Chapter 16: Pride
(Two Weeks Later)
A fear-stricken orc hurriedly ran across the misty lair, huffing and grunting as it gripped its side. Skin and muscle had been torn away, with blood pouring out and revealing a rib cage as it desperately fled for its life, eager and driven to escape the mass slaughter behind it, perpetrated by a far more dangerous and sadistic monster that did not seem to take the conventional interests in its kin which adventurers usually did.
The lumbering pig-like monster did not make it far though as a Dismantle fired across that Floor covered the distance it had made in an instant, and lobbed off both of its legs, making its blubbery body fall to the ground in a growing pool of blood as it tried to get away still, even as it was conscious of its missing limbs.
But only mere moments later, its snout bumped against a pair of boots blocking its way, and it slowly looked up into the nonchalant face of its tormentor, the cold, glowing red eyes shadowed by pale hair as Ryo sniffed in slight disgust. The Spirit rolled his eyes before kicking the monster in the face hard enough for it to flip onto its back, and he reached forward into the injury the orc was trying to protect. He slapped away the yellowed claws of the monster's warty hands and reached his fingers into the skin and grabbed ahold of the monsters front.
Applying a quick and focused Cleave, the entirety of the orc's abdomen came away and left a squealing bipedal pig behind as Ryo ignored it and studied the piece of meat he'd just ripped away. Examining it, he nodded to himself in satisfaction before throwing it in his item box.
"The green colour will take some getting used to, but it should be just like pork belly." Ryo mumbled as he took out a notebook and began jotting down some notes in front of the slowly dying orc whose organs were piling out on the ground, its intestines splashing slimy fluids on the hard rock of the 12th Floor. Ryo snapped the book closed before he looked down at the mess of monster lying before him and crouched as he viewed the different organs peeking out from inside the petrified orc's open body.
He reached out again and viciously plucked out its kidneys, eliciting a sound that seemed like a mixture of a squeak and a croak as the Orc in that moment was made to feel so sharp and severe a pain that its mind was overwhelmed by agony to even scream properly anymore. Ryo examined the large purple organs before smiling in thought.
"These could do well in some Igado." He said thoughtfully before he reached into the Orc again and cut out its liver, and its heart. Somewhere amongst the extraction of all that did it finally die. "I can also use your intestines for sausages probably. Spicy ones are the best."
Ryo continued to evaluate the potential uses of each organ and piece of the orc he could see. This particular orc seemed to have better quality meat than the rest of the ones that he'd killed so far in his trip down here. So the Spirit wanted to make full use of the situation while he could, by taking advantage of every piece of meat he could find.
As he was messing around with the corpse, thundering footsteps sounded behind him and low growling could be heard from the mists. A moment later, a scaly snout pushed its way through the fog, revealing the face of an Infant Dragon looming over him. Most people would have died of a heart attack at seeing such a creature pop up behind them but Ryo didn't even look back from what he was doing, already well aware of what tried to get the jump on him and deciding that it wasn't worth getting physical with considering his hands were already tied trying to harvest this dead orc.
The Infant Dragon's nostrils twitched as it smelled the blood of the orc, awakening a craving hunger in the reptilian monster as it snarled at Ryo, demanding that he give it the attention it wanted and to move away from the corpse. It did that a couple more times before it poised to attack the spirit from behind. But Ryo simply muttered a command while briefly holding up a snake-head hand sign.
"Orochi, get him."
The ground beneath them both instantly began to rumble as the Infant Dragon lunged forward to attack Ryo. But at that moment, the floor beneath the monster exploded as a giant purple maw filled with two giant fangs and rows of teeth facing backwards snapped down on the dragon's entire body and another reptilian creature carried it high into the other as more and more of its own reptilian body revealed itself from the ground.
A giant black and white snake swung the screaming dragon about in the air before crunching down, easily breaking scale, flesh and bone as the monster disappeared down its long gullet. The snake shikigami rolled its jaw about as blood dripped from its teeth before slithering around in the air and bringing its face close to its master. Ryo momentarily looked up at the summon and smiled genuinely at how terrifying Orochi looked.
It did not take a genius to figure out that the more CE he put behind a summon, the more powerful that particular summon would turn out to be. But the differences didn't just lie within physical abilities but also outwards appearances too. Fushiguro's Orochi had only been large enough to bite down on the body of a teenage boy and flail about in the air before being cut down to size. Aside from its colours and tattoos, it had the appearance of a generic snake.
Ryo's Orochi looked far more exotic. It kept it colours, but the scales around its upper body flare and click in and out of the skin, much like a cat would raise its hackles. Boned spikes stuck out from beneath its jaw and behind its eyes were two large black horns, giving it the appearance of horned viper as venom dripped from its fangs, melting rock where it landed. And it was big...big enough to swallow a double decker bus like a medicine capsule. Ryo admired the appearance of his summon and the creature sensed its master's satisfaction before Ryo cocked his head in a dismissive manner.
The giant serpent dissolved into liquid shadows before joining Ryo's own as he went about continuing his harvest of the Orc's corpse. After he was done, he expelled the blood from his hands by way of pushing out his Infinity and then dusted them right after as he considered the day over for now. This day in particular had been quite bountiful and he found himself packed with new ingredients for stock. It had been an interesting couple of weeks so far.
Almost every day he'd come further and further down into the Dungeon, exploring each Floor for what it was worth and what it offered, chasing down monsters that fled and figuring out all their hiding places. There was no safe haven from him, only death awaiting whatever caught his eye. He'd come to learn a lot about monster anatomy as well, having butchered quite a few of them to experiment with new recipes. He'd already tried many dishes with his harvests and the items he'd bought of the grocery system. It seemed that his restaurant plans were already well underway.
Clasping his hands, he warped to the First Floor in order to leave the Dungeon as he would usually do when he was done with the Dungeon for the day. However this time, there was a surprise waiting for him when he did reach there. For the moment he reappeared beneath the spiralling staircase, he felt someone collide with his back, followed by a thump on the floor and someone crying out in surprise. He turned around to find a familiar face wincing while rubbing their sore butt as they looked up nervously at Ryo.
Red eyes squinted before widening in disbelief as a wide smile spread across the face and Ryo found an excited doppelganger hurriedly rushing to his feet to greet him.
"Mister Ryo!" Bell said excitedly. "It's you! It's so good to see you again." Ryo didn't respond, merely giving him a pointed glare and confusing the younger boy for a moment as Bell pondered over what he said before realizing and then laughing sheepishly. "Sorry. Ryo. I forgot you didn't like honorifics."
"I'm glad to see your memory is working better." Ryo said flatly. "You would have taken five seconds longer usually to figure it out."
"Is five seconds really that big of a deal?" Bell asked.
"It is for me."
"...You know, you remain the most interesting person I've ever met." Bell said before looking down to see that the bag he'd been using to collect monster cores had dropped to the ground. He bent down and picked it up. "Sorry for bumping into you. I could have sworn the path in front of me was blocked though."
"You swore wrong." Ryo said before holding out a hand. Bell looked confused for a moment before he realized that Ryo was asking for the bag containing his spoils. Bell gripped the bag a little tighter. "I'm not going to steal if from you dumbass. I'm sure you know that if I really wanted it, you couldn't stop me from taking it." Ryo reprimanded Bell.
"It's not that." Bell said in that naïve voice Ryo hated so much. It usually indicated that Bell was going to say something incredibly simplistic and stupid. "I'm not afraid of you stealing from me. I know you'd never do something as bad as that..." And there it was. "...but it's just...well...it's not that impressive."
"I'd like to judge that for myself." Ryo said. Bell reluctantly handed the bag over and Ryo tipped it over to reveal only 3 monster cores. The older albino held them up and studied them as he ascertained which monsters they came from. "Goblin cores. You haven't encountered a Kobold yet?"
"It's only my second day in the Dungeon." Bell said. "Kobolds are a little too much for me at the moment. Goblins are smaller ad easier...well as easy as they can be with those clubs of theirs." Bell moved his hair to the side, revealing a small bruise on the temple with the skin scraped on top. "It turns out that they put up quite the fight."
"Honestly." Ryo shook his head and dropped the cores back into the small bag before tossing it back at Bell who floundered about for a bit as the bag bounced between his hands before he finally got a good grip of it. "To struggle like that against a bunch of weak pissant goblins...you've got a seriously long way to go kid."
"I'm trying." Bell said. "I'm not used to fighting yet. It's like you said. I barely have any training."
"That, you don't." Ryo began walking up the staircase with Bell following closely at his side. The spirit was in a rather good mood today after all the harvests he'd been making lately. So even to his own surprise, he was welcoming a little time to spend with the little brat, willing to entertain his nonsense for a bit. "So...I assume you found a patron then if you're down here."
"Absolutely!" Bell beamed as he fished around in his pocket and pulled out an adventurer's ID. "I'm a full fledged adventurer now, just like I said I would be."
"Debatable." Ryo said before he smirked at the boy. "How many rejections?"
Bell's face dimmed a bit before his cheeks turned red and he looked off to the side bashfully.
"Well uh...I kind of...I kind of got rejected by every already established Familia. Every time I asked to be a part of one...they turned me out."
"And let me guess. They said it was because you're weak, or they wouldn't feed you, or give you any money to support you." Ryo said, making Bell look at him in surprise.
"Y-yes. That's exactly what they said."
"Hm." Ryo looked away for a moment before asking his next question. And even though he already knew the answer, he'd just wanted to confirm so that he could make sure there was no butterfly effect in place due to his presence. "So who took you in after all that?"
"My goddess." The light returned to Bell's face, and Ryo could sense overwhelming joy, gratitude and happiness just pouring out of the boy in waves. "Hestia. She came up to me when I was on the street alone, and offered me a place in her Familia."
"A Familia which I suppose you're the only member of." Ryo said, drawing another bashful nod from Bell who scratched his cheek with a finger. By then they'd both reached the top of the staircase and were no standing over the mouth of the Dungeon. "I guess you could have made a worse choice...but then again, could you have? Hestia of all people."
"You know her?" Bell asked in another bout of surprise.
"Home and Hearth. Family and Security." Ryo said before he looked down at Bell. "You really only just got yourself a mother to coddle your baby soft ass even more that it already has been."
"D-don't talk about my butt like that please." Bell said, his face going red a little.
"Why? 'Cuz I've seen it?"
"NO! It's just...inappropriate."
"You got that rash sorted out yet?" Ryo smirked cruelly. His words drew the attention of a pair of adventurers who were going in, and they both gave Bell a strange stare which made the bunny boy's ears start to steam in embarrassment.
"Ryo...please..." Bell begged with a bit of a whine to his voice.
"You're far too easy to torment Bell. Little wonder why no-one else took you in." Ryo chuckled even further at Bell's expense before sighing. "But I suppose you came further than I supposed you would. You're in the Dungeon now, so it's only up from there I suppose. Never thought I would say this...but I guess I'm proud of you kid." Ryo ruffled Bell's hair a little.
Bell smiled, a little astonished at Ryo's vastly different attitude and uncharacteristic little show of affection. Nevertheless, the younger boy relished the touch of the older boy, and drank in the compliment.
"Did something good happen to you Ryo?"
"Why do you ask?"
"It's just that...you're a lot happier than normal."
"Well I suppose I have had good week so far. Everything's been going well lately, and I've been enjoying my time in the Dungeon. I guess there's plenty for me to be happy about." Ryo said as they continued walking and exited Babel. He turned his head to look down at Bell. "I could go back to being my normal self if you want."
"No, no." Bell waved his hands. "There's nothing wrong with you being this way. I mean...it's just nice seeing you happy. You were always grumpy back when we were travelling together. I guess I like seeing you this way for a change." Bell then cocked his head. "Wait, you've gone in the Dungeon too. How far have you gone?"
"The 13th Floor." Ryo said. "I killed an Infant Dragon today as well."
"AN INFANT-" Bell yelled before he covered his mouth at his outburst, and looked around to see if he'd caught anyone's attention, not wanting to draw Ryo's ire after seeing the spirit in such a good mood. "An Infant Dragon? But aren't those like, really strong? Aren't they the Floor Bosses of the Upper Floor?"
"Who cares? It was all light work for me." Ryo shrugged. "The monsters of the upper floors pose no threat whatsoever. You should have figured that out by now, considering you've seen me fight before."
"Yes, those slashes you do are so cool." Bell said as he imitated the Dismantle hand-sign and pretended to fire Ryo's default attack here and there. "With those things, you don't even need a sword to get the job done." Bell then paused as he thought of something else. "Hang on, you can only enter the Dungeon if you're part of a Familia. So how are you here? You said you wouldn't do well fighting alongside other people."
"And did you see me in there with other people?" Ryo raised a brow. "But for your information, no, I didn't join a Familia."
"So how did you go in?" Bell tried to figure it out, puzzled. "You're not entering illegally are you Ryo?"
"No." Ryo answered flatly. "I signed onto something called freelancing. It's basically a position where you can be an adventurer but extra rules and taxes are levied upon you. If you're cut out to make a lot of money each run, then that is not necessarily a bad thing."
"I didn't know that." Bell said, taken aback a little before he looked at Ryo. "But in a Familia, you could get stronger you know? Don't you want to do that?"
"I'm plenty strong as I am." Ryo said. "I doubt I'll be needing a godly crutch anytime soon. One of the reasons why I was given a freelancer's card anyway. I demonstrated the ability to both defend myself and execute monsters easily. You still wouldn't have made it for the job considering you have no powers to speak of."
"Life's not fair." Bell looked down a little glum. "Some people get to be born with powers and get a head-start, while the rest of us don't."
"You can't apply the same standard to me Bell." Ryo said. "I'm not what you think I am."
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Bell asked. "You've said that a few times now but whenever I want you to clarify, you respond with-"
"You'll find out."
"...that." Bell sighed. "You're so mysterious Ryo. Are you always so tight-nerved?"
"It's served me well over the years." Ryo said. "Listen Bell, I've been thinking about what we spoke of the last time we saw each other."
"What was that again?"
"You asked me if I could train you." Ryo said as he stopped walking, prompting Bell to pause too. "Or have you forgotten already?"
"No no, I remember." Bell said enthusiastically as his face lit up. "So will you train me?!"
"I might, provided you do one thing for me." Ryo said. "You know my real plans for coming to this city right Bell?"
"Yes, you wanted to open a restaurant."
"You should also remember that I don't just give out favours without getting something in return. And you can't exactly pay me since you have no money that would be worth what I gave you." Ryo said. "So...you shall instead provide me ways of making money."
"Huh?" Bell raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
"I mean this kid." Ryo said as he looked at Bell. "My restaurant is very near opening up soon. I will train you, and sharpen your combat skills as you wanted...provided you work a night-shift in my restaurant. I will train you during the day, but from eight to eleven, you'll either be serving food or serving behind a counter." Ryo looked at Bell. "Do well enough in both areas, I'll even throw in a salary and a free dinner from the leftovers. What do you say?"
"I should discuss this with goddess Hestia first." Bell twiddled his fingers. "Working the night would mean time away from her after all...but the extra income and the training would totally be worth it. Oh I don't know."
"Think it over for the time being." Ryo said as he turned away. "I'll be taking your answer tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Bell questioned.
"I'll be coming to see you tomorrow." Ryo said as he walked away. "Take care of yourself Bell."
"T-take care." Bell said as he waved a little, his choices weighing down on him.
On the one hand, Ryo was the only fighter he knew willing to help him out. But accepting Ryo's offer, even with the benefits, would add extra responsibility on top of his difficult time in the Dungeon. It was always so tiring coming home after fighting as he'd quickly come to find out. And even though he'd not spent long with Hestia, it was already crystal clear that the evening was their special time alone.
Working in Ryo's establishment would mean less time developing his relationship with his goddess. As Bell pondered this decision, he was suddenly struck by an odd realisation.
"Wait...I never told him where I live. So how's he going to come and see me?"
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