Mutants Misplaced
Chapter 44
The Trial Part 1
The elevator continued to lower itself down the shaft for another fifteen minutes before reaching the bottom, where the group was met by metal doors that opened themselves once the platform had stopped, leading into an open room. It was lit up by several of the dwarven light-bulbs, and had one large door at the end, other than that, the room was completely empty.
"Bottom floor. Kitchen appliances, dust, ancient robots and death traps." Mikey announced as they left the elevator, but was largely ignored by the others.
"Well, this looks fairly straightforward. Anyone got a guess for what's behind that door?" said Raph.
"Judging by everything we've been through so far, trouble of some kind, I'd bet." said Mona.
"Sounds just like our luck." said Sephie. "Should we get going?"
Before anyone could answer, the door opened on its own, and a ball of white light, the size of a basketball, flew out of the hallway. Hovering five feet above the ground, it stopped in front of the group, almost as if it was observing them.
"Greetings." it said in a clear and almost monotone voice, catching the group off guard. "I take it that you have come to take the trial, is that correct?"
"Trial? What kind of trial?" asked Leo.
"The trial of worthiness, to see if you are worthy of entering the Vault of Secrets. Do you not know of it?"
"I'm afraid not. Could you explain more about this trial, as well as what this place is?"
"Certainly. The Creators created this vault to store their most powerful items, both of their own creation and those more ancient. To gain entrance to the vault, one must pass the Trial, a series of challenges, to prove that one is worthy and not at risk of falling for the temptation of using the contents of the vault for wrongdoings."
"Is there no other way?"
"No. The only path is through the trial. Even if one would be able to avoid the challenges, the creators erected powerful magic barriers, that will only lower once their respective challenge is completed. Be aware that once you have started, you can not leave until you have cleared the trial. There is no turning back."
"And just what are you?" asked Raph.
"I am the sentry of the vault, created in the image of a wisp, with the purpose of guiding the ones who wishes to undertake the trial. Though I am not allowed to directly help, only advise."
"Interesting. This entity is like an artificial intelligence and composed entirely of energy." said Donnie.
"But can we trust it? I really don't like any of this." said Mona.
"I don't think you got much of a choice. Unless you clear this trial, you won't reach the talisman, if it's here." said Devina.
"Even if it isn't, this place holds a lot of magic, a lot more than any other place we've been to so far, there might be something else that can help us." said Tyroth.
"Are you ready to begin then?" the wisp asked. The mutants looked among each other, they had come a long way, and now the key to returning home could be just within their grasp. They wouldn't quit, not when they were so close, not after everything they had been through. They all agreed with a nod. Then Leo turned to Devina.
"We can't ask you to come with us any further, you won't get anything out of this, and you have already done so much for us. If you want, you can go wherever you want, we'll be alright."
"That's very kind of you, but I'm staying with you guys. You're my friends and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I left you now. So if I can help you get home again, then that's enough for me."
The reptiles couldn't help but smile at Devina's loyalty to them, and with all ready for whatever that lay before them, the group turned to the wisp and told it that they were ready.
"Then please enter the hallway and proceed to the first part of the trial." it said and led the way.
Once the last of the group was in the hallway, the door closed behind them and a light shimmered across it. Tyroth investigated the light, and just as he suspected, it was one of the barriers the wisp had told them about, and it was incredibly strong. It would take an enormous amount of power to break through it, and this was just one, there was no telling how many more barriers that were ahead.
After a short while, the wisp stopped.
"Behold. The first obstacle." it said. Directly after, hundreds of large metal blades emerged from the walls, floor and ceiling in front of them, some spinning vertically and some horizontally, all at a lightning fast speed. The killzone stretched for fifteen meters, filling the hallway with sharp metal.
"That's even worse than that lawnmower trap we saw in the other ruin." Mikey gulped.
"How are we going to get past it? I don't think even my healing ability will let me survive that." said Tyroth.
"Remember, this is part of the trial, there is a solution." said Leo. He watched the blades as they spun, focusing on their movement. "There is a pattern to their movement. Look. At certain intervals, there are gaps between the blades. If we time it correctly, we can get through."
"And if we don't, we'll be turned into kebab." said Sephie. "And not all of us are that fast and agile to even make that." she continued, looking worried at her lover.
"I think there is another solution." said Donnie. "Look past the blades, at the far end of the hallway."
Behind all the moving blades was a metal pole, going from some form of bases between the floor and ceiling. Attached to the middle of the pole was a broad ring with four circular discs evenly spaced out around the ring, each ring had one rounded side and one flat side with a blue crystal in the middle.
"I've seen one of those before." said Devina. "It was part of another Dwemer puzzle I came across. By hitting the discs on the side with the crystals, it will spin around and work as a lever of sorts."
"So if we can hit it, the blades should stop."
"Right. It worked for the spinning fire traps I ran into, but it may not stay. The one I found reset itself after a short while, so we have to hurry once we hit it."
"But, like how? It's still on the other side of the meat grinder." said Mikey. "Can you do that bat-trick?"
"No, sorry, even if I can slip past things like that, there are simply too many to avoid. I will get hurt if I try, but I can try something else."
Cold mist formed in Devina's hand and it started to crackle as the temperature around it dropped drastically. With a swift motion of her hand, the freezing magic was released as a large icicle shot forth towards the intended target. But before it even got halfway, it was shattered by the metal blades.
"Of course, why didn't we think of that?" said Mona. "Great thinking, Devina. A shame that it didn't work as you hoped. But I bet Sephie could do it, she's the best archer I know."
"This will be something to brag about, if I can do it." said Sephie as she drew her bow and arrow, pleased to know that her friends held her skill in such high regards, but also nervous of the task she was given.
Taking aim, she released the arrow and it zoomed towards the discs, but just like Devina's ice projectile, it was cut down by the blades. Sephie sighed and cursed in her mind.
"We know you can do it, Sephie. Concentrate on the blades." Leo encouraged.
Making another attempt, she aimed carefully, holding her breath for several seconds, something she doesn't do normally. Ever since she began practising with the bow at six years old, it was natural for her to shot quickly rather than taking the time to concentrate. Waiting for the right moment, she watched all the blades move for a bit longer. Then she released the arrow once again.
Having found the rhythm that the blades moved with, Sephie was able to fire the arrow through them all and strike the disc, causing the ring to spin around, giving off a sound akin to that of grinding gears. Once it stopped, the bottom base released vast amounts of steam, and all the blades stopped and retracted into the walls, floor and ceiling.
"Full points to Sephie!" Mona cheered. "Way to go, girl!"
"All hail the Archery Princess!" Mikey joined in.
"I knew you could do it, babe." said Tyroth, giving her a kiss on the cheek. All the praise made her blush.
"Let's hurry. They may not stay still for long." said Leo.
After a short sprint, the team had cleared the deadly passage and stood by the pole. They also had to make a choice, as the path split off to the right and left.
"Here it is up to you which path to take, choosing one will seal the other, but both lead to the same destination, if you succeed the challenge presented to you." said the wisp. "Either path will test your mind and spirit, I can not say any more than that at this moment."
"So we will be walking blind either way? Terrific." said Raph.
"I have a gold coin we could flip." said Mikey, pulling out a coin from his belt. "What do you say, heads we go left and tails we go right?"
"Sounds good to me. It's not like we have anything to go on. Let it flip." said Tyroth.
"Alright. Here we go. And it is… heads! Left it is then."
Walking down the left path, it didn't take long before they reached the end of it ans stood in front of another door. Once there, the wisp spoke again.
"The challenge within this room will put your mind, spirit and determination to the test. However, only one may enter this room, but clearing it will open the path. Who will brave this test?"
"I will." said Leo.
"You sure about this, Leo?" asked Donnie concerned.
"I am. I feel that I need to do this."
"Be careful, Fearless." said Raph.
"Please enter the room." the wisp said and the door opened, revealing a dark room. Once Leo had entered it, the door closed itself and was covered with a barrier.
Inside, Leonardo looked around but saw nothing but darkness, but he could feel some form of presence, even though he couldn't pinpoint it. Yet it was something about it that felt… familiar, and not in a good way.
Suddenly, Leo heard a sinister voice in front of him.
"We meet again, Leonardo."
Seems like I'm on a roll. Keep your fingers crossed that it will last.
Our heroes are so close to getting home, but these challenges ahead of them will be a handful. But, who is the owner of the voice in the dark room?