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Post by whimsy on Jul 9, 2012 18:36:25 GMT -6
==> QW: Jump into the gates!
Back on the land of LOBAT Alex has expanded upon your treehouse, making it way too high. With a bit of climbing and exercising your mad parkour skills you make it to the top. You jump through the first gate and end up somewhere else in LOBAT. Then there's just a bit of wandering you find the second gate. Jumping through that, however, puts you somewhere you've never been before, somewhere that certainly doesn't look like LOBAT.
LAND OF COBBLESTONE AND ECHOS
This place is dark. The first thing you do is adjust the brightness settings in your goggles. It isn't perfect night vision but at least it lets you not walk into a wall. Which is good because you're surrounded by them. So you do the first thing that comes to mind, using your magic vines and mad parkour skills to scale the length and balance atop the maze. [/center] |
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Post by ross on Jul 9, 2012 19:10:11 GMT -6
==> AA: Fight!
A large, flaming, dragon-like thing blocks your path. You have exactly six seconds before it kills you. What do you do?
PRISMATIC SPHERE
A rainbow sphere surrounds you, made up of the words PRISMATIC SPHERE in all the colors of the rainbow, blocking the creature's path. Your vassal wisely steps behind you, safe within the sphere. Thundering booms shake the labyrinth around you as the dragon fires at you with its cannon.
It's about to shift.
DIMENSIONAL LOCK
The words encircle the dragon like a collar.
DISINTEGRATE
There is nothing left of it.
You are alone again. You and your vassal, the dragon Othello, wandering this hellish maze.
DANCING LIGHTS
White words illuminate your surrounding. Walls to the left, walls to the right. Nothing but endless labyrinth. [/center] |
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Post by whimsy on Jul 9, 2012 19:23:36 GMT -6
==> QW: Avoid the enemies.
Easily done. Between your web of doom, now slithering along the walls around you and protecting you, and your mad parkour skills you are able to traverse the top of the maze quite easily. However in the distance you saw something, some flashes of light that look like something's happening. That seems to be the best place to start looking for people, or things, or whatever you're supposed to do here.
Of course your web of doom is going to announce your arrival, but it will also keep you safe! [/center] |
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Post by ross on Jul 9, 2012 19:28:45 GMT -6
==> AA: Wander
You carry on, marking each turn you take with a chalk arrow on the wall and a big white H. H for home. You miss your sister.
Othello taps the ground with its claws. Two taps and a scrape. Danger above.
You turn your gaze skyward, HERO'S HANDBOOK in, well, hand, and spot the vines. The vines are new.
You throw a DISINTEGRATE vinewards. [/center] |
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Post by whimsy on Jul 9, 2012 19:32:54 GMT -6
==> QW: Discover Ross
The vines are pretty unaffected by the disintegrate, not being sentient creatures themselves and all and magical equipment. Though there is an accompanying light that helps guide you straight for the source. With a hop and a skip, literally, you slide down the wall and realize immediately that that may have been a big mistake.
It's Ross.
You blink.
Deer in headlights. [/center] |
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Post by ross on Jul 9, 2012 19:43:27 GMT -6
==> AA: Stare
You face the intruder, your hand in a ready casting position. TRAP THE SOUL is the only way to be sure.
You focus on your target.
It's Cali.
She takes your breath away. You feel hopelessly underdressed, even wearing your DARK KNIGHT'S REGALIA, a cross between a tuxedo, a duster jacket and a cloak. Because that's what it is.
The HERO'S HANDBOOK vanishes back into your Bookkind.
You wave and stare, dumbly, not quite believing your eyes. [/center] |
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Post by whimsy on Jul 9, 2012 19:48:21 GMT -6
==> QW: Panic.
Internally, anyway. Although by the way your heart is pumping in your chest after only a few seconds you wouldn't be surprised if Ross could see it. Venn had been talking about facing your problems but this was a little more literally than you would have preferred. In fact if you weren't caught in a narrow maze with only two ways to go you'd probably just flee. Even if that would be a horrible idea.
But as it were you are in a narrow maze.
Right in front of Ross.
Your chest was hurting again.
You wave back. [/center] CALI: Hi.
CALI: Uh.
CALI: Ross.
CALI: Hi.
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Post by ross on Jul 9, 2012 19:52:08 GMT -6
==> AA: Panic.
She TALKS.
Othello hides his head between his forelegs and you clasp your hands over your ears and shut your eyes, not wanting to hear what's coming. [/center] |
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Post by whimsy on Jul 9, 2012 19:55:41 GMT -6
==> QW: Lose your hearing.
Or close to it as your simple monosyllabic word bounces off of all the stone walls multiple times only getting louder and louder and louder. Your ears ring before it finally ends and the weighty silence returns. [/center] ==> QW: Whisper.
That seems like a good idea, but you're not sure if it will make any difference. Plus your head is spinning still. So instead you give Ross a pointed look and try to convey your message as best you can.
what now? [/center] |
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Post by ross on Jul 9, 2012 20:04:01 GMT -6
==> AA: Communicate.
Othello taps you on the leg once the noise has stopped. You warily open your eyes and remove your hands from your ears. Silence. Blessed silence.
You fish a box of chalks from your pocket and hand Cali a green one before moving over to one of the labyrinth walls and writing on it with a pink one. [/center] Don't talk
Words are death here
You should leave
This place is Hell |
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Post by whimsy on Jul 9, 2012 20:16:01 GMT -6
==> QW: Recall childhood
That was the last time you'd actually held a piece of chalk, after all. You never had many friends but you used to love doodling on the road. Until you discovered gardening, anyway. Still, Ross had found a creative way to communicate without bursting an eardrum here. So you turn to the wall and scribble with your eloquent, loopy handwriting. [/center] Is this your world?
I don't really know how to leave.
I think we need to find the gate.
Is there anywhere we can go to talk?
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Post by ross on Jul 9, 2012 20:19:21 GMT -6
==> AA: Go home.
You hesitate, then write. [/center] Yes
Home
Follow me
Stay close and don't lose me You pocket the chalk and turn back, following your trail of signs back home. [/center] |
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Post by whimsy on Jul 9, 2012 20:23:35 GMT -6
==> QW: Follow close
You're nervous. You're very nervous. You have not talked to Ross since the last time he freaked out at you. You still don't know what you did wrong despite Venn's councilling. But this seems to be when fate decided to thrust itself upon you, as there is quite literally nowhere to run. Okay there is but it's a large and dark maze where every sound is seemingly deadly. So she was caught between a rock and a loud place.
There was nothing to do but let this play out and see what came of it. Was that your heartbeat echoing or just your footsteps? You're not even sure at this point. Also this maze is remarkably stuffy and cramped and you were pretty sure it was getting more narrow. [/center] |
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Post by ross on Jul 9, 2012 20:32:19 GMT -6
==> AA: Come home.
As you walk, you simply throw DISINTEGRATE down each turn where you see a green light. It is usually enough to destroy most enemies. Usually.
The closer you get to your home, the more of your consorts you can see, crawling on the walls, scuttling about. There's writing on the walls and the ground. So much writing they look almost solid white.
Eventually you emerge from the labyrinth into a round courtyard of sorts. Your once-suite looms high above you. There are four entrances into the labyrinth from here, each one guarded by your consorts.
Unfortunately they can do nothing about the enemies that fly or teleport. Or both.
You head inside. Othello takes his usual place, curled under the living room table, and you set down your backpack and throw yourself into the sofa, glad to be off your feet.
You pull your phone from your pocket. [/center] AA: Welcome to my humble abode.
AA: Excuse the mess. |
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Post by whimsy on Jul 9, 2012 20:37:06 GMT -6
==> QW: Respond
Using your Goggleputer to see in the dark left the HUD up for you. You stare at the message as it came in for a brief moment then push your goggles up to your forehead. There was no need for it when you were talking to Ross, and frankly you didn't want to have any distractions. It would be too easy to focus on the distractions at this point. Venn would be proud of you for this, attempting to handle this like an adult instead of running away. [/center] CALI: Ross.
CALI: We can talk, can't we?
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