Interlude:

Wolf scowled as he slowly moved around the clearing, sniffing the air as he did so. He had an ability which let him channel the power of a wolf primal for an hour at a time, and which gave him increased speed, stamina, and most importantly at that moment, an improved sense of smell.

“Clear,” Wolf announced. “No monsters nearby.”

“A good spot to rest then,” Mike said.

The invoker nodded at that and took another look at their surroundings, a type of jungle that was filled with strange plants. Most of them were thick and spiky, like overpowered cacti, while some even had fruit that would explode on contact. The vegetation would keep most monsters from being able to easily sneak up on them.

Then Wolf turned to look at his companions, keeping his expression neutral as he did so. They were all giving him suspicious looks. None of them had really trusted him to start with, but after that fight with the other players… Well, he was lucky that Raze needed him.

“This will do,” Godiva said as she gave the clearing an almost dismissive look.

A moment later, Wolf felt Godiva pushing her presence outward, directing it into the ground. The ground shuddered, then stone began to rise out of it, taking a new shape as it did so. In mere seconds, there was a large stone chair…a throne, which Godiva gracefully sat in.

Godiva was a shaper, one of several mage types who worked pretty similarly. Arcanists could control their magical energy and make it behave like other types of energy. Shapers could send their magical energy into solid matter, like stone, water, or air, and then control and reshape it to suit their needs. And then there were the animators, who were very similar in that they also infused their magic into matter to move it around. In fact, most people thought that all three classes were variations of each other, the same way that warriors, berserkers, and bulwarks were.

“Wolf,” Godiva said, putting a little extra presence into her voice, which made it almost impossible to ignore. “Be a dear and get me some water.”

He was annoyed at being treated like some kind of errand boy, but merely shrugged. “Sure.” It wouldn’t do to antagonize any of them just yet. Not when he was still on thin ice.

“I thought you were betraying us back there,” Mike said as he sat down on the ground. He fixed Wolf with his gaze.

“Good think you weren’t,” Raze added.

Raze had already sat on the ground as well and was beginning to sharpen his axe. He gave Wolf a meaningful look as well, one that clearly announced what he would do if he thought that Wolf really had betrayed them.

“I need this team to get what you promised,” Wolf lied. “I was just surprised to see them there and was trying to see if they might make for a plan B if things didn’t work out.”

Wolf shook his head at that, still having no idea how Maggie and the others had found them. Had Maggie acquired some kind of tracking ability? That was about the only thing that made sense.

“They had a Warden with them,” Jace hissed. “And that Maggie bitch.”

Wolf nodded, being careful to keep from smirking where Jace could see it. Jace had issues with Maggie and made absolutely no secret about that. Apparently, the warrior held a grudge for being taken down while she’d been on a drunken rampage. As far as Wolf was concerned, Jace was just lucky to still be alive after pulling that shit.

He looked at Mike, who had four scepters on the ground beside him, each a different type. Normally, the artificer kept those on his belt, ready for use at a moments notice, but he had also pulled out a rag and began to clean and polish them.

“You really like to polish your rod, don’t you?” Jace asked the artificer with a smirk.

Mike rolled his eyes at the juvenile humor, then responded, “You’re just jealous because you don’t have one.”

Jace snarled with a look of rage passing over her face. She reached for her hammer but then paused, glancing at Raze. A moment later, she moved her hand away from the hammer and forcibly relaxed. Then, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a familiar looking silver sphere, which she held as though it was some kind of good luck talisman.

“Soon,” Jace whispered to herself with the look of a junkie who was anticipating her next fix.

Wolf scoffed, though he was careful to keep from showing it. He couldn’t understand her obsession with going back to her old body. That had been the past, and it was time to accept who she was now and move forward. In fact, most players were able to adjust to their new bodies pretty quickly, so he couldn’t understand why she was different. Then, he suddenly wondered if this interest was less about her old body and more about everything she’d lost along with it.

They each had their reason for being in the Labyrinth, a thing that they were searching for. Even him. Sure, he hadn’t been given much choice at first, but even he had something he wanted.

Raze was obvious. He wanted power. He wanted to be the biggest, strongest, and toughest person around. He wanted the power to completely destroy anyone who got in his way.

Mike was less obvious since on the surface, he was interested in knowledge. Knowledge of how to design and create his own artifacts. However, Wolf was pretty sure that this was just a more roundabout way of looking for more power.

Godiva wanted immortality. As she’d previously told him, “I died once and really didn’t like it, so I’d rather not go through that kind of thing again.”

And then there was him. Wolf pulled out his own mirror ball and immediately felt the gentle tugging which told him which direction he needed to go. Somewhere, at the end of that path was a powerful primal, one who would be willing to share his power with Wolf. He didn’t know what type of primal it would be or what kind of power it would offer, but Wolf had specifically asked for a patron who would be willing to share his power without demanding too much.

Wolf thought about the strange primal who’d given him the mirror ball, the Guide. The Guide had been a powerful primal, but Wolf hadn’t been able to tell what type it was. That was a little worrying since primals were alien beings who didn’t think like people. However, if you knew what type of primal it was, that usually gave you a good idea of what its motivations were and what it was after.

The Guide had given each of them a mirror ball and was helping them to find whatever it was that they were after, but it hadn’t asked for anything in return. That was unusual…and concerning. Whenever a primal helped you for free, it was usually because they had another goal in mind. And since he didn’t know what the Guide was really after, that left him feeling like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Wolf hadn’t been able to tell what type of primal the Guide was, only that it had been powerful. He’d even asked the Guide to make a bargain for an ability, but it had turned him down. That was a bit of a surprise since if it had agreed, that would have fulfilled the requirement of what Wolf had asked for. That probably would have saved the Guide a bit of effort.

The invoker shook his head faintly before putting the mirror ball back into his pocket. The Guide was a mystery, but it wasn’t worth worrying about at the moment. He had other things to worry about instead. Ones that were more immediate, such as his own allies.

Raze and the others were all under the impression that Wolf was actively channeling the Guide’s power, that if something happened to him, the mirror balls would vanish. He’d intentionally encouraged that misunderstanding without straight out lying, because he knew that as soon as they realized that he was no longer channeling that power, and that they no longer needed him…he would become expendable in their eyes. And considering who he was with, that was practically a death sentence.

Wolf took a deep breath to center himself, knowing that he had to be careful. If he was smart and lucky, then not only could he get out of this alive, but he might also get out of it with a powerful new patron.

----------

Simon Harris leaned back in his chair, coffee cup in hand as he looked over the computer. He would have preferred something a little stronger than coffee, but he was still working. Of course, he also would have preferred working from his own office instead of at the remote office just outside of Gideon Heights.

“But you can’t always get what you want,” Simon mused while the lyrics of an old song ran through his mind.

Just then, there was a quick knock on the door, right before Lewis McNichols stepped inside. The rookie agent looked tired and had some deep gouges in the combat armor he wore.

“I just got back from town,” McNichols explained. “I was helping out with the monsters since they’re a bit low on help.”

“The experience will do you good if you ever qualify for a Labyrinth run,” Simon told him.

McNichols nodded at that. “At least there’s that. Those giant rats are a pain to deal with though.”

“You know the best way to kill monsters?” Simon asked. “It’s a trick that Carl taught me, back in the day.”

The rookie leaned forward with obvious interest. “What’s that?”

“A rifle with a good scope,” Simon answered with a faint smile. “Preferably from a good distance and vantage point.”

“That doesn’t do much good in a Labyrinth zone,” McNichols pointed out.

Simon nodded faintly at that. “You are right in that you can’t fire a rifle inside a Labyrinth zone. However…” He paused for emphasis. “You can fire a rifle from outside the Labyrinth zone and send the rounds into it. The Labyrinth doesn’t seem to care about projectiles, just their source.”

“So,” McNichols mused as he considered what he’d just been told. “You can snipe monsters that are still in the zone.”

“A lot of zones have watch towers surrounding them,” Simon told him. “It helps to contain the monsters.” Then he paused again to take a sip of coffee. “Of course, you still have a limited range and monsters can slip past, but it’s an option to remember.”

“As long as they aren’t bulletproof,” McNichols muttered.

“A given,” Simon agreed.

“So,” McNichols asked. “What are you up to?”

Simon let out a sigh and gestured to the computer monitor. “Just filling out another report on what happened here. Reinforcements are being sent to all North American entrances, including this one. If Raze and Mad Mike emerge from any of them, we’ll be ready.”

“What about Upton?” the rookie asked. “I mean, Maggie… What if she gets to them first?”

Simon shook his head and let out a sigh. “I’m still not positive that Maggie really is…was Carl. I’m hopeful, but we heard that second-hand. I won’t be sure until I talk with Maggie again, face to face.”

“I can see that,” McNichols responded thoughtfully. “After all, if she really was Carl Upton, why didn’t she say something when you talked to her?”

A faint smile formed on Simon’s lips as he chuckled. “Honestly, if I was changed that dramatically, I’d be hesitant to talk to anyone who knew the old me. I’d imagine that it would be a bit embarrassing.”

Simon looked at the computer monitor again and let out a sigh. He’d finished up his paperwork for the moment, so it was about time to be heading back into town. Davis was going to need all the help she could get until reinforcements arrived, especially if Raze and Mad Mike came back.

Of course, there was another reason to go back into town as well. If… No, WHEN Maggie came back out, Simon wanted to be there. He had some questions to ask that apparently young lady.