Cease the Suffering - Etrian Odyssey II (BoyxBoy)

Chapter 43

AN: Thanks so much Irish_Moon_Dreamer and SakuraiYaoke for reviewing the previous chapter.

And a Happy birthday to Irish_Moon_Dreamer! I hope you’ll enjoy your birthday present! Oh, but I don’t think you’ll like the cliff-hanger very much…X3

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Chapter 43:

Stepping from the Geomagnetic Pole into a rather medium size room, Axel glanced around at the snowy surroundings, frantically searching for any sign of Lynus. He and his party had barely set foot on this floor before, so they were immediately at a disadvantage. Whoever had aided Avith in the kidnapping of Lynus obviously resided in Lagaard. There was no way Avith would have been able to reach this floor by himself.

“Ok, this is the fifteenth floor,” Axel murmured under his breath as the others gathered around him, they, too, frantically looking around.

“Where could they be?” Jhon asked anxiously, knowing full well that they had a difficult task ahead of them.

Tobyn suddenly knelt down into the snow, seemingly searching for something. He brushed aside a few fluffy snowflakes with his hand, his brow furrowing. “Footprints are going that way,” he said as he pointed to the southward opening.

Thank goodness that Tobyn was an experienced tracker. At least now that had some idea where to head now, a lead to follow. Wordlessly, Tobyn jumped to his feet and dashed in the direction he had pointed in. Axel and the others were hot on his heels. Although the thick snow and the blandness of their surroundings made it difficult to hastily navigate this floor, they weren’t to be deterred.

Axel needed to find Lynus. No matter what it took, he had to find him and save him. He had promised that nothing would harm Lynus ever again. And he meant it. It was a promise he was going to keep, no matter who or what got in his way.

“Hey!”

Startled, Axel and the other pulled to an abrupt stop. He glanced over his shoulder to see a somewhat familiar blue-haired Survivalist appear from around a bend, and behind him, a War Magus, a Protector, a Hexer and a Medic. Axel immediately recognised the group, specifically since they were the same guild that Lynus had helped, helping War Magus Hedrick’s daughter give birth.

“What are you-?” Axel started to ask.

“We heard what happened,” Shelia, the female Protector, said as she and her guild reached them. “We want to help.”

Darrell was also with them, fidgeting with his glasses as he panted slightly. “It’s my fault that Lynus is here,” he said, still feeling intense remorse and guilt for what had happened. There was nothing he could have done to prevented it, but it still felt responsible in some way.

“We’ll aid you in your search,” Hedrick said. It wasn’t a suggestion and it was clear by the firmness in his voice that he was not going to take no for an answer.

“Thank you,” Axel said in earnest. “We appreciate it.”

“Let’s separate,” Jhon went on to suggest, taking on a commanding role. “Our only concern is Lynus’ safety. Exploring will have to wait.”

“Of course,” Hedrick readily agreed, nodding his head once. He then turned to Darrell, clasping his hand on his shoulder. “Darrell, stay with us. We’ll protect you.”

“Sure.”

Noting that they were standing before a fork in the path, the two different guilds shared on wordless look before Axel and his team went west while Hedrick and his guild went east. It felt somewhat reassuring to know that they didn’t have to search the entire floor by themselves. It didn’t matter to Axel at this point in time who found Lynus first. He wasn’t a selfish hero, wanting to be the only one to protect him.