"You mean-?" Cort began. He didn't want to say it out loud, so someone else did it for him.
"That's right," Haley replied. "Everyone else in his dive group is dead."
Cort took a moment. He knew the labyrinths and the dives were dangerous. He had heard stories about people dying in the labyrinth at Vim. He had seen divers return, mourning the loss of their fellows over drinks and songs.
This was the first time he had been so close to it himself. The way the man on the floor was shaking. Trembling and unable to utter a word. Was that what seeing the death of your friends did?
He even thought back to the fight in the tavern only two days ago. Cort had slain two men. They were soldiers, and had tried to kill him. Was that the fear he had inspired? Or had they all been too busy dealing with Emile?
"Did you see what happened?" Lond asked. Thankfully it broke Cort out of his dour thoughts, and he watched Haley for the answers.
"Every moment," Haley answered. "Seven divers came across the floor boss. They sounded like they had come in today to specifically kill her. It wasn't pretty."
"Who is the floor boss?" Emile asked. "Or I guess what is it?"
"An ent mother," Cort guessed. Haley nodded. "How tough did your book say the ent mother was, Lond?"
"Iphos-Magus is a ranking magician with the Imperial Court," Lond replied, though it was without the pride expected of a loyal apprentice. "He says he would never try to take one on if he was alone."
"That measures up pretty well, I'd say," Haley answered. "You're right Cort. It's the ent mother. She tore that guy's-," she gestured to the still jabbering man on the ground. "-entire team apart. Literally. She has these long tentacles with these scythe blades that she whips around. Faster than I could see anyway."
"And how did you make it out alive?" Emile asked. Cort had his suspicions about that, but decided to let Haley answer for herself.
"I was never with their group. I ended up in the same entrance I bet you guys came out of. The one next to all the flowers right away." She adjusted something under her cloak, but none of the other divers twitched a muscle. "Anyway, I heard them talking and followed them for a bit, but I hid when Lady Spriggan came around the corner."
"Lady Spriggan?" Emile asked. "She's badass enough to have a name like that? I've got to meet her now, Cort."
"Shut up for now," Cort responded. "You said you hid. How?"
Haley flapped her cloak in response. "This cloak is pretty good camouflage so long as I stay still," she explained. She then let her hand come free from under the cloak, showing the other divers a silver ring on her pinky finger with a moonstone embedded.
"Combine it with some earth magic," Haley continued. "I can become the wall itself pretty much. Good thing, too. Once this guy took off running, Lady Spriggan decided to just let some drones handle it. She didn't even notice me."
"You just watched them die, then?" Lond asked. A long, tense silence followed. Haley's face twisted this way and that as she carefully formulated her next sentence.
Cort felt impatient, so he just asked the first question he came up with. "Are you a scavenger or a diver?" Cort asked.
"Hey can't a girl have two jobs?" Haley responded, chuckling nervously. Cort saw her cloak shift again, and he could spot a bottomless bag tied tightly to her belt.
"What's a scavenger?" Lond asked.
"I figure that's self explanatory," Emile answered. He was looking down at Haley, a cocky smile on his face. "This little lady follows a stronger group, then picks up the scraps to sell for herself."
"Hey!" Haley barked up at him. Cort held back his chuckle. It was humorous to see someone so small chide Emile. "I can hold my own, thank you very much. But I'm an archer, and right now my dive group is on hiatus, and I need some coin."
"An archer." Emile had a deep chuckle at that one. "Did you hear that Cort? She's gonna lob a toothpick at a monster."
Emile's second chuckle began, and in an instant Haley had retrieved her bow from somewhere under her cloak and knocked an arrow. The head was aiming right at Emile's throat, and his laughter died down into a simple grin.
"I like this girl," Emile said, then looked over to Cort. "Dear leader, invite her to our group."
Cort raised his eyebrow to Emile, then shook his head. "She just said she's already in a group," Cort explained.
"Who said I wanted to be part of your group?" Haley asked. She hadn't loosened her grip on her bow yet. "I'm getting by fine on my own."
"The labyrinth is not safe alone," Lond said. "And I think you could fit into our team nicely." Cort turned to Lond, his face asking for more elaboration. "Someone else who can fight at long range to support you and Emile charging."
"Plus I like her attitude," Emile added.
"Can you guys stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Haley demanded. She had lowered the bow but had not put it away.
"Sorry," Cort replied. "But I think they have a point. I think your own group would be able to enjoy their hiatus if they knew you were safely with us."
Sounds from somewhere down the hallway interrupted everything. It was whispering. Echoing whispering that was audible from miles away. Followed by low hissing sounds. Then, the whispers again. Only they were words. Just three repeated words.
Leave. Or. Die.
"That's Lady Spriggan," Haley told them. "All the talking must be drawing her back this way."
"We'll continue this later," Cort said. He looked to everyone else and gave a simple order. "Back to the entrance. Run."
So they fled. Cort, Lond, and Haley worked together to get the struggling survivor up onto his feet, and Emile carried him. They backtracked through the vine covered hallways.
Leave. Or. Die.
The whispers did not cease. Lond was the first to realize why they sounded like they echoed in all directions. "The flowers!" he stated. "She's talking through the flowers, Cort!"
"Wonderful," Cort replied if only to be polite. "Keep running!"
They made it back to the entrance they had arrived from. As a single group they charged up the stairs. The moment they passed through the gateway the whispers had stopped.
"Possibly the shortest dive in history," Haley commented, catching her breath as they all stood atop the exit hill. "I hope you're proud of yourselves."
"We're not dead," Cort replied. "I'll call that a win." Haley let out a huff, but Cort cared less. He knew he was right. Surviving to tell the tale beat out dying for a few coins more any day.
"I'm serious, you know," Emile said to Haley. He unceremoniously dumped the traumatized man off of his shoulders, letting him roll down the exit hill without paying him any mind.
"About joining your group?" Haley replied. "I'll have to think about it. My group leader is pretty strict." She gave them a wave as she started towards the hill. "I have to go get ready for my shift early, then. I'll meet you at the entrance tomorrow with my answer."
With that, Haley turned away from them and sprinted down the hill. Cort and his party took a more leisurely stroll for themselves.
"I do think she would be a good inclusion," Lond said as they walked.
"Suspicious, thief-adjacent behavior would fit right into our group dynamic," Emile added.
"We'll just wait and see," Cort answered. Truthfully, he was unsure how to handle Haley's potential recruitment. Her skills as an archer seemed potent and useful, but hiding like she had left a sour taste in his mouth.
"If we can count on her to show up tomorrow morning, then I'll let her come along and try out," Cort pledged.
The divers returned to camp and to their tent. They had very little to bring to the trading post, so they would wait until after the next dive when they had more spoils.
In the tent, each spent their time differently. Emile exercised, and Cort did as well for a bit. Then he went over to sit with Lond on his bed as he and Ashen made notes about the monsters they had seen. He was noticing that Lond would get fidgety when Cort scooted too close, so he gave the young mage space.
The next morning, the group returned to the line at the Veranus entrance. To Cort's surprise, Haley was standing a few steps away from the back of the line stringing her bow.
"All clear!" Haley told them with a big grin. "Hope you boys are ready. I don't have a shift today at The Pit, so we're gonna be here for a while."
Cort couldn't help smiling at that thought.