A Story of Evil

Chapter 28: The Maze VIII

"and that's how the whole thing was cleared." Sol just finished explaining the whole thing to his team. They were already inside the neutral zone because, as soon as the stone pillars fell, the door on the ship was finally unlocked. Allowing them to exit the third level of the maze with ease.

Alice, Ethan, and Jake, only woke up when the explosion happened. So, they didn't get the same explanation received by Peter who was still amazed at Sol's wit. And just by how amazed Peter looked, the three couldn't help but ask what had happened. Leaving Solomon with no choice but to repeat himself once more.

From the state of the ships. To the rising of the water at night. To the mines, the rune barriers, and everything else.

"So the rune barrier was used to make sure that the mines would not get wet?" Ethan wanted to clarify. Not really knowing much about crystals and runes.

"Yup, the flame crystals inside the mines will not light up in a wet environment. So, I needed to make sure that it was secured first. After that, all we needed to wait for was the rising of the water."

"You really thought of all this through, didn't you?" Jake said.

"Of course I did. By the way, I believe that's enough proof for the two of you to stop complaining about my item choices right?" He mentioned; referring to Ethan and Jake who nodded with a light annoyance on their faces.

Deep down they still wanted to prove themselves. It was only Alice and Solomon who were doing much of the work and, somehow, Peter was able to catch up to the two. Having a support role in the chemistry. They didn't like the feeling of uselessness that much, especially because the maze may drag longer. That's why they approached Sol, asking if there was any role they could fill.

"What do you mean? You guys are the meat shields."

"M-meat shields?" Ethan repeated.

"Yeah, you can serve as distractions while we finish the job. It's as important as all the other roles and, in fact, it may even be the most important."

"Ohhh I see! So you finally recognize our worth huh?" Jake said, feeling proud that his and Ethan's status seemed to have gone up.

"Oh I definitely see your worth." Solomon said, with his lips curved to a smile.

"Anyway why aren't they showing us the items yet?" Alice asked, seeing the empty tables that stuck on the wall.

"Yeah something is definitely different about this." Ethan tried to sound smart.

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Solomon also noticed it too of course. The timer on the door leading to the next level was not working and, aside from this, the maze voice took too long to speak again. But as soon as everyone was having speculations on their minds, they were finally given updates.

[Congratulations. You have reached the last neutral round of the maze. The items for this round will be entirely different so please choose wisely.]

"The last round?" Ethan couldn't believe his ears. He looked at Jake and, with a smile forming on his friend's lips, they both shouted.

"YES!"

"FINALLY!"

Everyone was happy about it of course. The fact that they could actually leave the maze earlier than they thought. The group was actually thinking that the levels would simply continue stacking up but, with that announcement, they finally gained hope.

However, Sol thought how everything was too suspicious. Suddenly coming up with an announcement for last level when it was supposed to be a maze didn't fit well with him. The item choices were also ominous. Like they were warnings of a long battle that was to come.

Most were weaponry. There were also healing items. Then there was food that could be used for a long time. Sol looked at these, thinking what best combination could be used no matter what situation they'd end up with beyond the fourth level's door.

"Guys, get the items that I'll be pointing at."

[Camping Bed]

[Information: A bed that is useful for most terrains. It is durable and water resistant which also provides enough comfort and warmth.]

[Camouflage Cloak]

[Information: Items used in order to conceal one's presence. It also serves to contain the smell of the person wearing it. Although footsteps and other sounds made by the wearer are not covered by the effects.]

[Knight Broadsword x2]

[Information: Durable and sturdy weapons issued to the knights of King Jubilee. It is said that the weapons could even cut through elemental attacks and absorb a certain threshold before getting broken.]

[Wind Crystal x5]

[Information: Crystals used to produce gusts of wind. It is not powerful enough to create hurricanes but, using all of them together can blow and push large boulders.]

[Steak x5]

The last item shocked everyone. It wasn't part of the orders given by Sol and there was only one person who would think of something stupid as taking steak at that time. Surely enough, at the last table, Ethan was giving a wry smile which made his biggest fan snap.

"You really want to die don't you?" Alice brought out her daggers, approaching Ethan who's back was already against the wall.

"I-I didn't mean to! My hand slipped and the steak was the one I touched!"

"That's a pretty lame excuse seeing how there's enough space in between the items. Your hand must be very slippery then. Why don't we cut them out?" Ethan shrieked like a little girl at that point.

"Stop that Alice." Sol's tone was suggestive which made it harder for Alice not to follow. She hid her daggers again while giving Ethan one last look. Sticking out one her middle finger then moving it across her neck. Indicating hat would happen to Ethan should he make one more mistake.

"Let's leave things as they are. He didn't intend it so our only option is to make do with what we have."

"Fine boy genius."

With this the cloaks were distributed and worn. The two meat shields were the ones who carried the bags on their backs. Tied to the ropes which the group was able to salvage after it served its purpose. The immunity bag was still with Peter and so were the other items inside it. He was also given one knight broadsword and the other was held by Sol. Alice had her daggers and, with this, their preparations were complete.

"Well then. Let's get out of this maze." Sol said, opening the door with everyone else following through it.

[You have arrived at the final level. Good luck.]

Everything was dark. Nobody saw what was going on around them. The strong that blew through the trees and the heavy drops of rain indicated that, they were in the middle of a storm. And this very realization paralyzed one person as the first streak of lightning and the first roar of thunder tore through the dark sky.

"Sol what do we do man!"

It was dark. The only illumination offered were the lightning strikes and, in such a cruel environment, they only had one person to trust. Everyone turned to their leader for guidance but, as the second lighting stuck, they saw nothing but fear on Sol's face.

"Sol?" Another one came and this made Sol grab on to Alice, with the girl realizing what happened as she said.

"This isn't good."

It was the worst thing they could ever imagine. Out of all the things that Sol could have a phobia on, it was lighting and thunder. The boy was shivering from both cold and fear while still gripping tightly to Alice who began thinking what needed to be done at that moment.

"Alice are you fine?" Peter asked, thinking that she was the same age as Sol.

"Of course I am idiot." Alice said, surprised that Sol could be reduced to such a state.

"Peter, I'm gonna lead the group. My eyes should be able to see more especially in this situation."

"Got it."

As soon as the chain of command changed, they saw the eyes of the hungry wolves staring down at them. The darkness of the night was thick. No moonlight shone through the storm clouds that blocked it. Yet despite these things, the stares of the wolves pierced right through. Giving shudders to the five who were shaking away the one thought that kept recurring at their heads.

"This will be your grave."

Sol tugged on Alice who moved her head close to his. Sol then whispered an idea that he came up with.

"U-use the r-rope and tie it on each other." Sol said in a frightened voice.

Even in his state he was able to give out a proper command and everyone followed. Yet this was the only thing he could give as another combination of lightning and thunder came in a chain. Making Sol shiver even more.

"Let's get moving." Alice said.

"But the wolves."

"They're not attacking because they aren't sure that we're here. The cloaks which Sol chose gives us a means to stay hidden especially in this kind of environment." Alice mentioned, holding on to Sol's hand while the group followed her command.

Thus they began moving slowly through the darkness. As Alice said, with their cloak on, even the wolves would have a hard time finding them. Hence they prayed that the storm would not end and, that they would be able to find a shelter to rest on.

It was mentally straining from the get go. So much so that Ethan even had weak legs, needing to be carried by Jake. Alice on the other hand was starting to feel her eyes sting from having to focus too much despite the situation.

As the hours passed the situation seemed to be hopeless. With the wolves still trailing in the shadows, waiting for any hint to be given off by their prey. That is, until another lightning struck and Alice was able to see something at the corner of her eyes.

"Wait." She said.

"What is it?" Peter asked.

"Sol, what are the odds of other monsters being in this stage?" Alice furthered.

"N-none." The boy forced his voice to come out and this was all the information Alice needed.

"Good. We're finally getting some rest." She said, moving towards a location and, as the next lightning strike came, everyone was able to see the same thing she did.

It was a cave.