See this? This is why I can't write in advanced lol. I procrastinate to hell and back and all back on the chapter I already have written instead of actually get ahead. I apologize in advanced for the middle section of this chapter. You'll know what I mean when you get to it…
I do not own Danmachi or its connected works.
Mama Mia is, without a doubt, a monster. I knew shopping would be a pain, but Mama somehow managed to make it a terrifying experience.
So. Many. Outfits… Apparently fashion is something Mama is passionate about, because there is no way any sane or normal person can pick out that many outfits in such a short amount of time. Formal wear, loungewear, combat clothes, casual and even an outfit for sneaking around! All of it in only ten minutes!
Somehow she even managed to keep it all within my budget! The problem is that she had me try each of them on before letting me go pay. Apparently because her instincts weren't enough. I spent the entire time in various levels of fear, awkwardness and being impressed.
I'm almost completely broke, but I doubt I'll ever need to buy clothes ever again. Thank the gods for that. I don't think I would survive another shopping trip with Mama Mia...
Speaking of, she sent me off to the library in one of my new sets of casual clothes, a light green long sleeved shirt and tan pants, while she brought all of my remaining outfits back on her own.
As such, I'm now standing in front of a grand building known as Ogma's Chapel. Ogma is a Celtic god of knowledge and he worships it above all, hence the name chapel. Because of his deep love of knowledge, he established a library and a familia to curate it so he can share both his and his children's wisdom.
It's a story that Grandpa told me not long before his demise and I've been wanting to take a look since I got to Orario, even if the reason for my visit has changed, it's still really interesting to me.
The rows upon rows of perfectly maintained bookshelves the library is known for feel welcoming as I pass through the grand stone archway.
Just- wow! I've never seen so many books in one place! The shelves tower up to the ceiling, a network of rail bound ladders to facilitate acquiring the books at the top.
As I'm taking in the view, I just barely avoided walking into a beautiful elven woman with emerald green hair, eyes and robes as she walked by me.
"Ah, sorry ma'am!" I apologized quickly.
The woman startled. Huh, guess she wasn't paying attention either… although that makes sense considering the book she had her nose buried in; 'A Forest of Dreams' apparently. "Oh I should apologize as well young man, I wasn't paying attention." She said, her voice a mix of strict gentleness I find myself associating with a particularly good teacher.
Wait, is she about to bow?! "Ho-hold on, you don't need to do that! Please raise your head!"
"Very well." She said, straightening her perfectly proper robes "I must be off then, have a great day."
And just like that, she's gone. That's unfortunate… I wanted to ask her more about the book she was reading, it looked interesting. Oh well, maybe I'll see her again sometime, for now though? Time to find a receptionist and ask them to direct me to a section on magic.
I may have underestimated this library a little bit.
Apparently, the "section on magic" is actually not just a shelf or two. It seems it's actually around five. Five rows that stretch the entire length of the building. I-I don't even know where to start. All I have to go on is "read books about magic".
I don't have the convenience of a falna to tell me when I've learned a spell, let alone how to cast it. So I need to figure out another way… Or maybe I'm just doomed not to have magic…
No. I can't think like that. "The will of a hero is to achieve the impossible…" That was what Grandpa stressed to me after that person… that person what? Died? Left? Abandoned me? No… she wouldn't have done any of those… So what DID happen then? Why are my memories of this person distorted, warped or missing?
"Who is she?" I muttered out loud.
Oh well. I can think about this later. For now I need to at least learn something about magic or Mama Mia is going to be mad at me for wasting time.
What to read... I start reading the titles of the first shelf's first row; 'Advanced Mind Preservation Techniques' 'Mind Recovery Techniques' 'Historic Curses and Their Modern Equivalents' 'A Northerner's Guide To Elder Futhark' 'The Magic of Friendship'…
Agh! Why are there so many books?! Of the first five titles, the first two sound way too advanced, the third sounds like the book itself will be cursed, the fifth sounds like a joke and the fourth book is just an alphabet! Well, it's in the magic section so maybe I'll give it a shot…
Grabbing 'A Northerner's Guide To Elder Futhark', I made my way over to one of the many reading areas with a few comfortable looking chairs and took a seat.
Finally I looked at the cover. It's a solid black cover with very little to distinguish itself from any other if not for the golden lettering.
A Northerner's Guide To Elder Futhark
By the One Eyed Father
Huh… that's weird. Normally you'd at least give a pseudonym when you write a book but from the looks of it, the name here is actually a title, a familiar title at that. Is-isn't that one of Odin's monikers? Did Odin, the Allfather, write this book about a dead language? Wait, Odin returned to Tenkai more than 100 years ago according to Grampa, just how long has this book been sitting here?
Suddenly, I'm a lot more interested in reading this. Surely a chief god like Odin would have plenty to say. Upon opening the book, my eyes are immediately drawn to the words inked into the pages. These are handwritten. Odin wrote this book with his own hands. Isn't something like this supposed to classified as an artifact?! Why is it in a library!
No, I'll think about that later. For now I need to take this chance to read as much as possible.
'So, you're the brat that decided to pick up this journal eh? Haha!' You don't know me, why are you calling me a brat you old crow?! 'Don't call me an old crow brat, I'm calling you brat because compared to me, your age isn't even worth counting!' How did the book know what I would call Odin? This doesn't make any sense.
'Of course it makes no sense to you brat, the book is magic. It was because I wrote this book as a favor to an old friend that I got sent back to Tenkai after all. Gazing into the future, even a mere hundred years, is banned here on Gekai. '
I can feel my heart accelerate in an instant. Clairvoyance, Odin used clairvoyance to write this book for me specifically. Why? I'm just some average country bumpkin. There's no possible way that anyone would call in a favor to write a book for me. Maybe I wasn't the person who was supposed to find this?
I should keep reading… 'Now, unless something unreasonable has happened, you should be in the Hestia familia.' Oh… its not for me anyways. Might as well read it anyways though 'Brat. No, Bell. Do not let your goddess learn of this book. It will very likely be assumed someone is trying to poach you from her. If something unreasonable HAS happened and you don't have a familia, then you can ignore this warning.'
It IS for me!
Who called in such a massive favor just to get this book to me? 'Sorry brat, but the old man told me explicitly not to mention who called in this favor so deal with it. You'll learn in due time.'
Right, clairvoyant author. If I'm asking a question, then he already knows and is probably answering it 'Now you're getting it. So, to answer why this book is in the section labeled magic, that's easy. Elder Futhark is a type of runes capable of enacting magic and is used as the basis for all arcane arts developed by the Northerners.'
"WHAT?!" I shouted before ducking me head down to avoid the stares of the patrons around me. Oh gods… why do I embarrass myself everywhere I go?
'Now, I should mention, the words contained within these pages will only appear when you're ready for them. If you try to read ahead of your means, you will fail.'
Really? I flipped to the middle of the book. Yep. Blank. There goes my plan to skip to the fun stuff. Actually… there really aren't many pages in this book at all are there? I only flipped three or four pages to get to the middle.
'Let's begin. Time to begin with the most important bits. To you, what is magic?'
What is magic? Magic is impossibility incarnate. It's the unreasonable ability to usurp your will on the world and achieve something that shouldn't be possible. That's what she told me, and it makes more sense than Grandpa's "Scream out your desires!"
'Operating under the assumption that this is an unreasonable timeline, forget all that crap your Grand Father and those pesky gods said. Magic is a sequence of runes and symbols that, when combined, provide a conduit for mana or rather mind as you mortals call it, to follow giving it a shape, and basic properties. Such as "Fire" and "Launch". This is called a magic circle. Consider it the blueprints of the spell.'
'A chant is then used to provide the spell with power, purpose and effects beyond what the magic circle provides. Think of this as what actually constructs the spell. Depending on how the chant is constructed, two identical circles can produce vastly different spells.'
Odin sure knows a lot about magic… although I suppose that makes sense. Still though… Isn't this a bit complicated for someone with no real knowledge of magic? All I have are scattered memories that come and go as they please and what I've read in stories.
'If this seems complicated, that makes sense. You're just starting to learn magic. I don't expect you to understand any of what I just told you. You'll figure it out in time. That stuff is about real magic and is something you'll have to figure out for yourself. All this book is gonna teach you is the absolute basics, and what you need to know so that you actually can figure it out.'
Oh… I got my hopes up. There never was any fun stuff in the first place I guess.
'Step one of the basics, learning to carve runes. A simple physical array will help you get used to the feeling of mana as it flows through you. So to start, I'll teach you one of the only runes that is able to be used on its own; Thurisaz.'
Drawn on the bottom half of the page is a line with a triangle in the middle of the bottom half of it. Huh. He really did mean basic I guess…
'This rune represents a few things, namely protection, polarity and regeneration.'
Wait, isn't this a really powerful triangle stick then? Now that I think about it, I think I saw this shape on Ryuu's magic circle while she was healing me…
'It isn't very powerful on its own, but when properly supported by an array and a chant to bring it all together, I've seen this rune used to restore lost limbs.'
That… That's insane. I knew magic is powerful, but I didn't think it was this powerful. It's just a triangle stick!
'Don't get too excited kid, magic is the impossible made possible. A lost limb is nowhere even close to the limit of magic. In fact I doubt that there even is one. For now though, back to the lesson. We're going to focus on that first part. Protection. Step one, find a knife and a stick or something else you can carve. Step two, carve the rune.'
Okay, that's pretty easy… I still have the knife I use for disassembling monsters at the Hostess so that's handled. As for a stick, I'm sure I can find one in the park near the fountain plaza.
'Step three is the hard part. You need to find the source of mana in your body and guide it into the rune. You'll know you're successful if the rune begins glowing. It sounds a lot easier than it actually is in practice. Mostly because even I can't guess where the source of your mana is. It's different for everyone.'
"How do I find it then?" I muttered under my breath.
'The best advice I can give, is for you to meditate somewhere that you find peaceful and to try to find a part of yourself that feels warm. As though there's a wellspring of energy just waiting to burst forwards. If you have a falna, all you need to do is gain Excelia and eventually you'll just figure it out instinctively. If you don't have one… well, until you activate the Thurisaz rune the rest of this book won't be visible. I wish you the best of luck kid.'
Sure enough, turning the page revealed nothing but blank pages. Well. Uh. That sucks. Why don't I just feel out a 'wellspring of energy' in my body that I don't even know what the energy feels like! Oh and let me just go somewhere I feel at peace real quick! I don't even feel at peace in the Hostess yet! Where do I go then? The Dungeon?! I feel at home in the Dungeon, not at peace! Even I'm not that crazy!
Standing up I make to throw this stupid book and forget about it. Sure it could be helpful, but its useless to me right now! No. I shouldn't be mad at the book, or Odin or anything like that. If anything I should be frustrated that I'm only struggling this much because nobody's ever tried doing this before and I need to start with the actual first step. A first step that a falna just gives people.
Those things really are cheating…
Releasing the tension from my arm, I close my eyes. I need to calm down... just… breathe.
Okay. I can think now. I might as well go grab that stick. Hopefully, I won't need to explain anything about why I'm checking this book out. That's the first step I need to accomplish.
Ignoring the odd looks from the people around me about my earlier outburst, I made my way back through the maze of shelves until I reach the reception area. Taking a quick glance I walked up to an unoccupied librarian with long black hair.
"Excuse me sir, could I check this book out?" I asked.
The librarian looked at the book in my hand then to me with what I think is curiosity before he passed me a form "Just fill out your name" he gestured to the first box which I started filling in "and a location that we can find you if the book needs to be returned Bell" he said.
Handing the now filled form back I felt my lips twitch into a smile, this is how a transaction is supposed to go down, instead of verbal abuse hurled in public for no reason other than surviving a trip to the dungeon "Have a great day sir." I said with a bow before I ran out the door.
I don't have all the time in the world, the sun's already long passed its peak, I need to find a stick and get back to the Hostess. My shift starts soon.
Exhausted. That's the only way to describe the way I feel as I wait on a small table of two. They're probably on a date and they are so sickeningly sweet that they have drained all remaining energy from my body. The pair of adventurers apparently had a "fated encounter" in the Dungeon and I am unbearably jealous about it.
Oh gods, I'm not even trying to delude myself that I'm not jealous… I really am dead on my feet.
When I checked the clock tower earlier I realized just how tight my deadline was so I had broken into a full sprint. Luckily I was able to find a few branches so I don't have to go fetch a new one every time I fail the carving process and while I was running back to the Hostess after that, I saw a shop selling large notebooks so I bought one of them with my remaining funds.
I figure it'll help me when I actually start learning magic and it could also help if I record the places I've tried "searching for energy" so I don't accidentally try the same place twice.
Great idea right? Unfortunately it did slow me down enough that I only barely made it back in time for my shift. Needless to say, Mama Mia was NOT pleased. I think she gave me this table out of spite if I'm completely honest.
"The couple at table three wants another bottle of wine Mama!" I shouted into the kitchen, taking a moment to recover at least a little energy before I have to take care of that sickening table I wish I was getting served at instead of being the server.
Hm? What's that crunching sound? It is most definitely not the wooden counter I'm gripping right now, that would be crazy. Stop glaring at me Mama, I'm not crushing the counter in my hands at all. And if I was, which I'm not, it would be your own fault!
"Here's the wine kid, and don't think I don't know what you're thinking right now…" Mama… your voice is sweet as can be, and yet your glare is as intimidating as ever.
"Eep!" I really hope nobody heard that "Oh what do you know, that odd creaking coming from somewhere other than me is gone, I wonder how that happened? Hahaha…"
Taking hold of the bottle I hastened my pace to get back to the couple's table. Suddenly it doesn't seem so offensive.
"Well maybe you shouldn't have gotten so touchy feely after I saved you in the Dungeon then!" Huh? That came from my table…
I can see Ryuu being held back by Mama as I run over to stop what seems to be an escalating situation. Apparently this is tonight's lesson. I don't know how I'm going to stop an adventurer but I need to try something.
"I was in a vulnerable spot! I agreed to this date to see how things go! I never promised you anything!" the girl screamed as she stood up.
What happened to that sweet atmosphere from earlier? Why does she look scared? "What's going on here?" I asked, straightening my back as I arrived.
The guy snapped his gaze over to me. Okay. I can see why she was scared. The look in this guy's eyes is completely different than before "Nothing's happening, just go serve whoever's next on your list tonight runt." He leaned forward as he spoke, the smell of alcohol wafting from his breath.
I see… this is what Ryuu meant when she said I would learn when someone's had too much to drink. Okay, step one, stay calm. Step two, observe my surroundings. His hands are balled up. One wrong step here and he's going to swing at me. From what I overheard from their conversation earlier, he saved the girl from a hellhound so I don't stand a chance against him.
What else? The girl ditched once I stepped in. Good. At least I don't have to worry about her getting involved. Other adventurers? I look around at the other guests, it seems they're content minding their own business. All of them seem to be looking anywhere but here.
I guess adventurers really aren't the same as heroes. That woman in my memories was right.
Focus Bell. No time for that. The situation at hand comes first. "Sir," I began "I don't want to cause trouble, but you appear to have forgotten yourself to your drink. I'm going to have to ask you to please leave. Sober up then pay your tab tomorrow."
The man's face turned to a sneer. Oh no… "Oi, you scared my girl away you prick!" he slurred and shuffled forwards while I stepped back to preserve a little bit of distance as he tried to get up in my face. This isn't going well.
"Sir, please step down before you do something you might regret…" Might as well try pleading with the guy. I don't really have any other chance here… he may be drunk but if he was soloing in the middle floors, he's probably level two.
The man increased his pace as I backed into the counter near where I last saw Chloe. I don't know her very well, but I do know that she's the closest of my colleagues and at the very least she's strong enough to carry me like a pillow. I can only hope that if he does try to hit me, she'll step in before he kills me.
"I don't think I'm going to regret slugging the guy who lost me a hottie!" and then he swung.
I try to duck under it but it's way too fast. "Agh!" The man's fist collides with my cheek and drives my head into the counter. A flash of black hair grabbing the man and pinning him to the floor means my gamble on Chloe stepping in wasn't wrong which is honestly heartwarming.
Honestly, if I wasn't currently experiencing an unbelievable amount of pain from what I assume is a dislocated or broken jaw and crawling on the floor because of it, I would probably give in to calling her big sis.
I can feel my head swim from the pain and my vision is fading in and out. How did a single punch hurt me more than so many stab and slash wounds from that war shadow? Is the gap between a the upper and middle floors that massive?
A glimpse of green hair catches my eye as Ryuu kneeled down and began healing me. I can't hear her beautiful chanting this time but the magic circle in front of her hands steals my full attention. Even with my not quite all there consciousness, I commit as much of it into memory as I can, making particular note of the Thurisaz rune at the spell's center. Maybe that means it's the central focus of the spell?
Soon enough though, I feel the pain recede enough that I feel comfortable speaking. So, I turn to Chloe, who's now standing over an unconscious adventurer, and smile. "Thank you big sis!"
"Squeee!" The cat girl squealed with a massive blush before she ran off back to her duties. How strange… she was the one who asked me to call her that…
Returning my focus to the gorgeous elf preventing me from screaming in constant pain, I figure I should probably thank her too "Thank you as well Ryuu. I really appreciate you healing me like this. Again."
Ryuu frowned slightly "Please don't make a habit of it Bell. If you assume I will always be around to heal you, you will be more prone to reckless decisions."
That makes sense… I did sort of just assume she would always heal me but I guess having that mindset in the Dungeon is likely to get me killed. "Sorry Ryuu, I'll be careful. I wouldn't want to worry you."
I think I saw a faint dusting of pink as she turned her head away. "Very well. Now then, you seem recovered enough. I'm sure Mama wishes to speak with you."
Ugh. After I botched that lesson, I'm probably in for an earful. Best to get it over with.
Forcing my self to my feet, I started making my way over to Mama Mia. I know I messed up, so I keep my eyes on hers. As I reach her though, she just shook her head "You've been through a lot today, you probably need time to think. Head up to bed. We'll talk in the morning. Both about tonight, and your foolishness from earlier.
I nod my head, and return to my room. I need to think…
Again, sorry for the library magic exposition dump. On the bright side it will probably be the most information Bell is handed on a silver platter. Aside from that, I'm obviously introducing other gods into the mix to try and make certain canon events make more sense as well as to create my own world in the universe of Danmachi. I hope you continue to enjoy. This chapter was 4500 words.
See ya next week!