• Graded • The Maze: Round 4: Rey'na & Mute

[Pegasus]

Rey'na & Mute Round 4

1st Vhalar 718
Are data from the world of Sense,
In that case, valid evidence?
What in the universe I know
Can give directions how to go?
...

All Mathematics would suggest
A steady straight line as the best,
But left and right alternately
Is consonant with History......

Anthropos Apteros stirred in his sleep, his dreams impacted by... something outside. One of the people in his dream said a word, and with her word, she changed the story. Changed the ending. Changed what they

Another picked a flower. One he and his sister had seen once. How strange, his dreaming mind considered, that such a thing should happen. Ripples of confusion and grief flew out from the Slumbering Man and, the rain stopped. Suddenly, without warning, the rain was no more and, though the vestiges of it remained as their feet splashed on the floor, the sudden, bright light was glaring. It was so bright it blurred edges, made the world seem a briefly different place. Colours faded and changed, things shifted in hue and texture.

And from above, the crow cawed, signalling to all that the Wingless Man still slumbered.

"I hate hanging round here, waiting"
"Aye,"
"It's not like he's going to go anywhere"
"Nope"
"Don't know why they do it, really. It's not like he's going to get up and move is it?"
"Nope"
"Err, Jim... he's moving..."


Rey'na and Mute
Alone, Rey'na picked up the stuffed toy bunny. Mute, in the same moment, did the same. As they did, the compass started to spin and then it burst into bright, all encompassing light. It was so bright that they had no choice other than to turn their heads or close their eyes - to shield their vision somehow. The light was gone as quickly as it came, but then the two of them were in the maze once again.

And this time, they were together. Both of them clutching toy animals. Different, but the same.

Nothing about them had changed. But the Maze? The Maze had. In fact, the Maze had changed - a LOT.

For now they stood in a maze of mirrors.

And as the light from the compass died down, it seemed to become.... a ball. A bouncing ball of light which hit one mirror and bounced to the next in a random manner. As the Wingless Man dreamed, so things changed and moved. They had ten steps. Ten footsteps each.

On one of those steps, they saw a reflection of themselves. A different time. A different place. On another, the glass around them in one of the panes, shattered. Mostly, they stepped and did not see anything other than themselves.

And on one of the steps, the ball of light from the compass shot straight at them. Aimed directly towards them like a crossbow bolt, straight at the chest.

Which might be something they wanted to do something about, really.....


Rewards Achieved Last Round
Both

1. All Must Do Objectives from Round 3 met.
   • Crystal Clear! You've got a crystal! Remember that later, it might be.... useful?
   • Got Direction We know where you're going...
   • All Can Do Objectives from Round 3 met.
     • Item Described! This item just increased in value. Well done!

   OOC Info

   Things to note!

   • I will post a plot post again this time next week: Monday 5th November
   • For this round -- and for reasons which may become clear -- your companion may be NPCd by you in your post.
   • You can also converse, of course, with each other. Rey'na can hear Mute's thoughts, in the way of a strange kind of telepathy thing.

   Objectives

   !

   Message from: Must-Do Objectives

   Please note: You can use items you have previously picked up - they might help you![/b] Explicitly state what you do when the glass pane shatters Explicitly state what you see as you have a vision of your past. Explicitly state what you do as the ball of light shoots at you. Please note - dodging it is not possible. If it hits you, there will be a consequence - that might be positive, neutral or negative. You may work together as much -- or as little as your like!

   !	Message from: Can Do Objectives
   	None this round.... the must do ones are too important.

[Rey'na]

1st Vhalar, 718

Rey looked down at the small bunny for just a trill, before she saw the light build up. Initially she glanced to it, but as it got brighter her hand covered her eyes, looking down to avoid being blinded by whatever the hell that compass was and what it did. Weird things had happened in Scalvoris for her, not forgetting the fact she was in a maze with a talking snake on her shoulder, wearing a gold medal that she'd given him. But this had to take the cake for todays strangeness.

Suddenly the light was gone, Rey looking up again and seeing that the maze around her had changed. But the biggest change she saw was a person, a man holding a stuffed animal like her. Immediately Rey gave him a look of caution, checking him for any weapons he might have. At least, she thought, her shield was on her arm and spear on her back. While grabbing her spear would be difficult, using her shield was easy enough. But the thought hit her. If he was holding a stuffed animal like her, did that mean he'd been in the maze too? Could he be another person stuck in this situation, waking up in a strange place with nothing but a maze and choices around them? Perhaps. With a small look of caution, Rey finally spoke to the man.

"Sir....Do you know where we are?" she asked, looking to the man, a Black Mamba wrapped around her shoulder as she did. Snake Boy, as he had been appropriately and creatively nicknamed, was glancing around the room curiously. Whether Mute answered Rey'na or not, she would give a small look to the different parts of the room, wondering where they were and what it consisted of. But what caught her attention most was the small ball of light bouncing around from mirror to mirror. That and the fact that the maze just got a lot harder than turning left and right meant her and the stranger were in a difficult situation right now, one that had no clear exit. Then again, neither did most mazes.

With a small sigh, Rey'na looked to the man. "We need to leave here. I can guide the way, just stick with me. Or don't. Your choice" she said with a nod to him, before starting her move forward. Yet while the first step was normal, the second was when the maze and its weirdness kicked off. One of the mirrors showed her, as mirrors did. But it wasn't her now, but her last Season. Running through a portal with Sephira, landing in the air and plummeting down, spear swinging and slicing through a man with ease. It was beautiful to watch for some, yet terrifying for others. "That's you? Jeez. Not just for show then, that thing?" Maurice asked as he watched the reflection that she saw, curiously. Staying quiet, Rey'na carried on walking.

Another few steps in and Rey raised her shield as a loud smash was heard. Immediately her body turned to the sound, trying to block whatever it could have been before peering over the shield, unscathed. With a cautious glance back to her companion, who spoke without speaking strangely, she kept walking. But right now wasn't the time to ask any questions. What she heard of the man mattered more than how she heard it, so long as the two could communicate. "Keep close to me" she said to him, keeping her shield close to her chest now, just in case. "Will do! O-oh, you meant...got ya" Maurice muttered before just burying his head in the crook of her neck.

Fortunately for her, it seemed like a good idea, as the ball of light shooting towards the two. Immediately, she put herself in the way of Mute as best she could and raised her shield, praying to Qylios that the light wouldn't harm her or her her companions.

[Mute]

"Silence Reigns . . ."

I can't say I was necessarily prepared for the blinding light that appeared a trill after picking up the toy, but my instinctual reaction to turn away certainly felt pre-meditated. Whose to really say one way or another, though? I thought, for the briefest of moments, that it marked my escape from the maze. Both passed, however, leaving me in the dark once more in more ways than one, save for a single, crucial detail: I had a companion.

The woman's Tangle was bright with threads of caution and curiosity. Two emotions to be expected in a circumstance such as this one. I couldn't tell if her caution was directed towards me nor could I decide if I was deserving of it. Despite my size, it was she who bore the weapons and I had no doubt she could use them well. I was not a threat to her, even if I had the desire to be. After a few moment's of hesitation, she finally spoke with a question that was probably in the back of every person's mind who was trapped here.

"I know nothing more than that this is a maze," I thought, expecting Oddity to then speak a loud for the woman to hear. I was caught off-guard, however, to find that the woman could hear me in a similar fashion. It truly was, I realized, a valuable talent to have. A dangerous one, too, if I could not limit it. It was hard to tell what extent the ability went, but it was useful none the less in the current situation. The woman herself didn't seemed too perturbed by the occurrence as she took the time to observe the room. There was nothing but mirrors to be seen, so what did she hope to find besides herself?

"Lead the way," I added following the woman's command. This maze wasn't a competition for me, so if the woman could determine the way for us, I was more than happy to follow along. It seemed fitting, to say the least, that I was second given that she wore the golden medallion and I the silver. While the woman led pushed ahead, I took a moment to glance into the mirror to my left as I passed by. In its reflection, I saw myself from arcs ago as a child standing kneeling just beyond the dead body of my father. I had barely known life up to that point, and it was only after I had been initiated later that night into Empathy that I truly understood that. It was an odd juxtaposition to the foreign corridor I walked through now, even if my face was plastered on every wall.

I jerked away from the sound of shattering glass , using my arm to cover my face and eyes from any shards that might fly my way. No blades pierced my skin, thankfully, and I moved on in the woman's shadow. One step behind, it didn't take much to fall behind the woman's shield when the ball of light fired off in our direction. For added protection, I grabbed the crystal I had picked up earlier and held it in front of me. It was by no means as protective, but something within me told me it could be useful if the ball somehow got past the woman and headed towards me.

Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, though.

[Pegasus]

1st Vhalar 718
This Round, You're Somewhere Else!
Rey'na: HERE!

Mutei: HERE!

[Pegasus]

Review!

Rey'na

Overview

So sorry for the delays on these reviews. I hope that you come back to playing her soon - she's missed!!

Points

XP: 15 (not for magic)

Renown: 5

Loot

Knowledge

Discipline: Taking it all in your stride.
Etiquette: It's important to always have manners - even when things are really weird.

Mute

Overview

So sorry for the delays on these reviews. If you decide to bring him back, it'll be great to see you!!

Points

XP: 15 (not for magic)

Renown: 5

Loot

Knowledge

Detection: Developing good instincts
Tactics: Defend yourself.