<Well, there's not really anywhere else to go unless we go back. Let's go!> Tooru clambers into the window, entering the space beyond. The way this place was laid out was messing with her, there was all sorts of portals and places that looked bigger on the inside. If nothing happens, she heads toward the door directly ahead, and cracks it open before peeking through the gap.
You easily climb through the window, but the moment your head passes the threshold, the music goes completely silent. You freeze, expecting something bad, but nothing further changes. You climb back out, and the music returns in full force, the suddenly renewed loudness making you clap your hands over your ears reflexively. You consider whether that's weird enough to justify staying out, but your curiosity quickly wins out, and you climb back in, sighing in relief as the too-loud music ceases.
You look back through the window, and can still see Alida and the flower forest on the other side. Just in case, you reach a hand back through, and push one of the stained glass window's halves slightly further open. Confident that you can still go back, you return your attention to the silent, gaudy room. You can smell the weird food now, a sugary scent like roasted marshmallows. It makes you feel hungry, but you ignore the new sensation and walk around the table, to the door on the other side, cracking it open just enough to see past.
Peeking through, you can see a long bare tunnel, entirely carved from solid stone, and lit by more bare bulbs strung along the ceiling by thin cords. You can't see the other end, as the hallway slowly curves away to the right, and you
think it slopes slightly upward too, though there's still shallow water covering the floor as far as you can see. The water doesn't seem to be flowing, or pooling in front of the door, so maybe the upward slope is just an optical illusion?
You hear a small splash echo from somewhere far down the tunnel, the first external sound you've heard since entering the window, and reflexively hold your breath in case a monster hears you. Then you watch a drop of water fall from the ceiling and splash onto the floor of the tunnel, making another splashing sound as ripples flow away from it. Apparently the ceiling is leaking.
"Is the witch in there?"
"You know, maybe there are some prisoners in there too. The witch was bringing people in, right? Maybe they're being put in these odd places."
Try to sense where the witch is, and if there's any people around here. Go where the witch is, unless there's innocent people who seem to be in danger.
In general, go in unless it's clear that neither the witch, nor any civilians, are in there.
If attacked, swing for the fences. Knock any enemies upward into the air, where they might have a harder time striking back.
<Asha, can you help us sense what's around here?>
Help Alida feel for the Witch and stick to the others.
Alida telepathically asks Asha to help her sense the witch, and the younger girl quickly leaves Aleksandra's side to come help, followed by Mina. The three of them focus on the emotions they can feel in the labyrinth, Alida still watching the winged unicorn skeleton ambling away.
[Creativity] &
[Creativity] &
[Creativity][Purity]
Alida's too focused on the familiar to detect much of anything, and Asha's just too worried about the general situation to concentrate, but Mina--still somewhat affected by the magic's music--finds it easy to relax and scan the environment. As always, the dominant emotion in the labyrinth is despair, but it is
far stronger here than it had been near the waterfall; it seems to be even stronger inside the window that Tooru opened, but there's no discernible flow pointing towards any source. The second strongest emotion is relaxation, flowing in powerful waves with the music and echoing across the world, blanketing and distracting from the deeper undercurrent of despair. As Mina looks deeper, trying to search for any weaker emotions that might lead her to the human hostages, the music's relaxation starts to affect her more strongly. She wobbles in place a little, before realizing what's happening, and shakes her head to clear her mind, but loses her concentration in the process.
Alida looks at the green girl and asks if she managed to find the witch, or her victims. Mina just shakes her head and explains what she saw, and points out that if there
are any humans left, they're too far away for her to sense while the music is still playing. Alida goes silent, thinking, then with one last look at the skeleton, climbs into the window after Tooru. She's shortly followed by the other girls, all of them surprised at how the music suddenly cuts out when they enter.
Mina, entering the labyrinth just after Alida, notes that they've been transported somewhere else entirely; her sixth sense can't see
through the window, but she can see around it, and the wall behind is made out of solid stone. Above the ceiling and below the floor is more solid stone, making it clear that they're now deep underground.
Sasha is, at first, startled by Asha's voice. Asha had been silent for so long she had even forgotten about the ribbon's magic.
...I'm okay, Asha. It's not something you can heal, I think... We'll talk about it later.
Stick to the rest of the team and have my AK-47 ready for any hostiles.
You watch anxiously from the edge of the flowers as the three magical girls gather in front of the window Tooru opened, conspiring for a moment before doing...
something, you're not really sure what. Alida and Asha seem to be watching for more monsters, but Mina's kinda just standing there, staring blankly at a wall. After a little while, Mina shakes her head, and shares a look with Alida, then they both move to the window and start climbing through. Asha waves you over and tells you that you're all going through to the other side, and has you climb through ahead of her.
The music ceases the moment you're through, and you find yourself in a ridiculously colorful dining room, the walls covered in abstract rainbow murals, and the plush carpet bright and colorful, though it's covered by a layer of crystal-clear water. More distracting is the long table in the center of the room, fully set, with
strange-looking pie-things in front of each chair. They look kinda disgusting, but smell
delicious, like marshmallows slowly cooking over a fire.
Tooru is already inside, peeking through a well-hidden door on the other side of the dining table, but you can see two other exits, beside the open window. One on the same wall as the window, to your left, and another to your right, at the head of the dining table. All three doors have different artwork over them, but you can't make sense of
any of the colors...
((Next update Saturday the 6th. Labyrinth music no longer audible.))
Soul Gem: Glowing with a fading light.
Form and location: Medallion, pinned to her left breast.
Age: 14
Hair Color: Salt-stained blonde.
Health: Completely drenched and ashy, and with a bunch of deep cuts in her left shoulder, bandaged with two of Asha's ribbons. The bandages are soaked through with blood.
Inventory: A magically-lengthened club, and a boxed pair of new (if wet) shoes in her backpack.
Totem: A fishing club.
Stats:
Bravery: Talented~
Joy: Skilled!
Innocence: Amateur...
Purity: Amateur...
Mercy: Skilled!
Creativity: Cursed ;-;
Love: Cursed ;-;
Abilities:
Mobility Lvl2
Close Combat Lvl3+1
Totem Manipulation Lvl2
Berzerker Lvl3 Active; Bloodied! (Cheap discount to power use)
Painless Lvl2
Effigy Lvl1
Soul Gem: Glowing with a Vibrant light.
Form and location: Ring, worn on her left ring finger.
Age: 13
Hair color: Ashen
Health: Fine, if very wet! And covered in asha!
Inventory: One ribbon.
Totem: A Ribbon. The one her late sister wore.
Stats:
Bravery: Skilled!
Joy: Cursed ;-;
Innocence: Cursed ;-;
Purity: Amateur...
Mercy: Talented~
Creativity: Amateur...
Love: Skilled!
Abilities:
Mobility: Level 3
Close Combat: Level 2
Totem Manipulation: Level 1 (+1)
Heal and Steel: Level 2 (Active: Next attack rolls on Mercy)
Soothe: Level 3
Flagellation: Level 3
Memento: Level 1 (Given to Aleksandra)
Soul Gem: Glowing with a warm light.
Form and location: Ring, worn on her right index finger.
Age: 14.
Hair Color: Bright green.
Health: Dazed, a bit bruised from her fall, and covered in ash, aside from her wet feet.
Inventory: A halberd!
Totem: A halberd.
Stats:
Bravery: Amateur...
Joy: Skilled!
Innocence: Amateur...
Purity: Skilled!
Mercy: Cursed ;-;
Creativity: Talented~
Love: Cursed ;-;
Abilities:
Mobility: Level 2
Close-Combat: Level 2 (+1)
Regeneration: Level 2
Sixth Sense: Level 3
Semblance: Level 2
Projection: Level 2
Soul Gem: Glowing with a fading light.
Form and location: Necklace, worn around her... neck...
Age: 13
Hair Color: Bright scarlet.
Health: Fine! Somehow dry aside from her feet, but very ashy.
Inventory: Nothing useful, except for ashy clothes...
Totem: Ofuda talismans, primarily thrown as manabolts.
Stats:
Bravery: Cursed ;-;
Joy: Talented~
Innocence: Skilled!
Purity: Amateur...
Mercy: Cursed ;-;
Creativity: Amateur...
Love: Skilled!
Abilities:
Mobility II
Mana Bolt III (+I)
Regeneration I
Totem Manipulation II
Invigorating Passion I
Outburst II
Duet with Reality II
Ward: Glowing with a foolish light!
Age: 12
Hair Color: Black.
Health: Fine, though her ears still hurt. Also, she's drenched.
Inventory: A cute blue ribbon tied into her hair, and an ancient AK-47 held in her hands. Alida's coat is wrapped snugly around her head as a kind of combination hat/hearing protection, though it's no longer necessary.
Stats:
Bravery: Skilled!
Joy: Skilled!
Innocence: Talented~
Purity: Amateur...
Mercy: Cursed ;-;
Creativity: Cursed ;-;
Love: Amateur...