Cease the Suffering - Etrian Odyssey II (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 37

AN: Thank you so, so much SakuraiYoake and Irish_Moon_Dreamer for commenting and voting on the previous chapter! Here’s another long chapter for you all to enjoy!

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Chapter 37:

“Is everyone here?”

As all the members of Guild Guardian piled into a room that was often used as a conference room at the inn, Hamza seemed satisfied that everyone was accounted for. He waited for everyone to get themselves comfortable before he spoke. Tobyn helped Jhon over to a seat, hovering near him like a concerned mother-hen. Macerio limped over to a chair and plonked himself down harshly, ignoring the look of disproval from Lynus. Axel rested his back against the wall, folding his arms over his chest as Chi-hung prowled in a circle near his feet before settling down onto the floor. Magnus instantly made his way over to the window while Shen took a vacant seat, sitting down with his legs folded and his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

When Hamza cleared his throat, Lynus scurried over to Axel’s side to stand next to him, while the others turned their attention to their leader. They all seemed slightly apprehensive with what he had to say. No surprise, really. There was no doubt that his guild was slightly worried about this mission, in regards to the last one.

It had the potential to have ended so badly, after all. It didn’t, thankfully, but it could have. 

“In contrast to our previous mission,” Hamza started, smiling in a reassuring manner. “This one merely has us soughing out a particular flower called Snow Blossoms. A request from Lady Gradriel herself.”

Lynus tilted his head toward Axel to whisper something to him. “Who’s that?”

“The Duke’s daughter,” Axel answered simply. “We’ve done a few missions for her before.”

“Ah.”

“It shouldn’t be overly difficult,” Hamza continued to explain. “But I believe the best party would be Axel, Lynus, Chi-hung, Shen and Magnus. Chi-hung because you should be able to navigate the ice better than anyone with your four legs.”

Chi-hung lifted his head and flicked his tail playfully in response, seemingly sniggering when Macerio was heard muttering something under his breath. While his words were mumbled, it wasn’t hard to imagine him cursing the ice.

“Axel and Shen, because the monsters on this level are still rather unknown to us.”

Axel glanced over in Shen’s direction, who peered up at him through one eye. They seemed to share a silent conversation before they nodded their heads once and at the same time. They then both turned their attention back to Hamza, waiting for him to continue.

“Magnus, your fire magic would be quite handy indeed.”

Magnus fidgeted with his scarf, his gaze flickering over to Shen, and Shen turned to look at him as well. His gaze was slightly piercing, as if daring Magnus to dispute Hamza’s words in some way. Instead, Magnus squeaked silently, rather cutely, before nodding his head in agreement.

“And Lynus, you are familiar with the care of natural ingredients from the Labyrinth. These Snow Blossoms are said to hold medical properties, so should be handle with the utmost care.”

For a moment, Lynus looked mildly surprised at being chosen, prompting Axel to snort and nudge him with his arm. Lynus then looked interested. Hamza had to hide a grin. He knew he would be intrigued the moment the words ‘medical properties’ were mentioned. Lynus was most certainly a devout Medic, wasn’t he?

“Is everyone agreeable with this?”

With a chorus of agreements from his guild, Hamza nodded his head, pleased with their response. He had thought long and hard about the best method and members for this request, so it was reassuring that they agreed and trusted his judgement.