Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

[Vol.3] Quest 221- The War Games Acceptance

After arriving back at Cirrus’s and Ai’s place, Cirrus and Ai made her favorite dish, which was venison with honey drizzled on it with river water.

“So what happened? You ate three steaks so far.” Ai said as she watches Artemis devour the food before her.

“You remember Bell, right?” said Cirrus.

“What about him? Did he go to the banquet?” said Nox looking on from the side, watching Artemis eat.

“Yes, and well, it seems the Apollo Familia wanted a War Games just so Apollo could get his hands on Bell, and he had an um… very perverted look like the ‘I wanna eat you up.’ kind of look.”

“A War Game!? They can’t be serious! Bell is just a level 2! And he’s the only one of his Familia!” Ai shouted.

“That is why Hestia denied the War Games but…”

“That damn Apollo.” Said Artemis, licking the honey off her lips. “He’s going to do something; I’ve known him for a long time and when he gets that face, he will do anything to get what he wants.”

“Then do you think he’s going to do something rash?” said Ai.

“Possibly, but it will be soon. He is, as one would call him, a very… 'Passionate’ god.” Artemis said making air quotes.

“Haaa… Maybe we should have asked for their home so we can check up on them.” Said Cirrus leaning back.

“Only time will tell. Thank you for the meal. I will be staying with the other for now. You have that construction job in the morning tomorrow, right?”

“I do.”

“Then I will keep an eye on Apollo tomorrow. Goodnight Cirrus, Ai.” She took her bow and arrows with her as she left.

“… So he saw you, huh?” said Nox.

“Yeah… to think they would invite him.”

“It’s a shame… seems you have to hold up your end of the bargain, huh?”

“What’s this bargain?" Ai asked. "You said you had a reason you didn’t want to meet with him, right? Was it that you made a deal?”

“Yup! He made a deal that he should find him in the future and when he does, he would tell him stories of the stuff he did.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad! You should have talked to him back on the 18th floor!”

“Well, that’s not the issue, Ai,” Cirrus said. “The issue lies in that well… you see… I met him after I left you with Hera to go finish Alfia's last request.”

“And didn’t you finish it?”

“No.” Cirrus reached into his pockets and put down a green broch.

“!!” Ai quickly noticed where and to who it belonged to. “T-this is Alfia's… what did she want you to do?”

“She…” Cirrus holds it in his hand and sees the light bounce off it. “Is Bell’s aunt. I guess you could say we are Familia cousins except he comes from both Zeus and Hera, buuuut he was raised by Zeus.”

“… I see, so that’s why you don’t want a connection with him so soon. You rather he becomes stronger like you so you can talk with him more easily. Is this right?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” he said, putting the broch back into his shadow.

“… This is… troubling… it’s a shame you just converted.”

“Yeah… well, nothing we can do now but wait.”

“Yup.” she said, getting up. “Say… On another note um... What would you do if say a friend is in some trouble?”

Cirrus and Nox could tell she was hiding something. Her ears and tail sold her out.

“… I would look into how I would help them, like their situation, the problem, and all the angles. I could approach it, leaving nothing up to chance and also most importantly…”

“Yes…”

“If they wish for help, there is no point in saving someone who doesn’t wish to be saved, like if you're saving someone from drowning, but they are actually making it hard for you to save them. No point in both of you drowning… unless you know you wish to be a hero.”

“… Hmmm… I’m going to sleep.”

“Alright.”

She left the kitchen and walked upstairs.

Alone with Nox in the kitchen she went into the fridge and handed him a drink.

"So has Circe updated you on those plant monsters?"

"Not yet but I can ask now. Circe, how goes the monster examination?”

‘Hmm… Well, it’s a plant. I tested it for everything, and nothing came up. It’s basically just a mutated plant. I can just remove the magic stone and poof! All gone. Oh, but judging from its biology, I would put this monster between level 2 and 3 on base.’

“Two and three, huh? Pretty tough and ugly bastards.” Nox said. “Are we going to go down again later?”

“… We are, but from what Hermes had said, there is another entrance to the dungeon, so we need to find that first more than anything.”

“Fuck… in this city, it’ll be a pain in the ass.”

‘Wish I can help, but I can assure you the area where me and Lenoa live there are no secret passages besides the ones you use Cirrus.’

“Well, that’s 1 out of 8 searched… fuck… Cirrus, I’ll be going to sleep too. There is much to do tomorrow.”

“Yeah… a lot.”

The next day, the whole city knew of Cirrus’s return, but luckily not Ai’s.

“So is our deal still up?” said a smith from the Goibniu Familia.

“Yeah, I made the deal so ill honor it.”

They got back to work, but as they did, they heard some.

Booom!!!

Boom!!

Booom!

Explosion far off in the distance.

“… Say I’ve been out of the city for a while, but I’m sure the city doesn’t have any events this time of year?”

“… No… but it sounds like trouble.” Said one craftsmen.

“…Hmm… How often does this occur?"

"Well... a bit regularly. Not to the extent of when you left but um... You know fights between Familia still happen." said another craftsmen.

Up from the tower of Babel.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Looking down upon the city Artemis sees her prey.

“Apollo… to think you would destroy the city just to get what you want.” Artemis notches her bow. “I can see why you chose this spot 7 years ago during the operation, Cirrus. I can see everything.”

She lets go of the arrow and a single arrow flies through the air, not even making a single sound.

From on top of the tower, Artemis could see Bell and Hestia running and Apollo’s captain fighting Bell when:

Thunk!

Her arrow had found its mark in Apollo's captain's hand, causing him to drop his sword, then three arrows fired off, causing him to dodge and get into cover.

‘Oh? and who could that… ah, the child Miach brought with him… interesting.’

She could see Bell and Hestia running and resting when more of them came, and this time it was the elf that came to her home.

“And there goes another hand.”

She fires another, and the arrow flies and strikes him in his hand, causing him to miss.

He sends his men to go after Bell, but more children came all wearing Far Eastern clothing.

“… Even in Gekai, you still managed to make friends with just about everyone. Very good. You alone aren’t quite capable, but those around you sure are.”

She watched as more and more of her friends come and help her. Miach came and healed Bell as well as two others, a red-haired human and a pallum.

They moved through the streets to find more rough-looking people.

“… Odd they are not your children, far too unrefined.”

They seemed to be holding their own, for now, so Artemis returned her gaze to Hestia.

“Hmm… you hid yourself… but you… Apollo’s child.” Her gaze lands on Hyakinthos. “Now lead me to them.”

She spots in the corner of her eye a red dot, fire magic.

“Found you.”

Another arrow flies and finds itself in the person's hand again.

Hestia and Bell run out of the channel when he stops and heads Southwest.

‘Southwest?’

She looks over in that direction to see the Apollo Familia’s Emblem on a mansion.

“… You’re going to accept it… from here on out I can’t help you anymore, Hestia… the path you pick is yours to walk. Apollo will make sure I can’t help you.”

She lowers her bow and puts the arrow back into her quiver.

“But… maybe Cirrus could.”

She puts on a invisibility cloak and quickly goes down Babel.