As I continued down the ladder, my thoughts drifted back to the whirlwind events of the past day. It felt surreal, as if I was navigating a dream where reality constantly shifted. Despite the chaos, I marvelled at how I was managing to take everything in stride. It's one thing to imagine extraordinary adventures while ensconced in the safety of all-night game sessions or immersed in creating characters, watching anime, and devouring stories. But it's quite another to find oneself thrust into a real-life saga. Had all those hours spent poring over the Chronicles of Claeffen books somehow prepared me for this unexpected journey?

Wait, has it really only been one day? The concept of time seemed distorted, stretched thin by the sheer volume of events that transpired. Ordinarily, a single day didn’t hold so much drama, excitement, or confusion. Shouldn't I have felt the crushing need for sleep by now? When was the last time a single day had been so relentlessly action-packed and filled with a multitude of encounters, and discoveries. Everything was starting to blur together in a haze of adrenaline and disbelief. When was the last time I had so much excitement? When was that? Was I a young kid last time? Wait. No, it was the summer break after my freshman year of college! Me, Jon, Tim, Sam, Sky, Kai and Ray went to Disneyland!! That was the last time I remember being wrapped up in so much that my mind raced and the day turned to night and back to day again without even noticing. Jon still has the photos in his portfolio for clients to view. Good times.

Unexpectedly I was jarred out of my thoughts as my leg jammed a bit as I touched the ground, the abrupt change in surface caught me off guard. Wincing slightly, I moved off to the side to allow Gege room to descend.

We had emerged into an expansive, brilliantly illuminated room awash in opulent gold and deep burgundy hues. The space was a masterpiece of extravagance, adorned with intricate carvings and sculptures that seemed to tell ancient tales. Plush sofas invited relaxation, flanked by clear incandescent golden stone side tables that glowed warmly. Shelves and display cases holding ancient artefacts, including gilded weapons, intricate sculptures, and scrolls tied with red ribbons. Bowls of fresh fruit and decorative urns added a touch of organic elegance, while chests overflowing with glittering jewels and coins hinted at untold riches. Massive wall art dominated the room, ranging from timeless still art to mesmerizing holographic displays that shifted and danced with light. The air was filled with a faint, metallic scent, mixed with the musk of old parchment and leather-bound books. As I turned in wonder, I looked down to become captivated by the artistic display underfoot – a mosaic tile floor portraying a vibrant garden that seemed to stretch into infinity.

How are we supposed to discover the mashed potato key within this sea of treasures?!

I looked over to find everyone as astounded as I was at this magnificent display of wealth and art. A golden light was casting ethereal glow onto our faces. It changed their four faces from friendly to a blunt reminder that they were likely dangerous vengeance demons.

With a bit of a tremble in my voice I asked, “Hey guys, does anyone else see any doorways out? This looks like a royal treasure room. Do we search this room or is this a distraction?”

“Bro, I agree. Let me look at the map” Chek touched his bracer and began muttering under his breath. “Bros, you won't believe it, but we actually need to search through all this stuff. I vote we just all wander around and call out when we find something. Mal, if you find something please don’t touch it. There is a chance we won’t get any notifications if one of us isn’t near you."

I took in the expanse of the room and decided to pick a point and not distract myself with everything since picking stuff up was now denied me. And I really wanted to touch and examine so many things. The room was just filled with too many wonders. My eyes scan over masterpieces of art to shimmering jewellery to land on a persian blue stone statue of a robed person with a face hidden in the cowl. The robe looked to have intricate mystical symbols and patterns. They were holding a tall magical staff with a green glowing orb in one hand and a book with glowing runes in the other.

I walked past carved pillars depicting battles, huge dark orange and yellow velvet pillow piles, chests with coins and gems, golden candelabras, rune encrusted urns, and all manner of paintings and statues. I felt like I was inside of an elaborate immersive video game. It was taking willpower to not grab everything and smash the urns for their sweet sweet loot!

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

A tiny bit of movement caught my eye from the statue as I neared it. For a second I thought I saw a face under the cowl. No sooner it was there that it was gone. It was so fast I wasn’t really sure it had happened. Just a few steps away from it I noticed the runed cuffs of the sleeves were ethereal markings that pulsated with a blue magical energy. I tried to look at the face under the cowl again but I was unable to look for more than a few seconds when my eyes would be drawn away to take in the details of the pulsing runes again. I tried a few more times before I gave up and started walking away.

I was about twenty steps away when I realized that I had just been compelled to move away. I turned around to find the statue looking like a gentle breeze was blowing the robes. For one horrifying moment I feared that the weeping angels were real. I took a few involuntary steps back while not blinking. Should I call out to the others? I don’t remember seeing any of them near me. I decided there was no time like the present to try contacting my system rep. I placed my index finger and middle finger against the bracer. Nothing happened. I blinked. My heart instantly skipped a beat but the statue still looked the same. Why wasn’t the bracer working!! How hard is it to place two fingers on a bracer? My mind was racing trying to figure out what directions I was missing. I thought about my agent, Dev, being cut off at the end.

> Hi Mal. What can I do for you?

I stood there feeling a little stupid for not remembering that the directions required me to think of the agent's name.

I don’t know if you can help me but I have an inquiry about something that I am looking at. I don’t know if this is part of your services or not. Man I really hope it is because I am totally freaking out. Dev, am I looking at a weeping angel?

>...

> No Mal. It is far worse than that. You are looking at a Chronographer in a trap.

Will it move if I blink?

>No, I told you it isn’t a moving statue. It's a powerful mage in a trap. Turn and run.

I dropped my hand and the screen view left. I turned around running over to where I saw the four investigating a painting with two dragon-like humanoids playing a board game that looked similar to chess.

I bent down putting my hands on my knees to catch my breath to say something about the trapped mage.

“I am sure this is the one we move” As they debated, my breathing appeared louder, and a ringing sound filled my ears. I tried to stand back up but I felt locked like time had stopped moving.

I honed in on the persistent ringing in my ears, attempting to find a discernible pattern amidst the continuous noise. I identified a faint rhythm within the sound, a subtle but recurring pattern that was just perceptible amidst the noise. I felt the steady pulsation in my fingertips, which caused them to start tapping rhythmically to the beat, almost as if they had a mind of their own. Slowly, the rest of my body started to sway and shift with increasing fluidity, responding to the rhythm in a gentle, almost hypnotic motion that gradually spread from my fingertips to my entire frame. I stood, my hips instinctively swaying. I glanced in their direction to see them interacting with the artwork. I could only hear the ringing as I watched their movements.

I watched them press down together on a specific hexagonal prism on the chessboard.

My vision was engulfed in a warm, buttery yellow hue, and before I knew it, I was standing next to the four of them by the ship, exchanging heartfelt congratulations and celebrating their success.

“Hey bro, we did it.” In his upturned hand was a delicate, wispy white skeleton key, intricately designed with a bow that unmistakably resembled the shape of a potato.

“Alright, buddy, let's get you to the closest big city on our next path. Chek, find our next shortcut with a sphinx port. We should quickly get on board the O’Slay and depart before the next group has a chance to emerge.” I watched the force field drop as the door opened. I looked around before entering to see that there were about twelve other ships in various designs. I didn’t see any other people as I turned to walk aboard. I sat down in the back again.

“Bro we’ll get you to a city that has the sphinx port in just a few minutes.” Chek leaned back, closing his eyes and let out a sigh.

I looked at each of them. My face scrunched up, “What just happened?”