Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Kara Veria
White light faded as the eyes of the expeditionaries adjusted to the sudden change in the world. A wooziness overtook the bulk of them as many got on their knees and let out the contents of their stomach on the ground. The ones that were somewhat used to it only lost some of their balance and felt a slight pang in their skulls.
The place where the teleportation had brought them was the mountainous forests of Kara Veria. Around the vast clearing that made up the receptor end of the teleportation circle, the adventurers that had discovered the place stood on guard.
Immediately, a man with a handlebar mustache stretching a quarter of a meter out of his face neared the group. And the four leaders assigned to the expeditionaries walked over to him.
Lady Kristine was to manage the knights, Grandmaster-ranked Schukopf the wizards, Simon the archaeologists and the non-combatants, and Hermes to lead the adventurers and the expedition as a whole.
"Ohhoho!" The man approached, stroking his mustachio. "It is great to have such a skilled team coming over to the labyrinths. The energy signals our wizards detected was just too abundant for us to attempt peeking into."
"No worries now, Mr.Handler. We'll be taking care of this," Hermes spoke. "All of you, please regroup with your regiments and prepare to set out in half an hour. Mr. Handler, let us go and take in the sights of the labyrinth, yes?"
"Hoho! Sure!"
"Isaac," Hermes called. "You come too."
Isaac, enjoying the breeze with a face that was flatter than the plains surrounding the mountains, nodded at Hermes' words and walked over.
At the same time, the leaders around Hermes started to walk away.
And then, it happened.
Like two flakes of snow sticking together on a windless day, Isaac and Kristine's shoulders lightly brushed against each other.
All the expeditionaries and the adventurers present before hand stopped and stared, fear and confusion in their eyes. After all, thirty-five chapters later, was there even a need to mention the animosity that the two of their families held? Probably not.
Without a word, Isaac stopped and turned back, and so did Lady Kristine. Their eyes met.
And the two of them lightly bowed.
Turning back again, Isaac removed his coat yet once more.
"Brutal."
"That's lord Isaac for you."
"I bet he'll burn this and throw it in the ground like before."
Instead, Isaac placed the coat back in his case in a solo hidden compartment and pulled out yet another, as if the case was a four dimensional pocket and he a cat robot.
The lady too, kicked off her pauldron and shoved it away.
"Wow, tit for tat?"
"I bet those two are going to curse their things."
"It's too brutal for normal people to see."
Of course, what they actually were thinking was.
'HETOUCHEDITHETOUCHEDITHETOUCHEDITHETOUCHEDITHETOUCHEDITHETOUCHEDITHETOUCHEDITHETOUCHEDITHETOUCHEDIT.'
And.
'SHETOUCSHEDITSHETOUCHEDITSHETOUCHEDITSHETOUCHEDITSHETOUCHEDITSHETOUCHEDITSHETOUCHEDITSHETOUCHEDITSHETOUCHEDIT.'
Two family heirlooms were added in their lineage that day.
"Yeah, you alright friend?" Asked Hermes, slightly terrified at the nonchalance Isaac's face and actions held.
Isaac merely nodded, and off the three set away from the clearing. They passed by the fluttering greens and the towering browns of the woods in the mountains as Mr. Handler guided the two toward a cliff.
At the edge of the rising mountain where the height of the clouds felt too low, streaks of white mist covered their sight. The grass and the trees were dampened dark and the sky below seemed a swirl of blue and grey.
There, at the bottom, a tempest of grim energy swirled, circled by the rising mountains of Kara Veria. Where the mountain valley should have been, where lakes and rivers should have flown and where bountiful flowers should have grown…
Was the labyrinth formed around the vessel of a god.
"This is worse than I thought…" muttered Hermes. "Isaac, will you be able to fight?"
Isaac slowly stroked his hair back.
He had long since left the battle stage.
After a death that shook his core, he had left the battle stage.
But Isaac wasn't unaware.
The face of the Dame here that held every corner of his heart flashed in his mind.
"Of course," he said. "I may have stepped away, but the Mage of Milleniums isn't dead yet."
It was time to set foot in the most dangerous labyrinth they were to face.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Chestnutriceeee
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Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone