MeiQ: Lore of the Labyrinth

Omaros City lays near one of several Yggdrasil trees that are scattered around the world. Each tree holds an entire labyrinthine ecosystem within or beneath it, yet the mysteries of their origins and what lays in their depths are only ever unraveled by the most skilled and courageous of explorers. Exploration of Omaros' Yggdrasil labyrinth is still in its fledgling stages, drawing in many with the allure of fame and glory that has yet to be claimed.

Enter the harbinger Dubhan—cheerful, determined, and not terribly skilled at thinking ahead—and warlock Allouet— intelligent and resourceful, but desperately in over his head. Together, the two of them have half an idea of what they're doing at best, but that's not going to stop them from aiming for the labyrinth's unknown depths.

MeiQ is, at its core, a fanfiction inspired by the Etrian Odyssey franchise, alternatively known as Sekaiju no Meikyuu in Japan. Despite that, it is written with the intent to be enjoyable by those unfamiliar with the series as well. The characters and the city of Omaros are original, while the story draws upon lore and recurring concepts from the game series. However, Etrian Odyssey is known for its lore being sparse and open to speculation, so much of the details provided in this story are exactly that—a fan’s speculation and personal expansion of the lore.

This story was also inspired by and written as part of HereBeTreasure's Fast Food Frontpage Competition, enjoy some simple dungeon exploration plot and whatever else pops up from this.