Chapter twenty-five: Moving

With the artefact in one hand and his axe in the other, Jack followed the Valkyries back to the entrance. Thankfully, Skotur had remembered the way, and soon they ascended the spiraling staircase.

Jack sighed quietly as the fresh air of the outside blew through his visor. Despite it being nighttime—had they really been in the Labyrinth for that long?—he didn't spot any Blight-afflicted creatures nearby. Even so, it was probably a good idea to find shelter somewhere. It was too risky to go back to the Sanctuary now.

He glanced back down the stairs. Maybe they should stay in the Labyrinth until daybreak…

"Jack."

He turned to see Skotur beckoning. She led him and Brigul towards a nearby hill. Jack glanced around nervously. What was this all about…?

At the foot of the hill, Skotur squatted down and grabbed onto something. Jack moved to look, just as she yanked open a rickety trapdoor that had been loosely set in the ground, revealing a small entrance to a dark cave.

She gestured for them to go in. Brigul glanced at her and immediately descended, dragging her greatsword with her.

Jack glanced at Skotur, who looked back expectantly. He returned her gaze with one of suspicion.

When she realized he wasn't going to budge, she descended as well, her lantern illuminating the cave further. "Just be sure to close the door," she called.

Somewhat more at ease, Jack followed. He tossed down his weapon and the artefact and clumsily closed the makeshift trapdoor behind him. He turned to see that the cave, bathed in the light of the Valkyries' lanterns, was larger than he'd expected. There was even some furniture, including a working station and something akin to a primitive furnace.

"What is this place?" he asked.

"Do you remember that hideout you stayed in the night before I took you to the Sanctuary?" Skotur said, setting her lance and shield in the corner. "It's not the only one here."

"So there were other humans?"

"Of course. Even with just one portal intact, there are those who find their way here."

"Why they do it is anyone's guess," Brigul muttered.

Jack strode further inside. He all but dropped the artefact on top of the working bench and collapsed onto the ground, back against the wall.

"Be careful," Skotur said. "Your armor is damaged enough as is."

"He won't need it anymore," Brigul muttered. "Now that he's played his part in the Queen's scheme."

Ignoring her, Jack raised his visor and wiped some sweat off his face. It had been a long day, yet at the same time it felt…short. Maybe creeping around in a giant labyrinth had messed with his sense of time.

Skotur took her lantern from her belt and made her way to the other side of the room, where another door stood. What could be behind there?

"Where'd you get those?" Brigul asked, nodding at his belt.

Jack glanced down, remembering the daggers he'd taken with him. "Slider's room," he sighed.

"Why? What use are they to you?"

"Souvenir."

She remained silent. Then she set down her sword, walked over and, surprisingly enough, sat down next to him.

"Why'd you do it?" Brigul whispered.

"Do what?"

"Don't play ignorant. You know what I'm talking about."

"You can't beat Herskagul," Jack finally said. "And I'm not going to try to double-cross her."

"You could've left the artefact to rot, and she'd be none the wiser."

"If I'd done that and Skotur found out, she would never have let me leave. If I didn't hold up my end of the bargain, she wouldn't hold up hers."

She shook her head, looking at him with disdain. "I'll be honest; I never liked you…"

"The feeling's mutual."

"But when you told me why you turned against the Hunters, I at least had some respect for you. You rejected what the human societies had to offer in favor of your beliefs—in favor of what was right…"

"And I'm done playing the hero."

"You weren't done 'playing the hero' when you fought Áhýdan."

He glared at her. "I fought Áhýdan because I didn't have a choice in the matter. Now I do."

"You have no idea what kind of damage Karthuul will cause—"

Skotur slammed the door to the other room. "No food," she reported, gesturing to the door. "I think this might've been an improvised icehouse, but it hasn't been used for a long time."

"That's fine," Jack said, turning away and closing his eyes. "I'm going to take a nap."

Despite the armor, he fell asleep easily.

Raulyn awoke. Though he felt as though it was early, one glance outside told him that the sun was already rising. Mystia and the Ender were already awake, with the former rummaging through her bag, and the latter simply standing in the middle of the room, looking intently at the cave's entrance. The tall mob had the sword from earlier in her hand, holding it by the ricasso, blade pointed back.

Memories came crashing back. Raulyn closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to maintain control of himself. The news Karles' apparition had told him was still hard to accept. He rose to his feet and strode over to Mystia. She glanced up at him, not stopping her rummaging.

"You here to teach me how to use a sword, too?" Mystia absently asked.

Raulyn looked down at her. "You are an alchemist, are you not?"

"No, I bought all these potions."

He narrowed his eyes.

She gave him another glance—a mildly embarrassed one, this time. "I, ah, must've spent too much time around Jack and Cassandra. Anyway, yes, I'm an alchemist."

"Do you have anything in there that might help, should we encounter hostility?"

"I've got quite a bit left," she said. She took out one small bottle with a dark reddish liquid inside.

"That is not a lot," Raulyn noted.

"No, but it's very potent. When I still lived among humans, they said I was just as skilled as the local guild master…"

"Guild master Faren."

She paused, looking up at him.

Raulyn considered asking her why she never joined the guild in question, but decided that now was not the time for that. "What do you have that can help us?"

"Some more healing potions," she said, checking her bag again. "Strength, speed, regeneration…"

"Regeneration, huh…" He had heard about those. Strong enough variants could make a person very hard to kill, but they were not cheap.

"And some poisons that we can use against…whatever we're going to be up against." She lowered her bag. "Happy now, Captain?"

He ignored her sharp tone. He could not expect her to be nice to him, even after his revelation. Especially after his revelation. "We should awaken the others," he said. "The sooner we can get moving, the better. Andr—check outside to see if it is safe."

She glanced at him for a moment as if considering whether she should comply. Finally she teleported away.

"I never thought I'd see the day when she would take orders from you," Mystia said.

Raulyn proceeded to search his own bag. He needed to get things ready before they departed.