Chapter 6

  Life Ain’t Fair, and the World is Mean

  Shit its cold

  Fay opened his eyes and was met with darkness. His memories were hazy at best, and he was unsure of what happened after the three headed beast had fallen.

  The moon? Did I make it back to the surface?

  Fay remembered seeing the moon before his mind retreated into unconsciousness. Before he could gather his thoughts, Barron’s face appeared in front of his own.

  “Son….What the hell was that”

  ”What are you talking about, I won didn’t I? Wait, I ain’t dead am I”?

  “No,you ain’t dead, but you're as close as can be. If you were dead neither one of us would be here. If you died I would leave with you”.

  ”Well that’s good to know. How come I don’t come here every time I fall asleep anyway? It's been a couple days since I last saw you” Fay said.

  ”I’m not sure of that myself. I can’t always pull you in here, the more wrecked your body is, the easier it is for me. Boy are you messed up this time, even your souls messed up, look at the sorry state you're in” Barron said motioning towards Fay.

  Fay looked down at his body, or what was left of it. His lower half was opaque, and he could see the ground underneath his legs through them. The left side of his torso was gone, and Fay remembered the wound he had received during his fight with the beast.

  “What the hell is going on!” Fay yelled as he sat up from his back.

  ”Looks like your soul is fading, if it weren’t for that lady, you would be stone dead already, but you ain’t in the clear yet. We’ll just have to wait and see she can doctor you up enough.” Barron said.

  “What lady?” Fay asked, his face a mix of confusion and fear.

  “Oh shit….. I’m sure you’ll remember when you wake up……on the bright side….. the embarrassment will probably be so bad it will mask the pain.” Barron said slowly.

  Fay was too exhausted to ask any more questions, and returned to his back. Looking up at the black expansion of his soul, Fay thought about how much had changed in his time down here. How much he had changed.

  He had gone from a worthless nobody with a defective piece to an honest to Sun Beast Hunter, who was now 28 floors down from the closest reached one.

  I’m still weak though. I’m only fighting because I have no other choice. If someone were in trouble down here, would I really be able to put my life on the line for them? I need to get stronger.

  Fay continued to ponder his time in the labyrinth, but his focus was broken when Barron, again, appeared in his field of vision. He took a seat on the ground on Fay’s right, and after some time began to speak.

  ”When you wake up, you need to be on guard. The writing on that door is dreading up old memories. I can’t remember exactly, but you should fear the Sovereigns of Order. Sun’s sake, why can’t I remember?” Barron said as he rubbed his short cut crimson hair.

  “I will dad. Since it looks like I’ll be here for a while, I wanted to ask you about something you said when I first fell into the labyrinth. You said that there was a piece of your soul here in me, but what about the one in Ridley? Fay asked as he rolled to his side to face Barron.

  “Aye, there is a me in Ridley too, that idiot boy. I can’t say for sure, but I can feel my other part there. When I got killed, I was a desperado same as you, and my soul didn’t immediately move on.

  Since I was an S ranked Beast Hunter, I had total control over it in life, so I was able to split it and send a half into both of your cores. Both of ya needed my help, you needed me to help knock them nasty chains off of ya, and Ridley has his own circumstances.”

  Fay knew Barron was hiding something from him, probably about the sword Fay saw Ridley fighting with before he fell, but he was too tired to prod his father for answers.

  Fay returned to his back.

  In an instant, Fay’s wrists began to burn. He attempted to pull his arms in front of his eyes, but they would not move. He cut his eyes to Barron to see what was happening, but in front of him sat a faceless man. Fay felt the weight of the chains on his wrists return, but they were lighter than they were before, their once solid form and pull now brittle, a hollow husk of their former might. The intensity of the burning turned to a white hot sear, and Fay forced mana into his wrists and pulled with what little strength he had left. The brittle chains shattered, much easier than they had before.

  “That is really not good.” Barron said, his face once again inhabiting his body.

  ”What the hell was that?” Fay said, his chest rising and falling as he gulped at the air.

  “The order was trying to reign you back in son. It’s become aware of your existence outside of it. You gotta watch yourself. If it’s decided it can’t get them chains back on you, it will remove you from the world. This world is one of order, and anything outside of that is not fit to walk in it.” Barron said, his always calm and arrogant demeanor absent.

  Fay held his wrists in front of his eyes. The wounds left by the chains were smoldering, and Fay worried about what the future held.

  When I get out of here, maybe I’ll let them stay on. I’m not attached to the hunt enough to fight against the Natural Order of the world without a reason.

  Fay felt his form being pulled from his place of rest, and with a wave to Barron, allowed himself to be pulled from the world of his soul back to physicality.

  Fay awoke on his back in a different room then the one he had defeated the beast in. His eyes were dry and bloodshot, causing his vision to be blurred. With a hard cough he felt the ache in his throat, his parched mouth begging for moisture.

  He attempted to sit up, but the pain from his side and legs quickly made him return to his back. After a while, his vision returned to him, and he looked around the small cave that he had awoken in. His shirt had been pulled from his body, and it now hung around his waist, acting as a makeshift bandage, the dried blood staining the once white garment black as coal. After what felt like ages, he was finally able to move the slightest bit, and drug himself upright against the wall of the small space.

  How the hell did I get here? Did I dress my own wound before passing out and just don’t remember?

  Fay wracked his brain for answers, his mind unable to focus due to the stabbing pain that was present throughout his body.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Didn’t Barron say something about a woman?

  Fay had finally mustered the strength to pick himself up from the ground, and now on his feet, he set to shuffling around the cave to check for clues as to what had happened after his battle.

  “You should not be up Sir Desperado!” A voice yelled from behind Fay at the entrance of the cave.

  Fay spun his piece to his hand, but on his attempt to spin towards the source of the words, his legs gave out from under him, and he fell face first into the hard stone of the floor.

  Ow. Just what the hell is going on?

  Unable to turn himself over, Fay consented with his bodies wishes, and allowed the cool rock of the floor to pull the heat from his forehead.

  “Are you ok Sir Desperado?” the voice called, still standing at the entrance of the cave.

  Sir Desperado? Is that supposed to be me? Who the hell is this person?

  Fay turned his head what little his body allowed, and out of the corner of his eye was able to catch a glimpse of the silver shimmer that danced in the dimly lit room.

  Oh shit…….Oh shit. Why? Why?

  Upon laying eyes on that gorgeous hair again, Fay’s mind was assaulted with the parting words he had said to the women as he fell into unconsciousness after his battle with the beast.

  I’m a Desperado, I ain’t much, but I’m yours if you’ll have me. What a fucking idiot!

  The words played again and again in Fay’s mind, and although he prayed they would stop, they continued, growing louder and more taunting with ever repetition.

  Sun above why have you forsaken me? Please take me now!

  Fay was glad that his face was smashed into the rock of the floor. He could feel the nape of his neck and the tops of his ears sizzling from the embarrassment in his heart. No matter how many beasts he had done battle with, and no matter how bad his wounds were, it was preferable to this feeling.

  I guess Barron was right, I’m so wound up, I can’t even feel the rip in my side.

  “Sir Desperado?” The woman called in a confused voice.

  “For the love of the Sun, will you stop it with Sir Desperado, Sir Desperado, my name is Fay! Fay dammit! Forget what I said before I passed out! forget it dammit!” Fay yelled as he rolled side to side on the ground with his hands on his face, the embarrassment allowing him the smallest range of motion.

  “Fay?” The woman questioned, slightly tilting her head as the words left her mouth.

  Fuck I wish I’d been killed.

  Fay stopped his tantrum on the ground and pulled himself to the wall to lean against, the cold stone bringing reprieve to his burnt neck.

  “Look here lady, my name is Fay. I don’t know who the hell you are, or where I am. Lets take a step back here and figure this out before you kill me here.” Fay said, his hand still covering his face except for his eyes.

  Damn, shes even prettier than I remembered. That hair, those eyes. Good sun above why couldn’t I have just passed out silently like a man?

  Fay’s mental self reprimand was cut short by the woman approaching him from the entrance where she had been standing.

  “Lovely to make your acquaintance Sir Fay. I am Elora. I must thank you for freeing me from my place of captivity. Please, allow me to look at your wounds and finish healing them.” The woman, Elora, said as she squatted in front of Fay.

  “I take it that means you brought me here? Some feat for a small thing like you. What do you mean by “heal me”?” Fay said, each question etching more confusion on Elora’s face.

  “Allow me, it will be much easier to show you Sir Fay” Elora said as she began to unwrap the shirt from Fay’s side.

  Again with the Sir?

  Fay shifted in pain as Elora removed the bandage, partly because of the wound, and partly because the blood had dried and stuck the cloth to his skin.

  Once Elora had finally ripped the bandage from his side, Fay saw the grotesque wound cause from the beast and the ripped skin that ran across his torso from the bandage.

  Thats gonna leave a real nasty scar. Fay thought.

  Elona stretched her palms towards the wound, and with closed eyes began to push mana out from her hands.

  Holy… she ain’t pulling mana from the air to do that. Just who did I release?

  The pale argent magic that poured from her hands danced along her arms with the grace of a ballet, and swam through the air to Fay’s side. Fay braced himself for pain, but instead, he felt his burning wound beginning to cool. It was soft, it was graceful, it felt as if he was being hugged. Fay reached for his face and wiped the water forming in his eyes.

  Tears?

  Quickly covering his eyes with his arm, Fay cleared his tears and removed his arm. Elora had already withdrawn from his side, and sat herself on the other side of the cave.

  “Sir Fay I-”

  “Not sir, just Fay”

  “ As you wish, Fay. It has been millennia since I last spoke with another. Earlier, before you had succumb to your wounds, you said that I could have you if I wanted you. I want you, Fay.” Elora said.

  “Wha…what!” Fay exclaimed.

  “My magic is not suited for combat applications. I would like you to fill this role for me. In exchange, I will assist you in battle and your journey by delivering you from the grasp of death with my magic, as I already have.” Elora said, confused at Fay’s sudden outburst.

  “Right…. . Thats what you meant” Fay muttered slowly.

  Damn it all, this woman.

  “I’m fine with that, but I gotta warn you first, we can’t get back to the surface by going up, we gotta go down to the end and find the gate.

  You also need to know before you agree that I’ve seemed to have made an enemy of the Sovereigns of the natural order. I had these chains on my wrists, and I broke em off. The person that showed me how to do this called me a desperado. If you come with me, I can’t promise something worse than death won’t happen to you” Fay said, his mind a whirlpool of thoughts .

  Fay pulled his hands up to show Elora his wrists for emphasis, and noticed the jagged burn scars that now sat on his wrists.

  Those weren’t there before, guess I really have been found out.

  “The Soveigns” Elora said in a disgusted tone.

  “That arrangement is agreeable to me Fay. It is actually to my benefit. It is because of the sovereigns obsession with order that I found myself in this dreadful place at all. Fay, have you heard the story of the birth of your people and the beasts?”

  “My grandma used to tell me to get me to sleep as a kid, the Leviathan ripped the Sun and Moon from the heavens, and the sun blessed humanity with its light to kill the beasts and restore order.” Fay responded.

  “Yes, that is almost correct I suppose. Just as the sun sent down my sister to the earth to assist humanity, the moon sent a piece of itself as well. It had not received the Sovereign's blessing to do so however, and thus violated order. I am here now because of that violation. I believe there is a reason an order-breaker such as you was the one to find me after all this time.” Elora said.

  “Are you saying you are the moon?” Fay questioned.

  “In a way. I am from the moon much like you are from your parents. Are you and your parents of one mind and body?” Elora explained.

  Fay stiffened at her comments and thought of Barron’s soul shard within his own.

  I’m a………special case

  “Well I guess we have formed a party now. What should we call ourselves?” Fay asked Elora.

  “A party?” Elora responded

  “A party is what Beast Hunter’s call the groups they form. The ones that are successful and stick together give their parties names so they can become famous. We are a lot farther down this labyrinth than anyone has been before. If that's not deserving of a name, I don't know what is. So, what should we call ourselves?” Fay said

  Elora’s eyes gleamed as she thought, an act Fay found very in spite of her princess-like mannerisms up to this point.

  “I know! What about DeLuna!” Elora confidently proclaimed, her hands on her hips like a King delivering a decree.

  “Sun above, that is terrible, all you did was combine your name with my nickname!” Fay laughed.

  The movement of his diaphragm caused pain to spread from his side, cutting his laughter short.

  “If it’s so bad then why don’t you think of one yourself!” Elora yelled, her face red from embarrassment at being laughed at.

  “No no, I think it will grow on me, DeLuna it is” at the repetition of the name, Fay began to chuckle again, earning him a pebble to the chest from Elora.

  It took Fay 4 days to recover from his battle with the three headed beast, marking what Fay believed to be 3 weeks since his fall down the labyrinth.

  With his injuries healed, the party of DeLuna set out on their journey to the bottom of the East River Labyrinth.