The Familia of Victory - Pilot/Snapshots

Another idea I had and brought to "paper."

Completely different genre, but I love the world of the Light-Novel/Anime. Perhaps some of you know Danmachi, perhaps not, but I wanted to hear your opinions if you know about it.

So, have fun with it or ignore it.

Yours

ZK

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Tyche threw the poker chips in the air and caught them again. She continued to do this as she walked back to her inn room after a productive and fun day in the casinos of the pleasure district.

Her winnings were big enough to pay for her room and food for a few days, plus a few non-essentials when she wanted a day out in the city.

Thankfully, she had quickly learned that winning too big was an invitation to get banned.

Well, it wasn't her fault, really! She was the Goddess of Victory, and winning was part of her being. Even if her powers were sealed in the Lower World, a small part still showed her the way toward victory. She couldn't stop it or turn it off like the goddesses of love had the charm ability that they could use freely.

After all, gods and goddesses were beings of immense power that a seal, no matter how powerful, would never be able to suppress completely.

The goddess stopped as she noticed a jam of people on the street before her.

"What's going on?" she asked, more to herself than to anyone in particular.

"Two carts collided, and their wares are scattered all over the street, goddess," came the helpful answer from a Cientrophe to her side.

"Oh, thanks," replied Tyche absently, already thinking about which alley she should take since she neither had the will nor the patience to wait until the street was free again.

Knowing there were two alleys that would take around the same time to get around the accident, Tyche took one of her poker chips and said, "Head is right, tail is left," flipping the chip into the air.

In one world, the chip would land on head, and Tyche would take the right alley. A few weeks later, she would meet the first member of her familia. A familia that would become slightly successful in the next few years before accusing another famillia of lying to the guild about their levels. Of course, without a way to prove those accusations and no evidence to be found, the Tyche famillia and others who supported the accusation were fined heavily and subsequently destroyed by the accused familia.

This would be the story of a white-haired, red-eyed boy who chased the dream of becoming a hero.

Perhaps...

Yet, be it chance, fate, or the accumulation of choices made centuries before the first gods descended to the lower world, the chip did one more flip and landed on tails, telling Tyche to take the left alley, changing the course of history irrevocably.

Or maybe the fate of the world was different from the very beginning.

Of course, questions like that never crossed Tyche's mind since she was only deciding which alley to take.

Now, this wouldn't just be the story of a boy wanting to become a hero, but the story of the Familia of Victory, too.

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"May I ask your name, little boy?" asked Tyche.

The boy scowled and answered: "I am Clive Runegrave, and I am no little boy. I am a future adventurer."

"Well then," smiled Tyche. "Would you like to become the first member of my familia, Clive Runegrave?"

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The two of them stood side by side at the gates of Orario, and Tyche couldn't help but throw a scowl back to the city before focusing back on Clive, the look in her eyes softening.

"Are you ready? I know you never left the city before, and you're going to leave everything behind you know. If you have any doubts, we can delay our departure until you're ready or stay in the city until you can enter the dungeon."

"No," replied Clive instantly, his hands tightening around the grip of the short sword at his hip that looked like a longsword beside him. "I want to do this. I want to see what the world is like. Orario is great, but I want to see more."

Seeing the wonder in the boy's eyes, the sheer curiosity and excitement on his face, Tyche couldn't help the soft smile that appeared on her face.

"Then let's start our adventure," Tyche said and took her first step outside of the city. Her first familia member followed in her steps.

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The spear flew through the air, hitting the boar in the neck, killing it almost instantly.

"Hey, that was my prey!" cried Clive, looking around to find out who threw the spear.

His eyes finally found the thrower standing high on a branch of one of the bigger trees around.

"Then you should have taken the killing blow sooner," replied the girl who threw the spear, her long purple hair dancing in the soft wind. "A hunter should kill their prey as fast as possible and not play around with it."

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"Magic is more than a gift of the gods or spirits. It's the power of the mind, of imagination. Furthermore, it is older than we think. Perhaps older than the dungeon. There are clues scattered around the world, and I want to uncover the truth."

Clive had a devious smirk on his face as he replied: "But that is not all, is it? Mister future 'Greatest Magic User'?"

The Pallum rolled his eyes and said: "If you want to bring up my ambition to show those snotty elves that magic isn't solely their domain, then you are right. I will show the world that your race isn't important and I will etch my name into history as the greatest magician of the Pallum race, and my name will be said in the same breath as the Knights of Fianna."

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Clive raised his arm and pointed toward the shrinking black dot at the horizon. Its mighty wingbeats were still audible despite the distance.

His back was turned to his familia, but when he spoke to them, they felt as if his voice had never been more clear.

"You once asked me what goal our familia has, and I didn't have an answer. I thought about it for a long time and nothing I came with ever felt right. Until now." Clive's eyes never left the black dot. "That is our goal. The ultimate victory we can achieve. A victory that even the Zeus and Hera familias couldn't achieve."

The captain of the Tyche familia turned around and the rest of the familia felt a shiver go up their spines when they saw the look of determination in his eyes. There was a hint of madness mixed in, but maybe that was for the best. Nothing great was ever accomplished without a hint of madness.

"You are crazy captain," said Vergil, shaking his head.

"So, you're out?"

"That wasn't what I said, captain," denied Vergil without hesitation. "It's crazy, but I think I can speak for everyone that we're just as crazy as you."

Clive looked his fellow familia members in their eyes and saw that none of them looked away. They would follow him on this path and never look back.

"Goddess?" he asked, knowing that the final decision lay with the head of the familia.

"It seems like I will get the ultimate bragging rights when my children finish the last of the three great quests. A victory like that is too sweet to pass up."

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