A Danmachi Fanfiction
Adventurer: A God's Grace
by: RandomReaderThatWrites
Summary: All around Orario, rumors of an upcoming festival have spread. In a battle of blood, what secrets are hidden behind the Representatives of the Familias: Loki, Zeus and Eris? Will a bond be enough to defeat the darkness that crawls? What is the true meaning behind the festival that feeds on hate?
Prologue: A God's Blessing
His white colored hair and red eyes, much like that of a rabbit, were enough to tell him apart from all other adventurers. Yet, no matter to whose God he asked the Grace of, none would accept him in their [Familia]. Was it because he was a rookie? Or was it because he looked so weak?
The sun had started to set, and yet the boy met no luck. He knew he was weak, compared to other top adventurers. Yet, they were weak at the start too, right?
The famous Familias are already saturated with numerous members, and the small and medium-sized Familias would always select those people with some experience in battle or other occupations first compared to him, who had just came from a rural village and did not know anything and even required care from others. He, who received many cold shoulders, eventually received an invitation from Kami-sama [Hestia] and did not hesitate to follow her.
"Hey, boy!" a feminine voice called for his attention. The white haired boy looked up, but saw no one. "What is your name, boy?" the voice asked, and this time he looked down. Before him stood a girl.
"Bell..." he murmured, and the girl, who looked younger than him, blinked. "Bel Cranel!" he repeated himself. "That's my name."
"Well then, Bell..." the girl looked him straight in the eye. "You seem to be in need of a Familia." she added. "Then you can come and join mine! My name is Hestia, Goddess of-"
Bell didn't care to know the Goddess of whatever she was. The boy was overly glad that he literally jumped at the shorter person. "Oh, thank you, Goddess-sama!"
Und thus, the Goddess Hestia was to give her new 'Child' her [Grace] or [Falna].
Doing so, Bell would also be one step closer to his dream.
Was it wrong to hope to have a fated encounter in a dungeon?
He was about to find that out.
The following day, the boy entered the Dungeon... The seemingly infinite dungeon with many and many floors. Inside there are a variety of heinous monsters. Bell, together with those adventurers seeking fame and fortune and risking their own lives, registered his own name at the guild, and then began to adventure. With a sword in hand and swiftly emerge abruptly. Then in the end, Bell would have an encounter with a girl that has been attacked by those monsters.
Endless Screams. The monster's savage roars. Just in the nick of time, suddenly the sound of a swift and sharp sword, piercing through the air, would emerge.
The monster was defeated. What was left was the beautiful girl remaining seated on the ground, while the Rabbit-boy stand gloriously.
Her cheeks would be slightly dyed red, and in those beautiful, tearful eyes, what was projected was only Bell's appearance. A faint love will awaken in her heart.
(At times I would talk to the cute shop personnel in a restaurant about my adventures that day, forming a closer relationship.)
(At times I would protect a female elf from savage adventurers.)
(At times I would also lend assistance to the Amazon warriors when they were in trouble, forming a party together to adventure.)
(At times I would get too close towards a girl,and the other girls that witnessed it would be jealous.)
(At times At times At times At times…)
SWISH!
Another Goblin was beheaded. Bell Cranel, the new adventurer, slashed and dodged inside the first floor of the Dungeon. Revers-gripping his knife, he put all of his weight to the strike, cutting a Kobold in half. Bell ducked, avoiding an incoming bite from another Kobold, stabbing it on its belly while it was still above him.
With a little more work, Bell would make it to lower floors, and there would be the place where he would have his fated encounter.
This was a completely normal way of thinking for a male child, who grew up aspiring towards the heroic adventure. Wanting to have a closer relationship with cute girls. Wanting to interact with beautiful ladies from a different race. Holding to this somewhat improper, or perhaps immature thoughts. Isn't this a normal personality for a young male?
"Aah!" Bell slashed at another Goblin, using the now-dead monster to slam it at a fellow Goblin. A group made of more Goblins approached him, leaving no openings around Bell. Thus, the rookie adventurer spun.
His knife pierced through every Goblin's neck and/or chest, making him the winner. Bell grinned, picking up the dropped crystals and making his way to the second floor.
The second he took a step, a Dungeon Lizard emerged from seemingly nowhere. Bell was caught off guard, yet he was able to cut through the lizards skin and straight for its [Crystal], the core of every monster.
Fifteen days from that moment, when Bell decided he was ready for the fifth floor, he was going to find the answer to the question that had been on his mind for years.
(Can't I have an encounter in the dungeon, correction, search for a harem, is this really wrong?)
Conclusion:
(I was completely wrong!)
"Wuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah"
"Huaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah"
Guess this is the result for an adventurer like him who is holding such improper and immature thoughts. Bell, was about to die. To be more precise, Bell was currently being chased by a monster with a human body and a bull's head, a "Minotaur". This monster was completely immune to his attacks. Bell entered a dead end, stopping his running right at death's door.
(So this is my fate for being obsessed with such a shallow delusion, becoming a monster's food, I am such a fool.)
(I am such a fool for expecting a fateful encounter.)
The idea of becoming rich and getting a crowd of wives and concubines was naturally just a dream. At the instant when Bell first began to prepare and search for an encounter in the dungeon where numerous people die daily, he was already finished.
(Ah, I really want to go back! Go back to the time and punch the me, who had just become of age and was signing the registration document with sparking eyes at the guild. Ah…! I'm dead.)
His teeth constantly chattered, tears also flowed down in torrents. His own skin could completely feel the deep and heavy breath exuded from the Minotaur. Raising his white-haired-head and staring at the muscular body that was one to two times larger. As if Bell completely gave up, his face expressed a completely disgusting slight smile.
—In the end, he did not have an encounter with a girl.
However, in the next instant, a line passed through the monster's body.
"Eeeh?"
"Vuo!"
Those were the dumb sounds issued by him and the Minotaur. The flowing line did not just pass through the body, it also ran through the thick chest, hoof, then the upper wrist, thighs, lower body, shoulders and finally ran to the next, all in one go. At the end, Bell could only see a silver light.
The result was, the monster instantly turned into pieces of meat.
"Gubuh?!Vuaaaaaaaah…" Painful screams echoed throughout the room before its death.
Following the carved lines, the Minotaur's body also fell down in parts. Along with the blood spraying out, the dark red liquid gushed out, it completely collapsed in the next moment. A large amount of blood spattered onto Bell's body, as if he had taken a shower, completely frozen stiff.
"Are you alright"? What came after the bull-headed monster was a girl that could have been mistaken for a goddess. Her slender body was wrapped in blue lightweight armor. The flexible limbs, that extended out from her clothes, were also dazzlingly beautiful. Wearing an emblem on her silver breastplate, and the same colored gloves and accessories also bore an emblem. Blood was trickling down from the tip of her sword that was pointing to the ground. Her blond hair extended straight down to her shoulders, it held a shine that would not lose to a large amount of golden treasures. The color of her eyes, that looked at me, was also golden.
(…)
—A blonde swordsman wrapped in blue equipment with golden eyes.
Every adventurer in Orario knew who the new person was. It was a top adventurer belonging to the Loki FamiliaAmong the humans, no, even among the females of all the races, she would be considered to be one of the strongest as a Level 5.
Sword Princess: Ais Wallenstein.
"Excuse me….are you alright?"
He was not alright.
He was not alright at all.
His heart that was currently constantly jumping, as if it was about to shatter, cheeks dyed red, and the tearful eyes that were projecting the figure of the other party, a faint…no, a strong love was awakening. His wild ideas became real, but the roles were reversed. At that moment, she had stolen Bell's heart. Was asking for a chance encounter in the dungeon wrong?
Re-conclusion:
(I was definitely not wrong.)
[Back at Bell's home]
"The Upgrade is done, Bell-kun." Lady Hestia said, removing herself from his back and handing his a piece of paper, his stats written on it.
"Hestia-sama..." Bell looked between his stats and his Goddess. "Are you sure you copied these right?"
Hestia looked at him shocked. "Are you doubting me? A Goddess?" she pouted, something Bell found cute.
[Bell Cranel, Hestia's Familia]
Lv. 1
Strength: I 77 — I 82
Endurance: I 13
Dexterity: I 93 — I 96
Agility: H 148 — H 172
Magic: I 0
SWISH! WOOSH!
Another monster was beheaded by a giant sword. Two Bugbears lunged at the adventurer, but a silver blade passed through the both of them.
"I could have handled them, Ais." the adventurer pouted, resting her giant double-sword weapon on her shoulder. The fellow adventurer didn't answer, but instead, only smiled.
Ais Wallenstein kicked off the ground, slashing at another Bugbear, jumping from it's head to slash at another Firebird. She kicked a Lizardman while falling on top of it.
"Too few monsters!" Tiona complained, swinging her sword at multiple Lizardman. "Isn't this supposed to be the 17th floor? And Ais is just playing around! Leave me some monsters!"
The Sword Princess smiled, swirling through multiple Fireberds, tearing them apart in one blow.
"This is so boring!" another adventurer complained. "After all that we went through with the new monster, this is what they have for us!" Bete added, kicking a random Lygerfang.
"We are heading home, Bete." Finn told him, piercing another Lygerfang with his spear. "Deal with it a bit longer."
"[Tempest Awaken]!" Ais ordered her skill to activate, a swirl of wind surrounding her entirely. Kicking off from the ground, the first class adventurer annihilated all the remaining monsters.
"And here goes the fun!" Bete complained again, deadpanning at the [Sword Princess].
The Norse Goddess, the prankster Loki, was done upgrading the stats of her favorite child. "Here you go, Ais-tan."
Ais read over the status points written on the paper handed to her, and she furrowed her eyebrows.
(It has been 3 years since I made it to level 5... and yet, such little growth...)
[Ais Wallenstein, Loki's Familia]
Lv. 5
Strength: D 549 — D 555
Endurance: D 540 — D 547
Dexterity: A 823
Agility: A
Magic: S 900
(I need more strength! I need to become stronger to reach my ultimate goal. I will have to be the Limit Breaker to my Limits!)
Ais curled up in her bed, knees pressed against her chest, arms warped around her shins, head resting on top of her knees...
A young child kept running through the dark walls, walls that seemed endless. She kept crying, tears flowing down like torrents, leaving small trails behind her. The girl screamed, her lungs burning in pain.
The ground started to shake, heavy breathing feeling the air around her. It seemed as if the breaths emitting from the creatures made the gravity of the place even more heavier.
Ais' teeth grit harshly, her brow twitching.
The creature opened its giant jaw at the young girl. Her screams continued to echo inside the dark dungeon. The monster made of bones let out an ear-tearing roar, shaking the ground even more.
Ais stretched her legs, rolling on her bed.
"Ahhh!" the young girl screamed again, just as the monster raised it's claw.
In a flash, a silver lining appeared in the creature's body. It ran from its right shoulder to its belly. The next second, the monster fell apart on the ground, a man standing behind it, sword positioned as if he was the attacker.
"Papa!" the young girl ran to hug the older man's neck, the other picking her up in his arms. "I was so scared!"
"It's okay, Ais." The man said, looking warmly at his daughter. "But remember, I can't always be your hero. I already have your mother after all."
"B-but papa-" young Ais started to say, tears gathering in the corner of her eyes.
"Wouldn't it be great if you encountered your own hero?" her father smiled again, wiping the small tears. "One that belongs solely to you?"
The child's cheeks were painted by a light color of red as she grinned at her father...
Ais' breaths calmed down, teeth freeing themselves from each-other.
Before the young child stood a man and a woman. Her parents. The child was grinning widely as the adults smiled down at her. However...
Just like a picture made of glass, everything shattered.
The smiling child started to fall into the void, the darkness reaching out to the adventuress, just as her consciousness kept shifting from the young child to the young teen, unstable.
"Mother?!"
"Father?!"
She shouted with all of her strength.
Monsters of the Dungeon appeared from the dark walls of nothingness that surrounded her, their claws reaching out for anything they could grasp on her body.
The child was terrified...
"A-" Ais woke up from her dream-nightmare, breaths heavy again, sweat rolling down her temples. "What-?" she wanted to ask herself, but found no energy to do so. Placing her right hand on her forehead, the [Sword Princess] sighed. Looking in no particular direction of her room, the adventuress remembered the events that had transpired these few days.
One event to be more exact.
The [Loki Familia] had accidentally allowed a group of Minotaur's to escape into the upper floor, parts of the dungeon filled with rookie adventurers. On the fifth floor, Bete and Ais were able to track down the last Minotaur.
"Hey," Bete called for her attention. "Is that a Rookie?" he asked, pointing at the direction of the Minotaur. And true, cornered by a giant Level 2 monster was a rookie adventurer, terrified inside the square shaped place he was lured in.
"Ais-?!" Bete started, but Ais had already sprinted forwards, towards the Minotaur and the cornered Adventurer.
Her sword quickly and swiftly cut through the monster's flesh, cutting it in little pieces.
"Excuse me… are you alright?" Ais asked the boy who was now covered in the Minotaur's blood. She stretched out her hand for him to grasp, but the adventurer didn't react.
The bloodied Rabbit-look-a-like boy started to mumble nonsense, not forming a simple word. Shocking both Ais and Bete -who had just arrived- the boy ran away as fast as his legs could carry him...
Behind her, Bete started to laugh, while Ais looked at her stretched out hand in confusion.
The girl willed her body to rest down on the bed again, closing her eyes to try to fall asleep again.
(That boy...)
[Dungeon's 17th Floor]
"There is no boss in the 17th Floor, Commander!" a member of the party shouted, saluting to the leader.
"Probably killed by [Loki Familia] not long ago." a boy by the Captain's side said, his voice flat, lacking any emotion expect annoyance.
"When was the last time you slept, boy?" the Captain joked, looking up and down at the younger boy's appearance. His hair was the color of black blood, spiked. His eyes were a Golden color, much like the [Apple of Discord]. Under that rich color, blackness covered the lower part of his eyes. He wore armor on top of his black clothes. The golden plates covered his chest, shoulders, forearms, palms and shins. It was light, and on his waist, a blade was strapped on top of his right thigh. On his back, where only the hilt was noticeable, was also located a sword, covered by the long red scarf warped around his neck.
"Shut up." the boy responded, reaching for the hilt of his waist's blade. "Or should I cut your tongue?" he asked, gloved hand resting on top of the hilt of seemingly a Katana.
"Try it, brat." the Captain challenged, lowering his taller body, covered in heavier armor with a longsword on his waist, to look the boy in his tired eyes. On top of his brown hair, a pair of bear ears could be seen. "Hope you don't fall asleep while still drawing your katana."
The younger adventurer smirked, while the Captain started to laugh. "Come on, pipsquick." he said. "Our lady gave us strict orders."
"Yeah, I know." the red-haired teen responded, his left hand pulling out the blade from its sheath.
The Captain continued to walk, unfazed, just as a [Lygerfang] was cut in half by the [brat].
"This place is starting to fill up with Monsters again." a girl said, cutting another Lygerfang's head with her sword. Her hair was a Blue color, long strands waving behind her, hiding a pair of pointy ears behind themselves.
"I was starting to get bored." the red-haired boy smirked, literally throwing himself at a Lygerfang monster's open jaw, tearing it apart with his hands.
"Yannic!" the blue-haired girl called to him. "Don't get too carried away. Leave a bit for the low-class too!" the boy didn't respond though, but instead kicked off of the Lygerfang's head to slice another monster in half. Legs placed firmly on the ground, he ducked under a [Tiger Monster], stubbing its belly as it was still in mid-air.
[Dungeon's 15th Floor]
The [Minotaur] roared as Yannic's blade passed through its strong flesh, cutting it with ease. Kicking off the body of the Minotaur, he launched himself at another one, slicing its head off. The next second, he was on top of another Minotaur, his blade stabbed along its spine's length.
The Captain's heavy armor CLING-ed as he swirled around his giant sword at another Minotaur, slashing it in its chest, through the crystal core. The blue-haired party member sliced another monster's head with her twin swords.
"OOOOFF!" the monster's roared, all of them charging at the same direction.
"What the-" Yannic covered his eyes as a gust of wind blew through them, the giant Minotaur's running through the exit to the upper floors.
"After them!" the redhead ordered, even though he wasn't the commander, also being the first one to follow the fleeing Minotaur's.
"Yannic wait!" the captain yelled, but he was too late. "After him!"
"Come here you cowards!" Yannic yelled as he pushed his entire weight, sword piercing through the chest of the monster. He flipped in the air, the katana cutting a way out of the monster's body, soon to find itself cutting another monster's being in half. "Aaahhh!" the adventurer let out a battle cry as he lunged at more of the fleeing Minotaur's. They had already made it to the 8th floor, and Yannic could feel other adventurers around, but he wasn't sure if they were his own team's or not.
Back-kicking a Minotaur, slashing at another. Jump, duck, slash. It became a routine as he lowered the number of the standing monsters with every second.
(Why are you running away?! Monsters aren't supposed to do that!)
Reverse-gripping his katana's hilt, the boy spun on his heels, slashing at all the monsters that had surrounded him.
However, the Minotaur's continued to run away. He wasn't the only one killing them.
To the 7th floor...
Yannic beheaded another Minotaur, pushing its body to slam against another, slicing another 7th floor monster in half.
To the 6th floor...
Knees bend low, Yannic kicked off the ground, blade positioned forward, piercing through the bodies of many Minotaur's, his own body coated by their blood in places.
To the 5th floor...
(How could they have gone this far?!)
Not many Minotaur's were left. Maybe counting at lower than 10. His blade reverse-gripped in his left hand, the boy put his entire weight into cutting a Minotaur in half, from shoulder to belly.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
(A Rookie?!)
Yannic grit his teeth, eyes turning to the direction of the scream, his blade still piercing through the Minotaur's body.
The boy's eyes widened as another gust of wind blew. But this time, instead of fleeing Minotaur's, he was sure to have seen the faint form of a human's body. Another adventurer had gone to rescue the rookie in need. Yannic smirked, finishing is attack that felt like it had gone in slow-motion. Just as another Minotaur was on top of him, Yannic spun on his ground-foot, sword going from down-up diagonally, his back hitting the ground just as the attack finished the monster off.
With no monsters left around him, the red-haired boy was able to get a sight of what was happening around him. Meters away from his position, he saw the cornered boy being coated in a Minotaur's blood as the Adventurer cut through its body, making the giant Minotaur nothing more than little pieces.
Every human on Orario knew who the adventurer was. Golden hair... [Sword Princess].
[Orario, ? Familia's Residence]
"Goddess-sama." the Captain of the exploration party called, just as the group of adventurers passed through the main doors. "I inform that the Party has returned with no injured adventurers."
"That is good news, Captain." a Lady's voice echoed through the giant hall.
"But unfortunately, we were not able to encounter the Floor Boss. Another Familia seems to have been able to defeat it before we arrived."
"Hmm... It will take time before the Boss reappears again, won't it?" the sound of heels clicking with the floor could be heard, just as a beautiful young woman, around her twenties, walked down the stairs to the giant hall, a glass of wine in her hand. The adventurers bowed to the newcomer, her flawless skin, night-black hair, golden eyes and perfect curves clearly stating that before them stood a [Goddess].
"While on the way back," the Captain continued. "We encountered a group of Minotaur's who were able to flee to the upper floors."
"Is that so?" the Goddess asked, sipping her wine as she narrowed her eyes at the adventurers.
"Yes." the Captain nodded. "I will be giving a written report of our expedition soon, Lady Eris."
"Lady Eris!" the red-haired adventurer called for his Goddess' attention. The divine creature in turn looked him in his golden eyes and smirked.
"Follow me to my room." she responded, understanding what the young boy required. Yannic nodded, following his Goddess, receiving a few glares from some adventurers too...
Inside the giant room that was Eris' chamber, the red-haired boy removed his scarf, sword and armor, exposing his back to the Goddess.
Using a knife, Eris drew blood from her finger, letting it trail down Yannic's skin. The next second, the Grace she had given him appeared.
The shape of an apple, tattooed in black, surrounded by a lash of darkness, one that was cut through by a single knife. Around the symbol, many hieroglyphs started to appear, revealing the stats of the adventurer before the young woman.
Every God or Goddess, after descending down on Earth and sealing their divine powers, they were all able to give chosen people the power of the Grace. No matter which God it was, be it the Goddess of Strife, Discord and Chaos, The God of War or the Goddess of Beauty, their given Falna would always be of the same strength, the adventurer being the one to make the difference. With this rule, no matter to which God/Goddess you were contracted, your possibilities as a Adventurer were all the same. However, there were still Gods and Goddesses who choose their Familia members carefully, always having a condition to fulfill.
The Goddess moved her fingers along Yannic's back, rewriting the hieroglyphs tattooed there. The redhead flinched as the writing burned in his back.
"Try resting some, boy." The Goddess of Strife said, passing her bloodied finger on top of a blank paper. Yannic didn't reply, but instead took the paper from the Goddess' hand, not even turning to look at her.
[Yannic Streit, Eris' Familia]
Lv. 4
Strength: A 823 — A 823
Endurance: S 900 — S 932
Dexterity: D 624 — D 654
Agility: E 537 — E 547
Magic: ?
"While you are getting better and better everyday, your magic isn't-" Eris started to say, warping her arms around his shoulders.
"I know." Yannic cut her sentence, and the Goddess only smirked in return.
The Goddess pulled the boy closer to her, letting him rest the back of his head on her chest. "Now it's about time you rest. Those begs don't suit you."
Even if he wanted to, Yannic couldn't argue with his Goddess' silent order. "But... I want to re-enter the dungeon... I want to-"
"I know what you want, child!" Eris cut him off, running her right hand through his red hair. Yannic felt a shiver run up his spine, a tiny amount of Eris' divine powers licking out from the seal that kept them locked. It was terrifying. "But the darkness isn't a time for you to wander around." she added in a low voice.
Yannic closed his eyes, getting comfortable in his Goddess' arms.
A/N: PLEASE Leave a review, and please don't forget to follow and/or favorite if you liked the start of this story. This prologue was more of a 'Introducing Chapter', stating the level/state of our three main characters: Ais, Bell and Yanic (OC) as well as the time of when the story takes place.
And, please forgive me for repeating Bell's story at the start... Just who doesn't know it?!
Clearance (for those new to my writing style):
Normal dialogue/narrating
Author's note
[Character name and Familia]
Past Memories
Dreams
(Thinking)
