The dragon's harem

Arad stared at the stairs in silence, “Here they are, he’s really dead,”

“More than dead, his soul was destroyed,” Merlin said, “I don’t know what happened to him, but it was a stroke of good luck,”

“Luck?” Amber looked at her with a tired face, “This is Arad we’re talking about. I won’t be surprised if he could pull something like this off,”

Merlin thought about it, ^The devil’s curse affects souls and enslaves them. I’m sure he tried to enslave Arad.^ She stared at Arad.

^Wait, if that’s the case he must have touched her soul, she and Arad are tied together,^ Merlin thought, ^The witch of curses Doma. I expected her soul to be powerful, but for her to beat a devil’s soul. It must have been a close fight, but it’s good she came on top,^

“Let’s check the stairs,” Arad said as he approached them.

“Wait,” Amber called them, “This devil didn’t drop anything,”

“Of course he won’t. He wasn’t created by the maze but instead was captured by me a few years ago. He must have been trapped here and defeated the boss,”

“So he wasn’t the boss,” Arad looked back.

“Of course, he isn’t,” Merlin replied, “Devils don’t just pop out of nowhere.”

Amber looked at Arad, “It’s extremely rare to find a named race in a labyrinth. Unless it’s people who got trapped there,”

“Speaking of that,” Arad looked at them, “Do you think they figured the rules by now?”

“I doubt it,” Merlin replied, “Analysing the labyrinth’s magic can take days, even with my help. Basic rules still apply but those won’t be of help,”

“What are the basic rules?” Arad asked.

“Natural mana-less objects can enter, animals unbound to any druid or a mage, and non-magic air,” Merlin replied, “All aren’t of help to us,”

****

Outside the labyrinth. “GAAAAAA!” A mage screamed, rolling on the ground, “What the hell was that?” He growled, holding his arms. “Something hit my back,”

“I didn’t see it, it’s dark here,” Another mage replied.

“Sorry, I can barely focus on the seduction barrier, I wasn’t paying attention.” Another said, “Did something hit you?”

“It smacked me across the street,” He stood, his back still hurting.

“Whatever it was, it must have run away,” Another mage sighed, “Check your stuff. It’s dark out here. It might have been a thief.”

****

Arad approached the stairs door and held the knob, “I’m opening it up,”

“Don’t worry, the monster can’t spawn in the stairs,” Merlin stared at him.

“We aren’t sure of that,” He looked at her.

“This at least I’m sure of. If they existed in the stairs their magic would disturb the flow of mana between the layers, causing the whole place to collapse.” She replied.

“If that’s the case. Then can we destroy this place by shoving one there?”

“No, they can’t physically get in there. To them, it’s like there is an invisible wall blocking them.” Merlin approached the door, “This is a safe spot where we can retreat and rest,”

“Can we rest?” Amber stared at them, resisting a yawn, “I know we’re in a dire situation, but we need some rest,”

“I’m used to staying awake,” Merlin stared at her, smiling.

“No, you two need to rest as well,” Arad said, “I did sleep for a while. You two should take this chance,”

Merlin nodded, “You’re right,” She then looked back, “Should we rest here or climb the stairs first?”

“Here we have firewood. We don’t know about the third layer,” Arad looked at them.

“We can sleep beside Arad,” Merlin said with a smile.

“You know the inside of the stairs is made of cold stones?” Amber stared at her.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan,” Merlin smiled, “You take off your robe, and we will sleep in Arad’s embrace, using that as a blanket,”

“No way,” Amber stared at her, “I’m wearing some layers, but I would be in my underwear. You know I use fire magic to heat myself most of the time,” .

“You’ll be in your underwear,” Merlin lifted the shirt she was wearing, “I’m completely naked. It’s not the time to complain.”

“How about we take firewood with us?” Arad looked a them.

“Too much to carry, and you’ll be exhausted again,” The two stared at him. “We either sleep here or risk the cold upstairs,”

“We aren’t risking the cold,” Merlin looked at Amber, “You’re just risking sleeping in your underwear in Arad’s lap,”

“That’s a risk, and we don’t even know. It might be an ice layer!” Amber glared at her.

Merlin lifted one finger trying to say something, but she stopped for a moment.

“See? We can’t risk it,”

“No, we can,” Merlin smiled, “Amber, can’t we teach Arad how to control fire magic better?”

“It will take time,” Amber looked at him, “It’s not worth it now. We have to survive with what we have.”

“It’s a safe space, isn’t it?” Arad looked at them, “I’ll carry the wood. We can then all sleep up there. Is there even a need to go? Can’t we just rest here beforehand,”

“Depending on the nature of the layer we might need to prepare. It’s best to have more time,” Merlin looked at him, “It’s all about not wasting time. The longer we remain here, the stronger the labyrinth will get.”

“She’s right,” Amber agreed, “We’re pressed on time,”

“How strong could this labyrinth get?” Arad asked.

“Probably high s-rank if it absorbed my and your powers.” Merlin replied, “That wouldn’t have been a big problem if it was in the mountains, but it’s in the middle of a city,”

“And that’s your fault,” Amber stared at Merlin.

“Don’t look at me,” Merlin cried, “I did provide the labyrinth core I got from a quest, but it’s a constructed phylactery that failed.” She flailed her arms in frustration, “The lord provided it saying he bought from the capital, I knew I should have made my own or sourced from a mage I know in person,”

“I don’t know what that is, but you should’ve inspected it first,” Arad sighed.

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