Monday, January 16, 2012

The Tower of Trials Chapter 5 Page 2

"Why don't you take the first hit instead?" the warrior challenged.

"Okay," Iona agreed. She reached out with a paw and poked the power armor on the right arm. She appeared to be unconcerned that she was well within the reach of both chainsaws.

The warrior groaned. "Is that the best you can do?"

"Oh?" Iona stepped closer and gave a little slap at the elbow of the same arm. "How's this?"

The warrior groaned again. "Aw, come on, this is pointless. You should just"-

Iona suddenly leaped up. Claws sprang from her paws, which she used to dig deep into the weak armor at her opponent's right armpit. The power armor's right arm jerked, and then fell limp. The girl pulled her arm back and ducked under the left chainsaw that her opponent instinctively swung at her.

The warrior took a step back, finally realizing the threat his opponent posed. With a growl, he swung his remaining weapon at Iona.

The girl jumped back out of reach. She landed upside down on a hand and used her other paw to wave. "You ca~n't hit me~," she jeered in a childish tune and added a laugh.

The black power armor cautiously moved towards Iona, swinging its chainsaw. The time for trash-talk was over. For him, at least. Iona kept up with the insults as she easily danced in and out of her opponent's reach.

As George was watching the fight, Tricia carefully picked him up by the waist. She carried him under an arm behind Mabel as they sneaked around the room, around the opposite side where Iona, and the warrior's attention were.

Craning his head up was painful for his neck so George stared at the ground instead. There certainly was a lot of sand on the floor, with marks where people had stepped. Unsurprising, since they were in the wasteland after all. One thing he had seen plenty of, all over the terrain outside, was sand.

The three made it safely to the exit staircase while Iona was still playing with the oversized power armor. They climbed the stairs, which went up through a space barely large enough for Tricia's bulk. George noted that one of the steps ahead had little sand or footprints on it.

"Mabel," he whispered. He pointed towards the step just in front of the Vixen. "Trap?"

Mabel looked at the step. Then she gave the thumb up to George. She carefully avoided the step and onwards to the next level.

Once they were on the next floor, Tricia put George down on the ground, next to the sign that read, "Trial of Caution."

"Any idea what this is about?" Tricia asked as she rapped the sign with the back of a clawed hand.

"What a stupid name for a trial," Mabel judged, "We should wait for Io first."

There was giddy laughter coming from below.

Then there was an angry shout, "Hey, come back here!"

Iona bolted up the staircase, which was too small for the black power armor. She paused long enough to turn and stick her tongue back in the direction she came.

"Wait, Io"- Mabel tried to warn the cloaked Vixen, just before smaller girl backed into the step that George had pointed out earlier.

A section of the ceiling above opened and a large blocky ceramic object fell, crushing Iona into the stairs. The object looked like a large sink or tub - it even had an attached faucet.

Iona stretched a paw from beneath the sink. "Ow..." she groaned.

Mabel suppressed a snort.

Tricia effortlessly tossed the sink aside and pulled Iona onto her feet. The smaller Vixen dusted her cloak.

"Are you okay?" George asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Iona said. She stretched her back and each limb one by one. "I've been hit worse before." Then she looked about the level. "So... what have we got here?"

Other than the sign, the level was empty. Except for the space at the top of the staircase they arrived from, the floor of the level was checkered with large square tiles that alternated between black and white. Each tile was the width of two of George's footsteps.

Also of note was that the walls and ceiling were irregularly shaped, with blocks jutting out and depressions. The exit stairs were on the other side of the tiled floor.

Iona skipped towards the stairs on the opposite of the level. As soon as she stepped on a black tile, there was a distant tiny ping and a dart poked into her arm.

The Vixen plucked the dart from her arm and tasted the point. "Poisoned," she announced. Unconcerned, she stepped on the next tile, a white one.

The tile erupted in a pillar of flame.

Iona jumped back with a mew of surprise. She hopped back towards the entrance where she rolled on the floor to put out the flames on her. "Hot! Hot!"

"Squirt, your coat!" Mabel ordered.

"What?" George asked, confused.

"Beat out the fire with your coat!"

George finally understood. He dropped his toolbag and hurriedly pulled off his coat. He beat the flames on Iona with his coat until the fire was gone.

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