Arise the Dragonslayer [⚔️The Flash warrior series #1⚔️]

Chapter forty-two: Not a key

Which one is painful? Landing on your feet from a tall height? Landing flat on the ground? Or landing on your feet, bumping your chest, and rolling over hard cobblestones? I'm sure we were complete this time. Claes groaned in pain as his face was flat on the ground. Sean shrieked as his nuts landed on a branch before sliding down and whining like a baby. Lenard couldn't get up, because Victor was laying above him. Chloriette's hair went from straight to a curly mess. And I had no idea how my face was all covered in dirt.

I concentrated on lifting myself with my flying magic, but I couldn't. The ground kept on pulling me down and making my claymore felt heavier. Gravity sure does love pulling people. "I hate traveling through portals," Lenard mumbled, pushing himself up. I never saw Victor in a not-so-great shape before.

"You can say that again," he agreed. 

Chloriette shook her head to reveal her ruined features. "So much jumping through another world." She removed specks of dust from her hair while coughing. 

I looked up and saw Claes lending me a helping hand. "Feeling better?"

"Oh, I feel fantastic!" I said with a raspy voice. Hoisting me up, it took the two of us together just to get on my feet. I looked at my watch necklace, somehow not broken or cracked but just covered with dirt.

"Whether you guys agree or not, this doesn't look like a Shallow maze to me." Following Chloriette's example, we scanned our surroundings too. And she's right, the maze was . . . the exact opposite of shallow. It seemed we landed at the center of the maze, it was a big, circle cobblestone floor planted with flowers and vines. Surrounding us was a tall (Maybe bigger than an elephant) grass wall that was a mix of colors green, indigo, blue, and violet. Above it, we could see trees extending their branches. 

"Sean, are you okay?" Victor asked as he and Lenard knelt beside Sean. 

He grunted as he tried to get up. "Covering my nuts and screaming in pain on the inside, yes, I'm a picture of alright!" Victor put Sean's right arm around his neck. Lenard did the same with the opposite. "Can you do a spell that cures our pain?" Claes asked Sean.

"You want my nuts to answer that question?" Sean winced. The side of his shades had minor cracks and he looked like he couldn't walk . . . oh, wait . . . .

On the side of the walls were five entrances that lead to the unknown. "This is going to be tough." Claes sighed. "We have to find the way that leads to the key and the next portal." What Claes said could be a hard task, but my senses were tingling as if it was telling me something. I did translate what my senses were telling me, however. My eyes darted to the left entrance and saw a blurry figure on top of it. 

"There's something on top." I pointed at it for them to see as I went towards the gate. "Lenard, can you read it?" Whispering a spell, the misleading letters shifted into English.

"It's another note from Mr. Ailse," Chloriette said at the sight of the number seven.

"'If you deciphered these words, then you found the right path. This way to the gate opener. Please don't ask how I know,'" Sean read. "Gate opener, seriously? Can't he name it the gatekeeper instead? Come on."

"How did he know this?" Lenard wondered.

"Well, I don't know if he has magic or what, but I can feel my legs running again." We heard Victor's feet stomping crazily. "Even if this way leads to the key, it may have special surprises."

"My nuts are not in a mood for surprises." Sean winced when he tried to move. "Stupid branch that was displayed there for some reason, that hurt my nuts," he mumbled.