Chapter 8: What Lurks behind the Trees
Instead of warping out using an Ariadne Thread, the party elects to walk to their new destination from this dead end. Just as Fiona takes to the fore at Cyrus' side, she is suddenly knocked onto her rear by a Rare Breed Forest Turtle. "What the Hell?" Looking up reveals that the party's only escape route is currently blocked by a second turtle and a Colossal Roper. Rising to her feet, she draws her rapier. "We've been ambushed!"
Cyrus immediately calls for Fiona to hold a defensive line with him while Gwenivere and Hayato establish the party's buffs. With its work complete, the Rare Breed makes its escape, speeding off into the forest beyond; the ground it manages to cover in this unexpected burst grants it more than enough of a head start to escape without fear of being captured. Fae throws a Poison Smoke Bomb, which proves to be effective against the remaining turtle. The Colossal Roper uses the party's need to recuperate as an opportunity to bind everyone's legs, though it misses Cyrus. "Fiona, maintain your defensive position; I'll press the attack."
His call proves to be the correct one, for the Roper thrashes its vines wildly, managing to strike Fiona twice. Cyrus can only click his tongue in frustration, knowing that Fiona might have been spared those strikes had his use of Optic Thrust actually disabled the Roper. Having established both Aegis and Ruinous Prayer, Hayato grabs hold of an orange card that he's yet to use in combat before. He tosses it to the sky, causing it to disperse. He and his allies suddenly have their weapons wreathed in fire, and sport an orange translucent veil that covers them. "When the turtle succumbs, we'll give the Roper everything we have! Everyone can support Fiona with a fire attack!"
Cyrus's second use of Optic Thrust succeeds in blinding the target; the notion is made more convenient by the Roper wasting its moment attempting to bind Cyrus' legs alongside the rest of his party. He looks to Fiona to find that her legs are still bound. "Chain Skills don't work if the user's legs are hampered; Fae, heal Lord Hayato instead of attacking!"
"G- Got it!"
'Steady, Cyrus; watch the flow of its movements and draw its attacks to you.' He finds that the white aura signifying Union Skill use has flashed from his form. He nods, not needing to check who is responsible. 'I trust your judgment, Fiona; let's do this.' The two unleash a Double Attack, stabbing both of their flaming blades into the target. Though it is screeches in pain, it holds firm long enough to lash out its vines once again. Having predicted this, Cyrus lingers on his offense for longer than Fiona; he wiggles his blade within the creature's new wound, generating pain that forces it to focus all of its swings in his direction. He successfully directs all of the attention to himself, sparing his allies any further injury and dodging the strikes in turn. The Colossal Roper is reward with an additional stab wound.
The rest of the party's offense ends the life of their final opponent, granting them their victory. Cyrus breathes a sigh of relief as he sheathes his sword. Looking to his right, he can see that Fiona is approaching. "You made the right calls back there, Cyrus; thank you. Had I not maintained my defense, I would have surely fallen to that sweeping slash. We don't have the luxury of casually wasting the four bottles of Nectar we have, so I'm glad you recognized that."
"Surely you jest. Those bottles hadn't occurred to me at all; I was only worried about you suffering harm as a result of my failure. When I think of the times you saved me back in Armoroad, I can't help but feel I need to rise to the occasion now that our roles are reversed."
She flicks his nose, resting that same hand on her hip as she says, "Oh hush and take your compliment."
Having taken to holding his nose, he replies with a cry of discomfort. "Augh, damn it, woman!" He spends a moment nursing his nose, which has actually turned slightly red. "If you're going to return to doing this, you could at least do it gently as you did in Armoroad."
"Hm? Oh, I was only holding back in Armoroad because we weren't really friends at the time; I didn't want to be rude." She shrugs, shooting a sincere smile at him as she follows, "Now that we're fairly close, I can be as rude as I wish."
"You…you what, mate?" His confusion is answered by Fiona's laughter. She wraps an arm around his distant shoulder and starts leading him away from the area, commenting that the two of them are supposed to take point. "What? No, hold a moment; what you said doesn't make any sense." She ignores him as the backtracking resumes.
The party returns to the grand atrium to take the only door that remains. They immediately return through the very entrance they used upon realizing that the owl FOE guarding this room is, much like the one to the east, so close to the entrance that outmaneuvering it is impossible. Hayato shrugs at this, resting his hands behind his head. "I figured that would happen; I imagine the door in C4 we just unlocked is our only means of progression now."
Voicing her own assent to this, Gwenivere adds, "One must also take the switch located in the bottom-left edge of C7 into account. There is no other way for us to bypass the other owl without using that northern door."
Fae frowns at this. "That's a lot of work." Pointing at the map, she directs her allies' attention to other areas that have been marked by stone walls. There are four such wall markers in place, as well as one marked switch in B7 that the party likely won't be able to reach until the sealed door of this floor can be unlocked. "We still need to find the switches for these, too, right?" Looking at Fiona, she follows, "Fiona must be itching to get those treasure chests…"
"I most certainly am; I bet their contents are well worth the trouble, too."
Having arrived at the door unlocked by the switch on the eastern edge of this floor, the party steels itself in preparation for the upcoming sprint. Opening the door places them near the top edge of this expanse and alerts the owl to their presence. Cyrus steps into proper view to bait the owl into taking a longer route before joining his allies in their sprint. Along the way, Fiona makes a beeline for the treasure chest in this room; she procures a bottle of medicine that she doesn't bother to check since the owl is drawing dangerously near. Despite this risky venture, the party escapes through the eastern exit of this room.
Cyrus checks the bottle held within Fiona's grip to find that, "Ah, it's a bottle of Hamao; this will restore both health and energy." He receives the bottle from Fiona and hands it to Hayato for safe-keeping. "Of the members of this particular party, you need the TP restoratives more than the rest of us, Lord Hayato."
"I'd argue that our tank needs them more."
"Even if I fall in combat, the rest of you could outpace the enemy and achieve victory; in that sense, keeping you standing is more important." He flips the switch to raise the stone wall across the pond; his expression soon scrunches into a frown as he turns his sights back to the door leading back to the owl.
Seeing this, Fae asks, "W- What's wrong, Cyrus? Do you need to use the bathroom?"
"W- We have to go back in that room."
Hayato's face shifts to match that of Cyrus. "There aren't any shortcuts leading out of here."
Gwenivere points at the map, showing that the FOE is incredibly close to the door. "One mistake and we are forced to engage…"
Fiona and Cyrus look to each other, having a silent conversation for but a moment before the former asks, "Bank on horizontal preference?"
"Bank on horizontal preference." Upon being asked by Gwenivere for an explanation, he gestures dramatically, flourishing his shoulder cape. "In due time, my beauteous liege." He then hands her one of the party's Ariadne Threads. "If I make the call, use this without hesitation." The party steps into the room once more and immediately makes south. The owl, in response, moves east towards the door, rather than taking the most optimal route to cut off its prey. Fiona and Cyrus exchange a high-five as the party continues running. In unison, they sing, "Horizontal preference, baby~"
Upon returning to the door they just unlocked at D7, Gwenivere lets out a sigh of relief and takes a seat upon a rock. Fae sits upon her lap, her own weariness beginning to catch up with her. "May I have that explanation now?"
Fiona nods and steps forward. "Most FOEs are similar in that they are reactive when it comes to pursuing explorers. Take that owl for example – it rushed at us while we were at the door instead of limiting our escape options. We call this phenomenon 'Horizontal Preference', and use it as a means to note FOEs that can be easily manipulated if approached from the west or the east."
"How interesting, and you say not all FOEs are like that?"
"They are not; some FOEs act differently, even if they're aggressive by nature."
Cyrus adds, "You learn to distinguish them as you progress through Yggdrasil; observational skills are key." He walks over and crouches down to address Fae. "Should we call it here, Fae? I imagine you're tired since it's almost midnight." She tries to give a negative response, but can only yawn before wiping her eyes. She looks down in shame, certain that Cyrus is going to call the investigation off because of her. "Now, now, little one; do you remember what I said about understanding your limit?"
She nods, replying, "You said there's no shame…aren't we at the end, though? It'd be a waste to use our thread, right?"
He sighs at this. "Fae, the well-being of my comrades is more important than 100en. I'd sooner put in the work needed to make up for losing the Ariadne Thread than I would run the risk of putting you and the others in danger. Being optimal isn't worth sacrificing you or anyone else here."
She falls silent at this, unable to look at him or the rest of the party as she tries to decide on what she wants to do. She thinks back to the warnings Cyrus gave when she first tried to join the Seekers. 'Being an important Guild means giving up on important things like sleep…but it's to help people, right?' She looks Cyrus again, noting the gentle concern in his eyes. A soft smile rests upon his face; it eases the child's concerns as she thinks on the matter further. She eventually rises to her feet, bringing both of her tiny fists close to her chest as a look of resolution forms her countenance. Though she stumbles, her message is presented quite clearly. "I- I'm not tired; I'm gonna explore the heck out of this place!"
Cyrus simply nods to this, patting the girl on the head before rising to his feet. To her surprise, he doesn't ask of her level of certainty. Instead, he places his hand on the door leading into the room harboring what he assumes must be the last owl FOE the party must avoid. Without looking to his comrades, he asks, "Is everyone prepared?" No one responds vocally, instead rising to his call by taking a single step towards him. "Then let us begin."
The final owl proves to be much of the same as the one before it. Cyrus baits the creature into advancing towards the party before motioning over to the eastern side of the room. En route to the door, another switch is found and pushed; despite the effort, the owl doesn't have nearly enough time to catch up with the party, allowing them to proceed through the exit on the southern side of the room. Fiona gives a shrug of the shoulder. "That one was rather simple." She then walks over to the switch located in this new room and pushes it. "That should do it for the treasure chest duo."
Hayato points to the southern-most edge of the room. "Don't these trees look awfully suspicious?" True to his claim, two trees are set equidistantly from each other, a notion made all the more glaring by the rays of moonlight seemingly placing the two in the spotlight. "I think these were planted by hand."
To their surprise, Conrad, the leader of the Freeblade Guild, arrives to explain the significance of this place. "Long ago, this area was meant to be built up as an olive grove. Olives are perfect for eating and cooking, and even help add a little flavor to liquor."
Gwenivere folds her arms, electing to pick up his thread. "Alas, I imagine those who planted this grove didn't realize just how much monsters enjoy olives in turn."
Conrad can only nod to this. "Indeed, but I've got an idea, if you're willing to work with me on it." The Seekers look at him expectantly, giving him the agency to elaborate on his plan. "It's quite simple; I'll act as a decoy while you pick all the olives you can carry. I am a Fencer, after all; evasion is my job."
Cyrus shakes his head to this, much to Conrad's surprise. Before an inquiry can be made, Cyrus says, "Let us serve as the distraction; though we are tired, we are many – the distraction we cause will be of a much larger scale." The expression he wears suggests that there is no room for argument, leaving Conrad to only nod. After rolling his neck, Cyrus draws his blade and stabs it into the ground. "Seekers, prepare for combat."
The enemies that emerge to face the party are two Ice Bats flanking either side of a Charging Boar. The party is just happy that the boar doesn't have any Rabid Acorns to eat. Fiona and Gwenivere work to quickly dispatch one of the bats, leaving Hayato to setup Aegis Prayer while Fae and Cyrus try to keep the remaining two enemies occupied. Fae's smoke bomb fails to blind either of the remaining enemies, but Cyrus goads both into attacking him regardless. In a risky maneuver, Gwenivere sneaks up to the front line in order to cast a spell that increases the elemental damage of her, Cyrus, and Fiona.
The boar has been blinded by Cyrus, and is thus unable to undertake the task of punishing the party's frail magic user. The Ice Bat, in turn, is killed by the efforts of Fiona and Hayato before it can do anything. The boar succumbs shortly thereafter. The Seekers breathe a sigh of relief and sheath their weapons. Conrad approaches, a grin upon his expression. "Excellent work out there. I wasn't able to watch the entire battle, but what glances I managed to steal were impressive." In addition to his praise, he offers the party a sizable load of ripe olives. "I appreciate the help, Seekers; let's team up again sometime."
Fae giggles at this and suggests, "You should bring your whole Guild next time." Conrad promises to try, and then hurries off to join the remainder of Freeblade. Just as she begins to yawn, Fae finds herself being lifted onto Cyrus' back. She rests her head, smiling softly before her exhaustion finally takes her. In recognition of Cyrus' voiceless direction, Gwenivere uses the Ariadne Thread to warp the Seekers back to Iorys. The party sells their procured materials to Syrik just before he closes up shop, and then retires at Jenetta's Inn for a deserved evening of slumber.
When morning comes, the party finds itself dining on fluffy omelets cooked by the innkeeper. Each member is served but a single omelet, though the individual servings take up the entirety of the plate and are akin to pancakes that have been inflated to be no less than 50% larger than usual. Curiously, the individual servings are somewhat unique, with Fae's dish sporting a fewer assortment of vegetables. Fae and Hayato can barely move once their meal is consumed; it takes all that they have just to pat their bellies and give Jenetta her due praise.
Cyrus and Fiona wish to ask for seconds, but know deep down that they'd only make it through half of the next serving before their stomachs simply ran out of capacity. They concede to this notion, and likewise offer their praise to the innkeeper. "I'm in a good mood after yesterday, and the egg haul was bigger than expected. You know the old Therian saying – Treat yourself~" She pauses, needing a brief moment to reflect on her words. "I suppose in this case I'm technically treating others, but don't sweat the small stuff."
A short time is spent sharing with Jenetta the exploits of the Guild after they parted ways last night. A notable highlight is the group's rematch with the Enemy Set that left them thoroughly exhausted in the original encounter. Cyrus, having been the only Guild member to have faced this set twice, says, "Milady's suggestion to swap over to an element-focused party was quite on point. The fight started as an ambush, and with a Rare Breed no less, so it wasn't easy, but we certainly handled it more readily than before."
"It's good to hear that you've found your bearings. What's next?"
Fiona replies, "After our Gathering Runs are complete, we're going to finish off the rest of the third floor. If time permits, we're handling that secret area of the second floor as well." She frowns as her eyes momentarily shift their attention to the rapier resting at the side of her chair. "We still need a lot of Conical Canines to finish upgrading our weapons."
Fae attempts to speak up, though her stumbling makes it clear she's nervous about something. "U- Um…" After being reassured by both Cyrus and Gwenivere, she takes a deep breath and exhales before looking to the former. "Clarisse told me that…you know how to use a bow."
"Hm? Yes, this is true. I'd say Lissa is the best archer in our Guild, though."
"D- Do you think she'd teach me?" Cyrus opens his mouth to give an affirmative answer, but hesitates; he instead inquires as to why, to which Fae answers, "Whenever I throw a smoke bomb, I don't have anything to do if no one needs healing." She then looks to Hayato as she follows, "Hayato gets really tired calling on the spirits, so I…I um…I thought I'd help out by using the bow that lets me use Aegis Prayer."
As the others look amongst each other, Cyrus rests his chin in his hand as he voices a slight agreement with Fae's assessment. "Bugger me, and here I was thinking I was the only one who was thinking about that." The others look to him now, somewhat confused by his lax attitude. "Fae's right in that we'll be making use of that bow. Upgrading it through forging will allow the wielder to use a stronger version of Aegis Prayer without actually investing proper time into learning it normally." Looking to Hayato, he follows, "I had intended for Lord Hayato to wield it so that he could focus more on those elemental prayers, but as Fae pointed out, it would tax him quite quickly."
Gwenivere's expression betrays her concern. As she looks to Fae, she asks, "Are you sure you want to do this, sweetie?"
She nods, her resolute expression returning. "I can even help Fi-Fi with her Chain attacks when the rest of you are busy." Everyone has to stifle imminent laughter upon hearing this, including Fiona herself. Fae tilts her head at this, confused. "Isn't that what Clarisse calls you?"
"She hasn't referred to me using that name yet…" She then finds Cyrus repeatedly poking her cheek, snickering to himself as he says her new nickname just once. She blushes, puffing out the very cheek he's poking in an effort to deter him. When it becomes apparent that this isn't going to work, her blush intensifies. "If this is revenge for the nose flick, then I'm sorry. Please stop."
"Oh no, my dearest Fi-Fi; I'm doing this entirely for the Hell of it." Despite this statement, he stops. Looking to Fae again, he smiles and nods to her, putting a wide smile on her face in turn. "We can go talk to Lissa about it after we finish up the third floor."
"Yay~ Thanks, Uncle Cyrus!"
"U- Uncle?"
"Yup, and Gwen is Aunt Gwen."
Gwenivere's expression lights up at this, becoming akin to a star in the darkest of nights. She clasps her hands together, unable to voice her elation at this news. She looks to her husband, her eyes practically stars themselves as she finally finds the words to express herself. "Did you hear that, darling? She called me her aunt! What a joyous occasion!"
Hayato looks to Fiona again. "Our comrades are weird."
"It gets worse."
To work off the bloat caused by their delicious omelets, the party makes for Yggdrasil to perform their Gathering Runs. Four hours are spent on this task, and a single Ariadne Thread is spent, mandating the Guild purchase a replacement lest Cyrus lose his mind over an obsession that no one else quite understands. Gwenivere posits that Cyrus likely doesn't fully understand it himself. With the task complete, the party returns to the third floor once more, and makes way for the tiny clearing located in E4.
It is here that they discover another switch, which they push immediately. This particular switch corresponds to the stone wall directly across from pond separating this lonely clearing from the rest of the floor's western portion. Nearby is a tree whose branches host golden fruits. Cyrus spends a few moments studying the tree in an effort to ascertain the type of fruit the party is looking at. "Ah, these are also Moon Apples; these just have a better coat than the ones on the 2nd Floor." He pulls three choice apples from the branches and secures them with the Guild's rations. "We can roast these over a fire to improve their taste and nutritional value."
The party departs from here, making their way back to the floor's entrance. Instead of progressing through the door they've just unlocked, the party returns to the south-western edge of the floor so that they can finally reveal what awaits them in the two treasure chests. Within the chest closest to the door rests a sealed jar. Fiona, having been the one to open the chest, appraises this item as, "A Volt Jar; we can use this to deal volt damage to one enemy." She hands it to Gwenivere; "You'll make the best use of this."
Within the second chest is a conch shell, which strikes the party as weird. After checking to make sure nothing is living inside of the item, Cyrus holds the conch up to his right ear and closes his eyes to listen. In but a few short moments, he can hear the sounds of combat, and then his closed eyes are suddenly filled with visions of past explorers engaged in battle – their actions match the sounds flooding into his ear. He pulls the conch away, causing the visions and audio to fade in equal pace.
"Hm." He turns to Gwenivere, directing her attention to the conch. "It would appear that this world has a working version of Erdboden's memory playback spell. If you hold this up to your ear and close your eyes, you can hear and witness past battles; I imagine our inactive members will benefit greatly from this." He hands it over to Hayato; "I ask that you keep this equipped for now, Lord Hayato."
"Sure thing; leave it to me."
The party departs from this area, leaving the door in E2 as their next destination. Upon stepping within, Fiona and Cyrus draw their weapons and immediately assume offensive stances. Their grave expressions suggest that something powerful is present, but their three remaining comrades can only see the next switch they need to push. Fae is the first to voice her concern. "U- Um…are you two OK?"
They sheath their weapons, letting out a sigh of relief in tandem. After mapping out the room and flipping switch, Cyrus directs everyone's attention to the room's layout and design. He points out the symmetrical design, as well as the placement of the four ponds on the corners. "Rooms like this almost always house some sort of powerful enemy."
Adding to this, Fiona speaks next. "They aren't present when the exploration season rolls around, but you can expect this room to be occupied by the time we hit later Strata." A buzzing sound directs her attention to the room's center, where a swarm of bees can be seen flying in a focused region. After looking around the region, she points to a large beehive hanging on a nearby tree. "We might be able to harvest Forest Honey for Jenetta."
Hayato shakes his head to this. "We'd have to wait for the bees to disperse, and we lack the tools necessary to force such an event."
Much to Fiona's dismay, Hayato's assessment is correct, leaving the party with no other option but to leave. Cyrus marks the location of this beehive for later before departing alongside the rest of his group. The switch they just activated has lowered the stone wall that was barring the staircase to the fourth floor, a notion that confirms the northern region of this floor is unable to be accessed until the sealed doors can be properly dealt with.
Lili stands at the foot of the staircase, and looks to the Seekers with a smile on her face. "We meet again, Seekers; long time no see." She looks to the stairs, and then to the Seekers. "A magical barrier is up ahead, and a pretty strong one at that. You're a bunch of veterans so I'm not too worried about you, but I can't let anyone proceed further without permission from the Council." To her surprise, the party voices their assent to this notion. "Huh, I kind of expected you to put up a fight just now…"
Cyrus chuckles at this. "I'll heed the Council's wishes; capable though we are, there is still protocol to follow. You're only doing your job, Lili, and we appreciate you taking it seriously." He motions for his Guild to follow after him before raising a hand in farewell. "Take care while you're out here; we'll be back after speaking with Prince Ramus." She waves in turn, bidding the party a safe travel.
Instead of making way for the Council Hall, the party rests at the inn until 7PM. Once their break is over, they return to Yggdrasil, finally intent on investigating the secret area of the second floor. It takes a short trek to bypass the two Toxipede FOEs to reach the entrance, but the party reaches the starting point without expending too many resources. They step through the entrance and are not met with any immediate opposition. The area is surprisingly vacant, allowing Cyrus free reign to draw the map at his own leisure. His charting efforts quickly reveal that much of this region is connected to larger bodies of water that seem to pool in here.
As they proceed south, Fiona spots a treasure chest waiting just beyond a lake. However, the map's magic radar makes it clear that the chest she desires is directly on a Toxipede's patrol route. She frowns at this. "I sure hope we can slip past it without getting into an engagement."
Cyrus offers a suggestion. "If we get cornered, we can always warp out once we obtain the chest's contents."
"True. That just means obtaining the chest will have to be our final task – after the rest of the area is properly explored." She soon learns that there really isn't much to explore in this region; a small lake rests at the foot of the Toxipede's patrol route, and a few more channels into larger waters begin here, but there is little else. A single glance causes her to pout. "The route's too narrow."
Cyrus points to a parallel path, specifically at the tiny stone statue resting near a tree. "There's a shortcut we can use; I assume it must be a two-way, though I'm willing to bet we'll warp out of here anyway." True to his claim, there is a statue, but before the party can interact with it, they must engage a group of enemies. The set before them consists of a Rabid Acorn leading a trio of Wild Dogs. A few clacks reveal that this acorn has defected from the uprising. "They're with the squirrels; let's take 'em down!" Having entered the encounter with an advantage, the party emerges victorious with next to no struggle. Three Conical Canines serve as their reward.
The statue in question does not activate, suggesting that the activation must be handled from the other side. Fiona shrugs to this. "At least you were right about it being a two-way shortcut." After letting the Toxipede pass them by, the party makes way for the treasure chest with Fiona at the helm. Upon opening the box, she pulls out a knife. After studying it, she shows the find to the rest of the party. "It does not appear to be very powerful."
Fae points to the knife, her expression brightening in surprise as she says, "That's a Healing Knife. Someone made changes so that the knife could help out with first-aid treatment."
"I see." She secures the knife with the Guild's belongings; "We may find a use for it at some point. Now, what say you all to staying here a bit longer to obtain more Conical Canines?" Though the hour draws near midnight, the nap Fae took has left her with energy to burn; the party agrees to stay for at least one more engagement before departing. When the next encounter ends up being a quintet of Myconid, they leave immediately afterwards. "At least we got six of those Ferrules; we can finish upgrading Lady Gwenivere's staff."
"Cyrus, my love; I understand now why you detest mushrooms. I apologize for giving you so much grief during our youth, honestly and truly."
"I am glad to see you understand my woes. All is forgiven, my beloved liege." He furls up the map and pulls out a spool of Ariadne Thread. "Now I feel comfortable reporting our maps to Prince Ramus."
The party departs from the Labyrinth and makes way for the Council. Though it is now a little past midnight, they are surprised to find that Prince Ramus is still awake. What's more, he appears to be working on something. When he hears the Seekers announce their presence, he turns to face them. "Greetings, Seekers."
"Hi, Prince Ramus! Watcha doing?"
"Ah, I have spent the past few days learning how to cook from Jenetta and one of her sisters. I was taught how to bake bread, so I've been working on a new recipe. After some trial and error, I have perfected the Egg-in-a-Basket." He presents a finished example of his craft, and even offers it to Fae. She accepts the offer of free food with all the joy she can muster through her tired state, and devours the meal in kind. Ramus laughs at this; "My but you were hungry; you must have just returned from exploring. Nevertheless, I am happy to see you enjoyed my cooking." Gwenivere's face brightens at this. "You must be familiar with the dish."
"Indeed I am." Pointing to Cyrus, she follows, "I am not a fan of sunny-side up, mostly because I dislike the taste of runny yolk, so I had my husband here make a few modifications whenever he would cook this for me during our childhood."
Looking to Cyrus, Ramus asks, "You are a chef, Cyrus?"
He nods. "I started out as Milady's guardian, but as her personal servant, I was also trained in a myriad of subjects a butler would find useful. Of these, cooking is among the roster that I get the most use out of."
"How curious. Curious still that Lady Gwenivere would marry outside her station; I imagine that the two of you have endured no shortage of opposition and hardship."
Gwenivere nods to this as she takes hold of Cyrus' hand. "You are entirely correct, Prince Ramus, but the happiness we've worked for is well-earned. His faithful service, as well as the unlimited joy he brings me – both are worth fighting for."
"I wish the two of you a continuation of such joy. Considering how late it is, I can't rightfully say you all are here for a leisurely chat; might you have an inquiry regarding the state of the fourth floor?"
To his surprise, Cyrus shakes his head. "We will request further elaboration on that matter, but not tonight, as I'm sure you're just as tired from honing your cooking skills. I know from experience how grueling the task can get for those who are serious." He presents the Guild's maps of the second and third floors to the Prince. "We've updated our map of the second floor to include information on the secret area to the west. The third floor harbors an entire section to the north, but we are unable to chart it at present since the way forward is barred by a sealed door."
Ramus accepts the maps, thanking the party for its efforts in turn. A cursory glance elicits a bit of extra praise. "You certainly don't leave out any details." He furls the maps and looks to the Seekers once more. "I will be sure to have these returned to you soon; you have my gratitude. When the time comes for you to receive the information concerning the fourth floor, there is another matter I would discuss with you. It is nothing overly serious, but I would appreciate you indulging my curiosity."
Cyrus nods to this. "We'll offer what information we can, Prince Ramus." With that confirmation, the party bids the prince a good evening, and makes way for Jenetta's Inn to retire for the night.
