Charlie saw the grid of hot beams racing towards him, the lines connected through the glass. None of them were directed through the ceiling or floors. He had an idea.
He was a cool-headed wolf, but if he wanted to survive, Charlie needed to get to the door fast. The wolf turned tail and ran for the entrance.
He could see the others smashing against it with their weapons. Cracks were developing. A glance behind him had his heart pounding terror. It would be a close thing. The grid was hot on his heels.
Charlie sped up, trying to put more distance between himself and the grid.
Geoffrey stepped forward and pounded the door with a series of hammering blows. A chunk the size of the bear’s fist broke free and shattered on the floor. Charlie smiled. He was going to make it!
“Geoffrey!” Charlie screamed. “Your gloves! Throw me your gloves through the hole!”
Geoffrey paused, then quickly unstrapped his adamantine knuckles and tossed them through a hole that was already beginning to seal itself up. Charlie pumped his legs, sliding for the gloves.
Then he stood and smashed them against the glass walls, shattering the panels next to him on one side of the hallway and then the other.
The grid bore down on him. He cowered and closed his eyes as he felt the heat nearing his muzzle. Maybe this was the end for him.
And then the grid abruptly shut off.
Charlie’s eyes fluttered open.
The wolf grinned and pumped the air with a fist. He’d fucking won!
The trap seemed to have conceded as well. Lights shut off and the door sealing the hallway off opened. Charlie took his time, smashing every glass wall he found.
Then he kicked the door at the end of the hall off of its hinges and, content that it couldn’t just seal up again behind him, walked into the room.
It was small, big enough to comfortably fit the original party, though not if they tried to stuff the rangers in there at the same time That being said, the room was already occupied, or at least partially so, by two identical chests, both decorated with ornate metalwork, that sat against opposite walls to Charlie’s sides. Then, in the center of the room, was a large stone gryphon head.
It was obvious that one of the two chests was trapped, but the room otherwise appeared to be safe. Turning to signal his friends in the hallway, Charlie found himself staring directly at a wooden door – the same wooden door he had just kicked off the hinges.
Charlie sighed again.
He should have known better. It was the same as the glass door from the previous room, you could damage it, but it would just reform.
Charlie twirled around, tensing his muscles as he prepared to deal with whatever new trap this room had, only to hear a loud voice speak in his head.
“Greetings traveler! Don’t be alarmed, I bring you no harm.”
Charlie’s eyes darted around the room, only to see that the stone gryphon head seemed to be staring directly at him. It gave a friendly wink, and Charlie clenched his asshole as he almost jumped out of his shoes.
Charlie settled down, though his asshole began twitching and he squirmed in discomfort. Fortunately for him, whatever evil plagued his ass didn’t take long to quiet down, and he turned his attention back to the gryphon head, which seemed to be patiently waiting for him to finish with the preoccupation caused by his own, rebellious body part.
As if sensing that Charlie was ready to converse, the stone face’s beak moved. And while no sound came from it, the voice returned inside of Charlie’s head.
“I am Avarro, Builder of the Villain Ajax’s eternal prison. I detect you are neither Ajax nor one of his golems. If you are here, that means Ajax’s tomb has been opened and he has awakened. Before you are two chests. One of them contains a powerful artifact I’ve left behind. The other will make you a right and powerful artifact against Ajax. Choose wisely.”
The stone face returned to a neutral position and resumed its inertness.
Charlie frowned. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Make him an artifact? Like a dagger or something he wanted? He pondered the two chests and didn’t see a difference between them. And it seemed to imply that he could only take one chest.
With a sigh, he pulled out a coin.
Heads, the left chest. Tails, the right.
(FLIP A COIN. CHOOSE THE NEXT CHAPTER BASED ON THE RESULTS. OR, IF YOU FIGURED OUT THE ANSWER, CHOOSE THAT CHEST)