First Day: Tilting The Half Moon.
As the morning sun rose, and the half moon set, a once peaceful setting was thrown into chaos.
It was a quiet street, nothing much had ever occurred there, so much so that Shakti Varma had never even heard of its name. She was the captain of the Ganesha Familia, and being the closest thing to a policing force that Orario had, it was their responsibility to keep track of much of the city's internal information. However, something that never had any significance was bound to go unnoticed, like the name of a street for instance.
Indeed. Since Evilus's fall, nothing truly extraordinary happened, and all that remained were mostly petty and simple crimes in such neighborhoods. Thievery, fraud, and other such second-grade offenses to the laws established by the guild and the gods, nothing to freight over, and certainly nothing a level five would ever have to worry about.
Yet here, on a tiny street in a large city, a gruesome murder occurred.
It happened in a nice home in the middle of a residential district. It was two floors, four bedrooms, and was a fairly wealthy household.
It happened to a man and his wife, with two sons and a daughter. The man had worked in craftsmanship, being a painter, and the wife was an adventurer, a level one, the neighbors said.
Now, as Shakti examined the crime scene, she stood in a bloodied kitchen. The daughter, their eldest, or whatever remained of her, lay all around. Blood and guts trailed the walls, a severed arm rested on the counter, and her torso, separate from the legs, remained connected together only by a foot-long path of entrails.
"By the gods." A man, one of the neighbors who helped identify the family, staggered backward, hitting a wall. When Shakti looked at him, she could see his eyes were mixed with fear and disgust.
"Please, calm down sir, I need you to help me identify the rest of the family," Shakti said.
"This… This happened to all of them?" The man said, distraught.
"It would seem."
"Oh-oh my-" And the man threw up onto the floor.
Another mess to clean, Shakti thought, at least it wouldn't be her. She hadn't wanted to bring a regular civilian into this, the trouble that would cause was apparent, but the bodies were so destroyed that only someone familiar with the family could even begin to picture who they were. If they could provide any crucial information, their discomfort was meaningless.
"Whenever you're ready, I'll be up ahead." Shakti left the man and walked through an arched doorway into the living area.
There, more bloodshed met her.
Shakti took out a quilt and paper and began to write down what she saw.
Red smeared the floor, and dismembered body parts scattered about like toys, particularly tiny ones. Judging from the size, it seems like it was the two youngest boys. Three hands could be identified, so small that they would most likely have still been children. She wasn't certain which was who, however.
Lying against the wall was what Shakti was told could only be the mother of the family. She was the most intact of them all so far, with only her left leg being severed, and the right side of her face deeply cut. At her foot rested a blade, or at least what remained of it. Was this the killer's weapon or hers? It looked dull, but then the battle that happened could've damaged it.
It was inconclusive.
Shakti dotted her last line and went deeper into the house, the upper floor.
It was much cleaner than the lower level. The stairs, excluding the stained bottom, were spotless of all but bloody shoe prints. As Shakti carefully avoided them, she wondered the motive of the killer. Why would someone kill an entire family? Nothing initially seemed to be stolen, and even if it was theft, why leave such a horrendous display of their actions?
No, whoever broke into the house did so to kill.
Shakti reached the top of the stairs and stared closely at the prints of blood. Boots, most likely, and quite large ones at that. A man's no doubt.
She followed the trail to a bedroom, inside was clean, even the white sheets of the large bed remained pure. Except, of course, the body that laid in it.
A pillow was covering the corpse's head, with blood seeping through a hole cut straight through it. Most likely the murderer walked in here, noticed the sleeping individual, covered a pillow over their head, and stabbed them through it.
It was the husband, by process of elimination, it cleared up the location of the entire family. However, another question came to Shakti: how was the father able to remain asleep while the rest of the family was being brutally murdered?
"Dear god, Mason, my friend…"
Shakti looked over her shoulder, the neighbor she had initially brought with her had managed his way up the stairs. Saliva slipping down his chin as she barely managed to get himself together.
Mason was the name of the man, she took out her quilt and wrote it down.
"Anything you could tell us about him?"
"Well." The man took a deep breath. "I-I had just seen him yesterday. It… was late in the evening, but not dark, and," He took another breath. "I waved at him and he waved back, he seemed tired. Like he was exhausted, I'm pretty sure he had been working since dawn. So it makes sense that he would head straight to bed." The man looked even more distraught with every detail.
"What about the rest of the family?" Shakti asked.
"The wife, Rebecca, she was so nice. She would give spare Valis she had to charity. When my own daughter was sick she helped pay for the medicine. I guess it was that adventurer income, right? She was such a good person, it doesn't make sense why anyone would do this." The man began to tear up.
"The children?"
"What-" He paused. "What about them?"
"Anything about them?"
"I don't understand, they were nice little children, I always saw them out playing outside, just the three of them."
"I see." Nothing more would be gained from him, Shakti decided. "Thank you for your time, you can leave."
"Okay… Please, please find whoever did this, who knows who'll be next."
"Of course, this will happen to no one else, lest I can help it."
"Thank you. You Ganesha Familia are always the kindest." The man bowed his head and quickly turned away, rushing down the stairs.
Past him came another person.
"Captain Shakti." The woman, Airmid, Captain of the Dian Cecht Familia, spoke. She waited a few moments for the neighbor to leave and continued. "You shouldn't lie to people so carelessly.
"Captain Airmid." Shakti turned to acknowledge the doctor. "Better to keep them out of the know, for their health and peace of mind, you understand that don't you? As a doctor, I mean."
"I don't know what kind of doctor you take me for, if you think I would lie to a patient."
"I think you are very skilled at your duties, that's all."
"I see, then I must thank you for the compliment."
Airmid walked past Shakti and they stared at each other for a moment before Airmid went towards the bed. She hovered over the body of the man, before lifting the pillow and exposing his resting face. If it wasn't for the hole lying directly in his throat, one could easily confuse him for being asleep.
"It's odd." Airmid said, lowering her head closer to the body, taking precautions not to touch him. "There is gore and nonsensical wounds all around the family. Seeming more like a monster than any actual person, but then there is the legitimate intentional strike."
"What do you mean?"
Captain Shakti made her way towards the bed and stood opposite the side of Airmid.
"Well, let's look at the woman down there, the level one adventurer I believe." She looked at Shakti. "Her eye has been cut out, her leg severed from the thigh, and many lacerations can be seen across the entire body. Yet none of them are particularly lethal. Blood loss is always a threat, but that wasn't the cause of death. For her, a stabbed wound." She bawled her fist and slammed it under her left breast. "A single stab, small enough that you couldn't even notice it if not for the blood spilling out, punched deep into her heart."
Airmid looked down at the man. "With him, no other wounds expect a precise thrust into the throat, perfectly aimed to kill, almost like whoever did this wanted to bleed as much as possible before killing them."
Shakti shook her head and seethed in fury. "How dare anyone do this in my city."
"Perhaps it was Evilus on the prowl again."
"That is a possibility, but I have my doubts."
This didn't make sense for it to be Evilus. Why attack a random family so unprovoked? If they had intended on leaving a message they should've gone for someone of importance, which they never did. This had been the fourth case in the past week, of a household being broken into during the night and massacred, all seemingly lacking rhyme or reason.
And if they intended on instilling fear into the people, why do it so privately and during the night, when they could easily just cover it up as they were? It didn't make sense.
Shakti, though her face portrayed nothing, was indignant. No traces, no evidence, the warm blood around stood in spite of just how cold this whole thing seemed to be.
Airmid, noticing her silence, questioned, "What are your plans?"
Shakti took a moment to think, then answered. "I'll have some of my people go around and question the rest of the neighbors, maybe one of them saw something more. That one man did mention how the wife always had a lot of money, and this is a wealthy household, maybe it really was a break-in gone wrong."
Airmid chuckled, still examining the corpse of the man. "Let's say I believe those truly are your suspicions, what will you be doing in the meantime?"
"I have my own leads I will be following through personally."
"Would it be too much to be asked to be let in on what you're thinking?"
"What I think," Shakti said. "Is that you should stick to what you're good at."
Airmid shook her head. "So be it then."
Shakti took a few more seconds to look at the man's corpse, and turned away, "I must take my leave, please tell me if anything comes on your end."
"Of course, even being the doctor that I am, blood always finds new ways to disturb me."
Shakti walked away and left Airmid to continue her examination.
She would, no matter the cost, find out what was happening to her home. This was not Evilus, she could feel it in her gut. The same gut feeling she had all these years dutifully ensuring the law and order of Orario, while others tried to bring anarchy and chaos.
Shakti exited the building and made her way to return to her Familia headquarters, passing by other members of the Dian Chect Familia who had cleared out the area, stuck in her notes and thoughts all the while.
She had a report to write.
.
.
Finn bit at the nail of his thumb.
He was the Captain of the Loki Familia, it would be uncharacteristic of him to show worry, however, he felt now more than ever in his life his anxieties becoming harder to maintain.
"From what I read of what the Ganesha Familia's reported, they believe all the murders to be connected." Riveria spoke, standing to the left of Finn.
"Is that all they could find out? Not even in the chance that Evilus was behind it?" Finn questioned, still gnawing at the nail.
"Apparently so, nothing else has been able to be confirmed."
"Damn, I had thought assigning both captains of the Ganesha Familia and Dian Cecht Familia would take care of this quickly, but it seems not." Finn said, shaking his head.
"From what I heard, the murder was done with extreme swiftness, you cannot blame them for what isn't there."
"You are caring as always Riveria, your input is appreciated, but still." Finn bit down, and the tip of his nail chipped off. "I would've expected better."
Riveria looked towards Finn, concern clear in her elderly eyes.
Then, the sound of steel brought both their gazes to the sight in front of them.
The training area before them became more and more damaged by the second, as their top Familia members battled. Bete, Tiona, Tione, and Aiz, their four best, were all clashing. To any normal person, it would've looked like thunder speeding through the sky, but to the level 6 Finn, he analyzed the combat with a critical eye.
It was a three-on-one, contrary to what could've been expected, all of them were against Aiz, their war princess. She stood in the center of the stone floor, with her weapon in her right hand, and her left hand free.
From behind her, Tiona, a level six Amazoness of the Loki Familia, sprinted at her with great speed. Aiz was only able to twist her body slightly into a defensive position, before Tiona brought the weight of her weapon, Urga, down upon her.
Aiz brought the hilt of her own blade, Desperate, and met Tiona. Using her left hand to support it, she fully stopped Urga, only faltering slightly when the concrete beneath her cracked from the pressure.
Tione, Tiona's elder sister and a fellow level six, took this as an opportunity to make her attack. Rushing from behind, she brought her leg to sweep Aiz's ankles.
At the same time, Bete, a level six werewolf, came from the right. Throwing a jab directly towards the center of Aiz's head.
The three of them had planned this silently, merely putting trust in each other's abilities and thinking. Finn couldn't help but be impressed at how they had grown closer together, even if Bete and Tione did like to tease each other with petty insults, they worked with great efficiency in combat.
Riveria, on the other hand, couldn't help but be distraught by what she saw. They were adventurers, they faced down life and death every day, and were forced to mature faster than any person should. Still, to the 99-year-old elf, they were children, practically her children.
She had watched as they broke themselves in the dungeon, without argument, and with patience. Yet with Finn's new orders, that they were to spar with each as though they were fighting to the death, she couldn't help but be disagreeable. However, even now, she forced her mouth shut.
They both stood idle, continuing to watch.
Aiz could not possibly have hoped to be able to dodge both their strikes and continue her defense against Urga, as Tiona continued to apply what seemed to be ever-growing pressure.
So, she quickly forced as much strength as she could muster forward, pushing Tiona so that now she was on the defense. If Tiona had expected Aiz to come for her, she would have been able to resist more effectively, however, in the shock of the unexpected response she was overwhelmed. A moment before Tione's leg landed, the war princess jumped to avoid it, and right as Bete's jab was about to hit a moment later, she let go of all the strength she had been using against Tiona.
The sudden shift caused Tiona to tumble forward, as well as send Aiz flying into the air at an angle that allowed her to evade Bete. In a similar response, Tiona, unable to stop her great strength in time, ended up right in the path of Bete's fist. The blow she received sent her skidding away and crashing into a wall.
Finn clicked his tongue. "The plan was good, but Aiz is too quick on her feet." Finn commented.
"Did she intend for Tiona to take the blow from Bete?" Riveria responded.
"Whether or not she did, that was a clever move."
"Maybe. Tiona!" Riveria shouted towards the direction Tiona had landed. "Stay out of the fight."
"Wha~t? But can I keep going! That barely left a scratch." Tiona complained, despite clearly lying about the severity of the injury she received.
Finn looked at Riveria, and Riveria returned his gaze.
"Listen to Riveria, let's see how the other two handle themselves." Finn explained.
Tiona huffed. "Fine."
Back in the battle, Aiz had reached the peak of her ascent and began to fall. She took a moment to glance at her two opponents. Bete, seemingly uncaring about the blow he just did to one of his allies, stared intently at Aiz. Tione, on the other hand, was reeling. The dust and concrete from the cracked ground was kicked up when she was sent into the air, and some of it had gotten into her eyes due to her unfortunate position.
While Aiz wanted to make her the next target, she was forced to change plans when Bete began to sprint to where she was to fall.
Getting right under her, Bete leaped high into the air. In a fraction of a second, they were both next to each other, and for a fraction of a second they would remain side by side, Bete going up and her going down. In that brief window of time, Aiz swung her Desperate in an arc towards his chest, preventing Bete from punching her. Bete, in response, swung his chest back and drove his leg like a spear straight into her.
She was hurdled away from him, and Bete was left momentarily satisfied with his attack. However, such relief was dissuaded when he noticed where he had kicked her.
Upon Aiz's initial contact with the ground, she flipped backward and landed on her feet, allowing her to cease her acceleration. Stopping completely, she sprinted towards her left, directly to where Tione was, still getting dust from her eyes. Their entire conflict had occurred in a matter of a few seconds, and it was those few seconds that Tione was forced to do nothing.
"Watch out!"
It was Bete's warning which drove Tione to force her eyes open, just in time to see Aiz swing her sword towards her, at just the right height that would have potentially cleaved her head off.
She fell to a knee, allowing Desperate to fly past her, and from her prone position jabbed at Aiz. Forcing Aiz to dodge, Tione took it as an opportunity to stand and deliver a right hook to Aiz's side. Aiz responded by bringing her left arm down to take the blow.
Tione continued to bring a flurry of punches and kicks to Aiz, which she either dodged or blocked every single one with ease.
"Come on sis! Don't start holding back!"
"I'm." Tione paused for a huff. "Not!"
With that shout, Tione reeled her fist back and aimed it square towards Aiz. At the same time, Bete had returned to the fight and stood close to the side in preparation for what Aiz would do. If she dodged to the left, he would swing left, right he would swing right, back then he would swing back. Or if she blocked it, he would use that as an opportunity to attack her directly.
As Tione's fist closed in on her, Aiz made a decision.
Tione's right hand came in heavy, and when it was not a millimeter from her face, Aiz twisted her shoulder and stepped to the left of the fist. Bete prepared to act, however, Aiz would not fully continue her movement, as rather than following through in her side-step, she forced her foot to the ground, cracking the stone beneath her feet and stopping herself.
She stepped forward.
Bringing her right leg up greatly so that it was completely under Tione's fist, the tip of Desperate now pointed directly at the Amazoness's eye. If she went through with the attack, it would have gone straight through the eye socket and continued until it came out the other end. However, at the last second, Aiz twisted her weapon so that it was her fist and hilt that made contact with Tione's face, and her blade was pointed to the air.
Tione was sent skidding onto the ground, away from the battlefield. Tiona came rushing to her side a moment later.
"Damn sis, you got your ass handed to you just now, even more than me! Ain't that right-" Tiona spoke with her usual Jovialness but was stopped when she looked Tione in the eye. She had a look of terror, as if she were some level one fresh from the guild, staring down a Minotaur.
She was going to tell her that Riveria said not to jump into the fight, but now, she was certain she didn't need to.
Back with Aiz, all that stood before her was Bete. Bete for his part was not frustrated with his teammates, but rather, almost looked happy at the fact that they had been taken out of the fight.
"Hey Aiz? Just you and me. As it should be. The two strongest should be together, isn't that right?"
In response, Aiz said nothing.
"What's up, not gonna say anything aye? That's fine, you don't have to say anything, you don't have to do anything. You're strong, that's all that matters."
Aiz remained silent.
"Bete, enough talk, make a move!" From the sideline, Finn shouted.
Bete hissed in response but made to act. Perhaps it was frustration, or maybe enthusiasm, but he came running directly at Aiz. It almost confused her, she knew Bete was hot-headed, but he was never one to let his emotions overcome him in such an offensive way during battle.
She stood, preparing for anything, not even moving when Bete was within arms reach.
He sent a left jab out, intending for Aiz's throat. Aiz brought her hand to block it-
His hand stopped and soon came his right hand. It was fast, extraordinarily fast, and the power behind would be enough to knock Aiz out of the fight. No longer was his hand in a fist, but rather, an almost animalistic claw-like position. His sharp nails extended forward, going directly for Aiz's head.
He would have no remorse, even if this did tear up Aiz's pretty face.
It was obvious too, a fake out from the left, only to come in from the right, was perhaps the most common fake performed in combat. She could easily see it coming. No, it was the speed that caught her off-guard. The speed at which it went was almost enough to force her to take the blow.
Almost.
For, despite Bete's great speed, Aiz could match it ten-fold. She had already moved by the time his claw would've reached her. Now, standing to the left of Bete, so close that they could feel each other's breaths, Aiz had dodged. Bete quickly lashed at her, bringing his right arm back to hit her with his elbow. However, before he could do that, Aiz had begun her assault.
A jab to the liver.
A punch to the gut.
An uppercut to the chin.
Finally, as Bete staggered back, she swung her Desperate, going directly for his throat. Bete would've died right then and there, had she not extended her arm out, so that her weapon went past him, and what connected with his neck was her forearm.
Bete stumbled, before falling to his knees, struggling to grasp for air. With a cough, he quickly inhaled and exhaled, before glaring spitefully at Aiz.
"The battle is over," Finn announced. "Aiz is the victor."
Aiz sheathed her blade and walked towards Bete, extending her hand. The werewolf looked at her open palm, snickered, and stood on his own. Turning away from her, Bete began to walk away.
"Amazing Aiz! I think I know just how fast you can be, yet you surprise me every time I see you fight!" Hollering as she made her entrance, Tiona complimented her.
"Ya Aiz, you can be really scary sometimes." Tione said, trailing behind her younger sister. She had a smile on her face, yet to Aiz, it seemed forced.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be, Tione is just a baby. She just needs to get over the fact that you completely beat her."
"Hey! At least I wasn't taken out first."
Tiona scoffed at Tione. "Blame Bete for that, seriously, that guy doesn't hold back in the slightest. Though, I guess none of us were either, hehe."
As the three young girls talked, Finn and Riveria watched them from a distance.
"Even though Aiz might not be the physically strongest out of them, she is the fastest. Both regarding speed and her ability to plan during combat." Riveria said. She remembered a time when Aiz's capabilities were limited to just monster hunting, however thanks to her previous battles and Finn's rigorous training, she began to excel when faced with real opponents.
"Yes, she has come a long way from that single-minded girl she was before, I'm liking the progress she has had. However, those three are gonna have to step it up if they want to make it to Aiz's level. When they plan together they can excel, but it can all very easily come apart if they let it." Finn spoke, taking another bite at his thumb.
"Maybe. I only wish you weren't going so hard on them, they haven't gotten a moment to rest."
"You know we don't have time for that, soon we will begin our final attack on Evilus, all of them need to be at peak condition. No. Better than peak condition. Have faith in my plans, Riveria. I have never led us astray nor do I ever plan to."
"Maybe. All right everyone! You are dismissed, that will be enough for now." Riveria told the three girls.
"Riveria, I understand your worry, but we need them to be strong."
The elf sighed. "You are right. You know that you are right, yet pushing them in such a way is bound to cause more harm than good."
"Really?" Finn sounded uncertain at her words. "You truly believe that something might come about from them that will hinder us in some way?"
"Not something intentional, and if not from them, then from someone else."
"Who else?" Finn asked, though, he was already aware of what her response would be.
"The other members of our Familia, our allies, all of Orario. You seem to push the entire city forward without stopping. Eventually, someone is going to fall over, and when that happens it will hurt us all."
Finn took in her words, continuing to bite his finger. "I know the dangers my actions can cause… Yet I also know with much more certainty that they are all necessary. We are closer than ever before, we have to just make it through the last mile, and all will be well."
"If only everyone could see it the way you see it." She began to walk away, towards where Aiz and the others left too. "I'm gonna go check up on them."
Now, Finn stood alone, with nothing but his thoughts.
No matter. He would have to deal with whatever came up, whatever consequences his actions might bring. He would not, could not, let the subjugation of Knossos fail.
If he was to be the hero that the Pallum race needed, he had to succeed.
The only sound that filled the now emptied training area was the cracking of a fingernail.
.
.
The dungeon was a place where people could just die. The only thing more unimaginable than the sheer amount of people who did die from the monsters was the number of people who rely on those very beasts for their livelihood.
This, in turn, left a grand amount of demonization and desire to kill the residents of the dungeon.
Monsters kill people, and therein, it drives people to want them gone. This desire then leads to a funding method that is built to incentivize those who are willing to risk their lives and kill the monsters. This leads to more and more people entering the dungeon, people who go out of their way to pick a fight, and people who are more likely to die than someone who just stayed out of the way.
This leads to more people dying, leading to more people wanting them gone, leading to more funding, leading to more people entering the dungeon. A vicious cycle, which only grew exponentially.
All this is without mentioning other outside influences. Like the lack of availability for recreational jobs, the ever-rising cost of living, and the ever-falling value of the Valis.
Of course, there was no way for the Xeno, Marie, to know all this. What Marie did know was when she was born, fourteen years ago, or at least that is how the people up above classified time. To a monster like her, stuck underneath the earth and away from any indication of the passing days, every minute seemed indistinguishable from the last. If not for the humans who did come around, she wouldn't even have any clue of how time worked.
She had never felt what it was like to awake and sunrise, and to go to sleep at sunset. An hour held no meaning, for she didn't know what the suns movement in the sky even looked like.
So, even when she was born, still held mystery.
However, what she was certain of without question, was that there were more adventurers now than there were before.
It was fine, she thought. Honestly, she enjoyed watching people do people things. She particularly enjoyed it when they would become enthralled with their music, it made her happy to know that they thought she was good. Music, she knew, was a very person-like thing to do. She had heard many people using their voices, or strange pieces of wood, to create music.
It made her happy that she could do what people could do.
Of course, she wasn't happy when people would try to kill her, but she couldn't help herself. She enjoyed watching them.
Like now, on the 22nd floor of the dungeon, she was hidden in a river with her head just barely peeking up. She was currently watching three people, humans, and all men too. She wondered what they were thinking.
Meanwhile one of the men, Isa, was thinking of just how much he didn't want to be here. He was risking his life down here, and for what? What purpose could anyone have to be here?
Right, he almost forgot, he needed to not die. Food, water, shelter, those things were more of a risk to him than any monster. He needed to kill monsters so he didn't die.
That fact left him unmotivated.
"Isa, get your ass over here, hurry up." In front of him, was their 'leader', given that position on the sole basis that he was a level two. He was a fatter man, but taller, his six-foot frame leaving him slightly higher than Isa. He spoke with an inherent foulness and a raspiness that made him sound permanently congested. It only helped to exaggerate his arrogant voice. Hanzeer was his name, and he had a pig like face.
"Y-ya! You heard him, get moving." Next spoke the third member of their party, Matt. He was short and scrawny and had a bit of queerness in his voice. A coward, Isa knew, for even though he spoke of continuing onwards he would never pass Hanzeer.
Isa walked a little faster but remained trailing behind the other two. They kept walking until Hanzeer came to an abrupt stop.
"Well, would you look at this." Hanzeer said, a hint of joy in his voice.
Isa peered forward and saw what Hanzeer was excited over. The bodies of many dead adventurers, at least a dozen or so, lay on the floor. Their bodies were bloodied, and though difficult to tell what they had been fighting, it was clear that whatever it was was very powerful.
"Jackpot, come on Matt, help me loot their equipment."
"C-coming," Matt said, stuttering. "What about you?" He turned back and spoke to Isa.
Adventurers could have some very valuable items on them, their weapons and armor being of particular worth. However, as he looked at the scene in front of him, he noticed just how poor of quality they were. Anything worth taking was probably destroyed, and anything left would be undoubtedly damaged.
There were no Valis to be had.
As Isa continued to take in the surroundings, something caught his eye.
"No." Isa said.
"Ha! Fine, suit yourself." Hanzeer responded, walking towards the bodies.
Isa allowed them both to walk away from him before he made his own stride. Walking past a few bodies, he gazed down onto the floor, where he stared at what he noticed.
It was… a monster. Isa meant that both literally and figuratively. It had to be a monster, it was in the dungeon, so there was no other explanation. However, in terms of appearance, it was monstrous.
It was sluggish in this body form, with a head at one end and a tail-like appendage on the other. From the end of the head, two more appendages extended forward slightly, twisting. Its body was a bloody fleshy pink.
He bent down to touch it. Squishy and wet, he wasn't sure what it was. The only time he had ever felt something like it was when he used to hold his newborn little sister in his hands, but that was years ago, so he wasn't quite sure.
He felt all around it, looking for a monster drop, something he could sell. He pushed the monster over so that its underside was exposed, and he saw a black tendril trailing out. He grabbed it and yanked it from the body, pulling out the entire thing. He examined its long form, it had the color of charcoal, with even darker dots going all around its form.
Isa didn't have a clue what it was. What worth could it even have?
Meanwhile, Marie continued to watch from a distance. However, now her focus remained solely on one looking at the monster. The other two were boring to her, the large man was too rude and mean, and the third man was too boring. However, the man whose name was Isa, she found interesting.
He was unique, in the way he spoke and the way he acted. How he just decided to ignore the bodies of the people, and go straight for the strange monster.
She, too, wanted to know more about the monster. She had never seen anything like it here, not in all her life. It could be a new type of monster made by the dungeon, but why would it make something so… meek? Also, didn't all her brethren turn into dust upon their deaths? Why didn't this one? Where even was its magic stone?
It was scary… and interesting! Marie was glad that Isa was investigating it.
Meanwhile, Isa for his part, couldn't find anything of value. The strange black tendril didn't seem to have any use, and he couldn't find any magic stone. Before he could find the question further, he was stopped when he noticed another group of adventurers had approached his group. He hid his finding and walked towards them.
"Hey!" Hanzeer yelled at the new arrivals. "This is our shit, Mord. You get out of here. Or don't tell me." He glanced behind them. "You plan on passing parading us aye? I'll personally beat the hell out of all of you if you are."
The man who had approached them, Mord, was a level two Isa had seen many times in these levels. He didn't know him, but they had worked together before.
"Don't be dumb." Mord replied. "Me and my boys are leaving, you should leave too."
"What? Why the hell would I do that when I got so much here?"
Mord looked around and noticed all the dead bodies, he grew a sour look on his face.
"Hey!" Hanzeer shouted. "I didn't kill these idiots, they died on their own."
"Sure, I hope that's true. Why are you even looting them ya asshole."
"People die in the dungeon, what do you want me to do about it? If anything, I'm just honoring the dead by making sure their valuable positions don't waste away down here."
Mord looked angry, but whatever he wanted to say he chose not to and followed through on his original point.
"Look, from what I heard, there is someone who is extremely strong going around at attacking parties. He is apparently using some strange crossbow to shoot at people and steal their stuff. If you don't wanna get killed, you should go." He urged.
"Ha! Can't be that tough if they need to attack other people instead of just killing monsters. You can feel free to leave, more Valis for us!"
Mord looked frustrated, presumably tired of Hanzeer's abhorrent attitude. "Fine, don't say I didn't warn you."
He turned to leave with the rest of her group.
Hanzeer just kept looking at the man from behind, his face hidden from his other two members.
"H-hey Hanzeer, maybe we should listen to them, you know? If this guy is really that strong-"
"Don't be dumb, I'll just kill whoever comes in my way, easy as that. Honestly, it's boring how much of a coward you are." Hanzeer turned around. "Hey, Isa!"
Isa looked him in the eyes.
"Think we should leave?"
"Whatever you plan on doing." Isa said.
"See, even Isa wants to continue."
Hanzeer marched forward, deeper into the dungeon, being trailed by both of them. It didn't matter if they left or stayed. People die in the dungeon, what's the difference if it's a powerful monster or a powerful person who does it? Yes. Thought Isa, it truly didn't matter in the slightest, who this person was, or even if he was real.
However, to Marie, watching from a distance, he interested her greatly. Another person to watch! Another person to learn from. She dived deep into the water below, determined to find this stranger.
Who knows, he may actually be super nice, and she may get to make her first friend! Then, maybe, just maybe, he could help her see the sun.
.
.
Bell Cranel, along with Welf Crozzo, ran through the market district of Orario.
It was evening, with the sun threatening to soon begin its descent into the horizon, and along with the day's end so too many of the shops and markets would close.
Therein lies the issue that young Bell Cranel was facing. It was not a problem one would expect the Captain of the Hestia Familia to have, nothing like, for example, the fact that they were soon about to go into their very first guild-assigned mission into the dungeon. No, this was a much more personal issue.
The Hestia Familia, in their carelessness, ran out of salt.
When Haruhime and Mikoto, two of his Familia members, initially complained about their lack of the mineral, Bell didn't think much of it, willing to just go buy some the next day since it was getting late, however, he easily caved in when they made their demands clear that they needed to have salt for tomorrow's breakfast.
Bell, truthfully, didn't understand it. However he also didn't understand how to cook, so he accepted what they told him, and left. If the Hestia Familia needed salt, then he, as the Captain, would go get it.
"Come on Bell, we gotta hurry before they close!" Welf, Hestia Familia's personal blacksmith, spoke in a fiery tone.
"Thanks for agreeing to come along with Welf, but how do you know where to buy salt from?" Bell asked.
"We blacksmiths use salt, not often, but it comes in handy."
Again, Bell didn't understand. How can you blame him? He was an adventurer, he couldn't cook or smith, he couldn't have known. Despite that, Bell couldn't help but feel embarrassed, in a childishly sincere manner, that he didn't know where to buy something that seemed so common.
"Alright." Welf said, turning a corner. "It should be right-"
He interrupted himself when he noticed the fact that the stall that should've held a wide array of seasonings and spices, was instead housing a new shop.
"What's going on? They always set up shop here." Welf said, walking towards the stand.
"Yo." Welf greeted the man working bluntly.
"What can I help you with valued consumer? Looking to buy some snake oil? Very useful in treating illnesses." The old man behind the counter spoke, holding a jar with presumably the aforementioned snake oil, however, the fact that the jar couldn't be seen through meant that anything could've been inside of it.
Welf ignored the snake-oil salesman's request, and asked, "Where are the people usually here? We need the salt they sell."
"Those people? Ha! They closed down not too long ago. From what I heard, too many monsters have been attacking cargo bands, so they simply ran out of product. Have no fear, however, for this snake oil can make a great substitute for your needs. Any wound salt could help, this could help better!" He said, holding up the jar. "And it tastes great too." He added with a smile.
Welf scoffed. "From salt to you? I think I'll pass." He began to walk away.
"Hold on Welf." Bell said, "Maybe we could use some of this snake oil, it sounds like it's really good."
"Precisely boy! I will give it to you for a very good price. A thousand Valis per jar."
Welf grabbed at Bell's arm before he could even consider reaching for the Valis he had. "Don't be naive, this guy is as honest as a rat. Nothing but a conman. We should just leave."
"Oh." Bell said with a surprised tone. He hadn't thought of the possibility of it all just being fake. The man seemed so earnest. However, if Welf said it was a scam, then Bell would follow his lead.
They left the snake-oil salesman and continued through the market.
The sun hung lower and lower in the sky with each passing second, and they both knew that if they weren't quick they wouldn't be able to find anywhere with salt.
"Look," Welf spoke. "You should probably run up ahead, I'm just slowing you down."
"You aren't slowing me down!" Bell paused. "That is a good idea though." He admitted.
"Just make sure you don't go around buying random things, okay? Just salt."
Bell felt embarrassed. "Got it."
Bell began to run faster. Anyone he went past would only see a white blur before getting a face full of dirt and dust.
"Sorry!" Bell shouted, glancing behind apologetically.
Turning a corner, he was determined to keep up his pace but was forced to come skidding to a halt when a large crowd of people blocked his way.
He briefly considered jumping over them, or just finding a way around, but decided to see for himself what the crowd was gathering after noticing some of the people's faces. Many looked distraught or disturbed, and while it wasn't his responsibility to help them, he had to.
Following the crowd's gaze, he saw that they were all looking into an alleyway between two buildings. None of them were in the alley itself, but they all were very close, almost like they were afraid to go inside. He was determined to find out what it was that was leaving so many people frightened.
"Excuse me- Ah, pardon me, oh watch out." Bell slowly walked through everyone, attempting to be as gentle as he could.
"Woah, is that the Little Rookie?" Bell heard someone shout.
"Really? By the Gods, it is!"
"Wait, you mean, The Little Rookie?"
"Hey man, you were amazing back there when you fought those monsters!"
"Ya, I wouldn't mind a man like that."
"You're a hero for us common folk!"
"He's extremely-"
"Really just amazing-"
"So young too-"
Bell ignored all their comments and continued to make his way through. He couldn't help but feel slightly off-put at their compliments, while they were kind, it shocked him how fast it seemed that they changed pace. All of a sudden, no one was looking into the alley, and everyone was staring at him.
Finally, making his way through the last bit of the crowd, he found himself in the alley. Bell looked at the crowd for a moment and turned to face the darkness. His mouth fell agape at what he saw.
"Him?" He heard someone behind him say. "I don't know what's wrong with him, he just popped out of nowhere, talking nonsense, and kept hitting his head against the wall."
The man in question stood deep in the alley, repeatedly hitting his forehead into a building, with every connection leaving a loud thud. Bell rushed forward to the man.
"Go Little Rookie, get that guy out of here! Doing nothing but disturbing the peace."
Bell reached the man and quickly grabbed him by the waist before he could hit his head again.
"Hey, are you ok-" He was interrupted by the man falling to the floor.
Bell stopped his fall and gently set him down. He took it as an opportunity to examine the man. Blood fell from his forehead, staining his black scar. He was old, his short facial hair was unkempt and wrinkles littered his face.
His clothes were completely foreign to Bell, but if he had to guess, they looked somewhat like they came from the East.
Bell picked the man up, uncertain of what to do.
The crowd continued to stare until a shout came.
"Alright, everyone! Move yourselves aside, nothing left to see here! Go on, let me get to my Captain or I'm gonna make you move!" He heard a commanding voice shout. Welf pushed through the crowds, dispersing them like a wave
"Welf!" Bell shouted.
"Damn, here I thought you couldn't get into much trouble in only a few minutes, but now you've got the whole town talking about you." Welf laughed at his remark.
"We need to help him." Bell urged.
"I can see that, but how?"
Bell thought for a moment. They could take him to a hospital. However even then, despite his apparent hurt, Bell could tell that man was not deeply injured. What he initially assumed was him fainting due to blood loss, he quickly realized was due more likely to exhaustion. The blackness around his eyes and his deep steady breathing confirmed his suspicion. Also, it was obviously first and foremost, that the man was in deep distress. What he needed wasn't medical help, but mental help.
Bell had made a decision.
"We should bring him to the Hearth Manor."
"What? You plan on bringing a stranger back home?"
"We can't just leave him here."
Welf sighed. "I don't entirely agree with it, but I can already tell you've made your mind up" Welf walked forward and helped Bell lift the man by a shoulder. "If you can take home a monster with you then I guess this isn't much." Welf whispered with a chuckle.
Bell smiled, "Thank you, Welf."
The blacksmith grabbed one should, while Bell took the other, and they both carried him out of the ally, while a vast amount of people were staring at them, they didn't gather or say anything
Bell hoped the man would be alright, he didn't want to drag his Familia into another Xeno situation. He knows none of the girls would be particularly happy with them bringing a man home either.
That reminded him. Darn, Bell thought, they forgot the salt.
Bell continued forward, with the sun descending behind him.
.
.
As the day died, as the moon thrived, Orario turned from its once jovial and lively atmosphere to one dead and cold as everyone retired. Most were already asleep at such a time of day, however, some weary souls still remained awake.
One such group of people was a family, one as standard as could be imagined, which still had a light coming from their abode. A nice, wealthy house, with marble walls and an expensive furnace. They were more well-off than most in the city could ever hope to be.
The father of the family sat ideally in a chair, examining some papers he had in his hand. At a distance, stood his only child, a boy of 14 years. He resembled his father, both with black hair and black eyes, however lacking the distinct tiredness and bitterness the older man had, those facial features he had inherited from his mother.
Said mother was out of sight, currently doing something or another. Whatever it was, the father could not tell nor did he care, as he was busy examining the papers in his hands.
All was quiet, nothing but the chirping of crickets out an opened window, and the sizzling of wood in the furnace could be heard. The man, Richard, kept looking at his papers. He was unsure of how much time had passed, perhaps an hour or so since he started, he was extremely busy with it. The only thing that broke him out of his focus was the dying of the light, which prevented him from reading further.
"Son." Richard spoke to the air.
"Yes, father." Richard's son responded.
"Go get me some more wood."
"Of course, father."
No more words were spoken, and the son scurried away.
Richard continued to look at the papers in his hand, before setting them down and grabbing another one from a nearby table. He didn't want to remain awake at such late hours, but working as the head of public relations for the guild was demanding, he had many things he needed to know and do. Like now, the papers he read were complaints and requests given to the guild over the past week. Employees, adventurers, and regular people alike left many letters for their consideration and their opinions.
It was his job to look through them, analyze their legitimacy, and determine a response. Invigorating stuff, really.
Like, take the paper he was reading now, for example, made by an adventurer. They were complaining about the decreasing prices of payment for lower quality magic stones, talking about how they were going to starve him to death because of the lack of Valis, and that he would have to risk his life more just so he can continue to fund and work for the guild. A form of exploitation, he said, that only furthered the gap between the lower-level adventures and the higher-level ones. As those with higher levels had access to better magic stones, and therefore access to more expensive and valuable equipment and armor. Not only that, the adventurer wrote, but it also allowed more time for them to focus on getting stronger, while he and people like him were forced to work other jobs just to make ends meet. In response, the man suggested that rather than contractual style work, the guild should start to allow salary base positions, where adventurers would go into the dungeon for a certain amount of time and be paid a consistent wage.
It would, the adventurer wrote, guarantee increased security and consistency for them. That it would not only increase productivity, but also happiness and overall satisfaction of all Orario.
Adventurers who lived normal lives, say with wives and children, would be able to spend more time with their families. There would be less worry about the danger of the job, less worry over the unpredictable income, and less worry over their economic positions.
He said, in so many words, that it would help the dramatically low birth rates of Orario citizens. More people born here meant that the city would need not rely so heavily on immigration and outside populations, which might also create a greater sense of patriotism in the people, which could help to deal with internal risks the city might face.
It was overall a logical recommendation, Richard believed, as he threw the letter into the fire.
Of course, it was not his job to create any change, if he cared about that he would be forced to muse over every single person who complained about a similar matter. Almost all the complaints made by adventurers revolved around the exchange of Valis from monster stones, it didn't matter if one made a more sound argument than the other, it was all for not. He didn't actually do anything important, when he did do was make people think he did something important. Making people think he was doing something important kept their minds at ease. Public relations and all.
Richard would never actually want to bring change. Want more money? Work harder. Of course, he would need to come up with a more sympathetic response, but that could come later.
Richard picked up another paper as his son came back, wood in hand.
"Just throw it in there." Richard said, pointing absentmindedly towards the fire, not bothering to look up even as he heard the wood enter the fireplace.
"Excuse me."
Richard continued to read his paper.
"Father?"
Richard continued to read.
"Dad-"
"What is it boy, can't you see I'm busy?" Richard snapped at his son.
His son, Jonathan, was only an annoyance to Richard. He had to take time off of his work to focus on the boy, he wouldn't have fully minded it if he asked for help with his studies, but that was seldomly the case. He wanted his son to be raised into a proper academic, as such fields were always in high demand, the jobs of skill that they were. Most importantly, they paid well, if their own home was anything to go by, His son would follow his father's path of success. It was safe and consistent, there was no better path in life.
However now, he could tell his son wanted to ask him a stupid question.
"Father, I wanted to ask about your job."
Ah, perhaps he was wrong, his son wanted to know something important.
"What are adventurers like?"
Never mind, it was pointless.
"They are foolish, boy, dumb people, who are forced to work in terrible conditions. You will end up like them if you don't focus on school." Richard said, finally looking at his son.
"But, father, mother said that adventurers have very noble jobs. She says they protect us."
"They protect us from what? Has a monster ever attacked you, son?"
"No…"
"Then what are they protecting you from?"
"Still, I want to be an adventurer." Jonathan said, finally speaking what was on his mind.
"Absolutely not!" Richard shouted, "Was it your mother who put this nonsense in your mind?"
"No!" His son said, "It is what I want to do, I want to be strong so I can fight off anyone who tries to hurt us!" Passion emanated from the boy, and tears began to form in his eyes, the very same eyes that said that statement while averted from his father's form.
"You will not." Richard spoke.
Jonathan's tears began to flow freely, and ran away to his room shouting: 'I hate you!'
Richard remained in his chair, leaning back with a sigh. They had this conversation many times before, and many times he rejected his son's desires without a second thought, so when would his son finally understand what his will was? He was fourteen, nearly a man, soon enough Richard would have to put his foot done. Perhaps he could start looking for a woman to marry his son too, a woman was good for a man, it kept him on the straight and narrow.
That reminded Richard, of how it was a woman who started this issue in the first place.
"Alice!" Richard shouted the name of his wife. "Go deal with your son!' He got no response, but assumed she heard her, and returned to reading.
More time passed, and the fireplace began to die out. Richard once again called for his son, but this time no answer came.
"Jonathan!" No response. "Damn boy." Richard stood from his chair and walked towards the bedrooms.
"Alice?" He called for his wife. Nothing. Where was that woman? Did she not see how busy he was with his work? She infuriated him as much as her child did. A man was supposed to work and a woman took care of the kids, why could she not see that? Now he had to stop from his job and deal with Jonathan, perhaps a good slap to both of them might sort it all out, Richard thought.
As he approached his son's bedroom, a sudden stench filled his nose. He coughed. It was… metallic and bitter. Richard didn't know what it was, but he was certain he had smelled something like it before.
As he got closer to his son's room, the smell grew, and upon opening the door it hit all his senses. The room was dark, with the only light source being what came from the hallway, so he could not see into the bed where he assumed his son was.
"Come on boy, stop hiding, you better have a damn good explanation for what this smell is."
He walked towards the bed, and flipped the bed sheets, ready to reprimand his son.
Only to freeze in shock, at Jonathan's dismembered corpse.
All his limbs were cut off from the joints, and his throat split, a face of terror being frozen on his lifeless body. Richard stood there for a moment, and stared at his hand, noticing only now the blood which had gotten on it from touching the blanket.
He ran out of the room. His face was pale, sweat began to build, and his eyes wandered rabidly. He was barely able to perceive what happened. Has someone come after him? Had someone he had wronged over all his selfish career working for the guild come back to get revenge?
How had he not noticed what happened? How had he not heard nor seen anyone? How had they even gotten into the house? Did someone let them in? Where was his wife?
Tears fell from his face, he didn't want to die, he had so much he still wanted to do!
It was then he heard steps from behind.
"Alice-" He turned to face who was coming, assuming, nay, hoping, it was the woman he married.
His glance was met with the tip of a steel blade piercing his skull.
Falling over, his mind began to fade, he couldn't even feel the pain of the killing blow. No, the only thing he could feel was the taste of his metallic blood touching his tongue. With the last bit of his consciousness, he looked up from the floor, towards his attacker.
The only thing he saw was the visage of a crow, before a foot slammed onto his head.
.
.
The sun began to rise on another day, within the Hearth Manor, a man rose with it.
His eyes opened, staring up towards the ceiling. He took a moment to allow them to settle, before sitting up. A warm blanket wrapped around him, a heavy mattress balanced all his weight beneath him, and nice calm air filled the room.
With that, Yamamura, hunter of the league, began to panic
Where, in the gods' name, did he find himself? The last thing he could remember was… No, he couldn't remember what he was doing before he got here. He was… hunting, hunting a… A what? And why?
He was a fighter, he knew that, even now he could feel his abilities. He knew his name, Yamamura. He knew where he was from as well, or rather, he knew he wasn't from wherever this was.
Wait, he just remembered, he has a wife. Or maybe had? He couldn't remember. He felt a great throbbing of pain whenever he thought about it, deeply, in his eyes. It was like he had run his head into a wall a thousand times.
Still, this place… He wasn't sure why, but he felt that this was better than where he was before, that this place was safer and better. Yamamura began to let his panic settle.
He stood up from the bed and examined around. It was an empty room, nothing in there but the bed, and the door. Wooden, his much more rational mind allowed him to notice. He could probably kick it down if he tried, so he was certain he wasn't in the care of an enemy.
He reached towards his waist. His weapon, his blade, the thing he used all those years to hunt for the league. For the first time, it was not at his side. He felt some sort of… sentimental attachment to it as if it was a great gift from someone dear to him. He looked around, even going so far as to look under the bed.
Before he could look further, a knock came from the door.
"Hello~? Are you awake?" A voice, that of a woman, resonated from behind the wooden door.
Yamamura froze, what should he do? He looked around, there was a window, but it was far too small for him to jump through, and he didn't know what height the room he was in. If it was too high he would break his legs if he tried to jump.
He continued to look around. He could rip the mattress apart and use its metal bearings, or rip out one of its legs and use that to defend himself. Even if this woman wasn't an enemy, it still did well for a hunter to have a weapon at his side at all times.
"Hey, stop ignoring me! I heard you walking around, if you are just gonna sleep in my bed in my home, then at least have the courtesy to respond." Said the woman. Yamamura stopped in his thoughts. So be it, if he must, he was somewhat proficient in hand-to-hand combat, so he could just use his fists.
Besides, he was a hunter of the Church and a member of the League. He could fight no matter the conditions.
"I'm… awake." Yamamura said, his voice rough and raspy, uncertain of even his own response.
"Alright then, I'm coming in!" The woman said and opened the door. It wasn't locked, Yamamura could have left at any time should he have pleased.
He prepared to greet whoever came, suspecting it to be a nurse or some other service woman. However, he was surprised when he saw nothing. Looking straight ahead, it was as if a ghost opened the door, as not a soul stood where someone should have been.
"Down here!"
He looked down. Not a foot down or two, but closer to the floor. He was greeted with an even more shocking view. A girl. No, a woman, maybe. Yamamura couldn't tell. From her height, anyone would assume she was a child, however, other certain… assets… hinted otherwise. Yamamura had never seen anything like it, a ghost being what opened the door would've been more easily explained away than what was reality.
Yamamura stood tall, mouth opened only slightly, looking into the eyes of the dwarf girl.
"Hey human, I don't know what you're looking at, but I'm already taken." The female said, waving her finger in front of her.
He remained silent before responding almost as if from his subconscious, "So am I." His face portrayed no emotion, but the woman clearly took note of how unsure he was when he said that.
"Hmm, maybe you should sit down, you seem to still be pretty catatonic. Bell did say you were hitting your head pretty hard."
Yamamura agreed with the little person, maybe that's what this all was. He hit his head too hard on something and was now hallucinating. He walked back towards the bed and sat down on it at the request of the lady.
"Anyway, now that that's down, I believe some introductions are in order." She stood in front of him. "I am Hestia, though you call me Lady Hestia, or Goddess Hestia if you insist."
He did not particularly think to call her goddess. A man should show any woman respect, Yamamura knew that much at least, so he was willing to call her lady, but Goddess seemed completely out of the realm of acceptability for any man to call a woman.
Silence entered the room.
"And you are?"
Yamamura shook his head and spoke. "Apologies." He said, his voice still heavy. "My name… is Yamamura, a hunter of the League."
"Oh!" Hestia said with surprise. "So you're an adventurer, are you? To what Familia?"
"Familia?"
"Yes, you dummy."
"I don't know what is a fami-" Before he could keep talking, he abruptly stopped himself, and physically performed what Hestia would call a 'double-take'.
Had she just called him a… dummy? He laughed, never in all his years in any land had someone called him a 'dummy'. It was so inconceivable, Yamamura thought, that he believed no one in the entire world had the capacity to use such language. It was a cultural shock to a man who had abandoned his traditions and values in the east to live in the much more western land of Yharnam.
Hestia looked away, her cheeks slightly red, at how the man laughed out so vigorously.
Yamamura's laugh turned into a chuckle, before fading completely. He must have somehow entered another world. For who could use such childish language in the land of beasts?
Beasts.
Yamamura coughed a nasty cough.
"Woah, are you ok?" Hestia asked.
"Yes, yes, forgive me, I just had a terrible thought was all. Nothing a woman such as yourself should worry about." Yamamura wiped his mouth with the cuff of his hand. "Now, what were you saying about a 'Familia'? I have never heard of such a thing."
"Seriously?" Hestia looked shocked. "You seriously banged your head pretty hard if you forgot something as simple as that."
"I tell you in earnest that I do not know what you speak of."
"Really? But you had that really cool weapon..." Hestia said quietly. "Well, it's where a patron god makes a contract with a human, giving that human strength through their blood, allowing them to fight dangerous monsters."
Yamamura audibly laughed once more. Of course! So that was simply what they referred to his kind as, he was part of a league, however, these people seemed to refer to them as Familias.
This little lady was quite funny in her mannerisms.
"I understand now what you speak of, and when you say it like that, I suppose you could say I fit into exactly what you just described."
"Oh, I see…" Hestia's face became downtrodden, almost like he was disappointed by something.
"Yes, sorry if that wasn't a satisfying answer." He wasn't sure why it wouldn't be. "However, about the whole patron god, that I can't say I associate with."
Hestia's face lit up. "What do you mean?"
"I don't have any sort of god like that, I know many others in my field who choose to believe in such things and follow whatever god they wish to follow, however, I never found any solace from worship."
Hestia with a rash quickness responded, "Really? So that means you aren't taken by anyone?"
"Not exactly as I would call it, but I suppose I am not."
"Then!" Hestia shouted, " Then... How about you join my Fami-"
She was interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Dammit it! I was in such a roll!"
They both looked at the door and saw as it opened for the newcomer. A white-haired boy, who looked to still be a child.
"Bell!" Whatever hostility or anger Hestia held a moment ago quickly disappeared as she ran to embrace the Captain of her Familia.
The boy in question quickly seized up in embarrassment when he noticed how the man he had helped was staring at his goddess hugging him.
"Bell aye? I guess you do look like a Bell." Yamamura said aloud. He didn't actually have an idea of what someone named Bell would look like, but it most certainly was a name he had ever heard before, and the boy in front of him most certainly didn't look like anyone he had ever seen before. They seemed to match.
"Sorry for interrupting you, Goddess." Bell said.
Yamamura grew a funny look.
Hestia grabbed him by his shirt and forced his ear to her mouth and whispered "I was about to ask this guy to join our Familia-"
"Really!?"
"And you better have a good explanation for why you just stopped me."
"I-i'm sorry!" The white harried boy yelled, waving his arms. "It's just that, Haruhime wanted me to tell you that breakfast was ready because she was worried you would have been waiting for him to wake up all day."
"Wait." Hestia pulled on his shirt harder, forcing him back to her height. "That's perfect, hehe. We can have this guy eat some of our food, and he will be so indebted and grateful to us that he'll just have to accept."
Bell looked freighted at his goddess. "Isn't that a little cruel?"
"Let's go Bell!" She said, letting go of his shirt and pointing a finger forward. "And you!" She pointed a finger at the man still on the bed. "You wait right here! I don't want a stranger wondering about the Familia home, especially when there are so many girls here."
"What?"
Before Yamamura could get a response, Hestia forced herself and Bell out the door and slammed it shut.
So… strange. What was wrong with them? Why did they seem so… happy? People weren't usually that happy, not even in the most peaceful of times. Women worried daily about their safety, the children had to grow up quickly to survive. He knew of such experiences firsthand, so why did they seem so completely devoid of all these hardships?
A throbbing pain struck his head. He remembers a time, once, when he was as happy as they were. A time when he would spend his days with his beloved, and all their woes and worries would melt away when they embraced one another.
Yamamura, a hunter of the league, had a smile on his face. It felt stiff, as if he had never smiled in a long time. His mind was filled with a fuzzy sensation, it was as warm as the blanket he slept in, as supporting as the mattress he laid in, and as calming as the air he breathed in. It was a nice time, and he was happy.
Then his smile died, and his mouth turned sour. Where had all those times gone? Why had they left him?
Another knock came from the door. He wanted to be left alone in his sorrow, but it seemed like he was the most sought-after man in the world.
"Hello." A voice of a woman came, someone new, he could tell.
He kept his eyes focused on the floor, not bothering to even look into the face of the person who came, he didn't wish to speak to whoever came as he spoke to Hestia.
He heard as the woman walked forward, stopping right in front of him, he could only see their feet and the bottom of their dress.
"I'm sorry if I came in at a bad time, but it's not good for anyone in your condition to go without eating, here." She extended her arm forward so that a plate of food laid directly in front of his face. He didn't want to eat, but he was seemingly much hungrier than he had suspected, as the food enticed him.
He grabbed the plate from her hands. Sighing to himself, he began to feel bad about his behavior. These people had given him shelter and food, they could've robbed him in his sleeping state, but instead, they cared for him. It wouldn't do for any man to not even thank one who brought him a free meal.
Yamamura raised his head and stared into the face of the woman.
"I'm sorry if it is a little bland, we ran out of salt yesterday."
"No, it's fine. Thank you-"
He dropped his plate to the floor.
Beast.
The breaking of the glass reverberated throughout the room and into the hallway, its echo loomed haunting even after the glass plate was shattered into tiny pieces.
The woman stepped back, yelling in surprise.
Yamamura couldn't hear a word.
How foolish he was, how unimaginably neglectful he acted, how incomprehensibly ridiculous he was being.
Yamamura was a hunter of the League, he hunted vermin. He killed and slaughtered and brutalized all those wretched you came in his path, without mercy all the while. He was revered, honored, and he was hateful.
Now he remembers clearly, that day, when one of these terrible vermin attacked his house. It had been years ago when they killed his wife, and it had been years Yamamura spent chasing it down before finally making it Yharnam, where the Church allowed him the chance to take vengeance.
A proud hunter was he, blade of the church, hunter of beast. It was his life, his mind, his soul. Everything Yamamura was revolved around being a hunter.
The hunter seethed at the mouth and his eyes scorched.
Yet here, in front of him, stood one of them. One of those wretched abominations of sin. It could try to fool him, it could try its hardest to put up an act as if they were still human. It could speak, walk on two legs, and even express some hint of kindness.
But those ears, they showed the horrible truth. This thing was long since turned.
Yamamura finally stopped glaring at the woman, and returned his gaze to the floor.
Haruhime walked closer to him. "Are… are you alright?"
"east…"
"What?"
"Beast!"
He lunged at the fox-eared girl.
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Author's note.
Hello.
That was the first chapter, I hope it was interesting and engaging to read.
I will just keep this short and talk about how long this story is going to be. Like I said, each chapter will be roughly a day, and this story will all take place over a ten day time window. However, that does not guarantee there will be ten chapters, there might be more if I think a day needs more time. Also, I do intend on making the last day, the finale, a few parts long, so expect that.
As for length of each chapter, expect them to be at least 10k words long, with this one being a little over 12k words. I hope that isn't to much for a single chapter.
Please leave a review if you wish, also, feel free to ask questions about the story to me, I will answer them if I think it won't be a spoiler.
Yours Truly
A.A