(A/N): Gonna get right into this one with a little prologue. It's just to give you guys a little something to think about while you come up with your characters. I have a decently sized cast as it is right now but I won't jump too far ahead until the entire cast has been assembled. This is mostly to get some story content down before a special point in which I've planned something special.

Hope you guys are digging the idea and rest assured, this idea is definitely in the works. I guess this prologue is also meant to give all you creative minds out there a little push and remember that I totally welcome anyone to participate.

Without further ado, let's hop in.

EDIT: Did a slight alteration of time; complete mistake on my part because I forgot to change the entire story plan to suit the timeframe I discussed with my co-writer. This is probably a sign that I need to not rush my content and release it.

Prologue: Welcome To Orario

I guess I never thought that this game would become so widespread. All us gods taking human form, making ourselves mortal as we gather our respective familias. I honestly didn't think that there were this many people who wanted to become adventurers and faithfully serve us.

An adventurer has a very hard life; it's up to them to provide for us gods and one of the best ways to do so was to venture into the dungeons. In doing so however...it was about the riskiest thing a person could do because the dungeon is no place for the inexperienced. It's a very unforgiving place and unlike people who at least have a chance of showing mercy, the monsters within will never show mercy.

I have seen many people enter the dungeon, fully confident that they will be able to take on the entirety of it on their own...only to never see them emerge from that place again. Some adventurers are smart and choose to work together, forming parties and splitting the loot amongst themselves. Other adventurers would take Supporters into the dungeon, which would not only give them help in fighting the monsters but also potentially increase the amount of loot they can bring back due to having an extra hand.

Many strategies were developed over all this time but still...I didn't have a familia to call my own. I wasn't one of the most "liked" and favored goddesses and people often looked down on me because of my frail appearance...as well as my height.

My name is Hestia. I wasn't well off compared to many of the other gods who descended into the Lower World as we called it. I struggled to find people to join my familia and even though I was thankful that I was given a room at an abandoned church, it was difficult to provide for myself now that I was fully mortal. I was just like any other woman out there...defenseless, vulnerable and most importantly, mortal.

This continued for about two years...until I finally found my very first member.

Two Years Ago- Just Outside Of Orario

I was positive that I heard a cry of pain. I have no idea what drove me to come outside here...but I felt a very strong magic surge in the area and from how it felt...it was almost as if it was desperate.

I followed the shift in the air as it lead me deeper into the forest. I could hear the whistling of arrows and loud footsteps. Knowing full well that I likely wouldn't be able to fight anyone, I hid myself in the bushes and moved as quietly as I could.

"Where is that little shit!"
"I can't believe he avoided the ambush we set for him!"

My hand went over my mouth as I recognized the voices speaking.

"...Those are the guys who I've heard have been robbing weaker adventurers..."

I had heard a lot about them thanks to Loki...and they did not have a good reputation at all.

"He couldn't have gotten far, spread out and find him!"
"Why are we chasing him so far?"

I heard the sound of a punch landing followed by a thud on the ground.

"That guy we robbed made it all the way to the 9th floor on his own and now that kid stole the loot we worked so hard to steal that's worth least 100,000 Valis worth of crystals and drops,"

I shook my head in disappointment; leave it to rotten people like them to try and exploit the weakness of a lone adventurer going through the dungeon.

"This kid is fast...very fast; most likely a decently trained ranger,"
"Then stay in pairs,"

I heard the group of men separate as I listened closely, attempting to find any sign of the fleeing adventurer. I felt vibrations in the trees as I focused my senses harder until finally, I felt his presence. He was hiding silently in the trees and judging from how heavily he was breathing, he was exhausted. He had to have been running from these men for a long period of time and I had no idea if he was injured or not. Suddenly, I felt fur against my leg and I jolted immediately, falling right on my ass.

I saw a black wolf, nearly as large as I was looking at me. I had no idea where it had come from nor why it was looking at me so intently but it turned it's back, motioning as if she wanted me to follow her. I nodded at her and did as she appeared to request and it wasn't long before I arrived at a tree.

"Fang must've picked up your scent...you're not with them so why are you out here?"

I saw the adventurer climb down from the tree and I was horrified at his state. He was bleeding, almost profusely from a slash across his torso. Judging from how red the bandages were, he had to have just patched himself up. Despite having such a large wound, he didn't appear at all in pain. His eyes soon widened.

"...You're a goddess...Hestia?" he asked.

I gasped.

"You know who I am?" I replied.

He nodded slowly.

"I'm aware of how all the gods look...I never thought I'd actually meet you at some point,"

He suddenly collapsed to his knees. Fang immediately ran to his side but he raised a hand, causing her to back off slowly.

"...I don't know why you left the safety or Orario but these men have been chasing me for nearly five hours...I still haven't been able to evade them because every time I get near to the city limits, three or four of them drive me away from it...I've been stuck in limbo for a long time and now...I'm beginning to think I won't make it,"

I shook my head.

"You stole all of that loot by yourself?" I asked.

He turned to Fang and smiled.

"Not without her help,"

The wolf approached him and he petted her.

"I'm glad I met her...she's saved my life numerous times but now...I don't know if we'll be able to make it inside,"

I rose to my feet.

"I'll get you inside," I said.

He looked at me as if in disbelief.

"Why risk your life for a stranger?" he asked.
"An adventurer being hunted by that gang of thieves can't be all bad," I replied.

I helped him to his feet.

"Stay close to me and wait for me to distract them before you make a rush for the city limits," I instructed.

I still couldn't believe it was all that time ago. I did indeed manage to get him inside but he truly proved himself a good man when he turned back to help me.

Because of how frail I was in addition to my reputation of not having any members in my familia, the gang of thieves attacked me just as I had planned. I had hoped I would've been able to escape them on my own but as luck would have it, I couldn't. In fact...I don't know what would've happened had the elf not turned back to help me. Despite still being injured, he managed to fight off all of them but in doing so, he nearly died of blood loss. I took him to my home and nursed him back to health. Even though I was aware of how much Valis he had in his pack, I made no move to take even a single piece from it; he didn't have to save my life and he risked his further in order to protect me.

It took nearly two weeks for him to be back to relatively good health and I had to work several jobs in order to provide the medical supplies needed in addition to having to request a loan from Loki. Despite usually being a total bitch to me, Loki took pity on the adventurer and saw my cause as a truly noble one. Loki allowed one of her familia to come to the church and heal him fully of all his injuries.

Despite being free...he didn't leave me. He had all the Valis he could ever need to go back out and live the life he was living before as a hunter...but the day he asked me if he could join my familia was a day I would etch into my memory to never be forgotten. He was so grateful for my efforts that he not only joined my familia, he took it upon himself to work and provide for me.

Three years later, I learned his name was Takashi Mashiro. He hailed from the mountains to the north and was on his own for a long time until he discovered his affinity to nature. I saw how excellent of a hunter he was, regularly bringing back big game which was more than enough to provide for the two of us but even though he had the money to really take care of himself, he chose to improve living conditions for the two of us. The abandoned church was soon renovated and the rooms we lived in down in the basement expanded greatly. Though it wasn't a luxurious life, he earned everything with his own skills and wits which was a feat I had never seen another person do before.

He quickly garnered a reputation as one of the best hunters in Orario and some of the other gods were even jealous of the fact that I had such a skilled adventurer under my familia. Even though he was offered numerous times to join the more high profile familias, he refused every single one of them, stating that he was completely dedicated to taking care of me.

He truly showed loyalty...and he never once asked for anything in return. He would be the one to cook dinner for us even after a hard day spent in the dungeons, he would be the one to do most of the shopping and he would be the one who took care of all of the expenses for our home. In other words, he was the textbook definition of a provider.

I truly feel blessed to have someone like him looking out for me...and I thank him every single day for being so good to me.

His response to it?

A smile that only he could do. A smile that I had learned to love. Not the kind of head over heels love that a teenaged girl would get for a handsome warrior...but the kind of love a mother showed to her child. He told me time and time again that he did everything for me because he loved me and I knew precisely what he meant by it; I saved his life and he returned the favor. After hearing his story, I knew that he already looked at me like a motherly figure and I was perfectly fine with that. To go that far beyond the call of duty was something that truly defined him as the man he is and I was fortunate enough to watch him grow.

Within the two years he was here with me, he grew into a level 3 adventurer. His stats were exceptional, especially his agility and dexterity which translated well into his proficiency with a bow. I had seen several great archers and he definitely stood as one of the greatest I have ever seen.

His affinity with nature only grew and he soon developed skills that took advantage of this. He developed the ability to speak to animals, which helped him become an even more effective hunter as he was able to hunt dangerous animals that threatened the safety of traders and travelers. He even developed a magical affinity for nature energy, regularly using it to enhance his speed and prowess with his bow.

His wolf Fang had grown into a beautiful she-wolf, larger than I was and acted as a Supporter to him which enabled him to bring back even more spoils. I was sure there was a magical connection between the two of them because wolves do not grow that large naturally. It was very possible that their bond was what allowed Fang to take on animals even larger than herself with relative ease. She was also a very intelligent animal and Takashi often left her with me when he was going on solo hunting tasks for the city.

Overall, I'm very glad I met him...and I certainly hope that my familia will grow. Loki is already far ahead of me and she has a fresh batch of adventurers coming in tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll be able to expand as well?