[EV-26] The Ladonian Rebellion

[Blueberry 0]

Scrambling through the hatch as she followed the main group into a new kind of area. As she was last in, the hatch would suddenly close behind her. Jumping from the sudden noise, she would notice they were locked in. As others began to take a peek around the area they were just in, Blue began became amazed at how luxurious it was. 

The orange-haired player, who Blue may or may not have noticed before, offered up the exit. Tapping a finger on her chin, she would shake her head. Then, speaking in a very confident voice she would argue, "Hmm, I think that might be a distraction. I've seen enough movies to know that one of these books is a secret compartment!" Placing herself in front of the shelf, she would begin tearing them from their places. Surely one of these was a secret lever right?  That's when someone spoke up as they had found a key. That just was there to distract them more right? 

202778 LD:13. No key. 

[Lilik 0]

Lilik spun a slow circle, taking in the small space. Though the expression she wore wasn't exactly disgust, it did flirt with disapproval. "This is it?" she muttered to herself. "We go from this huge chamber with some ancient death trap to some guy's private study?" Hands planted on her slim hips, Lilik's gaze came to rest on the grand desk situated beneath the stained glass windows. That would be the obvious place to stash important information, right? Including how to get to the top of the tower, or what awaited them there? It was certainly worth looking into.

Long strides carried her there, but she was forced to stutter-step when a book tumbled into her path. A pink-haired elf stood in front of the shelf, tearing books from their perches with reckless abandon. Lilik could appreciate the tiny person's enormous energy, and as such, she simply skirted around her. Then, as an afterthought, she added, "Give me a holler if you need help with the books on the top shelf." Considering Lilik had a good ten inches on the girl, it would be easy to access the places she couldn't reach. Unfortunately, though the comment had been made in good faith, it was difficult to tell if it would be received that way.

Looking for a key? she mused, reflecting on what the others had said. A key would be easy enough to find in the desk's drawer, or maybe tucked away in a secret compartment that-

Something small and shiny winged past, only inches from her face. It fell soundlessly to the thick carpet, and reflected the fire's light in such a way it looked to be smoldering itself. "Nice," Lilik managed, stooping to scoop up the key. Then, with an undignified grunt, she dragged one of the ornate, straight-backed chairs just below the key holes. With a foot on each arm, and with considerable balance and reach, she managed to slam the key home.

"One down," she announced.

---

Putting Key #1 (from Nian) in the lock.

[Krysta 0]

Perhaps this task was more difficult than expected. Krysta continued to search potential places where a key might be hidden.

She checked under the rug, but there was nothing to be found.

She overturned the cushions on the armchairs, but there were no keys hidden. She walked over to one of the bookshelves that had yet to be emptied, and attempted to pull it away, pivoting it in hopes of revealing anything it may have hidden.

Only the wall seemed to be behind the bookshelf...and it had taken about five minutes for Krysta to pull away the bookshelf...but for the sake of the other players, she would have to push it back in as to avoid it being an obstruction for the other players.

With a sigh, she proceeded to push the bookshelf back in. Surely the pink haired player might be able to frisk it for any keys while Krysta searched elsewhere.

ID# 202784 LD: 13(no key)

Edited December 14, 2021 by Krysta

[Jomei 0]

Stepping back from the bookshelf and looking over at the others, he saw that they were a bit more successful than himself. With the amount of books in this study, it was a wonder they were able to find any within the thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of pages tucked away. He took the moment of solace to look at the other players in the vicinity of him.. most of them unfamiliar to him. One or two seemed familiar, at best, but he could not place a name to any faces. For a moment, he thought to himself again, what was he even doing here. He came here to get his mind off of things and pull himself out of his rut.. maybe make friends. But, given everyones gung-ho attitude about pushing forward into this tower (or others trying to force this rebellion in their favor) made it seem that friendly chatter was the least of their worries. 

Jomei walked over to the man who had found a key within one of the books, offering a small smile "Looks like you're better at finding these things than I am." he extends out a hand, palm upwards. "Here, I'll go unlock one of the locks so you can go looking for another." 

Once the key was in his possession, Jomei moved towards the four locks. One already being taken care of, Jomei inserted the key into the lock and turned it. With a click, the lock came undone. "Alright, that's two down. Two to go."

Jomei used Alkor's Key #2 on Lock #2

Edited December 13, 2021 by Jomei

[Blueberry 0]

Tearing through the books on the shelf, someone she didn't know of called out to her offering assistance. "I can find some way to get up there but thanks!" Despite having cleared half of the shelf, none of them seemed to lead to a secret passage. It looked like people had found four keys to the locks but honestly, why would people lock themselves in the room? This looked like the kind of room in which you would lock from the outside. A secret room needed a secret entrance!

Beginning to whisper, seemingly to herself, the girl would say, "Hey Frazberry!"  From the small dark blue shapes that lined her neck popped off a blue gelatinous figure. Expanding until he was about the side of a bowling ball, a question mark would form on top of the slime's head. "Do you think you could make a stool for me to reach the top of this shelf?"

A moment would pass as the slime would simply stare at her. An agitated symbol appeared on its head, replacing the question mark. Hopping up onto the shelf, the creature would simply begin eating the books. "Wait wait! you have to pull them, not eat them!" The untrained slime would pay her no regard. .

202794 LD:5

[Plini 0]

What were they looking for again?

 Plini lost track, everyone was trying to find something but him... he was in a trance as soon as he saw the books. At first it was a simple "yeah let's look for a key" thing but now that he took a closer look at the bookshelves, it was a treasure trove of information, things he might find helpful. "These will help me make stuff for us" he thought. It would benefit him and might just add more to his arsenal, or just a fun read.

He grabbed three books and started reading, all were about machineries, and it seemed like something that can be weaponized "hm, I see, I see, this is quite a book"  he thought. 

Everyone tries to find a way out, but him, he was indulging to these books. Hopefully me finds something useful not just for him but for everyone.

ID: 202796 | LD: 1

[Plot Master 0]

 

The change was very subtle.

The first clue came in the floor candelabra, when it tipped forward, and crashed with a clatter of wrought iron on stone. Chunks of white wax scattered like oily snow across the red, flower-covered carpet. While it was easy enough to assume someone had simply bumped into the piece of furniture, no one could quite remember a Player standing there at the time. The same could be said for the opposite end of the room, where a high-backed chair and footrest both shifted on their ornately carved feet.

Had the change been more dramatic, perhaps the Players might have been given more warning. But by the time the second key had turned in it's lock, there were far fewer flowers visible on the wallpaper. The north wall, with it's enormous desk and magic-soaked stained-glass windows, loomed a bit larger than it had before. The south wall, now with a jumble of pillows at its base, did as well. And with each passing moment, they grew closer still.

---

Round Six ½: The Room Where it Happens
Find the last two keys and get them in the locks before you're crushed by the two closing walls.
Complete the round six mechanical challenge.

Spoiler

• REMINDER from previous round.
• Four locks are positioned in the ceiling, approximately ten feet off the ground.
• Search the room for the keys.
• A key must be located before it can be used in a lock. A different person may use the key if the finder gives it to them in their (the finder's) post.
• To search for a key, state "Searching for Key" (or something similar) in the roll reason. If it is found, please assign the key a number (1, 2, 3, 4 - in the order it is located), to help keep things organized.
• A post action is required to use the key. All keys and locks are identical, but all four must be in place before the round can continue.

 

[Blueberry 0]

Blueberry watched in horror as the blue slime began to dissolve the books one by one, caring not for her instructions. Groaning, she placed her hands on her hips and waited for a moment. The slime seemed to have no intention to stop. Grabbing on the top shelf and placing her feet on the bottom, she would begin to climb to get a good view of the top shelf. 

A upset pout on her face as she looked the slime, the blue gelatinous creature would stop for a moment to look at her. At least before ejecting a small metal object at her forehead at top seeds. Surprised by the sudden smack, the girl let go of the shelf and fell to the floor below. Laying there for a moment, she looked to where a small metal key laid on the ground. Where had Frazberry gotten this? Was it up on the bookshelf? Pushing herself up, she would frown at the bookshelf before looking to the girl who stood by the key holes. "Hey! You're the one taking these right? You can have this one!" Tossing the key to the girl, Blue would turn back to her shelf that was now void of any books. They accomplished whatever goal they had set out to do. 

"Does it seem less echo-y in here than before?" 

 

202797 LD:10 Key Found!
Key given to @Lilik

[Jomei 0]

After turning the key in the second lock, Jomei felt the click as it disengaged.. but could have sworn he felt some sort of rumble as well. Slight, but ever present after turning that key. Had something else revealed itself? Or possible it was just the sound of the inner machinations of this quadruple locked doorway. If that was the case, why did he still feel it. It wasn't until one of the other girls who was plowing through book after book searching for a key mentioned it being a bit less echo-ey in the room. A careful look around at the décor on the walls revealed the situation that they were currently in. "I think you're right.." he responded, "It looks like the room is getting smaller, the walls are slowly closing in. We need to keep looking." 

Jomei hopped from the chair he had used to unlock the second lock and began moving about the room towards the fireplace. He sidestepped out of the way of a flying book coming from the frantically searching girl's direction as it collided with the flames of the smokeless fire. Jomei's olive eyes followed the tome as it hit the flames, turning to a shattered array of crystals after a moment rather than burning up. The irishman kept his gaze on the fire for a few moment more, before catching the slight shine of an object pinned to the back of the flaming box. "Oh you cheeky little-." he said through a sigh as he quickly removed his coat, leaving him in just a dark, sleeveless shirt. 

Dropping to a knee in front of the fire, he took in a deep breath before reaching his arm through the flames. A small, pulsing orange icon under his health bar let him know he was currently taking small bits of fire damage. Luckily, that was the only downside to this, as pain was non existent in this game. Didn't mean he had nothing to worry about, the slowly depleting health bar and growing numbness in his arm was definitely cause for concern. Finally, he felt his fingers wrap around the teeth of the key, and he yanked it out. "Ha.. Got it." he said with a few heavy breaths. Quickly, he turned to the first player he saw. "Oi, blondie, catch."  He tossed the key to the blonde haired girl, before retrieving his jacket from the floor, "Take care of that last lock and get us out of this mess." 

ID 202798  | LD 14 Found Key #4
Tossed Key#4 to @Krysta
 

Edited December 15, 2021 by Jomei

[Krysta 0]

Krysta continued her search, and it was rather difficult. She still found nothing, and then she was interrupted by someone tossing something over to her. A key landed in her hands, but it was warm to the touch...too warm, in fact.

The newcomer ginger who had thrown the key to Krysta asked her to use it on the locks. Krysta saw a chair that was in the proper position to reach one lock...but when she tried to reach the lock, it would seem that she was not tall enough to reach it, even with the help of a chair, even with the help of books placed on the chair.

She then noticed the walls closing in.

Her eyes widened, and it was now or never. "No time like the present to be reckless...it would seem that drastic measures are required for me to reach the lock..." Krysta thought. She looked around, and saw one player drawing near...

@Jomei

With the chair's help, she leaped upwards and landed upon the newcomer ginger. "I apologize for this, I simply cannot reach the lock on my own!" She said as she proceeded to climb into position.

With the ginger's help, if he was truly willing to offer it, she would manage to stick the key into the lock, and with a turn of the key, another lock was undone.

"Just a moment....there!"

Krysta uses Key #4 on Lock #4

[Lilik 0]

As the walls closed, Players simply shifted closer together. Lilik supposed it was a bit like the instinct to step away when someone joined you in an elevator. There was no rule stating it had to be done, but it simply felt like the most natural, comfortable response. It wasn't until the smaller space became evident, and the situation more dire, that unease finally rippled through her companions. Lilik herself experienced the first flicker of uncertainty, but she refused to feed the flame. Panicking won't help, she told herself firmly. Panicking was for the weak. I'm not weak.

The pink haired woman's voice snagged her attention, just seconds before Lilik instinctively snatched the flying key from the air. She wanted to snap back, demanding to know when she was made honorary 'key girl,' but the impulse quickly died away. What would be the point? Besides, as one of the tallest Players in the room, it made sense for her to deposit the keys into the locks.

Once more balancing precariously on the arms of the chair, the long woman reached up to slide the key into the lock. With the faintest click, which she felt more than heard, it did its job. Lilik glanced down again just in time to watch a blonde scale a redhead, giving her the boost she needed to finish the key puzzle.

"Ni-"

Before Lilik could finish the word, the chair broke beneath her feet, sending her tumbling into a pile of limbs and wood.

---

Putting Key #3 (from Blueberry) in the lock.

[Plot Master 0]

 

A circular piece of the star-studded sky simply lifted away, revealing yet another hole for the Players to squeeze through. It was likely that none of them had expected the "tower climb" to be quite so literal, but once more, they were required to shimmy through one tight space and into another. This time, however, instead of the wriggling bodies of NPCs, they left behind the carnage of a rapidly-shrinking room.

Fire leapt from the hearth to tear hungrily at the discarded books, orange-red flames reaching like shimmering fingers. As the south wall swept the furniture closer, the ornate chairs and blood-red upholstery were swallowed up in the heat and the blaze. As Players scrambled to safety, many found themselves atop the enormous desk, which had positioned itself directly below the escape route. With a bit of teamwork, and a lot of speed, Players might make it out alive.

Once the final individual had fled, the hatch could be closed on the burning wreckage. It fell back into place to reveal an intricately formed compass rose, each stone painstakingly placed. It filled the entire floor of the tiny space, even smaller than the room they had left behind. The cylindrical room held nothing else - no furniture, no books, no doorway. The ceiling hung just over six feet above, requiring that the taller Players duck their heads. With very little room to move, and no evident exit, it became clear that those trapped inside the claustrophobia-inducing chamber would need to get creative.

Aside from the compass rose, the only décor was in the four carvings in the stone walls. To the north, a compass rose similar to the one Players stood upon. To the east, a sun. To the south, a flower. And to the west, a simple animal head with wide antlers. Below each was a small circular dial, with four numbers written along the outer edges - 1, 2, 3, 4. The small arrow carved on the dial pointed downward, away from all the numbers. It seemed that in order to select an option, the Player would need to move the dial to the number, then press it inward. It would take a strong will, a sturdy pushing finger, and at least four Players to successfully escape.

---

Round Seven: The Great Escape
Solve the puzzle.

Spoiler

• All four dials must be set to the correct number, and pushed in at the same time to solve the puzzle.
• Writers should note in their post which dial they're interacting with (using symbol shape or compass location), and which number it is set to.
• Once all four dials are interacted with correctly, the next round will begin.
• Posts in between without action are allowed (so you can write about your character reacting without pushing a dial).
• If someone posts the incorrect answer at any time (a dial set to the wrong number), the puzzle will need to be restarted.
  • I will post to alert you when the puzzle has been completed correctly, or requires a restart.
• Only one person can interact with a dial at a time, and no person can interact with more than one (the room is just large enough to make it impossible).

 

[Nian 0]

And no sooner after she'd finally come to terms with the layout of the room did the walls start closing in upon them. Ridiculous! Nian had half the mind to test the strength of her gauntlets on either of them, had there not been another way out of the trap. She sneered at the looks of furniture, toppling over one another in the shift of spaces, hard places threatening to crush all that stood within it.

The emperor dove through that hatch, claws without, the first of the lot to hit the floor in a tumble. And it was to her annoyance that the ceiling, while adequate to her height, was still a wince shorter than rooms she was used to. Claustrophobic indeed. The symbols didn't help any.

Well, Nian was one to not help any, either.

It was with metal strapped to her hands that she twisted the dial on the west to the fourth. Not that she believed it meant anything, though one shouldn't pardon the lack of wit being demonstrated by the royal herself. Out of all the others, that signal was the coolest looking etching by far.

The fourth? 

It made sense to delay their deaths to the very end.

[WEST DIAL -> 4]

Incorrect entry. Puzzle reset.

[Oji 0]

To say that Oji had blanked throughout this entire adventure had been an understatement. He was entirely lost of what to do, and just followed the players he had tagged along with and the villagers who were raiding the castle. Eventually he found himself within the grand room of what he felt could be the last puzzle, a giant room filled with a few simple dials and symbols. He had remembered a few game levels like this that he saw over the shoulder of a student at one of those fancy cafe's next to his apartment. Maybe they had missed something. Maybe...

Wait, these symbols, they looked familiar. He looked down below him, and saw a giant compass, that matched almost perfectly with the drawing above one of the dials. The Symbols! They had to have been scattered around. But, where would they have been. Oji scratched the back of his head, and remembered that one of the earliest things he remembered was a... stag, was it? Something with antlers. He looked at the symbols and saw that one of the symbols- where a player had actually gone- matched the criteria of the symbol he remembered. He walked over to the West side, and set the dial to one

"Guys, I know I haven't been saying much, but the symbols... I think they're things we've come across in the castle." He pointed to the stag "This was one of the first symbols we came across. Does anyone remember any memorable symbols that came after this? One of them should match the marking above these dials."

[WEST DIAL - 1]

Correct answer. Please continue.

[Blueberry 0]

The group made their escape to the shrinking room and were immediately accosted with a new puzzle. Solving things was never Blue's strong suit. In fact, she always had done her homework with friends that solved everything. The downside of having so many friends to rely on is that she always would rely on them and never develop her own skills. Now, surrounded by strangers, who was there to really rely on? Tall, dark, and pretty? No, if she continued asking for her help now, the woman would assume Berry was using her. There was no hope that she would be useful here.

"I uh-" 

Shouting from an older gentlemen would peak her interest. Was there anything she had noticed up til now? Well, she had thrown the books right? There wasn't a book symbol. Taking the three remaining symbols in, only one would peak her interest. Flowers! The carpet she sat on while plucking them had been filled with red roses right? Did that have something to do with the puzzle?

"I'm gonna try this!" 

The flowers was the last room and 4 was the last number right? That had to be it! Unless she completely missed everything. Pushing the dial over onto the number, she would try with all of her might to force the dial in. 

[SOUTH DIAL - 4]

Incorrect entry. Puzzle reset.

[Nian 0]

"What."

She'd wanted to howl fie, for noticing one of the commoners brazenly strolling up to her side, grubby hands shifting with effort the dial under that sigil that she preferred. And, not to mention, that old-person stench wafting from that under-handed individual. There was something about thinking to be said -- not that the Emperor was intent on listening, too focused on how the dial was affixed to the wall the moment his fist slammed upon its front-end.

"I'm gonna try this!" 

And then it popped back out.

The king erased all traces of confusion on her face with a shake of her head. With another light shove -- she wasn't going to be responsible for broken bones with STR upon her fingers -- she ushered the other player away and turned the dial in his stead. Two prongs twisting steel and slotting it back into the wall.

Now it would be her work underneath the stag symbol.

[WEST DIAL -> 1]

Correct answer. Please continue.

[Krysta 0]

After escaping the burning room, Krysta would emerge in yet another room that could induce panic within the claustrophobic. She was able to see the compass on the floor before it became covered by other players. She looked carefully at the different symbols, wondering what they might possibly mean.

A stag to the west, a sun to the east, a flower to the south and a compass to the north...

The Tyrant took action quickly...too quickly. Then that one player who had simply been following along ever since the airship crash decided to speak up, giving his thoughts on what was obviously a puzzle of some sort.

Whoever had designed this was rather foolish, leaving clues that infiltrators could follow. If one had a code they wanted to know but not permit anyone else to know, they should have it written on paper or chiseled into the walls of a secret room, whatever might keep the answer hidden from intruders.

Krysta saw the man turn the stag dial first, setting it to One. Then the pink haired player set the flower to four, and the puzzle reset.

The compass was right where the players were standing, but since several players were standing on it, Krysta shouldn't blame the girl for mistaking it for a different symbol. Her expression in that moment was both one of sympathy and one of slight passive aggression.

Krysta looked to her memories to try figuring out the pattern.

There was the stag, yes...in the burning room, there were walls with...floral decorations...and in this room was a compass...back when the NPCs were leaving the pit, Krysta remembered noticing... "The sun, of course!" It all made sense now.

"Set the Stag to one, Set the Flower to three, and Set the Compass to four! I shall set the sun to two!" Krysta called out.

Hopefully, her guess was correct.

[East Dial - 2]

Correct answer. Please continue.

[Jomei 0]

After tossing the key to the blonde haired girl, Jomei rose to his feet and pulled his jacket back on. He turned his attention back towards the locks, realizing that it was taking a bit longer for the girl to use the key than her had expected. "Everything okay?" Jomei asked as he took a few steps in her direction. Just to stand by and watch as the last two keys were inserted into their slots, hopefully revealing the way out. 

Suddenly, the girl stepped from the chair landing onto Jomei's shoulders. "H-Hey wait!" Jomei shouted as he adjusted his feet, trying to avoid from toppling over. Once she was off of him, he would turn to her, brushing off his shoulders. "I suppose that works.. just a bit more warning next time would be appreciated." Shortly after, the last of the keys was quickly used to unlock the hatch above, and the chair the woman stood on gave out. The ginger stepped out of the way to avoid being toppled into, as the purple haired girl hit the ground. As the others began to make a quick escape, Jomei stepped back to her. He extended out a hand, "You alright?" Whether she accepted his help or not, once she was up and ready to proceed, Jomei would do the same and make his way up the hatch and out of the burning room.

Just as before, he was the last one out of the room, helping to make sure everyone else had made their way to safety. Jomei would pull his way up out of the burning room and through the shaft until he had joined the others in the next room, that they all squeezed into yet again. A puzzle of some sort, needing to associate numbers with symbols.

The others were quick to figure out, and after hearing the instructions from the blonde girl, Jomei moved to one of the corners. "I'll get the Flower" Jomei called out as he moved to the Southern dial, turning it to the number three.

[South Dial - 3]

Correct answer. Please continue.

[Blueberry 0]

As much as she pushed the dial, nothing seemed to happen. At least, not on her end. The pink-haired player simply watched as the goldilocks character took charge and made commands. 'How is the flower three? It was totally on that carpet.' A pout rested on her face as the ginger-haired player came and took her position. Was it really working?

Standing from her crouched position on the flower, she would make up her mind to move directly north. The compass, where had it been in the previous room? Had it been on the cover of the books she threw?  Her metaphorical short-sightedness had missed the compass on the wall entirely. 

Moving the final dial to its rightful place, the pink-haired player would set the world into motion.

[North Dial - 4]

Correct answer.

[Plot Master 0]

 

Without clicking locks or grinding gears, it was difficult to tell that the puzzle had been solved. Instead, a sudden downward pressure descended on the Players. The force did not knock them down, nor root them in place. Instead, it simply gave the indication of movement and direction - up.

The entire compartment rose, carrying the lucky few higher up the tower. With no windows or electronics, the Players had no way to determine just how far they climbed. Minutes passed, then suddenly, the ceiling overhead retracted. The stone compass continued to rise, lifting the Players from the elevator, and into what had always been their final destination.

The tower room soared twenty feet into the air. Long, thin windows striped the stone walls, reaching from floor to near ceiling. The light that permeated the smoke and storms outside bathed the room in an eerie gray, and stood in stark contrast to the flickering candles in their silver holders. A shelf lined with books stood on one side of the room, beside a desk strewn with papers. On the other, a metal contraption hulked like a hunch-backed creature.

From it, a voice rose.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?”

Though at first it appeared the voice belonged to the machine, a young man quickly stepped out from behind it. His hair stood up in pink tufts, as if he’d run his fingers through it over and over, and his golden eyes flashed. Once he’d surveyed the Players, the anger left his expression. “I can tell from a glance that you’re not my father’s men. I suppose that makes us allies of sorts.” He gave a hurried, tight-lipped smile. “My name is Lamont, and I am the son of the Grand Imperator.” As his smile became a grimace, he added, “Which is not a fact I am especially fond of sharing.”

“I am not proud of my father, nor am I in support of the decisions he has made regarding the Galtean nation.” So saying, the prince turned away from the Players to resume his tinkering. “My concerns, as expected, were not well received. So, recognizing that I could not help from the palace, I sought out the leaders of the fledgling Galtean resistance. I wasn’t entirely sure how I might lend aid, but I wished to try. Then, I found out about this.” He paused to motion to the enormous machine. “This is the original Scather, gifted to my father by the Lords of Fate. It caused the destruction of Galtea, and given the opportunity, my father will use it to eradicate the resistance as well.” Lamont disappeared around the Scather, but his voice carried in the spacious room. “He saw that the Scather be locked at the top of the tower, protected by three challenges of his own design.” Disgust dripped from every word as Lamont said, “Apparently, my father believed no one in his dominion capable of working as a team, operating under pressure, or paying close enough attention to solve a rudimentary puzzle.”

When the machine began to hum, and the air grew heavy with power, Lamont’s tone lifted with excitement. “I’ve some skill with magic, and quite the hand with technology, so I’ve taken it upon myself to destroy this weapon for good. And I believe that I’ve finally-”

Everything seemed to shift. Static electricity buzzed around them, lifting the hair from skin suddenly prickled with goosebumps. Each breath was drawn with more difficulty. Though a strange sensation to explain, the Players felt a small tug at their core. Like a moth drawn to a flame. 

“Something’s wrong.”

Lamont leaped out from behind the Scather, his wide eyes vibrant against his pale skin. “It’s activated,” he explained quickly. “It’s searching for power. It’s drawing it in. Can’t you feel it?” 

He turned a quick circle, scanning the room before he turned back to the Players. Though it seemed impossible, he grew even paler as the elevator began to descend again. “We must go," he declared. "It isn’t safe here. They're coming for the Scather, and-”

Before he could finish his sentence, he threw up both hands, and engulfed them all in blinding white light. When it finally faded away, they found themselves standing in an alley, miles from the tower where they had just stood. He had taken them back to Outer Ladonia, where it had all begun mere hours before.

“There’s still much to be done,” Lamont muttered. "I can't be sure that I successfully altered the Scather, so we must take defensive action." He plunged his hands deep into the pockets of his pants, then drew out tiny vials of swirling silver liquid. He shoved them at the Players. "Take these, for now. I'd planned to take them myself, to keep my energy up as I worked, but I've no use for them now." He strode a few paces away, then called over his shoulder, "Should you be ready to help, I will call on you when it is time. This isn’t over.” Without another word, the prince of Ladonia disappeared into the crowd.

---

The story will continue soon.