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
Integration 1: Gaining His Religion
The first Denatus ended on a positive note, even with the many shocking revelations made by Titania's speech. Once Hestia reached the church, she found a crowd of gods and goddesses around her home. "What's going here?" asked Hestia, weaving through the mass of people to reach Bell.
"They all wanted to buy food made with our new stove," said Bell.
"People, please settle down!" said Hestia.
"Yoohoo Bell!" called Freya, waving at him. "Over here!"
"Stay far away from him!" said Hestia, clinging to Bell's arm tightly.
Among the crowd was Hermes and Take Mikazuchi. "Hestia, how much does one portion of food cost?" asked Hermes.
"I want two dozen!" cried a random goddess.
"Hold on, hold on!" said Hestia. "We'll announce when we're ready to sell food. For now, please return home and wait."
The gods and goddesses left. During the night, the Hestia Familia discussed a business model for selling food cooked with the Hearth of Hestia. They decided that baking croquettes was the best model as Hestia already had lots of experience doing this. After accounting for the magic stones, ingredients, and profit margin, they decided on 100,000 Valis per croquette. It was very costly for a croquette, but due to high demand and the cost of the magic stones, this was necessary.
At the same time, the Babelites also discussed their portal system's toll. To simplify their system, they simply emulated the one used by existing subways back home. Each ticket cost 100,000 Valis for a one way trip, but any adventurer could opt for a more expensive monthly pass. This fare was easily payable by anyone who could reach at least F18, and thus would need the transport system. The Babelites also successfully acquired Abel's abandoned mine for use as a transport hub and garrison.
The next morning, Abel met with Hecate and Medea. The women joined him at a table outside a local cafe across the street from the Pantheon. Abel ordered coffee for each of them. "What did you want to talk to me about?" asked Hecate.
"First, let me get this out. You should have listened to my warning," replied Abel. "That said, at least everyone in Orario now understands the threat posed by the demons."
"Yeah, but my Familia is crushed under a billion Valis worth of debt," said Hecate. "It will take me many mortal lifetimes just to pay that off. Not only that, I've done more to destroy Orario than protect it."
"I understand, but right now Orario needs those with the capability to contain the demon threat. We need an alliance of Familia who could stand at the forefront of this. I want to ask your Familia to be part of this alliance," said Abel.
"My Familia? You saw what I've done!" said Hecate.
"That is why you must make amends," said Abel. "Your Familia worked hard to develop its demon summoning capability. I commend your efforts, but there's a responsibility with having this power. You've made mistakes, but you can come out of this a wiser summoner. Do you still truly want to protect Orario from the demons?"
"Yes," said Hecate.
"Then please join us," said Abel.
"Alright," said Hecate.
"Are you sure about this?" asked Medea.
"Yes," replied Hecate. "We need a united front to handle the demons."
"Okay, why don't you give the Hestia Familia a gift to get on their good graces?" asked Medea.
"Sure," said Hecate. "I could make it possible for the gods to make use of demons! Medea, how far did we get with those plates?"
"We managed to make a few, but they can only hold weaker demons. They would no chance against the things we went up against in the invasion. They'd only be good for the upper floors, housekeeping, and other odd jobs," said Medea.
"That's still useful. I could give Hestia something to help with the workload in her magic stone food business," said Hecate.
"So you have an idea. That's good. I'd like to see these plates you've been developing," said Abel.
"Sure, you can pass a few to Hestia on my behalf, as a way of apologizing for the things I've done," said Hecate.
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The next day came and the gods held the second Denatus. This meeting focused on the defence and security of Orario. After all the chaos in Orario, much of the Smithy District had been levelled or ripped open from Paimon's earthquake. Those smithies that remained standing had suffered charring or had holes torn into their walls. The fallen adventurers and dead civilians combined to number in thousands and hung a dark cloud over the mass promotions the surviving adventurers had received for their valour.
Looming in the distance was the threat of Rakia, a nation ruled by Ares, the god of war, and his Familia. They were a warmongering Familia who ruled over a country and loved to attack other countries and cities. Their main power came from the Crozzo family's ability to make magic swords, until the spirits stripped the Crozzos of that ability. Without that power, they could not compete with Orario's elite adventurers. In Orario's weakened state, that was a different story.
"We need our children in the Dungeon, gathering stones to fund our recovery," said Loki.
"No, we need to stop Rakia first. They're already on their way here!" said Athena. "We need to get ready!"
"I think I know a way out of this dilemma. Titania, would the Babelites be willing to dispose of Rakia for us?" asked Loki.
"Perhaps... Why do you ask us?" asked Titania.
"If you can remove Rakia, we can send our children into the Dungeon to earn more money to rebuild Orario," replied Loki.
"Hmm, I will take this request to my masters. Please provide us detailed intelligence on Rakia's capabilities," replied Titania.
"Very well, we'll prepare the report by the end of the week," said Loki.
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The third Denatus happened on the following day. It was for assigning new aliases to adventurers who got promoted after the chaos in Orario. Such events were largely entertainment. The gods often gave names that were silly and goofy. They also enjoyed giving names that were puns or oxymoronic as a joke, especially to adventurers from less prestigious Familia. However, adventurers of higher levels tended to get the more fearsome names to reflect their power, ability, and the respect they were due.
"Okay, let's see the next person. Bell Cranel... He's Lv4? Two level ups since the last Denatus? Is this real?" asked Loki
"Ooh, Bell is Lv4!" said Freya, looking at the information sheet with a greedy smile.
"He killed a Goliath at Lv2. How about we call him 'David?'" suggested Take Mikazuchi.
"David is good. I'll second it," said Hestia.
The name 'David' stuck with the rest of the gods. "Up next is Kazuya Minegishi. He has reached Lv3 after helping his Familia kill a green dragon, a monster equivalent to a Lv4 adventurer," stated Loki.
"He killed another dragon?" asked Take Mikazuchi.
"Yeah," replied Loki.
"He must really hate those things," remarked Soma.
"I vote to keep his current name," said Hestia. The vote passed with no objection.
The next person was Welf, currently known as 'Ignis,' but the gods stuck with that name. After that was Haruhime, Hestia's support mage, who had finally reached Lv2. "My children saw her use a spell which creates nine fox tails. Since she is a Renard, why don't we call her the 'Nine-Tailed Fox?'" suggested Take Mikazuchi.
"I'll second that," said Hestia.
Thus, the gods dubbed Haruhime the 'Nine-Tailed Fox.' "Last, but not least, is Liliruca Arde, the main supporter of the Hestia Familia," announced Loki.
Soma looked over the picture of Lili. This picture depicted her as a chienthrope, despite the fact that he knew she was a prum. "Secret Agent Chien!" announced Soma.
"Secret Agent Chien?" asked Loki.
"She's one sneaky girl. I've heard stories of her sneaking around, stealing things from my Familia members," said Soma.
The vote passed and thus, the gods dubbed Lili 'Secret Agent Chien.' "That's all for today. Dismissed," said Loki.
The Hestia Familia met back at the church, where Hestia informed them of their new aliases. "Secret Agent Chien?" asked Lili.
"That was Soma's idea, not mine. The gods voted on it already, so no changing it," said Hestia.
"I think it's a good name. It's got a sense of mystery and danger," said Haruhime. "My name isn't that exciting."
"Nine-Tailed Fox isn't a bad name," said Welf. "It's very appropriate."
"You really think so?" asked Haruhime.
"Yeah," replied Welf. "It's got that pun going for it. You're a Renard, so you're like a fox, and you're a beautiful girl."
"Oh, thank you Welf!" said Haruhime.
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The Babelites examined a pile of forms which detailed Rakia's known capabilities. As an army, Rakia had sent 30,000 soldiers to march on Orario. The people with the highest level were the generals, who were Lv3. The common foot soldiers were only Lv1. They were armed with swords and bows, but also brought catapults with them. Rakia also carried a few magic swords, the strongest of which were equivalent to modern grenades. Rakia had cavalry, but no air power. Currently, Rakia was about 30 km east of Orario, travelling to the city by foot.
Titania reported to the Guild that the Babelites would begin operations against Rakia. Moments later, the Survivors found themselves in the lush green Seolo Forest, the next location in Rakia's path. Further east, Scarlet was invisible and hovered over a large mass of soldiers who resembled the Roman legions. They marched in several rectangular formations with shield carriers in front and archers in the back. Further behind the formations were the catapults.
"Abel darling, they're about to reach the forest," said Scarlet.
"Okay, we're moving," said Abel.
Abel nodded to the other Survivors, who nodded back in acknowledgement and took positions by the road which ran through the forest. As soon as Rakia was just a few feet away from their trees, the Seal of Bel appeared underfoot. The Rakian legions were slowed to a crawl and weakened by the sigil's presence. "Retreat!" cried a general.
The legions trudged through the magic sigil, too debilitated to react with any sort of speed. Yog-Sothoth moved overhead and pelted the legions with dozens of orbs. Scores of solders got scattered everywhere by the shockwaves. Vidofnir and Mothman continued raining death from above with lightning strikes. Some of the soldiers started unleashing magic swords upon the aerial demons. Despite filling the air with explosions, they could not fell the demons.
Abel summoned a mass of vines from the ground. The reached out and coiled around scores of soldiers. Three of Yuzu's tornadoes roared through a formation of archers trying to return fire into the sky. All of them were dragged in screaming, and spun around. Hector descended upon a catapult and crushed it underfoot. He roared ferociously, then slammed the ground. A massive tremor radiated outward and knocked an entire formation onto their backs.
Morale plummeted and sheer terror spread through the legions of Rakia. They were not used to fighting creatures such as demons, especially ones as powerful as the companions of the Survivors. Rakia had broken formation and started to run for their lives. The Survivors did not bother to chase them, as the battle was theirs. An hour later, a group of Babelite troops flew into the area on the backs of demons to set up a lookout post.
The Survivors returned home, where news of Rakia's crushing defeat spread rapidly. The Loki Familia's leadership met in Loki's office to discuss this turn of events. "They only used four people?" asked Loki.
"...And twelve demons," corrected Riveria. "It was the same group that fought by our side during the demon invasion."
"Still, to demolish 30,000 soldiers with only 16, that's incredible!" said Gareth.
"Thank the gods they're friendly, at least for now. Even if all the Familia united to fight them, I'm not sure we'd stand a chance," said Finn.
"No, but let's enjoy their generosity while it lasts," said Gareth.
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The Hestia Familia gathered around Kaz in the dining room of the Hestia church. After Abel had spoken with Hecate, the goddess had given him a circular, silver object. This plate-like object depicted the faces of a trio of goblin-like creatures on one side. The other side was left blank, waiting for a god or goddess' blessing. With these faces, the plate resembled an oversized coin. The Hestia Familia wondered what the purpose of this object was.
Kaz took this chance to tell them about how he had spoken with Hecate as Abel. "You were trying to get her to form an alliance with us?" asked Lili.
"Yes," replied Kaz. "As part of her restitution, Hecate created this plate for us,"
"What does it do?" asked Lili.
"It allows the owner to form a contract with a demon. This one is for three Brownies, demons who will help with housework. Hecate thought that Hestia might need help with her new croquette business," replied Kaz. "Once Hestia applies her blessing to the back of the plate, it will seal the contract."
Hestia did as asked and a trio of demons who resembled imps suddenly appeared. "Hello Goddess Hestia, how may we help you?" asked the leading Brownie. He was a creature no larger than a girl's toy doll.
"Please sweep up around here," commanded Hestia.
"Of course," replied the Brownie.
Hestia watched as one Brownie telekinetically moved a broom to sweep the ground. The second operated a dustpan to collect what the first swept up. As they moved around the church, the third moved objects such as chairs to allow them space to operate. "Okay, maybe I might begin to forgive them, at least a little," said Hestia.
"I'm not too keen on this. They messed up Orario with that Paimon business," said Lili.
"Yeah, but we want to allow her a chance to make amends. Her demonic capabilities could become a deciding factor in the battles ahead. At the same time, we can keep an eye on her, and keep her from the funny stuff that caused the Paimon incident. We'll make sure she practices safe summoning," said Kaz.
"Okay," said Bell.
"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer," said Hestia.
"Yeah," said Kaz. "We'll allow her to be involved, but if she starts to cause problems for us, we'll slap her down. Hecate intends to sell contract plates as a new business for her Familia. We got a freebie to resolve the animosity between our Familia."
Now that the gods had access to demons, it would help equalize the difference between Orario and the demons. They lost many Familia members to the invasion and this was a quick way of replenishing their ranks. Hecate would obviously keep the strongest demons for her own Familia. Despite that, even the weakest demons could be resurrected through the contract, yet still offered much needed support, especially with magic. Warriors tended to be much more common among adventurers than mages.
"So you're saying we could buy new Familia members?" asked Welf.
"That's exactly what he's saying," said Lili.
"Yeah, but the plates are quite pricey, especially for the stronger demons. We're lucky we got our Brownies for free. Even a big Familia like the Loki or Freya would deplete their bank accounts if they tried to employ more than a few of the stronger ones," said Kaz. "Don't worry about being replaced. That's not going to happen."
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The next day, Hestia, Bell, and Haruhime woke up to the sound of people outside their home. Already, numerous people had queued up outside her church. Although some were adventurers, many of the people were gods and goddesses. At the head of the line was the goddess Loki, head of one of the top Familia of Orario. "Hey Loli-Big-Boobs!" said Loki.
Hestia sighed. "What is it, Loki-No-Boobs?"
"My Familia just tested your croquettes on our last trip to the Dungeon. I have to say, I'm impressed. I want another three dozen for my Familia," said Loki.
"Me too, I want two dozen," said Demeter.
"Make another two dozen for me," said Hermes.
"I want a dozen!" said Take Mikazuchi.
The gods and adventurers started yelling out orders for magic croquettes. "Hold on! One at a time, one at a time!" cried Hestia. "I only have one stove, so I can't make that much at once. I will limit orders to no larger than three dozen."
"Goddess, I'll fire up the oven," said Haruhime.
Bit by bit, Hestia baked enough magic croquettes to fulfill all of the orders of the adventurers and gods. Even with the help of the Brownies, Bell, and Haruhime, it was tough work. At the end of the day, Hestia closed up shop and counted the earnings. She had taken in almost 120M Valis in just that one day of sales alone! She had already made up for paying backlogged taxes to the Guild and more. If she could continue this trend, she would be rich.
She starting getting money signs in her eyes. "Money, money, money!" said Hestia.
"This is great. We can finally start that renovation we've always wanted for our church," said Bell.
"Yeah," said Haruhime. "I can't wait to see what our home becomes."
"Okay, we're going to contact the contractor," said Hestia.
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More than a month earlier, before the demonic invasion, there lived a man named Abraham Paul. He was a man in his late sixties, a very old and gaunt man. Despite his advanced age, he was fortunate to still be able to walk on his own power. He left the Paul Bakery, his home and business in the Daedalus Street slums. This part of Orario was run down with many homes boarded up crudely by the city government. It had no rhyme or reason to its construction. The poor simply grabbed what homes they could find as shelter.
He walked down the street to the nearest grocery store, where he purchased a bag of flour from the vendor. He carried the bag all the way home and put it on a table. His wife, Martha, came out to check. She was a senior like her husband, a sweet gentle lady in her early sixties. Her once brown hair had greyed and she wore a simple apron, a white baker's uniform, and a hairnet. "Thanks Abe, we were really running low on flour," said Martha.
"Let's get our treats ready for the customers," said Paul.
Paul put on an apron and the couple started to bake delicious treats. The air in and around their bakery became filled with the sweet, fragrant scent of pastries. Business was surprisingly brisk that day. The customers had bought out the entire store's inventory. After the Pauls closed for the night, Paul and Martha quickly ran out to buy more flour, as well as fruit, sugar, and eggs. After putting their ingredients away, night had fallen on the city of Orario.
After putting on sleeping clothes, a violent earthquake rocked the city, radiating outward from the Smithy District. Its tremors could be felt all the way over in Daedalus Street. The sky turned red and several fissures to the outer planes opened above the city. A horde of demons started to land in the city, causing chaos and screams everywhere. One of the demons, a Decarabia, moved down the street outside the bakery.
Paul heard a scream outside, then looked out a window and saw the Decarabia set fire to a cart. "Martha, fetch my crossbow!" said Paul.
The Decarabia sprayed fire and ignited numerous buildings on Daedalus Street. Before it could get to his bakery, Paul fired a bolt right into its eye. The Decarabia was unharmed and started advancing on Paul. He fled around the corner, then another, losing the Decarabia in the alleys of Daedalus Street. When he returned home, he heard a scream come from the back kitchen and ran to see what was the commotion. He found his wife sprawled on the floor, bleeding from her stomach.
A demon resembling a manta ray, Forneus, had her blood smeared on its teeth. Forneus had broken through the backdoor and mauled his wife. Paul shot the demon with his crossbow, but the bolt deflected off its skin. Before the creature could strike, a golden light emerged from the opening in the back of the bakery. Its source was a golden-haired angel dressed in a white dress. She raised a hand and a pillar of light consumed Forneus, destroying it in a blinding, golden brilliance.
Paul uncovered his eyes. "Don't be afraid. I'm here to help," said the angel.
"Please save my wife. She has been wounded by the demon!" said Paul.
"I grant you a gift. Have faith in the Lord and use his gift to heal her," said the angel. She held out her hand and a white light filled Paul. He put his faith in the angel's mysterious Lord. His hand cast a white light upon Martha. The bleeding stopped, yet her clothes remained dirtied by the blood she had spilt from the wound.
Paul embraced his wife, glad to see that she would survive. "Thank you. I owe you a great debt," said Paul.
"If you wish to repay your debt, live a life free of sin," replied the angel.
"How do I do that?" asked Paul.
The angel created a set of books for Paul to read. They were a set of religious texts, though many told stories and fables about how the Lord interacted with and guided lost mortals. When Paul opened a book, he saw the tale of Jesus of Nazareth and his rise as a preacher and messiah. Born in Bethlehem in the land of Israel, he was a carpenter who began travelling to preach the values of the Lord. Jesus was eventually captured by the Romans who occupied Israel and crucified between a pair of thieves.
"Aren't you the Messiah? Save us!" demanded the thief crucified to the left of Jesus.
The second thief, to the right, felt only disgust from the first's demand. "Have you no fear of God?" asked the right thief. "We wound up here because we were stealing, but this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus, when you reach your kingdom, please don't forget me."
Jesus turned his head to face the penitent thief. "Aye, you will be in Paradise with me," said Jesus.
Paul closed the book. "Thank you angel. I will study these tales."
"You also have the ability to fight the demons. Use it well," said the angel, who hovered out of the door and flew away.
"Martha, there's something I must do," said Paul. "Many people are being threatened by the demons. I can't sit around while they're in trouble."
"Do what you must, but please come home safely," said Martha.
"I will," said Paul, who hugged his wife.
Paul travelled around Daedalus Street, looking for those who were wounded. He found a father engaged in battle with a Decarabia who had attacked his wife and children. Despite his efforts, the man had suffered numerous cuts and burns, bleeding from each of them. Paul fired a bolt into the Decarabia, killing it in one hit. He then examined the man and directed a stream of white light towards his wounds. The father's cuts started to seal, though the spilled blood remained on his body.
"Thank you, Abe," said the father. "Since when did you have healing magic?"
"An angel visited me and gave me this power," replied Paul.
"I see. I owe you and the angel my thanks," said the father.
END OF CHAPTER