Salt pork. Hardtack. And half an apple. Each day we eat less, uncertain as to how long we shall remain here. The vacant air of stone sizzles silent, a chill we have yet to get used to. We try to reach the upper floor, again and again, to no avail. With not a choice left on this matter, we come to terms with what’s apparent – we may only descend.

New grounds greet us, teeth grit as tension grows.  We continue; shapes change, yet it’s all the same. A dark void lays to the side, its depths ever distant. Our company treads speechless; words echo in these halls. Across the stairways and labyrinths. To what end?

I speak with Tre. We all need to hold on to sanity of mind, and the best way to do so is remember we are not alone. His hands visibly shake as he takes sips from his flask, many and quick. Unprompted, he tells me of his father. A jealous man, one who took all of his evil out on his mother. Tre was witness to it until she could no longer bear it. He wished to be like his mother. Yet, he must have taken from his father. One perished, the other lived. Who was he to be?

I tell him to take a deep breath. He had unburdened his thoughts, it was time now to focus on the present. Peth notices our companion’s worry and comes to comfort him with words of hope. He keeps nodding, quietly.

 I check on Liu. He’s keeping a steady head on his shoulders, curious to what might lead us out of here. We step past the great chasm, melancholic to its mystery. His goal seems silly to him now; adventures ought to make you a better person, not leave you an empty shell. He points to Patru as he says this; walking in front with his head turned down, deaf to all but his thoughts. Gone is the ambition with which he lead. He now trudges like a phantom, a tainted outline in the shadows.

Shapes change, it’s all the same. Darkness and void, until weariness breaks us. It feels like we walked down a thousand stairs, yet there are a million more. No closer are we to our goal, only farther from the exit. Footsteps fill what’s vacant. We set camp and lay silent. Within the chill of stone.