Prologue

The hilly plains covered by luscious grass rustling in the breeze could easily be mistaken for the fields found just outside of the Labyrinth City Orario. Looking up at what would be the sky was the empty cover of blackness that accompanied being in the ominous dungeon that countless adventurers sought fame and fortune within.

In stark contrast to the serenity of the endless, peaceful green, were the splatters of blood still freshly dripping and scattered violently throughout. There was no longer a living soul that remained there to tell of the gruesome battle that had just taken place at the lowest level of the dungeon beneath the city - Floor 100.

Chapter 1: The Fall of Loki Familia

The residents of Orario were still reeling from the shock of the sudden death of the three highest members of the once mighty Loki Familia: the prum 'Braver' Finn who was the Captain, the elf 'Nine Hell' Riveria who was the Vice-Captain, and the dwarf 'Elgarm' Gareth. As arguably the strongest in the city, the Loki Familia set out on an expedition and reached the lowest level officially recorded in Orario's history, the 60th floor.

The sudden spike in the amount of high level monsters encountered on Floor 60 caught the already wearied party off guard. The three leaders of the Loki Familia valiantly stayed behind to distract their attackers to try and buy everyone else enough time for their escape. Going out in a blaze of glory, each one of them died with a look of content on their faces knowing that their ultimate sacrifice would give the others their greatest chance to make it back out of the dungeon alive.

Overwhelmed by the grief felt due to the loss of her beloved children, Loki disbanded her Familia and cast herself out of the city gates in self-imposed exile to deal with the newfound pain in solitude. Loki blamed herself for pushing them to go so far, but no one would have shared the same sentiment had they been asked. The lower you travelled, the higher the chance of death - every adventurer knew this and accepted the risk.

Three other executives of the Familia, the werewolf Bete and the Amazoness twins Tione and Tiona took a break from adventuring after the ordeal, with Bete's feelings of guilt rivalling that of Loki's.

"I should've stayed back with them," Bete would quietly mutter under his breath when thoughts of the fatal expedition crept into his mind. Contrary to his outwardly aggressive appearance, the grey-haired werewolf was the most emotional of the now defunct Loki Familia. Bete blamed himself greatly for the demise of his comrades, even though he and the twins perfectly carried out the last order given to them by their Captain Finn.

"Lead the charge back up and make sure the others make it out alive!" Finn yelled whilst exchanging blows with a powerful lizardman within Bete's recollection of the tragic events that had transpired.

Small droplets of tears dripped from the determined werewolf's eyes as he crushed any monsters that were in his path as the party burst their way back to the top. It would not be favourable for anyone to confront Bete with this information so it was never spoken about.

The last remaining executive member was the blonde-haired human known as the 'Sword Princess' Aiz Wallenstein. Aiz was tasked by Riveria to handle the entire protective duties of the rear-guard due to her strength and speed which could be greatly enhanced by her wind element enchant magic called Ariel.

"Aiz. Protect those at the rear. With your Ariel, you should be able to cover off a large area and catch up to the others if you fall behind. Now go!" These final orders were commanded by Riveria as she struggled to maintain her protective barrier, which was the only thing that stood between a horde of monsters and desperate stragglers of the fleeing party.

Aiz undertook Riveria's order without hesitation and with deadly precision. Having Ariel activated and surrounding her with its powerful aura, the Sword Princess swiftly obliterated any monsters that dared enter her net of protection. Aiz was absolutely seething.

Level after level, monster after monster, none were able to match the intensity of her blade, which neither dulled nor slowed no matter how many were slain. The lagging party members who travelled at the back did not suffer even a single scratch thanks to Aiz and her fighting abilities.

The legend of the Sword Princess' latest achievements in the dungeon gained her even further admiration from Orario's residents and fellow adventurers alike. Equal to the respect she garnered by her battle prowess, was the adoration for her captivating looks which was said to rival that of Freya, the goddess of beauty herself.

"You're kicking me out Hephaestus?! How could you do this to me?! Just let me stay a little longer. We're friends aren't we?" squealed the virgin goddess Hestia.

The goddess Hephaestus stood arms crossed and unwavering as she blocked Hestia from entering the doorway to her private office. Hephaestus' more mature features were juxtaposed next to the seemingly childlike Hestia who wore her hair in pigtails and possessed a small stature.

"You've moped around here long enough Hestia. What is the point of being granted this chance away from the heavens if you're just going to squander it doing nothing but lazing about?" responded Hephaestus trying not to give in to her unreasonable friend.

"And besides, I can simply no longer afford to fund your entire stay here with the money earned by my hard-working Familia."

"But where will I go? Do you expect me to sleep on the streets? What if I catch a cold and die? I'll haunt you forever!"

"You're a goddess, I think you'll be fine. In any case, here are the directions to a church that is no longer in use," advised Hephaestus as she handed Hestia a folded piece of paper.

"It's quiet and cosy so you should be able to have a comfortable stay there. But I suggest you start your own Familia sooner rather than later. Unless you want to get a full time job to support yourself?"

Hestia was horrified by the prospect of having to work for mere sustenance, so she snatched the piece of paper away and stormed off out of sight like a child that had been just been scolded by a parent.

"Lousy Hephaestus. What's another month or two between friends anyway?" squawked Hestia to no one in particular as she made her way down one of the main streets of Orario towards her new abode.

Hestia's thoughts were bombarded by images of herself completely destitute, crawling filthily on the sidewalks and begging strangers for spare change. She started to pull her hair out in comical frustration when suddenly her attention focused on a familiar face in the crowd.

"Hey wait. Isn't that…?"

Aiz wearing a casual white dress was taking an afternoon stroll when she was spotted by the goddess.

Hestia yelled out to get Aiz's attention "Hey Aiz Wallen-whatsit! Wait a minute!"

Aiz now facing the goddess who she recognised as a colleague of Loki's, stopped walking and tilted her head.

"Where are you heading off to?"

"To the guild. I want to get their advice on which Familia to join."

Hestia could not believe her fortune after what she regarded as a pretty miserable period in her life. Even with discounting her recent eviction, the black-haired goddess had been saddened by the sudden departure of her friend Loki as well as the reasons for it. Loki loved all of her children, but those three were among the most cherished by her.

Despite Hestia's empathy for what had happened, she was not about to let this opportunity slip by. She managed to mask her melancholy by smiling at Aiz.

"You know Wallen-whatsit. Actually can I call you Aiz? I'm going to call you Aiz. It just so happens that I'm starting my own Familia but it's a special one where I'm only recruiting one member. Doesn't that sound like a match made in the heavens? You get to go off and do your own thing in the dungeon, and the only time you need to come back to me is when you want your status to be updated. I won't ask any more of you. Other than the usual twenty percent share of all the vallis you earn of course, but that's standard for such an exclusive membership into my Familia. What do you say?"

Aiz tilted her head to the other side and considered the offer. After careful deliberation it actually made perfect sense to her: she was not quite ready for the exhaustion that would accompany forming new bonds with members of a large Familia, and she would have full autonomy over when and where she could train in the dungeon. A transfer to another Familia could be requested in a year's time if it came to that.

Aiz replied with a simple "I accept."

Overjoyed by the thought of being able to resume her easy-going lifestyle, Hestia quickly ushered her first and only member along to the empty church where she would carry out the ritual to initiate Aiz into the newfound Hestia Familia.

"You're going to love our base Aiz. Apparently it's quiet and cosy. What more could you need? Loki would be proud."

"Apparently?" questioned Aiz. Hestia laughed off her slight slip of the tongue.

Aiz didn't really mind where their base was as all she could think about was getting back to her training. She would most likely be spending her nights sleeping on the ground in different floors of the dungeon for at least the near-future.

A young man dressed in a hooded vagabond's cloak and leather satchel tied around him was resting his back on a wall with one eye open. He had witnessed the conversation between Hestia and Aiz that occurred just in front of him.

"That might be a bit of fun," he thought to himself as a subtle smirk slid across his face.

As the goddess and adventurer disappeared into a crowd of people, the man reached into his satchel and pulled out a wine gourd. The refreshing taste of wine filled his mouth as he pushed off from the wall and started to make his way towards his favourite tavern: The Benevolent Mistress.

Their paths would cross when the time was right - he would make sure of that.