Red Fang II

Chapter 32 (L/T Arc): The Twin Bulwarks

We last read Chapter 31, in which Lily Ladair, her partner Theo Ladair, and their companion, the Talking Skull, resume their adventure to claim Prince Boripedes's vast riches after taking a nap and Lily successfully reconciling with Theo over her previous outburst. Their evening begins with them attempting to conquer an expansive maze in which they must locate an unlocked treasure chest with a key inside it, then bring said key to the exit gate and complete the final puzzle. Theo, whose objective was to reach the gate itself, ends up completing his task way before Lily does, simply because Lily insists on doing the common "left hand on left wall" tactic to solve mazes.....which ultimately doesn't get her far. After yet another hilarious scene chock-full of video game references, humorous quips, and snarky remarks between all three people, the maze culminates in Lily, Theo, and the Talking Skull needing to escape the area through an exit that is rapidly flooding with sand. Though Theo manages to flee relatively quickly, the Talking Skull accidentally falls off of Lily Ladair' left hip, and after a brief moment of indecision, Lily ultimately chooses to save him instead of prioritizing her own safety. 

Miraculously, all three of them manage to get out of the now-sealed maze unharmed, despite Lily selflessly going back to save the Talking Skull's "life". Lily and the Talking Skull end up growing closer as a result of the ordeal, with the Skull questioning why Lily would go through the trouble to save him when she seemingly only cared about obtaining Prince Boripedes's fortune. Lily simply replies that she couldn't just leave the Skull behind, to which the Skull commends her for her heroism and ponders whether she would indeed be worthy of possessing the wealth after all. He then promises Lily and Theo that he will reveal everything about his identity and the secrets of the treasure labyrinth.....if they pass the final challenge that stands in their way. Now more motivated than ever---and having developed a genuine affinity for the Talking Skull---Lily and Theo forge onward towards their last obstacle. 

This time, we find out what exactly that "last obstacle" is.....

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"Come on! You really can't give us a hint as to what our last trial will be?!" Lily asked the Talking Skull recklessly. "Is it no-holds-barred combat?! A challenge of critical thinking?! Another chance to prove our musical skill?! Another maze, but with mirrors?!" 

"Oh, I hate mirror mazes," Theo chimed in. "I always, always get disoriented in them, without fail. I keep thinking I'm going to be trapped in there forever." 

".....What?" 

"'Cause they're mirrors, right? It makes everything confusing." 

"You know they usually have some kind of 'safe word' you can use if you want to give up, right?" 

".....They do?!" 

Lily groaned. "And that's usually why I'm the one having to take the lead. Wouldn't trade you for the world, though, bud." 

"What's a 'mirror maze'?" the Talking Skull questioned. "Is it a maze where the left half is a perfect 'mirror image' of the right half?" 

".....That's.....actually not a bad guess," Lily remarked. "But no. It's, like, a maze solely consisting of a bunch of mirrors at varying angles. They reflect anything and everything, and you never know if the way in front of you is clear or if it's actually a mirror.....it's all very perplexing." 

"Oh. Well, good thing our last challenge is not that!" 

"Then what is it?!" 

"Sometimes, I think patience would be the greatest 'treasure' you could ever hope to receive," the Talking Skull admonished rather humorously, to Theo's restrained amusement. "I'll give you a hint, though. Ever heard of a 'buy one, get one free' special?"