The jail levels were cold and dank, poorly lit, and riddled with all kinds of demons and monsters—some they had encountered before, some they hadn't. They were behind every door, every corner, and every wall. Ranged attackers picked at them through cell bars, and skeleton mages bombarded them before they'd barely set foot in a room. The Dark Ones and their ilk were everywhere, their shamans hiding behind bigger monsters or other obstacles endlessly resurrecting their hordes if Thane didn't explode them first.
When they initially descended to the first level, Annor knew theoretically which way to go to find the next staircase down. But the infestation and battles got her so turned around she was as lost as the others. So they fought their way blindly down hallways and through rooms, turning around at dead ends, getting trapped in jail cells, until finally they stumbled upon the stairs.
"What God-loved fool designed this place?" Martenus grumbled.
Annor turned and gave him a quick kiss. "Be strong, my warrior. I do know that there is a waypoint somewhere in the jails. Let's find it and go home. Start fresh again tomorrow."
"Aye. That sounds like an excellent plan."
She was right, there was a waypoint in the jail levels, but she had no idea they had already missed it. They hunted through the second level the same as they did the first, blindly through twisting corridors and dead ends, fighting a ceaseless barrage of opponents.
Martenus was beginning to stumble.
"Thane," Meize caught his arm, "should we just use a portal and go back to the camp? Start back from the outer cloister again tomorrow? Martenus is tired, we all are. We can't continue on like this much longer."
"We can't stop. We'll never remember the way through to this point again. But maybe we should take a break here for a while."
Thane called for the others, and they retired to an empty room with only one door to guard. Meize opened a portal to the encampment, taking Annor back with her. They returned a short while later with hot food, cool water, and fresh clothes.
The men had already pulled off most of their armor and were grateful for the opportunity to wash off the sweat and put on clean linens. After they had eaten the delicious, hearty soup, Meize took everything back to the camp. As she had gone by herself this time, she took a moment to find Akara and ask where the waypoint was. Much to her dismay, she was told they had long gone past it. She grimly returned, closing the portal behind her.
She sat down beside Thane where he was resting against the wall, and she quietly told him about her conversation with Akara. He sighed heavily, glancing at their other companions. They were leaning against the other wall, arms around each other, eyes closed.
"Well, at least now we know. We can just keep going when we find the next stairwell."
Meize looked at the other two again. "Did I miss something yesterday? When did they happen?"
"I don't really know. They left the fire together last night, and now they're obviously quite attached."
"I guess when you fall in love you know it's love."
"Do you?" He asked quietly.
She blushed, uncertain of what she may have just opened.
A movement outside the doorway, followed by the rush of Thane's skeletons out of it, closed the topic.
The skeletons had made short work of the little carver, but knowing that there would be more returning, they geared up again and set back out into the twisting halls.
Finally they found the stairs down to the third level, and they spent hours more hunting and fighting their way through those halls.
At last they found the staircase going up, and they walked out into the dim moonlight filtering into the inner cloister gardens. There was only one skeleton archer laying in wait, and Annor picked him off before the others had even registered it was there.
"What time is it?" Meize asked, rubbing her eyes, trying to get them to focus in the gloom.
"I think we can safely assume we missed dinner." Thane quietly replied, dropping down to a tired crouch.
"We're so close," Annor assured them, "the waypoint is just through that door." She took Martenus by the hand and led the numb, battle-fatigued man through.
Meize waited a moment while Thane gathered enough energy to stand, then they followed the others through the door. Sure enough the waypoint was right there, and Martenus was already tiredly bumbling through the incantation to awaken it.
It was a quiet and beleaguered group that finally stepped into the sleeping camp. Thane collapsed his minions, not caring to waste another bit of energy controlling them, then followed with the others to their own tent. They helped each other unload their armor and collapsed into their blankets, Annor returning to her own tent.
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The sun was high again when they awoke, and no one wanted to acknowledge that they were awake. If they were awake, they would have to get up and move on again. Staying in bed was a much more appealing occupation of the day.
Her stomach rumbling, Meize couldn't stand it any more and got up to see what was left of breakfast at the kitchen. It didn't take long before the others joined her. Annor was already up and waiting for them.
They all grabbed some food and sat down to discuss the day's plans.
"Do we know where the next waypoint really is?" Thane began grumpily.
"I am so sorry about that. I had no idea it was on the first level." Annor quietly apologized.
"When I talked to Akara about the waypoints yesterday," Meize volunteered, "she told me that the last one in the monastery is on the second level of the catacombs. Andarial is on the fourth level. As we'll need to be as fresh as possible before we face her, we'll obviously need to break and come back when we reach that waypoint."
"I know the first level of the catacombs well. That is where we have placed our most recent dead, and we have buried many there lately." Annor sadly paused. "I can get us easily through the cathedral, down and through to the second level. After that, I'm lost again. But if we only have to find the waypoint on that level, it should only take us a couple of hours."
"Sounds good." Martenus confirmed. "Let's take the rest of the morning to relax, and then we'll head back in for a couple of hours, and hopefully be home in time for a nice dinner."
They took advantage of the time to have Cain identify some items for them, have Charsi repair their equipment, and do a little shopping.
Meize was thrilled to find a pair of heavy boots she could afford that increased her stamina. Thane was not so thrilled when he wiped out his savings on a bum piece of armor he gambled on from Gheed. She had to help pry the necromancer off the wily merchant, who, as soon as his throat was released, went chuckling back into his wagon. Thane started to follow, but Meize grabbed hold of his arm and dug in her heels to hold him back.
"I could have gotten my money back, I just had to wring his neck a little longer."
"You know he would never give you your money back."
"But I need it. I had big retirement plans that I needed that gold for." He looked at her sadly.
"Well then," she lightly hit him on the shin with her staff, "quit gambling it away, you silly man!"
"I think I'm going to have to leave you in charge of our finances." He sighed, then suddenly distracted himself as he realized his blunder.
But Meize missed the real meaning of his slip. "I'm not looking after your gold too, forget it. Frustrating enough keeping count of my own." She looked up at the sun. "It's almost noon, we should get going."
They went back to their tent with the others, geared up, and returned to the Inner Cloister.