Esoterico: A Hidden Land

Chapter Sixteen: Gotta Get Outta Here

Ryan stared at the dead zombies for a while and thought a bit. Then said, "We need that portal to come again so that we can get out of this crypt. If we keep searchin' for that everywhere, we can get it somewhere." 

"Good point," Newton agreed, and they began to search, not knowing that the other group was trying to find Rudy everywhere but all in vain.

At one point of searching, the four began to run, but at that moment, a wall of fire loudly landed behind Ryan and Newton.

The two turned back to see the blazing wall of flames and Sally and Smith are either behind it or in it. A faint scream was heard. 

"Smith ? Sally? You two alright?" Ryan called from their side of the flame wall. The flames were hot and hissing. 

"Er—no problem," Smith's voice was heard, "We got it." 

Splashes of water extinguished the flames in a moment. Ryan and Newton watched Smith and Sally come at them. Smith had shot the water.

"What charm is that? We haven't been taught that," Ryan said it narrow-eyedly. 

"I guess it's only you who doesn't know spells outside your classes," Newton suggested. 

"Yeah, this is a simple one. I know the vaporization spell, the disintegration spell, and the camouflage spell…" Sally went on. 

"Hey, aren't those a bit too high-level spells?" Newton frowned, "How could you know it? You must be kiddin'?"

Sally and Smith turned quiet. 

So they continued their search until at last, they reached a blank wall. The other end of the crypt.  

"No way forth," Ryan said, facing the blank wall, "Let's turn back and go to the other end again. We may meet the portal on the way there."

"No need for that." Sally's voice said. 

"What do you mean?" Ryan confusedly asked,

"Because we aren't letting you go anywhere." grinned Smith. 

"Have you turned mad?" Newton yelled, "This isn't joking time." 

"We're speaking the truth." Sally shrilly let out a smigger and spun like a wheel on her axis. Her body parts twitched and transformed into a male body. Then the figure looked back at them with the face of Newton.

"Shit, shapeshifter again." The real Newton spat. 

"But how?" Ryan gasped, "What about the real one?"

"It's both of them." Newton horrorstrickenly observed, "Look."

Ryan saw Smith flip twice, and when he was back on, he was no longer Smith. He was Ryan. 

Ryan clenched his jaws in fury. He asked, "Where are they? the real them. Where?"

Ryan and Newton's duplicates let out a shrill laugh.

"Answer the question!" Newton thundered, but they kept laughing. 

Newton filled himself with energy blasts and shot one at them, but his trembling hands missed the target. Newton's duplicate also shot one, which knocked Newton down to the floor.

"Your friends," Ryan's duplicate said, "are already out of this crypt. Just when the flame wall had appeared. We took their place right that moment, and watered the wall." 

"Oh, That's the actual mystery." Ryan refilled his energy blasts and shot two at them, but they flipped in the air to avoid them. Then Ryan's duplicate also shot two; Ryan dodged one, but the other hit him, knocking him against the wall.