I lay there on the ground next to the dead goblin leader letting my mana and stamina refill, I wrinkled my nose at the acrid smell of goblin blood but I was too tired to move. I was glad that the challenge was over, it hadn’t sucked and being able to actually fight was exhilarating, but not having Touch of the Reaper made things harder. Etheric Step had still carried me and I could feel that I was at the limit of its usage for the moment. I felt my meditation skill kick in and with that my recovery was going to be that much faster. I brought up the notifications that I’d been ignoring and looked over them.
Your spell Empower Attack has reached level 9. Your spell now costs less mana to cast and deals more damage.
You have learned a new skill, Leadership Level 1. Your commands are easier to follow and have a greater chance to be successful.
You have learned a new skill, Construction Level 1. Any structure you help build is a little stronger and takes less time to build.
Your skill Danger Sense (greater) has reached Level 10 (max). You are now able to sense incoming danger more easily. Evolve the skill in order to be able to increase its level.
I was surprised by my Danger Sense levelling up but I would never be ungrateful for that. Danger Sense was a useful skill to have and I was eager to evolve it, but I had no idea where to even start and I didn't have the time to devote to evolving it, maybe after this was all over I could take a few months to get an evolution. Taylor might know a few different evolutions of the skill, they probably would have learnt about them while they were studying, I would have to ask them about it when I caught up to them.
When I was finally fully recovered I stood up and looked at the wreckage of the challenge area. The area by the bridge was a complete mess of gore and goblin body parts, coagulated blood covered the ground and I turned away from it not wanting to throw up. Only the right wall was still intact, the left one having been partially destroyed when the goblin leader threw its battleaxe through it. I blanched when I looked through the hole, there was a long streak of blood from the wall to where one of the huts had stood. I swore, I had an idea of what had happened but I still climbed through the hole and dug through the remnants of the hut before swearing again. One of the guards had been standing where the battleaxe had broken through the wall and smashed into a hut, their broken body had been hidden by the destruction. I walked around to the other wall but I couldn’t see where the other guard had gone, I was sure that they were still alive when the goblin leader had fallen. As I looked around I sighed, the other hut was still intact but I had stilled fucked this challenge. A single guard and hut had survived, the woodcutters had been killed by the wargs which meant that, at most, I’d be getting a bronze prize box.
I looked over to where the pedestal had risen out of the ground and saw 2 figurines standing on the top, one was of a guard and the other was a hut. I berated myself, I should have sent the woodcutters into the huts, they would have been safe when the wargs had attacked. As for the hut being destroyed, that was less avoidable but the guard that died as collateral damage. That was on me, they could have helped me fight against the goblin leader and they might have lived. I shook my head, what was done was done. I needed to move on and find my friends rather than worry about DCPs that would have stopped existing the second I left the challenge. I looked at the shelf that held the prize box, as I suspected it was made of a bronze material with the bow on top of it just like the others.
I almost didn’t open the box, I felt as if I had properly failed the challenge and this was the pity prize. Still, I had worked hard to pass the challenge so I pulled on the bow and looked inside. I scoffed as I stared at a gold rimmed monocle that sat on a red velvet cushion. I cast my Identification spell on it to see what I had received.
Item: The Gentleman's Monocle.
Rarity: Uncommon
Weight: 0.1lb
Description: A fancy monocle that makes the wearer look like a distinguished gentleman. Wearer gains +2 Charisma while the item is equipped.
Restrictions: Must be male to use this item.
I threw the monocle straight into my bag, it was not something that I would wear but I wondered how much an item like that would sell for. It was a novelty item so someone from high society might have a want for something like this however, I doubted it would sell for anything more than 5 gold. Still, 5 gold was 5 gold and that would cover the cost of a room and food for a week or 2 depending on where I stayed. I looked around one last time before shaking my head.
“Onwards and upwards.” I mumbled to myself.
I stepped through the portal to the next challenge. Once more I felt myself being teleported, this time the feeling of vertigo didn’t last as long and I managed not to throw up. Go me. I stood on my feet wobbling from side to side wondering what was going on, there was no unseen force holding me in place like before. I was about to say something when a notification popped up covering most of my vision.
You have completed the first level of the Spring Falls Challenge Dungeon. You have reached a safe zone and have the option to carry on and delve deeper into the Dungeon or leave. Should you wish to continue please walk through the next portal, if you wish to leave please use the stairs behind you to exit the Dungeon. We hope you have enjoyed your time in the Spring Falls Challenge Dungeon.
I looked around to see what could have only been described as a dingy café completely made out of dull grey stone. There was a stone counter at the side of the room but there was nothing on it or behind it, dotted around the room were tables and uncomfortable looking stone benches. Lights were dotted around the room but only half of them were lit leaving some areas in almost complete darkness. My eyes went wide as I was tackled by the only other occupant of the room.
"Oh thank goodness." I heard a familiar female voice say. "I’m so glad to see you, Luca. I was worried that I was just going to be hanging around here for a while.
“Clair, it’s good to see you.” I said giving her a hug in return.
It really was good to see her, I had found 1 of my 4 friends and I felt some of my worry dissipate. It also meant that getting through the challenges would be a lot easier with the 2 of us.
“I told myself that if no one appeared in 5 minutes I would leave the Dungeon." She said releasing me from her hug.
I frowned as I looked at her, her hair was also a lot shorter on her left side and she had a nasty looking cut that split her left cheek, it looked as though it had only been partially healed, like she’d run out of healing potions part way through. She had some other cuts on her body but they looked minor in comparison to her cheek. I cast Lesser Regeneration on her and pulled out a greater health potion, I uncorked it and gave it to her.
"Thank you." She said before drinking the potion. I watched in satisfaction as the cut on her cheek healed up, only leaving a small white scar that was barely noticeable.
"How many challenges did you face?" I asked.
"Just the 1 but it was a shitty challenge for me, waves of goblins and I had to protect a homestead against them.”
"Guards, huts and wood cutters?" I asked, she nodded in confirmation.
That confirmed something for me, Clair had started in challenge number 5 which meant that the others were going to be further ahead in the Dungeon rather than behind us. I sighed in relief knowing that we just needed to delve deeper into the Dungeon to find them.
"I got cocky on the third wave, I caught the wargs sneaking through the woods but while I was dealing with them the guards were overwhelmed by the goblins on the bridge. In the end I had the woodcutters hide in the huts for the last two waves.” She shook her head and I could see annoyance at her failure.
"Yeah, I finished with a single guard and a hut." I grumbled.
“What happened?” Clair’s voice was soft when she asked.
I told her about my time in challenge 5, she winced when I told her about the goblin leader throwing his summoned battleaxe. Apparently she had spent most of the 5th wave dodging it as she turned the leader into a large feathered porcupine.
"Do you think the others have left the Dungeon or do you think they are on a lower level?" Clair asked.
“I think they started further ahead than either of us, you said that you only had challenge 5 to complete but I started at challenge 1. I think if we are going to find them anywhere they will be waiting at the safe zone after challenge 10. Raven is too much of a loot goblin to not want to complete as much of the Dungeon as she can to get her hands on more prize boxes. Harold loves his challenges so if he didn’t come across anyone he’d delve as deep as he could. Taylor is the most likely to get a safe zone and force everyone else to wait for us.”
Clair tapped her chin in thought for a few seconds before nodding.
“Okay, so we continue on then.”
"We continue on." I nodded in agreement.
“Do you think the party system will be the same as other Dungeons?” Clair asked, looking at the portal to the next challenge.
“I doubt it, I get the feeling that the portals are only a recent addition and the Dungeon is still working out the kinks. I think the party system might have the same problems.”
“Okay,” She shrugged, “holding hands then?”
I nodded and held my hand out for Clair, I felt a strong but soft hand grasp my mine and I tried not to blush. Physical contact with other people had never been something I was fully comfortable with, especially with someone I’d once had a crush on. I heard Clair giggle and I felt my ears burning a little, she knew that I’d once had a crush on her and occasionally teased me about it. I pushed my embarrassment to the side and walked through the portal to the next challenge. We appeared together, still holding hands and I smiled, the Dungeon had officially recognised us as a party.
The familiar feeling of vertigo struck me as well as the unseen force that was holding me above the ground. I looked around and saw that we were in some sort of arena, the floor was covered in sand and the walls were lined with metal gates. Torches were spaced in between the gates, they ignited one by one revealing snarling and snapping monsters behind each gate. Each monster was stranger and more dangerous than the last, some of them I recognised from the Adventure Society Bestiary and some I recognised from my time wandering around The Republik of Lopan. Unfortunately, there were more monsters that I didn’t recognise, their heads, tentacles and extra appendages making them look more like abyssal or void warped creatures than real monsters. I tried using my Identification spell but it was blocked, just like it had been for the items in challenge 2. Dungeon fuckery had to have been heavily involved, especially since I realised that while the monsters were snarling and snapping, I couldn’t hear them at all.
The unseen force released us, a little more forcefully than before and we both crashed to the ground, I winced as my ankle twisted and I fell to my knees. I cast Lesser Regeneration on myself and I cast it on Clair as well, just to make sure we were both at full strength. When we were both ready we stood up and jumped a little.
Standing directly in front of us was a figure in black robes similar to mine, however they didn’t look like Reaper robes. They looked more like a second rate cult leader had asked a member to make their robes because they were too broke to afford an actual seamstress. Okay, they might not have been that bad, but I was biassed against anyone who wore robes that were similar to the ones Right Clothes for the Job summoned, this was mainly because everyone assumed that I was evil due to the black robes. Black robes didn’t make a person evil, their actions did and unfortunately most evil people wore black robes. I couldn’t see what the person looked like under the robes but that made me a little more weary of them. I summoned the blade of my scythe and quickly got into a defensive stance, I heard Clair’s bow string go taught as she readied an arrow behind me.
Challenge 6: Answer 3 riddles correctly.
"The first riddle is thus." The robed person said in the same monotone voice the DCPs had spoken in. "What always runs but never walks. Often murmurs, but never talks. What has a bed but never sleeps and an open mouth that never eats?"
I relaxed out of my defensive stance, it was obvious that they weren’t going to attack us. It was a DCP and their sole purpose was to deliver the riddles. I let the blade of my scythe fade away again so that it just looked like a staff and turned to Clair.
"I'm not really good at riddles." I confessed, while I had heard a lot of them before, I could never remember the answer.
"I used to play riddles with a family of nice beavers in the Azin river, they always had good ones so this should be easy." Clair smiled, as if it was completely reasonable to play riddles with beavers.
I could see that her smile was slightly strained and her eyes seemed to hold a lot of sorrow. I realised that when we camped by the Azin River on the way to Soyalls, she must have tried to find them. The fact that she hadn’t said anything before about them spoke volumes.
“I’m sorry.” I said putting a hand on her shoulder. I gave it a little squeeze and she rested her head on my wrist.
“Thank you, but we should stay focused.” She turned to face the robed DCP, “The answer is a river."
"That is correct, congratulations." The DCP said, there was no fanfare but instead instantly they carried on. "The second riddle is thus. What does man love more than life, Fear more than death or mortal strife? What do the poor have and the rich lack, what contented men's desire and all men carry to their graves?"
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
This one rang a bell and I had remembered being told it before, I struggled to latch onto the memory and felt the answer start to slip through my grasp. Then suddenly I remembered a huge bear of a man sitting at my campfire, he had a huge grin on his that could be seen through his big bushy beard. Tommlyn Sharkbane had been a joyful man that didn’t take pleasure in fighting or killing but understood the necessity of it. We’d had many philosophical debates after he learned what my class was. That night he’d said that there was no point in being sentimental and trying to hold onto anything, for when you die, you die with nothing.
"The answer is nothing." Clair and I said at the same time, we both looked at each other and smiled.
"That is correct, congratulations." The robed DCP repeated. "The third riddle is thus. I go around in circles, but always ahead. Never complain, no matter where I am led."
I looked at Clair and she bit her lip in thought, she always looked beautiful like that and it got my blood flowing. I felt the blush returning to my face and I shook my head to refocus, this was no time to get side tracked or distract Clair, I could see the gears working in her head and had no idea what the answer could be.
I decided to give her some space and walked over to the closest gate to see what was behind it. The creature inside looked like an orange panther of some sort however, it had long protrusions on its back that ended in sharp tips that oozed a bluish liquid. The monster stared back at me with intelligent eyes, like it was working out the best way to carve me up. I blinked and then jumped backwards as the monster was suddenly pressed up against the gate, thankfully its paw was unable to pass between the bars. If it had been able to, I knew I would have been sliced open. Its claws were pushing hard against an invisible barrier and some of the bluish liquid squirt out of the tips, it slowly tickled down to the floor. I tried to use my Identification spell on the creature and then the bluish liquid but it was still blocked by Dungeon fuckery.
I was about to move over to the next gate when I heard Clair mumble something. I looked over to her and saw that she had started pacing up and down a small patch of sand, she tapped her chin rhythmically as she talked to herself. I walked back over to her and stood in her way causing her to stop and look at me in surprise.
"Clair, what are the options?" I asked, I felt sure that she’d come up with a shortlist.
"There are 3 I can think of. The first is a wheel, the second is a cart, and the last one is life." She said, chewing on her thumb nail. "I can think of a good argument for all 3 but I can't pick one."
"It's not a cart." I said with confidence. "Carts can travel in circles but there are also carts that travel in straight lines from one place to the next without ever returning. Also if you put too much weight into a wooden cart you can hear the wood groan."
Clair thought through what I’d said before nodding in acceptance.
"Okay then, that leaves life or a wheel."
"Pick one."
"But what if I'm wrong?"
“What happens if we give an incorrect answer?” I asked the DCP.
“A gate per participant is opened and the participants must fight to the death with the creatures that emerge before the riddle can be attempted again.” It answered.
"So if you get it wrong,” I said turning back to Clair, “we will have to kick some monster ass before we can do it again." I smiled, she looked into my eyes searching for something before nodding.
"Okay, I think we should try life. It is always a cycle and you can’t go backwards. Also life never complains." She reasoned. "The answer is Life."
We stood there looking at the robed DCP waiting for it to reveal if she was correct. It was possibly the longest 30 seconds I’d waited, I was just about to ask if the DCP was okay when it spoke again.
"That answer is incorrect." It said before fading out of existence.
Two gates on opposite sides of the room began to creak as they opened and out came the monsters. A few quick notifications appeared and I glanced over them quickly before dismissing them and summoning the blade back onto my scythe.
For answering a riddle incorrectly you must slay all monsters before you can reattempt the challenge.
Name: Giant Scorpion
Level 30
Type: Uncommon
Description: A Giant Scorpion that has been held in a cage without food for far too long.
Health: 4000/4000
Mana: 400/400
Effects: Resistant to Piercing damage. Immune to poison.
*Note, as this creature is recognised by your Soul Reaper class as a Dungeon created adversary, all combat restrictions are removed from all class abilities (excluding disabled abilities or skills) and you will be able to gain xp from defeating this monster.
Name: Feral Princess Hamski IV
Level 35
Type: Rare
Description: A long lost pet hamster that only wants to fill the endless void in its tummy.
Health: 500/500
Mana: 3000/3000
Effects: Undying Rage. Unending Hunger.
*Note, as this creature is recognised by your Soul Reaper class as a Dungeon created adversary, all combat restrictions are removed from all class abilities (excluding disabled abilities or skills) and you will be able to gain xp from defeating this monster.
"I'll take the scorpion." Clair said, running to the right of the arena and drawing her bow.
I turned to the left and my Danger Sense screamed at me to move. I threw myself into a sideways roll as a monster flew past me. I had a brief second to see a white and brown hamster wearing a pink tutu fly past me like it was a lightning spell. It screamed adorably as it flew past, white foam spilled out of its mouth and fell to the ground, whatever the white foam touched began to sizzle. It landed on the sand and spun around towards me, it stood up on its back legs and let out a long scream before launching itself at me again.
I was too caught up in admiring the adorable monster to dodge in time, I felt myself turn etheric and some of my health zipped away as the hamster rocketed through me like a meteor passing through a cloud. I didn't particularly want to slay the hamster, it was someone’s lost pet but the fact it had feral in the title meant that once it attacked, it would never stop. The hamster landed, turned and shot at me again. I used Etheric Step and appeared less than a foot to the left and held up my scythe. Princess Hamski IV passed through the after image Etheric Step left behind and carried on flying forward with unimaginable force. I felt a sharp tug on my scythe as the blade met the hamster but I managed to keep hold of the scythe. I heard a wet splat and turned to see a bloody smear on my scythe and Princess Hamski IV laying on the ground in two halves, its legs still twitching.
You have slain Feral Princess Hamski IV Level 35, as this creature is recognised by your class as Dungeon born, you do not receive any penalties. You have earned 10xp.
I shook my head, at least it was a Dungeon born monster rather than someone’s actual pet. In the heat of the moment I’d forgotten that all the monsters would be Dungeon born regardless of notifications or Identification results, Dungeon fuckery did extend to spell results, at least the monster was now dead.
I looked around to see how Clair was doing against the giant scorpion and all I could do was gawk. The giant scorpion was about 25 feet long from pincer to stinger, it had sandy brown carapace that covered most of its body, its pincers were about the size of a horse and the stinger on its tail looked to be about the length of a longsword that was covered in green goo. Clair was sitting on top of the scorpion’s body holding onto its carapace while the monster scuttled back and forth like it was performing a waltz, she laughed and giggled as it began to spin her around. I stood there watching her play with the monster like it was a puppy that she’d found on the street, after a few more minutes playing with the monster she had it come stand by me. I was weary or the beast as it was still a giant fucking scorpion, regardless of how Clair was treating it.
Clair jumped off the scorpion and walked in between its pincers, she crouched down so that she was at eye level with the monster and began scratching under its head. I heard her murmuring softly to the monster and was about to say something, when I saw her draw her large hunting knife from the sheath on her lower back. She slowly lowered the knife to the floor and silently slid it between her legs, she gave the scorpion a big hug with both arms and the monster wrapped its pincers around Clair it its own attempt at a hug.
"I'm sorry," She said softly, "you are my favourite scorpion, Snappy. I will always remember you."
Then quick as a flash she grabbed the knife with her right hand and plunged it deep into the underside of the scorpion’s head. It went stiff and I could see the stinger raised back to strike forwards but it was too late, the knife had punched through the carapace into the monster’s brain. Clair sank to the floor with the giant scorpion as it died, she didn’t stop hugging it and I saw tears begin to streak down her face. I walked over and began to rub her back as she sobbed. I knew that she loved all the animals of the world, even the dangerous and ugly ones like giant scorpions. She was a Wilds Master, a lord of the wilderness and all the creatures that reside within. In order for her to be able to play with the monster like she’d been doing, she would have had to use her Wild Companion ability on it. Killing a Wild Companion was the equivalent of killing a childhood pet, it must have taken a lot of willpower for her to do it but it had to be done, otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to attempt the riddles again.
"When you are ready to continue, please join me." A familiar monotone voice stated from behind us.
I didn’t say anything, I just kept rubbing Clair’s back while she cried. She needed the time to grieve, I wasn’t going to be the asshole that wouldn’t let her have that time. After a few minutes her sobs faded and she looked up at me with her beautiful violet eyes.
“Thank you.” She whispered, I nodded in return. I didn’t need to say anything, we both knew the loss that she was feeling. “I want a piece of his carapace.”
I continued to rub her back as she cracked part of the carapace around the scorpion’s head, she sobbed a little more as the piece broke free, she pulled out a piece of cloth and wrapped it before putting it in her pocket. We stayed like this for a few more minutes with me just rubbing her back while she cried over her dead companion. It was not the first time that I had done this for her but I wasn’t the only person who’d done it. Taylor had been doing it for far longer and was better at comforting her than I was, more often that not I just felt a little awkward and didn’t know what to say. It took Clair a while to compose herself but when she was ready, she stood up and we both walked to the middle of the arena where the robed DCP waited patiently.
"Would you like to retry the riddle you failed on or would you like a new riddle?" it asked. "I must warn you, if you get the same riddle wrong the penalty increases in difficulty.”
"What do you think?" I asked Clair since she was the riddle expert out of the two of us.
"I think we stick with the same riddle. I like our chances with wheel and the new riddle could be harder, the first penalty was easy enough so we should be fine even if it does get harder.”
"Famous last words." I chuckled darkly. "We would like to have the same riddle." I announced to the robed figure, it nodded and I readied myself for the potential penalty if we got it wrong.
"The third riddle is thus. I go around in circles, but always ahead. Never complain, no matter where I am led." It repeated.
"The answer is wheel." Clair said with confidence.
"That is correct, congratulations." The robe DCP said before disappearing.
I turned to Clair and smiled at her, she gave me a weak smile in return. It was still so close to the death of the scorpion but I took this as a minor victory.
Challenge 6 has been completed. Please collect your rewards and enter the next door.
The prize pedestal rose up out of the ground where the DCP had been standing. There were two figurines on the top facing opposite directions, the first was of me holding my scythe and the ravenous feral hamster cutting itself in two, the second was of Clair riding the giant scorpion. Clair gasped as she saw the figurine, she turned and buried her head in my shoulder, I heard a muffled sob escape her lips and just like that my minor victory turned into a defeat. A section of the pedestal opened to reveal two golden boxes. I took the boxes and presented them to Clair who’d turned her back to the pedestal, I smiled as she began to mumble an apology.
“Pick a box.” I said smiling, her return smile was a little forced still but it was better than her continuing to sob.
Clair picked the box on the right and we both opened them at the same time. My box contained a strange knife that had two-tone green stripes that covered the blade like it was trying to blend in. The handle of the blade looked like a sturdy grip made out of a material I didn’t recognise. I cast Identification on the knife.
Item: Sharp Knife
Rarity: Rare
Weight: 3lb
Description: A knife that has a wickedly sharp edge that can cut through most things.
Restrictions: None.
“I think I might have your box.” Clair said, holding up a shirt that was 2 sizes too big for her. I blinked a few times as the image of her wearing it invaded my mind and I was thankful the hood of my robes hid my bright red face.
“I think the Dungeon is being a dick to you.” I said pulling out the knife and showing it to her.
“Looks like it, but it’s better than my current hunting knife.” She grimaced.
We exchanged prizes and I cast Identification on my new shirt.
Item: Cog's Always Ready Shirt
Rarity: Uncommon
Weight: 0.5lb
Description: This simple shirt is an everyman's best friend. Able to change into a variety of different colours as well as being self cleaning and repairing. Nothing will get in its way.
Requirements: None.
I narrowed my eyes and thought back to the description of my trousers and realised that it was almost exactly the same, even the name was almost identical. I suddenly had a fear that the next prize I was going to get would be a pair of Cog’s Always Ready Boots or something like that. Admittedly after looking at my clothes under my robes, my shirt had basically been reduced to strips of cloth but my pair of Cog's Always Ready Trousers were still in one piece. With a thought, I turned the trousers green and smiled, I deactivated Right Clothes of the Job and Clair giggled at the state of my shirt before I shrugged and it fell off. I put Cog's Always Ready Shirt on and changed the colour to a muted orange, I smiled at my new clothes before activating Right Clothes for the Job again. I became shrouded in darkness as robes of pure black formed around me again.
"I will never get used to seeing that." Clair said softly.
"Most people freak out and run off screaming about Grim Reapers." I grumbled. "It's not even the same class, I use a scythe and they get away with most martial weapons."
"Woe is you, the man with the new clothes." She said, smiling a little, "don't think I didn't notice the new trousers. Were they a reward or something you bought?"
"They're a reward for challenge 1, I think they are from the same clothing line, Cog's Always Ready." I replied, "I wonder who Cog is."
"Maybe a designer or inventor, does it matter?"
"Not really I guess." I shrugged, "the trousers have done me well so hopefully the shirt is just as good."
"Let's check the room then, see if there is anything to find before we move on." Clair said, "you take that side, I'll take this one then we swap. Put something on the floor if you find something interesting."
I nodded and Clair started walking to the closest gate. I decided to use Mana Sense to see the magic in the room and almost went blind. I closed my eyes as fast as I could and slapped my forehead. I was in a Dungeon, of course everything would be magical. I slowly began to rule out things so that I could actually see something other than the ambient mana, when I opened my eyes again, it was still very bright but not blinding. The pedestal and portal glowed, obviously, as did most of the cage doors around the room, the floor glowed and so did the ceiling. Sighing, I deactivated Mana Sense and walked over to a blue cloak Clair had put it on the ground next to the first cage she’d had checked. This was going to have to be mundanely checked.
I made my way around the first half of the arena, most of the cages still held monsters that were silently snapping and snarling. I tried using my Identification spell but it was still blocked by Dungeon fuckery, thankfully the gates were locked as well and I decided against trying to open any to get my identification spell to work. The last thing I wanted to do was to release a bunch of monsters. I slowly made my way around the room checking the gates, some of them were empty which I thought was a little odd but I moved on. There were 2 interesting cages, the first held an ornate golden chest that looked like a very fancy prize box. The second was a cage that had 3 different coloured locks on the door, one was bronze, the second was silver and the last was gold, I couldn't see the interior but I did have a sneaking suspicion.
I passed Clair halfway around the arena but we didn't stop to discuss anything, I just continued around looking at her side of the arena. I checked these gates faster, giving them only a perfunctory glance, if there was nothing behind the gate I moved on, if it was a monster I checked to see if I’d seen it before. More often than not the monsters didn’t look like anything I’d seen or read about, they looked like twisted versions of normal creatures with too many heads or extra appendages, either way most of the gates were a bust.
When I got to the last gate Clair was standing next to it waiting for me, she’d dropped a length of rope that she was in the process of picking up. I looked behind the gate and my breath caught in my throat. Inside was a woman, she had long blonde hair and her wrists and ankles were chained up, I could see dried blood poking around the edges of the manacles. It looked like the woman was asleep or unconscious and I felt my hand reaching towards the gate bars to get a better look. Clair grabbed my wrist before I could make contact with the gate.
"We should probably discuss this before we do anything." Clair said, she pointed at the bronze, silver and gold key holes next to the gate.