He stared at me across the stone cell. Every once and awhile he would puff on his cigar, and the light from the embers would show the shine on his eyes.
"You've gotten yourself involved in something deeper than you can imagine my friend. There really isn't anyone you should trust down here, especially not them. Just because they kept cards hidden doesn't mean what they told you is true, or at least from a certain point of view it's true. In their minds I'm sure they do think that people look up to them, or want their guidance. They probably even think they are immortal." And he stopped to take a puff on his cigar.
"So they're just full of hot air? and how do you know so much? Who are you?"
"Like I said, I'm the Concierge. I used to have another name but I seem to have misplaced it a few decades or more back. I'm not one of them if that's what you think, but I'm not like you either. I'm, well I'm something else."
He said and I could hear the confident smile and pride in that, not a haughty pride but a self confidence and charm that seemed to ooze from his voice every now and then.
"As far as how I know things, well that is another story. Lets just say I got a different proposal when I arrived here. Add in that I've been here and met them before. I've seen more of this complex than most of them have or will. That leads around to your hot air question. The answer is yes and no. They certainly don't think they are misleading you, but they refuse to see things. They also keep secrets, like that those beasts are just one part of an elder race, and they are trying to steal those secrets. Deception is a way of life for them, as is fear. They deceive themselves by editing their reality. They are still human in that respect, that they can't stand to see how limited or scared they are. They don't know everything about these tunnels because they are scared to. And they won't admit that sometimes they die because they don't want to remember the dead. They don't want to think about it happening to them. You'll find my friend that in most cases the most primal motive is fear. That's a good thing and a bad thing. Good that you were afraid and too cautious to trust them, that's your gut helping you. Bad that you didn't listen to fear and bolt while you had the chance. And bad that they let fear drive them further from humanity.
So I wouldn't trust them, and I wouldn't trust anyone unless you know who they really are."
"Message recieved, caution is the rule, now why don't you tell me who you really are so I can trust what you say?"
"I'm afraid we don't have time, we could be here months before my story is finished, and how could I trust you that I just met to do that? Anyway we need to move faster than that if we are to save your friends on the surface. I'm not going to give you everything you need. I will tell you to take care of those pets, and even our friends themselves remember that you come from the above world, and they do not. Put that to your advantage. The final way I will help you is to open this door for you and give you a tool."
He reached into his inside pocket and pulled out a metal object the size and shape of a hockey puck and dropped it into my hands.
"This will glow different colors based on who else is nearby while you are underground and near the network of tunnels and glowing carvings. These carvings form a network that has multiple benefits, this tool can tap some of those benefits. Hold it close to the wall and it will whine and the pitch will get higher as you follow the path towards the nearest exit. There are other uses but those are the two you will need most. Don't trust the tunnels, don't trust the dark and don't trust your eyes if the tool tells you different listen to the tool, it knows better than your senses. And with that, you should go."
He walked over to the cell door, pulled out a metal item and stuck it in the keyhole, and the door swung open.
"Good luck, better run"
So I did.
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Authors note: Glad to be back, sorry for the short chapter but wanted to have that conversation and take the next step towards moving the story forward
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