The staircase kept climbing longer than it had any right to, each step folding the world a little further out of shape, until Lexel's team spilled out onto a landing that opened into a wide chamber. Impossible, obviously, given the width of the corridors that had led there, but nothing about this place cared much for consistency.
Across the chamber, through an archway that shouldn't have connected to anything, Hono's team stepped out at the exact same moment. The staircases had brought both parties to the same room, on the same level, gravity behaving itself for once.
"Convenient," Ria muttered.
"Or intentional," Lexel said, already watching Hono's hands.
Hono didn't waste time on words this round. A sigil bloomed at his feet, deep red, text flickering above it just long enough for Ria to catch the name.
[Slow II]
