Stories of Stardust (pt2)

208. Zenith Online Chapter 54 - Leather-bound Books and Rooks (13)

The second half of the dungeon progressed much faster than the first. Part of it was due to our experience with the dungeon–even Sinbad and Eliza, who only had our notes and our statements to go off of, could solve the so-called puzzles without prompting or additional hints. And although admitting it brought up all sorts of feelings I was unwilling to linger on, a surprisingly large part was due to Cove discovering how to use his magic normally. The point and design of the mid-boss, to overcome yourself, had apparently succeeded.

The point of the dungeon, however...

...well, I was starting to wonder if the point was to stretch a player's patience to its limit and see how long they could handle repetitive but time-consuming puzzles in an equally repetitive and time-consuming dungeon. After a certain point, even the urge to complete the dungeon out of spite died out.

We continued. No matter how irritating the level design was, we had to conquer the dungeon, and so we did.

Tensions began to run high–even Sinbad appeared overcast, and the conversation dropped until Cove was only belaying necessary information, no puns included. I, of course, was simply grateful that "I spy" was out of the question.

Just as the tension had grown palpable, as though one single comment could snap through the air and shatter any patience we had remaining, the water level rose in the main room, pushing against a small mill that lifted a door and granted us access to the final area of the dungeon. Water trickled beneath our feet, a comparatively small maze of tunnels webbing around us. Many of them, such as the path Shahrazad and I had taken in our dream, led to the main boss area of the dungeon; however, only one was safe.

Between the four of us, we could handle whatever came our way. Eliza and Sinbad paced forward like lions, eager to take their irritation out on some enemies.

Absorbed in my twisted thoughts about myself and Zenith Online, I pulled forward on autopilot, striding down rough hallways and choosing my path at forks without missing a beat. It felt almost as though I'd blinked at the entrance to open my eyes as we stood outside the door to the boss area, having made it safely to the other side.

On the inside of my eyelids, I could have sworn I saw the makings of the rook's nest woven tightly together.

I shook my head, attempting to shake off whatever haze clouded my thoughts. The textured weave of the nest faded into the rough stone of the sapphire door. Humidity struck my nose, poisoned by a slight twinge of mold. The elaborate golden boss key jangled against its hook as Sinbad removed it from his inventory. He lifted the key to the door and paused, an odd sound echoing through the air.

They were finally here.

It took me a few moments to realize the odd noise was Sinbad speaking.

"...ready?"

My eyes began to trace the patterns on the door, finding shadows that made it look like it was woven.

"Hayden?" Sinbad questioned, tension drawn between his eyebrows as his eyes echoed the concern I'd seen in Cove's.

My body felt odd around me, as though I weren't entirely there. Like I was dreaming, or in two places at once. Perhaps both.

"I'm ready." My mouth formed the words, and my voice reached my ears, but it didn't quite feel as though I'd spoken.

The sensation faded as energy flooded my veins, grounding me for a time while Cove cast buffs over us all. The bow and arrow appeared in his hands as he switched to the gunslinger class and let the arrow dip slightly toward the floor, keeping the shaft carefully angled against his side.

Sinbad nodded and turned the key in the lock. The door slid smoothly open, a blue-tinted room expanding before our eyes. We stepped onto the slick tiles of the water-covered floor, our splashes echoing in the giant chamber. To my left, I followed a waterfall to where Shahrazad and I had stood in our dream to where I'd seen the rook fly up and out of the massive complex.

A nearly deafening screech echoed through the room, and giant shadows appeared at the tops of the waterfalls, swooping through the pipes and into the boss chamber.

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I want to apologize to you guys. I said I'd catch up, but I only seem to be getting further behind. I know this chapter is late, but I want to warn you that I most likely will not be able to post chapters over the next three days as I took up extra shifts between my jobs and simply won't have any time to write. Hopefully, I'll be able to switch to working less again soon, but I really need the money.