Originally posted on Spacebattles. I do not own both Dwarf Fortress and Danmachi. If I did, I probably would have published this elsewhere.

The adventurer held his beer tightly. This was his last mug, he said to himself, slightly trembling from it's implications.

His free hand found it's way towards his bag. What luck... there was nothing... not even a single coin. What luck!

His eyes then wandered towards the mug. Will he drink it now? Or will he fill his waterskin with it and drink it later? These questions boggled his mind, for all he wanted to do was to drink it anyway. Especially given the place he was in.

The sound of mugs colliding with each other, of plates clattering against the tables, of weapons clanking as they were placed on the floor, of adventurers telling tales of their exploits, these sounds filled the tavern with life. The wooden floor creaked ever so slightly, the planks were old and unevenly placed. There were also voices within earshot, telling stories of adventure, of treasure, and of glory. Oh how he wished his days be turned back, for those memories seemed as if it happened yesterday. Those glorious days of his, those days when he adventured more than he did right now, those days when he encountered monsters that seemed too great, too powerful to be defeated. The past seem to be much more different, now that he was thinking about it. Times of grave danger and times of great catastrophe, turned into memories he wished to live once more.

Tears slowly formed within his eyes, tears of nostalgia and of longing. He then wiped them, as soon as he noticed a crawling sensation on his cheeks. Now, he was here. Forgotten. Not even one of the adventurers know of his story, for all assumed that he simply is a starting adventurer. He could not blame them, however, for a long time has passed ever since those days-his days of glory.

His daydreams were soon interrupted by a loud shout, not of fear nor of terror, but one of great excitement.

"The Loki Familia is here!"

His eyes then darted towards the door, figures soon entering from the door of the tavern. Out of all those who entered, there were five that caught his attention. A dwarf, a wolf man, a gold-haired human, and elves.

He detest elves. He loathed them greatly, though it is not without reason. Their arrogance, their intense devotion to nature, their massively overblown ego, there are almost a thousand reasons for him to hate an elf, and he could even add more to the ever-growing list.

The group of adventurers that just entered chose a seat near his, quite the distance for him to eavesdrop on their conversation. He could hear them talk about their adventures within the Dungeon, their current problems, their gossips, their rumours, their boisterous laughter... Such laughter made him remember those times again...

The conversation made a great turn when the wolf man became rather drunk with his ale, bastard can't even keep his liquor.

"Oi Aiz! Won't you tell them what happened earlier in the dungeon?" the wolf man said as he laughed, facing the gold-haired human. The elf-hating adventurer then took his last mug of wine and refilled his waterskin with it, and he could not afford to waste a single drop.

"Bete, you're getting quite drunk!" replied the brown-skinned human.

"Says the weakling!" the wolf man barked in return, and then faced the human earlier. "Anyways, there was this adventurer in the Upper Levels of the Dungeon who was chased by a minotaur. Aiz killed it andsaved his butt while he was drenched with blood. You know what Tomato-Boy did after Aiz saved him?" This was getting quite interesting to hear...

"Tomato-Boy then ran away from Aiz! At full speed, no less! How pathetic!"

"Bete! You know it is our fault why the minotaurs escaped from the middle levels." the green-haired elf said to the wolf man, admonishing him.

"Shut up!" he replied. There was a few moments of silence from their group, at least until the wolf man began to speak again.

"So Aiz, if you were to pick between me an' him, who would ya pick? Me, or the Tomato-boy?" a wry smile formed from the wolf man's face, eyes curled up seemingly in delight. "There's no way you would pick that weakling, amirite? You wouldn't want to be beside such a novice, you wouldn't accept it."

At the same time, a white-haired boy immediately stood up and ran away.

"Pulling that in Mama Mia's tavern, either he's really brave or really stupid..." a red-headed human-no, goddess said. He reminded himself that in this world, gods and godesses have already descended to the Lower World.

In all his days of adventuring in Orario, he had joined not even a single party, not even a familia. This made him feel quite lonely.

Tomorrow should yield more treasures for him. Or trash, depending on his luck...

The morning sky shone ever so brightly, the clouds reflecting the majestic light of the sun. But the nameless adventurer did not care about such beauty, for nature seemed as a disgusting abomination to him.

He hid his face beneath his helmet, the shadow hiding most of his features. He carried his trusty warhammer, his only weapon, and his shield, though he did not usually use it. He wore no suit of armour, for it only served to slow him down. He wore no luxurious vanities, no gems nor ornamental clothing, for it only served to distract him while fighting.

This time, he descended towards the 15th floor. It was his first time descending that deep, especially since it was in the middle levels of the Dungeon. Confident that no beast would outmatch his speed, he pressed onwards.

His first encounter was with a group of rabbits, axe-wielding rabbits to be precise. It took about a minute to kill them all, their bodies crushed and mangled. They had broken bones, crushed organs, and, strangely, purple stones. Although he thought that it was quite useless in combat situations, he did learn that these stones are sold to the Adventurer's Guild to exchange for money. Not bad...

He took those stones out of their body, sometimes eviscerating them just remove it. It took a while, however, and beasts soon pile up in numbers within the depths of the Middle Floors.

A black 'wolf' then appeared out of the darkness, to the adventurer's surprise. Fire began to grow within it's maw. More of these beasts sprouted out, along with those pesky rabbit-things, and attacked. He sighed, his work interrupted by their presence. Quickly, he withdrew from his position and charged towards them. A bloody battle ensued, internal organs, some body parts, and blood scattered everywhere. But none of them managed to lay even a scratch on him, no, for the casualties that suffered are from the monster's side. His movements were too quick for them, he had doged all their attacks with grace fit for noble races, yet his attacks were ferocious, equalling that to a monster itself. Rage filled his veins, his eyes transforming that to a sheen of red. His hammer strikes crushed them, figuratively and literally, as their corpses exploded from the sheer weight of the weapon.

When all was done, he gathered all their stones. There were a lot of them, and he took his time. Still, he wanted to be sure.

He then waved his hand, making strange gestures in the air. What happened was that some of those corpses not yet butchered or mangled rose. Some of them had broken bones, some of them had entrails being ripped out, still others had no legs. The undead beasts, though they were few, were quite formidable. They are only a few, but it proved more than enough when two of the former fire-breathing dogs decimated an oncoming force of axe-wielding rabbits.

The adventurer, as soon as he finished gathering the stones, then continued within the depths, knowing that more powerful foes reside within the darkness. Soon enough, he encountered a group of minotaurs, beasts with the form of both man and cow, who brandish crudely-made weapons. His undead servants attacked them with ruthless efficiency, for the thralls only care about serving their master.

At least he needed not to drink, even eat. That would be useful, especially for adventurers like him. Still, his throat still thirsts for the taste of ale, especially those of great quality. Before he knew it, the minotaurs were killed, and became a vaulable addition to his party.

Deeper still, the walls seemed to change. Ridges soon appeared from the floor, rising every other floor until it revealed deep holes within them, showing the awfully long path below. It took him days just to reach Floor 17, with most of his undead legion dying and replaced. His forces were numbered to about 24, 12 of which are minotaurs, 5 of the fire-breathing dogs, with the remaining numbers being rabbits. It was a force to be reckoned with, and a force of which most adventurers would be left trembling in fear. But he knew better.

Finally, they arrived infront of the the entrance of the next floor. According to the information he had gathered, they would encounter the great monster Goliath. Reputed to be huge and powerful, the nameless adventurer had planned on how to defeat this Goliath. Basing his plan on the assumption that the "Goliath" is as least as tall as a bronze collosus, perhaps even larger.

Suddenly, the walls shook. Crystals broke out, revealing an enormous beast with the shape of a human. Black-haired, brown skinned, red-eyed, the monster looked almost as terrifying as those forgotten beasts, a monster who exuded great power within his very form. Almost.

Quickly, he ordered the rabbits to attack the monster. Of course, they were mostly wiped out. But the Goliath merely screamed, and the groun beneath him seem to explode. The wolves then scattered towards the sides, flanking the monster. The minotaurs charged alongside with him, arranged in a loose formation with him leading the attack. Before the beast could react, the unamed adventurer had mauled the left leg with his hammer. The leg was crushed to paste, crippling the giant. The wolves on it's flank fired, their breath scorching and burning it's skin. Now that the mighty goliath had kneeled, he brought it lower by breaking his remaining leg. The beast flailed about, killing the remaining rabbits and some of the minotaurs. It wailed, taking some of the wolves far away. Soon enough, the monster faced towards him. It opened it's enormous maw, and howled.

He dodged the attack, now that he was well aquaintanced with the scream's effect. His movements were fast, weaving through the Goliath's arms. Now that the beast was bowing towards the ground, he took the opportunity to maul his head.

The monster moved his head, the adventurer missing the giant. He ordered the remaining minotaurs to cut down the beast's arms, with him being the focus of the beast's attacks. One by one, the minotaur's hacked through the flesh. Each blow was not that deep, but with enough repetitive cuts, the Goliath would soon be deprived of an arm.

The beast now crawled, with only one hand remaining to keep it's head above the ground. While it was still too high for the nameless adventurer, he only had to cut off the other arm. Easier said than done.

A guttural howl, a loud noise. The ground exploded yet again. This time, the Goliath kept on howling, knowing that it was the only chance it had to kill the attackers. While valiant, it was not enough. Soon, it's last remaining arm faltered. Death was ensured, but it did not give up. With one last howl it will trump against it's foes. With one last attack it would kill the raging being. But... something was off...

This 'creature' seemed to move, as it were still alive. But the creature infront of him... It was not alive. Moving, commanding an army of undead beasts, this was unknown to the Goliath. There was only one solution to this problem, to every problem it had faced.

It howled yet again, mused the adventurer. The monster simply did not learn to give up, a trait that seemed universal with all monsters, inside the Dungeon or not. If it weren't for that, half of his fights against them would feel quite empty. Now, the beast infront of him now lay flat on his feet, an amusing sign of defeat and resignation. But, before he would kill it, he would first make it suffer.

The remaining undead minotaurs were ordered to chop off the Goliath's legs, making sure it would never stand up. Then his arms, until all that remains would be the torso and the head. It was difficult to move the giant, especially since the body was too large for most of them to carry, so the adventurer then climbed the beast's back, raising his hammer. A strike, the beast's spine seem to crack. Another strike, the left rib shattered. Another, and the beast was bleeding profusely. He then descended towards the beast's head, facing it. With a swift strike, the wails of pain and terror soon subsided, replaced only by the sickening sound of bones crackling, and the slightly subdued sound of the Goliath's breathing.

It was clearly feeling pain, it's head trying to move again and again in random directions. The Goliath, a monster of enormous size and raw power, now learned what it feels to fear. Face to face with a monster like the one infront of itself, it was clearly no match. The monster did not intend to kill him right away, no. For the poor Goliath soon was aquaintanced with the adventurer's hammer yet again. And darkness overtook it, like the countless times before.

"Silence." the adventurer said solemly. It broke the silence withn the room, for even the minotaurs and the wolves seem to stay still after the Goliath's defeat. Finally, he descended towards the ground, eager to return to the surface.

Now that the beast has been taken care of, the adventurer withdrew his remaining minotaurs and fire-breathing wolves. They are to come back up again, to return these purple stones to the Guild.

The adventurer tried his best to remember how long he had been within the Dungeon. Two days? Four? His rations were soon depleted when he arrived at the surface. His army of undead monsters now lied underneath the soil and stone, awaiting only his call.

He hoped that no-one would touch them, because these monsters have...issues with living creatures. That, and it would be bad news for newbies stumbling over a group of undead minotaurs, undead axe-wielding rabbits, and undead fire-breathing wolves in the Upper Levels of the Dungeon. It was the least of his worries, however, since the Guild apprehended him the second he entered the Guild's quarters. An unknown, unranked adventurer, carrying what it seems like troves of magic stones within his backpack, and without connection to any familias in Orario. It was not the first time he was caught, but it was perhaps the most suspicious. He was warned, by the higher-ups within the Guild, that he has to find a familia before they might be forced to imprison him for investigation. Ouch.

He was given only a limited amount of time, about a week, to search for a familia. Judging by his looks and reputation, he was bound to find one, right?

Wrong. It was because of his looks and reputation that nobody even wanted to include him within their ranks. Mysterious, unnerving, ragged, it was only a few description compared to what they have heard of him, yet only a few seem to know about that. Yes, he is quite mysterious, but that was because nobody even bothered to ask him! Was it his fault that nobody seemed to mingle with him? No, of course he won't believe it to be the case. Did they knew of his abilities? Perhaps not, he was overly-cautious when it comes to using his dark magics, not that these dark magics were bad (he has heard of demonic magic being used by a high-leveled adventurer). Even still, why was he still not in a familia?

Day after day, he faced men and women rejecting his pleas. Either he join one, or end up being imprisoned. And he did not want to be imprisoned, after all he was innocent! What kind of crime did he commit? Being suspicious? Other than looking quite scary and not being that well-known, well...he must admit that he does sound suspicious if he said it that way.

Soon, the skies grew dark yet again. He roamed around the city, and stumbled upon a golden-haired human.

She was accompanied by two brown-skinned humans, and an elf. Guuugh... Elves... His face contorted ever so slightly when he pronounced the words, and it left a rather distasteful flavour at the back of his throat. Anger seared within his veins, but he kept it under control.

The gold-haired human seem to approach him, looking at him. Was his face dirty or something? Is there blood on his tunic?

He then heard the elf speak in the tongue of humans. Unusual, but something struck him odd. "Do you know him, Miss Aiz?"

This opportunity had been unexpected. It was a rather rare chance to bump into someone in a dark, spooky alleyway, moreso that the said person is actually famous. He did remember seeing her in a pub, but that was a rather long time ago. Her name, Aiz Walledstein, was it? Or was it Wallstone? Wallstein? Whatever her last name is, he did learn that she was rather famous, strong even. Through rumours, he learned that she was dubbed 'the Sword Princess' because of her battle prowess and reputation coupled with her looks. Although he wouldn't mind sparring with her some time, he doesn't have the time for that. Only two more days left...

Wait. That's it! It was common knowledge that most adventurers have a familia, and since this 'princess' is also an adventurer, he could pretty much ask her to join her familia. Problem solved.

But then, it was quite difficult convincing other adventurers, how much more convincing her? Quickly, he thought about various ways on how he could convince her, but there is only one that stuck in his mind.

A brawl.

Would it be a good idea though? That, he will will find out. "Pardon me, Sword Princess, but this one would like to ask a question..."

The two brown-skinned humans turned their heads slightly towards her, but their elf friend seem to look at him differently. A mix of curiousity and hostility. Polite, yet ready to fight, which was not unexpected. Oddly, however, the Sword Princess seemed more curious than her. Her face was rather stoic, but he can see-no, he can feel that she her urge to fight, the urge to battle and win. He can sense that she wants to fight, simply because she wants to trump over her foes. It was a feeling that the nameless adventurer knew about, a feeling that once took him a long time before.

So he said it, sweet and short.

"Would you like to spar?"