The next day, Arthur woke up feeling refreshed. After cleansing himself with Water Magic to dissipate the sweat and covering both himself and Fenril with cooling wraps (using a high-level Ice spell), he was ready for the desert.
He took a compass to guide them north. Both advanced with a steady pace.
Thanks to his constant physical training, Arthur walked on the hot sand as if he were on normal ground. As for Fenril, since this environment was completely new, Arthur had covered his paws with rough cloths, dampened with Water Magic, so they wouldn't burn on the scorching sand.
During the journey, they encountered a scene that chilled their blood despite the heat: **three giant scorpions** were dismembering one of their own kind.
Feeling their presence, the scorpions rushed towards them.
"Great! Just what I needed!" —Arthur growled, tired of the heat and the slow advance.
Without thinking twice, he froze an immense area, trapping the beasts. After disposing of them, they continued.
—"It seems you froze other monsters that were in the area," —the Great Sage commented.
—"I don't care," —Arthur replied, adjusting the compass—. "A little collateral damage is better than wasting time here."
After leaving the frozen area, he continued advancing, occasionally confronting other monsters because they had no other option, overcoming the first day in the desert.
The second day was much of the same: fighting giant worms, hordes of ants, scorpions... The sun was a constant enemy.
By the fourth day, the monsters had decreased considerably. On the fifth day, they encountered an impassable rock wall. To overcome it, Arthur took Fenril in his arms and used Wind Magic to fly up to the ledge.
They continued along the rocky platform. Arthur monitored the horizon. Then, he saw a shadow pass. He looked up at the sky. "His eyes shone." It was a griffin.
—"Hey, Fenril, I'm tired of walking," —Arthur said, smiling from ear to ear—. "What do you say we fly instead?"
The Griffin, after verifying the location of the intruders, swooped down on them with a fierce scream.
Arthur reacted with the speed of an expert swordsman. Fenril dodged the claws at the last moment. Arthur leaped directly onto the beast's back.
Quickly, Arthur pulled a rope from his backpack and wrapped it around the Griffin's beak. He pulled the rope upward forcefully, causing the beast to rear up from inertia before it could reach Fenril.
Arthur fought to maintain control in the air, gripping the rough feathers.
—"Come on, boy! Don't resist!" —he gasped.
Several evasion maneuvers, Earth Marionettes to disorient it, and much effort later—after about two hours—the Griffin grew tired. It stopped struggling as aggressively, reluctantly allowing Arthur to ride it.
"That's it. We only need you for a while," —Arthur said, lowering his tone. He had read that these monsters were very intelligent. He made the Griffin understand that it would only be temporary—. "Afterward, you can go wherever you want."
After getting Fenril up and tying him to his side with a rope so he wouldn't fall, the rest of the journey was much faster, flying on the back of a Griffin which, in his past life, had only been mythology.
"This is simply impressive," —Arthur murmured, watching the desert pass beneath their feet.
Although they encountered other Griffins trying to attack them, they fought them off "warplane style," launching fireballs like projectiles to dissuade them.
After flying fast for a while, they reached the end of the rocky platform. There was a bit of grass, like a savanna.
And only a little further, he could see something vague.
"Look, Fenril. It's a great lake."
Surrounded by white canvas roofs.
"According to the map, this must be the Bazaar," —Arthur said.
To avoid drawing attention, he had the Griffin set them down in a secluded area. Then, without a word, the Griffin soared up and disappeared, flying back.
Upon entering the Bazaar, they quickly drew the attention of the locals, who were dressed in Arab-like clothing. People backed away from Arthur, frightened not so much by him, but by the monster walking by his side.
Fenril's ability was a "bug without a fix": the visible distortion of the air around the wolf was enough to terrify anyone.
"Fenril, please, try not to growl."
Arthur stopped at a stall to buy food. The man selling meat was paralyzed and pale when he saw the twisted void beside Arthur.
"Meat... how much?"—Arthur asked, using the kindest tone he could muster.
Before the situation became tense, Arthur exchanged some things he had (valueless jewelry or minor artifacts) since he didn't have the local currency. They quickly stocked up on provisions and left to avoid causing a scene.
That day, they stayed in a quiet place to sleep.
The next day, they headed towards the Labyrinth City of Rapan. Arthur did the same: catching a Griffin that happened to be passing through the skies, making the journey much shorter and more efficient. The journey included stops, fights, and rests.
After several days, the silhouette of the great "Labyrinth City of Rapan" rose on the horizon.
...
The silhouette of the great Labyrinth City of Rapan rose on the horizon.
The city was not simply built near the desert; it was built inside a mysterious cage, made of materials that could not be found anywhere else.
Within the vast desert, a huge white cage stood. They were not rocks or common minerals; they were the bones of an enormous Behemoth.
Lapan was a city built inside a gigantic rib cage, so immense that it could easily contain a medium-sized city. This place, which was once a small oasis, was completely altered and transformed by the monumental remains of that fallen Behemoth.
Arthur stopped, observing the imposing structure.
"We finally arrived, friend," —he murmured—. "After so much..."
"I hope I arrived in time," Arthur thought, feeling a knot in his stomach.
Fenril let out a low ¡woof¡, acknowledging the seriousness of the place.
Arthur covered Fenril with a long, tattered cloak, hoping to disguise the distortion a bit, although he knew the optical effect would continue to cause chills.
After asking some locals for the location of the Adventurer's Guild, they headed to the place.
Upon entering, there was more hustle and bustle inside than outside. Arthur approached the counter, where a receptionist with a scarf covering her face was taking requests.
"Excuse me, I'm looking for a group of adventurers. Paul Greyrat, Talhand... Do you know anything about them?"
The receptionist consulted a list.
"Ah, yes. That gentleman named Paul and his group."
Arthur waited with bated breath.
"And... where are they now?"
The receptionist looked up, oblivious to the tense aura Fenril created next to him.
"They... just entered the Labyrinth, about an hour ago."
Arthur felt a wave of relief that loosened his shoulders.
"Understood." —Arthur felt calmer with the news—. "Could you tell me where the entrance to the Labyrinth is?"
The receptionist hesitated. She looked at the young man with his worn travel clothes and the strange cloak he was wearing. Although Arthur had grown a little taller, he still seemed too young.
"Excuse me, young man. The entrance is to the north, but... the Labyrinth is too dangerous. Do you have the proper authorization?"
Arthur smiled.
Then, without further ado, he showed her his badge, now rank S.
The receptionist's eyes widened, and she brought her hand to her mouth in surprise. An S rank... and so young. Her doubt vanished, replaced by professional respect.
—"Pardon the delay, Arthur-sama!" —she said quickly—. "The main entrance is in the northern sector in a mountain. But be careful; the Great Labyrinth of Rapan is the most dangerous on the continent."
"Thank you," —Arthur said, nodding.
Without wasting a second, he turned around and left the Guild with Fenril close behind.
Upon reaching the entrance of the Labyrinth, it was, in simple terms, a hole in a mountain, covered in cobwebs.
—"Fenril, you can stay if you want. This place is undoubtedly much more dangerous than what you've experienced."
The wolf entered without hesitation, ignoring what Arthur was saying.
"You irritating thing... I see... but stay close."
He ventured inside. As they advanced, Arthur could barely see, but for Fenril, seeing was not a problem.
Without hesitation, Arthur pulled out one of the scrolls he had bought precisely for this type of situation.
Upon activating it, several **Light Spirits** emerged from the paper like small floating flames, illuminating the path ahead of them with a steady glow.
The first floor of the Labyrinth was infested with **cobwebs** that hung from the ceiling and stretched across the walls as if the place were alive. The air was heavy and smelled of musty dampness.
In the distance, Arthur distinguished a faintly glowing magic circle.
"Just as I thought..." —he murmured.
According to the information he had gathered with the help of the Great Sage, these circles were common in this labyrinth. Some acted as direct traps, others as alarms, and the most dangerous ones couldn't even be seen with the naked eye.
"So, be careful where you step," —he told Fenril in a low voice.
Arthur advanced with calculated steps, measuring every movement, while Fenril followed from behind, attentive to any change in the environment.
It wasn't long before they encountered the most common inhabitants of the first floor: **Deathlord Tarantulas**. Their dark, shiny bodies moved among the cobwebs, with multiple eyes reflecting the light of the spirits.
Arthur didn't stop.
He extended a hand and cast a Wind spell, creating invisible blades that sliced through the creatures in his path, cutting cobwebs and bodies alike.
The remains fell to the floor with a dull sound.
"It's not worth wasting time on you," —he commented calmly.
To break the oppressive silence, Arthur tried to talk to Fenril as they advanced.
"Hey, what do you think? Too quiet for a famous labyrinth?"
Fenril responded with a simple, low bark, without taking his eyes off the surroundings.
"Yeah... I thought so."
With constant caution, they avoided the suspicious circles, analyzing them one by one, until they finally found the portal to the second floor without major incidents.
Arthur exhaled slowly.
—"So far... so good."
The atmosphere was slightly heavier, but the desert heat still seemed to persist. There were no more cobwebs, and the floor was clear, which facilitated their advance.
But then, in the distance, he saw a silhouette that began to move quickly. Giant, steel-covered worms, the **Iron Crawlers**, crawled with surprising speed.
The worms seemed to be patrolling the area, and with them, the sound of the earth crunching under their metallic bodies grew louder.
—"It seems the second floor has its own set of monsters," —Arthur said, watching the Iron Crawlers approach.
By his side, Fenril was just as alert. The wolf sniffed the air, detecting the movements of the metallic creatures with his acute senses.
"These guys don't look as simple as the scorpions," —Arthur commented, frowning. The Iron Crawler was smaller than other monsters, but its metallic exoskeleton gave it great resistance, so much so that it could withstand direct attacks.
Suddenly, a figure appeared from a corner of the floor. **Deathlord Tarantulas**, with their red eyes glowing and their gigantic legs moving quickly, emerged from the shadows. They were hiding behind the Iron Crawlers, waiting for the perfect moment to attack.
—"A dangerous combination," —Arthur said, assessing the situation—. "The Iron Crawlers are fast and tough, while the Deathlords seem to be in charge of launching webs and slowing down any advance."
Just as the Deathlord Tarantulas prepared to launch their webs, Arthur began to prepare his spell. Without wasting time, he conjured a powerful gust of wind, which slammed into the Deathlords, deflecting their attacks and throwing them against the walls of the hallway. But the Iron Crawlers remained, approaching rapidly.
—"Fenril, distract them!" —Arthur shouted as he swung his sword, using a quick movement to pierce the metal of one of the Iron Crawlers.
Fenril, with agility, ran to the other side, using his distorted ability to appear and disappear at will, causing the Iron Crawlers to unsuccessfully chase him.
After a series of maneuvers, Arthur and Fenril managed to subdue the enemies.
To be continued...