Vex landed his back on the ground with a loud thump, echoing across the dark room.
He pushed himself up, waving off snow "Ouch."
A tremor pierced the air, steel clanking against metal.
Vex twisted his head around, squeezing his eyes "I cant see anything in here.."
Another clank flows in the air.
Vex walked towards the sound, bumping his head into a wooden structure.
He rubbed his head against the wall "This place sucks.."
He knocked on the wood "Anyone home..?"
The wood creaked, rubbles falling loose from nearby walls, landing with a few thumps.
The holes revealed torches that lit the hallway.
Vex blinked twice "That.. works. Thanks!"
He looked around.
A stony hall, followed by a wooden wall at each dead end.
He muttered "Weird.. a maze?"
Another clank pierces the air, louder than the last two.
Vex stepped forward, reaching another dead end "Should I knock on this one too..?"
He gently knocks on the wood.
An abnormally strong collision between steel and metal strikes the air.
Vex covers his ears "No more knocking! Got it!"
He turns around a corner, met with a long hallway.
Each side led to a door "Ah! A puzzle. I love puzzles!"
He walks towards one of the doors "Now then, how do I reach the blacksmith before my ears burst?"
He scans the door, his eyes darting up and down.
After a moment he huffs, shouting "Its a blacksmith not a trick master goddamn it!"
He bursts open the door, clasping his hands on his ears and cowering immediately after.
A moment of silence passes and he squeezes his eyes, looking around "Huh. No tremors.."
He slowly released his ears, standing straight "Must have been the right door then!"
He walks proudly into the room.
Infront of him, 3 doors lay, spaced out equally on the wall.
His hand fell down, his head wobbled "Oh."
His container fell out of his hand, colliding with the ground.
The collision causes it to open slightly, radiating a cold buzz.
Vex crouched, observing the gap "Huh, it opens that easily?"
He peeked through the hole, watching his dismembered hand lay inside.
He gently closed it, and picked it up "Alright! Now which door will lead me to that stupid blacksmith..?"
He observed the doors, each handle is painted in a different color.
The leftmost red, the middle yellow, and the rightmost blue.
He tapped the walls near the doors "So, something to do with colors.. Huh."
He sat himself on the ground, placing the container beside him and tapping his chin "If I was a blacksmith, what color would be my favorite?"
The room filled with the sound of Vex's breathing.
Vex grinned, his eyes gleamed yellow "I got it!"
He jumped up, picking up his container "It has to be yellow! Who doesnt like yellow?"
He strode forward, bursting open the door with the yellow knob.
A clank flows in the air, a much quieter one than the ones before.
Vex jumped at the sound "God not this again.."
As he observed the hallway, it had a few open paths.
He sobbed "So it's not over!"
Footsteps echoed across hallway.
Vex held his breath "Oh. Someone's here."
The footsteps came closer, and a shadow approached the hall.
Vex silently stepped forward, his breath held and his container pulled towards his stomach, shielding him.
As the figure turned around the corner, Vex raised an eyebrow "hold on... it's me?"
Another Vex, a gaping hole on his head allowing Vex to see right through his eye.
Vex gasped "Its me but with a missing... eye instead of arm?"
The figure stood silently in the edge of the hallway, observing the hall.
Vex silently walked into another corner "Lets.. hope the clone didn't spot me. Clones are never good!"
He walked deliberately slow and silent.
Footsteps followed behind him.
Vex clenched his teeth "No.. he didn't spot me."
He reassured himself as he kept walking.
Across the hallway, he spotted another figure, standing ominously, staring at Vex's direction.
Vex squealed, his body stiffening "Another one??"
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
The sound of a click echoed across the room.
Torches lit across the hallway.
Infront of him, stood Aurelis, his body filled with cuts.
Vex's mouth twitched "Au-"
Aurelis walked forward, his eyes locked on Vex, gazing him down.
Vex cocked his fist, grinning "If you cant escape them, crush them!"
He stepped forward, stopping himself "No.. I need a stronger sentance! Lets see.."
Aurelis raised his hand, launching an ice shard at Vex.
Vex ducked under the shard "Woah! That was close."
Aurelis charged at Vex, forming an ice lance in his hand.
Vex stood straight, holding his hand up, jumping "You wanna fight?"
He released his container, as it collided with the ground.
Vex shouted "Go!"
He charged at Aurelis.
Aurelis flung the lance at Vex, tearing through the air.
Vex pushed himself into a wall, evading the lance.
As he closed the distance between him and Aurelis, Aurelis struck forward.
Vex ducked under the punch, uppercutting Aurelis in the jaw.
Aurelis fell back, and as his head landed on the floor, Vex blinked.
No remains were left of the body.
Vex tapped his chin, and shaking his head "Either a weird type of clone or I'm in an illusion! Sweet.."
He walked towards the hallway "So, this should be where he came from.."
He turned, behind him the sounds of rushing footsteps echoed.
He tilted his head back "Is this the me clone?"
He turned around, ignoring the footsteps and picking up his container.
Two steps in, Vex bumping into a brick wall "A dead end.. are you kidding me?"
He turned back, his lookalike standing at the other end of the hall "I guess i have to fight myself."
He stepped forward, his lookalike started running towards him.
The lookalike's eye's darted around the place, his hand started to shine yellow.
Vex gulped "No way, don't tell me he can use my habel?"
He stopped momentarily, his eyes scanning the hall "I know!"
He pulled something out of his pocket "If the Aurelis clone took one hit to vanish.. lets test something."
He held shards of the scythe in his hand, the purple parts shined under the torches' light.
He threw them like a barrage of needles towards the other Vex.
The other Vex raised his hands, blocking the shards. One of the shards pierced his hand, he stopped.
His eye blinked once, and he fell to the ground.
The other Vex disappeared into thin air.
Vex walked towards the fallen shards, carefully picking them back up "Glad that worked.."
Above Vex, wind rustled.
Vex flicked his head up, Akuya flew above him.
This Akuya had his stomach disoriented, twisted.
Vex lifted his hand up "This cant be happening!"
Akuya jumped down, flinging slashes of wind at Vex.
Vex raised his arms, barely blocking the slashes "I have to get out of here."
He rolled into a wall, Akuya's leg scraping his stomach.
Vex turned around, meeting eyes with another figure.
The figure stepped forward, his hand forming an ice lance.
It rushed forward, revealing itself as Akito.
Vex slammed his foot on the ground, causing rubbles to fly upwards.
He bit his lips "Where do they keep coming from?!"
He grabbed his container and smashed it into the pebbles, launching them at Akito.
Akito slid under the pebbles, evading them.
He pointed his hand forward, flowing with electricity.
A bolt launched at Vex, hitting him in the arm.
Vex dropped his container, flailing his hand "God this hurts."
He looked back, Akuya whirled wind at Vex, obstructing his view.
Akito threw the pebbles back at Vex, going around him with the wind's trajectory.
Vex's eyes followed the pebbles.
He turned around to block them, and as they hit his hand, Akito punched Vex in the spine, pushing him into the whirling wind.
Vex's head got flung into the wall, hitting it with a loud echo.
His eyes lingered on the twins, his vision blurred.
Akito stood in front of him, raising his hand, a rock forming out of it.
Vex lost consciousness.
