บท 247: Navigating the Maze
The trap was insidious in nature. The tunnel looked like it continued straight forward, and perhaps it did for a short time, but walking forward would have been a grave mistake. Noble pulled a thread from her cloak and sent it floating toward the seam. It passed through with a crack and sizzle, only to add another thin layer to the pile of ash.
That was a mistake a person would only make once. From the look of it, at least one person had.
"That's similar to what the big barrier does to keep out the corruption," Noble told Sarai.
Leaning down, Noble beckoned the candle to come closer to the ground. 'That explains it.'
Obstructed by the ash on the other side, a set of runes was etched into the ground. From what Noble could tell, they were markedly similar to the runes circling the city.
'Except these obliterate everything...'
"There must be a way around this?" Noble's words came out more as a question than a statement.
The other option was to try and use the bracelets to pass through, but that option held little appeal in case she was wrong.
"It looks like we shouldn't go that way at all," Sarai said after a moment. She turned to her left and lifted the light toward the wall. Sure enough, two circular indents were carved out of the wall.
"Hm, so the sorcerer made the bracelets and the arena as well..." Noble mused. "Though I'm guessing both of those came some time later."
The bracelets held far more power than Emira's necklace. The chain around Sarai's neck was a pale copy of the golden bands, which is why it often failed Emira when she needed it most.
The bracelets could only have been made by a true master of his craft.
Cron had not mentioned the jewelry, but his grandson, who succeeded him, did. Ages were so strange here. The Sorcerer likely lived through many of the following kings' and queens' reigns. It was even possible that the one sent by the Beast God still lived today, but somehow Noble doubted it.
If he were still around, the powerful priest would have been the one to crown Emira, and Praef did not exactly strike Noble as the ancient type.
Receiving the bracelets in its grooves, the door swung open just like the last. Well, not exactly like the last.
About halfway through the door began to creak as if it had suddenly become very heavy. With just enough momentum to carry it forward, the door clapped against the side wall with a deep boom.
Noble removed the bracelets in order to pass through the door.
She frowned. Was it her imagination or did they feel colder than they had before? Had opening both doors drained some of its power?
Noble slipped the jewelry back securely on her wrists. 'Hmm...'
This time the door did not shut behind them. It seemed to hang limply on its invisible hinges.
Sarai noticed it too. "Did we break the door?"
"I don't think so. Maybe this one stays open until we leave," Noble pushed aside the uneasy feeling forming in her gut.
She wouldn't listen to the whispers of doubt that liked to creep into her thoughts.
They pressed onward until they arrived at the next pitfall, avoiding it with ease. The following three were likewise evaded with minimal effort.
The next time, they were not so lucky. Sarai became distracted by something Noble said, causing her to miscount the steps.
They wandered too far before turning right, and Noble only noticed the runes and the seam once it was too late.
"Oh!" Noble braced herself to be obliterated by the barrier as she stepped back out of the line of fire.
But this time, nothing happened.
"Thank goodness you are alright!" Sarai clutched the papers to her chest as tears formed in her eyes. "I'm so sorry!"
"No harm, no foul," the floating Awakened dismissed the apology. "I guess that one is broken."
"I'm glad." The redhead breathed a sigh of relief. She consulted her papers again. "I think there are two more to go."
Noble couldn't help but note that the tunnels moved back and forth, sometimes switching back on themselves as they dropped to a lower level. With all of the off-shooting tunnels, the place would have been a labyrinth without Sarai's navigational guidance.
'I feel like I am heading to the center of the earth.'
How far below the surface they really were was hard to tell, but the coolness of the air around them continued to dip.
Noble shivered, picturing just how devastating it would be if the earth collapsed.
'It never has in the citadel. It should be fine here as well,' she reminded herself.
Pulling out her [Bread Crumbs], Noble checked to make sure that the translucent trail was still being made. The dull light it put off was as eerie as it was comforting.
"We are about to make a turn left and then a quick jog to the right," Sarai paused.
"And then?" Noble could feel the other woman's sudden change in emotion.
The redhead bit her lip lightly. "Then...Unless I am mistaken, I think we are there."
"So soon?" Noble wasn't sure how much time had passed since entering the tunnels.
Time seemed to move strangely here. It felt like it had been an eternity and no time at all. Maybe that is just the way it was when there was no sunlight to gauge time.
They moved in silence another fifty meters following Sarai's instructions. Her near-silent footfalls still seemed to echo through the passageway.
Then the steps stopped. Noble was unaware of how much the small amount of sound was impacting her until they were no more. She turned to look at her friend and noticed that even with the candle, her face was slightly obscured.
But it wasn't just her face. The darkness seemed more oppressive here like it had more substance to it than just a lack of light.
"Do you have any light-emitting Memories?" Noble asked her friend.
"I would normally just use my fire..." Sarai winced.
Noble took the paper and candle. "Go ahead."
With a deep breath, the redhead allowed a ball of flames to form in her hands.
Noble flinched. Visions of her battle in the Great Hall flashed across her vision. She could almost hear her own scream when she thought she was going to die. She could feel the world closing in around her, a primal fear gripping her soul.
It took great effort to push the questionable thoughts aside. She shut her eyes for a moment.
'What is wrong with me?! She is not Emira. She is Sarai.'
Speaking the name of light, Noble enhanced Sarai's flames. They suddenly burned much brighter, dispelling the darkness before them.
Noble then understood why they were having difficulty seeing. The tunnel had opened into a vast cavern, much larger than anything they had seen thus far.
Even with the extra light from Sarai's Aspect, the ceiling could only vaguely be seen.
But other things were now clear as day.
The first of which was...
They had arrived.
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