Title: Survival Guide
Summary: Who could be responsible for the dead FOE with a single arrow through its heart?
AN: My schedule is a little tricky at the moment, but I'd like to try to update something (this book or the four other oneshot collection I have going on) at least once a week. Hopefully I can handle that…? Anyway, I also hope you'll enjoy reading this oneshot!
As they walked through the red leaves of the second stratum, Fafnir told Flavio and the others about what had occurred when the two ragelopes made their way into town. He spoke about the red-haired landsknecht called Axel and how he was totally the one Cass didn't want him to meet.
Flavio couldn't help but muse how Cass would react if Fafnir and Axel wandered into the bar together. He'd probably have an aneurysm through simply yelling at them alone. Flavio wasn't a trouble-maker by any stretch of the imagination, but it would be amusing to see Cass' reaction nonetheless.
And Fafnir seemed to like this Axel person. He must be something if Fafnir was able to warm up to him so quickly. Maybe it was just his presence or something. Lynus had a reassuring presence of his own when Flavio was talking to him and he instantly liked him as well.
Quickly turning a sharp corner in the natural formed hallways, the entire party came to a stop. There, in the middle of a medium sized clearing was a fire drake. One of those dangerous and sometimes unpredictable lizard-type monsters that roamed through the second stratum sporadically. They were dangerous and they've yet to face one in battle. However…
"It's dead?" Flavio murmured as he took a cautious step forward toward the red-coloured FOE.
There was a single arrow in the chest of the monster. No other injuries noted. No slice marks of a sword, no evidence of elemental magic. Nothing. Just the arrow. Was it possible for a single arrow to instantly kill a monster? What incredible marksmanship!
"It's only just starting to decompose," Bertrand said as he folded his arms over his chest, a slight frown on his lips. "Whoever did this must still be close by."
He was right.
Moving away from the monstrous corpse, Flavio did a quick surveillance of the area. He didn't feel the presence of danger. No sense of foreboding that he had often felt in the presence of someone or something dangerous.
The sound of someone purposely stepping on a twig caused Flavio to turn around, his gaze falling upon someone he didn't know or recognised.
A few feet away from where Flavio and the rest of his party were gathered was a man about their age. And the first thing that Flavio noted was that he was inauspiciously trying not to look imposing or dangerous. His weapon was seen but holstered and he was standing still, his hands within sight.
For some reason, Flavio didn't feel threatened or uneasy. Was it because he was a survivalist as well? Or was it because he was trying not to frighten them?
Whatever the reason, Flavio regarded the other with curiosity, even though he could feel Fafnir and the others become tense with unease. The man was a stranger, after all. And he could be the one responsible for the instant killing of such a large FOE.
The man had long blond hair that framed his face and fell over his shoulders, and reached down to the middle of his back. His sharp blue eyes stood out against the red scarf he had covering a good portion of his lower face. His hat with a pair of goggles and a feather shaded his face, giving him a distinctly shadowy look.
In all honesty, he was so silent he could easily be mistaken for a ghost.
"Oh, hello," Flavio said, supressing a wince when those sharp eyes immediately turned toward him. "Are you the one who shot this fire drake?"
The other man didn't respond. Not verbally. Not physically. He simply glanced over at the corpse before flicking his gaze back toward Flavio.
"Ah, he's not deaf, is he?" Bertrand suddenly mumbled.
No, that couldn't be right.
He just stood there, bow slung over his shoulder, one hand idly toying with one of the pockets of his survivalist vest, while the other hung by his side, clenching and unclenching into a fist. To the untrained eye, he was simply standing nonchalantly, but to Flavio he was fidgeting.
He was uncomfortable.
"Oh," Arianna said, daunted by the silence between them. "Can…can you not speak, sir?"
Flavio turned to his guildmates, the suggestion that maybe the five of them gathered around was intimidating the other survivalist was on the tip of his tongue. He, however, grew silent when he heard the distinct sound of a twig snapping, as if someone has stepped upon it on purpose once more.
As Flavio immediately turned to look, a man dressed in protective silver armour, with short blond hair and blue eyes, and carrying a blue shield abruptly appeared from around a bend in the maze. He was rather tall, but not overly muscular, body size similar to that of Fafnir's. He carried his shield easily in one arm, his gaze seemingly focused in on the blond-haired survivalist.
The other survivalist, too, turned to look and Flavio noticed a slight slumping of his shoulders from relief. Obviously they knew each other.
The protector's gaze suddenly shifted toward them and a surprisingly friendly smile appeared on his lips and he moved until he reached the other man's side. The survivalist shifted slightly on his feet, taking a half step to subtly move behind him, and the protector nodded his head ever so slightly.
Flavio wouldn't say that they were standoffish…but maybe guarded? Protective of one another?
"You'll have to excuse my companion," the protector suddenly said as he turned his attention toward them again with a polite smile. "He's not being rude, I assure you. He simply doesn't like to communicate with those he doesn't know all that well."
Yeah, Flavio thought as much.
"Let me introduce ourselves," the protector continued, undaunted. "My name is Jhon and my partner here is Tobyn."
Tobyn? Wasn't that the name of…?
"Oh, you're Lynus' guildmates?" Flavio unintentionally interrupted his guildmates from returning the introduction in kind, immediately gaining the attention of the two blond-haired, blue-eyed men.
"Yes, that's right," Jhon replied with a polite smile. "We are members of the Guardians Guild."
"Nice to meet you," Flavio said in return, his guildmates having fallen silent, seemingly leaving him with communicating with the two blonds on his own. "My name is Flavio, this is Fafnir, Arianna, Bertrand, and Chloe. We're known simply as the Library Guild."
Tobyn, the silent survivalist, seemed to perk up a little. Though he still looked suspicious and stoic. "How do you know Lynus?" he suddenly asked, his voice low and soft as he kept his gaze on Flavio.
Instead of acting surprised that the blond could speak, Flavio turned his attention toward him and smiled in a friendly manner. "Oh, I met Lynus this morning and we immediately started chatting. He mentioned some of the names of his guildmates and, well, he kinda reminded me of a proud parent."
Jhon laughed lightly with an air of amusement in his tone. "That sounds about right. He doesn't like talking about himself, but given the chance he will chat aimlessly about his guildmates."
Tobyn nodded his head idly, though he still looked a little wary. "Lynus mentioned us?"
"He mentioned that you are interested in monsters and such," Flavio explained. "We were talking about…the ruins outside of town and the materials that can be gathered there, you know?"
The tension in Tobyn's shoulders unexpectedly softened. "Hm."
Jhon peered at Tobyn from the corner of his eye with a small sense of amusement in his grin. "You have his interest now. Tobyn here is an incredible monster tracker." Jhon's gaze then flickered over to the deceased fire drake. "And hunter, if it calls for it."
"Ah, so it was you who shot that Fire Drake," Flavio said as he perked up himself. "That was an amazing shot."
Surprisingly, Tobyn's cheeks reddened and he quickly reached up with his hand to idly tug at the red scarf around his neck. "I just know where to aim," he murmured as he looked off to the side. "Six inches down from the base of the throat. A little off to the left is the heart."
"Ah, really? Hang on, let me write this down." Flavio muttered as he abruptly shrugged off his bag off of his shoulders and crouched down to his knees. He reached in to pluck out a notebook he always carried with him for jotting down notes in. He flipped it open to a blank page and pulled out a pencil.
He titled the page 'Fire Drake' before jotting down what Tobyn had just said. It was valuable information and if Flavio could somehow manage it, it might prove critical for future use.
As he wrote down where to aim for an instant kill, Tobyn unexpectedly crouched in front of him, looking at his notebook as well.
"They can't lie on the thorns, as their undersides are vulnerable," he said. "They move quickly over the thorns, but tend to lie on the grass, squatting down to protect their underside. To outrun them, make sure they stick to the grass."
Flavio nodded his head as he wrote down the information quickly and eagerly. "Right…stick to grass…"
"Are you heading to the eighth floor?" Tobyn asked him.
"We'll be quickly passing through," Flavio answered simply before a smile made its way to his lips as he regarded the blond. "You mean the Attack Cactuses?"
Tobyn nodded his head once, his brow furrowing slightly. "They're incredibly stupid."
"I know, right? Lead them to the thorns and they practically defeat themselves."
"You have an Ariadne Thread on your wrist?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, just a precaution, you know?"
"Hn. You don't have a knife in your boot as well, do you?"
"Ah, no?"
"You should," Tobyn said in a firm manner. "If anything happened to your bow, at least you can still defend yourself. Also, it proves handy for gathering material in a hurry."
"You're totally right," Flavio said as he idly pointed the end of his pencil at his fellow survivalist, something he did when he totally agreed with what someone had just said while in the middle of writing. "I should do that."
They were suddenly interrupted when Jhon seemed to chuckle with amusement. "Well, is this the kinship between survivalists?" he asked as he turned his attention toward Flavio. "Or are you a simply a sociable person?"
As if startled, Tobyn pushed himself to stand on his feet, once again toying with the edge of his scarf.
"Oh Sir Flavio is able to befriend just about everyone we meet," Arianna immediately said with a smile on her lips. "That's what makes him so delightful."
Flavio blushed lightly and scratched the back of his neck, feeling slightly embarrassed for becoming lost in conversation once more. He glanced over at Fafnir and found him also looking somewhat amused and he felt his cheeks heat up further. Especially when everyone seemed to be agreeing with Arianna.
"Y-yeah, well…" Flavio muttered.
The blond-haired protector, however, tilted his head to the side in a curious manner. "Sir? Are you of nobility?"
"No!" Flavio replied immediately, his blush deepening a shade or two. "It's just something Arianna calls everyone, you see. Very polite."
"Ah, I see," Jhon said as he continued to smile in a friendly way. "Well, it's still good to see Tobyn getting along with others."
Tobyn glared at him from the side, though he didn't say anything, and Jhon expertly ignored the look of scorn and embarrassment. It was obvious that the two were close. It was…comforting in a way.
Without warning, Tobyn reached out with his foot and lightly kicked at the back of Jhon's leg, causing his knee to buckle for a second. But Jhon remained standing and didn't seem remotely perturbed by the action. Instead, he turned his full attention to Tobyn and they shared a silently conversation through their eyes.
Jhon looked away from Tobyn and toward them with an apologetic expression on his face. "Ah, but we've kept you long enough. We, too, have a few errands we need to complete before heading back. May you journey safely."
"Yes, see you back in town," Flavio said as the two blonds silently bid them farewell and walked off into the red foliage of the second stratum.
Silence followed as Flavio set about returning his notebook back into his bag. He actually learnt some valuable information from Tobyn. He wondered if he could get the blond to compare monster codexes with him in town some time?
"Jeez. It seems like you're making new friends left, right, and centre, Kid," Bertrand suddenly commented to him.
Flavio shrugged a shoulder as he placed his bag back onto his back so that they could continue on their way. He couldn't dispute what Bertrand said because he was right. And he was looking forward to meeting more of the members of the Guardian Guild.
