284 Skollwood Adventures Part 6: Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere

The sand of the hourglass continued to trickle down, she was running out of time!

Vy quickly ran over the newly lit pumpkin and swiftly blew it out through its carved cut outs. But the flame moved yet again! After a couple of tries, Vy was getting frustrated. Looking back at the hourglass, she did not have much time left either! 

What is she going to do?

"This isn't working! If only there were less pumpkins!"

Then it dawned on her. A coy smile appeared across her face as she picked up the nearest pumpkin to her and threw it against the ground, smashing it into chunks and mush. 

"It's not against the rules to smash them." she chuckled as she stomped on another. 

One by one, she smashed the pumpkins with great delight. After getting sick of stomping and throwing them onto the ground, Vy picked them up and threw them against the wall.Finally she had destroyed all the pumpkins in the room. 

The carnage covered the room with crushed pumpkin parts strewn across the floor and the walls. But the sand was still flowing in the hourglass! She had not managed to get rid of the flame! 

Where could it be? All the pumpkin had been smashed into bits, Vy was sure of it. Could her strategy have backfired? Vy looked at the hourglass again. 

Her eyes lit up. 

Vy threw her dagger at the hourglass, shattering the top half of the hourglass. She reached her hand in and grabbed hold of the small carved pumpkin. Back when the sand was still full in the hourglass, this small carved pumpkin had remained hidden!

Now that time was running out, it revealed itself! Vy swiftly opened its top and blew out the candle, there by completing her first task. The room instantly vanished from existence as Vy was teleported back to the corn maze with an orange gem piece in her hands. 

"Congratulations on the completion of the first task!" The same voice rang in her to congratulate her. 

Vy gripped on to the gem piece tightly as she walked down the steps. She carefully placed it in her pocket before making her way through the maze once more. 

"We have only just begun our scavenger hunt and we're already down from five hundred contestants to three hundred! Best of luck to everyone! Remember there can only be one winner! Good luck everybody!"

In the Spectator Arena, large boards with updated scores and live projection of the games powered by magic were on display. Lycster stood there, watching eagerly between the scoreboard and the live projection. 

All he could hope for was a glimpse of his sister on the live projection. When he saw his sister's name appear on the scoreboard, he beamed with pride and excitement. 

Aether smiled and nodded with pride. He knew Vy would breeze through the scavenger hunt easily. Even if she did not have her powers to back her up, she had her wit and her strength. 

The corn maze proved to be a bit of a challenge, especially with all the stalks of corn looking almost identical to one another. To keep track of where they had gone, some participants would mark the corn stalks or the path they traveled on. 

But with so many participants in the maze, it became almost impossible to tell whose marking was whose. Some even tried to sabotage others by removing another person's markings to confuse them. 

Vy decided to figure this out her own way, by relying on her memory and wit. She remembered each turn she took. This method of keeping track allowed her to swiftly reach the second challenge. The portal looked similar to the first one she had encountered. 

Without any hesitation, Vy entered it. She was immediately transported to a different plane where her challenge was waiting for her. Unlike the previous location, she was transported to a corridor. The walls and floor were all made out of stone and Vy soon realised she seems to be placed in a corridor. 

"Welcome challenger. Your task is to avoid Medusa, the one with snakes for hair, and reach the exit of the mansion," a voice whispered in her ear. 

-Medusa?- Vy thought to herself. 

Something about this felt familiar. Where had she heard of this name before? In the distance, Vy could hear soft hissing, Medusa was nearby! She looked around her surroundings and went in the direction she chose. 

"I can hear you meddling buffoons!" a voice screeched and hissed. 

It rang throughout the hallway, sending chills down Vy's spine. As she took a turn on the left, someone bumped straight into her. 

"AAAAAAHHH!" the person screamed as he fell to the ground, covering his face with their hands. 

When he realised nothing happened, he stopped screaming and peeked through his hands. Seeing that it was Vy, he heaved a sigh of relief. 

"Oh my goodness, I thought you were the Medusa!" he explained as he stood up. 

The man's expression jogged Vy's memory. A Medusa had the ability to turn any being who looked at her eyes into stone. That was why he was so afraid when he thought he had bumped into Medusa. 

"What's your name?" the man asked Vy. 

"Vyrena," she replied as she extended out her hand. 

The man shook her hand, "Michael, first hunt?" 

Vy nodded. 

"Me too."

Vy looked around, keeping an ear out for the hissing as well before turning back to Michael. 

"Have you found the way out?"

Michael shook his head, "I wish! But I think it's down that flight of stairs."

He was pointing at the stairs that were right behind them. Together, they checked to ensure the hallway was clear before speeding down the staircase. Much to their surprise, they encountered a few other participants as well. 

But before they could get a hold of them, the other participants sped off without a care. Michael, on the other hand, decided to stick together with Vy for better odds of getting out. As they explored the hallways, they noticed that each room had its own theme. 

Some rooms were decorated to look like waiting rooms, other rooms included a dining hall, the kitchen and a powder room. 

"This definitely looked like the ground floor, the exit should be here somewhere…" Vy muttered to herself. 

"Oh there it-" before Michael could finish his sentence, Vy quickly covered his mouth and pulled him into the corner. 

"What was that for?!" he exclaimed in a whisper. 

Vy's expression did not change. She knew what she saw. She had seen the back view of a Medusa.