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Gemini's Journal- Entry 5
I've been forced to work with a lot of crappy people during my bounty hunting days, most clients don't trust you completely to get a job done, being infamous and all, so they'll have a pair of "eyes" on the job watching me, most didn't exactly help me get things done, in fact almost all of them, couldn't keep up! use to piss me off dealing with them, but as I did more jobs, I learned, it's easier to move with your restraints, not work against them, these guys– dozens of time weaker then me STILL have been in the field for years, maybe decades, just because they're weaker than me doesn't make them worth less than me, ever since I learned to get along I found these jobs became a lot easier– still wouldn't trust a fellow bounty hunter though..
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"Huff.. Huff.. Huff.." As we round the corner, still carrying Klive and the man, I pant desperately: I'm exhausted– mentally, not physically, no matter how I try to shape the situation in my mind I can't craft an excuse for my actions. So I run desperately, hoping my legs can carry me away from this mess.
"You think this is the right way..?" Klive interjected, skeptical of my pathfinding.
Ignoring him, I rush through the fog, taking another sharp right, and as I do, I'm faced with a monster–a Goblin. It's leathery green skin camouflaged in the fog.
As it sees me, as if it's some sort of machine, it's first instinct is to attack.. It raises its crude wooden club and swings at me full force.
CRACK–
But I have no time to mess around, I leap over it, using its head as a spring board and continue my relentless advance, but in doing so its skull shattered as I stomped on its head.
Looking back Klive stares at the now fresh corpse, it seems like he wanted to say something, but he holds it back.
"Do you have any idea where you're going? We could be running in circles-" He ONCE AGAIN complains, but I cut-him off before he can get another word out!
"Shut up! I'm doing everything I can! Mazes aren't supposed to be easy to navigate! Just let me do my thing-
I feel a sharp tug on my left ear, followed up with a stinging twist! the sudden pain brings my dash to a screeching halt, "OW! What the HELL!" I roar, now teeming with rage, Klive twisted my ear to shut me up!
I'm ready to throttle him, but fortunately he starts explaining himself, "Before you blow a fuse, I want you to see if you can get atop this wall, If we can see over it, we might be able to find our way back to the others, even if the mist goes higher than the wall, we should still have some idea where to head, and if we're lucky they may have already started a fire." He states, calmly.
And all of a sudden, my early aggression has fizzled out, I feel so high I'm basically soaring over the moon!
"You're a genius! Why didn't I just try climbing it earlier, OOOO! I could kiss you!" I reach behind me and try to grab out at Klive, still perched on my back, but my affection is not accepted, nor returned.
He swats at my hands, "Stop messing around! He's dying! Remember?! Haul ass!" He says, clearly agitated, sounding a little out of character.
"Ahaha! Alright, alright.." I Take a deep breath, and look up, besides me rests a seemingly insurmountable wall, It has no protrusions or features to get a hand hold on, and just so happens to be silky smooth, it's only notable characteristic being extravagant drawings, hinting at some possible past for this ancient structure."
But none of these things are problems, merely inconveniences.
I squat down, coiling my body like a wound spring, every muscle in my body tensed, desperate for release.
This bare wall was only a problem if you needed to interact with it, however, if you just ignored scaling it directly, and treated it as a stepping stone, there was hardly any problem at all.
I Tighten my hold on Casa's brother and Klive, And…
Lift off!!
WOOOSH~
The mist parts as I rocket into the sky like a guided missile, Klive's arms wrap around my neck like a nose, desperate not to fall off, I cling to the dying man in my arms desperately as we soar higher, and higher.
There happens to be one problem however– we start to slow!!
The Wall seems to have been higher than I could have predicted. Even though we shoot through the air for a minute straight, the wall seems to go on without end!
"Uh oh.." I say as our momentum starts to finally give.. and we start to fall!
But Klive wastes no time thinking on the fly! " KICK OFF!!" he wailed!
"!!" My body moves before my mind does, My leg swings to the right and slams into the wall, almost cracking it! As it batters into the smooth marble, I launch off in the opposite direction, soaring higher, and toward the parallel wall!!
We gain a decent bit of height.. And finally, pass the fog.
"Wow.." we both say simultaneously, the once deary dense fog now resembles an ethereal canopy of clouds, they glow, illuminated by the pale light of the moon.
As we continue soaring toward the wall, above the fog we FINALLY see the top!
"WE MADE IT!" I wail, ecstatic! Right as we hit the wall, I aim toward the edge!
SPLAT!
…
AND MISS!!
I slam face first into the wall, my arms prove to be just slightly too stubby to reach the edge.. And slowly.. We start sliding!!
Of course, being so helpful! Klive wails in my ear! "ORION!!" he shrieked in a panicked voice.
"I KNOW I KNOW!!!" I say just as calmly.
I take my hands off Casa's brother and quickly maneuver them to the wall, somehow managing to hold him between the wall and myself. How I pulled this off I couldn't tell you.. All I know is..
Slipp~
IT WASN'T WORKING WELL!!!
My hands squeezed the wall like nooses, they were stretched so taut over it, you could see the veins bulge in my hands.
But all I managed to do was slow the inevitable, gripping onto this wall was like trying to cling to a soapy pane of glass!
"GrrrrGHH!!" I squeezed with all my might, refusing to yield.. Come on.. Think.. Think.. Think..
But before I could, HE acted..
Klive suddenly leaps off my back! He uses me as a step ladder and soars up, grabbing the edge!! Closing the foot between us and the wall!
The problem however is this sudden movement causes me to completely lose my grip! My legs fly into the air and my head swings toward the earth! I'M SCREWED!
Accepting my fate.. I close my eyes..
…
…
But somehow, with surgical precision, Klive's feet snake out, and pinch my ankle! Somehow stopping my fall! But it's not over yet!!
As I hang upside down, In the corner of my eye, I see Casa's brother also falling in front of me, no longer jammed against the wall!!!
"!!!" My voice seizes remembering him! Even though I'm shocked, just in the nick of time I reached out and managed to grab his leg!
…
…
…and an indescribable ease enshrouds my body.. I feel so relieved, I could probably die right now without regrets..
But that feeling hasn't caught up to Klive.
I look up and see him red in the face, trying to keep me from slipping out the peculiar hold of his feet..
"Oh, right.." I then try to compose my rapidly beating heart.. (and fail to) then I toss Casa's brother over on the top of the wall.. Then slip out Klive's hold while leaning forward, grabbing onto his legs, and use him as a ladder.
After I finally grip the edge, I grab Klive's shoulder, and pull us both up..
"Ugh.. Shiiiiiiiiiiit.." I sigh.. Feeling the sweet sensation of solid ground after minutes without it.
Klive and me just.. Sit for a minute, still in disbelief.. And just.. Try to catch our breath..
I turn to Klive, laying beside me and say, "Alright, I gotta admit it… You might be kinda amazing,"
His breath is still labored, He just sits there, breathing in.. and out… until he says, "Bit slow on the uptake eh." he chuckles out. He then slowly stands up, still breathing, "Alright, enough messing around.. Let's get going." then starts marching along the wall.
"Sigh.. You're really working me to the bone.." I sigh, but don't really mean it, I know better than anyone how urgent the situation still is.
I hurl myself off my back, and land on my feet. I then carefully pick up Casa's brother (despite being rough with him earlier) and rush along the wall, scanning the area.
We stand on top the the inner walls, around the south side of the maze, It'd be nice if we could tell where the golden egg was up here, but the fog still obscures anything within the mazes towering walls.
However, with a little luck–
"Orion! There!" Ahead, Klive points… I think north-ward? Toward an open area illuminated by the campfire!
In no time at all, we accomplished our goal! Now we just have to get over there and– ... And… face the music..
I Scope Klive on my back hopefully for the last time, "Ready partner~" I sing, and he swiftly nods.
….WOOOSH~
Wasting no time, I lift off once again, this time aiming to use the walls as stepping stones! At this rate we'll probably be there in just a few minutes! w e should have about 25 minutes left before he croaks so-
"Halt"
A Booming voice reverberates through my soul: just as I'm about to reach the next wall, my momentum is Stop– No, KILLED!
Stopping would have meant there was some slowing down, an opposing force, but no, I simply ceased to move.
"Wha-" I'm confused, this feeling is unnatural, unreal. Yet not unfamiliar…
Klive looks back, and clicks his tongue, "Damn.."
From on high, as if descending down from the heavens themselves, a man floats down, and graces us.
The man possessed fiery red hair that raged all the way down his back, contrasted with an impassive expression that made him appear more like an apparition than a man. And his jet-black eyes, bored into us, not with disappointment or disgust, simply appraisal.
And yet his most interesting feature wasn't him himself, but the geometrical anomaly floating beside his head.
A Transparent cube that shifted, twisted, and folded onto itself, seemingly hundreds of times hovered beside his head, though transparent, I could tell whatever hid inside its walls was beyond value.
But as we stared at him suspended in mid-air, he spoke first.
"Now what do we have here? A boy and two men, hopping along the testing grounds like an extreme game of hopscotch? Now that's an interesting sight.." He whispered with a serene drawl.
It feels inappropriate to speak, but in a panic I yell, "W-who the hell are you?" I wail.
Despite my rude tone, the man chuckled, amused.
"A fair enough question, why don't you introduce us, climber?" he says, pointing at Klive still glaring at him atop my back."
Klive stays silent, clearly not pleased with the situation, but with baited breath continued, "Orion, This is one of the Mountaineers– Figures who watch over the test as sorts of Moderators, they explain the tests and regulate the rules.. as well as enforce them.." he almost whispers the last part of his explanation, as if anticipating the worse.
"Huh– So he's like the overseer or something? Then how come he didn't meet with us or nothing?" I ponder.
But with my question, another pretentious laugh slips out his throat.
"Hahaha.. apologies, when I saw a group of over 200 people had gathered together all at once, I figured that was it. So I thought I should show my face to them sooner than later."
With a wave of his hand, I spin and face him, my body is tugged toward him like a puppet dangling on strings.
"You came in after the test had already started.. So I wasn't sure how best it would be to handle you, in the end.. I called in with someone higher up, and they said they wanted me to leave you be." he hums.
"W-well that doesn't seem all that fair." I rebuke
But his smile doesn't waver, "It all worked out in the end right? Now.. enough of that.. To the problem at hand."
He pulls me closer– too close, our noses just about graze each other, as the warmth of his breath scalds my skin.
"UGH! Get back creep!" I spout, my voice dripping with revulsion, I try to act grossed out and aggressive, but truth is.. This man terrifies me, just looking at him, I know he could wring the mill out my bones if he wanted, but I can't bring myself to show weakness.
But he ignores my discomfort, and those kind, gentle eyes, Bore into my soul, attempting to tear it apart..
"Tell me, what are you three doing up here? There's little purpose in a maze if you just walk on it, Now the question is.. How should I handle such an obvious transgression?"
As his eyes drilled into me, I felt the air freeze in my lungs, I wanted to refute, scream, deny. But no sound comes out, so I just stare at him with my mouth agape.
But without flinching, Klive said, "...So what? I don't remember you mentioning walking along the top of the maze being against the rules, you were very clear, Work together, four days, and find the golden egg, those are the only instructions you gave us..." He states calmly, despite being caught in the mountaineer's grip.
Honestly, I think he just sounds like a smart ass.. But the Mountaineer squints his eyes and just looks at him smugly.
"Ahh~ a loophole huh? That's your card? I've lived a long time. Many-a Hiker has tried to slip past me with a silver tongue.. and many have failed.." His eyes rack over us, a quiet conflict stirring in his mind, "But You aren't one of them.."
Suddenly my body is tugged back, and a few feet are made between me and the man, "I admit, I didn't think it was possible for floor one testers to climb the wall, so I didn't think to mention it! I suppose it is truly on me then. Besides, that stunt you pulled to get up it truly was quite the herculean feat! Far too entertaining not to reward!
I was still confused by the sudden change in his demeanor but the words "Reward" snapped me back into my senses.
"In that case! Could you do me a favor and heal this man right here? I accidentally hurt my teammate and now he might die! Please!!" I extend my arms and present him, his breath still growing weaker by the minute.
But without a drop of hesitation, "I refuse." He declares, not considering it for a second.
I feel a spiraling black pit open up in the bottom of my stomach, that sudden rush of hope is immediately crushed.
"Wha- but-" but he holds out his hand to stop me, "Friendly fire and what not is all part of the test, injuries made by other testers aren't unfair, so there is no reason for me to act, if he dies because of your actions, then he dies." He says while still plastering that annoying smile…
I want to yell at him… scream at him.. BEAT him! But I know better than to poke a bear, so I swallow my malice.
"...However I can give you one.. Tip.." he whispers, holding a single finger up in front of his mouth.
"Y-yes! Anything please!" I yell desperately, before my dreary expression, the Mountaineer chuckles, and continues.
"within the testing floors.. If a certain condition is met, then all of someone's wounds can be instantaneously, and miraculously healed.."
I Lean forward, in anticipation, Hoping he's not just fucking with me..
"If you declare, whole heartedly, that you wish to quit the test, then the tower will answer your plea, and send you to the last residential floor– however, you will be forbidden from climbing any higher, for an entire five years.
"F-five.." The words die in my throat in shock, even Klive on my back listening patiently is frozen stiff...
Five.. entire years.. unable to go further up the tower, it goes without saying that's a helluva lot of time.. I don't know if I would ever do that.. even if I was on the brink of death..
"I admit, that is pretty drastic, but surely.. It's better than dying to most people– and be advised, this trick only works on the first ten floors of the tower, as a sort of… beginners perk."
He leans into us again, amused by our bewilderment.. "It seems you both got some thinking to do.. If you can manage to resuscitate him one more time, and declare to leave the floor.. He'll live.. That's the only way out of this mess…
I look down, it's not pretty.. But finally a path is open.. I look up at him and nod.
"Good! Oh and for your information, technically you can leave the floor, and be healed if you fail a test.. But I don't think that's an option for him.. Anyway! Boy.. before you go.. Tell me your name."
I really shouldn't tell him, but I guess as a sign of goodwill for that tip, I comply.
"...Orion" I state plainly.
"...Orion hm.. What an out of this world name! Well, Orion, My name is Arlo– You need not remember it for we will not meet again, farewell, I hope you make the test more interesting, for Ms. Gilbert's sake."
…
"Ms. Who-"
But as I raise my question, Me and Klive are raised through the air! swinging as if spinning on the merry go round!
"WAAAHHH!" We Shriek, as our bodies are unwillingly spun like a top.
"Farewell, Now… FLY!!" the Mountaineer sings as he waves his arm, our bodies are flung into the sky we rocketed toward the campfire, shooting off toward the center of the maze like a shooting star!!
"SCREWWWW YOUUUU!!!!!" I wail as I start blasting off agaaain!!!
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Chapter 4- END