MiraculousTale

Traps?!

Chapter 2:

"Wait, how long have you lived down here?" Marinette asked, trailing behind Master Furiel. He turned and gave her a smug smile.

"What do you mean, child?"

She recoiled for a second. "Um, well, you know... you seem like an older kinda guy and I was wondering if you fell in the same way I did."

He chuckled good-naturedly. "My dear, there is so much you must learn before you can receive answers. Such as navigating puzzles and encountering monsters."

Marinette's shoulders curled. "Monsters like Billy?"

Master Furiel nodded. "He isn't the only one you'll run into down here. There is a reason they call the Underground the realm of monsters. You were told those stories when you were a young child, correct?"

Her eyes widened and she nodded. "Y-yes, my mama would tell me the adventures of Bridgette to me when I couldn't sleep at night."

"Ah, so you know all the old myths. That's wonderful. Over my many years, I've discovered that those stories are the easiest ways to explain this monster-infested world." He stopped at the base of an archway and turned around to face her. "Now, we're about to enter a puzzle. I need you to follow in my exact footsteps or you'll trigger one of the many pressure pads. Understood?"

Marinette's heart pounded against her chest, but she gave him a confident nod. Smiling, he turned around and stepped through the arch. Once he stepped inside, the room lit up with a purple hue. Marinette gasped, taking in the purple pressure pads that filled the entire room. They weren't what she had been expecting. She had been imagining them like a dance game, but it was the exact opposite. The floor was lined with spikes, some so tall that they could have scraped her knee easily.

"Follow me," Master Furiel reminded her before taking an unwavering step onto one of the spikes.

"Wait-" Marinette cried out but stopped when she saw the spikes slip down into the floor as soon as Master Furiel put his foot down. He looked back at her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked like he was casually asking if she had cold soup.

"I... n-no. No, nothing's wrong," Marinette stuttered out. Master Furiel turned back around and continued to walk, zig-zagging back and forth across the room. Marinette realized she had to move before she lost his step pattern. Cautiously sticking her foot out, she stepped down on one of the spikes. A small section of them slid down into the floor without question. Taking another step, Marinette slowly made her way across the room, trying to remember the exact places Master Furiel had stepped.

She was halfway across the room when her guide reached the door on the other side. He turned back to look at her, smiling and resting on his stick-like cane. She was about to take a misstep, but he called out: "To your left, child."

He assisted her every time she was about to make a mistake, which she was both grateful for and miffed about. She was old enough to make her own steps. Then again, to him, she probably was just a lost child.

By the time she had reached the other side, Master Furiel was sitting cross-legged on the floor with his cane laid neatly beside him.

"Congratulations, my child. I am very proud of you."

Marinette scrunched her mouth up into one corner. "You were the one who told me where to go. I was just obeying orders."

"Ah, but that's the trick down here." He gestured to the spikes. Marinette turned, partly to amuse him but also because her curiosity was brimming. Her eyes widened. The path from this side was clear. It was as if the spikes she had stepped on weren't even there.