The camp remained drearily silent from that point on, with Byrgenwerth's scholars all trying to occupy themselves with a certain task. Micolash and Damian continued to pour over the artifacts that they had recovered earlier, no doubt looking for hidden symbols or inscriptions; Caryll continued pouring over her notebook and whatever strange secrets lay within; and perhaps most strikingly, Lobsang was locked in meditation and could occasionally be heard reciting mantras in a foreign language.
As for Laurence, he tried and failed to find something to distract him from the events of the past few hours. The best that he managed was trying to study the strange weapon they had retrieved, which only served to remind him of how it was acquired.
Looking back to where Emil's lifeless body still lay, his face having been covered by a cloth by his compatriots, who could only sit and try to process the tragedy that had occurred. However, they did so without their captain, who had retreated into the hallway leading to the altar some time ago; no-one has seen her since, with none of her men appearing willing to go after her.
Looking back at the strange-clawed weapon in his hand, Laurence let out a heavy sign. When they had last parted ways, Emil had been vigorous and hearty, always ready to face whatever came his way. And in the span of a few minutes, all of that had been stripped away and he was left to perish slowly and painfully, all while Laurence had been unable to do anything to help him.
"Master Laurence, a moment, please?" A concerned voice came from behind him. Without even turning around, Laurence lowered the weapon.
"What is it, Gehrman?" he asked.
"My apologies for the intrusion, but we've been at a standstill for a good while now. I understand that things have taken an…unfortunate turn, but we cannot stay here forever."
"I know," said Laurence. In one way or another, there had to be some sort of resolution to this expedition; either they moved forward or they didn't. But as it was, he couldn't come to a conclusive decision – he didn't have the right to.
"Young master, you mustn't blame yourself," said Gehrman, as if reading his thoughts. "He knew the risks of coming here – all of us did."
"Perhaps, but this…this was entirely avoidable." Laurence finally turned to look at the older scholar. "You were right. I shouldn't have taken us on separate paths; it was a rash decision, one that only served to spread them too thin."
He found that Gehrman's expression was similarly somber. "Yes, maybe so, but do not forget – he chose to follow you. And besides, there was no way for him to prepare for the beast that slew him; the fact he managed to slay it as well is remarkable, to say the least."
At first, Laurence was merely going to nod his head, until he remembered something – Gehrman hadn't actually seen the beast that poisoned Emil or at least, not during this expedition. Despite that, he was the sole reason they had possessed medicine that could help counter poison.
"You knew this would happen, didn't you?" Laurence asked Gehrman, which made him momentarily drop his gaze.
"I knew it to be a possibility, yes," he acknowledged. "But it is impossible to know for certain what one will find down here."
The last portion of his reply sent a clear message to Laurence. They still had a portion of Loran left to explore and several more obstacles to encounter along the way. And if the events of the last few hours were any indication, these obstacles would only grow more difficult.
"I must speak to Lady Maria," he eventually announced, which didn't seem to surprise Gehrman at all.
"Do you think she'll let you?" "I don't know, Gehrman. But I have to at least try." Laurence replied.
In response, the older scholar lightly smiled. "In that case, I shall await whatever decision you come to," he said to him. With a nod of his head, Laurence started making his way past Gehrman and towards the path Lady Maria had gone down.
"And Master Laurence!" Gehrman suddenly said, causing him to look back at him. "You're doing the right thing." Was all that he said, but it was enough to spur Laurence onward.
As Laurence made his way across the camp, the rest of his scholars took notice, as did the knights who had remained behind. One of them, Harald, stood up and moved to block his path. "Where do you think you're going?" he demanded. From the red in his eyes, it was clear he'd been crying.
"I only wish to speak to your captain." Laurence calmly explained.
"Well, she has nothing to say to you. She explicitly said that she is not to be disturbed." There was a clear anger behind the knight's words, which he supposed was understandable. Laurence was just about to turn back before Matthias spoke up.
"Let him pass, Harald," he ordered, causing them and the rest of his compatriots to turn to him in surprise.
"But…" "I said let him pass." Matthias repeated a little more forcefully. After a few seconds, Harald looked back at Laurence and reluctantly stood aside. After sharing an understanding look with Matthias, the professor continued on his way.
As he got closer to the altar, Laurence slowed down a bit, taking a deep breath before coming to a stop in front of the doorway. As he expected, he found Lady Maria standing alone with her back turned to him, her arms folded across her chest and her head hung low. After a few seconds of continued silence, Laurence tried to make his presence known.
"What do you want, professor?" Lady Maria said before the words could even leave his lips, no doubt having heard him coming. However, she had yet to turn her eyes to him, leaving him at a loss for what to say.
"Lady Maria, I…" he stopped himself for a moment. "I am truly sorry about Emil. I may not have known him for very long, but I know that he was a valiant knight."
Even with this, she didn't turn around. "You didn't come here to give your condolences."
Despite the fact she was entirely correct in her statement, it still somewhat stung to hear it from her. Finally choosing to step inside the chamber, Laurence stopped just a few steps away from her.
"My lady, though it pains me to disturb you at such a trying time, we are going to have to make a decision regarding this expedition sooner or later," said Laurence, choosing his words very carefully. In response to this, Lady Maria finally turned to look at him.
"And have you?" she asked him.
Despite her best efforts to hide it, Lady Maria's grief was palpable. It was clear to him that she cared for Emil: for Matthias and for the rest of her men, who in turn were fiercely loyal to her. And as she stayed by Emil's side in his final moments, the mask of a cold, calculating knight had slipped and revealed... compassion. True compassion and very soon, even truer regret.
"No," he eventually answered. "No, I have not."
This clearly surprised her. "What?"
"You heard me correctly. I am sure that most of my colleagues want to continue onwards and in any other circumstances, I would fully agree. But that is not their decision to make, nor is it mine…not this time."
Lady Maria stared at him with an almost bewildered expression, seeming to be at a complete loss for words. Seeing this, Laurence decided to press on. "We can call off the expedition if you so wish. I cannot ask you to risk any more lives on our behalf."
A few more moments of silence passed, with Lady Maria eventually seeming to find her bearings. "That is very gracious of you, professor, but…" she started to say, only to stop and lower her gaze again. A moment later, she took a deep breath and finally unfolded her arms.
"No. I…we still have a duty to fulfill. I am to leave no stone unturned, just as you are, no doubt."
She was right, of course. Master Willem would no doubt be furious if he learned that Laurence had chosen to abandon the labyrinth prematurely, given that none of them knew when they would get the chance to explore it again, assuming they got another chance at all. And somehow, he doubted that Queen Annalise would be that much more understanding.
But at the same time, there was no telling what lay ahead or whether either of them would find what they sought along the way. And to Laurence, the thought of risking lives on such uncertainty just didn't seem worth it.
"Are you certain, my lady?" he asked her.
"Yes," she replied. "It's what Emil would've wanted."
Silence once again settled over the chamber as Laurence pondered to himself. "Very well," he eventually said "I will go and inform my colleagues. You may join us whenever you're ready."
"There is no need to delay. We have already wasted enough time – I will muster my men at once." Lady Maria started walking forward as she spoke, forcing him to move to the side in order to let her pass, caught off guard by her sudden urgency. Seeing that she wasn't stopping, Laurence followed after her; just as he was about to catch up to her, she once again surprised him by coming to a sudden stop, as if waiting for him to get close.
"Oh, and professor…" she said, causing him to stop in his tracks as well. Lady Maria didn't turn all the way around, but nonetheless met his eyes.
"Thank you… for helping Emil. Though you, and I, knew it was hopeless, you were still prepared to do all you could to save him. I will not forget."
Laurence found himself surprised by the sincerity of her words, finding himself unable to form any of his own. Instead, he simply gave her an understanding nod, which she returned in kind. With that, the two of them continued on their way, soon falling into lockstep with one another. Though the mood in the labyrinth remained solemn, it brought him some relief to see some of Lady Maria's former conviction return to the surface.
He could only hope that it would stay that way.
...