The passageway leading from the factory seemed endless. It twisted and turned at random intervals, occasionally branching off into various smaller side corridors. Jade, Luis, and Naomi had started their journey with haste, hoping to evade any potential goblin pursuers. Through unspoken consensus they kept to the main thoroughfare, ignoring the branching paths in favor of broader hallway. After a couple of hours of on and off jogging, however, Luis and Naomi started to flag. Jade was starting to feel tired herself, and her two companions looked about ready to drop. She had gotten a good night's rest in the Forest Sanctuary earlier, but Luis and Naomi probably hadn't managed to get much rest in the goblin cage she'd found them in.

"This should be far enough." Jade said, slowing to a walk. "You two look exhausted."

"I can keep going." Naomi said, rubbing her face. She had dark circles under her eyes and, for the past several minutes, had started lagging a little behind Luis.

"No." Luis said, stopping to wait for Naomi to catch up. "We should rest."

Jade nodded, stopping as well. "We can't keep going forever. But not yet. Let's find somewhere safe while we still have the strength."

"If there is anywhere safe." Naomi said with a grimace. She stopped next to Jade and Luis, looking around. "Maybe the next one of those side passages? This main one doesn't seem to actually… you know… lead anywhere."

She was right. They'd been travelling for hours and had seen no sign of whatever destination this passageway went towards. Luis shrugged.

"I've been checking my map." He said, his eyes going unfocused as he pulled it up again. Jade was starting to get used to the sight of people interacting with their interfaces, and could easily tell when someone was tabbing through it now. "And that 'Industrial Zone', that was it, right? That place only shows up if I zoom all the way out now. I can't see anything else, other than those hallways we passed."

Jade checked her own map, seeing that he was right. The hallway they were in twisted enough that they couldn't see very far along its length. It was possible that they were almost to the end of it, if indeed it led anywhere in particular, but there was no way to know.

"I arrived in a big hallway like this." Jade said. "But I took a smaller passage to get to the factory. My guess is those side halls lead to other areas."

"We should go down one of them, then." Naomi said. "If there are other areas and zones down those passages, there might be other sanctuaries too."

"And if not, maybe we can find somewhere better to camp." Jade agreed.

Naomi didn't look too happy about the idea of camping outside of a Sanctuary, but she didn't object. Jade wasn't too fond of the idea either, but rest was essential. Despite the healing potions she'd downed throughout the day her body was still sore and bruised. Jade was pretty sure the goblin who had knocked her out earlier in the day had given her a minor concussion. As wonderous as magical healing was turning out to be, it didn't replace the need to rest.

"Ok." Luis said, turning forward again. "We'll take the next passage we find."

It didn't take them long to reach another branching path. This one was on the right side of the main hallway and broke off from it at an odd angle, not perpendicular to the passageway they were traversing. The three of them shared a look and Jade stepped forward, tentatively starting down this new path. The floor, walls, and ceiling were made of the same grey stone as the hallway proper, but the torches seemed to be brighter. It gave the hallway a more vibrant, warmer feel to it. Taking that as a good omen Jade pressed forward, occasionally glancing at her map. Luis and Naomi followed close behind, the large Hispanic man bringing up the rear and keeping an eye on the passage behind them.

Before long, the group's path onward was blocked by a large wooden door. It was unadorned and plain, simply made of thick planks, and took up the entire width of the passage. The three of them paused in front of it, looking it over. It was held shut by a simple latch.

"Think this leads to a new area?" Naomi asked.

"Only one way to find out." Luis said. He stepped forward, lifting the latch and pulling the door opened. The beam of sunlight that shone through the opening was bright enough that Jade had to shield her eyes with her arm and turn away. A gust of warm wind blew into the hall, bringing with it a sweet scent.

"Woah." She heard Luis say, feeling him step across the threshold and into whatever lay beyond. Jade waited for a few moments while her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, blinking rapidly, then took another look. As her vision cleared and she made out what lay beyond the door, her eyes lit up in wonder.

The door opened on what looked like the top of a ridge on one side of a lush jungle valley filled with colorful vegetation. The valley extended to the left and right as far as Jade could see, lit by the warm glow of a setting sun. A river broke through the thick trees on the opposite ridge, winding its way through the vegetation before ending in a magnificent waterfall that cascaded down a rocky cliff into a cerulean lagoon far below. A soft, warm breeze blew in through the open door, accompanied by melodious birdsong and a faint smell of citrus.

"It's beautiful…" Naomi whispered, stepping up beside Jade.

Jade could only nod, momentarily struck dumb by the incredible vista splayed out before them. She took a step forward through the door, following Luis, and it felt like entering a fairytale. The warm jungle air caressed her face and played across her wings, a curious sensation that felt oddly liberating. Jade took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The forest sanctuary had been peaceful and serene, but it hadn't been nearly as visually striking. This was the kind of vista that adorned travel brochures of exotic tourist destinations.

"It is", she finally said as Naomi stepped through the door after her, panning her gaze across the valley. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

"What?" She asked, giving Jade a confused look.

"Nothing." Jade shook her head, still taking in the scene. "I used to hike a lot with my father, we found a lot of amazing views. But nothing like this."

"It's a lot better than that factory." Luis agreed, grinning. "Wouldn't mind staying here a while. Not at all."

"Should we rest here?" Naomi asked. "It seems safe enough."

"Let's take a look around first to be sure." Jade said. "If it's as safe as it looks, we can find a comfortable place to settle down for a bit."

The other two nodded in agreement. The valley slope was too steep to easily navigate, but it didn't take long for Luis to find a path leading down it towards the lagoon. Since a source of water could only be helpful, the trio decided to head in that direction first. As they walked, Jade was again reminded of the hikes she and her father had taken when she was a girl. They would get up early and load camping equipment into his car, sometimes driving for hours to reach a particular trail that he had researched online.

She didn't have many especially fond memories of her childhood, but those days were precious to her. Days spent away from home, a house filled with tension and bitter arguments. Now, walking along a rough dirt trail, stepping over rocks and tree roots with a hefty backpack on her shoulders, Jade could almost imagine herself back on those hikes. She felt a little of the same sense of wonder she'd had as a girl, the wonder of discovering a new and beautiful part of the world. A little of the tension eased from Jade's shoulders as she relaxed a little. For the first time in the past couple of days, things were looking up. A part of her knew it wouldn't last, but she was determined to enjoy it while she could.

The pulsing icon of her notification folder broke through Jade's reminiscence. In their rush to escape the factory she had nearly forgotten about it. The winding trail leading into the valley wasn't especially treacherous, so she decided to sort through the messages as they walked. Jade pulled the first one up.

* Quest Complete: Cornered.

* Objective: Defeat or escape from the goblin pursuers.

* You have fought your way through and escaped from the enemies that had trapped you! You won't get another quest from this, so try not to let it happen again.

* Reward: Low experience gain.

* Reward: Class equipment

There were prompts to accept the class equipment, but Jade was hesitant about collecting anything while on the cliffside path. It would be best to wait until they found a safe place with surer footing in the valley, the last thing they needed was for some new piece of gear to go right over the edge because she fumbled it. The next message was different than others she'd seen before, with a red border. It was spoken in a more serious tone, absent of the humor and wisecracks she was growing accustomed to.

* System Note

* You have defeated another wayfarer. While you have received experience proportional to the creature's level, killing wayfarers will never result in any quest progress, hidden quest progress, or yield other rewards of any kind.

Jade hadn't even considered that some quests could involve killing other Wayfarers, and was filled with a simultaneous sense of retroactive anxiety and relief at the notice. The fact that it was apparently necessary to tell people not to kill each other in here was more than a little alarming, but it wasn't much of a surprise. Not after their most recent battle with the goblins.

"Wait, we killed a Wayfarer…?" Naomi asked from behind Jade on the trail, her voice sounding small. "Who…?"

"It was that big goblin. The interface labeled him as one."

"You don't think he was from Earth, do you?" Luis asked from the front of the group? "Someone who chose a race change like you, Jade?"

That was a horrifying thought, and for a moment Jade wasn't sure what to think. Then she remembered another part of the goblin's description and shook her head.

"No, he was labeled as a 'Labyrinth immigrant'. We're all listed as coming from 'Earth'."

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"We'll have to remember that if we find others like us." Naomi said with a sigh of relief. "Just because someone doesn't look human doesn't mean they aren't one of us."

"Hopefully the next group of people we run into are from Earth." Luis said. "A bigger group is a safer one."

Jade wasn't sure she agreed with that, but she kept silent. The conversation lapsed, and they continued on their way. They were already almost halfway down to the valley floor, and Jade could now make out colorful birds flapping between the treetops. It really was picturesque. Before she could get too distracted, she returned her attention to her messages. The next one was what she had been hoping for.

* Level Up!

* You have reached Level 4.

* Reward: New class feature.

* Reward: +2 stat points.

It looked like this level gave another class feature for her Shadow Witch class, rather than just stat points or a succubus feature. Jade was relieved, hopefully these options would be more… normal? That was a strange way to think about magic, but she couldn't think of another word for it. She clicked away the message, and another took its place.

* Level 4: Shadow Witch 4th level feature

* You may choose one of the following Shadow Witch features. Any options you do not select at this time will remain available to be picked at future level ups that grant class features.

* Spell: Chains of Shadebloom

* Rating: D Level Spell

* Cost: Medium Mana

* Duration: 30 seconds

* Cooldown: 1 minute

* Effect: Place a magical rune trap on a surface you touch. The rune glows brightly for a short period after casting and then fades, becoming harder to detect. The next creature who comes within range of the rune triggers the trap and is restrained by umbral chains for the duration. You may extend the duration of the spell for an ongoing low mana cost once it is triggered. Chains of Shadebloom rune traps persist until they are triggered, you remove them, or you exceed the number of runes you can sustain at once. Current limit: 3 simultaneous Chains of Shadebloom runes.

* Talent: Siphoning Strike

* Rating: D Level Talent (Weapon Talent)

* Cost: None.

* Duration: Instantaneous

* Cooldown: 30 seconds

* Effect: Perform a special attack with an equipped weapon, imbuing it with the power to sap magical energy from your target. On hit, deals low physical damage and drains very low mana from the affected creature. Mana drained in this way is added to your mana pool.

Jade read through the descriptions quickly and found herself torn. Both options seemed quite useful. Chains of Shadebloom would allow her to control the battlefield and potentially stop enemies from attacking effectively, while also leaving them vulnerable. Since the traps took a few moments before they were hidden, it was definitely the kind of ability that would require teamwork and good planning to make the best use of. Siphoning Strike, on the other hand, was simpler. An attack that drained mana from a target and refilled her own was very tempting. Between Vital Strike, Allure, and Clinging Darkness, Jade was already finding that her mana reserves dropped quickly during a fight. That was made worse by the fact that her demon form actively penalized her Willpower attribute, which in turn lowered her mana regeneration rate. Siphoning Strike could be used as a workaround to the downside of her demon form, allowing her to regain mana quicker despite the penalty.

The talent wasn't perfect, however. For one thing, it was a melee attack. The whole reason Jade had decided against the Blade Dancer class was because she'd wanted to have more approaches to conflict than stabbing enemies. It was also a very individually focused ability, providing no benefit to anyone but herself. She looked up from her window at Luis, who was continuing to lead them down the winding path to the valley floor. She wasn't alone, and Jade had a feeling that success as a Wayfarer would revolve around teamwork and allies as much as it would individual ability. In the end, she chose Chains of Shadebloom. It had the potential for creative applications, and their burgeoning team lacked any substantial control effects. It also synergized well with her succubus feature 'Bondage Queen', which allowed her to deal bonus damage to restrained enemies.

Besides. Jade thought, reading over the system messages again. I can always pick Siphoning Strike at a later level if I need to.

Having both would be ideal, and she resolved to keep that option in mind for the future. As she finalized her selection, another prompt came up.

* Spell: 'Chains of Shadebloom' has been added to your spell list. You now have '0' free spots available on your spell list. Increase your 'Intelligence' attribute to expand your ability to learn spells.

Jade frowned, she wasn't a big fan of having a full spell list already. The messages had been indicating that her 'Intelligence' score impacted how many spells she could learn, so she dug through the menus for more information.

* Ability, Spell, and Talent Lists

* Your spell list can hold up to (1+Intelligence/4) spells at once. Racial spells do not count towards this limit. Current Intelligence Attribute: 7. Current number of spells known: 2. Current spell list limit: 2.

* Note: You are at your spell list limit. If you try to learn an additional spell, you will have to choose one to remove.

* Your talent list can hold up to (1+Strength/4) or (1+Agility/4) talents at once, whichever is higher. Racial talents do not count towards this limit. Current Agility: 10. Current number of talents known: 1. Current talent list limit: 3.

* You can have any number of Abilities. Current number of class abilities: None. Current number of racial abilities: 2.

That wasn't too complicated, and the level up presented a solution to Jade's maxed out spell list. She allocated both of her level up stat points into 'Intelligence', bringing it from 7 to 9. She double checked her character screen to make sure that had the effect she'd intended and found that her new spell list limit had indeed gone up one to '3'. It also had the effect of increasing her maximum mana pool, which would expand her capability to cast spells in quick succession. The stat difference didn't come with any sort of sensation, and it wasn't something she could feel like an increased agility or strength, but she was satisfied with the result.

"Hey amiga, you see that?"

Jade closed her windows and looked up at Luis. He was pointing at something in the valley below. Now that they were near the bottom of the cliff, it was easier to make out details in the sprawling jungle. Jade followed his gesture, quickly finding what had caught his eye. Something shiny sparkled in one of the treetops near the lake, maybe a hundred yards from the base of the cliff they were traversing. It was difficult to make out exactly what it was at this distance, but the glimmering light stood out against the verdant foliage.

"What is that?" Naomi asked.

"Not sure, but we should check it out." Jade replied, squinting at the distant object.

"Sure thing." Luis agreed. "But first, let's find a place to sit. If it’s a monster, I don't want to fight it on an empty stomach."

"An empty stomach?" Jade asked with a raised eyebrow. "I just watched you eat two cans of chicken."

"What can I say? I'm a big guy." Luis looked back at her, flashing a grin. "All this walking is making me hungry."

Jade just shook her head. "Fine, fine. We'll break for lunch then."

"It's lunch?" Naomi asked. "I feel like it's later than that. I haven't slept in… I don't even know how long."

"Lunch, dinner, whatever we call it, as long as we have it." Luis said, reaching the bottom of the trail and pausing to let the other two catch up. "Let's find a place to sit, yeah?"

"Yes." Jade said. "That quest reward gave us class equipment. I want to see what that is."

"Oh, that's right." Naomi said, perking up a little. "Let's check it out."

After a few minutes of exploration, Naomi discovered a hollow between several large trees that was both comfortable and afforded a good amount of concealment from any prying eyes. They settled in, cracking open a few more cans of their provisions from the sanctuary and digging in.

"Who should start?" Jade asked, eating from a can of something that just said 'chicken'. There was nothing else, no brand label, no nutritional info, just the one word. It tasted normal, though, and Jade was long past the point of concerning herself with strange details like that.

"Ladies first." Luis said, gesturing towards the two of them. Naomi and Jade looked at each other, and Jade gave her a nod.

"Ok, let's see what it is." Naomi said, poking at a spot in the air in front of her. There was sudden pop and a bundle appeared at her feet. She picked it up, shaking it out to reveal an outfit of padded leather armor. It was comprised of a padded jerkin and long fitted pants. The outfit was sleeveless, but there were a pair of bracers that looked like they were meant to strap on to the forearms.

"Armor?" Jade asked, leaning in to inspect it. "That'll be useful."

"Yeah…" Naomi said distractedly, holding up the jerkin to her chest to check its fit. "Not really my style, but I suppose it's still worth wearing if it'll keep me in one piece. At least until I come across something better."

"I don't think we should be too worried about fashion right now." Jade said, amused.

"We should always be concerned about fashion." Naomi sniffed, shooting Jade a disapproving look. "We're going to find other people in here. When we do, we want to make a good impression."

"That's a good point." Luis said. "We kind of look like shit right now."

Jade looked at her own outfit, noticing for the first time all the tears and bloodstains. She had a couple more changes of clothes in her pack, but she was going through them alarmingly fast.

"Maybe you have a point." She conceded.

"Think we got armor, too?" Luis asked. "I hope I get a suit of plate, like a knight. That would be awesome."

Jade grunted a reply, accepting her quest reward as Naomi began to equip her new gear.

The rest of the class equipment, as Luis had predicted, was armor. Jade received a set of leather armor and bracers similar to Naomi, although hers included shoulder pieces. The armor already had small gaps crafted into it to accommodate her tail and wings, which was a relief since Jade wasn't sure she could have performed the alterations without damaging the equipment. Luis's armor was somewhat heavier, not the full suit of plate he had hoped for but rather a sturdy metal breastplate accompanied by padded leather coverings for his extremities. All of the armor was unadorned but well made, the neat and clean equipment a stark contrast to the tattered remains of their clothing.

The group ate a relaxed meal, undisturbed by other denizens of the jungle, then settled in for a short rest. After a brief discussion they decided to delay setting up camp for the night until they'd explored the strange light they'd seen on their way down into the valley, given that they still had a little daylight left. They did take the time to change into their new equipment, though. Jade and Naomi had little difficulty, only taking a few moments to pull on their leather armor over their existing clothes. Luis, with the heavier breastplate, required some assistance with the myriad buckles and straps. Before long, they were all freshly outfitted with protective equipment. Jade strapped her belt over her new armor, sliding her daggers and wand into their sheaths. She had an odd feeling, like by changing into this outfit she was stepping more fully into this new world.

"Well." She said, inspecting herself. "We all look the part now."

"The part of what?" Naomi asked, slinging her guitar over her shoulder. "I feel like I'm mixing some genres that really shouldn't be thrown together."

Jade had to admit that her instrument did clash with her medieval style armor, but the result was still striking.

"You can pull it off, amiga." Luis said. "Just gotta own it."

"That look has an attitude." Jade said, nodding. "I like it."

"If you say so." Naomi said, brushing her hair out of her face. Jade wasn't sure how she managed to look so shy while geared for battle, but she did. Naomi turned to Jade. "You look rather villainous, though."

"Me?" Jade asked. She looked down at her armor. "Does it make that much of a difference?"

"You look like you just stepped out of a fairytale." Naomi confirmed, then gave a slight wince. "And not as the heroine…"

"But you definitely have that 'I'm going to kill you but we'll both enjoy it so it's ok' look going on." Luis added, then shook his head. "Man, I'm still having a hard time believing all of this."

"You and me both." Jade said. "Here, how about this?" She concentrated, shifting back into her human appearance. Her wings and tail retracted, followed by her horns, until she was practically indistinguishable from the woman she'd been before stepping into the Labyrinth, minus the weapons and armor. She was improving, the whole process only took a few seconds now.

"Wow." Naomi said, eyes wide. "That will take some getting used to. You can do that whenever you want?"

Jade nodded. "If there's a limit, I haven't found it."

"Well, that's a much more heroic look." Naomi said, inspecting her appearance. "I like it."

"You don't like the other one?" Jade asked.

"Oh, I do. It's a little sinister though, Luis is onto something. Probably not best for first impressions if we find someone else here."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jade said, remembering how the goblins had called her a monster when she'd first encountered them. "Ready to go?"

The other two nodded.

"To boldly go where no one has gone before." Luis said. "Let's get to it."

"Picard?" Jade asked. "I didn't take you for a Star Trek fan."

"That's Picard?" Luis asked. "I thought that was Kirk."

“Trust me, I know the difference.” Jade muttered as they set off together. “My brother made sure of that…”