AN: So quite a big, surprisingly so, response to the last chapter, thanks a lot for that! I am glad people have enjoyed the story so far, and appreciate the angle I am going for with the One-Eyed Black Dragon. On top of that most seem pretty interested in the idea of a Snow Elf Dragonborn, and I have to admit I like the idea too. The mystery around that race, and the way they were treated and what they became, it is all very very interesting. Or at least to me.
Other than that, thanks a lot for reading, I hope you all continue to enjoy the story and leave a review.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Elder Scrolls or Danmachi.
( - )
(Last Time)
First things first he needed to find out just where he is, and whether his theory of being in another world is correct. Which if it is the case would mean finding lodgings whilst he is here. A tavern would be the first place he would go once he reached the city, those places tended to be the places to go if you want to get information on an area, or hear the local rumours.
Secondly he needed to acquire a lot more of these monster crystals, though ones on the level of a filled Black Soul Gem, after which he would need to gather the material he would then need to re-forge, and re-enchant, his armour, making better and stronger than before.
Then finally after that he would need to find out whether Alduin was also in this place. His quarrel with the one eyed black dragon was not yet over, and if he were here then he would need acquire the equipment, and hone his skills, so that he could finally end the World Eater, once and for all!
( - )
Chapter 2
( - )
(With Azoth)
Upon finally reaching the walled city of Orario and entering it, Azoth, had to admit he was impressed.
The city was absolutely massive, and from a first glance, looked very wealthy. The streets were absolutely filled with people; from shouting merchants selling their wares, to richly citizens shopping about, and armour warriors, and cloaked mages doing whatever it is warriors and mages did on their days off.
The place was crazy, everywhere he looked he saw something that surprised or confused him. In the distance, looming over the many tightly packed town houses, and the labyrinth of streets, he could see the occasional palatial tower, or extravagant mansion, or colossal, opulent castle.
More than that though were the people, looking around Azoth now knew for sure that he was not in Tamriel. Sure there were humans wandering around, humans of every colour and creed, some of whom were noticeably armed with weapons and wearing some kind of armour, whilst others were dressed in normal traveller's clothes, or the outfits of gentry.
Noticeably though he could see some, mainly; tanned, fit and attractive, dark haired women, were wearing scandalous clothing that wouldn't be out of place in a bedroom or a brothel. Those few that he passed, he made sure to pay extra attention too, partly because of their choice of revealing clothing, and partly because they seemed a little different than the other humans.
That said there were not just humans in the city. Intermingling with the multitude of humans of every creed, colour and gender, he could see elves, or at least what he thought were elves.
They were certainly more beautiful than the average human, with the delicate angled features and long pointed ears his kind often boasted.
But these elves did not have the nut brown skin of Wood Elves, or the grey skin of Dark Elves, nor even the golden skin and hair of High Elves. They certainly didn't have the very pale skin colour, and white of the Snow Elves, or rather they didn't resemble him that much.
Instead they looked like just more attractive humans who just happened to have long pointed ears, with them having the same skin colour as the Nords, Imperials and Bretons, and a multitude of eye and hair colours, with them being as varied as the humans were in that regard.
It was, for Azoth at least, very bizarre.
That was not all though, even stranger still he could see what could best be described as animal people walking around, and he wasn't talking about the cat like Khajiit or the reptilian Argonians that he knew.
No, these animal people had the faces and appearances of humans, only with them also have additional animal like appendages. Some of those he passed, he could see had cat ears and tails, whilst others had dog ears and wagging dog tails, and there were still others that he didn't recognise, or at least he couldn't tell what they animal their tails and ears were supposed to be from.
Honestly it was fascinating, everything and everyone around him was just so different, and so alien from what he was used too. From the merchandise and food that the stall and shop owners were attempting to sell, to the people he passed by and the topics of conversation they spoke of.
Many of those he passed, mainly those with some kind of weapon or staff, regular mentioned 'going into the Dungeon', and talked about monsters they had encountered, fought and killed, and crystals they had acquired.
Hearing this, Azoth couldn't help but smile beneath his helmet's battered, Ebony visor. During his time as an Adventurer he had fought his way through many dungeons, cave systems, castles and tombs, and going off of the little ambush he had dealt with on the road just outside of the city, he had a good idea about what they were talking of when it came to monsters and crystals.
It appeared that life here was not too different to the one he had lived in Skyrim.
That said the way they spoke of the dungeon, monsters and crystals was a bit peculiar.
They spoke of the crystals like they their main source of income, with some of those he passed chatting to their companions about 'farming' the upper levels of the Dungeon, with that being Dungeon singular, so they could get some crystals and make a few 'Valis'.
Azoth by this point had guessed that 'Valis' was the currency in this place.
Shaking his head at this Azoth continued on, not caring one jot about the odd looks that were being occasionally sent his way as he strolled down the high-street in his battle scarred, blood encrusted, Ebony Armour, complete with his mangled helmet and deadly looking weapons.
By this point in his life he was used to the looks he often received, mostly awe, fear and suspicion, and now no longer bothered even reacting, and even if he was still bothered, he still probably wouldn't have cared. No, at present he was too consumed by all the new sights, sounds and smells around him to bother about anything else.
That said he did hear the occasional passer-by reference him as he walked passed them.
"Looks like he's had a rough day in the Dungeon!"
"Must have gone down to the lower levels, especially for him to be a state like that!"
"Hey I don't recognise that guy, he looks tough as hell though! Do you know what Familia he is a part of?"
"I thought the Dungeon was in the other direction?"
"Maybe he's back from a quest outside of the city!"
"Ha! I doubt it, everyone knows the monsters on the surface are much weaker than those in the Dungeon!"
Taking in these comments as he passed, Azoth slowly began to build up a picture in his head of just what was going on in this city.
The place, by the sounds of it, was based on the top of some massive dungeon, one which had many, many levels.
Due to this the city attracted a lot of warriors, mages and adventurers, probably from all over the world, some of whom formed Guilds, or parties, like 'The Companions'. After which these parties, which they apparently called Familia's, ventured into the depths of the dungeons. Probably they did this because the lower you went in the Dungeon, the more monsters there were, and the more powerful these monsters would be.
No doubt all these Adventurers made their money in a similar manner to Azoth too, by hunting down and killing strong monsters/ foes, and then looting their remains for weapons, jewels or material they could sell.
Though mainly it seemed that they harvested the monster crystals and sold them, likely to enchanters, smiths and mages who could make use of the energy contained within these monster soul gems, or use the materials from monsters or veins of ore that were in the Dungeon.
Nodding to himself at this realisation, Azoth made his decision.
Like he had initially planned, he would find a tavern and get the proper lowdown on what was going on in this city and where the entrance to this Dungeon was. After which he would start venturing down there, make himself enough money on the upper levels to afford a decent home, food and potions and what not.
Enough for him to set up a base of operations for his time in the city. Following on from which he would venture deeper and deeper into this Dungeon, as deep as possible, as by the sounds of it the further into the dungeon you go the stronger the monsters, hence the bigger and more powerful the monster soul gems, and the more valuable the materials and loot.
Yes, if he wanted to forge and enchant himself some new battle armour he might need to go very deep into the Dungeons, and honestly, a part of him was pretty excited about it too.
These monsters, they sounded fascinating. Already he could barely wait to get down there and kill a few. It was in his nature to hunt down the strongest of the strong, challenge them, and prove himself their superior. On top of which, who knows what kind of things he could make from what he harvested from them!
That was the smith in him thinking.
Grinning to himself at that, his heart beating fasting in excitement at the thought of fighting new challenges and reaping the rewards, Azoth quickly approached a nearby stall owner.
If he wanted to do any of that he needed to first find an inn so he could get some more information, it was the way you got information in Skyrim, that or you visited a Jarls court and question the steward.
"Ah, h-hello," The young girl at the store stuttered. With the girl in question, being very short, yet unusually busty despite her height, something her obscenely tight and short white and blue dress seemed to showcase. "Do you want a fried potato?"
"Erm, what?" Azoth replied bemusedly, looking away from the very attractive, dark haired, blue eyed girl, and instead to the paper box in her hand, and the fried potatoes he could see inside.
"Fried potatoes, they come with a number of different sauces depending on what you like!" The girl chirped, overcoming her nervousness, over his height and appearance, at the possibility of a sale, her odd head band, which had two long springs topped with what looked like miniature, fake potatoes, bouncing about as she did so.
"No, sorry I am not really looking to eat at the moment," Azoth replied, pushing down his hunger, and the gurgle of desire he could feel building up in stomach at the thought of some food. It had been a couple of days now, if not longer, since he had last had a good meal. But no, no he had something he had to do first, and once that was done, then he would eat. "I'm actually just wondering whether you know of any good taverns nearby?"
"Oh, so you're not about to buy something…" The girl replied, a put out look on her face. The look however only lasted for a moment though, before she perked up. "Well never mind, I can think of a few taverns nearby. Though I am surprised you don't know of any, I mean you look like a pretty tough Adventurer, surely you've been to a few in your time?"
"I'm actually new here, only arrived today." Azoth replied with a slight chuckle, the girl had a good attitude, and seemed the helpful sort, he could appreciate that. "That's why I am looking for a tavern, in my experience it's where you pick up all the juiciest gossip and titbits!"
"Wait your new to the city, really!?" The girl suddenly beamed, with her practically bouncing up and down with excitement now, her chest noticeably moving up and down in response as she did so. "Does that mean you don't have a Familia?"
As she said this the girl's eyes trailed over his expensive, yet battered looking armour, and his powerful, yet well-used looking weapons.
No doubt she could see he was not some inexperienced fledgling Adventurer, maybe she could even feel the power of his magic weapons and enchanted armour.
"No, I've not joined up with one yet." Azoth shrugged, not too bothered about sharing that. It wasn't like he needed a party to get by after all. He had done fine thus far by himself, and he had probably fought against foes that would make most of the warrior and mages in this city quail with fear.
So no, he wasn't too concerned about venturing into this Dungeon by himself. Normally, and at most, it was just him by himself on his adventures, though occasionally he did bring a supporter along for the ride. With it often times being that sarcastic pain in the arse, Lydia, after all 'she was sworn to carry his burdens'.
Bloody Lydia, always getting in the way and making snippy comments!
Still she got the job done, and was tolerable enough company, most of the time.
"Wait you've not, t-then, would you like to join my Familia?" The girl asked, her voice once again going nervous as she looked up at him, hope shining in her bright blue eyes.
"You have a Familia?" Azoth asked in surprise.
This girl didn't look like a fighter. She looked too soft, and too naive. The warrior women he knew held themselves like fighters, and they walked and talked like veteran warriors. This girl, harsh though it might seem, did not give off that effect. She seemed pleasant, yes, but just a bit weak…
"Well of course I do, I am the Goddess Hestia after all!" The now named Hestia replied proudly and confidently, her hands on her hips as she looked up at Azoth, a mixture of hope and pride on her face as she gazed at his battled scarred helmet, and barely visible violet eyes.
Azoth, in response couldn't help but smile in bemusement at the girl's words.
Fortunately though his smile could not be seen, and so the girl wouldn't be able to see his amusement at her comment. She seemed a nice kid, but even so for this human girl to call herself the 'Goddess' Hestia, it was pretty damn presumptuous.
Not even the most arrogant of bandit warlords, archmages, generals or emperors had called themselves that. The Aedra and Daedra that Azoth knew of would have not allow for such an insult after all, in fact he suspected that any being that did dare to make such a claim would not have a very long life expectancy.
That said, maybe the gods of this world, and yes by now he had realised that this was not Mundus or any of the realms of Oblivion, were a bit easier going and thus allowed such blasphemy.
But even so, it was a pretty arrogant thing to call oneself, and one he honestly didn't expect from this seemingly nice and pleasant girl.
"So how would you like to join?" Hestia continued brightly, her eyes still shining with hope.
"Well, erm, Hestia," Azoth began, he refused to call her 'Goddess Hestia', he didn't want to encourage her ego after all. "Thanks for the offer, and I will definitely think about it!" He wouldn't. "But for now I am just hoping to find a tavern so I can get the lay of the land so to speak!"
"Oh, ok…" Hestia replied, visibly wilting in resigned disappointment as she did so. It looked like the girl had expected such an answer, but despite that, had still allowed herself to hope. It kind of made him feel a little guilty. "Well that's fine, as long as you keep my offer in mind!"
"Absolutely." Azoth nodded kindly, before shuffling awkwardly. "So about the tavern?"
"Oh, yeah, right, there is one just down the street from here about a five minute walk, you can't miss it. It's called the Hostess of Fertility." Hestia said with a nod, gesturing down the high-street, in the direction he had previously been walking.
"Thanks." Azoth nodded, reaching into the pouch at his side and pulling out a single gold coin as he did so, after which he handed it to the slightly downtrodden girl, catching her completely by surprise. "I appreciate your help."
"Oh, err, it was no problem at all!" Hestia chirped, her large blue eyes blinking in surprise as she stared at the large, gold coin in her hand. Thankfully she had the good grace not to bite it to test that it was real. "You didn't need to pay me or anything, I was happy to help."
"Still, take it as a thank you from me for being so helpful." Azoth replied kindly, waving her words away. She was a nice, if slightly egotistical girl, the Goddess Hestia indeed, and she had helped him when she didn't need to, he wouldn't begrudge giving her a gold coin for her time.
"Well thanks then!" Hestia beamed up at him.
Azoth nodded in response, even as he turned around and began heading in the direction she had pointed. The hustling, bustling crowd around him moving out of the way as his large, armoured mass strode through them.
"Remember my offer too!" Hestia called out after him as he quickly head down the street, giving a backwards wave as he did so.
( - )
(A few minutes later)
A few minutes later found Azoth, still in full armour, entering the tavern that Hestia had pointed out to him.
The Hostess of Fertility, it was a large, homely looking place which was filled with plenty of wooden chairs and tables, with a large bar against one side of the room, behind which Azoth could see a number of girls in green dresses and white aprons, a uniform of some kind, bustling about.
The moment Azoth entered the bar his violet eyes surveying the dozen or so patrons already inside, most of whom were sitting around in small groups around the sides of the room. Before he could take more than a step into the tavern however, a loud, stern voice called out to him, catching his attention.
"No helmets, hoods or masks in the bar!" The strong, female voice rang out abruptly, catching Azoth's attention as he looked to the bar and saw a stocky, middle aged woman, with a kindly face and long, brown hair, which was tied up into a pony tail, looking at him sternly.
"Right, right, I hear you." Azoth nodded, approaching the bar as he did so, even as he started to unbuckle his helmet. With him placing the damaged helmet on the top of the bar, moments before he sat down heavily on one of the empty stools that were lined up along the bar.
"Sorry about that, I should have thought." Azoth chuckled, messing up his already messy white hair to get rid of his helmet hair, even as he let out a sigh of relief as his long, pointed ears were open to the air once more. Helmets were incredibly useful in his line of work, but they sure as hell could be stifling sometimes.
"No harm done," The woman huffed good-naturedly, eyeing him as she did so, no doubt taking in his angular, elven features, the scar which crossed his face, and his snow white hair and violet eyes, grabbing a wooden tankard from under the bar as she did so. "Drink?"
"An ale if you serve it?" Azoth replied, hoping beyond hope that they served something like the ale of his homeland, Skyrim, even as he shifted on his stool to make himself comfortable.
"Aye, we've got it, if you've got the coin that is?" The woman replied bluntly, eyeing up his ragged appearance, yet expensive equipment, shrewdly.
Pulling his pouch of gold off of his belt, and pulling out a gold coin, Azoth slid the coin across the bar surface. "I am new to Orario, not changed my coin to the local currency yet, do you take gold though?"
"As long as it's real." The woman nodded, picking the coin up and giving it the bite test as she did so, before nodding approvingly.
"Then I'll have an ale, and some food, something heavy, with lots of meat, some vegetables, bread and gravy." Azoth nodded, opening his pouch as he did so to show that he had a lot more gold where that came from.
"I like your style." The woman nodded, her lips curling upwards in amusement, even as she called out an order to a nearby serving girl, a pretty, greyed haired, grey eyed human girl, and then filled up a tankard of ale for him. "The names Mia, Mia Grand, what about you stranger?"
"Azoth," Azoth replied with a nod, taking the ale from Mia with a grin and having a sip as he did so. It was pretty damn good. "It's good!"
"Well of course it is, I brewed it!" Mia replied with a hearty grin and bark of laughter. "So a newcomer to Orario then? You don't look like some newbie, in fact you look like you've been through the wars!"
"It's funny you should say that," Azoth replied with a chuckle, thinking on the civil war he had been embroiled in as he did so. "I was involved in a pretty brutal war not that long ago, but that was a few years ago now. Mostly I am an Adventurer, and not a soldier."
"Aye, I can see that. That must have once been a pretty decent set of armour, and are those some magic weapons I see too?" Mia nodded, looking him up and down again as she did so, taking in his wrecked armour, and the battle-axe on his back and sheathed sword on his hip. Her sharp eyes gleaming, and holding the look of an experienced warrior as she did so. "What Familia were you in, I might have heard of it?"
"They were yeah, and Familia, it depends on what you mean by Familia?" Azoth replied, his brow furrowing in confusion, making the straight scar that went across his cheeks and nose crinkle up as he did so.
"What do you think I mean by Familia, the god who gave you their Falna, their Blessing?" Mia asked, her own brow furrowing as she sent the elf an odd look.
"Oh, okay, so that's what you mean." Azoth muttered, pushing aside his surprise that these Familia that every seemed to be a part of, were actually groups of warriors and mages who had been blessed by gods. It also, much to his guilt, made him realise that perhaps that Hestia girl hadn't been being arrogant.
Then again, he found it hard to believe that that little girl was a god. Not when he compared that chirpy, distinctly human looking girl, to the Daedric Princes he had met.
Still it seemed he needed more information now, especially if there were gods giving out their Blessings willy-nilly, and said same people, Adventurers, were wandering around in gangs they called Familia.
"You didn't know what Familia were?" Mia asked, a look of disbelief on her face.
Taking another sip of his ale to give himself time to think, Azoth shook his head. He was a pretty canny guy, and as such he knew he shouldn't reveal his ignorance of the commonplace things in this world, or that he was a stranger here. With gods apparently interacting with mortals on a regular basis, who knew what kind of trouble the suspicion over his ignorance would bring him.
"As I said I am new to Orario, and not really from here." Azoth began carefully, his mind a whirl as he began to pull on half-truths. "Familia is not a term I am, well familiar, with. I did have a Divine Being, Meridia, as my patron though. She gave me her Blessing, and this sword." Azoth patted Dawnbreaker fondly as he said that. "But I was the only one that she Blessed or the only one that I know of, and she didn't call me her 'Familia', but instead her Champion."
"Ah," Mia nodded, taking his empty tankard and absentmindedly refilling it as she did so. Noticeably a number of the waitresses had gathered about too in the current lull in business, one of them the grey haired human from before, with the others being two cat people, another blonde human, and the last, an attractive, green haired elf. She, the elf that is, certainly caught his eye. "Explains the gold and the fact I've never seen you before, I suppose. So Meridia eh, can't say I've ever heard of her, sounds eccentric though?"
Azoth's lips quirked upwards in a smile at her implied question. "She was certainly that. If I were to be honest, I would say she was cold, callous at times, blunt and above obsessive. But she meant well, and she certainly helped me out, or at least she did when I was doing what she wanted me to do."
"Definitely sounds like a god." Mia said dryly.
"I'm guessing there are a lot here then?" Azoth queried.
"This is the Dungeon City, Orario, the centre of the world and the home of the Dungeon. Most of the gods that descended from heaven to live among the mortals reside here, and most of them have Familia!" Mia laughed, shaking her head in amusement at him. "Your goddess must not have done much explaining."
"Clearly not." Azoth chuckled.
"Well then like I said, the city is filled with gods and their Familia, all of which do numerous different things from farming to exploring the lowest levels of the dungeon." Mia shrugged, after which she gave him a rundown on the specifics of Orario and the way things worked here.
A few minutes later, after her brief explanation, and whilst she was pouring him another tankard, Mia spoke once again. "So what are you doing here then, has your goddess decided to move to the city?"
By the sounds of it Mia was quite interested in his answer, and he wasn't surprised, from what he had heard the arrival of another goddess and her 'Familia' might have a significant impact on the already delicate balance of power here in Orario.
"No," Azoth quickly shook his head a few moments later, thinking on how he had completely lost his connection to Meridia as he did so. "She's gone, my connection to her has been broken and she is up in the heavens no doubt doing whatever she wants. I meanwhile, well I have to make my own way. Hence why I am here."
The waitresses behind Mia all looked sad at that. The brown haired woman however just looked nonchalant. "That's just the way of gods I'm afraid, their all flaky, flighty beings."
"You're telling me." Azoth chuckled, he had had his fair share of meeting Divine Beings before, and personally he would have added in insane, capricious, evil and deadly too, but apparently the gods here were very different to the Divine Beings he was used too.
"So what's the plan then, you're new to the city, but you must have come here for a reason right?" Mia asked abruptly.
"Well I suppose you could say that the main plan is to head down to the Dungeon." Azoth nodded, idly scratching his chin as he did so. "First things first though I'll need to find the entrance."
"Afraid not kid. Since you're new to the city the first thing you'll need to do is join a Familia that is if you want to go down to the dungeon, and then register with the Guild. They're pretty prickly about that, they won't allow anyone without a Falna, and who is not a Familia, into the Dungeon. They don't want some stupid kids, or idiots wanting to play tourist, to get themselves killed down there. It's why they have the policy, it is their insurance so they can avoid any backlash from something bad happening down there." Mia cut in, an amused smile on her face as she saw the Snow Elf's expression.
"Well that's annoying." Azoth frowned, he had been hoping to head down there straight away and start making money and gathering materials and large monster soul gems to forge some new armour.
"You'll be fine, you're clearly not a newbie, and you have gold and magic weapons, most Familia would be happy to let you in, you just need to apply." Mia waved him away, only for her to suddenly smirk. "The most annoying thing for you is that they will insist that you have a Guild Advisor, it is also a part of their policy that newcomers to the Dungeon all have them for at least a couple of weeks, even if you aren't starting off as a Level One."
Pushing aside his confusion about what Mia meant by Level One, he was sure he could work that out later.
Azoth instead just frowned at the inconvenience. That said, as he thought about it, he could see the potential advantages in having a Familia. You would have some backup if you need it, a place to stay and a group to go into the dungeon with if necessary. If he joined a suitable one he could even get a fast track down to the lowest levels.
On top of which, from what Mia had said before, to have a comfortable life in the city, and to cash in gems, enter and use the Dungeons and the facilities in the Tower of Babel, the massive tower in the centre of the city, you needed to be a member of a Familia.
Being a member of a Familia was a necessity in this place.
"Fair enough," Azoth nodded after a few moments of thought, finishing another tankard of ale as he did so. The ale here was pretty great. "Do you have any you would recommend?"
"Depends what you want to do?" Mia shot back, taking his tankard without him asking and filling it up for him again.
"I want to head down to the deeper levels in the Dungeon, I need to pick up some materials and monster stones so I can sort myself out some new armour." Azoth shrugged, seeing no point in hiding his intentions, it wasn't like they would harm anyone. Except Alduin of course, but that was probably going to be much, much further down the line.
"Oh, so you want to get money fast and some new armour. In that case I would suggest either the Freya or Loki Familia, they are the two strongest ones in Orario and exploration Familia's that regularly go on expeditions to the lowest depths of the Dungeons, every time attempting to get lower and lower." Mia nodded, her keen eyes flicking over his armour, her gaze intense as if she were imagining what it must have looked like when it was still in perfect condition. "If I had to guess, for a set like the one you're wearing, well it would probably set you back upwards of one hundred and fifty million Valis. So yeah Freya or Loki would be your best bet!"
Behind Mia, the two human waitresses and the two cat people ones all let out several eeps at the amount of money Mia had just stated, all of them staring at the ragged Snow Elf in shock.
Turns out he was walking around wearing a veritable fortune.
After a few moments, Azoth however shrugged the money off, he didn't know how much it meant when compared to Skyrim gold, but it sounded like a lot. That said considering he would be the one crafting it, it really didn't bother him.
"I doubt it'll be that much. I am just heading down there to get some materials and monster gems so that I can forge myself a new set of armour, just like I forged this one!" Azoth replied, a grin on his face.
He might be a renowned warrior, but it was his Enchanting and Smithing that he really took pride in, Eorlund Graymane had nothing on him!
Mia blinked in surprise at that, but only for a moment before she smirked. "Well if that really is the case I don't think either the Loki Familia or the Freya Familia will suit you after all. The Hephaestus Familia however, that one would suit you to a tee."
"Oh?" Azoth queried.
"Yeah, they're a Familia that revolve around smithing and are led by the Goddess of Smiths herself, Hephaestus. They also regular join the Freya and Loki Familia on their expeditions down to the lower levels, acting as support and repairing weapons, in return for a share of the profits and access to high quality materials." Mia rattled off, her gaze following the grey haired girl as she suddenly emerged from the kitchen with a large platter of food, which she then placed in front of Azoth with a coy smile and slightly pink cheeks.
Smiling and nodding at the girl in thanks, Azoth then turned back to Mia. What she had just described sounded perfect for him. He would have access to a forge, and be able to join other Familia on expeditions to the lowest levels of the Dungeon where he could harvest monsters for their parts, potentially mine ore, and get himself plenty of powerful monster soul gems. It was ideal.
"Sounds good to me, how would I go about joining this Hephaestus Familia?" Azoth asked curiously, ignoring his food for now as he instead focused on the stocky, friendly, older woman in front of him, even as some of the other waitresses, those that had previously been listening in, began to disperse as more and more people started entering the tavern.
It appeared that they would soon be entering the tavern's early evening rush-hour, no doubt a lot of these people were Adventurers fresh from the Dungeon, or trades people that had just closed up their stalls for the day. No doubt the tavern would rapidly get busier, and busier, as the evening closed in and more of these types ventured out for food, drink and good company.
"Get back to work girls!" Mia called out, filling up Azoth's tankard one last time as she did so. No doubt his bill at the end of the night would be pretty hefty. "As for Lady Hephaestus, she can usually be found in her workshop in the Tower of Babel, the fourth floor. Head to the tower tomorrow and ask to see her, they'll let you in if they know you want to join a Familia, and bring along a piece you made yourself as an example of your skill when you do so, and then I'm sure she'll happily let you into her Familia."
Azoth nodded at that, his left hand toying with the hilt of his Daedric Dagger as he did so. It sounded like he now had a plan in mind for tomorrow. "Sounds like a plan."
"Glad I could help," Mia nodded, a kind smile on her face for a moment, before the expression suddenly became stern again. "Now get to eating, May in the kitchen didn't slave away on that for it to go cold. You eat up and when you're ready order more!"
Azoth smiled at that, and nodded. She might be helpful and friendly, but she was also, obviously, a consummate business woman through and through.
"Good, now if you'll excuse me I need to deal with the dinner rush. It's going to be hectic in here tonight, especially since Loki has already booked up two tables to celebrate her Familia returning from their most recent expedition." Mia grumbled under breath, even as she headed further along the bar to serve some newcomers.
Azoth cocked an eyebrow at that, he was kind of curious to see what a top Familia looked like.
Even as he thought that though, he felt another person move to stand in front of him.
Looking up as he did so, he soon found himself looking into a pair of placid, yet curious, blue eyes.
It was the green haired elf that worked here.
Azoth opening his mouth at the sight of her, however, before either of them could do more than look at one another, they were both distracted by the grey haired waitress suddenly crying out.
"Bell! You came!"
Turning slightly in his seat, Azoth watching as a short, young looking, skinny Adventurer, devoid of armour or weaponry, entered the bar, only for the grey haired waitress, Syr apparently, to usher him onto the seat next to where he was sat.
( - )
AN: So Azoth has met a few named characters now, is starting to get a grip on the city, though there are still some conclusions he has jumped to that have yet to be dispelled, which I think is natural when you come across something that is similar to what you now, but also quite different.
I think what will especially be interesting to write is Azoth's interactions with the gods, considering his previous meetings with Daedric Princes. Plus his interactions with elves, a familiar, yet different race to his own, with different cultures and origins and traits.
It should be good fun, both the Elder Scrolls and Danmachi are two compatible but very different universes.
Thanks a lot for reading, and I hope you all continue to do so and leave a review.
See you later.
Greed720.