The docks came into view. I sat at the back of the ‘Sisteen’ with Benson. He was collapsed over the railing, hating everything to do with water-based travel and I was at his side with a headache that could kill a lesser person. Together we were a cloud of dark emotion, weighing down the back of the boat.
Ships of all manner and size were lined up ahead along the docks; their hulls glistened as shadows from the lighthouse danced over them. I had hoped to see sailboats, but without much winds Mire's Lake just wasn't suited for them.
Guine’s crew docked the ships. They had reserved spots at the docks and everything, which I found odd considering how weak they were. Wouldn’t high ranked adventurers hoard those type of things? Well, that was a question better left for another day. For now, Benson and I needed to find an inn where we could lick our wounds.
“Thank you for your help,” I said, my voice weak, as I offered my hand to Guine. She smiled and accepted the handshake.
“No. Thank you. If you two hadn’t been there there’s no telling what would have happened. I know for a fact Sabe wouldn’t have survived without that potion,” she replied. “If you ever need anything in New Hidet, let me know. I may not look it, but my father has connections all over the city.”
“I might have to take you up on that offer,” I said with a genuine grin, “But for now I need to find an inn so I can sleep off this headache.”
“You should stay at the ‘Dancing Hearth’, if you want I can have Sabe guide you.”
“I think directions should be enough. Thank you, though,” I replied.
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Benson and I followed Guine’s directions with haste. The streets were dark and the glow of fireplaces lit our way. The buildings were tall and made of stone. The cobbled roadways clicked with each of our steps. The city was shutting down for the night, and I felt myself slipping alongside it. My head felt like it was being squeezed in a vice.
The ‘Dancing Hearth’ was easy to spot. It stood a floor taller than the buildings around it, and loud cheers could be heard echoing down the streets from its merry customers. The outside of the building was built of splintered gray stone, and vines crawled up its sides like pythons. A sign depicting a mug of alcohol over a fire swung just above the front entrance.
The inside was, as expected, a grand foyer that opened up into a large table-filled dining room complete with rustic decor. A massive fireplace, at least the size of a grand piano, roared with white ember. The walls were covered with paintings, weapons, and nautical equipment. The skulls of several prominent monsters were on display as well. A long corner bar separated the staff from the rabble. A staircase to the next level stood out of the way on the far side of the room.
No one seemed to notice our entrance. The place was packed and I could already feel my headache growing worse. Why did Guine recommend such a noisy place?
“Ah, hello. You two look tired, you must be here for a bed?” Asked one of the servers as she set a platter down on a table near us. She was short and wearing a light-blue apron over her brown dress.
“Yes, just for tonight. Two rooms if possible,” I replied, my hand rubbing my temple.
“That’ll be a Middle Mark, meals not included,” she replied as she untied her apron and beckoned me and Benson towards the bar. I pulled out and tossed the coin. She briefly checked it for authenticity and then offered me a welcoming smile. “I’ll take you to your rooms. And don’t worry about the noise. We have soundproof enchantments on all the doors.”
All my stress fell out of my body when she said those sweet sweet words. “Thank you,” I said as I followed her toward the stairs.
My room was small, having only a single bed, but it had a window and a nightstand in it. The bed itself seemed to be made of straw and hemp-like fabric. I imagined it would itch like hell, but I was a bit too tired to care. The second the woman and Benson left, I hit the hay and passed out.
Strange dreams plagued me, and I found myself waking in a cold sweat more than once throughout the night. Visions of the dark lake and the sword of ice danced in my mind. I could feel a voice calling to me from deep underground, like a forgotten song of childhood, pulling at the fringes of my conscience.
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“Come, champion,” the voice beckoned, its tone sweeter than any honey.
I trembled on the prickly hay-filled bed, and covered myself with a blanket. I wanted sleep. I wanted peace… But the pain and the voice continued. It urged me on.
Before I knew it, I was out of bed and opening the window to my room. My feet seemed to have minds of their own, and I leaped down onto the streets. The voice echoed off the buildings, growing stronger as I neared the source. It began to build in volume, and what was once the honeysuckle song of a siren transformed into a death-rattling roar.
‘Come, Champion!” The voice boomed like thunder in my ears.
All at once I awoke and found myself standing in front of a platinum-colored gate that stretched hundreds of feet up the mountainside. Above the archway, the word “Labyrinth” was engraved in foreign runes… But I could read them for some reason.
The voice echoed from within, drawing bated breath at my every step.
Two guards stood before the gate, armed with spears. One stepped forward to me.
“Adventurer card, please,” he asked with hand outstretched. I took my card from storage and handed it over, my eyes staring up at the structure.
“It’s a bit late for you to be heading into the labyrinth, Ms. November,” remarked the man as he read over my card. “While you are ‘C’ rank, it’s dangerous to go inside without prepared equipment or a team.”
“I’m just gathering cores on the first few floors,” I replied, the words weren’t my own.
“Alright then,” the man said with an odd look on his face, “But try to be out in a few hours. I don’t feel comfortable about this…”
“Just let her go Thom,” commented the second man with a terribly appalachian accent, “if she keels she keels. You said she’s ‘C’ rank anyways. That means if she wants to go into the labyrinth alone, I doubt we could stop her.”
“She’s just a lass, Meryl…”
While the two were still talking, I had already walked past them and entered the dungeon. The voice beckoned me onwards, and I heeded its call.
“My champion, at last,” the voice rasped, as I walked through the labyrinth unhindered. Monsters bowed out of my way, and traps diffused themselves.
“Do you know of the Genesis?” The voice asked.
“No,” I replied, my voice echoing off the stone walls.
“Long ago, the Goddess Asenth fell to the world in a ball of fire,” said the voice. “She looked upon the red planet and frowned, for naught but death reigned. Thus she split the world in two, dividing the death and life from one another. From this, the twins Gaia and Earth were born. One, rich in mana, existed as a dream. The other, dry and material, existed corporeal.”
The voice paused, as if to take a breath, “With the worlds split, Earth became the land of the dead and Gaia the land of life. Asenth built a bridge between the two and named it Eternity. An endless cycle of souls was formed, and the worlds flourished.”
I climbed over cliffs, and dove beneath dark waters. My body continued to move, as if compelled, by the ever awing voice. It dragged me forward, like a child by the hand. I lost track of how far I had moved, and soon I receded into my husk as my body moved against my will.
“Who are you?” I asked as I finally regained control. I stood at the precipice of a pit so deep only Hell could know its bottom. From the darkness, a pair of starlight eyes stared out, watching me… Judging my very soul. The eyes moved, and the world shook. The sound of rattling chains followed suit as the beast’s form stepped out of the darkness and into the light. It stood tall enough to touch the sky with paws firmly planted at the base of the pit. Black as night with visage twisted in a wolfish snarl, the beast lumbered forward. Its body, bogged with massive chains, rippled with primal energy.
“I am Cerberus, the Guardian of Eternity!” Bellowed the beast, its voice shaking the cavern walls. “Seven thousand years ago, mankind discovered The Bridge and imprisoned me under the Morning Mountains. For eons I have cried out, searching for a champion... And now you, the first to hear my voice, have come.”