Shady Bars in back alleys were the trendiest places to go, according to his fellow alchemists. Of course Dexen went to check one or two out. It wasn't fault that the bar was full of ruthlessly cold explorers, or that they put their drinks so close to the edge of the table, and it definitely wasn't his fault that he was careless enough to knock the vodka over onto a landsknecht's lap. ... Yeah, this was one hundred percent his fault and he knew it. Catrin would have his head if she caught him right now. As he looked back, almost flying across the pavement, he noted that the muscular landsknecht was enraged and would gut him without any sort of remorse. Dexen definitely screwed up this time...
Whipping his head around, his dark brown eyes searched desperately for a way out, mumbling to himself with significant amounts of humor about never going to a shady bar again. He took off down a long alley, tripping over a trashcan and scaring a stray cat before bolting out onto a nearly abandoned street. Dexen was ignoring the fact that behind him, there was an angry swordsman wielding a sharp blade and was planning to skewer the alchemist with it. Looking back, the dark haired alchemist slammed directly into what felt like a wall made of metal. Scrunching up his face, he noted it was like running into one of the shogun from his home in the East, and looked at his blockade.
A tall, heavily armored protector with blond hair and golden eyes looking almost like he was spaced out. He looked like he had a sweat sheen on him as well. Dexen jumped on the opportunity to catch his breath, darting behind the protector without a second thought as to the murderous intentions closing in from behind him. The protector, despite obviously having his thoughts elsewhere- or was he thinking at all?- lifted his shield and approached the landsknecht.
"Out of my way, blondie!" The livid man snapped.
The protector didn't even blink when a sword came up to his face, and he didn't so much as look at the sword. He pressed his shield up against the chest of the assailant, slowly pushing the landsknect back until he was moving back from the alley he came from. Dexen snickered softly as the explorer's face turned from rage to confusion, lowering the blade from the protector while trying to figure out exactly why the shield carrier was not giving one rat's ass about being threatened. It was almost hilarious, watching the bizarre lack of care. This golden eyed stranger was just too cursory about shoving someone into an alley and walking back towards Dexen.
"Hey, man! Thanks for the save, can I get your name?" Dexen asked as the protector approached him at a fast pace- never mind. The protector walked right by him, looking as if he were in a haze as he ignored the question and the gratefulness. "... Or not. I mean, whatever's cool with you."
Dexen felt irritated by that, wondering whether the protector thought he was too good for him. He stood there for a few moments before a presence like that of a FOE's began radiating from right behind him. He gave a shudder and shakily looked back. There was a dirty blonde survivalist behind him with the glare of a devil. She was probably scowling up a storm, but her scarf was covering her nose and mouth. She grabbed Dexen's shoulders, throwing him over her shoulder and carrying him off like an eagle with prey in their claws.
Dexen immediately blurted, "Please don't kill me, Catrin!"
"I won't," She sounded almost sickly sweet as she spoke before turning it into a rage filled snarl, "I'm going to beat the shit out of you! What were you trying to do, get yourself killed?"
Dexen muttered, "Well, all the other alchemists said it was cool at those underground bars, so I just thought..."
"That it would be cool," She guessed, relaxing extremely but never putting him down, "I know, you're so gullible."
"Gullible?!"
Catrin shook her head, "You really just trust them way too much. You knew this place was shady, and you didn't even bring your weapon with you."/div
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"I have my alchemy," He pointed out, folding his arms despite the fact she couldn't see him, "I wasn't defenseless."
She probably smirked at him, "Sure. Whatever you say, genius. By the way, we're late for something, if you'll recall."/div
"Late for wha-" He started, then jolted and kicked his legs as she walked in the general direction of the duchy, though they were halfway across Lagaard from it, "! Put me down, we can hurry!"
She leaned over, placing Dexen on his feet before taking off at a sprint. He sped up to get right behind her, though she could easily outpace the Eastern man if she intended to, and he knew it. His dark hair occasionally got into his eyes, and he considered shaving the already short haircut off because it was irritating him. His feet were making cringe worthy clomping noises as he ran while Catrin's steps were as silent as a grave. Several people looked at them with either amusement or annoyance, and one even shouted about them being pests.
Reaching the duchy, Catrin came to a halt, while Dexen slammed into the doors painfully and fell back. A pair of hands wrapped around his shoulders and helped him up, but he was both surprised and frightened by the person it was. A male dark hunter with curly maroon hair that came past his shoulders was the one who helped him up. His first reaction was to scream for help- being touched by one of these people was practically a felony by default- but the maroon haired man spoke before he could have a freak out.
"Are you okay?" The stranger sounded genuinely worried, almost maternally so, and his expression was twisted with concern. Maybe he was that "disgustingly kind, sorry excuse of a dark hunter" he had heard all about.
Dexen nodded, "Sure, yeah, I'm cool. Thanks."
Immediately a cloth was dabbing at the cut on his forehead despite the reassurance. The dark hunter then observed it, and gave a nod, stepping away and opening the door. All three went inside, and the dark hunter sat down by the door and waited, looking as if he were trapped in a room with demons themselves when a guard walked by. Dexen didn't have time to spare for the redhead, and he rushed over to Minister Dubois. Catrin stood just behind him, only an inch shorter than her male companion since he was a bit on the small side.
"Minister," He sighed, "Sorry we're late."
The minister commented in a dry manner, "You're not the only one who is late, young man. I assure you, your protector to be has yet to arrive."
"You've got to be kidding me..." Said Dexen.
Catrin smoothed the back of his now tousled hair, then said, "Sit down, he'll be here when he's ready. Let's try to guess what he's like."
"Yeah, well," Dexen flopped down by a wall away from Minister Dubois, "I hope he's not like the protector I ran into today. The guy was just staring off into space, breathing my air like he owned the place! I mean, he was just like," Dexen then began to perform an extremely offensive impression, "'oh, me and my special shiny golden eyes are just going to ignore the fact we just got threatened by a landsknecht. No, we're not even going to blink about that one. Let's just push him along with our shield like we're some kind of hero. Totally legit cool guy things, ya know.'."
"Dexen."
"'Oh, I'm so cool I don't have to talk to the guy who thanked me for saving him- my shield does all the talking I need! Let's not even give him the fucking time of day, because I'm just so cool'!"
"Dexen."
"'In fact, I'm so cool I didn't even bother to speak one word throughout the entire ordeal because I'm just too cool for you. Hah, who needs to talk when you've got cool eyes and a shield'?!"
"Dexen!"
Pulling out of his rant, Dexen looked at Catrin, who was staring right behind him at something. He looked back, seeing a gunner standing beside Lady Gadriel, and he had silver hair and a gray coat, standing tall with his holster buckled down in a cursory manner, the seven shot revolvers in hand- Wait, seven shots? Just seven? Only one person wielded those: he had to be the competitive gunner Kure Cypress!
"Oh wow," He whispered, staring at the gunner in awe, ignoring the fact that he happened to look something like a greasy, unbathed mess of a man, "It's really him...!"
Catrin stared as well, "Well, this is something else... I heard Sir Cypress worked for the duchy as their prize winner, but..."
"I bet he's a really cool guy," Dexen fantasized a bit, "He's talking to the Lady Gadriel about how he'll be able to marry her one day, that one day he'll be enough, and she's telling him that he already is enough-"
Catrin gave a shudder, "Please stop creeping me out with your romance obsession, Dexen..."
"But they'd make such a good couple..."
Catrin facepalmed, but Dexen didn't care as he watched his idol speak with Lady Gadriel as if they were old friends. They seemed comfortable enough, just casually discussing average matters with her. He was apparently talking about pan fried toast, as he overheard him say those words. Kure, after a moment, looked at the maroon haired dark hunter and parted ways with Lady Gadriel to leave with the sadist. Dexen sat there for a while, staring after them with a grin that looked almost fixated. What was a peasant like that dark hunter doing with a nobleman like the gunner Kure? It was nearly impossible for someone in the slums to know an upperclassman, never mind someone that was a friend of the duke himself.
"Dexen, seriously. Stop being creepy." Catrin's words burst his bubble, and he looked at her./div
A sheepish smile replaced the obsessive one, "Sorry..."
"Yeah, okay. Are you glad about our protector being late now?" She asked.
He nodded until his head hurt, "Oh yeah, definitely worth the lateness!"
They both sat down, playing several games until the front doors to the palace opened a few minutes later. If someone required two doors, they had to be wearing protector armor. The protector stepped into the light of the palace, and he had blond hair with spacey golden eyes. Dexen recognized him immediately from the half comatose expression on his face and the fact that he nearly walked into a pillar.
"Just my luck." Dexen growled.
Catrin looked at him, brushing her brownish gold hair out of her eyes, "What is it?"
"The bastard I ranted about earlier is right over there- and I think he's our protector."
"What, him? He looks fi-" She began, but then corrected herself with a disappointed crease of her brow, "Okay, he looks like he's a few arrows shy of a quiver."
Dexen had finally gotten a good look at him, the short haired blond having three braided plaits on each side of his face pulled back into a single point at the center of his nape, as well as a widow's peak hairline. He was dressed in heavy steel armor, though gold accents could be found along the joint areas. His eyes were still dazed, with an empty expression that reminded him of a corpse at a funeral. He had a symbol on his shield, a circle that was three fourths of the way complete, but then came inward and curled away from one another. It was gold, and everything about him seemed just too unrealistic, as if he had come from a faraway place in the stars. Looking at him made Dexen want to space out himself. Other than the sweat sheen on his face and the spaced out look, he did seem to be a decent protector.
The Minister gestured for Catrin and Dexen to come over to him, and they stood and moved to his side. "This is the protector you two were assigned. Feliz Gyre."
"Gyre...?" Catrin recalled that was a noble family name, "Is that a noble name?"
Feliz didn't speak, but nodded. He blinked a few times and did have a hint of a blush after she asked, which came as a shock to Dexen to finally see him have some sort of human behavior of any sort. It was almost like the guy wasn't alive or like he was some sort of extraterrestrial before, but now he just seemed to be hiding embarrassment of some sort. He also seemed to be taking shallow breaths. Dexen snorted a bit, thinking to himself that if Feliz wanted to breathe properly, he wouldn't tighten his armor up.
"You'll have to forgive him," The minister sounded sorry, "He prefers not to talk, as it pulls his focus from his job as a protector."
Catrin observed Feliz without speaking, and purposely put herself in eye contact with him. Blue met gold, but then the golden orbs flickered to the side and avoided her gaze. Dexen frowned- what was she trying to do?
I see the problem," She said, calm and collected as she stepped back and stopped making eye contact attempts, "He'll do, we don't need to talk to him. We just need him to shield us."
Dexen knew that expression on Catrin's face, though, and it spelled unwanted help. The piercing azure eyes with the almost delicate raising of her brows, it meant she was going to try to fix him. Dexen visibly winced and mouthed an apology to Feliz after getting his attention. Feliz looked anywhere but where Catrin was after that. He seemed awkward rather than cool now.
"Alright, thank you, Minister Dubois." Dexen said, his voice filled with boredom already, "I'd like to register us as the Auspice Guild."
The Minister raised his brow, chuckling before replying, "I have no way to help you with that except for you to go to the Explorer's Guild and register there. We simply required you to arrive for Sir Gyre."
Dexen noted the blush on Feliz's face spreading to his ears, and the protector covered his face with his free hand. After a second, he managed to pull back into his blank expression, but the sweat and the redness never quite went away. It was a bit odd, but Dexen really didn't understand people well. Maybe he was sick and couldn't talk because of it? He obviously wasn't well enough to be in the labyrinth, but if Catrin said he was okay... Well, Dexen couldn't really object.
"We'll head there," Dexen promised, then turned and began walking out.
As soon as the doors swung shut and they were out in front of the building, Feliz looked exponentially better. It was as if the weight of worlds fell off his shoulders. He looked as if his mind had cleared, and the faraway golden eyes became attentive, seeking out small details in the area. He looked quite intelligent and like he was actually awake, though he still refused to speak up. Dexen quirked his brow, not even bothering to hide the confusion from Feliz's behavior change.
"So, Dexen, you spent a lot of time hanging around the Explorer's Guild the past few years." Catrin's voice burst any thoughts about Feliz from the alchemist's mind. "Where's the place at?"
Dexen shook his head to clear his thoughts, "Just follow me- it really isn't far from here."
"Lead the way," She stepped aside, letting him step up front.
He walked in front, babbling nonsense about the whole place and Marion- "She's the guildmaster," Dexen explained when Catrin asked- being nice enough to teach him the processes. They wouldn't have trouble of any sort putting pen to paper. Dexen had studied the processes thoroughly, without fail.
"So, what about registering someone who won't speak?" Catrin asked.
Dexen tossed a hand in the air, "All Feliz has to do is nod or shake his head and write his info. It's a yes or no ordeal."
"Alright, I assume we'll be fine." She said.
Feliz nodded in agreement, a small, close lipped smile on his face as if he were unwilling to let himself show his teeth. Dexen really couldn't figure the protector's awkward behavior and whether or not it was cool. The blond seemed to be observing their behavior without a word, golden eyes flashing like sharpened knives as he blinked. He seemed so observant that he could see into their souls.
Talk about bizarre...
Dexen shook it off, and they opened the door to the Explorer's Guild. By the luck of the draw, there were no other explorers in the building, and that meant no waiting to be registered. The cobalt clad alchemist strode towards Marion, who greeted him with what he knew would be a smile. He couldn't see her face, but he was used to being around her.
"Dexen. What brings you here today, and with friends?" She asked.
The alchemist said, "I'm registering today, not helping. It's time I took on the Yggdrasil Labyrinth."
"I see..." She didn't sound like she was disapproving, as she sounded happy, but there was a tinge of worry. "Well, I advise you be careful. I expect to see you again, Dexen."
Dexen swore, "I'll be back to help you handle the town defense, Marion, I promise."
"I don't expect you to have the time to help me anymore," She was amused that he would still want to help her, "I just expect that you'll drop in to let me know you're alive every once in a while. The labyrinth is a dangerous place, after all. Be sure to take medicine as well."
"Between you and Cat, I can't seem to get people to stop mothering me..."
Marion's laugh and Dexen's grumbling put everyone at ease, and Dexen began writing down guild information while Marion inquired with the others. When the pen was passed to Catrin, he noted that he had neat, crisp print handwriting, while she had somewhat sloppy cursive. When Feliz wrote, he winced- was he writing in a mix of cursive printed style?! He couldn't stand that kind of handwriting. Feliz was definitely not going to do the mapping if he was going to write so awkwardly. He nearly snatched the paper and wrote for Feliz at that point, but he struggled and left him be. ... Mostly because of Catrin watching him like a hawk.
"Congratulations, Auspice," Marion said in an official voice, "Now, I advise you to accept the examination mission from the Grand Duchy."
"We walked all the way here just to walk back...?"
-...-...-...-
Dexen sat down on the rail to the labyrinth stairs with a grin one thousand miles wide. He watched as Feliz walked over, still behaving hazy from their trip to the palace with his ears pink. Catrin followed not far behind, a hand already on her bow in precaution. Nobody wanted monsters to leave the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, but it wasn't unheard of for them to stray outside.
"So, do you have the proper supplies heading in? You don't seem to have enough members for it to be safe..." A worried voice called from behind them. It sounded vaguely familiar.
It was the dark hunter who had cared about him when he ran into the doors at the Grand Duchy. Kure Cypress was at his side, a pair of seven shot revolvers at ready. Now that Dexen looked, Kure was wearing a black turtleneck sweater and dark gray pants under his light gray coat. Talk about bland...
"What's it to you?" Dexen challenged.
Kure stepped forward, confident in every word he spoke. "You'll be eaten alive. Three explorers, and only one is capable of elemental attacks? Forget it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He growled, bristling a bit. To have someone that important tell him off, it hurt his pride.
The maroon haired man punched Kure's shoulder, then apologized. "Sorry about Kure. He can be a bit uncouth... My name's Soren. If you really plan to go down there with only the three of you as a guild, I have a favor to ask."
"Talk." Catrin immediately stated, a hand on Dexen's shoulder.
Soren took advantage of the opportunity as soon as he could, "You probably don't know anything about the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, right? Well, Kure has been there before and he can lay on the elemental attacks with special bullets. I can bind the enemy."
"Stop beating around the bush," Kure mumbled, then said, "Soren is asking if we could go with you. You look like you'll need it, incapable as you are."
"Uh..." What made this guy think he could get away with calling them incapable?
Soren butted in, "He's saying you don't know anything about the labyrinth yet. He's concerned about whether you'll survive."
"Am not. They can die for all I care."
"Eh?" Dexen frowned and furrowed his brow. Soren seemed to be telling the truth, though Kure immediately denied that. He decided he would believe what was said. "I mean, I guess we could use the help. We're rookies, after all..."
"Let's go." Kure said, brisk as he descended the stairs.
Soren apologized, "He's always been a bit unnerved by feelings and the like. He's just showing concern the only way he knows how."
The group all seemed a bit put off by Kure's behavior, but quickly raced after him. A gunner of such expertise had to be a good thing, right? Dexen didn't know what to think. He finally met the gunner he had heard so much about and idolized, but he had been so different than Dexen's expectations. The protector he had been assigned hadn't spoken even one time, and that was unsettling. Feliz was generally creeping him out with those perceptive golden eyes of his... The dark hunter was a stranger, rather motherly like Catrin, to the alchemist's chagrin. That didn't change the fact that he still had no idea who any of them were.
He wasn't quite sure about any of them at all.