Kara Ariak

Chapter 8

Kara watched the next room, listening carefully at each tunnel and something stuck out to her, there were the exact same amount of monsters down each path. She had no idea which path was the correct one.

So she decided to see what the royals found as she watched them rush around the room muttering about slithers and levers, from the clue that Nico had found, if she had to guess.

Kara stared around the room, it was strange, the entrance to each path was perfectly spaced to be exactly the same length apart, however, it was like one entrance just wasn't there.

As she watched, Kara couldn't at all shake the feeling of simultaneous hurt and uselessness. She felt as though she didn't belong near the three kids she had managed to meet within the last few days. She felt worthless compared to any of them. Like she had no place standing within a hundred meters of them but she shook her head and cleared her thoughts.

No use in fussing about it now, she'd give herself both the time and effort to think about her feelings when they satisfied her call. Because her mom's voice was starting to work on her nerves.

After a while of them running around the room, Aline found a snake statue and pulled it to the side, like a lever, opening another hallway, where the entrance to one was missing.

One which Kara could hear had noticeably fewer monsters than the others around it.

She nodded and smiled at the other three in the room.

But as she turned to the tunnel the sound was clear.

'Edti na Echani.'

There was a monster in the next room.

Kara pulled up her guard, quietly observing what was about to occur. Mentally preparing herself for what would or could happen. And if her friends saw Kara's posture change, no one said anything but they each too changed their own to be more on guard.

The four teens walked down the tunnel only to be met by three rooms directly following each other.

In the first of the rooms, they could see clearly. A massive cage stood in the center of the room and within said cage, what Kara could only call a massive red lion with fangs and two too many paws.

Kara knew from the chanting that the second room had three monsters in and the third seven. She worried.

Oron held out a hand indicating that no one should enter the room as he observed the ground.

"Pressure plates, the entire room full, there is no way we can all reach the other rooms without opening the cage. In fact, only Aline would be able to cross safely, we'll have to fight through the room."

Kara stared worriedly at the three royal kids and Aline nodded her head towards Kara. "Relax, we've done this several times, just please no running into danger, we can't fight at our bests if we need to protect you too."

Kara nodded and stayed at the entrance of the room. To her surprise, Nico stayed behind with her.

Sensing her confusion, Nico smiled, "Lyats, which is what you call the thing in that cage, are immune to fire so a Fire user, like myself, using their Aspect is rather useless against it. But water is their weakness. So this is a battle more fitting for those two," he explained as Aline jumped through the air and Kara stared amazed at the fact that Aline was running on clouds that appeared wherever she seemed to want them too.

Oron's entire body covered with water.

Kara couldn't help but to let her mind wander...

"I can see your mind working overtime, it is possible to defeat a monster without using a person's Aspect, albiet quite a bit more difficult. So to answer the question I'm sure you have...yes, it would be possible for a Fire user to win against a Lyat but it would be more difficult."