What came next for us after our escape from the harpy nest was an ascension to a flat, barren landscape that offered minimal food or shelter. It was inhospitable enough that only a handful of insects and rodents managed to survive.

We refrained from talking as we marched across the flatlands. Off in the distance every so often a hint of noise would ripple our way, yet what came next would only be more silence. By the time we reached the portal no harpies had shown themselves.

In truth it was a welcome lack of fighting. We had already been forced into dangerous situations time and again during our passage through the previous floors. One or two floors without a threat could only bring a needed respite.

Floor 39

The Ratnest

After we utilized the portal our location shifted again, from beneath a blazing sun into a darkened chamber. The dry air was replaced with moisture and coolness, while the new smells made one think of caves. All around us there was only a black that could not be seen through.

A lantern held by Adam flared to life to my left. The green light that it produced cast a brilliance over the ebon walls that surrounded us, and the illumination revealed where we were. We’d arrived within a crudely shaped dome made from stone. Slits had been built into the upper curve, which I could only surmise had been made for airflow and spying.

Squeaks could be heard from outside of the dome due to the slits. It was a noise that meant we had drawn the attention of the floor owners. Before anyone spoke Adam adjusted the lantern, the green flame produced dimming to a mere flicker. While we could barely make out the surroundings with the lessened light I already knew it was a necessary move on his part.

A loud clang made our entire group jump in surprise, before a metal door that had been built into the dome swung open. A figure that stood about four feet in height took up the main bulk of it, a plump ratman that glared at us all with beady black eyes. Whiskers that were obnoxiously long stretched away from a snout that sprung forth from the rodent face.

“Come on, come on,” the ratman said as he motioned to us all, “don’t have all night.”

I grasped Lisa’s hand with my own while we walked out of the dome. When we passed through Kuzu’s ears flattened, as the noise from outside became an unbearable cacophony. The roar of a thousand thousand ratmen hammered into us. It was impossible to distinguish anything amongst all of the arguments and yelling.

We had emerged into a massive underground cave. How large it was proved difficult to deduce, as only a handful of lights littered the city. Though it was a place of trade and commerce there were few visitors to the ratkin city due to the danger of the labyrinth.

“You staying or leaving or causing troubles?” the ratman who had let us out of the dome inquired. From out of the tattered rags that barely clung to his portly body a clipboard had appeared, one that looked quite devoid of any writing.

“We’ll be shopping for a short while,” I replied, before I led my daughter and Kuzu further into the Ratkin city. While it had been a bit abrupt I knew the rat would sit down and do nothing, as was common for the men in their society.

We barely made it far into the city before a loud cry of joy brought us to a stop. A thin and tall rat walked into view, with a small group of others in tow. At a glance I could tell they were female, the thin build and carefully cleaned fur the telltale signs.

“Lance,” crooned the leader of the group, “you finally came back!”

Out of all the things that could have happened a troupe of women showing up for Lance had been the furthest from my mind. I probably would’ve expected an armed resistance to our presence before that. I glanced in the direction of the brothers with one upraised eyebrow.

“Can you guys go on without me?” Lance scratched at his left ear, a somewhat embarrassed look on his face. “Gotta follow through with something I promised.”

“This wouldn’t have to do with that silver rights purchase?” Adam asked, though he was visibly amused.

“Yeah, uh, hey I’ll see ya later kay?” Lance half-asked of us before he was promptly dragged away by the ratwomen.

“Meet us at the portal when you’re done!” I yelled out to him.

“Are they going to go play games?” Lisa asked.

“Something like that,” I patted her on the head. “Let's get going, hopefully we can find what I need.”

The main entry into the city was a wide road that led toward the darkest sections of the cave. Every so often a small creature would flit overhead, some type of bat that nested somewhere in the interior. All of the buildings stood dark since the Ratkin thrived in the shadows. If not for the handful of little lanterns that hung outside some of the trade buildings the entire ratnest would’ve been a nightmare for most visitors.

Adam tightly gripped his rifle that he had carried through all the floors. “If you don’t mind I know a supplier on this floor who can help me out,” he said, “I’d like to check in and stock up.”

“Sure.” I gave a nod of my head. “Once I find a packrat I should be able to get what I want and then we’ll meet up at the portal?”

“Obviously.” Adam gave a shrug of his shoulders. Before he left he paused, as though debating mentally if he wanted to ask something, and then stalked away into the darkness.

“What’s a packrat?”

Kuzu’s question caused me to turn toward her, a smile on my face. “Lisa didn’t teach you that one?”

“Noooope,” Lisa chimed in, “I thought we would just dash through this place ‘cause it’s so dark and stuff.”

“My fault for not warning you, I suppose,” I admitted before I looked at Kuzu, “a packrat is a ratkin who specializes in gathering odds and ends from floor forty.”

“Why do you need one of them?”

Once again I began to walk through the city, my eyes occupied with looking at the signs outside of the buildings. “In order to use a shortcut I need to pick up skyrock, which packrats like to gather and barter.”

It was nearly an hour later before we found one of the packrat stores. As we walked through the city groups gathered to stare at us, amused perhaps by the presence of people they’d never seen before. A few of the younger rats even pointed at Kuzu’s ears and tail.

The store of the packrat was a squat building. Compared to the far larger ones next to it the entire feel made one think of a dirty and rundown place. The door hung loose on the frame while one of the windows was cracked. An odd smell permeated the place, a scent that made Kuzu refuse to go into the shop.

“Hello?” I offered in greeting as I walked in.

A clatter of metal came from deeper into the shop, and was followed by a voice. “What what! A customer,” squeaked out a male rat, “one moment! Moment!”

A few more loud noises resounded as the rat caused many an item to fall. Then a blinding light burst into view, a light blue color that erupted from a small marble that was grasped in the hand of the ratman.

“Augh, no no too bright!” the ratkin exclaimed before he stroked the marble with his fingers. The intensity softened to the point that only a subtle blue coated everything in the shop.

To call the ratman offensive to look at would’ve been a kindness. The snout which should have been long and straight was bent at an awkward angle, with some of his teeth sticking out in ways that meant he had to be in pain. The fur that normally coated the Ratkin was half there, some spots of it gone while what remained was smeared with scum.

“An avian glowstone?” I stared at the source of the light with wide eyes. The last I knew of the birds hated to share any of their hard crafted items such as that.

“Ah! You know huh? Yes, got this very carefully, had to make a few deals that cost me a lot but it’s my favorite so far. Not for sale though!” the ratman exclaimed as he held up one deformed finger.

“What’s wrong with him?” Lisa whispered to me.

“Lisa, you can’t say that,” I told her.

“No worry, I’m ugly,” the ratkin said before he cackled. He glanced with one white eye that oozed pus at my daughter. “My denma didn’t want me, let’s leave it like that. Now, what you want?”

I gently rubbed Lisa’s head to help reassure her that the odd looking rat wasn’t a threat. “I’m wondering if you have any skyrock for sale?”

“Skyrock isn’t all that easy to get, the vultures hate it when you take from them,” the merchant commented, “plus the rarity of it...I’d only be able to sell a small chunk for sixty reds.”

Reds? I could only cringe inwardly at the fact that they had changed their preferred means of exchange. When I’d lived they favored metals, primarily iron due to how rare it was for them. “I don’t have any money. Is there any other way?”

The ratkin studied me from top to bottom with his beady eyes, one gnarled finger toying gently with a whisker. The intense gaze of the merchant settled on my hip, and he pointed at my holstered gun. “That banger, you willing to trade that?”

I couldn’t resist the smile that crept onto my face at the terminology used by the rat. “This pistol should be worth more than a rock from the sky though,” I pointed out, even as I unholstered and presented it.

“Tss tss, course. Pick something else out of my shop, anything you want that’s for sale.”

“Lisa,” I said in a gentle tone, “pick anything you want.”

Her eyes shone at what I told her. “Really?”

With a simple nod of my head I confirmed it, and then turned my attention back to the ratman. In the background Lisa scurried into the depths of the shack. “Remember to be careful with this, it’s probably a bit stronger than most bangers you know of,” I cautioned him as I handed over the pistol.

“The design is different,” the ratman murmured to himself, “not even the vultures have something like this.”

“I would hope not.”

☗ ☗ ☗ ☗ ☗

It was about two hours later when we arrived at the portal. Kuzu and Lisa had talked about the packrat, as well as Lisa’s new necklace she’d picked up. Her excitement and need to show it off demonstrated how she seemed to have an unending stream of energy.

The ratkin kept a light guard near the portal. For the most part the guards looked bored, were quite fat, and ignored our existence. I had my own doubts that even if someone shouldn’t come near the portal they wouldn’t care.

“Yo!” called out Lance as he walked up the street near us, his left hand lifted in greeting.

To call his clothing dirtied would have been kind. The normal crimson red had been browned by mud and cuts were visible in the dark leather. Even his armguards made from the hardest material imaginable shone dully in the light.

“Lance!” Lisa bubbled with excitement as he approached us. She lifted up the necklace she’d gained and directed it at him. “Look at what daddy got me!”

“Hoo, ain’t that a nice thing?” Lance’s eyes sparkled in amusement at Lisa, though it was easy enough to tell he wasn’t all too impressed with the simple jewelry. The silver chain that had a simple ruby centered in it looked easy enough for an apprentice jeweler to make.

“You finished up with your friends?” Adam’s voice called out from the other side of the portal.

“Nothing to it.” Lance shrugged his shoulders, though a red hue creeped onto his cheeks. “Mind if we push along then?”

I chuckled at the interaction of the brothers. “Afraid that they’ll be coming back for seconds?”

He ignored me and brushed past to touch the portal with his left hand. Without another word he disintegrated, swept to the next floor by the magic of the labyrinth. It was an abrupt enough departure that even his brother was quiet for a few seconds.

“My sincerest apologies for Lance,” Adam offered before he too walked to the portal.

“There’s no need for that, Adam,” I told him. My hand reached out and touched the pulsating sphere. “Shall we then?”

Floor 40

The Aviary

Checkpoint Four

Our transfer to the next floor of the labyrinth was smooth, and when we formed all of us brandished our respective weapon of choice. My own weapon was only a sword now, given that I had relinquished the pistol in the previous trade. So long as nothing unexpected occurred I had little concern over that trade off.

Without warning Kuzu’s tail puffed up and her ears went rigid, while her eyes darted from left to right rapidly. Kuzu lowered her body into a battle ready position, one that made the rest of us quite wary of our surroundings.

“Kuzu?” I prompted her for an answer.

“We’re being watched by someone, I can feel it on my skin,” she murmured barely loud enough to be heard.

It was a response that made the brothers laugh, while I sheathed my own sword at my hip. “There’s nothing to worry about then,” I told Kuzu while I pointed up at the clouds, “look.”

Far above rested amongst the white there stood a single dark blemish. The width and height of it exceeded the town found on the first floor of the labyrinth, yet somehow still it hung there as though nailed into the heavens themselves. Across it a few dark dots could be seen that flitted around, patrols or people out for silly little flybys.

“The avians are keeping an eye on the entrance,” I informed Kuzu before I walked away from the group.

“That ain’t where the portal is!” Lance called out from behind me.

“I know, come on!” I responded.

Before I even said anything Kuzu and Lisa had already begun to follow me. Her tail still quite fluffed up, Kuzu’s gaze continued to linger on the city in the sky.

Our point of arrival on the floor had been a wide open section of land bereft of any plants or animals. A string of rocks had created a low circle, almost like a fence of stone, that had four exit points at the cardinal directions. Normally one would walk to the city of the Avians, as beneath where it floated the portal could be found.

Instead I led our group in the opposite direction, as we instead trekked across a grass plain that began to show signs of life. Small animals such as squirrels and moles became more common once the city was no longer in our line of sight, and even larger animals like deer began to appear.

We reached a grove of trees that bore white fruit that resembled apples. Even as we passed into it I paused to pick some of the fruit. I bit into the faux apples, enjoying the sour taste of the juice. Before long we finally reached my intended destination, one that brought many responses from my companions.

“What is that?”

“Ooohhh it’s pretty!”

“Ain’t that a sign of evil?”

“Row was right, it really exists…”

What floated serenely in the air a foot above the ground was a sphere, untouched by the ages. Across the surface ripples of pink and white fluttered while the deepest part of the object itself was crimson. Even the air itself around the ball had a hint of red, as though tainted by the magic of the unusual portal.

Lisa started to run toward it, a move I’d expected, and so I caught her in my arms and picked her back up. “Don’t touch it yet,” I told her before I glanced in the direction of Adam, “if you touch it at the wrong time you get randomly tossed through the labyrinth.”

It was a comment that drew Adam’s immediate attention. “So Row’s story about touching a red ball that sucked her and her parents away was true?”

“Yes. The Goddess put in these types of special portals, and then locked them with special keys. Without the right key and knowledge they’re more of a danger than anything to use.”

“The weird rock you traded for?” Kuzu asked as she stared at the portal.

“Exactly.” I couldn’t help but grin at how smart Kuzu had started to become. When we’d met she had floundered so horribly I had wondered if she could even survive against the fluffiest of monsters. “Once I touch the stone to the portal we’ll have a few minutes to pass through before it stops functioning again.”

“Let's do it then!” Lance exclaimed. “Where we going to get tossed? The highest floor?”

“I wish.” I walked up to the portal. With my free hand that wasn’t holding my daughter I pulled free the rock I’d purchased from the rat. “We’re going to the fiftieth floor. It’s a nice city with some friendly cat people. The nyanko.”

“Ten floors.” Adam shook his head. “Travelling with you is just one surprise after another isn’t it?”

When the skyrock touched the portal it sunk in as though the surface was made of water. The portal eagerly devoured it, sucking it from my hand with enough force that my fingers stung. With a bit of a start I stepped away from the portal and waited for a few seconds.

From where the stone had entered a spiral of colors began to flow out across the whole of the sphere. Soon a cascade of rainbows swirled around the entire orb, while the nearby plant life began to undergo a change of color.

“Time to go,” I informed the others while I put my hand against the sphere, “don’t hesitate, go now while we still can.”

The rest of the group ran to the portal and placed their hands on it. Adam and Lance had a nervous look on their faces while Kuzu’s showed not a hint of fear. Lisa, still held in my arm, reached out her own small hand and put it against what her mother had crafted.

Then we were gone.

Floor 50

The Enslaved And Forgotten

Checkpoint Five

We appeared in the park of a bustling city. All around us people moved, all too busy with their own lives to even pay attention to the new arrivals. Though we’d appeared in the middle of a park most of the trees were gone, the majestic spires of metal instead the only things reaching toward the skies.

The brothers groaned and in my arm Lisa squirmed, the feeling of the shortcut one that wore out the body and made one's muscles ache far worse than any ordinary workout would. Yet while they all complained in grunts and groans about their discomfort something else had caught my attention. The flash of information we got when we arrived on the floor.

It was then that I noticed the ornaments that the nyanko wore around their necks.

“Oh no,” I whispered as my body shuddered in fright.