"Men in rage strike those that wish them best."
― William Shakespeare, Othello
"Sorry, Master Ooulin... your orders were too much for me."
Rafe strode from the labyrinth, pleased at his prank and refreshed in his soul. The baby worm was easy enough to direct if you knew how.
"Those idiots will be at it for months before they can unburry the gate."
"What idiots?"
Rafe ground to a halt, and turned to the side. Mara stood, Kalina in hand, while Aangor loomed in the background. The group was dressed for combat and headed for the labyrinth.
"Uhhhhh..." Rafe rubbed his head. "I may have sealed Ven and a few Royals on the second layer, but don't worry, they'll be fine!"
"YOU IDIOT!" Kalina rocketed from Mara's palm, a black look on her face. "My Turtle is with them, If he gets hurt Aangor will BEND YOU!"
"What..."
"Master Ooulin's younger self joined Ven when he left the guild," Aangor interrupted Rafe. "We believe he accompanied them into the labyrinth."
"How was I supposed to know..." Rafe paled under Aangor's stare, tempted to flee from the living guild hall. "We can try the door, maybe the worm..."
"Worm?" Mara leaned down until she was at Rafe's height. "What worm?"
"It's just a baby void worm, I..."
"I've told you to stay away from those creatures!" Aangor's scowl deepened. "If you aggravate the parents, we might lose access to anything beyond the first layer."
"It will be fine, the gate is..." Rafe fell silent as Aangor grabbed him by the neck.
"Indestructible, yes," The ape snorted. "But if the worms crack open the planet, then what?"
Rafe struggled to breathe, the ape's hand like corded iron that constricted his throat. I forgot how strong he is... The halfling twisted himself, a contortion that brought him his freedom.
"Cool your jets," Rafe rubbed his bruised collar. "Ven will be fine, and I didn't even see Ooulin."
"What about the Royals?" Mara pinched her nose between her fingers. "The guild doesn't need to start a fight with the kingdom right now..."
"I'm not sure," Rafe shrugged. "They dressed in the armor of the palace, with some extra gold." He looked into the air as he recalled their figures. "A young man and woman, maybe youths from the guard?"
"You'd better hope so," Aangor rumbled. "The King isn't someone to provoke."
Rafe nodded. Even Aangor wasn't a match for the king if the man fought to kill. Maybe I should have scooped the pair up before I messed with Ven... A tremble interrupted Rafe's thoughts, a slight sway that rocked the marble buildings back and forth.
"What's that?" Mara steadied herself. "We shouldn't get earthquakes here..."
"Hmmmm..." Kalina squinted into the distance. "Oh, you're in big trouble!" She laughed, a finger pointed at Rafe's nose. "The King is on a rampage in the castle, I bet those two were important!"
"Get behind me," Aangor stepped forward. "He's coming too fast!"
A rush of wind, a herald that had less than a second to spiral around before a figure slammed into the roadway. A hail of broken flagstones hammered Aangor's body, ignored as the ape sheltered the rest of the group.
"WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER!!!"
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"There," Huan placed a small, green crystal onto the ground. "Now Daddy will know we need help!"
"That's good, maybe the king can find a solution," Ven staired into a ruined valley, all that remained of the gate's location. "I think that thing might've eaten the doorway..."
"We're doomed!" Jun wailed. "I'll have to eat worms until I die..."
"Maybe..." Ven shrugged. "At least we've got food, I just hope their blood is enough to keep you hydrated."
"I..." Jun's mouth flapped as he sank to the ground. "How much water is left?"
"I gave you two the last of it yesterday," Ven hefted a sticky grub over a large bowl. "But these things are more than half liquid, it should be good enough." He twisted and the grub released a steady stream of vile green fluid. "See?"
"Thank you, Husband!" Huan snatched up the bowl and drank deeply. "Delicious!"
"I hate you both..." Jun collapsed into a pile, eyes shut against the world. "I'll die before I drink that."
"Feed your brother, would you?" Ven tossed Huan a fresh grub. "I'm going to dig around, in case the door is still here, somewhere..."
"Understood!" Huan saluted. She prepared a fresh bowl of juice, on hand on Jun's belt. "Come on Jun, down the hatch!"
Ven ignored Jun's mournful cries and clambered down the broken cliff. "I'm not even sure this is the right place..." It was a worm trail, but dozens were visible from orbit. This one was fresh, so there was some hope to be had.
"The ground is compressed... like a yellowed diamond."
Ven punched the glassy mineral. It yielded, barely. A thin layer, snapped free by his blow, scattered through the air. He grabbed a shard. It was as thick as a cleaver and tapered to a razor's edge. A yellow obsidian blade, stronger and more flexible than steel.
"What is this rock made of..." Ven muttered as he slashed the makeshift blade through the air. "It's heavy, and I can hardly bend it."
The shards were stored in his pouch for later study, perhaps they could be made into weapons. I won't get far digging, maybe I should just follow the worm... He shook himself. Stupid, what would you do, once you caught it? He would need a decade, just to shave off one percent of its rocky flesh.
"I could burrow into its brain..."
"Into what's brain?" Huan floated over, light on her feet. "Jun's asleep after his meal!"
"I'm just thinking about how to find the gate...you didn't kill him, did you?"
"Of course not! He's my favorite brother, all the rest of them are trash."
"Well... that's good," Ven shrugged. "Anyway's, well set camp here. Why don't you do a hunt for supper?"
"Understood, Husband!" Huan raised her fist into the air. "I'll bring us back a feast, and we'll have a family dinner!"
"That girl is relentless..." Ven sighed, his eyes on the horizon. "Time to hunt a worm!"