[PP-F-25] Deep into Wonderland

[Ceres 0]

Tumbling, twirling, whirling and falling….

Down…

Down…

Down…

 

“OOmph…”

Ceres landed unceremoniously with a thud on the ground. She sat up, rubbing her head. “Owww… what happened…” Another grumble as she stood, a little shaky from the constant spinning. Where was she? A glance around caused Ceres’ eyes to squint, it was bright….very bright. “Huh.” A tilt of her head as she stared up at….what was she looking at exactly?

It looked like a road that had twisted and twirled in the air above her, covered in obnoxiously bright colours of pink and yellow. She hadn't really seen anything like it, but she hadn't ventured too far above the 22nd floor. So this would have to be somewhere higher? Something felt slightly constricting about the air...a labyrinth? One of those dungeon places players would talk about? Made sense...

“Mista Tybalt?” Ceres called out, taking a few shaky steps forward. Did he actually somehow whisk her away to some kind of wonderland? The entire place felt like it was something out of Alice in Wonderland. Ceres felt two emotions fighting within her, amazement - that something like this existed in Aincrad, and that he was able to pull her here. Then…concern, where was he? Why was she alone? Ceres was used to being alone. She spent most, if not all her time in Aincrad as a solitary wanderer.

What did he say? Something about being his Alice?

“Oh!” Ceres clasped her hands together in delighted realization, around the same time a glitched message would pop up in front of her. The woman brushed it away, ignoring it. She wasn't interested in it. This was a quest, right? All she had to do…was find the white rabbit. Easy! Ceres glanced down at the floor. A yellow brick road. A toe tapped the brick. “I could follow the yellow brick road…” She mumbled. “But…that’s the wrong movie so…” A spin on her heel as she turned round and went the opposite direction, where the spiralled road turned into a obtuse red colour.

“Where, oh where are you, little white rabbit?” Ceres would call out, even going as far as to pull out a carrot from her inventory, waving it in the air. “I have a juicy carrot for you.”

 

Ceres | HP: 500/500 | EN: 68/68 | DMG: 1  | True Tier 4

@Tybalt

Edited 13 hours ago by Ceres

[Tybalt 1]

A whimsical descent down into the depths of madness, as Ceres would face plant teeth first into the street. The hat had since expanded out and so elegantly took its place as a parachute, being clutched in both hands as the man would float. "Now Now, best not be too hasty dear Alice." The man quipped with a sickly turn on the phrase. The hat deflates as he lands, even making a noise akin to that of a balloon as it does. A jerk of his arms, he rolls it up his sleeve and a twist of his elbow sees it sit squarely upon his head. "This is my domain, where all of your wildest dreams can come true..." A promise spoken with a flair. His arms extending out to orchestrate to the girl the place, spinning as if it were a field of flowers. "BUT." A shrill break as he'd snap around and contort in a shriveled state. "But..." His tone much lighter, almost kind as an inverse of the last. "it.... can.... also.... " Bridging the gap to the lass, reaching out a gloved hand to poke her gently on the nose. "It can also hold your wildest nightmares.... GASP." He extrudes pressing balled up hands into the bottom of his mask. Acting surprised, he'd hold out his arm for her to take.

"Come along dear Ceres, a rabbit, three kobolds in a trench coat? How about four gallons of skim milk pressed into a sculpture of a deer?" Whistling as he began to walk, an extension of his arm allows a long cane to drop free. A tap across the road sees all manner of things take shape in sprays of color, of wonder. Chocolate trees, a gaggle of snakes, half of a semi truck, a spray of doves, a pastrami sandwich on a plate screaming profusely. All of them unnatural, and all from within Tybalt's unhinged mind. "Give it a try~" He beckons spinning that rod like a propeller, before ripping it in front of her face with enough force to take out an eye and close enough to threaten as much.

Tybalt | HP: 680/680 | EN: 86/86 | DMG: 1

Spoiler

Name: Tybalt, The Jester
True Tier: 4
Level: 34
Paragon Level: 0
HP: 680/680
EN: 86/86

Stats:
Damage: 1

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - 
Armor/Trinket: 
  - 
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - 

Combat Mastery:
  - 

Combat Shift:
  - 

Familiar Skill:
  - 

Custom Skill:
  - 

Skills:

Extra Skills:

Inactive Extra Skills:

Addons:

Mods:

Inactive Mods:

Battle Ready Inventory:

Housing Buffs:

Guild Hall Buffs:

Scents of the Wild Totem:

Wedding Ring:

Crafting Profession:

Gathering Profession:

 

[Ceres 0]

Ceres was pulled back with a sharp grab of her shoulder, almost causing her to fall backwards. "Ah!" She turned to see the man who had bought her here in the first place. "Mister Tybalt!" A tilt of her head and a purse of her lips. "My name...is Ceres...remember?" He waved her off, as though he either did not hear here, or did not care. "Where you a magician? In the real world?" She would ask with a sense of wonder. He was...this was amazing! She couldn't help but cover her mouth as light laughter fell from her lips. She enjoyed his antics. It was refreshing to see someone so flamboyant and fun. She had to briefly wonder why he had an orange marker if he was like this? Then again...Ceres was never one to judge or even bother to look at anyone's markers with any sort of scrutiny.

This is my domain, where all of your wildest dreams can come true...

Then, with a slight tap on her nose which caused Ceres to sneeze. He talked about her wildest nightmares. My nightmares?  What would that be? "Mmmmm....." Her eyes drifted to the sky. "Being bored...." She said aloud. "Seeing people I like hurt...." What else?  "And a giant deerman vomiting centipedes." She added. Of all the things to fear, the last would never exist. Ceres waved it off with a laugh. "But with you here Mista Tybalt...." A spin on her heel as she ran over to a nearby puddle of what looked like whipped cream, a dip of her finger into it and it was.

Another laugh. There was no way she could be bored with him around. "I don't think I'll have that problem! No boredom here! This place is amazing!" She looked up at him, extending an arm. Ceres reached out and looped her own around it and she was immediately whirled around in two full circles. It caused her to feel slightly nauseous. "Whoa...S-Stop! You're gonna make me dizzy..." Tybalt stopped and shoved the magicians wand into her hands. Asking her to give it a try. 

"M....me!?"  She would ask. Tybalt nodded, hysterical giggles muffled beyond a Cheshire mask. "Uh!...."

She pointed at the ground beneath their feet. "It'd be fun if we were walking on jelly!" Then umbrellas would appear in their hands, inside out - and a crackle of thunder above signaled the fall of rain. "Strawberry milk rain!" What else? Could she really make anything happen here? This was an insane quest...if Aincrad could make dragons happen, and familiars...she wasn't surprised that this could too. Was Tybalt some kind of moderator? A developer? Or did his stick thing just have some strange effect on the environment? Was that even possible? "Snakes with legs! and cows like snakes!" she cried out, trying to wave the wand around. Her demands getting more and more ridiculous.

"A bird with a cats face! A cat with two bird heads!  A bowl of fingernails each painted with colours of the rainbow! A music box that only plays things backwards!" 

If he didn't stop her, she'd keep going.

@Tybalt

Edited 12 hours ago by Ceres

[Tybalt 1]

A reach back to take the wand from the girl, the man had done exactly what he had intended to do. Give her the nudge to appreciate and embrace chaos, and her agreement to it was exactly what he had hoped. Not many had such an active minds eye, and fluid expression. "That'll do, You'll do. I was right to pick you Ceres, the cards were right to pick you." The man took a darker tone, a nearly silent murmur. "Such simple nightmares, so BORING, where is your imagination?" Tybalt remarked as he'd tap the street near her left leg, causing a pair of alligator like jaws made of concrete to spring up and rip it clean causing her to topple to the ground. "Mista Tybalt... Why?" The man stepped past her mimicking her dismay as she clambered for his ankles. "Why? WHY?" He screamed into nothing, before breaking out into laughter. "Because I can Alice." He'd answer his own faux pleads himself.

"Magic, Illusion, entertainment." He remarks to the road as if pleading to it, turning around to line his hat with a pair of pinched fingers. "I want to see your nightmares, I want you to imagine mine. The crazier the better." He chuckles again, and it seems as though the smile on his mask grows that much more sinister. "SHOW ME DEAR ALICE, what.. you truly..." he presses the cane against her forehead. "Have in there, your darkest self. Give me your best SHOT!" He exhumes in a vocal tear, his voice becoming vast and endless as it seemed to grow far beyond his stature. The cane is dumped in front of her, and the man clasps the rim of his hat. This was going to hurt, but that was half the fun of it. 

[Ceres 0]

"Hey!" her brows would furrow in frustration as he would pull the wand from her hand. "I wasn't finished." But he was. He said he was right to pick her. The cards were, there it was again...saying she was being chosen for something. "What exactly am.....I being chosen for?" She'd ask with a tilt of her head. Her lavender eyes wafting over his shoulder to watch a cloud wave at her as it floated by. This was a quest right? Shouldn't he be sending her a party invite? That's how these things worked, right? It had been years since the woman had bothered with questing. Ceres blinked as she caught him mumbling. "Oh...the quest...is Mista Vex coming soon?"

"Hmm? Did you say something?"  Tybalt jerked his head toward her and instead of saying anything he'd tap the ground, what was once orange jelly shifted - turned back into the red brick road. Then a snap and crack as the road shifted up, forming something else, an alligator - or was it a crocodile? The woman didn't have time to ponder as it clamped down on her leg. Ripping it clean off, she gave a shriek in surprise. Ceres - thankfully with the pain muffler set to full didn't feel the entire effects of her entire leg being ripped off instead- she was met with mild pain, like she had left her hand on the stove for far too long. "T-Tybalt?" Confusion in her panicked tone. What had happened? Why was he doing this? "Why?"

Tybalt stepped past her, a simple comment. 'Because I can'

"That doesn't mean you should!" Ceres snapped back, dragging herself forward to clasp a hand around ankle. "I could bite your nose off! But I wouldn't!" Stammered words spoken in a quick panic. "I could push you off this road! But I wouldn't. I could-" 

Her words fell into silence as Tybalt commanded her to show him her nightmares. Somehow...his friendly words and demeanor were melting away, something more sinister replaced it. That smiling mask which Ceres admired so, suddenly felt so foreboding. Her heart beat hard against her chest. She was afraid. What if he hurt her more? What if he took away all her limbs and carried her around on his back? What if everything went dark? She was afraid of the dark... Afraid of dying....but all those things... wasn't everyone afraid of that? Ceres felt betrayed, angry tears dotted her eyes as she picked up the cane that had been dropped in front of her.

 

Ceres scrambled to pick it up, and the first thing that happened...her leg appeared in a burst of confetti. She tested it, illusions... She blinked. Ah...that's why it didn't hurt much. It was all an illusion. Ceres turned to Tybalt, small lips turned down in a pout. "You're an asshole, Mista Tybalt!"

She thwacked the little cane over his shoulder. "I hope all your teeth fall out! Then turn into little teeth monsters that bury themselves into your skin!" Another thwack. "I hope your mask melts!" Another. "I hope you feel everything mean you do to everyone else!"  She would poke the rod into the apex of his chest. "I hope you taste nothing but gross raw onions!" She wanted to leave here. This was no longer fun. "I'm telling Mista Vex you're actually a jerk. No matter how nice you smell!" 

In one hand, she'd pull out a teleport crystal, the other she threw back, going to throw the stupid rod over the edge of the road

 

[Tybalt 1]

The man laughed and laughed with every little outburst, every prod and poke against his body. The cane was such a paltry attempt at recourse, and it showed that she had the notion. The mask slowly melting into a sad droopy face, it drips from him in globs. "Shouldn't, Wouldn't, couldn't." Tybalt repeats and adds in a mantra speaking beneath her constant babble, finding it hilarious that she continued to bark insults but constantly bringing them back. Spitting out a small cacophony of teeth soldiers. Everything she'd produced was so abysmally tame. The teleport crystal in her hands turns into pink butterflies and flutter away, as if it had never existed. The cane goes winding down the road, spiraling and rolling as it lands. Grabbing her wrist, as a her feet sink into the road. His mask springs from his head jumping off hers and rushes away with 4 spider like legs. His jaw splits at the corner of his mouth, giving him a smile that could not end to his ears. "What is and isn't. What shouldn't but should, can but cannot. Why, Alice?" Her own hair seems to come to life, growing and tying up one arm. Her skin begins to peel from her face. Eyes begin to bleed, and water fills her lungs causing her to gag and choke. "Everything and nothing, rules upon rules upon rules. So boring, so exhausting." Pressing his hand into his jaw, he'd proceed to bite off his own hand at the wrist. Blood flowed unending, and the snap of bone and sinew were the most troublesome.

The hand flops to the ground, lifeless. "Life is a game Ceres. YOU WANT TO LIVE IT? Shouldn't Couldn't Wouldn't. I can I will and I should. WELCOME TO WONDERLAND ALICE." Tybalt screams as the place becomes a blackened void, where red eyes begin to open as a silent audience. A click of lights begin to power on one after another. His own hand springs up and takes a bow, scampering down the road and disappearing out of sight. Meanwhile he folds into a bow of his own to canned laughter, the bloody stump that was his right hand being the one pressed into his abdomen. "Where shall we start? Perhaps we can try the coin trick again?"

[Ceres 0]

"W-What?" Ceres looked at her empty hand as butterflies erupted from it. How? She looked to him with a questioning gaze. No. This had to be an illusion right? She was still holding onto it. RIght? Ceres would make a crunching motion with her hand, "Taft!" She'd shout. The smallest of names. She waited. Nothing.... "T-Taft!" Again she'd shout, in more panicked tones, but her release didn't come. What did... was everything she said. His mask began to melt off his face in globs. Teeth skittered about and pierced the skin of his arms, legs and hands. Her eyes widened as she took a step away from him. "I...I didn't mean t-"

"OH bUT YOU DID! Dear Alice! You could! You Would! You SHOULD!"
 

Ceres gave a muffled scream as she clasped her hands over her own mouth, watching his jaw sickeningly unhinge, tearing at the sides as rows upon rows of newly formed teeth protruded from an ever growing smile. What was he? She shut her eyes tight. This wasn't real....this wasn't real. She had to keep telling herself that. She felt his mask crawl over her torso and she visibly shuddered. She tried to scramble back, to push herself off the floor but her own hair came to life and muffled her mouth, she choked as she felt it going down her throat - the suffocation of water in her lungs. Eyes grew blurry as pretty little dots of lights danced in front of her vision. She tried to squirm away as he quite literally chewed through his own hand, but she was powerless. It felt like the more she tried to move the more she couldn't. 

The lights shut off and she was finally able to breathe again. Ceres gulped several breathes of stale air, coughing, as she coughed up - small spiders erupted from her mouth an scattered about. 

"WELCOME TO WONDERLAND ALICE."

 "N-Not..." Ceres would choke again. "Not...Alice..." She had to keep reminding herself this wasn't real. She wasn't Alice. These were all just cruel illusions and tricks of the mind... Still... a sniffle as she felt tears sting her eyes. Why was he so afraid then, why was her heart pounding so hard against her chest? If he could do all this? Could she still do the same? 

Lights flickered back on, and she was lying on what looked like a stage. A stage...this...was a show? "H...hah....hah..." Weak laughs fell from her lips as Ceres pushed herself up only to fall forward onto her hands. Her hands...

Fingernails grew long, spraying out as they cracked along the floorboards and wrapped up and around his legs. I can still make things happen here.  The nails snapped off turned into tiny snakes that continued to coil around him. One finding its way to the stump of his hand coiling into it. 

Ceres tried to steady her breathing....what did he say? She had to forget everything? All the rules? Rules.... She'd shake her head. Her tears fell to the ground with hissing sounds, turning into pools of lava that bubbled around her. Ceres screamed at that, terrified of what was happening to her. Despite it being her own thoughts. Out of the lava came too kidneys, with little bleeding legs and arms. They began to run in circles around Tybalt. Booing him.  If he was a performer....he wouldn't like being heckled, right?

....She didn't want to hurt him....she just wanted to leave
 

Edited 10 hours ago by Ceres

[Tybalt 1]

Nails wrapped around his legs, spiraling up as he opened an eye to catch only the snag. A glance back with that toothed grin of serrated teeth, that did not belong to him originally. The man screams out in pain, as the thing rips into his flesh digging its way deep into his chest. A horrid sight of it just beneath the skin, withering up the shoulder. All the while he kept that smile, unfolding and beginning to gag. The snake comes out of his mouth and digs into his right eye, like a worm in an apple. The laughter continues to play, canned laughter like from a sitcom. This was all a part of the act, despite the carnage that happened. A deathly calm as the man ripped the serpent free, spun it into a bouquet of flowers. The man stomps on a single kidney, leaving only one to trail around. From his head he reaches for his hat, but lifting it sees his head follow with it as if it were attached to it instead of his shoulders. "I'm still standing Alice..." He'd click his tongue and reach into the neck of his severed head, removing a saw from where his spine would be with a heavy shake.

Back from the furthest reaches, his stage 'hand' comes back wearing thimbles for shoes. Across the molten magma it trails leaving hissing sounds as it passes. The severed appendage folds up and flicks off the thimbles and claims the saw from the floor, and with a snap of his fingers a box rips out Ceres taking away her line of sight on him. Suffocating, and laced with magma at its bottom she'd feel the world turn and gravity shift. A slam against the bottom, Tybalt would peer through a small hole. "LAST CHANCE!"

The crowd begins to applaud loudly, waiting so desperately for this trick.

[Ceres 0]

"W..wait no!" Ceres' hands snapped up to cover her ears when she heard him give a garbled scream, she didn't want to hurt him. "S-Stop! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" But nothing stopped. The tiny pools of lava still bubbled around her and the snake still tore and wriggled beneath his flesh. Ceres shut her eyes tight and burried herself into a ball. "I'm sorry...I'm sorrry... I'm sorry..." She kept repeating it over and over again, barely audible over his anguished screams. Whatever gumption she had, faded away into pleads. Ceres thought the man an asshole....but he didn't deserve to die because of it.

"SHUT UP!" She'd scream at the canned laughter. "Please! SHUT UP!"  The laughter continued, then erupted into thunderous applause as she heard the 'squelch' as a kidney was crushed, a second later and she screamed out, hand shooting to hold her side. It felt as though he had stepped on her own kidney. She whimpered, sprawled out on the ground. He told her he was still standing but Ceres simply shook her head. "I...I don't want to hurt you..." She mumbled. Refusing to open her eyes, refusing to see that split jaw of his.

WHAM

The woman wasn't entirely sure what happened, but the next instance she found herself inside a box - the same one that those magicians would use to saw up their assistants. assistant???  Is that what this was? The woman didn't have a chance to ponder further as she saw a large serrated saw, almost comically large - and seemingly made of....bone? Her eyes widened in fear. Last chance?  For what?  Ceres panicked and tried to push the box open from the inside, but she couldn't move, it wouldn't budge, her entire body felt like it was coated in thick molasses. All she could do was shift her head from side to side; as it poked out a single circular hole. "O-Okay!" Ceres called out, terrified. 

"I-I'll play the c-coin trick! Please...Please please just stop..." 

@Tybalt

Edited 10 hours ago by Ceres