6-7: Concern
The next time Syaoran thought to look at his watch, it was almost eleven o'clock. This meant that they had spent well over two hours traversing through the endless turns and corners of the labyrinth, and almost seven hours all together within the earth spirit's little playground. Group morale was considerably low, with no end in sight to their ongoing trials, and it was only a matter of time before they would be forced to confront the spirit itself. Just how much longer were they going to have to endure this place?
He could feel himself growing ever more tired for every few minutes that passed them by, a sure sign that things were going from bad to worse. At first, he had attributed this to the constant aching that his shoulder and upper body were forcing him to suffer. His arm was completely numb, to be sure, but that wasn't stopping the muscles from reacting to the damage (which, in turn, was slowly but surly wearing him down). But after a time, he came to realize that this wasn't what he was getting so tired over. He knew this because it wasn't a normal kind of tired that he was feeling, like the kind that one would feel after staying up too long past bed time, and that had him worried. Syaoran was stubborn enough, admittedly, to not want to complain about it, and he knew that Eriol wouldn't complain about his own end of this problem either. It was the two girls with them that he was the most worried about, and of how much longer they could hold out.
Behind him, the diminutive Arrow spoke up as though she were reading his thoughts, "Don't worry, we seem to be making good progress. From what I could see atop the staircase, and judging by the distance from my first arrow marker, we should be at least one third of the way through."
"How long have we been walking?" Sakura asked Syaoran quietly. The weariness that was thickly lining her voice was painfully evident to him, as she slurred out each word sleepily. Syaoran didn't want to be right about how they were all faring, but he feared that the answer was "not well".
"Just over two hours, I think," he told her, glancing at his watch again to verify the time, "If we can keep up this pace, and if Arrow is right, we should be getting near to the end in about three to four hours more. Pending we don't run in to any problems, that is."
Syaoran was soon proven right, when Sakura stopped unexpectedly and leaned into the nearby wall to rest. He moved to her side almost immediately, circling his good arm gently around her shoulders supportively while cursing under his breath the truer meaning of the labyrinth that they inhabited. She was likely genuinely tired, and understandably so, but it also wasn't just her. They were all tired, granted, yet Sakura was never one to just stop and give up like that. This only further confirmed Syaoran's suspicions of their real reason for being here.
"Come on, hang in there..." he uttered to her quietly, though she only shook her head in response. She leaned into him silently instead of replying verbally, clinging tightly to herself.
Eriol, who had gone off to inspect the path ahead of them, took notice of Sakura's condition upon his return. Concerned for her well being, he spoke out, "This path leads to an open area, just up ahead. We'll use it as an encampment, and take rest there. Come."
Syaoran remained attached to Sakura's side, keeping his good arm wrapped about her shoulders as they made their way to the place that Eriol had described – a rectangular-shaped widening in the labyrinthine path, with only one other way out if they discounted the path that they had used to enter from. Once they had settled themselves into a corner of their new campground, Arrow ran off on her own to scout out the next few turns, leaving them to fend for themselves.
The ground was cold and uninviting to her, and yet Sakura could do little else other than to sit down and rest herself. While a source of heat was readily available from any of their particular fire magics, the Syaoran-made campfire did little to improve upon Sakura's increasing weariness. She succumbed to her need for rest before too much longer, sleeping soundly against Syaoran's side and leaving her remaining three companions to watch over her quietly.
"She must have really been tired," Tomoyo noted. Feeling a shiver run through her suddenly, despite the glow of the fire that was attempting to ward off the eerie chill that had worked its way into the air around them, she moved in closer to Sakura's unoccupied side to try and preserve some body heat.
"No, it is not just her. There is something else in here, and it is working a counter-spell against us."
Syaoran nodded in agreement, when Eriol's words helped to prove what he had originally surmised, and continued along with that train of thought, "Something, somewhere else within this place, is draining all local magical energy into itself. It's been sapping away at all of us ever since we stepped through that rock archway back in the museum."
Tomoyo's confusion was understandable, "But you two are not worn out, right? And I feel just fine. Why is it just her?"
Eriol sat himself down before the fire, as well, before beginning his explanation of what they meant, "It is because of our extensive training with magic that we remain relatively untouched. I hold within me the unmatched powers of Clow Reed, and could have readily guarded against such a drain as an infant. Syaoran, here, has had near-exhaustive training in the elemental arts, due to his family lineage, and can just as easily guard his spirit against such a violation. Though we, ourselves, may eventually begin to succumb to the effects of this place, much like Sakura has just now, it will take a great deal longer for it to actually happen.
"You, on the other hand, have no magical powers whatsoever to draw from. But even a human without sorcerous ability still has a basic spiritual energy – the soul – from which to draw. You, too, will begin to notice the effects, sooner or later. Though, by comparison to the rest of us, any detrimental effects you may notice will still be minimal at best.
"For Sakura, however, the drain has been much more pronounced. She has not had the mental training and practical experience that Syaoran or I have had, and thus is far more susceptible to the spiritual afflictions of whatever it is that is here with us – whether it be the spirit itself, or another one of its machinations, I cannot say. With rest, she may be able to continue, as I believe that sleep will restore her magical power faster than whatever nearby entity can drain it, but she will not be able to maintain her stamina for as long as she normally could. I fear that this will severely hamper our movements, in the long run. In retrospect, I should have been the one to summon Arrow as our guide, instead of asking her to do it. I just wish that I could blame Clow Reed's influence on his memories for my error in judgement.
"In the end, it all amounts to one thing: the earth spirit is trying to soften us up for when it finally moves to confront us face to face," he added on. He then paused to think on something, and voiced a revision to his thoughts, "No, I take that back. It has already succeeded in 'softening us up'. I fear that we would be of little challenge to it were we to engage it now."
Tomoyo looked upon Sakura with a deep sense of relief, glad that this would not be turned into a true race against time. That said, she still wasn't too happy with the fact that, once again, Sakura was the primary target of all the troubles that were being placed upon them. She honestly wished that there was something more she could do for her dearest friend.
Eriol allowed for a moment to pass, in order to let his words sink in, before he posed to them their next course of action, "We will rest here for a time, and begin moving again when Sakura has awakened on her own. We will let the Arrow card stand watch for now, and I will ask it to reseal itself later so that Sakura may sleep more soundly. The two of you should try to get some sleep, as well. I will return shortly."
He then left them to rest, though he ensured that they would actually attempt to take the chance to sleep before he walked on ahead past the next turn and towards where Arrow had assumed sentry duty. He approached silently behind her, well aware that she could still sense his approach.
"There is something else here," she told him quietly, never taking her eyes away from the faraway, three-way intersection that sat off in the distance, "It hunts, and it knows we are here. It has a taste for my mistress's power, I fear."
He stood beside the card and stared towards the intersection for himself, wondering if perhaps something was suddenly going to come charging around the corner. He crossed his arms and continued to stand patiently in watch, even though Arrow was to have taken the first shift.
Eriol soon enough felt the need to break the small silence that had built up around them, "There is nothing to be done except allow them their rest. We do not require it as much, for you are not mortal, and I can draw upon techniques far beyond their understanding. Yet will we be granted enough time, or will it find us first?"
The Arrow looked up to Eriol, and examined his face closely. Even though she was now faithfully sworn to the service of her mistress, she could still remember the few times that Clow Reed had summoned her up for whatever purpose he had deemed necessary for her. One of those times had been during a rather trying crisis, which had also been the first time she had seen her previous master pensive to the point of worrying.
What she saw on Eriol's face, now, was nothing short of what she had seen on Clow Reed's face back then.
"You are still mortal, however," she told him, "and at the very least, your physical body will soon require sleep, just like the others. I can draw upon the residual traces of my master's power for a time, and remain in service to her even though she is weakened. Take your rest, and I will awaken you for your turn at watch when I can no longer remain within my true form."
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