Rune Seeker

“You did that too?” Seena asked Hiral.

“Yes,” he said. “Seems like there are more of the pressure plates all over the floors, walls, and ceiling.”

“Why are they on the walls and ceiling?” Romin asked.

“In case people have abilities that let them walk there,” Hiral said.

“Sis, can you portal us down to the next flat section?” Seena asked.

“All of us?” Seeyela asked. “Including the… researchers?” She’d clearly changed what she was going to say.

“Yeah… no, wait, never mind. That could be trapped too,” Seena said.

“I have a possible solution,” Left said, and when Hiral nodded, the double reached down to his left calf. A second of concentration, and he shaped the Path of Butterflies, streamers of the pink insects gushing out to circle under everybody’s feet. Even the eleven researchers found pink planes under their boots.

“Good idea,” Seena said, stepping up into the air to show everybody how to use the ability. Like she was taking an invisible staircase, she climbed three steps and then stood there. “We can avoid the pressure plates like this.”

“I’d like to test, first,” Left said. “In case there is some other kind of trigger.”

“You think there is?” Hiral asked, though he was nodding. He’d only really tested by adding pressure from his Rune of Rejection.

“I think it’s possible,” Left said. “I’ll go.”

“I won’t be able to heal you if you get caught in that mess,” Gran said.

“Not expecting you to,” Left said, walking confidently ahead, a foot above the floor. He paused only for the briefest of seconds at the lip of the slope, then strode over it.

Everybody held their breath at where they knew the first sawblade was, but nothing came tearing out of the floor as the double passed. Another few paces – a slight change of his orientation so he walked down to match the slope instead of straight into the slanted ceiling – and Left stopped.

“It’s safe, so far,” Left said. “Let me continue all the way down to the next section before anybody follows.”

“Got it,” Hiral said. “Everybody ready to move? Wallop okay there, Romin?”

“He says pink is for girls,” Romin said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes.

“And what’s wrong with girls?” Seena asked, an edge in her voice.

One even the Runeoceros seemed to catch, his big head shifting in her direction. A nervous look back at Romin, and Wallop took a step in the air, nodding, then nodding again.

At the dramatic motion, Seena looked at Romin.

“Nothing, he said,” Romin translated. “In fact, he’s now just realizing pink might be his favorite color. And… ugh.” Romin facepalmed. “He is thinking about a pink ribbon for his horn.”

“Did he really say all that?” Seeyela asked.

“Unfortunately.”

“It’s clear all the way to the next section,” Left said, saving Wallop and Romin from the attention.

“Let me go next,” Right said. “Just in case. If I get to the midway point without anything cutting me into little pieces, feel free to follow.”

“Just don’t go into that next section,” Hiral said. “It could have different traps.”

“You think the entire hallway is trapped, boy?” Gran asked him.

“Would be silly only to do the first part,” Hiral said. “And, if it was me, I wouldn’t do more of the same. If we got that far without dying, we could get the rest of the way too.”

“So, more but different traps,” Seena said, like she’d been thinking the same thing.

“Even if that’s the case,” Right called over the party chat, “Path of Butterflies solves this one. Come on.”

“One at a time,” Seena instructed. “Wallop, you’re first.”

The Rune-o’s big eye blinked in Seena’s direction as if it was trying to decide if she’d just chosen to sacrifice the tank after his comment on girls. Her flat, return stare could’ve really gone either way.

“Get moving,” Romin said. “You’re making us look bad. No, you’re going next because you’re the tank. I’ll be right behind you. Yes, I promise.”

With that little bit of encouragement, Wallop trundled along, though very slowly at first, like he wasn’t sure if the Path would support his weight. After the first few tentative steps, he seemed more confident in the ability, and followed in Right’s trail. To say seeing a massive Runeoceros walking on air was odd would be an understatement. But, it worked.

“Sorry about him,” Romin said. “He was spoiled as a child. Possibly dropped on his head.” A small nod or bow from Romin, and he followed a dozen feet behind Wallop. Impressively, the Bonder didn’t even look at the floor, walls, or ceiling. He seemed to have complete confidence in the party’s solution to the traps, even though he’d been sent first.

“I’m going next,” Hiral said. “I want to take a look at the next section of hall. See if I can figure out what’s going on there.”

“Get the others to backup a bit before you do anything,” Seena told him. “And, Hiral, be careful, okay?”

“You got it, Boss,” Hiral said, going over to give her a kiss on the cheek before he jogged after the others. As he got to the lip of the slope, he retracted his sensory domain – Rejection against every surface seemed like a bad idea right now – and it took him a few seconds to get used to less input. He’d been running around almost constantly with the domain, so much so it felt crippling to be without it. Like he’d wrapped a wet towel around his head, covering his eyes, ears, and nose.

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All the more reason to figure out the next hall.

Still, he kept his runes ready in case anything came sawing in his direction, and Hiral jogged past the Bonder and his companion to join his doubles near the bottom of the slope. Back at the top, Seena was organizing the researchers, so it’d be best he figured this out before they got there.

“Any thoughts?” Hiral asked Left and Right as he caught up to them.

“Nothing I can punch,” Right complained.

“I think I know the trick to this next one,” Left said. “Not portaling down was definitely the correct choice.”

“What do you see?” Hiral asked, squinting in the strobing lights to try to pick anything out. Despite supressing his domain, and the poor lighting, it didn’t take him long to spot the same thing his double had. “More holes in the floors, walls, and ceiling.”

“Holes, yes,” Left replied. “Each no more than an inch around. Not nearly enough space for one of those sawblades.”

“Spikes?” Hiral asked. “Triggered by more pressure plates? Sure, that’d be different, I guess, but not different enough to be a challenge.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Left said. “Which leads me to believe it’s not the same.”

“Let me try triggering any pressure plates anyway. Easy solution if it’s the case.” With that, Hiral carefully pushed his domain only straight ahead of him, Rejection creating a feedback loop to his senses. Five feet out along the even surface he came to the flat hole, then pushed his domain beyond.

Nothing happened.

Ten feet. Nothing. Twenty. Still nothing. Fifty feet, and he narrowed his eyes. He’d gone half the distance, and he hadn’t triggered a single trap. A stronger push with Rejection to see if that was the problem, and there was still no reaction.

“Doesn’t seem to be pressure plates,” Hiral said.

“Then there’s either no trap, or it’s something else,” Left said.

“I’d put my money on the something else option,” Right said.

“Me too,” Hiral added quietly, something in fact tickling his sensory domain. Since he’d left it extended at the fifty-foot mark – and he wasn’t moving it anymore – there was something very subtle there. Barely noticeable. But, what was it?

Tickling really was the best word to describe it. The more he concentrated, the more of it he felt. Lines of it criss-crossing through his domain, but not quite there enough to completely trigger the Rejection. Like whatever it was didn’t have enough weight or substance to…

“Of course,” Hiral said. “There’s a breeze ahead of us. The holes have wind or something coming out of them and going directly across.”

“The wind is strong enough to cross the entire hall without breaking up?” Right asked.

Hiral focused on the feeling from his domain, and nodded. “Yes. Not sure how it works. Magic? Some kind of invention of Tomorrow’s?”

“Is this wind dangerous?” Seena asked, catching up to Romin and Wallop who were standing ten feet back from Hiral and his doubles.

“Doesn’t feel strong enough to be,” Hiral said. “But… the air flow might have something to do with the trigger, not the attack. Let me test something.”

“Is it going to involve exploding?” Yanily asked.

“Certainly hope not,” Hiral replied, pulling four of the Mobile Artillery Spheres from his Arsenal of Amin Thett. The crystal spheres certainly weren’t his most powerful weapons, but they seemed perfect for the situation. With a few deft gestures of his hands, he grouped the spheres in a diamond formation, and activated their force shields. One up, down, left, and right. He wasn’t worried about protecting front and back – for the moment – as he only felt the shafts of air moving from side to side or up and down.

With his preparations done, he gently pushed the orbs forward.

He didn’t have to wait long for something to happen.

Immediately, there was a soft whup, then another, and another, and another, lines cutting through his domain even as the lights above blinked out, followed quickly by tunks, and a plinks. Hiral stopped the forward movement of the orbs, only for the sounds to continue, one after the other.

“What is that?” Seena asked, squinting at the darkness, only for the closest like to strobe back on. Then they had their answer.

Ten darts – and the number growing – sat on the floor beneath the orbs, more shooting out of the walls, floor, and ceiling every second to pepper the orbs’ shields. And they weren’t weak darts either, Hiral already feeling those shields straining.

Not wanting to lose the orbs if he didn’t have to, Hiral called them back to his side. As soon as they were beside him, the barrage ceased. Then, with a combination of Attraction and Rejection, he snagged one of the fallen darts.

“There’s our trap,” Hiral said, holding up the dart and looking carefully at the stained-green tip. “What do you think, Seeyela?”

“That’s definitely not something pleasant,” she said. “I can feel it from here. Apparently, I have some kind of poison or venom sense.”

“Like Yan’s storm sense,” Hiral said without looking away from the dart. Slowly, his other hand rose, and he extended his finger right above the pointed tip. Just one little poke, and…

“Hiral,” Seena said into the party chat. “You can get the debuff later. We don’t know what it’s going to do, and now isn’t the time. Let’s figure out how to get past this trap.”

“Oh, that’s easy,” Hiral said. “It’s the opposite of the last one.” Then, without another word, he began extending walls of Rejection along the length of the tunnel. The runic working took a fair amount of solar energy – even more as dozens of darts impacted it every second – and he had to thread more…

Pop.

The energy he’d been feeding into the Rune of Rejection hosed out of control, like he’d sprung a massive leak. A second of confusion, and then he quickly smiled. Grabbing one of the strands of primed potential he’d created back when he’d first encountered the Chimericblood, Hiral threaded it through his rune, and then connected it to the Edict of Rejection.

As soon as he did, the black fabric of the Coat of Amin Thett over his right forearm bled from black to white. The absurdly soft material transformed into pure energy, while the previous white rune became it’s negative. Now, it matched the other locations he’d unlocked the Edicts – black runes on white energy. His pseudo-aspect had just gotten an upgrade, and he could already feel the increase to his attributes because of it. That was his seventh one now.

In a way, it was shocking he’d just gotten that particular Edict now – he’d been using Rejection since the very beginning. And it was a core part of his growing sensory domain. Well, whatever, I’m just glad I got the upgrade!

The only downside was it didn’t come at a time he needed a burst of inspiration, like when he’d modified his Emperor’s Decree. Then again, a touch of insight lingered with the connection, so maybe he’d still have the chance to use it – if they got out of the trapped tunnel quick enough.

With that in mind – and the added power of the Edict of Rejection – it was barely an effort to seal off every single hole in the hundred feet ahead of them. Just like that, it was done. The whup and tunk of darts against his wall of Rejection sounded like heavy rain on a roof for several seconds, and then quickly tapered off, the launchers getting jammed with their own ammunition that had nowhere to go.

“Did you just do what I think you did?” Seeyela asked, walking up beside him and looking down at his now-glowing right arm.

“New Edict,” he said with a nod. “Rejection. Finally.”

“Means Left got a tattoo too, didn’t he?” Yanily asked.

“He did, but we can talk about it after we get out of this tunnel,” Hiral said. “Connecting with the Edicts for the first time comes with a healthy dose of inspiration – and power to fuel it – and I can feel it fading. I’d like to use it.”

“Then stop talking and get us moving,” Seena joked.