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The gigantic mechanical first of the bronze automaton came crashing down onto the stone floor where Louie -who just managed to roll out of the way- had been standing.
When it's fist raised, it revealed the small crater it had created with its attack.
Louie circled around the being, but like an owl's neck, the creatures entire torso swung around, already primed for another attack
Dodging once more, the teen was beginning to get tired, the two steampunk behemoths he had been tasked with defeating, were much harder to destroy than the various smaller versions he'd just dealt with, they were also much more deadly to boot.
They were slow though and their attacks were telegraphed, so they were easy to avoid, but he could only avoid for so long before he ran out of energy and was squashed like an ant under their elephant-sized feet.
While he would eventually run out of steam, they ironically seemed like they could go on for ever. The sword he had taken from one of the smaller bots hadn't even made a scratch on the the thick metal hide of one of the beasts. It just bounced off, like it was made of foam.
He wondered if anything could hurt them and if this was like a test of reasoning, like with the bottomless pit, that actually had a bottom, then he wondered if they could even hurt themselves...
There was an idea.
Dropping his sword, the teen used his superior speed to use, he circled one of the bots, ducking under its pipe-sized arm as it tried to stop him, then he used the hinge on the back of its leg to leap up onto the being's back.
Digging his hands into the well of the automaton's neck, the teen held on for dear life as it the robot tried to buck him off, it's arms not being able to reach and pull him off.
As the second bot approached, retracting its large fist back, readying for an attack, Louie pulled back. The automaton's gigantic fist smashed into the chest of its friend, denting its thick chest-armour and dislodging the being's head from its body.
Louie just managed to hang on, while the other bot stumbled back, seemingly stunned.
With the head knocked off, the being was a stationary as a statue- It seemed that the ancient machinery the automaton had been built with, couldn't function without its head, which was supposed to connect to the various wires and gears that directed its movement.
Reaching inside, Louie gripped one of the wires and gave it a small tug and the bots turned to the left. Theorising that the wire opposite turned it to the right, the teen chose a different trigger, which when pulled lifted its right arm.
It seemed that was the only thing he could do, turn and raise its arms.
Now with a basic understanding of how the automaton's controls, Louie waited for the second bot to approach again, before pulling two of the wires simultaneously, which lifted its right arm, and swung 360 degrees.
These two commands resulted in the fist of Louie's bot connecting with the side of the undamaged bot's head.
It seemed like a weak connection between the head and body was common to this type of automaton as like a game of Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots, The being's head flew clean off and the rest of his body, now unbalance by the momentum of the attack, dropped like a sack of potatoes.
Climbing down from the back of the automaton, Louie was rewarded with his efforts, when the final of the eight wall grooves opened and no steampunk robot came out trying to kill him, instead it revealed a hallway.
Not wanting to continue without every advantage he could claim, Louie returned to the first of the robots he'd destroyed and like King Arthur and Excalibur, pulled the dagger he'd sheathed in its chest free.
Only then did he continue.
Slowing to a stop right outside the entrance of the new path, Louie took a breath and crossed the boundary.
The hallway reminded him of the tunnel from the first trial, cramped, dark and left him wondering where he was going, but it wasn't long before he came upon another room.
It was a long square room with a large door on the other side, again it echoed the first trial with the large lock and chain that was slung across it. But this time the key wasn't hanging from the ceiling, it was on a necklace around the neck of no one other than Cyrus.
The older duck, in a crisp navy suit, smirked. - "Congrats kid, I knew you'd make it this far."
Louie narrowed his eyes. - "Thanks... Call me crazy, but I don't think this is a celebration."
"You're right, it's not. This is your final trial."
"The note at the beginning said three trials," - Louie shot back. - "This is number four."
Cyrus chuckled. - "C'mon Louie, you're auditioning to join the greatest thieves guild, you think we're above lying?" - He answered. - "Plus it's tradition."
Louie clicked his tongue. - "Touché. So are we supposed to fight?"
"That's the only way you can get the key." - He tucked the item into his shirt collar. - "So then, let's see what you've g-" - Cyrus dodged right as Louie threw his dagger out at him. - "Not even going to let me finish?" - He jeered, blocking a punch and pushing the teen back.
Quickly regaining his footing, Louie charged forward. "It's been a long day." - He answered, as he performed a spinning high-kick, which Cyrus calmly ducked under, before retreating, still smirking.
It was bugging Louie that the older thief hadn't actually retaliated yet, just blocking, dodging and retreating when necessary... Cyrus saw this as a game, he realised. Treating this whole fight like it was just a fun spar. To Louie this was his future.
If he was to win, he had beat his opponent at his own game- which to be fair, was also actually his game.
"Not fighting back, old man?" - Louie taunted. - "What's wrong, your arthritis acting up?"
Cyrus chuckled. - "Kid, I've been doing this dance since before your egg was laid."
"What dance is that? The Charleston?"
He scoffed, cracking his knuckles. - "Now you've done it."
It was Louie's turn to be on the defensive, as Cyrus leapt forward, throwing out multiple attacks, all of which Louie just managed to block, apart from the last in the chain, a gut-punch, which near knocked the wind out of Louie and sent him reeling backwards.
As Louie did his best to suck in as much air as possible, Cyrus wiped down his suit. - "Is that all you've got? I'm thoroughly underwhelmed."
"Doubting me," - Louie wheezed, pushing himself back onto his feet. - "That's a poor idea." - He dropped into a leg sweep, which Cyrus jumped over.
"Not doubting Louie. Evaluating."
The teen performed a spin-kick. - "Evaluate this." - He spat.
Cyrus ducked away, but Louie wasn't done. As he landed, he planted one hand on the ground and performed by a two-leg reverse-kick, followed up by a haymaker, then another high kick. But each attack was thwarted by a block from the older duck.
"Evaluate this? That was poor."
Louie managed to throw up his arms and block a counter-attack from Cyrus, but the power behind the blow, sent Louie back once more.
It seemed that when it came to a physical fight, Louie was outmatched, it was hardly a surprise, Cyrus after all was basically a more experienced version of himself, so the younger thief had to switch up his strategy.
He would have to use the only other trick he had up his sleeve: Magic.
Louie knew it was risky. Not being born with magic powers or carrying a totem of any sort, made it near impossible, but Goldie had taught him a workaround- a single spell, which she had developed, which would be fuelled by his own energy and would drain him- but it would be able to stop Cyrus, there was only one way to block it after all and only he and Goldie knew how to do it.
Retreating, Louie took a wide stance and began to mutter the incantation- which he had burned into his memory for this exact situation and felt the power consume him.
Once he was practically vibrating with power, he threw a punch and a purple beam fired out of his knuckles.
When it hit Cyrus, it consumed him in a cloud of smoke. It was exactly like happened in practice, the smoke engulfed the training dummy and when it cleared, the enemy would be stuck in a pink crystal cluster.
But when the smoke cleared, Cyrus was fine.
"What?" - Louie panted, his energy near total depletion - "How di- How did you..."
"Block the Zǐyān Yán spell?" - The older duck finished for him. - "Simple, I used the block, Goldie taught me."
"Goldie?"
"Yeah, did she ever tell you the story of how she developed it? It is actually a-"
"A derivative of the Hēi Yān Yán spell, which she learned from mystics on her travels in China, a century ago. How did you know that?"
Cyrus chuckled. - "Here's the thing Louie, you may have been the last apprentice of Goldie O'Gilt, but you were not the first."
"You were her apprentice?"
"Yeah- and before you ask, we're the only two members of this club. Goldie hasn't kept too much from you."
Louie charged. - "She kept you."
Another two swings were dodged and Louie was thrown back across the room.
As he once more struggled to get back up, Cyrus took another chance to taunt his opponent. - "I guess it's true what they say. Nothing surpasses the original."
Suddenly Louie was on his feet and advanced at a pace much faster than the older Duck expected. Once he was close enough, he jumped up, attempting another flying kick, Cyrus stepped to the side, dodging the kick, but too late he had realised it was diversion.
Leaning back, he was too slow to completely avoid the blade, leaving a small nick, like a teen would make, during their first time shaving. Louie landed a foot away from Cyrus, his back to him, but the older thief didn't try to retaliate, he knew this fight was over instead he just reached into his jacket and pulled a handkerchief out, which he used to clean the blood before it dripped onto his shirt-collar.
The teen turned. In one hand he held the dagger, which he had picked back up when he Cyrus had thrown him a couple minutes ago and in the other, was the key on the severed sting he had cut from the older duck's neck, when he attempted that kick.
Cyrus, blood staining his hankie, smiled warmly at the younger thief. It was the same way his Mom use to smile when his Brother's did something- anything. He never got that smile.
But now seeing the same smile on the thief, a man who personified everything Louie wanted to be. A man who put all his faith into Louie. A man who was also an apprentice to the one of the greatest criminals in the world...
It made him feel proud.
"C'mon." - Cyrus muttered, walking up to the door. - "Don't want to leave them waiting."
Ever paranoid, Louie questioned what he meant. - "Waiting for what?"
"The welcoming ceremony."
Louie felt his breath hitch in his throat. - "So I'm in?"
Cyrus chuckled. - "You beat your benefactor-" - He answered. - "That was your final trial. So yeah, you're in." - He gestured for Louie to join him by the door. - "Unlock the door."
With a spring in his step, Louie joined the older duck by the door. Taking a look at the key in his hand, golden with the six-fingered sigel engraved into the bow. Inserting it into the lock on the door, he turned it, letting the chains fall away and the door creaked open.
Inside, he was greeted by the sight of the other thirty-eight members of the guild, most were sitting at a horse-shoe shaped table in the centre of the room, which was covered in intricate-silver drinking goblets and matching covered-serving platters, three seats were empty.
He guessed the three were for him, for Cyrus, and for the magpie in the red and gold half-cape was standing in front of the table, closest to Cyrus and Louie.
"Congratulations, Louie Gold." - The magpie greeted, bowing before turning and picking up his goblet, raising it high. The others copied him, as Cyrus handed him his own goblet and raised his own.
The magpie, who Louie guessed was the leader of the group, continued. - "Welcome to The Forty Thieves."
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*Thanks for reading Ch.26 of 'Legacy', I hope you enjoyed. I also hope you comment, vote, follow me and read Ch.27 -MM*