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The Labyrinth by Pent Ghelsburg

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to people alive or dead is purely a coincidence. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. There is some minor suggestive content. You have been warned.

"Only those who risk going too far

can find out how far they can go."

-TS Elliot

A shining palace stands before you. Its golden gates are wide open for any adventurer willing to pass through the opening. On either side of the door stand two guards. They do not seem offset by your approach. Their weapons remain idle at their sides. You look up at the building before you. It is far too tall to see the spire and yet you are not bothered by it. Slowly you step into the opening, ready for whatever its confines might present you. You stand at the ready preparing the brave the unknown.

Ronny was a young boy who lived on the outskirts of the Kingdom. He lived a humble life among some of the merchant class of the realm. The retriever himself was an apprentice tailor who was renowned for his skills in repairing garments. There was nothing in the realm of fashion that he couldn't fix and when something was torn or otherwise ruined, he was the person whom many considered the problem solver. Although he was only 12, his assistant had treated him well and he was even skilled enough to work as his own craftsman.

Ronny did not work alone though. Like most of the other craftsman in the marketplace, he had an aid rather than a master. He wasn't quite old enough to be a master himself and he was far too busy to work on the volume of projects he was receiving on a regular basis. As such his parents had hired him an assistant, his older brother whom he was quite close with. The teen was only a year older than he was and they have both grown up learning the trade from their father. Since they were rather advanced for their age, it was decided they could run the guild on their own.

It had been about a year since they started working on their own. Little did they know that Ronny and Joey began the business in earnest. Their station in the bazaar was just removed from the open-air market side of town. Each young man shared in the responsibilities of home life and both were more than able to make ends meet. The two even went as far as assigning tasks to one another in order to make sure the more mundane chores were done.

One day there was a knock at the door. Ronny was the closest to the door, so he put down what he was working on and head in the direction of the entrance. Once he opened the door, he saw someone he didn't recognize. It was a tall woman holding some sort of scroll in her palm. She was of the avian clan which meant she most likely upper class. Her legs were long and her feathers white, she seemed to be a crane. She began to speak without waiting for the young man's own interaction.

"I come here with an invitation from the royal family. Their majesties have been so kind to task our town's tailor with finding an artifact of the greatest importance. It is essential it is returned to their chambers. Should you succeed, you will be handsomely rewarded." The bird closed the scroll and patiently waited for an answer.

Ronny hesitated in answering for a moment, unsure of what to say. "I mean...I can't really say no but can I bring a friend?"

"There are no rules that forbid a partner. Should you chose to brave the task, the artifact is located is in the labyrinth beneath the castle. I shall take you to its entrance if you accept." The bird straightened out her dark purple gown

Ronny called out. "Hey, Joey come to hear what this avian has to say."

The older retriever wasn't long before he arrived. Once he did, the younger boy shared the information with him. The bigger brother wasn't sure what to make of it but smiled a bit as considered being honored by the royal family, which was a big ordeal in the Kingdom.

"We're in!" Joey blurted out without much thought into the matter.

The woman smiled. "Very well. You shall not forget this. We shall provide you supplies at the entrance. Please follow me."

She waited for a moment outside the door as the two teens went back to gather some things they considered essential. When they returned, she was ready for them.

The trio made their way outside the door into the town itself. It was a small part of town so there weren't many people around. But as they approached the main city, it became more congested. The center of the Kingdom was quite large and the palace on the horizon made it even more obvious where they were. Everyone in the center of the place was avian so the two canines being present gave them some wary looks as they made their way through.

The three made rather quick progress through the city. The crane kept herself in front so that the populace knew who they were with. As they approached the silvertine palace, they continued to walk behind it. Now they were in the shadow of the building, the heat of the sun wasn't as noticeable. In the rear of the castle, they found themselves in a gated opening. The woman approached it and pulled out a key from her pocket.

"We're here. The labyrinth is underneath. You will find a bag of provisions within." The woman handed each of them a bell."

"Ring this bell if you find yourself in a dire situation. Good luck. Do not let their majesties down." The crane stood idly while waiting for them to go inside.

Ronny and Joey made their way past the crane. Once they made their way inside the entrance some of the nearby torches lit up. It seemed they were triggered by their own movement. The retriever was a little surprised by this and jumped a little bit but only the first time it happened.

"Good luck, may the gods be with you." The woman shut the gate behind them and began to walk away.

After a short distance inside the two young teens found two small backpacks inside. Each of them took one, not really worrying about what was inside them.

As they looked around the interior of the place they could see it was made from primarily limestone. It smelt of dank air that hadn't circulated much. Through the small narrow corridors of the hallway. After a while of walking straight, the path forward seemed to end and they were presented with a choice of going right or left. It was still quite well lit but neither of them could see any indication of where to go.

Joey reached over to grab his friend's paw and quickly pulled him to the left. This caught Ronny off guard and put him off balance.

"Hey, what the heck!" the smaller male yelled out as he was yanked to the side.

The retriever breathed heavily. "You were almost crushed! Look....you gotta pay more attention."

The bigger male pointed back and Ronny reverted his gaze backward. Sure enough, the wall had closed in rather suddenly.

"Wow...I didn't even notice...Thanks!" The puppy leaned in to hug his friend in appreciation.

Joey rolled his eyes. "It's alright. I'm glad you're okay. Let's keep going. Just be careful."

The two broke the hug and continued to walk forward. With some of the lights cut off from behind them, it was a little darker but there was still enough light to illuminate the area. The path continued forward for a while before making a turn but this time there was no choice.

As they completed the turn, the narrow path led into an open area. It was some sort of room with a pedestal at the center of it. Joey and Ronny made their way towards it. Around the small stand were 6 lanterns that were not yet lit. The dog walked towards them and examined them while the retriever looked on with a more concerned gaze. Joey was sure something was up with the room and began to look around for signs of a trap.

In the meanwhile, the smaller male ran his left paw over the length of the base of the stick holding the unlit lantern up. It was smooth and there were no signs of any sort of switch that might turn on. He continued to do the same with two of the other lanterns. As he started to walk towards the final one, his foot triggered a pressure sensor in the floor. His paw depressed a little bit into the descended tile as one of the lanterns lit up.

"Hey look! It lit up. The switches are somewhere on the floor." The dog announced with glee.

Joey rushed over and saw that this was the case, feeling better about the situation now. "Great! Keep at it."

"You get that side of the room and I'll get this one.'" Ronny called out in a semi-loud tone.

The two began prancing around the room, careful to hit every single tile with some of the weight of their foot. After a few minutes of fooling around with the tiles, they still had only managed to light two of the lanterns. Ronny was getting a little frustrated as he felt they had covered much of the room. Joey was now at one of the far walls and was quite exasperated from all the hopping around. Now that he was near the wall he laid back against it, wanting nothing more than to take a break.

As he did the tile directly behind the weight of his back depressed and third lantern lit.

"The walls have tiles too...try them out!" Joey yelled over to his friend who was on the other side of the room,

The dog nodded and immediately understood as he rushed to the wall to begin pressing at the wall tiles. Eventually, the final tile depressed and the final lantern lit.

When it did, the pedestal at the center began to rise onto a platform. An audible sound of stones rearranging resounded through the chamber as the material scraped against each other. It rose just high enough that a pillar was erected from the center of a single step. Both young teens approached it with caution but soon they were close enough to touch it. Ronny reached out to touch it. As he did, the small pillar descended and the familiar sound of earthen rubble scraping together resounded through the chamber.

Looking around, the two young teens couldn't see where the sound was coming from. A moment later the floor beneath them began to shift. The stones collapsed and sent both of them falling down below. The two began to scream. No longer was it well lit, all they knew that they were falling. The feeling of rushing wind brushed against their sides as they fell for a few moments. Fortunately for them, the descent was soon brought to a stop as their body crashed into a lake.

They emerged from the body of water, coughing up the water that had entered their mouths upon entrance. The area was filled with a luminescent blue light that allowed them to see their way inside the chamber. Once they were out of the water they shook abruptly in an effort to get some of the water off their bodies. However, their clothing was soaked and it didn't do them much good as they made an attempt to get dry.

It didn't do much good but it was more a habit than anything else. The two friends continued walking past the lake. They could hear running water, which surely must have been the source of what fed the indoor pond. Joey made a waving gesture in an effort to get Ronny to go in the direction of where he thought was the smartest decision. The retriever thought that the stream leading into the pond would be a good route to follow, besides the only other direction seemed too dark to take advantage of at least from what he could tell.

The dog made his way over and the two began to travel down the length of the small stream. It was a slow-moving source of what, but it still gave off an audible sound that steadily grew louder and louder. It seemed they were moving closer to whatever was feeding the water into the labyrinth. Fortunately for them, the strange azure glow continued to generate from the core from the center of the stream. After several minutes of walking, they finally found near the end of the stream as the sound of the rushing water became much more obvious.

They looked ahead and sure enough, there was a waterfall in front of them. The same strange blue light coursed from within. It was now much brighter than before and it was obvious this is what gave the rest of the water its glow. The two young teens stared at it a moment. Luckily it wasn't bright enough to blind them or otherwise blur their vision. However, they found themselves at a dead-end, and immediately Joey felt upset about leading them this way and hung his head down a little bit.

Ronny wasn't so down about the situation and jumped back in the water. He swore he could see something hidden behind the light but he wasn't sure what it was. The dog jumped into the water, not worrying about getting wetter than he already was. He waded into the water and began to walk towards the waterfall. Joey watched from afar not sure what his friend was doing but not afraid enough to do anything about it. The dog pushed himself forward through the rushing water, getting his body fully soaked in the process.

The dog was a strong-willed fellow and didn't let the crashing water deter him as he continued to make progress a little at a time. Eventually, he was close enough that the full force of the waterfall was cascading onto his body. He lurched forward all at once and reached out, his paw fully extended out, and touched a button beneath the sheet of water. Within moments a different sound echoed through the chamber once again.

It was the sound of earthen rock scraping each other. The waterfall began to part ever so slightly and the two young teens watched with eager anticipation as the way in front of them opened for them to pass through. The water was now parted but still maintained its fluid pace. Joey soon jumped in the water after his friend, no longer seeming disheveled and having forgotten about his apparent failure. Ronny smiled and reached out to grab the others paw to help him through the water.

As they made their way through the water, fall they found themselves in yet another open area. This time the only lighting came from behind but it was more than enough to dimly lit the room with the azure hue generated from the button behind them. In front of them was a flat wall with the tapestry of the late departed queen. Her long and elegant wings were unmistakable. She was known as the venerable falcon. Right in front of it was a huge statue of her with her wings bent over as if pointing towards something.

The two canines walked forward towards where the statue. Sure enough right beneath it was a small book. It was closed with a luscious and dark purple cover.

"Is this...it? The retriever approached the book and put his paw on it.

The dog went right by him and picked it up. "I guess so?"

The moment both of their hands touched the book, a bright light flashed down and blinded them. The two young teens covered their eyes in a last-ditch effort to protect their vision. An immense heat began to beat down on them making them feel rather uncomfortable for a few seconds.

After a short event of feeling stunned the two found themselves to be able to see again. The light had died out and within a few seconds, the warm sensation they had experienced only moments ago also went away. Once they could see again, they found themselves in the center of the throne room. Its golden columns and crimson banners scrolled across the room and on the walls. In front of them sat the King who looked upon them in surprise.

"I see you have accomplished your task. Well done." The tall peregrine falcon stood up and snapped his finger.

When he did a young Pidgeon boy appeared to give him a small silver box. The falcon took it and the smaller bid bowed. Slowly the King approached the two younger teens with the box in his hand. Once he was close enough he opened the box and revealed two medals inside. Again he snapped and the Pidgeon boy came over again to fetch the book. After the book was taken from them, the tall King draped each of them a medal over their necks.

"Congratulations. You have served the kingdom well. Now you may return home heroes." The few people around the perimeter of the room clapped.

Joey and Ronny billowed with pride as they smiled. The two shook hands and then bowed to the king. The falcon turned around and walked back to his throne next to his wife. After he saw back down he brushed off the two canines seeming disinterested in them now. Two guards came to show them out. Still, the two young teens were happy with what they had accomplished even if it didn't mean it would raise their status in life.

Once they were returned home, the guards that escorted them gave them a nice slab of meat for a meal. It was yet another reward for a job well done. Mooshy and Ronny were suckers for the stuff and it wasn't every day they got red meat since it was very expensive. The two ended up cooking the thing together since it was an all-day ordeal. However, the entire time they recounted their day seeming to have enjoyed the short adventure they had together. They couldn't help but wonder. Would it happen again?