Dullahans and Tablets

by Daniel Kolade

  We won… one by one the party members took a knee, panting heavily as they glanced about, hoping that their trial was over. The victory didn’t quite set in until they laid eyes on each other. We won!

  However, those sweet smiles that beamed so warmly in the dark, damp room, quickly disappeared as the once guarded stone door creaked open. A new path was opened up and a new challenge was sure to be found in the darkness that hid further in.

  CHAPTER 21

  The passage leading further in was now open. Whether it was welcoming or not was a whole other question. The party shivered at the sight of the gloom hiding inside. Let’s find another way? They were all feeling vulnerable. The possibility of meeting a tougher boss was all too likely.

  “We’ll try and find another exit,” Zora rose, ordering the party to follow her in the quest of seeking another way out. They then embarked on their journey filled with darkness, where the strange runic symbols lit their way.

  They returned to the beginning where they’d stumble in, but still... no portal. They cleared some of the rubble from where the Cave Troll had emerged, but only dead ends followed those paths. It was increasingly clear that there was only one way out, and that was forwards.

  Zora gritted her teeth as they arrived back into the chamber where they fought the elemental boss. Every corner of the dungeon had been searched, or at least the places they’d already been to. Now, standing in the face of their only option, no one spoke and nothing sounded, until the first step was taken by their fearless leader.

  The passage was pitch black. Every shred of light died in this overpowering darkness.

  “Use your tablets,” Zora said, and they did, each clicking on their own tablet, using it as a flashlight that could only see a good five metres ahead or even less. The passage was fairly narrow with no runes to light up the path. The ceiling was an intangible cloud of darkness. As they walked, even after a minute or two, the eerie sensation of the corridor remained. Even when they passed the five-minute mark, it was still the same. It felt like a murky prison, one they’d never escape.

  Six minutes. “Are we there yet?” Nitro asked, comfortably resting on Hyde’s back as she slowly fought the Exhaustion.

  Seven minutes. “Remi, do you think we’re stuck here for good?” Mila asked.

  “Probably not,” he replied. “There should be an end. At least I hope so.”

  Eight minutes. “Who wants to make a bet that we’ll die here?” Abe said.

  “C’mon… it’s just dark,” Hyde shook his head.

  “Speaking of dark, anyone up for ghost stories?” Abe asked.

  “Ghost stories?” Mila tugged on Remi, as did Nitro on Hyde.

  Nine minutes. “Are we there yet?” Mari asked.

  “Really, you too?” Hyde sighed.

  Ten minutes. Those were probably the longest minutes of their lives. Although, they spoke freely and their voices echoed against the walls, fear still remained. The fear that they’d meet their makers once they arrived at the inevitable dead end. None of them could have guessed what they’d find at the end of their long, anxious travel.

  “What is that?” Nitro asked, noticing their tablet lights shine against the strange mechanism on the wall blocking their passage. There were some runes etched into it, and a series of movable disks that Mari touched without even a bit of fear or worry.

  “Specialised lock, maybe?” Remi said, glancing at Zora.

  “Probably,” she nodded.

  “Must be a puzzle.”

  “Mmm, but what kind of puzzle is this?” Abe squinted at the disks. There were three major ones forming three subsequent layers, and six minor ones attached to the middle layer in a borderless hexagonal shape.

  “Don’t touch anything before we’re sure how to solve this puzzle,” Zora said sternly.

  “Yeah, good idea,” Hyde nodded.

  The party loomed over the locked door with their tablets like flashlights. They stared at it, mentally pulling the pieces apart. But putting it back together was no good, for the puzzle itself didn’t make sense, or at least it didn’t make sense to them. There were no clues and they couldn’t understand the small symbols etched into the disks. But… maybe—

  “Hey, is there a drawing function on this thing?” Hyde asked, indicating his tablet.

  “Yeah, why?” Nitro perked up on his back.

  “I was just thinking, maybe we could draw out the pieces and then put them together somehow,” he explained.

  First, it was silent. Too silent. Then in one go, the party members all turned to him. “Wow, that’s a great idea, Hyde,” Mila smiled.

  “Good job, you’re not completely useless,” Remi nodded.

  “What do you mean useless!” Hyde retorted.

  “Sadly…” Abe muttered.

  “Sadly—” Hyde paused, noticing a bit of cash swapping hands between Abe and Mari. Mari obviously receiving it. “What the hell—how do you even have time for this!”

  “Forget the specifics,” Abe beamed with his usual smug expression, the one that said: you will never know, what I know.

  Hyde sighed, relaxing his face and his stiff shoulders… why do I even bother?

  “Something like this maybe?” Zora said to Remi and Mila.

  Hyde perked up, glancing over their shoulders.

  “Doesn’t seem right,” Remi cocked his head.

  “Hmm, yeah, I thought you’d say that,” she withdrew her tablet.

  “Wait, what if you try this?” Mila moved some of the shapes around, but nothing seemed to completely connect.

  “Hey, can I see?” Nitro peered over Hyde’s shoulder, but couldn’t quite see the drawing.

  “Oh sure,” Zora lifted the tablet up.

  “Um, Zora?”

  “Yes?”

  The party held their breath, almost as though a solution was about to come from Nitro’s lips.

  “I think I should tell you that—”

  The party leaned in.

  “You suck at drawing…”

  The expectation died, far faster than it had picked up.

  “Oh yeah, you’re right,” Remi nodded, agreeing.

  “Really…” Zora muttered, unimpressed.

  “Good eye there, Lolo,” he added.

  “What!” the Exhausted girl roared.

  “Mmm… can’t believe we didn’t notice it before,” Abe whispered.

  “But Zora’s drawings are so cute,” Mila grinned.

  “When we return I’m—” Zora paused. She didn’t even have to finish for them to know that decapitation was waiting for them the next time they sparred against her. “Forget it! Let’s just try moving the damn thing!”

  That makes me feel better. Hyde smiled, despite himself. It was a strange satisfaction to see that he wasn’t the only one subject to such teasing.

  The smallest disk, the first layer, turned without any kinks. When it finally reached a standstill again in a different position, they quickly turned around, ready to intercept whatever challenge was about to be thrown at them. But nothing came.

  The next circular layer was turned. Still nothing. The one after that too. And yet, nothing. The smaller disks attached to the middling layer were also turned. And again, nothing. This continued for another round of turns for each disk until they gave up, realising that nothing was coming. Whether something was actually changing, however, there was no way of knowing of it.

  They gave their utmost to solving the puzzle, but it seemed far more difficult than expected. Soon, their attempts were random, with little to no deductions attached to them. A few moments later their wits reached an end.

  “You know what! Let’s just try breaking the thing!” Zora yelled, frustrated out of her mind, quickly equipping herself with the halberd.

  “Really, that again?” Hyde sighed.

  “Nitro, how’s your reserve? Still Exhausted?” she ignored him.

  “No, I think I can get two spells out,” Nitro said, getting Hyde to put her down.
/>   “Zora… it’s not going to work,” he said.

  “We can always try,” she countered.

  “But Nitro will be Exhausted.”

  “We can just wait it out again.”

  “What if we face another encounter before then?”

  “Then we deal with it—”

  “Hey, can I try?” Mila asked.

  “Sure,” Zora waved her to go ahead.

  “Wait! Don’t!” Remi shouted after realising what was about happen. But it was already too late.

  Mila paused, but her hand had already touched the wall. She was no different from them. But the puzzle reacted differently to her touch. The symbols on the disk began to glow.

  “What?” Zora turned from Hyde.

  “Did I break it?” Mila retreated back from the shining runes.

  “I hope not… but Mila, I thought we’d agreed that you shouldn’t touch anything technological aside from your tablet,” Remi sighed.

  “Are you mad?” she lowered her head.

  “I’m not mad,” he smiled. “I just hope we don’t die here.”

  “Aren’t you being a little excessive?” Hyde asked.

  “Trust me, she breaks anything she touches,” Remi explained.

  “What? We all gave it a try, how’s she different?”

  “I wish I could tell you, but I have no idea.”

  Click. The sound was so clear and sharp. All conversation ceased and every pair of eyes froze. All but one.

  Mari stayed as monotone as always. Her feet barely sounded as she walked in the opposite direction of the party in silence.

  “Mari?” Hyde whispered.

  She lifted her hand and her feet stopped.

  “What are you doing?”

  She stood, facing the blackness with her hand held out, almost as if to stop it from creeping in.

  “Hey?” he stepped closer and that was when he noticed it.

  It was so fast, so quick. In hindsight, the fact that she noticed it was insane. An arrow of pale blue colour flew at them—instantaneous and silent—but the projectile was deflected by an invisible wall, almost as if Mari’s hand was enough to stop it. The arrow struck down close to them, digging into the stone, just before disappearing. It was an ice arrow.

  The turquoise-haired girl kept her stance, as her tome appeared in her other hand, along with a translucent dome around them. That simple display of power was remarkable. Hyde thought on that day at the goblin keep that she would die as easily as Levi did if he didn’t protect her. But now he knew that it was the complete opposite. It was his Support who was protecting him and not the other way around.

  Where did that arrow come from? Hyde squinted into the blackness.

  Click. Another arrow was sent flying. This time the delay before it appeared in the darkness was shorter. It struck the protective bubble, but now instead of deflecting off its surface, the projectile disappeared into it, only leaving behind translucent ripples on the shield.

  Following the shot came an elemental covered in glistening icy armor. The creature’s steps were slow and determined as it escaped the column of obscurity, wielding a huge bow.

  Oh no… Hyde thought, thinking that they’d have to fight yet another one of those creatures… especially in such a confined space.

  “Abe, rotate when Mari’s Spell fades,” Zora commanded. “Rest of you, c’mon we need to figure out this puzzle!”

  The party split seamlessly into two groups, defenders and puzzle-crackers. It was obvious that this was some sort of time attack. There may not have been any clocks ticking, but the clicking of the bow unloading an arrow of ice and the slow thumping that came from the elemental’s determined gait, was enough. If it was allowed to arrive at their doorstep, that’s when the real trouble would begin.

  CHAPTER 22

  Arrow after arrow came flying at a tremendous speed, but disappeared just as fast against the Shield of Absorption Mari held up. Ripples grew and spread across the translucent bubble, as the party remained safely within.

  “And this is why I said, Mila shouldn’t touch anything with electricity running through it,” Remi shook his head, standing beside the other puzzle crackers trying to make sense of the strangely marked disks.

  “I’m sorry,” Mila looked down.

  “It’s okay,” he smiled after experiencing a stab of guilt.

  “Hey, how much time do we have, until it gets here?” Zora glanced over her shoulder.

  “Forget how long until that thing gets here, we’ll run out of projectile denial before that,” Abe explained.

  “Time?”

  “A good fifteen seconds, maybe?” he shrugged. “Probably a bit more, considering we’ll be alternating,”

  “Damn…” she cursed, turning back to the puzzled door. “Thoughts?”

  The fellow puzzle-crackers glanced at one another, realising that they had nothing more than when they had started. The multi-disked contraption was still a ridiculous mystery.

  Click. Click. The elemental bowman unloaded faster bullets more frequently and Mari’s shield was now gone. Fortunately, Abe took her place.

  “We’re running out of time!” Abe announced.

  Dammit. The party was doing all they could, testing different placements of the disks and anything else they could think of. But still… nothing.

  The crack of Abe’s magical shield shattering against the icy arrow echoed before being muffled by the great sound of having that very spear strike the door just above their heads.

  “Yep, times pretty much up,” Abe met their eyes and without anything more to say, it was now or never. Even if their Sentinels had more defensive Spells, they couldn’t protect them from the constant fire. It was over. Or maybe—

  Hyde pressed off of the wall, running in the opposite direction. At the very same moment Mila reached to operate the puzzle. The Dragoon activated Rush, quickly enjoying the sensation of Weightlessness in his limbs with his silver in tow.

  Click.

  It was just inches from Mila’s fingers.

  The Bowman unloaded another unforgiving projectile. And the Dragoon, in the nick of time, arrived at the forefront of his party. The arrow zipping through the air was halved against his blade, against the Perfect Parry. The halves crashed into the walls, emitting a bit of light before disappearing like its predecessors.

  With a determined posture, Hyde stood tightly wielding his blade. His jaw was set, his silver ready and his eyes as sharp as ever. No soul or arrow would get past him, or that was at least the oath he’d taken. He could hear something happening behind him, but he couldn’t quite believe it.

  “Mila… you—” Remi stood wide eyed at the result of her touch. She stepped back, withdrawing her hand almost as if to hide her guilt.

  “Not bad, Hyde, how long do you think you can—” Zora trailed off as she glanced back at the puzzle—which no longer was there. “Mila, did you—”

  “Mm-hmm,” Mila nodded, looking away.

  The other members of the party couldn’t even speak. Only the stunned relief could be seen in their eyes.

  Click. Another arrow came flying.

  “What’s happening?” Hyde said, without the luxury of being able to look back.

  “The puzzle. It’s gone,” Mari whispered.

  “What?” Hyde cringed, relaxing his grip. However, only for a second, until it hit him that he was the sole guard. Now steeled again, he desperately moved his sword, and fortunately for him, he was able to change the trajectory of the arrow before it hit anyone.

  “Run!” Zora’s voice echoed like a siren. And just as fast, the party scrambled into action, dashing in the opposite direction of the elemental bowman. Click. Click. Arrows were sent flying, but the party was luckily spared by the lack of foresight in the elemental archer. However, with them now disappearing into a hallway of absolute blackness, where only the sound of their steps beat against the hard ground, something strange happened. Their steps ceased in the very next moment, for the gro
und itself had disappeared, or rather, it had ended about a metre ago. Gravity quickly shackled them down and pulled them into the abyss that they could only hope had a bottom.

  Only their echoing screams were of any comfort during the fall. For that was the only way for any them to know that they weren’t alone. Then, in one loud crash their fall was broken by a hard stone surface, presumably something similar to the one they’d fallen from.

  “That hurt…” Remi groaned, trying to sit up.

  “You can say that again,” Abe replied.

  “Everyone, still alive?” Zora said and then called roll. Soon they were all accounted for. “Yeah, this nameless guild is still alive and kicking—” she paused for moment. “Hey, maybe that should be our name—Alive and Kicking?”

  “Are you serious?” Hyde muttered. “We almost died!”

  “Mmm, but we didn’t,” Mari whispered. He couldn’t see her, but he could tell by the sound of her voice that she was smiling.

  “This guild should be called the Suicide Squad!” he grumbled.

  “But we aren’t trying to die, are we?” Mila added.

  “I’m pretty sure, that’s plagiarism,” Remi noted.

  “I don’t think I’m suicidal, I just like gambling,” Abe grinned.

  “Hyde, are you suicidal?” Mari asked.

  “No!” Hyde yelled.

  “He just takes life a bit too serious,” Zora said, giggling. She set the rest of the party off as they all burst out laughing. It was almost like saying: I’m glad we’re alive.

  “Anyway, did you guys solve the puzzle?” Hyde asked as their tablet lights banished the darkness around them.

  “Solve the puzzle—if only,” Abe smiled.

  “What?” Hyde said, clicking on his own tablet.

  “Mila touched it,” Mari answered.

  “You’re kidding,” he sat back in disbelief.

  “I wish,” Remi shook his head. “What—Mila?” Hyde turned to her.

  “Just a little bit,” Mila looked away but the glow of her tablet was enough to reveal her embarrassment.

  “This is just ridiculous!” he said, still unconvinced. “You guys realise that, right?”