when man was close to ending the age of gods, the gods descended to become part of man's life to avoid being left behind, nobody truly knows why the gods did this, all that is known is that they presented the races of the mortal world with power that rivals even the heroes of old, they were granted the power to destroy mountain's with their bare fist, to move so fast, light seems as if it's standing still, to be so durable, it's as if they are indestructible, however, this level of power was not for everyone, the power they were promised was to be earned there rigorous hard work and dedication over years of someone's life, it wasn't just given, it was earned, and very few would even achieve said power, let alone the one's who came so close to it, nevertheless, there are those who strive to get stronger, for whatever reason, they did, some wanted fame, some wanted power, some wanted riches, all could be offered at one of the 15 dungeons in the world, they are in many famous cities around the world, Alfheim, Atlantis, Themyscira, but the most famous of them all which is said to rest upon the center of the world, is called Oranio, where one young boy hopes to become able to one of the legend's himself.
the gates of Oranio, a city on the coast of an ocean that connects half the world to one another, a city with giant walls so large, you'd think they were mountains with only a single tower visible from the top said to contain a city so large, even the largest of islands are said to be smaller than this city, said walls radiating Mana as they generate an endless anti-magic field, making one think it would withstand the attack of a god or goddess using other divine power, the entrance he was going through was the entrance for anyone who wasn't there for business, each entrance had a drop bridge wide enough to let 5 carriages pass through with ease and long enough to stretch over any river to let you cross seemingly, and on the sides of the bridge as well as the middle, knight's in shiny silver armor holding shield's and spears were always at the ready, there power radiating off them from their mere presence, and Bell had to wait for about 4 hours before being able to register in, he wondered why it took so long, but then found out that unless you were local or on business, you can't just enter or exit as you please, and even then, there is a waiting period even if it wasn't as long, from here, the young man, Bell Cranel would be able to take his first steps toward his dream.
Bell:" (breath in and out) (slap his face) okay, calm, and collected"
Guard 1: hello young man, are you visiting, or are you planning to move in, though, if I had to guess by the luggage and your age, you're thinking of becoming an adventurer, am I correct"
Bell:" umm, yes sir, I plan to become an adventurer... sir"
Guard 2:" Relax kid, it's a simple procedure, now, fill out this registration form and answer everything as truthfully as you can"
after about 10 minutes, Bell was done filling out the paper and gave it to the guards, they seemed suspicious as normally, it takes half an hour to finish this, at least someone without a Dunamis to help increase the perception and speed anyway, so they looked to see if anything was skimmed over, but then say the family registration on any relatives, and read what he put, they then felt sorry for the kid as they let Bell pass without issue, and with that, Bell entered, he was greeted by a slope that seemed to stop him from being able to see the city of Oranio, as he went up, the sun hit his eyes as he got to see it now, the city was huge, there were building's that seemed 3 or 5 stories up, there was a tall building in the center that seemed to connect the divine realm with the mortal world that had colorful spirals going up as if it was divine magic power raining down on the world, and while he coulnd't see everything from the ground, he was sure to find something if he headed to the tall building in what seemed like the center of the city.
Bell:" This place is amazing, I bet I can get a better look at it going to the center"
as Bell moved to go to the center of the city, the large tower in the center glowed as the color's shined down and showed a wonderful light that didn't blind anyone but mesmerized everyone who saw from its seemingly divine gaze, confused about what just happened he asked a stranger next to him what that was.
Person 1: oh, that means a god or goddess from the heavens just descended into the world, you see, before the construction of that tower, the gods teleported at random to random locations, but now, they use the tower of Babel to get to the mortal world from the divine realm now"
Bell:" so one of the gods just came here, wow"
Bell as the child he was, giddily ran to the building, the man was confused until he saw the kid giddy with excitement, the man sighed as he thought "oh, to be young and curious" and went about his own business, as Bell ran tot eh center, he ran for what felt like half an hour or so before getting to the large tower, Bell knew the god likely may have been gone, but still, he wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste and planned to head up until he was stopped by some guards.
Guard 1:" sorry sir, only those with a Dunamis are allowed to enter, those without permission or registration cannot enter, please leave"
Bell:" oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know"
Guard 2:" new here then, based on your age kid, I say you're looking to join a Familia... I'd recommend not doing that just yet kid, not with how you look"
Bell:" what"
Guard 1:" really, you're saying that to the kid"
Guard 2:" look at him, you're telling me you don't think he'll have a hard time finding a Familia"
Guard 1:" well..., don't say it to his face, the kid might just surprise us"
Guard 2:" if he gets into a Familia, I'll bow my head and apologize, no question's asked, but the kid won't be able to join a good Familia easily"
Bell:" umm, any recommendations then"
Both Guards:"... (look at one another and shrug their shoulders)"
Guard 2:" what the heck, the kid can at least take a shot at it, maybe he'll get lucky, I'd recommend going for a medium to low ranking Familias to register for, Familia's are divided into rank, from I to EX, so go for any Familia's F and below"
Guard 1:" but not all Familia's are going to accept you, for instance, the Artemis Familia only accepts female virgin members"
Guard 2:" dude, that's a B rank Familia, even if he was to apply to one, let alone the Artemis Familia, he'd have no shot"
Guard 1:" I'm just giving an example of a Familia's standards to help the kid understand, and almost everyone knows about Artemis, so her's is the easiest example to explain"
Guard 2:" ... alright, fair, then another example is the Athena Familia, though you don't need to be a virgin to join her Familia as I know at least 3 of their members are mothers, they don't accept male members normally, and the male members they do take are normally well-rounded warriors with experience in combat"
Bell:" so I need to find Familia that have members I can fit into the category of then, alright, that's helpful, I'll need to know the ones who will likely reject me anyway just by the members they normally have join, anything else"
Guard 1:" well... what is more important is that you stay away from the likes of the Apollo, Soma, and Ikelos Familia's... there on the guild's "Questionable list" and are technically considered Dark Familias"
Bell:" you mean Familia's that regularly commit crimes and other questionable actions"
Guard 2:" if you want an idea of Familia you don't want to go near, head to the guild and look for that list, then avoid them and other members as much as you can, no matter how desperate you are to join a Familia, it's not worth it joining them"
Guard 1:" but I heard they forcibly recruit as well, taking people at random and making them join against their will as well, so watch your back"
Bell:" I'll be careful, I was a hunter in my village, so I have some combat skills, I even have my weapons from there with me"
Guard 2:" then wear them and have yourself armed, not only is it better for Familia interviews, but it's also a warning to anyone that you won't go down too easy"
Bell:" okay, I'll stop at the guild then, goodbye"
as Bell left, the guard talked about how nice a kid Bell was, and then talked about how Oranio was going to eat him alive, so as Bell went to the guild to see what Familia's to avoid, he then got a list, and went to work, he headed to some Familia's with somewhat of a promising appearance, showing up with his bow and arrows, and hunting sword and knife did indeed help, however, he was still rejected as he didn't look like he'd last too long, this was a repeating occurrence, some Familias were nice, some were not to nice, and some didn't even give him any of there time to even talk to Bell, since he didn't have much money, he slept in an abandoned building in an abandoned area of Oranio in what could only be called the slum's of the city where building's were in such bad shape that they seemed like they'd fall apart at any time, there, he would find some starving children, feeling bad for them, he bought them food and a few canteens for water, and while he was staying in an abandoned building, cold with only a cloak to keep him warm, he would have this as his routine for a while, get up in the morning, apply for 25 or 35 Familias, get rejected, buy food for the kid's, and go to sleep, it would be like this for a long time.
Some Familia's however he rejected for one reason or another, in the Goibniu Familia, Bell was talking with their patron god to see if he can join them, meeting with the god Goibniu, who took the mortal form of a Dwarf, Bell knew this was a Blacksmith Familia, but tried to see if he could be an adventurer here instead, hoping he'd at least be testing out the weapon's they produce at least.
Goibniu:" so you wish to join my Familia"
Bell:" yes god of Blacksmith's, if I can be of help to the Familia, I will do my utmost in doing so"
Goibniu:" well mannered, better than most, but I don't have need for an adventurer"
While this interview was happening, a blacksmith was working on a sword as his assistant, who was obviously new was doing his best to help, though it wasn't going over very well.
Blacksmith:" Straight peen hammer"
Blacksmith Assistant:" umm, right..."
Blacksmith:" what's taking so long"
Blacksmith Assistant:" aww, sorry sorry... here"
Blacksmith:" that's a Cross Peen hammer, I said Straight Peen hammer"
Blacksmith Assistant:" sorry, I can't really tell which one-"
Bell:" here, it's this one"
Goibniu:" oh, you know your way around a forge"
Bell:" I was a blacksmith's assistant for 4 years while I was a hunter for my village, and even then, a majority of what I did was just to help assemble the weapon's in the end after they were made as well as help hand over any tools he needed, I never actually made anything"
Goibniu:" hmm ... a Blacksmith assistant is still taught the basics of how to forge, so even if you never made anything, you at least know the basics, especially after being an apprentice for 4 years, am I correct"
Bell:" yeah, a little, though it's been years since my lessons and I'm not too sure if I can make anything decent"
Goibniu:" I see, so why not try and make something then"
Bell:" what, but-"
Goibniu:" you know your way around a forge, so why not see how skilled you are, I'll even lend you materials and let you keep whatever you make"
Bell:"... I guess I can, will it affect if I can join if I fail"
Goibniu:" It'll depend on what condition the weapon you make is in, how about you make a basic long sword then, seeing as you don't have one on you, it may be best for starters, especially since its construction is basic and simple compared to most other weapons"
Bell then got on the standard Blacksmith safety equipment and put them on quickly as he seemingly got the way you get it on by instinct, he then got started, and after about 3 hours made the sword, however, something Goibniu noticed was the techniques he used were more or less above what a mere rookie should be taught, even the engraving of the runes was fluent and elegantly done, so Bell wasn't just making a knockoff sword, he was making an enhanced weapon, a very tricky and tedious endeavor, yet Goibniu saw that Bell wasn't stressed nor was he pressured, he was calm, collected, and focused, when Bell was done, the blade was well made and gave off a great deal of power as well.
Goibniu:" Impressive, this is your first time making a weapon in the forge like this"
Bell:" assembling it and grafting the runes was the easy part, when I was taught how to do these engravings, I was trusted to engrave all the weapons my teacher made since he said I was better at it than him, at least that's what he said, so this was familiar for me to do, the rest was just by the book of what my teacher taught me to do"
Goibniu's thoughts:" I see, so he was actually gifted in something like this, the blade itself due to the material's he used isn't much, but the technique, the engraving, and the final product, it can compare to the best of the best in blades of its class, such talent, and yet by what I can tell with my ability to sense lies, this is legitimately his first time actually forging with fire"
Goibniu:" if I asked you to be a blacksmith instead of an adventure, would you accept"
Bell:"... sorry, I need to become an adventurer, for personal reasons, I don't really desire to be a blacksmith, and only those with the passion to forge should, those who don't have that passion would only insult its name, even though just about every Familia has rejected me so far, I don't plan to give up anytime soon"
Goibniu:"... I see, then I'm sorry, but unless you plan to be a blacksmith, I cannot accept you into my Familia as we both wouldn't get what we want in the end"
Bell:" I see, then I'm sorry for wasting your time"
Goibniu:" don't be, I got to see someone with a real talent for the forge today, if you need a fallback plan when you can't find a Familia by the sound of your rejections, you can come here to be a smith with open arms"
Bell:" I'll consider it if it comes to that"
That wasn't the only time this kind of thing happened, in the Dian Cecht Familia, Bell applied as there was a medical emergency and he aided in helping an adventurer in critical condition and showed he had basic knowledge in medicine, even having a few medical herbs and antidotes on his hand that came in handy.
Airmid:" I see you have some basic knowledge of medicine"
Bell:" when I was a hunter for my village, I was the designated medic in my hunting party, so I had to learn a lot about how to treat wounds and sicknesses with the bare minimum of whatever I had on me or whatever I could scavenge, it's why I have a habit of having a bunch of medical items and antidotes on my person at all times within arm's reach"
Airmid:"... we could use a medic like you in our Familia, especially with your craftiness and ingenuity"
Bell:" sorry, I need to become an adventurer above all else"
Airmid:" I see, then godspeed to you"
While Bell wanted to join a Familia, he wanted to explore the dungeon, he wanted strength, so while he was given offers, because he wasn't going to be in the dugneon to fight and get stronger, he denied these, in many of these cases, Bell showed he was willing to deny being in a Familia if he wasn't going to be an adventure and explrore teh dungeon, unwilling to settle for anything less than what he came here for, after many days, this cycle would continue for a few days, Bell's mental condition was worsening, not helped by his physical condition due to his sleeping arrangements, while he was indeed used to sleeping outside as well as being cold for a time, he was reaching his limits, and upon being rejected and thrown into an allied by a Familia who's less than ideal in terms of morality, he would cough up blood since he was thrown pretty hard, he felt 4 of his ribs break and bleed from his head from a cut formed by his head bouncing off the wall behind him, he would lay there as his injuries, combined with his not so good sleeping condition's made him unable to get up, taking the medicine he had to help lessen the injuries to some extent as he would lie there helpless now, then, someone came to his aid as they carried him just before he lost consciousness.
Bell wasn't the only one having a hard time, upon her descent to the mortal world, a goddess would enter the mortal world, and as she descended down, a friend of hers was waiting, and as she saw her, she gave a gentle smile as she hugged her acquaintance, she noticed how her acquaintance took the mortal race of a Dogfolk, though it makes sense given the race's heavy worship of Athena.
before a god can decent, they can choose to be any of the mortal races that worship the gods, as such, they have fun becoming different races, though they do need to wait about 500 years before they can go back down, and the wait is indeed long and boring as well, it's why they like to take time to choose a race before heading down, and Hestia chooses to become a Hobbit, as their race is one of the few that worship Hestia, as well as respect Family.
Hestia:" it's good to see you, Athena, where is Artemis, is she hunting again"
Athena:" yes, but I bet she is rushing here as we speak since she took longer than expected"
Hestia:" she still gets so absorbed in her hunts she's blind to everything else, glad to see some things never change, it's good to see you after all this time"
Hestia and Athena then moved to Athena's home for tea and snacks as they continued to catch up after so long apart, as fellow virgin goddesses, they were close in terms of friendship as Hestia also was one of the many who helped mold Athena into who she was, teaching her many important things as well as helping defend her from Zeus at times, even threatening Zeus, who is legitimately scared of Hestia's divine wrath.
Athena:" I also see you took the form of the Hobbit race, you've always been on the short end so I guess it fits well"
Hestia:" well, as I am technically the youngest and oldest child of Cronos and Rhea due to our being eaten and vomiting, my body betrays me in many ways, so while my bodies on the small end, I'm still the oldest of my sibling's"
Athena:" aww yes "Loli Big Boobs", a cruel nickname given your small size but large breast"
Hestia:" my small size is a symbol of my younger side while my large breast is a symbol of my older side, I don't know why that is, but I can temporarily take my older body since I am supposed to be the oldest"
Athena:" I seen it, it's majestic in its own right, and also attracted the attention of Posiden and Apollo"
Hestia:" please don't remind me of that, I prefer not to remember being desired by 2 playboys like that"
Athena:" so... why did you come to the mortal world, I came here because I wanted to help keep the order in the mortal world... as well as find an opponent who can knock me on my ass to then strive to beat"
Hestia:" still a goddess of war are we... I wanted a change, a change from the Divine realm, form guarding the Hearth Flame and presiding over all sacrifices to all the gods"
Athena:" a noble duty no doubt, one I can't even begin to imagine the difficulty of much less its importance and prestige, even Zeus feared angering you because of how easily you could cut off any sacrifices and worship he would get because of it, even though you were far too kind to do such to any of us without very good reason, nonetheless, here in the mortal world, we are but mortals ourselves and are as weak as the average mortal of the race we choose"
Hestia:" aside from being able to use Ki, I myself have no use for knowing something like that, but you and Artemis no doubt know how to use it, after all, a hunter who wants to hunt the most dangerous game there is and a god of war who wishes to get knocked on her ass in the battlefield to beat"
Athena:" haha, can't say no to that"
Hestia:" I'm sure my friend will be alright, she's dedicated and strong-willed, and you're more than able to handle yourself, even if you do get hot-headed at times, despite less, I do need help in knowing how to start up my own Familia"
Athena:" well, normally, your followers naturally are drawn to you, however, in your case"
Hestia:" yes, I'm aware, given I'm not one of the more popular gods with many stories about them, though I do not regret not getting involved in such as they were more trouble than they were worth in the end"
Athena:" please don't say stuff like that, it makes me uncomfortable"
Hestia:" sorry, anyway, can you help me"
As with that, Hestia was able to get help from her friend, as she was given the basics of how a Familia works and how it's made, Hestia was offered a place to stay by Hephaestus, a friend who had a spare room for Hestia to borrow to try and start her Familia, upon her getting settled in, she studied what she could for a whole night, learning all she can of Oranio before setting off, making sure to have all her bases covered before she started recruiting, and with that, she set off to start her Familia after 3 whole days, she headed to the guild, filled out the registration form to be able to start her Familia, and also paid the amount for a Familia Permit as well as pay forward the starting Familia Licence Tax, being forced to borrow money from Hephaestus who knew exactly what it was like, and then went to recruit member's to join her Familia.
It was a complete disaster, while she was very active in trying to recruit members, hardly anyone stopped to meet her, and the ones who did were either interesting in her body or were less than moral, and as Hestia wasn't someone who would accept those who were not good-hearted people, so she denied these people rightfully, and she laid in bed in utter defeat face down in the pillow as she tried to muffle her tears, while she had her pride, she was still sensitive to things like failure and falling short, in fact, Hestia has been known to throw tantrums or go into a deep depression when she fails in anything, Hephaestus knowing that Hestia is either throwing a tantrum or is crying into her pillow tried to comfort her to no avail and this continued for days on end with Hestia slumped in her table with books pilled up and then got up.
Hephaestus:" where are you going"
Hestia:"... I need some fresh air"
Hephaestus:"... need any-"
Hestia:" I already asked a lot from you as is with no way to pay you back... please, I just need to be left alone for a bit, that's all"
As compassionate and understanding as Hestia was, she was still prone to depression and sadness like anyone else, as well as guilt for mooching so much off her friend for so long even if she played it off as no big deal at first glance, while she did understand it would be difficult to start a Familia, she didn't know it would be this hard, so as she was walking down an ally, she heard a loud bang as she headed to the noise, there, she found a white haired boy hurt as he was thrown to a wall, without hessitation, she picked him up, struggling to do so as he was heavy, and carried him to the closest pharmacy she could find, wishing she learned how to use Ki now since she says she was struggling to carry the boy in need, Hestia spend her days guarding a sacred flame, so she wasn't exactly physically strong, not helped by the fact she was of the Hobbit race which was the smallest of the other races and not known for there physical strength
she found and entered a pharmacy called the " Blue Pharmacy" and took the boy inside, despite having no money on hand herself, due to the situation, the Familia's 2 people, a Dogkin and the god who took the mortal form of a Dogkin as well helped anyway and upon assessing the boy's injuries, talked to Hestia.
Hestia:" thank you Miach, and this is"
Miach:" Naaza Erisuis, my Familia's captain, and my only member"
Nazza:" a pleasure to meet you, though I wish it was under better circumstances"
Hestia:" how bad is his condition"
Miach:" a few broken ribs and a possible concussion from a hit from the back of his head, my guess is he was thrown to the wall by someone very strong, a level 1 possibly given he was likely chucked by one"
Nazza:" the cut on his head healed up since he seemingly applies medicinal Herms with good healing properties on the area before losing consciousness, it also helped with the swelling in his head so now all that's left is the lingering effects of a concussion, but rest assured, he's in no risk"
Hestia:" oh good"
Miach:" I also noticed something else about the boy, his eyes and their redness as well as the muscle sores and stiffness, I indicate he was sleeping in the slums in one of the many abandoned buildings there for refuge for many days, that would not help his condition, but with proper rest on a bed for a few days, this should clear up soon enough, and this doesn't exactly make his condition worsen, but it does mean his physical state was bad before his injuries, so I can't just let him go off on his own"
Miach:" are you his caretaker goddess Hestia"
Hestia:" no, I just heard a bang and brought him over"
Nazza:" despite less, we need to know what to do next"
Then, the boy woke up in a haze as he was trying to make sense of where he was, bandages on his chest as he then got up to be told what happened, thanking Hestia for aiding him and telling her his name.
Bell:" I'm Bell Cranel, I am new to Oranio, and I was looking for a Familia"
Hestia:"... mind if I talk to the boy alone Miach"
Miach got the message and then told her to take her time as he and Nazza left them be, with this, Hestia would ask Bell a series of questions, namely to determine his personality, and upon inspection, she found the boy had strong will and resilience, but also humility and kindness, he was perfect, and with that, Hestia made her move.
Hestia:" well child, if you are looking for a Familia, why not become one in mine, mine is an exploration-type Familia so you can venture into the dungeon, and since you are the only member, I'll even allow you to be the captain of it even when we get more members, what do you say"
Bell:"... that would be great goddess Hestia, I also need to thank you for helping me in my hour of need"
and the process of making Bell a part of Hestia's Familia commended, Hestia bit her finger to draw blood and dripped some on bell's right hand, with that drop hitting Bell, hand, he saw crack's form from his hand spread to his body as he felt a warm and strange power surge from within him, suddenly, his rib's and injuries, as well as his stiffness and soreness went away as well as his perception increasing as well, and Bell realized he just took one stop to his dream, to become strong as an adventurer, no, he was now able to take his first step.
(author's notes)
First off, yes, I'm making Bell talented in many things namely because I don't think Zeus wouldn't have Bell be completely unable to fight as well as be able to provide for himself if need be so being trained as a hunter (given Bell's skill in locating creatures, mapping terrain given he hand-drew a map, and is skilled in finding and cooking edible food in nature, it only made sense Bell could be a skilled hunter) and Blacksmith as a fallback since there is always need for a smith, as well as an excuse to have him and Welf spend time in the forge with one another for story porpouses, but this is so he's able to help many other's later down the line better as well as provide more, being more of a jack of all trades than anything, so he has more value than what he shows, making him that much more valuable for the god's, I also wanted Bell to be seen as someone who even Loki can't say isn't someone she wouldn't want in her Familia if she saw Bell's skill's in action
and yes, things are different, but if you read my stories before, you should know the base ideas by now, Ki being able to enhance someone a level above their current one, the god's being related to one another despite that not being in Danmachi Cannon, Artemis, Athena (Asteria, but I'm calling her Athena since Athena is more comfortable to use), and such will be in Oranio, stuff like that, so be prepared cause this story is lore and detail-heavy, as well as longer than before