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Going back through the final gate is difficult and takes much willpower. We, Alfred, Haplo, myself, and many other brave individuals, still venture into the Labyrinth to rescue those unfortunate enough to remain inside, though. This journal tells of one of such missions, and is written at the end of each day.
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They had just passed that wretched plain suffering minimal injuries. The three stumbled into the forest, immediately encountering a snog, and swiftly killed it. Alfred then immediately tripped on a root and almost into a large patch of chokevine.
“Sorry.” Said Alfred with a sigh, and stopped speaking suddenly.
Haplo, becoming irritated with the Sartan, once again said “Stop apologizing, Alfred!”
”Sorr-“ With a glare from the Patryn, Alfred stopped, looked at the ground and sighed.
“What a strange pair…” Marit thought, wondering how they didn’t tear each other’s throats out every single day.
Alfred smiled faintly and Haplo smiled back quietly, and they climbed through the overgrowth above the chokevine, their hands touching occasionally when they tried to reach for the same tree limb. They had created special rune-inscribed daggers, Haplo and Alfred had; far different than any other magical weapons created to date; and more powerful. Marit was still somewhat distrustful of Sartan magic, having been attacked by the Curséd Dagger. She carries a Sartan and Patryn rune inscribed dagger anyways, though.
”Stop.” Said Haplo, making everyone go still.
“Wolven. A scout.” Haplo added grimly
They sat in the tree, perfectly still, until it had passed. They continued through the woods, Alfred stumbling and apologizing, Haplo being annoyed with him, for what seemed like ages but was really just under an hour that the group walked. There were, of course, some wolven and snogs along the route they had taken, until the end, where they encountered a squatter camp of perhaps 50 people in a losing battle with maybe 200 wolven.
“So that’s why there was a scout.” Haplo murmured, as Alfred sang and danced the runes requisite to become a dragon.
Haplo and Marit had ran over to help the warriors fighting the wolven retreat as Alfred destroyed them. The Patryn warriors were stunned, but ran from the distracted wolven to go with the two runners. Alfred defeated his foe, the remaining of which scattered in the direction going away from the final gate. Afterwards, the Sartan, exhausted from his transformation, became again the clumsy, bumbling Sartan whose hands and feet seemed far too large for the rest of his body, and whose feet located every crack, root, or stone in the ground. Haplo smiled fondly at his “friend”. I, of course, was befuddled on how the two men did not realize that they had feelings for each other. I mean, they compliment each other so well, and I can just hear in their voices the passion for each other. It was maddening!
Alfred, after falling flat on his face, smiled at Haplo, who, in turn, smiled back and said “Nice one, friend.”, To the confusion of the Patryns following at his stead.
“We will explain the Sartan later, when we reach the final gate.” She said, but as she was thinking that, she came up with a plan on how to get Haplo together with Alfred and smiled deviously.