300 Traversing The Labyrinth
Being careful in traversing the slippery hallway required a certain level of both balance and concentration, as a slight misstep made him instinctively reach for something to catch himself on, but that would only lead to directly touching the substance.
“Any clue if it’s closeby or not?” He asked, “You’ve been here a long time, so I’m assuming you’ve figured out some tricks to its movement…”
Walking close behind him, Blimpo answered, retrieving a gadget from his belt as they both came to a stop. In the elven inventor’s hand was a diamond-shaped, steel item that didn’t reveal any use just from a single look at it.
“What’s that?” He asked curiously, and somewhat cautiously, knowing the track record of the reckless tinkerer.
Blimpo smiled before kneeling down, setting the diamond-shaped device down as it managed to plant itself perfectly still on the slippery floor despite its unorthodox shape.
With a small press of a button on the device’s top, it activated, periodically spinning as it emitted small-scale vibrations outward.
“I call it the ‘Echo Driller’–This will be able to show us if War is nearby,” Blimpo said, “It will be able to register his movements roughly ten chambers away.”
Once more, he found himself astonished by the sheer versatility that his elven companion wielded in that mind of his, able to create such varied devices for any situation.
“That’ll be a major help. Nice work,” he complimented.
“Thanks,” Blimpo chuckled bashfully.
There was a subtle vibration that traversed the ground, running against the bottom of his feet as the device emitted the far-reaching, subtle sounds.
“So, how will we know if it finds War?” He asked.
Blimpo stayed knelt by the device, picking it up before stuffing it back on his cluttered belt, “Well, it works by sending out vibrations that will immediately be repelled if it clashes with the vibrations that War gives off; it’s fine-tuned like that. If that happens, it will spin rapidly and sorta go out of control.”
“I see…So he’s not close, then?”
“Nope! All good,” Blimpo gave a thumbs-up.
With that secured, he was able to safely leave the corridor before ending up in the tar-filled hallway once more, though the elven man claimed to have a solution to easily bypass it. As soon as they left the bounds of the hallucinogenic corridor, Blimpo stepped forward with a triumphant smile on his lips, facing the corridor of clingy grime.
“Behold! Another ‘Mode’ of the ‘Anti-War Peace-Peace Glove!” Blimpo announced, pointing only the index finger of the bulky gauntlet forward, “Mode: Precipitation Solidification!”
A combined activation of the watery-blue rune and the verdant one pertaining to wind came in the form of a condensed gust that shot out, filling the width of the swamp-like corridor in an instant.
The grime on the dark, stone walls was scraped off by the sudden burst of wind, though it quickly revealed its true form; the dormant moisture in the air was magnified, shifting and expanding into a solidified foam that laid across the sticky tar.
“Woah!” Emilio reacted.
It was by far the most impressive function of the oddly-named gauntlet he’d witnessed thus far, testing out the sturdiness of the foam-made ground that stretched across the corridor. With a full step of his weight, it surprisingly held.
“The greatness of magical tools remained unmatched! Normal mages would be hard pressed to find a solution to these sorts of specific problems, no?” Blimpo proudly stated.
Emilio shrugged, “…Hate to say it, but if I had access to my spells, this would be a piece of cake. Still, magical tools are amazing–no doubt about that.”
“Hmm…Well, as long as you can recognize that much, I’m satisfied,” Blimpo smirked.
Crossing the foam walkway was an interesting sensation; it felt bubbly and somewhat bouncy, though at the same time firm and unmoving with each step.
After successfully traversing the troublesome hall, they were back in the depths of the dark, ominous labyrinth, surrounded by periodic, small noises that only served to draw their caution.
“…Alright, I’ll lead the way. Just watch my back,” Emilio said.
“Right on,” Blimpo nodded, gulping.
The young Dragonheart slid his sword from its sheath as he chose to go north of the first chamber, traveling into the room of veils that he had visited once before.
“Ah, I’ve been here–quite the freaky area, isn’t it?!” Blimpo asked with a small laugh.
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“Can you not? You’re going to bring him right to us,” he glanced back, somewhat startled by the sudden noises his companion was making.
Blimpo stopped, letting out a small sigh, “Isn’t that sort of the plan? We at least should confirm if the key is on the big guy–I mean, it’s better than playing cat n’ mouse and finding out War has the key only after we’re dead meat.”
“…I guess you have a point, but I’d like to draw him to us in a controlled environment–and when I’m properly prepared,” Emilio reasoned.
“True enough! I can’t argue with that! You’re the boss here, anyway,” Blimpo said with a smile.
“No I’m not–can you just stay focused, please? Keep yourself ready to hide at any moment–War may be big, but he isn’t slow,” he told his companion.
“Right!” Blimpo saluted.
It was a bit troublesome to handle the energetic tinkerer, but he already knew that Blimpo would come through when it mattered most. He kept his sword drawn and his magical weapon compact around his arm ready as he headed down an unexplored corridor.
“Have you been down this way before?” He asked quietly.
Answering more akin to a whisper, toning it down, the elf shrugged his shoulders, “Can’t say. I’ve mainly stayed in the same spot the past few months–without needing to eat or drink, I was able to gather resources while digging and build new tools.”
…Maybe that explains why he has a few screws loose, he thought.
Still, having somebody to watch his back made the gnawing experience of exploring the labyrinth infinitely better–even if that person was an unequaled eccentric.