"Jade, this plan is crazy. Even for us!"

  Jade didn't immediately reply to Naomi's outburst. After all, she was right. The five of them were moving through the jungle towards the Labyrinth Core, and the ravine that separated them from it. After a hasty planning session, the best idea they had been able to come up with was… less than ideal.

  "It's the only way to have a chance at stopping them without fighting all of them at once."

  She expected another protest. Instead, her friend's shoulders slumped forward.

  "We have to do this, don't we."

  Naomi's mind was a turbulent mix of anxiety, anticipation, and fear. It was buried deep, hidden away behind a wall of discipline that was still being shored up, but it was there. Of course she was afraid. All of them were.

  "We do." Jade said softly, taking her hand. "I wish we didn't, but we do."

  "Then I'll do my part."

  It only took a few more minutes to reach the edge of the ravine. The cliff here wasn't as sheer as Jade had first thought, with several paths winding down into the jungle below. The narrow bridge was a short distance away, supported by a couple of cracked and spindly pillars that rose from the bottom of the valley.

  "This could work." Luis said, surveying the area for the first time. "It is pretty crazy, but the good kind."

  "There's a good kind of crazy?" Fenrin asked.

  "I like to think of it as 'bold'." Jade said with a slight grin.

  "I would just like to point out." Tara began, crouching down behind a thicket. "That this plan reinforces my theory about problem solving."

  "You may be onto something…"

  Jade fished in the dimensional pouch for the gear they'd need, handing it out. The five of them fitted on earpieces with integrated short range radios, although it took a few tries for Fenrin to get his on. Apparently, the manufacturers hadn't included half elven anatomy in their design considerations.

  "You say these are common on your world?" Fenrin asked, finally getting the receiver in place. "Communication magic is rare and expensive here in the Labyrinth."

  "You have no idea." Naomi said with a hint of a smile.

  They'd practiced with these a couple of times during their training, but not extensively. There just hadn't been a need for long range communication when hunting monsters. Since the current plan involved Jade splitting up from the team, though, they needed a way to keep in touch. After a quick test to ensure the equipment was working properly Jade removed a few more items from her pouch, slipped them into the satchel at her hip, and then tossed the dimensional bag to Luis.

  "You remember how to do it?"

  "Sure do. I've played enough videogames to know how this works."

  "Luis… I'm counting on you here. Seriously."

  The large man adopted a rare, serious expression. He lay a hand on her shoulder.

  "I got you Jade. Don't worry."

  "Just, uh, give us a warning first." Naomi added.

  Jade nodded, shifting back into the female bruzak form. Her body became bulkier, thick and tough, with shorter horns, darker skin, and coarse hair. She threw the cloak back on, obscuring her unorthodox armor and, hopefully, any features that she hadn't gotten quite right.

  "Be careful." Jade said, glancing down into the ravine. Her voice, which usually didn't change with her shapes, was deeper in this form. It felt strange. "We don't know what's down there."

  "You be careful." Fenrin said, looking over his shoulder at her as he set off down one of the narrow trails that wound its way down the cliff. "We do know what's across that bridge."

  "I will be."

  It was a lie, and they all knew it. If they were going to be careful none of them would have come into this core space to begin with. They were far past 'careful'. But it was one of those things people said to each other. Jade understood that now, as she hadn't before.

  Maybe I am getting better with people.

  She hoped that was true.

  The walk across the bridge wasn't quite as harrowing as Jade expected. The span was solid underfoot, and as long as she avoided the gaps where sections of the stone structure had fallen away, it was safe enough. Still, it was a vertigo-inducing stroll, and even someone as experienced with heights and precarious footing as Jade felt a few twinges in her stomach as she crossed the ravine. She moved slowly, making sure her companions had plenty of time to get everything into place.

  "Everything okay down there?" Jade asked, one hand to her earpiece.

  "Ran into a few monsters, but we're fine." Naomi answered a moment later. "A venomhound and some kind of creepy, giant centipedes."

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  There was still no sign of movement on the far side of the chasm. The demons must all be near the core, which was further into the jungle. She could see it clearly now, the top half of the enormous crystal breaching the foliage like the head of some great beast.

  "Damn, I'm missing the fun."

  "You have a strange idea of fun. But, knowing you, you'd probably say they're cute."

  "Take some pictures for me."

  "You wish. Almost there?"

  "Almost."

  "Great." Tara said, joining the conversation. "Only two pillars left. You know, this would be a lot easier if I could use my area spells."

  "That would definitely alert the demons that something is going on." Fenrin reminded her.

  "And probably burn down the jungle." Luis added helpfully.

  "I know, I know."

  It didn't take much longer for Jade to reach the far side of the bridge. She received confirmation that the rest of the preparations were complete just as she re-entered the jungle, following the signs of heavy foot traffic towards the glowing light of the core. Her heart was beating faster now, and despite her efforts to remain calm, a cold sweat beaded across her forehead. Disguise or no, she was walking into the lion's den alone. Yes, she was confident that her various spells and talents could get her out should she be discovered, but that knowledge didn't make approaching the core any easier.

  Keep it together… You don't have to be here long.

  It only took another minute of walking for Jade to detect movement. Two muscular bruzak demons stepped out from behind a tall tree, arms raised aggressively. Fire crackled along their claws and Jade tensed, ready to spring into action. Then the flames winked out and the creatures visibly relaxed.

  "Thought you were another one of those centipedes." The taller of the two said gruffly. "What're you doing here, Gravga? Have something to report?"

  Jade nodded once and grunted in what she hoped came across as an affirmative. She didn't want to rely on the Labyrinth translating for her unless she absolutely had to. If someone was paying close attention to her words, they'd be able to tell that she wasn't speaking in whatever tongue the demons spoke to each other in.

  "Malice is back towards the Core." The other one said, already losing interest in Jade. He turned his attention back to the jungle behind her and gestured over his shoulder. "Go on, you're lucky you made it here in one piece. The monsters are nasty."

  Indeed, Jade could hear the distant crackle of magic and some sort of beastly screeches coming from somewhere to her left. She gave another nod of thanks and quickly passed the two sentries, making sure not to get too close. If either of them thought it strange that she kept her hood up, they didn't comment on it.

  I thought they'd have cleared out this area by now.

  If the Labyrinth was giving them trouble, then maybe they still had some time before the ritual to summon more demons would be complete. The Core was close now, and Jade could hear movement and conversation from up ahead. She clambered over a large, oblong boulder and slid down the other side, finally catching sight of the large crystal in its entirety. The two-story tall gemstone hovered about ten feet off the ground and was completely surrounded by the largest ritual circle Jade had ever seen, not that that was saying much. Still, she doubted that one-hundred-foot diameter circles worked on by a dozen arcanists was a common sight anywhere.

  Jade continued to approach, forcing herself to move at a casual pace. Her eyes were drawn to the Core and she felt an overwhelming temptation to destroy it, to blow it up, to put an end to all of this right now. But no, even if it worked, that would be suicide. They had a plan, and she needed to stick to it.

  There.

  Malice was standing in the middle of a group of three of the ritualists a short distance away. The succubus was clad in the same dark leathers she had worn in Estelhelm. They clung to her skin, glistening with an alluring sheen. The group seemed to be in the midst of an argument. One of the demons, a slender creature with spiral horns that Jade didn't recognize, kept making animated gestures towards the Core. The crystal itself was generating a loud, pulsing, thrumming noise that made it difficult to hear, so Jade couldn't tell what was being said, but the succubus's expression was not a pleased one. She got closer, maneuvering around another pile of rocks that…

  Wait… that looked…

  Despite herself, Jade did a double take as she passed the obstruction. What she had originally taken for a cluster of stone and boulders was actually the body of an enormous golem. The construct lay on its back, unmoving, with large gouges carved into nearly every segment of its massive body. Jade caught sight of its face, cracked, with a large part of it caved in. If it had been upright the creature must have been nearly thirty feet tall. Jade swallowed, feeling another spike of anxiety. Now they knew what happened to the Core Guardian.

  "We need more time!" The slender demon said in a curt, feminine voice. She stood tall, glaring at Malice while her two companions shrank back from the succubus's burning glare. "Not all of the dimension effusion has been properly attuned yet. It isn't a process you can rush."

  "We either engage the link tonight or it isn't going to happen." Malice replied, raising her voice to be heard over the constant, crackling hum of the slowly rotating gemstone. "The timing was set in advance by Lady Ira herself. We can't delay or it won't work!"

  Jade stopped a short distance away, listening closely. Another demon, one of the bruzaks, was crouched over a portion of the magic circle nearby.

  "It also won't work if we don't make the right preparations, my lady. The homeland is held in a state of dimensional flux. If we don't proceed with care, we could cause severe damage to it, and the force waiting to pass through!"

  "Our world is a prison." Malice spat with derision. She pointed a clawed finger at the offending demon, pressing it against her throat. "We don't care what happens to it because we are never. Going. Back. "

  "But the soldiers-"

  "Will be replaced as needed. There is no shortage to the legions waiting for their turn. And soon, they will all have their chance."

  "Y-yes, my lady." The ritualist swallowed, taking a half step back. "Six hours. Give us six hours."

  Jade didn't catch the response. Her mind was reeling. Prison? Legions? She'd have to wait until later to think about what that meant. Now, it was time to do what she came here for. Slipping a hand into her pouch, Jade's fingers tightened around the softball-sized sphere she'd taken from the dimensional bag earlier. She used her thumb to press one of the three buttons spread around its circumference. The original plan had been to 'accidentally' get discovered attempting to sabotage the ritual, but Jade had a better idea. She tapped the demon ritualist beside her on the shoulder, meeting his gaze as he gave her a questioning look.

  "Give this to Malice." Jade said, layering her words thick with enchantment. "Quickly! It's important."

  Click, click.

  She drew the device from her pouch, sliding her thumb over the other two buttons as she handed it over to the newly charmed demon.

  Time to go!

  Jade quickly started retracing her steps, moving as fast as she could without drawing-

  "You!"

  The voice cut through the clearing like a cracking whip. Jade glanced back to see Malice, whip in hand, striding after her with narrowed eyes. Then the charmed demon stepped in front of her, offering up the metallic device. The succubus glanced at it just as the orb-

  Fizzled, sparked, and then let out an impotent puff of smoke.

  God damnit Skraag!

  Jade's heart leapt into her throat and she turned to run, her wings and tail bursting from her back as she shifted into her true form and discarded her disguise.

  "I knew I shoudn't hav-"

  BOOM

  The bomba bomb erupted in a violent explosion, tossing them all to the ground.