Let's all pretend that god-awful wait between chapters didn't happen...deal?
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Mario or its franchise; it belongs to
Nintendo and their affiliates. I just am really grateful to its creators for giving
me such a wonderful game and media series to write about!
I also don't own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to J.K. Rowling,
but thanks go to her as well because, using her wonderful work, I can expand this
story to make it more interesting.
I also don't own anything related to Naruto.
Chapter Six
There had to be a reason I was still doing this, I mean besides my pride. Daisy said she was stubborn but I think I had her beat; what with the fact that I was still consenting to this roulette-style training regimen of Zair's. Any one of the 'exercises' could do me in, and I swear each of them got progressively more terrifying than the last. Any sane person would have just quit while they were ahead-and in that sense I mean while they still had all their limbs-but not me. I was still walking down the hall, following the General towards the next activity. And for what? What was I getting out of this other than soreness and pain and a new appreciation for the human body?
Once I start something, it's only right that I finish it, I reasoned.
But then I had to snort softly because that was the stuff of motivational posters. It would only be right if I turned around and got the heck out of here.
I glanced behind me.
It was dark in the underground gym, which is what I decided to call the place I'd returned to for a few days on end now. Somehow, it seemed to be more palatable a name than satan's playground, my original moniker for it. In front of me, General Zair turned to the left so I followed. He was walking rather brusquely today, or maybe I had a problem keeping up because I was still worn out from what happened earlier: Zair asked me to climb what looked like some monkey bars. The only twist being there was a net of barbed, electric wire under my feet. Throw in the fact that the bars went on for nearly forever and it was no question why my arms and stomach were killing me.
Not to mention all this stress can't be good for my kidneys, I frowned.
I shook my head to myself, once again marveling at my decision to keep following Zair. The place was so dark now that I doubted I'd be able to find my way back out again even if I wanted to. Wherever we were going, it was towards the far reaches of the underground gym.
But you could always ask him to take you back, that voice in my head reminded me.
With another frown I stared at the General's back. He wore all black with his hair in that neat topknot. His boots thudded against the sooty ground as he walked. I was dressed in black, too, in some more of the training clothes he loaned me. Conversely, my black trainers hit the ground in slower steps than his rapid gait.
Finally he stopped and I had a moment to take a drink from the container of water in my hand. The metal canister had gotten slippery and warm in my hot and sweaty grasp, but it didn't do anything to the cool water inside. I couldn't drink while walking because my brain was still recovering from the minimal shocks I'd endured and wasn't functioning at full capacity just yet.
Zair reached into his pocket and took out a key and unlocked a door I couldn't see for lack of light. I heard him twist the knob in front of me and then he did something and there was light in the hall. I could now see a few more closed doors and a faint smile on the General's face.
Wonderful.
He stepped into the room and I did the same, then noticed it was a hall. Only this one was much shorter and had a metal door a few feet ahead of us. On the right wall, there was something I dreaded seeing: a bunch of levers and buttons and switches. I could have groaned but I didn't have enough energy for that. I had to conserve it for whatever fresh hell was coming my way.
In his right hand, Zair held his clipboard and had his pencil behind his ear. He gave me a more pronounced flicker of a smile and gestured for me to go past the metal door. I lifted a brow, with some effort in that even, and stood in place. He seemed to sigh a bit and reached past me to open that door himself. What I saw almost, almost made me leave.
It was just a hall, a narrow one albeit, with conclave lights lining the ceiling and bare metal walls and platforms along the floor. That's what had me worried. The simplicity of it belied its impending complexity. I saw beyond the hall, there was a sort of podium with a box on top of it; like a small treasure chest. I frowned at that, because there was probably something wicked with that, too. I turned and glanced at Zair expectantly.
He told me, "All you must do is retrieve that box."
Yeah, right.
"What's the catch?" I asked him.
For his part, he did try and hide his amusement this time. His eyes twinkled tellingly but his smirk was greatly repressed as he went over to the panel on the wall. He flipped a switch and I gazed at the hall, waiting to see what effect it would have.
The ground under the podium at the far end of the hall trembled, as if a giant had stomped on it. But then it was still again as if nothing had happened. I glanced at Zair and saw he wasn't finished.
He flipped another switch and I glanced up at the ceiling. There were lines in it, dividing it into squares of a few feet long. The square right before the section above the podium was moving, sliding to the side like the platforms did when I would 'exercise'. Suddenly, something heavy dropped down together with the sound of chains and 'clinking' metal. I saw blades, giant cleaving axe-heads that would terrify the most zealous of butchers, drop down and start to swing in the space in front of the podium. Lazily they moved at first, then, as if by mechanical design, they picked up speed until I could only see a blur of glinting silver.
What the...
"Is that...legal?" I dared ask.
The only answer I got from the General was a private sort of closed-mouth smile. Then he turned back to the panel and started flipping more switches, pressing buttons, and dragging levers up and down. All in all, he'd activated some kind of warped, comic-book-esque death trap. There was the podium area, which I would call the safe zone for now since nothing was going on in that space.
Though I did see the ground shake, I noted warily.
Then, there was the spot with the blades. I shuddered. Next there was an area where the walls gave way to long, pointed knives that jutted out at random from both sides. Then there was a section with sand on the ground and, last and nearest to the door I was at, there was a section with metal bars that made up the floor.
Once again, I turned towards Zair and said flatly, "This can't be legal."
Or ethical. Or sane. But then again, I'm still standing here, so whose sanity should really be in question?
Zair told me, "This is a test of your ability to remaind diligent under pressure."
"This is one hell of a way to test it," I immediately remarked.
Couldn't he have given me some kind of written questionnaire?
General Zair chuckled to himself softly and started writing on his clipboard. I stared at the hallway and then something else changed; I heard Zair move behind me and I saw a shower of thin-link chains drop down over the area nearest to me. That sound that resembled rain pouring down remained, which clued me in to the fact that it wasn't just the chains making that noise, it was actual water showering down.
Why?
I looked to Zair but he was backing away. Tacitly, he was asking me with that raised brow and that challenging glint in his black eyes if I still wanted to do this. Like a crazy person, I squared my shoulders and stepped towards the loud hall.
"Good luck." Zair bade me before shutting the door.
And then I tripped and broke my nose.
Or I would have, if I hadn't caught myself at the very last second. The chains were long enough to drag the barred floor and made the back of my head itch as they swayed a bit under the pressure of the falling water. I was soaked in an instant and had trouble standing on a floor that moved under my feet. Once I gained my balance, I parted the chains and glanced backwards at the metal door.
Last chance to turn back, I reminded myself.
No. I was sticking with this.
But what if you die? What if you slip and break your neck? What if you get chopped up by those blades?
That was seriously not helping, but thanks to those thoughts, I found myself heading to that door now. Not much of a surprise it was when I found it was locked.
Of course it's locked.
I wiped my face with wet hands and pushed my hair out of my eyes. Great. Now I was stuck.
Your own fault, that little voice pointed out.
And it was right then that I decided to tune that voice out or else I really would go crazy, because there was no way I could listen to its pessimism and make it through this hazardous hall at the same time. I shivered a bit near the door and took a deep breath. Then I rolled my shoulders and headed back to the area with the curtain of rain and chains.
Cautiously this time I parted the chains and stepped onto the slippery barred floor. I couldn't really see for the water and the chains but if I gripped a few in each hand, I could keep myself from slipping and falling on my face again. I did this and the method worked wonders, only I was quickly getting more chilled to the bone and I couldn't really tell how close I was to the next section. I fell into a rhythm of stepping forward with one foot, gripping a hand full of metal, taking another step, gripping more metal, stopping to wipe at my eyes, and stepping forward again. My palms got aggravated from grabbing onto the chains so tightly and my eyes stung from constantly blinking against the rain. I decided to shut them and just go forward on my instinct.
Blindly I reached forward time and time again, clumsily yanking the chains towards me and holding on with all my strength as my trainers skidded and slid on the wet metal bars of the floor. It was after an eternity, it seemed, that I felt something solid and grainy under my shoes.
Sand.
I peeled open my eyes and felt an ounce of relief upon seeing not chains but clear space in front of me, with sand under my left foot. I broke apart from the chains and sank to my knees in the sand, trying to get my muscles to unclench in my back and shoulders. Then I froze and peered around suspiciously, waiting for some kind of plant or something to pop out of the sand.
A few seconds passed without incident.
Could it be that Zair's given me a bit of a break between obstacles, I wondered uncertainly.
The knives were in front of me, snapping out like a tightly coiled spring from both walls. Maybe this sandy area was a place for me to catch my breath-
I scrambled backwards on my hands and feet like a crab, turned over, and clambered to my feet to get away from the evidence of how wrong I'd been. Out of nowhere, a plume of fire had crashed into the sand right where my foot was, spraying sand in my face and eyes and scaring the ever-loving shit out of me. I quickly retreated to the 'safety' of the chains and rainy area and shivered, trying to gain my balance and stop my heart from sprinting and pounding against my ribs.
I have to get the hell out of here NOW.
I only stayed under the watery shower long enough to rinse my eyes out and wipe the sand off my face, then I was running and tripping and falling over myself trying to get towards the door. It was still locked, as I knew, but I banged on it hard. I didn't care that my red palms were screaming at me in protest as I clenched them into fists and pummeled away at the unyielding door. I just had to get out.
You knew what this was when you saw the blades, that voice reminded me.
That was true, I could admit, but I'd underestimated a certain military official's innane madness. Again I pounded at the door and called for Zair but as minutes wore on with me shivering and dripping there, I realized he wasn't going to answer me. Or open the door. He was probably laughing his ass off at my expense. He was probably expecting me to fail this hard, to make a fool of myself. No wonder he was smiling so much.
I frowned tightly and stepped away from the door. If any of that was true or not, it didn't matter. I was getting less afraid and more pissed off. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing me wuss out if this really was a setup for his own amusement. I would get through this and I wouldn't die trying, either.
With that in mind, I moved from the door and turned towards the hall again.
Needless to say, the second time around, I navigated through the chains much more quickly, but when I broke through to the sandy area, I hesitated. Not for fear, but to gain my bearings. I had half a mind to sprint across the area, but if I did that I'd either get smited with fire or run headlong into the area with the knives jutting out and become a human shish-kabob.
Not today, thank you.
My body was wracked with a violent shiver that made me shake and tighten my grip on the chains that was holding me in place more than my stance on the slippery floor. I watched as the fireballs slammed down again and again. They were coming from the walls, not the ceiling. The lights were still in place on the ceiling, but the walls were opened and I saw four cannons on each side that catapulted fire out in turn. It only took me a couple minutes to recognize the pattern, and once I did, I hesitantly stepped forward.
If I'm right, the next fireball should hit the far right side of the sand. And if I'm wrong...well, I'm toast. Literally.
I sucked in a breath and waited.
PSSSHH!
The sand sort of hissed as the fire crashed down in it, in exactly the spot I'd predicted it would. I needed no further prompting to hurry towards the far right, since I knew the next strike would dash the center of the sand, near the left where I was standing. Now I had a roughly fifteen seconds to predict the motion of the blades before I would have to dash to the far left again.
Sure does keep a person on their toes, I thought, because clearly my brain figured this was the perfect time to be cracking jokes.
I ran a shaking hand over my face and felt the steam from the last fiery impact waft over towards my back. It did well to warm me up from my stint in the chains and downpour as I concentrated on finding a pattern with the jutting blades.
Once again, it didn't take me long.
No sooner did I sprint forward as the long knives were receding did a fireball slam devastatingly close to the back of my heels. It only propelled me to run even faster down the hall. The sharp knives were done receding, and in exactly eight seconds, they would spring back out again.
Damn, I sorely misjudged the distance, I thought in dismay, but I couldn't turn around now, not when I was out so far and not to mention I might run right into a fireball. I had no choice but to keep running and hope I made it across in time.
Seven, six, I counted to myself, willing my feet to move faster.
Five, four, I was almost there. Sort of.
Three
I was gonna make it
Two
I forgot about the swinging blades!
One
"Ahh!"
I hissed when the knives snapped forward and clipped the side of my shoulder, knocking me off balance and making me eat dirt. I was about to get up but that fall was a thing of mercy because, with my head lowered, I felt the air stir up my hair as one of the giant blades whooshed past me. I didn't think I could even move at this point because that chilling breeze froze me to the core and drained whatever life was in my body for the moment. I swear I thought I was...just knew I was...
This must be what it's like when people say they feel someone walking on their grave, I thought in regards to the haunted, disconcerted sensation that was tremoring through my entire body.
I stayed on the ground, flat with my arms by my sides, too afraid to move as the blades kept swing langorously over top of me. I didn't know what to do at this point. I couldn't get up without getting my head or something else chopped off. I could crawl my way through because the blades were swinging way too low. I briefly thought about just staying in this spot, hoping the General would eventually get the message that I was stuck.
Seeking mercy from Zair?
Even though I'd only known him for a couple of weeks, I knew better than to do that. I'd end up dying here if that was the case. Starvation or muscular atrophy or a combination of those things and worse would take their toll on my fear-ridden body.
I've got to move.
That was the last thing I wanted to do, but it was necessary. I couldn't stay here forever. So, before I could even think about it for too long lest I lose my nerve, I resolved to flip myself over on the count of three. I had to be able to see what was going on. There was a pattern to all these machines, it was all a matter of studying them closely and long enough.
Alright, let's do this.
"One." I murmured, only now hearing how afraid I was now that it came out in my voice.
I tightened my hands into fists at my sides and felt another whoosh go by.
This is insane!
"Two."
My breathing hitched and made that last word come out in a more hoarse echo. I clenched my fists and tensed my body, preparing to move.
Before I could open my mouth, I felt a sharp stab of pain from my shoulder as I forced myself to roll to the left. The same sort of pain blossomed along the side of my hip as the giant blade sliced it as I was turning. I was so sure that as I flopped down onto back that my innards were gonna come spilling out, but as I lay there, dazed and light-headed and still very much alive, I realized that the blade really only grazed my body. The fact that I was still breathing and not leaking bodily fluids emboldened me to reach down and touch the cut gingerly; yeah, it was an artificial cut that extended from the small of my back to the left of my navel. It stung when I touched it, but it wasn't deep at all. I had to assume that either the same was the case for the wound on my shoulder or maybe adrenaline was numbing the brunt of the pain.
I did it, though, I realized. I'm alive!
A brief smile flitted across my face before I also realized that I was still bleeding, soaking wet, and lying on my back with enormous axe-heads above me. That happiness flew away faster than a bat out of hell. I grimaced.
Better start looking for that pattern, I thought so as not to let the panic start seeping into my mind to cloud my thinking.
I could have kicked myself when I saw it. The ropes. They were a trick of my eyes, I thought at first, but the longer I stared, the easier I could confirm that they weren't a product of blurred or doubled vision. For each swinging rope, there were long, bare ropes hanging docilely in between. Three I could count so far. I had a theory, then, that if those ropes were there, they must be for me to climb on.
Or they could be there just because. You know. Zair could be playing with your mind.
True, very true, but since the alternative to trying out that theory was laying here, and since this was Zair and he could very well pull some switch and have the blades start inching lower to the ground, I decided to test out this theory.
This could get me killed.
I knew that, but I was still standing anyway. Or at least trying to get up the nerve to. I would have to do it quick, I would have to leap up and grab that rope if I didn't want to get side-swiped. I took in breath after shaky breath before I decided to do it.
SUCCESS!
I never thought it would feel so good to spring up a rope like some kind of tree monkey, but once I had the thick, braided material in my grip I launched myself up it and clung on with all I had. I even shut my eyes becuase if I was gonna die I didn't want to see that enormous axe coming at me.
But I wasn't dead.
I felt that swooping swoosh as the blade passed right behind me, then felt it again as another passed in front of me.
I can't believe that worked!
I didn't know whether to be elated or afraid again because now that I thought of it, I was never too good at climbing ropes. I had middle school trauma to thank for that. But then another thought occurred to me.
I don't have to climb the ropes...
No, there was enough space for me to...walk right through? In theory, there was, but I would have to yet again test this out.
Oh well. I've come this far.
I waited until the blade behind me had passed before hurriedly sliding down the ropes with my abused palms and shook like a reed in the wind as the next blade swung towards me. Again, I shut my eyes, cursing my decision to come down from the safety of the rope.
It passed me by.
I stood, stunned, as both blades swung side to side again, never even touching me. After I got over the fact that my theory had worked, it was no hard task navigating through the blades. All I had to do was wait for the two of them to pass, step near the next rope, and repeat the process. I did this twice before I could see the podium area get closer and closer.
Almost there!
I couldn't help but get excited. This was almost over! I now knew that I wouldn't ever set foot in this room again for no reason, no matter the circumstances.
Commander? Who wants to be a leader, anyway? Life is too precious.
The podium was in sight, only a few more seconds and I could-
The moment I launched myself towards the 'safe' zone, away from the blades, I felt the ground tremble and fall away. I might have cried out as I plummeted into darkness below, but that cry was stifled when something hard and heavy fell onto my stomach.
I think my back is broken, I frowned, noticing the spikes of pain erupting from my lower spine. But at the sound of a growl I bolted upright. I glanced upwards as the platform that I'd fallen through began to close until I was bathed in darkness.
At least I have the box, I thought, but another growl tore through my line of thinking and made a shudder wrack my frame.
"What the hell is that?" I murmured to myself because it wasn't like I could see.
I frowned and stood slowly, still wet and with sand and soot clinging to my skin and clothes. I gripped the box tightly to myself and heard several more growls bounce off the walls. They echoed, so either I was in a spacious area or there were several unknown beasts.
Or both, I thought and felt my stomach drop.
Just when I thought Zair really did have it out for me, I saw a sliver of light coming from the far end of the room. The far, far, far end of the room. It looked just like...
A door!
Without further persuasion, I bolted towards the light. The growls picked up at once and kept growing until the sound was like a deafening roar in my ears. I could feel something thudding the ground behind me, could feel hot breath sticking to the back of my neck. Still I ran and nearly crashed into the door were it not opened for me at the last minute. I came barreling into General Zair and was surprised at how solid he was: while I fell hard onto the dirt floor of the hall, he just stumbled backwards a little.
I sat there on the ground, thoroughly exhausted, heart pounding and blood pumping with vigor, still cold and wet and shivering so hard that my muscles felt like they were gonna give out from tensing them so much. My breath came in short pants and my eyes were blurry and teared up as they adjusted to the light. Once they did, I saw the General handing me some water and I took it, but stopped before I drank because he looked extremely pleased with himself, and there was just something unnerving about that broad grin.
Whatever, I brushed that off. My thirst greatly outweighed whatever other desire I had and I drank until the metal canister was empty. Even then, I was still craving more, despite the fact that I was drenched in water still. But now that I wasn't parched, I realized how famished I was. And how my shoulder, or the cut carved into it, was killing me, not to mention that scrape on my side was starting to make its presence known with a sudden blooming wave of pain. I felt like I'd been stampeded and I knew I looked it, too, which only made the General's grin even more out of place.
I think it's now safe to say he's perfectly certifiable.
As my breathing slowed, I winced and sat up, then leaned on the nearest wall to try and stand. The General held out a hand for me and I just stared at it cautiously for a moment before taking it and letting him help me to my feet. Near them was that heavy little chest. I knew I dropped it went I came plowing into the General. Which reminded me...
"What kind of animals were those?" I asked.
General Zair told me, "There were no animals."
"What?"
"There were no-"
"There had to be," I interrupted, then gestured to the creepy dark room. "I felt them breathing down my back, I heard them; there had to be at least...I don't know, like ten of them?"
General Zair tilted his head and smirked and told me, "There were no animals. Come."
And against my better judgement, I followed him warily back through the door I'd just run out of and watched him shoot fire from his fingertips into a huge light fixture in the center of the ceiling. The room was illuminated. It was just as I'd thought; spacious, creepy, but...empty.
There really weren't any animals.
There wasn't even any cages or holes in the walls where an animal of any size could fit into. It was just four large, bare walls and a packed-earth floor.
"But how did..." I trail, because I had no idea how to finish that sentence.
Zair just stood there and smiled in a way that I interpreted to be highly patronizing, which only irked me. I knew what I heard, what I felt. I wasn't crazy. He was the crazy one!
Says the person who participated in all this
"Shut up." I muttered, then felt my eye twitch.
I did not just talk to myself.
I have definitely got to get away from this General...his crazy is spreading
Back out into the hall I hurried with General Zair on my heels. I didn't care if I had to navigate through this maze of an underground gym for hours, I was leaving right now.
"Wait," The General called behind me. "Don't you want to know what's in this box?"
Just walk away, I coaxed myself, Just keep going.
But it was no use. My curiosity was more than whetted.
Besides, I rationalized, I nearly died trying to get that thing. It's only right that I get to see what's inside.
General Zair's grin broadened as I turned around and in that moment, with the dim light casting shadows on his grey-skinned face and that giant smile and those twinkling black eyes, he reminded me so much of King Boo. And that wasn't a compliment. It was creepily uncanny.
I glanced from Zair to the box and watched him take another key from his pocket and unlock it. He flipped back the ornately decorated lid that was emblazoned with gems and revealed another, smaller box.
How original, I thought, rolling my eyes when he gave me a brief little smile.
He removed the second box. It was plain white wood, with a smooth golden clasp holding it closed. Once he snapped it open, I saw something small and white-
No
-inlaid in a bed of red, velvety cushion-
I did not just risk my life for a
-General Zair plucked the slim white thing from its rich bed and flicked his finger, effectively lighting a flame at its end and then he proceeded to take the longest, most satisfied drag anyone has probably ever taken in the history of smoking.
I nearly died for a damn cigarette.
A/N: Well luckily this chapter wrote itself. I know it's redundant, but I do apologize for the wait. You've just gotta bear with me because I'm doing the best I can. That's all I'll say on that.
There will be more to come, not gonna give a date because I'm bad at living up to promises when it comes to writing, as you've noticed. We'll see what Daisy's up to and check back in with plenty of other characters.
Whoever's still reading this, I appreciate you! Thanks for the reviews and the continuous support, and most of all your patience. Stay tuned because there's more to come!
Until next time...
~DymondGold~