Denizens of the Labyrinth

Tango had pulled him to the side and spoke hugged him for a long while. He was so happy to see him that he forgot about the fight they had just been in for a long while.

“So, you entered the labyrinth then.” Tango said to him with a smile.

“I did, I had to come and find you.” Jazmel said and he hugged him again.

“Thank you for being brave and coming to look for me.”

“I need to explain myself.” Tango said and Jazmel looked at him, a little confused.

Tango explained to Jazmel what had happened, the day he had been kidnapped and how the Sworn had come looking for him about something he had done nearly two decades ago.

“What did you do?” Jazmel asked.

“When I first entered the labyrinth. I never joined parties, I liked to hunt for items and artefacts of my own accord. Most of my coins went on treasure maps or information on maps and such. I was on one such hunt, I was looking for a scroll for something about a lost gate on the nineteenth floor. Well, I was on the thirteenth floor and came across an ambush site. Someone had killed everyone, or so I thought. Everyone was dead and I had no idea who they were or where they were going. All I know is that a woman who lay dead was a little away from the others. She must have tried to run, but a poison arrow took her through the back and punctured a lung. She was in the grass a little and looking ahead. I followed her gaze and found you.” Tango explained.

Jazmel was shocked and he turned away to try and stay a little steady.

“Was that my mother?” he asked, biting back a cry.

“I cannot tell you. All I know is she hid you and died from that final act. I took you then, thinking nothing of it, I could not return you because I did not know who you were or where they were going and so I took you in.” Tango said, his eyes clearly remembering that sad day.

“But if you did that why were the sworn after you?” Jazmel asked.

“I have no idea how they know I was there, or that you even survived. All I know is, I was at home and then next minute I am fighting a full squadron of sworn.” He explained and Jazmel remembered the destruction of their home.

“They burned the house.” He told Tango who kissed his teeth and spat off into the corner.

“Mary kept me and then let me go to the Seeker trials. Then I just kept going through gates. The system gave me a main plot to find you!” Jazmel remembered and as if on cue the notifications flooded in, but he waved them away, he was still busy.

“I know you came in here to find me; I will be forever thankful. But you need to stay in the labyrinth and figure out who you are. The sworn will return, and we both need to be better prepared. I got rusty.” He confessed and Jazmel realised being hostage to the sworn must have left a great deal of doubt in his mind.

“We need to leave; the girls need true treatment and being here still could be triggering for them.” Katie and Sadé explained, and Jazmel nodded, just as they said that Baek and Cloud entered the broken opening in the wall. Both looked fine, but Jazmel could tell they had fought a hard battle against the Lich Queen.

“We need to leave.” Jazmel told Baek, he nodded and turning to Cloud.

“I assume we can leave this with you?” Cloud nodded and pulling a token plaque from somewhere it flashed and in mere seconds every sworn still alive and in the close vicinity was tied up with orange bands of Mana.

“Oh, he is a Herald.” Mary said and he looked at the man called cloud, intrigued.

“A Herald is someone who has influence in the labyrinth, they work directly for the system and complete tasks set for maintaining law and order inside the labyrinth.” She explained to Jazmel.

“Send me a word before you leave the city, we should catch up.” Cloud said to Baek, he did not look back, but he waved a hand to let him know he had heard him.

The group left the sewers, out a unique way this time and before long they entered the fresh air of Ladnipor, people were still drinking and laughing with the women who ran the stores. They were none the wiser of what had just happened, and Jazmel could not tell if he was bothered by this or not.