Hostess of Fertility (1)
Due West of Babel
The three of them were currently in front of a large, multi-story building with intricate carvings surrounding the architecture on its various columns. Now that the sun had set, Bete could see a few Adventurers leaving the building with loud laughs and red faces.
He carefully read the wooden, overhead sign that was carved with a crossed fork and knife. It didn't match any Familia insignia he recognized, not that he had a broad knowledge of them.
"Hostess of... Fertility? Are you sure this is somewhere we should be going?" Bete asked, a bit put off by the name.
"Yes, this is the right place. Let's go in, you two much be famished."
Riveria ushered them in by stepping aside to open one of the double doors for them to enter.
Ais for one did not seem concerned about the name and strode right in, eyes glinting with hunger.
Yet her first step was met with a flurry of movement and a pointed object wielded towards the girl's body.
"Wait!" Bete barked.
However, what happened was not exactly what he expected.
"""Surpise!"""
"..."
Both Bete and Ais blinked, staring at the scene in front of them, confetti sprinkling on their shoulders and familiar faces popping up around them armed with pointy party hats.
In the sizable room, the majority of the Loki Familia waited with large smiles and spread arms in cheer. At the center was their faithful Captain, standing on a table for extra height.
"Congrats on your first dungeon experience!" he announced, personally equipped with a purple, blue polka-dotted party cone.
They weren't allowed any time to react, swiftly pulled into two wooden chairs by two massive, tree-trunk sized arms.
"So! It's these two you've been bragging about, Finn?"
Bete had to strain his neck to look upwards. What he spotted was a towering woman with light brown hair. Actually, towering was an understatement. The blue dress and white apron did nothing to alleviate the aura of the 6 foot tall giant.
'Not a giant. A dwarf.'
'Bullshit!!! If she's a dwarf, then I'm a fuckin' unicorn!'
Yet there was no doubt he could smell the deep, earthy scent similar to the one he felt around Gareth, Dain, or Marcus.
'She has to be taking some kind of supplements, no? Drugs? Some dungeon plant injection that boosts hormone growth?'
'Seems natural to me.'
The woman noticed his panic and misunderstood it to be fear at her stature — which was partially correct.
"Ah, don't be afraid. I am Mia Grand, the owner of this fine establishment. You can just call me Mamma Mia. Your Goddess is a regular customer of ours so I reckon we'll be getting to know each other fairly well."
"..."
Bete still felt lightheaded, unsure of how to react.
"So... this was the surprise?"
"Indeed," Riveria chimed in from behind.
"It's also partially to make up for not letting you two into the dungeon until today."
To be honest, he was pleasantly flattered. Despite how coldly he acted around most of the Familia members, they all came together to congratulate them.
"And you do this for every new recruit?"
"No. You and Ais are the first."
"But why-"
Kuuuuk!
Two arms not unlike Mia's clapped their small backs with the force of a fully manned battering ram.
"To celebrate!" a joyous and sluggish voice interrupted.
The duo were hit with an overpowering scent of alcohol. That combined with the thick, brown beard that partially covered their visions let them know it was Gareth, their serious Executive by day and alcoholic by night.
"You two are the brightest geniuses that our Familia, no, that the entirety of Orario has received in years! That in itself should be celebrated!"
He shook them with every exclamation, giving them a slight concussion by the end of what felt like a magnitude 10 earthquake.
"Whatddya think yer doing!" Mia shouted, similarly whacking the fellow Dwarf in the back.
Unfortunately, since Gareth still had his heavy arms rested on their shoulders, Mia's hit also translated a portion of its force on the already battered Ais and Bete.
"Aha... I think that's enough congratulations. Why don't we start the festivities?" Finn suggested, concern rising in the back of his mind.
Mia dragged the heavily intoxicated Dwarf away to another table so the two could regain their senses.
"Sorry about that. Gareth got loose to the beer before Mia or I could stop him," he sheepishly apologized.
"Yippee!" a high-pitched voice suddenly cheered from under one of the tables.
The Familia members turned their heads to the wooden table from which two skinny legs wearing black leggings stuck out.
"Loki-sama, you were supposed to cheer when they came in, not a minute after..." one of the members with dirty-blonde hair exasperatedly muttered.
Their short Captain chuckled awkwardly.
"As you can see, Loki-sama was not far behind once Gareth started."
Mia, now back from doing whatever she did to Gareth, clapped her hands loudly.
"That's enough of that mess. This is supposed to be a party! Girls!"
On cue, the doors from what he presumed to be the kitchen burst open and a stream of servers, each one pretty and female, walked out with entire trays of copious dishes. Bete spotted an array of roasted meats, seafood, noodles, soups, and mugs of liquor. It seemed the pub sold all kinds of foods ranging from across the continent and even from the Far Eastern islands.
They all wore a neat uniform composed of a green dress similar to Mia's blue one in design, a white apron, a small orange bow, black leggings, and brown, leather boots. To top it off, they each wore a frilly headband on top of their heads.
Interestingly enough, the staff was made up of various races. Humans, Demi-Humans, even a Pallum. And of course Mia herself was Dwarf.
Bete wasn't even a decade old, but he still knew enough about how the world operated to realize that nothing was ever truly fair. Racism and sexism ran rampant in the Lower World both legally and through individual bias.
Since his tribe wasn't averse to ransacking caravans, Bete also frequently got an earful of swears and racist slurs whenever they attacked the panicking merchants.
Thankfully, Orario was definitely better than other places. Who had time for racism when they were literally living on top of thousands of monsters? Who had the luxury to reject partying with a decent Adventurer just because they disliked the other's race? In most cases, the deeply racist ones were either dead or living down in the dumps.
However, that hardly meant the dungeon city was a paradise for equality lovers with Demi-Humans, Pallums, and Humans all dancing hand-in-hand. No, segregation was still apparent, with people directly banning certain races from their property. Orario law made such actions illegal in public buildings, but private establishments were a rather gray area.
Taking all of that into account, it was a little surprising that Mia was running an obviously successful business right on Western Main Street composed purely of female waitresses. Or perhaps those two factors were the reason for her success. He imagined the average male Adventurer would go crazy at the chance to get served by beautiful girls.
Sigh
For the first time in a while, Bete felt like he could take a second to breathe and look around.
The inside of the tavern was warm and not too bright. The wooden patterns and abundance of ingredients hanging fresh behind the counter gave a homey feel — a perfect atmosphere for a pub.
With the appearance of food and drinks, the room had burst into cheerful feasting and chattering. The Executives mostly grouped together at their own table while the other members each broke into their own tables and the occasional food platter was exchanged The atmosphere was noisy, but cozy. Almost familiar despite him not having ever visited.
As the main characters of this feast, the Werewolf and Ais were allowed to sit next to Riveria and the others at one of the larger tables.
"This pub was opened by Mia some years back," Noir explained, expertly picking up a piece of sautéed fish with a pair of chopsticks." It serves normal citizens during the afternoon and Adventurers during the night. It's become a Familia tradition to visit often since Loki-sama loves the drinks here so much."
"That's pretty smart of her to differentiate between normal customers and Adventurers. Less people getting hurt," Bete noted.
"Yes. And they can also change prices to suit both parties." Riveria added.
"Is the wealth gap that large?"
"Enough to make a difference. Level 2 Adventurers with enough prudence are akin to moderately wealthy citizens. Any level onwards, you'll comfortably be part of the top 1-5% as long as you're not inept."
"Well that's nice to know... wait!"
Bete's eyes flashed at the memory of what happened at the Guild.
"Speaking of money, you guys have to hear this—"
.
.
.
"And then they asked for 15%, like seriously? It's daylight robbery!" he indignantly cried.
"Mmhm!"
Ais also violently stabbed her fork into the roasted pork, also displeased at her 'stolen' earnings.
"Aye, lad! And once you get to our levels, they'll ask for even more, those greedy pigs!" Gareth agreed, raising his mug.
Meanwhile, Finn sweatdropped and Riveria calmly sipped her herbal tea.
"Okay, let's calm down. The Guild is there for a reason, after all. They fix the roads, provide general lighting, and maintain the city. Those costs aren't cheap," the blue-eyed Pallum reasoned.
"Bah! Everyone knows of the obscene amount of valis going in that fatass Mardeel's pockets! Grrah, if I got my hands on those chubby cheeks of his..."
This time, it was Dain who spoke out in anger, his cheeks lit up red like Gareth's. The stereotypes of drunk Dwarves was certainly not without basis, Bete discovered.
Thankfully, Bara answered Finn's desperate look for help with her wise words:
"Calm down."
""". . ."""
The Amazoness returned their awaiting stares with one of her own.
"What?"
Finn sighed.
'What was I expecting from an Amazoness?'
He helplessly turned to their last line of reason, Noir, who was drinking a special request of sake from his homelands. It was an order that typically came from Far Eastern Adventurers so the Hostess of Fertility always had a few bottles in stock.
"Dain-dono, Gareth-dono, we've talked about this many times..."
"Yes, exactly. We should-"
"And I completely agree!"
"W-what?" Finn confusedly stuttered.
"Brothers, I have heard legends in my homeland of ancient nations where everything was equal. Essentially a political and economic system that sought to create a classless society in which the major means of production, such as mines and the dungeon, were owned and controlled by the public, not purely by the wealthy and noble! Championed by a knowledgable sage who wrote a pamphlet, a manifesto of sorts, to lead us blind sheep in this dastardly mortal plane!"
"???"
Even Riveria was confused at the direction this conversation was taking.
Sniffle
"What... what a beautiful idea. True equality." Hic. "What was his name, brother Noir?" Gareth tearfully asked.
"I believe the honorable man's name was Curl Marcks."
"To the ever-sagacious Marcks! May his, no, our prosperity spread far and wide!" Dain shouted.
"""Cheers!"""
Clink!
In the heat of the moment, Bete raised his non-alcoholic fruit juice to collide mugs with the others.
"I... guess it all worked out in the end?"
The high intelligent Pallum had rarely felt this perplexed and out of his waters.
"By the way..." Mia, who was approaching their table after refilling glasses for the Dwarves, squinted at Bete and Ais.
"Aren't you two a little too cute to be Adventurers?"
"!"
Ais narrowed her eyes.
When the Dwarf reached down to touch the girl's cheeks, she whipped away while still holding onto her bowl of simmered, seafood rice that the blonde had moved on to. As if to show her resentment at the kiddy treatment, she shoveled the spoon even faster.
Nom... nom...
"Bah ha ha! Feisty one, ain't ya? You'll make a fine Adventurer. So long as you don't take any bad habits from that oaf, Gareth."
"What was that?!" a loud, spinning voice called out.
"Go back to your beer, ye fool! I'm chatting with your recruits."
Gareth grumbled something under his breath.
"Ignore him. Have you two been enjoyin' the food? Best dishes around the city — I guarantee it."
Bete nodded, taking another chomp out of his rotisserie chicken leg.
"It's good."
'Not as good as Jagamarukun but good,' he silently thought to himself, not willing to risk his throat being throttled. He was sure Ais was thinking something similar.
"Eh, it's average. Hardly worth the exorbitant price, I say," Gareth muttered, giving his mug a good swirl.
BANG!
Mia's two, meaty hands slammed the table with a deafening boom, causing Ais and Bete to jump in surprise.
"What was that?!"
Gareth didn't back off at a force that would scare off almost every Adventurer in Orario. Refusing to remain sitting where he was forced to crane his neck up at Mia, the Dwarf stood straight up to his full 5 feet of height and continued to look up.
"I said what I said! Yer almost as bad as the Guild, ya shitty barkeep! Ye think yer all that because you got a little taller?!"
It was a shocking sight for Bete who knew Gareth as the calm, chill Dwarf; he was usually the voice of reason in their Familia, along with Finn.
"Shut it. The kids are watching," Riveria scolded.
"Sorry about this, Mia." Finn added.
The hefty Dwarven barkeeper crossed her arms with a stern glare. Her fists were clenched in two, wrecking-ball fists.
"Yer damn right. I won't hesitate to charge extra."
"Of course, of course" the Pallum smilingly agreed, before discretely whispering one more thing: "All on Gareth's tab."
Mia stomped away, violently snatching up an empty plate from a neighboring table.
Bete was left with countless question marks over his face.
"You... uh, you know each other well?"
Gareth grunted and collapsed back on his creaking chair, chugging down another hefty gulp of beer.
"Bah! Can't get rid of her, more like it."
"Mia's half-retired from her Familia but we used to work together just until recently. We worked together frequently in the dungeon and against Evilus," Riveria explained.
"A muscle-brained brute who was as likely to use strategy as she was to listen to orders. It's a miracle that this pub has lasted this long," Gareth irritably remarked.
"An Adventurer? Which Familia?"
"The Freya Familia."
"?!?!"
Bete almost choked on his drink at this revelation. The seductive, graceful Freya and the violent, stomping Mia Grand? Those two women were the farthest beings in his mind. The Werewolf couldn't think of them in the same sentence, much less the same Familia. In fact, he would go as far as to say the only similarity he could find was that they were both female, and Bete was even doubting that.
Riveria lightly giggled at his reaction.
"Indeed, rather unbelievable, yes? But you'll learn not to judge Familia based on their deities. For example, look at ours. Our members are completely unlike Loki-sama."
The High Elf gestured to their right where the redhead Norse Goddess was sitting near one of the tables holding a handful of fanned cards and a drink. A couple of members sat next to her, each wearing unwilling expressions.
"Haha! Royal flush! Gimme all that sweet money!" Loki cried out, laughing maniacally with her nose held high.
"Ah! You stole those cards, didn't you?" one man shouted.
"W-what? No!"
The others chimed in with dissatisfied frowns.
"There's no way you got a royal flush 10 times in a row! That's just statistically impossible!"
"You mean improbable, not impossible." Gulp.
"But Loki-sama!"
"Gah! I'm a freaking Goddess! I make the rules!" Gulp
"Loki-sama, please stop drinking! And give us our money back!"
Zip~
The redhead fled to another table, valis spilling out of her shirt.
Clink, jingle, tink
"Curses! If only my breasts were larger!" she complained while taking another swig.
". . ."
Speechless, Riveria looked back at their table where Noir, Dain, and Gareth were making a racket of a similar noise level.
"I'll drink you under the table!"
"Bring it on!"
"Wa ha ha! Apologies Dain-dono, Gareth-dono. Our lord and savior Curl Marcks has blessed my liver tonight — I can feel it! You stand no chance!"
". . . "
Bete gave a side-eye towards the silent Elf.
"Yeah... completely different. I can't see a single similarity."
Riveria wisely chose not to elaborate any further, choosing to close her eyes and quietly sip her drink.
"Anyway, do you two have any other aspirations?" Finn butt in.
Ais tilted her head.
"Aspirations?"
"Yeah. Other than Adventuring. Like maybe a hobby you might be interested in? Fishing? Traveling? Farming?"
Ais looked at Bete with a blank look. She obviously had nothing going on in that airhead of hers other than getting stronger.
"It's early for you two, but think about it. Adventuring can't be everything in your lives. At some point, you'll stop. What do you two want to do afterwards?"
Bete blinked.
"Afterwards?"
After Adventuring? He had never thought about such things. Until recently, merely getting to Orario and becoming an Adventurer was 'afterwards' to the Werewolf. And even now, after getting a taste of the dungeon, hunting down monsters and leveling up was all he could think about in the foreseeable future. What could possibly come after the end? Was there even an end?
'Afterwards... Maybe once I reach my limits... After I avenge my clan...'
'A farmer?' Blackie not-so-helpfully supplied.
'Hell no. Can you imagine me in a straw hat?
'Yes. Sail the seas while you're at it.'
'What does a straw hat have to do with the seas?'
'Okay, that's a no. What about finding a nice, loving Werewolf bride?'
'Kindly fuck off.'
'You don't want to start a family? That redhead Guild receptionist seemed a little cold but her body looked quite suitable as a mate, no? Symmetrical facial features and bodacious bre-'
'Blackie...'
'Then again, you do have a point. I can't really imagine you as a family man. But people can drastically change over merely a few years. By the time you're a fully fledged adult-'
Bete gnashed his teeth in irritation and his finger restlessly drummed the table. The only thing that saved Blackie was Finn unintentionally coming to his rescue.
"Haha... No need to glare so hard. It was only a small suggestion, just something to make you think."
Finn tried to pacify the situation after misunderstanding Bete's irritation for annoyance at his question.
"Nah, it wasn't that. Just thinking about something else."
"Ah, glad to hear it."
"To be honest, I haven't really thought of it and I can't think of anything right now either. Maybe ask me again in a few years."
"And Ais?"
Finn turned to the young blonde and was met with a single shake of the head.
Nom...
"Ehh, she looks a little busy."
Bete wondered to himself where all the food was going in that petite body of hers.
"Then what about you? What do you want?" the Werewolf asked, returning the question back.
"I'd say you're pretty close to the peak, right?"
Finn tapped the table, mysteriously smiling.
"Who knows? I might be nearing the finishing line or I may just be getting started."
"Ugh, you really think so? Level 5 already seems so far away."
"Heh, no need to stress yourself out. To answer your question, I do have a goal. Actually, it's something that can be done while still being an Adventurer."
"Really? Now I'm curious."
"You see... I actually want to find a wife."
". . ."
Bete blankly stared at him. That was one of the last things he expected out of the mouth of the Pallum.
"Ah, don't misunderstand, it's not for any selfish reasons. Well, not too selfish that is. The main reason I'm looking for a proper, suitable partner is to restore the dignity of our race."
"Your... race?"
"Yes, Pallums. I seek a Pallum wife who shares my values. Together we'll bear many children and create a powerful lineage to pave the path for the rise of other Pallums."
"Powerful lineage? But aren't you already a huge deal?"
". . ."
Finn somberly traced his fork over his seafood platter for a moment, letting each morsel unappetizingly fall out of the gaps in his utensil.
"When you think of High Class Adventurers, it's easy to name Elves, Humans, Demi-Humans, Dwarves, and many others. When you're asked to name a Pallum High Class Adventurer, who can you think of?"
"Well... you?"
"Exactly. Just me. Currently, the Gulliver Brothers from the Freya Familia and I are the only sources of hope for our race. That's why I want to become the Pallum race's light. To become an even better role model. I want to see other Pallums rise to success and glory. I want to see our race become renowned for our courage, our strength, our unity! I want us to..."
Finn paused, catching himself in his enthusiasm.
"Ah... my apologies if I got too eager."
Bete didn't know how to respond. He never expected the simple goal of obtaining a wife to have this kind of deep reasoning. In comparison, he himself was just a random stray mutt, looking out for himself. He had no grand objective. His only goal was a messy vengeance for a tribe that was already gone.
'He's... much greater than I thought.'
They shared another moment of silence that was only filled with background noise of Ais chewing and the other members' festivities.
"Riveria told me about your aversion to supporters."
". . ."
Usually he would back up his argument, but Bete felt now was not the time to defend his opinion.
"Now let me just say as a preface, I'm not here to tell you what to think. I may be your Captain, but everyone has the right to choose what to believe. If you truly think supporters are worthless, I'll let you be."
The Werewolf raised his eyebrows, wondering where he was going.
"Did you know most supporters are Pallums?"
"Huh? No."
"It's fairly self-explanatory. With our reputation and initial physical capabilities, the average Pallum can barely handle goblins even with Falna. That's why most of us are desperate creatures, making a living off the coattails of stronger Adventurers. We act as supporters because it's the only thing we think we can do."
'Oh. Don't tell me-'
"I'm not trying to tell you to pity them as a favor. No, that would be the opposite of what I've been trying to achieve. I want Pallums to rise on their own two feet and regain their confidence. Besides, having one more Pallum supporter won't help anything."
"So what do you want me to do?"
"Currently? Not much. I just want you to open your eyes to the world around you. Truly look at everything. Look at the streets and the people who scramble around. Watch the expressions of the hooded supporters next to the flashy Adventurers. What I really want from you is a chance. They don't have to be Pallums, but give supporters a chance just like how I took a chance on you and Ais."
The mentioned latter looked up from her food, stains all around her mouth.
Riveria disapprovingly clicked her tongue and approached the girl with a napkin.
"So?"
Finn carefully studied the boy with his shining blue eyes. In this young, Werewolf Adventurer, he saw a chance. His thumb was tingling.
"I'll think about it," Bete finally grunted.
The blonde Pallum softly smiled.
"That's all I can ask for."
"But that doesn't promise shit!"
"I know."
"And if those weaklings can't carry their weight, I'll cut them off!"
"Mhm."
". . . You really do know how to make someone guilty."
"So I've been told. Verbal warfare is one of my strong suits."
Sigh...
"Enough of that for today. How about I continue Noir's introduction of this fine establishment? Especially since he is currently—"
"WA HA HA HA! WATCH DOWN UPON ME, MARCKS!"
HIC!
"—Incapacitated at the moment."
"Is there anything else to elaborate on? It's just a pub."
"Hmm. Is that all you see? Look. What do you notice?"
Bete paused, shifting gazes from the drunk Dwarves, to the completely drunk Goddess still energetically running around, to the various activities going on.
"Complete anarchy? Disaster waiting to strike?"
Finn laughed good-naturedly.
"You see, Mia build this place to be a safe haven for everyone."
"A... safe haven? In Orario of all places?"
"Exactly. 'A place to laugh and eat, no matter how shitty the times,'" he echoed. "That's Mia's motto."
Bete blinked.
"What a weird saying."
"Heh, perhaps. But doesn't it fit this place perfectly?"
The Werewolf turned back with a second glance. People smiling from ear to ear, feasting on delicious food. A welcoming atmosphere that could make anyone feel like they belonged. Mia banging on her counter and scolding a couple of slacking waitresses. A rambunctious room that was bursting with liveliness. It was... warm.
"Yeah... I guess it does."
Finn pushed his chair back, blue eyes twinkling.
"Well, the night's still young. I hope you two enjoy yourselves some more. Go explore and talk with other people. Get to know your Familia. Who knows, you might find some new friends."
"You think so?"
"I guarantee it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to clean up Loki-sama's mess. Our members don't deserve to lose that much money, although they should have known better than to gamble with the Goddess of Tricksters."
.
.
.
______________________________________________
For the Hostess of Fertility, I might also add some OC's. Chloe and Lunoire technically have arrived or arrive in the near future to Orario since they come 9 years before canon (which is where we currently are now), but only join the pub after failing to kill a wanted Ryuu who only gains said wanted status 5 years before canon. There's also May but I don't know when she joins and she looked pretty young. Since there's no way the pub operates with only Mia, Syr, and Anya, I'll have to put in some extra servers at the minimum though I doubt they'll be too important.
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Also, does anyone know about Danmachi's food system? As in, do they have normal cattle and pigs on top of the fantasy dungeon foods? I'm assuming that they do since there's sausages and stuff in the anime but I'm not 100% sure. My memory is a little foggy.
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Also also, if the race is called Cat People, is a singular member called a Cat Person? Catgirl? Catboy? Catwoman? Catman??? It's probably a translation thing but it bugs me.
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Thank you for reading!