Zariah was the first to break the silence with a snort.  “You don’t think we would leave one of our own here with you, do you?”  

The Sphinx cruelly smiled as it jumped down to stand before them, causing a cloud of dust to envelope the group.

Ryu coughed, trying to keep his eyes focused on where it last stood.

“Watch out!”  He already moved in front of Brock, deflecting stray rocks that crumbled away from the walls. The group split between either end and when the dust cleared, the Sphinx stood in front of the door, glancing at him.

“Heed me well, hunter. You and your group will not leave here without my permission.”

Ryu glanced over the Sphinx, relieved to see the others weren’t hurt. He could see Brock in the corner of his gaze patting at his clothing as he coughed from the dirt.

“I’m fine lad.” He reassured Ryu.  “The gatekeeper will require a sacrifice to make it through.”  

Gia, who had jumped on the same side stood by Brock and shook her head.  “We can either play their game or we can defeat it on our own terms.  That’s usually how it goes.”

The Sphinx smiled in amusement, preening its large golden wings.  “Not this time, young one.  You will need to be prepared for what is to come.”

“I doubt you care if we survive or not so thanks but no thanks for the advice.”  Ryu calmly answered, watching the soldiers for any movement and trying to find a way to get through the double doors.

The Sphinx glanced at the soldiers and to Ryu’s surprise, suddenly shot out blasts of power towards the group and the soldiers exploded instantly into dark sand. Then the Sphinx gestured to the two guards and they started to move towards the rest of the team.

At the sound of Brock’s yelp, Ryu realized a stray soldier snuck behind them and was holding him.

“We got this, Ryu! Don’t worry about us.”  Zion yelled, as the group fought against the two main door keepers.

The Sphinx ignored them and kept its gaze on Ryu.  “Do not disregard the prophecy youngling.”

Ryu clenched his fists by his sides, readying himself at any sign of attack.  “I don’t understand.  What do you want from me?”

A thought hit Brock and he reached for his pouch.  “The Chosen one!  He bears the mark!”  He pointed to the small figure in his hand and the Sphinx immediately narrowed its eyes.

The Sphinx prowled in front of him, glancing at him from head to toe.  “Your path is a long and terribly dark one. You would do well to hone the power that was given to you.”

“I can handle it.  Just let us pass.” Ryu firmly answered, still trying to find an opening in their stance.

The Sphinx narrowed its golden eyes at him before sighing in regret.  “So impatient. These would-be heroes burn their life-force faster than a star.”

Ryu narrowed his eyes.  “That’s not really a fair assessment considering you guys invaded our planet first. We’re just trying to make sure you don’t try to get past the tower into our world.”

The Sphinx laughed, tipping its head back and preening its sharp blade-like feathers before glancing back at him.  “That is not our purpose.  We only want to protect our own world in these dungeons.  It is the Celestials who greedily want to consume all. End all.”

Ryu tried to make sense of the words but he could see the rest of the team were struggling to keep up with the attacks from the door keepers.

“Whatever it is, I just want to get my sister back.”  Ryu countered.  “As long as the dungeons don’t harm our world and my family along with countless people lost in other towers are returned, we won’t harm anything else inside these dungeons.”

The Sphinx paused, considering Ryu’s words.  “It’s not that easy but at least you have a fire within you, driving you to aid in our cause.”

Ryu was going to deny joining any cause but the Sphinx suddenly made a gesture for the soldiers to stand back from the others.

“You may pass.”  It abruptly announced.

“I don’t know what you did, but great job my friend!”  Zion called over, putting his weapons away and strolling towards the double doors.

Kai glanced at Ryu while the others were cautiously waiting for the next move.

The Sphinx made a dismissive wave to the group.  “I grant you passage and you may select what you deem fit before you leave this place.”

“And what about our friend?”  Ryu interrupted, gesturing to Brock who was still being held by a soldier.

The Sphinx eyed the dwarf and shrugged.  “I have allowed you to live here since your own home was destroyed.  You may leave with these hunters and find the rest of your people.”  It graciously decided.

Brock looked relieved.  “Thank you so much.”

The Sphinx tilted its head before gesturing towards the doors once more.  The doors opened and from the distance Ryu could see a large room filled with piles of treasure as high as the ceiling.

Before Zion could start grabbing a few shining diamonds as large as his fist, the Sphinx made a clucking sound.

“One per hunter.  Any more and you will become a part of the treasure in exchange.”  It warned.

Zion flashed a sheepish grin, scratching his chin and looking innocently as he looked around.  His sister was already dusting off the pair of curved knives that looked similar to her brother’s while Gia was eyeing an equally intricate bow.  Kai was already adjusting a short sword on his waist.

Ryu stepped around the Sphinx who watched him carefully as he looked around. After much thought, he was about to reject the offer when something caught his eye.  He turned to his right and found a part of armor buried in endless gold and precious stones.  Carefully sidestepping other jewelry laying around him, he picked up the armor by the shoulder, mostly curious about the armour that was enough to be considered a treasure.

He could hear Zion whistle behind him as the group watched Ryu pull out the armor, revealing a a full set that was light enough to be picked up with one hand.  It glittered in a type of dark obsidian but in the light, it had its own sparkle.

Like a star.

Feeling the pull for this armor, he gripped it and raised it towards the Sphinx.

“I’ll take this one.”

The Sphinx grinned in approval.  “Anubis will be pleased that it has found a new owner.”

Once Ryu donned it on, it immediately came alive, the armor’s hue even darker than he originally thought.  He didn’t even tighten the straps as the armor seemed to have adjusted to his body.  He raised a gauntlet and could see the same shimmering, star-like quality come alive, almost rippling throughout the armor.

“Trade?”  Zion joked, pointing at the battle axe he picked up.

Kai just shook his head as he nodded respectfully to the Sphinx.  “Thank you for your generosity.  Now that we’ve made our selection, may we pass or is there something else we must do?”

The Sphinx eyed the group, its gaze carefully observing one after another.  “Remember that not all dungeons are the same.  Watch for the ones that hold stars captive.”

Before Ryu could ask for an explanation, a gust of wind suddenly appeared and the group were pushed violently back.  He tried to fight against the gust and could make out the Sphinx already beginning to walk away.

“Wait!”  He called out, wanting to learn more about the prophecy.  Before he knew it, they were sucked down a hallway past the treasure and through a portal that led back to the outside world.

Ryu landed on all fours as the rest were similarly on the floor.  

“Well, that’s a new one.  We didn’t even get to defeat anything.  We just got to pick some treasure and get cryptic messages instead.”  Zariah pointed, sitting up and dusting off her weapons again.

Zion rubbed his lower back with a grimace.  “A bit anticlimactic if you ask me.”

“That was the optimal outcome and everyone got out safely.  That’s all that matters.”  Kai added while Gia was helping Brock up.

“We even managed to get someone out of the dungeon.  Mind you, it’s a dwarf from another world but it’s progress.”  

Ryu squinted as several cars pulled up and uniformed soldiers came out and saluted at Kai and the others.  He noticed an older woman in a similar business suit Kai wore earlier.  She had long blond, almost silver hair like Kai.  Her sharp features and clear blue eyes were an exact replica of Kai.  

“I’m glad you all made it back alright.”  

Zion saluted back to her while the rest nodded respectfully.  She glanced at him, her expression unreadable.

“Ryu, it seems we have need of your particular skills.  Let’s return to headquarters.”