Quinn stood in front of the dark cave. Light illuminated in from the entrance, lighting the inside and brightening the cave just enough for Quinn to see where he was going.
On the opposite side of the tunnel, an illuminated exit could be spotted, easing Quinn of the worries that he might go through the troubles of another cave similar to the tenth layer of the Tower of Nightmares. He didn't want to fight anymore of those void beasts after the pain he had already gone through.
It looks to be about a kilometer to the end. I should be able to make it to the other side in around ten minutes. There doesn't seem to be anywhere else to go, so I might as well start moving. Quinn took a step into the dark cave, walking through it as he watched his steps.
After a few minutes in the deafening silence, a voice echoed through the dark tunnel, “Aren't you worried?”
Quinn turned his head towards his other self that floated over his shoulder, “What do you mean?”
“This ‘Tower of Nightmares’ hasn't been very nice to you. You lost a few friends and another went missing. Do you think this will be any different? You seem much calmer than I expected you to be.”
Quinn stared forward as he continued to walk, “There is no point stressing about it. I am worried, but the best thing to do right now is to pass this trial so I along with Kiara and Alec can move on in this tower. Then, we might be able to find Lex.”
Quinn walked in silence a few paces before raising a question, “Lex… do you know what happened to him? Or is this something you can't tell me?”
Golden Quinn stared at him with a smirk, “He is alive, although… he is having a bit of troubles of his own.”
“Will he be fine?” Quinn worriedly spoke.
“Only time will tell.”
***
Quinn neared the end of the long tunnel. The blinding light poured in through the exit as Quinn stepped through. He held his hand up to cover his eyes while they adjusted to the shining sun. He focused his vision on the outside, looking to discover where he needed to go.
After his eyes fully adjusted, he was capable of seeing a mountain with a waterfall spewing out of its side sitting beside a cozy looking village that was located in between multiple mountains, seamlessly hidden in the mountain peaks. Besides the village, there were no other locations that interested Quinn.
A dirt path led all the way from the village to the tunnel Quinn had just left. The wind blew a calm warm breeze across Quinn’s skin as he began to follow the path down to the village. If he was going to learn where to start the trial and leave his mind, that would be the best place to find out.
After following the path, he stood in front of the village. He stared at the wooden houses with green tile roofs that lined the dirt streets. There was no one in sight, as if it were a ghost town.
Where is everyone? Is this town abandoned? Quinn looked confused as he passed through the streets. There were no signs of life, nobody to speak to, not even a squirrel or a bird could be spotted. Quinn was beginning to become uncomfortable, wary. This was not normal. Surely someone would be out at such a time.
Hanging from chains on the side of a building, a sign labeled Inn had peaked Quinn’s interest. If there was anyone in this town, they would be here. Opening the door to the Inn, Quinn stepped inside, spotting a woman with long brown hair as he walked in, her back turned to him.
“Excuse me… I am new to this town. By any chance, do you know where everyone is…”
“I'll be with you in just a second.” Quinn paused as the woman spoke. He stared at her strangely, as if he had sensed something abnormal. As the woman turned around, his eyes opened in shock as he took a step backwards, “Sorry about that. What can I do for you?”
The woman turned around, revealing her wooden face and puppet-like mouth. Her eyes looked as if they were painted on, and her nose was nonexistent. Quinn was stunned, shocked and fearful of what he was looking at, but the puppet did not find his peculiar look unordinary. She was unphased, simply repeating the question from before, “What can I do for you?”
Quinn looked at her… it, trying to contemplate whether he should be worried or scared. Golden Quinn watched the situation, a smile etched across his face, “Well isn't this interesting.”
Quinn began to gather his thoughts before stepping slightly closer to the puppet, “Are you… alive?”
“I do not know how to answer that. What can I do for you?” The puppet, unable to answer the question, simply repeated her answer. Quinn stared at the puppet curiously.
“What is this place?” Quinn believed that the puppet would just reply the same, but was surprised to find it made an appropriate answer.
“This place is the Inn located in Oak Village. If you need a place to rest, this is the only place you will find.”
Oak Village… so is this the place where the trial begins? How do I start the trial? Am I already in the trial? Quinn sighed before attempting to ask the puppet another question.
“Where is the start to the trial?” It was straight forward, but his best chance at getting answers.
“I'm sorry, but I do not know how to answer that question.”
Once again, it doesn't know how to answer. It doesn't seem hostile, but I should still be careful.
“Can you tell me more about this town?” Learning more about this town would be the best in trying to figure out his situation. If he learns more, he might be able to put together how to complete the trial.
“Sure, this town is known best for the oak trees that surround it. That is of course what gives it its name. It sits right below a beautiful waterfall, and I recommend you check the stream out if you get the chance. It runs right through the town and can be seen best from the bridge that crosses over it.
“If you want, you could also pick up a drink from the local bar located two blocks left of the inn, which is best known for its whiskey. The bartender is also very kind and knows a lot more than me. If you have more questions, he would be the best to speak to.”
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Quinn was happy with the intel he was given. He had learned more about the town, and most of all, he had learned where to find more information, “Thanks, I appreciate the talk.”
Quinn stepped out of the Inn and began making his way towards the bar. Following the path, he made his way two blocks to the left of the Inn and took a step inside the bar. Small round tables sat across the bar floor, filled with puppets who sat down beside them, drinking beer and chatting.
The smell of alcohol filled the air, slightly burning Quinn's nose as he made his way to the drink bar.
Quinn felt uncomfortable being around so many puppets. He didn't have a fear of puppets, but he never knew what so many puppets could do. It could be a trap, so he had to be careful.
Quinn sat down on a stool at the drink bar, the bulky manager, who was also a puppet, cleaned a glass as he watched the man, “What would you like to drink?”
Quinn waved his hand, “I don't need anything to drink, I just want to know some questions.”
The bartender continued polishing the glass as he glared at Quinn, “If you want questions, you are going to have to order something.”
Quinn sighed, “I guess I will order a whiskey, I heard they are the best here.”
The bartender's puppet mouth tried forming a smile, “That's a good choice.”
The bartender pulled a bottle of whiskey off the rack of bottles behind him. After pouring the drink into a small glass, he pushed the whiskey towards Quinn. A vanilla and butterscotch aroma emanated from the glass of whiskey.
“Go ahead, drink up.” The bartender watched as Quinn sat there, waiting for Quinn to drink the whiskey. After seeing the bartender not moving away, Quinn held the glass up to his face. He didn't want to drink it, fearful of what would happen, but he had no other choice.
He put the rim of the glass up to his lips, but before he could down the whiskey, his vision blurred before being sent back to a familiar place.
Quinn looked around, trying to understand what had just happened. The glass that had been in his hand was now gone, and he was no longer sitting in the bar. A grassy plain with scattered oak trees surrounded him, and a mountain with a cave etched into its side sat on the edge of the plains.
A slight laughter could be heard from Quinn’s side. Turning his head, Quinn had spotted his golden version floating on his back in the air holding his chest as he quietly chuckled, “This is beginning to get very interesting.”
Quinn's eyes were wide in awe, the location where he had entered his mind, the place where he had awoken, he had returned in an instant.
“How… how did that…” Quinn tried to put together words as he contemplated what had happened, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't figure out what had occurred.
I wasn’t drugged, I hadn’t even drank a drop of the alcohol yet… So what happened? Why am I back here? Quinn turned his head towards his golden version, narrowing his eyes as he glared at himself.
Golden Quinn saw his gaze, then began attempting to calm Quinn down, “Relax, I didn't do this. This seems to be the work of something else.”
After confirming that Golden Quinn wasn't lying, Quinn began walking towards the entrance of the cave tunnel once again. Stepping in, he began walking through the tunnel for a second time, trying to piece together the puzzle that was his teleportation.
“You should know, what happened? Why was I teleported back here?” Quinn focused his words towards his golden version as he fast walked through the cave tunnel.
“I can't say too much, but I can say that you weren't teleported.”
“I wasn’t teleported?” Quinn's eyes furrowed, unable to imagine what else could have happened to send him back there in an instant.
After rushing through the tunnel, Quinn made his way back to the bar. The long and arduous walk back had tired him. He stepped through the door to the bar, made his way to the drink bar and sat down on one of the wooden stools.
The bartender, polishing a glass, turned to Quinn, “What would you like to drink?”
Quinn looked at the bartender, trying to see if there was anything abnormal or different about him, but found nothing at all, “Do you not remember me?”
The bartender leaned in close to study Quinn's face. Quinn leaned backwards as a reaction to how close the bartender had gotten, before leaning back after the bartender moved away, “I remember everyone's faces, and I haven't seen yours ever.”
Quinn tried to piece together why the bartender had forgotten him, “That's fine, can I just have a cup of whiskey?”
“That's a good choice.” Almost robotically, the puppet spoke the same repetitive words he used last time to reply to Quinn.
After the bartender poured the whiskey into a cup, he pushed it towards Quinn. Quinn picked up the glass, studying it for anything peculiar. After finding nothing, he searched his surroundings for anything off, but also didn't find anything.
This was the moment where I had been teleported back last time, but there doesn't seem to be anything abnormal. Quinn looked towards his golden version to see if he could interpret any of his body language to indicate Quinn was on the right path, but the man only had a stoic straight face, barely minding Quinn.
Quinn turned back towards the glass of whiskey after finding no useful information, slowly putting the rim of the glass towards his mouth. Finally, he tipped the glass back and downed the whiskey.
After every drop had been swallowed, Quinn looked around to find he was still in the bar. This time, he hadn't been teleported.
Maybe it was just a one time occurrence? If it is going to happen again, then what is the reaction that causes me to teleport?
Quinn put down the cold empty glass and pushed it back towards the bartender, “Can you tell me more information about this town?”
The bartender dumped out the glass in a small sink and began to wash it as he chatted, “This town is a peaceful town. The residents are friendly, just don't get on their bad side. The town was named after the oak trees that surround it and the waterfall pours down the mountain and forms a stream through the town. This is the most basic stuff.”
Quinn sighed in disappointment, “Is there anything abnormal about this town?”
“There is nothing out of the ordinary, but there is a house located on the side of the mountain in the woods just north of town. That is about as abnormal as this town gets.”
This is a lead! An abnormal house in the woods is definitely suspicious. If I go there, I will very likely find clues to how to escape the trial. Quinn gave a slight smile before falling pale when hearing the bartender speak.
“So… Do you have any money to pay for that whiskey?” The bartender spoke coldly.
Quinn's face turned as white as a ghost as he looked at the bartender's wooden face. Fortunately, the bartender's attitude changed as he continued to polish the glass, “Don’t worry about it, the drink is on me. Just remember next time to bring some money.”
Quinn looked at him with apologetic eyes, “Sorry, I will bring some money next time.” After staying for a bit longer, Quinn stepped outside of the bar and stretched his back, basking in the sun's heat.
“So you have found a clue. Do you think it will actually lead to anything?” Golden Quinn hovered beside Quinn.
After finishing his stretch, Quinn began walking north in the direction of the mysterious house, “I'm not sure, but it couldn't hurt to check it out.”
After making it to the edge of town, Quinn walked over the bridge that had been mentioned before. He watched the water pour from the waterfall before continuing on, “It really is a nice view.”
Quinn made it to the end of the bridge. Once he stepped off, he'd be out of town and would be on his way to the mysterious house.
Just before he took a step forward, his eyes blurred before being brought back to a familiar location. Quinn stood in a small plain, trees were spotted around him and a mountain stood in front of him with a gap in its side. Quinn had been teleported back to the beginning once again.