A/N: Hola~ *punched**your not Spanish, goddamit* Haha, anyway, wow I finally find time to do this TTvTT btw, if how I write looks a bit... weird, I've been rp-ing quite a bit on Tumblr lately, so yeah~
Alright, let's start!
Warning & Disclaimer in. The. First. CHAPTER. GOD. How many times do I need to write this?
Anyway, enjoy~!
Chronicles of the Drowned City.
C.8: Exploring the second floor.
They could sleep yes, but uneasiness still overcame them as the sun rose and eyes opened. Especially for poor Zakharia.
She fell asleep last, simply because of Chitose's presence. The smell still lingered in the air that night, even though they got rid of it. Somehow though, she managed to force herself to sleep.
When her eyes opened, though, it was wide, but foggy.
The one thing that scares Zakharia of Chitose isn't really her tendencies to kill animals or her ominous persence. It's more to... how she kill those animals. It reminded her of something.
That something would be how her parents died.
She got home one night, only to find blood all over her house, and further in, her parents, hacked up, like those animals that Chitose killed were. Except this time, they were partially burnt as well. Right on top of the bodies was a book- a Zodiak's book.
Oh, how she wished she was blind then...
And that was the nightmare - memory, actually, that plauged her that night.
But enough about that.
Soon, everyone got ready, and when they were, they headed down into the Labyrinth.
"So, where did you last left off, Yuki?" Heinrich asked. Even though Yuki and the other few people have been in the Labyrinth yesterday only to do a quest, he could've traveled further.
"We haven't really gone that far, so we still have quite a bit to map," Yuki then handed the map to Heinrich.
"If ya need any help, I'm free to help," said Rudollf.
"Hey, wait a sec'," everyone's attention turned to Adisa ,"aren't there only 5 people allowed to enter the Labyrinth per Guild?"
"That's true...," mused Heinrich.
"Hey, didn't ya hear me? I said if ya need help, I'm free to. I take it ya got a ship, don't 'cha?" asked Rudollf. Cia nodded eagerly at this.
"Ah, that's right. Your a Buccaneer. Alright, I guess I'll let you handle the ship then," Heinrich said, relieved to have a Buccaneer in the Guild.
Everyone then split up and went on their way. Chitose decided to go and tag along with Heinrich, Adisa and Yuki. Zakharia decided to go with Cia, Guad and Rudollf on the ship. The nightmares and memories are still plauging her, and with her state of mind right now, it's best if she just head off to sea. It's less dangerous, after all.
-Yggdrasil Labyrinth-
Their walk was silent, as Heinrich mapped out the rest of the floor. Yuki and Adisa kept a lookout for shortcuts that they can access, while Chitose kept a lookout for animals she may be able to bring back later.
They then reached the end of the first floor, on the southeastern side of the map. Finsihing up the map, Heinrich motioned for the others to go down the stairs.
Almost immediately as they climbed the last of the steps, they felt an ominous presence. Keeping quiet, the group treaded carefully forward, until they stopped when they heard a voice.
"Hold, explorers! There is much you should know to survive these depths. Heed my advise."
They all turned to see a man, with long, blonde hair, and armor resembling that of Yuki's. Another Shogun? He also has that... presence, a presence that gives of the fact that he's more mature than most would think upon seeing him for the first time.
"Is this your first time on the second floor?" the man asked.
"Yes, actually," Adisa answered ,"and... who are you?" she asked back, slightly suspicious.
"For now, that is none of your concern," the man answered, then proceeded to point north of where they are right now.
There, a few feet away from them, stood a beast, which doesn't seem to notice them. The man then spoke.
"Those who have come out of the first floor triumphantly... tend to get wiped out here, by this beast's hands."
The man then faced the group again,"There are some fights that you can't win. If that's the case, then it'd be wise for you to stay back and avoid it." With that, the man took of, heading towards the stairs.
The group looked at one another.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to find a way past these things then?" Heinrich nodded at Adisa. He then examined the area. The beast is currently standing between them and an intersection which they may be able to go through to go around the monster. An idea then popped up. Heinrich then walked towards the monster.
"H-Heinrich! What are you doing?!" Adisa exclaimed. Heinrich shushed her, and then walked forward until he's within the monster's view. It noticed him, then started chasing him. Heinrich started running, luring the monster into where they were standing. He motioned for the others to go through the path now, and they did. Heinrich then managed to slip past the monster, and after some running, it lost them. They all stopped to catch their breath, Chitose jumping down from one of the tree branches.
"Well, that thing certainly is quite the find. I was hoping we could kill it, but then again," Chitose then turned to look back at the path they came in from ,"we could've been cut up by him instead. Oh well..."
Yuki sighed, looking at her. Either she just loves taxidermy and they all just misunderstood her, or she really does have something wrong with her brain.
They all then continued, encountering more of those beasts in the worst locations –those being narrow pathways or intersections-, until they came to the northern part of the map where they encounter a... to say the least, a rather shady looking girl wearing a blue cloak, with dark, purple hair.
"Hello. It's nice to meet you," she greeted. The girl seemed a bit different from the boy they met just now. She seems less... stern, so to say. "Are you explorers of Armoroad?" she asked. The group nodded, looking slightly bewildered. That girl almost seemes... not human.
"You needn't be frightened," the girl began,"my name is Olympia. I'm active in helping explorers like you," she explained. She then reached out to one of her bags and handed it to them.
"This is a camping set. If you need to rest, you could always find a safe spot to here and set up camp," she explained. Adisa smiled. Yuki mentally sighed. Good. They don't have to waste too much money on Ariadne Threads now.
She then points to east of where they are. "That way lies a camping ground. You could set up camp there now if you'd like." She then turned to the group again ,"Also, I'll be staying there for now. Should you want to talk to me some more, you could find me there." She then walked off, towards the camping ground.
"Whew... thank goodness for that, I was starting to think there are no safe spots in this place," Adisa mused.
'And we don't have to waste too much money on Ariadne Threads,' Yuki thought ,'Then again... how much will that girl charge for a single tent?' He did not want to know, that's for sure.
Heinrich then started walking, continuing to map, while the others followed. They then entered the camping ground and saw Olympia sitting on the far left corner of the small room. They mapped the room, greeted Olympia, and went on their way.
A few more twists and turns (and getting their asses chased around by those monsters again), and a sealed door with a star like crystal in front of it, they came upon a certain pathway. When they stepped into it though, they felt their legs got stuck. Lifting it up is a challange enough. As they got out, their boots are dirty with mud. They then noticed another one of those monsters have passed them by, not noticing them. The group mentally heaved a sigh of relief, glad that the monster didn't notice their little srtuggle there just now.
"So... how do we go through that thing?" Adisa asked.
"We wait." Yuki motioned for the others to stay put, as the monster went from once corner to the other. As soon as it passed them, they moved, trying their best to move as quick as they can in the mud. Thankfully they got out of the sticky puddle before that thing can catch up to them. They ran though the passageway, before they entered a clearing, with a chest on the far-left corner. Quickly grabbing the item, they went back through the puddle of mud, then sneaked past the monster again and resumed their exploration.
A few more confusing pathways, and they came across a girl, wearing a Zodiak's uniform, but with the bottom side open, revealing her stomach. She seems to be looking for something. She then noticed the group, and rushed over to them.
"E-excuse me! Sorry for bothering you," she began,"My name's Hypatia, and I'm an astrologer from the Murotsumi Guild. I'm in some big trouble right now...," she explained, her hair swaying as she spoke. The others nodded, some having slight trouble keeping up with her.
"What is it?" Adisa asked.
"Well," Hypatia began," Agata, a young ninja from my guild, got carried away and ran deep into the forest by himself!" She exclaimed, massaging her temples.
"I've looked everywhere, but I still can't find him..," she then turned back to the group,"he's a little excited ball of energy," she explained,"have you seen anyone like that?"
"Not that we know of, no," Heinrich answered. At this, Hypatia slightly hardened the pressure she's applying to her temples while massaging it.
"W-well, can you help me find him then? He couldn't have gotten far, so if you see him, would you mind telling me?" Heinrich thought about the request a little bit, before nodding.
"I guess we could," he said. Hypatia smiled joyfully at this.
"Thank you! I'll be looking around here again, so if you find him, bring him here, alright?" she said before scurrying off, starting her search again.
Well, they could always look for Agata while mapping. How much farther can they go, though..?
-To Be Continued-
A/N: Hey, a little backstory for our little Zodiak! Haha, and sorry if this chapter is short... I'm facing a kind of block right now, and well... MY EYELIDS CAN'T STAY OPEN FOR MUCH LONGER TTnTT...
So yeah, this chapter'll be divided up into two parts~
And now I shall sleep *crawls under covers*