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.

36. Reptoid Rumble

Chapter 36: Reptoid Rumble

The party returns to the secret area of the seventh floor immediately after breakfast is finished on the following morning. They currently stand before the supposedly trapped treasure chest Cyrus forbade his allies from approaching before. He steps up to it, approaching from the side rather than directly from the front. 'This is going to be incredibly stupid.' Despite his caution, he is still caught by surprise as a pair of squirrels leaps out of the chest and attacks him. He is unable to react in any respectable capacity, allowing one squirrel to smack him with its barbed tail. Though Cyrus withstands this attack, he is subsequently knocked unconscious by a powerful bolt of lightning launched from the second squirrel. A scream escapes his throat as pain envelops his form and his body hits the ground. This bolt of lightning is widespread, striking everyone else in the party in turn; it even inflicts paralysis on everyone except Fae.

Hayato revives his comrade by triggering a Union Skill between those who remain, allowing him to cast Hygeia's Bowl, which also cures the party of the paralysis. He triggers the use of the Bolt Prayer, knowing that a repeated onslaught of that party-wide Volt attack will quickly become unmanageable. Fae throws a Numbing Bomb, and though she only manages to paralyze one of the squirrels, this grants Cyrus enough time to catch his bearings. Gwenivere has cast Amplifier to further bolster Fiona's use of Chain Plus. Looking to Cyrus, Fiona says, "Gwenivere should be able to take out one of the squirrels; we'll get the one that isn't paralyzed."

He nods to this before charging into the fray ahead of his comrades. A use of Deft Thrust catches the enemy's attention, though this isn't strictly to the party's favor since it is prepping to use that party-wide Volt Skill again. Hayato takes a risk and uses Dance Oracle to bolster Gwenivere's use of Clever Strike, which does indeed slay the paralyzed squirrel. The remaining opponent is able to use Dynamo Thunder again, paralyzing Hayato and eliciting a pained scream from Fae. Cyrus steps to the side to avoid the bolt. 'Not this time.' He is then directly before the squirrel, catching the creature by surprise before ending its life with three precise stabs – one to each eye, and then a final decisive thrust to the throat. He turns to see his two comrades, both of whom are still conscious. "Are you alright?"

"Please tell me that stupid book is in there. Uncle, that really hurt…"

"I know, and I'm sorry." He sighs, looking to Hayato as he says, "You made all the right calls, Prince, though I wouldn't have used Dance Oracle; you could have died."

"You might not have been able to kill the squirrel if I hadn't done that, right?"

"That is…certainly possible." He steps over to the treasure chest to peer inside. Much to his surprise, there is a book within. Its cover is worn, and its letters are of a kind he cannot decipher. He stores it with the Guild's essentials before picking up Fae and resting her on his shoulder. "We're heading back, team." They make way for the Council Hall; stepping into Ramus' office, he is quite delighted to see them, though his expression gives way to concern when he sees the furious expressions of the Seekers.

"Goodness, I do not believe I have ever seen such ire emanate from you all before. Whatever is the matter?" No one provides an answer, but Cyrus does offer the book to him. "Is this…" After flipping through a few pages, his smile returns. "You found it! Hold a moment, if you will." He flips through several more pages, making it apparent that he can read the script within. Before long, he nods, satisfied with his cursory glance. "There can be no doubt; this is it." He looks to the party again and says, "I must know what has you all looking so distraught." The battle with the Megavolt Marmots is recounted, which brings an apologetic expression to the prince's face. "I- I had no idea you would face such danger. I am so sorry."

Cyrus shakes his head at this. "It's honestly my fault for not having a means to nullify enemy ambushes. Syrik mentioned back in the 3rd Stratum that one of the FOEs of the Jagged Reach dropped materials that could be used to make a bow; this bow reportedly has the power to nullify such ambushes."

"I see, but you never went back to create it?"

He shakes his head. "My Guild doesn't typically suffer from ambushes to begin with, so we've never had a reason to expend the resources until now." He glances at his team, his expression turning dour. "If those squirrels had both used Dynamo Thunder, we'd all be dead right now. I'm sorry, everyone; I've clearly lost my touch; I honestly don't know what happened."

Fiona shakes her head to this, crossing her arms as she shoots a displeased expression towards him. "This is the first time this has ever happened, Cyrus. There is no precedent for monsters living within treasure chests; it's because of your caution that we were prepared for an encounter at all." Looking to Ramus, she asks, "If I may ask – what is written in that book?"

"Ah, yes. This is Torha's diary; most of what's written in it has to do with his wife's struggle against illness. Back then, there was no cure for the severe sickness she suffered from."

Hayato says, "I imagine he spoke with every doctor he could find."

"Indeed, but none of them could reach a solution. As it turns out, all of his strange hobbies with collecting dangerous substances was his way of trying to find a means to save his wife." He sighs, shaking his head as he follows, "Alas, she passed away before he could figure something out. Torha never stopped looking for a cure, however; he wanted to prevent anyone else from suffering as his wife did, but he, too, perished before his work was complete."

Fae takes a moment to think on this. "This sounds familiar…didn't doctors find a cure ten years after that?"

Ramus nods in reply. "It is my belief that Torha laid the groundwork for that discovery. Of course, I have no means of proving that, but I can at least show that he wasn't the villain the masses made him out to be." He looks over the party as he says, "I cannot thank you enough for your hard work. You will find your reward at the tavern…and…I'm truly sorry about the battle you had to endure."

Cyrus says, "Don't worry yourself over it, Prince Ramus; this is part of the job. I guess I'm just used to Yggdrasil waiting until the 6th Stratum to try such things. Admittedly, the entire secret area of the Jagged Reach is not something I'm fond of." He and his Guild bid the prince farewell before making way for the Twilight Tavern. Here, Cyrus holds up an arm to greet Mirina.

"Finished with that Council request, huh?" She then notes the malefic aura emanating from everyone's form, which causes her to scan them cautiously. "Did…something happen? Even Fae is radiating hatred right now…" Though the party cannot give her specific details concerning the nature of the mission, they are able to inform her of the Jagged Reach's secret area, as well as the battle with the Megavolt Marmots. "Wow, that sounds awful. If both of those squirrels had used that widespread Volt attack, you all would be dead right now."

Gwenivere sighs at this. "Cyrus said the same thing. Truth be told, there were many things that could have gone wrong in that encounter; one mistake – one bad sequence is all it takes for a setup to fall apart." She looks to Cyrus, her expression despondent as she says, "If I may be so direct, I am honestly surprised you managed to stay consistent for three whole Labyrinths before this."

"It's probably because I'm taking a greater degree of risk now. My setups here in Iorys aren't guaranteed; I dare say they don't even properly cover the margins of error that my past setups would." He takes a seat at the counter, sighing as he says, "The rest of you can head back to the inn; I need a drink."

Fae takes a seat next to him, looking to Mirina as she says, "Yeah, me too; Matron, c- may I please have a lemonade?"

Mirina giggles at this. "Certainly, little lady." Looking to Cyrus, she asks, "And what about you, good sir?"

He looks at Fae, who returns his gaze with her sparkling eyes and beaming smile. Looking back to Mirina, he can only shake his head. "Screw it; I'll have what my niece is having." This respite ends up being much shorter than intended due to Fae's intervention; when the Seekers depart, they make way for the 17th floor to handle the next quest on their list. A pair of guards comes into view as the party draws closer to the bottom western edge of the floor. "Ah, there they are."

After a brief exchange of introductions, the guard in charge steps forward. "You have our gratitude. As for the target, it is just beyond that door."

Cyrus looks to the map to find a dormant FOE is waiting within. "That's curious; this is definitely a Sonar Worm, but all of the ones on this floor are supposed to be dead. I mean, I counted – I helped slay all of them…"

The guard expresses surprise to this. "You…killed all of them? Surely not in a single bout?" Cyrus nods, causing the guard to hold his head in his hand. "The rumors are true; the Seekers are monsters."

Fae rests her hands on her hips, looking up to the guard with a puffed out cheek and as angry of an expression as she can muster. "We're not monsters! We beat up monsters!" She then shifts to express concern and worry. "Do we really have to fight a Sonar Worm? I don't like those things…"

"Please don't be alarmed, little lady; we are here to capture the creature. You need only lure it to this spot. If I may borrow your map?" Cyrus hands the parchment over, allowing the guard to mark the tile just ahead of the entrance to the room. "By the time you draw the creature here, our trap will be set." Cyrus takes a moment to study the map, going so far as to sit down on a nearby crystal and count out the steps needed to make the plan a success. "This won't be a problem, will it?"

"No, not at all; I just want to be thorough." He looks to his comrades and says, "You all will remain with the guards; I'll handle this." His team nod to this, much to the surprise of the guards. The guard in charge attempts to talk Cyrus out of this idea, to which the Fencer shakes his head. "You needn't worry; I have this covered." He then proceeds through the door into the lair of the Sonar Worm, leaving the guard with no chance to dissuade him further. There are three crystals in this room, just as before; Cyrus makes his way to the top-right corner to strike the farthest crystal from the left side. In response to the noise being generated, the Sonar Worm moves northward. 'Good, now I just need you to move westward twice.'

He proceeds to the crystal normally blocking access to the exit of this room. He delivers two swings at its bottom edge to destroy it, drawing the worm within biting distance. A shiver runs down his spine, though he does not turn around to face the creature. He carefully maneuvers around the FOE so that he may approach the final crystal from its top side. Raising the pickaxe, he looks to the side to see that the trap is fully set. With a nod, he delivers two swings, baiting the Sonar Worm into the trap just as planned. He was expecting a pitfall of some kind, but is instead met with a device that releases a soporific gas that puts the worm to sleep. The capture mission is a success; he returns to the guards, bowing as a smirk forms on his face.

"Much appreciated! The Monster Observation Institute will be very pleased. Your reward has been left with Mirina; please see her to claim it."

The party bids the guards farewell and departs from the Labyrinth using an Ariadne Thread. Mirina greets them with her usual smile once they return to the tavern. They turn in their report, to which she replies, "Glad to see the monster-wrangling went well. Still though, to lure in such a creature alone – do you handle such tasks often, Cyrus?"

"I've done solo capture missions before, yes, but they aren't assigned too frequently."

"You ever captured a cute one?" He nods. "Well? Don't keep a girl in suspense."

"I was once assigned to capture a unicorn that had gone berserk." Her eyes widen at this. "Unicorns are actually quite dangerous when they're not minding their own business; this one went berserk as a result of its water source becoming contaminated. We had a means to cure both it and the water, but the remedy couldn't be applied while the creature roamed freely."

"So uh…how'd that turn out?"

"Hm? Oh, the unicorn is doing well; I didn't deal any permanent damage, and as you can see, I'm also fine." He frowns. "In case you're wondering, the MOI did not send us after a cute monster. We had to deal with this." He then holds up the Monstrous Codex, which has been opened to the page of the Sonar Worm. Mirina lets out a shriek, hopping backwards as she motions into a defensive stance. "Yeah, that's about the right reaction."

"Put the book away!" He does as she commands, allowing her a moment to collect herself. "Goodness. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything less." She hands him a shining bracelet as she says, "This is your reward; thanks for your help."

He turns the bracelet in his grip, studying its features. "What an interesting pattern; I wonder what technique was used to preserve the shine within the metal." He slips it onto his wrist, albeit for a moment, and feels his body becoming more durable. "Hm, this must be Iorys' equivalent of the Glow Brace." He slips off this bracelet before storing it amongst the party's belongings. With a nod, he says, "Pleasure doing business with you, Matron; we'll be back in the future."

She waves as the party departs. "Take care!"

The Guild endeavors to undertake two gathering runs, though the Take Points of the 18th floor have yet to be visited. With Lissa, Amy, Fae, and Hayato in tow, Cyrus leads his team to the 18th floor to get to work as the hour strikes 1PM. The party arrives at the first Take Point located in the south-eastern edge of the floor at E5. Here, the group gets to work. Fae is the first to show her yield, which consists of one unit of each item that can be obtained here. The first of which is a green species of fungi that proved to be quite difficult to pry from both the walls and the ground.

The second item is a bluish-white plant that takes on a silver sheen when raised to the light. Fae glares at this plant, her countenance notably filled with disgust as she says, "This is Igneous Herb. It's really healthy, and used in a lot of medicine…but it's super nasty." Her usual demeanor returns as she places the Igneous Herbs with the party's belongings. In their place, she pulls a flower in bloom – its petals are akin to crystal. "These are really pretty."

Cyrus crouches down to get a look at the flower. "I've seen this in one of your textbooks; this is a Crystal Flower, something that is used to make the physical equivalents of the offensive jars." He helps Fae secure the gathering haul before rising to his feet. "Alright, one more point, and then we can take a breather." The yield at the Take Point of the floor's western edge is not nearly as generous as the first, though the Seekers are not fettered by the notion. They return to Iorys, sell their materials to Syrik, and then return to Jenetta's Inn to take a break. Taking a seat on a nearby sofa, Cyrus lets out a loud sigh. One of the housecats leaps onto his lap and makes herself comfortable, going so far as to look him in the eye and request ear scratching. He chuckles at this. "Awfully demanding for a kitten." He takes to occasionally scratching her ear all the same.

Fae takes a seat beside him so that she can pet the kitten in turn. She giggles once the kitten begins to purr, quite content with the results. Looking up to Cyrus, she asks, "Uncle? How come you never explore with us as a M- Mas- as the Katana Man?" Cyrus snickers at this, going so far as to hold his hand to his mouth. Fae tilts her head at this. "Huh? What's so funny?"

"Has someone told you about the Uchigatana Man?"

"No? Who is that?"

He pats her on the head, letting a chuckle escape him as he says, "He's a legend, sweetie; I'll have to tell you about him at some point." Another chuckle escapes him, followed by a content sigh. "Is that what you want, though? For me to act as the Guild's Masurao?" She nods twice, a wide smile forming on her face. Taking a moment to ruffle her hair, a soft smile forms on his own as he says, "I suppose we can work something out." Balto can be heard travelling down the staircase, soon motioning into view before approaching the sofa. Cyrus reaches out to scratch behind the Hound's ear, which seems to elicit a pleased expression from his comrade. "Enjoy your nap, Balto?"

The Hound takes a moment to stretch as he says, "Indeed I did. Did the gathering go well?"

"It was so-so; the first Take Point had a noteworthy haul, at least." Footsteps sound from the direction of the stairs, directing his attention towards them. Clarisse steps into view; she is in the middle of stretching and letting out a loud yawn. She takes to wiping her right eye as another yawn escapes her. Cyrus yawns from simply looking at her. "Yeah, that's definitely contagious."

Clarisse takes a seat at the empty space next to Cyrus, wrapping an arm around to his farthest shoulder before moving a bit closer to him. Resting her head, she mutters, "Five more minutes."

"You're joking, right?" No response. "C- Clarisse?"

"She has fallen asleep again, Cyrus; I suggest you make yourself comfortable."

"But…I was going to ask her to go exploring with us…"

Clarisse suddenly jolts awake, frantically looking side-to-side as she asks, "Exploration?! Where?!" She then takes notice of Cyrus, causing her to tilt her head. "Co? When did you get here?" It takes a moment, but she soon realizes that she's not in her room, nor is she in bed. "When the Hell…"

Looking to Balto, Cyrus asks, "Does she sleep walk often?"

"Only on occasion." Directing his attention to Clarisse he asks, "Are you awake now, Mistress?"

Before giving a proper reply, she claps her hands to her cheeks; if the resulting redness is any indication, she might have used excessive force. "Alright, we're good now." Realizing that she is closer to her comrade than she'd prefer, she motions a minuscule distance away from him and then firmly rests her hands in her own lap. "Damn, I need to work on that. So, uh, about that exploration?"

With a shrug, Cyrus says, "I was wondering if you'd like to explore with us today; I know I haven't invited you or Valerie in quite some time."

"Not that the Princess minds; she's been training in her downtime anyway." She smiles at him. "I'd love to get out and stretch my legs, though; where we headed?"

"I suppose we can check with Mirina first. If there aren't any requests to handle, we can go straight to the 19th floor." Though it takes a bit of effort to get the kitten's permission to leave, Cyrus changes into his Masurao gear before assembling Amy, Lissa, Fae, and Clarisse as his party members; after their supplies are accounted for, they depart from the inn to make way for the Twilight Tavern.

"Oh? Back so soon? I guess you're here for work, then." A chuckle sounds from the proprietress as she flashes the usual clipboard. "There's a quest ready, in fact." She hands it over to Cyrus before following, "This one comes from one of the prospectors mining for riches within the Lucent Hollows." A frown forms as she says, "Upon arriving on the 18th floor, the client was ambushed by Saurians; he had explorers hired on as bodyguards, so he at least managed to escape with his life."

Clarisse asks, "How much did he have to leave behind?"

"Everything." Clarisse lets out a sharp whistle in reply. "Naturally, he wants to recoup his losses. Curiously, instead of asking you all to simply reclaim his belongings, he wants you to slay the Saurians."

Cyrus nods to this, his expression stern as he says, "The Saurians likely attacked them as a planned raid; those creatures are a bit too intelligent for us to let this slide as bad luck."

Amy frowns in turn, cracking her knuckles as she says, "We can't leave them be, either, otherwise more people are gonna get hurt. Where are the Saurians located, Mirina?"

"Their nest is said to be on the south-western side of the 18th floor." Amy stares at her for a moment before unfurling the Guild's map; gazing upon it, Mirina lets out a whistle of her own. "Are there really that many crystals up there? Wow…"

Amy chuckles at the notion. "We can't mine these, Mirina; they're warp crystals." She directs Cyrus and Clarisse's attention to the two nests Gwenivere discovered; her brow furrows as she says, "We might want to head to the nest in E3 instead of D3; it might let us get a preemptive strike."

Nodding to this, Cyrus says, "Indeed. Considering these Saurians have given us trouble in the past, any advantages we can rig would be most helpful."

Before the party can depart, Mirina calls out to Cyrus. When he grants her his attention, she points to his left arm, specifically the katana secured to it. "Is there any particular reason your katana isn't at your waist?"

"You've heard of Iaijutsu, right?"

"Yeah, Ronin from Etria and Lagaard refer to it as the Drawing Stance; it's a style where the wielder focuses on drawing strikes, often sheathing the blade after an attack is finished."

"Having my katana strapped to my arm like this facilitates the practice. I tend to use my sheath for parrying attacks, so this is the only way I can break even when I'm not within the Fetid Necropolis."

She crosses her arms as her expression becomes plagued with concern. "Do you have practice fighting that way?"

"I spent the second half of my adventure in Tharsis fighting like this, actually." Her expression brightens upon hearing this, suggesting that her worries have been put at ease, even if only slightly. "You needn't fear, Matron; I wouldn't stake the lives of my comrades on something that actively impedes my skill."

"Yeah, that's true; I just worry about you guys…you know that. Come back safe, alright?"

His final reply is a silent nod before taking hold of Fae's hand and departing from the tavern. The party makes its way to the south-western portion of the 18th floor, a task simplified by the warp crystal near the stairs ascending to the 19th floor. Arriving at the nest located in E3, a pair of piercing eyes can be seen glaring at the party from a distance. Lissa clicks her tongue in frustration at this. "So much for getting the drop on 'em." Looking to the nests, she readies her shield as she says, "The Saurians already know we're here."

Cyrus glances at the nest to find that there are three holes. 'Amy said the two on the sides were caved in, but Gwenivere mentioned that the middle hole extends beyond what can be seen…the Saurians will attempt an ambush.' Entering a drawing stance, he says, "Team, focus on the hole to the right. Fae, when the Saurians jump out, toss a Numbing Bomb. Lissa, ready a Counter Guard; Clarisse, summon Balto – I'm anticipating consecutive encounters; Amy, assume a defensive stance to prep for Titan Killer."

When the enemy emerges from the hole, it is indeed from the right, which causes the duo to back away. Both are caught off guard by Fae's bomb, which successfully paralyzes them both, allowing Clarisse to use her whistle to summon Balto to the crystalline caves. Cyrus' call for a defensive stance proves to be a smart one, for one of the Saurians pushes through its ailment to fire a shockwave from its blade to attack the Seekers' front line. Amy and Lissa take reduced damage from this attack, though Lissa takes greater punishment than expected as she's driven backwards. Regardless, she counters with a shot fired from her cannon, causing the Saurian's shield arm to recoil from the impact.

Cyrus blocked this attack entirely, following up by disappearing from sight. When he returns to everyone's field of vision, he is in front of the Saurian that struck his allies, drawing his katana into a slash. Though his blade cuts into the hide of the enemy, his eyes widen as he comes to a realization – it is resistant to cut damage. He jumps backwards, seemingly warping back to his allies to relay this information. Readying her bow, Clarisse asks, "What's the plan?!"

Entering another drawing stance, Cyrus sets his sights on the right Saurian to gauge its weaknesses. He soon obtains the information he seeks. 'Weak to Bash…susceptibilities…' He nods to himself. 'Got it.' Glancing at Amy, he says, "Sis, use Titan Killer on the one we didn't hit. Fae, Smokeflash on the right! Clarisse, Hunter Shot down right!" Despite surging her fist forward, Amy's use of Titan Killer does not slay the target; it then rewards the front line with its own use of Vacuum Slash, which renders Amy unconscious while Cyrus and Lissa are both left barely clinging to their own. Clarisse and Balto successfully manage to seal the arms of the Saurian on the right, preventing it from capitalizing. 'Lissa is almost down. Hell, I'm in no shape to fight, either.' He shakes his head to this; 'Now's not the time, Cyrus; they need you.'

Lissa triggers a Union Skill between the two of them, granting an opportunity to resuscitate Amy while Fae and Clarisse attempt to disable the remaining Saurian. Though Fae's Smokeflash fails a second time, Clarisse succeeds. As Amy rises to her feet, Lissa deploys a bunker. With this distraction, Cyrus takes the opportunity to stab his katana into one of the Saurians. Amy's fist takes on a red glow as she charges in to capitalize on Cyrus' efforts to debilitate the enemy; the Saurian is completely unprepared as her fist surges forth, this time with greater fortitude, and ushers it into oblivion as the creature fades from existence entirely.

With one of the enemies down, Fae rushes over to treat some of Lissa's injuries; Clarisse calls upon Balto to assist her in undertaking the same task with Cyrus. The Saurian motions to charge into the fray, only for Amy to deliver a backhanded swing of her fist to knock its head clean from its shoulders. The creature's corpse limply falls to the ground, soon ceasing all movement. "You clowns thought it was sweet." When it becomes apparent that the party won't be attacked again, she takes a seat on a nearby flat chunk of ore. Her features suggest she is still reeling from the damage she sustained. As Fae steps over to heal her, Amy holds up a hand in protest. "We have at least one more fight to deal with, and I'm gonna need Titan Killer for it." She looks to Lissa. "Hey, I know you haven't made much progress with it yet, but do you think Divide Guard might work?"

"I- I'm not so certain."

"Right, well, we hav-" her statement is interrupted as she reaches a revelation, one that brings a sad expression to her countenance. "Right, crap; we don't have our Union Skills charged anymore."

Stepping forward, Cyrus says, "Let us depart from Yggdrasil and then immediately return to our task; that will grant us an instant recharge to all of our Union Skills." Lissa and Amy stare at him blankly; "What? It is a perfectly legitimate strategy."

Resting a hand on her hip, Clarisse jokingly asks, "I suppose you'll want to save our progress, too? You know, just so we don't have to deal with that one fight again?"

"If such an option was available, I would abuse it with neither remorse nor hesitation."

"Well then. I guess you feel strongly about this." A moment is taken to think on the notion, but she soon shakes her head. "I can't really say I get how useful that would be. I mean, you still have to experience the death that results from your failure, right? If I'm gonna die, I'd rather do it once, you know?"

He nods to this, though his reply presents a counterargument. "That's a normal way to look at it, Clarisse. I see it differently since I've experienced death many times."

"Oh, yeah, you did mention that…though, you never did give me the specifics." Remembering that Fae is present, she can only think to herself, 'I'll probably be waiting awhile, too.' She looks to Amy and asks, "Are you sure you don't want us to heal you, first? There's simply no telling how dangerous this is going to get."

"I know this is risky, Reese, but I want you to trust me." She looks over to Cyrus, who grants her his attention with a silent nod and an expectant gaze. "Am I pushing too far with this? Am I committing too strongly?"

He stops in his tracks, prompting his party to do the same. "Amy, I'd be a hypocrite if I said 'yes', but at the same time, I'm worried. I know that a single punch, even with Fortitude, won't be enough to slay our next enemies. You're basically asking yourself to survive three consecutive rounds in a critical state without Ailment or Bind support." He glances at the upcoming nest, a sigh escaping him as he says, "It'll likely work for this first encounter, but there's no telling if it'll work for the next." Turning to Lissa, he says, "We'll trust her; I'll use Tri-Shield first so that you can preserve your options."

"Right. Hopefully we won't need to use Tri-Shield twice in the same fight."

Pointing at the nest up ahead, Fae asks, "That one doesn't go that far, right? Are the monsters gonna jump out from the middle this time?"

Crossing her arms, Amy furrows her brow in concentration before replying, "That's certainly a good guess, Fae. I'm willing to run with it, but what about the rest of you?" The others agree to Fae's suggestion as well, to which Amy nods and steels herself for the upcoming battle. "Alright, let's do this."

True to form, the Saurians emerge from the center hole, both being armed with lances. Seeing this, Cyrus scans them both with his Runic Eye to gather information. 'Oh, now you wish to be weak to cut damage – yeah, convenient.' Glancing back to Fae, he says, "These are susceptible to Blind and weak to Stun." Shifting his focus to Clarisse, he follows, "Use Hunter Shot to Leg Bind them; that'll gimp their agility, gimping their accuracy in turn."

Nocking an arrow, she nods to him. "Leave it to me."

Lissa does not preemptively deploy a bunker, but does give a draconic roar as the battle begins. 'She'll be the center of attention because of this, so Mirror Moon won't be effective.' Triggering a Union Skill between himself and Amy, he says, "Change in plans! Amy, we're committing to a snipe with Double Attack and Titan Killer!" Though she intended to use Overexertion, she trusts his judgment and switches to imbuing her fist with energy instead. His call results in the first of the Saurians to die before it can even ready its lance. Clarisse's use of Hunter Shot not only results in the sealing of the remaining Saurian's legs, but its arms as well. It falls shortly after.

Though the party is once again expecting to be beset by another encounter, this does not come to pass. With the conclusion of this battle, the quest is complete. Fae lets out a cheer, skipping over to hug Balto and Clarisse. "Aren't you glad Aunt Amy's not hurt?"

The child's beaming expression brings a smile to Clarisse's face in turn, prompting her to crouch down and properly return the embrace. "I sure am, munchkin." She looks over to Amy and says, "Don't scare me like that again, OK, Stinger?"

"I'll try not to, but I don't make promises I can't keep." She is surprised to find that Fae is now forcibly pulling her along. "Huh? What's wrong, Fae?" She does not receive a verbal answer; instead, Fae points at a nearby flat rock. Amy chuckles at this and takes a seat, allowing the child to properly treat her wounds. "Thank you, Fae; I didn't mean to worry you."

"You and Uncle do this too much; I guess you really are brother and sister, huh?"

"He kinda rubbed off on me when we were growing up; sometimes, close friends just end up that way."

Sheathing his katana, Cyrus exhales a sigh of relief and turns to address Lissa and Clarisse; "You two alright?"

Crossing her arms, Clarisse says, "Fae and I didn't take any damage in either of those encounters." Pointing at him, she follows, "You almost died again; damn near gave me a heart attack." Letting out a huff, she says, "And you treat it as if it's normal." She looks to the side, taking note of Fae's focus on her efforts to heal Amy. Turning her own focus back to Cyrus, Clarisse thinks to herself, 'This might be a good chance to ask him.' She nods once in silent affirmation. "Co, is it alright if I ask?" His downtrodden expression leaves her to assume a negative answer is imminent, but the opposite comes to pass.

"For me, Clarisse, death is normal. Only counting the instances where I could only be revived by Amy's power, I've lost my life thirty times over the course of…um…thirteen years."

"Goddamn, man, so over 30? Wait, why is Amy relevant to this?" She looks to Lissa, who can only turn away. For reasons Clarisse has yet to learn, Lissa adopts a pained expression and takes to nursing her arm. She looks to Cyrus again, directing an expectant gaze towards him.

"In Erdboden, the power to defy true death through healing prowess alone is a gift granted to few. Medical science has progressed quite far in my world, so our doctors are capable of resuscitating victims that would normally be considered too far gone in this world."

"That's some powerful science; can you cure terminal illnesses yet?"

He shakes his head. "No, not yet. You need divine intervention for that." He runs his hand through his hair, exhaling before he continues. "People like Amy, those with that power to defy true death – that power comes at a price. The recipients of that healing magic will be restored, but their natural lifespan is shortened by one year as compensation."

This doesn't immediately register for Clarisse; a moment of awkward silence passes before her eyes widen. She looks to Lissa, who still won't make eye contact, and then to Cyrus. "Wait, so you've lost 30 years?" He nods. "D- Co, do you even know what your natural lifespan is?"

"Before I got the Runic Eye, it was six years; I believe I was originally supposed to die two months before my seventh birthday. Divine intervention granted me this eye, and with it a natural expectancy that capped at 100 years." He sighs, resting his hand in his pocket as he says, "To be entirely honest, I don't want to live to be that old; by that point, I'd probably go back to needing my family to take care of my every need. I went through six years of that, Clarisse – I never want to be in that state again."

She crosses her arms at this as an indignant expression forms her countenance. "You didn't deliberately get yourself killed to shorten it, did you?"

"No. My deaths came as a result of me throwing myself into danger to keep Milady and my other loved ones out of harm's way. It's a lot like how you've seen me work, just with the danger scaled up."

Lissa adds that, "The bulk of his early deaths were a result of taste-testing Gwenivere's food to check for poison. As you can guess, there were a lot of actual hits."

"Clarisse, I'd like to point out that, though my natural expectancy has been reduced to seventy, I can still live longer than that when you factor in lifestyle and further medical advancements."

"OK, Co, no offense, but with your lifestyle, I'm not expecting you to make it past 40."

"Yeah, I suppose that's fair." His mouth thins into a straight line; though he wishes to refute this, he honestly cannot. "I'm trying, Clarisse."

"Yeah, I can see that. I-" she sighs. "I wasn't trying to deny your progress." Glancing over at Fae, she can see that Amy's treatment is complete, and that the two are approaching. She steps over to Cyrus and pulls an Ariadne Thread from his pocket. She drops her volume to a more hushed tone as she says, "We can discuss this later…thanks for telling me all this." Cyrus is not given a chance to reply before the party is warped out of Yggdrasil. Stepping into the Twilight Tavern, Clarisse is the first to approach Mirina. "We got that quest taken care of."

"Already? That was quick." She shrugs before offering the party the designated reward, which consists of three boxes that appear to be crafted from some form of armor. When Clarisse asks about these boxes, Mirina looks down to them and says, "Oh, these are Heavenly Gifts; using one in battle somehow grants additional experience." When Clarisse shoots her a blank stare, she waves her hand as she says, "I'm not the one who comes up with the descriptions, dear." As Cyrus secures the Heavenly Gifts with the party's belongings, she asks, "So what's next?"

"It's already 4PM, so we're gonna rest until sundown before tackling the 19h floor." He rolls his shoulder, letting out a groan. "Those Saurians were stronger than usual, even sporting unique resistances. The lancer variant was even weak to Blind." He shakes his head to this, preemptively putting a cessation to his own rambling. "Pay me no heed, Matron; we'll see you later."

She chuckles at his musings. "Yes, of course; take care."