Chapter 25: Orphans of the Forest

Wasting no time in proceeding to the third stratum, Cyrus and Lissa enter the Yggdrasil Labyrinth alongside the main team. Upon arriving at the Azure Rainforest, Cyrus leans against a nearby tree to gather his thoughts. 'The ants become incredibly irate around this time every year; I wonder what the cause could be.' Knowing that his thoughts alone would not bring him an answer, he turns to Lissa and asks, "You have any idea why the ants would get like this?"

"If it happens once every year, it might be mating season for them. Perhaps they have laid eggs somewhere?"

He thinks on the prospect, soon pulling out his map to check both the eleventh and twelfth floors. "Hm, this could be it." Lissa steps closer to him to get a look at the map, prompting Cyrus to point her to the southern area of the twelfth floor. He circles his finger around the center, bringing Lissa's attention to a fork that divides into several corridors that all lead to dead ends. "Going by your logic, these would be good places to investigate."

"We should check them out; I hope that detective is close by. He might be in trouble." She sees that Cyrus' expression has turned into a glare, one that is fixated on the southern-most area of the twelfth floor. "What's the matter?"

"I think I just solved the riddle."

From the Geomagnetic Field, the two make their way to the shortcut to the west that leads to the nearest Mining Point. Counting the "steps" mentioned in the detective's letter as tiles on the map, Cyrus deduces that he and Lissa are intended to jump into the pit directly to their right upon exiting the chamber of the Mining Point. Cyrus jumps first and, after checking for enemies, gives Lissa the clear to jump as well. She lands next to him and immediately feels another presence nearby. Turning around, the two realize that there, at the dead end behind them, stands a single man with his back turned to them.

Lissa calls out to the man as they approach, prompting him to turn around. He was a tall individual, standing above Nagato's height and garbed in robes befitting a western scholar. Beneath his brown overcoat was a green robe whose sleeves appeared to be longer than the overcoat's. A pair of calculative gray eyes was suddenly fixed upon the duo, which only seemed to be accentuated by the rugged facial features of the man before them. His hair was disheveled, much like Cyrus', but this man's hair was easily defined as a standard shade of brown.

The man removes the red smoking pipe from his mouth to address the two with a rugged voice, one that sounded surprised to see them. "Oh? I did not expect to meet the Seekers Guild here."

An eyebrow raised, Cyrus asks, "You can tell we're with Seekers?"

"Indeed, lad; not many Alchemists with a left eye like yours."

Cyrus chuckles at that. "It is a dead giveaway I suppose."

"May I assume that your presence here means someone at the pub was worried about me and sent out a request?"

"You are perceptive indeed; that is exactly why Lissa and I are here."

"Pray tell, you didn't come here by the directions of my note, did you?" The two nod to him. "I see, then permit me to ask you two a question. What is the sun?"

Lissa replies, "That would be the Mining Point."

The detective chuckles. "Impressive. I don't believe we've been introduced; I'm Austin." Cyrus and Lissa introduce themselves in turn and Austin follows, "I'm actually quite fine down here on my own; I'm on business, but since you're here, do you mind giving me a hand? In a matter of moments, a certain monster will be upon us; take care of it, would you?"

Cyrus raises a finger as if to question Austin about this, but draws his sword instead of speaking. Turning around, he and Lissa can feel two creatures approaching. Just as the detective predicted, two Toxic Worms round a corner and bar the exit. Lissa charges into the fray, dancing and flipping around the worms to draw their attention, leaving Cyrus with the opening he needs to hit them both with Catastrophe. The two worms turn to stone, but not before one of them manages to spit poison at Austin. The detective blocks this with one of his sleeves, leaving the unsuccessful Toxic Worm to solidify. After confirming everyone's safety, Cyrus sheathes his sword and Lissa holsters her bow.

Turning to Austin, Cyrus says, "That could have gone worse; are you sure you're alright? Did any of that poison slip through your defense?"

"A just concern, lad, but my methods left no opening. Still, I was surprised at the creature's tenacity. Now then…" He approaches the petrified bodies of the Toxic Worms in search of something. After a few silent moments he sighs and shrugs. "In the end he didn't appear either." Turning towards the duo, he says, "Thanks for the help, and sorry for involving you in my work."

Lissa folds her arms and says, "It sounds like you're not finished here; we should stick around and assist you."

Austin shakes his head to this and replies, "That would only put you both at risk. Please, pay it no heed."

Lissa was prepared to object, but Cyrus rests a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head once she turns to face him. Looking to Austin, he says, "We'll respect your request, but if we sense that you're in danger we'll intrude."

Austin smiles at this as he pulls out an Ariadne Thread. "Let us hope things do not come to that." He exits the labyrinth on that note, leaving the duo alone.

"Was that the right decision, Cyrus?"

"You can't force help upon someone who wants to be left alone. It usually makes the issue worse for the individual."

"You speak from experience?"

"Let's not get into that." He turns away from her and walks over to what appears to be a standard wall. After a few moments of searching, Cyrus finds a gap for him and Lissa to slip through. He goes first, soon beckoning his comrade over as well. "This path should lead us to the diverging paths." Several minutes of walking lead the duo to turn two corners; upon rounding the second, they are greeted with the sight of red and gray ants guarding a few paths. One of them turns to the duo and states that they cannot pass. Cyrus nods to this and uses the Return Formula to take him and Lissa back to the eleventh floor.

"What's the plan?"

"We go back and use a different pit."

She tilts her head at this. "Eh? That would put us in the middle of their patrol."

"They didn't place a guard at every path."

Shrugging at Cyrus' confident expression, Lissa follows his lead as they make their way back to the selection of pits beyond the Mining Point. Cyrus directs her to the pit directly next to the one they just used and jumps down first. After being given clearance, Lissa jumps down as well, taking care to land silently as she touches back down on the twelfth floor. Turning around, Lissa realizes, "You were right; there isn't a guard here."

Cyrus crouches down and disappears into the vegetation; Lissa does the same and follows after him. Carefully making their way to the far west side of the patrol area, the two avoid detection from the ants and arrive at a dead end. At first glance there appears to be nothing here, but Cyrus moves a few pieces of vegetation to the side, revealing a hidden cluster of large eggs. He places the vegetation back to its proper place and looks to Lissa. "You were right about it being mating season."

"If this is where the ants lay their eggs, explorers just need to avoid this place for awhile, right?"

"Sounds about right; let's get out of here and report to Madame Valerie."

She nods to him and the two depart from the labyrinth shortly thereafter. On the eighth floor, Alex's group busies itself with settling into its new home for the next five days. The group sits around a small fire, dining on a meal consisting of a Glowbird they defeated a short while ago. Their feast is mostly silent, until Nagato says, "Hm, I was expecting a more exotic taste; this is just like chicken."

Lucy refrains from taking another bite and replies, "You speak truly? My cut of Glowbird tastes like quail."

Nagato turns to her, an eyebrow raised. "Eh? You eat quail? As in the bird itself and not its eggs?"

She tilts her head at him. "Do you find that strange, Nagato?"

Lily finishes dining on the Glowbird leg she secured for herself. Nagato found himself rather surprised with her voracious appetite. "You see Lucy, quail eggs are considered a delicacy in quite a few parts of the world. However, we don't actually eat quail themselves; at least we don't in my country."

"Perhaps it is because of the difference in size. Quail can grow to become quite large in Erdboden."

Nagato chuckles at that and jokingly asks, "I suppose next you'll tell me they can cast magic?"

"Indeed. They get access to wind and lightning."

He nearly chokes on his meal from shock. "Why the Hell would a bird get lightning?!"

"Wind and lightning share a position on the elemental 'roster' as it were, just as water and ice share a spot."

Lily cuts another piece of the Glowbird for herself and starts dashing some spices on it. Before taking a bite, she says, "Things are different back home; every element is considered its own. Water and Ice are not the same, just to name an example."

Deciding to join in on the conversation, Alex asks, "Do you use magic, Lucy? I don't recall ever hearing you speak of your craft."

"My family prides itself on the use of enchantments, rather than offensive magic. I am capable of using it, yes, but I prefer to rely on my swordplay. I can't make use of my magic here though; I wonder if the application is different."

Mitsuki takes a sip of water from a canteen and says, "If you ever come back to this world you could study up on the skills of the Princess class. They're quite popular in Armoroad; your magic sounds a lot like theirs."

"An entire class dedicated to sovereigns; I will keep them in mind, Mitsuki. You are quite travelled, aren't you?"

"Hm, I suppose so. I haven't been to High Lagaard or the outlands of Tharsis yet, but I have heard interesting things about the classes used in Tharsis. High Lagaard isn't too different from Etria, apparently."

Alex picks up her thread and says, "Lagaard has Beasts, War Magi, and Gunners, although the latter of the three are still a work in progress. We don't really get "guns" here in our world quite yet."

Lily nods to this and looks to Nagato. "Yeah, I'll say; our firearms are far more advanced."

"Erdboden has firearms, but the ones worth considering combat-effective are almost exclusively under the arm of the Alabaster Empire. Magic has more destructive force, but guns are naturally much faster and can easily take out wizards since they tend to lack armor. But the Empire…" a look of worry formed on her face as she continues, "They're combining the two, making weapons that humans aren't ready to control."

Nagato shakes his head. "They wanna win the war that badly, huh? Compared to what you and Cyrus have going on, things are pretty chill back home."

Lily gently brings her fist down on top of Nagato's head. "Are you joking? Things are the exact opposite of "chill" back home. We're going to send students on an exchange trip to America soon."

"Why is that something to be concerned about?" Nagato could see the incredulous look on Lily's face after he asked that, which only added to his confusion. 'Does she expect me to understand her feeble, freshman mind?'

"You're with the exchange group, or did you forget?"

Lucy nods to this and says, "Ah, now I understand. Her concern is warranted indeed."

"Now I definitely don't understand. Women, I swear…" Alex's eyes widen as he listens to Nagato say this, prompting him to slowly retreat from the area. An incredible aura of malice covered their campsite, one that caused Nagato to look around cautiously. "Do you all sense th-" He was cut-off midsentence by Lily, who grabbed him by the collar and pulled him forward. Scanning his eyes around the area, Nagato could also see Mitsuki and Lucy glaring at him. 'My God, the auras are coming off of them!' Turning his attention back to Lily, he retains his composure and calmly asks, "Isn't this a bit violent for a love confession, Lily?"

"Put a cork in it, you mangy and sexist bastard; I don't have feelings for you! You are the reason the exchange might dive into the toilet!"

"Me? I'm the best damn fighter Europe's academy has."

The way he stated that with such arrogance made Lily's blood boil. Her enraged glare only intensifies as her grip on his collar tightens. "You cause destruction wherever you go and your two roommates are still suffering from a huge debt because of you!"

"What does that have to do with the exchange?"

"Are you daft, man?! Your antics will make the Americans furious!"

Nagato simply shrugs at this notion, which doesn't quell Lily's fury in the slightest. "I shall properly deal with anyone foolish enough to get in my way, such is the way I operate. Senpai is handling the debt well enough so it's not as if there's an issue."

Mitsuki frowns and wags a finger at Nagato. "That is an issue!" She throws her arms into the air above her to further emphasize her point. "That's a huge issue! You can't just drop a debt on your friends and act like it didn't happen."

Lucy adds on to Mitsuki's claim; "Even if the debt is going to be handled in a proper manner, that does not change the fact that you inconvenienced your allies. You may very well repeat this blunder in the future if you don't learn from your mistake."

"You all sound like the other broken records I've had to listen to. Unbelievable."

Returning from his refuge behind a tree, Alex chuckles and attempts to lighten the mood. "You shouldn't inconvenience your friends, Nagato; they're the ones who'll save your hide when the time comes."

Nagato scoffs at this. "Specter would sooner use me as a meat shield; Senpai would come to my aid regardless of how much I've wronged him in the past. My actions ultimately have no bearing."

"Senpai's kindness is definitely wasted on you; if he doesn't stop spoiling you, you're only going to get worse."

"Spoil? I don't need anyone's damn charity!" He presses his forehead against Lily's and starts growling at her. Not willing to back down, Lily growls at him in kind, although the sound she makes is decisively too cute to be a proper growl. "Take back your comment, freshman."

"I will rescind nothing."

"Take it back!"

"Bite me!"

Returning to the labyrinth with a new quest in hand, Cyrus and Lissa make way for the thirteenth floor to begin its charting. Upon seeing that this floor is comprised of a fair amount of water, the two decide to take a break only a few hours after beginning their trek. Tossing a canteen to Lissa, Cyrus asks, "You think the others are doing well?"

"Probably; it's only the first day. Are we seriously looking for a Bug Nest…for a culinary quest?"

"I'm just as surprised as you are. Madame Valerie didn't say we had to taste test the dish."

"Yeah, that's something, anyway." She reaches into the pack sitting between her and Cyrus and pulls out something wrapped in foil. She unravels the foil, revealing its contents to be a fluffy biscuit. She takes a bite, consuming half of her snack in the process. "This is really good; it has just the right amount of butter."

"I'm glad you like it; I try to take pride in the breads I make."

"Are you a baker as well?"

"No, no, nothing of the sort; I just really like bread. It's more convenient if I can make it whenever I wish."

"True enough, but you're quite the catch. I'm pretty lucky to have a guy who can cook."

Cyrus tilts his head at her words and asks, "Are you not a good chef, Lissa?"

She shrugs and smirks at him. "My food's edible, but nothing special. Besides," she takes the moment to pause and eat the rest of her biscuit. She then places her hands on the back of her head and rests it on the ground below. She lets out a content sigh and concludes, "I'm too lazy to really bother with being a decent chef."

Cyrus frowns in response to this, despite Lissa not being able to see it. "That's a shame; I was looking forward to trying your cooking."

"I suppose I could put my laziness on hold if it's for you. Maybe."

His frown intensifies and he pretends to be hurt by her words. "You tease."

"Oh please, you know you're not one to talk." Sensing hostility in the immediate area, she quickly tumbles over to Cyrus' side and rests a hand on his shoulder. Glancing to him, Lissa can see that his hand is already resting on the hilt of his sword. Listening to better discern the upcoming foe, she can hear the sound of buzzing, likely coming from the wings of an insect. She leans in close to whisper into Cyrus' ear, "We're dealing with two targets, both of which may be capable of flight."

Drawing his sword, Cyrus crouches a bit lower to the ground to prep for his upcoming dash. "I'll take initiative this time; you keep your distance and hold the attention of the second opponent. On your mark?"

She nods to him, leaving the duo to wait in silence for a few moments. Lissa then gives Cyrus a single pat on the shoulder, giving him the signal to charge ahead. This has the effect of provoking their opponents, who emerge from the shrubbery ahead. The creatures are revealed to be large, green creatures with wings. The two were of the same species, and appeared to be reptilian in appearance. They possessed four limbs, the two forelegs being a pair of red claws. Their faces struck the duo as something that would belong on a chimera; a blue lion's mane surrounded the face of an insect. Attached to each of the beasts is what appears to be a nest made out of various leaves, twigs, and branches found within the Azure Rainforest.

Having caught them both by surprise, Cyrus and Lissa both take the opportunity to dislodge the nests that were attached to the creatures before properly dispatching them. Cyrus attempts to petrify the creature nearest to him, but jumps backwards when he realizes he has failed to do so. Lissa fires an arrow in an attempt to capture the other creature's attention; her arrow plants itself in the creature's left eye, which elicits a screech of agony as it clumsily flies towards her. 'That's probably not what Cyrus had in mind…whatever.'

She strafes to the right to avoid a claw swipe and get into the creature's blindspot, quickly realizing that the creature's depth perception has been brought down far lower than she anticipated. Shrugging at the notion, Lissa delivers a roundhouse kick to the creature's face and fires a shot at its heart. Her foe violently writhes on the ground in pain while desperately trying to remove the arrow from its chest. Lissa shakes her head at this and fires one last arrow aimed at the chest, which ends the beast's suffering.

Turning to assess her comrade's situation, Lissa could see that Cyrus was busy blocking a series of wild and rapid slashes from his opponent. Each counter results in the activation of Firelight, burning the creature with each assault it launches. It manages to slip through Cyrus' defense when the Light Formula fails to activate, and uses the back end of its claw to knock him away. Not wasting the opportunity, the beast charges at Cyrus, who is busy using his momentum to tumble backwards onto his feet. He quickly stands up and spins counter-clockwise to parry the creature's claw with the Light Formula. With its guard open, Cyrus rears his arm back before surging his sword into his opponent's chest.

Firelight activates, causing a burst of flame that sends the beast flying. Cyrus sheathes his sword as the second creature stops writhing in pain and succumbs to its burns. Lissa holsters her bow and stands next to him. She hands Cyrus a vial, which he accepts and drinks without delay. "As good as those shields are, your reserves aren't infinite. You may need to abandon Agility Up on that Grimoire in favor of some form of sustain."

Cyrus places a hand to his chin and contemplates the matter. "We Alchemists get a passive skill known as "Focus" that lets us regain some energy so long as we remain in good health. Perhaps that is what I need?"

Lissa frowns at the idea and quickly points out, "That skill would be rendered useless since you want to run Wrath's Might. You're terrible at keeping yourself in good health, Cyrus." She sighs and dons a sarcastic tone as she follows, "I don't know if you've noticed…"

"Now, now, do you hear me pointing out your flaws, my dear?"

She places her hands on her hips and looks up to him with an indignant look on her face. "And what flaws would those be, my good man?" She narrows her eyes into a glare and lowers her voice as she says, "If you take a crack at my height, I will devour you."

Cyrus lets a devilish smirk form on his lips before he asks, "Do you think your stomach can hold that much? I imagine it's rather sm-" Lissa tackles him to the ground before he can finish, putting the two in a sudden tussle. Cyrus finds himself quickly pinned to the ground with Lissa on top of him. She currently sported a look of intense fury on her countenance, one that only seemed amplified by the fact that Cyrus couldn't move either of his arms. 'If I didn't know any better, I'd be afraid of her head suddenly transforming into the maw of an angler fish…on second thought, she might actually pull that off.' He thinks that over for a moment before saying, "I wasn't making a joke about your height, and you know it!"

"Make your peace and prepare for the end."

"But we were supposed to be happy together! What happened to that plan?! I can't be there for you if I'm dead!" She ignores him as she draws her face closer to his. 'So this is how it ends? I never imagined things would go like this.' His nervous smile soon settles into a content one as he closes his eyes and awaits judgment. He soon feels something soft come into contact with his lips; the feeling quickly disappears and he hears Lissa let out a giggle. Opening his left eye, he asks, "This isn't to lead me into a false sense of security, is it?"

"Nah, I'm not gonna be that mean about it." She helps him to his feet, almost as if to support her claim, and places the two nests with their belongings. "We should take these to the pub now and finish the map afterwards. We'll be out a bit longer than expected, but it should be fine."

"Sounds like you're looking for an excuse for us to spend more time together."

She pinches his cheek and gives it a tug, eliciting an intelligible response. "Come now, you know I don't need an excuse for something like that; I can just ask you." She releases his cheek from her grasp and turns away from him to look over the landscape. Fixing her eyes on the rivers of the floor, she asks, "Do you think we can finish this place up before the others return?"

"I do; the two of us are the ones working together, after all."

She looks back at him, a blush forming on her face despite her expression looking somewhat annoyed. "How the Hell can you say stuff like that with a straight face?"

Cyrus' devilish grin returns as he simply replies, "Jealous?"

She gives an exaggerated sigh of defeat before pulling out a vial of the Return Formula. She empties the vial's contents, causing the magic circle to form at the duo's feet. As the circle begins to glow, Lissa places a kiss on Cyrus' cheek and says, "Sometimes you're impossible; never change."