Falling with you

Okay… I didn’t mean that I would do it immediately.

Stuff like this needs some kind of plan.

Wait, what should I even say?

Technically we’ve already gone places together which means we’ve already gone on dates. Does that mean we’re already boyfriend/girlfriend? How does this stuff work in this world?

Maybe I should do nothing after all…

No, clearly I’m overthinking things so the logical step is to not think!

Raya: Huh, it’s brighter in here than I thought it would be.

The two of us have finally gone inside of the Labyrinth that lies under the labyrinth city. Much of the city’s exports come from this labyrinth and it’s also good training so Count Telantra told us to come here to learn.

…If I go by the logic of minimal thinking then wouldn’t I say something like:

Adam: Raya, do you wanna to be my girlfriend or something?

Raya: Huh? Oh, yeah sure.

At least that’s how it would go in my head but is it really okay to be so direct like that?

…

I just said that out loud, didn’t I?

And she just said yes? Just like that?

Looking over to her she seems focused on the labyrinth. How is she so calm right now? Our relationship just changed for forever!

Raya: Incoming. Looks like two grav-beetles.

Large black and purple horned beetles crawled out of a hole in the wall. I dashed towards the first one, and punted it into the second. They both exploded on the cavern wall in a mess of guts and beetle carapace.

Adam: Just to be clear we’re in a romantic relationship now, right?

Raya looked away and responded.

Raya: I mean, yeah. That’s what you wanted right? I didn’t expect you to just ask so directly and out of nowhere like that though, much less in a place like this.

Yeah, so I still fucked up. But at least it’s over with.

Adam: What are you talking about? I can’t think of a more romantic place than… an underground cave.

Apparently deeper in the labyrinth, it would take the shape of a beautiful underground city. Maybe I should have waited until then. No, Telantra told us to only stay in the upper levels for today because we’re supposed to get back before sundown.

Raya: Anyways, we’re not supposed to let our guards down here so let’s talk about it once we resurface. Also, you’re not supposed to explode the beetles because then you can’t collect any materials from them. Look, all this is now useless now.

She tried to prod the beetle off the wall with her sword but soon gave up. She was using a regular sword instead of Ryuzu’s Fang as to not give away her identity but was still carrying the relic on her back as usual.

Adam: Sorry about that…

We moved on deeper into the cavern after that. As Raya had said before, it was fairly bright even though we were underground. The light comes from the purple glow of gravity magic that is constantly active in the labyrinth and the glow of luminous moss that grows on the walls. Apparently, the moss is only kept alive by the magic of the labyrinth and as soon as it loses contact with it, it dies.

No, I’m not trying to distract myself from my own thoughts.

Aha! Another monster! My detection picked it up but it was still hiding in the darkness.

Adam: Incoming, but I don’t know what it is.

Raya and I stood at the ready as the creature hopped out from the shadows.

Raya: Oh, it’s just a horned rabbit… with three heads for some reason though.

Adam: It looks creepy. I haven't seen something like this in any books or anything.

Unlike the normal horned rabbit, its horns protruded from the top of its head and it still had eyes. It was also slightly larger, about the size of a medium sized dog.

It stared at us with it’s beady red eyes.

Adam: Arrow, guide me towards salvation –Piercing Shot

The blood laser pierced between the middle head’s eyes. The other two heads screeched and writhed around until the middle head regenerated.

Raya: how annoying. Let's chop off all three heads at once.

We were being slightly cautious because it was an unfamiliar monster but ran in nonetheless. Raya cut off two heads in one motion while I cut off the third. The rabbit had tried to make a move but was killed before it could do anything. But as the severed heads hit the floor, they let out an ear-splitting screech.

It was several times louder and more painful than anything I’d ever heard before. Raya and I could do nothing but cover our ears in agony.

Then my detection picked up more monsters incoming. 10, no 20, no… too many to even count and they would be here any second now.

Adam: RAYA!

She nodded as her detection must have picked up the same and we both ran as fast as we could in the opposite direction.

A wave of deformed-three headed rabbits descended from the hole the original rabbit came from.

Raya: What the hell are those things!

They were gaining on us. At this rate, we wouldn’t even make it anywhere close to the exit.

Before we could get swallowed up, Raya yanked me by the collar and dove down a branching path.

Together we tumbled down the path. Several rabbits also decided to follow us and came tumbling down as well.

Then the area opened up, and I was about to rejoice but then realized that we still falling. It seems we found a large chasm in the walls of the labyrinth. It would be a good shortcut to the lower levels… if we survived the fall.

Adam: Out of the boiling pot and into the fire… or something

No one heard that comment because of the deafening winds that were hitting us as we fell.

Luckily, Raya was still holding onto me. I repositioned myself to hold her directly in front of me. Damn, this is kinda romantic actually…

Adam: WE ONLY HAVE ONE PARACHUTE SO BEAR WITH IT FOR A LITTLE! Catch the sinner so that he may repent –Blood Parachute

Because I had some practice, my parachute this time was bigger and sturdier than the last time I had been forced to use this. Sadly, it was not meant for two people so there would likely be some broken bones waiting for us at the bottom. Especially given how tangled up we are.

As we fell slowly, I watched several dozen rabbits fall to their death below us. All I could hope for was that none of them would fall on top of us.

It was taking a really long time for us to land so I tried making conversation with my partner.

Adam: First time? Don’t worry, I’m a professional skydiver so just enjoy the sights and relax!

Raya was hugging me so tightly that I couldn’t breathe properly. Her eyes were also closed. So heights are a weakness of hers?

Raya: I’m sorry about this…

Adam: Don’t worry, I’m actually into asphyxiation. ahaha! …No wait sorry that was just a joke don’t look at me like that…

We fell in silence after that.

Finally, I saw a bluegreen glow coming from below us. It looked like we were going to land on one of the labyrinth’s vast underground lakes.

Yay! No leg breaking today!

I would say that we are lucky except we are incredibly unlucky to be in this situation in the first place.

And on our first time in the labyrinth too…

Hold on…

What if it’s not luck, but rather a “crystallization of coincidences”

In other words, Fate.

I rejected Charlotte’s ideas earlier but could this really be the world trying to kill me?

Well fuck the world then.

I’ll live on.