Disclaimer:
DanMachi was created by Fujino Omori. Shin Megami Tensei was created by Atlus. This story uses reference material from them.

Demons of the Dungeon
By: RB3
Chaos in Orario 7: Close Encounters of the Demonic Kind

A week later, the Hestia Familia met at their church to discuss their next major trip into the Dungeon. "So we all agree, we're going to F21, right?" asked Lili, looking over the convoluted maps of F19 to F21.

"Yep," said Welf. "It's hard for me to get good materials on my budget. I could use the minerals down there."

"Will you be okay going so deep down there, Haruhime?" asked Kaz.

"Don't worry. I have some experience with the Dungeon already. The Ishtar Familia took me as far as F45," replied Haruhime. "Plus, I was trained to be a supporter by the best."

"Yep, I taught Haruhime everything I know. She's ready," replied Lili. "Okay, what else do we need before we go down there?"

"I'll need a pickaxe to mine the minerals," replied Welf. "I can make my own, but I'd need more materials for that. I'll go down to the forges later to get some more."

"Okay," replied Lili. "Everything looks good."

The Hestia Familia split up to make their final preparations. Welf went to the northeastern part of Orario. This area was filled with forges of the Hephaestus Familia, Welf's previous Familia. He entered his old forge and purchased wood for handles and metal to shape into the blade portion of his picks. "Oh, hi Welf, how have ya been doing?" asked a young, black-haired smith.

"Hi Andy!" replied Welf. "I've got a big expedition to F21 coming up. I'm going to mine there."

"Oh! That's great! There are a lot of good metals there," replied Andy. Suddenly, a whistle started screeching. "Lunch time!"

"Heading out to the food court again?" asked Welf.

"Yep," said Andy.

"I've gotta go myself. I need to get these picks made for the big day," said Welf. "See ya later!"

Welf left the Hephaestus forge and made his way back to his own forge. Andy separated from the workers, saying his goodbyes before washing up and taking his lunch box to the outdoor food court across the street. He had ordered a cup of coffee at the local cafe and went to a table to eat. Once finished, he disposed of his garbage in a can. As he walked away, he heard something stirring in an alley between restaurants.

He saw a cat run off and a 1000 Valis gold coin roll along the ground. He chased the coin into the alley and vanished into thin air. Two days later, the Hestia Familia gathered by a fountain to prepare for the trip. A hour passed, but Welf had not arrived yet. "Where is he?" asked Bell. "It's not like him to be late."

As though responding to his words, Welf came running down the street, out of breath. "Where were you?" asked Lili.

"The guards stopped by my place," replied Welf.

"The guards? Why?" asked Bell.

"One of my friends was found dead in an alley," replied Welf.

Kaz, who was seated at the fountain's side, bolted up standing. "Did they think you had something to do with it?"

"No, fortunately, but I saw Andy before he died," replied Welf. "The guards wanted to ask me some questions."

"How did it happen?" asked Bell.

"A few days ago, I went to his forge to pick up supplies," replied Welf. "I didn't see what happened after that, but Andy told me he was going to eat lunch nearby at the food court. I would've joined him, but I was in a hurry to get home."

"Will you be okay, Welf? He was a friend and all," said Bell.

"I'll be fine. We've wanted to do this for a while now. I won't let a friend's death stop us. I'm sure someone will get the bastard who did this and make him pay," said Welf.

The Hestia Familia entered the Dungeon and reached F17, just one floor from the safe zone. The trip was largely uneventful, save for the occasional monster attack which got dealt with swiftly and efficiently. When they entered a large rock chamber, a group of small, snowmen-like creatures also came in the other end at the same time. Each of these creatures wore a blue jester's cap, matching neck ornament, and matching boots. They did not look like any known monster in this stratum of the Dungeon.

"What are those things?" asked Welf.

"Hee ho!" chirped one of the snow men. "Jack Frost here to play!"

The Jack Frosts advanced and blew a blizzard upon the Hestia Familia. The group cowered as the ice and snow slapped their faces. Kaz absorbed the ice and snow, coming through unfazed. He erected a wall of ice between the Jack Frosts and his Familia. "At least we're out of the cold," said Bell.

"My wall won't hold. I can feel them absorbing my ice. We're seconds from them getting through," said Kaz.

"They're ice, so they must hate fire," said Welf. "So light 'em up Bell!"

"I'll cover everyone as best I can, but my magic can't harm them. I can only slow them down," said Kaz.

"Okay," said Bell.

"That's good enough," said Lili.

The Hestia Familia drew weapons. As soon as the first Jack Frost breached the ice wall, Bell was upon it, slashing it to death. Nearby, another got through, but Welf closed and hacked it down. Three more Jack Frosts breached the wall. They blew ice and snow upon the two fighters, blowing them off their feet. They then directed their ice upon the rest. With the exception of Kaz, they left everyone on the ground, covered in frost.

Kaz weathered the onslaught and steered the streams of ice and snow towards his hands. He moved to the side, drawing the torrent away from his allies. It was the opening Bell and Welf needed to get back on their feet. They pounced on the two nearest Frosts, cutting them down. The other Frost tried to breathe on them, but Kaz steered the ice stream towards himself and absorbed it. By now, the remaining Frosts had breached Kaz's wall.

Lili fired a volley of arrows at them. They were riddled with arrows and stunned, stalling their advance. Haruhime created an illusionary Baby Dragon and sicced it at the Frosts. It looked like the real thing, but was translucent with an internal blue flame animating it. It spewed flame which melted several Frosts. It also confirmed suspicions about their weakness. The remaining Frosts focused on the dragon, pummelling it with ice and snow. The dragon vanished into thin air, its flame of life dissipated by the attacks.

Bell peppered the enemy ranks with Firebolts. Most were destroyed, but the three Frosts who survived were partially melted from the heat. Welf ran to them and cut down the last of the Frosts with a whirlwind of sword strikes. "Good work," said Lili.

"They didn't feel like any of the monsters I've ever fought," said Bell.

"I think they were demons, like the one Herman Cortez worshipped," said Welf.

"I don't like the sound of that," said Bell.

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Night fell upon the city of Orario and the stars started twinkling in the sky. Abel teleported past the city's rooftops, stopping on each building to scan for any signs of demonic activity. Upon entering the east section of Orario, he found an outdoor food court. From what he had heard as Kaz, this was where Andy went to eat lunch. He detected a dimensional distortion in an alley between a ramen shop and a cafe. He walked into the area and suddenly found himself in a maze of gnarled, fleshy roots which moved blood red energy through them.

Upon navigating the maze, he came upon a great pentagram drawn on the ground. The pentagram pointed downward towards the door. Its star framed the face of a goat. The goat's horns formed the top two points, its ears the next pair, and its beard the downward point. Above the goat's head was written the name of "Samael." Below its head was "Lilith." Both were the names of powerful demons.

A demon sat in meditation on the pentagram. It was goat-headed and appeared much as depicted in the magical sigil. This demon was Baphomet, the Sabbatic Goat. "So, the King of Bel has come to visit me," said Baphomet, opening his eyes.

"Yes, I want to know what you're doing here?" asked Abel. "How did you get here in the first place?"

"I was summoned by the Goddess Hecate and bound to this location," replied Baphomet.

"By Hecate? Why?" asked Abel.

"She seeks greater and greater power in order to face the demons. She fears they will overrun her world and seeks to avert that fate," replied Baphomet. "I was bound here simply as a test of her power. She ordered me to trap anyone who entered the alley."

"You killed a man earlier, a blacksmith named Andy," said Abel. "Why?"

"Andy wished to escape from this Domain. The only way was to remove this magic seal or to destroy me," replied Baphomet. "That mortal chose to destroy me, but threw away his life in vain. Being dead, I could not keep him contained."

"Would you know where Hecate is?" asked Abel.

"Nay. After she bound me here, she had left and never returned," replied Baphomet.

"Very well, would you like me to undo your binding?" asked Abel.

"I would appreciate it," said Baphomet.

Abel waved his hand. The pentagram became a new magic sigil, the Seal of Bel, which resembled a spade in a circle. Baphomet vanished, having been returned to the Expanse. Its Domain fell soon afterwards, leaving Abel back in the alley between the ramen store and the cafe. Abel teleported out of the city, then back to the abandoned mine. He entered a Domain of his own which overlaid the mine. Its interior looked like a large apartment from Japan.

He contacted his friends and told them about what had happened. "So, this Goddess Hecate is responsible for summoning the demons?" asked Yuzu.

"Yes, according to Baphomet," replied Abel. "Hecate placed him there as a test of her new powers. I undid the binding spell and sent him back to the Expanse. I'll try to find out where the Hecate Familia's hideout is."

"We're going into the Dungeon tomorrow," said Yuzu. "Wish us luck!"

"Good luck, honey," said Abel.

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The Survivors descended the tunnel in the waterway to F67. They found themselves near a sandy beach on the shore of a vast ocean. The air had a moist, salty sensation about it. They released demons to scout and get the lay of the land. When the demons returned, they told their masters about a mountain to the north with a face shaped like a skull. Two rocks made up its eyes, one of which had a cave leading underground and a possible passage to the next floor. This was where the Survivors flew to next.

Inside, they found a stone chamber filled with the statues of skeletal warriors. There was a locked door at the other end of the room with a sign beside it. "It's a secret to everybody. To reach Orcus, seek the Lion's Key northeast of where you began. Burn the tree which blocks your path and all will be revealed," said Midori.

"We can't do anything here," said Atsuro. "We need that key."

The Survivors flew to the location where the sign mentioned. This area had trees that grew in oddly straight rows, as though someone had planted them there instead of the wind randomly scattering seeds. The locations without trees formed clear paths through this odd forest. However, one path had a single tree growing in the middle of it, which was highly unusual. "I'll burn the tree!" said Midori.

"Uh, be careful! We're in the middle of a forest," said Yuzu.

"Yeah, let's avoid the whole forest fire thing," said Atsuro.

Midori conjured a column of flame upon the tree, which burnt to ash in but a few seconds. Beneath the tree, hidden among its roots, was a set of stairs which led underground. They followed these stairs into a chamber of grey granite lit only by braziers. Like the underground of Skull Mountain, this room had several statues of skeletal warriors. There were four exits with the south one being the room's entrance.

The went west and found a room with several stone blocks arranged in diamond pattern. Upon pushing one of the blocks, they opened the central space and revealed a ladder going down. It led into a cellar where they found a single book with a red cover resting on a small dais. Scanning it with a comp revealed that the book taught a new spell to whoever had a Falna. "We should hold onto it. Kaz might find it useful," said Midori.

The Survivors returned to the entrance and took the north door this time. After passing through a few rooms, they came upon a side room to the right with a staircase leading into a passage. At the other end, they walked through a maze of blocks and entered a northern chamber with a sealed door at the other end. A group of shadowy adventurers emerged from the ground. The enemy resembled elven warriors dressed in rugged clothing and armed with swords and shields.

As they advanced, they glared with malice at the Survivors. "Time to fight!" cried Midori.

The Survivors brought out their retinue of demons. Atsuro sidestepped an axe, then weaved in with a punch to the ribs. The shadow went flying back and smashed an indentation into the wall before dissolving and dropping a magic stone. Nearby, Viola parried a sword. She pushed the blade back, then dashed by with a slash to the gut. The shadow crumbled. Another shadow backed away from Orochi, but he snapped it up and crunched it in his mouth before spitting out the magic stone.

Black Frost ducked a decapitating slash, then breathed frosty air upon his foe. His shadow and the others nearby became covered in glistening snow, made highly visible from the refraction of torch light. Midori saw one trying to approach, then blasted it with flame. Hurled back, the shadow hit a wall and slumped down. The flames lit up the room, making the enemy even more visible and contrasting with the light.

Hector saw one coming from behind and began to pummel it with punches. "ATA! A-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA-TA! ATA!" cried Hector in time with his blows. With a final strike, he smashed the shadow towards the opposite wall. The other shadows were blown into heaps in the wake of their counterpart flying back and smashing a deep indention into the wall.

"That should be the last one," said Midori.

The Survivors collected the magic stones and continued to the next room, where they found a small dais. On top of it was a heart-shaped bottle filled with a red medicine. Upon scanning, the comps determined that it could enhance the vitality of whoever drank it, provided they possessed a Falna. "This is like those stat boosting items in RPGs," remarked Atsuro. "We should save this."

The Survivors returned to where they first entered the underground tunnel. After exploring the rooms to the north, they found a staircase which led down into another cellar. They found a golden key with a lion's head carved on its top and claimed it. "This must be what the sign was asking us to find," said Midori. "Let's go back to that door."

After returning to Skull Mountain, they unlocked and passed through the door to the interior of the mini dungeon. The Survivors passed through a maze of rooms until they found a ladder and followed the tunnel below to the north part of the mini dungeon. Exploring the north section, they found a second tunnel which gave them access to the west side. Eventually, they found a third tunnel, which brought them just south of their destination. After going one room to the north, they entered a room with the image of a skull on the ground.

Orcus, a large, boar-headed, humanoid monster, was in the room. The monster wore leather armour and carried a trident. He magically snuffed the nearby braziers and concealed himself with the darkness. The Survivors sensed danger and evaded a magic bolt coming from behind. They sensed danger again, this time coming from the northwest corner of the room and dodged. "Where is he?" asked Yuzu. "I can't see him!"

"We're in trouble if we can't remove his stealth ability," said Atsuro.

Hector blocked the energy bolt as did Black Frost. "Hee ho! I've got the solution!" said Black Frost.

He waited for Orcus to fire one of his magic bolts, then sent a breath of frost back to the source. The frost had hit Orcus in the face, blinding him momentarily. It also left a layer of glistening ice on Orcus. When Orcus moved to a new location, the Survivors spotted him immediately from the ice refracting what little light filtered into the room. They focused their attacks on him, leading to him being pummelled by blasts of fire, wind, and lightning.

Despite bleeding heavily all over his front, he managed to remove the ice and vanish. "That trick again? It won't work this time," said Midori.

She calmed herself, then sensed an attack coming from behind. She ducked a shot, then sent a blast of fire back to where the shot came from. Orcus got ignited and the flames lit the room, as well as expose his location to everyone. The Survivors pummelled Orcus with magic again, finally putting him onto the ground. He crumbled into ash and vanished, leaving behind a large magic stone. "Smart thinking Black Frost!" said Midori.

"Thank you!" said Black Frost.

"We'll quit here," said Atsuro. "Let's head back up."

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Somewhere in the southeast of Orario was an abandoned meeting hall. The building was full of cobwebs and dust from being neglected for so long. One corner of the room contained a shelf full of unused bottles resting against the back wall in a corner. The wall beside the shelf slid open and out came a pair of men dressed in black robes. The wall slid closed and the men left the building. In the cracks between dimension, invisible to the naked eye, was Abel.

He returned in phase with the physical world. After examining the shelf, he discovered a button hidden behind some bottles in the shelf. When pressed, the button caused the wall to slide open. Behind was a ladder which led down to a vast hall lit by lanterns which used magic stones. It led to a lobby room, which in turn had doors on its sides to locker rooms where cultists could change into appropriate clothing and secure their possessions.

The final door, directly opposite the lobby entry, led to the ritual area, the deepest chamber. Inside, Abel saw a sigil inked on the ground in black. The image depicted what looked like either four tongues of flame in a brazier, or four men standing on a boat. Along the outer ring of the magical circle was written the name "Paimon" going clockwise. Seeing the Sigil of Paimon made Abel grow very concerned, for Paimon was one of the most powerful demons there were.

There were six people in the ritual room. One was a sombre young woman in a black dress and a matching black conic hat. She had black hair and pale skin and looked very much like a young witch. The woman gave off the aura of goddess, much as others such as Hestia and Loki did. She was Hecate, the Greek goddess of magic and the supernatural. With her was a blonde woman clad in a white dress which made her look like a priestess. She was Medea Mageia, Hecate's right hand, and a founder of the Hecate Familia.

"I'm not getting anything from Baphomet anymore," said Medea. "It's possible he was destroyed."

"We'll have to summon a new demon to replace him, but at least we know the spell worked," replied Hecate. "Perhaps we should move on and make further progress in summoning Paimon?"

"Of course my Goddess," said Medea.

When Abel appeared in the room, the two leaders of the Hecate Familia noticed him. The other four people in the room, guards, went to detain him, but suddenly fell unconscious. The spell's effects also washed over Medea and she fell unconscious as well. "Now that we're alone, we can talk, face to face," said Abel.

"You're the Masked Mage!" said Hecate. "What do you want with me?"

"You are the Goddess Hecate, am I correct?" asked Abel.

"Yes," replied Hecate.

"Was your Familia the one summoning demons into Orario?" asked Abel.

"I won't hide it. My Familia has been practicing demon summoning," replied Hecate.

"I see from the decor that you have made contact with the demon Paimon. You intend to summon him in the future, am I correct?" asked Abel.

"Of course," replied Hecate.

"Why?" asked Abel.

"The demons are coming, whether we summon them or not," replied Hecate. "First were the stragglers, who crossed into the world purely by accident. Next would come scouts to evaluate our world and its defences. After them will be servants of the demon lords. I tried to warn the gods, but all my warnings fell on deaf ears. If they wouldn't make a stand, I would do so myself!"

"I understand, but Paimon is far too powerful for you to control," said Abel. "You'll only make the situation worse by calling him."

"I beg to differ," said Hecate.

"So says the fool before her funeral," replied Abel. "While I'm not forbidding you from summoning demons, at least be more responsible about it. Innocent people have died already, regardless of how noble your intentions may be. For everyone's sake, stop trying to summon Paimon, while you still can. If you don't, I will be forced to step in."

Abel vanished, leaving Hecate behind with the unconscious Medea. In a few moments, Medea finally stirred from her unconsciousness. "Ow, my head," she remarked, being hammered by a migraine from her recovery.

"Are you okay?" asked Hecate.

"Other than this headache and the bump from my fall, yeah," replied Medea, who finally stood up. "The Masked Mage was here. Did he hurt you in anyway?"

"No, all we did was talk," replied Hecate.

"Talk? About what?" asked Medea.

"He wanted me to stop developing a way to summon Paimon," replied Hecate. "He thinks we're going to get in over our heads."

"Really? We can't afford to stop! How else will we stop the demons?" asked Medea.

"I know," replied Hecate. "There are risks involved, yes, but even so, inaction will doom our world."

"Now that the Masked Mage knows about us, what should do we do?" asked Medea.

"Let's consult Leonard," replied Hecate.

END OF CHAPTER