Act 3: Life

Chapter nineteen: Loyalty

The instant Jack woke up that morning, he made his way to the throne room to find it empty. One of the Valkyries nearby begrudgingly gave him directions to where Herskagul had gone, and he made his way through the Sanctuary, flanked by two guards. They didn't like him roaming around alone.

The door he finally reached was also guarded by two Valkyries. One of them went into the room while the other motioned for Jack to wait. The first guard eventually returned, ordering Jack to follow her.

He did so and went inside the room—to be met with a sizable and intricate piece of machinery. While it looked nothing like what he'd seen on Earth, its technological nature was pretty clear.

He crossed his arms, observing the device with mild interest. He was surprised—he didn't know the Valkyries were this technologically advanced.

"Impressed?" someone asked. Jack turned to see Herskagul. "I suppose you didn't expect this kind of machinery here."

"Do you know where Skotur and Brigul are?" asked Jack. "We were going to go to that Labyrinth today, weren't we?"

"Yes. Guard, have Brigul meet Jack in the armory."

The guard she addressed sped off.

Jack had gotten his padded armor on before Brigul entered the armory. He'd half expected she wouldn't come.

Without saying a word, she took the hauberk and helped him put it on. She proceeded to do the same with the remaining armor pieces.

Jack was surprised—he'd expected to hear a snarky remark from her by now, but she was giving him the silent treatment. Maybe she'd realized that the best way for them to get along was to just say nothing.

Even so, it bugged him. Jack considered breaking the silence for a moment, but decided against it. If she had a problem, she'd have to tell him directly. He wasn't going to waste his breath asking her if she was alright. He doubted that'd be appreciated anyway.

Finally Jack took the familiar poleaxe from its stand. The magenta metal gleamed softly in the omnipresent light. He took a moment to look at the head. It was a detailed piece of work, a combination of an axe, a hammer and a spear.

"Tristan said you betrayed the Hunters."

Caught off-guard by the sudden statement, Jack looked at her. "What?"

"When you were taken to the Overworld," Brigul said, sounding hesitant, "you joined the Hunters…and then turned against them when you found out what they really did."

"That's true."

"Why?"

He scoffed. "Still can't accept that humans can actually do something other than destroy everything, huh? Their target was a kid, and Tristan said they only hunted him because he was a potential threat."

"Wasn't he?"

"I guess all mobs are potential threats. So are humans. Yaebi hadn't done anything wrong; he just wanted to live his life. I didn't see any reason to take him in."

"But you pledged loyalty to Raulyn by joining the Hunters."

"Pledged my loyalty? Ha, no. I needed a job. The Hunters offered me one, even though it was obvious I had a lot to learn. Raulyn made it sound like mobs were monsters; I didn't know what they really were until I met Yaebi."

"So you were fine with joining the Hunters because you thought what they did was protect their people," Brigul slowly said, "and you betrayed them once you learned that they imprisoned and killed other people simply for existing."

"Pretty much."

She seemed to ponder on that for a moment.

"Still having a hard time believing I'm not a mob hunter, huh…" Jack said. "Let's just go to that Labyrinth. We're wasting time."

Accompanied by Brigul and Skotur, Jack left the Sanctuary. The two Valkyries led him from island to island. The trip went faster than it would've if he weren't wearing the armor. He was getting used to utilizing the Aerclouds, and began to feel a strange familiarity as he leaped from one to the other.

Finally they made their way onto a mountain. "There," Skotur said, pointing. Jack looked. In the distance on the adjacent island, he could vaguely make out a stone structure—a small stone plateau, with four pillars holding up a cube like a ceiling. No walls. Something shimmered in the middle of the structure.

"That's the Labyrinth?" Jack questioned.

"Just the entrance," Skotur said.

Jack paused. "I never asked—why do they call it the Slider's Labyrinth?"

"Apparently, the Slider was the main security device that protected the Labyrinth's central storage. Some of our records claim that there were really three separate security devices though, so we're not entirely sure what to expect."

"You don't have any…recent records on this place?"

"Most of our documents regarding the Labyrinth are vague or damaged. Or both. Most Valkyries that serve under Herskagul have never even been there, and those that have were given limited access."

That made him stop. "There are Valkyries that don't serve under Herskagul?"

"Plenty. Oh, they served under a Valkyrie High Queen; just not the current one. They stayed back in Brexul."

"Why? Do they want to rule for themselves or something?"

"If they wanted to take over control, they could've challenged Herskagul to a duel."

"Sounds extreme."

She glanced at him. "A High Queen isn't likely to refuse a challenge from a worthy opponent."

"Really?"

She nodded.

They made their way over to the tiny temple. Once there, Jack saw that the structure wasn't exactly as he'd expected. The stone landmark itself had markings on it, much like what he'd seen on the walls of the Sanctuary. Strange purple channels ran through the stone and into some kind of totem in the center.

Rectangular and about as tall as Jack, the totem had a single channel on each of its four sides, running to the top. The upper half of the totem spun slowly.

Jack stopped just outside the structure, hesitant to go in. Skotur and Brigul brushed past him and entered without hesitation. He apprehensively followed.

They stepped up to the totem.

"What is that?" wondered Jack.

"This," Skotur said, "is the entrance to the Labyrinth."

"Alright…" He hesitated, eyeing the totem. "How does it open?"

She stepped forward and reached out. Her hand lightly brushed the stone.

A mild flash shot through the purple channels. A rumbling sound rang out. Jack backed away, as did the Valkyries.

Then the tiny temple's floor surrounding the totem descended, forming a helical staircase that led downwards.

Once the staircase had completed itself, the rumbling stopped.

Jack hesitantly stepped forward and peered to what lay below. The stairs led to a sea of darkness. He glanced at the two Valkyries, who each lowered their visors. Jack did the same.

"So…" Jack said, gesturing to the stairs. "Ladies first?"