Chapter 1-The first breath

Gasping for air, the four teens inhaled their first breaths initiating their new lives in the world of DanMachi. With each gulp of the woodland air, its freshness startled them awakening new senses and a growing excitement. Unbeknownst to the teens their new bodies were just as ready to start exploring and growing as they were. With a jolt of energy and enthusiasm, they staggered to their feet. Their new bodies' movements felt a little disorderly; new heights, appendages and builds throwing off their shaky balance. Finally opening their eyes, the four teens surveyed the landscape that lay before them: dark-wood trees rose like scaffolding around them, a trickling river babbled nearby and freshly fallen leaves rustled underfoot. It was a far cry from the bustling streets of the city they once inhabited; it was serene.

Soon after, they each noticed the other three figures that stood nearby- well at least three of them did. While this was all going on, the fourth seemed to be too busy admiring himself. Giggles erupted from the rest of the group, 'this is or was Luke' they concluded despite the form before them bearing no resemblance to the one they knew. The new Luke although not much taller than his previous self-standing at around 6'2 now looked a lot less human like. He ran his fingers along the two, brown horns curving outwards in a flat arc that now adorned his head. In doing so, his broad shoulders and arms flexed impressively, causing Luke to admire himself more closely; his shoulder-length, chestnut hair falling unexpectedly in front of his greyish blue eyes. His intense stare and shadowed brow left the group with an unnerving feeling. With the help of his new, larger, fattier, more defined mass and lightly tanned skin the impression of a raging bull was further internalized by the others -who now wondered if this was just a loose minotaur-. With a look of satisfaction about his new body, he stepped forward announcing he would move forward with the chosen name of Logar Boldmane (as he agreed upon with the god). Although his voice was unrecognisably deeper, the slight Irish twang that the group had come to love was still present, thankfully signifying that this was still the same friend they knew from before. Despite just proudly proclaiming his new identity, the only thought in the others minds were - "a huge cow man?" they exclaimed simultaneously. Rather irritated by this simplification Logar corrected them, "bull man, I'm a bull man come on guys". He rolled his eyes.

With that, the group's gaze fell on the cat looking man who stood not much shorter than Logar. His yellow cat-like eyes featured a dark pupil that shifted from a slit to a friendlier oval with the realisation that this large Bull man was in fact an ally. Calming down, he brushed his silky black hair tentatively behind his new cat-like ears. They twitched inquisitively in the breeze. A multitude of sounds echoed through the trees vying for his scattered attention. Taking a deep breath, he informed the group, "I plan on going forward as Nereus Felagi". Logar furrowed his brow, "Alex?". Nodding his head in confirmation, Nereus looked around for approval, his amber eyes almost glowing in the shadow of the woodland canopy. The group smiled back enthusiastically, causing him to chuckle awkwardly baring a newly acquired set of fangs. Although this new development was shocking to the group, their focus shifted to the sleek, black tail that swayed nervously from side to side occasionally peeking past his lean, tanned figure. Nereus spun round in shock, inspecting his new tail curiously, coaxing a laugh from the group.

Noticing a shorter figure chuckling away behind him, he stopped, unimpressed at his audience.

The shortest of the group stepped forward, her short, maroon hair bouncing as she went. The two longer braids that framed her pale face fell forward; the metallic beads woven throughout glinted in the dappled woodland light, drawing attention to her now pointed ears. Hoops, chains, and cuffs decorated them, clinking softly with each movement she made. This -they collectively guessed- would be Orla. "I..." she paused to consider her next words, "will henceforth be named Arina Delaney" After watching each other examine new appendages such as horns and tails, this announcement was almost too normal for the group. Taking this information on board, the fourth member of the group reached down as if to jokingly flick Arina's newly acquired ears. Immediately, he had his hand swatted furiously away by the small half breed. Hastily, she pulled up the hood of her cloak, casting a shadow across her brow. Beneath a smearing of dark war paint that streaked across her nose, her pine green eyes glimmered with aggravation. Glaring up at the joker she retaliated, "Looks like someone finally reached average height". The group snorted at this rather personal remark.

Now feigning a look of indignation, the fourth figure muttered "Always so quick to hit me even now". Turning to follow the voice, the group's gaze settled on the forehead of the speaker, where a symbol (almost as bold as the offensive act he nearly committed) sat: the Norse mark for berserker. This, accompanied by deep crimson eyes, forged the look of a new creature… no, a hunter that would wreak havoc on the peaceful lives of those he would come to call prey. Just as animalistic as his eyes, his now prominent canines flashed menacingly as he spoke, and a pair of grey wolf ears adorned his head. Running his fingers up to their blackened tips and down his majestic Viking braid that lay securely between, his ears swivelled curiously. Contrasting the lupine grey comprising the majority of his hair, the shaved underside was dark and slick, mirroring the markings of his ears perfectly. Further adding to his wolf-like silhouette was a long, bushy tail that swished gently from side to side revealing layers of dark grey underfur with lighter grey outer fur peppered overtop. Starting to feel the expectant looks of the others upon himself, he spoke "Well I guess it's my turn now then, I'll be going forward as Vargr Voxtr". After taking a moment, Logar -in an amused tone- snickered "well let's hope the wolf and cat don't fight like cats and dogs", prompting a round of laughter. He proceeded "well everyone, now that Kyle has finally gotten his introduction out of the way I'd say we look around and find a spot to camp for the night as it is getting late and it will take a few days to get to Orario anyway from the looks of it". Receiving a round of nods from the group they all turned and set off, looking for a place to camp.