The moment the church door and Hestia had dragged Bell downstairs into the basement Hestia threw herself face-first into the bed and screamed into the pillows loud enough to make the goddess's ears pop.
"Goddess.... I am sorry for bringing you trouble." Bell whispered after Hestia's scream of frustration ended and she merely slammed her feet repeatedly on the bed as she had to live with all the change that was coming.
'I need to focus on Bell... They just went through almost dying and to say nothing of their new status.' Hestia thought as she weakly rolled over and off the bed before lunging at Bell the goddess of the Hearth's face scrunched up as instead of her face hitting the wiry physique Bell once had and she was well familiar with as she was a very touchy-feely woman...
Nope, she ended face planted into soft boobs that only highlighted how Bell had changed, and Bell instead of just chuckling when Hestia would lunge into a hug back when he was male actually whimpered as they cupped the boob Hestia smashed into.
"Hestia that hurt... Are they always so sensitive?" Bell asked as she held Hestia against her in a hug despite the flash of pain.
"Yes, they are rather sensitive... Gods, it's so ughhhh!" Hestia cried out as she threw her hands up as she pulled back from Bell and began quickly throwing her extra outfits and even her couple of nice dresses that Hephaestus helped her get for when there was a divine get-together like a Denatus into a travel bag.
"So, I guess I am stuck like this Hestia," Bell said sighing as she brushed her hands over her face and took out a newer shirt, she could throw on so she wouldn't be flashing her chest all the time. "Honestly... I was always called girly back in my village., I was always invited by the younger girls to learn how to sew, cook, and other stuff... I mean that's how I keep these clothes in decent shape after fighting in the dungeon all day ha-ha." Bell chuckled softly as she stared at the roof of the basement.
"I mean my grandfather always told me to come to Orario and save a girl in the dungeon that way I could become a hero and get the girl you know... But what if Jake is the hero and I am the girl now?" Bell said wetly as she wiped a tear away she couldn't help but feel like her dreams of catching up to Ais slipping away as she couldn't help but face the reality that every single time she had gotten in over her head and tried to go on and 'adventure' to become stronger... She always was slapped down by reality and only escaped by the skin of her teeth.
But this time she didn't escape... Bell realized. She literally was a dead man walking as Jake was the only one who could have saved her other than maybe Orario's two best magical healers but the odds of running into them were nil.
Hestia sighed with her twin tails going as limp as they could as the goddess walked over to Bell and cupped Bell's chin so she could make contact with her only Familia member. "Bell I will go to the ends of the earth and even use my Arcanum to change you back, if you want... What do you want to happen now?" Hestia asked as her eyes flickered with pink light as she truly loved Bell to the ends of the earth and was fully willing to wait the couple centuries it would take Bell to die and meet her back in Tenkai if she were booted back to Heaven for using her Arcanum.
"No Goddess don't use your Arcanum!" Bell all but screamed as she knew all too well that he would never see Hestia again if she tried to fix him if she could even before she got sent back to Tenkai. "Just let me figure it out... I can learn and use magic with Jake as he is obviously wanting to party with me. But he was right about girls though." Bell said scratching her head wryly.
At Hestia's deadpanning raised eyebrow at Bell's somewhat iffy statement the innocent-looking rabbit of a girl with her long white hair and red eyes could only awkwardly chuckle. "Sorry Hestia I kind of forgot you were a girl too and not just my amazing goddess Hehe..." Bell said awkwardly and Hestia's eyebrows twitched with barely concealed fury as Bell continued. "I actually tried lifting our bed and I still seem to be just as strong with my Falna-enhanced strength so I can still fight in melee if need be. But I really want to use magic!" Bell said excitedly and Hestia just clamped her hands on Bell's cheeks making the girl go silent.
"Alright, Bell let's get your Falna updated as who knows how long it will be for when we have some privacy to update it again if we are staying over at Seshat's place.
Hestia then helped Bell take off her shirt and then she froze and couldn't help but take a second as she noticed how smooth and soft Bell's feminine skin was. "Goddess is something wrong with my Falna?!" Bell asked almost hysterically as Hestia had never paused when she sat on Bell's lower back for more than a couple of seconds before she got to work on her Falna before.
"No! Not at all Bell I was just noticing you uhhhh have nice skin Hehe." Hestia awkwardly laughed before she quickly took a drop of her blood with a needle, that she kept handy for updating Bell's status.
But as Hestia activated Bell's status her entire face scrunched up and she gave the back of Bell's head and evil look as she mentally cursed Bell to a thousand deaths. 'Oh, that's how it is... My Bell is just a slut! She just latches onto anyone who shows her some attention and saves her in the dungeon Mhoooo I am so mad!' Hestia mentally screamed and literally began almost convulsing as she kept herself from smashing the vase that was on the bedside table onto the back of Bell's head for being such a traitor.
Bella Cranel
Level 1
Strength 345 G
Endurance 499 F
Dexterity 420 F
Agility 432 F
Magic 2 I
Skills- Liaris Freese - Increases the speed of User's growth as long as she is in love. The strength of the effects is related to the strength of User's feelings. As a side effect, it makes her immune to charms. It also allows her to exceed the limit of her abilities.
Socius Fati - In the act of supporting designated partner temporarily raises stats. Raises stat gains with designated partner. Enhances partner's growth.
"Why can't you get a skill from caring about me Bell!" Hestia screamed slapping down the Falna to inscribe her Falna onto the paper and then she just hopped off Bell's back as she couldn't help but focus on the fact that even on Bell's Falna, that Bell's name had changed to reflect that literally down to her very damned soul that she had accepted her change into woman.
"Hestia I am sorry!?" Bell cried out reflexively conditioned to cry for mercy when Hestia would freak out but feeling Hestia move off of her body, she grabbed the Falna and gapped as her eyes widened at seeing not only her magic stat growing only from using Jake's magic staff a bit, but she had two skills!
"Hestia, I have two skills! This is sooo awesome! Wait.... I love..." Bell's face turned pink as she choked, and Hestia could barely hear Bell's whispers about how she had no idea if the first skill meant she loved Jake or even Ais Wallenstein.
"Come on Bella! It's time to go meet our new besties and who you are going to be bunking with Hahah!" Hestia said loudly with spiteful laughter ringing from her as she dragged Bell who quickly grabbed her bag of spare clothes that could possibly fit her new feminine form as she asked what in the world was wrong with Hestia and why she seemed too so mad.
'Bell is stupid!' Hestia mentally screamed as she threw open the doors to the church and with not even a blink she spoke to Jake. "Hey, Jake, how about you and Bell bunk together tonight so me and Seshat can catch up on old times? Plus, it will allow you two to get used to being close to one another in the dungeon." Hestia said shamelessly and she took great joy in how Bell choked on her air and turned bright red as her soft red eyes took in Jake's form.
Jake gave Seshat his goddess and indescribable look before he shook his head and focused on Hestia and Bella. Hestia couldn't help but notice how Jake's eyes had an almost unreal nonmortal depth to them and was curious to know how his soul looked under Seshat's and other gods with soul sight. But Hestia's ruminating thoughts were brought back to reality as Jake nodded speaking.
"That's fine. We can go over strategies as my dungeon hunting practices... Are original, to say the least." He said with a wry smile that made him look so much more approachable and even Hestia had to wonder how 'original' his dungeon hunting strategies were as the dungeon had been plumbed for literally millennia after Ouranos threw the cap on it from Tenkai and the mortals and spirits of the world fought to seal the dungeon and prevent and monsters from overflowing from it.
Then Jake leaned forward and took Bell's heavy bag from her with nary a thought as he slung it over his shoulder and then he turned around and spoke as he walked down the church path. "Well let's get going. This place is right next to the Daedalus District, and I don't want to get caught walking around it at night." Hearing Jake's reminder all the girls quickly followed him with Seshat taking his arm and throwing Bell a look of thought before the cat goddess began talking about how Jake was so great and could summon boss monsters and had the whole of Orario practically wrapped around his fingers. Well, the Familia's that wanted to easily rank up anyway.
-
Across the city Freya was sitting in her penthouse suite near the upper floors of the Tower of Babel's living quarters and she was livid.
"Allen..." Freya's voice of velvet and seduction carried over to the male cat beastkin. But the voice may have velvet in it, but the voice's tone only had pure wrath dripping from each syllable. "I am going to give you a chance... Why did you disobey my orders and instead had an aberrant minotaur attack my Bell instead of the simple enhanced one that Ottar had tested to be the right fit for Bell's strength."
Allen normally wearing a body clinging armor that allowed him to take advantage of his status as the fastest fighter in all of Orario was in tatters and had none of the honed edge such an adventurer should have. Ottar had thoroughly broken his fangs in the dungeon in rage at how his second in the Familia had so flagrantly shattered their beloved goddess's plans.
"You have changed Lady Freya." Allen spoke gutturally as he had more than a couple broken ribs. "Before Bell came into the picture the only time you would mess around was when you would switch places with Horn and become Syr and wander the mortal world... We were all fine with that, no we even respected you as our beloved goddess that worked a menial job to connect with the mortal world."
Allen then shook his head as his yellow slit eyes locked onto the form of Freya who was sitting in her lounge chair in the shadows not even looking at his broken form and only staring out towards Orario.
"But you obsess over that brat despite how each and every single one of us, here in your very Familia bleeds and dies for your attention in the pits." Allen spat some blood from his mouth onto the ground and Ottar who was behind Allen growled at the perceived offense, but Freya held up a perfectly manicured hand to stop Ottar from snapping the Cat beast kin's neck from behind.
"So, you set up Bell to die out of jealousy?" Freya finally asked and the room went dead silent as even the wind above Orario seemingly didn't dare to enter the tension filled room.
"Yes, Lady Freya I wanted Bell to die by that Minotaur and I would do it again if only to return you the edge you had before Bell came into Orario." Allen said straightforwardly without shame or trying to weasel out of any form of punishment. Because Allen had his own pride.
Freya went silent as she digested Allen's heartfelt words and for a split moment she wondered if her desire to polish Bell into her Odry or husband was for naught especially with how Bell had literally been turned into a woman... A fetching woman to be fair especially with her pure soul. But a woman none the less.
But whether it was Bell with her pure soul that Freya wanted to hold within her bosom or even Jake's kaleidoscope of a soul and the infinite potential growth he would bring to Orario. Freya realized something. Allen's jealously would very well bring such plans to death as he just said he would do the same thing all over again.
So, Freya sighed and her eyes glowed purple with a mind shattering Charm as she paralyzed Allen's mind before she looked to Ottar behind Allen. "Ottar my dear... Do it." A loud wet cracking noise rang out as the strongest man in Orario simply took a step forward and with both hands he grabbed Allen's chin and with a sharp twist and jerk, Allen Frommel's neck and spinal cord snapped ending the level six's life as his head got twisted around.
Freya with her glowing purple eyes stared silently at Allen's form as it slumped when Ottar gently laid it down on the thick carpeted floor and finally Freya spoke as her eyes stopped glowing with her Charm. "Ottar my dear. Take Allen and bury him in the Familia grave and..." Freya paused before she shook her head. "Remind the others that shattering my dreams will not be tolerated despite my care for them."
Ottar knew all too well that the warning was for the likes of the Gulliver brothers and the elf duo Hedin and Hegin who were all very attached to Freya and that they must not do the same actions that Allen took to 'return' Freya Familia to what it was before.
Ottar ever Freya's most devoted tool and supporter merely nodded while mentally categorizing who may become an issue as he had long accepted Freya's love was a freely flowing wind and that obsessing over it was like lamenting that sun went down at night. He would do everything and anything for Freya, but he wouldn't limit or even dream of chaining her desires as Freya was everything to him.
"Yes, my Lady it will be done... Goodnight my Lady and as you requested Heith Velvet will be guarding your suite for the night." Ottar said as he picked up Allen's form and began carrying him out.