Trials of Nidhogg
Disclaimer: I don't own the "Etrian Odyssey" franchise.
Note: Shorter chapter. I decided to move the next part to chapter 4.
Chapter 3 – Enemies within Allies
"HAAAAAH!"
Wump
The target lay in two pieces of clean-cut wood as Cerubois stepped back, examining his work.
"This really is more powerful than my old longsword…" He said, slightly in awe of his weapon. "That wood felt like butter."
When no one responded to his statement, he looked around to see why he wasn't the center of attention. Erika was sitting a few feet away with Cliff. She'd been practicing her bandages on him, much to his dismay. Cerubois looked down and sighed. Erika was usually the one to acknowledge Cerubois' needs, but she'd been ignoring him all morning. In fact, everyone seemed pretty peeved at him since they woke up.
"Morning, y'all. Man, those beds are nice, eh? Reminds me of back home." Cerubois greeted, stretching widely.
Sarless was the only one to nod, though his eyes showed that he wasn't particularly glad to see Cerubois. Cliff said nothing (though that wasn't really out of the ordinary), and Erika didn't even look at him.
"Off to the training now? Or are we eating first?" He tried again, grinning his best grin.
Again, no replies. The rest simply walked past him into the inn's lobby, where he saw Amy waiting.
'I suppose they're not going to forgive and forget that easily…' He thought, disheartened. 'Well, they gotta lighten up sometime.'
They hadn't lightened up yet. Even after their practice sessions had been broken up repeatedly with the appearance of monsters – forced to fight alongside each other – they seemed just as angry at him as before.
"Monster bones are harder than wood. You better come up with a better strategy than cleaving." Sarless called, stringing an arrow and letting it fly towards the target he made out of the materials they'd found in the Labyrinth. It hit a little off centre, and Sarless took a step back to hone his distance shots.
Content with a little bit of attention, even though it was negative, Cerubois smirked slightly. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, focusing on a striking pattern he'd learned from his master.
"When strength will not do, you must use your advantages." Cerubois could hear his master's voice lecturing the young students. "Surprise will benefit greatly, but is not always available. Therefore I will teach you the art of the blade."
The kids watched as their master did a slow sequence of steps with his sword to demonstrate the move. He finished and turned to the students, signaling that it was their turn. Unlike the other trainees, Cerubois had memorized every detail from watching the sessions of the older students, and executed the move perfectly with his wooden training sword.
"Cerubois, that was surprisingly well done. Stand aside for a moment. The rest of you, try again." The master ordered. Cerubois happily complied, and watched the students practice. After another round, the master told some more to stand out, while the rest repeated. This process continued until there was one student left, who by this point was red-faced with embarrassment.
"Wow, do you suck, Brélin. It's not that hard a move." Cerubois called out to the struggling youth. His remark was rewarded with a few laughs from the others, and then a hard smack on the back of the head. He cried out and turned, ready to take on the one who hit him, only to see his master standing above him.
"Do not make enemies within allies, Cerubois. If you were in danger, Brélin might think twice about saving you," The master's voice was lecturing, but calm as always, "That is not in your best interests. Do you understand?"
Cerubois nodded, upset for being scolded. "Like I'd need saving…" He muttered under his breath.
Cerubois opened his eyes, his concentration interrupted. He looked over at Amy, who was leaning against a tree observing the others.
'Hmph. I don't need her help. I'm the best fighter in Borrdo. The only one to win his conclusive match against the master.' He grinned at the memory, and carried out his attack pattern, slicing another wooden target horizontally on the final slash.
"I think I'm ready to take on another Ragelope!" Cerubois smirked, twirling his blade in his hand. From across the clearing, Amy scoffed loudly. Cerubois stopped and turned to her. "What's your problem?"
Amy glared at him, "You call that an attack? With all that fancy flare I'm surprised you didn't hurt yourself trying."
Cerubois straightened up, anger flashing in his eyes. "That happens to be one of the best moves I was taught, and could easily take on any Vanlandish technique."
"Best you were taught?" Amy replied cynically, ignoring the shot at her region, "And who was your teacher?"
Cerubois switched his sword arm and stood in salute, his right fist over his heart, "Great Master Jean-Sin of Borrdo." He said proudly.
Amy suddenly snorted, stifling a laugh. "Jean-Sin Marseilles? That fool? He likes to look good more than winning! He'd rather die in style than win without it!"
"Jean-Sin is a warrior and an artist! He's one of the best there is!" Cerubois argued, "And you know what? I defeated him!"
"Well that's quite an accomplishment." Amy smirked.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
"It means don't be so cocky, idiot! I'd be surprised if you made it past the first stratum with your skills!"
"That's it! You've insulted me, my comrades, and my culture!" Cerubois yelled furiously, "No more! You and me right now!"
"Cerubois!" Erika yelped in surprise, breaking her silence, but Cerubois ignored her.
Amy stood up straight, her smirk fading slightly. "Is that a challenge?" She asked coldly.
'My apologies, master…'
Cerubois nodded slowly.
Amy took a step forward to grab her sword and shield. But before she could do so, Cerubois suddenly jumped at her. Erika screamed, and Amy quickly grabbed her sword, leaving her shield, and stopped the attack in mid-air. Cerubois barely had time to realize what had happened when he was punched hard in the gut. He keeled over in pain.
'What the hell! She stopped my attack with one hand!' He grimaced.
"Sarless! Stop them!" Erika pleaded, but Sarless made no notion of doing so. He watched as Amy stood above Cerubois, ready for another attack. He knew there'd be a clash between the two. This was probably the only way…
"Classic Borrdism. Never fight fair," Amy said disgustedly, "Perhaps that's why you're so arrogant. Have you ever properly dueled before?"
"Grrr, I'll teach you who's the arrogant one!" Cerubois shouted as he jumped back up and launched a flurry of small swipes at Amy. Amy blocked each one, but Cerubois kept slashing, his fury taken over. He finally saw an opening, and stabbed low using both arms.
Clink!
Amy was forced to use both hands to parry Cerubois' strong attack, but didn't stay on the defensive for long. She kicked Cerubois' injured arm, and seeing the pain flash in his eyes, swung her sword towards his. With a harsh metal-to-metal crash, Cerubois' sword went flying out his hands and landed on the grass a few yards away. Cerubois fell to one knee, unarmed, breathless, and beaten. Amy stood above him, glaring.
"Don't try that again."
Cerubois cursed at her under his breath, but didn't reply. Amy walked back to her shield and set her sword beside it as it was before, then returned to the tree that she'd been leaning against.
'So that's it.' Sarless thought. He'd been worried about the possibility of serious injuries, and was content with this outcome, though he felt sorry for Cerubois. He'd lost in a dishonourable way.
Erika stood up and walked over to Cerubois, hand held out to help him up. Cerubois looked up and grabbed it, only lightly putting his weight onto Erika's arm. But before he could thank her, she slapped him across the face.
"Ow! What was that for?" He growled.
"For being an asshole." Erika replied unsympathetically, crossing her arms.
"So you're taking her side?" Cerubois asked, outraged.
"Only if you keep making sides to take," Erika countered angrily, "We're supposed to be a team, but you've already started breaking us up. Just shut up and get used to it!"
Cerubois watched her move away again and frowned. His breath was still short from the battle's intensity. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped, and instead walked off to retrieve his sword. As he bent down to pick it up, he noticed a small chip was missing off the blade where Amy had struck it. His pride was shattered. He sat down beside his sword and thrust it into the soft earth.
'Is it true, master…? Were you just an old fool?'
"You're my best student, Cerubois. I expect great things from you."
'Does the best of Borrdo really count for anything?'
"Students! It is my great honour to award Cerubois this medallion, as champion of the tournament, and winner of his conclusive match. He has shown that the student can even surpass the teacher."
Cerubois reached under his armour and pulled out the medallion. He'd since cut the stringand kept it in his pocket, knowing a necklace to be a hazard in battle. He often sat and admired the craftsmanship of the medal, running his fingers across the soft gold. It really was a piece of art, with the insignia of Borrdo expertly inscribed into it.
But now, it all seemed worthless. What was the point of having a medal for being the best if he wasn't actually the best? He'd been humiliated…
Cerubois reached back to throw the prize into the woods, but stopped halfway through. His thoughts cleared enough to realize it wasn't worth the loss. That medallion still held memories, and he'd regret losing it. He sighed and put it back in his pocket.
-----
Thwack
The arrow was a near bulls-eye this time. Sarless silently congratulated himself on his progress. He'd found that he preferred training in the Labyrinth, since there were no unexpected variables like wind to worry about. He could focus on the target instead of the physics.
As he went to retrieve his arrows, he noticed Erika walking towards him with a concerned look on her face. He stopped, and Erika came forward and whispered something in his ear. Sarless looked over to Cerubois, still sitting on the far side of the clearing. He nodded to Erika, who attempted a smile in thanks.
As he walked towards Cerubois, Sarless was trying to think of what to say. He definitely wasn't the best at these things. He could barely get the hang of giving orders, and now he was going to try his hand at counseling. The Labyrinth was proving to be quite a different experience than he'd expected…
"Cerubois?"
Cerubois shifted a little, but didn't turn around.
"How's it going?" Sarless asked. 'Good. Start simple.'
"…I'm sorry." Came a barely audible whisper, catching Sarless off guard. He hadn't expected Cerubois to be so straight to the point. How was he supposed to respond to that? 'So much for my process.'
"I've been selfish and rude, but I think… I think I'm ready to be part of the team now." Cerubois continued, standing and talking a little louder, "That is… if you'll let me."
"Cerubois…" Sarless trailed off. He wanted to say something supportive. Something to contradict Cerubois' melancholy, to make Cerubois himself again. But Sarless decided it would be best left to time. He nodded, and saw Cerubois' face lighten a little.
"Hey Sarless," Cerubois said, lowering his voice again, "Do you think… Erika's still mad at me?"
Sarless smirked a little. Maybe it wouldn't take as long as he expected.
He turned around to face the others, who were watching curiously. "Alright everyone. I think that's enough practice for today," Sarless called out making a point to not mention the clash, "I think we have a choice in what to do now."
"Go deeper or go home." Cliff said for him, and Sarless nodded.
Nobody said anything. Sarless understood why. Only Amy knew what to expect on the second floor of the Labyrinth.
"Amy, what do you think?" Sarless asked.
Amy looked back at him, expressionless. "The second floor is more dangerous. There are many more FOEs, as well as stronger monsters in general. But I think you should be fine. You've all improved, and as long as I'm there, there shouldn't be a problem."
"Well, are we agreed then?" Sarless asked the group. "To the next floor?" There was a general consensus within the guild.
"Then let's go."
-----
As the guild reached the end of the narrow path, they slowed to a stop. The stairs lay before them, carved out of the base of a large tree. Many had traveled down this seemingly natural staircase before them. The Radha had contemplated its existence as a clue to the Labyrinth's origin. But like the Labyrinth, it remained a mystery, and was soon simply accepted by explorers as a way to travel through the Labyrinth. Few worried about its nature any more than they worried about falling down it – meaning nothing to them but an extension of the path.
To the Nidhogg Guild, it meant a new trial to face. At the bottom of these stairs lay a more dangerous area of the forest. And after that, a deeper, darker place. An apparently never-ending series of hardships. Did it even have an end?
Sarless stood as a leader in front of the others as they gazed ahead. Their journey along the winding path had been quiet. He knew they were all thinking the same thing.
'Well, aside from Amy. She's probably getting bored of these moments.' He stole a glance to see her expression. She looked surprisingly patient. Perhaps she understood their feelings as novices.
The challenges would continue to become harder from this point on, and by the time a guild approached these steps, they were expected to be prepared for it. Were they prepared?
He looked back to the stairs, thinking.
'I wonder… if Yrsa went beyond this point…'
"Just think about it, Sarless. Fame, fortune, adventure… What more could you want?"
"…"
"Exactly. You could do whatever you feel like! All for just finding the secret of the Labyrinth! It's everything I want! And that's why… I have to go."
'What more could you want…?'
His thoughts were interrupted by the clinking of armour behind them. Another guild had turned the corner and was heading towards them. He saw their leader turn his head to his comrade on the right and whisper something. The other nodded and passed on the message to the rest of the group.
The Nidhogg guild backed off to the side of the path and the arrivals passed by, the leader barely nodding his head towards them in greeting. They filed down the stairs within the large tree and disappeared.
"They looked pretty tough…" Cerubois said in an awed tone.
"They haven't made it past the fifth floor." Amy stated bluntly.
"What?"
"If they'd made it to the next stratum, they'd have used a geomagnetic field to warp there instead of walking."
"She's right, you know, Ceru. They were just trying to impress us." Erika said, smirking.
"And what makes you so sure?" Cerubois' attention turned to her.
"'Cuz I can read lips." She said with a wink.
Cerubois face reddened. 'Did she…?' He looked away to hide his blush. "But what the heck is a geomagnetic field?"
"Oh come on, Ceru, don't you know anything about the Labyrinth? A geomagnetic field is a natural warping field," Erika explained, "You can find them in all the stratums. Though we're not actually sure what the heck they are."
"See, even you don't know what they are." Cerubois said defiantly, crossing his arms.
Erika sighed, but didn't reply. "Well, what are we waiting for? If we don't hurry, they're gonna get all the good monsters."
She turned around and started walking to the stairs, and the others instinctively followed. A confused Cerubois turned to Cliff.
"Did her personality just change?"
Cliff simply gave him a blank look.
Cerubois looked ahead again to observe Erika. She was walking confidently, twirling her small staff like a baton. He was reminded of a parade he'd seen in the Gladsheim kingdom, the way she was leading them. Only then, the parade wasn't heading into the most dangerous place they'd ever been.
Author's Notes:
- Borrdo is a mix between Norse's Borr and the French region of Bordeaux. I've always thought of Cerubois as a French name, so I figured I should make his region reflective of that.
- I guess I better include a little note about the 'stratum' comment, in case you haven't played the game (even though I doubt that is the case :P). The Labyrinth is divided into stratums, or areas, each with its own unique aspect to it (forest, jungle, etc.). It's common for people to judge adventurers by what stratum or floor they've reached.