. “So I decided to mix it up.” He stood up, revealing his weapons to his brother. A pair of metal-plated demonic gauntlets and boots were on his hands and feet. He took up a boxer’s stance, throwing out extremely quick jabs and punches, showing off his movements and kicks before settling down. “This is Balrog, a Devil Arm I acquired up here cuz this guy didn’t take too kindly to being sealed in hell.” He flexed his hands and feet, and the weapons disappeared into red mist, absorbed by the Devil Hunter. He reached behind him, “And these~” pulled out an odd pair of weapons that he held like hand crossbows. “Are Ebony and Ivory, a pair of unique weapons that I had commissioned by an old friend..” His eyes were distant, remembering some past memories before he shook his head. “Like ‘em?” 

The weapons were strange to Vergil. The one in Dante’s right hand was silver in color, with the left being colored black. The grips were both wood, and each had a strange painting of women. The silver colored gun had a fair-haired Victorian woman, while the other had a dark-haired woman in its grip. Each had accents of gold in smaller, decorative looking bits throughout the bodies. 

“What are they?” Vergil eyed the weapons curiously. Despite being a swordsman, at heart the demon was a scholar. He loved learning about new things, especially anything to do with literature. Dante chuckled at his brother, a curious glint in the older twin’s eye. 

“These are called ‘firearms’. Vergil looked up at him, raising an eyebrow but his attention was fully on Dante. “Think of a crossbow, but the projectile fired was as small as your thumb, but faster than sound.” 

“Impossible.” Vergil scoffed at that, but his brother grinned. “..that is curious, indeed. You should demonstrate these.. Firearms, when we get the chance next.” The older twin declared, before clearing his throat and lifting himself up. “Here’s the plan: We’ll go to Edgemere first, I can get us there quickly. I’ll try and find my son’s mother, figure out where he is if he has left the village, and find him from there.” 

“Speaking of..” Dante leaned to his brother, who scowled at him. “Who the hell decided to get into bed with you?” 

“Please. I’m elegance personified. You’re a hot mess.” Dante pouted at this. “..her name was Faith. She was a lovely woman, someone I didn’t think I deserved.” Vergil explained, turning away. 

“What was she like?” Dante asked, without the usual snark or teasing tone. 

Vergil was silent, before sighing. “She had shoulder-length black hair, beautiful amber eyes.. She was quite short and had a thin frame. She was soft-spoken but firm in her stance. She enjoyed books like I did, so we had something in common.. After that, things moved quickly.” He walked towards the front door followed closing by his silent younger twin. 

“..Do you miss her?” Dante softly asked. 

“..A bit. We had our differences as expected, but I did share a fondness for her.” Vergil stated, before quickly grabbing two cloaks from the house, handing one to his brother. “I’d like to lay low for now.” 

“Ugh, fiiine.” Dante, back to his snarky tone. He grabbed the cloak, flinging it over his shoulders and pulling the hood up. “Let’s do this.” 

Vergil slowly unsheathed the Yamato, focusing his demonic energy into the blade. Once it was finished, he slashed two times in front of him in a cross-pattern, leaving behind a large diamond shaped portal, shimmering in purple energy surrounded by blue electricity. “To Edgemere..” He stepped into the purple energy, followed by his brother. 

~ Meanwhile in Orario, Dian Cecht Hospital ~ 

After overcoming the massive battle on the 12th floor, Bell and his party were healed and carried back up the stairs to the surface once again, escorted by the other adventurers that were there and able to fight, as well as the leftover standing of the party, which consisted of Welf, Patty, and Lili. 

Once they reached the surface, they were met with a recovery team put together by the rest of the Loki Familia, the Ganesha familia, and the Guild. Upon seeing the albinos carried up, Loki immediately shouted to have the streets cleared to rush them, as well as any other injured, to the hospital to receive treatment. The group were placed into a large open hospital room together, and were given treatment proportional to the severity of wounds. After a full day of treatment and rest, ordered by the resident Dea Saint, Nero, Bell, and Mikoto were able to get back up from their exhaustion. 

Nero began stirring, groaning from the soreness radiating throughout his body. He shifted slightly in bed, trying to lift himself but felt a hand on his chest push him down. “Ehh, buzz off.” 

“I don’t think so, Mr. Nero.” A stern, emotionless voice stated, which caused Nero’s eyes to shoot open, locking his gaze to Airmid’s sharp glare. 

“Heyyy, Airmid.” Nero nervously chuckled. “How are you?” 

“I’m doing fine. Could’ve been better if I didn’t have a surprise drop-off from your familia. Something about being ‘reckless idiots’ again.?” Airmid explained, still glaring at the teen, who gulped and gave her a nervous grin. 

“Just take it easy, bro.” Nero looked to his left, seeing Bell laying in a bed, his body and left forearm covered in bandages. “Might as well, we’re still in rough shape.” 

Nero sighed, sinking into the bed once again, which Airmid nodded at, before leaving his side and heading to his right. Turning to follow her, she noticed Mikoto was sitting up, her right ankle was wrapped up with numerous bandages around her body. 

Feeling his gaze, she turned and smiled at him. “Good morning, Nero. How are you feeling?” 

Nero blushed slightly while watching the raven-haired beauty. ‘Cute.’ shaking the thought away, he sighed. “I feel like shit. Course, swinging around like a mace isn’t ideal.” 

“Watch your language.” Nero flinched at the stern voice of Riveria, who had just walked in alongside Loki herself and the other executives. Finn, Bete, Tiona, and Tione walked over to the foot of Bell’s bed, giving him grins and smiles. Gareth, Ais, and Loki stopped by Nero’s bedside, and finally Riveria and Lefiya stopped by Mikoto’s bed. 

“Welcome to the land of the living, rabbit.” Bete chuckled at Bell, who pouted at being called a rabbit again. 

“Good morning, Argonaut!” Tiona stated cheerfully, stopped by his right side and leaned onto the bedside. 

“Argonaut?” Bell asked, tilting his head at the young Amazon, who giggled at him.

“Yeah! The hero from my favorite story!” Tiona explained, smiling at him. 

“I know the story of the Argonaut like the back of my hand!” Bell exclaimed with a smile. “The name of a boy who wanted to be a hero, and fought off a Minotaur.” He smiled, but then it clicked to him her comparison, and he blushed. 

Finn chuckled at his reaction. “Well, it sounds like you achieved your goal, Bell.” 

Nero gave a teasing grin. “The Argonaut’s secondary title fits him well too.” 

Bell twisted to face his brother, glaring at him pouting. “Shut it.” 

Tione and Tiona tilted their heads together, asking “Second title?” at the same time 

“The Clown Hero” Nero laughed, earning a tossed pillow to his face from his adoptive brother. 

He earned a few chuckles from the group before Airmid shook her head. “I finished examining the three of you. Although your injuries are fully healed, you are going to feel some soreness still. Another day of rest is in order, but I can dismiss you by this afternoon. We can discuss that a little later. For now, I must take my leave.” Bowing, Airmid stepped out of the room, leaving the Loki Familia, and Mikoto, in the room. 

“I must say, Miss Mikoto.” Riveria started, getting the samurai’s attention. “That magic of yours is incredibly powerful.” 

“Yeah! It’s really strong! Do you practice with magic often?” Lefiya added, standing next to the raven-haired girl. 

“N-no, I normally focus on my hand to hand combat skills and swordsmanship.” Mikoto slightly blushed at the attention she was receiving. To have the most famous mage, the Nine Hells, as well as her protege Thousand Elf, compliment your magic despite their own talents is quite the achievement. 

“It would never hurt to broaden your horizons, Mikoto.” The voice of Takemikazuchi proudly stated, attracting everyone else’s attention to the doorway where he stood alongside his Captain, Ouka. 

“Lord Take!” Mikoto bowed lightly to her god, still in bed and sore from their fights. The God of War walked over to her bedside and patted her head gently. 

“I heard about your fight with the Infant Dragon. It was a dangerous undertaking, young lady.” He scolded, only for his voice to turn gentle and encouraging. “But such is the life you mortals live. All I can do is support and guide you forward.” 

“Indeed!” Loki jumped in. “Speakin’ of the fight..” Loki turned to the two albinos, smiling. “Shirt’s up boys, Let's check those falna!” 

“DIBS!” Both Nero and Bell shouted, before eyeing each other. Nero threw the pillow that Bell had tossed earlier back at his brother, before quickly removing his shirt. 

Bell set the pillow on his lap and stuck his tongue out, before laughing. “Alright, let’s see how’d you do, nerd.” 

Nero had kicked his legs around to hang off the side, facing a blushing Mikoto and grinning Take. “Let us see indeed.”  

“Uhm, Lady L-Loki.” Mikoto piped up, getting the red-headed goddess’ attention. “Are you sure you should do t-this here? I mean.. We’re outsiders..” 

Loki waved her off. “Nonsense, Take’s trustworthy as hell. I’m sure you two are as well.” she eyed Ouka and Mikoto, who nodded. “There. Problem solved.” She resumed updating Nero’s Falna. 

“Not really, but I can’t object here.” Riveria sighed, getting a pat on the back from Lefiya. 

As she updated Nero’s status, she witnessed the Excelia he received, as well as watching the fight through his eyes, his feelings and determination emulating through the visions. “One hell of a way to end it, kid. Good work!” Loki smiled, before gasping. “WHAT THE FUCK?!” 

“LOKI.” Riveria scolded. “You need to watch your language, even if you are my goddess.”

“Hell no I won’t, not with this revelation!” Loki tapped with both her hands on Nero’s back. “This kid’s gonna be a real beast!” 

“What do you mean, Loki?” Finn questioned, everyone else waiting with bated breath. 

“I thought his skill was more referring to Limit-Off!” Loki explained. “But no, he straight up broke the max limit of basic abilities!” 

The room went into turmoil, everyone freaking out about this knowledge. Ais eyed the teen, a glint in her eyes which made Nero nervous. Mikoto, despite her blush, couldn’t help but look at Nero with an increase to her already immense admiration of the teen. Bell smiled at his brother, proud that he was so gifted. 

“How high are we talking here?” Take asked his fellow Goddess curiously. “Is it minor, or drastic?” 

“Some are minor increases, but his Strength, Endurance, and Agility are quite a leap! Highest is over 1200!” This floored everyone in the room, while Nero chuckled awkwardly while scratching his chin. 

“Holy..” Finn’s jaw was on the floor. Surpassing the normal limits is something no one has ever done in history. Maybe they had someone like that in the Zeus and Hera familias all those years ago but that is speculation at best. 

“Impressive!” Gareth let out a boisterous laugh. 

“Tch. Don’t get too full of yourself.” Bete growled, but his tail wagging was a dead giveaway. 

“Plus…” Loki said with a serious tone, silencing the room. “...WE GOT A LEVEL 2!” 

A cheer rang out from everyone in the room, celebrating the new record set by Nero, who was excited by the prospect of becoming a Third-Class adventurer. 

“Now, developmental abilities. Let’s see.. You got a nice selection here.” Loki smiled. “We got Hunter, a classic and reliable buddy. Swordsman, increasing your proficiency with bladed weapons, which is always helpful. Uhh.. Mage? I guess you used those claws enough to get that option. Aaaand… Strong Body. Helps with healing smaller wounds, and makes your body a little more durable.” 

Nero scratched his chin in thought. “What do they all do exactly?” 

Finn stepped over to stand in front of Nero. “I can help explain. Hunter increases your combat abilities against monsters you have faced before and gained excelia from. Useful for farming, but it is only possible to obtain it at level 2. If you don’t get it now, you can’t get it later..” Nero nodded at this. 

Ais leaned over. “Swordsman is good if you use sword-like weapons, increasing your proficiency with said weapons.” 

Riveria cleared her throat. “Mage helps by improving the power of your magic, as well as increasing its effective range and even increases the efficiency of mind usage. Very useful for casters such as myself.” 

Gareth laughed. “Strong Body is perfect for frontline tanks. Grants slow but passive healing, and even makes smaller wounds heal quicker. Helps to keep ya in the fight a little longer.” 

“I see..” Nero crossed his arms, looking towards the ceiling for a few moments, pondering his choices. “I think I’ll go with Strong Body. Sounds like I’m gonna need it with how reckless I can be at times.” He elicited chuckles and giggles out of everyone in the room. 

“I approve of that choice, kiddo.” Loki stated, before updating his falna. Finn walked over with a sheet of paper, and Loki pressed it to his back. “Congrats, Nero.” She finished up, handing him his new status sheet and wrapped her arms around him.

Name : Nero

Race : Human/Demon Hybrid  

Level : 1 > 2 

Strength : SS 1218 > I 0

Endurance : SS 1196 > I 0 

Dexterity : SS 1070 > I 0 

Agility : SS 1129 > I 0 

Magic : SS 1027 > I 0 

Strong Body : I

Skills : 

[ Legacy of Sparda ]  

-Slightly Boosts all basic stats; Raise maximum status caps of all basic abilities.

-Excelia gain increased when in combat. Increase regeneration of mind and body

Magic : 

[ Spectral  Bringer Claws ] Quick Cast, At Will, Low Mind Cost

-Short ranged melee spell, can grab and throw targets and objects smaller than the user {Snatch}, pull the user towards a location or enemy {Hell Bound}, Or grapple an enemy and hold them up as a shield {Hold} .

As he read his status, the Devil Bringer began to glow, getting everyone’s attention. The soft energy glow brightened immensely as he felt his strength increase from the level up. As the feeling dissipated, the claw’s glow died down. “Interesting.” He shrugged and read his status, only to double take at his magic. “My magic got changed.. ‘Bringer Claws’ is its new name, and it has a new ‘Hold’ function.” 

“Your magic has evolved now, Nero.” Riveria smiled. “That means it can adapt and grow. A very useful ability, if I say so myself.” 

As Nero reviewed his status sheet, Loki walked over to Bell. “Your turn, Bell~” The rabbit-like teen smiled, lifting his shirt up and copying his brother’s position, dangling his legs off the edge of the bed, facing towards Nero and the others. Loki, performing the same process, witnessed his fight with the Minotaur, and smiled. “You fought hard, Bell.. I’m proud.” 

The teen closed his eyes, smiling as his Goddess updated his falna. “WHAT?!” Loki’s shout startled him and everyone, who turned to the source of the shout. 

“What’s all the yellin’ about?” Bete grumbled, flexing his ears. 

“..Bell also broke his status limits..” Loki stated, looking wide-eyed at his back. “His highest stat.. Is over 1300..” 

“Holy shit.” Nero breathed. 

“Language.” Riveria bonked the back of Nero’s head, earning a scowl from the teen. 

Loki finished updating Bell’s falna, before smiling. “We got a second Level 2!” Another round of applause and cheers from his fellow familia members and friends. “Let’s see.. You got 3 choices here” Bell nodded. “Hunter, just like Nero. You also got Mage, which could help.. And the final is… Luck?” 

“Luck?” Take asked, which everyone stared curiously at Bell as he thought about it.

“Yeah. From what I could see, it’s self-explanatory. You get increased luck in every regard. Whatever that entails remains to be seen.” Loki explained, before shrugging. “Well, it’s your call, kiddo.” 

“I think I’ll choose Luck.” Bell answered almost immediately. “I can always train myself to get stronger or faster or smarter, but it never hurts to have a little Luck on your side.” Bell explained, smiling. 

“I second that.” Nero leaned back onto the bed, his shirt halfway on. “A little luck can go a long way.” 

“I approve!” Loki smiled. “Let’s get you set up kiddo.” She finished up updating Bell’s falna, pressing the paper to his back and finishing his update. “Our newest Third-Class, everyone! Oh, on top of that, you got a new skill!” A round of applause from the group as Bell eyed his new status sheet. 

Name : Bell Cranel 

Race : Human 

Level : 1 > 2 

Strength : SS 1018 > I 0

Endurance : SS 1016 > I 0

Dexterity : SS 1206 > I 0

Agility : SSS 1337 > I 0

Magic : SS 1021 > I 0

Luck : I

Skills : 

[ Heroic Desire ] 

-Increased Growth proportional to the user’s desire 

-Greater desire amplifies the effect. 

[ Argonaut ]

-Grants the ability to charge a special attack for up to 3 minutes.
-The longer the charge, the more powerful the attack, which is signified via sound, either a low chime or a grand bell based on the charge time

Magic : 

[ Tempest Cloak ] Quick Cast , Active Toggle, Low Mind Drain

-When active, greatly increases Agility. All other stats received a slight boost.

Bell deadpanned. “...I literally got a skill called ‘Argonaut’..” Tiona and Nero chuckled at his expense before he jumped up on the bed. “THAT’S AWESOME!” He cheered. 

“What does it do?” Finn asked, as everyone waited as Bell calmed down, albeit not by much. 

“I can charge an attack for up to 3 minutes. It’s like a hero shot, the longer I charge the stronger it gets!” Bell explained, grinning ear-to-ear. 

“That sounds broken as hell.” Bete said, getting a nod from Nero and Gareth. 

“We’ll see how it goes in practice. We’ll get you two warmed up to your levels and new abilities.” Finn explained, before grinning. “First and foremost, time to rest.” 

The God of War, observing the antics of the Loki Familia just smiled before turning to his own child. “Mikoto.” The female samurai turned to her god. “Would you like a status update as well?” 

“Oh, umm.. What about..” Mikoto motioned towards the Loki Familia, blushing slightly. Said familia had overheard what they said and shrugged at it.

“I don’t see an issue with it.” Lefiya chimed in, getting agreements from the other girls, especially an oddly enthusiastic Loki. 

“I believe she’s focused on us guys watching.” Bell explained, before turning himself around to face the opposite direction of Mikoto’s bed. The other guys walked over to stand nearby, facing the same direction. Nero got himself up with some difficulty but managed to walk over next to his brother’s bedside. 

“See? No issues. Now~” Loki squinted her eyes at the raven-haired girl while wiggling her fingers, before a spectral hand grabbed her shirt and pulled her back towards the guys, leaving her to dangle in the air. “Hey! Get me down from here!” 

“I figured out how the ‘Hold’ ability works. You’ll be staying here Loki. You get too handsy, according to the girls.” Nero explained with a smirk, getting laughs out of everyone as Loki struggled to get down. 

“Thank you, Nero. I will need to keep you around Loki, since that is a very useful spell.” Riveria stated, closing one of her eyes and glaring at Loki through the other. 

“Thanks to you as well, N-Nero.” Mikoto blushed. With the guys facing away from her, and the girls positioning themselves in between like a wall facing her, Mikoto removed the upper half of her kimono, exposing her back to her god and her front to the girls. Take worked quickly to update his child’s falna, while the girls stared at the Samurai’s chest. Tiona pouted at the drastic difference, Tione nodded in approval causing the samurai to blush, and Ais, Riveria, and Lefiya were indifferent to it. 

A few minutes later, another cheer rang out from the group as Take announced the third level up in the room. Mikoto had also met the requirements to level, and approved the level up, acquiring Abnormal Resistance as her developmental ability. Take was handed a sheet by Riveria, and he copied down his child’s status for her to see. 

Name: Yamato Mikoto

Race: Human

Level: 1 > 2

Strength: D 537 > I 0

Endurance: D 514 > I 0

Dexterity: B 708 > I 0

Agility: A 804 > I 0

Magic: C 658 > I 0

Abnormal Resistance : I

Skills: 

[ Yatanokurogarasu ] Active Trigger

-Grants the ability to search for enemies within a specific range, including enemies hidden from view. Only works on monsters or enemies the user has encountered prior. 

[ Yatanoshirogarasu ] Active Trigger

-Grants the ability to search for Familia members within a given range. Only works on members of the same familia as the user. 

[ Koi no Yokan ] 

-Minor boost to all stats, boost increases in the face of adversity.

-Increased growth corresponding with the user’s feelings. 

Magic:

[ Futsunomitama ] Medium Mind Cost
{Chant: God of Strength.. Bringer of Destruction, I humbly beseech thee. Grant me guidance from the heavens. Fill my meager body with thy sublime and sacred power. Save us, o purifying light, Blade of Righteousness. Swing true, o vanquishing sword. Miraculous, Steely punishment. Here and now, I call upon thy name. Descend from the heavens, and take hold of the Earth! Conquest of the Gods! Futsunomitama! }

-Heavy Gravity magic that crushes a particular area, up to a certain size. Requires concentration to maintain.

After reviewing her status sheet, she gave it to her god to properly discard. After putting her kimono back on, she notified the guys they were good to turn back around. 

“Since y’all leveled up..” Loki started, grinning ear to ear. “This is cause for celebration! Takemikazuchi!” The God of War jumped at the sudden callout of his full name. “Your familia will join us at the Hostess tonight to celebrate your kiddo’s level up. Don’t worry, I’ll cover the costs, I just want y’all there.” 

“Oh! Lady Loki!” Bell called out, which got his goddess’ attention. “Can we invite the rest of our party too? They were there as well!” 

“Sure, if they can come, they'll be more than welcome~” Loki couldn't help but smile as the rabbit-like teen smiled widely, bouncing in his bed. 

After a little more congratulations from the others, the trio were let out of the hospital to go home and rest until that night, where they were to join together in the Hostess to celebrate. Loki chose the super sudden decision to avoid doing more paperwork, namely to prepare the expedition team to get money for the familia again as their initial attempt was interrupted. Bell and Nero were ordered to rest, and were barred from going into the dungeon or to train, until they were given the all clear from Airmid. 

They’ll have to enjoy this time off for now, as much as they can, at the very least. 

~ Village of Edgemere ~ 

The village of Edgemere was a decently sized town despite the small population. The village was a farming village primary, with some minor fishing trade. The village was situated along a large river, with large homes that contained large yards, majority used for farming and livestock. The center of town was a T-junction road, with a few roads that traveled along the edges of the town. 

The portal had appeared on the south side of town, hidden on a hill with trees surrounding the small clearing. Stepping out of the portal alongside his brother, Vergil took a deep breath, the cool and crisp mountain hair that held traces of the scent of running fresh water making him feel alive once again, in contrast to the heavy thick air of the underworld that smelled consistently of blood and iron. 

“..I’m back.” Vergil sighed softly, getting a pat on the back from Dante, who looked at him sympathetically, before walking towards the village from the trees. 

“This is Edgemere, huh? It’s quite nice, cozy even.” Dante remarked, the breeze softly blowing against his hair as he and Vergil overlooked the village. “So what’s the plan? Go in, find the boy’s mom and work from there?” 

“Precisely. As long as I can find her, I can get a lead on my son.” Vergil explained, quickly adjusting his cloak and hiding the Yamato against his hip before descending to the nearby road of the village, with his brother trailing behind him. 

It didn’t take long for them to reach the town square and see a nearby tavern. Dante nudged his brother and pointed towards the tavern. “Best place to look is a local pub. People talk and gossip.” He stated, which Vergil nodded at and they made their way into the tavern, the name outside the building: ‘The Blue Goblet’. 

Stepping into the tavern, they were greeted by a lively room. Half of the pub was filled, with numerous patrons around and a few waitresses walking around in red aprons with white shirts and black pants and boots. Behind the bar was a short female Elf with short, white hair, cleaning a cup as a nearby black furred Werewolf bartender served drinks. 

“Welcome to the Goblet.” She called out, her voice hoarse and nasally. “Drink at the bar, or take a seat anywhere for some food.” 

The brothers decided to walk over and sit at the bar. Dante dropped a few coins at the bar top, getting the Elf’s attention. “What’s the special for tonight?” He asked, giving the woman a light smile. 

“Honey Mead or Wheat Ale. Pick yer poison, traveler.” The elf responded. 

“Two honey meads then, miss.” He pushed the coins over, which she took and the Werewolf gave him a thumbs up. “Quick question, miss.” The elf raised a brow. “We’re lookin’ for a lady from this place.” 

“Her name’s Faith. Faith Ingram.” Vergil piped up. “Young woman, shoulder-length black hair, amber eyes. She had a young boy named Nero.”

“Faith.. Oh, that witch.” The Elf spat as the werewolf placed the mead in front of the twins. “I know her. She was an awful woman.. Always complained about that saint of a child, something about a painful reminder or whatever..” Vergil flinched at this statement. “She and the kid left with a caravan to another village, but it was attacked by monsters. That was over 7 years ago though.. Why you askin’ for her now?” The elf questioned, eyeing the two hybrids. 

“I’m looking for the young boy, Nero.. I’m his father.” Vergil explained, lifting the hood on his cloak slightly to reveal himself to the Elven barkeep, whose eyes widened slightly. 

“I can’t deny the resemblance.. But little Nero never made it back from the attack..” The elf shook her head. “Sorry, I ain’t got much more.” 

“Thank you anyways miss.” Dante nodded, grabbing the drink in front of him and sipping at it, nudging his distraught brother to do the same, which he obliged. 

As luck would have it, a group of 3 merchants walked in, chatting loudly which appeared to irritate the barkeep and her bartender with their noise. Until some news caught Dante’s attention.

“Yeah! I just came from Orario!” one of the merchants said, a tall bald human man. “The Loki familia caught themselves a pair o’ brothers, and they’re an insane duo!” 

“Orario?” Vergil turned to his brother, his tone questioning.

“The Labyrinth City. Center of the World and the source of the only Dungeon.” Dante explained. “I run my business there.” Vergil nodded but listened in. 

The merchants sat down at a table. “They can’t be anythin’ special, bein’ newbies and all dat!” Another merchant, a fat chienthrope man with gold fur and hair, stated. 

“You don’t get it. These two were off in the 5th floor fightin’ off War Shadows one on one.. Within the first TWO WEEKS!” The bald man exclaimed. The merchants all exclaimed and gossip continued between them. 

“How significant is that, Dante?” Vergil asked quietly. 

“Very. Hell, some adventurers don’t make it to the 4th floor after a few months.. Loki’s Familia really got themselves some prodigies.” Dante lifted his tanker up, drinking a large gulp of the mead. 

“Interesting..” Vergil nodded at this information, sipping at the mead. The taste was nice, but he wasn’t much of a drinker. 

“Sounds crazy, those newbies fightin’ like that. Say, you said their brothers? Did ja catch their names?” The third merchant, a Dwarf, asked the bald merchant. 

“Ye, I caught it. Even saw ‘em running around in the city before I left a week ago, near the Hostess!” The bald man said. “First one was a shorty named Bell Cranel, or something. A little on the shorter side, with white hair and red eyes. Like a rabbit!” The men laughed, even getting a few chuckles from the hybrids. “The other was like the opposite. Tall as can be, with long white hair and ice blue eyes. Kid was a little freaky, with a bandaged up arm and all. His name was Nero.” 

Vergil spat out his drink mid-sip, getting a scowl from the barkeep as he coughed with Dante patting his back. “We found your kid, big bro.” He gave Vergil a grin. 

“Yeah, ya got lucky, now hurry up n scram!” The Elf said. Vergil didn’t waste time, immediately placing the tankard down and getting up. Dante dropped the barkeep and bartender a handful of Valis, winking at them before the brothers quickly left the establishment, and went back to the hill they arrived at. 

“Looks like we’re goin to the Labyrinth City!” Dante cheered. “Can’t wait to be home!” 

“... I’m coming Nero.. just you wait..” Vergil stated, preparing himself to create another portal. 

“Wait!” Vergil paused, looking at his brother impatiently. “Portal us to the outside of the city, near the main gate. We gotta get you registered in the city or else it’ll cause a fuss.” Vergil rolled his eyes but complied, bracing himself before once again cutting the air in a cross pattern, revealing another portal for the brothers to step through. 

“Take the lead, Dante. You know this city, I don’t.” Vergil motioned towards the portal entrance. 

“Copy that, Verge!” A scowl from the older twin. “Onwards! To Orario!” The brothers stepped into the portal, which closed behind them. 

~ Orario ~ 

The portal whipped open about a kilometer out of the city, in another forest clearing overlooking the gate of the city. Dante and Vergil stepped out, looking at the walls.

“...This is Orario, huh?” Vergil stared at the massive tower in the center of the city, as well as the massive walls surrounding the city. 

“Yup! Home, sweet home.” Dante sighed. “Well, I believe I have enough money to get us in.. but I’m gonna be short for a bit so, you owe me!” He grinned as his brother elbowed him.

“Whatever, I’ll repay you once we find my son.” Vergil stated, before walking down towards the gate, Dante followed closely behind. 

“Wait!” Dante called out, with his brother turning to him with a scowl. “We need to give you a name. I run by my business alias here, Tony Redgrave. Gimme a first name, we’ll use that with my last name and run from there.” 

“Is this necessary?” Dante deadpanned at him, which caused a sigh from Vergil. “William. Will that work?”

“Perfect!” Dante smiled, walking past his annoyed brother as they continued onward to the front gate. After a wait, as well as awkwardly getting Vergil registered at the front gate, they were in the city. Looking up, Dante noticed the sun going down. 

“It’s getting late..” Vergil stated with an annoyed huff. He hated the wait in that line, but the comfort of having paperwork solidifying his residence here would benefit them more greatly than without, so he sucked it up. 

“Yeah.. Hey, I know this good place to eat. I actually have enough for some food for us before we go back to my place.” Dante offered. 

Vergil took a moment before nodding to his brother. “Better to eat now, so I can keep my strength up.. I’m not at 100% still.” 

Dante nodded, a serious expression on his face. “Yeah.. you doing okay? I know you’re always adamant about being strong and all but.. Fighting Mundus even took its toll on Dad..” 

Vergil looked at his brother, surprised by the concern on his face. “..I’m okay Dante. Nothing that some proper rest and food couldn’t fix.” He explained, which his brother smiled at. 

“Of course, let’s get some grub!” Dante began the walk to the restaurant, his cloak wrapped around his waist while Vergil kept his on, the Yamato hidden underneath. About 10 minutes of walking they reached the restaurant, which Vergil did not find amusing to the name of the establishment. 

“This better not be what I think it is, Dante.” Vergil growled out, which Dante held his hands up in surrender. 

“The name may seem misleading but I promise it’s a restaurant. Well, a tavern and pub combo, but the host here is awesome in the kitchen!” Dante explained, which his brother shrugged off, motioning to lead the way in. 

Entering the pub, the brothers were greeted by Lunoire at the front. “Oh welcome, table or bar top?” 

“Bar top please.” Dante smiled. The woman motioned for the two to follow her, which they did, to the bar and they took their seats near the edge. 

“Oh, it’s you, Dante.” Dante grinned upon hearing Mia’s skeptical voice. 

“Mia!” Dante smiled at her scowl. “Yes, it is I, the incredible Devil Hunter himself. Please, hold your applause.” He mockingly bowed, before earning a smack on the back of his head from Vergil. “Ow, thanks killjoy.” 

“Shut it, you ape.” Vergil sneered, before clearing his throat. “I apologize for my brother’s ridiculous behavior. We just came in for a meal, if you would please.” He kept his voice level and respectful, which earned a smirk from Mia.

“Take notes, Dante.” Mia motioned to Vergil. “HE knows respect, unlike you. What’s your name? I mean your real one, not the ‘business alias’ that this idiot uses.” Dante stuck her tongue out at her playfully. 

“My name is Vergil, pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He bowed in his chair, the hood still on his head. 

“My name’s Mia Grand. Call me Mama Mia or just Mama. Pleasure’s all mine.” Mia grinned. “Now, here are the menus, check it out and order what you’d like.” She handed the menus over and had the brothers order their meals. Both the brothers had chosen the chicken yakitori plate for dinner, but the difference was Vergil ordered water while Dante asked for the house special ale. Mia took the menus before walking back to continue cooking. 

“I missed this place, it's always lovely.” Dante mused, earning a raised eyebrow from Vergil. 

“..I see.” Vergil stated, looking around at the lack of many patrons in the tavern. “Slow day?” 

“No.” Vergil turned to the source of the voice, a blonde haired Elf who was nearby cleaning a table. “We have a large reservation coming in.” 

“Interesting.” Vergil stated, before turning towards the waitress who looked at him with a neutral gaze. “I’d like to ask you something, if you are able to answer.” 

Ryuu observed the cloaked man in front of her. “I will certain do my best, but I cannot-”

“The party with the reservation is here, meow!” Anya called out, followed by a large group of people. Dante and Vergil observed the group of people entering. 

“Let’s celebrate!” The one leading the group, the Goddess Loki, cheered. “Keep the food and drinks comin’ if ya can, Mama Mia! We’ll be here awhile!” She yelled excitedly as the large group, consisting of the Loki Familia executives, A red headed smith, a tanned woman with curly hair, a raven haired samurai girl, a large bulky samurai man, another deity unfamiliar to the two, and.. 

“Patty?! Is that you?” Dante gasped at the view of the girl, followed by Hades. Said girl jumped at the mention, before noticing him at the bar. 

“DANTE!!” Patty screeched before running over and hugging Dante, as he chuckled and patted her back before returning the hug. 

“It is good to see you, Dante.” Hades walked over, smiling as Dante smiled back.

“Indeed, I’m finally back from the job, with a plus one!” Dante pointed to his back at his cloaked brother. 

“I noticed. We can catch up later, how about you and your company joining us? We’re celebrating a recent set of level ups.” Hades offered, motioning towards the table. 

“Sure. Who’s our lucky set of adventurers?” Dante chuckled, standing up with an annoyed Vergil as they were about to move with the group.

“We have three of them.” Hades turned to motion towards the group. “Our first is Yamato Mikoto, the female samurai of Takemikazuchi’s familia.” He pointed towards the raven-haired girl, who noticed and waved. The others had noticed Patty and Hades chatting with the twins. “The other two are-” 

“We’re here finally!” Bell called out, followed closely by Nero. Both of the brothers were in new outfits. Bell wore a nice gray dress shirt with black pants and his boots. Alastor hung loosely off of his hip. Nero was in his usual outfit, much to the dismay of Bell as he wanted to dress nicer. The Red Queen hung on his back via the special mounts from the holster. 

“There you two are!” Loki smiled. “Lookin’ good Bell! Sad that Nero didn’t dress up, he woulda looked sharp.” 

“Bite me.” Nero grumbled, his hands in his pockets. He had to fend off Bell about joining for this dinner celebration. His nerves were getting frayed every second being here due to his introverted nature. 

“Wait.. you’re..” Dante pointed towards Nero, who looked at him curiously. Suddenly, the cloaked man quickly shoved Dante to the side, walking over briskly to the teen as everyone’s glares sharpened. 

“Oi, watch it bud.” Nero said sharply, gripping the handle of his blade. 

Vergil, still in his cloak, stopped a few paces away from Nero, looking at him up and down. This was Nero.. his son, all grown up. “.. You really grew so much..” He muttered, cursing himself for how sad his voice sounded. The entire restaurant was quiet, so they heard what he had uttered. 

“Grew up.. The hell are you on about?” Nero asked, letting go of his sword but crossing his arms. 

“..I’m sorry. You don’t know me.. But..” Vergil lifted the hood of his cloak up, revealing his snow-white hair brushed to the back. Everyone let out surprised gasps as he looked straight at Nero, his ice-blue eyes piercing Nero’s own electric-blue ones. “I am Vergil… your father.” 

“....” Nero was wide-eyed, stunned into silence by the man in front of him. He wouldn’t have believed the statement, but this guy.. They looked so damn similar, almost down to the same eye colors and facial features. The biggest difference is his supposed father’s jaw was more broad, his nose slightly larger, his eyes even sharper than his sons, and the lack of baby fat. 

Everyone held their breath, as the two had a tense stare-down. Vergil, anxiously awaiting his son’s reaction while Nero’s inner mind was in turmoil, numerous emotions writhing beneath. 

Dante stepped between the two. “Ok, it’s a bit of a revelation, but let’s try to keep things level.. Okay?” He played the peacemaker, trying to ease tensions. 

“Where’s your mother?” Vergil asked bluntly, earning a ‘really?’ look from Dante as Nero snapped out of his stupor, anger filling his eyes. 

“Fuck her.” Nero spat, which Vergil narrowed his eyes at his son. Only to remember the Elf from Edgemere’s tavern having a similar reaction to his question.

“Nero.. may I ask what happened to her?” Vergil asked calmly, listening to his brother and wanting to keep the peace. 

“Will you tell me what happened to YOU?” Nero stepped over until the only thing separating him and Vergil was Dante’s arm. “Where you went? Why you were gone, why you up and vanished without a trace?!” He was angry now, his entire life this man was nowhere to be seen, but NOW shows his face? On a night he was already feeling like shit. 

“Whatever it is you wish to know, I’ll answer. You deserve that at the very least..” Vergil looked at his son. “Let us sit, I believe we will need to after this.” 

“Fine. Move.” Nero motioned towards the silent group, who quickly pushed everyone to the side so Nero could sit down. Vergil sat right next to him, Dante to his left. Bell took a seat to Nero’s right side, and the group watched on in stunned silence. Even Mia and the waitresses were watching with an intense gaze of concern and curiosity. 

“Would you mind answering my question first?” Vergil asked Nero, and placing a hand up as Nero appeared to get more angry. “I only ask because your answer will be much shorter than my…” a heavy sigh. “nightmare of a trip..” Dante patted his back in support. 

“...She’s gone. Haven't seen her for 7 years, and I hope to keep that record going.” Nero said coldly. 

“I visited Edgemere.. Where you had lived..” A scoff from Nero. “I got news that you were attacked in a caravan.. You clearly survived but.. Why only you?” 

“Because I ran.. Mother dearest ” Nero spat out the sarcastic title. “Abandoned me with the supposed ‘guards’ we had. She never even looked back.” He began to tear up, remembering the pain that day. The smell of blood in the air, the pain-filled screams as the others were attacked and killed.. The moment he saw his mother stare at him, before grabbing a rock and throwing it at him to alert the monsters to his position, before turning and running away. 

Vergil clenched his fist tightly. “... Apparently she never made it back to the village, presumed dead..” 

“Good!” Nero slammed his hands on the table, startling everyone. “.. Sorry, Mia.” 

“You’re good, kid. Don’t make it a habit.” She called from the kitchen. 

“Verge.. Your hand.” Dante pointed, which Vergil finally noticed his hand, bleeding from clenching too hard and piercing skin. 

Breathing deeply, he unclenched his hand, shaking off the soreness. “Sorry,” he muttered, before turning his attention to Nero. “Moving forward, let me go ahead and answer your questions now.” 

“Let’s start from the beginning then..” Nero stated, his eyes narrowed. “What happened to you? Where did you go?” 

So Vergil began the retelling of his story. His arrival at the city by coincidence, his decision to live there temporarily at first, only to become interested in Faith there. After a short couple of months together, he had sired Nero. But the week he was due, the city was attacked by a small horde of demons, tearing open a portal to the Netherworld. He quickly dispatched the horde but the portal was becoming unstable. He had to choose, either close it from the inside or fend off a seemingly unending horde of demons. So he chose the former, quickly planning to close it from the inside, then find a way home as soon as possible. He explained that he originally never meant to stay so long, but had run into numerous complications, including having to fight and almost losing to the Ruler of the Netherworld, Mundus. After that, he spent the rest of the time non stop fighting against anything that challenged him, forcing himself to gorge on the blood and flesh of the demons to sustain his life, much to the disgust of everyone around him. What was supposed to be, at most, a 2 week trip, escalated to a few months, then a year, then 2, then suddenly 4 years had elapsed. He was frantic by this stage, trying desperately to get him. He got lucky to find a potential exit, and made it to Dante, who had to care for him due to the severity of his wounds upon returning. It was after he had reawakened that he found the truth: His trip to the netherworld showed that time moves differently there, and his 4 year trip wound up being an almost 17 year long excursion. But he had only arrived under a week ago, and immediately opted to find Nero. 

“After that, we went to Edgemere to find some trace of you.. Luckily some loud mouth merchants mentioned you and.. Bell Cranel, if I recall, are new faces of the Loki Familia. So we came here immediately. And.. here we are.” Vergil finished his story. 

Nero was dead silent, listening to the story without uttering a word, barely even acknowledging anyone around him. His face was in its neutral scowl, showing no emotion. Suddenly he turned towards Take, Loki, and Hades. “Oi. Is he lying?” 

“No, Nero. He hasn’t even tried hiding anything either..” Hades explained. 

“This is the truth, plain as day.” Take said following Hades. 

“Yup. No half-truths or dodging questions.” Loki gave him a thumbs up. 

“...Fuck.” Nero sighed and placed his head in his hands. Dante chuckled, earning a glare from the other group members. 

Bell softly patted Nero’s back, trying to reassure his brother. Vergil watched this, before remembering the merchant’s. “You are Bell Cranel, yes?” 

“Yes.” Bell said, eyeing Vergil. “What about it?” 

“Those merchants back in Edgemere called you and my so-... Nero ‘brothers’. You two are not related though, are you?” Vergil asked carefully. 

“No.. after the whole caravan incident, my grandfather adopted him into our family. So since that day, for 7 years, he’s been my brother in everything but blood. We looked after him when he got hurt, and watched over one another.. Then we lost Grandpa, and wound up coming here together.” 

“..I see.” Vergil said, before turning his body to face Bell, and bowed. “Thank you.” 

“F-For what?” Bell stuttered, surprised by the motion. Dante was too, if his eyes about to bulge out of their sockets were anything to go by. 

“For taking care of my son.. For being his family when I couldn’t.. I am a failure of a father, and I cannot emphasize how grateful that Nero had someone to protect and care for him..” Vergil kept his head low, eyes closed despite the pain in his heart. His son suffered as well as he did, but he would get past it like he always did. But this.. This was something else, something that Vergil was not confident he would be able to forgive himself for. 

“...” Bell was silent at this, his eyes watching Vergil with a gaze that no one could really read. As Vergil sat up, Bell narrowed his eyes. “Quit it.” 

“What?” Vergil was taken aback by what the rabbit-like teen said. 

“You’re beating yourself up over abandoning Nero.” Bell stated, pointing at Vergil’s face. “I did the same when granddad died.. I know those eyes well..” He said. 

Vergil opted to remain silent, only staring at the floor as this teen completely outed him in front of his son and everyone there. 

“..Dad.” Vergil snapped his eyes to Nero, who dropped his left hand to look at him from the side. “..why did you come here?” 

“To see you, Nero.” Vergil stated, his tone slightly weak from the emotions beginning to pile on. 

Nero sighed, then turned to face his father. He took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. Then swung at Vergil, punching him in the face. 

Vergil hissed, but took the hit. The pain wasn’t bad, but it bruised his nose enough to start bleeding slightly. He turned to his son in annoyance, before seeing the grin on his face. 

“THAT.” Nero pointed at his nose. “Is for leavin’.” 

“...Fair enough.” Vergil sighed, before grabbing a handkerchief from his coat and dapping his nose with it. 

“Was that necessary, Nero?” Riveria sighed, before walking over. “Allow me, Mr Vergil.” 

“Please. This is nothing to be concerned about.” Vergil waved her off. 

“Dad.. will you be staying here?” Nero asked nervously as his father looked at him. 

“Well, I was initially going to stay with Dante..” A wave from said man. “Although I feel like I’d be imposing if I asked to stay with you and your familia. Especially considering.. My circumstances.” 

“Nonsense!” the resident Trickster stated. “You and your brother can stay with us, we got plenty of room!” Finn smiled and nodded his approval, followed by the rest of the familia. 

Vergil’s normal scowl softened. “..I’d like that. I appreciate your hospitality.” 

Dante waved his hand around. “No need for me to have a room. I’ll be heading back to my own home. Got some paperwork to do for the biz.” He sighed.

“While this is a nice reunion and all,.” Bete piped up. “I’m starvin’ here! Can we get this party moving? We just got another reason to celebrate!” 

The group laughed and cheered at that, and proceeded to put their orders in for food and drinks, while the twins began introducing themselves to the rest of the executives, as well as the others. 

“My name is Riveria Ljos Alf, my alias is Nine Hells, and I stand as one of the Vice-Captains of the Loki Familia.” Riveria introduced herself to the brothers. 

“Dante, good to meetcha!” Dante waved casually, with a wide smile. 

“My name is Vergil, the older brother of this buffoon. The pleasure is mine.” Vergil stated, bowing slightly to the High Elf, who giggled. 

“It is nice to meet the two of you.” Riveria bowed slightly. 

“The name’s Gareth. You two better drink plenty tonight!” The Dwarf laughed boisterously, getting a fist bump from Dante. 

“Hell yeah, top me up!” Dante cheered, raising his mug, while Vergil shook his head with a smile. 

As the party progressed, Vergil mostly spoke with Nero, wanting to catch up and reconvene with his son more, as well as talking to Bell, whenever he wasn’t chatting with Bete, Ais, or the waitress Ryuu. Dante mingled perfectly with the others, considering his outgoing nature and love of partying. A few hours deep into the party, and many were ready to pack it in, just resting after numerous meals being served. 

Finn, looking towards Dante and Vergil, cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to probe your personal lives..” the twins looked over at the Pallum. “But I am curious.. Are you two part of a familia by chance?” The group looked towards them with curiosity, none more than Nero and Bell. 

Dante laughed, while taking a swig of his ale. “I’m actually in Hades’ Familia. Joined up with him to get my falna updated after I set up shop here in the city.” He grinned as the faces of all the executives, including Loki, dropped somewhat. 

“I was part of the Erebus familia..” He earned a few stares, and one harsh glare from the Elven waitress, before continuing. “Before the fiasco of the Zeus and Hera familias failing the Great Quest. The day after that was announced, I had already left my previous abode and went to Edgemere.. Before my disappearance.” Everyone nodded in acknowledgement, and Ryuu’s glare softened significantly. 

Bete stared at the two brothers, squinting his eyes at them, slightly inebriated. “What level were you two then?” 

Dante grinned. “I waaasss level 6.” A few shocked faces went around the room. “But considering that was well over 2 years ago.. Well who knows what could happen..” 

Vergil scoffed. “I had just turned level 5 when I got my falna from Erebus. However, I never received an update beyond then, since I left the city and went into the Netherworld from there. Back then.. I was hungry for power so I requested to have my falna in the transfer state should I decide to move deities.” 

Nods of understanding went around the room, but a strange stare from the Sword Princess is what confused Vergil. Despite the lack of facial reaction, she almost appeared sympathetic. 

“.. Would you like to join our Familia?” Nero asked. Vergil snapped his eyes to his son, before looking towards the Goddess and her top brass, who were looking at Nero with surprise. “What?” 

“Surprised you made the offer before us, young ‘un!” Gareth laughed. 

“Indeed, I considered it but did not know if he had other plans.” Riveria added. 

“Well. Nero already asked, so I don’t need to repeat myself, and I believe we are all in agreement to offer you a spot.” Finn added, looking towards Vergil with a smile. “Would you be interested?” 

“...” Vergil stared blankly at the group, his face unreadable, before smiling and bowing slightly. “I’d be honored to be in the same familia as my son.” 

“Woohoo!” Loki cheered, holding up a mug of ale. “Another reason to keep the party goin'!” 

Everyone cheered at this, including Nero and Bell. Vergil couldn’t help but give a soft smile to his son. 

~ Twilight Manor, 2 hours later ~ 

The Loki Executives, including Lefiya, Vergil, Nero, and Bell, were in Finn’s office area. The party ended a bit ago, and everyone had returned their ways home. Some were a little tipsy but were sobering up quickly thanks in large part to their falna and Abnormal Resistance stat. 

“Aight, Mr. V.” Loki said with a grin, pointing at him. “Strip.” 

“Excuse me?” Vergil narrowed his eyes at the Trickster, before she got a staff to the head from the High Elf. 

Sighing, Riveria looked towards Vergil. “I’m sorry, she’s.. An oddball. She just means to remove your shirt so we may transfer you to our familia.” Vergil nodded, beginning to remove the layers of his clothing, starting with his cloak, then followed by his coat. As he removed this, the Yamato was revealed, which earned a few stares at the blade. Finally, he removed his vest and shirt, leaving him in just his pants and boots, with gloves on, revealing his toned upper body. Vergil stood taller than Nero, at 200 cm in height, but his body was toned much more, to almost an extreme degree thanks to his heritage and consistent fighting and training. Hardly any scarring from his previous trials, his body was the definition of a true swordsman. Everyone stared in awe, with a certain High Elf looking a little too hard, her face flushed. 

Loki proceeded with the transfer, whistling as she worked. “You must never rest if you’re this toned out.. I see where Nero got his looks from.” She grinned as Nero blushed slightly. 

“..Thank you I guess.” Vergil didn’t really know what to say as he knelt there. Until he felt the falna being updated, and his strength increasing even further than it was before. He let out a deep sigh while closing his eyes, rolling his shoulders and flexing his hands. His muscles slightly flexed as he felt lighter than before. 

Loki was silent, observing the status in front of him as the numbers didn’t stop rising. Witnessing the hardships he had faced, especially in Hell, was a lot for the Trickster. As everything finalized finally was when she realized it, her eyes opening fully. “..a double..” 

“Double?” Vergil asked curiously, getting everyone’s attention trained on him and Loki. 

“A double level-up.” Loki clarified. “You’ve been through so many trials and tribulations, that you gained enough excelia to level up twice..” 

Finn’s jaw dropped. “So.. from being level 5.. He’s now..” 

Riveria stared at Vergil with increased interest. “Level 7.” 

Gareth grinned, stroking his beard. “We now have a level 7, we’re even with the Freya Familia.” 

Vergil shrugged. “Well let’s get it done then, Lady Loki. What are the options?” 

Loki shook her head and looked at his back. “Ya got a few for the first level up. Healing Power, Strong Body, and Chain Attack.” 

“Chain Attack, without a doubt.” Vergil smiled, seeing the other’s surprised at his quick assessment. 

“Copy that.. And now you have.. Two options here. Initiative.. Or Supreme Blade.” Everyone gasped at this. It appeared that the rumors were true. According to the Zeus and Hera familias, once you hit Level 7 the ‘Supreme’ level developmental abilities would appear. 

“Supreme Blade.” Vergil stated confidently, earning a smile from everyone. 

“Aaand.. There you go. Let me be the first to congratulate you on hitting Level 7.” Loki smiled, pressing a sheet of paper on Vergil’s back and completing the update, handing him the sheet to overlook. “It even looked like your ‘Chain Attack’ went up a letter grade. 

Name : Vergil

Race : Hybrid (Half-Demon)

Level :  5 > 6 > 7

Strength : S 940 > S 953 > I 0

Endurance : S 943 > S 961 > I 0

Dexterity : S 989 >  S 992 > I 0

Agility : S 994 > S 999 > I 0

Magic : S 956 > S 979 > I 0

Swordsman : D > C

Mage : D > C 

Abnormal Resistance : E >D

Spirit Healing : G > F 

Chain Attack : I > H 

Supreme Blade : I

Skills : 

[ Blood of Sparda ]  

-Boosts all stats slightly.

-Substantially increases mind and body regeneration.

-Allows manipulation of Demonic Power with decreased mind cost.

[ Concentration ]

-When in combat, slightly boosts all stats.

-The longer the user is in combat, the greater the boost to their stats. 

-Stat boost will diminish if the user is hit or fails to strike an opponent. 

Magic : 

[ Devil Trigger ] Active Toggle, Medium Drain 

-Causes the user to unleash their demonic power in full and transform their body physically. Massively raises all stats when in use and increases healing factor even further. 

[ Mirage Blades ] Chantless , At Will, Very Low Drain  

-Grants the ability to summon phantom blades to be used as long-ranged weapons.

“Hm.. I’m glad everything looks to be in order.” Vergil nodded. 

“Hey.. dad?” Nero asked, which his father looked up to him with a curious poker face. “Could.. I see your status too?” 

“Of course. I have no reason to hide it from you, nor anyone here.” Vergil handed it off to Nero, who looked over it curiously, in awe at the stats. “Course, I stay quiet to all outside the familia.” 

Bell looked over Nero’s shoulder, observing the sheet with curiosity before stopping by the magic section. “Hey look! You have the ability to use the Devil Trigger!” he pointed out with excitement, as Nero also gasped at that, his eyes shining in excitement as well. After finishing it, Nero passed it to Finn to look over it.

“You’re aware of the Devil Trigger ability?” Vergil mused, looking at Bell curiously. 

“Yes, sir. My sword is a Devil Arm, and he mentioned it to us before.” Vergil nodded in understanding, before Bell jumped over to him, sitting in front of him with a glint in his eyes. “Can you show me?!” 

“Pardon me?” Vergil raised an eyebrow. 

“Do the Devil Trigger! I wanna see what it looks like! Please?” Bell asked, his excitement obvious in his shaking body and bouncing in place. 

“.. I won’t lie, I’m curious too.” Nero said, looking at his father. “But it does appear to drain a decent bit of mind, so it’s your call, Dad.” 

“...Very well. I will do it for a moment, but I need space.” Vergil stood up, putting his clothes back on as everyone shifted the room slightly so he had a decent bit of room to work with. “I will ask that you not freak out nor scream once I do this. Am I clear.” A group of nods as everyone watched with bated breath. 

Vergil closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, summoning the Demon energy within his body, feeling it manifesting into form as he activated his Devil Trigger, eliciting gasps from everyone as his body morphed. His normal slicked back silver hair was replaced with two large scaly horns above his head, connected by a scaled bridge between the two. The skin on his face and body was replaced by blue reptilian-like flesh. His ice-blue eyes remained the same color but began to glow. His chin was outlined by white scales near his mouth, and his cheeks had blue scales with large, white claw-like spikes protruding forward in front of him. His clothes were gone, replaced by the blue and white scales surrounding his body, although his coat appeared to have taken on a new form, with navy blue scaled skin, with large pointed spikes by his shoulders where the collar would’ve been. His neck consisted of white scales while his chest and abdomen were blue in color. His shoulders were covered in a white scaled pauldron with blue lines in between sections. His arms kept the same blue scales, but large dark blue and black scaled gauntlets covered his forearms. His hands were no longer covered in his gloves, but were now black in color with his nails white in color, as sharp as any blade. His lower body was a mix of blue and black scales, with sharpened carapaces on his knees. His feet were similar to his hands, black scales with white claws. Flexing his shoulders, he lifted his arms slightly, revealing his former coat to be large wings that expanded outward. The outside were the navy blue scales while the inside were much lighter, and glowing, ice-blue scales that resembled the pattern of a topology map. 

(If you want a visual reference, look up Vergil’s unused Devil Trigger concept art from DMC5.) 

Everyone stared in awe at Vergil in his Devil Trigger form, marveling at how the transformation was terrifying yet sophisticated like the man it originated from. But the looks weren’t the only thing that surprised everyone. 

It was the pure, absolute POWER radiating from Vergil. It was almost suffocating to them, as his aura threatened to swallow them whole, or to force them to their knees in submission. This was his true strength, the pinnacle of his power, and he was only using it to show. Meaning that he was far more powerful, possibly strong enough to challenge the ‘King’ himself. 

After a minute, Vergil deactivated the Devil Trigger, reverting back to his human form and adjusting his shirt. “There. Demonstration over.” 

“Teach me how to do that!” Nero shouted, the smirk on his face ever present. With that kind of ability, he could face anything! 

“..I don’t know, son.” Nero’s face dropped. Vergil, noticing this, was quick to comfort him. “I’m sorry, it’s not me refusing to try and teach you. It’s more.. The requirement to unlock one’s Devil Trigger is quite steep.” 

“Steep? How?” Nero asked, and Vergil paused, thinking for a moment before sighing. 

“..The Devil Trigger is difficult to awaken, and cannot be taught, as it is something that awakens in us for differing reasons. I am unsure of my brother’s method, but mine was… due to a traumatic experience back in my childhood.” Vergil had a concerned look in his eyes as he looked at Nero. “I’d prefer not to test whether or not your awakening pre-requisite is the same as my own..”  

“Oh.. I’m sorry Dad. Of course, we can figure something out later down the line.” Nero sounded sad in his tone. 

“No worries, Nero.” Vergil looked back at him with a smile. “You were only curious about our bloodline, it’s nothing to be ashamed about.” 

“I must ask, Mr. Vergil.” Riveria raised her hand, sitting by Finn and Gareth as they looked over Vergil’s status sheet. “Your bloodline skill already grants increased mind regeneration.. Why also add Spirit healing?” 

“It is due to my techniques that the Yamato grants that I utilize in combat. They use up a lot of my energy, both Mind and demonic, so I compensated for it via the developmental ability. I would have gotten it sooner but decided to prioritize my swordsmanship early.” Vergil explained, earning nods from the Top Executives. 

“You’re quite the brainiac, ey?” Loki grinned, looking at Vergil with her hands on her hips. 

“I think a better term would be ‘tactician’. But yes, between my brother and I, I clearly had received the brains in the family.” Vergil said with a cheeky smirk, earning a few laughs. 

“Well in any case, it is getting late. Let’s go ahead and get you to your room, Vergil!” Loki smiled, motioning towards Riveria to get him settled. 

“Indeed, it is late and I am quite tired from my travels.” Vergil nodded, turning towards Nero and Bell. “If you two don’t mind, I’d like to spend the morning with you, catching up while learning a little more about you.” The brothers nodded, smiling at this. 

Vergil walked out of Finn’s office with Riveria, who led him to another section of the manor. As they walked, Riveria kept glancing at the hybrid, who had taken notice. 

“Do you wish to ask me something?” Riveria jumped at his sudden question, before looking over to him. 

“Yes.. I do.” Riviera cleared her throat. “You appear to be a swordsman, but you almost seem to rely a lot on magic at the same time, yes?”

“Indeed. My techniques were not viewable on my status sheet apparently, but they do require a fair bit of energy to perform.” Vergil explained. “So that would make me a Spell-blade over a dedicated Swordsman or Mage.” 

“I see. That is quite impressive..” Riveria trailed off, thinking back to the conversation in the Hostess. “..I’m sorry if I am overstepping, but.. Do you still care for Nero’s mother? Faith, if I recall.” 

Vergil winced at that, his face turning to a scowl. “Initially, I did.. But after learning what happened, at least my son’s story and the pain he was submitted to due to her carelessness.. Not anymore.” 

“I see. I’m sorry.” Riveria bowed slightly to Vergil as they approached a hallway with the Executives bedrooms. 

“Not an issue, Miss Alf.” Vergil nodded. “Which room would be mine?” 

“This one here.” Riveria motioned towards one of the doors by the end. There were 4 doors in this section, each were brown two panel doors, with golden accents painted onto the door. “I’m right across from you, and Finn is to your right. Gareth is the last door in this area.” 

“I see. I thank you for your assistance.” Vergil nodded his head to the High Elf.

“Of course. Also, you can just call me Riveria. We’re both familia members, so no need for honorifics or anything.” The High Elf stated, smiling. 

“I see. Of course, Riveria. I will be turning in for the night. I bid you a good night and good rest.” Vergil bowed, placing his free hand on his chest while doing so. 

Riveria, taken back by his actions, stuttered for a moment. “N-no worries, Vergil. Goodnight to you as well.” 

Vergil nodded and walked into his designated room, closing the door behind him. Riveria, deciding today was enough activity, opted to go to her own room and call it a night. The rest of the executives had called it a night after the exciting evening they just had. Nero and Bell retreated to their own rooms, chatting excitedly about what tomorrow would bring now that Vergil and Dante were in town. 

Chapter Text

~ Chapter 8: Adjusting ~ 

~ The Following Morning ~ 

The following morning for the Loki familia was mostly focused around Finn announcing to the familia as a whole during breakfast of their newest member, introducing Vergil as their latest member and their current strongest member at Level 7. This was met with cheers of surprise at the announcement of his strength. He also announced that they would prepare for a small expedition team to go down to the Large Tree Labyrinth to get plenty of crystals and quests done to restore the familia coffers. Afterwards, everyone went to continue eating with one another during breakfast. Vergil sat with Nero and Bell as well as the other executives of the Loki Familia, getting to know the two better. 

After breakfast, the brothers got themselves dressed in casual wear. Bell in a standard black shirt, pants and boots with Alastor on his hip. Nero went with a long-sleeved black shirt with the sleeves rolled up, blue jeans, and boots as well. Vergil was with his previous outfit but did not wear his coat, opting to keep it in his hands. 

“What do you plan to do today, Nero?” Vergil asked, which Nero tapped his chin thoughtfully. 

“Well I first need to go and get my sword back from my blacksmith.” Nero stated. “After that we gotta get Bell some new armor. Maybe Welf could make something for you.” 

“Really? That would be great! I still also have the Minotaur horn.” Bell said excitedly. 

“I got the scales and hide from the Infant Dragon as well. I gave Mikoto the claws and fangs as a trade. You could use that for your armor!” Nero exclaimed, thinking that dragon scale armor sounded cool. 

“Cool! Let’s go!” Bell cheered, getting a few laughs out of the group. 

Vergil looked at their clothes, and then examined himself. “Do you mind if I go with you two? I need to go and secure some extra clothing for myself.” 

“Sure, dad. I need to go and get myself a new set of coats anyways.” Nero stated, finishing off his breakfast. 

“If you two don’t mind, can you accompany us to the Guild?” Finn asked as he walked up, Riveria following behind him. “We have to register Vergil into our familia. Which brings up a good question. How did you want to register? 

“What do you mean, how did I want to register?” Vergil turned to Finn, slightly looking down despite the fact he was sitting. 

“Well you can register with our Familia as an Active member, which allows you to explore the dungeon in its entirety, up to limits of course. Then you could register as a semi-retired adventurer, which would restrict your dungeon delving to the 18th floor. Between the first and 18th is fair game for you though. Or you can go fully retired, where you cannot go into the Dungeon, and mostly act as a teacher to newer active members.” Finn explained to Vergil the options, which allowed Vergil to decide from there.

“I feel just out of usefulness for the familia, I’d say we can register me as active. No reason to restrict myself.” Vergil decided, getting a nod from Riveria and Finn. 

“Good decision. Now, once you finish up, we can head out.” Riveria stated, before walking towards the front lobby. 

The trio finished their breakfast quickly, cleaning up after themselves and went over to the front, where Riveria was on a couch reading a book. Seeing the trio of albinos approaching, she closed the book and placed it on a nearby shelf. 

“Hey Riveria, is Finn not coming?” Bell asked as they approached. 

“No, unfortunately he wishes to plan out the small expedition more, as well as prepare any supplies they need.” Riveria explained. “Luckily, since I’m a Vice-Captain, I’ll be more than enough to confirm your registration.” 

“I see. I thank you for taking time out of your day.” Vergil bowed, placing his free hand over his head like a butler, causing Riveria to giggle slightly. 

“No need to thank me, it gets me out of paperwork.” Riveria mused, smiling as Vergil chuckled. Nero and Bell smiled at this interaction. 

The group left the Twilight Manor via the front door, only to run into Raul and a black haired cat girl arguing with Dante at the front gate. Walking forward, they were able to catch the conversation. 

“I’m tellin’ you, I’m fine! I don’t need anything from you, old man!” Raul yelled, growling with clenched fists at Dante, who was deadpanning. 

“And I’m telling you, John Doe, you need SOMETHING to spice your looks up!” Dante crossed his arms. “You’re the equivalent of plain white bread! You need to up your style! Like me!” Spinning on his heel, he flexed and motioned towards his outfit, his casual long sleeve Hensley shirt and leather pants, and his favorite red leather jacket with black boots and gloves. 

“Raul is perfectly fine as-is!” The cat girl stated, her tail puffed up and sticking straight out. “You’re just a homeless old man!” 

“HOMELESS?!” Dante held his hand above his heart in a dramatic fashion, before pointing towards the girl. “I don't wanna hear it from some furball!” 

“Furball?! You’re pushin’ your luck ya bum, no one insults my best friend Aki!” Raul stated, gritted his teeth. 

“Yeah! Ya hear that deadbeat!” the now-named Aki pointed towards Dante. “Now scram!” 

Dante narrowed his eyes. “Why I outta- Oh hey Verge!” Dante noticed the group and waved at them. Raul and Aki turned around, seeing Riveria watching with the trio of albinos. 

“Is there an issue here?” Riveria raised an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, this homeless dude over here kept tryna gain entry to see someone named ‘Verge’ or whatever.” Raul pointed behind him at Dante. 

“And then he called Raul ‘bland’!” Aki pointed towards Dante as well. 

Vergil eyed the two, before looking at Dante. “Brother, you just love to cause trouble, don’t you?” 

“Brother!?” Raul and Aki yelled, flicking their gazes between the two brothers. 

“What can I say? I just like makin’ noise~” Dante playfully said, placing his hands behind his head. 

“Indeed.” Vergil walked over, but stopped to look at Raul. “He has a point though.” He did not elaborate at a mortified Raul before walking past Dante and continuing forward, followed by the Devil Hunter, Nero, Bell, and Riveria who was shaking her head. 

As they walked Dante matched Vergil’s pace, before grinning. “Hey Verge, guess who got a level up recently?” 

Vergil smiled, playing along. “Oh? I know my son did recently, as well as Bell and that young samurai, Mikoto I believe.” 

“This guy!” Dante pointed both his thumbs at himself, smirking. “I’m an official level 7.” 

“Well now that’s a fun reveal. Makes two of us.” Vergil chuckled quietly, twirling the Yamato in his left hand as Dante turned to him with excitement. 

“You too! Hell yea!” Dante cheered, punching Vergil’s shoulder. “Good that you aren’t slackin’ on your training.” 

“Of course not, fool.” Vergil scowled. Nero and Bell looked at each other, chuckling at the twin’s as they went back and forth with one another. Riviera was smiling at the reactions of everyone as they walked towards the Guild. 

Reaching the guild, they ended up running into Nico and Welf, who had just left the Pantheon. Upon seeing the group, Bell waved which caught Welf’s attention. 

“Hey Bell! Nero!” The blacksmith waved back. Nico turned to greet the two brothers, but wound up gasping loudly upon seeing Dante.

“NO WAY!” Nico shouted, charging up to Dante, getting really close to his face as he held his hands up in mock surrender. 

“Uh.. Hi there?” Dante raised an eyebrow at the woman, her eyes sparkling in excitement.

“You’re Dante! The Legendary Devil Hunter! I couldn’t mistake that style anywhere!” Nico said, squealing a little as she grabbed his hand and viciously shook it. “It is a tremendous honor to meet you, Mr. Devil Hunter Sir!” 

“FINALLY! Someone who recognizes my greatness!” Dante laughed, returning the handshake. “And who might you be, darling?” 

“Oh my! I’m sorry. The name’s Nicoletta Goldstein, Sir!” Nico saluted playfully, smiling wide. 

“Goldstein..” Dante’s eyes widened in recognition. “You wouldn’t happen to be related to Nell Goldstein, would ya?” 

“Yes! That’s my grandma!” Nico puffed her chest out in pride. “She taught me everything she knew ‘bout smithin’! 

“Perfect!” Dante smirked, patting her head. “I might need some help with maintaining some of my weapons. ‘Specially a specific pair of firearms I got from Nell.” 

Nico’s eyes widen in excitement and she continues talking shop with Dante. Meanwhile, Welf was talking with Nero and Bell while Vergil and Riveria walked into the Pantheon. 

Entering the Pantheon, all the lower class adventurers were shocked to see the Nine Hells walking into the guild with another person in tow. As she approached the reception desk, she saw Rose speaking with Eina. 

“Good morning, Eina.” The High Elf greeted the Elven guild employee, who was surprised to see her. 

“Good morning, Lady Riveria. And… Nero?” Eina adjusted her glasses, squinting at Vergil, who smiled in amusement. 

“That isn’t Nero.. but he looks extremely similar.” Rose also narrowed her eyes at Vergil, sniffing towards him. “His scent is different as well..” 

Riveria giggled, covering her mouth. “Well of course it isn’t Nero. It’s his father.” Eina and Rose blushed slightly at the realization. “His name is Vergil. I’m actually here to register him, as he had recently come into town and joined our familia to be with his son.” 

“I-I see.” Eina coughed, clearing her throat. “My name is Eina Tulle. I’m one of the Guild Advisors that can be assigned. I’m actually Bell’s dungeon advisor.”

“I am Rose Fannett. I stand as Nero’s Dungeon Advisor.” Rose nodded towards Vergil. 

Vergil bowed towards the two advisors. “My name is Vergil, eldest son of Sparda. I thank you two for watching over my son and his adoptive brother for all this time.” He greeted himself and thanked the two women, who flushed a little at his edict. 

“Well you did mention he was being registered, Lady Riveria. Here is the paperwork to fill, if you don’t mind Mr. Vergil.” Eina placed a small form towards Vergil as well as an inkwell and pen, doing the same for Riveria. 

“Eina, what did I tell you about addressing me?” Riveria pinched the bridge of her nose, as she grabbed the feather pen to fill out the form. 

“My apologies, force of habit.” Eina said, sheepishly laughing and scratching her cheek, a nervous tick she picked up from Bell which Rose teased her about. 

“Here, I have finished.” Vergil slid the form over alongside the inkwell and pen towards Rose, who took the form to look over it. 

“Thank you. Let’s see…” Rose looked over the form, her eyes widening as her tone lost its normal neutral composure. “Name is Vergil, Race is.. Half-Demon?... Level 7?!” 

Eina snapped her attention to Vergil, who raised an eyebrow at their panic. “What?! Another Level 7? No way.. Wait, half-demon?” 

“Yes.. is there an issue?” Vergil crossed his arms, the Yamato tied to his hip. 

“N-No!” Rose stuttered out, taking a deep breath and recollecting herself. “I just need a status sheet to file it alongside this.” 

“Of course, I have Loki prepare one here.” Riveria pulled out a sheet from her robe, Vergil’s status sheet that hid all of his skills, developmental abilities, and magic. 

Eina took the status sheet, examining it with a keen eye before sagging her shoulders. “Yep.. he is level 7. Another Level 7 in Orario..” 

“Guess Dante already registered.” Vergil mused, placing a hand on his chin. 

“Who?” Eina and Rose tilted their heads to the side simultaneously. 

“Me!” Dante appeared behind Vergil, slinging an arm around his shoulder while grinning. “How’s it goin’, ladies~” 

Eina and Rose looked between the two brothers, Dante smirking while Vergil Scowled and were dumbfounded by their looks. ‘They look the same..’ both guild employees thought. 

“Are we finished with my registration?” Vergil asked, which the employee’s nodded at. “Excellent.” He shrugged off Dante’s arm and walked back outside the Pantheon. Riveria bowed and said her goodbyes before following Vergil out, leaving Dante to announce his own level up, which sent the Guild employees and other adventurers into a frenzy. 

“Nero.” Vergil called out as he walked out. Nero was getting scolded by Nico while Welf sheepishly tried to calm her down, with Bell trying to help diffuse the situation. 

“Oh, h-hey Dad.” Nero waved, before Nico shoved her finger in his face. 

“I ain’t done with ya, boy!” She shouted, before turning towards Vergil. “Hol’ up for a sec, Papa. This moron messed up my baby so I gotta teach him a lesson!” She glared at Nero, who playfully held his hands up in surrender. 

“Baby? Did you attack a child, Nero?” Vergil asked, almost a little too serious, causing the group to look at each other before a chorus of laughs ran through them. Vergil raised an eyebrow at this, before Welf came over and patted him on the back.

“Man, you’re funny! No no, Nico’s talking about a special sword she and I commissioned for Nero. She treats her creations like her children.” Welf explained through chuckles. 

“Oh I see. How foolish of me.” Vergil rubbed his chin thoughtfully, getting another chuckle from Welf. “So what were you all talking about?” 

Nero wiped a tear from his eye. “We were discussing my weapon, which Nico had upgraded a bit recently, as well as commissioning new armor and a weapon for Bell.” 

Vergil nodded. “What kind of armor did you want to go for, Bell?” He asked the rabbit-like teen. 

“Oh I requested something similar to what I had prior, but of course upgraded to improve durability. We were thinking of using the dragon scales Nero had for it since he doesn’t really wear armor.” Bell explained. “The armor style was light armor, with pieces that covered the forearms and elbows, shins and kneecaps, shoulders, chest, and back.” 

Vergil tapped his chin, heavily in thought. “That’s smart. Your physique looks like it relies on speed and dexterity, with rapid strikes and hit-and-run tactics to outmaneuver your enemies.” 

Bell scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, that’s the jist of it.” 

Vergil nodded his approval, which made Bell feel a little pride in that someone was acknowledging his efforts. Vergil eyed the sword on Bell’s hip for a moment. 

“Would you like some formal training?” Vergil suddenly asked, which alerted Bell and the others. 

“Training?” Bell asked timidly. “H-How do you mean?” 

“Yeah, what kinda training are you talkin’, Verge” Dante walked up, standing by Vergil as he placed his hands on his hips. 

“The boy’s a rookie, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t have potential. After all, the record of his level up is more than enough proof.” Vergil explained, then turned to Dante. “In fact.. Brother, why don’t you teach him?” 

“Me?!” Dante was taken aback by the sudden proposal. 

“Well from our numerous fights we’d had with one another, I feel the boy would benefit from learning your fighting style more than my own.” Vergil grinned. “Unless you’re telling me, my foolish brother, that you are too inept to take on a student?” 

“Oh fuck you.” Dante stuck his middle finger out at Vergil, before turning to Bell. “Well.. I wouldn’t be opposed to teachin’ ya kiddo. Eh, why the hell not.” 

“Really?!” Bell was excited as he bowed towards Dante. “Thank you for the opportunity, sir!” 

“Course, course.” Dante smirked. “I ain’t an easy teacher though, so be ready. I’ll come by your familia home to teach you. I also gotta teach Patty so I’ll be bringing her along.” 

“Yes, sir!” Bell saluted towards Dante, getting a few chuckles out of the others. 

Vergil turned towards Nero. “I’ll be the one to train you directly, son.” 

Nero widened his eyes at this. “R-Really? But.. My fighting style is very similar to Bell’s, we both use longswords.” 

Vergil nodded. “I’m aware. Don’t think that my Yamato is the only blade I am familiar with.” He gave Nero a devilish smirk. 

“G-Got it, dad..” Nero said, unsettled by the creepy smile his dad was giving. 

“You suck at smiling.” Nico stated, causing Vergil to drop his smile to a scowl.

“Whatever, let us get a move on. I need to get additional clothing so I don’t wind up dressing like my brother. I believe the word those two used was ‘homeless bum’.” Vergil chucked, before walking away from a pouting Dante. 

Nero and Bell chuckled at Dante’s misfortune before saying their goodbyes and joining Vergil as they walked towards the market area, Bell guiding them. 

Nero realized something before they reached the clothing stores. “Dad, do you have money?” 

Vergil paused for a moment, before digging around his pockets and coat, pulling out a small pouch. Opening it up, he found it to be void of anything, minor blood stains from slain demons in the past. “I do not believe so. Dante was the one that got us into the city, and that left him quite low on funding. I should have thought further on it, my apologies to you two.” 

“No worries, I can spot you!” Nero stated, puffing his chest out. “It may not seem like it, but our party’s dungeon dives have been paying quite well.” 

“Yeah! We ourselves were already making more money than more experienced parties at the start. After getting the others on board, it’s only gone up.” Bell said with a smile. 

Vergil nodded. “That is quite impressive. Well I’ll be in your care then.” He bowed slightly to the two brothers as they approached a nearby clothing shop. The brothers had to fight against Vergil verbally about his choice of clothing, stating he needed more casual wear, at least for at home use. Another few arguments and dressing room moments, the albinos left the market place area, lighter on valis and each carrying their own bag of clothes. Nero opted to buy himself new coats at his favorite place, which he’s become a regular of. Vergil chose to load up on exact copies of his outfit, since he actually enjoyed wearing it, but with Nero and Bell’s guidance, he also collected some ‘casual wear’, a small collection of navy blue or black sweatpants and long-sleeved shirts. Bell picked up a few more pieces of his favorite black shirts and pants. Course, with Vergil’s protest, he also collected a ‘nicer’ outfit, which was a white button up dress shirt with black slacks and dress shoes. 

Returning to the Manor, they dropped off their clothes into their rooms, changing into more casual wear. Bell, putting on his normal black shirt, pants, and boots.. Nero swapped over to a plain white shirt with jeans, and boots. Vergil swapped to his casual wear, consisting of a pair of black sweatpants and a long sleeved navy blue shirt. 

Nero and Bell joined Vergil in his normal pastime, which was lounging in the library while reading. Bell, of course, chose to read more stories of heroes and, secretly, trying to think of special moves to inspire himself. Nero sat nearby, reading books on smithing. He was curious of the machinery that was worked into the Red Queen, so he wished to learn more via books or asking Nico directly. Vergil was reading his poetry book, enjoying the quiet and relaxed company. They were there for about an hour before some extras joined them. Riveria, followed by Lefiya and Finn, walked into the library, finding the trio relaxing. 

“I see you found time to lounge around, Vergil.” Finn smiled as they walked over. 

“Indeed. You can thank Bell and Nero for that, as they essentially forced me to wear something more.. casual.” Vergil explained, closing his book and placing it on his lap. 

“And good thing too.” Nero piped up, looking up from his book. “You were too closed off, ya gotta loosen up, dad.” 

Vergil rolled his eyes, despite the genuine smile appearing on his face. Nero was grinning and Bell was too focused on his hero story to really notice. 

Riveria walked over, seeing the odd book that Vergil was holding with the golden ‘V’ on the cover. “I don’t believe I’ve seen that book on our shelves.” 

Vergil looked at the book, a faint far-off look in his eyes before it disappeared and he turned to face the High Elf. “Yes, this is a personal book I own. An old poetry book my mother gave to me before.. Our home was attacked.” 

“Oh. I’m sorry for stirring up old memories like that, Vergil.” Riveria apologized, slightly bowing towards Vergil while the others winced or flinched slightly. 

“No need to apologize, there was no way for you to know my past experiences.” Vergil raised a hand. “Please raise your head.” 

Riveria raised her head before taking a seat by Vergil. “Well.. what are the poems about?” 

Hence came a very long, in depth session of Vergil talking about the book’s author and the meanings behind each poem, ranging from ‘death is nothing more than an obstacle’. Riveria was intently listening while Finn wore a teasing grin. 

Lefiya had joined Bell and asked about the hero stories he enjoyed, which he indulged a bit on. Nero continued to read his book, trying to figure out something for a future creation he had an idea on. 

~ 2 Hours Later ~ 

Later down the line as the group relaxed with one another, Loki burst through the door with her signature Trickster grin. “Wassup, kiddos!” 

Riveria sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Loki, could you not make so much noise?” 

“But I have an important announcement!” Loki pouted, placing her hands on her hips, marching over to stand in front of the High Elf. 

“And you couldn’t walk in like a normal person, and tell us verbally?” Riveria deadpanned at Loki. 

“Nope! Cuz it’s about the rescheduling of Monsterphilia!” Loki cheered, pumping a fist up. 

“What’s that?” Bell asked, tilting his head in confusion. Nero and Vergil hummed at the same time, wondering as well. 

“Riiight, y’all haven’t been here long enough.” Loki cleared her throat. “Monsterphilia is an event hosted by the Ganesha familia. In the Colosseum, they have adventurers with the ‘Taming’ skill perform in front of an audience by taming monsters from the dungeon. Sometimes it's a small creature like Hellhounds, other times they’re big like Ligerfangs or even Infant Dragons! It also has side events like food and game stalls, and other things going on like a little festival.” Loki explained, smiling. 

“That sounds cool! Monster taming..” Bell imagined himself taming an Infant Dragon and showing off to a crowd. “When does the festival start?” 

“From what I heard, the day after tomorrow!” Loki then slouched forward. “But I got a meeting with another god that day. So I’ll need to bring someone with me… Aisy-poo!” Loki shouted, running out of the room to look for the Sword Princess. 

“An interesting event to hear about.” Vergil mused. “I’d like to attend, if only to observe.” 

“We can all go. Since it’s so soon, I can request that everyone take that day off.” Finn mentioned. 

“Sounds like a plan!” Nero closed the book he was reading, smiling. 

As they spoke about plans, Raul came over to the library, knocking on the door before entering. “Excuse me, I’m looking for Nero?” 

“Right here, what’s up?” Nero stood up and walked over to the High Novice. 

“Oh, just wanted to let you know someone is at the front gate looking for you. Wanted to speak with you or something, they never specified.” Raul explained. 

“Oh? Wonder if it’s Nico dropping off my sword. I’ll check it out, I’ll be back guys.” Nero waved to the group before walking out, followed by Raul.

A short few minutes of walking later, Nero was met at the front gate by Mikoto, of all people, dressed in her usual purple kimono and boots. “H-Hey Nero.” 

“Oh hey Mikoto. Good to see you.” Nero greeted the samurai with a smile. “What’s up, you wanted to see me?” 

“Y-yea. I wanted to ask you what your plans were for Monsterphilia..” Mikoto asked, her voice level but her nervousness obvious with the way she shifted her stance every few seconds. 

Nero, not seeing the implication, placed his hands in his pockets. “Oh yeah, we were just talking about that. Was just thinking of lookin’ around really. I’ve never even heard of this so this’ll be a first time for me.” 

“Really? Me too. I planned on going with my familia altogether, but the others had plans with one another, and Lord Take wanted to speak with a fellow goddess who runs one of the bigger orphanages in Daedelus Street.” Mikoto explained, then looked down with her hands behind her back. “Would you care to accompany me to the event?” she asked sheepishly.

“Oh. You want to go with me to Monsterphilia?” Nero asked, tilting his head, getting a head nod from Mikoto. “Sure! I can meet you by the fountain like we do for our dives in the morning. Does 8 AM work?”

Mikoto snapped her attention to Nero, eyes wide in excitement. “Sure! I’ll see you then!” She quickly ran off, yelling her greetings behind her. Nero waved back with a smile, before walking back into the manor, past a surprised Raul. 

Entering the library again, the others were all still there, lounging around as they chatted about nothing in particular. “I’m back.” 

“Welcome back, Nero.” Vergil greeted the teen. “I don’t see you carrying a sword. Was it not that one smith, Nicoletta?” 

“Nope, it was Mikoto, the female samurai from Takemikazuchi’s familia.” Nero explained. “She just asked me if I’d be down to hang out with her during Monsterphilia.” 

Bell looked up at his brother, grinning. “So you got a date?” 

Nero opened his mouth, only to pause after putting two and two together. Her mannerisms, the fact she claimed her familia was busy despite all going to Monsterphilia anyways, her asking in such a timid manner despite her usual confidence. 

Finn, Riveria, Lefiya, and Bell were grinning while looking at Nero as his brain finally caught up, his face beginning to heat up slightly. Until Vergil cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. 

“Come on now.” The blue-eyed teen looked at his father’s face, completely neutral in expression. “Don’t give him ideas. I just met my son, I don’t want to worry about grandchildren just yet.” Vergil mused, smirking as his son’s face exploded in crimson. 

“DAD!?” Nero shouted, his embarrassment getting everyone to laugh as Vergil covered his mouth in chuckles. 

~ The Following Day ~ 

The following day, Nero and Bell got themselves dressed for their first trip back into the Dungeon with the party. Bell was to receive his new armor and knife with Welf once they met up. Nero had his usual blue coat and red hoodie combo with jeans and his black boots. The Red Queen was to be returned to him today as well with Welf. 

As the two made their way out, they ran into Vergil talking with Riveria, Finn, and Gareth. As they passed by, Vergil gave his greetings to the two. 

“Are you two headed to the dungeon already?” Finn asked. 

“Yep.” Nero answered, popping the ‘p’ as he said it. “It’s been days so I’d like to get back into the swing of things.” Bell nodded along with this. 

“Do you mind if I tag along? I personally have never set foot in the Dungeon.” Vergil inquired. 

“Sure, dad. Although we’ll only be going till the 12th. It’ll be a walk in the park for someone like you, being Level 7 n all.” Nero chuckled. “Well let’s go. The others are meeting us by the main fountain by the entrance.” 

Vergil nodded, saying his farewells to the other Top Executives and walked with Bell and Nero out of the manor and towards the meeting spot. 

“Excuse me, Mr. Vergil.” Bell tugged on the sleeve of Vergil’s coat. “What were you talking about with the Captains?” 

“Ah.” Vergil looked over towards Bell. “They were asking if I would be interested in being an Executive for the familia, or at least taking up a leadership role.” 

“Oh that’s quite the offer. What are you thinking?” Nero asked. 

“I denied it. I may be the strongest in the familia, at least in terms of level, but I am not known by the familia. To be trusted in a leadership role when the familia doesn’t even know me would be irresponsible.” Vergil explained. 

“You are quite smart, Mr. Vergil.” Bell scratched his cheek, looking at Vergil with a sheepish grin. 

“Just comes with experience and time, Bell.” Vergil mused, as they reached the meeting point. In front of them was Welf talking with Mikoto. Mikoto was in her usual adventuring outfit, purple kimono with the red armor plates on her shoulders. Welf was in his own blacksmithing attire, but his backpack was filled a little, and the Red Queen strapped to his hip while he held his own greatsword on his shoulder. 

“Hey Welf!” Nero called out, getting the blacksmith’s attention. Mikoto saw them approaching and waved at them, smiling. 

“There you are! I’m gettin’ tired of carrying your stuff y’know!” Welf complained playfully, grabbing the Red Queen and handing it over to Nero. “There ya go, all sharpened up and ready. She also got upgraded a small bit so enjoy that.” 

“Hell yeah. I missed you, my lovely blade.” Nero chuckled, placing the blade on the shoulder mounts inside his coat. 

“And for you, Bell.” Welf swung the backpack off, setting it down and pulling out armor pieces. “Your new armor set. I took the liberty of a minor redesign during the upgrades, but it’ll feel much nicer.” He grinned as Bell examined the armor with a cheerful smile. 

With Welf’s help, Bell was able to quickly equip the new armor over his black shirt and pants that he usually wore for adventuring. The armor was quite similar to his previous armor set, the Pyonkichi set that he got, but the chest and back piece were slightly larger. The armor plates around his thighs were repositioned to sit alongside his hips, and there were added shin guards as well as his plated kneecaps. 

“Lookin’ ready to take on another Minotaur, Bell!” Nero chuckled as Bell looked over his armor, getting a feel for it as Welf reached into his back again. 

“And here is the new weapon I made. It’s a shorter blade for you, could help as a backup.” Welf handed over the new blade, sat comfortably in its black sheathe. 

Grabbing the hilt of the blade, Bell slowly revealed the blade entirely. The sword was reminiscent of a Greek Xiphos, which was a double-edged shortsword. The blade was a deep crimson color, almost glowing, and was roughly 45 cm in length. The blade’s handguard was basic, a simple T-shape with a leather grip and black pommel to finish. Softly swinging the blade, Bell smiled. “It’s perfect Welf, thank you!” 

“Of course!” Welf puffed his chest out in pride. “Only the best for y’all. Plus, since you basically provided almost all the material for it, no charge for ya.”

“You sure?!” Bell said, worried. He didn’t want to risk putting Welf in a bad spot.

“Of course. Plus, any of the losses would be made up in a dive or two with you two.” Welf explained, getting a few chuckles from the albino brothers. “Speakin of, is your dad joining us?” 

“Yes, but I’ll mostly be on observation.” Vergil waved his hand. “I don’t want to risk preventing your own growth, so I’ll only help when absolutely necessary.” 

“Understood. We are happy to have you in our company.” Mikoto bowed slightly, before eyeing the Yamato in his hand. “Do you not keep your blade on your back or hip, sir Vergil?” 

“With how I learned my fighting style and adapted it, no I do not.” Vergil flourished the Yamato, still sheathed, in his hand. 

“I see..” Mikoto was skeptical, but decided to trust his judgement. It was his fighting style after all, not hers. 

The group, finishing their prep, made their way towards the Dungeon. However, Nero realized something at the last minute. “Wait, is Lili and Patty not joining us?” 

“Not this time around. Lili apparently has a familia meeting to attend, and Patty is with Dante right now. Something about ‘important business’ or whatever.” Welf explained, waving his hand in circles as he explained it. Nero nodded as they continued their march down to the Dungeon. They walked through the first short for a short time, while Vergil was humming.

“Interesting..” the half-demon rubbed his chin as he examined the walls. “The air is dense despite barely being too deep from the surface.” 

“SHH!” Bell said, pointing down a corridor. What sat there was a rooster-like bird, with fluffy yellow-green feathers. It was standing far into the corridor, a decent distance from the group. 

“What is that?” Vergil whispered to the rabbit-like teen. “Just looks like a bird to me.” 

“It’s a Jack Bird. A super rare monster. It drops a gold egg worth 1 Million Valis..” Bell explained in a hush tone as the group hid around the corners of the tunnel. 

“...Understood.” Vergil said, before slowly walking towards the center of the tunnel, with everyone eyeing him. His footsteps were completely silent, years of practicing being shown just in his movements. Bracing himself, he felt his demonic energy flowing as he eyed the bird, its movements slowing down till they were almost still, his thumb clicking the Yamato out of its sheath. Within a fraction of a second, Vergil closed the distance, slicing off the head of the Jack Bird with perfect precision before sheathing the Yamato, time seeming to flow again as a shockwave ripple through the air, and the head of the bird monster flying off in a spray of blood before it collapsed onto the floor in a puff of black mist, and a nicely sized golden egg laying in a small pile of yellow and green feathers. 

The party stared in amazement at the display of skill from Vergil. Bell and Nero were with eyes wide in admiration. Welf’s jaw was on the ground as he stared forward like a statue. Mikoto was eyeing Vergil, seeing his skill with his sword reflected in his posture and movements. Vergil bent over and picked up the golden egg. It was decently sized, a little difficult for Vergil to palm in his hand due to its size. He walked over with the egg and a few feathers, smiling. “Anyone hungry for some breakfast?” 

Nero snorted at this, looking away as everyone eyed him. “Really? A dad joke?” 

“Could’ve been worse.” Bell shrugged, before moving his backpack to its front and opening it up, pulling a cloth out. “Here, I'll wrap it up so we can continue.” Vergil handed him the egg and Bell carefully wrapped it up, making sure enough padding was around it to protect it from damage before placing it into his bag. 

“Here, hand me the bag. I’m just watching, so I’ll be out of the way.” Vergil raised his hand, which Bell agreed with and handed him the bag, the Golden Egg safely tucked away and the feathers in his jacket for a keepsake. 

The group continued their way through, happy with the sudden appearance of the Jack Bird. They breezed through the upper floors, Vergil observing their movements and even giving the group advice from time to time. Within the first 2 hours, they made it through to the 11th floor staircase to the 12th, and descended. They were fine for the first 15 seconds, until the Dungeon decided to give ‘em a fun time by dropping a monster party on top of the party. After that, Bell challenged their group to fend off the horde while making sure Vergil did not have to fight. 

‘Incredible.’ Vergil thought as he watched the party fighting in front of him. 

In the core of the horde was his son, Nero, fighting off monsters, utilizing his entire skillset and fighting off monsters, throwing them around like ragdolls, pulverizing them with the Red Queen, or using some of the smaller ones like melee weapons or shields. 

On the other side was Bell, shrouded in lightning as he used both Alastor and the new sword Welf had given him, dashing between each monster and taking them out before they could react, and jumping away to another group. Blood would fly as he moved through the field like a cyclone of steel and lightning. 

Nearby, Welf opted to stay nearby Vergil, taking out any of the monsters that got close to them, with Mikoto keeping him covered by slashing any of the monsters that tried flanking him. 

After a solid 10 minutes of continuous fighting, the hordes died down. Nero and Bell returned to the others, covered in blood and scratches. Bell pulled a handkerchief out of his armor plate and wiped his face from the blood smeared on it. “Phew, what a workout!” 

“Yeah.. workout.” Welf fell on his butt, breathing heavily. “You two are insane.” 

“Indeed.” Mikoto was steadying her breath. Although she was also level 2, she did not have the stamina like the two brothers. 

“It looks like you two are already adjusted to your level.” Vergil commented with crossed arms. “Although your fighting was a little sloppy. Wasted movements and energy in your stances and swings. That can be worked on luckily, so it’s no big deal. We’ll just need to hammer those bad habits away.” He gave the brothers a wicked grin. 

“Oh boy..” Nero and Bell sweatdropped at the idea of having to work to rid themselves of their bad habits. 

~ Meanwhile, Daedalus Street ~ 

Within the confusing maze of Daedalus Street, Dante was drinking some ale on a rooftop of a tavern. Next to him was his employer and contract broker, J.D. Morrison, in a casual white button up shirt with black slacks and dress shoes. Dante was in his usual outfit, leaning backward with his legs kicked up on the table. 

“So, Morrison, what’s up?” Dante started the conversation, taking a swing of his ale. 

“We got something new, and local too. So no need for more traveling.” Morrison pulled out a small, sealed folder, passing it over to Dante who grabbed it and stashed it away in his coat. “Although your investigation of the Order in Fortuna was nothing insane, it did put some information into light..” 

“Good. Despite them being pretty lackluster in that city, I had a gut feeling there was more to it than meets the eye, so to speak.” Dante mused, leaning forward. “So, what was that new info?” 

Morrison looked over to him with a serious expression. “I believe the Order had made contact with Evilus.” Dante frowned at this, but Morrison continued. “It does not look like they’ll be cooperating due to their differences in ideals. However, they did meet up, namely to inquire about something that I feel you may take an interest in.” 

“Well you almost lost me but it sounds like we got something.” Dante leaned over the table looking at Morrison. 

Morrison sighs. “I believe that the Order discovered that Evilus was in possession of demonic artifacts. One of them..” He turns to the Devil Hunter. “Being the lost blade of Sparda.” 

Dante’s eyes narrowed, his playful attitude and smirk gone. What was left was a serious Devil Hunter. “Can we confirm this 100%” 

“Unfortunately, no. But we have a solid set of leads.” Morrison looked away for a moment before continuing. “The first is a little bit of a stretch but it may be easier to encounter. The folder has the details. You’ll be looking for Dionysus and his captain, Filvis Challia.” Dante nodded and went to stand up, but Morrison stopped him. “Don’t jump the gun here. We’re dealing with a God here, so we have to be careful. Just monitor them, but if you get the opportunity, confront the two and learn anything you can.” 

“I got it Morrison.” Dante shrugged his hand off and walked off, heading deeper into the city. 

“I hope you do, Dante.. For all of our sake.” Morrison whispered to himself, as he stood up and walked off, leaving a small bag of valis on the countertop. 

~ 3 Hours Later, Dungeon Entrance ~ 

Bell and his party exited the dungeon, their gear scraped and dented but they wore great big smiles on their faces. Thanks to the monster party, and Bell’s Luck ability, they were guaranteed to earn way more in this dive than any other dive possible. They entered the Pantheon, seeing Rose managing the exchange window. An adventurer was at the window, shouting at her.

“No way! You must’ve skimmed from the top! I’m sure that was at least DOUBLE what you gave me!” The adventurer, a raccoon man, complained, slamming his fists on the countertop. “Count it again!” 

“Sir, I counted it three times already.” Rose growled, already fed up with this guy. “Now take your money so the others can get their stones exchanged.” 

“Hell no! Not until I get my just reward, you bitch!” The man grabbed the hilt of his sword. 

Everyone was wary of a potential fight to break out, until a ghostly hand grabbed the man and slammed him into the wall nearby. The raccoon man gasped, the wind suddenly knocked out of him. Looking up, he was met with the furious scowl of a white haired teen, his electric-blue eyes staring daggers through the man. 

“What’s the big idea, asshole! I’m Canoe Belway of the Soma Familia! You think you can assault me and get away with it!?” The man shouted, grinning as he stood up. 

Nero scoffed at this. “I don’t give a shit what familia you’re in. You were ready to attack an unblessed Guild worker. I’d recommend leaving before I kick your shit in.” 

“Oh, tough guy are we!?” the man unsheathed his sword. “I’ll teach ya to-”

Using his demonic arm, Nero grabbed the blade, eliciting gasps from everyone besides his party. Squeezing hard, he shattered the blade into tiny pieces, which caused Canoe’s face to pale. “Whoops.” Nero then proceeded to slap Canoe hard enough to send him flying towards the entrance of the Pantheon. 

“Now get lost before the Ganesha familia comes to collect you.” Nero threatened before getting back in line with his party. Canoe quickly scrambled out of the Guild, screaming something about payback. 

Reaching the front of the line, Rose was there with a smirk. “Thanks for the save, Nero.” 

“Course.” Nero waved his hand. “What was his deal?” 

“Another Soma Familia member. They’ve been getting desperate lately about making money. Lots of rumors going about, revolving around a supporter who has been making a bunch of money recently.” Rose shook her head. “Problem after problem with them.” 

Welf growled at this, getting his party member’s attention. “That doesn’t bode well.. Lili is part of the Soma Familia.” 

Bell’s face paled slightly. “You don’t think they will hurt her.. They’re part of the same familia..” His tone was worried for his newfound friend. 

“We’ll look into it, Bell.” Mikoto reassured him, with Welf nodding his support. “Have faith in Lili.” Bell nodded, his face still frowning. 

“Let’s exchange the stones, then we can try and get in contact with her.” Nero offered, getting a quick determined nod from Bell. The group then gave their stones and drops, surprising everyone nearby when Vergil unveiled the Golden Egg from the Jack Bird. 

“Wow.. that’s something you don’t see every day.” Rose smiled. “As always, your party manages to upend everyone’s expectations, and destroy the norm.” The party couldn’t help but smirk at this. After requesting some assistance, Rose alongside two other guild employees counted out the loot totals, including examining the Jack Bird egg. 

“Alright, you’ll need to wait for a little while so we can prepare some special coin pouches for your total. But the total amount comes out to 1,156,000 valis.” Rose explained, getting all the adventurers in the Guild to gasp and murmur among themselves. “I’m assuming you want it all split 5 ways?” 

“Yes please, Miss Rose!” Bell smiled, despite the furrowed brows he still wore. 

Roughly 20 minutes later, a guild employee came over and set down 5 green pouches with golden ribbon tied to close them. “The pouches are yours to own, we took the cost from the loot cost. In total, after the pouches deducted, your total is 1,100,000 valis. Split five ways, each pouch has 220,000 valis. Thank you for your hard work today.” Rose bowed towards the flabbergasted group, each with a surprised face minus Vergil, who wore a face of pride. 

“Oh that reminds me.” Nero grabbed his coin pouch, digging around before pulling out 40k valis and passing it into another one of the coin pouches. Then he grabbed that pouch to give to Welf. “Here ya go! Another payment for the Red Queen.” 

Welf chuckled, taking the pouch and placing it inside his own kimono. “Thank you, good sir!” 

Mikoto pocketed her own pouch, bowing towards the others. “Thank you for the amazing opportunity to work with you.” 

Bell put his pouch inside his leg holster. “Of course, we’re a team!” 

Nero placed his pouch in his coat. “Indeed, we did well. And here’s to many more dives!” 

Vergil smiled, grabbing the final pouch and placing it in his coat. The group said their goodbyes to Rose and the other guild employees and exited the Pantheon. They separated after a bit to head to their homes. Vergil and Nero were ahead, with Bell slowing his pace until he found an opportunity and slipped away, running into a few alleyways and heading towards the Hostess of Fertility. 

Upon reaching the Hostess, he was greeted by Syr and Ryuu cleaning the front of the pub. They had just finished the lunch rush and were preparing for the dinner service. Ryuu noticed someone approaching from the alleyway, which put her senses on high alert, until a familiar set of ruby colored eyes and white hair poked out a bit from the shadows. 

“Psst!” Bell called out, getting both of the waitresses' attention. He beckoned them to come over, before walking further back into the shadows. Syr, after checking to make sure Mama Mia wasn’t paying attention, quickly ran across, with Ryuu following behind. As they approached they met with Bell, who was kitted in his adventuring gear still. 

“Is everything okay, Mr. Cranel?” Ryuu asked bluntly, confused as to why the seemingly honorable man was hiding in the shadows. 

“I need some help, at least some info if you can.” Bell whispered in a low but serious tone. “Do you know anything about the Soma Familia? Any bad rumors?” 

Syr tilted her head curiously. “Why are you asking about them? Aren’t you in the Loki Familia already?” Internally, Freya was extremely interested. Her possible Odr might be looking towards other familia to join! 

“I don’t want to join them.” Bell growled, surprising the two women before he took a deep breath. “We haven’t seen Lili recently, and we heard from Nero’s guild advisor that the Soma familia has been getting desperate for Valis.. And we think it is because Lili was diving with us and making good money..” 

“Bell, I want to help but I must know this: What is your plan? What do you intend to do with this information?” Ryuu asked, her eyes narrowed as she eyed the teen, dropping the formalities. Her aura of a Level 4 adventurer was pushing onto the teen, but he didn’t even appear to budge. His eyes were serious and determined to stand firm. 

“To be honest, I don’t know yet. I just want to ensure Lili is safe. If she isn’t then I’ll figure something out from there.” Bell said honestly. 

Ryuu was silent, unknowing whether to give Bell any information or not. Syr, however, was not so worried about it. 

“The Soma Familia are nothing but a bunch of hooligans!” Syr started. “Their familia brews wine, aptly named ‘Soma’ after the god who brewed it, but apparently the stuff sold to the public is ‘defective’. The familia gets access to the real stuff from the God himself.” She explained, her arms crossed to emphasize her chest a bit, trying to tease Bell. But his eyes were locked onto Syr’s absorbing every bit of info. Failing, she continued, “Apparently, the stuff is so good, they get addicted and desperate to get more, even going so far as to fight one another to save enough to buy their share of the wine in the familia.” 

Bell was silent, but his fists clenched by his sides revealed his true feelings on that. ‘ To be willing to go that far.. For some stupid wine?! ’ He was furious but forced himself to calm down. He knew acting irrationally would put everything at risk. He didn’t want to drag his familia into the mess he might cause, so he was on his own for this. “Thank you Syr. I appreciate you telling me all this.” He bowed slightly, causing the waitress to blush a bit. 

“Of course Bell.. I’m happy to help.” Syr said, playing with a strand of her hair. 

“I’m sorry to pull you from your duties. I’ll leave you to it. I’ll visit when I can.” Bell said, before turning and preparing to walk off. Until Ryuu grabbed his arm. 

“Bell, wait.” Ryuu pulled at him slightly, stopping him in his tracks and having his gaze turn to her. “Please be careful, and don’t do anything rash..” 

“Of course Miss Ryuu. I’ll be careful.” Bell said with a soft smile, placing a hand on hers to give her some confidence. She smiled, until the situation caught up to her and she blushed, pulling her hand away reluctantly. 

“Farewell, Mr. Cranel.” Ryuu said, putting her stoic face on despite the red tint on her ears. Bell nodded, and quickly moved away, disappearing into the alleyways. 

“Oh, Ryuu~” Syr’s teasing voice. Ryuu shivered at this, knowing what was to come next.

~ Southern Section, Orario ~ 

Bell walked through some of the alleyways heading southbound to look around the city. He had a vague idea as to where Lili went when they would split for the day. He navigated through the alleyways and streets, mingling with the crowds and trying to blend in as much as he could. That was, until he dipped into a nearby alleyway, and came across a rather infuriating scene. 

Lili was being confronted by a group of 3 rough looking adventurers, with one of them grabbing her arm quite firmly. Lili was wearing a red and white hooded shirt, which was cut off at her midriff, and a red skirt. She also had black stockings, which were slightly torn with brown boots and gloves. The first was the Soma Familia member from the Guild, the racoon man. Another was a human male with long, black hair tied into a ponytail. He had a sword on his back, and wore a black turtleneck with a red coat and khaki pants. The third adventurer was another human male with a brown afro, a black coat with a fur collar over it with no shirt underneath, and black pants. 

The raccoon man was holding Lili, shaking her around. “I ain’t askin’ again! Hand over your share, brat!” He threw her onto the ground, where she fell onto her butt. He gripped the shortsword on his hip with a sinister grin. 

“Hurry up, we ain’t waiting all day.” The afroed man cackled, flexing his fingers. 

Lili was silent, but pulled out a small pouch and handed it over, where the raccoon man harshly grabbed it out of her hand then kicked her down. As the clouds above gathered, they began to show the signs of a light rain. The 3 men were cackling as they eyed the bag, seeing the hefty amount of valis in it.

“That’s a good runt! We’ll be seein’ you later.” The afro man grinned before licking his lips as they walked away. 

Lili remained motionless on her back, facing upwards to the sky as the clouds, in response to her melancholy, opened up and began a light rain. She dryly chuckled to herself, no humor or actual happiness in the laugh. It was empty, devoid of emotion as she laughed into the sky, seemingly all alone with her hair covering her eyes. 

Bell stepped out of his hiding spot, slowly walking over to where Lili was laying. Reaching her side, he crouched down towards her. “...how long?” 

Lili froze, her faint laugh ending from her recognizing his voice. “...Master Bell?” 

“How long has this been happening?” Bell asked more firmly, reaching over to brush her hair away from her eyes. She was looking at him, her eyes red and slightly puffy as the rain washed over them. She was crying from the encounter, which left a foul taste in Bell’s mouth and a pang in his heart. 

“...since I was born.. Lili hates adventurers..” Lili said, more tears falling from her eyes as she locked eyes at the caring gaze of the rabbit-like teen, his crimson eyes softly observing her pain-filled chestnut ones. 

Bell didn’t say anything further, just removing his jacket and covering Lili’s body below her neck, before reaching over and picking her up in a bridal carry, standing up. He turned and began walking through the alleyway. 

“M-Master Bell?” Lili started blushing, but didn’t try to get down. “W-What are you doing?” 

“You're clearly not safe, so we’re going to my home.” Bell clarified, a slight blush on his face, as he continued his pace. 

“..why are you doing this for me? I’m just a supporter.” Lili said, leaning into Bell’s shoulder as they walked, the rain causing her to shiver despite being covered by the teen’s jacket. 

“Because you’re not just a supporter. I want to say you’re a friend of mine, if you’d have me.” Bell said, a soft smile on his slightly flushed face. “If you’re in trouble, I’ll help you. If you need saving, I’ll be there. You're not alone anymore Lili. You may not trust me just yet, but I’m always here to help you.” 

Lili didn’t respond, her small body cradling itself closer to Bell’s own, as sobs began racking her petite frame. She gripped the jacket tightly, afraid that it would vanish and everything she had heard would be nothing more than a dream. Bell only continued to smile, holding Lili close to him as he continued his march towards the Loki familia, a small plan in the works in his mind. 

~ Twilight Manor, 20 minutes Later ~ 

Loki was pacing by the front entrance to the Manor, biting her index finger in anticipation. Nearby, Vergil and Nero were silently observing. Nero leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, while Vergil stood next to him. On the opposite side stood an irate Riveria, a concerned Finn, and a relaxed Gareth. Bete, Tiona, Tione, Ais, and Lefiya were also nearby, all sitting on the stairs to the second floor, watching in silence as well.

After their return, Nero and Vergil both stated Bell had vanished on them after they left the Dungeon. They also explained the recent rumors about the Soma familia getting antsy with money, and revealing the prum supporter they had hired was a part of that same familia. 

Loki, of course, was worried and demanded Finn to get a search party ready, but Vergil shot down the idea. Nero backed up the decision, saying that Bell is smart enough not to risk an all-out confrontation with another familia, with how politics are in Orario. To just have faith and wait for him to return is the best option, as Bell would likely have refused to come home and would’ve had to be dragged home. Riveria, being the resident Mama of the familia, was against idly waiting and even offered to ‘happily drag the idiotic teen back home for proper disciplinary action’, which got chills down everyone’s back save for Vergil, who raised an eyebrow at this. 

It didn’t take more than half an hour before one of the front doors swung open, getting everyone’s attention. As Nero stated, Bell rejoined the group at the manor, soaked from the sudden rain outside. What was not anticipated was him to not be entering alone, a small head of chestnut hair hiding beneath his jacket. 

Loki walked over to the teen, placing her hands on her hips. “And where were YOU?” She growled out. 

“Out.” Bell simply said, before continuing his walk. “I’m going up to my room to get myself cleaned up and changed into dry clothes.” 

Riveria stood up and stepped between Bell and the staircase. She was upset, a tick mark appearing on her forehead. “And why, pray tell, should we just excuse your sudden disappearance?” 

Bell looked at her with a blank expression, but his eyes betrayed their annoyance. He sighed, before softly shaking his arms. A quiet groan emitted from under the jacket. “Because I don’t want her getting sick. Please move, Riveria.” 

“Riveria.” Finn piped up. “Let him get the two of them cleaned off. We’ll question them in my office right after. Understood, Bell?” He said sternly. 

“Yes, sir.” Bell said, walking past a frustrated Riveria and walked towards the stairs. 

As he walked up the stairs, Bete stopped him along the way, his scowl on his face. “Oi. Why are you protecting this weakling?” 

Bell snapped his eyes to look at the Werewolf, his anger immediately directed towards him. “Because if none of you have the humanity to help the helpless, then I will.” He stated firmly, taking a verbal swing at everyone in the room before continuing his march up the stairs. 

Bell spent the next 30 minutes drying Lili off with a towel he grabbed, as well as handing her a change of clothing from his own wardrobe, mainly a shirt and a pair of black boxers which fit Lili like her shorts. She insisted on keeping the soaked through jacket, but Bell just offered another jacket he owned of the same design but newer, since he did want one for going out with friends. After getting himself dried off and into a set of dry clothes, which consisted of a gray shirt and black pants, the two made their way over to Finn’s office, entering once they had knocked and got the okay. 

Everyone that was present in the entryway of the manor were here, posted around the room in their usual spots, except for Vergil who was standing behind Nero’s spot on the couch. The group eyed Lili’s clothing and completely spaced on getting her proper fitting clothes but decided at this stage, it wasn’t necessary since her modesty was covered. 

“So.” Nero was the first to pipe up, leaning forward onto his knees. “I’m sure some of us, if not most, are mad at Bell for disappearing without notice. But I want to hear him out first before we judge him.” He finished, his suggestion getting nods and grunts of approval from everyone, even Riveria and Loki who were irritated at the situation acknowledged to get his side first before a decision was made. 

So Bell got to explaining what happened once he split from Nero and Vergil, meeting up with two of the waitresses from the Hostess, Ryuu and Syr, and asking them for anything they heard about regarding the Soma Familia and the apparent rumors surrounding them due to Lili’s recent success in the dungeon with them. Afterwards, he described his attempt to locate any Soma Familia members to get more information regarding Lili and her whereabouts or wellbeing. He then described the situation he encountered, where Lili was mugged by three adventurers from the Soma Familia, her own familia members, and kicked down onto the ground after they had taken her money and left her there. After that he picked her up and brought her here, not mentioning what he had said to her. 

Throughout the retelling of his story, Lili was laying down, resting her head on his lap as he softly brushed her hair. Everyone was listening intently, going from curiosity to being upset at the other adventurers instead of Bell due to their actions and sympathetic to Lili. Loki was also paying attention to any potential lies, but she knew Bell was not one to lie about something like this. Finishing his story, Loki was the first to pipe up.

“So you decided to bring her here instead of sending her on her way elsewhere?” Loki asked sternly. “You do realize this could be seen as a kidnapping of an enemy familia member.” 

“I’m not trusting her familia members to not harass her again, especially after that whole thing.” Bell stated firmly. 

Riveria sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’d like to ask you something, Miss Lili. Have you spoken to your god to get yourself out? Or try to involve the Guild?” 

Lili looked up towards the High Elf from her position. “Yes, Lili has tried to get the Guild involved.. But they refused to assist. As for talking with Lord Soma..” 

“Soma doesn’t really run the familia. He’s hands off almost 100%.” Loki chimed in with a neutral tone. “I see..” 

Sitting back up and leaning against Bell, Lili was questioned by the others, in which she revealed her past to the others, how she was born to parents who belonged in the Soma Familia. However, due to the apparent addiction of the perfected Soma Wine, her parents went stir crazy and obsessed over getting enough money to secure themselves more of the wine. Even using Lili, at such a young age, to beg on the streets for money in order to keep their collection high. After a short time, her parents died in a reckless attempt in the Dungeon to go further than their statuses would grant, resulting in Lili being inducted into the Soma familia by proxy. She initially tried her hand at being an adventurer, thinking she could possibly fight for herself in that manner, but realizing how weak she was, she was forced to become a supporter. In doing so, her maltreatment from the other familia members and even other adventurers hit an all-time high. She tried to disappear, to live life as a normal citizen working at a flower shop run by an elderly couple that took pity on her. But that only lasted so long before the Soma familia found her, and trashed the shop, injuring the older man who ran the shop. The couple kicked her out, and she was forced back into the Soma familia. She openly admitted to despising adventurers, and Soma himself, wondering why his familia even existed in the first place, why he would descend only to hide away in his home. With her hatred of adventurers, she gave herself an excuse to trick and steal from them, silently collecting money in the background and stashing it elsewhere, saving enough to buy her way out of the familia and out of Orario. 

“Buy your way out?” Bell asked. “How much is that?” 

“3 million valis.” Lili clarified, which surprised everyone in the room, who frowned at this. 

“How far were you saving before those guys took your money?” Nero asked. 

“Those guys only took a decoy bag, which had about 3,000 valis worth of fake gems in it.” Lili stated, softly grinning. “In total, Lili has roughly 1.8 million valis in gems and valuables hidden away.” 

Loki whistled at this. “That’s quite the fortune you amassed fer yourself, kiddo.”

“Yes.. and with Bell and his party, we were making even more than other parties. Before I met them, I only had 1.6 million saved up.” Lili stated, softly blushing while leaning further into Bell’s side. “With how generous they were, I made so much more than ever before.. I was able to finally eat normal meals and get better fitting clothes and better equipment.. Until those guys found out how much I was making and made it a habit to accost me at every chance.” 

Bell frowned at this, alongside everyone else in the room. “I’m sorry Lili, apparently our success put a massive target on your back.” 

“So all you need is another 1.2 million valis, right?” Nero asked the Prum, getting a nod of confirmation. “Then that settles it.” Nero stood up suddenly.

“Settles what, Nero? What do you plan to do?” Finn asked suspiciously. 

“I’ll enter the supposed family business with Dante as a devil hunter.” Nero clarified. “Hades left the offer with me a little while ago, when we first found Alastor. I never fully gave him an answer, but with how Dante was out of town for so long and still had money to spend around, it’s clear it pays well due to the risks.”

Vergil frowned. “Fighting those monsters in the dungeon and fighting demons are very different things, Nero. Demons are sentient beings, they can think and plot and innovate as much as we can. Some are better at it than others.” 

“Well it’s a good thing we already have two fighters heavily experienced in fighting demons, now isn’t it pops?” Nero grinned at Vergil, who narrowed his eyes but couldn’t help smirking. 

“Let me join you as well! We can work together on it, Nero.” Bell said with a determined gaze. 

“I don’t wish to send the both of you out to be frank.” Finn mentioned, getting frowns from the brothers. “But I’m sure if I prevent one of you from going, you’d just sneak out again.” He chuckled. 

Loki sat up. “Then you got a plan together, Finn?” She grinned, trusting her captain to figure out a plan of attack. 

“Of course.” Finn smiled. “A multi-prong strategy, both to keep things under wraps, as well as make sure we can protect Lili, since if we don’t, I doubt Bell would ever forgive us.” 

“You got that right.” Bell deadpanned at Finn. 

“Nero, Bell, and Lefiya.” The three sat up. “You will train with Vergil for the next week or so, studying up on demons and getting combat training from him as well.” 

“My brother plans on coming over as well.” Vergil stated. “He was originally going to assist in training Bell and Patty, his other party member. 

“Bete, Tiona, Tione.” The three executives stood tall. “You will be acting as recon for now, keep an eye on the Soma familia adventurers and their movements. Any additional information will be appreciated, but for now you are on standby. Report to me on any information you get.” The three nodded at this. 

“Lili.” the Prum sat up straight, surprised at her name being called. “To be honest, I don’t believe we can house you quietly here.” she frowned at this. “However,” she raised an eyebrow in response. “There’s a property Loki owns off in Daedelus street. No one really remembers it being our first familia home, since we moved here and all, so I’ll ask that you stay there for now. Continue to party with your party when available and dive into the dungeon. Do what you can to save up, and avoid any previous employers.” Lili nodded at this.  

“Ais.” The Sword Princess looked at Finn, tilting her head to the side. “You will be staying with Lili in that property as a guard. Easiest way to protect her is to say you are protecting Loki familia property, and she is renting it as a place to stay.” She nodded at this, although she pouted slightly at not being included in the more hands-on activity. 

“Riveria, Gareth, and Loki.” The three raised eyebrows at this. “Try and secure a meeting with Soma, make it about securing a small contract for some wine direct from Soma, since Loki is known to enjoy alcohol. Make the meeting at least a week and a half away from today, give the team time to get the funds together for Lili’s buyout.” they nodded at this, with Loki squinting her eyes at this with a mischievous smirk on her face. 

“This plan revolves around making sure Lili’s previous employers do not catch wind of what we will be doing. The end goal.” Finn smiled at Bell. “Will be to get Bell’s friend Lili out of that wretched familia. We will use the meeting as a guise to get with Soma himself. It will be difficult to sneak her in so we can negotiate her release but..” 

“Actually.. Mr. Finn.” Lili raised her hand, which Finn motioned for her to speak. “I can go by myself.. I have a special magic that helps me stay hidden..” Everyone raised an eyebrow at this. She held her hands out, facing Finn. “Your wound is mine. My wound is mine. Echoing message of midnight.” Casting her magic, she shifted her physical looks to match that of Finn, perfectly to his looks and current outfit. Everyone gasped, with Finn standing up in front of his newly created Doppelganger. 

“Wow.. that’s frighteningly accurate to my looks..” Finn stated, looking over the magical spell. 

“It is quite helpful in hiding, as long as the person is around my size.” Lili stated, her voice even shifted to match Finns which freaked everyone out. 

Recasting the spell reverted Lili back to her original form, she went back over to Bell and sat beside him. Finn dismissed everyone to head to their rooms for the evening, so they can rest and prepare for Monsterphilia, then afterwards they would enact the plan. Bell and Nero asked to get their statuses updated before the following morning, which Loki approved of and proceeded to do so.

Name : Bell Cranel 

Race : Human 

Level : 2 

Strength : I 0 > H 115

Endurance : I 0 > H 109

Dexterity : I 0 > H 144

Agility : I 0 > H 149

Magic : I 0 > H 125

Luck : I

Skills : 

[ Heroic Desire ] 

-Increased Growth proportional to the user’s desire 

-Greater desire amplifies the effect. 

[ Argonaut ]

-Grants the ability to charge a special attack for up to 3 minutes.
-The longer the charge, the more powerful the attack, which is signified via sound, either a low chime or a grand bell based on the charge time.

Magic : 

[ Tempest Cloak ] Quick Cast , Active Toggle, Low Mind Drain

-When active, greatly increases Agility. All other stats received a slight boost.

Name : Nero

Race : Human/Demon Hybrid  

Level : 2 

Strength: I 0 > H 146

Endurance: I 0 > H 139

Dexterity: I 0 > H 100

Agility: I 0 > H 111

Magic: I 0 > H 134

Strong Body : I

Skills : 

[ Legacy of Sparda ]  

-Slightly Boosts all basic stats; Raise maximum status caps of all basic abilities.

-Excelia gain increased when in combat. Increase regeneration of mind and body.

Magic : 

[ Bringer Claws ] Quick Cast, At Will, Low Mind Cost

-Short ranged melee spell, can grab and throw targets and objects smaller than the user {Snatch}, pull the user towards a location or enemy {Hell Bound}, Or grapple an enemy and hold them up as a shield {Hold}.

Chapter Text

~ Chapter 9: Firstborn ~ 

~ The Next Morning ~ 

The next morning, the chosen groups got up early to prepare for Monsterphilia, as a way to relax before they got to work with their plan. Nero and Bell were up a little later than they wanted, around 6 AM, and made their way over towards the dining hall. Entering the hall, Riveria was already up alongside Finn, Vergil, Ais, and Tiona eating breakfast together. The brothers walked over to grab their breakfast before joining the others at the breakfast table. 

“Morning you two.” Finn greeted, raising his cup of water. 

“Morning” the brothers greeted the others at the same time while taking their seats at the table. 

“I can’t wait! Monsterphilia is so fun!” Tiona cheerfully said, shoveling more food into her mouth. 

“Please eat like a normal person with manners.” Riveria sighed. 

“Does anyone have plans for Monsterphilia?” Finn asked curiously. 

Bell grinned, before nudging Nero’s shoulder. “Yeah, does anyone have plans for this event?” He teased, which caused Nero to blush. 

“Shut it, you rat.” Nero growled before digging into his breakfast. 

“Now, now.” Vergil smiled. “No need to get upset. Today’s a day to have fun and rest before I put you through He- I mean, a proper training regimen to prepare you for your future missions.” The others sweatdropped at this, realizing he prevented himself from saying ‘Hell’. 

“So what are your plans Nero? We’re all going as a group minus the oldies there.” Tiona smiled playfully, getting scowls from Riveria and Vergil, while Finn smiled sheepishly. 

“I… have plans set up to hang out with Mikoto today.” Nero said, sipping at his water while his cheeks began to heat up. 

“Also known as a D.A.T.E.” Bell teased Nero, getting a rough punch to his shoulder from his brother.