Etria's Odyssey
Chapter Eleven
Preparation before the Next Excursion
The party awakens from the morning nap to greet the mid-day sun. They group up and head out for the explorer's guild, only to be met with someone else. Simon raises an eyebrow and walks before them.
"Marion? Where is Eli?" He asks. Marion takes off her helmet and puts it on the desk before sitting down.
"Oh, haven't you heard? I'll be acting as guild master in Eli's place for the time being." Marion responds. Before any of them have a chance to ask another question, she speaks up again.
"If you're looking for him, he'll be working full time as the mayor from now on. You can catch him at the city hall in the center of the town. I figure you've never been there yet since he's been acting solely as guild master for so long. Now if you don't mind, there are people behind you." She says. Abel and company look behind themselves to see a small band of people behind them. They walk up to Marion and talk about wanting to be explorers. Ouroboros sees themselves out.
They wander around town before coming to a wooden lodge surrounded by hedge bushes dotted with spring blossoms. The door is open with some guards posted at the front. Figuring this must be it, the party heads inside.
Immediately, the sight is overpowering. It's lined wall to wall with monster trophies, deer heads, a lizard talon, closed buds from plant enemies, and strange marble statues for decoration. Inside is a man with a familiar face, but a body they don't recognize. It's Eli, but he's not wearing his armor.
"Ah, guild Ouroboros. Come in, I was expecting you." Eli says. His hair is bright red, almost unnaturally so, and his face is lined with cuts and dotted with punctures, all scarred over showing the fruits of a distinguished exploring career. His body, though not as broad as with the armor on, is still distinctly buff, but not overpoweringly so like Chauncy for instance. He sits on a poofy chair and invites his guests to do the same. Abel, before he forgets, takes the 5 plastic cards out of his pack and shows them to Eli.
"Ah, so the guild has finished their first main assignment. I am impressed. Second place isn't bad." He says. Kai scowls.
"Second place…? Are you saying a guild finished first?" He asks.
"Indeed I am. Only a few hours after I set up the official guild task, a guild consisting of two members ended up providing these plastic cards, which, by the way, you can now have back." He says, giving them back to the guild. Karina speaks up.
"Why are you giving them back?"
"Because they are needed for you guys to enter the first real extension of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. I have denoted the Calcium Mines monster infested, and an extension of Yggdrasil; that is true, but it is not a naturally occurring stratum. As such, I have numbered it Stratum 0. These cards will grant you access to an elevator far on the end of B1F of the Calcium mines, they will lower you into the main dungeon below… where you can begin exploring for real." Eli says with a tinge of anxiety and excitement in his voice. Abel gulps, but the rest of them seem confident. Seeing as how there's no objections, Eli speaks up again.
"I'll be blunt. You'll be some of the first people to step into the first stratum. These statues you see along my longhouse are actually from there. I have deigned that area the "Forest of Foreign Marble" on account of the fact that I know they aren't native to this area." Simon nods.
"Indeed. Before, this land was simply Gotham. To have a forest sprout on top of its ashes and suddenly have marble statues is far from normal."
"True, but this was before I knew of Gotham's demise. I actually sent samples of the marble back to Midgard, they show distinct patterns that correlate with larger monsters found in other labyrinths. Namely, Stoneboars or the great Golem."
Both Simon and Kai wince at the mention of the Golem. Both of them seem to have experienced one or so before.
"But I digress. These statues are inert. In strange patterns, some look like people, some look like animals, others are just simply giant shiny white stones. Now that I know what I'm looking for, I can correlate that all of these have traces of monster biology, but not enough to be alive. I figure a monster created these with magic, which is what left the residue. I have explored all the way until B10F myself. The Labyrinth is rather simple, all things considered, and I believe with Kai and Simon's experience, along with Abel's Fafnir powers and the versatility provided by both Karina shield and Mary's bell that your guild will have very little trouble progressing through the Forest of Foreign Marble. In fact, I'm willing to give out an official quest- oh, and before I forget:" He stammers, taking something out and giving it to Abel.
"What's this?"
"Your reward for completing your first official assignment." Eli says. Abel opens it up and blushes.
"F… Five hundred more ental?!"
"Consider it an investment on my end. Monster parts from the first stratum will do well to jumpstart this town's economy. I think this is in good hands." Eli smiles, his cut and toned face softening to show gratitude and hope.
"Now, I'll write up an official documentation, a call to arms for all capable explorers to venture into the Forest of Foreign Marble and reach the tenth floor. Don't worry about paperwork, I've already added you to the official dossier. With that, this meeting is adjourned. I expect great things from you."
They leave the longhouse and begin to walk to TT's Tradehouse before Mary stops in her tracks. Everyone looks back, and Karina speaks up.
"What's wrong?" She asks. Mary looks over with a worried face.
"I know I shouldn't feel bad, but how did another guild already beat us so fast?" Mary sulks.
The group collectively remembers that there was a guild of only two members that already started their adventure, probably while they were all already in the inn. Simon looks back.
"I remember a guild of two women back in Etria, Ren and Tlatchga… they were determined, fierce competitors, but in the end my guild ended up surpassing even them. I have no doubt we will do so here as well." Simon says, patting her on the back.
"Come on. Let's get some new equipment at the tradehouse. I sure could use a new staff." Simon muses. Mary smiles and agrees.
They enter TT's Tradehouse and to their surprise, they aren't immediately greeted with the sound of cutlery falling all over the place. Instead, Tin-Tin is maintaining a mature demeanor.
"WELCOME BACK TO TIN-TIN'S TRADEHOUSE! DID YOU SEE THE SIGN OUTSIDE?!" She yells out!
"Uh… no?" Abel honestly responds.
"WHAT?!" Tiny Tina runs out of the shop and looks up at the roof. They all scratch their heads as she sulks back inside.
"Dang it… stupid contractors made the sign the same color as the building… bright red… you can't see it at all… BUT OH WELL!" She snaps out of her sour mood and jumps back behind the counter before showing off some things!
"I DID IT! I hired a few artisans who were looking for work here in New Etria, one was even specialized with monster materials, they're from Tharsis, and they're trained in augmenting weapons and armor with strange and fascinating attributes! I should even get a buttload of raw materials by skyship sometime next week! But until then, look what we made with the materials you all found!"
She puts extreme emphases on the new and exciting weapons and armor on the counter. A tipped with bat fangs, a calcium-ore coated hammer fixated in place with worm goo, a staff channeling the power of mole claws, as well as medium armor that's studded with monster bones, making for a strong and light (if not slightly uncomfortable) fit. They all look effective and pragmatic, and their prices are fair, especially considering they just got a loan of 500 En from Eli. Along with the 200 or so they've gathered from selling it all, they end up putting their savings back into upgrading either weapons and armor.
Karina looks on the verge of tears though. "Goodbye, sweet money…"
"WOWZA! Thanks for your patronage! I knew that loan was a smart idea, I'll be the next Shilleka for sure! Y'all come back now!"
They leave the tradehouse and set out for the Yggdrasil Labyrinth.