Addressing the Myth

by Terron145

With the Arcanian Council's decision to lift the embargo upon entering the Yggdrasil Labyrinth, a myriad of Guilds make way for the city of Iorys to rise to the challenge of exploring the interior. Among such Guilds are the Seekers, with veterans and newcomers alike rallying together to form the Guild's fifth Branch.

2. The First Campaign

Chapter 2: The First Campaign

True to Fae's word, she leads her new comrades down a collection of paths less traveled. The Seekers manage to avoid the tumultuous traffic, soon finding themselves within the marketplace of Iorys. Rather than dedicated buildings to sell each craftsman's set of wares, this city hosts an outdoor bazaar, leaving all competitors out in the open for customers to freely roam. Natural shading is provided as a result of many stalls having been built directly within the space allotted by hollowed out tree trunks. One such stall even houses a weapon's forge; it is this stall that Fae directs her comrades to.

"Mr. Syrik?! Are you here?!"

Fae's call is quickly answered by a fellow Brouni stepping from behind a curtain. In his hands is presumably a checkbook, though he is quick to store it in a pouch so that he may yield his attention to a potential customer. The Brouni in question is taller than both Hayato and Fae; his eyes are a brighter shade of green in comparison to Fae, and his hair is akin to a red autumn leaf. His attire consists primarily of brighter colors – white and light shades of green – atop his head is a hat with protective goggles attached. He smiles at the Seekers, adopting a welcoming posture as he steps forward to properly address his potential patrons.

"Heya, Fae; come to buy more supplies?" Fae shakes her head, to which Syrik replies, "Is that right?" Looking to the others, he follows, "You all are new faces; welcome to my shop; the name's Syrik. I assume you're here with Fae?" Cyrus steps forward to shake Syrik's hand and introduce his guild mates. "Oh, so you're all explorers, come to challenge Yggdrasil…wait." He looks to Fae, whose smiling face only compounds his growing concern. "Fae, you didn't join a Guild, did you?"

"Uh huh. Yep."

Looking to Cyrus, Syrik shades his eyes and asks, "She was ready to cry, wasn't she?" Cyrus says nothing, but his shift in facial expression tells the merchant all he needs to know. "Figured as much; this kid can be as threatening as any beast; don't let her friends tell you otherwise." He shrugs, unwilling to try and change Fae's stance on this matter. He takes his place behind the counter, ready to conduct business. Without needing to say a word, he simply watches as Cyrus gathers up all of the things his Guild is going to purchase. "Well now! Don't you have an eye for quality?"

"It comes with the territory, Syrik. I'm a craftsman myself, and this is my fourth run through an Yggdrasil Labyrinth."

"Oh, a vet, are we? Then I guess I needn't tell ya my business model. Be sure to come to me for all your Labyrinth needs; I'll be sure to take care of the Seekers."

"You have yourself a deal, friend. And please, do not worry yourself over Fae's well-being; we'll protect her."

"I'm more worried about who will protect you lot from her." As much as Cyrus wants to question that, he and the rest of the Seekers find themselves vacating the area. More customers are starting to flock to this location, presenting the need for this Guild's members to make themselves scarce. Syrik bids them a farewell before cracking his knuckles in preparation for the next wave.

Fiona elects to take point and directs her allies to Jenetta's Inn. Stepping inside, the four unfamiliar with the place are immediately met with the gentle scent of roses wafting on the breeze, as well as Jenetta's cheerful greeting and smiling face. Fiona takes the moment to introduce everyone before taking a seat at a large table. Cyrus takes a seat beside his fellow Fencer, soon finding his thoughts occupied. He looks to Jenetta again, who is busy conversing with Fae and Hayato on some matter. He notices a peculiar trait that sparks a memory. 'Wait…her eyes have been closed this whole time.' He leans over to ask Fiona if she'd ever seen Aman's son open his eyes back in Armoroad, which she answers with a negative. "I thought as much. Peculiar indeed. Dalla and the lad running the Rooster Inn never opened their eyes either…"

Fiona gives a shrug, her expression unchanging. "It's probably just your imagination." She claps her hands together, catching her team's attention; ignoring the empty stare Cyrus is shooting her way, she clears her throat and speaks. "I figured now would be a good opportunity for the five of us to discuss our combat strategy going forward." Looking to Gwenivere, she asks, "This is your first time in this world, right? I imagine you have yet to adjust to our aether flow."

She nods in reply, crossing her arms and letting out a small sigh. "A guess as true as any. The flow of aether in this world is indeed unlike that of Erdboden. I can barely cast the most basic spells Cyrus taught me in our youth; to be reduced to such a low level is…well to be blunt, I'm rather miffed." She falls silent, her mind suddenly fixated on how she might recover from this loss in power. A nod soon follows, though it is directed at none of her comrades. "I'll simply have to increase my efforts as Cyrus trains me." She looks to her husband, a knowing smile upon her lips "I'll be counting on you, love, as ever."

"I'll continue to ensure that trust is not misplaced."

Fae is the next to speak; "I can heal everyone, but I also have combat training." She then pushes her fingers together, a blush appearing on her cheeks as she deliberately avoids eye contact with the others. "I- um, I use herbs to make smoke bombs. I only have two kinds, bu- but I can poison or blind the enemy."

A smile forms on Cyrus' face at the mention of the latter status ailment. Gwenivere and Fiona roll their eyes at this, saying, in unison, "Gods, here we go again with this." They glance at one another before having a giggle at Cyrus' expense. The man is too busy processing Fae's revelation to notice.

"If we improve your ability to consistently blind the enemy, we will have an incredible boon to our setup."

Jenetta finds this curious. Placing a finger beneath her chin, she asks, "Are you planning to be a Fencer, Cyrus?" His affirmation causes her expression to brighten, though no one is sure why. "I bet you'll be great at dodging the enemy, but I wonder how well you'll draw attention to yourself."

Fiona scoffs at this, crossing her arms as she says, "He had an easy enough time of it in Armoroad."

"Fiona, I apologized for that, right? Besides, the Hoplite Skills are primarily used to protect a general line of comrades; it's not as if you were specifically trying to protect me."

"That's not the point." Before Cyrus can offer a rebuttal, she continues, "That aside, the Fencer class doesn't have options for handling attacks that cover a wide area."

"That is why we make use of evasion buffs and Fae's ability to blind the opposition. She needn't handle the task alone either, for I have access to a Skill called…I believe it was Optic Thrust? For the time being, I'll work on using that and predicting the enemy's movements." Fiona can only stare at him, albeit with an expression whose meaning Cyrus is entirely unsure of. "Is my assessment at fault?"

"Huh?" She then realizes she must have been staring at him. She shakes her head, even waving her hands for emphasis. "No, no, you're good. I was just thinking…you haven't changed." She smiles as she stakes this claim; "You were always thinking, be it about a new strategy or a way to optimize an existing one." She delivers a light punch to his shoulder, her smile shifting to a smirk. "This is your first real attempt at tanking, right? I better not catch you lacking."

Cyrus scoffs at this, but can't help but smile all the same. "Fair dame, you dare? I shall show you my powers of adaptability. Mark me, Fiona – I shall show you the end result of our party synergy." She gives no reply, instead staring at him once more. "No, seriously; is there something on my face?"

"What? Ah, dammit, I was staring again. I'm not used to you talking about teamwork so…enthusiastically. Too often were you so quick to fly off on your own." Cyrus falls silent at this, directing his attention at the table. "I mean no offense, Cyrus. I-"

Holding a hand up, Cyrus cuts his comrade's sentence short. He shakes his head, silently making a statement of admittance. "You have the right of it." He begins lightly scratching at his right cheek, his attention going to the ceiling above as a sigh escapes him. Another moment passes before the realization truly dawns on him. "You're not wrong, Fiona, though I am working to change." His attention falls back to her. "I only ask that you give me time." She gives a simple nod, causing a smile to form on his face. Looking to Hayato, he says, "That leaves only you, Lord Hayato."

"Right, as a Shaman, I call forth the power of spirits to assist us in battle." To demonstrate this power, he holds up his hand, which causes a ring of shimmering cards to encircle his form. Fae's expression lights up at this, though only for the notion of the pretty colors on display. Hayato pulls a blue card from this selection and tosses it towards the ceiling. A short moment follows before everyone in the room feels a protective aura form around them. Hayato's cards disappear, though their effect lingers.

Not feeling any surge in her offensive capability, Gwenivere asks, "Was that a defensive spell of some sort?"

"Indeed, the effect of that card is known as Aegis Prayer; it bolsters the party's defenses on both the physical and elemental fronts." Cyrus snaps his fingers, summoning forth a notebook and pen from a portal of darkness. As he begins to write, Hayato adopts an inquisitive look and draws closer. "Pray tell, what are you writing?"

"Skill focus; our party will reach an accord much faster if everyone's progression is laid bare. Conveniently enough, the base kits of our Classes are incredibly straight-forward, and aside from yours, Lord Hayato, they are also not terribly costly in terms of time investment." He lingers for a moment upon drafting Fiona's portion of this outline. He looks to her, and then back to the page. "Hm…"

"Something wrong, Cyrus?"

"The Chain Skills are…unique. They appear to be a combination of the traditional Chaser Skills used in Etria, as well as the Links used in Tharsis. Perhaps even more important than that is the fact that these Skills are available from the outset; there's no need to wait until the Third Stratum to begin properly investing."

Tightening the drawstring on his new bow, Hayato asks, "Is that why you bought this bow for me?"

"Yes, we'll need reliable means to trigger those Chains since they don't boast the convenience of Links. Until you can incorporate Dance Oracle into your repertoire, we'll make do with this."

Jenetta returns to the dining room, balancing two platters on her hands. The Seekers collectively search around the room, surprised to find that none of them noticed the innkeeper had left in the first place. She sets the platters down on the table's center, urging the standing members of the party to take seats of their own. The meal consists of a quaint breakfast – French toast topped with melting butter, complemented with a small bowl of blueberry syrup for dipping purposes; fried eggs sandwiched between a freshly baked cheddar biscuit – atop the fried egg is a fried slice of turkey, with two strips of crispy bacon placed just atop that; a pitcher of orange juice rests at the center of all this, presumably to serve as a refill for the filled cups the group has already been provided.

"Eat up, everyone! No explorer should ever head out on an empty stomach!" The Seekers express a collective childish cheer, giving thanks to the meal and its chef before commencing the feast. Rather than disappearing again, Jenetta lingers in the dining room, straightening what she considers to be misaligned curtains. As she works, she elects to spark conversation. "I suppose I shouldn't have expected any less of an experienced Guild."

Being the only one not busy chewing food, Fiona looks to the innkeeper and asks, "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, you know; most Guilds would book a room and then dash straight to the Labyrinth. The five of you took a seat and started strategizing." Pointing one of her ears towards Cyrus, specifically his open notebook, she follows, "Just look at Cyrus there; I only see that level of note-taking from Celestrian patrons. Tell me, do you have a lot of experience with Chaser Skills?" To her surprise, Cyrus shakes his head. "Really?"

"The Etrian Branch wasn't built to accommodate a Chaser Landsknecht, but Alex was gracious enough to inform me on ways to build around them. As for the Links of Tharsis, I have limited practice working with them, for our Landsknecht in that Branch switched over to another Class just when we could have properly invested in said Links."

"Sounds like this will be your best opportunity. I have faith in you all, but please be careful out there." Her ears twitch, causing her attention to turn towards the entrance of the inn. "Ah, more customers. I must be going, but don't worry about your plates; I'll take care of them shortly. Bye-bye now!"

Despite her reassurance, the Seekers – notably Cyrus and Fiona – stack their now cleaned plates together and carry them to the kitchen before departing. The walk to the Labyrinth's entrance is short, roughly a half-hour trip akin to Armoroad. This iteration of Yggdrasil is somewhat akin to Armoroad's Labyrinth as well, with the entrance evoking the sense of some sort of ruin. Tiny statues can be found in irregular bursts along the way; the expressions drawn upon them strike both Fae and Gwenivere as cute. Though they would each like to take one home as a souvenir, Hayato advises against it.

"Those statues may appear harmless, but they were once active golems charged with the protection of the Labyrinth's entrance."

Stepping into the Labyrinth proper, the group is greeted by a sight akin to the Waterfall Woods, the First Stratum of Armoroad's Yggdrasil. Luscious green vegetation stretches as far as the eye can see, with plenty of nature having laid claim to the tiny statues that litter the ground. Flowers of various vibrant colors rest at the base of trees, boasting a brilliant hue courtesy of the beaming sunlight. Just beyond the first floor's initial clearing is a tall tree, one that stands taller than any other on the floor. A small lake separates this tree from the Seekers; there is no means of crossing in sight.

Looking to the tree's canopy, Fiona holds a hand over her head like a visor to keep the sun out of her eyes. A flock of birds can be seen perched above, with a second smaller flock flying by overhead. "That's probably where our root samples are gonna be." The party travels west, soon entering a second small clearing that houses a door. Fiona approaches this door, but quickly learns "It's one of those sealed doors." A groan escapes her, followed by a frustrated click of the tongue. Turning her head, she can see a floating unopened treasure chest beyond a stretch of water that is too far for her to jump across. What was once a displeased expression has shifted to rage, accentuated by a glare capable of burning through steel.

Fiona finds herself being lifted by the waist, to which she responds by flailing her arms. Though she cannot see who or what has picked her up, she needn't ponder. She shouts for Cyrus to set her down at once so that she may procure that treasure chest. "No can do, friend; needs must we obtain that chest later on." The others observe this sight from a slight distance, soon shrugging their shoulders after silently determining that this behavior must be a normal occurrence.

The western path proves to be a dead end. Aside from the sealed door, the group could only find a spot that looks to be a chicken feeding ground, as well as a spot near a river stream that strikes Cyrus as perfect for fishing. Cyrus takes a knee near a boulder and sets to work on the map of the first floor. Fae stands on the rock, being granted a vantage point suited to observing Cyrus as he works. She tilts her head at the sight, noting that the map is awfully detailed in spite of how little the Guild has actually seen. "You must really like drawing maps."

He chuckles at this, making no effort to hide the smile on his face. "I had to spend a lot of time at home when I was a lad, so I'd sometimes draw my own dungeon maps."

"Ooh! You mean for 'Labyrinths & Drakes', right?"

"Not quite. In Erdboden, we play a game called 'Caverns & Wyverns'."

"I've never played either; I've only watched friends at school play."

He ceases his charting to look back at the girl. "You weren't interested?"

She shakes her head. "It looked fun, but I didn't know the rules, so I didn't want them to waste time teaching me…"

He rolls up the map and rises to his feet. "We certainly can't have that; when time permits, I shall purchase a copy of L&D – you and I can learn the rules together." Fae's expression lights up at this; she reflexively asks if his words are true, to which Cyrus follows, "I am a man of my word, Fae; Cyrus Coelistis never breaks a promise." The child motions to tackle him again; he is fully prepared, and catches her as the momentum of her lunge forces the two to spin in place. Looking to the left, he can see a trio of acorns approaching this location. He blinks twice and then strains his eyes, unconvinced. 'Those…are actually acorns.' He calls for the remainder of the party to assemble; he then sets Fae on her feet so that he can take his own place at the front.

Fiona and Gwenivere stare at the acorns in disbelief, not quite sure what to make of this situation. One acorn steps forward, angling its head to look up at Cyrus. It begins to speak, its voice ringing out as a series of clicks and clacks to everyone but Cyrus. "Hark, mortal, for you stand before the rabid uprising!"

"Pray tell, what are you rising against?"

"Why, the tyranny of the Air Squirrels! Those furry dastards think they can do as they please with our people just because they can fly; our power shall grow, and they shall fall – brought low like the rodents they are."

Hayato and Fae look on in confusion. The latter of the two tugs at the hem of Gwenivere's skirt to get her attention. Crouching down, Gwenivere answers Fae's efforts and asks of what may trouble the child. "Can Cyrus understand that Rabid Acorn?" Gwenivere nods, and then explains that the Runic Eye allows Cyrus to communicate with anything that houses a soul within it. "Wow, that's really cool; does that eye do anything else?"

"It serves many purposes, but I shall share them with you some other time."

Cyrus turns to his party and relays the information he has learned from the acorns. "These three are the leaders of the uprising, and are in a bind at present." He points towards the eastern path, where a pair of Rabid Acorns can be seen engaging in battle. Their foe is a single plant monster, green in color, with two purple vines extended from its form. The vines are lined with thorns, and boast hook-like attachments at their tips. "That creature there is known as a Roper, and is the primary predator of the Air Squirrels." He shakes his head at the sight. "Those two acorns have betrayed the uprising, having defected to serving under the squirrels in hopes of entering better graces. There are many such instances of desertion."

Hayato scoffs at the sight, crossing his arms as he angles his head towards the ground. "Pitiful. Surely they realize that the Air Squirrels will only postpone the day of their consumption? They're not actually safe."

"The leaders of the uprising have made a request of us – Aid them in this struggle, and bring the tyranny of the squirrels to a close."

Gwenivere asks, "The populations of both species are shifting unfavorably, yes?" Cyrus nods. "I am in favor of assisting the acorns; the forest shall suffer if their numbers are thinned."

Fae looks to Gwenivere, noting the serious expression on her face. She then looks to Cyrus and says, "I don't really get what's going on, but I'll help if that's what Gwenivere wants."

Fiona offers no objection, nor does Hayato. Returning his focus to the acorn trio, Cyrus nods and says, "You shall have our support."

The three acorns begin hopping in place, presumably as a means of expressing their joy. "Excellent! We shall make haste and alert our comrades of your intentions." They then depart, leaving the path ahead cleared. The Seekers exchange glances with one another, but say nothing before moving eastward. A guard can be seen up ahead tending to a flock of chickens. A soft smile rests upon his countenance as the flock clucks happily around him. Chicken feed can be seen scattered around the forest ground; the chickens alternate between feeding and simply roaming about. None flee when the Seekers approach.

The guard rises from the fallen tree branch he was sitting on and hails the Seekers over. "Well met, explorers; I've not seen your faces before, so I take it you must be new to Iorys?" They nod to the claim and introduce themselves. Upon seeing the map floating in the space near Cyrus, he follows, "You may be new to the city, but you're certainly not rookie explorers; are you a veteran, sir?"

"This is my fourth run through an Yggdrasil Labyrinth, actually, though this will only be my second time leading a Guild." A chicken approaches him; instead of eating the feed nearby, the bird looks up to Cyrus and extends a greeting. He crouches down and gently scratches the chicken's neck with his pinky finger. "A friendly one, aren't you?" Looking to the guard, he follows, "My old man used to work on his parents' farm before he began studying as a doctor. I can't say I know much about tending to animals, but I'd say this flock of yours is doing pretty well."

"That's kind of you to say; these little ones are my pride and joy."

A rustling sounds from a thicket in the distance, prompting the solider to take up his spear and rally his flock to take up a defensive formation behind him. Two beings emerge from the thicket, one airborne, the other grounded. At the fore is a squirrel whose shape is akin to a balloon. Its fur is primarily yellow in color, with the portions covering its feet, tail, and neck being purple. Its beady black eyes stare the group down, filled with malice. Behind it is a Roper, which comes as a surprise for the Seekers. The party moves ahead of the guardsman, with Fiona explaining that they will handle this battle. The guardsman nods and falls back with his flock, though his weapon remains ready.

Cyrus draws a dagger from the sheath attached to his thigh, twirling it within his grip before eventually settling on a standard grip. "I can only assume this Air Squirrel struck a deal with the Roper – it will lead it to a superior food source in exchange for remaining off the platter." As he speaks, he steadily keeps the monsters' attention on him while straying from the rest of his party. After observing the enemy pair, he glances to his party to give further instruction. "The Squirrel is weak to volt and stabbing attacks; we shall focus our efforts on it. Fae, focus on poisoning that Roper. Lord Hayato, we need defense." He then charges towards the Air Squirrel, taking the Brounis of his party by surprise. Of the Seekers, he is the first to act, motioning to limit the squirrel's vision by using his dagger to stab one of its eyes.

The Air Squirrel shrieks in pain from this advance and attempts to retaliate by slamming its entire being into its aggressor, but narrowly misses the mark. Cyrus capitalizes on this wasted effort and slices open one of the squirrel's legs. Hayato pulls a shimmering card from the selection that has appeared before him, granting him and his allies a defensive buff through Aegis Prayer. Fiona surges her rapier into the hide of the squirrel, but doesn't strike any vital organs. Glancing to the side, she can see the Roper reeling one of its vines back for an attack; she calls for Cyrus to dodge, but he is a bit too slow to react, and suffers a strike to his side – the cut is shallow due to Aegis Prayer's effect. Gwenivere finishes her chant, sending a bolt of lightning to strike the squirrel, ending its life in the process.

With a clear shot now available, Fae throws a spherical bomb at the Roper, internally worried that she might miss the mark. 'Don't miss; don't miss; don't miss.' It explodes into an isolated small cloud of purple smoke. 'D- Did it work?' Curiously, the cloud dissipates rather quickly, leaving an ailing Roper in its wake. Its movements become sluggish; its struggle to use its vines becomes increasingly obvious. The rest of the party holds back so that Gwenivere may throw a fireball to put the plant out of its misery. The Seekers sheathe their weapons, their first battle of Yggdrasil won with little difficulty. Fae walks over to Cyrus, pulling some supplies from her backpack so that she may attend to the wound on his side. "A- Are you OK?"

"'Tis merely a scratch, though I admit your efforts are making the wound sting a lot less." A moment passes. "Oh, now the pain is gone completely; impressive work, Fae." She giggles at his praise, but says nothing before moving to check the rest of the party. With everyone's well-being confirmed, they turn their attention back to the guardsman and his flock. "Wow, not a single chicken fled the scene."

Gwenivere adds, "What's more, there was not a sound to be heard from them."

The guard smiles at this. "The little ones are quite loyal, though they do tend to wander off on their own. Sometimes I wonder if they have no sense of danger." He bows to the Seekers in gratitude. "Many thanks for coming to our aid." The Seekers give thanks in turn for the guard's gratitude, and then set off to continue their adventure. To the south is a door, one that lacks the seal boasted by the western door. Stepping inside, the Seekers are greeted by the sight of a large clearing. A few small ponds are interspersed about the area; a stream flowing into a much larger body of water can be seen off in the distance near an ascending staircase.

Fiona and Cyrus stare in disbelief at the sight. The former is the first to break the silence as she says, "That has to be a record; reaching this staircase took practically no effort." She looks to the southern end of the clearing to see several ore deposits. "A Mining Point as well." She and Cyrus work together to procure samples from these deposits, though their yield is light. Fiona holds up a cut of ore covered in moss. "I can't rightfully say I know what this is, but I bet you could appraise it after a cleaning."

"Indeed." He studies the cracked mudstone in his hand, making an effort to discern the specific materials within based on what he can see through the cracks. "There might be some iron to extract from this cut, but we'll have to find out later." The party takes its leave of this clearing. Though the second floor is within reach, they must abide by the limitations of the initiation mission. Returning to the area with the guardsman reveals that the Seekers forgot to relieve a treasure chest of its contents. Fiona is more than happy to do so, and is rewarded with a Power Ring. She hands it to Cyrus.

He walks over to Gwenivere and places the ring on her right index finger, a gesture that brings a blush to her cheeks. The ruby gem sparkles in the morning sun, accentuating her current visage. "Love, I appreciate the gesture, but I'm operating as a mage now; this ring would be better suited on you or Dame Fiona."

"We haven't the equipment slots for it."

"Cyrus, my love. What in the Seven Hells does that even mean?"

"This world…it has rules, complicated ones at that. These rules impose limitations that cannot be bypassed, save for unique circumstances. For example, neither you nor I can equip a katana as we are, despite our proficiency with the weapon; our chosen Classes prevent such action."

"Beg your pardon?" She looks to Fiona, whose solemn nod only affirms Cyrus' claims. "That's ridiculous. Is there some sort of deity in power to enact such impositions?"

Cyrus opens his mouth to speak, only to immediately close it. He adopts an inquisitive stance to further contemplate the matter. "That's a good question, one that I never even thought of." Seeing his wife's displeased expression deepen, he follows, "Er, at any rate! Milady, it would behoove you to keep the ring for now. The Rabid Acorn has a Conditional Drop that only you can reliably help us obtain." He pulls the Monstrous Codex from the group's belongings and turns to the page dedicated to the Rabid Acorn. On the list of potential item drops, there is a series of gold question marks at the bottom. "I surmise that we need bash damage to get this drop, which makes you the perfect candidate for the task." He puts away the codex before continuing, "Of course, you shouldn't head to the front line unless you have a clear shot; you will be quite vulnerable in your gear here, Milady – there is a notable difference between Erdboden and this planet."

To his surprise, Gwenivere just accepts this explanation. She thanks him for the ring with a kiss on the cheek before turning him around and pushing him onward. The group crosses beneath an archway, stepping into an area with another ore deposit. A pond rests at the eastern edge of this area, but neither Cyrus nor Fiona deems it an appropriate fishing spot. The group approaches the set of ore deposits, and is soon greeted by another Guild looking to mine as well.

At the head of this Guild is a fellow Fencer, one garbed in armor akin to Fiona's. He strikes the party as an affable sort, with blond hair and gentle blue eyes. A smile rests upon his countenance as he greets the party, revealing his name to be Conrad. "We're members of the Freeblade Guild." He rubs the back of his head, preemptively embarrassed by what he's about to admit. "We haven't progressed all that far, but we're working on it, day-by-day." He pulls out a card from his pocket, drawing a bit closer to show the Seekers its contents. He points to the heavily armored Earthlain woman standing guard near the ore deposits. Her short-cut pink hair sways gently in the breeze, but she is made less approachable by the stern expression on her face, one that is only further accentuated by her hardened crystal blue eyes. "That's Oriana, our Dragoon; she's a lot nicer than she looks."

The sounds of ore being crushed, as well as the enthusiastic shouting of a burly man, can be heard as Conrad directs everyone's attention to another of his guild mates. The person in question is an Earthlain man; his skin is brown, dark in shade to contrast his light brown eyes. His hair is auburn, though its shading gives it a faded purple hue. He is quickly revealed to be the one mining for ore, though he is carrying out the task with his fists instead of a pickaxe, a notion that causes Fae to take a cautious step behind Cyrus. "That's Abel, our Pugilist. He's…uh, yeah, he's about as scary as he looks, but he's a good guy! I've known him my whole life."

Off to the side are the last two Guild members of Freeblade. One is a tall Celestrian woman; she boasts silky white hair and lavender eyes, as well as a gray skin tone. A black dress clings to her frame, accentuating her curves; the dress sports a high cut, revealing much of her thighs. Her accessories include a pair of pink earrings that dangle in the wind, as well as a black shoulder cape that attaches to the strap securing her weapon to her back. "The lovely Celestrian there is Jilian, our Guild's magic expert." He gives a sheepish laugh before following, "She's saved my hide more than I'd like to admit; a kind and gentle sort who keeps the morale, even if she doesn't realize it."

Gwenivere steps up to Cyrus' side and, in no short terms, presents a clear statement. "Love, before we return to Erdboden, you simply must buy me a Celestrian dress just like that one – cape and all."

Cyrus and Conrad glance at each other, both sending a knowing smirk to the other, along with a thumbs-up only seen by the pair. "Most certainly, Milady; you will look quite divine." In his mind, Cyrus is giving a small cheer, though his expression does not betray his joy. 'Life's good to me sometimes.'

Sitting upon Jilian's lap is a Brouni with auburn hair and light blue eyes. Judging from his attire, he appears to be a student, just like Fae, but his uniform is different. The Brouni is currently reading a book with assistance from Jilian, suggesting that his studies are being furthered beyond the classroom. "The young lad there is Franklin, a hard worker dedicated to being a doctor when he grows up." Conrad's countenance suffers a decline for a moment. "The lad is an orphan; he used to live at the same orphanage Jilian grew up in, actually. She's the one who adopted him some five years ago from what we were told." He scratches his cheek, heaving a small sigh. "I was against someone so young joining us on this adventure, but Oriana came to Jilian's defense." He gives a chuckle, followed by a shrug of defeat. "Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever understand how that woman's mind works. Been friends since I joined the academy, but she's always a step ahead."

Cyrus chuckles at this in turn. "I have a friend like that back home. Sir Eric certainly increased his pace once he enrolled in the knight's academy." He pulls out a Guild Card of his own, and hands it to Conrad before introducing the rest of the Seekers. "I hope you and the rest of Freeblade will continue to scale Yggdrasil alongside us, Conrad." He pats the Fencer's shoulder before adding, "It would be quite nice to share stories now and again."

"Oh, definitely; I agree." He calls for the rest of his Guild, who each share proper introductions with the rest of the Seekers. The members of Freeblade elect to take their leave, for their inventory is nearing capacity. They bid farewell to the Seekers, and wish them a safe trek in turn. Cyrus' Guild decides to carry onward in order to fulfill at least one of the conditions set before them by the council.