Sarutahiko Familia Premise Chapter 16 (Patreon)

I'M SORRY THIS IS LATE, EVERYONE!!! IT WAS SUPPSOED TO BE OUT YESTERDAY, BUT IT JUST KEPT GETTING LONGER!!! But I hope you'll enjoy just under 16,000 words!

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you another chapter! Loki Familia prepares for their next expedition. But Ais, Tione, and Tiona don’t want to go into the Dungeon for two weeks or more without spending some time with Bell! At the same time, Bell’s Party makes more progress into the Dungeon, growing stronger and gaining invaluable experience! But as the Denatus approaches, the time for Bell to gain his first Title after taking down the entire Soma Familia singlehandedly has arrived!

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So, without Further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 16 – Expedition Prep, Denatus and Title

The Loki Familia was getting rather busy as they prepared for their next expedition.

Thanks to Ais’s generous ‘donation’ from the rewards she received for completing the unofficial Quest down to the Twenty-Fourth Floor, the entire Familia was able to prepare much more easily; mostly because Loki didn’t have to haggle out agreements for loans this time around. As such, all supplies necessary, like potions, antidotes, Mind potions, and even about thirty Magic Swords were being procured. The only thing that was taking a bit of time was Loki working out an agreement with Hephaestus to get a good number of her Level 2 and higher blacksmiths to go on the expedition with them. Skilled blacksmiths would lower their need for spare weapons and gear since what they had could, most likely, be repaired on site. They’d need every advantage they could get if they wanted to make it down to the Fifty-Ninth Floor.

“We’re so busy!” Tiona complained as she carried crates of preserved food towards the Twilight Manor. They needed to stock up on easy to keep food for the expedition, especially if they were taking the Hephaestus Familia blacksmiths along.

“Tell me about it. We’ve barely got any time to even see Bell.” Tione pouted at their time with their boyfriend being cut short.

Ais, also carrying a similar crate like Tione and Tiona, hummed with a cute little frown on her face. “…we need to prepare. But…I miss Bell too.”

Tiona and Tione both smiled at Ais, finding their ‘third sister’ to be adorable when she pouted like this.

“Do you think Tsubaki will manage to finish the Superiors that Captain Finn requested?” Tiona asked as the three of them walked along the street towards their Familia Home.

“Probably…” Tione had never known Tsubaki Collbrande, the Captain of the Hephaestus Familia, to ever be late on a commission. “…but Superiors for all of the Executives…I can’t imagine she’s getting much sleep at all.”

Ais already had a Superior in Desperate. Her saber possessed the Durandal Attribute, which made it unbreakable, though it did lower the overall attack power of the weapon. Every Attribute able to be imbued by a High Smith through the Blacksmith Developmental Ability often had a single drawback of some kind. In the case of weapons with the Durandal Attribute, it was lessening their attack power as unbreakable blades had a slight issue holding a fine edge.

“…if we finish working…maybe we can go see Bell?” Ais suggested with a slight tilt of her head.

Tione and Tiona looked at Ais for a short moment before looking at each other.

“Let’s go!” Tione started speedwalking while carrying the crate of supplies.

“Right behind you!” Tiona laughed brightly, wanting to see Bell again too.

Ais picked up her own pace as well, hoping to get some time to see Bell before they left for their expedition within the week.

-Dungeon ~ Thirteenth Floor-

While the Loki Familia was busy preparing for their next expedition, Bell’s Party were once more making their way through the Thirteenth Floor.

“Hup!” Bell leapt over the flames of a Hellhound and stabbed his chokuto straight through its head, killing the Monster instantly and cutting off its fire breath. With a fluid motion, he pulled his sword from the dead Hellhound’s head and cut the next Hellhound down, the blade splitting the Monster along its jaw and all the way down its neck. With a swift kick, Bell sent the corpse crashing into another Hellhound, staggering it, and lopped off its head before the wolf-like Monster could recover.

Welf cut down two Almiraj as they leapt into the air to try and strike him with their landform hatchets. “Never a dull moment in the Middle Floors!” He brought the flat of his sword upward to block a thrown landform hatchet, then rushed the unarmed Almiraj and decapitated it with a swift swing of his greatsword.

“Grrrr!!!” A pack of Hellhounds growled and snarled at the Party of Adventurers from a distance. All of them opened their jaws, the flickering of flames within for a second before they unleashed a wave of flames as all their fire breaths combined in the air.

“Ignite! Heretic spell! Will o’ wisp!” Welf cast his own spell and a transparent wave of magic rippled the air before wrapping around the flames and nearly forcing them back into the Hellhounds’ mouths.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

The Hellhounds exploded from within as their magic was forced into an Ignis Fatuus and detonated out of control. The entire pack was wiped out in a single spell, only soot and ashes left behind as their Magic Stones had been destroyed in the blasts.

Welf smiled at his progress with his magic, even if he didn’t use it too often. ‘Glad that I listened to Bell. My timing with Will o’ Wisp has gotten a lot better.’

“Mr. Welf! Please try not to destroy the Magic Stones!” Lili called out while taking out Almiraj one after another with senbon and her bowgun.

“That’s not really up to me when I use my magic, Little Lili!” Welf yelled back before ducking under a thrown landform and charging in to kill the Almiraj that had thrown the natural weapon at him.

Bell kicked a Hellhound across the face, breaking its neck in the process, and then brought his chokuto around to cut down an Almiraj. With only a brief glance, he launched his sword like a javelin and impaled a Hard Armored through the head before it could roll up into a ball. The flapping of wings alerted him to the presence of Bad Bats near the ceiling that had taken flight towards them. “Earthly God’s mastery…Rai!” He made five hand signs in a blur as his hands crackled with lightning, which he spread into a wide wave towards the airborne Monsters.

The Bad Bats were electrocuted by the lightning magic, their charred bodes falling from the air to hit the stone floor with little ‘thumps’. But Bell didn’t slow down as he cast another spell. “Earthly God’s mastery…Fū!” He made four quick hand signs as he inhaled and then release a long and controlled breath while turning his head and body one-hundred-eighty degrees. The arc of the vacuum blade cleared a significant distance and cleanly cut through every Monster in range: Almiraj, Hellhounds, and even Hard Armoreds. The rocky ground was covered in blood a half-second later as all of the Monsters collapsed and came apart.

“Excellent work, Master Bell!” Lili praised him with a smile as she stood amongst a dozen bodies of various Monsters; a few of them dead from shots to the head, but many of them had clearly died from poison, if the foam in their mouths was any indication.

“Whew~” Welf whistled at all the Monsters that Bell had slain in one spell. “And I thought I did well with the Hellhounds…”

Bell smiled at them both. “You two did great! We’re making better progress than we thought too.” He judged that they’d made it roughly three-quarters of the way through the Thirteenth Floor now and they still had some time before they needed to call it quits for the day.

Lili beamed at the praise while pulling out her knife to harvest the Magic Stones. “Lili will work quickly. With luck, we might see the stairs to the Fourteenth Floor today!”

Welf, already dragging over a few of the slain Monsters, smiled at that. “Sounds like a plan to me! I’d love to check for any deposits of Blood Onyx if we have a chance. There’s a few ideas I want to try with that material, and you can only get it from the Middle Floors.”

With a loose plan made for the rest of their day, Bell and Welf took up watch while Lili worked on harvesting the large pile of Monsters.

-Guild ~ Late Afternoon-

“That’s such a useful Skill, Little Lili.” Welf couldn’t help but compliment Lili’s Storage Scroll again as a puff of faint white smoke revealed one of the sacks containing their loot for the day. “Not having to carry everything around is almost unfair to other Parties.”

“Lili is amazing.” Bell agreed with a grin, seeing Lili blush cutely.

Lili shook her head once. “Lili’s happy that her Skill is so helpful, since we can carry all of our loot without being weighed down.” She unsealed another sack, this one bugling in a few odd places as it contained Drop Items. “Take your pick, Mr. Welf.” She said while pushing the sack towards the blacksmith.

Welf grinned as he opened the large sack. “Don’t mind if I do!” He rummaged inside, pulling out some Hellhound Fangs and Hard Armored Scales. Once Welf had his picks safely tucked away, having placed them in a smaller sack with the limited amount of Blood Onyx they’d managed to find. The three headed over to the Exchange to sell their Magic Stones and split the Valis afterward.

“Same time tomorrow, Welf?” Bell asked as the three were about to split up for the night.

“Sure thing, Bell.” Welf agreed, the two fist bumping once. “See you two then.” He held out his fist towards Lili and, after a few seconds, she grinned and fist bumped with him.

The three headed their own ways after that. Welf walked towards Valka’s Crimson Chamber, the Hephaestus Familia Home, looking forward to a bath, dinner, and getting a Status Update before looking over his new materials. Bell and Lili headed for the Three Hammers Forge, planning to sell their Drop Items to the Smithing Familia for a nice profit over what the Guild would give them.

-Valka’s Crimson Chamber ~ Evening-

Hephaestus hummed as she watched Welf’s Excelia for the day. “You’re using your magic more now.” She mentioned, seeing Welf using his Anti-Magic Fire repeatedly against the Hellhounds that were common to the Middle Floors.

“Yeah. Bell gave me some advice after he saw what it could do. I’m really improving with my timing on it after some practice.” Welf said with a small smile as Hephaestus continued with the Status Update.

Hephaestus had a small smile on her lips, glad that Welf was both improving so much, and not neglecting his magic as much as he used to. “Almost done.” She moved the Excelia over into Welf’s Basic Abilities and watched the numbers increase, but she noticed that they were definitely a bit higher than what she felt they should be after the Excelia that she’d just watched. ‘It’s definitely above average growth. After seeing it so many times now, there’s definitely something boosting Welf’s growth, even with how hard he’s working in the Dungeon. But what could it be?’ Hephaestus wondered, but wouldn’t press the issue too much since it seemed wholly beneficial to her ‘child’. Placing a blank paper onto Welf’s back, she twirled her finger had the new numbers copied over. Hephaestus handed the paper to Welf with a gentle smile while she locked up his Falna.

-Status-

Welf Crozzo

Level 1

Strength – C 667 > C 682

Endurance – D 571 > D 590

Dexterity – C 696 > B 711

Agility – D 559 > D 572

Magic – I 86 > I 96

-Magic-

Will o’ Wisp – Incantation: “Ignite. Heretic spell.” Anti magic fire. If timed correctly it can cause an Ignis Fatuus to enemies.

-Skills-

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

-Status-

Welf smiled, not even fazed by how much he grew anymore since joining Bell’s Party. “Dexterity reached ‘B’ Rank!” He cheered a little with a bright grin. “My Magic is almost to ‘H’ Rank too…nice!” The fact that both Strength and Endurance were also close to reaching their next Ranks was something to look forward to in the near future.

“Just keep working diligently, Welf. You’ll achieve what you seek in time.” Hephaestus assured him with a gentle smile.

“Yes, Goddess.” Welf smiled back at Hephaestus, still wanting to fulfill his promise to her and win her heart.

-Floating Bridge Mansion-

Sarutahiko smiled as he stood up from the dinner table as the meal ended. “Thank you for the wonderful meal.” He praised his retainers with a smile and a nod for the efforts they took to make the food, care for the compound, and handle the daily chores.

“Of course, Ōkami-sama.” The retainers bowed their heads, but all of them were smiling from the praise.

The elder God glanced over at his other ‘children’, seeing them finished with their meals and knowing they’d all want Status Updates again tonight. With a light chuckle, he left the dining hall and headed towards his office with a jovial smile. Sliding open the shoji door, he didn’t even bother closing it behind him, instead moving to pour himself a single saucer of sake for his after-dinner drink and then he sat down on the large cushion near the center of his office to wait.

“Sarutahiko-sama?” Kaede poked her head into the room with a hopeful smile. “Can we get Status Updates tonight?”

“Of course, Kaede.” Sarutahiko laughed warmly, seeing Coco and Momiji peeking over the Hume Bunny girl’s shoulders. “Come in, all three of you.”

The three youngest of his ‘children’ happily entered the room and slid the shoji door closed behind them.

It was almost an hour after Coco, Momiji, and Kaede had gotten their Status Updates that Bell and Lili knocked on the door to Sarutahiko’s office.

“Come in, Liliruca, Bell.” Sarutahiko called from within, having expected them.

Bell opened the shoji door, letting Lili enter first, before stepping inside himself and closing the door behind him. “Good evening, Lord Sarutahiko.”

Sarutahiko nodded to Bell and Lili with a fond smile. “You two waited a bit longer than usual tonight.”

“We took our baths first.” Lili said with a grin as Bell motioned her towards the cushion in front of Sarutahiko to get her Status Update first.

“I’m sure it wasn’t because you two got sidetracked.” Sarutahiko teased lightly as he spotted a faint ‘love bite’ on Lili’s neck.

Lili blushed before shaking her head. “Nope! Just taking our baths first!” She knew that Mortals couldn’t lie to Deities, but she was choosing to ignore that right now.

Bell looked away and lightly scratched his cheek, purposefully not meeting Sarutahiko’s eyes.

“Let’s see how you two have improved today.” Sarutahiko let a drop of his blood fall onto Lili’s bare back once the Prum woman had dropped the top of her yukata. With the familiar blue-white glow, Lili’s Falna appeared and Sarutahiko accessed it, watching her Excelia for the day. Seeing how Lili had handled the Monsters that she’d slain, Sarutahiko couldn’t have been prouder of how far she’d come since joining his Familia. “Your skills continue to improve, Liliruca.”

“Thank you, Lord Sarutahiko. Lili is doing her best.” Lili said with warmth as she felt his finger lightly moving across her back. “But Lili is still no match for Bell’s speed.” She knew how hard Bell worked, and that he had almost otherworldly levels of talent, but watching him fight…how swiftly and precisely he moved, practically flowing around the Monsters, it made Lili want to be faster and better too.

“We can always practice your footwork more, Lili.” Bell said with a gentle smile for his lover. “Speed can be built up over time too. With the right training.”

Lili nodded happily, always eager to spend time with Bell doing anything and even nothing. “Lili would like that.”

Sarutahiko saw the numbers of Lili’s Basic Abilities stop climbing and placed a blank paper on her back. “Everything can be improved upon with diligence and proper guidance. You’ll reach your goals as long as you keep working towards them, Liliruca.”

“Yes, Lili will keep working hard to improve, Lord Sarutahiko.” Lili smiled at her Deity as she accepted the Status Update.

-Status-

Liliruca Arde

Level 1

Strength – F 315 > F 328

Endurance – F 317 > F 330

Dexterity – D 536 > D 569

Agility – C 677 > B 701

Magic – C 664 > C 690

-Magic-

Cinder Ella – Incantation: “Your wound is mine. My wound is mine. Echoing message of midnight.” Transformation Magic that enables the user to transform into anything around their size.

Shōsen – Incantation: “Sage’s mystical palm.” Healing Magic that surrounds the hands and can heal both internal and external wounds of the user or others. Can also help relieve afflictions like poison. The magic energy surrounding the hands can take on razor-sharp cutting properties instead of healing by chanting Mesu.

-Skills-

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

Storage Scroll – Allows the user to store non-living objects in scrolls. The scroll’s script must be written with ink that is mixed with the user’s blood.

-Status-

Lili beamed at seeing her Agility having reached ‘B’ Rank and how close her Magic stat was to also hitting the same Rank. “Lili should work on her Dexterity a bit more. It’s improving, But Lili would like it to catch up to her Agility and Magic stats.” As a Prum, she knew that her Strength and Endurance would naturally be lower than her other three stats. But that was all the more reason to make sure her Magic, Agility, and Dexterity were as high as they could be so that she wouldn’t ever hold Bell back in the Dungeon.

“You’re healing me and Welf in the Dungeon more often than we’re using potions now.” Bell said with a little laugh. “It’s only natural that your Magic stat is growing so much, Lili.”

“Lili improves and we save money. That’s a win-win for the Familia.” Lili stated with her arms crossed over her chest, a cute little grin on her lips.

Sarutahiko nodded once. “Agreed.”

All three of them laughed together a moment later. Lili settled her chuckles as she slipped the top of her yukata back on and moved aside so that Bell could get his Status Update.

“I’m ready, Lord Sarutahiko.” Bell said as he sat before his Deity with his back exposed.

“Let’s see…” Sarutahiko put a drop of his blood onto Bell’s Falna and began to watch the Excelia his Captain had gathered. “You’re progress is as impressive as ever, Bell. Your judgement of what spells to use, and when, has improved as well. Your diligence and hard work will never betray you, so keep doing your best and seeking out new ways to improve upon what you know and what you have yet to learn.”

Bell nodded, appreciating the guidance that Sarutahiko so freely offered to him. It truly was as if he had another grandfather, or perhaps a grand-uncle, looking out for him. “I’ll continue to do my best, Lord Sarutahiko. I still have a long way to go to reach my dreams…but I’ll get there one day.”

Sarutahiko nodded with a proud smile as he copied Bell’s update onto a blank paper. “Your dedication is one of your best traits, Bell.” He handed the Status Update to his Captain and then locked up Bell’s Falna securely.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 2

Strength – G 283 > F 329

Endurance – G 279 > F 326

Dexterity – G 291 > F 338

Agility – G 286 > F 334

Magic – F 300 > F 347

-Magic-

Gogyō (Five Elements) – Incantation: “Earthly God’s mastery.” This Magic allows the user to use five different elemental Magics by using the appropriate Spell Key: Sui for Water Magic, Do for Earth Magic, Fū for Wind Magic, Rai for Lightning Magic, and Ka for Fire Magic.

Kokushin (Black Needle) – Incantation: “Disrupt.” This Magic allows the user to create a black material in the shape of needles, batons, or rods at the cost of Mind.

-Skills-

Fugō (Sign) – Allows the user to change the form of a spell by making different signs with their hands.

Shihyō (Paragon/Teacher/Model/Leader) – Removes limits of growth. Rate of growth increases in proportion to the user’s efforts to improve. Growth of others increases when instructing them.

Kanchi (Sensing) – Allows the user to sense living things within a certain range of themselves and distinguish between Monster and Non-Monster. The range increases based on the Magic stat. Active Trigger.

-Developmental Ability-

Martial Mastery – I (Massively increases all Basic Abilities, greatly enhances perception and reaction time.)

-Status-

Bell smiled at seeing his growth again. “All of my stats have reached ‘F’ Rank now.” With some more time, they’d reach ‘E’ Rank, and if the Guild’s recommendations were to be believed, once he reached ‘D’ Rank in his stats as a Level 2, he should be able to make it to Rivira on the Eighteenth Floor without too much risk.

With their Status Updates complete, both Bell and Lili bid Sarutahiko goodnight with short bows of respect. Sarutahiko waved them off with a smile, chuckling brightly when Lili pulled Bell out of the room and towards their bedroom.

“Ah, my ‘children’ are truly a blessing.” Sarutahiko thought to himself as he relaxed. With the rate that they were currently improving, he should be able to send a letter to Amaterasu in time and the Goddess of the Sun, and the highest Deity within the Far East, should send his wife, Uzume, to Orario. “It’s coming along far faster than I could’ve ever hoped, my darling Uzume.” He hummed to himself lightly while picking up a book and beginning to read.

-Next Day ~ Late Afternoon-

It had been another good day for Bell, Lili, and Welf in the Dungeon. They’d managed to make it to the stairs that led down to the Fourteenth Floor, and after talking it through, had even descended the stairs to get a look at the Fourteenth Floor for the first time. Not that it looked any different from the Thirteenth Floor. The Party had decided that they’d take on the new Floor tomorrow, however, and had returned to the surface to end their day of dungeon crawling.

Bell and Lili had only been home for a short time, barely having time to set their things down and relax a bit, before one of the male retainers approached them.

“Bell-sama, Lili-sama, you have visitors.” The man informed them with a smile.

“Thank you.” Bell gave the man a smile as he stood up and followed after the retainer with Lili right behind him. When they exited the front door, Bell caught the ball of sunshine that launched herself at him.

“Bell!” Tiona beamed at her boyfriend as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him.

Bell caught Tiona and returned her hug, holding her close. “Tiona, it’s good to see you again.” He smiled lovingly at her before their lips met in a gentle kiss.

Tiona giggled once she pulled back from the kiss a long moment later. “We’ve been way too busy preparing for our Familia’s expedition. But we managed to get ahead of our work, so we had some time to come visit!”

“I’m glad.” Bell smiled at her, squeezing her again before looking at his other two visitors. “Good afternoon, Ais, Tione.” He gave them both a warm smile that was filled with his love and affection for them.

Tione walked over and gently pulled Tiona back, only to take her sister’s place in Bell’s arms. “I missed you, Bell.” She said softly as they held each other close.

Bell kissed her cheek and then her lips for a brief second. “I missed you too, Tione.” He got a warm smile from Tione before her lips captured his in a much deeper kiss, the Amazon made sure to press her large tits into his chest as well, a soft little moan escaping her lips. The two only separated when Lili lightly tapped Bell’s back to remind them both to breathe.

“Hah…” Bell inhaled before Tione grinned at him and slowly left his arms, looking very pleased with herself. His rubellite eyes turned to look at Ais, seeing her blushing just slightly, even as she stepped closer to him.

“Bell…” Ais said gently, her golden eyes looking into his.

Bell gently pulled Ais into his arms and the two kissed softly not even a second later, both pressing their bodies flush against each other without thinking about it. With a soft little hum of pleasure, Ais felt Bell’s hands run up and down her sides before settling on her hips. She ran her hands over his shoulders, admiring the strength she felt in them, before deepening the kiss just a little more. She could happily stay in this warm and loving embrace all day, but knew they didn’t have the time.

Ais pulled back from Bell’s lips, her own tingling from the heated kiss. “I missed you.” She said with a beautiful smile.

“I missed you too.” Bell said warmly, his eyes looking deep into Ais’s as they held each other.

Lili giggled as Bell and Ais only released each other when they realized everyone was watching them. “Did you three come just to snuggle and make out with Bell?” She playfully teased the other three women.

“That would be nice…” Tiona hummed thoughtfully, her expression adorable as she wrapped her arms around Bell’s left arm, pressing her body against him.

“We…came to see you.” Ais said, before poking her index fingers together cutely. “…and to practice…if you want?”

Tione smiled and pressed herself into Bell’s right side. “We could do both~”

Bell couldn’t help but smile and kiss Tione and Tiona’s foreheads. “Alright. Let’s start with practice and then we can relax afterwards.”

It didn’t take long for the four to prepare for their practice. Ais used her scabbard as a makeshift practice sword. Tione took up two wooden training daggers that the retainers had brought out for their guests. Tione pouted a little at them not having something similar to her Urga, but given it was an order-made weapon, that was to be expected. Instead, she took up a large wooden greatsword and gave it a few swings to get used to it.

“Captain Bell is really going to spar with a Level 6 and two Level 5’s?!” Coco looked almost terrified at the thought alone. She was sitting next to Sarutahiko on the engawa, their Deity having come out upon being informed of the spar.

Kaede was ecstatic, almost bouncing in place as she sat on the engawa next to Coco. “This is going to be amazing! I’ve never seen Captain Bell lose at anything!”

Momiji, sitting on the opposite side of Sarutahiko with Lili, watched the upcoming spar closely. “But even Captain Bell can’t defeat a Level 5…right?”

“I’ve never seen him ‘win’ one of these spars.” Lili shook her head once. “But…” She looked at the three younger girls with a grin. “It should be very informative to watch Bell go close to ‘all out’ for all of us.”

“There is much to learn from watching a spar between those that’re stronger and more experienced than oneself.” Sarutahiko said with his almost sage-like wisdom as he saw Bell arm himself with a bokken and a few training throwing knives.

Tiona grinned widely as Bell stepped forward. “Ready?”

Tione also had a grin on her face, filled with challenge. “Set…”

Ais readied her scabbard; her golden eyes focused on Bell.

“Begin!” Sarutahiko said loudly.

Tiona charged in from the left while Tione charged in from the right. Ais came straight at Bell with her speed.

Bell’s arms were a blur as he threw the training knives. Tione deflected them with her daggers easily enough. Tiona leapt over them, launching herself high into the air and coming down on Bell with her wooden greatsword in a powerful overhead swing. Ais simply evaded the thrown weapons; her reaction time and visual acuity made it almost easy to see the path of the thrown training knives.

Bell charged forward, leaving the space that Tiona came down on with her sword. He pivoted at the last second to dodge the thrust of Ais’s scabbard, swung his bokken at her head, forcing her to take a step back, and then ducked low as Tione’s daggers came at his head. He kicked out with his leg, aiming at Tione’s ankle to sweep her feet out from under her. The Amazon hopped over the sweeping kick and brought her daggers down on Bell.

Clack

Wood hit wood and Bell’s rubellite eyes met Tione’s green for a moment, both giving each other a grin. Then Bell rolled backwards, forcing Tione’s daggers upward with his bokken, before driving both his feet into her stomach, launching her away since her feet weren’t on the ground to brace herself.

“Gotcha!” Tiona laughed as her greatsword came down on Bell.

“Hup!” Bell rolled to the side, barely dodging the tip of the large wooden sword, and swung his bokken at Tiona’s ankle.

Tiona grinned widely as she showed off her strength, balance, and flexibility by holding herself up with just one hand on the hilt of the training sword. “That was close!”

Bell didn’t have time to reply as Ais had already taken his back, her scabbard coming towards his side in a powerful swing.

“Hm?” Ais blinked as Bell backflipped over her. She spun into a kick and her foot slammed into Bell’s raised guard, sending him flying across the wide open training area. “Ah…” Ais realized that Bell had used her kick to make distance a half-second later.

“You won’t get away, Bell!” Tione said loudly, already closing the distance.

Tiona wasn’t far behind, a bright smile on her face. “Yeah!”

“Earthly God’s mastery…Sui!” Bell made three quick hand signs and then exhaled a massive, thick cloud of mist that reduced visibility to zero.

Tiona and Tione both skidded to a halt, knowing that charging in blindly against Bell wasn’t a good idea.

“Tempest!” Ais activated her magic, green wind swirling around her briefly before focusing into her scabbard. A swift swing sent a gust of wind towards the heavy mist, trying to blow it away.

Lights could be seen within the mist before the wind reached it. And just as the gale touched the edge of the fog, a dozen fireballs shot out of the cover towards Tione, Tiona, and Ais. Tiona hopped back three times, the fireballs exploding as they hit the ground. Tione leapt backward and to the side, the fire balls exploding in a wide area and throwing up smoke and dust. Ais redirected the fireballs with her wind, watching them flare up from the increased air they were getting, before they exploded upon hitting the ground.

A silhouette in the smoke and dust got Tione’s attention and she lashed out with her daggers when she saw the approaching silhouette was human-shaped and looked to have a sword raised high to bring down in an overhead swing. “Huh?!” She blinked when her wooden training dagger hit stone, instead of a body. The silhouette was a vaguely human-shaped rock, clearly shaped that way on purpose, and used as a distraction. “Tricky, Bell!” Then the stone cracked and thick mud exploded forth, covering Tione partially before she managed to jump away.

“There you are!” Tiona was attacking a silhouette of her own, her wooden greatsword slamming into what she believed to be Bell’s midsection. Only for the featureless stone figure to crack open and cover her in thick mud. “Hey!” She skipped back a few paces while shaking off the clinging muck.

Ais wasn’t having it any better, the stone figure she’d hit with her scabbard had burst apart and nearly showered her in thick mud. Only her wind swirling around her scattered the muck away from her and allowed her time to feel the shift in the air. “Wind?” She brought up her guard just in time for a nearly invisible sphere of wind to slam into her own swirling gale.

“Whoa!” Tione gasped to as she barely managed to dodge the nearly invisible attack, both from the mud still clinging to her, and because she only saw it as it left a hole in the smoke and dust in the air.

Tiona, also having seen the hole in the clouds of smoke as the air bullet approached, went with the brute force method and cleaved the swift wind in two with her large sword. “Guh!” She grunted out as she was still sent skidding back almost a meter.

Bell leapt through the smoke and dust clouds and landed between the three women, putting himself in the center of a very close triangle formation. His bokken nearly blurred as he swung it at Ais, forcing her to block. His foot lashed out and Tione raised her knee to block, not giving an inch. When Bell brought his other leg around, both feet in the air, and kicked at Tiona, she stopped it easily with her wooden greatsword.

“Hm!” Ais swung her scabbard at Bell, but jerked it to a stop when the end would’ve hit Tiona.

“Whoa!” Tiona made a half-step to the side at the near miss.

Tione went for a stab towards Bell’s midsection, but he blocked it with his bokken, then used the force to spin into a low kick aimed at Ais’s ankle. “We’re too close!” Tione realized Bell’s strategy.

Tiona did too as she brought up her sword to strike, only to realize that Tione would get hit if she did. “Ah! My sword’s too big!”

“Heh!” Bell grinned as he kept up his attacks, aiming for each of the girls as soon as it looked like they were trying to reposition themselves, mixing in feints and shifting his body to make attacks miss him and potentially hit one of his opponents instead. “Numbers aren’t always an advantage!”

“I see.” Ais said before using Ariel to launch herself backwards and out of the cluster.

Tiona and Tione grinned as they hopped backwards a step as well, ending the cluttered clash now that they had room to move.

Bell skipped backwards four large steps. “Earthly God’s mastery…Do!” He made four quick hand signs and stomped his foot on the ground.

Rmmmbbbllleee

The ground shook and rumbled before three huge walls of earth rose up behind and on either side of the three girls, blocking them in with the only exit being straight at Bell. And he was already going through more hand signs.

“Earthly God’s mastery…Ka!” Bell made six quick hand signs while inhaling deeply. He threw his head forward and unleashed a blast of flames much greater than the smaller fireballs from before, filling the entire opening with intense flames as the conflagration rushed towards Tione, Tiona, and Ais.

Ais was nearly as blur as she put herself between Tiona and Tione and the incoming blaze. “Tempest!” Ais called forth her wind again and made a spiraling wall of wind, pulling in air from behind her to force outwards in front of her against the flames.

FWOOOOSSSHHH

The flames roared as they were fed more air. The heat spiked incredibly high and some of the flames made it past the barrier of wind to leave blackened marks against the ground and the stone walls. A few tongues of flame licked at Tione, Tiona, and Ais, making them wince slightly as none of them possessed the Magic Resistance Developmental Ability.

Tiona looked at Tione and both sisters nodded to each other. Without a second of hesitation, they both charged one of the side walls and kicked straight through it. Now free of the trap, they rushed at Bell from both sides, bringing their weapons to bear.

Bell had to cut his fire spell and bring his bokken up to block Tiona’s greatsword. With a grunt, he deflected the larger weapon, barely having time to pivot and avoid both of Tione’s wooden daggers from hitting his back. He lashed out with a high kick, knocking Tione’s arm high and making her release one of her daggers. That didn’t save him from Tiona’s kick from slamming into his back and sending him sprawling. He coughed awhile slapping his free hand onto the ground and flipping forward, barely avoiding the follow up swing of Tiona’s greatsword. Snatching Tione’s falling dagger out of the air, he threw it straight at Tiona’s face, forcing her to tilt her head to avoid it as she charged in.

“Hyah!” Tione’s kick slammed into Bell’s hastily raised guard and sent him bouncing across the ground twice.

“Damn…” Bell grunted out as he rolled back to his feet from the kick…just in time to see Ais coming at him swiftly, her green wind surrounding her. He brought up his bokken, taking the thrust with the wooden weapon.

Crack

The training weapon broke and the tip of the scabbard hit Bell dead center of mass.

“Oof!” Bell hacked out as he was sent flying again, only to hit the ground and roll.

“Hup!” Tiona’s greatsword came down on Bell, forcing him to guard with the half of a bokken he had left, but the force nearly pushed him into the ground.

Tione brought her remaining dagger down and pinned Bell’s free arm to the ground, while she placed her foot on his stomach. “Got you!”

Ais ended the spar as her scabbard lightly tapped Bell’s forehead. “That was…very good, Bell.” She told him with a smile.

“That…was…AWESOME!!!” Kaede cheered from where the rest of the Sarutahiko Familia was watching. The Hume Bunny girl was on her feet with both arms raised into the air, her eyes sparkling.

Coco was clapping, even though she looked mildly worried for their Captain. “Is…the Captain okay?”

Momiji was also applauding, her eyes wide as she saw more of Bell’s magic and his inventiveness with it. “Could I do that too…?”

“Bell has improved even more than I thought.” Sarutahiko smiled like a proud grandpa as he clapped for the spar.

“Lili knew that Bell had gotten stronger…but for Tiona, Tione, and Ais to lessen how much they were holding back…” Lili had noticed the increase in her ‘sisters’ strength, speed, and reaction after Bell had trapped them with his versatile elemental magic. It was another showing of just how terrifyingly talented Bell was and how fast he was still improving.

Bell was stilled pinned and quickly noticed the looks that Tiona and Tione were giving him. Tione’s current position not only had her leaning over him, her large breasts close to his face, but her legs were spread and he had a very clear view of her barely covered sex. Tiona had dropped her wooden greatsword and kneeled down with a sexy grin on her lips, before she kissed him deeply, her tongue entering his mouth to play with his. Ais’s face was bright pink and she fidgeted slightly as Tione and Tiona were practically pinning Bell down to have their way with him.

“Purify, gentle breeze of life. Aero Sana.” Ais chanted and cast her new magic over all four of them as a soft and cooling breeze.

“Oooh…” Tiona moaned out, separating her lips from Bell’s as the soothing of her light burns felt very nice. The slight injuries vanishing a moment later.

Tione hummed in pleasure, her Amazon blood still on fire, just as much as Tiona’s. “My turn~” She purred out, capturing Bell’s lips for herself and moaning as his tongue met hers. She swallowed the soft moan Bell let out from his injuries being healed by Ais’s spell.

Lili had quickly trotted over and, seeing the situation, lightly chopped both Amazon sisters on the head. “Hey! We’re still in public!”

“Oi!” Tione snapped her gaze on Lili. “What was that for?”

Tiona nodded in agreement, even if the chop from Lili hadn’t really hurt given their vast Level disparity. “Yeah, we’re just going to give Bell some snu-snu!”

“We have a bath, and our bedroom.” Lili said with a little grin, not denying Tiona and Tione the opportunity to ‘cool’ their blood a bit, but only in private.

Bell chuckled as Tiona and Tione stopped pinning him down and stood up. He was then pulled to his feet and nearly dragged towards Sarutahiko, Momiji, Coco, and Kaede. “Whoa…slow down.” He nearly stumbled over his feet. He was close to a Mind Down again…not quite there, thankfully, but after having experienced the phenomenon a few times, Bell had a very good grasp of his Mind reserves. “I need to improve my defenses…against both physical and magical attacks.” He’d had more than a few bruises before Ais had healed him.

“Lord Sarutahiko, may Ais, Tione, and Tiona use our baths and stay for dinner?” Lili requested with a polite bow to her Deity.

Sarutahiko chuckled, the amorous desire on Tiona and Tione’s faces blatant for all to see. “Of course. Dinner will be in a couple of hours, so feel free to enjoy yourselves until then.”

“Thank you, Lord Sarutahiko!” Tiona and Tione chorused as they gave short bows to the elder God…and then promptly started pulling Bell along again.

“Thank you.” Ais bowed to Sarutahiko as well, before taking off after Tione and Tiona, trying to calm both sisters down a little, even as her own cheeks were bright red.

Lili giggled brightly as she quickly jogged after the four. “The baths are this way.” She got ahead of them and led the way to the baths, putting a sexy little sway in her hips and feeling four pairs of eyes on her ass a second later.

Coco’s face was redder than a tomato and it looked like the Prum girl’s head might start to steam at any moment.

Momiji’s cheeks were red and she coughed into her hand once while her fluffy black fox tail was puffed out, her fur nearly standing on end from how flustered she was.

“Well…” Kaede’s cheeks were pink, but she seemed mostly okay in comparison to her friends. “…I guess it’s a good thing we took our baths already.”

Sarutahiko laughed, a deep rumbling laugh that made the three girls pout at their Deity for finding amusement in their flustered states.

-Baths-

“Mmm~” Tiona moaned as Bell’s hands washed her body, trailing up her sides and moving to her chest to cup her tits, lightly teasing her hard nipples. “Bell…” She tilted her head to the side as Bell’s lips found her neck and began to kiss and gently nibble on her soft skin.

Tione was pressed up against Bell’s back, ‘washing’ him with her large tits covered in soap suds. “Do you like that, Bell?” She cooed into his ear, enjoying their closeness and the way Bell’s muscled back practically teased her perked up nipples.

“Yeah…” Bell breathed out hotly, making Tiona moan from his heated breath on her skin.

Ais was blushing as she watched Tiona and Tione with Bell. She had a small white towel covering her breasts, not having worked up the courage just yet to let Bell see her naked. ‘But…maybe just my breasts?’ She thought to herself, seeing how Tione and Tiona were both mewling and moaning in pleasure as Bell gently touched them.

Lili smiled from beside Ais, naked without a hint of hesitation or shame as she relaxed in the warm water. “It feels even better than it looks~” She teased Ais lightly, a playfulness that made Ais smile back as she took a lathered up wash cloth into her hands. “Would you…like me to wash your back?” She offered while moving her hands in a slow ‘washing’ motion in the air.

“Yes, please.” Lili accepted, turning to show her back to Ais. The two could bond closer as they took turns watching each other’s backs. “I’ll wash your back next…because I think you really want Bell to wash your front~”

Ais’s blush increased as she started washing Lili’s back. “M-Maybe…”

Several minutes later and Tione finally left Bell’s arms, having switched with Tiona a little while ago. Both sisters smiled at Ais and motioned her towards Bell, encouraging Ais to explore a little more physical intimacy, if she was ready.

“Bell…” Ais said softly, her golden eyes looking into her boyfriend’s rubellite gaze. Seeing nothing but love, affection, warmth, and acceptance in his eyes, she nearly crawled across the length of the tub and sat on her knees before him. With a moment to ready herself, Ais hooked her index finger onto the towel covering her breasts and pulled it down, freeing her girls to Bell’s eyes for the first time.

“Gorgeous…” Bell said softly, admiring Ais’s cute expression before his eyes took in her topless form and all its beauty. Ais had the cutest little blush on her face, her light pink nipples perking up under Bell’s gaze. “Come here, Ais.” He gently guided her to sit between his legs, her back facing him. “Tell me if it’s too much, okay?”

Ais nodded, loving how much care Bell showed to her and their first experience like this together. “Ooh~” She let out a soft gasp when Bell’s hands cupped her girls from behind, the warmth was different from the bath water and, for some reason, Bell’s slightly rough hands felt amazing against her softness. “Mmm…” She moaned lowly as Bell began to ‘wash’ her tits, his fingers trailing over her skin as he massaged her girls. “Bell…” She looked over her shoulder at him with molten golden eyes filled with love and a new desire.

“Yes, Ais?” Bell kept his hands still, ready to pull away if she asked him to.

“More…” Ais requested hotly, and moaned when Bell’s hands started moving again, now teasing her hard nipples with gentle caresses. Their lips met as Bell leaned forward, capturing hers in a soft kiss that began to deepen as Ais leaned back into Bell’s chest, feeling his hardness poking against the towel wrapped around her hips to keep her covered. Knowing what it was made Ais blush a little redder, but the feeling of it against her bottom was a new kind of thrill that she found quite enjoyable.

The four of them would leave the baths some time later, having enough time to get dry (Bell happily drying off each of his girlfriends one by one) and then redressed before they moved to Bell and Lili’s bedroom and the girls each gave Bell lap pillows. If not for one of the retainers coming to get them, the five of them would’ve missed dinner as they were all far too content to bask in their love and gentle affections together.

-Twilight Manor ~ Late Evening-

Knock Knock

Two gentle knocks on Loki’s door got the attention of the Trickster Goddess. “I know that knock~” She sing-songed as she stood up from her desk and grabbed two stools, setting them down in the middle of her office. “Come on in, Ais-tan!”

Ais opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Tiona and Tione.

“Eh? All three of ya?” Loki blinked for a second before a smile spread across her face. “Ah, I see! You’re wanting Status Updates before the expedition!”

“Yes.” Ais nodded simply.

Tiona grinned brightly. “That, and we sparred with Bell today. He makes us grow more, right?” She giggled brightly, her mind replaying their time at the Sarutahiko Familia Home again.

“We can’t spread that around.” Tione reminded Tiona, her words strong. If any other Familia learned that Bell had some way of making even First-Class Adventurers grow faster, the Sarutahiko Familia would be swarmed by dozens, if not hundreds, of other Familia looking to try and take Bell for themselves.

Loki patted the stool in front of her with a grin. “You can talk about your boytoy all you want…after your updates!”

“He’s not a boytoy.” Tione, Tiona, and Ais all said sharply at the same time, their eyes nearly piercing Loki.

“R-Right, just a little joke…sorry.” Loki held her hands up placatingly. “Wh-Who’s first?”

Tiona sat down, pulling her breast wrap down to expose her bare back to Loki, unconcerned if her Goddess got to see her tits. Amazons weren’t body shy in the slightest, after all. “Me first!”

Loki pricked her finger with a needle and let a single drop of her blood fall onto Tiona’s back. The blue-white glow shone forth as the Falna revealed itself a second later. “Let’s see what ya did!” She watched the sparring session closely, once more noting just how crazy Bell’s talent and growth rate were. ‘But there’s no way, right? The only other person to have such calamitous talent was far too cold and quiet to have ever had kids.’ Deciding to put that out of her mind, she took the Excelia and moved it into Tiona’s Basic Abilities, watching the numbers rise a little…but still FAR more than they should’ve from just a spar like that. “Alright, and we’re done…” She placed a blank paper onto Tiona’s back and copied the numbers over.

“Thank you, Loki!” Tiona smiled at her Goddess while accepting the paper, her eye eagerly looking at her new growth.

-Status-

Tiona Hyrute

Level 5

Strength – A 897 > S 902

Endurance – A 875 > A 880

Dexterity – B 786 > B 792

Agility – A 809 > A 814

Magic – I 0

-Magic-

-

-Skills-

Berserk – Strength rises every time the user takes damage.

Intense Heat – Raises the strength of all abilities by a large amount in a pinch.

-Developmental Abilities-

Fist Strike – G

Diving – G

Abnormal Resistance – H

Crush – I

-Status-

Tiona threw her hands up into the air as she shot to her feet and cheered. “Strength is at ‘S’ rank!” Not even caring about her toplessness, she nearly leapt forward to wrap Tione and Ais into a hug, laughing brightly.

“Congratulations, Tiona.” Ais returned the hug with a soft smile.

“Great work.” Tione whispered into her sister’s ear as she gently squeezed Tiona back.

Tiona pulled back with a bright smile and pulled up her breast wrap a second later. She moved to burn her Status Update with the candle on Loki’s desk, while Tione sat down on the stool in front of Loki.

Loki waited for a second as Tione pulled her red bikini top of, letting her large tits bounce free, then moved her long dark hair over her shoulder so that Loki could see her bare back. “So big…” Loki muttered out enviously before placing a drop of her blood onto Tione’s back, unlocking her Falna and beginning to watch her Excelia. “Sarutahiko’s boy is full of tricks, huh?” She said, mostly to herself as she saw how Bell used his versatile elemental magic. “Just one more second…” Loki moved the Excelia over, and once the numbers stopped rising, she placed a blank paper onto Tione’s back and copied the new Status over.

“Thank you.” Tione said as she accepted the paper.

-Status-

Tione Hyrute

Level 5

Strength – A 831 > A 836

Endurance – B 776 > B 780

Dexterity – B 784 > B 790

Agility – B 794 > A 800

Magic – G 209

-Magic-

List Iorum – Incantation: “My desire that was sunk in the sea, my longing that was nurtured in the sea - the time has come. Shape yourself, bare your fangs, and become a snake. Escape the sea, cross the land, and cover the world. Capture time, stop time, and trample over time.” Magic that restrains the target based on a certain chance. The probability of the magic succeeding goes up based on the user's Magic stat.

-Skills-

Berserk – Strength rises every time the user takes damage. Effect rises based on the user's anger level.

Backdraft – Raises the power of the user exceptionally high in a pinch.

-Developmental Abilities-

Fist Strike – G

Diving – G

Abnormal Resistance – H

Healing Power – I

-Status-

Tione smiled at seeing her growth from sparring with Bell. “Agility reached ‘A’ Rank! And both Dexterity and Endurance are close to ‘A’ too!” It would be the first time ever that she’d be at ‘A’ in all of her most used stats before a Level Up once the last two stats gained a few more points.

“Your magic really lags behind, but I understand why.” Loki said with a little nod. While Tione’s magic was useful, it was also situational. Speedy targets were unlikely to be caught by it, and the chance to get a full immobilization was a coin flip at best. But the chain that Tione’s spell made was damn near unbreakable, and could tie down even Massive Monsters like ones found in the Deep Floors. “Too bad it takes so much time to train it up.”

“It cuts into my time to train my other stats, but I know how useful it CAN be, so I do what I can.” Tione shrugged, making her tits bounce again, and making Loki almost green with envy.

Once Tione stood up and moved to the side, Ais sat down, carefully pulling the straps of her sundress off her shoulders, while keeping the front covering her breasts. “I’m ready.” Ais said as she moved her long blonde hair over her shoulder, revealing her bare back to Loki.

“Such a sight every time…” Loki said with glee, before grumbling under her breath. “Sarutahiko’s boy is so lucky…” Putting off her pouting, Loki touched Ais’s back with the blood on the tip of her finger. The familiar white-blue light appeared as the Falna revealed itself. Loki watched the Excelia, seeing the spar from Ais’s point of view this time. ‘He’s a crafty one…I’d almost like him, as a person, just because he can be tricky like that.’ She thought to herself, able to appreciate another ‘trickster’. “And…we’re all done!” She copied the new update over with a twirl of her finger tip before handing it to Ais.

“Thank you.” Ais said as she took the paper while Loki locked up her Falna again.

-Status-

Ais Wallenstein

Level 6

Strength – I 12 > I 17

Endurance – I 10 > I 14

Dexterity – I 17 > I 22

Agility – I 16 > I 21

Magic – I 18 > I 23

-Magic-

Ariel – Incantation: “Tempest.” Wind Enchantment Magic

Aero Sana – Incantation: “Purify, gentle breeze of life.” Wind Element Magic that heals and purifies those that are touched by the user’s wind.

-Skills-

Avenger – Heavily increases the user's attack power against Monsters, massively increases the user's attack power against Dragon Type Monsters. Effect rises based on the user's hate.

Sky Theatre – Allows the user flight and full aerial mobility while using Wind Magic. Protective wind will surround allies in range.

-Developmental Abilities-

Hunter – G (Improves abilities against monsters that the user has fought before and gained Excelia from.)

Abnormal Resistance – G (Negates the effect of abnormalities such as poison and paralysis.)

Swordsman – H (Improves all Basic Abilities by a large amount when wielding a sword.)

Spirit Healing – I (Automatic Mind regeneration. The Ability begins regenerating Mind at a small rate after Magic use.)

-Status-

Ais couldn’t stop the soft smile on her lips as she saw her growth. It was a little more than the amount that she’d gotten from their last expedition, and she’d been Level 5 back then, so this was even greater growth. ‘If not for wanting to find out what that Tamer…Creature…woman wanted me to see on the Fifty-Ninth Floor, I could train with Bell and still become stronger.’ There was also the simple fact that Loki Familia, as one of the top two Familia in Orario, had responsibilities to go on expeditions from the Guild. They couldn’t ignore that, and the Freya Familia had taken up responsibilities for the Guild involving special, and specific, exterminations of Monsters, especially irregulars. It was the only reason that the other top Familia didn’t have to go on expeditions very often.

“About what you expected, Ais-tan?” Loki asked with a little smile, happy that her ‘favorite girl’ was clearly happy. Even if it wasn’t Loki that had made her so happy.

“Yes.” Ais nodded as she set the paper in her lap and put the top of her sundress back on properly. “Thank you, Loki.” She said with a small bow as after she stood up.

Loki waved it off with a grin. “No problem! Any time you want an Update, or just to show off how lovely you are, feel free to come to see me!”

The deadpan stares she got from the three young women made Loki pout.

-Floating Bridge Mansion-

At the Sarutahiko Familia Home, Status Updates were being given out, as usual, after another day of dungeon crawling for the five Adventurers. Kaede, Coco, and Momiji had already gotten their own Status Updates and were off to enjoy the rest of the night before bed. Lili was currently finishing up her own update with Sarutahiko.

“I see that you’ve made it to the Fourteenth Floor now, Liliruca.” Sarutahiko praised with a warm smile.

“Well, we’re going to start taking it on tomorrow, but yes.” Lili smiled as she felt Sarutahiko’s finger move across her back before a blank paper was lightly pressed to her skin.

Sarutahiko nodded with a chuckle. “Diligence is not about speed, but consistency. You’ll all achieve what you seek, regardless of how long it might take.” He said while handing Lili her new update.

Lili accepted the paper with a nod. “Yes, Lord Sarutahiko. We’ll take our time and make sure that we don’t get in over our heads.”

-Status-

Liliruca Arde

Level 1

Strength – F 328 > F 341

Endurance – F 330 > F 342

Dexterity – D 569 > C 602

Agility – B 701 > B 725

Magic – C 690 > B 716

-Magic-

Cinder Ella – Incantation: “Your wound is mine. My wound is mine. Echoing message of midnight.” Transformation Magic that enables the user to transform into anything around their size.

Shōsen – Incantation: “Sage’s mystical palm.” Healing Magic that surrounds the hands and can heal both internal and external wounds of the user or others. Can also help relieve afflictions like poison. The magic energy surrounding the hands can take on razor-sharp cutting properties instead of healing by chanting Mesu.

-Skills-

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

Storage Scroll – Allows the user to store non-living objects in scrolls. The scroll’s script must be written with ink that is mixed with the user’s blood.

-Status-

“Lili’s Dexterity reached ‘C’ Rank and her Magic reached ‘B’ Rank!” Lili beamed at seeing her improvements.

“You’re doing amazing, Lili.” Bell praised her with a warm smile. Only for Lili to put her yukata back on properly and nearly leap into his arms.

Lili kissed Bell’s lips for a short moment before pulling back with a bright smile. “It’s thanks to you too, Bell!” She thanked him with another kiss while hugging him for all she was worth.

Bell hugged Lili back and kissed her once more before setting her back on her feet. “My Skill will only work if you do all the hard work, Lili. Don’t sell your own effort short.”

“Okay.” Lili snuggled into Bell’s chest with a happy sigh. After a long moment, she let him go so that he could get his own Status Update.

Bell shrugged off his jinbei top and then sat down on the cushion in front of Sarutahiko, offering his back to his Deity.

“Let’s see how your day in the Dungeon adds up with your sparring, Bell.” Sarutahiko said with a light, warm laugh. A single drop of blood touched Bell’s back and the Falna emerged in the blue-white glow. It didn’t take long for Sarutahiko to watch the Excelia and as he moved it over into Bell’s Basic Abilities, he was only slightly surprised at how high the numbers climbed. ‘At this point, Bell not growing at all would be the strangest thing possible.’

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 2

Strength – F 329 > E 475

Endurance – F 326 > E 474

Dexterity – F 338 > E 486

Agility – F 334 > E 481

Magic – F 347 > E 495

-Magic-

Gogyō (Five Elements) – Incantation: “Earthly God’s mastery.” This Magic allows the user to use five different elemental Magics by using the appropriate Spell Key: Sui for Water Magic, Do for Earth Magic, Fū for Wind Magic, Rai for Lightning Magic, and Ka for Fire Magic.

Kokushin (Black Needle) – Incantation: “Disrupt.” This Magic allows the user to create a black material in the shape of needles, batons, or rods at the cost of Mind.

-Skills-

Fugō (Sign) – Allows the user to change the form of a spell by making different signs with their hands.

Shihyō (Paragon/Teacher/Model/Leader) – Removes limits of growth. Rate of growth increases in proportion to the user’s efforts to improve. Growth of others increases when instructing them.

Kanchi (Sensing) – Allows the user to sense living things within a certain range of themselves and distinguish between Monster and Non-Monster. The range increases based on the Magic stat. Active Trigger.

-Developmental Ability-

Martial Mastery – I (Massively increases all Basic Abilities, greatly enhances perception and reaction time.)

-Status-

“That’s a lot…” Bell said after looking at his new numbers. “If I’d gotten a bit more…then I’d have skipped ‘E’ Rank entirely.” It wasn’t impossible, from what he knew of his Skill. But it was still a very odd thing compared to what he knew of the ‘standard’ growth rate among Adventurers.

“After the battle you went through for a spar, this seems about right for you, Bell.” Sarutahiko said with an amused little grin. “If you keep progressing as you are, you’ll one day Level Up again. I’m sure of it.”

Bell nodded his head and gave Sarutahiko a grateful smile. “Thank you, Lord Sarutahiko.”

As Bell burned his Status Update paper, Sarutahiko thought about the invitation he’d received to the upcoming Denatus. It was only a few more days away and he already knew just what the other Deities would most likely try to do to a newly Leveled Up Adventurer from a relatively small Familia like his.

‘Not that I’ll let them.’ Sarutahiko thought with the unshakeable resolve of a mountain.

-Six Days Later-

“Hmm,” Sarutahiko looked himself over in the full body mirror in his office. He was wearing a more formal Montsuki Kimono: a black silk under-kimono with his Familia’s mon (emblem/crest) on the back, on each shoulder, and over each breast in white silk. Over that was a matching black silk haori with identical Familia mon that stopped at his knees. His hakama were a solid silver color made of stiff sendaihira silk. A white obi was wrapped around his waist and matched the haori himo—decorative, braided silk cords—that tied the front of the haori together. On his feet were white tabi socks and zori sandals, though these traditional sandals were woven from fine leather as opposed to the more common rush grass. “I believe this is formal enough for my first Denatus.”

“You look very regal, Lord Sarutahiko.” Bell complimented with a nod as he looked at his Deity from close to the door.

“Thank you, Bell.” Sarutahiko smiled at his Captain. “It’s not every day that we receive your first Title.” He said with a warm laugh. “The Denatus shouldn’t take too long, I wouldn’t think. But they do only happen once every three months, so it is supposed to depend on what news the various gathered Deities have to share.”

The Denatus was something of an advisory council within Orario. Gods and Goddesses with some free time gathered together to discuss things concerning the city as a whole. Anything from entertainment ideas to discussions of the current state of Orario’s economy, food supply, and even the occasional threat of invasion might be discussed in any one meeting. But the most important aspect of these meetings was that they were where the Deities decided on the Titles to be given out to Adventurers that had Leveled Up since the last Denatus.

“Since you broke the record for reaching Level 2, and with HOW you accomplished your Grand Feat, I imagine there may be quite the stir when it comes your turn to receive a Title.” Sarutahiko chuckled, seeing Bell smile a little sheepishly.

“Title.” Bell’s rubellite eyes took on an interested sparkle as he thought of what kind of Title he might get. “Getting a Title...just like Ais, Tione, Tiona, Ryu, Airmid, and Lulune.” He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of taking that first step towards matching his lovers.

Sarutahiko gave Bell an understanding smile. “Eager, aren’t you, Bell?”

“Of course!” Bell nodded with a smile. “Many call a Title ‘the Adventurer’s banner’ and some of the Titles that the Gods and Goddesses come up with are great, and they become widely known!” He thought about Ais’s Kenki, Airmid’s Dea Saint, Tiona’s The Slasher, and Tione’s Jörmungandr.

“If only that were true for all of the Titles…” Sarutahiko mumbled out, knowing that most of the Titles given out to new Level 2 Adventurers were horrible jokes between the Deities.

Bell blinked at Sarutahiko’s reaction. ‘I know some of the Titles aren’t the greatest…but why does Lord Sarutahiko look kind of annoyed?’

“I’ll be ensuring that we avoid any odd Titles.” Sarutahiko informed Bell with a serious and stalwart expression. There was no way that he could permit any ridiculous Title that would lessen Bell’s prestige or respect among both Adventurers and even other Deities. If his Familia didn’t gain a solid place within Orario, and bring respect to the Shinto Pantheon within the city, then Amaterasu wouldn’t allow Uzume to migrate to the ‘Center of the World’ to reunite with him. “It’s about time for me to go. But know this, Bell…” Sarutahiko looked straight into his Captain’s eyes. “I will bring you back an honorable Title!”

‘I’d heard that Denatus was a meeting where Divine Wills clashed in a solemn atmosphere. But maybe that’s wrong?’ Bell blinked as Sarutahiko walked past him and into the hallway, heading towards the front door of the main house.

“We’ll see you soon, Lord Sarutahiko.” Lili bowed to Sarutahiko as he prepared to head to the Denatus via a carriage that was waiting outside the gate of the compound.

Momiji, Kaede, and Coco all smiled at their Deity as they bowed as well. “Please have a good time, Lord Sarutahiko/Sarutahiko-sama.” The three said in almost unison.

Sarutahiko smiled as he looked at the four girls. “I’m not sure how long the meeting will last, but once it’s over, and I return, we’ll have a special dinner to celebrate Bell’s new Title.”

“Yes!” Kaede, Coco, and Momiji all cheered, looking forward to a feast of special dishes.

Sarutahiko stepped up into the carriage and the coachman closed the door behind the elder God. In only a moment, the man was back in the coachman’s seat and flicking the reins, making the horse walk forward, easily pulling the carriage along as they headed towards Babel Tower.

-Babel Tower ~ Thirtieth Floor-

Sarutahiko walked down the hallway towards the large meeting hall. It took up a good portion of this floor as there was never any guarantee of just how many Deities would attend a single Denatus. As he approached the doors, the sound of footsteps behind him drew the elder God’s attention. Turning his head, Sarutahiko was met with Takemikazuchi; the only other Shinto Deity currently in Orario.

“Good day, Sarutahiko-sama.” Takemikazuchi gave a short bow of greeting to the Ōkami. At the moment he was wearing a similar outfit to Sarutahiko’s: a black haori and gray hakama pants as opposed to his normal white clothes that had seen better days. The Denatus was a meeting of the Deities of Orario and most (but not all) dressed up at least a little for it.

“Ah, Takemikazuchi, it’s been a bit.” Sarutahiko smiled at the younger Deity. “Not since the War Game.”

Takemikazuchi bowed his head once in apology. “Yes, I’m terribly sorry that I have yet to have the time to come and visit you properly, Ōkami-sama.”

Sarutahiko waved the apology off with a small smile. “Do not fret over it. We’ve both been busy, after all.” He ran his hand over his beard for a moment before nodding once. “How about we get our two Familia together for a friendly meeting in the next couple of days?”

“I’d like that very much, Sarutahiko-sama.” Takemikazuchi smiled at the idea of being able to introduce his ‘children’ to one of the seven Ōkami of his pantheon.

“From what I understand, one of your ‘children’ Leveled Up recently as well, yes?” Sarutahiko smiled at Takemikazuchi.

“Yes. Her name is Mikoto.” Takemikazuchi smiled as he thought of his ‘child’. “I’m taking the Denatus seriously today. Her Title depends on what I can leverage during the meeting.” He raised his right fist in front of him, his eyes like steel with determination.

“That’s true, given how the other Deities often act.” Sarutahiko nodded in agreement as they reached the doors. “Let’s both do our best to bring back honorable Titles for our children.”

The two Shinto Deities entered the noisy meeting hall and were lucky enough to find seats next to each other at the large round table. At least thirty other Deities were in attendance and a large amount of the chairs were already taken, so it was a bit of good luck for them.

Suddenly, the noise in the large room shifted as two specific Goddesses arrived one after another form different doors on either side of the room.

“Lady Freya is here!”

“I was right to come today!”

“She’s a sight for sore eyes!”

Sarutahiko almost rolled his eyes as several Gods praised the Norse Goddess of Beauty as she walked towards the table and took a seat. They could all stand to have a bit more self-respect and dignity.

“Lady Ishtar~!”

“So lovely to see you!”

“Feel free to step on me!”

“Me next then!”

Ishtar, the Sumerian Goddess of Beauty, nearly strutted into the conference with her long dark purple hair swaying, her dark skin, reminiscent of an Amazon’s, was practically glowing, and she was as scantily clad as always in her loose orange silk that barely covered her breasts and flowed around her hips and legs. The Goddess’s gold jewelry glinted in the light and jingled slightly as she walked. Ishtar fulfilled the wishes of the Gods willing to practically throw themselves at her feet, stepping on their backs and walking across them like they were a carpet laid out for her. All with a smirk on her lips while she shot sharp glances at Freya out of the corner of her eye. It was well-known among the Deities (and even some Mortals) that Ishtar was annoyed by, and envious of, Freya Familia’s success and power. The two Goddesses shared many Domains, so rivalry was bound to occur, even though Freya rarely acknowledged any of Ishtar’s jabs at her.

“Well then!” Loki loudly clapped her hands together to settle the room after Freya and Ishtar were seated and the dumb Gods that drooled over them had gotten back to their own seats. “We’re all here, right? Let’s get this show on the road!” She slapped her hands down on the tabletop with a grin. “Let the thousand and something-eth Denatus, begin!”

“Woo!” Calls of cheer and clapping rose up from the various Deities gathered around the large table.

“Hosting is yours truly, Loki!” Loki raised her right hand into the air with a grin. “Pleasure to be here!” The applause and cheers continued for the Trickster Goddess, most friendly enough with her, but the rest simply didn’t want to get on her bad side.

Sarutahiko spoke quietly to Takemikazuchi. “Why is Loki leading the Denatus? It doesn’t seem like something she’d normally volunteer for.”

“She seems to have asked to do it.” Takemikazuchi whispered back, making sure to keep his voice low to not attract attention. “She’s probably just bored since most of her Familia recently left on their latest expedition.” The Shinto God of War, Swords, and Lightning noticed Loki’s eyes on them and gave her a short nod.

“Let’s see how this plays out.” Sarutahiko said while focusing on the various Deities, vaguely knowing the kind of madhouse that the Denatus would soon become once the ‘Naming Ceremony’ began.

“All right, then! How about an info swap to start us off?!” Loki opened the meeting to any information that any of the Deities had gotten a hold of since the last Denatus. “Anyone got juicy tidbits to share?”

“I do!” One God raised his hand with a chuckle. “I heard old Soma is keeping himself cooped up in his house trying to avoid Ganesha!” He cracked up at the other Deity’s plight in dealing with the boisterous God of the Masses.

“Really?!” A different God burst out laughing. “Are you bullying poor little Soma, Ganesha?!” He turned to the elephant-masked god on the other side of the table.

Ganesha stood up and posed with his hand on his chest and the other arm spread wide. “Ganesha is doing no such thing! He is dutifully teaching Soma how to build a respectable Familia that Orario can be proud of!”

The first God pointed at Ganesha with a laugh. “But the word is he’s hold up in his home clutching his knees!” He remarked, getting chuckles from some of the other Deities. “I wanna see!”

“I’ll go cheer him up!” One God volunteered with a smirk on his face that didn’t promise any kind of ‘cheering up’ at all.

“Cheer him up? More like rub salt in the wound!” A Goddess on the opposite side of the table shot back, clearly familiar with the other Deity.

An older looking God with glasses raised his hand and spoke up calmly. “I apologize for the sudden interruption, but it appears that the Kingdom of Rakia is readying itself for an invasion.”

The Goddess next to him blinked at the sharp tone shift of the conversation. “That was sudden.”

“Ares, again?” A different Goddess shook her head with a sigh. “Can’t he just stay quiet in his own country?”

“I had some idea of how the Denatus went, but it’s very…informal.” Sarutahiko said as more bits of news and gossip were tossed around by the gathered Deities. In only a few minutes the entire room was starting to get loud from the ruckus.

“It was like this the last time I came here too.” Takemikazuchi mentioned quietly. “From what I’ve been told, back when food and drinks were allowed, things went flying all the time, especially during the naming ceremony.”

Sarutahiko could easily imagine this rowdy meeting devolving into such things as Divine Egos were bruised by horrible Titles for the ‘children’ that had Leveled Up.

“Lessee…quiet down for a second.” Loki clapped once and the talking stopped a second later. “To sum it all up, the issue we should be most concerned with is Rakia. Tell the Guild what you know, and if your Familia is available, help take care of it, would ya?” She eyed every Deity present, getting a nod of acceptance from a few of them. “Ah, is it okay if I throw one more thing into the pot?” Her eyes opened to show off her red irises as a grin spread across her face. “Recently, a nasty new Monster species has been crawling out of the woodwork. We saw them at Monsterphilia and now they’re even appearing at the safe points in the Dungeon.” Several of the Deities looked intrigued by the odd news that Loki was sharing. “These vibrant little beasties look like someone took a paintbrush to them.”

“New species?” Several Gods and Goddesses muttered amongst themselves as Loki gave out the information that she had.

“They’re about as strong as a second-tier Adventurer…and damn illusive on top of that.” Loki let the others know that these Monsters were probably equivalent to Level 3 and 4 Adventurers. “They tend to show up wherever they damn well please, whether that be the Dungeon or the city of Orario itself.” She impressed upon them the danger of the Monsters that could seemingly get anywhere. “Some naughty good-for-nothings are up to their old tricks again…or so I’ve heard. Watch yourselves, everyone.”

One Goddess looked more bemused by the news than concerned. “Oh my.”

“Scary…” The God sitting next to her grinned, as if he was looking forward to whatever entertainment the troublemakers would bring with their actions.

“Can I say something too?” Ganesha stood up once more and flexed. “Let me start with…I am Ganesha!”

Loki rolled her eyes. “Yeah, we get it. Sit down already.”

“That’s not all that I want to say!” Ganesha denied as he became more animated. “I wanted to start by apologizing for the Monsterphilia debacle! Despite that, I swear on the name of Ganesha, God of the Masses, that these Monsters you speak of have no connection to my Familia whatsoever! You must believe me!”

None of the other Deities looked like they were concerned that Ganesha had any hand in the new species. He was just too much of a loud and vibrant God to try and do anything shady.

Ganesha slammed his palms onto the table, shaking it despite its size. “May I have another word?!” He requested loudly, making a couple of the closer Deities flinch at the volume.

“You’re gonna say it anyway, so get on with it.” Loki waved him to hurry up while resting her face on her right palm. No one noticed the small smirk that the action hid.

“One of my own was slain on the very same floor that those Monsters appeared, Floor Eighteen!” Ganesha informed the gathered Deities. “I don’t know if his death was connected to Monsterphilia, but I would like to avenge him!” He bowed his head to the entire table. “I wholeheartedly request that anyone with information bring it forward!” Tears started to drip down his pink elephant mask and many of the Deities commiserated with him, knowing the pain of losing one of their ‘children’ in the Dungeon. “Ngh…Hashana, why?  Why did you…die during coitus?!”

Every Deity in the Denatus nearly face faulted at Ganesha’s words.

“Seduced by a bombshell only to lose his life in ecstasy!” Ganesha threw his head back so far that his body bent backwards to follow. “I am so jealous!” Tears continued to run down his mask. “I weep! Why couldn’t that have been me?!”

Loki looked at Ganesha like he was an idiot. “Hashana didn’t kick the bucket while getting some.” She knew that from Finn’s report of the incident and their deductions based on the state of Hashana’s body.

“Huh?” Ganesha’s head whipped around to look at Loki.

“You idiot!”

“Moron!”

“I felt sorry for you for a second, you jackass!”

Several of the Gods and Goddesses yelled at Ganesha for confusing the cause of his ‘child’s’ death. Sarutahiko could only blink at Ganesha, wondering just what went on in the God of the Masses’ head.

“Anyone else got anything to say?” Loki pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation as Ganesha sat down. Unseen was the wicked look on her face as her hand covered it. Ganesha had done exactly as she’d expected and it would make some things going forward much easier for her Familia in dealing with these oddly-colored Monsters and ‘Creatures’ hidden within the Dungeon.

After a few long moments and none of the other Deities offering up anything else; Loki decided to move the Denatus along to the ‘best part’ for all of them.

“Alright, then let’s carry on, shall we?” Loki smiled at the others, getting matching grins in return. “Time for the Naming Ceremony!” The cheers from the Gods and Goddesses rose up once more as the part that they were all waiting for had arrived. “The reports have been shared, right? Let’s get crackin’!” Most of the Deities raised the stack of papers that had been placed in front of each chair at the table. “Lessee…first batter up today is Seto’s boy, an Adventurer named Ceti!”

One God out of the group gulped and started to sweat. He had darker skin and long silvery hair. “P-Please go easy on me!”

“DENIED!!!” Nearly every God and Goddesses replied with evil glints in their eyes.

“NOOOOO!!!” Seto hung his head, knowing what was about to happen.

Sarutahiko could only shake his head as names were tossed around for the Adventurer, each more ridiculous than the last.

“It’s settled!” Loki called after a few more moments as a consensus was reached. “The Adventurer Ceti Selty shall be known as Dragon Knight of Dawn – Burning Fighting Fighter!”

“WHY?!” Seto cried out at the ridiculous name. Laughter rose up from the Gods and Goddesses around him as they teased the other Deity.

Sarutahiko could only stare at the display. “They’re enjoying this far too much.”

“It does seem a bit malicious.” Takemikazuchi agreed as another Adventurer was rather quickly given a horrible Title.

“Okay, moving on. Next up is Takemikazuchi’s…Ooh! Ain’t she pretty!” Loki admired the photo of the girl. “She’s from the Far East, so her name is backwards…Little Yamato Mikoto~!”

Takemikazuchi audibly gulped as his ‘child’ was now the one being given a Title.

One of the Gods eyed up the young woman in the picture. “Look at this one. Pretty damn good!” It was clear he was only interested in Mikoto’s looks.

“Black hair is so nice.”

“So would havin’ some fun with a girl at this age.”

“Hey!” Takemikazuchi stood up to glare at the one that said that.

A different God scoffed at Takemikazuchi’s anger. “Takemikazuchi, you hopeless bastard!”

Takemikazuchi whirled around to look at the speaker. “What?!”

“Natural born gigolo, that’s what you are…” Another God ‘tsked’ at the War God.

“Goddesses, children, it doesn’t matter to you, does it? Pullin’ them into your scheme all the same.” The next God had his arms crossed over his chest.

A third God looked away with a huff. “Got a Lolita complex or something?”

“What are you talking about?!” Takemikazuchi demanded of the three. His eyes nearly shooting blades at them from the sharpness of his glare.

“If words aren’t enough, how about something more physical?” One God stood up to match Takemikazuchi. “I shall be the one to deliver a requiem for little Mikoto!” He declared loudly to all the grinning Deities in the room. “Future of the Milky Way – Fortune Galaxy!”

“Damn you!” Takemikazuchi growled at the other Deity. His mind recalling Mikoto and helping to raise her since she was just a small toddler. He couldn’t let her be saddled with such a horrible Title!

“Such a good girl following a hopeless God! Last Saint – Fallen Heroine!” A Goddess on the other side of the table called out her suggestion.

“Jeanne of Yamato – The Divine Wind of the Far East!” Another suggestion was thrown out.

“Saint Tail – The Holy Spy!” Yet another, even weirder, suggestion came.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Takemikazuchi slammed his fist down on the table, shaking it much as Ganesha had done earlier, the War God’s Divinity briefly escaping his control and reminding them of just who Takemikazuchi was, and what he’d done in ages long passed. “I’ve done my absolute best to raise and guide my little angel!” He glared thunderously at all of the other Gods and Goddesses.

“Little Angel?” One of the Gods perked up.

A Goddess snapped her fingers at having something to work with for another suggestion. “That’s it!”

Takemikazuchi suddenly realized that he’d only given these deviants even more ammunition.

“Salty Angel – The Lovingly Raised!” A God cackled as he suggested the name.

“Hey, hey, Dionysus, you’re looking pretty smug.” One God leaned over to the Wine God of the Olympian Pantheon. “Care to join the discussion?”

“It’s been ages since you showed up to a Denatus.” Another God leaned in from the opposite side. “Why not toss out a suggestion?”

The blonde God in the purple suit and puffy white cravat mused with his right hand cupping his face. “Hmm…let me think.”

Takemikazuchi looked at the Wine God imploringly, making motions with his hands to convey his message. ‘Please Dionysus, I beg you, something inoffensive!’

Dionysus smiled at the Far East God, making Takemikazuchi smile slightly. “How does Eternal ✝ Shadow sound to you?” The Wine God’s grin was downright mocking in its maliciousness.

“DIONYSUS, YOU BASTARD!!!” Takemikazuchi thundered at the smug God across the table from him. The Deities on either side of the Shinto pair shuffled away a bit as Takemikazuchi’s Divine Aura lashed out sharply with his War Domain, feeling like sharp points and blades against their skin and their senses.

“It’s settled. Little Mikoto will be known as Eternal ✝ Shadow. Any objections?” Loki asked the table at large, totally unconcerned with Takemikazuchi’s rage.

“None thus!” The chorus was almost eerie in its unison. And it completely drowned out Sarutahiko’s objection on behalf of his fellow pantheon member.

Takemikazuchi grabbed his head in rage and shame at the name they forced on his child. “YOU MONSTERS!!!”

“Now then, next up is…” Loki looked at the next paper in the stack and beamed. “Hehehe…the hometown hero, my Ais! Sword Princess – Kenki is back again!” She happily declared, getting excitement from several other Gods as well.

“Just as cute as ever!” A God smiled at the picture of Ais.

“Level Six already? My word…” Another God praised, looking at the picture with clear envy.

One God hummed thoughtfully as he looked at Ais’s picture. “No real point in changing her Title now, is there?”

The first God looked thoughtful for a second. “If we were going to change it, maybe something like Sword Saint?”

“Huh? That’d totally change her image!” The other Gods denied.

“Clearly the only option here is…” They all began with smiles spreading across their faces. “Our Wife!” They declared in unison.

“I’ll kill every last one of ya.” Loki’s lone visible eye looked murderous, and she was practically leaking killing intent through her Divine Aura while glaring death at the loudmouths.

All five nearly slammed their foreheads into the table as they bowed to the angered Loki. “We’re very sorry!”

“Learn to pick your battles, idiots.” Loki scoffed at them. “Ais is good as is.” She stamped the paper and the meeting moved on.

Sarutahiko let out a small sigh at the power that the Deities of larger and more powerful Familia’s wielded over the others in the Denatus. “Though, I suppose that’s not much different than the hierarchies within each Pantheon.”

“Last one for today…” Loki trailed off as she looked at the picture of the very familiar young man. Everyone in Orario knew of Bell Cranel, after all.

“…Record Holder.” Hermes practically sang as he stared at Bell’s picture. A few other Gods and Goddesses had clearly been waiting for this particular ‘child’ to come up as well.

Sarutahiko took special note of two Deities in particular that had visibly sat up straighter, one even leaning forward slightly. ‘Ishtar and Apollo? Two Deities that no one wants showing interest in any of their ‘children’…’ He’d have to keep his eyes on both of them if they were interested in Bell.

“The one versus one-hundred victor!”

“Singlehandedly laid Soma Familia low!”

One God glanced over at Sarutahiko with a grin. “But in such a small Familia…”

The ‘threat’ was clear and many of the other Deities got similar grins or smirks on their faces.

“Lonely Soldier – Carrier of the Elderly God!” A Goddess called out with a giggling laugh.

“Ghost of the East – Last of the Samurai!” One God shouted out with cackle.

Apollo raised his hand, making some of the other Deities go quiet. “I propose: Doxa Apollo – Arrow of the Sun!”

That got more than a few ‘oohs’ and ‘awws’ from the Deities at the bold choice to basically name another’s ‘child’ after themselves.

Sarutahiko saw the name as the subtle ‘claim’ that Apollo was trying to make on Bell. But before he could speak up and shut the Olympian God down, someone else higher up Orario’s unofficial ‘rankings’ spoke up.

Ishtar scoffed lightly as she looked at Apollo. “Why would his Title be ‘Glory of Apollo’? You’re rather brazen, aren’t you?”

“What did you say?!” Apollo glared right back at Ishtar, despite the very different levels of strength between their two Familias.

“I propose something much more fitting for such a powerful man~” Ishtar said with clear desire in her voice. “'Asad Alghania – The Courtesan’s Lion.” She offered her suggestion with a smug grin, even glancing at Sarutahiko as if to dare the elder God to try and counter her.

But because of her focus on Sarutahiko (and to a lesser extent, Apollo) Ishtar actually missed Freya’s eyes narrowing at her.

“Ooohhh~” Several of the Deities called out at the blatant claim on another Familia’s ‘child’.

Sarutahiko spoke up, his tone controlled and deep, as if he was fully in-charge of what would happen from here on at the Denatus. “It would seem that many of you are under the assumption that what befell Soma Familia cannot happen to you as well.”

Over half the Deities at the large table suddenly went quiet, their eyes widening at the blatant threat. Most of the Deities that attended the Denatus had a Captain of Level 2 for their Familia. Those with stronger members, or multiple higher Level Adventurers, were actually a small minority.

“Being that you’ve all seen what my Familia is capable of, and that we’re even stronger now than when Soma Familia was brought low. Do you really think it wise to provoke us?” He made sure that he made direct eye contact with every Deity present, even those that vastly outclassed his Familia…currently. “Perhaps some of you, so eager to dishonor my ‘child’, need guidance similar to what Soma received?”

There were more than a few audible gulps in the suddenly silent conference room.

Hephaestus raised her hand after a moment, and all eyes turned to her. “Sarutahiko makes a fair point.” Taking some inspiration from Welf’s ‘naming sense’ she used what little she knew of the Far Eastern language to propose a Title. “Hitori Guntai – One Man Army.”

“Oh!”

“That’s not bad…”

Freya spoke up, making all eyes turn to her. “Quite fitting.” She smiled slightly making many of the Gods simp for her immediately. “Had he been one of my ‘children’, I’d have called him Einherjar, after what he accomplished.”

Hermes stood up with his arms spread wide. “I agree with Freya!” He blew her a kiss, but the Norse Goddess swatted the air, as if knocking it away. “One Man Army it is!”

“Eh, if I suggest anything ‘fun’, some of my girls are gonna get mad at me.” Loki sighed before shrugging. “No objections?” She stamped the paper without letting anyone speak up. “Then Sarutahiko’s boy, Bell Cranel, will be known as Hitori Guntai – One Man Army!”

“No!” Apollo tried to argue, but was ignored.

Ishtar glared sharply at Freya, but the other Goddess was blatantly ignoring her. ‘That fucking bitch!’ She hissed in her mind.

Freya simply refused to let Ishtar get in the way of the True Love that she saw between Bell and Ryu. She was enjoying reveling in their love FAR too much to have it ruined…even more so since she’d helped them both along in realizing it.

With that, the Denatus was brought to a close and Sarutahiko stood up with all the dignity and subtle power that an Ōkami of the Shinto Pantheon naturally exuded.

“Let us leave and get a drink together, Takemikazuchi.” Sarutahiko said, hoping to console his fellow pantheon member over some good sake.

“Thank you, Sarutahiko-sama.” Takemikazuchi said, clearly already moping about Mikoto’s Title.

As the room cleared out, many of the Deities giving Sarutahiko a VERY wide berth, no one seemed to notice three specific Deities staying behind. Most were too busy grinning or snickering as Apollo and Ishtar stormed out, clearly angry that things hadn’t gone their way.

But Sarutahiko had kept his promise to Bell and gotten him an honorable Title, a rarity for any Adventurer’s first Level Up when they were from a small Familia.

-End Chapter-

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

Well now…Bell’s certainly earned himself a formidable and respectable Title!

But when you decimate an entire Familia singlehandedly AT LEVEL 1…not many are going to be stupid enough to challenge you. Especially when you’re even STRONGER now!

Bell’s Party continues their way through the Dungeon and have reached the Fourteenth Floor! Woo! Progress!

Speaking of progress… Bell’s relationships continue to deepen as Tione, Tiona, and Ais all bathe with Bell for the first time! The Amazon sisters have no problem with Bell seeing them naked and touching them anywhere and everywhere! But Ais isn’t fully ready for that…yet. So, she let’s Bell see her breasts for the first time and touch her intimately as she relaxes in the bath with him.

Adorable airheads falling in love are so cute!

Now that both Ishtar and Apollo have shown public interest in Bell…what will happen next?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!