Lament of the Slave

Chapter 123: Lecture

I can't say I went to the platform at Labyrinth Square brimming with much enthusiasm. My head was killing me, and I felt like I'd just been run over by a train. The weight bracelets on my wrists and ankles seemed so heavy today. Even though they only raised my felt weight by ten percent, I would love to take them off and feel lighter. It would have been so fucking great, except Deckard would have noticed right away. Speaking of the devil, I sure was in for a lecture once he finds out what I did with my skills.

Not how I pictured today.

You'll reap what you sow, won't you?

Well, ready or not, I was bound to face the consequences of last night. So I pushed my way through the smear of the seekers, who seemed to have forgotten yesterday's success of mine, reaching the platform and getting within sight of Deckard not long after. He stood there casually with his hands in his pockets, all too aware of my presence.

The amusement in his eyes at the sight of me was plain to see.

"Hi!"

He responded with a raised eyebrow at the grumbled greeting I gave him. "No 'good morning'? Last time, you were annoyed that I didn't give you one."

"It would have to be one."

"Not off to a good start, huh?"

Giving him a long, intent stare was a mistake. My brain throbbed with pain. "You know that damn well!" My comeback was a little snider than I meant it to be.

"True, I know that crestfallen look and can see the pain behind your eyes. You don't have to tell me to know you'd rather be anywhere else than here," Deckard said, enjoying my suffering too much. "The droopy ears, the lax wings, and the tail trailing lazily behind you are typical of terrans suffering from a hangover. Also, a sign that you had fun last night."

"What happened, anyway?"

"Do you want me to tell you here or...?"

I looked around at the Seeker vanishing into the depths of the Fallens Cry, waiting for their teammates or returning from it with their loot. None of them showed any noticeable interest in us, but I knew better. They didn't have to stare at us with their ears open. All it took was one skill, and they could hear and perceive everything Deckard and I were talking about.

Did I want them all to hear about my nightly misadventures? Definitely not!

"Let's go!" I said, to which Deckard gave me 'I thought so' look and an amused nod. A few moments later, we were engulfed in white light and disappeared from the platform in the center of Labyrinth Square.

One seemingly not very important thing about the transfer into the depths of the Labyrinth slipped my mind. Every time I teleported across the platforms to the first floor, Traiana's cries echoed through my head. Normally not much worth mentioning as the soft wail faded away within a few breaths.

Now the cry hammered my head with such force it made my knees buckle. If I didn't know better, I'd say Traiana was wailing right in my ear. Without any hesitation, I deployed [Indomitable Will] to stop this vicious mind assault only to find it, to my dismay, utterly useless. As always, the skill did not classify this cry as an attack. And believe me, I've tried blocking it before.

While struggling to work out how to defend myself, I thought of Blaine. Perhaps it was just like the pain that he claimed my skill, with training, should be able to block, but it was too late for me to learn that now that I was suffering.

With my mind clouded by the cry, I lifted my teary eyes from the ground to look at Deckard for help, only to stop and gape in disbelief ahead. There in the grass hung a misty haze shining white like the runes of the Labyrinth. Pain forgotten, I stared at the ghostly apparition of Traiana.