Labyrinth?????? (2)

  It?????? had?????? been?????? 3?????? hours?????? since?????? Ether’s?????? party?????? started?????? following?????? Hex’s?????? Foresight?????? trait.

  “I?????? want?????? to?????? go?????? left,?????? but?????? my?????? gut?????? tells?????? me?????? this?????? way.”

  After?????? what?????? felt?????? like?????? an?????? eternity,?????? Silvia?????? finally?????? woke?????? up.

  *yawn*

  “Morning,?????? Silvia?????? had?????? a?????? good?????? sleep.”

  Ether?????? spoke?????? in?????? a?????? gentle?????? tone.?????? Silvia?????? nodded?????? in?????? response.

  “That's?????? great.?????? Do?????? you?????? mind?????? getting?????? off…”

  Before?????? he?????? could?????? continue?????? speaking,?????? Silvia’s?????? claw?????? moved?????? to?????? and?????? hovered?????? over?????? his?????? neck,?????? stopping?????? his?????? sentence.

  “Say?????? that?????? again?????? and?????? I’ll?????? make?????? your?????? head?????? roll.”

  Silvia?????? didn't?????? want?????? to?????? get?????? off.?????? Why??????? Ether?????? does?????? not?????? know.

  “Okay,?????? never?????? mind?????? then.”

  “Shhhhh”

  Hex?????? urged?????? them?????? to?????? stay?????? quiet?????? and?????? then?????? pointed?????? around?????? the?????? corner.?????? Ether,?????? looking?????? around?????? the?????? corner,?????? saw?????? the?????? Minotaur.??????

  It?????? had?????? the?????? head?????? of?????? a?????? bull?????? but?????? the?????? full?????? body?????? of?????? a?????? man.

  Eye?????? of?????? Ra

  (You?????? are?????? not?????? ready?????? to?????? face?????? him.?????? Avoid?????? conflict?????? if?????? possible.)

  Almost?????? immediately?????? after?????? I?????? looked?????? at?????? him,?????? it?????? turned?????? to?????? face?????? us.

  We?????? both?????? put?????? our?????? backs?????? to?????? the?????? wall,?????? holding?????? our?????? breath?????? in?????? hopes?????? it?????? didn't?????? spot?????? us.

  Silvia,?????? of?????? course,?????? was?????? not?????? pleased?????? with?????? being?????? pinned?????? to?????? the?????? wall,?????? so?????? she?????? opened?????? her?????? maw?????? and?????? attempted?????? to?????? bite?????? Ether.??????

  Ether?????? knowing?????? the?????? danger?????? covered?????? his?????? mouth?????? and?????? offered?????? his?????? other?????? arm?????? as?????? a?????? sacrifice?????? to?????? keep?????? her?????? quiet.?????? With?????? a?????? few?????? tears?????? in?????? the?????? corner?????? of?????? his?????? eyes,?????? he?????? endured?????? the?????? pain?????? from?????? Silvia’s?????? bite?????? until?????? the?????? Minotaur?????? walked?????? past?????? them.

  Once?????? they?????? stopped?????? hearing?????? his?????? footsteps,?????? he?????? finally?????? relaxed?????? and?????? started?????? to?????? breathe.

  Somehow?????? manages?????? to?????? get?????? Silvia?????? off?????? him?????? and?????? gets?????? her?????? to?????? open?????? her?????? jaws,?????? revealing?????? his?????? chew?????? toy?????? of?????? an?????? arm?????? covered?????? in?????? blood?????? and?????? saliva.

  Ether?????? didn't?????? need?????? an?????? explanation?????? from?????? her;?????? he?????? knew?????? why?????? she?????? did?????? it,?????? but?????? that?????? didn't?????? help?????? the?????? pain.

  “Sorry,?????? but?????? you?????? didn't?????? let?????? me?????? breathe.”

  For?????? the?????? first?????? time?????? since?????? Ether?????? knew?????? her,?????? Silvia?????? had?????? a?????? genuine?????? look?????? of?????? remorse?????? on?????? her?????? face,?????? or?????? as?????? close?????? a?????? werewolf?????? could?????? make.

  And?????? of?????? course,?????? Silvia?????? explains?????? anyway?????? there?????? is?????? no?????? way?????? she?????? could?????? read?????? Ether's?????? mind.

  “It's?????? fine.”??????

  As?????? Ether?????? responded,?????? he?????? took?????? out?????? a?????? roll?????? of?????? bandages?????? and?????? wrapped?????? them?????? around?????? his?????? chewed-up?????? arm.??????

  `This?????? isn't?????? the?????? first?????? time?????? I've?????? had?????? to?????? bandage?????? my?????? mangled?????? arm’

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  Ether?????? was?????? reminded?????? of?????? something,?????? but?????? quickly?????? he?????? stopped,?????? wanting?????? to?????? forget?????? those?????? times.

  “You?????? sure?????? you’re?????? okay?”

  Hex?????? asked?????? in?????? a?????? concerned?????? tone.??????

  “Yes,?????? let’s?????? keep?????? moving,?????? we?????? want?????? to?????? avoid?????? that?????? thing?????? if?????? we?????? can.”

  “I?????? would,?????? but?????? my?????? gut?????? is?????? telling?????? me?????? to?????? go?????? the?????? same?????? way?????? the?????? Minotaur”

  Hex?????? proclaimed?????? his?????? intentions?????? while?????? Ether?????? finished?????? wrapping?????? his?????? blood-soaked?????? arm.

  “So?????? you?????? want?????? to?????? follow?????? the?????? thing?????? we're?????? meant?????? to?????? avoid?”

  “Yes”

  *inhale*

  *exhale*

  Ether?????? took?????? a?????? deep?????? breath,?????? though?????? of?????? how?????? to?????? best?????? approach?????? this.

  Currently,?????? only?????? two?????? options?????? are?????? reasonable?????? to?????? him,?????? but?????? he?????? isn't?????? alone.?????? Looking?????? at?????? the?????? party,?????? Hex?????? is?????? relatively?????? weak,?????? himself?????? being?????? focused?????? on?????? magic?????? rather?????? than?????? physical?????? combat,?????? and?????? Silvia?????? is?????? the?????? only?????? one?????? who?????? can?????? fight?????? the?????? thing?????? head-on.

  He?????? would?????? need?????? to?????? work?????? with?????? them?????? if?????? he?????? had?????? a?????? chance?????? of?????? beating?????? the?????? thing.

  “So?????? what?????? do?????? you?????? think?????? we?????? should?????? do??????? We?????? could?????? follow?????? it?????? like?????? a?????? shadow?????? or?????? try?????? to?????? kill?????? it.”

  “Let's?????? kill?????? it.”

  Without?????? Pause,?????? Silvia?????? responded?????? almost?????? immediately.?????? Her?????? wolf-like?????? snout?????? grinned?????? at?????? the?????? thought?????? of?????? killing.

  Hex,?????? on?????? the?????? other?????? hand,?????? was?????? in?????? deep?????? thought?????? about?????? his?????? response,?????? or?????? at?????? least?????? that’s?????? what?????? it?????? looked?????? like.

  “My?????? gut?????? says?????? to?????? kill?????? it,?????? but?????? how?????? could?????? we?????? do?????? that?”

  Ether?????? thought?????? of?????? the?????? question?????? proposed.?????? How?????? would?????? they?????? kill?????? it??????? It?????? outmatches?????? them?????? if?????? the?????? monsters?????? running?????? away?????? from?????? the?????? labyrinth?????? were?????? anything?????? to?????? go?????? off?????? of.

  `Ambushing?????? the?????? thing?????? would?????? give?????? them?????? an?????? advantage,?????? but?????? it?????? wouldn't?????? be?????? enough?????? on?????? its?????? own??????? The?????? only?????? thing?????? left?????? would?????? be?????? to?????? set?????? up?????? traps,?????? but?????? they?????? didn't?????? have?????? the?????? materials?????? for?????? that.’

  “I'm?????? stumped.?????? I?????? can't?????? think?????? of?????? a?????? way?????? to?????? do?????? it?????? right?????? now.?????? Maybe?????? I’m?????? just?????? tired?????? and?????? can’t?????? think?????? straight.”

  Hex?????? responded

  “Now?????? that?????? I?????? think?????? about?????? it,?????? what?????? was?????? the?????? Minotaur?????? looking?????? at?”

  Turning?????? the?????? corner?????? once?????? more?????? to?????? see?????? a?????? crack?????? in?????? the?????? wall,?????? it?????? was?????? narrow?????? enough?????? that?????? the?????? Minotaur?????? couldn't?????? enter,?????? but?????? wide?????? enough?????? for?????? humanoids?????? to?????? squeeze?????? through.

  “Should?????? we?????? look?????? inside?”

  Hex?????? asked,?????? unsure?????? of?????? what?????? to?????? do.?????? Ether?????? responded?????? to?????? his?????? uncertainty.

  “Why?????? shouldn't?????? we??????? If?????? it?????? finds?????? it?????? interesting,?????? it?????? could?????? be?????? something?????? that?????? could?????? help.”

  Looking?????? inside?????? the?????? crack?????? was?????? the?????? small?????? light?????? of?????? a?????? torch.?????? It's?????? light?????? reflecting?????? off?????? a?????? decomposing?????? corpse,?????? too?????? rotten?????? to?????? decipher?????? what?????? the?????? creature?????? was?????? during?????? its?????? life.

  “Oh?????? god.”

  Hex?????? exclaimed?????? in?????? shock.

  “He?????? he”

  Silvia?????? just?????? laughed,?????? presumably?????? at?????? the?????? smell?????? of?????? the?????? corpse.

  “…”

  Ether?????? was?????? not?????? surprised?????? or?????? pleased?????? with?????? the?????? corpse,?????? but?????? he?????? was?????? interested?????? in?????? what?????? it?????? had.??????

  Mining?????? equipment?????? doesn't?????? sound?????? like?????? much,?????? but?????? more?????? specifically,?????? the?????? large?????? amount?????? of?????? rope?????? it?????? carried?????? was?????? perfect?????? for?????? making?????? traps,?????? and?????? the?????? pickaxe?????? was?????? perfect?????? for?????? acquiring?????? the?????? rest?????? of?????? the?????? materials.

  “This?????? seems?????? like?????? the?????? best?????? place?????? to?????? set?????? up?????? camp.”

  However,?????? his?????? lack?????? of?????? stamina?????? was?????? catching?????? up?????? with?????? him?????? and?????? stopped?????? him?????? from?????? thinking?????? strategically?????? and?????? thinking?????? about?????? rest.

  Hex?????? responded?????? to?????? this?????? comment.

  “How?????? could?????? you?????? even?????? think?????? of?????? that??????? There’s?????? a?????? fucking?????? corpse?????? right?????? there.”??????

  “Then?????? we?????? just?????? remove?????? it;?????? I?????? don’t?????? see?????? the?????? issue?????? here.”

  As?????? they?????? argued,?????? Ether?????? noticed?????? that?????? Silvia?????? entered?????? before?????? them.?????? Somewhat?????? panicking,?????? he?????? stopped?????? conversing?????? and?????? followed?????? the?????? Vorstag?????? into?????? the?????? narrow?????? passage.?????? As?????? he?????? did?????? so,?????? Ether?????? asked?????? Hex.

  “Do?????? you?????? have?????? a?????? better?????? idea??????? Can?????? you?????? even?????? think?????? straight?????? with?????? how?????? tired?????? you?????? are?”

  Hex?????? had?????? no?????? response?????? and?????? followed?????? the?????? two?????? into?????? their?????? temporary?????? camp.

  ___________________________________

  “Finally?????? done.”

  Chaos?????? finally?????? finished?????? his?????? anomaly?????? alterations;?????? details?????? are?????? fuzzy?????? at?????? best,?????? but?????? the?????? effect?????? of?????? his?????? changes?????? to?????? this?????? anomaly?????? would?????? allow?????? for?????? a?????? greater?????? chance?????? of?????? success.

  Only?????? in?????? anomalies?????? would?????? they?????? be?????? able?????? to?????? intervene?????? in?????? any?????? way,?????? but?????? due?????? to?????? the?????? scale?????? of?????? this?????? dungeon,?????? he?????? believed?????? it?????? would?????? be?????? fine?????? to?????? go?????? as?????? far?????? as?????? he?????? had.??????

  “With?????? safe?????? zones?????? spread?????? throughout?????? the?????? dungeon,?????? it?????? should?????? lessen?????? the?????? number?????? of?????? deaths?????? that?????? are?????? occurring?????? if?????? I?????? did?????? it?????? right.”

  `Wait,?????? don’t?????? I?????? have?????? to?????? make?????? a?????? reason?????? for?????? their?????? existence??????? Eh,?????? I’m?????? sure?????? it?????? will?????? sort?????? itself?????? out.’