Lances and Daggers

27. The Leech

I first met Rick seven years ago.

A ten-year-old boy was crying alone in one of the caverns of the Sixth Labyrinth. His ears were tormented by the disturbing rhythm of water droplets. His eyes saw only darkness, and his heart grew weaker every second. He had a single wish—for his parents to appear. He knew neither their faces nor their names, but he remembered their warmth. This warmth he could never forget.

Time went by slowly, and eventually, an expedition passed through the nearby tunnels. An adventurer walked into the cavern and saw the boy in the light of a torch.

"What are you doing here?" the adventurer, Rick Adalwin, said. "You can't be alone, are you?"

The boy didn't answer.

Master Azemir arrived next. He was old and thin and had a large mustache that was pointed at its two ends. Despite his appearance, however, he was the leader of the guild and a master of martial arts who faced Aberrations with his bare fists.

"Who's this boy, Adalwin?" Master Azemir asked. "What's he doing here?"

"I don't know."

"He couldn't have reached here on his own," Master Azemir said. "The Aberrations on these floors are worse than your common slime or Laikos."

"Yes, there was someone else here," Rick said, pointing at the black blood that covered the ground. "This boy survived something big."

"You might be right."

"I'll take him back to Azuria with us."

"Add a quest to find his parents. I'll prepare the prize money."

In the guild, Rick Adalwin filed the quest, but the boy's parents were never found. Rick asked many questions, but none were answered. Even the boy's belongings didn't help. There were only papers in his pockets: some looked like magical charms, while others had senseless scribbles. The past was a mystery, and the future was uncertain.

"We will take you in, Lance," Master Azemir said one day. "We don't know the truth for sure, but the evidence suggests that your parents died in an accident. They're gone from this world."

The boy began to cry.

"You're too frank, Guild Master," Rick said. "You shouldn't have said that. You could've chosen better words. Lance is only a child."

Master Azemir wiped the boy's tears with his finger and said, "I know a grey-haired man like me couldn't possibly understand your feelings, boy. But listen, young or old, you should learn how to move forward in this unfair world of ours. There will always be people who care for you and love you."

The boy was too young to understand, but the words evoked vague memories of his mother's warm embrace. Then he felt a rush of love, fear, helplessness, guilt. His own emotions were as confounding as a hard riddle, but the look in Master Azemir's eyes made him stop crying.

On the way to the boy's new home, Rick said, "Look, Lance. Maybe I'm being too stubborn, but I can't get myself to believe what Master Azemir said. If you become a good adventurer, you won't only make a living, but you'll also explore the labyrinths. If you're curious enough to check around every corner, you might meet your parents again one day."

Master Azemir had stopped the boy from crying, but Rick was the one who made the boy smile.

***

Belphegor's roar echoed through the chaotic battlefield. He lumbered forward with steps that opened fissures in the earth, and his arms reached for the men scattered on the ground. Rick was in danger. Rick was about to get crushed by the monstrous hands.