A Learning Curve - Etrian Odyssey 4 - Boyxboy

Chapter 4

AN: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

-

Chapter 4:

Roxbury sat upon the top step leading into the Researcher's Clinic, taking a moment to enjoy the sunshine, as well as to muse silently to himself. He had just returned from a meeting with the Count, who expressed his concerns about tensions between the locals of Tharsis and the struggling to adjust Imperial Knights.

In all honesty, Roxbury wasn't entire sure what he or his guild could do. While some Imperials are indeed grateful to them for offering them the chance at freedom, other Imperials held a sense of resentment toward them. They held them responsible for the ultimate failure of the Titan, thus they were responsible for the failure to purge the Cloudy Stronghold of its toxins and poisons.

Majority of Imperials simply wanted to live their lives in Tharsis. However, because of a small group of knights causing trouble, all Imperials were regarded with a sense of wariness. Even with Logre and Achyuta vouching for some of them.

The small group, whom some of the council were referring to as Extremists because they were extremely frustrating and annoying (although, that wasn't what 'extremist' meant...) hadn't done anything heinous or destructive, but they were causing trouble and chaos by refusing to listen to anyone's orders but their prince's. And with Prince Baldur still needing powerful medical treatment, he was in no position to be barking orders at anyone.

"Hey, Roxbury!"

Snapping himself out of his thoughts, Roxbury lifted his head up to see Tharsis' beloved wharf-master hastily making his way over to him. "Ciaran? What's the matter?"

Skidding to a halt at the bottom of the stairs, Ciaran was slightly breathless, as if he had ran all the way from the wharf. "Where's Achyuta?"

"Oh, he's helping Blayden and Fletcher deliver a new batch of medica to the Atelier," Roxbury explained as he pushed himself to his feet and descended the stairs, somewhat confused and concerned by Ciaran's state. He then glanced in the direction the weapon shop was located in and found himself trailing off. "He should be..."

The reason he trailed off, his words becoming lost, was the fact that there was a strange red-armoured Imperial standing only a few feet away from the boundary of the clinic. He stood purposely, with a highly confidence stance, directly in the path of which Achyuta and the two youngest brothers would take as they returned.

"Dammit." He heard Ciaran curse to himself. "I was too late."

Long hair, blue eyes, the exact same style of glasses...He looked just like Achyuta.

Roxbury felt the compulsion to confront the Imperial, to find out who he was and what he wanted. If he had Ciaran in a slight panic, then Roxbury would hazard a guess that he was somewhat confrontational.

However, before he could move, Achyuta, Blayden and Fletcher appeared. The two younger explorers were a step or so in front of Achyuta, shoving and pushing at each other in a teasing, but friendly sort of way. Towering over the two, Achyuta simply looked amused as he carried a couple bag of ingredients.

However, that expression soon disappeared when Achyuta lifted his head up to see how close he was to the clinic and found his gaze colliding with that of the currently unnamed, but familiar imperial.

The bags that Achyuta were carrying abruptly fell to the ground with a thud and he stared with wide, unblinking eyes at the man before him. "...It can't be."

Startled, the two little brothers stopped what they were doing and immediately turned to look in the direction Achyuta was staring in, only to find themselves gaping in shock as well.