The second puzzle room was massively different from the first. Where he first was empty and large, the second was small yet filled with interesting thing. The room was circular, twenty meters in diameter, with a podium in the center. The walls were covered in all manner of different things, holes and gaps of various shapes and sizes along with Glyphs and Runes and one painting of a rabbit. Standing around the room were ten eerily realistic statues of various creatures and monsters from mythology such as a three headed hellhound and what looked like a Naga. The most shocking thing about the room was the distinct lack of ice. The walls were made from stone, as was the ceiling, and the floor was carpeted. The statues were the only things in the room that appeared to be made of ice, a distinction that made Michael worried. Everything in this room, with the sole exception of the podium, screamed of danger. Michael took one look at the room and immediately felt like doing an Ackbar impression.

For pete's sake, even the carpet had worryingly detailed images of their deaths woven into the fibers. Michael was particularly disturbed by the image of him getting skewered by what looked like spears, specifically the location and angle at which the spears skewered him. feeling a distinct need to cross his legs, the trio entered the room.

As soon as they were all inside the door slammed shut, the sound of locks engaging ringing out. Michael complimented the auditory accompaniment, it gave the atmosphere a very nice 'you are all going to die' touch. Especially as none of the other doors had ever made locking sound when closing despite them presenting impenetrable barriers once they were closed. Whoever, or whatever, had designed this dungeon clearly put some thought into this room. The rest of the rooms may have been a bit bland but this one was really well thought out. A part of Michael was nervous, for obvious reasons, but the other part of him could recognise and appreciate good craftsmanship.

Michael approached the podium as Jelly and Hazel explored the rest of the room. The top of the podium was glowing and had black lines shifting and swirling over. As Michael approached the lines flowed and formed into letters. The letters read;

What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?

Touch the Podium and speak

Michael couldn't help but grin. He'd always enjoyed a good riddle and was quite good at them. He though for a few moments before he realised the answer. Placing his hand on the Podium he spoke "A River." The words on the podium dissolved into a swirling mess of black lines before coalescing into new words.

Correct

I have lakes with no water, mountains with no stone, and cities with no buildings. What am I?

Touch the Podium and speak

The riddle was another one he'd never heard of before but he soon figured it out. The answer was a Map. Touching the podium he gave the answer and the lins moved and formed words

Correct

What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening?

Touch the Podium and speak

Michael couldn't help but chuckle. This particular riddle was a favorite of his that had stumped him completely the first time he'd heard it. It was fortunate that he already knew the answer, or he might have been in trouble. Feeling confident he placed his hand on the podium and said "Man". For a moment nothing happened, and then the letters on the podium shifted.

Wrong

Michael didn't even have time to react when a gout of flame burst from one of the holes behind him and washed over him. The flames only lasted two seconds but it was sufficient to freak out both Michael and Hazel. Jelly hadn't been paying attention an didn't realise until after it was over. Hazel had already put her shields on Michael so he wasn't hurt, or even singed, but it was still quite the fright. The bond between Michael and Hazel wasn't always a good thing, negative emotions ha a tendency to bleed through and affect the other. In this case, Michaels sudden spike of shock and fear amplified Hazels shock and fear and vice versa. Jellys bond with Michael was far less strong so it was not nearly as bothered. Jelly knew Michael was protected and knew he was okay. It aso knew the two creatures it was unwillingly partnered with were getting on its nerves.

After Michael's shock wore off and he assuaged Hazel he turned back towards the podium, confusion written across his face. Looking at the riddle again he tried to understand what happened. Going over and over it in his head he couldn't figure out what went wrong. The answer was definitely Man.

He placed his hand on the podium and said "The answer is Man. Man starts as a baby crawling on four legs in the morning, walks on two as an adult in the afternoon, and uses a cane as an old man in the evening."

Wrong

The Human Male's lifespan is longer than a day

Michael barely got to read the words before a crack rang out. Having already had his flame bath for the day Michael dove away from the podium. Unfortunately the crack wasn't from a trap activating, but from one of the statues placed around the wall. It was unfortunate as it happened to be the statue that Michael dove towards. When Michael noticed a distinct lack of fire or anything else deadly near the podium he looked around, just in time to see the next crack form on the statue next to him. His mind already in overdrive from the adrenaline he put two and two together and jumped to his feet before jumping away, knocking an arrow and aiming at the statue before he landed.

Monsters are formed, often with guidance from the system, From the Mana that permeates the planet on which the Monster is formed. When the Monster is formed with the Systems guidance it carries the records from the system, forming what something that is almost a soul. Monsters do not truly have a soul, as even the System is unable to create souls, but they are able to instinctively sense those who do. This is in part why they have a deep hatred of living creatures. When Michael formed a soul bond with the Gelidreynard named Jelly he performed an unprecedented act and started a process that would later shake the very core of the universe and rewrite the definition of impossibility. A process that would take the approximation of a soul, the closest the system would ever come to a true soul, and turn it into an actual genuine soul. Jelly would go one to lead a revolution, freeing hordes of monsters from the agony of what would be known as the missing piece and giving them that which they unknowingly craved, a soul.

All that is in the future though, and has nothing to do with the present as the monster encased in ice is not one that was guided by the System. In cases like these the monster takes on the shape that the Mana remembers. As Mana flows in and through the living beings of the universe it is influenced by their consciousness, carrying echo's of the hopes and dreams and beliefs of those it flows through. For example, every chihuahua in the world believed so strongly that they were more terrifying then they actually were that when Mana came back and altered them, that belief fueled their change into a pants wetting monstrosity that still somehow looked cute and harmless right until it opened its mouth and revealed the tooth filled abyss that was somehow bigger than the dog itself. Like the most horrifying T.A.R.D.I.S. in existence.

When it comes to forming Monsters, the echoes that are most likely to shape the creation are those left behind by fears, which is why the Monster that burst out of ice with a sinister chuckle looked like a demented clown wielding a pair of knives. For many people the site of this clown monster would have made them run screaming. Unfortunately for the clown, Michael was not one of them. The clown leapt knives first at Michael only to catch an arrow to the face. Sadly the arrow annoyed the clown more than it hurt. The clown flew through the air, ignoring the arrow lodged in its forehead, but before it could carve Michael into meaty chunks it was tackled out of the air by a very angry bear.

Hazel, for reasons even the System didn't know, was scared of clowns. Something about the clowns face sent a shiver down her spine but when she saw the clown about to attack Michael her fear of losing him overrode the fear of the clown and sent her into a fear driven rage. Tackling the clown as it was about to stab Michael she proceeded to mangle the clown with her claws, the evil thing laughing its demented laughter the entire time.

The clown eventually died, Hazel stopping a while after that. Michael went to her and hugged her as best he could. In times like these he wished she was still the tiny cub she had been when she came out of the egg. He could no longer pick her up and give her a great big hug to comfort her. He still did his best though, comforting her as she slowly calmed down. He had no idea why she was so freaked out by the clown but even ten minutes afterwards she still had the occasional tremble.

After a long time spent soothing Hazel she eventually calmed. After reassuring her that everything was going to be alright, and hoping it wasn't a lie, Michael returned to the podium. The riddle remained, the words mocking Michael. While he had been soothing Hazel he had also been thinking on the riddle, and had come up with an answer that he believed the podium would accept. Placing his hand on the podium he gave a quick glance at Hazel and Jelly to make sure they were ready, and said "A Shapeshifter." The black letters swirled and flowed and formed into words.

Correct

At times I am like crystal, at times I flow. I can take lives with ease, yet without me there is no life. What am I?

Touch the Podium and speak

Michael was unsure. When he first saw the riddle he thought he knew the answer, but he also thought the previous riddle was Man and that proved to be wrong. Unfortunately there was no way to be sure until he tried it. Walking up to the podium he placed his hand on it and asked "Water?"

Wrong

The presence of water would harm or kill a Fire Elemental.

Rather than another statue coming to life a dozen darts fired from various small identical holes in the walls. The darts moved so fast, and came from so many different angles, that Michael had no chance to dodge them all. He managed to dodge three but other nine struck. Of those nine, three manage to actually penetrate Hazels barriers, the darts piercing into him with a painful smack. The darts themselves didn't do much but each one was tipped with poison. By the time Michael managed to pull all the darts out he was losing 30 points of Health per second. The next few minutes were not enjoyable for Michael. The Health loss was easy to deal with, Hazel even manage to level her Regrowth spell, but the poison had a side effect of making him feel extremely nauseous. Eventually Michael couldn't take it anymore and used the second effect of his Soap, cleansing himself of the poison. the soaps ability to cleanse him of any poison was quite frankly cheat-like but he still tried to use it as little as possible. The more he endured the poison the higher his poison resistance got, the healing practice didn't hurt either. Even with the soaps ability it still cost Michael over 500 Mana to clear out all the poison.

After the nausea was gon and Michael could think properly he turned back to the podium. The bit about water and Fire elementals had made him realise something, something he really should have figured out after the whole 'Man' fiasco. He was still stuck in the pre-Manapocalypse way of thinking. The answers he gave, Man and Water, would only have worked when you disregarded the existence of Mana. Placing his hand on the podium he gave the answer, which was quite obvious in hindsight. "Mana"

Correct

I am thin as paper, yet contain a world within. I am known to all, yet known by only a few. What am I?

Touch the Podium and speak

Michael, his new magical mindset engaged, knew immediately what the answer was. He had met enough of these to know exactly what the riddle meant. The answer was Dungeon. The first line made it somewhat obvious though the second line threw him for a second before he worked it out. Everyone knew of Dungeons but each individual dungeon was known only to a few people. Few in relation to the world that is. He gave his answer and the letters changed once again.

Correct

I fly like a bird and sit like a rock. I bring life to some, and destruction to others. I give shelter and take it away. All these things I do without help, yet I do nothing alone. What am I?

Touch the Podium and speak

This riddle stumped Michael. He thought of several different answers: Earth, the elements, the Sun, Fred. Nothing fully fit though, largely thanks to the last line. Something that both required no help but also did nothing alone. If it was just that line then a Party, the group of people not the event, would fit but he'd find it difficult to say that it flew like a bird or sat like a rock. After a few minutes of thinking and bouncing ideas around with Hazel he finally gave up and decided to ask Jelly. The Gelidreynard had slowly become more talkative as time went on but still seemed to find him annoying.

[Hey Jelly. An idea what the answer could be?] Michael asked.

Jelly raised its head and gave him a look like a teacher responding to a child that asked a dumb question. [Spells]

Michael blinked, he hadn't actually expected Jelly to answer. Thinking it through he realised that the answer was perfect. Spells could do all those things, without help, but needed to be cast by someone. You could argue that casting the spell was technically helping the spell but only if you squinted at it with one eye closed from far away. Michael looked over at Jelly, surprise written on his face.

He asked [Did you just come up with this]

[No] came the reply.

Michael frowned. [Why didn't you say anything earlier?]

The Gelidreynard gave him a look of disdain. [Thought you knew. Obvious.]

Michael stared at Jelly for a few seconds, exasperated, before turning around and walking over to the podium. Placing a hand on it he gave the answer, for once hoping it was wrong just so that he could spite the annoying creature. It was not.

Correct

A paradise for the weak, boredom for the strong. To become strong you must discard it, yet the strong often produce it. What is it?

Touch the Podium and speak

Michael was stumped. Hazel was stumped. They turned to Jelly but even Jelly was stumped. Michael stared at the riddle, and started to get worried.

In the end they spent over half an hour before Jelly came up with the answer. Michael walked up to the podium and gave the answer. "Safety."

Correct

I help many gain power, yet offer no assistance. I lead to many different places, yet few are the ones who follow. What am I?

Touch the Podium and speak

Michael smiled, he didn't need any help with this one. In fact, out of the people in this room he was the most qualified to answer this one. "A Path."

Correct

Life and Death, Strength and Weakness. I can hold all these, yet I am fragile as glass. What am I?

Touch the Podium and speak

This one was a bit more difficult than the last one, but Michael got it in the end. The clue was in the last line, as fragile as glass. Feeling confident, Michael gave the answer; "Ice".

The answer was not Ice.

After Michael narrowly dodged a spear aimed at his family jewels they continued brainstorming while Michael sipped on some tea and tried to forget how he almost became a eunuch. The tea helped, and Michael quickly came up with another possibility. This time he gave the answer with a lot less confidence and a lot more preparation; "A Potion. Pleaseberight."

Correct, and you're welcome.

Last Riddle. Who am I?

Touch the Podium and speak

Michael was confused. He had thought the podium was some sort of automated magical computer created by the system. His eyes widened, of course. Michael placed his hand on the podium and said "The System."

Wrong, though I thank you for the flattering comparison.

At once several dozen bolts of Ice was released from one of the Glyphs on the walls, the freezing projectiles passing through the space Michael would have been if he had stayed put. Fortunately Michael had invested a few points into Agility and managed to dodge the barrage, his Dodging skill levelling up in the process. Returning to the podium he tried to figure out who this mystery being could be. He tried asking Hazel or Jelly if they had any ideas but they were fresh out. After a turning over the problem in his head for a bit he had a bit of an inspiration. The puzzle room was in the dungeon, and the dungeon had a boss. Pulling up the information he got for the Dungeon he said "I hope I'm pronouncing this right. Vitr Einvaldskonungr." The lines swirled for several seconds, their movements quicker and more agitated than before. Fearing the worst Michael tried to back away but was dismayed to find that he could not remove his hand from the podium.

Dead Wrong

Suddenly the podium released Michaels hand, a good thing as not just one but three statues shattered their icy encasements. A three headed hellhound, an Ice Golem and what looked like an actual Grim Reaper moved, the remnants of ice cascading off their forms. The hellhound was the fastest of the lot but was intercepted by Hazel, her furry paw lamming into the hound and sending it flying into the wall. It landed on its feet though, and the two started to tear into each other in a way that only wild beasts could truly do. Jelly took on the Golem, the large magical construct/Monster surprisingly faster than the specter of death. The Gelidreynard kept its distance from the Golem, relying on its sheer number of spells to keep it off balance.

Michael was left to fight the Grim Reaper, though his opening shot failed to do anything as it passed clean through the deathly apparition. Rather than continuing to fight blind Michael snapped off an Identify, his luck letting him get the information first try.

Glacial Reaper

Tier 3, Level 8

9,825 / 10,000 Mana

Strengths: 100% Physical Immunity, 50% Ice Resistance, 50% Fire Resistance.

Weaknesses: -100% Magic Resistance, -80% Light Resistance, -50% Lightning Resistance.

(A/N: Some exposition on reapers below, interesting but not massively relevant.)

The Glacial Reaper is an oddity even within a universe full of oddities. All reapers are undead, sharing a natural resistance towards Ice and a natural Weakness towards fire. The Glacial Reaper is one that breaks away from this norm due to its creation from a very rare mix of Ice and Death aspected Mana. Its weakness towards fire is superseded by its icy nature yet it keeps the ice resistance formed from its undead nature. In most cases where a Monster is created from two aspects such as Ice and Death one part of its nature will naturally dominate the other. Yet in this instance both parts of the Glacial Reaper balance each other out, bringing out the best of both worlds.

All things must have a balance though, in this case the slow nature of the undead is further compounded by the slow nature of Ice, making the Glacial Reaper quite possibly one of the slowest Monsters in existence. Despite its lack of speed the creature is still a deadly one. The high resistances along with the natural immunity towards physical damage it attains as a reaper means that any creature trapped in say, a puzzle room, is in great danger. Despite its unusual nature the Glacial Reaper shares the same basic ability of every reaper currently in existence (apart from one in kansas but we try not to talk about them), the Reaper's Touch, the ability to kill a person with a single touch and absorb their Mana upon their death.

The last place any sane person would want to be is in the same room as one.

Michael grimaced, the information both confused and worried him. He had no idea why the heck the reapers Health wasn't shown but he didn't like the possibilities. The whole Physical Immunity was an eye opener as well. Switching tracks he plopped his bow into his inventory and cast a Wind aspect Wizard Arrow, the pale white arrow streaking through the air and impacting the Reaper with impressive speed. Inspecting the Reaper again he saw that the reapers Mana went down, apparently taking the damage from the spell against its Mana.

Checking on his team he saw that while Hazel was handling her Monster thanks to a combination of healing and sheer tanking ability Jelly wasn't really doing much to the Golem. Taking stock of the situation he did realised that their current course of action was a suboptimal one. In other words, they were kinda _____ up royally.

After snapping off a Intermediate Regeneration to lighten Hazels load Michael focused on the bond he had with Jelly and sent it a quick message, telling it to switch opponents. Jelly immediately switched opponents, the Golem finally making some headway now that Jelly was no longer pelting it with various spells. It only managed to get a meter before it rocked backwards, an arrow shaft stick out of its chest. The Reaper and the Golem switched targets but, if anything they found themselves in an even worse position than before. Michaels attacks, being a mix of physical and magical, hammered away at the ice that made up the golems body. As for Jelly, it was having a simply marvelous time unleashing spell after spell on the near stationary target. It rarely got the chance to really stretch out its magical muscles in such a relaxed fashion and it was making the most of it. The Gelidreynards Mana reserves, massive though they may be, would start to get low after a while but Michael was kind enough to supply the Magical Monster with enough Mana Potions that it was not too much of a worry.

The fights slowly came to an end. Michael finished off his fight first, his arrows finding weak points in the golems body time and time again until the three meter tall creature simply crumbled. He tried to help Hazel with her fight but the bear simply wouldn't accept the help, she wanted to defeat this enemy on her own. Michael shrugged, and helped Jelly instead. Despite the fox-like monsters massive output of spells the Reaper still had a Health/Mana total measuring in the thousands. If it was any quicker, or had any sort of ranged attacks, then the creature could easily be a boss monster.

The reaper did eventually fall though, the constant spell barrage whittling down its Mana until it eventually dissipated. The two spellslingers turned around to find that the hellhound was shockingly still alive, though it likely didn't want to be considering that it was currently being used as Hazels rug. Michael took one look and burst out laughing, overjoyed that there was finally someone other than him who knew the, heh, the 'joy' of supporting his wonderful daughter.

[Hazel, What are you doing to that poor monster?] Michael asked, amusement evident in his telepathic message.

[I was thinking you could bond with this one like you did with Jelly. He's cute.] came the happy reply.

Michael looked at the three headed hellhound, the glowing red eyes glaring at him with madness and hate. He shuddered, no part of that appeared cute to him. Still, it was an idea. Maybe not a good one, but an idea nonetheless. He walked over to the slightly squished monster and initiated the skill, sending over thoughts of food and companionship as he did so. What he got back was a jarring mess of violence and death, the mind of the hellhound feeling sharp and jagged.

Quickly cancelling the skill Michael sighed. [I don't think it's going to be possible Hazel, sorry]

The bear shrugged, nearly losing control of the hellhound before a swift smack depleted the last of the monsters health. [That's okay dad, just thought it would be nice to have a dog. Like a family pet.]

Michael once again marvelled at how much the world had changed in the last year and a bit. To think that they had already gotten to the point where a hellhound as the family pet was not only a feasible idea but a good one blew his mind. Then he remembered that the idea came from a magical bear that decided it was his daughter and suddenly the idea seemed almost boring.

After they had finished with the monsters Michael turned to the podium and placed his hand on it. With everything that had happened he had a decent idea as to the answer to the riddle. "Greetings, Hel"