Prologue
The afternoon sun hung low as nighttime was swiftly approaching to embrace the world. In front of the Guild Building of Orario, the heart of its highest authority was one young halfling- one should say, Pallum, alongside another of his race, although he seemed to be more battle hardened and experienced, radiating an aura of power despite his youthful and childlike appearence. The younger Pallum seemed to be nervous, while the older Pallum simply offered a smile, and instantly narrowed his eyes, eyeing the rookie up.
"S-Sir, is there anything wrong?"
The younger one asked after a minute of tense silence, and the older, blond Pallum simply sighed and dropped his tense, narrow gaze, offering a slight smile as he spoke up in a calm, friendly tone..
"There is nothing wrong, aside you being too tense, Pip. You ought to relax a bit, we arent an army nor are you going to be forced to do anything against your will."
The older Pallum said, cracking up a smile as he offered a handshake to the youth in front of him. He was never one for formalities nor anything ceremonious, acting friendly. The youth seemed to accept the handshake, and that is when the older Pallum offered his own name in introduction, although the youth known as Pip already knew who he was.
"The name is Finn and I am the Captain of Loki Familia. A pleasure to welcome you into the fold, and I am certain our joyous and tricky goddess will surely feel the same."
Finn inwardly sighed softly, wondering what shenanigans his Goddess would come up with for the youth in front of him, but alas, he'd be fine. Surely. His goddess, Loki, was constantly teasing and messing with other people in the familia, mostly the women. With recent developments however, he couldnt help but think that some things have changed. Perhaps one of the newer additions to the familia, a youth who enjoyed utilizing the most unorthodox methods in the dungeon was the cause.
But alas, that is a matter for another time. Finn would now guide the youth in front of him towards the Twilight Manor, where he'd be recruited into the Familia and given his goddess' blessing. Just another day in the Dungeon city of Orario, no?
To many people, this world would perhaps be perfection incarnate.
A roar resounded inside a brightly lit cavern, the solid walls and stones reverbating from the force of the roar, to the point where a light earthquake could be observed. In a distance somewhat away from the roar's origin, some tremors could be felt but nothing too threatening, for it was not out of the ordinary in the Dungeon.
Each day in this world was filled with adventure, peril and even wonder, with life never being dull for those bold enough. Such was life in the ancient and very well tested Labyrinth city of Orario, also known as the Dungeon City throughout the world. A hotpot filled to the brim with people of differing cultures, races and walks of life, both of mortal and divine origin. A populous, bustling city that catered to everyone's needs and wants, even to those who craved and thirsted for magic, or anything more wondrous.
"They're almost upon us! Make your preparations and be quick!" An Elf male shouted, clad in black robes and a white cloak, with chainmail strapped under his robes and barely visible outside of it being somewhat visible through his neck collar. He wielded a staff that was also shaped like a spear and seemed to hang out in the back, although he also seemed eager to get in the middle of the fight ahead as well. He was surrounded by people of multiple races, people wearing various armours and outfits, wielding various weaponry. They stood shoulder to shoulder inside the brightly lit cavern. Halflings, Dwarves, Elves, a Half-Spirit, Humans, Chienthropes, Runarls, Werewolves, Hume Bunny people, Boaz or even War Tigers. They all stood as comrades in arms, perfectly united and aligned in purpose. They formed a force that numbered at about eighty strong, rallying under a banner with a sinister Jester, or perhaps Clown insignia.
The major export of Orario consisted of prime cut stones from the dungeon, exotic and expensive materials such as adamantite (which was the chief trade amongst such materials) and even major baddasses of all races, sizes, ages, creeds and even orientations. The biggest source of interest in Orario however was the ancient and strange to this day Dungeon, which offered a source of income as a tourist spot as well as a major source of livelihood for the people of the city.
"PREPARE!" Shouted a halflin- a Pallum who stood in front of the coalition of the rallied people inside the brightly lit cavern. He waved the banner mentioned earlier with a sweeping motion, as the force behind him prepared their weaponry and a series of thumps sounded out..
"PREPARE!" He shouted again, and the coalition did so.
The Dungeon fed the city and the city fed the Dungeon, that's how it was currently, although it wasnt always like this. Only after the descent of Gods did things start looking up for the mortals as a whole, but even before that fateful historical event, people managed to adapt all the same. It just so happened that they-, I guess, we had a bigger advantage against the perils and dangers of the Dungeon now compared to back then..
Even so, people still die by the dozen nowadays..
Seperate from the army of fighters, a group of seven, no, eight people counting the halfling holding up a banner stood out.
A dwarf wielding an axe as tall as he was, at about four feet long and two feet wide for the blade itself. An Elf with a powerful staff, brimming with elemental energy and its richness, the powerful glow representing an unmistaken sign of the power it had harnessed. A silver haired werewolf, wearing silver boots and eager to prove his strength against what he deemed weak. An Amazoness with a weapon just as impressive as the dwarf's, a thick double bladed sword. Another Amazoness who wielded a belt of knives and twin short swords. A human girl, with blonde hair, amber eyes and a single blade with a unique, striking, blue hilt. Lastly, a young elf man, wearing a cloak, carrying a sheathed shortsword around his belt and wielding his spear-like magical staff that shone brightly with a serene, ever changing colour wise glow that showcased his unique magic.
Magic in this world was an everyday occurence, existing for a long time and persisting all around the world, although there was only one place where one could harvest crystalized Mana, and that was Orario itself, a fact that granted the city an overwhelming presence in the wider world. Despite the countless perils, the allure of treasure still brought in various adventurers, dungeoneers and dungeon raiders to be specific. The rewards were plenty and bountiful, but thanks to the careless and sometimes idiotic people that perished day by day, the stigma of death remained over the city of Orario. Orario WAS a death trap anyway.
Fed up with the bad publicity that clouded the city's reputation and the intense demand of magic, a group eventually emerged to guide the people from the death trap that was basically a lack of common sense. The beginnings of the Guild were born and established themselves atop the then growing city of Orario, led by one of the city's founding gods and published three platitudes from accounts of explorers and those wise enough to survive in the Dungeon, attempting to reduce the amount of death that the city faced daily.
Death never was good for business and peace anyway, and as such, a stop had to be put to it.
The three rules published were as follows:
Light ought to be present always, no matter how deep one goes.
Hidden by the cliffs, a twisted shadow grew slowly in size, reaching the same height as the cavern's walls, the space it took up just as large. The ranks of the army slowly huddled closer, together and tightly, watching for any unexpected sightings or developments. The light was ever present in the bright cave, although light could also be a source of deceit..
The Dungeon's floors grew larger the further down one went.
Another roar resounded in the cavern, followed by ear piercing shrieks. An inhuman sound was ever present in the expanding space, as more monsters popped up and joined the fight, born from all around the dungeon, from the ceiling to the walls, floors and hidden corners themselves..
And, lastly, Monsters always waited around the corner!
The roars and thrums grew in intensity and the shadow they witnessed began to shudder with the periodic tremors mentioned earlier. Another roar resounded around the cavern, and an arm suddenly extended from the shadow, swinging towards the army itself. A moment later, the tremors briefly grew in intensity, and a boulder came down, right in front of Loki familia's front lines.
Those rules were simple to remember, although they lacked effectiveness. As such, people continued to die in the Dungeon, but even so, those rules did their job well enough.
If there is supposed to be light in the dungeon, then avoid the places without it. Always remember and keep in mind that the lower you go, the larger the floors will be so you must plan accordingly and prepare accordingly. And when you're in doubt, there can always be a few monsters or a deathtrap waiting for you right around the corner or at the end of a hallway, which can lead you to a painful death. That is most likely what will happen if you do not exercise caution and prepare accordingly.
It simply was how it was. That is how life worked in the Dungeon, as a life of adventure had its own difficulties to overcome.
The werewolf kept jumping, eventually going forwards and meeting a tumbling rock's surface, which was promptly smashed to pieces by the werewolf's burning silver boots. Cheers resounded around him as the warrior landed on his own two feet, though he looked annoyed as he muttered about crushing weaklings as he went back to his position in the ranks.
"As always!" The Dwarf wielding the axe said while the green haired Elf wielding a staff seemed to sigh.
"Eh, let it slide.." The youth wielding the Spear-Staff said as he prepared a mighty fire spell. The Amazoness with the double bladed sword nodded while the human girl's grip on her swordarm tightened considerably, her knuckles going white.
That is simply how the dungeon worked. People walk in and raid the dungeon. Some people die while others make it to the surface, an endless cycle fueled by a mix of need, curiosity and most importantly, sheer greed for the familias that relied and sought out commercial growth.
The halfling shrugged as he stabbed his banner into the ground and gathered everyone's attention to himself.
"Proceed with the Standard Formation. Shields first, Staffs second, Bows third." The whole familia listened to his words, roared and formed the formation he specified with ease. "Begin chanting and let loose on my mark!" Another command, one which everyone would follow. "No one will die today, let's do this!" Then endless cheers resounded from the gathered adventurers, their motivation rising to greater heights.
Then the halfling turned to his own group, and spoke to them.
"Lead the attack and make sure that Balor doesnt reach us. I am counting on you, just like everyone else."
"As you say Captain." All of them responded eagerly, preparing themselves.
The earth trembled and shook louder, with more strength as a cloud of dust slowly began to gather..
"Hold!" The halfling shouted, while the spells that were being prepared grew in strength and intensity.
All of the people who came into the dungeon knew the price for realizing their dreams, hence the need for registration at the guild nowadays, but even the threat of an easy death inside a dungeon did not deter the strongest of the strong souls from approaching and registering.
From the dust cloud, a horde of monsters, beasts with strange forms, bodies of primates and even goat horns emerged, the fabled fomoires of the 49th floor that chose to show up and fight.
"Hold!" The halfling yelled, the amount of strength behind the magical spellcraft reaching its maximum ammount. The halfling raised the flag and swung it around once again, this time with more power as the archers prepared their bows. "HOLD!" He raised his voice in a higher tone.
That simply was how life worked in a place like Orario, and by extension, life within the Dungeon.
No sooner had a second passed when the fomoires chose to show up in the view of the gathered adventurers as they crossed a distance of a hundred meters very fast, half the length and size of the Loki Familia's army. The monsters roared, as they kept increasing the tremors around the cavern.
The halfling swung his banner down with extreme force and let out a determined shout..
"LET LOOSE!"
The moment he uttered those words, the air shook as a rain of arrows fell on the monsters, hitting them perfectly and spreading death among their number. A moment later, many monstrous roars and screams of pain were heard from the monsters but..
"CAST!"
The halfling shouted, bringing the flag down once again as the casters of the Loki Familia let loose their powerful elemental spells of light, fire, ice, wind and any other possible element in between all those. The monsters caught in the onslaught were maimed, killed, destroyed and splattered across the cavern's floor. But that did not mean their march was over.
From all of them, there were better, bigger aberations called 'The Lost Ones'.
Rather, I would consider it 'The Lost One', as, as far as I know, I am the only person present who was not born in this world but in another. Not counting the Gods, naturally.
"Raise your shields!" The halfling yelled, raising his flag as a line was formed from Loki familia's finest warriors, wielding their shields in front of their comrades in defense. "Spears, rise up!" The halfling yelled again, and with another swing of his flag, spears began poking out of the wall formation, providing cover and offense for the shielders.
Another roar resounded, this one much stronger and deeper in tone.
"He is approaching us.." Said another dwarf, holding up a shield as large as himself. Behind him stood a Runarl with a spear, and behind the two men stood a Chienthrope girl holding a staff. Together, they were a basic unit, one of the many innovations that were proposed by one of the familia's new executives the previous year.
"Heh, just like two months ago.." The Renarl said, and then ended up laughing. Then, right there, a gigantic furred arm removed the dust cloud and revealed a titanic Fomoire, with a single red eye. "Oh yeah, exactly two months ago.."
"Not again.." Muttered the poor magician.
The halfling turned towards the earlier group, his fellow elites of Loki Familia and spoke up briefly.
"Go."
The Seven leapt towards the Cavern's ceiling and ended up right into the fray, with their weapons out, charging towards the horde.
I am named Arnold "Arne" Alfson, and this is the tale of how I ended up stranded in this crazy yet charming and pleasant world..