The trio of divers made their way through the camp. The pathway from the exit fed back into the main path through the camp quickly. Cort, Emile, and Lond made their way to Captain Ulgrim's tent first, once again depositing their weapons inside the bucket before stepping inside.
Ulgrim was seated at his desk once more, the noon light illuminating the inside of his tent a little better. He had a pair of square rimmed glasses on and was reading a small book with no labeling on it. He put it down and scribbled something into it, then closed it and put it down before looking up at his guests.
"Yes?" he said.
"Just coming back to check in with you because I'm not sure what to do next," Cort replied. "We did a dive this morning, and all of us are alive with no serious injuries."
"Glad to see Iphos still has an eye for quality divers." Ulgrim got up from his chair and walked over to a box behind him. When he came back, he had in his hand three small books similar to the one that he had been writing in when they walked in. "Take them."
The three divers obeyed, each taking one. Cort opened his book to see all the pages were blank. "A journal?" Lond surmised.
Ulgrim nodded. "I ask that all men in my company keep a personal diary of their dives. I find it to be a more personal touch than one boring report after another."
"Thank you," Cort replied. The journal was a leather bound book, not the highest quality but better than anything Cort ever used before. Lond's eyes glittered at the sight, and Emile had already tucked it into the back of his pants.
"Iphos prepared a tent for you," Ulgrim stated. "My man outside will lead you to it. Get some rest. A relaxed mind handles loot division a little better."
"Oh," Lond said, then held out his staff. "We found this in the labyrinth. Is this a prized artifact?"
Ulgrim looked at the staff, trying to make quick judgments from a distance. "Our company's appraiser is in the city today. Anything you find is to be verified by her. Understood?" The three divers nodded.
"However, just an initial assessment of my own. Likely not. The artifacts we're trying to recover tend to give off a more noticeable magic aura. This one is a dull spark in comparison."
A flustered Lond brought the staff back to his chest and lowered his head.
"We'll head to our tent then," Cort said, turning around and making for the exit of the tent.
"Oh," Emile said before Cort could step out. "We met your daughter, the general. She wanted us to say hello for her."
"Ha!" Ulgrim let out his sudden loud chuckle. "I'll see General Ulgrim soon enough. Now go along. Get some rest."
The three divers left the tent. Just as Ulgrim said, they were met with a guard that began leading them down the path to their tent. It was a decent walk away from the Captain's tent, buried amongst the sea of other tents. Their tent (as well as many surrounding tents) had the same wolf with the open mouth on its flap that Ulgrim's tent did.
The guard left them, and Cort was the first one to enter the tent. As he stepped under the flap he was greeted by another surprising sight. Instead of the cramped tent expected from the outside, the inside had been magically expanded to much wider, much taller space.
Three single size beds fit into it with plenty of room to spare. The empty space was occupied with other amenities like a bookshelf, a large wooden shelf for loot, a wooden desk and chair, and a weapon storage/maintenance area.
"There's even room to spar," Emile commented as he stepped in and took in his own surroundings, and he was right.
"Oh, you mentioned Ulgrim's daughter earlier," Cort asked as he went across the room, claiming the center bed near the weapon station for himself. "Is that who you guys were talking to when I was out?"
"Yeah," Lond answered. "General Ryza Ulgrim. Emile's in love."
"You'll get there one day when you grow up," Emile replied. Cort felt frozen in place as soon as Ryza's name was mentioned.
Can't be, he thought. Unpleasant nostalgia filled him. That name had a series of memories of pain, suffering, and potentially criminal methods of education attached to it.
"Tall woman?" Cort asked. "Blonde? When she looks at your you feel like you're gonna be crushed to death?"
"Sounds like her," Lond replied. Cort could not hold back his groan. That's her, he thought. He had never learned the woman's last name, but that description definitely fit the Ryza that he knew. The tormenting combat tutor of his youth.
How long had it been since he had seen her?
Did she recognize him earlier?
"Hey Cort," Emile said as he sat down beside Cort, the bed creaking under their combined weight. "Mind if I ask you something kind of personal?"
"Sure," Cort answered. He was already in a miserable state imagining the imminent reunion with Ryza.
"Are you trying to find this Levia guy by diving?"
That broke Cort's despair. He saw both Emile and Lond looking at him with concern, but also curiosity. He supposed if they were going to be a proper dive team, they should at least understand his motivation better.
"It's part of it," Cort answered. "I have always wanted to be a diver. The map of the world is filling out, so the only things left to discover are in the labyrinths. Plus, the admiration and the money are good perks too."
He sighed, looking down at his hand. His left arm was a brand new arm that became his. Damage was recoverable for him unlike any other human, so long as there was a supply of body parts for him to use. It was alien, though.
"I miss my own body. I haven't had it for twelve years. I want to be back in it. I feel-."
"Incomplete," Emile finished for him. He jangled the chains on his shackles. "I'm a martial artist. Challenge is part of my growth as a warrior, but I have to admit I miss being able to use every part of my body like the weapon it is."
"What all did Ashen tell you? I assume he mentioned my soul, and Levia."
"That you're not truly invincible," Lond replied. He had removed his cloak, but still kept the mask over his mouth. Cort could see vague outlines in the material. It was hiding a frown. "That you have three years before your soul is exhausted."
"I don't want to drag you guys into this hunt of mine," Cort told them. Diving was one thing, but the dark wizards were a different level of danger. "I'll keep diving with you, but I won't let you follow me when I take on Levia."
"Too late for that," Emile said and clapped Cort hard on the shoulder. "I'm helping you out with this."
Cort gave Emile a frustrated look. "Did you not hear what I just said? That feralise is nothing compared to a dark wizard. All that strength you have is nothing compared to their magic." Cort had not realized at first, but he was shouting in the small tent.
Yet Emile still smiled at him. "You're my buddies. Allies. Comrades. Whatever the hell you guys want to call it. But you've got a problem and I'm helping you with it. Same as you would do for me."
"I'm with Emile on this one," Lond said. He even took a moment to feel surprised at his own statement. "Besides, my goals in a way align with yours. Iphos told me to learn more about magic, the labyrinth, and people. Dark magicians use the magic of the labyrinth and you guys are people."
"I don't know if I should question that logic or not," Cort replied. It was nice, though. He never thought he would find the only divers wild enough to volunteer themselves for a suicide mission. A small smile appeared on Cort's face as he looked at his two fellow divers.
His friends.
"I'm going after a dark wizard of sorts, too," Emile stated, holding up his shackles again. "Zola. That's the one who put the spell on my chains."
"Well that's settled then," Lond stated. "We'll keep working for Captain Ulgrim on this artifact hunt for now."
"Get some good gear," Cort added.
"Eat some nice food," Emile said.
"Then when we're ready, it'll be time to go hunt a dark wizard."
That gave Cort a warm feeling, as much as talking about hunting and murdering a "man" could. For the first time in years, Cort was enjoying having someone to converse with besides Ashen.
"Break out the loot and let's get to divvying up, then," Emile said. He was right. After all, the adrenaline of adventure and experience of thrills and battle were just part of the reward from the labyrinth. A diver needed to eat though, and for that they needed their money.