Separation and Fate

After the good rest and surprisingly delicious and aromatic food made by Josh. They entered the crystallized entrance of the cave surrounded by a forest and went deeper into the cavern illuminated by the white crystals, formed on the wall like hexagon towers. While they did, the dense air was filled with sparkling light that floated towards the ceiling with the air, touching them they died out leaving a warm and comforting sensation on the skin.

“Mana...”, Tony whispered to himself as the sparkling light melted on his hand that held Rin’s.

Following the group deeper into the Labyrinth, passing tunnels and other group of adventures. A strong chilly wind blew past, crystallizing the walls filled with crystals thicker than before.

“The Labyrinth has gotten stronger” Josh said, magic bow ready, even though we had yet to encounter any magical monsters.

“Josh, I fear that we are facing one of the maze type Labyrinth, considering how young it is” Cratz said, towershield raised as everyone followed his broad back.

“Yeah… It’ll be a race for the first group of adventures to find the hidden room” Josh added.

“Although… That breeze might have helped us out, that way!” he pointed towards a tunnel where the crystallization came from.

Tony held Rin on his arms once again, bringing her closer to his chest, he nodded together with the group and followed them through the tunnel. As they moved with haste, drops of water dripped from the crystals and shattered on their hair, wettening them and also creating a few puddles on the ground. The sound of a river could also be heard from above, getting stronger as the moved further into the depths.

As they did, a unknown shout from behind said “I believe it was this way!”.

It seems another group of adventures had the same idea as Josh, but with each step our group took that scattered the puddles of water onto the crystals formed on the walls. The sound of a waterfall grew larger, together with a light that shone brightly at the end of the tunnel, blinding them when they stepped outside.

Another strong breeze passed them, as they found themselves gaping wide at the edge of a cliff outside of the tunnel. Looking down, a bottomless hole was revealed, the walls was covered by orange crystals instead of white, illuminating the glittering water clouds in the air with orange. While a large waterfall rained down cold water from above together with the sun. Filling what seemed like a whirlpool that drained the water, never letting it fill to the middle of the deep bottle like room.

Taking another look at the beautiful scenery with the green forest covering the edge above. Thorny vines hanged down from the trees and covered the crystals together with roses. Tony glanced at his apprentice who tried to sense her surroundings for practice. I wish that you could see the rainbow filled with colours…

“The scenery is one thing, that rainbow too, but what now?” Claria asked, looking down from the edge of the tunnel while the unknown group of adventures was still far behind.

Josh scratched his hair, “Well… If it was I alone, I would jump into that whirlpool, because I am certain that the room is hidden behind that, but since Cratz has that heavy armor…”

“Hah, you underestimate me Josh, check this out” He said, grinning as he jumped into the whirlpool with his shield and disappeared inside the clear water.

Unh shrugged and she too jumped, forcefully dragged Claria along who reflexly held Dane. “Not again!” both of them screamed.

“Heh, what will I do with you two… Let's go!” He said, dived into the water with finesse of a archer.

Tony took another glance at Rin, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect my apprentice from the water”

She nodded, embraced Tony’s shirt as he jumped down into the whirlpool that sent shivers down her spine.

Plopping into the cold water, their magical clothings coated themselves in waterproof magic, as the strong currents pushed them together with fishes from small to large through the water filled cavern.

Using magic so that both of them could breath in the water, he even casted water protection for his eyes. Looked around for the others as fishes passed by his vision, he found them no where near as the strong current pushed him towards the unknown.

This place is filled with mana, I can’t sense my surroundings properly, it's as if it is being drained by something yet released a second after, he thought as the water currents pushed them for a while, forcing him to a room with light shining strongly through the clear water from the opening above his head.

Swimming towards the light, he stuck his head out together with Rin from the water, taking a look around, he found the adventures laying on a sandy beach in a room filled with crystals and a tunnel at the other side. Probably taking a few breath from the currents that played around with them like ragdolls before venturing forth with their wet equipments.

Shrugging, he casted a fire spell to dry them off, went to a large pink crystal, plopped down with Rin at the front while his back rested on the cold crystal. Gazing upon the ceiling, she cuddled herself in his chest and covered herself with his warm red cloak, she was shivering.

He sighed, even though their clothings other than her briefs were water proof because of enhancements by magic. Her hair was still wet together with her pale skin and so was he. Tony casted yet another fire spell, dried both of them off while he took a brush through her silky hair. After a while, he then patted her head that rested on his chest with her warm palms, it was as if she was sleeping.

He smiled, took another look at the adventures and said, “What?”.

All of them avoided his eyes, while a few also scratched their red cheeks, “Well… Let’s go shall we?” Our leader Josh said, left the sandy beach through the tunnel with the others that took a few more glances towards him.

Raising an eyebrow, Tony stood up, held her soft hand as he followed them deeper into the Labyrinth.

While walking through the tunnels with Rin who had shrouded herself back inside her tattered black and red cloak. He the flow of mana got denser.

“Have we found it?” Tony asked as the adventures stood before him, weapons raised while gazing upon something at the other end.

“Yeah… the hidden room of the Labyrinth together with a red crystal golem” Dane said, sword unsheathed, coated in mana that took form of lightning, chirping and sent sparks to the air.

“Get in formations in the crystal room, Cratz charge with the towershield, Dane do what you are best at, Unh remember the tactics, the rest spread out behind but nearby” Josh ordered, readied 3 arrows simultaneously that coated themselves in twisting wind magic.

“Use ranged attacks to our advantage and the crystal walls, now go!”

Pouring out of the room, a room filled with crystals walls on a platform was revealed, together with a giant golem at the other end. The golem was covered in red crystals that sent red sparks from one crystal to the other on the body.

It eyes glowed when it noticed the group of adventures that poured inside. The golem roared, trembled the platform and sent a strong breeze that made Tony’s cloak flap happily with it.

“Apprentice, stay behind me” He said, bringing forth his fire sword and raised it at front of his eyes.

She nodded and hid inside his cloak behind him. While she did, Cratz charged towards the golem with his towershield that was bigger than a normal one, suffering the drawback of not being able to use a secondary weapon.

Though, mana started to coat his towershield, strengthening it and even lightened it, as he moved past the walls while the golem sent one crystal chump after another at him.

He grinned, eyes burning, he shattered them with his shield, which made them scatter into fragments onto the floor. Unh who hid behind a wall buffed him in light magic, giving him more physical strength than ever to keep up with the attacks.

The golem panicked, for the golem he saw a brave human, smaller in size yet rushing towards him clad in heavy armor with light effects and a shield that seemed unbreakable to the golem’s attacks. It was if he was a golden rhino.

Taking this chance for a surprise, Claria and Josh sent their ranged attacks together. Shattering pieces of the red crystals on the Golem broad stomach and staggered it backwards.

Roaring, the red sparks on the crystals sent a laser beam towards them, though Dane who had been hiding somewhere, slashed the air, sending a lightning crescent towards the crystal on the golem. Cutting it in half that ended the beam.

Continuing with their combos without rest, another set of spells and arrows, staggered the golem backwards, it fell back first onto the platform.

Dane took the chance together with Unh’s physical buffs, he jumped onto the body, started to pierce the previous shattered spot with his sword coated in water while chanting, “die! die! die!” within every stab.

The golem roared, squealed, tried to break loose from the adventurers that bullied it, but to no avail as Cratz had a hidden weapon in his giant towershield. Large chains coated in mana…

He threw the towershield to the other side, reversed the magic shield effect, making itself heavier, together with Unh who used magic to make the shield even more heavier than it already is. Not only that, she even made the armor on Cratz heavier, crippling the Golem to the floor as he held it down with the immense weight and physical strength.

Tony released his fire sword, tears rolled down his cheek as the golem squealed multiple times, but was forever alone at the end of the platform. May you rest in peace, He thought, bowing towards the helpless magical monster that was bullied by a couple or so they say, beginner adventures.

A minute after, the lifeless golem was stripped from all of its crystals, it crumbled into fragments while releasing the remaining mana inside of it. Gazing upon the magical monster, was the adventures that smiled to each other. “Well, it was to be expected… This golem didn’t have enough time to get stronger” Josh said.

Tony kicked a pebble from the golem towards Rin who somehow kicked it back, he then asked, “How strong is a Labyrinth that has been around for a year?”

“Hmm, a group of bronze might still be able to handle it, but it depends on the type of monsters and how many inhabitant the Labyrinth. But the oldest is so hard that it has been called the Adventure's graveyard, which is around 106 Years old I believe?”

Unh nodded, “Yes, you could say that for each year that passes, the strength of the magical monsters inside gets stronger by 2,3 times the year before. And if we take the hardest Labyrinth somewhere in the east continent as an example, it is said to be at least around 45000 times stronger than the day it was born.”

“Which is the biggest reason why it is best to clear the Labyrinths as soon as possible, or it may become impossible without a large nation… " Josh added.

"Luckily no magical monsters ventures out of the Labyrinth, as the mana inside of them acts like a drug, keeping them in place as the outer world barely has any like the concentrated inside the Labyrinth”

“Actually, it’s also a drug for us adventures as the sole reason why we try to clear this Labyrinths is to collect the source of the Labyrinth. The crystal filled with mana.”

“Oh? What do you mean, Josh?”

“Heh, follow me everyone” He answered and went deeper into the Labyrinth that was once blocked by the golem.

As Tony followed the adventures while holding Rin's hand, he could feel the mana pulsating more than ever, soothing his skin in warmth. They had entered the chamber illuminated by a tiny crystal between a pillar on the floor and the ceiling.

“This is?” Tony asked.

“This is the Mana Crystal, well… If what the guild said was true, it’s a two day old one. Those that clears the Labyrinth, are to turn this into the Guild, gain our awards and strengthen our skills before the next Labyrinth appears or tackle those that no one dares to”

Tony inspected the crystal, is this the clue my master told me about? Do I need a large amount of mana to achieve my goal? “I can understand why the guild wants this, but, is this crystal draining the mana from the nature outside?”

Claria tapped Tony’s shoulder, stealing Josh’s spotlight, “You are correct, the Mana crystals forms with the help of excess mana from the nature, further increasing in mana capacity by draining more as times passes. And just like every living being it acts like one too, trying to protect itself from intruders like us by strengthening drawn creatures from the outside with mana, or creating their own like this Golem in crumbles behind us. Meaning the moment we take the crystal, the Labyrinth will start to cease to exist in a few days”

Josh shrugged, grabbed the stone that opened a path behind them and said, “Anyways, let’s head back to Arkantos shall we?”

Everyone glanced at one another, raised their fist to the air and cheered, “Yeah!”.

Though it was only Tony who didn’t, “Thanks for letting me participate in the Labyrinth, Josh, Claria, Cratz, Unh and Dane… But me and my apprentice will head south to the next village, while we are already nearby”

“Huh? At least come with us and share the rewards?” He asked.

“Yeah, no need to be in such a hurry?” Cratz added.

“No, I am thankful for you teaching me how the Labyrinth’s works and why the Guild wants them cleared, but the sole real reason why I came here was to only experience for future references. Besides, I did nothing in the fight other than sightsee” Tony added patting the sulking Rin, who’ll probably miss her friends.

Unh shrugged, “If the man says so, we can do nothing. It was fun while it lasted” She said, reaching out a hand towards Tony.

Smiling, he shook the hand, though a barrage of hands came forward as they grinned. Scratching his hair, he shook every hand and followed them to the closest road.

“I hope we meet again in the future, Tony and Rin” Josh shouted and waved.

Waving back, Claria took her time to hug Rin and whispered to her ear, Rin quickly turned around, face burning. Then Claria went back to the group of adventures and vanished around the corner of the trees.

Shrugging, he left with Rin, walking towards the closest village near the borders. Leaving the green forest that revealed a farm filled with wheat that covered the hills in yellow as the sun fell from the orange sky. A breeze with green leaves made their cloaks wave with the wheat, as the sound of a large amount of soldiers made their way closer through the road

Their armours rustled, a soldier that rode on a large black horse, galloped towards the them and warned, “Move to the side traveler!”

Heeding his warning, Tony pulled Rin closer and moved to the side, as causing trouble never ends well. Gazing upon the passing soldiers clad in black armor, tower shields and swords. They had a large amount of siege weapons together with men on horses that guarded them.

Taking a closer look, he noticed that they had the dark red tabard with a black crest and a black crow on the middle that symbolises the empire. A country that controls half of the west continent, the Empire of Afauthien.

Giving out a heavy sigh, a royal carriage pulled by horses passed by, taking a glance Tony noticed a man. A man older than he, yet also young with the outfit of a commander. As both of them stared into each others black iris, it reflected their heart, the soul hidden deep beneath their mind. The world lost it colours, they fell into a pitless white world that stretched endlessly as far as they could see.

Both of them floated in a gravityless room, gazing upon on one another an immense mana bursted out of their body, one side filled with darkness that split the area between them while the other filled with light that fought to keep its place, but the contest ended with a strong wind pushing them further away. “Who are you!” They shouted simultaneously as they glared with fierce eyes.

Rin trembled, "Tony it hurts" she said, trying to remove Tony’s hand.

He returned to reality, sweat stung his eyes, wiping off his steaming face with the black shirt, he lightened his grip, "Sorry Apprentice, but war draws near, we should leave with haste", he said released the hand and piggybacked her instead, leaving the marching troops with wind magic.

Now gone from their eyes, a soldier on a horse asked the sweating man in the carriage, "Commander want to take a rest?" the soldier asked, handing him a handkerchief.

He grinned, wiped of his face with the handkerchief and laughed so loud that the forest nearby trembled and wittered until they were fully covered in black and finally crumbled into ashes. "I don't know if it was destiny, nor if it was fate. But it seems that I am not the only one, sergeant"

"Commander, could it be, that pair of traveler too?"

"Yes, though I wonder if the red cloaked will walk the same path as me or the path of return..." he grinned, rested his chin on his hand.

"No matter, it will be interesting either way, fellow traveler..."