We continued forward into the maze—Isaac in front, Dan trailing behind, and I sandwiched in the middle like a very squishable pancake.
I stretched and yawned. "Oui… It's so peaceful… Yawn~"
Isaac immediately shot me a death glare. "Why did you say that? Are you trying to jinx us, witch?"
I lazily scratched my ear. "Oh, come on. What could possi—"
Whoosh.
Something zipped past my cheek, slicing it open.
Blood trickled down my face. I blinked. "...Huh?"
Isaac and Dan turned at the same time.
Masked figures. Short. Dressed in strange robes. Their pale, inhuman masks glinted beneath the dim torchlight. Dozens of them lined the mirrored hallway—crossbows raised, releasing volley after volley of darts toward us.
"Oui… I really did it this time."
"YOU THINK?!" Isaac screamed. "RUN, YOU BLOODY FOOL! AND WHEN WE GET TO SAFETY, I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU THE BEATING OF A LIFETIME!"
"I DESERVE THAT—IF WE LIVE LONG ENOUGH!"
We bolted. Bolts embedded into the floor and walls just inches from our heels. The masked figures gave chase, silent and relentless.
"They're still coming?! Don't they sleep?" I flicked a handful of needles behind me.
Thud!
Three enemies dropped. The rest halted, surrounding the fallen. Their masks tilted downward—mournful? Reverent?
We stopped running, breaths heaving.
"…They're not chasing anymore?" I wiped my cheek.
"They're… surrounding the dead?" Isaac narrowed his eyes. "Looks like a ritual."
Dan gulped. "Creepy…"
"They're retreating…" I watched them step into the mirrors, vanishing like ghosts.
"Well!" I dusted off my clothes, grinning. "Looks like I resolved the crisis! I deserve some praise, no?"
Bonk. Isaac whacked my head. "You started it!"
"Witch," he muttered.
Isaac pointed at me. "Moving forward, your role is only to be a danger sensor. Other than that, zip it before you jinx us to death."
I stuck my tongue out. "Danger sensor activated, sir. I'll keep my mouth shut... unless something is about to kill us."
[Hazard Zone: 3rd Level Maze - Pathway Nexus]
"Jump!"
"Left!"
"Duck!"
We barely dodged the spinning blades, floor spikes, and flame traps. Every five meters was another trial.
"Oui… Still only the third level, and it's already like this? What's level four—literal hell?"
Dan laughed. "You're the best danger sensor I've ever met!"
Isaac groaned. "Don't celebrate yet. This maze wants us dead."
"Stop being such a party pooper, sourpuss." I poked Isaac's cheeks.
He slapped my hand away. "I have a name, sloth."
"Awww~ You just admitted I'm cute." I grinned.
Isaac turned red. "Wh—When did I—?!"
"You called me a sloth. Sloths are cute!"
Dan nodded solemnly. "They are. Especially when they eat. My heart squeezes every time."
Isaac looked skyward like he was praying. "Why me…"
Ding.
I froze. A soft, rhythmic ringing echoed from afar. Familiar. Terrifying.
Hmm? Ring? Why does that sound familiar? What was it again?
I pondered and remembered the first game.
"Oh no…"
Isaac turned back and asked. "What?"
BOOM!
The sound of shattering mirrors.
Thoom. Thoom. Thoom.
Something massive was approaching.
We turned slowly.
A giant steel ball, the size of a house, crashed through the hallway behind us.
"Oui… That."
"RUN!!" Isaac screamed.
The ball barreled toward us, faster than seemed possible. We sprinted through forks and winding corridors, but the ball always followed. Turning when we turned. Speeding up when we slowed.
"It's tracking us!" I yelled. "Why is it following me?!"
"You got tagged the moment your partner disappeared!" Isaac shouted over the rumble.
"What?! I thought punishments came after the third game!"
"Mr. James never said when!"
"Oui…" I sobbed dramatically.
Another fork. Isaac led us down the right path—
Dead end.
"Oui… Dead end for the soon-to-be-dead little mice."
Isaac shoved us into the corners. "Stay there!"
He squatted down in front of the ball, calm—calculating.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I screamed.
RING. RING.
The ball rolled closer.
My breath hitched. I closed my eyes.
Silence.
I cracked one eye open. The ball stopped right in front of us, missing us by a hair.
"…It worked?"
Isaac exhaled. "Yeah. Thank goodness…"
Dan tried pushing the ball. It didn't budge.
I pointed. "We can squeeze under. It's just big enough."
Isaac nodded. "For you, sure. You're so small, you could live in a rat hole."
We crawled under and sprinted down a side tunnel. The ball groaned…and slowly began turning.
"…It's chasing us again!"
"Why does it love us so much?!"
We ran until we reached a central chamber, wide and echoing with strange moans.
A massive humanoid of shifting clay lumbered across the room.
Dan's jaw dropped. "That thing's alive?!"
I poked Isaac. "Is that a golem?"
"Seems like it."
Then Isaac ran toward it.
"Oui! Are you nuts?!"
"TRUST ME!"
The metal ball thundered behind us. With no time to argue, we followed.
The golem didn't see us coming. We dove between its legs.
BOOM!!
The steel ball collided into the golem's legs.
CRACK!
The impact shattered its lower half. The golem collapsed on one knee, massive slabs of clay raining down.
"THIS WAS YOUR PLAN?!" I screamed, dodging rubble.
"BETTER THAN NO PLAN!" Isaac yelled back.
But a chunk of golem fell—right above him.
"LOOK OUT!"
I shoved him aside.
CRASH!
It hit me squarely, slamming me to the floor beneath a mountain of debris.
"Llyne!"
Isaac hit the ground, coughing. "Llyne?!"
He scrambled to his feet, ripping through the clay, hands shaking. "No. No no no—come on. Don't do this—Llyne, please—"
Dan joined him, both digging frantically.
They found me, buried under broken clay.
Unmoving.
Isaac's hands trembled as he pulled me out. "Hey… Hey. Don't die. You can't die, you idiot… You said you wouldn't until you kicked James's ass…"
Silence.
Then—
"Kagh! Koff! Gagh! Oh shit—That almost killed me!" I shot up, coughing.
"Stunk like death in there! I just needed a breather, damn!" I wheezed, rubbing my chest.
Isaac blinked.
Then grabbed me in a tight hug. "You're alive… Thank god, you're alive…"
"Oui… You okay? Did the clays hit your head or did I?" I patted his back.
Dan smiled, teary-eyed. "Welcome back!"
I raised a fist. "Like I said—I'm not dying 'til I whoop James's ass."
Isaac laughed. "Yeah… I believe you now."
We turned to see the golem—what was left of it—holding the metal ball in its giant hand like a protective shield.
"A guardian golem…" I muttered. "How sweet."
Isaac nodded. "Let's leave before it realizes we're not friends."
Dan helped me up. We bolted up the nearby staircase.
[Level 4: Unlocked.]
I stretched. "Whew… The adrenaline rush."
Isaac chuckled. "You can say that again."
Dan collapsed to the floor. "Let's rest… My heart's doing backflips…"
We laid back, panting.
"I just hope no monsters sneak up on us while we're resting," I muttered.
Isaac and Dan turned to me with frozen faces.
"…What?"
"…Oui…"