As the group entered the room behind the door, they couldn't help but marvel at the sight before them. Puzzles of all shapes and sizes were scattered about, each one seeming more challenging than the last. And at the end of the room, sitting on a magnificent throne, was the woman they had been searching for - the dwarf Empress Gaia.
Her size was astounding, easily double that of a normal human. Even the dwarf guards surrounding her looked small in comparison. But what caught their attention the most was her hair - it flowed down her back in waves of shimmering gold, just like the woman on the poster they had seen before.
"Welcome," Gaia's voice boomed across the room, "Three challengers this time, I see. Two humans and one dwarf--an interesting group this time around. I am Gaia, the empress of this kingdom."
Aurora, Ruby, and Lumi stepped forward and introduced themselves, trying to hide their nervousness.
Gaia studied them carefully, her eyes piercing through them as if she could see straight into their souls.
"You have come seeking a challenge," she said finally. "So I expect all of you to be ready for it."
Without another word, Gaia waved her hand, and the dwarves appeared, carrying tables and chairs. They placed them at the center of the room and gestured for Aurora and the others to sit down.
"Prepare the puzzle," Gaia said, and the dwarves bowed before disappearing.
Not long after some dwarves come back with something hidden behind black cloths. They then put it on the table, right in front of Aurora, ruby and Lumi. The black cloths was lifted, and they saw something small on the table.
Aurora blinked in confusion.
This was the impossible puzzle? Are they joking? she thought to herself.
Aurora grabbed the cube in front of her. It was exactly what she had thought, a 3x3 Rubik's cube with randomly scrambled colors.
She glanced at Ruby, who looked confused, and then at Lumi, who groaned in pain. Unlike Ruby, Lumi obviously knew what it was.
Watching Lumi frustrated like that made Aurora understand the situation.
That's right. Aurora was thinking in a modern human way. She remembered that in the past, people believed that someone who could solve a Rubik's cube was a genius.
That actually made sense. If you gave someone a Rubik's cube and told them to solve it blindly, like if she had told Lumi to do it, it was almost impossible to do, unless you were smart enough to come up with your own algorithm.
In modern-day, being able to solve a Rubik's cube was trivial. Even kids could do it. But that was only because the manufacturer noticed that their customers actually wanted to be able to solve it. So they started to pack their product with instructions on how to solve it.
Even if that was not the case, you could just search on Google or YouTube, and you would find how to do it in a couple of hours.
In this world though, these kinds of information must have been hard to get. That meant indeed for most people--or dwarves, it was impossible to solve.
Luckily for Aurora, she learned it when she was in middle school. In her school, there was a sudden trend of speedcubing, making everyone suddenly interested in Rubik's cube, including her. Though the trend was short-lived, the skill to solve it was still in her mind.
Still though, it had been a while since she played with a Rubik's cube. She messed with it for some time. And then with a final twist, the colors clicked into place, and the cube let out a satisfying click. She needed around three minutes to actually solve it. Pathetically slow in modern world standard, but in that world, everyone in the room was shocked, including the empress.
Aurora looked up, her eyes meeting the Empress's surprised gaze. For a moment, there was silence, as the Empress studied her carefully. But then, a smile spread across her face.
"Well done!" she said, her voice filled with delight. "To not only solve it, but this quickly? What an amazing accomplishment!"
"Thank you," Aurora said, a little embarrassed.
"As expected," Ruby said, smiling widely. "Of course, you solved it easily."
Lumi sighed. "No kidding."
"This was such a surprise," the Empress said. "Because you put me in a good mood, I will let you pick two prizes for your successful attempt!"
"Really? Thank you very much!" Aurora said.
"Give her the catalogue of the prize pool I have," the Empress said.
The dwarves sprang into action, swiftly delivering a massive, thick book and put it on Aurora's table.
"Ruby, why don't you look at it with me?" Aurora said as she picked up the book. "You can pick one of the things you want from it."
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"Can I really?" Ruby said, immediately interested.
They then looked at the catalogue. While they did that, the Empress was discussing something with elderly dwarf. They whispered intentionally, making it so Aurora couldn't hear them. And then sometimes they glanced at her. Aurora felt uneasy, but she tried to focus on finding what she wanted. Ruby picked a mysterious manuscript, and Aurora picked a material called star essence--a super rare material with extraordinary properties.
"Done choosing?" Empress Gaia said. "Alright, bring their prizes."
Aurora and Ruby received their prizes. They smiled at each other, pocketed their prizes, and everything seemed to be working smoothly. Until the Empress dropped a bombshell on them.
"Now you say your name was Aurora?" The Empress said, her voice laced with curiosity. "I was truly impressed with your exceptional skill, so I have a proposition for you. I will offer you a position as my puzzle-solving expert. Consider yourself fortunate, my dear."
Aurora blinked. "What?"
That didn't sound too good.
"What does that mean?" Ruby asked.
"Simply put, your friend Aurora will work for me as an expert in puzzle solving," the Empress clapped her hands happily. "Isn't that wonderful?"
"Uh, um, I'm sorry, Empress," Aurora said, her words carefully chosen. "But I had already made plans to return home. I appreciate the offer, but I don't think I can accept."
The Empress's smile faded, replaced by a momentary flicker of disappointment. She composed herself, and when she smiled again, it was not a warm smile. Aurora felt a shiver run down her spine as an unsettling sensation washed over her.
"I think you're mistaken about something," the Empress said, her voice now devoid of its previous warmth. "I'm not asking for your permission. If I say it's going to happen, it's going to happen. Guard! Capture them!"
In an instant, a group of dwarven guards encircled Aurora, Ruby, and Lumi, their sharp lances pointed menacingly in their direction. Fear gripped their hearts as they huddled close to one another, sensing the imminent danger.
"Just accept my offer, and nobody will be hurt," Empress Gaia declared, her voice laced with an air of authority.
Aurora's panic surged within her. She knew she could activate her LightSpeed ability, but the enemy forces were overwhelming, and her priority was to ensure the safety of Ruby and Lumi. Would she have enough time to execute her plan within the next five minutes?
Lost in contemplation, Aurora was startled when Ruby inhaled a deep breath and let out a piercing scream.
"RITA!!"
The sudden outburst caught even the dwarven guards off guard, momentarily freezing them in confusion. Moments later, an explosion reverberated from outside the palace, leaving everyone in the room bewildered. Aurora and Ruby felt a rush of wind sweeping toward them.
"What happened?" the Empress demanded. "Hurry, go and check!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" the guard replied, ready to investigate.
Before they could move, a swift sword swing cleaved through the massive doors, reducing them to scattered pieces. Standing tall in the doorway was a formidable woman, brandishing her sword.
When Rita witnessed her master and companions being threatened by a group of guards wielding spears, a surge of determination coursed through her. "Don't you dare touch my master!" she exclaimed, swinging her swords with precision. As her blades sliced through the air, a powerful tornado erupted, sending the surrounding guards flying in all directions.
Understanding the gravity of the situation, the Empress let out a furious roar. "Hurry up and stop her! Don't let them get away!"
Aurora, Ruby, and Lumi wasted no time, swiftly making their way toward Rita. Some of the dwarves who had managed to evade Rita's initial attack tried to seize them, but another gust of wind swept them off their feet, causing them to crash onto the floor with a resounding thud.
As they closed in on Rita, Ruby instinctively summoned an earthen wall, shielding them from projectile attacks. Meanwhile, Aurora called upon her light magic, summoning several spears that she hurled at the dwarves who approached from the right side.
"S-sorry, I can't help," Lumi said weakly.
"Forget it, just stick close to me!" Rita exclaimed, swinging her sword once again, unleashing more wind and furthering the chaos.
"Miss Aurora, catch!" Rita shouted, throwing a knife towards Aurora.
Aurora caught it skillfully. "Thanks," she replied with a smile. Then, murmuring her magic words, she invoked her power. "LightSpeed."
"Don't let them get away!" the Empress screamed.
"Your Highness, step back. Let me handle this. Magic Corps, ready!" commanded the elder dwarf.
A group of dwarves armed with staffs appeared before the elder dwarf. They struck the ground with their staffs, causing gigantic stone hands to emerge from the floor, attacking Ruby's protective wall.
"My wall can't hold much longer!" Ruby exclaimed, exerting all her effort to prevent the wall from crumbling. "Do something!"
Rita summoned her winds once more, swinging her sword with precision to slice the stone hands into pieces. However, the threat was far from over. Another set of stone hands emerged, repeating the relentless assault.
Not content with the current threat, another group of dwarves emerged from the other side, momentarily distracting Rita.
"Just focus on what you're doing!" Aurora commanded. "I will handle the front!"
Rita nodded, preparing herself to launch another attack.
Aurora dashed forward, swiftly assessing the weaknesses of the dwarven guards. She exploited the gaps in their armor, swiftly striking their legs, disarming them, and delivering forceful blows to their vulnerable spots.
As the intense battle raged on, Ruby's protective wall trembled under the relentless assault, cracks appearing under the strain. Her strength waned.
"I can't hold it any longer!" Ruby exclaimed, her voice laced with desperation.
"Miss, step back!" Rita called out.
Ruby released her magic, swiftly retreating behind Rita. As Rita swung her sword, powerful wind slashes sliced through the air, obliterating the remaining stone hands.
"I've cleared our way out!" Aurora announced triumphantly, swiftly eliminated the last dwarf standing before her. "Let's go!"
On the other side of the city, Ace sighed heavily as he sat on the stairs in front of his group's building. As Aurora had requested, he had already traded all the items inside the bag he was holding. However, the girl and her little group were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps they were still happily engrossed in solving puzzles at the Empress's palace?
Suddenly, a loud noise erupted, jolting Ace from his thoughts. He strained his eyes in the direction of the sound, but the view was obscured by the surrounding buildings. Nonetheless, it was evident that something significant was unfolding.
Standing up, Ace contemplated whether he should investigate the commotion or wait for Aurora and the others where he was.
Before he could reach a decision, a sight caught his attention—Aurora, Ruby, Rita, and Lumi hurriedly emerged from behind a nearby building and began running towards him.
"Ruby, keep creating dust to ensure they don't see us!" Aurora commanded urgently.
"Got it!" Ruby responded, tapping into her earth magic. She shattered the ground into minuscule particles, creating a cloud of dust. Rita lent her support, employing her wind magic to carry the dust farther away, effectively concealing them from their pursuers.
They reached where Ace was standing, their expressions filled with urgency and determination.
"What happened?" Ace asked, his voice tinged with concern.
"No time to explain!" Aurora exclaimed, swiftly snatching Serena's bag from Ace's grasp. "We need to leave this place now!"
Ace swallowed hard, sensing the gravity of the situation. Without hesitation, they entered the building and descended the stairs, making their way to the hidden tunnel.
Once they reached the tunnel, they wasted no time. They leaped into the waiting minecart, and Rita immediately propelled it to its highest speed. Lumi tightly gripped onto Rita, while Ruby and Aurora clung to each other. Ace instinctively held onto the sides of the minecart, bracing himself for the exhilarating ride.
As the minecart's speed stabilized, Rita let out a heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry, miss," she began, addressing Ruby. "When you called my name, without thinking, I destroyed their palace. I'm not sure what happened exactly, but things escalated to this extent because of my impulsive actions. I don't think this will end just by us running away from here."
"It's fine," Ruby said. "They tried to take Aurora away, and I won't forgive them for that."
Aurora nodded, a mixture of regret and disappointment in her eyes. "Yes, it's my fault. I should have known that the Empress would take an interest in someone capable of solving her impossible puzzles."
"No, it's not!" Ruby said, gripping Aurora's hand firmly. "You did nothing wrong!"
Ace, who had been listening attentively, spoke up. "So... are you guys going to tell me what happened now?"
Aurora sighed. "As you know, we attempted to challenge the Empress's puzzle. I managed to solve it, and that should have been the end of it. But it turned out the Empress wanted to keep me by her side."
"I see," Ace nodded. "So you guys decided to run away by fighting her guards or something? Well, considering how she forced the entire kingdom to become obsessed with puzzles, I suppose it's not surprising for her to resort to such measures."
Aurora nodded, her gaze shifting to Lumi. "Sorry," she said softly. "With this, you won't be able to come back here at all."
Lumi smiled warmly. "Don't worry about it," she reassured. "I never wanted to return here anyway."
"That's right!" Ruby chimed in. "I'm done with this place too! Let's go home!"
Aurora couldn't help but smile, feeling a sense of camaraderie among them. "Okay," she agreed. "The Empress is unlikely to give up that easily, but we'll deal with that when the time comes. For now, let's focus on getting back home."
***