[You’ve been in this hall for a while now. What you haven’t noticed until now was the door at the end, rather than the set of stairs to descended to reach here in the first place.]
RUFIOH: *He th1nks he hears a fa1nt cl1ck1ng no1se, someth1ng that st1rs h1m out of h1s k1nd of m1serable trance and makes h1m look up. 1t hadn’t sounded too om1nous, and go1ng along w1th h1s cur1os1ty he dec1des to check out th1s new door. D1mly he not1ces 1t’s gett1ng harder and harder to drag h1mself back upr1ght; he hasn’t yet gotten used to be1ng so lop-s1ded. Maybe he never w1ll. But he knows he can’t stand there feel1ng sorry for h1mself forever, and tr1es to focus on the poss1b1l1ty of f1nd1ng someth1ng that w1ll lead h1m back to h1s compan1ons as he reaches for the door’s handle.*
[The door pulls open, and on the other side, the room is dimly lit — it looks like some kind of medical room, but different than the one you experienced before. This one has an MRI machine — modern technology — and seems very clean. The tile is the same as the hallway you were just in. There’s a window nearby showing brighter lights in a corridor outside the room’s next door.]
RUFIOH: *Even never really hav1ng seen anyth1ng l1ke th1s before he can tell th1s 1s someth1ng else ent1rely, and after nervously look1ng about he walks over to 1nspect the MR1 mach1ne.*
[Upon closer inspection, there appears to be a withered body resting inside. There’s something clutched in its hand.]
RUFIOH: *1s 1t anyone he recogn1zes? Also how decayed and gross 1s 1t*
[It’s nobody too familiar. Probably. It’s pretty decayed and gross, so it’s hard to tell.]
RUFIOH: *Awesome. W1nc1ng m1ght1ly he reaches 1nto that claustrophob1c n1ghtmare-* th1s 1s… so nasty…*- and pulls 1ts f1ngers loose as qu1ckly and carefully as poss1ble*
[Tiny crackles accompany the action, but it’s possible to see and extract what’s in its hand now. It’s a key.]
RUFIOH: *He exam1nes 1t for a few seconds before pocket1ng 1t, then d1stractedly w1pes h1s hand on h1s sh1rt as he looks around aga1n. T1me to try and look through that w1ndow, he supposes.*
[As Rufioh looks through the window, he can see a figure pass by. It’s Gamzee. It seems Gamzee is walking himself into another MRI room.]
RUFIOH: *He s1ghs wheez1ly and goes to open the door* oh thank g*d…
[In Gamzee’s room, there’s an MRI machine and other related medical equipment, but nothing of particular import.]
GAMZEE: *stares around the room this wasn’t what he was wanting to find, eyes the door opening*
RUFIOH: *peers around the door to offer h1m a l1ttle wave, suddenly aware of how utterly awful he must look. Too late now though.* gamzee! holy sh*t… thought we were all seperated for sure…
GAMZEE: *gives him a look before he starts towards him with a grin, assuming he had found what he was looking for* mother fuck is he?
[Distantly, somewhat muffled, you hear a strange sort of shrieking sound.]
RUFIOH: huh? who do you… what was that.
RUFIOH: *looks around as qu1ckly as he can w1thout bash1ng gamzee 1n the face w1th h1s horns* the f*ck?
GAMZEE: *is used to dodging such horns anyway, he looks in that direction as well and lets out a huff, corpses didn’t scream ugh*
RUFIOH: *they sure don’t do they* you… you heard that, r1ght?
GAMZEE: YEAH I AIN’T GOT BROKEN LISTENERS
RUFIOH: r1ght… you th1nk we should check 1t out?
GAMZEE: *heads out the door*
RUFIOH: *supresses another s1gh and follows*
[The sound seems to have come from somewhere upstairs, with the way it sounded.]
RUFIOH: *The passageway’s probably st1ll not w1de enough to fly 1n so 1 guess he’s got to st1ck to runn1ng up them sta1rs.*
GAMZEE: *stomps up the stairs but lets Rufioh go first because if there’s anything bad up there it isn’t gonna be him running into it first*
RUFIOH: *welp… 1t’s probably what he’d have tr1ed to do. anyway, t1me to try wrench1ng open that next door!*
[They ascend, but for the moment, there’s no one to be seen. This looks like a floor for housing patients.]
RUFIOH: *Don’t look at me man 1’ve never even seen a hosp1tal… doesn’t make 1t any less creepy 1n here.*
[But Dirk emerges from one of the nearby rooms, heading straight for the stairs, and coincidentally, the ascending Rufioh and Gamzee.]
DIRK: *pauses when he sees Rufioh and Gamzee as if unsure if it’s really them*
RUFIOH: *starts a l1ttle, but hey 1t’s d1rk sempa1 so he keeps runn1ng* yo, d1rk! you ok man?
DIRK: Okay enough. *shrug*
GAMZEE: *trailing along behind Rufioh, peeking around to eye Dirk suspicously*
DIRK: What about you two.
RUFIOH: *1’m m1ss1ng an arm and have very obv1ously been cry1ng for hours* me?… alr1ght, 1 guess…
RUFIOH: th1s place though… we gotta f1nd the others.
DIRK: Right. Well. *debates putting his sword away and just settles for holding it at his side in case he really will need it* Yeah. We do.
DIRK: There’s nothing back there, though. *gestures to the room he first came in through*
DIRK: Just an abandoned factory and another locked door.
DIRK: Where the hell did you two get dragged off to anyways?
RUFIOH: *th1nks about retr1ev1ng h1s own sword but leaves 1t for now, glanc1ng over at gamzee before reply1ng* 1 dunno really… there was all th1s we1rd torture stuff… and monsters.
GAMZEE: *isn’t going to answer that he’s going to keep staring like he hasn’t dealt with the living in awhile*
RUFIOH: 1 d1dn;t get all of them, so… don’t th1nk we should go that way.
DIRK: Right. So that means we have to find another way out of here.
DIRK: Another way that doesn’t involve us dying in the process of findng everyone ese.
RUFIOH: yeah… sounds good… there were a couple of other doors 1 d1dn’t check back there… maybe we could try ‘em?
DIRK: *nods in agreement* Lead the way, Nitram.
RUFIOH: *oh no wa1t don’t make me lead* oh… ok…
RUFIOH: *turns around and heads back towards that MR1 room* so uh… d1d you hear l1ke, a scream back there dude?
GAMZEE: *makes sure he’s at the back, now there’s two in the way of potential on coming bad things, this is good*
DIRK: *looks over at the MRI room as well* It’d be hard not to. The real question is if we are going to check it out or not.
RUFIOH: *keeps h1s gaze down* uhh… 1 dunno, 1t d1dn’t exactly sound human, or l1ke a troll… so no one we know?
RUFIOH: m1ght be better to focus on f1nd1ng the others…
DIRK: You’re probably right. If anything, it was just one of the TVs I turned on earlier. All it played was utter static bullshit.
RUFIOH: yeah? sh*t… not l1ke anyth1ng works regular down here… all 1 know 1s we can’t go the way 1 came from. there’s some… messed up th1ngs back there.
DIRK: The way you came from?
RUFIOH: *po1nts beh1nd h1m w1th a thumb* yeah, there’s a corr1dor, and l1ke some steps? 1 guess there’s a few doors 1 d1dn’t try though… oh, and check th1s out!
RUFIOH: *hold out the key he got from that grody corpse ew* found th1s 1n some mach1ne th1ng…
[The key, in fact, has some kind of writing on it.]
DIRK: *takes the key to look examine it* There’s something written on here.
RUFIOH: *cranes a l1ttle closer to see* oh! l1ke, the way 1n, or maybe… the way out for us?
DIRK: *nods slowly as he thinks* Maybe.
DIRK: If it’s a normal entrance like a door, then the entrance should be an exit as well.
RUFIOH: *looks back at the s1lent makara then over towards where they came from* man… we’d need to go way up to f1nd 1t, 1 reckon… unless th1s place 1s as whack as 1 th1nk. l1sten… 1-1 found meul1n.
DIRK: I just got out of an abandoned factory, and there was a door right outside of it, but it got locked-
GAMZEE: *silently takes the key to play with it in his hand*
RUFIOH: *takes a deep breath* …not here anymore.
DIRK: *his lips form a thin line and he reaffirms his grip on his katana* Shit…
RUFIOH: they, they d1d someth1ng to her… and she couldn’t take 1t. she asked me to… po1nt 1s, we have to f1nd the others. before someth1ng l1ke that happens to them.
DIRK: *doesn’t particularly want to hear what exactly happened to her* Let’s bounce.
RUFIOH: *please* *turns back w1th some reluctance* a1ght… so you wanna try that locked door… or the ones 1 saw?
RUFIOH: or, uhh… you see any good doors gamzee?
DIRK: *shrugs* Doesn’t matter to me. We just need to get our asses out of here.
GAMZEE: *gnaws on the unkey side of the key, unfocused, and looks over at his name* saw lots of doors.
[There’s plenty of doors, and also more stairs to go down.]
DIRK: *deadpan* Very helpful.
RUFIOH: r1ght, well… none that sa1d “entance”, yeah?
GAMZEE: i don’t fuckin think so. *stares at Dirk*
RUFIOH: well then… let’s try d1rk’s door then… no monsters there, d1g?
DIRK: *looks back at him, unamused before turning back to Rufioh and scoffing* The only monster I saw was my own.
DIRK: It’s actually the one that locked me in there in the first place. But whatever, let’s go. *leads the way back to the factory*
RUFIOH: *eyebrow ra1se as he beg1ns walk1ng* l1ke… a personal appar1t1on th1ng? they made 1t for you?
DIRK: Something like that, yeah.
DIRK: I made it first, but it was relatively harmless when I was in control of it.
DIRK: Fair warning, we’re going to end up on a catwalk when we first get there, so you might want to watch your step.
[They head back upstairs and into the hospital room Dirk came from, but when they finally reach the bathroom he stepped through a door inside of to reach, said door is gone. It’s just a normal bathroom now.]
DIRK: *stops in his tracks and blinks in mild confusion* Fuck, okay.
RUFIOH: hold up, you made 1t? *that thought’s 1nteruppted though because well, dead-end.* …1’m guess1ng 1t changed?
DIRK: Ha ha, very funny. Disappearing doors in the funhouse of doom.
RUFIOH: th1s f***1ng place… 1 swear.
GAMZEE: *thinks Dirk is a crazy person*
RUFIOH: *g1ves the wall one last look, cons1ders ask1ng gamzee to smash through 1t but dec1des aga1nst 1t w1th a s1gh.* so… back to try my doors, 1 guess.
DIRK: *glares at the wall even though it is just a wall before turning back to the others* Yeah, let’s go.
RUFIOH: *el turn around and walk1ng* so… you were say1ng? you made 1t? and 1t’s… walk1ng around?
DIRK: *more or less walking beside him now* I designed it to be my auto responder for when I’m too busy for people on pesterchum.
RUFIOH: and now? you… outgraded 1t?
DIRK: And it was a huge shit before I made some modifications, but now the previous, shittier version somehow acquired its own robotic body.
RUFIOH: *narrows h1s eyes* so… 1t’s a robot. wa1t… 1t doesn’t look l1ke you, does 1t?
DIRK: *nods slowly* To some extent.
[Once they get back to the MRI room, the door Rufioh came through is gone, too.]
RUFIOH: *bl1nks at th1s new 1nformat1on, then at the lack of door.* ok, what the sh*t.
DIRK: Your door’s gone too?
RUFIOH: *steps over to put h1s hand to the wall where he remembers 1t was w1thout much hope.* looks l1ke 1t… place 1s mess1ng w1th us aga1n.
RUFIOH: almost afra1d to go check out those other doors now… what 1f they’re gone too?
DIRK: Only one way to find out.
RUFIOH: *shrugs* yeah… lead the way, gman.
GAMZEE: *turns right round and goes into the hall*
DIRK: *is half expecting everything but the stairs to be gone*
[The doors are still there.]
RUFIOH: *closes h1s eyes for a moment as he walks before look1ng at where the path they want to follow should be.* oh, score!
RUFIOH: *goes over to the f1rst door to l1sten.* uhh… let’s see…
[There doesn’t seem to be anything spectacular happening behind door number one, as far as is audible.]
RUFIOH: *checks the other doors, because hell 1f he’s just go1ng to p1ck one at random.*
[All seems quiet behind the doors. No mysterious experiments going on. Probably.]
DIRK: *goes back to the first door they tried and tries to open it, still curious about to what’s behind it*
RUFIOH: *well then* they all sound f1ne…
DIRK: So does a man with a heart attack in his sleep, but we both know the results aren’t pleasant.
[Behind the door is another medical room, this one with other ultrasound equipment.]
DIRK: Hm. *looks around at the equipment to inspect it more carefully*
GAMZEE: *looks around for corpses*
[There are not any corpses.]
[The equipment seems in good shape.]
DIRK: *still doesn’t trust anything here*
RUFIOH: *dangarang… from a key po1nt of v1ew of course. takes a qu1ck look at the mach1ne’s screen, then around for any s1gn of another door*
[There don’t seem to be any other doors.]
RUFIOH: *s1ghs and crosses back out to try the next door along.* th1s 1s almost as bad as hav1ng the sh*t just jump1ng out at us, you know?
[The next room has more medical equipment. It’s a floor full of this shit, man.]
DIRK: It definitely has the same overwhelming sense of suspense.
DIRK: *fuck this shit* What do you say to just going down the stairs instead or waiting for a crazy mass murderer to find us up here?
RUFIOH: *k1cks 1dly at a nearby med1cal dooh1ckey.* well… 1 sure as h*ll don’t fancy wa1t1ng around… and we’re so far down anyway.
DIRK: *nods and starts heading for the stairs*
[The stairs lead down to the next level, showing that they’re on the fourth floor going to the third.]
RUFIOH: *looks around to see how chewed up the key’s gett1ng.* uhh… want me to take that?
RUFIOH: *please say no there’s drool on that*
GAMZEE: *smiles at him and hands over the slobbery key*
DIRK: *doesn’t even want to look back at whatever Gamzee is doing and keeps going down to the third floor*
RUFIOH: *tr1es to sm1le back as he pockets 1t, then subtly w1pes h1s hand on h1s trouser leg* cool… so, th1s 1s the th1rd floor now… wonder 1f we keep go1ng…
DIRK: Then we should reach the first floor and get out of here. But that only applies in normal places that don’t change every five minutes.
[in the hallway of the third floor, up ahead, there’s something black hanging down from the ceiling in the distance.]
RUFIOH: *squ1nts, then almost starts runn1ng.* oh no… 1s that?
DIRK: *stares* What the shit.
[Do you dare get closer?]
DIRK: *moves closer with his sword held in a defensive position*
RUFIOH: *follows, not go1ng for a weapon just yet.* please, don’t be…
[The thing hanging from the ceiling appears to be hair, hanging down from the side of a ceiling tile.]
[It seems to go up into the ceiling.]
DIRK: *looks up, half expecting a decapitated head to be hanging upside down*
DIRK: What the everloving hell…
RUFIOH: *relaxes v1s1bly, even 1f he’s st1ll super grossed out.* well, at least 1t’s not… yeah.
RUFIOH: you th1nk… you th1nk 1t’s maybe here for a reason?
DIRK: Obviously there’s a reason.
DIRK: It might not be a logical one, or it could be one that’s going to fuck with us.
RUFIOH: r1ght… that’d be the one 1’m guess1ng… sh*t, 1 hope we don’t have to l1ke… *makes a cl1mb1ng gesture*
DIRK: *grimaces* Let’s hope not.
RUFIOH: *tr1es to edge around 1t* we can keep go1ng for now, r1ght?
DIRK: *nods numbly, still staring up at the hair* Yeah.
RUFIOH: *Really doesn’t want to turn h1s back on the horror ha1r but keeps on go1ng down the corr1dor anyway.*
DIRK: *walks beside him since he really doesn’t want to be that one guy in horror movies who falls behind*
[Down the hall is more doors. So many doors.]
RUFIOH: perfect… ok, 1’ll… take these doors on the r1ght?
DIRK: Then I’ll take the left.
DIRK: If you need me, just yell. If you can, at least. *shrugs and starts on the left side*
RUFIOH: *so reassur1ng* yeah… just holler. *start OPEN1NG ALL THE DOORS l1ke the chumps they are.*
[ALL THE DOORS are pretty much just a bunch of patient rooms. Haha, chumps.]
DIRK: *pokes around nosily just in case*
RUFIOH: *walks back out of the umpteenth room w1th a look to both of them that very clearly says: please tell me we do not have to cl1mb the grudge ha1r ladder.*
[The grudge hair ladder— I mean. It hangs there. There are still more stairs to go down, but can you ignore the mystery of the hair? These are the big questions.]
DIRK: *grumbles in defeat and steps back into the hallway, looking at the grunge hair ladder*
DIRK: *is tempted to cut it*
RUFIOH: *follows after h1m, look1ng down at h1s hand before turn1ng h1s attent1on back to th1s nasty *ss weave.* what you reckon… pull 1t, maybe?
DIRK: *shrugs* I’m not so keen on actually touching it.
GAMZEE: *goes over to stare at this too while his mun hopes this message sends and pulls the thing because what the hey*
DIRK: *Okay, Makara can touch this nasty shit*
*it tugs on the ceiling tile as well, making it obvious that it’s connected to something up there as the tile sags somewhat*
DIRK: *looks up at the ceiling* You have got to be kidding me.
GAMZEE: *looks annoyed and pulls harder*
RUFIOH: *t1lts h1s head as he looks* ‘fra1d not… you m1nd do1ng that aga1n man? yeah…
[And the tile comes down! And it brings a nasty ass corpse with it. Cue the Final Fantasy battle win music*]
[The hair was connected to something after all.]
RUFIOH: *k1nda runs 1nto the wall a b1t as he nopes back* oh f*ck no!
DIRK: *should have just cut it and kept moving*
[The corpse seems to have something crumpled in its hand, though.]
GAMZEE: *oh happy day! just looks over at it still holding on to the hair*
RUFIOH: *excal1bur face as he takes a step towards 1t to get a better look.*
[The head has horns. Spiraly horns.]
DIRK: *doesn’t know anyone with spiraly horns and feels a little less guilty about recahing down to pry out whatever’s in this person’s hand*
RUFIOH: *fl1nches back, but does lean a l1ttle closer to see the face as d1rk totally checks out 1ts hand.*
GAMZEE: *crouches down to inspect as well*
[It’s a scrap of paper with a crudely drawn map of some sort.]
DIRK: *smooths it out against the wall to better examine it* I’m assuming this is some kind of map.
DIRK: And obviously this person never got the chance to use it long it enough to get out.
RUFIOH: *procesess what 1s surely a hella decayed but l1kely st1ll fam1l1ar face, then stands back up shak1ng h1s head.* r1ght… 1t say where we are now?
[It does not. It appears to simply have a mazelike structure and arrows. It looks nothing like a hospital, really. There’s something written in Japanese.]
DIRK: This is a shitty map.
DIRK: *actually can’t read Japanese and hands it over to the other weeaboo*
[It reads “Go where there is no road.”]
RUFIOH: *Takes 1t and reads w1th another s1gh* 1t says… go where there 1s no road.
RUFIOH: *leans aga1nst the wall.* where there’s no road… sh*t… all 1 can th1nk of 1s fly1ng.
GAMZEE: *frowns at that* fly yourself out the wall.
RUFIOH: 1t’s stup1d, 1 know… can’t fly here. *ra1ses an eyebrow aga1n because he knows he 1sn’t jok1ng.* just that there’s not many other pathless places…
DIRK: Have either of you actually tried flying here?
RUFIOH: *rubs at the back of h1s head* nah… never been much room…
DIRK: *eyes his wings and nods* Then let’s find some space to try it out.
DIRK: As in away from this rotting corpse. *nudges it with his foot*
RUFIOH: *nods and heads for the sta1rwell, spar1ng a look back even 1f 1t was just another attempt to psyche them out.* the sta1rs? m1ght be able to try there…
DIRK: There’s no day like today. *shrugs*
GAMZEE: *leaves corpse behind, so he can have his arms free hopefully when they come across the corpses he cares about and follows along*
[The stairs are as stairlike as ever.]
RUFIOH: *tucks the map away before stretch1ng out those gossamers.* a1ght… here goes.
RUFIOH: *jumps from the top-most sta1r downwards, catch1ng h1mself 1n m1da1r to hover.*
[He hovers majestically.]
[The stairs remain stairs.]
GAMZEE: *wonders when the busting through the wall part is going to come in*
DIRK: *jumps after him and tries to take advantage of his god tier abilities to fly*
RUFIOH: *he’s cons1der1ng 1t, bel1eve me. not turn1ng back to face them he just keeps fly1ng down the sta1rs.* f1gures…
GAMZEE: *walks down the stairs like a normal person*
RUFIOH: *relat1vely normal*
GAMZEE: *as normal as hes going to get*
DIRK: *follows after him, mildly amused with himself for not letting his feet touch the stairs*
RUFIOH: *just float1ng down l1ke the floor 1s made of lava.* any better 1deas?
DIRK: Other than just going down?
RUFIOH: 1 meant the road th1ng… she must have wr1tten 1t for a reason…
DIRK: Unless someone else wrote it to fuck with her.
DIRK: And she just happened to find it but not understand it.
RUFIOH: *st1cks h1s… s1ngular hand 1n h1s pocket and nods.* oh yeah… false hope…
DIRK: It’s a bitch to deal with.
[The second floor has more rooms.]
DIRK: But it helps us a bit.
DIRK: At least we aren’t the first victims here.
DIRK: I mean, that can help us figure out what they did wrong that got them stuck here for eternity.
RUFIOH: *He peers 1nto the corr1dor.* r1ght… make sure we don’t fall 1nto the same traps… th1nk these rooms are gonna be full of useless cr*p too?
[Pretty much useless crap.[
DIRK: Then we can skip it.
GAMZEE: *makes it down the stairs*
DIRK: First floor. *down to the first floor they go*
GAMZEE: *ugh more stair walking*
RUFIOH: *h1 f1rst floor we are here.* someth1ng’s just gonna… pop out, 1 know 1t…
DIRK: *grips his katana tighter* Probably.
[Nothing pops out. In fact, something’s just been standing there in the first
RUFIOH: *looks back and wh1spers* uhh… guess we got to go say h1?
DIRK: Either that or start running for our lives again.
GAMZEE: *grumpily starts to walks on over to whoever it is*
RUFIOH: and go where? oh, uh, dude?
DIRK: Guess we’re going to say hi.
[It’s what looks like a patient in a hospital gown standing there.]
RUFIOH: looks l1ke 1t… *floats on over after the gamz*
DIRK: *flies over there to the person* Sup.
DIRK: You wouldn’t happen to know a way out of this shithole, would you?
GAMZEE: *stops to glare at the person*
[The person turns around slowly. It’s actually a fairly young girl, and their face appears swollen.]
DIRK: *backs away a little* Shit.
RUFIOH: *almost bumps 1nto d1rk* uh… you ok doll?
DIRK: *holds and arm out in front of Rufioh* Wait.
[She makes some distressed muffled noises.]
DIRK: Fuck I think she has the rot.
DIRK: Whatever the fuck that is, someone was terrified the rest of us had it when we first got here.
RUFIOH: *pedall1ng back wh1lst reach1ng for gamzee’s arm* wa1t, l1ke a s1ckness?
DIRK: *nods* Something like that.
DIRK: Very zombie apocalypse-esque if you ask me.
RUFIOH: sh*t, sh*t, sh*t… that’s not someth1ng we wanna f*ck w1th, c’mon.
GAMZEE: *lets himself be dragged back, not sure why it should be a worry*
[The distressed noises increase until, slowly, it seems as if her face starts to peel off from the top.]
[Behind her a ways is the entrance/exit to the hospital. It has convenient sliding doors.]
RUFIOH: *would grab them both 1f he could but he’ll settle for cont1nu1ng w1th the dragg1ng towards the door.* t1me to go!
DIRK: I think we found the exit.
DIRK: *brandishes his katana and swipes at the incoherent patient*
RUFIOH: *lands heav1ly 1n front of the door.* keep 1t back, 1’ll check the key!
[Dirk why. She just kind of stands there and takes it, assuming you actually meant to hit her.]
DIRK: *slashes at the girl’s head mercilessly*
RUFIOH: *turns h1s head 1n t1me not to see, lett1ng go to fumble w1th the door.*
[The doors slide open automatically.]
[It seems that you did not need a key for this.]
GAMZEE: *calmly walks himself on out*
RUFIOH: *goes cross eyed for a spl1t second before beckon1ng hurr1edly*
DIRK: *follows them out, not bothering to look back*
[The road outside the hospital seems to stretch endless in either direction into darkness. However, across the road is a hedge maze, and it has an entrance gate.]
RUFIOH: *looks around bew1ldered for a wh1le, then takes out the map aga1n to pore over 1t* ok… that sure looks l1ke an entrance…
DIRK: We could go through the maze like a bunch of chumps on feet.
DIRK: Or we could go above and beyond and just fly over to the entrance.
RUFIOH: *can’t really sm1le but tr1es anyway* that 1 can do.
DIRK: *the weak smile is appreciated*
RUFIOH: *jumps up to try and take a look over the hedge. hopefully there won’t be any dreamworks fuzzy an1mals.*
[Everything is dark. There are no fuzzy animals.]
RUFIOH: *thank g*d.* can’t see anyth1ng! th1nk we should go for 1t?
DIRK: *follows after him and nods* Yeah.
DIRK: Let’s get this over with.
RUFIOH: *They’re fly1ng, soar1ng, hopefully they can reach the1r dest1nat1on~*
DIRK: *There’s not a star in heaven that they can’t reach~*
[When you try to fly over the maze, you can’t seem to go past the gate.]
RUFIOH: *there you go gamzee here’s the wall splatt1ng, even 1f 1t 1s an 1nv1s1ble wall* f*ck!
DIRK: *manages to stop himself before descending to the gate*
RUFIOH: *executes a very much on purpose backfl1p and lands clums1ly bes1de h1m* huhwa-yeah? yeah.
RUFIOH: should have known… wouldn’t be that easy.
DIRK: Still have that entrance key on you?
[The gate has a lock on it.]
RUFIOH: *nods, cross1ng over to try 1t.*
[More final fantasy music.]
RUFIOH: *sw1ngs the door open, hold1ng the map out* reckon you’ll be able to read th1s better… 1f 1t’s even for th1s.
DIRK: *takes the map again and looks at it* What exactly am I supposed to be reading?
[It does indeed look like a map more appropriate for a hedge maze. It’s pretty much just a series of arrows and the first one takes them forward and right.]
RUFIOH: 1 dunno… she wouldn’t have made 1t for noth1ng…
DIRK: Well it’s just some arrows that are supposed to lead us…*looks up from the map and points* that way.
DIRK: That is, if we follow the path of this arrow in particular. *points it out on the map*
RUFIOH: *stud1es 1t for a second* any of them look l1ke they’re not a road?
RUFIOH: e1ther way… not l1ke we got much else to go on.
DIRK: Hell if I know. They all look like road-like paths to me.
RUFIOH: someth1ng tells me once we go 1n, s’gonna be hard to get out aga1n… you st1ll want to do th1s?
DIRK: *shrugs* Got any other suggestions?
RUFIOH: nah… 1 got noth1ng. *prepares to step over the threshhold and accept the 1nv1tat1on.* just keep your katana on you, yeah?
DIRK: *suddenly this feels like the Triwizard Tournament*
DIRK: Not a chance I’m letting go of this baby for a while. *holds up blood stained katana*
RUFIOH: *would totally be fanboy1ng at any other t1me, but for now just settles for start1ng to follow the map’s d1rect1ons.* 1t 1s hella sweet…
[Inside the maze, the path seems to be normal dirt, except the left seems to have some sort of paved walkway.]
[To the right the dirt continues.]
RUFIOH: *slow bl1nk* no road…
DIRK: The map said not to take the road, right?
[The map indeed said that.]
RUFIOH: *weakly throws an arm up as he steps onto the r1ght port1on* you got 1t…
DIRK: *follows along the dirt path*
RUFIOH: *probably has to walk s1deways as he tr1es to avo1d hav1ng any part of h1m over the paved port1on.*
*The arrows continue pointing them along dirt paths rather than paved ones, until, eventually, the arrows run out.]
RUFIOH: *gr1nds to a halt* ah…
DIRK: Well shit. *looks at the map again and then back up at their surroundings*
[On the hedge in front of them hangs a sign. It reads “<- Where there is light. Where there is no light. ->”]
RUFIOH: uh… *looks around for anyth1ng that m1ght be helpful - oh there we go* l1ght… and no l1ght?
DIRK: Does the map say anything about light?
DIRK: *thinks about it* I say we go for the light.
DIRK: Where there’s light, there might be people.
RUFIOH: nope… noth1ng about l1ght…. but that does sound better, yeah.
DIRK: *more following of sketchy directions*
[You have chosen The Light.]
RUFIOH: *takes the left path, th1nkth1nkth1nk1ng* …none of the peeps here we know are l1ght aspect, are they?
DIRK: *looks around as they walk* I don’t think so.
[The path seems to stretch on for a long time before eventually you find a chair with someone seated. They’re heavily clothed in a trenchcoat and a hat, and it seems as if some kind of mask is pulled over their head. Gloves, too, obscure their hands. Nothing of their skin is visible.]
DIRK: *steps in front of Rufioh and holds up his katana again* Who the fuck are you.
RUFIOH: *th1nk1ng about l1ght and not-l1ght so hard that when someth1ng f1nally appears he’s extra out of 1t.* whoah…
[They don’t move. However, in front of their feet is scrawlings in the dirt. It’s a little hard to make out in the darkness.]
DIRK: *what happened to light*
DIRK: *is this what betrayal feels like*
DIRK: *is way too cautious to get closer and look at what they’re scrawling*
DIRK: We don’t have time for bullshit mind games.
RUFIOH: but… just keep an eye on th1s dude… 1t’ll only take a sec.
RUFIOH: *st1ll keep1ng h1s d1stance he leans 1n a l1ttle* *protect me gamzee*
DIRK: *carefully moves closer and looks down at the scawlings, still holding his katana up defensively*
[The person still doesn’t move. The scrawlings are a little messy, but they read various things. “One of four”, and in one section, “fear”, “isolation”, “hallucination”.
DIRK: *reads them aloud* One of four…Fear…Isolation…Hallucination.
DIRK: Wait, that’s only three.
RUFIOH: *mouths the words as he stands back up* wa1t… th1s 1s what’s happen1ng to us, r1ght?
In another section, it reads, “sadness”, “loss”, “betrayal”. In another, “anger”, “frustration”, “distrust”. And the last reads “lethargy”, “contentment”, “motionless”.]
DIRK: *just reads the rest of them as well*
DIRK: Oh. All of these words are in four different sections.
RUFIOH: *scratches h1s head* so there’s the one that’s us… s’got to mean someth1ng.
DIRK: *thinking mode activated*
DIRK: One of four. What the hell does that mean.
DIRK: One of four exists?
RUFIOH: nah… doesn’t feel r1ght… one… of four…
DIRK: We’re experiencing one of these four sections? I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel the least bit lethargic nor content.
RUFIOH: *rubs at h1s eyes* not a b1t… k1nda sad and frustrated and sh*t, but… not the ma1n focus…
DIRK: Anger, frustration and distrust…
RUFIOH: 1t’s what they want us to feel… r1ght?
DIRK: It’s not so much anger going around here as it is…*points to the first section* fear.
DIRK: And isolation- we were all grabbed by those bigass tentacles and separated from each other.
DIRK: Hell, we’re still isolated from everyone else.
RUFIOH: yeah… halluc1nat1on though…
RUFIOH: that f1rst room… he sa1d you guys thought there was a… a monster, yeah?
DIRK: There was writing on the wall that said not to trust the monster.
RUFIOH: that could be 1t then… so, 1t’s l1ke the1r game plan?
RUFIOH: all th1s… sh*t. how could we all..
DIRK: But how much of this shit going down are hallucinations and how much is reality?
RUFIOH: 1 dunno… so much of th1s, 1t seems so wrong… then there were the messages, on the phones…
RUFIOH: 1 d1dn’t send one… so we know that was a set up.
RUFIOH: 1t’s what 1’ve been try1ng to tell myself… but 1t’s so hard to tell…
*And then they give up brainstorming for now and have a nice little dirt nap some distance away from that freaky figure.*
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