Chapter 837 The Final Tes
Even after the entire simulation broke apart and the four found themselves back in the room where they had started to undergo the test, Daneel and his sovereigns could only continue to stare at Perfect who was breathing heavily, as if he had run a marathon.
His face still contained all of the emotions from before, but apart from that, one other had been added - peace.
It was almost as if this was something that had been eating him up on the inside, and speaking it out loud had given him a sense of serenity that could not be equated to anything else.
Yet, it lingered only for a moment before he realized what the repercussions of his actions might be.
He rounded on the three, but by that time, Daneel had managed to recover.
Frowning, he said, "We can talk about it later. Let's get to the final test, first."
Perfect looked into Daneel's eyes for a few moments, and although he didn't know exactly what he saw there, he gulped and finally nodded.
Following this, Elanev and Faxul also shared looks between each other and then decided to follow Daneel's words, which led to them walking to the door that had newly appeared in the room, just like in the test before.
It was the exact same one, and as Daneel turned the knob, he saw that they had apparently reached the same room that they had before after finishing the Test of Self.
Walking forward to the board on which the piece of parchment was placed, the four of them read it, and didn't know what to think.
"Congratulations on passing the Test of Bonding. The objective of the test is to expose just what it means to create a bond between each other. There are various factors at play, and it is only up to the participants to find out just what they are. If you passed, it means that you have seen into the eternal mysteries that surround interpersonal relations, and it is these relations that can make or break the World, itself. When creating a bond, it is not important to give exact details, but instead, it is those which matter, and which are required for one to be made that need to be shared. These even change from team to team. A word of caution. You might have done so out of compulsion to stay alive, and if so, you might be feeling a lot of suspicion right now. However, the Nightmare Dungeon suggests that you leave behind this feeling, as bonds created in this Test are often long-lasting. It is only mistrust between the members which causes rifts to appear, and if all of you can see past your differences, you will form something fulfilling that will last for a lifetime. The decision is yours. Step forth to begin your last test. Or, again, step back, and welcome death."
That last statement seemed to be some sort of a mantra of the Nightmare Dungeon, because it was using it quite a lot.
What was written here seemed to be advice that had been posted later on after spotting the same pattern that Perfect had seen in those who had undergone this test. So, the most interesting thing, was actually that the Nightmare Dungeon had called itself an entity when giving this advice.
If so… What was it?
Was this not just a normal test which they were undertaking, that had predetermined and preset rules and conditions that needed to be fulfilled in order to pass it?
Ever since they had entered, there had been clues pointing to the fact that there might be something else behind it all, but this was the clearest one yet.
Daneel would have reflected more of these things if he hadn't received the trigger from the outside. At the moment, though, he was only focused on finishing his work here and then finding out just who had dared to threaten his interests again.
So, putting all these thoughts aside, he walked firmly to the other door in the room, opening which he was puzzled, as it looked like they were once again in the maze that they had just passed to reach the second test.
Turning around, Daneel looked at Perfect with questioning eyes, following which the man said in a weak voice, "I guess we have to find the test again. Let's go."
A change had come over the countenance of Perfect, but Daneel didn't know for how long it would last, and just what kind of effect it would have on his psyche.
Deciding to think about the ramifications of what he had said later on so that they could focus on what was at hand now, Daneel nodded and lead the way into the maze.
Yet… In the next moment itself, he saw what was different.
Last time, they had come upon a small group of dogs which they had transformed into a tasty meal. This time, though… There were over 200 waiting for them just a few metres away.
Even though these dogs were made up of just bones and sinew, they were still capable of making all the sounds that hellhounds would have made if they existed. The low growling sound they made, which was what any predator would make before it pounced on its prey echoed throughout the narrow corridors of the maze, and for a moment, Daneel and his team and these dogs all maintained eye contact.
Then… All hell broke loose, as all of them jumped forward with speed at the level of the Champion realm, which led to Daneel and the rest understanding the horrifying conclusion that this presented.
They… Were going up against 200 Champion level dogs.
Even if they had a Hero in their midst, it would have been very difficult to defeat a force this powerful, so the only option left was to run.
There was only one way, so without hesitation, they took it. A passage was thankfully present before the spot in the maze where these dogs had been awaiting them, so they turned into it and started to run for their lives.
This abrupt change in the pace of the Nightmare Dungeon threw them off, but they could only care about going as fast as they could as they zoomed through the corridors and kept taking the turns as they came.
Still, Daneel made sure that he stayed in the front so that the others could follow his lead, and he also sent a quick message saying that Perfect should be second so that he could talk and have Daneel change directions in case he saw something that might give him a clue based on the knowledge he had gathered.
Admiring the quick decisions of the king even in such a panicked state, the four became completely engrossed in the cat and mouse chase that was like no other.
The dogs were tireless - the sound of their infernal barking echoed again and again in the corridors, and by one point, it even felt as if the sound was coming from within their skulls. Every time any of them glanced back, they saw these dogs even climbing over themselves in the eagerness to get to their prey and tear them apart as if in revenge for what had been done to their brethren, and this spurred them to run even faster and pull out each and every ounce of Energy in their bodies.
These were their original bodies, and this was no simulation - if they were caught, they were truly afraid that they would die.
While running, Daneel tried to analyse just what the point of this could be. Was it just to bump up the tension and then begin the third test? Or could it be something else?
Unlike the others who had to fully focus on running away, he had simply asked the system to give his body maximum efficiency while he ran, as he used his mind to think about what could be the reason behind this chase.
He could tell already that one of the reasons was that whoever was being chased in this manner would not be capable of making any rational decisions, because the fear of being chewed to a paste would keep them on their toes.
These were 200 damn Champion level dogs! Whoever had thought of it was definitely a sadist, and Daneel wondered whether he would ever find out who that was.
Putting aside such errant thoughts, he began to go through everything that they had encountered so far in this dungeon, all while keeping a close eye on the forks and the passages that they came upon to see if there were any clues that could lead them to the room like before where a test would be waiting.
Alas… No matter how much they ran, no such thing started to appear.
With each second, the situation started to get more and more dire. In terms of normal power level, Elanev was the weakest, as he only had his Fighter strength to depend on. Even though it was vast, it could not compare with the combined Fighter and Mage strength of the others who had broken through to become Champions, so soon, he started to fall behind.
"There's no time for beating around the bush. Faxul, help him. If you start slowing down too, take Perfect's help. If he starts slowing down, I'll help all of you."
Surprisingly, Perfect spoke up in a measured tone.
"Are you sure? You only seem to be at the Amateur Champion level, while I am an Exalted one. I have more reserves, so I should be last."
That was true, so Daneel nodded and they decided on that order.
Elanev knew that this was no time to complain, so he eventually relented to Faxul and got on the barrier made by him.
Like this, the group kept running and running, and the maze that had not seemed so large before now felt like it stretched on to eternity.
By now, they had mindlessly started to turn no matter how many forks were presented to them, but it always seemed as if the dogs were around each and every corner.
It even felt as if they were gaining, which led to even more panic appearing in the group. At one point, when they looked back, they saw that another hundred dogs had been somehow added, and the speed had overall increased.
That… meant that eventually, they would have no option but to stop and fight.
Was this why the death toll was so high in this dungeon? Was this why not many had come until this stage, as only death awaited them?
But it made no sense! Why would there be such profound tests until now, only to end in such a way?
Daneel kept pondering on this, and there seemed to be something eluding him continuously.
His biggest advantage was that he didn't need to control his body, and he used it to the fullest. He kept thinking and thinking, trying to catch that clue which was almost on the tip of his tongue, but couldn't be grasped as it kept escaping like a mischievous fairy in a forest.
Repeatedly, he went through everything, but even he started to feel the panic as he saw each of his team members get tired.
They were going at their peak speed, and even Champions would be tired out if they had to maintain such a pace for a long time. It was already his turn to help out Faxul, and mimicking him, he conjured a barrier.
Because of this, he had to slow down a bit, and Perfect moved to the front. This man was much less sure of where they were going when compared to Daneel, so he kept agitatedly glancing back.
Yet, all he could do was take one step after the other and keep running.
Wait…one step after the other?
As this thought came in his mind, Daneel was struck by an epiphany.
At once, everything made sense.
Hence, with no more hesitation…he stopped.
As he was helping Faxul and Elanev, they, too stopped with him, and they stared at their King with shock, wondering if he had gotten tired.
Perfect ground to a halt, too, and turned back to shout, "What's wrong? I'll help!"
Yet, shaking his head, Daneel said, "No. Stop. If you trust the bond that we have made, believe in me, and stop."
Taken aback, Perfect looked between the route forward and Daneel, whose face was set with determination.
His mind seemed to be in turmoil, but a second later…he made a sound filled with vexation and strode back to stand beside Daneel.
"I guess there was no end to this, anyway. If we die, we die. Gentlemen, it's been an honor."
He said this with resignation, but Daneel only got a small smile.
The dogs were already catching up, and in barely a few seconds, they would be upon them.
Daneel leisurely turned around to face them, and his team members started to ready attacks.
Yet, he surprised them again by sauing, "No, stop. Completely deactivate your powers, and just wait. Like I said, trust me."
They looked at him abjectly, but after that, they shrugged.
They knew that they weren't a match for a few hundred Champions anyway, even if they were dogs, so their actions had been pretty much futile.
Elanev and Faxul found confidence in their King, and although Perfect was close to despair, he, too raised his head in defiance one last time.
It seemed that revealing the truth really had changed him, as this was something he would definitely not have done before.
As one, the team stood together, staring into the maws of the dogs which gleefully accelerated on seeing that their prey was not even putting up a fight.
Daneel was calm, but the others braced themselves. The closer they came, the more the urge grew to run, but he said, "Steady. Just stay still."
They followed him blindly, because at this point, there was nothing else to do. Even if they began running, it would be too late.
ROW! RAAARGH!!!!
After reaching close enough, the dogs all jumped, resulting in a the passageway being filled to the ceiling with them.
The other three closed their eyes, waiting to die. What would go first? Their heads? Or would their hands be bitten off?
As macabre questions like these came in their minds, they did not look forward to finding out, but even as a few more seconds passed…nothing happened.
Slowly, they opened their eyes…and their jaws dropped, as they found themselves back in the spot where they had started the Nightmare Dungeon.
As a voice echoed in their minds, they all turned to the King with extremely dumbfounded looks on their faces.
"The Nightmare Dungeon has been cleared. Congratulations."