"We'll try to be back in a few days." Jade told Fenrin, Aylin, and Siora. She was standing with Luis and Naomi, all of them clustered at the edge of the village. "But we don't know for sure how long this will take."
"Don't take too long." Aylin advised. The mage had just returned from her trip to Estelhelm to warn the authorities about potential demon activity. "Your wayfarer trial is still underway. If you aren't careful, the Labyrinth will pull you back in, ready or not."
"How long will we have?" Naomi asked.
"I'm not sure. Several days at least." The mage shrugged. "Your interface should tell you when you leave."
"We won't be long." Luis said confidently. "Check in with the family, let the government know what's goin' on, and bounce before anyone tries to put us in a lab. We'll probably be done in a day."
"Don't even joke about that…" Jade muttered, shuddering at the thought of scientists poking and prodding at her to learn her secrets. That was not going to happen.
"Be careful." Siora said, stepping up to give them each a hug. "We're going to Estelhelm together when you get back, so you have to stay safe!"
"We'll be fine." Luis reassured her. "We made it through the first floor already, remember?"
"You sure you don't want company?" Fenrin asked. "I wouldn't mind seeing what another world looks like."
"It's probably going to be pretty crazy there for a while." Jade said with a grimace. "I'm not sure how well people would react to any non-humans showing up."
"And we wouldn't be able to understand each other." Naomi pointed out. "We can only talk because of the Labyrinth."
Aylin had mentioned that there were regular translation items available for sale in the larger cities, but they weren't common. The Labyrinth handled all the logistics of communication within itself, so they were only necessary for world-hoppers.
"Maybe next time." Luis slapped him on the back. "We'll make a list of 'must-do's' for Earth!"
"Oh! That's a great idea!" Naomi said, her eyes lighting up. "We need to include some good concerts."
"And movie screenings." Luis added. "All the classics."
"Music and movies?" Jade asked, while the rest of their friends looked on in confusion. "That's the best you can come up with for showing off our world?"
They both turned quizzical expressions on her.
"Sure, why not?"
"What else does Earth have going for it?"
Jade tried to think of something culturally significant to show visitors to Earth. Their technology was impressive, but magic served many of the same functions here. In the end, she was forced to admit that modern pop culture would likely be their biggest contribution to the larger cosmic community.
She wasn't sure how she felt about that.
"Never mind…"
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Jade and her companions exchanged a round of farewells with the people they'd gotten to know over the past few weeks. Nythis and Travay were the hardest for Jade to part with, as she'd grown to enjoy their companionship. Serrethis also made it clear that she still had a great deal to learn and made her promise to return for further instruction when she had the time. Jade was happy to agree, and hoped that this would be the first of many visits to the serene elven village.
The cozy beauty and peace of the small town was difficult to leave, and Jade could tell that Luis and Naomi shared her feelings. But there were too many unanswered questions for them to linger. At long last, it was time to head home to Earth.
They began their journey by activating the quadrant node near Lysara, which they'd taken a detour to unlock during their first week in the village. That node had been their fifth, which was enough to complete a quest for the three of them and to give them a follow up to discover yet more of the Labyrinth transit devices. This was Jade's first time using the nodes for something other than revealing areas on her map so, when she reached out to touch the softly glowing crystal structure, the interface was new to her.
* You have activated the Moonlit Meadow Quadrant, Twilight Forest Zone, Labyrinth Node. Please select a destination.
A list of the other nodes Jade had visited appeared in front of her. There was no map or accompanying visual aid to assist with recalling which one went where, which Jade found a little odd. It wasn't much of a problem yet, they only had visited a handful of nodes so far, but she could easily imagine such a list getting out of control for experienced wayfarers.
"We're going to Juniper's quadrant, right?" Naomi asked, peering over Jade's shoulder. Unlike most system screens this one was visible to everyone. It was projected from the node, rather than a part of their personal interfaces.
"That's right." Jade said, selecting the 'Verdant Jungle' quadrant of the 'Lush Valley' zone. "It's the most 'outward' of the nodes we have access to."
A confirmation box appeared in front of them.
* System Notice
* After activating a Labyrinth node you will be unable to transit via another node for the next 25 hours. Would you like to continue? (Y/N)
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"We should drop by and say hi." Luis said. "We promised her we would."
"The node isn't that close to her glade." Jade reminded him. "We shouldn't waste time. I'm sure we'll have a chance to visit her later."
"And that forest is filled with giant spiders and creepy snails." Naomi added with a shudder. "No thanks."
"Actually… Sparing a few hours couldn't hurt, right?" Jade said, perking up as she reconsidered the idea.
"Not happening."
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The process of travelling between nodes felt almost identical to Phantom's teleportation ability, albeit more drawn out. There was just enough time to perceive a chaotic rushing sensation that gave the impression of moving at great speed before the world snapped back into focus, their surroundings completely different. A mild wave of nausea twisted Jade's stomach, but she shook it off easily, having grown used to the odd feelings that accompanied dimensional transportation. Her companions had no such tolerance, and Jade waited for the two of them to recover enough to regain their feet.
"Vaya, qué mal." Luis groaned, helping Naomi up. "Let's not do that again."
"Unless you want to walk all the way back, we'll have to." Jade said, slapping him on the back. "You get used to it."
"Is that an option?"
Jade gave him a flat look.
"No."
As they oriented themselves with their interface map and the 'Pathfinder' skill, Jade idly wondered why the Labyrinth didn't translate Luis's occasional Spanish utterances. Maybe it was because she already understood most of them, and the magic only took affect when she didn't. Or perhaps it was just another part of the world that was fraying, like so many other aspects of the Labyrinth seemed to be.
Together, they set an outward course, charting a path into a part of Juniper's jungle quadrant that they hadn't visited before. A few monsters harassed them as they travelled, mostly the strange turtle-like creatures they'd spend days grinding a few weeks ago, but nothing here posed any threat to them anymore. The three wayfarers were faster, stronger, and, most importantly, more experienced. The teamwork and efficiency with which they now battled was a far cry from their first bumbling attempts. As Jade watched Naomi support Luis effortlessly tear through a small group of the River Snappers, she realized just how far they had come in a short amount of time.
Before long, the three of them found an exit leading from the quadrant. Unlike the majority of the Labyrinth the outermost rim of the first floor was comprised of blank, featureless hallways that seemed to extend infinitely into the distance. The transition was jarring. One moment, the trio was hiking through jungle, travelling in the direction indicated by their mapping abilities. The next, they stepped through a shimmering doorway and found themselves back in the dungeon-like corridors, lit only by flickering torches spaced at regular intervals.
"It's so different than the rest of this world." Naomi observed, pausing to look both ways down the trackless expanse of stone. "It almost looks…"
"Unfinished?" Jade supplied.
"Yeah…"
"Maybe it is." Luis offered. "Maybe once the cores extract enough material, this place will turn into a new zone?"
"Let's not wait and find out." Jade said. She didn't want to think about what the Labyrinth could be doing to their home at this very moment. "Come on."
The 'Pathfinder' spell, which manifested as an arrow that projected itself above their wayfarer marks, indicated which direction they needed to travel. They set off down the passageway, footsteps echoing on the stone floor.
"Jade?" Naomi asked after a while. "Are you going to change before we get back?"
"Huh? Oh!" It took Jade a moment to realize what Naomi was talking about. She'd gotten so accustomed to wearing her new armor over the previous weeks that she'd almost forgotten how much it would stand out on Earth.
"Thanks for the reminder. I'll change before we get back. Actually…" Jade hesitated, grimacing. With a thought, she retracted her wings, horns, and tail, adopting her human appearance. "Let's not tell anyone about my race change. Not at first. I don't think people would react well to hearing I've turned into a literal demon."
"Good idea." Naomi said, and Luis nodded in agreement.
"I wonder how many people chose to change their race?" He asked. "I thought about it."
"Really? What were you going to pick?"
"Elf." He said with a shrug. "They're basically humans, but better, right?"
Jade snorted in amusement. "Why didn't you?"
"I don't know…" He shrugged. "I didn't think any of it was real, you know? I figured I'd hit my head in my uncle's shop. Was waiting to wake up in a hospital."
"Is that why you were pinching your nose when I found you?" Naomi asked. "I was wondering about that."
"Yeah! I thought if I stopped breathing, I'd wake up."
"I thought you were a crazy person." Naomi laughed.
"He is a crazy person." Jade assured her, giving Luis a slight grin. "But that's why we love him."
They continued walking, Jade recalling the various tests she'd done when she'd first entered the Labyrinth herself. She'd tried pinching herself, looked for inconsistencies, and had generally been freaking the hell out. It had only been a little over a month ago, perhaps five or six weeks, and already this world felt normal. Was that common? Or were some people having a harder time adapting?
We'll find out soon.
Zooming out, Jade spotted something interesting on her interface map. It was an intersection of hallways that comprised one of the edges of the area she'd explored on this floor. That was where she'd started her journey, when she was first summoned. Was her apartment still there, resting off-kilter on the dungeon floor? Had anyone else found and looted it, or were all of her belongings just sitting there, abandoned?
She briefly contemplated going back to check, but quickly disregarded the idea. Jade had taken everything useful from the place, and there was nothing of sentimental value stored there. Returning would be a waste of time and could even bring them back into contact with the goblins they'd fought to escape from. It wasn't worth the risk, even if they were all much stronger now.
To Jade's surprise, it didn't take much effort to find an exit portal. She'd expected them to be hidden away, maybe guarded by some powerful creature. Instead, after about an hour of walking towards the outer reaches of the Labyrinth's bottom floor, the hallway came to an abrupt end. A glowing portal shimmered in the air in front of the dead end, emanating a sapphire hue. It looked like the sanctuary and shop portals, the only difference being the color. They stopped about a dozen feet away, and Jade examined it.
* Labyrinth Gateway Portal
* Destination World: Earth
* Status: Stable
"Here we are." Naomi said, gazing longingly at the portal. "I thought it would be harder to find."
"I think the hard part is finishing the one hundred quests we have to complete to be allowed to leave for good." Jade pointed out. She checked her status screen. "It's been almost a month and a half, and I'm only at fourteen finished."
Even assuming the quests didn't get more challenging as they progressed through their Trial, a bet Jade wouldn't make, it was still going to take them over a year just to complete it. And that wasn't even considering how long it would take to destroy the cores.
"'You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave'?" Luis said.
"Something like that." Jade took a deep breath, and then stepped forward. "Shall we?"
She had already taken the few moments needed to change into her enchanted leather armor, like her friends were wearing, so there was no reason to wait. They nodded and, to Jade's surprise, both reached out to take her by the hand. She could feel the tension in their grip, mirroring the anxiety curdling in the pit of her stomach. None of them knew what they would find on the other side of that portal. If the Labyrinth really had only just activated its cores and begun the extraction process, then perhaps nothing had happened yet. Based on what Jade knew, that was the most likely scenario.
But they didn't know for sure, and she was glad to have her friends by her side.
"Let's go home."