Before I knew it, she led me into a byrinth of unbelievable proportions. It was almost scary how easy it was to get lost in the hundreds of winding passageways, but luckily or unluckily for me, she knew the way.
"Where are we going?" I asked tentatively.
"You'll understand once we get there," She answered while turning to face me with an alluring smile. Once I felt I was beginning to lose myself, I averted my gaze only to hear her remark, "It's not like I'm consciously trying to charm everyone I meet. It's a passive skill, just like your [Nature's Bounty], given to me by our dear master," She expined, her eyes gzing over at the memory of the event. Wait, does that mean what I think it does? "Yes, he gave you that skill," She answered, making me wonder if my thoughts were truly that easy to read.
"So, the strange creature I saw on the Limit Break..."
"Was none other than lord Behemoth! I'm gd that you're quick on the uptake!" She said, almost beside herself with joy. "I feel like you and I are going to enjoy our time together!" The sincerity with which she spoke made it hard for me to truly hate her. But that could just be the effect of her skill, I reminded myself once again. I couldn't let my guard down around her. Who knows what happens to her victims? She said she wouldn't "drive me insane," but I felt it was more than that. I'd probably lose all agency over myself and become her sve in both mind and body, and her eerie silence at this realization only confirmed my suspicions.
After what felt like hours, she stopped before a dead end, saying, "We're here," before moving out of the way.
"N-no way," I muttered, unable to believe it myself. It's bulky frame, massive horns, and horse legs gave it away as soon as I id my eyes on it. "A Minotauros!"
"Precisely! You're going to be squaring up against it within this barrier." As soon as the words left her lips, a light-green magic circle appeared on the floor as the monster arose from its slumber. I tried to make a run for it but smmed into an invisible wall in the process. I was already trapped within the barrier.
Not knowing if the sound of my voice would reach her, I started banging my fists on the barrier with all my strength, screaming, "Please! You have to let me out of here!" Minotaura were boss monsters with excellent stats across the board. Unlike Cyclopes, whose slowness could be exploited, Minotaura had no known weaknesses, were proficient with many different weapon types, and some could even use magic! I don't stand a chance! But no matter how much I screamed, she only continued to smile and shake her head. S-she's actually trying to kill me... I thought to myself, and that was when I heard it move.
SWOOSH
Like a gust of wind, it was incredibly fast and eerily silent, but I managed to jump out of its way on time, observing as it crashed headfirst into the barrier. The barrier was strong enough to withstand a blow from its axe, I noted with dismay written all over my face. I was half-expecting it would destroy the barrier, but I guess Tamara couldn't be underestimated in that regard. What am I going to do?!
"Daphne, lord Behemoth gave you that skill. Stop underutilizing it." Tamara spoke directly into my mind.
"Underutilizing? What do you mean?!" I asked frantically as I narrowly jumped out of the path of its gigantic axe.
"I will give you a hint: How does your skill cssify terrain?" It was a question that threw me off so badly I almost forgot I was in a life-and-death battle with a boss monster.
"Woah!" Throwing myself out of its way, I started thinking about her question deeper than I had ever considered anything before. If we assume that skills are intelligent, then the answer to that question would be simple: the skill decides on what cssifies as natural terrain, but... That couldn't be the answer. The decisions it made followed a clear logic. There were no strange contradictions or inconsistencies, and everything I considered natural terrain was natural terrain. At that moment, it suddenly hit me.
"Yes, the skill relies on your ideas to make its decisions," Tamara expined.
"So, if I broaden my horizons..."
"You could potentially use [Nature's Bounty] at all times," Tamara completed my sentence in a bubbly tone of voice.
I'd spent the st few minutes running for my life at the brink of despair, so the news truly did feel like salvation from the gods. Certain pces may require mental gymnastics, but that would be no problem for me. I'm a professional liar, after all, I thought to myself with a self-deprecating smile, but I quickly shook off that thought and started redefining my preconceived notions about this byrinth.
Yes, it was underneath an elegantly built vampire castle and the walls, floors, and edges were beautifully refined, but that could be the work of magic. The torches that lit up that path could have just been pced here after the fact. For all I know, there is a chance, however small, that this could be a naturally occurring Labyrinth... And at that thought, I suddenly felt the energy flood my system from the ground up.
