Chapter 10: Escape Trials

Blaze and Tangle slowly wake up finding themselves inside of what appeared to be a prison cell. The two of them examine their surroundings before they heard a familiar voice over an intercom.

"Did you ladies enjoy your rest?"

Blaze looks out the bars of the cell. "Do you really think this will keep us out, Ardin!?"

"On a contrary, I'm expecting you to come find me. That is if you can make it here."

Tangle then realizes something. "Where's Marine?"

"Don't worry about the multi-mover, Air Princess. She's nice and snug in her chains."

Blaze kicks at the cell bars knocking them down easily. "Don't you dare lay your hands on her!"

"Come and find her, Princess. I'll be waiting."

Tangle follows Blaze out of the cell. "What do you think he meant when he said if we make it?" She then steps on a tile switch below her.

Blaze then grabs the lemur pulling her to the ground as darts shot out of the walls between them. "This place is rigged with traps. He thinks he'll kill us before we reach Marine."

Tangle stands up as she heads for the exit. "This guy is desperate." She reaches for the door feeling a slight shock. "Ow."

"He's electrified the door."

"No problem." She stands in front of the door and blows it down with a strong air blast. "Oh my."

Blaze looks out the door seeing a series of traps ahead of them. "Talk about overcompensating."

"Where do we begin?"

"Anywhere is a death trap, Tangle. Wherever we start, we risk our lives."

"Looks like we'll need to be quick." She leaps onto a stone platform surrounded by a spike bed. The lemur looks up seeing a rock coming down and jumps to the next platform quickly before being crushed.

Blaze starts on an opposite platform feeling it tilt and rock slightly. She angles the platform towards the ledge of the next platform grabbing on and pulling herself up.

"You okay up there, Blaze?"

"I'm fine. How are you down there?"

Tangle then latches her tail onto a stalactite and pulls herself up as her platform spouted spikes. "This place is crazy!"

Blaze makes her way over to the next platform as she started to feel dizzy. "The air… It's tainted with some type of nerve gas."

"I have an idea." She then begins circling her hands pulling in the nauctious fumes into a single gaseous sphere.

The feline regains her composure. "Thank you, Tangle." She leaps over to the end of the room at the exit. "Made it!"

"Awesome. Now it's my turn." She grabs onto her tail and swings herself over to the exit. The stalactite starts to crumble as a result.

"Tangle!" Blaze reaches out grabbing the lemur's hands and pulls her to safety once the stalactite broke.

Tangle stumbles a bit falling into the feline's arms looking up at her. "Wow. Thank you, Blaze."

Blaze smiles looking away with a bit of red in her cheeks. "You're welcome, Tangle. I can't believe we survived."

"Hardly." Ardin chimmed in over the intercom again. "You just have one room left between you and your friend."

Tangle looks at the door slowly opening it.

Blaze looks into the room with horror as the fur on her tail stood up.

"What's wrong, princess? Afraid of what you see?"

The room was empty, but all that lies ahead was a wire stretching from door to door with no ground below it.

"That's right. I know of your greatest fear, Blaze. Will you be able to save your friend now, or will you let fear consume you?" He laughs maniacally slowly cutting out.