The Khalanium Blades

Chapter 22: Tri-als

Ray shrugged, not aware of any other approach to entry. He placed his hands on the wall again, and his hand was covered in yellow patterns. "Ray Pierce, nineteen-years-old, chosen with the power of extreme heat and fire," said a slightly robotic female voice, each word steady and calm. "Welcome to the Khalanium Temple."

Ray looked back at his friends, but didn't retract. "I guess I passed the test," he said, a grin on his face. "Surely it needs four more to let us in." Sam and Jane eagerly put their hands.

"Sam Rook, eighteen-years-old, gifted with superhuman strength," the technological being spoke through somewhere. "Jane White, eighteen-years-old, given the powers of violent wind and cyclones." Sarah and Carson went next, both receiving applicable results.

First there were grumbling noises of rock clashing against rock in an effort of movement. Next, the dark rectangle was pushed back until it was no longer aligned with the wall. Then it started to wobble and slowly made its way upwards, creating a passageway into the temple. The five entered, eyes watchful and mind alert. Complete darkness obstructed their vision as the door slammed down. The heavy impact on the ground echoed throughout the area, reaching further inside. Ray wasn't at all troubled...at least not yet.

They all waited for thirty seconds before Ray decided to do the most common thing adventurers do on television. "Hello?" he said loudly. "Anyone here?"

Right on cue, passing through the door came a small sphere of yellow light, its brightness being the only source of any visibility. Ray could now see his team and vice versa, but nothing beyond. They were actually closer than expected, huddled in a small circle, in which no one dared to move. The bright focus of yellow and white light was basically just two chemicals swirling around like thin gas trapped in an invisible ball. It hovered high above the ground and stopped in the center of the team. The teenagers gave space for it, observing the obscure thing.

"Yes, I am here. Hello, Specials," it said. It was the same voice from outside the door.

"Um...should we call you a she or an it?" Sam asked, not a question commonly asked. Ray elbowed him. Though he also wanted to know, if the voice did have feelings or some sort, they should be careful. His friend gave him a look that clearly said, "What? It's bothering."

The being paused for a while before replying. "I am KS-13, an intelligent program designed with a female voice and the ability of relating to humans. So, science would presume me a she. Anyway, you five must prove your capability of wielding the Khalanium Blades by completing three challenges, the Tri-als. Get it? Tri? As in trials?" A moment of silence fell upon the circle. Ray thought the "joke" was ingenius, but it wasn't funny. "That's exactly how it's spelled."

"Well, what are you waiting for? I'd say 'have fun!', but the Tri-als are seriously not fun at all," she added. She then zoomed into the ceiling. Ray was about to call KS-13 or whatever back, since he had so much more questions, until the darkness was illuminated. Ray squinted repeatedly, trying to adjust to the brightness. When he did, he saw a very wide and long hallway with visible stairs at the end of it. While where they stood and the other side's floor were rough, sand-colored ground, white tiles covered the whole area in between.

KS-13 returned but stood on the other side. "The first Tri-al is the easiest and will simply require you to jump across colored squares." Several tiles glowed different colors. "Once stepped on, the red ones will drop into a scorpion pit, and so will you. The blue squares are safe, stepping stones to your goal. But beware, for six are unstable, ever changing time to time. So, good luck!" She returned again into her "wall".

Ray looked at the challenge before him. It didn't seem so hard to jump across medium-sized squares, boosting his confidence. But the changing ones weren't so easy. He took a deep breath and walked on the first blue square. It was safe and secured. Red ones surrounded his feet, threatening him. But he hopped onto the next, the third, and the one after, his friends following behind. He felt the rhythm beneath his feet, but knew he shouldn't be careless.