"What the hell…"
I'd seen some crazy shit in my life. It was sort of par for the course, being a magus. But witnesses the deployment of a reality marble? Then witnessing someone else invade said reality marble?! That… Just… what the hell…
"Do you… do you think the labyrinth could also be a reality marble" I asked Sortiara as the three of us continued to follow our guide down the seemingly endless corridors.
"…I don't see why it couldn't be" Sortiara eventually muttered. "To invade a reality marble… nothing else but another reality marble could do it, I don't think? But a reality marble of this scale, being up since, what, the start of the war? Even with five leylines and the servant being of the Caster class, that's-"
"Impossible?"
"Yeah… that. Though I confess, I don't really know what to… think… anymore…"
"What do you mean?"
"…I don't know…"
Sortiara simply fell into silence after that, either unable or unwilling to find something else to say.
"…Think it's the mana from the leylines flowing through the walls of this place" I asked in an effort to break the uncomfortable silence.
"Unquestionably" Saber nodded. "The amount of mana I can sense in this place…"
"Feel better or worse down here than in Rider's reality marble?"
"…As of right now, better. But I can't help but feel like that could change at any moment."
"That's because it could."
Sortiara and I both jumped as a new voice, Nathan's voice, joined the conversation.
"Nathan! You can-"
"Hear you" he finished for me, his voice echoing through the corridors. "Of course I can hear you. See you, too."
"Your guide golem is spying on us" Sortiara protested.
"Hmm… more like I'm spying on you through the guide" Nathan sounded amused. "Also, it's a statue, not a golem. Caster is insistent on that."
"Aren't you a bit busy to be spying on us" I questioned.
"One, this doesn't take any effort at all. Two, I needed some way to manually direct you should the guide statue fail for any reason. Three, do you really think Caster would let just anyone wander around his workshop, knowing who he is?"
"…This whole space is his workshop?!"
"I don't know. Maybe? I'm not a mage; don't understand how all that works" Nathan laughed. "But damn, I can't tell who's slower to move: you guys, or Rider. I didn't design my playlist to loop…"
"…Playlist?"
"But back to your original thing, Saber, you would be correct in assuming that this place is dangerous. It is only by Caster's grace that you are currently unaffected by the labyrinth. Another reason for the spying: should you all have tried any funny business, I inform Caster, and poof, he now considers you as hostile entities invading his territory, and the effects of the labyrinth kick in!"
"That's how the labyrinth works" Sortiara scoffed.
"According to Caster, yeah, and it's not like I was going to try and test that for myself" Nathan laughed again. "Oh, and would ya look at that! Rider has finally gotten his men into an acceptable formation. That, or did he just now realize the onus is on him to move? Surely someone of his caliber isn't that inept, but I suppose old age would have kicked in by now, so…"
"At least take this seriously" Saber grumbled.
"Saber, I have never been more serious in my life. But that said, I'm still going to have fun with this. After all, what's the point of living life if you don't enjoy it?"
"That's-"
"Anyways, with Rider finally moving, I'm going to let y'all go. I am severely outnumbered, and these statues move slow as shit. Good luck with Archer, and if anything goes wrong with the guide statue, just shout; should still be able to hear you and take over directing y'all out of here."
"Should" Sortiara protested. "What do you mean, should?!"
Sortiara's protests fell on deaf ears, though, as Nathan didn't even bother to respond. After a couple of seconds of silence, the realization that Nathan was ignoring her dawned or her as well.
"Grrr… I hate that stuck-up asshole" Sortiara seethed.
"…I'm sure he's just busy, is all" I stammered, trying to be democratic about it. "I mean, Rider did have a massive army…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…You know, the more I look at these walls" I spoke again, trying to change the subject. "Well, I can't help but feel like I'm looking at circuitry."
"…"
"…"
"…Considering that… thing… attached to our guide here" Sortiara pointed at the unsightly device latched onto the back of the statue.
"Do you think Caster arrived at this himself, or do you think it was Nathan's influence?"
"Does it matter? Either way, it's disturbing. Magecraft and modern technology, mixed together? Just thinking about it gives me the shivers."
"Hey, some mystic codes are like that, aren't they?"
"That doesn't make me feel any better, dumbass."
"…"
"…"
"…Fair…"
