Max hesitated at the hall’s exit. The bugs were left far behind, but Max needed a breather to restore his energy. Max had sent some recon motes into the next area and didn’t like what he saw.

  The room resembled a brightly lit temple. On a central stage, another giant beast rested. Another boss battle for certain. This one resembled a Sphinx. It was easily three times the size of Sobek, and it had globes of fire, water, earth, and swirling air floating over its head; promising more power beyond its great physical strength.

  “I’m hoping that it sticks to myth and asks a riddle or I’m in trouble. If my trump card Chthonic attack is off the menu, then that beast could be a big problem.” Max said quietly.

  “[Ah, Max? We might have another problem.]” Mal sent.

  '“[What’s that, Mal?]” Max asked.

  ‘[Let me replay what I’ve done. I’ve been annotating the WorldMap and modeling the challenge dungeon. I’ve overlain Ethan’s tracker to it. This was twenty minutes ago. He exited his tunnel and entered the same Swamp Throne where we encountered Sobek. He just ran right through it and into his next tunnel. It looks like he's about to enter this very Boss map shortly!]” Mal said urgently.

  “[Really? Well, I’ll be damned. Let me pull up the Challenge notice again.] Max said, toggling his system.

  “[Damn it. I assumed Sobek’s fight would reset. Son of a gun. You said he’s about to enter? Maybe I’ll just rest a little more and see what the Sphinx does with him.]”

  “[That sounds super smart, Max. If it’s a fight, then maybe you can bypass it like Ethan did and then take the lead. Oh, did you hear that sound? Ethan’s coming.]” Mal said.

  Max was able to spy on the room without crossing the threshold and closing his retreat using his motes. Ethan cautiously approached the Sphinx. Like the last Boss stage, there was no exit visible, making a dash by impossible.

  The Sphinx shook itself awake, with an ear-splitting, roaring yawn that shook dust from the ceiling of the mock temple. It eyed the comparatively small human with evident hunger. It lunged, but the chain about its neck arrested its charge. It snarled, shaking the room. It bellowed.

  “Foolhardy mortal! Daring to enter the Paths of the Dead. Centuries have I guarded the Path. There are but two options forward, the path of light will take you directly to the Hall of Judgement while the path of darkness will punish the sinner in a much longer trek designed to torment the deceased for their unworthiness.” The Sphinx rumbled.

  “Ah, Great Sphinx! I’d very much prefer the path of light if that’s okay with you.” Ethan said nervously.

  “Nothing is free for the dead or the living on the journey to Sekhet-Aaru! You may fight me or correctly guess my riddle for the boon of entry to the path of light!”

  “A-Alright. I’m r-ready…for the riddle. No fighting. I’ll do the riddle. Please.” Ethan stuttered. The Sphinx’s claws pierced and snapped the stone foundations of the stage, but the giant relaxed and sat.

  "I’m tall and burn brightly when I’m young, and I’m short when I’m old and ready to extinguish. What am I?"

  Ethan laughed out loud. “That one’s easy! A man!”

  The Sphinx joined Ethan in his laugh. The beast’s roaring, ground-shaking guffaw knocked the man off his feet. “Stupid mortal! Always stupid mortals think that the heavens and hells revolve around them. The answer is a candle. You’ve guessed poorly. I grant you a Gift, carry it well as you won’t be free of it until you’ve finished your torment!”

  Ethan groaned as an enormous chain emerged from the ground and wrapped around his torso. The ground beneath him bubbled and frothed as he sunk into its surface. The Sphinx's booming laughter filled the hall. When Ethan disappeared, the Sphinx settled back down and closed its eyes.

  “[Crap. I don’t want the path of darkness. Should I try to follow him]” Max asked his daemons. Before they could reply, the Sphinx voice boomed out into the space.

  “Come out here, little spy. Two mortals treading upon the Path of the Dead in the span of a heartbeat, the gods surely do weep. Step out, fool. Let’s get this over with so that I may return to my slumber.”

  Max gulped but stepped lightly across the span of the dusty temple floor. He made a point to stand far to the right of where Ethan had sunk into the floor.

  “Sorry about that great Sphinx. I doubt I could provide a good fight. I too would like to pass. May I answer your riddle?” Max said with as much determination as he could fake.

  “So polite and yet so very small. Listen well, upstart. For when you fail, your screams will be the only voices you hear for a long time. Here is your riddle: "The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?"

  Max pretended to ponder as he queried his daemons. “[I've seen enough movies that this sounds familiar to me. Maybe time or memories? What do you think? Sherlock, any other guesses.]”

  “[Hmm. I don’t like it. Do you take time, and leave it behind? No. The same goes for memories. Both strike me as poor fits. The beast was quite literal with Ethan. I expect the same here. A metaphor may be beyond its repertoire, as it were.]” Sherlock said with uncertainty.

  Max rubbed at his muzzle, playing for time, eying where Ethan’s footsteps terminated into the spot of his removal from the level. Max squinted, seeing Ethan’s tracks going all the way back into the distant entrance. He spoke, perhaps too quickly, as it struck him.

  “Footsteps. The more you make, the more you leave behind.” Max straightened, and more firmly he answered. “My answer is footsteps!”

  The massive Sphinx growled deeply. It sniffed and sat with a thump. “Even a broken clock is correct twice a day. Very well mortal, away with you.”

  A staircase of light materialized as a portal opened in the tops of the vaulted ceiling. Max tentatively stepped up and finding the stairs able to support his weight, he raced up before the Sphinx could have second thoughts.

  Max walked through the serene white marble halls until he arrived at a dock with a barque made of light floating upon the air. Clouds filled the chasm that stretched out to the shadowy distant land of the dead. A cloaked figure stood at the helm, gesturing him forward onto the boat.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Max tentatively took a seat in the large craft, looking over the edge. The cliffside went down a long way. Max’s Exa-Vison picked up tiny figures crawling slowly upward and sometimes falling back into the abyss. He shuddered and looked up as the clawed hand of the boat’s owner was held out to him. His cloak had fallen back, showing the head of Falcon with a nimbus of light crowning him.

  “[This doesn’t make sense. Judging from this figure’s appearance, this could be either Ra or Osiris. Ra’s boat was said to cross the lands, both living and dead, but Osiris is the god of the dead and afterlife. However, there are no myths about ferrymen or payment needed in Egyptian myth. That is more like Greek mythology.]” Sherlock said sourly.

  Max felt in his pockets. He still had a few coins from the casino. He wasn’t sure if it might be a faux pa, but he paid the birdman, fearing the consequences of not paying more. The imperious gaze of the bird head eyed the chips. With a snort, the ferryman made the money disappear.

  Max heard it mumble under his breath. “It’s not much, but it's honest work.”

  The birdman pulled the mooring lines free. He pulled an ankh from his belt and waved it. The barque’s small sail filled with wind and quickly began traversing the void as a stately pace. The mists under the keel echoed with the moaning sounds of men and creatures far below.

  Max trudged through the waist-deep ash, using his leap skills when it got too deep. First the damnable slow boat across the void and now this. He knew most bouts only lasted about an hour to maintain the schedule and this one was supposed to be a race.

  He crested the rise and sighed in relief. A suspended obsidian staircase stretched out and upward to a large floating platform. A swirling star-shrouded portal of light pulsed in the air about 20 meters above the platform. At the top of the stairs, a large figure was seated on another throne. He recognized the large Boss as Anubis, the Guardian and Judge of the Dead.

  Max sprinted up the stairs ready to fight, grinning as he ran. Max charged the throne but found the air congealing around him. He spammed his hacking skill to try and control the foglets that started lifting him. He cursed as even his Chthonic attack failed. He blasted about him with focused EMP and he fell back to the ground in a rain of sparking foglets.

  “Hold mortal. You need not fear me. Fear instead for your own self and whether you have earned Aaru or Duat. Your heart must be weighed against the feather of Ma-At, the avatar of order. If your heart is filled with light and is worthy, you will be elevated. If you are weighted down with sin, you shall surely drop into the Abyss. Step forward onto the Scales and be judged!” Anubis’ voice rang out, although his avatar didn’t display any signs of life.

  Max stumbled upright, looking about the stage. The platform had a huge split, separating the staircase and throne from a large circular floor. The circular area hung suspended by a thin golden chain. On the far side of the circle, a massive feather rested. After a brief internal discussion with his daemons, Max elected to play along.

  “Great Anubis. I’m confident I can pass your test. However, my heart is still very much in use at the moment. How can I be tested?” He asked.

  “Worry not about your unfortunate living condition. My Scales will only measure your soul. You need only worry if your heart is burdened by sin. Step onto the adjudication plate and be judged or I will cast you into the Abyss by default.”

  Max cursed under his breath, not getting how to ensure his success. Mal whispered in his head.

  “[Think happy thoughts?]” She sent.

  “[I guess there’s only one way to find out. Fingers crossed.]” Max replied internally and stepped cautiously onto the plate.

  The massive platen slowly tilted and began to drift counterclockwise from his momentum shifting it. The plate must have had enormous mass as the drifting, tilting motion was ponderously slow. The Scales moved away from the staircase and throne platform.

  Max gulped as the angle of tilt gave him a better and better view of the swirling darkness and fog of the abyss below. The air surrounding the disc coalesced and began to glow, until Max realized it was showing scenes. Fighting scenes of him in the earlier levels of the Labyrinth.

  It showed Max’s earliest gauntlet fights; him enduring the punishment to keep fighting. The platform tilted upwards, the swirling portal to Aaru, getting slightly closer as his end of the plate angled higher. The images showed Max getting frustrated and cursing out Charlie after a fight…and the platform sank.

  His elation at solving the Myriad Paths and congratulating his friends for their abilities. Max began to hope, as the platen’s elevation increased. A little more and he might be able to leap for it. He began to prepare when a screeching noise, like a cross between a train and a tortured cat, grew in volume and proximity. Something was coming up from the depths.

  The mists parted, disrupting Max’s scene. The whole of the Scales shuddered as the glowing figure of a beautiful and serene goddess flew upward, followed closely by the struggling figure of Ethan who was suspended and wrapped in golden ribbons with his staff pinned up against his face. Her melodious voice split the wailing and rang out.

  “Lord Anubis! I interrupt thee. This mortal hath disrupted the balance of souls serving in Duat. He must be removed immediately!” The goddess spoke.

  “Ah, I see. Propriety within the realms of the dead must be upheld. It seems that with two mortals, I shall not need your feather. Please take it up from my Scale and these two shall see to their own fate. One against the other.”

  Max growled low as he recognized lilt and tenor the voice coming from the Avatar of the goddess Ma’at. Even before he could say it, Mal vocalized it in his head.

  “[It’s that bitch, Lachesis! She’s rigging the game!]” Mal sent.

  “[Damn it, I was almost there.]” Max replied.

  “[Focus, Max-San. That tea is already spilled. Your new challenge faces you.]” Musashi counseled.

  Max sank into a fighting crouch as Ethan tore free from his restraints and grabbed his staff up. Ma’at was already floating back down into the abyssal clouds, having floated her Feather off of the scales. The addition and removal of weights made the platform tetter slowly but dangerously, Max's claws dug in to avoid sliding.

  Max detected a slight smirk on the avatar's face before she disappeared. His PreCog skill screamed at him, and Max rolled to the side as Ethan’s K-Gun skill split the air. Max extended his Blade arms as he saw Ethan racing forward. Max blocked the staff’s downward strike and spun into the sidekick, knocking Ethan back again.

  The whole plate slewed alarmingly, as both players weighed down one end. Max leaped for the far side, catching the lip. Ethan slid but then stuck in place like a fly.

  “[Shit. Looks like Ethan has the Stiction skill too.] Max thought, then turned his head quickly as PreCog warned him, and a Strobe and Stun Skill erupted from Ethan. The massive plate spun and slewed, as the players tried to anchor themselves.

  Max’s eyes widened as the portal to Aaru floated above. He didn’t need his ballistics skill to see Ethan was almost positioned perfectly to make the leap. He split his consciousness in two, both his aspects working together to ensure at least one attack hit.

  One aspect opened the Tesseract and fired a sweeping Maser across the space above Ethan. Max saw him flinch as he aborted his leap, likely his own PreCog skills warning him off. Max’s other aspect flung his grappler, hoping that the less dangerous attack would be ignored by Ethan’s system due to the disparity of its potential versus the Maser’s high energy output.

  Max couldn’t resist a bark as the grapple sunk into Ethan’s back and he activated his shocking skill to add to Ethan’s concerns. Max pulled as he delivered a massive jolt to Ethan. Max spun around the hanging golden chain, intending to sling himself upward when Tesla interrupted his thought process. He instinctually dropped PreCog and spooled up fast time.

  “[Max! You must stop the Shock skill right now! It’s pulling all your energy.”] Musashi yelled.

  “[But I already did. It's not a continuous skill, but a single shot.]” His sensor could see Ethan’s uniform charring and his own energy levels were dropping precipitously.

  “[M-Max, your grapple must have hit him in his interface contact pads. You’ve created a short circuit. You need to stop it.]” Tesla interjected.

  “[Fuck, it won’t shut down!]”

  Max's thoughts raced as his sensor showed his augments draining into Ethan, his Power Core dropping all its charge into the line. Max could see the Core spinning. He’d seen this before; Shock resistance could recharge an augmentations power level. He needed to reverse it. He did the only thing he could think of. He activated his Cultivation skill to try and invert the spin of his Core, empowering it instead of letting it aggressively output.

  The flow of power reversed, and Max felt the pain of the electric discharge as it roared back. Ethan stopped smoking and fell limply down, as Max’s arms burned. He fought the flow but his cable was now glowing with power and getting hot.

  “[Max, your core can’t take anymore. I can divert it into the Tesseract.]” Tesla shouted. Max grunted in assent, and the hit cable caught fire as the pull increased even more. The greedy Tesseract pulled the power quicker.

  Max was startled as Ethan’s limp form jumped and spasmed. The power cut off and Max quickly yanked the grappler back. The platform slewed, spun, and tilted. Ethan rolled limply down the incline and flopped over the edge, dropping into the Abyss.

  Max yelled but the massive seesaw had bumped his end far upward. He was about to dive after Ethan when the glowing portal behind his back enveloped him and the tilted platform’s edge. The level dissolved at the system announced the results.