The Gentle Dog party set out, ready to track down some resources in the labyrinth. Things would be different this time for a number of reasons.
Last time, they were on an ambitious exploratory expedition focused on learning about the deeper floors of the labyrinth. Very few parties ever ventured beyond 30 levels down, and the ones who did rarely shared details. The further down you went, the less certain your information, thus exponentially increasing the risk. As an example, it was common knowledge that Lizardmen were highly territorial as well as solitary- except for during the rare mating season. However, that apparently wasn't the case in the lower levels. The redscale Lizardman they encountered was an unknown variant of the species that had abnormal qualities, such as the ability to harness cooperation from others. This small change was a big deal since the common tactics took advantage of the lizardmen's solitary nature.
Bellum uncomfortably shrugged the strap of his great shield, adjusting it's position on his back as he walked. He didn't like thinking about that encounter. The memory gave him a truly helpless feeling he wasn't accustomed to. Luckily, they were only traveling through well-known areas this time, none of which should have room for surprises like the last one. This dungeon dive wouldn't necessarily be a cakewalk, but it should be much safer than their last adventure.
The purpose this time around was to gather resources, mostly to refill their holy mana crystal reserves and to bolster their finances for the upcoming auction.
They didn't have the Duelist or the Cleric with them this time around. The Duelist was still out on recovery, and the Cleric claimed he was busy. It didn't sound like an excuse either. He mentioned something about taking care of some poor soul who collapsed at the door of his church.
Venturing down without a cleric was a bit risky, but many parties made do without one.
Apart from their two missing members, the party opted to only hire one carrier this time since this was a quick trip down and back. As long as everything went well, they would be back by sometime tomorrow afternoon. All together, they had the Guardsman, the Mage, the Bladecaster, the Marksman, and one hired hauler for a total of 5 people.
They made their way through the first floor, casually passing by numerous other adventuring groups as they did. The upper floors were rather tame, being well-explored and constantly filled with the new and inexperienced. It almost felt like a market with how much chatter there was. This was where all the beginners went to get their first taste of the labyrinth, so it was natural for groups to follow a guide, soaking up all the instruction they could get.
As they walked by, Cole watched a group of novice mages attentively listening to a professor. He could tell from their uniforms that they were from his old academy, though they wore the insignia of a different house - a dull, red heater shield split into quarters. Each quarter held a tiny symbol, like a coat of arms, but they were too small to make out.
Cole's eyes lingered on the group long enough for Aizen to notice. He gave Cole a nudge on the shoulder to get his attention.
"Those friends of yours?"
Cole didn't answer immediately, his eyes lingering on the insignia.
"...No. Most definitely not."
His voice was low- measured, but distant- and before Aizen could say anything else, Cole turned away. He walked on in silence, clearly not interested in lingering here any longer.
Aizen remained where he stood for a breath longer, watching his friend's back as he moved ahead. He glanced once more at the group of students, then at the red shield stitched onto their robes. There was something in the way Cole had looked at it- sadness, maybe, or perhaps something more akin to regret.
He didn't ask.
Instead, he quietly followed, matching Cole's pace a few strides behind, the question settling into the growing silence between them.
Bellum and Elaine were further ahead, chatting cheerfully with the hauler they'd hired- oblivious to what had just transpired behind them. That left Aizen alone with his thoughts, quietly turning over Cole's strange reaction.
As they walked deeper, the crowds of the first floor relented, almost as if the new recruits instinctively knew to keep their distance from this place.
Bellum strode to a stop, looking up at an eerie pane set a few inches into the wall. It looked like a doorway, allbeit a very large one carved from black stone. Strange, jagged runes were etched into it, a faint red glow flickering from under the markings as they swiftly changed over and over again, several times each second.
Aizen frowned as he approached the gate. No matter how many times they used it, he couldn't get free of the feeling that something was seriously wrong with this relic.
The center of the doorway bubbled to life as the group approached, a flowing panel of liquid glass forming from the darkness. It shimmered faintly, as if reflecting a light source that wasn't there, and its surface rippled outward every few seconds as if something had brushed against it from the other side.
To the untrained eye, it might seem dormant. But those who had studied it, or passed through it and returned, knew better. The Gate didn't lead to just one place.
Where it delivered you depended on the time you stepped through. Each passing moment aligned the portal with a different location within the ever-shifting labyrinth. Enter too early, and you might find yourself in a collapsed ruin. Too late, and you'd land in a pit of flame- or worse, somewhere no one had returned from.
That's why every serious delver carried their own gate-key, a special timepiece produced and distributed by the city authorities.
As the party came to a stop in front of the Gate, Bellum began his usual pre-dive speech. It was the same every time, a long list of rules for everyone to follow as well as dangers to keep in mind. Aizen had heard it a million times, enough to memorize it word-for-word.
He tuned out Bellum's voice, opting to let his thoughts roam as he turned his gate-key over in his hands. Out of everyone here, he had been delving into the labyrinth the longest. Most people either shied away from or succumbed to the dangers of the labyrinth within their first year. He, on the other hand, had nearly 5 years of experience navigating this place.
As he passively listened to Bellum's speech, Aizen brushed his thumb along the rounded side of his gate-key. Since it had been several years since the city authority entrusted this gate-key to him, it had collected scratches, wear, and dirt. So, during the last few days he wasn't working, he had taken to cleaning and polishing the device to make it shine.
However, doing so had revealed an interesting detail he had never noticed before. Along the edge of the timepiece, a small series of foreign runes lay neatly printed into its surface.
Chronothaumic Synchronization Catalyst Model V-77
It was strange how perfectly written it was. Each rune was clean, simple, and perfect. Though he didn't recognize any of them... He couldn't help but wonder what purpose these strange runes held for the device.
Bellum's speech finally ended, and the party checked to make sure all their gate-keys were in time with each other's. Finally, the time came and they all stepped through, the gate crackling with each individual's entry before growing dim once more.