Hestia sat back on her bed, seemingly exhausted. She wasn't working today and she had done nothing extraneous at all. It was her mind that was exhausted and seemingly sharing her body with the burden.
She had finished updating everyone's status this morning and everyone was downstairs waiting for her to recover from the work she did in updating their status. She had the strength to go down to be sure but she didn't feel like she had the energy to.
She looked at the stack of papers that were on her nightstand in her room. Each one detailing their growth so far.
Arue lvl 1
S: 15-28
E: 12-24
D: 18-24
A: 20-36
M: 76-127
Hana Sunomiya lvl 1
S: 29-55
E: 18-29
D: 31-51
A: 20-37
M: 7
Chitoge Kirisaki lvl 1
S: 34-60
E: 25-45
D: 42-68
A: 30-62
M: 0
Koukin Shuuyu lvl 1
S: 28-47
E: 25-34
D: 31-50
A: 29-39
M: 20
Takeru Yamato lvl 1
S: 77-101
E: 54-81
D: 60-83
A: 64-88
M: 40
Their summoned allies were growing along healthily, in fact they were developing faster than even the average adventurer if Hestia was any judge.
She couldn't help but wonder if that was because of something involving their summoning. Or even just their general existence. It could also be their past experiences in their previous life impacting them now.
There were a million 'if's' but no clear answers to them. Bell's magic was practically one of a kind, outside of those in wild stories she read about.
'Bell,'
The Goddess of the hearth turned her attention to the last of the status sheets she deliberately held back from looking at too long. Given its contents were difficult to believe in at first. Her first child, captain of the Hestia familia, and possessor of a gift from Eros.
She tried not to think about that for too long but given it was on the status sheet, it couldn't be ignored either.
Neither could anything else on it, really.
Bell Cranel lvl 1
S: 120-403
E: 48-199
D: 142-412
A: 228-521
M: 79-120
If the girls' statuses were just above average, then Bell's could be considered abnormal. She knew he'd been pushing himself harder lately but she didn't think it could result in this. These numbers were absolutely insane!
She glanced down the sheet and found the main culprit.
Liaris Freeze
The skill he obtained when he was saved by the Sword Princess. A moment in which Bell found his newfound drive in adventuring. A hope that one day he could catch up to her.
'Then there's the other thing," Hestia thought with some bitterness. A glance down the sheet showed Bell's unique new magic ability.
Drop of Eros
The reason for her familia's sudden growth in new recruits, thanks to Bell and reluctantly Eros. Though it would be a cold day in hell before Hestia ever thanked that perverted voyeur.
Looking down she saw something she hadn't seen or at least noticed last time she checked his status.
Bell had obtained new tasks to complete.
Current tasks:
Mine 20 dungeon ore
Kill 1 Jackbird
Kill 30 killer ants
Time to Complete: 10 days.
In addition, she saw a new bonus task he completed.
Bonus tasks:
Kill a silverback at lvl 1: reward- 1 tier3 summon
Bringing Bell's total number of summons to ten, as it read on the sheet.
'Ten summons," she thought, her mind in flux.
It wasn't enough that her first child was growing at an insane rate. He also seemed to be out-performing the magic as well.
They only had enough room in their current home for just three more, nevermind ten!
She would need to negotiate hard to expand their home now and she knew Goibniu wouldn't be so merciful with a discount this time.
So much to think about, so much to consider. It didn't help matters that she and Koukin just had a rather tense conversation in relation to Bell's magic.
And the skill they all shared from it.
"Annnd…done!' Hestia said, removing the sheet of paper from Koukin's back, 'There you have it. Your status is updated.'
Koukin turned herself around to grab the sheet, her other arm held around her chest. Hestia tried not to stare for very long, less her jealousy become more apparent.
'One of the only people in this home that had a chest definitely bigger than mine,' she thought dejectedly , 'and she's taller than me on top of that!'
Hestia wasn't sure at first but now she was certain that in addition to being taller than her, Koukin sported the biggest chest of the familia. Taking her place as the most 'gifted' woman in the familia.
Granted one didn't have to try too hard to beat Hestia in height and she admits to losing that battle nine times out of ten in most cases.
Koukin stared at her status, her calculating expression shifting in degrees of focus. She had checked every aspect of her status. From her standard attributes to her skills and magic, and yet her instincts were telling her something was off. Not on her end but on another.
It was a suspicion she had held for a while and until now had no way of confirming it.
Koukin looked around, her chest shaking and bouncing, drawing a small growl from Hestia's throat. She finally found what she was looking for on Hestia's nightstand, other status sheets.
Without warning, she reached over and grabbed a few of them, drawing an outraged squak from the Goddess. Koukin looked them over quickly, she was the last one to have her status checked, so the sheet she was looking for should be at the bottom.
She pulled the sheet and held it before her eyes, taking in the info. It was her captain's status sheet and his numbers made her eyes so wide her glasses nearly slid off her face.
Hestia quickly snatched the paper from her hands, "What was that about?" she chastised, "You just decided to be nosy all of a sudden?"
This was completely out of character for her. Hestia thought her the cold calculating type. Not the nosy type.
Koukin pushed her glasses back up her nose and took a deep breath to calm herself. What she saw on Bell's status sheet was a surprise but one she had theorized, the only issue that unnerved her was the sheer gap she witnessed upon confirming her theory.
"My apologies lady Hestia," Koukin said, "It was something I wanted to confirm after my trips into the dungeon with our captain."
Hestia lost her frustration, curiosity and concern taking hold now, "What do you mean?"
Koukin looked at the sheet in Hestia's hands, still having a hard time believing what she saw, "What would say about my status?" she asked.
"Huh?"
"My status," Koukin said again, "Were you to comment on it, what would you say?"
Hestia thought for a moment before taking Koukin's status sheet and looking it over again.
"Ummm," Hestia began, wondering how to answer, "I would say that this is steady progress and you're progressing above the average adventurer," she put the paper down and looked at Koukin again, "What's this about?" she asked.
"And what would you say about Bell's status?" Koukin pressed, looking at her Goddess.
Hestia didn't say anything at first, until eventually she said with some hesitation, "…Above average…very above average?"
Hestia tried to downplay it, but knew that it was only wasted effort. There was no avoiding this.
"Abnormal in the extreme is how I would describe it," Koukin said, rubbing the bridge of her nose, "Has this been his regular growth as of late?"
"No," Hestia said, "It's only jumped this high since his battle with the silverback," Hestia looked down in thought remembering something, "but it has been insane growth, even for his usual trips into the dungeon."
The cat was out of the bag now, or rabbit in Bell's case. Hestia was worried about a potential overreaction to Bell's status but from the looks of things, Koukin had already expected something like this and is only now facing the truth, and how it completely passed her expectations.
Koukin noticed the stare Hestia was giving her and the unanswered question within it, "I had already expected something was amiss since the silverback fight," she said, putting a hand to her chin in contemplation, "ordinarily, adventures at level one wouldn't dream of defeating a monster like that by themselves," she held up a hand, forestalling Hestia's comment, "I am aware myself and Chitoge both aided him in defeating the beast but that is only the start. Now he has progressed to the point he can reach floor ten by himself and further, were he accompanied."
Koukin finally just laid back on the Bed with a sigh, her chest bouncing before Hestia's eyes but was ignored in favor of what she said next.
"This isn't good," Koukin, staring up at the ceiling continued, "this isn't good at all."
"What do you mean?" Hestia was confused, wasn't it a good thing Bell was progressing this fast, she understood that his growth had to be kept a secret, as well as his broken skill, but that had been well kept so far and she was confident it would remain so.
Koukin eventually rose to sit up and retrieved her clothing off to the side. Putting them on, she explained, "Bell is growing at an astonishing rate to put it politely. He has only been an adventurer for less than a month and already he is reaching a point that most could only get to after months or even years of struggles in the dungeon," she secured her clothing, the ones she was summoned in, "It adds more reason for us to be cautious more than ever. With Bell's insane growth and the rare summoning magic, it's imperative we act with caution."
"I know that," Hestia said to Koukin, her features stern, "I know the kind of Gods that would jump at the opportunity to grab Bell for themselves if they were to find out about his growth, Nevermind the summoning magic," she looked directly into a Koukin's eyes, "I don't need to be reminded how dangerous things are for us. More members or not."
It was a good declaration and Koukin admits to being impressed by the Goddess's resolve and will. There was definitely more to this Goddess than what she saw initially. She was a guardian of the hearth and home, attributes she took seriously.
"Good," Koukin said with a smile, "I'm glad you're aware of the gravity of this but this brings up another concern of mine."
"Hmmm? What is it?" Hestia was glade the tense topic was done with and was glad to be complimented by one of her sterner children but was wondering what other topic there was to talk about.
"Why haven't you told Bell about the skill we all share from the summoning?"
Hestia blanched. Out of all the questions she could have asked. Why did it have to be that one?
Koukin took Hestia's reaction as confirmation to her suspicions, "I see. If I may be so bold, I believe that he should know at the very least."
Hestia grumbled a bit before asking a question of her own, "Does it matter? Things seem fine without him knowing. Why does he have to know about that…skill?"
Koukin looked at Hestia a bit more closely, taking in her demeanor at the topic of discussion. It wasn't just a look of uncomfortableness at the idea of using the skill but worry as well.
Koukin didn't need to be a genius to guess why or who she was worried for.
"It's because of Bell, isn't it?" Koukin guessed, "You're worried about him and what the skill means for him as well as us."
Hestia looked down at her words. It was part of the truth but not completely.
Hestia suddenly sat beside Koukin, hands bundled at her knees. Koukin sat and waited beside her, anticipating the reason to be given.
"I'm a virgin Goddess," Hestia began, "Things like sex and love are completely out of my purview. In Heaven, I shunned and ignored Gods and Goddesses who thought to 'enlighten' me of such things," Hestia gave a scoff, recalling some of the more desperate and pathetic Gods that tried, "never worked, not on me. Mostly because I kept to myself in my temple."
She brought her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them, before continuing, "When I descended to the mortal world, I thought that if I started a familia, I could do what Artemis and Athena did and create a familia like they did. One that didn't involve things like sex or love. Only I found out that starting a familia was more difficult than I imagined."
She gave an exacerbated sigh, recalling her many failed attempts at recruiting members. Before smiling at the memory of meeting her first child, "It wasn't until I met Bell, the only person who gave me a chance at being their Goddess, that things changed for myself. At first I wanted to keep Bell pure and maybe away from the dungeon, less I risk losing him," she gave a chuckle, "but he was determined to be an adventurer and I couldn't stop that. Not with the goals he had in mind. After a while I accepted it and was happy he was happy."
Hestia felt tears in the corner of her eyes as she went on, "Then he found someone he wanted to aspire to and maybe one day express himself to. Didn't help that he somehow obtained that weird magic from one of, if not the, most perverted Gods I ever met. Things just moved so fast and I just couldn't," Hestia choked up, "I couldn't…"
She felt Koukin wrap her arms around her and lead her down into a hug. Her head resting atop of hers. Hestia was speechless but lent into the embrace a bit more.
"You're worried Bell may change for the worse, aren't you? You're worried he could be like those loathsome Gods and Goddesses you disliked," she raised a hand and softly brushed Hestia's hair, "you're worried the magic and our shared skills could corrupt him somehow and he would no longer be the 'Bell' you knew."
Hestia didn't say anything, merely leaning into Koukin more.
Koukin continued, "You've known Bell for a long time. I shouldn't have to ask, but do you trust him?"
"Yes," Hestia didn't need a second to confirm whether or not she trusted Bell, "I trust him, always."
Koukin nodded, "In the short time I've known him. He has earned my trust as well. Not an easy feat, believe me," Koukin gave a smile and Hestia found herself looking up at her to gauge her expression, "I don't think I've met a more honest person in my life, both this and my previous one. Bell really knows how to leave an impression on someone if given enough time. You are very lucky to have him as your first child, Lady Hestia."
Hestia found herself smiling, agreeing with Koukin. She always counted herself very lucky to have Bell.
"Which is why I believe he wouldn't change were he to know," Koukin said, "I believe Bell is well within his rights to know, given the connection of the skills with his magic and that he wouldn't change were he to know, surprised definitely, but not change," Koukin gave a tired sigh then, "In fact. I would say he would have to be heavily convinced to go through with making full use of the skill we possess. For reasons I'm sure you know."
Hestia understood immediately what she was talking about. Bell was as shy as a rabbit at the best of times. Especially when it came to women. Hestia tried hard to aid Bell in being more confident around women but her strategy wasn't too effective.
Her strategy being hugging Bell at any opportunity that presented itself. It sounded good in her head but she realized now in practice that it only seemed to make Bell more jumpy around her.
"I've been trying to work on that myself," Koukin said, drawing Hestia's attention back to her, "Subtle methods of course, to help him build confidence and handle himself around women without looking like a fool."
"And how's that working?"
"…Slow if I'm honest. Very, very slow."
"Yeah. Expected."
For a while they sat there, Hestia leaning into Koukin's embrace, appreciating the hug.
The talk they had was needed, as it was an issue that needed to be addressed sooner or later, but not never.
Hestia pulled herself away from Koukin, "I still have to think about it for a bit," she said, "and I want to set up rules about it as well."
"I agree," Koukin said, "It's best that no abuse or manipulation comes from anyone involved."
Their shared skills were a boon in their own right but could be manipulated or abused poorly if not addressed properly.
Koukin didn't think Bell would ever do that to them. Nor would she and the rest dream of manipulating Bell for the chance of a status boost.
But it was good Hestia was airing on the side of caution and concern. Which increased Koukin's opinion of her greatly.
The discussion at its end, Koukin opted to leave and return to the others downstairs. Letting Hestia rest for a bit after updating everyone's status and the rather heavy discussion they just had.
Hestia sighed thinking back on it. It was a discussion that needed to happen at some point. She knew she couldn't keep it under the rug for long and a small part of her was foolish for not addressing it sooner.
But a part of felt confident at Koukin's words, she had faith in Bell and she had faith in the others as well.
Hestia rose from the bed with a stretch of her joints. She'd laid down long enough. There was still much to do. She had a summoning to observe and future members to induct.
'Gosh, to think a handful of weeks ago I would think something like this was crazy,' she thought.
The mortal world could be crazy at times.
Without further delay, she burned the status sheets and went on her way downstairs to the others. Ready to start a new crazy day with new company.
The remaining familia members were waiting patiently for their Goddess to arrive so they could begin the summonings and finally fill up their home to capacity. Though they were all dealing with something else at the moment.
Namely their captain who, after receiving his status update, was in a daze like state of some kind. He was sitting on one of the couches in the lounge area muttering something about a 'jackbird'.
Arue was at his side, rubbing his back. Concern on her features.
"Was there something wrong with his status, you think?" she asked.
"After all he went through at and after monsterphilia? I doubt it," replied Chitoge.
"Could it be a nervous breakdown?" asked Hana.
Takeru shook her head, "Doubtful. He's not sweating nearly enough and he hasn't curled up into a ball yet."
The 'yet' part of that had more than a few of them concerned.
Koukin thankfully cleared things up, "I believe it's because of one of the new tasks he received for his magic. I believe it was to kill a jackbird."
"That it? That some sort of scary monster or somethin?" asked Chitoge.
Koukin shook her head, "No, nothing like that. If I recall, it's a borderline harmless monster that has a guaranteed drop item worth a million valis."
Everyone's ears perked up at that. Bell was nervous about that? Why would he be? That sounded like the best task anyone could get! Kill an easy bird and make bank, what's not to love?
Koukin saw their expressions and thought best to continue, "What I imagine has Bell so catatonic, is the fact that it's a very rare monster, emphasis on 'rare'. On top of that, it is a difficult monster to catch, let alone kill, with its outrageous speed and tendency to run away at even the slightest hint of danger. Add in the fact whole parties are often sent out in pursuit of this bird, means catching it goes from difficult to borderline impossible with competition involved."
Now the girls had a better idea why Bell was so traumatized. The thought of the effort alone made them shudder.
At the very least, they could just finish the other two tasks and disregard that one.
Giving another pitying look at Bell, they all thought that was probably for the best.
"I'm back."
They turned to see Hestia coming down the stairs. She gave a deep yawn as she went towards them, tired from the updates she did.
She gave a start at the sight of Bell, before sighing, "Bell. You don't have to worry about that jackbird thing," she said, "just get the other two done instead," she paused and thought for a moment, "Or get none of them done. We have a pretty sizable familia as it is and it's gonna get bigger soon. Why stress about competing tasks if you don't have to?"
This had the effect of Bell snapping out of his daze as if physically struck with realization, "I can?" he asked, before realizing, "I can!" he exclaimed, glad to be rid of the worry.
"Hmmm. That is a good point," said Takeru aloud, "Bell doesn't really need to focus on completing tasks, given we have ample summons in stock."
This was true. Even after today, Bell would still have seven summons left. There was really no rush to finish the tasks now. If they completed them during their average trips into the dungeon, then so be it, it would just happen. Nothing to stress about.
Hestia clapped her hands and got everyone's attention, "Alright people! Let's get ready for some new friends!"
They got themselves ready and Bell was standing at the ready, spell already at his lips, ready to go.
They moved the coffee table out of the way and moved the couches a way back to make a more open space for him to work with like last time.
After a quick discussion, they decided to stick to summoning the higher Tiers and limit it to three like last time.
"Okay Bell! Have at it!"
"May fortune smile on us for our next ally.
"I pray they are eccentric!"
"Hasn't that been everyone already?"
Hestia's, Takeru's, Hana's, and Chitoge's voices spurred Bell into action. Lifting his hand, he felt the magic stir inside him and drive him to speak the words.
"By my voice hear. My words come. Answer my call and come forth."
Bell had the wisdom by now to close his eyes when the flash of light came. Useful it was, the spell was always so bright when being used.
As the lights faded away, Bell opened his eyes to see who he summoned.
The woman summoned was dressed in what could only be called 'ninja garb'. Her clothing was a light brown color from top to bottom, she wore a sleeveless upper garment as a shirt and baggy loose pants that ended at her knees with the upper thighs of them cut out on each side. Her feet were bandaged up, covering her shins, heels, and most of her foot, leaving her toes bare. In addition, she wore a mask that covered the bottom half of her face. With her hair bundled and secured by a well wrapped cloth that only allowed a few long strands of hair poking out of the front. Bell also saw at the back of her head, a topknot of some kind that showed her black hair being much longer, with the two thin ponytail lengths reaching down mid-thigh.
Bell stared a bit longer than he intended, noticing the lithe but well formed and defined muscles at wear she wasn't covered.
This was someone built for stealth and combat in equal measure.
"Hi!"
The sudden greeting surprised and brought Bell out of his analysis and back to the girl herself, who had a hand raised in greeting. She was looking at him with a smile that Bell could see behind her mask.
She started to continue on with her introduction before she suddenly realized something. With a small laugh, she reached to her face and pulled the mask down, revealing the cute face and kind smile underneath.
"Hi! Names Ibuki! Nice to meet you."
Bell was better now at talking to cute or gorgeous women thanks to his previous summons, and so he had no problem in greeting Ibuki in return.
"Hello Ibuki, nice to meet you. My name's Bell Cranell," he gave her a polite smile after his introduction.
Ibuki looked around herself for a moment, spotting the remaining familia members before focusing back on Bell, a curious look on her face.
"Wait," she began, "You summoned me?"
"Umm, yes," replied Bell.
"You did? You really did?"
"I cast the spell and," he gave a gesture to her, "well…here you are."
Ibuki stared at him for a moment, gauging his words for any falsehoods. Before smiling and giving a big jump and cheer, surprising Bell.
"Woohoo! I got a cute boy as my summoner!"
The exclamation threw Bell off a bit. A cute boy? Him? He never thought of himself as cute, or really anything if he were honest.
Not that he didn't mind being called cute. His Goddess always said that about him.
Though he wished he could be called handsome if he were honest.
Ibuki herself was incredibly happy right now. Sure she was summoned to a new world, sure she wasn't 'technically' Ibuki but she still considered herself well…herself, and sure the thought of fighting monsters in a fantasy world would be absolutely mad to consider.
But who cares! She'd fought rival ninjas, evil organizations, and in the greatest tournament you could ever be invited to. She could handle this.
Especially if she had someone as cute and adorable as Bell beside her. After her poor luck in meeting cute boys in her old world, she now had a chance in this one.
Ibuki was still hopping in joy when Hestia came over and introduced herself, "Hello, Miss Ibuki. I'm Hestia, the Goddess of this familia. I know things are probably a little weird but we need to move on to the other summonings. So if you would follow me please."
Ibuki stopped her hopping to stare down, literally down, at the short Goddess. Taken in her appearance, Ibuki had a feeling that she was going to see all manner of unique things during her time here.
And so far, a short but stacked Goddess takes the cake.
Giving Bell a happy wave, Ibuki walked back with Hestia to the others with a small skip to her step.
Bell thought he was used to seeing unique personalities by now, thanks to his time in the city as well as him summoning new allies.
Though he admits, Ibuki's cheerful demeanor was a nice change of pace.
He brings his attention to focus and gets ready to bring forth another ally.
Bell opens his eyes when the lights from the spell die down again.
"Is there any way of dimming that?!"
"Not to my knowledge, no."
Bell ignored Chitoge's and Koukin's voices in favor of the figure in front of him now.
The first thing that stood out was her spiky red hair with two long bangs that framed an intense but pretty face. Bell found himself staring longer at her blue eyes than he meant to before continuing. She wore a strange combination of red and brown for her clothes, with a brown coverall piece that was opened at the front, showing a red wool shirt underneath that emphasized her generous chest and left her stomach bare. Her look seemed finalized with white cut-off sleeves and red wool leggings that went up mid thigh and led to black shoes.
Bell can't say it was the strangest clothes he had seen so far. He'd seen far stranger from just the residents in the city. Sometimes even in his own home.
Takeru was really fond of that gold mask of hers at times.
"Hey," the woman began, "You just gonna ogle me? Or are you gonna start saying something?"
Bell was brought out of his wanderings and back to the present moment, "Sorry," he began, holding out a hand, "I'm Bell Cranell! It's nice to meet you! Sorry I was rude!"
His sudden exclamation briefly surprised the woman, who did not expect such a strong reaction from her words. First impressions so far? She could tell this young man before her was a nervous soul. Still though, she had her own impression to make.
"It's no problem," she began, reaching out one of her hands to shake his own, "Names Kallen Kozuki. Nice to meet you."
Bell returned the shake with a small smile, glad things were off on the right foot. He only hoped he didn't put his own in his mouth anytime soon.
"So," Kallen began, looking around herself, "this is my 'new world' huh? Not what I was expecting."
Granted her previous one wasn't anything to smile about or laugh about either. Near constant war and occupation dimmed one's view of things after some time and Kallen wasn't any different. Though she had to admit, things already were looking better here already, given she wasn't in a war zone right now.
She saw the other members of this 'familia' and was pleased to see those that appeared to come from her own homeland. Though she did a double take when she saw some of the others, she'd never seen a wardrobe like Koukin's or seen someone like Hestia so short yet so 'gifted' in the chest.
'And was that a legitimate ninja?'
Already things were getting interesting and strange.
Hestia walked up to her and introduced herself before gesturing to join the others while Bell prepared to perform his last summon.
"Holy shit that's bright!"
"I'm sorry miss Kozuki. We should've warned you."
"You think?!"
As the light faded, their third and final companion revealed herself.
And the surprises never cease with this spell.
The woman he summoned was a surprise to be sure. For starters, she was a chienthrope. Brown haired with the hair on her ears being darker but were brighter at the tips. Her light brown complexion added an exotic charm that was further enhanced by her gifted and curvy body. She wore a white top that seemed to cover her upper torso but left her collar and shoulder bare as well as her stomach. In addition to baggy green pants that ended at a pair of sandals at her feet. She also possessed matching arm and ankle covers of some kind
She looked around herself and in doing so, wagged her tail back and forth that Bell saw was long and fluffy as well as the same color as her hair.
Her eyes landed on Bell again and he saw them as a nice hue of light violet.
"You summoned me?" she asked with a tilt of her head. Bell had no choice but to compare it to a curious dog, her tail wagging just made it more sound.
"Yes," Bell said quickly and what he hoped was a straight face, "I summoned you. My name is Bell Cranell, it's nice to meet you."
The girl smiled, happy with his politeness, "Nice to meet you too! My name is Elbia-" she suddenly paused in her introduction and started to stare at Bell with silent focus.
Bell was off put by this, one moment she was smiling and introducing herself, the next she was staring at him in a daze.
Before he could ask what was wrong, she lowered herself to the ground on all fours. Her feet and hands splayed apart, her tail wagging slowly and with deliberation. All the while not taking her eyes off Bell.
Bell was now effectively nervous all the sudden, staring into her eyes, Bell noticed it was similar to the stare he received from the monsters in the dungeon.
And on occasion, sometimes while he was walking the streets, though he never could find who it was from.
Elbia took a 'step' towards him with one of her hands, causing him to take a back step. She continued and Bell found himself stopped by the couch behind him.
Matters only seemed to get worse when he could faintly hear a low growl coming from her and she lowered herself a bit more, looking ready to pounce.
"Rabbit," he heard her say.
"Huh?" he dumbly asked.
"Rabbit!!!"
She lunged at him then and tackled him head on, knocking both him and the couch backwards.
The rest of the familia moved in to render aid and swiftly at that.
"Come on! Come on! We gotta save Bell!" shouted Hestia.
"A beast was brought forth this day! One with an appetite to be sated," added Arue.
"Is now really the time for that, Arue?!" exclaimed Chitoge.
"Ahhh! She's nibbling my ear!"
"Is that something someone should actually scream about?"
"Hana! Don't worry Bell, your Goddess will save you!"
Kallen, Ibuki, and Koukin were the only ones not jumping into the fray. Merely looking on in complete bewilderment. Though Koukin was rubbing her temples at the display before her.
"Are things usually like this?" Kallen asked, pointing at the mess before her.
Koukin gave a deep sigh, "No," she replied, "They can get far more ridiculous."
Kallen gave her a look that said 'seriously' before looking back at the scene before her.
Ibuki however was smiling at it all.
'This is gonna be so much fun!'
After removing Elbia from Bell and getting her to calm down. Then proceeding to comfort her in her embarrassment after she realized what she did. Hestia finally got to grant them a falna, welcoming them into the familia.
Ibuki
S: 40
E: 43
D: 71
A: 47
M:18
Spells:
Essence of Ki: Manafest will into energy. Substitute for magic.
Skills:
Glade of Shade: Lessen presence when within shadows.
Passion Recipient: Status can be increased to a degree by intimacy with the summoner. Full copulation results in better increases. Results to status vary upon intent and focus.
Kallen Kozuki
S:35
E:30
D:41
A:37
M:0
Skills:
Guren: Temporary increase in status when facing enemies. Effect further increased upon aggression.
Passion Recipient: Status can be increased to a degree by intimacy with the summoner. Full copulation results in better increases. Results to status vary upon intent and focus.
Elbia Hanaiman
S:38
E:46
D:44
A:50
M:0
Skills:
Úlfheðinn: Ability only activates under moonlight. The user becomes beast-like, dramatically improves in all areas, and all abnormalities are negated.
Passion Recipient: Status can be increased to a degree by intimacy with the summoner. Full copulation results in better increases. Results to status vary upon intent and focus.
They all, of course, had the same reaction to the skill they found themselves sharing. Hestia told them to be silent about it like she did for the others.
Though Elbia looked momentarily disappointed with her drooping ears and tail.
Hestia found it hard to believe she was actually a werewolf as it turns out. They were generally more aggressive and off putting than Elbia was.
Despite her 'attempt' at Bell, she acted more modest and reserved now that her little episode was over.
She just had to have someone keep an eye on her whenever she and Bell were in the same room.
They all seemed content with what they saw on their status sheets otherwise. Kallen more so, who seemed anxious to test out her new divine blessed abilities.
Ibuki was simply excited to go out and explore the city and equally excited to go into the dungeon.
Elbia though, wasn't against going into the dungeon, she seemed wanting to explore it as well, but her interest seemed focused on Hana's art room. Something she mentioned off handedly when giving the three new arrivals a tour of their home.
Seems they summoned another art enthusiast. Hestia only hoped that this one would keep her clothes on. One Hana was enough, she didn't want to deal with two. She just barely tolerated Hana's 'habit' when she worked on her art and that was only if she had the door locked downstairs.
Hestia gave a sigh and laid back on her bed. After updating everyone's status, witnessing the summonings, and giving the new arrivals a falna, Hestia was ready to call the day over and sleep the rest of it off.
Her mind chose then to remind her of the conversation she had with Koukin.
She definitely had much to think about and a big decision to make.
She was already keeping one skill from Bell, a vital one at that.
Could she really keep another when it's tied close to everyone in the familia?
She knew she couldn't, it wasn't practical in the long term for starters. With so many people so far, it was only a matter of time before someone mentions it. Whether on purpose or in passing, someone was bound to say something.
Koukin was likely to, she wasn't one to turn away a potential asset like the skill was. She was a pragmatic soul through and through.
Hestia also knew she was a compassionate one as well and that she wouldn't put Bell in a place to be manipulated for a quick power up.
Hestia thought to the others as well. Discounting the new arrivals due to lack of knowledge or familiarity, Hestia knew in her heart that the others would do the same. They wouldn't hurt Bell.
And Hestia knew Bell wouldn't hurt them either. His kind nature coming first to her mind.
He may actually be hard pressed in aiding the skill use at all, given his 'experience' with women.
Or lack thereof.
Hestia gave a sigh at that. You would think after all the times she'd show affection to Bell he would at least be more accustomed to the opposite sex. Nevermind the fact he was the only guy in their home.
But Bell was as shy as the rabbit he resembled. At the very least he was getting better. Slowly of course, but better nonetheless.
Hestia made her choice, she couldn't hold this back from Bell. Not when it already involved the whole familia in any case. She had to approach this cautiously though and definitely had to set up some ground rules involving it.
She stared hard at the ceiling of her room, as if looking past it and into the sky above.
And past that to the heavens, where her thoughts drifted to a new topic.
'Just why did you do this, Eros? Why did you give up your chance to come down here?'
She closed her eyes and relaxed her body, her exhaustion taking her to dreams, but not before another thought crossed her mind.
'And why did it have to be my Bell?'