"Korey, why do you explore the Yggdrasil? I hate ask this question, especially since I might know the answer to this, but I wish to know for the hell of it." Drayce inquired, getting the Fencer's attention. "Heh, what makes you say that?" Korey chuckled at the Dragoon's worry.
" I dunno..." Drayce began. "It's just usually the main reason explorers want to climb Yggdrasil in hopes of getting fame and glory, history books and whatnot... y'know?" He explained, as Korey chuckled even more, understanding what he meant.
"Yeah, Hilda told me the same thing, so I can understand why expectations haven't changed aside from climbing Yggdrasil." Korey responded, scratching the back of his head. "But to answer your question, I'm not climbing Yggdrasil for fame or glory. I'm just here to have a fun journey with my guildmates. Simple as that."
Drayce seemed genuinely surprised. Though to Korey, it felt like he just proved another person wrong when he explained it into words, rather than intentions. "I see. I don't suppose your family is the exploring kind, are they?" Drayce queried.
"Oh, they are. Me and my sister grew up hearing their stories of all this fighting, treasure and whatnot. It was just something that made me decide to come to Iorys." The brown haired Fencer addressed.
"Ah, fair enough. My parents kicked me out of the house when I finally inherited the Crescentia." Drayce explained, as the Fencer let out another chuckle.
"I bet they were glad you were out of their noses after living under the same roof for so long." He commented, leaving the Dragoon to shrug in response. "Probably. Though they were just glad I was following in my grandfather's footsteps." The red haired Dragoon wondered to himself.
"I assume your grandfather was a treasure hunter as well?" Korey inquired, as Drayce nodded in response. "Yeah. I guess now that I think back on it, he told me and Blayke all kinds of stories and treasure hunts he did." Drayce recalled.
"I'm sure my parents and your grandfather get along great just listening to each other's stories." Korey mused, as Drayce chuckled at the thought. "I'm sure they will." He sighed, looking towards the girls, who were chatting among themselves.
"I'm shocked you don't have a Botanist on your guild yet." Drayce commented, as the Fencer let out a sigh. "Well, of course we don't, we just got started on the first floor." Korey began.
"We didn't have that much problems with the monsters, and we made it out of the attack last night without anyone else getting hurt. Though it doesn't hurt to try and find someone later down the line." Korey continued, making a mental note to try and find a Botanist before they reach the later floors.
"By any chance, do you have a guild house?" Drayce asked another question, seeming to never run out of questions.
"No, not really. I'm hoping to find one soon, cause if I end up getting more members, paying for the inn is going to be a huge pain in the rear..." Korey sighed, placing his arm near the armrest as he stared out the window.
Time must have sped up after he did that, cause next thing he knew, he was getting woken up by Drayce. "We're here." He said, opening the door on the caravan and made his way down.
Korey must have wondered if he somehow fell asleep on their way over to the Crescentia as he and the girls exited the caravan. Demetria helped Beta get down from the caravan, petting the hound once he made it to the ground.
"Welcome back, Drayce." Someone called to the Dragoon, as everyone turned to see a man with green hair, along with a green beard and blue eyes approached and greeted Drayce, as he greeted him back.
"So, I assume this guild you brought was the one that was attacked?" The man inquired. "Indeed they are." Drayce responded, turning to the others.
"Everyone, this is Ashton, the caretaker of the Crescentia when I'm not around." He introduced the man next to him. Keiko politely walked up to Ashton, who extended a hand in greeting, and she shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Ashton. My name's Keiko." hummed Keiko. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am." Ashton greeted, as Kyo, Demetria, Hilda, and Korey took turns introducing themselves to him.
"Now that we're all introduced, just what is it that brings you here? I would ask Drayce, but I'd rather hear it from the guild he brought back with him." He asked, not wanting to sound rude.
"We found a jewelry box in the first floor of the labyrinth, and tried as we might, we can't get it to open." Korey began. "Then a meanie Therian came in and attacked us, trying to steal our prize away from us!" Keiko continued, puffing up her cheeks in annoyance. Guess she didn't like that guy so much.
"And I'm sure you know how we got here. We're on the hunt for any information on this jewelry box, and see what's inside it." Hilda concluded.
"I see. Then you wish to use the library, am I right?" Ashton asked, turning his head to the Dragoon beside him.
"Of course. An investigation almost always starts in the library." Drayce replied.
Ashton let out a sigh, but uttered a concern to himself. "Fine by me... but don't stay up late on this project, Drayce." He insisted, making his way inside the Crescentia.
Korey tilted his head at Drayce in confusion. "You stay up that late?" He asked.
"I'm sorry, I just love the thrill of finding treasure." Drayce apologized, scratching the back of his head. "Just lead us to the library, Drayce. Ignore Korey's rambling." Kyo teased, causing Korey to turn to Kyo's direction.
"Heeeey!"
Drayce chuckles at the short hilarious moment between the Earthlain and Celestrian. "Alright, follow me everyone." He motioned, making his way inside the Crescentia as everyone else followed behind him, as they stepped through the tall iron gates.
Once they stepped inside into the foyer, Korey couldn't help but feel a little jealous. A large wooden staircase spiraled around itself, and from a quick glance, he could tell that it's the only way to reach the other floors. Looking up was a beautiful depiction of an angel with a burning sword, made entirely in colored glass.
Looking to the left of him he saw a seating room, and with a large fireplace, too! Perhaps it was too easy to tell from his wondering about, but he knew, from the bottom of his heart, that he HAD to get a guild house. "Hey, are you coming, or are you gonna be left behind just gazing at the place?" Hilda's voice called out to him, snapping him out of his usual observant self.
He turned to see Hilda and the others eagerly waiting for him to catch up. "S-Sorry, I'm coming!" Korey apologized, making his way to the wooden stairs, keeping track with the group.
They had to walk a long way to reach the library, since it was contained on the third floor, but it wasn't something that Korey was bothered with. He was sure there must have been a good reason to have the library this high up. Drayce opened the doors to the library, as the Lux Guild saw the huge collection of books in this room.
"Whoa... this is a huge library!" Kyo gasped. "It sure is, Kyo. Here, Shashi always tends to fall asleep in, mostly due to lack of sleep." Drayce began, almost acting like he was acting as their tour guide.
Korey chuckled as soon as he listened in. "Kind of like you?" He questioned.
"It's more so Shashi gets away with it because Ashton mostly does it to me. Ashton gets on my case about it a lot..." Drayce chuckled back.
"I sense mana."
"Gah!" Korey jumped, as an unfamiliar yet energetic voice comes out of nowhere from behind, causing Korey to jump, turning to the light purple haired Celestrian. "D-Don't scare me like that, please!" He groaned, picking up the jewelry box that fell to the floor.
"O-Oh, sorry. I-I just sensed an intense amount of mana and I rushed over to find the source..." The Celestrian apologized, as Korey flicked his hair back.
"I-It's fine, um... W-What's your name?" Korey inquired. "My name is Kamali." Kamali hummed.
"Kamali... Heh, that's a nice name you have. I'm Korey. Pleased to meet you." Korey introduced himself, not noticing Keiko suddenly next to the Celestrian.
"Ooh, more people to greet- Gaah!" Keiko was brought falling to the ground as Demetria dragged her Therian ear, getting her away from the light purple haired Celestrian.
"As long as you stay out of his bubble space, I'll be calm, sister!" Demetria groaned, as Keiko frantically apologized. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, let go of my eaaaaar..." She begged, only getting her wish after she was brought back to the others.
Hilda walked up to the male Celestrian. "My apologies. Keiko tends to get too hyperactive meeting people if it happened to be in the span of a day, or when it comes to meeting royal people." Hilda explained, as Kamali nodded in understanding.
"Ah, Kamali. I had wondered why everybody didn't follow me." Drayce chimed in, approaching the group as he placed a hand on his hip.
"Are these new recruits, Drayce?" Kamali asked. "No, they're not. This is the Lux Guild, and I have decided to lend them a helping hand in finding out what this jewelry box has in store." Drayce explained, motioning to the jewelry box in Korey's hands.
"Ah, I see. Do you mind if I observe the box for a moment?" Kamali inquired. "Sure, go ahead." Korey responded, handing the box over to Kamali, who starts looking at it, almost as if trying to look for something on it.
"Well, one thing I can tell you is that there is an intense amount of mana coming from this box. But it also appears to have another safeguard in place..." Kamali began.
"Wow, you were able to detect that? I couldn't even read that amount of mana when I first tried it." Kyo gasped in amazement.
"Kamali and his brother are known for detecting mana and decoding ancient texts. His intense detection mana skills is going to make him a vital guild member, after all." Drayce explained, as Kyo nodded in understanding.
Kamali sees something tiny and written very differently than most languages are written. Drayce turns to see Kamali come to a halt. "Did you find something?" He couldn't help but ask, as Kamali's eyes shifted to look at Drayce.
"Indeed I have." He responded, grabbing a circular glass piece from the table next to him, and places it above the tiny writing, expanding it to readable size. "Seems like there's ancient text on this box." Kamali revealed, showing it to everyone.
"Ancient text? On a box like that?" Drayce questioned, as Kamali simply nodded, positive of this result.
"What does it say?" Keiko asked. "Well, when spoken as is, it makes no sense, but when translated, there appears to be a name engraved on this jewelry box." Kamali explained.
"A name? What's the name?" Hilda inquired, as Kamali looks over the scroll of ancient text and writes it down on a separate sheet of paper, translating the symbols on there. He turns to the others and flips the paper he had in his hand.
"The name reads, Caelum." Kamali revealed. "What, or who the heck is Caelum?" Korey inquired, confused on why a name would be on the jewelry box.
Keiko places a finger on her chin, almost as in deep thought, before she gasps, getting an idea. Demetria turns her head over to her sister. "Sis, what is it?" She asked.
"Demetria, don't you remember? That's the name of our ancestor!" Keiko chirped, seeming to jump up and down in joy, seemingly glad to have remembered something.
"Your ancestor?" Hilda questioned, though falling upon deaf ears as Keiko walked over to Drayce. "Drayce, is there a book around here that has the names of Therian warriors, or anything related to him?" She queried, hoping there was something around in the library to put a spring in their investigation.
Drayce places a hand on his chin, trying to recall from his head. "I believe there is, but searching on foot and investigating every book may take forever..." He said, after what felt like forever.
Korey feels a sudden tingle run up his spine, as he slowly turns to see a white, ghastly object with eyes near his face. "Aaaack!" Korey yelled, quickly hiding behind Hilda.
"Wha-?!" Hilda glanced, looking at Korey in confusion. "Please don't kill me Mr. Ghost, I'm innocent, I swear!" He begged, seemingly shaking in fear. The ghastly being seemed to chuckle, as if glad about something.
"Seems like Theodore has scared another person successfully." A voice spoke out from behind Drayce, as the turn to see a dark skinned Necromancer approach the group. "Theodore?" Demetria inquired, scratching her cheek in confusion.
"That's Theo." Drayce pointed to the wraith, who pouts at hearing the nickname again. "Drayce, who are these people?" The Necromancer questioned, as Drayce looked up at him.
"They're our guests, Zohar- the Lux Guild." He briefly introduced them, positive the guild before them heard his name. Korey shudders behind Hilda, still looking at the wraith.
"That's enough for now, Theodore." Zohar commanded, as the wraith vanished after being squished about like a sheet of paper. Though it probably must have done that just to scare Korey at the last second, Korey lets out a sigh of relief, standing beside the white haired Harbinger.
"So you're afraid of ghosts, eh?" Hilda remarked, giving Korey a look of intrigue. "H-Hilda, don't give me that look, please! I was never a huge fan of horror stories!" Korey pleaded, as the girl beside him giggled in amusement.
Hilda soon glances at Zohar, staring at him for a bit, before the Celestrian notices her eyes were on him. "Is something the matter?" Zohar asked, before Hilda looked away.
"O-Oh, i-it's nothing... it's just that you remind me of a Necromancer I had in another guild of mine." She said, quickly ending that little conversation. "Anyways, Zohar, there is something I have to ask." Drayce began, as Zohar's attention was back onto Drayce. "Ask your question."
"Do you know where we can find a book about Therian warriors in this library?" Drayce asked. For a moment, Zohar doesn't appear to respond, showing little movement aside from a tilt of his head. He does however, start moving after a little while. "...Follow me."
The Celestrian makes his way to a shelf, as Drayce and the others follow close behind him. He takes a book off of a shelf he could reach, showing it to Keiko and Drayce. "Is this the one you speak of?"
Keiko takes the book from the Necromancer, reading the title and author, before she flips pages until she lands on a page containing information about Caelum. She lets out a delightful hum upon finding it. "Ah, this is the one. Thank you, Mr. Zohar!" The Therian Masurao thanked, as the Necromancer nods in return, giving a faint smile.
"Now we're getting somewhere. Do you mind if I read what's on there, Keiko?" Drayce inquired, intrigued by what's on the page.
"Sure, knock yourself out. I'm quite curious to know about our ancestor." Keiko nodded, handing the book over to Drayce, clearing his throat before he begins.
"Caelum was a fierce Therian warrior who fought in the Legendary War. He wasn't selected by a high government- rather, it was due to his kindness to take the spot intended for his wife that made him get selected."
Hilda placed her finger on her chin. "The Legendary War... What is that?" She asked, diverging the topic for a second.
"It was a war that occurred a thousand years ago. Many treasures were lost during the Legendary War, which is why I hope to find some of the treasures of that time with everyone in my guild." Drayce explained, as the Harbinger hummed, now armed with the knowledge of the war. His eyes flickered back to the page below him.
"Caelum had made many friends, though at the same time, made many enemies due to his benevolence and kind-hearted spirit. He was often threatened by his enemies with death to keep his spirit down, though with his wife and two Celestrian friends, Altum and Amare, by his side, his spirit and benevolence maintained itself within him."
Kyo crossed her arms, though not coming off as angry. "A Therian was friends with two Celestrian friends before the aftermath of the Legendary War... Seems a bit weird if you ask me." She uttered to herself, a bit strange that a Therian was able to be friends with her race long before the War took place.
"Ah, here we go. There's information regarding the jewelry box you guys found." Drayce perked up upon finding a few paragraphs of interest. "What did you find?" Korey asked, as Drayce placed his finger to follow along with what he read out loud.
"It says that before he was sent off to the Legendary War, he had placed two of the three Therian's sacred relics in a jewelry box, having his Celestrian friends cast a magic seal, along with a curse." He noted.
"I suppose that explains the dreadful aura I sensed when I entered the room." Zohar commented. "I didn't think anybody but a Necromancer would've been able to sense a curse like that if all of us didn't feel a thing..." Hilda agreed, focusing her attention back to Drayce.
"Caelum passed away in the Legendary War. His wife decided to have her last name, and any descendants from her child onward to bear the name of her husband."
"And me and sis are the current bearers of that last name!" Keiko beamed, seeming to be rather proud of the last name she and her twin sister have. "So, that would make you, Keiko Caelum, and Demetria Caelum..." Korey uttered, as Hilda beamed upon hearing the Therian's first and last names spoken.
"It's sounds rather wonderful when you put it that way." Hilda noted. "Do you know if there's any way to break open the seals?" Demetria asked.
"It says that the two Celestrians have survived long enough that they live in the second floor of the labyrinth." Drayce pointed out. "Right on the next floor?" Kamali questioned in surprise.
"Must have been rough for them to live for that long..." Zohar pondered, as Drayce closed the book and placed it right on the desk they had found the name for Caelum. "I can't imagine why, since Iorys would've probably never opened Yggdrasil if they were here." Drayce began.
"But it seems like those two are our only means of seeing if we can get rid of this combination of magic and cursed seal. The magic and curse has been there for so long that I'm afraid it's risky to break the two seals at once." Drayce added.
Though, now this brings up several questions to Korey's mind. Why did the two Celestrians, Altum and Amare, decide to live for over a thousand years? Was there something that forced them to live for this long, or was it merely because they refused to die? So many questions started to rise, but Korey had no time to think on them for the time being.
"So it's settled. Let's head to-" Korey began, as the crashing sounds of opening doors interrupted him. "Drayce!" A voice called out to the dragoon, as everybody turned to see a blue haired fencer arrive in the library, approaching his best friend.
"What's up, Blayke?" Drayce inquired, confused about why he looked so exhausted from running. "A group of people are approaching the Crescentia. From what I can tell, these aren't good-willed people." Blayke quickly explained, trying to catch his breath.
"W-What could they want from us?" Kamali stuttered, wanting to know more information from Blayke. Korey ponders to himself for a bit, before gasping as he came to a realization, turning to the Necromancer and placing the jewelry box in the Necromancer's hand.
"Zohar, hold this for me. We're gonna take care of the upcoming threat." Korey declared, as the other girls turned to Korey, seeming to await an order. Before Korey could speak to them, Zohar quickly stops him.
"Why? Why risk your life for someone you don't know?" He asked, confused on why Korey was willing to protect mere strangers that he doesn't even know much about.
"Because I'm doing this for myself." Korey began, turning his head so the Necromancer can hear him. "If it helps put smiles on people's faces, and helps them live their lives together, then that's what me and everyone in my guild will do, for that's our role in this world!" he concluded, a smile forming on his face as he turns his attention back to his guild members in waiting.
"Lux Guild, follow me!" Korey commanded, rushing past Drayce and Blayke, who step back as the girls follow behind Korey, wasting no time in climbing down the spiraling staircase. Zohar stares at the box he had in his hand before setting it down on top of the book about Therian warriors.
"W-Who were those people?" Blayke questioned for a good reason. "They're the Lux Guild, Blayke." Drayce began to explain, before noticing Zohar following them.
"Hey, where're you going?" He inquired, as the Necromancer turned to face the dragoon. "To help the Lux Guild. They can use the assist..." He declared, summoning his wraith as he descended down the stairs.
Drayce sighs and follows after him, followed by Kamati and Blayke, seeing as Drayce can use all the help he can get. Outside, Korey and his guild stand a great distance from the Crescentia. They soon notice a group of five people heading their way.
"Here they come..." Hilda warned, ready to grab her scythe at a moment's notice. "Their formation is so obvious, I can already tell one of them is a Dragoon." Kyo grinned, easily managing to distinguish one enemy from afar.
"That'll present a problem if we don't do something about it." Keiko added, as Demetria nodded. "Then we'll focus our efforts on the dragoon. The rest of them will fall shortly afterward." Demetria concluded, hearing Beta growl at the approaching enemies.
Korey soon notices a Harbinger with a blue stripe as his hair color. "T-That can't be..." He uttered to himself, almost taken aback.
The opposing group slowly came to a halt, allowing everyone on the Lux Guild an opportunity to see their enemies. They easily recognize the Therian Pugilist from last night, but see a female Therian with the same skin color as the Pugilist standing beside him, but with purple hair. A female fencer's eye color was different from each eye: she had pink in her right eye, and purple in her left eye. Her hair seemed to be a darker shade of magenta, and she wore a red outfit, seeming to hold her sword and shield at the ready.
Next, they saw a Celestrian whose hair seemed like it would be on fire due to the mix of red and orange. He seemed to wear the same green robes as Kamali, as he appeared to be rather anxious, having just noticed the oppoenent he's about to face, his green eyes gazing towards the ground. He carried a different weapon with him than Kyo did, though it was hard to tell what it was from a distance.
Finally, the Harbinger that Korey recognized from afar. His hair was a darker shade of brown, yet he had a pony tail that was connected by a silver hairband. He appeared to have a light blue scythe, alongside a feathered wing on his back that had the same color as the scythe. His eyes were a mix of cyan and dark green. Certainly a strange mix of eye color, if Korey expressed his thoughts into words.
The Therian Pugilist from earlier points to Korey. "That's him, Charon. Fencer boy contained jewelry box, but guildmates of fencer boy stopped me from retrieving it." The Therian declared, as Korey gasped the moment he heard the Harbingers' name.
"C-Charon?!" Korey stuttered in surprise, as Hilda turned her head to look at Korey. "Who's Charon?" She inquired.
"My family told me and my sister a horror story about him. He's gone and claimed countless lives that he's essentially nicknamed the Harbinger of Death!" Korey explained, seeing the Harbinger smirk as he started to approach the fencer.
"Well, I'll be... Seems like somebody in this whole world finally recognized me from my talents." Charon began, starting to circle around Korey and gazed at him, as the brown haired man tried to hold his ground, and not flinch from his gaze.
"I must say, your family must have taught you well to avoid me." The Harbinger began. "But now it seems like somebody must've ignored their mother and ended up bumping into death itself." He continued, still circling around him.
"What the hell does that mean?" Korey questioned, as the man before him simply laughed out loud. "Ohooo, you make me laugh, naive boy. It was fate itself that decided that we'd meet today." Charon exclaimed, making his way back to his group.
"But enough about me. I suppose you're curious about who we are..." Charon began, spreading his arms out motioning to the people behind him. "We are not a guild, if you've been thinking that from the moment we met. We're simply mercenaries, no more, no less." He disclosed, bringing an arm around the Therian Pugilist.
"This Therian boy you met last night was Mislav. Next to me is his cousin, Radha." Charon continued, as the female Therian huffed, and looked away from Charon.
"And this Celestrian boy is named Ion. His training as a Shaman is gonna be put to the test here today, am I right my boy?" Charon inquired, as Ion quickly nodded.
"Y-Y-Yes, C-Charon sir." Ion stuttered, as Charon patted his back before triwlling around and wrapped an arm around the female Fencer. "Lastly, we have Verica." The girl rolled her eyes in disgust.
"Do you always have to introduce me like that?" Verica growled, getting irked at his antics. "But that's because I like y- Ow!" Charon yelped, getting slapped by yhe girl beside him, rubbing his cheek to try and ease the pain.
"Oh shut up already!" She yelled, crossing her arms and looked the opposite direction.
"So if you're mercenaries, why not bring more with you?" Hilda questioned, confused on why Charon simply brought four members if they can be cheap and bring more. "Our boss told me the very same thing, but as a matter of fact, I'm confident in my numbers as it is!" Charon replied, sounding overly confident.
"Riiiight... So, I'm gonna venture a guess here, and say that you're here for the jewelry box we took on the first floor." Korey humored the Harbinger, seemingly joking around.
"Ding ding ding, we have ourselves a winner!" Charon clapped, hoping the others would join in, but slowly stops when he sees they aren't. "Now, if you will be a good boy and surrender the box, we'll let you live with your lives. Otherwise, fate will just have to make its way to you like a predator chases its prey!" He warned, taking out his scythe and pointing it at Korey and his guild.
"Heh, you're bold, but if you think we're gonna surrender it, you might as well think again!" Korey reflected, taking out his sword and shield, with his guild members following suit in taking out their weapons. "That box belongs under the Caelum name! And we're not letting you take it away from me and Demetria!" Keiko declared, not willing to let another hand touch the box.
Charon gritted his teeth. "Heh, suit yourself... Your loss for not listening to the Harbinger of Death." Charon soon charged at Korey, who did the same, as their weapons collided.
Keiko starts giving Radha trouble, giving her no time to set up bunkers.
"Just... let me... set up a... bunker!" Radha yelled, attempting to use her shield as a weapon, though was easily knocked back by Keiko slashing the shield away. "In your dreams, sister!" Keiko chuckled, using the opening she created to strike at Radha.
"Give that Pugilist what for, Beta!" Demetria commanded, shooting an arrow at Mislav to prevent him from punching Beta, as the hound finally bites his hand, as the Pugilist flails in pain. "Stupid hound, stupid hound, stuuupiiiiid!" He cried, as Radha rolled her eyes in disgust.
Kyo launches a fireball at the female fencer, who dodges it.
"Biggest mistake aiming for me!" Verica declared, making a leaping strike towards Kyo. She simply smirked, side hopping out of the way before she can even land the strike, causing her sword to be stuck in the ground. "What?!" Verica yelled in surprise, as she attempts to get her sword out of the ground, pulling on it with all her might.
"I've had tons of practice against Korey. That move you did was just so lame, I could see it coming a mile away!" Kyo screamed, kicking the long haired fencer away from her weapon.
Hilda helps Keiko against the Dragoon, who is defended an attack intended for Ion. "Ion, don't just stand there, do something with that Shaman training of yours!" Radha growled, as Ion flinched back in surprise.
"G-Got it..." Ion then closed his eyes, before whispering something incomprehensible, drawing a blue card from his hand and raising it to the sky, giving his allies a fiery aura. "Paralyzing Reap!" Charon yelled, swinging his scythe upwards before swinging it downward.
Heh, big mistake. Korey thought to himself, simply dodging out of the way. "For somebody with a Fencer on your side, you sure don't take lessons by practicing with her! Optic Thrust!" Korey grinned, before charging at Charon so fast, proceeding to blind him with the aftermath of his slash.
"Fuck, I can't see a thing! Ion, do something!" Charon yelled, hoping the Celestrian got the message.
"How can he do anything if I'm focused on trying to protect him?!" Radha argued, before feeling electricity spread throughout her entire being. "Gaaahaagh!" She yelled, looking at the female Celestrian, as her staff turned from yellow back to purple.
"Shouldn't have brought a metallic shield to fight a Warlock." Kyo smirked, before firing a fireball attack right at Radha, who reflected the fireball. "U-Um... F-Focus Pr-" Ion tried to use his skill, but notices the reflected fireball heading his way.
Ion places his arms up in hopes to safeguard himself, thinking he wasn't gonna survive being hit. However, the sound of the fireball hitting a shield caught his attention, as he slowly moved his arms... "H-Huh?!" The male Celestrian gasped, as he saw Korey stand right in front of him, shield up against himself to shield the fireball.
He turned to the Celestrian male and smiled at him. "Are you alright?" He asked Ion, who tried to find the right words in return. "Y-Yes, but... w-why did you-"
"Save you?" Korey interrupted, as Ion nodded, meaning to finish with those words. "Heh, beats me. Guess something in my heart told me to keep you alive." Korey chuckled, shrugging to himself.
"Besides, I wouldn't want to stick around these guys if I were you. These guys don't seem to have the best co-ordination." He added, seeing as the Therian Dragoon is having issues with Keiko and Kyo.
"B-But the boss would-" Ion began, stopping immediately when Korey placed a finger on his mouth. "Forget about that... you could have a more happier life- one that's not held back by mercenary life. I know it's all hard to take in at the moment, but consider that fact, will you?" Korey concluded, as he goes back to the fight at hand.
Ion was really at a loss for words. This was to be his first battle, where he can finally prove his worth as a mercenary. Yet, here he is, at a complete loss for words, where an enemy not only protected him, but even cared for him...
As Hilda and Charon clash their scythes against each other, Mislav tries punching Demetria, though the latter keeps dodging out of his predictable punching pattern. "Will fragile girl stop moving already?!" Mislav questioned, as Demetria draws back her bow with an arrow at the ready.
"Not one bit! Hunter Shot!" She released the string of the bow, shooting the arrow at his arms, though he punches through the arrow, obliterating it. Though that wasn't the only thing she had up her sleeve...
"Go for the legs, Beta!" She commanded, as Beta barked and made his way towards the Pugilist's legs. "Oh no you don't!" Mislav attempts to punch Beta, who dodges just in time and quickly bites his arms, as green vines surrounded them.
"Graaaagh!" the Therian Pugilist screamed in pain, as the sharp ends of the vines ensured the arms were stuck together. "What have you done to my precious arms?!" he yelled, almost wanting to cry in tears.
"Without your arms, you're just a sitting duck. And that will hold you back for the time being! Ciao!" Demetria winked, rushing off with Beta to help the others. Keiko slashed at Verica, causing her arm to sway back from the recoil.
"Grrr... Where is this sudden strength of yours coming from?!" She yelled, making an upward slash with her sword in an attempt to throw the Masurao off.
"I don't know, myself! But it must be because I'm willing to protect my friends, unlike you guys, who just take lives for the money!" Keiko said, blocking the upward slash with one sword, and slashing at her extremely fast with the other, making contact with Verica as she screams in pain.
"Ion! Can't see shit still...!" The dark brown haired Harbinger yells, attempting to slash at Korey, who keeps dodging his attacks, often hitting him to take advantage of his misses.
"Aww, what's the matter? Blinded and your misses keep making me hit you? Did the cat get your tongue?" Korey taunted, dodging yet another attack from Charon, using his Optic Thrust skill again, causing Charon to flinch back from being hit.
Radha's focus was protecting Mislav, as she tries to hold of Kyo's fire spell. "These twerps don't give up! Why are they fighting us off so well?! They're just novice explorers!" She growled, not understanding the situation at hand.
"Maybe they not novice?" Mislav asked, as Radha turned to face him. "We were told by you that they were novice explorers! How can you be this- Huh?!" She started to yell at him, before seeing something ghastly appear before her, catching her off guard.
"Flame Bomb." A voice commanded, as the wraith soon laughed at Radha's face, slowly inflating and turning red in the blink of an eye, exploding right in front of her, making her lose her shield, planting itself right in front of Ion. The explosion hit every one of the mercenaries, save for Ion who was saved by the planted shield.
Korey soon notices Zohar mysteriously appeared by his side. "Zohar...!" he gasped in surprise. "Are you alright?" The necromancer inquired, seeing Korey's shocked expression turning into a smile before his very eyes.
"Yeah, I'm alright." Korey replied. Zohar beams, as he looked back at the mercenaries, snapping his fingers to recall Theodore, who waved his arms as if to be fancy with his reintroduction.
"Hey you!" Verica hears a voice call out to her, looking around for the source of the voice, before noticing a red haired dragoon pointing his gun at her. "Barrage Wall!" Drayce yelled, shooting at the four mercenaries once, causing a yell of pain to come out from them. Kyo looked behind her and noticed him standing there.
"You came too, Drayce?" The female Celestrian asked, surprised by him showing up as well. "I couldn't sit here and do nothing. Not when my guild house is being threatened." Drayce responded, a smile forming on his face.
Blayke and Kamali both simultaneously attacked Charon and Mislav, who were trying to recover from the Flame Bomb and Barrage Wall attack. Charon growled as he attempted to stand up. "What do you think now, suckers? There's nine of us, and only five of you!" Blayke taunted, seeing the look of agony on Charon's face.
Ion peeks from behind the shield, looking directly at Korey. Even from afar, Ion could sense an overwhelming kind aura emitting from the fencer, that he seemed to have not notice his cheeks turning red like a tomato. "Will I... be able to... keep him alive?" Ion swooned.
"Grrrgh, what is keeping that boy so long?!" Charon yelled, quickly snapping Ion to reality. "He should be supplying us with power, but he's been doing jack shit this whole time!" Radha snarled, standing up after a couple of tries.
"We are outnumbered. Must retreat now!" Mislav grunts, as he begins to run in the opposite direction of the two guilds. Radha reaches into her bag and uses a Therica B on Charon, making him able to see again, before grabbing her shield and takes Ion by the hand, following behind Mislav.
"Grrr, I need a serious makeover..." Verica groans, as she too, follows the other mercenaries.
"This isn't over yet, boy!" Charon declared, after standing up and backing away slowly. "Death will come for you, for I am the Harbinger of Deaaaaagh?!" He screamed, tripping midway during his attempt at his signature pose. Everyone stares at him in confusion.
"Harbinger of Death...?" Zohar questioned. "That's one massive fail of an epic pose if I must say so myself." Drayce jested, as Charon slowly gets up from his massive fail of a pose.
"Oh s-shut up! The wrath of the gods shall soon descend on you! Just you wait and see!" He yelled, before eventually fleeing,
"Well, there they go. Off to who knows where..." Korey commented, unsure where the mercenaries had to go when they decided to retreat, placing his weapon away.
"I'd say for a five on five situation, that wasn't bad." Kyo hummed, placing her staff away. "That's because one of their members only did one action throughout the entire fight. We still need to have caution if we do face a guild five on five again." Hilda argued, taking a deep breath as she tried to recover from all the running around she had to do.
"Is everyone alright? No severe injuries?" Blayke inquired, as Korey nodded in reassurance. "We're all okay, man. Nothing a Medica can't fix." He replied.
"They retreated rather quickly though..." Kamali noted. "So much for wanting to take back the jewelry box." Demetria sighed, feeling the dragoon look at her.
"Was that what they were after?" He queried, as Keiko approached him. "Yeah, pretty much. They act more like bandits than mercenaries, though..." Keiko answered his question, as Kyo crossed her arms and started pondering something.
"What's the plan from here though? Do we just go to the labyrinth and bring the Celstrians back here to open the box that way, or..." She pondered, ultimately unaware of the option her best friend chose.
"We're bringing the jewelry box with us." Korey declared, hearing everyone gasp at the sudden idea. "But Korey," Drayce began. "if they know you have the jewelry box, then they'll-"
Korey placed his hand on Drayce's shoulder. "Let them try. My guild members are trustworthy enough to protect me as I will protect them. Isn't that right, girls?" He turned his head to face the girls.
"Exactly." Hilda replied, with a smile on her face. "Let's do it to it!" Keiko chirped.
"We're with you all the way." Demetria hummed, as Beta barked after Demetria, seeming to give his answer. "Once best friends, always best friends." Kyo concluded, grinning from ear to ear.
"Interesting..." The necromancer muttered to himself, but somehow was enough for Blayke to hear him. "What do you mean?" The blue haired fencer questioned.
"Though they're novice explorers, they managed to fend off a group of mercenaries by themselves. When we showed up, they fled like cats between their legs." Zohar elaborated, though even Kamali was even lost on the explanation.
"I think they're more afraid of being outnumbered, cause that's when their whole operation seems to fall apart." Drayce further explained, as Kamali and Blayke soon understood what Zohar was trying to say.
"So, shall we get going to the second floor once we pick up the box?" Korey asked. "But Ashton might-" Blayke tried to argue, but his best friend placed an arm around him, interrupting him mid-sentence.
"Come on, Blakie, lighten up! It's just the second floor. We'll get to explore that floor some other time!" Drayce beamed, as Kamali soon turned to Blayke.
"I say we go to the second floor." Kamali hummed. "I concur." The necromancer followed up, as Blayke soon realizes he is outmatched in this situation.
"Fine. We'll go and get the box." Drayce patted his friend's back. "I'll come too." Drayce added, looking towards Korey's guild. "You guys go back to town and prepare yourselves. We'll see you in a couple of minutes."
Korey nodded. "Alright. We'll meet in front of the labyrinth!" He declared, seeing the four of them making their way back to the Crescentia. "I say we get some Medica's and an Aridine Thread from Syrik before we go meet them at Yggdrasil." Hilda noted, as Korey hummed in agreement.
"Right. Let's go, everyone!" Korey beamed, leading the way back to Iorys. As things settle down, a wraith emerges from the bush, seeming to have overseen the entire battle. It instantly rushes towards the Yggdrasil, entering the labyrinth's entrance and soon meets a Celestrian Necromancer, who appears to have been sleeping under her coffin weapons, having them act as her cover while she and another Celestrian rest together.
The wraith pokes at the girl, getting her to wake up, as her black pupils and cyan eyes glanced at the wraith. "Ah, you're back... how'd it go? Were you able to find something of interest?" She asked, slightly tilting up her head.
The Wraith speaks in gibberish only the girl could understand. "Uh huh... So, there's two Therian girls who both inherit him as their last name... But are those two really his descendants?" She groaned, trying to keep up with her interest in the conversation.
The Wraith continues to speak, seeming to believe that they are the descendants they were looking for. "I see. If you say so... Return for now." the necromancer waved her hand over it, making it vanish into the very air around it.
As she glances upwards under the shade of her weapon, yet wrapped in the arms of the other Celestrian, she placed a finger on her chin, and started to think to herself.
"Seems like we're finally reaching our goal. After one thousand years, will we finally get our eternal rest..." She sighed, slowly closing her eyes as she fell asleep once again. The day was still young, she'll get her energy back sooner or later.
Meanwhile, the mercenaries that fled from the battle hid in an area just a few miles away from the labyrinth's entrance. It wasn't a great place to hide in, but it was merely a temporary spot to hide. Some of them were tending to each other's injuries.
"Pain still remains here..." Mislav groaned, as Verica applies more of the Medica on the injuries the Pugilist pointed to. Charon walked back and forward, grumbling to himself. "If those fools think they can sully my act, then they're sorely mistaken..."
"I think your whole 'Harbinger of Death' persona is starting to get to you." Radha commented, getting a sharp glare from Charon. "Do you want to be next on my to kill list?! Cause I will do that!" He yelled at the Therian Dragoon, who rolled her eyes, unfazed by his yelling tactics.
"Not until the boss finds out." She smirked, as Charon growls and kicks the dirt in frustration. "Grrrrh! We need a new plan, something that will get that damn boy to surrender the jewelry box!" He crossed his arms, tapping his foot while trying to think of something.
"Why not just ambush them?" Verica suggested, as Charon gasps and turned to Verica with amazement in his eyes. "Verica, you genius! Come on, give me more ideas!" He urged, coming closer to her so he can listen to her, only for her to huff and focus back on healing Mislav.
"What, that's it?!" Charon questioned, before sighing and placing a finger on his chin. "Ugh, fine. Now, everyone, let's discuss how we're going to do this..." He began, seeming to keep everyone else busy, as Ion sneaked into Charon's bag and took an Ariadne Thread, sneaking far away from the group until he was out of their sight.
Ion then places a cloak on himself, making sure his identity was cloaked to others. "Nice man was right... Must warn nice man of danger. Ariadne Thread, take me to Iorys." The Celestrian activated the thread, taking him to an alleyway in Iorys.
Did it take him in the wrong direction, and not the main square of Iorys? Oh well. He had to hurry. There was no time to take it slow. He immediately set off to find the guild leader he had met before...