Jade drew her daggers and fell into a crouch, eyeing the other woman and looking for openings. Aylin shifted, putting one foot in front of the other and turning side-on towards them. It had the look of a practiced stance. Around Jade, her companions were readying themselves as well. Luis's sword appeared in his hands, the edge glowing with arcane energy. Naomi readied her guitar, and Siora gripped her spellbook tightly in her hands. They were ready to stand with her, and…

And this was wrong.

Jade didn't know where the sudden thought came from, but it cut through her anger and frustration like a hot knife. Chaotic emotions swirled in her head, but they didn't rule her. Everything seemed to slow to a crawl as Jade hesitated, her mind racing.

What would fighting Aylin accomplish? Other than proving to the other woman that she was exactly the thing she feared.

"No." Jade said quietly, relaxing her shoulders. In the same moment, Aylin fired a bolt of blue magical energy straight at her chest.

She didn't even try to dodge, taking the attack head on. The bolt of energy impacted her armor's ward, shattering it and slamming into her. Jade gasped, staggering back a step. Even with the brunt of the attack absorbed by her defenses, it still felt like getting hit in the chest with a mallet. She gritted her teeth against the pain, forcing out her next words and tossing her daggers to the ground.

"I'm not fighting you, Aylin."

Nearly two weeks of constant battle had hardened Jade. In this moment of clarity, she realized it had also begun warping her perspective. Battle was not the only way to resolve conflict.

"Jade?" Naomi asked uncertainly.

Everyone stopped, staring at her. Aylin appeared surprised, as if she hadn't expected her attack to be successful. The mage's wand wavered. Jade used her hesitation to step forward, locking eyes with the other woman.

"I'm not going to fight you, and I'm not being taken by you." She continued, walking slowly towards her uncertain foe. Her voice was thick with almost two weeks' worth of pent-up emotion and frustration. Now, it all came rushing out. "I was thrown into this fucked up place against my will, forced to take this new body if I wanted a chance to live, and made to fight not only for my own survival, but for the safety of my home. A home where my family and friends live, who probably still have no idea what happened to me. Where my little brother is, sick and alone, relying on the society that this world is threatening just to stay alive. All I want is to get my friends and I home, and for that home to be safe. Everything I have done since arriving here was with that goal in mind."

Jade was only a few steps away from Aylin now. The other woman looked conflicted, her wand still half-heartedly pointed in her direction. She looked like she wanted to say something, but Jade kept talking.

"And do you know what I've gotten in return? Suspicion and hostility, nearly every step of the way. I had hoped that when we finally found people from the civilizations here, that they would be sympathetic to our plight. From what I've heard, all your worlds went through this same calamity. Instead, we found that lord of yours."

Jade took one final step closer, pressing the tip of Aylin's wand against her chest. She gave the mage a look filled with weariness.

"Yes, I'm a demon now. I can't change that. All I can do is use the powers I've been given to try and protect the people I care about. If that's such a horrible crime, then go right ahead and stop me. But if that's what you want, then you'd better be willing to kill me. Because otherwise I'm walking through that door, and I'm not stopping until I find these Labyrinth Cores and start smashing them."

Steel glinted in Jade's eyes as she finished. She curled her hand into a fist, raising it so that Aylin could plainly see her wayfarer sigil. A flutter of trepidation coiled in her gut, but she ignored it. Jade knew she was gambling with this approach, but convincing Aylin to see reason was the only way she could think of to avoid starting a conflict that, once born, could easily grow out of control. Moreover, she meant every word of it. She was tired of people judging her for what she was, rather than for who she was.

The mage's wand twitched, lowering a fraction. The demon in Jade sensed the opening, urging her to lean forward and drain the woman in her moment of weakness. She immediately crushed that impulse with all the will she could muster.

No! I am in control.

Aylin opened her mouth to say something but, before she could, another voice sounded from nearby.

"Stand down, Aylin."

Everyone started in surprise. Jade turned to find the fellian warrior, captain Mar, stepping out of a nearby tent. The grizzled cat-man was still wearing his armor and looked quite alert. Jade felt a strange pressure radiating from the man, a sense of power and presence that was impossible to ignore. It hadn't been there earlier in the day, and she didn't know what to make of it.

"Siora… Did your potion actually work on anyone?" Naomi muttered, sounding exasperated. Despite her tone, Jade saw her shoulders slump in relief now that it seemed battle had been avoided.

"Oh, it worked." He said, amused. "But competent warriors have ways of dealing with poisons."

Jade noticed him glance over at the nobleman's extravagant tent when he said that. Despite the tension, one corner of her mouth twitched upward.

Aylin finally lowered her wand, taking an uncertain step away from Jade.

"You were awake this whole time?" she asked, relaxing ever so slightly as the tension in the air eased somewhat. "You could have helped."

"I wanted to see what they'd do. I must say, I like your style. You impressed me." the warrior said, looking at Jade's group as he strode to join Aylin. He turned his gaze on her and frowned. "But you, Aylin, did not. I thought you were more levelheaded than this. By the Lightkeeper's grace, what prompted you to attack them?"

"She's a demon." Aylin said hesitantly. "I… I didn't mean to…"

"Not all demons are bloodthirsty monsters." Captain Mar replied, crossing his arms. "And you heard her, she's a wayfarer, not natural-born. I didn't take you for the prejudiced type."

The half-elf's face flushed at that remark.

"I've never heard of the Labyrinth giving demonic races as options for new wayfarers, and I'm well studied on the subject." The mage replied, sounding less sure of herself with each passing moment.

"It does. One of our newest initiates, Li'rin, was given 'Imp' as an option when she took her trial. She told me herself."

That seemed to surprise Aylin.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"That was never reported to the Order."

"She asked me to keep it quiet." Captain Mar shrugged. "Wasn't comfortable with word getting around. I think I can see why."

"Why do you hate demons so much, anyway?" Luis asked. "Are all of them really that bad?"

Aylin grimaced, closing her eyes. "My sister… Was in Teflagon Square."

Jade exchanged an uncertain look with her friends, but the captain explained before any of them could ask.

"A few years ago…" He began solemnly. "A blood demon slipped into Illysport unnoticed. It transformed in a public square and attacked. There were more than fifty casualties. I only saw the aftermath myself, but it's the kind of thing that sticks with you." The fellian lay a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Aylin. I didn't know."

The mage's pained expression and clenched fists told Jade all she needed to know about her sister's fate.

"I'm sorry that happened to your sister." Jade said, finally shifting back into her human form. The change subdued the worst of the turbulent emotions still churning deep within her, helping her remain calm and focused. "But I haven't done anything like that, and I'm not going to."

"If they'd wanted to hurt us, there were plenty of better ways to go about it. Given the reception our 'fearless leader' gave them." Captain Mar said, making his opinion of Verres more than clear with his tone. "And the pressures they must be under, their response was quite measured. You owe them the benefit of the doubt, and an apology."

For a moment Jade thought Aylin was going to snap back and argue. The mage drew herself up to her full height, a fierce look in her eyes. But then, to her surprise, Aylin's face suddenly fell, and she bowed her head.

"You're right, of course, Pri'lom." she said quietly to the captain. "Damn it all. I've made a fool of myself tonight, haven't I."

Aylin took a deep breath, turning to face Jade and her friends.

"I apologize for my treatment of you this evening. I let my emotions blind me, even though I pride myself on pragmatism. If I had half the wisdom I thought I did, I would not have been so hasty. But I am not so foolish as to ignore evidence that challenges my prejudices. Pri'lom is right, you have shown more integrity than we."

"Damn." Luis muttered. "I think just being able to say that makes you wiser than most of the people where we're from."

Jade nodded slowly, again impressed by this woman. She was still annoyed at how the night had progressed, not to mention the throbbing pain in her chest from where she'd been blasted, but how many people would so readily admit their mistakes?

"I must confess, the idea of a demon freely roaming the Labyrinth still makes me uneasy." Aylin said. "But it was not my place to pass judgement."

"I've been travelling with them for a while now." Siora said, stepping forward. The elf seemed a little hesitant to speak up in front of so many people, but she pressed on valiantly. "They are good people. They're taking me home to Lysara, and they've been helping others in need along the way."

"Why don't you come with us?" Luis suddenly asked, snapping his fingers.

"What?" Aylin blinked, surprised. She wasn't the only one, everyone was looking at Luis with a similar expression. Save for the fellian warrior, who appeared thoughtful.

"You can keep an eye on us for a little bit, see that we are what we say we are." Luis said, flashing a smile. "And if the second floor is more dangerous than this one, we could use the help."

"That's not a bad idea." Captain Mar said, swishing his tail back and forth.

Jade wasn't completely sold on the idea. One the one hand, she was starting to like the mage's integrity and direct, to-the-point attitude. On the other, she had just shot Jade in the chest.

"What about the expedition?" Aylin asked, confused. "The Mystic Order assigned me here on the duke's request."

"Bah." The captain waved a hand dismissively. "I'll take responsibility. Haven't you been talking our ears off about how the Labyrinth is behaving strangely lately? I thought that was one of the reasons you didn't protest this assignment."

"Well, yes." The mage nodded. "I can't say that I was thrilled to come under these circumstances, but I had hoped to gather valuable data about the recurring anomalies. That is, until lord Ledkin decided to linger here indefinitely."

"So, the Labyrinth has been messed up?" Jade asked, intrigued. "We've been getting that sense ourselves, but we're so new that we don't really know."

"It has." Aylin nodded, suddenly serious. "New integrations always come with oddities, but something is different this time around. Monsters manifesting where they shouldn't, persistent dimensional distortions, and what appears to be a greatly accelerated linking schedule. It has many of us at the Order concerned. One of my primary areas of study is the mechanisms of the Labyrinth, so I've been tasked with investigating the issue."

"One of our sanctuary attendants shared some information about this trial that you might find very interesting, then." Naomi said, slinging her guitar over her back. She looked at Jade. "If she's an expert on this place, I think I want her around."

"Aylin has considerable sway at the Mystic Order." The fellian added, clapping the mage on the shoulder hard enough to make her stumble. "If she puts in a good word for you, I think you'll find your time in the Labyrinth's societies to be quite a bit easier."

"I do not have considerable sway." Aylin protested. "I'm only a junior councilwoman in a local branch."

"Yes, and the youngest one appointed in more than a generation." The captain grunted.

Jade could tell her companions wanted another experienced party member, and the idea was growing on her. The second floor was bound to be more dangerous than the first, and Aylin's high level alone would give them a better safety margin. On top of that, if she could make a good impression, perhaps she wouldn't run into as many issues about her race in the future. They were about to find civilization, and Jade really didn't want this scene to play out everywhere they went. Forgiving the mage went against her instincts, but Jade kept reminding herself that those were foreign as well.

In the end, she was asking people to give her the benefit of the doubt. It was only right for her to do the same.

"If you want to come, you're welcome to join." Jade said, holding out her hand.

Aylin hesitated for a moment, and then took it. She had a surprisingly strong grip.

"Some real time in the field would be a nice change of pace." she said, nodding. "And I owe you for tonight. You're going to Lysara?"

"We are."

"I'll travel with you at least that far. It's what, a week's travel from this stairway?" She asked the captain, who nodded.

Siora perked up at that, appearing pleased that they were so close. Until then, they'd been uncertain about exactly how far she had been flung from home.

"That will give me a good amount of ground to cover." Aylin said. Then she frowned. "What will you tell lord Ledkin?"

"The truth." He shrugged. "That I sent you off to do some research, on request of the Order. I'll keep tonight's meeting to myself." he added to Jade's group, smiling wryly. "No one need know about your scheme. When you don't come back, he'll probably just assume you went looking for another stairway."

"Thank you. And… sorry for poisoning your dinner…" Jade said, feeling a little embarassed after how helpful the man was being.

To her surprise, he chuckled.

"I'm starting to like you kids. Remind me of my younger days..." He shook his head ruefully. "If they have a hangover in the morning, I'll just tell them that Aylin was experimenting with a new herb she found. The least you can do is take the blame, since you're leaving me saddled with lord lackwit for the rest of this trip."

The mage sighed, shaking her head in defeat.

"Fine."

The dying embers of the campfire crackled as a log shifted, throwing off a spray of sparks. That brought Jade back to the present, and she fished the floor key out of her dimensional pouch.

"We should get going." She said, turning towards the stairway portal. "Aylin, if you're coming, grab whatever you need."

The mage nodded, moving off to her tent. Jade expected her to enter it but, instead, she simply tapped it with her wand. The entire structure collapsed, folding in on itself until the fabric and poles lay in a neatly stacked pile at her feet. She picked them up, stuffing them into an obviously magical pouch she carried at her hip. The entire process took less than thirty seconds.

"Ok." Naomi said seriously. "We need one of those."

"One more thing." The captain, Pri'lom, said to Jade. She turned to face him. "You should visit Estelhelm while you're on the second floor. Go to the temple of Yllestra. One of her priestesses is a natural-born demon. She's one of the few I know of in the Free Cities, and she may have some advice for your situation."

"The Lady of Redemption has a demon priestess?" Aylin asked as she returned, appearing shocked. "I've never heard that."

"You need to get out of your study more." The fellian shook his head at her. "It's a big world."

"I will. Thank you." Jade said, equally surprised. It was a welcome revelation. Perhaps there were ways to fit in, after all.

"Do you want any help with your hand?" Naomi asked as Jade took out her floor key and inserted it in the glowing door's lock. "I know a healing spell."

The key glowed white, and then disappeared in a flash of light. A loud 'click' came from the doorway, which proceeded to simply vanish. There were no stairs through the threshold, only swirling eddies of blue-white light.

"No." Aylin shook her head. "I'm going to let it heal on its own. A lesson of the consequences of acting before I think."

The more Jade learned about this woman, the more she liked her. They'd had a rough start, but that wasn't anything new. Maybe, just maybe, this would all work out. With that thought, she stepped through the portal, leaving the first floor behind.