Etrian Odyssey is a unique game. For one, it's a game that I personally bought on impulse while sitting in a Gamestop, wondering whether or not I should pick up a game or not. This game caught my eye sitting in the corner in its modest little box. Upon closer inspection, I saw a familiar logo in the bottom right hand corner: ATLUS. Two minutes later, I was out of the store with a Gamestop bag in my hand and my wallet $30 lighter.

Secondly as to why its a unique game, it's one of the VERY few games that I have actually enjoyed not just playing the game, but crafting my own story for the game itself. Most games have a rigorous story that is laid out for you, and while I'd usually prefer this, in the case of Etrian Odyssey, being able to craft my own story for my characters makes the game infinitely more interesting. Since I'm big into anime, I decided to name my Guild "Otaku" and subsequently found names for my characters from anime that fit them either by similar jobs or similar looks.

The following is my recollection of one of the funnier and potentially worst ideas I've ever had while playing this game, and yes, it involves the Wyvern that we all know and love from the 8th floor.

After hightailing it out of the Wyvern's Lair for the first time with the egg in hand, I've always wondered how strong it was. But playing enough of this game to know that even the Moles on the first floor are capable of dispatching my party, I decided not to chance it. A bit more through the game, I finally reached the third stratum, after narrowly conquering Cernunos, and found myself in a wonderfully (and subsequently, inexplicably) blue forest. After the introduction of the new stratum (dubbed the Azure Rainforest), I quickly saw the familiar pink star on my map and made a mad dash to it after that last battle. I teleported back to town (subsequently receiving my reward for defeat Cernunos) and found that they had a new task for me that was to map out the next two floors. Well, alright.

It was after achieving this that I thought my levels had reached an acceptable level and my experience was enough with the game that I could either take on Wyvern by Brute Force or Finesse a win through a bit of strategy. So I ran back to town and hatched a strategy to defeat the boss. I thought long and hard about the party I wanted to bring into the battle.

Eventually, after narrowing down what I needed, my Party consisted of:











***End Player Perspective***
***Begin Character Perspective***

"Az...Az...Wake up..."

I woke up to the morning sun shining brightly through the Rooster Inn window. I look around to find that my teammates were all circled around my bed waiting for me. I immediately got out of my bed.

"I'm sorry!" I quickly apologized for my oversleeping. I then went on to hastily pack up my gear and ready myself for the task. We all came back yesterday exhausted after mapping out the 11th and 12th floor of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. I had carried Raquel back to Etria after an unlucky blow from a Guardant pierced through her left leg. I looked over at her and thankfully the Ceft Apothecary was able to heal the wound.

"Thanks for yesterday," she said as I came over to the the table my teammates were huddled around.

After I took my seat, Saber began with the agenda for today's exploration.

"Alright, everybody. Now that we've reached and explored the first few floors of the third stratum, I think it's time we took a small break from missions, so without further ado, I'm going to open the floor for suggestions on what we should pursue within the Labyrinth. Kurogane suggested that we take on the Wyvern that we ran around on the 8th floor--"

Just as Saber mentioned this proposition, Eruruu responded with an objection. "We can't do that! Radha Hall specifically said NOT to challenge the Wyvern."

"But that was ages ago!" retorted Kurogane, "We've clearly gotten stronger, and what better way to prove it than to defeat some strong enemies? Besides, we've already reached the 12th floor, what's the worst a monster on the 8th floor going to do?"

"I see that Treerat on the second floor really did a number on you," Eruruu responded sternly, "We had to rush back to town because you got careless."

"That wasn't my fault! Kikyo was supposed to back me up!" Kurogane replied.

Kikyo, a Survivalist of our guild, was there with us that day. During that battle, Kurogane had taken out the Hare, but sustained heavy damage from the fight. Kikyo was to finish off the Treerat as Kurogane took care of the Hare, but the Treerat had managed to dodge Kikyo's final attack and the Treerat susbequently sunk his teeth into Kurogane's shoulder.

"Anyways," continued Kurogane, "stop bringing up old news. We definitely won't lose against that Wyvern."

"But--" Eruruu started, but was subsequently interrupted by Saber.

"That's enough. I, too, feel that the group is strong enough to take on the Wyvern. However, I do want to warn everybody here that we must be careful. If there is any sign of danger, we will abandon the plan and escape. Am I understood?"

It seemed like a general consensus was reached, and I was not going to be the only one to disagree with the guild captain.

"Alright then, " Saber continued, "we leave in 30 minutes. Everybody make sure they have everything they need. Visit Shilleka again if you need to. Meet at the Geomagnetic Field outside of the Labyrinth when you are ready. Meeting adjourned."

After that everybody went their separate ways. I went back to my bed and picked up my gear. After I readied all my equipment, I left the inn to go wander around before the battle. As I left the inn, Raquel was standing at the inn's door.

"Do you really think we can defeat the Wyvern?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," I replied, "but I'll definitely do my best." I couldn't think of anything else to say. I didn't really think it was possible if the Radha warned us not to, but it seems like Raquel thought the same.

"Alright then, I'll do my best too. I'm going to go visit Radha Hall before we leave."

"Why?"

"I'm going to see if I can look up any information on the Wyvern. If I can find some weak points, then I should be able to exploit them."

"Ah, that makes sense. I won't keep you then." I waved to her as she left in the direction of Radha Hall. I decided to walk around and make sure I didn't forget anything. Taking on the Wyvern seemed like a really dangerous task, so I headed for the Ceft Apothecary.

Inside, I found Eruruu browsing the counter. "You're checking up on supplies too, huh?" I said to her as I walked up.

"Of course! This battle will be very dangerous, and I still think that its a bad idea. But the captain has spoken. So I have to make sure we'll be ready for everything." She threw some more Medica IIs into her basket. "What about you? Do you think we can defeat the Wyvern?"

"I don't know. I can't help much in physical combat," I replied, "but I'll do my best to support you all."

"That's good to hear. Remember, if you're ever hurting anywhere, just give me a call, and I'll heal you. We need to stick together to survive through this." She looks at the clock on the wall. "It's about time. Let's go."

She paid for the supplies and the two of us headed for the Etrian gates. The sky was clear, and there was a nice breeze blowing. It seemed like a perfect day to enjoy the sunshine, but unfortunately for us, we were to spend the day within the Primitive Forest, where the sun's rays only filtered through.

It looked like me and Eruruu were the last ones to show up. Everybody seemed in high spirits, with Kurogane having an especially wide grin on his face. "What took you two so long?" he said, "I'm itching for some action here."

"We went to the Apothecary to get some supplies." I replied.

"Healing supplies? We don't need those!" Kurogane responded confidently, "This battle will be over before you know it!"

"Aren't you being a little too confident there, Kurogane?" countered Eruruu, "This is a VERY dangerous monster--"

"Trust me, it'll be down within minutes. With my new Great Axe on my side, nothing will stand a chance!" exclaimed Kurogane, raising up his new, shiny weapon. "I won't need any of your healing supplies!"

Before Eruruu could reply, Saber stepped in.

"Now that we're all here, it's time to go. Remember to not let your guard down." warned Saber as we stepped into the field.

As we stepped in, the world around us began to spin. Faster and faster, the world eventually turned to white. Slowly, the spinning slowed, and color returned to my eyes, but this time, it was the dark green color of the second stratum of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth. The familiar tint of green instantly brought back memories of the first time I set foot into this new stratum.

"Alright, let's move." ordered Saber, and the adventure started. We started our journey to the 8th floor where the Wyvern resides. I was the designated navigator and cartographer, so I led the group in our travel. As marked on the map, we had to sneak by some Cutters in the first room. We hugged the right wall and quickly made our way to the right door in the room. After we ducked through the door, away from the Cutters, we found ourselves facing a swarm of Waspiors!

"Alright!" exclaimed Kurogane, "Time for some action!" He lept forward, with axe in hand, and delivered a powerful upward swing, knocking the unlucky Waspior a good 20 feet into the air before it landed with a thump on the ground dead. He then aimed for the second Waspior next to the first, but it had spontaneously combusted before he could attack. Saber quickly dispatched the final Waspior with a critical slash across its head, knocking it against the walls of the Labyrinth.

"Piece of cake!" said Kurogane, "Let's move!"

After walking through some more natural corridors, we reached another room with Cutters. Saber looked over at me and asked "Where's the exit?" I looked down at my map and realized that the exit for this room was blocked by a Cutter.

"It's over in that direction," I replied, "but there's a Cutter in the way. There's no other way around, we have to defeat that Cutter. But we should be able to ambush it if we stick to this wall here." I said, pointing to the right wall.

"Damn." said Saber. "I suppose it's unavoidable. Team, move out!"

We hugged the right wall and then found the Cutter blocking the exit.

"Go, go, go!" Saber shouted as we ran forward, engaging the Cutter. The Cutter, caught by surprise, found both Kurogane's axe and Saber's sword firmly lodged into its body and let out a deafening scream. I saw Eruruu in the rear with me, along with Raquel. Eruruu was defending and waiting for her services to be needed and Raquel began chanting a spell. I started singing a battle hymn to support team defense.

"Hey, Az!" shouted Kurogane after landing his first blow, "we don't need defense! Give us more power!" Hearing that, I quickly changed to a triumphant song to boost strength. As Kurogane continued to beat away at the Cutter, Saber took a more defensive stance and was ready to shield damage to herself and Kurogane.

Just then, Cutter's rage reached a high point and it broke through the front line, even after sustaining Kurogane's attack, and jumped straight at me! I attempted to jump away, but his claw managed to clip my left side as I jumped. I landed on one knee. The pain that attack inflicted was nearly unbearable, but it quickly faded as I suddenly felt refreshed.

"That was a close call, Az! Are you alright?"

I looked up and Eruruu was there with an outstretched hand, smiling. I accepted her hand and got back up and in formation.

"Everyone alright back there?" Saber yelled back as she and Kurogane engaged the Cutter in another round.

"We're all fine!" I yelled back. I started to sing a new lightning fast rondo. "Tell Kurogane to attack now!"

Right then, Kurogane lunged forward and delivered a powerful axe smash to the Cutter's right side. Right before the blow landed, Kurogane's axe flashed yellow, and as the strike landed, a bolt of lightning came out of the trees, striking the Cutter. The Cutter began to stumble around after the strike, as if confused.

"What the--" exclaimed Kurogane, who was as confused as the Cutter. That was amazing!" he continued, looking at his axe, still glowing yellow.

"Look out!" shouted Eruruu, as the Cutter madly lunged forward at Kurogane. It brought up its claw, and just as swiftly brought it down across Kurogane's chest. He flew backwards and landed on his back 10 feet away from where he started. Kurogane struggled to get back up, and ready to launch a retaliatory attack, but then a second lightning bolt came down and struck Cutter. This time, it stumbled backwards, finally falling on its back, dead. I looked over at Raquel, who had just finished chanting her Lightning spell.

I looked back over at Kurogane, who had fallen back down again, with Eruruu running towards him.

"Stay still, Kurogane!" insisted Eruruu, "You need to be treated! That's a nasty wound you have."

"Don't worry about it, it's just a scratch." replied Kurogane, refusing Eruruu's help. "I said I didn't need your healing, remember?"

"Be quiet! This wound is serious!" exclaimed Eruruu, attempting to treat the wound.

"I said I don't need it!" replied Kurogane, pushing Eruruu away from him.

"Let him be, Eruruu. If he doesn't want to be healed, that's on him." said Saber, stepping into the situation.

Seemingly still annoyed, Eruruu backed away and Saber helped Kurogane get back on his feet. "Are you feeling alright, Kurogane?" asked Saber.

"I told you I was fine. Let's keep moving." responded Kurogane, still limping a little as he walked.

We passed through the door and found our way to the 7th floor. I noted a shortcut through the bushes as we passed them and we took the hidden path to find a much faster way to the 8th floor. As we finally reached the 8th floor, I pointed out that there was a healing spring further down the path, and Saber agreed that we should take a small refresher's break there. We made our way there, sneaking past many enemies.

We finally reached the healing spring, and after we all got our turns with the spring, Saber explained for the last time our plan with the Wyvern, whose lair was mere minutes away.

"This is it, team. We're finally here at the Wyvern's Lair. Everybody make sure you are well equipped for the fight. And remember! If things start to look bad, under no circumstances should you hesitate running away. Again, everybody, prepare yourselves. This is one of the hardest fights we will ever encounter. Don't let your guard down. I will start off with Defender, and then proceed to guard the front line. Kurogane and I will keep it busy." said Saber as she turned to Kurogane, who replied with a nod. She then turned to Raquel and I. "You two are to support us. We'll need more firepower, but a strong defense is also important." Lastly, she turned to Eruruu, who seemed to be organizing her supplies and spellbooks. "Finally, Eruruu, we need you to Immunize us all against the elements as a precaution. Afterwards, we'll need all the healing we can get. I'm counting on you." Saber then turned to the entire group again. "We'll set up camp for now. Everybody make sure you're prepared."

I turned to Raquel, who was still studying through her massive tomes, deep in thought. I thought it not to be wise to bother her, but as I turned away, she called me."

"Az," she said, still deep in her studies. Without looking up from her book, she pulled out an Old Choker from her pocket. She then looked up at me and handed me the Choker. "I want you to have this. I found it lying on the ground a while back. I don't know how, but it's brought me good luck when I wore it. In case I don't make it through this adventure, I want you to take it back to my brother in Lagaard."

"Don't say that, we'll make it through this together." I replied.

"Thank you, Az." she responded back with a smile on her face before she went back to her tomes. I safely placed the choker in my bag and started to walk towards Eruruu, but it seemed that her and Kurogane were back arguing again, so I decided to just rest up before the fight. But before I began, Saber called me over for a few words.

"Did you need something, Saber?" I asked.

Without looking back at me, she said quietly, "Azmaria, there's one more job I need you to do." Her voice was stern but a slight falter was apparent. "In the event that...something were to happen to us on the front line...I want you to run away at the first sight of serious danger." She continued, "One of us here has to relay the news back to Etria. Should we fall in battle, I need for you to keep our story alive."

With that, she left to rest, giving me no time to object. Left by myself, I tacitly agreed to the task. I looked back and found the argument between Kurogane and Eruruu still raging, so I decided to go rest before the battle.

Soon thereafter, I awoke to the sound of scuffled movement. I looked up and saw my teammates packing up, and as such, I followed suit. We then left our impromptu camp and walked to the lair, luckily engaging no fiends along the way. We walked through the dense woods, without anybody saying a word. Not before long, we ended up in a clearing, facing the back of the Wyvern's large wings. It looks like he hasn't noticed us yet. Saber turned around to face us.

"Alright, team, let's show it what we've got! Let's go!"

And with this, we charged headlong into the Wyvern's back. I stayed in the rear with Raquel and Eruruu while Kurogane charged the Wyvern and Saber began her Defender. I looked at Raquel, who was already deep in an incantation. I then looked over at Eruruu, who was also beginning her Immunize. After hearing Kurogane's war cry, I turned in his direction and found his axe strike the Wyvern's thick skin. I then promptly began to sing the song of Shelter in order to reinforce our defenses. As I sang, I saw my teammates carry out their plans, as Saber completed her Defender and Eruruu completed her Immunize. I looked back over at the Wyvern, whose wings had become imbued with a dark green color. I looked over a Raquel, who smiled back at me and said, "I told you I'd find a weakness."

We began our second round with the Wyvern. After receiving the first hit from Kurogane, it was obvious that the Wyvern was more than disturbed out of his sleep. Saber managed to quickly set up a front guard, lucky for Kurogane, who ended up on the receiving end of the Wyvern's Talon. Even after the devestating attack, he managed to recover and launch his counterattack. To his and all of our surprise, the Wyvern barely moved from his spot, and subsequently looked even more enraged than before. I drew my arrow and fired a shot to the Wyvern's body only to see in disbelief the arrow literally bouncing off the tough exterior of the Wyvern.

"No way! How could he not have even flinched?!" I said. I looked around, but it seemed everybody was still hard at work with their jobs. I thought it was time to bring out some bigger firepower. I began to chant a familiar lightning fast rondo as our third round with the Wyvern began. Saber continued the Front Guard from the previous turn and Raquel had quickly began another spell. I looked over at Kurogane, whose injury seemed to have caught up to him and he found himself supporting himself with his axe on the ground. Eruruu began to approach Kurogane to tend his wounds, but was subsequently stopped by Kurogane himself.

"Stay back! I can still fight, I'll be fine." responded Kurogane.

"Don't be stupid! You need to be healed!" insisted Eruruu, beginning to apply her healing techniques.

"Idiot! I'll be fine!" retorted Kurogane. Axe in hand, he lunged at the Wyvern, and brought a slash across his the Wyvern's body. Again, the Wyvern didn't so much as budge from his original position, but instead, delivered a nasty strike down across Kurogane's chest. Kurogane let out a ear-piercing cry as he sustained the hit and flew back 30 feet before landing in a seemingly lifeless heap on the ground.

"Kurogane!" I yelled at him, breaking my song, but received no response. I began to run towards him, but was subsequently stopped by Eruruu.

"I'll take care of him." said Eruruu, "You should go back and help out Saber and Raquel." She turned back around and began to run to Kurogane, and I turned back to the Wyvern, who had just recovered from a Freeze spell. I continued to shoot arrows at the Wyvern, but not a single one did much outside of annoy the Wyvern even more. The Wyvern then flew high into the air. I thought it had flown away, but seconds later, it came back into view, diving straight at me! I closed my eyes and braced for the impact of the attack.

"Back Guard!"

I heard a sharp clash, and felt a strong shockwave on the ground in front of me which swiftly knocked me off of my feet. I opened my eyes and saw the Wyvern's two horns stuck into the ground where it landed. I'm sure I wouldn't have been living had a blow like that landed on me. I stood back up and found Saber looking back at me.

"Are you alright, Az?" she yelled back at me.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine!" I yelled back, "Thanks for your help!" I looked over at Raquel, still busy with another spell. I looked back at the Wyvern to find mist covering its head, still rooted into the ground.

"Freeze!"

The mist suddenly crystallized into a large block of Ice surrounding the Wyvern's head. Almost instantly, the Wyvern pulled its head out and shattered the ice, screaming in pain. It looked around, slightly confused. I took the time to sing another battle hymn to keep up our defenses. But no sooner than I had begun to sing, had the Wyvern lunged for another attack. It flew at Saber, who began to prepare a Front Guard. Suddenly, the Wyvern swerved away at the last second and came straight for me. I turned to attempt to dodge the attack, but subsequently tripped over a tree stump and landed on my chest. I turned back and looked at the Wyvern and found it about to bring down its Talon. I sat there, frozen in fear. Nobody could have done anything to protect me. I closed my eyes and waited for the fatal blow.

"Stunner!"

I opened my eyes and saw the Wyvern's head meet the blade of a large axe. The impact of the axe instantly stopped the Wyvern's assault and sent the Wyvern flying in a spiral where it landed with a loud thud several feet away. I looked up and saw a familiar figure standing there with an axe in hand. He looked at me and smiled. "Did you miss me?"

"Kurogane? How?" I looked at him, confused.

"Let's just say I owe someone...a lot." He replied, "But regardless, we have a battle to win. I'm counting on you." He then turned around and then ran back to the front line, readying himself for battle. I then turned around and saw Eruruu running towards me.

"Are you alright, Az?" she asked, retrieving more healing supplies from her bag.

"No, I'm fine," I replied, "but how did you heal Kurogane?"

"Remember that Nectar we found a few days ago here in the forest? I went back to the apothecary to get it looked at and it had reviving properties, so I kept it in my bag in case for emergencies." she answered, "But more importantly, let's finish this fight. Kurogane wanted to ask you a favor too. Did he tell you?"

"Alright, I got it." I replied quickly before beginning another lightning fast rondo.

Finally recovering from the stunning blow from Kurogane, the Wyvern began flailing its tail wildly in an attempt to knock down Saber and Kurogane in the front. Its tail met Saber's Front Guard, which greatly lessened the blow, but both Saber and Kurogane still received a significant impact and were still knocked back by the hit.

"We need backup!" shouted Saber back at Eruruu.

"I've got you covered!" returned Eruruu, who promptly ran up to the two and began Salving the injuries. I looked over at the Wyvern, who was again surrounded by a familiar blue mist.

"Kurogane!" I shouted, "It's ready!" My rondo was complete and Kurogane's axe flashed a familiar yellow glow. Suddenly, the Wyvern launched a surprise attack to the front row.

"Watch out!" I screamed. I fired a shot at the Wyvern, but it similarly only scratched the Wyvern's tough skin, not even slowing the Wyvern down one bit. "Saber! Eruruu! Kurogane!" I shouted again, "Get away from there!" I saw the Wyvern approaching the three quickly. Saber lunged at the Wyvern and delivered a horizontal slash, but the attack again did nothing to slow the Wyvern's approaching. Kurogane tried to ready his axe for an attack.

"I'll show you!" shouted Kurogane. He swung his axe, but the blade met the Wyvern's tail and was knocked out of his hands. The Wyvern quickly turned again ready to thrust his Talon.

"No!" shouted Eruruu, as she ran towards Kurogane. At the last second, Eruruu managed to push Kurogane out of the way of the strike. But in Kurogane's place, the Wyvern's sharp Talons pierced through Eruruu's chest. As the Wyvern began to retreat again, retracting its Talon, Eruruu collapsed forward on her bag of supplies.

"ERURUU!" I yelled. I ran up to her and turned her over and propped her up on my arms. I saw the nasty wound that the Talon had inflicted. Kurogane, Saber, and Raquel, had quickly come to gather around Eruruu with me.

"Idiot! I should have taken that hit! You didn't have to do that..." Kurogane said.

Eruruu opened her eyes slightly. "Forgive me....everybody...." she said weakly, "In the end....I couldn't....be much help....."

"Don't speak anymore and save your energy." said Raquel quietly.

"It's OK.....I'm not much longer....for this world--"

"Don't say that!" I yelled. "We're a team! We'll all make it through this together!" I looked up at Saber. "What should we do?!"

Saber replied sternly, "We have a battle to finish. Az, take Eruruu to far back away from battle."

No sooner had she finished that sentence had the Wyvern began another assault. "Go!" yelled Saber, and Kurogane and Raquel returned to their positions. I carried Eruruu back away from battle. As I ran, I heard the clashes of metal against the Wyvern. I ran over to a large tree far in the corner and propped Eruruu on the large tree.

"I'm sorry.....Az...." said Eruruu, her voice still weak.

"Why are you apologizing?" I countered, "Just stay still, and let us take it from here. You need to rest." I proceeded to apply my crude knowledge of First Aid to the wound. "This should do for now. We'll carry on from here. Just rest up here and we'll be back to town in no time. I promise you that." I turned to head back to the battle, but I felt a slight tug on my leg.

"Hold on a second." said Eruruu. She reached into her bag and pulled out some Medica IIs. "Take these with you. If anybody gets seriously hurt, use these." And with that, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

I stuffed them in my pocket and hurried back to the battle. But before I was able to reach my position, I found Kurogane flying backwards yet again. He landed a short distance in front of me. I hurried over to him.

"Damn you, Wyvern..." muttered Kurogane as he got back up.

I ran up to Kurogane and gave him one of the bottles of Medica II, "Here, this will help." I said, "It's from Eruruu."

"Thanks, Az." he said quickly after he finished the medicine, and proceeded to run back into the battle. I looked over at Saber, who was still able to keep the party intact. I then looked over at Raquel, who seemed to have reached her limit. I ran over to her.

"Raquel! Are you OK?" I yelled, still running. I quickly sang a song of Shelter to boost the defenses more as I ran. I finally reached her, just in time before she fell, landing on one knee.

"Stubborn little monster..." she said, exhausted. I looked back over at the Wyvern. It too seemed exhausted from the battle. Its body was riddled with scratches and scrapes from Kurogane's axe and Saber's sword. Other parts of the body had become brittle and vulnerable from being continuously frozen. Raquel suddenly got back on her feet and began to walk forward.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

She kept walking until she reached the front line with Saber and Kurogane, both looking equally perplexed as I was. When she stopped, she looked up at the Wyvern, and then looked back down, and said quietly: "...Final Attack..."

The Wyvern lunged with its horns pointed straight at Raquel. "Look out! Raquel!" I shot another arrow at the Wyvern. The arrow flew through the air and lodged itself in the Wyvern's left wing, causing the Wyvern to lose its balance for a short time, before continuing its attack. Both Kurogane and Saber jumped forward simultaneously, slashing through both sides of the Wyvern's body. The Wyvern cried out in pain and flinched for a second before again, continuing its dive at Raquel.

"Raquel!!" I screamed "Get away from there!!" I tried to run towards her, but it was too late. The Wyvern's horns had pierced through Raquel's body and now held her up in the air, the body limp. Raquel coughed up a large amount of blood on the back of the Wyvern's head.

We all stared at this grotesque scene for a while until Raquel started another incantation, to all of our surprise, including the Wyvern. Afterwards, Raquel quietly said her last words. "This is my...final attack..." She paused, placed her hand at the back of the Wyvern's head over the blood. "....Poison...."

At that moment, a bright green flash engulfed the area and blinded everyone. Before the light had cleared, a frightening scream rang through the forest, followed by a loud thump. Soon thereafter, the blinding light disappeared and I looked around. Saber and Kurogane were both similarly stunned as I was. I found the Wyvern in the same area, stumbling around and grasping its head in pain. I looked back at Eruruu, still in the same place, but next to her, I found Raquel leaning against another adjacent tree with her head down, not moving.

"RAQUEL!!" I screamed, beginning to run towards her, but was interrupted by Saber.

"Az, behind you!"

I turned around to see the Wyvern's wing just before it knocked me away. I landed far away among some bushes. I drank another bottle of Medica II quickly before I got up again. I found the Wyvern still stumbling around holding its head. I then heard Saber's voice.

"Az, are you OK?" she yelled at me. "Listen, from here on out, we're going on the offensive! We need to end this battle as soon as possible and get Eruruu and Raquel back to Etria!"

I got up off the bush and answered back quickly before starting another Rondo for Saber. I soon finished and saw Saber's sword flash yellow. Immediately after, I began to sing a song of Bravery and fire arrows as fast as I could. The Wyvern was still stumbling around from the strong poison injected from the back of its head, thanks to Raquel. It constantly flailed its wings about while stumbling. I saw Saber go in for a follow up attack, but got caught off guard by a wing blow. She was subsequently knocked back a fair distance where Kurogane caught her. I ran up to the two of them.

"Saber, are you all right?" I asked. I reached for the last bottle of Medica II and gave it to her. "Here, drink this. It's from Eruruu."

"Thanks, Az." she replied, downing the medicine quickly and readying her sword again. "Those wings are a problem," she said. "We'll need to get rid of them or something." She turned and looked at me and Kurogane. "Alright, here's the plan. Kurogane and I will charge the Wyvern from the front. While we're charging, Az, ready an arrow. When I give the signal, fire the arrow, and the two of us will split and attack from both sides."

As she finished, we got into position. As soon as I saw Saber and Kurogane begin to charge, I drew an arrow and aimed it at the Wyvern's chest. I saw Saber and Kurogane both charging the Wyvern, both with their weapons on the side. I kept the arrow taut and waited for the signal. The Wyvern had noticed Saber and Kurogane's attack and attempted to charge them at the same time. As they closed in, I heard Saber's voice: "Now!"

I let loose the arrow. I saw Kurogane and Saber jump to the two sides of the Wyvern. The Wyvern, finding himself unable to stop quickly enough continued forward and ran into my arrow, causing it to become firmly lodged in its chest. It had stopped in its tracks and let out a piercing scream. Right then, Saber and Kurogane launched themselves at the Wyvern from both directions. They both swung their weapons simultaneously at the Wyvern's two wings. As the blows connected, two familiar lightning bolts came from above and struck the Wyvern's two wings, causing the Wyvern to stumble backwards and begin flailing once again. In a surprise move, the Wyvern quickly turned around and subsequently flailed its tail at Kurogane and Saber, both not yet recovered from their previous attack. The tail swept the two off their feet and knocked them back on both sides of me.

"Saber! Kurogane! Are you two alright?" I kneeled down to ask. I saw the terrible wound across their chests. It seemed like Kurogane took most of the blow. The amount of blood coming from the wound seemed fatal. I looked in my bag for anything that could help, but found nothing. I turned around to Saber, who had seemed to have managed to get back up on her own, though using her sword as a support. "Saber, what should we do now?" I asked her.

Saber wasn't hit as hard as Kurogane, but it seemed the wound was still significant. But she seemed to be able to get ready for battle again. "We're really close to victory. We will achieve what we set out to accomplish! We're nearly there! Just a bit more--" she stopped abruptly as she coughed up some blood and returned to a kneeling position.

"Saber!" I said, "Don't push yourself, we can always try again next time!" A noise came from behind me. I looked back and saw Kurogane, who had managed to get up, but struggling just to stand.

"Saber's right." said Kurogane, "We've come too far to give up now. Eruruu and Raquel..." he looked back where the two were lying, "they sacrificed themselves for us!" he exclaimed, "We can't throw that away. We'll finish what we started. I promise you all, we will make it back to town after emerging victorious!"

"Kurogane!" I said surprised, "How did you manage to get back up, that wound should be critical..."

"Az," he replied, "you'll learn this for yourself someday, but the will to live is the strongest weapon that we have. Remember that well."

With that, he seemed to have regained some of his strength back and was now able to stand and ready his weapon again. I looked back over at Saber, who seemed to be, again, ready for battle. She turned to us. "Alright, let's do this. Let's try our Delta Attack again." She looked at Kurogane, who responded with a nod. She then looked at me.

"Understood." I replied. We promptly assumed our previous positions. I once again retrieved another arrow and readied it at the Wyvern. It seems that the Wyvern was still slightly bewildered, still clutching its head as it wobbled around.

"Ready?" said Saber as she looked back at me.

"Yes!" I replied, still holding the arrow taut and pointed at the Wyvern's head.

"Alright, Let's go!" said Saber, and the two of them once again charged at the Wyvern. Similar to last time, the Wyvern again found itself charging the two.

"Now!" yelled Saber as she and Kurogane jumped back, creating an opening.

I released the arrow and it zipped through the air. The Wyvern again found itself unable to stop in time and subsequently found another arrow stuck this time in his neck. Quickly after the arrow struck the Wyvern, Saber and Kurogane again simultaneously attacked the Wyvern, this time, the target was the body of the Wyvern, in an attempt to knock it out.

Both blows landed nearly simultaneously and the Wyvern cried out in pain a second time, though still standing, barely.

"This is it!" Kurogane yelled as he swept in for a follow up attack against the stumbling Wyvern. As he raised his axe for an attack, the Wyvern's tail had once again swept around in confusion.

"Watch out!" I heard Saber yell as she charged forth to push Kurogane out of harm's way. But as she was coming into range of Kurogane, the tail had already struck Kurogane on the head, leaving him in a lifeless heap while the tail continued its course. Saber suddenly found herself as the next target of the flailing tail. She put up her shield to attempt to block the blow, but it was too little and too late. The tail broke through Saber's defenses with such force that Saber herself was sent airborne until she, too lay on the ground lifeless.

I suddenly found myself alone. All alone.

I looked back at Eruruu and Raquel, both still showing no signs of life. Kurogane and Saber lay on the ground from the Wyvern's last tail attack, still stumbling around wildly. I stood there, frozen in fear. Even in unbearable pain, the Wyvern was able to regain a sense of his surroundings. I kept staring at the Wyvern, not moving. Eventually, our eyes locked on each other. The Wyvern began to limp over towards me. I kept standing there, unable to move my arms to fire an arrow or my legs to run away. I could do nothing but stare at the Wyvern. He eventually reached me and towered over me.

My eyes still locked onto his, all I could do was stare as he stood there, raising his talon, about to attack. I could do nothing but close my eyes and wait for the blow. There was nobody to save me this time, and nobody to help me. I was all alone...

"Az...."

"Remember..."

"...the will to live..."

"...is your greatest strength..."

"...Use it."

"Kurogane!" I shouted as I opened my eyes and found the Wyvern's Talon beginning their descent. I jumped to my left out of the way of the Talon.

"The will to live......Thank you, Kurogane..."

I began to sing the last rondo.

"God of Lightning, hear my plea...
The wish of a troubadour who holds the key..."

The Wyvern quickly turned around and attempted to take another shot at me. I jumped backwards to avoid the second attack and continued the rondo.

"The key of warriors that one would give...
The strength that comes from the will to live!"

The Wyvern, seemingly worn down from the chasing, had found his way over to my new position. I attempted to run past the Wyvern's attack. The Wyvern's Talon swooped over my head as I ran under it, but I had run into another problem that I had not considered. The Wyvern's tail swung at me as he attempted to turn around. I sidestepped to the left to dodge, but had underestimated the length of the tail as the end of the tail slashed across my body. A sharp pain shot up from the right side of my body as I jumped away from the Wyvern quickly.

I turned to look at the Wyvern and found our eyes locked again as he turned to face me. He once again began to approach me quickly across the battlefield.

I drew an arrow and took my aim at the Wyvern's head. "This is for the Otaku guild....Shock!"

I released the arrow, which whisked swiftly through the air. The arrow suddenly gained a bright yellow aura as it flew towards the Wyvern. The Wyvern continued to charge the arrow. In an instant, the arrow had pierced through the Wyvern's tough skin between its eyes. It left a burning hole where the arrow had entered the Wyvern's head. The Wyvern gave one last terrifying shriek before it collapsed on the ground, dead.

I dropped to my knees in disbelief. "I can't believe we did it..." I said quietly as I stared at the dead Wyvern. I crawled over to Eruruu and Raquel. Both of which still lay silent.

"Eruruu...?" I said quietly. "Raquel...? We won......"

Eruruu opened her eyes slowly and said something I couldn't make out before she closed her eyes again.

I then heard a voice from behind.

"Az...."

I turned around and saw Kurogane with his hand in his pocket. I ran back over to Kurogane.

"Kurogane...! I want to thank you so much..." I said. But was interrupted as Kurogane pulled out something in his pocket.

"I had planned.....to use this....after I had...killed the Wyvern....myself...." he said in pain, "but it seems....you've done....my job for me....It's...slightly embarassing....for me....to be like this....but I'm glad....you're OK...Use this....I had planned....for emergencies....like this..."

With that his face collapsed back on the forest grass again. I opened his hand and found a small Magnet. Seeing this, I quickly gathered my comrades together and used the magnet. I felt a strong pulling sensation upwards. Before I knew it, I found myself standing in front of a familiar pink field.

I breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at my comrades, still lying on the ground behind me. "Well, everybody, it's time to go home." I said. I put everybody in the aura and stepped in. After a few minutes of spinning, I found myself back at the gates of Etria. A townsperson had spotted us and began running towards us. I attempted to yell out to him, but found my head feeling light and my arms feeling heavy...

***

"Az...Az...Wake up..."

I woke up to the morning sun shining brightly through the Rooster Inn window. I awoke to find my remaining guild members Rider and Kikyo standing there before me.

"Where the hell have you guys been?" asked Rider, "Why is most of the guild in the Apothecary?! Wait a minute....don't tell me...!"

Before she could guess, I jumped up out of the bed. "The guild is at the Apothecary? Saber, Kurogane, Eruruu, and Raquel?! All of them?!" I asked.

Kikyo then answered me, "That's correct, but..."

"Then, let's go!" I pulled the two of them out of the inn and we walked to the Apothecary not giving them any time to ask questions. We reached the Apothecary and subsequently found Kurogane, Saber, Eruruu, and Raquel all bandadged up and lying in beds. I ran over to Saber.

"Saber! Thank goodness you're OK! I was so worried..." I said quickly to her.

"Az!" she replied back, "What were you thinking?! I told you to run at the first sight of danger! You should have just left us!"

"Go easy on her, Saber." a voice came from behind me. I turned around and saw Kurogane sitting up in his bed. "She managed to defeat the Wyvern by herself, give her some credit at least." said Kurogane, slightly chuckling.

"Well, that is true..." admitted Saber.

"No, that's wrong..." I replied back. "I didn't do it alone. I couldn't have done it alone." I looked around at everybody and continued. "Saber constantly protected me and Eruruu was always there to help me if I got hurt. Raquel's Poison attack turned the tide in our favor..." I paused and looked at Kurogane, "And Kurogane... you saved me, even while knocked out...your words really spoke to me. Thank you..."

Saber then continued, "Well team, it seems like everything worked out in the end for us. Today, we celebrate our victory and celebrate Azmaria's heroic deed for the entire guild."

***End Character Perspective***
***Restart Player Perspective***

If you managed to read that entire post, I truly commend you. The above story was my imagination of the events that had happened during my battle with the Wyvern. Based on a true experience, I challenged the Wyvern after I had reached a reasonably high level (45) and came out of the battle victorious, but with only one Troubadour standing, and with only 8 HP left to boot. This was definitely one of my closest encounters to death in the game, and for me, as I played this battle, was one of the most intense moments I've had throughout the entire game.

As for how I was able to craft such a story, the naming of characters to anime characters helps. It allowed me to truly visualize what a battle would have looked like if I had substituted the characters in.

Again, if you read the entirety of this post, I really commend you. It's not easy reading a wall of text that has seemingly no end. But if you read the entire story, it makes me feel that I did a reasonably good job telling the story. Thank you again for reading.