Trap-Filled Area

The general had given them a map that showed a small, empty village hidden between some lonely hills. As Shen, Fenix, and Kelly traveled, a heavy silence full of unspoken thoughts fell over them. Shen's face grew more focused with each mile he traveled. His thoughts were like a strategic workshop where the parts of a plan were being turned into a weapon. He hadn't told them the whole plan yet, but Fenix and Kelly, who were loyal and trusted their master, followed without asking questions.

When they finally reached the top of a hill and saw their goal, it was very different from what they had thought it would be. The village was a remnant, with a maze of tiny cobblestone streets that wound between the crumbling exteriors of old homes. A single, amazing building—a Gothic structure made of thick, dark stone that seemed to soak up the light from the sky—was the main focus of their attention. There were carvings all over it, just like the strange symbols the general had shown them. Each glass was a black eye with no signs of life. There were no people, no animals, and not even a stray cat running around in the central square in front of it. The air was so still that it felt like a heavy blanket, and it made everything sound muffled. There was complete silence except for the sad sound of the wind whistling through broken eaves.

Kelly's eyes slowly moved around the area, and her fingers were close to the hilt of her sword. "This kind of stillness isn't natural," she said with a voice full of doubt. It seems planned. A snare.

But Shen kept going, his will unyielding. "Stay alert," he said in a way that left no room for discussion. "This isn't just a building. Be careful where you step.

The three moved forward carefully, their boots making soft sounds on the dirty cobbles. The entrance was a big iron door that had been rusted and worn down over the years. It hung open a little, inviting the darkness, even though it was almost too heavy to do so. With a steady hand, Shen pushed it open. It was just as dark and cold inside as it had been outside. They were hit by a blast of cold, musty air. The corroded brackets holding the unlit lamps around the stone walls cast shadows that were hard to get to. The pointed arches and high, vaulted ceilings of Gothic architecture made them feel like they were in a harsher time.

As they went deeper, the flagstones under their feet began to make strange noises. Instead of a solid thud, each step made a faint, hollow metallic sound. Kelly stopped moving and tilted her head. She said in a tense voice, "This floor isn't right." Shen had felt it, too. There was a faint tremor beneath the surface, as if something was moving under it. Before he could give the order to retreat, the ground shook and broke apart with a loud, deafening boom.

They were pulled down into a chaotic stream of rubble as stones, dirt, and broken beams fell inside. They landed hard in a small, dark tube. Their eyes hurt, and their lungs were full of dust. In an instant, Shen was up, and his senses were sharper. "Report!" he yelled, his voice sharp and echoing in the small room. "Are you both all right?"

Fenix and Kelly brushed themselves off and climbed up. Fenix coughed and looked into the dark. "We're fine," he said. "But what is this place?" The ground under them was cold, finely cut stone instead of soil. It looked like there was a whole other universe hidden under the building. The old walls of the long, narrow tunnel in front of them were lit up by what looked like phosphorescent moss. The air was full of the smell of rotting things and wet dirt. The only sound in the stillness was the steady, deep trickle of water in the distance.

They moved into the tunnel, taking purposeful, quiet steps. Shen's eyes darted around, looking at the shadows and trying to find the shape of a pressure plate or the shine of a tripwire. After only a dozen steps, they heard a faint mechanical grinding coming from the walls. It sounded like old gears waking up from a long sleep.

A piece of the ceiling in front of me started to fall very quickly. Shen answered right away. "Run!" he yelled. The three of them ran for their lives as the stone roof slowly lowered behind them, threatening to crush them into the floor.

As they got closer to what looked like a side passage, Shen quickly turned and dove into the gap. Fenix and Kelly didn't think twice about following. But as soon as they got away from the heavy ceiling, the floor of the new corridor blew up. A metal shingle hid slits that let razor-sharp blades come out. Kelly jumped forward, and a second blade hummed harmlessly under her boots. Fenix pulled his foot back just as a blade cut through the air where it had been.

"This whole place is a death trap!" Kelly's eyes were full of determination, but her voice shook with a mix of fear and excitement.

Shen looked at the mechanisms with a sharp and calculated gaze. Each of the cleverly linked traps set off the next one in a deadly chain, making a symphony of destruction. They had no time to think or disarm them; they had to keep going. At the end of the tunnel, a door that was hard to see looked like a promise of safety. "Don't stop!" Shen's order cut through the noise. We have to get to the door!

As they ran toward it, the last set of traps went off. As panels in the walls flew open, a lot of arrows flew across the hallway. The sound of arrows hitting the stone around them gave their escape a chaotic rhythm as they dodged, swerved, and dashed. Shen slid across the last crumbling part of the hallway at breakneck speed and jumped through the door. Fenix and Kelly were right behind him, and they fell into the room, gasping for air but thankfully unharmed.

The room they walked into was nothing like the deadly hallways. It was lit up weakly by a strange light that had no source. There was a big, dark wood table in the middle of it. There was only one person at the table, and their face was hidden in deep shadow and covered by a heavy, dark robe. The walls of the room were covered with the same intricate patterns that Shen had found on the fabric. They had made it to the heart of the maze. They had found their target.

Shen took a slow, steady breath and centered himself. The chaos of the last few minutes faded away. He walked steadily and confidently toward the middle of the room. "So," he said, his voice steady but with a strong authority that broke the silence. "We finally get to meet."