#Angelward Guild

[theshatteredrose]

Do any of your characters get motion sickness? (Carriage sick, sky ship sick, sea boat sick)?

Hmm, good question.

I can't see any of my CtS/Guardian Boys getting motion sickness. Maybe Tobyn and Ryker, but that's out of anxiety rather than motion sickness. See, both are survivalists, so both are more aware of their surroundings. So, any change to that surroundings is going to activate their fight-or-flight response. I see the two of them having the hardest time on sky ships and sea ships. Though, the way Lagaard is set up, these boys don't necessarily need to constantly use modes of transportation.

My EO3/Aurora Guild boys, poor Owyn (monk with glasses portrait) is the one who gets seasick and hates anything having to do with that cursed sea ship or quests. Which is difficult living on an island. Oracle takes pity on him before seasickness is no laughing matter, so lets him stay landlocked. But there are times when he has to be on a ship.

Again, for my ALE/C/Phaedron Boys, I can't see any of them dealing with motion sickness. Which is very fortunate for them. They all took to flying like a duck to water. Sailing on a boat in rough seas may be a different story, however. They've never experienced that.

For my TTS/Angelward Boys, the only thing they've had to deal with is carriages, and none of them have issues with motion sickness, which is very fortunate. It's usually Drayce and Blayke who are the ones who are trotting back and forth from the council building by carriage, anyway.

There are definitely certain characters I imagine getting queasy or anxious should there be rough weather conditions. Like two already mentioned, but also; Lirit, Hamza, Shen, Falkner, Roxbury, Bryce, Jaeger, Drayce, Blayke, Ashton, Kamali.

Special mention to all the medics who are busy taking care of everyone feeling sick and anxious. They're too busy to be feeling any kind of motion sickness!

[thegreatpikminzx789]

Beyond the Stars - Etrian Odyssey V - Chapter 6

Wattpad | Ao3 | Fanfiction.Net

Chapter Summary: The Lux Guild begins to explore the labyrinth, only to find a mysterious item of sorts. When things turn for the worse that night, they turn to an experienced treasure hunting guild for help.

AN: Starting from here, there may be certain points where I will use prompts from @theshatteredrose to fill in some story segments for Beyond the Stars. Not that there's anything wrong with having nothing but explore and explore, but sometimes a little fun with another guild can add variety, and it never hurts to change things up a bit.

Drayce belongs to TheShatteredRose.

The day was still bright, as the Lux Guild finally set foot in the first floor of the labyrinth. The soft, wet grass soaking against their feet- well, for Keiko, the grass merely felt like an obstacle. The sun's rays pierced through the leaves, hitting the floor with enough sunlight for explorers to venture through the floor.

"Whoa… this is… beautiful..." grinned Korey, as he looked around in awe. "Ladies, and gentleman, this is the Yggdrasil’s first stratum: the Tutelary Forest." Hilda declared, as the other girls started to wonder a bit from the group.

"It’s so gorgeous… Out of all the forests I’ve been to, this one takes the cake." Kyo sighed, glancing toward Keiko as she knelt to place her hand in the water.

"Even the water here is pretty… Ooooooo~" the Therian cooed, making little ripples in the water.

"So, who’s going to do the mapping?" questioned Demetria. "Well," Hilda began. "I won’t be in charge of mapping the floors after a certain point on the third floor, but I can teach you how to make maps, Demetria. We’re going to need someone with a sharp eye, and you proved that often back in Iorys."

"Alright," Demetria nodded. "I suppose learning never hurts…" Hilda takes out a piece of paper and places it in Demetria's hands, as she goes over how mapping works. The brown skinned Celestrian walks over to Korey.

"I’d never thought we’d see such a beautiful sight for the first floor…" she began, the fencer nodding in agreement. "Neither did I, Kyo… Once we’re done with the mission, we can start climbing the Yggdrasil tree beyond the first floor." Korey hummed, noticing Keiko hopping around a bit before stopping next to Kyo and Korey.

"It’s going to be so much FUN!" she chirped, as the fencer couldn't help but chuckle at her excitement. "You bet it will, Keiko. I guarantee it!" He beamed.

"Though, are you sure our current equipment will get us through this first floor?" Kyo inquired, seeing as everyone got new weapons to start off their journey through Yggdrasil. "I’m positive, Kyo. We’re gonna need to get items from monsters in order for new weapons to be made, as Syrik said to us, it shouldn't be hard..." Korey reassured the Celestrian.

"Though certain monsters have conditional drops… And I’ve heard that explorers had quite a hard time trying to get some of them." Keiko protested, as Korey placed a finger on his chin, almost reconsidering his previous sentence...

"...Okay, maybe it WILL be harder than I thought." He admitted, as Keiko and Kyo laughed at his sudden take back of his sentence. Hilda and Demetria soon stood beside them.

"I’ve taught Demetria the basics of mapping, but for the time being, I will map out this floor and the second floor. After that, it’s completely new territory beyond one particular point on the third floor." Hilda declared, letting everyone else know why they had to wait for as long as they did.

"Got it. Everyone ready to go get this mission done?" Korey inquired, though needless to say, he already got his answer when they nodded at him.

They start by marking off the left side of the beginning area, as Korey notices some fish around a certain part of the area. "This spot seems like it’d be a good spot to get some fish…" Korey noted, as Keiko overheard the Fencer.

"It sure will. But we’d be here all day if we do…" Keiko disputed.

Well, she's right about that. Depending on how good the fisher is, they'd either be here and gone in a few minutes, or just stuck here for hours. "...Good point. Let’s just get back on track." He sighed, getting up to follow the others.

After coming across a guard whose watching over some chickens, they continue onward. Even conquering a mud puddle, for one weird reason or another... Yet, despite their searching and mapping of the entire area, they've yet to encounter one monster.

"I’m staaaarving…" Keiko groaned. Kyo rolled her eyes, "Seriously, Keiko? We JUST ate right before we left to go see Prince Ramus, how could you be this hungry already?" She questioned.

"She can be like that, on occasion... something I don’t quite understand how it works." Demetria stated. "Well, once we’re done here, we can get something to eat at the inn." Korey reassured the Therian, as she sighed, looking around a bit before noticing an acorn on the ground.

"Oooooh, an acorn…" she groaned, making her way over to it, with no one else paying attention to where she's going. "That’s nice, Keiko, just don’t try to-" Hilda stopped herself, both in speech, and in movement. She made a sharp turn to face Keiko.

"Don’t eat that acorn, Keiko!"

"Huh? Why not?" As Keiko turned to face Hilda, the Therian was blissfully unaware of the acorn breaking free, gaining eyes and feet, before jumping and hitting Keiko on the head. "Owww!" She yelled, getting knocked to the ground as the Acorn attempted to tackle her head multiple times.

Everyone else's attention turned to Keiko when she heard her yell in pain. "Keiko!" Korey gasped, bringing out his weapon as he swiftly went to Keiko's side. Demetria pulled Keiko away from the sentient acorn and helps her up.

"You bloody idiot! Why did you think it was just going to be food for you?!" Demetria shouted, as the other Therian weakly reached for the Acorn. "It looked so innocent, I just wanted to eaaaat it…" She replied.

"That’s a Rabid Acorn, Keiko." Hilda began, placing the map away. "Alone, or with groups similar to it, it poses little to no threat, but when grouped with two other creatures, these guys can become a problem real quick." she explained. Korey quickly realizes she did not draw her weapon.

"Aren’t you going to help us fight it?" he asked. "And end the fight like that? I already have some experience fighting against these creatures, you know... because..." Hilda looked away from Korey, the fencer recalling what she meant.

"Oooooh, right, right, I getcha…" He uttered, before focusing his attention back to the Rabid Acorn before him. "Kyo, let’s show it how its done!" The purple haired Celestrian nodded in return.

"Got it." Kyo hummed, taking out her staff as it emitted a purple light, before turning red like a raging fire. "Taste Fireball, sucker!"

She points at the Rabid Acorn, as the energy condenses together at the end of the purple light, forming a literal fireball, launching it at the Acorn as it falls backwards from being hit. Beta hears a bush shake, growling as another Rabid Acorn shows up to assist in the fight, making its way right for Kyo. "More company. Go get ‘em, Beta!" Demetria ordered, shooting an arrow at the Acorn to get its attention.

Upon being hit, the Acorn turned to the source of the attack, only to be greeted by Beta's sharp claws in its face, launching it back. "How about this?! Optic Thrust!" Korey yelled, swiftly running to the launched Rabid Acorn and cuts through it, as its now split corpse falls to the ground, as the other Acorn finally managed to get up.

Keiko starts growling. "Why you’ll… you’ll pay for this, Mr. Innocent Acorn!" She screamed, charging right for the Rabid Acorn.

The poor thing didn't even see it coming. Before it did anything else, Keiko went in, swords swinging like a madman, and just cutting the Rabid Acorn to shreds. And it kept going for a while.

"I think it’s dead, Keiko." Korey said, befuddled by Keiko's constant swinging. "Keiko, I think that’s enough…" Hilda tried, but still no sign of the Therian stopping anytime soon. They turned to Demetria, who sighs before taking a deep breath.

"Keiko! That’s enough!" She yelled, getting the Masurao to stop swinging wildly. "Wha-?!" Keiko blinked, looking where the Rabid Acorn once stood.

It literally turned into mere powders of what remained of it. Freaking brutal, yet surprising, coming from somebody who called an Acorn, 'Mr. Innocent Acorn'. "O-Oh… d-did I just do that?" She asked, looking at the others when she did.

"Yes... Yes you did." Korey confirmed, before a sudden snarl made everyone on high alert. "Seems like we’ve attracted something..." He uttered, as Hilda blinked in surprise.

"Huh… here I thought we wouldn’t see them this early into the first floor." She spoke to herself. "See what, Hilda?" Keiko inquired, curious as to what she was talking about.

"...A Wild Dog." She began. As if the timing couldn't be excellent, a giant red hound-like creature rushed out of the bushes, charging right towards the Harbinger.

"Hilda, watch out!" Korey warned just in the nick of time. She swung her scythe at the dog, causing it to stop then and there, leaping backwards to the others.

"Thanks for the warning. I've heard that their bites can hurt quite a lot. I suggest you be cautious and not stand too close to it." She thanked Korey, before warning everyone of its bite.

"Understood! Take this!" Demetria shot an arrow at the Wild Dog, as Beta shortly followed suit, scratching the enemy before backing away before it could strike back.

Kyo’s staff soon starts emitting a light blue glow where the purple light once remained. "Icicle Lance!" Kyo raised her staff into the air, before pointing at the enemy, as a few icicles launched from the lance. The Wild Dog flinched every time the icicles hit it.

Hilda couldn't help but whistle in surprise, looking at the Warlock with a smile on her face. "Impressive... I never thought you knew the weakness of a Wild Dog this quick." She complimented, as the purple haired Warlock blushed a little bit.

"Heheh, I may have guessed that on my own but... T-Thanks for the compliment. " Kyo admitted, trying to hide her blush as Korey rushed in for the final blow on the enemy.

"Hiyaaah!" Korey yelled, slashing his sword at the Wild Dog, as it let out one last whimper before it falls, no longer breathing. Korey takes out his weapon, and cleans the sword of the blood on it, as everyone started to calm down from the battle that occurred.

"That takes care of that… And we didn’t even have to suffer more severe injuries." Korey took a deep breath, sheathing his weapon as everyone else started to sheathe their weapons too.

"That’s a start." Hilda nodded, before turning to Keiko, who was rubbing her head where the Rabid Acorn hit her. She notices Hilda, and looks to face her.

"Although I can only advise you- more specifically, to everyone: there will be points in the labyrinth where we can get food. But whatever you do, do not go trusting suspicious food, like the Rabid Acorn. If more Wild Dogs were around, that would’ve been quite disastrous…" Hilda explained, as the Therian gazed at the ground for a few seconds.

"I’m sorry, Hilda… I’ll try and heed your advice." Keiko apologized, feeling the Harbinger's hand pat her shoulder. "Apology accepted, Keiko." she beamed.

"It’s a learning experience for all of you, and I’m only telling you what I know so that you all can survive the labyrinth. Cause while it is pretty, we’re not even close to starting on our journey. To die here this early is, shall we say, a kick to the face..." She continued, getting the map she previously stowed away back out.

"But now that the monsters are gone, we can proceed back on track." Demetria beamed, getting up from petting her hound. "Right… The sooner we get the samples and the map complete, the better." Korey concluded, leading the guild away from the area the battle occurred.

After walking around for a few minutes, they spot the huge tree they had seen earlier from the entrance of the stratum. "This must be the tree where we get a branch sample, right?" Korey asked.

"Indeed. There should be one that’s close enough for us to reach it..." Hilda noted, as Demetria points to the nearest one.

"There's one. Keiko, can you reach it?" Demetria queried, as Keiko stood under the branch and grabbed the branch, snapping it at the end portion. "Got it!" Keiko exclaimed, as Kyo chuckled to herself.

"Talk about cheating with height..." Kyo grinned, as Korey scratched his head. "Well, she does have those shoes that make her seem more taller than one would expect." He explained, leaving the Celestrian to shrug.

Demetria walks over to Keiko, before her eyes glanced at something in the water. The Harbinger noticed and walked up to her. "What’s up, Demetria?"

Demetria turned to look at Hilda. "There’s something down where Keiko pulled the branch sample, but I’m not sure what it is..." She replied, pointing to where she saw the item. Korey bent down and placed his bag down beside him.

"Allow me to try and get it." Korey hummed, reaching in the water. It took some time to get an actual grip on it, but he soon gets it out of the water, washing some of the dirt on it revealing the item to be a box of sorts. It was decorated rather fashionably, jewels and gems placed all around it.

"Whoooaaa…" Kyo gasped, looking at the box from afar. "That's soooo cooool!" Keiko squealed, as Demetria knelt to her knees to gaze at it.

"It’s so beautiful..." Demetria chirped, shocked at the sheer beauty of the decorated box before them.

"Is that a jewelry box?" Hilda inquired, as Korey looked at it from multiple angles to be sure. "Seems like it. But who would leave it here on the first floor?" Korey wondered.

"I'm not sure who, since nobody seems to be around to confirm its theirs..." Kyo also wondered. "Can you try opening it?" Keiko inquired, thinking there might be some way to open it.

Korey attempts to slip his fingers through the line and break it open, but after trying a few times, nothing seems to come to fruition. "Can’t get it to open..." He admitted, the box quickly vanishing from his vision.

"Let me try..." Demetria spoke, as she tried bashing it against the ground, hoping it would eventually give in. "Don't do that, sis! What if the thing inside that box is fragile?!" Keiko exclaimed, as Demetria stopped in her tracks.

She did have a point. It's a box. It's most likely containing something within it. Demetria dusted off the dirt on it and sighed in defeat, handing it back to Korey.

"Are you sure it’s not magically guarded?" questioned Hilda. "I can’t be sure. Even if I happen to know what it is, getting it off might take some time..." Kyo spoke up after trying to detect its mana. She probably wasn't proficient enough to detect what kind it is.

"Oh well. Might as well take it with us and see if we can find any means of opening it..." Korey shrugged, placing the jewelry box in the bag and started to stand up. "I suppose it can’t hurt to take it along, seeing as that didn’t happen before on my first visit…" Hilda agreed.

"So all that’s left is the dirt sample, right?" Keiko commented, as the white haired girl nodded in return. "Right. The map segment Ramus required to be drawn is already done, so the sample of dirt is all that remains." She explained, letting Korey take the lead once more.

It didn't take them long to find the spot in question. The ground had a different texture compared to the floor they've been walking on this whole time. Kyo grabs a sample, slipping it into a plastic bag that Korey had brought in his bag.

"Done and done~" Kyo beamed, giving the sample to Korey to place in the bag. "Well, that about does it for the mission, I must say." Demetria hummed, glad the mission is over with without any major issues.

"Indeed. Everyone did a fantastic job." Korey grinned, giving everyone a smile, which caused a few of them to smile as well.

"The second floor onward won’t be this easy, Korey. We must exercise caution at all times." Hilda reassured him, recalling the words she said earlier from their battle with the Wild Dog and Rabid Acorn.

"Right. Anyways, let’s report to Prince Ramus." Korey concluded, after looking up at the sky to see what time it was. They made their way back to the entrance of the Tutelary Forest, and walked back to Iorys, making it back around sunset.

Prince Ramus was reading a book that intrigued him, before he noticed the Lux Guild approaching him. He placed the book down as he stood up and walked over to the approaching guild.

"I see you've returned. Did you get the samples, along with completing what I outlined on the map?" Ramus inquired.

"We sure did!" Keiko replied, handing him the samples, and Hilda showed off the map to him. "Ah, marvelous work. Marvelous work indeed." He hummed, handing the samples of the dirt and branch to the guard next to him.

Korey placed a finger on his chin, seeming to be in deep thought for a moment before looking at the Earthlain prince. "So, why make us go through the labyrinth to get a sample of wood and dirt?" he inquired.

"It’s to make sure that the explorers are worthy of traveling through Yggdrasil. And you all passed with flying colors." Ramus explained. "Exploration of the Yggdrasil is now open to you, members of the Lux Guild."

Needless to say, Keiko, Demetria, and Kyo both cheered in joy, as Hilda and Korey grew smiles on their faces. "Oooooh, it feels like I’m dreaming…" Keiko sighed, placing her hands next to her cheeks.

"Seeing the prince again, or the fact we’re finally exploring Yggdrasil?" Demetria inquired, confused by what Keiko meant. "Prooobably both~" Keiko replied, leaving her twin sister to sigh and shake her head.

"Now that you’re able to explore the labyrinth, you can now buy an important item known as the Ariadine Thread." Ramus began. "They’re helpful since they return you to Iorys in a matter of seconds. Just show this card to Syrik and he’ll sell you them." he continued, picking up a card and hands it to Korey.

"I see. I guess it can't hurt to get at least one or two of these Ariadine Threads before we head back into the labyrinth." Korey noted, placing the card in his bag.

"You’re also now able to handle the quests at the tavern. We only allow certified guilds to tackle the quests that are posted there." Ramus added.

"Probably for a good reason, I assume?" Kyo queried, as the Earthlain Prince nodded in response.

"Anyways, we should head back to the inn, night’s about to fall." Hilda declared, as everyone took note of the sky's color slowly changing. "Good idea…" Demetria concurred.

"I hope you rest well tonight." Ramus hummed, waving good-bye to the guild before him. "We will, your Highness." Korey waved back, before catching up with the others.

As they arrive back in Jenetta's Inn, the green haired Therian hoped over to them as soon as they entered, wondering how the exploration mission went. Hilda and the others took turns on explaining how it went, and that they made it with not problems whatsoever. "That’s wonderful! Soon, you’ll begin climbing the Yggdrasil for real!" Jenetta hummed, clapping her hands in joy.

"Yeah, everyone’s excited to get started. It only feels like yesterday that we started out recruiting three guild members..." Kyo chuckled, already feeling like they've accomplished so much.

"It sure feels like it, Kyo." Korey agreed, as he lets out a yawn, before placing some money in front of Jenetta. "Anyways, we need a room to rest, Jenetta." He groaned, trying to stay awake.

"Ah yes, your room. Let me show you to your room for tonight~" Jenetta graciously accepted the money, before skipping to the stairs, motioning for the guild to follow her. She stops at the third door on the second floor, opening the door for them.

"If you need anything, feel free to let me know!" Jenetta added, as Korey, Keiko, and Demetria passed by her. "Got it, Jenetta." Hilda noted, before closing the door after Kyo came in. Korey opened the curtains to reveal the gorgeous night sky...

"Well, this room is more bigger than the other room..." Kyo commented. "Still got two beds though." Keiko sighed, not liking the idea of having to deal with two beds. They were close to having more beds, but not in the way she expected it to be.

"I guess she just expects us to be all comfortable with each other, or something." Demetria shrugged, unable to find the right words to call Jenetta's attempt of 'group bonding'. "But there’s only one man in our entire guild. Here I thought a guild full of girls would tickle his fancy, or something." Hilda disputed.

Keiko couldn't help but snicker at what Hilda said earlier. "That’s something I certainly never thought you’d say..." She began, seeing the Harbinger's cheeks turn red and attempted to hide her face from the other girls.

"Argh, Keiko, why’d you have to point that out?!" Hilda groaned, as Keiko chuckled to herself. Korey sat on the bed and took out the jewelry box from the bag, gleaming at it in wonder.

"Just what are we going to do with this thing? We can’t take it around the labyrinth with is, it’ll just be dead weight." He asked, as Kyo placed a finger on her chin.

"I don't know. We just don't have the right means of opening it somehow..." Kyo uttered, feeling like they were getting nowhere with this subject matter.

"Either way, we might as well prepare to for bed. Come on, girls." Demetria sighed, motioning for the girls to follow her, following closely behind her.

As Korey stands up to place the box down, he is startled by the sound of the window crashing behind him, quickly turning to face the source of the crash. "What the-?!" he yelled, as the girls swiftly turned to face the same noise he heard.

In front of the window was a Therian. From his garb, he appeared to be a Masurao, with black hair and light brown skin. "Excuse me sir, this room doesn’t belong to you!" Demetria exclaimed, as the Therian stands up from crashing through the window.

His purple eyes darted to the Fencer, who had a tight grip on the jewelry box. "Jewelry box... must obtain!" The man yelled, charging right at Korey, swinging his fist at him. Korey dodges the first swing, before he gets picked up by the Therian and thrown against the wall on the other side of the room.

"Agh!" Korey screamed in pain, falling onto the bed below him. "Korey!" Hilda yelled, grabbing her scythe as Kyo activated her staff.

"That’s my friend, you bastard!" The Celestrian exclaimed, starting to cast a spell, as her staff's purple light soon changed to a golden yellow. "Feel the Lightning!" Kyo screamed, as lightning bolts emerged from her staff, striking the Therian and getting his attention before he could get any closer to Korey.

Hilda made her move, charging right at the Therian, as her scythe is soon enveloped in electric miasma. "Paralyzing Reap!" Hilda slashed at his chest, causing him to flinch back, taking a few steps back as he covers his chest, blood soon staining his hands.

"Why you... pesky Harbinger!" The man snarled, attempting to move closer to Hilda, who backed away from him. "Air Blade!" Keiko hollered, slashing at the Therian so fast that it created a physical form of air, making direct contact with the Therian Pugilist.

Beta jumps and attempts to bite the Pugilist, but the man punches Beta away before he gets an arrow to his left arm. "Graaah!" he yelled in pain, clutching his shoulder.

"It’s over, you intruder! You can’t outmatch us!" Demetria exclaimed, as the man looked around to see himself cornered and surrounded. He clenches his fists in anger.

"You keep shiny jewelry box for now... But next meeting, won’t be so lucky!" the man grabbed an item from his pocket, and tossed it to the ground, as smoke appeared from where he stood, causing everyone to cough at the sudden surprise.

When the smoke vanishes, the Therian is gone, but the window is still destroyed.

"What the hell was that about... That was just rude to bust into our room and try and steal our prized jewelry box!" Keiko growled, placing her sword away now that the threat had been cleared.

"I have no idea, Keiko..." Demetria sighed, as she tended to Beta to make sure he was alright. Hilda climbed onto the bed and turned Korey over, who still had the box close to him.

"Are you alright, Korey?" Hilda asked, as Korey attempted to sit up. "I-I’m fine... But why the sudden concern over me all of a sudden?" He inquired, feeling a little confused.

Hilda's cheeks turned red, as she tried to avoid eye contact with him. "I-It’s just because you’re our guild leader! We wouldn’t want you dying to a Therian Pugilist of all things, that’s all!" She exclaimed, concluding the discussion rather fast.

"My dear guests, what’s with all the ruckus going on up here?" Jenetta's voice asked from the other side of the door. Demetria gets up from petting her hound and opened the door to speak with Jenetta.

"Listen," the dark skinned Therian began. "as strange as it is to say this, some Pugilist decided to bust through the window and started to attack us over a jewelry box we found in the first floor of the Tutelary Forest." Demetria explained.

"Oh my... no wonder I heard a window crash earlier!" Jenetta gasped upon seeing the proof of the window crash. "I don’t want to risk it happening again while we’re asleep so… mind taking us to another room?" Demetria asked.

The green haired Therian nodded. "Why, of course! I just have to make sure I have someone repair that window tomorrow. Right this way, my beloved guests!" She motioned, as everyone grabbed their belongings and followed behind the innkeeper.

Thankfully the room she picked was father from the scene of the attack. Keiko and the others didn't mind if it was similar to the room they were in earlier, they just decided to get to sleep as soon as possible. When morning arrived, the sound of knocking on the door soon rouses Korey from his sleep.

"Ugh... who could it be this time?" Korey sighed, sitting up and rubbing his eye. The same knocking sound occurs again, causing Hilda to groan in annoyance.

"Do you think it’s Jenetta trying to tell us that it’s morning?" Hilda asked, as Korey was unaware if that was the case. "Let’s go check, just to be sure..." He uttered, as the two got out of bed and made their way to the door. When Korey opened the door, he was- for lack of a better word, surprised at who stood before them.

Some guy with a dark red coat, red hair, blue eyes, and light brown skin lowered his hand and looked at the two people who were looking at him. "Terribly sorry for disturbing you at this hour, but is this the room where the Lux Guild is residing in?" He asked, seeming a little bit lost.

"Y-Yes... that would be us." Korey stammered, as he let out a yawn and stretched his arms. "Who are you, anyway?" Hilda asked, having never seen the man before.

"Oh, terribly sorry, I haven’t introduced myself. The name’s Drayce, leader of the Angelward Guild." Drayce introduced himself, extending a hand as if in greeting.

"Drayce, huh… I’m Korey, leader of the Lux Guild." Korey uttered, before introducing himself and shook Drayce's hand. "And I’m Hilda." Hilda disclosed her name, shaking Drayce's hand after Korey withdrew his hand.

"Pleasure to meet you two. Do you mind if I discuss something to your guild in the lobby about something?" Drayce asked, as Korey tilted his head, seeming a little slow on the uptake.

"About what?" He asked, just so he can get a refresher going on in his head.

"About the attack that happened last night. I heard there was a fight here and I wish to know the details of what happened." The red haired man explained.

Korey and Hilda stare at each other for a couple of seconds, before glancing back at Drayce. "Sure, just allow us a few minutes to get dressed and wake up our other guild members." Korey agreed, seeing a smile bloom on Drayce's face.

"Got it. See you in a little bit." He said, making his way down to the lobby as Korey closed the door, before turning to face the other girls.

"Rise and shine, girls! I repeat, rise and shine!" Korey announced, eventually getting the girls to stir from their sleep.

"Is it... morning already?" Kyo asked, rubbing her eye as she sat up. "Yeah, it’s morning, Kyo. Better get dressed right away." Korey instructed, going off to get dressed himself.

"Why’s that?" Keiko inquired. "Somebody wishes to discuss with us about the attack that happened last night." Hilda explained, as she starts getting dressed.

"At this time of day...?" Demetria groaned, questioning why someone would speak with them this early. "Better now than never, Demetria." Hilda urged, not wanting to argue with the Therian in the morning.

"Alright, Hilda..." Demetria sighed, getting up to let the other girls get dressed. After everyone is dressed, they take their possessions, items, and weapons, making their way down to the lobby. Korey notices Drayce waving at them, and approached him.

"Sorry if we kept you waiting." Korey chuckled, taking a seat in front of Drayce, as Hilda took the seat next to Korey. "It’s fine, Korey, I'm in no rush." Drayce replied.

"Who’s this guy, Korey? Is he a friend of yours?" Keiko inquired.

"Heh, I wish I knew him. Only met him a few minutes ago." Korey chuckled in response to Keiko's question.

"The name’s Drayce, guild leader of the Angelward Guild." Drayce introduced himself to the other guild members. "Interesting name... I’m Demetria, and this is my twin sister, Keiko." Demetria motioned to the 'taller' Therian beside her.

"Pleased to meetcha, Mr. Drayce!" Keiko hummed. "My name’s Kyo. It's certainly is nice to meet you, Drayce." Kyo spoke, smiling at the Dragoon before her.

"The pleasure’s all mine. Please, take a seat." Drayce motioned to the other chairs, as Kyo, Keiko, and Demetria sit down on the empty chairs.

"Now then," the red haired man began. "from what I understood, somebody came into one of the rooms in this very inn and attacked someone from this guild in particular. Am I right?"

Everyone nodded in response. "Yes, that’s correct. Although the attacker went straight towards me, he seemed to be after this thing..." Korey began, taking out the jewelry box in question and placed it on the table.

"A jewelry box?" Drayce pondered. "Tell me; where did you find that?" he asked, wanting to know where they found it.

"We found it on the first floor of the Tutelary Forest. We didn’t know why it was there, and we certainly can’t open it, no matter how hard we tried..." Hilda explained to Drayce.

"I see..." Drayce placed a finger on his chin. "I guess if you can't open it, there's no way of knowing what's inside." He muttered to himself.

"I don't quite get it though," Demetria wondered, looking at Drayce as she continued on. "the man that attacked us was Therian, yet he fought like a Pugilist. Do you have any idea why that's the case?" She continued, hoping the Dragoon would have an answer.

"As far as I know, since explorers are working together to get through Yggdrasil, the government allowed for every race to learn the skills of a particular class." Drayce explained, placing his hand down part way through his explanation. "If a Therian can become a Pugilist, they can, much like an Celestrian can become a Botanist." He added.

Drayce turned his attention back to the jewelry box. "Still, why would someone target a jewelry box of all things?" He questioned.

Korey shrugged in response, having no idea why the Therian Pugilist went for the box. "Beats me. For all we know, something of value is inside, we just need to know how to open it." He sighed, glaring at the jewelry box.

"Then allow me and my guild to assist you." Drayce began. "You see, unlike other guilds, we’re not interested in exploring the Yggdrasil."

Hilda looked at him in surprise. "You're not? Then, why do you go to Yggdrasil for?" She asked, wanting to know more about Drayce's guild.

"We’re more interested in the treasures and myths the Yggdrasil contains, Hilda. I believe this jewelry box may be something worth your while." Drayce continued, explaining his answer to the white haired Harbinger.

"I see... well, all of us are quite intrigued on what may be in the box." Hilda glanced at the jewelry box. "Korey, what do you think? You’re our leader, after all." Demetria asked, as everyone turned to face him, waiting for an answer.

Korey let out a deep sigh. "As much as I want to leave this to a professional, I can't say I'm intrigued by whatever may be in this box. And even if that Therian Pugilist comes back, we'll have more in numbers than he might have..." Korey mumbled to himself, before shaking his head to rid himself of the thought, looking at Drayce with confidence in his eyes.

"We'll be glad to have you assist us, Drayce." Korey declared. Drayce's smile made itself apparent once again. "Thank you, Korey." He thanked.

"So, where do we start?" Kyo inquired. "Let's start by heading to my guild house. Follow me." Drayce began, getting up from his chair and pushed it in, motioning for Korey and the others to follow him.

Korey grabs the jewelry box, and starts following Drayce, with the four girls following close behind him, heading out of the inn as Drayce stands next to a caravan. "We'll be going to the Crescentia via caravan. It’s easier than walking all the way there." Drayce continued once everyone was close enough to hear him.

"Crescentia?" Korey questioned. "That's the name of the guild house I inherited. Great name, isn't it?" Drayce quickly explained.

"It sounds cool!" Keiko hummed, giving Drayce a quick chuckle. "Thanks. Now, let's get in." He urged, letting the girls go in the caravan first, as he and Korey follow them soon afterward, as the caravan began to head towards Drayce's guild house.

[gatheringofguardians]

Introduction

Hello again, everyone. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Ah, excuse me, its Lynus speaking. I hope everyone is doing well.

Whew, we’ve finally reached the island of Lemuria. It’s far more beautiful than I had imagined. It’s also…a little daunting, I must admit. So many unknown dangers. And so, so many ways for others to get hurt. I’m thankful that Derek is overseeing the hospital here in Maginia. Though, I wonder what kinds of materials I’ll be able to work with…

Oh, sorry, got lost in thought there.

Moving on. We have so many more people under our guild name now, I honestly don’t know where to start in introducing everyone! We have members now from Etria, Armoroad, Tharsis, and Iorys.

Um, let’s see…maybe I can list the names of those who have agreed to join us? There’s a lot of us now.

Well, from Etria we have Remedy with his brother, Quinn, his nephews Nathan and Benji, Quinn’s partner (not official husband) Jemella, Remedy’s best friend (and not-so secret crush) Zircon, Simon from the Midgard Library along with Lindis (who’s apparently there to keep an eye on Simon), Zadkiel, and last but not least Austin. Oh, Avith and Zalaph had also boarded from Etria.

From Lagaard, we have, of course, the entirety of the Guardian guild; me, Axel, Azure, Jhon, Tobyn, Macerio, Lirit, Rahas, Magnus, Shen, Chi-hung, Hamza, Cedric, Mahogany, Zeryn, Topaz, Shiki, Gerald, Simmons, Ghali, Benedict, Farley, Ryker, Darrell, Avith, Zalaph, Sardonyx, Rubell, Gage. Hrothgar, Wulfgar, and Wulfgar Jr, Cass, Dr Derek Stiles, and finally our winged friends Canaan and Skylark.

From Armoroad, we have members of the Aurora guild; Oracle, Kardos, Jiri, Suah, Sigil, Ziba, Garreth, Caiden, Jaxen, Owyn, Bahari, Shiro, Zydan, Kyan, Joren, Devonta, Shobek, Jaeger, Razak, Holt, Seyfried, Kujura. Cress, and Agata who snuck on board without anyone seeing him. For some reason Oracle wants to strangle him every time he sees him...Oh! Flavio, Fafnir, and Bertrand also joined us!

From Tharsis, we have members of the Phaedron Guild; Roxbury, Zesiro, Achyuta, Nitish, Varuna, Bryce, Blayden, Falkner, Telem, Mahalah, Isiah, Kalan, Fletcher, Miach, Biast, Zoran, Durriken, Xander, Jeroden, Ayjay, Clester, Baldur, Logre, Ciaran, Kirjonen, Highland Count (which was honestly a surprise), and last but not least, Wiglaf and her lovely girlfriend, Yasmina. Quite a few imperial soldiers joined as well.

Finally, from Iorys, we have members of the Angelward Guild; Drayce, Zohar, Blayke, Caelem, Faelen, Keita, Fiorello, Ashton, Shashi, Kamali, Runihura, Palash, Tokala, Salim, Drayce’s brother Rhain, Kyrell, Koyla, Mabuz, Chandra, Liam, Andre, Sarkis, Loukas, Drayce’s grandfather Roux, and young prince Ramus. 

Whew, I think that’s everyone!

As you can see, I have a lot more people under my care now. A lot of them possess...vulnerable auras...

...

B-but I have help from my fellow medics to help me if anything should arise. Though Lemuria is completely unknown to us, I’m actually looking forward to what we may discover.

Oh, one more thing before I go; if you ever require any assistance, do not hesitate to reach out to me, or anyone listed above, for help. We’ll be more than happy to offer you any aid you require.

Take care, everyone.

[treeofsalvation-blog]

Story Idea #8 | EO5

Prompt #8 An encounter with a FOE almost devastates your party. Thankfully Angelward was able to interfere and drag you to safety. Your guild bemoans their bad luck and promise themselves to be more vigilant in the future. However the Angelward Guild informs you that it appears that FOE attack wasn’t an accident. And after a second near-miss, your guild believes they’re right. Drayce offers you sanctuary at his guildhouse. Will your guild accept? Or are they afraid of dragging innocent people into their troubles?

Final one~

Ok several of my characters could be the reason behind the near fatal ambush. And that would be the main theme of this story (if it ever gets done but play pretend with me here).

Astara – because of her family’s murder and she’s looking for answers. Obviously someone could take exception to nosiness

Iris – because of her older sister’s kidnapping and murder has never been solved and she’s looking for answers also. Again asking too many questions is likely to ruffle some feathers

Jasmina – because someone believes she betrayed her village by leaving even though she actually fled to protect herself. They might even believe she’s the one responsible for that tragic event that sent her fleeing

Ramon and Lilybeth – someone likely sent by her selfish half-sister who is still smarting by Ramon’s blatant rejection and Lilybeth’s audacity to instead stay with him and not return to her abusive family

Selena – yet another member looking for answers of a murdered loved one

Chaise – for both his selfish family furious that he hadn’t returned and dedicated his life to their happiness, and the slave traders who had a lot of money riding on him. We can also add a potential buyer to this list

Hadley – for his work as a recovery specialist and saving many potential slaves from being bought and sold. A lot of people would have it out for him, slave traders and buyers alike

Valente – someone just trying to get rid of the black sheep of the family and stop him from ‘tarnishing’ their family name

Zachery – he’s a bounty hunter. That is enough to piss off a lot of the wrong kind of people

Shit there’s ten of them. Anyone of them could be the real target. Though it would be ‘hilarious’ if none of them were the target and it was a case of mistaken identity. They get a note simply saying “Oops, wrong guild! My bad D:” with no explanation on who was responsible or why.

They’ll still be pissed though.

[miserablesecrets]

I've finally gotten around to doing and finishing a thing!

I really loved the Guild meet events in Etrian Odyssey V, they were all so cute and its fun to imagine my own Guild getting to interact with others~

As such, I just had to draw one such event!

An event in the 4th Stratum had my Guild meet Guild Angelward by @theshatteredrose in which my Rover, Dawn, assisted said Guild’s Dragoon, Drayce, in getting some crystals off the wall. Naturally, the kind person that he is, Drayce split a bit of the crystals with my guild~

[theshatteredrose]

Turquoise Lotus Father (Treasure Seekers Saga 2) - Chapter 23 - Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction

AN: Whew, sorry for the wait! Still dealing with headaches and migraines, but at least I have an MRI scan on Friday. Hopefully, these headaches will leave me soon so I can get back to writing properly. Moving on, this is the last chapter to this saga. After I finish my short Trails of Mana fic, I will work on a completely original novel. So I hope when I begin, you, my lovely readers, will give it try.

Until then, I hope you’ll enjoy reading~!

Ao3 | Wattpad | FFNet

Chapter 23:

The gentle glow of the fireplace was the only source of illumination within the seating room. Night had fallen, the overcast cloudy sky hid the moon’s light. Drayce his guildmates, waiting in anticipation of what their talented scholars had learned through the readings of the documents and scrolls found within the altar that held the Cursed Blade.

He sat on the three-seater couch with Faelen on his left, and Caelem to his right. Zohar stood quietly by the large bay windows as he gazed outside. Blayke sat on the edge of the armchair next to Caelem, seemingly idly watching the flames within the hearth. He was also subtly keeping an eye on Tokala and Salim who sat close to the fire, staying together and keeping warm. Nashoba rested with them, sleeping next to Tokala. Finally, Fiorello rested in a high-back chair, engrossed in a book he was reading.

Runihura and Palash had chosen to stay in their room. Runihura was still recovering from his injuries that Keane had ruthlessly inflicted upon him. And, unsurprisingly, Palash had chosen to stay with him.

And the rest of his guild were in the library.

Finally, they all heard the familiar sounds of footsteps descending the stairs. Footsteps growing louder as they approached.

“Sorry to keep you all waiting,” Kamali stated as he walked into the room with his brother and Ashton.

While Kamali moved to stand by the couch where Faelen sat, Shashi moved to be at the centre of attention. Ashton chose to stay by the room’s entrance, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.

“Well, it took a while but we’ve managed to translate the text found within the altar of the Curse Blade. Unfortunately, many of the scrolls were damaged or had faded due to time. And it tells nothing of what had occurred during the Legendary War. But it holds some interesting information regardless,” Shashi explained. In his hands was his trusty notebook. “Ready, Caelem?”

“Yes!” Caelem immediately replied, his enthusiasm barely restrained. “I want to know everything.”

Shashi offered him a small smile as he brought up the notebook and flipped through several of the pages.

“Shall I start with the mysterious figure known as Sorataki? It appears that he was a Therian that was friends with both the Turquoise Lotus Father and his brother, the Blood Lotus Brother. He was considered an oddity of the Therian race for being interested in the teachings of rituals and magic rather than the art of the blade.

But those skills became useful when the brothers learnt of the plot to reawaken the Cursed Blade. With Sorataki’s help, they were able to seal the Cursed Blade away. Also, they placed a spell upon the Shining Lotus so that it would only reveal itself when the Cursed Blade awoke.”

“Awoke?” Blayke questioned, his brow furrowed. “Did the lotus blades have a consciousness?”

“In a sense.” Shashi flipped over a page of his notebook. “Like how the Radiant Moon held devas because of the crystals used, the lotuses held the same.”

Hmmm, that led to the question of where the Cursed Blade got its consciousness. Though, it could be through the use of a sigil or curse. The creator of such a blade certainly didn’t have benign intentions.

Next to him, Faelen raised his hand meekly. “Um, can I ask how could they have known that someone like Caelem would be there to wield the Shining Lotus when the Cursed Blade woke up?”

“Of course he would be there,” Shashi answered somewhat dismissively. “The descendant of the Turquoise Lotus Father would wish to help in any way he could.”

Drayce drew in a breath. That…was quite the discovery!

It took Caelem to fully register what Shashi had just revealed. And when it did, he tensed in his seat in complete surprise. “D-descendant?!”

Shashi uttered a light chuckle as he folded an arm loosely across his chest. “Yes. According to the documents found within the altar, the Shining Lotus would only reveal itself to the one who carries the blood and will of the Turquoise Lotus Father.”

With his eyes still wide in surprise, Caelem slumped back into his seat. Gobsmacked. “That’s…”

“That’s amazing!” Faelen said in delight as he flopped across Drayce’s lap so that he could get closer toward Caelem.

Drayce just chuckled. He couldn’t say he was all that surprised. Though, he did understand Caelem’s surprise completely. He had gone through the exact same thing when he learnt about Aura.

Still perched on the edge of the armchair, a slight frown tugged at Blayke’s lips as he looked over at Caelem. He looked surprisingly worried. “The Turquoise Lotus Father appears to really be your ancestor. What will you do now?”

Caelem didn’t answer. Instead, his expression shifted into a look of contemplation. His gaze drifted down to the floor in front of him. Yet, he didn’t take anything in visually. He was lost to his own thoughts.

Faelen regarded Caelem’s silence with a sense of trepidation. “You’re…not going to head back to your village, are you?” he asked, his ears flattening against his head.

That…was a possibility. Especially since the Shining Lotus was in Caelem’s possession. Drayce hadn’t taken that into consideration, honestly. He…couldn’t really see his guild without Caelem being a part of it.

Though, it was ultimately his choice.

“Masuraos…are to pledge themselves to a worthy cause…” Caelem murmured.

Drayce had heard stories of the loyalty of Masuraos and their pledges to others. Some would dedicate their whole lives for the sake of another. Even if that put their very lives at risk.

He…didn’t want that. He didn’t want to be someone’s soul purpose. Their burden.

Caelem suddenly turned to face him with a sense of determination. “Drayce, I-”

“Wait.” Drayce raised his hand to stop Caelem for just the moment. He had some idea of what he was to say next. “I’ll accept your loyalty and your friendship. But your pledge should come from the heart, and pledge your heart to someone who will return it. That pledge, after all, deserves someone special. Far more special than me.”

Caelem was genuinely startled by Drayce’s reply. And Drayce feared that he may have offended him. But he didn’t want to string him along like that. He deserved to make his own decisions. For his benefit along for the benefit of others.

“…Yes, I understand,” Caelem finally answered as an unexpected flush appeared across his cheeks. “I’ll stay until I find a reason to make that pledge.”

Drayce gave him a smile, honestly relieved. He was sure that the others of their guild were also greatly relieved to hear that. And he was sure that his ancestor, Turquoise Lotus Father, would be happy with that decision, also.

“What of the Cursed Blade, though?” Blayke suddenly asked.

“Ah, yes, there is more information,” Shashi lifted his notebook again but instead of looking at the pages, he glanced over in Drayce’s direction. “Drayce, you said that the Cursed Blade was summoned, yes?”

Drayce nodded as he rested his hand on Faelen’s back, allowing the rover to stay comfortably flopped over his lap. “That’s right. We didn’t know of the altar until after everything had happened.”

Shashi nodded and turned back to his notes. “Then that means, Tokala is the descendant to the Turquoise Lotus Father’s brother, the Blood Lotus Brother.”

Tokala immediately stuttered. “W-what?”

Well, talk another bombshell!

Shashi continued; “The blade is drawn to the blood of the one that wielded it without fully succumbing to the darkness held within the blade. The Blood Lotus Brother was the only one who did not succumb to the darkness, did not become a mindless puppet to the will of the blade. His actions were controlled, but his conscious remained intact.”

He turned to give Tokala his attention. “And you; you also didn’t succumb to the control of the blade. You fought back. Just like the Blood Lotus Brother tried. So, the Cursed Blade was drawn to the one strong enough to wield it successfully. You have a light, innocent heart. The brighter the light, the darker the darkness. To control you fully would grant the Cursed Blade more power. It was also likely wishing to seek revenge against the Blade Brothers who dared to defy its will.”

Silence fell over the room as they waited for Tokala to understand, or at least mentally comprehend what he had just learnt. It was a lot for him to take in.

“Am…am I susceptible to the pull of the Cursed Blade?” Tokala asked softly.

“That is something that the Blood Lotus Brother himself had feared,” Shashi revealed. “Yet, he didn’t. And you didn’t wilfully seek the blade for yourself, did you now?”

Tokala shook his head. “No…”

“Then there is nothing to fear.”

Tokala still looked worried. And pale. Drayce was empathetic and wanted to try to comfort him somehow. “That’s right. Besides, if anything should happen, Caelem will take on the Cursed Blade with ease.” He turned toward the masurao next to him. “Right?”

“Yes,” Caelem immediately replied. No hesitation or reluctance in his voice. “I do not fear having to face the Cursed Blade in battle, should the need arise again.”

Drayce smiled. That wasn’t from bravado, but from confidence. “Then there really is nothing to fear.”

That gave Tokala a bit of comfort and he gave Caelem a small smile. That smile abruptly disappeared as his hand flew up to touch the red gemstone that hung around his neck. “W-wait, my necklace…”

“The Blood Lotus Brother was given the Scarlet Lotus to act as Guardian over the chest that hid the location of both blades. He believed it to be the redemption he needed to rest his soul, and allow his descendants to carry on his legacy.”

Tokala’s hand tightened around the red gemstone of his necklace. “I...really am related to the Blood Lotus Brother?”

Faelen turned his head toward Drayce and gave him a questioning look. “That means that Caelem and Tokala are distantly related, right?”

“Right,” Drayce smiled as he glanced over in Tokala’s direction. “You found a member of your family after all, Tokala.”

Finally, a smile made its way upon his lips. “I really did.”

“Well, that is all the information we managed to gleam from the writing documents,” Shashi finished as he flipped his notebook closed and rested it under his arm.

As the others began to talk amongst themselves, Drayce sat back into his seat and mused to himself. It was a shame they couldn’t learn more about the Turquoise Lotus Father himself, but their previous research had discovered enough. And from what they did learn, he appeared to be a humble therian. He likely didn’t want much known about him. Just the essentials.

His time during the Legendary War was more likely than not extremely painful for him to endure. It would have been, with his brother unwillingly working alongside the notorious Despot himself.

“Drayce.” Ashton uttering his name pulled Drayce from his musings. And as he turned in his direction, Ashton made a quick motion with his head toward the foyer behind him. “A quick word, if you would?

Drayce blinked. “Hm? Sure.”

Faelen slipped off of Drayce’s lap, allowing him to stand up. He quickly shuffled to take his seat so that he could continue to speak with Caelem.

He followed Ashton out into the foyer and over to the entrance way into the dining hall. “What’s up?”

Ashton took a moment to glance over Drayce’s shoulder and into the seating room before shifting his gaze back to him. “Well, there’s something that Shashi and I would like to keep from Caelem and Tokala for now,” he admitted quietly.

Ok, that was a little concerning.

“What is it?”

“Well, it’s not so much information, rather a feeling.” Ashton shifted on his feet as he folded his arms across his chest. “The documents don’t mention the name of the one who created the Cursed Blade. Either version of it. Despot was likely to have been the one who ordered the crafting of the first Cursed Blade. But the second? There’s no mention. And this…situation feels unfinished to me.”

…Yeah, it kinda did, didn’t it?

“Keane muttered something,” Drayce admitted, his voice as equally quiet. “He was working for someone else. And Despot was believed to have many loyal generals of his own. You don’t think…?”

If the generals that battled alongside the Legendary Earthlain Dragoon had descendants, who was to say that the generals of the Despot didn’t?

Ashton pressed his lips tightly together, indicating that he had considered the possibility, too. “Perhaps we’re being overly cautious, but…I believe it is a good idea to keep the Shining Lotus here. Caelem is truly the only one who can wield it.”

“I agree.” Drayce was also glad that Caelem had made the decision to stay with them. “It would allow no other. Just like the Radiant Moon, right?”

“More likely than not,” Ashton agreed.

Drayce glanced toward the seating room for a brief moment, watching as Caelem and Tokala interacted with one another. They had grown close. Acting very much like brothers. “Though, in the end, Tokala never learnt why he was seemingly abandoned when he was a child,” he mused aloud.

Ashton shifted on his feet again. Somewhat uncomfortably this time. “This is just speculation,” he started. “But perhaps it was a desperate attempt to keep him safe? A therian was after the Cursed Blade, right? Perhaps a family member of his decided he would be safer with a family of protective pugilists. Sometimes, families do desperate things to protector one of their own.”

Huh…That almost sounded like he knew that from experience.

“That sounds plausible, though that also raises more questions,” Drayce replied, running a hand through his hair. “Still…I’m afraid Tokala will need to be satisfied with the answers he got for now. There is always a possibility that he could learn more about his past somewhere in the future.”

“Very true,” Ashton promptly agreed before he dropped his arms from his chest and gave him a small smile. “Best head back in there. Your guildmates are probably missing you.”

Drayce gave a small laugh. “Right.”

… … … … …

Drayce stood in Caelem’s room and watched as Caelem carefully set about ensuring that the Shining Lotus with its turquoise encrusted sheath sat perfectly balanced upon the wall next to his bed. After he was satisfied, he took a step back to stand next to Drayce, the both of them turning to admiring the ancient blade.

Despite it being over a thousand years old, it was in pristine condition. And very beautiful. The turquoise stones seemed to sparkle with an inner light. And the blade itself was flawless. As if it had been crafted with expert hands just moments ago.

“Is it really ok to keep the Shining Lotus here?” Caelem asked him.

“Yes, I believe so,” Drayce quickly answered. “It looks good on your bedroom wall, don’t you think?”

Caelem nodded. “Yes. And the Cursed Blade is safe in the council treasure vault. And…if anyone should try to steal it, I’ll stop them. Before anyone is hurt.”

Determined and confident, but no arrogance. Caelem was quite the guy, wasn’t he?

“Right. And you won’t have to do it alone. Not when you have guildmates more than willing to help.”

With a smile now gracing his lips, Caelem nodded his head again. “You’re right.”

They fell into a comfortable silence as Caelem continued to gaze upon the Shining Lotus. He was likely musing about all the information he had learnt about his village’s founding father. And how he seemed to be the legendary therian’s descendant.

It was a lot to take in. Drayce knew that well.

Caelem broke the silence with a question. “Is this how you felt when you realised Aura was an ancestor of yours?”

“Proud?” Drayce questioned in return, quickly gaining a nod from the therian beside him. “Yeah.”

“I’ll make him proud.”

“I’m sure you already have.”

Caelem suddenly chuckled. “Hah…”

Drayce tilted his head curiously at him. “Hm?”

“I’m just thinking about how lucky I am to meet you,” Caelem admitted with a light dusting of pink across the bridge of his nose. “Blayke, Faelen, Kamali, Zohar, Shashi, Ashton, Fiorello…Carrying the Moon Legacy was worth it for bringing me to this guild.” He paused, struggling to find the next words. “I’m…happy.”

That…was good to hear. Truly.

“We’re also lucky,” Drayce added. “And happy to have you here.”

A light pink flush appeared on Caelem’s features. Though looking shyly embarrassed, he was happy by the response all the same. “So, what treasure will we discover next?” he asked, somewhat excitedly.

Good question!

“I dunno,” Drayce replied casually. “But its going to fun finding out, right?”

Caelem was definitely enthusiastic in his reply. “Yes!”

Drayce suddenly stilled as realisation hit him in the middle of the forehead. “Ah, before all that, though; we better find those stairs.”

Caelem stiffened, realisation also hitting him abruptly. “Oh, right. I forgot about them.”

The two shared a sheepish look for a drawn-out moment before submitting to a bout of laughter.

Ah, it was fine! After all, their guild was bigger now. And they found the Shining Lotus along with the Cursed Blade, two relics purposely hidden. They were sure to be able to find a set of stairs. No problem.

Third floor to the labyrinth, here they come!

[theshatteredrose]

To raise money for charities, your guilds are asked to participate in a photoshoot for a calendar. The catch: It's not just an adventurer's calendar, it's a -swimsuit- calendar! Which boys participate~?

Oh my :’D

I can imagine a lot of my boys being guilted into participating. Because, you know, it’s for charities. Thankfully, the truly shy ones would be excused, but only because other boys agree to take their place.

Ok, I’m imagining this happening in Nexus because of the abundant amount of beaches and just imagine all the hot guys hanging out at the beach together. Dressed in swim shorts, water beads glistening under the sun, tanned bodies sunbathing, boys being boys…

Ahem.

As for the calendar:

Guardians/CtS:

Axel – only because he’s guilted into it as he would be a HUGH fan favourite. His swim wear is a pair of shorts, modest and simple. Because, really, everyone would be looking at his muscles, let’s face it. He’s not happy about it one little bit.

Lynus – another fan favourite, but he (and literally everyone protective of him) insists that he wears a shirt with a pair of shorts, showing off his skinny, creamy white legs XD He’s blushing the entire time. Also, the centre fold would definitely be of him and Axel together~

Zeryn – without hesitation and no one complains

Simmons – being told it’s for charity would be enough for him to strip down to just a pair of shorts

Shiki – speedos and all (will try to pull Gerald into it but his having none of it)

Hamza – has some awesome tatts to show off

Rahas – reluctantly

Lirit – drags Macerio into it, too, but Macerio insists on wearing a shirt because he can’t really compare to everyone else, and he’s self-conscious. Lirit finds him adorable

(Just want to add that Jhon is also a fan favourite, but he’s modest and needless to say, Tobyn is VERY protective :’D)

Phaedron/ALE:

Bryce – ain’t got nothing to hide (Varuna is there, fully clothed, reminding everyone that it’s ok to look, but not to touch...)

Blayden – it looks like fun, honestly

Falkner – teased into it by Fletcher, but he is surprised by how much of a hit he is

Miach - he tries, at least, but he just looks so puzzled and bewildered in the photos

Zesiro – just to show off to Roxbury, knowing full well what effect that will have on him :’3

Mahalah – a beautiful man deserves a calendar page alllll to himself

Logre – a fan favourite and is promptly guilted into it (maybe even ordered into it by Baldur because why not?)

Jeroden – he has numerous scars, but he’s not ashamed of them. No one should be ashamed of their scars, in his opinion

Isiah – holy shit, he’s been hiding those muscles under his medical coat this entire time???

Angelward/TTS:

Drayce – for the sake of charity, though would probably insist on wearing an open shirt for modesty

Blayke – being able to relax at the beach for one would be nice...until the photographer starts barking orders at him

Zohar – what? He struts around shirtless anyway

Salim – same, but this time he gets to have fun in the sun~

Ashton – everyone is always surprised by how muscular he truly is

Loukas – he doesn’t care either way

Kyrell – does it in an attempt to make Rhain laugh. And he appreciates the effort, too

Aurora/EO3:

Kardos – as long as it’s an action shoot, like playing beach volleyball or something because he can’t stand still for very long

Jiri – purely by accident as he crashes the photo shoot by attempting to befriend the large water monster hidden in the water :’D

Owyn – though, it’s more of him going through his training while shirtless

Ziba – is blackmailed into it by Oracle because he thought it would be worth a laugh

Bahari – in an attempt to impress Jaxon, and it kinda works, though tsundere Jaxon would never admit it

In all honesty, all the boys deserve the Obligatory Beach Episode where they can have some fun at the beach~

[theshatteredrose]

Turquoise Lotus Father (Treasure Seekers Saga 2) - Chapter 22 - Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction

AN: And we’re up to the second last chapter, and it’s kinda a long one. About 4k, which isn’t that long compared to others I have done. Anyway, enough from me, hope you enjoy reading~ 

Ao3 | Wattpad | FFNet

Chapter 22:

It was around mid-morning when Drayce awoke from a somewhat fitful sleep. Zohar had stayed with him throughout the night, and his presence was a source of comfort. But he couldn’t prevent worry from creeping in. He had seen what the Cursed Blade could do and his mind filled in the blanks of what it could potentially do.

So, naturally, he was worried for those who were at the Council Hall and attempting to seal away the Cursed Blade once again.

He was sure everything was fine. If something went wrong, someone would have warned him, surely.

To settle his concerns, Drayce took a few moments to check in on his guildmates. Faelen especially since he was the youngest of the guild. Thankfully, the young rover hadn’t witnessed the brutal slaughter of that toxipede. Nor the attack on Tomlin that left him coughing up blood (though Drayce had to wonder what happen to the guy).

As Drayce moved to check in his next guildmate, he paused when the room at the end of the hall opened. And Ashton stepped out.

“Ah, you’re finally awake,” Ashton greeted with a small but calm smile. “Hungry?”

Drayce hurried over to him and stood before him. “How did the ritual go? I…couldn’t sleep very well. Zohar kept me company. But I was worried that something else might happen with the Cursed Blade and-”

Ashton placed a hand on his shoulder to silence him. “It’s been sealed.”

Drayce breathed a sigh of relief. “Everything went well?”

“Prince Ramus ordered his royal scholars to help us. Though, they mostly bickered amongst themselves,” Ashton explained before a frown tugged at his lips. “Kamali explained to us what had happened in the labyrinth. That could have been very dangerous.”

Yeah. It could have been.

“Thankfully, it didn’t,” Drayce pointed out. “How’s our patients?”

Ashton looked over Drayce’s shoulder to the doors across the hall. “Tokala’s still asleep and has Salim watching over him. And Runihura is resting.” His gaze soon drifted back toward Drayce, and once again he had a tight frown on his lips. And a rather protective glint in his eyes. “What happened with you when you were alone…with that bandit?”

“Honestly, nothing,” Drayce answered, frowning at a certain memory. “He…gave Runihura a beating for defying him. And then just dragged me and Tokala around until the Cursed Blade appeared.”

He was actually quite surprised that he didn’t have large bruises on his arms from where Keane grabbed him. There were light bruises currently, but he had expected them to be darker. They might develop later. His grip was as harsh as the ropes that bounded Drayce’s wrists together.

Ashton gave his shoulder a quick squeeze as he looked directly into his eyes. “Did he do anything?”

Hah, he should have known that one response wouldn’t be enough to settle Ashton’s protectiveness. Blayke was likely to be exactly the same.

“Just manhandled me. Really.”

Ashton just stared at him for the longest moment. It honestly made Drayce want to squirm. He could be rather…intimidating when he wanted to be. But it was pure protectiveness and Drayce held his gaze.

“Alright,” Ashton finally relented as he released his hold on Drayce’s shoulder. “We’ll leave it at that for now.”

There was definitely a mildly…menacing undertone to Ashton’s voice. Drayce momentarily wondered why he felt that if he told Ashton that something did happen, the dedicated caretaker would immediately head out to beat the shit out of Keane?

“Oh, by the way, Ramus would like to speak with you later today,” Ashton suddenly added.

“Ok.” He likely heard it all from the others already, so just wanted to speak with him personally to see how he was doing. “Where’s Shashi?”

Ashton rolled his eyes in pure disgruntlement. “Where else?”

Drayce had to smile. “Ok, you’re right. Should have known.”

He did hope that Shashi got some rest last night. Though, he had learnt through Kamali that it was possible for him to go three days without sleep. Not healthy in the slightest, but a part of Drayce understood completely.

“Your guild is steadily growing,” Ashton suddenly commented. “You really adopted four more guildmates, hm?”

Drayce rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. But smiled nevertheless. “Appears so.”

Speaking of new guildmates, he had better go check in on them.

After bidding farewell and a promise to get something to eat later to Ashton, Drayce turned and headed back down the hall. He decided to head to the room that Tokala was resting in. Fiorello had reassured everyone that he was going to be fine, but Drayce couldn’t help but wonder if the Cursed Blade had other negative effects on him.

He knocked lightly on the door before he pushed it open. He wasn’t surprised to find that Salim sat in a chair that was pulled closely to bed that Tokala slept in.

“Hey.”

Salim turned half way in his chair to send Drayce a rather tired response. “Hey.”

Drayce left the door slightly ajar as he walked into the room and stood by the foot of the bed. He spent a moment looking over Tokala. The skinny therian was still asleep. On his side. His face was free from discomfort and pain, however. Though, he was a little paler than normal.

Turning back to Salim, he noted that he, too, looked paler than normal. Not to mention sullener and quieter. No surprise, really. “How are you feeling?”

“A little stiff but all right,” Salim replied as he idly rolled his injured shoulder, wincing as he did so.

“Have you gotten any rest?”

“Not really.”

“That’s fair.” Though, Fiorello might not be too happy about that.

A soft groan from the bed caused the two of them to immediately turn their attention there. Salim sat on the edge of his seat as he leaned heavily against the bed with his hands. He waited quietly as Tokala made a soft, almost disgruntled noise as he curled up onto his side, his hands tugging at the bedsheets in an attempt to pull them up over his head.

He, however, abruptly lifted his head up from the pillow and opened his eyes. Though, they were rather bleary as he squinted around the room.

Drayce decided to stay back as Salim rose from his chair and sat on the edge of the bed close to Tokala.

“S-Sal…?” Tokala uttered.

“I’m right here,” Salim replied gently. He then helped pull Tokala into a seating position, only for the therian to rest heavily against him. His head against his chest while a hand sought out the thick white bandages around his shoulder and arm.

“Y-you’re ok?”

“You think a bullet can stop me?” Salim returned, with a hint of false bravado.

Tokala didn’t respond to that question, however. Instead, he slipped his skinny arms around Salim’s neck and clung onto him tightly. “I was so worried.”

Salim’s arms sound wound around Tokala in return, “…Yeah.”

They were very close, weren’t they? It was nice to see.

Tokala shifted in Salim’s arms, pulling back to look at him. “Is…everyone ok?”

“Everyone is fine,” Drayce was the one to answer, causing Tokala’s ears to perk up on top of his head and he immediately turned in his direction.

He flushed lightly as he timidly removed himself from Salim’s arms. However, the pugilist stayed close to him regardless.

“Drayce…” Tokala murmured as his face creased into an expression of relief and guilt. “Thank you, for trying to help me.”

Drayce shook his head as a small prang of guilt hit him. “I wasn’t much help.”

Tokala also shook his head. “No. I mean, if you weren’t there, it would have been a lot scarier.” His ears flatten against his head in an apologetic manner. “I’m sorry, though. For dragging you into it.”

“You weren’t the one to drag me into it. That bandit was,” Drayce pointed out in hopes of easing some of Tokala’s guilt.

Before Tokala could respond, the door to his room was timidly pushed open. A mop of red hair with a pair of wolf-like ears then peered into the room. Moving quietly so not to disturb the occupants. Green eyes soon honed in on Drayce’s location and those red-furred ears perked up.

“There you are,” Caelem said quietly as he pushed the door open. “I was looking for you. I wanted to see if you were ok. You looked really tired last night and-”

He trailed off as he glanced over at the bed. His ears soon perked up again and his tail gave a happy little swish when he realised that Tokala was sitting up in bed. “Ah, you’re awake,” he commented as he stepped into the room. “How are you feeling?”

“Cal…” Tokala whispered instead of answering.

He then suddenly pushed off the blankets and staggered to his feet. Worried, Caelem took a step forward as Tokala stumbled his way over to him. Only to suddenly hug him around the waist, and bury his face into his chest. Caelem’s ears and tail tensed as the sudden embrace and he momentarily froze to the spot.

“Thank you.”

Upon hearing Tokala’s words of sincere gratitude, Caelem’s posture lost all tension and his gaze softened. He quickly wrapped his arms around Tokala’s in return and smiled gently down at the other therian.

“I’m glad you’re ok,” he said simply.

Tokala hugged him for a while longer before he slowly leaned away and took a step back. He pulled back his hands also, but interlocked his fingers together in front of his chest in a fidgeting manner. “It feels…like I’ve gained a brother somehow,” he uttered, his gaze downwards in an embarrassed manner.

Caelem took a moment to consider those words before he nodded his head resolutely. “Yes. We’re brothers now.”

Tokala raised his head to look up at him. His cheeks were lightly flushed, yet a small smile was on his lips. “Kinda like the Blade Brothers, huh?” That smile promptly faded and his lowered his gaze to the floor once more. “I…don’t think I can wield a blade.”

“Then don’t,” Caelem immediately responded, placing his hands on Tokala’s shoulders in a comforting manner. “It’s your choice what you wish to do with your life now.”

That successfully brought the smile back to Tokala’s lips. “…Yes.”

Caelem would make an awesome big brother to Tokala, he was sure of it.

…There was that pain in his chest again. Sharp. Stabbing. Painful.

Brother…why did that word hurt him so much?

“You should rest some more,” Drayce suggested as he pushed aside the ache in his chest. “You, too, Sal.”

They, thankfully, didn’t disagree. Caelem helped Tokala back over to Salim, and the therian insisted that Salim sleep in the same bed as him so they both can get some rest. Drayce left the two to get settled in and Caelem followed him out of the room.

He spent a few moments conversing with Caelem, comforting him while the masurao reassured him in return. They were both fine. Caelem had absolutely no injuries and had no side-effects of battling against the Cursed Blade.

After promising Caelem that he would head down stairs in a minute to get something to eat, Drayce headed over the next room over. The door wasn’t fully closed, but slightly ajar. As if someone had idly pulled it closed behind them as they walked out.

That someone was likely to be Fiorello just checking in on the two.

Remembering to be courteous, Drayce knocked lightly at the door before he pushed it open. Inside, he found Runihura sat upright in the bed with the young blond-haired botanist sat cross-legged at the foot of the bed, facing him and going through his carry pouch.

“Hey,” Drayce greeted, earning a squeak of surprise from the rather quite small brounii and a simple nod of the head from Runihura. “How are you feeling? And you must be Palash.”

“Y-yes!” Palash squeaked in response.

“Thank you,” Drayce offered sincerely, gaining a surprised look from Palash. “For telling everyone for me.”

Palash blinked at him through his large red-rimmed glasses before he slowly turned his head away and stared idly at the patterns of the bedcover. “…I couldn’t do anything else.”

Even if he felt that way, the information he offered his guildmates in his absence was a great help. And alerted them to the seriousness of the situation a lot faster. Oh, Drayce was certain they would have figured it out on their own. They were smart. But time was the essence, after all.

Drayce sat himself down upon the chair that was pulled up next to the bed. “Can I ask? About how you got mixed up with those bandits?”

Runihura nodded his head before he unexpectedly launched into a short, but still detailed explanation. “Palash and I were both abandoned when we were young, so when we found each other, we decided to become brothers. But we didn’t have anything. No money, barely the clothes on our backs. I had to resort to stealing to make ends meet, to help Palash with his botanist training. Keane took advantage of our situation.”

The immediately response honestly startled Drayce a little. Runihura was surprisingly straightforward and honest in his answer. Though, there was little benefit in lying to him now.

The passive expression on Runihura’s face suddenly faltered and an expression that was a mixture of pain and guilt promptly appeared. “I was just…following orders.”

He was undeniably remorseful.

“I understand,” Drayce returned comfortingly.

“What…will happen to us now?” Palash asked softly. A hint of fear in his voice.

“You can stay here,” Drayce immediately replied and offered the two a small smile. “I did kinda adopt you into my guild.”

“But we’re thieves,” Runihura quickly pointed out. Though his expression was passive, there was still a hint of guilt and worry in his gaze. “We worked with those bandits. We’d likely get arrested at some point.”

That was a good point. And very possible. But Drayce now knew the circumstances of why they were bandits. And had seen first-hand the treatment Runihura had endured under Keane’s leadership. He didn’t have a choice.

“I know Prince Ramus. I will talk to him. He’s reasonable. He’ll understand.” Drayce was absolutely sure of it. “Besides, I can see the remorse you carry. If you want to find redemption, then be a part of my guild. Where you’ll both be safe.”

Palash glanced over at Runihura and the two seemed to hold a silent conversation before Palash turned back toward Drayce. “W-what about Keane?”

Drayce supressed the need to grimace at the guy’s name. Not to mention at the memory of him practically threatening Runihura further. “Don’t worry about him.”

At least, for now. If they were lucky, Egar would get his hands on him first. Though, that was still very doubtful. Bandits were a slippery lot. And the laws of the labyrinth were different to those within the city.

“Now, you two get some rest,” Drayce said as he pushed himself to his feet. “And I’ll leave you in peace. Though, don’t hesitate to head downstairs if you want something to eat.”

Runihura unexpectedly reached out to take Drayce by the elbow. The touch was soft, but surprising all the same. Confused, Drayce turned to give the harbinger a questioning look. He felt a prang of concern when he realised that Runihura seemed to be looking at him with worry in his pink eyes.

“…You know, Keita is really annoying. But he’s…not a bad guy,” Runihura said quietly before he released his hold on Drayce’s elbow just as suddenly and flopped down onto the bed. He rolled onto his side, his back toward him as he lifted the blanket over his shoulder. “He’s just like me. In a way…”

Drayce remembered the hesitation in Keita’s escape. And the pained look he sent in Runihura’s direction.

Maybe…

“I see,” Drayce simply replied, knowing that he was unlikely to get any more information from the harbinger. And it wasn’t really necessary anyway. “Get some rest. You, too, Palash. You’re both safe here.”

As Drayce turned toward the door to leave, he heard a soft voice whisper from the bed;

“…Thank you.”

Drayce paused in his steps for just a moment before he continued on his way. He never did anything in expectation of receiving gratitude. But it was nice to hear it all the same.

… … … … …

It was about mid-afternoon when Drayce found his way to the Council Hall. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t go alone. Blayke went with him, which was nothing unusual. Regardless, everyone was still on edge after what happened. Which was understandable.

Drayce wasn’t too worried, though. He was at the Council Hall, after all. No bandit in their right mind would lurk around that place with so many guards looking for them.

“Drayce,” Ramus’ expression brightened from professionalism to delight when Drayce by-passed the line of explorers and made his way toward him. That delight dimmed just a fraction as concern soon found its way upon his features and he regarded him with a curious glance. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine now,” Drayce replied as he idly tugged at the sleeves of his coat, ensuring that the white bandages around his wrists were hidden. “Sorry if I worried you. You must have received the shock of your life last night, huh?”

“That is one way of saying it,” Ramus replied with a small smile. Again, that quickly faded into concern. “I learnt everything from Kamali and Caelem. I’m extremely glad to know you weren’t hurt. Egar is looking for those bandits.”

“The leader is more dangerous than his minions,” Blayke muttered under his breath.

Ramus heard him, regardless and nodded his head. “Unfortunately, that is usually the case.”

To Drayce, however, the boss pulling the strings from behind the scenes was the most dangerous of them all. Whoever they were.

“Come,” Ramus urged as he swept a hand toward the halls behind him. “Let me show you where we are keeping the Cursed Blade.”

Drayce nodded and he and Blayke dutifully followed Ramus deeper into the Council Hall. They passed through many hallways and chambers. Drayce believed that the Cursed Blade was likely kept somewhere near the treasure vault, where the Radiant Moon was kept. However, Ramus led them beyond that chamber and into another.

This one appeared far more…fortified.

As they entered the chamber, Drayce noted that there were several large, steel enforced doors lining the walls. Only one of which was opened. With scholars and regal robes and clothes scurrying in and out of.

Honestly, the chamber gave him the indication that it was more of a prison than a vault.

“It will be secure here, right?” Blayke asked as he cautious inspected their surroundings.

“I cannot guarantee that completely,” Ramus admitted as they paused a few feet away from the only open doors. “But, for the most part; yes. Not only is the blade itself sealed, but the walls within the vault possess sealing sigils. And the doors will soon to be locked themselves. Never to be opened under my watch.”

That was good to hear. There was no safer place for it to be.

Drayce watched idly as the scholars moved in and out of the room. Some earthlain, some celestian. There even appeared to be a single therian amongst them.

“I’m afraid, currently, we don’t know how dangerous the Cursed Blade actually is,” Drayce admitted. “Whether or not it could possess another. Or only under certain circumstances. Regardless, it needs to be kept sealed away.”

Ramus was quick to agree. “Yes. To think that such a weapon had existed all this time. Either we have been extremely fortunate or the blade was kept well hidden.”

It was a little surprising. With how many guilds and explorers were venturing in and out of the labyrinth. Then again, Drayce himself had needed to find the music box with contained the small treasure chest, which contained the magically infused map. After that, there was the tokens.

With all the precautions, they probably shouldn’t be surprised that no one knew of its existence.

“What of the documents found within that altar?” Ramus questioned.

“As you can imagine, Shashi is busy at work deciphering it,” Drayce explained with a smile when he recalled the dismay of both Ashton and Kamali at Shashi’s dedication. “As soon as he tells me, I’ll be sure to inform you, too.”

Ramus quickly agreed to that, too. “Please do. I would like to know more of this Turquoise Lotus Father. If he had battled alongside the Legendary Dragoon, then it is my duty as Earthlain prince to honour his role and commitment.”

Hopefully Drayce could provide him with that information.

There was one thing, though…

“I have a request, if you don’t mind?”

Ramus regarded him curiously. “Yes?”

“I would like for the Shining Lotus to stay with Caelem. It belongs to his village’s founding father, after all. Also, in case the Cursed Blade is ever released again.”

Ramus took a moment to consider his request. And honestly, it did sound a bit selfish. It was an important treasure, after all. But it belonged to another. Someone not of the royal family. It just felt wrong to keep it hidden away.

And if the Cursed Blade was released, only Caelem could wield the blade in battle.

“Of course,” Ramus agreed with a smile. “What of the necklace? I heard it belonged to another, too.”

Drayce nodded his head, thankful for the young prince’s understanding. “Yeah. I’m not entirely sure if he wants it back, but it would be wrong of me not to ask him, right?”

“Indeed.” Ramus turned away from them summoned over a tall earthlain man with white hair and a short, well-kept beard. “Please bring the Shining Lotus. And the necklace, Scarlet Lotus.”

The elderly scholar glanced in Drayce’s direction. And unexpectedly uttered a scoff. “You’re not considering leaving such a valuable find in this…treasure hunter’s care, are you?”

Besides him, Drayce felt Blayke bristle. Drayce had to literally grab onto his arm to prevent him from doing or saying anything. He didn’t like the overly snooty types, after all. And rather unfortunately, some scholars (especially noble or royal scholars) could be rather…arrogant, for lack of a better word.

Being locked up in the library all day and not going any field work was often the reason.

Surprisingly, Ramus’ expression turned somewhat stoic as he turned to regard the elderly scholar fully. “This Treasure Hunter is the one to have discover it. And his guildmate, a therian, is of the village that honours the one who created that blade. It is only right that I return that blade to its rightful place. And possibly inheritor. Don’t you agree?”

Ooh, that almost brought a chill down Drayce’s spine.

The scholar attempted to splutter some kind of indignant response, yet he could not deny the young prince his order. And he knew that. As much as he loathed to admit it, the young kid before him held a much higher status than he did.

Nevertheless, there was a sense of surprise from the man. As if he hadn’t expected such a reply from his prince.

“Spoken like a true prince,” Drayce complimented as the scholar shuffled away and Ramus turned his attention back toward them.

“W-well, Egar insisted that I speak more…matter-a-factly when it is in regards to my royal advisors. They were rather…rude last night, in my opinion,” Ramus admitted with a light flush of pink to his cheeks. He soon offered him an apologetic smile, however. A smile that held an underlying hint of frustration. “You’ll have to forgive the royal scholars. They can be seen as…”

“Superior and obnoxious?” Blayke muttered as he dislodged his arm from Drayce’s grip and folded them tightly over his chest.

“Not quite the words I was looking for…”

“But right all the same.”

The corner of Ramus’ mouth twitched slightly. Threatening to break out into a smile. “Well…I can’t rightfully deny that.”

[theshatteredrose]

Turquoise Lotus Father (Treasure Seekers 2) - Chapter 18 - Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction

AN: Somewhat early update this week; got a doctor’s appointment tomorrow which will take a few hours. Health taking a turn again because that’s what’s 2020 is about, apparently. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Ao3 | Wattpad | FFNet

Chapter 18:

Night-time in the labyrinth was a lot brighter than Drayce had originally thought. The light from the half-moon filtered through the thick canopy with surprising ease. Thought nowhere near as bright as the daylight, he could see a few feet in front of him.

He, however, wished his had his coat with him. The labyrinth was rather cold at night.

He also wished that he didn’t have his wrists tied tightly behind his back. His arms were starting to ache from the unnatural positioning, and his wrists were becoming itchy and sore. Unfortunately, under his current circumstances, there wasn’t much he could do about it.

Despite the discomfort and mild pain, Drayce still fidgeted and tugged as his wrists. They were currently in a small opening, Drayce along with Tokala and Runihura were forced to sit on the ground while Keane did another quick survey of the area.

They seemed to be heading in a north-westerly direction. Of course, he couldn’t be completely sure. It was hard to keep track of his surroundings with Keane grabbing him at random and dragging him around. And the lush greenery around them was the same. But his inner compass or maybe just inner knowing told him that they were heading toward the upper left-hand corner of the floor.

It was an area that he hadn’t had a chance to inspect himself. So, he had no idea what he was being forced into.

Drayce winced as a sharp pain raced up his arm. His wrists were really starting to hurt. The coarse rope tied around them was not remotely comfortable. He needed to stop fidgeting. Injuring his wrists further wasn’t going to do him any good.

He turned to his left were Runihura sat, leaned against the base of a tree. He was doing a good job at hiding his pain, but Drayce knew that he was in the need of a healer. And he needed one soon.

“Runihura, are you doing ok?” Drayce asked, genuinely concerned.

Runihura peeled open an eye to look tiredly at him. “…Managing.”

Drayce wasn’t sure how truthful that was. Still, there was little he could do otherwise. “Good. Stay with me, ok?”

A simple nod of the head from Runihura was the only response he got. He leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. He was getting weaker, wasn’t he…?

“Drayce?”

The soft murmur of his name caused Drayce to turn to his right where Tokala sat, huddled against his shoulder. “Do…do you think Salim is ok?”

Drayce’s gaze softened. He had to find a way to comfort him. Words were all he could do. “I bet he’s at the Crescentia right now. Fiorello will patch him up. I bet he’s as mad as shit right now, too.”

Not to mention Blayke. And Ashton, too.

He wondered how…worried Zohar was. Everyone else for that matter.

Though his wrists were also bound behind his back, Tokala pulled his legs to his chest. “I…like Salim. A lot.”

Drayce tilted his head to the side in a questioning manner. “Like?”

Tokala rested his chin on his knees. “He’s…more than a friend or brother to me.”

“Oh, I see.” Drayce wasn’t entirely sure what made Tokala tell him that, but he wasn’t going to stop him.

“But I don’t know how Salim feels about me, ya know?”

For the first time in what felt like hours, Drayce felt a smile twitched onto his lips. “Really? Hah, I’m more than certain that Salim cares for you greatly in return.”

Tokala lifted his chin from his knees to instead bury his face into them in a, well, defeated manner. “…We’re better off being just friends,” he murmured.

The small grin on Drayce’s lips immediately slipped away. His heart went out to the poor therian. He could only wonder what he was feeling. After seeing someone so dear to him get shot and then dragged into the labyrinth as a hostage?

Keane suddenly reappeared from the shadows and marched purposely into the small clearing.

“Up on your feet,” he ordered as he leaned down to snare Drayce’s arm and literally hauled him to his feet.

Though Keane’s touch unsettled him, Drayce didn’t fight back. It would do no good. He also noticed something; he appeared agitated. Were things not quite going to plan? Or were they taking longer than he would have liked?

Tokala was pulled to his feet by Bronson while Runihura struggled to stand, relying heavily on the tree for support. Keita stood nearby with a rather unreadable expression on his face as he watched Runihura move.

“Let’s move,” Keane ordered once again as he turned back in the direction he came and proceeded to pull Drayce with him.

They fell into a tense and rather terse silence. Only the sound of their feet against the soft grass could be heard. With Keane’s hold on his arm tight and constricting, Drayce could only allow himself to be pulled along. And attempt to concentrate on their surroundings.

When they turned a corner and toward a path that was surrounded by streams of water, and an archway made from a spiral tree root, a sense of familiarity appeared. He seemed to recognise this path. The unusual structure with the tree root, thin paths, and the pools of water was familiar to him.

If he remembered correctly, he had been here only once. And it was the furthest upper left-hand corner of the map. Well, so far.

As Keane roughly pulled him through the archway, everyone else promptly following, a sound of distress was heard. Drayce immediately looked behind him to find that Tokala had buckled forward, his ears folded back, and he desperately pulled at his arms.

“Hng…” Tokala uttered, seemingly through gritted teeth.

Despite Keane’s grip, Drayce turned around toward the therian. “What’s wrong?”

“M-my head,” Tokala replied, once again the words seemingly being ground out through gritted teeth.

Headache? This place?

It was the same place where Caelem noticed Tokala looking pale. Was there something here that was affecting him? Wait, Keane led them right here. Could that discomfort be somehow connected to the lotuses?

Keane unexpectedly released his hold on Drayce’s arm and the sudden release caused him to stumble forward slightly. But he didn’t make a break for it for obvious reasons; Tokala and Runihura were still hostages, and where exactly could he go? He doubted he would get very far with his wrists bound behind his back.

He did turn around to face the bandit leader, however.

As Keane reached into his jacket, he knelt down to the ground. He pulled out the parchment that he stole from Drayce and placed it on the ground. He then reached into his jacket a second time and Drayce knew that he was gathering the silver lotus tokens that were also stolen from him.

Sure enough, Keane revealed the three silver tokens.

Flattening the map onto the grass before him, Keane placed the three silver tokens within the centre of the map. The lotus symbols within the tokens began to glow, each a different colour; one a turquoise blue, one a crimson red, and the third a light violet. Each light pulsated once, twice, and a third time before the light abruptly faded.

A flurry of leaves and twigs suddenly burst forth from the thicket close to where they all stood. It was as if someone had taken a sharp blade or hatchet to the foliage in order to clear a pathway to the other side.

That was probably exactly what happened. Like how the Moon Legacy cleared a path for him on the floor below.  

Quickly turning back to the map and tokens, Drayce was able to witness the tokens taking on a glowing red colour, as if burning from within.

That must have been exactly what had happened as the map abruptly began to darken before it burst into flames. The bright orange flames quickly engulfed the parchment and the tokens.

When the flames died down, there was nothing left but a small pile of ash. The map along with the tokens were gone. Their purpose had been fulfilled.

So that meant…

“Keep moving,” Keane briskly ordered as he grabbed Drayce’s arm again and tugged strongly, causing him to whirl around to face him, practically crashing against his chest. As he did, Keane sent him a conceited smirk. “We’re getting close now.”

Yeah, but to what? The Shining Lotus? Or the Cursed Blade?

As Keane fearlessly lead the way to the opening in the forest wall, gladly dragging Drayce with him, it looked as though that they all were going to find out soon enough!

Passing through the opening, they stepped into a surprisingly spacious clearing. Pools of water surrounded a narrow path that lead deeper in still. It honestly wasn’t something Drayce had expected. There was no obvious landmarks or signs of ruins. Nothing like the stone tomb-like structure that was hidden on the first floor.

They still had to do more searching, it seemed.

He couldn’t help but wonder about Keane’s motivations for all of this; What was he hoping to achieve from all of this? Why had Tokala been taken hostage? Why was he?

Hgn, there was just too many questions. And he didn’t have the time to find answers to them!

Tokala suddenly released a loud, pained scream. “S-stop it!”

Drayce whirled around in time to witness Tokala brazenly break his own bindings, only so he could clutch at his head with his hands. His ears flattened against his hair as he buckled forward. He then lurched forward abruptly, as if something had grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him forward.

“T-Tokala?” Drayce murmured.

Keane, however, wasn’t surprised by Tokala’s reaction. Instead, a smug smirk twisted its way to his lips. “So, he is the one. How lucky are we to get you on the first go?”

“What’s going on? What’s happening to him?” Drayce demanded to know.

Keane chuckled lowly. “The Cursed Blade is calling him.”

“What?” Drayce’s heart dropped down into his stomach.

“N-no, stop it!” Tokala half screamed, half sobbed as he continued to lurch forward in a completely unnatural manner. “I don’t want it…I don’t want it…I don’t want it!”

As if prompted by Tokala’s scream, the trees around them shuddered violently.

In a truly ferocious explosion of leaves and branches, a column of blackish-green mist appeared from a thick grove of trees and foliage to the right of them. It spiral upwards in a violent twisting motion. The column grew in tighter and tighter until it moulded into a tall beam of energy.

With a sound that could only be described as crackling lightning, the mist dissipated. And in its place was a long, black blade.

Drayce drew in a sharp intake of air. “That’s…”

“The Cursed Blade.” Keane sounded manically joyful at that.

The blade floated in mid-air for a few very intense moments before it abruptly shot toward them. Handle first. And stopped directly in front of Tokala.

“N-no,” Tokala sobbed as his trembling hands reached toward the blade. Moving on their own accord.

He then wrapped his hands around the hilt of the blade and it fully rested in his hands.

No, Tokala…

“Heh, it’s time,” Keane murmured. “Tomlin, Bronson!”

“Yes!” Bronson replied and strode forward, while Tomlin stayed at the back, his coffins at the ready.

“I’ll get Crim to grab the blade,” the small necromancer stated. “Shithead, you restrain the kid.”

“Got it!”

Drayce could only watch as Tokala, with the Cursed Blade in his hands, whirled around to face them. His once vibrant brown eyes were dull and red. With tears rolling down his cheeks.

That tree-like wraith that Tomlin had pulled on Drayce a couple of times already appeared in front of Tokala while Bronson attempted to slip around the back of him. However, Tokala raised the Cursed Blade, and promptly brought it down into the wraith, effortlessly cutting it in half. He then pivoted on his heel so flawlessly, and slashed in Bronson’s direction.

Thankfully, the pugilist lurched himself backwards and avoided the blade by the sheer skin of his teeth.

For such a big guy, he had some sharp reflexes. Which was lucky for him!

Tomlin uttered a curse or two before he summoned two more tree-like wraiths. Only for Tokala to abruptly cut them down a mere second later.

The way that Tokala handled that blade was incredible. But he wasn’t a fighter. He wasn’t a masurao. How could he wield is to effortlessly?

Unless…

Drayce’s eyes widened with fear when his gaze caught sight of a mass of bright blue. The sound of scurrying feet and the aggressive gnashing of pinchers soon followed.

Just their luck; a toxipede was drawn by the sounds of battle!

Drayce instinctively felt the need to yell out a warning to everyone involved, but especially Tokala as the massive insect was right behind him. However, before he could even form the words, Tokala wordlessly turned around, and with a single swing of the Cursed Blade; took the head off of the Toxipede.

A green, gooey like substance, likely that of the FOE’s blood, spurted into the air and spluttered messily on the surrounding area. None of it hit Tokala, however, and he lowered the Cursed Blade to his side just as the headless body of the toxipede crashed to the ground.

One single attack. It happened so quickly. A single, simple swing of the blade…

That…

“Shit,” Keane suddenly muttered. “That kid either knows how to use a sword, or…”

“Tokala!” Drayce couldn’t help but call out in alarm as the therian spun around to face them once more.

“I-I can’t stop!” Tokala managed to sob out as he took a purposeful step forward. “I can’t control it!”

“Yup, he’s being controlled,” Keane commented in a dry, deadpanned manner. “No matter, we’ll get the other one then.”

With a feeling that was a mix of fear and concern, Drayce spun around to face the other man. “You planned this?”

Keane peered at him from the corner of his eye before he turned his focus forward once more. “In a way. If you don’t know, according to legend, should the Cursed Blade be freed from its confinement it will go to endless lengths to hunt down and destroy the Shining Lotus. For destroying the Shining Lotus will grant the Cursed Blade even greater powers.”

So, he knew all along!

Panic appeared in Drayce’s chest. “No…We can’t let a sword like that into idle hands! Don’t you know how much damage it could do? The Shining Lotus is the only blade in existence that can defeat it. If it’s destroyed…”

Keane continued to stare forward, his expression tight and terse. “…It’ll make things more interesting around here.”

Drayce could only glare at the other dragoon before he whipped back around to focus in on Tokala. He was surrounded by tree-wraiths once more, three of them to be precise. And their long spinney arms and grabby hands were all attempting to snatch away the Cursed Blade.

But in one effortless, fluid motion, Tokala struck them all down.

If Keane was right, then it was pointless even trying to take the Cursed Blade away from Tokala. Nothing would stand in his way. Rather, stand in the way of the Cursed Blade itself.

Tokala was suddenly directly in front of Tomlin. The Cursed Blade raised above his head, ready to strike.

Out of pure reflex, Tomlin raised his coffins in front of him to act as a shield. They offered the barest of protection and resistance, however. The blade cut through them both so easy. Honestly, it looked as though those coffins were made from nothing but paper.

With his coffins practically disintegrating before him, Tomlin promptly fell down to one knee. His raised his hand to cover him mouth as he coughed harshly. Despite his hand against his mouth, splatters of blood were seen escaping through his fingers.

He was coughing up blood!

W-wait…wait a second. Shashi told him something super important about the Cursed Blade. Ugh, what was it?!

“Tch,” Keane growled out as he summoned three Decoy Shields in quick succession and barked an order toward Bronson. “Get him out of the way!”

“R-right!” Bronson stuttered as he leapt to his feet. He darted forward and behind the row of Decoy Shields. He managed to stay on task even as said shields were systematically destroyed around him.

Quickly scooping small Tomlin into his large arms, Bronson picked him up and carted him off, putting as much distance between him and Tokala.

Bronson somehow managed to get away without injury. But Tomlin…he was limp in Bronson’s arms. Almost lifeless as blood seeped from his mouth.

He…wasn’t in good shape.

“This is annoying,” Keane hissed as he summoned more shields to distract Tokala. “Where’s that fucking blade already?”

Well, maybe he should have figured that out before he summoned the Cursed Blade!

“P-please, someone stop me!” Tokala sobbed as more tears rolled down his cheeks. “I don’t want to hurt anyone else!”

“What we do now, Boss?” Keita asked, promptly reminding everywhere that he was still there. Drayce honestly forgot about him. And Runihura!

“Distract the idiot,” Keane snapped in response.

Keita immediately paled at the thought. “B-but…”

“Did I fucking stutter?”

Ah, Drayce remembered what it was that Shashi told him!

“Wait!” Drayce abruptly interrupted, prompting Keita to jump in surprise while Keane simply turned toward him. “Don’t interact with the blade!”

Keane raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh?”

“It’s capable of inflecting a dangerous toxin on those who come into contact with it, even if that contact is another weapon or shield,” Drayce explained. “That’s why it was hidden.”

And Tomlin seemed to be infected by that toxin. It worked so quickly. No, it worked immediately. How potent was it? Was there a cure for it?

Once more, Keane’s expression darkened as he turned his focus forward. “…This complicates matters.”

Drayce’s Decoy Shields could also offer as a distraction for Tokala, or rather the Cursed Blade. But how was he going to get said blade away from Tokala? Not to mention, seal it away again without anyone else getting hurt.

Or potentially killed…

“Tokala!”

Wait, that voice…

Tokala’s widen in recognition as he turned in the direction of the voice. “S-Sal?” he stuttered before an expression of utter fear appeared on his face. “N-no, don’t come near me!”

“Drayce!”

And that was Blayke! The others…they found him!

But…was it too late?

[theshatteredrose]

Turquoise Lotus Father (Treasure Seekers Saga 2) - Chapter 17 - Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction

AN: A rather special chapter since it’s from Blayke’s point of view for a change. So, yeah, there’s a bit of swearing involved :’D Hope you enjoy reading~!

Ao3 | Wattpad | FFNet

Chapter 17:

Blayke kept polishing his rapier as he walked out of his room. He was still agitated by the events that occurred in the labyrinth, and in the past few days in general. That Keita brat seriously pissed him off. His confidence, his attitude, his bravado.

Nothing but an obnoxious brat.

Still, he couldn’t afford to underestimate him. Just like he couldn’t afford to underestimate any of those bandits. They had a guild name, but he couldn’t remember it. And honestly he didn’t fucking care.

With his weapon as sharp and shiny as he could possibly get it, he slid it back into its sheath and rested it near the front entrance of the guildhouse. He did hesitate in doing so, however. With the break-in that occurred a couple of days ago, he was understandably still a bit edgy.

That bandit was lucky that it was Drayce that walked into the library and not Blayke himself. He’d like to think that he would put up more of a fight. Drayce was protective, and honestly far too nice. He preferred the act of waiting and being on guard. Blayke preferred to strike back, be he the first to strike or the second. Be he would definitely take a swing at someone.

Reckless? Probably. But the momentary satisfaction of hitting the bastard attacking him would be worth it.

“B-Blayke?”

Dropping his rapier in the foyer, Blayke turned at the sound of Caelem’s nervous voice. As he laid eyes on the therian, he found him looking as nervous as he sounded; ears folded back slightly and his fluffy red tail hanging low with just the tip twitching in slight agitation.

He had gotten used to seeing Caelem’s fluffy tail being all…perky and upright. Even wagging excitedly and happily on occasion.

“What’s wrong?” Blayke immediately asked.

Caelem frowned. “I can’t find Drayce. I can’t even hear him.”

“What?” Blayke asked in surprise. “He’s not in this office? What about his room?”

Caelem just shook his head. “I checked the library, too. I had…thought that maybe he fell asleep or…something else happened. But I couldn’t find him anywhere.”

Blayke felt the urge to race upstairs to have a look himself. But if Caelem said he couldn’t find Drayce, then he couldn’t find him. Going to look for himself would be fruitless. But if he wasn’t milling about in the library, getting himself lost in his office, or simply crashing in his room…then where the hell was he?

“Checked the training room?” Blayke questioned.

“Zohar and Kamali are there,” Caelem answered. “They haven’t seen him either.”

God damn it!

If there was one person in this overly roomy guildhouse that would know where Drayce could be, it could only be a certain green-haired caretaker.

“Ashton!” Blayke called out as he all but marched in a purely agitated manner into the kitchen. And as soon as he spied the other man, levelled him with a very pointed question; “Where the hell is Drayce?”

Ashton immediately stopped what he was doing by the kitchen sink to abruptly spin around to face him. “What? He’s not in his office?”

“No,” Blayke bit out, only truly agitated because he was becoming increasingly concerned. After all those events with those bandit bastards, he had a right to be. “And not in his room or the library, either.”

Ashton seemed to share his concern as his face went from mild surprised to this stoic expression of hidden concern. He eyes became hard, steely even as he quickly exited the kitchen, no doubt wanting to see for himself.

Blayke followed him out, only to stop in the foyer when he realised the rest of the guildhouse’s occupants were already gathered there. Worry, confusion was rift. And there was nothing Blayke could say that could ease their minds.

Instead, all he could really do was to run a hand through his hair in frustration. “Man, you really do need to keep a constant eye on the guy,” he muttered.

Drayce had always been like that. Ever since they were kids. He would just wander off after seeing something that looked interesting. The adults said that he was inquisitive. To Blayke, he was just asking for trouble.

And he couldn’t help but feel that Drayce had found himself in trouble…

He wasn’t over-reacting. Something was wrong. He felt it in his bones.

A low growl to his right pulled Blayke from his thoughts. He immediately narrowed in on the source of the sound to find Faelen crouched down in the back hallway next to Nashoba. Whom of which was staring directly at the back door. Back arched, fur bristling, and head hung low.

Before Blayke could tell Faelen to get back into the foyer with everyone and ask what it was that had Nashoba agitated, Ashton marched down the stairs. His expression hadn’t changed much at all. But his jaw was clenched, and his eyes were narrowed.

“He’s not here,” Ashton stated simply as he reached the bottom step.

“He has to be here,” Blayke argued. “No one saw him leave.”

Ashton’s expression hardened further. “By the front door.”

Blayke frowned. “Out the back? What the hell for?”

The sound of hurried footsteps from the floor above caused everyone to instantly look upwards. Tense. Thankfully, it was just Shashi. However, he looked mildly worried as he hurried down the stairs to be next to Ashton.

“Ashton. The map. It’s gone,” he said simply.

“What?”

Shashi lifted his hand to reveal a golden key in his palm. “Here. The key I gave to Drayce only a few hours ago.”

Ashton stared down at the key wide-eyed. “He…?”

A low growl followed by a snarling bark from Nashoba prevented Ashton from saying anything further. The sound, however, immediately reminded Blayke of Nashoba’s previous signs of agitated and he narrowed in on the back of the Crescentia.

“What’s wrong?” he immediately asked as he reached out to snare Faelen by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back to where everyone else had gathered.

“S-someone’s outside,” Faelen nervously stated as he allowed Kamali to take him by the shoulders and essentially hold him close to him to ensure his safety. Nashoba, thankfully, didn’t immediately race off to find the source of the sound himself. He stayed, guarded and alert, in the middle of the hallway.

“Another bandit, huh? Caelem, my rapier.”

Caelem wordlessly picked up the sheathed weapon and effortlessly threw it across the room toward him. He threw it in such a way that allowed Blayke to catch it in one hand and unsheathed it within a mere second later with the other. Discarding the sheath to the side, he held the handgrip of his weapon tightly as he darted toward the backdoor.

He anticipated a bandit. After everything that happened, it had to be one, right?

If it was that brat…

Yet…they got what they wanted. The map. Drayce. Why the hell would they waste time or effort returning to the scene of the crime, so to speak?

Only one way to find out.

When Blayke reached the backdoor, he immediately stilled. He waited in silence, hoping for another noise to narrow in on. Rushing outside without a clue where the intruder could be was stupid. He may be a man of action, but he wasn’t stupid.

He didn’t have to wait long. A soft rustling sound was heard. To the right of the door. Likely a few steps away.

So, to prevent their intruder from gaining the upper hand, Blayke acted first. He opened the door wide and darted outside. He quickly positioned himself into a defensive stance, but readied himself to go full on defensive an instant before he needed to. He faced the direction the rustling came from and heard another noise. Another quick rustle.

That second sound allowed him to narrow in on their intruder further.

He had expected that overly confident blue haired kid. Or that sullen, quiet harbinger. Hell, he half expected to find that smug, eyepatch wearing asshole.

What he got was a brounii with short blond hair with red-rimmed glasses, who happened to be hiding behind a stone pillar. And practically trembling with fear.

“Who-?” Blayke mumbled, revealing his surprise.

The brounii peered around the pillar at him. He had green eyes that were brimming with tears. “P-please don’t hurt me.”

A tearful brounii? He hadn’t expected that…

While still in the state of surprise, Blayke made the conscious decision not to lower his weapon. “You’re…?”

“Runihura l-left me here,” the brounii continued, either accidently or purposely revealing his connection to those bandits. “He said…he said that the d-dragoon said it was ok.”

That caused Blayke to lower his guard a fraction as he blinked at the other in surprise. “Drayce…”

What was going on? How much was he keeping from him?

“Blayke?”

Someone quietly saying his name inside caused Blayke to snap out of his surprise and he turned his head to see that the others had gathered close to the back entrance. Likely worried for him and ready to spring into action themselves. And equally likely, surprised by his lack of action. And probably cussing.

“It’s a brounii,” Blayke replied as he lowered his rapier, but not his guard. “A scared one at that.”

Fiorello immediately stepped forward and defiantly brushed past the others. “Allow me,” he said simply as he moved to step outside also.

By appearance, Fiorello didn’t look that intimidating. And he was a healer, so he would know how to approach someone who was frightened. Even so, Blayke decided to stay close and keep watch. The brounii might be scared because he was alone. Or he was scared because he was being used as bait.

With those bandits, anything was possible.

Fiorello approached the other brounii cautiously. He didn’t immediately rush him. He stopped a few steps away. At a respectable distance. “What’s your name?” he asked in a surprisingly gentle voice.

The other brounii peered out from behind the pillar. “P-Palash.”

“Come inside,” Fiorello urged gently with a reassuring smile. “You’re safe here.”

Palash didn’t respond at first. He continued to hide behind the pillar and just stared at Fiorello. He then suddenly swallowed, as if trying to work up the nerve to leave his little spot of so-called safety.

Finally, he did step out from behind the pillar. “O-ok.”

Fiorello offered out his hand to the still very skittish Palash, who happened to be dressed similar to that of a botanist, so likely felt a sense of kinship with his fellow brounii. Palash looked at Fiorello’s hand, once more swallowing hard.

He then took a hold of Fiorello’s hand.

Although still suspicious, Blayke took a step back to allow Fiorello to take Palash inside. He couldn’t help but glance at their surroundings cautiously, still half expecting someone else to jump out while they were distracted.

The way that Palash clung to Fiorello, skittishly looking at his surroundings in mild panic, prompted Blayke to assume that the kid wasn’t remotely dangerous. No one could fake being that frightened.

Somewhat satisfied that no one else was outside, hiding in the garden and shadows, Blayke backed his way back into the Crescentia. He closed the door and made sure to note that he locked it tight.

He then turned to follow Fiorello deeper into the Crescentia, his rapier close to his side.

“Don’t crowd him. Give him some room,” Fiorello chided everyone.

Blayke, of course, wanted to interrogate him. But with how skittish he appeared to be; it would lead to nowhere. He’d leave the questioning to Fiorello for now. He’d be better off keeping a close eye on their surroundings and ensuring that everyone else was safe.

“Now, then,” Fiorello started as everyone gathered in the foyer once more, and he turned to Palash. “Can you tell us what happened? You need to tell us everything. We’re very worried about a friend of ours, you see.”

Palash continued to cling onto Fiorello’s arm tightly. “U-um, I’ll start with what’s really important.” He took another moment to draw in a deep breath to settle his nerves. “K-Keane took someone hostage. A therian. A-and…he shot another. A pugilist.”

Blayke felt his heart drop into his stomach. “A pugilist? No way…”

That could only mean one thing.

Fiorello caught onto the implication, too. Though, he tried not to show it, the tightening of his jaw indicated that he was rightly worried. “Where?”

“I-I don’t know,” Palash regretfully replied with a shake of his head. “I only know because Runihura t-told me. He…”

Tears suddenly began to pool in his eyes again and his bottom lip trembled. It was obvious that the harbinger was extremely important to him. He was just as worried for Runihura as they were for Drayce’s safety.

Runihura must have been pretty desperate to leave Palash alone in the back gardens of the Crescentia.

“Runihura has been trying to protect you, hasn’t he?” Kamali asked him gently.

Barely holding back his tears, Palash nodded his head. “K-Keane, he…he’s after the dragoon. Drayce.”

Blayke immediately tensed as a mild sense of nausea appeared from the pit of his stomach. “Why?”

Again, Palash shook his head. “I-I don’t know. He’s a treasure hunter. That’s all I know.”

It wasn’t just because he was a treasure hunter…

Damn bastard. He had better not try anything with Drayce!

A sudden and extremely loud knock at the front door caused everyone to jump. Blayke instantly whirled around, rapier in hand as he pushed himself to the front. Though ready for a fight, a part of him was sceptical that one of those bandits would just waltz up to the front door and make such a racket.

Blayke signal everyone to stay back as he moved toward the front door. With one hand on the handle, the other gripping his rapier tightly, he turned the knob and threw open the front door.

He had expected someone to be standing directly in front of him. And that was what he got. But he hadn’t expected them to be leaning heavying against the doorframe, cradling their left shoulder as dark read blood snaked down his arm and pooled at his feet.

Salim…

Grimacing in pain, Salim lifted his head and muttered through gritted teeth. “You guys…”

Blayke’s rapier was sent tumbling to the floor as he reached out to catch Salim before he fell down along with it. “What the hell happened?” he asked as he felt the pugilist’s full weight fall against him.

As Ashton darted forward to help Blayke drag Salim inside, he managed to ground out a short explanation. “Some…bastard with an eyepatch. He has…Tokala.”

Damn it!

“Take him to the clinic immediately,” Fiorello ordered. “Palash, stay with Kamali. Zohar, help me with this.”

“Of course,” Zohar said dutifully.

Salim continued to lose blood as they dragged him to the clinic. For someone who was usually energetic, perhaps even obnoxiously so, seeing him so…limp and pale was incredibly unnerving.

With Ashton’s help, they laid Salim down onto a cot. As Blayke moved to step away, Salim suddenly lashed out to grab him by the arm. Although it appeared painful for him to do so, he held onto his arm tightly as he looked up at him.

“Find Tokala,” he gritted out. “He’s in trouble.”

…He wasn’t the only one.

“Did that bastard say anything?” Blayke asked as he crouched down next to Salim’s bed.

Fiorello and Zohar worked feverishly on Salim’s arm, of which the pugilist paid little attention to. “Something about a vassal. I think he was…ugh, he was talking about Tokala.”

A vassal? Blayke didn’t have a clue where to start with that. But maybe someone else did.

Blayke patted the back of Salim’s hand in a hopefully reassuring way. “Let Fiorello heal you without complaint. As soon as he’s done, we’ll go looking for Tokala.”

Salim peered up at him through one eye. He gave a short nod of his head in both acceptance and understanding. He then released his hold on Blayke’s arm.

Leaving Fiorello and Zohar to do their jobs, Blayke stepped away from Salim’s bed and out of the clinic. He wasn’t surprised to find that the others had gathered outside the room. Palash with them, holding onto Kamali’s hand tightly as he hid behind him.

With his ears flat against his hand and his hands fidgeting nervously in front of him, Caelem stood before Blayke. “What do we do now?”

Good question.

First thing they needed to do was to sort out all the information they had gathered. And figure out just what the fuck was actually going on!

“I think I’m beginning to understand what is happening here,” Shashi suddenly uttered. With his hand grasping his chin in a thoughtful posture, he turned to the green-haired earthlain next to him. “Ashton. Do you think-?”

“Absolutely,” Ashton cut him off, his expression stoic yet frustration could still be clearly seen in his eyes. “Keane took Tokala and somehow managed to get to Drayce. The map was likely ransom. He used Tokala to ensured Drayce’s complete compliance.”

“And the damn idiot didn’t tell anyone else because he didn’t want anyone else to get involved,” Blayke added. He couldn’t help but utter a low growl as he raked his hand through his hair. “Ugh, I’m beating his ass when I get my hands on him!”

Ashton nodded his head sharply. “Shashi. Information on the map. You said it pointed to a location at one point. They must be heading there.”

“Yes,” Shashi returned swiftly. “Upper left-hand corner. That’s our best lead.”

“Right, that’s where we’ll go,” Blayke decided before he turned to the two scholars. “But you two, stay here. Just in case that bastard didn’t drag Drayce there. You two can keep an eye out for them in town.”

Ashton looked as though he wanted to argue with that, out of sheer protectiveness toward Drayce then for any other reason. Yet, he couldn’t find fault in Blayke’s line of thinking either.

“What about Salim?” Faelen asked nervously.

“He’s probably coming, too.” As if they could talk him out of staying put and waiting. “He’s seriously pissed off right now.”

And he wasn’t the only one.

Right. Enough talk. Time for some fucking action.

“Everyone, get ready,” Blayke ordered as he moved to the stairs to get his armour from his room. “We’ve going to beat the shit out of those bandits and get Drayce back.”

“Right!”

[theshatteredrose]

Turquoise Lotus Father (Treasure Seekers Saga 2) - Chapter 20 - Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction

AN: Ahh, I’ve finally worked out how many chapters this novel will be. Chapter 23 will be the last for this saga. A little longer than expected, which shouldn’t be a surprising coming from me :’D Anyway, hope you enjoy reading~!

Ao3 | Wattpad | FFNet

Chapter 20:

Drayce summoned his Decoy Shields in a pattern that would turn Tokala away from the large pool of water to the west of the clearing. Where Caelem headed on his own. He said that he could see something that the others could not. And Drayce trusted that he did.

All he could do now was ensure that Caelem reached the pool of water in relative safety.

Caelem soon reached the water’s edge. He hesitated, no doubt debating how he was going to reach the light he could see. Dive in? Swim?

Before he could make a decision, something akin to an explosion burst forth from the pool of water, sending white crested waves as high as the trees above. Caelem instinctively took a step back and raised his arms in front of him in a crossed and protective position. He made no attempt to run, however. And despite Drayce’s own body tensing as the water rained down around them, Caelem boldly turned toward the pool once more. And gazed out expectantly.

There, floating quietly, majestically over the still rippling and bubbling water was a blade in a blue stone encrusted sheath. Blue stones could be seen glinting from the hilt. Long, thin, slightly curved at the tip. Like that of a katana that masuraos wielded.

It shone with a light brighter than the half-moon above, though was a gentle light blue in colour.

No, a turquoise blue in colour.

It was the Shining Lotus.

And the Cursed Blade knew it, too. Ignoring the wraiths and Decoy Shields, Tokala whirled around. And narrowed in on Caelem.

“Call it to your side!” Drayce shouted to him.

Caelem nodded his head sharply. Again, there was no hesitation from him. “Shining Lotus, come to me!”

The Shining Lotus pulsated a bright turquoise blue before it turned in mid-air. To point the handle of the blade forward. And it shot toward Caelem like a bullet.

But Caelem stood strong. He didn’t flinch. Even as the Shining Lotus abruptly stilled directly in front of him. The hilt toward him. Waiting.

Slowly, he raised his hands and wrapped them around the leather-bound handle. His arms lowered a fraction, indicating that he was now holding the full weight of the blade.

He pulled the blade toward him and removed his left hand from the hilt. He rotated the mystical weapon and rested it within the palm of his hand. Then, he wrapped his hands around the golden and jewel encrusted sheath and slowly, he drew the sheath aside. To reveal the long silver blade.

“This…” Caelem breathed as he stared at the Shining Lotus in awe. That soon dissipated, however, as an expression of determination appeared on his face and he spun around. “Tokala!”

Tokala began to pace toward him with purpose filled strides. “N-no…”

Caelem slipped the sheath into the loop of his belt, to keep it pressed against his side. “It’ll be alright.”

Tokala shook his head as he tightened his own grip on the Cursed Blade. “Don’t come near me!”

There was no backing out now. There was going to be a battle between the two blades. And all anyone could do was to stay back. And leave it all to Caelem.

“Caelem, getting the blade away from Tokala is up to you!”

Again, Caelem nodded his head sharply. “Understood!”

Caelem tightened his grip, as did Tokala. Both in striking stances. Bodies tense, the same with the atmosphere around them. Nothing moved. It didn’t dare. The wraiths that Zohar had summoned had also wisely slipped away. They lingered by his command, but they, too, seemed to become interested in the sight before them.

Then, the two lunged at each other.

Drayce couldn’t prevent a wince at the sound of the blades clashing. He honestly felt the impact in his chest.

Caelem was a masurao, born and raised in a village of masuraos…but he couldn’t possibly face the Cursed Blade alone. Even with the Shining Lotus.

Could he?

Blayke was never the type to stay back and let someone put their lives in danger. His protective urge propelled him forward. Out of sheer instinct. But Drayce threw out an arm, lightly striking it across Blayke’s chest.

“Stay back,” he told him. “Trust him. He’ll win this.”

It took Blayke a second to battle against his own protectiveness. But he did take a step back. “…Right.”

They would only get in the way, honestly. And they had to have trust in Caelem.

Their attacks…were so fast. All Drayce could see was a flash of light that lasted no more than half a second. Précised swings of the blade. Slashing, slicing. The sharp, high-pitched clatter of metal against metal was the only indication that the two blades were indeed locked in battle.

It was…amazing. Mesmerising in a way.

Caelem was incredible. He had no idea he was so skilled.

But…how long would he be able to battle against the Cursed Blade? How much longer could Tokala?

As the fierce battled progressed, a green miasma like mist slowly began to engulf Tokala. It deepened into a sickly dark green as the Cursed Blade forced his body into a drawing stance. It was almost as if it was readying for one last final attack…

“J-just stop it!” Tokala screamed in warning. “Get away from me!”

There was just…so much pain in his voice. Throughout everything, he had been conscious. And unable to fight back.

A soft…humming noise suddenly resounded through the air. It was gentle, almost inaudible. Yet, it was there. It was comforting, in a way. But where did it come from?

Caelem pulled himself into an offensive stance. The Shining Lotus held before him, grasping is with one hand while his other hand kept a firm grip upon the jewel incrusted sheathe. As he raised the smooth, flawless blade into an overhead stance, the humming sound grew in pitch. Still gentle, yet caused a strange sense of expectation and tension.

It was the Shining Lotus. The sound was resonating from the blade itself.

“Just…just like the Turquoise Lotus Father did with his own brother, with his own kin, I will not turn my back on you either,” Caelem stated. He sounded so reassured. No hesitancy. No nervousness. No fear.

In fact, his expression was a mix of compassion and determination. He, along with the Shining Lotus, were readying themselves for one final attack as well.

“Now, cut through the darkness that is trying to overshadow the light, Shining Lotus!”

A bright, blinding light suddenly filled the area. So bright that Drayce had to turn away and cover his eyes. He could only assume that the light originated from the Shining Lotus.

When the light faded and Drayce could see again, Tokala was lying on the ground, curled up on his side with his back toward them. And the Cursed Blade was on the ground several feet away.

Whatever attack Caelem used, it caused Tokala to practically crumble to the forest floor where he stood, while the Cursed Blade was flung through to air and clattered to the ground where it now laid.

“Tokala!” Salim immediately called out in alarm as he rushed to Tokala’s side. He hastily skidded onto the grass next to him and fell to his knees. Concern was clearly seen on his face as his hands hovered above Tokala, afraid to touch him in case he hurt him further. But desperately wanting nothing more than to scoop him into his arms.

“Don’t move him,” Fiorello ordered as he followed at the pugilist’s heels. “Let me take a look at him.”

Tokala wasn’t moving, though. Even as Fiorello began to inspect him. He…should be fine with Fiorello there, though, right?

Caelem had managed to free Tokala from the hold of the Cursed Blade. But the blade itself was still a source of concern. It was literally trembling and rattling, still moving, as it laid on the ground. It wanted to get back to Tokala.

They needed to think of something to subdue it – fast!

“Caelem, use the Shining Lotus’ sheath!” Blayke suddenly yelled. “It might be able to contain the Cursed Blade until we find a way to seal it again!”

“Right!”

Yes, that could work. The blue turquoise stones should be enough to contain the blade until they found a way to seal it once again. Either with the same technique the Turquoise Lotus Father had used centuries ago; or their own version.

Making his way over to the Cursed Blade, Caelem used the Shining Lotus to stab the handle of the blade to pin it to the ground. The Cursed Blade jolted at the impact and continued to rattle and shake, as if it was alive.  Caelem wasn’t deterred, however. He carefully slid the turquoise coated sheath along the long, dark metal blade.

But even as the sheathed reached the hilt, the terrible blade continued to rattle. It was almost like a death rattle, to be completely honest.

“Caelem!” Kamali suddenly appeared and called out calmly to the masurao. “Do you have the Scarlet Lotus?”

“Y-yes!”

“Tie it to the Cursed Blade,” Kamali promptly instructed, once again sounding calm despite circumstances. “It might be enough to keep it sealed within the Shining Lotus’ sheath.”

Though reluctant to release his hold on the temporarily contained Cursed Blade, Caelem had no other choice. He quickly reached into the pant’s pocket and hastily dug around for a second or two. Finally, he pulled out the red lotus crystal.

He hastily tied it around the hilt of the Cursed Blade, ensuring that he didn’t touched the accursed weapon. The rattling and trembling suddenly ceased and it fell silence.

The Cursed Blade had finally stopped moving.

For now, at least.

“I think it worked,” Caelem said around a sigh of relief.

That prompted everyone else to utter a few sighs of their own. From Drayce especially. He knew how dangerous that blade truly was. And how destructive it truly could have been. It defeated a FOE so easily. And was willing to attack anything in front of it. Imagine the carnage it could have caused if it made it inside the city.

Drayce turned to the purple-haired warlock, relieved to see that he was unharmed. “Kamali?”

“I felt a sudden rush of Mana and knew right away that it was the Shining Lotus,” Kamali immediately explained. “I also found the place to which I believed once housed the Cursed Blade.”

So, he had pointed him in the right direction.

“Is there anything there?”

Kamali nodded. “An altar of sealing.”

An altar of sealing, huh. But the Cursed Blade revealed itself so easily. Was it because of Tokala? Or had the seal weakened over time?

Before Drayce could allow himself to muse, he promptly remembered that he and his guild weren’t alone in the labyrinth. He wasn’t sure what alerted him to that fact. He just felt…eyes on him. Not fully malicious, but certainly not benign in any way, shape, or form.

He spun around just in time to witness Keane stalk out of the shadows, his cannon resting on his shoulder, and Keita a step behind him.

“It’s been sealed, huh?” Keane muttered as he bounced the cannon on his shoulder. “Now then-”

Before he could take a step forward, however, Blayke barred his path. His rapier at the ready. Along with Zohar and his wraiths, and Nashoba. Blayke’s posture was that of anger. The protective kind that Drayce had seen from him several times before. Nashoba, too, was protective; growling lowly with his heckles raised. And Zohar stood tall behind Blayke, his face stoic, but the fiery skull wraiths seemingly…jittering and sneering beside him.

“You’re not getting a step closer, asshole,” Blayke practically snarled.

Yeah, he wasn’t going to get a step closer. Drayce was going to make sure of that, too. Though his head hurt from having to summon numerous Decoy Shields before, he could muster up a few more if necessary.

There was also something that he wanted Keane to know.

“Listen closely, Bandit; do NOT come after any of my guildmates ever again. And yes, that includes Runihura, Palash, Tokala, and Salim.”

“Oh?” Keane mockingly cooed at him. “Did you just adopt them all just now?”

“You better believe I did!” Drayce stated firmly. “You’re used to getting your way through the use of violence. That won’t do you any good here.”

If it weren’t for Kamali, who had a hold of Blayke’s arm, the blue-haired fencer probably would have launched himself at Keane. Out of protectiveness and sheer hatred for the guy. “I’m more than willing to use violence myself.”

Keita looked around nervously as he kept close to Keane, who of which remain expressionless. Passive, almost. “Boss, we’re outnumbered.”

“And they have the Shining Lotus and the Cursed Blade…” Keane muttered as he, too, cast a cautious glance toward everyone. Finally, an expression of agitation appeared on his face and he clicked his tongue. “Tch. Let’s go. See ya later, Pretty Boy.”

Unfortunately, that seemed likely.

As Keane turned to leave, his glanced over in Runihura’s direction. From where he stood, Drayce couldn’t see what kind of expression he had, but he risked a guess that he had a fierce glare. If Runihura wincing and Palash attempting to hide his face against the harbinger’s chest was any indication.

“And, you,” Keane spat. “Don’t think you’ve gotten away from me.”

That was no threat. That was a warning.

Drayce would need to keep a close eye on Runihura in the future.

Keita lingered for a moment as he gazed in Runihura’s direction. His expression was unreadable, stoic even. He seemed to…hesitate before promptly turning on his heel and following Keane into the shadows of the labyrinth.

He…may have felt something toward Runihura after all.

Unfortunately, there were other things that Drayce needed to concentrate on.

“Tokala?” Drayce questioned in concern as he looked over in the direction where Fiorello and Salim were crouched around the still unmoving therian.

Fiorello looked up at him and offered him a small smile. “He’s going to be all right. The Cursed Blade forced him to use muscles in such ways he hadn’t used them before. He’s exhausted. He’s going to be sore and tired for a while.”

That was such a relief.

“He fought hard against the Cursed Blade,” Zohar added.

Yeah, he did. He was conscious throughout it all. Pleading with everyone to keep away. The blade had taken control of his body, but not of his mind.

Drayce then turned his attention to the red-haired masurao, whom of which stood vigilantly over the Cursed Blade, the Shining Lotus in his right hand. Poised to strike if necessary. “Caelem, are you all right?”

Caelem looked over at him and nodded his head. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“You saved Tokala, Cal!” Faelen cheerfully reminded him, which prompted Caelem to look genuinely surprised.

He turned to glance over in Tokala’s direction. “I…hope so.”

Blayke approached him, along with Faelen. Though, he kept a cautious eye on the Cursed Blade, and placed himself between it and Faelen to ensure his safety. As he reached Caelem, he turned to give him a concerned frown. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

Again, Caelem nodded his head in affirmation. “Yes, I am. The Shining Lotus…Wouldn’t let anything hurt me.” He carefully rested the steel blade in the palm of his left hand. A tender smile made its way onto his lips as he closed his eyes. “It feels…so warm.”

That warmth was likely the same that Drayce had felt when he encountered the Radiant Moon. It was a warmth that was hard to describe. Comforting, reassuring, almost familial in a way.

He was glad that, despite the danger, Caelem was protected.

There was one more person that Drayce needed to check in on before he could remotely begin to relax.  “Runihura, stay where you are, ok?” he instructed in a soft tone. “Don’t try sneaking off on me.”

Thankfully, while also worryingly, Runihura didn’t have the energy to escape. He simply rested fully against the tree and nodded as Palash continued to fuss over him with medicine and herbs. “Ok,” he replied softly. Tiredly.

“He’ll be on rest for the next couple of days, too,” Fiorello piped up to inform him.

Honestly, that wasn’t much of a surprise. He didn’t know what Keane did to him, and he probably didn’t want to know. But now that Runihura was part of his guild, he was going to make sure it didn’t happen again.

“Be sure to protect them, Nashoba.”

The white wolf lifted his head in response, but did little else. Seemingly content to stay where he was, next to Runihura. And though he appeared relaxed, his ears were up and he constantly searched the shadows around them.

Only when he realised that everyone was safe, did Drayce feel his own fatigue set in.

“It’s over…” he muttered under his breath as he clutched his forehead with his right hand. His head was aching. And he suddenly felt incredibly tired. Almost to the point where he just wanted to crumble to the ground to just sit for a moment.

However, before he could, a strong arm wound its way around his shoulders and he was pulled toward a taut chest. The arm and presence were comforting, however. And familiar. Enough so, Drayce subconsciously sunk back into the arm that held him upright.

“Are you all right?” Zohar asked him softly.

Drayce tilted his head back to see Zohar own concerned gaze looking back at him. His eyes were soft, almost tender in a way. “Yeah, don’t worry,” he replied with a tired, but hopefully comforting smile. “I’m just…relieved it didn’t turn out the way I had feared.”

Zohar unexpectedly reached forward and gently took one of Drayce’s hands into his. A frown tugged at his lips when he lifted his hand and gently rubbed his thumb over his knuckles. “Your wrists.”

Oh, right. He had forgotten about that.

“Just a little bit sore,” Drayce offered in reply.

Zohar’s arm tightened around his shoulders. “We were greatly worried,” he said softly, a subtle sense of pain in his voice.

Drayce immediately felt a sense of guilt. “…Sorry. I didn’t think any of this would happen.” He sighed once more, fatigue setting in once again. “Honestly, I don’t even know why he dragged me along. I didn’t…he didn’t need me.”

Likely a show of force. Or to make him realise that he could do anything he wanted. And take anyone he wanted.

“What should we do with the Cursed Blade?” Blayke suddenly asked, promptly reminding Drayce and everyone else that their situation wasn’t entirely over just yet. “We obviously can’t leave it here.”

Pushing aside his fatigue and headache that was gradually increasing in strength, Drayce straightened himself up and stepped out of Zohar’s hold. Though, he did feel a sudden sense of cold as he did so. And he couldn’t help but note that Zohar himself didn’t seem all to pleased.

“We’ll have to hand it over to the council,” Drayce replied. “Have it sealed away in their vault.”

At least for now. Until they can find better arrangements.

Kamali made a slight humming noise, that of thoughtful contemplation. Honestly, the sound he made was similar to the one that Shashi made when he was deep in researcher mode. “Hm. I think that would be more suited than attempting to seal it back within the altar. Too many know of its existence, now.”

“That’s true,” Drayce couldn’t help but wince before he turned to glance in the direction to the north of them. “Where is it exactly?”

Kamali turned to take the lead, motioning him to follow with the wave of his hand. “This way.”

Drayce nodded before he turned to regard the others of his guild. “You ok with the Cursed Blade, Cal?” he asked.

“I’m fine,” Caelem immediately replied. “The Shining Lotus and I will ensure that the Cursed Blade won’t become active again.”

“And I’ll stay to ensure those bandits don’t try anything stupid,” Blayke quickly added. “But shout if you need anything.”

That would be for the best, actually. Not to mention, the alter might hold a boobytrap or two of its own. The less that was exposed to it, the better. But he would need both Kamali’s and Zohar’s help with this.

“Ok, Kamali, Zohar, and I will inspect the alter. Everyone else, stay here.”

[theshatteredrose]

Turquoise Lotus Father (Treasure Seekers Saga 2) - Chapter 19 - Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction

AN: Boy, this chapter was fun :’D Shorter than usual (because I had numerous doctor’s appointments this week which are not fun), but there’s a tiny cliffhanger at the end. So, yeah, hope you enjoy~!

Ao3 | Wattpad | FFNet

Chapter 19:

“Drayce!”

When he heard his name being called once again, but far closer, Drayce purposely moved away from Keane to prevent the other dragoon from snatching him again. And potentially use him as a hostage once more. He moved to stand by Runihura, the harbinger on his feet but leaning heavily against the trunk of a tree for support.

He was about to call out to the others in response, but a white blur on four legs burst through the opening in the forest wall. It wasn’t a monster, however. No, it was better. It was Nashoba!

The white wolf scrambled into the clearing, stopped and sniffed around. He then threw his head back and released a loud howl before he darted toward Drayce. The white wolf made several whining noises as he circled him, nudging him with his nose and simply unable to stay still.

Not long afterwards, more figures appeared. And every single one of them were familiar.

He was equally relieved to see them. But also terrified that they were going to be pulled into this potentially dire situation!

“Typical,” Keane murmured as he and Keita slunk back, either to hide in the shadows, or make their escape.

“Drayce!” Faelen called out in concern as he rushed over to him and hugged him around the waist. “Are you ok?”

“I-I’m fine,” Drayce replied as Blayke also reached him, and used his rapier to finally remove the bindings around his wrist. As the ropes fell away, Drayce immediately pulled his arms around from his back to wrap them around Faelen to comfort him.

Man, it felt amazing to have use of his arms and hands again!

The others soon gathered around him, they too asking him questions about his wellbeing. But Salim darted pass them all and over to Tokala. Only for the Cursed Blade to force Tokala into a standing stance, ready to strike.

“Wait! He’s being controlled by the Cursed Blade!” Drayce immediately called out to the pugilist. “Salim, don’t let that blade touch you!”

Salim managed to side-step a slash from the Cursed Blade, and somehow slipped around behind Tokala. Despite the heavy bandages around his shoulder and arm, and the red stain that could be seen seeping through, he managed to pull Tokala into a bearhug. Successfully preventing him from moving.

For now.

“Find a to get that blade away from Tokala!” Salim ordered as Tokala began to squirm in his hold, the Cursed Blade forcing him to do what he could to get himself free.

“L-let go! Please, I don’t want to hurt you!”

“Hold on, Tokala! We’ll think of something!” Drayce promised.

Though, freeing Tokala from the Cursed Blade’s possession was going to be easier said than done. And they needed to think of something – fast!

“R-Runi!”

A new voice prompted both Drayce and Faelen to take a step back and turned to look behind them. Resting at the base of a tree, Runihura’s head snapped up just as a young brounii with blond hair and glasses practically threw himself at him.

Even though a wince marred his face, Runihura shakily wrapped his arms around the other. “What are you doing here?” he chided in what could only truly be described as a brotherly manner. “It’s dangerous.”

So, he was the one that Runihura had been trying so hard to protect.

“He made it inside…” Drayce sighed with relief.

“Yeah, he explained some things,” Blayke answered before he stood in front of him and grabbed a handful of his shirt. Despite the scowl on his face, the act of grabbing his shirt wasn’t harsh or hostile. “And you; you have some explaining to do yourself. I am seriously pissed off with you right now!”

Um, yeah, Drayce thought he would be.

“I know, I know!” Drayce returned as he grasped at Blayke’s wrist with his hands. He didn’t try to push his hand away, however. “I get it. But I’ll explain everything later, I promise. I only did it because-”

“You didn’t want anyone else to get involved and get hurt,” Blayke interrupted with a sigh, though his scowl stayed in place. “I know. I’m still pissed, however. If it weren’t for Shashi taking note of the map and Virgil confirming for us that you were a hostage in the labyrinth, we wouldn’t know where to look. We got lucky this time.”

Y-yeah…

“B-Blayke!” Caelem stuttered, quickly drawing them both back to the reality of their situation. “I don’t think Salim can last much longer!”

Blayke immediately whirled around, his frown deepening with frustration and concern when he laid eyes on said pugilist. “Not with his injury…”

Just as Caelem had said, Salim was finding it increasingly difficult to keep skinny, lithe Tokala in his arms. “How bad is it?”

“Bullet passed straight through. It’s not good,” Blayke answered through gritted teeth before he peered at him from the corner of his eye. “What do we do?”

Good question…

“Stop getting in the way, you worthless shit!” Keane suddenly bellowed as he stepped out from the shadows. “Let him lead the way to the Shining Lotus!”

Blayke immediately snapped his head in Keane’s direction and uttered a sound that could only be described as a protective and angry snarl. The bandit, however, simply smirked in Blayke’s direction before he turned to slip back into the shadows once more.

Hearing painful grunt from Salim as Tokala continued to put up a fight with him, though entirely unwillingly, caused everyone to turn their attention back to him.

“Dray?”

Drayce loathed what he had to say next. “Unfortunately, he’s likely to be right. The Shining Lotus is the only weapon that can defeat the Cursed Blade. And save Tokala.”

They had no means to search for it themselves. Their best bet was to wait for Cursed Blade to pull Tokala toward it, and then, by some miracle, got their hands on it first.

Blayke obviously didn’t like that plan. “So, we just let him go?”

Drayce gave a reluctant nod. “…Yeah.”

“But where is the Shining Lotus?”

“I don’t know!” Drayce shouted in frustration before he could stop himself. He uttered a sigh as his shoulders drooped forward tiredly. “I don’t know…It could be anywhere.”

If only he could do more research. If only he had more information. If only he had more time!

“Watch out!”

Drayce snapped his head just in time to watch deliver a kick to Salim’s stomach, and by doing so, allowed him leverage to push back away from him and to leap out of his arms. The force of the blow propelled Salim back a few feet. He, somehow, managed to stay on his feet and instinctively raised his arms in a blocking, defensive motion in front of him.

Tokala, however, didn’t immediately try to attack him. Instead, he pivoted on his heel and made a beeline for where Drayce stood with his guildmates.

It was almost like he was…responding to something? Or had Tokala somehow fought against the Cursed Blade so that he would not attack Salim, someone that was extremely important to him?

Drayce reacted instinctively; with one hand, he reached out to snare Faelen by the collar of his jacket and pulled him back while he summoned a Decoy Shield less than two feet in front of them. As the Cursed Blade sliced through the etheric shield with little effort, he pushed Faelen toward Blayke, who intuitive took hold of him and jumped backwards.

“Everyone, scatter!” Drayce ordered as he summoned two more Decoy Shields behind Tokala in hopes that they would offer enough of a distraction.

Thankfully, it worked. To some degree at least. The presence of the shields caused the Cursed Blade to immediately hone in on them. With two incredible fast and précised downwards strikes, the shields were destroyed.

So, Drayce summoned three more in rapid succession. Each one luring him further away from his guildmates. And the opening in the forest wall that led to the main area of the labyrinth’s floor.

“Drayce!” Blayke shouted to him.

“Get Salim out of there!”

Blayke, thankfully, simply sprung forward to where Salim was. The pugilist had sunk to the ground on one knee as his cradled his left should with his hand. He didn’t protest when Blayke reached him, roughly flung Salim’s arm over his shoulder, and all but dragged him to safety.

“Everyone else, stay back!” Drayce ordered as he focused on summoning more Decoy Shields. “Any attempt of physical contact with the Cursed Blade would result in immediate poisoning!”

Tomlin was physical proof to that fact.

Not to mention that the Cursed Blade appeared to have the ability to slice through anything. He didn’t even want to imagine the type of…carnage it could do to a living being. Oh, wait, the Toxipede…

Drayce purposely shook his head to prevent himself imagining something like that happening to anyone. He couldn’t let that happen. Especially not to one of his guildmates.

“There’s got to be something we can do…” Kamali was heard uttering, his voice full of worry and concern. And helplessness.

Drayce was having an increasingly difficult time keeping Tokala distracted with his Decoy Shields. It was taking all of his mental capacity. He couldn’t begin to think of anything else.

“There’s…Zohar, can you use your wraiths to help prevent Tokala from attacking anyone? Kamali, I’ll need your elemental skills, too. I’ll use my Decoy Shields to hopefully keep the Cursed Blade at bay. We can’t come into contact with the Cursed Blade.”

“Of course. I will summon wraiths other than Theodore for this battle,” Zohar stated without any hesitation.

Not long after those words passed his lips, Drayce felt that familiar cold sensation race down his spine. Despite what Zohar had just stated, he had expected to find Theodore materialise into existence.

Instead, he was greeted by the sight of two…flaming skulls. Literally flaming skulls. Though, they didn’t look quite like human skulls with their strangely jagged teeth and sharp edges. Floating soundlessly, let the fiery red flames that seemed to originate from within the skull itself crackled energetically.

“I’ll…use my ice skills to make barriers,” Kamali informed as he readied himself. “I don’t wish to hurt Tokala.”

No. No one did.

All they could do was to use stalling tactics. Tiring Tokala out was unlikely to be successful; that Cursed Blade controlled his physical body completely. It was unlikely to care, nor be hindered by Tokala’s fatigued.

It could…it could potentially force him to fight until he…died.

Wait, maybe there was something else. The area that the Cursed Blade appeared from. There might be something there to help them. Something in there that could see it. At least some kind of information. Something.

“No, wait, Kamali; head north from here and look for another opening within the forest wall,” Drayce instructed as he summoned more Decoy Shields and ignored the way each summoning caused a sharp pain in his temples. “There might be something there to help us. Use your Detect Mana.”

“B-but…” Kamali wanted to protest. Wanted to stay and be of help to them. And yet, his words trailed off as he quickly realised that maybe, just maybe, finding the location that once housed the Cursed Blade could be beneficial for them all.

He still didn’t want to turn his back on them and leave.

“Go, now,” Drayce urged.

“…Y-yes,” Kamali murmured.

Drayce couldn’t afford to look away from Tokala, but he did hear the sound of footsteps as they hurried away. And toward the north.

Good. If…if nothing else, Kamali should be safe from the Cursed Blade.

“Let’s keep him busy, Zohar.”

“Yes.”

Zohar wordlessly raised a hand in Tokala’s direction and fiery wraiths immediately darted forward. They encircled the now unnervingly silent Tokala, prompting him to attempt to slice the dancing skulls down with vicious slashes of the blade. However, the skulls managed to evade the attacks.

That seemed to agitate the Cursed Blade, prompting it to immediately turn in Zohar’s direction.

Not allowing the blade to force Tokala to take even a step forward, Drayce promptly summoned his Decoy Shields once again. And that caused Tokala to turn his attention toward them instead, mercilessly slashing at them and the skulls that continued to hover nearby.

“What should the rest of us do?” Blayke asked, desperate to be of use in some way.

“I…don’t know,” Drayce winced, unable to take his eyes off of Tokala and the blade that controlled him so fiercely. He wasn’t entirely sure if his blurred vision was from his intense concentration, or because of exhaustion of having to summon so many Decoy Shields in such a short amount of time. Either way, he couldn’t stop. “I can’t see…Where is everyone?”

“Fiorello is healing Runihura and Salim with Palash, and with Nashoba guarding them. Faelen and Caelem are with me. Kamali is to the north, out of sight as he searched for anything, while Zohar is a few steps behind you,” Blayke promptly answered, though did nothing to hide his growing concern for him.

Ok, good. He could…vaguely see the floating, flaming skulls that Zohar had summoned.

Yet…something felt wrong.

Keane said that the Cursed Blade would hunt down the Shining Lotus. And yet…Tokala didn’t seem to be heading in any direction. He, rather the Cursed Blade, seemed content to stayed in place and fight anyone or anything in front of him. Striking down the Decoy Shields and wraiths around him.

That could be one of two things; the Cursed Blade’s conscious desire was the fight and win. Or…the Shining Lotus not in the labyrinth. Not somewhere close by.

Then that meant…

“Blayke,” Drayce softly called out to Blayke, immediately gaining his friend’s attention. Enough so that he moved to step beside him. Though, he was unlikely to like the order he would issue next. “You and Caelem…get Salim and Runihura out of here and to safety. Take Fiorello, Faelen, and Palash with you. And Kamali.”

Having been staying at the back of the group, Faelen sprung forward suddenly with a protest before Blayke could must one of his own. “B-but my arrows…”

Drayce shook his head, of which was now starting to throb from the deep, desperate concentration and summoning of shields. Three more shields. Three more destroyed shields. The way the Cursed Blade forced Tokala to move…

“No, Faelen, I need you to help Blayke keep the others safe.”

He also didn’t want him to see what could possibly happen next…Faelen was too young for that. There was no need to scar him like that. He might be sad now, but…

“Drayce…” Drayce couldn’t see his childhood friend’s expression, but he knew that his face was twisted into an expression of disbelief, frustration, and fearful agitation. “We…can’t let him make his way into town.”

He knew the severity of the situation.

“I know.” Drayce pushed past the pain to continue his stalling tactics. “Blayke, please. If anything happens, hide the others somewhere safe in the labyrinth and warp back to town to warn Ramus. I’ll…stall for as long as I can.”

He…wasn’t entirely sure what he could do against a blade that fought alongside the one and only Despot during the Legendary War. But he had to try something. The Shining Lotus had to be somewhere close by. It just had to be…

Blayke hesitated. “But…”

“I will stay with him,” Zohar suddenly stated, causing Blayke to look over in his direction. He continued, his voice firm and determined. “And I will ensure his safety, regardless of what happens to me.”

Drayce drew in a sharp intake of air and almost misfired a Decoy Shield.

He…Zohar…

“Drayce!” Caelem suddenly called out to him, his voice filled with urgency. “I see a shining light!”

…What?

“Where?” Drayce immediately asked as he tore his gaze away from Tokala to instead look over at Caelem.

Caelem immediately raised his arm and pointed to the area before them. “The water in front of you!” he answered quickly.

“I can’t see anything,” Blayke muttered next to him as he, too, turned to look desperately for that shining light.

“Neither can I,” Drayce replied, but felt a tired smile make its way to his lips. “But we’re not supposed to.”

Just like he was the only one to witness the light of the Radiant Moon of Compassion, it appeared that Caelem was the only one to find the Shining Lotus.

Filled with renewed energy, Drayce summoned three more Decoy Shields in the direction that led away from the waters Caelem had indicated to. “Caelem, go! It’s the Shining Lotus! Quickly!”

Caelem looked over in his direction, unease and nervousness in his posture. “But-!”

“You’re the only one who can wield it and save Tokala!” Drayce promptly interrupted. “Just like the Turquoise Lotus Father did for his own brother! We’ll cover you, so go!”

“Y-yes!” there was that nervousness in Caelem’s voice. And yet, there was also determination.

And it was that determination that propelled him forward, in the direction of the bright light only he could see.

Finally, the Shining Lotus had revealed itself! They were in with a chance now!

[theshatteredrose]

Turquoise Lotus Father (Treasure Seekers Saga 2) - Chapter 16 - Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction

AN: Whew, managed to get this chapter done somehow :’D Truth be told, I had this chapter near complete a few days ago and was going to update it earlier, but nooooo I had to get sick and had to go to hospital. Typical. Anyway, hope you enjoy reading!

Ao3 | Wattpad | FFNet

Chapter 16:

It was just on dusk as Drayce was mercilessly dragged into the labyrinth. Completely against his will. By none other than Keane himself. The other dragoon kept a firm grip on his arm, finding some kind of sick pleasure in keeping him close to his side. To ensure that Drayce wouldn’t attempt to wrangle himself free.

With Tokala under Bronson’s grip, Drayce wasn’t about to abandon him to escape on his own.

The use of the covered wagon and waiting until dusk was likely an attempt to prevent others from witnessing the scene. But as Drayce was dragged through the tall stone gates that led into the labyrinth, someone else appeared before them. A lone guard.

And a few scattered chickens.

Drayce felt a spike of panic. No, Virgil…

“What’s going on here?” Virgil questioned, utterly confused and concerned.

Keane abruptly raised his cannon toward Virgil. Panicking, Drayce threw himself toward the dragoon, to shove Keane’s arm to the side. Just as he took a shot at Virgil. Thankfully, the shot went wild to the side, away from Virgil, who winced from the sound nevertheless.

“Virgil, run!” Drayce called out desperately as Keane tightened his grip on his arm and harshly pulled him back toward him.

Virgil, thankfully, understood the seriousness of the situation and slipped away into a narrow path of the labyrinth. And his chickens promptly followed. He probably knew the first floor better than anyone.

“Tch,” Keane uttered in sheer annoyance. “No matter. Our destination is the second floor anyway. That lowly chicken farmer won’t bother us.”

Drayce stumbled as Keane continued to drag him along with him. He had no choice but to follow, but he did throw a desperate glance over his shoulder, hoping that Tomlin and Bronson wouldn’t attempt to go after Virgil also.

Thankfully, the two seemed content in following Keane as he led the way to the second-floor stairs. Which…was an odd route to take. Did he not know about the stair-jump crystals? Or…was he not able to use them for some reason?

The fact that they had ascended the stairs and not encountered anyone else was a small act of mercy in an increasingly worrying situation.

Keane barely paused as they reached the top step and proceeded to roughly drag Drayce further into the labyrinth. Drayce tried his best to make note of his surroundings in hope of learning where they were heading. And they seemed to be heading north-west. Where most of the toxipedes were found.

And that was a little concerning. Keane wasn’t going to drag him pass a toxipede, was he?

Thankfully, Keane led the group to a small clearing where two figures could be seen within the shadows. One perched in a tree nonchalantly. The other…half hidden in the shadows of the foliage.

“Hah, you got both of them,” Keita greeted cheerfully. “No surprise.”

“Of course, it isn’t,” Keane retorted.

Drayce didn’t give Keita too much attention. His focus was on the figure that was slumped against the base of the tree. “That’s…”

It was Runihura. Smears of blood seen in patches across his pale skin. The previous pure white bandages were dirty and torn.

He…

“Hm?” Keane murmured. When he noticed that Drayce was blatantly surprised by Runihura’s appearance a smirk made its way to his lips. “Ah, yes. Useless brat.”

An anger that Drayce had never felt before made its way into the centre of his chest and he roughly tugged his arm from Keane’s grip. Just so he could spin around to face him and glare at him. “What did you do?”

Infuriatingly, Keane looked amused by his reaction. “What makes you think I did anything?”

“No one is in such a state without outside interference.”

“You’re so right,” Keane returned and that smirk of his turned somewhat…menacing as he paced over toward Runihura. “This worthless piece of shit is withholding information. Aren’t you? Now be a good boy and spill your guts. Or that will happen literally.”

Runihura didn’t even lift his head to regard the other earthlain as he continued to sit as still as possible against the truck of the tree. He made no attempt to respond either. Just sat there, limply. He…didn’t look as though he was in pain, though the injuries he had; he must have been in immense pain.

But he didn’t want to show it? Or had he just…given up?

From where Drayce stood, he couldn’t see Keane’s face. But he knew, somehow, that the smirk he wore had dissipated into an angry expression. Whatever expression he wore, it was obvious that he was angry.

“Where’s the little shit?” Keane demanded as he harshly kicked Runihura in the ribs, causing the harbinger to make a strange sound that was a mix of a gasp and a harsh cough. “You better tell me.”

Runihura still made no attempt to verbally respond. He stayed slumped forward, cradling his ribs with his arms and coughed harshly.

Keane made the motion to kick Runihura in the ribs again, but Drayce managed to quickly summon a decoy bunker directly in front of the far too injured harbinger. And Keane ended up kicking that instead. Honestly, Drayce hadn’t summoned a Decoy Shield so quickly before. He didn’t even remember making the conscious decision to summon one.

The supposed leader of the bandits, however, must be wearing steel-cap boots. As he heard a loud metal clang sound when he struck the shield.

Keane was genuinely surprised by the shield and he immediately turned around to throw an irritated glance in Drayce’s direction. “What are you trying to do now?” he snapped.

Drayce glared back at him. “Stop it! He’s been through enough already!”

“Coming to his aid, are you?” Keane mockingly asked as he turned around and stalked his way toward him.

“Typical bandit, kicking someone when they’re down,” Drayce stated before he had the chance to re-think his words.

Keane waved a dismissive hand. “I’m simply disciplining him,” he returned, far too nonchalantly as he stood directly in front of Drayce.

While he had the need to take a step back, Drayce held his ground. “Discipline doesn’t involve beating someone half to death.”

Shockingly, Keane barked out a laugh before he slid am arm around Drayce’s back and waist, and unexpectedly tugged him toward him. Drayce uttered a sound of surprise as he crashed into Keane’s chest. He automatically tried to pull away, but Keane’s grip on him was impossibly strong.

“Oh, it is adorable how innocent you are,” Keane all but cooed at him as he held Drayce firmer against him and moved his face closer to his. “Coming to the aid of the less fortunate. It’s just…adorable.”

A wave of nausea immediately washed over Drayce and he desperately leaned back in a desperate attempt to but some distance between them. “L-let go of me!”

With his other hand, Keane grasped Drayce’s chin tightly, forcing him to become still. “Even when restrained, you’re feisty.” He rubbed his thumb roughly over Drayce’s bottom lip, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut as another feeling of nausea appeared in his stomach.

“…But I’ll have to have fun with you later,” Keane said as he abruptly released his hold on him.

Drayce promptly took a few staggering steps backwards. He breathed in a shaky breath in an attempt to calm himself. His heart raced, but it was the painful kind. He…didn’t know what Keane would have done if he didn’t suddenly pull away like that. His touch alone made him feel sick to his stomach.

If he…

“I’ve got work to do,” Keane said and clicked his fingers. “Tomlin.”

“Sure,” Tomlin quickly responded. A wicked grin soon appeared on his lips as he turned in Drayce’s direction. “Can’t have them attempting to wander off.”

A second after the necromancer uttered those words, Drayce felt that unnervingly bitter cold again. Directly behind him once more. He didn’t need to look over his shoulder to know that a tree wraith was there. Ready to restrain him once again.

Drayce gritted his teeth when he felt a rough, cold, and callous hand grab his wrists and held him still. “Stop your smirking,” Drayce snapped when Tomlin appeared wholly satisfied with his work. “You just enjoy sicking your pet wraith on others, don’t you?”

“One of life’s little pleasures,” Tomlin promptly returned. Though his eyes were pitch black, Drayce felt that he had run them up and down over him. “It’s…fun watching as others squirm.”

“Hardly my idea of heaven,” Drayce murmured when Tokala was dragged by the wraith tree to stand next to him, ensuring that the two of them stayed still and together.

“Oh, I don’t believe in heaven,” Tomlin replied. Somehow, his eyes seemed to become darker. And the smile that crept onto his lips was nothing short of maniac. “But I promise you, there is a hell. Hell is most definitely real.”

Drayce wasn’t entirely sure how he could respond to that, or even if he should. What Tomlin said was rather…dramatic. Maybe over the top. And yet, that deranged smirk stated otherwise. There was more to him than being part of a comedy duo with Bronson.

However, there was something else brothering him. He probably shouldn’t ask…

“Hey, quick question; since you can, you know, detect mana and all,” Drayce found himself speaking before he could reconsider. “Why didn’t you go hunting for the tokens yourself? Why leave all the hard work to others?”

A scowl flickered upon Tomlin’s face. It was soon replaced with a look of dismissiveness. “As you said; unnecessary hard work,” he said as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and turned to walk away.

No, that wasn’t it at all.

“Or…your mana detect isn’t as refined as other celestians.”

Tomlin immediately spun back around. His dark eyes were wider than before, and his lips were pulled back, exposing sharp white teeth. “What did you just say?!”

Drayce subconsciously took a half step back. He was surprised by the reaction. And by how the temperature around them suddenly dropped.

“Can it,” Keane abruptly snapped, purposely walked through Tomlin’s line of sight. “He’s observant. And right. The only thing you’re good for is restraining captives. Which is fun in of itself.”

Tomlin growled lowly at Drayce, and glared hatefully at him for daring to point out a fault. Yet, he had winced and stopped summoning a wraith immediately when Keane snapped at him. Which meant…Keane either had some hold over Tomlin, and likely Bronson, too. Or was far more powerful than the two.

The latter was more…unsettling.

Tomlin continued to glare at him, so Drayce turned to look away. To look at something else.

He looked over at Tokala, only to find the therian still silently terrified. And there was little Drayce could do to comfort him. He was likely frightened by what happened with Runihura and how Keane acted toward Drayce himself. And then Tomlin…perhaps it would be best if Drayce kept future comments to himself.

He couldn’t help it, though. The need to know more information was something that treasure hunters were widely known for. Also, more information helped him get a hold of the situation unfolding around them.

It seemed as though Runihura had managed to take that person he cared for to the Crescentia before Keane found out, and that infuriated him. And Tomlin’s mana detect skills were lacking, but his wraith summoning skills were pretty on point.

And Bronson…

“Hey, Muscle-Man,” Drayce called out to the green haired pugilist when he noted that he had a few bandages of his own. Especially around his head. “How’d you get those injuries?”

Despite his intimidating appearance, Bronson regarded Drayce with a confused look. There was a reason why he was with the bandits, but Drayce couldn’t quite figure out what that was. He just felt so…out of place, honestly.

Then again, so did Runihura and Keita.

“Huh? Oh, that?” he asked before he surprisingly and openly began to explain. “Some guy with green hair punched me. Punched me right in the face. I mean, rude. Said I was trespassing or something.”

Drayce blinked. Green hair? Did he mean Salim?

“Enough,” Keane snapped again. “Bronson, Tomlin; come with me. Keita, keep an eye on them while I do some reconnaissance.”

“You got it, Bossman,” Keita immediately replied, going as far as to give the dragoon a salute.

The wraith stayed in place, grip firm on both Drayce’s and Tokala’s restrained wrists. Tomlin shot him another sharp glare as he moved to follow Keane and Bronson. A part of Drayce felt bad for pointing out a flaw, something he was obviously sore about. However, the majority of him felt justified. With him being held prisoner and all.

When Keane and his little band of bandits were out of sight, Drayce turned to Tokala. “Stay close to me,” he softly ordered, only to get a meek nod from the therian.

He idly tugged at his restraints as he then turned his attention toward Runihura, who somewhat managed to find the energy to sit himself upright against the base of the tree once more.

“H-hey, are you…ok?” Drayce asked. “I mean, despite circumstances?”

Runihura didn’t respond at first until he uttered a soft sigh. “…Yeah.”

At least…at least he was alive. But he needed medical treatment. And he needed it soon.

Ok, so he needed to find a way to not only escape with Tokala, but he needed to find a way to take Runihura with them. There was no way he was going to leave him behind. Not with him so injured.

If he stayed…Keane could kill him.

Keita suddenly let out a loud whistled. He then began to pace the clearing casually, his arms folded behind his head in a far-too relaxed manner. “Getting a hold of you was easier than expected,” he commented. “I’d figure you’d put up some kind of a fight. After all, we’re searching for that Cursed Blade. Isn’t that more important than someone’s life?”

Drayce spent a second to glance over at Tokala before he turned his gaze back to Keita. “…No treasure is more important than someone’s life.”

That was what his father believed. And what his grandfather believed. And what his many ancestors before him believed. It was the Pendragon credo.

A near inaudible groan from Runihura’s direction caused Drayce to feel a sudden bout of anger. “You’re partners, aren’t you? Why aren’t you helping him?” he demanded more so than asked.

“Oh, that? That happens all the time,” Keita replied, frivolously. “No big deal. If you do as you’re told, you don’t get a beating. Simple.”

Drayce wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to that. He had never encountered anything so…harsh in his life. “That’s…”

“I don’t get what the big deal is,” Keita continued, idly pacing back and forth. “Why are you so worried for Runi? You don’t even know him.”

“It doesn’t matter if I know him or not; no one deserves this kind of treatment!”

Keita seemed honestly surprised by his anger. Not to mention confused. He sent Drayce a purely puzzled look before he went back to his pacing. Far less relaxed than previously.

“You know…” he said after a minute of silence. “I wasn’t the one to tell him what happened.”

Drayce still felt anger about the terrible treatment and at Keita’s blasé reaction to said treatment. But at those words, he felt a sense of pity for the young man, too. “You get the same treatment, too, huh?”

Keita paused in his movements, his back toward him. His lowered his arms to his sides and appeared to tilt his head back ever so slightly so that he could gaze up at the canopy above them. “…Only if you fuck up. It’s normal. Just…normal.”

No, it wasn’t normal. Not normal at all! And to think that it was…was…heartbreaking.

“I…never wanted any of this.”

Runihura’s soft voice caused Drayce to immediately turn in his direction once more. The harbinger was still propped up against the tree, but he had tilted to the side slightly. His hair covered his left eye, but allowed his right eye to be seen. And the once piercing pink was now a dull, lifeless colour.

He was in so much pain…and yet so lifeless.

“You were forced into this guild, weren’t you?” Drayce asked softly.

“Being a thief…to make ends meet for Palash,” Runihura explained slowly, not blinking the entire time. “I just wanted to protect him. He’s…the only family I have.”

“Where is he now?”

“…Safe like you said.”

So, that brounii who told him not to go was the one. “Good.”

And, hopefully, he had made his way inside the Crescentia. And told everyone what had happened. He just hoped that they weren’t recklessly rushing in, and that he hadn’t unwittingly pulled them all into danger along with him.

The sound of footsteps pulled Drayce from his thoughts. And when he felt Tokala suddenly huddle against him, he realised that Keane must have returned.

“That worthless FOE has been taken care of,” he exclaimed arrogantly as he strolled casually into the clearing.

Drayce, however, couldn’t help but be sceptical. “You challenged it?”

Keane stopped in front of Drayce and faced him directly. “What if I did?”

“You’re lying…”

Keane snorted. “Maybe I am. Maybe I directed it toward a stupid rookie guild with more bravado than sense.”

He…had absolutely no humanity, did he? Pulling more lives in danger just for the hell of it. Bandits truly had no morals.

“Oh no,” Keane mockingly cooed at him. “Are you still angry at me for what I did to that useless harbinger?”

Of course he was!

“How could you do something like that to your own guildmate?” That wasn’t exactly a question.

Keane was callously dismissive once again. “Please. He’s just a weapon.”

Even if that was true. It wasn’t, but even if it was, weapons needed to be looked after and well maintained. And…

“A weapon is only as good as the person wielding it,” Drayce retorted.

Keane’s expression suddenly turned stoic. “What was that?”

“You heard me,” Drayce continued, combative in response to the callousness and the fear he felt from the entire situation. “With someone like you in charge, it’s no wonder he doesn’t live up to your expectations.”

Without any warning, Keane lashed out and grasped Drayce by the throat. The pressure of his grip immediately pulled a strangled gasp from Drayce and he squeezed his eyes shut in pure reflex. “Say that again.”

Although his throat began to burn, Drayce struggled to peel open one eye and defiantly looked at Keane. “The truth hurts, doesn’t it?” he managed to utter.

A flash of anger appeared across Keane’s face and his hand tightened just a fraction on Drayce’s throat. “…Heh,” he unexpectedly uttered. And equally surprisingly, released his hold on Drayce’s throat. “Interesting.”

Drayce immediately buckled forward as he coughed harshly. His throat burned at his gasping of air, yet it felt amazing to get air back into his lungs. He quickly realised that he had pushed the other man too far. And it was obvious that violence was his only reaction and response.

And yet, his defiance seemed to…amuse Keane somehow.

“Let’s go,” Keane barked out his order as he turned his back on Drayce to regard everyone else in their unconventional and unwilling party.

Over his own loud breathing and racing heart, Drayce thought he heard Keane mutter something under his breath.

“…That stupid bastard is getting restless…”

Huh? Was he…referring to someone else?

He didn’t have time to ponder that thought, however, as Keane abruptly turned back around to face him, only to snatch him by the arm and promptly dragged him to his side once more. And then, he led everyone from that small clearing. Moving with determined purpose.

Keane seemed to know where they were going. But…where they heading to the Shining Lotus? Or the Cursed Blade?

[theshatteredrose]

Turquoise Lotus Father (Treasure Seekers Saga 2) - Chapter 15 - Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction

AN: We’re finally getting to the meat of this saga. Fun times ahead, so I hope you enjoy~

Ao3 | Wattpad | FFNet

Chapter 15:

Their return to the Crescentia seemed to have been an anticipated one. When they stepped inside, the other members of their guild met them all in the foyer. And they were promptly bombarded with questions regarding their well-beings, whether or no they met with those bandits again, or just general queries about Drayce’s health.

Drayce did his best to reassure his guildmates by answering their questions honestly.

After he manages to alleviate everyone’s worries, Shashi stepped forward to regard him.

“How did you fare?” he asked.

Drayce uttered a small sigh. “They got the token.” He would explain the entire circumstance of what happened later. After everyone settled down.

A frown tugged at Shashi’s lips. Though, he did look mildly confused for a split second. “I see.”

“The compass you gave me worked a treat, though,” Drayce added as he reached into his pocket to reveal the golden compass and presented it back to the sigil specialist. “So that’s something.”

Shashi nodded his head, clearly pleased. “I shall try to work on it further,” he said as he retrieved the compass and promptly placed it into the pocket of his coat.

“Ignoring that for just a moment, I take it the map activated?”

Again, Shashi nodded his head. “Indeed. The reaction was, however, different this time around. It lasted far longer than we had anticipated. We were able to gather more information.”

“Really?” Drayce couldn’t help but wonder why that was. “Well, that’s great.”

“Come,” Shashi motioned toward the stairs. “I’ll explain along the way.”

Dropping his shield and cannon by the front doors, Drayce moved to follow Shashi up the stairs.

“It seems that we were correct,” Shashi began, getting straight to the point. “There were three blades involved. The Shining Lotus, which was created by and belonged to the Turquoise Lotus Father. The other two, however, are a little more mysterious. The Blood Lotus Brother, as he referred to himself, was indeed under the influence of a Cursed Blade, and that blade was indeed connected to the Despot. As of right now, we do not know if that blade held a name or was simply referred to as Cursed Blade as well. However, another was jealous of the powers that both the Shining Lotus and Cursed Blade possessed. So, the currently unknown fourth party stole the original cursed blade and attempted to combine it with the Shining Lotus. But that failed miserably. So, they created a blade of their own.”

Drayce nodded his head as they reached the second-floor landing and took a moment to allow all the information to filter in. “So there really were three blades. Do we need to look for the other one, too?”

Shashi, however, shook his head. “There was three, but now there’s only two. The creator of this replica blade believed it had the capacity to be far more powerful than the Shining Lotus, and yet they desired even more power. In order to garner yet more strength, they combined that with the Cursed Blade.”

Drayce couldn’t help but wince as they moved to the third floor. “I can kinda guess where this is going...”

“Indeed,” Shashi continued. “By sacrificing the replica blade with the Cursed Blade, it made said blade even stronger. And more dangerous as it has the ability to not only possess the one wielding it, like it had done with Blood Lotus Brother. But it would actively inflict vile toxic curses upon anyone who came into contact with said blade. Fending off attacks with weaponry or armour would still cause infection.”

Wow, ok, he hadn’t expected something like that!

That fourth therian (most likely) must have been quite…powerful to not only get their hands on the Cursed Blade, but created their own and then fused it with the already very dangerous Cursed Blade.

Clearly, whoever they were, they were exceedingly powerful in their own right.

Which also raised the question of how the Blade Brothers were able to retrieve and then hide the Cursed Blade, along with the Shining Lotus.

That was something that may be worked out later. For now, he needed to concentrate on the fact that the blades were indeed hidden. And a group of bandits were after them.

“No wonder they hid it so,” Drayce murmured as he finally reached the third floor and they both stopped by the library doors. “But that still leads to the question of which blade the map and tokens are leading to?”

Shashi shook his head. “That, I cannot answer as of yet.”

Drayce sighed as he roughly ran a hand through his hair. “The wait-and-see method is the best solution for now, though I’m not exactly thrilled with that.”

That didn’t seem to thrill Shashi, either. “No,” he frowned.

As Drayce mused about what he should do next, a peculiar thought occurred to him. “Wait. Does the new and improved Cursed Blade also poison its surroundings? If so, then it’s either hidden in a place where the environment is toxic in reflection to the blade. Or, it’s sealed away so its toxin can’t spread.”

“Hm.” Shashi folded an arm across his chest as he held his chin in thought. “Yes, those are interesting possibilities. Nowhere had I seen it mentioned that it also infected the environment, but I may not be looking in the right places.”

With so many different parties involved, there were a lot of questions. Questions they may not get the answers to since it happened so long ago. And since they were dealing with a weapon that had connections to the Legendary War and the notorious Despot himself, they needed to be careful.

“Along with the watch-and-wait method, we should practice being cautious of everything until told otherwise, too,” Drayce suggested.

Shashi dropped his arms to his sides and nodded his head. “Yes. That’s the best course of action for now.”

The sound of footsteps approaching from the stairs caused both Drayce and Shashi to turn to regard whoever was approaching. Unsurprisingly, it was Ashton who swiftly moved up the stairs and approached them.

“I need to interject here,” he said, indicating that he had overheard their conversation. And was in caretaker mode once again. He likely already checked in on the others. “You all need rest. Facing off against a toxipede, even though not in battle, is tiring for everyone. And I assume there will be another jaunt into the labyrinth tomorrow?”

Heading into the labyrinth again tomorrow might be a bit predictable, but there was little else they could do for the time being. The discovery of the tokens allowed for a glimpse of the map. So even though they don’t physically possess the tokens, they do have the map. Which was a greater advantage.

And yet…Drayce couldn’t help but remember Keane’s threat. He wanted the map. And Drayce didn’t know what he would do to get it…

“Ah, yeah, probably,” Drayce replied, smiling in an attempt to push Keane’s threat and voice from his mind. “One last token to find, I assume.”

“Oh, yes, one more thing,” Shashi suddenly said as he reached into the pocket of his coat. “We’ve locked the map away. It has a celestian seal on it, but you can easily by-pass the lock with this key.” He pulled out a small golden key that was engraved with celestian writing and presented it to him. “Here.”

Oh, good! That meant that Keane couldn’t just sic one of his bandits into the Crescentia to steal the map.

Although…

Drayce smiled as he retrieved the key and promptly placed it into the pocket of his trousers so he wouldn’t lose it. “Got it. Ok. First, I’ll dump my armour and check in on the others. After that, I’ll be in my office if you need me.” He turned to move back down the stairs, idly shrugging off his coat as he did so. “Be sure to call me for dinner!”

“Speaking of which; any one seen Tokala or Salim?” Ashton suddenly questioned.

Drayce immediately paused mid-way down the stairs. “No? Did they head out?”

“Perhaps they wished to see more of Iorys,” Shashi was the one to suggest. “They’re not required to stay here.”

“Hmm, that’s true,” Drayce simply replied before he turned to move down the stairs once more.

Still, he felt as if he should check on them. If they didn’t return before dinner, he’d grab Blayke and Nashoba, and go searching. Just to be on the safe side.

… … … … …

Dressed comfortably in his cargo pants and plain black sleeveless shirt, Drayce leaned back into his office chair and propped a boot on the edge of his desk. After he figured out where he had located the third token, he took a few moments to simply study his hand-drawn map.

As he looked at the map, he was beginning to wonder if there were only three tokens and not the four like he previously assumed. One to indicate each therian that was involved. The Blade Brothers and their friend, Sorataki. Which made some sense as well. In his head, it did.

Which could potentially explain the desperation, or rather ruthlessness, shown by those bandits.

Even so, they should return to the labyrinth in search for a possible fourth token. Or in search for something else that could be of use to them. Another music box. Some information. Even a rune stone hidden somewhere within the undergrowth and vegetation. Something.

Drayce leaned further into his chair as he stared up at the ceiling.

He also needed to find a way to deal with those bandits. He wouldn’t be able put it off for much longer. But he wasn’t sure what he could do. Dealing with bandits wasn’t something he had done before in his life. From what he could remember. But, yeah, what was he supposed to do?

And then there was that oh-so subtle threat from Keane.

That was still bothering him.

Keane was planning something. Drayce just wished he knew what it was so that could potentially plan a counter, either in defence or attack.

A high-pitched crack pulled Drayce from his thoughts, and he immediately turned his head toward the large windows of his office.

What was that noise?

It sounded as if someone had thrown a pebble at his window. Odd.

Drayce placed his map onto his desk as he pushed himself out of his chair. He stood up and walked to his window. He pulled open the curtains and opened the glass windowpanes. He rested his hands upon the sill as he leaned out and looked around.

The view from his office window was a side street that led to the main street, which ultimately led to the pathway to Yggdrasil. On that street was a single horse-drawn wagon that was illuminated by a single street light.

A couple of figures suddenly appeared from behind the wagon. As they stepped into the light, Drayce immediately recognised them. One was Tokala. And the other was Keane himself.

His breath hitched in his voice when he realised that Tokala was ruthlessly tied and gagged, and that Keane was smiling confidently as he roughly handled the skinny therian.

“That’s-!”

Keane suddenly brought a finger to his smirking lips, indicating for Drayce to stay silent as he levelled his gun at Tokala’s head with his other hand. Tokala’s eyes widen, and even from the distance between them, Drayce could see that his eyes were red and puffy. From crying. A lot.

Drayce clenched his jaw. He knew what Keane wanted.

…The map. He wanted the map.

He…hng, he couldn’t risk Tokala’s life for a treasure map!

Drayce levelled his gaze with Keane, his stomach twisting from that disgustingly smug smirk on his lips. Instead of saying anything, Drayce simply nodded his head. And tried not to clench his jaw further when Keane practically blew his kiss at him.

That…smug bastard!

He must have been planning something like this from the beginning.

Turning from the window, Drayce tried to calm himself down as he stepped out of his office. He plunged his hand into his pocket and clasped his hand around the golden key that Shashi had presented to him just a couple of hours ago.

He…hadn’t anticipated in using it in such a way.

The guildhouse was quiet. Everyone seemed to be busy elsewhere. Or at least resting in their rooms. Even Shashi, surprisingly. The library was empty. Lucky for him. Though, also unlucky…no one would know what happened to him, would they?

It was probably for the best.

On the table in the middle of the room, surrounded with crystals and documents, was a hastily made showcase made of glass. The map rested by itself. Blank and still.

Drayce stood before the map and took a moment to stare down at the hand that rested in his hand. He then used the key, placing it in the centre of a small engraved magic circle. And opened it.

Placing his key to the side, he carefully took the map into his hands. He…He hoped the Blade Brothers and their companion could forgive him. But he just couldn’t risk anyone else’s safety. Anyone else’s life.

His…guild and his friends were more important to him.

He would find a way to keep everyone safe. Including the blades themselves.

After uttering another apology in his head, he turned his back on the case and hurried out of the library. He moved quietly down the stairs, his heart pounding in his ears. He could only repeat “please don’t let anyone try to stop him” in his head. He didn’t want to worry them. He didn’t want to involve them.

Please, just…let him do this. He would find a way to make things up to everyone later. He promised that.

Thankfully, everyone seemed busy elsewhere. Or were just momentarily distracted as he had made his way to the ground floor easily. He chose the use the back door, however, as it would allow him quicker access to the side street. Where Keane was holding Tokala.

As he slipped outside and broke out into a jog, he couldn’t help but ask himself where in the world could Salim be? He would never willingly leave Tokala’s side. He was extremely dedicated in protecting him. So…something must have happened to him. He…

“Don’t go…”

A soft, unfamiliar voice pulled Drayce from his thoughts and caused him to immediately stop mid-step. He turned in the direction he estimated the voice resonated from. “Huh?” he uttered involuntarily when his gaze fell upon a young brounii with blond hair and green eyes. He was half hidden behind a large tree found in the back garden, peering around it at him in a frightened and skittish manner. “You-?”

“I-It’s a trap,” the brounii stuttered, his voice low. And frightened.

“…I know,” Drayce said as he took a step toward the other, purposely moving slowly so not to alarm him. He wasn’t a threat, so shouldn’t be treated as one. “Did…Runihura bring you here?”

The brounii’s bottom lip trembled and tears pooled in his eyes. “H-he’s…”

Drayce’s stomach clenched and he felt a wave of nausea. “I see.” So, his injuries were a form of punishment. “Go inside. You’ll be safe there.”

The brounii shook his head as he grasped the bark of the tree with his hands. “I-I’m scared,” he admitted, trembling.

Yes, Drayce could clearly see that. “I know. But they won’t hurt you. Tell them everything, ok? And tell them…” that he was sorry. That he didn’t want anyone to get hurt. To understand why he did what he did. “…I’ll be waiting.”

Yeah. He couldn’t tell them not to come looking for him. They would. Blayke would. He’d lead the charge. And likely give him an earful afterwards. He could only hope…no one got hurt while looking for him.

Drayce turned and hurried toward the side street once more. He anticipating having to clamber over the tall iron fence that encircled the Crescentia. However, there was an opening within the fencing. Allowing for him to slip out easily. The opening didn’t appear new. It had likely been there for years, he just didn’t see it before.

In all honesty, he hadn’t really inspected the structure of the boundary walls. Never had a reason to.

As he stepped out into the street, he immediately noticed that Bronson and Tomlin had decided to join Keane. Bronson had a hold on Tokala while Tomlin simply sat on the back of the wagon, idly swinging his legs in a casual manner. Far too casual for a hostage situation.

Though, it also indicated that it wasn’t a first for him.

Keane immediately glanced over Drayce’s shoulder as he approached, his grip tightening on his gun. However, he smirked when he realised that there was no one else to be found. And that no one else was going to come. “Ah, good. You’ve come alone. As sensible as you are pretty.”

Drayce sent him a glare. He was so patronizing.

Keane sent him another self-satisfied smirk. “The map?”

“It’s here,” Drayce said as he revealed the map.

He knew that he should bargain for it, but he also knew that he was in no situation to do so. Tokala was still under threat and the fact that Salim was nowhere in sight was greatly troubling. Something must have happened to him. And that something was likely because of Keane himself.

“Give it to me,” Keane ordered.

And knowing that he had little choice, Drayce offered it to him. Of which, was quickly snatched out of his hand.

Keane immediately looked at the map and a purely disgruntled expression appeared on his face. “A blank parchment, huh?” he muttered as he reached for his cannon.

“There’s mana there,” Drayce promptly explained, not wanting Keane to do something rash. “Keeping the words hidden.”

For the longest moment, Keane just stared at him. Gauging whether or not he was being truthful. Thankfully, and honestly a little unexpectedly, he seemed to believe him as he turned back to study the map. “Ah, is that so? Which explains the tokens.”

“You’ve got the map now, so let Tokala go,” Drayce demanded.

Keane, however, chuckled as he idly rolled up the parchment and shoved it into the breast pocket of his coat. “Oh no, this isn’t how things work around here. We need him. And we need you, too.” The smirk that appeared on his lips was wicked. “Tomlin.”

“Right,” Tomlin smirked as he stepped forward. “No interruptions this time.”

Drayce suddenly felt that cold chill down his spine he felt each time Theodore was summoned. And yet…it was different. Very different. It was far colder. Brutally cold. It made him physically shiver and feel as though he had something, some kind of…entity breathing down the back of his neck.

That cold presence suddenly appeared behind him. And Drayce immediately turned his head to look over his shoulder. What he saw, however, was a bit surprising.

…A tree?

No, it was a wraith in the form of an animated tree. About as tall as Drayce was, with two long flailing arms, and engravings within the gangrene bark that likely represented its face…somehow.

It’s two spindly arms suddenly lashed out and snared Drayce’s wrists easily in its grubby little hands. And immediately pinned them behind his back. The way that it moved so quickly, knowing exactly what to do indicated that Tomlin had summoned the wraith to restrain others multiple times before.

“H-hey!” Drayce stuttered out, startled.

Keane suddenly reached forward and forced his hand over Drayce’s mouth. “Keep that pretty little voice of yours down,” he hissed as his eye darted toward the building behind them. “Can’t having interreference.”

Drayce felt utterly useless as Keane pulled out a handkerchief or some piece of cloth from his pocket. And promptly tied it over Drayce’s mouth and around his head. Keane then moved behind him and quickly, but efficiently it felt, tied his wrists together. Drayce winced at how tight and coarse the ropes were.

With Drayce effectively unable to fight back, only fruitlessly struggle, Keane grabbed Drayce roughly by the arm as he motioned with his head toward Tokala. Bronson understood the silent command and swiftly picked Tokala off of his feet and hooked him under his arm as he carried him to the horse drawn covered wagon that was located near-by.

He then all but threw Tokala into the back.

And when Keane dragged Drayce over to him, he wrapped a beefy arm around him and promptly did the same. Drayce hit the floor of the wooden wagon hard. He winced from the pain and lifted his head just in time to watch Keane promptly pull the thick material curtains over the back. Successfully hiding them from view and prying eyes.

As the wagon began to move, Drayce rolled over onto his side and tugged as the binds around his wrists. But the ropes were coarse and strong. Struggling further would only cause injuries to his wrists. He couldn’t afford to do that. Not when he had no idea what Keane was planning to do with him and Tokala.

With the jostling of the wagon in movement, it somehow loosened Drayce’s gag. He hastily rubbed his cheek against the floor of the cart to remove the piece of cloth from his mouth completely. He struggled to sit up and scooted over to Tokala. With his hands still tightly bound behind his back, he had to lean over awkwardly and fumbled for a bit to pull at the gag that was silencing Tokala.

“Tokala, talk to me,” Drayce pleaded. “What happened?”

With fresh tears rolling down his cheeks, Tokala managed to sob out; “H-he shot Salim.”

Drayce’s eyes widen. “What?”

“S-shot him to get to me.”

No…

Dammit it, Keane. There was no need to do that!

“Tokala, Salim will be ok,” Drayce attempted to reassure the distressed Therian. “I promise. I bet he’s with the others at the Crescentia right now. Don’t worry.”

Tokala looked up at him with frightened eyes. “Why are they doing this?”

“They’re after the treasure,” was Drayce’s only answer. “Just stay with me and do as I tell you, alright? It’ll be all right.”

…Hopefully…

[theshatteredrose]

Turquoise Lotus Father (Treasure Seekers Saga 2) - Chapter 11 - Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction

AN: Right, long chapter to mark my determination to return to updating at least once a week. Now, we’re getting to the fun stuff :3c Enjoy~!

Ao3 | Wattpad | FFNet

Chapter 11:

“You’re back!” Faelen greeted them the moment Drayce and the others stepped into the foyer of the Crescentia. He hurried straight over to Drayce and looked up at him with expectant and concerned eyes. “Are you all right? Did you meet those bandits?”

“Unfortunately, we did,” Drayce answered before a smile tugged at his lips and he revealed a small silver token. “Fortunately, we got the token. Is everything all right here?”

Faelen looked at the token for a moment, clearly relieved. He spent another moment to ponder Drayce’s question. “Ah, well, there was a strange noise outside,” he replied as he tapped his cheek. “But when Ashton went out to take a look, he said there was nothing there.”

Drayce felt a spike of concerned. “Really now?”

He was sure it was nothing. And Ashton had been around treasure hunters and the art of treasure hunting for years to know to keep himself out of trouble. But Drayce couldn’t help but feel a prang of concern at the thought that there could have been a bandit sneaking around outside.

They couldn’t put it past those bandits to try something like that.

Drayce kept a firm hold on the token as he shrugged off his shield and set his cannon aside. As he turned to go up the stairs, he was stilled momentarily when Ashton appeared. The dedicated caretaker looked relieved to see them all returned safely.

There was a hint of worry, though.

“You’ve returned quickly,” he pointed out with a subtle hint of curiosity.

“Hey Ash,” Drayce returned before he showed him the token. “Your invention with Zohar worked a treat.”

Ashton smiled at that as he reached the bottom step. “Good. After the stunt they pulled, they deserved to be tricked themselves.”

Indeed. While Drayce didn’t like to lower himself to their antics, but what they didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them, right? And it was just punishment for scaring Faelen like that.

“Everything all right outside?” Drayce asked when he remembered what Faelen informed him. As he turned to give Ashton his full attention, his gaze fell upon his right hand. Where a make-shift bandage was seen. The bandages reached around his palm and knuckles. “Did…something happen to your hand?”

Was he hurt? When did he get that?

Ashton instinctively hid the injured hand behind his back. “Ah, just cut my hand while in the kitchen, don’t worry.”

“I’ll have a look at it later,” Fiorello piped up, yet sounding dismissive at the notion, too.

“Sure.” Ashton, too, seemed rather unconcerned as he simply shrugged. He soon folded his arms across his chest as he turned to give his attention to everyone within the foyer. “I assume you won’t be heading back in the labyrinth today? Why not head to your rooms and get out of those adventuring clothes. We’ve got a long day in the library, it seems.”

Drayce gave a small chuckle at that. “We sure do. Shashi is sure to be happy with our bounty.”

As everyone ventured up the stairs, Ashton stepped to the side. And Drayce waited for everyone to move on before he turned to give the green-haired man his attention once more. He was about to ask if his hand was really ok and to relish in the opportunity to chide the dedicated caretaker about being careful for once.

However, Ashton turned to him first and gave him a rather serious look.

“We had to tell Caelem and Tokala about the existence of the Cursed Blade,” he unexpectedly told him. “It appears the two blades are intertwined. We couldn’t research and talk about one without the other.”

Drayce knew that they would have to tell the two everything soon enough. “No, that’s fine,” he said as he moved toward the stairs. “How did they take it?”

Ashton walked beside him. “They were surprised before growing worried. Especially with these bandits now involved.”

Drayce couldn’t help but clench his hand tighter around the silver token. “Yeah.”

“You wish to head straight to the library?” Ashton asked him as they reached the third-floor landing. “Or to your room first?”

“Just let me drop of my jacket,” Drayce replied, already shrugging off said article of clothing. “And my armour. Shouldn’t keep Shashi waiting too long. I’m sure Faelen has already rushed ahead to tell him, so I can’t weasel my way out of this one.”

That got a short laugh from Ashton. “The map activated, so he’s aware of a token being discovered. But you’re right. He’s going to be coming after you if you don’t show up soon.”

Well, he’d better hurry to his room as not to keep the equally dedicated sigil specialist waiting!

Ensuring that he had a tight grip on the token still, Drayce broke into a light jog to his room. He ducked in to throw his jacket onto the foot of his bed. He spent a minute hastily unclasping and virtually kicking off his armour and shin guards. Dressed in his cameo pants and a black sleeveless top, he broke into another half jog as he left his room.

He reached the stairs around the same time that Blayke did. Though his friend was free of his armour, he still had a slight scowl on his face. No doubt still pissed off after he confrontation with bandit Keita in the labyrinth.

“Ah, you’re back!” Caelem exclaimed with relief as he greeted them on the top step. He paused in front of Blayke and looked between him and Drayce with his ears folded back slightly. “You’re ok, right?”

The scowl on Blayke’s face soon disappeared and he gave Caelem a small, reassuring smile. “We’re fine, don’t worry.”

Salim walked out of the library at a more leisurely manner. “Met some bandits, huh?”

That scowl made a prompt return. “Same shits as yesterday,” Blayke muttered.

“But we got one over on them this time,” Drayce replied as he moved to walk into the library. As he reached the threshold of the doors, Salim unexpectedly pulled him aside.

“Hey, quick question. That guy,” he said in a hushed tone and motioned toward Ashton with a tilt of his head. “Are you sure he's just a scholar?”

Drayce blinked in confusion. “Huh? Ashton?” he turned to look over at the other man, finding him speaking easily with Shashi in the library. “Something wrong?”

“It's just...I dunno,” Salim admitted awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. “I just feel as though I should ask him to spar with me or something. I've been around pugilists my whole life, and he totally just feels like one.”

“Oh...?” Drayce didn’t know what a pugilist felt like. Ashton had always been ol’ Ash to him. Placid, if a bit too dedicated to the role of caretaker. But definitely a friendly, reliable guy. He couldn’t really imagine him as a scrappy brawler.

Not that it would matter to him if he was. He just…couldn’t really picture it.

“Good to see you’re all back in one piece,” Shashi greeted as Drayce walked inside. “With a token at that.”

“Yup,” Drayce grinned as he revealed the token in his hand. “Did the map activate just like last time?”

Shashi nodded his head. “Yes, briefly. May I see the token?”

Drayce promptly handed over the silver token to Shashi. “Of course. Here.”

Shashi carefully picked up the coin-like token and raised it a little higher to allow him to inspect it more clearly. He examined it for a few silent moments before he made a soft sound of curiosity. “Interesting. There is a unique brand of mana here.”

That was likely the reason why Zohar and Kamali were able to hone in on the source of mana and find the token under a short amount of time.

“Kamali, help me with the sketching,” Shashi requested as he headed over to the large wooden table in the middle of the room, where the map and the myriad of books were found.

“Of course,” Kamali replied as he moved to follow his brother.

The brothers spent a moment to clear area around the map. And to grab the necessary writing materials. Shashi turned toward Drayce suddenly and presented the token toward him. “Drayce. Could you do the honours?”

Drayce was somewhat surprised, but he soon deduced that it was the best. He did something similar with the parchment containing the Moon Legacy. And while they weren’t sure what was contained within this parchment, it would be best that Drayce be the one to activate it. Just in case something untoward happened.

Better him than one of the others.

“Sure,” Drayce dutifully replied as he retrieved the token and stood before the map. “Where should I place it?”

“The map reacted from the bottom left hand corner,” Shashi explained. “Try placing it there.”

So Drayce did just that. He placed the token, with the lotus engraving face up, upon the corner of the parchment. He pressed the token down with his index finger. And as soon as the silver coin touched the parchment, the lotus symbol glowed a gentle light blue.

The light then dissipated quickly, flowing outwards over the parchment. It spread out in a spiderweb like fashion, allowing for symbols that were both foreign but somehow familiar to appear in the soft, pulsating light.

Both Kamali and Shashi furiously sketched the symbols upon their notebooks. But all too soon, the light faded out. Only the black grid pattern was left upon the parchment.

From how things appeared, there were indeed four tokens in total. One for each corner. In order to see the entirety of the map, they needed all the tokens together.

“I think that’s the best we’re going to get for now,” Drayce said as he slowly raised his hand and pulled back from the parchment.

“I managed to catch a few symbols,” Kamali said as he kept his gaze upon his notebook, already making a few notes of his own.

Shashi, too, was assessing his sketches. “As did I. Unfortunately, I am not adept at reading ancient therian. The best I could do was to sketch the symbols.”

“That’s more than enough,” Drayce reassured. “Anything at this point will be helpful. So other than the map activating briefly, how goes the research?”

Shashi put down his notebook only to pick up another, quickly flipping back through the many pages. “We did manage to find some more information. Caelem was the one to discover it first. He’s quite the researcher himself.”

Drayce immediately turned to give Caelem. “Awesome, great job, Caelem.”

The therian was quite obviously pleased at the praise. If the straightening of his ears and the light, excitable flush to his cheeks was any indication. He really was quite the adorable guy, huh? He certainly was enthusiastic. Good to see!

“It seems that the Turquoise Lotus Father is the one to have created the Shining Lotus,” Shashi nonchalantly explained.

Too nonchalantly for such an important piece of information! So not only did he wield the Shining Lotus, he actually created it?

“For his brother’s sake,” Caelem continued eagerly. “And to prevent others from being hurt.”

Shashi nodded his head as he slapped shut his notebook and folded an arm across his torso. “Yes. That is his sole and only reason for becoming a masurao.”

Caelem eagerly nodded his head once more. But then he paused and he stared down at the ground before him with a contemplative expression. “That’s…the true path of the masurao, isn’t it? To fight for others.”

Drayce’s eyes softened. “It is a worthy cause.”

A small smile made its way upon Caelem’s lips as he lifted his head to look toward Drayce. “It is.”

Hm. Not only was Caelem learning more of his ancestor, he was learning more about himself. And his role as a masurao. Which was the reason why he left his village to go on a journey of his own.

Drayce was honestly happy for him.

“Of course, that’s the laymen terms of it,” Shashi stated idly as he set his notebook aside just to pick up another one. “I’d like to know how. Specifically, how he was able to create such a weapon.”

“I’d like to know, too,” Caelem admitted.

Well, that was a hint that they both wanted to return to researching if he had ever heard one.

Drayce left the token upon the map and took a step back so that he wouldn’t get in the way of the enthusiastic and devoted researchers. Shashi and Kamali were sure to be busy inspecting the markings they had sketched from the map, while Caelem was to be looking for more information on his village’s founding father.

The best thing that Drayce could do for the time being was to check on his maps of the second floor. And mark down where they discovered that token.

As Drayce stepped through the library doors, he unexpectedly found Tokala sat at the top step of the stairs. He had his knees pulled to his chest and his arms wrapped around his legs. He looked rather…glum, for a lack of a better word. Not something Drayce had seen from the bubbly therian before.

To say he was a little bit concerned would be an understatement.

“Hm? Tokala?” Drayce questioned as he approached the therian, prompting the other to abruptly sit up straight and turned his head toward him. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Tokala immediately insisted, though it did sound more like an answer out of reflex instead of true honesty. Thankfully, Drayce didn’t have to press him and he sighed quietly as he turned his gaze back down the stairs. Yet, he wasn’t actually looking at anything. Just gazing off into space, lost to his thoughts.

So Drayce sat down on the step next to him.

“It’s just…there’s a lot happening here, huh?” Tokala finally spoke. “It’s kinda overwhelming.”

Ah. To an outsider, the task of treasure hunting and gathering of information, sometimes shocking information, could indeed be overwhelming and puzzling. Not to mention that the necklace Tokala had for so long was the key they needed to begin the search of a mythical (or possibly dangerous) weapon created hundreds of years ago.

His search for answers to his origins resulted in him learning about someone he never knew existed. And was likely to wonder why or if he had any connection to said important figure.

“It can feel that way sometimes,” Drayce comforted.

“Do you think I could be from Caelem’s village?”

“I don’t doubt it.”

A truly confused and sombre expression appeared on Tokala’s face and he hugged his knees tighter. “So why…?”

Drayce couldn’t give him an answer. Just a possibility. Or assumption. Or just a guess. “Maybe it was a desperate attempt to protect you?”

Tokala rested his chin atop of his knees, seemingly pondering that notion. He then turned his head toward Drayce, his cheek resting against his knees. “I’m…glad that we ran into you in the labyrinth. It could have just been me and Salim. Those bandits…”

Drayce had allowed that thought to occur to him, too. “I’m glad that we ran into you two, as well.”

A rather sad smile made its way to Tokala’s lips. “…Salim will do whatever it takes to help me. Protect me. But…I’m tired of him getting hurt because of me. But…I also feel bad about dragging you into this, too.”

“Hey now, you didn’t drag me into it,” Drayce promptly insisted as he pointed toward himself. “Treasure hunter, remember? I’d stick my nose into it regardless. This way just ensures that we’ve had a head start and everyone is as safe as they can be.”

That made Tokala relax and a genuine smile appeared. “…Yeah. You’re…really nice.”

“I’m only doing what’s right,” Drayce insisted.

Tokala unwound his arms from his legs and allowed them to stretch out upon the stairs in front of him. He was clearly relaxed and reassured by Drayce’s words. Which Drayce was truly relieved about.

“Your guildmates seem really nice, too,” Tokala added.

“Yup,” Drayce promptly agreed. “I'm a lucky guild leader, that's for sure.”

“Caelem and Faelen are welcoming,” Tokala continued, that genuine smile still upon his lips. “Are they related?”

Drayce shook his head. “Nope, just have similar names.”

Tokala made a sound that was almost akin to a giggle. His became quiet, however, as another look of contemplativeness appeared upon his features. “...I never really had much interaction with Therians before.”

“Because you grew up in an Earthlain village?” Drayce asked with a curious tilt of his head.

Tokala nodded his head. “Yeah. And...”

“And what?”

“W-well,” Tokala stuttered, suddenly appearing uncomfortable as he drew his legs to his chest once more. “My parents, I mean Sal's parents, were protective because there were...certain groups that would, ah, gather Therians and sell them off.”

Gather…?

“What? Slave traders?” Drayce questioned, eyes wide.

Tokala gave a skittish nod of his head. “Y-yeah. Fur traders, too.”

Drayce felt a knot of disgust along with sheer protectiveness appear in his stomach. “That's...”

“But Salim's family are all pugilists!” Tokala exclaimed allowed, purposely but falsely jovial. “So, I was fine, you know? Sal is really strong.”

Good. Any slave trader or trafficker deserved to have the snot punched right out of them. And then some sense punched right into them.

Bandits were bad enough. But traffickers. Those…were just sickening.

“How about you? You want to become a pugilist?” Drayce asked in an attempt to both push back his protectiveness and to change the obviously unsettling subject.

“Huh?” Tokala murmured, surprised by the question. He looked forward into the empty space in front of him as he pondered what he had been asked. “W-well, maybe. I don’t really like confrontation, though. I wish everyone could just get along, you know?”

“Absolutely.”

Nothing wrong with being a pacifist.

“Drayce! Tokala!”

Drayce jumped slightly at the sound of Caelem’s excited voice. He instinctively pushed himself to his feet and turned to regard the animated therian as he approached. “Hm? What’s up, Cal?”

“I just found some information on Tokala’s necklace,” Caelem blurted out as he showed him an open book that he held.

“What? Really?” Tokala asked as he jumped to his feet, too.

“Yes. It’s called the Scarlet Lotus,” Caelem explained as he read from the book. “And it was created by someone called Sorataki.”

Tokala’s eyes widen in excitement. “W-who’s that?”

But Caelem shook his head slightly in disappointment. “Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly. He’s someone close to the Turquoise Lotus Father, though. I thought that maybe that was his brother’s name, but now I’m not so sure. “

Tokala seemed to…deflate upon hearing that. His shoulders sagged and his ears flattened worriedly against the top of his head. “…Could they be the one that wanted to find the Cursed Blade?”

Caelem, however, shook his head again. No disappointment this time as he trailed a fingertip over a paragraph in the book he held. “No, I don’t think so. As I said, he appeared close to the Turquois Lotus Father. It says that he shared a close bond with the both of them after the war.”

Tokala perked right up again. “Really? So my necklace is called the Scarlet Lotus? What’s it for?”

“I’m looking into that, too,” Caelem promptly replied as he half turned to head back into the library. He paused, however, and turned to give Tokala a curious look. “Do you want to help?”

“Ah, sure!” Tokala replied with a slight moment of hesitation.

“Have fun, you two,” Drayce simply encouraged, gaining a happy smile from Caelem and a quick look of gratitude from Tokala.

Drayce took to the top of the stairs as the two therians hurried back into the library. And he soon found himself falling into thought.

Interesting. A third party involved in this? And he made the Scarlet Lotus. That pendant was the key to the small treasure chest that was hidden in a music box. That Sorataki being was likely instrumental in not only creating that chest, but possibly aided in the sealing or hiding of the lotus blades.

“Drayce.”

The sound of Shashi’s voice promptly pulled Drayce from his thoughts. And he blinked in surprised when he found the purple-haired celestian right in front of him. “Yeah?” he asked rather dumbly.

Shashi quickly handed him a parchment. “Here. I did a quick sketch of what appears to be a map. I noticed a slight anomaly in this upper corner. Perhaps if you took to it with one of your maps, you might be able to predict where the next token can be discovered?”

“That’s a good idea,” Drayce said as he quickly took hold of the parchment and immediately studied it with his eyes. “Yeah, I’ll do that. I need to mark down where he found today’s token, too.”

Shashi nodded his head. “I shall return to work, too.”

“Shashi, wait,” Drayce abruptly called to him, prompting Shashi to pause mid move and regard him with a curious tilt of his head. “There’s something bothering me.”

“Hm?” Shashi turned to give him his full attention.

“It's about the lotuses,” Drayce began. “I've noticed a small discrepancy. From research, it's believed that the Shining Lotus was created in response to the Turquoise Lotus Father's brother being used as a Despot General, right? But the Cursed Blade was created out of jealousy for the Shining Lotus, right? Then how or why was the brother used against his will?”

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on one’s point of view, Shashi nodded his head and folded an arm across his chest as he held his chin in thought. “I've noticed that, too. It is entirely possibly that there was another blade that took possession of the brother. Or, the Cursed Blade is the blade responsible, and there is even a darker blade out there somewhere.”

Drayce roughly ran a hand through his hair. So, he wasn’t just misinterpreting or mishearing information. “So, it's possible that we're dealing with three blades?”

“Quite possibly,” Shashi answered simply, in his usual straight forward fashion that Drayce was honestly very thankful for. “That’s something I’ve picked up, too. And it is bothering me. There has been a vague insinuation of a third blade. And by piecing everything together, there had to be one. But what happened, I don’t know.” He abruptly dropped his arms to his sides. “I will keep searching.”

“Ok,” Drayce returned simply, knowing that there was little he could do to stop him. Even if he really wanted to. “I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

Shashi simply nodded his head in acknowledgement before he turned and re-entered the library swiftly. And Drayce turned to head on down stairs to his room to retrieve his own map of the second floor.

He quickly entered the room and snatched up the map, his mind promptly drifted back to all the information he just learnt. His short conversation with Shashi indicated that sigil specialist hadn’t spoken to Caelem about his concerns. Especially not to Tokala. The mentioning of a third blade would likely be overwhelming for the two.

They didn’t even know if there was a third blade. Best to find solid information and evidence before making any decisions.

And the best thing Drayce could do was to inspect his map. And hope to find something useful.

Returning upstairs and making his way to his office, Drayce quickly gathered a few old parchments and documents he had inspected previous, before he settled himself into his chair. He was likely to be there a few hours.

With the parchment Shashi gave him, his own map, and another older map that seemed to hold dimensions similar to that of the second floor sprawled out on his desk, Drayce began to search for a pattern. A clue of some kind that could help him with his next move.

Two tokens weren’t enough to establish a pattern, that was an unfortunate fact. They found the first token near the centre of the map, within a well-used gathering spot. And the one today a few pathways from there, not at a gathering spot.

The best he could do was guess that another could be found further north. Near a lush area of greenery, yet somewhere not obvious at first glance. Yet, that wasn’t a guarantee, either. Someone else could have picked it up and dropped it elsewhere. A curious animal or monster could have picked it up or buried it. It might not even be on that floor anymore.

They had been both lucky and unlucky so far.

Still…his gut instinct told him that the third and fourth token were somewhere on the second floor. Waiting to be discovered. Activated after the music box was discovered, and the small treasure chest opened.

Drayce leaned back into his chair and stretched his arms over his head. It was getting dark. He had no idea how many hours he had spent in his office. If he didn’t make an appearance downstairs, or at least show himself in front of Ashton, said green-haired caretaker would come after him.

And he was not in the mood to be flung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, thank you very much.

Setting his work aside for the time being, Drayce placed his hands atop of his desk and heaved himself to his feet. He was somewhat surprised that Ashton hadn’t come to check in on him. Though, he was likely attempting to keep an eye on the other researchers of their guild. And maybe keep watch over the Crescentia itself out of sheer protectiveness.

Stepping out into the hallway, Drayce was honestly rather surprised to find it so dark.

“Huh?” he uttered aloud as he glanced in the direction of the library.

The doors to the room were closed, surprisingly. And the lights were off. He couldn’t see any illumination from under the doors. He had figured that Shashi or even Caelem would still be inside the room, roaming the aisles, inspecting the shelves for information. They couldn’t do that with the light off.

The again, maybe Ashton got to them and ordered them to get some sleep. He was, ah, very persuasive after all.

It was likely just his paranoia talking, but he better just take a quick peek inside and check to see if anyone was inside. And to check on them if they were. And why the light was off.

Drayce quickly made his way over to the library and opened one of the doors. “Hey?” he called into the darkness. “Shashi, you here? I know you guys can see in the dark, but isn’t this pushing it?”

No response.

Huh…there didn’t appear to be anyone inside. So maybe Ashton got to them after all.

Just as that though entered his mind, Drayce felt a presence suddenly appear right behind him. That presence was unknown to him. He didn’t recognise it at all.

Before he could turn around, the presence behind him lunged forward to slip their arms around him, and to place something soft but moist against his mouth. “Wh-Mphf!”

Drayce instantly reacted, reaching up to tug at the leather-bound hands that pressed that cloth firmly and roughly against his nose and mouth. He knew that he needed to make some noise, to alert someone. He, unfortunately, took a deep breath in surprise from the sudden assault. And when he did, he felt immediately nauseous.

And dizzy.

C-crap…there was some kind of sleep toxin on the cloth? Who-?

“…I’m sorry…” a soft, wispy voice filled with guilt whispered into his ear.

That voice…an apology? Was that the…harbinger bandit?

Unfortunately, Drayce’s vision began to grey out and his world tilted in ways he hadn’t experienced before. He was vaguely aware that he was slipping, in both the hold of his assailant and in consciousness.

He felt himself slump to the floor before everything went dark.

[theshatteredrose]

Turquoise Lotus Father (Treasure Seekers Saga 2) - Chapter 14 - Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction

AN: Annnd another update~ If everything goes well, we’re about halfway through this saga, so there’s a lot more action to come! Hope you have been taking care of yourself and enjoy reading~

Ao3 | Wattpad | FFNet

Chapter 14:

With his shield already resting reassuringly upon his back, Drayce took a moment to examine his cannon and ensured that everything was in working order. He had cleaned it the night before out of the need to do something constructive. But needed to double check to settle his own mind. The last thing he wanted in a situation was for his own weapon deciding not to work.

The monsters of the labyrinth weren’t their only adversaries, after all.

And he felt Ashton’s gaze on him the entire time.

“You up for a trek in the labyrinth?” he finally asked, seemingly unable to hold back his fussing for a second longer.

“Yeah, really,” Drayce immediately replied as he holstered his cannon and turned to the oh-so dedicated care-taker. “I’m fine now. Fio says that whatever they used on me is no longer in my system.”

“I did say that, but you still need to be careful,” Fiorello added as he idly patted his medical knapsack. “If you get hit with it again, you’ll go down extra hard.”

“Then I’ll make sure not to get hit again,” he promised. But it did little to ease the concerns of the others.

Drayce understood everyone’s concern. But he also understood that time, and bandits, were not on their side. Besides, if it was him that was somehow compromised, then that was fine. As long as no one else of his guild was.

Speaking of his guild, everyone had gathered into the seating room as Drayce readied himself for an excursion into the labyrinth. Though they didn’t say anything, he could see the worry in their gazes.

“Listen, I understand everyone’s concern about me, but now isn’t the time to worry,” he stated, directing his words toward everyone of his guild. “We need to find those lotus blades before those bandits do. I don’t know why they’re after them, but I do know we can’t afford to let someone like Keane near the Cursed Blade.”

He could say that the situation was serious. If the blade worked alongside the Despot and aided in his conquest of the labyrinth, then it was dangerous. Too dangerous to fall into idle, or worst, malicious hands.

“He’s right,” Shashi uttered, breaking the silence. “And if anyone is to find these lotuses, it will be the grandson of Roux.”

The frown that tugged at Ashton’s lips indicated that he wanted to argue, but saw the truth in their words nevertheless. “Fine,” he finally relented, but not before giving Drayce a very pointed look. “Just don’t try to handle anything by yourself.”

“…I won’t,” Drayce found himself unexpectedly hesitating for a moment. But he hoped that the delay wasn’t entirely noticeable.

He just…couldn’t help but allow his mind wander back to what Keane said to him yesterday. The threat he left hanging over him.

“Unfortunately, you might have to, this time,” Shashi suddenly stated.

Drayce blinked, pulled suddenly from his thoughts. He then turned to face Shashi’s direction and gave him a slightly confused look. “Huh?”

Shashi walked over to him as he reached his hand into his pocket of his coat. He then pulled out an old, bronze compass. Yet, it had a few crystals and no doubt celestian’s symbols engraved upon the fading metal.

“Take this,” he said as he presented the compass to him, to which Drayce instinctively took in his hand. “This will allow you to detect mana. Unfortunately, it will only work once. Mana detection is a refined skill that only celestians can use, and not without teachings since birth. It will lead you to a source of mana just once before it loses its power. It will take time for me to infuse it with that ability again. Just hope that it leads you to the token and not to another source of mana.”

“This…is amazing,” Drayce murmured as he stared down at the compass.

An understatement, really! It was unlikely to be as accurate or refined as the skills that Kamali and Zohar possessed. But it was something. An advantage. And it prevented anyone else from getting close to those bandits.

It was perfect. Good ol’ Shashi.

“Thank you, Shashi.”

Shashi granted him a small smile. “Both Kamali and Zohar had detected a token before, so it is likely those bandits will keep a close eye on them. An earthlain like you having the ability to discover the token on your own might give you the edge you need.”

“You are brilliant, Shashi,” Drayce continued with a grin as he placed the compass in his breast pocket, ensuring to keep it safe but close at hand. “I really owe you for this.”

“Even so, be careful,” Shashi cautioned as he looked directly into Drayce’s eyes. “You say that no one’s life is worth a treasure. And that includes you.”

Scholars sure were observant, huh?

“Of course,” Drayce pacified. “Keep a close eye on the map, nevertheless, yeah?”

… … … … …

“There you are,” a voice that was both familiar and becoming increasingly annoyed chirped mockingly happily from somewhere within the foliage of the labyrinth. “We’ve been waiting for you~”

Drayce uttered a sigh aloud. “We had figured as much,” he said simply as he lifted his head and immediately narrowed in on a smirking Keita and a partly hidden Runihura.

He wasn’t all that surprised to see either of them, however. He just figured they would wait just a little bit longer to make their…entrance, as it were. They’ve only been in the labyrinth less than ten minutes.

“So,” Fiorello said slowly, the tone of his voice surprisingly bitter and accusatory. “You’re the one responsible for that sleep potion, hm? Or, perhaps, a botanist is also involved?”

Runihura twitched. No, it was more of a wince.

“Hmm…” Fiorello must have noticed the wince, too, as his eyes narrowed. “They may be good with poisons, yet still a novice with the bandaging.”

Bandages? Oh…Fiorello was observant. And right. There were multiple bandages covering Runihura’s arms and legs. And likely more under the think leather that he wore. He certainly didn’t have those the last time they met in the labyrinth. Had they attempted to search for another token on their own only to encounter trouble?

“H-hey, are you all right?” Drayce found himself asking before he had the chance to second guess himself.

Runihura lifted his gaze sharply to send him a lot of utter…confusion. He didn’t say anything, though there was definitely a questioning expression in his eyes.

“You’re injured,” Drayce said dumbly as he indicated to the myriad of white bandages peeking out from behind his dark leather.

“It’s…Nothing of your concern,” Runihura uttered as he swiftly looked away, keeping his eyes away from him.

Drayce simply looked sympathetically at the harbinger. He couldn’t help but wonder if those injuries were because of someone else?

A soft pressure on the small of his back prompted Drayce to instinctively turn his head to the side slightly in Zohar’s direction. And like previously, the necromancer leaned down to whisper to him.

“Kamali and I can sense mana close by,” he explained. “To the path on the right.”

Drayce resisted the urge to immediately look in the direction indicated and chose to simply nod his head. “Right.”

As Zohar leaned back, his hand still reassuringly against his back, Drayce turned to regard the two bandits once more. Their postures were similar to their second meeting in the labyrinth. The posture, the expectation; it was almost identical.

They were anticipating their next move. And hopefully, they were focused in on either Zohar or Kamali. Well, not so much focused on them because of sheer protectiveness. But with Drayce making a move, and not anyone else, may give them some advantage.

Still…Drayce was still unsettled by his one-sided confrontation with Keane yesterday. Keane was willing to do anything to get the tokens. The short hostage situation and the break-in at the Crescentia was testament to that. And he was worried to what lengths Keane would go to to get this third token.

A thought suddenly occurred to him as he stared at Keita and Runihura. They were both working for Keane. Along with two others; Bronson, the hard-headed pugilist. And Tomlin, the short, deep-voiced necromancer.

Why weren’t they using Tomlin’s mana detect skill to find the tokens on their own? Why go to the trouble and hassle of waiting for Drayce and his guild to find the tokens first?

There had to be a catch regarding the tokens that Drayce didn’t know about or hadn’t considered. Could they indeed be powered by someone’s intention like Ramus had suggested? Would they only allow themselves to be discovered by someone who know of the Turquoise Lotus Father?

Before Drayce could ponder and muse any further, there was the sound of the rustling of leaves. And the scurrying of many feet on the ground. It was loud, however. Very loud.

The noise was threatening. And familiar.

A moment later, from a narrow path, bursting out in a flurry of leaves and twigs, appeared a large and blue centipede.

“Not another Toxipede!” Drayce called out in alarm.

Great, that was the last thing they needed!

“It’s simply guarding its territory,” Zohar was surprisingly calm, even as the far too large centipede flared its head in their direction and angrily snapped its pincers in an all too threatening manner.

“Whatever its doing, don’t fight it!” Blayke was the one to order allowed.

Zohar nodded his head as the familiar chill promptly followed. A split second later, a familiar white ghost appeared before him. “Theodore and his kin will distract it. Fiorello, Kamali, stay hidden for now.”

“Understood,” Kamali said simply as he stayed back with Fiorello.

“Aw, shit. Looks like you guys need to find that token quickly, huh?” Keita was the one who pointed out that unfortunate fact.

…They didn’t anticipate the Toxipede barging in, did they?

No. They appeared as surprised as they were when the tall blue centipede trundled into view and started snapping its pincers at them.

“Drayce, go!” Blayke suddenly called out to him as he moved to intercept Keita from following. “I’ll handle the brat!

Keita hesitated for a moment, his nose scrunched up in annoyance as he studied Blayke carefully. He no doubt took note of how exceptionally irritated Blayke was. He then looked utterly confused when it finally set in who was to go in search of the token. “Wait, he’s going by himself?”

So, they had anticipated following either Zohar or Kamali.

“I don’t know what they’re planning, but don’t screw up this time, Runi~!” Keita called out to his partner in crime.

So, Drayce was left to race against Runihura. Those injuries were sure to be a burden to him, though he certainly had other…skills in his arsenal should he feel the need. Or the desperation.

Drayce hoped that he didn’t have another dose of that sleep potion stuff he used on him the night before. He didn’t fancy dealing with that kind of tired, bleary aftermath again.

He would not be able to run very fast, or likely very far, with his heavy shield on his back. So, he had to hastily dislodge it, instinctively kicking out the stand so that it stayed upright. If his guild needed something to hide behind, it might be able to offer some help.

Now. Take the path to the right, like Zohar said. And hope that the compass that Shashi gave him would lead him in the right direction.

As Drayce darted down the right path, with Runihura close on his heels, he reached into his jacket pocket to whip out the compass. He quickly glanced down at the magically infused compass and noticed that the crystals had a luminous glow. And the needle was pointing forward. And it wasn’t pointing north. He was fairly good with directions.

It was working. It was pointing in the direction of a source of mana.

Now, he hoped that it was pointing to the lotus token!

As he entered a small clearing that was surrounding in the crystal-clear pools of water, the needle swung wildly to the left. Toward a corner of the clearing. Where a lush patch of powers grew abundantly.

There. That must be the location.

Drayce sharply darted to the left and reached the patches of flowers, summoned a Decoy Shield directly in front of him and promptly swung his cannon around to rest the muzzle atop of the shield. His other hand instinctively searching through the flowery undergrowth for a few agonising seconds. When, finally, he felt something metallic.

He glanced briefly and was greeted by the sight of a small silver coin-shaped object. And within the centre, under a bit of dirt and moss, was the engraving of a lotus.

He actually found it!

“Whew, got it,” he murmured around a sigh of relief.

“No!”

Upon the pained scream, Drayce naturally shot his head up and looked in the direction of the voice. He was surprised to realise that the shout, no scream, seemed to have originated from Runihura.

A breath hitched in his throat when he realised that on the harbinger’s pale face was an expression of desperation. And absolute terror.

“…What?”

“P-Please, I need that treasure! I was sent to find it, if I return without it again-!” he abruptly cut himself off mid-sentence. And, honestly, he didn’t need to finish. Drayce understood the insinuation. What was left unsaid.

Runihura tried to take a step forward, only to collapse pitifully onto the ground. His head hung lowly as he used his forearms in a desperate attempt to push himself to his feet. Surrender. Fear. Pain. That was in his posture.

Those injuries weren’t an accident. Weren’t born from carelessness.

Someone inflicted those upon him.

Drayce dropped his cannon to his side as he dismissed the Decoy Shield. He grasped the token in his hand as he looked at the harbinger before him. He felt nothing but sympathy for the guy. Sure, he had stolen from them. Broke into his guildhouse and attacked him.

But those injuries, and his words…

Drayce silently pushed himself to his feet and walked slowly over to Runihura. He crouched down in front of him and held out his hand. The hand that held the token. “Here, take it.”

Runihura immediately snapped his head up to look at him. And it was then that Drayce realised that he had tears in his eyes. And down his far too pale cheeks. “Huh?”

“Look, I don’t know why you’re so desperate, but I know you’re being honest,” Drayce said as he unfurled his hand to reveal the token. “You’re fighting for someone, aren’t you?”

A sharp intake of air from Runihura was the only answer he got. And it was enough.

“You know the Crescentia. You know how to get in. Take that person there. They’ll be safe there. I promise.”

Runihura stared at him with wide pink eyes. Unblinking. Disbelief on his face. His face suddenly crumbled as tears fogged within his eyes. He looked to the side, as if ashamed before he shakily raised a hand. And retrieved the token from him.

“…Thank you,” he uttered softly before he slowly pushed himself to his feet.

Drayce could only look on with worry as Runihura shuffled awkwardly toward the foliage of the labyrinth, relying heavily upon his scythe to act as a walking aid.

The sound of rustling leaves caused Drayce to lift his gaze toward the canopy of the forest. And his gaze collided with that of none other than Keita. Drayce felt himself tense in annoyance. Yet…he was somewhat curious.

Keita didn’t wear his usual carefree if a bit arrogant expression. He looked genuinely confused, if a bit agitated as well. “You…” he uttered yet trailed off quickly as he continued to simply look at Drayce.

“What?”

“…You’re far too soft, you know that?” Keita finally muttered, his brow furrowed and a frown on his lips. He actually looked as though he simply could not comprehend something. Likely him as a person.

He soon smiled, however. That mockingly playful and conceited smile. “That will be easy to take advantage of, though~” he practically cooed before he jumped off the branch he stood upon and disappeared in the direction that Runihura did only moments ago.

Drayce felt his hand clenched against his side. Take advantage of him, huh?

…Kindness was not a weakness. Nor was it something to be exploited.

Never mind that for now. He needed to check in on the others. He trusted them to keep themselves out of danger. And…he did feel a sense of guilt that he had given up the token in spite of the trouble they went through to get it. But they were sure to understand, right?

Shashi was sure to be keeping a close eye on the map regardless of whether they had retrieved the token.

He just needed to think of a way to get the tokens back from Keane before he found the Cursed Blade himself.

Grasping his cannon tightly, Drayce moved quickly as he retraced his steps. He couldn’t hear the familiar sounds of battling. And while he was still worried, he didn’t feel that intense sense of dread. Something told him that his guildmates were just fine.

They were smart and they were resilient.

Of course they were fine!

“Drayce!”

Even so, Drayce still uttered a small sigh of relief when he heard Blayke’s voice. There was no panic. Just a bit of annoyance. Nothing unusual, really.

“Is everyone all right?” he asked the second everyone of his party gathered in a small clearing.

“We’re fine,” Blayke answered, and Drayce could see that was indeed very true. No marks on his armour, yet alone any injuries. “The bastard decided that it didn’t want to play anymore and wandered off. What happened with you?”

“It’s…they got the token.” Best leave it to that for now. He’ll explain it to everyone in the…relatively safety of the Crescentia.

“Damn it,” Blayke immediate cussed, looking frustrated.

“All is not lost,” Zohar interjected calmly. “Shashi is sure to be keeping a close eye on the map. He would have witnessed something of note, surely.”

If anything occurred on that map, Shashi was sure to have witnessed it. And swiftly documented anything and everything that was revealed. So, the best thing they could do for now was to return home and see what had happened in their absence.

“Right. Let’s head home for now,” Drayce ordered as he pulled out an Ariadne Thread and quickly activated.

As he and his guildmates were enveloped in the white light, Drayce silently hoped that he had done the right thing.

And he hoped that Runihura was going to be all right.