The Spider Queen

The temple at least from the outside did not look as though it would take one several hours to walk from one end to the other.

And yet as Sophie and her companions wandered through what seemed to be an endless labyrinth of long narrow corridors… it felt as though they would never escape.

They were trapped inside. Never to see the outside world ever again.

What made the situation even worse was the fact that the air was musty and damp.

Sophie's golden eyes could easily see through the darkness, but it helped that the torches on the walls provided some light.

The interior of the temple was composed entirely of stone. Strangely enough there were tiny white mushrooms growing out from cracks in the tiles.

These mushrooms did not appear to be dangerous, but they emitted a foul odour that made Sophie's nose wrinkle.

"How long have we been walking for?" Rachel asked tiredly as she stretched out her arms and let out a small yawn.

"Around five hours so far…" Cleo replied quietly after glancing at her wrist communicator.

Five hours?

Sophie frowned slightly as she extended her senses and tried to detect any hidden threats or opportunities hidden in the darkness.

After the initial volley of arrows when she first stepped into the temple, there had been no more traps.

Just… walking… walking… and more walking.

Step by step through identical looking corridors. Even Sophie had to admit that she was feeling a little bit bored.

"Want to play a game?" Rachel's voice interrupted the quiet mood.

"Sure…" Sophie replied casually.

"Alright I'll go first, Rachel excitedly spoke as she rubbed her hands together with glee.

"Wait… what are the rules?" Cleo interjected with a bemused smile on her face.

"Just truth or dare…. Huh… well I guess dare might be a bit hard to do here so… just truth?" Rachel rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she spoke.

"Rachel… did you forget that the tournament is being broadcasted across the Federation? Are you sure you want your secrets exposed to millions of people?" Sophie asked curiously.

"Oh shit! I forgot!" Rachel froze in horror as she remembered boasting to Sophie about her exploits last night when she first arrived on the island.

Oh no… Bishop Walsh would not be happy…

"It should be fine if we just ask basic questions," Sophie consoled her friend who looked as though the world was crashing all around her.

"I can go first… so… who would win in a fight? A Mendolesa without claws or a Servie armed with a dagger?" Sophie whispered calmly.

"Wait… what are their cultivation levels?" Cleo asked curiously.

"No cultivation. Just base physique," Sophie replied as her lips curved upwards. Cleo and Rachel then begun a lively debate about her scenario.

Rachel was convinced that the Mendolesa would win based on their large size and animal-like instincts.

Cleo on the other hand believed that the Servie's high speed and small size made them the perfect counter since the Mendolesa would have trouble grabbing them.

As the two girls continued to bicker, Sophie suddenly stopped in place. She raised up her right hand and prevented her companions from walking forward.

The corridor had opened up into a large hall where three separate doors could be seen at the end of the space.

Above each door was a symbol.

The door on the right had the etching of a snake-like monstrosity with a large open jaw.

The door in the middle had the painting of a harp surrounded by gentle angels.

Finally, the last door had a question mark splashed across its wooden surface.

Sophie cautiously walked towards the three doors and noticed a small sign hidden behind the shadow of a nearby pillar.

[Choose]

[One door… one person]

"So, this is clearly a trial of some kind," Cleo mused thoughtfully as she stepped up to the doors and begun to examine them closely for any hints or clues.

"Monster… angels… and a question mark… hmm… sounds pretty shady," Rachel remarked as she unsheathed the longsword attached to her hip.

The blade gleamed softly under the light coming from the torches and a holy aura began to rise up around Rachel's body.

Golden marking appeared on her skin and the symbol of a cross appeared in the center of both of her eyes.

"So, who is going where?" Rachel asked softly with a slight reverb in her voice.

"I'll take the monster room," Sophie replied after stepping up to the door on the right.

She peered closer at the etching and the monster moved slightly as if it were somehow alive.

"Which door do you want Rachel?" Cleo asked softly as she ran her fingers along the door in front of her.

"Hmm… I'm feeling adventurous… I'll take the one on the left!" Rachel confidently smirked as she walked forward and opened the door with the question mark.

She stepped inside without hesitation and the door swung shut behind her with a loud and frightening bang.

"Well… guess that means I got the angels," Cleo sighed lightly as she pressed her hand against the door in the middle.

Sophie leaned over and gave her girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek.

She wanted to do more but… she was mindful that a lot of people were probably watching her right now.

"See you on the other side babe," Sophie teased softly as she opened up her door and walked inside with a smile.

Bang!

The door swung shut behind her and Sophie's vision turned dark.

When she opened her eyes, she saw herself standing in the middle of what appeared to be an enormous coliseum.

Standing in front of her was an enormous beast whose size made it appear to be a titan. Sophie estimated that it must be over two hundred feet in length.

She was no more than a tiny insect compared to its gigantic size.

It was a creature with a long and rectangular body… a bizarre shape but that was not the only oddity about its physiology.

Small holes could be seen along the monster's back and inside these holes were pinkish fleshy appendages that wriggled and squirmed.

The monster had two heads. These heads resembled the shape of dragons from the mythology of the Ancient Earth Era.

Reddish armour-like scales protected the creature and provided a natural defense that looked impenetrable.

This was the challenge for the first stage?

Sophie raised an eyebrow since she could not understand how ordinary second year students were supposed to deal with such a creature.

Fortunately, the monster appeared to be content with just staring at her… at least for now.

Sophie's golden eyes darkened and her vision rapidly enhanced. She could see a faint blue light coming from behind the creature.

There was a white marble pillar in the corner of the colosseum and wrapped around the pillar was a metal chain.

On the end of the chain was a blue jewel that glowed with a light with was both hypnotic and eerie at the same time.

Sophie took one step towards the pillar and a low growl erupted from the monster's throat.

Clearly it did not approve of her action.

The hybrid girl took a step back and the monster immediately stopped growling and resumed its docile appearance.

Well… as docile as one could get when they were a two hundred feet tall nightmare fuel.

Sophie circulated the qi around her body and activated her cloning technique.

Rsychosis!

Her figure blurred for a brief second and then twelve women with identical appearances to herself appeared out of thin air.