This time there was no slab of stone on the floor with a riddle or an instruction, so they approached the door straight away. Both Sam and Evan pushed it, but their strength was not enough. They were moving the wing slightly, and compared to the effort, the outcome was pathetic. Only when others came to help some progress was made, producing a gap wide enough to make it inside.
They slid through it, one by one, entering a vast chamber with a chasm in the middle. In front of it, hovering above the absolute darkness, were five metallic platforms, slightly shining in the dim light pouring down through the ceiling. Despite witnessing it for a few times already, Sam still tried to crack the mystery of how it was possible.
Evan ignored that aspect completely, moving further, approaching the text engraved on the smooth, stone floor. It consisted of fifteen sentences marked by the Roman numerals. And one more, un-nummered.
'I – There are five gods among many, who took over five different planets in the same system.'
'II – Fortuna took over the red planet.'
'III – Vigilatio's domain is observation.'
'IV – Whisky pleases the one who took over the golden planet.'
'V – Sapientia is pleased by the wine.'
'VI – Golden planet is the next one after the white planet.'
'VII – The flame represents the one whose domain is strength.'
'VIII – Phoenix represents the god who took over the green planet.'
'IX – The one who took over the middle planet is pleased by Vodka.'
'X – Mutatio took over the first planet.'
'XI – The one whose symbol is an eye took over the planet next to the one whose domain is survival.'
'XII – The one represented by Phoenix took over the planet next to the one whose domain is knowledge.'
'XIII – The one represented by an open hand is pleased by Brandy.'
'XIV – Pretiosa is represented by a feather.'
'XV – Mutatio took over the planet next to the blue one.'
'Five has to take the trial. Step on a platform each, and let it take you to the place of choosing. Match the clues, and find the one who is worthy.'
„Find the one who is worthy?" He asked after reading the text.
Sam joined him at the same time, quickly scanning through the instructions.
„I guess we will have to crack this puzzle to find the answer to what it means," he said. „How are we supposed to do that, I don't know."
„It would be easier if we had something to write," Evan pointed out, just when others gathered around them, reading the instructions.
„I'll leave this to you two," deemed Oliver patting both on their shoulders.
Sam rolled his eyes. 'Of course. Instead of doing something, just shove the problem on someone else. A typical politician,' a thought crossed his mind, just when he spotted Evan approaching Jordan.
„We need something to write. The only thing that can scratch the floor is the sword, so give it to me," he said.
The model snorted. „I'm not giving you the sword."
„You want the puzzle solved or not? I need to write to do this," Evan complained, his voice rising slightly.
„I'm not giving you the sword," Jordan repeated.
„I-I'll bring you a piece of debris," Mia squealed.
Despite the fact it was also a possible solution, the boy was not pleased. His quite obvious attempt to seize the weapon failed spectacularly.
„I'll go with you. It's not safe here," Kenji said, joining Mia who was already marching back to the labyrinth.
'She is braver than she tries to show,' another thought crossed Sam's mind.
With Mia, and Kenji gone, Oliver decided to sit under one of the walls to rest a little after the long march.
„I'll keep watch," Jordan announced moving under the wall as well.
He was joined by Lily. Together they sat on the floor, leaving a gap between themselves and the politician, so they could whisper comfortably.
The girl was making her advances, and Jordan grew more and more comfortable with her affection, completely ignoring the duty he put on his own shoulders.
„It's just you and me now," Evan muttered approaching Sam. „The rest is useless. They don't even want to try to help. They deserve to swim across this chasm."
„Swim?" Sam raised his eyebrows, taking a quick glance at the massive hole in the ground. There was no water, which made his brain click. A smirk curved his lips. „I see. I agree… We are doing all the work, and the rest pretends. How about we stick together? They will need us if the remaining trials are about riddles and puzzles."
Evan nodded. „They are clearly too dumb for this. Since we lost the sword, this should allow us to avoid becoming the first people to be thrown under a bus."
At that moment Mia and Kenji returned. The man was holding a piece of debris, broken from the wall, which he gave to Evan. The kid immediately dropped to his knees, in front of the text engraved on the floor. He drew a table with five rows and five columns. Sam approached him, going on one knee, to have a better look at what the kid was writing. Kenji joined.
Mia for a moment considered looking over their shoulders, but then she glanced around and spotted Lily with Jordan, which prompted her to shamelessly join the two lovebirds. Sam noticed it, alarmed by her movement.
'She is a rat,' he thought, as his eyes shifted back to Evan's doodles.
„So… we know Mutatio took over the first planet. And we know the next one is blue," the teenager muttered writing the proper words in proper places.
„The middle one likes Vodka," Kenji added, which Evan noted as well.
Sam moved to the next clues, as he noticed he would have to combine information to find the correct answer. He went silent, trying to figure it out, and then it clicked. „We have five planets with five colors, five symbols, and five names, but only four domains and four drinks. So it's either a drink or a domain we are looking for."
„You might be right. The golden planet is after the white planet, so the white has to be either third or fourth, while the golden has to be either fourth or fifth," the salaryman observed.
„Since Fortuna is red, this means the Mutatio had to take over the green planet," Sam pointed out, as the facts combined in his mind. „Green is matched with phoenix, that's clue number eight, so the domain of the owner of the second planet has to be knowledge."
With a smirk on his lips, Kenji looked at Sam. „You are good at this."
„Thanks, but let's focus," the teenager retorted.
„I agree," voiced Evan, noting everything they figured out, then he paused, thinking.
The others were thinking too, but they didn't make any progress for a few long minutes. The silence that befell them was only interrupted by hushed murmurs coming from the direction of Lily and Jordan, but the two stopped talking when they realized it was only them making the noise.
„Whisky pleases the one with the golden planet, but since the middle one is vodka, and the golden planet is after the white planet, therefore the gold planet has to be the last one, the fourth is white, and whisky is enjoyed in the last planet," Evan broke the silence, excitation lacing his voice.
Kenji smiled again while shaking his head in disbelief.
„Red has to be the middle one, and it belongs to Fortuna," said Sam.
„Fortuna… That's the goddess of luck," the salaryman pointed out.
„We can't assume anything. We should only follow the clues we have. We assumed things in the first trial, and Brad died because of it," Evan said with a dry voice.
„There is no need to be rude," Sam spoke out before any argument could start. He made sure to sound calm, and polite, as he looked at Kenji. „But he is right. We should follow only the clues that are written. Otherwise… This might end badly."
To him Kenji was the only potential ally they could recruit, as clearly nobody wanted to have anything to do with Oliver, while the girls had already chosen their side. This meant that they should at least try to get the last possible person on their side.
„I understand, you are right," the salaryman smiled, unbothered by the harsh behavior of the frustrated teenager. His expression changed just a moment later when he realized something crucial. „The monster," he whispered.
„Jordan pretends to be on the lookout. Normally I would be worried, but the voice that congratulated us said we should hear the drums when it will show up, so let's focus on the riddle," Sam pointed out.
Kenji gave him a nod, relaxing visibly.
Again the silence fell upon the chamber. Lily and Evan continued their hushed conversation, with occasional words from Mia, but this time they made sure to be so quiet, that others wouldn't hear the noise produced by their words.
Minutes stretched out into infinity, as the three men stared at the text, and the table drawn by Evan, and twisted their minds to figure out the answer they were looking for. None of them could tell how much time had passed, because they didn't even register the flow of the time.
Sam snorted, interrupting the tranquility of the situation. „Sapientia likes wine, and the one represented by an open hand likes brandy, so the drink we don't know about has to be drunk by Mutatio."
Evan looked at his comrade, then his gaze returned to the table, and he wrote 'something' in the first column. Yet another pause, even longer, took place, before Sam broke it.
„Brendy has to be the second or fourth planet. Wine has to be second or fourth too. Pretiosa, represented by a feather, has to be second, fourth, or fifth, but they can't be second or fourth, because those spots belong either to Sapientia or whoever is represented by an open hand, so it has to be the fifth column," he almost shouted.
Even immediately looked at him, then back at the table. Kenji did the same. They needed a moment to understand the logic, but the teenager did grasp it, as he wrote 'Pretiosa,' and 'Feather' in the last column.
„So the strength and flame have to be in the third column because it can't be in any other," Kenji said slowly as if he was unsure of his logic.
„Yes," Sam confirmed, glancing at the clues, before checking the table.
„Vigilatio has to be the fourth column because his domain is not knowledge," Evan added, quickly writing it down.
„So Sapientia and wine are both in the second column, and brandy with an open hand has to be in the fourth," Sam concluded, as his thoughts returned to the riddle.
„So an eye is the symbol in the second column, and the survival is the domain in the first column," Kenji pointed out, this time with confidence, as the riddle was solved.
„And that leaves us with the domain of something in the fifth column," Sam concluded, as his lips gradually curved into a big smile.
He chuckled right after, with waves of laughter from others joining his. They all high-fived, one by one, as they celebrated their success.
Some restless murmurs from behind allured their gazes. It appeared that the rest of the people fell asleep, sitting under the wall, but they were awakened by the noise.
„H-have you solved it?" Oliver asked with a hoarse voice, while getting up, still all groggy from his slumber.
Mia was already rubbing her eyes. Jordan yawned, and Lily groaned, as she stretched out her arms, before getting up.
„Stay on the lookout my ass," Evan grumbled, glaring at the swordsman.
„Yes. We figured it out. Now we just need to figure out how to enter our solution," said Kenji, as his gaze drifted away to the chasm and the platforms.
„There is only one way how to do it," Sam pointed out as he straightened his legs. From all the kneeling he was very stiff.
He needed a moment for it to pass. Evan followed, hindered by a similar condition, with Kenji going right after them. The rest trailed behind.