Chapter 403: Small Detail, Big Giveaway

"In the morning, as I wake up atop a large stone, the only thing I, a philosophical drifter, own, I contemplate about the earth and all the mysteries buried beneath it. In the afternoon, I ponder over the sun's warmth and purpose. What do I dwell on at night?" Tom Tom repeated the riddle one more time, as it was a longer one than the others so far, and then went quiet once more.

"STOP!" Ares threw his palm over Aejaz' mouth to prevent him from yelling the wrong answer! This was bait! There was a clear answer here but it was wrong! Trick question! That is what this was! "We agreed to discuss these, yes? Stop getting ahead of yourself!" Ares sighed as he let go of Aejaz and gave Tom Tom a timeout gesture so he could corroborate his own thoughts on the matter with his brother first. "Let me guess, you think the correct answer is 'the moon'?"

"Isn't it? He contemplates the earth in the morning, he ponders about the sun in the afternoon, and he dwells on the moon at night in the evening?"

"Says who? yes it would make sense but there's a definite answer that's more correct than that. If you assume to 'dwell on' means to think on a matter extensively then it's reasonable to assume the moon would be correct but there's no guarantee. It could just be a coincidence and that entire line of thinking is a distraction from the clear answer! 'Dwell' also means to live in, at, or on. You can dwell in a cave, dwell at a hotel, or dwell on a boat, for instance. In this case, the only possible answer is that he dwells on a large stone 'the only thing he owns'. He has nowhere else to live nor a bed to sleep on so this has to be the correct answer because it's the only thing he can and must 'dwell on' at night. The moon is just an assumption but the stone is undeniably correct, yes?"

"I mean, I get it... But I still think it's the moon!"

"Yes, well, that's not the answer we're giving! Besides, you can't 'dwell on' anything, in terms of pondering over something, while you're asleep anyway! I want to leave this Riddlemyd floor today and the longer I entertain your incorrect answers the longer we're going to stay here in these rooms for no good reason!" Ares kept an eye on Aejaz as he gave his own answer just in case the sneaky guy tried to throw his own out there while he wasn't paying attention! Fortunately Ares subtle reminder that curry was on the line meant Aejaz was willing to pipe down for the piping hot goods. "The stone."

"Correct. Tsk. This disparity between you two in terms of riddle competence is staggering! Better yet, why are you even so good at this? Roughly 70% of dungeon explorers would have gotten at least one wrong by now!"

"Who knows? Maybe my brain is one big riddle. Anywho, we'll be on our way now... By the way, is the next room also a riddle or are we getting something else?"

The sphinx shook its head. "It's not a riddle but I won't inform you in advance what it actually is. There are still more riddles on this floor yet but the next few rooms will introduce you to new challenges... Try not to die on the way there, the corridors are more dangerous than you know. They hold many hidden secrets that even I'm not too knowledgeable about. Sevorus let a lot of his creations run wild and I don't necessarily know where they all are. There shouldn't be any on the lower floors but I can't guarantee that..." The sphinx head retreated back into its normal position and turned to stone, indicating it was done with its warnings, so Ares and a cowardly Aejaz set off. Aejaz had a huge fear of the unknown so he was being tested here. He would have been ok if the sphinx hadn't thrown out those last few statements but now he was back to being a nervous wreck! He signed up for riddles, not hallways of horror! He didn't wanna get jump-scared by some boogieman mummy alien hiding in the walls!

The passageway was rather narrow at the start but it did eventually widen somewhat, giving Ares room to walk without having to twist his shoulders to avoid grinding up against the sandy walls. Ares spotted a small drop of blood which was a pretty good indicator he was about to get attacked within the next ten or so seconds because he was certain it belonged to the previous group. The lot he heard talking to each other form behind the wall earlier must have gotten into a scrap here and suffered and incredibly minor injury. If they were jsut random, average cultivators then none of this really meant anything because getting ambushed and suffering a hit was common enough... But what if these were experts who got assaulted and suffered an injury? Maybe the monsters Tom Tom was referring to really had made it down here? Damn, now Ares was getting a bit of the heebie-jeebies in him too! Fortunately they disappeared almost immediately after because Ares had located the 'threat' with his Omniscience and could safely say it would not be an issue.

It was just a stepper!... Although this one would definitely do some mental damage because it was crawling along the ceiling like some disgusting, oversized house spider... "Ugh. Grand Annihilation!" Ares fired his art down the hallway, making it unavoidable for the creepy crawly alien, and blew it up without much hassle thanks to his Omniscience giving him the ability to track it perfectly... Although its flat eye did land on the side of the hallway and was still darting around even now that it was dead. This was still by far the worst part of these damn creatures! Ares didn't even want to walk past this thing because some of the spider parts were clogging up the path and with the eye constantly watching him he just felt incredibly freaked out right about now! As such, he Voidwalked past it and watched Aejaz steal his magic to do the same because he couldn't see it but had a gut feeling he didn't want to step anywhere near the area Ares avoided. Honestly, that stepper corpse could be the problem of whoever came after!... Although, actually, that did remind Ares about that one rumour of some monster lurking in these hallways that ate dead bodies and gear that was left behind overnight. Most people slept in the trial rooms and not in the hallways out of fear that this rumour might be correct because people had gone missing attempting such a thing before... It was for the best if Ares didn't spend too much time in these hallways at night if possible and stayed away from any corpses he found... Tom Tom probably didn't have any authority over these corridors so there really would be no assistance if he ran into something unnatural. He had Garmr up his sleeve but using that in such a confined space would cause real issues!

Anyway, quick encounter aside, the duo resumed their journey and were uninterrupted through the rest of it. Not that there was a particularly long distance to travel to get to the next room. Five seconds away from the stepper there was a corner that, when rounded, lead straight to the next challenge. At a quick glance it seemed like the group ahead of Ares and Aejaz weren't inside the next area so they either cleared it or died and, honestly, it was impossible to tell because this floor seemed to have a lava gimmick and there would be no dead bodies or blood after falling into it. Ares was standing in the doorway that led to the room but not actually moving any further because there was no platform directly in front of him! This room was definitely structured differently as there was a blazing lava pit below, bringing light and heat to this otherwise cold and dark room. The doorway leading to the next hallway on the other side of the room was already open but getting to it was the real challenge. There were a few cooled magma pillars rising up and out of the lava so this was essentially a parkour Challenger in which you hopped your way to the end without falling into the pit... Except it was a bit more tricky than that because there were anti-magic runes lining the room that prevented you from cheating with flight, if you didn't naturally have it thanks to your race anyway, or Blinking directly across. Basically, any non-natural method of getting around was off-limits here and you had to actually jump around from platform to platform.

Of course the challenge also had a little extra flair to it as lava plumes rose up from below between the platform with regularity so you had to be patient and only go at the right time. It was an interesting room because it was quite deadly for a beginner dungeon explorer but also quite easy at the same time. The platforms weren't positioned too far apart, so missing the jump shouldn't be possible unless nerves completely hindered your ability to move at the do or die moment, and the lava plumes were pretty consistent in terms of timing. It was like an introduction to other types of rooms mixed with a more difficult task for Ares specifically because that was what Tom Tom was doing now. He said he was going to go all out but his inner game-master refused to allow him to amp up the difficulty to max this early on, it seemed, so this was a sort of hybrid room with simple mechanics but high stakes. This was still a problematic trial for some people, and could very well kill a person who failed, but ought to still serve as a good warm up for the more competent. Tom Tom would not be this lenient to Ares again, it felt like, but the first time a room of any new type popped up it would likely still be manageable and not some herculean task straight from hell. Ares wouldn't be surprised if the next parkour room was the exact same as this but with flamethrowers all over the place and winged monsters hovering above and spewing Fireballs at him. This was a gimme, put simply, but it was still harder than what other cultivators on this floor would be doing.

Ares hopped to the first platform without any care in the world because the lava plumes only started after the first platform. Aejaz didn't follow immediately but that was because the platforms weren't actually that big and having multiple people on one would make it hard to get a run up towards the ledge for a proper jump. Also there was no guarantee these things were completely stable and the last thing Aejaz wanted was to land on the platform and hear a crack underneath him! Meanwhile, Ares was searching around the room for Mr Sphinx and he eventually found him on the ceiling! He certainly wasn't as ugly as the stepper but being up there did make him look a little odd. At the very least he was being as silent as a stalker and that was strange in and of itself! "The hell are you doing up there?"

"It's hot down there. I don't like fire because it can singe my fur. In other rooms like this I've gotten hit by little flickers of lava before, and its never pleasant, so I've taken to staying up here. I mean, really, who's the stranger one here, you or me? One of us is hopping over platforms above lethal lave and the other is glued safely to the cool ceiling!"

"... Touché. I can't argue with that. Although, to be fair, this is your fault! You designed this room!"

"Meh, there are no materials in the labs that would help me cool this place down safely so I jsut have to put up with it. My discomfort means nothing if I can have fun at everyone else's expense with my hard work!"

"Did Sevorus not design any of this? I thought he did at least partially."

"A few things here and there, yes, mostly the punishments for failing a room but that was about it. I use his templates every now and then when I'm fed up with weak cultivators who are just going to die eventually anyway. Not worth the effort, I think. Like a five star chef allowing a homeless vagrant to taste test his food. No value in doing it whatsoever because there'll be no appreciation or deeper satisfaction."

"You must enjoy working on the deeper floors then?" Ares asked as he hopped along to the next pillar when it was clear to do so.

"Oh absolutely! Always a blast to see what creative ways I can use to kill off strong cultivators! Well, strong for this domain anyway. Right now, everyone is stuck on one particular room and nobody has ever passed it. That room, and its riddle, may honestly be my magnum opus! Everyday the same large groups run through the entire rest of the floor, get stuck on the riddle one room away from the checkpoint, and spend entire weeks just sitting there in contemplation before being forced to give up! Haha, victory has never tasted so sweet!"

"You're kinda sick in the head but good for you, I guess. At least you're having fun with it." Ares hopped at a diagonal angle towards the next platform but a plume soared up from below unexpectedly, nicking him in the rear and causing his butt to be lit on fire! He patted it out quickly and looked back up at Tom Tom. "The hell was that about? I thought these things were on a timer? That plume was early by several seconds!"

"They are all on timers but I messed with that one personally."

"Tsk, is that even allowed?!"

"Not if it was going to kill you it isn't. That much interference is acceptable, however! What? Gonna call me a liar liar pants on fire?! HA! That would be you!.. Well not a liar but you get the joke. I like to spook the participants every now and then with small pranks like that so don't worry too much, it's normal."

Aejaz quickly hurried across the platforms to catch up to Ares while Tom Tom was distracted. He didn't want to deal with those pranks!

Ares was making steady progress and eventually worked his way to the last platform. The rectangle hole in the wall in front of him would be an awkward jump to make but he could do it as he was more than dexterous enough thanks to his cultivation base. It was definitely an uncomfortable jump to have to commit too, as too high or too low would make landing perfectly in the wall impossible, but it wasn't too far a jump thankfully. Plus it was directly ahead of Ares and not at an angled drop, that would be evil! If it were about twenty feet below and in front of him then he'd be concerned because getting the right angle on the jump would be tough as nails!... Although, really, that would likely happen at some point in this Riddlemyd. It wasn't supposed to be easy all the way down and deadly challenges such as that awaited without a shadow of a doubt! Ares took a deep breath, stretched his limbs, and started his run up... But paused and came to a screeching halt right a the edge of the platform. The rocks beneath his feet crumbled slightly so he took a step back and watched the rocks plop down into the bubbling lava... 

ROAR

A fiery lava dragon leapt out of the lava pool below, chomped on the empty air, and sunk back into the broiling floor below. "Where the hell did that thing come from?!" Ares complained to Tom Tom who was happily whistling to himself like he had nothing to do with this... 

"Dunno how that got there. Real strange! Maybe try giving it a pet? It might like you! Better yet, go and give it a big hug in mid-air, see how that ends why don't you?" It seemed that, despite this being a more forgiving version of what was to come, Tom Tom was still not holding back 100% and had thrown in this little taster of what he could do if he felt like it. The last few floors of the Riddlemyd were going to be a real nightmare when Tom Tom started flexing his dungeon design mastery... Still, the dragon here really wasn't a problem as Ares had already fooled it into leaping once and now it needed time to circle back around for another vertical lunge. As such, Ares was able to quickly take advantage of that delay and go sailing perfectly through the gap in the wall. He'd made it to safety so now it was just a matter of waiting for Aejaz to do the same.

Ares turned around to watch his brother's attempt but Aejaz was already mid leap as he didn't want to sit around and potentially have the dragon become a problem again. Ares extended his palm with an evil grin an Aejaz was about to wail at the top of his lungs because it looked like his brother was going to repel and push him into the lava! Ares snickered but changed the shape of his palm to a welcoming hand that offered Aejaz an additional safety net in case his jump was off centre. Ares was mean but he wasn't going to push his brother into lava! He was definitely going to threaten such an act, to see the look on his brother's worry-wart face however, that was unavoidable! Allie wasn't here so Ares could bully Aejaz a little without her tiny wrathful self looking for vengeance and verbally berating him like a disappointed teacher / parent. She was a mature little menace when she wanted to be! Though it was typically only whenever Ares bullied Aejaz a bit too much. If she got a hold of this memory later then Ares as going to get his ears talked off for at least an hour about how he always did stuff like this to his brother... Oh well, worth it! It was his duty as an older brother to spice things up and and push Aejaz around a bit! It had done him some good too as he wouldn't have ever bothered training if Ares didn't get a little pushy with him from time to time! Although bullying like this occasions was admittedly just for the fun of it!

Ares and Aejaz took off down the corridor and expected it to be a relatively quick jaunt to the next room but, five minutes later, after not having come across even a single monster or the next room, they were starting to think something fishy was going on here! This belief was all but confirmed when they rounded a corner and saw a hole in the wall that looked particularly familiar! Peering through it revealed the lava room they'd just exited earlier! They'd somehow, someway, gone in a circle! Ares leaned his head fully through and spied Tom Tom still on the ceiling, smiling deviously at Ares who'd been fooled! Ares leant against the hallway and pondered deeply over where he could have possibly gone wrong. He hadn't expected anything to go wrong in the corridors because Tom Tom could only control the rooms but that didn't mean he couldn't create a room that looked like the corridors! In short, this was a maze room!

Ares didn't know at what point it started, and he didn't know where it ended, but he and Aejaz were undeniably in it right now! Maybe there were markings or something equivalent hallway through the corridor that he missed while he was chatting casually with Aejaz during their walk. Ares had been caught lacking because his attention was elsewhere. He'd learnt how this place worked and assumed his familiarity with it wouldn't be exploited so soon and that was a rookie mistake. Still, he had his Omniscience so he was pretty certain one more walk back through the hallway / room would reveal all. He set off back down the pathway with Aejaz and, the second he turned the corner, Tom Tom's smug grin only grew wider! He was about to start chuckling to himself with pride but, unfortunately for him, Ares walked right back around the corner with his own smug grin plastered on his face.

"Ha, what? Thought I would fall for it? Your dumb tricks aren't gonna get the better of me! I'll admit you almost had me but you're gonna have to do better than that!" Though Ares said that, Aejaz looked particularly confused right now because he didn't get what was going on here. He wanted to go back to exploring the hallways but Ares had yanked him back around this corner for some reason...

"Tsk. Can't you just get one room wrong already? It's no fun playing with clever clogs like you!" Tom Tom bemoaned Ares' successfully pranking him and getting his hopes up by pretending to leave.

Ares shrugged and took a leap through the hole in the wall, landing on the magma platform and positioning himself to be able to leap to the next platform along the path. Aejaz wasn't sure why Ares was opting to do this room in reverse but, about halfway through it, the truth finally hit him! 

"This isn't the same room, is it?!" There were no visible differences between this room and the previous one but it was a reasonable guess given Ares and Tom Tom's attitude! It was a replica of the previous room but this was definitely the way forward! There were no secrets in the corridor, and wasting time exploring it was pointless, because this was actually the exit and the room on the other side of this blazing fire pit was the correct way to advance towards the end of the floor! Tom Tom expected Ares to see this and return to the empty maze, constantly walking between the original room and this copy of it! Sneaky damn cat! It was a good thing Aejaz was here with Ares otherwise he would have seriously gotten stuck on this damn illusory trick for at least a day straight... Eventually he would have given up and retreated to the previous room to ask for a portal to the exit, only to find himself trapped in a new room and having to complete that as well! It was devious! If you tired yourself out in the maze, gave up, and then had to do another room... No wonder this place killed so many adventurers! It was evil! Evil! The only saving grace here was that the platforms weren't too high up so jumping from one to the next was still doable even in reverse. Had they been any taller then having to climb up the side of them, with the fire plumes bubbling below, constantly threatening to burn you to cinders while putting you on a time limit... That would be terrible! As such, there was almost definitely a room that would be doing precisely that later on... Tom Tom was not the type to miss such an opportunity, it seemed.

Also, for what it was worth, the doors to these rooms were all permanently open and didn't shut which was nice. Most of the doors did but an exception was likely made specifically to pull of this replica stunt, and confuse people, which was presumably the giveaway that clued in Ares that something was wrong. If the door to the lava room closed after completing it, but the replica room's door was open, something would be fishy at a glance and the whole problem would be easier to decipher. Doing it this way made it look more natural, like nothing had changed, but didn't adhere to the standard established door rules so Ares picked up on that quickly.

Regardless, Ares and Aejaz eventually made it through the replica room, avoiding the fire dragon again along the way, and entered what appeared to be another riddle room. So far this floor had been a riddle, a parkour challenge, a maze, and now another riddle. After this Ares and Aejaz would be, give or take, a little over halfway done with the floor so that was promising and they could return back to the sect to organise their thoughts on everything that went down today and enjoy some good ol' curry! The song and dance of riddle rooms was well known by now so Tom Tom, on the wall opposite the entrance, spoke without the need for pleasantries and got things underway.

"No matter how many steps you take, provided you take an even number of steps, I will always take exactly half as many as you. What am I?"