《Shadowlove (Lite)》Chapter 27: The Final Trial of Courage
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The door frame that they came into would open up. The stones that filled it up would shift into a footing just before it to allow them to get to it. On the other side, another door frame would open up, revealing the deepest parts of the Adventure King's tomb.
"Ah! That was it! We did it, Ann! White Reaper!"
Ann would sigh in relief and nuzzles her face against the White Reapers' chest. "What a relief. For a minute there, I thought she was going to trip and drop the orb." It took half a second for her to realize what she was doing and presses her hands against him to separate the two. She was going to yell at him, but merely blushes and turns away in a huff. Not even going to comment when he puts his arms around her waist to carry her to where Yasuline awaited them.
Ann didn't even bother to argue anymore about going back. She knew they had only one more trial to go and after surviving both, she was actually feeling optimistic for a change.
"Time for the final trial. I bet it's going to be a real doozy." Yasuline says with a smirk as she looks around the room to see the next plate that would be telling them what to do.
"After this, we are definitely going to be taking a break. All this stuff is making me feel like I'm losing years down the end of my life."
Yasuline was more preoccupied with looking for the plate to listen to what Ann was saying. As she moved about, she steps forward and heard a metal clank. Looking down, she would find the plate she was looking for.
"Ah-ha! Found you." She would crouch down and sit. "This will be the last trial you face before you find what you have been searching for. It will be a simple task, but completing it will be up to you. Move on ahead and before you, you will become a True Adventurer in my eyes. Farewell, signed the Adventure King."
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"That easy, huh?" Ann comments.
Yasuline would playfully tap on the plate as they began to wonder what the message could be meaning. That was when Ann and the White Reaper noticed something.
"Say... don't our voices seem echo-ey to you all?" Ann points out.
"Hmm?" Yasuline looks up at her confused and proceeds to test it out herself with a few hums. Indeed, as she had said, she could hear an echo that goes along with the sounds she was making.
"Woah, you are right. Where is it coming from?" She says as she stands up and begins walking around the room. She presses her hand against the wall and lets it slide against it as she follows it along. Heading to the other side of the wall, she was stopped by the White Reaper who stops her just before she stepped into the end of the floor.
"Woah!" She yelps as she takes notice. The White Reaper's flames once again lights up, but something keeps it from lighting everything completely. Half of the room they were in was hiding behind some sort of darkness that's staying just off the edge of the floor in the middle of the room, giving it a sense that the other side was opened to the darkness of the labyrinth.
"No way..." Ann says as she notices it. "He expects us to go through that? There's clearly no floor over there!"
Yasuline didn't have much to say. Ann was right. There was no floor near the dark wall. As best as she could, she would lean out with her hand to feel the air within the darkness. She could feel nothing.
"Hey, how about you try to flash your flames at it." She calls to the White Reaper.
He would pause and then nod. Holding his arm firmly forward. The blue flames of his coat would erupt and then shoot out forward as if catapulted straight ahead. Both the flame and the light it cast disappeared into the darkness.
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"Damn, no good. Hmm, how about we try something else."
He chucks her bag over her shoulder and sets it down. Digging through it, she pulls out various things. One of them being a small pile of pebbles.
"Wait, why do you have that?"
"To measure things, sellers often sell by the weight, not by the quantity." She easily explained and then gives them a good toss into the darkness. No sound of the landing.
"There's nothing over there!" She yelled out in frustration. Slightly bothered that she just chucked her good rocks.
Yasuline remained quiet. Contemplating what they need to do. So far, the Adventure King has tested their strength. Strength was important in that you need a stern body and fighting capablity to survive such harsh environments. The next one tested your smarts and how quickly you can solve things under stress. Ideal when you get yourself in trouble and need to escape. So something about this trial required something else that an adventurer will need. Yasuline would think over all the stories her father has told. Something from that could possibly be the one thing that she needs to know.
All the while, Ann was trying to grab Yasuline's attention.
"Hey, let's just go back for real this time. We'll try to find something to build a bridge and come back or something."
"...No. I don't think that's what the Adventure King wants us to do."
"That's nice and all, but I don't see how we can do anything about this."
"I say we jump?"
"Um no. We leave and come back ready. Look, the doors aren't even closed. We can go back."
"But what if it's part of the test and he wants us to see if we would give up?"
"Well, maybe. Then it would be a test to see if we would be dumb enough to fall for it."
"As my dad ALWAYS says to my mom. Stupidity is often mistaken for bravery." She would say as she stands up. This made Ann worry as she expects her to leap.
"No way, think about it some more. This is crazy!"
Yasu would ignore her and look over at the White Reaper. All the while they were discussing it over, he was stretching his legs. likely just waiting for her. She would smirk and gives him a thumbs up and he does the same. Ann was the only one out of the loop.
"I'm surrounded by death." She comments.
Yasu would walk back to get some space for the run. The White Reaper follows her tactics and prepares as well. Both crouch down and get into a running position.
"1...2..." Yasu would suck in some air and blow it out. "Three!"
They both run at the same moment. Ann covers her eyes as she curls up, not wanting to see it all. The White Reaper happened to have the higher speed and leaps into the darkness. She sucks in some air at the final step and springs up into the air and goes into the darkness next.
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