Levels

Three ways is one too many

Dayl and Allessa were clutched together on the ground next to the little pool of water. They didn't care about the time, no one had looked at their wrist for almost twenty minutes and neither of them planned to do it eventually. Time was irrelevant right now and time seemed to go by slower between the two of them.

After what felt like a little eternity, their grip loosened from each other and they finally stood up to escape this hell. Clothes were still soaked and water was dripping off their wet hair, but at the heat coming from above, the soggy fabric felt good against their skin and seemed like a little blessing in exchanging to what they had gone through the last couple of hours.

They were already on the way back, where Dayl had come from a few minutes earlier, as his voice sounded through the hollow tunnel.

"I have to tell you, I met someone on my way here. A young woman, her name is Roja, she gave me some of her water and we came here together. She is a Reliquos and unfortunately she is armed like one. The path split, so we parted our ways, but we're definitely going to meet her again. I'm a bit worried, she spared my life once, I don't know if she'd do it again..."

Dayl looked worried and an uncomfortable feeling passed his stomach.

"I guess if we approach her unarmed and with a proper distance she has no reason to harm us."

Dayl looked astonished by her statement.

"Wow, I didn't know you were the kind of peaceful type." Dayl gave her a smiley, but she didn't return it immediately.

Then the happiness on her face fell and turned to deep sadness. "I'm sick and tired of all this, having to fight, trying to survive every day. We hardly managed to get through Level 1 and we still have twelve tasks before us, I really don't know how we are supposed to get through all this."

They came to the part, where the tunnel split and entered the passageway Roja had gone and moved on.

"Listen, I know it's hard to get through all this, but we're going to make it. You just have to believe in yourself, everything is going to be ok, we just have to stay focused and never give up."

Allessas expression lightened a bit and she looked a little more cheerful than before.

As they walked through the huge corridors surrounded by walls completely and holding their displays in front of them to lighten up the way, Dayl noticed that Allessas sword that was usually dangling on the right side of her, was missing.

"Actually, where has your sword gone? You did take it with you to Level 2 didn't you?"

"Yeah, well that's a long story..." And so Allessa told him all about what she had been doing the time they were apart.

Finally they came to a halt. The walls before them were made of thick grey stone bricks following the walls from there on. It was just like entering an old building, with the side walls giving the whole thing a sensation of stepping into an ancient castle.

They still walked on, until they arrived at another parting of their way, but this time it split instead of two, in three separate ways, to their right, their left and straight forward.

After some gambling which way to take, the decision fell on the right one. After a few yards the way split again and they decided to go right again.

The way turned every few yards into another direction or split again and the further they went and at the time, they realized that they got stuck in something like maze.

"What do we do now Dayl? Who knows how big this place is?" Allessa faced him with hopeless eyes.

"Let me think for a second." Dayl started to walk in circles holding his right hand to his chin in a sort thoughtful way.