by Jared Stone
“Wow…. This realm is actually really, really nice,” Lucian stated to his traveling companions as he felt the warm, comfortable temperature of the breeze blowing gently across his skin. It was so soothing as compared to the harsh environments of the previous challenges that Lucian felt like he could happily remain in that field forever, rather than continuing on to what would undoubtedly be far worse on the other side. He took off his jacket and tied it around his waist in an effort to fully appreciate the temperate climate.
“Yeah, man,” Blake agreed, taking in a deep breath and enjoying the surprisingly fresh air. “Let’s just stay here for a while.”
“Do not become too comfortable,” Schuntz advised sternly, narrowing his eyes and scanning the horizon suspiciously. “I am confident that there will be challenges here as well.”
Blake shrugged. “Maybe this is just a freebie realm or something,” he posited. “Like, maybe the makers of these challenges figured we’d need a rest by now. God knows I do!”
Schuntz shot a derisive glance over at the boy. “Are you truly naïve enough to believe that we have the luxury of resting, Mr. Valenti?” he inquired. “The purpose of these realms is to prevent those who are unworthy from obtaining the key. What benefit would there be to providing us the opportunity to rest in the middle?”
Blake was silent for a few seconds. “Well, maybe the challenge IS resting,” he finally asserted. “I mean, you wouldn’t know how to rest if it slapped you in the face!”
Schuntz just paused for a moment, then shook his head. “I do not even know where to begin with addressing the inanity of your argument…,” he said in exasperation.
“Well, at least it’s pretty clear where we’ve gotta go!” Lucian cut in, pointing to the gate which seemed to be waiting for them miles away. “We might as well head in that direction til we figure out what the deal is with this place.”
Schuntz nodded in agreement. “Yeah, sure,” Blake consented.
With that settled, the three of them began walking along the sandy path, taking their time as it sloped down the hill and into one of the valleys below. Now that they had stepped away from the portal, the path was bordered on both sides by row after row of radiant ruby flowers. Their rounded petals encircled a dark black dot in the center, like eyes that watched the travelers’ every movement as the plants swayed back and forth in the breeze. The stalks upon which these floral observers sat rose up from a twisting bed of creeping vines which had completely overtaken any ground area outside of the central path.
“What kind of flowers are these?” Lucian asked aloud, intending the question more for his learned professor than his clearly oblivious roommate.
“Their appearance bears an uncanny resemblance to the Papaveraceae family of plants,” Schuntz stated, bending down and observing the unidentified species closely. “However, I must say that I have never encountered any of this particular variety before. The Papaveraceae family is not known for the creeping vines that these seem to possess….”
“Anything important about these ‘Papa-whatever’ plants we should know about?” Blake asked blandly, obviously disengaged from the botany lesson of the day.
Schuntz sighed, standing up straight again. “I would imagine that you would be most interested in their use as opiates, Mr. Valenti,” he said disdainfully.
“You mean like drugs?” Lucian asked.
Schuntz nodded. “Yes. The substances opium and morphine were derived from a member of the Papaveraceae family – the Papaver Somniferum. These plants have been well known since ancient times for their narcotic and medicinal functions, and they are often associated with slumber and death in mythological accounts.”
“So…, are they dangerous?” Blake asked hesitantly, suddenly engaged in the conversation once again and glancing with suspicion at the red flowers which flanked him on either side. “Like, to us? Right now?”
“Well, I would suggest that none of us eats any of them as we walk, Mr. Valenti,” Schuntz advised with a hint of sarcasm. “Otherwise, no. The chemicals in the Papaveraceae family are only harmful if ingested or injected.”
“Well, that’s a huge relief!” Lucian exclaimed with a laugh. After a brief yawn, he added, “Should we keep going?”
Blake yawned as well, a little more loudly. “Aaaaww hhhhh-huh. Yeah, man. Let’s,” he said.
The three men continued walking along the path. Part of Lucian wanted to close his eyes and just enjoy the serene stroll through the soothing environment, while the other part of him tried to stay constantly vigilant, certain that some unseen danger would spring up just over the next hill. He kept his eyes open, searching high and low for giant serpents, flesh eating spiders, flying monkeys, or any other bizarre instrument of death the realm might wish to throw at him. But, the longer they walked without incident, the more relaxed Lucian became. And he thought he could see the same change in his companions as well.
“Aaaaawwwwhhhh,” Blake let out another yawn, stretching his arms out wide, then placing both of his hands down upon his head. “I tell ya, man. I’m beat!”
“Yeah, me too,” Lucian agreed. “The past challenges were exhausting.”
“Ah, but you are both still young and virile,” Schuntz countered, now sauntering along with much less of a straight posture than Lucian had ever seen from the man. “Just imagine the strain on my old bones!”
The professor then let out a lighthearted chuckle that surprised Lucian. The boy found himself wondering if perhaps the old man was drunk, though he couldn’t imagine how that could have happened while stuck within a realm of Hell. He had just never witnessed Schuntz so seemingly unguarded before. Lucian let out another yawn.
“Well, we’re almost to the last realm, guys,” Lucian added with subdued glee. “Should only be two more after this one. Then we’ll get what we came for!”
Blake smiled widely. “I like the sound of that!” he exclaimed.
Once the three travelers had crested the next hill – which Lucian thought seemed harder and harder with each subsequent climb – they came upon a rock outcropping by the side of the road. One large boulder jutted up in the center, and three smaller rocks created a semi-circle around its base.
“Oh, awesome! A resting place!” Blake announced cheerily, walking over and plopping down atop one of the smaller boulders. “My feet are aching!”
With this, the boy undid his shoe laces and slipped his feet out from their fabric prisons. He joyfully wiggled his toes back and forth within their socks and leaned back against the larger rock behind him. Blake looked so comfortable there that Lucian felt he should do the same. As he made his way over to the smaller rock beside his roommate, he looked at Schuntz, who stood off to the side with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Professor, do you wanna sit down, too?” Lucian offered, trying to be polite.
Schuntz shook his head. “No, Mr. Aarden,” he stated determinedly, as if attempting to convince himself of the authenticity of his position. “I do not wish to tarry in this spot any longer than is absolutely necessary. Additionally, I fear that, if I were to sit down, I might not get back up.”
Lucian laughed at his professor’s jest with the same giddy amusement as when he would stay up all night at sleepovers. “Alright then,” he finally said, feeling his muscles aching as he squatted down to take a seat. He let out another lengthy yawn. “We won’t be here long. Just enough to rest our legs….”
Although he had just made the promise of a brief respite, Lucian found that, once he was sitting, he never wanted to stand up again. He glanced over and saw Blake with his eyes closed, basking in the warm Spring-like sunshine. Lucian breathed in deeply, feeling the clean air rush into his lungs and soothe him, as if it was the greatest sedative on earth. As he breathed out, he experienced the sensation of every tension in his body melting away. Continuing to breathe, Lucian witnessed the brilliant scene around him pass into shadow as a puffy white cloud floated across the sun.
“So, what did you
say the next challenge might be?” Lucian inquired of the professor, attempting without luck to bring to mind the remainder of the Deadly Sins.
“Only Envy and Pride remain,” Schuntz answered after taking a while to think about it. “And, if these gates follow the traditional order, Envy should be next in line.”
Lucian only half heard what the professor was saying, as his mind was wandering elsewhere, lost as he gazed out at the swaying flowers. “Are you sure you don’t wanna sit?” Lucian then asked Schuntz groggily.
Schuntz appeared conflicted, scrunching up his face in displeasure. “No, thank you, Mr. Aarden,” he finally concluded, shifting anxiously back and forth on his legs. “And I would advise that we continue to move. The longer we wait in any one spot, the more vulnerable we will be should something decide to attack us.”
Lucian thought that the professor’s point made sense. But, on the other hand, I’m so comfortable here…, he debated with himself.
“How about just one more minute?” Lucian tried to bargain with the uptight professor.
“No. It would be best for us to go now, Mr. Aarden,” Schuntz advised with a little more force.
“Oh, alright,” Lucian consented begrudgingly. He shook his head back and forth a couple of times to snap out of the relaxed daze he was in, then started lacing up his shoes again.
“Let’s go, Blake,” he said to his roommate beside him. But Blake didn’t move.
“Hey, Blake!” Lucian said louder, smacking the dark haired boy on the shoulder this time. Blake awoke with a start.
“Wha!?” Blake exclaimed, completely disoriented.
“I said it’s time to go,” Lucian instructed gruffly, still resentful that he had to shift back into the discomfort of movement. “Get your shoes on.”
“Ugh,” Blake grunted, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wipe away the lingering slumber. “Blah. Alright.”
Blake bent down and put his shoes on as well. Lucian slowly stood up beside him, feeling very dizzy and disoriented, as if all the blood had just rushed out of his head. It took him a moment to stabilize himself.
“Geez, I’m feeling a little out of it still,” Lucian admitted with a chuckle. “I think I’m more worn out after those other challenges than I thought!”
“Yeah, man. Me too,” Blake agreed, tying his last shoelace. He stood up slowly as well and attempted to take a step forward but immediately fell flat on his face in a puff of sandy dust. Lucian couldn’t help but laugh, and he even thought he could hear Schuntz stifling laughter beside him.
“Blake! Are you okay?” Lucian asked through his chuckles, walking over and bending down above his roommate. Blake looked less than amused.
“Yeah. Fine,” he said, looking down at his leg. “Just tripped on something or something.”
Lucian glanced at his roommate’s legs as well. At first, he didn’t notice anything, but then he thought he saw a stripe of green around Blake’s ankle.
“What’s that?” Lucian asked, pointing at the mystery object. Blake sat up and examined his leg.
“AHHHH!” Blake suddenly yelled, shaking his leg frantically and trying in vain to crawl away from its grasp. “It’s a snake! Get it off me! Get it off, man!”
“Woah, woah, woah! Settle down!” Lucian insisted, holding his hands out toward his roommate in an effort to calm him. “I don’t think it’s a snake. Just stay still!”
Blake stopped moving but continued to breathe very heavily, staring down in poorly-veiled terror at the unidentified green material wrapped tightly around his ankle. Lucian leaned in for a closer look.
“It almost looks like a plant of some kind…,” Lucian stated thoughtfully.
Blake leaned down closer to it now, too. “Yeah. I think it’s maybe one of those vines, man,” he said, now breathing normally once again and reaching out to carefully touch the rope-like material which had somehow tied itself around his leg. Lucian visually followed the line from under his roommate into the mass of vines beneath the red flowers.
“Yeah, I would say that’s definitely it,” Lucian said curiously.
“Well, get it off me, dude!” Blake said, grabbing hold of each end and trying to yank them apart, but to no avail. He continued to pull and strain with his superior strength, but the vine remained entirely unaffected by the boy’s efforts. Lucian gripped onto the vine he saw on the path and tried breaking it apart as well, but he could not. He stepped back for a second and contemplated.
“Okay, let’s try this…,” Lucian said. Closing his eyes and emptying his mind, he generated a ball of qi in his hand. Aiming at the green line stretching across the ground, he sent out the intention to release the energy. The second it collided with the vine, the plant immediately unwrapped itself from the boy’s leg and shot back into the twisting undergrowth. Once freed, Blake scurried backwards on the ground, as far as he could get away from either side of the path.
“Thanks, man,” he finally said as he scrambled up from the ground. “That thing was getting a little too friendly with me.”
Lucian glanced back and forth between the two sides of the path nervously, but nothing else around them seemed to be moving at all, aside from the flowers swaying rhythmically in the gentle breeze. “No problem,” he finally said with a relieved sigh. “It’s probably a good idea to keep moving then.”
“Yes,” Schuntz agreed, continuing onward past the two boys. “And it also appears as if a storm might be approaching.”
Lucian hadn’t before noticed with all the fuss over the vine, but he now saw that their surroundings had become far more dismal than when they had first arrived. Looking up, he saw a number of darker clouds scattered through the sky in place of the puffy white formations that had been there before, and the sun was now filtered through them in ever-increasing intervals.
“Let’s go,” Lucian said, heading off after Schuntz.
“Yeah,” Blake agreed tepidly.
Lucian, Blake, and Schuntz steadily plodded along. With each step he took, Lucian swore his feet were getting heavier. It seemed to take great effort just to pick up his leg and swing it forward, and he was starting to feel dizzy with fatigue. Taking note of the appearance of his companions, he concluded that they likely felt the same.
“Bloody Hell!” Blake eventually cried out, taking another lumbering step forward with strained effort. “Are we there yet?”
“No. Keep moving forward, Mr. Valenti,” Schuntz commanded without sympathy, marching along with determination seemingly chiseled into his grim face.
Lucian breathed in and out in quick succession, and he briefly considered that he must look like he was going into labor. But he didn’t care. Whatever it took to keep him pressing forward. One foot in front of the other, Lucian, he said to himself. One, two, one, two, one, two….
“Okay, I gotta take a break here, man!” Blake finally conceded, bending over and laying his hands on his knees. “It’s too hard. Gotta rest.”
“Mr. Valenti,” Schuntz snarled through gritted teeth, turning around to face the boy with scorn in his eyes. “If I am able to do this, you have no….”
The professor abruptly cut off what he was saying mid-scold and just stared toward Blake. Blake waited momentarily for a response, then threw his hands out to the side in frustration.
“What?!” he shouted back at the professor. “I have no what? Excuse? Listen, buddy: just because you’re a heartless slave driver doesn’t mean….”
“No, Blake, shut up!” Lucian interjected, pointing down at the boy’s legs. “Look!”
Blake glanced down at his pants and saw what the other two men were now eying: two vines, each one silently winding up around the boy’s legs like snakes preparing for a meal.
“Dude…,” Blake said, standing rigidly straight and holding his arms out to the side. He remained still, as if any slight movement might prompt the vines to constrict. “Get ‘em off me! They’re gonna try and wrap around me and squeeze me to death, man!”
Lucian held out
his hand to the side in preparation to generate more qi, but the red glow to his left indicated that the professor had already beaten him to it. Schuntz stood there with pulsating balls of red energy in each palm.
“Stand still,” he instructed. Blake nodded once in confirmation, then closed his eyes and shifted his head to the side with a grimace, preparing for impact. Schuntz then fired off a blast aimed just behind each leg, where the vines had crept across the road. Upon impact, both plants unraveled themselves and shot back into the fields of flowers like whips. As soon as he was free, Blake came stumbling over to where Lucian and Schuntz stood.
“Okay, okay…, no more breaks!” Blake stated with newfound conviction. “Let’s just get the Hell outta here!”
Lucian was in firm agreement. He looked out at their surroundings once again. What had once been a beautiful, vibrant meadow had turned gray and muted, shrouded by clouds which now blanketed the entire expanse of sky. Without the sunlight raining down, the rich color pallet that had once enveloped them had transformed into a foreboding dusk filled with the swaying, predatory eyes of crimson flowers. As darkness descended upon them, Lucian found it even harder to stay alert.
“Yes…, definitely…,” Lucian stated, almost as if he was attempting to wake up from a dream – or perhaps was still stuck in one. He turned and started moving forward, but his vision was starting to close in on him, darkening around the sides like the vignette of an old silent movie.
“Keep looking forward and marching on, boys!” Schuntz called out from in front of them. “We cannot stop until we have reached….”
Lucian couldn’t hear the rest of what Schuntz had said, as it was either uttered too softly or not uttered at all; but the boy certainly understood the sentiment. He furrowed his brow and marched on, trying not to think of the cement blocks which now seemed to be strapped to each foot.
