I arrived fifteen minutes early at the East Gate, partly from habit and partly because I hadn't slept much anyway.
My newly acquired spy equipment felt heavier than it should have. The enchanted journal was tucked into my pack alongside normal expedition notes, the brass compass hung from my belt with other navigation tools, and the emergency communication coin was safely hidden in a sealed pocket. To anyone watching, I looked like just another D-rank adventurer heading out on a dangerous job.
I spotted Blackwood first, standing near the gate's archway with his usual collection of worn maps and that calculating expression that never seemed to leave his face. His equipment looked better maintained than last time, and I noticed he was carrying more supplies than usual for what was supposed to be a quick extraction mission.
Marcus Stonefist was easy to identify even without an introduction. He stood apart from the other early-morning travelers, a mountain of a man with graying hair and the kind of scars that came from surviving fights that should have killed him. His armor was practical rather than flashy, and the way he held himself suggested someone who'd learned caution the hard way.
Kira arrived last, and the moment I saw her expression, I knew this expedition was going to be even more complicated than I'd expected.
She looked like someone attending her own execution. Her usual confidence was replaced by grim resignation, and when she spotted Blackwood, her jaw tightened in barely controlled anger. Whatever had forced her to accept his invitation, she clearly hadn't forgiven him for it.
"Right on time," Blackwood said as we gathered around him. "Excellent. Marcus, meet Jin Harker and Kira. They survived our last expedition to the Labyrinth, so they know what we're dealing with."
Marcus nodded to each of us in turn, his evaluation thorough but not unfriendly. "Heard you lost someone last time," he said, his voice carrying a slight accent I couldn't place. "What happened?"
"Dungeon trap," Blackwood replied before Kira or I could answer. "Dain got careless, tried to extract a crystal formation without proper precautions. The chamber had... defensive mechanisms."
I watched Kira's reaction to this casual rewriting of events. Her knuckles whitened as her hands clenched, but she didn't contradict Blackwood's version. Interesting. Either she was being smart about maintaining party cohesion, or she knew something about Marcus that made open confrontation unwise.
"Defensive mechanisms," Marcus repeated. "That why you're paying triple shares this time?"
"I'm paying triple shares because we're going deeper than most expeditions dare," Blackwood said, spreading one of his maps on a nearby crate. "The Labyrinth has been changing, creating new passages and chambers. There's an opportunity here for those willing to take calculated risks."
I leaned in to study the map, my trap detection skill automatically noting the route he'd marked. It looked even more dangerous than his previous plan, threading through narrow passages and chambers that would be nearly impossible to escape if things went wrong.
"This route..." I began, then stopped myself before finishing the observation that it looked like a death trap. Instead, I said, "It's ambitious."
"Ambitious expeditions yield ambitious rewards," Blackwood replied, rolling up the map. "The crystal formations in the deeper chambers should be pristine, untouched by previous expeditions. One good extraction could set us up for months."
"And if we run into whatever killed all those previous expeditions?" Kira asked, speaking for the first time since arriving.
Blackwood's smile didn't reach his eyes. "That's why I recruited experienced party members this time. Between yours and Marcus's combat skills and Jin's trap detection abilities, we should be able to handle most threats."
I noticed he didn't mention what he brought to the party beyond leadership and local knowledge. Either he was being modest, which seemed unlikely, or his main contribution was something he preferred not to discuss openly.
As we set out along the eastern road, I began my first attempt at documentation. The enchanted journal felt normal enough as I wrote, noting the time of departure, party composition, and Blackwood's stated objectives. Nothing incriminating yet, but establishing a baseline for comparison later.
The road to the Crimson Labyrinth was familiar from my previous trip, winding through rolling hills that gradually gave way to rockier terrain. Blackwood set a brisk pace, clearly eager to reach our destination, but not so fast that conversation was impossible.
"So Marcus," I said, falling into step beside the veteran warrior, "how long have you been in Ravengate?"
"Few months," he replied, his attention constantly scanning our surroundings despite the safe road. "Heard there were opportunities here for someone with my skills."
"What kind of opportunities?"
Marcus glanced at Blackwood, who was walking just ahead of us, then lowered his voice slightly. "Let's just say there are people in this city who pay well for discrete problem-solving. Blackwood's not the only one who appreciates calculated risks."
That was ominous. I made a mental note to include Marcus's comments in my report, along with his apparent connection to whatever other activities Blackwood might be involved in beyond expedition leadership.
Ahead of us, Kira maintained her scouting position with professional competence, but I could see the tension in her shoulders. She was clearly unhappy to be here, which raised questions about what kind of pressure had been applied to change her mind.
"Kira seems reluctant," I observed quietly.
"Smart woman," Marcus replied. "Reluctance keeps you alive in dangerous work. Too much enthusiasm gets you killed."
"Then why did she come back?"
Marcus's expression grew serious. "Sometimes you don't get to choose your battles. Sometimes they choose you."
Another cryptic response that suggested there was more to this expedition than simple treasure hunting. I was beginning to suspect that Blackwood's debts to the Iron Syndicate were only part of a larger picture, and that both Kira and Marcus might be here for reasons that had nothing to do with crystal extraction.
An hour into our journey, Blackwood called a brief halt near a roadside waystone. While the others rested and checked their equipment, I took the opportunity to observe our party leader more closely.
He was studying his maps again, but not the one he'd shown us at the gate. This map was different, marked with symbols I didn't recognize and what looked like timing notations. When he noticed my attention, he quickly rolled it up and tucked it away.
"Something specific you wanted to discuss, Jin?" he asked, his tone pleasant but with an undertone that suggested I should mind my own business.
"Just wondering about contingency plans," I replied. "Last time, we ran into unexpected developments. Thought it might be wise to discuss fallback options."
"The best contingency plan is not needing one," Blackwood said. "We go in prepared, extract what we came for, and leave. Simple and clean."
"And if the Labyrinth has other ideas?"
His smile turned cold. "Then we adapt. That's what separates successful expedition leaders from dead ones."
As we resumed our journey, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something important. Blackwood's confidence seemed too complete, too certain for someone planning to enter a dungeon known for its unpredictability. Either he was putting on an act for the benefit of his party, or he knew something about the Crimson Labyrinth that he wasn't sharing.
The morning sun climbed higher as we approached the rocky terrain that surrounded our destination. Soon we'd be at the entrance to one of the most dangerous dungeons in the region, led by a man whose methods had killed nearly two dozen people over the past few years.
I was here to gather evidence of his crimes, protect my party members if possible, and hopefully survive long enough to report back to the Guild. A simple mission with only a dozen ways to get me killed.
Just another day in the life of a professional coward.
But as I watched Kira's tense shoulders and Marcus's constant vigilance, I realized that this expedition was already different from my previous adventures. This time, I actually cared about whether my companions survived.
Whether that would make me more effective or get me killed remained to be seen.