AN: Sorry for the wait! Thanks so much TaintedBloodLily for reviewing the last chapter! And to everyone else reading this; please review! I'd really appreciate it!

Chapter 11:

Just like what Alchemist Magnus had said; The Stickleback Bar was hard to miss. The building was quite big in size with tables and chairs littered around, inside and out. It was rather busy as well. Explorers were flittering in and out, sometimes in groups of five or more, others in pairs. The majority of them were indeed explorers as they carried with them an array of weapons and were adorned in armour.

There were some, Lynus couldn't help noticing, that were either passed out from drinking too much. Or were simply there sleeping, probably too poor to pay for a room at Flaus Inn.

Stepping through the two large oak doors that served as the bar's entrance, Lynus barely had enough time to look around before a familiar form appeared before him. Then a pair of arms were around his neck in a hug.

"Lynus!"

"Lirit?" Lynus muttered in surprised, his arms automatically returning the hug for a moment before he placed his hands on Lirit's sides to push him back. "What are you-?"

"This is the place I told you about," Lirit said, grinning at him.

"Here?" Lynus looked around at all the drinking patrons, not entirely sure how he should feel about a 17 tear-old performing in a bar. Then again, there were worst places, weren't there? "You didn't mention it was the bar, though. "

"I didn't?" Lirit tilted his head to the side, a little confused, before a bashful smile appeared on his lips and he shrugged as he stepped away from Lynus. "Sorry, I guess I was just happy to be of use that I forgot."

Lynus took a moment to look at his surroundings, noting that there were indeed quite a few individuals that looked like veteran explorers. "Is this ok?"

"Sure it is!"

"Wah!" Lynus eeped and subconsciously reached out to Lirit, instinctively trying to shield and protect him. A habitual response he had picked up during those eight long years. He then turned to the source of the loud, booming voice to see a man, quite stocky and tall, grinning at him. "Y-you scared me."

"Haw haw haw!" the man laughed boisterously, seemingly amused by Lynus' reaction. "Sorry, short stuff. Didn't mean to scare ya. The name's Cass, I'm the owner of this joint."

"N-nice to meet you," Lynus managed to reply, despite the way his heart was thundering in his chest from the fright. He calmed down quickly, though, when he realised that Cass wasn't a threat. "Thank you letting Lirit-"

"Pleasure's all mine!" Cass interrupted him. "He keeps the patrons entertained and they drink more! Perfect for business! Haw haw haw!"

Lynus found himself staring at the man in a dumbfounded way. He wasn't sure how he should react. He didn't feel threatened in anyway. And Lirit didn't seem to be bothered by him. He just hadn't met someone so…loud before.

"Scared me when I first met him, too," Lirit whispered into Lynus' ear. "See what I mean about strange people?"

Lynus was unable to prevent a nervous laugh from passing his lips. "Believe me, I know," he whispered back, recalling those he had met during their brief stay. He smiled warmly, though. "But they seemed nice enough."

"So, the two of ya friends, guildmates, or what?" Cass asked as he walked back over to the bar, getting ready to serve up some more drinks.

"Brothers," Lynus answered hastily. For some reason that question made him feel a tad nervous. There was really no point at all going into depth about how they knew each other.

"Can't you see the resemblance?" Lirit chirped cheerfully, indicating to their similar hair colour.

"Yare, yare," Cass said. He appeared as though he wanted to say more when his attention was suddenly diverted elsewhere. "Hey! Tables are for glasses, not for asses! Sit on the damn chair!"

Lynus managed to suppress a wince at the loud voice, but for some reason he felt reassured by the man's ability to keep his patrons in check. He would have to have some kind of talent to run a bar that catered to weapon-wielding explorers. After all, bar fights were probably common.

"Well," Lynus said as he turned his attention back to Lirit. "I'm glad that you're enjoying singing again."

Lirit blinked at him for a second before he gave a small smile. "I'm having fun."

"That's good."

At least Lirit and Binah seemed to be relishing in their new found freedom. Binah is having fun playing with her new friend, Becky, giving the sickly young girl company. Lynus still had no idea what to do about Rahas, though. He was spending all his time training out in the woods, by himself. As soon as the sun would come up, he would leave. And won't come back until well after sunset.

Lynus understood that he was trying to find a new purpose. Still…

"Oh, that's right; I have a request from the hospital," Lynus said, plunging his hand into the pocket of his coat and pulling out the note Dr Stiles had given him.

"A quest, huh?" Cass said. "No problem. Give it here and I'll post it on the quest board. Should be filled in no time."

"Glad to hear it, thank you," Lynus said, handing the piece of paper over to him, finally delivering his task. Took a little longer than expected. But Dr Stiles would understand, right? He could not turn his back on people in need.

In any case…

"I better get back to the hospital," Lynus said, turning his attention back to Lirit. "They'll be wondering where I am."

"Kay," Lirit smiled. "See you back at the Inn, Lynus. I better get back to work as well."

"Have fun," Lynus said with a smile on his own, unconsciously shifting his bag on his shoulder.

"I will."

Deciding that he had dallied long enough, Lynus began to jog in the direction of the hospital. He made sure to remember the location of the bar, though, as he might check up on Lirit occasionally, seeing as if he was all right. Like he would do with Binah at the Inn.

Sure, the logical and rational part of him knew that there was no doubt that the two were safe. But his maternal instincts, on the other hand, were always worried that something might be wrong. There were always the 'what ifs' thoughts lingering.

Turning a corner, Lynus found himself coming to an abrupt halt. There were two men, both with blond hair, facing off in a verbal confrontation. And, once again, they were quite tall. Far taller than Lynus.

But, then again, it seemed that everyone was taller than he was…

One was a Protector. He had short blond hair and was adorned in shiny silver armour, a sword sheathed by his side and a shield in his left hand. He was staring with piercing blue eyes at the other blond.

The other was obviously a Survivalist. The large bow resting on his back was a dead giveaway. He had long blond hair, his eyes as blue as the protector's. They, too, were narrowed in an accusing expression.

Lynus found himself shuffling back nervously, edging back around the corner. He was stumped as they were arguing in the middle of the path. Lynus fiddled with the strap of his bag as he peered around the corner. He had to find a way to awkwardly move around them without being noticed, so not to disturb them.

Maybe there was a back alley way or something.

"I am fine," the Protector insisted. "You're the one who is hurt."

"Don't be pompous," the Survivalist sneered. "I'm not injured. I know you are, for a fact, as you threw yourself in front of me. Are you completely reckless?"

"You were in danger."

"Regardless! I am a Survivalist. I will survive."

"And I am a Protector. I protect people, including Survivalists."

"I don't need protecting!"

"Well, apparently you did!"

He shouldn't be eavesdropping like he was. But after hearing the words 'hurt' and 'injured', Lynus felt himself twitch. He was unable to hold himself back any longer. He could see, just by looking at them, that the both of them were hurt. He couldn't ignore that. His inner healer simply wouldn't let him.

He had to do something.

"Um, excuse me?" Lynus questioned as he timidly stepped from his hiding spot.

Immediately, two sets of blue eyes turn to look at him at the same time. And they asked the same question at the exact same time, equally tersely. "What?"

Lynus winced at the sharp tones, but held his ground. He had received much harsher words and biting tones than that in his life.

"I'm sorry for interrupting," he said as he nervously grasped at his bag with both hands. "But, well, you see...you're both hurt."

"...What do you mean?" the protector asked him after a moment of silence.

"Your right leg," Lynus said as he pointed at the Protector. "I assume it's your knee as you're lifting your heel up off the ground, while keeping your knee bent."

The Survivalist snapped his head around to face his companion. "I knew it," he muttered, earning himself a sharp glare from the other.

"And you," Lynus carried on, this time pointing at the Survivalist. "You're also hurt. Your left arm, I'm also guessing that it's your elbow. You're holding it close to your body and trying not to move it."

The Survivalist stiffened and turned to face him, a surprised look on his face. The Protector, too, was wearing an expression of bewilderment, the two of them stunned into silence. A silence that stretched out in an awkward manner.

Lynus fidgeted under their gazes. "...Um."

Abruptly, the two looked away. The silver armoured Protector coughed into his hand while a light blush spread across his cheeks. The Survivalist had a similar reaction, his lower face hiding against the red scarf around his neck that was doing very little to hide the blush dusting the bridge of his nose.

Using his uninjured arm, the Survivalist scratched the back of his neck as he shared a look with his companion. He then turned his gaze back onto Lynus. "...You're very observant," he muttered, sounding embarrassed.

"I'm a Medic. I have to be," Lynus explained, giving the two a small smile. They don't seem so intimidating now. Actually, it was nice to see that they were each worried about the other, while trying to conceal their own injuries so they won't be concerned.

Still, there was no need to hide injuries at all with medics and healers ready and willing to lend a hand.

"Would you like me to...?" Lynus asked, motioning toward the Survivalist's arm with a small wave of his hand.

He received a blink in response, before giving a small nod of his head. He allowed Lynus to approach and gently take hold of his arm. Pulling back the long sleeve of his clothing, Lynus took a moment to study the injured limb. It was slightly swollen, the skin a light red. There doesn't seem to be a wound, so it was likely that there was a strain. He couldn't feel any broken bones and it wasn't dislocate, which was very good. Pulled muscles and strains were painful, but not life-threatening.

A Cure spell and some strong bindings would do the trick.

"There's nothing broken," Lynus said as he reached into his bag and pulled out a wad of bandages. He cast a quick Cure spell to ease the swelling and tension in the muscles. He then carefully wrapped the support bandages around the blonde's elbow, making sure that it was tight, but not too tight that it would cut off blood circulation. "But rest is definitely recommended for a day or two. Using a bow now would only make it worse and prolong the injury."

"Sure," the Survivalist relented; placing his hand on the bandages and cradling the injury close against his side. He seemed mildly surprised as he looked at his bandaged arm.

"How does it feel?" Lynus asked.

"It's fine."

"Good," Lynus smiled, sensing that the other didn't like to talk much, before turning his attention to the other blond. "Please take a seat."

Shrugging off his shield, the protector limped over to a bench. Now that he was no longer trying to pretend that he wasn't hurt, his injury was blatantly obvious. His companion immediately noticed as well, moving to take him by the arm with his uninjured hand and helped him to sit down. Shifting so that his right leg was out in front, he began to remove his leg armour.

Lynus lifted his bag from his shoulder and placed it on the ground. He knelt down and began to help in the removal of the armour. He could see that the armour was not damaged, so he did not have an open wound. He was either suffering from a strain or a fracture due to blunt force trauma.

Placing his hands on the knee, Lynus carefully felt around, satisfied that his kneecap was not dislocated or damaged. It was swollen, though. Much like his companion's, his seemed to be suffering from a sprain. It was possible that he had twisted it when he shielded someone. It was obvious that he didn't dislocate it. No one could grin through that kind of pain.

His injury was just more painful due to the fact that he was putting at least half of his weight on it.

With one hand on his knee as he uttered a cure spell, Lynus dug around in his bag for another support bandage. He grabbed a slightly thicker one, as the knee needed more support than the elbow.

"Rest is recommended for you as well," Lynus said as he wound the bandage tightly. "It would be best if you could keep it elevated for the rest of the day. And icing it would also speed up recovery."

After he was done, he stood up and picked up his bag. He then granted the two a stern, doctorial look. "Absolutely no labyrinth. For either of you."

Neither of them seemed willing to argue. Instead, they both nodded as the Protector began to pick up his removed leg armour. After he had gathered his belongings, he stood up.

"Thank you for your help," he said, smiling gratefully now. "My name is Jhon." He motioned to himself before wave a hand toward his companion. "This is Tobyn."

"My name is Lynus," Lynus introduced himself, smiling at the two. "And it was no problem. I work at the hospital, so if either of you get hurt again, please come see me, ok?"

"...Lynus?"

Lynus blinked and turned to look at Tobyn, tilting his head in a questioning manner. "Is something wrong?" he asked, a small sense of unease beginning to rise from the pit of his stomach.

Tobyn had this quizzical look on his face, his brows furrowed. He looked as if he was trying hard to remember something. He then seemed to snap back to reality and shook his head to clear it. "Ah, no," he murmured. "Just speaking out loud."

Tobyn then shared a look with Jhon, the two sharing a silent conversation with their eyes. Lynus felt his unease grow when Jhon furrowed his brow slightly as Tobyn raised an eyebrow, almost as if he was indicating toward Lynus' direction. However, Lynus tried to reason with himself that he was just being silly when Jhon gave a light shrug a moment later, turning his attention back to Lynus, smiling as he regarded him.

"Well, thanks again," he said as he hoisted his shield effortlessly off the ground. He seemed unguarded, open and friendly. That helped to sooth Lynus' nerves further. "I'm sure we'll meet again."

Lynus nodded, pleased that he was of use, that his healing abilities had helped someone in need once again. And, well, it was pleasant to meet such nice people and explorers. Not what he had grown used to over the years.

A very enjoyable change indeed.

"Take care," Lynus said before he turned on his heel and continued his journey back to the hospital.

Jhon watched as the Medic hurried up the stone path toward the hospital, strands of light orange hair dancing in the midday breeze. His violet eyes focused forward as he grasped at the strap of his medical bag with his left hand.

"…Lynus, huh?" Tobyn muttered under his breath, he, too, watching with a curious gaze.

Jhon turned to face him. "You don't think…?"

"Orange hair, violet eyes, a medic named Lynus?" Tobyn listed off, cradling his injured arm against his side. "It's no coincidence. Has to be him."

Jhon drew in a sharp breath. He hoped that they were right. "We better tell Axel."

"Right."

AN: I hoped you liked it! Again, please comment. It would totally make my day~