The first true encounter of the labyrinth was often misconstrued as a cute animal. Visually it was a hybrid of a rabbit and a cat, although the fur itself was far more puffed out than what either of those would have. Feline eyes colored red with white fur, the albino species had retractable claws that were thick and could dig through dirt. On this floor they were the only predators, though small birds and a type of deer could also be found. From the ground up the height of the creature was a bit shy of two feet with at least four feet in total length, a thin body which simply exploded out wide with a silly amount of fur.

Due to the overall cute look of the animals the first people to encounter them gave them a cute name, and for the most part ignored their existence. Fuzzies were deemed as a mere side entertainment, nothing more than an amusement to look at on your way to the next floor. It wasn't until people started to report serious attacks that people began to realize that the labyrinth had already taught them a lesson. Appearances can be deceiving, and those who don't learn that lesson will merely be food.

At first there was only one of them visible, but with the rustle of grass I knew that many more had started to arrive. Beneath the night sky filled with only stars I could barely make out visually where they were due to how dark everything else. I knew well the difficulty of fighting the Fuzzies, since I had already dealt with them personally at the young age of twelve. A rite of passage for anyone who lived on the first floor, you were given a stone knife and forced to go through the portal.

Those who failed to return were not worth investing any more resources into, while those who came back often brought with them food and possibly water from the second floor. So the cycle of trade would begin, people would risk their lives in the labyrinth to bring back whatever they could while those who stayed on the first floor focused on mining and trying to grow crops. It was a system that had worked in my time, and from what I could see while in Grantis nothing had changed.

To be fair a deadly threat when I was twelve could only be a joke to me now. All I could do was chuckle when the first Fuzzie tried it's hand at attacking me with a clumsy pounce. While it was in the middle of the air I swayed to the right and raised up my left hand, the knife extended toward the creature. Using the momentum of the Fuzzie I slashed into its side and dragged the blade all the way to the rear. By the time it landed on the ground it had already been dealt a mortal wound and could only collapse. As the internal organs began to spill out of the wound the Fuzzie could only lay there and gasp, trying desperately to stave off death.

There was no time to spare for the dying Fuzzie, as three others that had gathered began their own assault. None bothered with a leap and instead they utilized the high grass to try and hide their advance, aiming to strike at my lower legs and feet. Before any of them could even hope to touch me I had already chosen to leap over them, flipping upside down in the middle of the air. A quick flick and the dagger I held was tossed into the head of the lead Fuzzie and instantly brought it to a stop.

The two others that had decided to attack tracked my descent and waited, patient and eager, until I had almost reached the ground. At the same time they both pounced, a hope perhaps in their minds that I would be caught unable to escape them mid-landing. It was a poor choice on their part as instead I simply dropped down as low as they had been moments before, and their long muscular bodies passed overhead. Before either of the Fuzzies could fully bypass me, I reached up and grabbed their tails in a tight hold. Without a shred of mercy I began to slam the Fuzzies against the dirt, only pausing at the end when they went limp.

The other animals in my vicinity had already started to leave while I was in the midst of murdering their brethren. No predator would want to fight a more dangerous one, and even the simple Fuzzies knew they were completely outmatched against me. Once I was certain that I could hear no more of the fuzzballs I retrieved the dagger I had tossed before, noting that it was slightly chipped already. Before I did anything else I approached the first Fuzzy who had attacked me, the one who continued to try and breathe even with half of its insides exposed to the air. Out of mercy I cut the throat, before I went around and did the same to the other three in case any of them were still alive.

To some my actions might have seemed brutal, almost unnecessary, but one of the lessons taught by the labyrinth was that such an act would become commonplace. While everything was quiet I started to butcher the dead animals, making sure to try and skin them for fur as well as most of the usable meat. Even a few of the organs, such as the hearts, were harvested and put to the side temporarily. Once I was content with how much I had collected from the corpses I used the grass combined with a few branches scattered about to create a crude basket.

In truth it was barely even a basket, at the very least it was something I could never sell to anyone except for the most desperate. I piled all of the salvaged chunks of Fuzzies into the basket and picked it up one-handed. A quick study of the stars and I had formulated a rough course to follow based on past experiences. The portal was almost always in one of a couple of spots, changing depending on how the floor itself functioned, so even if I had to wander the miniature planet for days I'd eventually find what I needed to.

Unsurprisingly the first place I went to, where I had last known it to be, was devoid of any white sphere and had been overgrown by weeds.

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The design of the labyrinth had been explained in intricate detail by Lute quite some time back, as she had felt the need to explain to me everything after we had grown quite close. Each floor itself was a separate reality, or as she put it a pocket universe, and the portals served as elevators that only moved a single floor. There were special portals that she had created which could move far more than a single floor, as well as a few other oddities that Lute had put in. There was even the potential for malfunctions, as nothing can always work perfectly, but for the most part the rules Lute had put into place kept the labyrinth functioning.

Conquering a floor was no easy feat for the novice, you had to locate the portal which had a habit of changing location. There were objects you could gain to help in finding the portal, such as a compass-type item that would lead you straight to it. Even if you were able to be guided to the portal some floors had traps, and others would have entire species of animals unseen elsewhere. Cities of monsters, unending graveyards filled with ghouls, towers of death designed to kill you at the slightest mistake.

It was thanks to the kindness of Luticia that the second floor was not a large place, as I had seen some floors that seemed near infinite. Due to that after a couple of failed attempts to find the portal I came across a settlement. The buildings had been crafted from the wood available on the floor, while a crude fence had been set up on the perimeter to try and ward off any potential Fuzzies. It was doubtful that they would attack a group of armed humans, but I had seen odder things in the past.

Dead center amidst the structures was the portal, that familiar sight of a milky white sphere which defied gravity and hung quietly. People milled about it, some probably interested in forming groups to move on to the next floor while others probably only cared to keep an eye out for animals. A small chunk of bloody meat hung from my mouth as I chewed on it, relying on an uncooked meal for sustenance since I couldn't buy anything from Grantis. I continued to march toward the encampment even as people began to notice me.

"Holy, is that a slave?" a man with a long black beard asked, he pulled a cigarette away from his mouth and squinted in my direction. A puff of smoke slipped from his mouth, before he grinned wide at what he was seeing. "I ain't heard of any slave surviving on its own out here in the labyrinth!"

A few of the other labyrinth divers had looks of complete shock on their faces. When I walked closer those who did not believe had no other option but to, especially when I casually tossed the sack of meat and skins onto the ground. I twirled around the dagger, demonstrating a dexterity that many could only dream of, before I tossed it into the ground as well.

The blade buried in nice and deep, a move that made some of the divers step back and reach for their own weapons. The wiser ones knew it was a signal that I meant no harm, a style of greeting only used by experienced divers. "Yeah I'm a slave, an unowned unwanted one," I commented casually while I studied everyone. "Any of you looking to dive deep with a worthless slave in tow?"

"No owner?" some people whispered with shocked expressions, which to me meant that Elves without owners were basically non-existent. Quite a few of the people wandered off, uninterested in my offer, while others laughed.

The man with the cigarette continued to grin at me, though he only shook his head. "Not interested, I feel you're far too hard to handle," he admitted honestly. "Ain't going to need that fur are ya? What you looking to trade for it?"

"Some rations and water would be good," I offered, which the man quickly agreed to. He tossed a small bag along with a pretty generic waterskin to me before he picked up the crude grass basket.

A pair of hooded and cloaked people stepped forward, one of whom was tall and thin while the other was a few inches shy of my own height. "Exactly how deep do you think you're going to go?" the tall man asked, his voice surprisingly deep for looking like a twig.

"All the way," was my response. I bent down and pulled the dagger from the earth, before I cleaned it off on my grey cloak. It was a poorly made dagger but it was all I had and probably would be for a while.

"Odd answer, but I like it," the thin man stated before he threw back his hood. He had dark green hair and brown eyes, his overall face was rugged but still young.

"I don't like it," came the clear bell-like voice from the smaller of the pair. The hands, as thin as my own, lifted up to pull away the hood. The woman that was revealed was not one who would draw the attention of others, but her eyes were fierce and full of energy. Her pink hair was a coloring that I had never seen before, while the red eyes reminded me of someone. "He's only a slave."

My hands had clenched before I even realized it, then I let out a sigh and relaxed once more. I had to remind myself that this was only the second floor, and that they wouldn't be here. Before I could muster a response to the girl the thin man had already acted, one hand lifted up to pat the pink-haired head gently. "Alexia we don't have much in the way of options, nobody here wants to help us and if we don't hurry it might be too late."

The woman glared up at him, pushing his hand away before she turned in a fit of anger and stomped away. There was only hostility and anger in her, a combination that could prove disastrous in the near future. The tall man walked up closer to me before he offered his hand. "The name is Lucas, that was my little sister Alexia," he informed me. "What might I call you?"

That question caused me to freeze up, I didn't exactly want the truth of my reincarnation to be known for certain reasons. I had been known as Theodore in the past, then Ted and Dore to some people. A few even gave me nicknames based on my style of fighting, though none were kind since mainly my enemies created them. All I could think of was to use a fake name, and for some odd reason a bird Lute had shown me on the sixtieth floor kept coming to mind.

"I'm Fenix," I told him even as I took his hand in my own and shook it. "Nice to meet you."