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friend-of-a-cat · 11 months ago

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Etrian Odyssey Nexus Guild - Seekers (Maginia Branch)

Here's my main EON guild, named after my EO3/EO2U/EO5 guilds: Seekers! They are my children and I love them. Some of their colours here look a bit different to their in-game portraits because I changed them, but I honestly can't be bothered importing them (I'll probably update this post sometime in the future with art I've made, anyway - I'll also add my guild card later, too). I'm also following my own timeline of events, which I've laid out in this post (EO5 is set right before Nexus in this timeline). Below you will find the gang's portraits and some bios I've written for them!

Sage is the only child of a Lagaardian noble family, and was taught how to wield a sword by her father at a young age - he wanted her to follow in his footsteps as a great leader. Her parents are very overbearing, sheltering her for most of her life, and keep trying to set her up with potential future partners (all nobles themselves, of course), though she's aroace. She left home in order to escape all of this, as well as to learn more about the world and its people, deciding to hop on the flying city to Lemuria and join a guild, begrudgingly becoming its leader and naming it after two famed adventuring guilds she admires.

She’s very determined, dedicated and gallant, always trying to help those in need. She's also good at resolving arguments and solving problems due to her friendly and understanding nature, and often comes up with plans of attack. She's also very diligent in her training, often forgetting to eat or rest due to her intense focus.

Sage loves reading, and, when she's not training, she's often found, alone, with a hot drink and her nose in books of fable and legend. She's facinated by monsters and mythological creatures, and keeps a log of every one she and the rest of the guild encounters (she's also captivated by dragons, and wants to see a real one someday). She also loves cats, and is desperately trying to befriend Vivian's cat, Merlin, who seems uninterested in her (she is very upset by this). She thinks Persephone, the princess of Maginia, is very cool, and looks up to her.

Sage is also extremely tired, and definitely needs a break. Her guild does not allow this, however, as most of its members are very loud and reckless. She still loves them all, though - they're like her found family.

She shares map-making duty with Elias and Rand, and is also trying her hardest to learn how to cook (Rand is an incredible cook, and, as such, has taken her under his wing).

~~~

Aki hails from a small, secluded mountain village on the outskirts of Etria, and grew up with their mother, grandparents, and several siblings. They have a master, who is like a father figure to them, and was taught the way of the blade by him from a young age. They left their village in order to travel, as they wanted to see and experience new things, and heard word of the expedition to Lumuria, hopping on the floating city of Maginia and joining a guild.

They're a massive goofball, and makes friends very easily due to their upbeat and energetic demeanor. They're very loud, and are always the life of the party. They also hold a lot of admiration for Sage, and enjoy sparring with her. They often vie for her attention, and have a friendly rivaly with Lucille, who also does the same. Aki loves and treats their guildmates like family members, and will always, very recklessly, put themself in danger to save them. They want to get stronger, both as a ronin and as a person. They also have heightened senses, and can see well in the dark.

They struggle with reading and writing, but are getting help from Sage to get better at both. They've begun writing letters to their master every week to update him on what's been going on.

Aki loves food and will eat anything and everything, including things they find on their expeditions. They have been poisioned far too many times from plants and fruit they have consumed on their travels, but have not learned from this whatsoever. They're often found training, practicing their sword skills, napping in the sun, exploring the outdoors, befriending both animals and people, or eating god-knows-what.

They're pangender, and are fine with any pronouns, but usually use they/them. They're also ace.

~~~

Elias grew up an only child of esteemed Celestrian parentage in Sidonia, Arcania. His family always expected great things from him - for him to hone his magic; uphold a sense of dignity and regality; strive for perfection. But even though he was always trying his best to please them, he never could, and they always treated him like he were inferior to them in every way. As such, he became quieter, distant, and more reserved. When he came of age to be seen as more independent, he immediately left, and travelled around the realm, trying to find a place to fit in and call home. Because of the otherworldly and snobbish reputation of the Celestrians, he was frequently shunned by others, but soon found a home in Iorys, where he joined a guild.

He doesn't say much, though is very sarcastic and sharp-tongued when he does. He's very intelligent, observant and quick-witted, and is good at solving puzzles, gathering information, and determining an enemy's weak points. He gets angry when people put themselves in danger to protect him, and would prefer that they looked after themselves instead. He loves his guildmates, both old and new, and considers them family, despite rarely showing it. He's often found reading, researching, meditating, playing solitary Celestrian card games, or chatting to (and cuddling with) Rand.

He's in a relationship with Rand (they got together during the events of EO5), whom he loves dearly, but hates to admit it. The two of them are basically inseperable.

After the events of EO5, which left Elias with a magic blockage (he was previously a warlock), he travelled to Earth with the rest of his guild, settling down in High Lagaard with Rand to recoup and recover for a couple of years. Soon enough, when they heard the construction of the floating city of Maginia was complete, the two of them decided that they wanted to continue exploring, so they joined a new guild and set forth on a new adventure. Elias' magic is slowly returning to him, though weak, but is manifesting itself in different ways, allowing him to control miasma (the bioluminescent kind) and manifest armour so he can better protect his loved ones. He also engineered a magical sythe, which draws magical energy directly from his body via a tubing system when hooked up. He fights on the front lines now, so that no one else gets hurt, and appears quite cold during combat, efficiently mowing down enemies.

He shares map-making duty with Sage and Rand.

~~~

Rand grew up in a small town in Melas, Arcania, with his mother and four younger sisters, one of whom sadly passed away when he was a teenager. His mother was, and still is, ill, so he would help her out with the cooking, cleaning, shopping, and everything in between. As such, he's a wizz in the kitchen, and makes the best apple pie in Arcania (according to his family and his previous guildmates). He picked up adventuring in order to provide for the rest of his family, as he heard it paid well (it did, and it still does).

He's very laid-back, level-headed, caring and friendly, with a good sense of humour. He loves helping people, and will always try his hardest to make sure everyone is satisfied. He keeps calm under stress, and is good at coming up with plans and strategies for the group - if Sage wasn't already the guild's leader, he probably would be. He often hides his true feelings in order to keep both himself and everyone around him positive, and deflects serious questions with humour.

As previously mentioned, he's in a relationship with Elias, whom he dotes over (much to Elias' dismay) and loves dearly. Rand was badly injured during the events of EO5, and is no longer able to walk properly, having to wear a leg brace. As such, he can no longer fight on the front lines (he was previously a dragoon), and the fact that he can't protect his loved ones as well as he used to eats him up inside. He also frequently has horrible nightmares due to trauma.

He shares map-making duty with Sage and Elias, and does most of the cooking. He's also a budding woodcarver, and whittles little wooden objects in his free time.

He also doesn't drink alcohol, and takes care of everyone else when they get a bit tipsy during a celebration.

~~~

Like Sage and Elias, Lucille grew up the only child of a noble family, and hails from the city of Armoroad. Her parents and extended family spoiled her ever since she was born, and she gets everything handed to her on a silver platter, though this never made her haughty or self-absorbed. She was also very sheltered growing up, and doesn't know much about the world or how it works. She heard about the floating city of Maginia during a dinner party with Lagaardian nobles, and begged her parents to let her join the expedition to Lemuria. They, begrudging, accepted, but told her that she needed to travel with a bodyguard. Said bodyguard escorted her to the city, but she convinved him to let her go alone from there on out, stating that she wanted some form of independence. Her parents are not very happy with her.

She's animated, cheerful, slighty clingy, and a massive daydreamer. She's infectiously positive, though some may find her hyperactive and peppy nature a bit grating. She talks a lot, and has a short attention span. She appears frivolous, but is actually quite intelligent, and thinks that it's important to always be her true, authentic self, no matter the audience or situation. She's prone to shopping sprees, and has almost no self-control when it comes to spending, usually impulse-buying useless, though curious, items, much to the dismay of the guild (minus Aki - they love the strange artefacts she brings back to the inn).

She has a huge crush on Sage, oftening vying for her attention, and has a friendly rivaly with Aki, who also does the same. She's somehow unaware of Sage's aroace-ness - though, to be honest, she's unaware of a lot of things, in general. She's happy when Sage is happy, and always tries to cheer her up when she's not (she always tries to cheer the others up when they're feeling down, too). She loves the rest of the guild, and has a sibling-like dynamic with Aki, always bickering playfully with them.

She is also an abysmal cook. Do not let this woman near a kitchen - she will accidently poison people, as she has done many times in the past.

#my writing #my ramblings #etrian odyssey #etrian odyssey nexus #etrian odyssey ocs #i love these guys so much

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botbinary · 2 years ago

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🗡️:// ETRIAGENDER ; a gender related to the game series 'Etrian Odyssey', and its world, story, or characters.

Pronunciation → eh · tree · ah · jen · duh

Etymology ;; 'ETRIA' from the town/world the games are set in, and the title 'Etrian', '—GENDER' suffix meaning it is correlated to someone's gender experience in some way.

꩜ pronoun sets below the cut

PRONOUN DATABASE : ETRIAGENDER

> etri / etrian / etria / etrias / etriself

> rpg / rpg / rpgs / rpgs / rpgself

> dun / dungeon / duns / dungeons / dungeonself

> quest / quest / quester / quests / questself

> fight / fighter / fighter / fighters / fightself

> magi / magic / magis / magics / magicself

> pix / pixel / pixels / pixels / pixelself

#xenogender #mogai #liom #gender coining #mogai coining #liom gender #mogai gender #etriagender #etriagamic #⚠ GENDER ESTABLISHED #⚠ USER : THE WIZARD

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theresattrpgforthat · 6 months ago

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THEME: Chrono Trigger / FFVI Solo

Absurdly specific ttrpg requests seem to be kind of my thing. (The downside is waiting three months for me to get around to answering them). After doing some research, this is what I came away with when it comes to similarities between Chrono Trigger and FFVI:

the games are about relationships between characters as much as they are about the goals those characters face.

the group is on a quest to save the world, even if their goal looks to be hopeless. There are themes of hope and choosing to persevere.

many of the characters have difficult backstories that include pain and loss

I went through over 2000 solo games in my catalogue and I can’t find anything that is close, but these games might be combined, tweaked, or experimented with in order to hit some of the themes.

Where the Butterflies Fall Into The Sea, by Mikaboshiigrim.

Where The Butterflies Fall Into The Sea is a GMless solo RPG based on the Carta and Guided By The Sun systems. In this game, you are a traveler, drawn to a distant shore by an irresistible desire to outrun the past and forge a new beginning. This is a game about exploration and self discovery, and as you uncover your characters past, you might just find a little something about yourself.

I think that this game could help tell a story similar to the journey Celes goes on after the end of the world in FFVI. You use a deck of cards to reflect on people and memories of your past, as you walk along a beach that has special significance for you. Once you reach a specific point of the game, you have finished your interpersonal journey, ready for a new chapter of your life.

The grief and loss that this game holds could also potentially be used alongside another game that focuses more on the heroic parts of the two video games inspiring this post. You could play a darker game where your character initially fails, and then play Where Butterflies Fall in order to track the character’s renewal, and then take them on to another game where they triumph over the cause of their regret and sorrows after all. You could even play the game multiple times to represent the inner journeys of various party members.

Realms: Etria, by Waufl.

Etria is a world forever changed by the Cataclysm. Once a popular space-travel destination, the minds and land of Etrians were wiped clean; little remains of the memories of the Before. People instead focus on the here and now, adventuring across the vast continent in search of technology no one knows how to use or make; they call it magi-tech.

Setting-wise, I think Realms: Etria has a lot of potential to resemble the worlds of Chrono Trigger or FFVI. There are six different Realms, some with emphasis on nature, others on technology, and others on magic. I think the biggest difference is the fact that there doesn’t seem to be a looming, world-ending threat in any of the settings. If what you want is a big dramatic adventure with high stakes, then Realms might just provide you with a chance to build the world, before you switch to a game that tries to end it.

Burdened, by Zachary Matheson.

Burdened is a cozy TTRPG about exploration and self-care. You will take the role of a character who wanders the world carrying an emotional burden. As you play, your character’s burden will lessen as you connect with nature, relate to others, and care for yourself.

Burdened is exceptionally broad, and grants you a lot of leeway in terms of what it is that your character is struggling with. You use various polyhedral dice, all rolled at once, and gain a number of answers that you’ll have to combine in order to describe a single encounter. As you play, you become more resilient, and much of the process of lightening your burden involves reflecting on your situation and making connections with people around you. By itself I don’t think it reflects Chrono Trigger or FFVI, but it might be combined with a more strategic game to flesh out the members of the party.

Rosethorn Keep, by Charlotte Laskowski.

Rosethorn Keep is a solo TTRPG where you acquire companions and complete dungeons in order to upgrade your castle, under the looming threat of the Demon Lord. When your castle is built and your companions are ready, can you defeat him before he thrusts the world into darkness?

Rosethorn Keep feels the closest to Chrono Trigger and FFVI in terms of art style, and also similar to those games, it consists of creating an adventuring party of various skilled individuals.

Most of the game is strategy-based, with little to no background information about the characters. You’ll move through events in order to gain more access to the castle, and build it up to help you in your final battle. The game feels more about preparing a base than unveiling backstories, although there might be details in the course of uncovering the castle that feels like unearthing history.

The Wizard and the Wanderer, by polyhedral mice.

At the centre of the maze, an enchanter hides his greatest treasure- his soul. He winds his way out of the maze leaving traps and monsters to protect it. Many years later, an adventurer comes across the maze and tries to make their way to what they assume must be priceless treasure.

A solo journaling game played forwards and backwards. As a wizard you document the protections you’re leaving behind to protect your soul, and then return many years later as a knight-errant to fight your way through to the center of the maze to treasure and virtue.

The relationship between the Wizard and the Wanderer is separated by time, and they don’t really get a chance to interact with each-other, but they are connected by a dungeon. The details of the Wizard and the Wanderer are left open: what did the Wizard plan to do after sealing away their soul? What use might the Wanderer have for a soul? Is this game a prologue for the Wanderer’s befriending of the Wizard? The potential parallels between this game and the relationship between Magus and the rest of the party in Chrono Trigger is very very thin: but this game could potentially be re-worked so that it isn’t just the soul of the Wizard at the centre of the dungeon: it’s the Wizard himself.

Ruins of Dim Kalduhr, by Demon Toad Games.

The Ruins of Dim Kalduhr is a solo journal and map making RPG where you take on the role of a Time Wizard exploring the ancient forgotten city of Dim Kalduhr for a Catalyst. Through the use of magic, the Time Wizard can see the past in the current world. During your visit to these structures, you'll discover secrets and the ghostly denizens trapped in the past while searching for the Catalyst.

I’m including this game mostly for the elements that tie different time periods together. This game is more about discovery than it is about victory over a great evil; this might be another great world-building game to partner with a game that’s more focused on challenge and strategy.

Pyres of a Cursed Kingdom, by Miracle M.

Pyres of a Cursed Kingdom is a solo journaling RPG where you play as a pilgrim on a journey to save her land from a soul-consuming eclipse. As you travel through the kingdom of Anathoria, you will meet mysterious characters, fight vicious foes, encounter eerie artifacts, face deadly environments and record everything in your journal.

The inspiration for this game comes from Dark Souls, Berserk, and Her Odyssey (by S. Kaiya J.) The biggest parallel I see in this game is the catastrophic threat looming above the kingdom, that you, the protagonist, is expected to face. The game uses a deck of cards to generate specific threats, artifacts and people, and three d10 that you will roll to determine whether or not you walk away from each encounter with a positive or negative result.

The jokers in the card deck represent the two pyres your character must light in order to save the world; after lighting the first pyre the game gets harder. Since this game depends on a single character rather than a party, I think the easiest way to hack the game was to replace the soul points track with something like friendship or teamwork. Gaining points would strengthen the party, while losing them would reflect the party’s fracturing.

Two Stand to Fall, by Amorphous.

You and your partner stand against a terrible Crisis. It shouldn’t have been anything new; the two of you had surpassed many hardships before, and forged a bond stronger than steel together. Together, you were supposed to be powerful.

But this time, things went horribly wrong. Even with your strengths combined, your last battle was certain to end in your defeat.

And so, your partner made the ultimate sacrifice: they sent you back to safety, while they stayed to fight the Crisis alone.

This is probably the most dramatic game on this list, with the most emotional buy-in. There is a Crisis that you will have to define, and a partner who sacrificed themself for you. This may reflect Leo and Chrono’s deaths in both of the fore-mentioned games, and similar to both of these games, you have a chance to reverse their death. As you play the game, you will describe the world you are in, and why your bond to this person is so important. The game is meant to be a single session, somewhere between 30 minutes to an hour. If you want a game that focuses in on a specific emotional theme about saving the world while saving a friend, this might be the game for you.

Absurdly specific recommendation request that may not have an answer:

Anyone have recs on a solo TTRPG with some strong Final Fantasy 6 or Chrono Trigger vibes? I've been thinking about both lately and itching to break out a solo tabletop game.

#tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #dnd #game recommendations #chrono trigger #ffvi #solo games #fantasy #i have not actually played either of these games I just did some brief research on them #so forgive me if this is off the mark

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worldofetria · 6 months ago

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A Detailed Representation of the Continent of Etria's Geographical Features

#worldbuilding #world of etria #country #cartography #map making #map design

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apples-of-apples · 1 year ago

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I have to continue here ‘cause I reached word limit!

Anyways everyone shows up again for like the fifth time because they cant stop showing up at the most dangerous spots in the area but they are just terrified of showing their faces anywhere else in Lemuria. Anyway for a quick summary of that “story bad because it is repetitive not much happens and not much changes until the literal last second.”

Point 2 - the world building is separated from the story part because it really needs to be talked about. First off Lemuria is impossible to understand in placement relative to the rest of EO. This is because of EO5 classes being here even though I’m pretty sure EO5 was on mars, and literally everyone from across the plant is here but the is never even a hint at where it could be relative to even Etria. The more important part of world building that this game forgets is to have characters that interact with the world that aren’t your characters and for it’s world to still function without your guild. Because even through quests most of the banter about people and the interacts that come from that just don’t happen because Kvasir exists the dialogue just refuses to tell anything other than kvasir’s stalking of all women.

Point 3 - honestly the best part of this game. The classes are mostly well balanced with very few being to overpowered or obscenely weak. But when you see the exceptions they are very loud for example War magus is amazing with random curse and cut skills because they can be used easily and their force allows for cuts to work without conditions needed, the bad part comes when actually using them. Because they heal their defenses kinda suck, but with a defender they’re ok. Wrong, because while they can be ok with cuts some sicko decided that war healing was a good idea. War healing just ruins the war magus as a healer because even though they heal pretty quickly they usually don’t heal enough and party members die. This just sucks when compared with the monster that is medic. Medics literally have multiple options for fully healing, reviving and restoring party members and it makes war magus almost obsolete. Another example of an overpowered class is hero. Heroes are the most general class in the games and they aren’t balanced with that in mind. Heroes are almost indestructible machines of pure power that make other options not worth ever considering like the blót fight that I called the worst boss in the game because that fight was something that made me almost drop the game because it was so heavily designed around the idea that people will use hero it makes me angry. I Wong explain it in depth but it’s just a horrible fight especially since literally ever boss has enough health to be a postgame boss or even the final postgame boss in some cases. The worst cases I saw were jormangander, and the yellow bird with an impossible name. The first one is just an hour sponge with like 95000 health which is just more annoying than anything else. The yellow bird though? It has 45000 hp at a point we’re you are maybe level 60 or higher if I remember right. This level was barely enough for bosses with 24000 in previous game why would 45000 with a party without game prélarts like imperial and highlander need to deal with this?? I get they needed to balance around the better classes, but all that means is that there is no room for experimentation, and you have to find a way to use better characters because no amount of strategy works when the answer is just the bosses died to fast when *insert class killed it* it’s just a big disappointing.

Anyway that was a long rant. I got off topic for a while but even with these complaints I still like the game I just have some problems with it like kvasir

Other than that thanks for reading my insanity!

Ok, so like no one has to read this or look at it I just need to scream into the void about Etrian odyssey X (Major story spoilers)

Starting this off I am going to divide this into 3 sections 1. Story, 2. World building, 3. Gameplay.

Point 1 - The game actually starts pretty good in this aspect! The beginning is a pretty strong hook into the story and game as a whole! The next bits of story are good too! The pink haired medic (I can’t remember her name) giving the party a reason to been called on specifically for help early on because they find the east ruins is great for more set up! But the next part is immediately worse than this because it reuses a plot from a previous game, for some reason?? The plot isn’t any different than it was in EO4. It’s still just a big bad bear murdered some people, and now you have to kill it. The only thing that’s new is Cernunnos showing up for all of 5 seconds before being killed by the party. Like I get this is supposed to be a celebration game for the series but you can’t just reuse a plot from a previous game and add a character into it like they did. Oh well, the next dungeon isn’t horrible. I mean they made a super boss into a joke, but they didn’t copy a storyline this time. Leo and Shilleka are a cute duo together in all honesty. Leo’s moment at the end where he overcomes his self perceived weakness and curse to help the party is nice. Then the next dungeon is from EO3 and it’s different overall in story from the game it came from, but it just stole the characters traits from EO3. Like the new characters are just two kids in the dungeon who know each other and they get separated in the dungeon until one of them is on the brink of death. This is literally just Hypatia and Agata, but they both live. Again I get this is a call back to a previous game, but if they’re going to be so insistant on it then just bring someone into the game like bring Missy so she can talk about Hypatia and Agata like I remember some kids like you instead of just copying characters that were already made. Then the next dungeon is the west ruins and there is nothing to talk about except for the last floor where everyone you met is also here and they are also trying to find out ways to traverse the labyrinth! But why are they doing this? I understand that it is quite literally first come first serve with the hidden treasures of Lemuria but when there are No other guilds in sight other than some 1-2 party guilds it just decreases the tension of bosses. It’s different in EO1 with Ren and Tlachga because they are established to be strong, but in nexus these people can just handle enemies that regularly beat up player parties even though they should be around the same level as you? What’s the logic here?? Then for the next few dungeons they are basically filler that are made just to remember that these stratums exist and to show off more characters new or returning. The only returning one is Artelind and the new ones are a viking princess and the child the Wulfgar, Wulfgar Jr. eventually you get to the north ruins and it’s the same as the west ruins, but it’s a new boss and there is some dialogue between characters for a minute before moving on to more pointless dungeons. This is a good as time as any to address that fact that while there have been official missions from the princess a lot of them are just… things the party would’ve done anyway. The only exceptions are the ruins that you only really would want to do from the rewards from the missions. Other than that we get to the forest folk and they don’t matter after like 3 conversations because they’re dead whoops! Then the final ruins where the worst boss in this game is and the princess gets kidnapped I guess?? Literally no one cares though there is no panic, so what’s the point?? And what was the point of the forest folk if they just die again?? Why are half the things in this game rehashed from older games with barely any creative twist and it can just get away with blatant lazy writing?? You can only call Nexus a celebration for so long before it is just called a rehash of the entire EO franchise. Then there is jormanjander who is just boring. The idea is cool but it’s just a damage sponge that dies without to much of a fight.

#etrian odyssey spoilers #etrian odyssey #etrian odyssey nexus

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hopefullycreativestrawberry · 3 years ago

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Forevermore

Original fantasy content. Below is initial information about this world and characters worth focusing on. More information will be posted upon request. I don't need to share anything, I do it for the sake of the audience.

Continent of Etria

*Bad drawing by me 👍. Islands are in process*

Countries (with capitals and type of leadership):

Europa - Jemna. Not-elected council (self appointed council).

Heutian Empire - Corner. Monarch (family lineage).

Kangen - Braun. Elected council.

Republic of Crate - Zeveh. Elected council.

Svisk - Tylos. Was Monarch, now elected council.

Urum - Kayuru. Emperor (either family lineage or appointed).

Brief summary of the history:

Kangen and Svisk used to be one, but with differences of leadership, Kangen broke off and made their own name. Heutian Empire tried to rule over Kangen and Svisk, but consistently fail, then claim it as a “noble sacrifice” to avoid being seen as weak. Urum and Europa were and remain untouched by the Heutian Empire. The borders of Urum and Europa have remained the same for hundreds of years, the borders are held by ancestral magic bound to boulders. Think of Urum and Europa as untouchable forces without intimidation tactics. The Republic of Crate was once part of the Heutian Empire, but broke off due to a revolution 80 years prior to “present”, the conflict was caused by tension between the working class and the monarch (the reason differs depending who you ask). 50 years prior to “present”, a horrible winter storm devastated Svisk, but with help from Urum, Kangen, and Europa, the people of Svisk survived.

List of characters (more coming soon):

Initial party:

Ascian - m, vampire, rogue. Europa.

Mirza - m, human, monk. Urum.

Jaromir - m, human, paladin. Kangen.

Nesrin ‘Nesi’ - f, tiefling, druid. Kangen.

Allies:

Caespes - m, elf, wizard/scholar. Europa

Drazhan - m, human, bard. Svisk

Tulay - f, half-elf, druid. Kangen

Other:

Verena - f, a councilwoman. Europa

Zephyr - f, sorceress. Heutian Empire

Rhysand - m, village elder. Kangen

#original content #original character #original worlds #original fiction #original story #original work #oc #original characters

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spuekyblue-blog · 5 years ago

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The Beckoning of Obgerrah

The first story I’ve written in my current setting. It tells the tale of the monstrous reptile-people who live in the southwest nation of Etria, known as Obgerrah. I hope you like reading it as much as I loved writing it. Enjoy!

No sunlight shone into the chamber, save for a single ray. Plunging down from a crude hole in the ceiling, it illuminated the surface of an ancient, blood-stained altar. From the shadows all around the room, cold, reptilian eyes watched the surface of the pedestal and the small basket filled with bloodied organs which sat upon it. Hearts, the onlookers knew. Those of their own kind.

The hepaoku priestess descended from her podium and began laying torches all around the circumference of the altar with her long, scaly fingers, magically lighting them ablaze as she went. Her sonorous chant drifted through the temple: praises to Sarneiros, the god of knowledge, who had so graciously brought these brave souls back home from their final battle so that their legacy could be reborn even after death.

While the common folk were captivated by the celestial cleric standing before them, Sakires’ eyes were fixated on one of six young warriors kneeling before the ritual, her head in a low bow before the procession and her tail curled into a spiral as a sign of reverence. She and the others were donning heavy, ceremonial armor in anticipation of the gruesome rite. They had waited their entire lives for this moment: the day they became more than mere children. Throughout their youths, they had displayed extraordinary strength, speed, and perception as hunters. Now, they would finally be granted the most revered title in Obgerrah: Arytissi warrior.

Gradually, the priestess’s chants grew louder, the anticipation in the room rising with her voice. The makakiri gatherers ferociously stamped their feet against the earth, sending tremors throughout the temple. Her hands tipped the basket over, spilling its contents all over the ground in front of the warriors, and in an instant, they lunged toward the hearts. Reaching out with their long claws, they tore them to pieces and devoured what remained on the floor.

The young warrior who Sakires had been eyeing finally stood up, letting loose a bellow of victory, soon followed by the others. Blood drenched her black scales, and her eyes gleamed with purpose. Although yesterday, many had fallen in the last conflict, Sakires and all of the makakiri knew that they were not lost forever. Their courage and sacrifice would live on through these young fighters, and after their deaths, it would be passed on to the next, through the feasting of their hearts at the foot of the sacred altar. Sakires was pleased; Ktalar would make a fine warrior, perhaps more so than himself one day. On top of her ruthless nature, Sakires sensed something else extraordinary in her every time she fought: a passion for battle and thirst for justice unlike any student he had ever trained.

~~~

From the corner of the chamber stood another warrior. She remembered the day she participated in this ritual, the day she became one of the Arytissi. On that day she was much like these young ones: eager, determined, full of zeal. What had changed her? Why did it seem that she was the only one who stopped to question the ideals of the great hepaoku, who called themselves demigods and prophets? And how many great warriors, like the ones being devoured here, had died defending a cause they didn’t know why they supported? Etachil would not be like them. She couldn’t die serving mad seers and a so-called god of knowledge who never revealed anything in his archives to his own people, let alone his face. And yet she could not bring herself to leave her home of Obgerrah, the forest nation where the reptilian makakiri dwelled. It was not unheard of for the makakiri to leave their homeland to pursue other ambitions; their honor would be stripped away, and most likely they would not be welcomed back with open arms. But these things meant little to Etachil.

No, there was something else holding her back. Etachil wasn’t afraid of Obgerrah. She was enraged. It wasn’t relief from this lifestyle she sought, but retaliation against a religion that had turned her and countless other noble warriors into slaves.

And for what? The goal of the Arytissi was clear: defend the world from its darkest secrets and artifacts, hidden away in the underground archives of Irthos Troth for millennia. As a youth, Etachil, like all Arytissi in training, was taught by the hepaoku that if anyone were to let loose the terrible magic in the archives, it would spell disaster for not only the forests of Obgerrah, but for the entire world.

This all made sense to Etachil, and indeed she had lived by these principles for many years. In more recent times, however, she had been considering the Arytissi’s position in this task. The makakiri were forbidden to enter the archives they dedicated their lives to protecting, lest they find what resides there desirable and use it for selfish purposes. But what was the alternative? Were the Arytissi meant to be no more than mindless pawns for Sarneiros? What god of knowledge keeps his chosen people in the dark forever?

At this point, several other makakiri had withdrawn from the celebration to carry on with their daily activities. Etachil wasn’t ready to leave yet. She glanced at the parade of scaled creatures funneling out of the gaps in the temple’s walls, picking out faces she knew.

She watched Sakires, her old mentor, walking alongside Ktalar, one of the new recruits. Although Sakires was very old, his body had only become more powerful since his youthful days. His scales however, which were once black as pitch, had faded into an unpleasant green as the years passed, and the rich brown of his eyes had begun to fade into a dull grey.

There was once a time where Sakires favored Etachil, but as he discovered her heretical values, he came to look upon her with contempt. The two of them had seldom spoken to each other over the last few years, mostly because Etachil tended to avoid his presence whenever possible.

In a few minutes, the temple was empty aside from the priestess and herself. Etachil had no interest in hunting with the other warriors, although she doubted anyone would invite her anyhow. Her beliefs were no secret anymore; at this point, she was accustomed to being ostracized by her fellow warriors.

The priestess hadn’t noticed her shifting uncomfortably in the corner of the temple yet. The senses of the hepaoku were not as sharp as those of a makakiri. Contrarily, Etachil heard every word the priestess uttered under her breath as she packed away her holy items and pots of blood and oil. Even after the conclusion of the ritual, she continued to pray to her god, and for the success of the young warriors.

In contrast to the enormous makakiri warriors, the hepaoku were slender, although they stood at roughly the same height. Their scales were soft and green, like the leaves of the jungle trees at the beginning of summer. They were born pupilless, but with the symbol of Sarneiros branded upon their eyes, marking them as his children and oracles.

Etachil’s gaze pierced into the back of the cleric’s head. Since the hepaoku spent most of their lives underground, their presence was uncommon in times of peace. This was only the ninth time Etachil had seen one in her seventeen years. And yet she was expected to interpret everything they said as divine truth. But now, Etachil was getting ideas for how to uncover the reality of her world. She felt a tug on her senses coming from the tunnels: ever so subtle, but irresistibly strong. Today, she would retrieve what had been lost in the archives.

The priestess, as she finished gathering her things and began to proceed deeper into the dark corridors of the temple, contemplated the events that had occurred these past few days. How generous Sarneiros was to have granted Irthos Troth such mighty and valiant guardians! The makakiri weren’t by any means magically or technologically advanced, but their keen senses, their fury in battle, and their ability to kill without remorse were enough to quell the ambitions of the deadliest sorcerer.

Unable to perceive her stalker in the darkness, the hepaoku effortlessly navigated the familiar maze of twisting halls beneath the temple. She had spent all three centuries of her life in the tunnels of Irthos Troth, visiting the surface for a few days every four years or so to preach to the makakiri and the other folk who dwelled in Obgerrah’s harsh jungles. If she had known she was being followed, she would not have been so careless. The law of Sarneiros only granted the hepaoku the right to enter Irthos Troth, along with a few select Arytissi veterans who he had hand picked to guard the entrances.

Etachil’s mind was bubbling with excitement and fear now. Never had she dared to set foot in Irthos Troth, lest she get lost in the dark, treacherous caverns, never to return home. But this immaculate guide in front of her opened up a world of possibilities. Yes, she despised the hepaoku, but if she could use this one to enter the interior of the cave, and then get past the rest of them undetected, she could confirm or disprove her suspicions about Irthos Troth. If she was wrong, she could continue her life as an Arytissi, free of the burdens of ignorance. But if she was right, and she suspected she was, everything would change.

The sounds of the forest overhead disappeared as Etachil pursued the priestess. She took note of every turn she took, knowing she would have to use her own sense of navigation to exit the caverns once she had the knowledge she desired.

Torchlight began to fill the caverns with a somber glow, and she could now see in full detail the elaborate carvings decorating the stone walls. Never before had she looked upon such masterful artwork; the makakiri had little regard for aesthetics or expression. She saw thousands of faces gazing at her from the bas-reliefs on either side of her: makakiri, hepaoku, and other creatures she had never seen, ones that lacked scales but stood on two legs, held unfamiliar weapons, and conjured flames from their hands.

Her attention must have slipped as she looked upon the beautiful masonry surrounding her. When Etachil finally turned towards her unsuspecting guide, she realized she had been seen. The priestess gasped in surprise as she discovered the black-scaled warrior tracing her path, blades in hand and her maw hanging wide open. They saw each other for a moment, and Etachil, as startled as her guide, instinctively sprung forward.

Before she knew what she was doing, Etachil’s bone dagger had dug itself deep into the priestess’s gut. The hepaoku’s frightened ramblings came to a sudden pause as she looked down to see white ichor pouring out of her wound. The creature tasted death in the back of her throat, and slumped to the ground, motionless.

Etachil darted back, instantly realizing the magnitude of what she had done. She could not deny that she took satisfaction in seeing the cleric lying on the ground, life fading from her eyes, but if her fellow warriors found out about this… The murder of a hepaoku was an unforgivable crime. And yet here Etachil stood, standing over the lifeless corpse with none to bear witness to the killing.

She must have stood there motionless for over a minute thinking about what to do next before spotting a towering silhouette emerge from the opposite end of the corridor. No doubt one of the makakiri who guarded the uppermost portions of Irthos Troth. If they found Etachil, it was over; the Arytissi didn’t take executions lightly. She could be stoned to death, confined until she died of thirst, pierced by the venom of a blade viper and left to die in the forest, or worse.

But she hadn’t been noticed yet. The priestess had barely made a sound when she died; perhaps she could slink back into the shadows and escape accusation. But Arytissi were skilled trackers and were blessed with acute senses. Or, if he didn’t find her, then he would bring more warriors to investigate the area, inevitably spelling her doom.

Etachil was small for a makakiri, standing just under six feet, but she held the advantage of surprise. Before the warrior approached, she leapt behind a stalagmite and wiped the pearly ichor from her blade. As soon as he came forward, she would lunge from her hiding place and sink it into his throat. A single, clean blow, and he would be dead; Etachil would be safe. But the closer he came, the more her hands shook. The morality of the deed didn’t bother her remotely; makakiri were born to kill without remorse, not to mention she had already committed a crime that would see her executed. It was the sheer size of the savage creature that stunned her with fear. He stood at nearly eight feet in height, and his colossal, heavily-muscled arms gripped an enormous wooden club with extreme ease. Etachil worried that she wouldn’t be able to get past such a wide range to swing her comparatively tiny weapon at his vital areas.

She would have to use her more slender form to her advantage. This one was a brute, and his heavy club would have a hard time keeping up with her nimble blades. He had already reacted to seeing the priest’s body and was now searching the area for any evidence of the killer. Etachil waited for the perfect moment to lash out, but it never came. They made eye contact. He let out a gargling howl to signal more Arytissi to the area. She had waited too long.

Etachil took the opportunity to dart behind him, putting her in a more advantageous position, but he was quicker than she thought. He swung his club diagonally at her, missing, but only inches away from crushing her skull. But Etachil had fought opponents larger than this one before and knew their disadvantages. The momentum of the club carried his arms to the other wall of the corridor, his weapon colliding against the stone walls with a colossal thud. Before he could regain his balance, Etachil was on him, slashing into his throat with unbridled fury. But unlike the priest, he didn’t die quietly; his death throes were violent and frenzied, and his shouts rang throughout the caverns. Hardly the clean kill she had been hoping for.

By now, several Arytissi must have heard the commotion and would be here momentarily. To run back the way she had come would be a fool’s errand; the Arytissi would see her, and she was far too exhausted from the battle to take one warrior, let alone an entire patrol unit. She had dug herself into a ditch, and the only way to go was down, deeper into the caverns, toward whatever strange secrets Sarneiros kept so thoroughly hidden. If fate had planned it so, perhaps she could find something to save her within the archives of Irthos Troth.

~~~

Hours had passed since the ritual had concluded. The rest of the ceremony had been brief; the priestess gave her blessings to the graduating students, and they were congratulated by their friends and mentors. Now, as was customary for such ceremonies, the newest Arytissi warriors, and a few others, prepared to embark on a grand hunt through the jungles of Obgerrah.

Ktalar had doffed her heavy, bloodstained ceremonial attire, and was now equipping her lightweight combat armor. The Arytissi covered themselves minimally on such hunts. This made their movements faster, quieter, and more graceful, and spared them from the intense heat of Obgerrah’s jungles. Arytissi armor was made of wood, bones, hide, and whatever metal the scaled folk could salvage from the caverns. Although the specific pieces of armor they wore was based upon preference, they commonly covered parts of their shoulders, forearms, legs, and chests. Some warriors also donned animal skulls as helmets, not for protection, but to display their ferocity to their fellow hunters, or the rare sentient enemy they came across.

The signature feature of Arytissi armor was the spines they decorated it with, usually made of bone or bronze, or sometimes iron. The spikes were most prevalent on vital areas such as the chest, and were effective for grappling.

The weapons the Arytissi wielded were also based upon preference. Ktalar acquired a bow and a leather quiver, as well as a crude spear: a large branch with a sharpened gharm fang tied to the end. She fancied attacking from a distance, preferring to optimize stealth rather than brute force. Finally, she pocketed a small pouch of light yellow liquid. Her instincts told her she would need it today.

~~~

The further Etachil proceeded into the depths of the tunnel, the more she felt it. Something calling out to her, promising retribution against her enemies. Cold, damp, and dark, it resonated with something within, writhing in pain as it was burnt by the flames of discontent: the essence of her hatred and anger.

Truly, the events that had taken place today were not the result of chance. Fate had brought her down here for a reason. She was to meet the source of this malign energy, and it would save her from the agony she felt living alongside the monstrous Arytissi. It would defend her from the dissatisfied gaze of Sakires. The biting words of the hepaoku. The inescapable presence of Sarneiros, the avaricious god who hoards limitless power and knowledge to keep it from a world he deems too weak to wield it. The darkness of Obgerrah would fall into ruin, and a new era of truth would rise from the void. For the first time in years, Etachil had a purpose.

She had become so lost in thought that she forgot about her surroundings. She dove into the maze of lightless caverns under Obgerrah, and as if guided by divine instinct, took all of the correct turns toward her unknowable destination. Etachil no longer needed eyes to see. The vile one guided her every step, its influence pulling her into the depths, like a carnivorous plant luring insects to its hungry maw with its sweet aroma.

Her eyes caught a glimpse of light. Not light as she knew it; not sunlight or the light of a flame, but a repulsive, black light that imbued the tunnels with malice. The air tore at her lungs, making every breath an effort, but she continued on in a corpse-like trance. Ghastly images of sinister gods were carved on the walls all around her, and the scent of death became stronger with every step she took. She took no notice of these things. Her entire world was centered on the ancient black casket in front of her.

Without thinking, she removed the lid on the container to reveal a small object wrapped in linen and caked with dried, black blood. Etachil’s claws reached down for the artifact. It was cold to the touch. As she felt her senses coming back to her, she could feel it subtly pulsating in the palms of her hands. The vibration was accompanied by a deep growl, barely audible to the ears of even a makakiri, but resounding through Etachil’s mind. The determination she had felt dissipated as the seeds of horror and repugnance sprouted in her heart. This never should have happened. She never should have gone deeper into the caverns. She would have felt far more at ease being tortured to death by the Arytissi right now.

Etachil wanted to leave. She wanted to dash out of this repulsive cavern as quickly as she had come. Sakires, the hepaoku, the Arytissi, who made her into an outcast… she had tolerated them for years and could keep doing so for many more. But this, whatever vile thing she held in her claws right now, would kill her if nothing else did. Despite this, she couldn’t bring herself to drop the thing into the casket and leave. It was now like a part of her consciousness, and although it lay limp in her grasp, it clutched onto her fear and frustration and wouldn’t let go, try as she might to shake it off.

She couldn’t bear to stay here any longer. Etachil used every ounce of her willpower to force herself outside of the strange chamber and began running back through the winding tunnels the way she came. The thing was a parasite, gnawing through her mind and sapping her willpower. It would feast on Etachil’s psyche until she was nothing, and it would finally have the power to plague the rest of the world with its disease. The scaled warrior could try to flee, but she was already lost the moment she laid her hands on its old wrappings.

Through the dark tunnels Etachil stumbled, her mind a whirlwind of terror and regret. After several long, desperate hours of helplessly clawing against the stone walls in search of the way back home, she navigated to the surface without running into any of her kin, but did so clutching the vile one’s host in her arms.

~~~

Ktalar lay motionless on the ground, concealed by the thick jungle foliage, hardly breathing. Any other creature would dismiss her for a boulder sitting behind a tangle of vines, but her sharp eyes would have sensed the presence of the tiniest rodent passing by. She couldn’t afford to keep track of how long she had been waiting, lest her concentration slipped. It could have been minutes or hours; she paid no attention. Nor did she notice how hungry she was, or the thorns she was kneeling on, digging into her scales. She forgot herself. All she knew was her surroundings, her senses completely entwined in every movement that occurred here. Such was the acuity of the Arytissi.

The hunting trip had gone well thus far. Ktalar and her peers had encountered a Gharm, an enormous scaled beast with devastating strength and uncanny fortitude. These creatures, although they lacked the cunning of the makakiri, were considered to be their greatest foes; they were gluttonous things, and had a particular taste for the flesh of the makakiri. The battle was short though, and it ended with the new warriors sitting triumphantly upon its bloody body. Such a kill would be celebrated for days.

Not long after, however, a messenger had come back from the village bearing news that a hepaoku and an Arytissi warrior had been found dead in Irthos Troth. They deduced that a fellow Arytissi had betrayed them to seek the cursed treasures that lay inside the underground chambers.

Ktalar and the rest of her patrol had promptly spread themselves within a mile’s radius of Irthos Troth’s entrance. In time, the traitor would have to emerge from the caverns, and if they were skilled enough to get in, these warriors would have to be attentive to make sure they didn’t get out.

Ever so slowly and quietly, Ktalar drew an arrow from her quiver and soaked its tip into the pouch of yellow liquid on her belt: the venom of a blade viper, one of the most treacherous and deadly creatures in Obgerrah. Once her arrow hit its target and the poison entered the traitor’s bloodstream, it would only be a matter of time before they collapsed from the pain. Ktalar’s ammunition was loaded into her weapon and ready to fire at the flick of her thumb. Adrenaline pumped all throughout her body.

Some time later, she heard the first sign of her prey. A rustle in the branches overhead, and the falling of leaves. The pressure on her bowstring increased as her eyes scanned the understory above her head, searching for the indicative black scales of a makakiri.

The moment she saw movement, the pressure was released; her arrow soared through the air and dug itself into flesh. Her target’s gasp of pain was almost inaudible through the branches, but Ktalar heard it crystal clear. Indeed, it was the voice of a makakiri. After sitting motionless for so long, Ktalar sprung to her full height and drew her spear. Her target was wounded. Ktalar no longer had need for stealth.

~~~

Just as she was beginning to believe she could escape, Etachil’s thigh erupted with a deep, cold pain. Her balance was thrown off, and she nearly tumbled through the branches below her. The sensation was unmistakable. She had felt it in her youth, while hunting with Sakires.

Back then, her foot had been caught on a dead branch, and she had tumbled into a shrub. The despicable creature had sprung out at her before she knew what was happening, its fangs digging into her scales and injecting its cruel venom into her veins. The blade viper, the same creature whose poison the Arytissi applied to their arrows to make their sting even more lethal. If the initial impact didn’t kill the target, then the venom would, or at least slow it down long enough for the hunters to land the decisive blow.

Etachil cursed and peered through the branches below her to see a young Arytissi warrior standing with her grisly weapon in hand, pointing its tip toward her. She didn’t recognize her at first; for her face was concealed by a bone helm. Knowing very well that these could be her final moments, Etachil desperately tried to climb upward through the branches of the forest, but the venom was already rapidly spreading through her body. She thought about the item she found in the archives. She prayed that it would free her from this agony, so that she might escape death, even for a few more days. It was in vain, of course. Etachil had already fulfilled her purpose, and the vile one had goals far more complex than the scaled folk could begin to fathom.

Ktalar was already in hot pursuit. She was as skilled at climbing as Etachil, if not superior. The layers of branches did nothing to slow her down. A vehement battle cry burst from her throat, stirred by her desire to draw blood today. As Ktalar drew closer, Etachil could now see the eyes of her killer. She wore the same expression she had earlier that day at the ceremony: ravenous bloodlust, and determination to feed her pride. Etachil was to be killed by Sakires’ favorite pet.

Etachil knew her life was over, but in her final effort, she drew a shortsword from its sheath and plunged it into Ktalar’s chest with all of her weight. The bronze spines on Ktalar’s armour impaled Etachil’s wrist, but she could no longer feel any pain. The vile one had already made her into an empty husk, unable to feel anything but anger and fear.

~~~

As the thief dropped from the branches and drove her blade into her flesh, Ktalar realized she had let her attention slip in her impatience. Etachil carried her weight onto her body, nearly snapping the branches beneath her. Ktalar struggled to push her off, grabbed her prey by the tail, and threw her onto the forest floor below. Etachil tumbled through layers upon layers of branches, and felt several of her ribs snap as she hit the forest floor with a deep thud. Her scales were soaked in blood now, and she felt her breath weakening as her body began to fail her. She couldn’t find the motivation to try to get up, much less put up a fight.

Blocking her wound with her forearm, Ktalar climbed down from the forest’s branches. She reached the bottom and spun her spear at the traitor’s throat. It was one of Sakires’ former students, one that had fallen out of his favor many years ago.

“Etachil, “ she spat. “By your actions you bring shame to your allies, your god, and your mentor. What have you to say in your defense?”

Etachil did what she could to draw breath into her lungs and replied, “Nothing”.

Silence filled the air between the two warriors.

Ktalar began again, “Do you have anything to say to your fellow warriors?”

Again, she replied, “No, nothing at all”.

“What about to Sakires? To the hepaoku? To Sarneiros?”

Etachil shook her head. As she lay in a puddle of her own blood on the muddy rainforest soil, she felt the poison destroying her insides, her spirit fading from her body.

“I have nothing to say to them. But to you young Ktalar, I have one request. After my death, cut out my heart so that I may live on in the next generation of warriors.”

Ktalar cocked her head and responded, “You believe you have the right to pass your spirit along after what you have done?”

Etachil’s gaze shifted to the clump of bloody linen lying under a shrub inches away from her face.

Her words slurred by exhaustion, she shook her head and muttered, “I have no right to ask this of you, but it is my dying wish that I become an Arytissi warrior once again.”

She wanted to warn Ktalar about the vile one, but couldn’t find the words before she passed.

~~~

A telltale howl rang through the hunting grounds of the Arytissi. The eyes of several warriors, hidden in the jungle’s foliage, turned to see Ktalar, wounded, but triumphant.

“I have killed the traitor, “ she roared. “You may reveal yourselves.”

One by one, the warriors emerged from their hiding spots and approached Ktalar, congratulating her for her flawless victory. None of them, least of all Sakires, were surprised nor troubled to hear that Etachil had been the traitor in question, nor that Ktalar had been skilled enough to find her and strike her down with a single poisoned arrow.

That evening, Ktalar and the rest of the hunting party set up camp in the wilderness, feasting on the flesh of the Gharm they had killed, raw and bloody of course. Although Ktalar made sure to act with pride, she could not help but be restless from her encounter with Etachil. Sakires had raised Ktalar under the notion that anyone who stole from Irthos Troth was vile and beyond forgiveness, and so the sincerity of Etachil’s words had caught her off guard. She tried as best as she could to push these thoughts aside, at least for today. Sakires passed her the largest leg of the fallen beast, crowning her as the honored participant of today’s hunt. She accepted it with gratitude.

But as she lay down to sleep that night, her head was filled with questions. Were Etachil’s words sincere? If so, what had she seen in Irthos Troth that had humbled her? And above all, what was Ktalar going to do with the makakiri heart concealed in her quiver?

#fantasy #high fantasy #writing #short story

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thegreatpikminzx789 · 4 years ago

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Yggdrasil’s Nexus: Prologue - Chapter 8 (Etrian Odyssey Nexus Fanfiction)

Wattpad|A03

Summary: Three of the five guilds of Koreys arrive at their designated guildhouse, getting a proper look around the place. That, and the highlander spends a bit of time with his family as they look around the place.

Previous Chapter|Next Chapter (Not available yet) Lynus (Mentioned) @theshatteredrose

There they were. Sitting on the porch of the guild house, waiting for a single sign of their guild members to arrive in the distance. Accompanied only by the sounds of the wind, and the chatter of people off in the distance, their voices carried by the wind.

Korey and Lola were recently ditched by Dezi to get his guild members, but they sat in front of the guild house, waiting for the elderly War Magus to return, or to see if the other guild members would arrive. Minutes have passed since the War Magus left, and there hasn't been a sign of Hilda, or any of the members of Korey's guild. The Highlander had to stretch his arms from leaning against the wall too long, sighing as he took a chair from underneath the nearby table and sat next to Lola.

"I know I'm usually patient, but maybe I should've sent you back to see how the others are doing... Waiting sucks." Korey complained, adjusting his hair so that it doesn't get in his eye.

The Yggdroid beside him lets out a discontent sigh, with the only thing preoccupying her was one of her shurikens, tracing her metallic fingers on the tabletop before letting go of the shuriken. "I'm sick of waiting... I wanna see the guild house already!" Lola grunts, sitting back on her chair as she leaned her head back to look up at the sky.

Korey has never seen Lola this impatient since that incident back in Armoroad... It was a tough situation for her to go through, and even then, just seeing her bored out of her mind really makes one wish they'd regret their decision of being a robot. Not that he'd find comfort in not being able to sleep or eat, but it was weird to think back to how Yggdroids worked, even before he entered the labyrinth in Armoroad.

The Highlander lets out a sigh, knowing that whatever he might say may irk Lola a bit. "I know, Lola, I know," Korey began, pondering mid-sentence on what he wanted to say next. "I really wanna see my parents again..."

Lola turned her head to face Korey, her attention all on him. "Your...parents?" Lola inquired, finding interest in the sudden subject of Korey's parents. To her, it was something to pass the time with, but in doing so, she gets to know a bit more about her guild leader. A win-win situation for both participants, really.

"They live in Iorys, the place we're heading to next." Korey explained as simple as he can put it into words. He took a couple of seconds afterward pondering to himself, before looking away from Lola, though he couldn't, for the life of him, recollect if they were doing well before his disappearance. Although last he knew, they were alive and well since having married Hilda and having kids, so it wasn't far off to assume they're still waiting for his return...

Sure, it probably worried them, but whatever happened afterward probably wasn't too heartbreaking for them... Then again, Korey kept doubting himself, so he wasn't sure what happened that night in Iorys. With a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down, he, too, tried to distract himself with scrolling through his journal entries from his recent journey in Tharsis.

"If...I must be honest," Lola commented after a short while, prompting the Highlander to stop and look back at Lola. "I...don't know much about Iorys, or the surrounding lands. Would you explain what it looks like?" She asked, her voice sounding as innocent as a child.

It was strange to hear such a request from Lola, especially when he just recovered from his amnesia. Was it even worth a shot trying to remember the land he grew up in...? The Highlander seemed to hesitate for what felt like forever, with the Yggdroid waiting oh-so-patiently for an answer.

"Well," Korey sighed, closing his journal and putting an arm on it to make sure the wind doesn't blow the book open. "I know that in Arcania, we had two moons. Not sure why or how we can see two moons from that particular part of the Earth, but we did never get an answer to that in the end..." He began, recollecting the strange twin moons the inhabitants of Arcania saw every night.

The Highlander took a quick glance at Lola, seeing her surprised that two moons existed, before seeing her shake off her surprised face. "That's sooooo strange! Did the ocean tides changed due to its influence? Was the gravity any different?!" Lola questioned, throwing Korey back in surprise.

"Whoa, calm down Lola," He exclaimed, telling her to quiet down, eventually responding to her questions after she stopped. "There were mythical rumors about the water reacting differently, but whoever made that rumor back then was likely only doing it for the hell of it."

Lola seemed a bit disappointed hearing what Korey had said. "There was a gravity changing device somewhere in Iorys' labyrinth, but that didn't really involve the moons... Apart from that, nobody really knows why we were only able to see two moons." Korey stopped himself, as if to self-reflect on what he had just spoken aloud.

For all he knew, it probably could've been another planet and the inhabitants of Arcania just labeled it as a moon; no one really knows for sure. Perhaps, if they had found one, a record from the people one thousand years ago; those from the Yggdrasil Project, to discern whether or not the second moon was a planet or not. They were far from Etria, however, and the Midgard Library probably didn't hold such a meaningless record as no such details exist, but perhaps an answer will never be found.

Even so, he was starting to remember key parts about his own homeland... Seemed like part of the pieces of his memories were starting to return to him, little by little. It wasn't much, but that was just enough for Korey; no need for an overwhelming swarm of memories--they'll come back to him when he gets his bearings in the environment he once grew up in.

"I see," Lola groaned, leaning back on her chair. "I had heard countless rumors from people on board the Maginia that Ms. Keiko, Revlis, and Ion were all alien-looking to them." She confessed, taking the shuriken off the table and putting it back in her bag of shurikens.

...He didn't know what to say. Were people really assuming that of his land's species that thrived in Arcania...? Korey almost felt assaulted with how the other humans treated them. Much like Visil was to the Forest Folk, and the Vessels to the humans, understanding sure makes things incredibly difficult for peace to strive anywhere in the world.

If anything...that potentially included his wife, who was a vastly different species than him or any of the inhabitants of Arcania. And they lived somewhere above Iorys' Yggdrasil before that Star Devourer came in and killed every last one of her kind, sans the one Arken that left their Yggdrasil after defeating the bloody monster. Korey couldn't stand for such backtalk behind his, or his wife's back. It was...bringing back terrible memories from when Hilda revealed herself to the general public on accident one day...

"M-Mr. Korey...? Are you...okay?" Lola spoke up, seeing Korey's fist clenched and hearing him growl under his breath. But not before that same expression shifted to one of a conflicted man who has no idea what to do; the same face the Yggdroid has seen at least several times before.

The Highlander heard faint voices that echoed of the confusion and anger about Hilda's Arken appearance. Though they bothered him then, it was something only he himself was quite aware of so well. A long, distant memory that felt so...wrong to bear witness to. Yet, he clung to that memory ever since...

His clenched hand loosened as he noticed the Yggdroid looking at him like a young girl wondering if her dad was alright. He placed a hand on her shoulder, reassuringly.

"I'm fine--just a distant memory, that's all," Korey began. "I can't really blame the other explorers for thinking that the Therian, Celestrian, and Brouni for being different; after all, Hilda came from an alien race who had a faction living near the planet we live on, and everyone in Iorys grew to enjoy her true form in time." He continued, taking a few short breaths afterward as if trying not to linger on the past.

After all, whose to say that the Forest Folk and the Vessels and Sentinels would be alien-like to the people in Iorys? Most of the races he has met has never met face-to-face, so imagining many of these races is quite an opportunity; yet somewhere deep in his heart, he had hoped that the near extinction of the Arken hadn't weighed so hard on him and his wife. Perhaps they could've learned more about being on Earth, growing to accept living life here instead of the stars above...

Alas, that would be a memory no one would be able to build, nor comprehend. That is all on Hilda, now...if she hadn't met Korey and the others...whose to say what would've happened then if she found out the news...

"Sir Korey!"

A familiar voice made the Highlander snap back to reality, seeing a purple-haired Sovereign approach him, along with a man who seemed like he was ready to lie down on the couch whenever possible, and a girl with pink hair and red glasses--her face almost deadpan in its entirety sans for a smile on her face after seeing the brown haired highlander.

"Nice to see you again." Chloe hummed as the highlander stood up and gave the little War Magus a fist bump, looking over at Arianna and Bertrand, the former of the two giving him a smile and a wave.

"Feels like forever since we last met," Bertrand sighed, putting his hand on his hip as he took a glance at the highlander. "Hell, you even gotten your memory back, right behind our backs. Aren't you a sneaky one?"

Korey chuckled nervously. "H-Hey, it's not my fault that I managed to lose my memories in the first place." He started, almost sounding like it was entirely his fault in the matter...if he could ever recall what had happened in the first place that got him into this position.

"Oh relax, will ya? We're just glad you finally managed to remember who you were in the first place." Another voice rang from behind Bertrand as the Protector moved aside as a familiar red haired Protector, a blonde Alchemist, the Fafnir Knight himself, a black haired Survivalist, and Simon and Frederica, the later two were walking slightly ahead of the trio. Seems like Arianna, Chloe and Bertrand just had a headstart when it came to meeting up with him.

The highlander's excitement could barely be contained, slowly but surely being reunited with his guildmates. It was like Christmas all over again, only with more family reunions--something Ayako definitely would blurt out if he was here right now. The group met up with the others not too long after Raquna shook Korey's hand with a gleaming smile on her face.

"Glad to see you again!" Raquna chirped, hardly noticing the Alchemist standing next to her. "Yeah, man--it's been boring without you around..." Arthur concurred, feeling a pat on his shoulder from Simon.

Korey couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing Arthur's enthusiasm on having him again. "I'm so glad to see you all again; it has been quite a while since we last spoke in person." The brown haired highlander hummed, seeing Fafnir and Flavio's reassuring smiles.

"We figured we'd come here first, since everyone else is taking a while to pack all their belongings. And we'd probably be there all day if we just waited for everyone..." Flavio spoke up, explaining why he and Simon's group wend ahead first from everyone else.

"I can't blame them, honestly; some of them had been there longer than we have." Lola concurred. "By my calculations, those of the Therian, Brouni, Celestrian--and by extension, other humans Korey proclaims as Earthlains, have only been here for at least two and a half months." She added, mostly educating a guess as to when Korey's first guild had been on here.

The highlander could only imagine what it must've been hard to leave Iorys like that, with the possibility of him returning home and his guild is off elsewhere searching for him... Though thankfully, the situation never came to pass all thanks to a coincedential run-in with his own son. Who knows what fate would've had in store if things went differently...

"Some of us weren't there as long as your original guild was; but we're glad you're still kicking strong; else we'd be searching for nothing." Fafnir added. Frederica glanced towards the guildhouse, taking a few steps towards it.

"Is this to be the guild house we're staying in?" She inquired, changing the subject to the large building itself.

A nod from Korey seemed to get the message across to the millenium girl. "Unfortunately, our original tour guide decided to dump the responsibility of the tour on me, so without any knowledge on what the inside looks like, I'm not sure what condition this guildhouse is in right now." Korey added, feeling like Dezi still should've at least waited until he did the tour once instead of just following Korey's suggestion that he just so happened to say at the time.

And waiting for everyone was starting to be a bore, even if it only had felt like mere minutes.

"Then I suppose the next choice is simple; we check it out so that the others will have the time to do so themselves." Simon suggested, approaching the door and opening it, before the others walked in behind him. Korey grabbed his journal on the table and placed it back into his backpack, taking it with him as he followed everyone else.

The announcement the highlander wished to make wouldn't take long, and if perchance he got to remembering it around dinnertime, that would be a most opportune moment to speak of it. After all, he'll need to prepare his speech for it--he was never good at improvising on the spot.

Walking into the guildhouse, the interior seemed quite fancy, almost akin to the building the Outland Count resided in. Soft rugs greeted his feet as he grazed it with his hand, a chandelier hanging high above the entrance where the group stood, and a couple of flowers to liven up the decor. The highlander could tell they were real plants upon closer inspection, seeing the soil beneath the bushy green leaves, along with a water bucket for those who wish to water the plants.

"Well, I'll give them this; whoever owned this last certainly made it well kept." Bertrand commented, glancing at the occasional shiny object in the entrance. "Don't quite get the fancy decor, though."

Simon walked near the plants, before observing the shiny objects Bertrand was looking at earlier. "It would seem like whoever owned this must have been a noble of sorts." The medic educated his best guess.

"I don't think Seyfried or Gutrune would have already decorated the place before us." Lola spoke aloud, trying to look around the corners of the side hallways for any sign of the people she mentioned. Korey followed her glance in the hallways, but didn't find anything else that'd support her theory. Besides, they surely would've been here before them, long past when Korey and Lola would've noticed them already.

"Well, I'm gonna check upstairs!" Arthur suddenly announced, as Simon tried to stop him. The Alchemist dashed past Korey, who wasn't expecting him to dash up towards the staircase, a groan from the gray haired medic soon following after the boy left everyone's vision. What was he going to do with him...?

"I'll keep an eye on him if you want me to." Bertrand offered, but the Medic seemed to dismiss his generous offer. "I appreciate the offer, but I prefer to keep an eye on him myself." Simon responded, before glancing over at the others.

"If I spot the rooms where we can place our belongings in, I'll let everyone know. I'm sure they're almost always are on the second floor of these guildhouses." He added, soon following Arthur upstairs in an effort to keep an eye on him. It's almost like nothing's changed between those two.

"I guess if no one's gonna mind, I suppose we might as well check out the remaining floors." Raquna hummed, as she, Frederica, and Lola went up to the top floor of the guildhouse. After little encouraging from Chloe to check for a kitchen, Bertrand and Chloe soon searched the first floor for the room in question, leaving the Fafnir Knight and Flavio with Korey on the first floor.

With the upper floors currently being looked over, the three of them look around the first floor some more, exploring one of the hallways Lola peeked at. "So, how have you fared in your travels?" Fafnir inquired, wishing to stir conversation as they looked through the guildhouse.

"Honestly, it's a mixed bag. Some good, some bad," Korey began, trying to ignore his hair trying to cover his eyes. "Considering I've reunited with my family, and that my memory is slowly returning to me, I'd say the explorations up to this point was well worth it." Fafnir patted Korey's back upon him finishing that sentence, like he's proud to make an impact on the memories he made with them.

"Well, that's great news, bud! You managed to reach your goal, despite everything else happening taking a higher priority along the way." Flavio hummed, seeing the highlander starting to gaze partially at the ground, slightly embarassed at the compliment.

The conversation seemed to halt there for a time, as they reached a garden-like area, with a fountain in the middle. It seemed moreso for outside conversations and another eating area, seeing a few tables placed outside near the kitchen area. Stepping outside, Korey took a look around, taking a deep breath as he took out the lapis necklace Lynus gave him minutes earlier.

Lynus had told him not to worry too much, but even with that in mind, there's no stopping the highlander's mind from drifting towards wanting to find those memories. But he knew that being slow and patient has helped him so far with reuniting with his family; what's to stop those lost bits of memory to come back to him like that?

Flavio and Fafnir couldn't help but notice the highlander taking a moment to reflect on something. The survivalist made the move to get his attention, walking over to him and patting him on the shoulder. "Look, I don't know what else is going through your mind right now, but for what I know, you're reunited with your family and your friends; people that you've longed to be with for a very long time. Just don't bother with the past memories for now, and focus on spending time with your family and friends--and who knows, maybe those memories will come back quicker without a second thought." Flavio spoke, reassuring the highlander and smiling the biggiest grin on his face.

"Alright, Flavio; you made your point clear." Korey replied, placing the necklace back out of sight, but still around his neck. "I made it to my ultimate goal in the end; I suppose I do owe myself some time to spend with my family and friends after all that I've been through." He continued, hearing Flavio hum upon seeing the highlander renewed with determination.

"Thanks for cheering me up, Flavio. This recovery from my amnesia is so going to be worth it, but for now, I'll take whatever I can get at this point." The highlander finished, starting to make his way inside.

"Going back outside to wait for the others?" Fafnir inquired, the highlander nodding in response. "I don't like having to wait, but somebody's gotta do it. Feel free to continue looking around; I'll explore more of it myself later." Korey replied.

Seeing Fafnir nod and motion for him to go on, the highlander walked back to the front of the guildhouse, leaving the Fafnir Knight and the survivalist in the garden. Korey doubted the people of Iorys are going to recall the person who took him away from Iorys, but that wasn't a concern to him for now. If fate decites that such an encounter to happen, then he'll gladly accept the encounter without hesitation.

Maybe at some point he could ask some of his guild members to ask around while they're in Iorys. He's going to be focused on reuniting with his parents soon after they land, so having some people look around for him definitely is going to help, even if they may not find anything. After all; he was never alone throughout his journey--his friends are there for him, and he's there for them, no matter what happens. And that's just what they do; they help each other out.

...............................................................................................

Sitting back at the table on the porch, a few people have been going pass the guildhouse, not paying any heed to the highlander and moreso focusing on their own task at hand. There wasn't that many explorers out and about, since they wanted to be safe from the comfort of their home. Clouds passing by above the Maginia, one has to wonder how far the wait between each famous city was... It felt like an eternity, yet the thought of arriving home after being gone for so long was ever approaching like a finish line.

The highlander sighs as he places a hand on his cheek, tapping on the tabletop to pass some time, occasionally looking up and around to see if his guild members were here. "My parents must have been worried sick about me the moment they heard about my disappearance..." He sighed, thinking aloud to himself on how his parents must've feel to have their son vanish mysteriously.

"Surely they must not have had a moment's rest to find some answers about how I vanished... Or maybe they had confidence that Hilda and the others would find me--even my sister, too." If they did put their faith in the latter, it certainly worked out for them. Though surely once they depart for Lemuria, he's sure they'd be worried about his safety again; despite being proud of him for being an explorer in their footsteps...

Perhaps he could invite them onboard? There's bound to be a spare room, and it'd give them a sense of how far he had come just to try and reunite with his loved ones and his friends again. Although he probably wasn't thinking of the consequences, it certainly would beat having his parents worry for days on end with communications being way too far to even potentially reach them. Oh yeah, the idea definitely would stick around for some time. He would just have to find the right time to speak up about it-

"Hey man, you should stop looking at the clouds, you look like you're on cloud nine!"

Ayako's voice broke his concentration, seeing the black and yellow haired Pugilist grin at the highlander, with the rest of the Lux Guild coming behind him. "Ayako not good at making jokes." Ion argued, hardly finding the line the pugilist said moments ago to; in any amount of words, provoke laughter in the Celestrian's eyes.

The pugilist flinched upon hearing that remark. "Heeeey, I was trying, Ion, gimme a break..." He groaned, acting all innoncent like he was trying to prove a point.

Korey couldn't help but laugh a little, glancing over to see the rest of the Lux Guild approach the guildhouse. Karim and Shreya were walking beside Hilda, who was sure to keep a hold of their hands as Revlis, the white haired Necromancer floating behind her, carried the Arken's belongings. From the looks of it, almost every guild member of the Lux Guild seemed to have some luggage to ensure their belongings and clothes weren't a total pain to carry from the inn to the guildhouse. Which was good; because hardly anyone enjoys continuous back and forth trips from one place to another.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting." Kyo sighed, stretching her arms after putting down her luggage beside her. "Having to get everyone from the Lux Guild sorted took a bit longer than anticipated..." Hilda chimed in.

Korey kept a relaxed smile on his face, reassuring the Celestrian and Arken before him that it was all fine. "So, what's the progress on the others, if I may ask?" He inquired, waiting for anyone to answer his question.

Nio walked up front after nobody else seemed to want to speak up. "Well, that Deep City king and black haired Shogun went off to gather your Armoroad guild in its entirety. Meanwhile, that forest-lady-Hibiki, Riaels, and Akakio went off to see if they could get some supplies for the guildhouses' armory room before they meet up with members of the Orphelia guild." He reported, concluding without any further remarks.

"All right," Korey hummed. "I appreciate the heads up, Nio." The oni silently recieved the highlander's praise, hardly making a big fuss about it.

"Ooooh, fancy looking airship!" Charon's voice rang, getting the guild's attention as the male harbinger glanced at the airship before him. "From this point on, it shall be called the Light That Burns the-"

"No, we're not going with that name Charon." The highlander quickly intervened, stopping the harbinger as he groaned and turned to face his guildleader. "Oh come on! Are you telling me it already has a name?!" Charon questioned, soon seeing the highlander nod in response, before Charon himself groaned in defeat.

Atsuko couldn't help but laugh. "You have no idea how long he has been wanting to name that airship," He began. "Even your Tharsis guild kept telling him that it already has a name, yet he stops them before they can even tell him what it is."

"It's like he's not even trying like he did when he was a mercenary." Takara followed up, as the black haired Dragoon sighed in disappointment. "Hey, I tried to the best of my ability!" Chargon argued, almost ready to clash against the Dragoon in retaliation, though Nio quickly stopped the harbinger before it came to the worst outcome.

The floating Therian Necromancer, Shizuka, glanced at the building, seeing the many windows that adorned the upper floors. "I presume this is the place in which we'll be staying in?" She inquired.

"Yep, it is indeed," Korey answered. "Coincidentally, its across from a guild I'm familiar with, so I could introduce some of you guys to them later." The highlander added, pointing over to the guildhouse that Lynus' guild resided in.

"That might take an eternity, lad." Photina, the dark skinned Pugilist sighed aloud. "N-No worries, it's not like it's right now, Photina," Korey replied, stuttering a bit over his words. "There's always off days to meet them, and perhaps in the labyrinth of Lemuria."

Because it's not like occasionally passing by another guild didn't exist... As far as Korey knew, he ran into guilds in the labyrinths while almost rarely seeing them outside of town due to their schedules. So whether or not they'd do so by themselves or not is totally up to them--he wasn't gonna stop them.

"Right, well I suppose we might as well find ourselves some rooms to put our belongings in." A blue haired Masurao named Keith declared, boldly stepping past the highlander and entered the guildhouse, rushing immediately towards the stairs. Soon enough, everyone else started flooding in, while a green haired Dragoon waited until everyone else was inside.

"Sheez, no need to rush, people," Hiroki chuckled, grabbing his bag and looked at the highlander. "Korey... It's nice to have you back in our lives." The Dragoon hummed, seeing Korey smile before heading inside where the other members of the Iorys' famed Lux Guild went to.

While all that happened, Hilda happened to take a glance back behind her, spotting a boy with long white hair with a single strand of purple hair. Though she wasn't able to hear the boy gasp in surprise upon being seen, she did see him quickly hide in the crowd of people. Was he...spying on the guild? Or did he simply want to look from afar?

"What are you looking at, honey?" Korey's voice broke the near trance-like state the Arken found herself in trying to wonder who the boy she witnessed was, as she turned to her husband swiftly in response. "O-Oh, my apologies, dear." She replied, grabbing her bag and urged the kids to follow them inside.

As Korey closed the door, he caught a glance at Simon who took several steps away from the stairs. "Ah, Korey, there you are." The medic hummed, approaching the highlander and his family.

"As I suspected, the upper floors seem to have a ton of rooms, seeming to house at least fifteen rooms for a total of sixty." Simon continued, giving them a result of what he had found during the time that passed. "So unless there's any other couples or people who wish to accompany those they feel close to, we'd be near the full capacity for sixty explorers." He concluded, closing the blinds beside him before stray sunlight reflected off of anything from the wandering people outside and through the window and blindsighting him through the glasses.

Korey placed his hand on his waist as he hummed in relief, knowing there's enough room in the guildhouse. "Thanks, Simon. I'll assume you'll relay this news to everyone else once they arrive?" The highlander inquired.

"For everyone's sake, yes." Simon sighed, groaning as he placed his hand on his head, keeping it there for a bit before continuing on. "I had to stop your first guild from having to freely choose rooms at first since there'd be a whole ton of arguments going on that can be heard all the way down here if it got too loud. So why don't you take a break and get settled in?"

From the way Simon suggested that, he seemed like he needed a place to stay away from loud noises for a while. And really, Korey couldn't blame him for needing it. "I appreciate the offer, but if everyone was here, that'd be a different story." Korey responded, seeing Simon raise an eyebrow for several seconds before he sighed.

"Very well, if that's how it's going to be," Simon inhaled, taking a deep breath before exhaling. "I suppose you'll need someone to stand outside with. So just head back out when you're finished unpacking." He finished, moving pass the highlander and his family and leaving the building to the front porch.

With that, the Arken woman looked around part of the first floor, her husband and children right behind her. Seeing as she didn't seem to be in a rush to claim a room for him and their children, Korey didn't want to come off as rude to imply that they should pick a room. Hell, any amount of time he can make up with for being gone for so long, the better. There's always another day if they simply wished to be with friends for a day or two.

And that's just good enough for him, as understanding as Hilda can be. They wandered a bit through the halls and she briefly stopped to admire the garden behind the guildhouse for a time. Even though he had just been here before, Korey couldn't help but see himself spending some time with Hilda out in the garden, looking at the fountain before them, or even just looking at the sky from the safety of the Maginia.

Seeing Karim and Shreya run about the place like they're young certainly was starting to bring memories back to the highlander. "Not gonna lie, I could get used to this." Hilda hummed, seeing Shreya and Karim chase each other. Korey stepped towards the Arken woman, stopping beside her as they watched their children try and play tag around the fountain.

"Honestly...it feels like another home, now that I'm back here with you." Korey chirped, hearing his wife giggle with joy. "Couldn't have said it any better myself, dear." She hummed, grasping her left hand with her husband's right hand, intertwining her fingers with his as they glanced at each other with warm smiles on their faces.

It took only several seconds before the married couple took a few seconds out of their day to give each other a kiss on the lips. Each second that had passed in that kiss was like rekindling a long since unlit flame within the highlander's heart, even when it had been so long since he had this in his life. They separated from their kiss and simply held each other's hand, staring ever so into the other's eyes.

"If I can be grateful for one thing," Hilda began, breaking the silence that was going on between her and Korey. "Is that I'm glad you met with such kind people who helped you on your way back to us. Without them, I'm sure our lives would've been..." She stopped for a moment, almost as if she didn't want to finish that sentence so it could linger in her head.

Korey wrapped his arms around Hilda as she glanced up to meet his azure eyes. "Painful, wouldn't it?" He suggested, seeing more of the hesitation on Hilda's face as she nodded slowly, before leaning her head on his chest.

"I'm...glad the worst case scenario didn't occur." Hilda sighed, staying close to Korey for a while, hearing his heartbeat and just focused on that sound alone. With her husband by her side once more, she didn't need to feel stressed about worrying about his well being. Korey knew that he had to check in with his other guildmates soon, but he didn't care if he lost track of time just being by his family.

........................................

"...May I say something, Hilda?" Korey spoke up, as Hilda urged Shreya and Karim to head inside. "What's on your mind, dear? Certainly not trying to figure out your disappearance, still..." The least Hilda hoped was that he wasn't thinking too much about the cause of his disappearance--they just had a discussion about that a while ago.

"No, it's not that," He quickly reassured, as he began making his way towards the stairs with his wife and children following behind. "I'm just...glad I got to meet all these people. Despite the circumstances we've met each other in, and despite all the hardships and trials we got to do, and treasures to find..."

He paused for a moment as he waited for his family to catch up to him on the first floor. "I feel like I've become a hero to other people. And I'm...not sure how I'd feel if I were to undertake that class--or rather, responsibility of a hero." Korey finished his train of thought, seeing Hilda think to herself for a few seconds.

"Well, what can I say? Your a hero to those you meet, dear." She beamed, almost as if it was natural for her to do--despite not being able to do so in front of her husband for the last two years. "Heck, I'm sure if you asked Miriam, I'm sure she can teach you how her skills work." She added, as Korey kept that knowledge in the back of his mind.

After finishing that discussion, Korey and Hilda picked a room near the stairs, with Karim an Shreya being in the room next to them. They aren't explorers, but it's better to have them nearby since going up and down the stairs to get them probably would be rather tiring. Placing her bag on the table in the most right hand side of the room, Hilda began to unpack her belongings as Korey did the same.

As they did, Korey took a couple of glances around the room, seeing that the bed was at least a king size bed. It wasn't a usual size for a guild member's bed, though there's a possibility that whoever had this guild house before probably chose it for reasons he could only assume were likely because they had a significant other. So they just so happened to pick the master bedroom out of the sixty rooms to choose from.

Not like he was gonna complain if it wasn't the master bedroom. He was likely missing the feeling of resting in his own master bedroom in Iorys. They put their clothes in separate chest drawers, and placed their weapons somewhere safe within the small closet beside the desk. The closet feels like it would hold two people within it, but it has plenty of space within it for anything else should they find in Lemuria.

"All right, that should do it for now." Korey hummed once they finished settling in. "I'll head back out and get the remaining guildmembers in the guild house, then I suppose we'll wait until we reach Iorys." He explained to Hilda what was likely to be the rest of the plan for today.

"I'll go help the kids unpack in the meanwhile." She added, knowing they'll need help with how much stuff they packed. "Ok Hilda. I'll be back soon." Korey replied, as he and Hilda quickly exchanged a kiss on the lips before they both left the room and headed to their destinations, with the highlander heading downstairs and the Arken woman to the door on her left, where Karim and Shreya are in.

#Etrian Odyssey #etrianodyssey #etrian odysse nexus #EON #EO Nexus #writing

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