As the party stepped through the golden door, a short passageway led into a vast chamber with an austere feel. In the center of the stone floor was an empty square, with a slight depression about three or four inches deep. There were six rectangular slots in that square, like missing jigsaw pieces. On the left and right-hand walls were six rectangular stone reliefs, each depicting a scene from Alaric’s life.

Eldrin was the first to approach the panels, surveying them. Justin and the rest followed.

“What are we supposed to do?” Justin asked.

The Ranger frowned. “It seems we need to arrange these reliefs on the wall in the correct order on the floor to proceed.”

“What kind of order?” Lila asked.

“Chronological, I would assume.”

Justin took his time examining each scene. The first clearly depicted some sort of war or battle filled with chaos and conflict. Alaric’s face was grim as he faced an army with his sword raised high, and golden magic covering his other hand. He wore the same amulet Justin had noticed upon first entering the catacombs, with the six colored jewels, each denoting one of the Core Attributes.

The second relief showed the king much younger, receiving a crown and scepter, with subjects bowing before him. Again, he was wearing the amulet.

The third showed what appeared to be a death scene, the king lying peacefully with flowers, surrounded by mourners, and of course, the amulet around his neck.

The fourth showed Alaric sitting on his throne, surrounded by scholars, warriors, and citizens, with a crown of jewels set in gold, along with the amulet.

The fifth showed Alaric, and the amulet, shaking hands with a foreign ruler, the scene radiating calm, with doves flying in the background alongside the Eagle of Highcliff.

Last of all was a scene of what had to be his birth, or perhaps the birth of one of his own children, showing the royal family rejoicing. The resemblance of the baby to Alaric in the other images was striking, but not definitive.

“These look familiar,” Lila mused at last.

Eldrin nodded, his expression thoughtful. “Yes. I remember seeing all of them as we descended. And I’m certain they were shown in a particular order. An order we must recreate on the floor over there.”

“This isn’t familiar to me,” Alistair said. “I was looking out for threats. If I had known…” He trailed off, clearly regretting not paying closer attention.

“So, left to right on the floor over there,” Justin suggested. “Pictures 1-3 will go on top, and 4-6 on bottom.”

“That’s right,” Eldrin confirmed. He approached the birth scene. “This one seems likely as our first one.”

“How do we know it’s first?” Lila asked, her voice tinged with concern. “That could be him as a father with the birth of a son.”

Eldrin pondered this. “Well, the background shows symbols of new beginnings and prosperity, which are traditional for birth scenes. You can see the rising sun, a common emblem for the start of life, and the abundant flowers and green vines, which often symbolize growth and potential.”

“Damn, Eldrin,” Justin said. “Did you take an art history course?”

He cracked a smile. “Never underestimate the value of a well-rounded education, even for a Ranger.”

“He’s also not wearing the amulet in that one,” Justin said. “He is in all the others.”

“More to the point and definitive,” Eldrin said. “The amulet is clearly important to him.”

“This begs the question,” Lila said. “What happens if we get this wrong? Instant death?”

“That’s hard to say,” Alistair replied. “Something bad, that’s for certain.”

“Okay, birth first. Then what?” Lila asked.

“Likely the coronation scene,” Eldrin said. “He looks quite young there.”

“Birth and then Coronation,” Lila repeated. “Death, obviously, would be last. Which leaves the war, the one with the scholars, and the one where he’s shaking hands.”

“He’s likely brokering a peace in the handshaking one,” Justin suggested. “That would naturally come after the war. The doves are an obvious symbol of peace.”

“I think you’re right,” Eldrin agreed. “So, I think we have the right of it so far. We just need to place the court scene.”

Lila thought about it. “It could be a council debating going to war, which would place it third.”

Justin considered this. “Highcliff is known for its Golden Age, right? That scene could represent the prosperity and wisdom that followed the war. There are scholars in it, after all.”

Eldrin thought about it, weighing the merits of both arguments. “The court scene seems more like a time of peace and governance, possibly before the war. Let’s place it there.”

Justin didn’t agree, but he also didn’t want to be a pedant. There were merits to both arguments. “Let’s give it a go, then.”

They moved the panels into position, everything going smoothly for the first two scenes. However, when they placed the third panel, it instantly popped out, as if the grooves were rejecting it.

“Uh-oh,” Justin said.

A loud rumble shook the chamber, followed by hidden doors sliding open, unleashing a horde of zombies and skeletons into the room.

“Brace yourselves!” Alistair shouted, drawing his hammer.

The following moments were chaos. Justin found himself face-to-face with a skeleton wielding a rusty sword. He parried the blows with his cane, doing his best to keep it at a distance. With an adroit maneuver, he knocked the skeleton’s head off, but not before a zombie grabbed his arm, taking a vicious bite with sharp teeth.

Justin screamed as red-hot pain seared up his arm. Lila was there in an instant, her knives flashing as she buried them both in the back of the zombie’s head.

Justin felt himself being pulled to the center as his three companions surrounded him. Blood gushed from the wound as his vision went hazy. The sight and smell of blood seemed to drive the undead into a frenzy. It was all Justin could do to keep his feet.

About a minute later, the rest of the undead had been taken care of. As soon as the threat was neutralized, Alistair turned, wrapping Justin’s wound with golden magic. It felt as if he had been plunged into ice water, but it brought delicious relief as his flesh was knitted anew.

All the same, he felt a burning just beneath his skin. He tried not to think about what vile bacteria might have been lingering in that zombie’s decaying mouth.

Eldrin pushed a potion into his hand, green in hue. “Draught of Veridian. It’ll fight off even the most potent of infections.”

Justin downed it, the taste truly vile. “Thanks.” He chased it with a swig of water from his canteen, the aftertaste stubbornly clinging on.

The group was panting, exhausted, and Justin could still feel the sting of the wound. Hopefully, Eldrin’s potion would do its work.

“We got it wrong,” Eldrin said, frustration clear in his voice. “But now we know that one likely comes after the War Scene and the Peace Scene.”

“Let’s move these bodies off the puzzle,” Alistair said. “Then we can proceed.”

They did so, Justin not relishing the task. This time, they had to get it completely right. He might not survive another fight like this.

“War is next,” Eldrin said, confidence returning. “I’m sure of it.”

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“Let’s do it,” Alistair agreed.

They moved the War piece into place, and it clicked agreeably.

“Yes!” Lila said, relief clear in her voice.

“Not out of the woods yet,” Justin said.

“Peace,” Eldrin said, moving the corresponding panel into place. As expected, it clicked in perfectly.

Now, only the court scene and the death scene remained, and it was pretty easy to figure out the order. They moved Court into place, and it clicked perfectly. Finally, they placed the death scene.

Once all the pieces were in place, the entire puzzle glowed green while the sound of stone grinding against stone filled the chamber. The door at the far end of the room began opening.

Justin smiled, relieved. “We did it!”

Eldrin wiped the sweat from his brow. “Barely. One more mistake might have finished us.”

Lila managed a small smile. “At least we got it right before the end.”

Alistair nodded. “It’s time to move on. This is just going to get tougher.”

The team gathered their strength and moved toward the now-open door.

----------------------------------------

They followed a short corridor into another vast chamber, this one illuminated by a soft, ethereal glow. The light seemed to emanate from a massive statue at the far end of the room. The statue depicted King Alaric in a regal pose, his expression stern and noble, as if gazing down at his subjects with both wisdom and authority. In his right hand, he held a sword pointed downward, its tip aimed at a spot just above where a person’s head might be.

The chamber was eerily silent, the only sound being the faint echo of their footsteps on the stone floor. As they approached, the light from Alistair’s Creator’s Light revealed a gruesome sight previously missed in the room’s shadowy corners: five dead Cultists, their bodies bloody and contorted, as if they had been impaled by an unseen force. The blood pooled beneath them was dark, weeks or even months old. Their collective smell was musty, with a faintly sweet scent of decay.

Justin’s stomach churned. “This…doesn’t look promising…”

Alistair nodded, his expression grim. “There’s no telling what dark magic might be at play here.”

The party stood in a semicircle around the statue, from time to time eyeing the lifeless Cultists warily. Suddenly, a green aura formed beneath the sword’s tip, expanding into a circle large enough for a person to stand in. As the aura brightened, an ethereal voice echoed through the chamber, clear and commanding:

“A gift unasked; some get less, others more,

It binds us all from first to final door.

But the only question for which you should care,

Is whether you’ve spent me with joy or despair?”

The voice sent a shiver through Justin. It was unmistakably King Alaric, or rather, his spirit. The riddle hung in the air, heavy with expectation.

Eldrin was the first to speak. “It seems we must answer the riddle to proceed. But we must choose our answer carefully. The fate of these Cultists suggests the consequence of a wrong answer.”

Alistair nodded. “Indeed. It seems we have as many chances as we have party members. Although losing anyone would be grievous.”

Lila glanced at the Cultists, her expression set. “I’ll go first. Alistair and Eldrin are more pivotal to clearing the Vault.”

"What about me?" Justin asked. "Arguably, I'm less pivotal than you are."

Lila ignored the question, and he didn't like that. He felt a pang of fear at the thought of losing her. He cared for her deeply, more than he could express.

“Lila, we need to think this through. If I die, at least I’ll still be alive…in a manner of speaking, assuming the Baron’s Mark makes me undead.”

“That is not a possibility,” Alistair said grimly. “I’d offer myself, but what Lila says makes sense, as lamentable as it may seem. Sometimes, we must choose who to save and who to risk. It is the burden of leadership.”

Lila shrugged. “If I get it wrong, at least we know what not to say.”

Eldrin considered the riddle, frowning. “Whatever the case, we can probably discuss it among ourselves, as one of us must enter the light to give an answer.”

“True enough,” Alistair said. “Any ideas?”

Justin pondered it. Normally, he was pretty decent at riddles, but he couldn’t think clearly with Lila’s life on the line. Riddles were notoriously tricky, and overthinking could lead to the wrong answer.

“I’ll start,” Eldrin said. “The riddle speaks of something given to everyone, binding us all together. It could be something like Time, or perhaps Fate.”

Alistair shook his head. “No, it must be something more personal. Can Time be said to be truly a gift, or Fate?”

“Fair points,” the Ranger conceded.

Lila stepped forward, her face thoughtful. “Maybe it’s Money. Everyone gets different amounts, and it definitely influences how we live our lives. It’s certainly influenced how I’ve lived mine. You’d be a fool to spend it poorly and wise to spend it well, either giving you joy or despair.”

Eldrin nodded. “That’s a possibility. But does money really bind us all together? There are societies that do without money. In that way, the riddle doesn’t fit.”

Alistair spoke up. “It could be Duty or Responsibility. We all have different duties, and our lives are often shaped by them.”

Justin listened, his mind racing. Each suggestion seemed plausible, yet something about them felt off. The line about joy or despair particularly stood out to him. But an hour ticked by, and then two. With each passing moment, the urgency of their situation grew. They couldn’t afford to spend more time on this riddle with the Baron’s men skulking outside the city walls.

By now, Gareth had certainly figured out they were no longer staying in the inn, and they hadn’t left the city. Eventually, they’d put two and two together, erasing their advantage.

At last, Alistair’s face relaxed. “It’s Money. It must be.”

Everyone looked up, considering it. Indeed, of the couple of dozen answers they’d contemplated, it seemed to fit best. Money was a common element in all their lives, and perhaps at the time the riddle was devised, they hadn’t considered other cultures that didn’t use it.

Justin, however, couldn’t shake the feeling that Money was too materialistic for someone like Good King Alaric. And yet, he had nothing better.

“Shouldn’t we think about it some more?” he asked. “This is important. A life is on the line. Lila’s life.”

“Time is pressing,” Alistair said. “We’ve dedicated two hours to this riddle, and we can scarcely dedicate one more. If we think it out any longer, our brains are liable to turn to mush.”

“That’s better than one of us dying.”

“Better than all of us dying,” Lila said. “The Baron’s men can’t be given any more time to find us than they already have.”

“That begs the question,” Eldrin said. “Who shall answer? You mentioned yourself, Lila, but to make things fair, I would let fate decide.”

He produced a silver mark from his pocket. On one side was the head of some unknown historical figure, while on the other, a hexagon denoting the Six Attributes. The Ranger gave a playful, but sad, smile. “Heads or tails?”

“So, to be clear, the winner is the one who goes to answer?”

“Yes,” Eldrin said.

“Tails,” Lila said.

As soon as the word escaped her lips, Eldrin flicked the coin up, allowing it to land on the stones.

When tails was revealed, Justin’s heart dropped.

Lila only smiled. “It’s only fitting. Money was my answer, and money decided it.”

The Ranger smiled. “Good luck.”

No one said anything, and she turned slowly and walked toward the green aura. Justin wanted to say something, anything, but the words were caught in his throat. Deep down, he knew Money was wrong. He needed to think of the answer quickly. His heart pounded, and he felt as if he might throw up.

In seconds, Lila would be dead. He knew it.

He ran up to her. “Lila!”

She slowed, but didn’t stop walking, set on her goal. He caught her by the arm.

She tried to shirk his grasp, but he didn’t let go.

“Justin…you must let me go.”

“Please. There are things I’d like to say first.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “You’re making this more difficult than it needs to be.”

“I know. Will you give me just a moment?”

She gave the barest of nods. “Yes. As long as you let me go after you’re done.”

“I will,” he promised. Now what? He hesitated, struggling to find the right words. “Some people make life worth living. Life is hard enough as it is, but it’s the people we share it with that bind us together. None of us asked to be here, but because we are, Lila…” He trailed off. “It’s people like you that make life worth living.”

“Stop,” she said, her voice breaking. “How am I supposed to do this when you say things like that? It has to be me, Justin.”

He smiled. “All I can say is…though we’ve only spent a short time together, every moment has been a joy.”

Before she could respond, he brushed past her toward the aura.

By the gods, the System, or whatever it was, he had it.

“Justin!” Alistair ordered. “Justin, stop this instant!”

“Sorry,” Justin said, a determined edge in his voice. “That’s one order I’m going to have to disobey.”

He heard the Paladin’s armor clanking as he ran forward to restrain him, but Justin was too close now. He stepped into the green aura and was locked in.

Alistair reached the edge of the light and, with a quick swing of his hammer, tried to break it. The weapon only rebounded and clattered to the stone floor.

“Justin, you know not what you’ve done!” Alistair said. His blue eyes were fearful, close to tears, even. “If you die…if you die…”

He trailed off, not finishing.

Eldrin just looked at him in shock, and it seemed like death itself was written on his face. Only Lila’s face was filled with hope.

Like Justin, she knew the answer, and unlike the others, she knew he knew.

But he wouldn’t know for sure until he answered.

Justin turned to face the statue, feeling the weight of the moment. He looked up at the sword, just inches from his face, and smiled.

“Life.”

There was a brief silence, then the sword lifted, and a resounding click echoed through the chamber as the doorway beyond was unlocked and rolled back. The green aura vanished, and the others looked at him in awe.

“Life,” Alistair said, a note of admiration in his voice. “Of course, it’s Life! What I swore to defend. So simple. So elegant…it fits the riddle perfectly.”

Justin nodded, relief washing over him. “Alaric was a Life Mage, and the riddle talks about something everyone has, though to different extents. The true value of life isn’t in wealth or duty but in how you live it. More than that—these Cultists serve the God of Death, the ultimate perversion of everything Alaric stood for. It makes sense they guessed wrongly five times. Life was the only answer that fit every part of the riddle.”

Eldrin considered this. “It makes sense indeed. The question of joy or despair speaks to the quality of one’s life, not just the material aspects. Good King Alaric would have valued life more than anything else, including money.” He gave Justin a respectful nod. “Sharp thinking, lad.”

Lila, looking pale but relieved, embraced Justin. “How did you figure it out?”

He smiled, shaking his head. “I didn’t. I just wanted to stop you and started talking to drag it out. That’s when the answer came to me.”

“Well, this isn’t over yet,” she said. “But it’s a good start.”

“Let’s press on,” Alistair said. “We should save our congratulations for when the Vault is cleared, and Alaric’s spirit rests easy. I think the last trial is before us.”

The air around them felt lighter, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. The door behind the statue now stood open, revealing a passageway leading to the next chamber.

They advanced, Alistair in the lead with his hammer, Eldrin with his bow, Lila with her knives, and Justin his cane.

It was time to clear this Vault and get the hell out of Highcliff.