Chapter 404: Along for the Ride

"Huh, I actually don't know." Ares scratched his head and gave this riddle some more thought. To him the answer to this riddle wasn't as immediately apparent as the rest of them so he'd have to ponder over it for a while... His main concern was making sure Aejaz didn't just come barging into the conversation, swinging around a wrong answer with reckless abandon, without at least discussing it with him first. Thankfully Aejaz also seemed to be stumped on this one so this was going to be the first room that required more than a minute or two to solve. "Tom Tom, not that I'm going to, but if we intentionally get the answer to this riddle wrong and then overcome the punishment, can we ask for a portal out?" Ares actually didn't know the answer to this. He knew that once you denied the portal back to the checkpoint area you had to move on but, if you moved on, was it impossible to go back until you cleared the next room or could you be allowed out as long as you lived through a failure? Ares assumed it was the latter, as the story Tom Tom told Ares about the groups on the lower floor getting stuck on the riddle room wouldn't have been possible otherwise, but he figured he would check just in case. If this riddle really did stump him, and he ultimately had to restart the floor tomorrow, he wanted to know if he could jsut abandon this place to go make the curry by failing the riddle, completing the punishment, and asking for a portal. Making dinner tonight was more important to him than sticking it out in this room until he eventually got the riddle right so as not to have to restart the floor. He didn't think this would be necessary, and he was sure he'd get the answer eventually, but just in case, and for future clarification, he asked anyway.

"You will be offered a choice to continue or return to the checkpoint area after every success or failure. It is only during an attempt or punishment that you cannot leave under any circumstance... Usually. If I see fit I will make an exception but that is rare and should not be expected. If you wanted to leave now then surviving a punishment would be a way of getting out, yes, but there is no other method." Tom Tom responded in the affirmative and so that was good news at least. "Also, don't you dare call me Tom Tom to my face again or I'll seriously punish you! I'm not tolerating it anymore!"

"Ok, ok. calm down kitty! I thought you couldn't punish people on a whim anyway?"

"No but I can make things harder for you than they already are. On the lower floors the riddles start to come with timers and I have no issue bending the rules slightly to inconvenience you with a countdown now! And stop callin me kitty damnit!"

Ares really didn't want the timer to be added in already because he wasn't sure how long he was going to take to answer this riddle. He sat down and stared at his legs, trying to draw a correlation between what could possibly also move whenever they did. Ares had to admit that this time Tom Tom was going to be the victor at this rate. Of course Ares couldn't beat every single room immediately, that was an unrealistic expectation, but he had assumed he would be able to go a little further before the roles had been reversed and he was the one not coming out on top. The shoe was on the other foot now! Eh? Wait a minute... Ares gave the riddle some more thought, now that he had a line of thinking that didn't seem misplaced, and eventually became quite spirited as he leapt back up onto his feet. He walked over to the sphinx and, in doing so, proved his own hypothesis. Not that he needed to walk over to clarify something so basic. The answer was actually really simple but Ares figured he would at least try it out in practice to make sure it made sense. Sometimes, with riddles, it was entirely possible to come up with an answer that sounded reasonable enough in your head and then get thoroughly embarrassed after saying it aloud because of how off the mark it really was... Aejaz was living proof of that... Still, Ares was 200% certain he had the correct answer and he could thank his train of thought for stumbling across it. "Alrighty Mr Sphinx, I think I've got it."

"Hmmm. Are you sure? You don't wanna think about it some more?"

"Ha, no. You won't make me second guess myself so drop the plotting and scheming and let's move on yeah? You can't use reverse psychology on me, I'm like 90% intuition and 10% stubbornness."

"Hmph, don't balm me if you get the wrong answer! Then I'll ask again... 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?"

"A shoe."

"Correct... Tsk, thought I had you..."

Aejaz piped up from behind Ares and seemed to be unhappy with this answer... Then again, when was he ever happy with any of the riddle answers he received? "I don't get it! The shoes you wear take the same amount of steps as you, not half!"

"No, that would be a 'pair of shoes'. This is just a singular shoe. Half the steps you take are with your right leg, and the other half are with your left leg. You only wear one shoe on each foot, on each leg, so each shoe does half the steps total. If you take twenty steps, the left shoe will do ten and the right shoe will also do ten. It doesn't matter which shoe you pick for the answer but what's true is that either shoe, when not taken into consideration as a pair, is correct."

"Ok, but what if you walk around barefoot?"

"Who the hell does that?! Better yet, why do you have to be such a contrarian all the time?! It's just a damn riddle!"

"Oh come on! It's a valid question!"

"Yeah sure, if you say so." Ares shook his head and ignored Aejaz. If he got into a tizzy every time this guy had an opinion on the riddle answers he would seriously never feel calm ever again! This guy loved riddles so why was he having the least fun AND success of everyone here?! Ares simply took off and headed towards the passageway while Aejaz grumbled as he followed along behind him. This passageway was identical to the last but the entrance to it did shut after both the brothers stepped into it so that was confirmation Tom Tom wasn't messing with them anymore. He kept the passages open earlier specifically to make that one trick room work and so it wouldn't be happening again. Ares vowed to keep an eye out for the entrances and exits to each room from now on because it seemed like it might be relevant again at some point. Anyway, the trip through the passageway was surprisingly smooth! No monsters, no twists, no challenges. Just a fifteen-ish second walk and the next room appeared after a sharp left turn... But it was already occupied!

There were sounds of combat on the other side of the blocked off wall so either the group ahead of Ares had gotten the riddle they were on wrong or it was literally just a room for combat and that was all the challenge was. It was an early floor so the difficulty ought to not be too high... Unless Tom Tom had set it up for Ares and another unlucky group stumbled into it first. This could still be the lot from earlier and there was a non-zero chance they were constantly being thrown into Ares' rooms unintentionally. Tom Tom could change the rooms up but doing it between challengers was a bit of an ask. He either had to make it easy for Ares or hard for this group and he seemingly chose the latter... Although Ares did get somewhat stumped on the last riddle so maybe he had time to custom tailor a room for these lot? It was impossible to tell as seeing beyond the wall was impossible... Was Ares just supposed to wait here and twiddle his thumbs?

"Boo!"

"Eep!" Aejaz cowered behind Ares as a sphinx head appeared on the wall next to him and gave him a childish fright. Aejaz had gotten comfortable in the quiet corridor and not expected anything to come creeping up on him like this. Ares, on the other hand, remained alert at all times just in case because he wasn't going to underestimate this place, or its many secrets, despite it having been rather easy up until this point. It would only get harder and the rooms more demanding in terms of what they asked of him.

"Hehehe. Now who's the scaredy cat?" Tom Tom stuck his spiky tongue out at Aejaz before explaining why he was here. "When it comes to situations like this, as in coming across a room that's sealed shut for another group, you have two options available to you. Option one, you can choose to wait outside and get your own challenge afterwards. People who are distrustful of others do this often so as not to have to deal with strangers that might betray them unexpectedly. The other option is to join in the challenge underway while it is halfway through. If the challenge is near completion I won't give you this option but if the challenge is still in the early stages then I'll allow it. You won't get a custom tailored challenge but you can work alongside the other adventurers to complete the task at hand... That being said, if they've screwed themselves and you join in to whatever mess they've made you'll have to try and fix it. It's unfair to get screwed over like that but that's the risk you run for potentially getting an easy ride through a room the participants were already clearing with ease. Will you join late and get carried through the room without needing to put in any effort or will you have to do the carrying of others, making your own life harder?

You don't get to see the state of the room before entering so always be mindful of the potential outcomes that may await you. The one thing I will do for you is tell you what manner of challenge is underway but that's all you get! In this case, as I'm sure you're already aware, it's a combat challenge. I will not tell you who is inside, how many people there are, how they are currently faring, or what they're fighting. If you think it's better to start from a clean slate then you'll have to wait until they're finished. Also, in case you're curious, yes, this is the group that was ahead of you this whole time. They've had to do a few of your challenges but were lucky enough to skip some of them too thanks to you arguing with your brother over various riddle answers. That took up enough time for them to gain some ground on you two and not get your tasks instead of beginner stuff... So the question now is, do you think this room is a beginner room, one that's suited to the floor... Or do you think they got one of your rooms? If it's the later, and you join in carelessly, things might get dicey! If its the former and you skip it you may very well regret it. Also, if its the latter, and they die because of you, are you going to be ok with that outcome?! Hehehe, so many choices! This is almost a riddle in and of itself! So go on! Show me how you hmm and ahhh over this complex..."

"Lemme in!"

"Eh? Just like that? Not even going to deliberate over the potential demerits of..."

"Lemme in!"

"O.. Oh. Ok... Can I ask why? You have time because the group inside the room aren't dying right now or anything and I really wanna know..."

"It's just a combat scenario right? I'm the scariest thing in Sheryashka right now so what could you possibly throw at me that I can't deal with? The combat rooms are the last of my concerns!"

"... I can't tell if you're overconfident or if Dominus was telling the truth about you but, fine, whatever, you're choice has been made. Step into the portal and you'll be placed in a safe location inside the room. I will never drop you in front of an incoming attack, or anything else equally unfair, so you don't have to worry about that. How fast you ascertain the situation, and all its moving pieces, is on you, however, so don't be upset if the room comes at you fast after your brief moment of peace!"

Ares shrugged, because he really wasn't worried, and jumped into the portal without waiting another moment. Aejaz, on the other hand, was more trepid and carefully poked his head through first. The portal would have yanked him through anyway, as this behaviour was blatantly cheating and therefore unacceptable, but Tom Tom beat the portal to it and pushed him through with a boop from his lion snoot. Aejaz was flicked through the portal and wound up face first on the floor just in time to witness Ares using Grand Annihilation on a bunch of floating crocodiles. They were swimming through the air and snapping at anything and everything in reach. Their graceful twirls and pirouettes looked innocent enough but Aejaz recognised a death roll when he saw one! Their fabulous dance was actually a dance of death and if they bit you before starting it you were in a for a world of hurt! They were quickly drowned out in a sea of gold, however, and so their swim quickly became one against rough tides they couldn't overcome. By the time the Grand Annihilation ran out of steam the crocodiles were all blown to pieces and stacked high in the corner of the room where the blast carried whatever was left of them. As it turned out, the room's challenge was not designed for Ares at all. That or Tom Tom was majorly underestimating him but, as far as Aejaz, still face first on the floor, could tell, these monsters were only barely more powerful than the giant scorpions from before. This looked like a monster any old Xascan cultivator could fend off and, though there had been a few of them, it was nothing the bewildered group dealing with them prior to Ares' arrival couldn't handle on their own given enough time. Of course having someone drop in unannounced and wipe them out in a single fell swoop was welcome but it was also rather shocking so their dumbfounded expressions were understandable.

The entrance and exit to this room were opened and Tom Tom was patiently wating in case the group, or Ares, wanted a portal back to the checkpoint area / exit. It was unlikely either group would choose to leave, being as close to the next checkpoint as they were, but it wasn't impossible that one of the groups might bail because they didn't trust the other's bad vibes / mojo and wanted to remain safe. That had happened before and, though it might be a bit of a paranoid move, it had saved lives on occasion! Tom Tom could attest to the foul intent of certain people who were ditched before they could do any harm! Ares didn't much care, because honestly this group seemed sort of just whatever in the strength department, so what they wanted to do didn't really concern him.

"I should warn you..." Tom Tom spoke up amidst the quiet atmosphere. "... The duo who intruded upon your challenge..." Tom Tom was speaking to the random group and referring to Ares and Aejaz here. "... Are currently facing trials that do not adhere to the usual format of this Riddlemyd. Their trials are harder and will complicate your own exploration if you proceed with them." A fair warning and one that made sense. It would be unwise for them to party up with Ares even temporarily knowing this so it was vital for them to have the information. Tom Tom had probably never needed to announce such a thing prior to now but he was making the executive decision to makes sure these people knew what was in store for them if they thought they could coast along and follow Ares without any risk whatsoever on these easier floors. Though his cultivation base was low his power was evidently not so if they hitched a ride and hopped into his metaphorical backpack to be taken to the next checkpoint then it was good to know the journey would be fraught with more perils than usual.

The group could either leave the dungeon now, wait for Ares to go ahead, or travel with him but what was clear was that he was not going to wait for them. He didn't want to get stuck outside their rooms all the time and, besides, they would likely end up running into challenges designed for him if they went first. They had a few options but, right off the bat, they weren't leaving the Riddlemyd. They'd only just arrived not too long ago and they'd been planning on staying here a few days at the very least. Resetting their floor progress was a big nono so their only real options were to wait patiently for Ares to go ahead or to follow him. A group discussion was needed so the four of them huddled around one another and begun whispering to each other about the pros and cons of each decision they could make here.

Ares patiently waited off to the side but he was eventually called out to them by one of their younger members, a spry girl who looked to be around, what, 15, 16 years old? It was a bit of a young age to be exploring a place like this but her cultivation base was respectable, near the start of sensory enhancement, so she'd be completely safe on these lower floors... Provided she wasn't thrown into Ares' challenge rooms anyway. She seemed to have a spring in her step and there was no such thing as a 'frown' in her vocabulary or the list of facial expressions she could make. Evidently the group had questions to ask of Ares but were hesitant to ask lest they offend someone who was very clearly not normal. The attack he launched was one thing but the sphinx actively challenging a contender more than everyone else was a sign that this guy was charting a very different course to standard explorers of this dungeon. Asking him might lead them to problems but the young girl didn't seem to care about such things and jsut brazenly swiveled around to speak to the man in question directly with little to no fear.

"Excuse us, Mr Gold!?"

"SHHHHHHHHH!" One of the other members threw their palm across her mouth and dragged her back to the conversation circle but it was too little too late because Ares was already a part of the conversation now.

"Mr... Gold?" Ares understood why he was being nicknamed this but surely there was a more... Ok, never mind. He was going to complain about politeness but realised he was the last person in this entire place with any real right to do so! Also, gold was rather fitting so, ultimately, he really couldn't complain... "Sure... Can I help you?"

"Yes!" The girl sprang out of the circle again and the rest of the group just sort of timidly followed behind her as it was too late to avoid Mr Gold now. "Can we ask you some questions?"

"If you couldn't you would have already crossed a line... Well I'm not some monster that's going to bite your head off for bothering me or anything so ask away, I guess." Despite Ares' assurance, everyone other than the girl refused to speak and were scratching their heads, looking in other directions, or just generally expressing their discomfort with the situation. They must have all clearly wanted to wait for Ares to go on ahead.

"Are you a bad person?"

"... That was a rather direct question!" Ares couldn't believe his ears! "Uh, I guess not? I've done bad things, and might do some more in the future, but I usually have a good reason for what I do... At least I think so anyway. If what you mean by that question is 'am I going to attack you, steal from you, or betray you in any manner' then the answer is no. That's not why I'm a bad person... Unless you happen to have a rare scythe on you? Like, I mean a rare treasure of some kind in the form of a scythe? I'd be willing to buy it but there's no guarantee I won't just steal it if its extremely valuable and you refuse to sell it..." Ares was just being completely honest here! A treasure scythe would be extremely hard to come across and he was more than willing to hand over a good chunk of stardust for such a thing. He was still using farm tools for crying out loud! Even if he robbed someone's scythe he would compensate them after! This was the cultivation world and he couldn't afford to be lenient and overlook such a treasure if he found one! More like the destruction pillar probably wouldn't even let him anyway. Still, it could be worse, he could have not said anything about the matter at all. This way if, per chance, they did have a scythe then they could just hide it and not mention it so Ares was giving them an out!... Although he did have a lie detector so that might complicate things... He was actively allowing people to lie to him by being upfront about his intentions but had forgotten about his bloodline preventing the way out! Whoops. But the intention to be a half-decent person was still there even if a little scuffed!

"That's... Oddly specific but no. We don't have any scythes, so we're safe, right?"

Ares nodded and gave a thumbs up. She wasn't lying so their pockets would not be pilfered by Aejaz! "Scythes are rare weapons anyway so I'm not exactly expecting to run into anyone who has such a thing regardless. Plus most people would be willing to sell a treasure they can't use so the chances of me ever having to actually steal a scythe are quite low, I would imagine."

"Mhm. Mhm." The girl nodded along even though Ares was professing his inclination to be a bad person if the stars aligned! Either she was very familiar with what being a cultivator entailed or she was perhaps a tad dense. Ares didn't know so he just kept answering her honestly as exploiting such a cute dunderhead felt wrong. This girl reminded him of Appa a little so he would play nice! "Ok. Next question, why are you getting more difficult challenges from Mr Cat?"

Ares looked over at Tom Tom but he was saying nothing! He had a weakness for this cute girl too! He was threatening to take action against Ares if he called him a cat but this person could get away with it for free! "Mr Tom and I have an agreement? I guess? It's quite complicated but him and I are technically striving for two different outcomes that don't align with one another. It's a fair competition but one you should avoid getting dragged into. My rooms are going to be hard because he wants to prevent me from winning our battle. As such, regardless of what you choose to do, you shouldn't go ahead of me."

"Okey doke. Last question. That gold magic looks familiar! Were you the one who made that big explosion in the desert earlier?"

"Ah, yes, that would be me. I was sparring against Juggernaut.. But don't worry, I didn't throw that thing at her! She's safe! If anything, it's my bones that are still broken here and there... Winning has never felt so painful..."

The group had all the information they needed to know that they wanted nothing to do with this guy! That massive explosion, quarreling with the overseer of the trials, scrapping with Juggernaut?! This guy was living through his own story and these guys were aware they were just side characters in it to him. The three members who weren't the girl nodded at one another but, unfortunately for them, the girl beat them to the punch and decided on her own how things would go from here on out. "Ok! We'll travel with you then!" The rest of her group shed tears and gave each other hugs because their fate was sealed and they were doomed! The checkpoint wasn't far away now but the chances of them making it there alive had decreased drastically as a result of this kid's choice! They could only hope Ares would say no but he just shrugged as though he didn't care about this choice.

"Alright, fine. I'll try not to let you lot die but no promises. Make sure to hold your own when you can." Ares didn't mind if this lot wanted to follow him. He wasn't going to go out of his way to guarantee their safety so it was mostly just a potential benefit for him in riddle or puzzle rooms as there were more braincells to go around other than having to rely exclusively on nincompoop Aejaz for extra input. Plus the checkpoint was nearby so if he really didn't want to put up with them afterwards he would be separated from them regardless as he was going to leave. "I should mention I'm just clearing this floor for now so don't expect me to keep going afterwards. I have other things to do outside the Riddlemyd and you can continue by yourselves from the next checkpoint onwards." The rest of the group seemed particularly ecstatic to hear this so Ares could only give a wry smile. He wasn't wanted in the slightest! They might change their minds when they realised he was a free pass to the next floor but whatever, these guys were just a few extras he would probably never see again!