Time Maze

The Peculiar Case of Time Maze

The relief at being alive and safe for the time being quickly wore off as the three men felt lost once again. The strange maze life they were starting to get used to had lost its tempo, its normalcy in its strangeness.

Tyson had come to rely on the fact that they would appear somewhere, stay there until something big happened, and then leave through another portal back to the dark tunnels. Then they would quickly dodge the beast and rest for however much time they had.

However, since Sybil's group interrupted Marcus and Tyson's repose, it seemed as if everything was going wrong. The consistency was broken, and although they had learned more about their predicament, Tyson didn't feel any better about their situation.

After all, what did the knowledge they gained matter when he wasn't sure they would get the chance to use it. What was worse, he couldn't remember important historical events happening near Black Horse Tavern. He worried that it might mean that there wouldn't be any portals to jump through, which in itself was terrifying.

"So, what do we do now?" Marcus asked. "I am getting hungry, you know?"

The loud rumbling of his stomach seemed to prove the declaration as he sprawled on the ground pulling out blades of grass distractedly.

"Of course you are," Tyson said, taking a few calming breaths before he said something he didn't mean. "The tavern will open soon so we can go and grab a bite to eat."

"You do sound strange when you speak, but you don't sound like someone from the future," Beor said, focusing on the words Tyson used rather than what he was saying.

"Well, you don't sound like a dude from the past," Marcus said, annoyed. "You sound like you are from our time."

"Perhaps my way of speaking has gradually changed due to my contact with other Mazers. I do wonder if any of them are from the future," Beor said, trying to fit all the pieces together.

However, doing so proved equally challenging as finding a way out of the maze.

"I mean from your present," he added, confused by the new terms and perceptions of reality.

"Probably," Marcus said dismissively. "But let's go back to more pressing issues. Food."

"How can you think about food in a moment like this?" Beor asked angrily.

"Easy. I am so hungry that I can't think of anything else," Marcus said. "Besides, don't people usually say that things should be done one step at a time. Well, this is the most important step right now."

"And how do you think you'll get food? Do you have any money for this time?" Beor asked, his frustration reaching its peak as the last thing he could think about was food.

He couldn't stop thinking about Loralei and how he hurt her instead of helping her. It made him wonder if he could have done things differently. If she was alright, if she was as lost as they were.

"Well, we seem to be wearing the same clothes as we did in Alamo. So, either we haven't moved that far, or that device is malfunctioning even more than we thought," Tyson said.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, this device doesn't always get the clothing right. I am not sure why," Beor said, having gotten so used to it that he hadn't even given it a second thought. "It's like throwing dice, and often times Loralei and I ended up in different clothing even when using the main portals. It almost felt like the different portals interfered with each other."

"Is that why she was dressed so strangely back there?" Tyson asked, wondering how all those little details fit into the bigger picture.

"Yes, usually she didn't have any problems with it, but I've had a few scuffles with some guys calling me names. Still, usually, if you behave as if you belong, they don't pay so much attention to your clothing," Beor said.