The sudden contrast between light and darkness was jarring, but Ria blinked through the worst of it. Blackness overshadowed the brightness here. The large overarching shadow had disappeared, replaced by small black trails formed under her torch’s shine and echoes. The one main difference Ria noticed between this stage and every other stage she had been through was the position of the roof; The roof of this bricked chamber was so high that Ria couldn’t even see from where it started and where it ended. Even the light from her torch didn’t help her determine the actual size of this construction. This chamber was absolutely gigantic.

Though her direct transportation so close to the dining table confused her, she didn’t mind the change one single bit. She was happy for not being subjected to the torturous walk through the waist-high waters of the tunnels of this stage. Though her steps now ringed with strength as she calmly walked through the chamber, it shouldn’t be forgotten that it wasn’t long ago when she had tied to cut off from the reality by losing herself to the maze of her thoughts. It was only thanks to the change of her mindset- a change she had absorbed a lot of mental pain to get- that let allowed her to pass her confidence as strength.

And the result of this change was her actively trying to find the Croc.

“Hello.” Her voice echoed but no one answered her, as if the chamber had entered a cardiac arrest and was slowly dying. Even the sound of the fountain she had heard back on her last stop on this stage couldn’t be heard anymore. As if whatever dread had this stage in its grasp had dried all the water.

“Should I take a look?” She said looking back into the distance, toward the tunnel where water once flowed but decided against it. Had this change any influence on her task she would soon come to know it anyways. So why waste time and energy doing something unneeded like that? Silence isn’t always aggravating. It’s only hindering when one’s scared or anxious. And she surely wasn’t scared but, she was actually very anxious. That bit is true.

Although she had grown confident thanks to her struggles, it would be a lie to say that Ria had grown completely fearless of the Croc. She could still feel a ghostly pain from her removed fingers. She had also found herself trying to move them on many previous occasions which had only reminded her of their absence. She hadn’t forgotten the pain. It was now an unfortunate part of her: A reminder of her actions in the sewer. And she still feared being forced to give up another part of her body to gain a momentary reprieve. But she also understood that there were rules encompassing the sewer. She was slowly coming to understand that no one was bigger than the rules. Not the Goblin, not the Croc, and definitely not her.

The way out demanded her sacrifice and she was now in peace with the idea. She was ready to sacrifice. She was ready to hurt herself. She had learned to give. She had already freed her mind from the guilt. Now if she could only free her nerves too. That would be great.

She didn’t have to walk much under the illumination of her torch before her eyes registered a faint glow of light over the horizon. Now that she was not blinded by depression she could see the effect light had on the darkness around. It appeared to create a sphere diffusing the darkness and keeping its tendrils at bay.

She increased her pace at the sight and soon she was upon the dining table which had the candles still burning and all the chairs toppled except one. On this chair sat the croc with his head in its hands and his back to her.

I can push the knife through its heart. I can do that. She found the thought very enticing; with the Croc busy pondering over something, she had to try very hard to keep from giving in to the excitement. She had seen what the Goblin was capable of in terms of regeneration. He had spared her for attacking him, the croc might not. So sad though she felt, she didn’t take the steps cutting all ties, and took a detour instead, so she would appear from his right- properly visible and unsurprising. Surprises work like gunpowder in a tense situation; you can’t anticipate what would light the fuse, sweeping everything in a tide of destruction. And the Croc surely looked very tense from behind.

(POV change)

“Hey… what are you thinking about?”

“Hmmm,” The Croc looked up with confusion. Then squinted as the familiar form of Ria entered her sight. It wasn’t long ago when she had to throw Ria’s unconscious form over the door leading to the garden. Ria had been a frightened little thing when she had first found her. Now that same girl looked so different, so tall. Though the girl looked physically exhausted and the sewer hadn’t been polite to her in any sense, but at least the girl now radiated with light. She, on the other hand, was tired. The old dog above was doing something and it was changing everything. She didn’t know what the changes meant for her and her challenger, but if she was to believe the whispers she could hear on the wind, the tide was coming. It was almost here. And it frightened her.

“Jou are here.” She said watching Ria stop at a distance. “Jou took your time.” And for some reason, she heard the girl snicker. When was the last time she had heard laughter in this dismaying place? Never is the answer.

“Jou… is smiling?” she asked in confusion.

“It’s nothing,” The girl replied, picking a toppled chair from the ground and setting it up opposite her. Hmm? The girl can’t possibly be thinking about-

To her surprise, the young girl was definitely trying to sit on the chair.

I have to do- left with no choice she directly struck the table with her fist. She struck the table so hard that wood on her side of the table broke, lifting the other side of the table and topping the surprised girl and the chair back onto the ground.

“What are you doing?” The girl said angrily.

Yep, every challenger boiled with anger which wasn’t displaced either, but this girl was different. She could smile even after going through a whole floor of the sewer and get angry for the shallowest of reasons- considering what the challengers were made to go through.

What are you trying to do old dog? I can’t even decide whether you are playing with her or you hate her.

She couldn’t help but cock an eye and sigh seeing the girl trying to stand back up looking like a homeless person with her clothes all dirty and ragged. At least only her clothes were tattered and not her mind. She had seen many day walkers come and die- all either broken beyond measure or on the very verge of it, and that’s the story of only the first floor. Ria hadn’t looked any different from those others walking corpses the first time she had seen her.

Something must have happened to her. Such a drastic change wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

“Lay the chair down girl. Don’t sit on it.”

“Hmmm… why?”

The girl really wasn’t scared of her. No, she could see the girl squirming where she stood, ready to run. So not only has she not completely given up but is still trying to survive. I thought it was her last hurrah- but that old dog…

“Te old dog didn’t explain to you anything once again, right?” The girl nodded and she shook her head.

I knew it. He’s up to something- Something dangerous. Has he given up too?

“Jou are here that means Jou refused his drink. If Jou had accepted the glass a second time, Jou wouldn’t be here right now. That’s what I mean. Just so Jou know. The chairs are bound with the same rules. Jou sits at one and I eat Jou alive.” She could see the disbelief written all over the girls face.

Jou didn’t anticipate that, huh.

But it was quite understandable. The goblin and she were not someone born a week ago. How many leaders they had produced? How many lives they had taken? She never counted, but the number is huge. Even they didn’t remember how long they had been creating leaders. If a girl of her age could estimate every rule that old dog had set, he wouldn’t be called the lord of schemes for no reason. Although he wasn’t physically anything close to being a lord, his schemes run very deep.

Last time he wanted to go free. What is he up to this time?

“Anyways, that doesn’t matter now. Jou has already passed his stage. I hope he rewarded Jou the marble?” He can’t have found a way to keep it from her… could he? But her worries were for nothing. The girl nodded in reply. And she silently sighed in relief. Why do I care what happens to her? It’s not like she’ll be the first one to die by my hands. Maybe I am tired too.

“And what kind of skill did the marble gave you?”

“What do you mean?”

That’s surprising… Did he not explain to her about the marble? Is that his next play? It can’t be that easy?

“I mean what did the marble gift you?”

“But the Goblin said it can’t give me anything. That it is already used.”

That doesn’t make any sense. He’s not strong enough to change master’s words and morph their meaning to his liking. Has he found a loophole? That can’t be.

“You can’t have passed without receiving the marble. That means you did receive it.”

“Yes.” The girl nodded and then brought the marble out of her pocket. Her eyes opened wide seeing the artifact of power in the girl’s hand. It was the same golden marble she had seen her master give the Goblin. The only difference between the marble in the girl's hand and the one from her memory was its missing glow. This marble wasn’t glowing anymore, meaning it had been used and had returned to become a normal object.

But I perfectly remember- it can’t be brought down from the first stage. It can’t be- Wait… is he trying to fight back? Has master lost control or he’s back… master is back… That’s the only reason. But how-

“Are you alright?”

Huh? Her- I don’t know what he’s planning, but he has involved her in his plans. And I can’t even ask her. He’s played us all.

“What did you do to him girl? Why is he so against you? He really wants you dead, you know.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying the marble was thou reward for passing the first floor and it can grant its user with a boon of power. And that thing jou are holding can’t be brought away from the first stage. It just can’t be. I don’t know what he wants from jou.”

Her words stunned the girl. It’s a shame really. The old dog might have found a way to work around the rules, but I haven’t. Wish I hadn’t given up so easily.

The girl silently pondered about her situation and came to a decision.

“What’s my task?” she finally asked.

“Jou really want to do this? I guess Jou don’t have any choice anyway. Just so Jou knows, there is a reason the marble is given as a reward for completing the first floor.”

“It doesn’t matter. Just tell me my task. Do I have to give you more flesh?” The girl said pulling out the knife from her back pocket surprising her.

She nostalgically looked at the knife and shook her head. “I am happy to see that Jou are taking good care of it. I made it from my sharpest fang, so it will probably serve jou for quite some time. As for Jost task, because the water has stopped flowing through the tunnel I can’t fish any more food from it. And the rattlers stole my last stash three days ago. I want you to kill the rattler and bring me back my stash.”

“What’s a rattler and how did it steal from you? I mean you are a Crocodile for fuck’s sake?”

“We guardians aren’t allowed to attack, so I couldn’t do anything. As for the rattler, you will find it by the mounds. I think you know what I mean. I will wish for your success. Both of our lives depend upon it.”

She watched the girl nervously leaving and floundered into the back of her chair. A hundred questions passed through her mind, but she wasn’t able to understand the old goblins game. Sighing she let her thoughts go. We have been alive for too long, old dog. I hope his time you have something up your sleeve.