Knowing that they were about to see the entrance to the MAZE for the first time made the recruits exceedingly excited. They could tell the elevator was going down, but it took quite a while for them to arrive. Just as the teacher had said before, they were heading deep underground.
When the door opened, they weren't in a small hallway. But a big open space that looked like a reception. The walls were decorated with light green paint and many weapons, pieces of armor, and statues of unique types of creatures spread around on shelves.
The room had one hallway on each side and, in the middle of it, a circular reception desk. If they paid attention, the recruits would be able to hear the sound of a large hammer hitting a steel plate coming from the left hallway. However, something else had their complete and utter attention.
Directly in front of the elevator, on the other side of the room, there was a large 7 meters tall doorway. A pearl white frame that seemed to emanate light from every particle. On top of it was a crest with an intricate design. There was a seedling sprout in the middle, and its roots growing and spiraling until they created a circle around the itself, following the frame of that crest. In the middle of the doorway, there was a heavy-looking set of white wooden doors with large white iron rings.
"This is the doorway to the MAZE. If ye ever visit another guild, it will look the same, but it will take ye to a different room. This one leads to a room called Brinefront but that won't be the place yer all going today," The teacher explained while they walked towards the reception desk.
"Today, yer are going inside another simulation. But this time, is one made inside the MAZE, not just based on it. Yer also will get yer first quest made by the guild so ye can understand the procedure. Helena here will help with that."
Mr. Greyson pointed at the guild clerk sitting on the circular desk when he finished talking. She wasn't alone there, as another five people had their backs turned to the recruits. Each of them was talking with a different person who seemed to have just arrived from the MAZE.
Before the recruits got too distracted, Helena opened her best greeting smile, "Welcome to the doorway to Brinefront, soon to be explorers. I hope we can count on you in the future."
Being called an explorer made Hera's heart beat faster. It was finally happening. She was so close to going inside the MAZE.
"After you passed the test, you are free to enter the MAZE as you please. This room is where we gather the materials, items, and anything you choose to bring with you when you come out. We can appraise everything for its value and buy the materials from you. But if you want to sell to someplace else, you are free to do so. If what you want to take away from here is dangerous, we will just ask for either a small transport fee, a safety container, or your signature on a few documents. But that's a talk for some other time," Helena said, winking at the recruits.
She then tapped something on the keyboard, and a holographic screen appeared above her, "For today, you need to learn about quests. Aside from the quests that the System will give you, you can also get quests from the guild. These are always posted by a client who is a civilian or an explorer, and the requirements vary wildly."
"Some ask for basic things like collecting items or killing monsters. While others may ask to discover secrets and even find ancient artifacts long forgotten. Of course, the harder and more complicated the task, the better the pay is. Some even offer specific rewards along with a sum of gold. Quests that the MAZE/System gives you are different. They don't come with a pay, but usually give you items, or skills as a reward. The one you guys are getting today is this one."
Helena selected the quest and with a couple of keystrokes send it to the recruits. Every single one of the got a notification on their tablet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Explorer's Exam - Client - Explorer's Guild
Find and retrieve a golden chalice inside the simulation.
Reward:
Entrance to the role test.
Do you accept this quest?
[Yes] [No]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maintaining her smile, Helena continued, "You always have the choice of accepting a quest or not. Well, I say always, but there were two cases of mandatory quests. The Great Invasion and the Devil Hunt. According to our records, every single explorer near those events received a quest from the guild that they could not refuse. But they also get to fight by the side of a Hero, so it's hard to imagine they would say no. Anyway, I'm rambling."
Helena shook her head and tapped a few more keys on the keyboard, “Back to the main topic. The second part of the test is a group effort. It will be, in essence a dungeon. All of you will go to the same place, and you need to find the chalices. There is at least one for each of you inside. When you get it, you can go to the next part of the exam,”
The screen behind flickered and showed a picture of a gem-encrusted golden chalice.
"The last part of the test is about learning your role skill. Or getting your item if you are trying to be an explorer. You will go alone on that part. And you also will receive a grade based on your performance. The better the grade, the better the reward you get and the more powerful your skill will be at the start. The guild also offers an extra incentive depending on the grade you get. Consider it a bonus on your next paycheck. Don't expect much, even an A grade will only give you 1,000 gold or so. Inside the MAZE you should make that much with ease."
Helena smiled at Hera, knowing the recruit might be running low on money.
"One last thing. Do any of you have any pets that need feeding while you're gone?" Helena asked the group.
"I have a goldfish, but my mom can help me feed it. But why? Are we going home that late?" Bonnie asked.
"Well... not quite. The group dungeon will be done in just a few hours, but learning your role skill has a time limit of one week. And trust me, you will need at least five days to get it," Helena replied with a smile, trying not to discourage the recruits.
Sadly, it wasn't very effective. The group started to complain and argue, but Mr. Greyson shouted, "Shut yer traps! Dungeons can be unpredictable. Ye might spend days, weeks, even months in places with no way to contact anyone. Yer family and friends need to learn ye can vanish at any moment. That's why Ah didn't say this sooner."
Helena nodded, "Of course. Your teacher is right. The MAZE is unpredictable, and you never know what might happen or where you might be stuck. I'm sure this is just a way of teaching that lesson and not something he forgot to say."
Mr. Greyson gave Helena the side eye and continued to explain things. In the next minutes, they received the last instructions about how to operate the doorway and what to do in case something went wrong, as well as giving information on any pets that would need tending during the test.
Before entering, they also were guided to a locker room with their actual set of gear for the test. It was a version of the tracksuit they wore for training. However, it was a bit thicker on the shoulder and arms, as well as the pants being more fitted. Not like yoga pants, but enough so the loose cloth wouldn't cause any problems. In addition, there was a pair of heavy duty boots for each of them.
With everything ready, the recruits were led towards the doorway. The other explorers in the room gathered around to watch them enter, moving away to let the new kids have a nice first experience. Yet, before starting, Mr. Greyson said had a few words for his students.
"Ye spent a month training, and years hoping to become an explorer. This is yer shot. But it won't be yer only shot. The MAZE is a dangerous place. Monsters, traps, and sometimes even rooms will try to kill you. At the same time, ye will find places, creatures, and people that make life worth living. Ah don't know a single explorer who regrets becoming one. But remember, yer just starting out. Don't bite more than what ye can chew and don't waste yer life doing something pointless. Whatever the result, know that Ah'm proud of what ye all achieved this month."
Hera felt like she was about to go skydiving. She barely listened to Mr. Greyson's speech however, his voice calmed her a bit. The teacher pressed a key on his tablet, and a secondary doorway appeared in front the main one.
It was a perfect copy of the first one, with two big differences. First, it was just 2 meters tall but 5 meters wide. Enough for all the recruits to enter it at the same time, even if it would be a tight fit. The second difference was the crest on top now which showed a double door being opened.
“Give them hell. Next week we are all going out to drink, whether ye got yer role or not. My treat,” Mr. Greyson said with a smile.
The explorers in the back clapped and cheered.
"Not you lot! Bunch of vultures. That's just for my recruits," the teacher quick replied. Being answered only with boos and groans.
Hera looked back and saw Helena giving her a thumbs up and a big smile. Looking back at the doorway, the recruits touched it and the door opened. Revealing a long dark corridor. Everyone seemed to take a deep breath before start walking. With Leo, Blue, and Kenjiro leading the pack.
After they took a few steps inside, the doors behind them started to close. Hera glanced back, and just before the light from the room vanished, she heard someone shouting.
“Ok, you all know the drill. Lena, throw the feed onto the big screen! I'm betting 100 that we have at least two criers and one who forgot to go to the bathroom, who else?”
When the door closed, lights turned on, revealing a pure white room with various weapons racks spread around, much like the room they saw during the kobold test. The notification banner was also there, int the very same place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welcome to the explorer's exam!
Please choose your weapons. When all participants arrive at the designated area, the next door will unlock.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Under the banner, there was a big glowing ring, with a door on the edge. It was obvious that it was the designated area.
Hera walked towards the hand axes, picking the one she used during the training. Unlike most axes, the blade was a bit wider than the head of the axe. Making it easier for her to hit her target. Even if her aim had improved quite a bit, she was still worried about missing during a crucial moment.
After that, she walked towards the chackrams, looking for one with a handle in the middle, that way she could use it in close quarters. It wasn't hard to find that one, after all, she was the only recruit who wanted a weapon like that.
In just a couple minutes, all recruits had chosen their weapons. Leo, as expected, was carrying a spear and a buckler. Blue picked a pair of dark gray armguards that seemed to be very thin in the area around her hands. Bonnie had been practicing with a wooden quarterstaff after getting some advice from Helena. Alex chose a pair of short swords. She wasn't too comfortable with how close she needed to be to use daggers.
Mark picked a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and a short sword, just in case. Tiffany carried a large broadsword on her shoulder, which received a few displeased stares from the recruits. She had hit them by accident a few times during the last month, at least it was only when she was walking, and not when she attacked. Anaya carried a glaive with the blade pointed down in her right hand. She also had a pair of daggers on her belt. Kenjiro picked a scimitar. He seemed to have some experience using a katana, but with the scimitar, his movements were more flexible.
With all the recruits ready, and inside the glowing circle, the door opened. There was another tunnel, but this one very different from the one they fought the kobolds. They seemed to be inside some sort of building. The walls were made of thick gray bricks, with some moss growing on them.
The place was humid and cold. Aside from the noise of the recruits shuffling around, they could hear a continuous dripping sound. Similar to what one would hear from a leaky roof after a storm.
"Ok, this is weird, any ideas where are we?" Leo asked.
—————————————————
"Oh man, that's just poor luck," a woman dressed in a long purple robe said as she watched the screen.
"I know right, that's one of the hardest exams. I think it only loses to the bees," a man put his bow against a chair before sitting on it.
"The bees? Are you kidding? Just burn everything up. The hard one is the octopus," a short blond man scoffed.
“That's just because you can't swim. The octopus is almost a free win,” a woman with a pixie cut pushed him slightly.
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
"Debate that all you want. I'm betting 500 that the blue-haired chick is the first to quit. Did you see that? She didn't even pick a weapon," the man with spiked hair said while leaning back on the chair. He then turned to the clerk's desk, "Lena, can we order food and drinks here? It's gonna be boring with nothing to eat."
Helena gave him her customer service smile, "Sure, the kitchen is already up and running. But you can't buy alcohol here. No one wants to clean up your mess again."
There were some groans and laughs as the memory of the most recent party crossed their minds. The mage gave them a few moments before adding,
"And I'll take that bet. 500 gold that woman with Blue hair will not only finish this test but will be on the top 3 for kills during the test. Can you mark that up, Rot?"
The short man with a mustache, who was tallying up all the bets, just gave her a nod.
"C'mon, Lena, you are way too confident on that one. Do you have some insider information?" The woman with the long purple robes asked.
"I wouldn't call it insider information since all you had to do was ask. But our little Blue beat the kobold simulation all on her own," Helena replied, pretending to be busy with some paperwork.
The room went silent for a second before everyone rushed to join the bet.
—————————————————
The recruits quickly started looking through the room they were in. It was about the size of the large training area back at the guild, with two exits, one in the front and one in the back. Neither one of them was the tunnel they came from. That passage was closed the moment the last of them walked in. They were all being very careful, maintaining their [Hide] skill active at all times.
"Alright, where should we go? Front or back?" Leo asked in a whisper.
They debated a bit, but after a few moments, it was clear no one could reach a decision. Everyone feared choosing the wrong one and end up failing the test.
"Ok, fine," Leo grabbed a pebble and put both his hands on his back. Then he extended both his arms towards the rest of the group, "Someone picks if the pebble means front or back, and someone else picks the arm. That way, no one is responsible. It was all dumb luck."
Tiffany said that the pebble would mean the front, and Mark chose the arm. As a result, the recruits walked towards the back of the room. Everyone was moving in a group, not wanting to be too far away from each other. During training, they had a couple of lessons on party tactics, but it was all theory. This was the first time they would put it into practice.
The recruits spent half an hour walking inside this dungeon. By all accounts, it seemed to be some sort of prison. In each new room, they found various cells with big, rusted and decayed metal bars in front of them.
Eventually, they reached an area very similar to a prison block, with various floors of cells all leading towards a central open area. Metal staircases on the sides allowed them to move up and down the floors while still being visible from the bottom. Leo stood in his fighting stance and was about to move forward when Anaya's hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Wait! Look at the sides, tell me if that doesn't look like motion sensors," Anaya said while pointing to the wall between the cells in the middle of the room.
Embedded in the stone wall there was a small gray device that seemed to resemble the top of a flashlight. Looking to the other side, a similar device directly in front of it. But this one seemed to have a pair of small lenses.
"Nice eyes," Leo thanked her before turning to the rest of the group, "It seems we have some traps here, be careful. Don't go past the second cell until we figure out what we can do here."
The recruits nodded, Leo had become the unofficial leader of the party. Which helped ease some of the tension. Everyone felt better with someone taking the lead.
Investigating the first set of cells, they noticed that, unlike the other ones, these weren't empty. Inside each cell, there were various bones and old cloth spread around. At first glance, it looked like a bunch of animal bones, but when Kenjiro pulled one of the pieces of cloth, he revealed a human skull.
"Eeek!" Tiffany screamed while jumping back. The recruits scrambled towards the woman only to see the freshly uncovered skull.
"You know, the guild has some really messed up sense of humor," Alex said.
"Maybe, but this is not fresh, they been picked clean of any meat. Since we are underground and there are no insects or other critters here. That thing should be there for many years, maybe even a decade," Bonnie explained.
"Or maybe this is a simulation, and they put the skeletons here just to mess with us," Kenjiro said, covering the skull with the cloth again.
Bonnie looked down, she was flustered for forgetting they were inside a simulation. That happened with a few other recruits as well. It was easy to confuse this place with being real. Especially since, unlike the previous one, they couldn't see any repetition. It was more natural and looked like an actual abandoned prison.
After a few minutes of searching, the group wasn't able to figure out a way to deactivate the motion sensor.
"Shouldn't we just trigger it?" Blue suggested.
"What?" Bonnie asked.
"Just trigger it. What's the worst that might happen?" the wanna be controller shrugged.
"We could die, someone could be killed and pretty much anything that ends with someone dying," Mark replied.
"Oh, you guys are too scared. I don't think they would place such a deadly trap in a simulation like this. Or at least they would make it obvious, not hide as they did with this one." Blue kept talking while she walked towards the trap.
Some recruits tried to dash towards the door, but she activated the sensor before they could reach it. With a loud clank sound, heavy metal bars closed the exit doors.
Hera quickly spun around, getting ready to be attacked or to run, and so did the other recruits. After a few seconds, nothing else happened.
"What was that, Blue?" Leo yelled at the woman.
"What? No one was doing anything, it was that or going back to the other door, and we've already wasted half an hour just to get here," Blue huffed rolling her eyes.
"So what? We need to be patient. This is not a game, people can get hurt here." Leo replied.
The two of them continued arguing, most recruits joined Leo in scolding the grappler.
Hera was also upset. Not everyone was as sure of themselves as Blue. She was about to move towards her friend to reprimand her as well when a scraping sound coming from above caught her attention.
Looking up, Hera tried to find the source of the noise. However, the yelling was too loud. The only thing she could make out was that it was erratic, and echoed through the big room.
"Leo?" Hera called out, her eyes still searching the floors above.
None of the recruits seemed to have heard her call. The scraping sound got louder, and now it was followed by a soft metal clank.
"Leo!" Hera called once again, her voice full of worry.
The noise seemed to multiply. Now not just one, but two, five, maybe even more. Hera could only tell that it was coming from somewhere above the third floor.
"Everybody shut up!" Hera yelled at the group.
That caught their attention. The recruits ready to change the target of their yelling. Yet, the small reprieve given by the shock was enough. They all heard the scraping sounds coming from above.
As if waiting for their cue, twelve shadows jumped down from the upper floor, falling around the recruits.
Hera moved back, wanting to be close to the rest of the group. Looking closely, they could see that something had thrown skeletons from above. The recruits scrambled, Leo and Anaya each stayed on one side of the group. Mark notched an arrow and pointed up, looking for a target.
Still staring at the skeletons, Hera couldn't help but feel there was something wrong. If the idea was to mess with their heads, whatever is up there would throw the skeletons one at a time, and not all at once. Falling back on a habit she had acquired after getting the skill, she triggered her [Observe]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Skeleton Prisoner (Simulation)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She stared at the name for a moment, when it dawned on her. It wasn't the skeleton of a prisoner. The skeletons were the prisoners.
Before she could say that to the group. The skeleton in front of her placed one hand on the ground and stood up in a quick motion. As the first skeleton rose, the other eleven followed its cue. Soon the recruits were surrounded by the undead.
Hera glanced around. It was a terrible spot for them to be. More skeletons could fall from the upper floor at any moment. They needed to get back to a wall, that way at least they could see all the enemies coming.
She didn't even have a chance to move towards the door they came from when the undead lunged at her, the bony hands clawing the air to reach the human. Hera moved to the side, evading the attack, and dug both feet into the ground and placed the butt of the handaxe on her waist. This was the stance from the first move she learned in the ATR.
While the skeleton was in range, Hera slashed at its ribcage with her axe. The impact made some bones break, throwing a few splinters on the ground. The creature lost its footing and fell to the floor.
With a satisfied smile, Hera looked around. Alex was at her side, fighting one skeleton. She had spun the creature's arm around in a way that it became stuck in its clavicle.
On the other side, Tiffany had just smashed a skeleton with her broadsword. She swung it to the side, making it look more like a baseball bat than a blade. The undead flew across the room, hitting the bars in one of the closed cells. Its spine wasn't able to handle the momentum, and the skull was split from the rest of the body, hitting the far back wall near a pile of cloth.
Hera was impressed, and a little scared of the woman. Getting hit by a swing of that sword would easily knock someone out.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed Hera's ankles. The skeleton she had pushed away was still moving. It clawed at her leg, slashing her calf. Hera screamed in pain and aimed both her weapons at the creature.
Using her chakram, she started to hit the skeleton's skull, trying to get a good angle to attack with her axe. With half of its body destroyed, the skeleton stopped Hera's attacks by biting the chakram.
Hera tried to pull it back, worried she might lose her weapon, but the skeleton wouldn't let go of the blade. Seeing an opening, Hera pulled the chakram as high as she could and aimed at the undead's neck with her axe.
In one swift motion, she decapitated the skeleton, making its body fall limp on the floor. More than that, the speed of her attack also detached the jaw of the creature, freeing her chakram from the undead's grasp.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All In effects deactivated, the cooldown will now start
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Crap," she thought to herself before stomping the skull to make sure it was really dead.
Unconsciously, she ended up activating her [All In] skill on the first monster she found. Now, the rest of the test will be harder since it lowered her stats.
Hera shook the skull off of her chakram and stared at the pile of bones, waiting to see if it was still moving. A couple of seconds passed and nothing seemed to happen with the bones, but she still wasn't convinced. Suddenly, she felt someone pushing.
Looking back, she saw Bonnie walking backward while defending against a skeleton with her quarterstaff. Hera was so focused on her own fight that she forgot about the rest of the group.
She twirled around, dropping her chakram and placing her free hand on Bonnie's back, hoping to help the woman recover her balance. Hera then moved a bit to the side and attacked the skeleton with her axe, aiming at its neck. But the creature raised one arm and blocked her attack. Even so, the slash was enough to cut halfway through its forearm, snapping the ulna in half.
Taking advantage of the attack, Bonnie pushed the creature back, making it take a few steps backward. Following up, the woman raised her staff above her head and struck the skull of the undead with all her might. A loud crack accompanied the impact, the top of the skeleton's skull shattered leaving only its face remaining. However, the creature fell limp on the ground.
Hera looked back towards the one she had defeated, making sure it would not attack her again. The remains of the skeleton were still spread around motionless.
"Aim for the head, they stop moving without the skull!" Hera yelled at the group, trying to convey the new information.
"Yeah, no shit. It's basic undead knowledge that you should aim for the head," Kenjiro replied while finished off his opponent.
"That's only for zombies. Not all undead are the same, you racist!" Mark cried out after an arrow flew past Blue hitting a skeleton in the eye.
"Are you really calling me a racist because of that?" Kenjiro asked while he jumped towards the one attacking Alex.
"They are a race, and you are grouping them all up in the same stereotype. That's racism," Mark replied with a playful smile just before firing an arrow at a skeleton that was trying to get up.
"Less talking, more fighting. We are not out of the woods yet," Leo intervened, shutting the two men up.
That minor exchange was enough to lift some tension around the group. Having people joke around during a fight gave the impression that the situation wasn't so dire.
Once they finished all the skeletons off, the group took a moment to see the damage. Only three people were hurt, Hera, Bonnie, and Anaya. Thankfully, they were all superficial wounds.
Still, not wanting to be caught off guard again, the group spread around, looking for any more possible traps or enemies.
Hera did her best to focus on the task at hand. But something was bugging her. The noise she heard before the attack wasn't just bone. There was a metal sound in the mix, and none of the skeletons carried any weapons.
She was looking at the door they came in from when she saw a chain hidden behind a grating. Even in the low light, coming from seemly nowhere, Hera could see where it led to. It would go up to the ceiling and then towards the sides of the room, as well as towards a closed wooden door in the back of the room.
Hera followed the chain with her eyes until it disappeared right above the motion sensor. She leaned against the wall, trying to see where the chain stopped, but the chain vanished behind the grating two meters above the ground.
Using the cell bars as footing, Hera tried to climb part of the wall to see where the chain would go.
"Hera? Whatcha doin'?" Blue asked while placing her hand on Hera's back, giving the woman a boost.
"There is a chain in the door, it seems to be connected somewhere around here," Hera replied, doing her best to climb to see the chain.
"Where?" Blue asked, looking around. A few moments later she noticed the glimmer of metal coming from above the door, "Oh, I see it. Wow, how did you notice that?"
"I'm not sure, I just ..." before she could reply, Hera placed one foot in the wall. However, the rock shifted, making Hera lose balance. If it weren't for Blue helping her out, she would end up falling.
When the rock became loose, Hera and Blue looked at each other with big smiles. They quickly pulled the rock, trying to remove it. Noticing something was happening, the rest of the group joined in the efforts to remove the rock.
When they took the rock out of the wall, they revealed a large iron chain behind it. Carefully, the group tried to pull the chain.
It took four recruits to pull it. Leo, Blue, Tiffany, and Kenjiro, the ones with the highest strength stat. When the chain began to move, not only did it move the two doors to the room, but all cell doors started to move as well.
The group let go of the chain to think of a plan before going forward.
"We can push the rock under the door, that way it will hold it open," Anaya suggested.
"Yeah, that can work. But that thing is heavy, we need to place it fast," Leo said.
"The three of us can do it. Me, Kenji, and Tiff. I can focus on positioning it while the two of them can push it quickly to avoid any problems."
Leo considered for a moment. Six people could be enough to pull the chain. Placing the loose rock under the door quickly was the best option.
"Ok, let's do it."
The group helped move the rock as close to the wooden door as they could. Then, leaving Anaya, Kenjiro, and Tiffany near it, the rest of the recruits moved towards the chain.
"Everyone ready?" Leo yelled.
In response, Mark let go of the chain.
"C'mon, do it right," he said with a smile.
Blue started laughing understanding the joke, "Yeah, Leo, how can we know who is supposed to be ready?"
"If you do it, I'll buy you a drink after this," Alex said.
Leo turned to Hera, hoping the woman would help him.
"Sorry, Leo, but they are right. You need to do this the proper way," Hera said with a playful smile.
"Traitor!" Leo gasped.
Letting out a lengthy sigh, he then yelled, "Spartans! Are you ready?"
"Yes, sir!" the group replied, already laughing.
"Now stop joking around and pull!" Leo yelled once again before everyone started pulling the chain.
It took a while, but little by little the door rose. After a few moments, the door was about halfway open. Leaving more than enough space for them to place the large rock under it in a way that it would hold the weight.
Hera looked towards Anaya's team just in time to see the three of them running under the door without setting the rock to hold it. Inside the room, she could also see a golden glimmer coming from something on a table.
"Anaya, are you done?" Leo yelled.
"They are inside!" Hera replied.
"What the hell, Anaya?!" Leo shouted towards the door.
The group let go of the chain, making the door close once again. Hera and Bonnie fell to the ground. The last thing they saw inside that room was Anaya, Kenji and Tiffany picking up a golden chalice before the door slammed back down.
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