My Shard Bearer System - Elias's Legacy
Chapter 103: Rug Runner

Chapter 103: Rug Runner

"Obstacle seven complete. Total time: twelve minutes and forty-five seconds," announced the automated voice.

Elias steadied his breathing as he entered the next chamber, immediately confronted by dozens of distorted reflections glaring back at him. The room was filled with tall mirrors, their reflective surfaces twisted, elongated, and fractured into unsettling patterns. The air felt thick, filled with a strange, unsettling quietness.

"Careful," Dot whispered, her small form glancing warily around. "This doesn’t look straightforward."

"Nothing ever is," Elias muttered, stepping cautiously forward. As he moved, the reflections shifted, warping further and obscuring his path. Beneath his feet, faint seams indicated hidden mechanisms. He hesitated, peering closely at one mirror; his distorted reflection hinted at something moving behind him.

Instinctively, Elias ducked. A hidden panel swung down from above, narrowly missing his head, slicing through the air with a sharp hiss. His heart raced.

"Great. Illusions and traps," Elias grumbled.

Dot hovered close, eyes sharp. "Watch the edges of the reflections—they’re not quite lined up."

He narrowed his gaze, catching sight of the subtle imperfections—the slight gaps and blurred edges. Trusting this newfound awareness, he carefully threaded his way forward, each step deliberate, eyes locked onto those tiny discrepancies. Traps triggered moments after he passed, narrowly missing him each time.

Finally, Elias emerged from the distorted hall, exhaling as the reflective walls vanished behind him.

"Obstacle eight cleared," the voice echoed calmly. "Total time: 18 minutes, 32 seconds."

Before Elias could fully catch his breath, darkness engulfed the room, plunging everything into complete silence. He froze, the only sound his own breathing echoing in his ears.

"Dot?" Elias whispered uneasily, the void pressing against him like physical weight.

"Still here," Dot’s voice answered quietly, somewhere close yet oddly distant.

A soft chime filled the darkness, followed by a calm announcement:

"Obstacle nine initiated. Navigate using sound and vibration only."

A faint vibration beneath his feet alerted him just moments before something whizzed past his head. Elias flinched instinctively, the sensation of air rushing past causing his heart to hammer.

"Listen carefully," Dot’s voice came again, steady yet tense. "Trust your instincts."

Closing his eyes, Elias forced himself to concentrate. Each subtle sound and tremor became clearer—rhythmic humming of unseen machinery, gentle vibrations signaling safety, and sudden silence that warned of danger.

He stepped forward cautiously, pausing to gauge each movement. The buzzing sound grew louder as another object zipped dangerously close, but this time, he twisted his body just enough to evade it.

With each careful step forward, Elias’s confidence grew. His senses sharpened, reacting purely on instinct, a seamless dance between caution and intuition. The invisible threats became clearer in his mind, each brush of air, each faint vibration guiding him.

Finally, the oppressive darkness lifted as he emerged safely onto a lit platform.

"Obstacle nine cleared. Total time: 22 minutes, 47 seconds," the calm voice announced.

Elias exhaled deeply, opening his eyes and adjusting to the returning light. He wiped sweat from his brow, relieved but worn.

"Not too bad," Dot praised gently. "You’re getting pretty good at this whole obstacle course thing, wish I could help though."

"Let’s not celebrate yet," Elias sighed, straightening himself once more. "Still three to go."

Elias stepped forward into the next area, feeling immediately disoriented as gravity suddenly tugged him sideways. He staggered, grabbing at the railing that appeared beside him just in time. The world seemed to twist around him, walls and floor trading positions unpredictably.

Dot zipped around Elias frantically, her voice edged with nervous excitement. "This one’s tricky—gravity is going all over the place!"

"Great," Elias muttered, gripping the railing tightly. His stomach lurched as gravity shifted again, this time pulling him toward what had previously been the ceiling. Without hesitating, he kicked off, twisting his body mid-air, landing awkwardly on another platform that had rotated into place.

Around him, several platforms floated independently, shifting unpredictably as invisible gravity wells activated randomly. Elias quickly calculated his next move, leaping to another platform just before gravity twisted again. He landed, stumbled, and nearly slipped but caught himself just in time.

Dot hovered anxiously nearby. "Elias, try timing your jumps between the shifts!"

"Easier said than done!" Elias shot back, grunting as he leaped again, narrowly avoiding a violent gravity pull that sent the previous platform spinning wildly behind him.

He focused intently, each leap and landing timed more carefully now, sensing a rhythm beneath the chaos. It was like navigating through stormy waves—dangerous but predictable once he found the underlying tempo. Finally, with a final burst of effort, Elias threw himself toward the exit door, landing firmly as gravity settled to normal once again.

"Obstacle ten cleared. Total time: 26 minutes, 30 seconds."

Elias exhaled sharply, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Almost there," he muttered.

Stepping into the next chamber, Elias heard the soft hum of machinery. Bright lights flickered on, illuminating a circular arena. In its center stood a sleek, metallic humanoid robot. It activated with a smooth whir, eyes glowing bright blue as it shifted fluidly into a combat stance.

"Obstacle eleven," Dot whispered apprehensively. "Looks tough."

Elias nodded, eyes locked on the robot as it moved swiftly into a defensive posture, its stance familiar yet foreign. Without warning, the robot lunged forward, its movements agile, precise, and fluid, mirroring a style Elias felt he recognized but couldn’t quite place.

He dodged quickly, feeling a rush of wind as the robot’s fist barely missed his head. Elias countered swiftly, throwing a sharp punch, but the robot smoothly sidestepped, responding with a rapid spinning kick. He ducked under it, rolling to one side.

"It’s like fighting a damn ghost," Elias hissed, sweat streaking down his face as he deflected another attack.

Dot watched anxiously. "Focus, Elias! Predict its patterns!"

He nodded, calming his breath, trying to analyze the robot’s movements. They felt vaguely familiar—a graceful brutality that he could sense belonged to someone he’d seen, or at least had watched fight. But there was no time to linger on that thought.