The sun had barely made itself visible in the early morning sky, yet the town of Etria was already well awake and buzzing with activity, thanks to its "main attraction site", so to speak.

Said site wasn't something so common as the Golden Deer pub, despite its delicious meals and drinks, or the Rooster inn, even though its hospitality and chambers were praised around the land. No, it was thanks to the neighboring forest : indeed, it was said to be the home of many a legend, were it riches, knowledge, or simply the call of adventure itself, needless to say, it attracted quite a lot of bold souls, trying to conquer the mysterious forest and what it could possibly have.

However, what was also part of the mystery was the difficulty of scaling this forest, for it was not only shaped like a labyrinth, but also hiding many bloodthirsty monsters. For the many adventurers who tried their luck at scaling the labyrinth, barely a tenth of them returned alive, and even less of them had the spirit to carry on.

Still, the forest made itself known across the land for its mysteries. Eventually, it was given a proper name : the Yggdrasil labyrinth. And the number of adventurers coming to try and scale it was constantly increasing, to the point where the town's entire economy was based around it : a provision shop was set in town, selling medicine, weapons and armor, and the inn and pub's respective businesses were also increasing, due to the numerous adventurers who needed to rest after a harsh day of fighting.

Even despite the very much known treat of potential death in the labyrinth, countless adventurers came in Etria each day. The town even had to post guards at the town entrance to try and make sure not too many people entered into the town at once, making access to the town rather... tedious, for some of these visitors.

In the waiting file in front of Etria's gate was a tall man with brown hair and eyes, clad in armor from neck to toes, patiently waiting his turn to go through customs. He was holding a huge shield to his side, almost as tall as him, and a sheathed sword at his hip.

At his side was a young woman, with long, spiky red-brown hair, and matching eyes. She was also wearing a shoulder shield, armored boots and gauntlets, and rested an axe on her back. She looked very much tired and impatient, compared to him.

"Chris, are we there yet?" she asked, rubbing her eye, in an attempt to stay fully awake.

"Just a couple more moments, and we'll reach the gate," he assured her.

"Didn't you say that the last time I asked?"

"...Which was ten minutes ago, Sophie. The less you ask, the faster it'll be."

"That's the last time we wake up at three in the morning to go to an overpopulated town."

"I thought you'd be excited to finally get on your first adventure, sis." answered the knight, with a small smile.

"I am! I'm just both excited and half-asleep, my brain can't decide between the two and if this keeps up, I'm gonna start hallucinating!" The armored giant just shook his head at his sister's short rant before looking forward, and smiling once he noticed the man in front of them had already passed through the gate.

"Next!" said one of the guards. Taking their cue, the two adventurers walked up to the guards and let them check their belongings. One of the guard, holding some documents in his hands, started asking questions to the two :

"Names?"

"Christoph and Sophie Guarain." answered the knight.

"Profession?"

"Mercenaries."

"How long are you staying in Etria?"

"We don't know..." yawned Sophie.

The guard kept writing on the sheet without addressing to the two mercenaries for a while, which made them worried they wouldn't get to enter the town.

"...Alright, everything seems in order," said the guard, after a minute of writing down on his documents. To Sophie's surprise (and much to her convenience), this was going to be much easier than she thought.

"Welcome to Etria. We hope you enjoy your stay. Next!" He quickly gestured them to enter the town, which they promptly did.

The sun was now fully visible in the sky, and the town's bell rang seven times, announcing it was currently seven o'clock.

The two siblings looked around them, noticing how active the town was : hundreds of fellow adventurers were scattered about the town, some heading toward the inn, some to the pub... and most of them toward a large building with the words "Explorers Guild" on a nearby sign.

"Chris, we are not gonna wait another three hours in a damn file."

"We'll have to wait either way, Sophie. We can can go wait at the pub if you prefer. And eat breakfast, too."

"Best idea you had so far, big bro." And with that, the pair headed to the Golden Deer pub.

...Only to immediately notice that the pub was also filled with people. Almost every table was already being occupied by one band of adventurer or another. Sophie prayed that her and her brother may "find one place in this goddamn town that wasn't filled to the brim with people, for a change", before the barmaid, a woman with long, light-brown hair and matching eyes, noticed the pair and called to them.

"Hey there, kiddos! Come on in!" Once they did so, she quickly gave a plate of beers to a patron, before talking to the pair again, noticing their armor. "More adventurers, uh? What can I get for you two?"

"Just a beer, please."

"Food, please. Lots of it, I don't care what. Oh, and coffee, too."

She addressed a quick chuckle at Sophie's order. "Alright then, go get yourselves a seat and- Hey!" Her attention was quickly turned to one of her patrons resting their legs on the table. "What did I say about boots on my tables?" she yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the figure, who spared a lazy glance at the barmaid. "Yes, I'm talking to you. Now put your feet of my table, or so help me!"

The figure answered the barmaid's outburst by sitting properly... and flipping her off. She ignored that last motion, however, as she turned to the pair of mercenaries. "Sorry about that. I'll go get your orders. Go get a seat!"

Seeing no other free tables, the two started making their way to the lazy patron's table. Now that they were close enough, they could see it was a blonde woman, wearing a fedora and an attire typical of survivalists. Her left eye was green, while her right eye - or what was supposed to be her right eye - was hidden behind a black band.

They also noticed she wasn't sitting alone : a man, wearing a brown hood, some chains and a little bell around his neck, with pale skin, light green hair and red eyes, was sitting still on his chair, gazing at a piece of paper, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

"...You're gonna stare at us all day, or are you gonna sit, already?" asked the survivalist. Once the two mercenaries took a seat at the table, there was a small silence before she asked them : "Y'guys are here for the labyrinth?"

"Take a wild guess," bitterly answered Sophie. Her brother glared at her, quietly asking her not to start a scene.

"I'm just askin', calm down," answered the blonde. "Just sayin', it's usually better to head down there with an actual party, y'know?"

Sophie sighed before asking : "What do you want?"

"She's asking if we can join you." answered the robbed man, matter-of-factly. "It'll be easier for you if you have more people fighting with you," He didn't raise his head, still looking at the sheet on the table.

The blonde gave a quick snicker before looking at her companion. "C'mon, where are your manners, mate? We didn't even introduce ourselves yet."

"I'm just saving us some time," he answered.

Silence again. Then the knight speaks up : "Very well, let's start over : my name is Christoph Guarain, and this is my sister, Sophie. We are working as mercenaries, and traveled to Etria after hearing about the labyrinth."

The blonde then asked : "Any reason ya chose to move in to World-Tree town, aside from the riches?"

"We got tired of bounty hunting," Sophie quickly said. "What about you two?"

"I seek knowledge about the labyrinth. About its origins, to be exact. I don't care about receiving payment, I just want to satisfy my curiosity," stated the hooded man.

"I see. May we have your name, then?" asked the knight.

"Ash Mentis," he quietly answered.

"Alright, what about you?" asked Sophie, turning her attention to the woman.

"Name's Billie. And I'll be honest, I'm doin' this for the pay. From what I've heard, whatever's salvageable down there can be worth a good amount of ental." At the two mercenaries' amused expressions, she added : "Hey, gotta make my life too, right?"

Ash looked up from the sheet and shook his head. "You literally have a thousand better, less dangerous ways to get paid-"

"Where's the fun in that? If I'm makin' cash, I want to have fun doin' it. To live a little, y'know?"

"...You're going to get yourself killed, I swear..."

"So? That's part of the adventurin' life, ain't it?" The man simply sighed, not wanting to keep the argument going any further.

"Very well," said Christoph. "What can you two do on the field?"

"You first, Sir knight," jokingly asked Billie. His answer was to pick his shield up and placing it back down on the ground, causing it to shake a little.

"This here is my shield.I trust you can guess what kind of role I fulfill," he said, with a hint of confidence in his voice.

Sophie reached for her axe on her back, without drawing it. "That's my first labyrinth-scaling, but I'm pretty sure I can hold my own with my axe. So, how do you two work?"

Ash, having now discarded the sheet, addressed the mercenaries by looking at them. "I'm not much of a direct fighter, but I can cast curses to manipulate monsters' minds to leave them open for attacks, or to suppress their will to fight altogether."

Billie then admitted : "I can use a bow, but I'm no archery champion. Fighting ain't exactly my forte, but I know how to make better use of medicine. So, we're good?"

The barmaid then delivered their orders on the table, with a cheerful "Eat up before it gets cold!" before leaving the band to their discussion.

"Once we're done eating, we'll head to the Explorers guild. Take your time," said Christoph, slowly drinking his beer. Sophie then proceeded to scarf down her plate, prompting Billie to laugh, Ash to shake his head, and Christoph to face-palm.

10 AM

The guildmaster of Etria had just finished registering another newcoming guild - the thirtieth this day, he counted - and was now sitting at his office, mumbling about the impatience of these newcomers.

Most of these young souls were too focused on rushing down the labyrinth and reaching it's deepest level as soon as possible, rather than making actual step-by-step progress. This kind of recklessness can cost one their life in Yggdrasil, or, if they're extremely lucky, they might survive, but with scars that won't fade with time, whether physical... or emotional.

He knew that from personal experience, after all.

His brooding was interupted by a knock on the door. "It's open, come in," He was then greeted by a few familiar faces : a tall, dark-blue haired ronin with sharp, blue eyes and a small, pale hexer with fiery hair and yellow eyes. Ren and Tlachtga, Etria's most renowned explorers.

He spotted a third figure, however : a second ronin, not quite as tall as Ren, wearing chest-wraps and red pants, wearing her blue hair tied in a ponytail, and amber eyes. Unlike her two companions, she looked around the building, a little uneasy.

"Guildmaster," greeted Ren, with her usual, serious tone.

"Hey Ren. Being a while since you two paid a visit," The guildmaster then turned his attention to the younger ronin. "Didn't know you were taking apprentices, though. You here to register her?"

"No. Well, not with Tlachtga and I," answered the tall ronin. "We're being assigned to lower floors for now, to deal with the wolf pack before it becomes more problematic." She looked at the younger ronin behind her before continuing, "I don't think Hitomi is ready for this, right now. It'll be better for her to start on the first floor."

"Why don't you tag along with her, then?" Her only answer was an exasperated sigh. "The chieftain's insisting that much, now?"

"He thinks we're the only two capable of keeping adventurers in check. He hardly trusts the guards anymore."

"Alright. Just thinking she'd be safer with you two. Besides, if she's anything like you, she'd learn in no time."

"...This isn't the point," she answered with a shake of her head. Before she decides to elaborate on that last statement, however... "Nevermind that. I trust you can help her find a guild, right?"

"I get it, you don't want her to get lazy while you're away," he answered, with his usual laid-back smile. "Alright, you can count on me. I'll make sure she gets responsible teammates."

Ren gave a quick nod to the guildmaster. "Thank you. Now if you'll excuse us, Tlachtga and I must regain our posts back on the third level."

"Before the chieftain starts throwing a fit, right?" he jokingly asked.

"Aye," She then turned to face the younger ronin. "Listen to what the guildmaster says. And whatever happens in the labyrinth, do not act rashly. Understood?" she asked - or rather, demanded - in a stern tone.

"Yes, Sensei," answered the pupil, bowing.

Ren nodded, before making her way to the exit. "Come, Tlachtga." Without a word, the hexer looked at the two people who were left in the building, before following Ren back to the labyrinth.

Being left with the guildmaster, the pupil looked at her surroundings, in an awkward manner, unsure of what to do next. "So, umm..."

"Take a seat," the former explorer simply gestured her to a chair. He took some sheets from his drawer and put them on the table. "Hitomi, was it?"

"Yes." she answered, siting on the chair in front of the office.

"Okay then, Hitomi. First thing we're gonna do is find you a good crew. A group of five is usually the best for exploring. It's just the right amount of people."

"...Okay. I don't think I'd do as well as Sensei or Tlachtga on my own, to be honest," she answered bashfully, rubbing the back of her head and laughing in embarrassment.

"Some people do try to scale Yggdrasil alone," he explained, "but that takes a lot of skill and guts to pull off. And if your boss learns that I sent you down there on your own, she'd rip me limb from limb. Slowly."

That last comment sent a shiver down both of their spines, but Hitomi was surprised that some people actually tried to venture alone. Emphasis on "tried", though.

"If you want, you can make your own guild." When the ronin shook her head at the idea, the guildmaster rose an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"I don't think I'm ready to be a leader. I'm already a b-bit on edge at the idea of fighting for my life, s-so..."

"Aren't ronins trained for life-or-death situations?" The ronin blushed at the question, and looked at the ground in embarrassment. "Relax, I'm just kidding. It's normal to be nervous about that. It's a good thing, too."

"Is it?" she asked, looking back up.

"It shows that you're careful about this. I've seen too many young folks just trying to rush down there, without regard for their safety." He paused, before continuing, his tone becoming more serious. "These guys usually end up becoming monster chow, and not on the lower levels of the labyrinth, either."

The ronin started shifting a bit uncomfortably in her chair, a bit shaken by that speech.

"Sorry, I shouldn't be rambling like that." His smile returned to his face, and he adopted a more laid-back composure. "Well, all we can do is wait for adventurers willing to take you in. Don't worry, though. Shouldn't be too-"

He was interrupted by a knock on the door, though he heard some voices on the other side.

"Come in." At his request, a group of people - four of them - entered the building : A tall protector, a long-haired landsknecht, a hexer in a brown cloak, and a survivalist wearing a hat.

"Here to sign up, I take it?" He looked at the protector's stern expression for a moment. "You don't look like a rookie to me. You sure I didn't registered you already?"

"I am new to Etria, yes. But this isn't my first exploration," answered the knight.

At this declaration, the guildmaster looked a little surprised. "That so? Well regardless, we still have to go through the procedure."

"Before we do sign in," added the protector, sparing a quick glance at Hitomi, "I'd like to know if we can recruit one more person to our group. We still have one spot free."

The guildmaster couldn't help but letting out a small chuckle. "Well it's your lucky day. Turns out Hitomi here is looking for a group, too."

At the mention of her name, Hitomi jumped down from her chair and stood straight before the knight, trying to look as serious as possible.

The giant simply smiled and held his hand up, signaling her to calm down. "There's no need to be so alarmed, now. Let me introduce my comrades and myself : I am Christoph, and this is Sophie, Ash, and Billie," he said, pointing and the landsknecht, hexer, and survivalist, in that order.

"I'm Hitomi- oh. Right, he already told you." She rubbed her head in embarrassment again and looked at the ground, not making eye contact with the group.

"Hey, take it easy," said Sophie, "We're going to be teammates, no need to be shy."

Hitomi brought her fists up. "But-!" When she noticed everyone's startled -or in the guildmaster and Christoph's case, amused- expressions, she quickly paused, and started rubbing her head again. "Sorry, I d-didn't mean to shout." She looked at the group, before adding, "But I want to make my Sensei proud. She didn't let me join her, but I want her to know that she taught me well." She looked a little embarrassed after explaining her motivations and, again, looked at the floor, blushing.

"It's fine. There ain't any bad reason to go through Yggdrasil," said Billie, crossing her arms between her head. "As long as y'feel y'can do it, it's all that matters, really."

"If you're all set," said the guildmaster, pointing at the sheet on the table, "sign your names here. And the leader - which I'm gonna assume is Christoph - will have to enter the guild's name here, as well."

Everyone entered their name on the guild sheet, Christoph going last, to give him time to think of a name. He already had one in mind, however.

Going last, he entered his full name above the others', and the guild's name. Once he was done, he gave it to the guildmaster, who looked at the name.

"'Casus'? Is that latin?" he asked.

"It's the name we took on my first exploration. Its meaning depends on how one interprets it, but here it stands for our reasons to fight together."

"You mean 'Casus Belli', yes?" asked Ash.

"Yes, although there wasn't enough space to enter the full name," admitted Christoph, somewhat bashfully.

"That's that taken care off. Your next stop should be the Radha Hall. They'll give you access to the labyrinth." Having done his job, the guildmaster rested lazily in his chair, his arms crossed.

"We will. Thank you, Guildmaster." With that, the group departed from the Explorers' guild.

"See you 'round, don't become monster chow."

A/N : So, I finally decided to write something, for a change. I don't plan on doing this full-time, though, so updates may not be frequent (assuming I do write more chapters, which, hopefully, I will).

I don't have much else to say (aside from asking for reviews, but that's rather obvious), so I'll see you later (in the next chapter, hopefully).