Title: Pyramid of Trouble

Summary: A simple quest to gather materials results in Lyner and companions encountering a strange temple. Curiosity soon turns to concern when they find themselves trapped inside the surprisingly large structure, and it soon becomes apparent that someone, or something, is intent of separating Lyner from his companions.

Pairings: Smidgen of Ayatane/Lyner, but it's mostly friendly platonic stuff

AN: Found this in a WIP folder, half finished. Quite a few years old. Likely didn't finish it or uploaded it due to anxiety or something. But I'm too old and stupid to care now, so here we go~

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Chapter 1:

The smell of dirt was the first thing that Lyner noted as he waded through semi-consciousness into fully awareness. His pulse pounded loudly in his ears as he opened his eyes. Though his vision was blurry, he was able to note a wall of dark stones.

He was lying on his stomach, his left cheek pressed against the rough, coarse ground. His back and arms ached. In fact, everything was caught in a low ache. Nothing he couldn't handle, but it was a clear sign that his body was protesting against him from moving.

But he had to. He was...out in the field. Did he faint? Was he alone?

No...there was a group of them. Of the guys; Ayatane, York, Lazarus, Raze, and Zelos. They had been sent to gather food provisions. There was an inevitable monster battle. Only for the ground to suddenly sink beneath their feet. And then, it gave way completely. He briefly remembered the sensation of falling, an eerie sense of weightlessness. And then...everything went black.

Damn, the ground caved in beneath them.

Lyner uttered a grunt as he summoned the strength to push himself up onto his knees. "I-Is everyone ok?" he managed to cough out, his voice croaky.

He didn't receive a response at first and he felt his panic rise. A low grunt, followed by a couple of others had him perking up in expectation.

"Lyner? Are you all right?" Ah, Ayatane, always thinking about his health above his own.

"Hng, I'm alive." York.

"What happened?" Raze.

"Huh, a cave in?" That was Lazarus.

"Holy shit, what the fuck?" And that was Zelos. They were all accounted for. Good.

Relieved that his companions were at the very least alive, Lyner took a moment to assess his own situation. Minor aches and pains. Armour slightly damaged, but useable. And his sword...was thankfully only a couple of feet away, stabbed into the ground. Again, useable. It was a relief that he would be able to defend himself and his companions should the need arise.

Lyner idly rolled his shoulders as Ayatane wandered over to him, his movements as flawless as usual. He crouched down in front of him, silently inspecting him for any injuries. As he did so, Lyner carefully watched him in return. His armour was mostly intact, saved for a few bumps and grazes here and there. He, too, still had his weapons. Both of them, sheathed as his sides.

Good, he was largely unharmed, also.

Ayatane offered his hand to him and he took it, allowing the twin-swordsman to help him to his feet. "I'm fine," he replied to his friend's early question. "Just winded like everyone else."

Their companions began to gather themselves also, grumbling and muttering under their breaths as they took stock of the situation. As they all gazed around at their new surroundings, looking every which way, it soon became clear that they had indeed been involved in a cave in.

And they were stuck.

"Great," Zelos muttered, clearly annoyed. "How we getting out of here?"

Lazarus looked up at the partially visible sky and at the sheer, slate stoned walls. "Climbing is out of the question," he said frankly.

Not to mention that the walls and partial ceiling was likely incredibly unstable. After all, it caved in, causing them to plummet several feet. The walls were definitely made of slate or something near in composition, and had the possibility of sheering off entirely should weight be pressed upon it.

"Our best option is to search these caves," Ayatane said. Though that in itself didn't sound all that pleasing, either. But what choice did they have?

"There's some kind of structure over there," Raze suddenly revealed. He pointed deeper into the cave, where a strange formation of smooth stones and glistening surfaces was located. The formation was more likely than not man-made, but one couldn't be too certain in this crazy world.

"Let's hope it'll lead back to the surface," York grumbled.

That really was their best option. So, still cautious of their surroundings, they collectively moved toward the curiosity. And a curiosity, it was. Venturing closer allowed Lyner to note that the stone slabs that made up the pillars and stairs of the entrance where a deep, dark blue in colour with white veins snaking throughout. The stonework was also surprisingly clean, not a speck of moss to be seen.

As they gathered before the structure, they were surprised by how unbelievably large it was. And how uniform it was. The pillars, the stairs, the outside surfaces were all slick, all flawless, and all sharp angles. Polished to perfection.

York frowned as he searched the outside of the structure. "It's not like the other dungeons we've encountered."

No, it didn't.

"Is it a temple of some kind?" Raze questioned.

Honestly, it was more akin to the gateway to a lost city. Though, it is possible that it was a singular building. A temple or grand tomb to someone, or something, revered and worshipped.

Certainly rather out of place in this world.

"The only way forward is to head on in," Lazarus said as he moved toward the stairs. "No point standing around here."

Right. He was also rather interested to find what was inside. Was it a temple? Or the gateway to a whole new area for them to explore?

The staircase was tall and steep, giving a slight sense of vertigo to the point that they had to lean forward and keep their heads down toward their feet not to feel the unsettling sensation of falling backwards. It took a lot more effort to reach the top step, but they were relieved when they did.

That didn't stop York from complaining, however.

"God damn, we may as well have been rock climbing!"

Lazarus ignored him, however, and idly scratched the back of his neck. "Hm, a hundred-and-eleven steps."

"Why did you bother counting?"

"Why not? Besides, it might have some significance."

He probably did it to prevent himself from enduring that sensation of vertigo. Which was fair. Lyner wished he had thought of it. And he hoped that they didn't have to turn around and walk back down them again. Though, going down was always quicker, he just hoped it would be under his own strength and not because of gravity.

Shaking his head to forcibly push that thought aside, Lyner turned his attention back to the task at hand. Now that they reached the top step, was there indeed an entrance to this unknown structure, or were there yet more stairs to climb?

Thankfully, it appeared to be the former. Though that had issues of its own. The doors, made from the exact same materials of polished stone, roughly twenty-feet tall and imposing. Yet, engraved into the stone and painted with what appeared to be gold paint were eccentric symbols and sigils that didn't appear the slightest bit familiar to Lyner. And he would hazard a guess that no one else knew what they were, either.

"They're probably locked," Zelos muttered under his breath in his usual pessimistic way.

Raze stepped before one of the doors and slowly brushed his fingers against the stone. When nothing occurred, he pressed his palm flat against the surface. Again, receiving no reaction, so that prompted him to press both hands against the left door. And he pushed against it.

Unfortunately, nothing happened.

"Stop standing there and give me a hand," Raze practically ordered.

Zelos stepped up first and promptly placed his own hands against the stone. He and Raze both worked together to push against the object. But, yet again, the thing wouldn't budge.

"Maybe we need to push both doors at once," Ayatane mused. "York, help Raze and Zelos, while Lyner, Lazarus, and I work on the other."

Dutifully, Lyner stepped up and stood where Ayatane indicated. He waited for everyone to be in their places before he reached out to rest his own hands against the stone. A strange tingling sensation in his hands startled him and he promptly jumped back. As he did so, a pulse of what could only be described as energy radiated through the symbols and sigils, lightening them up briefly before fading.

Then...the doors opened.

As the tall, towering structures swung backwards, grinding surprisingly softly as they moved, everyone stepped backward in caution and anticipation. They watched as the doors folded back neatly, revealing a long corridor, again of the same formation and material as the outside. Except for one thing; torches lined the walls. And they were all lit.

They all shared a brief look of surprise and confusion, wondering how and why the door had opened on its own accord.

It was...odd, no doubt about that. And Lyner's palms still tingled lightly. But he brushed the sensation aside. Maybe the door required all their energies to open. Maybe they incidentally broke some kind of magical lock.

Whatever the cause, the doors were open.

"This is suspicious as heck, but we don't have a choice," York said as he surveyed the threshold.

"You're also curious to see what's inside," Lazarus was quick to tease. "Don't deny it."

Instead of denying it, York simply smirked. "I guess so. Just like you. Come on, let's see what we've got here."

Lyner idly shook his hands at his sides as he stepped over the threshold and into the entrance of the structure. The tingling sensation in his hands had largely dissipated, thankfully, and he turned his attention their surroundings once more. Again, sleek and polish stone of dark blue. White veins, almost like spiderwebs, twisted and meandered through the stone. Part of the composition of the stones, so there were no familiar or recognisable patterns to be found.

A loud, deafening sound rocked them and they jumped in surprise. They spun around in unison, only to be with a less than pleasing sight.

The doors were shut. They were locked in.

They...probably should have anticipated that.

"Well, no turning back now, I guess." A brilliant observation from Lazarus.

Snark aside, it was a truthful one. So, they all turned and restated their meandering, cautious in their steps, but intrigued by their surroundings nonetheless. Even the unreadable, usually volatile Zelos was curious.

"Let's hope that the torches don't go out, too."

"Laz, if you jinx us, I will shoot you."

"Aw, afraid of the dark?"

"No, I'm afraid of your stupidity."

It was honestly reassuring to hear the grumblings and muttering of his companions. He was especially grateful that Ayatane was there with him. If he had to be trapped in a mysterious temple, potential lost city, Ayatane was the guy he wanted to be by his side.

Other than the bickering between York and Lazarus, only their footsteps echoed around them.

The place was so...quiet. There was a sort of reverence in the air. It held a sense of higher significance. It felt like they were guests in the house of someone extremely important. Someone potentially powerful.

Yet, their surroundings gave absolutely nothing away. The corridor was pin straight, with a high ceiling. So high that the light of the torches couldn't dispel the darkness. It honestly felt that they had entered into a whole different world. Another one, he should probably add.

Finally, after about a ten-minute walk, they reached something of note at the end of the corridor. And it just so happened to be a door. Slightly different to the entrance, as they weren't as tall and imposing. But they looked just as sturdy.

"Well, this is rather ominous," Lazarus couldn't help but remark.

"Yeah, yeah," York said dismissively. "It's not like we can go back. Let's just open it and deal with whatever is on the other side."

Thankfully, as York placed his hands on the doors, they folded open easily. Astoundingly smooth in motion, only making the slightest of noise. And what they revealed was surprising.

Sand. A desert. Covering the ground, piling in mounds and divots. There were sandstone pillars, tall blocks with strange black hieroglyphics. There were no visible or recognisable words, but the artwork was primitive, and in the form of humans. There were also recognisable buildings. Homes, with windows and doors made of wood.

Again, lit wooden torches were stretched out in strategic patterns to ensure the best illumination of the area.

Were they in some kind of underground desert temple or tomb? Hm, it was more of a village. An abandoned one at that. But...the desert wasn't anywhere near that frozen tundra they had been sent out to gather materials in, before this whole mess happened. Did they step through some kind of...teleporting device?

Lazarus whistled, impressed. "Not bad. I bet this place is a replica of a village found in the fantasy world."

"Actually, I think it might be from mine," York unexpectedly stated. "Those look like ancient Egypt hieroglyphs. Although, that entrance is unlike anything I know of."

"I don't suppose you can read it?"

York snorted loudly. "Not at all."

Pity. It would have been an interesting find if they could read what was painted upon the walls. Still, Lyner ventured over to the nearest pillar and studied the artwork. They didn't appear to be simple artwork. It was like it was telling a story.

Though, he couldn't quite figure out what kind of story it was attempting to tell. Four human figures facing the right, lined up before another humanoid figure that was painted black and white. And that figure had a possibly canine head with pointy ears, faced the other four, looking left. They had no eyes and weren't dressed in the same white garbs as the four humans.

Ah, some kind of confrontation?

Ayatane suddenly snared Lyner by the right elbow and pulled him backwards sharply. The grip he had on him resulted in Lyner pivoting to his right where he was then promptly pulled into Ayatane's arms and chest. As he fell against his chest plate, a peculiar sound, like that of crumbling and falling stones, was heard. And he turned his head just in time to watch as the very place he had previously stood upon had crumbled away, leaving a seemingly empty void.

A trap?

"Thank you," he uttered, slightly breathlessly as he stayed in Ayatane's arms, the other unwilling to relinquish his hold on him either. In fact, he tightened his arms around him, also relieved that he had managed to pull him back in time.

"I had briefly wondered if there would be traps," Ayatane murmured, a frown of utter displeasure and protectiveness gracing his lips. "I see that there are now."

Good thing he did see it. Lyner hadn't a clue. Though, it was a rather slow-aching trap.

York bristled. "How stupid. I'm not in the mood for an Indiana Jones movie knockoff!"

"Who?"

"Oh, it's, ah nevermind. Don't worry about it."

Lyner stepped out of Ayatane's arms, cautiously eyeing of the pit trap before he turned his gaze back to the ancient paintings. As intriguing the story the pictures were trying to tell might be, he had more important things to focus on. The area was covered in sand. There could be traps or pits everywhere.

"We best move cautiously from now on."

And focus on getting out of here!