287 Skollwood Adventures Part 9: Room Full Of Skulls

Upon reaching the final platform, she heaved a sigh of relief. She thought this was the last of the challenge, but seeing that she had not been teleported back into the maze meant she had yet another challenge to face. 

And she was right. She was brought into a room filled with rows and rows of skulls all neatly stacked atop each other. Small lit candles lined the stone wall providing minimal light into space. 

"This is the final segment of this challenge! Pick the right skull for you."

Vy was glad that this was the final task, but to pick the right skull would she know which one to pick? Without an hourglass in the room, this meant there was no time limit on her choice. 

However, knowing that other participants might have already breezed through the tests Vy did not want to waste any more time than she needed to. She went from one corner of the room to the other, carefully looking through each and every skull on display. 

Upon closer inspection, she realised that some of the skulls had drawn markings on them. Comparing some of the skulls next to one another, Vy soon realised that there was some form of meaning attached to the markings. 

Based on the previous experience she has had with the different tasks, Vy knew she had to use everything she is given to her full advantage. She looked closely on the walls behind the skulls, and the platform they were being placed on. 

After doing a whole sweep of the room, she concluded her findings. 

"The skulls on the left and right have markings on them, the centre ones don't. In fact…" she went forward and took a closer look at the skulls in the centre. 

She picked up one of the skulls from the left and compared it next to one of the skulls she found in the centre. It was difficult to tell when they were far apart. Now that they were next to one another, Vy realised that both skulls were in different shades of white. 

In fact, the skulls in the centre were extremely white with no blemishes or scuff marks one any sort. She weighed a skull in each hand. 

"This one is heavier than the other,"

Vy carefully placed the decorated skull back in its original position and placed the other one down on the ground next to her. Carefully, she moved the skulls in the centre away to the side. 

Much to her surprise, it revealed a key piece of information carved into the wall behind the skulls and a small trap door on the platform. The carvings on the wall explained four types of markings. 

Gold oak leaves represented glory. 

Green Laurels represented victory.

Red Roses represented love. 

Purple ivy represented life. 

On the back of the trap door panel, was a mirror. When was the last time she looked at herself in the mirror? She could not recall. 

Looking down at the knife before her, something felt familiar. For a moment, she swore that she felt her right hand went numb. 

She shook her head. 

"Focus, Vy, focus."

She carefully picked up the knife, feeling the weight of it in her hand. Looking back at her reflection in the mirror, she noticed there was something in there. She reached her hands in, but could not get past the surface of the mirror. 

"Maybe this is what the knife is for," 

Vy used the knife to smash the mirror. Her theory holds up. The cracked mirror revealed a space behind it. In it, was a skull. She carefully removed it from the space. The weight of the skull felt very different from the others. 

Something told her this was the right one. However, it was not complete. She picked up the paintbrush and painted a crown of purple ivy and red roses around the crown of the skull. Last but not least, she used the black paint to paint her full name onto the skull. 

Satisfied with her handy work, she placed the paintbrush down and stood up with the skull in her hands. 

"This is the right skull for me," she declared. 

In the next moment, Vy was back in the maze. The third purple gem piece was in her hands. Just as she was about to place it in her pocket, an announcer's voice rang throughout the maze. 

"It looks like we have our first batch of participants who have made it to the fourth challenge! Will they be able to pass through the gruelling challenge? Stay tuned to find out!" 

Vy bit her lip, she was lacking behind! There was no time to waste as she inched towards the finish line. She took a few steps down the portal when she caught a whiff of blood. 

Vy looked up in the direction which the scent came from. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw two participants ganging upon another, having punched the other person into a bloodied pulp. 

A surge of rage-filled her as Vy gripped onto her gem piece tightly. 

"What do you think you're doing?!" her voice roared loud and clear across. 

"Mind your own business," one of them replied nonchalantly as they kicked the victim once more. 

The victim coughed up blood, covering the ground in shades of red. She was not about to let this slide, not like this. Vy walked up to them slowly. As much as she wanted nothing more than to slash open their throats where they stood, she kept her calm. 

She simply got up close with them and punched them both in the throat. Her movements were so quick, you could barely see her hand move. Her sudden attack shocked the two participants. 

They grasp on to their throats, trying to breathe. They fell to the ground writhing in pain as Vy walked over them and continued her way through the maze. 

With some luck, Vy soon came upon the final challenge. A number of participants were standing around, unwilling to enter it. She got there in time to see one of the participants walk into the portal, only to run out just moments later. 

Since they failed to pass the final challenge, they were disqualified and taken out of the maze. From the gossips and whispers of the other participants, Vy gathered that the final challenge was a trump card. 

"I heard that the final challenge has not changed in the last century!" 

"Really? What's so special about it?"

Vy walked past everyone. 

All she knew was that she had to get through it in order to win the scavenger hunt. Although no one else had passed it yet, there was no telling if any one of those who was in there could be on the verge of making a breakthrough. 

As she stepped onto the platform of the final challenge portal, Vy took in a deep breath. Tightening her fists, she walked through it, disappearing from the corn maze once more.