Dokeshi March ~ 29!

The pain in his chest was the first thing that Grant noticed when he jolted awake. Looking down, he discovered a piece of metal sticking out of his chest. His armor had stopped it from penetrating deeply, but it had still stabbed firmly into his pectoral muscle.

<Finally! I was wondering how long you were going to be unconscious.> Grant grabbed the sharp triangle-shaped hunk of metal and jerked it out of his chest. <It’s been a good ten minutes since you blew through the side of the casino.>

“Ouch.” Grant immediately started coughing, the smoke and dust in the air causing his lungs to let him know they weren’t happy. “What happened?”

<Well, the explosion originated from me and spread outward from there. It blew you back into that giant table, and you kind of rode it through the back wall into this place.> Wrestling himself into a seated position, Grant inspected his surroundings, noticing all the rubble and small fires burning the ridiculously tall hedges that evidently made up the walls of the labyrinth. He couldn’t even see the casino walls from his position, which meant he must have flown past the entry area. <Along with most of the contents of the kitchen. I would recommend you get out of here before their search for the culprit reaches this deep into the maze.>

The sound of furious voices echoing from around the corner near his landing spot provided the impetus for him to climb to his feet. He was in no condition to fight at the moment. As he stumbled away, his vision was filled with an unwanted but familiar screen.

Congratulations! Your new battle count moves from [4 Wins / 1 Losses] to [5 Wins / 1 Losses]. Remember, the lucky rise to the challenge!

#ERROR34

Combatants not directly involved in duel defeated. Procedure violated.

#ERROR03

Spell effects didn’t conform to standard functions. Parameters exceeded by 129%. Report compiled and submitted to program managers.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter. It isn’t like the Dokeshi wasn’t going to hear about this eventually.” Grant shrugged, immediately wincing in pain. The wound in his chest made every motion sting. He glanced at the faint trail of blood he was leaving behind and applied pressure to his chest. The group following him would know exactly where to go if he didn’t stop bleeding everywhere.

<No, keep the trail going. You can double back at the next turn in the maze and leave a false path for them to follow.> Grant grunted in response to Sarge’s advice, and increased his pace. He found a likely spot to turn down, and paused to dig out another healing potion. After he took it, he would only have two left. Suki had the rest. <Thinking of Suki, you are going to have to find her soon. I’m sure she was victim to some sort of scam as well, and she might need your help.>

“Do you have any idea how far away she might be? I’m already lost.” Looking around, Grant was immediately struck by how difficult this was going to be. “These hedges are so tall and dense, there's no way to know where to go next.”

<I agree. You’re lucky to have such an amazing sword spirit by your side to help.> Grant quickly choked down the low-quality healing potion before sending a feeling of agreement toward the sword. He truly was lucky to have Sarge there to help, and it was strangely liberating to be just the two of them again. He hadn't noticed how worn out he was getting from constant contact with another person.

<Now, I can’t be one hundred percent sure, but I think you need to work your way this direction.> An orange arrow flashed into existence in Grant’s vision, pointing to the left. <She should have entered that way. If this place makes any sense at all, Suki has to be somewhere to the east, and not far.>

“Sounds good.” Grant had already doubled back to the gap in the hedges that was in the general direction he wanted to go. He paused to make sure he wasn’t leaving a trail of blood anymore, and started to head deeper into the twisting pathways. “Do you think we’ll come across anyone else in this mess?”

<It’s only a matter of time. A place like this would be perfect for bandits or thieves to set up shop, and District March is rife with bandits and thieves. At least here, they won’t be hiding behind rigged games of chance when they try to steal your Time.> Grant snorted in amusement. He certainly couldn’t argue with that; ever since entering the district, people had been trying to steal from him. Even having the chef level a knife at him had felt like coming home before Grant blew the place up.

Sarge fell silent, so Grant focused on his surroundings as he made his way east. The Labyrinth turned out to be more than just dense hedgerows. He passed by stone walls, small courtyard-like areas with fountains surrounded by multiple entrances, and more than one makeshift hut built into the walls of the maze. Each one was empty so far, but it was clear from half-hidden bedrolls and garbage littering the area that people had made this confusing place their home. Grant didn’t take the time to search for them, instead staying focused on following the arrows Sarge used to tell him where to go as the Labyrinth continued.

<I think I sense something ahead. Be careful.> A section of stone wall near the upcoming intersection was highlighted orange, so Grant moved to the opposite side of the path. This area wasn’t as narrow as some of the other places he had already worked his way through, meaning he had more room to maneuver if a fight broke out.

“You might as well come out. I know you’re there.” Grant put his back to the hedge opposite the wall. “I don’t want any trouble, so just let me pass on by, and everyone goes to sleep safe tonight.”

Instead of answering, a glob of acid flew straight at his face from the side of the wall.

<Mimic!> Sarge’s shout was the only warning he had as the entire wall fell toward him. Instead of fighting, the Wielder dove away. The glob of acid melted through the hedge where he had stood, and the thick stone wall slammed into the ground behind his heels.

Combat initiated

Action: Defend: Without Weapon.

Result: Enemy attack dodged.

Actions: Please select one option from the following list.

Attack: Lethal, Non-lethal, Spell.

Defend: With Weapon, Without Weapon.

Run: Attempt Escape.

<Run!> Sarge’s shout echoed in Grant’s mind, and he immediately did as the sword spirit ordered. A mimic was something he had only heard about, and stopping to fight one while people were still searching for him seemed like a bad idea. <Yes, but more importantly, now the Dokeshi’s men will have to deal with the mimic!>

Sarge chuckled as Grant put as much distance between himself and the monster as possible.

Condolences! Your new battle count moves from [5 Wins / 1 Losses] to [5 Wins / 2 Losses]. Remember, fate favors the bold!

“That one shouldn’t even count!” Grant was mumbling to himself, angry about the way the system graded events. “I don’t understand how this system keeps track of things.”

<Poorly, clearly. Welp, now that we’re in the next area, you should probably prioritize defeating the nearest Vassal in order to bring the system down.> Grant nodded in agreement, mostly because of how much he disliked how restrictive it was for his fighting style. <By the way, I don’t think you could have beaten that mimic on your own with the system messing with you. One hit from something that size, and you’d have been done for. You’ll need to be able to attack several times in a row and stay completely mobile to stay alive, much less defeat it.>

Grant shuddered, contemplating the impossibility of taking a single hit from the giant wall. Sarge paused to think while Grant made his way deeper into the maze of hedges and right-angled walls. <I think this region is intended to be traversed by a large group, not an individual. That might be why we were seeing such large collections of people standing at each of the gates. They must be planning to pass through here together.>

Grant could only agree. As much as it irked him, the mimic being so close to the entrance meant that he was in serious trouble. If most of the monsters in the maze were meant to be fought with a group… “Yeah, I need to find Suki.”