[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/z6cC6JC.png[/img][/center]

With it confirmed that Alex had been safely recovered, the focus turned to the assault on the castle. It seemed they had a couple of extra options now to use in attacking the castle, which would be useful in overwhelming any defenders who might be inside. [color=aba000]"Well, we were worried about this being an ambush,"[/color] she pointed out to Rachel as she gestured towards the open gate that they had been discussing before.

It was at about that time that Miko spoke up, revealing what she had seen with the Super Map. [color=aba000]"... You don't think she left, do you?"[/color] Alicia wondered aloud. There was always the chance they were too late to prevent an untimely demise, but if someone had disappeared at the same time as Mariette then portals were a more likely bet.

While she might have argued that storming the castle now was unnecessary, Lily and Ronin were already headed inside via the secret passage. [color=aba000]"I guess we're going,"[/color] she said to Rachel with a small shrug. It wasn't like they could just leave the pair to their own devices against whatever was in there. Especially if the Queen of Hearts was still around in the castle, unaware that her prisoner had escaped via her own devices or something like that.

But before she followed them another thing occurred to her. [color=aba000]"Ah, right, one of us should probably be out here so everyone else doesn't just wander in through that open gate and get blindsided. Or maybe we can leave a note somehow..."[/color] She didn't have paper on her or anything like that, but she didn't want to trust that the others would have some level of caution following them.

Still, if they could work that out then she had no issue with following the everyone else through the secret passage.