#gsfexploration

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.