CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE : WHERE'S ROGER?

"Yawwwwwwn." Terry slowly opened his eyes after stretching hard hearing his bones snap after the good stretch. "I think I'm going to get a task done today… since I didn't get paid yesterday."

"That was your fault," Erebus said bluntly.

Terry yawned again and went for another stretch, "I know. I know. I just didn't feel like it was right to be paid. I didn't fight him or anything only Darryl did."

"So that was why. Hmm makes sense."

"Yeah." Terry sat up going through a small pile of dirty clothes that were in desperate need of a wash. "Besides if Roger is going to be here I'd rather get away from here for a bit." Terry grabbed a red dress shirt and held it up to his nose breathing in deeply, "This one's not too bad." Terry put the shirt on followed by an old pair of black pants.

"I think how you feel about Roger will change eventually. You will find that you actually like him in many ways later in life." Erebus said as Terry got dressed.

Terry's face wretched and contorted as Erebus finished talking, "That's gross. No earlier it was just a lapse of sound judgment or something. I really don't like the guy. He mistreated me as long as I knew him." Terry left his room and walked past Alison and Darryl's room. There were no more new rooms labeled with Roger's name. Terry sighed and walked past the booking desk and into the main lobby which only had a few mages wandering around. "Seems we're up earlier than I thought."

"You did go to bed pretty early," Erebus said in Terry's head.

Terry nodded and walked to the job desk not seeing Roger around or a room labeled his name he began to wonder, 'You think he's on a mission right now to make some money?"

'He could be. Or maybe if they don't do a task they set them with a smaller free room. You didn't check the rooms in the back where most mages stay."

'Yeah, you're right Erebus.'

Terry smiled stopping at the desk as the line to the job desk was already cleared. "Hello, Beca!" Terry said happily, "Hey uh before I take any task could you tell me anything about the new Tomefinder we brought in here the other day? What rank was he put in?" Terry questioned with his hand cupped over the side of his mouth.

Beca shook her head, "I don't have any new Tomefinder in our records besides yourself. Now if you want a mission I can get you one. We have plenty of S rank missions available for completion."

Terry's heart jumped, "That doesn't make sense I helped Darryl… I mean Dragoncaller bring a Tomefinder here the other day. His name is Roger. You have to have some information about him."

Beca looked confused, "No. I haven't met anyone by that name. I don't think we have any mages here by that name."

Terry shook his head, "That doesn't make any sense at all… is Caim available?"

"Master Caim was busy last night there is a high chance he is sleeping in his office," Beca explained.

"Then I'm going to see him," Terry said with a serious look on his face.

"No, you can't. He's probably tired now's not the time to bother master Caim." Beca yelled.

Terry shrugged his shoulders and walked behind the counter to Caim's office and opened the door and closed it behind him with Beca yelling at him the entire time he did so. Terry looked up and sure enough seen Caim resting with his head leaned on his desk.

Caim was breathing lightly and didn't respond to the sound of Terry's entrance. Terry approached sitting in the chair across from Caim. "Sir Caim, wake up."

Caim slowly opened his eyes to look at Terry, "Oh Terry my boy I was wondering when I would see you again. What business do you have with me?"

Terry gulped grabbing his knees, "I worked with Dragoncaller last night to bring a new Tomefinder here. I… taked with Beca and she had no idea about a new Tomefinder being brought in."

Caim was quiet for a moment as his eyes became more focused, "Oh, you were with Dragoncaller. Hmm… well I assume you are talking about Roger. The spirit partner he had, had a strong affinity to darkness so I had to deal with him before he became a problem."

"You… dealt with him? What did you do to him?" Terry questioned his face growing a reddish tint.

"Dark beings like him can become a real problem. I know you went to the same orphanage as Roger so I know this may be tough for you… but I did what had to be done. He is locked away in the labyrinth. A place where no one has escaped from."

"I… he didn't have a choice he was a normal boy before he found his Tome. Just because he's different then you does not give you the right to put him away like that." Terry tightened his fists.

'Think before you act here Terry. We are strong enough to take him but we become enemy of the circle and the world are you ready for that to happen?"

Terry shook his head viciously tears were streaming down his face, 'I know that but that could of been us I can't just do nothing.'

Caim chuckled, "Anyway what's done is done. I can tell you feel strongly about him… but yes a human with the powers of darkness gives the possibility of the rise of the dark lord. It's just something we can't allow."

Terry clenched his fists tight, "You're wrong."

'Are you sure about this Terry?' Erebus warned.

'Yeah… This doesn't make him any better then Bezel… if not worse at least Bezel had a reason to kill people.' Terry's eyes grew intense as a black tear drop began to slide down his face. "Where is the labyrinth?"

Caim immediately stood up Cerberus and Pegasus seemingly came out of nowhere as well. They were standing on Caim's sides, "I should of known that you were a darkling as well. As you must've found you Tomes in the same place."

Terry nodded, "I really don't want to hurt you just show me where the labyrinth is."

"You want to go to the labrynth?" Caim's eyes grew wide as his face slowly contorted to a smile, "Well of course… Follow me."

Roger was wondering the labyrinth his stomach was growling, "Are you sure I can't just eat this apple?" Roger asked Eris as he walked, holding a golden apple to light the path in a brilliant shimmering light.

'No. You cannot. There has to be an exit to this accursed maze somewhere. Keep going right.' Eris commanded.

"A..allright." Roger continued making his way through the maze his mind focused on Maya's cooking the last meal he had. "Why did they throw us in here? I was a Tomefinder. I thought I was supposed to be treated… yeah know greatly." He questioned taking another right.

'It's because they don't understand you. People don't trust what they don't understand."

"I see." Roger muttered.

CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH

The ground began to crunch and snap underneath Roger's feet. He slowly looked down seeing that the maze's floor was covered in bone and human skulls. "People… died here." Roger said quietly as he pushed forward, breaking the brittle bones underneat his feet as he walked.

'We won't be the same. I will not die in some silly maze.'

Roger stopped reaching a dead end, "Another dead end." He looked at the wall and noticed a writing on it he didn't understand. "Eris can you read this?"

'It's old writing… It says Labyrinth of Erebus."

"Erebus? Whose that?" Roger questioned.

"My father… and the strongest god I know. I wonder what he has to do with this maze…" Eris questioned to herself.

CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH

'Roger are you walking?'

Roger slowly shook his head, "No… I'm standing still."

'Be ready to fight.'

Roger sighed and slowly turned around to see who was approaching him.