Lond followed behind Cort and Emile as they walked through the camp. In the early hours right after sunrise, most of the merchants were still in the process of setting up their markets. The others moving around in that time were the divers making their way to the labyrinth.
"With the bottomless bag we can stay in the labyrinth for a bit longer," Cort told them as he patted the cloth sack attached to his belt.
"That sounds good," Lond replied, still watching others watch them. People were glancing at the three of them as they made their way to the labyrinth.
Lond had trouble deciphering the looks they were getting. Some people looked curiously, and others moved to give them more space than needed to pass. The day before, he was sure that it was due to Emile.
He was not so sure that was the case. There were people that they passed who still looked twice at Emile. However, just as often Cort was getting similar reactions.
The faces looked vaguely familiar. Lond realized that he had seen some of these people at The Pit the night before. That's why they kept their eyes on Cort. Did they think he was dangerous? Were they admiring him? Lond was unsure.
Getting jealous? Lin asked in his mind. Don't want anyone else looking at him?
Stop, Lond replied. He started hoping he could see Iphos-Magus again soon. Maybe his teacher would have a way to suppress Lin so that she would stop bothering him.
You can't be rid of me, Lond, Lin continued. Not that easy, anyway. I'm a part of you, no matter how much you hate it.
Just leave me alone. Lond and his friends finally reached the back of the line for labyrinth entry. They had gotten there earlier that day, so it was a quicker line. He could already hear the guards shouting "Next!"
"So we're still staying on the first floor today?" Emile asked.
"Yeah," Cort replied. "I want to see what else we can find there besides feralises. And we probably aren't quite ready for the first floor's boss monster."
"Boss monster?" Lond asked. "Sounds frightening."
"They are." Cort's face was stern, and when it got like that Lond noticed that even Emile stopped smirking. "If we see it, we're running. It's the strongest monster on the floor, so we shouldn't deal with it until we're prepared. Stronger Cores, better weapons, and all that fun stuff."
He's so smart, Lin chimed in suddenly, her enamored voice slow and gentle. I can see why you want him so much.
Stop talking, Lond replied. He needed to focus up, and Lin was interfering too much. He hated her so much.
"I just hope we find something a little more challenging," Emile said as his speech was nearly ruined by a long yawn. "That last rabbit thing was a fun fight for a second, but I wouldn't mind something that could break a sweat. And didn't cheat with fire like that."
"I imagine there are plenty of monsters that use fire breath," Lond explained. "Still, my water magic can come in handy for you." He wondered if there were spells he could use to protect Emile from drying out and weakening. Perhaps if he added enough magic stones to his water magic ring.
"That's how the labyrinth's work," Cort said. Lond just realized that he had done something with his hair. A leather cord kept Cort's hair tied up in the back. Lond found he did not care for it too much. He preferred Cort's hair a little wilder, a more natural look.
Still. It was nice to get a good view of Cort's face.
Before he could continue on that train of thought, Lond shook his head to stop it. It made his barrier against Lin weak when he held onto those thoughts of Cort too long. He would focus on the dive. A dive everyday would keep Lin away.
"Next!"
The call of the entrance guards interrupted Lond's planning. Cort, Emile, and Lond stepped down the stairs together towards the barrier. They walked through one after the other and ensured they all ended up in the same entry room.
The dive has started. Now entering the labyrinth of Remus, Veranus.
The room that the diving party found themselves in was noticably different from the one they had the day before. Where that room was rectangular, Lond and the others were descending into a circle of stone. On the edges near the walls were flower pots.
The plants within were unlike anything Lond had ever seen or heard about. Long vines had crawled out of the pots and along the walls. There were places where the vines seemed to bulge out from the wall, and Lond correctly assumed those were the lantern sconces.
What kept the room well lit instead were the flowers. Yellow flowers that glowed like less intense midday suns dotted the vines along the walls and in the planter pots. There was this gentle aroma of honey and salt that came off of them. If Lond could smell it, he wondered how it was affecting Emile and Cort's more sensitive senses.
"Cort," Lond asked as he approached one of the nearby walls. He knew better than to touch the plants, but a closer look shouldn't be risky. The natural glow of the flowers seemed to shine off of the vines. It was a shimmer, like something clear and slimy had been rubbed onto the plant.
"Cort," Lond repeated. "What are these?"
"I don't know," Cort replied. He was suddenly standing right beside Lond, close to the wall but just as close to the mage. Lond thought his heart was going to explode from how fast it was going. He took a deep breath, and Cort looked at him with concern. "You okay? You're breathing pretty hard."
"Yeah," Lond nodded. He had been keeping calm so far. No interjections from Lin in the labyrinth. He tangled his cloak in his fingers and took a step back from the wall. As well as getting some space between him and Cort. "I think I'm just a little on edge from last night."
"Hey," Emile added. "Don't act too brave. If you're not feeling well, we can head back and you can get some more rest or whatever you need to get better."
"Emile's right," Cort said. "I don't want you to risk your life just for a few coins. We'll be able to coast for a while on the gold we've got."
"I'm okay," Lond replied. He took one last heavy sigh and walked towards the exit of the entry room. The vines were curving around the edges of the open doorway, and there were more flowers making light to show Lond that the vines were in the hallway as well.
Cort and Emile just nodded and followed Lond to the exit and out into the halls of the dungeon. Lond felt a sharp pang in his chest from something, some emotion he could not fully grasp. Shame, guilt, or his own worry. He just knew he did not like it.
Out in the hallway the vines were not just on the walls. They had crawled over the ceiling and the floor as well. This made it difficult to walk over the uneven foliage, but there was enough light for Lond to watch each step he took. Whatever the slime was that covered the vines it did not make them slippery or stick to the divers' boots.
They had made it about twenty meters down the hall, slowly and carefully walking along the vines, when a noise echoed through the empty labyrinth halls. It was low, quiet, and droning. A groan almost, but the party could not see what was making it. Then it was followed by a shriek, unmistakably the scream of another person.
"Let's go!" Cort ordered, taking several bigger steps to lead the party in the direction of the scream. There was another one and they sped up as much as they could without tripping over the vines.
"Stop!" Lond shouted. He was the first one to see it and called the group to a halt. Ahead of them, maybe a few more footsteps, the wall vines were beginning to distend and push out into the hallway. Lond could hear some of them begin to snap and fall to the ground. There was a loud sound of popping and tearing as a large patch of them burst free from the wall.
Something was breaking free.