Chapter 34. This is difficult

“This is difficult.” Shelly muttered as the group continued to path their way through the invisible energy barrier. “It’s so close!” Arthur complained as he saw the Inn before them. However, this was always the case as they made it this close, no matter which direction they chose to when they made it this far, they’ll get sent back.

The next step determined whether they’ll continue to progress or make it back to in front of the gate. It’s been almost four hours since they’ve walked and teleported back to the main entrance.

“Welcome back you guys” Boss’ words were like nails on chalkboard, both irritating and sending shivers down their spine. “Need a hint?” The kid was busy playing a board game with one of the gatekeepers who got used to seeing the situation. He didn’t bother to look at them as he moved his next piece in deep concentration.

“Checkmate” The gatekeeper moved his piece completely ending the game. Boss eyes went wide and shouted “No! Wait redo!” But the gatekeeper only laughed and looked at the group below. “You guys sure you don’t want his hint?”

A look of helplessness could be seen on their faces as they looked at each other. Shelly memorized every direction they had to take to get this far, but even she didn’t know how to get past the last step.

The kid was quickly placing the chess pieces back on the board as he continued to speak. “At this rate, you guys will never make it out of this maze.” His words were sincere as he spoke. “There’s a trick to this one, remember what Orchid did.”

A look of understanding appeared on their face as everyone closed their eyes instantly. Arthur with his hands outstretched took the lead and walked forward. Three steps forward and he was teleported back to the entrance.

His eyes continued to remain closed he just kept walking thinking he had made it. He didn’t realize he was teleporting back to the front until he felt something in front of him.

“What’s this?” Arthur opened his eyes and saw Michael’s back. Michael looked back at him when he felt something touch his back. “Weren’t you in front?” he asked. It wasn’t Arthur who was continuously teleporting back to the front, Michael did so too.

“I was… Aw crap! We’re still back here.” Arthur grumbled as he looked around. Boss and the gatekeeper were already back at the start of another game to care about what happened below.

Julie and Shelly opened their eyes only after closing it shortly, so they saw this entire scene of the two buffoons walking in circles until they bumped into each other. Julie tried to maintain a straight face and whispered to Shelly “It’s energy, I felt it all around us.”

Shelly nodded in agreement. “Young master, I think we’ve got it.” Shelly’s hopeful words was like music to Arthur’s ears as he softly pushed Michael aside and ran before Shelly.

“Really?” His bright eyes were darting between Shelly and Julie. Their smile indicated they knew the answer. “Well, let’s go then!” Arthur’s energy returned to him.

“Young master, do you sense anything when you close your eyes?” Shelly asked. The boy with silver hair and Michael who walked over closed their eyes and struggle to sense something. However, after a minute had passed their answer was clear, they sensed nothing.

“Follow us.” Julie stated. The two girls took the lead and periodically closed their eyes to see if their hypothesis was correct. The pathway was the same as they made it to the end, yet something felt different when their eyes were closed.

A faint energy up ahead would continue to fluctuate in front of them. It would slowly dissipate before returning. Shelly stood in front of this fluctuation and closed her eyes. The moment it dissipated she rushed through and made it to the other side.

“Yes!” Shelly celebrated quietly softly. She quickly calmed herself and closed her eyes again. However, this time it was strange she made it through but couldn’t sense anything anywhere.

“Julie, can you still sense it?” She asked the blonde girl with natural curly hair. “Yes, it’s getting weaker.” Julie replied a few seconds after closing her eyes.

Shelly replied “I can’t sense anything over here. You should let Arthur and Michael go first.” It was another trick Boss had thrown in at the end of the game, if both Julie and Shelly had walked out first, Arthur and Michael would’ve been stuck.

Julie allowed Michael and Arthur to go before her. “Arthur, come here.” Arthur walked before Julie. “When I say go, run through this spot.” Julie stated. Arthur looked at Shelly standing just a short distance ahead of him, with serious concentration in his eyes.

The energy dissipated completely. “Go!” Arthur dashed through the spot with all his might only stopping when he was directly in front of Shelly. “I did it!” Shelly smiled at Arthur and replied “Yes.”

Julie’s eyes remained closed as her brows started to furrow. Shelly saw the change in appearance and asked, “What’s wrong?” Julie’s eye remained closed for some time longer before she opened it. “I can’t sense anything…” the confusion on her face was apparent.

“Are we free? Can we walk out?” Michael asked as he walked forward about to go through. “No wait!” Julie quickly pulled him back. Michael gave her a confused look and paused before her.

“When Shelly made it through, all the energy in the maze got fainter, but didn’t disappear completely.” Julie’s voice was serious. She continued “When Arthur was next all the energy disappeared.” Michael still had a confused look on his face.

“It’s not gone, I just can’t sense it.” Julie’s final statement made their heart dropped.

Boss’ scheme was much worse than they had thought. He made it so they couldn’t sense anything once they were out. He also weakened the energy with every passing person. When it was Michael’s attempt to go through the energy was too faint for her current abilities.

Michael looked at her Julie’s tearful face as she began to softly cry. Their chance to escape depended on her to get them out, yet she was just too weak to sense the energy before them.

He walked over and hugged her tightly. “Just tell me when to go, I trust you.” Julie shook her head and said, “But, I can’t sense it.”

Michael spoke softly, “Boss never made it impossible for us, what did you sense before it disappeared completely?” Julie closed her eyes and thought to the spot before them, the energy would fluctuate at a consistent pace, if she remembered it, she could get out.

“It opened and closed in a rhythm…”

“Good, good, do you remember the rhythm?”

Julie shook her head; she didn’t have the memory Shelly possessed, nor did she pay enough attention.

“That’s alright, look at me.” Michael looked deep into Julie’s tearful eyes. “Just close your eyes and breathe, we can take it slow.” Michael’s reasonable and calm voice eased Julie’s emotions as she closed her eyes to sense anything before her.

A faint energy flickered for a short moment before vanishing again. “Bom…” Julie said as the energy appeared for a second time. Like a metronome Julie continued repeating “Bom”.

“Bom…”

“Bom…”

“Bom…”

“That’s good, keep it up.” Michael stated as he slowly released his hold of her. She continued to repeat “Bom” every time it appeared. Michael looked before him and breathed. He began to mutter alongside her matching her pace with the “Bom.”

Their voice becoming increasingly harmonic and strong as they continued.

“Bom…”

“Bom…”

“Bom!” Michael shouted at the same time Julie did. He rushed through the middle between the Bom’s his movement and his shout were felt by Julie as she opened her eyes. Michael was smiling at her from beyond the barrier, his mouth kept repeating “Bom” at the same pace they were doing before.

Julie calmed herself and stared in front of her, she knew if she closed her eyes now, she wouldn’t even be able to sense it at all.

“Bom”

She matched Michael’s Bom’s and continued to repeat. Arthur and Shelly joined in matching Michael’s tempo perfectly as they encouraged Julie.

“Bom…"

“Bom…”

“Go Julie!’ The three shouted at the same time, Julie rushed forward at that exact time and straight into Michael’s arm in delight. “We did it!” The four group was glee for joy as they smiled at each other.

Clap clap clap

A silhouette of a tiny kid with brown hair and sunglasses walked straight forward in the same direction. “Bom… Bom…Bom!” Boss shouted as he rushed through the barrier he made. Boss’ presence ruined anymore feeling of happiness as he stood before them.

“Not bad! Now, let’s see if you can get into your room!” He waved his hands all mystifyingly in front of their face. Everyone looked at him in disbelief, they only had less than two hours left.

“Just kidding, ahaha!” The kid walked by them and laughed into the Inn straight for the cafeteria. “Go relax I’ll go make some food for you guys.”

“What are you doing here, kid?” A chef asked. “I’m gonna make some food, help me out.” The kid’s voice could be heard as he assigned tasks to the kitchen staff who were blankly staring at him.

“Hurry up! Or I’ll kick you out!” The kid’s loud shouts could be heard by the four clearly as they didn’t know what to say. They only looked in the direction of the cafeteria before the door to the kitchen opened out and a little kid was pushing a man out. “You stay here, I’ll do it.”

The kid then looked at the four who was staring at him and smiled. The door slammed shut in front of the chef and Boss’ shouting could be heard again telling the kitchen crew what to do. The chef was red with anger as stood there.

The four quickly rushed up stairs the moment the chef turned his eyes towards them, they pretended they did not see anything. With only another hour left until their meditation session the group of four walked into the cafeteria only to see two more people alongside the head chef sitting there, one was a female.

The four chefs saw the four who had walked in and stared at them. The group of four immediately avoided eye contact and went to their table to sit. They not once dared look at the chefs in the eye because of Boss’ troublemaking.

“What’s happening in there?” The head chef asked his three apprentice chefs. “He’s cooking.” The head chef immediately slapped the guy on the back of the head who answered and said, “I know that!”

“He’s cooking… delicious food?” The guy looked at the head chef hoping he answered correctly this time. The head chef was even angrier than when he was pushed out by the kid, he couldn’t even retaliate as he just stood there and got pushed out. The head chef’s hands raised as the second chef stiffened himself to get hit.

Sigh

The head chef put his hands down and looked at one of the other two chefs who got kicked out just a short moment ago. “Why did he kick you two out?”

“I tasted the food to see if it was good to serve. He started pushing me out when I did that.” The second chef answered.

“I asked him why he was pushing Avery and he started pushing me out too.” The girl replied.

The head chef shook his head, he only stared at the kitchen door waiting for the kid to come out.

Ten minutes later the door opened up causing the head chef to jump to his feet. Rows of the remaining kitchen staff walked out in an orderly manner as they walked over to the group of four and placed the dishes before them.

“Thank you.” Arthur thanked them as they placed the food down all in synchrony. They slightly nodded to Arthur’s thanks and single filed back into the kitchen avoiding eye contact with the three chefs.

“La la la~” A kid walked out with the main dish to serve in hand, he looked at the head chef and the other two and said, “kitchen is yours now.” He then placed the dish at the center of Arthur’s table.

“You…!” The head chef was fuming at Boss’ attitude. “You brat!”