Julien furtively casts a look towards Lirza. Her hands lightly brush the wall to find the scratched marks he had left behind in what seemed another lifetime. Her eyes flick back and forth, trying to anticipate the terror she seems certain will find them inevitably.
Julien stands at the centre of the crossroads, listening as hard as he can. It is still quiet in all directions. He approaches Lirza and, after a moment of hesitation, lays his hand on her shoulder.
Lirza jerks away and whirls around. Her eyes are wide. Her expression borders on panic. Her face is paler than Julien has seen it before.
“What?” she hisses.
Julien smiles. “Don’t worry about what crawls in these tunnels,” he says under his breath. “Just focus on the navigation. I’ll take care of any rodent that dares to show its face.”
Lirza stares at him, eyes still wide. Then she swallows and nods. “It’s not this one,” she whispers and walks into the last tunnel, where she quickly finds the scratched mark she had been looking for.
Julien sets his jaw and quickly overtakes Lirza. I’ll be damned if I let those whiskered freaks take another chance at companionship away from me. He scouts ahead on the balls of his feet, sword at the ready.
Oddly enough, they see neither whisker nor tail as they follow the scratches that past-Julien had left behind. Julien does hear the odd scattering of light, clawed feet. But the sound comes from far away. Always retreating. Never advancing.
The first time they hear squeaking, Lirza flinches visibly. Julien is at her side instantly, scanning the tunnels leading away from the intersection. From the corner of his eye, he sees Lirza shake her head a few times. A few seconds later, she taps him on his arm.
“It’s this one,” she whispers, pointing at the tunnel leading to the right.
Julien nods. “Stay close.”
They continue on high alert. Lirza’s shoulders are still tight, her movements still jerky. But she no longer scans the tunnels as though expecting to be jumped at any time. Sensing her trust in him, he feels a strange surge of pride and confidence. He can hardly reconcile the adolescent—who had barely succeeded in fending off salamanders and rats with a mere bone—with his current self. Spying around corners, sword in hand, he is ready to give any Rotta that shows its face a shave. The kind they would not be able to leave a review for. After all, he’d stared down a train-sized serpent that would have had those rodents for hors d’oeuvres. Sure, he’d nearly pissed his pants in the process, but that’s not the point.
When they reach a final T-junction, Julien turns left and whispers, “I hope this is the way out.”
Please…let it be the way out.
After following it for a while, he notices the tunnel is sloping. Julien hardly dares to voice his hope, lest he find himself stuck in another garden infested by monstrous bees and moths. But as they shuffle upwards towards natural light, neither Julien nor Lirza can contain their excitement.
This might be it. Freedom at last.
The last stretch of tunnel that Julien hopes to see for a while is covered in rubble. With fleeting focus, they ascend over the loose rocks, stumbling occasionally. They sniff up fresher air as they come to an opening, a breach in a wall of rough blocks and mortar.
On the other side is a room. There are masonry walls and an empty doorway, and windows that let in fading daylight. Years of dust cover the floors. Along the rough walls, there are wrought-iron sockets and spikes. Through the windows, he can see trees. Julien lets out a shaky breath he was unaware he had been holding in. He’s made it. They have made it.
As soon as they step into the room, Lirza sags against a wall. “I can’t go any further. I’m exhausted.”
Julien is surprised to notice he’s not. Maybe the adrenaline still coursing through his veins?
“You rest up,” he says softly. “I think we’ll be safe here for now.”
“You sure? I…I can stay awake.” She stifles a yawn.
“As long as you’re ready to take your turn of the watch at some point during the night.”
Lirza crawls to a corner, leans back, and closes her eyes. She drifts off instantly.
“Wow, that was fast,” Julien whispers.
He smiles, looking at his new companion. Her pale skin shimmers silvery in some places due to some leftover Moth Dust and is covered in grime and grey paint in others. She was so brave in the tunnels. Despite her obvious fear of rats. No wonder she’s so done in.
Julien glances at the nearest window and then back at Lirza. It should be safe, right? It’s only a couple of paces. He walks over and peeks outside. Dusk is setting in, but in that fading light is a sight that increases his excitement tenfold. It is a courtyard, mostly overgrown with unkempt grass, but a courtyard, nonetheless.
He sees rough balustrades enclosing what looks like a separate square with straight angles on a lower level. An opening in the balustrade hints at a staircase joining an upper and lower level. Tall trees rise from the corners. Empty sockets in between show where plant pots or sculptures might have graced the square in a lavish but orderly display. The rectangular square leads into a circular one with a weathered statue at its centre.
The courtyard feels desolate, abandoned, and sad. And yet it exudes a strange aura of power. As if at one time it had been the entrance to an imposing structure that had housed might and majesty.
Casting his eyes eagerly to the edges of the courtyard, Julien can just make out a gallery alongside the length of a massive wall. A wall whose top catches some final rays of sunlight. A wall not unlike that of a castle.
Had he been beneath the castle from the beginning? Julien strains his eyes to pierce the darkness, impatient for the light of day to confirm his suspicions. He turns towards Lirza, wanting to share. One glance shows that she’s not in any state to listen. It doesn’t bother him. After all, it’s not like he’s ever completely alone.
“Synthisa Activa.”
As the colorful motley suit once again materializes over Julien’s worn clothes, the Fool appears. He pivots and takes a quick look around before facing Julien, who, with a finger to his lips, points at Lirza.
The Fool grins. “So, you made it out, eh?”
“Maybe. I hope so.” Julien gestures to the window. “Don’t panic, but I think we made it to the castle.”
Hearing that, the Fool’s smile falters. “I had a hunch,” he mutters.
“Why does it bother you so much?” Julien remembers the episode in the garden where the Fool had disappeared on him after the contours of the castle had appeared.
The Fool sighs. “It’s a long story. I don’t want to talk about it just yet.”
Julien studies the suddenly somber Fool. “Alright.”
It surprises the Fool. “What? You’re letting it go just like that?”
“Yes.” Julien smiles. “I’ll get it out of you eventually. But I trust that you’ll let me know if it becomes important.”
The Fool’s expression becomes one of exaggerated astonishment. “You’re sure the Moth Dust didn’t affect you?”
Julien laughs softly. “Maybe the escape from those reptiles made me finally see things clearly.”
“Like?”
“Despite the chronic lack of knowledge and certainty, I’ve somehow always managed to make it through. Whether by fate or something else, I always seemed to have the right tools to get myself out of any mess I landed into.” Seeing the wide-eyed expression on the Fool’s face, Julien can’t help another hearty chuckle. “That’s not all, though. I also realized that even though you were not always completely present, you were always on my side. Like earlier today.”
“You mean, after you executed your master plan?”
“Yeah, that.” Julien shook his head. “Some master plan.”
“So, am I correct in thinking you had no idea what was going to happen?”
“You’re not entirely wrong.”
“Meaning?” asks the Fool. “Did you know that powder would have any effect?”
“I didn’t know for sure. But I thought it would be very likely. It’s like I said. I’ve started to accept that there are no certainties. I hate it, but it’s the way it is. The best I can do is use what I’ve got to the best of my abilities and hope I somehow stumble my way through.”
Hearing that, the Fool grins. “Spoken like a true Fool.”
He’s hardly uttered the words when a message pops into view.
“Level up!
You’ve gained your first Fool-progression level by accepting your role and embracing a fundamental truth. We are all fools in a world continuously in flux. Those who remain passive will perish. Those who take action may overcome.
Heed the signals of your attunement to further your growth. Ignore them and you may suffer setbacks.
Unlocked:
Quest log
1 Fool suit augmentation slot
2 Card slots.”
Right, the cards. Julien wonders when they will finally come into play while he summons his knapsack. Those mysteries will be something for another day, he decides. The adrenaline finally seeps from his body, leaving him tired and famished. I reckon she could also use something to eat, he muses, looking at the peaceful Lirza. I hope she likes nuts and fruits.