As the elevator lowers to the second level, Nozomi feels the presence of nearby enemies, making her ears perk up in anticipation. Nozomi opens a Mental Link. "I sense some enemies below."
Pikati uses Farsight to peer down to the lower level. He sees goblin and elf soldiers with weapons awaiting their arrival. "There are multiple armed goblins down there."
"Can we combat them with the people we have?" asks Juyon.
"I doubt it this time, considering how little space we have to move around in this elevator," says Jax.
Denkei delves into his robe, pulling out nine tiny dolls. "Maybe if we disguise ourselves and place life-sized dolls into this bag. We can say we disposed of the intruders, and more than likely, they'll let us through."
"Good idea," says Jax.
Denkei arranges the nine tiny dolls in a single row on the floor. He then plants his mage stick on the floor. "Magic Spell Alchemy: Life Size Expansion!" The dolls expand to a lifelike size, their beady eyes glimmering in the light. "Ok, everyone, stand still. Magic Spell Enchantment: Disguise!" Everyone morphs into Goblin and Elf Soldiers.
We now enter the POV of The Goblins on Level 2, shifting their feet and whispering amongst themselves as they patrol the halls. A goblin soldier feels a vibration of his page against his leg. "It seems our orders have changed. We're supposed to take them alive to gather Intel."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, send out the orders to the other Goblin squads."
"Yes, sir!" The goblin subordinate relays the new order to the goblin and elf squadrons stationed throughout the base. After a few moments, the elevator doors open with a creak, unveiling the people in disguise. One of them lugs a bag, its contents clunking as they walk, containing the life-sized dolls. "We killed those brats, as Overlord ordered. After we did that, we disposed of the brats in this bag. Where should we go?" asks Denkei.
"The order was to defeat them and take them alive, not to kill them and dispose of them," says the Head Goblin.
"Well, you see, we- didn't get the order until later," Denkei stumbles on his words. "Damn, they're catching on, and I can't focus anymore!" Denkei thinks to himself.
Nozomi senses Denkei's unease, so she creates a Mental Link. "What's the matter, Denkei?"
"The spell is about to wear off. Everyone get ready!" As the spell wears off and their disguises disappear, the Goblins draw their weapons and point them at the group, ready to shoot. "Kill those brats!"
Denkei drags his mage stick across the ground, leaving a line in its wake. "Magic Spell Alchemy: Barrier Wall!" The wall rises from the ground, the blast bolts reverberating against its sturdy surface. The blast bolts continue to strike the wall, fragments of stone and plaster raining down. "This isn't enough to hold off the enemies. We need to flee from this area!"
"Pikati has Farsight, and with that, he can see in the dark. If I shoot the lights, it can help big time," Thought Jax. Jax unholsters his Ion blaster, and with a few shots, the area is plunged into darkness as he shoots out the lights.
The darkness in the room obscures the entries, preventing the soldiers from seeing them. "We can't see, dammit!"
Pikati activates Farsight and sees a path that can lead them away from the encroaching enemies. "I see a path. Follow me, guys!"
"I'll open a Mental Link so Pikati can tell us the directions telepathically. That way, the Goblins can't follow us."
"Good idea, let's book it, guys!" says Navar.
The group leaves the approaching fire of the Goblins, with Pikati leading the way. "We're about to hit a turn to the left in a couple of feet."
The group follows Pikati's orders, and with a collective movement, they turn left. As they continue their escape, Navar notices a faint trace of light in the distance. "Hey, I see some light ahead!"
"Alright, let's head for that light and see where the path takes us," says Pikati. The group makes their way through the darkness until they reach the light-filled corridor.
They all pause, their chests heaving from the exertion of running. Seiju hunches over, feeling his breath coming in ragged gasps from exhaustion. "Good, we got away from them."
Unfavorably, the sound of shuffling footsteps echoes in their ears. "Dammit, they followed us by the sound of our footsteps!" says Jax.
Denkei pulls a tiny iron wall from his pocket and taps it with his mage stick. "Magic Spell Alchemy: Size Expansion." The iron wall grows, its edges casting a long shadow, creating a powerful blockade. The goblin and elf soldiers fire a repeated volley of blasts at the wall, but the blasts of thick iron absorb them. "Dammit! We have to find a detour to get to them!"
"Phew, that was close," says Navar.
"Let's keep moving, guys, so they don't catch up to us," says Pikati. The group strolls until they approach a peculiar steel door.
Seiju's gaze settles on the door as he runs his hand over his chin in contemplation. "What in the world is this?"
"Would we have any luck destroying it with our powers?" asks Astran.
Rojo examines the door and runs his fingers over the surface of the Axium Grande, a metal renowned for its unparalleled durability. "No, this metal is Axium Grande. Even with all of you using your most powerful attacks, you couldn't put a dent in this thing."
Jax squints his eyes and crouches down, peering closer to make out the vague writing covered in a layer of dust and grime. "Wait, guys, I think I see something."
Miri moves toward Jax and peers over his shoulder, her eyes widening with curiosity. "What do you see?"
"It's some sort of ancient writing. I doubt anyone among us can understand it, though."
Denkei walks toward the door. "Let me see," Denkei brushes off the dust and traces the intricate markings of an ancient dialect across the door. "This is some sort of script made by some ancient race. It's a miracle you could see it."
"Can you read it?" asks Jax.
"Let me see. I call upon the forces of knowledge to translate the language in front of me. Magic Spell Alchemy: Dialect Translation!" The old script is translated into a straightforward language for the rookies.
Denkei squints his eye to read the small, translated text. "I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. My body is non-existent, but with a force of wind, I come alive. Solve this, and you shall pass."
Miri cocks her head to the side, her brows knitting in perplexity. "What the hell is a puzzle doing on this base?"
"Overlord was quite the fanatic of puzzles when he was younger, so he set up multiple riddles and scripts throughout his base so the regular person can't enter," says Pikati.
"That makes sense. It's trouble for a bunch of Supernaturals and Academy Cadets to get in. Imagine if it was just your average joe trying to get through here, they'd have no shot at all," says Seiju.
"I can speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I am nobody, but with a force of wind, I'm alive," Jax thinks to himself
"What about a hurricane? A hurricane whistles and wind makes it come alive," says Miri.
"That's only a third of the riddle, and the eye is a body part. This riddle states that this person has no body. It has to be something else," says Denkei.
With time passing, the group still struggles to find an answer to the riddle, their frustration rising. Astran snatches a rock from the ground, and the sound of it hitting the ceiling echoes throughout the room. "Ugh, this is so stupid! We've been sitting here for hours doing nothing!"
After Astran heaved the rock at the ceiling, the door budges a bit. "Hey, Astran, keep doing that," says Jax.
"Why?" asks Astran.
"Just keep doing it. I think I'm onto something," Astran continues throwing rocks onto the ceiling, and the door budges. "So I can speak without a mouth and hear without ears. But with a force of wind, I come to life. That's it, you guys. I got it!"
"What is it?" asks Rojo.
"It's an echo!" says Jax.
"Huh?" asks everyone.
"When Astran hit the ceiling, a slight echo sounded throughout the hallway. And the more she did it, the more the door budged."
"Now that he mentioned it, He's right. Echoes repeat what someone says despite having no ears. That's two parts of the sentence proven. Then we have the body being nonexistent, but with a force of wind, it comes alive. That's our breath forming a wind when we speak, making it come to life!" says Rojo.
"That's great and all, Jax, but how are we going to make an echo where we're at?" asks Miri.
"Yeah, this hallway isn't loud enough to produce an echo loud enough to open that door."
"We should tear down the wall, then. That'll give us the ability to echo loud enough!"
"Are you sure about that, Jax? That'll allow the Goblins to chase after us?" asks Miri.
"Maybe that door will close back once someone solves the puzzle. Thus avoiding the outcome of us getting chased," says Juyon.
"That's risky. What if it doesn't close and they chase after us?" says Miri.
"Go for it. I say it's worth the risk," says Navar.
"Alright, but if we all get blasted by Ion blasters, you know who to blame," Denkei walks up to the wall and taps it with his mage stick. "Magic Spell Alchemy: Size Decrease," The wall returns to its original size, and the sound of goblin and elf soldiers' boots crashing on the ground grows louder.
"Let us pass!" says Jax. The door creaks open, its hinges groaning in protest. As the door opens, the elf and goblin soldiers catch up, and the air fills with whizzing ion beams.
"Come on, guys, let's get going before they kill us!" says Pikati.
The rookies run ahead, their feet pounding against the ground as the ion beams chase after them. Miri looks at Navar with worried eyes, her concern evident. "Navar, I hope that risk pays off."
Navar's mouth curves into a cocky, satisfied smile. "Don't worry, Miri, believe it will," The door creaks and groans as it slams shut, leaving the goblins and elves away from them. "Yes, I told you guys it would close back!"
"Well, now that we made it through, let's keep going," says Pikati. The group keeps walking until they enter a pitch-black room, and the only thing in the room is a platform all the way on the other side of the room.
Seiju bellows out a groan and waves his arms. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me. How in the hell are we supposed to get across?"
"Wait, what if the fall isn't that far? Maybe we can just jump down and find an alternative route," says Jax.
Rojo pulls a wrench from his belt, feeling the cold metal against his fingertips. "I'll throw my wrench to see what happens," said Rojo. Rojo throws his wrench, which falls for ten minutes until a small thud sounds throughout the room.
"I think I can speak for everyone here when I say if we fall, we die," says Miri.
"You don't have to be so negative!" says Navar.
"Relax, she's only stating the obvious," says Denkei.
"Well, damn, this is going to be another tricky puzzle to solve," says Miri.
Once again, the rookies find themselves frozen in place, struggling to come up with an answer to the intricate challenge before them. "Man, why do we always have to be stuck in place for so long?!" In a fit of frustration, Rojo heaves one of his tools.
With a loud thud, his tool seems to defy gravity, and it remains suspended in mid-air. Astran's face twists in confusion as she furrows her brow. "No way, that thing is staying afloat in midair, but how?"
"Could it be an invisible path? Wait, let me see something," Denkei plants his mage stick onto the ground. "Magic Spell Sorcery: Illusion Disperse!" Suddenly, a chill passes, and the rookies see a straight path before them.
"That explains a lot. Let's just hope the door ahead isn't another complicated puzzle," says Miri.
"Yeah, if we get another one of those, I'm gonna lose my mind," says Seiju.
The rookies step through the door and feel a wave of relief when they realize there isn't another puzzle. "I'm so glad that wasn't complicated," says Rojo.
Suddenly, the floor beneath them trembles and quakes. "Uh, guys, what's going on?" asks Navar.
The floor groans and cracks as it crumbles beneath them, as they plummet with it. "Oh no, we're falling!" says Rojo