Elevate | ONC 2021

9. Final Pass

Sintra and Vante dressed in silence, their wet clothes clinging to their bodies from their previous adventure into death's oceanic domain.

It was a good thing Vante had tied the bags to the elevator rail or the ocean would have surely acquired new outfits.

"I hate caves," Vante finally said, putting on his sneakers.

"I have a question," Sintra ignored his complaint. "Why didn't you tell me that you knew what the next task would be and did you warn Jesse and Felix?"

"That's two questions," Vante countered.

"Vante.." Sintra said, her tone cautionary.

"I was upset with you okay?" He stood, slicking his damp hair back. "And I did warn those two. It's a good thing that resort had everything. The clever ones knew well to prepare."

"I could've died!" Sintra protested.

"But you didn't. I packed for you too didn't I?" He folded his arms.

Sintra was cross. This was beyond petty, even for him. She would've loved to be warned before being thrown into the deep blue but Vante, a man who was clearly great at holding grudges had kept that knowledge til the very last minute.

"Don't be angry," he approached her, placing his hands on her waist as he brought her closer to him. "I would've never let anything happen to you."

Sintra's heart hammered inside her chest as she recollected how moments before they had just been wrapped in each other's embrace— how they trembled under each other's touch.

She was angry but she couldn't stay that way for long, not anymore atleast.

"Welcome and congratulations, geniuses!" The automated woman's voice echoed for the umpteenth time.

"Screw you!" Sintra bellowed at her, upset she wouldn't hear her.

Vante chuckled as he let her go, picking up the emerald stone that had fell from her bosom during their heated moment.

She watched as he examined it, his eyebrows etched together in wonder before tucking it away in his pocket and taking her hand in his.

"Another level brilliantly cleared! I knew you could do it. Now for your instructions: Follow the scent of copper to a cavernous room. Entering should be consequential but once done the real task should appear— one that you must beat in order to retrieve your final pass."

Sintra and Vante's head's turned to each other quickly, their eyes twinkling with hints of excitement at the robotic woman's last two words.

Final Pass.

"The time limit is 2 hours. Outside your elevators are items you may need to accomplish your task. Good luck, Geniuses!"

Leaving their bags behind, Vante and Sintra exited the elevator, immediately enthralled by the walls of the cave.

Though the air was stale and the ground beneath them muddy and damp, the walls and roof above were iridescent, shimmering with colors of blue, pink and white that were illuminated by torchlights positioned a few feet away from each other along the track.

Sintra couldn't see how they hadn't noticed it before but then again, she'd been missing alot of obvious things these days.

Leaning on the wall to the left of the elevator were daggers, their hilts made of bedazzled wood and their blades shinning silver.

Vante retrieved the two jeweled daggers before twirling them simultaneously in both hands, extending one of the hilts for Sintra to take.

As she pulled it from his palm, she realized how cold it was, a stark contrast to the cave that was actually mild in temperature.