"I found a door!" Arne shouted.

"Me too!" Tuffnut replied and both of them entered separate doors, running through the tunnels they led to.

"Guys! Don't split up! We've been over this!" Astrid scolded with annoyance.

She heard an "ow!" from both men and the sound of a tangled thud as the two collided and hit the ground.

Faelan peered in there to see them there in pain. "Yeah I don't think that is going to be our problem."

"Hey! Over here!" Gregor called.

The gang regrouped to follow after him as he had a door open to a new room.

Astrid was the first to step into the space and what they found was a huge empty room with a pedestal at the center, a round carved button atop it waiting to be pressed, while behind it on the wall, was a gear powered mechanism that flipped wooden planks over, each one revealing a different number; a countdown.

The sound of this machine clicking each time a new number was dropped broke the otherwise silence of the atmosphere. And once inside, the door shut them in, leaving no way out.

"Oh... wonderful," Arne said, accepting it at this point that they won't make it out alive.

"What's the button for?" Tuffnut asked.

"Let's press it—" Gregor said.

"No," Astrid interrupted, grabbing his arm before he could.

"There's a crack in the wall here," Faelan said from the other side of the room.

"So the wall opens?" Astrid asked him.

"What else would it mean?" Tuffnut scoffed. "Idiot."

"I've given you a black eye before, don't make me do it again."

He took a step away from her.

"Alright so we figure out this puzzle and get the wall to open for us?" Arne thought out loud.

"Arne, you can't get anything to open for you," Faelan commented.

Astrid wasn't expecting to hear that and she put a hand to her mouth as Gregor laughed and said, "It's true."

"I'm going to kill all of you," Arne threatened with anger burning behind his eyes.

"Guys, the thing is counting down," Tuffnut pointed out,

"Yes, Tuff, thank you. Let's get back on track."

"Arne can never find the track—" Faelan ducked from the flask that Arne hurled at him, the metal bottle clanking against the wall where his head was.

"We're getting close to zero!" Tuffnut announced. "I... I think."

"You think?" Arne asked.

"Hey who has time to learn numbers?!" he demanded.

"We have to solve this or we're going to be stuck in here," Astrid said.

"There's nothing to solve! Look around woman!" Tuffnut said angrily.

"We can't just sit here!"

"Eh, I've been stuck in worse places," Arne pointed out before he looked over at Gregor and Faelan who were standing weirdly close together while smiling at him. "What? Why are you standing like that?"

"No reason," Gregor replied innocently.

He walked up and shoved them aside to see a skeleton in the corner of the room. "Oh God!" he cursed and backed up.

"That's it!" Astrid decided and slammed her hand onto the button, forcing it down into its pocket as a clicking sound occurred somewhere underneath them. As this happened... well... nothing happened. Except for the panels that turned to their beginning and started counting down from the top again...

[GEM]

They all looked at this with exasperated expressions of confusion.

"Oh you've got to be shiting me," Arne complained.

"Guys why are we heading right again. It can't be right. It would just lead us back to the path we were on before," Hiccup was trying to reason as he walked with his group.

"Here's that logic again. What about this place says logic to you? We are in the midst of anarchy, Haddock," Ruffnut told him when she turned to face him.

"Then why are you smiling?"

"Oh, it's because she's crazy," Snotlout intervened and then blocked before she could slug him.

"Well I think we should have taken the left path behind us," Hiccup said. "I think we're headed in the wrong direction."

"Really? What proof have you to that?" Ruarrc asked with his usual grouchy unfeeling attitude.

Hiccup looked over the man's shoulder and said matter-of-factly, "Well that's a start."

The rest of them followed his gaze to see a black figure that held an axe in hand of a matching shadowy material.

[GEM]

"Shite!" Snotlout cursed. "Take her!" He shoved Ruffnut ahead of him and took off to back where they came from.

She was both terrified and furious as she took off after him and the other two ran as well from the pursuing spirit.

"That thing can't hurt us right?" Ruff asked.

"I wouldn't count on its inability!" Hiccup replied as they all ran, turning to go through the pathway that Hiccup had suggested to go through before. And when they did this, Ruffnut slipped on the stone floor where there was condensation from above, landing on her face as the ghostly pursuer caught up and attempted to strike her down. But Snotlout threw himself over her at the last second to absorb the blow as Ruarrc used his sword to block the attack but his weapon slid right through the phantom and the spirit disappeared into the air slowly like smoke in a windy forest.

Ruffnut couldn't see anything until she got her face off the stone, her chin bleeding a little as she had skinned it. But to her shock she watched Snotlout get off her and widened her eyes at this.

[GEM]

He just seemed uncomfortable and avoided eye contact as he stood up... hesitated as he cleared his throat... and left to continue down the new pathway.

Hiccup kept a smile at bay when he watched this exchange but he helped Ruff to her feet before they followed after him again, trying to make sense of this upside down maze...

And now they had ghosts chasing them... lovely.

The maze was beginning to get darker and deeper, the sounds of swinging blades nearby making Moira's skin crawl and she wondered if her companions had to go through that... or if she and Uriah had to. But it added an eerie soundscape to this dreary dank underground labyrinth. The two remained close together as they wandered through the hallways, taking another left but that's when Uriah's arm came out to stop Moira as his eyes were fixed on something up ahead.

It was another phantom.

[MELODY]

Moira froze again in fear when she saw it being reminded of the other one before. "Great..this is just great.." she mumbled watching it nervously wondering if it would charge at them and where they would go now.

[GEM]

"Backwards. Go!" her companion said with a hand at her back to turn her around, beginning to run the way they came instead. "The second hallway on your right!"

[MELODY]

Moira started running when he told her to going the way he told her to. What were these things? Were they ghosts? Some kind of dark magic? Some illusion?

[GEM]

Uriah could feel those things chasing him and it instantly made him protective of her even if he thought that the creature wasn't going to harm them. Maybe it was there to scare them? Maybe it was there for them only as it revealed spiritual truths about choosing certain pathways to go down and therefore guiding them towards the way out... He couldn't really think about it well as his eyes scanned for a corridor that they hadn't tried yet.

Seeing a door, he stopped and opened it quickly, watching that thing get closer as the door didn't open. So he tried one of the three levers beside it, guessing with the last one but instead getting darts that shot from the wall, forcing them to stick to the door to avoid them as the phantom got closer with a spear wielded. But Uriah tried to next lever and shoved his body through the door with his arm around Moira protectively until they were through and he closed it, shutting that thing out.

He was beginning to get nervous and wanted out of here fast, his heart pounding and his breathing heavy.

[MELODY]

Moira was catching her breath as well as she held onto his arm, not planning on letting go now. She was trembling slightly but tried to not let the fear take over again as slowly the doubt creeped in if they ever would find their way out of there.

Nov 9, 2023, 4:27 PM

[GEM]

Uriah looked at the sweet girl on his arm and drew in a slow breath through his nose, putting on his bravest face as he took it upon himself to get her out of here alive no matter what it took. He ignored the bones in the corner that were crushed from a past rockslide trap and continued forward, keeping Moira close as he pushed his fears away as far as he could to pursue their escape.

"I don't care what your mother told you about crickets! My instincts trump yours!" Arne shouted at Gregor.

"You didn't even see that tidal wave coming in during the black raid!" Gregor argued back.

"Yes I did! But I was too busy being chocked to death by pirates!"

"You seriously think this is a relevant conversation to be having right now?" Astrid added.

"No, no, he makes a good point," Tuffnut said with thought.

As they all bickered back and forth, Faelan patiently watched the timer tick down as it got closer and closer to zero. They had already restarted the countdown two more times to figure out what to do but he wanted to know what would happen if it ran out, leaning casually against the pillar the button was on while he watched.

When a loud clicking sound and a vibration got their attention away from the argument, they all looked over at the wall that was sliding open for them to escape, glancing back at the empty spots on the finished countdown...

"...Oh," Gregor said as he scratched the back of his neck.

Faelan whistled and got up to walk out, being the first to do so as the rest followed with hesitation.

Hiccup and his group ran through the cramped hallways, turning left and right, and jumping over pressure plates and trip wires, trying to find their way out. When they came upon a door, Ruarrc opened it immediately to reveal a wall behind it. Rolling his eyes, he closed it and continued down the hall.

Snotlout came up and opened it again and the rest stopped to look at him with confusion.

"What are you doing?" Ruffnut asked with a skeptical look.

"Hey, those other doors a few rooms down changed after a few times opening them remember?" he told her.

"We don't have time for this, get your arse into a sprint or I'll give you a reason to run," Ruarrc threatened as his patience was severely tested, already done with all of this and out of alcohol to get him through it.

"Ghost!" Ruffnut shouted.

"Run!" Hiccup urged and they all did so, sprinting down the hallway and turning left to avoid it. But as they ran, finding the ways to turn, Hiccup's metal leg slipped on the border of a trap door and fell, his body hitting the wooden plank before it opened under him and he grabbed the edge of the floor to keep from falling, his legs dangling.

But Snotlout and Ruarrc grabbed the boy and yanked him, being both pretty large men, as they kept him from being lost forever and continued to run from the dark spirit chasing them. 

Uriah kept an even pace as he and Moira trekked through the tunnels, finding more doors that lined the hallway they turned to. He began to open each one but didn't question one that led them onward, not even sure if they were headed in the right direction at all but how could one ever be sure here?

Both he and Moira felt eyes on them constantly, a dark presence in every direction. This was confirmed when they saw another one of those phantoms appear down a straight corridor, forcing them to run left instead of right at the fork and pick up the pace.

[MELODY]

"I am sure that they appear more frequently now!" Moira said stressed as she glanced over her shoulder at the phantom as she ran together with Uriah. "We must be coming closer to something..important?" She said uncertain of her own theory.

Nov 9, 2023, 5:01 PM

[GEM]

"Let's hope!" he said through his teeth, determined to get through this as he kept jogging forward.

"I can't see anything!" Gregor complained.

"Who cares? Just run!" Astrid told him.

"Stop!" Hiccup said as the group halted on his command. "Do you hear that?" he asked, listening attentively to the sounds that were occurring above them.

"Get that door open!" Tuffnut shouted.

"I'm trying! It's locked!" Faelan responded as he fiddled with the bolts.

"Argh!" Gregor cried and shoved his way through as he broke the hinges with his axe and the whole party fell.

All of them fell right atop Hiccup, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Ruarrc.

"Ow!" Arne complained loudly as the whole group was now in a tangled mess on the floor.

"What the Hel?" Tuffnut rubbed his head.

"Oh my gods, Hiccup!" Astrid realized and threw herself onto him, wrapping her arms around him desperately.

The others began to get up and help one another off the floor.

"What are the odds that that door would lead us to you?" Gregor said hopefully.

"Small but we seem to always defeat odds," Faelan commented, holding his arm from where Gregor smashed it with his body.

"I would have preferred that to have been a bit smoother but nothing I ask for ever comes true," Arne said as he dusted himself off, his ankle hurting from how he had landed on it.

"Walk now. Hug and complain later," Ruarrc told them as he kept his attention on this maze, shoving Arne along.

Uriah jumped over an opening in the ground that led into a black abyss, the smell of death emanating from the holes as he did this, Moira following. And they hurried along after dodging these and taking paths through random hallways that appeared in front of them, avoiding the ones that held those dark figures.

The more they ran the more those things appeared, their presence making Moira feel weighed down, those whispers coming back to torment her as Uriah got more and more frustrated with how endless this labyrinth seemed to be.

When one of those things appeared in front of them they nearly stumbled as Uriah pulled his firefly to the right, running fast and nearly hitting the wall with his shoulder when they continued through the tangled mess of hallways.

Moira almost wanted to shut her eyes as fear was taking over her boy completely, her heart racing and her mind clouded beyond comprehension. It felt like...

It almost felt like those spirits were laughing at how frightened she was... mocking her.

She felt an anger rise in her at this.

"This way!" Hiccup told the group as they made their path through the left turn, the one opposite another hallway. But they had to choose one at random first.

Once they were running down it, though, they all stopped when a figure stood between them and the door ahead.

Moira's feet slowed and then she stopped completely, the look on her face changing completely.

Uriah stopped a couple feet ahead of her and turned to look at her with fear and confusion. "Moira," he urged.

But she stood there and turned to face the spirit that was making its way towards them with an executioner's scythe at its side.

She glared at the spirit and Uriah watched her take her dirk from her side, his eyes wide and brows pulled together.

Arne grit his teeth at the sight of this thing. "No! You know what?! No! Fuck this!" he got up and drew his sword, charging forward with a battle cry of absolute fury that everyone either was too stunned to react to or shouted warnings to.

Moira began to run towards the phantom that charged her down, remembering what she had on her side versus whatever this Loki had up his sleeve. Taking that courage in hand, she gripped her dagger and ran full force against the monster, letting out a viscous shout of bravery before slicing her dirk through its form, the phantom disappearing like a wisp in the air when she did, and she slid to a stop, turning to see the shocked look on Uriah's face.

Arne tackled the ghost but his body just went right through it, forcing the thing to disappear without the ability to harm them in any way.

The rest of their group dropped their jaws at what they just witnessed. Gregor was the first to cheer him on and he let out a laugh as well.

Uriah's expression slowly turned into one of complete admiration for the beautiful red head who had embraced the bravery he always knew she had inside. This act put him in his place. Here he was, feeling that fear crowding in on him, and desperately running from that evil like a dog with his tail between his legs. And here Moira was, facing it, like they should have from the start.

He was surprised but... she always seemed to surprise him.

"Wow... that was... that was a rush!" Arne said when he stood up. "That felt awesome! Do all of you feel that way when you do things that heroic? It makes sense now," he rambled on, proud of himself as he couldn't help but grin with wide eyes.

The party joined him as he celebrated this, Gregor and Faelan the most impressed as they knew his cowardice for a longer time than the others. But opening the door, Hiccup smirked when he realized this was probably the right direction for them to go anyway.

Uriah didn't say anything yet but he walked from his place to where she was, eyeing her with his confidence returning... and he pulled out his own axe as he smiled down at her.

Nov 10, 2023, 2:10 AM

[MELODY]

Moira looked at him giving him a bright smile back as she turned to look at the maze again. Those whispers had completely disappeared as soon as that phantom did. She tightened her grip around her dirk in determination as she said: "alright..let's finish this.."

Nov 10, 2023, 1:37 PM

[GEM]

The two changed their tactic as they ran down any specter that appeared in their path, only taking the hallways that they were trying to turn them away from. The feeling of fear that they had before had melted now as they ran through the corridors, cutting down anything in their path with confidence. And as they ran, they dodged and conquered booby traps any time they came across one with ease. When they found a long hallway of tiles that broke and fell each time they were stepped on, they ran hand in hand, keeping a fast speed as the tiles broke behind them.

The others were doing the same thing as they took turns running through the spirits while taking the hallways they came from and passing obstacles with still a bit of bickering but it wasn't as bad as before.

Eventually, Uriah and Moira rounded the corner of the pathway and found themselves before a huge doorway that matched the style of the one that they came through when first entering the maze.

They had made it at last.

Nov 10, 2023, 3:27 PM

[MELODY]

Moira watched the doorway in partly disbelief and partly relief. "We made it..didn't we?" She turned to look at Uriah as a smile began to appear on her face.

Nov 10, 2023, 4:30 PM

[GEM]

"Aye. And that wasn't too bad was it?" he looked at her with his hands behind his back, a teasing smirk on his face.

[MELODY]

"..near death experiences but oh well.." She said as her smile turned into a smirk. "..I wonder what is in there..and where the others are." She said before looking around.

Nov 11, 2023, 2:42 AM

[GEM]

"Probably arguing their way out right now," he admitted.

Hiccup was the first to stop when they found themselves at a familiar doorway, the metal wall that had once been used to separate them from Uriah and Moira now back in the ground as they stared up at the dark abyss beyond the doorway. It was the way back outside...

"Oh gods," Astrid said with realization.

When the others got there they made similar reactions, noticing the same thing about this.

"I told you we should have gone forward!" Ruffnut shouted to Hiccup. "We would have been out of here by now! But you had to go backwards!"

"Those specters were trying to lead us to the treasure after all?" Faelan asked.

"Yes because that's how Loki works. He's backwards. We should never have listened to him!" Ruff continued, blaming Hiccup for this. "He doesn't know how to lead—he's been a screw up for most of his—"

Astrid punched her straight in the face and she dropped to the ground in pain, holding her cheek.

"Hey!" Snotlout intervened and came over ready for a fight but Ruarrc was the first to put his fist on the man's chest to stop him with a stern father-like look of disapproval.

[GEM]

"Hiccup is going to be a better chief than anyone of us combined and none of this is his fault!" Astrid shouted at Ruffnut angrily.

"Where is the peacekeeper when we need him?" Arne whispered to Faelan about Uriah.

"Who was the one who said we should go left in the first place?" Tuffnut asked.

"Does assigning blame really matter right now?" Arne demanded.

"No, but it makes me feel better—"

"That's enough! All of you! I'm sick of being in this God forsaken place and refuse to put up with it!" Ruarrc said in a loud voice. "The way that Uriah and Moira went is available to us now. We take it and find the way out. Now."

They began to gather and do this as it seemed like the best option, Tuffnut helping his sister to her feet as she held her nose upwards to stop the bleeding.

[GEM]

Hiccup looked over at Astrid but before he could even say anything she gave a defensive look. "She asked for it."

He pulled her in by her waist and kissed behind her ear, forcing a smile onto her lips before she caught up with the others, making him the one to bring up the rear.

Uriah and Moira were about to walk towards the exit when Uriah suddenly stopped, his expression only giving a skeptical look and nothing else as he seemed rather unreadable to her.

[MELODY]

"...Uriah? What's wrong?" Moira asked him at a slight concerned tone when she saw him stop. She looked over into the exit wondering what he saw.

[GEM]

His eyes were merely dancing around in the space before them as if he was thinking about something and he looked over his shoulder at one of the various tunnels back into the maze. "I think we have to go that way," he told her about one hallway in particular.

[MELODY]

Moira watched him in surprise and disbelief. "What?..why? The exit is right here.." she asked him not planning on going back in. She had had enough of the maze. "Seriously..we can't go back in.."

Nov 11, 2023, 3:22 AM

[GEM]

Uriah was hesitant himself, not wanting to go back either. It made no sense to him. Why was he being called there instead of the exit right in front of them?

He looked back at her. "You're right. It makes no sense..." He sighed and shrugged. "But I'm going," he decided, knowing he had better follow the call rather than his own judgement. So he began to walk backwards before turning to the direction of his stride and calling, "Come on firefly!"

[MELODY]

Moira watched him turn around speechless at first. What the hell was going on? "Wait!" She said to him before grabbing his hand. "..what are ye doing? Why do ye want to go there so badly? The exit is right there!" She said pointing at the doorway.

Nov 11, 2023, 11:48 AM

[GEM]

"Moira, when the Spirit tells me to do something, I do it. That's how I live my life. It doesn't matter at that point of it makes sense to me or not. Because every time I follow the Lord, it all ends up better than whatever I had planned. You have to trust me on this."

[MELODY]

Moira hesitated not sure what was going on. His explanation did partly make sense and partly not which concerned her even more. "..what spirit? You mean god?" She asked him not letting go of him yet.

[GEM]

"Yes, Moira. The Holy Spirit. You're Catholic, you should understand this right?"

[MELODY]

"Aye I understand..ye just are not acting like yerself.." she said honestly showing her concern to him. She didn't understand what just changed by him making him turn away from the exit.

[GEM]

He chuckled a little. "If you think doing things that others don't ever understand is unlike myself then you don't know me too well, princess," he said honestly. Ever since he turned his life around he had been swimming upstream against the current of the world and the people in it. Doing things they didn't expect or understand was something he was very much used to. He had made plenty of enemies because of this; enemies who opposed the truth at every turn. But that didn't mean he would stop doing what was right.

He hoped Moira would understand why and possibly learn from this as he knew she was an intelligent and capable woman.

"Sometimes, Moira, we must follow the footsteps the Lord has put before our feet even when it seems mad to us. Let's follow and see why, yes? You've trusted me this far and I follow the Lord. So therefore, you should trust Him even more. Come on." He made a gesture with his head for her to come with as he kept his hand in hers.

[MELODY]

Moira clearly hesitated as she glanced over her shoulder back at the exit before looking back at him as their eyes met. She decided then to trust him as she held his hand still giving him a slight squeeze in it. "..Aye..that's true.." she said before sighing softly as a small smile appeared on her face. "..I trust ye.."

He smiled warmly at her and kissed the back of her hand that was in his before turning and following as was commanded.

Hiccup's footsteps came to a halt as a thought occurred to him. He glanced behind him towards the entrance as he remembered Snotlout's words: Sometimes the doors change.

Glancing over her shoulder, Astrid noticed he wasn't following them and stopped herself. "Hiccup?" she called.

But he just furrowed his brows and made the decision to go back, causing some looks to be exchanged in the group before they gradually followed him, Astrid first.

Uriah and Moira walked back through the maze in an alternative route, taking turns that Uriah felt he was being called in the direction of as the two navigated this labyrinth to an unknown destination.

[GEM]

When they came upon a ladder that led to a trap door above their heads, something seemed familiar. He let go of her so he could climb to force the hatch open, peeking out to see the first puzzle room they had escaped but the trap door he was using now was one of the others they never checked out.

He got up and dropped a hand to help her as well.

[MELODY]

Moira seemed a bit put off by going back into the maze still. But she did go with him trusting his decision and also didn't want to be alone. When he held out his hand to her she grabbed it letting him help her up.

Nov 11, 2023, 5:37 PM

[GEM]

"Hm... this looks familiar," he remarked as he looked around.

Nov 12, 2023, 3:16 AM

[MELODY]

"..Aye..unfortunately it does.." Moira said sighing deeply wondering why they were back there, just to remind herself to listen to him.

Nov 12, 2023, 1:54 PM

[GEM]

It was hard not to let skepticism come upon him as well, and wondered what was in store for them now. But he continued as he opened the door that led backwards and continued down the familiar route until they arrived at the doorway that led out of the labyrinth.

Nov 12, 2023, 3:09 PM

[MELODY]

Moira followed him all the way back then before looking at the doorway confused now. "..why did it lead us back here?" She asked him looking around.

Nov 12, 2023, 5:04 PM

[GEM]

She seemed to voice his thoughts out loud even though he was sure the call was coming from here, despite his confusion about why. Why were they being led back here? To the start?

He had to stop himself, remembering what happened the last time he didn't listen to God's call. So he walked forward into the darkness carefully, feeling the wall to make sure he wouldn't run into anything. But as he did he noticed something odd. It was the fact that the left wall wasn't straight ahead any longer. It was slanted to the right side now, as if the wall that was once on the right, turned to form a different hallway altogether.

It suddenly made sense to him in this ever shifting maze. And how else could they have known if they didn't walk all the way back? Clearly there was more than just evil that was guiding their steps in this labyrinth.

The long dark hallway led them to a wall that shifted when they got close, the bricks sliding up and down to reveal a room where their companions were talking, each of them turning to watch the two enter with shock on their faces and great relief.

"By Odin's buttcheeks you're alive?" Arne said and ran behind Gregor who was the first to hug his friend and Moira at the same time, way too emotional about it.

[MELODY]

Moira's eyes widened in surprise when the wall opened up like that but even more when their friends were there. When Gregor hugged them like that she smiled putting her arms around him to hug him back. "..Aye..ye really thought we died?" She asked raising an eyebrow as she looked over at Arne.

[GEM]

"No, we had faith in you two, totally," Faelan replied, getting a look from Uriah when he said that.

"Hey, let go, you're embarrassing yourself," Arne told Gregor when he smacked him on the arm and he released the two in response, Astrid right behind them to embrace Moira as she was relieved to see they were alright.

"I can't believe we all made it through that ripe Hel," Ruffnut commented.

"I never doubted my ability," Snotlout said with a shrug.

She glared at him.

"Our ability," he corrected as if he didn't mean to say the other thing.

[MELODY]

Moira hugged Astrid back as she rolled her eyes at Faelan when he said that. Although going through that maze hadn't been easy at all mentally and fysicly. It had done some damage for sure but they also gained more confidence and trust in each other.

Nov 12, 2023, 5:38 PM

[GEM]

"I'm honestly surprised this group made it without losing anyone," Ruarrc said plainly, his arms crossed over his chest with a skeptical look on his face.

"We only almost died about six times—" Tuffnut said.

"Sixteen—" his sister corrected.

"Sixteen."

Nov 13, 2023, 1:55 AM

[MELODY]

Moira watched the group after letting go off Astrid wondering what to do now. Did they unconsciously find what they were looking for or didn't they.

Nov 13, 2023, 7:34 AM

[GEM]

The room they found themselves in had only two places to draw their attention. There were two large chests sitting side by side on the southern wall. One of them was made of a worn wood and iron fittings, a silver lock keeping it shut.

But the second chest of the same size was made of pure gold, jewels embedded in the front panels. The lock on this one was the same silver as the other, but the gold was dazzling, the little light that was in the room bouncing off in a mesmerizing color.

The torches in the wall helped with the light as well as small hand sized holes in the walls up near the ceiling, much too high for anyone to reach.

[MELODY]

"Alright..so are we supposed to choose between those two?" Moira asked the others pointing out the two chests. She knew which one she would choose for sure but knew others here would choose totally different.

[GEM]

"That's what we've been discussing," Hiccup told her.

"Look at this thing! We can buy a whole island with it!" Tuffnut said with excitement when admired the gold chest.

"Just think no one else in history, except, like, maybe one person, has made it out of here and not with the treasure. We're just that good," Snotlout remarked.

Uriah frowned. He didn't like that sentence at all.

And to top it, that's when the stones behind them closed, shutting them in.

"You had to say that, didn't you?" Hiccup said to him.

[MELODY]

"..alright let's think about this..why in god's name would we pick the golden chest? It is a test..if we pick the wrong one we probably die.." Moira said to those two idiots crossing her arms.

Nov 13, 2023, 8:22 AM

[GEM]

"Maybe that's what they want us to think," Faelan commented.

"You're just saying that because you're a kleptomaniac," Uriah told him with his brows raised, his arms also crossed.

"I vote gold!" Ruffnut added.

"Good choice," Snotlout told her.

[GEM]

"Tuffnut, stop kissing it!" Astrid scolded and tore him off the chest.

"I think I agree with Moira," Gregor said with a hand through his beard in thought.

[MELODY]

"Thank ye Gregor." Moira said to him with a small smile. "So we need to think about this carefully..what is it trying to test us on." Before sighing seeing Tuffnut clinging onto the gold chest.

Nov 13, 2023, 8:52 AM

[GEM]

"Greed?" Astrid suggested.

"No, this is Loki. He's not testing us at all. All Loki does is mess with people," Hiccup said.

"But then which one is it, Haddock?" Ruarrc told him.

"I don't know. But we probably shouldn't touch anything," he added, looking directly at Faelan who was about to pick the lock on the wooden chest, stopping and looking guilty before backing up.

[MELODY]

Moira observed both chests while the other were discussing what to do trying to find any kind of clue on what they should do.

[GEM]

The golden one was sealed shut, a few cob webs and dust covering the outside as the other two as much the same. But inside the wooden chest, Moira could see a faint light coming from whatever was within.

[MELODY]

Moira raised an eyebrow seeing that as it sparked her curiosity. She wondered what was inside now. "..does anyone else see a light coming from within that chest?"

[GEM]

This caught the interest of Faelan, Uriah, Ruarrc, and Hiccup as the others were too busy arguing.

Faelan was the first to hop over to observe it himself and he grinned. "Well good eye there, lassie," he complimented.

"Is that what we're here for?" Ruarrc asked, his brow always set in skepticism.

"Might be," Uriah replied.

[MELODY]

"..I guess we have nothing to lose but our lives so let's open it I guess.." Moira said suddenly very dryly out of nowhere.

[GEM]

"That's the spirit," Faelan said in a peppy tone before he got his lockpick back out to break into the chest.

"I think it's a trap," Hiccup said with stress, putting his hands on either of his temples.

"We have to try something," Ruarrc said, losing patience.

"No but if this chest is so obviously the 'right choice'," he said as he pointed to the golden chest. "Then that means this one is the slightly less obvious choice given the other one stands out as right so much. But that means that this one is no longer the right choice because Loki would have anticipated that. He's not trying to teach us a lesson about greed he's trying to get us to slip up so we get killed like everyone else."

Nov 13, 2023, 10:01 AM

[GEM]

"Oh you're giving me a headache lad," Ruarrc sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, done with all of this.

A breaking sound got their attention and Faelan looked down to see his lockpick had been melted off by the lock...

"I told you not to pick it you idiot," Arne said to him.

"No you didn't, Hiccup did," Astrid defended.

"I thought it in my head."

[MELODY]

"..well this is great.." Moira stated watching Faelan's lockpick getting destroyed. It made her wonder what was inside it that opening it would be so difficult.

[GEM]

"Now how are we going to get them open?" Arne demanded, throwing his arms up in defeat.

That's when they heard a loud click. And turning to look behind them, they saw a metal chute open from the wall, dumping hundreds of identical silver keys onto the floor that matched both locks...

[MELODY]

Moira's eyes widened when she saw the amount of keys. "Oh ye got to be kidding.." she said groaning. She did however walk over to them kneeling down to take a closer look.

Nov 13, 2023, 11:00 AM

[GEM]

"Maybe I should just stop talking," Arne commented as he scratched the back of his head

"Yeah but you won't," Astrid mumbled.