As the party stepped through the barrier, they experienced a similar spatial distortion as they had when entering the labyrinth. The next step after clearing the barrier was at the top of a new set of stairs. Lond was the first to really survey their surroundings as he leaned on the staff they won from the feralise.
They had entered the labyrinth in the morning, around breakfast time. It looked to be about noon when they exited the labyrinth. They were at the top of a grassy hill, the stairs leading out of a hole in the ground behind them. At the base of the hill was the camp, another makeshift pathway formed by tents and stalls, though the ones at the exit were less busy.
"Let's get out the way," Emile said. He still had Cort over his shoulders, but he had to sidestep to allow another dive group exiting the dungeon to pass by. Lond nodded in agreement and made his way down the hill with the others following close behind.
Leaf was behaving unusually, though. He muttered something too quiet for Lond to hear when he got out of the labyrinth. When they walked down the hill, Lond noticed Leaf taking special care to stay at the back of the group behind Emile.
When they reached the base of the exit hill, a loud voice barked out, "Private Grasswhistler!"
Even Lond turned to face the source of the voice. A blonde woman in dark blue plate armor with her helmet in her hands. Painted across the chest plate in gold was a lion on its hind legs with a spear piercing through its chest.
Lond recognized it immediately as the insignia of the Imperial Military.
"General Ulgrim!" Leaf had gone from hiding behind Emile to standing at the head of the group, upright as possible and hand on his brow in salute.
Lond heard him say the woman's name. It was the same as the Captain they were serving under. It was rude to stare at a lady as Iphos always told him, yet Lond could not help for look for any similarities between them.
"Where have you been, private?" The woman asked. Her tone was strict and powerful, the kind from a person who only expected honesty.
"I got split up from the group, ma'am. I fell behind at the entrance and was unable to find them, ma'am."
"So I've heard. You will be responsible for maintaining your party's equipment tonight. That should teach you to keep up." There was a slight falter in Leaf's saluting stance, but he managed to keep it up. "Who are these men?" she asked, gesturing to Lond, Emile, and the unconscious Cort.
"Civilians I met inside of the labyrinth, ma'am. They helped me out of a tight spot with some feralises, and I dove with them until we exited."
"And you made sure they stayed safe?"
"Ma'am, as a member of the Imperial Army, I am to keep all the children of the Empire safe. I am thankful for their assistance, and carried out my duties to the best of their abilities."
General Ulgrim's lips turned into a confident smirk. "Go find your dive group," she ordered. "You can find these gentleman later to discuss anything you need to with them."
"Yes ma'am." Leaf ended his salute, turned to give a wave goodbye to Emile and Lond, then turned again and ran off down the pathway into the camp.
"Ma'am, are you related to Captain Ulgrim that's also here?" Lond asked suddenly. The woman turned to him, and he trembled under the gaze she gave him. Her very eyes exuded a pressure Lond was not prepared for.
"That would be my father," she answered. "I take it you are part of his company. Working for Some local lord that fancies himself an archaeologist, right?"
"Something like that," Emile replied. He took a step forward, Cort still slung over his shoulders. He held out his hands and smiled at the general. "Emile Laurent. May I have the pleasure of your name, enchanted flower of the Empire?"
Lond's mouth dropped beneath his mask. This man, the ferocious shackled beast, was just openly flirting with a woman. He truly needed more experience to understand the world of adults.
General Ulgrim sniggered, but shook Emile's hand anyway. Lond realized she never once glanced at the shackles. "Ryza Ulgrim. Are you the leader of this party?"
"No ma'am." He shrugged his shoulders to jostle Cort around a little. "This little guy is the real brains of the group. His name's Cort. He's taking a little nap at the moment."
"Lond Bastion." He looked down the path. Leaf had disappeared from sight, so Lond turned and said to Ryza to say "Tell Private Grasswhistler that I'll have his compensation ready by this evening."
"He'll be busy with his punishment, but I'll let him know." Ryza looked over their group, likely giving them a proper evaluation. "You must be first timers. How do you like diving?"
"Very interesting," Lond answered, recalling all that happened to him throughout his morning. "I'm looking forward to going back in and looking around some more, but I think I need rest."
"That's very wise. Many people get too eager when they dive. They go too deep before they're ready, and they get killed by something too strong for them."
"The feralise weren't too bad for the most part," Emile commented. Lond noticed some odd movements in Emile's arms. Was he trying to flex in front of Ryza? "Though that last one with the fire breathing was pretty tough."
"A fire breathing feralise?" Ryza sounded mildly intrigued, and it confirmed something for Lond. Leaf had made his own comment about the breath attack, but Ryza's reaction assured Lond that the final rabbit monster was special.
"It used this staff," Lond pointed out as he held the magic staff forward. Ryza looked at the circle ornament at the top for a moment.
"A weapon wielding monster. Probably not a boss monster. That would make sense. The boss monster of the first floor isn't a feralise, anyway. You likely found an elite monster."
"That's impressive, right?" Emile asked. Lond was just trying to decipher all the jargon the General had given them.
"Impressive, but a bit foolish. Elite monsters are dangerous. I would be careful facing them, especially with your level of experience and gear."
"We will be," Lond replied.
"It was nice meeting you," Ryza said, giving a quick bow to them. "You may see him before I do, so tell my father I said hello." Ryza took her leave, heading into the encampment proper.
"Next time we see her, I'm asking her for a date," Emile said with a goofy, toothy grin.
"I feel like she could kill you," Lond said. "I thought I would faint when all she did was look at me."
"That's just my kind of woman."
"Can you put me down?"
That interjection came from Cort. Lond saw that the other young man's eyes were open, and he was attempting to get down on his own from Emile's shoulders. Lond helped his ally down, stepping back only when he was sure Cort was steady on his feet.
"How long have you been awake?" Emile asked.
"Right about when she said we killed an elite monster," Cort answered. Lond couldn't believe he was just standing there talking normally when not too long ago he had his arm bitten off. "She was right. We should refrain from that for now. We got lucky."
"If you say so, boss," Emile replied, still grinning. Lond was sure he was keeping a close eye on General Ryza Ulgrim as she walked away.
"Whatever," Cort groaned out. "Come on. Let's go check in with Captain Ulgrim."