My Heart lies elsewhere

by BleatingWail

Stripped from our world, a man finds himself branded as Arisen in a place of fantasy, magic and might. Set in the darkest hours of Orario, the Arisen will find himself beset by naive, foolhardy righteousness and unjustifiable, nonsensical evil. Amidst the harsh clash of morals and beliefs, the Arisen shall shape the world, as much as it shall shape him.

1. Eat your Heart out!

"Speech"

'Thoughts/Quotes'

Monsters/ Loud Sound effects/Dragon

Quiet effects/ Wyrmtongue

Dragon speaking Wyrmtongue

Author's Note

I felt the need to address some things before the story starts in an author's note so… Here goes. Also, before we begin, have you noticed how similar these entertainment mediums are? Seriously, from magic to skills and magic limitations, to monster drops and items. Trust me, give it a once over and you'll see that both Danmachi and DD have quite a few similarities, ones which I will try to explore in this story.

*Minor Spoiler warning for the story. Skip to end of spoiler if unwanted*

As an apart, the world and its characters will behave like the entertainment mediums (Anime, manga, light novel, etc), which can be in their favour or detriment. However, the Arisen's influence will, over time, alter the world and the characters to be more grounded and realistic. As an example, Finn is supposed to be intelligent. However, his brand of intelligence is more so anime-bullshit than real intelligence. What do I mean? Simple, most of the time, his strategies and thoughts are aided by author's knowledge (such as him perfectly countering other people's tactics as if he knew exactly what they were going to do) more so than deductive reasoning or logical thinking. After the Arisen's influence, I will try to write him more so as highly deductive and rational.

*End of spoiler*

First and foremost, the story is set 8, pretty much 7, years before canon during the darkest time of Orario. Though I have quite a bit of story stuff planned in my head, I am an improviser at heart, so I cannot rightfully say whether the story will eventually reach canon or not. I also can't say if it will accompany canon timeline. I believe my character can have some fun interactions with canon characters, but we'll see if it ever gets to it.

Secondly, I assume pretty much everyone reading this crossover knows Danmachi. I'm also assuming many don't know Dragon's Dogma, or at least don't know it very well. Given all that, I apologize in advance about some parts that ended up turning into infodumps about the game.

Third, this is a slight AU version of the world. I say this because I know that some, like me, don't typically enjoy fanfics pulling this move. However, you do not need to worry about me making some heavy alterations to the world or bringing in monsters or villains or other characters randomly with little to no explanation. But if you know enough about Dragon's Dogma, then you know that it deals heavily with different worlds, especially considering a main aspect of the game are the pawns, which come from the Rift a literal link between different worlds. Naturally, I will play into this as well as with a few other focuses.

Fourth and final point, the main character will gain powers and abilities from Dragon's Dogma and at times, they will be a bit game-like. This is because it is actually a biproduct of an ability of my OC, an ability he only gets because he becomes Arisen. It is also an ability which is directly connected with both crossover universes. I don't want to spoil anything so I will leave it at that. Just know that if he were to get an inventory system ability (which is unlikely to happen, at least until much later, because I plan to keep it pretty realistic), it wouldn't be out of the blue.

And yes, my character is an OC, though he is heavily inspired by me. The reason why it isn't an SI is because let's be frank, most of us, would never do the things main characters do. I know I certainly wouldn't. If I was transported to Danmachi, joining a Familia and going to the Dungeon would be last resorts. I would probably attempt to open a business or some shit. That being said, I'm not an interesting person to write about, therefore I modified my vision of myself into a more readable and Intriguing OC. So while he will remain pretty close to what I am, he will have unique traits, flaws, events and experiences that I did/do not have. And for all intents and purposes, he will have Dragon's Dogma knowledge. However, the series of Danmachi never existed in this version of reality, so you don't have to worry about him having the equivalent of foresight and abusing the fuck out of the world.

Oh and two final things. One, I do not plan on him ever joining a Familia under any circumstance as my character views it as a disguised form of slavery.

And two, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT TO READ. Expect extremely sporadic updates, with possibly months to years in-between updates. This is only a hobby after all, and I have other things of higher importance that take precedence in my life.

With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy what I managed to put together and do let me know what I did wrong, what I did right, and what was mediocre. I do plan on improving my writing, so any critique is more than welcome.

Onwards to the story.

/********/

I slowly stir awake as fleeting rays of sunlight filter in, incessant on bothering me in my sleep. Opening my eyes turned out to be a mistake I would regret. As soon as my sight focused, I felt my heartbeat quicken and a nauseating feeling spreading along my stomach.

I had no idea where I was, and as one can imagine, that was a horrifying thought to have first thing in the morning. Whoever had, seemingly, kidnapped me had managed to do so without alerting me in any way. I find my eyes roaming my body for any injuries or any signs of something amiss. Finding none, I release a breath that had been clogged in my throat for far too long.

"What the Hell?" I could not stop the soft-spoken words from leaving my mouth, for in my search of injuries I had realised something peculiar. My clothing had been changed, my sleepwear replaced with worn and torn clothing.

The most logical conclusion is that I had been kidnapped. However, that brought up the question. 'Why would they change my attire at all?' then a morbid thought crossed my mind.

'My parents…are quite well off. Their aim could be to make me look like I had been through hell, in an attempt to pull at their heart strings.' I certainly looked like a beggar that had been on the streets for a while and wasn't that a comforting thought.

A baggy and unpleasant beige shirt paired with some brown shoes and pants of similar quality were all I had to my name at the moment. When I looked around however, the hypothesis that I had been abducted seemed less likely.

It was with great surprise that I found myself staring at stone walls on either side of me, along with a path leading out of this alleyway and into a fishing village of sorts. If I had been taken hostage, then it was quite possible it was for a reason much worse than ransom given the situation. Pushing the foreboding thought from my headspace, I stumble out of the narrow path, only now realising that my legs felt surprisingly weak despite the lack of damage to them.

I am forced to shield my eyes as the sun is just too bright, making me wince in discomfort. When I finally get a good glimpse of the village, I quickly find my brows raising and bile threaten to spew forth from my mouth.

'I…I don't understand? How?

Try as I might, I couldn't stifle the panic that quickly overcame me. In front of my very eyes was a large group of people of various races going about their day. I say races as in species, various people with animal appendages, some with the typical dwarven look and some who look like elves, with pointed ears, unnatural beauty and an air of having a perpetual stick up their arses. There was even a child that carried themselves like an adult, strutting about all on their lonesome heading to the dock with a massive fishing rod and a bucket. I could only assume that was a halfling or hobbit or perhaps even a gnome.

There is the possibility that I have somehow found myself in the far future where genetic modification is widely available, yet that seems unlikely. The town, which I now find it to be as it is far too large for a village, seems too mundane for an advanced civilization, and worse yet, I can see several people carrying steel swords with their armor donned as if they are headed to a full contact tournament of sorts.

Finding myself short of breath, I lean against the stone wall and attempt to calm down. Naturally, I had considered the dream approach, but I find that even less likely. The detail in everything I lay my eyes on is superb, the town looks well-built and thought-out while not resembling any of the ones I know of from any video game, anime, video, D&D session, you name it. Additionally, in my 21 years of life, I can only remember ever having about 10-15 dreams and not in a single one of those did the thought of it all being a dream cross my mind.

I stepped onto the bustling street wandering aimlessly, attempting to escape this final thought that became more and more prominent in my mind. The notion that this phenomenon could be conveyed in one word belonging to an Asian language. The idea that this fantasy like world seemed to confirm.

'I have been Isekai'd.'

The thought looped itself inside my brain like a broken record. My footfalls in time with my ragged breathing. The panic, which I had foolishly believed to be at its peak, only heightened. I kept wandering, not sure which would come first. The heart attack from the accumulated adrenaline, or the breakdown caused by stress. Perhaps even-

FWOOSH

I felt my heart go still as if to better hear the peculiar sound, I felt the world slow down as if molasses had gripped it tight, I felt a shiver travel down my spine as the noises of the bustling city faded as if mere illusions, and lastly, I felt an inexplicable call to action when my heart cried out as if the very avatar of ambition and restlessness had possessed me.

It did not take long for memory to link the sound to an image, to a concept. Any and all who've had exposure to movies or video games set in fantasy would recognise the noise for what it was... the beating of long and powerful wings. Yet, as I gazed upwards and onwards, I could not find a creature of the skies come to raze the city to the ground, and the populace themselves seemed blissfully unaware or unconcerned with a possible aviary attack.

I walked with no destination in mind, feebly attempting to convince myself that these people used large, winged beasts as a means of transportation. Despite the logic being sound, for a fantasy world at least, I couldn't shake this feeling of dread. Something in me was screaming at me to run, to flee as fast as possible so that I may yet live. Yet, a weaker and softer piece of my person begged me to take up arms, it saw no possible escape and urged me to kill or drive off the airborne beast.

The battle, of what I could only assume to be my fight or flight instinct, intensified with each step I took, and in spite of myself, I found the smaller part growing ever stronger. What started out as a frail plea, quickly turned into a shout, and then a roar, a battle cry and finally, a chorus of bellows that drowned out the craven screams for retreat. I couldn't outrun a beast of flight, all forms of media taught me that lesson well enough. I have no other choice but to hope that whatever meagre strength I possess will be enough to fell the beast.

Decision made, I scoured the area for any weaponry available to me, simultaneously noticing I had somehow ended up on the beach, near the pier. Much to my chagrin, the only weapons around were being carried or worn by people, and as if to make matters worse, the noise of the wingbeat was echoing increasingly louder in my ears.

One thing to know about me, is that I am not a confrontational person, in fact, I avoid them if at all possible. However, drastic times call for drastic measures. And so, with panic guiding me, I searched for the nearest warrior who was by themselves and appeared frail. It did not take long as my sights soon set on a female member of the small races, one who appears to be armed with a longsword of some kind.

The girl seemed to be watching the waves before I approached with haste. When she looked up with a questioning gaze I struck. Launching my left arm forwards, I gripped the end of the blade with my four fingers on one side of the flat, and my thumb in the other, all while making sure to keep my palm away from the edge, in case the situation went south. All things considered, I should be able to disarm her fairly easily. Not only did I know what to do, but I had the size, weight and the leverage advantage. I was also likely stronger than her since she had very few developed muscles.

"Eh?! What are you-"

Ignoring the cartoonish response, I rotated the blade in a clockwise motion towards her and wrenched it from her hands. Unluckily for me, while the sword was indeed a longsword in her hands, considering it was proportionate to her size and that she reached my bellybutton, it did not appear so in mine. In my hands, it is more akin to a long dagger or a short one-handed sword, but one with a handle that was suited for two small hands.

As such, it was not surprising that when I wrapped my hand around the grip, I felt nothing but discomfort. Alas, for an emergency, it would be sufficient. When my eyes found the woman once more, she was staring bug-eyed at me, no doubt surprised I was able to steal her weapon with such ease. Which was only possible because her guard was all the way down and she had the reaction time of a sloth. In fact, her guard was so far down that it probably had time to visit all nine layers of Hell.

"HEY! Give that back!"

Tangent aside, I now had a very furious lady marching up to me, seeking to retrieve her sword. Unfortunately for her, she looked like a child throwing a tantrum rather than the intimidating warrior she presented herself as.

"Would you be so kind as to give the lady her weapon back?"

The idea that I've been Isekai'd has never felt so accurate, what with the people insisting on behaving like anime characters. Sure enough, as I turned around, I came face to face with the epitome of the anime pretty boy trope who only exists to make the main character jealous. A handsome blonde with blue eyes stood before me, a radiant smile etched onto his face. As per the trope, he appeared calm and carefree, no doubt holding the etiquette, eloquence and grace to match a noble in court and likely having the hidden ability to charm all members of the fair gender within a 100-meter radius. Look! The girl is already blushing. Still, as luck would have it, I'm not a main character, so I won't get jealous of your mere existence, which is pretty sad now that I think about it.

What's next? Am I going to rescue a pair of twins from slavery, only to find them to be royalty of a long lost kingdom? Will women start to gather around me and inexplicably fall in love with yours truly with the reasoning of 'because he's nice/saved me'? Or how about an extremely important person entrusting me with a secret/grand quest despite the fact that I have little to no fame or renown in the kingdom, let alone the world.

Refocusing on the situation at hand, I take a step to the side and turn so that I may keep both people in my line of sight. However, it would seem the pretty boy saw this as an attempt to retreat, one which he had no intention of permitting.

"Halt ruffian! I won't let you retreat! I will retrieve the fair maiden's sword even if it costs m-"

Not wishing to listen to the spiel any longer, I use the strongest move known to man, pocket sand. As I did not have sand in my pocket, I simply kicked out the one beneath my feet, courtesy of the beach.

"AUGH! MY EYES!"

"You coward!"

Predictably, the likely love-struck girl immediately jumped to his defence. No doubt attempting to lessen the injury to his pride after he got hit by one of the most humiliating moves in prehistoric man history.

Pain, as sudden as it was strong, shot through my chest, forcing me to clutch at my heart in a futile attempt to ease the burden. As it turns out, that would be the least of my worries. A splitting headache quickly joined my increasing heartburn when I heard the familiar flapping of wings accompanied by something far more frightening. What could only be described as a monstrous roar thundered in my head. The roar itself reminded me of the Balrog from The Lord of the Rings, it certainly carried the same undertone of fire, heat and smoke that had made it so intimidating in the movie.

The girl, whom I'd made sure to keep an eye on, perceived this as a golden opportunity and reacted accordingly. She leapt forwards, sand being kicked up around her feet as her arm stretched outwards to reclaim her sword. She was fast, far faster than I had been expecting, however, her footwork was less than stellar, and her lunge was predictable and telegraphed.

Reacting accordingly, I stepped backwards and swung at her extended hand. The flat of the blade connected harshly with her dainty hand, the sound echoing loudly. Not yet finished, I performed a half step forward and followed up with another strike to her ear, hoping to disrupt her balance long enough to escape.

The Halfling yelped in pain as she fell, meanwhile, I turned my attention to the flamboyant boy who had almost fully recovered by now. Rushing him with my blade intercepting his, I perform a simple sweep that knocks him on his ass. With both fighters down, I hastily retreated from the scene of the crime.

I had managed to scamper towards the centre of the city, hiding away in another alley while I caught my breath. Yet time was something I did not have and rest a luxury I had to earn. Such was made heavily apparent when the roar resounded once more. This time, it came from the distant sky, and not from inside my head, which could only mean one thing. It was here.

Immediately I could see and hear the first stages of panic. People nervously shuffling, asking what had made the sound, murmurs breaking out at a rapid pace all around me as people looked for the source of the horrid noise. And then, the calm before the storm. All went silent as one voice rose above the rest.

"It-It..." A single individual pointed at the sky, his features marred by fear. "It's the Dragon!"

Mayhem, pandemonium, chaos. No word could accurately describe the true state of the city and its citizens. Panic had burrowed deep into their souls, with people running for their lives, hoping to escape by any means necessary. Even those with weaponry had given up all hope of fighting the beast as soon as they laid eyes upon it.

I drowned out the screams while cursing my luck. I had my suspicions, but I had hoped beyond hope that I would not have to face a dragon, not now, not ever if I'm being honest. Clearly, my hope had been for nothing, all my best wishes were ignored and now I was faced with the worst-case scenario. A living, breathing, ruler of the skies that had come to end all life, including mine.

Suddenly, I felt the earth shake as the creature landed nearby. It must be enormous to cause such intense tremors, intense enough to knock me off my feet. I resisted the urge to get up and peek and instead laid flat on the ground while covering my head. Usually, after landing, a dragon will always u-

Orange was all I could see for a brief moment. The oppressive heat came immediately afterwards, followed by the intense smell of various charred and burned things. I could practically taste the ash in the air, as embers danced above the city.

As predicted, the dragon spewed a massive gout of flames directly after landing. In an unbelievable lifetime's worth of luck, the dragon had neglected the buildings I had taken refuge between. Even Luck would not be a strong enough word to describe it, for as I dared a peek at the carnage caused by the fire, I noticed a harrowing truth. Nothing had survived the flames. Not dirt, not grass, not wood, not stone, not steel, not iron and not even copper or bronze remained unscathed from the heat. And as my eyes found the winged beast, they widened from no small amount of fear.

Standing amidst scorched earth stood a colossal Wyrm several times the size of the buildings that once stood around it. Its length was so expensive, one could make a mini rollercoaster ride out of its head, back and tail. The dragon's limbs were as thick as a train cart with its tail being slightly thinner than that. Unsurprisingly, it had a width to match. The dragon's scales are as black as the void, their colouring coming close to vanta black. A singular reddish orange orb surveys the area with hatred and contempt, its other eye having been destroyed in a previous engagement.

What came as a surprise however, was the scarring around the aforementioned eye. It looked like a blade had slashed through its face and eye. Given that the Greatwyrm's scales looked to be extremely thick and hardy, the only way that would be possible, would be if its opponent had a magical weapon, had a weapon made of some fantasy material, or had used magic.

I should have run when I had the chance. There is no way this dingy sword would be able to even come close to harming that thing. The only hope I had, was that I could hit a vital like the eyes or mouth, or that there were small gaps between the scales that I couldn't see because of the distance between us. It's underside, wings and bottom of its paws have no scales, but even then, the draconic leather like skin of dragons is usually said to be tougher than steel.

Living on a prayer, I started sneaking closer to it, trying to remain in cover for as long as possible, which wasn't entirely possible given that it scorched everything around itself. Escape was no longer an option, I wouldn't get far, but frankly speaking, killing it is an impossibility. My only option now is to drive it away, by any means necessary.

The city was eerily quiet, the only sounds coming from the draconic beast as it rampages through the streets. I didn't dare to think on what the silence meant... had everyone died or did some escape? I closed my eyes tight in frustration, warding away those grim thoughts.

Before I realised it, I had gotten close, oh so unbearably close. The time had come, I was in charging distance of the beast, close enough to truly appreciate its size. There was only one thing to do now. I had to steel myself for a likely death. My grip on the sword tightened before I relaxed it to the best of my abilities. I took a minute to control my breathing and to squat down into the stance I was taught.

It was now or never, I had to put my life on the line to earn the right to keep it. I took a deep breath and waited for the slight pause that happens after an exhale. My luck would shine once more as the Wyrm turns to face the other way and bellows flames in the opposite direction.

My rear foot pushed against the ground as I ran forward, my heart easily keeping pace with my feet. The volume of the dragon's flame breath masking the sounds of my footsteps. The closer I get, the larger the looming threat, both in perspective and metaphorically.

Finding myself beneath the beast I couldn't help but freeze for half a second. The dragon's majesty imposing a sense of dread far larger than any other I had the displeasure of experiencing. Shaking off the distracting thoughts, I gripped halfway up the blade with my left hand in what's known as half-swording and lunged at the reptile's side.

A brief moment of elation coursed through me as my aim proved true, the blade had found the gap in its scales and was racing towards where I hoped its lungs would be.

My hopes were mercilessly crushed as the blade started flexing to its limit and by the time I had retreated the blade, there was some noticeable wear and tear on it. Inspecting the damage revealed that the blade had bent towards the tip and the tip itself was completely blunt.

Glancing upwards had me mortified. The single luminous eye of the beast lay trained on me, flames dancing in its sclera while its pupils promised a frigid death. Instincts kicked in as I threw a panicked thrust at its eye, however, its eyelids moved far faster than my sword could. I had foregone half-swording in favour of having extended reach, and I watched helplessly as the blade cracked and broke one third from the handle. In a cruel and unfair twist of fate, it turns out, even the Wyrm's eyelids were far beyond the steel's capabilities.

My only saving grace was the effective blindness of the black dragon. Taking my chance, I slipped under it to reach its other side as its eye opened once more. As I turned, I came face to face with its grisly scarring. The wound seemed much more impressive now that I was fighting the beast, and I was left wondering how someone had managed to slice through those scales and what sort of blade and material could harbour such powerful capabilities.

It was then I noticed something peculiar, something that could save me yet. The beast's scar tissue appeared frail and soft, perhaps enough so to allow a measly steel blade to pierce it, or what was left of my sword anyways. Mustering whatever strength I had left, I lunged at my target and felt the shattered blade sink about four centimetres inwards.

In that singular moment, I felt like I was Isuldur. Wielding a broken sword and finally wounding the seemingly invincible foe. Yet, much like most of the few fleeting moments of triumph in my life, this one ended just as abruptly and painfully. The back of the dragon's massive claw struck me like a bullet, my breath was forced out of my lungs as my feet lifted off the floor. I soared through the air about five metres high, I could feel my ribs collapse from the force, and my spine soon followed as I impacted with the soil. My skin broke as my back raked across the floor, the pain was overwhelming, and I could only stare listless at the sky.

The earth quaked as the Wyrm's heavy footfalls drew nearer, but amidst the thunderous sound was a deep booming voice that exuded power, yet the words it spoke I could not make out as the language was unfamiliar to me. The dragon was speaking! Its intelligence was clearly far greater than I had assumed, but given its erratic instinct driven rampage, who could blame me. And as I lay there, consciousness slowly drifting away, I could just make out its hook-like claw poised to pierce my chest. The dragon's eye had lost its reddish colour, glowing with a softer orange, and now, its gaze lingered longer and its brows were not so furrowed. Perhaps it's the first time since its rampage that it had truly analysed the situation.

Its nail came ever closer, before finally, it grazed my chest. I felt my torso explode as my still beating heart was ripped from my insides, blood sprayed outwards in large quantities as my whole body shot upwards and my back contracted. The moment felt like an eternity, even though I knew but a second had passed. When my back rested on the soil once more, I had a brief few seconds to see the dragon swallow my heart before it prepared to take flight. And as my final moments of consciousness passed, I felt its wings beat in rhythm to my now non-existent heartbeat.

/Scene break/

"This one is still alive!"

I drifted in and out, constantly walking the edge between sleep and painful alertness. I was being carried, of that I'm sure.

"How is he?"

"His breathing is normal but... I... I"

"Well? Out with it!"

"I can't feel his pulse!"

Despite my current state, I couldn't help but notice my spine and ribs were better, possibly even fully healed.

"Just because you can't feel his pulse, don't mean it ain't there. So his pulse is weak, anything else wrong with him?"

"Not as far as I can tell, everything else seems stable, I would even say he is in perfect condition. But there is one thing..."

"Don't make me repeat myself boy."

"Right! He has this massive scar on his chest, over his heart."

I felt my body tense, memories of the recent event surfacing. Yet, amidst those memories, were others. Ones of a time when I was younger, memories of one of my favourite games of all time, Dragon's Dogma.

"By the gods! Are you sure you ain't new to this boy? What's it matter if he has a scar? It certainly didn't happen today. And boy? "

"Yes...doctor?"

"If it ain't a threat or detriment to the patient's health... then it don't matter to us, got it?"

"Yes, doctor."

"Good! Now come help me with the more serious patients."

That was the last thing I heard before I lost consciousness once more.

/Scene break/

My eyes fluttered open, tired orbs gazing out at an unremarkable ceiling. I sat up so I could glance around. Strangely, I felt better than ever before. The only abnormalities were the giant scar on my chest and the missing heart. Checking my wrist, I found I could not detect my pulse. No doubt the dragon's magic was responsible for healing me and for sustaining my heartless body.

Peering into my surroundings, I surmised we where in a makeshift hospital of sorts. The grave patients were laying atop the various beds, while the less at risk were on top of whatever was available, be it blankets or carpets or whatever was on hand. I could see a variety of people in differing states. I saw men, women and children of all the races. Some were in a truly horrid condition while others had negligible wounds. To my left, there was what appeared to be a middle-aged dwarven woman that was missing an arm and had severe burns. Further into the room, I could see an elven child that was coughing but otherwise had no real injuries.

As I attempted to stand, a sharp pain and light flared from my scar, forcing me to kneel instead. When the pain and glow receded, a voice echoed inside my head. The dragon spoke the same language it had before, however this time, I could somehow understand it.

"Take up arms newly Arisen, for my kind do not heed the toothless. Seek mastery o'er your fate, if you would face me. Seek me out... Come to me... Come to me."

The dragon's voice faded, leaving me standing dazed and worried. There was certainly no denying it now. I had irrevocable proof that I was in fact Arisen, walker of the path and possible future seneschal. Yet the biggest concern was the dragon. It is my test and duty to slay it, and it is imperative that I succeed. Failure is not a option, failure would doom this world to ruin. 'Still my heart and stay the coming end', was it? How am I supposed to fell such a beast? I... I couldn't even scratch the damn thing!

I took a deep breath whilst I rubbed my forehead, attempting to ease away the headache I felt coming on. Meanwhile, I started heading towards the sole door at the end of the room.

"OK... OK. What else do I know?"

Given the circumstances, the language the dragon was speaking, the language which I am now fluent in, must be dragon speak. I do not know what the official moniker for it is, but since I find dragon speak, which is what I remember it being called in the wiki, to be uninspiring, I will refer to it as Wyrmtongue.

What else? Oh! I have little meta knowledge I can apply. Obviously, this is not Cassardis despite both being fishing villages. Not only is it not Cassardis, I don't believe I am even in Gransys, in fact, I am almost certain I'm not even in the world which the game takes place in. Which means I am mostly blind here.

I stumbled my way out of the building, coming upon the site of the desolate village. I merely stood there for a minute, gazing at the destruction, wondering if I'm indirectly responsible for it. The thought of it made me sick, the mere idea that I could be the cause of hundreds of deaths, maybe even thousands, had my stomach turning. I had to get out of here, I couldn't stand to stay here any longer. God, I felt like I was going to hurl. I have never considered myself to be an emphatic person, so this was totally unexpected. This guilt I could not be rid of, this parasitic feeling leeching in my stomach. I had to leave and go somewhere, anywhere, as long as it wasn't here.

My contemplations were interrupted by an attractive, young human man with black hair and dark eyes. His tight-fitting fisherman's garb looked off on his slim frame, and his short spiky hair only seemed to accentuate that feel even further.

"Thank the heavens you're awake! We were starting to think you wouldn't ever wake again."

I could not carry out a conversation, not like this. The feeling was growing far too much to bear. But I knew that voice. It belonged to the man that dragged me, the one speaking to the doctor. I would not leave without thanking the man, yet I did not wish to linger so I spoke quickly and decisively.

"Thank you for caring for me. If you would be so kind, would you give my thanks to the doctor? I'm afraid I must be going."

"Going? Going where? Half the city was destroyed. I'm sorry to say sir, but you may not have a home anymore."

He had spoken softly and carefully, clearly he was aware of the sensitivity behind the topic. Unfortunately, his statement had prodded quite a few more sore spots besides the lack of housing.

"I'm not heading home, I didn't have one here to begin with. These clothes were in tatters before the attack, I had nothing for me here, and I still don't. I'm heading to the next town over."

The young man's face softened at the mention of my situation, but it quickly shifted to full-blown panic when I said I was leaving.

"The nearest settlement is the city of Orario! And the city is three days away by carriage! You won't make it there. You have no supplies, no food, your clothes are tarnished and not fit for travel and... Gods! What if a monster attacks?..."

Before I could depart, the man started panic ranting at me, and while I am fully intent on leaving, I am no idiot. Humanity's greatest strength is their intelligence and all that comes with it. It would be folly to head into unknown lands unprepared, and fighting a monster or animal with no tools is tantamount to suicide.

"Please, at least wait for a carriage. Not to mention, the sun is setting! Please don't be so reckless!"

I hadn't paid much mind to it, but it was true that the sun was almost set. I could even see a few stars amidst the clouds. And now that I took the time to care, I noticed the clouds were quite heavy. It was going to rain tonight, the question was how hard? When I finally responded, I couldn't help the frustration from leaking into my voice.

"And when do you suppose a carriage will be available? Not soon enough I'd wager."

"Uh... It likely won't be in a few days, we are still rebuilding and need most carriages and horses to lug things around. But the alternative is too much! At least sleep here the night and think on it."

"I, I will try."

/Scene break/

Despite my various attempts to enter the realm of sleep, it would not come to me. And with no real way to tell time, I was left frustrated not knowing how long until daybreak. There was this inexplicable desire to leave this place rising within me. Well... Perhaps inexplicable is not the correct word. If I recall correctly, Arisen are the epitome of ambition, the avatars of growth and self-betterment. The Arisen always have this intense ambition to better themselves magically and in the martial ways. Perhaps that was the reason behind my admittedly stupid decision to sneak out of the hospital room in the middle of the night. Yet, I knew I could not stop myself.

I did not dare steal anything, so I was left with nothing but the plain clothes I was gifted, courtesy of the man I had spoken to, and directions to Orario. Without delay, I started on the road which would lead me there. I was certain it was around three or four in the morning, still, there were no signs of fatigue rearing its ugly head. And as luck would have it, it was indeed raining, and no it wasn't a soft drizzle, it was a full-on storm.

I will need to find food and water soon as I haven't had either in a day, though curiously, I felt fine. I only hope all those days of wasting away on the Internet searching random topics will be enough to help me survive.

.

.

.

By the time I had settled on making camp, it was already past midday, and my necessities were finally making themselves known. First thing I did was pick up a rock and climb a tree, then I found a sturdy, long branch and started breaking it off with the rock. Climbing back down, I sharpened the branch into a makeshift spear and went to gather sticks, rocks and dry leaves. With that done, I set about making a campfire with my limited knowledge. It worked... eventually. Still, that was all I managed to do. I had nowhere near enough of an understanding of survival to make a bed or roof or anything really. The only other things I managed were acquiring another sturdy branch to function as a walking stick, and scattering sticks, leaves and rocks everywhere to make sneaking up on me that much harder. I could only wish the sounds would be loud enough to wake me from slumber.

When I awoke at night-time of the same day, effectively destroying my sleep schedule, I quickly made to find food and water. Food came easy enough, I found some edible plants and some fruit, mostly figs actually. Water was a tad more convoluted. I tried following animal tracks to a river or lake, yet I kept losing the path. Since I was in a forest it was challenging to see which grass was disturbed and which wasn't, not to mention which tracks belonged to the animal I was pursuing. Doing so in the middle of the night did not aid matters.

Forsaking the search for a river, I instead peeled some sturdy bark of a tree and attempted to shape it into bowls to catch water. Speaking off, I'm surprised I didn't fall ill. It rained all the way throughout last night and I was drenched during its entirety. Clearly my immune system was sturdier than I gave it credit for.

When morning arrived, I was finally prepared to head out. I had managed to make five bowls but could not use them since it wasn't raining. I stacked the bowls for travelling before a thought occurred to me. It would be extremely awkward to carry the walking stick, the spear and the bowls.

I was about to discard the walking stick when a random thought popped into my head. Could I use the aforementioned tool as a staff? Both as a quarterstaff and as a magical one. It was at that moment that I felt a peculiar pull from the stick, and in true humanity fashion, I acted before thinking. I gave into the pull and drank deeper of the knowledge bubbling in the recess of my mind.

It was too late, before my brain could process it, I had already absorbed all that was necessary to begin the path of the basic vocation, Mage. The wooden staff in my hand altered itself, it changed shape to be better suited as a staff, elongating to reach my shoulder and becoming much sturdier. The butt end of the staff took the shape of a quarterstaff while the top became a crown of branches. I could also now sense the magic exuding from it, as well as the one coursing and leaking throughout my body and mind. But the core of my magic, its origin, came from deeper inside me, from a place I didn't even know existed. It originated from what I could only assume to be the soul, the essence of all living beings as per most religions.

Be that as it may, it does not change the fact that I had now become the absolute worst basic vocation, especially for solo play. The Mage had several glaring flaws. The first, and least important for the moment, was its stat growth between levels 10 to 100. It was not even close. It received far less points than any other vocation in the game, though that might not apply since I am not inside the videogame of Dragon's Dogma, and also I was level 1 so that could wait. The second flaw of the class was that it was kind of like the D&D Bard, what I mean is that it can do pretty much anything, but it is certainly geared more towards support. Third and final flaw, Magick takes time to cast and Mage does not have a block or dodge skill, all we can do to evade is jump and float, while that no longer applies as this is not a game, it would still be preferable to have a defensive skill.

If we compare Mage to Sorcerer, which is a full-on offensive spellcaster, we can see that while armor remains the same, the Mages use staves while the Sorcerers use archstaves. What's the difference you ask? Simple, archstaves are better. Dragon's Dogma weapons are not as complex as say Dark Souls' ones, in DD, there is only a Strength and Magick value, the larger the values, the better the weapon. Archstaves do not have a Strength score since the Sorcerers can't attack with them, however, their Magick value is always higher than a staff of the same rank, which in simple terms means you do more damage. Sorcerers also get access to final tier offensive spells that are extremely powerful, while Mages do not, though attempting to cast such spells solo is foolish, for their strength is paired with their long casting times. The one advantage Mage has is their access to a healing spell and a cure spell. Nevertheless, due to how healing and curatives work in the game, these quickly become redundant.

You see, in DD, healing works differently. Whenever you get hit, your health bar splits into three, your remaining health, the health you can recover with the use of a spell, items or rest, and the health you can only recover through the use of items or rest. Given that, and how easy items are to come by, the Mages are effectively overthrown by the Sorcerers in utility.

Still, there is a silver lining, at least I'm not a Warrior. Jokes aside, Mage might be much more useful depending on the curative situation and the healing spell's effectiveness. And as far as I can tell, the vocation is not limiting my ability to dodge, block, strike or otherwise function as a normal human being. Thank the heaves for that, if I couldn't parry with my staff just because the vocation did not have the skill for it, I would've cried.

Resigned to my fate, I tossed aside the makeshift spear and carried on my way.

/Scene break/

As time went on, I started to look on the positive side of things. Sure, it was less than ideal, but having a vocation is better than the alternative. Additionally, my starting skills are quite effective. Anodyne is a healing spell, which is always nice to have, and Ingle is overwhelmingly potent. Honestly, Ingle in the game has a fast cast speed, does good damage, has high stagger and knockdown, does splash damage and can set things on fire, and after testing, these all seem to apply. With said testing, I was also able to confirm that Magick works the same way as in the game. There are no chants to speak of, you just focus the Magick through the staff and occasionally make some specific movements, and yes, I can move slightly after a spell is finished charging. If it maintains the game's rules, then when I get access to a spell with multiple charge levels, I should be able to move a little after the first charge is done.

But perhaps the most important validation I made was that, indeed just like the game, I do not possess a mystical font of energy like magica to fuel my spells, instead, my Magick skills utilise my stamina like any other physical skill.

Going forward, I should focus on either changing vocation as soon as possible, or acquiring the two skills necessary to produce the holy focused bolt combo. If it is anywhere near as powerful as the version of the game, then I will become a near inexorable force of Magick.

I paused in my thoughts when I noticed some disturbed foliage, I did not have the expertise necessary to deduce how recent it was, but I decided to track it anyways, just in case the animal or monster had to pause to drink at a river or lake. Frankly speaking, I was fairly parched at this point, so I would take any small chance I could get.

Hiking along these untraveled paths was beginning to wear me down. Uneven terrain paired with heaps of roots and heavy foliage was a recipe for exhaustion, one which I was finally starting to feel. Pressing onwards, I came upon a large river whereupon I immediately drank my fill. Glancing at the horizon, I could see massive looming walls in a circular shape, and situated at its heart, was an impossibly long tower that far surpassed my vision's limit. Those must be Orario and the tower of Babel. Hope rekindled, I set forth once more with the target now clear in sight.

.

.

.

The rest of the travel went by smoothly, and only a few days later, I had found myself standing before the unbelievably tall walls of Orario. I had never been to China, but I idly pondered if this is what its famous walls were like. I held nothing but pity for the poor sods that would have to man those walls, though curiously, I couldn't find anyone stationed on them.

I approached the two guards at the gate, both of which had a white and red colour scheme and a symbol of an elephant head on their garments.

"Halt! State your business!"

"Stop being so aggressive Cane." The other guard says before coughing into his hand. "Don't mind him, he us just a little too eager. Anyways, you looking to enter the city?"

I briefly consider answering with 'No, I just came to gawk at the walls and gossip with the guards' but being a sarcastic tit is sure to earn me no favours.

"Yeah, that would be delightful."

I had ditched the bowls on the way so that I didn't appear like some sort of tribe folk.

"Alright. Before we let you in, I must ask. Are you a part of a Familia?

'A Familia?' I had no idea what he was referring to. Sure, in Portuguese, which is my native tongue, it means family. However, I'd like to think most people HAVE a family, contrary to being a PART of one, because that's some mafia shit.

"No I am not."

I also wondered where they had gotten the word from. I believe its origin is in Latin. Maybe I had an in-built translator or something, after all, it is certainly disturbing that the people here speak English.

"If that's the case, you can head on in."

'Really? That easily?'

Maybe my thoughts could be read on my face, or maybe it's an automated response from years as a guard. Regardless, he answered my inner inquiry with a shocking revelation.

"I know it might seem strange but, the Guild encourages letting as many people in as possible."

That... is incredibly reckless. If this was a historical medieval setting, no problem, but this is fantasy! There are monsters, magic, and likely, superpowers in this world, and the only security measure the guards are required to employ is a fucking simple yes or no question about a mafia group or some shit.

"Must be rough on you sers."

I still did not know what to do about my identity quite yet. I would have to create one, I couldn't just claim to be myself. But I was wondering if I should have an accent or change my manner of speech. I do not want to be associated with the fishing village whatsoever. Because with that comes the risk of being linked with the Dragon, and honestly, I do not wish for anyone to know me to be Arisen, or to realize that I managed to fend off the Dragon with naught but a shoddy sword.

"You have no idea citizen. Leaving the city is much harder than entering. The Guild is hell bent on keeping people in, especially if they are adventurers."

To my surprise, it was the other guard that spoke up, his admittedly stupid aggressive behaviour having been toned down. Why the fuck would you ever act that way with any traveller that wanders into your city? It is plain idiotic and a good way to earn an ill reputation.

"That is unfortunate to hear. Regardless, it was a pleasure to meet you both but I ought to be going. Farewell, friends."

With the conversation coming to a close, the guards stood straighter before granting me passage into the city. Entering Orario , I was stunned to find that the city was astonishingly modern. You won't find any phone booths, but I could spot various streetlamps and more modern architecture than what you'd expect. They also had roads that weren't dirt which is a relief.

As much as I would enjoy perusing the various oddities of the city, it was about time I got a move on. I need to find somewhere to work so that I won't have to sleep on the streets, after all.

A single step was all I took before I noticed a man approaching. The man in question was rather short. He must've stood at about 170 centimetres or so. He had a sort of lazy gait to him that matched his appearance perfectly. He had short black hair that was pulled back Draco Malfoy style. He was not fat but not slim either and he had no muscle to speak off. But perhaps the most eye-catching feature of his, was the heavy bags under his dark brown eyes.

"May I have a word Arisen? I would seek to grant you my aid, if it please you."

I watched in shock as the pawn brought up his hand, proudly displaying his myrmidon mark as it glowed in tune with the scar over my heart.

/********/

And we're done. Tell me what you thought of it so far, and I will see you next update, whenever that will be.

Also, I'm in a bit of a dilemma. What would you guys like to see? I was planning to have a small time skip where he spends time learning in-depth about the various things one needs to know about Danmachi (Familias, Guild, Dungeon, Magic Stones, etc.) and then he could do a small TLDR in his head, throughout the story, where he expresses his thoughts. This is mainly because I plan for him to possibly, in the future, have full-on discussions with other characters about said topics. However, if you would like, I could write out those sequences where he learns about those topics, making it more thorough (Especially for those that don't know that much about the Danmachi verse), and allowing him to react to them on the spot.

Anyways, I shan't bore you any longer.

Cheers, BleatingWail.