"I think we're almost there. Look, I can see something down at the end of the valley now."
"Huh...? Oh hey, you're right! That's it, that must be Etria! Guys, we can see it now! Heeey!"
A young man looked up from his backpack, slinging the bag's straps over his shoulders and adjusting the sheathed blade on his belt, then glancing over at the two explorers standing up at the crest of the grassy, forested hill. An older man in a white coat waved his arms in excitement, his messy mop of hair bouncing as he beckoned at his teammates, but he stopped when the small girl next to him tugged sharply on his medical satchel, rustling the various supplies inside. A gentle, late evening breeze rolled across the well-traveled road, ever-so-slightly shaking the trees. The swordsman opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off by someone else behind him.
"Yeah, it's great that you can see it, Damien, but are we gonna make it to this place before midnight?" He turned his head to stare at the woman that had spoken up, the fading specks of sunlight glinting on her armor, her shield and her hammer; she stomped towards the pair of explorers, not even giving him a passing glance. "We haven't stopped walking since we left Kamafu this morning, I'm still pissed off that we didn't even take a break for lunch! I'm pretty damn worn out, so if-"
"It looks like an hour's walk at most, Naomi," The young girl answered smoothly, striding over to close the distance between her and the fortress, reaching up and toying with her red hairband as the wind ruffled her bangs, and she folded her arms to keep her bow from sliding onto the dirt. Naomi slowed to a stop when she reached the sniper, who paused for a moment or two before continuing. "You can go and check for yourself. We've been going north and east like the folk at Kamafu told us to, so the town down there has to be Etria."
"Are you sure, Sahra?" The swordsman asked before Naomi could respond, and he took a couple steps forward, a prickle of anticipation running down his spine. His friend nodded stoically, turning where she stood and gesturing towards the path, and as Naomi marched ahead, heading right for Damien, the swordsman nodded. "Good... I was hoping we wouldn't have to camp out tonight."
Sahra nodded back before jogging up the hill again, arrows rattling in her quiver as she dug her heels into the soil. The swordsman took a deep breath, bringing a hand in front of his chin to keep from inhaling the puffs of dust the sniper had kicked up from the trail, and peered back down the way they had come, a smile dimpling his cheeks as another figure made her way through the woods. A cream-furred beastwoman, long blonde hair falling down her padded dress, slowed down, peering briefly over her shoulder to see what he was looking at, then looking back, her head cocked in confusion. Her eyes widened when the explorer reached out to her, and she shyly smiled back at him, taking his hand.
"Are we finally there, Skylar?" She said softly, tail wagging rapidly back and forth.
"Yeah, Hanae, we're there," Skylar replied, rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand as he helped the bushi up the hill. "Sounds like we'll make it to town by nightfall."
Hanae sighed, noticeably relaxing at her friend's words, and she tightened her grip on her katana's scabbard to stifle the jingling of the coin purse hanging from the hardened leather. Skylar scooted over to her side, taking one last peek behind before shaking his head at the road ahead of them, and they ambled up and over the hill, stars winking into existence above their heads. The evening wore on, the sky's pink and orange hues fading faster and faster, and swordsman and bushi both caught up with their teammates, waiting for them a short distance away.
Naomi looked ready to gripe at them for the delay, but Sahra rapped her knuckles against the knight's armor, and the woman grunted instead, spinning on her heels and taking the lead with a series of heavy stomps. Skylar shrugged lamely, resting his palm on the pommel of his sword, and saw Damien grin out of the corner of his vision, watching the medic reach back and let his head fall into his hands, following the fortress with his usual cheer. The scuffed dirt underfoot was soon replaced by hard rock, and Skylar furrowed his brow when he heard Hanae's claws scraping against the ground.
By the time the group of five explorers had reached the outskirts of the city, the sun had set completely, giving way to a bright, nearly-full moon that hovered just above the buildings, casting a serene glow across the cobblestones. The streets were relatively busy, people passing to and fro every so often, heading to their homes for the night, heading to whatever pub they liked for a late meal, or just heading who knew where. Skylar noticed a few heads turn as they approached the gates; some were explorers, or maybe tourists, while others were clearly townsfolk, but all were unabashedly curious about their unfamiliar faces. The swordsman licked his lips, smiling and nodding hello every so often, chuckling under his breath when one person turned away, probably embarrassed for staring.
Skylar winced when he suddenly bumped into Damien, and he stumbled a few steps backwards, feeling a pair of hands hastily press into his shoulderblades, keeping him from tumbling onto the ground. After he had regained his balance, he quietly mouthed 'thanks!' at Hanae, who smiled small before gently pushing him off, a worried expression returning to her face once she looked past him. He gazed past his teammates, frowning slightly when he saw the guards blocking their path. A small door, meant for people instead of wagons, was visible behind them, and one stout guard was holding his hand out in an attempt – an only partially successful attempt, Skylar thought – to get their attention.
"Hold there!" The man called out sternly. His face was almost completely hidden by his helmet, a rather nostalgic sight, even if the rest of the unadorned suit of armor was markedly unlike that of the outland soldiers. Without the moonlight, he would have been hard to see. "Are you explorers?"
"What the hell kind of question is that?" Naomi barked crassly, and Skylar grimaced, pushing past Damien and Sahra before the fortress could mouth off any more. "Of course we're explorers!"
"Sir!" The swordsman called, running his fingers through his hair, wiping away a few beads of nervous sweat that had been forming on his brow. The guard's head turned like clockwork, fixing the young explorer with an expectant look, and he hastily spoke up again. "I'm sorry about that. Yes, we're Guild Zephyrus. We heard about the Yggdrasil labyrinth here, that's why we've come to Etria."
The soldier was silent, then turned to look at his companion, who nodded and hurried through the door. Dropping his arms to his sides, the stout, armored man stood ramrod and addressed the five of them. "Very well. If you're here to venture into the labyrinth, then you should go and speak with the Radha first. You may want to wait until the morning, however. If you need lodging, I recommend the Rooster Inn. You'll see it across the Verde plaza, after the Golden Deer Pub and Shilleka's shop."
Skylar smiled, rolling his shoulders as something in his backpack dug into the small of his back. He briefly looked behind him, watching as Sahra slipped in front of a grumbling Naomi. Hanae was hot on the sniper's heels, and gave Naomi a mild look. The knight responded with a glare, though neither explorer backed down. Straightening his shirt, Skylar nodded at the guard, repeating the advice in his head a few times. An inn across the way, and a Radha somewhere else... the beastwoman nearby spoke up while he thought to himself. "Thank you, sir. Is it okay... if we go inside now?"
"Hm? Ah! Ah, yes. Go right ahead, Guild Zephyrus. Er, please, enjoy your time here in Etria." The guard stepped to the side, holding the door open for the explorers, trying hard to keep the mix of suspicion and wonder out of his voice as his shielded eyes stayed trained on the beastwoman.
Skylar shot him a friendly thumbs-up, spinning around and giving his teammates a once-over. He paused when he felt something snake around his elbow, and he slumped forward a little, smiling affectionately at Hanae as they locked elbows. Naomi cleared her throat irritably, then brusquely shoved them away, her armor clanking loudly as she strode into the city, and Sahra ran up, quickly keeping pace at the fortress' side. Damien patted the swordsman's shoulder, cheerfully nudging both of his friends along, and the medic waved at the guard before he vanished behind the great brick wall.
The long street stretched forth, lit up by lampposts on both sides, a muted hustle and bustle audible from the buildings in the city as people settled into their homes for the night, and the group of explorers couldn't help but look all around, spotting shining windows and empty clotheslines. The quiet, peaceful walk had to end at some point, however, and Hanae gasped when they reached the edges of the main square, tightening her grip on Skylar's arm, her ears perking up.
The cobblestones spread out in all directions, splitting into numerous different streets and alleyways, and they wandered into the wide open plaza, countless stars sparkling high in the sky. One building had a cast-iron sign shaped like a deer sticking out from the corner; another had two enormous curved swords above its door. Damien wrung his hands in excitement, and Naomi let out a low whistle.
Guild Zephyrus breathed deeply of the far eastern air. They had taken their first steps into Etria.
"It's... it's a big place," Skylar said lamely, scanning from left to right, eyes moving from the large monument standing in the middle of the square up to the tip of the tallest tower that he could see in the town. Naomi, a couple steps away, nodded in agreement, the back of her head bumping against the edge of her tower shield, prompting the fortress to wince and massage her now-slightly-achy neck.
"It's a lot bigger than Kamafu was, that's for sure!" Damien added, putting his fists on his hips after he spoke, shoving his satchel over onto the back of his hips. A couple passerby glanced at the five of them, their raised eyebrows visible in the scant few seconds they drew near a lamppost. "And some of these buildings look kinda old too, I wonder how long Etria has been around for, hahaha-"
The man's thoughts abruptly morphed into an enormous yawn, and he stood on his tiptoes, stretching all his limbs out before letting his heels fall back to solid ground, still laughing sheepishly under his breath. Hanae started panting almost inaudibly, and Skylar blinked, realizing he had also been in the middle of taking a deep gulp of air. Naomi just snorted, walking over, lightly punching the doctor's shoulder, then yawning right into his face, grinning toothily through her growing tiredness as she peered around the group, her gaze eventually landing on Sahra, who silently surveyed the town.
"Oi, the soldier said that some inn's close by, right?" The knight asked, reaching over and tapping two fingers on the young girl's head, and the sniper gave her teammate an unamused sideways glance. "Something about a pub and a shop or whatever?"
"Yes." Sahra combed the couple of tangles out of her hair, pointing to the buildings on the left of the central monument; everyone followed her gesturing as she continued. "The Golden Deer pub is there, with the deer sign, and the shop is the building just after that. So the third building is probably the Rooster Inn."
"Well, we're all tired," Skylar remarked. Nobody disagreed with his claim – why would they? It was the truth, after all. "So let's go and see if there's any rooms available. After that, maybe we can grab a meal or whatever we want to do."
The explorers nodded, strolling through the plaza and into the third building on the left, a bell on the other side of the wall ringing as the door narrowly grazed its edges. The lobby was utterly empty, illuminated by both the dying fireplace and the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the ringing noise drowning out what few sounds of life they could hear elsewhere in the inn. A large opening, splitting from the top and center of the opposite wall and curving down to the floor, was decorated with yet another cast iron sign, this one a rooster perched on a house. Skylar smiled, content with tracing the ornate swirls and outlines of the metal, but a series of hurried thumps pulled everyone's focus over to the front desk.
"Hello? Heeeeellllloooo?" A high-pitched voice called out, echoing through the nearby hallway, but nobody appeared, even when the footsteps were at their loudest, and a small rat, sleeping in a cage near the edge of the desk, unconsciously covered its ears, its ribbon-clad tail curling up. "Huh? Hello?"
"Heellllooo to you too!" Damien answered brightly, ambling over to the desk and leaning over the edge, letting out an 'aha' immediately afterward. A pajama-clad child, even younger than Sahra, bolted out and around the wooden counter, causing everyone except for the medic to jolt in surprise. Damien chuckled and patted the boy's shoulder. "Are you the innkeeper then, kiddo?"
"Who are you, mister? Are you an explorer, huh?" The boy ignored the question entirely, rubbing the crusts of sleep from his cheeks as he looked at the others standing in the lobby. He froze when he saw Hanae, and the cream-furred canine bashfully looked away, ears flattening against her hair as she lightly scratched her cheek. "H-h-h-huh? H-hey, wh-who are you? D-D-Dad? D-Daaaad! There's a b-bunch of people h-h-here in th-the lobby!"
"Don't yell, son!" A much older voice, winded and weary, replied, and the true innkeeper popped out from the hallway, a tall, middle-aged man dressed in a simple green tunic. He let out a sigh of mild frustration, sidling up to his child and picking him up, eliciting a gasp from the boy in the process, and he hoisted him onto his shoulders, waiting until he had settled down before speaking. "Erm... I'm sorry about that. Are you in need of lodging?"
"That's right, sir," Hanae answered gently, her tone even softer than usual so she wouldn't spook the man's son, and the innkeeper turned his head to greet the beastwoman, his eyes widening when he saw her. She dropped her arms down to her lap, twiddling her thumbs on her dress. "My name is Hanae, sir. We've just arrived to Etria, and the guard at the gates recommended we stay here."
The innkeeper didn't respond at first. After a moment, he shook his head, bringing a hand over to draw circles on his temples, looking at the other four explorers in the meantime. "I... see. Ah, where are my manners, then? My apologies, you all must be tired. Just give me your names and we'll get a room ready for you, won't we, my boy?"
He peered upwards, tapping his son's knees, and the child shut his slackened jaw, locking eyes with his father as the statement slowly sank in. "Oh, yeah! The guard was right, miss, um, Hanae... my dad's inn is the best inn in the city!"
A small smile wormed its way onto the bushi's muzzle, and she giggled quietly, her tail wagging happily as the innkeeper and his son walked back behind the front desk, retrieving a clipboard from the shelves and sliding it over to the group. Damien swung his satchel around and dug into it, pulling out his usual charcoal pencil, and Skylar, Hanae, Naomi and Sahra walked up to the medic as he scribbled his name onto the parchment.
"Sir... there's a group of explorers waiting to meet with you..."
Chieftain Quinn started slightly in his chair, taken aback by the quiet call, accidentally dragging a pointed feather down a page of paperwork, and he wrinkled his nose at the smudged ink, picking up the sheet by its edges and moving it over to a dry spot to his side. He pushed his spectacles up to the bridge of his nose, briefly peering at the sunlight that streamed through the window, before returning his quill to the inkwell at his desk and looking up at the hooded woman who had spoken. Her long, fiery red hair spilled forth from her robe, helping to cover up the chains that were wrapped around her chest and midsection, and she fixed him with an expectant stare. Quinn opened his mouth, then paused.
"Ah... a group of explorers?" He parroted the hexer's words, pushing the fringes of his own graying hair away from his eyes, thinking back to the guard that had visited the night before. "Aha, I see. Yes, I heard about our new arrivals. But I'm almost finished with my morning work... Tlachtga, would you let them know that I'll be ready in a few minutes, please?"
The pale hexer seemed ready to walk back out into the lobby of Radha hall, but before she could even spin around, footsteps rang up the small flight of stone steps leading into the office; another woman suddenly appeared in the doorframe, her hakama gently rustling as she slowed to a stop. The ronin shook her head, her bluish-black hair shaking along with it, mouth tightened into a flat, serious line, though it wasn't enough to hide her labored breathing. Quinn cocked his head in confusion at the warrior's haste, tensing up when he noticed the odd sparkle in her icy eyes. "Ren? What's the matter?"
"I think you ought to meet with them now, sir," Ren replied; inwardly, Quinn grumbled a little at the ronin's non-answer to his question. The older woman took a deep breath, in... and out... then continued. "They're the ones we'd been hearing rumors about before. The guild from the outlands."
That got the Chieftain's eyes to widen, and his mind started to race as he rolled Ren's words around in his head, over and over and over. News from the outlands – no, from the city of Tharsis – had found its way onto his desk more than once last year, great tales of discovery and even greater tales of heroes that had defended the lands to the far north from a terrible crisis... of some kind. The details, as always, had been rather vague, except for the guild that had taken charge through much of it. "Them!? They're here... in Etria...? Hmm..."
He drifted off, continuing to ponder to himself, but a sharp cough from Ren tore through any attempt to get his thoughts in order. Quinn blinked a couple times, glancing at the two explorers, and Tlachtga gestured towards the lobby. "They're waiting to meet with you right now, sir..."
"They're waiting... then they're here in the hall already!" Quinn pushed his chair back and stood up, brushing dust from his tunic and combing his fingers through his hair. "Please, send them in!"
The ghost of a smile appeared on Tlachtga's face, Ren nodded curtly, and the ronin and hexer both disappeared around the bend of the stairs; the office grew silent once again, and Quinn took the fleeting moment to scan over the paperwork he had put aside, frowning at the now-dry lines of ink. Soon enough, though, he heard a medley of echoing sounds, shoes on rock, noisy armor, new voices.
"God damn, finally! How long have we been sitting on our asses waiting to meet with this idiot, half an hour? A whole hour?"
"C'mon Naomi, it wasn't that bad! The Outland Count always took a while back when we first started too, remember? And besides, it gave me a lot of time to look at the building and take some notes and everything! That big tree carving was really impressive wasn't it?"
"Oh, shut up, you nerd!"
"Um... Naomi? Damien? Could you be a little quieter, please? I think he can hear you yelling."
Etria's leader, at first embarrassed and then amused, winced.