The Trap is a Princess in a Tower

They lost awareness of color, sensation, and even time itself, dissolving into a useless flood of unprocessed information. They landed in a confused heap after slamming onto a cold, hard surface, gasping for oxygen they were unaware they had been holding.

They were lost in a place where nothing existed at all. There was simply a vast, starless emptiness of pitch-black, with neither sky nor horizon line. A single, enormous landmass, on which a citadel was erected, floated in this boundless space. With its sharp turrets and thorny spires that appeared to have been cut from a living nightmare, Gein's Castle soared at impossible angles. A malicious blade was stabbed into the very center of nothingness.

As soon as they stepped through the portal's entrance, Katrina's ability to remain invisible vanished, leaving the three of them unprotected and exposed.

"Well executed," Katrina whispered, getting to her feet and looking around them right away. The strain of their escape was still present in her voice. "At least there isn't a welcoming committee waiting at the entrance."

Suge wasn't paying attention, though. His gaze was fixed on the tallest, sharpest spire of the castle. He could even see the outline of a hapless body chained to a post, the shape of a pale robe flapping in an invisible wind. His voice trembled with a longing he had repressed for years, and he lifted a finger.

"She's there."

Polina was hung in the most conspicuous and unjustifiable position imaginable, like a piece of bait. Nicolas's forehead furrowed in a deep frown at the scene's obvious theatricality. This was a blatant invitation, not a jail.

"Yes, she is," Nicolas stated in a tone that was brimming with cynical incredulity. However, it's too clear. This is an advertisement, not only a trap. An advertisement that reads, "Come and get her." Why else would they place her in a position where everyone could see her?

"I'm with the journalist," Katrina continued, looking from the tower to the dark shadows that gathered at the base of the castle as she assessed the invisible dangers. One of Gein's psychological tricks is this one. No matter how clear it is, Suge, he knows you'll arrive. He's trying to entice us inside with the most valuable bait he has.

Suge's eyes never left Polina as he responded, "I know," his voice hardening into steel. "Then, with our eyes wide open, we will enter that trap. Let's avoid making them wait.

All they could do was follow the plan. They discovered that the fortress's enormous iron gates were partially open, so they crept inside and embraced the darkness. The rusty, rust-like fragrance of blood spilled and the cloying smell of moist stone filled the chamber. Alongside the same Tasmanian tigers they had faced in the City of Anomaly, hulking barbarians in crude armor roamed the expansive, torchlit hallways.

"End of the right corridor, two barbarians. With the echo in his head mapping out the enemy's moves like a map, Nicolas said, "They'll turn the corner in three seconds."

Katrina was on her way already. She positioned herself at the corner the barbarians were going to round, melting into the shadows along the wall. As soon as they emerged, Suge threw a small stone to the far end of the hall to divert the second, and Katrina silenced the first with a quick, clean blow of her tanto. Suge was already behind the barbarian as he turned toward the sound for one deadly minute. There was no sound, and the battle was finished. The first floor was filled with this silent, deadly ballet.

They ran into a different kind of issue when they arrived at the stairs that led to the upper levels. A faint, sickly violet light pulsed through the flagstones on the floor ahead as the tunnel opened into a large, circular chamber. There was an evil vibration in the air.

"A trap," screamed Katrina. "Pressure plates that work like magic. The entire castle will be on top of us if we make one mistake.

Nicolas murmured, "Hold on," squinting his eyes and concentrating on the hallway. In his imagination, three spectral figures briefly materialized, moving through the room in a secure manner. Though their path was now etched into his mind like a luminous thread, the stones they stepped on were identical to the others. "The route is ever-evolving. You must immediately follow me. Only follow my lead.

They made their way through the lethal puzzle room, foot by foot, guided by Nicolas's mystical presence. Their mutual trust grew stronger with each successful step. Nicolas froze as they got closer to the end of the passageway. "Cease! The trail is no longer there.

In his imagination, the blazing thread was no more. Now, every flagstone in the last ten feet in front of them pulsed with the same sinister violet color. "What does that mean?" Katrina muttered.

"It's a checkpoint," believed Suge. "A system defense against dishonesty. It's all luck from here."

"No, it isn't," asserted Nicolas. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to get a glimpse of the following instant. Whatever stone they selected, all he saw were spears emerging from the walls. "Everyone is confined. We are unable to cross.

Suge moved forward at that point. "Then we make our own path." His hand touched the closest wall. Using his Kuvarsoya, he sent a concentrated vibration through the stone that was precisely aimed at the trap mechanism beneath the last ten feet of floor, but not strong enough to disturb the room. The violet glow disappeared as a succession of metallic clicks reverberated from beneath the stones. "Hurry, the effect won't last long." They hurried over.

At last, they arrived at the final spiral staircase that led to the castle's summit. The two barbarians at its base were bigger than the others and had gory skulls and bloodstains on their armor. Stealth was not an option. The three launched a coordinated onslaught, and the last barrier was overcome in a matter of seconds. They flung themselves out onto the rooftop, which was buffeted by wind.

They had not anticipated the peak's bareness and ominousness. Polina was fastened by luminous chains with runes inscribed on them to an iron post that stood on a stone altar. Her face was white with pain and fatigue, and her dress was ripped.

All planning and reasoning vanished the instant Suge laid eyes on her. "Polina!"

He hurried to the distraught woman's side and yelled her name like a prayer. Reaching for the shimmering chains, he fell to his knees in front of her. "I'm here, so don't worry. I'll get you out.

Polina couldn't even raise her head. Her eyes were filled with deep grief rather than appreciation. Her speech was barely audible, almost drowned out by the wind. With every word appearing to hurt her, she questioned, "Why… why did you come here, Suge?" "I warned you not to come, I told you. The trap lies in these chains. As soon as you touch them...

However, she did not complete her sentence. The rooftop's stone floor started to creak at that very moment. The stones beneath Nicolas and Katrina's feet were spiderwebbed with deep fissures as they automatically dropped into combat positions. The floor exploded a moment later. Over a dozen Black Knights emerged from the glaring holes, resembling ghosts from a grave.