Everywhere around them had transformed into an icy wasteland. White snow blanketed the ground, turning the landscape into an endless sea of frost. Frozen icicles jutted out from every crevice, creating jagged points that hung from the ceiling like crystalline spears. A chilling breeze swept through the air, biting into their skin and making the frigid atmosphere even more unbearable.
"How are you guys faring under the cold?" Elora asked, her voice steady despite the frozen environment.
Jett gave a nonchalant shrug and a thumbs-up. "Not bad, actually. I've got some resistance to it, plus this jacket is really warm." He adjusted his coat, and the faint glow of his ability flickered for a moment.
[Body Heat]
Aiden, on the other hand, looked like a furnace. Steam visibly sipped out of his body, rising in wisps as the heat from his fire skill fought against the cold. "I can use my fire to heat myself up," he said, his breath forming visible clouds in the cold air. "But that doesn't stop my HP from ticking down."
"Same here," Jett added with a frown. "So we need to find the exit quickly. I'll walk you guys through this whole thing. The ecosystem will change soon, and things will get tougher."
Elora glanced at him, noting the seriousness in his tone. "What do you mean by 'change'?"
Jett didn't respond immediately, his mind wandering to the subtle thought that had been nagging him. 'In the game, the ecosystem changes every three minutes... maybe thirty minutes in real time? If that's true, I'm the one in real danger here.' Despite his thoughts, he kept a calm expression and continued, "The landscape will shift soon. Every part of this maze is alive, so we'll need to move fast."
"So what now?" Elora asked, her eagerness to get through this ordeal clear in her voice.
Jett paused before giving her a specific instruction. "Check your stats. Do you see any skill or title you don't recognize?"
Elora opened her stats window, scanning through the familiar list of abilities. "None," she replied, a hint of frustration creeping in.
"Close it and check again," Jett urged, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Elora hesitated but did as she was told, reopening her interface. "Umm..." Her eyes widened slightly as she spotted something new. "I see a new skill."
The description flashed before her:
[Snow Guide]
[The snow listens to you. Tell it where you need to go, and watch it guide you.]
[Duration: 30 minutes]
[Cooldown: 30 minutes]
She blinked, her expression a mix of surprise and confusion. "The snow listens to me?"
"Perfect," Jett said, his voice brimming with relief. "That's exactly what we need. You can use it to guide us to the exit."
Aiden, still releasing steam from his body, glanced at her with raised eyebrows. "That's convenient. So, uh, what do you plan on asking the snow?"
"Now all you have to do is say where you want to go. As long as the snow is touching the exit, it'll give you directions. Luckily for us, the snow covers every part of this maze, pretty nice right?" Jett explained, his tone casual but carrying an edge of urgency.
Elora took a deep breath, steadying herself. "Alright, I get it. The exit."
As soon as the words left her lips, faint footprints began to appear in the snow, as if an invisible person was walking right in front of her, their tracks imprinted into the frozen ground. The snow seemed to respond, carving out a clear path.
Jett didn't waste any time, walking past her confidently. "Don't just stand there. Follow it."
"Right," Elora muttered, shaking off the momentary awe and bracing herself. She stepped forward, following the footprints closely.
"Faster," she instinctively ordered, and just like that, the footprints sped up as though they were now running ahead. The path carved out faster, and she, Aiden, and Jett all followed, picking up their pace to match.
They moved through the maze, winding through numerous paths and sharp turns. At times, it felt as though they were running in circles, but the footprints never faltered, continuing forward with a steady purpose. Despite the growing fatigue, they kept up, the cold still gnawing at their health.
[Freezing Body]
A chill enveloped her, creating a shield of ice that protected her from the intense heat radiating from the lava land. "At least I can combat the heat now... but my HP keeps dropping," she pointed out, glancing at her stats as they continued chasing the fiery trail.
As they followed the footprints through the labyrinth of lava and flames, Elora cast a sideways glance at Jett, wondering how he was managing to keep up. 'Maybe his HP stopped dropping, just like Aiden's... but still...' she thought, feeling a lingering sense of unease.
After a few more moments, she finally voiced her concern. "Hold on... What about you, Jett? Has your HP stopped dropping?"
Jett gave a teasing smirk. "Me? Would it make you feel better if I said Yes?"
Despite his nonchalant demeanor, there was a hint of tension behind his words. Deep down, Jett felt the creeping threat of the maze. He wasn't as unaffected as he pretended to be, and though he maintained his cool, the weight of the situation wasn't lost on him.
"Please stop joking around," Elora said, her annoyance rising.
Aiden, catching onto the conversation, added, "Now that I think about it, you've lasted this long. Your HP should be back up by now, right?"
Jett sighed, his tone shifting slightly. "If you must know, that perk only works for both of you. Anyone else who tries to traverse this maze will have their HP continuously drained."
Elora's eyes narrowed, still concerned despite Jett's explanation. "So, your HP is still dropping?"
"Yep," Jett confirmed with a casual shrug, though the underlying threat of the situation weighed heavily on his mind. "But I've got it under control for now."
"Let's hope you do," Elora muttered, keeping pace with the melting footprints, her mind still racing with unease about what Jett wasn't saying.
"How the hell are you still alive!?" Aiden asked, alarmed. His earlier confidence wavered as he processed what Jett had just revealed.
'I put 500 points into my HP, and I'm using an item to amplify it, plus some other buffs... This is quite the gamble,' Jett thought. Then, in his usual laid-back tone, he added aloud, "I've got HP to spare, so don't worry about me. But heads up, it should be 30 minutes by now, brace yourselves."
"For what? Another change of scenery? That's barely a problem right now," Aiden smirked, clearly still underestimating the maze's challenges.
As if on cue, the environment shifted again, the oppressive heat of the lava land rapidly dissipating. The ground became blanketed in white once more, icy winds swirling around them as the maze reverted to its original frozen state. Aiden's skill went on cooldown, meaning no more footprints to follow.
Aiden stopped, glancing around. "It's just snow, nothing to be scared of."
Suddenly, a sharp whistling noise cut through the air, and an icicle shot down from the ceiling with incredible speed, narrowly missing Aiden as he instinctively dodged to the side.
"You were saying?" Jett sighed, clearly unsurprised by the sudden attack.
Aiden's eyes widened as he caught his breath, "I take that back. Elora, your place just tried to kill me."
"I warned you. It's only going to get tougher," Jett replied with a grin, fully aware of what the maze had in store for them. "After every cold and hot cycle, the maze introduces an additional challenge."
Aiden looked at Jett in frustration, his voice rising in disbelief. "Why didn't you put that in the disclaimer before bringing us here?"
"Well, excuse me for paying more attention to not dying than telling you something that obvious," Jett retorted, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "You really thought it was going to be that easy?"
*
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Your journey continues on mvl
*
The maze is just getting started.