[ 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."
[well, fine. rita's just carrying cam in her arms in front of her, letting him face outward so he can see the people questioning him. she seems to be mulling something over in her mind while the others ask their questions.]
[he's following along at a slightly slower pace, heading down the hall and staring at cam in rita's arms but he doesn't have much to say. everyone else has sort of covered it, and he seems to be mulling over some things of his own. he does make an attempt to see if there's anything else noteworthy about the hallway though.]
["My employer-? She was some kind of wizard, I don't really know what she was here looking for. Said she couldn't tell me what it was, but you know, that wasn't my business, I was just hired to help her get through this. I tried to tell her escaping was gonna be a trap, too, but..."
He goes quiet, there, and just sighs.
"Pretty sure she didn't make it out there on her own, honestly."
As they approach through the hallway, Taichi doesn't see anything else noteworthy! The next room is, however, pretty familiar.
"Well, you know how this one goes!" says the female guiding voice, as they enter a room with the Wheel of Sacrifice lit up and ready to go. "Though it looks like you've expanded your party a little, so...."
Five dim red panels appear over the opposite door.
["More eyes? Really? This is, uh, a little unusual to land on one so often, but-- that's luck for you!" says the male voice.
The female one says, "Manwol, Malik... you both landed on eye, so... oh, I've got it! We'll keep it fresh like this: you're both going to get a couple of different options for how this one is going to go. You can either lose one of those peepers entirely-- completely painlessly, we promise you-- or we'll let you take a hit to your vision like Taichi did, with the added loss of no longer seeing color.
Rita, you landed on clock, and that's going to be... hmm. It's the second round, so let's say-- ten years of your life? I think that sounds fair for now.
And Taichi, for rolling body: if you accept the sacrifice, we'll just be taking some of that athleticism from you. Not to an extreme level, of course, but you're not going to be getting any soccer scholarships, I'll say that much."
"This last one, though-- oh, this is a good one," the male voice says, excitedly. Cam looks pretty nervous about it. The voice continues, "For landing on this space, one of you gets to choose what you give up! It's going to need to be equivalent with the other sacrifices in this round, though, and if the first offer you settle on isn't enough... you're still going to lose what you offered, but you won't fulfill your sacrifice, and will have to give up more to satisfy it. Completely up to you!"
"Sorry, guys," Cam says with a wince, "I know that one's gonna be, uh, rough to work with."]
[THIS IS AWFUL!! MANWOL HATES IT HERE!!! SHE'S GONNA SET THIS WHEEL ON FIRE!!! She does not do either of those things. Instead, she looks furious.]
I'll take the reduced vision and colorblindness.
[she snaps, then glancing at the others, Rita especially]
You can refuse, Rita. I can give up something else to make for it. [athleticism and vision aside, ten years of life is actually a lot? that's a whole decade???
she glares down at Cam, as if this entire thing is his fault]
[ yeah this is bad. still, malik is quiet as he mulls things over for a minute. ]
I'll take the reduced vision too. and... I'll give up the last year's worth of my memories for the extra sacrifice. [ pointing at? the ceiling?? where are these voices coming from. ]
The year of my life before coming to this school.
[ then he turns to rita and points at her. ] This isn't a self-sacrificing hero thing, so don't even say anything.
[rita's barely here, she's so focused on this decision... and when she hears malik speak, it takes a few extra seconds to register. and then it hits.]
Wh... Malik!? You're serious!?
[she was prepared to fight taichi over this. possibly manwol. this is not at all what she was prepared for, and she's at a complete loss for words. she just stares until it's apparent that it's been her turn to speak for some time, and she finally steps up.]
... I refuse. But I'll take my own damn penalty.
[she spins again, and the wheel lands on swords and brain.]
[he had opened his mouth to negotiate with rita himself, but malik beat him to it. the last year's worth of memories is...pretty hefty.]
Okay. That takes care of Cam, so we just need Rita. [that is to say:] Go ahead and take whatever you're gonna take.
[he has a sword. he can use that as leverage to make up for lack of sight and lack of speed now. but he seems a little on-edge watching rita spin for her two new offerings.]
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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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[Manwol says, but she just sounds tired. she'll start moving down this hallway towards the next door with the rest of the group,]
Did you lose your limbs because of that wheel?
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Who was your employer?
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[well, fine. rita's just carrying cam in her arms in front of her, letting him face outward so he can see the people questioning him. she seems to be mulling something over in her mind while the others ask their questions.]
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He goes quiet, there, and just sighs.
"Pretty sure she didn't make it out there on her own, honestly."
As they approach through the hallway, Taichi doesn't see anything else noteworthy! The next room is, however, pretty familiar.
"Well, you know how this one goes!" says the female guiding voice, as they enter a room with the Wheel of Sacrifice lit up and ready to go. "Though it looks like you've expanded your party a little, so...."
Five dim red panels appear over the opposite door.
"Now, let's get to it," the male one says.]
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Manwol steps up to the wheel and spins it with her uninjured arm, the wheel stops at eye.
She grimaces, then steps back.]
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guess it's time for a spin. malik's also stops on eye. ]
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[well, she's not worried about malik doing that. but some of you.
she tucks cam under one arm so she can spin the wheel, and it lands on clock.]
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[which is to say he spins the wheel and it lands on body. however, he spins a second time for cam and it lands on ?]
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The female one says, "Manwol, Malik... you both landed on eye, so... oh, I've got it! We'll keep it fresh like this: you're both going to get a couple of different options for how this one is going to go. You can either lose one of those peepers entirely-- completely painlessly, we promise you-- or we'll let you take a hit to your vision like Taichi did, with the added loss of no longer seeing color.
Rita, you landed on clock, and that's going to be... hmm. It's the second round, so let's say-- ten years of your life? I think that sounds fair for now.
And Taichi, for rolling body: if you accept the sacrifice, we'll just be taking some of that athleticism from you. Not to an extreme level, of course, but you're not going to be getting any soccer scholarships, I'll say that much."
"This last one, though-- oh, this is a good one," the male voice says, excitedly. Cam looks pretty nervous about it. The voice continues, "For landing on this space, one of you gets to choose what you give up! It's going to need to be equivalent with the other sacrifices in this round, though, and if the first offer you settle on isn't enough... you're still going to lose what you offered, but you won't fulfill your sacrifice, and will have to give up more to satisfy it. Completely up to you!"
"Sorry, guys," Cam says with a wince, "I know that one's gonna be, uh, rough to work with."]
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Cam, you've seen plenty of these before. What's the penalty for refusing?
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"...you gotta do another one. Like, say you refuse yours? There's gonna be six sacrifices in total that you guys have to make."]
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I'll take the reduced vision and colorblindness.
[she snaps, then glancing at the others, Rita especially]
You can refuse, Rita. I can give up something else to make for it. [athleticism and vision aside, ten years of life is actually a lot? that's a whole decade???
she glares down at Cam, as if this entire thing is his fault]
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I'll take the reduced vision too. and... I'll give up the last year's worth of my memories for the extra sacrifice. [ pointing at? the ceiling?? where are these voices coming from. ]
The year of my life before coming to this school.
[ then he turns to rita and points at her. ] This isn't a self-sacrificing hero thing, so don't even say anything.
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Wh... Malik!? You're serious!?
[she was prepared to fight taichi over this. possibly manwol. this is not at all what she was prepared for, and she's at a complete loss for words. she just stares until it's apparent that it's been her turn to speak for some time, and she finally steps up.]
... I refuse. But I'll take my own damn penalty.
[she spins again, and the wheel lands on swords and brain.]
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Okay. That takes care of Cam, so we just need Rita. [that is to say:] Go ahead and take whatever you're gonna take.
[he has a sword. he can use that as leverage to make up for lack of sight and lack of speed now. but he seems a little on-edge watching rita spin for her two new offerings.]
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