Isadora took one look around the sixth floor of The Sulcis. The azure fields captivated her like nothing she had ever experienced, thick trees with lion's mane canopies stalked up all along the fields. She stared in amazement, what great evil thing could inhabit this beautiful paradise.
After walking around the sixth level, she saw people, who she assumed were other contestants of The Root Down, gathered around a lake surrounded by the lions's mane trees. She approached to find them all resting up after their long treks down the other levels.
"Ah we have another! That makes ten of us!" An androgynous man sprang up at the sight of Isadora.
Isadora looked around at the eight other people sitting at the bank of the lake, some had their whole bodies in the water while others drank from the lake.
"What's this?" Isadora asked.
"We're the only ones who've made it this far. We've been waiting here for hours for another to show up" the man gestured towards the lake. "Come and drink, or take a dip, either way this lake replenishes you're entire body!"
Isadora took a step into the lake. She could feel the lake completely envelop her foot, as if it was slowly grabbing her.
"What?" She took her foot out in Hesitation.
"I know right! It's like it's alive!" The mans face was beaming with excitement. "My name is Milo, I was the first one here."
Isadora stood and placed both feet in the water. She deserved to relax after what she just learned. She dipped both her feet in as the water gently caressed her feet.
"So, why did you need ten people here?" Isadora asked.
"Ahhhh yes. You know how The Empress told us we'd need the Augens Eyes to proceed further?"
"Right."
"Turns out, the Augens knew that this whole time and are more than happy to help us. Only thing iis they will take no more or less than ten."
"That seems oddly specific."
"Honestly. We all want to reach the end though, so we have no choice."The Empress really had us thinking we were going to be in for the fight of our lives, but the Augens are so precious, wait until you see them!"
Isadora finished bathing in the lake, gathered her things while everyone waited before heading through the azure fields. She took a closer look at the people surrounding her. A muscular orange skinned woman with unnaturally long legs. A pair of male twins with antennae on top of their heads. Donned in short sleeve kimonos that split at their lower back into butterfly and moth wings. A man with charcoal skin and blood ruby stones protruding from his elbows. A beautifully designed woman with curves for days, she had a bubblegum pink tint to her skin. A slender young man with fins and gills. A woman with sleek angel wings clad in armor , and a chartreuse man that had a crown of Apricot mums growing from his head.
While the rest of the group chatted with each other, Isadora hung back in anticipation of the trials to come. The group reached an elaborate wall stretching out to the walls of the root. Isadora noticed that the wall was made of the same material as the wood of the Vivabor tree. Standing guard at the center of the wall were two amphibious looking beings. Their helmets left room for six short tendrils three on each side of their heads. Their snouts were short and wide, and their eyes sat two on each side of their nose with a singular eye resting in the middle of their forehead. The two guards stopped them from approaching further.
"Axel! Felix!" Milo shouted. "Look! I brought more people. Get your guys ready!"
"Milo, I thought we'd have to wait until tomorrow." Axel, the guard on the right exclaimed.
"Perfect timing, the others are getting restless." Felix, the guard on the left added.
"Don't worry, I told you we'd make it!"
The two guards walked towards the elegant wall, the group right behind them. Without leaving any trace of how they did it, they effortlessly walked through the wall. Milo's excitement turned to shock as he slammed face first into the wall.
"What the hell?" He bounced back, rubbing his face.
The Wall started to ripple from the point of Milo's collision, the waves fizzled out and the wall returned to it's solid state.
The others stepped forward to examine the wall further. The twins punched the wall, bringing their fists back waving them in pain. The wall rippled again from the two punch holes. The wall fizzled out again.
"Ow! What the. It's solid but it's rippling like a liquid." The butterfly twin said.
"What is this? Magic?" The moth twin said.
The wall, resembling large globs of volcanic sap melted downwards giving no warning to the group. They all stepped back from the wall, barely getting a glimpse at the ten eyes that glowed from the other side. Axel and Felix walked through the giant opening in the wall greeting the group once again.
"Come this way Great Ones chosen by the Roots." Axel exclaimed.
The group walked through the now dissolved wall.
"Excuse me, what is this wall made out of?" The pink lady asked in a inquisitive tone. I mean it was solid then rippled like a liquid."
"That is Vivabor wood, in its liquid form. The wall erected itself to protect us Augens." Felix answered.
"Everything is from the hands of our Creator," Axel added. "The lake, the azure fields. Even our village was delicately sculpted to give us what we need to protect the roots."
The groups reached the inside of the walls. The space behind the wall was much larger than the azure fields. They could see an island with a Large temple across the rushing waters of the river. It was a fairly new looking temple that stood as the pinnacle in this land. In order to get to the temple they would have to cross the rushing river, or so they thought. Two larger Augens sprang from the water, landing in front of the group and dripping water on them.
"Brothers! Thank you for this." Axel said.
"It's an honor to meet the ten," one Augen said.
"And a bigger honor to carry them on their journey" the other finished.
"Oh wonderful! They are eager to meet their partners" Felix said excitedly. He turned to the group who were still processing the two larger Augens looking over them. "These are our brothers, they will take five of you each down the waters of Titia to one of the villages. There is the underwater village of Sabsoon, and the island village of Fooshima."
"The villages are where you will meet your guides who will lead you through the temple to the lower levels." Axel explained. "But first, a quick game to decide where you will be heading."
"A game? We don't have time for this !" Isadora protested. "Why can't we just head down now?"
"I agree!" The man with crystals yelled. "We've been waiting all day to head lower, now there's another obstacle?!"
"I'm sure there is another way for us to meet our guides quicker?" Milo calmly interjected.
Axel put his arms up and began trying to calm everyone down. "Now now, I know it's not ideal however there is no other way."
"The creator specifically explained to us Eons ago," Felix began "the ten will show up at our gates to quell the disturbance lurking in the heart. However they will show much too early to do anything to help. So we have to be creative until that time."
The groans could be heard from every mouth present. What were they waiting for anyway? What purpose would they have to play this silly game? They had The Empress to think about, The Root Down is a chance for glory and favor of her and getting to the bottom first was their top priority.
"Well, I for one do not wish to go underwater!" The pink lady exclaimed. "So whatever I have to do to be out of that, I will take it!"
"On the fourth level of The Sulcis, I found a Rune from the underwater city of Sabsoon, I really want to look into it more." The winged woman chimed in.
"Yea! Why can't we just decide where to go this way? I'm sure we can figure it out!" The moth twin added.
The Augens sat listening to the complaints of the group. They became agitated. All twenty of their eyes began to glow a angry dark red in response to their words.
"Do not forget, mortals." One of the larger Augens said.
"You cannot pass to the lower levels without our eyes." The other added.
"This is by the design of the creator." Axel added.
"And if you wish to go against his wishes." Xangris ended.
"We will end your journey right here and now." They all said in unison.
The group hushed at the sight of the enraged Augens. There was nothing to do but stay and play whatever they had made up to determine where they would be headed. The Augens eyes turned off their glow and their pleasant personalities came back.
The Augens all glowed their eyes. That was the last thing everyone say before they were transported to an open field where a spread out scaffolding took up a space, towering with its many layers. Each layer had stairs to the next, there were obstacles on each layer such has balls, ropes and blocks making the layers different in every way.
"This game serves another purpose, we want to gauge how well your spore manipulation is. I'm sure yours are all exceptional to make it this far." Axel began. He held up a metal seal in his hand, they could assume it was also made from the Vivabor tree. "Maneuver through the structure here and find the seal, pour your spores into the sigil. The person who fills the sigil first will be the victor, the victor will be able to choose which village they visit."
The crowd murmured.
"We had a fun way of matching you all up, but I would be right in assuming that you don't care how it's done?" Felix asked.
They all nodded in unison.
"Fine. Isadora, Awa, you two are up first."
Felix announced.
Isadora's eyes widened up, how did he know her name? Certainly something that would be explained later she thought, as she walked up to the scaffolding. who was Awa? The pink lady walked up beside her a shot her a nervous smile while telling her good luck. The two got into position at the bottom before rushing into the scaffolding on Axel's mark. They ran up opposite sides of the structure desperately looking for the sigil. Awa found it near the top of the scaffolding. It was in that moment that Isadora remembered that Awa didn't want to go into the water, and Isadora had her reservations as well. She may as well actually try. Awa tried desperately to activate her spores. It was about a quarter of the way before Isadora reached her level. Awa balled the sigil in her fist and made herself as hard as stone.
Isadora walked over to Awa calmly.
"You know, for a person from Endel, you have a surprising fear of water."Isadora spoke to the pink statue. "If I had to guess, you're not fully developed yet. Endelians can change from solid to liquid, but you seem to only be able to harden up." The pink lady continued to store spores. "If you're going to win this, you're going to have to do better than turning to stone." Isadora grabbed the sigil and began to spread her own spores into it, turning Awa's hands into a pink foam. "It's really nothing personal," she took the sigil from Awa as she slowly began to Un-harden herself.
"Please please please, I can't go underwater I'll die." She begged.
"Die? In water? You, from Endel?" Isadora's spores quickly turned the sigil, no difficulty at all. "You're stronger than that. Have some pride."
Back at the bottom of the scaffolding, Milo and the others were wondering what they were talking about. Axel turned to everyone to make his announcement.
"The winner is Isadora," he spoke loudly. "See, there's nothing to it. She will be going to the Island of Fooshima, Awa will be entering the underwater village of Sabsoon."
"Milo and Kamell." Axel shouted. Isadora helped Awa down from the scaffolding.
Milo met the man with black skin and red crystals at the bottom of the scaffolding.
"Hmm honestly, either place sounds fun."
Milo said to Kamell.
"I was thinking the same thing brother." Kamell responded.
"Then let's have some fun with this shall we?"
"We might as well!"