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Chapter 8: Jinni's Challenge
Aside from the peculiar hue of the firmament which made it impossible for Merlock and Sara to guess the time of the day in the current dimension where they were in, what was notable about the place were the rose bushes. The roses came in a wide array of colors, such as red, blue, purple, green, yellow, white, pink, and others whose names were giving both of them difficulty to think about. The answers to the couple's inquiries might then be provided to them, though, for the seventh keeper of the key was already present. She introduced herself as Jinni, and one would identify her as a witch due to her flying broom. With a snap of her fingers, the said broom vanished. Jinni flicked some of her long hair strands over her shoulder, then she moved closer to Merlock and Sara.
"You must be Merlock," she said, cupping the vampire's chin with her palm.
"And Sara must be your name," said Jinni as she removed her hand from Merlock's face. She then planted a kiss on Sara's cheek.
Her actions caused Merlock and Sara to look at each other with questioning facial expressions, which Jinni noticed.
"I'm sorry. Both of you are really damn cute that I was not able to resist," said Jinni, smiling from ear to ear.
The young witch's statement was met with nothing more than the shrugging of the shoulders of Sara and Merlock.
"However, I think your outfits cannot be considered as proper in this place. Mind if I offer you a free makeover?" said Jinni.
"No, go ahead," replied Sara.
"Yes, please do. These garments are reminding me of dreadful experiences," added Merlock, referring to the habiliments that he and Sara had been wearing since Astrid's Vanishing Day Phenomenon.
"Alright, my pleasure," said Jinni.
Jinni chanted several words, which she accompanied by the rotating motions of her fingers. Sara's attire was transformed into a sleeveless aquamarine top with thin straps for the shoulder, a matching skirt that was at least four inches above her knees, and boots having the same color. As for Merlock, he was clad in an olive green shirt with no sleeves, a matching short whose length reached the ends of his kneecaps, and sneakers.
"There! You seem cuter than ever!" exclaimed Jinni, giggling.
"Um, thanks, but honestly I'm not into these type of clothes," said Sara.
"Well, honey, you'll just have to get used to them. Anyway, I reckon you're here for the key. Follow me now," replied Jinni.
Merlock and Sara walked to the direction where Jinni led them. Merlock stared at the sky and dragged his feet as he made his way. This went on until his foot accidentally collided with a pebble and he nearly stumbled. The two girls stopped and looked at him.
"Are you okay?" chorused Sara and Jinni.
"Don't worry about me. I just cannot erase from memory my brother who changed his name, disguised as a ninja, and was willing to perish when discovered to be a thief," answered Merlock.
"I assure you that Goio will be fine," said Jinni.
"How can you be certain? And while we're at it, I would like to inform you that his name is Magore!" said Merlock.
"You're asking why am I so sure? Well I just know how things happen and you should believe me! Get it? Now, let's go," answered the witch, in an imposing manner.
Merlock was a bit comforted by what Jinni mentioned, although he sensed something suspicious in her tone of voice. Yet, he decided to set his personal opinions aside for the time being.
The three of them continued to travel on foot until they came upon an entrance to a labyrinth.
"Here we are. All you have to do is to find your way out of the confusing passageways. But then, there is a little twist. In the course of the maze, you will encounter robots which will prevent you from going to another spot. In order for a robot to allow you to proceed, you have to give it a rose," Jinni said, then she quickly picked two flowers from each of the nearby bushes containing yellow, purple, and white roses.
Jinni handed the roses to Merlock and Sara, then she said, "Constraints? You must accomplish this within fifteen minutes or less, and no robots must explode. Once you enter, you cannot get out until the allotted period of time is over, unless you do so through the labyrinth's exit. Any questions?"
"What may cause those robots to break down?" asked Sara.
"Oh, you figure that out by yourselves. I'll fly up and see how fast you will succeed, if you will. Anyway, if you fail, you can try again for as many times as you wish to," replied Jinni, and then with a wave of her hand she made her broom and a stopwatch to appear.
Once suspended in the air with the aid of her broom, Jinni shouted, "Alright! Fifteen minutes starts now!"
Sara and Merlock swiftly stepped inside the labyrinth. Merlock grabbed Sara's hand, then together they ran to the right, then forward, then to the left.
"Why are you so confident about this?" asked Sara.
"I've been to six or so labyrinths before. They are all the same. Trust me, we'll be out of here in less than ten minutes," answered Merlock.
They rushed forward, and then to the west, where a cylindrical robot blocked their path. Without much thought, Merlock tossed a yellow rose to the robot. The mechanical piece of metal exploded without warning.
"Uh-oh," he said.
"Let's move on! At least we learned what yellow roses can do!" said Sara.
So, they headed to the left, to the north, then to the east, where a spherical robot served as an obstacle. This time, a white rose was used. And the effect was nothing better than the first.
"Okay, so white roses make robots explode as well!" said Merlock.
The couple passed through the area to the right, then to the north, then a long run up to the east, then south. Soon, a rectangular robot came as an obstruction, to which they threw a purple rose. Yet, the next event was similar to what occurred to the first two robots.
"What do we do now?" asked Merlock as they hurried to the right.
"Maybe there is a designated flower color for each different robot shape," replied Sara.
"Yeah, probably."
They dashed to the south, then to the west, then a few steps north, then to the left, where they found themselves face to face with a spherical robot. They tried a purple rose, but the robot exploded.
"Okay, thus each spherical robot needs a yellow rose," said Sara.
They moved toward the west, then south, then east, then north. A rectangular robot met them. They hurled a white rose at it. The robot twirled, and then it was gone. In its place were golden dust particles.
"Way to go! White roses are for rectangular robots!" exclaimed Merlock as they proceeded to the north.
"Therefore, purple roses are for cylindrical robots," agreed Sara.
They hasted to the right, then to the south, then to the left, then south, then finally east where they saw the labyrinth's exit, where a cylindrical robot stood.
"All we have is a single yellow rose!" said Sara.
"We have no option then. We'll just perform things perfectly during our next chance," Merlock said, then he flung the remaining rose at the robot, causing it to explode.
Jinni then approached them.
"Alright, you were able to navigate easily, but you blew up five robots so I may not hand you the key yet," Jinni said.
"May we have our second attempt now?" asked Merlock.
"Why, of course," replied Jinni, then she gave Sara and Merlock flowers from the plants having white, purple, and yellow roses.
Jinni uttered a spell. Sara and Merlock were enclosed in a large bubble and were blindfolded. The couple felt themselves soaring. When it seemed that they were on the ground already, the cloths covering their eyes became nonexistent. The bubble burst. Merlock and Sara were in front of the labyrinth's point of entry once again. Upon Jinni's signal, both of them skipped speedily through the maze and gave yellow roses to spherical robots, purple roses to cylindrical ones, and white roses to the rectangular in shape. Merlock and Sara effortlessly reached the end of the labyrinth. Jinni alighted in front of them.
"You're amazing! You did everything in five minutes and thirty-seven seconds," said Jinni.
"Can we have the key?" asked Sara.
"I shall give it to you if you drink this," the witch answered, handing each of them a bottle of flavored water.
"Thanks," Sara and Merlock said as they accepted the refreshments, then drank them to the last drop.
"Here you go," Jinni said as she gave Sara a sheathed dagger.
"You keep it, Merlock," Sara said.
Merlock took the dagger and put it in a side pocket of his shorts.
"Adieu!" called Jinni as she left on her broom.
Suddenly, the blue roses in the place emitted light so bright that Merlock and Sara closed their eyes. After a few minutes, they opened their eyes. They were back . . . in Equilibria.
"Oh, so you managed to make it to the last level," greeted Cerville.
"You mean, after we get another key from you, we shall be home?" asked Sara.
"Not from Cerville, but from me," replied a person who showed up beside Cerville.
The eighth keeper of the key wore a dark blue cloak and a mask which resembled the front part of a skull. Dangling on his side was a sword. The letters "DH" was nowhere to be seen on his form. Due to his style, nothing of his physical aspects could be observed except for his height. He stood two inches shorter than Cerville.
"I want you," the cloaked guy said as he pointed at Merlock, "to be my opponent in a serious duel. If you defeat me, the ultimate key will be yours."
Whew! Eighth chapter is finished! Please review!