[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/h6OCm6X.png[/img] [color=a187be]Level 9 - EXP 76/90[/color] [hr][hr] [h2]We've Gotta Go![/h2][h3]Midnight Walk - Winterhold College[/h3] Featuring: Ramattra, Edward and Sandaphlon [b]Word Count: 4284[/b] // +5 EXP[/center] At that point in the conversation regarding Frederic one of the doors opened, and a set of copper golems came striding into the room. These were swiftly followed by Edward the moment he identified friendly faces in the room, who called over [color=ea590c]”Greetings, good to see you all in one piece.”[/color] Sandalphon turned to face the new arrival, even more glad for the presence of Edward than she had been for Ramattra. The Omnic made for a strong, combat-capable ally that she could synergize with thanks to her ergo strings, but her unofficial second-in-command was an exceptionally competent and industrious individual. She wouldn’t have put it past him to have already figured out the workings of this labyrinth while she whiled away her precious time in a bar or with cats. “Likewise,” Sandalphon responded. “I assumed that everyone had the situation under control since nobody reached out to me, but visual confirmation is valuable. We briefly engaged a piano in combat and have managed to reason with this painted being known as Frederic.” She gestured at the horrific mess of tongues and jaws that sat at the far end of the room, by the upturned bed. “Be careful. He bites.” The archangel then motion toward the cats. “This is Lucy, and this is Sir Packet Lossalot. Lucy triggered a magic trap of some kind within a treasure vault and became enlarged.” Her gaze returned to Edward. “Have you found anything?” [color=ea590c]”Rea-”[/color] Edward began, before cutting himself off and instead simply saying that the Fredrick they had found was [color=ea590c]”Interesting”[/color] He gave a brief tangent to greet the cats with a [color=ea590c]”Hello”[/color] he got down to giving a report out of earshot of the living painting. [color=ea590c]”First and foremost I have been establishing a small network of rooms via holding the doors open with my golems to keep them locked down”[/color] He explained, gesturing to the set of iron golems presently holding the doors to this room open. [color=ea590c]”There are three things of note within. First is the original Frederic who seems to be in quite the state due to the existence of his creations. He is also aware of when they perish as he has informed me that one apparently has already done so. I do not expect he will take your mercy well, even though I doubt he’d be particularly dangerous if upset”[/color] [color=ea590c]”Second is a library of sorts run by an orc called Urag who seems to be happily rooted to the spot inside, and able to teleport the contents of the collection around at his leisure. He does not allow withdrawals, but reading and copying of the works is something he will allow. He has also informed me that the way out of the maze (and onward up the mountain) is located in a ‘dice room’ of some kind, though he had little other info on the nature of said room.”[/color] [color=ea590c]”Third is a drawing room, which contains a mostly harmless haunted lump of flesh and three paintings that are part of a puzzle I am presently solving by copying a pair of books from Urag’s library. They should be done in a little while, and will open up a false wall therein. I’m unsure how valuable doing this will be, but I did find a third tome that had been stolen Urag while exploring, so there must be something of note back there.”[/color] “Original Frederic? So we’re looking at the possibility of this situation worsening? What happens if he- say- gets a creative kick again, and starts painting again? I think it’s better if we weigh our options before coming to any conclusions, speak to his remaining creations, and see what help they can offer. One of his likenesses can heal us freely. Perhaps they could be an asset to our exit.” Ramattra saw this as a “nip to the bud” solution- if they stopped the main painter, perhaps they could stop any future creations from spawning. “If their existence causes each other pain, then I don’t see any rational conclusion to this unless we eliminate all but one. And if we don’t do it, then they’ll just kill each other themselves eventually.” It was only a matter of time before this issue escalated, and the truth was that the varying hostility of the Freds was sure to cause some domestic issues. “Ah. But don’t let me get ahead of myself. Great thinking on the doors. We don’t have the bodies to support your stretch of rooms yet, but once we find the others, perhaps we could chain rooms together for easier communication. I was able to find a heavy doorstop back in a room with a magnificent, magical artifact. It was capable of holding the doors behind me open. Perhaps there is more to find.” Ramattra thought to himself for a moment, retracing his steps from the past few rooms. “To me, it almost seems like the residents aren’t phased by the nature of this place- like they’re used to it or entirely unaffected by the random pathways. I’m not sure if that would be Galeem’s doing or not, but I thought it was worth noting.” “Here. For you.” Ramattra extended his hand out, and in it was an odd relic that was cold to the touch and just small enough to slip into a pocket. Its exterior was crusted with magical frost, layering over a beautiful gem of large proportions. “I had hoped for something a little more selfish, but thought you might benefit from it more than I had.” [hider=For Edward] [b][url=https://wiki.leagueoflegends.com/en-us/images/Frozen_Heart_item.png?5a6ce]Frozen Heart[/url][/b] A legendary item that increases one's mana reserves and physical defense, while slightly reducing cooldown times. In addition, any enemies within 15 feet of the bearer are frosted, decreasing their attack speed by 20%[/hider][/center] [color=ea590c]”I most certainly will, it seems to be quite the powerful artifact. Much appreciated my friend”[/color] Edward replied as he accepted the heart, and added it to his rows of mana batteries after a bit of tinkering. Still keeping her eye on the bitey Fred, Sandalphon weighed on on Edward’s efforts. “I concur about the prudence of stabilizing this place. We should continue to collect doorsteps since I would guess your unit count is finite. I would also like to create a mental map of the rooms you’ve uncovered so far. We can cut off and reroll rooms that serve no obvious purpose to create a critical path as we search for this ‘Dice Room’.” Before the Seekers could get started, though, the bedchamber had one more surprise in store for them. While Sandalphon had taken note of everything in the room upon entering, no matter how mundane it might be, there had been no reason for her to think anything of the mirror in the vanity on one corner. Getting a good look at herself had been the last thing she wanted to do right now, after all. But now, without warning, something pushed out of the mirror as if it were the rippling surface of a mercury pool, tumbled out of the vanity, and onto the floor. Sandalphon readied her weapon instinctively, although she kept her finger off the hexagun’s trigger and lowered her barrel right away. The new arrival looked like a living gumdrop, mango in color, with spindly limbs, a yellow bucket hat, and green pants. He grunted in pain as he hit the floor face-first and writhed for a moment, only for three more such beings to push through and plop down on top of it. The [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/882c2d25231c.png]four[/url] made for a bizarre, colorful quartet, all in varying degrees of distress. When the leader extricated himself from the pile, a doorstop in his hand, and saw the Seekers, his eyes widened in a surge of desperate hope. “Omigosh, normal people? You [i]are[/i] normal people, right? I mean, you look a little…uh, nevermind! Please, we need your help!” Sandalphon braced herself for a crisis, only to be thrown for a loop as the gumdrop continued. “We’ve been looking for a bathroom for ages, and We’ve Gotta Go™! Tell me you know where to find one, please please please!” The archangel’s pupils became loading rings, stuck fast in one spot. “Er…” Edward was only marginally less taken aback, and that was only because he did, somewhat, have an answer [color=ea590c]”I, ah, did encounter a bathroom but unfortunately that door has closed. If you are willing to come with me and open and close a door several times, while keeping an eye out for a corridor with a deep deep pit in the middle, we might be able to bring it back?”[/color] “Wait, that had a bathroom in it!?” the blue one cried, heralding a chorus of frustrated curses and groans. The Omnic more than anything seemed humored by the odd group’s lack of urgency to other matters. “I guess some people have different priorities…” Ramattra muttered underneath his breath to his fellow Seekers. “We’re working on sorting out the order of the rooms here as well. If you were to travel… a considerable distance behind us, and follow along, we’re sure to encounter the… erm… restroom.” He sounded almost too embarrassed to speak upon their intentions in the college, but the truth was that adding to their party count would certainly make exploration easier. The four relief-seekers were already heading toward the bedchamber door, with the orange one taking the lead. “Alright, yeah, whatever, let’s go!” Heading through the door brought the party of nine to the [url=https://i.imgur.com/vtQo0Me.jpeg]Lecture Hall[/url], a room familiar to Edward but new to Ramattra, Sandalphon, and the others. The archangel looked around as the shattered glass and wooden splinters that suggested a battle, but since she remembered that Edward had already been through here, she wouldn’t inquire if the fight wasn’t worth mentioning. Since the tactician wanted to keep the Arcaneum, the group’s only recourse was to proceed back through the Lecture Hall entrance he originally came through and into the Archmage Quarters. Fred seemed taken aback at the sheer amount of people (and cats) that his last visitor brought back with him, and shrank to the side to give them space. Since Edward also wanted to keep the Drawing Studio dead ahead, that meant that a new room could be rolled to the right, at the southern exit. Sandalphon stopped to talk to Fred while the quartet went to try the door, with the others’ supervision. [center][b]The Dormitory[/b] [img]https://i.imgur.com/6FMp4Kg.png[/img][/center] On the other side lay a rather normal bedroom, although one that one might expect to be in some kind of magic castle. The quartet charged in, but they quickly found out that while the dorm room had four beds, it featured no toilets. “Drat!” the orange one growled before turning around. “C’mon, let’s try again.” “One moment.” Sandalphon hailed everyone, pausing her conversation with Frederic to do so. “My scan has detected a life form directly above this room.” She peered at the hearth in the dormitory’s center. “You may be able to access it by climbing up the flue.” She cast a Frost Lock to chill and extinguish the fire so that someone could try their luck if interested. “Aw, c’mon!” The quartet groaned, but the yellow one at least sighed with resignation. “Well if you’re gonna, make it fast! We really gotta go.” After approaching and peering up the flue, Edward glanced at Ramattra and asked [color=ea590c]”Give me a boost up, would you?”[/color] before pulling out his magelock pistol and climbing in. “On it. If it’s another Fred, get his story, then decide whether to eliminate him or not.” Ramattra warned- almost certain of the entity that lurked above them. “If you four are in a hurry- I will personally deliver you to the bathroom myself after this but you must have patience with our investigations. You’re better off with escorts, though.” With a flick of his fingers, Ramattra called his Mimic Tear striker forward, its near-gelatinous form perfect to catapult up the shaft with. “It has quite a springy jump to it. Just jump with your full weight and you’ll get near the top.” Once Edward bounced up the flue, he found himself in a dark, cramped space full of cobwebs, more like a dungeon cell than an attic. To get any higher in the chimney, he’d need to get past a sturdy-looking grate, but he couldn’t see much of anything up there anyway. This hidden room featured a couple chairs, support beams, burnt-down candles, and even a skeleton. Only one thing gave any suggestion of life, however: a [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/33f3c6580d81.png]cabinet[/url] from which an unnatural amount of eyes peered warily, trembling from nerves.The minute it became clear that Edward was aware of this being, he cried out in terror. “D-DON'T HURT ME! Please.” His voice was warped and warbly, not quite human, but very pitiful. “Did one of them hire you to find me? You... you're working for them, aren't you? I know they're plotting to kill me.They all want to kill each other. It's only a matter of time before one of them gets to me…” Edward, having grabbed the grate with one hand to steady himself, and using the faint glow on the barrel of his enchanted pistol as a light source, called back [color=ea590c]”I mean you no harm if you mean them no harm!”[/color] As he did this he flipped his gun so he was holding it with the trigger guard pressed into his palm, and thus in a manner that was both less threatening while also still being way where he could still use it as a light source. The eyes in the darkness shook. “I can't trust you. I- I can't. I'm sorry. I know it's unfair... But if you're here, it must be because one of them sent you. I think.” [color=ea590c]”My friend down below simply detected that there was something alive up here, not who or what you were, and was merely concerned that it might be someone who needed help or also wished to escape this place”[/color] he explained, simplifying the priority list a fair bit little. Edward then offered [color=ea590c]”If my presence upsets you, I can simply leave you be”[/color] as he could see little of value in the nook. Hypothetically the scared Fred might be hiding alongside something of value, but given the urgency of the strange bathroom needing fellows below, he didn’t see much reason in dragging this out. The man’s word choice left the Fred a little distressed. “O-oh, sorry. I mean, you haven’t done anything bad yet but…yeah, that’d be for the best, probably.” His voice quavered. “Everything’s so scary out there…” [color=ea590c]”True. But we face it anyway. I hope you find your courage, and until then, farewell”[/color] Edward replied in turn, before releasing his grip on the grate and dropping down. He pressed his boots and wings to the side of the flue in order to slow his descent and not accidentally come bouncing back up, before ducking out of the flue and reporting in. [color=ea590c]”A Fred but a harmless one, I think, given he was hiding fearfully in the closet. He did seem rather paranoid about the others wanting him dead, so there might be a risk of him lashing out if pressured, but I suspect he’ll stay there unless forced out.”[/color] As he joined Sandalphon in the Archmage Quarters, she turned to watch the bathroom hunters follow him and then turn to retry the door. Having been talking to Frederic, she stood next to the mushroom garden in the room’s center, although the cats seemed to dislike the painter and give him a wide berth. “I see. Seeing as we need the door, then, we have no more use for the room.” She gestured toward Frederic. “He was explaining the nature of his predicament, as well as the supposed cause. A painting of the evening sky, seemingly ordinary, but subtly horrifying. If we encounter such a work, it sounds like we should leave it well alone.” Frederic seemed more concerned with what Edward had said. “I’m sorry if they make it difficult, in one way or another, but I really can’t stress how terrible it is living with their thoughts in my head. I can’t get a moment’s rest or clarity. It’s your choice to make, of course, but I really couldn’t be more grateful if you removed them all.” [color=ea590c]”That does sound incredibly uncomfortable, but I think we should try to find a non-violent solution if possible. Limited though my interaction was, he did very much seem to now be a full person”[/color] Edward replied, not thinking the implicit value of that personhood needed stating, before asking the other two [color=ea590c]”Were your experiences with the other two similar?”[/color] “Very much so. The first Frederic I spoke to told me of his headache, though he seems unaware that the others are the cause. The Bite-y one from the previous room seems to be unintentionally hostile, but completely knows that the others are hunting one another.” The Omnic updated the Dreadnaught, repeating what Sandaphlon and he had just learned. “They’re all out for each other in some fashion- whether it be for self-preservation or relief. We could assist them, or leave them be. Personally, I say we end this at its source and prevent any more ‘rogue creations’” “Perhaps it’s time we press on, no? I’m sure our travel companions are… eager for our haste. The doorstop the leader holds could be invaluable to clearing the pathway between rooms. I saw one similar in the room I first awakened in- It seems capable of withstanding the weight of the doors.” The Omnic hoped his advice was valuable to his travel companions as he turned to wait for them by the set of double doors. “If need be, perhaps we could ask our colorful travelers to hold a door open while we investigate within.” Although unhappy, and more than a little wary when Ramattra suggested ending things at the source (IE, himself), Frederic did not offer further challenge. Instead the Seekers just watched as the four gumdrops closed the door, then re-opened it to reveal none other than the Grand Archives. “I recommend trying again,” Sandalphon suggested immediately. “It is a large but ruined library, with a number of hostile undead, and severe fire hazards. That is where I was initially brought, and I could find only the one exit I used.” On the third attempt, however, the gumdrops struck gold with a hallway of stone brick made perilous by a huge, long pit in the center, with a narrow staircase running up and down one side, and a balcony opposite it. [center][b]Gaping Hall[/b] [img]https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/d297c8f1cee9.png[/img][/center] “THERE IT IS!” The gumdrops charged forward in a headlong sprint, shoving the Seekers and one another out of the way as they made a beeline for the balcony. Unfortunately, the orange gumdrop that pushed in front ended up triggering the gleaming nature of the blue one he shouldered past, and in retaliation the blue one tackled him–straight off the edge. They plummeted downward into the yawning chasm, gone with startling speed. Heedless of their comrades’ fate, the other two ran up the stairs, the mango one lagging behind as he held his stomach. The teal one leaped and grabbed onto the balcony’s edge, only for the other one to jump, fall short, grab hold of her, and drag both down into the depths. Pursing her lips, Sandalphon carefully approached the edge. She could see anything down there, but the echoes of splashes suggested that the gumdrops had at least landed in water. In their zeal for relief, it seemed, they’d become the architects of their own downfall. She saw no benefit in trying to help them any further, so hopefully they’d have better luck on their own, yet somehow the archangel doubted it. “Well, we’re here, at least,” Sandalphon ventured. “I could stand to freshen up a bit, but please feel free to continue. Since there’s the door at the far end is well within reach, it should be fine to add this room to your ‘network’, Edward.” With that, Sandalphon gingerly climbed the stairs to the high point in the center. A Vault plus her slowfall from Heavensent made getting across the gap easy, although far from painless. Within the doors that the gumdrops had been so singlemindedly keen on, she found a [url=https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/a4deac061991.png]spacious and elegant bathroom[/url] full of exquisite patterns and natural light. A bath sounded nice right now, but this was no time to let her guard down, so the archangel made for the sink. Some warm water to clean off the wax from the Grand Archives, among other contaminants, would be most soothing. On the way, Sandalphon did notice something even more unusual for a restroom than sofas and flower pots: a black safe, with maritime symbols like corals, squids, and anchors instead of numbers. “Curious.” After another scan of the area that turned up no unknown life signs, she turned on the fourth of the four faucets to wash her face and hair. In the chaos of the quartet’s unfortunate fate- Ramattra kept his attention on the doorstop left behind by the leader in his accidental anger, collecting it off the floor in the space between the balcony and where the group had fallen to their doom. “Well, I was more hoping they could have given this to us for helping.” Even their unfortunate parting left a sour taste in the Omnics metaphorical mouth. Was it really that easy to turn on even your closest allies while gleaming? While Sandalphon had decided to clean herself from their stressful journey, Ramattra turned his attention to the safe in the room, drawn by the curiosity of its contents. “How big is this structure even? I feel like I haven’t gotten a good sense because every room I’ve entered has been a new one.” “I wish I could get an accurate reading, but the scanning capabilities I gleaned are inadequate for the task,” Sandalphon replied. The warm water lathered on her face and scalp soothed the skin not yet overtaken by the Petrification Disease, and bit by bit the wax she’d adorned herself with in the Grand Archives fell away. With her eyes closed, she did not notice that the steam from the sink was fogging up the mirror, nor the anchor symbol inscribed by a fingertip on the mirror’s surface, hidden from view until now. Turning his head to the sound of the Archangel’s voice- the Omnic narrowed his sensors on the symbol that had been inscribed. In a hurried moment of thinking, Ramattra would begin rapidly turning the hot-sided handles of the faucet to their maximum flow. The beautiful bath fixture was made useful as well, now spewing out water that slowly began heating. Within a few moments, steam spread across the rest of the mirror, revealing a quartet of symbols: anchor, coral, squid, anchor. When Ramattra then went to input that code into the rather old-fashioned safe, it clicked open, and he was able to reveal the contents. [center][hider=Items Obtained] [b]Holy Blood[/b] Supposedly the vital fluid of a powerful sun god, worshipped in the country of Hispania by his people, the Solari. Once consumed, it provided a decent increase to one’s maximum health and healing received [url=https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/scso23.jpg?width=2048&height=2048&fit=bounds&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp][b]Blood Sun Escarlata[/b][/url] A pistol modified by the blood of a sun god. It provides lower-end but dependable stopping power, and its blood bullets are technically fire-aspected, instantly immolating those slain by the weapon and preventing downed states or on-death effects. It is fueled by the bearer’s blood and will extend needles from the grip to withdraw blood in order to reload.[/hider][/center] Ramattra examined the rewards delicately- somewhat disappointed that his biology wouldn’t be compatible with the fascinating weapon he acquired. It was no doubt valuable in its ability to draw ammunition from blood. “Ah. Well, is there anything else worth investigating? If not- I’m just going to take a moment to polish up.” With that, the Omnic stepped a few sinks away from Sandaphlon, cleaning any scuffs or dirt off his plating to pass the time. “I managed to collect the doorstop from the orange leader after his plummet. Maybe we could expand our pathways and split off- search for our friends?” “There’s only one exit right now, at the far end of the hallway,” Sandalphon recalled. “But we can expand our search if the opportunity arises, as long as we keep the doors open.” After finishing at the sink, Sandalphon used her sleeve to wipe a spot on the mirror so she could examine herself. The Petrification Disease still had a deathly grip on her, but she felt better than before. Just well enough to keep pushing forward.