Danmachi: Purpose

Chapter 2

As I stepped forward into the light, the beams of heat that radiated off the sun began to bore into my skin. While the heat was not unwelcome it made me realise the sorry state I was in; not recognising moments before the freezing temperature I emanated. Shaking away the nausea from the sudden heat I started to walk, my right foot discreetly dragging along pavement. I chose to follow the road where most of the traffic was directed with most if not all the people walking by holding weapons of some kind. The stall owners and normal citizens appeared to be unperturbed by the deadly weapons these people held, as if it was a seemingly normal occurrence. It would be best to proceed with caution as this unfamiliar environment could turn hostile at any moment.

The overbearing odour of sweat that originated from those people reassured my belief in a reliable system of work which existed in this new world, after all where there is a crowd there is work to be found. As I contemplated whether following the momentum of the crowd was the correct choice my eyes suddenly found themselves directed to the biggest most obvious monument in the place, a gigantic tower that reached the heavens with the tallest point of the structure being obscured by the clouds. The various roads that connected the place all seemed to converge at the tower, its daunting size being a guiding beacon for those who may get lost in the intricate streets and pathways of the city.

At awe of the tower, I failed to recognise the danger of my surroundings. Soon the sound of carriage wheel's racing became apparent, the thumping of the stone pavement slowly becoming louder. The oncoming sound awoke me from my stupor, my eyes quickly drawing away from the sight of the tower. I quickly moved my feet towards the edges of the road narrowly missing getting flattened by the weight of the vehicle as it rushed past. Frowning, I began to concentrate once again on the surroundings as my eyes fell gracefully forward never looking down or moving away from the busy road. The fear of being trampled over by the various creatures which pulled the wagons up and down the highway steeled my concentration.

As I continued to follow the crowd of rambunctious individuals with weapons, curious stares and looks followed me, all darting towards my face. It seemed whatever my face looked like intrigued them. Their curiosity possessed me to raise my head a little higher and walk with an air of dignity in hopes of masking the fear my lack of knowledge created. My eyes once again betrayed me as they began to wander around the road, as I took in the atmosphere of the area I notice some peculiarities, my eyes picked up the sight of unique individuals with differing ears, tails and heights. Their individual traits unnerved me as the thought of the increased number of things that posed a danger to my existence grew.

It seemed my existence here mimicked a situation of an isekai protagonist as this world had the makings of a fantasy adventure tale. The place was filled to the brim with individuals that bore pointed ears; elves I would assume, humans with fluffy tails and pointed ears; most likely beast humans, and short youthful adults who took on the appearance of children, pallums no doubt. These subcategories of humans; demi humans I would think is the most appropriate term, made for a most interesting sight. It seemed that this place was a melting pot of different ideas, cultures and appearances; showing the characteristics of a multicultural society which appeared to house every known sentient being. Disturbing me from my thoughts a loud shout echoed the streets.

My head swerved at the disturbance as my eyes narrowed into a squint to precisely determine the situation. On the other side of the road a confrontation between a male beast human with wolf ears and tail, as well as, an elf that stood just as tall that I recognised to be a male. However, it was hard to discern with their androgynous features. There was a palpable tension to the air as the citizens and civilians tried their best to diffuse or ignore the situation. It appeared that such a melting pot of a place also housed deep seated racial prejudice, not dissimilar to the situation in my home world. Both the werewolf and elf looked as if they would murder the other, their frowning faces drawing nearer to each other; the werewolf seemingly entering a fighting stance his fist clenched as his sides, whilst the elf tightened his grip on a long wooden staff at his side. Just as both individuals were about to take action a group of individuals that bore the crest of a judge's scale, with the two scales taking the form of wings made of laurel entered. The group faced the crowd and the head of the group who looked no older than 16 with scarlet hair drifting in the wind announced to the masses

"The Astraea Familia is dealing with the issue, please continue with your day"

This world also appeared to have public order forces named after none other than the Greek goddess of justice, innocence, purity and precision. The two agitated demi humans had now calmed down, their bared fangs and hostilities had taken a turn into a more passive demeanour at the appearance of the group. Evidently, the authority of this group was not to be question as the two individuals eyed them with wary gazes. With little left to see the crowd dispersed and I found myself following the bustle of the city atmosphere.

Once again, my eyes drifted to observing the daily routine of the people, their mundane lives bringing life to the city. My interest was piqued at the opportunity to look and examine the miscellaneous details and scenery of what could only be defined as a city. The infrastructure of the place reflected a mixture of Medieval Europe, Feudal Japan and other various 12th century architecture. The buildings were scattered around in disorder and what could most definitely be called an architectural mess, with only the large road's that connected each district being its unifying factor. However, the chaotic placement of the buildings added character to the place, creating unity in disorder and emulating a sort of dysfunctional beauty.

My feet stopped, as I stood in front of a building that housed a mismatch of varied coloured banners. A throng of people with weapons travelling in and out between saloon doors. Most of the foot traffic was directed out of the building and the mob of people I was following let themselves inside. Filled with curiosity I followed the entering crowd of people. What greeted me was a medieval rendition of a modern-day bank interior. There was a large space in foyer with various seats and tables with much of the space being occupied by individuals waiting at the tables and a long counter where workers wearing sleek modified versions of tuxedo's were helping demi humans and humans alike, their weapons hanging off their sides and backs. On the left seemed to be a money withdrawal or exchange counter; these numerous tid bits of information helped create a holistic picture of this world in my mind. Eagerly, walking up to one of the tellers I resolved to gather all the information I could about this strange new world.  

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Unseen to the deities that ruled over the heavens; watching the machinations of the lower world the threads of destiny began to shift. Warping and changing in response to the beginnings of a Familia Myth.

The Advent of a New Hero.