Nalum didn’t need much convincing.

All it took to get him on board with us was news that Byron had tried to kill his wife. The fact that Byron inched closer to the dungeon heart only served to heighten his ire. No enemy of his would steal his glory. Not as long as he breathed.

“The five of us aren't enough to beat the final chamber,” I explained for the umpteenth time, letting exasperation bleed into my voice. “It demands an offering in blood for passage. Ranker blood. There's no other way to unlock the doors.”

“So, we break it,” Nalum said, stroking his chin.

“I don’t think it works that way . . .”

“Then we let others be the sacrifice.”

“How can you suggest that?”

Nalum lowered his hands. “Your words resonate with compassion, favored one. And, I don’t mean this maliciously, but you come across as naïve. Everyone who entered the Labyrinth did so knowing the risks. What difference does it make if they meet death in the final chamber as opposed to some random corridor?”

“A lot,” I hissed. “It makes a world of difference.”

Nalum shrugged. “I come from a land, favored one, where such logic would leave you dead in a fortnight. The man who stands in the path of a storm and demands an end to its destruction is naught but a fool.” He glanced at Nicola. “The same cannot be said about the man who does so because his loved one stands behind him.”

“And, your meaning is?”

“I will help you destroy this Byron, for it is a matter of honor. But, I will not try to repel a storm for people I care little about. Rather than alter its trajectory, I will ride out the chaos and emerge a peerless survivor. Make of that what you will.”

Nicola interjected with soothing words before I could tell Nalum exactly what I made of it.

Nalum was no Paz, but he was still a level 25 Warrior, attuned to Hatred. His two Beast Rider companions sat at levels 20 and 23, Clarity and Hope for the archer and spearman respectively.

Once again, we were short on magic classes, but we could still beat Red Wyrm with the proper application of tactics as long as we isolated Byron.

“Hatred represents curses and afflictions,” Nalum explained as we discussed our plan. “I don’t have a lot of abilities, courtesy of being a Fighter. But, I can weaken the enemy and punish their casters. The rest is up to you.”

“That is fine,” I said. “Your primary target is Byron. Focus your efforts on him. As long as your cousins succeed in distracting the others, I should be able to deal a fair bit of damage. Can you explain their abilities?”

The Rider whose name I couldn’t recall replied, “I am attuned to Consolation, also called Hope in these lands. I channel the powers of the earth. It allows me to control the battlefield.”

“And Clarity?”

“It clarifies things,” Aman said with a sneer. “What did you think?”

“Respect, Aman,” Nalum warned.

Aman glowered at me.

Did an elf kill your mother, bro? I almost blurted out. What was the reason for his wanton aggression?

“Clarity is the gift of true sight,” Aman said grudgingly. “Armed with its abilities, I can uncover all that lies hidden. How else do you think we led Nicola to you?”

I furrowed my brows. “Does this mean you can locate Byron anywhere within the maze?”

“I can . . . unless he travels further than one kilometer from my position.”

I shared a look with Nicola. She caught my meaning instantly.

“Aman, honey,” she purred. “Can you keep a lookout for more than one person at a time?”

“I cannot,” Aman said.

“My second teammate has not yet been found. He would be of great use to us.”

“We lost a lot of time chasing after the elf,” Aman said. “If we have to do it all over again, forget about stopping Byron, we won’t even escape the Labyrinth.”

“We lost a lot of time because you were being a pain in the ass!”

“I will not be spoken to in that manner by a former tavern wench—”

Nalum’s fist crashed into Aman’s mouth, which was honestly the better option given that I had just reached for my dagger.

“Oh, wow,” Nicola said in a drab voice. “What a great way to defend my honor.”

“We will find your friend,” Nalum said as though he hadn’t just knocked his cousin flat on his ass. “But, Byron first. I won’t let him reach the dungeon heart while we are off chasing shadows.”

I’d rather have Paz beside me than any of the three, but a firm look from Nicola stopped me from pressing the matter.

“Alright,” I said. “Here’s what we're going to do."

We had less than a day to see out the rest of our adventure. The sooner we got started, the better.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Despite my misgivings, Aman proved to be a valuable member of the team.

Within two hours of searching, his [Find Creature] ability produced results.

“Found him,” Aman said from atop his ethereal mount. “I've found Byron.”

I looked back at the rest of the group. The relentless monster spawns had left us haggard, down to the bare minimum on all our renewables. We were in no condition to fight Byron, never mind the rest of his army. However, the first stage of the plan couldn’t be resolved with blows. It needed diplomacy.

“Location?” I asked and extricated my knife from the throat of a chimera.

Aman focused on his ability. “He hovers just outside the range of my technique. We’ll catch up to him if we hurry.”

The hallway bore signs of battle, courtesy of the coalition army who traveled ahead of us. However, those signs gradually disappeared. Again, I was struck with unease at the absence of corpses. The memory of the liquefying Trickster didn’t help.

“Take a breather?” Nicola suggested.

“Not yet,” I said. “Byron keeps getting closer to the dungeon heart. We need to act before that happens.”

A large group of chimeras intercepted us in the next corridor. And, again in the corridors beyond that.

Finally, at my wit’s end, I had to make the call. “Take a breather,” I said through gritted teeth.

The party halted without complaints.

The Rider of Hope rapped his spear against the ground and raised stone walls to serve as an encampment.

“Three hours to meditate,” Nalum said and dropped to the ground. “Would that suffice, favored one?”

“It would have to,” I said, settling into a pose.

It didn’t.

We ended up being forced to meditate again thanks to more hard fighting. But, Aman succeeded in narrowing down Byron’s location.

“I’m going on ahead,” I said before the stone walls could be erected. “Catch up as soon as you’re able.”

“Don’t confront him without us,” Nicola warned.

I grunted an answer and blended into the shadows. The combination of [Stealth] and [Dark Stalker] left me with little to fear by way of chimera but granted no protection against dungeon traps. Nevertheless, without the need to fight every ten meters, I caught up to Byron’s group.

Byron’s makeshift army had swelled since the last time we met. They huddled in the middle of a wide corridor, surrounded by mounds of chimera corpses. Despite their overwhelming victory, the rankers didn’t seem at ease. Shouts and other loud noises made their way up to me as I advanced to their position.

I crawled over the pile of dead bodies, groaning inaudibly as my feet trudged through the muck. Two rankers sat farther back from the rest of the crowd, absorbed in [Meditation]. I snuck past them, noting for the first time how the air hung heavy with magic: some kind of ward, which seemed responsible for the dearth of living chimeras.

The shouts became clearer this close to the group, revealing a standoff that teetered dangerously close to violence.

Byron stood at the center of it, as expected. What I didn’t expect was Mathideus’ presence beside him. Not opposed but united.

“ . . . we’re stopping here,” a woman with hair like raven feathers snarled at the duo. She led a band of rankers, all of whom nodded grimly at her words.

“And, I’m telling you we can’t,” Mathideus pleaded. "We've come too far to retreat."

“Did you not hear me?” she said. “We’ve lost six rankers already. Six! I’m not going to let any more good people get slaughtered on the altar of your ambition.”

“That’s unfair,” Mathideus’ spiky-haired teammate said, the one I suspected to be his partner. “We’ve lost just as much as everyone else. We had to leave the warm body of our sworn brother behind. This isn’t about you.”

“Which makes it even worse that I am the only one speaking out against this madness!” She spat on the ground. “The dungeon spawns haven't stopped increasing in tandem with our numbers! They will tear us apart!”

“And, of what use,” Byron said, voice cracking like ice, “is your inane suggestion? Your solution to being beset by monster spawns is to sit here and weather the storm until we die or the exit portals open—whichever happens first.”

“Don’t try to put words in my mouth, cur,” the woman snapped. “I warned you to retreat ages ago before the chimeras got more vicious! Your stubbornness will end in our deaths!”

“Retreat?” Byron laughed, a lonely, loveless sound. “We can’t take three steps without being attacked by ten chimeras. What makes you think falling back would be any easier than forging ahead?”

“We’ll take our chances. We’ve gained levels and harvested tons of loot. There is nothing left to fight for anymore save for your pride.”

Byron’s eyes narrowed. “We all agreed to retrieve the dungeon heart and share the prize.”

“Retrieve it yourself! We want nothing to do with it. All that waits ahead of you is blood and death.”

Murmurs resounded across the gathering.

I held my breath, unable to believe my ears. What was this brilliant stroke of luck? Could Byron’s plans collapse without my interference?

“You’re being unreasonable!” Mathideus said. “We’ve come too far to surrender.”

“And, we can try again in the next three years,” Raven Hair countered. “Except, well, you two can’t, being silver-ranked and all. Is that what this is about? An attempt to win glory in your last chance at the Labyrinth? Do you not feel sorry that your sworn brother died for the sake of your ambition?”

“You go too far!” the spiky-haired man from earlier said, leaping to Mathideus’ defense. “Should I take this as a slight on his honor?”

The woman stiffened. Proof that despite her bravado, she wasn’t about to dive headfirst into an honor duel with any of her betters.

“No,” Mathideus said, laying a hand on his teammate's shoulder. “That won’t be necessary. This is neither the time nor place.”

Raven Hair latched onto that, smelling weakness. “You force us to follow and issue threats when we resist. Can the rest of you not see where this is going?” She directed the question at the crowd. “Are these the people you wish to follow into hell?”

The murmurs intensified. A few rankers rose to their feet, daring to stand with the rabble-rouser.

The temperature around the gathering plummeted. Precipitation formed on my skin, worsening the chill that had settled earlier into my bones. The breaths left people’s noses in plumes of mist, a feature that would have ousted me were it not for the use of [Stealth].

Byron glared at Raven Hair from the center of his [Frost Aura]. “Leave if you want to. But, I will not tolerate anyone who makes light of the sacrifices of the fallen. You have earned loot and levels from working together with us. You are free to go, once you return them.”

“You expect me to return a level-up?” the woman squawked.

“I expect an adventurer to act with honor,” Byron said and advanced on her. “I joined this coalition at great expense to myself, lending aid and resources to pull many of you from the brink of death. Dividing our forces now would ruin all of that work and make us easy pickings for the chimeras.

“If you would spit in my face in exchange for my help, then I must question your honor. A duel must be had after which dissenters may leave, regardless of the outcome.”

The chill sank deeper into my veins.

Mathideus shifted uncomfortably. “Byron is right. We silver rankers have led from the forefront and taken responsibility for your lives. If you can’t put your faith in our actions, who then can you trust?”

The raven-haired woman wavered, cowed both by their words and the threat of real violence. Her supporters retreated, leaving her shivering alone in the cold.

She lowered her head—

“Run away, all of you,” I said and stepped out of the shadows.

The crowd turned as one to face me.

“I have seen the end," I continued. "And, you all are about to be sacrificed.”