Crusch stared at her wide eyed as the caged elevator doors reeled open to embrace their presence.
"Already started?!" Her gaze narrowed over the images of the participants, many didn't seem perturbed or anxious as though the idea of finding their rooms wasn't anything of true importance but she couldn't deny that there were a few who seemed concerned, darting over the area while taking some of the elevators as well.
"What's given you that idea?" Internally she was recounting the conversation Hubert had with them, fishing for any information that she may have missed that might've given a hint to the fact that this was indeed the beginning of the trials.
Ronvel didn't explain much though and pulled her into the elevator that closed just as they entered as she pressed randomly at the numbers which Crusch was a little surprised to note reached nearly a hundred. The sound of gears whirring and a bell chime while a needled dial at the top of the elevator showcasing the different number of floors now glowing with a pale yellow light indicated the structures movement as Ronvel chose this moment to answer her previous question.
"The instructions Ludy, they were far too detailed for what's supposed to be a single nights visit" Crusch's brow's furrowed.
For a single night that was true but then couldn't it be acclimated to an over zealous host? Or was it that his attitude was supposed to exude that atmosphere to ensure he didn't rouse suspicion?
"Are they not supposed to tell us that the trials have started? I thought that's how it worked" Crusch tentatively asked, half feeling as though she already knew the answer with how gravely her parents and mentor had spoken of the ordeal.
"Not if it doesn't fit with the nature of the trial, the type of trait they want to test…"
"The type of…trait?" She gave a questioning look as Ronvel watched the dial move.
"Survival, wits, the ability to recognize danger before it's already sprung" She half glanced at her, "Depending on what they want to test us on will be how they'll start off the trials, either with or without the knowledge that they've already begun"
Crusch was a little taken aback by the information but understandable, it was within the expectations and thoughts she'd had previously although a little more intense, she nodded and cast a gaze at Ronvel who's wand flickered into her grasp.
"You know awfully a lot…" Ronvel stared back at her as she said this.
"There are records on each and every Trial conducted over the years you know? It's a public event, there's bound to be things to study"
Bang!
Crusch felt herself wallow in a little bit of shame and self regret, it WAS public, how hadn't she thought of studying anything about it in her free time? Even if none of the trials from previous years would've been used again there was bound to be a few pointers to pick up, such as noticing that the nature of the trials influenced how they started! Or how to notice the subtle signs that one had already. There was so much she could've learned and seeing Ronvel's display of having already picked up on the signs and she felt even more regretful, a part of her blamed it a bit on the fact that her parents hadn't made the slightest hint for her to do this but they most likely felt it obvious that she'd have already tried.
"Right, right"
Ding!
The caged doors opened again and Crusch along with Ronvel found themselves on a red carpeted, narrow hallway. There were doors on either side, painted a bright white and the lights above lit the place up from every corner, tentative to take a hasty step outside with the knowledge that the trials had most likely began did Crusch's gaze wander over Ronvel's back who now seemed braver of the two and took a step forward with Crusch in tow.
Clang!
The elevators doors closed shut behind them as Crusch's wand flickered into her grasp and she noted Ronvel was sifting for something in her pockets that she pulled out and seemed to examine closely, the room detector they were given. It was spinning at a different pace from when she'd first seen it, a little faster but the difference wasn't all that noteworthy meaning they weren't anywhere near the room at all but definitely on the right direction to say the least.
They walked in silence with the room detector in hand till they reached the end of the hallway, a turn leading both right and left to which Ronvel's brow's furrowed.
"You reckon we should…—"
"Walk halfway through both paths and see how the device reacts, separating is far from a good idea" Crusch interjected, far from a good idea–it was abysmal.
Ronvel nodded in agreement as Crusch followed her halfway through the left path while noting the devices movements, barely a change, its spinning seemed to quicken somewhat but it was minimal. They then turned back and took the right path, a quarter of the way through did it begin to slow in pace and a little more noticably than the left.
"Left path it is then" Crusch nodded.
The left path, similar to the hallway previously was carpeted in red but lacking in doors, just the white walls with gold lining. Crusch made ample effort to glance behind and took out her own room detector with the intention of having it spot out potential danger with the jewel encrusted eye, the task was easier said than done since she just noticed that they hadn't exactly been told how to switch between each tool and pocketed it again.
They made another sudden turn again, entering a second hallway to which Crusch found similar to the last except for the fact that it was missing with a corner at the end, it was a dead end. Ronvel made a glance at the detector but the speed of it hadn't so much as changed and they doubled back towards the corner they'd taken to a second just before it, passing by the doors of which Crusch realized were marked with varying numbers ranging from 20-70.
"Do you think they mean anything?" She asked Ronvel as they made a right.
"Other than to indicate the number of rooms? No, nothing I can come up with"
Crusch nodded as they continued down a second hallway, this time with a single turn at its end and the lights not so bright. Ronvel made hesitant glances at her which Crusch reciprocated but took the first step forward and down the hallway, the lights flickered as they kept their pace steady, grips on either of their wands far tighter than they had been before.
"Ah!!" Crusch swirled around quickly and the tip of her wand glowed with a fiery amethyst hue as Ronvel's gaze was directed at the detector which had gained a little speed.
"We're going in the right direction!!" She exclaimed, looked up and met Crusch's gaze.
"You didn't have to scream…"
"Excitement, full steam ahead by the way!"
They made a right, leading towards a wider corridor where the lights shone more brightly and the detector began whirring wildly.
"Nearly there, nearly there!"
Ronvel was breaking into a wild sprint now as they dashed down the corridor with Crusch following behind, her own detector whirring from the confines of her pocket as they neared the end of the corridor, once again a forked path but spliced into three yet it was worlds more obvious which was the correct way to go. They continued straight ahead as the detector grew in rapid spinning sensation, it seemed the door was close
Ronvel skidded to a halt as Crusch followed, noting she'd stopped in front of a door. It was pearl white and unlike the rest seemed void of numerical writing and anything else except for the fact that at its center were the letters: RL.
"Initials, Ronvel and Ludmilla!" Ronvel excitedly remarked, the detector in her hand spinning faster than Crusch thought was even possible to keep still in one's hand.
"Right then this is it then" She stepped forward and was about to place her hand on the handle when something strange happened.
Ding!
Crusch heard the bell chimes from the elevator reverberate all around her as a rumbling sensation assailed the floor.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" She cried out loud, staggering to keep herself steady while reaching for the door whose initials were beginning to change.
"Grab the door! Grab it Now!!" Ronvel yelled at her as Crusch attempted it but before she could, the rumbling ceased, the bell chimes ended and her fingers finally graced the golden knobs but something had changed.
'65'
The door that had been lacking in a numbering had gained one and their initials were nowhere to be seen.
"Wh-What happened?" She glanced back at Ronvel who seemed ashen and then at her detector, the device had ceased all movement.
"What happened!?!" Crusch now lost all color as well, the detector wasn't spinning madly anymore and she sifted in her pockets to check her own, half believing that Ronvel's had become damaged with the sudden trembling in the ground but found her's had ceased movement as well but there was a change.
"Ronvel, the jewel!" She exclaimed, the jewel part of the device that she'd been trying to use had opened itself willingly and the gem gazed at her with a slightly ember hue.
"It's…"
Grrrr
Crusch's hairs stood on end as she whirled behind them, at the now farthest end of the corridor they'd ran through by the corner they'd entered, she heard something and spotted the smallest silhouette of a shadow stalking there.
"Did you hear something?" She glanced at Ronvel who became even worse than before.
"Leave, we need to leave" She muttered but it seemed as though it was more to herself than to Crusch, even with the word "we".
"Are you alright? Look I was probably hearing things—" But Crusch was interrupted again by the growling which now became much louder, much more distinct and beastly as Ronvel grabbed at her arm.
"Leave, NOW!!" She intended to pull at her but before the action could be made Crusch was rooted stiff at what she witnessed bounding the corner of the end of the long corridor, large and furred with the stature and looks of a wolf but the size of a grizzly bear stacked on top of two others. Its fur was grayed and its teeth were a glistening white, polished by drooling saliva that drenched the floor beneath it and bright blue eyes that soon caught their stare.
"Wh…" Crusch couldn't even let out the words of surprise.
The beast's growling became ragged breaths and an excited grin slashed its face as Ronvel pulled her back into reality.
"WE NEED TO MOVE!!" that shout spurred the wolf into action as it sprinted towards them in wide and inhumanly fast leaps as Crusch's arm slashed at the air with her wand as the space a few meters ahead of them glowed with amethyst light and solidified into a barrier as Crusch motioned that they start high tailing.
"Will that keep it at bay?" Ronvel asked as the beast which had been at the end of the long corridor that took them several seconds at full sprint to traverse appeared ahead of the barrier almost a second after and slammed into it with the sound of shattering glass and an annoyed grunt.
"Not even slightly!!!" Crusch responded, turning right along with Ronvel as four flaming amethyst orbs the size of a football appeared around her and shot back.
Bang!!
Bang!!
Bang!!
Bang!!
A fiery haze of explosions emanated behind them as they continued sprinting with the sound of a roar as Crusch glanced back to see the beast having halted momentarily to shake its head but as the smoke cleared, it was almost completely unharmed!!
In a mad dash of speed, it darted forward with a bang as Crusch pushed off Ronvel's body, sending them flying opposite directions as the wolf blurred through and smashed into the white walls. Her arm went to creating several new barriers that pinned the wolf to the wall before it regained any type of foot as Ronvel stood to her feet, aghast but quick to act on something as she fiddled for the doors.
"What are you doing!? That's not our room!!" Crusch shouted in outrage but Ronvel only fiddled even more and seemed to manage to get it open as there was a click and flung it open.
"Inside!!"
Crusch gave a questioning and reluctant look.
"NOW!!"
Her body wheeled to its feet and she dashed for the door while keeping the wolf that had already broke through half her erected barriers and stumbled through the door as Ronvel wasted no time to close it shut behind her.
"Ha, ha…" Crusch panted, glancing at the door as the distinct sound of roaring and howling reached her ears and she looked reproachfully at Ronvel. They were now cornered, the wooden doors barely looked like they could keep even a normal person of any kind of build at bay if they really went at it and let alone a giant wolf? Her wand readied once more and there was the sound of the wolf banging its body again the doors frame but the structure didn't seem to mind, showing no signs of stress, let alone rattling.
"What…, are these doors—"
"Enchanted, yes" Ronvel finished for her, "It won't get through"
Crusch glanced at her, not wholly believing but the wolf's attempts were making no signs of head way.
"What even is that? Why is it here?!" She cast a questioning gaze but Ronvel wasn't listening.
"It won't last, this isn't our room" she paced around, her gaze shifting over various points around the room, "Time, time…"
"Ronvel"
"We need to leave soon…"
"Ronvel!"
"Won't last…"
"RONVEL!!" Crusch was in front of her, hands clasped over her shoulders with a glare mixed in with concern.
"Ah, right, Ludmilla…"
"Do you know something about this?" Her concern vanished, glaring at Ronvel who's deep blue eyes widened and then hardened.
"Of course not, I—"
"Then how did you know we could open this room?"
"That's basic human logic! It's a hotel, just because we were looking for ours doesn't mean all the others are suddenly inaccessible" Ronvel shot back, a small glare of her own staring towards Crusch.
"You were muttering to yourself earlier and just now you were talking about time, we can't stay here for long, is that it?" Ronvel's gaze widened again and she shook off from Crusch's grasp.
"Nothing, I lost my nerves and I—"
Crusch's wand now pointed towards Ronvel who looked at her in shock but her gaze showed no remorse.
Don't fool yourself…
"Explain yourself"