“We must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
― Martin Luther King Jr.
“How are you feeling?” Min ran her hands above Rafe’s forehead, eyes closed as she probed within the Halflings soul. The silver invader remained still, despite her efforts. “Is the orb influencing you in a way you can detect?”
“Not really… but before Hive bound it up, I was in a kind of fog,” Rafe sighed as Min pinched at the skin above his eyes, determined to follow her orders to remain still. “All I could think about was getting deeper into the labyrinth.”
“Hmmm…” Min frowned and released another wave of runic scripture. It flowed under the Halflings skin and joined the many layers around the sphere. “It’s like this thing is not actually there… or half there and half somewhere else?”
The orb had an ominous vibe, yet it sat without any response to stimuli. It carried no runes of its own, not that she could find. If it wasn’t visible within Rafe’s mental space, she would have assumed it was a small mental scar, something the Halfling could heal over time.
“Well, let’s make it ALL somewhere else, ok?” Rafe shivered. The idea that the orb could manipulate his mind, weighed heavy on the poor Halfling. “I think everyone up above has something like this inside them…”
“He might be right,” Christopher hovered at Min’s back, concerned for his newfound friend. “The people in the upper levels all read like the orb, empty reflections of themselves…”
Min continued her work, a slight increase in speed. The Will of Ven’s realm recognized this intruder, but its mind was too primitive to convey more than fear. It regarded the orb as a threat, one greater than anything else.
“I’m not sure what else I can do…” Min’s fingers danced as she tried a new configuration of runes. A failure, like all the rest. “I can’t even target it directly, and I’m not sure these bindings will last if it actively resists them.”
“So I’m screwed…” Rafe rubbed his forehead and returned to his feet. He couldn’t return to the realm, and they dared not go below or above… the orb had been far more active in the upper levels, and it actively wanted the Halfling to go deeper. “What do I do now?”
“Nothing,” Min gave Rafe a gentle smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. “We wait until Ven can come himself, his eyes may be able to penetrate that orb…”
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A subtle, familiar tingle ran through the darkness of the Abyss. Min turned to the horizon, concerned. Giant had entered the labyrinth. It was probably some plan of Ven’s, but the idea of her rather foolish friend on the loose without guidance wrinkled her brow.
“Just hold tight and don’t go anywhere,” Min patted Rafe’s head before she rose into the air and streaked toward Giant’s position. “Wait for Ven and help Hive keep watch over the gate to the upper levels!”
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“This isn’t working…” Cain grumbled as his scythe spiralled out waves of crimson force. It joined Lucifer’s fire and Brull’s deep toned swordlight, but failed to overwhelm the luminous algae. “We should retreat before it overwhelms us.”
He had promised Ven he would keep the others safe. Even if their power had grown to possibly match his own, he took the oath seriously. The unconscious Lyra, still lost in a peaceful sleep, was his responsibility. He wouldn’t fail his friends, or break his promise.
“We can’t,” Brull panted between swings, a constant flow of sweat from his skin that tainted the water around him. “It’s as dense behind as it is ahead, we’re trapped…”
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‘Keep moving!’ Ven sighed as the Giant stopped to scoop up a fresh handful of abyssal flame. The gate to the lower level hung a hundred metres away, ignored by the sunburn creature. ‘I’m telling you, whatever’s on the other side will have more energy than this fire…’
“Giant?” Min’s voice interrupted Ven’s attempts to move things along. The woman floated down from above and walked a full circle around her transformed friend. “What have you done… I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM THAT FRUIT!” Min swatted at the Giant’s head, exhausted anger in her every swing. “Now look at you… you’ve got a weird formation stuck under your skin and Ven has kicked you out of the realm!”
“Hello, Min!” Giant stepped forward and hugged the surprised woman. She returned his embrace with a wry smile, even as the Giant continued to stuff his face with fire. “Ven wants me to go through that gate, but I like it here…”
‘Just go, you mobile stomach!’ Ven snorted and sent a fresh wave of mental pressure. ‘I need to make sure Cain and the others are alright.’
If Rafe encountered trouble above, then the lower levels might hold things just as dangerous. He also needed to grill Cain on his time control technique. If he could grow the people in his realm at an increased rate, they would have far more time to prepare for any conflicts ahead.
“Hmmm?” Min turned the Giant’s head and squinted into his eyes. She pinched the creature's nose and gave a small grin. “What are you doing in there, Ven? Using my friend as an extra pair of eyes?”
‘If you can hear me, then shove this idiot through the gate, will you?’ Ven sighed. Min had more control of his Giant than he did, especially since his avatar wasn’t there to bully the thing. ‘This fool keeps stopping to eat the landscape.’
“I can send him through, but we need to talk about Rafe,” Min frowned as she pulled the Giant toward the Gate without any fuss. “I can’t interact with the thing inside him at all, maybe your eyes could do it, but mine…”
‘Keep an eye on him for now,’ Ven couldn’t enter the labyrinth himself, not until he found a safe place to leave the Gate. The space around his real body was still filled with the boundless slime. ‘I’ll visit in person as soon as I can, but I’ll send Ooulin through to take a look.’
Min nodded and motioned for the Giant to hop through the icy gate. The beast sighed, but obediently shuffled forward.
‘I hope Cain and the others are alright…’