Before I begin.

For those who are here because they want a Highschool DxD fanfic with a twist, I must inform you that the main character, Kodori, started in 'I am a girl in the dungeon'. (a Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darou ka fic.)

She has a half million words of history, and while I am going to be doing a little 'summing up' of that history for those who don't want to read that much all at once, it will help put Kodori into perspective. Just like her last story, I will do my best to follow the main plot line, while adding Kodori's influence. Now, for DxD, the climate is much different. Backroom politics, factions that are much more clear cut, aggressive groups, sneaky groups... While there is a lot of 'plot' (yes I went there) in DxD, when you look past that (if you can, I mean, its good 'plot'.) the entire story is like a game of 3d chess on drugs.

This will be a challenge for me as a writer, and I hope you aren't too harsh with your comments. That being said, BE harsh, if you need to. I welcome all constructive criticism, and will answer questions if asked in the comments.

Now, I hope you all enjoy what follows.

The Dermegil Works presents

The Demon fox, Devils, Dragons, and the Dungeon. (Since DxDxD is used a few times on the site.)

Chapter 1

Almost three months. Almost three months had past since Haruhime and I had given birth to seven... babies? Kits? Pups? What do you even call Renard children?

Let me explain a little. My name is Kodori Haruhime. My wife, Sanjouno Haruhime, though everyone calls her Haruhime, or Hime, or the like... Anyhow. Over two years ago, I arrived in this world, in the city of Orario, naked, female, and a Renard. A race of fox like demi-humans. I myself, stand about 175cm, or 5'9". Black hair, gold eyes with cat like iris, pointed ears on the top of my head and a poofy black tail.

That was how I started here. I ended up trying to rescue Syr Flova, an adorable young lady who worked at the Hostess of Fertility a restaurant/pub. It sort of worked, and she introduced me to Mia Grand. Big hearted woman that she is, she kind of adopted me, and looked after me until I was able to speak the local language and write a little.

The big help there, was from Hestia, one of the many, if almost unknown Gods of Orario. Being a Goddess, She was able to just be 'understood'. Acting as translator (since no one in Orario spoke English) and teacher, I joined Her Familia in exchange for helping me learn to read and speak.

From there, I became an Adventurer. A person who went into the dungeon, a near bottomless series of caverns, to suppress the endless supply of monsters it spawned, and stop them from reaching the surface (again, though that's a 1000 year history lesson.) I worked with Bell Cranell, a white haired youth who looked kind of like a rabbit. A rabbit with a hero complex, determined and skilled. I did my best to keep up with him, and together we kept each other alive.

We met and rescued Lilly, our Palum supporter (Palum are kind of like hobbits, though they have adorable, non-furry feet.) And recruited Welf, an aspiring blacksmith. More things happened, like a meeting an Eastern God of War, Takemikazuchi, and his Familia of skilled, some what poor, but hard working people. Then there was a war game, that while we were at a huge disadvantage, we ended up winning through a combination of insane training, clever tactics, and some amazing friends.

That got us a really big, and very well appointed home. A Greek styled manor, called the Hearth Manor. Apollo, the former owner, had really good taste at least, and it served the needs of both Hestia and Takemikazuchi Familia. Now a small alliance, we were able to make a bigger name for ourselves.

Haruhime however, was the only other Renard in the city. I had met her just after Lilly, and she helped me learn to use my magic. A kind of self buff, that was heavily influenced by my mood. So much so, I occasionally lost control. More than once, some one has had to stop me from simply going feral. And once, in defence of my Familia and friends, I surrendered myself willingly to the rage, and killed someone much stronger than me. I was grounded by Hestia for that one.

After the War game, the God Hermes, a smug bastard who liked to manipulate things from behind the scenes, who has since been banished back to Tenkai the Gods realm, gave us the news that Ishtar (was was also banished), the Familia that Haruhime had belonged to, was going to use her for a blood sacrifice.

I was already quite smitten with the poor girl, and all of my friends liked her too. So, we managed to (just barely) rescue her.

The two of us kind of had a relationship already, and when she joined Hestia Familia, we became, 'an item'.

Fast forward a little. I had been caught, and brutally tortured by a bunch of former Ishtar Amazons. An all female race of warriors, who only ever birthed girls. They held one hell of a grudge, and when my Familia found me, I was basically a bag of skin holding in a bunch of broken bits. They had also taken my tails.

Oh right... Haruhime and I read a book, a tome. It granted her a new addition to her special magic, a buff spell that effectively made a person jump a full level in stats. I however, got four more tails. If you know the legends at all, a Kitsune's tails represent magic power.

And the Amazons had taken them. This left me basically in a coma that would 100% kill me over time. That, and without natural magic regeneration, they, my Familia, couldn't undo the damage that had been done to me.

That's when Haruhime stepped up, and used her own magic to keep me stable while I was basically broken all over again, and healed properly. I was told that the procedure lasted two days, in which she, and my operators, did not rest at all.

When I woke up, she was laying next to me, with her tail attached to MY rear. She had trusted me with everything. So, while I was getting my equipment on, for a quick trip of what would end up as bloody revenge, I told my Goddess, Haruhime's best friend, and my adoptive sister, that I would marry Haruhime.

The catch however, was that we were both women. I personally didn't have a problem with it, but Haruhime was not from the year 2016 like I was. She was far more traditional, and would have one day left me when she wanted children. It was something we both knew from the start of the relationship. So, being in the city that one could find anything (so the stories go) I researched a way, and petitioned three different Goddesses for their blood (For the record, those were Loki, Freya and Hestia Herself). Mixing it all together and adding the rest of the ingredients, I had an Amazon potion that would (ahem) fix the problem.

Standard magical potion stuff. Take just before a full moon with your partner, grow a little extra anatomy, and boink until the evening after the full moon, when the extra anatomy would vanish.

Magic potion made, I proposed to her, saying I loved her so much, that I found a way for a true future between us. She accepted, we got married, and as above, took the potions, boinked, and nine months later, the two of us gave birth to a total of seven kids.

So yes, I am the proud father of four, and mother of three. Let's hear it for Amazons.

So where was I?

Right, almost three months after they were born.

"Ready for your first day back?" Bell asked me as he waited at the door to the nursery. "Haruhime did really well yesterday." He was already in full armour, a new set of adamant half plate, consisting of bracers, chest and shoulder plates, thigh guards and shin guards. He was an agile fighter type, so the rest of his armour consisted of durable but supple leather.

"So I heard." I replied, kissing Haruhime on the forehead, "Well love? Have everything you need?" As lovely as usual, her bright blond hair was done up in a pony tail, mostly to keep our kids from grabbing it and trying to drool on it. Deep green eyes looked up at me and she gave me her best smile.

"You just have to say goodbye to everyone." She said, hefting my twins, black haired, green eyed girls. "They don't seem picky at all on which one of us is here. Just that one of us is."

The kids were all still pretty tiny. Three months wasn't much time for growing, but they had all been gaining weight steadily, and our doctor, the Ganesha Familia head surgeon, had come by a few times, telling us all was well, and to make sure they didn't try and nibble on anything they shouldn't. Thankfully, most of them were either asleep, or just content to cuddle one another.

Leaning down into the crib we had built for them all, I started my usual morning ritual for the kids.

Blond hair, and ears that were just starting to perk up, golden eyes opened slightly as I gently booped his nose, and played with his ears. I did this until his tail, just starting to grow in proper fur, started to flop about lazily. "No need to wake." I said in Eastern, or what my old world would call 'old Japanese', "Sleep, rest, grow." My son blinked at me and made a really good attempt at a happy noise.

Haruhime's blond haired daughter, who also had her eyes, was sleeping, her tail twitching back and forth, "May you catch all you hunt, in both worlds." I whispered, lightly brushing the side of her fuzzy head with my palm.

Her other daughter, black haired and gold eyed like me, was trying to nibble on her sister's tail, but was failing to catch it. She hardly looked my way when I stroked my fingers over her chubby little cheek. "You'll catch it one day, but be gentle, and you'll hold it longer."

Bell chuckled quietly behind, "Seeing you be so gentle is always refreshing."

"All heroes have a soft side." I replied, "Else, they become villains." I tugged the little shirt of the next child down a little, but not before poking his belly button, "Remember that." I said to him. Black haired with green eyes, this one was sleeping, but cuddled between two others, and certainly content to be there.

"Thought of names yet?" Bell asked.

"A few." Haruhime said, "But I'm sure the Guild will wait a little longer before asking formally."

Last in the crib was our... Well, I didn't want to call this one an 'oddity'. But it really was. Snow white hair, two lazily swishing white tails, one green eye and one gold eye. This one was also a hermaphrodite. A strange side effect of how they were all conceived in the first place, but in perfect health otherwise. This one had also figured out how to capture its own tails... But not how to nibble on them yet. The two eyes looked up at me, and I felt compelled to pick the child up. "No matter what, no matter the names we give you, you are all going to grow up loved." I said quietly, rubbing my nose against theirs. Only when both tails were wagging happily did I put the child down again, smiling as it rolled over and clung to their brother's back.

Then there were my twin girls. Helpfully, Haruhime held them a little closer together, and I rubbed my cheeks against theirs until I got an attempt at a happy giggle from both of them. "That's right, Ko-san." Haruhime said, accepting another kiss from me, "Don't forget to take one of the occulus with you, just in case." She said, perking up as one of the kids in the crib made a little squeaky noise. "Oh dear, so starts feeding time."

"Make sure to drink that blended fruit juice I made." I said, turning to leave, "And if you really need to, that stuff to help with milk is in the cabinet."

"Be safe Ko-san." She replied just before I left the room, "We'll all be waiting for you."

"First day back on the job." Welf, our resident blacksmith said, hefting his weapon of choice, a wide bladed two handed sword, that looked kind of like a butcher knife. "How're you feeling sister?"

"Well, now that I've adjusted the bust on my armour..." The armour in question was made of black and rust red drake scale, in a sort of long coat, reaching just to the backs of my knees. My undercoat, also made of drake scale, had to be expanded slightly to accommodate my new cup size. Even then, I still felt a little compressed, but I felt like I could at least take a deep breath. "Thankfully, my leggings didn't need the same treatment."

"If you ask me, you should have made a suit of adamant, like the rest of us." Welf replied, looking back at our party.

"Shin guards and gauntlets are enough for me." I replied, "How about the rest of you? Any problems?"

Lilly, our just over a metre tall supporter with the titanic backpack, shook her head. She was wearing a special leather robe however, and unless she suddenly grew, taller or wider, she'd never have issue. I made sure to give her a pat on the head, just for being the best supporter ever. "Lilly is fine. This Goliath skin is warm enough all the time."

"No complaints from me." Mikoto, a lady Samurai, who was wearing a sort of hybrid set of actual samurai armour said, "Perhaps I should ask for a mempo." She continued, rubbing her chin, "I was not aware enough, and was hit by a rock across the face. Most embarrassing."

"I'll set up the clay when we get back." I replied, looking at her, and the rest of the the Takemikazuchi Familia. Mikoto was wearing her Samurai shoulder and leg panels, but had a plated leather vest and adamant shin guards and bracers. Asuka, a fist fighter and archer, was missing the panels, to compliment her speed and need for unobstructed limbs. Ouka, our spear man and second forward also had the plated leather, but pretty much from head to toe. He gave me a thumbs up when my eyes went by him. Chigusa, our other supporter, was a quite girl who was not so secretly in love with Ouka. Not really a fighter, she carried a tower shield, sized just for her short height, as well as wore the plated leather vest and adamant shin guards.

"So," Bell said, "Ready for a trip down to the eighteenth?" He asked me.

"Hope so. I doubt a year off would make me forget anything, but please, remind me if I made any mistakes.

To describe the dungeon in the fewest words possible... Capped by the tower of Babel, a silver spire of arcane construction, the dungeon was a near bottomless pit of endless monster spawns. Just like an modern day RPG, you could never clear the place out, simply because more would spawn. Like a living thing, the dungeon hated people, and would play the dirtiest tricks on you if you weren't paying attention.

There had been attempts to dig around the twisting passages and corridors, only to have the walls heal themselves, some times even trapping the person trying to dig within its embrace.

The way between some floors sometimes moved around. More than one adventurer had died this way, coming to a sudden end in the passage, instead of the ramp leading up a floor.

Sometimes, the dungeon walls, that spawned the monsters, would suddenly just flood the rooms and tunnels with monsters. Our personal worst was when more than thirty monsters spawned at once, in a space no bigger than a basketball court.

As with any game, the dungeon got more dangerous as you went deeper. The creatures getting stronger, but also smarter. Using magic, or other such abilities as well.

But, all monsters dropped the most valuable commodity in the world. The magic stone. Acting like the heart, and usually near it, the magic stone of a monster was used in almost everything in Orario. Lights, water purification, fridges, stoves, potions, agriculture... The list was nearly endless, and growing with every discovery. The innocent looking bit of dark crystal with little moving swirls inside it was sought out by every adventurer, and bought by the governing body of the city, the Guild, to be used by the city.

Sure, the monsters occasionally dropped other things before dissolving into black dust. Hide, teeth, scales, claws, horns, shell, fur. All could be treated and used. Processed into truly amazing things.

My coat was one such thing. The third incarnation of my armoured long coat, it had all the pockets I could need, was almost immune to fire, really good against cold, didn't conduct electricity, ignored acid like water, and wasn't all that heavy. It even had a hood, to protect my head and ears from what ever the dungeon might throw at me. Every scrap of my skill went into making it, and this would be its very first outing.

Except weapons though, I didn't make them. I was starting to make a name for myself in Orario, as the most diverse crafter in the city. I could mix potions, make magic items, build armour, tailor clothing, cook... If mortal hands could build it, then so could I. I was already fairly adept at just picking up a set of tools and building something, but on my back, in divine ink, I also had the skill.

That was the other thing about Orario, and the adventurers of the dungeon. Almost (there were some really crazy people occasionally) all of them were part of a Familia. Gifted with falna, by a literal God or Goddess, a person gained 'exillia' and gained stats. Broken down into simplest terms, what you did in your day to day life, reflected on your stats. And when a person's deity touched their back with Their divine blood, those stats increased permanently.

"So, finally decide on your development skill?" Bell asked, "I ended up with 'escape'... It was my only choice too, for my level four."

I reached into my coat, and pulled out a tattered bit of folded paper, "Actually, yes I did. Figured since it was my first day back, I should stop pacing and actually pick one." I offered him the sheet, "My stats are still almost zero on my new level... But considering the heaviest thing I've lifted is all seven of my kids..."

One of the little quirks of being a God, was you could basically photocopy a person's stats onto a bit of paper after an update. Mine read like this...

Kodori Level: 5

Power: 0-1

Endurance: 0-4

Dexterity: 0-3

Agility: 0-2

Magic: 0-52

Congenital Magic: Self Re-enforcement

Through will alone, boost basic stats and magic resistance.

-Home of the Goddess: Uses Congenital magic to grant natural armour.

-Judgement of the Goddess: Uses Congenital magic to grant increased strength.

Boost is greater in the defence of others.

-Guardian of the Gardens: Additive spell, summons multiple manifestations

-Call of the Goddess: Uses Congenital magic to grant increased dexterity and agility.

Congenital Magic: Outer manifestation

Creates manifestations of will. Greater magic use increases power.

Curse: Weapon's Bane

Weapons used to attack will break upon impact.

Titan's grip

Grants an unbreakable grip.

Titan's stance

Becomes immovable when Titan's grip is active.

Kitsune Manifestation

Grants bestial form.

Grants a boost in all stats.

May lose control.

May also be manifested.

Blood Alpha

Founder of an original bloodline, all manifestations increase in ability, mana cost becomes more efficient.

Fire resistance

Is immune to most normal fire, and some magical fire.

Mage: B

Crafting: C-B

Abnormal Resistance E

Magic Resistance H

It can be broken down into 'stats' 'skills' 'quirks' and 'developmental abilities'. My stats look low, but I recently managed to hit level five. On paper, all gains from the last levels stay, but the number on the sheet goes back to zero, to build up again. Due to all of the idiocy Hermes set up for us, there was no shortage of opportunity for massive stat gains. That, and we all trained like maniacs, when we had time.

Skills, were like magic and the like. For me, they dealt with my internal mana being used to boost my base stats. I had limits, but when I was focused enough, I was able to take on much more than I had any right to be able to. And with Haruhime, who had the exact opposite of my magic, the ability to give others a boost... We were nearly unstoppable.

The 'quirks' are things like being cursed, or having an unbreakable grip. As you can see, the reason I don't make weapons, is because I can't use them. And if I can't trust something, I won't give it to someone else. I trust my armour craft however.

Last is the developmental abilities. Welf, our smith, obviously has the 'blacksmith' skill. With it, his work is just... Better. Sure, a highly skilled smith can make excellent work, but when you have the developmental skill, your work is literally guided by the divine. I have 'crafting'. A jack of all trades skill for making things. Even though it is quite high, unless I actually specialize with the additional skill, I'll never be as good as someone with the skill. But, with a little extra effort, I can do things like make enchanted items or mix really good potions.

Oh, then there is ranking. The lowest is 'I', all the way up to 'A' or in exceptional cases, 'S'.

"Magic resistance hm?" Bell commented, handing my sheet back, "Maybe Miss Kodori will keep her hair after being hit with fire?"

"Ha-chan suggested that too." I replied, making our group chuckle. I had horrible luck with fire. Enough that even the Gods took pity on me, and made me mostly immune to it. However, hair wasn't 'alive' and so it was unprotected, and I'd been scorched bald quite a few times. Kind of depressing actually. On the bright side, I could literally forge metal with my bare hands. My best guess was roughly 2000 degrees Celsius, before I started to get blisters.

"Well, we'll find out when we start fighting hell hounds." Ouka said, "I'd say it's a shame we are only making it a day trip, but I have to say, your kids are really adorable."

"Lady Haruhime has been looking very happy, ever since you two married. Even more since your children were born." Mikoto added, "I look forward to being a big sister."

"Being a big sister is hard." I said with a laugh, "But I'm glad I got the day off... Adorable and fluffy, sure, but a little break is nice."

"Haruhime said the same thing yesterday." Asuka said, "Oh, want to see if there is anything on the job board before we head down?"

To put a little more perspective into the dungeon... The upper floors, say, one to six, were good for the solo or paired party who were just starting out. Basic level one, equipped with a pointy stick and pot lid dungeon. Not literally, the guild would never let someone in who was using just that.

Seven to twelve, were small parties of level ones, or the solo/paired level two. Heavier monsters, like horse sized armadillo monsters called 'hard armoured', the two metre tall orcs, hell hounds...

Twelve to seventeen were for the more serious groups of level two adventurers. Hell hound packs, Minotaur, sabre toothed tiger kind of things, small magic casting imps. These were things that could seriously do a person harm if they weren't paying attention.

Then there was the oddity that was the eighteenth floor. Basically, it was like someone had an idea of what the upper world looked like, and compressed it into a giant room. Fifty or so metres high, and maybe a kilometre across, it was a forest. Underground. The trees even had the occasional fruit growing on them. But if you looked just under the surface, by say, overturning a rock, you'd just see bare dungeon floor. No bugs. No real 'soil'.

The dungeon is a crazy place.

Past that, were the levels I'd only just brushed. Car sized beetles, dragonflies as big as a sword, and just as sharp, the occasional fire bird... Even though I was level five, and could probably just go down to the twenty fifth floor by myself, with all of the things Hestia and Takemikazuchi Familia had to deal with, we just hadn't had the time. One day I would.

Around the fourteenth floor is when we started to slow our descent, and get to monster hunting. Our first encounter was simple, a half dozen rabbit like monsters, who liked to pick up bits of the dungeon to use as clubs. It might not sound terribly threatening, but those clubs were heavy, and occasionally got thrown. Even a goblin, from the first floor, was as strong as a full grown man. It only got worse as you went down.

Minotaur were another troublesome one. The guild suggested you only try to kill one at level two. Bell managed it at level one, but he was very determined, and had trained really well, outsmarting it and managing to cripple it first before blowing it up with his magic, firebolt.

"Stop playing with it." Welf chided me as I held the two horns of a minotaur, "I mean sure, you're strong, but we have work to do."

My feet dug into the ground, as the much taller bull headed monster tried to toss me aside, only to find itself simply unable to. "Just..." I got it to lower its head just a little more, "Getting..." With a sharp twist, then a second one, the monster simply flopped dead at my feet, its neck snapping wetly, before I twisted its horns off its skull with a series of cracks and pops. "Warmed up."

"Lady Kodori is a bully." Lilly said.

"One shouldn't play with their kills." Mikoto chided me.

"Oh come on..." I replied, giving the minotaur a firm kick in the still open eye to make sure it really was dead, then putting the horns into a pouch to give to Lilly later, "I've been housebound for months now. Just making sure I can still fight."

Being level five, and Bell at level four, we really did have an easy time of things. I stopped fooling around, for the most part, and fought things seriously, as if everything in the dungeon could kill me. Even though almost nothing before the eighteenth floor could even break my skin.

"Hey love." I said as we took a lunch break on the eighteenth floor, basking in the artificial glow of the giant white crystal suspended from the ceiling. I held the occulus, a green glass sphere that acted as a kind of communicator that one could talk through, and see the other side with. They came in pairs, and if one broke, the other became useless. "Is it nap time again?"

"Mostly." Haruhime said quietly, her lovely round face a little distorted by the edges of the tiny 'screen' she was on. "I'm a little sore, but feel so much lighter after lunch time."

"I was feeling that yesterday too, when you took your first day back. There's a little ointment in the cabinet, if you need it. Blue jar." I replied, smiling.

"Ko-san is so thoughtful." She replied, "Oh... someone needs a little attention..." I saw one of her pointed fluffy fox ears rotate towards something behind her, "I'll see you all for dinner. Lord Takemikazuchi is going to try dessert again, and Wiene promised to make the bread tonight."

"I look forward to that." I replied, getting a few mumbled 'me too's from the group around me.

"Take care my love." Haruhime said, before the occulus went dark, my wife tucking it into her kimono top.

"As if I needed more reason to return home safe?" I said to no one in particular.

"Do you think it will take much time?" Asuka asked, "I know the plan was a trip to the eighteenth, then load ourselves up with fur and horns..."

Instead of going back up, as Asuka just mentioned, we all kind of gravitated towards the entrance to the nineteenth floor. "Lilly saw the listing for beetle shell..." Lilly said while petting one of my tails as it flopped over her shoulder affectionately. "It pays very well, but it wasn't an official request."

"Hm. Well, we have time." I said, "And with Bell and I, I'm sure we can peel a few of them without the carapace dissolving." Monsters didn't always drop items. A lot of the time they simply dissolved into black dust, to be absorbed back into the dungeon. But Bell, with his 'Luck' development skill, and my unbreakable grip, we were almost always loaded down with drop items on any serious trip into the dungeon. "I've also been itching to try new materials. Shell sounds interesting."

"Bell? You're still captain." Mikoto said.

"We'll spend an hour then." Bell said, "Or until we fill the request, and a little extra, for Miss Kodori."

Even though I've known him for over two years, AND married, Bell still calls me Miss. I tried to break him of the habit, but, gave up long ago.

"Left!" Bell shouted, turning everyone who wasn't already engaged in combat to look to the left side of the room, and the tunnel leading out of the room.

The floor vibrated slightly as a two metre long bear monster with an owl's face lumbered into the room, "I'll hold the tunnel!" Chigusa called out, bracing it in front of her, and running at the owlbear.

"Me too!" Ouka called as well, levelling his spear and trying to jab it into one of the owlbear's eyes as it reared up to try and get around Chigusa's shield.

"Beetles, centre tunnel!" Mikoto called, "Engaging!"

"Covering!" Asuka called out, her longbow creaking as she drew it back.

"Assisting!" Lilly added, her little modified hand crossbow unloading, her other hand pulling the handle under the neck to draw the string back.

I couldn't help but feel proud at how smooth they were all acting. Long LONG days of training, drilling, and fighting, had honed us all into a well oiled machine. "Kodori!" Bell called, "I'll cover, help Mikoto!"

"Charging!" I called out, passing Bell as he fell back to cover Lilly and Asuka.

The beetles we were after, were kind of like stag beetles, except the length of a car, and about hip high. Massive mandibles with razor sharp edges could take an unprotected limb off almost instantly, while the sheer weight of them could simply trample you underfoot. Mikoto, her katana flashing as she expertly aimed at joints and gaps in the exoskeleton, waited until the last instant to hop sideways, clearing the path for me to drive a low, hip level punch, right above the beetle's mouth, right between the little round eyes.

CRACK!

"Too hard!" Welf called out, "Can't salvage shards!" He then went to help kill the owlbear.

Hopping over a frantically swung mandible, I slapped my palm against the top of the next segment of the beetle's shell, curled my fingers slightly, and yanked backwards. A wet pop, and the dinner plate sized segment ripped free, making the monster shriek in pain, before I plunged my other hand into the now exposed body, and ripped out the magic stone. "HA!" I said, hopping away, pocketing the magic stone and avoiding a second beetle as it entered the room. "Still got it!" The shell went in with the minotaur horns as well.

"Now you're just showing off" Asuka said, turning towards the side of the room we had entered, and shooting down a sword edged dragonfly, "Not this time." She said, having once nearly been killed by one.

I had to admit, I was having a blast. We were all in top form, the loot was good, and...

"What was that?" Bell said, the owlbear going down with a gurgle as Ouka stabbed it quite solidly in the throat. "Did you feel that?"

Welf brought his weapon, a cleaver shaped two handed sword down on the owlbear's head, "No?" He said, pulling the blade free from the quite dead monster. "Wait..."

It was the sound that no adventurer worth the name could miss. The cracking of the dungeon walls, as it spawned a monster. Like a stone skinned blister, all monsters arrived this way. Except... It wasn't just the sound. I could feel the vibrations through the floor. This wasn't just a couple... This was a hoard.

"I think it's time to go. Something is wrong!" Bell said, "Lilly, Chigusa, finish those, then everyone out!"

The dungeon was screaming. I'd never felt, or heard such a thing in my admittedly short stint as an adventurer. The only thing that came close, is when the sky crystal above floor eighteen spawned the twenty metre tall Black Goliath. This was different though. The dungeon was angry, and sounded... in pain.

Howls of hot dungeon air from the lower floors followed us as we ran back towards the eighteenth. Monsters were spawning from almost every surface big enough to allow it, but thankfully, we didn't have to fight them, as they weren't instantly able to fight.

Then the floor started cracking.

"This is insane! What's going on?!" Ouka yelled over the noise, having to stop to jam his spear into a still recovering beetle and heave it to the side just to get it out of the way. "Unless it tunnels, the floor never spawns monsters!"

"It's just that kind of day then!" I called back, also having to stop, catching a dragonfly and crushing it in my hand before it could bite my nose.

We were almost there, the red light of the 'sun stone's' early evening just ahead.

Then the floor tilted crazily to my left, nearly toppling me, but my tails, stronger than they looked and also blessed with unbreakable grip, latched on to bits of the floor and wall before I could slam into it.

"What the hell?" I said, looking at the floor.

Before I came here, to Orario, I lived in modern day Earth. A factory wage slave, I had very few passions left to me. Fantasy books and Anime were two of those, and around me, about halfway out of the wall and surrounding me, I recognized a magic circle. White, with what looked like Norse runes circling around just inside the outer edge, it started glowing intensely.

My near tumble and being the rear guard had distanced me a little from the rest, though Lilly had turned just in time to see the circle appear around me.

"Lady Kodori!" She called out, running back towards me as I got myself balanced and tried to get out of the circle before... well, what ever it was going to do, happened.

Just before I reached the edge of the circle, the others all turning to look at me, the dungeon screamed again, hot air blasting from below.

And with a flash of light, the runes went still, and they, my Familia and friends, vanished from my sight.

Noooootes!

There, one beginning, made to order. Or something.

Magic resistance won the vote just over Mystery. Like... a two vote difference.

So begins the DxD arc. In five days, (I think I'll still manage that update schedule.) I'll put up chapter two!

Questions, comments, sad faces, etc, all go in the comment section. I reply to all questions within reason. :)