January 12th, 1995
"SHIT."
"...What?"
"The door's locked."
Shen turned towards the two near the door of the warehouse with an unreadable expression plastered across his face. It had been 3 days since his meeting with Banjo, and 2 days ago, Banjo had asked him to come to the warehouse. He watched as the two others who he had met on the way to the warehouse, one a man with long blonde hair, and the other, a girl wearing a bandanna around her neck.
"You've gotta be kidding me." The bandanna girl stepped forward, shoving the long haired man to the side and taking a crack at the door, only for her to find that it truly was locked. Shen started to walk towards the two, clicking the pen in his hand to gain their attention.
"You two. I'm guessing you're also here for the job, right?"
"Of course, why else would I be in this creepy ass warehouse on a Saturday?" The man retorted impatiently, crossing his arms and scoffing.
"And the man who offered you said job goes by the name Banjo Adeoye, correct?" Shen inquired.
"What, do you want me to write it down? YES."
"And he spoke of a test to the both of you right? A test to find three strong allies suitable for the job?"
"...Ah...yeah, that's true, he did! He should have just said this was part of the test though! I mean, if I knew I was going to be locked in a warehouse I would have prepared myself for it...you know, mentally." The bandanna girl sighed, sliding her hands into her pockets.
Shen turned away from the two, walking towards a podium in which a stone tablet was laid upon it. He placed his hand on the tablet, and then wiped it, removing it off dust, and started to read the words.
"Well, if it's a test I think that we should start by introducing ourselves." The long-haired man cleared his throat. "My name is August, and I'm an archeologist from Germany. I can speak up to ten different languages, have uncovered a total of 5 different artifacts, by myself I might add, and once I get the job, the eyes of Moloc will make it six." The man smirked.
Shen and the Bandanna girl stared at him.
"...What're you looking at me for?" He tossed his head to the side, scoffing again.
"I just asked for your goddamn name, not your life story. Man, I really hope you fail this test, having you as a coworker would be horrible." The girl replied, placing a hand on her hip.
"Right back at you! What the hell can you even do?" August retorted.
"Well, if you must know, my name is Valentina Gonzalez, and I'm an archeologist from Spain. I specialize in navigating labyrinths, so I'd probably be a lot more useful for the job then you two." She shrugged her shoulders, pretending as if she didn't notice August's stank eye.
"Well, WHAT about you?" August whipped around towards Shen who was flipping through a small, black book in his hands with an owl holding an apple in the cover.
"There's no need for me to introduce myself."
"Wha?" Valentina glanced at August, who was equally confused.
"What do you even mean by that?" August took a step towards Shen.
"...Nothing. Anyways, take a look at this tablet." Shen stepped to the side so the others could read the tablet.
"This test is a test of teamwork. All of you will need to combine forces to leave this room. There are several key holes in this room, but only one will allow you to leave this room. Once you find it, open it using your zujj." Valentina read out loud, pausing slightly when pronouncing the word "zujj". She turned to the other two with a hand on her hip.
"What the hell is a zujj?" She asked.
"And where are the keyholes?" August questioned.
Shen turned towards them. "I suggest we take some time to better search the warehouse. Because of the dim lights, there are likely some objects we have not yet seen, like the keyholes." Shen proposed, before turning and walking off to the left side of the warehouse, leaving August and Valentina to search the right.
Pulling out a flashlight from his pocket, Shen flips it on, flashing light onto the right side of the warehouse, and finding several, oddly shaped holes, with each hole having a different sort of shape....
Shen bent down, inserting his index finger into one of the holes..and found that it fit quite perfectly. Additionally, there was a strange black line drawn across the room, diving the left and right side. Standing up again, he walked towards the others, flipping off the flashlight in his hand.
"So, what did you guys find?" Shen asked.
"There was a pipe coming from the ceiling with a bit of water dripping down."
"...And how is that relevant in any way?"
"Well, it wasn't just the pipe, right Valentina? There was the thing too, what's it called again?" August turned towards Valentina.
"It was a vase, a terracotta vase to be specific. It's Greek in origin, which makes it all the more odd. Why the hell would someone use such a fine thing to stop leaking water? It's...almost a tragedy..." Valentina clenched her fists, expecting comfort, only to find August and Shen staring at her with dumbfounded expressions.
"WHAT?" She snapped, causing August to jump back, and Shen to blink several times.
"That's it!" Shen snapped his fingers, breaking the silence that had followed Valentina's outburst, a grin on his face.
"What the hell are you doing with your face? It's....creepy." August stared at Shen, who had a strange smile on his face. Shen turned to August, continuing to smile.
"What do you mean? I'm smiling."
"Oh." Valentina replied, slightly shocked. "I didn't get the impression you did that a lot."
Shen narrowed his eyes, his smile quickly fading. "Stop commenting on my facial expressions. Like I was saying, I got it. When I was exploring my side of the room, I found several, oddly shaped holes on the floor."
"Imak Keyholes!" The man exclaimed, clapping his hands together.
"The Imak Keyholes?" Valetina rose a brow.
"They were odd, secret keyholes used by the Imak Tribe, known for being positioned on the floor! And the only way they can be opened-"
"Is by water!" Valentina gasped, and all three of them looked at each other.
"So all that's left is figuring out which one is the right keyhole...August, do you know anything else about these Imak Keyholes?"
"Take me to where you found the keyholes." August demanded.
Shen nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his flashlight, walking over to the right side of the room once again, and flipping the flashlight on, showcasing the keyholes off to the other two.
August bent down, studying the several holes in the ground, and Valentina put her hand to her chin, watching August work.
"Alright." August declared after a few minutes of searching.
"Alright?" Shen asked.
"What did you find?" Valentina asked.
"Nothing. I'm just astounded by this work of art. I can't believe that Banjo kid could replicate the Imak keyholes so accurately!"
"Are you kidding? They're just holes in the ground for god's sake, what's so cool about that?" Valentina stomped over to August, who stood up, glaring at her.
"They aren't just 'holes', they're a work of genius and art! Not like someone like you could ever recognize art, even if it slapped you in the face."
"Excuse me? How d-"
"I've got it." Shen clicked the pen he held.
"What?"
They both turned to Shen, who was bent over, inserting the lips of an empty water bottle into one of the holes, finding it perfectly fit. "I thought the keyholes looked familiar. They resemble the lips of bottles and vases, specifically those used for storing water."
"So what?" Valentina asked.
"So the keyhole must resemble the lips of that vase used to hold the water." Shen concluded. The three looked at each other.
"So then, that's it? That's the answer?" August asked.
"It must be, right? We've got it figured out now! We can get out of this creepy warehouse!" Valentina cried aloud. "Hey, do you think I should sue this Banjo kid for locking us here? I mean he must have money considering he can throw around nice vases like that for simple tests."
"No. That's not it." Shen reached into his pocket and began to walk over to the left side of the room, leaving the other two staring at him as he walked off. "We can't be sure if water is really the key. It said to open the keyhole by using our "zujj"."
"And what the hell is that?" Valentina asked.
"It's likely zujj refers to something that we had in our possession before entering this room."
"What the- oh, I see now." Valentina put a hand to her chin, turning to August, who seemed completely confused. Valentina sighed. "I guess you aren't all that great of an archeologist after all. The tablet specifically used the word 'you're zujj', meaning that this 'zujj' is something we have in our possession."
"And what the hell could that be?" August asked.
"Aren't you the one who knows 10 languages? Figure it out." Valentina sighed. "I have places to go."
"I know 10 languages, but caveman isn't one of them! I mean, what the hell is a zujj?!"
"...Maybe it's related to that Imak tribe you spoke of?" Valentina asked.
"I concur." Shen replied, putting a hand to his chin. "I hope, for our sake, Imak is one of the ten languages that you speak, since you know so much about them."
"It's...it's just..It's not my best language out of the ten I've mastered."
"Not really mastering if you can't even translate one word, huh?" Valentina mused.
"Shut up."
August looked at the two and took in a breath before walking over to the podium again, tracing the word zujj with his finger over and over again. "Zujj...Zujj...Zujj.."
August stopped tracing the word, his eyes widening. He stood up straight. "It..it means finger!"
"So, we need to use our finger to open the hole? The whole thing with the water and the vase was a distraction?"
"How the hell would I know? Kid, what do you think?" August called out to Shen, who was still on the left side of the warehouse, this time crouching. Shen slid something into his pocket and stood up.
"I believe I found the keyhole. This one matches the lips of the vase." Shen replied, now starting to walk over to the right side of the room, looking down at the floor as he did so.
The two turned, and then began to walk over to the left side of the room. "But now that we know it's not water we're supposed to use, how do we know if that's really the correct keyhole?" Valentina asked, and then bent down...only to realize that the "keyhole" was simply a sketch made with chalk.
"What the..what kind of trick is this?!" August turned around, marching towards Shen, who was now on the right side of the room, the vase in his hand. Shen flipped the vase and inserted it into one of the holes.
Sshk. A thick glass panel rose out of the line in the floor seperating the two sides of the warehouse, blocking August and Valentina off from Shen. Shen walked towards August and Valentina, a solemn look on his face.
"I win."
"What the hell are you talking about?" August shouted.
"What's going on?" Valentina cried.
"This test was never about teamwork. Only one person could pass the test to become one of Banjo's three allies, and that was me. That's why there was no need for me to give you, my name." The exit to the warehouse, which was on Shen's side, swung open, and the pipe in August and Valentine's side started to twitch, before large amounts of water shot out of it.
"What the hell are you talking about? It was in the god damn rules!" Valentina shouted at Shen, backing away from the water which was slowly beginning to fill the left side of the warehouse.
"Yes. They were in the rules that I made. In the start, while you two were bickering, I was reading the tablet, remember? The original rules were that only one person would be able to leave the room by using the key. I changed them to my benefit."
"HOW? THEY WERE INSCRIBED ON THE TABLET!" August was starting to panic, as the water was now at the ankles of the two.
"I have my ways." Shen replied. "I added in the word zujj to throw you both off track, and make you forget about the vase. That way, I could lure you both to that side of the room with the distraction I made, while I opened the hole with the true key."
"L-look! I get it, you're smarter than the both of us combined, and I'm sorry for calling you weird, but just let us out of here! This is ridiculous!"
"I'm sorry, but I won't be able to do that either." Shen replied.
"WHAT? WHY NOT?" August continued to bang on the windows, looking down at the floor. The water had risen to their hips.
"The rules also said that only one person could leave this room alive. You two, will die here." Shen sighed. "Sorry it had to be this way."
And with that, Shen turned, walking towards the exit as the two banged and screamed, trying to climb up the slippery glass panel as the water rose, and rose, before it reached their heads and drowned out their screams. Shen glanced back, and then left, leaving them to their fate.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
