Again, at the head of the advancing group, Zan entered into another hallway. A capital 'L'-shaped hallway, Zan and Winters and all the rest entered where the line segments met, on the bend. Therefore, to Zan's right was a passage they could take, as was ahead to them, which was another passageway they could take. "We take both," Zan said to Winters while they were attempting to figure which route to take.

"Bold idea. I figure we have to go both ways regardless. One of these doors ought to lead deeper into the tower. Should you find such a route, please let me know through one of your weird flying fake bugs," Winters stated.

"An echo-beetle? Sure. And exactly! My thinking as well. So, we ought to get a jump on it. Both of us know what we are doing. If I have an idea and you approve, then two great minds thinking alike!" Zan said, feeling he had made a fool of himself. Why, he questioned himself, did he think grandstanding would be a good idea? Boy, did he pay for it. Cruelly, in the melodramatic way, Winters asked Zan, "Great?! Big and bold words coming from a lad who hasn't even been with Another!" Laughing, Winters playfully slapped Zan on his back.

Both groups split with an even divide between the segment led by Zan and the segment led by Winters. Throughout the duration of his command, Zan kept in constant communication with Winters. "Room One, clear. Room two, cleared," Zan said as he heard of his teams and their progress.

Truly, other than labor, only things uninteresting happened. Work crews jibbed on the work ethics of the other crews. Somewhere in earshot, Jiehong cracked an insensitive joke. Sound muted for Zan as his mind forced all the non-essential to flee; the feel of the pickaxe, the handle's girth, and how its pang-fangs hung before each venom-strike bite sunk away at the misermint ore; the sound of impact: a clink, or a long-lost sound effect of creation; the dust-puff after the blow. And if you were lucky, a sweep of the fleet, of whatever had come away from the ore, into your bin.

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"Room's done," Zan said, gazing, hardly aware it was he who had talked.

Although in each room they had filled the slot to the slot's heart's content, no new pathway opened. "Did anyone see a door?" Zan asked.

No one sprang up their hand in revelation.

Wait, Zan asked himself, had he lit every room with the Spark?

"Rejoin with the others at the hall's joint. I want to confirm I opened every room to the light," Zan said, directing the others to continue the labor.

Heading through each room, Zan saw he had, in fact, remembered to light the rooms only half of the time.

He took a few minutes and corrected his error. It will take me a little while to remember. This is a new responsibility for me, Zan told himself.

Meeting up with Colonel Winters, Zan asked if everything was in order, ore wise. "Yes. Every slot has been filled. Now, we only need our resident Spark holder to ignite the rooms. Have you found any trouble, yet?" Winters asked.

Catching his breath before heading into the rooms on Winters's side of the hallway, Zan said, "Nope. Nothing. Nothing but crystals. Why? Did you?"

"Heavens no. I was only curious. I've been around for a while, so I've heard some stories about these towers. Wild, fantastic stories. Judging from today, though, I guess 'only stories' if what they will remain. It's nice to find out for yourself if the drunken sailor you've chatted with was telling the truth of not. Turns out most none of them are telling the truth! Ha!"

"It is soothing to learn firsthand," Zan said, wondering who the 'sailor' was...

Ending the conversation with Winters, Zan rushed his way through the few chambers of Winters's side. His process here was the same as ever -- Spark held over his head; spin the tri-tip; spin it faster; let it circulate energies (or whatever...), and presto-bingo, the room lights up like a campfire.

"Find the passage?" Zan asked. "I didn't see any door on my side. And I didn't see anything on your end... did one appear somewhere?"

Winters ordered everyone to search for a new passage. One had opened up. It seemed at random, but a pathway emerged in one of the first rooms 'completed' by Zan's side. Walking through, Zan and Company, walked face-first into the crisp, humid air of the glorious outdoors.