Chapter 5

A quick punch to the side of a biped’s head, barely enough to produce a dim flash of blue light, and Bruce was through the blockade and running down the hallway.  Maddox was a step or two in front of him, left arm hanging limp by his side and the small green greeter clinging to his shoulder.

The monster’s behind him howled again, but despite their quick speed, they were slow to get moving.  That was something Bruce had noticed in the brief fight.  The shades could move quickly, but their reaction time was trash.  He didn’t doubt that they would pick a predictable enemy apart, but his fairly basic bobbing and weaving during combat had been more than enough to keep them off his back after the first misstep.

The pathway broke into three just in front of them and Maddox veered to the left.  Bruce followed, a rapid glance over his shoulder revealing  the shades were bursting into motion, the four legged versions quickly out distancing their bipedal cousins.

Another turn and Bruce blindly followed Maddox.  He swore he could feel the hot breath of the shades beating down the back of his neck, but Bruce was also pretty sure that they didn’t actually breathe.

The skin on his arm dimpled, growing gooseflesh out of nowhere, and Bruce lashed out without thinking. His left foot dug into the grey floor of the strange plane, glowing a light blue as he shifted all of his weight to it.  Then, his right leg swung around, rocketing into one of the four legged shades with an eye searing burst of light and enough force to send it flying into a trio of its companions.

They were going fast enough that the careening body of their fellow shade knocked the other three off balance, sending all four of them tumbling to the ground in a tangled heap.

Bruce spun and took off after Maddox, trying to ignore the persistent flashes of pain coming from his right foot with each step.  It wasn’t as bad as when he took the punch, but it was pretty clear that the last attack had stretched him past his limit.

Maddox took another turn, then another.  Then he went straight at a three way intersection before veering off from his route yet again.  The next five minutes were absolute chaos as they ran headlong from the pursuit.  Periodically they would slow down only to hear the braying howl of the hunting shades and push themselves forward once again.

Finally, Maddox raised his right hand, puffing for breath as he bent over, planting his good right hand on his knee.

“Think we lost ‘em Bruce?” He gasped out in between long wheezing.  “I’m not sure how much more I’ve got in me.  One of those ghost things grew a whip and tagged me pretty good.  It didn’t break any bones, but it felt like it started my entire left side on fire and I can’t use my arm anymore.”

“Neither of you have bones silly,” the green squirrel-thing chirped from Maddox’s shoulder.  “All matter is destroyed by its transition through the dimensional transit maw.  What remains are psychic constructs that represent your will and ego.  Your fight with the shades was a great example.  It wasn’t really important how you hit them, just that deep down you wanted to hurt them with every fiber of your being.”

“Well,” it amended.  “You also had to actually hit them.  Dodging their attacks was actually a fairly effective equalizer.  Each and every one of those shades was stronger than either of you, but the two of you managed to kill three and critically injure one in exchange for only a pair of blows.  Remarkable really.”

Bruce squinted at the squirrel as it preened on Maddox’s shoulder.  It reached up with a back claw, squinting in pleasure as it rapidly scratched itself behind an ear.

“Aren’t you chatty all of a sudden,” he said suspiciously.  “Less than ten minutes ago you couldn’t speak a word of English, and now you’re lecturing us on complex topics without any trouble.  Seems a little too good to be true for me.”

“I have been listening and learning from your lexicon,” the squirrel replied cheerfully.  “As the two of you have talked, I’ve learned more and more of your language through the psychic connection I have forged with Mr. Maddox here.”

“Hear that Maddox.”  Bruce chuckled, glancing behind them to make sure there weren’t any glowing purple monstrosities out for their blood.  “You’re a mister now.”

“Come on little fuzzy guy,” Maddox begged between deep sucking breaths, “I work for a living.  Misters are people like my Dad and MarsCorp managers.  Y’know, bad people.”

It scurried up Maddox’s shoulder, climbing up his ear and side of his face until it was perched on the man’s closely cropped sandy brown hair where it addressed the two humans serenely.

“My name is Treekipp.  I apologize for any confusion or unintended offense, but I think it might be best that we talk now that I can fully speak your language and there aren’t any shades nearby to rip out your cores.  It would likely help your slim, but surprisingly existent chances of survival.”

Bruce glanced at Maddox, asking the other man an unspoken question.  Maddox just shrugged in reply before answering his furry companion.

“Okay Treekipp.  Tell us what you can.  Bruce and I don’t know where we are or what the hell is going on.  All I do know for sure is that I’ve never seen one of those shade things before in my life, and I’m pretty sure my hands aren’t supposed to glow blue when I punch stuff.”

Treekipp wrinkled its nose, twitching its muzzle silently.

“First and foremost,” it began, taking on the aura of a tin, squeaky professor. “You are in the belly of the Great Labyrinth, an extradimensional monster that tries to lure beings from your universe in so that it can devour their life force and psychic potential.”

“Yay,”  Maddox mumbled unenthusiastically.  “Good for us.”

Treekip raised one of its tiny hands, curling it into a fist before bopping it down on the top of the other man’s head.  Maddox winced, and Bruce struggled to keep a smile from his face as the flamboyantly colored squirrel continued its speech.

“AS I WAS SAYING.  The Great Labyrinth follows rules.  Some simple and others much more complex that theorists have argued about for years.  Suffice it to say that it offers benefits as well as dangers in order to lure the greedy and desperate into its embrace.  Namely, travel through its hallways is surprisingly fast in the material universe.  If you know where you’re going, a half day can bring you to a moon, a full day can let you reach another planet in your solar system, and for the more intrepid, after a week or so of arduous travel, you will reach your nearest stellar neighbors.”

Maddox raised both of his eyebrows and let out a low whistle, and Bruce couldn’t help but nod along.  Interstellar extra dimensional travel.  He was in hyperspace.  Just, in his workout clothes rather than a spaceship.

“The other major benefit of the Great Labyrinth is that Extra Dimensional Power or EXP can be harvested from its denizens and used to empower travelers.  Many of the galaxy’s greatest works have been wrought by those who have journeyed through the Labyrinth’s depths and reaped the benefits.”

“Beyond that,” Treekipp finished, “the Great Labyrinth is a treacherous maze of traps and horrors that seek to extinguish all life.  Even along established trade routes with experienced guards, almost ten percent don’t reach their destination.  Amongst explorers?  Well, you don’t meet many old explorers.”

Maddox pulled himself out of his half-crouch, wincing as his useless left arm flopped limply at his side.

“Tell me about this empowerment,” he asked.  “Seems like exactly the sort of thing we’d need to get ourselves out of this mess.”

Treekipp shifted atop the other man’s head.  Somehow, its overly large eyes and tiny nose took on a look that Bruce could only describe as sly.  When it opened its mouth, its high pitched voice was sing-song, almost lyrical, as if it were reciting a long rehearsed pitch.

“So long as you have a pattern or a path, it is a simple matter to invest EXP into your abilities and grow stronger.  Of course, if you don’t have a pattern or a path, I am a vendor, registered under the Treaty of Rigel to sell goods to races that have newly discovered the Great Labyrinth.  That is why there was a dataport to construct and summon me in the portal chamber after all.”

“And what exactly are patterns and paths?”  Bruce pressed, crossing his arms.  “If you’re going to be taking our space money, I want to at least know what I’m spending it on.”

“A very good question valued customer!”  Treekipp chirped back.  “Patterns are one time enhancements that have a fixed cost.  Some let the user run faster or longer, others let a traveler toss dimensional lightning that can fry shades at a distance.  Paths are much more expensive, but they consist of a number of patterns linked together.  Once a level is mastered, the next level becomes available.  Very convenient on long journeys, but out of the financial reach of most adventurers.”

“I suppose you’ll be taking a cut to sell us these tools, right?”  Bruce observed.  “How can we trust that your rates will be fair or that you are directing us toward the skills we will need to push through the shades and survive.”

Treekipp chattered and rocked back on its hind legs, planting a lime green paw on its chest in affront.

“On my honor!”  It squeaked, eyes widening even beyond their formerly borderline cartoonish size.  “I present my valued customers with nothing but the best and most affordable of deals.  In fact, my model is known for its thriftiness.  ‘Can’t afford the rest, time to try Treekipp’ is a common saying up and down the Orion-Cygnus arm.  As for guiding you?  Of course I want both of you to survive!  You can hardly collect more EXP to buy my wares from the gullet of a hunger forge!”

Bruce tried to make eye contact with Maddox, but his team leader was lost in thought, obviously going over the talkative little creature’s words.

“So you’re going to overcharge us for trash,” he observed, “and there’s really nothing we can do about it.”

Treekipp smiled at him.  Bruce was pretty sure that the little creature was trying to be agreeable or comforting, but its mouth stretched overly wide revealing many more teeth than he was altogether comfortable with.

“Don’t worry, valued customer,” it chirped.  “I will only sell you goods for a remarkably fair and modest fee given the circumstances.  After all, you are lost in the Labyrinth without even a pattern for a weapon.  Surely at this moment, any price is a good price.”

He opened his mouth to reply but caught himself.  As much as he wanted to yell at the little cut-throat merchant, ultimately, its words were correct.  Bruce didn’t know if Maddox knew where they were, but he was beyond lost.  Their harried flight from the shades might have saved their lives, but ultimately they were in a hallway that looked exactly like every other hallway without any idea as to how to get home.  Worse, even if they knew the way back to the portal, the periodic howls that echoed through the maze hinted that they would need to fight their way through the shades yet again.

“Crap,” he muttered.  “We really don’t have a choice, do we?”

“There is always a choice, dear customer,” Treekipp replied happily.  “It’s just that often the choice is between excellent wares purchased on the battlefield and a horrifyingly painful death as the echoes of those who have perished before you rip you apart and claim your soul core.”

Maddox shook his head as if to clear his thoughts, almost dislodging his tiny green rider.  Treekipp chattered angrily in a language that neither of them could understand for a second as the human raised his good arm.

“One question,” he asked.  “EXP?  Really?  That’s what they call it?  Are you sure you didn’t pull that from my memories of playing video games or something?”

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