Sorry for the long wait. Life has been hectic and I'll try to keep updating once a week, but sometimes writer's block catches my feet so it can take me longer than that. Anyway, enjoy! :D
The first room was in the hall located next to the staircase that previously led them to the foyer. Red-X checked the map again, making sure that he got the right room before putting Raven on the floor, her back against the wall. She was cold—he wondered what the magic had done to her.
He placed the rolled parchment on her lap and checked if his weapons were working. The belt still didn't bring him anywhere, and most of his devices didn't work. But as long as he got his shurikens and X-blades on his gloves, he'd be fine. He had to be extra careful, though, so he didn't get cornered or anything. There was nothing to help him escape if that happened.
Red-X placed his eyes on Raven as he still crouched across her. She was like sleeping feverishly, unease tinted her beautiful face, her eyebrows creased. A sleep that was devoid of peace. He sighed, and inwardly promised her that he'd bring her back.
"I'll be back, Sunshine," he whispered, tilting up her chin a little as he brushed the side of his first finger on that chin. She looked fragile, somehow, and he found it intriguing how she could be both strong and fragile at the same time.
He was simply curious about her.
But knowing he had not much time left if he wanted to save Raven, he didn't let himself indulge in staring at that beautiful face. He got to his feet and walked toward the door of the first chamber.
His heart started hammering as he was closer to the room, questioning himself what kind of enemy there would be. He'd ever faced loonies and monster-like creatures, but he was afraid of something that would attack him mentally. He had to admit that he wasn't that strong psychologically—not after everything that he'd gone through in the past.
The door creaked when he pushed it. The room was dark and once he opened the door, the light emanated from the torches in the hallway flooded into the room. He pushed the door farther to see what was in the room.
The room was mostly made of stone. It seemed empty, so he walked in to search for the vial.
It wasn't until he reached the darkest spot of the room, where there was no light, that he realized he wasn't alone in the room. There was someone, sitting in a decrepit, rusty chair in the corner. He tried to activate the night-vision mode on his mask, only to find that what Raven had feared or suspected was true. The evil master had controlled his devices, making some of them nothing but useless technology. Clicking the button several times and the room kept being pitch-black, Red-X dropped his hand in despair.
Red-X warily approached that person. He was so close to that person when that man made a low, guttural sound.
"Shit," Red-X muttered, but he kept stepping closer and closer. It was like a part of some thriller if not horror movie and he despised it. "Who are you?"
The man didn't answer. From the silhouette Red-X could tell he was trying to move, though. He was sitting low on his chair, and the old chair screeched when he made the slightest move.
"You're not going to find anything here," he murmured. His voice was husky. Red-X felt the hair at the nape of his neck rose.
"Wait here for a sec, old man," Red-X ceased his step. "I hate not seeing anything."
He jogged back to the aisle and grabbed a torch from the corridor's wall. He glanced at Raven, who was still leaning against the wall with no trace of consciousness left in her, and wished she was there to help him.
Getting back into the room, the fire helped him see that the man was so old and puny with countable strands of white hair on his bald head, like some homeless men Red-X would see on the streets. His whole body was limp, as if without the chair he wouldn't be able to sit at all—as if he had no bones to support his body. Goose bumps crept into his whole body as he saw that man, but something made him unable to look away from those languid grey eyes.
Those eyes looked at him with no curiosity even when he was in a weird costume, like it was a daily occurrence to have someone with skull mask visiting him in that storage-like chamber.
"If you look for anything," that man spoke again, "you're not going to find it here."
"How do you know if I look for anything?" he carefully asked. His voice was weird, strained. His voice changer made it sound worse.
He laughed drily, pushing his body against the back of the chair. The decrepit chair shrieked again as he did that. His bony arms trembled as he used them to help him push his back flat against the wooden chair.
"Everyone does, young man. Everyone does," he grinned bitterly, as if feeling pity for Red-X. His teeth were crooked and some had been lost, leaving ugly holes here and there. "And out of thirteen chambers marked on the map, nothing has whatever they look for. Every room gives you a clue or two, but not the thing itself. The thing is somewhere in a room that's not on the list. The main point is to make you run out of time."
Red-X raised one eyebrow. Trusting the man he barely knew wasn't an option. That man also looked like someone he wouldn't trust—he would be likely to get misled if he followed the advice.
"Yeah? How do you know that?" Red-X asked.
He tilted his head to the side, examining Red-X. Red-X felt uncomfortable and wanted to flinch. "I was as curious as you, young man. Thinking the story was nothing but a lie. If I only knew the crown was just a tool for a vicious mastermind to lock people in his castle."
Now he realized that he might be into something much more serious than he thought. But Red-X refused to show any kind of submission.
"Well," he cleared his throat, "you said every room gave a clue. Now, give me my clue and I'll move on."
That old man shrugged. "That was my clue. Now you know what's actually going on. The master has never intended to let any of us go at the first place. It's all just a trick."
"Fine. Thanks for the clue, old man. Now, if you'll excuse me. I need to search the whole room for the vial."
The story has become more... tense than how I intended it to be at first. I thought it would be more like my other RedX-Raven fanfics (which I don't upload/haven't uploaded), with more romance than action. But I hope you'll still like it even when it's more adventure-ish :D