Memories of Gaia: A new day is dawning -
Chapter 12 Trials
One of the temple’s double doors was wider than the three of the team standing side by side, making Valeena wonder who- or what- had built them.
Grotesque faces twisted in agony were chiseled into the dirty, gray stone with different size gems sparkling for their eyes. Nyles reached out a hand to grab a hold of the handle, pulling forcefully. But the doors did not budge.
“Don’t just stand there, help me!” He snapped, shaking his hands out before grabbing the twisted metal handle again. Elden grabbed just above Nyles’s hands and leaned back as he pulled, but the doors remained sealed.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Nyles said, running his hands through his hair. “We came all this way just to be locked out because of course, there would be a key.”
“Dude, relax, we’ll figure this out,” Rowan informed him as he scanned the door for anything that may help them.
“Why are you being so awful?” Akari asked, her voice soft. She had been wanting to ask him that for some time now but was avoiding the inevitable confrontation that would follow.
“I’m being awful? Have you met these people?” Nyles shot back gesturing widely to the team. “Now, if you’re not going to help, you can at least shut up.”
Akari hung her head but said nothing more. Aira, however, stepped forward, glaring at the stone man. “You will apologize for your rudeness,” She informed him, making it clear it was not a request.
“No, I don’t think I will,” Nyles replied as he continued to look at the door, scratching the back of his head in thought. Aira narrowed her eyes as she reached for an arrow, her hand already gripping her bow.
“Wait-” Rowan said as he lightly touched her arm. Aira shook his hand off as anger flashed across her face. “Nyles, are you feeling alright?”
“What does it look like?” Nyles said, not answering the question. He peered upwards, the light from of the floating fire pits catching his face. Rowan caught sight of the thin scratch the Ice Hag had left behind. The injury was turning a deep green color with smaller veins branching out from it.
Rowan removed his tin of ointment and approached Nyles, who was eyeing him suspiciously. “Put this on your face,” Rowan said, jerking his hand upwards just as Nyles swung at it.
“Get that away from me!” Nyles demanded, ducking as Rowan lunged for him. Elden and Valeena each grabbed an arm and held him tight, using their shoulders to pin his wings to his back. Rowan moved quickly, slapping Nyles in the face with his hand as his applied the ointment to the scratch.
Nyles struggled hard against them, grunting as he tried to pull his arms free. Aira had an arrow posed on the string of her bow aimed for his throat. “Give me a reason,” She threatened, smirking as Nyles ceased struggling, his eyes burning with rage.
Valeena felt Nyles arms going limp as his body shook. “I’m going to be sick,” Nyles said as his head slumped forwards. Valeena and Elden released their hold on him, allowing him to rush to the end of the temple and vomit over the edge. Aira followed him with her bow, her face showing her obvious unease.
Nyles wiped his mouth and leaned on the edge, shaking his head. “That was weird,” He said as he turned around and sat against the stone wall. “I have never felt like that before. It was as though there was a current coursing through my veins and everything made me so angry.”
“You were poisoned by the Ice Hag,” Rowan replied as he did a double take at Aira. “Would you put that thing away,”
Aira held steady for a moment longer before she lowered her weapon, her eyes still narrowed at Nyles. She settled on the snow covered ground, staring at Nyles, her hand still on her bow.
“Is there a key we missed?” Nyles asked, examining the door as he did his best to act like nothing had happened.
“Do you see a key hole?” Aira snapped, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the bow.
Nyles sighed and hung his head, plopping down against the stone rail. “Let’s try and rest. Maybe we can figure something out in the morning.”
Valeena sat near the stairs, facing the door. She knew they were over looking something, but could not figure out what. Valeena felt her eyes closing against her will, and gave up fighting.
It seemed like it had only been a moment, but when Valeena opened her eyes once more, the sun was already in the hazy gray sky. Valeena squinted against the light as she stretched her aching back. She had remained in an awkward sitting position all through the night and her back was paying for it. Valeena glanced at the door as she pulled her sore body to her feet and froze.
“Hey, look,” She said, waking Akari who had fallen asleep beside her.
“Hmmm?” Akari mumbled as she lifted her head off her hands where drool was froze on her knuckles.
“The door changed?” Rowan asked as he faced the temple door. The once grotesque faces had smoothed out and were now no more than six different, intricate patterns. At the center of each pattern was a different color gem sparkling softly in the morning light.
Valeena was drawn to the blue gem, with a wave-like pattern surrounding it. As she watched it, the gem began to glow and a soft click was heard from within the door.
“Rowan, focus on the red gem,” Valeena whispered, her eyes fixed on the blue gem. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the red gem set in the flame pattern flicker to life.
“Aira, Akari, Nyles, Elden, focus on your respective gems!” Rowan said, ignoring the huff from Aira.
Nyles focused on the green stone that had a mountain pattern while Elden focused on the black gem that was set against the crumbling stone. The stone appeared to have been struck with something as chunks of the stone were missing.
Aira huffed again, making it clear she was annoyed with the group, but Valeena saw the white light sparkle against the spiral pattern above her gem.
“Akari, you’re next,” Rowan said after he heard the click from Aira’s gem on the door.
Akari was silent as she focused on the gem to Valeena’s left, wincing as pain struck her. Akari shook her head and twisted her face in determination, the yellow sun gem glowing softly before dying once more.
Akari groaned in frustration but refused to give up. She squinted her eyes at the gem, her heart leaping as the yellow gem began to glow brightly. There was a final click as the door dislodged, sliding open.
“You did it!” Nyles announced, hugging the small girl. Akari blushed deeply and looked away, ignoring the pain from her forehead.
A thick shadow soared smoothly overhead, casting the team in darkness. Valeena felt Rowan’s hand on her back as he shoved her within the temple as Skyrah Nox roared above them.
Valeena’s eyes took a minute to adjust to the dusty light within the temple. Tall columns covered in intricate patterns line the grand hallway that leads them to a large, beautiful room. Hazy sunlight was pouring in via large, wide windows that came to points at each side like flattened stars. A huge chandelier that was shaped like the moon was floating freely over head, glowing softly.
“A dead end,” Nyles said, noting that there were no doors or stairs leading them to other parts of the temple.
Valeena glanced up and saw a railing lining the ceiling where the grand hallway sat. Behind the rail was an opening was a walkway was visible “There is a second floor, but how do we get there?”
Nyles spread his wings and soar upwards, striking an invisible barrier that prevented him from going any higher. “I knew it would be too easy.” He groaned as he landed back on the dusty stone floor.
Valeena scanned the walls for any scrolls or writing that may give her a clue as to how to proceed. But the walls were void of any such markings. She did notice that there were lines of dirt and mineral residue on the stone walls, resembling rocks near the sea. A statue of a woman weeping silently was resting behind them, her body posed in a position that suggested she was drowning.
A blue crystal was visible on the statue’s necklace, covered in dust and grime from the years. Valeena felt a wave of sadness wash over her as she stared at the statue.
“Hey, watch it!” Aira hissed as a drop of water fell from above, landing on her face. “Valeena, what are you doing?” She nearly shouted as the room began to fill with water as the drops continued to fall swiftly from above.
“I think we need to flood the room,” Valeena informed them as the water sloshed into her boot.
“Could you maybe think again?” Nyles suggested as he flew into the air once more, annoyed by the water. But the flowing liquid was rising fast and in a matter of minutes, the team was forced to swim to stay above the surface.
A shadow darted through the water just under their feet. Valeena quickly looked behind her, just missing sight of it.
"What was that?" Nyles questioned as the object circled back. A long, tentacle poked out of the water, splashing him in the face with the salty water.
"It's a giant squid!" Rowan shouted, frantically slapping at the water as he swam. The head of the squid emerged out of the water, its dark brown body covered in scars from its previous battles.
Elden tugged his rusty sword out of its holder, but was struggling to attack the beast and stay afloat. A long tentacle reached out for Valeena, as another swooped in from underneath her.
Elden swung his sword, striking the slimy surface of the beast, nearly cutting the tentacle in half. The squid released a dark liquid into the water as it ducked under the surface.
"Hurry Valeean!" Akari shrieked, kicked her feet madly in hopes of avoiding being eaten.
The squid returned moments later, its giant eye staring at him in rage. Aira pumped her legs to stay afloat as she grabbed her bow, releasing an arrow into the cyclops squid's eye.
The beast retreated underwater once more, hidden within the dark liquid. Valeena squinted her eyes as the water danced rapidly on the surface.
"What's going on?" Akari asked as the water began to spiral, the current moving faster and faster.
"The squid is swimming in circles to form a vortex! It's trying to suck us in to drown us!" Elden said as he struggled not to be pulled into the rushing water.
"Help!" Akari screamed as the current began to grab her in. Nyles grabbed the small girl's arm and pulled hard, struggling not to be pulled in as well.
“Almost there,” Valeena said as the rail vanished, allowing them to enter the second floor. Valeena pulled her body onto the rough surface of the room above, noticing that the water rose no higher than the lip of the floor. She groaned as Aira shoved her out of the way, shaking her hair like a wet dog.
A long tentacle slapped the wooden floor, taken a chunk out as the angry, bleeding eye stared at the team. The water itself began to reside as they walked the ugly orange floors. The wall paper was ripped and peeling in large chunks from the wooden surface. Valeena swallowed hard, hoping that it was not a beast that had damaged the hall.
“It smells like smoke here,” Nyles said, knocking a layer of soot from his boots that had accumulated as he walked.
“So it looks like I am next,” Rowan said, as the wall ended, revealing a massive tangle of ropes with candles suspended from them. The ropes were hanging over a pit where creatures scurried within. Rowan focused on the candles, the wick sparking to life. The flamed caused a chain reaction, lighting each candle in a stream. The candles burned the ends of the rope causing them to fall, forming a bridge.
Rowan smiled as he began to walk the bridge, Nyles, Akari, Valeena, Elden, and Aira following. “If this was all there is to it, then why was the hall covered in soot?” He asked as the candles continued to burn, their flames growing larger until they were engulfing the room. The rope bridge itself began to burn, the flames eating away at its fibers. Rowan panicked, focusing on the rope to stop the flames.
But the rope seemed to burn faster, sagging with the weight of the team. The deadly creatures below them leaped at their heels, hissing madly.
“Go faster!” Nyles said, shaking off one of the beast as its claws dug into his boots. He shoved Akari hard, saving her from a group of the creatures as they jumped at her tiny body.
Aira was the last to step off the bridge, just as the flames consumed it, igniting the entire room. “Ugh, I smell like a roasted pig,” She complained, brushing the soot from her smooth arms. Elden kicked one of the beast in the head as it made a final attempt at attacking the team.
“We’re not done yet,” Rowan announced excitedly. Not even Nyles could match his joy as dread had fallen over him.
“I don’t think it was a good idea to be here,” He said, as the flames continued to burn behind them. Something was preventing the fire from moving any further, but its presence still made him uncomfortable.
The scorched walls were gradually being replaced by a soft, green moss. Valeena glanced at Nyles as her boots stepped from wood floors to dirt. The walls crumbled away as a massive canyon replaced the temple room. High above Valeena could see the peaks of their next destination.
“Nyles?” Rowan said before glancing at Aira. “Or, you?”
“The Wind will not help us here,” Aira responded ignoring the snickering that erupted from Nyles.
“Alright, let me see what I can do!” Nyles focused on the stone, manipulating it with his crystal.
“Nyles!” Akari shouted as the ground shook under her.
“That wasn’t me,” He said, pausing for a moment before focusing on another set of rocks. “I am just trying to move the stones over there to form stairs,”
Akari crossed her arms and played with her necklace as Nyles changed the rocky surface to resemble stairs. Once more the ground began to shake, cracks forming on the dry surface. Before she could shriek again, a massive chunk of the ground sunk beneath them, forcing the team to jump forward.
“Nyles, hurry!” Aira shouted as the ground began to shake and sink once more.
Nyles focused on the stone as the team raced towards it, jumping to avoid being sucked into the sinking dirt. Akari fell behind, her foot sinking faster than she could move.
“Help!” She shouted as she watched the team reach the first step of stone steps that Nyles had created.
“Hang on!” Nyles said as he soared into the sky, flying as fast as his wings would allow back to Akari. He grasped her hand and pulled, freeing her foot.
“Oh, no!” Nyles said as he saw the ground crumbling out of sight in a rolling wave beginning at the entrance where the canyon met the fire room.
Nyles grabbed Akari under her shoulders and carried her to the stone steps where he quickly manipulated the stone to create more. The team moved quickly as the wave of destruction reached the bottom step, falling into the void.
“Hurry!” Elden shouted watching in horror as more stone began to drop into the darkness.
“I’m going as fast as I can!” Nyles shouted back, leading the team upwards. “We are nearly there, just move!”
Rowan was struggling to keep up as he was much heavier than the team and not as nimble. Several times the ground disappeared beneath his feet just as he stepped off the stone.
“Come on Rowan! Let’s not have a repeat of the Scorpion room!” Elden shot at him, ignoring the look of annoyance on Rowan’s face.
“Yes, because I fell through the floor on purpose!” He snapped, resorting to climbing on all fours like a dog to keep up with the team.
Nyles was the first to reach the top, grabbing Aira by the arm and tugging her up. He then reached for Valeena, helping her as well. Elden and Akari made it up next, hurrying as the canyon wall shook violently.
“Come on Rowan!” Aira nearly screamed as Nyles flew down, grabbing Rowan by the arm.
“Man, you are heavy!” He said as he struggled to lift Rowan.
“Just go, man!” Rowan informed him as he continued climbing. “I’ll be fine!”
Nyles hovered beside him as Aira, Akari, and Valeena urged him to hurry. Rowan’s hand reach the top of the canyon as the last of the stairs vanished, leaving him dangling in the air.
Elden and Valeena grabbed his left arm as Akari and Aira grabbed his right. They pulled with all their strength as Nyles flew under him, allowing Rowan to place his feet on his back for support.
Rowan scrambled over the edge, rolling onto his back and panting. He began to laugh, wiping sweat from his brow.
“How many is that? Three?” Rowan laughed, shaking his head. “Half way there huh?”
Valeena could not help but laugh as well, even though she feared what she would find at their final destination.
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