A/N: Quick thanks to sir samurai for the fav. Hopefully I will continue to make these chapters live up to the expectations. Now on with the story! Also I noticed the lack of proper breaks in the 9th chapter and have fixed them, hopefully. My bad.

Fortune Summoners: Journey of the Elementals

By: Snidne

Fortune Summoners © Lizsoft

Recettear, Chantelise © EasyGameStation

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

Chapter 13: Teamwork

On the first floor of the Item Shop Recettear, worry was etched into each person's face as they thought of the fate of a dear friend. The Elf girl Tielle was currently resting in Recette's guest room with Sana, Caillou, Recette and Tear watching over her. Griff had already taken his leave to prepare for the upcoming journey into the Dark World. Some would think he was being heartless in his decision to leave them be, but the few who knew him also knew that there was really nothing he could say or do that either Caillou or Sana couldn't.

"So why come here, Nagi," Louie asked as they waited for the group to come back down. "I would have thought you'd have taken her to the clinic."

"I was on my way there. But I passed by the shop and saw you all, and I couldn't risk that she got worse before I got there. I also don't know where she is residing currently." At that everyone from Pensee couldn't help expressing their disbelief. Recettear wasn't anywhere close to Pensee's local clinic. Even in this type of situation her sense of direction was as terrible as ever.

"But how did she get like that anyway? What in the world could have happened to her," Charme wondered aloud.

"I'm not sure. I found her coming back to town terribly hurt. At first I thought something had gone wrong with a client, but she said that someone in a mask attacked her while she was training," Nagi said.

"What!? Who would dare have the audacity to attack a helpless girl like that," Stella exclaimed.

"I don't know, but whoever it is surely knew what they were doing." Everyone turned to see Caillou and Recette, sans Tear, enter the room again. "She's been poisoned, and it's an unusual one as well. None of the Anti-Venom I had worked on her. Thankfully, Sana is able to heal her, but it's not enough to remove the poison entirely."

"Then what do we do," Arche asked worried. "There's gotta be something we can do to help her!"

"Well, about that, I do have an idea," Recette said. Everyone looked to her expectantly. "The last time Tielle got hurt, I found some medicine in the Amber Garden. Maybe there might be something there again."

"Recette," Charme began, unsure of how to phrase what she had to say. "Just because-."

"Understood. Then we must send people to retrieve it," Arma said interrupting.

"H-hey!"

"We mustn't waste too much time on this. We should choose who is to go and explore the dungeon come first thing in the morning."

"In that case, just leave it to me," Louie said. "Whenever there is a damsel in distress, the hero always comes in to save the day!"

"I will accompany you then, Louie," Nagi said bowing.

"Hold on, hold on," Chante said realizing something. "If Sana is supposed to stay here to watch out for the elf, then who is supposed to go with Elise, Arche, me and the demon?"

"I'd go myself but I should also stay to watch over her," Caillou said. "It would be an interesting thing to see the Dark World for myself."

"Well, maybe I can-."

"No Recette," Charme said sternly. "Even if it's not hurting anymore, you were still injured. You need to lay off it for a while, so nothing too stressful."

"In that case, I'll step up," Elan said cracking his knuckles. "Time to show you guys what I'm really made of!"

"In that case, we should all go and get some sleep then. Arche, you know where the inn is right?"

"Foo… nope," Chiffon said.

"What do you mean 'no'? Where have you been staying while I was gone?"

"Um… well, we kinda just been sleeping here," Arche said somewhat embarrassed to admit.

"I know where it's at," Elise said stepping up. "Allow us to take you there." Chante gave a nod and rested on Elise's shoulder. "We will see you all in the morning."

Giving their farewells, Arche, Chiffon and Stella followed Elise out of the shop and towards the inn. Pensee was fairly quiet at night, save for the mishaps that occurred at the local watering hole. Stella muffled a yawn, realizing just how tired she actually was. Arche though, was filled with the need to ask many, many questions. "Um, so you guys traveled to a lot of places right? That means you've been on tons of adventures, right?"

"You bet," Chante said, happy for a chance to show off. "We took down great big monsters and crossed treacherous climates to make it where we are!"

"Honestly Chante," Elise said, knowing how her sister liked to get. "While it's true we have journeyed for some time now, it was mostly all to figure out how to remove Chante's curse. We haven't been travelers for that long."

"Ah. I get it. But I bet its still lots of fun to travel all over the place. Meeting new people, seeing new things," she said somewhat envious. She did enjoy the adventures she got to go on back home, but something about the lives that Elise and Chante had lived seemed so much grander than she could imagine.

"Well, yes. I suppose it does have its perks now and again," Elise said, thinking of the friendship with Aria and Elma. She eyed the younger girl's sword with some curiosity. "By the way, who taught you how to use the sword? You don't look like an amateur in sword fighting."

"Oh, my dad did! He used to be a royal guard. He would fight monsters and stuff and he'd tell me all about his stories!"

"Sounds neat," Chante said. "Of course, my younger sister here didn't need any fancy lessons or anything. She's quite the natural!"

"Eh? That's so cool!"

"Ah, it's really nothing," she said. She certainly didn't want to have to explain how she learned out of the necessity of protecting themselves while they traveled. Though it was true she picked up on her own style of fighting quite quickly, it had been a harsh learning curve in wielding a sword. She was mostly thankful for the fact that Chante had been practicing how to channel magic after they learned her curse had allowed her to access the power within the Magic Crystals.

"Hey, hey so what does your Elemental Stone do anyway," Chante asked curious. "Stella said she can use fire and that Sana girl can heal people right? So can you make wind and stuff?"

"Er, kinda," Arche said unsure how to explain her stone's power.

"It's called Unison," Stella intervened. She was content with listening to them talk, but she certainly would not allow for Arche to embarrass them concerning their gifts. "It basically allows her to merge with Chiffon for a short time, so she channels Chiffon's power."

"So… you guys merge," Chante said confused trying to picture what it would look like. She couldn't help but picture the young girl with large rabbit-like ears and a long tail.

"Well, kinda. But it's basically just letting me use some wind powers for a little while. Oh and I can fly!"

"Fly? Really," Elise said surprised.

"In a sense," Stella said.

"Wow, that's sounds pretty cool! I wish I could do that," Chante said. "You know, just without the whole 'cursed-to-be-a-fairy' thing." At that, they finally reached the inn which was thankfully still open despite the late hour. "And we are here!"

"Thanks for taking us here," Arche said.

"Thank yoo," Chiffon said smiling.

"Right. Guess we'll get to see what your made of tomorrow. Night!"

"Goodnight! Ok Chiffon, let's get some rest! Big day tomorrow!"

Obsidian Tower – Team Griff

"Whoa! It's so big!" Arche stared wide-eyed at the imposing tower which reached up into the heavens. The only tower she could compare it to was the Weathervane Tower back home, and she had a feeling this one was much bigger. "How high does it go?"

"Fifty floors. Of course, the monsters inside aren't as strong as the ones in the Lapis Ruins, but they should be a good enough challenge for you two," Elan explained.

"Hah! This will be a piece of cake," Chante said.

"Famous last words, Fairy," Griff said. "Given the size of our group and combined combat experience, I surmise it shouldn't take more than a few days to reach the top. Once there, I can open up a gateway to the Dark World. You still have that charm, right," he asked Elan.

"Yeah, this thing right," the monk said holding up a pendant in the shape of a pair of bat wings, a ruby-like gem embedded in the center.

"Right. That should protect you from any of the effects of the Dark World. The Elemental Stone and the Fairy will protect their respective retainers." Griff turned to the girls. "Whatever happens, you are responsible for your own actions. Be ready for anything."

"Is the Dark World really such a terrifying place," Elise asked.

"Well, the last time I was there, all my classmates got turned into stone," Arche said, thinking about what happened when she and her friends chased Selene into the Labyrinth of Night.

"It was a scawry place," Chiffon said.

"Natives of the Dark World like me and other beings of high magical power naturally can ward off any harmful effects of the Dark World," Griff said as he motioned for them to enter the tower. "The effects can also be negated simply by being in close proximity to items of high magical power."

"Hence the pendant," Elan said, tucking it back under his shirt. "Sounds like a pretty harsh place if you ask me."

"Yeah, well, I guess that's probably why it's a perfect place for demons," Chante said.

"Chante…"

"Don't flatter yourself," Griff said, "If you weren't cursed you and your sibling would be nothing but dead weight on this journey. The Dark World is no place for weaklings."

"Why you little-!"

"Guys, trouble up ahead," Elan said, noticing three Knight monsters in green armor up ahead. They turned to the group before raising their weapons and charging. "Alright girls, time to see what you're made of."

"Wait, you're not going to help us!?"

"Please. If you needed help at this early stage, then you should leave now. There is no way you will survive the Dark World," Griff explained.

"Right then, here we go!" Arche charged ahead, sword ready. The lead knight raised its blade to strike, but Arche rolled between his legs, turning quickly to strike at the monster's backside. The monster was nearly knocked off balance, as Arche swung at the next one in range. This knight however, raised its shield, blocking the strike from doing any damage. The third knight came in with a charge, causing Arche to fall back to avoid being struck.

The first knight turned, ready to seek its vengeance, but Elise was ready and waiting for this. Though she had seen this monster before, she had yet to encounter them in the dungeons and thus was unsure of their tactics. Thankfully, they had remained relatively the same. Approaching from the first monster's backside, she unleashed an empowered sword combo on creature, unwilling to let it fight back. With a yell, she decapitated the creature causing it to instantly disperse into Magic Crystals.

Arche was busy defending against the relentless attacks of the two monsters before her, gritting her teeth in frustration. The monsters outside of the dungeons didn't strike with nearly this amount of ferocity. She wouldn't be deterred though, nor could she rely on Chiffon for the moment. She couldn't allow herself to be seen as a burden this journey, her pride as a swordswoman wouldn't allow that. Seeing that a frontal assault would be pointless, she used the spacious area to her advantage to strife to the side and attack from there. Relentless these monsters may be, but they didn't rely on things like strategy.

Of course, her movements were also meant to allow for Elise to get clear shots at the monsters from behind. "Wind!" Elise swung her blade, empowered with Chante's help, unleashing a sharp wind strike which finished off another monster. Arche gave a great leap before ramming her blade into the final knight's head. With all the monsters finished off, Arche absorbed several of the Magic Crystals, feeling their powers strengthen her.

"Whoa… those things tingle," she said looking over herself. "Hey, hey Chiffon, do I look stronger now?"

"Foo… I think so? Yoo kinda look the same Arche…"

"It will take a lot more than that to get stronger with Magic Crystals alone," Elan said. "Not too shabby you two."

"Oh yeah, piece of cake," Chante cheered. "What do you say to that, Griff?"

"I say you reign in that cocky attitude before your wings can't support your ego," the demon replied smoothly. "Don't get too excited though. We've only just begun." He pointed to a nearby hallway. "We need to climb this tower quickly. We don't have time to waste."

"Right! Let's move!"

Amber Garden – Team Louie

Here it comes, Louie thought as he and Nagi split up. A deadly beam of energy tore through the space where the two once stood. The beam began to turn towards Louie, who was still running while Nagi quickly ran to the source: the Eyebat King. Several more Eyebats were within the arena, unleashing their sonic waves at the approaching Nagi, who bypassed them in favor of attacking their leader. She slashed at the monster's side, as it lost focus and the energy beam it was emitting from its eye disappeared. It let out a painful screech (Louie was unsure HOW this was possible, seeing as it didn't have any kind of visible mouth) and quickly flew back to gain some distance from its attacker. Nagi quickly used the long reach of her spear to strike down several of the minor enemies within her range as Louie used his shield to block the incoming projectiles and give the finishing blows to several more with his Spin Slash. It would be a temporary measure as the creature would summon more of its minions, but it gave the two some minor breathing room as the boss monster prepared to charge its beam once more.

Louie wouldn't give it the chance though. "Vacuum Cut!" Louie slashed down, slicing the air before him as a wave of energy shot out from his sword, striking the creature in its eye. The Eyebat King screeched out again, before Nagi charged forwards impaling it on her spear. The beast burst into a shower of Magic Crystals that the two absorbed, while the remaining minions disappeared completely. The magic circle that would take them to the next floor appeared as they headed towards it, though Louie first picked up the large bat-like wing that the monster left behind. He was sure that he could use it for something if only to sell later. He figured it was appropriate considering he was the 'client' on this journey, though he didn't bother using the barrier. It was completely unnecessary for him.

It was only an hour in, and yet they were already on the fifth floor. Given what they knew about the dungeon, it wouldn't likely take more than a day to search to the bottom, where the medicine could be found, if there was any at all. Of course, they would need to still search the remaining floors, but it seemed unlikely that such an important thing would be found anywhere else. An adventurer's intuition as it were.

"I have been down here before. I have never encountered medicine for Elves though," Nagi said.

"Well, we sort of found some here," Louie said, remembering the time he had come here with Recette. "Tielle was a little… excitable when we ran into her here," he recalled thinking of the fight with her and the misunderstanding that had been. Thankfully she had forgiven him after taking her to a bakery for sweets.

"Arma said the dungeons are alive in some ways. Perhaps they will heed to our request for a friend?"

"I hope so; otherwise we are doing this for nothing. Tielle is depending on us, so we can't let her down," Louie said determined.

"Right. For our friend!"

No sooner than the two left the room than another figure entered. The person's face was covered by a tribal mask as he watched the magic circle disappear and another Eyebat King materialize into existence. "Well, well… looks like things are getting more and more interesting by the moment. I do hope those two will entertain me. Orders may be orders but that doesn't mean I can't have fun!"