Blackness, inky, hazy blackness. That is all I saw at first. It was as though I had been knocked unconscious suddenly and slowly came awake. I thought perhaps I was dreaming but then as I sat up and looked around, I knew something was wrong. I was not anyplace I recognized. My brain was fuzzy and as I blinked a few times I thought I could make out shapes in the darkness. I remember reaching out all around me and finally feeling a hard, flat surface. I stood up slowly, trying to piece together what had happened to me.
I recalled going to Dundee Inn and standing near the door to listen after a series of raids were dealt with. I had only awoken near the end of them, so I had been of little help. I wanted to hear what exactly had been going on and as I leaned against the wall, just inside the door, I remember seeing something out of the corner of my eye. I started to turn my head and was pulling out some parchment to ask if anyone else had seen it or if it was simply a trick of the light. The next thing I knew, I was awakening in that inky blackness.
I was afraid. I do not recall ever being so afraid, except perhaps the night the demon attacked me and scarred me. I stood up and stumbled forward a few steps only to come face to face with a set of red eyes in the darkness. I tried to run away but could not. On pure instinct alone, I lashed out with my rapier and banished the foul creature. I sat down again and looked around but everything looked the same. There was no beginning, no end. I could not tell left from right, up from down. I could barely seen the shape of my own hand in front of me, let alone tell where to go. I began sending out messages to those I knew had been in the Inn, like Ambrosia and Akassa, when I heard the Crier's call through the darkness that an adventurer had been taken. It took me a moment to realize that he was talking about me!
I stood reading all the messages coming in from various people, all concerned about me. I answered as many as I could, but I felt the place, this maze I was trapped in starting to bear down on me, like a weight. I was growing weary in both body and mind. Then I was getting all sorts of encouragement from so many people, even those I knew only in passing. They all said that I must fight my way out. I was on my own, facing my worst fears. Demons in the dark. My nightmares come to life before my eyes. And so despite feeling bogged down by the blackness and afraid, I took a deep breathe and listened to them, the voices of friends and began the journey of finding my way out.
I let my hand run along the wall so I could tell where I was going. They all felt the same, never any change. I fought with every step I took, a never ending gauntlet of demons. Some were easier than others, some caused me harm and so I drank my health potions. With each demon I destroyed I felt better, more resolute to go on. Every few steps I would stop and bang on the walls as hard as I could but always silence. No voices, nothing. Was this all an illusion I wondered? Where exactly was I? I picked up many items from the defeated demons and my pack was starting to grow heavier with each step and I knew I must find my way out soon. After countless wrong turns and back tracking, I finally came to a corridor and I finally saw something new. An faint orange glow at the end. I started to run towards it, only to be stopped by one final demon. It glared at me with its deep set red eyes, mocking me. I shook my head slowly and engaged it, determined to free myself from this Dark Maze once and for all. Finally, the demon lay dead at my feet and as I was about to go, a soft golden glow caught my eye as it bounced from the demon's body. I bent down and picked it up and realized that this was one of the golden crystals I had been told about by my teacher, Iserra. I pocketed it quickly and ran ahead, seeing the source of the glowing orange light, a boulder. The light in the darkness. I reached out and touched it, closing my eyes and when I opened them, saw that I once again stood within the Dundee Inn.
Surrounded by so many people suddenly, I recall being unable to move at first, trembling and shaking. I heard nothing at first, then everything all at once. Voices asking where I had been, what had happened to me. Wanting to know if I was all right. I shook my head and found I could not uncurl my fingers from the death grip they had upon my rapier. As I was about to bolt out of there, I felt a weight added to my pack and looked over my shoulder to see a Spear with blood dried upon his tip sticking out. At that point, I was just overwhelmed by it all and ran to the first safe spot I could think of, the HONOR guild hall. I wanted a moment alone, but I was followed by Thorne and Sorynn, both of whom only wanted to make sure I was all right. I fear I was rude to many that day. Thorne offered me tea which I did take to help soothe my frayed nerves. Finally after a short time I was alone with my thoughts and managed to fall into a dream plagued sleep.