A/N: PLEASE READ THIS!
Firstly, THIS IS NOT A MULTICROSSOVER! I want to make that perfectly clear. The reference characters I introduced are there to fill out the background and exist within the world of Danmachi. They will not be perspective characters, nor am I intending to give them their own arcs. Their primary use will be as extras in scenes with the occasional line. The Hestia Familia is too small to justify their position, so I gave them more members. Using characters who are REFERENCES to other franchises saves me a great deal of time and effort in expanding the Familia. If you do not recognize a character, I encourage you to simply treat them like an unimportant background OC because that is essentially what they are.
That said, I will be posting the new roster and all their levels down at the bottom of the chapter. As for this chapter itself, I hope you like it! I'm sorry I missed the anniversary, but I wound up quite ill and wasn't able to write for a while. Please leave a comment or review at the end with your thoughts! I think a few of you will like some things that happen in this one.
Hearthfire
Chapter 48
Torrhen
The sounds of battle cries, combat, clashing steel, and crackling magic filled the air along with the scent of sweat, metal, and dirt. The training yards that lay within the walls of Hearthfire Hall were fuller than they'd ever been. The Hestia Familia, now numbering a total of 31 adventurers, were all gathered there and training together.
The initial discussions on who to accept or deny had been rather intense, but thankfully the entire Familia were able to come to a consensus on who would join their family. Those who'd been rejected were notified by mail while those accepted were told in person by Bell and Lili who spent an entire day traveling around the city to track them down.
As it stood, their roster had expanded rather significantly. As far as levels were concerned, there was Torrhen at level 10. Below him was Ryuu at 5 and then Aisha at level 4. As for Bell, he'd been joined at level 3 by Erza and Alexios, but he was very nearly ready to rank up to 4 himself, so it wouldn't be long before he joined Aisha's level. It was at level 2 that their roster started to expand significantly. Their new level 2's included Roran Garrowson, Winter and Naotsugu Hasegawa, Jackie Welles, Erend, and Pyrrha Lovell. The bulk of their new recruits, however, were level 1. Penny, Ruby, Yang, Blake, Weiss, Jaune, Roderika, Aura, Mare, Pipin, and Leo were all first level adventurers who needed training and guidance before truly being ready to enter the Dungeon. That was why Torrhen had nearly the entire Familia outside in the training yard.
For some, this was just a period for them to meet their new comrades and get a feeling for their skills. For others, it was their first foray into the realm of combat. A time to hone their new skills under Torrhen's watchful and experienced eye. If he closed those eyes and simply listened, he could almost delude himself into thinking he was back on Tamriel. Standing within the yards of Jorrvaskr, listening to the Companions batter each other to pieces. Or, given the sounds of spell fire, that he was within the Hall of the Elements, supervising the novices of the College of Winterhold as they practiced their craft. He'd been a warrior, a bard, a politician, a hero, and many other things but in his heart, he was a teacher. This was his element, and he reveled in it.
He'd divided the new recruits into training teams based on their skill level, but they were allowed to form their own groups during Dungeon exploration. A few, like young Penny and her friends gravitated to each other out of a previously shared bond before reaching out to those who didn't know any of their new family members. Others gravitated towards each other because of personality like Naotsugu and Erend. Both loud, boisterous men who liked to hit things with very large weapons.
A full week had passed since their recruitment day and the new people were settling in well. Those with previous dungeon experience were allowed free reign once Torrhen had gotten a good feeling for their skills. The same went for the stronger combatants who'd come from outside the city like Erza or Roran, but they were required to join up with the more experienced dungeon divers for a while before striking out on their own.
As for their existing members, they'd been a little unsettled by the sheer number of people now residing in their home, but they'd ultimately gotten used to it and a few were eagerly taking on a minor mentorship role for their newer members. Bell, Lili, and Hestia had been running themselves ragged meeting with all the new members, getting paperwork done, and converting their Falna. Bell even took it upon himself to accompany each member to the Guild to get their new paperwork processed. Poor Eina couldn't possibly handle them all, so she'd been forced to rope some of her coworkers in to handle the new adventurers.
Opening his eyes, the retired Dragonborn refocused directly on the rather large group of Level 1 adventurers. In one corner, he spied Ruby, Yang, and Penny sparring together under Daphne's watchful eye. She was also keeping an eye on the rather fast paced bladework of Weiss and Blake, who'd struck up a surprisingly fast friendship. In another corner, young Pyrrha was taking Jaune through a crash course on basic blade-work. The redhead appeared to have taken quite the immediate shine to the shy Hume Bunny, much to her elder sister's dismay.
Haruhime, along with Mare and Roderika, was over by the spell ranges being given a lesson in dungeon spellcasting by Riveria, who'd offered her services to help train the new mages of the Hestia Familia. Winter, the level 2 elven woman was there too since she was interested in learning more magic and had a single spell of her own, but she was not a pure caster like Haruhime or Mare. Nor was Aura, who was training her physical combat skills against Pipin and Leo while Aisha watched over them.
As for the new members above level 1, they were given slightly more free reign with their training. Erend, Naotsugu, Jackie, and Roran were gathered together, sparring on and off. The two hammer wielders appeared to be having a contest to see which of them could knock the other off his feet faster. As for their new Level 3 adventurers, Erza and Alexios both were off to the side taking a break after their most recent bout.
Quite a few of their older members were present as well, working with the new groups or on their own training, with a few notable exceptions. Bell and Lili were both inside, going over the Familia's new budget with Hestia. Torrhen deliberately chose not to join them. Best for the new recruits to understand that while he was an advisor, it was Bell, Lili, and Hestia who were truly in charge of the Familia. Welf wasn't present either, though the sounds of hammering could be heard coming from his smithy.
The young blacksmith was beyond ecstatic at having so many new potential customers and wasted no time in getting the Level 1's into his workshop to be fitted for armor or to have a discussion on their preferred weapon types. Some had come prepared with basic gear while others didn't even own a dagger and needed just about everything bought or made from scratch before they could enter the dungeon.
"You look happy." Riveria's voice said from his right. Looking over, he saw the beautiful green-haired elf woman striding towards him, a small smile on her face. Behind her, he could see her students diligently practicing their spells with a box of magicka potions at their feet.
"I am happy." Torrhen admitted. "Things are looking bright for the Familia and I'm in my element. There are still a few concerns to worry about, but for now? All is well."
"Hm." She hummed and nodded, coming to stand next to him. Perhaps a little closer than was proper but he found that he truly didn't mind.
Hestia
The goddess of the hearth sighed lightly to herself both in exhaustion and in a nervous release of energy. Then she stepped into the room. The office of the Guild Head was lavish, true, but thankfully quite practical. As for why she was there, Hestia didn't really know. Officially, the head of the Guild did not have the ability to summon gods. Unofficially, if you received a 'request' for a meeting with the headman, then you all but had to show up or your Familia might face consequences or, depending on the reason for the meeting, you might even incur the wrath of Ouranos. Hestia had received one of those 'requests' just that morning so, here she was walking into a meeting with the head of the guild.
She saw the overweight elf Royman Mardeel as expected, but what she didn't expect was to see Freya, Loki, and Hephaestus in the room as well. Four chairs were laid out in front of the headman's desk. In the far-left seat was Freya followed to the right by Hephaestus, then an empty chair, then Loki who was sending surreptitious glares towards Freya. The silver-haired goddess herself sat in her chair with her usual serene grace. She'd seemingly recovered well after her… encounter with Torrhen.
"Ah, Goddess Hestia." Mardeel exclaimed, coming out from behind the desk and bowing. "Thank you very much for agreeing to meet with me." Hestia just waved him off and took a seat in the empty chair between Hephaestus and Loki. The two redheaded goddesses each favored her with a smile or a look before turning to the elven headman.
"Well?" Loki glared at the elf man. "You've summoned the four most powerful gods in the city here, so you'd better have a good reason. We happen to be quite busy."
"Y… yes, Goddess Loki." Mardeel stuttered while taking a seat behind his desk. "I've asked you here for a few reasons." Sweat was pouring down his brow at this point. "Firstly, I have to ask… should the Guild be expecting a… um… conflict… to erupt between any of your Familia? I know that tensions have been quite high with the recent shakeup and well… the Guild is concerned with how… eerily quiet it's been."
That explained it. While there was not yet any official document stating that Hestia, Loki, and Freya were 'at peace,' there was an unspoken agreement following Freya's dressing down by Torrhen. Hestia had already shared most of the details of the encounter with Loki, who'd howled with laughter while simultaneously lamenting the fact that she wasn't there to see it. Hephaestus was likely there as a neutral party and to represent the non-exploration Familia. As the most influential of the crafting Familia, all three of the others relied on her in one way or another. There was no chance in hell they'd start a fight if it risked losing their contracts with the goddess of smithing.
"It's quiet because there is nothing to worry about." Hephaestus chimed in with pointed looks directed towards them all. "The Guild has nothing to fear from these three."
"Yeah." Loki added a little sarcastically. "No need to get your panties in a twist. I've got no plans to start any fights, and my kids know to keep their noses clean. What about you, Freya? Any plans?"
"Many and varied," Freya replied calmly, "but none of them involve a conflict between my Familia and any other. I've instructed my children to remain civil with those of Loki and Hestia both within the city and down in the dungeon." Hestia looked at her carefully. For some reason, she got the feeling that Freya was a little like a duck on a pond. Calm on the surface but paddling like mad under water.
The dark-haired goddess sighed. "My Familia is far too busy inducting our new members to even think about starting a fight." She glanced towards the silver-haired goddess. "Freya and I have… discussed things and since Loki is in agreement," the redhead gave a nod, "we've agreed to bury the hatchet, as it were. So long as nobody messes with us, my children will remain civil and well behaved."
"See?" Loki grinned and leaned back, propping her feet up on Mardeel's desk and ignoring the pointed glare the elf sent her way. "Nothing to worry about."
"Well…" Hephaestus chimed in, "I wouldn't say nothing." She gestured to the other three goddesses. "These three won't start anything, but there is definitely a fight brewing between Miach and Dian Cecht. The nutjob is becoming more unhinged by the day. If something doesn't happen to curb his behavior soon, I'm afraid of what he'll do."
"Ah, yes." Mardeel sighed. "I am very grateful that the three of you were able to smooth the tensions between your Familia. As for Lord Miach and Lord Dian Cehct, the Guild is aware of what's been happening but until one of them steps out of line, there isn't much we can do. Rest assured, though," he gestured with his hands in a placating manner, "we are very much aware of what is happening between the two of them."
"Good." Hestia nodded. "Is that all you needed from us?"
"Oh." He looked startled, then shook his head. "Unfortunately not, Lady Hestia. You see, we received this missive yesterday morning." Reaching into a drawer, the fat elf pulled out an envelope. Peering at it, Hestia could see the symbol of Rakia. The symbol of the Ares Familia emblazoned on it.
"Ares has declared war. Again." Hephaestus deadpanned. Ares, god of war, ruled the nation-sized Familia known as Rakia. He was also a massive pain in Orario's collective butt, because he had a tendency to 'invade' Orario every few years. The sad part was that his Familia were almost exclusively Level 1 adventurers who stood no chance against the forces of the city.
"Yes, Goddess Hephaestus. You know from past experience that these invasions tend to cause issues with our supply lines so the crafting and merchant Familia will have some difficulty getting materials that come from outside the city. I ask that you handle this situation like you did last time."
The eyepatch wearing goddess grimaced but nodded in agreement.
"As for the three of you." Mardeel turned to the rest of them. "The Guild is officially tasking all members of your Familia's that are Level 5 and above with handling the defense. With as few casualties as possible on their side if you could."
Hestia nodded in understanding. Any adventurer of that level could easily handle hundreds of Level 1 opponents alone. With the size of Rakia's army, it made sense to just send out the most powerful adventurers in the city to handle it. Plus, by roping Torrhen into it, they were showing that the Guild had nominal 'control' over the most powerful adventurer alive. As for minimizing enemy casualties, that was to ensure that adventurers of Orario were not responsible for a mass slaughter. Most adventurers, at least the ones with any sense of morals, would refuse to take the life of any sapient being unless they had no choice. They only killed monsters. Not other people.
"So, it's finally that time again, huh?" Loki grinned. "With the jump in power the city's experienced, Ares won't even know what hit him." She glanced at Hestia. "Think Torrhen will use that shout of his again? The one that blew apart Apollo's wall?"
Hestia nodded. "It would be a rather efficient way of dealing with an army, so I'm sure he will use something like that. Still, it will ultimately be up to him what he decides to use. He's served in war before, though perhaps not one like this. He must have a few tricks up his sleeve."
Bell
Bell sat in his office, staring contemplatively at the status sheet in front of him. He, along with Lili, Hestia, and Torrhen were the only ones allowed to see the status sheets of their members. Each and every one of them were stored in a locked filing cabinet inside his office with copies kept within a safe in Master Torrhen's office. Not that this was the sheet of any of their new members. No, the status sheet Bell was staring so intently at was his own.
His stats were good. Especially for a level 3. Even the lowest of his stats had recently hit S rank, so he knew he was ready for a level up. But, of course, being ready and actually achieving the rank up were totally different things. Once ready, an adventurer had to complete some kind of difficult feat to meet the requirements. For him, it had been the fights against the Minotaur and the Captain of the Apollo Familias that worked. For Ais, her most recent one came from fighting Udaeus solo while it took nearly dying for Ms. Riveria, Mr. Gareth, and Captain Finn to rank up.
Everything said he was ready. Now he just needed to find a proper fight to push him over the edge. He did have an idea for what he could do, but it was extremely reckless, not to mention dangerous. Still, he wasn't totally committed to the plan yet. He needed to speak with a few other people before he took the plunge. Setting his status sheet aside, he picked up the Familia roster he'd set to the side earlier.
The members of the Hestia Familia were all pronounced 'dungeon ready' by Master Torrhen, so the newer members were all raring to go. Now, there were no restrictions on who could enter the dungeon with who. They didn't have to form or declare teams. Anybody in the Familia could enter the dungeon with anybody else in the Familia however they wanted. The only caveat was that they had to inform someone that they were leaving for the dungeon before they actually left so that they could keep track of who was fighting and who was just out and about in the city. Of course, that didn't mean teams weren't forming.
Bell himself had his normal 'team' who he went diving with. It mainly consisted of the original members of the Hestia Familia from before the recruitment drive, though the exact composition varied depending on how deep they were going. For instance, they'd all made a couple of runs to 18 and back since the War Game but if they were going past the middle floors, Haruhime had yet to accompany them. Though, she would likely do so on their next trip that deep. None of them had set foot below the 18th floor yet though that was likely to happen soon enough.
As for the new members, the new level 1's mostly banded together into their own separate groups. Ruby, Blake, Yang, Weiss, and Penny were shaping up to be quite the unit on their own. Pyrrha Lovell, a level 2, had also formed a party with a few level 1's. Namely Jaune, Roderika, Aura, Mare, Leo, and Pipin. The two groups would also work together quite frequently or devolve into smaller groups between themselves while diving. Though, only Pyrrha had permission to enter the middle floors just yet and none of the others had gone past floor five.
As for their higher ranked members, they'd all banded together too. Erza Lovell, Pyrrha's level 3 sister, had formed a bit of a partnership with Erend and Roran while Alexios, their other new level 3 teamed up with Naotsugu, Winter, and Jackie to form their own group. Both teams were set to make their first push to 18 with Erza indenting to add her sister to her own team roster when they went.
As for Ms. Ryuu, she'd expressed no interest in entering the dungeon just yet since she was getting used to her new gear. She, along with Ms. Aisha, apparently preferred to go in solo on shorter runs though the two had spoken about teaming up together at some point once Ms. Ryuu was ready to challenge the dungeon again.
A knock at the door took Bell out of his thoughts. "Enter!" he called out before his face split into a grin.
"Am I disturbing you?" Ais asked as she stepped through the door. She was a frequent visitor to the Hall so even the newbies knew to just let her in when she showed up.
"Not at all." Bell replied, setting down the paper and gesturing for her to take a seat on the couch. Standing, he moved to take the seat opposite her. "Did you need something?"
"Actually, I was hoping you might want to go on a dungeon run with me tomorrow." She said, not meeting his eyes. It could have been his imagination, but he could swear the blonde beauty's face was a little red.
"Of course!" Bell replied with joy. He always loved spending time with Ais! "Should I put together a team or are we joining some of your friends from the Loki Familia?"
"No," Ais shook her head. "I mean just us. I thought…" She looked down. "Maybe we could take a trip down to 18, just the two of us. Spend the night in Rivira and head back up in the morning? That is, if you're not too busy."
Bell was stunned. Sure, he was good enough to hit 18 consistently and with Ms. Ais, it would be a piece of cake but just the two of them? Alone together for two whole days?! Bell immediately turned a bright, burning red in both embarrassment and excitement.
"I… I would love to!" He stammered out. "I.. I'm not super busy right now or anything so… so I just need to make sure Goddess Hestia knows where I'll be before we leave."
Torrhen
"So?" Torrhen asked, swirling the wine in his glass. "What are these invasions like?" He'd been informed of the guild's request shortly after Hestia arrived home from her meeting. He couldn't say he was surprised by the request, but this was still rather unlike the wars he was used to.
"Hm." His companion hummed, sipping from her own glass. She took a long moment before answering, "annoying."
Torrhen raised an eyebrow in a clear gesture for her to continue.
Riveria sighed and set her glass down on the table. "These invasions happen every few years. Ares just can't learn his lesson. His forces are all weak level 1's at best. Only a small handful are level 2 and even they are no match for an experienced level 1 from the city. It's actually harder for us to take them out without killing them than it is to simply repel their attacks. The fighting usually happens in the plains just outside the city."
The last dragonborn and the green-haired mage of the Loki Familia were seated together inside the private dining room at Hestia's upscale restaurant. Torrhen offered to take her out to dinner as a thanks for her help in training their new mages. An invitation that the elven beauty was happy to accept.
Riveria was dressed in a long, flowing gown that accentuated her natural elven grace. White with blue and gold accents, it showed off her bare shoulders and hugged her figure quite nicely. As for Torrhen, he wore a rather nice dark blue suit he'd had tailor made in the Orarian style. It wasn't nearly as comfortable as the Nordic style, but there was a certain elegance to it that made such a sacrifice a reasonable tradeoff.
The dining room itself was lit by candlelight, and the faint glow of streetlamps coming from the window in the far wall. It was early evening. A white cloth covered the dark wood of the table and on top of it was the remnants of a gorgeous selection of fine cuisine. With their meal already having passed accompanied by much pleasant conversation, the two retired to a nearby couch each with a glass of fine Soma wine in their hands.
"Hm." Torrhen hummed and nodded in understanding. "I do have to say, your concept of war and mine are rather… different. When I led the invasion of the Summerset Isles, we certainly didn't worry about keeping our enemies alive. We tried to limit civilian casualties, of course, but we did not spare much thought to sparing enemies who would not surrender."
Riveria grimaced. "Wars like that do happen here, but they are far more rare. As for keeping them alive, well… your wars sound a little more even footed than this. The soldiers in Rakia's army are like children going up against giants."
"A fair assessment." Torrhen conceded. And a true one. The invasion of the Summerset Isles at the end of the war was one of the bloodiest battles he'd ever fought in, with thousands of soldiers roughly equal in strength clashing on both land and sea. Torrhen was not opposed to killing when necessary, but as he grew older he found himself far more willing to go the extra mile not to kill if he could avoid it. That this mentality aligned neatly with the attitude of his companion and most adventurers in the city was simply a happy coincidence."
"There is a part of me," Riveria admitted, "that enjoys putting Rakia in its place. They burned down most of the ancient forests of the elves during one of their wars long ago. What little remains of my pride as a royal takes pleasure in devastating Rakia's army."
Torrhen smiled at her. "What would your father say if he heard about what you are doing?"
"Hah." Riveria barked out a short laugh. "He would be quite proud of me, but it would not outweigh his disappointment that I was not killing the enemy soldiers. Or that I am in service to a god. His negative attitude towards the gods and all non-elven races is precisely why I left my homeland. He'd likely have an aneurism if he saw me here with you."
She placed her free hand over his. Torrhen smiled and closed said hand, squeezing her fingers. An unspoken bond had slowly developed between them in the months since their first meeting. At first, it was simply camaraderie and a shared passion for learning as they exchanged lessons on the magic and histories of their respective worlds. When it blossomed into something more, Torrhen could not say but he knew what it was when he recognized it. If not for his conversation with the spirits of his children during the battle on the 18th floor, he likely would not have acknowledged it. As it stood though? He had no problem removing his hand from Riveria's, cupping her chin and gently bringing her in for a kiss.
/N: There we go! What are your thoughts? Opinons? Let me know what you think!
Hestia Familia new members and where they're from!
Level 3:
Erza Lovell (Fairy Tail) – Canon last name is Scarlet.
Alexios (AC Odyssey)
Level 2:
Roran Garrowson (Eragon)
Winter Hasegawa (RWBY) – I married her to Naotsugu for the funny so her last name is different than in canon. Her canon last name is Schnee.
Naotsugu Hasegawa (Log Horizon)
Jackie Welles (Cyberpunk 2077)
Erend (Horizon: Zero Dawn)
Pyrrha Lovell (RWBY) - Canon last name is Nikos.
Level 1:
Penny Polendina (RWBY)
Ruby Rose (RWBY)
Yang Xiao Long(RWBY)
Blake Belladonna (RWBY)
Weiss Schnee (RWBY)
Jaune Arc (RWBY)
Roderika (Elden Ring)
Aura Bella Fiora (Overlord)
Mare Bello Fiore (Overlord)
Pipin Tarupin (Final Fantasy XIV)
Leo (Witcher 1)
Answers to Questions
On FFN
Tersatraza: They're only there to serve as background. They don't necessarily need to be cemented deeply since their use will be mostly superficial. I do understand your concern though and I appreciate it.
Frostwolf3227: I've been working under the assumption that Torrhen already knows about the gist of what happened to Zeus and Hera but he hasn't brought it up before. As for Filvis, to be honest, I've had no reason to introduce her like she was in canon. Not a bad idea on fixing her though. Thank you!
VirusZyX: Hope you liked this one!
Backpack Bandit: By not juggling them! They're just to serve as background with the occasional cameo or funny moment.
Captaindickscratcher: Yeah, Freya's a pain who deserved a good punch in the face.
NinjaFang1331: Thank you! I hope you liked the list above.
Matthew Davis1: Thank you!
Halcyus Lance: Yeah, I'm using the Misthios Alexios but modified. No, Kassandra is sadly not likely to appear except in mentions but frankly, I'm ignoring the Deimos things. They can both be the Misthios versions of themselves IF she ever appears.
The Disquieting One: Don't worry. You don't have to remember them all.
Bauxite Glue: Thank you!
Phoenix Warehouse Productions: It is aa good name for him so I'll probably keep it.
Monkey D. Conan: Thank you for the suggestions!
Walkmanapprenticewordsmith: Sorry about the chapter length recently but I hope you liked it!
Lucius Walker: Could you resist adding them? I love the twins!
Wabbayack22: It's not a multicrossover. They're reference characters only and I've done what I can to fit them into the world as though they belong there. I'm honestly just using the references as a framework to make my life easier for when I do mention them which won't be a ton.
: It's not really a multicrossover but I'm glad you're happy!
On Ao3
Phoenix_Warehouse_Productions: I probably won't make him a serious blacksmith, no. As for Katrina, that is a distinct possibility!
Kingmane2018: Jackie is literally the best bro a person could ask for.
Blackenergy666: That would have been funny, but I was afraid of making the chapter too long.
MagnustheRed: I'll have to watch the anime some time!
Saulauk01: I wish I could have included them! It would have been hilarious but I already had too many!
Cadoka: I didn't want to go crazy by adding Raubahn. Thank you for the ideas though! Loved Naotsugu's.
Alex3773: Thank you! I hope you liked the chapter!
Reinkernation: Thank you for the ideas!
Bigtime12: Yang is definitely not leaving Ruby by herself! They're both in!
FrankTHaddock: I do want to include the Artemis story but I'm not sure when. Maybe after I'm done with Rakia and the other stuff I have planned around that.
Jor: Kassandra may be referenced, but sadly she's unlikely to appear. As for Team Avatar, maybe I will give them cameo's later!
Conduit: Thank you!
Haziq Saffari: Thank you! I'm not sure if I will continue to the school district arc. I have a plan worked out for the end that I finished before that stuff released so we will see what I decide to do when I get there!
Christinahh: Glad you liked it! I hope you liked this chapter too!
07creeper26: They are a combined reference! Winter is Weiss' sister from RWBY and I decided to have her married to Naotsugu from Log Horizon because it would be funny!