Allouet had questions when he stared at the metal chest in front of him. Dubhan, on the other hand, had only the statement of, “Hey, jackpot!”

It was Allouet’s keen eye that noticed a pathway hidden beyond what initially looked like a wall of plants and tree branches, the sparkling of the metal in sparse sunlight standing out. Beyond the trees, the pair found a small clearing and the metal chest sitting untouched in the wilderness.

"Who would have left this here?" Allouet wondered aloud.

"Beats me. Sometimes you find things like this in the labyrinth. Should you really question this place all that much?"

"I think that's the point of exploring it for most people."

"Hm... Yeah, I guess. But so is money!" Dubhan threw the lid of the chest open. Inside were a few bottles of medicine that looked like they'ed been stored here for some time. A quick tilt of the bottles, swirling the liquid inside around, and briefly lifting the lid to catch the scent of its contents determined that the medicine was still potent.

Dubhan tucked the bottles away into his haversack. "Good catch finding this path."

The comment prompted a smile from Allouet. "Oh. Well... Thank you."

Pocketing their new supplies, the warlock and harbinger moved on from this place. The forest remained tranquil, allowing them to travel without any further interruptions for the moment, only spotting the occasional forest snail or lone hedgehog in the trees. Eventually, the pair came across another clearing, this one full of numerous flowers.

Allouet took the lead into the clearing, kneeling down to inspect the flowers. Dubhan hung back, letting Allouet do his work and watching for any signs of predators in the meantime.

"These are the ones!" Allouet announced cheerfully after a moment. He removed a small jar from a coat pocket which he proceeded to gather some of the flowers up into.

The forest around them still looked quite clear, Dubhan noted. So, when Allouet was just about finished, he said, "We've been walking for a while, why don't we take a few minutes to catch our breath?" Even as he made that suggestion, he had slipped his haversack off his shoulders and let it fall to the ground.

"Now? We are still in the labyrinth. We should be hurrying back, I would think."

"Sure, but the walk back is gonna take a bit. You're still new to this, right? You should learn when it's safe to take a break since you'll need all the energy you can get in here."

"I..." Allouet broke eye contact, a slight blush coloring his cheeks, almost as if he were unused to being lectured like this. Or at least by someone like Dubhan. "I understand. I suppose you're right."

The two took a seat in the flower-filled clearing. The sunlight was warm and comforting, and the flowers were pleasantly fragrant. It was almost enough to disguise the true nature of the labyrinth and its dangers.

"So what brings you to Omaros, anyway?" Dubhan asked.

"I do believe I mentioned the relic I'm seeking in the labyrinth, correct?"

Dubhan’s brow furrowed as he tried to recall. "Did you?"

"Were you drunk enough to forget?" Allouet asked with a sigh.

"Hmm...” A vague memory of the previous night conversation suddenly flittered through Dubhan’s mind. “Oh! Right! You did say something like that, didn't you? So what sort of relic is it?"

"A magic tome. One that holds the spells of one of the greatest warlocks known to lunarian culture."

"Fancy. Did they go Yggdrasil-exploring too?"

"It would make the most likely explanation as to how the tome ended up here, though that is unconfirmed. At any rate, recovery of the tome would be immensely valuable, and so, here I am."

"Hmm... Neat."

"What of you, then?” Allouet asked. “You seek to form a guild and delve Yggdrasil's depths, yes? Why so?"

Dubhan grinned. "Why not? There's got to be all sorts of treasure and adventures waiting down there!"

"So you're merely a thrill-seeker, then. I see."

"Merely? That’s plenty impressive, if you ask me!"

"That said, your occupation as a harbinger is odd,” Allouet continued as if ignoring Dubhan’s comment. “I've heard the style is not terribly common and is not taught often. I would expect those seeking adventure to simply pick up a sword or a bow, not a scythe and the intricacies of what harbingers are often capable of doing."

Dubhan shrugged and laid back on the grass and flowers. "It's a family thing, I guess."

"Tradition, then?"

"Yeah, I guess you can call it that."

There was a pause, and then Allouet asked, "I'm sorry, should I not have asked?"

"Huh? No, I, uh… What do you mean?"

"You seem like the talkative type. I had expected more of an answer when I asked that question. I hadn't meant to offend you."

"Oh, no, don't worry. It's just, uh... Things with my family are kinda weird to talk about, is all.” Dubhan waved a hand as if waving the thought itself away. “You didn't do anything wrong, don't worry about it."

Allouet appeared poised to say something, but then stopped himself. A silence fell between the two, leaving an awkward atmosphere in the air.

Eventually, Dubhan stood up, ready to suggest heading back. A movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention, in the trees beyond the clearing. A creature coming closer. “H… Hey, Allouet.”

“Hm?” Allouet followed Dubhan’s gaze into the trees, his face turning white when he spotted the approaching figure.

"We, uh, might be in danger."

A massive deer that towered over either of the men in height was approaching the clearing. Its figure was obscured somewhat by the trees and branches in the way, and it was thanks to those that it didn’t seem to have spotted Dubhan or Allouet yet. Allouet stood up rushed for trees on the opposite side of the clearing.

"We have to hide now," Allouet hissed, but Dubhan wasn't arguing. The pair slipped into the foliage just as the massive deer stepped into the clearing.

The deer came into full view. It must have stood nearly three meters tall from head to hooves, and its branching antlers stretched up even higher than that, effortlessly shoving tree branches aside as it moved. The shape of powerful muscles could be seen in its shoulders and legs, and it lifted its head to sniff the air.

Dubhan kept his body as still as his muscles would allow. Allouet stood shaking, clasping a hand tightly over his mouth to mask the sound of his uneven breathing. Time stretched on as the two silently hoped for this creature, a beast that has caused the end of untold numbers of adventurers, to simply move on.

Then it turned its gaze directly to face Dubhan and Allouet. It stamped its hooves down on the ground in a threatening display before charging straight for their position.

Allouet tried to run out of the way as the deer—a furyhorn—attempted to trample the two of adventurers. He only managed to trip to the ground between his panic and the foliage. He cowered and screamed as the furyhorn tried to kick at him with its powerful legs. Dubhan slipped between the two just in time to parry the furyhorn's hooves with the blade of his scythe, the impact threatening to shatter the weapon.

"Allouet, get up and run!"

Allouet struggled to his feet. He broke out into the clearing, pausing just long enough to cast a lightning spell targeting the furyhorn. He was not aiming for harm but to slow it enough to give Dubhan an opening. The furyhorn was startled at the sudden appearance of the bolt of lightning, staggering and backing away from the magic and from Dubhan.

Dubhan used the chance to dodge past the furyhorn and join Allouet in the clearing. He turned around, facing the furyhorn once more, holding his scythe out horizontally in front of him. His focus was not on the monstrous deer, but on silently commanding a dark energy in the air, one that only he was aware of at first. The energy grew palpable, forming as a shadowy mist around the furyhorn just as it began to charge once more.

Its legs shook and buckled beneath it suddenly, and it collapsed to the ground. It struggled to stand as the dark mist clung to its body, as if sapping the monster’s strength.

Dubhan turned and reached for Allouet, grabbing him by the arm. Allouet was watching the furyhorn in confusion, but snapped out of his thoughts when Dubhan began running.

“It won’t last long!” Dubhan shouted.

He ran alongside Allouet through the forest path, using this small advantage to gain a headstart. It was hardly more than seconds before the pair could hear the furyhorn’s hooves pounding against the ground again in its pursuit.

“The trees, there!” Allouet pointed to a patch of trees that had grown clustered together before turning to sprint into them. Dubhan followed, but was halted when he felt something yank his scythe back. He looked up and saw its blade caught among several branches. The trees here grew too thick for a weapon of its size. There was nothing to be done about it. Dubhan let go of the weapon and dived into the trees just as the furyhorn’s hoof stomps came up behind him.

The furyhorn halted outside the cluster of trees, slamming its hooves down one after the other as it tried to find an opening to chase its would-be victims. It reared back and rammed its antlers into the trees. They shook, prompting a startled shout from Allouet as leaves fell to the ground along with Dubhan’s scythe.

Dubhan watched the furyhorn’s movements closely, silently begging it to leave his weapon alone. As if out of spite, the furyhorn instead brought its hoof right down on the blade of the weapon, snapping it in two. Dubhan flinched at the sight. So much for scythe number seven.

The furyhorn tried again to ram the trees, but they held firm unlike the branches the creature could shove aside or break through. When that failed, it stomped around the outskirts of the trees for a while. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the frustrated monster lost interest and turned away, vanishing once more into the trees.

Dubhan waited for a while longer, then finally spoke. "I think we're alright now."

Allouet was still shaking, staring wide-eyed into the distance where the furyhorn had been. "I... I-I..." He struggled to find words.

Dubhan placed a hand on Allouet’s shoulder. "We can leave now, Allouet. It's okay."

"I... A-alright...”

The trip back was mercifully quiet with no further threats making themselves known, allowing the two to retrace the path they took to find the flowers. Allouet was quiet for the entire way back, jumping at birds and staying closer to Dubhan than before. At the very least, he'd stopped shaking by the time they made it out of the labyrinth, returning to the eastern gate of the city.

"You going to be alright?" Dubhan asked.

Allouet nodded but made no eye contact. "Yes... Yes, thank you."

"Mm... Hey, how about we go get a drink? Might help relax after all that, right?"

"No, thank you... I'd like to be on my own for a while if you do not mind. I'll speak with you again later."

"Oh... Yeah, sure. If I'm not at the bar, you can stop by my apartment."

There were few words spoken beyond that. Once Dubhan and Allouet reached Omaros once more, they went their separate ways. Dubhan expected that his new guildmate-to-be was far less interested in becoming a guildmate after all of that. Perhaps it was time to get back to searching for willing adventurers in the city, and he would need a new scythe.

There was a knock on the door of Dubhan's apartment just as he was debating on whether to stop by the Dozing Lamb for the night. It was already late in the evening, so he was hardly expecting any visitors.

Dubhan opened the door. "Hel - oh?"

Allouet was waiting outside the apartment, fidgeting nervously when the door opened. "I, um... Hello, Dubhan. Are you doing well?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. What about you? You seemed, uh... Shaken up earlier."

Allouet nodded. "I apologize for that. I... believe I did underestimate the labyrinth in the end.”

"Well, to be fair,” Dubhan said, “most folks don't run into something like that as soon as they step foot into Yggdrasil. Furyhorns are usually found further in. Adventuring's not for everyone though, I get it, don't worry about it."

"Uh, no, I... I still want to, actually."

Dubhan took a second to make sure he’d heard that correctly. "Are… Are you sure?"

“Yes. I need to find the tome. I had wanted to... I mean... I should apologize for judging you so harshly to begin with. I wanted you to prove your competency, but I was the unreliable one. I have no hope of accomplishing my goal if I'm alone, so I really do need to find others who would be willing to help. And you... Well, I should be asking you if you'd even let me join you after today."

Dubhan grinned at Allouet and ruffled his hair. "What're you being so hard on yourself for? You had your first trip into the labyrinth AND you didn't die to a furyhorn! I call that a success."

"St-stop that..."

"I've been in and out of the forest my fair share of times—or, well, far into it as I can go without getting stopped by guards—so the occasional brush with those sorts of things isn’t new to me, that’s all. The point of teaming up is to help each other out! Plus you're a hell of a lot more sensible than me, and you know magic!"

"Well... If you're certain that you'd like me along, then... Will you allow me to join your guild?"

"You don't have to ask, of course you can!"

Allouet smiled."Thank you, Dubhan, I... Wait.” He stopped and that smile faltered. “Wait, if you hadn't been allowed further into the labyrinth before, is that because... Dubhan. Am I the first person to join your guild?"

"Yes!" Dubhan gave an enthusiastic nod.

"You don't actually have a guild, then."

"I do now! C'mon, let's go to the guild hall and get the paperwork sorted out."

“It’s… rather late?”

Dubhan looked out the window, remembering that it was dark outside. “First thing tomorrow, then!”

The guild registration hall was quiet today, though that was usually the case. Despite handling matters involving all of the city’s guilds, that primarily meant paperwork, so the building was simple and resembled an office waiting room more than anything. Sitting at a counter in the hall was a tall, red-haired woman with a strong build. She was flipping through papers with a disinterested expression and looked up when Dubhan and Allouet entered.

"Meila! Guess what?!" Dubhan announced to the red-headed woman.

Meila, the head of the guild hall, raised an eyebrow at Dubhan. "You kidnapped some poor sap?"

"I have a friend who is interested in forming a guild with me, Meila," Dubhan retorted.

Meila turned her attention to Allouet. "You're the lucky fella who's gonna finally get our boy into the labyrinth, hm? You’re a pretty little thing. You know, Dubhan, you could have just joined a pre-existing guild.”

"That's not how I do things, you know that, Meila."

"He's always evasive like that, by the way," she whispers to Allouet.

"It's alright, I don't mind,” Allouet said.

"See, Allouet's a good friend to me! Now sign us up, Meila!"

Meila shrugged, pulling some papers and a pen out from the other side of the counter. "Sure thing. You two have a guild name in mind?"

Allouet looked over at Dubhan. "Do we?"

"Hm... Shiragiku."

"Pardon?"

Dubhan smiled at Allouet. "It means 'White Chrysanthemum.'"

"Why 'white chrysanthemum' then?"

"I wanted to name it after the both of us. Your hair is white!"

Allouet narrowed his eyes at Dubhan. "Really?" He sighed. "Is the chrysanthemum part for you, then?"

"White chrysanthemums also mean loyalty and dedication. It's a nice thing to build our guild on, don't you think?"

"I'm not sure that answers my question, but.. Shiragiku, was it? I suppose the foreign term is less cumbersome of a name. Very well. Shiragiku, then."

And thus, a new guild was formed that day—Guild Shiragiku of Omaros. Will their name be known throughout the city's history for their exploits? Or will they be forgotten in the depths of the labyrinth, like so many others?