[ 42 ] Lockbox

The towering volcano was mostly covered by vegetation, which would have hidden it from view if not for it being a huge freaking volcano in an otherwise flat landscape.

The volcano continued to grow as they neared it, and soon Kal detected mana.

Turning to the rest of Team Ebenshire, Kal spotted Vae’s alerted expression. 

“Be on your guards,” Kal said, mainly to Arix and Ellie. “I sense mana ahead, and it feels like more than one team.”

“So, someone has already gotten to it?” Arix questioned.

“If they have, it appears they’re still either in or near the volcano,” Vae said.

Additional teams battling it out for the objective added a lot of risk, but Kal felt energized by the thought of it. He still wanted to avoid stealing objectives from other teams, so there was no point in chasing after them. But if they were hunting for the same objective as they were, then he could enjoy the challenge without guilt.

Also, if there were multiple teams, there was a chance they were already battling it out against one another. That gave Team Ebenshire the advantage.

“Maybe we should head back. Find an easier target,” Arix said. “We saw a few on the map, remember?”

“Arix, grow a spine,” Ellie said. “We can’t keep chasing after Kal forever. If we keep running away from things, we’re never going to catch up.”

“Catch up with Kal?” Arix grimaced as if it were the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.

“I can’t believe I’m agreeing with Moody,” Vae said. “If you three plan to remain friends, you’re going to have to test yourselves. Kal is already so far ahead.”

“Don’t worry,” Kal interrupted. “I’m not leaving anybody behind. We’ll find a way to come out of this together one way or another.”

“You’re a good friend, Kal,” Vae said. “But that isn’t true. Or at least it won’t be forever. Trust me. You learn these kinds of things in a noble house. Kids lose friends who can’t keep up with their ambitions all the time.”

Kal didn’t know how to respond. He wasn’t lying, or at least he wasn’t intending to, but he knew there was truth to what Vae said. He wanted to see this world—both the safe and the dangerous parts. It was why he wanted to learn magic so badly. And he wasn’t about to change those plans just because Ellie and Arix might not be able to keep up.

Arix caught his gaze, and the corners of his big brown eyes creased. Kal was no expert on body language, but something told him that Arix had read straight through him.

“It’s okay, Kal. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m going to keep up. You’ll see.”

The small boy’s expression looked defiant in a way he had rarely seen, and while he had a long way to go, he had proven brave multiple times already.

“Oh, come on,” Vae sighed. “Let’s keep moving and save the pity party for after we win.”

“And I’m actually agreeing with Golden Spoon Boy for once,” Ellie sighed. “What is this day coming to.”

“Come on, Arix,” Kal said, patting his shoulder. “We got this.”

With a fierce gaze, Arix nodded back.

Continuing toward the volcano, Kal sense of the mana signals grew stronger, and as the ground began to climb, he confirmed that there were two teams.

“There’s two teams inside,” he said. “I’m not sure a frontal attack is wise. We have an advantage; we should probably try to utilize it.”

“Agreed,” Vae nodded.

The unyielding forest surrounding them made it hard to get a good view of anything besides the very tip of the volcano, making it hard to plan their entrance.

“Can you climb, Vae?” Kal said.

“Climb—me?”

“Well, we can’t see anything from down here,” Kal added, looking up at the trees. “And you’re the one with the Farsight spell.”

“Climb a tree?” Vae gasped. 

“See, climbing a tree isn’t that bad,” Kal called up as Vae cussed under his breath and climbed the tree. “See anything yet?”

“Give me a moment,” Vae hissed.

“You can do it, Golden Boy!” Ellie cheered.

“Good job, Vae,” Arix yelled.

“Shut up, the lot of you!”

“Think he’ll be okay?” Kal said.

“I don’t know, but I’m loving this,” Ellie beamed. “It’s the first time seeing him so uncomfortable, and it feels so cozy.”

“You’ve got a problem, Ellie,” Arix whispered.

“What was that?”

“Ahh—nothing,” Arix smiled.

Snapped branches, leaves, and acorns fell as Vae climbed up near the tree’s tip.

Huffing, Vae called down, “I—can—see—it.”

“Take your time and catch your breath,” Kal shouted back.

“There’s an entrance to the west. It’s huge. It also looks like you can go in through the top.”

“What do you guys think?” Kal said. “If there’s a big entrance at the base, that’s likely where the other teams entered.”

“So, we have to pick between more effort or more danger?” Ellie said.

“Yeah, sounds like it,” Kal said.

“I don’t want to climb that volcano,” Arix groaned. “But it is the option that makes the most sense.”

“Alright, you got a good enough idea where everything is?” Kal shouted.

“Yeah, good enough.”

“Alright, come down then.”

“So?” Kal said once Vae was back on the ground.

“So, what?” Vae said, dusting himself down and picking trigs from his hair.

“Enough talk,” Ellie said. “The top is that way,” she added, pointing to the volcano. “Let’s get walking.”

“You decided without me after climbing that damned tree?” Vae bemoaned.

Kal shrugged and followed after Ellie.

“It’s Moody’s turn next time,” Vae huffed and followed after.

***

The climb up the mountainous volcano didn’t get any easier than trekking through the forest. Despite the cool air and mostly absent sun, each of them quickly got a sweat going.

As they climbed higher, the huge cavernous entrance came into view, the rock and rubble around breaking the vegetation.

“That thing is massive,” Arix remarked.

“It’s a giant target,” Vae said.

“Got over your fear of heights, Golden Boy?”

“I am not in the mood for you, Moody.”

I hope these two aren’t going to fight the entire time.

All four of them relied on their core stats to help them climb, but it still took a good hour to reach the top, spurring fears that one of the other teams might claim the prize. However, the light never moved, indicating that the lockbox remained stationary.

If the two teams below were stuck in some kind of competition or battle, it could slow them down greatly. After all, it wasn’t easy to beat another team without directly harming them, and no doubt many mages lacked the spells to deal with this challenge adequately. 

Reaching the top, they stared down at the vines and shrubs that dangled into the volcano's hollow heart from the crater-sized hole in its crown, filling the cavern with light. A stone pyramid, basking in sunlight, stood at the center of the volcano. At the very top of the stone pyramid was the lockbox, sat atop a stone podium.

Made of reflective red scales, the lockbox caught the rays of light beaming down, making it look every bit the treasure.

But Kal realized there was more to it as he studied the inside of the volcano. The staircase leading to the pyramid’s top cut through its otherwise smooth sides and adjoined a line of painted tiles.

The tiles filled the entire room, each with a unique image painted atop the sandy stone. Blank tiles filled the gaps around the painted tiles, and not an inch of the ground surrounding the pyramid was free from them.

It didn’t take long to realize why the groups hadn’t recovered the treasured lockbox. As they watched from above, a team of mages appeared from the hallways leading into the main chamber containing the pyramid. 

The team of mages walked with absolute care, focused on which tile they stepped on and always stepping on a painted tile. The team had moved relatively quickly at first but soon stopped. The team looked as if they chatted amongst themselves for a moment before one of them stepped forward onto the next row of painted tiles, and in a blink of an eye, they were gone.

“What in the world,” Kal muttered.

“Magic?” Arix crooked his head.

“Obviously,” Ellie rolled her yes.

A minute or two later, another team came rushing along the same path but stopped at a different point, several tiles back. It was hard to see from their perch, but Vae confirmed they were two separate teams.

Moments later, a similar scene played out, except they cautiously stepped on three different tiles before blinking out of existence.

“It’s a puzzle. They’re trying to get to the lockbox,” Kal remarked. He had played enough RPG games back in his day to recognize a puzzle like this.

“A what now?” Ellie said.

“Wait,” Kal raised a hand as the previous team reappeared from the same hallway. Like before, they ran along the tiles they had previously, slowing at the same spot as before, where they had seemingly teleported them away. They discussed for a few seconds and selected another tile. Except this time, they didn’t disappear.

Kal watched them with great care, noting down their path, and seconds later, at the next row of tiles, they blinked away once more. “If we can get down there, we have at least as good a chance of getting the lockbox as they do.”

With the pre-walked path written to memory, they could at least even the odds of their late arrival, but it would still require either figuring out the puzzle’s trick or getting lucky.

“How are we going to get down there?” Ellie said. “The entrance is ages away, and I can’t fly.”

“I’m pretty sure I can get down there,” Kal shrugged. “Not like we all need to.”

“He’s right about that,” Vae nodded.

“Besides, if you stay here with the Astral Pouch, we don’t have to worry about what happens after someone finishes the puzzle. And who knows, maybe I can just jump down there and grab the lockbox?” Kal said.

“I would be surprised if you can,” Vae said. “Government mages are no fools. I doubt they would have gone to so much work with this puzzle if you could just jump down from here and snatch it up.” 

“Sure, probably not,” Kal agreed. “Either way, it’s worth a try, don’t you think?”

“W-what if you need a full party to attempt the puzzle?” Arix said.

“Then too bad, I guess,” Kal shrugged.

“It’s better than nothing,” Vae mused. “I suppose now is the time I tell you that I know more than one spell.”

“Ahhh…” Kal tilted his head. Vae was from a powerful noble family, so it shouldn’t have come as any surprise, but Kal still hadn’t seen it coming—probably because he had spent so much time around Ellie and Arix.

“The spell is called Impart. It is a paired spell with Farsight and taught to members of House Draken who work as spies or spotters for assassins.”

Kal had read about paired spells. They were spells designed to work specifically with other spells and usually had entwining spell trees.

“Together,” Vae continued. “Impart and Farsight make a lethal combination. The higher circle versions of the spells allow spies to work flawlessly with assassins.”

“So, what does it do?” Kal’s brow perked.

“It allows me to share a still picture of something I’ve seen with someone within my sight of view as long as they have an awoken core.”

Kal’s eyes widened. Vae had quite the ace up his sleeves.

“Now that is definitely going to come in handy,” Kal grinned and cast Mana Whip, hooking it to vines along the volcano’s entrance. 

“What are you doing?” Ellie exclaimed.

“We’ve got a plan, don’t we? I’m going down there to grab myself an objective. Look after the Astral Pouch!” Kal called out as he swung toward the opening.

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