The Blue Rock And I Fortress Of The Red Rock Arc Part Six

 The Keys

The first thing that we did when we descended to the floor below was open the door to the room that led to the floor. We looked around and saw nothing but a bed with crimson silk covers and a single shelf with nothing but books on, next to it. With a single table with a mirror attached to it next to it.

We walked up to the shelf and checked the books for clues. Seeing that there was none, we then moved onto checking the tiles. We knocked on each one and this too turned out to be a dead end.

Then Cho put the books away and then Alexander's eyes widened as he looked at the books. He then took them out. The green placed them on the table.

"What?"

"Look!"

Uncle Haru smirked.

"What is it?"

"Look at the colour of the books."

Cho frowned. Yet I was the first to notice it.  The books were arranged in a way that the fortress was. Yet as I looked at the colours of the books I noticed that in the mirror the colours are different.

"What does this mean?" Cho asked.

"The colours must show us where the keys are." I concluded.

"I don't see it."

"Must be due to the mutations that we've been through."

"Must do…"

"Wait, what mutations?"

Oh yeah! He doesn't know.

"Well, the mutations that being in the rocks have caused. Right now, as we're the ones that have been here the longest or in any of the rocks, we're becoming part human and party whatever Stellam and Inanis are."

His eyes widened.

"What!"

"You heard!"

He let out a chuckle.

"What?"

"Beer my father would highly like the idea of that!"

I let out a chuckle too.

"Yeah, I bet he would!"

"I don't think we ought to tell Johanna or she'll never-"

"Who are you kidding? She'll find out anyway. Now-" I laughed as my eyes looked at the spine. "Hold on, those spines! The titles of the books combine to make a poem!"

He looked down.

"Yes! You're right! And it looks like it's a riddle too!"

"What does it say?" 

"Find the first key,

Is zero below three,

Work out the next game,

Revealing the next,

Leading to creature not tame,

And the final ends the text!"

"Like that tells us-"

"Cho! It tells us all we need to know."

"Explain."

"'Find the first key is zero below three.' What's zero below three?"

"Minus three?"

"Now, how many floors are below the ground floor?"

"I don't know."

"Seven." Alexander barked.

"Alright and what about 'work out the next game'?"

"Would out whatever puzzle or riddle which-"

"Will reveal where the next key is."

"And what about 'leading to creature not tame and the final ends in text'?"

"We have a fight on our hands. Once we kill that creature then we will get the last key."

"Are-are you real?"

"Yes. Yes we are!" All of them said.

"How many times do we have to fight?"

"How long will we stand here? We have our instructions now let's go."

We travelled to the third floor below the ground floor. As soon as we opened the door I saw the key immediately. It was on the opposite side of the room. I walked in. I reached out and took it. Then I walked right back out. I looked down to see a piece of paper on the handle. I took it off and unrolled it.

Six above. Add five. Take two.

The answer is where your game is.

I handed it to the others.

"What is this?'

"A maths question."

"So-"

"It's the sixth floor." I said, quickly.

Cho nodded.

We walked up to the sixth floor. We then opened the door. Inside was a room with a table with four jewels on them. One was blue, one was red, one was black and the last was white.

"What's this all about?" Cho asked.

"I don't know. I think we should look around this floor before we jump to any-"

"Aqua! The blood stone is glowing where you are!" Alexander shouted.

I looked down and spotted that he was right. I then looked opposite me and spotted the red stone.

"Alexander, get to the red stone." I command.

He nodded and he walked opposite me. Now that started following too.

"Now, time to figure out who the black and white stones are." 

"But which one?"

Uncle Haru walked to the black stone and it started to glow. Then Cho walked to the white and that started to glow.

"Now what?"

"Put our hands on the jewels?"

We did. Suddenly the table dropped and the key shot up and I caught it. I then felt something around my waist. I looked down to see a blue bracelet around my wrist. I looked up and they too had bracelets of the same colour of the jewels they once held.

"What's this all about?"

"I'm sure we will know in time."

"Wait there's a symbol on mine!"

"Mine too!"

We looked at the symbol.

V

"V?"

"No it's not a 'v' it's the next floor."

"But why l? We're-"

"I know. Now, let's go."

So we matched on and reached the stairs. We then walked down to the fifth floor. Yet then I went to pull out my blades but I couldn't. I tried again and again but I could not pull the blades out of their sheath.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't pull out my weapons!"

"No. You can't."

Why?

"Because, with this fight I do not want you to use them. Nor do I want them using any too."

But'

"Tell them that I have evaluated them all and if they and you say 'bring me my weapon' the bracelets will form a weapon best for them. Try it, if you do not believe me.

I sighed.

"'Bring me my weapon'!" I commanded.

Suddenly I found a sword in my hand.

"What?"

"We are to use the weapons that the bracelets summon. Inanis told me."

"Aqua!"

"I know! Why do you think that I tried it first?"

Uncle Haru nodded.

"Right."

I then opened the door.

"Say 'bring me my weapon'."

"'Bring me my weapon'!"

Uncle Haru had a gun, Cho had a dagger and Alexander had a crossbow.

"You ready?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Does it matter?"

"Probably not."

We walked in and spotted the creature. It was the size of a lion with a fleshy mane and a green glowing tongue. Its face looked like the face of a Chinese long. The body was like that of a sausage dog with a tail like a long thin worm. Its spine was exposed and looked like a row of tiny daggers.

"How do we beat that?"

"Aqua, give us an opening."

I nodded. I ran to it. I struck the neck but the tongue extended so I dived back.

"Cho cut that!"

She nodded as the tongue licked my cheek. Suddenly my cheek felt like it was on fire. I let out a scream in pain and then the tongue fell. The pain caused my mind to become blinded by the pain alone. Yet despite this I drove my sword sidewards and dug it in deep. Then I felt the blood fall upon my hand and I screamed out in pain as my hand blistered up. I then dived away from the creature. Just as it shot its claws out into my leg. I felt the wound open wider as I landed. The creature came closer to me and its saliva sprayed into my eyes as it hissed. This caused them to burn in pain. 

"W-what is this thing?!"

"I don't know! Haru, fire now!" Alexander screamed. 

They both shot after shot at it. This caused the acid blood to follow and burn away the skin of the creature. I quickly scrambled away from it. Soon the acid blood flowed and the skin of the creature sizzled and this carried more blood to follow. Soon they were able to reduce it to a pile of acid.

Alexander and Uncle Haru appeared in my sight. I felt clothing on my face. I could not help but look at them.

"Aqua! Aqua!" I heard their voices say, almost like they were miles away.

"The key…" I said, my voice no longer feeling my own.

"Never mind the key! What about you?" Uncle Haru shouted.

"I…"

"Cho, get the key."

"Aqua, close your eyes."

I blinked and I felt good fingers over my eyes.

"Will she be alright?"

"She is an Aoshiné so yes. I cannot see her going down so easily. Cho, take the keys and I will carry her."