The next day Gwin and Elena began planning how they would survive this hellscape. For now Gwin believed it was their best bet to stay in this obelisk and hunt more of those awakened beasts. He had been thinking about how he had killed the first one and realized if they could lure them inside and slay them while they are still stuck they might just have a chance to get stronger without having to face them head on. However that plan wasn't without its risks. Whoever was acting as the bait would be risking getting caught in those tunnels which would be absolutely fatal.
Gwin shared his idea with her and was met with silence.
"And who is going to be the bait? Surely you don't expect me to."
Gwin did not like her snobby attitude but he understood her point. She was the legacy and the one with the memories so having her act as bait would be dumb. She was not aware of Gwin's [Elusive Presence] attribute which Gwin considered sharing. After some hard thinking Gwin made a decision.
Complete honesty…mostly.
{If we are going to survive we can't afford to keep secrets. My aspect lets me copy nightmare creatures I have slain and my flaw is that I can't talk}
His sign language was slow and deliberate as if to show his sincerity and the magnitude of his admission. Of course Elena already seemed to have a good idea of what his flaw was. It was obvious to anyone who knew him even a little but admitting it was to show his sincerity, at least he hoped that's how she would take it.
Elena seemed stunned by his blunt admission. Awakened kept the details of their aspects close, their flaws even more so. She was baffled by his sudden admission.
"You're serious about this? You have already seen what my aspect does, do I need to beat you again to make you remember?"
'Tch…wait did I just say that in my head? Gods i feel dumb'
{My attributes are about stealth and stamina}
"Does that mean you are volunteering for bait? That would make the most sense."
'....'{Yes}
Gwin kinda felt robbed. He had shared so much just to get nothing but biting remarks and snobbyness. Although maybe that's what he should have expected from someone as cold and pragmatic as a legacy. After discussing the plan and how it would work with splitting soul shards they headed back into the labyrinth to find the corpse of the feeder. Gwin was able to find the spot they had killed it but it was not there. For a moment there was tense silence until their critical thinking skills kicked in. It seemed the pressure of the water shooting through the tunnels had reduced the corpse into grey sludge on the floors and walls. Gwin's stomach rumbled again. He had never eaten a nightmare creature but he certainly wasn't against the idea at this point.
It seemed they would have to wait though, at least until their wounds healed. Gwin was already feeling a bit better but he would still need a while. He couldn't help but wonder how Elena was doing. Was she going to be alright?
'She has to be alright! How am I going to survive by myself?'
Of course his worry for her was really just worry for himself. She was a treasure trove of useful memories and a skilled fighter. As long as you could get over her abysmal personality she was a useful ally. She even had a memory to create water! Maybe he could convince her to share some more with him….
Gwin began on the prepwork for their plan. Should all things go well they will have a method of getting stronger that is relatively safe…kinda…almost safe! Although things rarely do go as planned in the dream realm. While Elena stayed behind for her internal wounds to heal better Gwin headed deeper into the labyrinth. His sense of direction and memory were above average letting him find his way back easily.
He began making a mental map of which tunnels ended where and which ones lead to an opening. By the time night fell he had memorized about half of the labyrinth between their resting spot and the spot they had fought the feeder near the bottom. It all reminded him of an ants nest which didn't sit well with him. He couldn't help but wonder what had made these tunnels but maybe it was better he didn't know. He would need more time to explore the rest but so far he had made good progress relatively safely. Gwin had noticed something though. Unlike every other cave or labyrinth in the dream world this one was completely. It did not make sense that they were surrounded on the ground by nightmare creatures yet only the odd few actually made their way inside.
He couldn't help but get a bad feeling. He pushed it down and made his way back.