I'm really... really sorry, for the unexplained delay. FRIITA had this wonderful idea where we get started on turning our collaboration into a visual novel or fananimation series - yes, even though we haven't done much with the fanfic progress - and lastberri and I sort of... went along with it. Because we also liked the idea and are irresponsible. Eventually we kinda scrapped it but got lazy... or rather, FRIITA and I got lazy. Really sorry about that. We're back again! Sorry, lastberri, and thank you for putting up with us. Lmao.


It was a strange feeling, a truly enigmatic sensation that she simply could not describe, no matter what word her mind tried to concoct. Bits and pieces of... something, were scattered about in the white void inside her mind. At the same time, there was no white, just darkness. And still, there was something in her mind, something that wasn't... not... there.

One way or another, even though she was completely lost and new to this sensation, she at the same time understood what was going on.

It was like some sort of... door, some sort of gate, beyond which lies the potential for her skills, her techniques. Within, several paths have already been set, unlocked, able to be called through her own mind, and several more have yet to be discovered.

In a sense, she supposed it truly was like a 'tree', whatever this phenomenon was. At the tip of each branching path, something was waiting for her. A new ability, a new power, a new possibility.

She reached out, or at least she thought she did, or something among those lines. Imaginarily grasping whatever strange power in her mental hands, Remilia felt warmth spreading through her veins, her mind. Did something happen? Did she learn something new?

Something decreased, but something increased. Nothing made sense to her, but at the same time, she was able to comprehend what had happened, whatever it was.

Perhaps... this was the magic of explorers. This was probably the strange yet natural phenomenon that travelers, explorers, labyrinth conquerors, all became a part of after the birth of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth.

This was the power, the strength, the limitless possibilities that everyone had been gifted with; it's what she̵̳̥̫̬̙̾̓̓́͋̃̈͗͆̀̈́ hà̸̭̭͙̙̈̔͋̈́̎̌̅͝d̶̬̩̥̦̙̝̘̭̺̰̻͙͠ b̷̰͇͇͇̎̍̓̒̂͐̽̈́͊́̀̕͝͝͝é̷̼̿̊̅͛͋̆̀͊̊͆̇̏e̷̺͙͕̹̺͙̱̗̜̗̠̟̯̾̆͜n tolḑ̵̢̭͇̰̞̦̻̹̣͍̭̲͔̘͌́̏͂ ̶̱̜͇̹̉̈́̄̋̆͂̎̌̃̄̚ą̶͚̝̟͉̞̰͕̓̐͆̐͒̓́̈̑́̍͐͜b̵̨̡̧͚̠̝͓͈̳̤̜͙̫̟͇̒̆̈͋̃̂̀ou̸̯͇̯̖̔̎̔̆̓͒̓̓̌͜t̵̳̘͍̺̰̔̔́̉̽͂̄.̶̛̻̰͓̬̱͇̬͓̋̾̈̆̇͗̀͘.̷̝̔͊͒̔̕.̷̦̞̦̭́͐̋͋̽͛̆͝͝

Remilia suddenly felt her eyes open, the others staring at her curiously.

That was... a strange experience indeed. Especially nearing the end - did she willingly resumed her consciousness? Or had she been mysteriously and forcibly pushed out her own mental space? She wasn't quite sure how to put it, herself, but the others didn't seem to think anything was wrong with her.

"Oh, you're back," Valeria greeted. "Hey, boss Remrem. How's the experience? Wild, isn't it?" she asked, grinning.

"Come on now, give her some space," Scarlet said. "It's her first time with it, I'm sure it must be overwhelming her."

Rin, perhaps simply over-worrying, grabbed the hexer's hands. "M-Ms. Remilia, are you okay?"

The pale girl blinked once, twice, before her expressions reverted to the stoic display they all were used to. "...sorry."

At her reply, they sighed with relief. Shilleka stared, before she shrugged. "Well, seems like y'done checkin' your skill tree. How's it lookin'?" she asked. "Bet there're loads of amazing techniques in that head 'f yours."

Still a bit in a daze, Remilia nodded.

"S'long as your alrighty, girl." Turning back to the others, Shilleka smiled. "'nyways. Since you're all gettin' started on 'venturing the labyrinth, what say you buy some more weapons 'n stuff? Bein' careful never hurt nobody."

"Ooh, new weapons! Sure!" Valeria cheered.

Sighing, the red haired landsknecht ran after her brunette friend, making sure to not let her go out of control and make a mess out of Shilleka's place.

"Um. Ms. Remilia... you're sure you're okay, right?" Rin asked, meanwhile.

Remilia nodded. "I'm... okay."

Mustering a smile, Rin relaxed and looked around. "Um, alright. If you say so." Taking notice of some supposedly new types of daggers on sale, she sauntered over to the display, motioning for the hexer to go along. "How about we take a look at some weapons ourselves? I, um, I know we're not the types to rely much on physical combat, but the more you have, the better prepared you can be!"

"...mmn."

M-maybe she's not interested...? the medic wondered. She surveyed the area again, her eyes landing on a shelf of staffs. "O-oh! How about a staff? Mine's pretty old, and they're good for hitting monsters with..."

Remilia stared at the display, imagining herself waving a wooden staff around like a club. ...weird. She shook her head.

"Oh... okay..." Rin murmured. Maybe I'm too pushy with her...

Noticing her teammate's sullen look, Remilia felt something stirring within her. For some reason, somehow, she had upset her acquaintance, and that... didn't sit right with her. Maybe it was her mind telling her that the hexer will have a harder time reaching her goals if she didn't get along with the others. Whatever it was, the pale girl felt... unpleasant.

Letting out a small sigh, she went over and picked up a staff. "...this. I'll take."

Rin's frown slowly morphed into a bright smile. "Oh! That's great!" she said, before pausing. Her mind worked quickly, piecing together what the situation was. "Ah. Um. Ms. Remilia, you don't, um... you don't have to do that just because I..."

Before she could finish, gradually feeling worse, the hexer reached up and pet the orange haired girl. "Mn."

"I, uh, um. Hmm!?" The medic was flustered. What was happening?

Modem's leader simply smiled, a small and gentle smile that Rin thought could've been an illusion. "I'll... get it."

Her mouth opened slightly, Rin watched as Remilia started to head towards Shilleka, set on paying for it immediately. It took the medic a couple of seconds to snap out of that lovely moment, rushing over to her guild leader. "A-ah, wait, Ms. Remilia! Let's, um. Let's get some other things too! Like, like armor, and, uh, more things!"

Shilleka would wait and watch patiently, a small grin etching its way onto her face, as the two went back to glossing over her products, soon along with the other two members who had been loud from another area of her store.


Remilia looked down at her hands, wondering whether she really unlocked new powers within herself. That experience she had in Shilleka's store yesterday was still on her mind - it was... still hard to explain, or grasp, make sense of. What was that, really?

Suddenly, she felt a presence lunging towards her. "Remilia!" she heard Scarlet call out.

But, unfazed, the hexer quickly struck her hand towards an approaching enemy - a clawed mole - and exerted her energy. "Hmn!"

Dark, shadowy tendrils shot forth from the earth and wrapped around the creature, leaving it suspended in the air, screeching and squirming in vain.

"Whoa," Valeria voiced in awe. "That is pretty cool, Remrem."

"Phew. Good that you're prepared," Scarlet said. "But it's best not to get too distracted while in the labyrinth," she noted, to which Remilia nodded to. "Can't say I don't understand you though, it felt pretty strange the first time I mediated into it as well."

At that, Rin chuckled. "Yeah, I remember that too. I'm glad mom and dad taught me about it early though, I would've been really freaked out about it..."

Their parents... Remilia thought. That's right, they weren't just people who were... just there. Of course they had parents. She wondered if she'd ever meet them.

"Gotta be thankful they taught us all we needed before they went off and disappeared," Valeria said with a shrug.

"Valeria!" Scarlet yelled. "Have some tact!" she said, rather peeved.

Oh... they're no longer alive, I guess, the hexer pieced in her head, while the others sighed. The mood had suddenly turned all depressing.

...then the cries of the monster, still tangled in her shadowy tendrils, snapped them out of their thoughts.

"O-oh, right. You." With a swift swing, Scarlet sliced through the clawed mole, ending its attempts to escape. As its body dropped on the floor, Rin hurried and began dissecting parts of it with her dagger, gently lowering them into a spare pouch she brought for storing materials. Right as she extracted some monster cores from the body, it began to disintegrate in seconds. "Great job, Rin. You want to switch?" she asked.

"No, it's fine!" the medic replied. "I'm the one who knows best how to do these things, after all."

"I hear a challenge! Is that a challenge I hear?" Valeria exclaimed.

The other two rolled their eyes, Remilia simply not reacting to her party members' antics.

"Anyways, that's a pretty cool move," Scarlet said, turning back to Remilia.

Nodding, the hexer glanced at her hands again. "...mn. Cranial... Immobile... Abdomen... curses..."

"I... see." Scarlet blinked. Was that... a list of magic she used? the redhead wondered. Actually... did she cast three separate skills at the same time? That's... actually crazy.

After the group continued exploring the first floor and looking around for materials to gather, they eventually returned to the area near the entrance. As they neared their destination, Valeria looked back at Rin.

"We got everything we needed to gather, right?" she asked - prior to entering the labyrinth again, the four had went over to the local pub, the Golden Deer Pub, and took on some requests. Being a guild wasn't only about exploring after all - solving problems for other town residents were also great ways to build up one's name.

"Yep! Let's see..." the medic said and paused to look through her storage pouch. "We've got more than enough monster hide... and fangs..." she said. "...a number of hardwood..." Then the orange haired girl looked up at Scarlet, specifically at the few vials of clear liquid hanging by her waist. "And you're carrying the holy water we collected from the river, Scarlet."

The landsknecht nodded. "Did we forget anything else?"

"Hmm... I don't think so." The medic turned to her leader. "Ms. Remilia, the quest sheets..."

Remilia blinked before pulling them out from under her robe. "...got everything," she said.

"That means we're all done!" Valeria cheered. "Thank heavens, I was getting a bit bored of the same old monsters. After we clear everything up, we should explore the next floors of thsi place!"

"It's dangerous to rush in like that!" Scarlet yelled. "We can explore further later! For now, just doing quests and building up our guild's reputation is more than enough."

Reputation... Remilia thought. That's right... reputation is important. Unbeknownst to others, she had a goal, and to reach it, as anyone would assume, traveling upwards in rank would be for her benefit. There was someone she absolutely had to meet, someone in this town, who...

...now that she thought about it, how exactly was she going to go about that, meeting the top person of this place? She wasn't even sure who she was looking for.

All she managed to gather was that the town's leader was called Visil, whom the kind lady from her first day in Etria said would only be available to meet if she became a noteworthy individual or party.

Perhaps asking around more for how to do that would be wise.

"...town leader..." she rasped. The hexer actually had no idea how to go about asking for that either.

It seems Scarlet was an intelligent person, however, as within seconds, she seemed to have pieced together the context behind her asking. "You mean Chieftain Visil?" she asked. "Are you interested in meeting him?"

The pale girl quietly nodded.

It would also seem that the redhead landsknecht adores the town leader, as she broke into a huge grin. "Well, I'll tell you how you can do that. The chieftain is often busy with work and protecting our town - thank him for that - but they say that those who impresses the Radha government, especially those who catches his eye, are treated rather favorably by him and the whole town. And that's like a dream come true! Wouldn't you say so!?"

...mn. Well, her desire to meet this Visil person was different from Scarlet's, at the very least.

"Uh oh, there goes her fan spirit," Valeria mused.

"Oh, cram it," the redhead snarked. "Either ways, I also want to meet the chieftain. So, we should keep working together and doing our best, yeah?" she said to Remilia. "Obviously, the best guild in town to catch his eye would be the strongest. So we just gotta continue getting stronger and beating everyone!"

"I-is it that easy...?" Rin wondered.

"No, it's not as simple as that," a new voice interrupted. The group turned to see three people heading towards them. While Remilia narrowed her eyes, Scarlet brightened, recognizing two of them - a tall, dignified woman, and a cloaked, pale girl akin to Remilia.

"Ms. Ren! Ms. Tlachtga!" Scarlet called.

"Hello, Scarlet. It seems you're finally part of a guild," the tall woman, Ren, greeted. "I'm pleased you are doing well."

"Yeah, we're a team now!" Valeria said. "And maybe we'll surpass you two!"

Amused, Ren nodded along. "Perhaps that may or may not happen. We'll have to see about that." She turned to Rin. "Either ways, you were wondering if it was as simple as Scarlet put it, right? It really isn't," she said. "You'd have to do a lot more than just 'be powerful' to get the chieftain's attention."

"I- I see..." the medic replied.

"I, well, yeah, I know that!" Scarlet said, a bit embarrassed. "I didn't mean strength powerful, just... renowned powerful... or something..."

Ren petted the redhead, who smiled, before turning to Remilia. "Oh? Here's a new face. Who might this be?" she asked.

Remilia stared, before Scarlet introduced her. "This is Remilia. She's a hexer new to Etria, and the one who took us in to form our new guild, Modem!"

"Modem, hm? Quite an odd name," the swordswoman said, before turning to her shorter, hexer companion. "You hear that, Tlachtga? There's a new friend in town, your age, now."

The cloaked girl with orange hair pouted. "I... I don't need..." she muttered, before turning to Ren. "...you... all I need..."

Similarly with Scarlet, the mature explorer petted the orange haired hexer, who mewled quietly.

Valeria took note of the third person of Ren's group, then. "Who's that?" she asked.

Ren turned to her guest. "This is Freya. She's a highlander from a tribe near High Lagaard."

The spiky haired woman with long hair, Freya, bowed courteously without uttering a word nor sound.

"A highlander?" Rin asked. "Aren't they... isn't that that powerful group of people outside of Etria?"

Ren nodded. "We've been making not much progress on the mysteries of the labyrinth, so Radha's hoping to speed things up by bringing in their involvement." Then her eyes narrowed. "Their duty also pertains to other... classified matters."

"Classified matters!" Valeria exclaimed. "That sounds exciting! I want to know!"

Scarlet knocked her on the head. "They're classified for a reason, stupid," she muttered.

The others chuckled, but Rin noticed the map in Freya's hands. "Oh, is she also doing the beginner's test like we did?" she asked.

"That's right. We may be asking for their assistance, but to ensure we do not mistakenly let in incompetent explorers, even special guests have to pass the test."

"Hm. I thought it'd be something more difficult..." Valeria muttered.

"...not... really..." Tlachtga said.

Meanwhile, Remilia was only half-listening to everything. None of this conversation particularly interested her. She just wanted to get this over with and resume adventuring, building up her guild reputation. She tensed, however, suddenly sensing several footsteps running towards the group.

The others took a bit longer to feel what she felt, everyone turning to see yet another group heading towards them, this time a couple of soldiers.

Some had damaged armors and blood coating parts of their bodies, alerting the group to potential danger.

The landsknechts, highlander and swordswoman unsheathed their blades, preparing for any enemy ambush, while Rin opened her main bag to search for medical supplies.

"P-please help us!" one of the soldiers cried. "We were trying to capture a Reaping Shade, b-but-"

"Don't talk!" Rin yelled, discarding her timidity and having them set down the injured soldiers. She began healing them with her powers, wincing slightly every time her magic capacity was reduced. "P-please be careful and don't push yourselves for a while."

Ren stepped over to an uninjured soldier. "If you'd please, what went down with your group?" she asked.

"I-it was a terrifying giant mantis monster!" the addressed soldier explained. "A, a Reaping Shade, the one discovered on the third floor... w-we went to attempt the capture of one specimen, as per our young master's instructions..."

Another one stepped up to continue the explanation. "T-there was one particular one, it was extremely... it was aggressive, hostile! We lost a decent number of us to it, and only managed to escape with our lives and some casualties!"

Nodding, Ren went behind the group and surveyed the area. There didn't seem to be any giant monsters chasing after them.

She turned back to nod at Tlachtga, who returned the nod and addressed the group. "...return... Etria."

They didn't need to ask her to clarify, as the circumstances spoke for itself - it was best they finished their escape right now before any trouble catch up to them.

"Carefully help the injured walk, please!" Rin said, to which the unfazed soldiers nodded and pulled the injured ones up, assisting them.

Valeria bit her lips. "Damn. A strong as hell monster is coming, huh?" she muttered, before grinning. "That sounds exciting!"

"Valeria, this is serious," Scarlet muttered. "We've yet to see these Reaping Shades for ourselves, too. It's best we retreat first and look up what we can at the library."

"Psh. Boring... but that makes sense."

"Ms. Remilia, what about you?" Rin asked.

Remilia slowly nodded. "...okay..."

Smiling, the Modem members looked to Ren, who seemed to agree with their decision. "That is for the best. There doesn't seem to be any signs of the reported monster right now, so let's head back and discuss more with the soldiers," she said.

"Yes, ma'am!" Valeria, Scarlet and Rin said, before heading off with Remilia back to Etria.

Then, Ren turned to Freya, who eased and lowered her spear. "Freya, you've passed the test. As much as we'd like your help with this issue, however, we wish for you to begin our investigation at that place right away."

Freya nodded.

"Thank you. Let's head back for now, Tlachtga."

"Got it..." the orange haired girl said.

...

Quinn, the man from Radha Hall, adjusted his glasses solemnly. "It would seem the noble would like to request the... extermination, of the monster that had harmed their son and soldiers," he announced.

The members of Modem, at night, had been called to the hall after researching the monster at the library and gathering at the pub for a meal.

Scarlet, in particular, wasn't quite confident at what she felt was going to be issued to them. "Y-you mean, the Reaping Shade that they attempted to capture?" she asked.

The orange haired man nodded. "It appears so."

"What luck!" Valeria cheered. "Now's perfect for a challenge like those giant mantises!"

"It's not something to be happy about!" Scarlet hissed. "You were busy goofing off and playing around, but I've seen the recently published papers on this thing," she said. "These Reaping Shades... they're much more powerful than any normal monster you'd find in the labyrinth. They've been classified a Field On Enemy, y'know." (9)

"Field On Enemy? What's that mean?" the brunette asked.

Rin shuddered. "B-basically you should treat them like you'd treat a rogue rival guild..." she said, fearful of having to ever fight one. "Dangerous and capable of making decisions..."

Quinn nodded. "That's right. We have reprimanded the noble for their lack of responsibility, of course, and their son's... illegal entry into the labyrinth. We would've issued a public quest on their behalf as well, but they asked that we don't let the public know about this ordeal, so Radha is left with no other choice but to rely on those who were involved with their men's escape."

Scarlet paled, almost mimicking Remilia's skin. "W-wait, wait, that's just impossible! We literally just started as an official guild yesterday, we can't deal with something that strong this early!"

"I'm really sorry about this," the bespectacled man apologized. "There's no one else available to take on this quest: Ms. Ren and Ms. Tlachtga have left for other classified matters, under the chieftain's orders."

"W-what about the highlander person that was with them?" Rin asked.

He shook his head. "She has also left for classified matters... a mission she was originally summoned for."

Scarlet bit her lips, ignoring the growing smile on Valeria's face. "Then... t-there really isn't anyone else?"

"I'm afraid not. Had the request not come from a noble, perhaps we'd have publicized the quest, but..."

Sighing, the redhead ruffled her hair, before taking in a deep breath. "I... agh. There's really no way around this..."

Rin paled. "B-but... but we can't..."

Valeria chuckled. "Hey, no worries. I'm sure we'll pull off a miracle. Besides, they must have weakened the target somewhat, right?"

Quinn nodded. "The reports and testimonials state that they managed to cut off one of the target's scythe arms, at least. The target should be identifiable by the splotches of... blood, on its armor." (10)

"Alright! This is getting exciting!" the brunette cheered.

"Yeah, easy for you to say..."

Rin felt her mind about to collapse, regretting her decision to be a part of a guild. But then, she felt a hand on her head. She blinked, Remilia petting her softly, before accepting the quest sheet from the hall's subaltern. "...huh?"

"...we'll... be fine." The hexer didn't exactly sound like a convincing, emotional person, but somehow, the medic felt a bit... calmed. Reassured.

"Remilia..." Scarlet said.

Nodding, the hexer folded up the sheet quest and tucked it in her cloak. "...we can... do it."

"Hell yeah! Now that's what I'm talking about, you're the best Remrem!" Valeria exclaimed.

Rin gulped. She still felt unsure about this sudden quest dropped upon them but... maybe.

Maybe they'll really do better than expected...?


(9) FOEs are a staple of the EO series. Localized as Formido Oppugnatura Exsequens (US) and Foedus Obrepit Errabundus (EU), the original Japanese acronym stood for Field On Enemy.

(10) This is an actual mission from the Untold game, exclusive to Classic Mode, called "Defeat the Scythed Fiend".