Denizens of the Labyrinth

Jazmel, Sadé and Baek were standing in an alleyway waiting. Things had happened very quickly in the last hour and Jazmel himself was very worried. He had sent a message to Mary through origami message when he had entered Ladnipor. She had not responded to him regarding his first message but after speaking with Circe and returning to his table. He had received a final message where she had told him she was in Ladnipor too.

She had not told him what she was doing there, but he had told the group and so they had split their forces. Bannerman, Patton, and Katie would stay and sell the Wyvern. Jazmel, Sadé and Baek would meet up with Mary, once the other group had finished, they would come and meet them as soon as possible.

Jazmel was nervous, he wondered why he was. But his gut told him something was coming, and he was wrecked with worry about it.

“Someone is coming.” Baek warned and Jazmel and Sadé stiffened.

A shrouded figure entered the alleyway from the opposite end that Jazmel and his friends were standing. Baek stepped ahead of him, but when the shroud cape fell back Jazmel felt relieved. It was Mary.

“Whose this?” She asked, beckoning at Baek, who simply stood ahead of her.

“I am the retainer of the young Master.” Baek answered before Jazmel could respond. Mary looked at him for but a moment, then turned to Jazmel and waited for him to explain and so he did. She did not seem satisfied, but she did not push it further.

She noticed Sadé and Jazmel introduced her next and Mary simply nodded a greeting. That was the way she was, and Jazmel hoped nobody would be offended by her.

“Why are you in Ladnipor?” She asked, and he told her that this was just the next floor for them, they were trying to sell the monster corpse also. She sighed and stretching, she clicked her neck.

“Follow me, I will tell you on the way.” She made to move but Baek blocked her path, with a stray hand.

“Where are you going?” He asked her, his tone even and non-threatening but clearly expecting an answer, Jazmel could tell Mary was weighing her options in her head.

“Do they know?” She asked, Jazmel nodded. Sadé had been the first person he told; he had told Baek much later but still. They both knew about Jazmel’s reasons for entering the labyrinth.

“Tango is on this floor.” She answered and Jazmel almost collapsed at her words.

“How do you know?”

“That is the tricky part. I had to kill to find out, I found them snooping around your old house.”

“Who?”

“The sworn.” She said, Sadé hissed, and Baek looked unmoved.

“What is the sworn?” Jazmel asked, confused.

“Rats.” Mary said.

“The sworn are Seekers who take on contracts from other Seekers, for profit.” Sadé explained and still not getting it, Jazmel looked at Baek.

“The sworn are a crime syndicate, they are assassins, thieves and any other knave that do not share dignity. They steal, kill and murder as they see fit. I have killed many of them in my days inside the labyrinth.” He said and Jazmel could hear the disgust in his voice, this seemed to sooth Mary as she nodded at his words, in understanding and community.

“Why would they have Tango?” Jazmel asked and Mary shrugged.

“I do not know; all I know is that he is alive, and I am going to get him out. The longer we take, the less likely it will be that he will be alive.” Mary said and, on that note, she turned and hurried back down the alley. Jazmel ran after her, Sadé and Baek in his wake.

The alleyways ran adjacent to the street and so as they followed Mary through the alleys, Jazmel could hear the busy streets and the unaware Seekers.

“Where is the base?” Baek asked Mary as he kept up beside her. His movement quick and easy.

“Beneath the city, there are many tunnels and sewer lines that they operate from, and they have made a base of operations from them. we are going to have to search for him, that is all I could get out of the three I caught.” She told him as she darted through the mismatch of barrels and other weird utensils left in the alleys behind the stores and shops.

“Are you a Ranker?” she asked Baek.

“No.”

“A Master then. Good, the sworn leader is a Master.”

“What are you?”

“Ranker tier II” She answered with a rare smile. Jazmel wondered if it was rare that Mary met people stronger than her.

The last alley they entered was wide enough to back a wagon into it, a wrought iron gate blocked the sewer entrance, Jazmel knew he would struggle to lift it. But Baek simply stepped up and with one hand, raised it above his head to let everyone in. Sadé entered before Jazmel, but she quickly scribbled something on the gate and then sent an origami message up into the air. “I am telling the others where to meet us.” She explained and Baek smiled at her, thinking it a sensible step.

“When we enter here, I will take the lead. You two stay back, let me and the Master work. Before we really do anything, we need to figure out where Tango is first.” Mary said, explaining her plan to Jazmel and Sadé, they both nodded. Jazmel knew how serious this was and he was not going to be the reason Tango did not survive the rescue.