《The Mansion in the Maze》


 1. The Maze and the Mansion

    It was said that deep in the woods stood a mansion, six floors high, surrounded by a giant fence maze. The maze was reported to be ten feet tall and composed of a chain-link fence crafted from the strongest metal imaginable. Supposedly, entering the maze was quite easy; exiting the maze was quite another story. No one had been able to solve the maze thus far. Everyone who had attempted would eventually make their way back home, exhausted and downtrodden after having been lost in the maze for days.


    One would naturally conclude that the owner of the mansion must have had a strong desire for privacy to have gone through all the trouble of crafting such a maze. However, the mansion had no apparent owner; tales of the empty mansion with the fence maze had been circulating for decades. The legend indicated that whoever was able to conquer the maze would become the new owner of the property.


    Of course, research suggested that there was no solution to the maze. There had been those who were desperate enough to solve the maze that they sought out a way to chart it from above. For the ones who were successful in finding a tall tree to climb, or a nearby vantage point, or a contraption of their own, they found that the maze was much too complicated and dimly lit to be properly viewed in detail. Of maps drawn by these scheming individuals, no two are the same. That being said, they do all have one thing in common: there is no solution to the maze, and no opening at all that leads to the mansion.


    Just climb the fence, you say? Bring a ladder, or even just scale the chains? Brilliant idea! So brilliant, in fact, that it had been attempted many, many times. Sadly, as found out by the poor individuals who made such an attempt, the fence is covered in razor-sharp spikes, which means that touching it was out of the equation. The fence is also quite slippery; those who have tried to climb it while covered in armor have had no success in getting a grip on the thing.


    Bring a ladder? Yes, you could get over the fence that way ¨C or at least, the first layer. Once you¡¯ve passed the first wall, however, how are you to get over the next one? Your ladder is now on the other side. Could you just carry the ladder until you reach the innermost layer, then climb over to reach the mansion? Perhaps you could if you could reach the innermost layer. So far, the closest anyone had gotten was still three layers away from the mansion.


    With all the knowledge I have about this mansion and its maze, I must sound like a fellow enthusiast. Not so! While I admit to finding the whole mystery to be rather intriguing, I had no interest in inheriting a building that has been uninhabited for nearly a century and had surely fallen into disrepair. Upon pointing this out to enthusiasts, however, I had been informed that the mansion was allegedly protected by some form of enchantment that kept its structure intact.


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    There had been plenty of speculation about the mansion itself, though of course, no one had ever seen the inside ¨C or at least, no one still living. The windows, though large and plentiful in number, seemed to be covered in a thick layer of dust or grime or something else that prevented anyone from seeing through. Predictably, that did not stop people from creating stories about what the inside contained. The most common theory I had heard was that the mansion was a fully furnished luxury home in perfect condition, needing no restoration work ¨C or in some versions, needing only a light cleaning to account for the dust and cobwebs that had built up. Nearly as common, but far less exciting, was the theory that it was simply a dilapidated abandoned building filled with rotting furniture, completely overtaken by pests and rodents, and in need of complete rebuilding in order to be inhabitable once again. This was the theory I had subscribed to.


    It was for that reason that I didn¡¯t care to attempt to best the maze and infiltrate the mansion. Many expected me to ¨C after all, I had bested countless monsters by combining careful strategy with brute force, so why couldn¡¯t I do the same to the maze? Even if I didn¡¯t want the mansion, couldn¡¯t I just figure out how to get to it, then sell it to the highest bidder? No, I didn¡¯t think so. I wasn¡¯t foolish enough to think I was more skilled than any of the other countless people who had tried so desperately to get through. For one thing, I didn¡¯t care half as much as they had; for another thing, they had often gathered in large groups to fight the maze together. This put me at a disadvantage due to my refusal to work in groups. At the risk of sounding clich¨¦ ¨C I only work alone.


    Even if I did think my monster slaying skills would translate to traversing the maze ¨C and slaying a beast with my axe was one thing; wandering around a giant fence was quite another ¨C I believed it to be a fool¡¯s errand. It seemed clear to me that the maze was a red herring. There was no way to get through the maze to the mansion; why bother trying?


    How, then, did I find myself standing outside of the maze, fully armored, in the midst of a group the size of an army? That was all November¡¯s handiwork. I shot her a sideways glare as I listened to her speak with the leader of the group.


    ¡°No, Arrow¡¯s not a friendly fellow.¡± I heard her voice at a distance. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s a traitor.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that the infamous every-man-for-himself monster hunter isn¡¯t going to bail on us the second he figures out how to get through this on his own?¡± I rolled my eyes at the leader¡¯s concern. It was a tempting suggestion, and one I may have considered, aside from one particular detail ¨C this was for November.


    ¡°He won¡¯t. I¡¯m sure of it.¡± November turned to me and shot me a look, reminding me of the way she had convinced me to join her in the first place.

 2. Joining November

    ¡°Let¡¯s go beat the maze and get to the mansion.¡± That¡¯s what November had said when she approached me. Her large, golden eyes were full of hope and expectation; her huge, clunky braids draped over her shoulders and snaked down toward her waist.


    I blinked in confusion and some measure of disdain. My opinion of her had been way too high to think she might get caught up in that maze and mansion nonsense. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Arrow!¡± She grabbed my shoulders. I pulled back instinctively, but she didn¡¯t let go. ¡°If anyone can do it, it¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°Well, that may be,¡± I began as I pried her hands off of me, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s worth doing. I was sure you realized that.¡±


    ¡°What about it isn¡¯t worth doing?¡± She looked at me earnestly. I searched her face for some measure of sarcasm or humor, but found none. She seriously wants to try the maze!


    ¡°What has gotten into you?¡± I didn¡¯t try to hide my distaste from her. November had been my only friend for many years. She seemed to be the only person in the world who thought the way I did. Great minds and all that. If she was now planning to venture into the maze, I had to worry she was beginning to succumb to the hive mind that seemed to be shared by most of the locals.


    Her frustration from being rebuffed was beginning to show. ¡°Arrow, you don¡¯t have to be such a contrarian. Maybe there¡¯s a reason everyone wants to get to this mansion. Now listen here. I¡¯ve joined up with a group¨C¡±


    ¡°Dear world.¡± I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Oh, Vember¨C¡±


    ¡°Shut up Arrow! Listen to me.¡± She grabbed my shoulders once again. ¡°We can do this! This is the largest group that has ever assembled to beat the maze.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well. Good luck with that. Power in numbers and everything.¡± I jerked away roughly, feeling almost betrayed.


    ¡°Oh, come on, don¡¯t get your feelings hurt just because I¡¯m not always the committed lone wolf you are.¡± Her words stung, but I wouldn¡¯t let her know that. ¡°Arrow, I want you to join us.¡±


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    I threw my head back in exasperation. ¡°Vember! You know me better than that! Or at least I thought you did. At least you should. So no, I will not join you and your ridiculous little group.¡±


    Her eyes narrowed. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so mean, Arrow. It¡¯s not ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°It is ridiculous, and I¡¯ll tell you why.¡± I took a step toward her. ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous because you¡¯re not going to try anything that hasn¡¯t been tried yet. It¡¯s not possible, Vember. Why do you think you¡¯re going to be able to do what a thousand people before you couldn¡¯t? You and your group aren¡¯t original, and if you really think you¡¯re going to be the ones to get through, you¡¯re a bunch of idiots.¡±


    November didn¡¯t say anything for a long time. My insult was left hanging in the air, impossible to be ignored, and waiting to be acknowledged. I knew at that moment that this discussion wouldn¡¯t be ending in my favor. ¡°Well then,¡± she finally sighed in a flat tone, ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just go without you.¡±


    A rare pang of guilt hit, and I shook my fists in the air in frustration, knowing I was losing this battle. ¡°Oh, Vember,¡± I groaned, ¡°why do you do this to me?¡± She had always had a way of testing my temper, pushing me beyond my limits, then making me regret it immediately. I believed she knew this, too.


    As she sensed my guilt, a small smile hit her lips. ¡°You know how you could make this up to me? You know, for your attitude and everything?¡±


    I covered my face with my hands and let out a long sigh. ¡°You can¡¯t make me do it. You can hold the grudge forever if you must.¡± I knew what she was getting it. I wouldn¡¯t allow it.


    ¡°Oh, come on, Arrow!¡± One more time, she grabbed my shoulders. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t think we can do it, just try it with us, just for fun! Aren¡¯t you the least bit interested in trying it out?¡±


    I moved my hands and stared at her quietly for a long time. The truth was that I was curious about the maze. Not curious enough to want to take a stab at it, but I did tend to enjoy learning more. As my emotions began to deflate, I contemplated whether it might be worth my while to just give in and join her. ¡°Well, what¡¯s your grand plan for solving the maze? At least tell me that much before I make a decision.¡±


    Her small smile evolved into a wide grin. ¡°We¡¯re not going to solve the maze, Arrow. We¡¯re going to destroy it.¡±


    Involuntarily, my facial expression grew to match hers. Whether it worked or not, smashing things was my favorite way to get by obstacles. Even if it was a ridiculous way to attempt to get through the maze, I was willing to hit it as hard as I could, if just for the fun of it. I put my hands on her shoulders as well. ¡°Well then. I suppose there¡¯s no harm in trying.¡±

 3. Other Friends

    November waltzed toward me, with the group¡¯s leader just behind her. Remembering that the only thing that had compelled me to join this mission was her well-timed guilt trip, I had long since decided that I wasn¡¯t particularly concerned over how the mission itself went ¨C the only task I was obligated to fulfill was mere participation. Therefore, I reasoned, I didn¡¯t especially need to be friendly with the other participants.


    ¡°Where did you find this gem, Vember?¡± I asked, nodding toward the leader and smiling somewhat at the trouble I knew I was about to cause.


    ¡°I was just going to ask her the same thing.¡± The man beside her gave me a patronizing smirk. I looked him up and down. He was big, that much couldn¡¯t be argued. He was certainly taller than her. Nevertheless, he wasn¡¯t quite as tall as me, or near as wide, though he was unquestionably able-bodied. In spite of this, I noticed that November, though not especially tall, was nearly as bulky as him.


    ¡°This is Lynx.¡± She disregarded my attempt at pot-stirring as she launched into introductions. ¡°He¡¯s a master in the art of applying heavy damage in a very short amount of time.¡±


    A brute force expert? I contemplated silently. Is it possible this may actually be an impressive fellow? A man after my own heart? I sighed internally. I had already decided not to like him ¨C now I was going to have to reverse course to learn his ways.


    ¡°Lynx, this is Arrow,¡± November continued. ¡°He has an impressive wealth of knowledge regarding this place.¡±


    My word! I was appalled. ¡°November!¡± I protested. ¡°That cannot possibly be my defining characteristic in this operation.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what,¡± she scoffed, ¡°did you think we were going to be utilizing your monster slaying abilities?¡±


    I gaped at her, flabbergasted, as Lynx let out a hardy laugh. ¡°Of course I¡¯ve heard of the great and mighty Arrow, the man who believes himself to be too talented to need any help. In fact, I bet he bucked against the idea of working on a team when you invited him here! Right, Vem?¡±


    Well. There goes the idea of befriending this bonehead. Vember raised an eyebrow at me expectantly. I raised one back at her. ¡°Since when do you go by Vem now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what her friends call her, Hammerhead. You would know that if you bothered to spend time with people.¡± Lynx continued his cackling with this statement, and was very quickly testing my temper.


    I was about to bite back when November threw her hands up. ¡°Alright, alright! That¡¯s enough, you two. Come on, Lynx, don¡¯t scare him off now. Arrow is quite valuable and we¡¯d benefit greatly if he were to stay with us.¡± I realized she was flattering me on purpose, yet even so, the words soothed my rage to some extent; just enough for me to cease my contemplation of beginning a mutiny against Lynx. ¡°Why don¡¯t you explain to Arrow what we¡¯re planning on here?¡±


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    Lynx let out one last chuckle. ¡°Ah, yes, of course. Well, first of all, we won¡¯t be wasting any time on trying to actually solve the maze. That¡¯s a wild goose chase that only a fool would fall victim to.¡±


    I nodded my approval. ¡°I¡¯m with you so far.¡±


    ¡°So then,¡± Lynx went on, ¡°that just leaves us with the option of destroying the fence.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, of course,¡± I sighed, ¡°but I still don¡¯t understand the optimism in this plan. This has been attempted before. What does this team have that those who came before us lacked?¡±


    ¡°Look around!¡± Lynx gestured to the massive crowd around us. ¡°We have 250 people here! The largest recorded group to ever brave the maze together had just 50 people.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± He had made a good point, but I still wasn¡¯t convinced. Surely it couldn¡¯t be that easy. Regardless, I¡¯d play along for the time being. ¡°What happens if we succeed?¡±


    "Then the mansion is ours!¡± Lynx threw his hands up in premature victory.


    ¡°All 250 of us?¡± I crossed my arms skeptically. ¡°Now by what means do you expect 250 people to share one mansion?¡±


    ¡°Hammerhead, just look at that thing!¡± He pointed emphatically at the massive building, while I made an effort not to allow myself to be derailed by the defamatory nickname that was evidently sticking. Nicknames aside, as I raised my gaze to the mansion before me, I was more or less astounded by the sheer enormity of the thing. ¡°The experts on our team think there¡¯s enough room for 300 people to live there!¡±


    ¡°300 people¡­?¡± My voice was heavy with doubt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t believe me? Well, you¡¯ll just have to see when we get in there!¡± Lynx whirled around, filled with determination, and marched off into the midst of the crowd, leaving me and November to watch him.


    ¡°Well¡­what did you think?¡± November looked at me with anticipatory eyes.


    Upon considering her question, I concluded that I was vexed by how interested I now was in finding on what was truly in the mansion. I was becoming just like the locals, just like November, which made me fear I had been wrong to criticize her interest in the mission ¨C which made me even more indignant.


    I turned my gaze back to the mansion, away from her. ¡°I think I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re not off following around your real friends, Vem.¡± The sheer unkindness of my statement wasn¡¯t lost on me, but I couldn¡¯t help myself. Lynx had done a phenomenal job of destroying whatever cheerful demeanor I¡¯d had left.


    November stood in silence for quite a while, testing my will as I continued to refuse to look at her. If I did, I knew I would be due for yet another guilt trip, and who knew what she would make me do this time.


    "I¡¯m allowed to have friends other than you, Arrow.¡±


    This strike of guilt was much sharper than the last, and it knocked my gaze from the mansion down to the ground. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The silence remained for another stretch before she finally spoke again. ¡°Has it really never occurred to you that you could call me Vem?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± The ease in tension allowed me to at least meet her gaze once again. As I did, I detected a friendly smile returning to her face. ¡°Would you ever think to call me Arr? No, that would be ridiculous. Besides that, you already have a nickname. It¡¯s Vember. Why shorten it further?¡±


    She chuckled faintly. ¡°Well, if you do come around to it, you¡¯re more than welcome to call me Vem.¡±


    I entertained the notion for a moment. ¡°I suppose it is something catchy. Short and to the point. Aside from that, it could mitigate the potential for confusion. After all, how are you to know whether I¡¯m saying ¡®No, Vember¡¯ or ¡®November¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Context clues.¡± She winked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it,¡± I resolved. I was just about to reiterate my question to her as to how she had met Lynx, but I was soon interrupted.


    ¡°Alright, folks!¡± Lynx¡¯s voice, though distant, was loud enough to heard unobscured from where we stood. ¡°It¡¯s time to start destroying the maze.¡±

 4. Time to Start

    One may not expect a chain link fence to be particularly strong, but this one was different. Aside from the utter strength of the metal it was composed of, it was incredibly dense. Some people were already attacking fence with an array of weapons: swords, hammers, maces, axes, and anything one could conceivably harm another person with. I watched a few participants work at the fence with bolt cutters, to seemingly no avail.


    I stepped up to the fence and observed the sunlight glinting off of the razors affixed to the chains. Now that I was standing mere inches away from the thing, I found myself in awe, wondering about whoever had built this monument, and what had happened to them. I reached a hand out to gingerly touch a razor, and to my surprise, it instantly pierced through my glove and pricked my finger. I drew back in shock and stared, bewildered, at the blood that was creeping out. My heavy leather glove hadn¡¯t provided even a bit of resistance against the cut! How sharp were these blasted things?


    The grating sound of metal slashing against metal was filling my ears, and I reluctantly reached for my battle axe. This weapon had been carrying me through battles against beasts for ages ¨C was it going to be torn to shreds by this maze?


    I peered over at November, interested to see how an archer such as herself planned to approach this task. She was speaking with Lynx and a woman I didn¡¯t recognize. The overwhelming noise made it impossible to hear what they were saying, but I watched as the woman handed November a small round object, a bright green color, maybe a few inches tall.


    I watched for another moment, but nothing else interesting seemed to be happening; they simply carried on their conversation. I held my axe out in front of me and took a good look at it. It was large, nearly as tall as me, and heavy ¨C I was sure very few people could wield it, though November had once impressed me with it. I could only hope it would hold up against this monstrous fence.


    ¡°Hurry up and help, would ya! Your oversized axe won¡¯t get any better the longer you look at it.¡±


    I looked up quickly to attempt to identify the owner of the rude voice, but I was unsuccessful. Instead, I gave a loud scoff. ¡°Oh, calm down. At the rate this is going, I¡¯m surely not running out of time to participate.¡±


    Even so, I raised up my axe, took in a slow, deep breath, and brought it down on the fence as hard as I could.


    There was an unbearably loud screech of metal on metal as my axe made contact. To my great surprise, the fence ¨C which I had assumed to be entirely unmovable ¨C bowed back ever so slightly at the attack. I lowered my axe and carefully leaned in for a closer look. Amazingly enough, I did identify one single miniscule scratch on the fence where my axe had hit it. I studied my axe. It had indeed been scratched up a bit, but it had seen worse.


    At long last, I finally found myself filled with determination and motivation to defeat this maze. If my axe could truly lay a scratch on it without sustaining too much damage, maybe 250 fighters working together truly could destroy this thing. For the first time ever, I found that I was glad to be working on a team.


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    I lifted up my axe once more with renewed energy, when I heard Lynx¡¯s booming voice once again.


    ¡°Listen up, team! Progress is slow here, but fortunately, we have another trick up our sleeve.¡± He gestured toward the woman beside him. ¡°Echo has been working on a spell to weaken the metal dramatically. She thinks that the most effective way to apply the spell to the fence is by high-speed impact. That¡¯s why Vem is going to shoot the spell at the fence from a distance.¡±


    Aha. So that¡¯s what that green thing was. November held up an arrow and slid the spell onto the head.


    ¡°Now listen carefully,¡± Lynx continued. ¡°This part is very important ¨C Echo believes that this spell will only last for a few minutes once it¡¯s activated. So, we need to work fast!¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, shouldn¡¯t we go as deep into the maze as we can first, and then use the spell to break through the last few layers?¡± The question came from someone within the crowd whom I could not identify. I shook my head. Wanting to venture into the maze ¨C what a fool.


    Evidently Lynx shared my concern. ¡°Absolutely not. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡± He pointed to a spot in the fence straight ahead of him. ¡°Vem is going to shoot the spell right there, so everyone stand back, and have your weapons ready! We need to be ready to begin our attack as soon as the spell hits.¡±


    All those who found themselves in the path between November and her target quickly stepped away, weapons ready in their hands. November held up her bow and arrow and prepared her shot.


    I found myself holding my breath, in great anticipation to see how things would transpire. It¡¯s not that I thought November might miss ¨C no, she was a skilled archer. The fence was large and the gaps in the chains were much too small for the arrow to go through; her shot was sure to hit.


    I was more curious as to the legitimacy of Echo¡¯s spell. I had encountered a handful of people who had claimed to be experts in magic, but I had never seen a magical reaction that I¡¯d found terribly convincing. On the occasion that I had seen a spell or potion have a measurable effect, I had suspected the reaction may have been more chemical than magical in nature. Of course, the mages always argued that a magical reaction was a chemical reaction ¨C just one that was not possible under ordinary circumstances.


    November released the arrow. Every muscle in my body froze as I watched the arrow fly through the air. It seems typical in a scenario such as this to claim that the arrow took an eternity to reach its destination; however, that wasn¡¯t the case here. The arrow flew very, very quickly ¨C your classic ¡°blink and you¡¯ll miss it¡± scene.


    As soon as the arrow hit, the green spell on the front burst into a bright green explosion. Within seconds, the entire fence maze was glowing green.


    I was quite astounded to see that the spell had actually had an undeniable effect on the maze ¨C though, whether it had been the desired effect, I couldn¡¯t yet so. Of course, we would all soon find out.


    The whole crowd instantly swarmed back up to the fence, and I was no different. In my rush to try it for myself, I didn¡¯t bother watching to see if anyone else was having any luck in taking it down. I heard screams ¨C cheers? ¨C and the sound of metal on metal had returned in no time at all.


    I raised up my axe and, filled with expectance, and brought down a powerful blow onto the fence ahead of me.


    Then there it was ¨C not a barely discernible scratch like the last time, but a huge, gaping hole left in the wake of my axe.

 5. Destroying the Maze

    I couldn¡¯t believe it ¨C the spell had worked!  The fence was weakened!  Overcome with excitement and adrenaline, I slashed the fence over and over.  It was working ¨C it was truly working!  We were going to be the first ones to ever beat the maze.  The hole from my axe grew larger and larger the more I slashed at it.  After so many before us had tried and failed ¨C were we the first ones to use a spell like this on the fence?  Had no one thought of it before?  Or was Echo simply the first one to develop one such spell that worked?


    After just a few hits, the hole was large enough for me to squeeze through.  I wasted no time in pushing through and got straight to work on the next layer.  I wasn¡¯t the only one ¨C others working at the fence on either side of me had also broken through and were rushing in to continue their work.


    There was an impressive array of attacks all going on at once.  Every type of weapon imaginable was all striking the maze in unison.  When a fighter found their stamina depleted, there was always someone else ready to rush in and take their place, never allowing our progress to slow.


    I had fully intended to count the number of layers in the maze, but I quickly lost sight of that goal.  Instead, all I could focus on was destroying the fence.  Slash, slash, slash, slash, then move on.


    About midway through, in my haste to demolish the maze before Echo¡¯s spell wore off, I tripped over the remaining chains in the hole I had been squeezing through.  I was thrown to the ground as a swarm of other people flooded around me, shoved in front of me, and took my place.  My plan, of course, was to immediately jump back up and get back to work, but that proved to be more of a challenge than I thought was reasonable.  The mob around me made it challenging to regain my balance, and my muscles, after finally receiving a moment of rest, were reluctant to return to the intensity of the labor they had been engaged in.


    ¡°You have to get up, Arrow.¡±  I looked up, panting desperately for air, and found November standing over me.  ¡°You know they need you.¡±


    I cracked a small grin.  ¡°And what is your great contribution to the effort?¡±


    She scowled and held out her hand.  ¡°Are you joking?  I shot the spell!¡±


    ¡°Any half-decent archer could have made that shot.¡±  I took her hand and pulled myself up to my feet.


    ¡°Yes?  And any brute with muscles can smash it up.¡±  She pointed at the remaining layers of fence ahead of us.  ¡°Now get back in there and get back to smashing!¡±


    She didn¡¯t need to tell me twice.  I lifted my axe back up into the air and charged forward into the front lines.  Finding my second wind, I pushed my way to next in-tact layer and returned to the task at hand.


    As I was coming up, I had the opportunity to see Lynx in action.  His hits didn¡¯t seem to do as much damage as mine, but they were fast.  I was in awe of how quickly the man was able to work.


    I also caught a glimpse of a fighter who had apparently been hurt in the midst of the task.  A short, thin fellow with a bald head was leaning over her.  He seemed to be studying her injury.  Regardless, I didn¡¯t have time to watch them for long.  I had to resume my attacks.


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    The mansion was coming close into our view ¨C we were almost there.  I had almost forgotten what this mission was all for.  Following layer after layer of fence destruction, an end goal wasn¡¯t on my mind, aside from making my way through the last layer of the maze before the spell wore off.


    Dreadfully, the green glow around the maze began to dim, and I noticed more resistance against my hits.  This only encouraged me to move even faster and hit even harder.  We had come this far, and I refused to fail.  There was no way I would allow myself to leave without reaching the end of the maze.


    We pushed our way to the final layer.  The green glow had nearly faded.  I could no longer feel the pain in my body as I pushed it to fight harder, faster, unendingly.  A chorus of screams surrounded me, and I suddenly noticed that I had joined them, crying out as I fought to destroy the final fence as it resisted us more and more.


    I was too distracted to notice when it happened, but somehow, Lynx and I had ended up directly beside each other.  His mace and my axe worked in tandem, dealing blow after blow to the same area.  The damage to the fence was slowing down, but it didn¡¯t stop.  We made a hole ¨C a small one at first, but as we continued our fight, it grew larger, larger, and larger, until at long last, I forced my way through, with Lynx right behind me.


    Once I was on the other side, I fell to the ground once again.  This time, I was in no rush to pull myself back up.  I was hurt ¨C somewhat badly.  By some means, I had forgotten about the spikes coating the fence, and was too worked up to notice them cutting through my armor into my flesh through all of my shoving and forcing my way into holes that were barely large enough to accommodate me.


    I laid on the ground, bloody and exhausted, and watched Lynx lead the group in celebration ¨C jumping, shouting, cheering, grinning, laughing.  I let myself consider what it would have been like to join them.  I had never been the social type, and engaging in such genuine social behavior seemed so foreign to me.


    November kneeled down beside me and laid a hand on my arm.  ¡°Over here, Finch!¡±  She raised a hand and waved to someone I couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡°We made it!¡± Lynx cried out, standing in front of the entrance of the mansion.  ¡°We defeated the maze!¡±


    ¡°Good job, Arrow.¡±  November patted my arm.  ¡°Just try not to bleed out now, alright?  You still have to see the inside of the mansion.¡±


    ¡°The mansion,¡± I muttered.  It seemed I would now be an owner, along with about 250 other people.  ¡°Do I really seem the type to live in a mansion, Vember?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s up to you.  No one can make you do something you don¡¯t want to do,¡± she replied.


    I scoffed weakly.  ¡°You seem to have a knack for it.¡±


    Suddenly, I felt something sharp stab into the back of my neck.  I jolted up and grabbed my axe.  Someone had snuck up behind me and attacked me while I was down!


    ¡°At ease, Arrow,¡± a man laughed.  It was the bald man I had noticed before.  He put a now-empty syringe into his bag.  ¡°That¡¯s going to expedite the healing process and relieve some of your pain.  Can you stand?¡±


    ¡°Well, you could have warned me!¡±  I protested.  ¡°You think I¡¯m alright with you just injecting me with a random substance?¡±


    The man stood up straight.  ¡°I asked you if you can stand.  If you can, feel free to punch me, but I have a feeling you won¡¯t want to.¡±


    I leapt to my feet and raised up my fist, prepared to prove him wrong on his assumption, but November grabbed my arm to stop me.  ¡°Knock it off, Arrow!  Finch has done you a huge favor by healing you.  This is not the way to repay him.  You apologize, now!¡±


    The shock of the unexpected jab was wearing off, and as I came to my senses, I knew she was right.  I sighed heavily and lowered my fist.  ¡°Indeed.  I¡¯m sorry, Finch.  Thank you for your work.¡±  I held out my hand, transforming my fist into an invitation for a handshake.


    Finch smiled and accepted the invitation.  ¡°Not a problem at all, sir.  I¡¯m simply glad to see you recovering.¡±  He handed me a small vial with a red liquid.  ¡°Take a long bath tonight and empty this into the water.  It will help with the wounds.¡±


    I took the vial and nodded.  ¡°Thank you kindly, Finch.¡±


    ¡°Okay, everyone, that¡¯s enough celebrating.  We¡¯re not done here!¡±  Lynx extended his arms toward the mansion door.  ¡°It¡¯s time to do what we came here for!

 6. Enough Celebrating?

    Standing on the inside of the maze right at the mansion¡¯s doorstep was completely surreal. When I had accepted November¡¯s invitation to participate in this project, it hadn¡¯t occurred to me that we might actually succeed. I had only imagined a gathering of people swinging their weapons at the fence in vain, becoming increasingly frustrated until everyone gave up. Of course, I hadn¡¯t counted on Echo¡¯s magic.


    The mansion, which had seemed enormous from a distance, was absolutely monumental up close. I reconsidered Lynx¡¯s claim that it could accommodate 300 residents. The idea had seemed preposterous before; now it sounded plausible.


    He was standing in front of the front door now, giving a speech addressing the crowd. I didn¡¯t care to listen in ¨C I knew he was just droning on about the group¡¯s success, and some nonsense about teamwork. I shared his excitement about our win, sure, but that didn¡¯t mean I wanted to stand around talking about it. I wanted to push onward and see what was inside the mansion. I resigned myself to studying the exterior as I waited for Lynx to wrap up his monologue.


    It was a bright and sunny day, but you wouldn¡¯t know it from where we stood. Massive trees loomed over us, crowding the sky and blocking out a majority of the sunlight. Although the tone that Lynx and the rest of the crowd carried was overwhelmingly positive and celebratory, it still felt like there was some foreboding presence threatening us all.


    The mansion itself was, undoubtedly, very old ¨C it was clear from the cut of the stones and the designs of the pillars that this was not a modern piece of architecture. However, it struck me that there was no visible wear and tear to the exterior of the building. The tremendous wooden door was still in pristine condition, as were the walls.


    This realization only served to contribute to my anxiety around the building. I had always dismissed the rumors of enchantments keeping the old building intact, but after witnessing Echo¡¯s spell, I was having to reconsider every stance I had ever taken against magical properties.


    ¡°Genuinely, Vember,¡± I mused out loud, ¡°is this somewhere I could dwell? Here? With other people?¡± I thought back to my modest cabin sitting in the woods. It was commonplace for me to pick up and leave for days or weeks at a time, so I trusted my cabin would be fine unattended for a good while. As always, I had my rucksack with me, carrying enough supplies to get by for a few days, and the tools and money I might need to provide beyond that. Theoretically, it was entirely possible for me to pick up and leave my home at any time. I was a hunter and I knew how to survive.


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    ¡°Why are you so worried about this, Arrow?¡± November waved off my concerns. ¡°Just go inside and look around. Either move in or sell your ownership to the highest bidder. I don¡¯t see why you¡¯re fretting about this so much.¡±


    She was right, but that didn¡¯t settle the discomforting feeling inside me.


    ¡°And we can¡¯t forget about guest of honor!¡± Lynx declared. I tuned back into his speech, having a dreadful feeling I knew where this was going. ¡°Someone who, all while playing it cool, put his whole back into it and nearly led the charge in tearing down the fence.¡± I buried my face in my hands. Please, no. Do not do this to me. I peered out from my fingers, and beheld Lynx grinning at me, and gesturing wildly for me come forward. ¡°Get up here, Hammerhead!¡±


    I dropped my hands to my sides and narrowed my eyes to a glower, drawing my mouth back into a snarl. ¡°Not until you learn my name, you absolute dunce!¡± I shouted back. ¡°It¡¯s an entire syllable shorter than the one you¡¯ve assigned me, so I trust you won¡¯t have any difficulty recalling it.¡±


    Lynx laughed heartily. ¡°Alright, alright, Arrow. Come on! I¡¯m singing your praises up here. Come up here and face the crowd.¡±


    I continued glaring at the man before me, not moving until I received a hard shove on my back from November. I stumbled forward, initially somewhat abashed by the surprise attack, then begrudgingly marched up to where Lynx stood before the gathering of triumphant fighters. As soon as I reached my destination, standing face to face with Lynx, he grabbed me by the arms, spun me around to face everyone, and draped an arm across my shoulders.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it for Arrow!¡± he cried. I shot November a desperate look, silently pleading for her to save me, but she just smiled her approval. Never have I felt so betrayed¡­ ¡°This man is a well-known monster hunter,¡± Lynx continued. ¡°He¡¯ll take down a beast on his own in two days that five of us couldn¡¯t kill in a week! We thought he was here to share his knowledge of the maze, but instead, he shared his absolute might!¡± The cheers continued. I couldn¡¯t stand it. ¡°The man who consistently refuses to work alongside anyone else joined us here today.¡±


    Well. That wasn¡¯t entirely true, that I never worked alongside anyone else. There was one person who I could work with, on the occasion where having a talented archer with me was particularly useful. Still, after coercing me into this, I wasn¡¯t sure I would be inviting November on any future quests.


    I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Lynx, didn¡¯t you say a lifetime ago that it was time to stop all this and just enter the blasted mansion?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s your excitement, Arrow?¡± Lynx¡¯s long-windedness knew no bounds, it seemed, as he resumed his speech. ¡°We need to welcome the newest member of our guild, The Maze Raiders!¡±


    The celebratory cheers only grew louder as I stared at Lynx in a mixture of disbelief and indignance. ¡°I never agreed to that! I would never¨C¡±


    ¡°Now, with that warm welcome out of the way,¡± Lynx roared, ¡°we can finally enter the mansion!¡±

 7. Entering the Mansion

    ¡°I think you and I should go in first, Arrow,¡± Lynx declared confidently.  ¡°Myself as the leader of the guild, and you as our newest member.¡±  I shot him a nasty glare, yet he persisted.  ¡°Congratulations, Arrow!  Let¡¯s get going.¡±


    Finally, he removed his arm from my shoulders and marched onward toward the door.


    Well, I¡¯ve come this far¡­  The mansion still gave me an unnerving feeling that made me reluctant to venture in, but I knew I had to do it.  After all I had put my body through just to make it there, it was impossible for me to turn back without seeing the mission through to the end.


    I trailed behind Lynx toward the grand doors, which almost seemed to watch us approach.  He placed his hand on the door on the left, as I did the door on the right.  The wooden surface felt smoother than its appearance had led me to expect.  I gave a light shove, but as I had suspected, the door was much too heavy to give way that easily.  Lynx and I locked eyes, shared a nod, then forcefully thrust the mansion doors open.


    I wasn¡¯t sure precisely what I had expected upon seeing the inside of the mansion for the first time, but I certainly wasn¡¯t expecting the sight I beheld.  The first display to surprise me was the light emanating from within.  There were rows of lit torches lining every wall, meaning that although the outside was dark and gloomy, the indoors was bright and radiant.  Though the bright lights should have put me at ease, they left me contemplating the logistics ¨C there was no way they had been manually lit decades ago and left unattended all these years.  Either someone was already here, tending to the torches, or they were a product of an enchantment.  The idea of either possibility being true tightened the knot in my gut.


    As creepy as they were, the lights did a phenomenal job at showcasing the extravagance of the mansion.  The entire building was shining from top to bottom, without even a single speck of dust touching any surface.  A rich burgundy rug lined the hardwood floors, tracing out a path to each room that extended off the foyer in which we stood, and up two large spiral staircases.  The staircases were lined with golden handrails, which matched the lavish gold accents decorating the walls.  The light from the torches ¨C which were held in countless glass spheres covering the place ¨C glinted off the gold, creating a shining and shimmering spectacle of the whole interior.


    The rest of the group flowed in behind us.  People entered the foyer, paused to gawk at the astounding image before us, then wandered off to further explore the various rooms: the large, open area up ahead of us, the hallways to our left and right, and up the stairs to see what the other floors held.  Not me, however; I stood in place, paralyzed by what I was witnessing.


    ¡°Everything alright?¡±  The voice was one I did not recognize, but when I turned to face it, I realized it belonged to the mage who had created our green spell.  Her sincere eyes peered out from behind large spectacles.  Unlike most of us, she wasn¡¯t wearing armor; instead, she wore a long, flowing dress.  I suspected she must have never intended to get too close to the maze until a path was forged through.


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    ¡°Oh.  You¡¯re Echo,¡± I recalled.  I dodged her question and looked at the nearest torch.  ¡°What kind of magic is this?¡±


    ¡°The lights?¡±  She followed my gaze.  ¡°It looks like a simple illumination enchantment.¡±  She looked back at me.  ¡°Why do you ask?  Are you afraid of magic?¡±


    ¡°What?  No!¡±  I shook my head assertively.  ¡°But, can an enchantment really last forever like that?¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose if they have enough fuel.¡±  She shrugged.  ¡°Illuminations don¡¯t consume much fuel.  It wouldn¡¯t be hard to set one up to go on for many years.¡±


    I crossed my arms.  ¡°So, what about the rest of it?¡±


    ¡°The rest of it?¡±  She looked around.  ¡°You mean the cleanliness?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the cleanliness!¡±  I threw up my hands and gestured all around.  ¡°The polish!  The absolute pristine condition of the place!¡±


    She laughed brightly.  ¡°Well, I suppose I would like to know the answer to that too!  Whatever enchantment this is, I ought to cast it onto my own house.¡±


    Great.  So not even the mage knows.  ¡°Is that so?  Your own house?¡± I asked.  ¡°So you¡¯re not planning on moving in here?¡±


    Echo stopped laughing and gave me a thoughtful look.  ¡°Well, I suppose I don¡¯t quite know yet.¡±  She took another look around.  ¡°What about you?  Will you be making your dwelling here?¡±


    I shrugged.  ¡°I haven¡¯t quite decided either.  Though I must say, the idea does seem rather¡­far-fetched.¡±


    She nodded distractedly as she studied the building.  ¡°I suppose I agree with that.¡±


    ¡°You sure do suppose a good deal,¡± I sighed.


    Her cheerful laugh returned.  ¡°Yes, I suppose I do.¡±


    I turned around to face the still-open front door.  The fence was visible from where I stood.  I observed the gaping hole, which had been enlarged by those who forged through after me.  ¡°That was quite some spell you created.¡±


    ¡°Oh!  Thank you!¡± she replied.  ¡°I¡¯ve been working on it for quite a long time for just this purpose.¡±


    ¡°For just this purpose?¡±  I turned back to face her.  ¡°You mean to weaken the maze?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡±  She nodded.  ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to figure out a way through it.  I figured if it wasn¡¯t physically possible, maybe it was magically possible.¡±


    I marveled at her.  It was clear to me that she was brilliant, given that out of all of the many mages I had met, she was the only one who had managed to impress me.  Evidently, she had been one of those types to get wrapped up in the maze and mansion hype, but I couldn¡¯t blame her for being drawn to its mystery ¨C especially not when she had been the one to crack the case.


    ¡°I got in touch with Lynx as soon as I figured it out,¡± Echo went on.  ¡°He worked to put together this team while I worked on the spell.¡±


    ¡°Impressive,¡± I mumbled.  ¡°Echo¡­let me ask you one more question.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±  She smiled warmly.


    ¡°Do you think¡­¡±  I hesitated.  I knew I was being overly cautious, but I couldn''t overcome my feeling of dread.  ¡°Do you think this mansion is¡­safe?¡±


    ¡°Safe?¡±  She paused to consider the question.  ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s possible there could be a trap in here, but I¡¯m not sure what it would serve to accomplish.¡±  She shrugged.  ¡°I¡¯m sure that with all the skilled guild members we have, there¡¯s no danger that could overpower us.¡±


    She had made a good point.  ¡°Well,¡± I sighed, ¡°I suppose so.¡±

 8. Settling In

    Once Echo had wandered off to join someone else in the crowd of investigators, I decided to do some wandering and investigating of my own.  The remainder of the mansion was as colossal and ornate as the entryway had led me to expect.  Down the left and right hallways of the foyer, it turned out, were lodging rooms ¨C ten of them on each side.  I was informed of this by way of chatter coming from those who had already been down those hallways.  I hadn¡¯t bothered to look into them myself; instead, I decided to venture forward into the area that lied ahead.


    For me to describe the floor plan of this structure in detail could potentially be a novel of its own, so I¡¯ll attempt to remain brief.  The area I stepped into next had similar lighting and gilded d¨¦cor as the foyer.  The room was filled with seating ¨C chairs and sofas, bookended by small tables.  There was a large fireplace built into one of the walls, creating the appearance of a rather cozy atmosphere.  Branching off from this lounge were the various other rooms that this massive floor contained ¨C a grand dining room with seating that could accommodate hundreds of diners, a sophisticated library bursting with books in immaculate condition, a charming courtyard that could have been the picture of paradise if it hadn¡¯t been overshadowed by the looming trees, just to name a few.


    After spending an indiscernible amount of time exploring the rooms and being bewildered by the intricate d¨¦cor and impeccable cleanliness, I made my way back to the entryway.


    ¡°All of the other floors are just lodging rooms,¡± I heard Lynx explain to someone else.  ¡°A total of six floors, just like we thought.  Sixty rooms on each of those five upper floors, plus the twenty rooms down here, makes three hundred and twenty rooms.  That¡¯s more than enough for everyone ¨C especially once you consider the handful of married couples within our guild who will be sharing rooms.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind,¡± the man he spoke with replied, ¡°would it be alright if I have a room on the ground floor?  I know you didn¡¯t want to allow anyone to have a first-floor room until you can determine a fair way to dole them out, but my wife doesn¡¯t do too well with stairs.  I¡¯m hoping to bring her in to live here with me¡­¡±  The main trailed off.


    ¡°That sounds fair to me!¡±  Lynx patted the man on the back.  ¡°Go right ahead, Blue.¡±


    I turned away from the conversation and directed my attention to the stairs, where everyone was swarming to find their room.  As I began my ascent to the lodging floors, I noticed that the largest swarms were clamoring to claim rooms on the second and sixth floors ¨C the lowest and highest.  Never one to follow the crowd, I decided to head for the fourth floor ¨C one that seemed utterly undesirable to the vast majority.


    Well, I suppose I¡¯m here, I thought to myself.  Claiming my room in the mansion.  I wondered how long I would stay.  At least until I get bored of this, I decided.


    The stairs were quite fascinating in their design.  They were relatively close to the center of the building on the ground floor, but as they approached the second floor, they spread out a great deal to either side, and by the third floor, each staircase had reached opposing ends of the building.


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    As I had heard before, there were sixty rooms on this floor ¨C thirty on each side, each one with its own number.  At the top of the staircase, I looked to my left and saw room 401.  To my right, across the hallway, was room 431.  Realizing that anyone arriving on this floor would gravitate toward a room on the end, closer to the stairs, I headed toward the center, and found room 415 unoccupied with pleasantly few neighbors around.


    ¡°I knew I would find you hear.¡±  November¡¯s voice stopped me with my hand hovering near the doorknob of the room I had chosen.


    I turned around to face her.  ¡°Yes, well.  I imagine it couldn¡¯t do me too much harm to stick around here a few days.  I would rather not have to make the journey back home yet, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡±  She nodded.  ¡°Is that your room?¡±


    ¡°I believe so.¡±  I looked back at the room in front of me.  ¡°It seems secluded enough.¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that quite the coincidence.¡±  She grinned and grabbed the doorknob of room 445, directly across the hall from me.  ¡°This one is mine.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡±  I certainly wouldn¡¯t argue with having November as my neighbor.  That only reduced the odds of ending up with someone unbearable lodging near me.


    She pushed her door open and stepped inside, and I did likewise with my own room.


    As I entered, I marveled at the sheer size of the room ¨C though I shouldn¡¯t have been so surprised, given the size of the rest of the building.  The room was at least as large as my entire cabin, and very possibly even a little larger ¨C of course, that isn¡¯t saying too much, given that my cabin is but a humble shack ¨C yet I was quite impressed with my accommodations.  It was less of a room and more of a full set of living quarters.


    I found that it had all the same amenities that my cabin possessed ¨C like a bed, a dining area, and a cooking area ¨C and even some that I didn¡¯t have the luxury of at home ¨C including two small, cozy sofas, an indoor bathtub and chamber pot, and of course those enchanted lanterns.


    I noticed a faucet near the cooking area, and was amazed to realize that this mansion was set up with running water that, upon my testing, was in working order.  I wasn¡¯t fortunate enough to have indoor plumbing installed in my own home ¨C typically, I relied on the large creek running through the woods for my water-related needs, and a large bucket to transport it back to the cabin.


    Although the indoor plumbing dazzled me, it also added to my suspicions.  In all of the villages I had visited lately, indoor pluming was still a relatively new and modern innovation ¨C why would a building this old and abandoned for so many years have it installed?


    ¡°Halfairo Rouden?¡±


    I froze.  It was Lynx¡¯s thundering that had broken my focus.  But how did he¡­


    Very slowly, I turned to face the man standing in the open doorway, my eyes narrowed.  ¡°I haven¡¯t heard that name in many years.¡±


    ¡°But that is your name, isn¡¯t it?¡±  He raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°My name is Arrow.  We¡¯ve been over this,¡± I hissed.  A long, silent moment passed as I glared at Lynx, and he only returned my gaze with an amused smile, his eyebrow still raised.  ¡°Where did you hear that name, anyway?¡±


    ¡°What?  Half-arrow Rodent?¡±  He burst into laughter while I marched toward him, prepared to give him a piece of my mind.  Just as I reached him, however, he pointed sharply at my door.


    Sure enough, my given name seemed to have been carved into the door, on the side that faced the hallway:


    Halfairo Rouden.

 9. Membership

    I stood in front of my door, staring in bewilderment for an uncertain amount of time.  How did my given name end up on that door?


    ¡°Is this your handiwork, Lynx?¡± I growled, not removing my gaze from the carved letters.  ¡®Halfairo Rouden¡¯ seemed to stare straight back at me.


    ¡°When would I have done that?¡±  Lynx¡¯s previous amused demeanor had been replaced by one of mild annoyance.  ¡°Don¡¯t you think you would¡¯ve heard me carving your name into the door?  Besides, how would I have known that¡¯s your real name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my real name,¡± I snapped quickly.  ¡°My real name is Arrow.¡±  My face flushed as I hoped he wouldn¡¯t decide to debate what ¡®real name¡¯ meant.  ¡°Alright then, how did it get here?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re showing up on their own.¡±  I looked over to Lynx in time to see him shrug.  ¡°Every room that has been claimed has the owner¡¯s name on the door.¡±


    ¡°What?  That¡¯s absurd!¡±  I took a step into the hallway and observed the door across from mine.


    ¡®November Ochre¡¯ was clearly engraved on Vember¡¯s door.


    ¡°How is this happening?!¡± I roared.


    ¡°Calm yourself, Rouden!¡± Lynx ordered, drawing my ire with the name.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ever call me that!¡± I boomed.  ¡°That is not my name.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so everyone has their true name on their door except for you?¡± Lynx scoffed.  ¡°Whose name is it, then?¡±


    I ignored him and stomped toward the bed.  There was an abundance of sheets ¨C who in their right mind needs that many sheets? ¨C so I grabbed one and forcefully yanked it off.  I marched back to my door and draped the sheet over it, covering the name.


    ¡°Right, so that¡¯s not suspicious of you,¡± Lynx sighed.


    I faced him with a glower.  ¡°Do you have a purpose for being here?¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I do.¡±  He crossed his arms.  ¡°But only if you¡¯re done having a fit over your name.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s having a fit?¡±  I crossed my arms back.  ¡°What do you need, then?¡±


    ¡°The guild is gathering downstairs in the sitting room by the foyer for a meeting,¡± Lynx explained.  ¡°We¡¯re expecting everyone to attend.¡±


    ¡°And that includes me,¡± I sighed.  I paused to consider my options.  ¡°And, what if I don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°As a member of the guild, you are expected to participate in all guild meetings, unless you have an extenuating circumstance.¡±  His tone of voice made it clear that ¡®expected¡¯ meant ¡®required¡¯ in this case.


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    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve made quite an effort to avoid ever joining a guild up to this point,¡± I stated cautiously.  I didn¡¯t necessarily want to decline membership of this guild, given how evidently powerful they were ¨C but I was still reluctant to join one at all.


    Lynx sighed deeply.  ¡°So, what are you saying?  Do you intend to just dwell here in this mansion inhabited by a guild, being the only one here who isn¡¯t a member?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I intend.¡±  I shook my head.  ¡°But my point is this ¨C I¡¯ve never done well with taking orders, and I don¡¯t care to start.¡±


    ¡°Then do whatever you want!¡±  Lynx threw his hands in the air and turned away from me, starting toward the hallway.  ¡°But if you have any inclination of being a guild member, you¡¯ll be in the sitting room by the time I¡¯m done gathering everyone.¡±


    I watched him silently, my arms still crossed, as he knocked on November¡¯s door until it opened.  ¡°Meeting downstairs,¡± he stated quickly before huffing off toward the next room further down the hall.


    November stayed in her open doorway, eyebrow raised curiously while she watched the now-irritated man march away, then directed her gaze to me.  ¡°Now, what did you do to put him in such a state?¡±


    A roguish grin began to take over my face, the tension I had felt during my discussion with Lynx dissipating into amusement that I had managed to annoy him so much.  ¡°Just listen, Vember,¡± I told her.  ¡°If your dear Lynx can¡¯t handle a bit of simple pushback, then perhaps he shouldn¡¯t be in charge.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± She returned my grin.  ¡°Who should, then?  You?¡±


    I scoffed.  ¡°Well, that would certainly be a better idea.  Especially since he wants me to be a guild member so badly.¡±


    ¡°Are you joining the guild?¡±  Vember¡¯s tone was a mixture of disbelief and genuine curiosity.


    ¡°Well,¡± I sighed, ¡°I may as well see what this meeting¡¯s all about before making any decisions.¡±


    ¡°Dressed like that?¡± she asked.  I was about to ask her what she meant, when I noticed she had already removed her armor.  Meanwhile, I still had all of mine on, as well as my rucksack and my axe still on my back.


    ¡°I suppose I could stand to lose a layer,¡± I muttered, turning back to my room.  November followed me in and watched me locate my closet, where I carefully set down my axe and rucksack.  I removed my arm and chest armor and was somewhat surprised to see the bloodstains coating the shirt I had on underneath, having almost forgotten about being shredded by the maze.


    ¡°My word, Arrow!¡± November cried.  ¡°Maybe you should change your clothing entirely.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about?  My clothing?¡±  I chuckled while I removed the rest of my armor.  ¡°I don¡¯t think I have the luxury of that much time.  Lynx might try to throw me out if I¡¯m late to this meeting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be shocked if he managed that, Arrow.¡±  Her eyes wandered around the room, until they landed on the door.  ¡°Why is there a sheet over your door?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Are you trying to hide your name so that no one knows where your room is?¡± she guessed.


    I hesitated before answering, wondering what excuse to give her.  Eventually, I decided her excuse was good enough.  ¡°Yes.  That¡¯s why.  Leave it there, please.¡±


    A mischievous glint flashed in her eye.  ¡°Can I see your name carving?¡±  She started lifting the sheet.


    ¡°No!¡±  I marched to the door and slammed my hand onto the sheet, keeping it in place.  ¡°Let¡¯s just go downstairs to this blasted meeting.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Vember teased, ¡°I don¡¯t know what your surname is.¡±


    ¡°Correct.  And now I know what yours is, Miss Ochre.¡±  I escorted her into the hallway, shutting the door behind me.


    ¡°Is there a reason you¡¯re hiding it from me?¡±  Her expression was sincere.


    ¡°Nothing to hide,¡± I replied breezily, walking down the hallway toward the stairs, opposite of the direction I had seen Lynx heading.  ¡°My name is Arrow, nothing more or less.¡±


    ¡°Then what does your door say?¡±  November¡¯s voice was growing more insistent.


    ¡°It just says ¡®Arrow¡¯,¡± I lied sharply.  ¡°Now drop it.¡±


    We descended the long staircase in silence.

 10. Finding Our Seats

    We were far from the first to arrive in the meeting room, and we were far from the last.  November found a seat in a cushy recliner.  Absent another open seat near her, and never being one to socialize with new people, I took a seat on the end table beside her and fixed my gaze on the floor beneath me.


    ¡°That was an excellent shot, Vem.¡±  It was the mage¡¯s voice.  I looked up to see that she had stealthily appeared before us, beaming at November.


    ¡°Well, thank you,¡± November laughed, ¡°though the maze would have been fairly hard to miss!¡±  She grinned.  ¡°That was an amazing spell, Echo!¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you!¡± Echo replied.  ¡°I had been working on it for quite some time.  I suppose when you¡¯ve been studying magic your whole life¨C¡±


    ¡°How did the names appear on the doors?¡± I demanded, cutting her off.  As nice as Echo was, I didn¡¯t care to hear anyone monologue if I didn¡¯t have to.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±  She tilted her head thoughtfully.  ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure.  I suppose it could be some sort of an illusion spell¨C¡±


    ¡°But how would it know our names?¡± I interrupted.  ¡°And who cast the spell?¡±


    ¡°Arrow, would you just let her finish her thought for once!¡± November scolded.  I crossed my arms in a sulk and looked at Echo expectantly.


    I could tell by the look on Echo¡¯s face that she was thinking hard about the answer.  ¡°Well, as for who cast the spell, I suppose it could have been the previous owner of the mansion.  Clearly there¡¯s an enchantment on the whole building.  It¡¯s certainly more complex than anything I¡¯ve ever studied, but perhaps there is an illusion spell that could react to its surroundings on its own.  As for how it knows our names¡­¡±  She paused thoughtfully.  ¡°I suppose it could have heard all of our names being said to each other.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it,¡± I responded harshly.  ¡°It got my name wrong, and it¡¯s showing a name that I have never spoken to anyone here.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said yours just says ¡®Arrow¡¯.¡±  November¡¯s knowing glare greeted me when I spun around to face her.  I froze, caught in the lie that I knew from the start would never hold up.  A tense, silent moment passed before Vember released me from her gaze and turned back to Echo.  ¡°But he¡¯s right.  I¡¯ve never told anyone my surname, but it¡¯s on my door now.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡±  Echo took another moment to consider this information.  ¡°Then I suppose I¡¯m not sure how it knows.¡±  She then broke into a grin.  ¡°But I¡¯m looking forward to finding out!¡±


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    Echo returned to her seat, ensuring it wouldn¡¯t be taken by one of the other guild members filing into the room.  It was starting to fill up, and I expected that it wouldn¡¯t be long until the meeting started.


    ¡°So, what name is on your door?¡±  November¡¯s words were sharp, and I couldn¡¯t face her.  My gaze had returned to the floor, and I kept it there, arms still crossed.


    ¡°Not one I care to hear repeated,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Arrow!  Look at me!¡± she insisted.  I silently refused.  ¡°We¡¯ve been on how many hunts together now, and you still don¡¯t trust me with your real name?¡±


    ¡°Arrow is my real name.¡±  I finally looked at her, and much to my chagrin, the look of betrayal on her face broke me down.  I sighed, closed my eyes, then opened them again, dropping my voice to a barely audible whisper.  ¡°But it¡¯s not my given name.¡±


    ¡°Then what is?¡±  November leaned in close to me, her face nearly close enough to touch mine.  Not used to having someone this close to me outside of combat, I felt myself turning red.  I had never been one to be worried about what others may think, but now I found myself growing anxious as I dreaded what everyone would think about me and November.  ¡°What¡¯s on your door, Arrow?¡±


    ¡°Halfairo Rouden.¡±  The name came out of my mouth before I could stop it, so quiet I hoped she couldn¡¯t hear it, even as close as she was to me.  Overcome with immediate regret, I yanked myself back and straightened my posture.  ¡°And you had better not ever repeat it to anyone, especially not me.¡±


    She looked like she was going to say something else, when someone marched up behind me and patted me solidly on the back.  ¡°How are you feeling, Arrow?¡±


    November sat back in her seat at Lynx¡¯s voice.  I turned to him and we exchanged a silent peace treaty between our eyes.  ¡°I¡¯ve been better,¡± I stated honestly.  ¡°There are entirely too many unexplainable occurrences here.  I¡¯m not comfortable with this level of magical phenomena, and that goes double when not even the mage knows what¡¯s going on!¡±


    ¡°Echo can¡¯t know everything.¡±  Lynx dismissed my worries.  ¡°I¡¯m sure this will all make sense soon enough.  We only just got here.¡±  He patted my back once again before continuing to the front of room.  He took his place standing in front of the fireplace, surveying the full room, waiting for the last few people to find their seats.


    ¡°Why did you change your name?¡± November whispered, once again encroaching on my personal space.


    I offered a faint smile as I summoned my rehearsed answer for the question I had ruefully anticipated for many years.  ¡°Because I¡¯m not half-anything,¡± I declared.  ¡°I¡¯m simply Arrow.¡±


    ¡°But what about your surname?¡±  November inched closer, her face brimming with excitement to hear more about the past I had declined to ever share.


    I placed a hand on her shoulder.  ¡°I¡¯m not a rodent either.¡±  I gently pushed her away, contemplating the nickname that had haunted my early years, which Lynx had inexplicably stumbled upon.


    ¡°I think everyone is here now,¡± Lynx announced, saving me from having to answer more of November¡¯s questions.  The whole room quieted, and everyone shifted to turn their attention to him.  ¡°It¡¯s time to talk about this mansion, the unique qualities it has, and what we¡¯re going to do next.¡±

 11. The Meeting

    ¡°Some of you have expressed certain concerns regarding the mansion,¡± Lynx opened.  ¡°I thought it would be helpful to have an open forum to discuss them together.¡±


    ¡°How did our names get on our doors?¡± a woman¡¯s voice asked.


    ¡°So far we think it¡¯s an illusion spell,¡± Lynx explained, and then went on to have a variation of the discussion I¡¯d had with Echo just moments before.  I listened impatiently to the exchange as people threw out potential explanations that made no sense, and all failed to explain how the mansion could have possibly known names that some of us had never shared.


    Eventually, the conversation burnt itself out and a new question emerged.  ¡°When can we bring our families here?¡±


    ¡°Blue is leaving first thing in the morning to get his wife, pack their things, and come back here.¡±  Lynx gestured to the man sitting near him.  ¡°Anyone who would like to go with him is more than welcome to.¡±


    ¡°I think we should make sure the place is safe first!¡± someone cried out, prompting anxious murmurs from the crowd.


    ¡°I understand your concerns,¡± Lynx answered calmly.  ¡°If you¡¯d rather wait to get your families later, that¡¯s certainly an option, too.¡±


    Another hand shot up.  ¡°Do you think it¡¯s safe here, Lynx?¡±


    Lynx took a moment to think before answering.  ¡°We have no reason to think we¡¯re in any immediate danger.  Some strange occurrences aren¡¯t enough evidence to conclude that the place is unsafe.¡±


    Truly diplomatic, I thought, noting that he hadn¡¯t truly shared whether he thought it was safe or not.


    The room went quiet once again, and it was clear that everyone who had gathered was exhausted.  It seemed that no one had the energy to engage in a vigorous discussion.


    ¡°If no one has any other concerns to bring up right now,¡± he continued carefully, ¡°we¡¯ll start discussing our next steps.¡±  No one objected.  ¡°Aside from the large kitchen on this floor, each lodging room has its own kitchen, complete with cooking wares, firewood, fire strikers, and even running water.  All we need now is food.¡±  He paused, seemingly waiting for suggestions, yet none emerged.  ¡°Hopefully everyone brought enough food for at least a few days.  If not, see me and I¡¯ll find something for you to eat.  The nearest town is half a day¡¯s walk from here, and I know some of you came from further away.  We can organize a party to go buy food, but I¡¯d prefer if we were at least somewhat self-sufficient.  Tomorrow I want some of you outside foraging, and some of you out there hunting.  I¡¯m looking at you, Reed, Dawn, and Arrow.¡±


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    My face fell into a glower, not happy to be volunteered, but now too weary to argue, especially in front of the whole crowd.  Typically, I would hunt and slay beasts because I had been hired to, or to feed myself, or to sell the meat.  I didn¡¯t just do it for free.


    I found my attention drifting, contemplating the long and bizarre day I¡¯d endured.  I couldn¡¯t care less about whatever Lynx was still rambling on about; I was only interested in returning to my room and attempting to make myself comfortable.  I still needed to bathe with the potion that Finch fellow had given me.  Hopefully that would help with my wounds.


    ¡°Arrow.¡±  I snapped my attention back to Lynx when he spoke my name.  ¡°Are you willing to agree to that plan?¡±


    ¡°What, slaying a beast for the guild?¡±  I yawned disinterestedly.  ¡°I suppose I can manage that.¡±


    ¡°Not just that.¡±  Lynx glared his disapproval.  ¡°Try to pay attention.  I said I want you to commit to staying here for at least a week.  I¡¯ve heard how flighty you can be, but I believe having someone around of your strength and abilities will be a real asset, especially in our early days.¡±  He raised an eyebrow.  ¡°Will you agree to that?¡±


    Commit to staying a week?  I tilted my head and considered the request.  I had nothing pressing waiting for me.  There was nowhere I needed to be.  What was another week away from home?  Especially when I still hadn¡¯t decided whether to stay indefinitely.


    Still, the mansion was quite¡­disconcerting.  Could I stand to remain here a week after what I had witnessed with the doors?


    I drew in a breath and sighed deeply.  ¡°Fine.  I can do that.¡±


    ¡°Great!¡±  Lynx clapped his hands together and grinned.  ¡°And with that, this meeting is adjourned!¡±


    Many tired adventurers were eager to jump out of their seats and file out of the room.  I was tempted to join them in an instant, but instead, I thought it would be best to wait until the crowd was gone.


    ¡°Just look at you!¡± November laughed.  ¡°You¡¯re becoming a true guild member, agreeing to help out like that.¡±


    I looked at her tiredly.  ¡°I¡¯m afraid I ran out of energy for arguing already.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that was possible.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s possible, Vember.¡±  I gave her a fatigued grin.  ¡°This mission has worn me down quite enough.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get you to bed, big fellow.¡±  Vember patted my back as she stood up.  ¡°You¡¯ve had quite the day, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way of putting it.¡±  The room was emptying out, so I stood up as well.  ¡°Perhaps this mansion will make some sense in the morning.  For now, I can¡¯t fathom anything that happens here.¡±  We started toward the stairs.


    ¡°Of course, Arrow,¡± November replied.  ¡°I know the names on the doors are strange and a bit scary, but I¡¯m sure there¡¯s an explanation.  Certainly, it¡¯s some sort of harmless spell.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± I sighed.  ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right.  This mansion is safe and there¡¯s nothing to worry about here.  Maybe it¡¯s just complex illusion magic that the mage can study.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡±  She patted my back again.  ¡°You¡¯ll see.  Everything will turn out fine.¡±


    Of course, as we would soon find out, we were wrong.

 12. What is This?

    I had been accustomed to waking up to the sun casting its rays over my face, but when I woke up that first morning in the mansion, there was no sunlight coming through.  I arose and approached the window, expecting to be greeted by a rainy, gloomy day, but instead found overgrown trees blocking out the sun, with rare rays of light peeking through in the distance.


    I was struck by the clarity of the window.  It was pristine, just as the rest of the mansion was.  However, from the outside, they had appeared dusty and opaque.  I wondered if this was another enchantment.


    Not being able to get a good look at the sun¡¯s position, I couldn¡¯t quite tell how long I had slept.  Figuring it had been way longer than intended, I hurried to ready myself for the day, lest I appeared to be slacking.


    Expecting to begin hunting straight away, I dressed in my armor and prepared before leaving my room, shutting the still-covered door behind me.


    As I was descending the stairs, the sound of anxious chattering from the bottom floor reached me before November did.  Her soundless footsteps failed to alert me to her impending presence, and her unbelievable speed ensured that by the time I saw her round the corner and processed her appearance, she was already grabbing me by the arms and shouting incoherently in my face.


    ¡°Come quickly, Arrow!¡±  She shook me vigorously until I grabbed her wrists and stopped her.  ¡°Arrow!  We don¡¯t know what to do, you have to help!¡±


    ¡°Would you just calm down!  What¡¯s all this about?¡±  I let go of her wrists.  ¡°I can¡¯t understand you when you¡¯re like this.¡±


    ¡°Reed disappeared!¡± she cried.


    I recognized the name as one of the beast hunters that Lynx had called out in the meeting.  ¡°Reed¡­disappeared?  What do you mean?  Wasn¡¯t Blue planning to leave early this morning with a group of other people?  Maybe Reed just joined him.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that!¡±  November shook her head hard.  ¡°We saw him disappear.¡±


    I puzzled at her statement.  ¡°How did he disappear then?¡±


    ¡°Just come look!¡±  She turned and instantly sprinted back down the stairs where she had come from.  I hurried down behind her, though I had never been able to keep up with her at full speed.


    The chattering grew louder as I approached the bottom.  November, who was waiting for me at the opening of the staircase, grabbed me by the arm once I was within reach and dragged me into the sitting room.  There, a crowd of people stood around the large fireplace, and the chattering was so loud and so intense that I couldn¡¯t understand any of it.  Vember forced her way through, hauling me behind her.


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    ¡°Move aside!¡± November barked as we arrived at the front of the crowd.  ¡°Arrow¡¯s going to take a look!¡±


    ¡°And just what is he going to do?¡± Lynx sighed, turning to face us.  ¡°Hasn¡¯t he been scared of ghosts since we arrived?¡±


    Ghosts!  What is going on here!  The simple response from Lynx immediately filled me with apprehension at the promise of further strange happenings, and indignation that he dismissed my concerns in such a way, and seemed to consider me as some sort of coward.


    ¡°He¡¯ll do something, which is more than what you¡¯re doing!¡± November spat.  She shoved me forward, and as I was thrust in front of the crowd, I was finally able to see what everyone was gathered around.


    It was a round, white mist that cast an unnerving glow.  It was about as large as my head, and hovered just above waist-height.  I stumbled toward it, having been caught off guard by Vember¡¯s hard shove, and she grabbed my arm yet again and pulled me back just before I made contact with the orb.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch it!¡± she shrilled.  ¡°That¡¯s how he disappeared!¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡± I trailed off, not able to string together a solid sentence.  So many questions swirled around my head.  How did Reed disappear?  What happened to him?  What is this thing?  What if I touch it?  What would happen to me?  Was this always here?  I stood stiffly, frozen while I stared at the orb, feeling all of my concerns about the mansion as a whole rising to the surface.


    ¡°We found the orb this morning.¡±  November finally slowed down enough to explain it to me.  ¡°While we were investigating it, Reed touched it, and he disappeared instantly!¡±


    I considered her explanation for quite a long moment, before I finally spoke a sentence I was reluctant to say.  "I agree with Lynx.  Just what exactly do you expect me to do about it?  I don¡¯t have the power to bring him back.  Get the mage!¡±


    ¡°I think he was teleported.¡±  Echo¡¯s voice startled me.  How long had she been there?  ¡°Teleportation magic is very difficult to use.  Even if I knew where he was, I couldn¡¯t bring him back myself.¡±  I turned to face her, and saw sincere eyes behind her large glasses.  ¡°But I don¡¯t even know where he went.  I suppose he may not have gone far, and he could return on his own, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s already been so long!¡±  Vember finished her sentence.  ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s coming back on his own.  Arrow, you have to go after him!¡±


    ¡°What!¡±  I gaped at November in wide-eyed disbelief.  ¡°You want me to go after him!  Are you mad!  What if it kills me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a coward!¡± she retorted.


    I shook my head incredulously.  ¡°This is absurd.  Why me?  Why don¡¯t you go, Vember?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the strong one!¡± she insisted.


    I narrowed my eyes.  ¡°You¡¯re no weakling.¡±


    ¡°No, but I¡¯m not as strong as you.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re more agile!  What if agility is key here?  Brute strength may not solve this one.¡±  I was desperate for an excuse not to touch the orb.  ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not my fault he was dense enough to touch an obvious specter.  Why should saving him be my problem?¡±


    November marched up to the orb, standing inches from me, and took my hand roughly.  ¡°Fine.  We¡¯ll go together then.  Whether we need agility or brute strength, we¡¯ll be covered.¡±  She gave me a hard look, and I knew there was no avoiding this.  Touching the orb was now inevitable.


    I closed my eyes and took in a long, deep breath, paused for a moment, then let it out slowly.  ¡°Fine.  On three then.  I¡¯ll count us down.¡±


    We both held our free hands over the orb.


    ¡°One¡­¡±  Was I really going to do this?


    ¡°Two¡­¡±  What if I don¡¯t touch it?  What if I just let her touch it?  Will I teleport anyway, since she¡¯s touching me?


    ¡°Three.¡±


    We both touched the orb, and were swept away in an instant.

 13. Another World

    I had never tried imagining what it would be like to be teleported, but if I had tried imagining it, my first time being teleported wouldn¡¯t have been anything like how I would have imagined it.


    One moment I was standing in the mansion, then suddenly there was a flash of white all around me.  Once it faded, I was standing somewhere else entirely.  No whirlwinds surrounding me, no dropping out of the sky, no other pomp and circumstance.  Just a flash and a new location.


    And it was indeed somewhere entirely new.  We found ourselves in a field situated under a night sky ¨C a deep, dark blue canvas glittering with starlight bright enough to light up the whole place.  I wondered if we had also somehow traveled through time.  After all, it had been sunny outside of the mansion.


    ¡°Greetings, Mr. Rouden and Ms. Ochre.¡±


    The high-pitched, childish voice seemingly came out of nowhere and made me jump in surprised.  I whipped around, searching for the source, before my eyes landed on the culprit.


    It was white, wispy, and glowing, and it hovered off the ground, just like the orb.  Unlike the orb, however, it had a humanoid shape that ended at the waist.  Its only features were its face, and it was an ugly face indeed ¨C massive black eyes with a large, spiky grin, filled with pointed teeth.


    I instantly reached for my axe, my instincts kicking in at seeing a monster, albeit one I had never seen before.  November quickly stopped me, holding a hand up in front of me.


    ¡°Greetings,¡± she replied too casually, as if she were speaking with a person and not a hideous specter.


    ¡°It knows our names, Vember!¡± I hissed into her ear.  ¡°It¡¯s probably the one that put our names on our doors.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, I did write your names on my doors.¡±  It grinned eerily.


    ¡°Your doors?¡±  Vember placed her hand on my shoulder, her signal for ¡®calm down and back off¡¯.  ¡°Are you the owner of the mansion?¡±


    ¡°I am the mansion.¡±  Its words sent a chill through my body.  It was a nonsensical statement, and yet I believed it.  It was enough to convince me to disregard my commitment of remaining for a week and to abandon the mansion as soon as I could.


    ¡°How do you know our names then?¡±  November¡¯s questions were light and curious, not sounding the least bit concerned.


    ¡°I know many things.¡±  Its grin did not fade.


    ¡°Then do you know where our friend is?¡±  She smiled authentically.  ¡°His name is Reed.  We¡¯ve come here to look for him.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr. Greenwater.  He has already begun the trial.¡±


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    ¡°What is the trial?¡±  November¡¯s tone was more serious now.


    The specter raised an arm and pointed at a small wooden structure behind us.  ¡°Enter the shed and retrieve the chest inside.  Once you do, you may keep it, and you will all be returned to the mansion.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were the mansion.¡±  I failed to stop myself from making the snide comment.


    ¡°More specifically, I am the spirit that dwells within the mansion and gives it life.  I am not the physical building.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± I muttered, looking over my shoulder at the shed.  ¡°You just want us to get inside the shed and get a chest?  Then we¡¯ll all be sent back?¡±


    ¡°Correct!¡± it replied cheerfully, in that unbearable childish voice.  ¡°The trial will be over, and the orb will disappear.  But don¡¯t worry!  There will be more orbs and more trials appearing around the mansion.¡±


    I regarded it skeptically.  ¡°Why would we want to do more trials?¡±


    ¡°For the treasure, of course!¡±  It let out a loud, shrieking giggle, which felt like it was tearing my ears apart from the inside.  ¡°The treasure, just like you will find inside of the shed.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­¡±  I stepped back, eager to escape the conversation.  ¡°We¡¯ll just get started on that straight away, then.¡±  I turned away, finally giving my eyes a rest from the horrid sight.


    ¡°Thank you, you¡¯ve been very helpful,¡± November said.  ¡°And I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t think I heard you say your name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just as I told you ¨C I am the mansion.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right.  Well then, thank you, Mansion.¡±  I glanced back to see her following my lead, turning to the shed and starting toward it.


    We walked to the shed in silence.  I wanted to talk to Vember, to discuss what we were witnessing, but I knew Mansion would hear us.  I resolved to just speak with her when we got back, but that didn¡¯t seem much better ¨C it seemed to be able to hear us anywhere.


    A banging sound emerged and grew louder the closer we got to the shed.  Reed was nowhere in sight, but I suspected he was responsible for the noise.  Indeed, once we reached our destination, I rounded the building to find a man on the other side, banging away at the wall with a rock.


    ¡°What in the world are you doing?¡± I asked.


    Reed flinched, clearly startled as he made eye contact with me.  ¡°Oh!  You¡¯re Arrow the beast slayer!¡±


    I tilted my head to the side.  ¡°Mm-hmm.  Now answer the question.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡±  Reed was shaking.  Had he been shaking the whole time?  Maybe he had.  ¡°I¡¯m trying to get inside the shed so I can get back to the rest of the guild.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow.  ¡°And the door isn¡¯t working?¡±


    He shook his head.  ¡°I couldn¡¯t find a door.  Did you see a door?¡±


    I hadn¡¯t seen a door, but his statement surprised me.  ¡°I¡¯ll just see for myself.¡±  I began to circle the building, while November stayed with Reed and chatted with him.


    ¡°We were so worried about you, Reed!¡± she exclaimed.  ¡°We were worried you were gone for good.¡±


    ¡°So you came after me?¡±  He chuckled nervously.  ¡°I¡¯m not sure that was wise.¡±


    Their voices grew softer the further I walked from them.  ¡°Well, I was just going to send Arrow, but it turns out he was too scared.¡±  I rolled my eyes.  ¡°I figured he¡¯s big and strong enough to escort you back from wherever you had been sent.¡±


    ¡°It was kind of you both to come after me.¡±  Reed¡¯s voice was growing louder now as my circle approached its completion.  He had been right ¨C there was no door.


    ¡°Vember!¡± I called as I reached them once again.  ¡°Check the roof?¡±


    Not needing to be asked twice, she walked away from the shed.  Once she was far enough, she sprinted back toward it and leapt onto the roof.


    ¡°Whoa!¡± Reed shouted.  ¡°You can jump!¡±


    ¡°Nothing up here.¡±  November stomped hard on the roof.  ¡°It¡¯s quite sturdy.  I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll get through this way.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡±  I pulled out my axe.  ¡°Thank you, Vember.  You can climb down now.  I¡¯ll take care of this.¡±


    I raised my axe and got to work.

 14. Treasure

    ¡°I see neither of you thought to bring your own weapons,¡± I grunted between swings as I hacked away at the shed. ¡°So now I have the privilege of opening the shed on my own.¡±


    ¡°Like my bow and arrows?¡± November laughed. ¡°How do you think they would have helped?¡±


    ¡°Truly, I didn¡¯t expect to find myself in this situation when I touched the orb!¡± Reed¡¯s tone was defensive. ¡°Even if I had brought my sword, I¡¯m not certain it would do well at this job.¡±


    ¡°Better than that rock, surely,¡± I muttered.


    The wall I was striking was thick and sturdy, and took quite a bit of effort to bring down. Still, compared to the maze, it felt as soft as butter.


    ¡°Well, perhaps,¡± Reed replied, ¡°but even so, I worry about damage to the blade if I used it for¡­that.¡±


    The hole my axe had put in the wall was growing larger with each hit. I scoffed. ¡°Well, I have some shocking news for you, Reed. Damaging your weapon is a fate preferable to being stuck in this forsaken place forever.¡±


    ¡°Good thing you brought your axe, then,¡± November quipped. ¡°Now you can use it for exactly what it¡¯s for.¡±


    ¡°This is not what it¡¯s for.¡± I brought my axe down hard on the wall one last time, and the hole became large enough for us to enter through. I quickly returned my axe to its place on my back and hurried inside with November and Reed just behind me.


    With the roof of the shed shielding the contents from the bright starlight, the inside was dark and hard to see. Regardless, I could identify the outline of a chest roughly half as tall as my knees sitting on the floor in the middle of the small building. Not wanting to waste any more time, I rushed to grab it, and was surprised by how heavy the thing was when I lifted it up.


    A shrill, piercing laugh boomed in my ears the moment I held the chest. ¡°Congratulations, Mr. Rouden!¡± the specter¡¯s voice howled. ¡°You win the trial!¡±


    Suddenly, another flash overtook us, and we were back at the mansion in an instant.


    ¡°They¡¯re back!¡± Lynx cheered. He rushed to embrace Reed. ¡°We were so worried about you, my friend. What happened?¡± As he released Reed, his eyes made their way to the chest in my arms. ¡°And what did you find?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t speak ¨C not immediately, anyway. Now back to the relative safety of the mansion, I tried to process what I had just experienced. I tried to process it. I couldn¡¯t.


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    Reed shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to start! We had to find the treasure before the specter would release us. I couldn¡¯t open the shed, but Arrow broke it down!¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡± Lynx¡¯s expression grew more puzzled, though his gaze didn¡¯t wander from the chest. ¡°Find the¡­treasure?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± I replied, setting the chest down on the nearest table. Maybe if I focused on the treasure, I could forget the horrific specter I had just encountered. ¡°Let¡¯s see what¡¯s inside.¡±


    The lid was heavy and somewhat stuck to the rest of the chest, but I managed to open it firmly yet gently, revealing the treasure inside. My jaw dropped as I took in the sight of more coins than I had earned in the past year.


    ¡°Amazing find!¡± Lynx marched up to the chest beside me. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to fund the guild¡¯s treasury for months!¡±


    ¡°What!¡± I slammed the chest shut. ¡°What do you mean, the guild¡¯s treasury? I didn¡¯t see the guild in that¡­place! Do you want to know who I did see? I saw Reed, November, and myself. And that¡¯s why these coins will be divided up between the three of us, and no one else!¡±


    Lynx glared at me. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t even be here without the guild. You wouldn¡¯t have found that money without the guild. This mansion belongs to the guild, so the money belongs to the guild.¡±


    The distress I had felt over my chilling experience was swiftly replaced by anger toward Lynx¡¯s attitude. ¡°This mansion belongs to whoever could defeat the maze and reach the building.¡± I stepped toward him, so close we were nearly touching. ¡°And I was the first one to get through the maze.¡±


    ¡°The guild defeated the maze, Arrow. You couldn¡¯t have destroyed it without Echo¡¯s spell and everyone else¡¯s help. And you probably would have just lied there and died without Finch¡¯s potion he injected you with.¡± Lynx wasn¡¯t backing down. He didn¡¯t even flinch.


    ¡°Come on, stop it!¡± November looked at Lynx earnestly. ¡°Lynx, Arrow¡¯s right. He didn¡¯t want to go after Reed, but he did anyway and brought him back. You wouldn¡¯t go at all.¡±


    ¡°I needed to stay back and oversee the guild.¡± Lynx answered November, but he didn¡¯t take his eyes off me. ¡°Besides, this isn¡¯t for me, it¡¯s for all of us.¡±


    We stood in silent tension, glaring each other down, for a long while. Reed was the one to eventually break the silence. ¡°What if we split it four ways? Each of us three could take one-fourth, and one-fourth can go to the treasury.¡±


    Lynx tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. ¡°I could agree to that. Arrow?¡±


    ¡°One-fourth seems like a pretty steep cut for doing absolutely nothing,¡± I spat. ¡°But fine. Take your portion. I¡¯ll be back for what¡¯s mine.¡± I whirled around and began my march toward the stairs. I yelled over my shoulder, ¡°And the chest is mine!¡± and stomped off.


    I was about halfway to my floor when the sound of sprinting footsteps caught up to me. ¡°Wait!¡± Reed cried. ¡°I have a question.¡±


    ¡°Make it quick.¡± I didn¡¯t slow my pace. If Reed wanted to speak with me so badly, he could keep up with my speed.


    ¡°I heard that specter call you Mr. Rouden.¡± Reed had caught up and was trotting beside me now. ¡°Is it ¡®Rouden¡¯ as in¨C¡±


    ¡°Yes, as in ¡®rodent¡¯. How clever of you.¡± I walked faster.


    ¡°No, not that! Of course I wouldn¡¯t say that.¡± Reed kept up. I wasn¡¯t losing him. ¡°I was going to ask, is it ¡®Rouden¡¯ as in ¡®Sage Rouden¡¯?¡±


    I froze in place. Slowly, I turned to face Reed, and when I did, a grin had overtaken my face.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I said. ¡°As in ¡®Sage Rouden¡¯.¡±

 15. Sage Rouden

    ¡°You did mention you were a swordsman,¡± I observed. ¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t be surprised that you¡¯ve heard of Sage Rouden.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t just heard of her!¡± Reed beamed. ¡°She¡¯s the one who taught me how to use my sword!¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Something warm bubbled up inside of me. It was an entirely unfamiliar feeling, yet somehow, speaking with someone who had trained under my mother made me feel like I was standing right beside her.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! She taught me everything I know. I¡¯m assuming she taught you how to fight as well?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Indeed she did.¡± Although my mother had been a renowned swordswoman, she had been kind enough to train me on my preferred weapon, my beloved first battle axe.


    ¡°She¡¯s wonderful, isn¡¯t she?¡± As I watched Reed grin, I wondered if he had been one of the wandering children she had taken under her wing. She¡¯d always had a special place in her heart for orphans, and would often bring them warm meals and train them to protect themselves from the harsh world. ¡°Of course, I haven¡¯t seen her in quite a while. Is she¡­¡± Reed hesitated, seemingly already knowing and fearing the answer to his next question. ¡°Is she¡­well?¡±


    My smile went from warm and sincere to hollow and performative. I briefly considered the various ways in which I could sum up what had happened to her, until I settled on a single word. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± His face fell. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m quite sorry.¡±


    ¡°As am I.¡± I kept the fake smile on my face, reluctant to bring down Reed¡¯s mood any further. I was starting to like him.


    ¡°Well, in any case, it¡¯s a true pleasure to meet you, Mr. Rouden,¡± he continued.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t call me that.¡± I decided not to come down on Reed as hard as I had come down on Lynx and November. ¡°The only name I use is Arrow, and I don¡¯t want anyone else to hear my given name.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­so sorry.¡± Reed shifted uncomfortably. ¡°May I ask why not?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I smiled more broadly, hoping to soften the refusal.


    ¡°Ah, alright then.¡± We stood in silence for a moment before Reed came up with something else to say. ¡°We should hunt for beasts together!¡±


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    ¡°Huh?¡± The bold suggestion caused me to raise an eyebrow at him.


    ¡°That is, Lynx had asked us both to go hunting today, so I think it would be logical if we joined together. Oh, and Dawn, of course!¡± he added.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± I muttered, having forgotten all about that. ¡°Well, that¡¯s a very nice suggestion, Reed, but I don¡¯t typically work with anyone else. The only person I ever work with is November.¡±


    Reed nodded. ¡°Because she¡¯s your wife?¡±


    ¡°What!¡± The assumption came from his mouth so naturally and carelessly that I hardly knew how to react. ¡°November¡¯s not my wife!¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry!¡± Reed replied quickly. ¡°Your partner, then!¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand.¡± I shook my head. ¡°We work as partners, but she¡¯s not my partner.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Reed tilted his head. ¡°I do apologize. It¡¯s just that you two seemed so close¡­¡±


    I shook my head again, determined to change the subject. ¡°Fine. Just because you¡¯ve trained under my mother, just one time, I will hunt with you. Dawn can join too, I suppose, but I have no idea who Dawn is.¡±


    ¡°Dawn is my wife.¡± Reed¡¯s grin returned. ¡°And she trained under Sage as well! She¡¯ll be so happy to hear that you¨C¡±


    I cut him off with a load groan. ¡°I do not want my identity or my relation to Sage to be shared with everyone else. Tell your wife if you must, but it ends with her. Understood?¡±


    Reed nodded quickly. ¡°Yes, yes, of course!¡±


    Our conversation was cut short by another set of footsteps climbing the stairs. November rounded the corner with the chest in her hands.


    ¡°Hold this, Arrow!¡± November called as she approached. I obliged as she thrust the chest into my arms. She slid the lid open and lifted two full-looking pouches. ¡°One for me, and one for Reed. Arrow, your portion is still in the chest.¡± I peered inside, and indeed it was. ¡°We counted it out downstairs,¡± she explained.


    ¡°Ah, yes, about that,¡± Reed started. ¡°Arrow, if you¡¯d like, you can have my share. I don¡¯t particularly need the money, and I do appreciate you helping me out of that place.¡±


    I chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s a kind offer, Reed, but I don¡¯t particularly need the money either. This was purely about principle to me. Keep your share ¨C you earned it by being brave enough to venture in first.¡±


    Reed beamed as November handed him his pouch. ¡°Lynx isn¡¯t happy with you, Arrow,¡± she warned.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t been, ever since he realized he can¡¯t control me,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Lynx can be a control freak,¡± November conceded, ¡°but he¡¯s a good man. I wish the two of you could be friends.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°He was questioning your loyalty to the guild,¡± she went on, ¡°but I pointed out to him that he hasn¡¯t given you a reason to be loyal to the guild. You only just met everyone. Most of us have known each other for a while now.¡±


    ¡°Well, thanks for that.¡± At least November was on my side. ¡°Say, Vember, I told Reed that I would hunt monsters with him and Dawn. Will you be joining us?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re hunting with others?¡± November laughed warmly. ¡°Look at you, making friends already!¡±


    ¡°Ha, ha, funny.¡± I rolled my eyes. ¡°Are you in or out?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in! I¡¯ll go armor up.¡± She took off, running up the stairs toward her room.


    ¡°I suppose I should get Dawn and get ready as well,¡± Reed decided. ¡°Shall we meet outside?¡±


    ¡°That will work.¡± I resumed my walk up the stairs. ¡°I¡¯ll see you then.¡±

 16. Can We Talk?

    My mother was a lovely woman, when she was still alive.  Her heart was big enough to have space for every lost child in the world ¨C even if she couldn¡¯t give them a home, she would give them anything she could to aid in their safety.


    Plenty of people mistook her kindness for softness, yet she was anything but soft.  The poor souls who dared to attempt to challenge her swiftly learned that her sword skills were second to none.  She had tried to teach me to use a sword as well, but much to her dismay, I refused.  My father had promised me his old battle axe once I became old enough to wield it, and I wanted nothing more than to earn that weapon.  Wonderfully, my mother agreed to teach me on that instead.


    My father taught me about the sort of things one may learn in school.  I did not go to school, so I learned from him instead ¨C reading, writing, math, wildlife, history, etc.  Meanwhile, my mother taught me not only how to fight, but how to have a kind and loving heart.


    Well, she had tried to, anyway.


    ¡°Can we talk?¡±


    Lynx had found my in my room, putting away my share of the treasure and preparing for hunting.  His voice interrupted my time remembering my mother, and for that, I faced him with a harsh glare, not opening my mouth to answer him.  Perhaps he could speak; I would decide soon enough if I would speak as well.


    ¡°I feel that we¡¯ve started off on the wrong foot,¡± Lynx explained.  I felt my expression soften, ever so slightly.  If he was willing to admit to his flaws, I was willing to hear it.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re new to this,¡± he continued.  ¡°I understand you¡¯ve never joined a guild before, quite intentionally.  So maybe I¡¯m expecting you to feel too much investment in a guild you¡¯ve just joined.¡±  He paused thoughtfully.  ¡°We want you in this guild, Arrow.  Truly, we do.  But we need for you to work toward the good of the other members, too?¡±


    ¡°And risking my life to go after Reed wasn¡¯t enough?¡±  I waved my hand dismissively.  ¡°For all I knew, touching that orb could have been instant death.  Yes, November convinced me to do it, fine ¨C but she didn¡¯t force me.  She couldn¡¯t force me.  I had to agree to it, and I did.¡±


    ¡°And you want the money you found doing it.  I understand, you¡¯re the one who found it¨C¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t just find it, Lynx!¡±  I shook my head.  I had managed to keep my horror at bay thus far by distracting myself from it ¨C by being angry with Lynx, by talking to Reed and November, by thinking about my mother ¨C but now I could push it away no longer.  Lynx was forcing it all back.  ¡°I went to another world.  I encountered a specter ¨C an apparition, a spirit, a ghoul!¡±  My hands flew to my face, as if I could hide myself from the memory.  I could feel the growing tension in my body, and I was sure Lynx could see it.


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    ¡°Tell me what happened.¡±  Lynx¡¯s voice was unexpectedly soft and compassionate.  I uncovered my face and for a moment, it felt like I was looking at my mother ¨C at her kind and understanding eyes.


    So I told him.  I told him every detail of the world I had entered, of the specter calling itself The Mansion, of the shed I tore down and found the treasure in.


    ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯ve gone mad!¡± I declared.  ¡°Reed and November are fine.  No one else has been concerned about any of this!  No one else has been worried about the odd qualities that this mansion has, and neither of those two seemed at all shaken by the encounter!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been concerned about this mansion, Arrow.¡±  Lynx spoke in a hushed voice.  ¡°But I can¡¯t go around stirring up panic.  I need to remain calm.  I can assure you, however, that there are others who are as worried as you ¨C more worried, in fact.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t bear the conversation anymore, so I changed the subject.  ¡°It¡¯s not about the money, Lynx.  It¡¯s about¨C¡±


    ¡°The principle,¡± Lynx finished.  ¡°Yes, Arrow, I know.  Keep your part then.  But you¡¯re not considering what I wanted the money for.¡±  I didn¡¯t respond.  I waited for him to continue.  He did.  ¡°I wanted to use it to feed people.  To make sure everyone here is provided for.  I know you came prepared.  You can take care of yourself.  Not everyone here can.¡±


    I looked away from him and considered his words.  Once again, he managed to remind me of my mother ¨C of how she had lectured me when I complained about her not buying the expensive axe I had eyed at the blacksmith¡¯s market, when she had instead been buying food for her students.


    ¡°There will be more trials,¡± I finally explained.  ¡°The specter said that more orbs are going to appear around the mansion, and they¡¯ll lead to trials like the one we just returned from.¡±  I smiled weakly.  ¡°And they¡¯ll yield treasure, as well.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡±  Lynx stroked his beard thoughtfully.  ¡°I¡¯ll keep this under consideration.  Thank you.¡±  He looked away and paused for a moment before looking back at me.  ¡°So, Arrow, I need your answer.  The guild ¨C are you in or out?¡±


    I chuckled dryly.  It wasn¡¯t an easy question.  My logical side had declared it to be a ¡®no¡¯ a long time ago.  I don¡¯t do guilds, and I certainly don¡¯t do haunted mansions.  There was no reason for me to stay.


    And yet¡­


    Would I truly be satisfied if I left before I got to the bottom of this?  Before I solved the mystery?  I had come this far and gotten through the maze ¨C could I really leave now?  In any case, I could always stay a while and leave later¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±  I was surprised by how confident I sounded when the words came out of my mouth.


    Lynx patted my back hard enough that if I had been a smaller man, he might have knocked me over.  ¡°I knew I could count on you, Arrow!¡±  He patted my back once more before triumphantly heading for the exit.  ¡°We¡¯ll do amazing work together, Arrow!¡± he yelled as he left the room, leaving my door hanging open behind him.


    November exited her own room across the hall and appeared in my doorway.  ¡°Are you ready?¡± she asked with a smile.


    I smiled back at her.  Lynx is right, I thought.


    We¡¯ll do amazing work together.

 17. Distractions

    I had worried that I would need to squeeze back through the hole in the maze to get to the forest, but fortunately, that wasn¡¯t the case.  When I ventured out behind the mansion with November, Reed, and Dawn, we found that there was an expansive lot of woods just behind the building with the maze¡¯s confines.


    As I sat squatting behind a bush, I was determined to put the encounter with the specter out of my mind.  I strained my ears to listen for the sound of a wild beast, listening so intently that I couldn¡¯t think of anything but the sound around me.  I heard a snap just behind my hiding place, and I whirled around, half-expecting to see the specter ready to taunt me.  But no ¨C I pushed that thought out of my mind and focused instead on what truly was before me.


    Indeed, there before me stood a micro mammoth ¨C one that looked to be on the large side.  Certainly, it wouldn¡¯t be big enough to feed the entire guild, but it could at least feed fifty people or so.  Maybe we can get a few of them, I thought.


    I raised my axe and prepared to pounce, but was taken aback by an arrow whizzing through the air and piercing the beast in the head.  Once it was stunned, Reed and Dawn emerged with their swords and made quick work of cleanly slaying the mammoth.  I followed up with my axe and finished the job.


    ¡°You three hardly needed me,¡± I quipped as I tied the remains with rope, preparing to drag it back.  ¡°You¡¯ve undoubtedly been training.¡±


    ¡°Sage was a wonderful teacher,¡± Dawn replied with a warm smile.


    ¡°Indeed.¡±  I finished my knots.  ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll bring this one to the mansion while you three continue hunting.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to drag that whole thing back to the mansion yourself?¡±  Reed gaped.


    I responded with a confident grin.  ¡°No beast is too large for me.¡±  I lifted the rope and began my trek.


    ¡°Be careful not to hurt yourself, patting yourself on the back!¡± November¡¯s voice called from the trees.  I rolled my eyes and continued on.


    During my long walk back to the mansion, images of the specter and the world in inhabited filled my mind.  The harder I tried to push them out, the more forcefully they returned, insisting I consider them.  I tried instead to think of what other beasts may inhabit the forest, but I instead could only picture the specter lurking around every corner.


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    ¡°That¡¯s quite the catch!¡± Lynx greeted me as I reached the door.


    I dropped the rope, satisfied with my destination.  ¡°Who¡¯s going to butcher this beast?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you butcher?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can,¡± I replied.  It was true ¨C I was capable of a crude butchering job to feed myself, but I much preferred the arrangement I had with the butcher closest to my home.  I brought him the slayed beast, he butchered it for me and kept a good-sized chunk for himself, and returned the rest to me at no charge.  ¡°It¡¯s not my strong suit.  Besides, I consider my job complete upon delivery.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡±  Lynx nodded.  ¡°I¡¯ll ask around.  I¡¯m sure I can find someone in the guild who can do it.¡±


    I nodded in response.  ¡°We¡¯ll see if we can get a few more.  I know this one can¡¯t feed everyone.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not,¡± he agreed, ¡°but the foraging team has had quite a bit of luck finding fruits and vegetables growing wild.  I¡¯m confident that no one will go hungry.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±  I tilted my head curiously.


    ¡°Mm-hmm.  Not only that, but some of the folks who left this morning are supposed to return with food and supplies as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°I suppose there¡¯s more life here than I suspected,¡± I mused.


    After concluding my chat with Lynx, I returned to where November, Reed, and Dawn were still hunting.  They had already slayed another mammoth, so it fell on me to drag that one back to the mansion as well.  This went on for some time, until we were confident we had enough to feed the guild.  Satisfied that I had fulfilled my obligations for the day, I retired to my chambers.


    I began drawing a bath, and marveled once again at the running water capabilities of this mansion.  Knowing that it was charmed made me wonder even more how this all worked.  Had the specter somehow built this with a spell?  Was its power drawing the water?  If I closed my eyes for a moment, would the specter appear just behind¨C


    No.  I shook my head hard, trying to shake the unwelcome thoughts out.  I have to forget about this.


    Even so, I couldn¡¯t prevent myself from contemplating the trial I had passed.  I had to admit to myself that there was something exhilarating about the whole experience ¨C about solving the puzzle and finding the treasure.  It was fascinating to find myself in a whole new world and encountering a ghoul face-to-face.


    I considered the specter¡¯s words.  It had told us that more trials would be appearing.


    Maybe I could try another one.


    I could hardly believe the idea that flitted into my mind.  I was shocked to find myself considering the idea, and yet I did not rebuke it right away.  If I knew what to expect, I couldn¡¯t be caught off guard again.  It would almost be¡­


    ¡­An adventure.


    The cool water I was splashing on my face did nothing to quell my adventurous spirit.  I had spent most of the day mentally avoiding the topic, not wanting to face the conclusion I knew I would come to, but in the end, it was inevitable.


    I would face another trial and face the specter once again.