Garden Of The Abyss

[Burlam, Old Treyna, Eight Hours Later]

In the domain overseen by Lord Desmas, a nobleman of Old Treyna, Burlam was a land tucked between mountains, housing a humble village. Watching over the village from atop one of the colossal mountains, Castle Desmas stood.

An "extermination" type quest, with a "royal" threat attached to it. If I recall, the threat levels, from lowest to highest, for quests goes: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Royal, Phantasm, Disaster, and Dread. This one is somewhere in the middle, and I hear it's awfully skewed towards the higher end so I'm not too worried. Can't complain about the pay either…one-hundred holy coins, he thought.

Split into two groups, the entirety of the nine adventurers ventured through the barren land, through the plains of Old Treyna, and eventually through the mountain ranges.

With six members following him on the carriage he rented, he sat beside the one commandeering the vehicle as they pushed through the dusk-laden mountains.

He looked up toward the unique, navy-blue clouds that hung over the region of Burlam, with the moonlight bleeding through their fluffy form; another oddity of the land of Old Treyna.

I sure hope it's going alright for Iris…they took the route through the forests. The Lacryie were said to be inhabiting the forest, while another group were attacking the castle, he thought, they're a branch of orcs that inhabit space beneath the ground as subterranean dwellers. Usually they aren't seen, but I guess rare cases like this exist.

Looking back at the potential guild members sitting in the back of the carriage, he checked on them–some seemed impatient, while some were keeping quietly to themselves.

Calytrix, sapphire second-class–the "gothic lolita", he thought, she was originally supposed to go along with Iris' group…but she insisted on joining this one. She looks like a kid, and kind of acts like one, but I'm curious at what that rank of hers entails. Her reason for wanting to join was weird, but…apparently she thinks her and myself are "kindred spirits", yeah, I got quite the glare from Iris when she said that.

The entire time, much to the displeasure of the cardinal-haired man sitting across from her, Calytrix hummed a melody while swaying her legs with her black, silver-laced boots kicking back and forth.

His eyes moved to the slender, but tall, quiet adventurer with well-kempt, cardinal hair, possessing golden eyes that seemed perpetually bored, or perhaps uncaring.

Guillermo, ruby third-class–he was the one who stepped up to be the referee in my duel. He looks about the same age as me, but I can't really tell with that mask he wears–what is he trying to be a ninja with that thing? He's a ruby rank as well, so I've got high hopes for him, and I want to see how he uses that hunk of steel that resembles a sword. It was difficult to get a direct answer on why he wanted to join, but he said he simpl thinks this guild has what it takes to rise up, and he wants to be there when it does. Fair enough, he thought.

He brought his gaze to the wordless man who sat in a full-set of knight's armor, supplemented by a red scarf that was brushed by the passing winds of the carriage's movement.

Archard, gold first-class…Akshay personally vouched for him. Apparently he's a geezer, but that just means he has experience, and experience is priceless on the battlefield. He's a gold rank, but Akshay told me his rank might be deceiving. I was told he wanted to join this guild mainly because none other would accept him, and that he trusted its strength.

Finally, his eyes set on the frosted-haired, cat-eyed man who sat quietly with his arms folded across his chest.

And last, but perhaps least…Samfrey, ruby second-class. Well, he's got my eye on him the most: words are one thing, but I need to see that he's someone willing to take orders, and work with others. He told me he wanted to join because he valued my mindset as a leader.

Even if it is a "test quest", it's still an official quest, and a royal-rank at that. They could die. But, they're adventurers–death is something they're used to. It's surprising, though. I guess a guild is a big deal for a lot of adventurers like this, if they're willing to go through the trouble of a quest, even just for a trial run.

I'm intrigued at what this group has to offer, he thought.

With the carriage wheels rolling over the rocky trail that clung to the side of the spring-blossomed mountain, he looked up towards the looming castle that inhabited the peak of the mountain.

"I'm not going any further than the gates," the carriage driver told him; a youthful, clearly shaken man.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he assured.

Apparently there were already a few gold ranks that tried to take this quest on. The fact we're here means it didn't go so well for them. There hasn't been anybody able to return a report either, so we're going in mostly dark, he thought.

All he could do along the quiet ride along the dusk mountain trail was look to the forest down far below, having to hide his worries and trust in Iris.

After a gnawing lapse of another few minutes, the carriage arrives in front of a gate formed of reinforced logs of wood, coming to a stop.

"…This is as far as I go," the gray-haired, youthful carriage driver said shakily.

"I've got it," he said, hopping off of the carriage.

He slapped the side of the transportation vehicle to prompt the adventurers in the back it was time to move.

As they were getting out and joining him, the carriage driver called out to him one more time.

"I wouldn't advise going past those gates…" the driver told him.

"Hey," Samfrey said as he tucked his daggers into their sheathes, looking at the driver, "Don't underestimate adventurers, kid. We've got things handled."

Even with the words from the seasoned adventurer, the shaken nature of the driver's expression didn't change as the subtlest noise echoing from the mountain caused him to flinch.

"Just stay right here, alright?" He reminded the driver, noticing his flimsy state.

"Mm…" the driver seemed hesitant.

"If anything comes your way, just scream out, and we'll come rushing to your side," he assured the driver.

Though he didn't receive a confirmation from the driver, he accepted his silence as an answer as he led the adventurers with him towards the gate.

"What's got him pissing his boots? Lacyrie aren't much different from orcs," Guillermo said.

"Even orcs can be devastating to normal people, Guillermo," he told the darkly-dressed adolescent.

"Memo," Guillermo said promptly, "I go by "Memo", so call me that."

He was a bit taken aback by the man's abrasive, stoic nature, but decided to go along with it.

"Alright, Memo," he said.

The youthful girl smiled as she walked with her hands behind her back, "Lacyrie are fellow followers of the darkness. Though, they aren't proper disciples like myself—unfortunately for them."

"Followers of the darkness…?" He looked at Calytrix.

Cakytrix smiled, looking at him with her sparkly, crimson eyes as if overjoyed that he finally asked, "Yes! Darkness is all, it's the beginning and the end. You're a follower of darkness as well, aren't you?"

…I thought she was talking about Belmon for a minute. She's just talking about magia affinity, isn't she? He thought with a sigh.

"I guess so?" He answered.

As soon as he confirmed as much, an elated smile took place on the gothic girl's glossy lips as she spun around in celebration.

Oh, boy…it looks like I've acquired a chuunibyou, he thought.