The Mansion Painted World, Five days into the Holi Tribulations. Seven days into the Contest.

Seven Champions sat around the long dining table. It was lunch time and they weren’t even close to finding the shack. The atmosphere was heavy inside the dining room. Rose, Pip and Slender sat on one end, while Myles and the others sat on the other.

Nobody talked about what happened to Karp. Nobody talked about anything as a matter of a fact. Even the woman who used to taunt them, throw in some clues to disorient them, had grown silent. Only the sound of cutlery banging against ceramic plates was heard.

Cane evaded Myles’ gaze. Vivian on the other hand met with his calculating eyes multiple times. She only needed to give him her most charming smile, to see him look away in embarrassment. ‘He’s got a weakness after all,’ she thought as she saw him turn red at her seductive gaze.

After dessert was served, Rose and her gang disappeared. Myles beckoned the others to move away from the dining room. They followed him into an empty room, away from eavesdroppers. After Cane closed the door, Lillin was the first to speak.

“They killed Karp!” she told them. “I saw them shoot an arrow in his eye, then another in his chest. Must’ve been Slender. He’s a good archer.”

“Where did they get the weapons?” Myles asked.

“We found the armory when we explored the mansion in teams,” Vivian answered. “We couldn’t get anything out of it though. All weapons were humming violently as we approached the exit. So we left them there and closed the doors.”

“A force spell isn’t considered offensive. They could’ve blown a hole in the wall. Where was the armory?” Myles was frowning, he wasn’t happy about this sudden development.

“There were windows in the room, now that I think of it,” Vivian said. “We could clearly see some tall pine trees.”

“That must be the eastern wing,” Myles said.

“How do you know so much about the mansion?” Vivian asked. She was smiling. She rapidly blinked at Myles when he looked at her. She looked like infatuated with the blond man.

“I inspected the mansion from outside. It’s more like a small house really. It’s surprisingly bigger on the inside. Anyway, I took my time observing the place. Pine trees grow on the eastern side.” Myles was frowning as he answered, although slightly pink at the cheeks. He slowly walked toward Vivian and sniffed the air around her.

“I sense some… distrust in the air,” he finally said. “Did you have a change of heart? Perhaps you’d like to join Rose and the others?”

Vivian looked him in the eyes then smiled. “I just find your acute sense of observation fascinating.” She leaned against him and stroked his cheeks with her fingers. “I have a thing for clever boys you see.” She giggled as Myles awkwardly tried to get away from her.

She held him by the chin and brought him closer to her. Her eyes sparkled as they met his. She was smiling. Her cheekbones developed a pink shade. She looked down at his lips then sighed. Cane and Lillin looked at each other awkwardly.

“I can never doubt you!” Vivian let go of Myles and turned away, arms crossed. “These are no manners to speak to a lady!”

Myles was staring at Vivian, his mouth agape. “I didn’t think – Forgive me, my lady.” He ceremoniously bowed then waited for the woman to turn around. As soon as she turned to look at him, he held her hand and kissed it.

“Apology accepted,” she said with her nose held high. A triumphant smile drew itself on her pretty face. “Now, can we get back to the matter at hand? Did you find the shack?”

“No,” Myles answered. “We were immediately attacked by some dark spheres. One hit would turn anybody to dust. Karp conjured up some fire wall but it went out of control. The bad news, we saw Utar in the sky. The good news, I saw the key, shining within the forest when Utar appeared to us.”

“What do you mean?” Vivian asked.

“I saw a shining object in the distance. When you were looking at the sky, admiring Utar’s face, I took a look around. And I saw the key. Everything around us had gone transparent, except the key. I could see it, bright as day.”

“Do you know how to get to it?” Vivian asked.

“Yes, I have a vague idea,” he answered.

“Did you see where the other key was?” she asked once more.

“I only had enough time to see the first one. Utar disappeared as soon as he appeared.”

“A shame,” Vivian said, looking dejected. “We’ll keep looking for the key here. I think we’re getting close to finding it.”

“Cane,” Myles called for his friend. “Come lend me a hand against the Scion.”

Cane, who had been avoiding Myles’ gaze ever since they got inside the empty room, looked up. “I can’t fight ‘er Stalwart,” he answered. “We were pretty close ya see…”

“Never took you for a sentimental, friend.” Myles was frowning again.

“A lo’a things ya dunno about me, friend.” Cane was standing with his legs spread. His fists were closed.

Myles scoffed then turned away. “I can take care of her by myself.” He shot a last glance at Lillin then told her, “stay with them if you’d like.”

Stalwart left the room then headed for the forest outside. As soon as he left the main door, he heard footsteps following behind him. Rose, Slender and Pip were running after him. Pip and Rose had their arms crossed as they ran. Their lips were moving rapidly. They were reciting some incantation.

Myles stopped right in his tracks, turned to look at his assailants then shouted “Bhola!” with his arms outstretched. A blinding light shot towards the three. They all had to close their eyes and cover them with their hands. When they finally judged it safe to open them, Myles had already disappeared.

“We stick together until we find him!” Rose shouted at the other two then all of them ran for the woods. The trees around them were tall. Their branches were large enough to conceal an average sized human. They walked in silence. Pip and Slender were nervously looking around. Rose walked with her eyes closed and arms crossed.

Slender had a blue aura surrounding his hands, while Pip had created a red protection screen around the three. A twig snapped and Rose opened her eyes. They shone a golden light which projected itself between the trees. Pip released the protection screen and Slender conjured a lance which he threw at the golden light.

A clank was heard then a thud. They ran toward the noise, zigzagging through the trees. They soon reached a tree trunk in which the lance was firmly inserted. “He ran for it!” Rose announced then dashed forward.

“Follow the footsteps!” she barked at the others as she ran.

They quickly arrived in a clearing where Myles was holding a tree branch. He looked at them, a serious air about him.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he told the three champions. “I wasn’t going to fight you. But you’ve forced my hand!”

Myles held the branch high for the others to see. They all snorted at the sight of the large stick. Myles on the other hand knelt down to collect a fist sized stone. Pip slowly walked to the right, trying to surround his target. Slender stood in place. The blue aura still coated his hands. Rose went left. They were slowly surrounding Stalwart as he observed them with mocking eyes.

“I never really had a chance to go all out with this.” He was muttering to himself, looking at the objects he held.

“Do you still deny it?” Rose yelled at Myles who stood holding a small rock and a stick. “Do you still deny being the key holder?”

“I don’t have it,” Myles calmly answered.

“’Nuff talkin’ woman, get ’im!” Pip said then hurled his arms forward. A fireball, the size of a melon, shot towards Myles. The latter threw the stone he held at the projectile. The fireball exploded midair as the rock easily went through it, like a hot knife going through butter. Pip let out a loud squeal. Fire dissipated in the air, revealing the stout man, holding his leg and grunting. Rose and Slender jumped back a few paces. They eyed the young man with worried looks.

“You shouldn’t have messed with me,” he said as he slowly turned toward the silver haired woman. The branch he held slowly transformed into a wooden sword.

“This isn’t your usual practice sword Rose,” he told her as he slowly approached her. Slender released another lance. Myles casually deflected it with his wooden sword. “I’ll be with you shortly,” he told the tall man as he cast a quick glance at him.

Slender watched Myles approach the silver haired woman with apprehension. The lance he conjured couldn’t be deflected that easily. One could only defend against it with a protective screen or dodge it. Deflecting it with a weapon, and in Myles’ case, a wooden one, was unheard of.

Pip wasn’t willing to wait for Myles to finish them off one by one. He muttered an elementary healing spell then ran for Myles, a red protective screen around him. Myles somersaulted behind the stout man then cut his magic barrier. The protective screen immediately broke. Pip’s face was white, ghastly. He never expected his defense to be broken so easily.

Myles thrust his wooden sword through Pip’s stomach. With a grunt and another push, the sword peeked through the stout man’s back. Pip fell to his knees as Myles put a leg on the man’s face and wrenched his sword free. Rose and Slender were watching the fight unfold, rooted to the ground.

“I can change the shape of things you see. I can turn anything into a deadly weapon if I choose to. Now your turn,” Myles said then dashed at Rose. The woman raised her arms just in time to block a swing which targeted her head.

“Not bad, you can actually block this.” Myles smiled then swung again. Rose dodged the second attack and made to counter, only to meet Myle’s knee headfirst. She stumbled back to the ground, bleeding. Just as Myles was about to finish her, he heard a whistle coming from behind. Had he been a fraction of a second late to dodge, he would have been skewered.

But he dodged and turned to look at his assailant with such fury that Slender stopped, frozen with another conjured lance in his hand. He knew he had to hurl it at his enemy to finish him. But something made him stop. It wasn’t a conscious decision but an impulse. Somehow, he knew his enemy would dodge the attack again. He had a really bad feeling right there and then.

Myles turned away from the silver haired woman then headed for Slender. The tall man held the conjured lance in both hands and got ready to fight. From the corner of his eye, he saw Rose running for it. He didn’t have time to dwell on it though, Myles was already in range.

Slender thrust the lance at his enemy who dodged it swiftly and advanced. Myles didn’t expect the tall man to swing in the air as he executed a butterfly kick. His conjured lance followed the flow and unexpectedly swung at Myles. A clank was heard and the phantom lance dissipated as it hit the wooden sword. There were a few paces between them now.

“Seems like you can’t keep up the sword for longer than a few seconds,” Myles said as he inspected his own wooden sword. Cracks had formed on the weapon, causing him to flinch.

Slender produced another lance then lunged at Stalwart. When he got close to melee range, the tall man hurled his lance forward then produced another. Myles dodged one attack to see another pointy blue shape aiming for his head. He brought the wooden sword just in time to repel the attack.

Myles fell to the ground with thud. He frowned at the broken weapon he held in his hand then flung it aside. He looked around him, trying to find something to grab and transform. Slender must have read his thoughts as he produced another lance and hurled it at him. Myles dodged and avoided the projectile by the skin of his teeth.

He rolled on the ground as another conjured lance hit the ground on which he had landed. Slender had reached him by then and tried to kick him. Myles blocked the attack then twisted the man’s leg until a loud crack was heard. Slender shouted at the top of his lungs while Myles jerked his leg all around.

Slender fell down, howling and flailing his arms about in the air. Myles was standing above him, looking pretty pleased with the man’s wails and cries.

“Now let’s see.” He broke Slender’s other leg then started circling around him. “It’s such a waste to kill you. Great fight though,” he said with a wide smile. “Credit must be given when credit is owed. You my friend, are one helluva fighter.”

Slender looked at him with angry eyes. He was grunting as his blood was being drained by the earth below. He tried to adjust himself against a truck but his strength failed him. Blood trickled down his nose too. He looked beaten, worn out but not defeated. He was still flaring his nostrils and grunting at Stalwart.

“Don’t you worry,” Myles said as he knelt next to him. “I’ll make it quick.” He walked a few paces away from Slender. The tall man could hear Myles footsteps getting farther and farther. He lay alone in there, his face against the brown earth. He could taste copper mixed with dirt in his mouth. His eyes were getting heavy –

BAM!

Myles had just slammed a large rock on the tall man’s head which gave under its weight with a crunching then slurping sound. Myles chuckled at the sound of it.

“Quick! Don’t you think?” He asked the headless corpse.