Guild Sunforce

Night is writing this entry. This past days, we were assigned with a mission regarding the exploration of the Ginnungagap ruins once again. The motive of this mission was getting rid of monsters in the lower floors, however, things got out of control before we knew it, and we were struck right in our hearts with a blast of painful secrets revealed to us, while finding a new responsability and goal to our exploration, feeling the weight of a whole world over our shoulders.

This whole chain of fate started pretty normal. I woke up early and took Sakuya with me to the bar to teach her some things adults do. Satisfying my mischievous side by perplexing you with that phrase, I must clarify that I was going to show her what the guild leader must do in order to accept a new quest. Of course I wasn’t inviting a young girl to drink, heh.

Since the barman didn’t explain a lot regarding that quest specifically directed to us, we went to the Duke Palace to get details. There, Minister Dubois explained us that the only way to get deeper into the ruins, is to go at night.

We also had an audience with Lady Gradriel, regarding the Winged Ones. Allow me to explain: we’re already exploring the 4th Stratum, Petal Bridge, and Joseph was freaked out at the sight of people with wings on their back. However, as you can see, no entry has been written yet by his hands, so I must press him to write about that soon, since its important.

Sakuya left the palace before me, and I lost her. I was very worried, but I was able to find her quickly. I suspected she was crying, since her eyes were reddish and her voice tone was gloomy for a second.

We returned to the Flaus Inn, determined to invite all of my guildmates for lunch at the Ducal Restaurant, Skylight.

Ruby was still in pajamas, Brin was ready for exploration, but Joseph was still asleep, so the girls decided to pull a prank on him by lying around him, to make him think, once he wakes up, that he had an... interesting night. I was watching from the corridor, and his expression was priceless.

The lunchtime at Skylight was incredible. We asked Regina for a bigger ration than usual. Despiste the intense work, she wasn’t... upset, like usually. There was a lot of clientele, so we employed our time chatting with the clients and helping to serve the meals. My companions were having fun. I dislike being social, so I just sat there, waiting, but some rookies approached me and asked me a few questions.

When twilight arrived, we were set to explore. I bought some more Amritas and Nectars just in case, since we were running low, and we departed.

Once we reached the room where Arachne ruled, we approached the door with the mark. We were able to open it, and then, the wheel of destiny was put in unstoppable motion.

There was an artifact at the middle of the room, with a strange, z-shaped blue mark. I was hearing the female voice that was haunting me since I ever set foot in this ruin. Sakuya showed signs of hearing it, although, I suspect she, just like me, heard it before, but was hiding it. I approached the altar, lured like prey, but Sakuya was more wary and tried to impede me. My guild entered in conflict, but we were able to settle it quickly. Before we knew it, we felt ourselves lifted from the floor, and before we knew it, we were in another place, as if a Geomagnetic Pole was used.

The sweet, female, yet fiendish voice reached to us, and my friends could hear it too. It spoke long, but we could understand little. She referred to us as the “Children of man, traveler of space and walker of time, son of the end and daughter of the for coming” It told us that we weren’t supossed to be here, but that it was only a thing of fate. We were trapped, until we could prove our worth. Brin entered in panic, but Ruby was able to calm her shortly. We had to prove our might by enduring a test, or die trying. 

Joseph misunderstood the voice, as he smashed the door. It was... open all along, however. We proceeded deeper into the ruins.

The monsters there weren’t a serious threat. There was Deathly Pumpkin, that was able to inflict Panic with its Confuse Vine. It was resistant to all physical attacks and most ailments, but likewise, weak to all elemental attacks and binds.

We also found some Grim Mantis, whose power was to be recognized. It was weak to ice, and could Charge up its Scythe Slash or Execution Scythe, both dangerous attacks already. Binding its head could prevent it from charging, and binding its arms would prevent it from attacking.

There also was Illbears, whose Plague Club rendered us unable to heal our wounds. It was weak to bash, but I don’t think it was as weak as we were after its attack.

Finally, there was something we didn’t ever expect to see. Some Axolotls were roaming around. We didn’t found them threatening, so we didn’t attack them first, and, to our surprise, they emitted a Blessed Light that made us feel powerful, and after that, they died. We didn’t take long to notice that this light meant us a greater good, as our Force returned to our bodies.

As we walked, Brin was really scared. As crazy as it sounds, we noticed that the wall was following us. We proceeded cautiously, but we only could hear Brin’s horrorized screams as we were ambushed by a Death Wall. We were unable to move, so we were set to met a certain doom, when Sakuya thought about using a Return Flute. Luckily, it worked, and we were back at the start.

We were set to continue with more caution, observing each wall’s movements and not take our eyes off the wall. We wanted to continue as fast as possible, but... Brin was crying loudly again, moaning in fear as if they were ripping her soul out of her body, condemning us to die a slow and painful death here as we were trapped. Ruby was able to calm her down, however, and continue our path. I noticed that they were hugging together as they walked.

We eventually reached our destination. We found a Geomagnetic Pole. The mysterious voice allowed us to return, however, we pressed on. I was charmed with the voice that resounded in my head, and decided to continue, despiste my partner’s protests. We entered in a new room, and we found ourselves in front of a door with a mark we have seen before.

The voice spoke again, and revealed its identity as The Black Guardian, her purpose her, and what was hidden behind that door. We were told that The Calamity was selaed in this Ruin, and that the only way of stopping it was taking part on a ritual that didn’t happen this century. However, she stated that the one descending from the tribe of darkness who found the way to travel between worlds, and the one who discovered by her own merits the method to walk between minutes and seconds together could replace the missing people for the ritual.

It meant, however, being trapped forever in the ruin, until the next in the line comes in our replacement, the next century. If we decided to cross the door, there was no way back.

The voice called the names of Sakuya Ashford and Rizeath Astarte. I didn’t comprehend at first who Rizeath was, but soon I realized, that Rizeath might have been the name my parents, who I never met since I have been gifted with memory. However, I was more concerned about the small ronin by my side, for her surname, more than anything.

You’ll see, Brin had a daughter with Joseph this year. Or rather, with Ruby, but... you know, maybe they didn’t think adopting was a good idea. They named the little girl Sakuya, and... it actually makes sense, since Joseph has clear eyes and brown hair, like her... and of course, Joseph and Ruby’s surname is Ashford.

Sakuya bursted in tears and explained everything. That she the way to move back and forth in the stream of time, and, more importantly, why she did it. She did it to prevent becoming an oprhan. She fated our deaths in this ruin, how we would die fighting “The Core” here, how her mothers and her friends departed to face this danger, and never return back, making rumors spread around the town.

The Black Guardian stated that The Door of the Boundary in front of us was never meant to be crossed by humans, but that chosen ones, by The Lady of the Mark, known as Fafnir Knights, could do it, or else, chosen ones by The Black Guardian itself. Doing otherwise would signify a quick death.

My companions were all crying a lot. I was lost in my mind trying to analyze all the information, thinking in Vinyl, and how could I explain her that I would never see her again, only to guarantee her safety... I know Joseph and Sakuya talked to me and hugged me, but I wasn’t paying a lot of attention and, before I could realize, The Door of the Boundary was open.

A stream of souls was burning through the ambiance, and I saw Sakuya stand before the door, and saw her walking in. I stood up, and pursued her to avoid her taking a rash decision, but... the door closed behind us, sentencing us to never see the sun shine in the faces of those we loved...

At the other side of the door, it truly felt like another world. We walked to a room, where a tall, black figure stood. It introduced herself as The Black Guardian. She explained us the ritual again, and made the preparations to transmit her power to us. However, things took an unexpected turn, as the great guardian suddenly fainted.

We heard a knocking on the door that led deeper into the ruins, and a flaming knight emerged from below, melting the iron that separated the rooms. We were bracing ourselves for combat, ready to face death once more. However, we found a grateful surprise. Our friends all came to our rescue. I was so happy!

Together, we slayed the Demi-Fafnir. It was... kinda weak, it didn’t pose a threat.

It was weak to Volt, Poison and Leg Bind inmune to Fire, (Inmune I think?) and Arm Binding, while resisting a lot of ailments save for Blind.

He opened with Rising Flame. I predicted this obviousness (I mean... a fire enemy of course has to open with a fire attack) and told Joseph to lift up a Fire Wall. It worked out. His Nihil Blade was a single target, splashing Slash attack that could bind our arms. Not that strong. His Circle of Flame made a similar effect to Arachne’s Poison Marsh, but Fire-based, so Joseph could nullify it. Demi-Fafnir activated reactors as he used it. We deactivated them by force as soon as possible, though, so we don’t know the consecuences for leaving them active. Condemn Blade was a double-Slash attack. I think it could attack us twice, but it never did. Soundless Blade was a piercing Slash attack. It... might have done something else, but never did. Overpower lowered our offense, and could inflict Fear on us. It was... bothersome, my companions were paralyzed in fear in the most crucial turns... (Sakuya’s Force Charged-Peerless Combo or Joseph’s Full Gain, for instance) Lastly, his Flame Formation were 10 random, ranged Fire attacks that could hit more than one. It was his strongest move, yet it was pitifully weak regardless.

Once we killed the fiend, The Black Guardian recovered consciousness. It told us that, she was impressed by our performance, that The Calamity was already starying to influx its influence, and that, having seen our strength, we might be able to stop it... as long as we gather power.

A power that surpasses that of The Ruler of the Heaven...

We left the ruin, joyous like we have never been before, happy to see return what we could have lost forever and be conscious about it...

Back in town, we found a really nice surprise. Billy Rose, and Flower Bliss were waiting for us at the Explorer’s Guild registry! Rose appointed as a Troubadour, while Flower inscribed as a Survivalist.

I... also decided to Retire for a week or so. I can’t handle this much in so little time. Am I allowed to say that I need a rest?

This is Night writing this entry. Today, was a special day, or so I guess. As I assigned some guild members to dispatch the fiend in the 15th Floor, the remaining members of our guild took a request marked as “DLC”. I don’t know what does that stand for, but this was an intriguing quest.

We were tasked with finding a Hot Spring in the Yggdrasil Tree. It sounded crazy, but turned out to be true.

Ruby, Sakuya, Joseph, and Brin came along with me, trying to find this valuable natural resource. It was behind a hidden area in the southern part of the 11th Floor.

We found the Hot Spring when Joseph suddenly hit the ground really hard with his shovel. Steaming-hot water came out, and it burned us a little. We were ready to return to town, when suddenly, a giant frog appeared.

The Gentle Toad wasn’t that hostile, he just wanted to take the Hot Spring for itself, so it tried to bulldoze over us. Of course, we couldn’t allow that, since it was part of the mission having the Hot Spring there for people to use. We fought the frog.

It was... incredibly awkward. It didn’t stop ogling Ruby, and suddenly, it Licked her around all her body, slow and nasty with its sticky toungue.

Joseph slayed the beast with his Charged Smash. It wasn’t a remarkable fight, since we were too strong for our enemy. As such, the fight was short and I couldn’t get a good idea of how this species of amphibian fights.

After that, I started hearing that voice from Ginnungagap again. However, I was distracted, as Brin suggested to take a good Hot Spring bath. I told Joseph to exit the room with me, so the girls could bathe in peace, when suddenly, Ruby invited us to bath all together.

I... didn’t like the idea that much. My mind was shouting me an inane comparison by the lines of “Getting naked in front of Ruby is the same as walking past a Lion with a meat costume!”. In the end, I surrendered and just took a bath with them. I’m not sure if my face was red because of the cold, the heat, or pure embarrassment.

I noticed the girls having great fun touching their bodies, and voicing how soft their skin was feeling. But that was when I started drifting off and feeling relaxed by the hot water’s flow.

This is Night here. As I expected things to turn out... we fought Guild Esbat.

Most of the time, we rest for the night and go exploring during daytime. We did the opposite this time, in hopes that the members of Guild Esbat wouldn’t be resting in town, to avoid confrontation. My plan didn’t found success. They were waiting for us in a chamber in the 15th Floor, covered by white snow, soon to be tainted with scarlet blood from both parties, with high stone pillars as the only witnesses to the combat that was about to unleash.

Miss Artelinde and Mister Wilhelm explained us the reasons for why we couldn’t proceed any further. I do not wish to make their secret widespread against their will, so I’ll refrain from writing it here. However, I must mention that I symphatize with their motives for blocking our way, and I was willing to avoid confrontation and find a peaceful solution. Feeling threatened by our presence there, and our insistence to continue before this meeting, I assume, they engaged us in battle.

It was a short, but overly intense fight with no quarters. We all gave our all out there, with both members of Guild Esbat sporting an unusual Force Boost and Force Break for their classes. Zasta was right in her decision to accompany us to this fight, as her own Force Break, Perfect Defense, allowed us to survive Artelinde’s last effort to take us down with her Force Break, Nature’s Will, a 16-Hit -probably- Almighty ranged attack against the whole party.

Guild Esbat gave up and stopped trying to fight us when their strengths faltered.

After our victory, Mister Wilhelm asked us to proceed, even if that meant... doing what they were trying to prevent us from doing, wishing for us to reach a legendary flying castle for revenge.

A flying castle...

We halted the exploration after our fight. I am sorry about not detailing our opposition, but it is a victory I don’t wish to celebrate. I don’t feel right.

I spoke for long with Brin. She came into my room at the Inn and we spent hours talking. She crossed the door with her arms and legs trembling. After knowing her for about three years, I finally got to befriend her, and know her better. I finally understood that she was scared of me because of my inhuman-looking eye, and my cold, harsh and hostile behavior. She told me her full name, her origins, why she became a medic... all sorts of secrets that I won’t reveal without her consent. I felt talking with her quite refreshing, and it was amusing how she called me “an actually very sweet person” when she left my room. Whoa.

But, as I said before, I’m not feeling okay. I’m somewhat dizzy and my head feels heavy. I’m having kind of a blurred vision and my ears feel plugged. I forgot to mention this to Brin, because she, as a Medic, could patch me up. I don’t want to further bother her, though, or even worse, appear like profit-seeking because of the long talk we had earlier. I think I’ll just endure this.

However, the strangest of my symptoms is that... well, I’m unsure if this is related, or if this is even a medical issue or a disease, but I keep hearing an unknown female voice in my head. It’s repeating the same thing over and over, and even if it was hard to understand at first, the fact that it’s calling for the same words multiple times helped me figure it out. It’s saying “Rizeath, rest forever, but come after, with me”

It is the same voice that I heard back in Ginnungagap after killing Arachne and getting close to the door with that strange mark. Maybe it is related, and maybe “Rizeath” is a name. Maybe it was calling for that “Rizeath” back then, but I misheard it as something else. But it raises even more questions.

Who is Rizeath, why I was the only one to hear this voice, and just what the raging infernos does the rest of the message mean?

My head is hurting a lot right now. I’ll go to sleep. I’m starting to see things out of the window and in the walls.

Are they... product of my migrain? Would they dissapear after a good rest? Or... or are they real, threatening to kill me, and resting would only lead me to my doom for not fighting a danger right in front of me?

This is Night reporting our progress at the Yggdrasil Labyrinth.

We've almost reached the 15th Floor. The problem is that, for the most part, the 13th and 14th Floors were on the short side of things, and were rather unremarkable, so I kinda forgot to write about them. In any case, it is my duty as leader of the Sunforce Guild to document them.

In the 13th Floor, there were Evil Eyes, winged eyeballs of madness. They moved back and forth in a set path, much like the Tree Sponges back in the Auburn Thicket. However, they didn't hesitate to hunt us down as soon as we got close to them. They had an unique trait in that their flying path was always over the frozen lakes, but I didn't pay attention to see if they were willing to pursue us in the snowy path. We found a way to annihilate them instantly. There's some giant ice chunks in this floor. When we push them, they slide along the path until there's no more ice, or they hit a wall. By pushing those ice blocks against the Evil Eyes, we could kill them and destroy the ice to clear a path.

In the 14th Floor, we found a member of the Guild Esbat by the name Der Freischutz, who told us to stay in the lower floors, or else. I remember Sakuya talking fervously with Brin about exploring the Labyrinth no matter what, and that how a woman called Artelinde told them to stop exploring forever. I will not accept their request. We faced a similar situation back in Etria, and we didn't back off back then. I am serious when I say that I'll go as far as killing them if they engage us in combat wishing to stop us, for whatever reason they must have.

On the bright side of things, we found some Blue Gel, too. This FOE moved in a set path, but always along the ice. They also were trying to chase us when we got close, however, they can not leave the ice, for whatever reason. We tried to kill them in the same way we killed the Evil Eyes before, but, to our astonishment, they bounced the ice blocks back! We had no choice but to avoid them.

Regarding new, common monsters, we found Great Hermits. They are weak to Bash attacks, and any Elemental Attack. However, they have developed a skill called Shielding Shell, wich they can use to raise their Elemental Defense and avoid punishment. It is a Head Skill, but they were vulnerable to Head Binding, so Vinyl's Cranial Curse could have been helpful in that regard. They aren't strong aside from that, and do not prove a threat, except when there's other enemies: Their Shielding Shell affects the whole enemy troop. Or a line, at least. I'm not sure. We got a Crabshell from them, and I'm pretty sure we may get something else, but I haven't figured it yet.

Moving on to a stronger enemy, we found Evil Mamooths. They were considered an FOE back in Etria, and were called... destruction... ruin... something. I don't remember. In Aslarga, they're called Destruction God for some reason, or so I have heard from Brin when he told us stories about her time in Aslarga. Regarding their combat abilities, they're formidably strong. Their HP, AT and DF are superior to other monsters, they resist Stabbing, Stunning, Blinding and Leg Binding. They sport a classic skill you should be familiar with: Charge. This Head skill increases greatly the attack power of your next skill, by a modest cost of 2 TP. They also had a skill called Destructive Fang, but we didn't see in action because Vinyl just Bound its Head to save us some "headaches". After that, we Panicked it, since it's weak to Panic, and we had an easy fight. It usually fights alone, but you might see it along a Great Hermit. If you can't Head Bind both in the same turn, prioritize the Evil Mamooth, and then just dispell the Great Hermit's Shielding Shell.

Redfish were also present, wich I presume, are just stronger Fishmen. They're basically identical, but stronger that is, and they sport an Ice Fin. Just like Fishmen's Chase Down, it's a leg skill, and, again, not unlike Fishmen, they're weak to Leg Bindings. Just to clarify, they also share their weakness to Cut and Volt, and their resistance to Ice.

Finally, we found Giant Snow. This is a bigger, faster, and stronger too Snow Ghost, and it's the first member, of the Snow Ghost Crew. Huh. Unlike Snow Ghosts, they're resistant to Stun and Panic, so those Status Ailments are less useful. Their basic skill isn't Snowball, but Hailstorm. It is a Party-wide Ice Attack, and, judging by the name, it's really strong. We didn't suffer it, however, since Vinyl is an expert at her fine art, and could shut it down by binding its Arms. We obliverated it with Melody's Fire Circle powering up my Flame Grater, Lighting's Fire Formula, Sakari's Charged Fire, and that's it. It didn't die, however, but it was low in HP, so we decided to kill it with normal attacks. Vinyl happened to kill it with her Ice Claws, and, while you can normally get White Boulders, we got a strange Frozen Stone. It is very valuable, and Sitoth Trading could later craft an Almighty Ring out of it. It is an Accesory wich boosts All Stats by 2, but they can only make once per Frozen Stone.

This is Night writing here. We've found ourselves with a new mission on in the Labyrinth. I cannot make the details public, but I can assure that it was a tricky mission.

We had to seek our target at night, however, the most dangerous criatures in the floor are nocturnal. We were able to complete our objectives by mistake, as we were searching during daytime for safety, but we were late returning to town. How fortunate.

The dangerous criature at hand was a Hell Dragon of Seven Heads. As I stated above, it is asleep during daytime, however, it starts patrolling at night. Each one follows a set path, however, so avoiding them wouldn't be hard if not for the fact that they all lurk in narrow passages.

I was exploring alongside Blood, Joseph, Brin and Lighting. It's worth mentioning that I decided to take different Grimoire Stones. I gave my Peerless Stance Grimoire, and my Pre-Initiative Grimoire to my fellow Ronin Sakuya, since she's actually working on those skills. I hope they become useful. With those Grimoires out of the way, I picked up a Flame Sabre Grimoire, a Freeze Sabre Grimoire, and a Shock Sabre Grimoire. They're rare Blade Skills. I intend to use them in short fights where setting up my Bushido Stances would be a waste, so I got them at level 9 in order to keep their cost at bay. Maybe later I'll get them at level 10. I'm still seeking someone to trade me a Moon Shadow and Ground Strike Grimoires. Maybe Sakuya can make them later.

I must make a note of this: I notice that, despiste them not being exactly Stance Skills, they still get their TP Cost Halved when I’m focusing for my Force Boost, because they’re Blade Skills. Sakuya also noticed this effect on her Grimoires. I’d wish for more Ronin to be aware of this.

The remaining monsters were mostly the same from the previous floor: Snow Ghosts, Forest Dragonflies and War Bisons. I suspect Blood explained them in the previous entry. New to the fray are Snow Lizards, who can exhale a Freezing Breath to hit the whole party with a Ranged Ice attack. They aren't that much of a threat: Lighting could dispatch them quickly with his Fire Formula. I was able to make quick work of them with my new Flame Sabre. There's also Clawed Beetles. I was already wondering how long would take them to show up, since they live in the first floor in the Etrian Labyrinth. They're much stronger here, though. They bolster a high defense, and can emit a Harsh Buzz in an attempt to make the whole party unable to concentrate. They're also resistant to Cutting and Stabbing attacks, but in the other hand, they're weak to all Elemental attacks, so it was a cakewalk for me. Lastly, there's Sleipnir. It's a white horse with a lot of legs. They can Trample our party with might, so they became dangerous. I believe that binding their legs would cripple their offense, but sadly, Ruby and Vinyl weren't there to help. Maybe I'd advise Sakari to get a hold on some Head Snipe, Arm Snipe and Leg Snipe Grimoires for convenience, if that doesn't interfere with her plans. Sleipnir isn't weak to any attack, either, so that makes it a dangerous foe.

That's basically it. We didn't do much on this floor aside from that, but we spent a lot of time trying to accomplish our goal. I am sorry if this entry ends up on the short side of things, but there's some interesting job in the Bar that I'd like to take, about some Hot Springs of sorts. We'll see about that later. For now, we'll keep going up. I wonder what surprises are hidden above the stairs that take us to the 13th Floor...

Hi, I'm Blood. I'm Vinyl's son, and Night is my stepfather. I'm working as a Dark Hunter in this guild. I'm old enough to live by myself, and I have been living alone for some years just fine. I decided to reunite with my family, they're in some kind of adventure in some freaky giant tree. Wich is awesome. I don't want to do homework, but Night told me it was important for the Party Leader to write in this book after they explore a floor. He just won't shut up about how important it is for our guild and the town and whatnot, so I'm going to do it at once.

We're on the 11th floor. There's snow everywhere and that crazy purple light thing that teleport us back to town. It's awesome. It's really cold, but it's amazing because it never snows back home. I don't like the cold, but it doesn't matter because the snow is that much fun.

We found a freaking living snowman. It was rather weak and easy to defeat. Monsters like that are no fun. But there was also this strange flying bug that attacked crazy-strong, wich made the exploration much more interesting, although it was really easy to Paralyze with my Sword. There was also some walking fish. They were stronger than the icemans, but weaker than those insects.

We also found a giant cow or something. That was a strong one. It beated the living hell outta us, but it was a more fun fight, looking how everyone was freaking out and I was just there doing my thing. Girls have fun screams, really screechy and hilarious. There was also a wolf-thingy. It was really cool, because it camouflaged completely with the snow. I didn't even notice it! That sweet kimono chick and the hot boomstick blondie did, though. From time to time, the wolf stood up and was easier to see. After that, it turned around and layed in the floor. It's really cute. I like wolves, there were a lot back home, and were really friendly with our people.

There was also a frozen lake. It was hella fun. Once you step over the ice, you slide all the way to the other side. It's even more entertaining because you dive head first into the snow wall in front, or you brake on the snowy floor, leaving some sweet tracks.

Oh, but there was also some giant ice guy in a dead end. That one was crazy. It was made of smaller ice people, so it couldn't coordinate well its movements, but when it did, it wrecked our sorry butts. Thankfully, the shield lady cheated our way through the snowball fight with her shield. I don't get how that dudette can even resist so many hits. Even with armor. Or maybe, it is the armor. I should look on getting one for myself, yeah.

We found the stairs to the next floor, a guard told us to return, and that wraps up the labyrinth. Back on town, we were asked to return to the labyrinth to search some big rocks for a road and some shiny rock for a boy to try and get laid with a lady. I found the shiny rock with my Natural Instinct, and gave it to the bar guy so it fulfills the quest. Poor dude, you don't win over girls just with goodies!

Night writing this. I didn’t stay long in the bar enjoying our party, since I felt a bit strange. Guess I’m catching a cold? However, it happened in the same manner as before, since Joseph informed me that The Bartender directed a quest specifically for us, just as we finished exploring an stratum. We’ve been chosen to keep exploring The Ruins of Ginnungagap.

Apparently, the reason behind this mission is that monsters have been detected causing havoc. Since the ruins hold a degree of historical importance to Lagaard, the Duchy issued a quest to clear the place.

However, I didn’t attend the mission, since I was feeling down. My comrades explored the ruin for me, so the information is mostly secondhand.

Apparently, the place was a spider’s nest now. The spiders were trying to catch my friends as prey with their silk, but they were smarter, and burned their webs, killing them.

They returned to town, but they told me they couldn’t handle the mission, since there was an enormous monster in the deepest room. I grabbed my katana and decided to form a party to slay the beast, despiste I still didn’t feel quite well.

When I arrived the ruins, I found that the floor was pretty easy. I attribute that, to the fact that a lot of drawbridges were lowered by my comrades.

However, I heard a soft, echoing female voice in my head, saying “reesa” over and over. I wondered if that could be the voice of a monster, since it sounded so different to my friends’ voices. It wasn’t out of the question, since there’s so many strange things in the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. I didn’t told my friends about this voice, however, because I thought it unimportant.

When we reached the door before the final room, Ruby warned me that the beast to slay was behind this door. We entered, weapons in hand. We found a large, tarantula-like monster. However, it had the torso of a young woman... coming out of her... head? Body?

I didn’t seize the chance to see if my guildmates were as astonished as I was, since, when I reacted, I saw the ceiling aflame. It was Ruby’s doing, and as I was about to scold her, she told me that they were doing this all the time to get rid of the spiders.

Indeed, the large arachnid dropped from the ceiling, with her body badly burned, not to mention how much would hurt falling from such height with a giant body. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall”.

We readied our weapons for the assault.

We had quite the trouble against this monster. I believe we weren’t up to the challenge, since our levels were quite low. We should really train up to level 30 as soon as we can, to prevent this situation from repeating.

Arachne had a lot of skills that used her head. Or... her body. I’m not sure if the spider’s head is what it counts, or the lady’s.

Either way, Ruby and Vinyl had a lot of trouble binding her head to stop her attacks. Vinyl also had trouble ailing her. She resisted a lot of ailments, so we had to rotate from a few, that she eventually learned to avoid.

Her Silk Spread and Silk Spit attacks were ranged-stab attacks with a chance to inflict one bind, or all three, respectively. The former was party-wide, but the latter was a strong, single-target attack. She used these attacks randomly.

After that, she started sharpening her fangs. Her... spider-thing fangs. Soon, she unleashed a Venomous Bite, a line-wide Bash attack with a high chance to poison. It was very strong, but we were prepared against it and didn’t prove to be troubling.

What gave us trouble was her following attack, Poison Swamp, wich created a pool of poison around us. It was fairly weak, but its damage started to increase over time.

The fight went on like that, with her repeating this pattern. We lost our energies as the enormous beast was losing hers, and we find ourselves in trouble, getting close to the gates of hell and heaven.

Just when we thought all was lost, Vinyl managed to Panic Arachne. We seized the chance, and, just with regular attacks, we went through the fight, and winning. Surprisingly, Brin dealt the final blow. It isn’t common for her to attack enemies, so I found myself quite impressed when her staff went through Arachne’s skull, putting the monster to an enternal rest. Hopefully.

I suspected the voice I heard to be that of Arachne, however, that wasn’t the case, as I heard it calling again to “reesa”. Curious of the voice source, and ignoring my pain, I strayed from the group and walked around the room, getting close to a door. I heard the voice again, and this time I could clearly heard it suggesting me to “come, come closer”. I touched the door with my palm, and I saw a faint glow under my hand.

I was interrupted by Joseph, however, who suggested to return to town to heal our wounds. I agreed with his intentions, and just as I was pulling out an Ariadne Thread, I heard the voice shouting “No” for a last time, before we found ourselves back in the city.

As we were going back to the Inn, I felt troubled, and decided to walk closer to Ruby, and ask her if she heard voices. I detailed that it wasn’t Arachne’s wicked tone, but rather, a calmed one. It neither was a Brin’s or Vinyl’s voice. 

She told me that she didn’t hear anything. I’m questioning myself what’s that voice. But I’m tired now, and my head is dizzy. So I’ll stop thinking about that, and see if I feel better tomorrow.

Night writing this entry. I’ve taken a sweet rest from exploring. However, I haven’t stopped working. A lot of trainees have come to our guild, willing to help our cause, for whatever reason they may have.

The first one I’d like to mention, is Melody. She’s one of my dearest friends. Basically, the second person I grew acquainted with in my life. She heard about our exploration, and came to Lagaard to help us. If things are as I remember them to be, she must have travelled a long journey in order to reach us. I am thankful for that. She appointed as a Princess, and she’s planning to assist our mighty elemental attacks and mantain our spirits high while in battle.

Our second trainee is called Zasta. She states that she knows us through some of her connections. She wishes to help us on our cause, although she seems to be more interested in the adventure, more than anything. She had her purpose very clear, and told us that, as a Protector, she was going to “tank” for us, whatever that means. She told me that she was more than ready to take a hit for us, and our safety, as long as we do our part and slay the enemies quickly. Truly noble purposes. I haven’t had more chance to speak with her casually, but I hope the opportunity to do it comes sooner than later.

The last trainee is Sakuya. She demanded to be recruited in the same guild as Ruby and Brin were. She enlisted as a Ronin, same as me, and she’s going to domain Force Boost Attacks, and unleash an “unique, incomparable, unparalleled, matchless” strike on those unfortunate enough to meet her. I assume she has certain connection to our Dark Hunter and Medic, although, she’s a girl of few words and didn’t talk a lot to us. She haven’t spoke to Ruby or Brin, either, wich is strange, since she was so zealous to be in the same team.

The reason for wich I haven’t been exploring myself is the fact that I have been instructing our new recruits (and Blood, who still lacks a bit of experience) into the ways of the labyrinth. We spent a week or so training, raising our levels so our comrades could develop the techniques they were hoping to master. I, myself, also gathered a bit more of experience. I already remembered how to imbue my sword with fire and lightning, so I’m halfways there. Although, I’ve yet to master my techniques. I have quite a handful of plans to cover every situation possible. Is my enemy weak to Stab? Then I’ll stab it! It is weak to Ice? Then I’ll freeze it!

The problem is... that while training with the recruits, I think I overdid it a bit, and we’re stronger than the exploration team as a result. I guess that means a small vacation, so the other members of our guild can catch up.

However, that wasn’t the case for me.

Our exploration team came back to Lagaard with an upset expression. They told me that Guild Esbat was blocking our further progress until we accepted a mission from the Grand Duchy. Of course, we don’t wish to stagnate our exploratio 10th floor, so I went ahead and managed this delicate business by myself.

Apparently, a singular beast lies in the 10th Floor, called The Flame Demon. This beast has been slain multiple times in the past. Do you follow? A singular beast has been slain multiple times. The Minister Dubois warned us that this monster has the power to resurrect itself after its death. Its strength is exceptional, too, so, as soon as the mission was officially taken, we found ourselves preparing for exploration.

I headed into the labyrinth myself along with Ruby, Joseph, Vinyl, and Brin. The exploration of the 10th floor went along smoothly. We discovered that Baby Salamanders are able to instantly end the life of other powerful monsters with their fire. We were impressed by this creature’s power, but of course, we decided to use it to our own benefit, by luring an enemy in front of the small reptilian, and having it to breathe fire against us, just as we step back.

We... also found some savory tree sap. I’d wish to have more another day. Judging by the map, as the uncharted areas were less and less, I decided that we were close to the Flame Demon’s lair. The refreshing sap made our last steps before the fight much lighter.

At once, we arrived into Flame Demon’s room. We sensed its malicious presence from the other side of the door. As soon as we opened the door, a colossal beast, even larger than Chimaera and Basilisk combined, charged at us. I spotted thorny vines in the floor that I wished to use to weaken Flame Demon before the fight, but we had no chance to do it.

The Flame Demon lived up to its name, by proving itself to be very strong. As we were scared by its initial charge, we guarded ourselves in an effort to save our lifes. The luck turned to our sides, as the Flame Demon just let out a Madness Roar. We on the front line were brave and avoided its effect, but Vinyl and Brin Panicked. Since Brin is the one that normally handles this kind of situation, we employed some Therica B to heal their madness quickly, while Joseph protected us.

It attacked us by bashing us. It also had a move we decided to call Terror Embrace, wich is a melee, splashing bash attack with his arms. He often attacked us in front. Needless to say, this attack was much more powerful than its more common attack.

We were trying to whittle down its health little by little. I avoided using my Frigid Slash, despiste this abomination obviously being weak to Ice, in order to preserve my strengths. Ruby and Vinyl were trying to lock his attacks with ailments and binds. They didn’t find a large success with that, but it worked well frequently. Joseph was attacking normally, also in an effort to preserve his strengths, since he obtained a Fire Wall Grimoire that he wished to use.

After some time, The Flame Demon brought a Flame Cube to the fray. We planned to just take it down quickly so it doesn’t bother us, and nothing more. However, as time went on, we noticed that the Flame Cube was raising the temperature a lot and growing in size. We started sweating, and we got nervous. The Flame Demon inhaled a lot of air while this happened. We took action, and I dispatched the Flame Cube by using my Frigid Slash attack. Joseph prepared his Fire Wall just in case, and dear lord he did, since Flame Demon released a Kingly Fire of destruction, by stomping the ground with its legs. We went through that pretty good, since Joseph’s shield absorbed all the flames unharmed.

We continued fighting as usual. The Flame Demon added Inferno Strike to it’s arsenal, a Ranged Fire attack. He often attacked Vinyl with this. After some time, The Flame Demon summoned two Flame Cubes. He also tried to do something different with his head, but since it was bound, it couldn’t do anything. We took note and tried to predict when he was going to summon the next couple of Flame Cubes, to make sure its head its bound. This time, we were bracing ourselves to meet disgrace, since Joseph was tired and unable to put up his barrier. However, luck was on our side when Ruby managed to bind the Flame Demon’s legs, preventing it from releasing its Kingly Fire. I was able to defeat the Flame Cubes quickly by, again, using my Frigid Slash. We nourished ourselves with some Amritas after that, to keep ourselves ready for what’s yet to come.

When the Flame Demon was growing weak, he brought a couple of Flame Cubes again, but this time, far from our reach. We let loose our Force Boosts to cause havoc to our enemies. I performed my Immovable Peerless Stance, and annihilated our enemies with a barrage of Frigid Slashes. Ruby was in Trance against the Flame Demon, and Joseph let loose a Full Gain against the Flame Demon. The last hit was from Ruby’s Rose Prison, wich devastated our foe.

After our struggle, we decided to climb up the stairs before returning to Lagaard. If what I remember from Etria held true, then a Geomagnetic Pole and a new stratum were waiting for us past those stairs. I was correct.

We found ourselves in the Frozen Grounds, malice amidst a field of white. I started to shiver, since I wear light clothing. I noticed Ruby wasn’t having a good time either, as she also has a lot of skin exposed. We just fought an enemy who could harness fire in a very warm room, to make things worse.

We hurried on to find the Geomagnetic Pole to return. However, we felt a presence. We found a strange creature by the name of Yggdrasil Sprout near the Pole. We were taken by surprise. It slapped Ruby’s crotch with it’s leaves... and then, she furiously ripped it apart with her whip. They aren’t strong enemies... but they’re very valuable.

Once we took its rare leaves with us, we returned to Lagaard by using the Geomagnetic Pole. We headed to the Inn quickly, and rested until dusk. I was still shivering until recently, and I decided to write after I stopped trembling.

During our exploration, we found a little birdie-monster that was choking. I didn’t know wether to rescue it or let it die, because in the future, it might become a dangerous monster. But, we don’t all think the same, because Brin got close and saved its life. She really has a sweet heart, I don’t know how the team would be without her, and, more importantly, my life without her.

As we were moving on, we found some Chinese Food 2 recipes! This will be useful for when we’re hungry, especially Joey, since that guy eats for an army, hahaha.

During our expedition, we found the following monsters:

Madness Owl: Some kind of bird that... it’s more head than anything else. It has red eyes and green feathers in its head. To the sides of its head, there were other larger and longer plumes, wich reminded me of a butterfly. Its ability was Confusing Dust, an attack with its claws to inflict Panic to its enemy.

Honey Bear: Unfortunately, I don’t remember it’s aspect clearly, but it must be noted that it had huge claws and a devastating strength. Its ability is Destructive Claw, wich deals Cut damage to the entire enemy group.

Gryphon: As its name implies it’s a griffin, a mythological creature that its half bird-half lion, but this monster looked more like a quadruped bird. Its wings were on its back, and it was of a bright red color. Its ability its Slashing Claw, wich deals Cut damage and reduces our Evasion rate.

Attack Cactus (FOE): This creature had a big mouth and a single red eye, along with four limbs that looked like arms, arms covered in spines just like it’s head. For precaution, we decided to not fight this creature.

Tree Sponge: Yes, I know, I already described this being previously, but this time, we fought it. It’s ability is Spin Drive, a Bash Attack in wich it spins using its arms to impact its enemy. A really powerful attack that uses each time its hit by a physical attack.

Night writing here. Today, we took the mission that The Grand Duchy issued. The reasoning behind its Top Secret, however, the mission itself consisted in fetching a Flame Plume from the nest of an horrible beast known as The Salamander.

We headed to the 8th Floor, looking for the item we were tasked to bring. We found ourselves in panic when we sighted a colossal fire-breathing reptile with a death-seeking gaze. It was the monster nesting in this room the one we had to avoid in order to get our prize. The Salamander seemed far too powerful for us, so I decided to not confront it for the time being.

Just like its offsprings, Salamander is able to breath a violent stream of fire. We avoided all contact with it, but we assumed that it shares the same properties than the explorer at the bar described for the Baby Salamanders. As such, its able to knock people far away from its source when breathen.

Salamander, however, is far more strong. It can breathe larger quantities of fire. This, in any case, leaves it exhausted after firing three streams of fire. We took that opportunity to sneak our way to the place where the Flame Plume is resting.

Just like its babies, Salamander will turn around in place searching for prey, whenever it has nothing better to do. This, too, created an opening for us to navigate the room.

All in all, it wasn’t that hard to reach our destination. After we obtained the Flame Plume, we used an Ariadne Thread, since our combined thought efforts weren’t enough to backtrack our steps without getting seriously burned. It doesn’t matter after all. We were stressed and spending 100 more ental for a new Warp Wire isn’t going to hurt that much.

When we arrived to Lagaard, we turned out the mission for our reward. It wasn’t too shabby. Afterwards, in the Ducal Cafe, Regina told us that we were in charge of the development of the Northen District, The Uptown, and The Slums of the city. That’s means that we’ll have to invest a lot. All for the sake of this town.

Since it was early in the morning still, we headed back to the labyrinth. We pressed on with the 8th floor exploration. We discovered something unusual in the ground: animate thorny vines. We figured that they might... hurt a lot if we were to step on them, so of course, we avoided them.

We also discovered new species of enemies. Flame Gels were able to fortify their allies’ defense and offense, even after their deaths. Flame Lizards were able to spit fire, with splash effect. Armor Tortoises were formidable opponents with a strong bash attack.

We found Fire Drakes later on. They patrol a small area, but move slowly. They pursued us when they saw us. 

We couldn’t reach further, since we were exhausted. We returned to town, resting for tomorrow. It’s good that we finded small crevices in the wall, since they’ll make nice shortcuts to follow, so we can reach further next time.

This is Night writing an entry again in this explorer’s log. Last time, I asked Ruby to do it since they managed to explore a whole floor without returning to town. I was resting in Lagaard at the moment they decided to venture in the Labyrinth, as part of their training regime.

It is the the first time I entered the 6th floor, and I was amazed when I saw the scenery. I, of course, did not expect such a drastic change from the First Stratum, especially after my experiences with Etria’s Labyrinth’s First and Second Strata. The Auburn Thicket offered the view of a typical autumn day in the forest, with the only difference being the scenery extending as far as the eye could reach.

I finally had a chance to see the Geomagnetic Pole in the 6th Floor that my friends were talking about. It’s always such a relief to find familiar things in different places.

Geomagnetic Poles are mysterious pillars of light that can transport people back and forth from the labirynth to the town, like a two way door that can only be opened from the inside. We just have to touch them to find ourselves back in other place we already know. Our current scientific advances can’t pinpoint how they work exactly. While discovering their secrets would be undeniably a great jump for mankind, in the meantime, not knowing how they work isn’t an issue. Mankind ate certain plants in primitive times, and they found them useful to their survival. It was when they discovered they could plant their own crops that evolution walked a step forward. It’s basically the same situation with Geomagnetic Poles.

Moving on, the floor that I actually explored, the 7th Floor, was plagued by Baby Salamanders, a big species of reptiles capable of breathing fire that can potentially cut our paths. We made our best efforts to avoid it. While they can breathe a column of flames far away, they can’t shoot their flames as far as they’d like. Also, after breathing fire, they need some rest before trying to attack us again. Knowing this, we managed to get through.

There were some fearsome monsters in the floor. Raging Boars had an exceptional attack strength, and they even had the ability to pierce lines and attack the back row. We also found Fanged Vines, wich were able to Blind a whole line. It was tough figuring it out under such pressure, but Raging Boars could be stopped by binding their legs to stop their rampage and then, Fanged Vines were shut down by binding its branches. Since both are weak to Fire, I’m trying to remember how to imbue my blade with hellish flames that consume enemy formations. I’m perfecting my Overhead Stance, since is the key to harnessing the power of flames.

When we reached the 8th Floor, we were stopped by a guard. He told us that the Duchy was issuing a mission, and that, until said mission is completed, further exploring into the labyrinth is forbidden. Since we just finished exploring a new floor, we decided to take this as a good opportunity to go back to town for the time being, as it was still early to call it a day.

In the Bar, we accepted a quest to gather some gemstones to craft as a gift to some important lady. I didn’t pay attention to who was this lady exactly, but whatever. There’s a lot of things going around my head, please excuse me in advance of this happening again. We did hear from a commensal that Baby Salamanders’ Fire is so powerful that it can knock you back and deal serious burns. However, she also remarked that once is there, lingering and blocking the path, it’s possible to walk inside the flames and cross. I do not consider that as a good idea, but in some extreme situation, maybe a quick run surrounded by fire won’t be the worst fate that awaits for us.

Later on, we decided to go and gather the gemstones we were asked for. They said that they needed only one, however, we managed to find up to three gemstones. Our reward grew exponentially, wich is something I’m happy.

Lastly, when we returned to the Inn, Vinyl and I were called to the Explorers Guild. A new explorer wanted to join our ranks and it was nothing more, nothing less than the young Blood. This mischievous brat is my stepson and Vinyl’s... adoptive son? I don’t remember that pretty well, but I guess that would be pretty logical after all. They were together before they met me, and she only mentioned that fact only once and pretty quickly.

Within the tribe Vinyl comes from, (and by extension, Blood too) abandoning a child is one of the biggest crimes possible. Vinyl herself is an orphan, but even with that in mind, she took care of him. While Vinyl’s skin is pale and her hair is blue, Blood’s skin is dark and his hair is white, and they’re both about the same age, I can’t help but believe Vinyl’s word. Take what I say with a grain of salt, though, since everything I’m writing right now it’s based on memories of what she told me.

Since this draws curiosity, I believe their names are some custom of their tribe. I am not part of their tribe, though. Since I’m an orphan, I don’t have a name. I chose to call myself Night.

Tomorrow, we’ll take the mission, and Blood will tag along to see with us the forest, hopefully, starting to grasp the concepts of exploration. He registered himself as a Dark Hunter, and he decided to learn The Arts of The Sword That Disables The Opponent, a path Vinyl took when exploring Etria, but decided to abandon in favor of the Words of the Forest That The Creatures Will Obey.

Well, I’m writing this since when we were exploring this floor, I was the Party Leader along Brin, Vinyl, Lighting and Sakari, and since Night didn’t explore this zone, I’ll take charge and I’ll detail the environment to the best of my capacity.

Very well. When we reached Auburn Thicket, we were astonished by the beautiful autumnal forest, those red, yellow and orange leaves gave a sensation of warmth. I noticed that there was someone, Brin, who liked more the forest for some reason.

Some minutes after, we found Artelinde, a friendly (and lovely) War Magus that explained us what is a Geomagnetic Pole and how to use it (since this is the first time we saw one since Etria)

Once she was done with her explaination, she walked away wishing us good fortune.. I hope we can meet again, but in other circumstances, in a tea party or just hanging around.

Ahead, we found a strange criature wich turned out to be an FOE called Tree Sponge. It was a bit complicated, but we managed to evade it thanks to our combined efforts observating its pattern.

As we continued our expedition, I could see a strange but cute plant that caught my attention. Guided by my curiosity, I closed in to examine such plant, but before I knew it, my body was being tangled by its leaves even where it shouldn’t. Blushing a bit, I retreated and we managed to destroy that plant wich we identified as Yggdrasil Bud.

I don’t remember very well the tactics we used in combat, but I do remember the monsters and its physical attributes. Here’s a list:

Yggrasil Bud: A small green plant with a couple of leaves by its flanks that, for some reason, I found cute... Even so, it shouldn’t have dared to touch me.

Giant Moa: A huge bird with long neck, a sharp beak, long legs for running and wings not apt for flight, since they’re short and the bird itself is heavy

Odd Statue: This criature called for my attention, since I thought it was just a simple stone gargoyle. To my astonishment, it was alive, and it didn’t want a tea party. It is whitish and with red eyes. It has sharp claws in its hands and feet, aside from multiple spikes in its body and small wings. I wonder if it can fly... and if it does, just how?

Frilled Lizard: Being honest, this monster made me laugh. It’s a species of pink lizard with a purplish horn. It has some kind of wrinkles in its neck that looked as if it was wearing a bib or a towel, hehe. Aside from that, its expression was as if he drank too much beer or something.

Giant Shroom: As its name implies, it’s a big mushroom, with a purple cap and a couple of yellow eyes. It has roots with a funny shape.

Tree Sponge: I have a friend who is a Medic, and sometimes I love to hear his scientific chairs and blah blah blah, and seeing this FOE reminded me of a lot of united neurons. This creature has a big bulging head, and a couple of long arms (if those things could even be called head and arms) Under the arms I could see four gelatinous glands that were basically the same as the head, but smaller.

Aside from the monsters, there were some events that I consider important to remark, such as a strange and nauseating stench that was around a somewhere. We decided to not investigate because we were disgusted... but maybe later we will enter that zone to reveal the mysteries that it hides... or maybe it was just a beast in decomposition.

In other area in the same floor, we saw a monster that looked dangerous... I mean... we didn’t quite see it, but I had a hunch that we had to retreat, for caution more than anything.

The Grand Duchy assigned us specifically to explore the ruins of Ginnungagap, located in a deep ravine near Lagaard. It was only one floor, but it was very long and drawn out.

We found interesting species there, since some of them were either too weak for us, or rather strong. The Jackalope gets mention as a monster that deceived us. It was far weaker than we imagined. Even newcomer Lighting could take him out easily.

In the other hand, Haggis gave us trouble at first. Although they’re found normally sleeping, once disturbing, they unleash a powerful volt attack. We deemed prudent to try to escape whenever a Haggis was present in combat, taking advantage of their slumber, since we lack the means to mitigate the damage.

There was this Mercenary Boar, who looked very strong. However, just like the Jackalope, it was a pushover we could take down easily. However, in other rooms we found Captain Boars, much more stronger and dangerous. We made compromise to avoid them.

The ruins had interesting mechanisms. There was a big stone bridge that rose from underwater, and an important number of drawbridges that could be lowered from only one direction. We used them as shortcuts and as traps to avoid the Field-On-Enemies.

In one of the deepest rooms, there was a Basilisk. It’s Dark Moon skill was a powerful attack to an entire row. We had trouble with it, until Ruby managed to bind its four arms. Later on the fight, the Basilisk eyes started glowing. We made a point to blind it, however, we couldn’t destroy its eyeballs before it unleashed Stone Gleam and Petrified Joseph. Fortunately, Brin’s Refreshing skills were able to help with that predicament. Finally, we managed to take it down with Volt attacks.

We found the downwards stairs. However, we have no intention on pressing on at the moment. Maybe the ruins are, in a sense, our personal labyrinth to explore, but we deem the Yggdrasil Labyrinth as more interesting and rich in treasure and diversity.

We returned to Lagaard to file the Quest Report for our reward. We’re going to take some days off before resuming exploration.

Once we return to The Yggdrasil Labyrinth, we’re planning to explore behind Chimaera’s lair. After analyzing our cartographies, I conclude that the stairs for the next floor are behind the door we didn’t cross that day. We’ll found ourselves in the 6th Floor of the Ancient Forest in a couple of days.

Some time has passed since the last time I wrote an entry in this book. It’s because things have been stressful as of lately.

Upon reaching the 5th Floor, we found Wulfgar wounded badly, and Hrothgar was nowhere to be seen. The black beast presented us with a blood-tainted weapon I for sure recognized as Hrothgar’s Sword, wich called for a death omen in the room before us. I assumed the worst happened after that door for the red-haired protector who guided our steps in Lagaard’s Yggdrasil Labyrinth.

With that thought in mind, that what we were hurrying for was not in this world anymore, I decided to retreat along my companions for the time being, instead of rushing in like the leader of the Beowulf Guild did, as to not share his same fate.

Lamenting the loss of a comrade, we spent the following days roaming the labyrinth and the town, seeking to hone our skills in order to avenge the fall of another hero. Lots of things happened during those days.

For once, Joseph’s friend Sakari decided to join to our cause in climbing the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. For what Joseph has told me, her older brother is a Gunner, so she’s following the same path in order to prove herself useful as an explorer. She has decided to master the art of Elemental Shots in order to, just as me, strike directly at the enemies’ weaknesses and take them down swift and effectively.

Also, the other day, Ruby scolded me for, apparently scaring Quona. I had the impression that I left the little girl scared, but it never crossed my mind that I could really scare her. I’ll try to be more friendly the next time she wishes to adress me, but, in spite of what happened, I doubt that will be sooner than later. I predict that, given the ocassion, she’ll prefer to spend more time with my teammates, of course. And I’m fine with that.

Recently, Lighting, an old comrade, came to Lagaard seeking for us. He’s going to join our guild and assist us in this trial. He’s an Alchemist, and his Formula Mastery will let us multiply greatly the damage output against enemies’ elemental weaknesses. While the power of his spells is great, he lacks any form of physical damage, wich could prove crippling against enemies with elemental resistances or inmunities, since he’s not interested in Palm Skills. I, and Sakari, constrast in this regard, because our elemental attacks also have a physical component, so enemies resisting our magic, may not be impervious to our might.

Today, I’m filling the journal to mark this day, as the one in wich The King of Beasts, Chimaera, was slain by our hand. The battle was tough and long, and after 45 minutes of combat, or even more time, we managed to fell the beast wich caused so many casualties in the past.

Chimaera proved to be a menace, a true animal-arsenal of death. In his lair, we found those monster traps we’ve grown used to, along two Vampire Bats. We decided to take out the Vampire Bats first, in one trip each. With that first obstacle out of the way, we came to face Chimaera another day.

Since we reckoned The King of Beasts had an astounding endurance, we lured him into the traps conveniently placed in the room. Chimaera moved fast, but fortunately, the first trap was close to our original position, and we were able to capture the beast. As we made it fall into the traps, one after another, we noticed he started to move slower, making it easy to trap in the following pitfalls. Once we made him fall in all the traps in the room, for a total of three, we went around him and striked his back.

This deadly beast was as powerful as imposing. His Snake Pile skill could pierce our formation and reach the girls in the back row, with a chance of a deadly poisoning. We averted this thanks to Brin’s expertise in first aid. Ruby’s Shackles proved to be useful for binding Chimaera’s Legs and tail, rendering it’s attempts to poison us, futile.

His Great Blaze attack dealt ranged Fire damage, with a splash effect. This means that when this attack hits a partner, whoever is adjacent to that person will receive half of the damage it originally did. We didn’t have any means of preparation against that attack, but, fortunately, it only targeted the flanks of our vanguard, meaning that at least one of us was safe, and Ruby would take moderate damage. Speaking of wich, Ruby’s Gag could seal Chimaera’s Head and mouth, eliminating the threat of being burned.

His Double Strike was a powerful, two-hit attack. It could hit two of us, or one of us twice. With the power of Grimoire Stones, Joseph used his Shield and guarded the Front Line to mitigate damage, since, in the first place, we in the front take hits directly. Brin encouraged us to protect ourselves, too.

Although I couldn’t study other skills closely, I noticed Chimaera had a very Menacing Roar, wich made us drop our guards and lower our defenses, out of fear. I feel ashamed of that, but Brin’s Defense Order inspired us back. I haven’t thanked her properly for helping us gather our courage when we felt it lost. I can only imagine how she felt at that moment, since she’s usually the one scared of monsters in the labyrinth. I applaud her bravery.

After the fight, we found Wulfgar ourside of the Beast King’s lair. He gave us his collar, and we witnessed his death. We grieved the wolf’s death. I remembered Hrothgar, and, why this tragedy happened in first place. I can’t blame him for his past. I can’t blame his desire for revenge. But I can blame him for not foreseeing his future, for not looking at his present, and what surrounded him. I shouldn’t speak ill of someone who died recently, but I can’t avoid to think... Joseph is a rash person too. Would he risk it all if something were to happen to us? Would he abandon everything else out of revenge, too? I don’t want him to throw his life away in face of danger, but... whatever. My apologies for not being able to keep writing and tell my concerns. My hand just doesn’t want to manifest in paper what crosses my mind in this moment, wich is full of foggy ideas anyways.

We’ve already filed the report of our success at the Grand Duchy. We’re resting at Flaus Inn as the moment of this writing. We’ve decided to go out celebrate. We’re planning to go out for dinner at our restaurant. We’re planning to have some Forest Deer Sukiyaki, a japanese meal prepared with Venison, Giant Bud and Asparagus. After that, we’re going to the Stickleback Bar to have some drinks. Since Vinyl and Brin are minors, they’re going to sleep early.

I don’t drink any such drinks, but if I recall, Ruby and Joseph do. I might be wrong, but either way, it’s going to be nice. Sometimes, hanging out in a smaller group is enjoyable, since you have more privacity to talk to your friends. I just hope that, if they’re going to drink, they don’t get drunk. That would be bad.

Climbing up the forest ruins, we’ve found ancient traps designed to catch monsters. Since it would be foolhardy to challenge Raptors, we tricked them by making them follow us.

A girl in the bar told us today that different Gathering Spots yield different ingredients for cooking. Speaking of wich, the Duchy has entrusted us with the advertising plans for our restaurant. I hope we can find success deciphering the recipes of The Legendary Chef Aspicus. Reminds me of when we used to work in Neko Cafe back where we came from. Ruby was in charge of the place, and all of us played interchangeable roles as waiters or cooks, depending on the clients.

Ruby’s marketing strategy was to use our physical charms and cooking skills to please each client the most. She always saw what her clients wanted, at first glance. She assigned our duties based on that. If girls would like an elegant and reserved waiter, she would send me to pick up the orders. If clients would like the best salads of the city, or the best cuts of meat, I would cook. Sadly, that left me with few chances in the kitchen since, of course, people don’t go to a cafe to have lunch.

After an encounter with Hrothgar, The Leader of the Beowulf Guild, The Grand Duchy assigned us a mission to find survivors of a monster attack.  We managed to cross a Field of Mortal Peril filled to the brim with Formido Oppugnatura Exequens, and found, after a pile of corpses, only one surviving guard. That netted us a fine reward, though! 900 ental is not bad.

Now, we’ve been issued with a mission to slay Chimaera, The King of Beasts. Similar to Fenrir, The Wolf King, back in Etria, the roars of Chimaera are inviting monsters from upper floors to visit the Ancient Forest. This is really dangerous to new explorers. We’ll handle the situation little by little, though. It is not wise to hurry to your death, if you can walk slowly towards a longer life.

Sadly, that doesn’t appear to be what Hrothgar thinks. We’ve received word from a guard standing in 4F that the leader of Beowulf hurried up to 5F in an attempt to slay Chimaera with his own hands.

It looks like most of his guild was wiped out by this monsters. I’ll remark his foolish and reckless behavior. If he couldn’t win with a 5-man party, what makes him think that he’ll be able to do it alone? He’s just rushing to his death. I’m no hero, and I have no sympathy towards him, but regardless, I won’t leave him in destiny’s hands.

I shall prepare provisions for my team. We’re reliant on Medicas right now, since monsters hit way harder than we’d like, and Brin, our Medic, still doesn’t quite remember how to heal us all by using Salve or Delayed Heal, her favorite skills back then. It’s a shame. For the time being, she’s using a War Heal Line Grimoire.

Today, we’ve ventured ourselves into the Labyrinth. As to be expected, the wildlife is quite different to that in Etria. However, we found some familiar species, such as the Mole and the fearsome Ragelope

Some creatures we’ve found so far include the Hedgehog, a small creature with its back covered in spines. We found one stuck in a branch, and Vinyl, my wife, found herself trying to help him, twice, only for that scoundrel to hurt her.

It had to be expected from a monster, I know, but I’m still a bit bothered by how the generosity of the one I love is repayed wich such ingratitude.

On the other hand, we’ve found some Oranges growing somewhere in the northeast, and some refreshing, Rock Water in the east of the first floor of the Labyrinth.

We also found a whip that a Dark Hunter used to own. It seems it meant a lot to him. He gave us a new one in exchange, but our own Dark Hunter, Ruby, disliked it for its low attack power, despiste its chance to Bind the Legs of its targets.

We’ve already started accepting quests from the bar, to help the citizens of Lagaard, in order to get acquainted with the Labyrinth. The Bar’s owner is a big man with a beard and a fancy accent. That was radically different to the owner of the Golden Deer back in Etria.

Also, the Grand Duchy tasked us with running a Cafe. I’m starting to feel awkward for us being enthrusted with so many luxury facilities, recalling the Mansion we were given, courtesy of the Sheldon Family.

Finally, The Midgard Library sent us a package containing the next-generation Grimoire Stones. It seems, that the stones are easier to manage, as there’s no need to syntethize them anymore in order to merge their powers. Instead, it’s possible to carry many of them at once and use them as fit. While this means that Grimoire Stones are weaker on their own, the new developments let us combine their powers with our own skills for power boosts.

We have also received our Guild Card, wich I’m happy to share with people.

After a long journey, we crossed the Lagaardian gates. We as a whole, are part of the Force Guild. I, as an individual, call myself Night, and I will write entries on this exploring log.

Our Force Guild is organized in branches. Today, we’re heading out to the Explorers Guild for the foundation of the Sunforce Branch of our Guild, and register ourselves as part of it.

We had previous experience exploring the Yggdrasil Labyrinth in Etria, but it’s been a long time since that. After such a long Rest, I feel good as new. In other words, really bad and rusty. I fear that we’ll have to train back. Hopefully, the first floors of the Labyrinth won’t be rough…

I am a Rōnin. I am mastering my bushidō arts with my katana. I plan on mastering my Stances and imbue the three elements of magic in my blade to assasinate our oposition before they have the chance to strike my fellow explorers.