It was once said that a knight from another world, a Dragonslayer, descended upon Genkai. Another interpretation claimed that he was formed along with the world, the indomitable human spirit given form and life. Those who knew the truth however, knew that it was both… and neither…

A lone traveler walked through the gates of the small hamlet, hood pulled over their eyes. Lightning lit up the stormy sky for a brief moment but it wasn't enough to reveal what was hidden beneath. Torrential rain soaked the traveler to their core but they didn't care. A brief look around at the hovel revealed stone and wood lodgings with mud and thatch roofs. No more than forty houses were scattered haphazardly inside of a traditional motte-and-bailey. Only one stood out to the traveler though, the only one that was fully alight despite the storm. Without hesitation the traveler renewed their march, towards the shining lodge.

The legends said that he was a warrior tired of war. Another said that it was the unholy offspring of a Spirit and a God. Regardless, he was a being of incredible prowess and skill. He raged against the injustice of the young world, bringing order and peace. He was a Hero, but soon after his legend began, it ended. The Hero vanished, completely and utterly. Well, he did, and he didn't…

The traveler looked up at the sign hanging above the door, "The Drunken Raven." It was an in and a bar all rolled up in one establishment. Rowdy voices could be heard from within, crass jokes and roaring laughter. The traveler clenched a fist before letting it go. Without wasting a moment they pushed the door open and stepped inside. The cacophony was almost deafening and was joined by jubilant music. A brief look revealed multiple rough looking men and women wearing shoddy armor and leather. Basic weapons hung from their hips and as they wielded drinks instead. Flushed faces outnumbered the clean ones. Nobody batted an eye as the traveler moved to a quiet corner and sat at a table, hood casted down. A server made her way to the cloaked traveler but she was waved off.

And as time went on new legends arose. The Three Great Quests. Gods and Goddesses and Familias. Behemoth, Leviathan, Babel, Zeus, Hera… The Black Dragon… A living calamity that not even the two Greatest Familias could defeat. But as they were destroyed… HE appeared. Out of the shadows the Ancient Dragonslayer joined the fateful fight against the Black Dragon, and for a time it looked like the tide of battle was turning. But the Hero wasn't enough, and in one last act of desperation he thrusted his legendary weapon deep into the Black Dragon's eye, wounding it greatly. Accounts of the exact events are spotty, but through great effort the now One Eyed Black Dragon had been pushed back, but not defeated. But there was no victory. Both Familias had been all but destroyed, and the Hero?

"That's right! What you're looking at is the weapon of the Legendary Dragonslayer!"

Halfway across the inn a group of men drunkenly bantered. Their leader, a one eyed oaf with a ratty beard, brandished a gleaming weapon drunkenly. "After old Zeus and Hera bit it I found that smarmy bastard and killed him myself! He was all bark and no bite, and to the victor went the spoils!" With a drunken teeter the oaf slammed the haft of the spear against the floor, holding it for the entire inn to see. The spear was a monstrous ten foot long weapon made of a glimmering gold-like material. Four feet from the tip there was a cross guard large enough to be a hand-and-a-half hilt by itself, and further up a solid two feet was purely the blade. The entire weapon was a work of art, and it gleamed in the light of the inn. The talking had quieted down as almost the entire inn stared on in awe or jealousy.

"Bullshit."

The Hero vanished completely once again. Not even a body was found. It was assumed that he had perished, as his legendary weapon was abandoned. Though before anyone could take it for preservation, that too was lost. Tales and stories littered the world, pieces of armor supposedly discovered, the weapon appearing and disappearing, people claiming to be the Hero himself… All of them were debunked, even if some of them were true…

The inn quieted as the patrons looked around for the one who dared to speak up. The man holding the spear blinked, his addled mind not quite registering what he had heard.

"Your story is a steaming pile of shit," the cloaked figure said, standing up. Pulling down the hood revealed a young woman with fiery red hair and emerald eyes ringed by gold. A look of pure contempt marred her striking face, like a feline staring down its prey.

The man went red in the face, from anger, the alcohol, or whatever else was going through his mind. After a failed attempt he stumbled to his feet along with his entourage. "The feck you say, girlie?" He slurred.

The traveler blinked before scoffing, "you're really that drunk… Your story is a load of shit, there's no way you'd be able to kill a living legend, even injured."

"Heh… haha hahahaha!" The man and his friends all started laughing, followed by most of the inn. The traveler crossed her arms and waited it out. "Haha. You're not from 'round these parts, are ye? Well don't worry, I'm in a forgivin' mood! How's about ye come with me and I'll tell ye the whoooole story?" The oaf sauntered up to her, staring down at her. Well, he stumbled over to her but it must've looked better in his addled mind. The traveler… smiled.

"Hmmm." Some had to look away with blushes on their face, others stared in awe. The drunken oaf with the spear had a grin like he had just completed the final Great Quest on his own. "Let me have a drink, and maybe…" The redhead picked up a forgotten tankard and downed what was left. She gave a hum before flipping the metal container upside down and slamming it upwards with a thunderous crack, snapping the drunkard's head back and knocking him out. He landed with a thud, his friends staring at him in shock. Their eyes simultaneously looked at her.

The traveler spread her arms wide. "Are we gonna stand around all night or are we doing this shit?"

The group of drunkards' brains, or whatever singular brain cell they all shared, finally came to terms with what had just happened and they all charged at once. Half of them tripped or fell against each other. It would've been embarrassing if she wasn't their sole opponent. The first one reached her and sent a sloppy left hook that she sidestepped before grabbing his overextended arm, shoving him against and over a table. She ducked underneath another punch and retaliated with a fierce gut punch before slapping his leg out from under him. The third tried tackling her but she stepped to the side before spinning behind him, kicking his rear and sending him into another group of people.

"Oi!" The man she shoved crushed a table and scattered a dozen drinks. When he stumbled to his feet he slipped again, accidentally dodging a punch… that hit the head of another patron. The traveler almost laughed as her small fight devolved into an all out bar brawl.

But her lapse of judgment let someone sneak up on her, grabbing her arms and holding them behind her back. "Hold 'er still!" A fourth man charged her, arm outstretched, before slipping on a puddle and hitting his head on a table.

"Seriously?" She sighed. Without wasting a second she smashed her head backwards, breaking her captor's nose and sending them both to the floor. Before he could recover she rammed her elbow into his ribs, but his grip remained. She did it again and again, and finally when she rammed her elbow into his ribs something gave in and the man cried out in pain before letting her go. She flipped to her feet and didn't spare the man another glance. The trawler cried out as a stool shattered against her, sending her into another patron. She barely had time to duck under a punch, deflecting another and dodging a third. She caught the fourth and pulled the man close, headbutting him before hitting him with a savage roundhouse kick. He didn't get back up.

By now most of the patrons were either in the fight, knocked out, or fleeing the inn. At some point the bards had started playing music appropriate for a tavern brawl and this time it did make her laugh. The last of the pat's band ran at her but all she did was step to the side and shove him into another patron's fist. Somewhat numbly she pawed at her nose, hand coming away red. She must've broken it with that headbutt, but her adrenaline was high enough that she didn't feel it. Scattered around her was the entire band of drunkards, so all that was left was…

"Rraaaaaaagh!"

"Looks like he woke up," she stated to herself, cocking her head to the side.

Over time the Legend of the Dragonslayer changed, as all tales do. Some say that they were two different people, that the later one was an imitation, a member of the Zeus or Hera Familias. Some say that he never existed at all, and that the Legend was simply the culmination of humanity's desire for Heroes over the age. When you ask someone to tell you that Legend, you'd probably get a different answer every time, but the consistencies were always the same. Golden armor, no given name, and a massive golden cross spear.

"I am going to skin you alive!" The oaf she had knocked out first spit out a mouthful of blood before stumbling to his feet, spear in hand. The sight killed her amusement.

"You know," she wiped her face of the blood coming from her nose. "If you just hand me that spear you'll avoid a world of pain."

The oaf's face was red with drunken rage. Would he even remember any of this the next morning? "You've got some nerve! You'll have to pry this from my cold dead hands!" With that he leveled the spear and charged her.

"Honestly, I was kind of hoping you'd say that…" She met his charge halfway and ducked under his thrust, but she kept her momentum and threw herself against him, sending them both to the ground. The brawl up until this point had been kinda fun, tavern brawls were always enjoyable as there was never any true malice involved. But seeing him using that spear? The traveler gave into rage wholeheartedly.

Even the oldest iteration was rife with falsehoods, expectations, beliefs, misinformation…

A long, long time ago a knight abandoned his post. The legendary Dragonslayer had lost his faith, becoming disillusioned and realizing that the Age he had fought for was a silken lie. He left behind everything he knew, and searched for the disgraced lord that he had fought alongside during the previous war. He searched, and searched, and searched until his Age finally met its end, and the new age began anew.

The traveler shoved the spear aside and delivered a savage right hook to the oaf, spanning his head to the side. She growled, face twisted in absolute fury as she punched him again, again, and again.

The knight continued his search in the new world, chasing that faint spark of Light, but no matter the distance he never drew closer. This new Age held dangers of its own, monsters that terrorized the denizens of the new world. He helped where he could, but it wasted precious time. But one day, things changed for the worse. The darkness abated as hundreds of new lights descended from the outer worlds, shaping the world as they saw fit. The one light he had been following was now one among a sea of hundreds.

Noise vanished, the only sound was the ringing in her ears as she crashed her fists into the oaf's brutalized face. Her knuckles were bloodied and split but she didn't stop, not once.

One family stood out amongst the rest. He had saved a small farm from a rampaging beast. The family was thankful as they always were, but this one… offered him respite. Situation becoming hopeless, the knight… accepted, if only for a while. But…

The traveler cried out as she sent one final punch at the oaf's cheek, knocking teeth loose and snapping his head to the side. The fight around her had ended, everyone was knocked out or close to it, all except for her. Breathing heavily she got to her feet, feeling the adrenaline finally leave her system. Her nose throbbed and her knuckles hurt, but she ignored it.

Something happened that no one expected. The farmer's daughter and the timeless knight fell in love, and after countless and tireless years the knight finally ended his journey. He had searched for one Light, and in his journey he had found another. They moved to a small plot of land, and soon after their union they had a child, a daughter.

The traveler might as well have been alone in the tavern as far as she was concerned. Her eyes lingered on the spear, and with an odd look she grasped it, lifting it and holding it at eye level. In that moment she felt many things, sadness, joy, melancholy, anger, relief, longing… Gripping the spear tightly lightning flickered and arced off of the spear, filling the wrecked inn with a soft golden glow. It thrummed with power, a power that only revealed itself to a select few, and a power that resonated through her bones.

The family lived in peace, the household was one of love and kindness. The daughter was raised on stories of gods new and old, of a war with dragons and a kingdom of Fire. Every time her father showed her his movements and skills with his spear she committed them to memory, watching in awe. She wanted to follow in his footsteps, and with the Age of Heroes that was a genuine possibility. So as soon as she could handle a stick she began her training, with a proud father and an amused yet exasperated mother. But all good things come to an end. Two legendary Familias partook in Three Great Quests, and though they succeeded in the first two the last would prove… different.

The Black Dragon, enraged, became a scourge that the Zeus and Hera Familias couldn't contain, their fated battle was going poorly, many were dying. The Dragonslayer felt the call of duty once more. The family protested, but the mother, who knew of his solemn duty, relented. She knew he wouldn't be dissuaded, she knew that his presence would save countless lives. So he went… The Dragonslayer joined the battle at the worst point, a beacon of hope that pierced the encroaching darkness. The Familias watched in awe as the Legend fought with as much power as an entire Familia on his own. Every thrust of his spear wrought a horrible wound, his speed left lines of gold behind him, lightning cracked across the sky as he called down the very heavens to fight with him. The monstrous dragon and a knight from a bygone age locked horns in lethal combat, but there would be no victor…

A desperate attack saw the Black Dragon blind in one eye, but in his efforts to save others the knight in turn was mortally wounded… The Zeus and Hera Familias dissolved, the One Eyed Black Dragon fled, and the Legendary Dragonslayer didn't return home…

So ends the true tale of the Dragonslayer…

The Traveler brought the spear close to her chest, relishing in the fleeting familiarity it brought her. "Father," she whispered. The spear thrummed in response, accepting her. With practiced familiarity she swung the spear to her back, locking it into a wrapping that had already been prepared for it. She left the inn without a word or look to its remaining patrons, pulling her hood back over her head. The rain has lessened considerably but she barely noticed. She followed the path she took to the inn and disappeared into the night, the light of the spear fading soon after.

"Are you sure, Mother?" The redhead frowned as her mother inspected the spear. When she returned bloodied and bruised her mother had gone into a fit, but when she saw the spear both of them broke down in tears. Right now her mother was running a hand fondly over the flat of the blade, a somber yet happy look on her face.

"Of course, I won't change my mind no matter what you say." The Traveler's mother set the spear aside and fixed her daughter with a piercing look. "I'm not going to stand in the way of your Dream."

The traveler bit her lip, "what about the farm? You'll be all alone, I know that you've managed before but the last season was bad and–"

"Exactly!" Her mother interrupted. "I managed fine on my own when your father passed away, and I can manage just fine on my own without your help."

"Mother–"

"Artoria…" Her mother interrupted. Artoria gulped, golden green eyes shining nervously. Her mother just smiled kindly. For a time the two of them just looked at each other, the daughter nervously and the mother seemingly searching for something. After a few tense moments her mother smiled sadly, "you really do take after your Father…" Artoria's eyes misted over. "Your Dream, walking in your father's footsteps, you still want to do it, yes?" The daughter nodded. "Then who am I to stop you? I know that you can take after yourself, you've been on your own collecting all of your Father's things these past few years. And you've done it! I barely lifted a finger."

"Mother…" Was Artoria's soft reply.

"Oh hush, why are you making such a fuss of this anyways? I know you're not abandoning me, and I know this was your plan since Ornstein first told you the stories of him and his companions. You are the daughter of one of the greatest dragonslayers ever to live. Fighting is in your blood, it would be a travesty to keep you on a farm in the middle of nowhere. If you aren't out of the house by mid-morning you'll answer to me, missy!"

Artoria let out a small laugh, eyes shining, "who am I to stand against the mighty farmer, lowly dragonslayer that I am?"

"Damn straight! Now, I've only a few things left to do. If you're desperate to get back to work then you can collect the eggs and take stock of the hay."

"I'll get right to it!"

Hours later when the sun fell below the horizon, Artoria slipped outside with her father's cross-spear. The sky was completely clear, revealing the majesty of the cosmos and the full moon casting its pale glow over the land below. Crickets hummed and in the distance she could hear an owl calling out into the night. For a time she simply stared at the moon, making out its faint features and lonely face.

"You once told me that the moon of your home was a Dark Moon, presided over by one of your Charges. You spoke so fondly of Gwyndolin, and were one of the few that thought his Night was truly beautiful. Was it… anything like this?" Silence was her answer. Sometimes Artoria enjoyed talking to her Father, even if he wouldn't ever be able to answer her. Closing her eyes, The Dragonslayer Ornstein's daughter took a deep breath before releasing it. The world faded away until the only thing she felt was her own body, and her father's spear. Her grip on the spear loosened and it fell away from her before she caught it close to the bottom. She swung it in a wide arc as if fighting an imaginary opponent. Halfway through the swing she grabbed it with two hands, following the swing through before bringing it the other way. Her grip shifted to halfway and she began a series of sharp and powerful thrusts with one hand before spinning, left hand grabbing the cross guard, and delivering a powerful thrust that nearly sent her forward with the momentum. Softly leaping backwards she delivered a savage upward swing with the shaft, turning it into a spin before driving the blade forward and yanking it to the side. Artoria didn't have any other way to describe it, but the blade just… sang to her. It was like the spear had a mind of its own, and perhaps due to her lineage it accepted her as its wielder. Everything just resonated with her, as though she had committed the movements to memory she had never actually performed them with a weapon. And yet somehow she was doing so with nary a mistake. After a series of slashes she spun, crouching low and poised to strike, before launching herself forward almost forty feet. Her feet kicked up dirt, digging a slight groove as she slowed to a stop. Finally she opened her eyes. Just for a moment and unseen to anybody, her irises had turned entirely golden before fading to their mixture of gold and green.

Artoria left the next morning with a tearful goodbye full of promises and well wishes. She wore the same leather traveling gear she had worn before, with an addition of a large backpack holding her father's refitted armor and the rest of her meager possessions. Having worked on a farm her entire life and with her Father's Old Blood running through her veins the weight was hardly noticeable. Her journey was fast-footed and she only stopped to dispatch the monsters that got in her way, and to make camp for the night. For a significant period of time she was completely alone other than the animals and monsters, but when she eventually found a paved road she ran into the occasional merchant or traveler. Unfortunately they were all going the opposite way that she was traveling, but having to walk the entire way wasn't honestly that much of a bother to her.

Until finally she noticed something rising over the horizon; an unbelievably tall tower piercing the heavens. When she made sure she wasn't imagining things her pace quickened, heart beating just that little bit faster. It was Bebel… The monstrous tower that denoted the Dungeon City Orario; the place that made adventurers, the place of legends living and dead, and her current destination. It got closer and closer, and as she traveled she could make out more features like the massive stone wall, the battlements, and the gate that fed the road she was traveling on. The rest was a blur, until finally she stood at the base of Orario's walls. There was a small line awaiting entry, she thought it would be much longer, but perhaps around the afternoon things were just slow? Regardless, everything was going well, right until…

"Entry… fee?" Artoria muttered. The gate guard in front of her just sighed with a bored look.

"Yes, you've stated that you're moving here permanently and you're here to be an adventurer. The fee for permanent residence is 10,000 valis. If you can't cough it up then get out of line." Artoria flinched, as there were some people waiting behind her. Unbeknownst to her, the person right behind her had a confused frown on her face.

"The fee's 10,000?" She said nervously. She was a farmer! Their last harvest was lackluster at best, and she only had a few thousand to her name! There was no way she'd be able to get 10,000! A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead.

"Hey!" A new voice cut it. Turning around, Artoria saw a young elf girl a few years younger than herself. She had golden yellow hair and deep ocean blue eyes. She was angry, but it wasn't directed at her. "You're lying, the entrance fee is only 2,000!" The elf quickly moved up next to her as she glared at the guard, who was now getting nervous.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" He put up a confident front, "besides, who are you anyway?! How do you know what the entrance fee is 'supposed' to be?"

The elf stood up to her full height, not that it really made a difference, and put her hand over her chest. "I'm a member of the Loki Familia! My name is–"

But that was enough for the guard's front to crumble. "L-Loki Familia? Shit– Fine! It's 2,000! B-But just cause I'm feeling generous today!" Scowling Artoria counted her valis and shoved it into the guard's chest.

"I'll remember you, count on it…" She threatened, almost growling.

"J-Just get out of my sight before I charge the rest!" He said as she shoved past him.

Faintly she could hear some more arguing before she emerged on the other side of the gate, finally within Orario itself. She stood silently for a solid minute, content to just take it all in. There were obviously a couple of problems; like finding a place to stay and figuring out how to go about tackling the Dungeon, but she'd cross those bridges as she got to them.

"Excuse me?" Artoria jumped slightly and turned around, finding the elf from before smiling shyly at her. "Are you alright, you haven't moved for quite awhile."

"Ah, I'm alright. Just… Taking it all in I suppose, by the way I forgot to thank you for saving me back there."

The elf blushed, "Ah! It was nothing, really, hehe…"

"I'm Artoria, by the way. We kinda forgot to introduce ourselves." She laughed.

The elf perked up, "How silly of me, I should've remembered! I'm Lefiya Viridis, proud member of the Loki Familia!"

Well this spawned from the depths of my mind after far too long binging a series I really should've gotten into before now. And right after I start a new story as well, oof! There's a couple of things I should probably address because of that, but that'll come later.

Welcome to the story that came out of left field and nobody, including myself, expected. Part of the reason why this exists is because I binged Danmachi, and I've hit a bit of Writer's Block with Mariana, the Abyssal Hero. That's resolved, but things won't exactly resume as scheduled. The reason for that is, as many of you have probably noticed, the email notifications haven't been working for roughly a week now. I'll give it a bit longer, and if nothing changes I'll resume posting, but for now I'll either be updating this or Final Destination. If you're reading this on AO3, most of the above won't apply to you.

Now, some things to address! This will be taking place in the world of Danmachi, and if somehow I wasn't able to make it clear the protagonist is the daughter of Ornstein. For the moment, his armor and weapons are the only things relevant that survived the Age of Fire, so for now there will be very few references to Dark Souls. That may be subject to change, but if I want to incorporate my ideas I need to make sure that they make sense before I add them. This story will mainly be following Sword Oratoria, though the first Arc is going to be a Prequel, and as a reference we are about 3-ish years before canon. To address some potential concerns, this will be following the Light Novels and Manga more than it will be the anime, and the main reason is Lefiya. Just… yeah… She won't be cast to the side, but I will definitely be adjusting her character while keeping her personality intact.

I don't have anything else to say without spoiling my plans for the future, so for now I hope you enjoy the thing that came from the dredges of my mind!

Also, the cover art of this story was drawn by HQ-Kamissar. If possible, I give credit where credit is due.

Next Story in the Rotation: Mariana, The Abyssal Hero!, or This again depending on the notification status.

I'll see you all soon!~