AN: This is manga-compliant, but, since this is an AU, the story will more or less be divergent from the original story. Like, for example, what happens in the Dungeons in canon won't entirely appear in this fic (because I don't want to rewrite what happens in the manga for every scene).

Chapter 6: Rumplestiltskin Part 4

"I'm starting to think that this is all futile," Alibaba muttered. He rolled over to his side and watched Alamir finish his list of crosses, circles, and other shapes in the dirt with a twig. These figures were found marked next to the openings of the passages that they ventured in, and these passages led them straight back to the cavern. This place was one enormous maze, and Alibaba had no clue how to get out of it.

Alamir was humming to himself contemplatively. He didn't appear to be all too worried about the labyrinth that they were stuck in, but, of course, he maintained an air of seriousness. His prime intent was to rescue Ugo, after all, so the mood couldn't be struck as idle or light-hearted.

There was a niggling feeling of dread that Alibaba couldn't express to Alamir. They had been wandering around in circles for what must have had been three hours and there was still no sign of either Kassim or Yunan. For all he knew, they could keep this up forever, find no exit, and wither away before even reaching the legendary treasures that were beyond man's imagination. The part about not getting treasure was an insignificant disappointment; the part about dying was a genuine fear.

He did tell Alamir stories about how thousands of Dungeon-diving hopefuls had entered Dungeons and had yet to return. For decades of such attempts and only a scarce few had accomplished the feat of conquering. From the vaguest part of his memory, Alibaba could remember reading that it was why Dungeons were referred to as "Pits of Death" and "Stairways to Hell."

Alamir, in his steadfast belief that everything would turn out well in the end, insisted that after they recuperated and thought of a plan, they would be able to escape the cavern and its meandering tunnels. Alibaba just gave the child a weak smile.

"There are so many of these shapes. Do you think that they could mean something?" Alamir mused. "Maybe the O's stand for the correct pathways."

"I don't think it could be that simple," Alibaba replied dryly.

It really couldn't be that simple. This Dungeon had been erected perhaps years ago, and that meant that several had tried their luck in triumphing over the challenges that it had to offer. Challenges that Alibaba was in no way prepared for, and yet Kassim just had to thrust them into this mess.

He sat up and wearily glanced at the cogitation that scrunched Alamir's face. Was he trying to determine if there was a pattern that they had to follow? If that was the case, then this was more complicated than Alibaba thought it would be.

He hated convoluted puzzles. Maybe he lacked the genius to enjoy mentally-stimulating games, but he liked to consider himself a straightforward person. Reason being why he hated riddles and poetry so much when he was younger.

His eyes drifted back to the drawings. Alamir was quite the artist given how he was able to copy the shapes precisely like the marks on the entrances. He watched as Alamir did another circle, but he didn't move the twig with a steadiness and a focused eye. He idly dug his writing implement into the dirt and did a loop with a flick of the wrist, and then scratched out another triangle among his other triangles.

Alamir wasn't trying to be concise of his drawings at all.

Alibaba's eyes widened. It wasn't a puzzle that the Dungeon wanted them to decipher; these were man-made markings. The marks were created from previous Dungeon-divers—that was in likelihood. But for what purpose did they had in mind when they drew these shapes? Unless…

He rose up onto his feet, realization settling in. It really could be that simple.

"Alamir, go look for a passage that doesn't have a mark," Alibaba said, running towards the entrances that they had yet to enter.

"You figured something out?"

"Yeah. I'll explain later!"

Half an hour later, they were standing before an entrance that Alamir had found. Next to the opening was a blank wall.

"Okay," Alibaba said, slapping a hand onto the smooth surface, "this one is likely the correct path."

"What?" Alamir looked at him in surprise. "But it doesn't have a mark! How can you tell that it's the right one?"

"My theory is that these marks are made by those who came before us. And, like you and me, they had struggled in figuring out which path is the right one. If they enter a path that led them nowhere, they would mark it up so that they'd know not to enter it again by mistake."

"And they would keep marking the entrances until they find the right one!" Alamir gasped.

"Process of elimination. Although, they could have found the right path halfway through their search, so there could be plenty other unmarked entrances."

"Then, if this is another wrong path, we can mark it and head over to another unmarked entrance."

"Yup." Alibaba grinned. "Alright, let's go!"

In they went, and out they attempted when they were being chased by terrifying oversized ant-like creatures.

Were monsters ever mentioned in the scrolls that he had read? That…Alibaba couldn't quite recall. But monsters were here, and monsters they were running away from.

Alibaba and Alamir had been striding down the passage, taking in their surroundings with quiet appreciative eyes. Stalactites hung above their heads, casting soft shadows by the bluish-white luminance. Brightly shimmering flowers had sprouted along the walls and corners while the moss here glittered like it had flecks of gems in them. More than once did they stop and examine the small beauty before them.

And then they had located the eggs. More importantly, they had trespassed into the creatures' nest.

With all the energy and strength that he could muster, Alibaba sped down the passage, his hand gripping tightly onto Alamir's. The deluge of beasts angrily cried out after them, noises so grating and screeching. Alibaba did not once look over his shoulder, but he didn't have to—he knew that they were gaining up on him and Alamir.

They had no weapons and they were already worn out from figuring out the maze. What were they going to do now?

"Al-Alibaba, I know a way out," Alamir panted.

"As long as it doesn't require us stopping, then go ahead."

"Um, you're going to have to trust me on this."

"Wait, we really need to stop running?" Alibaba said incredulously.

"Just—just for a moment."

It wasn't like Alibaba himself knew what else to do. Pushing away his disinclination, he skidded to a halt and released his hold on Alamir's hand. Alamir promptly tugged off his turban and unraveled it, casting a thin blanket onto the ground. His open palms hovered above the cloth as his brows furrowed in concentration.

Alibaba's eyes flitted back and forth between Alamir's task and the growing cloud of dust that was kicked up by the creatures that were drawing in close. He nervously chewed on his bottom lip. "Any time now, Al."

"Sorry. It's just—it's just harder when I don't have all of my magic," Alamir murmured.

A few seconds later, a second before Alibaba decided that he would start sprinting again even if he had to tow Alamir by his braid, the cloth levitated. Al grinned widely and bounced on top, exclaiming, "Hop on!"

It wasn't as fast as Kassim's carpet, but it was fast enough to lift off high into the air and avoid the snapping mandibles of the creatures. Relief poured into his body like an overfilled glass, and Alibaba let out a shaky chuckle. Alamir sagged tiredly and leaned heavily against Alibaba's side.

"Good job, Al," Alibaba said, patting the child's back.

"Took a lot outta me," Alamir sighed, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Normally, doing this wouldn't be so difficult…"

"Well, I don't think those things can get us from up here." Peering down, he could see the ants congregating under the drifting cloth's shadow, clambering on top of one another as though trying to form a pile to reach them. "I think we're safe."

That was until the creatures began to melt into each other. To the boys' horrification, the ants that had melded together altered fully into one grotesque sentient blob. It was reacting to their presence, lurching upwards and trailing after them in the similar slow pace that their ride was going. Feelers and appendages that were sticking out smoothed around the being's body as it convulsed violently. It then started to take shape.

It wouldn't take long for it to complete its transformation. They had to get out of here before it did.

"Alamir, take us away from here now!" Alibaba shouted.

An arm shot out of the blob with its human-like hand outstretched for them, but Alamir heeded his warning before it could take them. With a burst of speed, they shot forward and managed to dart away from the monster's grasp.

"Yeah!" they cheered.

The blob pulsated again, and, this time, legs sprouted out. The legs pushed the body up and took a wobbly step…then another and another…until it was running after them.

"No!" they cried.

It was undeniable now—they wouldn't be able to escape. It was upon them within a few heartbeats, its shadow looming over them.

"Yunan, wherever you are, now would be a good time to show up!" Alibaba whispered, bringing Alamir to his chest.

The monster's hand was inches away from grabbing them until, suddenly, there was a sound of explosion. The monster roared and recoiled. Before Alibaba could see what was happening, the flying cloth quickly sailed downwards and then collapsed under the weight of both of its occupants. Alibaba and Alamir crashed hard onto the ground, the two groaning in pain.

"What's going on?" Alamir asked, eyes widening.

"I don't—" Shooting over their heads was a comet of white light that hit the monster and seared its skin. Alibaba looked over to the source of the attack, and then exclaimed in relief, "Yunan! Good timing!"

"Kind of funny how I had to save you the moment when I find you," Yunan said, smiling.

The creature shook off the strike and made a lunge forward. A whorl of radiance coalesced into a ball within seconds at the tip of Yunan's staff before he motioned his arm in a forward jerk and fired another hit. The attack upon impact created an explosion, and the creature wailed in agony. Its arms hit the ceiling and caused debris to rain.

Attack after attack, the creature finally decided that they weren't worth the trouble. It gave one last roar and then slinked away into the dark void of the corridor. Alibaba gave a long sigh of relief.

The man patted away the dust that clung onto his clothes and turned around to face his charge. "Well, then," Yunan chirped, placing his hands on his hips, "is there something that you would like to tell me?"

Alibaba was confused. "What?"

"Oh, come on! You know! When your godfather just saved your life, there are two words that you say to convey your appreciation." He paused. "Or seven."

"Thank you," the younger man deadpanned.

"You sure don't sound like it," Yunan lamented.

"Don't get me wrong, Yunan. I'm grateful that you came and beat that monster, but what I would be even more grateful if you left specific directions as to what I would be doing after the first stage of subterfuge. Maybe, that way, I wouldn't have to waste time trying to find the right path out of all the other paths or getting chased by freakish-looking creatures!" Alibaba snapped, rising on his feet.

"You do look ruffled," the older man acquiesced, observing him from head to toe. "But I didn't think that this would have been such a complication for you."

"What do you mean?" He frowned.

"From what Kassim had told me, in your childhood, you were cunning and clever. Always had a mind full of creative ideas to get out of a dilemma. Not to mention that you were determined. Of course, he did take it into consideration that you'd be no longer able to exercise that when taken into the palace to be educated as royalty."

His mouth parted in surprise. "Kassim said that?"

"Who else?"

"Well, ever since he came through the palace to save us, he hasn't said a single nice thing to me."

"Oh, I'm sure that it wasn't like that, Alibaba—"

Alamir collapsed with a thud.

"Ah! Alamir!" Alibaba knelt down and held the boy up in his arms.

Yunan leaned over and scanned Alamir's face. No, rather, he was surveying what was around Alamir. Was he looking at his rukh?

"What's wrong with him? Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Yunan reassured. "He's just exhausted from overusing his abilities."

He was right. Alibaba glanced down and saw lines of weariness etched onto Alamir's young face. Guilt clawed at his stomach. Did he overwork the kid? He might have not directly told Alamir what to do, but he could have—should have—made sure that he was doing alright. He despairingly dragged a hand through his hair.

Yunan handed something over to him. "Here is your satchel."

"Thanks," Alibaba muttered, accepting the brown bag. He slung the strap around his shoulder. He then threw Alamir over his back and slowly stood up, holding the boy upright.

"Alibaba, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What?"

"Why did you bring that boy with you? He's from the castle, isn't he?"

"He is. I, uh, made a promise to him that I would help him save his friend."

Yunan tilted his head to the side. "Making promises casually will lead you to trouble, Alibaba," he warned lightly.

"It's not like I do it all the time! It's just—Alamir helped me in many occasions, and it wasn't just spinning straw into gold. He saved my life, and I should repay him back in kind." He did prevent Goltas from beheading him, after all.

Now that he thought about it, both magicians had rescued him at very convenient times. Should he just throw himself in danger whenever he needed to find either of them from now on?

Alibaba shook his head from the thought. Third time was the charm—but with his luck, third time was his inevitable downfall. He really shouldn't think of such things. It would only serve to jinx him later in life.

"Well, if you insist." Yunan stared thoughtfully at Alamir. The expression on his face seemed as though he was quite puzzled by the boy. Alibaba looked at Alamir's slumbering face from the corner of his eye before returning his attention back to the man in green.

"What is it?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing." Yunan pursed his lips before shrugging. "Let's go find Kassim, shall we?"

With Yunan in the lead, finding Kassim didn't take as long as Alibaba had expected. Neither did he expect to run into Jamil, Goltas, and a redheaded girl with incredible strength.

The girl—Morgiana, as Jamil had called her—lunged towards Kassim. She drew her fist back and drove it forward. Kassim leapt out of the way in time—barely—and was nicked by the flying rocks created by the massive crater that exploded from the girl's punch. Blood trailed down his face from the cut that ran across his cheek. Alibaba, who saw the events unfold from behind, stared in shock before picking his jaw up.

He inched away slowly.

"Hey, could use a little help here!" Kassim grunted, flipping in midair to evade a kick.

"Right! Help is on the way!" Yunan raised his staff above his head and—and then it was knocked out of his hands by Goltas's blade.

Alibaba and Yunan watched as the staff flew a few yards back and clatter onto the ground. They turned back forward with Goltas looming over them.

"I believe that this is your time to shine, Alibaba," Yunan declared cheerfully, grabbing his wrist and pushing something into his hand. Then, without a warning, the bastard shoved him right into Goltas.

"Oh shi—!" Alibaba instinctively drew his arms upwards and found himself wielding a short sword that clashed against the scabbard. He gasped and skidded backwards before the large man could throw him off. Years of swordsmanship lessons took over: his left arm swung behind his back, his stance steady and ready, the weight shifted to his toes, his fingers curled firmly on the grip.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Yunan, who was now carrying Alamir, going after his staff. Alibaba gritted his teeth in annoyance. He could lash out at the man later. Right now, he needed to focus on his opponent.

Already familiar with Goltas's movements, Alibaba, more or less, knew how to deal with the hulking guard. The problem was that he was exhausted. His feet ached, he was short of breath, and he had a headache. From dehydration, probably. Needless to say, this fight was extremely one-sided.

Redirecting Goltas's attack with the short sword's blade, Alibaba glanced at Kassim from the corner of his eye. Yunan erected a glowing barrier to ward off Morgiana's flying kick. He didn't see Jamil anywhere. Was he hiding in one of the buildings?

The part of the Dungeon that they were in was like an abandoned city. Flat-topped structures were spread across the interior of the enormous prism-shaped space. In the center was a magnificent tower that stood from the ground to the ceiling.

When they had been walking through, there had been several statues standing outside of the pathways. Chipped pottery and plates had been left as though undisturbed for decades. Alibaba had wondered if people had actually resided here.

Making their way towards the center, that had been when they ran into trouble.

Alibaba kept up with Goltas for a couple minutes, but his movements were slowing down drastically. He was now throwing himself out of harm's way instead of dodging it gracefully.

Goltas dragged his weapon downwards and curved the swing just when Alibaba rolled away. He squawked and tried to scramble away, but it was too late. The scabbard slashed at his back, and Alibaba shrieked in pain. Something hard struck across his face, and specks of black dotted his vision.

"Alibaba!" he heard Yunan call out.

"Goltas, go after those two men and retrieve the boy. I'll deal with the girl," ordered a familiar voice. Alibaba cracked open one eye to see Jamil looming over him.

The master looked…worse for wear. Gone was the lofty smile and pristine condition, he was now beleaguered. His face was beaded in sweat, his clothes bore tears and smudges, and he was staring down at him with a dark and angry expression. In his hand was a thin sword.

"You," Jamil said in a ragged voice. "This is all your fault! Yours and his!"

Alibaba propped his arms up and struggled to get up. Jamil took immediate notice of this and kicked him down again. The man kept his foot on his head and pressed down.

"Those monsters—what I do to deserve such hell? I didn't do anything, and yet I nearly died ten times," Jamil muttered hysterically.

Monsters? Did he mean the Dungeon creatures? Wait, was this guy seriously blaming him for that?

What the heck! That didn't even make sense!

To think that Alibaba was afraid of him before. Seeing the man being reduced to a whining hot mess took care of that. Alibaba didn't even feel scared for his life when Jamil held his sword over his head and was about to stab him with it.

(He was pretty battered. He was completely depleted of adrenaline and was ready to take a five-hour long nap. Or maybe he was in shock that, after surviving several encounters of near-death experiences, he was going to die right here and now.)

"Get away from my goddaughter!"

There was a loud blast and Alibaba was conscious enough to see Jamil flying backwards. There were plumes of smoke that soon disappeared. Yunan was quick to come to his side and kneel down. He gently pressed his hands onto the long wound. Alibaba winced, but was soon relieved of the searing pain, only left with a bruising ache.

"I can't fix the scarring. I hope that's alright with you," Yunan said.

"It's fine." Alibaba grunted as he pushed himself up. "Where's Alamir? And Goltas?"

"The boy is safe, and I already took care of the masked man. You stay down; Kassim and I will finish this."

"But Yunan—"

"Stay down. It's bad enough that you got injured as badly as you did." Alibaba never thought that he would see the normally jovial man appear so distraught. The sight was a bit alarming. Perhaps Yunan really didn't think that he could gain more than just scrapes and bruises. But what was Yunan placing his faith in when he kept sticking Alibaba in these situations? Some sort of magical luck that came with his supposedly big-time destiny?

After casting Alibaba a stern look that conveyed a strange parental vibe (so, so strange), Yunan ran off into the direction of where Jamil was. The young man surveyed the area. He couldn't see Alamir anywhere, but he trusted Yunan when he said that the kid was fine. There were thundering crashes and rising dust at a distance, presumably where Kassim and the redheaded girl were taking their fight at.

Before Alibaba could lower his guard and relax, he saw Kassim leaping onto a rooftop. Morgiana soon followed. In the moment of when she was suspended in air from her jump, Morgiana then whirled and propelled her heel into Kassim's stomach. Kassim shot out over a few rooftops before crashing into the ground.

"Kassim!" Alibaba got up onto his feet and ran.

"Don't come any closer, Alibaba!" Kassim yelled through ragged and heavy breaths.

Alibaba was ready to ignore Kassim when Morgiana suddenly landed in front of him. She was hardly an imposing figure up close. She was head shorter than him with a seemingly frail body hiding under the threadbare dress that she wore. But Alibaba was beyond knowing not to judge a person based on appearances—he witnessed not too long ago the girl causing craters with her fists, after all.

Her sharp eyes peered up at him. His eyes flickered to the arm that she was drawing back and didn't think twice about dropping into a fetal curl. A strong gust of wind blew above him. Alibaba felt himself quake.

(The adrenaline was coming back again. This time, he was feeling properly scared.)

The second after Morgiana had her arm struck out, Alibaba rolled away and skirted behind her. Without having to check over her shoulder, she pivoted on her heel and kicked him directly in the stomach. He folded over as air rushed out of his system. It was probably a good thing that he hadn't gotten the chance to eat something earlier…

Alibaba was shoved backwards and fell on his back. On his bruise. As he writhed from the soreness, Kassim leaped over his body and once again fought with the girl. Alibaba gulped for air and attempted to regulate his breathing as he moved onto his side since both his front and back were tender. His stupidly long hair fanned around him; they were looking stringy from all the perspiration.

He was tired. Kassim was tired. He wasn't sure about Yunan, but Alibaba was betting that the man in green was getting tired too. And, yet, Goltas was a muscle monster and Morgiana wasn't even breaking a sweat.

This was becoming a losing battle. It didn't matter if they triumphed in numbers—and likely they didn't since Alibaba was as useful as Jamil was—because their opponents were significantly better than them when it came to combat. Sure, Yunan was a Magi, but he didn't have a reservoir of energy that the Fanalis did.

For the last time for the day, Alibaba got onto his feet.

Kassim remembered him being cunning and clever. Alibaba probably was none of those things anymore, but damn it if he still wasn't determined.

Kassim kept Morgiana occupied—that was all Alibaba needed. He took off his satchel, held it open, and sprinted towards the girl. Before she could react to his presence, Alibaba covered the entirety of her head with the bag and shouted, "Get her, Kassim!"

But then ended up squatting as the satchel swallowed her whole.

Alibaba stared. Kassim stared. The satchel, remaining its original size, was still.

"What the hell," Kassim said.