" Fire, Fire, pants on fire!!!"
"Arghhhh".... Wang Juan's screams filled the room as the blood flowed freely.
He laid there unable to move.
Xiamen fought skillfully, his scimitar rising and falling in deadly rhythm. But even his mighty blows couldn't stem the tide of attackers.
One by one, the gargoyles fell, their bodies crumpling to the ground.
But they were more, their numbers seemingly endless.
As the fight went on, Xiamen stumbled, Xiamen stumbled, his vision blurring. He felt himself falling, his body crashing to the ground.
And then everything went blank.
His eyes opened slowly, his head throbbing with pain as he felt a wave of heat beneath him, he was being lowered into a burning furnace
He's eyes scanned the room, lifeless bodies littered the room and the gargoyles that had attacked them earlier were back to their positions as if nothing ever happened.
Xiamen found himself in a desperate struggle for survival. He was bound to a wooden frame, suspended high above the burning furnace.
The flames licked at his feet, casting flickering shadows on the walls.
As he trashed about trying to break free, the ropes that held him only seemed to grow tighter.
The more he struggled, the more he felt himself being pulled down, closer to the inferno below.
Sweat dripped from his brows as he strained against the ropes. His muscles ached with effort. He twisted and turned trying to find a weakness in the ropes.
But they seemed to be made of an unyielding material, resistant to every effort.
As the minutes ticked by, Ximen felt his strength beginning to wane.
The heat from the furnace was taking its toll, draining the life from his body. He knew that he couldn't keep this up for much long.
With one final, desperate effort, he threw himself against the ropes . But it was too late.
The ropes had become too tight and he felt himself being pulled down closer to the flames.
He screamed as his feet touched fiery coals.
The pain was intense and he felt his body beginning to burn. The ropes seemed to release their hold and he fell, his body plummeting into the heart of the furnace.
And then everything went blank.
The last sound Xiamen heard was the crackling of the flames, consuming his body, ending his life.
************
"What's that sound? Ning Que asked, turning to the others that trained behind him.
He raised his light orb he's eyes glaring.
Then they heard a rustling sound and a faint howling in the distance.
"What tha..? Chen Mei gasped.
" That can't be a wolf," Ning Que maintained. "It must be a distraction.
" Let's keep going "
They continued going deeper, the air grew thick with tension.
Suddenly, a faint humming noise echoed through the corridor.
"What's that? Xialong asked. His tone is unsteady.
Ning Que shook his head.
"Don't know"
As they turned a corner, a loud thud echoed through the corridor. A lifeless body fell from the ceiling, landing with a sickening crunch on the stone floor.
They gasped in unison, their eyes fixed on the corpse.
As they cautiously approached the body they recognized it.
"That's Wang Lu's corpse," Chen Mei cried.
"What tha…"
" That's a fucking distraction, let's focus. He muttered his gaze turning hard.
Then they noticed a strange pulsating light emanating from the wall
It was a laser beam and it seemed to block their path.
"How do we get past these"? Chei Mei questioned turning his gaze towards Ning Que.
" We'll have to find out, " he replied with a blank expression on his face.
" We need to get past that laser," Ning Que said, his eyes scanning the area for any clues.
"But how? One of them asked again.
"It will burn right through us"
Ning Que hesitated, unsure of what to do next.
Then he remembered a passage from an ancient text he had read at the entrance of the door before they passed through it.
It spoke of a hidden pattern, a sequence of steps that would allow them to pass through the laser unscathed.
"I think I know how to do it" Ning Que finally found his voice and moved towards the laser beam.
"We need to step through the laser in a specific pattern, if we do it right, we'll make it through the laser alive. He said again.
They looked at each other as if he and said the impossible.
"How do you know that? Chei Mei questioned.
" Well some people pay attention to clues and writings " Ning Que shrugged as he walked towards the laser.
They trailed behind him, their faces etched with doubt.
"Here we go" he whispered, stepping forward.
The laser beam sliced through the air , its heat intense.
Ning Que felt his skin prickle with sweat as he raised his foot taking the first step.
The laser burned through his boot but he didn't flinch. He took another step and another, his companions following close behind.
But as they neared the end of the laser, disaster struck. Xialong misstepped and the laser beam sliced through his hand, burning a gaping hole in his palm. He screamed his eyes wide with agony.
His body began to convulse, his eyes rolling back in his head. They watched in horror as his body crumpled to the ground, his life slipping away.
They knew better not to look back so they kept moving.
The rest stepped through the remainder of the laser beam, their skin burning with each step and whittling in pain.
As they emerged on the other side, they collapsed to the ground exhausted. They had made it through the laser gauntlet.
"Argghhh" Ning Que gasped at the intense pain he felt on his upper hand.
" We need to keep going, " Chei Mei said, ignoring Ning Que's grunts.
A smaller door opened and they could hear a faint drumming coming from it.
"What's that sound? Zhao Ling questioned, turning sharply.
"Obviously, it's drumming," Ning Que scoffed, rolling his eyes and springing up to his feet.
There was a small illumination that came from the door like a fire was burning within.
Since they had lost their light orb they had to go in with the light that reflected.
They went through the door forming a straight line and holding onto each other's backs.
A small door creaked open revealing a narrow passageway, The air was thick with the sound of drummi, the beat pulsating through the air like a living thing.
They stepped through the doorway, their eyes adjusting to the dim.of light within. The drumming grew louder even more, more insistent and they saw that they were in a large cavernous space.
The room was filled with people, all of them drumming on massive drums that stood as tall as trees.
The drums were made of a strange, glowing material that seemed to pulse with an inner light.
They watched in awe as the drummers continued to beat their drums, eyes fixated on it and oblivious of their entrance.
Their eyes seemed to go in sync as if under a spell or hypnotized.
" what the fuck are we supposed to do now? Chei Mei asked, blocking his ears as the drumming seemed to grow even louder.
Ning Que's eyes scanned the area trying to find a clue.
But as he gazed deeper in the room, they saw something that made their blood turn cold.
In the center of the room, they saw a pool of molten lava glowed like a fiery eye.
A narrow bridge spanned the pool, leading to a doorway on the far side of the room. It was clear that they had to cross the bridge to reach the next stage of their Journey.
"Way to go" Chei Mei cursed" what are we supposed to do now?" he questioned, turning his gaze towards Ning Que.
"Cross the bridge obviously"
"Well it looks broken at some parts' he said again walking towards it .
The heat that pulled out of the lava sent him stepping backwards.
"We would have to move past that carefully," Ning Que said, walking towards him and using his hand to test the durability of the wood.
"He placed his hand on both sides of the bridge gesturing towards them.
" let's go"
They stepped onto the bridge, their feet pounding out in rhythm on the narrow span. The drumming grew louder , more insistent as they crossed, the beat seeming to match the pounding in their hearts.
Not long after they had stepped in, their steps steady, they heard a loud cry just behind them
"Focus" Ning Que said his eyes blaring and reflecting the red lava.
But as they continued, the cry grew louder and Chei Mei turned his back swiftly and then suddenly his foot slipped through an opening and he fell, his body plummeting towards the lava below.
Ning Que hand reached out to him, grabbing his hand but it was too late.
Chei Mei's body dissapered into the lava, his screams echoing through the room as he was consumed by the fiery depths.
They kept moving.
Then the drumming suddenly stopped and an eerie of silence followed, one that a pin drop could be heard. The bridge began to shake throwing them off balance
"Hold on " Ning Que called out as Zhao ling was beginning to lose his balance.
As they neared the bridge a new terror emerged . The people who had been drumming now stood up, their eyes glowing with an otherworldly light as if under a spell.
As they watched in horror, they began to spit fire from their mouths , the flames shooting out in great arcing plumes. The fire aiming directly at them trying to confuse and disorient them.
They ducked and weaved avoiding the flames as best as they could but they were relentless.
Just as Ning Que thought they would make it as they inched closer towards the end of the bridge, one of the fire spitters landed a direct hit. A great gout of flame shot out enveloping Zhao ling who let out a blood- curdling scream as he fell into the lava below.
Ning Que jumped over the end of the bridge landing onto the other side panting heavily.
Another large door with golden writings appeared in his front, opening slowly.