Chương 51: Who Will Watch the Watchers?

The group ducked behind an outcropping of rock and peered at the portal, trying to see movement inside or get Identify to kick in and reveal any players on the other side. >>We have another five minutes left in the room.

"What do you think?" George said.

"I don't see anyone on the other side," Cassie said.

"Let's slowly get closer and watch for an increase in threat level," George said. >>We're good. As long as we are here, no one else can come in. Max capacity of two players, remember. I bet someone could throw themselves against the other side of that portal, and we could stand there and make faces at them.

"All the same," George said.

"Easy does it." Cassie rushed ahead from boulder to boulder, and George crouched and crept behind her. She found a large rock with a clear view through the portal. In an otherwise dim room, they could see tiny lights like screens glowing inside the portal.

"I'll stick my head through and look," George said.

"If the threat level doesn't increase, we'll know it's safe." Cassie nodded and darted forward to crouch on one side of the portal. George put his head through the portal and then quickly pulled it back.

"Well?" Cassie said.

"What did you see?" >>It was just that crystal golem guy… Aeternum.

"He's standing there with his back to the portal," George said. >>Tick tock, team. We only have 90 seconds left in this room. We need to go through this portal or wait and see what happens to us when the timer on this room runs out.

"I think we go through," Cassie said.

"I still have my ability orb and can use it if the situation turns bad or your threat level goes up. But maybe we won't have to. I don't want to get split up unless we have to." >>Maybe we can go through it and jump back into this room? That will reset the timer and stay in this mountain room the whole Hunting round.

"I like the sound of that," George said. >>Sixty seconds.

"So that's what we'll do," George said.

"Ready?" Cassie nodded. George held out his hand to Cassie, and she took it.

"One, two, three," he said, and they both stepped through. Entering Hunting Room: Who Will Watch the Watchers? George watched for a notification of an increased threat level but none came. Aeternum, the tall orange being who looked to be made of semi-translucent rock, did not turn around when they entered the room. He was facing the screens with his back to the group, as still as George had ever seen him. The room was circular, about fifteen feet across.

The far wall was covered in tiny screens, each the size of a fist, attached to the wall There was another portal on the far wall beside Aeternum. Strangely, the view through the portal seemed to be scrolling sideways, as if the portal itself was slowly spinning. Through the portal, George could see a crowded room full of people sitting at tables. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. >>I think that is the mall room. I have no idea why it is spinning.

Weird. George squeezed Cassie's hand and nodded toward the portal at their backs. Cassie nodded, and they both tried to step through the portal, but they bumped into it as if it were a solid wall and got a notification. Denied: Single entry per Hunting round. >>Well. >>Dammit. >>Did not see that coming. Aeternum still had not moved or given any sign he knew he was no longer alone in the room. >>Any ideas, team? >>The threat level hasn't gone up.

>>And Aeternum, Lord of Rock Candy, seems not to have noticed we're here. >>We need to get to that other portal. —I have my teleport orb ready. >>Holy shit. Look at what is on those screens. >>See anyone familiar? George focused on the screens and took an involuntary step forward to get a better look as he noticed what was on them. The screens showed all the other players. One of the screens showed Lady Greesh sitting on a throne in a large stone room.

In another, he saw Pine crouched behind a low wall beside Top as streaks of laser light flew over their heads. The voidling was pacing in a circle at the top of a stone pedestal surrounded by a drop with seemingly no bottom. Urdo, the armor-man, was bashing the player who was the strange purple crystal that branched in all directions like a root system. Grey, the young wizard girl, was sitting in the center of a circle of glowing red sigils with her eyes closed.

Misco Narisco was curled up in a ball, apparently asleep on the floor beside her. There were even three screens—the ones for George, Cassie, and Aeternum—showing the three of them in this very screen room.

"It's all the other players!" Cassie said aloud, and then her hand flew to her mouth. She looked at Aeternum, but the crystal golem still showed no signs that he knew they were there. >>Let's get out of here. Maybe Aeternum can't move. Who knows? But we can't stay here. Let's just sneak around him to the portal and go through. Cassie tugged on George's hand. They stepped forward quietly. Each step brought them closer to the crystal golem positioned just to the left of the portal.

When they were close enough to touch him, he turned his head and looked at them. When his head swiveled on his neck, it made a grinding sound. They froze. George received no threat-level notification. Aeternum swiveled his head back toward the screens and then reached out and plucked one of them off of the wall. He held it out to George, and George reached his hand out. The golem dropped the screen in George's open palm.

It was a black cube—small enough to hold, but large enough that he could only carry one in each hand. It was Pine's screen. Aeternum dropped his hand and turned toward the screens again as if he had forgotten Cassie and George were there. >>Oooookkaaay. >>Crystal golem guy might be sorta on our team. Good to know. >>Umm. >>Anybody thinking what I'm thinking? Cassie laughed as she caught the thought. >>Cassie, do you have more room in your dimensional storage? Cassie nodded, still smiling. >>What's the idea?

>>George, do me a favor. >>See if you can pop another of those screens off the wall. >>Why? >>Just do it. George hesitantly reached for the nearest screen and placed a hand on it. He looked at Aeternum, but the golem showed no signs he cared. George applied a little pressure, and the screen came out of its socket with a pop. It was the one that showed Loveland walking up a long ramp in the Floor Is Lava room. George hoped he didn't discover the portal into the sand snake room.

Cassie held out her hand, and George gave her Loveland's screen. She twisted her wrist, and the screen disappeared into her dimensional storage space. She held out her hand for Pine's screen and made it vanish, too. George turned back to the wall of screens and realized what Nod's idea was. Around forty screens remained on the wall. Some were blank, and George assumed those players had been killed or voted out. He took another screen off the wall and there was still no reaction from Aeternum.

Then George and Cassie went to the screens and removed any screen showing an active player. George passed them to Cassie after glancing at each one. She sent them into her dimensional storage with a flick of her wrist. When they had taken all of the active screens, Cassie and George crossed the room to the portal, and Cassie waved at Aeternum, who watched them with a blank expression. They both stepped through the portal into the mall room with a shower of green sparks.