Verdant Flames

“I’m Gregory, the mage. There’s Rocco the barbarian, Serah the thief, and… well, you’ve already met Percival.” The Cardinal Mage motioned. “And together, we’re the Verdant Flames!”

Serah tried not to laugh at his adorable theatrics, but it was impossible.

“Nice to be a part of the group!” Katie shined.

“We aren’t much… but I hope you have fun.” Greg admitted.

“Can’t be worse than the last team we were on…” Frankie made a joke only she and Katie would get, still hardly used to being a part of a something larger.

“I’m Katie, and this is Frankie. We hop from theme park to theme park, seeing all they have to offer.”

Everyone collectively tugged at their collars at the words “theme park.”

“You mean… kingdom.” Percival corrected.

“Ah, yes! Of course!” Katie smiled. “There are very many kingdoms… we have been to. We won a grand contest in our homeland, earning us the funds for the voyage here.”

“I can see it in your eyes.” Rocco nodded. “You’re brave warriors, indeed.”

“Certainly impressive, that much is clear.” Percy sat parting his chainmail skirt, short red garb dropping down it below his iron-clad arms as his bright-blonde spiky anime hair billowed even in the small amount of ambient wind coming from the guild window. “We’ll see whether or not they’re brave come time to enter the dungeon.”

“The dungeon, right.” Frankie was slowly regaining her confidence as she played off the other’s energy. “Sign me up. When can we go?”

“Woah woah woah wait. If you’re new here we are not putting you through the dungeon first thing off the bat. We’ve tried it twenty-seven times and never made it past the first floor.”

Katie looked at Frankie.

“Frankie, did we pick a bad party?”

“It ain’t our fault!” Serah screeched. “That… place, it… it’s too damn hard. It… changes, every time you go in it… and those things in there, they’re completely unpredictable. You never know what you’re going to find.”

“It takes more skill and coordination than any other challenge a group of adventurers could undertake.” Nodded Rocco.

“…And that’s why we have to take it.” Percival compounded. “Can’t you just imagine it? Us, The Verdant Flames, first in all the land to conquer the once-dreaded Earth’s Throat Dungeon… it’s gotta be us. It’s gotta be.”

“Well, be reasonable, Percy… if we’ve never even seen the second floor, how will we…”

“This girl!” He grandly gestured right to Katie, who didn’t mind the importance suddenly placed upon her. “She’s a prodigy. Plain and simple, her swordswomanship is nothing short of extraordinary. With a bit of training she’ll be cutting through those monsters in no time.”

“Then we’ll get her training. To the warfields, men.”

“And women. Three of us now, Rocco darling.” Serah prodded as they left the building.

“…And women.”