Luc peeked through the crack between the stone doors, heart racing in his chest. Inside the doors was a vast chamber, far larger than anything he had seen in the Chasm thus far. If anything, its size was similar to the room in which Sera had tested him. The room was lit not by glowing mushrooms, but rather torches that burned with red flame, lining each of the walls. The walls themselves were smooth and consisted of bricks plastered together, floor made of the same material. At the back of the room was another set of large stone doors, sealed shut at the moment.

This place is definitely man-made.

Luc couldn’t see the monster that Tissa had talked about. The only thing inside was a giant stone statue, about twice his height, standing on a plain white pedestal in the center of the room. Its design was crude and featureless, arms, legs, and head constructed of cube-like blocks. Its face was almost blank besides two pits for eyes and a horizontal line for a mouth. The only discerning aspect of the statue was the two stone swords built atop its shoulders, one on either side of its neck. Taking a deep breath, Luc looked behind him, where Tissa and Ritha stood.

“Remember, boy,” said Tissa. “The monster won’t attack until you make it past that statue. Once that happens, keep it busy until we give you the signal. After you see the signal, run back to this side of the statue.”

Why am I always the bait? And why am I listening to this peasant in the first place?

Even though he had his doubts, Luc had to admit that getting Tissa his lance back was probably the best option for them. After seeing what Tissa had done to that monster in the water, Luc reckoned that if Tissa said this monster was incredibly powerful, then most likely it was indeed incredibly powerful. And that means I should put up with his disrespect. At least until he keeps his guarantee of getting us out of here alive.

Taking a deep breath, Luc fiddled with the three vials in his hand and slipped inside the room. Ritha had given him the vials, saying that they were for a distraction, if he needed it. All he had to do was ‘expose the potion to air’, whatever that meant. Hopefully it works as well as her health potions.

As he entered the room, Luc noticed that it the air was crisp and chilly inside. Shivering, he massaged his arms, trying to keep warm. Taking a cursory glance around, Luc concluded that nothing was out of the ordinary so far. With nothing else to see or do, he began walking towards the statue. With every step he took, an uncomfortable nervousness bubbled in his stomach, causing his breaths to shorten and sweat to bead his brow, despite the cold. At last, he came to a stop in front of the statue.

This is it.

Tightening his hand around Ritha’s potions, Luc lowered himself into a crouch and prowled behind the statue. Pressing himself against the statue’s back, Luc swung his head around, eyes searching for the monster that Tissa had spoken about.

Where is it? Not to my sides. Above?

Luc tiled his head upwards, glancing towards the ceiling. Above him, something stuck out the back of the statue. It looked a pole, swathed in white cloth. Staring at it, Luc’s eyes widened.

The lance! But why is it here…

Luc’s eyes continued to wander upwards. As he saw the statue’s head, chills ran down his body and he staggered backwards, eyes wide. The stone statue’s head now faced him, the hollow pit eyes bearing down on Luc. But something had changed about it. The statue’s mouth, which had been a horizontal line before, he curled upwards in what only could be described as a smile.

Holy mother of all gods!

The stone statue’s body spun around to face the same direction as its head, leaping off the pedestal it stood on. As it hit the ground, the room began to shake. But the shaking did not come from the weight of the statue alone. Glancing over his shoulder, Luc saw that the doors on the other side of the room had creaked open, mirroring the crack between the doors that Luc had entered through.

Luc had seen enough. I’m supposed to keep it busy, but why would I do that when the exit is right there? Luc turned and began sprinting towards the other set of doors. After all, how fast can a stone statue be?

In an instant, the stone statue cleared Luc’s head with a leap. As soon as it landed, it whirled with surprisingly agility, plunging one of its swords down at Luc. Leaping to the side, Luc managed to avoid the blow. Next to him, the statue’s sword clanged off the floor, not even making a dent.

How is it so fast?

Luc tried to force himself to his feet, but the endless hours of wandering through the tunnels surely did not help. He lost his balance, tripping over his own legs and collapsing back down to the ground. Behind him, the stone statue raised a foot, getting ready to squash him like a bug.

Luc’s eyes flashed to the vials he held in his hand.

I just need to expose them to air!

Rolling over, Luc swung his arm down in one motion, shattering all three of the vials against the ground. Immediately, gray smoke burst out all around, clouding his view and flooding his lungs. Coughing and gagging, Luc stumbled around within the smoke.

If I stop moving, I’ll die!

Gasping for breath, Luc felt something whooshing around over his head. Falling into a crouch, Luc pulled up the collar of his tunic, covering his mouth and nose. Making himself as small as possible, he prowled forwards, making sure to move in erratic directions.

At last, he broke out of the smoke, nearly crashing into the side wall of the room. Flattening himself against the wall, he turned. The stone statue still stood in the midst of the smoke, swinging its swords in every which direction. In the corner of his eye, he saw a movement. At the pedestal, where the statue once stood, Tissa and Ritha stood. As soon as their eyes, met, Tissa gave a single nod.

The signal!

Luc spared another glance at the statue as it continued its thrashing within the smoke. Seeing that it was seemingly distracted, Luc dashed along the wall, back towards the doors he had entered through.

The stone statue noticed him immediately. Leaping through the air, it hurtled towards him, raising its sword over its head. Clenching his teeth, Luc lowered his head and pumped his legs, increasing his speed.

If Tissa is wrong about this…

The stone statue landed just behind Luc, stone feet smashing into the ground with an earsplitting bang. Wincing, Luc tried his best to ignore it. Shooting a glance over to the center of the room, he saw that he had almost reached the half of the room in front of the pedestal. Behind him, the statue lunged forward, swinging one of its swords down in a mighty blow. The blunt edge of the blade shot straight for Luc, whistling as it split the air.

Releasing a roar, Luc leaped forward onto the stone floor, tumbling head over heels and eventually rolling to a stop. For a moment, all was still besides Luc’s harried breathing. Slowly, Luc lifted his head and looked over his shoulder.

The edge of the stone sword hung inches above his face, nearly touching his nose. Swallowing, Luc slid backwards on the ground, trying not to make any sudden movements. In front of him, the stone statue was completely still. The smile on its face had vanished, replaced with the single horizontal line. As Luc scooted back, the stone statue raised its sword, replacing it in the sheath attached to its shoulder. Slowly, it began plodding back to the pedestal, each step shaking the chamber.

Releasing the breath he held, Luc watched the statue go. On top of the pedestal, Ritha dribbled a viscous yellow liquid. As the liquid hit the stone of the pedestal, it began to bubble, and a foul odor emanated into the air. Ritha and Tissa backed away from the pedestal, watching as the stone statue approached. When it reached the pedestal, it clambered on top, placing its feet where Ritha had poured the potion. Immediately, the stone statue began to sink into the pedestal, weight pushing it into the liquidated surface. Behind the statue, the doors on the other side of the room slid closed.

“You sure know how to run, boy,” said Tissa, turning to Luc as he walked over.

Luc wasn’t having any of it. Glaring, he jabbed a finger at Tissa’s chest. “Why didn’t you tell me that the monster was the statue itself?”

Tissa laughed. “Coward like you would’ve been too scared to even go in that room.”

Luc scowled and turned away, cursing Tissa under his breath.

“S-so what now?” asked Ritha, Cloud sitting on top of her head. “The doors closed when the statue moved back.”

“Ha!” said Tissa. “The way it works is the statue only attacks people when they’re on the other side of the room. But the door out of here only opens when the statue is off the pedestal.”

“So doing all of this did nothing?” asked Luc.

“Don’t worry about the details, boy,” said Tissa. “All you have to do is run to those doors over there. You’re pretty good at running, so it shouldn’t be much of an issue.”

Luc glanced over at the statue. The liquified surface of the pedestal seemed to be solidifying, entrapping the monster’s legs within.

“If the statue is stuck in the pedestal, doesn’t that mean the doors won’t open?” said Luc.

“I told you, don’t think too hard about it,” said Tissa. “Your only job is to run.”

Luc shrugged. Sounds good to me. As long as I get out of here alive, I’m happy.

“You hear that, little girl?” said Tissa, turning to look at Ritha. “When I tell you to run, you run. Got it?”

Ritha nodded, pulling Cloud off her head and into her arms. Tissa’s eyes flickered down to the dragon whelp. For a moment, it seemed like he was going to say something, but he shook his head and turned back to the statue, flexing his legs at the knees. Closing his eyes, Tissa began murmuring under his breath, tapping his chest and face in certain places.

Has he lost his mind?

Tissa’s eyes snapped open, staring up at the statue. He spoke a single word.

“Go.”

Luc didn’t need to be told a second time. Lowering his head, he charged towards the closed doors at the other end of the room. As he ran, he heard Ritha’s footsteps, falling further and further behind. But he didn’t care. I helped her get this close! I don’t owe her anything!

The sound of shattering rock erupted from behind him. The statue already broke free? Luc didn’t care to look. He knew that the most important thing to do when running away was to never look back. Ahead of him, the doors began to open, swinging open with a loud rumble.

It’s so close!

Tissa landed in front of Luc, holding his lance in his hands, back turned to Luc. Luc’s heart nearly stopped. He knew very well the speed at which Tissa could move. He could be out the door an instant, leaving Luc and Ritha alone with the stone statue. If that’s the case, that means that –

Tissa turned around, facing back towards the pedestal and the stone statue.

What?

As Luc approached Tissa, their eyes met again, as they had in the fight against the water monster. In that moment, Luc knew all too well what Tissa was going to do. For an instant, just a fraction of a second, Luc considered stopping. But as a coward, he knew what his priorities were.

If this peasant wants to sacrifice himself again for me, that’s fine. If I can stay alive and have a chance to get home, that’s enough for me.

Luc passed Tissa, sprinting forward and out of the exit.