Escape - Chapter 37.1
Chapter 37.1
What I truly fear is encountering another intelligent being in the heart of this endless labyrinth. What guarantee do we have that they won’t see us as snakes?
Margo Estapa, The 103rd Expedition
– Reflections of a Lost Wanderer, page 214.
***
They emerged from the cave. Stepping out of District 12, the two paused as if by prior agreement, a breathtaking spectacle unfolding before them, utterly different from their previous visit to the serpent’s lair.
“A teleport station?”
The first thing that caught her eye was a row of shimmering pools of light. People were stepping into and out of them. Each pool was labeled with destinations like “Disctrict 10 Cannon Square,” “District 9 Gladiator Valley,” suggesting the teleportation she’d experienced before.
Beside the pools stretched a seemingly endless line of stalls leading towards the labyrinth corridors. Vendors hawked their wares, their cries overlapping. Intrigued, she listened.
“Merman fins, Giant Crab Tricuss pincers, Saw Shark teeth for sale!”
“Crafters, attention! White Serpent scales! Refine them for enhanced underwater defense!”
“Water Blossoms, 9 silver a piece! See this bud? This size guarantees a week’s worth of oxygen. What if it blooms early, you ask? Buy a few extra, just in case.”
Adeline’s feet moved of their own accord as she browsed the curious goods, stopping at a stall selling Water Blossoms. The balloon-like pink buds were larger than a human head.
“If the buds are this big, won’t they bloom completely while you’re underwater?”
“If they bloom, they bloom. It’s the buyer’s luck. Not much I can do about it.”
The vendor responded flippantly to someone’s question. Water Blossoms stored oxygen until just before they bloomed. Mistiming their use could lead to premature blooming and the loss of precious oxygen.
Eavesdropping, Adeline quickly grasped the situation. Players were preparing to cross over to the new continent, or perhaps conquer the sea.
She recalled hearing in Leon that humanity had already conquered the labyrinth up to District 9. What happened to the creatures that lived there after humanity took over?
What would become of the beautiful sea creatures she’d seen?
“World Serpent Jörmungandr’s fang for sale!”
Lost in thought, another cry caught her attention. Jörmungandr. The word felt strangely familiar. She noticed Damian’s gaze fixed on the same stall.
“How can you have Jörmungandr’s fang? Didn’t Shade kill it?”
“Oh, Shade did kill it, but the serpent died in the sea while escaping. I followed Shade to the nearby waters, but I ran out of oxygen and only managed to extract a tooth.”
A woman with a wild mane of frizzy, reddish-brown hair that obscured her face spoke nonchalantly.
Adeline stared at the table-sized tooth. It was stained black from the tip to the middle, a clear indication of its venomous nature. Hearing Shade’s name, she remembered where she’d heard of Jörmungandr. He had used the term in reference to Damian. This woman was blatantly lying.
“The World Serpent’s fang?”
As if on cue, Damian reacted with amusement. The woman’s head whipped around, her gaze snapping towards them with a speed that suggested she’d been aware of their presence all along, despite his quiet tone.
“Oh my, handsome stranger. Interested in this item? I can give you a discount. Originally 20,000 gold, but I’ll let it go for 10,000.”
Adeline scoffed at the sudden fifty percent discount, though she knew haggling was part of the game.
Damian regarded the woman with an intrigued gaze. He’d felt a gnawing hunger since entering this crowded space, a hunger that intensified into a murderous urge. An undeniable scent of blood clung to the woman, the stench of a killer. If not for his promise to Adeline, this woman could have been his next… conversation partner. Though the conversation would likely involve her being limbless, strapped to a chair, answering his questions until she died.
“Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of money.”
It was Adeline who spoke. The woman’s gaze, barely visible beneath her unruly bangs, shifted to her.
“Oh, for you, sister, it’s 40,000 gold.”
“What?”
“You have to pay double for having such a handsome man.”
Adeline opened her mouth to retort, then closed it. It wasn’t worth it.
“Let’s go.”
