The Shadow's Acid

IX.

"I'm beginning to see where you're going with this, Grian," Doc interjected. "Cub and Keralis informed me of several hermits' houses having direct connections into the maze from their cellars a week ago. I never connected it until now, though."

"Indeed," Grian mused, "it appears the killer, whoever he is, has used the tunnels as lightning-fast transportation. He caught Etho and Iskall near the entrance to his base of operations, and jumped them both. I assume the fight played out with Etho receiving the brunt of the acid, while Iskall was incapacitated with the blade. The cave was then set on fire to erase the evidence."

"Well put, Grian. However, it does leave us with the certainty that the killer is still in Hemritia." Xisuma made another note, the nib of his quill scratching against the paper. "Doc, who else has an entrance to the Labyrinth that we know of?"

"As far as I know, Bdubs, Beef, myself, Mumbo, Impulse, and Keralis have entrances to the maze, all recently discovered," the hybrid responded.

"Thank you. I would like you and Zedaph to investigate each of the places and uncover any evidence you can. Begin with the ones you have been to before, so you are not setting foot in uncharted territory. I don't want any more hermits to die for the next forever, understand?"

"You can count on us, X," Zedaph said, glad to finally be out of the meeting. Doc scoffed, following his apprentice out of the door. The duo left Xisuma and Grian alone in the room.

Silence filled the space, frozen like thin ice on top of a pond. The only difference was this pond was full of miserable fish (of doom) ready to break out upon the unsuspecting skaters. The skaters knew they were on thin ice and had nowhere to go save forward. They knew their journey had to continue for better or worse. They knew falling into the frigid lake below was not their only option.

It certainly was the easiest, though.

"How is Bdubs?" Grian asked, breaking the frost that had gathered on the two.

"He managed to convince Stress to let him go home," Xisuma replied. " He was saying something about starting up the barber shop again. I hesitate to assume he has given up building for the time being, however, I know he is planning on taking it slowly for a while."

"That's encouraging to hear."

"Yeah."

"Well, I'll be taking my leave now, I think." Grian stuffed his hands in his pockets, hair flopping onto his forehead. Xisuma nodded, turning back to his paperwork. The red sweatered hermit exited the room, hauling the door shut behind him.

Once outside, Grian took a deep breath, the fresh air filling his lungs. He spotted Scar and Cleo in the garden gesturing to a large, misshapen bush in the center. He ran over to them, jump-scaring Scar in the process.

Scar shouted, hyperventilating for a few seconds before realizing who had scared him. "Grian! Geez! I was just having a nice conversation with Cleo about trimming this bush!"

Cleo shook her head, her casual grin reflecting her enjoyment of the scare. "We've been trying to decide what this one should be. Scar's adamant about a Jellie bush, but I think an ender dragon would be much cooler."

"I can't magic the black, though, Cleo!" Scar complained.

"Oh, but you can magic the colors of your cat?"

Scar huffed, fumbling with his words. He crossed his arms, over-dramatizing a cold tantrum. Cleo snorted, not having any of his shenanigans. Grian grinned, enjoying the moment of relaxation.

A Ravager bolted straight down the courtyard, barely drawing short of the door. Wels leapt off its back, tucking and rolling to absorb the fall from the creature's enormous height. He seized the door handle, commanding the beast to stay while he dashed inside. Barely thirty seconds later, he ran out again with Xisuma, the Ravager following close behind.

"What is it, X?" Cleo called up.

"Visitors at the gate," he replied as Wels boosted himself into the saddle. He reached down and pulled the admin up behind him, Xisuma nearly getting trampled in the process. The three hermits exchanged a glance, curiosity passing between them like lightning. Simultaneously, they took off to the drawbridge at the gates of the city.

Hermits joined them as they traveled through the city, drawn by the commotion. Soon, the whole group was assembled as Wels turned the crank to lower the bridge. Xisuma stood at the front, preparing to greet the travelers. The wooden planks fell with a crash, a small dust cloud rising at the far end.

Grian started, recognizing one of the pair. "Cousin? Pearl? Is that you?" The slightly taller brunette ran across, wrestling the blond hermit into a bear hug. The pair separated, grinning madly.

Pearl gestured to her friend, beckoning her across. "This is Gem, Grian!" The brunette dragged her friend to meet him, the shy young girl embarrassed by her friend's actions.

"What are you doing here, Pearl? The last time I saw you, you were still back at Evolution!"

"Yeah! I was!" She grinned even more, if it were possible. "Jim was moving to the United Empires, though, so I thought I'd join him. Gem and I decided to do a training journey for the tournament, and we ended up here!" She took a deep breath, having managed to spout the story without breathing.

"We were wondering if we could stay and train for a few days before continuing," Gem interjected quietly. "If that's alright with you."

Xisuma stepped in. "I don't want to break the family reunion here, but we are having a slight security crisis at the moment, if you'll recall, Grian."

"Oh yeah," the red sweatered hermit's face fell. He glanced toward the sun, which was steadily sinking toward the horizon. He understood the feelings of fear that were spreading among the hermits as the deaths kept happening. He understood the loss of so many close friends. "X, can they stay one night here? It's too late to begin traveling to the next city."

The admin paused, his caring personality being drawn in two directions. He could force them to leave, perhaps preserving their lives if no ill luck crossed their paths. On the other hand, allowing them to stay could allow for a moment of relaxation for the citizens.

"They can stay, but they must stay in the keep. It's the safest area. Does everyone else agree?" He cast his eyes around the crowd seeking disapproval. As usual, there was none.

"That works for me, Xisuma!"

"I'll see what other security things we can set up."

"Whatever you say, Shishwammy."

"We can always have guests!"

"Wanna help me with the bushes?"

The visitors smiled, happy to see such a display of hospitality.

As usual, the future was unpredictable.