A/N: I apologize for the long wait in the newest chapter, but here it finally is. And for clarification purposes, I will show the proper pronunciations of the characters names.

Quasfay - (Quas-A) Irisaer - (Eir-es-ear) Vassenoir - (Vass-en-noir)

"Come on you big stupid bear! Over here!" The heavily armored woman shouts, smacking the hilt of her sword against her shield. "Let's go ugly!" The noise easily drew the attention of the aggravated cutter, as it sprinted toward our fortress.

"It's gone from me!" A cheery voice chirps up, as the pink hair of the young girl appears in front of me. "I can't really heal you guys, but I can do this at least." Her hands move over my arm as a warm feeling washes over my body. Slowly my arm becomes movable, followed by my shoulders. Before I know it, I can actually move my body again.

"Finally! Thank you Seras!"

"No time for that! Help Iris then head for the exit!" As she shouted, she bashed her shield into the cutter. As the hit connected, light flowed down upon her, some of her wounds instantly healing.

"She's right Seras, let's get Iris." She nods at me before helping my sister, allowing her to regain control of her body.

"Iris? What are you doing? We gotta go..." I ask her while she digs in her bag.

"This is for Vassi." She pulls out a stone and puts it on the ground. "Now we can go."

"We will meet you by the ship Vassenoir! Don't get hurt!" I shout as the three of us leave the room.

This sucks.

We all sit by the entrance of the labyrinth beneath our ship, as I let out a sigh.

It remains quiet for minutes, none of us really having anything to say.

Suddenly, a weird sound plays through our ears. Like some kind of warp gate opening - and in the next moment Vassenoir is standing with us.

"Where did you come from?!" Seras screams, asking the question we are both wondering.

"I used the pole stone Iris left for me. Thanks by the way, saved me some trouble."

"I only remembered then that I had it."

"Well good thing you did. Now, what are we going to do, leader?"

"W-Well..." I quickly think through our small amount of options. "We could always ask Dalla if we can stay for free again... Since she is so nice, I doubt she'd say no. And then we can pay her back when we get more money."

"It's your call."

"I guess that is what we will do then. The most she can do is say no, after all..."

"Dalla... can we get a free stay here tonight...?" I walk up to the counter and speak to the woman. I bow my head and continue. "I promise that we'll pay you back! We had an incident and now we are left with nothing, so we really, really need this. Please?" I find myself looking up to her, a look on my face like a beaten puppy, begging.

Bad impressions, bad impressions...

"Oh my, that sounds awful. I guess you can stay tonight, but please, don't make it a habit. Ok?"

"Yes ma'am! Of course we won't!" I bow my head once again and make a heavy sigh of relief as I leave the inn. "Alright! We are lucky Falahein! Well, no, not really lucky. But not completely unlucky!"

"Quassy, stop talking."

"Yeah Quassy, you're sounding silly."

Both my sister and Vassenoir tell me to think before I speak, in their own way.

"We can stay for free tonight."

"Was that so hard?" The fortress looks at me, as I nervously shake my head to the side. "Good, I'm gonna go find something to sell, I need a drink."

"I'm thirsty too!" Seras added randomly.

"Not for what I'm getting you aren't. If I get enough, I'll buy you apple cider or something. Got it, kids?"

She's always so demeaning. But I know it's just the type of person she is. I need to just, not let it get to me is all.

"What's Apple Cider?" Iris asks her quietly.

"It's sort of like Kiddie Champagne. You'd like it. All three of you."

"I want some. Don't you sis?"

"I guess it would be nice to have a cool drink." I add, looking around. "Do we even have anything to sell? They took our bags."

Iris dropped her small bag and opened it, revealing a massive amount of berries.

"What the heck Iris?!" Where in the world did she get all of this? Why does she have all this?

"Aren't those the gross berries?"

"No. I like them Seras. You want another?"

"I'll try one." Vassenoir picks up one and inspects it.

I want to warn her. But… This may be amusing to watch.

She throws the berry into her mouth and chews it. "Tastes kinda bad. Not my taste I guess."

... That's it for a reaction? I was expecting something... I don't know... Big.

"We can sell some of these." Iris speaks up once more, as we all nod in agreement. "Not all of them though."

Crap! We have to see Wynne! Crap, crap! They are gonna make fun of me so bad!

"Quasfay? What's with that look? Are you sick?"

"What? Oh me? No! I'm fine! Come on, let's go quickly!" I step behind the short pink haired girl pushing her inside, the other two following suit.

"...gives me a lady boner harder than steel-"

The first words that I hear as I enter.

Her face instantly reddens heavily as does mine.

"W-Wai-Hol-No-You got the-That ain't-It-Uhh. Hi! Anytin' I can do for ya'?!" She almost shouted, totally embarrassed and trying to change the subject so she could even speak.

"What the heck is wrong with you Wynne? I've never seen you like this."

"N-Notin' is wrong!" She tries to calm down as I watch her. My face still redder than the brightest tomato.

"What is wrong with you tw- Ohhh. I get it." She smirks at me.

Vassenoir please. Please don't make this any worse.

"I always knew you were a lesbian Quasfay. You two going out or something?"

"No!" Both me and the blonde girl shout at the same time.

"Haha. The Falahein guild is full of tricks, isn't it?"

That voice...

"Or is this not one?"

No! He's going to think I'm a-

"This is real." My sister answers the man, my heart breaking to pieces. She betrayed me.

"Oh." He only smiles and pats my shoulder. "She's a good girl." He points to Wynne who somehow manages to get redder just like me. He's... He's touching me!

"Treat her well. Thanks for the information Wynne." The gruff… handsome man, known as Whirlwind, leaves the building.

This is the most embarrassing moment of my life...

Some guy I like... now thinks I'm with some girl I don't know... And Iris didn't even help me!

"S-S-So! Anytin' you need!"

"How much can we sell these berries for?" Seras spoke up, taking a few from Iris' bag and showing them to Wynne.

Her blush lightens and her eyes sparkle as she looks at the berries.

"I love those berries! I'll take 'em!"

Seras' eyes sparkle as well, excitement running through her.

"Awesome! We have a whole bunch! How much for each one?"

"Ten en each. I can't blow all my money on 'em, so I got to buy 'em for da regular price."

Vassenoir took Iris' bag, dumping about three-fourths of it's contents onto the counter. Nothing but berries.

How?!

"Dat's... Dat's a lot of berries..." The blonde shopkeep looks at the mountain of berries in shock.

"Hey... that's too much Vassy."

"We need the money Iris. I'll help you get more later."

"Ok..." Iris says, clearly unhappy. She takes her bag and walks next to me, sitting on the floor.

She's such a kid, but she's my little sister. I feel my face move into a smile as I pat her head. She just starts to eat her berries happily.

"Here ya' go!" She hands our Fortress the en, smiling as she accepts it. "Now da big question is, what am I gonna do wit all da berries? Dere's no way I can eat dem all!"

"I don't know how you two like those berries..." Seras looks at both Iris, then Wynne eating the berries.

"Well, we did what we came here to do, shall we go?" Our Fortress speaks, letting us all know she doesn't want to stick around any longer. Is alcohol that good she's in such a rush for it? I highly doubt it.

We leave the shop, traveling to the Dancing Peacock. The city streets are unusually busy. What could be going on at this time of night anyway?

As we arrive at the bar, in fact, even from before we arrived there, we could hear loud music.

"Vassenoir... is this a good idea? It seems really, really, REALLY loud."

She only smirks at me, patting my head like a pet. "You'll get used to it kiddo. Don't worry."

I'm worried.

We enter the building and I've never seen a place so crowded. It's really intimidating, and I can tell it is for Seras too, as she remains close behind me. What sort of explorers can't handle a club? We can definitely do this!

I smile, ready to take on any challenge as Vassenoir pushes a way through to the bar. There are plenty of seats; almost everyone else was dancing. Lights constantly flashed different colors as I hold my head, sitting on a stool.

"What's up with the party?" The orange haired woman shouted, although it was only so she could be heard over the loud music, chanting, and whatever else was going on.

"It's Kirtida's birthday! So she threw a massive party!" A girl behind the counter shouted back. "Anything I can get for you girls?"

"Some of your strongest! Oh, and cider for the kiddies."

"Got it!"

"Do you really have to keep calling us kids Vassenoir?"

"How old are you?" She sternly replies with another question.

"Sixteen. And Iris is fifteen."

"I'm fifteen too!" Seras shouts.

"Congrats, you ARE kids. I'm twenty three."

We all three go silent.

So she's actually an adult.

"Alright. So anyway, let's talk about our next course of action. We need to find out who robbed us and get our stuff back. So, since we really can't ask around today, we'll start an investigation tomorrow to find out who those people are!"

"Yeah, Quassy, that's kind of a given. You could have saved your breath."

"..." I simply glare at the snarky woman, my head close to exploding with anger. Instead of speaking my mind, however, I sigh, shaking my head. "Got it Seras, Iris?" I turn the other way looking at the two girls. The medic smiles, with some form of salute. Iris, who is next to Seras, is talking to someone? Huh? Who is that?

A hooded figure, a long bow slung across her back talks to my sister, the booming music making it impossible for me to hear then.

"Seras, who is she talking too?"

"I don't know. I'm sure it's okay, though!"

"Here you go!" The barmaid returns, and in a skillful display perfectly slides cups across to all three of us. All of our cups have the exact same amount too, and she poured it while they were sliding... Man, she's good.

"Alright, drink up Falahein! Cheers!" Vassenoir raises her mug high.

A smile grows on my face as Seras and I tap our glasses against hers.

"Cheers Falahein!" All three of us take a drink, shouting.

"What is this...?" This sweet taste... I don't even know how to describe it… "It's really good!"

"Ha. I knew you'd like it." Both Seras and I have the same look on our faces. It was just such a shock to drink something this good, I guess. "Wait till you get a taste of a real drink, haha! You'll almost definitely hate the taste, but love the feeling!"

"Alcohol tastes bad?" I ask, curiously.

"I think so. It ain't gonna stop me from getting drunk though!" She chugs down the liquid in her mug, placing it down with a happy sigh.

"Fill 'er up!" Just like that, her mug is filled, and in only a few moments, empty again.

My small glass is also empty, and before I can ask, the barmaid slides another over to me. "So you were robbed you said?"

"Huh? How did you? Where did you hear that?"

"You were shouting it."

My face reddens a bit in embarrassment. Even now I'm shouting, how did I not realize that?

"O-Oh yeah. Well, yes. We were robbed."

"Who was it? Any information is good. Gender, names, any of that." The bar maid interrogates, Seras silently watching.

"No names or ages, but we know there were two males and a female. The female was a sniper who used two bows. One male was trying to be a ninja - using the outfit at least. The other male was something… I don't know – something I've never seen before."

I spill what I know to the barmaid, hoping she has some clues to their identities.

A sigh. That's what she answers with. After a brief silence, between the two of us at least, she finally speaks up. "Alright, so they are the same group who's been stealing from multiple groups of people. They create fake quests to bait guilds out to the labyrinths and rob then. Very rarely are any of them killed though."

So we aren't the first group to be victim of their attacks... wait, fake quests?

I reach into my pocket, pulling out the locket that we found on the Cutter.

"Let me see that." The woman snatches it out of my hands and begins inspecting it.

"H-Hey! That's our quest item!"

"Probably for a fake quest..."

"Even still, give it ba-"

The locket was taken from the barmaid in a swift movement, followed by the slamming of something on the table. The mysterious girl next to Iris held the locket, turned around, her cowl flowing.

A glimpse of dark blue hair is all I see of the woman. The same as that sniper girl!

She sprints out of the bar, as my body starts on its own, chasing her. I get through as many people as possible, pushing past whoever didn't move out the way.

I exit the Dancing Peacock, looking side to side, until I spot the cloak of my target. Once again, I find myself sprinting. Faster than I feel I ever have.

I turn a corner and see a depressing sight: an empty alley.

"Where did she...?"

She's gone.

I don't know how, but she's gone...

Just like that... I've failed us...

I walk around in the alley for a small moment, before heading back to my guild. No clues to where she escaped to.

"Where did you run off too?"

"Oh Seras... I'm so sorry... That girl was the sniper who robbed us... I tried to chase her but I lost her."

"What?! No Way!"

"Iris. Did you catch her name, since you were talking with her and all."

She only shakes her head.

"Damnit! Did you find out anything?!"

"No. We just talked about flowers and apples."

Are you serious? Really? Is she messing with me?

"Alright..." I quietly respond to her, taking my seat. "So, maybe it really was just a fake quest like the barmaid said, right?"

"Not exactly. She left a reward before she ran off." The medic chimes in, smiling as she points toward the barmaid.

"What? She did?" I look at the barmaid who was filling a small pouch with ental.

"I guess it WAS an actual quest," she answers as she hands me the heavy pouch.

I hold the pouch… shocked. Wait…

"And a trap as well... so they use real quests too. Maybe we could also use their own traps as bait."

"Quasfay? Are you talking about trying to set them up?", Seras asks.

"Yes. I am. We aren't the only victims. And we can't just leave them to keep doing this. So we are going to stop them."

"A-Are you sure we can do that? We don't have anything but basic equipment... and if I get paralyzed from that stupid ring thing, how can I stop it from getting to everyone else?"

"I've got a plan for all that. As long as the first step works, we can do it."

"Alright... you're the leader, Quasfay, so I'll follow what you say."

"Thank you, Seras. If everything goes according to plan, you'll be set. Iris." I call over to my sister. "I know you just made friends with her, but that can't stop you from doing what you have to do. Got it?" She nods in my direction before drinking from her small cup. "Vassenoir, you- Uhm..."

She's out of it.

Seras and I start to laugh, and Iris giggles at the sight. She's totally passed out and I can't stop laughing for some reason. We finish our drinks and pay the unreasonably high bar bill and leave.

From the money we got, I saved enough to cover for more than a nights stay and gave it to Dalla. And then I pass out in my bed. My comfy, comfy bed.

A bright light passes over my eyelids, and my only reaction is too uncomfortably squirm. Groans fill the room as I open my eyes ever so slowly. My vision is completely fuzzy as I stare at the clock for a minute. I manage to make out the time, Ten twenty three AM.

I groan, closing my eyes for a few seconds.

My vision is fuzzy again, even more so than before.

I can barely make out the numbers on the clock.

Three fourty seven.

Wait, THREE FOURTY SEVEN?! PM?!

I jump up from my bed and double check the clock. I slept in completely. This is so bad! The day is already gone!

I look around the room and see... that everyone is still asleep.

I mean... I guess it's ok to sleep in one day...

I mean, is it? This is more just me trying to justify not waking them up... Well, I'll let them sleep and start on my plan.

Quickly I get dressed and leave the inn, heading toward the Mark Grand Court right away.

"That can work. It is my top priority to keep Tharsis safe. Alright then, I shall officially make this a mission."

The regal looking man's dog barked happily as the Count began writing down the mission to make it official.

"Thank you so much!" A smile remains on my face as I patiently wait.

"Sign here Falahein."

My fingers move the pen he gave me across the paper, signing our guild name as neatly as I can. "Wonderful. Now, here is half the reward now."

I bow down, taking the sack of ental he hands me as I get back up. Quickly I remove a necklace I was wearing. It's usually unnoticeable under what I wear, but it's something my mother gave to me. I place the necklace in the Count's hands and give him a nod.

"Don't let me down Falahein."

"We wouldn't dream of it."