Chapter 1:
Present day, Orario.
Bells POV
The sun has just begun to set on Orario. Beautiful hues of orange and yellows dance up in the sky, signaling the end of the day. I peer down at the city, observing the many buildings that populate it. However, no matter how much I tried, my eyes kept returning to the same wonder every time. The majestic and domineering Tower of Babel, the heart of Orario. Legends say that it was built to reach the Gods up in Heaven, who would have expected that the Gods themselves would come down to us instead. I wonder if I climbed up to the very top, would I be able to catch a glimpse of heaven. I let out a small smile, Of course not. People like me have no place in heaven.
''WOW! It's so big. Hey King, do you think the towers become even taller?'' A woman with wide eyes and short brown hair asked.
''No Diane. Since out last visit, the Tower of Babel has remained the same height.'' A magenta haired man said emotionlessly, whose name is Gowther.
''Who cares about that old pile of bricks! What I'm excited for is what's under it.'' The blue haired man let out a hearty laugh.
''We just arrived and now you want to go into the dungeon! You really are all brawn and no brains, Ban.'' Diane replied with a mischievous grin.
The dungeon. The Tower of Babel was not only built to reach the Gods, it was also built to act as the lid to the dungeon. The Dungeon has multiple layers filled with monsters that inhabit each level. As you continue further down, the monsters continue to get stronger and stronger. To this day, no one has managed to reach the bottom, no one even knows how far down it goes. Some say that it goes straight to the heart of the world, where the most terrifying monsters slumber. Others say that it ends on the 100th level. People have also speculated that the dungeon is so deep that once you reach the end, you'll end up on the other side of the world.
Just as Ban was about to respond, I decide to cut in.
''Stop fighting, both of you. We can stop and chat once we are inside of the city.'' I said in a calm and assertive tone. They both immediately shut up, but I imagine that they are both mouthing curses behind my back to one another. I let out a short sigh. I was planning to lay low for the time being but I'm not sure how long that will exactly last. Currently, we are outside of Orarios walls. We are stood on top of a small hill, that is just tall enough for us to see the city.
''Captain, do you plan on registering at the front gate?'' Merlin, a black haired woman who wore less than modest clothing, asked.
''No. Once the sun fully sets, we will sneak in. Then we will go speak with Ouranos.''
''W-why d-don't we j-just ask p-politely if w-we can enter the c-city'' Escanor, a frail and skinny man asked rather shakily.
''It will attract too much attention to be registered by the guards. Someone may recognize us if we're not careful'' King spoke up. King has the appearance of a middle aged and oversized man, with a slight stubble under his chin. I nod in agreement and then turn to look back up at the sky. Gone was the beautiful colors that danced in the sky. Now all that was left was an empty abyss. I momentarily close my eyes and breath in the night air, then I slowly open them.
''Let's go.'' At my command the others lift up their hoods and begin to follow me down the hill. We reach the walls quickly and then climb up one of them, out of view from the guards. We land in a dark and wide alleyway. Although the sun has set, the city is still very much alive and many adventurers still wander the streets. We swiftly navigate through the narrow alleyways and exit onto the main road. We take advantage of the crowded streets and maneuver towards the center of Orario. We arrive at central park and begin to walk down another alleyway. Once we reach the end, a cloaked figure is standing there.
''Fels. It's been a while'' I said in a blunt tone. The hooded figure turned in my direction, his face still not visible.
''Yes it has, Mr. Cranel. I hope you had a safe journey.'' Without waiting for a reply, Fels turned around and began to walk towards a wall. ''Ouranos has been expecting you. Please follow me.'' Fels then touched the wall and it began to slowly open and reveal a passage. We all followed closely behind down the tunnel. We arrived at a large and extravagant door, Fels then turned around.
''Please, wait here.'' Fels then entered the room, whilst we stood and waited. After a few minutes, a commanding and powerful voice rang throughout the corridors.
''Enter.'' The doors then opened, and we obediently entered the room. The room was plain and dark. All that was in it were a few dim lights and a tall throne in the center. A wise and powerful looking man sat on this throne and looked down at us authoritatively. He then spoke in a demanding and powerful voice. ''Bell Cranel, it has been some time since you last visited Orario. May I ask why you have requested an audience with me.''
''I have come here to ask for a favor. We have joined a familia and plan on staying in Orario for the time being.'' Ouranos narrowed his eyes but I continued to speak. ''I would like you to keep our identities secret for the time being, especially our levels. At least until the rest of our famillia gets here in a few weeks.'' Ouranos frowned and stared at me for a moment, then he opened his mouth.
''I realize that I owe you a favor from your last visit to Orario but I must ask, why.'' He narrowed his eyes even more and spoke in a serious tone. I shrugged my shoulders.
''It would be a hassle if every person in Orario knows about us, it would make settling in even more troublesome. All I ask is for the guild to keep our identities secret for the next few weeks and then announce them.'' I responded with a smirk.
''Why now?'' he asked, keeping his voice low.
''I guess we just got bored of the outside world. And besides, now is as good as a time as any'' I narrowed my eyes and my smile widened ''People are calling this the golden age for adventurers, I wonder how strong the adventurers here in Orario really are.'' There was a brief silence, Ouranos didn't seem to be fully satisfied with my answer but he didn't press any further. He let out a deep sigh, then looked back down at me.
''Very well. I will make sure that the guild doesn't disclose any of your information just yet.''
''Thank you for the help Lord Ouranos. Now, if you'll excuse us, we will be taking our leave.'' As we turn around to leave Ouranos suddenly speaks up.
''I hope you are not here to cause trouble because if you are, I will personally see to it that you are severally punished for any and all transgressions'' The pressure in the room dramatically increased, almost making it hard to breathe. Ouranos made sure to make it especially clear about just how serious he is. I grinned.
''I wouldn't dream of it'' We continued walking away and as the doors were about to close behind us, I hear one more thing come out of Ouranos' mouth, something that only widens my smile.
''The Seven Deadly Sins.''
We arrive at an old and abandoned church, just outside the main street. Currently, its acting as our famillia home but it's definitely seen better days.
''Ugh! Why do we have to stay in a dump like this, can't you see that on its last legs.'' Ban said, clearly frustrated.
''I'm sorry Captain but I have to agree with Ban here. What if there's…'' Diane shivered and then said in a quiet voice ''bugs''.
''Until we buy a house, I don't want to waste any money on non-essentials. The church is in a good enough condition to sleep in for the time being, so we'll stay here.'' As a result of the population increasing in Orario, houses have become very expensive. The prospect of earning a fortune in the dungeon attracts more and more people each day, housing has become so expensive that slums have begun to pop up. Until we find a home for us, it's best to not waste money on overpriced inns. Diane and Ban let out a frustrated sigh but stay quiet.
We enter the rundown church, there are holes just about everywhere and weeds sprouting through the ground. I imagine Diane saw a bug or something because she suddenly shivered behind me.
''H-hey King, do you think you could share your pillow with me tonight.'' Diane said with a disgusted and pleading look on her face.
''M-me a-and y-you. S-sleepy t-t-together, I-I-I-'' King turned bright red and began tripping up on his own words. His stuttering became so bad that we could barely understand him. Suddenly, I hear an ecstatic cry from inside the church.
''YOUR HOME!'' A short, top heavy girl ran towards me and jumped with her arms out stretched. I catch her and spin her around, like a big brother would do to his little sister. This is our goddess, Goddess Hestia. I should probably explain why a goddess of all people is here in a rundown church. One day the Gods got bored of their lives in Tenkai (heaven), so they travelled to the lower world, Genkai, for entertainment. Once a god descends to Genkai they are no longer allowed to use their Arcanum, their godly powers. If they die in the lower world, they will be transported back to heaven and will never be allowed to come back down. The Gods are as powerful as a mere human once they descend to the lower world but what they can do is bestow a blessing to mortals. Blessing mortals with the falna allows us to get stronger. The stronger we get, the higher our status and if our status is maxed out then we increase our level. Currently the highest level adventurer in Orario is a level 7. Once you receive the blessing of a god or goddess, you become part of their famillia. Sort of like a family.
''It is good to see you again, Goddess.'' I give her a bright smile then place her back down. Goddess Hestia descended to the lower world 3 months ago. I had visited Orario to meet somebody and that's when I met the Goddess. She was looking to create a famillia but no one wanted to join. I was also looking to join a famillia so it worked out well for us. I then brought her outside of Orario and introduced her to everyone. We told her that we would meet her in Orario soon, so she then returned back to Orario a few weeks ago.
Everyone then began to greet Goddess Hestia.
''It is good to see you in good health, Goddess Hestia.'' Merlin politely greeted. Hestia smiled at her kind words.
''Yes. I am also pleased to see that you have managed to survive for so long without us.'' Gowther bluntly said. Hestia's brows immediately furrowed and she opened her mouth in protest.
''HEY! Of course I can survive without all of you. If I wasn't waiting for all of you to get back, I would have moved out by now into a big mansion.'' Hestia argued passionately. Suppressed giggles could be heard by King and Ban, making Hestia even more furious. She turned around to face them and stared at them with an irritated expression.
''Yea, that's right Gowther! Shorty over here would have bought an entire castle by now if it weren't for us!'' Ban shouted with a mischievous grin. Gowther tilts his head in confusion, most likely not picking up on Bans sarcasm.
''Yea, that's right! An entire castle! Wait!'' she stopped half way through her sentence. ''Who the hell are you calling shorty!'' Hestia begins to chase Ban around the church but Ban was completely unfazed and let out a hearty laugh.
''S-should w-we s-s-stop them'' Escanor timidly asked. I smile at the sight of everyone laughing and joking around with each other. It's nice to see everyone so relaxed. I sigh. But I should probably stop those two, it's getting late and at this rate we'll wake up the whole city.'' I calm Ban and Hestia down and we all head down to the basement of the church through the secret passage. The room is clearly too small for everyone to stay in. So, I decided to let the women rest in the basement and the rest of us to sleep inside of the church. I am first and foremost a gentlemen. We made some make shift beds on the floor and got ready for bed. Each one of us taking turns to shower. We all settled down and sat on our 'beds'.
''I can't wait to go kill some of those bastards down in the dungeon. Hey cap'n, let's have a race and see how deep we can go.'' Ban excitedly exclaimed. I let out a long sigh.
''Sorry Ban, but you all will be staying here for the time being.'' I begin to prepare myself for the worst.
''WHAT! DOES THAT MEAN WE CANT GO DOWN INTO THE DUNGEON.'' Ban shouted.
''Hey, keep it down! Some of us actually want to get some sleep.'' King angrily exclaimed. Ban then turned to King and told him to shut it, then looked back at me.
''Sorry Ban, but it will attract too much attention if some unknown man blazes through half the dungeon in one day. For now, you will all stay here and repair the church, whilst keeping a low profile.'' I said in a calm manner, to bad my calm tone did nothing to calm Ban down. He gritted his teeth.
''So your telling me that we spent 1 week travelling to Orario, had listen to that old coot nag at us as soon as we got here and on top of that, stay in this sad excuse of a church. And now your saying we can't go and explore the dungeon.'' Bans brow began to twitch. Technically, yes, I am saying exactly that. But we can always explore the dungeon later.
''Ban we will explore the dungeon soon, just be patient. If you want, we can go to a bar and have a small feast tomorrow when I come back.'' I know I said I didn't want to waste any money on nonessentials but at this rate Ban will never let this go. Gowther then jumped in,
''Where are you going captain. Will you not be helping us with the repairs to the church.''
''No. I will be going out and visiting the guild to gather some information about Orario and the dungeon. I'll also make a quick visit to the dungeon just to see how it is. I'll be back by dinner.'' Ban snorted and crossed his arms. I believe at this point he understands that he can't win but he still makes it clear that he's not happy about this one bit. I say good night to everyone and lay down on my back. Honestly, I'm actually really excited to explore Orario, I didn't get to the last time I visited. I didn't even notice that I was smiling widely and almost maniacally. I stared through a hole in the ceiling, watching the stars scattered across the sky.
I wonder...will this city be able to free me from my boredom. I'm so excited that I can barely hold it in...
AN: And that's the first chapter done. It's much shorter than the prologue, but I felt that if I continued on writing, then it would be too long. I want you guys to know that this is set at the start of the original story and I will be using the original story as guidelines for this book. I also changed when Hestia descends to the lower world because it fits with the story better. I hope you enjoyed and please don't forget to leave a review and share your thoughts about this chapter. Hope you have a good day, byeeee.