by Lucas Flint
As he suspected, he found Guide sitting on the sand exactly where he had been not even an hour ago. How Guide had avoided the wave, Beams did not know, but he also didn’t care. Whatever Guide may have said about this being some kind of ‘pocket dimension,’ Beams was sure that there was more to it than that.
“Congratulations,” said Guide, glancing at Beams as he approached. “You successfully passed the first challenge.”
“It wasn’t that hard,” said Beams, dusting sand off his shoulders. He came to a stop several feet away from Guide. “I thought I would have to do a lot more than just fire a few cannonballs into a whirlpool.”
Guide’s eyes glowed briefly. “Not everyone is as quick-thinking as you. Many challengers fail here. Indeed, most do. The hardest problem many challengers have is getting onto the ship in the first place. The second hardest problem is saving the ship itself. Few challengers realize that it is impossible to save the ship from the whirlpool, but that it is possible to stop the whirlpool itself. That is the true solution to this challenge and you passed it, as your people might say, with flying colors.”
Beams nodded. He glanced out toward the ocean and saw that the ship was already pulling its anchor up. He could also see sailors getting the sails ready to head out. “Just seemed obvious to me when Sonny told me about the kraken.”
“What is obvious to you is not necessarily obvious to everyone,” said Guide. “Each person sees the world a little differently than the other. You might even say that each individual lives in their own alternate universe, with its own rules and guidelines and laws about what is possible and what isn’t.”
Beams shuddered. He was reminded of what the Avatar had told him about the Dread Realm and how it drove people insane by giving them each individual and irreconcilable views of the world. “That would be an awful way to live if it was true. How could anyone relate to anyone else if we can’t agree on what constitutes reality?”
“Very true,” said Guide, “but it was simply a metaphor. In any case, what matters is that you passed the test. That does not, of course, mean you are a son of Arius or that you are even worthy of wielding the God Slayer, but it does mean you are that much closer to achieving both.”
“Well, I’m ready for the next challenge,” said Beams. “Where is it?”
Guide gestured with a hand toward the sea. Without warning, a tunnel made of water rose from the ocean, starting from the shore and descending all the way into the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean. The darkness within the tunnel looked like the darkness in the jungle, which was how Beams knew that that was where he needed to go.
“Enter this tunnel,” said Guide. “Don’t worry. It won’t take you to the bottom of the ocean or into the arms of the angry, vengeful kraken which seeks to destroy you. It will, however, take you to the next challenge.”
Beams nodded again. “I see. Will I see you again there?”
“You will receive help,” said Guide. “That is all I am going to say on the matter. Now go. You have a multiverse to save, don’t you?”
Beams opened his mouth to respond, but when he blinked again, the Guide was gone again.
Dang it, Beams thought, shaking his head. If he keeps pulling off that disappearing act, I am going to lose my mind. But maybe that’s the point. Maybe he’s not really my guide at all but a challenge himself, meant to drive me insane with his constant disappearances.
Still shaking his head, Beams nonetheless entered the tunnel. He found himself wondering how Shade and Mr. Space were doing back in Ariopolis, as well as how Bolt and the others’ quest to find the Starborn was going.
However Bolt is doing, it can’t possibly be any worse than I’ve done, Beams thought. It would be pretty nice if, after I got the God Slayer and emerged from the cave, the Starborn had already defeated the Dread God for us. Would save us a lot of time.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Bolt had never seen so many Darzens in one place before. The last time he’d seen anywhere close to this many Darzens was back in the Dread City, specifically in the First Layer, but even then, they had been pretty spread out then. These Darzens were crowded so closely together and making such a racket that Bolt was wondering how he and the Midnight Menace had completely failed to notice them sneaking up on them. It didn’t help that the blinding lights that they shone upon them were annoying and made Bolt feel like he was an escaped convict having the prison spotlight shone on him.
Despite that, Bolt didn’t hesitate. He fired a red lightning bolt at the Darzens, but to his shock, the red lightning bolt hit some kind of barrier and utterly dissipated, like a flame exposed to water. The Darzens around him made chittering noises that might have been laughter, as though they found Bolt’s failure to hit them amusing.
“What was that?” said the Midnight Menace. He seemed to be taking the light even worse than Bolt because he had covered his eyes almost completely with one hand and sounded like he was in pain. “Why didn’t your lightning bolt pierce the barrier?”
“Because this is no ordinary barrier, human,” said that deep voice again. “It was created by the Dread God himself and is impossible to escape.”
From out of the shadows came the Dread God’s Avatar. He was a good deal taller than the other Darzens, looking exactly the same as the last time Bolt saw him. The only difference was the patch in the center of his armor where his stomach was. It looked like he might have been stabbed at some point and the armor hastily repaired, though Bolt wasn’t sure who could have done that to him.
But that was the least of Bolt’s worries at the moment. A much bigger issue was the fact that they were surrounded, although hopefully not trapped.
“Who are you?” said the Midnight Menace. He drew his sword and held it close to his chest.
“I am the Dread God’s Avatar,” said the Avatar, pointing at himself. “I was chosen by the Dread God to lead his people to glory. Though the Dread God has since returned from the dead, I still serve him as his most active and visible agent in the mortal realm, for the Dread God does not need to dirty his hands himself.”
“I’ve seen him before,” said Bolt. “He’s a lot more dangerous than he looks, so don’t let your guard down around him.”
“Don’t worry,” said the Midnight Menace, his eyes locked on the Avatar. “I have no intention of letting my guard down around him or his fellow Darzens. Instead, I intend to kill them, each and every last one of them, in cold blood.”
The Avatar smirked. “You can’t even touch us, yet you talk about killing us.”
“What do you mean?” said the Midnight Menace. “You’re standing right there. I could attack you right now and you would not be able to stop me.”
The Avatar tapped the surface of the barrier around them, which shimmered slightly at his touch. “As you can see, we’ve got you captured in a light barrier. It’s a type of impenetrable barrier created using solid light. The Dread God himself gave us this technology. As you saw with Bolt’s failed attack, it can stop a wide variety of different attacks with no trouble.”
“Why did you capture us?” said Bolt. “Are you going to kill us?”
“As much as I’d like to, no, we won’t,” said the Avatar, shaking his head. “The Dread Priest gave me orders to capture you, Bolt, and bring you back alive to Jinkopa.”
Bolt frowned. “Why does the Dread Priest want me, of all people?”
“Do you really think I would tell you important information like that if you just asked nicely?” said the Avatar with a snort. “Please. I’m not an idiot. The Dread Priest’s reasons for wanting you are his own. They are none of your business.”
Bolt’s hands balled into fists. “Is this why you came to the Shadowlands, then? To capture me?”
“No,” said the Avatar, shaking his head. “We have other reasons for being here, chief among them making sure you don’t get the Starborn to help you. Not that they are very likely to listen to you—after all, they’re not fighters—but we wanted to make sure
you wouldn’t even get a chance to ask them for help. The Dread God doesn’t need more people getting in the way of his plans of conquest.”
Bolt should have seen this coming. He cursed himself for not anticipating that the Darzens would do something like this. “Did you guys also close the portal from the Endless Forest as well?”
“Of course,” said the Avatar. “We wanted to isolate you because that would make it easier to control you. The only thing we didn’t take into account was the Midnight Menace, but there’s not much even he can do against us now.”
“You are right to fear me,” said the Midnight Menace. “As soon as I find out how to break out of this barrier, I will put an end to all your lives once and for all.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” said the Avatar. “No one has ever escaped a light barrier. As I said, it is impenetrable. Even if you attacked the barrier with all of your might, it wouldn’t even crack. You might as well stare at it and think bad thoughts at it all day. That would be about as productive as actively trying to pierce it with your weapons or powers.”
The Midnight Menace growled and launched toward the Avatar. He slashed his sword in a swift, downward motion, but the blade bounced harmlessly off of the barrier, causing the Midnight Menace to stagger backward slightly.
“See?” said the Avatar. “I was telling the truth. If you continue to refuse to believe me, then that is your problem, not mine. I suggest conserving your energy for something useful, like keeping your mouth shut and not resisting when we bring you two before the Dread Priest.”
“But I thought you just wanted me,” said Bolt in surprise. “Why are you going to take the Midnight Menace as well?”
“Because he ended up in our trap with you,” the Avatar replied. “I bet that the Dread Priest will know what to do with him. The Dread God can always use a sacrifice or two, after all, and I am sure he would be very pleased to receive the Midnight Menace as one such enemy sacrifice.”
Bolt gulped and looked around, but as far as he could tell, the barrier really did surround them on all sides. On every side, he saw leering Darzen soldiers brandishing deadly-looking weapons. He could take them all in a fight, but as long as he was trapped inside this barrier, he wouldn’t be able to do anything except glare at them. The Midnight Menace was similarly powerless.
We need to find a way out of here, Bolt thought.
He looked at the Midnight Menace. “Menace, can you shadow travel us out of here?”
The Midnight Menace shook his head. “No. The lights are too bright and the shadows are too thin for me to go anywhere, much less take a passenger with me. Perhaps if the lights were a bit dimmer I might be able to get us out of here, but as it is, I’m as stuck as you are.”
“We didn’t intend to capture you as well, so this is a happy coincidence for us,” said the Avatar with another smirk. “Truly, the Dread God blesses those who carry out his will.”
Then the Avatar looked at one of the Darzens carrying the lamps that created the light barrier. “Increase the brightness until it knocks them both out. They will be much easier to transport to the Dread God if they are unconscious rather than conscious.”
The Darzen operating the light barrier lamps nodded and began turning and twisting dials on the machine’s control panel. The lights suddenly became much brighter, to the point that Bolt had to cover his eyes to avoid getting blinded. He heard the Midnight Menace fall to his knees, however, and could feel the light making him weaker as well.
Can’t let him win, Bolt thought. If this keeps up, we’ll both be unconscious in no time. I have to get us out of here.
Taking his hands off his eyes, Bolt rushed toward the barrier and began pummeling it with his fists. But, though his fists struck harsh and fast, the barrier stood fast under his assault. If anything, it seemed to be getting stronger and stronger, though Bolt really knew that he was just getting weaker and weaker due to the weakening effects of the light.
On the other side of the barrier, the Avatar stood with his arms folded in front of his chest. He watched with amusement as Bolt futilely tried to break through the barrier like he was watching an entertaining movie that had just come on TV.
“Your tenacity is admirable but ultimately pointless,” said the Avatar. “The more you punch the barrier, the more energy you expend, which means that you are going to fall unconscious much faster than you otherwise would. Not that I care. You are just making my job that much easier.”
Bolt stopped punching the barrier and stepped back. The lights were so bright now that it was nearly impossible to see anything, even the Avatar standing directly in front of him. Even worse, Bolt could feel his energy steadily draining and his body becoming weaker and sluggish.
Damn it, Bolt thought, struggling to keep his eyes open, they really got us this time, didn’t they? I just hope that Beams and the others are having more luck with the God Slayer than we are in getting the Starborn because unless something happens fast, we’re going down for good.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Going from the bright, tropical sun of the island into the pitch black darkness of the cave was an unnerving experience. And Beams was back in the cave. He could tell. The ground underneath his feet felt solid and smooth, while the air had become ice cold again. The ground had been wet for a while there—probably due to the fact that he had been walking through an undersea tunnel—but now it was as dry as ever. The necklace around Beams’ neck had started glowing again, which was comforting in its own way because it meant that Beams would not have to worry about the Guardians killing him.
Even so, I wonder how I went from walking underwater to walking back in this cave, Beams thought as he fingered the golden necklace around his neck casually. There must be dimensional portals connecting the different challenges to the cave or something. It’s the only logical explanation.
Another way Beams knew he was back in the cave was the sensation of being watched. No doubt the Guardians were still following him, which seemed odd to Beams because he had already proved by now that he was a legitimate Gauntley challenger. Perhaps they were waiting for him to take off the necklace at some point so they could swoop in and kill him. It was a disturbing thought, so he pushed it out of his mind and tried not to worry about the Guardians who he could not see. He doubted they would intervene until and unless he took off his necklace, something he had no intention of doing anytime soon.
I wonder what the next challenge will be, Beams thought, groping through the darkness carefully. The whirlpool was tricky, but not impossible. Still, I can only imagine that the following challenges are going to get harder and harder. The next challenge will probably be even harder than the first and the final challenge will probably be the hardest of them all.
Beams found his mind wandering back to Rubberman again. His boss was still back in Golden City, where he was about as safe as he will ever be, but Beams was still worried for his safety. He still remembered what Arius had told him in the Dread Realm, about the important role which Rubberman would play in the fight against the Dread God, but he still didn’t know what rule that was going to be.
Maybe it would be better if I didn’t involve him in it at all, Beams thought. The Dread God is a powerful enemy, the most dangerous one we’ve faced yet. Boss is a strong guy and an excellent fighter, but I don’t think even he would be able to defeat the Dread God.
Despite that, Beams knew that he would have to go back to Golden City eventually. Whatever role Rubberman had to play in the final conflict, Beams would not know until later. For now, he needed to focus on completing the Gauntlet and getting the God Slayer. Then he would worry about Rubberman and whatever his role was going to be.
Just as Beams made that decision, he saw a tiny light up ahead. It was rather dim, but here in the endless darkness, it shone as bright as the sun. Thinking that it was the next challenge, Beams sped up his pace until soon he reached the light and passed through it.
This time, Beams’ eyes didn’t have to
adjust to the change in lighting at all. He found himself standing in a wide, bowl-shaped stone chamber that seemed to be part of the cave. Glowing lights in the ceiling provided sufficient illumination by which to see, and he was astonished by what he saw.
Set in the center of the cave was a large black obelisk. It was surprisingly clean, shining under the lights from above, with a variety of strange and exotic carvings and images that made no sense to Beams. It was on top of a tall wooden platform, which, like the obelisk, was very clean and shiny. Over on the other side of the chamber, a single stone door stood by itself, which Beams understood to be the room’s exit. He did not see any other people in here, nor did it seem like anyone had been in here for quite a while.
“Welcome,” said a voice to the side suddenly.
Beams started and looked over to the direction in which the voice had spoken. Guide sat on the floor not far away, his hands on his knees and a serene expression on his face. Once again, Beams had not noticed Guide’s arrival, which made him wonder exactly what Guide meant when he said he was a ‘recording.’ Was he a spirit? An illusion? Maybe a projection created by some hidden projector somewhere? Beams didn’t know and he wasn’t sure he ever would.
“Guide,” said Beams. He looked over at the black obelisk. “Is this the second challenge?”
“Correct,” said Guide. “Or, rather, this is the room where you will do the second challenge. Once you complete the second challenge, you will be allowed to move onto the third and final challenge, which takes place after this.”
Beams’ eyes darted to the door on the other side of the room. “What’s to stop me from skipping the challenge and going through the door over there? It’s unprotected.”
