The day was still in motion, as Ion continues running. He's checked high and low, unable to find any sign of Korey or his guild. Were they on their way to Iorys, or was he too late?
"No... Ion must find nice man. Must warn nice man of danger." Ion uttered to himself, as he continues his search. He eventually bumps into someone, who grunts in pain, as he continues to run past him. This irked the man, turning to face Ion.
"Hey, you!" The man yelled, as Ion turned to face the man, seeing he was a Harbinger with black hair and red eyes. He had some iron piercings on his face, and silver earrings, yet his black and red clothes could easily mistake him for an edgy Harbinger, noticing his dark red wing behind him. "Don't you know it's RUDE to bump into people?!" He growled, gritting his teeth at him.
Ion quickly bowed in apology. "I-I'm s-sorry, sir, I'm just looking for someone..." Ion stuttered, as the Harbinger stopped in front of him.
"Oh I'll give ya someone to look for, alright..." The Harbinger began, taking his purple scythe out, bringing it behind his head as it to prepare an attack, causing Ion to flinch. "Someone to take that miserable life of yours!" He yelled, before getting a cloak shoved in his face as he takes a few steps back trying to get it off. Ion takes the opportunity to run away from him.
"Grah!" The harbinger snarled, finally getting the cloak off, sharply turning his head to Ion, who was a lot further ahead of him. "Get back here, you fucking coward!" The harbinger threatened, as he began to follow Ion in pursuit.
"Alright girls, time to do a little bit of shopping before we explore the labyrinth to look for the two Celestrians." Kyo hummed, looking forward to head back into the labyrinth. "We must make sure we consider our choices, cause we might not have that much after we sell the materials dropped from the monsters to Syrik." Hilda reminded the Celestrian girl.
"I'm sure we'll have enough money, Hilda!" Keiko chirped, before waving at some other explorers as Demetria urges her to continue onward. Korey continued walking close behind them.
"Graaah!" Korey stopped as soon as a yell reached his ears, turning to the left, quickly seeing Ion run from behind a building to another, as a rather frustrated Harbinger followed him. Korey blinked and placed a finger on his chin.
"Was that... Charon?" Korey wondered. No, that couldn't have been him... Korey thought to himself, shaking his head. Charon had a different hair and clothes than what that harbinger just wore. "I have to save Ion!"
Korey rushes to the area where the Harbinger and Ion ran through, trying not to cause another explorer to fall in his wake. Although he was sure that the girls probably would've needed his input on a few purchases, the fencer knew they can handle shopping way more than he can. He had a guy to save, after all. What good is a hero if they ignore someone in danger?
He makes it through the traffic, seeing the harbinger and starts the pursuit. Although he was running as fast as he can, due to this area of Iorys being residential, and not having many people going through the streets at this time of day, the harbinger still inched closer to the Celestrian. Just running faster and potentially tripping may cost him a few extra seconds.
"Damn it..." Korey cursed, noticing a different path ahead, and without hesitation, decides to take the alternate path. "I hate to resort to using shortcuts, but I have no choice!" Korey uttered in his breath, having never ran this fast in his life much before in his life.
"Stop running already!" He heard the harbinger scream, urging Korey to run faster than before. "Stay... away!" Ion yelled, turning to the right, before the harbinger did the same thing.
The chase occurred for several minutes. Ion went through twists and turns, but ended up being followed by the Harbinger. Looking ahead of him, Ion soon realized his luck had ran out... "Oh no... dead end!" Ion gasped, nearly exhausted and unable to run any further.
"Heh, looks like you're at the end of the road, bitch." Ion flinched, turning to see the Harbinger approach him, seeming to have a strange aura about him as he prepared to swing. "Paralyzing Reap!"
The Harbinger slashes at Ion, causing a huge tear, not only on his clothes, but the slash scratched across his skin, as Ion screams in pain from the attack. He attempts to cover the tear with his arms, feeling blood dripping onto his clothes and ground below him, grunting as he felt his body slowly succumb to being numb. The paralysis must have taken effect on him, and now he can't move an inch...
The harbinger yells in laughter, gritting his teeth as his eye stares at the now paralyzed Celestrian male. "Not so tough now, are ya?!" He began, getting up in Ion's personal space. "This is what you get for bumping into me!" The harbinger took a few deep breaths, before backing up and prepares another swing of his scythe.
"Now, hold still while I deliver the final blow to you!" He concluded. Ion gulped, feeling fear and despair crawl down his back. It appeared to be the end of his life. He closed his eyes in acceptance, feeling a tear start descending on his face...
"Get your grubby hands off of Ion, you bastard!" Ion heard a familiar voice call out, gasping as he quickly brings his head up to see Korey kicking the harbinger in the stomach, and then picking him up and throwing him into a pile of barrels, knocking them over as he screams in pain. Ion simply blinked, staring in amusement, but then grunts in pain as the wound on his chest reminded him of the pain he's in.
"Ion, are you alright?!" Korey yelled, as he quickly approached him, noticing the wound on his chest. He tries getting him to move his arms, but little luck came out from doing so.
"Shit," Korey cursed under his breath. "this can't be good. The girls have my bag and I can't reach them in time..." He pondered on what he can do now, as he tried getting some air back in his body.
"Ion sorry... Ion... idiot... Ion failed..." Ion sniffed, as he felt more tears stream down his face.
"Don't spout such nonsense!" Korey yelled, picking him up and held him bridal style, surprising the Celestrian male before Ion's cheeks turned red from the surprise sweep. "We need to find a Botanist, and fast!" Korey declared, making it through the way he came from, doing his best to find a pace that's between running and running while making sure the person in his arms doesn't get hurt.
The harbinger soon breaks free of the barrels, struggling to get away from them by crawling out of the pile, and used his scythe to stand up. Man, he did not expect someone to catch him off guard. He looked around, catching his breath before noticing where Korey was going, seeing him turn to the right, causing the man to snarl and place his weapon away, feeling like it's hindering his progress.
"That bastard is getting away... I won't let him!" He barked, beginning to make his way to him.
Korey did not want to look back, in fear he might bump into something. Besides, running with someone in his arms was still something he had to keep his focus on. Still having some strength in his voice, Korey decided he needed to yell and get someone's attention.
"Anyone! Please help! This Celestrian is injured and he needs healing!" Korey screamed, continuing to do so for a while. He realizes he might be attracting the harbinger's attention while doing so, but he wasn't thinking straight anymore- he was in full flight mode.
"Hey you!" a gentle voice called out to him, causing Korey to slowly come to a halt. "Huh?" Korey looked around for the source of the voice that called out to him, panting like he ran a freaking marathon three times over.
"Behind you!" the gentle voice called again, as Korey turned behind him to see a Brouni with black hair, red eyes with red glasses, and with white and red clothes motioning to him to come inside. Korey gasped, both in surprise, and in relief.
"This way!" the Brouni called again. Korey, with the remaining energy he had left, approaches the Brouni and enter the house, as the Brouni closed the door behind him. The harbinger, slowly crawling to a halt, knelt down and looks around, wondering where the two boys went.
"Where the hell did they go? Ya can't be serious right now..." The harbinger panted, growling in frustration as he continued to look around for signs of the fencer or the Celestrian.
"Grrrr… Do you hear me, you damned boy?!" The harbinger snapped, yelling at the top of his lungs. "I'll find you, and that Celestrian, and I'll kill you both the next time we meet! Don't forget that!" He concluded, slowly walking forward, taking his sweet time walking back to the central square of Iorys.
Korey sighs in relief, placing Ion onto the couch as he sits down on the floor, brutally exhausted from running. "Sheesh, what kind of trouble did you get yourself into this time, kid?" The Brouni inquired, getting Korey's attention.
"First of all..." Korey began, still trying to recover from the marathon he did. "I'm not a kid. Second of all, I was just trying to save Ion from being killed by that Harbinger. He's still losing a bit of blood, and he's been paralyzed by that same harbinger..." He explained, showing the wound to the Brouni.
The Brouni blinked and adjusted his glasses. "So, what? Are you expecting me to heal him?" He huffed, crossing his arms.
"Yes!" Korey yelled. "You're a Brouni, aren't you? You got to have some sort of healing skills to use on him!" He queried, wanting him to hurry up and save him already.
"Pfft, why can't you do it?" The Brouni scoffed, slowly starting to get on Korey's nerves. "Because I left my bag with my guild members, who are currently shopping right now! If we don't do something for Ion, I can't forgive myself for not helping him!" Korey barked, getting an angry glare from the Brouni.
"He's your problem, not mine!" The Brouni snapped, facing away from the fencer as Korey got on his knees, already tired from standing up. "Please, I'm begging you...!" The brown haired fencer pleaded.
"I know that this Celestrian is a total stranger to you and me, but I genuinely care for his well being... If I fail here, then how would I ever look at myself ever again?" His voice quavered, as tears soon started forming from his eyes.
"N-Nice man..." Ion groaned, blinking as his heart felt sorrow for the man who had saved his life not once, but twice. To think he might not succeed here was heavily weighing him down.
The fencer felt his tears drip onto the wooden floor below, bawling his eyes out as the Brouni turned to witness the sorrow from the man he had brought into his home, slowly regretting snapping back at him all of a sudden. What kind of facade was he attempting to accomplish if it ended up making him look bad? Guiltiness was starting to tug at his heart, as he looked at his hand and sighed... The Brouni himself was never great at comforting others, yet he knew that snapping and complaining at him would not make the situation any better.
Taking off his glasses for a few seconds to wipe away the slightest tear forming in his eyes, he soon starts climbing onto the couch, as Korey slowly looks up, wiping away the tears from his eyes as the black haired Brouni looked over the wound on Ion. He felt he was being stared at from the Celestrian male as he looked over to see Ion's worried face. "Mr. Brouni..." The fiery haired Celestrian groaned.
"You'll be alright, kid." The Brouni reassured, as he opened his bag, and grabs some refreshing herbs in one hand, and healing herbs in another hand, placing them on the injury on Ion's chest. As he let them settled, he cleared his throat, before doing some wave of the hand over the wound, as the herbs started glowing.
"Now, magical herbs, do your thing! Heal this wounded Celestrian from the wound inflicted upon him!" The Brouni chanted, using some sort of skills on the herbs lying on the Celestrian. Ion quickly breathed in air, as he turned his hands and head around a few times. Seems like the paralyze effect was quickly removed from his body, enabling him to move again.
He soon felt the wound on his chest slowly heal up, forming a rather easy-to-notice scar on his chest, as the blood that once flowed from it started to dry from being out so long. Korey places his hands around his mouth, in pure awe of what had happened. "I-Ion...!" Korey gasped, quickly wrapping his arms around Ion, as the Celestrian once again blushed, seemingly relieved to live once more, narrowly avoiding a quick glance of death itself.
"N-Nice man... M-Mr. Brouni..." Ion sniffed, overjoyed with emotions that he wish he could hug the tiny person on the couch.
"Please, call me Bortos. That's my name after all." The Brouni known as Bortos introduced, taking off the herbs that were on Ion and stuffed them into the bag on his person.
"Bortos... how can I ever thank you for your help?" Korey inquired, wondering if there was someway to repay his kindness. "Think nothing of it, kid." Bortos replied, as Korey sighed at his use of 'kid' again.
"My name is Korey. And I gotta be honest, with you as a guild member, exploring through the Yggdrasil would be a lot more easier. Will you-" Korey began.
"Pfft, no thanks." Bortos interrupted, seeming to go back to that jerkish side of him once again. "What, why not?" Korey questioned, confused by what Bortos meant.
"Kicked myself out of a guild I was in, once I realized they were using me as a means of progressing. Told them to go find a different Brouni or die in hell without a healer." The Brouni huffed, crossing his arms once more.
Korey scratched his cheek. "That's a bit too harsh, don't you think?" He queried, as Bortos turned around to dust off a photo frame.
"It's their fault they didn't see me as a valuable member to the team. What makes you think I'm gonna change my mind over one man and a Celestrian who required healing?" Bortos questioned, scoffing at the idea that someone like Korey would ever convince him to change his mind.
"Bortos... I know a guild member who had been replaced the moment something bad happened to her." Korey began, as Ion slowly sat up to listen to Korey's explanation.
"She also was in a relationship with someone in her previous guild, and when she was dumped by him, she felt like she was losing everything that she cared for. Two other guild members of mine met her and kept her company for as long as they can, before they eventually found themselves under my care in my guild; the Lux Guild." Korey continued, standing up before he let out a sigh.
"Seeing people in pain, or alone without a guild for them to turn to is like ignoring a person crying for help. I want to be able to put smiles on their faces... make them live their lives like one big happy family. That's the kind of guild I want to see myself leading." Korey concluded, finished with his recalling of how he got Hilda to join his guild.
"K-Korey..." Ion swooned, turning his head and smiling as he rocked a bit back and forth. As for Bortos... well, how would he put it?
Confusion, hope, and maybe a sense of curiosity was what Bortos was feeling at the moment. It was something that he never thought he'd experience... but yet, here he is, hearing to someone ramble about how he got someone to join a guild despite feeling down in the dumps. He simply turned to him, almost in awe.
"I suppose... it wouldn't hurt to see where this is going." Bortos began, looking up towards the male Fencer. "You got yourself a deal." Korey soon beamed when Bortos accepted his offer to join his guild. He then turns to face Ion, who glances at him in return.
"What say you, Ion? Want to join the Lux Guild?" Korey inquired, giving the male Celestrian Shaman some time as Ion places a finger on his chin.
"Ion... want to join guild." Ion nodded, as Korey jumped in joy, as Bortos chuckles at his excitement. Korey stops himself moments afterward, seeming to remember why he left the girls in the first place.
"...Ah, fuck, the girls are probably waiting for me! We gotta get going!" Korey yelped, turning to the Brouni before him. "Is there a fast route to the central plaza of Iorys?!" He inquired, wanting directions and fast.
Bortos places a finger on his chin. "I believe the path straight forward will be the path that will guide you to the plaza of Iorys." Korey nods, quickly making his way to the door.
"Got it. Come on you two, we got to get to the plaza!" He urged, making his way through the open door, as Ion gets up and follows after him.
Bortos sighs and shrugs his shoulders. "I swear, that kid's gonna get himself hurt one of these days." He mumbles to himself, taking one last look around his home, and deciding to grab everything that belonged to him; sheets, photos, fragile objects, things like that. He wasn't gonna be having a home for a long time, so he figured he might as well bring all his possessions with him on his newfound journey.
"Well... this is goodbye, my sweet abode." He sighed, closing the door after turning off the lights. After making sure he had a tight hold on his possessions, he soon ran after Korey and Ion, who were likely much more further ahead than him.
"Where the hell did Korey go? I could've sworn he was right behind us the whole time..." Demetria wondered, looking all around her, with no luck in finding their guild leader.
"I'm sure he must not have gotten that far..." Keiko added, also looking around for him with Kyo and Hilda. Still was kind of weird he just up and vanished on them without telling them.
Hilda soon notices Korey coming from a flight of stairs down. "Girls, I see him!" She alerted them, as the three girls look in her direction, seeing Korey rush down the stairs in a hurry.
"Hilda's right! And... is that the mercenary from earlier?" Kyo exclaimed, seeing a green clothed Celestrian following Korey.
"Korey, wait for Ion... Korey run too fast for Ion...!" Ion exclaimed, feeling like he was running out of breath. "Sorry Ion, I'm too much in a hurry to get down these flights of stairs that my feet can't stop me now!" Korey yelled back, as Ion sighed and continued to follow him down the stairs.
"Doesn't seem like he's attacking him, just merely following him..." Demetria noted, after hearing the chatter above them. "I dunno about you guys, but I'm certainly loving the little Brouni that's chasing after them!" Keiko chirped, as the girls' attention turned to the black haired Brouni carrying his possessions.
"Can't those two... learn how to- hoooo, slow down?!" Bortos grumbled, trying to make sure he keeps his bags from opening up. Hilda had to wonder what happened with Korey while they were shopping, this clearly does not explain much to them at all. After leaping down from the last batch of stairs, and waiting for a bit to catch his breath, letting Ion and Bortos catch up, the girls approached Korey, seeing him flinch upon seeing them.
"S-Sorry I'm late, girls!" Korey apologized, as Hilda crossed her arms. "You should be! Explain why that mercenary is with you-"
"Hilda, wait," Demetria interrupted the white haired harbinger. "that wound on his chest wasn't there the last time we saw him." She pointed at Ion's chest, and though Ion quickly looks downward, he grabs his robe in an attempt to hide it.
"Oh my... what happened to you?" Kyo inquired, as the male Celestrian tried to find the words. "W-Well," he began. "I was looking for Korey, when I bumped into a Harbinger with black hair and red eyes, yelling that he wanted to kill me for bumping into him."
Hilda gasps, as Korey easily hears her and turns in her direction. "Hilda, is something the matter?" Korey inquired, seeing Hilda quickly look away from him.
"I-It's nothing..." She uttered, hearing Kyo sigh and place her hand on her hip. "It's not 'nothing' if you clearly know something about it." The violet haired Celestrian argued, easily seeing through the little lie she was trying to hide, causing Hilda to flinch.
"Do you know that person that Celestrian is talking about?" Demetria inquired, seeing all sorts of eyes lock onto her from her guild members and from Ion. She takes a few steps to sit on the staircase, sighing to herself before looking up at her listeners.
"...That's the man who I had dated long before he dumped me due to the incident I told you before. His name is Byron." Hilda explained.
"Byron?" Korey began, a bit surprised upon making the connection himself. "So that's the name of the guy who chased Ion and broke up with you?" He continued, as Hilda nodded in response.
"I was afraid of having to mention his name, because he shows up like a bad dream you just can't forget..." Hilda ranted, soon having her eyes form tears. Korey's face soon turned into one of worry, sitting on the same stair case and placed an arm around Hilda, who soon turned to him and started crying onto his shoulder.
"It'll be alright Hilda. I know lingering on the past still hurts, but I know you can move on from it. Me and the others will be there to cheer you up when you're down..." Korey comforted, soon hugging the crying girl in his arms. Keiko and Demetria walk up to Hilda to try and give comfort to their friend.
"Yeah, it'll be okay, Hilda!" Keiko reassured, placing her hand on Hilda's back. "Just let those tears out, girl..." Demetria sighed, joining Korey in hugging Hilda in an attempt to comfort her. As this goes on, Bortos approaches the female Celestrian.
"Does this... usually happen when this Byron person gets mentioned?" He inquired, as Kyo shook her head and placed her head on her hand, with a worried expression on her face. "No, this is the first time we've seen her break down like this." She explained, looking to the Brouni as she spoke.
"We should give her a few minutes to calm down. Relationship issues can't be solved very easily..." Kyo added, deciding to sit down urging Ion to sit down as well. The others were silent as they listened to the sound of Hilda's crying and the reassuring words from Korey.
Bortos couldn't help but reflect on the words Korey spoke to him earlier... "Seeing people in pain, or alone without a guild for them to turn to is like ignoring a person crying for help." Korey's words began to replay in his mind.
"I want to be able to put smiles on their faces - make them live their lives like one big happy family. That's the kind of guild I want to see myself leading." These words... were those Korey's true thoughts on what his guild would be like to him? Bortos just sat there and let himself contemplate on the very words he just replayed in his mind. In a way, Korey was surprising more people with his actions, even if his words might not be sway them originally.
Such a strange, yet comfortable person to be around.
Eventually, Hilda soon wipes away a tear from her eye, and Korey separates himself from the hug, looking into her eyes as she did the same for him. Her eyes... they held fear and sadness within them. The eyes of somebody who needs to have someone better mend their broken life...
"Feeling better, Hilda?" Korey finally inquired. "Y-Yes..." She nodded, as Demetria pulls away from her hug as well. "Thanks, Korey, Keiko, and Demetria..."
"You're welcome!" Keiko beamed, giving Hilda her casual happy-go-lucky smile. "Us girls have your back, Hilda. And we have such a caring guild leader, as well, who you can turn to for help." Hilda smiled at Demetria's words, as her eyes catch the black haired Brouni.
"Sorry you had to see that, sir... May I ask who you and the other Celestrian are?" She asked, as Bortos perked up upon being talked to. He cleared his throat before speaking up.
"The name's Bortos. I'm the guy who healed Ion over here from Byron's attack." Bortos motioned to Ion, who quickly get's flustered.
"H-Hello. Ion is... Ion..." Ion introduced himself, stuttering a bit as he tries to speak.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Kyo." The violet haired Celestrian began.
"Hilda." The white haired harbinger briefly introduced herself. "I'm Keiko!" The brown haired Therian chirped.
"And I'm Demetria." Demetria introduced herself, before placing her hand on Beta, panting as she ruffled his fur. "This is my hound, Beta." She continued, urging him to sniff the Brouni and male Celestrian.
The gray hound soon approaches the Brouni, sniffing his hand, and a little bit of his face, before doing the same with Ion, wagging his tail as soon as Ion slowly, but reassuringly, petted Beta, as the hound panted like a dog. Korey chuckled at the sight.
"Seems like Beta likes our new recruits." He beamed, Keiko immediately rushing into his bubble space upon hearing recruits, making him jump a little bit. "Oooh, they're recruits?!" She questioned, as Korey pushed her out of his bubble space before talking to her.
"You heard me, Keiko. These two will be joining us a guild members of the Lux Guild." Korey explained so that the others can hear him.
"Sweet. We've been lacking in males." Kyo chuckled, as a blush quickly comes onto Korey's face, turning his head in Kyo's direction.
"What the hell does that suppose to mean, Kyo?!" Korey exclaimed, as Kyo bursts into laughter, hearing Hilda giggle a bit. Keiko and Demetria chuckled at Korey, as Korey tries to hide his face.
"Oh, y-yeah... Ion remembered something..." Ion gasped, almost forgetting the sole reason why he went looking for Korey in the first place.
"Remembered something? Like what?" Keiko asked, as Ion placed his hands on his legs, not caring whether his scar was revealed or not.
"Ion's old mercenary team planning ambush Korey and friends in labyrinth." Ion explained, getting Korey to perk up in surprise. "I-Is that true?" Hilda questioned.
"Yes. Ion don't know numbers of mercenaries, since Ion fled to try and warn friends of Korey, but they plan ambush regardless whether or not Ion is there to assist them." Ion explained, as Korey and the others acknowledge the ambush factor.
"Seems like something we'll have to keep our eyes peeled for." Korey grunts, not liking the mere idea of ambushes in general. "Come on, Hilda. Give me your hand." He extends a hand, and Hilda obliges by placing her hand on his, as Korey helped her stand up.
He could have sworn he noticed a blush forming on Hilda's cheeks, but pointing out probably would not be the wisest case in this scenario, so he shuts himself up before he even makes that mistake. "We need to meet up with the Angelward Guild at the labyrinth's entrance. Let's go!" Korey commanded, as the rest of his guild members stand up and soon follow behind him as they make their way to the labyrinth's entrance.
"Damn it all, where the hell can Ion possibly have run off to?!" Charon grunts, kicking aside a twig in a rage. "You should've kept an eye on him, moron!" Verica shouted, as the dark brown haired harbinger turned to face her.
"Hey, don't blame the Harbinger of Death that he can't multi-task whenever he pleases!" He argued, bringing up his personification again. Sheesh, talk about an unlucky day. First another guild comes and kicks their ass while they question why the Lux Guild was powerful for being mere novices, and now they lost one of their members. What else could today possibly bring?!
"Me hear someone approach door!" Mislav exclaims, as his Therian ears twitch, picking up the sound of movement near the door, making everyone turn to face the door, seeing a black haired Harbinger enter through the door. He looks at the mercenaries with curiosity, before dismissing them and made his way to the flight of stairs, feeling his feet come across some wet grass.
"Hey, you there!" Charon yelled at him, causing the other Harbinger to stop in place. "What's your name, and have you seen a red and orange haired Celestrian male?" He inquired, wishing to know if he had seen their missing member.
"The name's Byron. So what if I know where your missing member is? All I know is that I ran into that fucking bitch nearly an hour ago." Byron growled, turning his head to look at the dark brown haired Harbinger's direction.
"That's because we need to know where he is! Have you seen him?!" Radha questions, making Byron growl even more.
"Well, you can fucking forget looking for him. I'm pissed off as all hell right now." He grunts, kicking the ground as he spoke. "And do you know what I do when I'm angry...?" Byron asks the four of them.
"Byron make friends?" Mislav questioned, getting several glares from his mercenary buddies. Byron smirks, before taking out his scythe and turns around simultaneously, pointing his scythe at them.
"I destroy anyone who gets in my way!" Byron snarled, as everybody gasps in surprise upon seeing Byron point his weapon at them.
Verica gulps, getting incredibly worried. "T-This guy is seriously angry... our employers might be in deep trouble if he finds them." She spilled, as Byron blinks for a moment, before smirking, showing off his sharp teeth.
"Employers... so you lot are a bunch of mercenaries, eh?" Byron concludes, overhearing Verica's little comment. Charon grunts and prepares himself for battle. "Why does that matter to you?!" He questioned, as the black haired harbinger began to chuckle like a madman.
"Oh, nothing, really. I'm just glad I found some targets I can cause some destruction to... Cause I'll be glad to give 'em hell to their front doorstep!" Byron explained, preparing himself for something.
"Miasma, come to me and mold yourself into armor!" The black haired Harbinger yelled, as little circles formed from the air starts surrounding him, acting like some kind of armor. Charon takes out his scythe, preparing himself to counter whatever Byron has in store.
"I won't let you approach them!" Charon declared, as he urges everyone else to get their weapons out. "Too bad, fuckers! Maybe ya shouldn't have crossed paths with me to begin with!" Byron taunts, charging straight at them.
"Now, suffer!"
Outside the labyrinth, the Angelward Guild sat there in wait, as Drayce paced back and forth. "What's keeping them so long, we've waited for nearly two hours..." Drayce pondered, checking the sky for any sign of the sun's position.
Kamali looks up at Drayce. "Maybe something happened along the way over here?" He questioned.
"Perhaps. Though we must wait for them still, in case they do come..." Zohar commented, once again, barely showing any signs of movement, apart from a few times he blinks his eyes.
"Sorry we're late!" A familiar voice called out to them, getting the entire attention of the Angelward Guild, seeing Korey and his guild approaching them. Kamali and Blayke stood up from where they sat, as Zohar turns his attention to the approaching guild.
"Things happened and I ended up getting two recruits for my guild... but we're here now!" Korey explained, taking a deep breath after stopping right before Drayce. "Recruits, eh?" Drayce questioned, surprised that all the wait was for two new recruits.
"That's correct! The name's Bortos!" Bortos introduced himself, catching Drayce's attention. "A-And Ion... is Ion." Ion followed up with his own introduction.
"Ion...?" Kamali questioned. "Wasn't he with the band of mercenaries before?"
Ion nodded his head, confirming his question. "Ion used to be mercenary. Ion mercenary no more. Ion turned over new leaf, and is now with gentleman Korey and friends." Ion explained to the guild before him.
"Well, pleased to meet you two. I'm Blayke, this is Drayce, Kamali, and Zohar." Blayke introduced the Angelward Guild swiftly to the new recruits of the Lux Guild. "Pleased to meet you." Zohar spoke, nodding his head to signify that he at least had some movement within him.
"Same here." Drayce beamed, as he walks over to Korey. "And Korey, we got the jewelry box for you. Here you go."
Drayce hands the box to Korey, as the fencer places it in the bag on his person.
"Thanks Drayce." Korey thanked, before placing an arm on his hip as he had something to say to his friends. "We have to be careful once we're in the labyrinth, cause the mercenaries we ran into are planning an ambush." He warned, as Kamali and Drayce raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure Ion isn't lying to you?" Blayke inquired, making sure that this wasn't some sort of undercover trick the mercenaries planned out. "Ion never lies. Ion always honest, like true gentleman." Ion insisted, seeming to be proof enough for Drayce.
"Heh, I'm starting to like this guy. If he's sure it's true, best to believe him and proceed with caution." Drayce beamed, as Blayke let out a sigh.
"...Right." Blayke nodded, making sure his weapon was on his person. "Let's go. We need to head to the second floor." Hilda insisted, as they enter the labyrinth's first floor.
As they travel through the first floor, Hilda tells Korey to make a right turn, and notes that the room should lead them to the second floor. Korey nods, and presses his hand against the door, before flinching and taking a step back.
"What's wrong?" Zohar questioned, as Korey couldn't hold back a gulp. "I-I sense something... different, on the other side of this door." He commented, slowly opening the door, and gasping at what he saw inside.
"What, what is it?" Kyo inquired, but Korey couldn't muster a response. Ion soon tried to peak through the door, only for him to gasp back in surprise. "I-Impossible...!" Ion uttered, as Hilda opened the door fully, soon joining in the surprised look everybody soon made.
There was blood...
And among the red stains the grass now wore...
Were four bodies, lying on the ground. Motionless, and most likely dead.