==> Past Sollux: Pay the gallery a visit [FW Open]
âShit.â [Was all that came out of the hackerâs mouth. The other trolls just wouldnât stop pestering him about this art gallery and that Guertena guy. Each day, theyâd get more annoying. And yes, even more annoying than the voices of the imminently deceased. If he wasnât even at least acquainted with any of them, he wouldâve flipped his shit and gave them a taste of his psionics.]
[After having payed for the entrance fee, Sollux walked up to the second floor because once youâre done observing the upper floors, you observe the floor with the entrance last to get the heck outta here quicker (and possibly to keep with his duality theme). âLady in Redâ, âDeath of the Individualâ, âThe Hanged Manâ⌠Boooooooooring. He was so lucky that he brought his laptop in the case that he needed someone to complain to. While looking for a place to rest, Sollux found himself in front of a huge painting titled âFabricated Worldâ. Now this exhibit in particular had piqued the maleâs interest a bit. Fabricated world⌠Whatever would that mean?]
ââŚWhat?â [The four-horned troll then noticed that the lights had flickered a bit. Whatâs wrong? The galleryâs just⌠suddenly gone quiet. So quiet that itâs kinda creeping him out.]
âWhat the hell happened to everyone?â [No wonder why it was so quiet. Everyone was gone.] âBut everyone was here just a moment ago! Is this supposed to be a prank?!â [No one answered. Sigh. But still, the atmosphere in the air was⌠somewhat ominous. And why the heck didnât he notice before?! The voices of the imminently deceased were all gone. Thatâs nice. Now he doesnât have to shout in order to hear his own voice. But on the other hand, itâs probably best to get the hell out of this creepy place. The troll then walked down the stairs only to find that the power had gone out.]
ââŚWhat the fuck?! Itâs locked?!!â [Oh youâve got to be kidding me. The entrance has been locked and there is no way to open it. And the scenery on the outside is nothing but just pitch black. Left window? Nothing. But right window? The troll yelped and backed away when a red liquid started leaking from the window. âCalm down Sollux⌠Itâs not like you to feel this scaredâŚâ Whatever. May as well check the second floor again. Sollux then walked up the stairs again and noticed a figure walking past a window on the outside. When he checked, there was, again, nothing but pitch black. Okay, no oneâs there so letâs just move on and check everything else outâŚ]
[âŚSomeone was banging on the windowâŚ? Wonder who did the banging. The mustardblood then found himself back at the same painting again. âFabricated Worldâ. Wait. Is that paint leaking from behing the canvas orâŚ?]
[Suddenly, there was a sound from behind, and Sollux turned around. Words are being written in red paintâŚ]
[Come? To where? And how did whoever write that know his name? Okay, yes, this is getting kinda creepy⌠Sollux just sighed and turned around, facing the painting again. Then the blue paint suddenly formed words.]
come down below sollux
ill show you someplace secret
[âŚThe words told the troll to come down below. Well, there wasnât anything else to do right now, so he just agreed to go back to floor one. When he came across the room with the exhibit âAbyss of the Deepâ, Sollux noticed blue footprints that lead to the painting. Supposedly itâs a sign to jump in⌠Wonât hurt to try, so the troll just jumped in and fell until his feet hit the ground. Two passageways⌠ââŚYeah, Iâll go to my left and then my rightâŚâ The psionic walked through the passageway, not really minding the âCOMEâs that were written in blue on the wall. At the end of the hall, he stumbled upon a table blocking a door. And on the table was a vase with a  yellow rose sitting in it. May as well take it before moving the table. When the table was moved, Sollux turned the doorknob and entered the room to find a portrait of a girl and a blue key on the ground.]
ââŚWhen the rose wilts, so will you too wilt away⌠Sounds like bullshit to me.â [The troll scoffed and picked up the key on the ground. And to his surprise, the girlâs smile in the portrait just widen to the point that made the hacker feel much more uncomfortable. Okay, so now what? The  blue âCOMEâs had suddenly changed to red âTHIEFâs. Not that he really minded⌠Realizing how wilted the rose looked, Sollux placed it inside the vase that was full of water. And it just suddenly recovered to full health! Now thatâs not something you see everyday. Anyway, moving onâŚ]
[Sollux then headed to the other passageway, not even aware that the entrance was gone. At the end of the hall was a blue door. Turned the doorknob, locked. Inserted the key in the keyhole, turned the doorknob, opened. Enter, shut the door. The room was full of sculptures and paintings⌠Some werenât even put on display in the original gallery. Wait. Forget the gallery. The door the hacker just shut? Itâs locked again. Oh hell what went wrong this time? Suddenly, there was the sound of glass shattering and footsteps from behind. The troll turned around to find that headless mannequins and ladies in red were after him! Oh god oh fuck oh god oh fuck. Time to make a run for it. But thereâs just so much in here! Is he even gonna make it?! âŚBetter off safe than sorry.]
[The troll ran and ran and the living exhibits chased and chased. Each time they grabbed him, several petals from his rose fell to the ground. He wanted to attack with his psionics, but the lack of psychic powers rendered him defenseless. When the exhibits had lost track of him, Sollux was already exhausted. So it was true⌠The rose was his own life, and he was careless enough to lose almost all of them. âSo itâs game over for me⌠If I lose my petals, I dieâŚâ The psionic fell to the floor in exhaustion. âAnd if petals are lost, I also suffer from blood lossâŚâ]
ââŚItâs all so unfairâŚâ [The troll muttered before losing consciousness. âHelp meâŚâ]
