The Crossroads

4 | The Labyrinth

WC: 2503

Warnings: Brief injuries

Etho takes down his first Ravager in the spiraling maze that is the Blackstone Labyrinth and learns a few secrets along the way.

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"There are five sections of the Dungeon," Impulse said, rolling out a large map from his pack on the floor. It was hand-drawn, but large portions were missing, as if they were unexplored. Impulse circled areas with his finger as he spoke.

"The Blackstone Labyrinth." This area was drawn with dark, thick strokes. It wasn't finished, though--half of it was still missing.

"The Ruins." This area was completely drawn in with thinner, lighter strokes and was meticulously detailed and labeled.

"The Nether Fortress." This one was barely drawn in--only a light layout took up the area.

"And, of course--the Keep and Forest."

These two areas were detailed, but not as much as the Ruins. Probably because the map artist had to draw it from memory, on account of not being able to actually visit that area. Etho could tell parts of it were inaccurate just by skimming over the drawing.

The Forest melded into the Keep, almost making it seem like the two were inseparable. And, once upon a time, they used to be.

"Obviously, we've explored some areas much more than others." Impulse continued. "The Labyrinth is practically a maze, and people are too scared to explore and get lost with the Ravagers on the loose.

"The Fortress is full of lava and monsters we've never seen before, not to mention a lot of traps.

"So far, the Ruins has been our safest bet; it's abandoned, and no monsters are there.

"While mapping out the area, we managed to pinpoint the three remaining Ravagers--the rest have either gotten themselves killed or got killed by us. Like I said before, they're separated, which is good.

"One goes between Blackstone and the Forest--that's the one you saw earlier. Another is in the Fortress. And the last one walks the border that lines the Ruins and Fortress.

"We've been trying to hunt them down, but, well...they've been stubborn. Again, it's not going so well."

Etho leaned against the mossy stone walls of the secret room, peering at the map. "So...how can I help?"

Impulse's finger followed a route in the Labyrinth. The ink was smeared here, like the line had been traced multiple times.

"Your job is one of the easier ones," he said. "Well, as easy as a Wanderer's job can get, anyway. All you need to do is lure the Ravager in the Forest into the Labyrinth. We have people waiting there, and they'll finish the job."

Etho studied the map a bit more. "What is this room, exactly?"

"It's one of the bigger ones in the Labyrinth." Impulse held up his hands, trying to gesture what the room looked like. "In the center, there's this large hole that leads straight into...nothingness. If you fall in, you keep falling forever. It's like a void of some sort. We were hoping to lead the Ravager into that hole, but you don't need to worry about that part."

Etho felt a spike of irritation replace his initial excitement. The more he thought about it, the more he started to realize what exactly his job was. He was Ravager fodder--the bait. He didn't have a real part in taking down the beast. All he had to do was have it chase him and not die in the process.

He wondered why Impulse had given him this job. Maybe it was because he was new. Maybe it was because he thought Etho didn't have anything else to contribute. Or maybe it was because he thought Etho was expendable. Now that was something he didn't want to think about.