Chapter 311 The Trial's Completion

With his arms up, he openly accepted what came in the next moment: with a deafening orchestra of clicks, the crossbow bolts fired, piercing through his body in numbers surpassing a dozen. Multiple pierced his skull, skewering his brain, yet–

–This was the desired outcome.

Darkness faded in-and-out before he blinked a single time, finding himself back in the armory at the start of the labyrinth, clenching his fists before holding a triumphant smile.

"It worked!" He pumped his fist up.

At the same time, he could see through the parted doors–Blimpo was sprinting towards the armory with the key in hand.

"Smart thinkin'!" Blimpo called out.

"Yeah, I–!"

Just as he responded, his smile faded along with his approaching elven companion's as everything felt as though it was rumbling; the labyrinth was overcome with an overwhelming set of tremors.

"What's that?!" Blimpo reacted, stumbling.

Emilio realized it quickly, "--I think we pissed him off! He's coming!"

While the elven man scrambled for one of his gadgets, the worn Dragonheart huffed and took it into his own hands, making a pulling motion as he summoned a gust of wind right behind his racing companion.

"Wha...Woah—!" Blimpo let out as he flew forward inexplicably.Updated chapters at novelhall.com

Before the elf could faceplant, Emilio reached his hand out, meeting Blimpo halfway as they clasped hands, pulling his companion in just as the colossal killing machine bulldozed through the labyrinth's walls.

"Gotcha–!" Emilio smiled.

"--Ha-ha!" Blimpo couldn't help but laugh.

The final key entering the armory seemed to be a dormant trigger of sorts, causing the entrance to the labyrinth to abruptly slam shut, remaining closed even as it rumbled from the outside.

"Good riddance, you big bastard!" Blimpo insulted War through the door.

Emilio immediately let out a sigh of relief, "We made it."

"Yup!" Blimpo chuckled, holding up the black key.

A fist bump was exchanged at the arrival of their victory; perhaps even more satisfying than overpowering the entity was completely twisting the rules of the trial in their favor.

As they jumped down from the oddly-positioned door, with Emilio having to lend a hand to the scrawny elf, the two arrived in the key room once more.

"Been awhile since I was in here. I guess the cube really did reset since I was gone for so long...Different trials for different folks, huh? Wonder why we both shared the final one," Blimpo pondered, looking at the locked cube.

It only increased the higher they got; closer to the nebulous entity that inhabited the summit of the secluded realm, the more the snow fell; the more bitter it became.

So cold...I might be able to make it, but will he? He questioned.

Looking back, the sight of the once energetic elf, now struggling even to move one foot in front of the other, was one that invoked nothing but bleakness.

Stopping for a moment as he waited for his companion to catch up, he tilted his head up, trying to see where the summit sat; it was truly impossible to perceive. The higher they walked, the higher it seemed to lay, always vaguely persisting near the clouds of frosty mist.

"Blimpo..." He called out, perpetually feeling as though he had to catch air into his lungs, looking back at his friend.

Thin as a needle; oxygen was sparse the more they ascended the abnormally cold climb, as though a breath was never enough.

The exhausted elf looked at him with tired, sapphire eyes, drained of energy and partling his lips to respond before–he collapsed.

"Blimpo!"

Face-first, the golden-haired elf planted into the snowy path without any attempt to break his own fall.

Emilio dropped to his knees beside his companion, patting his back to try and get him to sit up, though it seemed the strength in Blimpo's body was fading far too fast.

Dammit...! He thought.

He rolled the slim elf over onto his back, seeing that Blimpo's eyes were half-way open and staring up, emitting low, hardly audible breaths.

"...My body's too weak, 'Milio. I can't move a muscle right now..." Blimpo told him, "Go on without me..."

Even in the After, it seemed that there was a fear of something akin to death for those that had already expired their lease on life; an eternity somewhere nebulous and hellish in nature, but vague to the Dragonheart.

For a moment, he felt those words were dire before he wore a small smile, grabbing onto the elven man's arms before hoisting him up, bringing him onto his back.

"You know that isn't happening, right? We didn't both just risk our lives to fall to a little cold," Emilio asked, "You're heavier than you look, you know."

Blimpo weakly replied, "...Yeah, I already knew that."

It was fortunate that he had the strength that he did; even if the biting frost had worn him down, with enough grit, he refused to abandon the man who had fought alongside him. Perhaps it was his own experience with once having a fragile body of glass in a past life, or the connection gathered through the sharing of dreams and experiences he had with his companion, but the abandonment of Blimpo was simply something as out of the question as his own failure.

"Left foot...Right foot...Left foot...Right foot."

Monotonous, he repeated the same words; it helped him maintain feeling in his feet as the merciless grip of the snow seeped through his boots, making him numb from the knees down.

At a certain point, all he could listen to were the frozen winds that sang in a melancholic melody, carrying himself and the weight of his friend up the arduous ascent; it became automatic for him, somehow finding himself looking towards the very end of the spiraling climb up the vast, cold territory.

"...We're here...?" He mumbled, breathing out icy air.

Dropping down to his knees to rest for a moment, he set Blimpo down beside him, he had fallen unconscious with reddened ears and a nose, though not in any danger of succumbing. He looked upon what awaited up at the summit; it was an entrance into a cavern atop the snow-filled, misty peak within the After.

This is it...? Is this where we're supposed to end up...? He questioned.