AN: And we're up to the second last chapter, and it's kinda a long one. About 4k, which isn't that long compared to others I have done. Anyway, enough from me, hope you enjoy reading~

Chapter 22:

It was around mid-morning when Drayce awoke from a somewhat fitful sleep. Zohar had stayed with him throughout the night, and his presence was a source of comfort. But he couldn't prevent worry from creeping in. He had seen what the Cursed Blade could do and his mind filled in the blanks of what it could potentially do.

So, naturally, he was worried for those who were at the Council Hall and attempting to seal away the Cursed Blade once again.

He was sure everything was fine. If something went wrong, someone would have warned him, surely.

To settle his concerns, Drayce took a few moments to check in on his guildmates. Faelen especially since he was the youngest of the guild. Thankfully, the young rover hadn't witnessed the brutal slaughter of that toxipede. Nor the attack on Tomlin that left him coughing up blood (though Drayce had to wonder what happen to the guy).

As Drayce moved to check in his next guildmate, he paused when the room at the end of the hall opened. And Ashton stepped out.

"Ah, you're finally awake," Ashton greeted with a small but calm smile. "Hungry?"

Drayce hurried over to him and stood before him. "How did the ritual go? I…couldn't sleep very well. Zohar kept me company. But I was worried that something else might happen with the Cursed Blade and-"

Ashton placed a hand on his shoulder to silence him. "It's been sealed."

Drayce breathed a sigh of relief. "Everything went well?"

"Prince Ramus ordered his royal scholars to help us. Though, they mostly bickered amongst themselves," Ashton explained before a frown tugged at his lips. "Kamali explained to us what had happened in the labyrinth. That could have been very dangerous."

Yeah. It could have been.

"Thankfully, it didn't," Drayce pointed out. "How's our patients?"

Ashton looked over Drayce's shoulder to the doors across the hall. "Tokala's still asleep and has Salim watching over him. And Runihura is resting." His gaze soon drifted back toward Drayce, and once again he had a tight frown on his lips. And a rather protective glint in his eyes. "What happened with you when you were alone…with that bandit?"

"Honestly, nothing," Drayce answered, frowning at a certain memory. "He…gave Runihura a beating for defying him. And then just dragged me and Tokala around until the Cursed Blade appeared."

He was actually quite surprised that he didn't have large bruises on his arms from where Keane grabbed him. There were light bruises currently, but he had expected them to be darker. They might develop later. His grip was as harsh as the ropes that bounded Drayce's wrists together.

Ashton gave his shoulder a quick squeeze as he looked directly into his eyes. "Did he do anything?"

Hah, he should have known that one response wouldn't be enough to settle Ashton's protectiveness. Blayke was likely to be exactly the same.

"Just manhandled me. Really."

Ashton just stared at him for the longest moment. It honestly made Drayce want to squirm. He could be rather…intimidating when he wanted to be. But it was pure protectiveness and Drayce held his gaze.

"Alright," Ashton finally relented as he released his hold on Drayce's shoulder. "We'll leave it at that for now."

There was definitely a mildly…menacing undertone to Ashton's voice. Drayce momentarily wondered why he felt that if he told Ashton that something did happen, the dedicated caretaker would immediately head out to beat the shit out of Keane?

"Oh, by the way, Ramus would like to speak with you later today," Ashton suddenly added.

"Ok." He likely heard it all from the others already, so just wanted to speak with him personally to see how he was doing. "Where's Shashi?"

Ashton rolled his eyes in pure disgruntlement. "Where else?"

Drayce had to smile. "Ok, you're right. Should have known."

He did hope that Shashi got some rest last night. Though, he had learnt through Kamali that it was possible for him to go three days without sleep. Not healthy in the slightest, but a part of Drayce understood completely.

"Your guild is steadily growing," Ashton suddenly commented. "You really adopted four more guildmates, hm?"

Drayce rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. But smiled nevertheless. "Appears so."

Speaking of new guildmates, he had better go check in on them.

After bidding farewell and a promise to get something to eat later to Ashton, Drayce turned and headed back down the hall. He decided to head to the room that Tokala was resting in. Fiorello had reassured everyone that he was going to be fine, but Drayce couldn't help but wonder if the Cursed Blade had other negative effects on him.

He knocked lightly on the door before he pushed it open. He wasn't surprised to find that Salim sat in a chair that was pulled closely to bed that Tokala slept in.

"Hey."

Salim turned half way in his chair to send Drayce a rather tired response. "Hey."

Drayce left the door slightly ajar as he walked into the room and stood by the foot of the bed. He spent a moment looking over Tokala. The skinny therian was still asleep. On his side. His face was free from discomfort and pain, however. Though, he was a little paler than normal.

Turning back to Salim, he noted that he, too, looked paler than normal. Not to mention sullener and quieter. No surprise, really. "How are you feeling?"

"A little stiff but all right," Salim replied as he idly rolled his injured shoulder, wincing as he did so.

"Have you gotten any rest?"

"Not really."

"That's fair." Though, Fiorello might not be too happy about that.

A soft groan from the bed caused the two of them to immediately turn their attention there. Salim sat on the edge of his seat as he leaned heavily against the bed with his hands. He waited quietly as Tokala made a soft, almost disgruntled noise as he curled up onto his side, his hands tugging at the bedsheets in an attempt to pull them up over his head.

He, however, abruptly lifted his head up from the pillow and opened his eyes. Though, they were rather bleary as he squinted around the room.

Drayce decided to stay back as Salim rose from his chair and sat on the edge of the bed close to Tokala.

"S-Sal…?" Tokala uttered.

"I'm right here," Salim replied gently. He then helped pull Tokala into a seating position, only for the therian to rest heavily against him. His head against his chest while a hand sought out the thick white bandages around his shoulder and arm.

"Y-you're ok?"

"You think a bullet can stop me?" Salim returned, with a hint of false bravado.

Tokala didn't respond to that question, however. Instead, he slipped his skinny arms around Salim's neck and clung onto him tightly. "I was so worried."

Salim's arms sound wound around Tokala in return, "…Yeah."

They were very close, weren't they? It was nice to see.

Tokala shifted in Salim's arms, pulling back to look at him. "Is…everyone ok?"

"Everyone is fine," Drayce was the one to answer, causing Tokala's ears to perk up on top of his head and he immediately turned in his direction.

He flushed lightly as he timidly removed himself from Salim's arms. However, the pugilist stayed close to him regardless.

"Drayce…" Tokala murmured as his face creased into an expression of relief and guilt. "Thank you, for trying to help me."

Drayce shook his head as a small prang of guilt hit him. "I wasn't much help."

Tokala also shook his head. "No. I mean, if you weren't there, it would have been a lot scarier." His ears flatten against his head in an apologetic manner. "I'm sorry, though. For dragging you into it."

"You weren't the one to drag me into it. That bandit was," Drayce pointed out in hopes of easing some of Tokala's guilt.

Before Tokala could respond, the door to his room was timidly pushed open. A mop of red hair with a pair of wolf-like ears then peered into the room. Moving quietly so not to disturb the occupants. Green eyes soon honed in on Drayce's location and those red-furred ears perked up.

"There you are," Caelem said quietly as he pushed the door open. "I was looking for you. I wanted to see if you were ok. You looked really tired last night and-"

He trailed off as he glanced over at the bed. His ears soon perked up again and his tail gave a happy little swish when he realised that Tokala was sitting up in bed. "Ah, you're awake," he commented as he stepped into the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Cal…" Tokala whispered instead of answering.

He then suddenly pushed off the blankets and staggered to his feet. Worried, Caelem took a step forward as Tokala stumbled his way over to him. Only to suddenly hug him around the waist, and bury his face into his chest. Caelem's ears and tail tensed as the sudden embrace and he momentarily froze to the spot.

"Thank you."

Upon hearing Tokala's words of sincere gratitude, Caelem's posture lost all tension and his gaze softened. He quickly wrapped his arms around Tokala's in return and smiled gently down at the other therian.

"I'm glad you're ok," he said simply.

Tokala hugged him for a while longer before he slowly leaned away and took a step back. He pulled back his hands also, but interlocked his fingers together in front of his chest in a fidgeting manner. "It feels…like I've gained a brother somehow," he uttered, his gaze downwards in an embarrassed manner.

Caelem took a moment to consider those words before he nodded his head resolutely. "Yes. We're brothers now."

Tokala raised his head to look up at him. His cheeks were lightly flushed, yet a small smile was on his lips. "Kinda like the Blade Brothers, huh?" That smile promptly faded and his lowered his gaze to the floor once more. "I…don't think I can wield a blade."

"Then don't," Caelem immediately responded, placing his hands on Tokala's shoulders in a comforting manner. "It's your choice what you wish to do with your life now."

That successfully brought the smile back to Tokala's lips. "…Yes."

Caelem would make an awesome big brother to Tokala, he was sure of it.

…There was that pain in his chest again. Sharp. Stabbing. Painful.

Brother…why did that word hurt him so much?

"You should rest some more," Drayce suggested as he pushed aside the ache in his chest. "You, too, Sal."

They, thankfully, didn't disagree. Caelem helped Tokala back over to Salim, and the therian insisted that Salim sleep in the same bed as him so they both can get some rest. Drayce left the two to get settled in and Caelem followed him out of the room.

He spent a few moments conversing with Caelem, comforting him while the masurao reassured him in return. They were both fine. Caelem had absolutely no injuries and had no side-effects of battling against the Cursed Blade.

After promising Caelem that he would head down stairs in a minute to get something to eat, Drayce headed over the next room over. The door wasn't fully closed, but slightly ajar. As if someone had idly pulled it closed behind them as they walked out.

That someone was likely to be Fiorello just checking in on the two.

Remembering to be courteous, Drayce knocked lightly at the door before he pushed it open. Inside, he found Runihura sat upright in the bed with the young blond-haired botanist sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, facing him and going through his carry pouch.

"Hey," Drayce greeted, earning a squeak of surprise from the rather quite small brounii and a simple nod of the head from Runihura. "How are you feeling? And you must be Palash."

"Y-yes!" Palash squeaked in response.

"Thank you," Drayce offered sincerely, gaining a surprised look from Palash. "For telling everyone for me."

Palash blinked at him through his large red-rimmed glasses before he slowly turned his head away and stared idly at the patterns of the bedcover. "…I couldn't do anything else."

Even if he felt that way, the information he offered his guildmates in his absence was a great help. And alerted them to the seriousness of the situation a lot faster. Oh, Drayce was certain they would have figured it out on their own. They were smart. But time was the essence, after all.

Drayce sat himself down upon the chair that was pulled up next to the bed. "Can I ask? About how you got mixed up with those bandits?"

Runihura nodded his head before he unexpectedly launched into a short, but still detailed explanation. "Palash and I were both abandoned when we were young, so when we found each other, we decided to become brothers. But we didn't have anything. No money, barely the clothes on our backs. I had to resort to stealing to make ends meet, to help Palash with his botanist training. Keane took advantage of our situation."

The immediately response honestly startled Drayce a little. Runihura was surprisingly straightforward and honest in his answer. Though, there was little benefit in lying to him now.

The passive expression on Runihura's face suddenly faltered and an expression that was a mixture of pain and guilt promptly appeared. "I was just…following orders."

He was undeniably remorseful.

"I understand," Drayce returned comfortingly.

"What…will happen to us now?" Palash asked softly. A hint of fear in his voice.

"You can stay here," Drayce immediately replied and offered the two a small smile. "I did kinda adopt you into my guild."

"But we're thieves," Runihura quickly pointed out. Though his expression was passive, there was still a hint of guilt and worry in his gaze. "We worked with those bandits. We'd likely get arrested at some point."

That was a good point. And very possible. But Drayce now knew the circumstances of why they were bandits. And had seen first-hand the treatment Runihura had endured under Keane's leadership. He didn't have a choice.

"I know Prince Ramus. I will talk to him. He's reasonable. He'll understand." Drayce was absolutely sure of it. "Besides, I can see the remorse you carry. If you want to find redemption, then be a part of my guild. Where you'll both be safe."

Palash glanced over at Runihura and the two seemed to hold a silent conversation before Palash turned back toward Drayce. "W-what about Keane?"

Drayce supressed the need to grimace at the guy's name. Not to mention at the memory of him practically threatening Runihura further. "Don't worry about him."

At least, for now. If they were lucky, Egar would get his hands on him first. Though, that was still very doubtful. Bandits were a slippery lot. And the laws of the labyrinth were different to those within the city.

"Now, you two get some rest," Drayce said as he pushed himself to his feet. "And I'll leave you in peace. Though, don't hesitate to head downstairs if you want something to eat."

Runihura unexpectedly reached out to take Drayce by the elbow. The touch was soft, but surprising all the same. Confused, Drayce turned to give the harbinger a questioning look. He felt a prang of concern when he realised that Runihura seemed to be looking at him with worry in his pink eyes.

"…You know, Keita is really annoying. But he's…not a bad guy," Runihura said quietly before he released his hold on Drayce's elbow just as suddenly and flopped down onto the bed. He rolled onto his side, his back toward him as he lifted the blanket over his shoulder. "He's just like me. In a way…"

Drayce remembered the hesitation in Keita's escape. And the pained look he sent in Runihura's direction.

Maybe…

"I see," Drayce simply replied, knowing that he was unlikely to get any more information from the harbinger. And it wasn't really necessary anyway. "Get some rest. You, too, Palash. You're both safe here."

As Drayce turned toward the door to leave, he heard a soft voice whisper from the bed;

"…Thank you."

Drayce paused in his steps for just a moment before he continued on his way. He never did anything in expectation of receiving gratitude. But it was nice to hear it all the same.

… … … … …

It was about mid-afternoon when Drayce found his way to the Council Hall. Unsurprisingly, he didn't go alone. Blayke went with him, which was nothing unusual. Regardless, everyone was still on edge after what happened. Which was understandable.

Drayce wasn't too worried, though. He was at the Council Hall, after all. No bandit in their right mind would lurk around that place with so many guards looking for them.

"Drayce," Ramus' expression brightened from professionalism to delight when Drayce by-passed the line of explorers and made his way toward him. That delight dimmed just a fraction as concern soon found its way upon his features and he regarded him with a curious glance. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine now," Drayce replied as he idly tugged at the sleeves of his coat, ensuring that the white bandages around his wrists were hidden. "Sorry if I worried you. You must have received the shock of your life last night, huh?"

"That is one way of saying it," Ramus replied with a small smile. Again, that quickly faded into concern. "I learnt everything from Kamali and Caelem. I'm extremely glad to know you weren't hurt. Egar is looking for those bandits."

"The leader is more dangerous than his minions," Blayke muttered under his breath.

Ramus heard him, regardless and nodded his head. "Unfortunately, that is usually the case."

To Drayce, however, the boss pulling the strings from behind the scenes was the most dangerous of them all. Whoever they were.

"Come," Ramus urged as he swept a hand toward the halls behind him. "Let me show you where we are keeping the Cursed Blade."

Drayce nodded and he and Blayke dutifully followed Ramus deeper into the Council Hall. They passed through many hallways and chambers. Drayce believed that the Cursed Blade was likely kept somewhere near the treasure vault, where the Radiant Moon was kept. However, Ramus led them beyond that chamber and into another.

This one appeared far more…fortified.

As they entered the chamber, Drayce noted that there were several large, steel enforced doors lining the walls. Only one of which was opened. With scholars and regal robes and clothes scurrying in and out of.

Honestly, the chamber gave him the indication that it was more of a prison than a vault.

"It will be secure here, right?" Blayke asked as he cautious inspected their surroundings.

"I cannot guarantee that completely," Ramus admitted as they paused a few feet away from the only open doors. "But, for the most part; yes. Not only is the blade itself sealed, but the walls within the vault possess sealing sigils. And the doors will soon to be locked themselves. Never to be opened under my watch."

That was good to hear. There was no safer place for it to be.

Drayce watched idly as the scholars moved in and out of the room. Some earthlain, some celestian. There even appeared to be a single therian amongst them.

"I'm afraid, currently, we don't know how dangerous the Cursed Blade actually is," Drayce admitted. "Whether or not it could possess another. Or only under certain circumstances. Regardless, it needs to be kept sealed away."

Ramus was quick to agree. "Yes. To think that such a weapon had existed all this time. Either we have been extremely fortunate or the blade was kept well hidden."

It was a little surprising. With how many guilds and explorers were venturing in and out of the labyrinth. Then again, Drayce himself had needed to find the music box with contained the small treasure chest, which contained the magically infused map. After that, there was the tokens.

With all the precautions, they probably shouldn't be surprised that no one knew of its existence.

"What of the documents found within that altar?" Ramus questioned.

"As you can imagine, Shashi is busy at work deciphering it," Drayce explained with a smile when he recalled the dismay of both Ashton and Kamali at Shashi's dedication. "As soon as he tells me, I'll be sure to inform you, too."

Ramus quickly agreed to that, too. "Please do. I would like to know more of this Turquoise Lotus Father. If he had battled alongside the Legendary Dragoon, then it is my duty as Earthlain prince to honour his role and commitment."

Hopefully Drayce could provide him with that information.

There was one thing, though…

"I have a request, if you don't mind?"

Ramus regarded him curiously. "Yes?"

"I would like for the Shining Lotus to stay with Caelem. It belongs to his village's founding father, after all. Also, in case the Cursed Blade is ever released again."

Ramus took a moment to consider his request. And honestly, it did sound a bit selfish. It was an important treasure, after all. But it belonged to another. Someone not of the royal family. It just felt wrong to keep it hidden away.

And if the Cursed Blade was released, only Caelem could wield the blade in battle.

"Of course," Ramus agreed with a smile. "What of the necklace? I heard it belonged to another, too."

Drayce nodded his head, thankful for the young prince's understanding. "Yeah. I'm not entirely sure if he wants it back, but it would be wrong of me not to ask him, right?"

"Indeed." Ramus turned away from them summoned over a tall earthlain man with white hair and a short, well-kept beard. "Please bring the Shining Lotus. And the necklace, Scarlet Lotus."

The elderly scholar glanced in Drayce's direction. And unexpectedly uttered a scoff. "You're not considering leaving such a valuable find in this…treasure hunter's care, are you?"

Besides him, Drayce felt Blayke bristle. Drayce had to literally grab onto his arm to prevent him from doing or saying anything. He didn't like the overly snooty types, after all. And rather unfortunately, some scholars (especially noble or royal scholars) could be rather…arrogant, for lack of a better word.

Being locked up in the library all day and not going any field work was often the reason.

Surprisingly, Ramus' expression turned somewhat stoic as he turned to regard the elderly scholar fully. "This Treasure Hunter is the one to have discover it. And his guildmate, a therian, is of the village that honours the one who created that blade. It is only right that I return that blade to its rightful place. And possibly inheritor. Don't you agree?"

Ooh, that almost brought a chill down Drayce's spine.

The scholar attempted to splutter some kind of indignant response, yet he could not deny the young prince his order. And he knew that. As much as he loathed to admit it, the young kid before him held a much higher status than he did.

Nevertheless, there was a sense of surprise from the man. As if he hadn't expected such a reply from his prince.

"Spoken like a true prince," Drayce complimented as the scholar shuffled away and Ramus turned his attention back toward them.

"W-well, Egar insisted that I speak more…matter-a-factly when it is in regards to my royal advisors. They were rather…rude last night, in my opinion," Ramus admitted with a light flush of pink to his cheeks. He soon offered him an apologetic smile, however. A smile that held an underlying hint of frustration. "You'll have to forgive the royal scholars. They can be seen as…"

"Superior and obnoxious?" Blayke muttered as he dislodged his arm from Drayce's grip and folded them tightly over his chest.

"Not quite the words I was looking for…"

"But right all the same."

The corner of Ramus' mouth twitched slightly. Threatening to break out into a smile. "Well…I can't rightfully deny that."