《Cosmic Contingency》Chapter 19 - Labyrinth Of Beginning part 2
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"Cyziel! Is that you?" Ortix shouted from a distance.
"Where are you? I can't see!" Cyziel shouted back.
Ru narrowed her eyes to look at a figure of a human some distance away from them. "He is some hundreds of meters away."
"What do you mean you can't see? Have you gone blind? I can see you clearly from here."
"Yes. That is exactly what I meant. I am currently blind!"
"Blind? Fuck this damned trial. Anyway, I am currently stuck in this cage. I can't get out!" Ortix was currently locked up in some sort of large metallic bird cage near the end of the room. He tried to break it but he only hurt his fist. "There seems to be stands near you maybe there is something hidden there."
"Can you see them Ru?" Cyziel asked.
Ru looked left and right. "Yes. There are two pedestals! One on our right and one on our left!"
There were two short pedestals near the 2 southern corners of the room. Their height only reached knee length. Due to the dim lights, it was not quite visible what was special about the pedestal. The pedestals actually have a hand symbol on top which meant that they just need to place their hand on top of it to activate it. As they also got close to the pedestal, Ru noticed the metal bars that act as the walls of the room.
"Cy. There is a problem." Ru was scanning the walls near them. "The walls of this room are not actually walls. They are metallic bars like some jail. If we activate this pedestal, I am afraid it would also release those inside."
Just as what Ru said, the whole room was actually a large jail. There were countless rooms barred by metallic bars. Due to the darkness in the room, it was not possible to clearly see what was inside them. The only visible things inside were broken bones scattered in the ground and multiple dim red glowing lights.
"Then we just need to trust Ortix to save us right?" Cyziel smiled.
"But he is far from us! These jails are just a few meters away from the pedestals!"
"Ort! How fast can you dash here if you can escape there?" Cyziel shouted.
"Why? Missed me already?" Ortix chuckled.
"Be serious. We are not sure what would happen if the pedestals are activated."
"Maybe a few seconds?"
"We need something more specific! Can you reach here in less than 10 secs?"
"Okay. I'll sprint there in 5 secs!"
"Alright! Go for Ru first!"
Cyziel put down Ru near the first pedestal. Since she was not able to currently stand, she was lying on the ground. Fortunately, the pedestal was short so she could reach the top with her hand. Afterwards, she gave Cyziel directions to reach the second pedestal until he could touch it. The two are now ready to activate the pedestal.
"On the count of 3!" Cyziel called out loud.
"One.... Two.... Three!" The two placed their hand on the pedestal at the same time. The pedestal glowed momentarily before dying down. The cage that was trapping Ortix was pulled up, allowing him to get out. At the same time, the jail rooms were also opened. The incomplete skeletal remains inside the jail rooms started to combine with the bones that are also scattered beside them. After they became complete, they stood up and rushed towards the three.
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"Cyziel around you! Iara Aufu! "Ru shouted as she casted a spell and started to float up.
The skeletons immediately surrounded Ru and Cyziel. Luckily Ru was already above the ground. Some tried to go for Ortix but he just swatted them away as he sprinted towards Ru. In just 3 seconds, he immediately arrived below her and released a force blast that dismantled the surrounding skeletons. He then carried Ru as she flew down on his arms then he rushed out towards Cyziel.
Cyziel was randomly thrashing around since he can't sense and see any enemies. Some skeletons wielding some kind of blades charged at him and he actually got hurt. The skeletons were actually quite strong so it was great that Ru was saved first. He got some scratches and cuts before Ortix arrived and swept the remaining skeletons with his dagger.
Unfortunately, the skeletons seems to be recovering and a lot more of them were coming out from the other jail rooms.
"Climb on my back!" Ortix shouted as he stood in front of Cyziel. "I'm in front of you."
"What? Why would...." Cyziel protested.
"Just listen to him Cy! The skeletons are assembling themselves again." Ru shouted urgently.
"I'll probably regret this!" Cyziel reached out his hand in front of him and as he touched Ortix, he hugged his neck.
Ortix rushed out towards the place where his cage was previously located while carrying both Cyziel and Ru. At the back of his cage was another doorway leading to another room and Ortix immediately entered it.
What greeted the three was a crypt. There were columns and rows of pillars. There were rectangular areas from each of their sides that contain tombs of different size and shape. An eerie feeling coupled with a continuous cold breeze pervaded the whole place.
"I definitely do not like this place!" Ortix uttered, shivering a little.
"What's the problem? Are we in some cold place?" Cyziel felt the cold but due to his elemental masteries didn't really seem that much affected.
Ru also shuddered as another breeze of cold air arrived. "We are in a tomb! Dead people are buried here!"
Cyziel got down from Ortix' back but kept a hand on his shoulder. "What are you getting scared for Ort? We fought abyssal creatures. Don't tell me you are afraid of ghosts!"
"Hmph! You do not understand because your senses are sealed but it is really creepy here."
"I think we should start going. It won't be good to stay here." Ru interjected worriedly.
The group started to walk slowly, observing any possible dangers that they might encounter. They then saw a large pillar in the middle were a text was written.
"Some evils do not want to pass on... Ignore them then you might live."
There was another text written at the back of the large pillar but they were not able to see it.
"Just move forward and never look back."
The group continued to walk forward and they saw a crying boy crouched a few meters on their right. Ru and Ortix looked at each other. Cyziel almost asked where did the noise came from.
*Shhhh!! Keep quiet.* Ortix shut Cyziel with his palm. Ughhh... I don't really like ghosts!
They started to walk past the crying boy as if they didn't notice it. A couple of minutes after they passed him, the boy raised his head then looked at the three. He then stood up then limply walked towards them.
Just a couple of distance after, they saw a woman whose body was shaking and she was hiding in a corner from their left. She was also crouched and her head was looking down.
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Shit not another one! Ignore it! Ignore it! Ortix kept telling himself as he tried to walk past her.
"Wait! That's Lucia isn't it?" Ru pointed at the shaking woman.
"You must be mistaken! I'm not getting close to that!" Ortix protested, shaking his head repeatedly.
"Ort! Stop being so scared. You can use nether energy. You can check if it is a live or not!" Cyziel added.
"Chill! I'm just joking!" Hearing Cyziel, Ortix faked a laugh.
Ortix extended his senses towards the woman and it was alive and it was really Lucia. She was shaking so hard that it was obvious that she was so scared. Ortix knelt down while laying Ru down in front of her.
"Lucia! It is me Ru!" Ru tried to touch Lucia.
Lucia tried to hide her face with her arms as she started to mumble some words. *This isn't real! Please leave me!*
"Lucia! It is really us." Cyziel said.
Lucia momentarily looked up and saw Ru. She then looked at Cyziel. She shivered a bit. She again saw the dark energy in him but then she saw a similar bright light. It was the same energy that came from her.
"It is really you guys!" Lucia hugged Ru who was lying in front of her. "Thank you. Thank you."
Lucia has a weak personality. She was quiet, shy and cowardly. Being sent here by herself made her afraid. Due to her affinity with the divine, it enabled her to sense evil. But at the same time, it enabled her to understand how scary the spirits here that are full of malice.
"Let's go!" Cyziel smiled. "I currently can't see but my friend here will keep you safe."
"Yeah yeah! You can rely on me! These ghosts are nothing to me!" Ortix reassured her, nudging his nose once. "Alright let's leave this place."
The four of them continued walking towards the end of the crypt. They encountered lots of spirits who looked at them but they tried to ignore them. Some of the spirits just ignored them but the others started following them. Suddenly, a woman blocked their path. It was the first time that a spirit actually actively tried to interact with them. She was wearing a white dress but she looks like a rotten corpse.
*Should I?* Ortix whispered as he started to shake. *She might attack us*
*No. Just ignore her as before.* Ru in his hands answered.
*She is full of hostility. I can also sense a dark energy in her but it seems she is unable to use it.* Lucia who was now walking hand with hand with Cyziel whispered. *It seems that something is keeping the spirits from attacking us*
They tried hard to ignore her and luckily even as she tried to grab them, her hands and body only went past them. She kept attacking them but nothing was connecting. She finally stopped but kept on following the group like the hordes of the ghosts behind her.
Finally they saw the exit of the crypt but before it was another tomb and some man was sitting on top of it with his knees raised. Unlike the rest of the spirits, he seems physical. He has pale skin and was crying black blood from his eyes. There was also a circular magic symbol made from blood on the ground around the tomb.
The group tried to avoid getting inside the circle and the crying man raised his head and looked at them. As he saw Lucia, he started to growl then voices of crying spirits on their back was heard. He then looked at Cyziel and he somehow looked surprised. He then smiled and his pale skin started to turn blood red.
"HARAAA.... FALAAA....DAMAAA!" The man in the tomb slowly but creepily uttered. The way he talked was somehow familiar to Cyziel and Ortix.
Cyziel immediately stopped but Ortix unconsciously looked back. As he looked back, he saw the hordes of spirit seemingly start to materialize and the blood red man stood up but it seems that he was unable to go outside the red symbol. There were also kind-looking spirits coming out of the ground as they tried to hold him back. He just ignored the spirits as he continued smiling at Cyziel.
"Run!!!!" Ortix shouted. He immediately rushed near the entrance but then he remembered that Cyziel was currently blind and he could only go as fast as Lucia.
The creatures pounced at Lucia and Cyziel causing them to fall down. The creatures now looked like corpses instead of ghosts. They were all hissing and growling as they opened their mouth and kept on scratching and latching at the two. The two were really in trouble until Lucia glowed with divine light pushing them away. The light caused them to let go and crawl back.
"AWWWAAAKAA.... DAMAAA!" The blood red man again spoke and somehow Cyziel's blind eyes got pitch black. It was similar to when he tried to observe the grotesque creature from before. Suddenly, the light from Lucia was being consumed and the spirits were again looking at the two of them.
Ortix saw what was happening and used force grip on the two and they didn't try to fight back as he pulled Cyziel and Lucia away and threw them inside the exit. He then jumped inside with Ru. They finally arrived in another room and there was no doorway behind them which gave them relief.
"What was that?" Cyziel asked as he tried to stand up. "Anyway, that voice isn't that?"
"I do not know! It doesn't look like an abyssal lord!" Ortix shook his head.
"Its evil. Really evil!" Lucia was still shuddering on the ground.
"Enough guys! Let's get out of here!" Ru was also obviously scared but she knew that they need to stop thinking of those things until they got out of the Labyrinth.
"Wait I am starting to see!" Cyziel smiled as he looked around. His eyes were also back to its golden color. "I can also feel my power coming back. Unfortunately, my ring was now back."
Ru got down from Ortix' hands. "You are right.. I can stand!" She then looked at Ortix and gave her thanks. She then went to Lucia to help her stand.
"Look! Aren't those the others!" Cyziel shouted, pointing at the figures from a far.
The room that they currently walked into was divided into two. It was like a huge ravine with an endless pit in the middle. On the other side was Volus, Vera, Jorak and Draka.
"Vol! You are okay!" Ortix shouted seeing Volus on the other side.
"Don't be too noisy. I can hear you just fine." Volus replied.
"Vera! Jorak!" Ru shouted. "I'm so glad!"
"Yeah we are alright." Vera shouted back.
"What took you guys so long? This trial was pretty easy compared to before." Jorak added.
What the group didn't know that the presence of Cyziel turned the penalties of wrong choices to the maximum. Each of the tests they took before was Lethal. Luckily, the existence of the rest lowered the difficulty of the Labyrinth. This time that they were divided, the group with Vera actually got tests related to puzzles which a genius like her was able to solve.
"What easy? We are almost killed every time!" Ru shouted. "Okay enough. How do we get out?"
Vera pointed at the northern wall. Another group of large symbols of texts were written.
"Together you go. Together you leave."
"In darkness you entered. In darkness you exit."
"So we need to jump here together?" Ortix asked.
"It seems so." Cyziel answered, looking down at the endless darkness.
"Alright! If we die.. We die together!" Ortix laughed.
The four stood together holding each others hand.
Lucia. Cyziel. Ru. Ortix.
It was the same on the other side.
Vera. Jorak. Draka. Volus.
They all jumped together towards the pit in the center and caught each others hands as they closed in. They formed some sort of circle as they fell down the endless darkness.
They arrived again in the Labyrinth with the white marble walls and another long path was in front of them. They saw another corner but there were no choices. It was only a right path. They immediately dashed away as they could feel that they are getting close to the end.
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