labyrinthine — { forest: team B }
Mist gasps as the fog begins to thin, just enough to reveal a group of familiar faces. Her mood is instantly lifted by the sight, a large weight shedding off the cleric’s shoulders with the sigh of relief that escapes her. Everyone was okay! …Mostly. Ike was still nowhere to be seen, which did stem her joy considerably, but she was glad to see that at least this group was still alive and well.
And it would STAY that way, if she had anything to say about it. Upon noticing Siegbert’s wound, Mist rushes over and tends to it with her magic, all the while exchanging pleasantries with their newly found friends. But the moment of celebration is broken by Klein’s sudden command for silence, the stone in his hand glowing ominously as he stares blankly at the air, face contorted with confusion as he starts talking—
To… himself? To them? Her brow furrows with worry. She didn’t understand what he was saying. Melanthios? Kill them?
But before she can make any sense of it, the light from the stone bursts in a blinding flash that engulfs the area, and when Mist opens her eyes again, the forest has changed in appearance, and the rest of their classmates are gone. But there’s no time to question it, to worry or grieve their separation; the Professor suggests they keep moving forward, and Mist agrees with a nod, sensing another stream of energy flowing from up ahead.
The forest path grows more ominous the longer they walk, the path growing narrower, trees dark and shadowy in the thick fog, restrictive and cloying, as brambles cage them in. But the flow of energy begins to change, grows strong enough to push against her like a gust of wind, and their spooky scenery soon transitions into something new and strange: greenery replaced by stone and metal, with a tall, coffin-like structure erected in the center of the area.
As if that wasn’t a striking enough sight, with its imposing height and familiar blue veins, the thing in front of it most certainly is. Even though it possessed the shape of a young boy, his body was completely see-through, only a bit darker than the fog that hung over the area. He whimpers and cries, bemoaning his need for recognition, for the plight of someone who needed help. It breaks Mist’s heart to see him in such pain, but no matter how she tries to comfort him, he repeats his words, as if he doesn’t even notice her.
Alfonse goes to check the coffin, which is empty, and Mist looks to the path ahead. There didn’t seem to be much else for them here, so… “Let’s keep moving.”
They continue on, heedless to the change in elevation until they find themselves surrounded by stone walls at all sides, the trees of the forest now gone. What little sky that was visible can no longer be seen, and all that’s left is the soft blue light coming from the stripes that now lined their path, and the strange candle-less fixtures set into the walls. It all felt so—lifeless. So sterile.
Their trek eventually leads them to a room with two metal doors, both shut tight. There isn’t much else aside from that, save for a table decorated with those same blue veins, with several books and papers scattered over the surface. Hoping for some kind of clue, Mist nears the table and begins to leaf through the sheets of parchment, unable to understand any of the characters written on them. The books weren’t any more helpful in that regard, but one manages to catch her eye.
It lies open, unlike the others, to a picture of a snowy forest. On the far left of the picture was the mouth of a cave, with a cozy village sitting to the far right. In between them were snow-laden trees, creating a beautiful, albeit disquieting, scene. “Huh. I wonder what a picture book is doing here…” She muses aloud, “This picture… it’s pretty, but something about it feels sad.”
The warp they experience is just as shocking as it is bizarre, but they all agree on one thing - no matter what caused it, standing around contemplating it does little to help them, and they simply need to keep moving to perhaps try again.
The walk is largely uneventful; Professor Leo swipes and abandoned axe on the way, but other than that, there is only silence and darkness that meet them, until they are finally greeted by a scene Klein can only describe as sorrowful, with a specter of who may once have been a boy younger than him, lamenting in front of a rectangular structure resembling an open coffin.
The ghost boy acknowledges them for a single sentence, before seemingly losing the ability to communicate with them; as heartbreaking as the sight is, they decide to keep moving.
Mist leads them onward, until it seems like the forest is no more; they are now surrounded by stone walls that eventually lead them to a room. Mist examines some books scattered around a table, and Klein gives them a few looks as well, but he understands no more of their content than she does. Which is nothing.
It seems the only way to move is to try the doors leading to the left or right. Slowly, he puts his ears to the left door to try and hear what may be behind it. There is some commotion; something is moving. But he cannot tell what it is.
From the right door... Vibrations and muffled, barely audible voices. Someone is speaking. Again however, that is all he recognizes; no gender, language, number of people. Nothing.
He stares at the others for a moment before testing the handle to the right door. To his surprise, it is unlocked. With no better idea on how to proceed, he enters, bow and arrow at the ready.
The room is bright. Much brighter than the hallway they had just come from. Bright white, blinding lights are bolted to the wall. Klein almost stumbles on something, and upon looking at his feet, he realizes it is covered in dozens of wires criss-crossing the metal floor. His eyes finally adjust to the light enough for him to look in front again.
That is when he realizes the wires lead to a person.
Strapped into some sort of contraption or upright table. It looks to be a man, with colorless skin; at first, the Etrurian cannot see his face beneath a domed hood. Wires of all sizes snake out from his chest where his shirt has been opened, and attach to a glass case nearby, holding... what looks to be a Relic. Except there is something distinctly off about it.
Standing in front of the contraption is the pale-faced spectre Klein had seen in a dream before waking up in this bizarre maze of a forest. He is smiling, his hands steepled in front of his lips.
“I’m impressed you managed to make it this far”, he coos, the voice undoubtedly familiar.
“Melanthios”, Klein mutters, his face expression mostly unchanged, save for a light frown.
“It seems my pets need better training, if they couldn’t stop a few intoxicated brats”, he continues, but does not seem especially concerned about it. A wave of his hand and a metal monster rises to its feet nearby.
Holding back a sigh, Klein pulls out an arrow from his quiver; his mind only barely recognizes the slow, quiet beeping sound in the background. He aims at one of the joints near the head.
Klein uses Heavy Draw: +1 damage
Klein: 1d20 = 14; critical hit; Mechanical Fortress Knight HP: 15 → 13
The strike does do some damage without a doubt, but the armor is hard to pierce with an arrow. The monstrosity then swings its axe at him.
Mechanical Fortress Knight: 1d20 = 6; regular hit; Klein HP: 10 → 9
The blond sucks in air through his teeth as he feels stinging in his side, but luckily the wound is not too big or serious. He retreats for a moment to let the others strike.
Well, this certainly is one way to complete the Church’s mission, he supposes.
