"HAHAHAHAHA!" Lieutenant Leigh couldn't stop laughing as she looked down at the two stuck deep inside the hole. The two glared up at her in annoyance.
"Just help us out already, Leigh!" Eisha said irritably, then flopped dramatically onto the ground. Leigh grinned and stuck out her tongue in playful teasing.
"You forgot there's a reward for winning this game. Why would I help you?"
"I can't believe you're actually like this. We're not friends anymore!" Eisha joked, pretending to cry. Lieutenant Ren just sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Just help me climb out, Leigh. I don't care about the reward anymore if, in the end, I'm still stuck down here with her," Ren muttered, exhaling heavily.
"Well, you won't get any reward if you're just sitting at the bottom of a hole, now will you?" Leigh said with a laugh, then used her magic to help them climb out. Her family was known for using Creation Magic, though their abilities were limited by their spiritual energy. The bigger or more complex the object or task, the more energy it required.
This time, she conjured a rope and lowered it into the hole. Lieutenant Ren and Eisha climbed up, both exhausted.
"Thanks!" Eisha said.
"By the way, are you alone, Leigh?" Ren asked. Leigh nodded. The rope disappeared from her hands — another special ability of hers: she could make things she created vanish.
She looked around, then at Eisha and Ren.
"The maze is huge, but we still ran into each other. That means the things we saw earlier outside were just illusions," she said.
The two thought for a moment, then nodded.
"You're right. That means the others must be close by," Eisha added.
"Wow, you finally said something smart," Ren teased.
"Hey, what did you just call me, idiot?" Eisha shot back, glaring at him like she wanted to eat him alive.
"Enough, you two. You're equally annoying sometimes," Leigh said, then started walking ahead.
"What do you mean by that?" Eisha blinked in confusion and hurried after her. Ren followed, shaking his head.
---
"Wait, wait, wait!" Lieutenant Leigh suddenly shouted and ran toward me. I was standing on top of a high rock, waiting for her to climb up. Some small trolls had appeared out of nowhere. I got up there first, and Leigh was still chasing them below.
"You used magic!" I yelled.
"What magic are you talking about, Nyssa? I don't even know any!" she replied, quickly running toward the rock I was on. I helped her climb up. Once she reached the top, she was panting. "It's called Creation Magic. My family can create anything we imagine — but it depends on how much spiritual energy we have."
Suddenly, a whip appeared in her hand. She grinned at me.
"Why are you using that now?" I asked.
"I kinda lost focus earlier. Anyway, how are we supposed to get out of here with those things down there?" she grumbled, pointing to the trolls below. They were waiting, luckily not very smart. Some trolls can talk and carry weapons, but these ones just had big teeth and long claws. No way I was letting them bite or scratch me!
"Just use your whip. I'll... uh... I left my katana behind, so I'll use my dagger instead," I said, pulling out a dagger from my leg holster. She gave me a thumbs-up. "Our goal is to escape, not waste time fighting. So we run fast... to the left. If anything gets close, we take it out. Sound good?"
She nodded and looked at the trolls below.
"Alright. Let's go!"
She jumped first, kicking some trolls away before running off. I followed, taking the same path.
We ended up in a cave. Don't ask why there's a cave here — but I think there's a way out. They say if there's an entrance, there's an exit. wink emoji
"To be honest, I don't like caves," Leigh said, walking closer to me and grabbing my arm.
"Huh? Nothing's going to eat you here," I said with a laugh and kept walking.
She looked around and whispered,
"You know caves have legends..."
"Oh, come on, Leigh. If you're scared of ghosts, there aren't any. What you're really afraid of is snake eggs like that one," I said, stopping and pointing to a large egg in a nearby nest.
"You're sure it's a snake?" she asked.
"Nope," I replied, scanning the area. "Leigh, it's getting darker. Try using your magic to see if there's a path on the other side." I walked off to the right.
"Hey hey hey, are you serious?" she asked, half-laughing. I grinned.
"Just scream 'help' if you see a snake," I said, continuing on. Until I reached a darker part. Nothing... no path...
"KYAAAAHHHHH!" I heard Lieutenant Leigh scream.
I ran toward her — but she had already drawn her katana and was battling a giant snake. Fighting it here was risky; it had the home-field advantage.
I jumped toward Leigh, and we both tumbled away just as the snake's tail swung toward her.
"There's a path behind the snake, but how do we get there?" she asked, standing up. She helped me up, and we ran from the snake.
"Why is that snake so huge?!" I yelled.
"It's a monster type, usually found deep in the Hiyosko region," she said, pulling out a spear and handing it to me. "You need this. Now, back to my question — how do we get past it?"
Before I could answer, the snake slithered closer. We exchanged a glance.
I gripped my dagger tightly. I had left my katana behind... but... Hirao... he was still here.
"You go ahead to the path. I'll distract it," I said.
She shook her head. "No, you go. Use the spear if it attacks you."
She smiled. I sighed and nodded.
"Got it," I said, darting to the side. The snake chased after me, but Leigh leapt in and stabbed it with her katana. It roared loudly — a strange sound. I glanced at Leigh, nodded, and ran toward the back of the snake where the path should be.
But then I stopped. The snake was distracted and thrashing — the perfect chance to...
"YAAAAHHH!" I screamed as I leapt and stabbed the snake hard with the spear. It let out another deafening roar. We heard noises around us. Was it calling for backup? Where were they coming from?!
"Lieutenant!" I shouted.
"ON IT, YAAAAHH!" she yelled back, pulling her katana free and slashing at the snake. Then she spun midair and chopped its head off. I blinked in shock.
"You're... weird, Lieutenant Leigh," I murmured. The snake fell, and we ran toward the path. Soon, we saw light. Some snakes followed, but once we were completely out of the cave, they didn't chase anymore. We stopped to catch our breath.
"They're afraid of light," Leigh panted.
"Shall we go?" I asked.
She smiled at me, and we walked away. Finally... we had escaped death.