[Manwol, exhausted and poisoned, looks at the screen when prompted, and freezes.
...This has happened before, the more rational part of her says, but her eyes are honed in on Chung Myung -- looking alive and healthy -- and as always, her temper snaps. Is it because of the fight they just went through? Is it because she's remembering that it was her choice to hit trust over forsake, which led to the this? They're being yanked around, and Manwol's sorry to say that she falls for it --
in that she immediately throws Tsuyukusa's staff at the screen, it's fine]
[ while manwol is having a tantrum, malik glowers at the screen. it does take away from this immersive hateful experience since he doesn't even know who the other three are, but they all know who beauregard is. why the fuck is she even here?
honestly if malik had something to throw, he'd do that too. but instead he crosses his arms and huffs, before realizing that they're bleeding and ow, that actually kind of hurts, so he stops. ]
[the screen gets a cold look from rita. beauregard is... a weird one to see? and she's just kind of disgusted at the sight of alexei.]
... It's a stupid trick.
[she huffs, and turns her attention to a piece of debris that's embedded itself in her arm, considering whether or not to attempt to remove it. she winces... and decides to leave it. this probably isn't a good time to start bleeding any more than necessary.]
[oh. you know, it's a trick, and they're all aware this place is just messing with them, but also there's something about seeing this specific man that kind of makes his blood boil. the other group isn't speaking, still observing, and yet it's like he can just hear his stupid voice all over again.
"He who fights monsters should be careful that he does not become a monster himself. If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
[A little bit of black smoke emanates from... everyone, actually, at their reactions! Also, the staff bounces off and hits Malik.
"Come along, and we'll show you," says the male voice, and the door ahead of you opens up. There's a hallway ahead, it looks like, lined with a few pieces of machinery, but if they're paying attention...
Taichi and Malik will hear nothing in this hallway. Manwol and Rita, however, can hear what sounds like a whisper coming from underneath one of these pieces of machinery. "Hey," it says. "Hey, over here!"]
[ig the staff rebounds and hits Manwol on the wrist, i'm committed. she'll pick it up from the floor though, because while she's angry and petty, she's not petty enough to just leave it here.
time to head to the hallway....
She tilts her head at the sound of the whispers, and then immediately grimaces.]
Don't listen.
[SHE OWNS A HOTEL FOR GHOSTS, GHOSTS DO THIS SHIT ALL THE TIME!!! just assuming that everyone else can hear this as it's happening]
[ the staff twacks malik in the eye. the black eye from week 1 is back! or will be, in a few minutes. thanks manwol. the fact that we're going down this hallway like nothing just happened doesn't endear malik to her when she says something. ]
[rita's kind of in awe at the staff managing to hit both of them. isn't she supposed to be the one with cursed luck? yeah, okay. luck is definitely fake.
she pauses, stopping in the hallway at the sound of the voice.]
[to his credit, he doesn't even laugh when the staff rebounds? probably because he's busy being ready to leap through the screen and fistfight gennai. as it is, they're walking down the hall and...you know. he is weirdly used to girls just stopping and hearing voices nobody else hears, so he slows his pace just a little to see what's going on there.]
[There's a little more black smoke from Malik when he says that.
Anyway, as Rita kneels down to look, she will find.... god, I am so sorry it's Rita specifically who's looking, because there's a human head laying here, wearing a red beanie cap. There's no grossness here! He's genuinely just a head, no blood or anything on the neck, and he is looking back at Rita impatiently.
"Hey, can you like, un-stick me here, I kind of can't get out from here? On account of just being literally a head? So if one of you guys could give me a hand, that would be pretty cool."]
[Manwol gives a look at the black smoke that wafts out of Malik's mouth, and then gives him a look. at this point, she's starting to wonder if the black smoke is...
but then she's distracted because no one in this group listens to her, apparently,]
Please tell me that you all hear that.
[she doesn't know it's a head.... that's rita's head friend now]
[ he's still walking forward, but he'll walk backward if it means keeping an eye on the group. he really doesn't like what's going on with rita trying to- ? find loose change? what is she doing down there? and apparently manwol is hearing voices so this is all VERY NICE, VERY COOL. ]
[well. it's hard to miss a head when rita's pointing right at it, so he...kind of stares in its vague direction, not quite able to make out any features or the like.]
...are we gonna help him? What's it even doing down there? [he could ask the head directly, but no. he will ask at large.]
["Yeah, congratulations, you've exposed my dark secret! Which is that I'm a fucking head, yes, great observation-- are we really just gonna do the 'talk about me like I'm not here' thing, or are you gonna get me unstuck so I can answer some of your questions?"
He can't really like, roll or move or anything, he just sort of attempts to wiggle. His ears wiggle a bit, I guess.
"I've been here for a while, I've got a pretty good idea of what's going on in this place, so if you help me out... maybe I can help you guys."]
[ malik's just standing in the middle of the hallway watching this. he hasn't even seen the head but you know what? ]
Carrying around random body parts can't possibly be helpful. If it isn't another illusion, how can you trust a random... head... that's just laying around in this place?
and reaches in, and grabs the head with both hands. she turns to hand it to taichi... then remembers he's carrying a sword. does she have to hold this head? god damn it.]
... Fine, whatever. We might as well hear what you've got to say.
Any funny business, and you're getting drop-kicked, though.
You'd be surprised how useful talking heads can be. [this only makes sense to him, maybe, but he grins slightly at manwol and turns to rita with a little shrug. congrats on your head. speaking of the head:]
Alright. We helped you out, so what can you tell us about this place?
["I mean, I don't know what kind of funny business you think I can manage, but-- yeah, thanks."
He looks relieved to not be stuck anymore, at least, but now that he can get a good look at everyone-
"Oh, shit, you guys look kinda rough. You've done the whole Trust/Forsake room thing? You didn't hit Trust, did you, you should know you always gotta hit Forsake."
After a moment, though, he continues:
"As for why I'm a head, well, I've been here for... a pretty long time, and given up pretty much everything I can already. See, this place makes a lot of promises, but-- do you know what a lich is? Super powerful undead magical being, basically? Well, this place is run by a couple of extremely powerful liches, and they're literally feeding on the suffering of everybody who they lure into this place. I came here because I was hired to escort somebody through, and-- well, here I still am.
But that means I'm pretty familiar with the place by now, so if you take me with you, I can probably give you some decent advice if you need it. The, uh, the trade-off is... I don't have anything else left to give. You're gonna have to take on my sacrifices when that comes up."]
[Manwol's expression falls because she does in fact know what a lich is, and that doesn't bode well for the rest of them.
If it's telling the truth.
She finds that it's easy enough to buy, and that makes her suspicious. also yes, she did hit trust, thanks a lot head. she glances back at Taichi (and frowns at his sword) and then at the others,]
I guess this means we'll have to spin that wheel again.
[take on the head's sacrifices? it's not a deal she likes, but Manwol's familiar with making bad deals. though all of those have been advantageous to only her]
I'm going to assume that since the rest of you like bad ideas, you're going to be taking that thing with us...? What kind of sacrifices can a head make, anyway?
[ he doesn't know wtf a lich is or any of this other fantasy bullshit so he can't speak on the matter, but honestly given what this last month and a half has been, and everything that happened on the last field trip, an entity feeding on suffering doesn't really sound that extreme. just par for the course in this suffering game known as life!!! haha!!!! ]
[somewhere in the back of his head, he thinks about voidfish. but he contemplates this head's suggestion and frowns in thought, the grip on the sword tightening a little.]
We're already at a disadvantage not knowing how to leave and not knowing what to expect. If we can get some extra help from...uh, what's your name? [mr. head...] The extra help might be worth knowing how to get past whatever's waiting for us. I know the sacrifices are probably going to get worse, but if it's an extra sacrifice split between us that's not as bad.
[and, to the head:] How much further do you think we have to go?
[At Manwol's question, he says, "Oh, yeah, you're gonna have to keep spinning that wheel. That's how I ended up like this, you can't progress without it."
And to the others: "They definitely get worse, but it should just be the one extra one. I-- listen, I would do it if I could, but I have so little left to me that I really just... I can't. I don't have, like, a body? Or limbs? So... I appreciate it, guys, I really do. Name's Cam, by the way."
Though, he hesitates before he grimaces and says, "The bad news about your last question is that, well, there's no telling. See, most people don't leave here at all. It's designed to just extract more and more suffering from you until, eventually, you die. There are ways, that's how my employer left Wonderland, but if I'm being honest with you? They have to be traps, too. Even if you leave here, you're getting dumped in the middle of the Felicity Wilds, and they're pretty dangerous on their own."
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...This has happened before, the more rational part of her says, but her eyes are honed in on Chung Myung -- looking alive and healthy -- and as always, her temper snaps. Is it because of the fight they just went through? Is it because she's remembering that it was her choice to hit trust over forsake, which led to the this? They're being yanked around, and Manwol's sorry to say that she falls for it --
in that she immediately throws Tsuyukusa's staff at the screen, it's fine]
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honestly if malik had something to throw, he'd do that too. but instead he crosses his arms and huffs, before realizing that they're bleeding and ow, that actually kind of hurts, so he stops. ]
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... It's a stupid trick.
[she huffs, and turns her attention to a piece of debris that's embedded itself in her arm, considering whether or not to attempt to remove it. she winces... and decides to leave it. this probably isn't a good time to start bleeding any more than necessary.]
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"He who fights monsters should be careful that he does not become a monster himself. If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
whatever.]
Fine. Challenge completed. What's next?
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"Come along, and we'll show you," says the male voice, and the door ahead of you opens up. There's a hallway ahead, it looks like, lined with a few pieces of machinery, but if they're paying attention...
Taichi and Malik will hear nothing in this hallway. Manwol and Rita, however, can hear what sounds like a whisper coming from underneath one of these pieces of machinery. "Hey," it says. "Hey, over here!"]
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time to head to the hallway....
She tilts her head at the sound of the whispers, and then immediately grimaces.]
Don't listen.
[SHE OWNS A HOTEL FOR GHOSTS, GHOSTS DO THIS SHIT ALL THE TIME!!! just assuming that everyone else can hear this as it's happening]
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To you? Alright, I'll keep that in mind.
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she pauses, stopping in the hallway at the sound of the voice.]
What is it...?
[she'll kneel by the piece of machinery to see.]
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Hear something? [because he sure doesn't.]
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Anyway, as Rita kneels down to look, she will find.... god, I am so sorry it's Rita specifically who's looking, because there's a human head laying here, wearing a red beanie cap. There's no grossness here! He's genuinely just a head, no blood or anything on the neck, and he is looking back at Rita impatiently.
"Hey, can you like, un-stick me here, I kind of can't get out from here? On account of just being literally a head? So if one of you guys could give me a hand, that would be pretty cool."]
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but then she's distracted because no one in this group listens to her, apparently,]
Please tell me that you all hear that.
[she doesn't know it's a head.... that's rita's head friend now]
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[ he's still walking forward, but he'll walk backward if it means keeping an eye on the group. he really doesn't like what's going on with rita trying to- ? find loose change? what is she doing down there? and apparently manwol is hearing voices so this is all VERY NICE, VERY COOL. ]
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... It's a head.
[that sinks in for a second, and she asks it]
... Why are you a head.
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...are we gonna help him? What's it even doing down there? [he could ask the head directly, but no. he will ask at large.]
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He can't really like, roll or move or anything, he just sort of attempts to wiggle. His ears wiggle a bit, I guess.
"I've been here for a while, I've got a pretty good idea of what's going on in this place, so if you help me out... maybe I can help you guys."]
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I'm not touching it.
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Carrying around random body parts can't possibly be helpful. If it isn't another illusion, how can you trust a random... head... that's just laying around in this place?
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and reaches in, and grabs the head with both hands. she turns to hand it to taichi... then remembers he's carrying a sword. does she have to hold this head? god damn it.]
... Fine, whatever. We might as well hear what you've got to say.
Any funny business, and you're getting drop-kicked, though.
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Alright. We helped you out, so what can you tell us about this place?
[he does, in fact, still have a sword.]
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He looks relieved to not be stuck anymore, at least, but now that he can get a good look at everyone-
"Oh, shit, you guys look kinda rough. You've done the whole Trust/Forsake room thing? You didn't hit Trust, did you, you should know you always gotta hit Forsake."
After a moment, though, he continues:
"As for why I'm a head, well, I've been here for... a pretty long time, and given up pretty much everything I can already. See, this place makes a lot of promises, but-- do you know what a lich is? Super powerful undead magical being, basically? Well, this place is run by a couple of extremely powerful liches, and they're literally feeding on the suffering of everybody who they lure into this place. I came here because I was hired to escort somebody through, and-- well, here I still am.
But that means I'm pretty familiar with the place by now, so if you take me with you, I can probably give you some decent advice if you need it. The, uh, the trade-off is... I don't have anything else left to give. You're gonna have to take on my sacrifices when that comes up."]
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If it's telling the truth.
She finds that it's easy enough to buy, and that makes her suspicious. also yes, she did hit trust, thanks a lot head. she glances back at Taichi (and frowns at his sword) and then at the others,]
I guess this means we'll have to spin that wheel again.
[take on the head's sacrifices? it's not a deal she likes, but Manwol's familiar with making bad deals. though all of those have been advantageous to only her]
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I'm going to assume that since the rest of you like bad ideas, you're going to be taking that thing with us...? What kind of sacrifices can a head make, anyway?
[ he doesn't know wtf a lich is or any of this other fantasy bullshit so he can't speak on the matter, but honestly given what this last month and a half has been, and everything that happened on the last field trip, an entity feeding on suffering doesn't really sound that extreme. just par for the course in this suffering game known as life!!! haha!!!! ]
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An extra sacrifice between us? [she looks to each of them, uncertain.]
... Those sacrifices are probably going to get more severe as we go on.
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We're already at a disadvantage not knowing how to leave and not knowing what to expect. If we can get some extra help from...uh, what's your name? [mr. head...] The extra help might be worth knowing how to get past whatever's waiting for us. I know the sacrifices are probably going to get worse, but if it's an extra sacrifice split between us that's not as bad.
[and, to the head:] How much further do you think we have to go?
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And to the others: "They definitely get worse, but it should just be the one extra one. I-- listen, I would do it if I could, but I have so little left to me that I really just... I can't. I don't have, like, a body? Or limbs? So... I appreciate it, guys, I really do. Name's Cam, by the way."
Though, he hesitates before he grimaces and says, "The bad news about your last question is that, well, there's no telling. See, most people don't leave here at all. It's designed to just extract more and more suffering from you until, eventually, you die. There are ways, that's how my employer left Wonderland, but if I'm being honest with you? They have to be traps, too. Even if you leave here, you're getting dumped in the middle of the Felicity Wilds, and they're pretty dangerous on their own."
The rest of the hallway still lies ahead.]
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