Guild Versaile

[Kinokokao]

Guild: Versaile


Name: Hazel
Gender: Female
Class: Medic
Age: 26


Name: Fyodor
Gender: Male
Class: Gunner
Age: 25


Name: Zel
Gender: Male
Class: Landsknecht
Age: 22


Name: Albion
Gender: Male
Class: Protector
Age: 19



Name: Reika
Gender: Female
Class: Ronin
Age: 17

After the First Task
___________________________________

Soothing warmth seeped from the glossy clay of the mug as she took it. Hazel looked up and smiled, nodding her head in polite thanks. She stared down at the wavering reflection on the smooth surface of the tea. Tawny locks clumped awkwardly on one side of her face, still sticky from dried blood, but otherwise she looked unchanged. How strange to think she'd come close to dying that day.

The plump innkeeper continued unloading her tray, presenting each of her comrades in turn with mugs and larger steins. Zel eagerly gulped, a thin stream of foamy ale leaking out and down onto the table from his greedy mouth.

"Ahh!" He slammed the empty mud down. "Nothin' like wetting your chops after adventurin'!"

He jammed his elbow into the men on either side of him, nearly knocking Fyodor's gun to the floor. The Gunner gripped the weapon and scooted further along the bench. On his other side, Albion clutched his cup like a life line until his knuckles whitened. The young Protector seemed half as wide without his bulk of steel.

"Must you?" Reika sneered. She sat stiffly further down the table, her blade across her lap as she sharpened it.

"You'd be a bit less scared, missy, if you learned to unwind," Zel shot back.

Hazel closed her eyes and fought for calm. The two had been bickering ever since they met. If both weren't such good fighters, Hazel would have requested a transfer.

Reika's cheeks burned pink. "If you showed more discipline Fyodor and Albion wouldn't have to carry Hazel out the Labyrinth every time we go in!"

"Your left flank's been wide open all day. Albion's thick skull's been taking blows for you so much I'm surprised the boy isn't face-down gurgling on table."

"If you could aim once in a while--"

"Give it a rest." Fyodor set his gleaming weapon on the table.

They ignored him however, voices escalating wildly as Zel called for another round. Reika started in with a detailed critique of the Landsknecht's battle stance, the fabric of her sleeves cutting through the air as she demonstrated. Trapped between them, Albion emptied his mug with a miserable look on his face. He glanced up and, seeing Hazel's gaze, quickly looked away.

The Protector abruptly stood. The motion distracted Zel away from a bawdy drinking song he'd been trying to drown out Reika's lecture with. "Rest up, kid." He gave the boy a hearty pat across the shoulders.

Albion turned and trudged up the stairs with a mumbled "night" to the room at large.

Hazel moved her mug out of the way as Fyodor spread out their map on the table. Their accomplishments of the day seemed so insignificant when she considered the magnitude of the Labyrinth. Her small, square handwriting battled with the Gunner's sloping scrawl for room in the margins. He must have filled in the map after she collapsed.

"Don't look so discouraged," Fyodor told her. "It's only the first day."

[Kinokokao]

Into the Labyrinth
_______________________________

Fyodor awkwardly spread the map over his thigh as he inked in the borders of the open clearing they'd suddenly found themselves in. Over his shoulder, the quiet Medic supervised. He glanced sideways at her. The sunlight coming in from the forest canopy dappled shadows over the curve of her lips and the fine, straight line of her nose. Tawny gold hair curled and waved gently over her shoulder and lightly brushed his as she leaned in even closer. Fyodor caught the faintest whiff of a sweet, herbal smell.

"This line, here, should be longer."

He startled, jabbing his pen right through the map. "Of course," he muttered, fixing the error.

Hazel straightened, grass-green eyes searching the clearing. One hand idly twirled a vial of yellow-tinted medicine. The motion suddenly stopped. "Where's Albion?"

"What?" Fyodor folded the map away. He shouted to Zel and Reika, who halted their practice. Absent of the clash and clang of their weapons, the clearing's abrupt and sudden silence had Fyodor nesting the stock of his rifle into position.

Hazel dropped back into position, her staff held loosely at her side. Zel and Reika led the cautious advanced deeper into the clearing. Fyodor reached into his side pouch and loaded a large bullet that hummed softly in his hands -- just in case. A low growling snarl had them quickening their pace. Reika rounded a clump of twisted, knotted hedges and lept back with a hiss like a scalded cat.

"It's huge!" she gripped her weapon tighter. Fyodor could see courage battling fear over the young foreign warrior's face.

Fyodor leaned out from their makeshift cover to see a massive, blue-skinned bipedal reptilian beast as the source of the noise. His gut clenched painfully as he spotted Albion backed against a boulder. The Protector's helm was bashed in on one side and his shield slumped uselessly, strapped, as Fyodor could see, to a possibly broken arm. His sword waved back and forth to keep the monster at bay.

Later, he wouldn't be able to explain to his comrades why he ruined their ambush. At the time, all he could focus on was the battered Protector bravely still fighting and the reassuring feel of his rifle nestled into his shoulder. His shot squeezed off like a canon, ripping through the still of the clearing. He could almost see the trail of the bullet through the air as it landed with an impressive display of flash and boom into the beast's scaly flank.

With a furious roar the beast lumbered around, its steps shaking the ground as it lowered into a charge. Fyodor calmly ejected the spent shell and loaded another, eyes still on his target even as it charged him. From the corner of his eye he saw Zel flank right and Reika break to the left. Hazel slipped around them all and started rushing toward Albion, who'd sunk to the ground in a rattle of steel.

Fyodor raised his rifle quickly and took aim. This time the bullet flashed up a fury of damage right between the beast's eyes. It shook its head with a continuous roar, stopping its charge and seemingly blinded by the attack. Zel darted in with a flash of blade, rending a wide, crimson swath across the white underbelly. Reika mirrored his actions, neatly severing part of the beast's tail.

He had a third bullet loaded and was just starting to take aim when the beast lumbered forward, razor-sharp claws flailing out randomly. Its teeth gnashed the air inches from his face. Fyodor stared unflinchingly up at the beast as his muzzle found the soft, fleshy part just under the beast's jaw as it leaned in, keen on nipping his head. He squeezed the trigger, heard a terrific boom followed by white-hot light, and knew nothing more.

* * *

The green of the forest canopy gave way to only two dots of leafy emerald haloed by gold. Below them a curve of pink formed shapes over and over hypnotically. Fyodor realized it was his name. He could only hear a dull ringing, though, like sleigh bells. Shapes and colors slid sideways momentarily.

"Fyodor! FYODOR!" A voice screeched above the bells. He forced the world to refocus and realized with disappointment that Reika was now above him, her forceful voice overpowering Hazel's quiet commands.

"I think he's awake," Reika announced.

"So when I tell my mates your voice could wake the dead, you'll be assuring them I'm not lying," Zel's voice came in from the side. His hands gripped the Gunner and helped him up.

"Albion?" Fyodor shot the question out as a few dots in his memory suddenly connecting.

"I'm fine," came the Protector's voice, somewhere over his shoulder. Fyodor swiveled his head around until the young blond came into focus. The boy fiddled with his smashed-up helm, as if his fingers alone could bend the metal back into shape.

Hazel closed up her satchel. "We should get going. Albion's helmet needs fixing before we can go any further." Fyodor picked up subtle notes of displeasure in her calm, gentle tone. If anyone else noticed they didn't show it. The kindly Medic always seemed so reluctant to stop exploring and Fyodor heavily suspected that if she thought for a moment they'd let her, she would simply take off without them.

With Zel's assistance Fyodor make it to his feet and, once there, realized his legs had an annoying jelly-like consistency. "The beast collapsed on ya," Zel explained. "We dragged you out eventually and handy Hazel set you right."

Fyodor found his feet and waved off Zel's concern. The Landsknecht quickened his stride to draw even with Reika and Hazel, joining the women in planning the next day's path. Fyodor quickly became winded and started to labor over even the smallest of roots or rocks in the way. Albion fell back to walk along side him, silently offering unaccepted assistance.

When Fyodor stumbled and nearly fell, Albion took the Gunner's arm over his shoulder for support. He started to object but the Protector cut him off with a pleading look. "It's my fault you were hurt," the boy said pointedly.

They limped along for a moment in silence. "How do you figure that?"

"I shouldn't have wandered off alone. I thought I saw... Well, it doesn't matter," Albion said hastily. "I failed my duty."

"You made a nice distraction. There's that at least." Fyodor gave the boy a grin and found it returned.

Some of the tension melted from Albion's face with the action. "Next time we'll send Reika in first. She can just scream it into submission."

"No," Fyodor said quickly. "That's unfair to the monsters."

Albion chuckled. So close as they were, hustling through the Labyrinth like a clumsy, four-legged beast, Fyodor could marvel at the surprisingly deep reverberation Albion's laugh caused. The gentle rolling seemed to seep from his chest into the Gunner's until the two of them had to stop, gasping for breath as they laughed like schoolchildren.

"What's so funny?" Reika barked, her clipped tone only sending them into renewed gales of laughter.

"Oh, oh, ow," Albion wheezed, clutching his side. "I think I broke a rib."

"What's the hold up?" Hazel's brow plucked with concern but her kind face poorly concealed the impatience in her voice. Fyodor quickly reigned in his amusement. She looked between the two of them and then up to the barely visible sky.

"C'mon," Zel twirled his blade as he spoke. "If we hurry dinner may still be hot."

They made good progress the rest of the way, interrupted only by a singular Mole that tried to nip Reika's ankles before she nearly decapitated it. They reached the Inn in time for fresh, hot venison stew accompanied by cold mugs of ale. Only Hazel took tea instead and, finishing her meal quickly, went to make their report to the Duke's men.

When she returned and announced they'd faced and defeated a powerful monster, one that had been tormenting villagers and earned their small guild great reward and prestige, Zel roared for more ale and led them in rousing, enthusiastic toasts. Hazel sat by the fire and worked on their map. Fyodor wrestled between joining the toasts, which were rapidly expanding to include the fine feather beds and Reika's brilliant drinking flush, and helping Hazel.

She looks to have it under control, Fyodor assured himself as he and Albion clunked their mugs together. Zel and increasingly intoxicated Reika put their constant bickering aside and he taught her a loud and lewd ballad. Their voices tangled together until Reika lost herself in giggles and finally slid under the table to only mumbled the lyrics. Zel kept going nicely by himself, perhaps even unaware he'd lost his soprano-backing vocals.

For tonight, at least, they could feel like heroes.

[Seniwac]