Loki Familia Premise Chapter 11

Hello friends and fans, Kairomaru is bringing you a new chapter! Ais is Level 6 now! Woohoo! But now comes the process of getting acclimated to her new Level so that her mind and body will get back in sync. Bell and Lili, as new Level 2’s, also are going through this right now. Nothing a bit of intense sparring can’t fix, right? Then back into the Dungeon for hunting and loot acquisition! But…before all of that, some relationship progression could definitely happen.

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 11 – Acclimation and Closeness

Within the grounds of the Twilight Manor this morning there was more activity than normal. While the grounds were often used for friendly sparring between members of the Familia, that was usually in the afternoon after most other daily tasks and errands had been taken care of. But at the moment, three separate spars where going on at the same time…and one was noticeably more intense than the others.

Clang

Metal clashed with metal as Desperate clashed with Urga. Ais angling her sword to the side to let the heavier weapon slide away from her. In a blur a counter swing was aimed straight for Tiona’s midsection to bisect the Amazon.

Clang

“Heh!” Tiona had a bright grin on her face as she easily spun Urga around one-handed so that the second blade blocked Ais’s strike. “Take this!” She planted her feet and shoved with all her strength.

“Mm!” Ais let out a slight grunt as her boots slid across the grass, tearing small divots into the soil from the force of Tiona’s shove with her heavy Urga.

Tione came in from behind, both of her kukri knives blurring towards Ais’s back.

Shing

Ais spun into a tight pivot, Desperate knocking Tione’s blades away. With a kick off the ground, she thrust her sword at Tione at speed.

Clink

The tip of Ais’s sword was caught between the two blades of Tione’s large knives. “Got you!” Tione’s wide grin was in full bloom, her Amazon blood enjoying the fight. With a twist, she moved Desperate to the side and lashed out with a kick. Her foot met Ais’s raised knee as the blonde blocked the kick, but allowed herself to be sent backwards as it allowed her to pull Desperate free of the blade lock.

Ais’s blonde hair flew through the air as her golden eyes narrowed slightly, sharpening her focus. ‘My body moves faster than my mind, making me overextend my strikes, and defense is harder when I’m in full guard before I realize it.’

The loss of synchronicity between mind and body happened to every Adventurer upon a Level Up. The body was suddenly much stronger, faster, and the senses were sharper. But it took the mind more time to adjust to this sudden increase in physical capabilities. From Level 1 to Level 2, the dissonance was usually not too great, mind and body being able to re-sync after some good sparring with an opponent at their new Level or above. But the dissonance grew more with each subsequent Level Up. From Level 2 to Level 3 usually required at least two or three hours of sparring with an equal opponent. Level 3 to 4 was similar, but the length of time was more often around five hours at minimum. When it came to the Level Up from Level 4 to Level 5, it could easily take eight or more hours of fighting a more experienced Level 5 or higher Adventurer. But when first hitting Level 6, the dissonance would have grown to the point of needing half a day of work to get mind and body back in sync.

It wasn’t strictly necessary to spar to adjust. The mind and body would naturally, if very slowly, re-sync over time. But that could take days or even weeks depending on the new Level of the Adventurer. Forcing the mind to process in a spar or—though it was HEAVILY advised against—live combat in the Dungeon, sped up the process as pushing oneself to their new limits over and over again let the mind learn the full capabilities of the body at the new Level.

“Hup!” Tiona brought Urga around in a wide, spinning swing to maximize the esoteric weapon’s shape and build up greater power.

Ais didn’t try to block or parry such a strike, instead, she leapt upwards and kicked off the blade as it passed through the space that she’d just been in previously. Her mind and body briefly syncing up to make the move possible. “Yah!” She swung Desperate at Tione, forcing the other woman to block with her kukri knives.

Ching

Ais landed from her mid-air strike and jumped back, avoiding Urga’s large blade as it tore through the ground, throwing grass and soil through the air from the force.

“You’re definitely faster, Ais!” Tione was already on Ais again, her kukri striking quickly, only for Ais to parry every swing with her sword. “Hup!” Her leg flashed out and Ais grimaced as the kick connected while her body and mind had desynchronized again after her landing.

“Way faster than before!” Tiona agreed, slamming the blade of Urga into Desperate’s hastily raised block, sending Ais flying through the air. “We’ll get you back into fighting shape in no time!” She laughed brightly as she and Tione both charged at Ais again.

Ais’s golden eyes were sharp, but there was a grateful smile on her lips as she launched herself back at Tione and Tiona at the same time.

Cling

Ching

Clang

On the opposite side of the large gardens, Aki was putting Bell through his new paces with a grin on her lips, her eyes following Bell’s every move like he was prey. “Slow!” She called out as she shifted her sword’s position at the last possible instant so that instead of the edge cutting into Bell’s leg, she merely smacked him with the flat of the blade.

“Gnh!” Bell hissed out a grunt as he missed the timing to block Aki’s sword again. “Hyah!” He thrust Gram at Aki, but she parried the sword and entered his guard.

Whap

“Better.” Aki smiled at Bell; her punch having been caught by his palm. Knee met leg as Bell blocked Aki’s knee strike and then tried to slam the pommel of his sword into the side of her head.

Bell’s pommel strike missed as Aki backstepped, creating space between them again. “Damn…” He cursed as his foot hit the ground faster than he intended, his arm still in mid-swing, his body jerked as his planted foot stiffened the body while it was still trying to turn at the waist from his swing.

Aki wasted no time as her sword slammed into Bell’s, knocking Gram downward and opening up Bell’s guard again. Her free hand formed a fist as she slammed a punch into Bell’s gut.

“Hak!” Bell coughed out as he staggered back a step, barely keeping himself from curling over as his body wanted to do. Instead he swung his sword at Aki to force her backwards.

“Good, you didn’t hunch over.” Aki praised as she easily parried Bell’s swing with her own sword. “You’re lucky I didn’t use my magic in that punch, huh?” She grinned at Bell as he got his breath back.

Bell lunged forward suddenly, the tip of his sword aimed at Aki’s chest. Aki backstepped and swung her sword, only for her eyes to follow Bell as he pivoted around her swing and came at her from her unguarded side. Bell’s next swing was aimed at Aki’s neck, but his rubellite eyes saw her copy his pivot from before and her sword was now swinging towards his neck.

Ching

Metal rang against metal as Bell blocked Aki’s sword with his own.

“You copied me.” Bell said as he pressed more strength against Aki’s sword.

“Yep.” Aki confirmed with a grin. “You blocked well too.” She kicked out his leg suddenly and Bell grimaced as his balance was upset, the strength behind Aki’s sword increased greatly, and Bell found himself falling backward. “Hup!” Aki brought her sword down on Bell as he hit the ground.

Woosh

But her sword only hit a cloud of snow.

“Not too smart to use a Skill that increases your speed like that when you’re still out of sync, Bell.” Aki chided him lightly, seeing Bell’s legs sticking out of a bush, his upper body buried in the foliage. ‘He cleared way more distance that he used to though.’ She noticed that Bell had moved at least fifteen meters when he’d probably only meant to move about half that.

“My bad…” Bell groaned out as he slowly pulled himself out of the bush, brushing off leaves and small sticks that clung to his clothing. “I wanted to make distance…but not that much.”

Aki giggled at Bell’s disheveled appearance. “You’re starting to get better, Bell. If we keep this up, you should be back to normal by dinnertime.”

Bell was happy to hear that as he finished brushing himself off and readied his sword again. “You mentioned magic. I didn’t know you had magic, Aki.”

“One spell and two Skills.” Aki told him as she readied her own sword. “I don’t think I’ll need to use my magic against you for this sparring.”

“What’s it called? Is it elemental magic? Enchantment?” Bell was interested to know more about his girlfriend. Even Adventurers in the same Familia didn’t always share their full Status with each other. So the fact that Aki seemed willing to tell him made Bell smile.

Aki laughed warmly at Bell’s interest, her tail swaying behind her happily. “It’s called Paw Bash. It’s ‘striking-type’ Magic that changes how it works depending on how I attack. If I hit you with a punch while using it, the magic grows in power in correlation to my Strength stat. But if I use it while wielding a sword, then it becomes ‘slashing-type’ Magic and is boosted by my Agility stat.”

“So it changes… And without a Spell Key… That’s new.” Bell said as he thought about his lessons with Riveria and Lefiya. He’d learned way more about magic thanks to both Elves, including how some spells had Spell Keys which were words that could be chanted while a spell was already in effect or had been cast to change its properties or make it explode remotely. But he hadn’t heard about a magic that changed its type based on whether the user was armed or not. ‘Not to mention it also scales with two different stats on top of the Magic stat. I wonder if that increases the power of the spell even more since it’s empowered by two Basic Ability stats no matter which way it’s used?’

Aki was suddenly in Bell’s guard. “Don’t space out, Bell.” She grinned as Bell barely managed to block her sword and her follow up punch.

Bell pushed Aki’s fist aside and tried to counterattack, but Aki was already out of range, having leapt back swiftly. “Huh? How did you do that?” It could be simply because Aki used a bit more of her Level 4 abilities, but Bell wasn’t sure.

“That’s a Skill called Cat Walk.” Aki revealed with a grin. “It slightly increases my Agility stat and increases my jumping ability. If we were on rougher terrain, the boost would be even greater.” She was suddenly behind Bell, her sword edge against his stomach as she wrapped her other arm around his chest and rested her chin on his shoulder. “And this one is Cat Returns...” She purred into Bell’s ear. “It slightly increases my Agility stat when I’m near someone that I hold a certain level of affection for…” She grinned as she felt Bell tremble pleasantly while she held him and pressed herself against his back. “But…if I’m near someone that my affection has surpassed a certain level for,” Aki purred softly into Bell’s ear, making it clear that her affection for him was well beyond said level. “Then it moderately increases my Strength and Dexterity stats and greatly increases my Agility stat~”

“That’s how you got behind me…” Bell said as he turned his head to look into Aki’s eyes. “Thank you for sharing this with me, Aki.”

Aki pressed a soft kiss to Bell’s lips. “You’re welcome, Bell.”

Bell grinned at her once their lips separated. “I like that your magic and your Skills are all related to your race. It’s cute.”

“Hush.” Aki grinned at Bell playfully. “I’m proud of my heritage.”

“You should be.” Bell joked with her, the two practically having forgotten about their sparring as they shared warm laughter.

Further away from both of the other spars, Finn and Lili were sparring as the Captain had made sure that he’d have today free to help Lili adjust to her new Level 2 abilities. As Lili’s new daggers produced fire, Finn had made it a point that they fight near the largest fountain within the garden surrounding the Twilight Manor.

Fwoosh

Flames danced through the air as Lili swung one of her dagger at Finn.

“As your new weapons produce flames, it’s important to know the range the fire can reach for the safety of others.” Finn said with a smile, always enjoying any time that he and Lili got to spend together improving her skills. His spear struck out and Lili twirled on the ball of her foot, knocking the spearhead to the side with her left dagger, then striking the shaft with her right dagger. Dragging both down the length of the spear, they ignited again as Lili closed the distance with Finn and lashed out at him with swift slashes.

“Hah!” Lili stabbed both daggers forward, but Finn used his spear to make distance in a way that only a Prum could pull off. Stabbing the head into the ground behind Lili, Finn used his right hand that was gripping the spear as a leverage point to leap upward out of the line of Lili’s attack and hold himself in the air for a brief moment. “What?!” Lili barely managed to turn around before Finn had dropped back down with a kick that hit Lili’s shoulder and sent her staggering backwards.

Finn pulled his spear from the ground and spun it once before holding it at the ready, the tip pointed at Lili. “Dexterity and Agility are the greatest strengths we Prums have. Our stature and weight lets us do things that the other races cannot.” He chuckled as Lili readied her daggers again, the Twin White Claws gleaming just slightly in the morning sunlight.

Lili moved in and this time, when Finn swung his spear, she ducked low, continuing her charge as the shaft passed over her head. “Hup!” With a quick upwards slash near where Finn’s hands were on the spear, flames erupted from her daggers.

“Clever.” Finn let go of his spear as a small cloud of flames engulfed his weapon where he’d been holding it.

“Hyah!” Lili kicked the spear aside as it briefly hung in the air after Finn had so swiftly let go of it. Sending her lover’s main weapon sailing out of reach, Lili grinned as she used the footwork that he’d taught her to practically slide into Finn’s guard as her daggers flashed towards his chest and face.

Ching

Ching

Finn’s own dagger blurred as he knocked Lili’s blades upwards, opening her guard even as both of the Twin White Claws ignited again. His backup weapon thrust forward, stabbing into Lili’s shoulder, but stopped just in time to not pierce through her clothing or cut her skin. It was a testament to Finn’s skill with his secondary weapon that he could pull off such a maneuver and still break Lili’s stance.

Lili grunted as she brought down her arms, only to have to move them away from herself as both of her daggers were still trailing fire. ‘He used my daggers’ own effect against me!’ Lili realized as she had opened her guard while moving her flaming daggers away from her own face.

“Hup!” Finn slid into Lili’s guard this time, his dagger aimed at her stomach.

“No!” Lili dropped and spun, aiming to kick out Finn’s leg. When he, predictably, easily avoided the leg sweep, Lili revealed her real attack as she briefly dragged both of her daggers against the stone ground around the fountain.

Fwoosh

Lili became a wheel of flames as she spun low and forced Finn backwards. She spun again and again, her daggers trailing flames as she put her new Resilient Spirit Skill to the test with its fire resistance. Lili’s new tactic made Finn smile as he skipped back twice more and then hopped upwards onto the edge of the fountain.

“What will you do now, Lili?” Finn asked his lover with a truly interested smile.

Lili didn’t disappoint as she hopped up onto the edge of the fountain and swung her left dagger at Finn. Not being able to block blade with blade without setting off the Twin White Claws’ effect, Finn backstepped instead. Lili slashed horizontally at Finn’s stomach, but had to pull back as his dagger came at her face. She ducked low aiming to slash one of Finn’s legs with her right dagger, while dragging the edge of her left dagger against the stone of the fountain as she followed up Finn’s backstep with a lunging thrust with her now flaming dagger. “Hyah!”

Fwoosh

Finn surprised Lili as he stepped into her guard, letting her fire-coated dagger to slip past him and strike nothing. His knee strike was hastily blocked by Lili’s right arm and his downward slash with his dagger was knocked aside by Lili’s left dagger, igniting it again. However, at this close range, Lili could use the flames as a brief wave to separate them, letting her make distance. “Very good, Lili.”

“Yah!” Lili appreciated the praise for her constant new uses of her daggers, but she wanted to show Finn that she’d improved even more since their last spar. She stabbed with one dagger and flowed int a slash from the other.

Finn pivoted, using the Prum race’s short stature to his benefit on this narrow stone edge of the fountain. He took Lili’s back, aiming for a stab, only for her to spin and match his attack with her own. Finn angled his blade, knocking Lili’s left dagger to the side without touching the edge. The blade didn’t ignite and Finn noted that down as he backstepped and pivoted as Lili came at him in a flurry of stabs and slashes. Lili grimaced as Finn’s foot nearly hit her side, but she managed a pivot of her own, just managing to stay on the narrow edge of the fountain and not fall into the water. The two Prums were swiftly spinning and pivoting around one another while circling the entire fountain along its edge in their knife fight.

Raul, Orba, Remilia, Lloyd, Claire, and Liza all blinked as they watched the knife fight on the narrow edge of the fountain. The group had been heading out to take care of some errands, but the speed—while not impressive to the Level 3’s and 4’s of the group—as Finn and Lili continuously pivoted and spun to try and get through each other’s guard on such precarious footing was something that all of them realized they wouldn’t be able to pull off.

“Whew~” Lloyd whistled lowly at the display. “Lili’s really getting better. Even if the Captain is holding back a lot…that’s some impressive footwork.”

Remilia giggled as she watched for a moment longer. “Lili prefers long-range combat, but she’s pretty good with those daggers.”

“I would’ve fallen into the fountain already.” Liza admitted with a grin on her face.

“Same here.” Raul agreed as he saw Finn literally leap over Lili in a front flip, land behind her on the narrow edge of the fountain, and immediately attack with his dagger. “Or I’d be stabbed in the back from Captain doing something like that…”

Claire watched Lili barley avoid the stab before lashing out with her own daggers. “Close that time, she almost fell off the edge.”

Orba, a Level 4, nodded as his eyes followed the back and forth and constant pivots and spins as Finn and Lili constantly used their footwork and short statures to avoid falling as they fought. “It’s impressive for a new Level 2 to maintain that level of balance and footwork against someone like the Captain. I was never that good when I was a new Level 2.”

The group watched for just a little longer before heading out to get their errands done for the day. Leaving Finn and Lili to their sparring with fond memories of their own training when they’d all been newbies to the Loki Familia. A suggestion to do a bit of sparring in the afternoon was quickly agreed on by the group, followed by playful joking about who was going to beat who.

-Hostess of Fertility ~ Later-

“Nnngh…” Bell stretched, still feeling a bit of soreness from his sparing with Aki. His girlfriend had certainly helped him get his mind and body back in sync. The slight dissonance that Bell had been experiencing was completely gone now, even when he pushed himself to his limits. He could even use Snjógöngur again without ending up face first in a wall, or a bush, or a tree…. “Ugh, I wasn’t even that bad with my Skill when I first got it.” The late morning had seen him making quite a few mishaps with his high-speed movement Skill.

“Welcome, Mr. Cranel.” Ryu greeted Bell a moment after he entered the establishment. “Just one today?”

Bell nodded to Ryu with a small smile. “Yeah, just me today, Miss Ryu.”

He’d come to the Hostess a couple more times while Ais, Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, Riveria, Rakta, and Finn had been on their trip into the Dungeon to earn money to pay off debts. Sometimes alone, but once with Aki for dinner, and another time with a larger group of his other Familia members. Much like the rest of Loki Familia, Bell was now a regular at the Hostess of Fertility.

“One, now seating.” Ryu called out to Mama Mia behind the bar, getting a nod from the Dwarf woman. Bell followed after Ryu as she led him over to a single seat at the end of the bar near the stairs that went up to the second floor. “What can I bring you to drink, Mr. Cranel?” Ryu asked as she placed a menu down in front of Bell.

“Could I get some tea, please?” Bell asked Ryu with a smile as he opened the menu. “I’ll take whichever kind you recommend, Miss Ryu.”

Ryu nodded once. “Very well, Mr. Cranel. I’ll have your drink out shortly.” She gave him a small smile. While it was a small thing, the show of trust that Bell showed her by allowing Ryu to choose his drink was welcomed. She headed for the kitchen to get Bell’s tea as he perused the menu.

“Now… What to get today?” Bell hummed to himself as he looked over the menu. Everything at the Hostess of Fertility was delicious, but Bell was slowly making his way through the menu now, wanting to try everything. “Maybe the pasta?”

In the kitchen, Ryu made the tea carefully. It was a blend that Elves tended to like, not sweet, but also not overly bitter. Her blue eyes looked to her left as she felt someone approach her.

“Ryu…” Syr smiled at her friend. Her grey eyes were bright and warm, but the little grin on her lips was a familiar sight to Ryu and the other employees at the Hostess. “I see you’re taking care of Bell again~”

“I was the one that was free when Mr. Cranel walked into the Hostess.” Ryu said simply as she poured the tea into a cup for Bell.

Syr’s smile didn’t fade in the slightest. “Mhmm… That was lucky, wasn’t it?”

Ryu looked at Syr with a flat expression. “Syr…”

“Yes, Ryu?” Syr asked with an amused grin on her face.

“I’m not looking for a relationship, you know that.” Ryu wanted to cut off Syr’s little hobby of matchmaking before it began.

Syr giggled. “Of course not, Ryu. I know that much.” She leaned in a little and gave Ryu a soft smile. “He’s a good one though.”

Ryu let out a little sigh, but a small smile crossed her lips. “I’m aware.” It hadn’t been long since Ryu and Bell had first met, but over Bell’s multiple visits to the Hostess of Fertility, Ryu had gotten a good understanding of Bell’s character. Of the many people that she’d known over her years in Orario, she believed that Bell was a human worthy of respect. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to bring Mr. Cranel his tea.”

“Sure thing~” Syr said with a cute grin as she watched Ryu walk back out of the kitchen with the cup of fresh tea in her hands. ‘Oh, my little fairy with a scarred heart. I won’t allow a chance for True Love to pass you by.’ She thought with fondness for Ryu as she returned to her own work.

Bell smiled at Ryu as she placed his tea in front of him. “Thank you, Miss Ryu.”

Ryu gave him a small smile and a nod. “You’re welcome, Mr. Cranel. Have you decided on what you’d like for your meal?”

“I’d like the pasta today, please.” Bell pointed at the option on the menu.

“Of course, I’ll have your order put in shortly.” Ryu accepted the order, not even needing to write it down.

Bell took a sip of the tea that Ryu had chosen for him and smiled at the lightly bitter taste. “It’s delicious, Miss Ryu. I’m not fond over overly sweet food or drink, and this tea has just the right amount of bitterness to it.”

Ryu’s smile grew just a little more. “It’s a blend that several Elves favor for its balanced taste. I’m glad you enjoy it, Mr. Cranel.” She left him to enjoy his tea as she returned to the kitchen to put Bell’s order in.

As Bell waited for his food, sipping on his tea from time to time, he smiled when Syr walked by him on her way to the kitchen. “Good afternoon, Miss Syr.”

“Good afternoon, Bell.” Syr greeted him with her usual cheery smile and warm personality. “Here to see Ryu?” She teased him playfully.

“I do enjoy seeing Miss Ryu, yes.” Bell smiled at Syr, used to her playful nature after visiting the Hostess of Fertility enough times. “But I did come here to eat as well.”

Syr laughed warmly at Bell’s retort. “Where’s the Bell that got all flustered when I teased him on his second time here?”

Bell chuckled a little. “I learned to handle the teasing from a certain waitress after a couple of visits.”

“Boo~” Syr pouted at Bell. “It’s no fun if you get used to my tricks, Bell.”

Ryu brought Bell’s pasta to him while looking at Syr with some suspicion. “Your pasta, Mr. Cranel.”

“Thank you, Miss Ryu.” Bell gave her a smile as he looked at the noodles covered in tomato sauce and perfectly cooked ground beef. Small diced bits of mushrooms added a different texture to the dish as well to contrast with the noodles and the meat. “It smells amazing!” The dish was perfectly seasoned, as expected of the Hostess kitchen.

“Why don’t you two have a little chat, Ryu?” Syr suggested with a little grin, her eyes sparkling with playfulness. “It is about your break time.”

Ryu looked at Syr flatly. “It isn’t my break time yet.”

Bell twirled his fork in the pasta as he listened to Ryu and Syr chat. The back and forth between them was amusing. Syr was clearly teasing Ryu about something…but Bell wasn’t sure what it was as he ate his first forkful of the pasta.

“But I’m sure that Mr. Cranel would enjoy your company as he eats, Ryu~” Syr giggled brightly as Ryu’s cheeks went pink.

“Pfft!” Bell nearly choked on his second mouthful of pasta. “M-Miss Syr…”

Ryu was at Bell’s side in only a moment, handing him his tea and gently rubbing his back as he drank and managed to swallow his food. “Are you alright, Mr. Cranel?”

Bell nodded after a moment. “I’m fine… Thank you, Miss Ryu.” He gave the Elf woman a warm smile, thinking that the light pink on her cheeks made her look very cute. “Miss Syr, you shouldn’t tease your coworkers like that.” He said to the other waitress with a flat look; though his tone was still the kind one he always used with the waitresses of the Hostess of Fertility.

“But it’s so much fun and it still works on you, Bell.” Syr grinned at getting a reaction from both Ryu and Bell. Neither of which seemed to notice that Ryu was still gently rubbing Bell’s back even though he’d long since cleared his throat.

“Making our customers choke isn’t good, Syr.” Ryu lightly chided her friend and coworker, her blue eyes shooting a small glare at Syr.

Syr smiled softly and gave both of them a slight bow. “I’m sorry that I took my teasing too far.”

Bell smiled and accepted the apology. “It’s alright, Miss Syr. I know you didn’t mean any harm.”

“Apology accepted. But please try and rein in your jokes, Syr.” Ryu said calmly as she gave Syr a little nod.

“Will do!” Syr said as she headed into the kitchen and out of sight.

Ryu turned to Bell with a small smile…and promptly realized that she was still gently rubbing his back. “I… I’ll…just get you some more tea, Mr. Cranel…” As she pulled her hand away from him, her cheeks a rosy color now.

Bell noticed the loss of Ryu’s gentle hand on his back and opened his mouth…but nothing came out for a moment. “Thank you, Miss Ryu.” He managed to say almost normally. As Ryu turned away and headed for the kitchen, Bell twirled his pasta with his fork again. “Miss Ryu’s hand was very gentle.”

He didn’t realize that Elves had rather good hearing, second only to most Beastmen, and he had no idea that Ryu was a Level 4 former Adventurer, so her senses were vastly greater than an unblessed Elf.

Ryu’s face went red at Bell’s words and her pace into the kitchen noticeably picked up. She didn’t even notice Syr at the side of the doorway, clearly having been eavesdropping.

“Those two are so adorable~” Syr giggled behind her hand as she watched Ryu head over to the side of the kitchen to make Bell more tea, her face still pink even as she focused on her work. ‘They’re already growing closer… But it wouldn’t hurt to give them a little subtle help from time to time~’ She thought to herself with a grin. True Love was so very close to her and she absolutely reveled in getting to help it bloom between people.

-Twilight Manor ~ Evening-

“Hmm…” Bell hummed as he looked at a book in the Familia library. “Magic and Skills are both so diverse…” He was trying to understand more about both subjects after learning about Aki’s interesting Magic and how her Skills were affected by her feelings for others. It was something that Riveria hadn’t gone over in her lessons with him yet, and he wondered if he should go ask the High Elf since his curiosity had been piqued.

“Bell?” Lefiya blinked at seeing her crush…or was he her boyfriend now? She shook her head once before she could get lost on her train of thought. “I didn’t expect to see you in the library this evening.”

Bell smiled warmly at Lefiya. “Good evening, Miss Lefiya.” He showed her the cover of the book that he was looking through. “I learned something interesting from Aki today about both Magic and Skills, so I thought I’d try and do some research.”

Lefiya smiled back at Bell, her cheeks lightly pink. “It’s good to be studious as an Adventurer.” Stepping closer until she was at Bell’s side, she looked at the page that Bell was on, but couldn’t glean from the words what Bell might be curious about. “What are you trying to research involving Skills and Magic?”

“Well, Aki told me that her magic can change type based on if she uses it while armed or unarmed, and it even increases in power based on either Strength or Agility on top of the Magic stat, so I was wondering if that made her spell naturally more powerful than others that only get boosted by the Magic stat alone.” Bell explained his first curiosity to Lefiya, hoping the Elf Mage might know the answer.

“Hm, I’ve heard of magic like that before.” Lefiya nodded once as she mulled over how to explain it properly. “While a spell that is boosted by other Basic Ability stats along with the Magic stat does have another source to draw power from, it’s not always going to be more powerful than a spell that only gets a boost from the Magic stat. Factors like controlling one’s Mind, their experience with their spells, and even possessing certain Developmental Abilities and Skills must always be taken into account.” She explained, trying not to sound like she was lecturing Bell. “But if we look at two spells side-by-side and nothing else, then yes, often a spell that gains a boost from any of the other Basic Ability stats along with the Magic stat will, indeed, be stronger.”

Bell had a small grin as he listened to Lefiya, making the young Elf woman blush a bit as she noticed it.

“Y-Yes, Bell?” Lefiya asked, feeling her cheeks heating up.

“You’re amazing, Miss Lefiya.” Bell said with a smile, the sincere compliment making Lefiya’s heart thump in her chest as her rosy cheeks turned a deeper red.

Lefiya covered her cheeks with her hands. “N-No… That’s just something I learned from Lady Riveria.”

Bell’s warm smile didn’t change. “And now you’ve taught it to me. Thank you, Miss Lefiya.”

“Y-Your welcome…Bell.” Lefiya felt her ears getting warmer now and fidgeted because of how much her blush was spreading in front of Bell.

“Can I ask about Skills too?” Bell requested, happy to spend more time with Lefiya and learn more things about being an Adventurer.

Lefiya nodded, thrilled that she could help Bell like this. “Of course!” She smiled beautifully at Bell, making his heart thump in his chest now.

Before he ended up calling Lefiya cute again, Bell managed to ask his question. “When it comes to Skills, I know they can be either Passive or Active Trigger and that some use Mind to function. But do Skills that use Mind to function grow the Magic stat?”

“There’s a saying among Adventurers: ‘Skills can do anything.’ Which seems to be proven true every time a new one is learned about publicly.” Lefiya said factually as she thought about a few examples that she knew about. “For example, there are Skills that are known to give access to Developmental Abilities while they’re active or when certain conditions are met. Now that you’re a Level 2 and have a Developmental Ability of your own, you understand how powerful they are…and some Skills can just give you access to more.”

Bell’s eyes widened in surprise at learning this new information. “Skills that can give you more Developmental Abilities…” Even if it was only temporary, Developmental Abilities were powerful and normally locked at one per Level starting at Level 2. To be able to access more than that limit would make any Adventurer capable of it potentially stronger than their actual Level.

Lefiya nodded in agreement. “Such Skills are exceedingly rare though. But impossibility doesn’t seem to be a limit for Skills. Just look at the Ganesha Familia’s rare Taming Skill. No one ever believed that Monsters from the Dungeon could be tamed…until the Ganesha Familia did it and showed the world their Xenos partners.” Realizing that she had gotten off track and not actually answered Bell’s question, Lefiya refocused. “As for Skills that use Mind to function…no, they do not grow the Magic stat. Only casting spells develops that part of the Status. However, using Skills that require Mind does help grow the Mind reserves of the Adventurer using them.”

“So the Magic stat on the Status doesn’t track the amount of Mind a person has?” Bell had thought that it might’ve since he was always able to use more of his magic every time the numbers of that stat increased.

“No, a person’s Mind reserves aren’t measured or tracked by the Status.” Lefiya shook her head once. “Some people simply have larger Mind reserves naturally. Lady Riveria and I both possess larger Mind reserves, even compared to our Elven kin. While Lady Riveria being a High Elf naturally has greater affinity for magic than regular Elves, her Mind reserves have always been higher than others. It was the same for me, even from a young age. Both of us possessed much larger reserves long before we ever received a Falna.” She looked at Bell with a soft smile. “There are some among every race that are outliers like that, possessing more Mind naturally as compared to others of their kin. If they become capable of using magic or Skills that rely on Mind to function, their greater reserves naturally become a large boon to them.”

Bell returned Lefiya’s smile with his own. “Thank you for answering my questions, Miss Lefiya. You’re so knowledgeable that it may be easier and faster to just ask you rather than search through the library.”

Lefiya felt her face—and her ears—practically burn at Bell’s honest compliment and warm smile. “I-I’m happy to help…Bell.” She smiled at him adorably as she lightly poked the tips of her index fingers together. “And…you can just call me Lefiya, if you’d like.”

Bell closed the book in his hands without thinking about it, his smile so warm and gentle that Lefiya swore her heart was trying to beat out of her chest. “Lefiya then.” The acceptance made Lefiya smile even more as she looked into Bell’s eyes, blue meeting rubellite.

Neither could tell when they’d leaned in, but their eyes closed a second after their lips met for the first time. Lefiya’s cute little moan was muffled against Bell’s lips as she nearly lost herself in the warmth and the feelings of her first kiss. Bell wasn’t much better, feeling Lefiya’s soft lips against his own.

When the two pulled away, their eyes opening and looking into each other’s again, Lefiya’s ears wiggled slightly

“Cute.” Bell said, seeing the slight motion and now certain that Elf ears wiggled when they were incredibly happy.

“No…” Lefiya’s little denial was absolutely adorable as she gently put her hands over her pointed ears.

Bell wasn’t sure how long he could handle such cuteness, but he wanted to make Lefiya this happy all the time. “Again?” He asked after giving Lefiya a moment to regain her composure.

Lefiya took the book from Bell’s hands and put it back in its place on the shelf they were standing in front of before leaning in for her second kiss. “Yes~”

Bell gently wrapped his arms around Lefiya’s waist, not wanting to make her feel rushed by placing his hands on her hips, and kissed her back. With his eyes closed as he and Lefiya shared another kiss, he couldn’t see her Elven ears wiggling a little in her joy this time.

‘Definitely my boyfriend.’ Lefiya confirmed in her mind as she basked in the love and affection she could feel from Bell through their kiss. Soft lights and red roses filled her mind’s eye as she imagined what she and Bell must look like from an outside perspective. But the images conjured up by her mind only increased her desire to kiss Bell more, right there in the library.

“It’s almost time for dinner.” Bell said after several minutes of sharing soft kisses with Lefiya. He knew he’d been cutting it close earlier, and had been about to give up his research for now, but then Lefiya had appeared and he’d not only gotten his questions answered, but they’d take another step in their relationship. With a smile as he looked at Lefiya, Bell held his hand out to her. “May I escort you, my lady?”

Lefiya’s blush was back I full force, even as a soft giggle escaped her. “You may…” She gently placed her hand in Bell’s and smiled as he softly squeezed it.

The two left the library hand-in-hand and were content to take a slow walk through the halls of the Twilight Manor towards the cafeteria area.

-Night ~ Loki’s Office-

Loki smiled as she finished updating Lili’s Status and placed a blank paper onto the Prum woman’s back. “And…all done, Lili Bean!” She copied the new Status over with a twirl of her fingertip and handed it to Lili while securely locking up her Falna again. “You and Finn had quite the day~” She teased playfully.

“Goddess…” Lili’s cheeks were pink as she looked at her new update after taking a few days off with Bell. They’d both needed it after what they’d gone through with the irregular Infant Dragon…not to mention they’d had to wait for their new gear to be completed too.

-Status-

Liliruca Arde

Level 2

Strength – I 0 > I 2

Endurance – I 0 > I 3

Dexterity – I 0 > I 5

Agility – I 0 > I 4

Magic – I 0 > I 1

-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.

-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.

Resilient Spirit – Increases pain tolerance and mental fortitude. Provides resistance to the fire element and ice element.

-Developmental Abilities-

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

-Status-

“Lili’s stats didn’t go up as much as she was expecting.” Lili commented after looking at her growth.

“Finn wasn’t going too hard on you, Lili Bean.” Loki explained with a grin. “He was helping you acclimate, not training you to grow stronger. I’m sure if you ask him really nicely he’d be more than happy to put you through your paces.”

The double entendre wasn’t lost on Lili as her cheeks went red. “Goddess Loki!” She made sure to keep her shirt covering her breasts as she turned around and lightly swatted at her Goddess.

“Hehehe!” Loki laughed as she fended off the half-hearted strikes.

Lili put her shirt back on properly and then burned her Status Update with the nearby candle. With a last—almost affectionate—pout, Lili left the office.

Not even a minute later and Bell opened the door.

“I knew you’d be coming to see me, snow bunny!” Loki smiled brightly at Bell while patting the stool in front of her.

“I wanted to see if I grew well from getting adjusted to being Level 2.” Bell explained simply as he pulled off his shirt and sat down with his bare back facing Loki. “And I wanted to see you too, of course.” He said with a little grin as he looked over his shoulder at her.

Loki grinned right back at him. “You just can’t keep yourself away from me, Bell~” She said with confidence and a smug little smile. They both cracked up into laughter for a long moment before Loki put a drop of her blood onto Bell’s back and his Falna appeared in the familiar blue-white glow. “Let’s see…” It didn’t take too long to watch Bell’s Excelia for the day. He’d spent the morning training with Aki, so all of his growth came from those hours. “Pfft! Hahahahaha!” Loki burst into laughter as she saw how many times Bell ended up hitting a wall, or a tree, or ended up in one of the bushes in the garden from his failed attempts to control his Snjógöngur Skill while his body and mind had been out of sync.

Bell let Loki laugh, mostly because he found the sound beautiful, but he could admit that he probably looked more than a little silly messing up like he had. “Get them all out…” He half-heartedly rolled his eyes.

“You’re doing fine, Bell~” Loki assured him as she moved his Excelia into his Basic Abilities and watched the numbers rise. “Now that you’re used to your Level 2 power, you can go back into the Dungeon with Lili again.” She placed a blank paper on his back and copied the update over with a little twirl of her fingertip. “See for yourself, snow bunny.”

Bell took the paper and looked it over while feeling Loki’s finger move across his back, locking up his Falna once again.

-Status-

Bell Cranel

Level 2

Strength – I 0 > I 12

Endurance – I 0 > I 10

Dexterity – I 0 > I 15

Agility – I 0 > I 13

Magic – I 0 > I 14

-Magic-

Aurora – Incantation: “Frost.” Ice Enchantment Magic.

-Skills-

Eilíft Frost – Provides protection from cold along with Ice and Water Magics and makes all Ice Magics the user casts use less Mind while significantly increasing their power.

Einhuga Löngun – Fast growth as long as desire lasts. The strength of the effects corresponds with the level of the user's desire. As a side effect it makes the user immune to Charms and Mental Magics.

Snjógöngur (Snow Walks) – Allows the user to vanish into a burst of snow and rapidly accelerate in a desired direction. The distance able to be covered and the speed at which the user moves are dependent on the Magic and Agility stats. Active Trigger.

Einherjar – Allows a charge for a counterattack. It requires time to charge and the user continue fighting during the charge. The power of the charge can be used for any type of attack but the effects will dissipate when the user stops fighting or mentally gives up.

-Developmental Abilities-

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

-Status-

“Not too bad.” Bell knew that Aki wasn’t going any harder on him than she had to this morning. Their sparring had been all about getting rid of the dissonance between his body and mind from his Level Up after all. Aki was an excellent judge of just how hard she could, or needed to, push him while controlling her own strength. “I’ll be able to try out Einherjar in the Dungeon. I didn’t want to risk it going out of control or something while sparring.”

Loki wrapped her arms around Bell’s waist from behind with a smile. “That’s a good precaution to take with a new Skill. Until you know what can do, it’s best to test it on the Monsters instead.”

Bell turned his head and met Loki’s lips softly. Loki eagerly returned the kiss and even deepened it into a French kiss as their tongue gently played with one another’s. Just as Loki was about to move around and straddle Bell’s lap…

Knock Knock Knock

They were interrupted.

“Dang it…” Loki pouted cutely as she looked at the door to her office. “We’ll save this for later, snow bunny~”

“Sure thing, Loki.” Bell agreed before sharing one last quick kiss with her. He swiftly put his shirt back on and then burned his Status Update with the candle before opening the door. “Ah, sorry for taking so long, Miss Line.”

Line Arshe smiled at Bell and shook her head once. “No problem, Bell.” She moved into the office for her own Status Update and Bell shut the door behind him as he headed for his room for the night.

When Bell got to his room, he opened his door and stopped dead at what he saw waiting for him.

“Hi, Bell~” Tiona giggled as she stood before him in only her panties, showing off her small handfuls with their darker nipples.

“We were waiting for you~” Tione nearly purred to him, only wearing a skimpy pair of white panties to match Tiona, her large tits free to captivate Bell.

Bell stared at the gorgeous twins for a moment before closing his door without looking away from them. “Good evening…Tiona, Tione…”

Tiona grinned as she sauntered up to Bell and took his hand in hers before placing it on her chest. “I love it when he stares like that~” She let out a low coo of pleasure as Bell’s hand instinctively started to gently cup and massage her breast.

“Me too~” Tione agreed as she pressed herself against Bell with a sultry smile before pulling his head into her breasts.

Bell put up exactly zero resistance as he enjoyed Tione’s softness on his face and Tiona’s softness in his hand.

“We want what Ais got, Bell~” Tiona said with a breathy whisper into his ear.

“Mhmm… We’ll be good and not go all the way, this time…” Tione hummed in pleasure as Bell left little kisses on her breasts.

Bell pulled his head from Tione’s breasts and kissed her lips softly. “Alright.” He agreed with a smile before turning to kiss Tiona’s lips next.

“Mmm…” Tiona moaned softly as she pulled Bell towards his bed.

“Let’s get these off~” Tione purred to Bell as she pulled his shirt up and off of him, while Bell lifted his arms to make it easy.

Tiona eagerly unbuttoned Bell’s pants and pulled them down to his ankles, letting him step out of them and leaving him in only his boxers. “Oh~” She giggled as she was eye level with Bell’s hips and saw the bulge he was already sporting. “Are you sure we can’t give him what we did last time?” She asked Tione with a heated breath as she rubbed Bell’s cock through the thin material of his boxers.

Tione moaned in desire, wanting the same thing, but she managed to wrangle her desire and instincts. “You and I both know that we won’t stop if Bell’s boxers come off.”

“Come here…” Bell smiled as he helped Tiona stand up again and then pulled them both onto his bed.

Tiona wasted no time as she kissed Bell again, their tongues eagerly playing as she guided his hand to her core and moaned as his fingers began to rub her over her panties. “Bell…mmm, yes~”

“You’ve been missing my breasts, haven’t you, Bell?” Tione purred out as she moved up enough on the bed to guide Bell’s head to her tits. “I know you can’t resist.” She cooed, only to let out a sultry moan as Bell captured one of her nipples with his mouth and began to suckle on it, teasing the hard nipple with his talented tongue. “Yes…just like that~”

Bell wasn’t idle as his free arm moved around Tione to cup and massage her ass, making the older Amazon sister moan louder. Tiona let out a gasp as Bell’s fingers slipped beneath her panties to delve into her hot, wet sex, stimulating her even more as his palm brushed against her clit.

“He’s gotten even better~” Tiona moaned out as she kissed Bell’s chest, hic collarbone, and his neck. Her tongue coming out to lick across his skin as her hips ground against his dexterous fingers.

Tione panted and moaned as Bell freed her nipple, only to find her other breast and take it into his hot, eager mouth. “Yessss…he has~” She grabbed the back of Bell’s head and held him to her tit. “Bell, you just love my breasts, don’t you?”

“Mhmm~” Bell agreed with a hum that sent pleasant tingles into Tione.

“Oh…mmm…Bell~” Tiona gasped and panted before nibbling on his neck, her hips rocking against his hand that was practically buried into her eager pussy.

Bell’s moans were muffled as Tione and Tiona each trailed a hand down his chest, across his stomach, and began to cup and stroke his hard cock over his boxers. Only their commitment to not upsetting the others in the multi-relationship that was developing around Bell kept the two Amazons from tearing Bell’s boxers off and giving him the true Amazonian snu-snu that they wanted to all night long.

But shortly after midnight, all three of them did fall asleep. Snuggled up close, warm, comfortable, and with smiles on their faces. The fact that both Tiona and Tione had reached climax no less than four times each managing to calm their desires…for now. Bell had made an absolute mess of his boxers…though not as bad the second time as Tione and Tiona had reached under his boxers to ‘claim their reward’ when Bell crashed over the edge of bliss.

When the morning came, the three would deal with whatever happened…but that was for the morning.

-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-

Woooo… Gettin’ steamy at the end there.

Bell, Lili, and Ais all train to acclimate to their new Levels!

Ais spars against both Tione and Tiona in a two-on one!

Bell and Aki spar and grow closer, getting a little snuggly and cuddly as short breaks between the sparring. So cute!

Bell has lunch at the Hostess of Fertility and Ryu takes care of him. The two are growing closer without even realizing it…adorable. But Syr will help her friend, to make sure that Ryu doesn’t miss the True Love that is right in front of her. Little matchmaker that she is…almost like Love is part of her or something. Heh!

Bell and Lefiya kissing in the library…adorable little flustered Elf and her cute ear wiggles! You can only wonder what will happen if she ends up between Bell and Ais in a similar situation! Cue Bi-Elf Disaster

Loki and Bell get interrupted! Boo! Loki Pout

But Tione and Tiona were waiting for Bell is his bedroom in nothing but their panties. They wanted to sleep all cuddle up with Bell like Ais got to! But they’re Amazons, so they move a bit faster in their physical affection, so Bell got to please and enjoy both of the sisters a bit, while they eagerly returned the favor! By Amazon standards, Tiona and Tione are saints for not just giving Bell snu-snu all night long! Kek!

Now that Bell and Lili are back in fighting shape, what will they find in the Dungeon next?

Keep reading to find out!

Let me know what you thought!

Until next time, later!