Teleportation Labyrinth

Eris and I arrived at the outskirts of Rapan feeling relatively invigorated, all things considered. It's only been half a day since we last rested for the night, so I didn't want to spend a lot of time in the actual city.

We approached Rapan from the south and the teleportation labyrinth is north of the city; traveling through the city would be the fastest route. Additionally, I realized during our travels that I don't actually know for certain that Roxy is trapped in the teleportation labyrinth. Geese's letter stated that she was trapped 'in a labyrinth near the city of Rapan'. Really, she could be trapped in any of the numerous labyrinths surrounding the city. The best course of action would be to find Geese and get more information.

The two of us made our way into the city. The tents of traveling merchants were scattered all around the city's outskirts. They had their wares laid out on carpets as they called out to anyone who walked by. We simply ignored them as we hurried deeper into the city.

As we traversed deeper into the city, the temporary tents were replaced by buildings made from brick, stone, and wood. The buildings along the main roads were mostly shops selling magical implements and items and various adventuring gear. There were also restaurants and other more standard shops here too, of course, but Rapan was a major hub for adventurers and catered to their needs. Further off from the main road were the residential buildings where permanent citizens of Rapan made their homes.

Eventually, we approached the Adventurer's Guild, located in the very center of the town. The Adventurer's Guild was carved out of an enormous boulder, most likely using earth magic. I could tell immediately, because it resembled something I could have done myself.

Once Eris and I stepped inside the guild, we were greeted by a refreshingly cool breeze from the well ventilated guild. There were no newbie adventurers to be found. Everyone here appeared to be experienced veterans and relatively powerful.

"Why don't we split up and look for Geese?", I suggested.

"Alright. Leave the Adventurer's Guild to me", Eris responded.

"Sounds good. I'll check out the local Inns to try and find where they are..."

My response was cut short as I heard a familiar voice.

"Come on, I'm begging you!", Geese could be heard pleading. "Don't act like you don't owe her one too!"

"You're asking the impossible", said a burly beastman in response.

"Can't you bend just this once? This is a race against time."

"It's been a full week now, hasn't it? She's got to be dead."

"No", Geese shook his head. "There's no way. We each carried a couple days' provisions. She could easily stretch that a week."

"That's not the problem and you know it."

"Roxy would never let herself be done in by monsters. You've seen her in action."

"Sorry, but I'm not eager to die. Try someone else."

Geese clicked his tongue loud enough that we could hear it from halfway across the guild before chiding the beastman he had tried to persuade.

"Tch, you damn coward! Can't believe you call yourself an adventurer!"

"Yeah, yeah. Say what you like", the beastman said as he walked away without so much as a backward glance.

Geese was easy to spot as all the adventurers that were nearby had cleared out of the area and were trying not to look his way. It was obvious that this wasn't the first person he'd asked for help.

"Geese!", I called out as we rushed towards him.

Geese twisted his head our way and his eyes went wide as he saw us.

"Oh, hey... that's you ain't it, boss? You sure got bigger; and that must be... Eris, right?"

"That's right!", Eris answered with an excited smile.

"As happy as I am to see you, we don't really have time for pleasantries, do we?"

"That's right", Geese agreed as his smile faded. "Follow me. Everyone should be waitin' for me at the Ivory Helm Inn."

"Everyone?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. I guess I didn't tell you in the letter. Express couriers ain't cheap you know. Elinalise and Talhand are helpin' search too."

"Geese. Exactly which labyrinth is Roxy trapped in?"

"One of the worst ones possible", Geese lamented. "An S-ranked labyrinth known as the 'Teleportation Labyrinth'."

I knew it! I knew that had to be the one. There's no question Hitogami had a hand in this. He must know about the hydra with immunity to magic and laid this trap for me. It's a good thing Eris came with. Between the two of us, we should be able to kill the Hydra if it comes down to that.

"Between the three of us, we've fully explored the first two floors so far and I can tell you with confidence that Roxy isn't there, but we're runnin' into some trouble on the third floor."

"Get everyone and meet back up with me in the dungeon. I'm going now to get a head start."

"Wait! You can't-"

Geese yelled in complaint but it was too late. I had already taken off and was busy running north down the main road. Eris followed quickly behind me.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Wha?"

We caused a bit of a commotion as the two of us weaved through the crowded street occasionally bumping into a civilian here or there, inevitably knocking them over due to our high speed. I suppose we shouldn't expect a warm welcome upon our return.

In less than an hour, the two of us made it to the entrance of the Teleportation Labyrinth. The entrance was nothing special. It simply looked like a hole in the side of a cliff. The only thing that set it apart from an ordinary cave is the unsettling air which gave you a sense that a labyrinth was hidden within.

"Be careful where you step", I warned Eris. "There are traps and teleportation circles hidden all throughout the dungeon. It's incredibly easy to get lost."

"I'll stay right beside you the whole way", Eris assured.

It was dark inside the cavern, but not entirely so. The multitude of glowing magic circles throughout the cavern gave off a dim glow but visibility was still poor.

"I'm going to lighten the place up", I said as I summoned a light spirit. The little ball of light flew above my head and followed me as we walked, lighting up the area around us. Eris poked at it curiously causing it to flutter about.

"Here's one for you."

I handed Eris a scroll of her own. I wouldn't want her to be navigating the place blindly in the scenario that we get separated.

We progressed slowly through the first floor. I regretted not picking up the book that guided us through the labyrinth all those years ago. 'An Exploratory Account of the Teleportation Labyrinth'. Sure, I traversed the dungeon all the way through once before, but that was nearly seventy years ago. The only thing we had going for us this time around was my expertise in teleportation circles.

I could tell at a glance which circles were one way versus two way teleporters. Additionally, some of the circles had unique patterns that I was unfamiliar with. I'm pretty sure these are the ones that send you to random or variable locations throughout the dungeon rather than having a set destination.

The main monster on the first floor was the Death Road Tarantula, and there were countless tiny spiders skittering everywhere along the dungeon floors and walls.

"Don't step on the areas without spiders, they are traps", I warned Eris.

Squishing the spiders under your feet as you walked was unpleasant, but it was better than getting teleported and possibly lost in the dungeon. The first time a full sized Death Road Tarantula approached us, Eris dispatched it quickly, much to my dismay.

"Eris! Don't run off on your own like that! Remember that there are traps everywhere. I don't want us getting separated and having to search for each other in addition to Roxy."

"Oh! I'm sorry...", she said. Normally Eris would get argumentative whenever I scolded her, but she didn't put up a fight, probably because she knew how desperate I was.

"That's alright. If any more monsters appear, don't go chasing after them. I'll kill them from a distance with my magic. Don't engage them unless they get too close."

Needless to say, that never happened. Even including the floor bosses, the toughest monsters in this dungeon posed no threat to either of us, other than the Hydra at the end, which I had no intention of fighting unless absolutely necessary.

It took us three hours to make it to the end of the first floor. The last area on the first floor was a web covered room with two deep blue magic circles lined up together in the center of the room. To your normal adventurer, the two circles would be indistinguishable, but I could pick out minute differences between them. Either way, it didn't matter as a small rock sat in front of the left circle with Geese's handwriting on it indicating that to be the correct path forward.

The second floor was much of the same. The main difference being that the countless tiny spiders along the floor had vanished and instead we had to deal with huge caterpillars with a carapace hard like steel - the Iron Crawlers. They stood about a meter tall and two meters long, giving them a short and stout appearance.

The Iron Crawlers were quite fast, contrary to their appearance, and would often team up with Death Road Tarantulas who would sling web at us while the Iron Crawlers charged our way.

Despite their hardened exterior, a single [Stone Cannon] easily dispatched them one by one. I used [Blizzard Storm] to take out the Tarantulas when we'd encounter them. Eris seemed to be getting impatient having to leave all the monsters to me, but somehow she managed to contain herself.

We managed to make it through the second floor in only about two hours. The monsters here were tougher to deal with, but the floor itself was significantly smaller than the first. Once we made it down to the third floor, we decided to head east first. We'd have to scour the entire floor before heading any further. If Roxy got lost on the third floor it was hard to imagine she'd travel further on in the dungeon to the fourth floor all on her own.

The third floor was massive; even larger than the first floor. I imagined it would take days to search the entire thing, but thankfully it was less than an hour before a familiar scent came wafting through the air.

It wasn't my imagination. This was really her smell - I could feel her presence.

'I wouldn't mistake this', I thought as my heart began racing.

"Roxy is nearby! I'm certain of it!"