This fic specifically uses my characters from Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan and this will follow the initial mission they do together and then that's it pretty much. I'm hoping to do this in first person and break it up into 5-6 chapters to cover all of them in first person so every chapter will be from a new person's point of view. Warning: there will be A LOT of profanity (cussing). Just a warning.
Also I have to put this here as it cannot and will not go unsaid: this story was very much inspired by dreadgar2 and his awesomesauce support story and you should go read it when you're done with this. For serious, go do it. Now. Yes, I am addressing you, sitting in the computer chair (or on your phone/ds) reading this.
Robyn's P.O.V
The town was beautiful.
People crowded the cobblestone streets and lush trees wish sunshine breaking through the leaves onto the soft grass underfoot towered over benches and the people sitting on them in small areas. People laughed and talked with merchants and weaved in and out through various stores and taverns. I have to admit, my jaw dropped a little bit.
Okay, enough sightseeing I have a job to do, I thought. I pushed my bow and quiver up onto my shoulder better and lifted my pack over the other shoulder then set off into the town. How hard could it possibly be to find an explorer's guild in this place?
Apparently very. After two hours of walking around aimlessly looking at signs and walking into random buildings venturing guesses I finally stopped inside what appeared to be some sort of bar and sat over the counter. I folded my arms and put my head down. I was never gonna find this place, was I? Stupid wrong sense of direction. Why didn't I bring a map with me!? Or better yet, ask for directions? Stupid, stupid, stu-
"Can I help you, miss?" A feminine voice asked. I lifted my head and gaped at the woman standing before me. Damn, can you say busty? Good, because that is the first word that came to my head once I laid my eyes on her. She was dressed rather revealingly. Her hair was dark and fell over her shoulders, her eyes the color of melting chocolate and a beauty mark adorned her right cheek. She smiled at me sweetly, almost motherly. She smelled like cinnamon. She must have noticed me staring because she asked me once again "can I help you?" This time a bit more forcefully as she had to snap me out of my temporary stupor.
"I'm looking for the explorers guild place. Do you know how to get there?" I raised an eyebrow. She jutted out her bottom lip.
"Aren't you a bit too young to be an explorer?" She asked, giving me a look that seemed to be questioning how old I had to be. Okay...
"Look here Lady, my business is my business and no one else's, got it? So if I want to be an explorer, I'm gonna be a motherfucking explorer and don't need some stranger telling me what I can and cannot do. Now you can either tell me where this place is or you can walk away and act like you never met me, because that's what I'm gonna do. I'm fine with either of those but I'm tired and would like to find this place as soon as freaking possible. Now, if you would be so kind as to choose," I crossed my arms and gave the woman and even, if not slightly ticked, stare. I swear, if I got paid for everytime someone told me I looked too young to be doing anything I'd done, I'd be living in a floating mansion made of solid gold right now.
The woman's eyes widened in shock at my response. "Relax, I never said anything about stopping you. I think it's remarkable a youngster like you can handle work like that. A-anyway, if you make a right once you leave this tavern you should find some stairs. Go up and then make another right and then just go straight until you see a big building with a gold eagle statue outside, that's the place you're looking for," she smiled.
I pulled a few coins out of my pocket and put them on the counter. "Thanks," I said as I walked out the door. I could practically feel her eyes on me as I left as I hadn't even so much as glanced at her saying thank you. I wasn't going to apologize for cursing at her. Adults had given me enough trouble. But hey, I hadn't been as mean as I usually was to people. For example, I didn't tell her I was hoping she'd put the money towards some new clothes and to get some dignity.
None the less, her information was accurate. I found the place without a problem after that. At long freaking last I slid open the door and stepped inside.
The first thing I noticed was how empty it seemed to be. Save for one person behind the desk and two other people sitting together on a bench just inside the doorway no one was there. I stepped over to the person behind the desk. "How may I help you?" It was a tall, muscular man with long snowy white hair braided back and a mustache in addition to hardened blue eyes. He was rifling through some papers, looking bored and paying me minimal attention.
"I'm here to answer the mission that was posted. You needed an explorer, right?" I began rifling through my bag for the paper I'd found a week ago. His eyes lifted a bit and scanned me. He chuckled.
"You're an explorer?" He asked.
"Yes," I replied evenly, my hand instinctively flying to my bow and gripping it. "Problem?"
He seemed to consider how he answered. I guess I looked pretty intimidating. "Nope, come with me. I have the perfect guild for you." He stood and gestured for me to follow him. Wait, guild?
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," I held out my hands to stop him. "I do not play nice with others. I will not work in a guild. I'm flying solo or out of here," I stated simply. There was no way in hell that I was gonna work with a bunch of strangers that probably didn't want me anyway.
He smiled and leaned over the counter, I caught the slight scent of alcohol on his breath. "You will work in a guild or you won't become an explorer. How does that sound to you, sweetheart?" I let that sink in. After traveling for two weeks to get here with almost no food and only the thoughts of becoming an explorer to guide me this prick was going to stomp on my dreams? No flipping way. But... I had to be an explorer. I bit my bottom lip.
"Take me to the guild," I grunted through my teeth. He smiled.
"That's what I thought."
He took me into the back area which was beginning to look like a bunch of ragtag groups filled with explorers of all kinds. Some turned to look at me and gave quizzical looks. Small as I was there was no need to be staring at me. I fixed my hand on my bow once again, effectively shutting up a few of the foreign voices. I could throw most of these kids as far as I could shoot an arrow, and that was pretty far.
"Here we are," the man murmured as we reached a door. I'd peeked in a few of them and saw more groups of people that had to be other guilds. Most of them seemed like good friends laughing together and smiling. He opened the door. I didn't look inside so much as stare back wondering if it was too late to turn around.
"FINALLY ANOTHER GIRL!" A female voice cheered loudly and I turned just in time to be knocked over by a tackle hug.
I pushed the girl off of me and stared her square in the face. She wore iron armor which covered her upper torso and a plaid red skirt and white leggings. She had a matching red handkerchief in her hair. Her hair itself was blonde and tied into two braids over her shoulders. Or at least a part of it was, the rest was up in a ponytail. Her eyes were bright blue and the corners crinkled up as she smiled. She wore simple brown boots that went up to her knees. She had a sword strapped to her side as well as a hunting dagger beside it. Her arms were muscular and her grip was firm, but her smile was warm and friendly. "Sorry, when I see a new face my first instinct is to hug. I'm Kailynne, what's your name?" She held out her hand, probably expecting me to shake. Well, she did apologize for bowling me over...
I gripped her hand and shook. "Robyn. It's nice to meet you, Kailynne."
Kailynne's eyes flitted to my bow. She gasped in delight. "You're a sniper!" She exclaimed.
"Uh-huh. And you're a... a..." I didn't know what to call her. A knight? A paladin? A swordsman- sorry, swordswoman? She laughed.
"That's alright, I'm a landsknecht," she patted the sword at her side.
"I think you'll get along fine. I'll let you be," I'd forgotten that the man was there entirely so it shocked me to hear his voice again. He walked back toward the reception area, leaving me alone with Kailynne.
"I'll introduce you, then!" Before I could argue Kailynne had pulled me up and into the other room single-handedly. Three other pairs of eyes all looked up at me and Kailynne.
"New recruit?" One guy asked. He was tall, and heavily armored with curly brown hair and warm brown eyes. The other one had spiky brown hair and hazel eyes. He was shorter than the other boy by at least a foot. He wore similar clothes to Kailynne; boots, armor and all but no handkerchief and he wore denim pants instead of a skirt and leggings. He walked over and placed a hand on Kailynne's shoulder. Then smiled.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Rodd." His smile was friendly enough, like Kailynne's but unlike her he seemed suspicious of me as well. I turned to Kailynne.
"Your boyfriend, I assume?" She was fairly pretty, it wouldn't surprise me. Rodd looked horrified and Kailynne doubled over laughing.
"Oh, HELL NO!" Rodd denied loudly.
"He's... my brother..." Kailynne replied through gasps of air. Once she'd gathered herself enough she straightened. "Can't you see the family resemblance?" She grabbed Rodd by the collar and pulled him down so his face was at the same level as hers. Rodd's face was chiseled and his eyes were more narrow and angular compared to Kailynne's large, rounded eyes and heart-shaped face. His eyes were also a darker, more muddy brownish color and Kailynne's were clearly blue.
"Sorry, nope." What? Was I expected to lie to them?
"Better we look different anyway..." Rodd mumbled. Kailynne let go of his collar and simply let him drop to the floor. "Ow..." Rodd rubbed the side of his head as he sat up after being crudely dropped by his sister. "Thanks, sis." He glared at her.
"No prob, Big Bro," Kailynne retorted, positive as ever. I chuckled a bit, I could deal with Kailynne and Rodd they seemed nice enough. I turned to the other two in the room.
"And your name is...?" I asked the curly-haired boy.
"You may call me Hatori," curly-top gave me a warm smile and extended his hand. I shook it and moved to the last one in the room. At first glance I couldn't tell what gender this person was with short purple hair in a style similar to that of a bowl cut but not quite as the bangs weren't right. Let's assume male for now, he wore a labcoat, a simple blue tunic, brown slacks and black combat boots. His eyes were a light brown with olive tints. His skin was fair with rosy cheeks. "My name's Jesse," he smiled. "Nice to meet you." Jesse, greeeeeeeat that name so discriminates between genders. Maybe I'd ask Kailynne later, she'd been a member of this "guild" longer than me, she probably knew.
"If that's everyone I-"
"It's not," a deep voice responded. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, my senses alert. I had the feel I was being watched.
"LULETH! How many times do I have to ask to STOP scaring the shit out of new recruits!? Honestly, we've lost five alone alone in this week thanks to you!" Kailynne yelled at what I made out of a shadow hanging in the back corner of the room. It stood and identified as a person. The boy was tall and thin with olive skin and silvery eyes to match his long snow-white hair. He wore a dark, almost blood red jacket with a matching cloak torn well beyond repair. On his hips were two matching red belts with a sheath for a sword hanging down. He was clothed in all black and wore ebony iron boots to match. He looked lethal. He held a sword in his hands and from the looks of it had been widdling a piece of wood with it. He tossed the wood on the ground and begrudgingly stretched a gloved hand in my direction.
"Where are my manners?" He glared looking not friendly in the least. "I'm Luleth. You?" There was an odd purr to his voice. He was trying to intimidate me, make me run. I would stand my ground. I didn't so much as flinch but plastered the biggest grin I could summon onto my face, grasped his hand and shook.
"Robyn, nice to meet you," I forced with a smile. His hands were freezing cold. He gripped my hand tighter, so naturally I did as well.
"Luleth is our nightseeker so you two oughta get friendly. Both of you will be on the back lines," Hatori seemed to be treading on his words carefully, sensing the tension between us. Wait. WHAT!?
"Oh, HELL NO! I am NOT hanging out with Mister McCreepster over here, especially not when I'll be fighting for my life and all of yours," I turned on Hatori and pointed back at Luleth.
"Hey!" Luleth protested.
"Okay, everybody calm down," Kailynne tried to restore the conversation to a peaceful standpoint. It wasn't working very well. "Look, we're a team. We HAVE to work together. And considering that Luleth is our only nightseeker, Robyn's our only sniper, Hatori's all we got in the defense department, Jesse's the healer, and Rodd and I are landsknechts but Rodd isn't going with us that makes a team of five which is the maximum for this mission. So, regardless of your feelings toward every other guild member in here and how you came to be a member yourself we all have to work together. Or we all will die! Got it?" Kailynne managed to keep a straight face for the entirety of her little lecture though she had a twitch in her left eye suggesting she was about to lose it. With varying levels of enthusiasm we all agreed to her terms.
"Why isn't Rodd going?" I asked.
"I have a few errands to run here in town. So long as you guys brings back the right stuff we'll be okay and I should have the rest of the stuff for the guild ready to go by the time you return." Rodd explained. I nodded.
After that somewhat rocky introduction to the guild we all went to the Saehrimmer's Inn for the night as early tomorrow our task would begin.
Gee, what a bunch of fun this is gonna be.
OH MY GOD FINALLY DONE! I'm pretty happy with this. It sets up what I need it to and I think I misspelled the Inn's name. Someone please correct me on that. The next chapter may take some time getting out as I have A LOT of other things to work on and it's the holidays. Again, please go check out dreadgar2's support story. If you liked it and/or have some constructive criticism for me leave a review. I will be more than happy to respond. Happy Holidays everyone and thank you for reading, I'll see you when I see you! XD