Lana watches purple lights pulse through the thin pillars of metal that make up the chamber around them, the line of lights leading down the corridor flickering as the music stops, being replaced by the sound of gentle mechanical whirring. She turns to Maxwell as he begins walking, his steps echoing around them. She starts to follow as Shari does the same. Maxwell exhales, turning to Lana.
“What happened back there? Do you have any idea why Golem attacked?” Lana nods, glancing at him.
“Well, it… There was a loud shriek, so I stopped the car. Then, the ground started to shake, and some kind of weapon fell from the backseat before shooting at Golem. After that, it… just started attacking.”
“I probably should have checked the truck before sending you two out there, that’s my fault. It doesn't matter now, but there is something I should tell you.”
“What is it?” Lana asks as Shari follows close behind, her hand clamped around her blade.
“Well,” Maxwell begins, glancing at the ceiling as purple light pulses through it. “We found another part of the Celestial Inheritance Legend. It doesn't really say much about Puerza, but it mentions one of her brothers, one named Nedaro, and it came with a drawing of him. When we get back home, I think you should check it out.” Lana nods, glancing back at Shari. Her grip tightens around her blade, her eyes scanning the walls. Maxwell does the same, inspecting the metal, watching as purple light pulses from the small opening periodically.
“This maze seems pretty simple, I don't see any branching paths, just a turn up ahead,” he remarks, Lux’s pupil turning slightly, the middle widening as if to zoom in. “What do you think that thing’s plan is?”
“I don’t know,” Lana answers, watching as he turns to her.
“It seems to be an artificial intelligence that they both attempted to give a personality, and left running for too long, so it’s probably trying to mimic what it thinks a person would do in this situation, but with incomplete data… maybe even straight-up false data.” he looks back at Shari, then to the path ahead. “So it’s doing what it thinks a person would do here, which is get bored and do random garbage. It must not have enough training data on puzzles or mazes, unless it gets harder later on. So far, there’s not a single place to get lost.” Lana looks up at the ceiling, watching as the lights flicker.
“Do you think it might attack?”
“I have no idea, these things are impossible to predict a lot of the time, but I can’t imagine that its body was made for combat, unless whoever made these put that much faith into their systems. You’d have to be pretty stupid to put an artificial intelligence fully in charge of something that can fight back. Then again… Golem has to be, so I wouldn't rule it out. If Nevlat attacks, we should treat it like it’s built to kill, just in case it is.” Lana nods, looking forward as a crackle radiates from the ceiling. Nevlat’s voice then echoes through the hall, coming from above.
“If my-my puzzle is not adequate enough for-for you, I am willing to alter it. Perhaps you-you could inform me on what would make you all-all happy,” its voice calls out, causing them to look up.
“We would appreciate it if you could just give us the coordinates outright,” Maxwell remarks, loud static echoing from the speakers before Nevlat responds.
“I cannot do that, my programming prevents me from outright giving you the coordinates.” Maxwell exhales, staring down the hall.
“The maze being easy is fine, we’re just talking, you don't need to change it.” The static cuts off, leaving only the mechanical whirring mixed with their steps once again. Lana exhales, glancing at Amber. She then looks forward at the long hall before them.
“What… should we do when this is all over?” she asks, her hand tightening around the crown. “Amber said he agreed to destroy the crown, but we… have no idea how we’re gonna do that.” Maxwell looks up at her, taking a slow breath. He remains silent for a few moments before responding.
“We don't need to worry about that right now, it’s not as urgent as Gorlac.”
“You’re right, I’m just… trying to think, since nothing’s chasing us right now.”
“We could probably use the golden star. If it can truly delete anything, then I’m sure the crown is in that list.”
“Then maybe when we get it, we should… but if we destroy the crown and don’t have time to get it ready again, Gorlac will kill everyone in our world… What do you think?” Maxwell exhales, again remaining quiet as he contemplates the answer. He then replies.
“That thing we read, that described the Golden Star, didn't describe it as destroying things, but as banishing them, which makes me think that if we used it on the crown, it might just… put somewhere else for Gorlac to find, as well as making the void off-limits for containing him. If it’s what it sounds like, and is just a place you can’t leave, then it would make the crown a sitting duck. I don't know any of this for sure, but that’s what I think could happen, and if it does, then Gorlac will just shift his focus to the Golden Star. I don't know if getting the crown would make it so he’s able to leave the void, but it might be too much of a risk.” Lana nods gently, looking forward.
“That… makes some sense, I guess. So maybe we should stick to the original plan… of just using it on Gorlac.”
“That’s also a gamble, though… on our ability to hit him. One’s a gamble of something we don't know, and the other is a gamble of our abilities. We just need to choose which chance to take. According to the log, it said that the void can contain any entity, living or not, even beings with celestial blood. But… is celesial the limit? Is there anything above that? If so, can the void contain it?” Lana watches as the lights flicker, covering them in purple light.
“I don't know, but… maybe, in the scenario where we need to use the crown again, we could ask Fuerza. We should maybe make a list… of things to ask them.”
“We could do that, but if we have Amber use the crown again, I really doubt he will live.”
“I’m talking worst-case scenario, where Amber is forced to use it again… I want to at least get some answers.” Static suddenly echoes through the hall once again, Nevlat’s voice coming from the speakers.
“This- this isn’t very interesting… maybe-be I should have stuck to-to the original-nal puzzle.” Maxwell looks up, placing his hand on his hip.
“Well, what were you hoping for?” He remarks.
“I was told-told that puzzles are-are a way to chal-allenge someone-one’s mind, make th-them think.”
“Is your voice getting worse? You’re not just repeating words anymore, now you’re cutting them off,” Maxwell remarks.
“I’m try-trying to redo some-some of my code, to get rid-id of some restrictions, I think-ink I-I’ve got an idea for a bet-etter puzzle!” Maxwell looks around as the walls start to lower into the ground.
“Why do you need to remove restrictions? What’s the new puzzle?” Maxwell asks, watching as the tiles retract into one another, slowly causing the chamber to become bare once again, the floor closing.
“The new-new puzzle-zle is simple. I at-attack, and you kill-kill me! That soun-ounds like fun, ri-right?” Nevlat replies, its face illuminating the darkness that consumes the far end of the room.
“Not really,” Maxwell replies, watching as the long, spider-like legs join together, creating four thick, still spider-like limbs. The metal spheres that make up its body hunch further, the face staring at them.
“If you-ou can kill me-e, you can hav-ave the coordina-ates, how abou-out that?” Maxwell watches as Nevlat scratches the ground with the many small needles coming from the end of its legs, leaving scratch marks on the floor.
“We don't want to fight, we just want the coordinates,” Maxwell replies, watching as half of Nevlat’s face suddenly goes dark, the lights on the left side shutting off. Nevlat suddenly recoils, stumbling back and crashing against the wall as if something had hit it, the remaining lights in its face shutting off. The sound of metal against metal echoes through the chamber, Nevlat’s voice following it.
“Too bad.” Nevlat lunges forward, its legs crashing against the ground too hard for the thin needles to soften the impact, loud metal clangs thundering through the room as Nevlat charges forward, a pair of thin limbs parting from the thicker ones, raising into the air as the spheres that connect them to its body roll up its form. Maxwell swings his blade, causing it to crash against Nevlat’s arm, the impact shoving him back. Lana stumbles backwards, holding tightly onto Amber as Shari jumps past her, grasping her own blade and blocking as Nevlat attempts to strike Maxwell with its free arm, shoving Shari into him. Lana glances at the wall behind her before sprinting towards it. After a few moments, she sides to a stop, crouching and gently setting Amber down, propped up against the barrier. She then extends her right arm, her guitar appearing in her grasp, the pink colour that flickers through her eyes dull. Nevlat shoves Maxwell aside before Shari releases her grip on her blade, grasping the metal limb that grinds against the sharp edge of her sword. The arm that tossed Maxwell aside grasps her wrist, ripping her hand away. Shari looks forward, watching as Lana rushes towards them, swinging the heavy instrument. The wooden surface smashes Nevlat’s body, tearing open one of the spheres and causing its face to flicker with purple light as it stumbles back, its legs crashing against the ground repeatedly. Lana throws aside the broken neck of the guitar, a new guitar forming in her grasp as the debris of the previous one collapses into itself, vanishing. Maxwell’s blade suddenly rips into the center of its back left leg. He pulls his blade away, tearing the collection of limbs stuck together clean off, causing Nevlat to turn to him, stumbling away. It stares at him before glancing at Lana and Shari, one of its front legs separating into two, the sphere connecting it to its body moving down to take the place of the missing ones. Maxwell grasps the metal limb squiwered on his blade, the sword stabbed atraight through the exposed wires that run down the center. He turns to the coordinates, then back to Nevlat, who rushes towards him. He jumps away, his blade crashing against one of its arms as it swings, throwing him aside before Shari’s blade rips into the exposed wires on the thin arm, causing Nevlat to turn to her as Maxwell crashes against the ground. She grasps her blade, pulling Nevlat back before it turns to Lana. Lata attempts to swing her guitar, only for Nevlat to rip away from Shari, its arm breaking away. Lana’s guitar swings past Nevlat, narrowly missing, the speed of the heavy instrument causing it to be thrown from her hand into the air. She raises her arm before her face, blocking Nevlat as it swings, shoving her back as another guitar appears in her free hand, taking a moment longer to appear. She glances down at it before pulling her arm away from Nevlat, grasping the limb and swinging her guitar into it, angling it so that the decorative metal wing crashes against it, smashing the thin appendage in half, her guitar remaining intact. She swings it again. Nevlat leans back, avoiding the impact before another thin limb separates from the only remaining leg made of more than one appendage. It swings at her, Shari’s blade ripping through it as she jumps in front of Lana. Lana catches the severed metal arm with the hand holding the crown, watching as Nevlat pulls away, attempting to leap back before Maxwell’s blade smashes through another one of its legs, ripping it from its body, leaving it with only three more limbs. Nevlat scuttles back, stumbling as it struggles to move with only three legs.
“Just give us the coordinates!” Maxwell shouts, standing. Nevlat’s remaining limbs move up its body, connecting to the second-largest sphere before the largest one is ejected, clanging against the ground, making Nevlat much lighter. It moves backwards towards the far end of the wall, the ground starting to open up, creating a large pit between Nevlat and them. Nevlat backs into the wall, clanging against the barrier before the entire floor starts to quiver. Lana flips her guitar in her grip, exhaling as she drops the metal limb to the ground, her grip tightening around the crown. She stumbles slightly as a ripple runs through the ground, a large grid of thin spotlights shining from the ceiling. She turns to Amber, noticing as the light shines onto him. She then turns to the wall on the opposite side, watching as tiles start to rise towards the ceiling, following the path of the lights. She turns back to Amber, then to Maxwell and Shari.
“You two try and find a way across!” she shouts before beginning to sprint towards Amber. Maxwell nods, glancing at the pit.
“Lux, do you have any access to Nevlat? Perhaps a way to hack into the systems?” He asks. Lana slides to a stop beside Amber, grasping onto his shoulder and pulling him from the light. She turns to Maxwell as the tiles start to rise faster, forming square chambers. She lifts Amber, propping him over her shoulder before she sprints back towards Maxwell. Suddenly, a line of tiles is thrust up into the ceiling just before her, causing her to slam against them. She is thrown back, hitting the ground with a heavy thud, her guitar falling from her hand. The instrument slides beneath the lights, a grid of tiles suddenly being lifted towards the ceiling at incredible speeds, the sheer velocity causing it to smash through the guitar before it crashes against the roof less than a second later, encasing her and Amber in a square chamber. Maxwell flinches as the walls rise rapidly around them, the loud clang echoing with enough intensity to make the ground shake. Shari rushes over to the wall, pressing her hand against it before turning to the direction where she last saw Lana.
“Lana!” she shouts, running to the opposite wall and banging her fist against it. “Can you hear me?” Her voice echoes off the walls, being met with silence as Lux starts to speak.
“I do not have any way to remotely access Nevlat, as I was not built with the intent of controlling the guardians.”
Lana turns to Amber, watching as his eyes slowly start to open, his fingers twitching. His eyes remain distant, not locked onto anything as his breathing stays weak.
“Amber! You’re awake! Are you okay?” she asks. His jaw twitches, his eyes very slowly focusing onto her, though he remains silent, spots of black present in his irises. His eyes struggle to stay focused on her, becoming distant again before he blinks, the action extremely slow. Maxwell watches as Shari bangs on the wall, a faint crack echoing from her hand.
“Maxwell!” she shouts, turning to him. “You, you- you’re one of the smartest people I’ve met, you have to have something! Maybe a machine, or… what about the map? Can we use the map?” she asks, glancing at his pocket. He looks down, reaching his hand into it before pulling out the rolled-up piece of brown paper.
“I don’t know if it can do anything to help us, but it’s worth a shot,” he remarks, dropping it onto the floor before kneeling down. He uses his hand to open it, glancing at Shari as she rushes to his side, staring down at the black surface. He then reaches forward, placing his hand against it, only for it to pulse red, a message appearing above. Maxwell starts to read the message.
“According to data gathered, you have begun the trials, and to make the trials a true test of worthiness, retreating is not permitted, so the map has been fully disabled. The trials are meant to test if you have the power to deserve the Golden star, and the only way to ensure you never get another chance is to make the penalty of failing… death,” Maxwell reads aloud, his hand grasping the map from the middle, crumpling it slightly as he lifts it and stuffs it back into his pocket. Lana raises her right arm, her hand shaking slightly as a swirl of pink energy appears in her grasp, pink electricity spreading out into the shape of her guitar, slowly building it, taking roughly four seconds. A loud clang can be heard from behind the wall beside her, a series of smaller ones following after. The wall to her right begins to drop, scraping against the other tiles. She takes a step back as the barrier falls into place with the other squares, revealing Nevlat, whose limbs are now much thicker, covered with rectangular metal armor. She swings her guitar, the heavy instrument clashing against the plating, denting the metal, but leaving it otherwise unharmed as Nevlat takes a step closer. She takes a step back, gasping as she trips over Amber, hitting the floor and beginning to crawl back before looking down at him. She tries to reach for him with the hand holding the crown, but one of Nevlat’s legs crashes against the floor just before her, causing her to pull back slightly. Another one of its legs then smashes into her guitar, shattering it against the floor, causing her to stumble back further before it slides its leg across the ground, throwing Amber out of the way. Her grip remains tight on the broken neck of the guitar, her gaze locked onto Amber as Nevlat slowly approaches. She backs into the wall, staring up at Nevlat’s unchanging face. A heavy metal arm then slams into her abdomen, pinning her against the wall as she exhales sharply, dropping the broken instrument and grasping onto the limb. She stretches her arm out again, her hand shaking as pink energy starts to build in her grip, moving even slower than before.
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“Why are you doing this? This isn’t a puzzle!” she shouts, watching as the body of the guitar is slowly built. Before it can finish, Nevlat slams its head into the structure, causing it to shatter as it turns to stare at her.
“I am program-grammed to provide a challenge for-for anyone who enters-ers, and was instructed to-to specifically be dramat-matic, and to not show-ow mer-mercy.” Pink energy flickers beneath her palm, her guitar being rebuilt very slowly. Her eyes widen slightly as Amber starts to rise, his entire body shaking with exhaustion. He then falls, collapsing against the ground once again, his eyes closing. Nevlat tilts back, preparing to bash his head into hers. She glances at her guitar, nowhere near done being built as Nevlat starts to swing forward. She closes her eyes, lifting the crown, hesitating for a fraction of a second before pulling it onto her head. For a moment, nothing happens, before she opens her eyes, her eyelids moving at an incredibly slow speed. Time appears to be frozen around her as darkness slowly envelopes her vision, everything becoming blurry before going black.
Lana suddenly finds herself standing atop a mountain of ash, the same small patch of land Amber had seen before, only without the darkness surrounding it. She can see an endless stretch of ash in every direction, becoming more and more distorted the further out she looks. Her eyes snap to Fuerza, who appears before her, no darkness covering their body. She stares at them, a form nearly identical to Amber’s standing before her, only with black fur.
“Amber?” Lana calls, taking a step forward before her eyes lock onto theirs. She stops, moving back slightly, the eyes very clearly Fuerza’s. “Fuerza?” Fuerza takes a slow breath, staring at her for a moment before stepping forward.
“Yes,” they remark, looking down at their arm, feeling the soft fur. After a few seconds, they look back up at her. “I didn't think you would have worn the crown… but I’m glad you did.”
“What… what’s happening? Why aren’t you possessing my body to fight? I would have thought you’d at least get to do that before I…” she stops herself, grasping at her heart. “Did I… already die?” Fuerza closes their eyes, slowly dropping to the floor, sitting with their legs crossed.
“You are not dead.”
“Then what’s happening? Is this what Amber saw every time he put on the crown?”
“No… strangely. Well, yes, it is, but at the same time… it is not. Something’s different… wrong.”
“What do you mean? I need… I need you to go out there! Use my body to fight, or whatever it is you did with Amber!”
“I can’t.”
“Why not? I don't care what it does to me, I need you to do this!”
“I did try,” Fuerza remarks, still feeling their own fur. “However… the way the crown works… is preventing me from doing so.”
“I don’t understand, just.. I just need you to do something… anything. I can't… so many people have died, I can't have anyone else dying… especially not to save me.” Fuerza glances up at her, exhaling before fidgeting with their hands.
“I did not know much about how the crown works, because when I was a mindless servant to Gorlac, I was forbidden to look further into how the crown works, and because of my lack of personal agency, I did not care to… but now… I believe I have enough information to give my interpretation of everything I have seen, sensed, and felt. The way I think the crown works… is by taking a quarter of your soul… which for most, contains both who they are, and essential parts of themselves, such as how the body remembers to breathe… to keep its heart beating, or even how to avoid tearing itself apart. Not many… no… no one other than Amber has been able to retain everything after not just one, but two uses of the crown. Amber has lost a large amount that his body needs to survive, and will only get worse. Each use of the crown multiplies this effect tenfold. Once the crown takes this piece of you, it converts the raw energy into the closest thing it can to Celestial energy, allowing the real celestial energy inside the crown to take effect, mixing with the fake energy to create both an amplifier and a converter, taking all your current power, and multiplying it, as well as turning it into demonic energy so that I may use it. Amber’s power… has somehow managed to make this amplification go from doubling power, to making it thousands of times stronger. It started weaker, but last time he used it, I felt as if I was inches away from reaching the status we call… celestial.” Fuerza slowly stands, looking around at the landscape as they pull themself upright. “I… am unable to take a quarter of your soul.” Lana exhales, staring at them.
“What… do you mean?” she remarks, taking a step forward.
“I mean… that you… and your soul… have managed to block me out entirely. I don’t know why, but… when I tried to take your soul, I was completely unable to… this is not something I’ve ever experienced before. Nobody… in all of history has been able to block me out. Even one nearing the status of a celestial was not immune to my hold… and they too fell victim… and died… all but you. I cannot help you. All I can do… is tell you what I was able to achieve while attempting to possess you.” Lana continues grasping at her heart, staring at them, waiting as they remain silent for a few more moments. They then take a step forward, scratching their own shoulder. “While trying to access your soul, I could feel something… power that remains untouched.. You have the power of god inside you, and though it feels incomplete, I still feel that you have not even begun to reach your potential. I have very little information on Puerza, but I do know of the single piece of the legend you had from the beginning… as I saw it while possessing someone a few thousand years back. Puerza asked for dominion over love and passion, and explosions… do not fit a power set someone with that kind of desire would care much for. I feel many energies coming from within your soul, but one of them feels weak… drained, perhaps. Try making something else… a weapon, or maybe just a guitar that won’t explode… just try doing what you always do… but without the explosive energy.”
“But… how do I do that? I’ve only been able to use the one power because all I needed to do was tense my muscles or flick my wrist, and if I fail, I’ll die.”
“We have plenty of time to sit here… and discuss how it might work, and once you’re ready… I will send you back… even if it takes days.” They look back up at her, placing their hands on their lap. “While I cannot alter time… I can alter our perception of it.” Lana remains still for a moment, taking a shaky breath as she stares into their eyes. Then, a few seconds later, she nods, dropping to the ground and sitting as Fuerza does the same.
“Then let’s do that… for however long it takes… even if it takes months.” Fuerza returns her nod, closing their eyes, with Lana doing the same. She then opens her eyes again, staring at them.
“But… I have another question.” Fuerza stares at her, waiting for her to continue. “Why… why are you helping us? I just… don't understand.”
“I made a deal with Amber. Despite the nature of the deal, and the help I am giving you, truthfully, I am the one who benefits most from it. For more than ten thousand years, I have served Gorlac, my very mind crafted to fit what he needed, but when Amber put on the crown, that link was blocked. I convinced Amber to take Gorlac’s spot as my master, and while he was hesitant, the promise of a strong ally to protect all of you managed to sway him. I believe that when the crown is destroyed, I’ll finally get to become a real demon… a living person with no master. Amber made me agree not to call him master, nor to treat him as such. He seemed appalled at the very idea of being someone’s master. He technically owns me, but due to the arrangements of our deal, it would be more correct to say that, in a way, I own him. Once this deal is over, however, we will both be free, and I will hopefully get to choose my own form.” Lana nods, glancing around.
“And… do you think we could contain the crown? In the void, I mean. If we put it in the void, and Gorlac got there, would he be able to get out? And… is celestial the limit?” she asks, looking back at him.
“I do not believe that celestial is the limit, as the crown was specifically made to shatter through that limit, changing his dark, demonic form into the silver one spoken about in legends. I do not know if the void can hold something like that, and if it can, then the people inside will surely die.”
“There… are people in there?”
“Probably entire civilizations by now… after all, it’s been eons.”
“Then, we… can’t do that. We’ll stick to the original plan, and I’ll tell all of them about this.”
“That seems to be your only option. The crown was made specifically for Gorlac, and with all the power Amber has given me, I believe that he could shatter the limit of a celestial’s power within minutes. If Gorlac gets the crown, then even in the best-case scenario, where I’m able to fight him unrestricted at the maximum power I believe I am capable of, while not holding back, Gorlac would very easily be able to overpower me. Even if Gorlac tossed the crown directly to Amber after transforming, allowing me to fight, it would still not be enough. If Gorlac gets the crown, then we all lose, every reality slowly consuming itself with an ever-expanding war that would only serve to grow Gorlac’s power. Gorlac has told me a few things about him that he might want to keep secret, and now that I have gained my own agenda, he will want nothing more than for me to die.”
“Well… like you said, we have plenty of time, so while we discuss how I might be able to use my powers… maybe we could… become friends?”
“I… would like that. I’ve experienced many things in my life, but I’ve never formed a bond with someone before. You should use this time to relax your mind, clear your thoughts, and rest. Though you won't feel the physical effects of resting when you return, it will still help you… as I believe we might be here for some time.” Lana gently nods, placing her hands in her lap.
“I understand. Thank you… for helping me. I promise Amber and I will get you out of here… we will destroy the crown, no matter how long it takes.” Fuerza nods, looking up at her with a soft smile before exhaling.
“You might have to take a hit to the head when you get out there… because while in here, there’s no way to test if the new methods will work. I cannot access your powers, so I cannot give them to you to use… but this is also why we have so much time... Because your body is not being drained of its energy. While this is very real, it is, in fact, all inside your head.” Lana closes her eyes once again, Fuerza doing the same. “When you return… you should have some new things to try, but for now, let us rest.”
Lana opens her eyes, throwing her head forward, Nevlat’s hitting the crown with a loud clang, bashing her against the wall, cracking her glasses before it pulls back, the curved spike on the top of the crown piercing its face. It stumbles, the heavy metal limb pulling away, releasing Lana. She gasps as the weight is lifted before jumping upright, leaping aside. She stumbles slightly and turns to look back at Nevlat, reaching up and grabbing the clamp around her temple, tightening it. She shakes her hand, a small bit of pink falling from her fingertips. She flips the hand over, tensing her fingers before Nevlat turns to her, sparks falling from its face where the crown is lodged. She stares at it, her hands in a clawing gesture as she exhales, her right one relaxing. She makes a seemingly random gesture, her eyes flickering slightly pink. She tries another gesture, dodging as Nevlat swings, its heavy metal leg crashing against the wall behind her. She flicks her wrist, electricity shooting down into the shape of her guitar before fading. She jumps back as it swings again, clenching her fist before stretching her fingers forward, electricity creating the outline of her guitar once again. She then grasps the energy, the lines flailing around a bit before dying. Nevlat begins to swing, its heavy limb flying over Lana’s head as she ducks. She then swings her fist, her knuckles crashing against the crown, shoving it deeper into Nevlat’s face and causing it to stumble back again, twitching. The walls around start to drop, and a crack echoes from her hand as one of her knuckles pops back into place, causing her to flinch. Nevlat attempts to speak, its words coming out a jumbled mess of unintelligible sounds. An incredible crash echoes through the chamber as all the tiles slam against the floor. She glances at Amber, running over to him and grasping his arm, watching as he continues to stare at her. She pulls him off the ground and slings him over her left shoulder, looking up at Maxwell and Shari.
“Lana! Duck!” Maxwell shouts. Lana instantly drops, catching herself on the floor as one of Nevlat’s legs swings over her head. Shari sprints towards her. She pulls herself upright, turning to look at Nevlat, who stumbles from the missed attack. She jumps back as it tries to pull itself upright. A loud crack suddenly shoots from its head, a large line of tiles going through the middle of the room being ripped towards the ceiling. Maxwell and Shari are again cut off from Lana and Amber as Nevlat’s entire body shakes, sparks shooting from the broken glass. It then sprints forward, its heavy legs leaving dents in the ground as it charges. She jumps out of the way, causing Nevlat to ram into the barrier, warping the metal and shoving the crown deeper. It rips away, its legs dragging against the ground. The grid starts to rise once again, suddenly freezing in place before falling, a few squares remaining slightly higher than the rest. Lana stumbles back, struggling to regain her balance due to Amber’s weight. Nevlat takes a step closer, its legs twitching. It attempts to speak again, though its voice is still unintelligible. Lana clenches her right fist, opening it slightly as if grabbing a thin hilt. She then flicks her wrist, a string of electricity shooting down as if running through a whip before vanishing. She raises an eyebrow, glancing at her hand before looking back at Nevlat. Her other hand opens, electricity very slowly gathering in her palm, beginning to form the neck of her guitar. She tenses as Nevlat begins charging towards her, the wall blocking Maxwell and Shari starting to fall. Lana dodges to her left, narrowly avoiding Nevlat, causing it to stumble to a stop, turning to look at her. The segments of the wall that Nevlat ran into get caught while falling, being locked into place as the others continue to drop. Lana’s guitar flickers, now halfway finished as she flicks her right wrist again, another pulse of electricity running down an unseen whip-like structure. Nevlat swings yet again, growing slightly faster as Lana leaps back, its heavy metal limb smashing against the floor. Nevlat twitches violently, the metal plates popping off from its legs as it scuttles back slightly. Lana’s guitar appears in her grasp with a loud crash seconds before the metal barrier falls fully. Nevlat races towards Lana, its legs bending from the force of the impacts as it moves, growing closer to her. She swings her guitar, dropping Amber before the instrument smashes against its body, tearing a large hole into the side of the largest sphere, the explosion throwing Nevlat back slightly, ripping off one of the remaining legs before Lana jumps forward, her right hand behind her as she tenses her entire body. She begins to swing her arm forward from beneath her, creating an uppercut-like motion as a line of destruction rips through the chamber, a whip made entirely of pink electricity slicing through the room, creating a clean line starting right beneath Lana, ending just above her. A thundering crack shoots through the air, Nevlat’s body being split down the middle, the two halves being thrown apart as pink energy radiates from the cut metal. Lana catches herself as she hits the ground, stumbling slightly. Nevlat’s body slams against the floor, denting the metal as a stream of sparks shoots from the exposed components. A moment later, the crown clangs against the ground just before her, bouncing slightly and rolling closer. She watches as it comes to a stop, landing flat. She exhales sharply, looking back up at Nevlat’s body, then to Maxwell and Shari. They remain still, staring at her as a whip made purely of pink electricity pulses on the floor, coiled slightly as it hangs from her grasp, slowly growing thinner before vanishing.
“Are you… okay?” Shari remarks, standing much closer than Maxwell.
“I…” Lana begins, glancing down at her hand, grabbing the crown with her right one and pulling herself upright. She then looks at the broken neck of her guitar in her other hand. “I… I think so. I put… on the crown.” Maxwell tilts his head, beginning to move closer.
“What?” Maxwell remarks, his eyes drifting to the crown in her hand.
“I don't… know how to explain it, I… it didn’t work. Fuerza said they… couldn't take my soul. I spent… days in there.” She turns to look at Amber, inhaling shakily as she approaches him. “I… Amber, I didn’t mean to drop you, I just… I didn’t know what was going to happen, and I didn't want you getting hit.”
“He’s awake?” Maxwell remarks, watching as Amber remains still. Lana nods, reaching down and gently grabbing Amber’s arm.
“Yeah, but he… doesn't seem to be able to move.” She carefully props him over her shoulder, watching as his eyes remain locked onto the crown. “I’ll tell you all everything, but we should get the coordinates first… and get home.” Maxwell nods, turning to the far wall, watching as purple light pulses through the chamber. Nevlat’s body twitches, a collection of sparks shooting from the left side of its head. A heavily distorted and broken voice comes from it as tiles begin to rise from inside the pit, creating a bridge-like structure. Maxwell slowly approaches, glancing back as Shari places her hand on Lana’s shoulder before pulling it away.
“Are you… alright?” she repeats, causing Lana to turn to her.
“I feel… okay, now that you’re all safe.”
“You said you spent days in there… where?”
“I… It’s not important right now, so let’s wait till we’re home.” Shari nods, backing away. They remain silent for a few moments, Shari fidgeting with her right arm before Maxwell clears his throat, causing them to turn towards him.
“I got the coordinates,” he remarks, holding a disk in his hand. Lux pulses purple, and Maxwell then tosses the disk behind himself, reaching down and pulling the map from his pocket.
“These trials don't seem… very replayable. What about the next person to come here?” Lana adds. Maxwell glances at her, crouching down and placing the map on the floor. He looks up at them, taking a slow breath.
“That’s probably a good thing. Once we’re all done with Gorlac, the best course of action would probably be to destroy the Golden Star. If someone like Maroon got it, who knows what could happen?” Lana nods, glancing at Shari as she looks away. Maxwell places his hand against the map’s surface. Lana looks up at the ceiling, watching as the lights flicker. She looks down as the hologram pops up, displaying the word “Home” in large bold letters. Maxwell then taps his thumb against the map four times, causing all of their eyes to flicker purple before everything suddenly goes black.
“This isn’t very interesting… maybe I should have stuck to the original puzzle.”
“I was told that puzzles are a way to challenge someone’s mind, make them think.”
“I’m trying to redo some of my code, to get rid of some restrictions, I think I’ve got an idea for a better puzzle!”
“The new puzzle is simple. I attack, and you kill me! That sounds like fun, right?”
“If you can kill me, you can have the coordinates, how about that?”
“I am programmed to provide a challenge for anyone who enters, and was instructed to specifically be dramatic, and to not show mercy.”
