"If you offer freedom then yours I shall take yours, and so shall that in which you wish to take" the Minotaur would bellow out to Ghost. With his words the Hydra they failed to kill would shrink. Choosing to spare the creature would cause the treasure it protected to become swallowed by the earth. The silver sheen would succumb to the growing grasp of the earthen tower. With that reward gone he would gain something else, the shrinking hydra would coil around the magician. It had constricted his arm movement somewhat but the creature would let out a loving hiss to Ghost.
While the serpentine savior had lost some of his control, his partner had a unique offering. The Minotaur closed in on them, a cloud of dust trailing behind the storm that he was. Asterios, as he closed upon Theos, would grip the man's hand taking the flesh of the Kraken. As he grabbed the object he would notice a strange feeling, one in which he could not place.
"An offering of your kills, an offering of all. So I take your bloodthirst, your intent to take." Asterios having taken his gifts would say
"You may take your offerings back early, but be warned, if you take back what is yours before it returns naturally then I shall follow!"With parting words of bovine fury, the minotaur would wave his hand once more, upheaving the earth, a snapping band of granite to sling the second group towards the center of the maze. The craggy catapult would thwop them on the rear end. Following in suit would be a firm landing onto the peak of the newly created summit.
Strangely enough, all would notice, there was no door. Then, like the first light of day, a door would form from the dust that desperately clung to the air. The wisps of muted greys would sculpt into a wide-open door supported by white columns. Upon the face of the door, blocked sections showed pictures of snakes surrounding men carrying urns. Gold inlay had been carved into each shape and person causing the figures to become more noticeable. It was clear how to enter the necropolis, but it was out of reach.
Before any of them could take flight, or even leap, the world turned on its' head. The sky was now down and the smirking face of the minotaur would stare at them from above. All of the contestants, even Red. As they fell through, the whispers would rage through everyone's heads.
"Why are you here? Who are you even helping? Do you think fate really has plans for you beyond death, besides being a pawn? Please I know what you've done."To Hyperion, his voice whispered
"How long can I hide from the truth? Would Noir accept my brutality if it hurt those she loved?"Noirs voice concernedly said to her
"Is Mercy all I can, Will brutality isolate me from those I love. I'm already a chosen king but am I doing enough? "The voice of Ghost would speak knowing it probably wasn't the first voice to speak in his head
"Can I accept realties brutality, that there are things beyond me? Do I have the mercy to look at myself, to give myself a chance to grow?"Theos would hear his voice say
"Can I really accept the challenges to come, do I only know the moment or can I way these lives before I lose them?"While the whispers went onto others their travels would come to an end. Before them, a plateau of red rock would stretch. A red nail scratching the backdrop of the sky, looking off it dipped into a massive cliff. The ground was hundreds of meters below, it was down deep enough that eagles, nested on the sides, soaring down below them. The expanse below seemed to have anthills of ruins, they were minute yet they grew in the distance. The skyline of gold, amber, and rose would paint the way towards what seemed to be their potential destination.
Kilometers away the ruins only grew bigger in their sight, leading towards a great earthen pillar, of lime and salt stones reaching high into heaven. The clouds themselves were mounds of tossed earth, great gravel, and copper whisps. The great building, from what they could tell was supported by three great sculptures, those struggling to allow heaven to sit on their shoulders.
While they had time to take in the great picturesque setting, they would take in the sight of Vine once more. White granules would move beneath their feet, swirling and pooling the minerals would swirl into a twister that began to sculpt itself into shape. The salt rock would compress tightly until the djinn's face would come into view.
"Congratulations everyone! You've done fantastic in making it this far, and I see you've made some extra friends" Vine would say playfully in a melodic tone.
The graceful form of Vine now beemed at them once again, the djinn would continue to elaborate
"You've shown decisive action, you've shown kindness, and I'm sorry but now you must show me how you survive. The only thing we can trully control in life is how we react, and on our death beds we show our truest selves." Vine would further say
"For this challenge, you must escape the Kokkinomati, the great best of this Nercopolis. He represents the rage and fear of my people, he was once my greatest warrior and once of my closests friends. Seperatly, you will escape from him using one of those transportations that I provide. Kokkinomati will take a blood offering from the one of you four that comes last, or he will stop if one of you is killed or severly incapictated as long as the lust has been satisfied. You will have he choice to either ride upon one of these Kynigos, a stone golem designed for combat with decent speed." She would wave her hand over to the stone golem, it had a strong upper body resting upon a sphere which was its legs. There were four of them in total, each made of matching slate gray stone.
Vine would then gesture over to the edge of the cliff.
"Or you may choose to ride upon one of my five sons, they are powerful and they can cover more ground. However, they carry on their bodies great magic tools which can slow the progress of others. You can do what you can to use their abilties to stop anothers progressing but it does place a great strain on my boys bodies, they'll leave but how it does pain them. They shall appear soon, they're resting at the bottom right now, I must bid you all adieu so you can meet Kokkinomati." Just as she finished her explanation a thousands beads of salt would crash into the ground as a great wave. The white wave would wash over their feet leaving behind no real trace of the djinn. Quakes would begin to rattle the ground in which they stood, below the drop something began to climb, it was tearing apart the earth. Thundering crashes of washing earth would slam on the canyon below, the drop was staggering yet the crashing sounds flooded in. Then, in a moment a great hand would reach up from the edge of the plateus cliff.
The great cyclops stood 80m tall, he had managed to lumber his way up the clifface he huffed, he swelterted with rage, standing in the way of their exit. The great began to lumber towards them, as once again the whispers began to repeat what they said once before. Now it was becoming a scream, a torrent of self doubt and rage. It grew until the sounds of snapping bone, sundering stone and screaming masses. It was cracking the earth beneath their feet as the rage of Kokkinomati would become unleashed.
The great Red Eye'd beast would start to charge, it would not take him to reach them, in steps he would reach them
-SPLAT! CRACKK!!-A hand nearly the size of the beast had smeared the bones and body against the ground before them. The follow up crack was from the flying earth which would shatter the borgs of both Ghost and Noir. It had become a painting of sanguine and bone which melded into sickly pinks and muddied whites. The ground had not been shaking from the whispers rage, or the beasts charge, it had come from behind them. The whispers had died down, but they focused filling with rage and fear. It had becoming an all engorging power source. The whispers had finally reached Red.
"RAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHH! I CANNOT FAIL AGAIN!" The great Kokkinomati, the great Red Eye would scream out in rage. his body had warped, fusing with the stone below to become an amagalimation of earth and flesh. The sweet boy that existed before was no longer smiling before them. Red's gentle heart, his genuine but akward tone was gone. He only wanted to help, but that had died with his hope. He was not in the moment, he was in his fear, in his past which now blinded him.
Reaching his great hand into the earth he would pull out a great mace, he was no small beast, Red now stood 220m tall. He could already reach them, his growth had already killed the smaller cyclops and endangered the magicians. However, they had one brief moment, to either get on a Kynigos at the cliffs edge, or hop upon one of the 150m Titans that would rise of the edge. The sons of Vine, the 5 titans of her Nercopolis would rise. They had to be quick, for it was a long race to tower in the sky.
- The 5 Titans:
OOC notes: Ghost: You offered Freedom to the Minotaur, so he took yours, you can only use three abilties not counting scaling for the next 6 posts unless you take the Hydra off you calling the minotaur to you.
Theos: You offered the flesh of your kill, so you cannot land any killing blows for 6 posts, if you wish to follow through with any killing blows before the time is up Asterios will appear.
The race towards the center is 4000m, Red is now 220m tall, the titans are 150m tall but have tools on them which you will be informed of if you pick one, the Kynigos is only 4m tall but is very agile and can damage things. This part will last 4-6 posts depending on player ride choices and actions, remember filling the offering will end the chase early. THIS IS SOLO, MAGICIANS YOUR BORGS ARE BROKEN You have 48 hours to respond, if you fail to post within the time limit you will be subject to auto-hit. 
