The room started to violently shake. So much so that it was difficult for the group to stay on their feet. The stone bricks of the walls started to come loose and looked like they could fall out at any moment. At the same time, dust and debris fell from the walls and ceilings to cover the group.
“I guess we screwed up!” Josh yelled as he held his balance against a wall.
“I really thought we had it figured out!” Sean said as he leaned his back against the wall.
Then Sean fell backwards. The wall behind him quickly slid into the ground, and he was sent tumbling. Sean landed directly on his backside and prepared for the worst to happen. Then the room around them stopped shaking.
Sean rapidly turned his head back and forth in shock. The abrupt stop made him unsure of what happened. Once it seemed like everything was fine, he let out a sigh of relief and stood up. His backside hurt, but he was just happy that he was safe.
“I think we found the exit,” Austin said as he walked towards the open wall.
“At least we did that,” Sean groaned as he rubbed his back. “I would appreciate it if it didn’t mean I fell on my butt.”
“You’ll be fine,” Josh chuckled. “You should be happy. We solved the dungeon puzzle!”
“Right…just like a game,” Sean mumbled to himself.
“Not as fun when you fall on your butt?” Josh teased.
“Shut up and let’s go,” Sean said.
Josh dropped the teasing, and the group continued forward through the new exit. The new hallway had stairs that went downward. Before they went much further, Austin flicked a ball down the stairs. The ball echoed as it bounced down the stairs, but no trap had been sprung. So, the group continued forward down the stairs.
The hallway was darker than the first hallway. The only illumination came from the end of the hallway. It did not affect the group much due to their enhanced senses, but it was still noticeable. Each step they took seemed to echo throughout the hallway. It was like they had made it to one of the furthest parts of the tower that had not been seen in decades. Austin even got the feeling it was like they were exploring an ancient tomb.
The group did not have to continue long until they made it to the source of the light. They arrived at a large marble door with golden trim. Affixed in the center of the door was a golden orb that radiated light. Underneath it, there was an inscription that read:
“I illuminate all around and come with a roaring applause. But alas, I only live for a moment. What am I?”
As the group finished reading the inscription, Josh was the first to say something. “Is this also like one of your games, Sean?”
Sean rolled his eyes at Josh’s comment. He was not sure if Josh was mocking him or seriously asking the question. “Yes, riddles can be pretty common as well.”
“So, does that mean you are good at solving them?” Josh asked sincerely.
“Honestly? Not really,” Sean admitted as he nervously scratched the back of his head. “I’ve always been bad at thinking in that way.”
“Just when I thought your game obsession could come in handy,” Josh sighed before he addressed the whole group. “Well, I guess we need to brainstorm. Any ideas?”
Maya held her chin in thought as she read over the words. She read them over multiple times as she tried to think of an answer. “Maybe a traveling circus? That has applause and lights. Also, they are only in town for a little bit.”
“Or a band!” Josh said excitedly in response. “That’s really similar in idea.”
Austin shook his head in disagreement as he reread the inscription. He did not look away from it as he responded. “I don’t think so. It specifically says they only live for a moment. Bands and circuses come to town for a moment, but they still live afterward.”
“Good point,” Maya said as she bit her lip in frustration. “So, we need something that does not live long. Maybe a bug?”
“I don’t think anyone is applauding bugs,” Sean countered.
“Ugh, you’re right,” Maya groaned as she dramatically fell to the floor. “What could it be then?”
“Aren’t we thinking about this too logically?” Austin suggested. “Our guesses have been more based on logic. Riddles are sort of illogical but true.”
“You’re right,” Josh nodded. “So, we need to think more about the concept or secret meaning behind the riddle.”
“This is why I hate riddles,” Sean groaned as he ran his hands through his face. Then he sat down on the ground in frustration. “The whole point is to trick people who think logically.”
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“The great game master, defeated by illogical thinking,” Josh laughed as he watched Sean collapse to the ground.
“Shut up,” Sean snapped before he returned to sulking.
“Looks like that leaves the two of us,” Austin chuckled. “The riddle has defeated Sean and Maya.”
“The most powerful enemy so far! Words!” Josh said as he dramatically gestured to the door.
Austin rolled his eyes at Josh’s exaggeration. “Well, what do you think it could be?”
“This tower is not based on Earth. So, I think we should ignore things that have to do with our culture,” Josh said in response as he refocused. “Maybe it has something to do with nature? There are plenty of things that only exist for a moment in nature.”
“Oh, I think you are on the right track,” Austin smiled as his voice started to speed up in excitement. “Maybe something like a natural disaster. Those are loud and usually only exist for a moment. Could it be an earthquake or a tsunami?”
“Well, those don’t necessarily create light,” Josh said. “But that could be on the right track.”
Sean lifted his head from his sulking position and looked towards the rest of the group. His eyes had lit up as if he realized the answer. “Lightning! Thunder is like applause, and it lights up the sky!”
“That sounds perfect!” Austin said.
“Let’s try it,” Maya said. “Then we can be done with this riddle and move on with our lives. Sean, will you do the honors since you got it?”
Sean stood up and brushed himself off. He walked towards the door and looked up at the glowing orb and the words underneath. The light of the orb slightly hurt his eyes, but he did not turn away. “The answer is lightning.”
The golden glow of the orb twisted into itself. As it did, pale blue came from the center and twisted along with it. The two colors swirled together until the pale blue overcame the gold. As the pale blue light took over, the door began to shake. As it shook, it slid into the ground.
“Looks like you aren’t as bad at riddles as you think,” Josh smiled as he patted Sean on the back.
“It was definitely a group effort,” Sean shrugged. “No way I could have figured it out by myself.”
“Give yourself some credit,” Austin said as he walked past Sean to the entryway. “If you didn’t realize it, we could have been spinning around with more guesses.”
“Yep, I know I had no clue,” Maya laughed.
“Well, uh, thanks,” Sean said nervously. He still was not used to praise and did not know how to take that.
“Thank you for getting it,” Austin smiled. “Now, let’s see what’s next.”
The group followed Austin through the entryway and was shocked to see what lay before them. The ground at their feet had changed from stone to packed sand. That was not the shocking part, though. They were now in a large arena. Austin estimated that it had to be the size of a football stadium. Surrounding the arena were stands carved out of tan stone. The stands were raised and stood on top of the walls. Austin saw three enormous gates carved into the walls. Each gate stood at a different side of the arena. Austin glanced backward and saw that the door they exited from had become a gate the same size as the others.
As Austin took in the sight, he swore he saw a person sitting in one of the stands directly across from him. He squinted to try to get a better view of the person. Sitting in the stands was a large man with the head of a lion. He could barely make out the details, but he appeared to wear several bangles around his arms and was shirtless. The lion-man stood up, and Austin could see that he wore some sort of skirt armor.
“Good show, good show!” The lion man announced as he clapped his hands. Somehow, his voice and clapping were able to carry across the entire arena. “You have made it far and have one last challenge. You will face the mighty manticore! Please continue to give me a good show!”
Before Austin could respond to the lion man, the gate directly across from the group began to open. Claws reached out over the gate as it slid downward. The claws grabbed the gate firmly and swiftly slammed it into the ground. A giant beast jumped out from within the gate. The beast had the body and face of a lion, but was at least three times the size of a lion. Growing from its back were fleshy black wings, similar to a bat’s. As it landed, it slammed its tail into the ground. The tail was covered in black segmented armor and ended with a stinger.
“That from one of your RPGs?” Josh asked Sean as he nudged him with his arm.
“Now you’re just making fun of me. Not everything is gonna be from one of my games,” Sean said before he let out a sigh. “But yes, manticores are a thing in some of the ones I have played.”
Austin looked back at the two at Sean’s response. “Does that mean you have any tips for beating one?”
“Uh, don’t get stabbed by the stinger, I guess,” Sean said as if he were unsure how to respond.
“No secret weaknesses?” Austin asked in confirmation.
“Not really,” Sean shrugged.
“Okay, then we’ll treat it like any other fight. We avoid their attacks and hit them with our own,” Austin said.
“That means you need to try to avoid the stinger, Maya,” Josh said with emphasis.
“Why are you picking on me?” Maya groaned.
“Because you fight like a crazy person,” Sean pointed out.
“Ugh, I guess you’re right,” Maya said as she hefted her axe onto her shoulder. “I’ll do my best to avoid the attacks then.”
Their discussion was interrupted by a thunderous roar that echoed throughout the empty arena. Austin turned to look in the direction of the roar. As the roar released from the manticore, pale blue cracks of energy crawled across its body. Austin could see the sand underneath the manticore start to turn smooth like glass. Austin could only assume that meant the cracks around its body were something like electricity or lightning.
“It’s coated itself in some sort of lightning,” Austin said to the group. “So, be careful in close combat.”
The group nodded in response and readied themselves for battle. Fur grew around Maya’s body as she readied her axe. Josh drew his sword and raised his other hand. Sean did not summon his water katana, but instead formed water into the shape of birds. Austin started to channel his Essence into his hands. A silver orb of light formed in his hands as he prepared himself. He was thankful that he worked on long-range techniques because he was not sure if he could use his shield or gauntlets in this fight.
