Across the giant stone bridge the two Twili crossed, the ever-present Nightshade temple looming in front of them. Its gloomy, yet magnificent architecture was a beautiful and intimidating sight to behold.
Upon pulling open the massive double doors, each of which easily weighed over a thousand pounds, the two found themselves in the palace mezzanine.
“This place is huge!” Alex cried. “We’ll be here a while if we want that page. What does this fourth page grant?”
“If I remember correctly, it allows the Warrior the Aura of the Juggernaut. This ability grants the warrior near invulnerability for a limited time, but at a cost. After its effects expire, the warrior falls into a state of unconsciousness for several hours.”
“Hmm. Seems like a rough deal,” Alex said. “But then again, you said invulnerability. Let’s get on it.”
The Nightshade temple would prove to be Alex’s toughest challenge yet. Every room, every corridor and chamber had some kind of trap rigged, all perfectly capable of ending his life in an instant. He would need the Aura of the Juggernaut to survive here.
Being the fast runner he was, Carmine had returned to the gates of Asgarnia, only to see other Kandies loading up countless crates, barrels, and other equipment onto carts. Thankfully, he saw the stocky bearded figure of Commander Stroud overseeing the activities.
“Commander Stroud, sir! What’s going on here?”
“Lieutenant Carmine? You’re alive? We were certain that you…never mind. Where’s de Sade?”
“Strangest happenings, sir. We were in the Glacia mountains tracking Alex, I turned around for one moment to get a better look, and I turn back around, and he was gone!”
“Hmm.” Stroud adjusted his belt. “Do you know where he might have gone?”
“No, sir. He hasn’t returned since then either.”
“How long ago was this?”
“I would say at least three hours ago.”
“Three hours? Son, how in the hell did you make it back here so quick?”
“Very determined, sir.”
“Well Carmine, I’m certain Damien won’t be pleased with your failure…then again, he has been acting strangely ever since he sent you on that assignment. For now, let’s keep this between us.”
“Yes sir.”
“Son, you made it back here just in time. We’re pulling out of Asgarnia.”
“Why, sir?”
“The higher-ups want us somewhere else. They haven’t told us yet, but I don’t suppose we can do anymore damage here. We’re losing too many men to the rebellion. I say, let them have their damn city back. We’ve nothing to gain here anyway.”
“What about de Sade, sir?”
“He’s one of those mumbo-jumbo Archmage fellows. I’m more than certain he won’t need military assistance to get him out of whatever situation he’s in. Now, I want you to holster your speargun, give me a salute, and board that cart to a fresh campaign.
“Yes sir,” Carmine saluted, climbing aboard a personnel cart which promptly rolled off, out of the city gates.
Stroud sighed. “Yeah…let them have their damn city.” He stepped onto a passing cart and departed as well.
Hearing the news from above, the deafening roar of cheers and joy flooded the underground tunnels.
“It’s finally over…” Isaac Kleiner sighed. “We have our city back.”
“Won’t Alex be happy,” Ilia said.
“Speaking of Alex, when is he coming back?” Fenix said. “He’s been gone for most of the day…”
“Well, regardless,” Vance said, “he’ll be pleased to know that the Kandarinian influence in the city is gone. We’d best get to rebuilding.”
Alex picked himself off the ground after nearly avoiding a trap including two logs which swing toward each other, which would have easily crushed his skull had he not ducked.
“You weren’t kidding,” Alex said, pulling the rifle off his back, “when you said this place was trapped.”
“Getting to the final page is going to be difficult,” Midna warned, “but it’ll be even harder to get out of here. Chances are there’s some kind of elaborate trap guarding it that will trigger when you grab it.”
“We might as well keep going then.”
“The Nightshade were also big on self-harm to escape some of these traps. In order to survive, you would walk away from the trap injured in some way.”
“That’s kind of…demented…” Alex said, “Why?”
“The Nightshade were torturing professionals. They would leave these traps for their victims to endure, sometimes connected to the reason they were arrested. For example, a murderer would have to dig through a pit of bloody knives to find a key to the next room.”
Alex winced. “Thank God for the armor then. Hopefully injuries will be minimal…”
Alex opened the door into the next room. In the center of the room was a large furnace, and on the other side was another door. As much as he pulled or pushed, Alex couldn’t make the door budge.
“Maybe the furnace holds some clues…”
Alex pulled open the big hatch on the giant furnace, the space inside could easily hold a person. At the far end of the chamber hung two keys on chains.
“One of those keys might unlock this door,” Midna said. “But which one is it?” She floated around the furnace. “This furnace is ready to be fired,” she noted. “Fuel is stocked and everything. All it needs is an ignition source.”
Alex put his hands on his temples. “Wait, I hear something.” A voice inside his mind echoed. It was one of the Nightshade executioners.
“It appears that you have come across our sacred temple,” the voice began. “Only the most formidable and purest of soul will be able to survive. You will see before you a large furnace, with a locked door on the other end of the room. Within the furnace are two keys. If you will note, the hatch is too small for you to climb in while wearing any sort of armor, so you will have to shed your protection. Also note the keys are far back in the interior of the furnace. One has a weak link, and the chain will break when you pull it. This is the correct key. However, if you pull the wrong key…once you’re in Hell, only the Devil can help you escape.”
Alex sighed. “Figured as much.” He pressed a button on the wrist, and suit parts came clanging to the floor, revealing his jacketed self within. He took off the jacket, and climbed into the furnace chamber, inching his way back ever slowly to the back of the infernal device. Before him hung two keys. But which key was the right one? He could not examine the chain for the weak links, as the furnace chamber itself was not tall. Taking his chances, he pulled the left key.
The key did not break from its chain. The furnace hatch slammed shut, and the front of the furnace ignited, slowly making its way back to Alex. In his adrenaline surge, he yanked the other one, which snapped right off the chain. The fire, however, was relentless.
“Shit!” he hollered. “Midna, do something! Open the hatch, destroy the damn thing if you have to!”
The imp pulled as hard as she could on the hatch, but it was locked fast. “The hatch won’t open!” Midna cried. “Cover your ears, Alex! I’m taking this thing apart!”
Using her hair-hand, she began grasping at pipes and panels vital to the furnace’s forging operations. As she pulled them apart, smoke and flames gushed from the pipes, filling the air with a noxious drape of smoke. The fire continued.
“Hang in there, Alex!” Midna screamed as she pulled the panels of the furnace chamber themselves apart, fighting the incredible heat that emanated from them. Finally, she pulled the one up that Alex was underneath. With no hesitation, Alex climbed up and out of the furnace just as it got to his boots, which ignited.
Jumping into the floor, he stomped out his flaming feet and turned to Midna. “Thanks for the help,” he said. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” she coughed, “I’m fine. But we won’t be if we stay here. There’s enough smoke in the air to kill us in minutes. Unlock the door!”
Alex re-suited up and jammed the key into the lock, turning it. Hearing that satisfying click, he opened the door. The two rushed to the next room, slamming the door behind them.
“Alex, this is already maddening,” Midna said, fanning her hair-hand to ease the pain.
“We’ve got to keep going,” Alex said. “God knows what the next trap holds for us, but we’ve got to be more careful.”
As the two recovered, they wondered what infernal puzzle awaited them in the next room…
