Valde Incompertus Silva
I'm considering removing the Latin titles for this story since I feel they just come off as pretentious.
Also, ETRIAN ODYSSEY 2 ANNOUNCED! PAR-TAY! PAR-TAY!
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Eurydice glanced up. Even in the gathering gloom of nightfall, she could spot several insects through the trees. The presence of woodflies wasn't unusual – they'd run into a number of them during the journey. However, there was something… different about this bunch…
Purple? I don't think I've seen a purple woodfly before. She thought idly. Well, they weren't going to be much of a threat either way-
There was a sudden clatter and Medigirl had stumbled to her feet, clutching her staff, staring wide-eyed at the first of the insects that emerged from the dense foliage.
"V- venomflies! They're venomflies!"
Eurydice frowned as she drew her sword. She didn't claim to be intimately familiar with the fauna of the Labyrinth in the least, but something with a name like 'venomfly' didn't conjure up too many positive connotations.
Mihawk had likewise leapt to her feet, smoothly drawing her bow. "Here they come." She warned.
Eurydice shook her head. Obviously this bunch was going to be a lot more hostile than the woodflies. The swarmed through the trees, several dozen, all told.
CRACK! Lash had decided on a 'strike first, ask later' policy, and his whip slashed through the air, scattering the venomflies.
They were coming in thick now, and as they fluttered over the area, powder floated off their wings, sprinkling the area in a sparkling dust. Eurydice frowned as some of the powder landed on a flower – within seconds, it began to wither.
Potent stuff. She thought as she swung her shield in an outward arc, once more scattering the flies and preventing them from getting too close to her. Guess we know how they got their name…
Zip! Shrrk! An arrow loosed by Mihawk flew through the air, shredding the wing of a venomfly. The creature spun about in a dance as it rapidly lost altitude and velocity, finally crumpling to the ground.
"Fulgaralis." The word from Quark was so soft it was almost a whisper, but the streaks of golden lightning sprouting from the Alchemist's hands were undeniable in their efficacy. Three of the insects were flash-fried by the powerful spell, and another had its wing punctured, dooming it to the same fate that had befallen the one targeted by Mihawk.
Eurydice and Lash, whose weapons were less effective against the tiny insects for a variety of obvious reasons, focused on keeping the venomflies away from the party so Mihawk and Quark could finish them.
Then, abruptly, one of the venomflies darted forward, latching onto Mihawk's neck. The archer gave a cry of pain and surprise and instinctively reached up to yank the offending insect away. As she crushed the bug in her hand, Eurydice spotted a tiny bite-mark on her neck, and what appeared to be a bit of a dark stain.
Shaking her head, she turned back to the battle. The distraction had cost them – the venomflies had approached much closer now, and everything was becoming a lot more harried.
Tightening her grip on her sword, she continued the fight.
Quark could feel beads of sweat forming on his brow as he prepared another spell to hurl at the hostile creatures.
Well, that was perfectly natural. Spell-casting – and especially of the sustained nature required in combat – was taxing on just about anyone, and he had trained himself to be able to keep at it for a long time.
He wasn't an expert in the intelligence of insectoids, but he wondered if the venomflies were aware that they were losing the battle.
Another bolt of lightning, another short jump back to avoid the darting tackle of a venomfly, and Quark felt the rough bark of a tree pressed up against his back. Hm – that changed things.
Two more of the venomflies fluttered up menacingly, about to lurch for him. Quark sighed, bringing up his carved oaken staff. As the first one charged he sidestepped and swung his weapon like a club, batting the insect to the ground. A crude way of fighting – but effective.
Before the other could make a move, he had already pointed at it, uttered his incantation, and incinerated it.
"They're backing off!"
The shout from the excitable Dark Hunter caused him to glance up. Yes, what remained of the venomflies (and it wasn't much, really) were flying back into the woods. Lash paused to flick his whip out at the last of the tiny figures, and turned back.
Fresh from a rather taxing battle, they paused to assess the damages. Quark turned and cast a critical gaze upon the group's Medic. Naturally she hadn't partaken in the battle, and now she was glancing around nervously.
"They… they're usually seen a bit deeper in." She mumbled. "I wonder why they'd be all the way up here…"
Before any of them could respond, Mihawk stumbled, and leaned – nearly fell – against a tree, gasping heavily for breath.
It was only then that the party remembered the archer had earlier been poisoned.
If Cassandra had considered herself nervous during the battle, then she was on the verge of a breakdown now. She'd thought they were safe! How could she have missed Mihawk being poisoned?
There was a dark blue-black patch around the area where the venomfly had bit Mihawk, and the archer was sweating and shivering violently.
Venomfly bites contain Aunim poison… causes massive exhaustion, shortness of breath, muscle aches… Medigirl rummaged around in her pack. It – it's a miracle Mihawk was able to keep fighting for as long as she did… She paused. She probably got some of the powder on its wings on her too…
Finally grabbing the necessary materials, she hurriedly mixed all of them together, unhappily aware that the rest of the team was standing around in an awkward silence.
"Here, drink." She said quickly as she placed the vial at Mihawk's lips, tipping the Survivalist's head back enough so that she could drink it.
As the thick green medicine worked its way through the brunette's body, Cassandra stood back, a look of concern on her face.
She turned back to look at the others. "We need to get her back to town quickly."
Eurydice frowned. "What, the medicine you gave her wasn't enough or-"
"It can counteract the poison, but we need to be more thorough." Cassandra shook her head. "Please, just – just hurry."
"You heard her!" Eurydice snapped. "Get our gear and move it!"
They had ended up taking a wrong turn along the way, but it had turned out to be a stroke of good luck, for the clearing they stumbled into had a path – long hidden by trees and undergrowth that led them almost right to the entrance. A few of the forest denizens had tried to give them a hard time, but they were beaten off with little effort.
Through it all, the survivalist had demanded that she carry herself, and not be treated as an invalid. And despite the suffering that she was obviously going through, she'd persevered all the way to the town square, where Medigirl had quickly bundled her off to the Ceft Apothecary, while the others had headed off to the inn.
The Shield Maiden sighed to herself as she leaned back in her wooden chair. "Well, close calls aside-"
"We'll be seeing a lot more of those the deeper we go, eh?" Lash grinned.
"I guess. Anyway, as I was saying, close calls aside, I think we did pretty well for our first trip in." Eurydice glanced over at Quark, who was sitting quietly in the corner. "What say you, sir Mage?"
"…More teamwork is needed." Came the terse reply.
"…Right." Eurydice blew out a breath of air. "Teamwork."
"Speaking of which, anyone else feel like a nice meal?" Lash stood up. "C'mon, let's hit the pubs or something. I know a place that serves a great roast-"
"I don't want to leave before Mihawk gets back." Eurydice paused. "And Medigirl too, of course."
"Oh, yeah, her." Lash gave the Protector a lopsided grin. "And where'd you dig her up? She looks like she barely stepped out of her nappies."
"…Don't ask." Eurydice closed her eyes. "She's shown herself to have a good head on her shoulders, and enough in between her ears to keep us from bleeding to death, and that's good enough for me."
"True enough – and speak of the devil." Lash waved as the two warriors stepped into the cheerily-lit inn. "Heya! How're you holding up, 'Hawkeyes?"
The archer smirked slightly at the moniker the Dark Hunter had chosen to bestow on her. "Fine. It was a pretty easy process to purge the poison."
"Yeah!" Medigirl nodded enthusiastically. "Grandfather really knows a lot about dealing with poisons and stuff!"
"Capital!" Lash slammed one hand onto the table. "Now, as I said before you fine ladies made your way over, I'm starving, so how about we head out and find ourselves a nice, hot meal?"
Eurydice chuckled as she stood and stretched. "Well, that sounds like a fine idea. And in honour of our first successful venture into the labyrinth, allow your caring, generous guild leader to treat you all to dinner tonight."
"I can get behind that." Lash grinned.
"W-wow, thanks!" Medigirl looked positively radiant.
"Well, shall we be off?" Mihawk said softly. "Our bellies aren't getting any more full just standing here."
"One lousy meal and you freeloaders nearly cleaned me out!" Cassandra heard Eurydice ranting rather noisily in the background. The young Medic chuckled – she knew there was no real ire behind the Shield Maiden's words, despite her raised volume.
She glanced over – Lash was grinning widely as he tipped back a mug containing some sort of drink, letting the contents wash down his throat. Quark had his eyes closed as he chewed away at some sort of meat, and Eurydice was standing and pointing at Lash.
She blew out a long breath of air and turned back to the book she was reading – she was never that fond of being loud and boisterous, and she was just uncomfortable enough of the others to not want to get too involved in the party.
After several seconds of reading, she noticed a shadow being cast over the pages and she glanced up to see Mihawk standing beside her silently.
"Oh, h – hello!" She stammered. "Do you need anything?"
"Nah." The archer allowed the trace of a smile to grace her mouth – Cassandra could see the edges of it peeking out behind her thick scarf.
"So… what are you doing here?"
Mihawk blew out a sigh and sat down on the stool next to Cassandra, her back against the table. "Nothing much. I just wanted to say thanks for your aid back in the Labyrinth."
"Oh! Uh…" Cassandra managed a smile. "It was nothing, honest! I'm trained in all those sort of things. It's my job, you know."
"Doesn't change the fact that you helped me out." Mihawk extended her gloved hand to the young Medic. "Thank you… Medigirl."
Cassandra smirked at her nickname and reached over to grasp the archer's hand. "You're welcome… Mihawk."
As he watched the two of them, Lash's grin grew wider. "Well, looks like Medigirl and Hawkeyes are hitting it off pretty well."
He turned his neck to look at Eurydice. "Oy, fearless leader! Where'd you find Mihawk from, anyway?"
"She was originally from another guild, that's all I know." The Protector replied distractedly – her attention was mostly diverted by the large bowl of meat stew she had in front of her, and given the wonderful smell emanating from the thick broth, Lash couldn't say he half-blamed her.
"The Atropos Guild, if you really want to know." Lash swiveled his chair as he heard the voice of Valerie from the bar counter.
"Figured you'd know about her." The Dark Hunter chuckled. "You keep tabs on everyone in Etria."
"It wasn't a secret by any means." The woman shook her head, letting some of her chestnut hair splay across her shoulders. "They were among the best explorers the town had seen thus far – they were almost always trying to be the first to dig as deep in as they could."
"Then, about a month ago, they went into the Labyrinth…" Valerie pursed her lips. "And they were never heard from again."
"…"
She shook her head, 'Oh, don't let me get you kids down. Just remember you're never too good for the Labyrinth to claim you."
"Mmhm." Eurydice swallowed rather noisily and turned to Valerie. "So, uh, what about Mihawk?"
"No one really knows – not even her." Valerie's smile gained a tint of melancholy about it. "A group found her lying in a broken heap in the third floor of the Labyrinth – and just in time, too, since there were some wolves nosing around the area. They took her back to Etria, and when she woke up a week later she didn't remember much of anything – including her name. I suppose 'Mihawk' is as good a name to go by as any – but you can't help but feel that she'd be happier knowing who she really is."
Eurydice and Lash both shifted their gaze to look at the table where the young archer was holding a rather animated discussion with their medic.
Valerie chuckled sadly. "She deserves that much, really."
After the meal, they'd continued chatting for a few more hours before splitting up and heading back to wherever it was they had their lodgings. Eurydice had holed herself up in the Golden Rooster Inn since her arrival in Etria, and it had held up well enough – especially in the arena providing her a nice, hot tub to soak in at the end of a long day.
Stripping herself of her rather dingy tunic and pants, she paused to look in the mirror. Sharp blue eyes gazed back at her as she flipped her golden hair back over her shoulder.
"Not bad at all, even if I do say so myself." She chuckled wanly and removed the last of her undergarments before stepping over to the bathtub.
"Aaaahhhhhhhh…" A long sigh of contentment escaped her lips as she immersed herself in the steaming water, all the way up to her neck. Living as a wandering adventurer meant that you had to get used to dirt and grime covering your body – and she had, but she doubted anything could ever get her to give up her love of a nice, warm bath.
She closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the metal rim of the tub, and let her mind sift through the experiences of the day… and the challenges that lay ahead.
"…We're going to need more people." She mumbled after a few moments of silence.
"We'll reach the town in a couple of days." Franz said softly, and Ewan nodded in reply.
The two horseriders were little more than dark blurs against the backdrop of night as they rode steadily onwards.
The blonde-haired alchemist shifted his gaze over the quiet landscape – despite the relatively cooler atmosphere, few travelers chose the nighttime paths – partly because of the lack of visibility and the ever present fear of bandits.
Well, it was no big deal – between Franz's blade and his formulae, it wouldn't be much of an issue dealing with bandits that showed up along the way. It was pretty much a moot point regardless, since they hadn't met much in the way of trouble for the duration of their journey.
Well, that also gave some time for introspection, and pondering about their task.
Ewan sighed and gave rise to the thoughts that he had been entertaining for a while. "You sure about this, Franz? We don't know much about the Labyrinth – for all we know, finding a cure for Amelia could take months, if not years," he hesitated, not wanting to confront his friend with the harshness of reality. "…If we can find one at all."
"…" Franz bowed his head.
"We could be going off on some wild goose chase, while Amelia-"
"I know." Franz said abruptly, cutting Ewan off. "But what do you want me to do, Ewan? You and I are warriors. Even if I were to stay at Amelia's side, I wouldn't be able to do anything for her – that's the job of the apothecaries and medics. The Labyrinth has produced various medicines that can be found nowhere else in the world… it's the one place that my skills as a fighter can be put to use for Amelia's sake."
"…" Ewan closed his eyes. Franz had obviously thought long and hard about this, and while he couldn't refute his friend's logic, he still felt troubled by having to leave the village girl behind as they went out on their expedition.
"Whoa!" Franz's startled call snapped Ewan back to alertness, and as his eyes darted across the area, he caught sight of a dark shape at the roadside.
As he pulled his steed to a stop, Ewan began to distinguish more features about the 'shape'. For one thing, it was a man, dressed in the robes of a traveler. He smiled up at them as he chewed away at stalk of grass in his mouth.
"Evenin' gents!" He touched his forehead in a brief gesture of welcome. "Am I right in guessin' that you're headed for the fine town of Etria?"
"You are." Franz said cautiously. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, as it so happens, I'd huntin' for a ride there myself. Whaddya say to a givin' a weary traveler a lift, 'm?"
Franz's hand strayed to his sword. "How do I know you're not a bandit or thief who'd just as soon slit our throats and rob our corpses?" He said sternly.
"Ha! You don't mince words, that's for sure." The man gave an elaborate bow. "The name's Orpheus, and I'm in the trade of making music. If you want to see my harp, it's right here." The man brushed a strand of silver-grey hair back from his forehead. "Now, if you fine gents like, I could play you a ditty or two to-"
"That won't be necessary." Franz cut in. "As it so happens, we're in a bit of a hurry."
"Hm." The man sighed. "Well, if that's the case, then feel free to move along. You're not the first bunch to have turned me down, and I'd wager you won't be the last either." She shook his head.
Ewan frowned. "How'd someone like you get to be out here in the middle of nowhere anyway?"
"Ah, well, I was traveling with a caravan of sorts, and, well, to cut a long story short, they kicked me out on the roadside. They said that I was a nice fellow and all, but they couldn't stand another word of my songs."
Franz and Ewan paused to trade looks of disbelief. "So… why didn't you just stop singing?"
"Why, masters, how could I possibly do that?" Orpheus looked positively aghast. "A song's not just some words with a tune! It's a cry from the heart, a melody of the soul, a-"
"Yeah, yeah, okay, we get it." Franz snapped. With a sigh, he turned to look at Ewan. "Your thoughts?"
"He seems harmless enough." If slightly off-kilter.
"Alright." Franz nodded and turned to Orpheus. "Master Orpheus, we're not opposed to having you travel with us, but under one condition."
"Name it, my good man."
"No singing. At least until we reach Etria."
Orpheus sighed and gave a disconsolate strum across his harp. "Expected as much. Very well, good masters, you've got yourselves a deal."
"Good, then hop on. You'll probably want to take Ewan's horse – I'm carrying a lot of armour and I'm not sure the horse would do well with the extra weight."
As the Troubadour saddled himself, Ewan and Franz shared a look and a nod, and then they were off, heading into the night.
"Th – this is all I have! I swear!"
"Shut up! Don't you dare lie to me!"
"It's the truth! I – I promise! Please!"
While Franz and Ewan had not been the target of any bandit raids, others were not as fortunate. A particular merchant had been planning on changing his residence, and had brought his family along with him. Unfortunately, the hired guard had proved… less than adequate.
Which is to say they dropped their weapons and fled at the first sight of trouble.
The merchant was now forehead to the dusty ground as his trembling wife hugged their weeping son and daughter close to them. The leader of the party stalked around the merchant, howling demands at the shivering figure.
Meanwhile the four bandits were busy ransacking the caravan, stripping it of whatever valuables they could find.
So engrossed were they in their search that they failed to notice the approaching figure – until a gleaming axe was planted into their leader's skull.
As he fell to the ground with a thud, the others glanced up to see a wild-haired woman wielding a hefty hand axe, eyes narrowed at 'em.
There was a moment of shocked silence as the bandits paused to consider this new factor, and then an explosion of movement as the bandits advanced, drawing weapons and yelling battle cries.
She shifted her position to dodge the first blow – a strike from an axe much like her own, before retaliating with an uppercut that quite literally sent the man flying. As the next one stabbed downwards with a dagger, she blocked his arm with her own and slashed his belly open, staining herself with a swathe of crimson blood.
The last one wielded both an axe and a blade – both rather crude but deadly tools. He advanced, weapons flashing in the sunlight, forcing the unnamed woman back. He grinned fiercely – she couldn't retreat forever and then-
A sudden flash of movement and suddenly the man found himself on the floor. A second later the pain hit him and he realized what happened. Somehow, he'd never taken a woman for the type who'd go for a cheap shot like kneeing someone in the groin.
A sudden shout startled the axefighter, where the last of the thugs had grabbed the infant son and was now holding a dagger to his neck. "You – you come any closer and this kid gets it!" He snarled, trying to keep the tremor from his voice.
The female merely gave an elaborate sigh. "Using a child as a shield?" She said in a rather rough voice. "Now that's low."
Zip. Thock!
The bandit's frozen expression of shock remained as he collapsed to the ground, the dagger still sticking out from his forehead.
The Landsknecht walked over and pulled out the dagger. Wiping it slightly, she tucked it away. "You guys should be fine," she said without looking back. "You got rope, right? There's not much fight left in the survivors so tie 'em up or something and leave 'em on the roadside. There'll be a patrol in a few minutes anyway." Saying so, she began to walk away.
"W-wait, please!" The merchant called after her. "I must at least repay you for your aid!"
She turned back with a fierce grin. "Oh, don't bother, gramps. Smashing in bandit heads is its own reward."
And with that, Rosalina Lenson continued on her trek towards Etria.
Thanks for reading. Please review.