Gunther Gross
The hallways seemed to squeeze them tight as Gunther and Leo sprinted down them. The German power lifter had met few men in his life who carried with them such a powerful presence. Gunther didn't believe in energy or spirits. He believed in a hard day's work, the sweat on his own skin and the sweet pain in his body.
But things had changed, and Gunther would have to change with them. The world was not as simple as he once believed, and this excited him.
He loved nothing more than the idea of pitting himself in a competition that would push him to his very limits. He hated nothing more than this child being caught up in this mess.
"Vat vere these Vizards thinking? A child? In a place like this?" He muttered darkly to himself. Leo clung to his back like an octopus, face pressed against Gunther's back.
They retraced their steps back towards the entrance to this place. It was easy to get lost in these winding stone halls. One cracked wall and splintered door looked much like the last.
Gunther reached a crossroads and immediately had to throw himself on his back, quickly moving Leo in front of him and pulling him close.
A wave of fire large enough to roast a pig flew over head.
"Run!!" Someone shouted from his left. Down the hall Gunther saw a lizard running at them. Its skin was iron scales rusted red and alive with a crimson light beneath. It was on its hindlegs, a tail that was a lashing inferno whipped behind it, sending waves of fire splashing against the walls. It was perhaps 4 feet tall even standing up, but no less terrifying for its diminutive size. Gunther noted that there was a necklace hanging from its neck, three blue stones clanging against iron scales.
Gunther tried to run, goading his body to move, but it was stubborn stone. Not a muscle twitched. His breath was dry in his throat, eyes locked on the beast, liquid fire dribbling from the corner of its mouth.
The beast was fast. Terrifyingly fast. It was closing the gap and there was little Gunther could do.
Finally, he managed to slide Leo off him and put his body in front of him. But that was the extent of his plan. What was he going to do? He was just a man.
"I NAME YOU! I SEE YOUR SCALE SONG! I HEAR YOUR FLAME! TURN AND FACE ME!" a voice called from down the hall, rich with authority and bravato. It carried as though filtered through a speaker. Gunther felt it in his bones and had to remind himself that he was not a scale song or whatever the man said.
Down the hall a tall man stood, spinning a wooden stick decorated with clanging bones of small animals. The man's skin was brown leather, his beard long and weathered grey. He wore a tattered tan vest and a loin cloth that left little to the imagination. He was comparatively small compared to the massive meaty structure of Gunther, but his strength looked economical. Only what he needed and nothing more.
The man was shocking enough, the fact that the lizard stopped in its tracks and turned to face him was unbelievable.
"Yes. Be still beast. You are in no danger here. Come to me and tell me your story."
The lizards tongue flickered out at him, a small plume of fire coming out with it, but it slowly meandered over to the man.
Gunther didn't stick around long enough to watch the man get boiled alive.
"Ve need to go!" He said looking down at little Leo. He stared at the scene with curiosity in his eyes and Gunther felt the need to hold him down. Leo looked as though he was about to start walking towards the scene. But he just nodded and grabbed Gunther's hand.
"You already av gotten a stone. You are safe. I still need to go find one. I don't vant to leave you alone, but this place is not safe vor a child. Vat do you vant to do?" Gunther said, dropping to one knee and looking Leo in the eye once they had put enough distance between themselves and the flaming lizards and shotgun wielding mad-men.
Leo though about it for a moment.
"I'll come with. Maybe I can help."
Gunther smiled at that.
"Da, maybe you can. Stay close to me. Ve don't know what's going to be around the corners."
Leo smiled and flashed him a thumbs up.
The two of them left the hall they were in, the sounds of crashing, cracking and breaking chasing them all the way out.
No place for a child. Gunther thought again shaking his head, trying to contain his rage at the people who brought them here. He thought this was going to be a competition amongst equals. But Gunther Saw all manner of people when they arrived. Old, young, frail, sick, outcasts and criminals. Sure there were some who may be suited for danger, but most seemed terribly average.
Gunther thought back to how he froze in front of the lizard. Was he suited for danger? He cursed himself for his cowardice. He spent his whole life facing challenges and laughing. He'd never frozen like that before.
None of those dangers had been an armored lizard leaking fire, of course, but still.
The two of them made it back to the hall they arrived in, and Gunther saw there was a few dozen people here, their belts already filled with the crystal.
"Should I put mine in?" Leo asked, tugging on Gunther's shirt.
He looked down and saw the boy holding the stone up towards him. A few people were looking towards them. A few without stones.
With deft hands Gunther snatched the rock from the boy and stuffed it into Leo's belt. The boy's eyes registered shock at his speed. But he couldn't risk another fight. He could feel the desperation in these people, and he didn't want to tempt them unnecessarily.
Disappointment washed over the faces of the hungry animals surrounding them and Gunther moved to put his body in front of Leo. A clear signal.
The clock above ticked below the 2 hour mark. Time was slipping by, and they needed to move. With every passing second, another stone was taken, and that was one less Gunther could grab.
So far they had been anything but easy to grab. Gunther had assumed it would just be a fun little scavenger hunt and ran towards the closest door, grabbing Leo on the way. Now after a duel to the death and a mini-dragon he was reassessing the danger level here.
"Let's go to the brain." Leo said pointing.
Gunther looked around at the other options. Galaxy, Skull, three lines that could be flames, the flame they just left. The brain seemed tame in comparison.
Gunther smiled at the boy, "Vhy the Brain?"
Leo shrugged, "It's probably thinking puzzles or something. Probably less scary than monsters."
"Vell I can't really argue with that. Let's go."
The two of them entered the hall and found it the exact opposite of the last wing they were in. Lush carpets covered the ground, golden chandeliers projected beams of warm light across golden filigreed walls. This palace was elegant where the last was destruction.
The comparative lack of people however, put Gunther on edge. What the halls had in finery they lacked in population.
Windows dotted the walls each covered in a satin red and gold curtain, but any of Gunther or Leo's attempts to move them resulted in failure.
They peeked their heads in a few rooms, finding well maintained classrooms, some lessons still hovering in arcane light above a podium, a library that was curated by a helpful disembodied voice, and even some kind of… meditation room? Gunther wasn't sure its purpose, but he couldn't see any catalysts so he moved on.
Finally they found a room with the one thing they wanted and the other they didn't.
The former was a catalyst, sitting plain as day in the center of the room on a small oval table atop a silver platter. Next to the catalyst was a gleaming silver dagger, the hilt encrusted with glinting jewels.
The latter was a man sitting at the very table the catalyst occupied. He was of asian descent, long silken hair tied in a tight pony tail, a lush white beard that ran down to his chest, blowing faintly in a wind that didn't appear to exist. He wore all white robes that covered everything below his neck. Yet the most notable thing about him was a set of nearly glowing azure blue eyes.
Gunther and Leo took a step inside. The man gave off a confidence that set Gunther's alarms ringing. He shook his head slightly to himself.
You are Strong. Act Strong. No! Don't act. Be. Be Strong.
"Ahh, good, finally a competitor. Please. Sit. Let us decide our future together."
Gunther pulled out the chair opposite the man and sat down.
Immediately he was assaulted.