The corridors of the temple twisted and turned every which way, sometimes even leading to stairways leading up or down. The murals still gave off light, much to Asriel's relief; he was afraid the strange crystal had powered them in some way.
Just as Asriel was starting to wonder if they'd ever see the surface again, the group rounded a corner and found themselves in a hallway with the bright light of the sun at the far end.
"Hell yeah!" Golemite said. "The way out! 'Bout time!"
"Thank goodness." Bella said, pausing to pop her back. "It'll be nice to feel the sun on my scales."
Shye gave Asriel a smack on the arm. "Race ya outside?"
"You're on … hey!" Asriel quickly ran to catch up with the already departed Shye.
The two children reached the entrance almost simultaneously … almost. Shye was still doing her victory dance around an out-of-breath Asriel when Bella caught up with them.
"My word." Bella said, shielding her eyes. "Was it always this bright out here?"
They stared out of the entrance at the still-shifting structure of the temple. It came a something of a relief to Asriel, as he'd been certain Naddy's theft had broken something important. No, the temple was the same as before, from the changing walls and walkways to the bizarre gumball-machine tower. Golems were still everywhere, the closest just down the walkway, where he seemed to be examining the stone path with the unerring attention of a stone construct, only to glance briefly in the direction of the entrance at the sound of heavy stone footsteps announcing Golemite's arrival.
"We see any temples in the Wandering Meadows, we're gonna turn around and go back to Nowhere." Golemite said, stretching her arms. "Seen enough of dis place for a lifetime."
"Don't tell me you're gonna leave without telling all your kin goodbye." Bella said with a mischievous smile.
"Ugh!" Golemite stomped over to the nearby golem and wheeled him around.
"Tell me straight," Golemite said to the golem. "We don't look nothin' alike, yeah?"
The golem glanced her up and down for a moment before shaking his stone head.
"So we're not cousins?"
"Don't tink so."
"You sure?"
"I'd remember if my cousins were dat pretty."
Golemite's eyes brightened. She grabbed the golem by his shoulder and raised an etched stone hand threateningly. "You wanna say dat again, punk?"
Several of the other golems watching chuckled at their friend, who seemed to be unable to think of a better response than, "I'm sorry, Miss! I didn't mean no harm!"
"Who do ya think you're callin' Miss?"
Realizing he'd better say something, Asriel stepped forward only for a cry from Sylpha to make him whirl back around.
Sylpha was standing beside Bella, but her eyes were on Naddy. The captain stood just inside the entrance, a surprised look on her face. As Asriel watched, she stepped forward again, only for something to push her back.
"What gives?" Naddy growled. "This some kinda joke?"
She slammed into the barrier again, only to stagger back as though something had pushed her. A frantic look in her eye, Naddy took a running start, only to be knocked back.
"What the hell is this?" Naddy demanded. "Who's doin' this to me?"
"You took something." Asriel said, realization pouring over him. "But you didn't leave anything in its place."
"Leave something?" Naddy said. "I ain't leavin' a damn thing!"
As she spoke those words, a sudden tremble shook the ground. Every golem present (save Golemite, who was still yelling at the one she was holding) froze and turned to look at the entrance.
The Keeper had said it would upset the guardians. Asriel assumed he meant the golems. It hadn't occurred to him that there might be something else in the ruins, not until skeletal claws erupted from the dirt. He watched as across the courtyard and surrounding the temple, skeletal forms that could only be described as bestial rose from the earth. Muscle and thick leathery skin appeared on the creatures as they turned their sights on Naddy.
One skeletal claw erupted from the walkway as another of the creatures pulled itself from the ground no less than ten feet from Asriel. A large one-eyes head whipped around to look straight at Naddy, its maw opening to reveal row after row of jagged teeth. The thing moved toward them on six legs, a long purple tongle lolling out from its mouth in anticipation. Asriel drew his sword, only for the creature to stop only feet away as Keeper appeared between it and Asriel's team.
The Keeper threw off his cloak to reveal metal armor and a small wooden toy sword at his side. Most shockingly, his head was that of a Teddy Bear.
The beast let out a roar and rushed at Keeper, only for the Teddy to draw his wooden sword and slash at it. Light erupted from the blade, easily extending the reach of the blade a good five feet … enough to sever the beast's head and send tumbling across the ground.
"Whoa!" Golemite said, eyes glowing bright. "Not bad!"
"Thank you." The Keeper said shorty. "Now put it back."
"Tough nuggets." Naddy said, clutching the crystal, "It's mine now."
"Look around you." Keeper said, pointing his wooden sword around the courtyard, where golems were fighting a losing battle with the creatures as even more emerged from the ground around them. "Do you really think you can stop them all?"
"Well, it's mine now!" Naddy tried again to leave, and was again shoved back.
She let out a growl of frustration before removing her captain's hat and tossing it back into the corridor. "There! I left something!"
"It won't-" Keeper sighed as Naddy was again bounced back. "You have to leave it at the same place as what you took, and that's just for normal things. The Eye was not meant to be moved! It must to be returned!"
"Naddy," Sylpha said, clutching the captain's arm. "Please … I'm scared."
Naddy stared at her for a few moments before sighing and saying, "Fine, I'll bring the bloody thing back!"
"You better go with her, Azzie." Golemite said as the captain hurried away, swearing under her breath.
"What about you?" Asriel asked.
Golemite jerked a thumb at the golems. "I'm gonna get a piece of dat action."
"Okay … be careful, okay?" Asriel said before hurrying after the captain.
Golemite charged into the fray, grabbing one beast by the tail and whipping it around over her head like a lasso before bringing it slamming down against another of the beasts. "Careful, Schmareful! I'm gonna kick some ass! Now get goin' already!"
Unable to suppress a small grin, Asriel nodded and hurried back into the corridor after Captain Naddy. Shye and Mina followed him, as did Sylpha, to his surprise. The Raccoon lady had a determined look on her face even as the corridors rumbled from the outside fight. Naddy was moving fast, even with the crystal. Nevertheless, the race back through the corridors was nothing short of terrifying; the strange beasts tore erupted from the ceiling, the floor, and even the murals as though (or, Asriel surmised, because) they could detect the massive crystal. They certainly focused on Naddy.
Naddy, on the other hand, was ready for them. Her cutlass appeared in her hand with a shimmer of purple light before she swung. Whatever the blade was, it cut through bone with no effort, leaving more than one creature headless. Asriel helped as he could; his remaining crystal blade may have seemed small in comparison to Naddy's cutlass (which itself was easily as long as he was tall), but the merest slice sent the beasts running, their high-pitched screams sounding through the corridors for a few moments before stopping once they were out of his line of sight. That was not to say Shye and Sylpha weren't helping. Sylpha's magic summoned spinning circular blades that tore through the creatures' flesh and bone, and Shye produced a small dagger which she used to great effect, leaping on to the beasts's heads and slashing out their eyes, Mina often helping with her tiny (but sharp) claws.
By the time they reached the massive stone door, the group was practically covered in the dust of the strange creatures. The group fought to catch their breath while not inhaling too much of their foes, but Asriel could feel the rumblings of more creatures on the way.
They hurried into the massive chamber, climbing over the fallen slabs until they were more or less in the middle of the room. There, Naddy pulled off her hat and dropped it before shouting, "There! I left something in return! We're even, yeah?"
For a few moments, an eerie silence was her only response. The group jumped as one as a beast burst from the ceiling, its maw open. Naddy brought up her blade, but still caught a slash on the shoulder from the descending creature's teeth before it fell to dust at their feet.
"Dammit." She muttered, holding a hand over her arm.
"Are you okay?" Sylpha asked, hovering worriedly at the Captain's side.
"Yeah, I'm good. I'm …" Naddy's eyes widened. "WATCH OUT!"
One of the beasts stealthily slid across the floor while the group was distracted. Naddy tried to shove past Sylpha and block her, but the creature struck fast, sinking the brunt of its teeth into Sylpha's arm. Sylpha let out a shriek of pain as the creature's jaws tightened.
Naddy's cutlass slashed through the beast's neck, killing it instantly. As the head fell away, however, it was clear Sylpha was badly hurt; her arm bore deep gashes from the teeth, some having cut right to the bone, and chunks of flesh had been torn away altogether.
"Easy there!" Naddy said, tearing off the bottom of her shirt as a makeshift bandage. "You're gonna be fine, sweetie."
Sylpha was hyperventilating. Asriel could tell she was going into shock, and a swear from Naddy made it clear she knew as well. He looked at the pirate captain and was surprised to find her nothing short of distraught.
"Easy." Naddy said, helping Sylpha to the floor. "Just … just rest, okay? Take deep breaths. I'm gonna make this right."
"Shye! Stay with her!" Naddy bellowed before tossing the crystal aside and grabbing one of the murals with her bare hands. With a roar, she picked up the entire slap and hurled it aside.
Asriel stared at her in amazement even as the mural crashed against the far wall. "Wow!"
"I'm Captain Ruby-Eye Ryleena the Fifth!" She snarled as she lifted mural after mural into the air. "The strongest, smartest, and slickest pirate of the Glass Ocean, and I ain't lettin' her die!"
More of the beasts arrived, but to an enraged pirate captain capable of throwing enormous stone slabs, they were little more than target practice. Still, as Naddy drew near the floor, she came to a massive tableau that even she couldn't lift. She grunted and strained, but the mural didn't shift.
"Sylpha?" Came Shye's panicked shout, "Miss Sylpha? Can you hear me? Naddy, she's passing out!"
"Come on!" Naddy said through clenched teeth as she tried in vain to move the slab. "Move you bastard!"
Not sure what else to do, Asriel tried to help. He lifted the stone with everything he had, and only succeeded in making his arms hurt.
Falling back, he said, "It's too heavy! We need Golemite!"
"Golemite ain't here!" Naddy shouted, "And we don't have time to go get him!"
Time seemed to slow around Asriel. He became keenly aware of his surroundings; Sylpha lying on a bare mural behind him while Shye held her good hand, Naddy in front of him trying in vain to lift the impossibly large stone slab covering the dias.
Asriel grabbed the slab as well, despite the fact even Golemite would've had trouble lifting it. He strained with all he had to absolutely no effect. Still he tried, to no avail … until he felt something inside him break free.
Vines shot from his fingertips, creeping across the moral and wrapping around every corner. Naddy let go and backed away from Asriel, her eyes wide as the vines continued to spread, grabbing nearby stone slabs for support. Slowly, the slab rose from the ground until it was high enough to slide over the slabs and out of the way.
Asriel let out a gasp as the vines retracted, Flowey's powers sliding back inside him with a certain air of smug satisfaction. He caught his flower-self's smile between blinks for a few moments before it vanished, the words, "You owe me," whispering in his ears.
Naddy wasted no time in grabbing the crystal, even as beasts burst from the nearby walls, heading straight toward them. The moment she set the crystal back onto the dias, a bright flash enveloped the room.
Asriel blinked. He was standing on the empty floor of the chamber, thousands of blank murals again above him and circling the strange braid of lights in the center of the room.
"Wha …?" He said, turning around to see Naddy standing beside the dias, her hands positioned to grab it.
From the look of confusion on her face, she was as surprised at this outcome as he was. She lowered her arms and stepped away from the central dias as though it might explode.
"Naddy! Asriel!" Cried a familiar voice. "Are you okay?"
"Sylpha?" Naddy said, looking over at the raccoon woman. Sylpha stood by Golemite, Bella, and Shye, waving at them with a concerned look on her face. The others looked mere curious, or bored in Golemite's case. It was as though …
"As though none of that happened." Asriel said.
He glanced at Naddy, who shivered and said, "Let's just get out of here, all right?"
"Aren't you even curious about what you just experienced?"
They both turned to see Keeper, his hood pushed back to reveal his teddy-bear face. He regarded them with a knowing smile.
"Okay," Naddy said, "I'll bite. What just happened?"
"You touched the lens of the Braid." Keeper said, gesturing up at the multitude of threads in the center of the chamber. "When you touched it, you saw a possible future. Asriel was close by, so he saw it as well."
"And the others?" Naddy asked, a slight look of nervousness in her eye. "Did they see everything?"
"Rest assured, they only saw you two heading for the Eye of the Braid." Keeper said kindly.
Naddy blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "Look … I'm sorry about …"
"I don't know what you mean." Keeper said, that same knowing grin on his place. "After all, if you'd taken the gem, the murals would've fallen. Do they appear to have fallen to you?"
Asriel and Naddy glanced up at the floating murals as Keeper continued, "This chamber holds a connection to the Braid, an infinite collection of possibilities that flows through the Realm. When a thread of the Braid becomes reality, it writes itself on a mural, and is placed within the palace. The crystal merely acts as a filter, reducing the probability threads to a more manageable number."
Asriel said, "There was a mural back where I found the shard, but it had to be of-"
"The future?" The Keeper guessed. When Asriel nodded, The Keeper continued, "It has happened before. Murals depicting future events slipping through. I used to try and screen them out, but I believe they exist for a purpose. You see, murals of alternate outcomes seem to appear when someone must make a choice of great importance. Given what you carry within you, it does not surprise me that you found such a mural."
Asriel shuddered. "But how do I avoid it? How do I know what choice I need to make?"
"Avoiding the future is impossible. The best you can do is try and find a future you can live with. As for me, thanks to you, this temple can resume its journey through the realm. This will disappoint your friend, Sylpha. However, I believe if you return to the Edge and wait for a few hours, you will see something that will cheer her up again ... and will be quite profitable to you, Captain Ryleena."
"Yeah?" Naddy said, sounding hopeful.
"Hey!"
Asriel was forcibly turned around by Shye, who was looking at him with concern. "Are you zoning out again?"
"Huh?"
"You've both been staring at nothing for the last five minutes. Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Naddy said, clapping Asriel on the back. "We're great! We were just talkin', is all."
"Oh. Okay." Shye leaned to the side of Asriel, her eyes on the crystal. "Ooh! What did you find?"
"Nothing!" Asriel and Naddy said in unison, a note of panic in their voices. Quickly recovering, Naddy said, "Thought it might be valuable, but it's just glass."
Shye looked at them suspiciously. "Are you too all right? You're acting really weird."
"Er …" Asriel looked at Naddy who shrugged and said, "Weird? Nah. Just ready to get back home, is all. Right, Azzie?"
Asriel glanced back behind him to find the Keeper was gone. Naddy shrugged at him, indicating she didn't know where he'd gone either.
"Right." Asriel said. "C'mon; let's get out of here."
