~X~

Ithil

Today was the day.

Today was finally the day I'd start traveling to Orario.

I got up early and headed down for breakfast. Katie was already up and had cooked all the food. She was setting up the table, and I helped her finish. Cloud was already here at the table. There were papers spread out in front of him, and he just finished writing something. He gathered the papers, put them off to the side, and the three of us started eating.

If you're wondering why Bell, Alfia, and Zeus aren't here for breakfast, they have their own that they share in the morning.

"So, Cloud. How long 'til we leave?" I said.

"About a couple hours. I got some last-minute things to put together for the guards."

"Then I'll head to the market. Probably do some looking around."

I got up and headed out.

The market was pretty empty. It was still early in the day so not many people were out. People all had their stalls set up and were just opening up. Though, there was one new stall that I hadn't seen before today. So, I decided to start with that one.

When I got closer, I saw this huge backpack sitting next to it. It was about twice my size and stuffed with all kinds of things. There were already items on display on the stall.

"Ah, my first customer. You showed up sooner than I thought. I just finished setting up," said a voice from behind the stall.

Someone stood up, and I had to stop myself from reacting because the person was very familiar.

Beedle?!

"So, what are ya looking for?" he said.

"Traveling clothes and a good sword if you have one," I automatically said. I was still reeling a bit from seeing Beedle here because I just finished Skyward Sword yesterday, and Beedle was a part of that story.

"A sword is easy… Here we go," Beedle rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a common steel longsword that looked to be in great condition.

I picked it up and looked it over. It looked new, not used at all, and it looked well taken care of. The leather handle wrap looked new. The length and thickness of the blade were similar enough to the Master Sword, and the balance was perfect.

All in all, a well-crafted sword.

"And as for clothes… Here you go," Beedle took out a set of clothes while I was examining the sword.

I was surprised once again because in front of me was the Hylian Set from Breath of the Wild.

"The sword and clothes are perfect," I said. "How much?"

"Hmm… Let's say… 10,000 Valis," Beedle said.

"That's cheaper than I thought," I tilted my head. "I calculated these to be about 13,000 Valis."

"First customer discount," he waved. "You know what, as my first customer, I'll even toss in this."

He pulled one more thing out of this backpack, and once again, I was surprised.

…Because that's the Keaton Mask.

I grabbed it and ran a Structural Analysis through it. I easily picked up the enchantment on the mask that allowed the wearer to summon Keatons.

And then a memory burst forth.

…Can you keep a secret?

…

I am Kafei.

But the Kafei we're looking for is an adult. You look like a child.

I was turned into this by an imp wearing a strange mask.

…

Hee-Hee-Ho! Hello, child.

…

…

Okay… I didn't expect to see any of that…

Moving on.

"You have a deal," I took out my Valis pouch and paid him.

I took the clothes and sword, put them in my Bag of Holding, and made my way back to Katie's house. I used the rest of the time to Enchant the sword and clothes.

~X~

~ Two Hours Later ~

I took a little too long applying the enchantments so, I was running late.

Since I'm still a beginner when it comes to Enchanting I wasn't able to do as much as I liked.

I only gave the longsword a Mending enchantment. What that does is the item will self-repair using excelia. I also gave the Hylian Set a Mending enchantment, and I managed to figure out the enchantment on the Wanderer Cloak that makes the wearer unremarkable when the hood is up and added that to the Hylian Hood.

I ran to the southern exit from town and Cloud was already there along with almost everyone in the village to say goodbye.

I was a little surprised by the number of people but Cloud is pretty popular. When he caught sight of me he looked over my new clothes.

I was wearing the Hylian Set although, instead of the turtleneck it came with, I wore my regular white shirt, the chainmail over it, and I used Alteration to change the tunic from its original color to blue. I also did the same to the hood, changing it to black.

I was also wearing the leather armor pieces that came with it. My Bag of Holding was tied to one of the belts and I decided not to wear the sash that goes around the waist. Finally, I was wearing the leather back sheath and my steel longsword was strapped to it.

When I got closer, I noticed the two horses by Cloud.

In my free time for the past three weeks, I ended up getting horse riding lessons. This time in history was pretty boring. There was only so much magic training and story-making I could do before I'd get bored. So, I learned to ride a horse.

Also, I found out that the smartphone God gave me could also act as an inventory. It was a lot like the Sheikah Slate from Breath of the Wild.

When I showed Cloud the inventory function, he decided we'd take horses to Orario since I could easily store food and water for the horses and ourselves in my phone. Using horses would cut our seven-day travel time in half.

Cloud was finishing up giving orders to the guards and I started saying my goodbyes to the people I knew. When I got to Bell, I pulled two scrolls out of my Bag of Holding.

"What are these?" he said.

"Read the titles," I said.

He turned the scrolls over until he saw them, and gasped in surprise.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords

"Are these…" Bell looked up at me.

"Yup," I nodded. "The next stories in the timeline. Start with The Minish Cap and then Four Swords. Make sure to watch them with Alfia since she knows how to use the enchantments and programs on them. By the time Cloud and I get back I should have the story after those ready."

I really want to make sure Ocarina of Time is perfect because it's one of the most important parts of the story and it's one of my favorite games.

I then turned to look for Zeus. I kind of didn't want to say goodbye to him, he's been giving me a bad feeling, but it would be rude to do that. However, as I looked around the crowd, he was absent.

"Hey, Bell. Where's your grandfather?"

"Oh?" Bell looked around. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since this morning."

I looked at Alfia, who was standing next to Bell, and she simply shrugged.

Oh well. I'm not going to go out of my way to find him just to say goodbye.

Cloud and I mounted our horses and we rode off out of town.

~X~

It's been a couple hours since Cloud and I left and it's been pretty quiet. Cloud is not much of a talker. It seems I have to be the one to start the conversation.

"So, what's Orario like?" I said.

"I'm not sure. It's been a couple years since I've been there," Cloud said.

I waited a bit and he didn't say anything else. Cloud… you're kind of bad at making conversation, aren't you.

"What was the place like when you were there," I tried again.

"Pretty bad," Cloud grimaced. "There was a terrorist organization that was very active when I was there. They called themselves Evilus."

I scoffed. "Rather on the nose with that name."

"Hah, yeah. They were a group of radical familias who claimed to be evil. Hence the name," Cloud shook his head and then continued. "They caused chaos and destruction, killed so many adventurers and regular people because they wanted to. They were monsters who liked to revel in the destruction and murder and they knew it. They were completely unrepentant."

"But it's not like that now?"

"No, many of their best fighters were killed about four years ago during what's known as The Great Feud or The Seven Days of Death depending on who you ask."

"Were you involved in that?"

"Haah, yeah. The Astraea Familia was a familia about justice. It was obvious that we'd oppose such an evil group. I remember those days like they were yesterday," Cloud sighed. "Anyway, despite the huge blow they took, Evilus still managed to survive. About two years ago, someone massacred the rest of Evilus."

"So the group is gone?"

"Yes, in the Guild's mind, at least. I wouldn't be surprised if there were still remnants of them in hiding or if people decided to follow Evilus' legacy."

"So, today, Orario is in a state of rebuilding?"

"Hmm, I'd say physically speaking, it's been rebuilt. But the scars of those days will last for years."

With that, we fell into silence again.

A bit later I started asking Cloud about different things about Orario. The main question was how things were governed.

According to him, while the Guild is technically the primary authority, Orario is really run by the Familias. The Guild has no standing army or even city guards because Ouranos, who runs the Guild, refuses to grant the Falna to anyone so that they can have people strong enough to challenge the adventurers of other familias.

As far as I know, Fels is the only person who is a part of the Ouranos Familia.

Anyway, because of the lack of fighting force, the Guild has to depend on the top familias to follow the laws and uphold law and order. Which they do… 90% of the time. As a result of this dependency on familias, the top familias like Loki and Freya can get away with a lot of things.

I remember in the anime when Freya destroyed Ishtar, Freya's only punishment was a hefty fine, which she easily paid. If a weaker familia destroyed another the way Freya did, you can be certain the punishments from the Guild would be harsher.

To summarize, while it may be the Guild that sets the laws on paper, it's really the familias that run the place.

The Demeter Familia is in control of a large part of agriculture.

The Ganesha Familia is the police force.

The Ishtar Familia runs the entertainment district, which brings in a lot of revenue for the economy.

The Loki and Freya Familias have many powerful adventurers.

I guess like back on Earth, It's the rich and powerful who really run things and get special treatment. The difference is that in Orario, instead of the mortals, it's actual gods who are the rich and powerful.

Hmm… Now that I think about it, the Guild is doing a pretty good job considering just who it is they have to deal with.

Well, after all that world-building that Cloud provided, it was time to let the horses take a break.

~X~

It was night time of the first day of our trip and I decided to continue practicing alchemy.

On day 3 of my training days, I went back to Westend to see if I could scavenge anything useful. I managed to find myself a portable alchemy table and stored it in the inventory section of my phone. For the three weeks, I read some of the Intro to Alchemy books I found. Now, I feel like I have enough of a grasp and the right ingredients to start making my first potion.

So, first start with lighting a small fire under the first flask and start boiling the water inside.

Cut up the Blue Mountain Flower while leaving parts of the stalk

Mortar and pestle it up.

The water is boiling long enough. Toss the ingredients inside.

Turn off the fire.

Cut up some Wheat.

Stir the water.

Toss Wheat inside.

Start the fire again.

Let it boil for thirty seconds.

"Done," I said out loud.

"Hm?" Cloud looked up from the scroll that also had a video for the story of The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. He too wanted to know the next story.

"I finished making my first potion."

"Oh?" Cloud put down the scroll and walked over to me. "What is it?"

"It's a Potion of Minor Healing and Health Fortification according to the book. That's a rather wordy name for a potion."

"Never heard of it. I mean, I know of healing potions but I've never heard of one with that name. Does it work?"

"Hmm…" I used Structural Analysisand it seems I got it right. "I guess I should test it."

I picked up a knife and slashed my hand. It started bleeding. Cloud blinked at my actions, but before he could say anything, I quickly drank the potion. The cut closed almost immediately.

"It works," I said as I observed my hand and noticed there wasn't even a scar. "Although, the taste could be better."

"Potions have never really tasted good," Cloud said automatically and then blinked. "Also, don't cut yourself so carelessly."

"How else was I supposed to test the potion?"

Cloud didn't say anything in return. Instead, he focused on something else. "Any other potion recipes in that book?"

"Sure. There's one for health regeneration; it's similar to my Regen spell but weaker. There are potions to restore Mind (Mana) and stamina. There are potions to resist fire, frost, and even resist magic in general. And this is just the beginner book."

"Hmm… I've never heard of these kinds of potions before. Plan on opening up a potion shop? You'd make a lot of money."

"No. I'll probably sell the recipes to someone else."

However, I did file away the fact that Cloud implied these potions in this beginner book were not common knowledge. I'll think about the implications of that later.

~X~

Day 2 of our journey got a little interesting.

As we were going down this forest road, we came across a carriage wreckage in the middle of it. Cloud and I glanced at each other, and then we hopped off our horses to investigate it.

The carriage had been on fire at one point. The burn damage and ashes were clear to see. The attack must've been a while ago because all that's left of the fire is smoldering ashes.

There were four dead bodies. One was burnt beyond recognition inside the carriage, and two were stabbed to death. The fourth body was a few meters away, and this one was suspicious. This guy was wearing leather armor and was holding a sword covered in blood. He could have been a guard, but his clothes were damaged from wear and tear and had never been repaired. He also had a very dirty appearance. So, he was more than likely…

"A bandit," Cloud said, unknowingly finishing my thought.

Cloud drew his sword, and I did the same. We took a quick look around our immediate area. No one else was here. However, we did find multiple fresh footprints heading down a smaller path into the forest.

I looked at Cloud, and he was staring down the path.

"Are we going?" I said.

"Yes."

Cloud and I got back on our horses and followed the tracks.

~X~

After 10 minutes, we reached the end of the forest, and it opened up to a plains area. Ahead of us, the ground went downhill which led to a large river. At the base of the river was a big camp in between two large boulders. We dismounted our horse and hid behind some trees to scout the camp. We had a good view of it from up here.

Cloud held something out to me.

A spyglass?

I was surprised to see one but thought nothing of it since there were more important things to do.

I took it, and Clould took another spyglass and started scouting the camp.

Let's see what the situation is.

I spotted six bandits in total. One was on a watchtower that had no walls; it was just a raised platform. Three were sitting around a fire cooking something. The last two were going through several chests filled with things. Those could be items they stole from the burnt carriage.

They were all armed with swords. None were armored except one that had chainmail. Maybe he's the leader?

"What's the plan?" I turned to Cloud.

"I'll deal with this myself," Cloud stood and drew his sword. "Stay here until I wave you to come down."

And then he left.

I thought about following him but…

Killing monsters is one thing.

Killing other people is another.

Something I don't know if I'm ready for.

…

That's probably why Cloud went off on his own.

Speaking of…

He made short work of the bandits.

He rushed in and cut two legs of the watchtower, causing it to fall over.

He rushed forward to the three bandits by the fire, killing each of them in one strike.

He then charged the two by the luggage. They barely had enough time to pull out their swords before he was on them. He dodged a slash from one and parried another before he killed both with two quick strikes.

Last, he calmly walked to the bandit who was crawling away from the wrecked watchtower and stabbed him in the chest, killing him.

…

That was very quick… and very efficient.

And…

Well, the look on Cloud's face…

He didn't show any emotion. It was like he was simply doing a job.

It kind of freaked me out.

And now he's waving me to come down.

~X~

When I reached him, he was looking through the luggage of the carriage.

"What are you looking for?" I said.

"An item with a crest," Cloud continued looking.

"What?"

"This," Cloud pulled out a badge that had a symbol on it. "This crest was on the door of the carriage. It's most likely a family crest. I'll inform some officials at Orario about what we found, and they'll pass on the news to next of kin."

"I see."

"Haah. It's disheartening that people were murdered," Cloud sighed. "But at least we got the ones who did it."

"True. Let's- Hm?" I spotted something by a boulder.

"What is it?" Cloud looked in the direction I was looking.

I walked closer to get a better look.

Next to and sort of going into this small ledge was… something. I didn't see it earlier because the boulder was blocking it if you were looking from the hill, but there was some sort of ornate platform that had a pedestal.

It looked familiar for some reason.

As we got closer, this indentation and lines on the pedestal started glowing orange.

"Place the Sheikah Slate in the Pedestal."

…

…

…Sheikah Slate?

What the heck does it mean by Sheikah Slate?!

Is this… Is this a Sheikah Tower?!

What's one doing here in Danmachi?!

"What on Earth?" Cloud said. "What is this thing?"

The closest thing I have to a Sheikah Slate is my smartphone.

Is… Is this pedestal talking about that?

Should I?

…I have nothing to lose.

I pulled out my phone and placed it in the slot where the Sheikah Slate was supposed to go. The arm mechanism took it and laid it flat in the indentation. The circular part spun and pushed into the pedestal, and new orange lines started glowing.

I guess using the smartphone works.

"Sheikah Tower activated. Please watch for falling rocks."

"Oh boy," I said nervously.

I heard something turn on above us, and the ground started shaking.

~X~

Camden Village

"W-What the heck," Bell shouted and looked around when he felt the ground shaking.

Alfia looked unperturbed but was really annoyed. "I just know Cloud and Ithil are involved with this somehow."

Zeus didn't bother to hide his smirk. He was then hit with a sound blast and laid out on the floor.

"I can hear your smugness. It's too noisy," Alfia said.

~X~

Twilight Manor, Orario

"The heck's with all the shaking?!" Loki said as she tried to stop her alcohol from spilling more than it already had. She then saw something out her window. "What?"

~X~

Star-Resting House, Solingen

Astraea stared outside the window of her office as the long-deserted and sealed shrine started glowing orange.

"Why do I feel you're involved with this in some way, Cloud," she whispered.

~X~

Babel, Orario

"Lady Freya?' Ottar, the captain of the Freya Familia noticed the look on his goddess' face.

Freya tilted her head to the side in confusion and curiosity, unbothered by the shaking of the world.

"Ottar, there is a tower rising from the ground in front of the dungeon. How interesting."

~X~

Coliseum, Telskyura

A certain goddess was fuming about the tower that came up from inside the western wall of her coliseum and collapsed part of the wall.

~X~

Elgos Ruins

An ancient monster stirred from within its seal.

~X~

Zanado, Western Kaios Desert

A goddess stands on a balcony in her palace as she stares toward a nearby oasis.

There is a tower rising from the ground next to it. She can feel it shaking the ground from here.

"Mother!" the goddess' youngest daughter barges into her room. "What is happening?"

"Seiros," Sothis acknowledged while still staring at the tower. "It would seem… that the prophesied time is coming."

Seiros could only look at her mother in confusion as to what she meant.

~X~

Valua, Rakia

It may be strange, but for once the muscle-headed Ares was thinking. He was thinking about what the future would hold as he stared at the tower that was rising in the countryside. Is this the start of new wars?

~X~

Alf's Royal Forest

Larfal Llos Alf, the King of the High Elves, sat on his throne contemplating what was causing this shaking while trying to ignore it.

"This is no normal earthquake," he mused. "Those accursed gods are involved somehow. I just know it."

"Husband."

Larfal looked to the side to see that his beloved wife, Eleveria.

"Eleveria, now is not the time. I must prepare for whatever mess the gods-"

"The Great Deku Tree is awake," she swiftly interrupted.

The King blinked at the news.

"While that is great news, I still need to-"

"And the Master Sword is missing."

…

…

…

"THOSE DAMNED GODS!"

Eleveria sighed as her husband and King went on another rant about the gods.

~X~

Dragon Valley

Four dragons looked up to the sky. Finally, things were finally getting started.

~X~

Dungeon, Orario

And finally, deep in the Dungeon on the last floor, a corpse that's been sealed for thousands of years, twtched.

~X~

Author's Note:

Next chapter is done.

This one was fun to write, especially the King Larfal part where he might be OOC. I wouldn't know because all I know about him is what's on the wiki. Eh, I'll just say that's how he is in this universe.

As always, constructive criticism is appreciated.