The fact of the matter is that Omaros was originally built for one specific purpose. Exploration of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. When the great tree and the ecosystem inside of it were discovered, word traveled and so did adventurers seeking the thrill, fame, and glory of unraveling its secrets. As the adventurers came in and sought places to camp outside the great tree, savvy merchants saw an opportunity to peddle wares in new territory, buildings and shops were constructed, and what started as an outpost hub outside the tree soon grew into the sprawling city it was today. It was hardly the first time the world had seen such a settlement grow from an Yggdrasil tree, and would likely not be the last.

Despite the fact that the labyrinth lay inside the tree itself, one would never know it from deeper in. The exterior was ringed by walls of bark, yes, but a genuine forest sat inside of Yggdrasil. Birdsong could be heard, as could the running of water from a brook somewhere. Most peculiar was what seemed to be sunlight still managing to break through these trees here and there. Where it came from was unclear, as attempts to climb up the trees and break through the canopy had been met only with more leaves and branches.

Dubhan stepped forward unflinchingly along a wide and oft-traveled path between the tree trunks, well adjusted to the strange environment surrounding him. "So, what sort of flowers are we looking for?"

Allouet, on the other hand, paused for a moment to look up at the sunlight. He quickened his pace to catch up to Dubhan when he realized he was falling behind. "Nectar blooms,” he said. “Small, white, round petals. They're easy enough to miss when mixed in with other flowers, but simply let me know if you spot anything of note and I'll handle the inspections from there."

"Sure thing. This your first time in the labyrinth?"

“Oh. I...” Allouet directed his attention elsewhere. “Well... Yes, actually."

"Oh, yeah? Didn't realize I was bringing a newbie along. Well, you stick close and I'll make sure nothing scratches you too hard." He gave Allouet a reassuring smile as the two walked.

"I can fight, as it happens. I am simply new to the city."

"Good to hear. I know a few good restaurants I can recommend too, if you want.”

“I would much prefer to keep our focus on the task at hand.”

“Fine, fine. Alright then, nectar blooms, right?"

Allouet gave Dubhan a skeptical side eye. “Do you have any idea of where to begin in the first place?”

"Mm... I mean, it shouldn't be too hard. The shops in town occasionally have requests up for folks to bring some in to make medicine."

"But you don't actually know. Allow me a moment to look at our surroundings, then."

Dubhan shrugged, bracing his scythe against the ground and leaning on it as he allowed Allouet to step forward. Allouet spent a while examining the terrain around them—the soil and grass, looking up to the canopy, peering closely at the bark and moss on the trees—periodically muttering to himself about moisture and sunlight availability and the like. Dubhan yawned, his focus drifting off into the trees surrounding their pair. The wildlife sounded docile today. No signs of horrible incoming death as far as he could tell.

“Aha!” Allouet straightened up and turned to face Dubhan, one hand on his hip and the other pointing to emphasize his words as he said, “Judging by the conditions of the sunlight and the environment, we should be heading down that way to find our objective.” He flicked his hand to point out to the trees beyond the path, his face beaming with a proud smile.

Dubhan’s eyes followed the direction indicated. He frowned, seeing only untamed wilderness that way. “Are you sure? We might wanna follow the path a while longer and see if we find any that way.”

Allouet crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “Is it not the duty and goal of those exploring the labyrinth to explore it? If you’re too frightened to traverse off the main paths, then you’ll not be of much help further into this place.”

“Easy, listen, I get that,” Dubhan said, raising his hands defensively, “but it’s not really me that I’m worried about. The monsters and stuff here are pretty manageable when you know what you’re doing, but you really can’t underestimate this place.”

“I did say that I have skill with combat should it be needed. I have no intent to shy away from my path simply due to some woodflies or tree rats.” Without waiting for another word, Allouet was off the path and heading straight through the trees, shoving shrubs and branches out of his way. Dubhan sighed and followed along.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

The trek through the trees was far more difficult than along the open path, but Dubhan hardly minded. He’s traveled through worse even in this upper area of the labyrinth. He used his scythe to hold tree branches aside and cut through thick patches of shrubbery as he and Allouet continued on.

After a while, however, a sound caught Dubhan’s attention and he stopped. It took Allouet a few extra steps to notice, pausing and asking, “What is it?”

There was a distant buzzing sound, muffled at first by the plentiful trees and greenery about, but it was quickly approaching. Allouet caught on to it at last, his eyes lighting up alert as he began scanning the surrounding area for the source of it. “That sound is… woodflies isn’t it?” he asked. Despite his previous comments, his apprehension was readily apparent.

The answer came before either of the pair could say anything. The sound grew clearer as the gigantic stinger-bearing butterflies, each the size of a cat, came bursting through the trees in an angered swarm. Their translucent-blue wings beat together creating the harsh buzzing noise that accompanied them, and their numbers rapidly grew as Dubhan tried to count up just how many their were.

The color drained from Allouet’s face—as much as was possible for his lunarian skin tone, at any rate—and his eyes flicked about in a hurry from one insect to the next as he absorbed just how many there were. Woodflies, aggressive as they could be to intrusions in their territory were rarely a threat to even novice adventurers individually. A swarm, however…

Dubhan swung his scythe out at a cluster of the insects, cutting through several of their frail bodies with ease and leaving their wings to flutter to the ground. With those ones down, however, more appeared to take their place, their buzzing wings carrying them to surround Dubhan. He felt a sharp sting in the back of his shoulder from one of the bugs, gritting his teeth against the pain shooting through his arm and back.

Allouet, meanwhile, struggled to regain his composure as he backed away from the groups of the swarm chasing after him. He focused on the energy in the air, mentally commanding it to follow his whim before pointing a hand out and directing the energy to the woodflies. Amongst the swarm, a bolt of electricity sparked out from nothing, frying a clump of their numbers.

For a moment, Allouet felt relief at the decreased number of enemies. But only that moment. More came flying in, and the buzzing sound of their wings intensified with their anger. The sound vibrated through the air and Allouet found his concentration broken, struggling to conjure more spells to combat the attackers.

Allouet staggered back, gripping the side of his head with one hand as a piercing ache spread through his skull with the sound. His vision blurred, but he saw the colors of the woodflies closing in on him. Then, they were replaced with dark colors and Allouet thought his vision had gone, until he realized Dubhan had run in front of him. A spot of blood was spreading from the back of Dubhan’s shoulder where he had been stabbed by a stinger.

Dubhan brought his scythe up in an arc through more of the woodflies, then down again atop another clump of them.

Finally, the numbers of the woodflies dwindled, and the angered animals that remained took the hint. The woodflies that were left turned tail, fleeing from further strikes of Dubhan’s weapon. As the horde cleared, so did the buzzing sound until it faded into the distance, and the pain in Allouet’s head went with it.

Allouet was trembling, and took a moment to catch his breath, blinking away the spots in his vision. Dubhan, despite his injury, only smiled and said, “I told you I wouldn’t let anything hurt you, right?”

“Are… are you alright?” Allouet tried to steady his voice. He found it difficult to make eye contact after that display. “You’re bleeding… We should take a moment to treat that.”

With the threat gone, Allouet used this time to fetch a poultice and bandages from his bag. Fortunately, the stinger had not managed to pierce deep into Dubhan’s shoulder, leaving only a flesh wound. The venom would be the biggest hindrance, but even that did little to humans outside of pain and some inflammation of the affected area. In all, it was little that would hinder Dubhan’s ability to wield his weapon. Probably.

“This wasn’t your first time in a battle, was it?” Dubhan asked while he let Allouet set to work.

“As I’ve said, I’ve had experience with combat,” Allouet said hurriedly, before the tone in his voice shifted to one of shame as he continues, “However… Not against foes in that number, or in an ambush such as that. Or… outside of training and sparring purposes.”

Dubhan turned to look at Allouet at that comment.

“Stay still, I’m trying to keep the bandages in place.”

Dubhan obliged. “Bold of you to go right off the path when you’re so new to all of this.”

“And by ‘bold’ you mean ‘foolish,’ yes?”

Dubhan shrugged, aggravating the pain in his muscles and earning a grunt of annoyance from Allouet as the bandages shifted a bit, and said, “Well, maybe, but I’m an idiot too! You should’ve seen the messes I got into my first couple of times in the labyrinth. I tried fishing in a pond of fanged fish, thought they’d make a good lunch.”

Allouet sighed rather than acknowledge the tale. “That should do for now. The poultice will help with the pain. Do you think you’re well enough to continue?”

Dubhan turned around and pat Allouet on the head, earning an offended glare, which Dubhan gladly ignored. “It’s gonna take plenty more than this to knock me on my ass, you know. I should be asking you that question.”

“There are far worse threats than this in the labyrinth, I know that much, and I still need to traverse its depths. To be frightened away by insects would do me no good at all.”

"Well, if you say so. Like I said, stick close to me, alright?"

Allouet nodded. “Let’s be moving, then.”