AN: I think these chapters are steadily getting longer :D Ah, but that's what happens when I write about cute and precious boys being cute and precious~ Haha, hope you enjoy reading~!

Chapter 8:

It was shortly after breakfast that Drayce decided to drag his new guildmates to visit the Guildmaster and officially register as a guild of Iorys. He knew, however, that the registering was to be the easy part. They first needed to prove they had what it took to survive the trappings and dangers of the first floor as well as executing a mission to the exact requirements.

To be honest though he wasn't all that worried. He was a little apprehensive about facing the dangers that gossip like to spread about the labyrinth. He was more concerned about keeping the others safe. He was a dragoon; it was his duty after all. It was also for his sanity's sake. The last thing he wanted was to drag others into danger, or worst get them injured because of him.

Drayce shook his head to clear his thoughts as they walked into the Guild Building.

There was, unsurprisingly, a queue leading up to the registry desk where a man in stocky armour could be seen.

He was obviously the guildmaster. He was adorned head to toe in impressive and honestly intimidating black armour. Not an inch of skin was expose and the thick, box shaped helmet with a golden crest of a dragon on top masked his entire face. Only slender slits in the metal for the eye holes.

How that man could see let alone breathe in that heavy armour, Drayce couldn't even begin to fathom.

But each to their own, right?

"Hm," the man murmured as Drayce and his soon-to-be official teammates finally approached the desk after several minutes of waiting. "I have not seen you around here before. New explorers expecting to conquer the labyrinth in it's entirely, I wonder?"

The way the man asked that question, Drayce couldn't help but feel a sense of agitation to it. Not directed at him exactly, but at the notion of another rookie guild wishing to register. The paper work and constantly lecturing of new guilds would get on anyone's nerves, honestly.

Drayce decided to get straight to the point so not to agitate the intimidating man further. "New explorers? Yes. Looking to conquer the labyrinth? No."

With the oversized helmet, it was extremely difficult to tell what the man could be thinking, but Drayce could definitely feel his eyes on him. Inspecting, critically searching.

"Is that so?" the man returned in a level tone, giving no indication to what he was truly feeling. "Name?"

"Drayce Pendragon."

"Ah, yes," the hulking man suddenly muttered with an air of realisation. "I've been expecting you. Prince Ramus has explained to me that he had requested the presence of a treasure hunter to aid him. Finally found a team that would help you in the labyrinth, have you?"

"Yes, fortunately," Drayce replied. "I wanted to do things right so waited until I had enough members before registering."

"Wise choice," the man replied before he straightened his posture. "I have not introduced myself, have I? I am Egar, guildmaster of Iorys. The registration of your guild is just the first step, as I'm sure you are aware."

Drayce nodded his head. "Oh yes, I'm well aware of the first mission," he said with a small grin.

"Good," Egar simply said as he shuffled through the papers on the desk for a moment and pulled out single piece of paper. "This form is just a formality. I will need a guildname and the names of your guildmates. I take it you have already thought of a guildname for yourselves?"

"Absolutely," Drayce replied as he took the form from him.

He placed it on the desk in front of him and picked up a writing utensil that was situated in a clay cup nearby and quickly wrote in the name of his guild. After that, he wrote in his name, signing off with a signature to make if official. He then took a step to the side to allow those with him to write their names as well.

Blayke step forward first with Faelen close behind. Kamali and Fiorello soon followed suit, each of them signing their name with an air of confidence and relief.

After they had all signed their names, Drayce handed the form back to Egar, who took is and immediately lifted it up to read.

"Angelward, hm?" Egar repeated, seemingly mulling over the name in his head for a few moments. "Unusual name, but it is satisfactory. I do hope that it will become a name of legends and not one lost to the archives like so many have already."

Drayce winced and scratched the back of his neck. "So, ah, a few guilds have been lost already, huh?"

Despite the bulkiness of his armour, Egar crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "Yes, unfortunately. Rushed in without preparation. Energetic, but foolhardy."

Drayce couldn't afford to make the same mistake.

"You are free to pick and choose who joins your guild from here on out," Egar continued. "But try to keep it fewer than thirty. For your sake and mine."

"I promise to restrain myself," Drayce said with a smile.

With a quick goodbye, he ushered the others away from the desk to allow those who had been waiting in line to register themselves. Normally, after a guild had registered themselves, they would head to the Council Hall and receive their mission. But Drayce had already done that so there was nothing really stopping them from launching themselves into the labyrinth right there and then.

He decided against it, though. He wanted to study that first mission document again and do a little more prepping. Just to be sure that they were ready. He didn't want to head in only to be forced out after realising they had forgotten something.

Not a good look for a treasure hunter.

There were a couple of other reasons, though.

"We'll head into the labyrinth tomorrow morning," Drayce said as he and his guildmates made their way back to the Crescentia.

Faelen perked up beside him and gave him a puzzled look. "Why not today?"

Drayce lifted his hand and rapped his knuckles gently against Faelen's forehead. "Because you're still recovering."

"But-!" Faelen immediately began to protest but Drayce quietened him by ruffling his hair.

"Now, no protesting," he said sternly, but still in a gentle tone. "The labyrinth is over a thousand years old. It will still be here tomorrow. There's no need to rush things. You won't be able to see and experience everything if you're in a hurry, can you?"

Faelen seemed deflated as his ears folded back slightly against his head. "Well, no," he admitted.

He seemed really eager to get into the labyrinth. Drayce was sure he had his reasons and though he was curious, he didn't have the right to ask. However, that didn't mean he was going to let Faelen neglect his health again.

"Cheer up," Drayce said as he gave Faelen's hair one last friendly ruffling before pulling his hand back and placing it on his shoulder. "We'll spend all day tomorrow on the first floor. For now, we should at least prepare ourselves for our very first jaunt."

From the back Fiorello made a sound of agreement. "That's fine with me," he said. "I want to inspect that clinic of yours further."

Standing on the other side of Drayce, Blayke also agreed. "Yeah. I should check and recheck my amour, just in case as well."

"Yeah, I should do the same with my shield," Drayce added. "I should also do a bit of practicing as well. Mostly with my Decoy Shield so I get used to summoning it whenever necessary."

And as quickly as possible because he'll be damned if he let any of the monster bastards land a blow on his teammates.

"What about you, Kamali?" Drayce asked as he glanced over his shoulder.

At the back of the small group and glancing at their surroundings idly, and honestly rather listlessly, Kamali slowly turned to face him. His eyes appeared glassy for a moment and it made Drayce remember what Shashi had said yesterday, about how the energies of the city leave Kamali feeling restless and listless.

"Hm?" Kamali murmured before he seemed to catch himself and he tensed up. "Oh, perhaps I should tell my brother of our plans for the day. I should perhaps get some training in myself."

"That's cool," Drayce said. "After you informed your brother, feel free to stop by the Crescentia to train. Plenty of room there."

"Y-yes, of course."

… … … … …

After returning to the Crescentia and everyone parting way to do their own thing for a little bit, Drayce rechecked the details of the first mission before he decided to head into the back garden in hopes to find a training spot for himself. But as he stepped out the large glass panelled backdoors and onto the sandstone tiled patio, he found himself stopping dead in his tracks.

Blayke had said to him yesterday that there was a pond with a bridge in the back garden, but he didn't mention anything about the stone terraces and winding pathways leading up to said pond. Or that it was all covered in overgrowing flowery plants and climbing vines.

From where he stood, he couldn't see the back fence only more overgrown plants and shady trees. The pond seemed self-sufficient as well, the arching bridge over it made of wood panelling with stone railings.

After a moment of admiring the scenery, Drayce turned his gaze to the patio beneath his feet. It was made of solid natural stone, the shape of a semi-circle that reached around the majority of the back of the guildhouse. Large enough to have the entire dining room table and chairs out here with enough room to still move around easily. The stone banisters were covered in green moss and climbing ivy, and on the stone steps led down to the pathway that led to the pond.

It was actually quite beautiful, to be honest.

The patio might actually be a good spot to get some training in.

"Ah," came a soft gasp behind him. "This is…?"

Drayce turned around and waved a hand in greeting. "Ah, you're back. Did you tell your brother?"

Kamali was looking intensely at the scenery of the garden, his eyes wide with interest. Unlike what he looked like outside of the Crescentia, in the streets of Iorys, he appeared bright and energetic. The energy of the Crescentia was beneficial for him, that much was obvious.

"Y-yes," Kamali murmured as he walked over to him, his gaze still lingering on the greenery. "He was rather excited for me."

Drayce tilted his head to the side in curiosity. Though Kamali looked at everything with an expression of intrigue, he couldn't help but feel that there was something bothering him. A look of worry appeared in his eyes the moment his brother was mentioned.

"You looked worried," Drayce commented lightly.

Kamali turned to look at him, subtly startled before he unexpectedly sighed and his shoulders drooped in exasperation. "He fell asleep at his desk again."

Upon immediately recalling the first time Drayce laid eyes on Shashi, he laughed. He hoped he didn't nearly suffocate again. "I see."

"I really worry about leaving him alone," Kamali admitted as he rubbed at his temples with his fingertips.

"You're a very dedicated brother, aren't you?" Drayce found himself commenting. "I bet he worries about you, too."

Kamali nodded his head slowly as he dropped his hands to his sides. "Well, yes, he does," he said before a curious and contemplative expression appeared on his face. "To…to be honest with you I'm a little surprised he told me to join your guild. Usually he would scare away anyone who dares to ask me."

Drayce was slightly startled by the admission. "Perhaps it's because of Ashton. They look close."

Kamali didn't look convinced. "Maybe he saw something in you?"

"Me?" Drayce asked as he dumbly pointed to himself. "Because I'm a treasure hunter. Or maybe the potential for the guildhouse to have a library was what caught his attention?"

"I don't mean that," Kamali said as he chuckled softly into his hand, a small smile on his lips. He winced a moment later, though, and looked to the side. "Though it is a possibility."

Drayce chuckled. "Well, he certainly appears to be a dedicated researcher. He would love the library, I'm sure."

Unexpectedly, a faraway look appeared in Kamali's eyes, dimming the bright violet orbs slightly. "He's…still searching," he murmured softly, the words barely audible.

But Drayce was able to catch them and they piqued his interest. "Hm?"

Kamali blinked before he flushed slightly at having been caught mumbling. He fidgeted slightly as he looked down at the ground. "Well…"

Drayce immediately knew that he was uncomfortable. "Ah, it's personal, right? You don't have to tell me if you don't want."

Those words seemed to calm Kamali and reassure and he lifted his gaze back up to regard Drayce once more. "Maybe later," he said before he motioned to the area around them with a wave of his hand. "What are you doing out here?"

"Inspecting the back garden in search for a training spot," Drayce readily admitted as he turned his gaze to their surroundings as well, to the moss covered stone pillars and terraces. "Looks as treacherous as the labyrinth, doesn't it?"

Next to him, Kamali chuckled lightly once again. "Yes, it certainly does."

"No need to go all the way out there, though," Drayce continued as he folded his arms. "I can practice my summoning here on the patio."

"Hm?" Kamali made a sound of interest. "Summoning?"

Drayce simply grinned as he took a couple of steps forward to give himself some room. "Here, let me show you."

He closed his eyes for a moment to concentrate. After a few seconds on focusing on his intentions, a rush of energy rushed through him and he felt that energy dissipate only to appear in the air before him. He opened his eyes to see a bunker in the form of his trusty shield in front of him. The kick-stand was out, allowing for the shield to stand alone.

"This little baby is called Decoy Bunker," Drayce explained as he rested an elbow on the bunker and casually leaned against it. "It's an etheric illusion pulled into physical form that irritates the monsters into attacking it instead of any of us."

Kamali immediately pushed himself forward to inspect the bunker, circling it and giving it the occasional poke. "Amazing," he murmured. "You were able to pull this from etheric plain and gave it a physical form."

Drayce nodded his head. "At this point in time I can only have three of these puppies out at one time. I can call more only if one of the three is destroyed."

Kamali stood up straight and held his chin in thought for a moment. "I suspect that with training you can increase the defence?" he questioned.

"That's what they say," Drayce answered as he pushed away from the bunker and placed his hands on his hips. "Hey, you said you wanted to do some training, right? Why not test yourself against this?"

"Huh?" Kamali murmured as he dropped his hand from his chin and turned his head to look at Drayce with curious eyes.

Once more Drayce grinned at him. "Why not?" he returned as he lifted a hand and lightly tapped at the steel bunker with his knuckles. "Doesn't matter if you destroy it, I'll just call forth another one. Besides, it'll be good for me to get used to calling them anyway. So go all out."

Kamali appeared apprehensive. "I, ah, guess I can try."

"Hey, don't worry," Drayce said as he clasped his hand against Kamali's shoulder and sent him a wink. "The garden needs a bit of a prune anyway."

A startled blink was soon followed by a soft chuckle. "I think I'll settle with ice attacks for now," Kamali returned.

"Suit yourself," Drayce said good-naturedly. "But, hey, maybe I should get Blayke involved. Maybe the two of you can work together with your elemental abilities and Blayke's chase skills. Wait here, I'll go get him and we can train together."

Kamali nodded his head eagerly. "Ah, ok!"

… … … … …

After a couple of hours training and then a hearty dinner over some friendly conversations, it grew late. Everyone had gone their separate way to retire for the night. Drayce had ventured upstairs to the drawing room to double check his map-making kit was in order before venturing back down to the second floor to make his way to his own room.

He was feeling good about tomorrow. Blayke and Kamali had gotten some training in and were able to coordinate a few attacks, which was good to see. Drayce had also figured out a way to summon his Decoy Bunkers a few seconds faster. Not an immediate thing, but a few seconds were better than nothing.

As Drayce walked through the hallways of the Crescentia he noticed light coming from under the door leading to the bedroom that Faelen had taken. The rover wasn't allowed to join in on the training because he had to ensure that his health was top-notch for when they finally set foot in the labyrinth.

To see the light still on in his room was a little concerning. Wouldn't hurt to check in on him.

Drayce knocked lightly on the door. "Faelen? You still awake?"

He heard a slight squeak from the other side and the sound of someone trying to clamber back into bed. With a slight shake of his head, but with a smile on his lips nonetheless, Drayce opened the door.

"Everything all right?" Drayce asked as he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. "Can't sleep?"

Faelen was sat in bed with the blankets pooled at his waste. Nashoba was asleep on a mat at the foot of his bed. And next to the white-furred wolf was an explorer's kit along with an bow and arrow set. Obviously Faelen had been rechecking his equipment, no doubt excited for what tomorrow may bring them.

"Ah, nervous about tomorrow?" Drayce questioned as he crossed the room to stand by Faelen's bed.

"A little," Faelen admitted. "Do you think we'll be able to complete the first mission tomorrow?"

Drayce shrugged. "Don't know, but we'll try."

Faelen nodded his head idly as his hands toyed with the blankets on his lap. He seemed to be mulling something over in his head. "Hey, Drayce? Can I tell you something?"

"Sure, of course," Drayce immediately replied as he sat down on the edge of Faelen's bed. "Is there something bothering you?"

Again, Faelen nodded his head. "You told me your reason for entering the labyrinth. I want to tell you mine."

"Sure, I'm listening."

Faelen pressed his lips together for a moment before he drew in a deep breath and spoke, "I'm looking for my brother."

Drayce was surprised and he felt his eyes widen slightly. "Brother?"

"Well, he's actually my cousin," Faelen explained as he pulled his knees to his chest and he wrapped his arms around them. "A few years older than me but we were raised by our grandmother as brothers."

"What happened to him?" Drayce asked with genuine concern as his heart seemed to skip a beat for whatever reason.

"He and Grandma were fighting a lot," Faelen continued, his ears folding flat against his head in a dejected and disheartened manner. "I don't know what about or why as they never told me. But after a huge argument he ran away from home. That was a few months ago now and I haven't seen or heard from him since."

Drayce immediately felt his heart go out to the rover. "You think he was drawn here because of the labyrinth?"

Resting his chin atop of his knees, Faelen nodded his head. "He always wanted to be an adventurer. But…"

"What is it?"

Faelen struggled to find the right words for a few moments. "It's…though he and grandma didn't get along; I just can't imagine him running away without telling me at least."

"I see," Drayce murmured, not knowing what else to say. "The two of you were close?"

"Yeah," Faelen replied, his eyes downcast.

Drayce quietly studied the purple and blue haired rover for a moment. "Does your grandmother know that you're here, too?" he questioned.

Faelen noticeably stiffened before he gave a skittish one shoulder shrug. "Well, kinda."

"Kinda?" Drayce repeated as he arched a sceptical eyebrow at him.

Faelen sunk down into his pillows in defeat. "She didn't want me to go but I wanted to find my brother."

Drayce sighed as he reached out to gently ruffle Faelen's hair. "You should write to her," he said, not in a scolding tone though, but an understanding one. "Tell her that you're safe and with a guild now. It will ease her worry, I'm sure. If she's anything like my Grandmamma, she wouldn't want to lose both her precious grandsons."

Faelen peered up at Drayce with a curious expression. "Your grandma?"

"Ah," Drayce murmured as he pulled back his hand when a sharp pain of mourning hit him in the chest. "She died a few months ago, unfortunately."

"I'm sorry," Faelen said in genuine sympathy.

"That's why I want you to least think about writing to your grandmother, ok?" Drayce said as he pushed himself to his feet. "But for now, try to get some rest. Tomorrow we'll head into the labyrinth for the first time. Need you to be in top shape."

"Ok," Faelen relented as he settled himself comfortably into his bed, rolling onto his side to watch Drayce walk to the door. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Drayce returned before he opened the door and stepped out into the hall, quietly closing the door behind him.

When the door clicked, signalling that it had closed, Drayce allowed a grimace of pain to spread across his face. The expression stayed as he turned and idly made his way in the direction of his room. He found his hand moving on its own accord to clutch at his shirt against his chest.

Drayce felt his chest unexpectedly tighten further from a sting of pain as he own words echoed through his head. Wouldn't want to lose both precious grandsons. Why? Why did those words hurt his chest so much?

"Drayce?"

Startled, Drayce jumped slightly and turned to look behind him. He was surprised to find Blayke a few steps behind him with a scowl of concern on his face. "Ah, yeah?"

"What's wrong?" Blayke asked him bluntly, his brow furrowing further when he noticed Drayce's hand grasping at his chest.

Drayce blinked before he abruptly dropped his hand from his chest and idly moved his hand behind his back. "It's…nothing, don't worry about it."

Blayke didn't look convinced. At all.

"Ah, hey?" Drayce said, purposely interrupting him from questioning him further. "Be sure to write to your parents to let them know that you're ok, ok?"

An expression of surprise appeared on Blayke's face and he blinked dumbly at him for a few seconds. "Sure," he finally uttered.

"Good," Drayce smiled brightly before he turned on his head to continue his way to his room, waving a hand cheerfully over his shoulder as he did so. "Let's try to get some sleep. We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

That was right. He had other important things to think about. Better get himself into the mindset of a treasure hunter and explorer.

Right. First floor, here we come~!