They enter the third trial

As Elizabeth and Chell’s eyes adjusted to the dark, they found themselves standing in a grand fighting pit.

The portal had spat them out without warning, the silver light winking shut behind them like it had never existed. For a few long seconds everything stayed dim, all they could hear was the faint echo of their own breathing and the faint scrape of boots on what felt like packed sand underfoot. Then the huge spotlights snapped on overhead, four of them, harsh white beams slicing down from somewhere high in the unseen ceiling. The light hit the five of them square and bright, pinning them in place like specimens on display.

The pit itself was massive. Circular, easily fifty paces across, with walls that rose straight up and disappeared into shadow. Every surface, floor, walls, even the curved dome far above was covered in mirrors. Not the elegant silvered ones from the earlier rooms; these were jagged, dirty and old. Everywhere they looked there were infinite reflections of themselves.

Roisin stood off to one side with one grey hand resting casually on top of Genevive’s frozen head. She didn’t even glance down at her old friend. Her fingers drummed on the golden scalp like it was a table she happened to be leaning on, red eyes half-lidded, smirk still fixed in place. Her leather outfit creaked as she shifted her weight, tail flicking lazily. She looked bored more than anything else.

Chell moved first.

She crossed the sand in quick, quiet steps, staff clutched tight in both hands. Dheris was still on all fours, completely naked, the thick leather collar tight around her neck with the chain pooled on the ground beside her. Her scarred, muscular body glistened under the spotlights, heavy breasts hanging low, broad back curved, ass raised slightly. Her red hair fell in sweaty strands across her face. She panted openly, tongue lolling, eyes glassy and unfocused.

“Dheris,” Chell said softly, crouching down in front of her. “Dheris, can you hear me? It’s Chell. We’re here. We’re going to fix this.”

There was no response. Just the steady, animal sound of panting and the occasional wet click of Dheris’s tongue against her teeth. Her ears didn’t even twitch at the name.

Chell reached out, careful and rested one hand on the warrior’s bare shoulder. The skin was hot, feverish. “Come on. Fight it. You’re stronger than this. You’re Dheris Firebreath. You’re supposed to be the one who protects us, remember?”

Still nothing. Dheris just stared past her, chest rising and falling in quick, shallow breaths.

Chell swallowed hard. She closed her eyes, ears drooping lower and lifted her free hand. Soft silver light gathered around her fingers, lunar magic, cool and familiar, the same spell she used when someone came back from a fight bleeding or broken. She pressed her palm to Dheris’s forehead and let the magic flow.

The light sank in, gentle, searching. It should have cleared the fog, brought back at least a spark of recognition. Instead the spell fizzled against Dheris’s skin like water on a hot pan. A few faint sparkles drifted off and died in the air. Dheris gave a low, happy-sounding whine, leaned forward, and dragged her broad, wet tongue straight up the side of Chell’s face in one long, sloppy lick.

Chell jerked back, ears shooting straight up in shock. Saliva dripped from her cheek onto her robe. Dheris looked almost proud of herself, tailbone wagging, before she dropped her head again and panted.

Chell wiped her face with her sleeve, voice cracking. “It didn’t work. None of it worked. Why isn’t it working?”

She turned back to look at Elizabeth.

Elizabeth stood a few paces away, guard fully up. Her petite frame was tense, shoulders squared, one hand hovering near her hip where her spell components usually hung. The two streaming orbs floated higher than usual, circling slowly, lenses catching every angle of the pit and the women trapped inside it. Elizabeth’s eyes moved constantly, scanning the mirrored walls, the shadows between the spotlights, the massive door on the far side of the arena that looked big enough to let a giant through. She didn’t speak. She just watched.

Chell wondered if Elizabeth sensed something she had missed. The rabbit girl had always been the quiet one, the one who noticed the small wrong things before anyone else, but right now she felt slow. Roisin’s new grey skin and glowing red eyes, Dheris reduced to this, Genevive still frozen in that humiliating golden pose with her tongue out and legs spread, everything felt wrong, but Elizabeth looked like she was waiting for the next blow to fall. Maybe part of her could smell the corruption in the air better than lunar magic ever could.

Before Chell could ask, a loud boom echoed through the pit.