The three women happily monopolized the bath for the next quarter of an hour. Naomi and Siora chatted away, talking about the elf's home village of Lysara and her time growing up in the Labyrinth. Siora, in turn, peppered them with questions about Earth, what living there was like, and how it was different than the Labyrinth. Jade mostly stayed out of the conversation, participating enough to be polite, instead opting to just relax for the first time in what felt like forever.
Finally, and all too soon, it was time for them to give Luis a chance to wash as well. They dried themselves as best they could, getting dressed and equipping their various gear. Luis didn't linger in the spring, and Jade felt a little bad that the three women had gotten to relax together while he was alone. If it bothered him, though, he didn't say anything as he rejoined them, his dark hair wetted down and now mostly clean again.
The four of them were nearly ready to depart when Juniper arrived. As she had the previous evening, the dryad manifested from a whirlwind of jungle leaves that combined to form her body. Jade watched, amazed by the process, wondering what that transformation felt like.
"Good morning, wayfarers." Juniper said warmly. A bird swooped out of nearby tree and fluttered in front of the dryad, dancing around her. She held out a hand and the animal alighted on her finger, nuzzling her. She smiled at the small animal, then continued. "Was your night restful?"
"Sure was. Thanks for givin' us a place to crash." Luis said, watching the bird with interest. "Those vines are crazy soft! Best bed I’ve ever slept in."
Jade gave Luis the side eye. She didn't understand how he was able to approach everything with such casual nonchalance. It didn't seem to fit any of the events they found themselves mired in, and yet it seemed to put everyone at ease around him.
Probably a good thing I fell in with him. Jade mused. It'll be helpful to be with someone good at making friends.
"What my friend meant." Naomi said, looking like she was resisting a temptation to roll her eyes. "Is thank you for the hospitality, Juniper. It was very welcome, our short time here has been frightening and dangerous. A safe place to rest was just what we needed."
"You are very welcome." The dryad replied, smiling at them. She lifted her hand and the bird took to the sky, disappearing into the foliage. "I don't get many visitors, unless you count the animals."
Juniper's last words carried a hint of loneliness. Jade couldn't help but feel bad for her. She tried to imagine what life would be like if she were unable to travel far from where she were born, bound to wander the same familiar paths day after day. It didn't sound pleasant at all.
"Siora." She continued, a little hesitantly. "If you are able, would you visit me after you find your way home? I found your companionship delightful. I've not met many who share your passion for nature."
"Of course!" The elf's demeanor brightened. "I'd be happy to! I've learned a lot from you in just a few days, it'll really help my alchemy."
"Alchemy?" Jade asked.
"Yes, I brew potions from herbs." She explained, turning to Jade. "Healing ointments, curative draughts, those sorts of things. There's a lot of demand, both in the village and from travelers.”
"That sounds useful." Jade said, reevaluating the utility Siora would bring to their team. Was that something she could do on the go? Being wounded or injured seemed to be an alarmingly common occurrence here, anything that could help with that would be more than welcome. Jade’s back was still sore from her fall in the factory the previous day, despite Naomi’s restorative magic.
They really gloss over that part in all those epic fantasy stories. Jade reflected. How everyone must feel like crap all the time.
"I would be happy to share my knowledge with you." Juniper said to Siora, pleased. “Any time.”
"Then I'll stop by the node on my way out." Siora said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Do you know where it is?"
"The node? We were there yesterday." Luis said. "We can show you."
"Why do you need to see it?" Naomi asked.
"Oh! I keep forgetting you're so new here." Siora said. "Sorry, it's easy to take a lot for granted. I know that the worlds outside the Labyrinth work very differently, but I've never actually been anywhere else. See, you can travel between nodes that you've been to. Just touch one, and the interface will let you pick one to teleport to. It's one of the only practical ways to get around this place, outside of other transportation magic. If the trap that sent me down here hadn't wiped my node history, getting home would've been easy." She gave a weary sigh. "Having to visit all of them again is very annoying."
Jade blinked in surprise, stunned. That sounded incredibly useful.
"Wait, teleport?" Naomi asked incredulously, beating Jade to the question.
"Yeah." Siora cocked her head at her. "Don't they have teleport spells on your world?"
Jade, Luis, and Naomi just stared at the elf. Siora slowly blinked at them, looking from one to the other. Naomi and Siora's brief conversation about Earth in the hot spring hadn't gotten around to magic.
"Um… I'm guessing not, then?"
"We don't even have magic where we come from." Luis said, shaking his head in wonder. "This is all new to us."
"No magic…?" Now it was Siora's turn to be surprised. She looked at them wide eyed. "But… How do you travel, then? Or make things? Or do…" She seemed to have trouble coming up with the right words. "Anything…?"
"We have technology." Jade said. Then she realized that word might not mean anything to someone used to a world filled with magic. "Ah… machines, that were designed to, well, do lots of things for us." She mentally cringed at her awkward explanation. She was distracted by thinking about the potential applications of teleportation magic. Would that be brought back to Earth? Fortunately, Siora seemed to understand what she meant.
"Oh!" Siora nodded her head. "I've heard of that! I think the Tek'kalla came from a world like that, before they settled here. They say they have cities filled with devices that harness magic and can do just about anything."
"Really?" Jade asked, intrigued. "How many people live here? In the Labyrinth, I mean."
"I…" Siora looked to Juniper, then shrugged. "I don't know. A lot? I've been to Estelhelm a few times, that’s a city. But other than that, I’ve never travelled far from Lysara. Well… not until now." She amended, looking embarrassed. "But I know of the Katahlis Collective, The Free Cities Alliance, The Nomads of Falgran and, of course, smaller towns like ours are all over."
Just how big is this place…?
Siora shrugged again. "I don't really know much about the other parts of the Labyrinth. There's just way too much to keep track of. I'm sure you could learn more in any of the cities, or maybe a sanctuary attendant could help.”
"Right." Naomi said, looking to Jade. "That's where we're going next."
"We can take you by the node first, though." Luis said.
"Really? Thanks!" Siora beamed at them. Her unabashed cheerful demeanor was as alien to Jade as the elf's pointed ears. She didn't have a lot of experience with people who were so… enthusiastic… all the time. But there was an endearing quality to her earnest mannerism, and Jade was finding that she liked Siora.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"Be safe." Juniper said, watching as the four of them gathered their belongings. "The jungle holds predators and monsters that will test you. Especially you three." She finished, looking at Jade, Luis, and Naomi.
"Us?" Naomi asked, pointing to herself questioningly.
"Yes. It is said that the Labyrinth is always looking to challenge those undergoing the Trial of the Wayfarer.” She looked at the elf. “Be careful, Siora, traveling with them will be different than what you are accustomed to."
“I’ve heard the stories.” She replied. “I’m prepared.”
“What do you mean by that?” Jade asked. She had a bad feeling about this.
“Just that wayfarers attract the attention of monsters. While a normal person may be able to pass unbothered through this valley, you will likely be confronted with battle.”
"Great. Just what we needed." Naomi muttered. "I don't suppose we can opt out?"
Juniper just smiled at them, amused. "If you get into too much danger while you are in my jungle, I will do what I can to help."
"That's nice of you." Luis said. "Before we leave, is there anything else we can do for you?"
"Actually." Juniper tilted her head, looking at the large man thoughtfully. "There might be. The trees have been whispering of a powerful monster that has recently taken up residence in the northern reaches of the valley. It is disrupting the balance of this place, feasting on the animals that live here. While I can defend myself, I am not a true warrior. I am not confident in my ability to drive this creature away on my own. If you are willing…” She finished, looking at them hopefully. “Would you help me cleanse my home of its influence?"
Jade remembered the 'boss' symbol she'd seen on her map after activating the node. She pulled up her interface to check and, indeed, the symbol was situated at the northernmost part of the valley. She knew what would happen next and, right on cue, her interface pinged with a new notification.
* New Quest: The Bigger They Are…
* You have learned of a powerful monster that threatens the inhabitants of the land around it and have been asked to defeat it. You'll want to be pretty sure about this one…
* Objective: Defeat a Labyrinth boss.
* Reward: Medium experience gain.
* Reward: 200 Crescent Coins.
* This quest cannot be failed, and has been automatically accepted.
Annnnnd there it is. Jade thought, scanning the prompt. Judging from the looks Naomi and Luis were giving her, they'd just received the same quest.
"Should we do it?" Naomi asked. "A boss sounds pretty tough…"
"I'm not sure we're ready for something like that…" Jade said, partly to Naomi and partly to Juniper.
"I understand if you cannot." Juniper said, nodding. "But know that powerful creatures, what the Voice of the Labyrinth calls 'bosses', often possess objects that allow one to ascend to higher levels of this world. Or so I am told by those who have passed through my domain in the past…"
"It's true." Siora said, crossing her arms. "I don't know the details, I'm no wayfarer, but I know that's one of the main ways to get access to the stairs between levels."
"Are there other ways?" Jade asked.
"I think so?" The elf made a noncommittal gesture. "I don't know what they are, though. I travelled to the third floor once with a caravan, but that was through a stairway other wayfarers had already opened for us."
"If we're going to take Siora home, we'll need to get up to the second floor somehow." Luis pointed out.
"We might find a way back home on the higher levels too…" Jade said. She had a feeling that their journey would end up taking them beyond the first level of this place, regardless of what they wanted. She frowned, thinking. "We'd have to practice a lot more together before we could even think about it, though."
"Let's start with that." Naomi said, eager to latch on to any idea that didn't involve immediately confronting a powerful foe. "We can always decide later."
"Good point." Luis said, turning to Juniper. "We'll do what we can."
"That is all I can ask." She said. "I would not wish for any of you to be harmed on my account."
"We'll keep that in mind." Naomi said. "Thanks again, for letting us stay here."
"We'll come visit again sometime, too." Luis said.
That seemed to make the dryad happy. She smiled, the flowers in her hair growing more vibrant and colorful.
"I would like that." She said simply, giving them a soft smile.
----------------------------------------
Luis led the way back towards the node they'd discovered the previous day, pushing his way through an especially thick cluster of bushes and clearing a path for his companions. With Siora's assistance, the trek back through the jungle was considerably easier than it had been earlier. The elven woman had a knack for navigating this type of environment, though even she couldn't help them avoid every obstacle.
First goblins, then demons and elves… He thought. Maybe Aunt Maria isn't so crazy after all…
What would they find next? At this point, Luis wasn't even going to try and guess. All he could do was keep an open mind and be ready to be surprised. He grinned at that thought. The prospect of discovering more exotic places and magical creatures fed into his adventurous side, a side of himself that he'd never gotten much of an opportunity to nurture. Being in charge of taking care of his 4 younger sisters during most of childhood hadn't left a lot of time for excitement. But that was ok, family was supposed to look out for each other. Maybe when he returned to Earth, he could bring with him some valuable relics from this crazy place. Something that he could use to help his family get ahead for once, to escape the ever present stress of juggling credit card payments and monthly bills. Focusing on that did a lot to keep the fear at bay. That was important, since he was feeling more and more out of his depth with each passing hour.
"Siora…?" Jade's voice came from behind him. She was bringing up the rear of the group, keeping watch for any dangerous animals or monsters that might be prowling about. Or maybe she was just looking for another one of those funny snails, Luis couldn't be sure.
"Yes?" The elf replied.
"This might sound a little weird, but how do you understand us? There's no way you speak English, right?"
Siora laughed, a musical sound that brought to mind memories of simple, happy times. Hearing it lifted Luis's spirits. Siora might not be human, but she was the kind of person that he'd always liked. Cheerful, helpful, caring. They'd only just met, but he knew a good person when he saw one.
"En-glish?" She pronounced the word slowly. "This is the language you speak? No, I do not. I speak Thylmaran."
"Then how…?" Naomi began.
"The Labyrinth magically translates everything." She explained. "As long as you're fluent in a language, any language, you'll be able to communicate with anyone else who is too. Well, for spoken languages at least. I've heard of a race of fungal people who communicate with spores and scents? I've heard it starts to get a little weird in cases like that."
"Wow." Naomi said, echoing Luis's thoughts. He'd suspected something like that had to have been happening, but hearing Siora casually talking about magic so sophisticated that it permeated an entire world and everyone in it made his head spin. It also got him excited. What else could it do? Was there anything it couldn't?
"What if you leave the Labyrinth?" Jade asked. As usual, she was quick to recover from a surprise. "Like, if you and I went back to our world together?"
"Then we wouldn't be able to understand each other anymore." She said. "Not unless we had an item enchanted to translate for us. You can buy rings or pendants like that in some of the bigger cities, but you don't need them in here."
"Translation magic…" Jade said thoughtfully. "That would be convenient."
Luis agreed, his mind running through the possibilities. Travel would be a lot easier, and so would finding a good job. At least, as long as everyone else didn't have the same ability. And…
"Damn, I've gotta get one of those translators." Luis said, snapping his fingers as a thought popped into his head. "I've always wanted to watch anime without the subtitles."
"Oh my God." Naomi said, rolling her eyes. "We just learned about magic that could let us communicate with anyone in the world, no, anyone in the universe, and that is where your mind goes?!"
"Actually, that would be pretty nice…" Jade muttered.
"You two are hopeless…" Naomi sighed. "Hopeless! Really, instead of-"
"Did you hear that?" Siora asked suddenly, slowing to a stop and cocking her head curiously. Jade halted beside her, scanning the area around them with suspicion.
"Hear what?" Luis asked, pausing and following her gaze. They had entered a denser part of the jungle where the trees grew thick and tall, the spaces between them filled with vines and leafy bushes. The four of them fell quiet, listening. At first there was nothing, the only sound a faint breeze that rustled through the verdant canopy high above. Earlier, there had been all manner of bird calls and chirping insects filtering through the jungle. Now, it was practically silent.
That's never a good sign… Luis thought, swallowing. His mouth had suddenly gone dry.
Then Luis heard it, a faint scratching noise, like someone scraping something sharp across a tabletop. He couldn't tell where it was coming from, the thick trees made it impossible to track the sound to its source.
"I have a bad feeling about this…" Jade said as she slowly turned in place, surveying their surroundings.
"Should we…?" Naomi began, then stopped. The sound had vanished as quickly as it had begun.
That just made Luis feel even more uneasy. He searched again, still not seeing anything out of the ordinary in the jungle around them. What was…?
Wait…
Everyone was carefully looking around, peering into the jungle depths. But there was one direction no one had checked yet. Slowly, knowing he was going to regret it, he tilted his head back to look up.
Just in time to see the pair of enormous spiders silently descending into their midst, each of them hanging from long strands of silk suspended from the treetops. As one, their large heads turned to stare right back at him, twin sets of 8 crimson eyes boring into him.
Well…. Shit.