[Chapter 295. The Undead Pit]

They moved across the sand, their armored boots sinking into the fine golden grains with each step. The sun beat down mercilessly, turning the horizon into a shimmering mirage of heat waves that distorted their vision. The further they went into the second floor of the Labyrinth, the more frequently they encountered beasts. The desert seemed to come alive with threats the deeper they ventured, as if the very sand conspired against their progress. Occasionally, they were attacked not just by Scorpions, but also by Cinder Wings from above—the fiery avians dive-bombing from the blinding sun with terrifying speed. As they pressed on, the size of the groups also increased; unlike near the gate where they had faced single foes, they now encountered clusters of up to six.

After wandering in the blistering heat for more than an hour, the constant glare beginning to fatigue their eyes, Iris stopped abruptly. She reached into her storage ring and produced a crystalline flask filled with water. Its design was artful, like something one would place inside a display case rather than carry across a deadly desert. The flask was carved from what appeared to be a single piece of quartz, its surface smooth and cool to the touch despite the scorching temperatures around them. The sunlight refracted through it in shimmering patterns that danced across the sand like miniature rainbows. Even though all of them had just drunk from the refreshing cold liquid inside the bottle, its contents remained unchanged; the water level never seemed to diminish, no matter how many sips they took.

"The name is fitting. It truly is an Endless Spring," Carmen said while handing the bottle back to Iris, her throat still savoring the soothing coolness of the water. The golden staff in her other hand seemed to hum with renewed energy, as if the water had somehow revitalized not just their bodies, but their spirits as well.

The bottle vanished back into her storage ring with a soft whisper of displaced air before Iris spoke. "Searanox has given us all we need to survive inside the Labyrinth for multiple days." Her voice held no emotion, as if stating a mere fact, but those who knew her could detect a faint undercurrent of pride in their benefactor's foresight.

"Multiple days!" Vanessa called out, her voice cracking with disbelief as she shielded her eyes from the glare. "He expects us to spend days in this heat?" The metal plates of her armor had grown uncomfortable, and she could already feel sweat trickling down her spine.

"We stay as long as we have to to get your levels up," Iris said without turning around, the silver strands of her hair gleaming under the harsh sunlight like a honed blade. "But no, we won't stay inside this Labyrinth for that long. That would be inefficient, and that is something he dislikes. With that in mind, he would never ask that of us." There was something in her tone that suggested an intimate knowledge of Searanox's thinking, a familiarity that bordered on prescience.

"So how long will we stay here?" Sarah asked, her daggers at the ready as her eyes scanned the horizon for any sign of movement. The platinum strands of her hair clung to her neck with sweat, but she remained vigilant, her body coiled like a spring, ready to release at the slightest provocation.

"I just answered that. As long as it takes, or until he comes to get us," Iris replied in annoyance, her patience wearing thin under the dual assault of the desert heat and their persistent questioning. She resumed walking without waiting for further comments, her posture rigid and determined, leaving them to follow in her wake or be left behind in the shifting sands.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the group as they continued their trek across the blistering desert. The only sounds were the soft crunch of their armored boots sinking into the fine golden sand and the ceaseless whisper of wind sweeping across the dunes, carrying particles that stung exposed skin. The silence was heavier than it should have been, weighed down by unspoken resentments and the knowledge that their fates rested in the hands of a distant master and his enigmatic lieutenant. Each step seemed to amplify the invisible barriers between them, creating chasms wider than the sandy valleys they traversed.

Eventually, the tension evaporated like morning dew under the desert sun, replaced by the grim focus required for survival. They fought their way through the shifting landscape with increasing frequency the deeper they ventured. Each battle left them more exhausted, but also more cohesive. The hours bled into one another in a haze of golden light and white sky, and the location Iris had received from Searanox proved frustratingly difficult to pinpoint. There was no map or precise coordinates in this vast, featureless expanse—just the vague information that it lay at the far end of the Labyrinth, to the right of the entrance. That direction seemed to change with each dune they crested. The heat shimmer played tricks on their eyes, creating false horizons and phantom movements that kept them constantly on edge.

At last, they arrived at a high dune overlooking a flat expanse, surrounded by towering sand formations that walled it in like a natural arena. From their vantage point, they could see many figures moving around below, their movements disjointed and unnatural even from a distance. The pit seemed alive with motion, a sea of shambling forms that drifted across the sand with the mindless persistence of death itself.

Before heading down, they had to take a break. They had been walking and fighting for hours by this point, and their bodies protested every movement. While the rings of minor elemental resistance protected them from the deadliest effects of the desert heat, the physical effort it took to reach this point was undeniable, manifesting as a deep, bone-weariness that settled into their muscles like dust into crevices. Their armor had grown heavy with exertion, and even the most hardened among them felt the strain of the day's journey.

Iris brought out a chair she had taken from her room in the tower and placed it on the sand, its ornate legs sinking into the soft grains as she sat down with a sigh she tried to conceal. The chair was conspicuously luxurious compared to their surroundings, its dark wood and velvet cushions an anomaly in the barren landscape. Carmen unfolded a large blanket and laid out the pre-bought food on it. All four women sat down to eat, while Iris remained alone on her chair, a deliberate separation that spoke volumes about their dynamic. She enjoyed a thick piece of roasted meat with spices she had gotten from one of the City Stores, the rich aroma wafting over to the others and creating yet another invisible barrier between them. The meat was succulent and perfectly seasoned, a contrast to the large variety of different foods on the blanket.

While they ate, they didn't talk, except to curse when the wind blew sand onto their food, the fine grains coating their lips and teeth with gritty displeasure. The silence stretched between them, thick and uncomfortable, broken only by the soft tearing of bread and rhythmic chewing that seemed almost loud in the desert's stillness. Carmen methodically organized what remained of their provisions, her movements precise and economical, as if storing supplies were a surgical procedure.

Sarah cleaned her daggers with slow, deliberate strokes, her eyes occasionally darting toward Iris's isolated figure. Lana picked at her meal, her appetite diminished by both exhaustion and a growing unease that settled in her stomach like a stone. Vanessa ate nothing at all; she merely nursed a canteen while glaring daggers at Iris's turned back, her thoughts a private storm behind her masked expression. The desert sun continued to beat down upon them, heating their armor plates until the warmth bled right through their clothing.

After Iris finished her meal, she stood up, and the chair vanished once again with a soft whisper of displaced air, its disappearance as sudden as its arrival had been incongruous. She dusted off her hands with deliberate slowness, the dark fur on her arms barely disturbed by the movement. "I will leave you here. Do not venture beyond these dunes; stay down there. That way, I'll know where you are." Her voice carried across the small camp with unnerving clarity. Each word was a command that left no room for discussion. Her silver eyes swept over them once—a clinical assessment that seemed to measure their worth in terms of utility rather than humanity.

"You're leaving us alone?" Lana said, looking at Iris as she prepared to move off. Her voice cracked slightly despite her attempt to sound defiant. The dirty blonde strands of her hair clung damply to her neck as she pushed herself up onto her knees, her gauntleted hands sinking slightly into the blanket. Her dark eyes widened with genuine alarm; the prospect of facing the undead horde below without Iris's overwhelming support sent a chill through her that had nothing to do with the desert temperature.

Carmen, who was packing away the rest of their food, looked over at Lana, her expression one of weary patience that bordered on maternal concern. "She told us. We knew this would happen." Her golden staff lay beside her on the blanket, its polished surface reflecting the sunlight. "This is what Searanox intended when he sent us here—to test our capabilities as a team."

"Yeah, but the beasts... they're strong! Not like the Striders. What if someone gets hurt?" Lana's voice rose slightly, her fear translating into a challenge that seemed to hang in the heavy air between them. The memory of the Stonehide Striders they had hunted previously seemed almost comforting in comparison to the shambling horrors below.

"Then I heal them, Lana. We just have to slowly test out how much we can handle down there." Carmen's voice remained steady despite the worry flickering in her own eyes. She knew the limits of her healing abilities, knew that there were injuries beyond even her skill to repair, but she also understood the necessity of the trial by fire they were being forced to endure. Her hands moved with practiced efficiency as she sealed the last of their food containers, each motion a small act of control in a situation where they had so little.

"Listen to your Healer. It's more efficient that way," Iris spoke calmly, her head tilted slightly as if observing an interesting but ultimately predictable experiment. The casual mention of efficiency seemed to strike Lana harder than any threat could have, reducing their lives and struggles to mere variables in a calculation that Iris was apparently performing in real time. Her silver eyes glinted with an intelligence that seemed almost inhuman in its coldness—an assessment that observed, but did not account for, fear or doubt.

"Why can't you fight in the pit with us?" Lana asked, getting off the blanket. Her feet sank into the hot sand as she stood to fully face Iris. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides, the metal plates of her gauntlets creaking softly with the tension of her grip. The question hung between them like a challenge, a demand for solidarity that seemed almost foolish in the face of Iris's overwhelming power and apparent indifference to their plight.

"There are not enough of them down there for all of us. Now stop whining and get ready to head down." With that, Iris dashed off into the distance, her form becoming a blur of motion against the golden backdrop. She moved with a speed that seemed to defy the laws of physics, leaving behind nothing but a cloud of sand that settled slowly in her wake. The abruptness of her departure was jarring—her presence had been a comfort they didn't know they had until it was gone.