Chapter 17 Hidden In Plain Sight

Rachel

July 21st, 2017

8:15 AM

Rome, Italy

Colosseum

Max, Bryan, and I entered the Colosseum through the broken fence and we step inside to a wide-open arena-like battleground that was centuries old. The inner Colosseum featured a maze of some sort where people would train or battle surrounded by elevated bleacher stands made of masonry stonework centuries in the making. Make me wonder why Arthur and Ezra would hide the Reality Shard in a place like this?

When we enter the maze portion of the Colosseum, the view outside was as stellar as the view at the lighthouse in Arcadia Bay. Frank and I could use a vacation like this. If only he were here to see this now rather than going to the Ludus Magnus with Alex. I hear the Vatican is too a heavenly attraction to go to.

"Wow," said Bryan. "This place is in much better shape than the other attractions in Rome."

"I hear the Vatican is a solid place to go to too," I said. "Wish Frank and I could go there now."

Max spotted a sigil on the ground in the center of the maze. Ezra Prescott's sigil. More importantly, the Herd of Whales sigil. Which was the sigil of a humpback whale.

"Ezra Prescott's sigil," said Max. "Just like his diary said."

"So what are we looking for?" Bryan asked.

"Good question."

There was a bell tower built over the elevated structures surrounding the Colosseum's maze on the far top. Right in the direction we walked to next. Maybe the answer to what we're looking for to find the shard is in the bell tower of the Colosseum. That's where we walk to next.

Bryan and I follow Max out of the maze and indoors into the bell tower. When we're in the tower, we take a nice good glance above us. Structures, stairs, gears, and mechanisms built above us that reached out as far as the eye can see.

"Holy wowser," said Max.

"This is a very tall bell tower," I said.

"Yes, yes it is."

Max sees a pedestal sticking out of the floor of the bottom ground and finds a shape inside it that looks like it could fit through something. She remembered the Eon Codex she used to unlock the projectable map back at Castle Camelot and figured maybe the shape was a slot made for the codex.

"Hmm," she said. "Now what do you bet…?"

Max stuck the codex through the slot and the pedestal was moving. Then the floor below it was moving. The codex was certainly the key to something. Max laughed.

"Oh, ho," said Bryan. "I think we're onto something."

The floor below the pedestal was a compass marked with an N, S, E, and W to point out all four directions. The tiles with the direction symbols rotated into tiles with symbols. The codex was also rotating statues on the walls of the symbols marked on the rotating tiles. Four statues in counting. A statue of a scorpion, a man pouring a pitcher, a lion, and a bull.

"Scorpion," I said. "Guy with a…large pitcher…"

"They're zodiac symbols," said Max. "Look, there's Leo."

"Ah, and Taurus," said Bryan.

"Yeah, four signs."

"And four bells way up there."

Bells were ringing above us. And not the bell at the highest peak, but the bells under it built for the zodiac statues and symbols. I bet they had to be rung in order to find the Reality Shard hidden in plain sight. It was going to be a long way up to do so.

"And these things in the middle of the floor look like locks," I said.

"I got it," said Max. "Let's go ring some bells."

The were some stair steps being raised out of the ground when the codex activated the puzzle. I pull the codex out of the slot and tell Bryan to call Alex and tell her we've already found the Reality Shard's chamber. Or rather how to get to it.

"This is definitely the right place," I said. "Call Alex."

"On it," said Bryan pulling out his phone.

"Scorpio, Aquarius, Leo, Taurus."

"Voicemail. Hey, Alex. Looks like the Colosseum is the place after all. Call us."

"They don't have the best coverage in this city," said Rachel.

"Well, no reason to wait," I said. "I'll be right back."

I run up the long stairwell over to the four bells linked to the four zodiac symbols and statues. I was going to need to ring the bells in a specific order. First Scorpio, then Aquarius, then Leo, and then Taurus. I get on the floor in the tower where Scorpio's bell was built.

The bell was set between two Scorpio statues to signify where Scorpio's bell was. There was crank next to the bell that I could use to ring it by turning the crank. I walk over to it to do so. Ringing it this close could damage my ears more than a pair of Beats. This going to get loud.

I hold the handle of the crank with two hands and turn it forward until the loudest ring I've heard echoes through my eardrums. I cover my two ears with my two hands to shield my potential deafness.

"Agh! Okay, that is really loud!" I cried.

As soon as the bell was rung, Scorpio's statue downstairs rotated unlocking one of the tiles on the puzzle. That's only step one considered.

"Hey, Max!" Bryan shouted downstairs. "That did the trick! The Scorpio lock just released!"

"Okay!" I shout back. "Moving on to the next one!"

Next step, Aquarius. The next bell I had to ring was down one floor. I walk down the floor below me to get to Aquarius's bell. That was built between two Aquarius statues like Scorpio's bell and the others. Same drill as before. Turn the crank, ring the bell, and unlock Aquarius's lock. I do just the thing and another loud as hell ring nearly blows my ears out.

"Jesus!" I said covering my ears.

Aquarius's statue downstairs rotates and unlocks another tile on the puzzle.

"Two down, two to go, Max!" Rachel shouted.

Next stop, Leo. Which was on the same floor as Aquarius. I walk over to Leo's bell, turn the crank, ring the bell, and cover my ears. I could really go for some ear plugs by now. Of course, Leo's statue is rotated and the third tile is unlocked.

"Leo is unlocked!" Bryan shouted.

Only one bell left. Which was Taurus's located on the same floor as Scorpio's above me. I walk back up there to ring the last bell and blow what was left of my hearing out.

"Hey, Bryan!" I shouted. "Any word from Alex?"

"Not yet!" Bryan shouted.

"Yeah, she's probably fine. Maybe just forgot to charge her phone."

Finally, I make it to Taurus's bell, turn the crank forward, and ring the bell as loud as it got and covered my ears for effort. I may not have gotten completely deaf over ringing four loud ass bells one at a time, but I was about to. At least it was the last bell I had to ring.

At last, Taurus's statue rotated, the last tile unlocked, and now the floor with the pedestal transformed into Ezra's sigil. Also known as, the Herd of Whales sigil.

"Max, that did it!" Rachel shouted.

"Great!" I shouted.

"Taurus is unlocked and Ezra's sigil just appeared in the floor!" Bryan shouted.

"And?!"

And then nothing else happened. Until I heard the big bell ring on the top floor of the bell tower. The final step to unlocking the Reality Shard's chamber.

"Fuck, that's it!" Rachel shouted. "Nothing!"

"Well, hey!" I shouted. "There is that big bell at the top! Hold on! I'm heading on up!"

"Okay!" Bryan shouted. "Watch yourself!"

"'Kay, here we go."

I climb my feet up the stairwell to the top floor where the main big bell was built. It was a long walk up, but I knew they didn't have elevators to use to get up quicker. When I reached the top, it was beautiful out. I was able to step outside near the railings at the top to commend the view of Rome I glanced at. I was up so high on the Colosseum's bell tower, I can clearly see my house from up here. Even though it was all the way back in Portland where I lived. Just figure of speech.

"Okay, Bryan!" I shouted. "I made it!"

"Alright, Max!" Bryan shouted from five-hundred feet downstairs. "Go for it!"

The crank was right in front of me. The big bell tethered to it was as big as a boulder. Now things were going to get louder than ever. Just when my eardrums were beginning to adjust from the painful volume. Not only that but since I was ringing a huge ass bell, that meant turning the crank would be extremely heavier than before. Here goes nothing. This is gonna be loud.

I put my two hands on the crank like before and start turning it forward. I give it as much muscle as I can with heavier weight put on from the enormous bell. Right before the crank snaps loose with the rope snapped and the gears collapsing all the downstairs where the chamber entrance would be open.

"Bryan, Rachel, head up!" I warned.

I can hear the gears and crank landing from where Bryan and Rachel stood. The broken mechanisms had almost fallen on them both and took them out.

"Jesus!" Bryan shouted. "What the hell happened?!"

"Sorry!" I apologized. "The handle broke!"

"Yeah," echoed Rachel. "Well try not to drop anything else on our heads, alright?!"

"I'm gonna have to ring it myself."

The only alternative in ringing the bell myself was by swinging onto the ringer hanging from the bell. I wasn't to keen on swinging around on a ringer five-hundred feet to my death, but Super Max has got to do what Super Max has got to do.

I cautiously jump onto the ringer with enough momentum on my arc and I hang onto the handle of the ringer as tight as could. I was beginning to swing on the ringer like an acrobat and build up enough momentum on my swing until the ringer bangs on the bell and releases the loudest ring I've ever heard. Not only although did it hurt my hearing more than the first four times, but the ring was so loud, it began to crack the wood holding the bell together. I can feel the bell coming down on me. Now I was in for a great fall. A fall higher than the rise and fall of Kate Marsh from four years earlier and Fernando's fall from just an hour in a half ago.

"Oh, shit!" I panicked.

I fall down with the bell collapsing with me and I land on a big gear with it that breaks my fall. Soon the whole infrastructure would be coming down on Rachel and Bryan as well and they had to be warned.

"Rachel, Bryan, get the fuck out of the way!" I thundered.

The gear I landed on comes collapsing as well and tilts to the side. Causing me to slide down on more gears and hang onto them to catch my fall. Then the gear I hold onto come spinning out of control and I'm forced to rapidly climb on the spinning gear as fast as I could like a hamster on the wheel. And then I see the bell crashing down on the bottom floor as Bryan and Rachel dodged out of the way in time before it hit the floor and smashed itself into dust.

I had seen a rope that tied to one of the mechanisms. I drop down from the gear I held onto, slid down the rope, and hit the floor landing on my back. The velocity of the debris that had collapsed had done a real number on the bottom floor around me. My back felt it had almost snapped into from my impact, but it really didn't. It only ached a little. Otherwise, I'd end up like AR Chloe. Bryan and Rachel were safe. I gradually get up on my feet and hold my back with my hands to cull the pain.

"Holy shit," I said. Shaking off my back pain.

And finally, another gear hits the floor next to me before it lands on top of me. Right before the falling down was over. The bell from the top floor had cracked open like an egg upon decent from where it hanged to down here. The secret chamber to the Reality Shard had opened during the descent. Another stairwell that traveled downwards this time into the chamber that awaits us. Rachel and Bryan ran over to me to confirm my status.

"Jesus H. Christ," said Rachel.

"Hey, Rachel," I said. "Hey, Bryan. Oh, shit. At least I got the door open though, huh?"

"That's one way to do it," said Bryan. "You alright?"

"I don't yet. You?"

"Deaf."

"Same," said Rachel.

"C'mon," I said. "Let's see what Ezra has in store for us."