AN: Another long chapter for this update :'D Hope you'll enjoy reading~!

Chapter 6:

Remedy watched as Lynus and Axel left the room, Zadkiel awkwardly but eagerly taking the lead. He couldn't help but noticed that Axel had his hand resting on the small of Lynus' back as they left. He already knew that they were married. He just got the feeling that they were rather affectionate toward one another. His brother and Jemella could be the same at times.

It was nice to see. Especially in regards to how relaxed they were around other people.

Remedy turned his gaze toward his fellow Etrians and gave them a questioning look. "What do you guys think?" he asked.

"They certainly seem nice enough," Simon answered truthfully, a thoughtful look on his face.

Zircon nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah. I don't get any bad vibes from them at all."

"Axel possesses a very powerful aura," Lindis stated matter-a-factly.

"Yeah, I noticed that, too," Zircon was once more agreeable. "It's not…completely off-putting, though."

Remedy felt Axel that he was far stronger than he looked, and he looked pretty impressive. Quite the power stance without the arrogance or over-confidence. He just gave the impression that he could take the head off a dragon in one swing and then joke about it.

Honestly, Lynus had quite the presence of his own. Opposite of Axel's. Axel had protective strength. Lynus felt warm and nurturing. Quite formable.

"Lynus is much the same," he mused before he turned to look at Simon. "Right?"

"Right," Simon immediately replied. "I'm most interested in learning from him, to be honest. If his reputation is anything to go by, then I have a lot left to learn."

"Aiding them with their search and rescue missions are sure to be highly interesting as well," Lindis mused aloud, his expression thoughtful before a small smile made its way to his lips. "Hm. Maybe we can teach them a thing or two in return."

"This expedition should be fun," Remedy couldn't help but state, smiling also.

"We'll have to wonder about the troubles we might face later," Zircon suddenly stated. "Maginia will take flight some time today, so we better get ready."

Oh, he was right. Whenever Maginia took to the air, or even hit any turbulence, the whole city would shake and tremble. It was disconcerting for those who weren't used to the quirks of a flying city. So, the city council had to issue out departing times, allowing for everyone to prepare by tying down loose items, gather materials needed to keep inside for hours or even days on end.

The city was pretty self-efficient and sheltered when in flight, but it was still strongly advised that they limited outdoor activities. That was why the buildings were so large and made of sturdy material.

"Let's get to work, then," Simon said. "This shouldn't take long."

With that said, they parted ways briefly to ensure that their personal belongings were securely taken care off. After that, they were likely to make a few rounds just to ensure that the building was structurally sound. The way the city would shake and tremble as it took off was really, really worrying. It wouldn't be surprising if some structures were damaged, despite their sturdiness.

After Remedy inspected his room, shoving some of his books and belongings into the draws and closet, he decided to head out into the playground to remind Quinn of Maginia's departure time.

He subconsciously moved to a jog when he rounded a corner, only to crash all-but face-first into something, or rather someone tall. He stumbled back a step as a hand immediately flew up to touch his nose.

"Oh, sorry!" Remedy said as he smiled sheepishly and rubbed his nose absentmindedly.

He looked up at the one he ran into, another apology on his lips when he fell still. A man he had never met before stood before him. His long blond hair fell over a red scarf that was covering the lower half of his face. His eyes, a bright blue, were piercing. And honestly a little intimidating.

"Um, I-I'm really sorry," he uttered again.

The blond-haired man simply looked at him with narrowed eyes. Suddenly, they didn't look…all that intimidating anymore. Well, he looked intimidating in appearance, but his gaze was more…searching than frightening.

Suddenly, another blond appeared from behind the man and stepped to stand next to him. This man looked far more friendly. Short blond hair, and bright blue eyes, though a shade darker than the other man. He appeared rather tall and with subtle muscles.

"Ah, no harm done," he said in a polite and friendly tone. "Don't worry about it."

Remedy took a moment to look at the two. "Hm? Are you members of the Guardians?"

"That's right," the short blond-haired man replied before he tilted his head to the side in curiosity. "And you, you must be Remedy, yes?"

Remedy blinked before he lifted a hand to point at himself. "Do I look that much like what Lynus did?"

He laughed lightly and nodded his head. "You do, honestly. Though, I hope you don't take any offense, he was a lot scrawnier and meeker than you appear to be."

"R-really?" Remedy found himself stuttering, honestly finding it difficult imagining the benign man he had met could be meek. "I can't imagine it."

The man's eyes took on a faraway gaze while the one who had been silent seemed to mutter darkly under his breath. "He's…been through a lot, you could say."

Remedy felt a strange sense of intrigue mixed with surprise.

However, before anything more than could be said on the subject, the taller blond placed a charming smile on his lips once more. "Oh, let me introduce ourselves. My name is Jhon. And this is Tobyn, my husband."

"It's nice to meet you," Remedy replied instinctively before he raised his hand in an inquisitive manner. "Um, question? Is everyone from your guild married?"

Jhon laughed once more, sound genuinely amused. "No, not all of us," he said before the smile on his lips turned softly playful. "The rest have fiancés."

Wow…they feel way more mature and well put together…

"Remedy, there you are." Zircon's voice interrupted before Remedy could form a response. "Are you-?"

Remedy turned to look behind him, curious as to why Zircon stopped mid-sentence. He seemed to be looking at Jhon and Tobyn curiosity, Simon and Lindis doing the same behind him.

Jhon and Tobyn appeared to be gazing at Zircon with equal interest. Tobyn just looked, however, while Jhon tilted his head to the side questioningly. "Hm?"

"Oh, ah, let me introduce you," Remedy said to break the small fragment of tension that seemed to have fallen over them. "Um, you already know my name. This is Zircon, Simon, and Lindis."

While Tobyn continued to remain curiously silent, Jhon righted himself and nodded his head, placing another pleasant smile to his lips. "Pleasure to meet you. My name is Jhon and this is Tobyn. I assume you're all here because of Villard?"

Remedy nodded his head. "That's right."

Jhon seemed sincerely pleased to hear that. "Ah, that means that we may be working together in the future. Have you met anyone else from the Guardians?"

"Well, we've met Axel and Gerald," Remedy replied. "And I've met Azure. But that's it."

"Well, there's a lot more for you to meet," Jhon said before that somewhat playful smile returned. "I best leave that to Lynus, shall I? He loves prattling about his guildmates, after all."

Remedy felt himself perk up slightly at that. "I certainly got that from him. He doesn't like talking about himself, though, does he?"

Jhon shook his head. "No. He's extremely modest. He has nothing but praise for everyone else. I'm sure you'll get along well." He then paused and furrowed his brow slightly. "By the way, do you happen to know where Axel and Lynus went?"

"They were asked to visit the Explorers Guild," Remedy immediately replied. "They'll probably be back soon."

Jhon looked relieved. "Ok, thank you."

Tobyn still hadn't uttered a single word and Remedy was beginning to wonder if he was in fact mute. He honestly hadn't met anyone quite as quiet as him. That hexer fellow, Zalaph was it? He was pretty quiet, too, though.

Jhon's eyes suddenly flickered over the top of Remedy's head and he smiled warmly. "Ah, you're back."

Remedy turned to look behind him to see that Axel and Lynus had indeed returned. With them were Jemella and Zadkiel. They walked together, so obviously had returned from the Explorer's Guild together.

"Hey," Axel greeted as his group met up with the others. "Looking for us?"

"Yes, actually," Jhon said as he turned to give Axel his full attention. "Apparently, Maginia is getting ready to take flight and Villard feels it would be best for everyone to be gathered within the dining hall."

"Hm. That would make sense," Axel idly replied.

"Oh good, you've met Jemella," Remedy piped up.

Jemella turned his attention toward him and gave him a half grin. "Hey, kiddo. I've got good news. From today onwards, the four of you are members of the Guardian Guild."

"…Huh?!"

Apparently, Remedy wasn't the only one surprised!

Axel gave a short laugh as he folded his arms across his chest casually. "Mueller's idea. He thought it best that we have one guildname for everyone who agrees to help Villard to explore under. Make things easier at least."

"The general consensus is that the Guardians is a fitting name for what Villard hopes to do," Lynus explained further before he turned to look curiously upon Remedy. "We hope you don't mind?"

"N-no, not at all," Remedy stuttered a reply immediately. "We were just surprised."

Axel turned slightly and unfurled an arm from his chest. He then used that arm to loop around Zadkiel's neck and pulled him closer. Zadkiel stumbled forward. He probably would have fallen on his face had Axel's arm not be secure around his neck and shoulders. Zadkiel blushed a bright red, but didn't attempt to dislodge himself from Axel's hold.

"We've already signed up Zadkiel here," Axel said. "Still need your signatures on the forms, though."

"You've got some high expectations to live up to, but I'm sure you lot will be fine," Jemella unexpectedly stated, seemingly aiming that toward everyone present.

He soon focused his attention in on Remedy, however. And Remedy half expected the other man to make some kind of sarcastic comment or remark about Remedy needing to stay out of trouble. And how that would be a feat in of itself. He could be quite rude when he wanted.

Instead, he asked him a question. "Anyway, where's Quinn at?"

"He's at the play park with the kids," Remedy answered.

Jemella nodded his head. "Better go round them up. Catch you lot later."

With that, Jemella turned and head in the direction of the doors that led outside. It wasn't at all a surprise for him to immediately go in search of Quinn when he returned. Now that they were no longer in Etria, no longer in their important roles, they both had the habit of just seeking each other out. Not so much to keep an eye on each other, but rather to simply spend time together.

This was their 'vacation' time, after all.

"Lynus!"

Lynus lifted his head up and turned in the direction of the new voice. From the hallway that led directly to the dining hall, three more figures appeared. One that Remedy recognised to be Azure, Lynus' apprentice. But the blond-haired man with a ginger and white cat sitting on his shoulder, and a shirtless man with black hair and golden armbands were new to him.

They were obviously more members of the Guardians.

"Hm?" Lynus hummed, his brow furrowed slightly in concern when Azure immediately took hold of his arm and the blond-haired alchemist (by appearance) stood directly in front of him. "Is something wrong?"

But the blond-haired man shook his head. "N-no, we just wanted to make sure you both had returned before Maginia takes flight."

"Ah." Lynus relaxed and raised an arm toward the feline on the man's shoulder, scratching it under the chin. "Is everyone starting to gather into the dining hall now?"

"Y-yes," Azure answered over the really quite loud purrs of the cat. "We just wanted to make sure everyone knew."

"That's fair," Lynus said in acceptance. He soon remembered that Remedy and his companions were still there and he turned to give them a short, apologetic look. "Ah, excuse me. Let me introduce you. This is Magnus, Shen, and Azure, my apprentice."

"Nice to meet you," Remedy replied politely. "I'm Remedy, this is Zircon, Simon, and Lindis."

They had better get used to introducing themselves, hadn't they?

Lindis unexpectedly walked forward, toward Magnus, and stopped. "Is this little one your mascot?" he asked.

Magnus nodded his head. "Her name is Zanna," he replied, the cat swishing her tail as if in response to her name. "You can pat her, if you want."

Lindis did just that, scratching Zanna under her chin. Something she seemed to appreciate, if pushing her head further into his hand for more scratches was any indication. "She's very beautiful."

"She's also a snuggle-bug," Lynus chuckled before a contemplative look appeared on his face and he turned his attention to Shen. "Speaking of which. How's Chi-hung and his little wolves?"

Wait, wolves?

"They're really nervous about their new surroundings," Shen replied simply.

Lynus sighed and nodded his head. "That's to be expected. We best stay with them as much as we can."

"Shen and I will keep them together in the dining hall," Magnus immediately offered, earning himself a small smile from Lynus.

"Yes, please do."

"We'll help," Jhon volunteered before he turned regard Remedy and his companions. "Nice meeting you."

"Ah, you, too," Remedy automatically replied.

And watched as Jhon and Tobyn walked past him to join Shen and Magnus. Zanna settled back down on Magnus' shoulder, the blond giving Lindis a small, almost shy wave as a farewell before he joins his guildmates. Lindis returned the small wave before he, too, moved to stand with Simon.

Azure, however, stayed clinging to Lynus' arm. He appeared very meek and almost skittish. He seemed only really comfortable staying close to someone he knows quite well. And it was obvious that Lynus was the one he trusted the most. And Lynus was just as protective of him.

"Staying with us, Azure?" Lynus asked Azure softly, receiving a nod in response. "That's fine. Oh, good news; Zadkiel is a member of the Guardians now. I'm sure you'll both get along."

Azure glanced over at Zadkiel, lingering there for a moment, before he turned back to Lynus. And nodded softly.

Lynus smiled in reassurance before he turned his attention back to everyone. "Well, shall we go to the dining hall, too?"

"Of course," Remedy replied.

Remedy took the incentive and led everyone toward the dining hall. As they approached, he could hear voices of those who were already there. It was somehow comforting. In a way. When they first arrived, it was so quiet, just them in such a large place.

But now that there were thirty-three more of them with more to come, it was only going to get louder.

"And this is the dining hall," Remedy explained as they walked into a large room.

Four long tables with chairs were within the very centre of the room. Cupboards surrounded two walls of the hall, and two swinging doors on the western wall. They, of course, led to the kitchen area. A sizeable kitchen, too. Which was excellent as they were going to have a lot of mouths to feed.

Hmm, Villard was likely to ask everyone to pitch in with certain chores. He'd probably get to that later. Or everyone would figure it out for themselves.

"The dining room is far larger than I had expected," Lynus confessed.

"Villard is hoping to use this an impromptu meeting room should there ever be a case where he needs to speak with everyone," Simon added.

"There are a lot of chairs here," Lynus commented as he made note of the number of the chairs. There had to be at least a hundred or more. "No doubt he's hoping to amass a huge gathering."

Remedy glanced around and rubbed his arm. "Yeah. It was really empty when we first arrived."

"Well, it's going to be about half-way full now," Lynus said with a as other began to file into the dining hall, too. "Why don't we sit and I'll tell you all the gossip about my guildmates?"

Remedy had to chuckle and nodded his head. But as he turned to look for a table where to could seat themselves, his eyes landed on two men as they walked in together. One was Villard. And the other was a certain detective who made himself quite renowned in Etria for his investigator skills.

"Oh, that's Austin," Remedy said as he motioned toward Austin with a wave of his hand, both Lynus and Axel turning to take a look himselves. "He's a detective, like Villard apparently."

"Austin, huh?" Axel repeated, his tone contemplative as he continued to stare at Austin for a few seconds longer. "He has a punchable face."

The small statement surprised Remedy, but it earned a slight eye-roll from Lynus, a soft giggle from Azure, and a half laugh, half snort from Lindis.

"Yeah," Lindis unexpectedly replied. "Absolutely. Five minutes into speaking with him and you'll want to sock him in the teeth."

"He can be rather…insufferable at times," Simon added, trying hard to be more diplomatic than Lindis. "Nice enough, just very confident."

Axel gave a short laugh as he turned to face them again. "I better avoid him, then," he said with a grin and gazed toward Lynus to tell him something. "We should probably keep Zeryn away from him, too."

Lindis perked up and furrowed his brow questioningly. "Zeryn? Six-foot-six with blond hair?"

Axel immediately turned to look at him once more. "That's him."

"He's from my village," Lindis explained.

"Really?" Surprise was evident in Axel's voice. "You wouldn't happen to know someone call Gage, too?"

"Six-foot-seven with brown hair?"

"Right."

"I haven't seen or heard from either of them in years," Lindis murmured as he glanced around at the occupants slowly filling the hall. "Are they both here?"

"Yep," Axel replied. "You'll hear Zeryn before you see him. And Gage has the habit of sneaking up on you. They're total opposites."

"Why don't you reunite Lindis with the two before Zeryn finds him first?" Lynus suggested.

Axel thought that over for a moment before he nodded his head. "Yeah, that could lead to untold chaos." He then wrapped an arm around Lynus' shoulders so that he could pull him toward him and press a kiss to his lips. "We'll be back for the city takes off."

Lindis turned away from the affection to glance over at Simon. To offer him his own reassurance, it seems. "Won't be long. I'll introduce you to them later."

"Alright," Simon replied with a slight frown. "Be back before we take off."

"Of course," Lindis promised before he turned and walked away with Axel, the redhead seemingly chatting with him as the moved.

Lynus watched the two as they left with a small smile on his lips before he turned to regard Remedy once more. "Well, shall we find a seat?"

Remedy nodded his head and moved to take the led once more. "Sure."

"Coming, Zadkiel?" Lynus called out questioningly.

"Ah, yeah," Zadkiel murmured as he followed Lynus and Azure closely behind.

Remedy led the small group over to one of the tables. The chose to sit across from each other. Lynus with Azure and Zadkiel on either side of him took one side. While Remedy sat on the other. With Simon and Zircon on either side of him.

Lynus seemed to take a moment to ensure that Azure was comfortable before he turned and folded his arms atop of the table in a relaxed manner. "Well, let's start with who you haven't met," he murmured as he looked around. "Hm. Oh, there's Ryker. The survivalist with the turquoise hair. He's absolutely amazing at finding high quality materials. If you're looking for something specific, he'll find it for you."

Remedy looked in where Lynus indicated. He saw two men that were talking with each other. One was obviously Ryker. The other appeared to be that of a medic.

"Redhead with glasses is Darrell," Lynus continued. "He's a medic and has a lot of hospital experience. He's here to help in the construction and management of the Maginian Hospital, actually. He also has experience as an explorer."

So, he was a medic. That was reassuring to know that there was going to be at least five medics on this expedition. They'd have to be in some serious trouble if they needed more.

"Oh, and there's Shiki!" Lynus suddenly exclaimed. "I was wondering where he's been all this time."

Remedy turned to look in the same direction that Lynus was. He saw that his brother had finally returned to the dining hall with Jemella and the kids. Gerald, the gunner he had met earlier was also with them. As was his son and another man.

"The ronin with the bandages," Lynus pointed out. "That's Shiki. Gerald's husband. He's a dad-dad, if you know what I mean? He has the habit of adopting vulnerable people. Or just anyone, really."

Quinn and Jemella seemed quite comfortable with the two already. They seemed relaxed. Jemella even sharing a laugh or two with Shiki. It was honestly good to see. They appeared to have a bit in common, so it was nice for hard-working Quinn to make some friends of his own.

Ghali suddenly broke from Gerald's hand to run over to a tall, muscular man with blue hair. And hugged him tightly around the waist.

Lynus had also seen the sight and chuckled. "Ah, the man with blue-hair? That's Simmons, Shiki's son. He's a very sweet, innocent man. That family…has been through a lot. It's unfair, really."

Another man appeared. Shorter than the first, but dressed similarly to that of a dark hunter. And Ghali hugged him around the waist, too.

"The white-haired dark hunter is Rahas," Lynus continued to explain. "He is Simmons' partner and extremely protective of Simmons and his family. And I mean, extremely."

From across the hall, a voice suddenly boomed above all the noise, startling Remedy enough to jump in his seat. "Aye, Lindis! How the fuck is ya?"

Lynus winced lightly before he smiled. "That's Zeryn. You really do hear him before you see him. Though, he's not as bad as he used to be. Topaz has calmed him down somewhat."

"Is Topaz the blue-haired man following him?" Remedy asked as he watched Zeryn, the tall highlander make a bee-line for Lindis, a rather regal man at his heel.

"That's him," Lynus chuckled.

During his walk to Lindis, Zeryn bypassed another with short green hair and a cape. The little crown he wore gave the indication that he was someone of royalty. Or someone who liked to think himself as such.

"Hey, little Dickie!" Zeryn greeted as he swiftly moved past.

The kid spun around with a dramatic flare. "It's Benedict, you uncouth swine!"

"And that's Benedict," Lynus said with a laugh. "Benedict Richardson the Third. He's…special, I suppose you could say. Don't worry; if you forget his name, he will remind you."

They certainly had some colourful characters in their guild.

A hexer in maroon robes strolled past Lynus and their end of the table. He suddenly dropped to the floor, face first, making a loud thud. It caused Remedy to jump in his seat yet again and he saw the others do the same as they simultaneously turn to look toward the source of the noise. However, Remedy also noticed that Lynus didn't look. Instead, Lynus had closed his eyes and drew in a slow breath.

"Mahogany," he murmured under his breath.

He didn't look annoyed or agitated, but there was obvious exasperation in his voice.

A hand suddenly reached up and slapped against the table, startling everyone once again. Slowly, the hexer, likely called Mahogany, used the table to struggle back to his feet. He drew in a sharp breath before...standing straight and idly fixing his hair. Like nothing had happened.

"How odd," the hexer murmured.

"Don't say it, Mahogany," Lynus unexpectedly warned.

"I've matured past that, now," Mahogany replied with a careless shrug. "If you're interested, it's the one with white hair."

Lynus eyes flickered over toward Simon. Sympathy, perhaps even empathy, caused his gaze to soften. It was a fleeting moment, but Remedy caught it all the same.

"You really need to stop scaring people, Mahogany," Lynus chided lightly as he turned his attention back to his guildmate.

Mahogany shrugged, apparently either dismissive or nonchalant about his startling behaviour. "I don't do it on purpose. Most of the time, at least."

With that said, he turned and walked away, completely oblivious to the discontentment he left in his wake.

Lynus broke the uncomfortable silence that followed with an audible sigh. "He's always like that. You'll have to forgive his…quirkiness, I suppose."

"Hexers are renowned for their particular skills," Simon responded before he glanced over the rims of his glasses to give Lynus a rather…pointed look.

Lynus unexpectedly sighed as he folded his arms atop of the table and leaned against them. "He always leaves me to explain. Mahogany has a particular...skill, you could say. One that allows his to see past events of the lives of...other people. The more traumatic the event, the easier it is for him to receive that vision."

They fell into an uneasy silent after Lynus' explanation. Simon in particular was unnerved. Remedy could almost feel his unease.

"What could he…?" Simon muttered under his breath as his gazed off to the side. That breath was soon caught in his throat, gasping in realisation.

"He did the same thing to me," Lynus quickly admitted, likely in an attempt to calm or reassure Simon. That admission earned a surprised glance from Simon. "It's very unnerving, to be quite frank. Sent me running."

Lynus was absolutely attempting to disarm the tension that had fallen over the group. Finally, Simon nodded his head and idly pushed up his glasses.

"We're all explorers," Simon said. "It's an unfortunate fact that we've endured trauma in our lives."

"Very true. And the fact that we're all still here proves how stubborn we truly are," Lynus added with a smile.

"We're back."

A flicker of relief appeared in Lynus' eyes upon the sound of Axel's voice. Zadkiel scooted to the side to allow for Axel to slip in between him and Lynus. While Lindis walked to the other side of the table and sat next to Simon. Whom of which also wore an expression of relief.

"Seems like Maginia is about to take flight at any minute," Axel explained as he slipped an arm around Lynus, intentionally pulling him closer.

"We'll soon see how we'll handle this, then," Lynus commented.

"We heard Zeryn," Simon said to Lindis, likely looking to change the topic subject. "I'm almost afraid to ask how he greeted you personally."

Lindis gave a short laugh as he rested his elbows on the table. "He's actually gotten better. Still, I understand why Elder kicked him out in frustration."

"He's very proud of that," Axel quipped.

Again, Lindis laughed and shook his head. "Doesn't surprise me. But it was nice meeting Gage again."

A loud siren that blared for several consecutive minutes interrupted everyone. Other then the siren, no one else made a sound. They remained silent when a rumbling noise was heard. Tat indicated that the engines were powering up to lift Maginia up off the ground.

Remedy instinctively held onto the table in front of him, while Axel and Lynus reacted by reaching out to one another. Axel kept an arm firm around Lynus' shoulders while Lynus used one hand to latch onto Axel, his other reaching out to comfort Azure. Out of the two, Azure had the most negative reaction; immediately scooting over to Lynus and burying his face into his shoulder.

They didn't immediately panic, however. They remain relatively calm throughout the trembling and noise around them.

Perhaps they had been warned beforehand. Perhaps they knew that they were fine once that got to cruising level, as it were. The take off always rattled some buildings and nerves.

Thankfully, where they were located, they didn't have to deal with the constant hum or roar of the engines. They were located close to the centre of the city, away from the powerful winds and engine noise.

Finally, the noise and rattling began to subside. And it was replaced by a new sound; children crying.

Remedy immediately looked over to where his brother sat with Jemella and the kids. Quinn had Benji on his lap, comforting the boy. He had reacted the same way when they lifted off for the first time. The loud noise and rumblings frightened him.

And it appeared as if he wasn't the only one startled by the event; Gerald was comforting Ghali, the blond-haired boy clinging to him with his arms around his neck.

Poor kids. They'll likely be afraid of every take off. The sooner they got to Lemuria, the better.

Turning his attention away from the frightened boys, Remedy looked back toward Lynus. Axel still had his arm around his shoulders, but Lynus seemed to be comforting Azure more than reacting to the events around them. Azure, for his part, had lifted his head from Lynus' shoulder, but he was obviously still unnerved by what had occurred.

"You handled that rather well," Simon complimented as he relaxed a little. "Austin dropped to the floor in a duck-and-cover position when he experienced take off for the first time."

"Ah. This isn't our first time in a flying city," Lynus unexpectedly revealed.

"You've been to Maginia before?" Remedy asked, clearly surprised.

But Lynus shook his head. "Maginia, no. There's a stratum in Lagaard's labyrinth we called "Heavenly Keep". It's a flying castle of sorts."

That immediately gained Simon's interest. "Really?"

"Oh yes," Lynus said with a smile. "I'm sure we'll be able to tell each other of the quirks of labyrinths, hm?"

"Speaking of which, what our next stop at?" Axel asked.

Remedy thought for a moment. "Well, from what I understand our next port of call is Armoroad."

"Hm? Armoroad?" Lynus perked up a little upon hearing the city's name. "Oh good. I hope to find Flavio there."

Simon tilted his head to the side. "Flavio?"

"Yes, he's also from Midgard Library."

"Yes, I remember him," Simon murmured as he straightened his posture. "Him and Fafnir were inseparable. I'm afraid I haven't heard anything about the two for at least two years."

Lynus' bright expression suddenly dimmed slightly and he looked apologetic. "It's a very long story, but Fafnir was stranded in Armoroad and Flavio, of course, went off to find him immediately. His party member and friend, Bertrand, accompanied him to find Fafnir."

Simon frowned. "I sense that this has an extraordinary story behind it."

"Flavio will be able to tell you more than I could," Lynus said with a sad smile. He trailed off for a moment, lost in thought. He soon shook his head, however, and rested his arms atop of the table once more. "What other cities will we be visiting?"

"Ah, Tharsis and Iorys," Remedy answered.

Again, Lynus seemed to brighten. "Oh good, we are visiting Tharsis. I have a penpal there. I've been wanting to meet him and his guild."

"Iorys is going to be interesting, to say the least," Simon added. "It's an isolated island that rumours state they have their own unique races and skills."

It was a shame that Maginia only stayed at their chosen ports for a day or two, using that time to gather materials. It would be nice to visit other labyrinths, to see for themselves that kind of environments and materals that could be discovered.

Oh well. They'll just have to deal with the surprises that Lemuria had in store for them.