****
(OOC: Sorry FFF, if I used your character a bit too much. I just didn`t want to leave you in the room there by yourself, that`s a bit too boring. But if you really didn`t want to follow him, I can edit this.)
Saffron ripped his blade through another fighter, dropping him to the ground, and turned back to Adarl. "You wield that blade, don`t you?" Saffron said, looking at the exit to make sure the room was clear. "Someone who wields such a sword has value in my book. Skilled bastard swordsmen are far and few between. I wish to duel with you. However, this chaotic setting is not fit for such a duel. Promise me you`ll make it to the final round, so we can have an epic duel." his eyes gleamed. "I`m really looking forward to it."
There were two openings out of the small circular room, and Saffron took the left exit. "Follow me." he said, continuing down the hallway. "We can`t get caught up in any more mindless battles. Even if we win, we would run out of time."
They continued down the hallway, Adarl a bit cautious of this swordsman. After a few minutes, the hallway opened up to a large square room, with a +-shaped pathway over a pit. The north exit was blocked by two men with black bandannas on, wearing leather armor. They each carried small knives.
Saffron moved to the center of the platform, and took no more than two steps before one of the bandannad men spoke.
"You must not go any further." they said. "You may as well begin finding your way out of the labyrinth now. We are members of the Devonshire Imperial Army, and 100 of our finest soldiers entered this contest as a team. Our goal is to block the exit, and disqualify everyone except for our own members. We are distractions, put here so to fight and waste others` times. We should, by this time, have every opening to the exit secured. I do not suggest you fight us. Even if you are more powerful than us, we will waste your time and disqualify you." the speaker, a middle-aged muscular man with a handlebar mustache, seemed very convinced of what he was saying. "We do not intend to be malicious. But it is imperative that the Devonshire Army claims this item. Please understand."
"Hmmm. . ." Saffron sighed, running a hand through his golden hair and turning around to Adarl. "What do you say, man? I`m a bit stumped."
****
"You serious?!" one of the men said, staring at Zachary. "Wait, you might be lying to trick us!"
"You idiot." the right man said. "He`s clearly telling the truth, otherwise, why would he be walking from that way in the first place?"
"Oh, you think you`re so smart, don`t you?" the left man said. "You think you`re smarter than me? Well you`re not!"
"You bet I am!" the right man said. "Ask me any question, I`ll tell you the correct answer!"
"Alright, alright, hold on, let me think . . ." the left man said.
The conversation was clearly going nowhere. Suddenly, Zachary noticed the bald man who had come up after him move ahead. He stood in front of the arguing men.
"Yeah, what do you want, old man!?" the right man shouted. "You got a problem too???"
The old man raised a large wooden staff, which he had been holding in his right hand, and rammed it into the left man`s stomach. He fell over and began coughing, and the old man stepped over him and continued down the tunnel.
The man began coughing and wiggling his body, trying to get his breath back. His friend/enemy bent over him. "Hey, you all right, man!?!" and Zachary was once again trapped in the catacombs.
*****
(OOC: wkz, you rock. I had set that situation up and I was hoping you would do that, and you did!! Very cool.)
The gorilla came barreling down towards Theodarus, who was busy hauling himself down the stone steps, trying not to fall off. As it hit the step Theodarus had marked, suddenly, the gorilla`s massive hands punched through the steps, and it jerked, sending it and the goblin tumbling off the edge and into the abyss. A gap about five steps wide was left in the stairway.
With that enemy gone, Theodarus was left in the silent spiral. He continued his way downward, and reached the bottom. He saw a bald, blind man sitting cross-legged at the base and muttering something. There was a hallway to the south, and he could hear the voices of some a person coughing rather violently, and another person screaming something.
****
Fwupo managed to brace himself in the chute`s walls, which were surprisingly easy to hold onto, being uneven stone bricks melded together. He could hear the sounds of a massive amount of people fighting up about, and could see blood, projectiles, and other various paraphenilia flying around above. Stuff was definitely getting rough up there.
As he just managed to get his breath back and formulate a plan, he heard the groan of a very large beast, which looked like a mix between a tiger and a man, which was backing up towards the hole. He heard the sound of a sword doing some cutting, and the next thing he knew, there was a tigerman smashed into the hole above him. The weight of the massive beast was not on him, because the beast`s girth was so wide that it took up the entire hole. The monster was groaning, and wiggling, trying to free itself. If Fwupo didn`t think fast, he would be smushed into a spiky grave.
****
At the end of the maze, the Devonshire Imperial Army had just secured what they believed to be the only openings to the exit.
"We`ll send 10 people into the exit." the commander, Jule Gregory stated. "This is just in case someone has already entered. I will be one of the 10. The remaining 90 soldiers will do their best to hold off all people from exiting the labyrinth. The plan is going well so far. Please do your best, and realize that even if you fail, the Devonshire Imperial Army has won."
Jule waved to 9 other men, and they entered the exit of the labyrinth, which, in reality, was a large steel room with a sealed door at the other side.
"There`s no one in here! Yes!! We made it, sir!" one man shouted.
"No, you`re wrong." Jule said, pointing to a far north corner. In that corner, stood a tall man with long black hair in a long black mantle, who seemed to be playing with a sort of puzzle. "I will approach him."
The man looked at the approaching lieutenant general with his ice blue eyes, and then turned them back to his puzzle.
"I am the leader of the Devonshire Imperial Army, Jule Gregory." he said, bowing. "I have led 99 of my finest men in here to claim the prize. I do not wish to battle you. However, I must tell you, that there is no way you can defeat all of our men and claim the prize. To apologize, I am giving you this information so that you can begin your escape, and hopefully salvage your life."
The man said nothing, and continued playing with his puzzle, uninterested.
". . .please answer." Jule stated, getting impatient.
The man did not comply.
". . .I did not want to do this." Jule said, unsheathing a long broadsword with fancy engravings. "So be it. Enguarde!" he said, arming himself and standing at attention. "Men, gather round!"
The puzzle in the man`s hands abruptly dissapeared, and his eyes once again turned to Jule`s. "I would advise you to not do that."
"So he speaks." Jule said. "Please arm yourself. I cannot bear to kill an unarmed man."
"I am armed." the man said, and suddenly, a large blade erupted from his chest, skewering Jule before he even knew what hit him.
"Wh. . .what. . ." the lieutenant general stared down at his wound, then back at the man. "You . . .how. . ." Jule Gregory, who had taken out 200 thieves by himself, acclaimed throughout Devonshire for his chivalry and courage, slumped to his knees and began to bleed to death.
"S. . .sir!" the remaining 9 men rushed forward, attempting to avenge their honored leader`s death.
A rain of blood followed.
**Remaing Time before the door closes: approximately 25 minutes**
Edited by: [url=http://p068.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=molokidan>Molokidan</A] at: 9/17/04 9:03 pm