Guardian of Healing - Etrian Odyssey 2 - Boyxboy

Chapter 11

"I-I'll need to get my bag!"

"Go!" Axel said as he hefted his axe upon his back and raced out of the inn with everyone else. "We'll meet you there!"

Lynus didn't want everyone to head out without him, but he knew what they couldn't afford to wait for him to retrieve his bag. Lives were in danger. Every second counted. The sooner Axel and the others engaged in battle with these monsters and defeat them, the better.

He could only hope that the hexers weren't hoping to use the invading monsters as cover for something far more heinous.

As he raced up the stairs and staggered into his room, all Lynus could do was hope that the others would be fine as they hurled themselves in danger and prayer that he could get to them before anything terrible happened.

He grabbed the strap of his bag and tugged it off the table. He didn't bother to pull his hair back into his usual ponytail and he didn't dare to waste another second stopping to put on his white medical coat. He simply lugged his bag haphazardly upon his shoulder, sent a silent prayer in thanks for having the foresight to put on his shoes, and raced out of his room. He leaned heavily against the stair banister as he took two steps at a time to reach the inn foyer. A moment after that, he was out the doors and heading in the direction where the nearly overwhelming sense of fear radiated from.

Crowds of locals and rookie explorers were running away from the sounds of chaos and Lynus struggled to push through them in order to get to Axel and his guild. He stumbled a few times, but managed to keep himself upright and continued to push himself forward. He tried to block out the emotions of fear around him as best he could, but they only added to his own anxiety and distress.

Finally pushing his way toward the stone road that led to the entrance of the labyrinth, Lynus stumbled to a stop and dropped his bag to his feet. With eyes wide, he felt his breath hitch in his throat. Hamza said to be ready for anything, but there was no way they could have prepared themselves for something like this!

Numerous FOEs from the first stratum, ragelopes, raptors, and the dreaded stalkers, were literally running about the area in an unpredictable, confused chaos. Attacking and slashing at anyone and anything that came close enough. Including each other.

The monsters themselves weren't an overly terrifying threat to Axel and the others. They've dealt with them before. But not on this scale and not with so many of them.

And they weren't the reason for why his guildmates were scattered about, in numerous degrees of distress or suffering.

They were...they all were cursed...

A small chime of a bell caused Lynus to tense and he turned to glance over his shoulder. There he saw six hooded hexers, paled face and wide-eyed, strategically positioned upon the rooftops of the nearby buildings. All wore expressions of malicious delight on their faces.

The only thing Lynus could think of was "ambush". These hexers lured the monsters into town as a distraction so they could fling their curses and hexes at anyone who stumbled into their path and sight.

"What do you think?" one asked him with a truly wicked grin. "Amazing, isn't it? How powerful we hexers truly are."

"It's cute how you all think a little charm can protect you from our hexes," a female hexer giggled as she swung her legs cheerfully from atop of a lamppost. "Adorable~"

Lynus didn't answer them. Didn't even make an attempt to form some kind of comeback. Instead he turned back around to look at his guild, instantly noting their varying degrees of distress.

Axel was the only one still on his feet, though they were bound to the ground and he could only manage the barest of steps. He was able to strike down any monster that came within distance of his axe, but there were so many of them that he was constantly ducking and blocking other attacks.