The four walked down the underground hall they had been in for the last three days.
One wall of spikes burst up behind; another burst up ahead as the left & right walls grew spines, starting to close in on the two. Naomi snapped her fingers and two holes appeared in the ground as the four held their breath. Streams of fog went in to the burrows, and the walls dissolved back to their regular form, clearing their path.
"Done." said Serena, and the four started forward again.
"Okay." said Julia, Manufacture's rods forming as she glanced back. "Let me know when."
The four went up another fifty feet, and in the next instant -
- a tidal wave started up from behind & started flooding down the hall towards them; a solid orange wall burst up ahead -
- but a quick casing of stone formed over it, one hole that Serena's fog started filling as Kate & Julia turned back, and as the tidal wave hit her rods -
- the water dissolved in to hydrogen gas; Split's hair formed a fan and started wafting the chemicals away, Blackburn's fog still filling the hole behind.
Julia fidgeted with her rods until a minute passed and the orange wall disappeared, allowing them to continue on. Kate & Julia stopped as Naomi & Serena went to the right wall, Avalanche's arm dragging and forming a stone tube as the prodigal pair went ahead, streams of fog filling it.
"Careful." winced Serena and Naomi nodded, as they'd found out last time Avalanche's arm wasn't unshatterable.
"Y-Yeah."
They came up another fifty feet, and in the next instant -
- a black wall burst up ahead. Naomi led the pipe to the barrier's heart, and they stepped carefully until they were back to Julia & Kate.
"Ready?" said Naomi; Serena nodded, and she stomped -
- and the wall of asphalt shattered as soon as the explosions burst out of the tube ahead, concrete shards shooting towards them, dozens & dozens of stone walls forming ahead but shattering as soon as they formed -
- and Naomi staggered gasping against the wall once the explosions finished after a minute, Kate having had to plug their hearing five seconds in, four still stumbling as the walls stopped rocking -
" - what the hell was that?" winced Kate -
" - azidoazide azide." winced Serena, relevantly. "If - if that didn't work, then -"
- and four breathed relieved as Naomi's stone wall crumbled, revealing an unscathed hall ahead but with no black wall.
"I-I need a minute." wheezed Naomi, and in the next instant -
- eight tendrils burst out of the walls, four crackling with electricity as they shot towards the four -
" - Manufacture!" shouted Julia, bashing one with her rod -
- but the tendril sprayed water as it died, electrified water claiming the four as they staggered, electrical current entering everybody but Julia -
" - B-Blackburn -"
- streams of fog filled the conductive water on their bodies with clay, soft material absorbing the water and stopping the electrocution -
- just in time for another tendril to breathe fire over the four -
- and harden their prisons instantly; little energy left, Naomi desperately snapped -
- and only Serena's turned to dust; streams of fog filled the rest with dilute acid -
- another enormous tendril burst out of the ground ahead; Julia & Kate screamed as the acid doubled within their prisons -
- and the keen tendril impaled clear through Naomi's back & out her chest; she gasped as blood burst from the ghastly aperture, and as it ripped up to her heart & split her chest open -
- blue light filled the hall, and the four sighed as they stood at the beginning again.
"…god." winced Serena, and Naomi nodded. She took a marker off of a whiteboard on the wall, trying to stay upbeat as she marked her spot again.
Serena had died six times, once trying to protect Naomi, and Kate only had one mark on her's. Julia had five, and Serena had pretended not to notice two were trying to save her.
"...looks like I'm still in third, right?" said Naomi, and Serena nodded.
"…shit." Kate sighed and slumped against the wall. "Still got more after that, looks like."
"Yeah." said Serena.
Naomi handed her a stone pouch, and she started filling it with sandwiches. Tendrils of fog filled stone cups with water. They'd been down there for a few days already; Matoi had directed them to one house in Kitesville the locals thought was haunted, and they'd turned out right for once. As they ate, they discussed their plans against obstacles both current and potential, and soon were back to finishing the first & second test.
As they passed the third, eight tendrils burst out of the walls, four crackling with electricity as they shot towards the four -
" - Split!"
- but four hairhands filled with rubber gripped them tight & tied them in a bow, another four tendrils added to the Christmas present, thrashing and writhing; water spit out of their tips & towards them -
- and another hairhand caught their liquid sprays as the four stepped back, Julia at the back, Kate at the front and Serena & Naomi in the middle -
" - think I should kill it?!" shouted Kate, and Serena's head shook -
" - no, it probably has something -"
- gusts of fire erupted out of the tendrils -
- but a swift sweep of a wet hairhand doused out the flames; behind, the enormous tentacle burst out of the ground and shot towards Julia -
" - Manufacture!" she shrieked as she stepped back, throwing one rod at it -
- and blue light filled the hall just as the explosion hit Serena & Naomi's glancing back faces -
- and the four stood again -
" - Julia -" sighed Serena - " - we went over this, and you just still don't -"
" - god damnit, y-you little shit, I-I got nervous when -"
"- excuse me, 'little shit'?"
"Yeah, you are acting like a little s-shit. I-I mean, first you try to blast me for doing the r-right-"
Split's hands went into Serena & Julia's mouths and grabbed their tongues. "Both of you, quit it."
"Julia, chill out." said Naomi.
Julia seemed almost surprised that Naomi would, rather obviously, side with her mentor; yet she nodded and said nothing as Kate released their tongues. She looked up the hall. "Well, w-we still need to eat, or s-something."
Kate whispered something to Serena, who giggled, then asked out loud: "Serena, can you make sweets? Anything like that?"
Serena shrugged and nodded. "Um, I think so." Naomi formed a stone-pouch and handed it to Serena. Streams of fog filled it with chocolate coins, and Naomi tested one. "…yep. Tastes like it should."
"Sweet." Serena took a few and set it down, as did Kate.
"You m-mind if I take some?" said Julia.
"…yeah, go ahead, take a couple."
Julia took two chocolate coins out of the pouch. Then, seeing Serena & Kate look away, ruffled through and took five more.
"Julia, she said a couple." said Naomi.
"Julia Bates is no thief." she mumbled. "I-I got claustrophobia, what do you expect me to do? A Jew can't have a bit of gelt to comfort herself?"
"A Jew? I never knew you were Jewish." Naomi sat down beside her.
"Well, I-I was raised Jewish, anyhow."
"Hey, Julia. Can you answer a question for me, then? What's with the tiny hats they wear?"
"What, the yarmulkes? Well, yeah, m-my dad wore one when he was praying. I mean, I never wore one. ... I remember we came back from a f-funeral, once, where he was wearing one. I don't know, maybe it was a new one or something." Julia started tearing up. "A-And he's trying to rip the damn thing out of his head, 'cuz, y'know, t-they clip into your hair. This was before he went bald. Tangles and knots of hair started flying out everywhere. It was a mess once he was t-through with it. A bird could've crash-landed in that hair. And, from t-that point, I knew I-I wasn't gonna be religious. You know, if it wasn't for I'd have had to wear that stupid piece of cloth until I'm 18, I-I'd wish I were a man instead. I can't say I-I haven't wanted to know what it's like to... y'know. Have all the proper equipment."
Naomi wiped her eyes. "Jeez, Julia. That's pretty personal."
"Y-Yeah, I thought so."
"Yeah, except for the part where you didn't answer my question."
"Well, I did in an off-hand sorta way."
"Not really, Julia. Sorry."
Julia shrugged and tried to surreptitiously stuff more chocolate in her pocket.
++++++
The four set out the next day, and as the enormous tendril shot towards Julia again -
- she swept back as Naomi stepped up -
- and Avalanche's arm ripped it clear out of the ground; another punch shattered it in to a hundred pieces -
- and four sighed relief as the other tendrils wilted, still standing carefully. They didn't speak until another few minutes passed.
"…alright." muttered Kate, hairhands retreating back to her ponytail. "Just gotta -"
- a wall burst up ahead, and in the next instant -
- a dozen saws burst out -
- and blue light filled the hall as soon as it touched them.
"...here we go again." mumbled Julia -
" - you have to wait every time?!" groaned Serena, relevantly -
" - this really sucks." groaned Naomi.
++++++
The following day, the four were floating in midair, floor having disappeared below -
" - how the fuck do you-?" groaned Kate, and in the next instant -
- the four started to fall -
- and blue light filled the hall as they stood again.
++++++
Serena marked her death, then passed the marker to Naomi, who passed it to Kate, to Julia.
"Never died to a heart before." muttered Julia.