[ 43 ] Puzzle

Just as Kal was about to cast Swift Step to slow his fall into the pyramid, he felt reality warp around him. Colors blurred, shapes distorted, and sounds muted. Confused, he blinked several times before his lagging brain caught up and realized he wasn’t in the chamber he had jumped down to.

He was sitting in a small room of huge, yellow bricks stained by dirt. At its far end, there was an open doorway, and blue, spectral lights flickered on either side of it.

The ordeal would have been more confusing if he hadn’t watched the other teams getting teleported before his eyes, and Kal assumed that the same must have happened to him. If that were true, the puzzle likely reset him to the official starting point.

Okay, well, it looks like cheating isn’t that easy. And I guess I'm supposed to go that way.

Dusting himself off, Kal headed for the door. Thanks to their spying efforts, Kal knew precisely how many tiles the other two teams had left. Not only that, but he had watched them for long enough to know they had been guessing and hadn’t figured out the pattern if one existed. 

Kal wasn’t the biggest fan of puzzles, but if he had time, he would have rathered figure it out rather than just luck it to the finish—not that he wasn’t going to try. However, it didn’t overly matter. Between knowing as much of the safe route as the other teams and Vae’s spells, he should have enough of an advantage to ensure they won.

Stepping outside the room, Kal found himself in a corridor lined by the same spectral torches and a crystal orb atop a second stone door which was closed.

Before he even had a moment to take stock of his situation, the crystal ball brightened with a green glow, and the stone door ground open with a shower of dirt and debris.

Kal realized that this must have been how the pyramid controlled the participating teams. If you stepped on the wrong tile or an unmarked one, you presumably got teleported back to your room and had to wait until the door opened to attempt the puzzle again.

Passing through the door the moment it opened, Kal ran down the short corridor beyond it and found himself back in the main chamber with the pyramid within seconds.

Without pause, he began tracing the path of tiles he had watched the other teams use.

Green lion, star, crescent moon, flower, baby, praying mantis, red halo, beetle, fla–no–

It was too late. Accidentally, he had stepped on the wrong tile. The world twisted around him, and he was back in the room a blink of an eye later.

“Damn it,” Kal hissed. He knew he had stepped on the wrong tile the moment his foot pressed down upon it. He had simply been running too fast.

Concentrate, idiot! There’s no room for dumb mistakes like that.

Settling himself with calming breaths, Kal walked steadily through the door as the crystal flashed green again.

Green lion, star, crescent moon, flower, baby, praying mantis, red halo, beetle, house, flag, tent, and forked river.

He reached the spot where he had seen the other team get to. Looking up through the volcano’s opening, he caught Vae's eyes, and the image of a fish entered his mind.

Only one more. Well, it’s better than nothing. Not that Kal was complaining. The other teams only moving one tile ahead meant they struggled to progress.

He stepped onto the fish tile and stopped. Now what? If there was a pattern, he had no idea what it was. 

Wait, is there even a pattern? Kal considered this thought. Having a giant hole in the ceiling that allowed other teams to spy on those competing seemed like a major flaw, even if they could jump in and skip the puzzle. Solving a puzzle might prove intellectual aptitude, but the primary purpose of the exam was for potential students to prove magical aptitude. What if the actual puzzle was to separate those who had spells or were able to come up with innovative uses for their spells to cheat and get ahead? 

Kal’s thoughts raced. If there was a possibility that the actual puzzle was to test the participants’ magic, then perhaps it allowed for other cheats?

I assume the magic surrounding this place prevents teams from separating; otherwise, the other two teams would separate and increase their chances of winning. However, does that mean it also affects spells in the same way?

Channeling his mana, Kal cast Minor Clone. There was only one way to test his theory.

Appearing beside Kal was an identical copy of himself. With a mental command, he sent the clone walking forward. As he had hoped, the glyphs controlling this place didn't seem to register the clone as part of Kal’s group, and the clone was teleported away, leaving Kal in the main chamber.

There was still an issue with his plan. Only one team could attempt the puzzle at a time, so he couldn’t just wait for the clone to run back to him, and he didn’t have enough mana to cast it continuously. He could wait for his mana to recover. Kal wasn’t sure if the puzzle had a time limit, but it would likely raise suspicions among the other teams that something was going on, and he wasn’t yet sure that was a good idea.

Well, at least I know it isn't the green dragon.

Kal stared at his options a moment before stepping forward. The warding glyphs marked into the pyramid were exceptionally complex. For example, when Kal entered the pyramid, the glyphs immediately registered him as a participant and, in the process, provided him with a separate room to undertake the challenge. If such a complex matrix of glyphs could be fooled by his second-circle clone spell, then it confirmed his suspicions—this puzzle was created to be cheated.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Kal stepped forward, landing on a tile with a golden chest—nothing happened.

Opening his eyes, he confirmed he was still in the main chamber before the pyramid. 

He had taken a risk, and it had paid off. But was it wise to keep going? He had enough mana for another clone, but that was about it. Kal knew he had to be careful, being separated from his team. It had almost cost him an objective already, and the rest of them lacked spells to descend safely into the volcano. Maybe the glyphs would be active even after the puzzle was completed and the objective was taken, but what if they weren’t? Also, would the other teams remain stuck in their rooms, or would they be allowed to run out and confront Kal in the main chamber?

Pondering this, Kal decided caution was best. He somehow doubted that the engineers of this place would design the puzzle so that it could be cheated with the use of spells and then go and protect the winner. If they wanted to challenge competing teams' magic against each other, why not have them confront each other at the end?

For now, I save my mana. When Vae shares his vision, I’ll be able to see if the other teams are keeping up with me or not. If Kal could get a lead on the others and keep it, he figured he might as well play it cautiously.

Exhaling, he stepped on the middle tile of the next row, which was marked by a three-leafed clover. 

Color twisted disorientingly around him, and a second later, he was back in the waiting room.

Kal sat patiently, waiting for the crystal to turn green again, but it didn’t… or at least it didn’t in the time he expected it to.

The clone! 

The puzzle hadn’t just teleported the clone away; it had registered it as another team competing for the prize. The problem was he couldn’t see or feel anything the clone could, and it was a blank slate with zero thought.

However, Kal could remember the path he had taken, and he could send that thought to the clone. He wouldn’t get any feedback, and the pathway from the clone’s waiting room to the puzzle tiles might be different, but it was worth a try.

Kal connected mentally with the clone and provided the instructions. Moments later, his crystal flashed green.

It actually worked? 

Running back into the main chamber, Kal wasted no time making his way through the puzzle. He stopped where he had reached last time and looked up at Vae.

The image of his clone stepping on a crab-painted tile entered his thoughts. A smile crept across his face. If it was the clone that had stepped on it, that meant he had maintained his lead over the others. Unfortunately, after he moved to the next row of tiles and looked up, he saw Vae shake his head.

I guess this one is up to me. 

Humming to himself, Kal decided to use most of his remaining mana and summon a second clone. It was risky since his Mana Focus would significantly drain his mana with two clones. But if he could keep his lead, Kal figured it would be worth it and less suspicious than spending hours meditating between tiles—not to mention, he just didn’t want to do that.

The clone stepped forth onto a tile painted with a scythe. The clone teleported away, but Kal wasn’t worried. With a confident smirk, he stepped on a tile with a red horn and proceeded to the next stage.

A spider tile sent him back to his room immediately after, but he wasn’t worried. 

As he waited for the crystal, Kal imprinted instructions on the clones. Unless another team got very lucky, it was just a matter of time before he won.

The scenario repeated, with Kal running back through the puzzle three more times, moving at least one row of tiles ahead each time, increasing his lead on the other teams.

However, all good things eventually come to an end. On this fourth trip out to the chamber, Kal looked up to Vae and received nothing. He thought Vae might have shaken his head, but they were too far to know for sure.

Kal knew this would likely happen eventually. Vae kept his mana secret, but he doubted it was like his own. And even if he meditated between puzzle attempts, he would eventually run out of mana.

However, there were only three rows of tiles left. Kal had no idea what the other teams were up to since showing him that would have been a waste of Vae’s mana. But he was certain he was well ahead of them since the images Vae had shared were all clones.

Keep up, world, because Kal doesn’t wait around for anybody.

He stepped forward onto a tile marked by a clam—nothing.

There were just two rows left.

Shrugging, he stepped forward. Color twisted, and he was back in the waiting room.

Well, I can’t win by too much. That wouldn’t be fun. 

Updating his clones’ instructions, Kal crossed his legs and meditated for a couple of minutes before the crystal flashed green again. Even meditating, he couldn’t keep up with the mana drain of having two clones summoned, but it at least slowed it.

Charging back into the main chamber, Kal considered dispelling his clones. They couldn’t help with the puzzle without Vae's assistance. Kal tried looking up at his team to see if they could provide hints, but from so far away, they looked like blurry dots—besides, even if he could see them, without Farsight, they certainly couldn’t see the tiles.

Not you; he eyed the scarab tile he stepped on last time. That left three other possibilities: a bridge, a mountain, and a boat.

Well, a bridge is what I need right now. As good a reason as any.

Kal stepped forward—nothing happened.

Exhaling, Kal slumped as his adrenaline calmed a little.

That's it—just one more tile.

He faced four options: a fairy, a lizard, a sword, and a gate.

Kal was certain there was no real puzzle to the tiles themselves, but something about a gate on the final row of tiles just before the treasure seemed too appropriate. 

Cringing as he stepped forward, Kal expected to be teleported back. Two successful guesses seemed too lucky. But he wasn’t. He just stood there with a dumb look on his face.

Kal wanted to jump for joy and celebrate as the surprise dissipated, but he still had a treasure to claim.

Running up the pyramid stairs, Kal kept an eye out for any additional traps but spotted nothing.

This definitely feels too easy.

The dragon scale lockbox looked every bit like an ancient treasure, with a ray of light streaming down from above, perfectly circling the stone podium it sat on. 

Just as Kal was about to take the lockbox, he paused. He reminded himself that the two other teams were currently held in their rooms by powerful glyphs. But Kal had a sneaking suspicion that would change once the challenge was over. Letting him easily escape was far too generous. 

He tried waving up to the rest of Team Ebenshire. If they jumped in now, the glyphs should teleport them safely into the waiting rooms, and they could help him deal with the other teams. However, they didn’t react. Vae was still of mana, and they couldn’t see him. That also meant that Vae wouldn’t be useful anyway. No, it was best they didn’t see him. It would only make their Astral Pouch vulnerable to the other teams.

If it weren’t for the clones, he could meditate, but with them, that achieved little. He considered dispelling them, but that would still leave him to deal with two teams he had essentially hoodwinked. Not only that but the time it would take to meditate and recover his mana would raise suspicions. The other teams would likely charge out with a plan. But if he were quick, they might believe the puzzle is still going and charge out without any plans besides which tile to step on next.

Beating them with no mana seemed unlikely, but what if he could trick them?

Kal lip’s curled into a smile as his fingers lowered toward the lockbox. 

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