The Treasure Seeker: Saga 1 - Etrian Odyssey 5 Fanfiction (BoyxBoy/BL)

Chapter 10

AN: Happy Australia Day for all my Aussie readers! Finally getting to some action in this chapter and a new character is briefly introduced, but information about him won't be until the next chapter. Anyway, hope you enjoy reading~

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Chapter 10:

Drayce followed Nashoba closely as the white wolf led him through the clearing and toward a path that seemed to snake further north into the labyrinth. He gritted his teeth as he prepared for the situation he may be running into. He knew that someone was in trouble or at least terrified. It was common courtesy amongst explorers not to scream out unless they legitimately feared for their life, feared for someone else's life, or was in general deep shit.

And the cry he heard, though weak, told him that they were heading toward a dangerous situation.

Rounding a tight, blind corner, Drayce heard Nashoba utter a warning growl and he momentarily stumbled to a halt when something appeared on the ground in front of him. It took him a second to realise that something was a person. A Therian.

And the Therian with red-hair was laid sprawled face down on the ground. A male Masurao by appearance. He also appeared to be unmoving. Unconscious.

God please let him just be unconscious.

Drayce's attention was soon drawn to something else that was red. A four legged creature with red fur and glistening canines. That was all he could see as it seemed to be making a beeline toward the fallen Therian as well.

The specifics of what that monster was or what had happened to the Therian would be worked out later. Right now he had to stop that thing from attacking and there was only one way he knew to do that. And he needed to get to him before that four-legged monstrosity did.

Without a second to waste, Drayce sprung forward and bypassed the Therian to instead plant himself in the monster's line of sight and in its direct path. With his shield between him and the four-legged brute, he gritted his teeth in anticipating of the impact.

And the monster hit his shield hard. Harder than he expected and he felt himself stagger back a couple of steps, almost stepping on the very Therian he was trying to protect.

Pushing back his own alarm, he peered over the top of his shield and grimaced when a pair of beady black eyes looked back at him.

Typical. The first monster they encountered had to be the notorious big-mouthed Wild Dog.

"Drayce!" Blayke called out to him, his voice filled with obvious alarm.

"Get him to safety!" Drayce ordered over his shoulder as he tightened his grip on his shield, pushing back against the monster as much as his strength allowed him. "Then get ready for battle! This thing won't be scared off!"

He received an uncertain reply in return. But even though Drayce's attention was focused on ensuring that his shield stayed between him and the gapping jaws of the Wild Dog, he could sense that his guildmates were assembling themselves in some manner. He didn't need to see them to know that they were ensuring that they themselves stayed out of danger while getting the Therian to safety.

Putting his shoulder into the shield and digging his heels into the ground, Drayce closed his eyes as he concentrated on calling out a Decoy Shield. He aimed for the space just a little behind the Wild Dog, hoping that the agitating qualities of the bunker would cause the monster to turn its full attention on it rather than against Drayce's shield.

And thankfully it did. The second the Decoy Bunker came into physical form, the Wild Dog whirled wildly around to face it. With a snort and a growl it launched forward with incredible speed and slammed its head directly in the centre of the shield of the bunker.