[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.]
[More black smoke for Manwol! And a little bit for Rita.
As Manwol and Taichi accept those sacrifices, and Malik both accepts and offers his own, they'll all feel it happen. Manwol and Malik find their vision immediately blurred much like Taichi's, but everything is also now in greyscale; given all the neon colors and flashing lights in this place, it now looks very weird. It wasn't really designed to be seen this way, so they may have some issues there. Malik will also abruptly remember major scenes from the last year of his life, just before they fade, as if he's both reliving and losing that year rapidly. One moment he can see them, and the next, they're just-- gone, along with any information that relies on those memories. Taichi, meanwhile, will feel a little sore for a moment, and he'll find he's no longer as talented with things like running or agility. He might trip slightly the next time he moves. Also, after their sacrifices kick in, they will see 4 of the 6 dim red panels over the door light up.
And finally, there's Rita's new spins. The female voice says,
"Oh, a twofer, not bad. Now, let's see here... for landing on swords, that's going to be an important event. I'm sure you recall being cared for after you were wounded, don't you? That feels important enough to lose, to me. But as for your mind spin... well, that's going to be some of your skill in magic. Not all of it, we're not going to take your ability to cast completely! But, sort of like Taichi's reduced athleticism, you'll just be more of an amateur at it."]
Manwol blinks rapidly as her vision adjusts, and the neon now grayscale colors are kind of disorienting -- even more than they were in color. She frowns at Rita's new spins, and then glances over at Cam.]
[ well. this sucks. if malik wasn't feeling nauseous already, he certainly will now with all these throbbing gray tones.
the holes burned into his memory bother him about as much as his limited vision, but he can't really dwell on what he doesn't remember. so he's just vibing i guess! ]
[rita closes her eyes and tries not to show a strong reaction to these new sacrifices. with one arm still supporting cam, the other tenses, her hand clenched into a fist.]
I'd rather lose my past than my future. Take it.
[but quietly, she mutters] Sorry, Estelle...
[the second one... isn't any easier to face. her magic talents are what make her who she is. without them...
... they can't afford to keep increasing their penalties.]
[the smoke is a little weird and he's eyeing it warily, a slight wince as his body settles into not being in its peak condition. as everyone else takes their penalties, and taichi hears that name from rita he just. frowns. a lot.]
...we'll be fine. Even if you're just an amateur, you're better than the rest of us when it comes to magic. We just have to be smart going forward.
[or he'll just stab everybody. that sounds like a good plan.]
{At Manwol's question, Cam whispers, "Hey, you know how I told you guys this place literally eats your suffering? That's bad vibes, right there."
Malik can keep vibing! He is allowed.
Rita, on accepting her penalties, will remember the moment she chose to give up, will recall Estelle at her side, but then-- it fades. She can't hold on to it, and after a moment, it's gone; her memories of her life are like that moment never happened. Following that, she'll find she can't quite remember higher-level magic or anything too advanced, and she'll have some difficulty with any further spells she casts.
After Taichi asks if they can proceed, though, one of the voices says:
"Oh, of course you can! That year thing, that was a pretty good one, you all are doing great in here! Maybe a little too great, in some cases, we might need to up your difficulty a little, but... let's move on to your next challenge."
The remaining two panels light up, and the door slides open!
In the next chamber, once again, they see a point of light further ahead of them.]
[Manwol's mood sours at Cam's reply, but she thankfully holds her tongue. She's worried. She's worried about Malik, who offered up a whole year's worth of memories. Rita, who had to lose a memory and some of her abilities (are their memories always going to be sacrificed, no matter which game they're forced to play), and...
She looks at Taichi as she walks through the door. She doesn't think Muramasa is speaking to him, but his aggressive behavior was obvious as soon as he wielded it.
...They have to be okay. She has to be responsible, and do what she can.]
[ if nothing else, malik seems a little less aggro since he lost another chunk of memories. he trots along behind manwol - he remembers the other three, why they're here, and his time at wiwaldi. which, for now, is enough to keep him moving forward. ]
[in those last moments of reliving that memory, rita's eyes widen, welling up with tears. she wipes them away... and it's gone. both the memory, and whatever she was feeling just then.
she'll continue to the next chamber, cam still cradled in front of herself in one arm.]
[heading for the light is a little too apt when this place wants to kill them, he thinks, but he says nothing. he follows along with the others, and even if he's still kind of buzzing with unsettled energy he does make sure that manwol and malik in particular are having an easy enough time walking given they're also colorblind now.
granted, he trips over his own foot and stumbles, knee buckling as he bounces a few steps to stay upright. fuck. okay.
there's an annoyed kind of growl, but still nothing! let's see what's in this chamber...]
[As they approach the light... well, they've seen this before. Seen the podium before, with their faces on it that begin to rotate like a slot machine.
"Ready for another round?" says the female voice. "You know the rules here, so let's just see who gets to play this time!"
And the rotating screen stops on... Malik. Looks like it's his turn to make the decision; the same two buttons are on the podium, Trust or Forsake.]
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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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As Manwol and Taichi accept those sacrifices, and Malik both accepts and offers his own, they'll all feel it happen. Manwol and Malik find their vision immediately blurred much like Taichi's, but everything is also now in greyscale; given all the neon colors and flashing lights in this place, it now looks very weird. It wasn't really designed to be seen this way, so they may have some issues there. Malik will also abruptly remember major scenes from the last year of his life, just before they fade, as if he's both reliving and losing that year rapidly. One moment he can see them, and the next, they're just-- gone, along with any information that relies on those memories. Taichi, meanwhile, will feel a little sore for a moment, and he'll find he's no longer as talented with things like running or agility. He might trip slightly the next time he moves. Also, after their sacrifices kick in, they will see 4 of the 6 dim red panels over the door light up.
And finally, there's Rita's new spins. The female voice says,
"Oh, a twofer, not bad. Now, let's see here... for landing on swords, that's going to be an important event. I'm sure you recall being cared for after you were wounded, don't you? That feels important enough to lose, to me. But as for your mind spin... well, that's going to be some of your skill in magic. Not all of it, we're not going to take your ability to cast completely! But, sort of like Taichi's reduced athleticism, you'll just be more of an amateur at it."]
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Manwol blinks rapidly as her vision adjusts, and the neon now grayscale colors are kind of disorienting -- even more than they were in color. She frowns at Rita's new spins, and then glances over at Cam.]
What's with the smoke?
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the holes burned into his memory bother him about as much as his limited vision, but he can't really dwell on what he doesn't remember. so he's just vibing i guess! ]
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I'd rather lose my past than my future. Take it.
[but quietly, she mutters] Sorry, Estelle...
[the second one... isn't any easier to face. her magic talents are what make her who she is. without them...
... they can't afford to keep increasing their penalties.]
... Take them both.
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...we'll be fine. Even if you're just an amateur, you're better than the rest of us when it comes to magic. We just have to be smart going forward.
[or he'll just stab everybody. that sounds like a good plan.]
You have our sacrifices. Can we proceed?
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Malik can keep vibing! He is allowed.
Rita, on accepting her penalties, will remember the moment she chose to give up, will recall Estelle at her side, but then-- it fades. She can't hold on to it, and after a moment, it's gone; her memories of her life are like that moment never happened. Following that, she'll find she can't quite remember higher-level magic or anything too advanced, and she'll have some difficulty with any further spells she casts.
After Taichi asks if they can proceed, though, one of the voices says:
"Oh, of course you can! That year thing, that was a pretty good one, you all are doing great in here! Maybe a little too great, in some cases, we might need to up your difficulty a little, but... let's move on to your next challenge."
The remaining two panels light up, and the door slides open!
In the next chamber, once again, they see a point of light further ahead of them.]
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She looks at Taichi as she walks through the door. She doesn't think Muramasa is speaking to him, but his aggressive behavior was obvious as soon as he wielded it.
...They have to be okay. She has to be responsible, and do what she can.]
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she'll continue to the next chamber, cam still cradled in front of herself in one arm.]
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granted, he trips over his own foot and stumbles, knee buckling as he bounces a few steps to stay upright. fuck. okay.
there's an annoyed kind of growl, but still nothing! let's see what's in this chamber...]
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"Ready for another round?" says the female voice. "You know the rules here, so let's just see who gets to play this time!"
And the rotating screen stops on... Malik. Looks like it's his turn to make the decision; the same two buttons are on the podium, Trust or Forsake.]
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