The Middle of Everywhere

"**Goose Maze**" (2x13) is the thirteenth episode of Memory=Null Season 2, in which we make new friends, and meet old enemies.

## Synopsis

After resting for a while, Emberlin and Lany head to the orb room and close the door between it and the gravity line room, separating it and everything after it from the study. Reopening the door reveals a stone room with a large stone golem in the middle holding up the ceiling. On the other side of the room, the ceiling covers the top of the second door, and beneath the golem sits a dwarf with a deep red crystal growing out of their chest near their heart. Emberlin calls out to him, and he startles awake. He introduces himself as Gael Vokkester, and explains that Dalpha had promised him the knowledge to beat his rival, Ardim Nakle. When he finished his work on the golem, she threw him in the labyrinth and cursed the crystal he used to make it (now embedded in his chest), which grows if he tries to control the golem or move too far from it. That was many, many years ago, as evidenced by the length of his hair.

Emberlin slowly approaches and inspects the crystal, noting a similarity between it and the crystals of his own equipment. Lany, upon inspecting it, recognizes the signs of blood magic. Emberlin broaches the idea of using his axe to cut the crystal out of his chest while Lany tries to prevent it from growing. Gael agrees, and explains to Emberlin where he thinks the crystal is expanding. Emberlin gets ready to start cutting, but at the last moment, decides to use Deal Breaker instead, and to wrap some copper wire around the crystal barbs to help pull it out.

Emberlin cuts in and gets the wire around it, but the crystal begins growing despite Lany’s attempt to counterspell it. He immediately begins to start pulling it out, but when he feels that the wire might break, Emberlin jams the dagger in and levers the crystal out, which goes flying across the room. His success is short lived, however, as he notices that he has inadvertently pierced Gael’s heart. Emberlin frantically pours a healing potion down his throat which manages to stabilize him. The two of them carry Gael back to the study, where Emberlin watches over him while he recovers. Lany heads back to look over the golem (who they have since named Brian).

Gael eventually reawakens, and the two of them head back to Brian and Lany. They try desperately to come up with some plan to save Brian, but they eventually declare the cause to be hopeless, and step back into the slap fight room. As Emberlin closes the door, it appears almost as if Brian’s head looks up towards him. Reopening the door, the group is presented with the first room Emberlin encountered: a floating island in the middle of a void. At the far end is a tree with a door in its trunk, and in the center of the island is a statue of a hooded figure, hand outstretched as if asking for something.

Approaching the statue, Emberlin finds a plaque at its base. In every language Emberlin can read simultaneously, it reads “What is not alive, but grows; does not breathe, but needs air?” Emberlin instantly realizes the answer is fire and looking back at his companions, produces a flame in his hand and slam dunks it into the statue’s hand. The fire stays in its hand, and the door in the tree unlocks.

Emberlin opens the next door and is immediately hit by the smell of decay and rotting flesh- the entire room is made of oozing flesh, and a swarm of bugs is covering something on the floor. Emberlin immediately closes the door, but not before Gale vomits over the side of the island. After a brief rest to let their stomachs recover. Emberlin opens the door once again and is presented with a hundred-foot long throne room with a grand throne at the end. The entire room is decorated in the most gaudy decorations and construction. The second door is not immediately visible.

They all head inside and begin inspecting a series of murals along the wall. They all depict a gorgeous, incredibly well dressed person, often speaking to groups of people or researching. As they step closer to the throne, a voice booms out from all around them, saying “The Terrifying, Beautiful, Powerful, Gorgeous, Passionate, Diligent, Overwhelming, Vigorous, Enchanting, Mysterious, Sensual, Fearless, Invincible Grey Duke!” From behind a curtain behind the throne, an eight foot tall version of Duke “The Duke” Duke steps out and sits down on the throne.

The Duke doesn’t seem to recognize Emberlin, and asks what knowledge they are seeking from him. Emberlin, as much as it hurts his entire being, decides to play along, and asks about the labyrinth. The Duke explains that this is Dalpha’s personal prison for those she wants to torture or simply remove from the playing field. He enjoys the random nature of it, and so summers here on occasion. Emberlin tries to get out of him how he manages to leave, but the Duke’s incredible ego makes it almost impossible to get an answer out of him.

Emberlin changes tactics and asks what his favorite room is, and he answers that it’s the center room, as the fellow there (whose name he can’t remember) is quite pleasant. Emberlin eventually gives up trying to get any more information out of him, and begins to head for the door. The Duke tries to get him to stay and talk some more, at which point Emberlin drops all pretense after berating him a bit, and storms back towards the door. As he walks away, the Duke shouts out “Child!”, in a voice that Emberlin recognizes. He stops for a moment, and eventually places it as the same voice as the individual who spoke to the dragonborns in his orb vision.

Emberlin turns around and angrily asks the Duke who he is, since he killed the real one. The Duke steps off the throne and begins circling Emberlin, all the while claiming that he remembers a few things about Emberlin, such as where he came from and who he really is. Out of sheer anger, Emberlin casts smokey step and teleports back to the door and orders Lany and Gael to leave. The Duke angrily yells that they will stay, and Lany, done messing around, casts a series of magic missiles at him.

Gael, not being sure what to do, begins to back away as Emberlin hexs the Duke and then unleashes a torrent of fire at him. However, the fire seems to not affect him much, and Emberlin moves back nervously. The Duke unleashes a wave of thunder in response, so Emberlin pulls out the axe and charges him. However, the Duke sidesteps his swing and stabs Emberlin with a shortsword in response. Lany continues sending magic missiles at him, and Emberlin pushes him back with an eldritch blast to get some breathing room. The Duke unleashes another thunder wave, but is surprised as Gael charges him and lands a well-placed punch right in the Duke’s stomach. Lany takes the opportunity to hit him with one more round of magic missiles, and the Duke crumples to the floor, dead. Emberlin angrily brings his axe down on the Duke’s neck, severing his head from the body. A distant chuckle echoes in his mind as he lights the head on fire.

Gael searches the Duke’s body and finds that all the Duke’s clothes and weapons are incredibly low quality- the only valuable thing he finds is a key. Lany heads over to the throne to inspect it while Emberlin goes behind it and starts trying to pull down the curtains, searching for the other door. He struggles for a while, but eventually realizes he can just move the curtain to the side, revealing the door. Lany finds some runes and a keyhole on the throne, and realizes that the Duke may not have been completely lying- he thinks that he could summon any room they want to the other side of the door; possibly even the center of the labyrinth. While Gael and Lany begin casting some rituals, Emberlin returns to the Duke’s body and uses his robes to create a pirate-style cloak for himself.

It takes nearly an hour, but Gael and Lany are eventually ready to try summing the center room. Lany sits on the throne, utters an incantation, and turns the key. The door briefly glows, and Emberlin trundles over to open it. On the other side is a circular room with doors all along the wall. In the center is a raging fire pit with furniture for someone much larger. Walking around the fire pit is a ten-foot tall minotaur wearing an apron and carrying a tea kettle.

Emberlin announces himself, and the surprised minotaur invites them all in for tea. He introduces himself as the steward of the labyrinth, a creation of Dalpha’s who is supposed to guard and run the labyrinth. He explains, however, that he eventually gave up, placed the labyrinth on automatic mode, and started pursuing art (though supplies are hard to come by, and he doesn’t think he’s very good at it). He asks how long they’ve been in the labyrinth, and is happy to see that Crumpet is safe and sound. Emberlin asks about the fellow from the slap fight room, and the steward confirms that he was just a construct, and returns Emberlin’s tumbler and money that he left, which had come to him through a chute.

Emberlin begins to tell his story of how he ended up here. The steward perks up in recognition when the Queen of Embers is mentioned, and is happy to learn that the Hunt isn’t here to kill him. He recognizes the Queen’s influence on Emberlin, and asks what domains she’s claimed. He then offers a way out of the labyrinth, if they wish to take it. Emberlin offers for the steward to join them, but he explains that it is his charge and privilege to assist those whom Dalpha traps here. Until she is gone, he will remain to help any who find their way to him escape, should they deserve it.

He summons the room with three doors, and then offers to further unlock Emberlin’s axe. To Emberlin’s surprise, he explains that both it and Emberlin are locked behind several padlocks and chains and chambers with locks he does not have the keys for- but he can do this one thing for him. Emberlin hands over the axe, and with a deep exhale, an increased power surges through it. Before they leave, they ask what his name is; but he says that he was never given one. Emberlin asks if he would like one, and after some thought, he decides that he will choose one once Dalpha is dead, and he is able to leave. They all shake hands, and the group heads through one of the doors, which leads to the room with the floating island. This time, however, there is a third door off to the side. Excitedly, they open it.

They are immediately bombarded by the sound of laughter and revelry. On the other side is a small pub-like airlock. On one side is a desk with a coat check, and at the other end is another door. Some kind of humanoid-ish entity stands behind the desk, and ushers them inside. They welcome them to the Tavern in the Middle of Everywhere. They explain that this is the weapon check, that they will be given a bracelet that prevents magic, and that no fighting is allowed. Emberlin tries to clarify if this is the way out of the labyrinth, to which the entity says “yes and no”. They explain that, normally, you can come into the tavern if you find the door, and then leave through the same door back to where you came from. However, it is possible to leave through other doors if you can convince specific people, but the purpose of the tavern is to be hospitable and pleasant and fightless.

Acquiescing, Emberlin begins to turn over his weapons, but hesitates when it comes to the axe. The entity recognizes the Hunt inside it, and after some reassurance, Emberlin turns it over. They receive their bracelets (which turn into tattoos around their wrists), and are ushered inside as the next people in line are called forward. Inside is the coziest bar ever seen. Several dozen people are relaxing and talking to each other, and behind the bar stands a fourteen-foot tall bear of a man.

Emberlin excitedly runs over to the bar, and is surprised when the barkeep welcomes him by name- he says he knows everyone. Emberlin asks what his name is, and he answers that, though he is known by many names, they may call him Baraf, the god of hospitality. He brings out food and drink for them all and waves his hand over them, at which point the days and months and years of hunger and thirst wash over them all at once, and they begin devouring the food with no sense of decorum.

Once they have recovered, Emberlin asks if he knows how long he’s been trapped in the labyrinth. Baraf calculates that it’s been about seven months. Emberlin becomes worried that he has neglected his duty, but Baraf comforts him, explaining that, though he is not one of the old gods he needs to awaken (as he has always been awake), Emberlin has accomplished much and encouraged many, and that he should take whatever time he needs here to rest and recoup. When he’s ready, he can return to the world rather than back to the labyrinth.

The four of them spend… time?… celebrating and drinking. Eventually though, Emberlin decides it is time to return. He speaks with the rest of the group, but they all decide they need to spend more time here before they return. After some final goodbyes, he steps back into the airlock alone and retrieves his gear. The entity informs him that, by special instruction, Emberlin is allowed to choose any door he wants to exit through. He decides to leave through the Epoch’s cabin door and, after a handshake and a thank you, Emberlin grabs the door handle, pulls, and steps through.

Sharsu is standing on the deck of the Epoch, winding up rope and covered in blood, while Amber sits in the corner with her head in her hands. They both suddenly look up in shock, before Sharsu runs forward and gives Emberlin a massive hug. Emberliln gives the short version of where he’s been, and Sharsu explains that the gods have been really screwing things up lately. He points out a massive fleet of ships behind them, and says that he may be an admiral now. Both Sharsu and Amber both suddenly get somber, and Sharsu informs Emberlin that Hex is gone. They were being chased by a leviathan, and Hex jumped towards it in an attempt to kill it mid-flight. It was unphased, and it took everything Sharsu had to escape. He tried to stick around as long as possible in the hope that Hex would somehow return, but he didn’t. They all gather together for a hug.