Danmachi: The Heroes Tournament

Chapter 29 Saving A Friend

in the fight on the cliffside where princess Apollonia is held captive, Bell was getting mauled 5 minutes in the fight and it was all Zeb with no real struggle since Bell was in bad shape, Bell was tired, hungry, sick, dizzy, exhausted, poisoned, and he was still recovering from his fight with Capaneus just yesterday and taking a beating from Zeb on top of it. Bell had next-to-no chance of winning the fight in his current condition, especially with all the added damage he's receiving from Zeb, who had brass gauntlet's on that were spiked. Appolonia was mortified to look at this knowing he's doing this for her sake's and tried to reason with them to safe Bell from this.
Appolonia:"please, stop this, you'll kill him at this rate, you already won, that should be enough right, please, stop"
Zeb:"kill him,(laughter) what do you think i'm trying to do, that's part of the plan, now you little lump of trash, DIE"
Appolonia was screaming for them to stop to no avail, and Bell was nearly bleeding all over and had lot's of new injuries and pain all over his body, however, Bell remembered something a member of the House of Poison said to Bell one time.
Ninja:"Listen, kid, all the House of Poison's darts are able to hurt and harm you, but if you focus your inner magic power through your entire body and take calm deep breath's, the poison would be instantly destroyed by your body's natural immune system...so if you would be so kind as to not tell anyone about me hitting you with this dart I would be grateful and please consider remembering that this was an accident"
Bell then focused and took a calm deep breath and then he instantly felt Better, the poison was gone, just as the ninja said from before, his exhaustion was gone along with that, and even his body felt better, he then remembered if he focused his magic like the ninja do, he could heal his body quicker and faster, while increasing his capabilities like he did a few time's in the past, so as Zeb was going in for another attack, Bell caught his fist and broke one of his finger's, he then went for a kick and Bell caught the kick, Zeb looked at the suddenly revived and menacing looking Bell as Bell threw him into the wall behind him, Zeb started to panic, then he remembered he doesn't have to make this a fair fight and would make everyone attack.
Zeb:"so this guy has backbone after all"
Zeb's thought's:" you should have just staid down, now time for plan B"
Zeb:"okay everyone, let's show him what we're made of, come on boys"
then the ninja from all around watching then came and surrounded Bell within moment's and as they all charged, Bell did his best to fend them off then after about 2 minutes, he was then grabbed by the arm's and leg's and used as a punching bag for long 5 minutes, as this happened the group got to the climb and as they did they saw as Bell was being overtaken and he was in trouble.
Gaianda:"I'm gonna kill every one of them"
Ais:"we need to hurry- wait what happened to the black magic"
Satoshi then fainted as Lily caught her from falling, they put her on Ais's back as Rivaria checked on her when they carried her while running to help Bell and found out she reached her magic limit.
Rivaria:"mind zero, she put up her magic this long with no break, I'm honestly surprised she lasted this long"
Finn:"yeah, even if it was suppressed, it still has the same effect as her regular magic, and in truth, she used a lot more then she usually uses"
Lily:"we need to hurry, we're almost there"
Bell got hit this long and hard before he used his other magic firebolt to make a massive fire explosion and burned half of them and shake them off, he then got fighting again, his friend's, after seeing a massive explosion, show up and knock out the remaining ninja that were there, after the ninja are beaten and broken, they are tied up and they question Zeb.
Lily:"okay...why, in all common sense, and in the good name of our goddess Hestia, would you thoughtlessly and cluelessly...kidnap the princess of this nation, lure Bell here, and worst of all in all this, TRY TO BEAT HIM TO DEATH IN NUMBERS IN PURE JOY"
Zeb was stubborn even to the end and to get out of taking responsibility for his action's and the desition's he made and completely tried to bail out of it, and had it sound like he wasn't at fault to begin with.
Zeb:"...I don't have to answer that"
Enyo:"the king did say, "anyone you kill, during or after the fight, is going to be labeled, "necessary force" for justice", so you better start talking, or else"
Zeb:"ok ok, look, I was trying to prove I was way stronger than some punk who never worked for his power"
they all looked in dought knowing he was lying, but more shocked at how clueless he was.
Sanjouno:"there are many things wrong with that, mainly the part about Bell not working for his power"
Zeb:"that guy is nothing but a big joke, there are those who are born with power and glory like him or a better example, the sword princess right their, and then there are those who actually worked hard for the little strength they can muster from their blessing, this kid, this disgrace to adventurer's everywhere, he never worked hard, nowhere near as much as me or Mike or anyone else who struggled, he doesn't deserve the fame and glory, he's also a joke as Gaianda's brother, I'd be better if he never existed in the first place, he should have died, then thing's would be better"
Bell then walked up to Zeb, grabbed him by the shirt and held him to his face with a anger in his eye's.
Bell:"YOU THINK I HAVEN'T WORKED FOR THE STRENGTH I HAVE, I grew up being trained by my cousin- no, my brother Capaneus, and not just him, Enyo, Mero, Zerif, Satoshi, Nevroc, even a retired overseer from the House of Fire, master Haudge Ling"
Hauge Ling retired after nearly 37 year's of overseeing the most difficult house to train, he taught Bell many things, and as Bell was there he was asked not to tell anyone about his training until he see's fit for his strength to show to the people around him, and he felt like today was a good day to say that since he got this far and strong.
Bell:"I have been training harder than anyone in the House of Steel, even the house of fire, I would even say I been training just as hard as my brother, so don't say I haven't worked hard, but you know what, you can hurt me and break me all you like...but never touch my friend's, because if you do, I WILL KILL YOU ON THE SPOT"
Tione's thought's:"wait, that's what he's upset about, his friend's, he does care for them more than himself"
Lily's thought's:"...why am I not surprised, but still happy at the same time"
Bell then threw him to get his leg impaled by a sharp part of the mountain, he asked for help but they ignored him and let his leg bleed and seal on its own.
Zeb:"Gaianda, please, all...most of this was for you"
Gaianda:"if it were up to me, you would have been expelled from the House of Steel a very, so very, long, soooooo lllooonnnngggg, time ago, goodbye"
then Bell had to carry Appolonia since her leg was hurt from the mountain's rock's poking into her knee's, she was carried by Bell the entire trip to the gate's, the king, and queen were waiting for anything, then they saw the group and saw as a bloody Bell was carrying their daughter and they both ran up and hugged both Bell and Appolonia in happiness.
Bell:"Alexander...Ianthina...you're... crushing us"
Appolonia:"mom...dad...please let go"
Ianthina:"after this, we're going to make a little change"
Alexander:"it's bothered us a while, but I guess we have little option's now that this happened, you're going through training to fight in case the guards are in that kind of situation again, you need to be able to fight back, we think you should be an adventurer like you wanted"
Appolonia:"REALLY, YEAH"
Ianthina:"and you're not just getting any trainer either, we're talking about the most effective combat teacher there is"
Apollonia then froze in fear as she had an idea of who it was and then Bell asked.
Bell:"...you mean"
Alexander:"yes Bell, we're talking about Capaneus"
Apollonia:"Bell, when I die a horrible death, please remember me"
Bell:"don't worry, you'll make it"
Bell's thought's:" ...hopefully"
after the King's medic's bandaged up Bell, he focused his magic to heal his body, and in another room about what happen's next after this event took place, the King discussed how this happened and the way it played out, it was too well planned and very clever for someone like Zeb to make, the topic was who the other part that helped them were.
Alexander:"since the individuals were acting on their own accord, we won't hold the nation responsible, however, we will hold these ninjas in my country's prisons for their punishment's, deliver this message to the nation these men came from and give them that same sentence I told you"
Royal Soldier:"yes sir
Loki:"I'm still concerned about this, will the other's take advantage of the event that took place to overwhelm us"
Hestia:"Aww yes, I was so focused on the ninja, I completely forgot about the Soma and Apollo familia, if the king and queen are involved I don't think they will"
Alexander's thought's:"I wouldn't be so sure goddess Hestia, even if I rule this nation, there are those who will do anything to gain power, but in this case, Bell was the fish, My daughter was bait, and the ninja were the line to real him in...so who's the fisher at the pond"
little did they know, that the stunt that was pulled here, is exactly what the king thought was happening.