Sword Astraea

Monsterphelia

Bell stood in a grassy field holding his sword with a blindfold over his eyes. The wind softly blew, filling his ears with the sound of the grass rustling. He remained still and calm, his sword in hand.

He quickly swung to the right and parried a blade before quickly ducking and feeling something go over his head.

Bell shot back up and blocked another slash at his hip, then jumped back and landed a few feet away. He listened closely once again and moved his head as a rock flew past.

Bell brought his sword up and blocked before kicking his assailant in the stomach. He heard air exit lungs and swung down.

Only for his wrist to be grabbed and him thrown over the assailant's shoulder. Bell landed on the ground, causing dirt to be kicked up and for him to let out a groan, with his blindfold being taken off.

His eyes adjusted to the light, and he saw his Grandpa staring down at him with a smile. "Got a little cocky there near the end."

He stuck his hand out to Bell, which the boy took. The old man helped Bell up and patted the dirt off his shirt.

"I thought I had you that time." Bell chuckled.

The old man gave him a smile. "You're still a hundred years too young to beat me, Bell. But you are getting pretty good."

The old man currently rested a dull Xhipos over his shoulder that he used for training. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and strong muscles. He wore a blue button-up shirt with blue jeans and a pair of overalls over top of them. His hair was grey, as well as his beard, which was bushy.

"Now, what has this training taught you so far?" The old man asked.

"That I can't rely on my eyes when I'm fighting." Bell groaned like he had said it before,

"Correct, and now look at you. Able to fight without being able to see at all. Winning, on the other hand, is a different matter."

Bell rolled his eyes as the old man started laughing. His Grandpa walked up beside him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Come now, Bell, let's get lunch. I, for one, am starving from winning all day."

Bell couldn't help but smile as he sheathed his sword and followed his Grandpa back home to their cabin.
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Bell awoke to the sun shining through his window with a purple tint thanks to the blinds. He yawned and stretched as he got out of bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and walked over to his dresser, where all of his clothes were now stored.

He opened it and grabbed a black long-sleeve shirt with black pants and the light brown jacket his goddess had gotten for him.

He quickly put them off and discarded his dirty clothes into the dirty clothes basket in his room. Once he was dressed, he grabbed his chestplate and put it on before securing his sword and dagger to his belt.

He would leave his backpack here as he wasn't going into the dungeon today. He grabbed his boots and quickly fastened them to his feet before grabbing a coin pouch with money he had set aside for today.

Once all that was done, he got up and walked out of his room and to the dining room. Astraea was already sitting at the head of the table, a cup of coffee to her right and a newspaper in her hand.

"Ah, good morning, Bell, ready for today?" She asked, giving Bell a smile.

Bell nodded. "Yup, just gonna get some breakfast, and we should be ready to head out."

Bell walked into the kitchen while Astraea flipped the newspaper over. Bell grabbed an apple with some water before walking back into the dining room.

"Have you already eaten?" Bell asked, sitting down.