Ero Skill Tree

Chapter Fifty-Three: Stumble

"Don't step too far forward." Siofra shouted to Altria as she entered.

Altria, who was already being cautious stopped where she was only a few steps into the room.

"If it's the same as before, we should be alright if no one walks past the first three rows of tiles. Any further and it triggers the trap. We don't want to do that until we're ready." Explained Siofra.

The new room we had entered was larger than either of the rooms we had been through previously. The brightness of the room was because it was lined with white stone from floor to ceiling. It was still only lit by torchlight, but it made it appear much brighter than the other rooms. Upon further inspection, I could see that there were two gaps that cut the whole way across the room. There seemed to be a sheer drop and from where I was stood, I couldn't see the bottom.

"What is that?" I said, pointing at the gaps in the floor.

"Something we'll have to jump across, it's a long way down. No one would survive the fall, so we'll have to be careful." Explained Siofra.

"Well, what are we waiting for, we can easily make that." Altria said moving towards the gap.

She got about half a step before Siofra grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Hold on, it's not that simple!" Siofra warned.

"Why not?" Asked Lillia.

"Because the moment we step past the third row of tiles the trap starts. We'll have to time getting across carefully. It speeds up as time passes, so we'll want to be quick and not trip it until we're ready to move."

"I think we're all ready to move when you are. Everyone seems to have caught their breath after the last fight." Added Serin.

"It's okay Siofra, trigger it." Lillia instructed.

"Okay, it's probably is easier to see for yourselves than explain it. Just be prepared to move. The interval decreases every thirty seconds." Warned Siofra.

Siofra stepped forward onto the fourth tile. There was a loud swooshing noise and a giant axe swung across the room where the first gap in the floor was. About five seconds after that there was a roar as a jet of fire sprayed across the room in the space between the two gaps. Another five seconds passed, and a second giant axe swung across the room in the second gap, five seconds after that a jet of flame sprayed across the room in the final section before the rooms exit.

"We're going to have get across all of that?" I asked nervously.

"Yes. There is no other way to get further into the dungeon." Answered Siofra.

"That looks pretty dangerous!"

"It is. The axes will kill you. The fall will kill you and the flames will burn you to a crisp. You can't get caught in any of them." Siofra said elaborating further.

"Don't worry, you've got this Theo." Serin said reassuringly whilst placing a hand on my shoulder.

"But how?" I asked.

"like this." Altria said stepping back.

She waited until the closest axe swung, then sprinted for the gap. She leapt and made it cleanly across. Then without stopping, she ran across the next section of floor before the flame sprayed and leapt across the final gap before the axe swung. She made it cleanly across and sprinted to the exit. She made it there well before the flames spewed out.

I was pretty sure that Altria made it look much easier than I would find it.

"Thirty seconds have passed the interval is going to decrease." Warned Siofra.