"Huh."
Welf awkwardly stood there with his mouth agape, the dead body of the Dungeon Chameleon rapidly disintegrating before our eyes and leaving behind its large magic stone. Unfortunately no drop this time, but I guess that was bound to happen. Drops were rare, even with increased drop rates!
Patting Welf on the shoulder I gave him a smile.
"Don't worry Welf, you'll be killing Dungeon Chameleons in no time flat! I have faith in you!"
"Huh." Staring down at the magic stone on the ground he was simply struck with awe at Belle's achievement! Belle seemed to take the opportunity to hug me tighter, causing me to blush at the act.
I hadn't forgotten our earlier conversation, and smiling up at me while her hands were covered in red like this was weirdly cute!? She looked like a rabbit that had found a big bucket of strawberry jam and ravenously torn into it, only to be super satisfied with herself after the feast!
"So let me get this straight, you haven't even been in the dungeon ten times and you've encountered two Dungeon Chameleons? And a Hunter?" Welf, my companion. My friend. My pal.
You have made a terrible mistake! I could feel Belle's arms tighten around me at the word 'Hunter' and it occurred to me at that moment that I didn't exactly inform her about that little detail being given to Welf!
"Yes!" Simply be confident! I gave a bright smile to my companions, and Belle gently pulled away with a sigh, muttering a small insult under her breath. I quickly wiped a tear from my eye as Belle whispered about me being an 'Idiot', truly this fate was worse than death!
If Rose found out I might even receive a beating worthy of making my Master have sympathy!
Letting out a small cough I picked up the stone and handed it to Belle. She definitely earned this one! After sliding the stone into her bag she closed it tight. There wasn't room for anything else after that giant rock!
Awkwardly turning towards Welf I gave him a casual grin while leaning on my blade.
"You can have the next one."
A bead of sweat fell down his face as he stared at me. He certainly was contemplating what I had said, but let out a defeated laugh instead of what I expected.
"I think I'm alright."
I couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder. Poor Welf thought he was stealing our thunder! Truly adventurers who've experienced the Dungeon before are strong!
"Don't worry, there's enough Chameleons for all of us to share!"
Belle took that moment to interrupt, gently tugging me in her direction, causing me to turn my head.
People were coming this way! I wondered for a moment if they'd seen the Chameleon, but they came around a corner so probably not. Unless they had a cool scouting skill I'd never heard about before.
That would be cool!
"Well, well, well." I instantly frowned as the front of the posse spoke up, six allies following close behind. That word said three times in that voice always leads to trouble! "The Crozzo runt actually is part of a damn party? Who woulda fuckin though?"
The group began to laugh, eying us up like we were fresh meat. Gently titling my head I couldn't help but wonder where Belle went? Did she go on a walk or something?
Well, I was certain she'd be back soon. Or maybe she just did that sneaky thing and I couldn't see her because I didn't watch her do it?
"-hey brat, I'm talking to you." The man's voice was gruff and tinged with anger as he moved towards Welf and I. I looked to the side at Welf who . . . Turned away?
Was Welf afraid of these jerks!? Were these jerks trying to scare my companion!?
"-I said I'm-" he was yelling at this point, and I noticed he was moving towards me, and not Welf.
"I heard you the first time, you don't need to yell in my face." I frowned. I didn't like this guy very much. He only scoffed in response.
"That Crozzo runt is bad news, you should dump him and surface before he lures you in with promises he won't keep." He was starting to get in my face now, a bead of saliva from his mouth landing on my chest armor as he continued.
"You'll be all buddy, buddy with this fucking asshole, and he won't make shit that's actually goddamn useful like he says! He's got a skill no one else has, but he won't use it! He's a damn coward is all he is!"
I took a deep breath, then spoke clearly, but also loud enough to silence them.
"I don't care." I awkwardly scratched the back of my head as I explained myself. "If Welf doesn't want to use a skill he has, I'm not going to make him."
"Hah? Then why in the hell would you party with him?"
I pat the man on the shoulder, even though he refused to meet my eyes. My smile was radiant as I answered their question.
"Well, he's my friend of course!"
For a moment it was quiet. Then the laughter came from their mouths like a tidal wave. I frowned at these goons, before I began muttering to Welf, and presumably Belle wherever she had scampered off too.
"Let's not waste anymore time on these clowns." Some people just didn't understand the power of friendship, no matter how many times you told them.
All they did was laugh at a bond they would never be capable of forming with another person.
In another situation I might try to explain myself a bit more, but Welf clearly wanted to leave.
I wasn't going to let my personal desires to help others become better people overwrite what my friend needed right now.
Selfless -> Angelic
I didn't really feel like an angel right now. I just wanted to help my friend. Shaking my head I began to walk away, but Welf didn't follow.
He just stood stock still. Guilt carved into his features as though it had been sitting upon his face for years.
"They're right." A hush had fallen over everyone present, the laughter even subsiding as he spoke. "What I've done. What I can do." He turned his head, gazing deep down into the abyss that was the Dungeon.
The pit seemed to swallow him whole in just one look. Welf didn't like this place, I could tell it was bringing up some really bad memories.
So why did he seem excited to explore this place with Belle and I?
"It should just be buried in this wretched place-"
I'd grabbed Welf hard. Pulling him towards me as I stared into his quivering eyes, my stern expression unflinching during the act. His hands quivered as an expression of rage began to overtake his mental spiral into despair. Being buried here? His journey shouldn't end like that.
"I don't know what you did. I don't know who you used to be. All I know is that right now my friend is saying some not so nice things about himself, and needs to stop!"
I didn't like grabbing him. I didn't like doing it at all. But if he wanted to die in this place, he'd have to go through a lot more discomfort than just that. Setting him back down I rested a hand on his shoulder, but he batted it away with a weak hand.
"You don't understand what I'm capable of, Andrew. You don't understand at all." His voice was shaking, almost like he was begging for me to just have mercy on him, and let this all end with him ceasing to be.
I'd never just let that happen.
"Welf. You're right." I took a breath as I continued. "I don't know what you're capable of, but honestly it doesn't matter what you can do or have done. Whatever it is, I know the Welf that stands before me wouldn't let the person you used to be do whatever bad stuff you are talking about."
He bit his lip as his eyes met mine again, and I couldn't help but smile and put my hands on my hips.
"Your death in this Dungeon won't fix a thing Welf. The only people who can make things better are those who are still alive."
Rank 7: Forged in Wildfire - Equipment will have increased quality after being forged by the Tower Arcana
I didn't really catch what one of the people from the other group had said while I was mid monologue. It was honestly sort of surprising, I normally have great hearing after all.
I was so focused on being there for my friend, that whatever insult they had said was instantly silenced in comparison!
"Hey." Turning back to Welf as he spoke, who was leaking tears from his eyes I couldn't help but give my bro a hug. His breath hitched for a moment at the closeness, and I pulled away a moment later. However he pulled back in, and returned the favor.
He wiped away his tears and let out a breath.
"After we finish this dive, I'll tell you a bit more about my past. You deserve to know, and then you can decide whether you'd rather find a different smith or not."
I gave the man a smile and a thumbs up. I already had my answer. I softly pulled away from him, and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder.
"Sounds fun! I'll do the same!"
His lip twitched, then he let out a small chuckle, then he exploded into full born laughter.
"You- I don't know what I expected you of all people to say." He patted me on the shoulder as he turned around towards the group of fellows before freezing. His teary expression had gone from downtrodden, joyful, exasperated, and now just plain confused.
"You can count on it." I followed his gaze and froze as well.
Where did they go?
I felt a tap on my shoulder as Belle appeared next to me, a small smile on her face and her hands holding her blade behind her back.
"They left, let's keep going."
Belle really was reliable. I'm fairly certain she scared them off! She can be quite fierce after all!
"Awesome! Let's keep going then, I have a great feeling about our adventure today!"
Welf hefted his blade over his shoulder, side eyeing Belle for a moment before letting out a huff that morphed into a small smile.
"Thanks." We continued onto the next floor with little resistance, the relatively easy descent to the third floor had me a bit confused, but nonetheless I was excited! This was my first time on the third floor!
Now, according to Rose, this place wasn't too much different from the second, but I had a feeling a new adventure was upon us!
After a while of walking around though, I'm not going to lie, I did get a bit bored?
If monsters didn't show up anymore, I might just have to ask Welf about his past before we even left the Dungeon!
"Where did all the monsters go?"
Welf had frowned at my question, a small sadness lurking in his eyes. It's not like this would be our last time here together!
"Well, we can always come back tomorrow."
"You haven't even heard what I had to say, and you've already decided I'm sticking with you?" The red head had only gotten more confused as time went on. I think I needed to spell it out for him!
"Welf. You're my friend. There's no reason to act like this is goodbye."
His flat expression was my only response, deep contemplation rested behind his eyes as he considered what I said.
"Alright." There was agony in his words. Guilt mixed with regret, hatred twisted by pain.
"Welf-" I didn't want him to be like this for another moment, but as I spoke up, we all sensed the danger suddenly looming over us.
Perking up towards the direction it was coming from, moved not one monster, not ten, but hundreds.
"Oh! So that's where they were!" Gazing at the horde of lizards, goblins, and kobolds, I couldn't help but smile. Finally some action! Belle also chipped in with a bunch of words I didn't know the meaning of!
"It's not a Pass Parade, it's a Break Parade."
Welf's eyes widened at that, shock turning into the grin of a man staring at an opportunity.
"Don't those have increased drops?"
Increased drops you say? Rolling my shoulder slightly, I raised my best friend sword while staring at the incoming tide.
"All right everyone. It looks like we're about to get paid!"
Belle disappeared into the fray, Welf started casting some kind of fire magic, and I charged forth.
I wanted to feel what I'd felt before! That rush when facing off against the hunter! It's like my soul had ignited!
Slash scars, piercing knives, burn scars, and cracked bones littered the battlefield as we rampaged.
Fighting multiple foes at once was always a bit difficult, but with our newly enhanced stats we were doing great!
Then I heard the sound of an arrow. A spear. A hammer. Other weapons began to join in as other people started to join our little group of monster hunters!
Luckily I seemed to be the focus, so none of them got hurt too bad! I wouldn't want any passerby who stepped in with good will in their hearts to get hurt!
After thirty minutes of shedding blood, I reconvened with our party, and they looked a little bit drained.
At least the sea of drops was enticing! Even the twenty or so people who'd gathered around were in shock.
"By the Gods, I've never seen this many drops in one place before!"
"This isn't normal. Even for a break parade."
"Maybe it's something to do with it being on the third floor? Break Parades up this high are unheard of."
Then one of them asked a burning question I hadn't even asked myself yet.
"So how are we splitting all of this up?"
Immediately the atmosphere became tense. Though it's not like my party could even carry the drops out. Our bags were full of other things at this point.
Gazing over the crowd I saw different groups forming, each with a person with a big back pack, pouch, or other container held closely.
That would be really confident if I had one of those!
I'd locked eyes with one of them for a moment, a shorter girl with a big backpack, and I could practically see the dollar signs in her eyes as she stared over the pile of loot.
"Alright. Belle, Welf, let's just go."
Welf was taken aback, though Belle didn't seem to question it.
"And just leave all these drops for people who barely even did half the work the two of you did?"
"Don't count yourself out of that either Welf, but yes. We don't really need all that extra anyways. We can come back tomorrow and just do the same thing again!"
Unfortunately he wasn't convinced!
"Even if we do stick together, this amount of drops is unheard of, we should at least try and grab some and sell them before the market is flooded and their price drops. Break Parades never happen this high, this is basically our only chance to make some extra money like this."
He was being pragmatic, but he was also talking as fast as he could. Despite that, I could understand him, but that's just not how I liked to do things.
It just wasn't my Shounen Way.
"That's ok Welf, I'm sure we'll make it back in no time at all! We can always just keep going deeper anyways. Adventures may need funds, but look at everyone over there."
His gaze slowly turned to the group, his expression not seeing what I'd exactly meant as they argued over the drops.
"To them, it's a once in a lifetime chance, but to us?" I looked at Belle, her frame brimming with confidence as I stared at her. She was my fellow hero in training, we might not be there yet, but we were getting there fast!
I'd looked at Welf, he had potential, even if he didn't see it. His smithing had far exceeded what I'd seen in my home dimension, and I knew that was just barely scratching the surface of what he'd be able to do once he believed in himself.
"Jeez, don't stare at me like that." He faintly blushed and heel turned before letting out a small series of noises that I could only assume that he meant he agreed with me!
"Welf. This isn't a once in a lifetime chance for us. This could be any day of the week we feel like."
He'd frozen. A bead of sweat rolling down his arm and gently hitting the Dungeon floor as time seemed to freeze along with his body. Seemingly not able to hold back his past from both Belle and I any more, he began to speak as he refused to meet my gaze.
"4,209."
I blinked.
"What?"
"That's the number of people I killed with my magic weapons." He let out a weak cough, like the mere number was a blight upon his soul. "At least that I'm aware of. It could be upwards of three times that."
Gently taking a seat next to him, I put a hand on his shoulder. Belle had tensed up a little bit, but she joined me at Welf's side.
"Why don't you start from the beginning, Welf." My eyes were already starting to leak. Whatever had driven him to kill so many, it must have been something truly horrible.
"My name is Welf Crozzo, as I'm sure you're aware. The Crozzo family was something I was once part of. Hailed as a genius by others for my ability to create magic weapons."
His hands shook as he stared at the dungeon floor, a small puddle starting to form as he stared back at his own tear stained face.
"It felt amazing. To create something no one else could. To do something no one else could do." His expression grew angry as he slammed a hand into the puddle beneath him, the salty water scattered across the cold dungeon floor as he rose upwards and glared back down at me.
He wasn't glaring at me I realized, but instead the mirror of himself captured in my eyes.
"Then I was brought to see the fruits of my labor."
He let out a see depreciating laugh.
"It's almost funny how stupid I was. It was me. It was all me." He turned back to our pairing, despair in voice as he continued. "Everything I made, every spear, every arrow, every drop of my power was used to burn and slaughter all those that would oppose the warmongers of my home nation."
"Welf that wasn't your fault-"
"YES, YES IT WAS!" He'd screamed it, as though trying desperately to reaffirm his previous beliefs. Welf was about my age. He was just a teenager like myself. When he'd been through all of this, he was probably a lot younger.
His voice had seemed to draw the attention of some onlookers, but they quickly ignored us in favor of picking apart the loot.
"Once finding all of that out, do you know what I did?" He didn't give me the chance to answer. "I ran. I didn't do a thing to help anyone I'd hurt. All I did was flee."
He was inches away from me now, the fire in his eyes burning away at his own soul as he continued.
"I'm a coward. I'm a monster."
I wasn't sure how to reach him. I'd tried telling him he could be better earlier, I'd tried telling him that it wasn't his fault, but nothing seemed to work!
Then it hit me.
"No Welf. You were weak."
He took a step backwards, quite literally taken aback by what I'd said. I understood. I knew exactly how it felt to be called weak.
"You don't do anything because you couldn't, not because you didn't want to. You're a smart guy, a lot smarter than me, and if I was in your situation, I'd have probably ended up dead." His eyes widened but he wasn't fully convinced yet.
"That doesn't change the fact that I-"
"Those warmongers you speak of would have done the same thing anyways. Even if that weren't the case, you find yourself on a diverging path Welf." I gave him a hug, what else could I do to comfort the man about the following words I would give him?
"You can either give up here, ending your story with nothing but ruin, or you can do your best to make things right by standing up against those horrible people who misled and used you."
Rank 8: An Inferno of Regret - Dramatically increases resistance against the effects of magic weapons
". . . Try telling that to the burned bodies. I'll never be strong enough to make things better either way." His voice was weak. He'd lived like this for so long a single Shounen speech couldn't break him out alone.
No, he needed something far stronger.
"Group hug!" I held the man tightly as I smiled, Belle hesitated but using my patented 'pleading stare' she caved and joined us!
"Welf, to Andrew even the worst person could change, and trust me, you aren't even close to the top of that list."
That was such a Shounen line from Belle! She was awakening to 110% of her potential!
"Welf, Belle and I, two Fools stand before you today, the word 'never' isn't ever going to be on the table!"
Belle pulled away, instead choosing to go around Welf and lean into my side. The group hug was strong, but it looked like it was time for it to end.
However Belle said something I hadn't fully anticipated!
"Welf. You're part of our party. That isn't going to change because you did something stupid before."
Rank 9: Blood, Fire, and Steel - Equipment properties will have increased effect after being forged by the Tower Arcana
"Jeez Rabbit Girl, you really have a way with words." His tone was dry to her acceptance speech, but the rabbit did not give up so easily!
"What did you just call me whelp?" Her tone was frigid, the young mistress once sealed away had awakened.
He only smiled as I blushed at the name.
"I think it's a cute title." Crap. Did I also have a crush on Belle!?
"W-well then I suppose, I can allow it just this once."
Welf didn't let up though, sneaking in a few more jabs as we made our way back to the surface. Our party was drained, and quite dirty from sitting on the ground and fighting monsters!
"Whipped."
"You best stop speaking lest you lose the ability too."
Their banter was amazing! Perhaps- could it be? Was Welf, Belle's Shounen rival!?
___
You can check my Patreon out here: https://www.patreon.com/BobOfTheHedgeField for reading advanced chapters, voting on which stories are updated next, special discord benefits, and suggesting prompts for the special prompt poll!
Every little bit helps me continue writing, thank you to all my Patrons for their support!