Rachel stood sweating over me, catching her breath. Damn, she was pretty. I had to remind myself in that moment that she was straight, and that kind of did a combination with my loss and made me force out a growling sigh.
She stood back, withdrawing the spear and flipping it over, instead driving the butt into the dirt nearby me where there was now a divot. I heard her walk away and acquire her sword to sheathe it. The footsteps returned, and she reached down to me, obviously giving me a hand to get up. "Perhaps next-"
My spear clattered to the ground next to me as my view changed, and instead of a nondescript sky, I instead found myself staring at the ceiling of the House of Valor. Though I'd been prepared to pull myself up, I dropped back down and let myself fully reset my breathing. I'm not sure how long I laid there, but eventually my empty staring was interrupted.
"Two out of three is no mean feat," Caretaker said from somewhere nearby. I turned my head to find them, finding them floating next to a small table with various pieces of stone blocks - tablets maybe? It was hard to tell from my angle, so I used my elbows to push myself to a sitting position. Yeah, some sort of tablets.
"Yeah, but the reward was for three, no?" I shook my head. "I just wasn't good enough. Couldn't beat her."
"No warrior is without peer. No combatant without strengths or weaknesses."
"Yeah, but," I poked my spear, "isn't the point of this place to show my valor? My skill?"
"Skill is not Valor," they cut in quickly. "The two are entirely separate concepts."
I started pushing myself to my feet, using my spear as a brace. "What's the difference then?"
"Skill is simply proficiency. The ability one has to use techniques to accomplish outcomes." They held out one hand in front of them, palm up. "Valor is one's willingness to apply their will, regardless of skills or means. To try, despite success not being guaranteed, or even probable." They brought the second hand up the same way.
I guess it made sense. Still frustrating.
Finally standing, I had a better look at them. The stone tablets, four of them, all contained some sort of writing that I couldn't make out from this distance. The table they sat upon was a simple thing, really just four legs and a flat top, all made of wood. At my attention shifting, they beckoned me forward, bringing their hands down afterward. I shrugged and plodded towards them, ignoring the spikes of pain from stretching my cuts open. I reached the table, and finally was close enough to recognize the writing on each of the tablets, and all four spoke of different concepts.
The first indicated 'A Boon of Hearth and Home'. Simply that, no more, no less. The second said 'A Boon of Dirt and Stone'. The third was 'A Boon of Skin and Bone.' Finally, different from the rest, the fourth said simply, 'Reward.'
"Are these not all rewards? I thought I only got rewards from winning all three matches?"
"Thy reward for winning all three bouts would have been two of these Boons and one unique prize from the House of Valor. Instead, having defeated two, thy reward is two of these Boons. The 'Reward' offered in this case is a rarity, but it is of mine own choice to offer, as well as its contents."
"So, uh, what is the Reward then? What are these Boons?"
They smiled widely, staying silent.
"Of course." I looked over the tablets, thinking about it. The Boons would have to be good, but nothing I couldn't get elsewhere apparently. Rachel would be getting two of these plus whatever unique reward she wanted, so not all was lost, but I definitely was still super bummed about having lost. With this as the consolation though, it wasn't so bad. Honestly, my best bet would be to go for a boon and that Reward. I'd only really been disappointed with my reward once in this labyrinth, that being the shitty book, but otherwise, it'd done me right. Skin and Bone? Kinda creeped me out, honestly. It was probably something that would strengthen me or something, but something about it put me off.
Hearth and Home was tempting. It might be really usable in the Sanctuary. My morale wasn't endless - obviously, given the amount of crying I've already done here - and it would be good to have a creature comfort. Or easier cooking, or spices, or what the fuck ever it might be. They were all vague to the point of annoying, but that was becoming a little normal to me, just like everything else hiding so much from my perception. Dirt and Stone could be nice? Maybe some plants? Furniture? But, I wasn't planning on staying at this temple. I was going to leave eventually, as soon as possible, honestly. I liked how I'd set things up, but it's clearly a hideaway, not a home. Dirt and Stone sounded quite permanent.
So, really, the best choices for me were Hearth and Home, followed by whatever the 'Reward' was. Worst case, I got something useless, but I'm not sure I really have any expectations as for what the rewards in the Labyrinth might be. But, whatever, I was losing time. Wait, was I? I still hadn't confirmed whether time moved normally between the Labyrinth and Avare. I wondered for a moment how to square that circle before shaking my head. "Later," I muttered to myself. Instead, before I let choice paralysis set in by second and third and fourth guessing myself, I pointed at the Boon of Hearth and Home.
"Understood." Caretaker moved over and placed an ethereal hand on the tablet, and for a moment nothing happened. I raised an eyebrow, but a light began to shine through as something small apparated from the tablet, like they were pulling it out from the stone. It didn't take long, though. The item they retrieved was small and oblong, not unlike a nicely tumbled piece of orangish calcite half the size of a lumpy softball. Caretaker palmed the item, and held it out to me reverentially. I took it and inspected it more closely. It was still very orange in color, but no, with it in my hand, I didn't think calcite was quite right. Quartz maybe? Some weird adjacent thing in Avare? I didn't want to scratch up my spear to check. I may or may not have had a rock phase as a kid, and I was pretty sure quartz was a lot harder than calcite, but it'd been over a decade since I really cared about that stuff. Either way, this was a really chunky piece, but it wasn't the only significant part.
The opposite 'side' of where I'd been holding it was slightly warm. Not in the 'just being held' warmth kind of way but in the 'radiating heat' kind of way. I flipped it over and saw what made the difference. There, etched into it with some sort of bluish material, was a rune of some sort. I'd have said letter, but it was intricate, like symbols within symbols intricate. It glowed slightly. "So, ah, what is this?"
"That is a Scrubstone. In the presence of sufficient water, it can approximate the cleaning effects of a full-body bath."
Oh, fuck. Actual cleanliness. Actual fucking cleanliness. Something I was already dearly missing from earth. Going so long without getting properly squeaky clean was making me feel so goddamned grody. Sure, I could kind of approximate a sponge bath using the fountain, but this promised to be an actual complete clean. I was suddenly very, very glad for my choice, and very, very glad that I had been able to pick it despite not winning every challenge set before me. I grinned while I sprinted over to my bags and shoved the Scrubstone inside, bringing them all back with me. It was nice to not have the weight on me while I was fighting, but there was a little bit of a pleasant heaviness to realizing that my supplies were within arm's reach. "How do I use it?"
They cocked their head at that. "The same way one would use any other enchanted item. A small application of mana, of course."
I nodded. Just like my fountain, or the lights. I very much looked forward to using this thing to get the gunk off. Who knew how much came with me from the labyrinth, but given it restored the worst parts of my injuries and clothes (sometimes?) I likely would be coming back with some grossness. "Thank you, caretaker."
"It is simply my purpose. Please, choose your final item," they intoned, sweeping a hand across, indicating the remaining tablets. I narrowed my eyes.
"Could I take Hearth and Home again?"
A wan smile. "Yes."
I let out a hum as I processed that, but ultimately knew that I needed to go with the possibility of more. That's what got me here. Not the safe choice, but the interesting, exciting one.
Sometimes.
"I'll take the 'reward' then."
Caretaker's smile turned far more genuine, though with the lack of features on their face I couldn't really tell the proper emotion that drove the change. "Wonderful! I am so rarely allowed to exercise autonomy. Your reward, then... is that you may, once you have grown enough, retake these trials from the beginning."
Before I could blink, before, I could respond, I found myself staring at the wall in the portal room back at the temple. "That is incredibly annoying. I've half a mind to think it's on purpose." I chuckled. "Is this what the commissioner feels when the knight disappears on him?" The chuckle turned into a laugh, and I turned around to start on my way out. All my stuff was on my person, so I could just head back up and back to the Sanctuary. I stopped by the freezer and took out a small bit of mystery meat to have tomorrow and returned to my makeshift 'home.'
Nothing seemed to have changed during my absence, thankfully. There was now always a spot in the back of my mind that was wary of Nathan, but with everything Just So, it hadn't seemed like he'd been around. Besides, if we'd been correct, Rachel was closer to him than me. I shuddered, guilty about being happy that she was between me and him, but nothing I could really do about it except for what we already planned to do.
But first, I had a stone to use. I peeled off my clothes, ripped up and tattered, tossing them to once side of the fountain. One section of tossed undergarments later, I sat down naked next to it, hoping however much water here was enough to use the Scrubstone. I brought it up and held it to my chest, while also letting my other hand drift into the water next to me. With a deep breath, I pushed some of my mana into it.
It took more than the lights, enough that I could feel a bit of energy leave me. Maybe half as much as a Spark, but still, substantial. But a whirl of energy flowed around me, feeling faintly of how mint tastes, and it was as if I had soaked in a wonderful bathtub and stepped out. Which meant, of course, I was sopping wet. I sucked air through my teeth as I found my drying cloak and did my best to remove the sudden chill of the fresh air, but it was so, so worth it. My skin felt great, my hair was no longer a greasy mess, and it was almost like I'd shed my entire top layer of skin with how much less 'covered' I felt. Thankfully, it's harder to notice after a couple days, but blood, sweat, and dirt really don't make for the best skincare routine.
A short while later, bundled up with my cloak, I waddled outside the Sanctuary. It was so well lit that it'd been a little hard to tell, but the sun was indeed dropping across the mountains to the west of me, indicating that I'd spent at least a full day within the labyrinth. I shuddered. I'd spent the morning running from undead, then fighting masses of enemies, and reconnected with Rachel and subsequently had her beat my ass. Maybe not beat my ass beat my ass, but she beat my ass.
I could see that tiny little moon peeking over the mountaintops to the east, smiling as I spotted it. It always seemed like it was trying so hard beside its ridiculously proportioned siblings. Seriously, physics had to be on hold somewhere, because the size of big red alone should be impossible, either due to proximity or size. I went ahead and grabbed some of my jerky to bring with me while I sat down outside of the Sanctuary. Even though it was a little chilly, I found myself reveling in the way that nature actually worked here. I could hear the insects getting ready for a busy night, see the light breeze brushing through the trees, and smell the soil and life around me. It definitely put a stark contrast to the unpleasantly fake forest of the labyrinth.
I must have dozed off, because when I started awake, blackness had almost completely overtaken the sky. Tonight, in addition to the little moon, big red was back, along with a vaguely yellow moon that I hadn't seen before. "How many damn moons does this planet have?"
Of course, nothing answered my muttered question. I was alone in this place, at least for now. I realized that I shouldn't fuck up my sleeping schedule too badly, and returned to the Sanctuary where I gathered up my bedding, turned out the lights, and resumed my rest for the evening.
Sometime in the morning, I awoke to some sort of tapping. It was far off, very hollow and weak, but enough that it managed to reverberate through my bedding. Not enough to really get the adrenaline pumping, but definitely piqued my curiosity. I stretched and stood, remembered I'd headed to bed in the buff, and took to dressing. I pulled my underthings on, unhappy with myself that I hadn't also washed them last night, but I didn't really want to get started on today while going commando. No, it didn't take me long to pinpoint the direction of the tapping, which was from the collapsed hallway. Two plus two equals four, meaning Rachel had likely already started on excavating her side. I couldn't just sit around and let her do it, either. Not only should I help, but I wanted companionship faster, which meant doing the work.
I did my stretches, contemplated putting any more clothes on, but decided against it. The meat I'd gotten out before was pretty much defrosted so I placed it within my cooking pot to protect it from insects and stuff, and got to work.
The collapsed tunnel was a mess, an absolute jumble of stone and dust that promised hell to anyone attempting to clear it. My tour was ready to go, though, so I looked to see where I could be most effective. That tap-tap-tap was gone, so Rachel was taking a break or something, and I used the quiet as an opportunity to set up my game plan. My biggest worry was structural integrity. If this place had caved in, that meant that it was probably going to be difficult to just clear a path. How could I create a path while mined out... mine. I whacked my head, and turned around. Starting on the stone pile right now was stupid. What I needed was a series of supports to hold up the walls and ceiling while we excavated, which meant that I should take my time getting wood to do so. Instead of digging, I took out my axes and spent the afternoon getting myself timber for the endeavor, which was way harder than I thought it'd be.
Like, felling a tree is one thing. Dad and I had done it a couple times, so I knew all about how to chop out one side of it, and then a little of the other so that you could apply leverage, et cetera et cetera, but I'd never really had to take care of the logs afterward. They were heavy, and while splitting them for firewood wasn't too difficult, making sure I could get them back properly while still being big enough for supports would be a challenge. Not like I could just run to the store and get some two by fours. No, I had to run back to the hallway, measure it by tying a knife to my spear, and using that as a general tool to get the height I needed.
Of course, several hours later, I was left with a huge log of the right height, but way too fuckin' big for me to handle. That meant I was going to have to chop it up into a couple pieces, which, you know, was reasonable. More supports was better than one support, even smaller. Spreading stuff out was stronger. So I took to chopping that up properly, which ate up pretty much the rest of the day. Lumberjack, thy name is Allison.
Which, of course, reminded me of the fact that I hadn't even gone to check out the Lens, being too excited to get to see my... friend? Acquaintance? Ally? Whatever. Being too excited to have some company to even think about stuff like my levels. I realized I should get that done sooner rather than later so my woodworking wouldn't tie in too much towards the stuff I was offered. I jogged back, yowled when I almost pulled a muscle, and set the fire going to start cooking my mystery meat and potato stew soon.
The Lens room waited me, silent as ever, as I picked up the Lens itself and waited for the interface to appear. A grin found my face as I saw that Two Level awaited me (that grammar was still incredibly annoying despite what it meant.) Maybe not huge, but given how things had been going, level 10 promised to be at least of some significance. I tapped it, eager to get started.