PHASE 3:

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"Nice knowing you guys!" Said Parker with a grin. Eleanor, Ezra and Sophia looked grim. Walton stood there miserably. "Nah I hope you do fine." He said reassuringly. "You're all fools. You will reap what you sow, mark my words." Said Carl shaking his head. The group collectively glared at him as Kane shuffled along to the door. "Let's go already." He said. Tyrese walked past and stood by the door. Here goes nothing. He pushed it open and stepped beyond with his eyes closed. What lay beyond was impressive. Tyrese's jaw dropped open taking it all in. The room was huge. So far they'd been subject to tiny claustrophobic caverns but this was enormous. The room was three times as wide and three times as long as either room they'd just come from. It was grand and foreboding at the same time. Decorative lamps fell from the roof. Occasional purple sparks flitted down and across the surface. And even higher, almost out of sight in the distance above ground was a balcony. The balcony started on the West side of the room and curved around in a twisted arc. It finally came to stop at the Northern side. There were two doorways only ever so barely visible from the ground. One of them led onto the Western side of the Balcony, about in the centre of the Western wall. The other was set in the North, at roughly the centre of that wall and where the Balcony ended. The rest of the group slowly milled in. There were even more exits on the floor they occupied too. The Southern exit they had just come in through was set in the centre of the wall. Another was set into the centre of the Eastern wall and there was one final on the very far Northern wall, very very close to the Eastern edge of it. This was a lot to take in. Overhead the rock formations had weathered and the weathering trickled down the ground where there were strange ruts visible. There was some kind of damp effect there. Maybe this room had once contained flowing water. The wizard probably wasn't fond of it. Then again, he didn't seem like the sort to be fond of decorative lighting. The group froze as they took everything in. Just at that moment, their eyes fell onto a little creature by the Northern Exit. It was watching them intently. It had a humanoid form but it was slightly burnt and sinister looking. One of them. "Kill it!" Shouted somebody from behind. The group crept towards it carefully. Finally Kane leapt and pinned it down. It shrieked out an unholy chorus that caused everybody to fall to the ground. Kane looked up with some panic. That wouldn't be good. At that moment some more purple sparks leaped down from above. They buried themselves in the walls, in the grounds, on the slats of the balcony. They were increasing in frequency by quite a lot. What the hell was happening in here? Occasionally shadows appeared on the edge of vision. There were a number of them. Some were big, some were small. The assembled looked around frantically as Kane dragged the shrieking shade to the middle of the room. He nodded to some of the others and they walked over and held it aloft. Somebody snapped its neck, and the creature lay dead in the middle of the floor. "Everybody okay?" Asked Brie concernedly. And then came the white noise. It was like a horrendous buzzing sound that drove a pick into the brains of the people around it. Slowly the group fell down again. What was that? The buzzing stopped and more purple sparks began to cascade around everywhere. A strange purple energy was flitting into light. The shadows appeared on the edge of vision once more. One of them had a female face. It appeared and disappeared again. And the floor shook. The shaking increased in intensity as just at that moment, darkness descended. The doors at the top of the room burst forth and a horde of shades milled into the room. Then through the Northern and Eastern exits too. The group crept back against the wall beneath the balcony as the floor rumbled and purple sparks pinged around them. Some of the sparks passed right over the people standing there as the shadowy hordes marched forth. They were vile. Many of them were human-shaped but others had miscellaneous appendages. Tentacles, extra eyes, warped and deformed limbs. It was a disgusting sight as they were herded into the corner like animals. Brittany began to scream. Boone made a fighting pose but it was all for nothing. They were outnumbered by far. "THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT BITO!" Yelled the Emperor. The floor shook once more and the army stood stock still. "I found some other rats!" Hissed one of the creatures. It was much bigger than the others. It marched into the room carrying Ezra and slamming him on the floor. More followed with Walton, Sophia and Eleanor in turn. They flung them over to the cornered, cowering group. Was this their supposed destiny? To die in a corner? Gabriel had tricked them all.

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And the room exploded. An enormous violet light spread across in a tremendous rush. The group were forced to seal their eyes. Even the enormous shade army fell down. The floor continued to rumble and shake. Up above the walls cracked just on the edge of strained vision. A chunk of concrete tumbled down onto the ground below, crushing three of the monstrous shades to death. As the group struggled to watch, they realised something was different. There were other people in here. Eyes were drawn to the rock-slide which was tumbling down over the Southern entrance. Clouds of purple dust evapourated away from the rock formation as sparks leapt up from the surface. And the shaking became more aggressive. Finally everything fell silent. The group looked on in shock as the dust settled. Everything was covered in purple light but it began to fade. Most of the shades were still there, only scattered. The Southern entrance was completely blocked off though. And then there were the other people. Fourteen of them stood looking around in awe and fear. Some of them carried weapons. One was dressed in a black robe with a scar on his fourhead. There was an Asian woman who was standing in a fighting pose. A couple wore armour and carried swords. Another a noble and well dressed swordsman. There was a strange creature in the middle of it all who...it was hard to really visualise what he was. An angry looking half-naked barbarian stood next to an equally angry looking man. And the young woman from before with flowing black hair, holding a bow with a quiver of arrows and poised to strike. A regal looking woman with a crown stood at the back of the group. Next to her was a small looking girl who emanated a strange radiant energy. There was a knight with a sword the other side of her. Another man stood at their backs, shirtless and with long flowing black hair. One more was in the middle of the group. He was tall, bald, black and had a serious look about him. And more frighteningly, behind the group stood a humongous seven foot man made entirely from stone. The shades turned to look at this new group as the people in the corner did too. The newcomers looked up at the herded and scared people and then down at the monstrous shades. A couple of them nodded at each other and instantly they moved. The young woman with flowing black hair leaped up into the sky and drew an arrow. Placing it in her bow with rapid speed, she fired. It pierced two of the shades there and then. The man with black hair grinned. He unsheathed a huge curved sword and vanished in a blur of speed. Swinging this way and that, he lopped heads off any shade who dared to come close. The rock giant let out a mighty roar as he banged his fists down onto the heads of two others. The swordsmen smirked and began to dash around with their blades. The knight leaped in front of the queen, valiantly striking all who came close. The barbarian cracked his neck excitedly as he dashed forth yelling out a warcry and tearing through the horde. The swordsman cleaved a couple who dared to come close with a serious look on his face. The Asian woman leaped into combat mode and began to kick, punch and slice at all the shades who dared come close. The herded group looked on in awe. Mark grinned and pulled out one of his many cameras, snapping a photo of the action as it unfolded. The shades were quickly dropping like flies.

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The heroes sweated as a few more shades milled into the room from the exits around the base floor. Some others were coming down from the balcony. "At your back Airlea!" Yelled the noble looking swordsman quickly. The young woman with flowing black hair turned swiftly and shot forth an arrow. It pierced the head of a shade that rapidly descended from the balcony above. More followed. They were flooding down onto the ground floor. The rock giant let out a tremendous roar and charged into the throng with his fists clubbing any that came close. The angry looking man charged with a huge battle cry and took out two heads. The bizarre creature that couldn't be formerly identified looked more like a man now. He jumped into the air and kicked two of the shades in the face, sending them scattering. Finally the fighting stopped. The room lay littered with the wounded and fallen shades. They were not even close to a match. The heroes grinned. Maybe there was safety in numbers after all. Airlea paused and looked over at the cowering people in the corner. Mostly people anyway. One of them seemed to be an ape. She began to approach as they immediately stopped cheering and adopted defensive poses. There were 29 of them in all. They glanced back at the Southern entrance forlornly. The rocks had completely blocked it off. There was no way back. "I mean you no harm." The woman called Airlea smiled at the group. At that moment darkness fell once more. The heroes shot their eyes upwards as again the doors by the balcony burst open and more dark shades flooded in. A veritable ocean of them descended onto the room. The angry looking man cursed. "How many are there?!" He yelled out. There was no end to this army of darkness. The heroes continued to fight as the 29 by the wall scattered somewhat. Some of them began to adopt fighting poses too. Maybe they could help? The doors on the ground level flooded open too as more and more of the beasts filled the room. Five of them leaped onto the barbarian pinning him down. Others milled onto Airlea, taking her bow as she yelled out in anger. The heroes were losing this battle. There were just too many dark shades. Finally they lay on the ground, pinned down and defeated. They were exhausted and had no strength. "I wish Theseus were still with us..." Said one of the swordsmen. "Theseus?" Said one of the 29 by the wall. "Silence!" Came a booming voice from above. The emperor looked up and squinted. Was that? No. Just stupid lies. Rita looked up and felt differently. It was. The shade who had just emerged on the balcony flanked by others carried more presence. He grinned down at the group. "My name is General Bear. I'm here to watch you all die. I'm not sure why you rats suddenly decided to break the truce but either way you must be destroyed." "Bear!" Yelled Rita, looking concerned. She hated her family but if that was indeed her former cousin... "THAT IS NOT MY SON!" Yelled the Emperor furiously. "I WILL CUT OFF ANY HEADS THAT CLAIM IT IS!" The general looked down at the two figures thoughtfully before leaving. "Do it." He commanded. The shades approached the fallen group. They carried the weapons of all the heroes and the ones who could still fight were pinned down. They had been defeated. It is now Phase 3. Phase 3 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Players (44): Airlea Ajax Andrael Angela Arimnestos Balagor Boone Brie Brittany Carl Dennis Dern Eleanor Emperor Fong Erebos Ezra Frederick General Chuikov Hobert Kane Katy Lincoln Marek Maria Mark Origo Pai Chan Parker Peter Queen Genevieve Rhea Rita Scott Sophia Sr. Culo Stonehard Lee Talion Taylor Thomas Tyrese Tyron Urk Walton Wilt Exits: North East

pquote]The groups were enthralled by the presence of more people, but it didn't do much to correct their predicament. The shades stood watching the conversation carefully as more footsteps rang out on the balcony above.

A horde of other shades milled down into the clearing. The shade general was still stood at the top, looking over.

"I said kill them! Now! Pin down the giant and the fighters and get on with it! Willis commands it!"

The shades dived from the balcony and more flooded into the room. Several of them leaped onto Stonehard Lee who swung his enormous fists in a flurry to try and shake them but it was no use. There were too many. They toppled him to the floor with a grisly thud. He lay there and looked up. They were all over him. A number of others were attempting the same thing for Balagor.

The general watched up above as he finally left the room. Even more shades followed in. The room was awash with an ocean of these monstrous creatures. There was no escape.[/quote]

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Brittany shrieked out again. As she did, two of the creatures leaped onto her and one covered her mouth. She felt physically sick. Boone rushed over to attempt to pull them away but one lashed back fiercely. Boone was sent flying and hit the wall with a thud. Some of the shades quickly fled with the heroes' weapons. They were now unarmed and penned in. There was no escape. Right at that moment the floor began to shake. The walls rumbled as the roof overhead changed colour slightly. The purple lightning still flowed over everything but it was replaced by blue energy. An enormous thunderclap filled the sky. All parties looked up in awe as clouds formed on the roof of this cavern. Even the shades looked bewildered. This was obviously something they weren't expecting. The clouds overhead thickened into a black maelstrom. They rumbled with thunder and flashes of occasional lightning danced across their surface. Bracing themselves, the group looked up as a huge flash hammered down from the storm clouds. They darkened the entire room. One of the shades took flight and fled for the door. As it reached it, a flash of lightning shot through it. It electrocuted the shade and turned it into dust on the spot. All around the other shades were milling about in a frenzy as more lightning strikes hit their targets. The group looked on in awe, ducking from the lightning as it came down. It surrounded all of the dark creatures and one by one began to shock them into nothing. One of the bolts clipped over Eleanor's head. She rubbed it, but realised at that moment it hadn't hurt. The lightning was painless to them. An enormous thunderbolt struck the ground below. Lightning flew around all over and shocked the creatures. In the middle of the storm there was a figure. It was kneeling on the ground but it slowly stood up. Lightning was surrounding it. In fact, it emanated lightning. It looked like an elderly man. he was wearing a long, black robe and had a very serious and determined expression. He wore a priest's collar around his neck. There was another man stood next to him wearing a brown robe. The second man was carrying a decorative staff of some kind. He was much younger, but still totally unconcerned about the lightning all around them. Finally the storms subsided. The clouds cleared and all that remained of the shade horde was dust. The dust blew away and disappeared into the air. The young man stood watching with a calm smile, still holding his staff. The old man however fell to the ground. Some of the group rushed over to assist as he raised a hand. "No..need..." He said weakly. "Not much you can do for me now....there is only one thing I ask...." "What might that be?" Said Carl, arms folded. The man looked up with tired eyes. "Listen. Most people don't when I first start talking. But for once, I just want you all to be quiet and listen." The group murmured. Who was this guy? Why should they trust him? He closed his eyes wearily. "I bet you're wondering why you should trust me. That's fine. But you need to because there's very little time. What I just did....what I just unleashed...it weakened me considerably. I'll have to go soon and I can't be of much use after that fact either...but I don't want to dwell on this...it's a waste of time." "Just what in the hell is going on?" Kane yelled. The man crept to his knees and looked like he was counting. Then he paused and spoke again. "Trust me because I helped you. And be quiet because I need to explain to you everything. Your lives and the fate of the world depend completely on it. Take what you will from what I say, but listen now. I know you're confused." He stopped and looked at the puzzled faces. "But it's going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better...trust me..."

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Right now...I have so much to say and I just don't know where to start... Okay. I'll start by saying that this isn't what I came to expect. I knew to meet a group of heroes here but...well no offense meant...it's just you don't all look particularly heroic. That statement is a tad unfair maybe. I just expected you to be at least armed. I didn't think I'd have to come in and do so much...myself. You need to be more careful from here on out! You march in arguing like children amongst yourselves and yet you are here to perform a vitally important task! I don't know what you were expecting from this but...you need to watch yourselves. You walked right into that army and those aren't the only shades around. That's a fraction of Willis' army. These things are endless. I want to help you more but...I only have a certain amount of energy. I'm dead you see but I don't want to go on about that. It gets a bit complicated and it's not relevant to your interests. In a few moments from now I won't be able to stand here and join you...I'll be gone. You may hear from me again. I'll try to recover my strength in time for the final battle... I really used more energy than I expected to...damn.

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Anyway here goes nothing. Don't ask me to explain it in more detail because firstly, I won't be around to. Secondly, I don't understand it myself. All I know is that what happened did happen. I was told it might by the forces that govern but...well...the point is that it's no longer a might. The worst case is a reality. I suppose you've all heard of a legendary tale that talks about Pandora's box? It's a mystical artifact that was said to contain all of the evils in the world. Once opened, it unleashed them and the world fell to darkness. Well the point is that never happened. And Pandora's box is real. Thankfully the box remains sealed but not for lack of trying. Around 10 years ago to this day when the Earth fell...Willis got his hands on the box and has been bombarding it with his magic ever since. Why? Because he wants to break it open. He hasn't managed to but I fear that eventually it will yield to whatever it is he's doing. He stands up there on top of his tower, hitting it as we speak. All these strange purple and colourful lights you see are a result of that little experiment. Willis is a powerful sorceror. I'm not sure how you expected to face him as you are.... Sorry, I'm digressing. The point is that the closer he gets to opening it, the more...unstable things become. "I can undo all that has been done" *pauses to take in the voice* You all heard that voice? That is the voice of Pandora. It wants to be opened. And when that happens...I don't know what the result will be. All I know is that it will be the end of all things. I've heard said that it will allow the opener to reset and repaint history however they choose but I'm just as inclined to believe it will freeze time altogether and nothing will exist anymore.

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Here's where things get a little tricky. The closer it becomes to being open, the more energy that seeps from it. The energy contained inside the box is so powerful that it distorts time and space...I believe that's right. It can accumulate and create a tear that will rip it apart at the seams. I think you just witnessed that happening firsthand... In any case, it must be on the cusp of being fully unleashed. Because something quite dramatic has happened. Two timelines have become...connected. Bear with me on this last point... This place you stand was once the Labyrinth in Knossos. Some 2000 or more years ago, an army of heroes went to raid it because the sorceror Willis returned. Originally Theseus bested him and he was defeated...job done. But Willis built his fortress over the same place and when he bombarded Pandora with his magic it...took a little bit of him for itself...and it made a connection. It created a link to the point in history where Willis was invaded by the heroes...and those two points in time are sort of...side by side now. Parallel...you might say. Think of it as two boxes, each containing a version of the Labyrinth in time. The walls of the two boxes are next to one another but...they're ripping open. So the heroes who were meant to invade and take on Willis in the past are now here...in the future. That means they're not in the past to take him on. The consequences of something like that are...dramatic.... But the universe has some built in method of governing such messes. It took action immediately. It has trapped both versions of the Labyrinth in a sort of bubble...one that can't be penetrated from either side. They no longer exist as part of time or history...they're just floating on their own. That doesn't mean things are resolved though. If Willis opens Pandora, everything will be destroyed regardless. I just wanted you all to know what was at stake in case you're getting selfish ideas. You can't turn back now. There is no back. The way you came in from has been destroyed. Until Willis stops using his magic and the box is recovered, you are stuck in this place with the two time periods side by side...forever....

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Don't look so despondent. The fact of it is that you came here to achieve a goal and now you must achieve it. You don't have a choice. If Willis succeeds, it will be the end of all things. Even if you're scared there's no way back...so you may as well move forward. There's no other choice. I'm quite fond of choices, but I'm afraid to say you already made all yours. You chose to come here and now you have to deal with the consequences of that. What's more, you have absolutely no chance of defeating him in your current state. He's just too powerful. All of the heroes combined could not manage it. Never give up hope though...hope is important. Willis is a proud and stupid man. He has left the seeds of his own undoing on his very doorstep. Once he unleashed the darkness on the world there were a few that sought to oppose him. Willis gained a powerful utility. It was a sword, the same one that Theseus carries. It can cut through anything and it was able to cut through the immortals that stood in his way. These immortals...ancient ones...as they like to be known are very powerful. They possess the means to defeat Willis. And he left them right under his nose. He couldn't destroy them so he froze them to ice using his magic. But he kept them in his fortress under his careful watch. I believe his watch is too focused on the task at hand to care too much about looking over them now...and thus they're ripe for the taking. If you can find these frozen guardians and release them into the Labyrinth, together they might just stand the best chance of defeating Willis. They are very powerful, especially when they work together. They didn't originally, which is why they wound up where they are. Their names are Cassandra, Virgil, Minos and Daedalus. Four standing at various points in the Labyrinth. But getting to them won't be so easy. They've been sealed away I suspect. Traversing the Labyrinth here and now is a dangerous task but...I think you can use the situation to your advantage. The man standing next to me is my assistant. His name is Kristoff. The staff he carries is the only true key to opening Pandora's Box. If Willis were to obtain it, he would unleash Pandora in an instant. But while it's in other hands, the staff has special properties. It can control the light and the energy Pandora releases. Whomever holds this will be able to instantly create a portal...one that leads between the two Labyrinths. The Labyrinth of the future...and the Labyrinth of the past. By traversing both, you will be able to find new ways to travel. Be wary though. The layout has changed somewhat in the last 2000 or so years...

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"One more thing..." Said Roth to the group. "Where is Theseus..?" The group looked around. Airlea shot a glance over at Mark who shot a glance at Kane. "He...he's gone. He disappeared." Roth blinked. "Did you get his sword?" Tyrese shook his head miserably. "He had it on him when he travelled." Roth's face fell and he looked around frantically. "No.....no no no no! This is not good at all!" Kristoff looked over at Roth thoughtfully and then spoke. "If I may...the problem is that Willis has that sword in the future. Another version floating around the Labyrinth would be catastrophic. What if he were to obtain a second? Even the guardians couldn't defeat him then." Roth sighed. "Moreover...the guardians may need that sword to fight him for themselves. I don't care what it takes, you absolutely must recover that sword. What happens to Theseus is sadly not a concern. We no longer need to worry about the prospect of history changing. It's close to collapsing altogether." Roth fell to the ground miserably. "I can't...be around here any longer....it will destroy me and then....I won't be able to help at all...." "Please....divide yourselves into two groups and go seek what you need to find.....everything is counting on you...." "Be true heroes.........." There was a flash of light and Roth disappeared. Kristoff stood looking over at the group. They had no idea what was going on. "Hi there!" He said cheerily. It is now Phase 3. Phase 3 will end in roughly 45 hours from now. Objectives: Divide into two groups by electing two leaders. Post ##Elect: Player name to choose your leader. The groups must be roughly equal in size. Players (45): Airlea Ajax Andrael Angela Arimnestos Balagor Boone Brie Brittany Carl Dennis Dern Eleanor Emperor Fong Erebos Ezra Frederick General Chuikov Hobert Kane Katy Kristoff Lincoln Marek Maria Mark Origo Pai Chan Parker Peter Queen Genevieve Rhea Rita Scott Sophia Sr. Culo Stonehard Lee Talion Taylor Thomas Tyrese Tyron Urk Walton Wilt Exits: North East

PHASE 4:

Our group gets transported:

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Quote "Goodbye, friends!" Said Stonehard Lee with a heavier heart than usual. Goodbyes were tough. Boone leaped up and down in the air, waving his arms to all of his friends miserably. Brittany stood in floods of tears as the people she'd come to know went about their separate ways. "Good Luck!" Said Ezra. Kristoff nodded at the other group. "Until our paths next cross. But for now, we go our own way." He picked up the staff as the group walked to the North. Then he paused by the entrance. Something didn't feel right. Overhead, more purple sparks were collecting. He watched up as they jumped and danced down, accumulating in great numbers. He glanced back at his group and the others by the East entrance. They hadn't left yet either. This wasn't expected. Wouldn't the sparks settle down now the staff was here? Roth said it controlled it... "Anybody wanna explain this shit?!" Said Carl frustratedly. "Shut up!!!" Brittany snarled at him. At that moment, Lee raised a stony hand for silence. The buzzing from before was back, only very faint. The groups turned their heads to the centre of the room and looked on in horror as purple sparks were collecting in the middle of everything, building up into a gigantic crescendo of energy. And it was going to fall. "MOVE!" General Chuikov shouted. The groups scattered frantically. So much for that plan. As they did there was a tremendous violet flash. Kristoff looked up at the flashing with horror. It happened again and again. And with an almighty rumble, the purple energy belted down into the ground. It began to fly around in all directions. Kristoff leaped forward with the staff. His robe was waving as the energy earthed itself in the top. He tried to lift it up as the sparks engulfed it and his entire body. He let out a cry of agony as he couldn't hold on to the pressure once more. And the room flashed purple for five seconds. There was silence as all anybody could hear was a tremendous ringing in their ears. Slowly they were picking themselves up. They'd been scattered across the floor. Stonehard Lee slowly raised himself from the ground. He glanced to check if the rest of the group were there. They were all fine, and accounted for. But they were in the past, and the others weren't here. The group stood upright and checked out the surroundings. "What the hell happened?! We didn't want to go back!" Snarled Kane. The room was very different from the one they just stood in. It was simplistic. There were no balconies or higher levels and no overhanging lights. It looked untouched. Waterfalls cascaded down onto the open ground where two canals were flowing beneath their feet. Ezra dashed to the South of the room curiously. The entrance was completely covered by rocks here too. That was...strange. The ways out of the room were completely different too. One stood against the Northern wall, set into the middle. The other was in the Western wall, also in the middle. The exit to the East didn't exist here. Things really had changed a lot. Boone screamed. "How do we get back?!" Brie said hysterically. The group looked up at the cascading waterfalls in silence. It is now Phase 4. Phase 4 will end in roughly 20 hours from now. Players (23): Angela Balagor Boone Brie Eleanor Emperor Fong Ezra Frederick Kane Marek Mark Origo Pai Chan Parker Queen Genevieve Rita Sr. Culo Stonehard Lee Thomas Tyron Urk Walton Wilt Exits: North West

Other group remains in 9880*

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Quote There was a sound on the edge of hearing. "Can anybody hear me....here?" The voice was very familiar. The group looked up curiously. Was that...Roth? "It's Roth...just so you aren't afraid. I'm not present here but I can communicate with you I think. I'm somewhere safe." Stonehard Lee looked over at the group and then upwards. "We weren't meant to go here, Roth! Can you explain what's happened here." The voice went silent again. "Unfortunately the effects of this place are a little...unpredictable. There was a burst of Pandora's energy. I think it split your groups up in time." Brie looked around at the others frantically. "But how do we get back without that staff?!" She asked desperately. There was a pause. "You shouldn't need it really...well...not exactly." The voice was very distant. "The point is it's a safe way to travel. There is another way. I think anybody can harness Pandora's energy. By which I mean any one of you at any point. It's just....it takes a while. And the results on the other side are...unpredictable. The staff was the best way. That's not to say you can't though. If you focus really hard you can eventually create a portal just like the ones you've all seen. And then you can go through it...only..." "Well...there's no telling what might happen on the other side is all. Be careful..." With that the voice faded. The gameplay guide will be updated momentarily with instructions on how to create a portal. other group: Quote Here is our opening flavor: "Goodbye, friends!" Said Stonehard Lee with a heavier heart than usual. Goodbyes were tough. Boone leaped up and down in the air, waving his arms to all of his friends miserably. Brittany stood in floods of tears as the people she'd come to know went about their separate ways. "Good Luck!" Said Ezra. Kristoff nodded at the other group. "Until our paths next cross. But for now, we go our own way." He picked up the staff as the group walked to the North. Then he paused by the entrance. Something didn't feel right. Overhead, more purple sparks were collecting. He watched up as they jumped and danced down, accumulating in great numbers. He glanced back at his group and the others by the East entrance. They hadn't left yet either. This wasn't expected. Wouldn't the sparks settle down now the staff was here? Roth said it controlled it... "Anybody wanna explain this shit?!" Said Carl frustratedly. "Shut up!!!" Brittany snarled at him. At that moment, Lee raised a stony hand for silence. The buzzing from before was back, only very faint. The groups turned their heads to the centre of the room and looked on in horror as purple sparks were collecting in the middle of everything, building up into a gigantic crescendo of energy. And it was going to fall. "MOVE!" General Chuikov shouted. The groups scattered frantically. So much for that plan. As they did there was a tremendous violet flash. Kristoff looked up at the flashing with horror. It happened again and again. And with an almighty rumble, the purple energy belted down into the ground. It began to fly around in all directions. Kristoff leaped forward with the staff. His robe was waving as the energy earthed itself in the top. He tried to lift it up as the sparks engulfed it and his entire body. He let out a cry of agony as he couldn't hold on to the pressure once more. And the room flashed purple for five seconds. There was silence as all anybody could hear was a tremendous ringing in their ears. Slowly they were picking themselves up. They'd been scattered across the floor. Kristoff looked up at the staff and stood upright, checking around for his group. They were all fine, and accounted for. But they were in the future, and the others weren't here. It is now Phase 4. Phase 4 will end in roughly 20 hours from now. Players (22): Airlea Ajax Andrael Arimnestos Brittany Carl Dennis Dern Erebos General Chuikov Hobert Katy Kristoff Lincoln Maria Peter Rhea Scott Sophia Talion Taylor Tyrese Exits: North East

Phase 5:

Sand room with skeleton:

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Quote Tyron stood by the Northern exit proudly. "You can do it Tyron! Be a hero!" Shouted Parker. "I owe you my life lord Tyron." Said Wilt, solemnly. "Your motives transcend whatever we could understand." Said Rita, gracefully. Tyron didn't look at any of them. He merely pushed open the Northern door and marched in with a serious expression. There was a long silence as the rest of the group looked around at one another. Maybe they should join him too? Lee nodded and the group moved towards the door. They peered inside. Tyron was stood there motionless, looking down at something. He didn't say a word. The group slowly crept in and felt themselves enter uncertain terrain. The floor in here was covered in sand. Stonehard Lee stepped in and frowned as he looked down at his sandy feet. "Did that used to be a friend of yours?" Said Wilt cheerfully. Lee shot him a look and he glanced down. "I'm sorry, not appropriate." Tyron continued to look down as the group attempted to walk into the sand. It got incredibly deep towards the middle, to the point where crossing it seemed treacherous. Kane looked around at the group and attempted it but felt his leg bury in the mounds of sand. Boone scampered across and began digging as he crept into a familiar pose. The group paused. "We should watch where we step now." Said Ezra uncertainly. There were murmurs of agreement. Sr. Culo waded into the sand over by Tyron who was still looking down intently. "What do you see down there?" He asked. Tyron didn't look over. Culo frowned and tried to walk in front of him to get attention. "I said....Ow!" Culo rubbed his knee and tried to hop away. "What was that?" Asked Angela curiously. Culo shrugged. "There's something hard buried down there...and solid." Boone finished doing what he was doing and scampered over. He grinned and completely submerged himself in the sand. The group looked on in horror as he didn't come back up again. "Boone!" Shouted Brie, nervously. At that moment there was a burst of sand. Boone stuck his sand covered head out. His hands were resting on a box. Ezra and Eleanor waded over to it and both dusted the sand off the top and down the sides. It was a closed chest with no lock. It is now Phase 5. Phase 5 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Players (23): Angela Balagor Boone Brie Eleanor Emperor Fong Ezra Frederick Kane Marek Mark Origo Pai Chan Parker Queen Genevieve Rita Sr. Culo Stonehard Lee Thomas Tyron Urk Walton Wilt Exits: North South

Staircase room:

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Quote Peter looked down at Talion tragically. Such a strange occurrence. The group had spent some time bonding but it was time to move on. Kristoff was stood by the Eastern door. He shut his eyes and mumbled something. "What are you saying?" Said Airlea suspiciously. Kristoff sighed. "Just wishing for safety in what comes next. I am the first to move out after all." He shook his head and pressed the door release. The room beyond opened and he stepped through. After a few moments the others followed suit. They were stood in a standard sized room with two exits, one to the East and West. Kristoff looked around in awe. The walls of the room were very dark and sinister. Strange lights were covering every surface. Below their feet was something even more peculiar. It was a staircase leading down into darkness. The stairs were painted blood red. "That doesn't look safe." Said Dern concernedly. There were some murmurs of agreement. "It's only a stairca-" Kristoff began as suddenly there was a light from below. It shone up, bright and red. He turned around as it blasted into him. His face lit up in the eerie shade. Suddenly a blast of energy erupted from the open doorway. Kristoff yelled out in agony as the force from below sucked him towards it. Ajax reached out to grab his hand and hold him steady but felt himself slipping. "I can't hold on!" Ajax insisted. Kristoff turned his head to look at the red light below before finally being sucked towards it completely. He was swallowed by the red light at the bottom which immediately faded to blackness. The group looked on speechless. There was a sudden mechanical whirring noise. The blood red staircase reared up quickly and rose. Slowly the stairs disappeared and all that remained was a flat, red, metal surface. It clicked shut with a thud. Andrael and Dennis dashed over and began to run their hands across it, looking for a way to open it up. But there were none. It could only be opened by something within. It is now Phase 5. Phase 5 will end in roughly 20 hours from now. Players (21): Airlea Ajax Andrael Arimnestos Brittany Carl Dennis Dern Erebos General Chuikov Hobert Katy Kristoff Lincoln Maria Peter Rhea Scott Sophia Taylor Tyrese Exits: East West

Stairway trap:

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Quote There was a clicking noise as the stairway once more descended. With an almighty thud, it hit the bottom. Taylor peered over nervously. There was a figure at the bottom. He sat upright with a groan and glanced behind him. All that remained was a solid wall. He carefully crept to his feet and slowly sauntered up the stairs. As he reached the top, Arimnestos and Lincoln reached out to grab him and steady him. Kristoff looked up at the staring group members as he was slowly helped to the floor. It is now Phase 5. Phase 5 will end in roughly 21 hours from now. Players (21): Airlea Ajax Andrael Arimnestos Brittany Carl Dennis Dern Erebos General Chuikov Hobert Katy Kristoff Lincoln Maria Peter Rhea Scott Sophia Taylor Tyrese Exits: East West

Kristoff returns from stairway:

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Quote The group were stood around and raising some serious questions. Things were not looking good. "I need the staff back!" Kristoff insisted. "Well I don-" Sophia started. "Shhh." Said Andrael, raising a hand for silence. There was a faint noise on the edge of hearing. "Does anybody hear that." The group turned around to look over in the distance it was coming from. It seemed to emanate from the far West. "That is most strange. It sounded like a-" And suddenly the noise exploded. The room was filled with the most ear-shattering howl. It was like a wolf but it echoed three times. The howl came again...and again....and again...each time three tiered. The group froze. The howl seemed to dive down into their very essences of being. It reacted with something primal within. The air around them seemed to turn red every time it howled. Their hearts raced, their hair stood on end. Nobody was able to speak...to move...to do anything. They felt helpless and trapped. The horrible three-pronged howl carried on again. A red wind brushed in from the West and approached gently. There was a growl and a deeper, more harrowing howl. After that the wind turned into a blast of energy that sent everybody hurtling across the room. All people could see was red. All people could smell was blood. The fear...the horror....nothing in this world felt quite like it. And in an instant, it stopped. The world returned to normal. The group lay there silently. On the edge of hearing another faint howl could be heard. Finally, the room was at peace.

Skeleton's appear

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Quote The group were settling down for the night in the sand. Things were very peaceful. Frederick stood to the side looking on. What sort of fool did people take him for? He dusted a space in the sand and sat himself down, quietly. Lee looked despondent. "I understand that my body gives no warmth..." Brie stood up miserably. "Aww Lee, it's okay...I-" And right at that moment a blade sliced through the air. Brie fell backwards in terror. It had missed her by an inch. She turned around to look at everybody. They were exactly where they had been. Wilt stood upright and snarled. "Show yourself!" He demanded. There was silence. Frederick and Lee both stood up from their sitting positions and approached cautiously. "What trickery is this?" Frederick asked angrily. The others gathered around. Everybody was accounted for. Brie lay quivering on the ground. At that moment another blade sliced through the air. Angela ducked this time as it lopped off the bottom of her hair in a fell swoop. She looked furiously around for the culprit but the entire group were stood there...on their guard. "Culo!" Yelled Ezra. Culo opened his eyes and glanced around to see what the mayhem was about. He was just able to quickly roll to the side, avoiding another blade swipe. "What the hell is happening?!" Kane yelled from the shadows. Ezra paused and took in the group. Boone was pointing with his fingers and trying to work something out. "Is everybody stood stock still and accounted for? We can't afford to-" A knife blade whirled past Ezra's neck. He felt the tip. He didn't breathe for a few moments until he finally gained the courage to step forth two steps and dive away from the centre. "It's all around us!!!" Brie shouted and began to scream hysterically. "Shhhhh!" Said Parker. The Queen and the Emperor had both stirred and were looking on. "dessstrooooooy Willliisssssssss" the voice hissed. It was deep and cold as the grave. The group span around as the sand beneath their feet shifted. "Whoever you are, we want Willis dead too!" Lee shouted. "We mean you no harm. If that's your mission, we are on your side!" "sssssss Frieeennnndsssss of Willllissssssssssss" At that moment a mostly decomposed arm shot out of the sand. There was still a tiny bit of fetid meat left on it but much of the bone was visible. Brie let out a tremendous scream. The arm grabbed Kane by the leg as he yelled out, kicking it away frantically. A couple of the others rushed over to assist and they shook it away. And the sand erupted. Jumping out of the depths, spinning and sending grains of sand flying was a monstrous creature. It was tall and humanoid but mostly skeletal. Parts of it had decomposed but not all of it. It was a zombie-like monster clad in jet black armour. It landed gracefully on the sand and looked at the group. The cold dead eye sockets glowed a shade of violet. The centre of the armour carried an image of a skull and had the initials "DV" emblazoned on it. "Willliisssssssss hassssss frienddsssssssss.....desssstroyyyyyy" In a flash, the monstrous creature raised both arms. At the end of each was a lethal silver dagger. The handles of the daggers showed the same skull motif with the initials DV. The creature leaped forward and then vanished in a flash of purple sparks as it almost cleaved Wilt in two. The group stood stock still and tried to get their bearings again. Was it gone? "Willllissssssssss dessstroy" The room filled with purple sparks. Three of the skeletal monstrosities stood at the edge of the room and hissed. Almost in an instant, the three skeletons disappeared in a flash of violet. Where their feet had been standing, more purple sparks zapped away and earthed themselves in the walls. Each went in a different direction. The room was silent. All that could be heard was deep breathing.

PHASE 6:

Cage Trap:

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Quote Tyron looked up triumphantly. Skeletons and zombies and their ilk didn't trouble him. He was a hero. He strode up to the Northern exit and pushed it open, triumphantly. He marched into the new room without a care in the world. Glancing up in awe, he looked around him. This room was twice the width of the previous one. On the far Western side was another exit. The rest of the group milled in after Tyron delightedly. He was doing them a great service. "**Exit W-" Tyron began. At that moment there was a click. He glanced down as the floor beneath him shifted. He was raised in the air on it. A clank overhead filled the room and there was a metallic thud. The floor sank back down. Tyron was hovering above the group in a circular cage. "Is that a bird cage?" Said Balagor frowning. Tyron looked down at the group, eyes wide. He glanced over his shoulder where an hourglass was trickling sand. "Be brave Tyron!" Said Parker with a thumb up. Suddenly there was another click. The floor below the cage rose up once more. This time however, it was covered in a sheet of iron nails. They were pointing up at the cage. Brie shielded her eyes. It was obvious what was going to happen here. "Can't we do something?" She asked looking around, nervously. Parker grinned. "Tyron's a big man. He can handle it." Tyron looked down silently at the group, hands clutching at the bars. Stonehard Lee walked over and reached up. The cage was out of grasp, even for him. He looked over at the nearby wall. There was a large pole with a key on the end. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Friends this is simple. Somebody can merely take this pole and use it to unlock the door of the cage. I'm not sure how Tyron will get down after that but well...I'm sure the solution will present itself." Objectives: Release the prisoner by posting ##Open: Cage. More objectives will follow. It is now Phase 6. Phase 6 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Players (23): Angela Balagor Boone Brie Eleanor Emperor Fong Ezra Frederick Kane Marek Mark Origo Pai Chan Parker Queen Genevieve Rita Sr. Culo Stonehard Lee Thomas Tyron Urk Walton Wilt Exits: South West

Weight Room Trap:

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Quote The group were left pondering about Cerberus as Kristoff checked his pack despondently. He looked around suspiciously. He'd been tasked with something important and now he felt...empty. "It's time to move on." Said Ajax miserably. This wasn't going well so far. He walked over to the Eastern exit and pressed the door release. Hopefully there was nothing too sinister on the other side. Stepping foot on new territory, he took in his surroundings curiously. The room was extremely long. It was three times as long as a standard room in fact. The room extended very far to the South where there were two exits. Ajax strolled along the floor carefully. It felt a little unstable. He grabbed hold of a chain along the side of the flooring to help him balance. Glancing up he saw what appeared to be a scale hanging overhead. The chains were attached firmly to the floor but the floor wasn't very firm in itself. He finally reached the Southern side and paused by the exits. The one to the East was sealed with a lock. "It's safe." Said Ajax triumphantly. Tyrese stepped out into the room. The floor wobbled a little as he did. Ajax caught his balance. "Careful now." He instructed. Tyrese nodded and stepped aside as Hobert appeared, peering into the room. "This place is big!" He said, looking around in awe. He bounded in and the floor shook again. "Easy!" Shouted Ajax as he wobbled unsteadily on the floor. He grabbed hold of the chains and edged himself back over to the Northern side. "The floor here is unstable. The others need to watch their steps." There were murmurs of agreement. One by one the other 18 walked through until they were all finally stood there. "Right." Said Ajax breathing slowly. "Where to no-" There was a clicking noise. He looked up above as the chain around one side of the scale shifted. And so did the floor. It was very sudden and it caught everybody off-guard. The floor was sloping down heavily. It appeared to be raised with the chains, hovering in the air. The weights of the group had triggered something in the room. Ajax tried to get his footing but slid. Tyrese reached out to grab him but it was no use. He slipped down the floor and was flung from the bottom. The others quickly grabbed onto some chains to help their stability on the sloping floor. The chains were all across the sides of this thing. Arimnestos carefully moved down to the edge and glanced over. Ajax was hanging on for dear life. He looked below him, fearfully. Beneath the hanging floor was a bed of razor sharp, iron spikes with very little space in-between. "Grab my hand!" Shouted Arimnestos as he reached out. Ajax tried to fling his hand up but it was no use. He growled. Sweat was pouring from his forehead. "I can't do it!" He closed his eyes momentarily and thought before speaking again. "It's all to do with your weights! If you climb to the top side, it should balance out again and I can climb back on. I can't hold on here much longer, I need you to hurry!" Arimnestos nodded and looked up. Using the chains they could clamber to the other side and if they balanced it just right, the floor should level out. It is now Phase 6. Phase 6 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Objectives: Stabilise the hanging floor by shifting the group's weight accordingly. For the sake of the game, all players are considered to weigh "1 unit". In addition to this, each item a player carries will add another "1 unit" to their total weight. A player may reach the other side by posting: ##Climb: South or ##Climb: North. Once the weights of the players, plus their items are equal on both sides, the floor will level out. If there is an uneven weight due to an odd number of players, the sides will be considered balanced even if the weight is over by 1 unit on either. Ajax is unable to climb. If he has any items, he may still trade them to other players. Players (21): Airlea Ajax Andrael Arimnestos Brittany Carl Dennis Dern Erebos General Chuikov Hobert Katy Kristoff Lincoln Maria Peter Rhea Scott Sophia Taylor Tyrese Exits: North North Side East North Side West South Side East (Locked) South Side West

What happened when cage unlocked:

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Quote Ezra shook his head and grabbed the pole. "Let's do this sooner rather than later." Tyron looked over graciously as Ezra grabbed the pole, raised it and put the key towards the lock. He slipped slightly and the pole slid down. He sighed and grabbed it again, this time clicking the key into the lock. He turned it and removed the pole, placing it gently on the ground. The door clicked open and Tyron looked down. "**Exit Floor" He said, hopefully. Nothing happened. "What now?" Said Ezra glancing back. All of a sudden the room shook. The people in the group tried to get their balance carefully. The floor beneath the cage lowered and disappeared, raising again without the spikes. It clicked onto the bottom of the cage. Tyron stepped out and nodded, clambering down to the group carefully. "Next time let's be more-" Ezra began as the floor shook again. Slowly the ground beneath his feet rose. "Wait, what?!" He yelled out. He attempted to leap out of the way but in a blur, another cage had fallen, trapping him in place. He cursed and looked down despondently as the floor below him raised, containing another bed of iron nails. Ezra looked down, eyes darting from person to person. Stonehard Lee rubbed his chin again. "This might be harder than we thought."

Carl disappearing, twat.

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Quote "You'll regret those words kid." Said Carl with a snarl. The group looked on as Hobert put his foot down. He was having this out here and now. "Guys, we need to calm down. This isn't getting us anywhere." Said Scott diplomatically. There were some murmurs of agreement and some murmurs of disagreement. "Now Carl, what do you say we just-" Scott began. As he did, there was a buzzing sound behind him. He turned his head around and watched as a flurry of purple sparks surrounded Carl's body. They exploded outwards and Earthed themselves all over the room. Finally they disappeared from sight altogether. So did Carl.

PHASE 7:

Search Room:

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Quote Pai Chan looked up sadly at Eleanor in a cage. "We won't forget this noble act." She said proudly. Eleanor looked down at the group sadly but nodded. The sand in the hourglass had almost entirely run out now. They turned their heads to watch Tyron marching over to the Western exit happily. "Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeding the way." He said triumphantly. He pushed it open without a care in the world. Frederick and Wilt rapidly followed suit. One by one the entire group departed and left Eleanor in the cage. The room beyond was very dark. Tyron had stopped next to a large and decorative basin at the Northern side. There were three exits this time, one going East which they had come through, one going North and one going West. Tyron stared into the basin. It was full of water. He jumped back a little and glanced around. "I can't stop thinking about Eleanor stuck in that horrible place." Said Brie shivering. The background noise in here was quite loud. They wouldn't be able to hear anything from next door. They sighed collectively as Lee looked around. "Friends, she chose to risk her position so that we might continue. Let us not dwell for too long. These are new grounds and could offer useful information." He strode over to the basin as Boone clambered up his body, sitting on his head and pointing at it. Boone glared into the reflection in awe and began to shriek. "EEEE AAAaaaa nabbanna!" He said, pointing excitedly. He did a somersault on Lee's head and clambered down. There was a small set of stone steps leading up to the basin. Boone clambered down them excitedly and began pointing at something on the base. The group rushed over. "nabbana!" He shrieked. They looked on at the source of his pointing. It was a small stone plaque on the wall. On it was inscribed a message. "Herein lies the magic of the seers. Go to the water and speak of a place. That place shall be revealed to you." Objectives: Step up to the basin and speak a four digit number. Each player may only do this once per phase. Post ##Speak: ???? to do this. It is now Phase 7. Phase 7 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Players (22): Angela Balagor Boone Brie Emperor Fong Ezra Frederick Kane Marek Mark Origo Pai Chan Parker Queen Genevieve Rita Sr. Culo Stonehard Lee Thomas Tyron Urk Walton Wilt Exits: North East West

Waiting for Arimnestos:

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Quote Arimnestos stood by the Southern West exit nervously and glanced back at his group with a stern expression. "Godspeed Arimnestos" said Dern, offering a proud salute. The warrior nodded. Now was a time for heroism. He pushed open the door and disappeared into darkness. The room fell silent as they pondered their next move. At that moment, there was a flash of something above. Maria pointed. "Look up there!" She exclaimed. They craned their necks to see. Descending slowly, with less of a burst than he had taken off was Dennis. There was a flicker of light from the base of his pack which stuttered and disappeared altogether. There was a yell of terror as Dennis veered uncontrollably into the assembled group. This was followed by a burst of gas from his pack. The group coughed and picked themselves up slowly. Dennis stood upright and dusted his suit down with care. He adjusted himself and stood up proud and tall. It is now Phase 7. Phase 7 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Players (20): Airlea Ajax Andrael Arimnestos Brittany Dennis Dern Erebos General Chuikov Hobert Katy Kristoff Lincoln Maria Peter Rhea Scott Sophia Taylor Tyrese Exits: North North Side East North Side West South Side East (Locked) South Side West

PHASE 8:

Search Room Round 2 Eleanor appear:

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Quote Tyron marched past the group triumphantly. "North North North North!" He declared and marched ahead. "STAY HERE!" Yelled Ezra. Tyron didn't seem to notice. As he reached the door he jerked his head back. "You think I'm listening to all this shit! I have no idea what's going on!" He said excitedly. He stopped and shouldered the door. "Wait up!" Came another voice. Tyron stopped and turned. Parker was rushing over. "What are you doing?" Said Wilt suspiciously. Parker shrugged. "I'm going off with our buddy Tyron here. Somebody needs to keep tabs on him right?" Wilt spat on the ground. "Purple haired fool. You're no better than he is!" Parker snarled. "Now look here pretty boy. Some of you might just be content with sitting around but I'm getting tired. I need to stretch my legs. Maybe I'll bump into you again some time. Or maybe not." He winked. Wilt snarled and shook his fist. "Catch you later Ezra. Don't do anything dumb while I'm gone!" Said Parker. And with that he dashed behind Tyron and gave him a shove. "Let's keep this train moving!" He said grinning. The two figures disappeared beyond. Wilt growled. At that moment Lee walked over and rested a large hand on his shoulder. "Have no fear, friend. We will still stick together. Let's wait and see what happens next." Nothing happened next. Silence fell over the group completely. Boone ran his fingers along the sign to kill time. The message read: "Herein lies the magic of the seers. Go to the water and speak of a place. That place shall be revealed to you." He clambered up the steps and looked once more into the water, reflectively. Suddenly there was a noise. Everybody turned to look. Eleanor was stood at the Eastern exit. She was limping and weary, but she was alive. Objectives: Step up to the basin and speak a four digit number. Each player may only do this once per phase. Post ##Speak: ???? to do this. It is now Phase 8. Phase 8 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Players (21): Angela Balagor Boone Brie Eleanor Emperor Fong Ezra Frederick Kane Marek Mark Origo Pai Chan Queen Genevieve Rita Sr. Culo Stonehard Lee Thomas Urk Walton Wilt Exits: North East West

Package Room:

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Quote Hobert yawned. It seemed like they'd been stuck in this place for an eternity now. "Maybe we should move on now?" Said Maria, hopefully. There were murmurs of agreement. They were sitting ducks and the puppy was likely on their tail. Ajax picked himself up and marched to the front of the line. "You don't have to do that Ajax." Said Katy reassuringly. He shrugged. "I'll continue to do so unless somebody else steps up more suited to the task." With that he marched northwards. He paused at the door and slammed the door release. He was still getting used to these...mystical things. The room beyond was also narrow like the last one. It was twice the length of a standard room. There was only one exit to the South, but towards the Northern side the path branched off into three possible exits. One was North, one was to the East and one was to the West. The room was cold and metallic. It had a faint blue hue about it and it bleeped in a chorus. It was also eerily empty. Where were these so called shade armies? Probably best they weren't scattered all over the place but it did make you wonder. The strange contraptions bleeped and booped in all manner of patterns and lights flickered and danced about across the walls. He would never get used to this damned unnatural future world. He span around to the South as the door opened. One after another the group milled in. He nodded matter of factly. "No falling floors this time. We're in luck." He turned back to the bleeping and blinking lights. "Anybody know what all this is?" He queried. Kristoff wandered over to the Northenmost wall. Just in front, near the exit was a very large monitor. A message was displaying on it with a blank line indicating required input. The message on the screen merely said "Package Destination". Beneath it was a keyboard with numeric keys on it. Kristoff hovered over them and moved away. Just then there was a swooshing noise to the South. The group stood on their guards nervously. "Am I so threatening?" Said Arimnestos curiously as he walked through. The others glared as he cracked a smile. Everybody else breathed a sigh of relief. Arimnestos paused and glanced around the room in wonder. "What is this...place?" He queried. It is now Phase 8. Phase 8 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Objectives: Enter a four digit number on the console by typing ## followed by the four digit code. Players (20): Airlea Ajax Andrael Arimnestos Brittany Dennis Dern Erebos General Chuikov Hobert Katy Kristoff Lincoln Maria Peter Rhea Scott Sophia Taylor Tyrese Exits: North North Side East North Side West South

Delivering the package:

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Quote Wasting no time, Sophia stepped up to the keypad to take her turn. She gave it a moment's thought and then let her fingers peck out a random combination of numbers. Upon mashing to input them, the machinery came to life in a way it hadn't before. The whirring noise grew louder and then with a deafening pop every light in the room died. It stayed this way for as long as it took the machine to reset itself. Package deployed to 5230 The affirmation of success remained on the screen for a few moments before the control unit powered down. Unit offline flashed on the screen.

PHASE 9:

Our group catches up with Parker:

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Quote Ezra paused as the Northern door slid open at his push. The room beyond was dark and foreboding. He stepped out and the door slammed behind him. All he could see was skulls. The whole room was filled with them, piled up in macabre displays all around. He shivered. This didn't feel good at all. He took a step forward and felt a sickening crunch beneath his foot. Looking down he noticed more skulls. The floor was made out of them. There was the occasional dried blood splatter on the surface. In the middle of the room was a snapped wire. Ezra crouched down and touched it. His eyes followed it along to a cave against one of the walls. It was also made out of skulls. He shivered and stepped backwards. There was a soft squelching sound. Looking down with a sickened expression, Ezra looked into Tyron's eyes. They were quite dead. His eyes shot around the room and noticed more of Tyron's remains. His torso was shattered in the middle of the room along with a limb strewn here and there amidst much blood. He closed his eyes calmly but snapped them open when a clicking sound caught his attention. He rushed towards the door as a shape emerged from the skull pile. At that moment the door opened and the rest of his group walked in. He took a deep breath and slowly turned back around. Parker was stood there awkwardly. "Hi guys. Guess I saw you sooner than I thought." He muttered. It is now Phase 9. Phase 9 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Players (22): Angela Balagor Boone Brie Eleanor Emperor Fong Ezra Frederick Kane Marek Mark Origo Pai Chan Parker Queen Genevieve Rita Sr. Culo Stonehard Lee Thomas Urk Walton Wilt Exits: North South

Other group finds shuttle and Lincoln is transported:

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Quote The group were getting restless. They were sitting around for far too long and there was talk of traps afoot. Not only that but Taylor... Airlea walked over to the body and glanced down at it. Andrael strolled over and shook his head, saying a silent prayer. "Time to move on." Said Lincoln nervously. He stood by the Northern door boldly and shrugged his shoulders. Life was about taking risks. What else was there anymore? Sooner or later somebody had to. He pushed the release and walked through the open door. The room beyond was pitch black but it was highlighted with a slight red glow. The red glow was coming from a light on a large door to the West. It was unlike any other door he'd seen so far in this place. It was enormous and there was a track leading into it, but it was sealed. The door had a white ring painted on it. Not far from the door was a huge crate. The crate also had a beacon on it but it wasn't flashing. It looked like it had been dropped into the room. There was a parachute attached to the top of it, flung over the surface. He moved towards the crate as the floor started to rumble. Lincoln's eyes shot back to the heavyset metal gate. He braced himself carefully and stepped back a few paces as it slid open. A large shuttle bounded up the track from the darkness. The light on the door turned green. At that moment the door to the South opened and his group stepped through. Lincoln glanced over to them and began to speak, taking another step back as he did so. "Careful. I don't know what's in-" There was a huge flash of white and blue. The group at the South door shielded their eyes as it overwhelmed them. When their vision returned, Lincoln was gone. "What magic is this?" Dern asked miserably. Ajax walked over to the middle of the floor where Lincoln had stepped. There was a circular panel glowing in a faint green light. He shook his head. "Whatever it is we best steer clear of it. Poor Lincoln...." The group fell silent momentarily. "We cannot keep in mourning friends. There is still matter of crate." Said General Chuikov, motioning towards the parachute. "And what about train." He said, pointing over to the shuttle. Scott walked across to it and as he did the doors opened up. He peered inside. There was a large seated area and a red button that read "launch". He stepped out of the shuttle and glanced into the darkness where it had emerged from. A thin track went down the shaft as the floor below slowly gave way into nothing. "Well...we can't walk across down there but the shuttle might run through". It is now Phase 9. Phase 9 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Players (18): Airlea Ajax Andrael Arimnestos Brittany Dennis Dern Erebos General Chuikov Hobert Katy Kristoff Maria Peter Rhea Scott Sophia Tyrese Exits: North South Board Shuttle

PHASE 12:

After tumbling from mirror room:

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Quote "Time to lift the darkness. Let there be light." The voice faded away and there was a sensation of movement to the West. Everything was suddenly bright. Marek stumbled forward, unable to quite get his bearings. He fell to the ground, weary from everything that had passed. The entire room was bathed in an eerie green hue. There was a smell of something different though. It was...brine? Marek opened his eyes and saw a reflection. More mirrors? He blinked as the heavy bearded face looked back sadly and then began to ripple and change. This was no mirror...this was...water. His gaze climbed upwards and took in an enormous stone arm. It was rising out of the water and holding a trident aloft. The larger part of the statue must have been completely submerged by the water. There was a groaning noise behind him. Marek turned around and looked...was it East? He'd lost all sense of direction. There was a door leading into a high stone wall. It was much higher than any he'd seen so far. This almost felt like...outdoors. He stretched his arms and legs to try and stimulate movement and glanced up...very up. There was a stone ceiling to this place but it was unthinkably high. It was airy too. The whole room gave the perception of space. Standing tall and upright and smiling at the peaceful air he turned his gaze back across to the water. It stretched on into the very far distance for what seemed like an eternity. It was really hard to see far because green mists danced across the surface of the rippling lake. But it moved North and it expanded outwards indefinitely. The door to the East was set into an alcove about the size of a stadard room. This alcove had a Northern door as well. He turned around and saw that the wall on the South-side extended to the West. It joined the high Western wall which extended up to the ceiling. And directly West of the small stretch of land he stood on was a dock. It was wooden and decaying and very ancient-looking. The dock moved out into the water. There was a medium-sized wooden boat with oars along the sides docked at the end of it. Marek shook his head. This was all too much to take in and there was a more important matter. His eyes were drawn to the groaning. Angela was laying on the ground looking very ill. He dashed over and helped her upright. She blinked. "Where are we now again?" She said, bleary eyed. Marek shook his head. That last chamber was nightmarish. His eyes moved around and took in more people. They were all doing what he had just done more or less. They were taking in the enormity of the chamber. It really was impressive. Most of these people hadn't been outside in 10 years... "It's beautiful...." Said Culo, smiling up at the high ceiling. Marek nodded. It really was. "It's just a lake." Said Wilt shrugging. He didn't quite see what all the fuss was about. "It reminds me of Lake Schmito." Said Emperor Fong proudly. Stonehard Lee wasn't too impressed either. He was busy doing a headcount. "Friends. Balagor, Genevieve and Pai are all missing..." He said, rubbing his stony brow wearily. Parker shot his eyes across the room in a bid to look for them and noticed the hooded figure standing at the water's edge. "Who are you?" He said suspiciously. The figure pulled down its brown hood and revealed a thick length of black hair. He turned around and grinned at the group. He had an impressive black beard and a thoughtful expression. "I'm here to carry out my end of the bargain. I informed you all that one would die and that deal was never met." He smiled and raised a hand carefully into the air. The sky turned dark as he did it and strange green lightning coursed from his hands into the ground. "I'm sure we will meet again soon. In the meantime, don't go dying too quickly. There is so much to see and do here!" With a flash, the figure vanished into nothing. The ground where he had struck with the green energy was giving rise to a dark cloud. The group gasped and looked on as the dark cloud formed a personified human shape. A tall, black robed figure stood wielding an enormous scythe. Its eyes scanned the group carefully as if it was choosing something inside. Then it paused and rose forth. With a mighty swing, the scythe cut through the air, leaving a trail of darkness in its wake. Eyes watched in horror as it arced into a body. There was a thunderclap and the shadow departed, leaving black mist behind that dispersed into the green air. The body it had hit collapsed slowly onto the ground, shaking before finally laying still. Boone scampered over and shook it miserably. It wasn't moving. Brie fell to her knees as the tears came on. And everybody sat in silence for a few moments as the cold, dead remains of Thomas lay still. It is now Phase 12. Phase 12 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Players (18): Angela Boone Brie Eleanor Emperor Fong Ezra Frederick Kane Marek Mark Origo (I) Parker Rita Sr. Culo Stonehard Lee Urk Walton Wilt Exits: North East South (Locked) Take Boat (West)

Other group heads back to where they went again:

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Quote Sophia lead the group on their journey back to the West, away from the scattered remains of Erebos. He was a curious one when all was said and done. In life, some people are just content being a 'shoe.' As they filed out one by one, not a single tear was shed for the blasted remaing of their friend. Not a single one, except maybe a tear of frustration for no longer being able to use him as a safety buffer for further adventuring. The assembled group was immediately met with the unbearable stench of Taylor's decomposing corpse. Other than the advanced stage of rot of their dear friend, everything else in the room was as they left it. Lights on the consoles blinked and blooped, and the unit they had interacted with days past was still dead, showing no signs of ever coming back online. The group spread out across the room, double checking that nothing had changed, when a soul crushing howl came from the South. As before, there were three distinct howls. Dern looked to Airlea, who looked to Ajax. The howling was much, much louder than before. It is now Phase 12. Phase 12 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Players (17): Airlea Ajax Andrael Arimnestos Brittany Dennis Dern General Chuikov Hobert Katy Kristoff Maria Peter Rhea Scott Sophia Tyrese Exits: North East South West

Phase 13:

Other group time travels into present time:

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Quote Dern looked around as the howling increased in volume. The lights behind him blinked and beeped. It was now or never. Maybe time travel was a thing they could all do. He breathed slowly and raised an arm into the air. Nothing happened. He sighed and shook his head. "Maybe try the walls?" Said Airlea helpfully. Dern nodded and walked over to one of the walls. He pressed his arm against the wall and began to focus. Nothing much was happening. He banged his fist against the wall, exasperatedly. "No...no this must work!" He said as the howling shook them to their core. He closed his eyes and he focused on... Home. A voice echoed through the room on the edge of hearing. "The past...the future...none of it matters...." Slowly, purple sparks began to cascade into the room. The group looked around in awe at them. They were collecting around Dern's hand. He was still silent and focusing. There was a buzzing noise and suddenly, a large portal opened up against the wall. It was black and purple and seemed to display an image in the swirling centre. Dern looked back over at the group and saluted before jumping into the portal. The world shifted around him. He looked in awe as he rode through a vortex of black and purple energy before finally materialising on what felt like solid ground. He stumbled slightly, unable to control his movements before he was caught by a helping hand. He glanced up at the smiling face of Maria. "That was fast." She said. Dern nodded. But the others were... Suddenly the room filled with more purple sparks and a strange hue. A portal appeared and Kristoff toppled through it. Another appeared and Tyrese toppled through it. One by one, the whole group materialised in this fashion. There was a final bump as Brittany landed in the room with a thud and a wail. "I'm not doing that again!!!" She shrieked. Dern was pleased to see they had all made it but this was no time for celebration. There was the matter at hand. Still, no more howls. That was reassuring. Peter took in the layout of the room carefully. The room was twice the length of a standard room with Greek writing etched all across the walls. In the middle of it were a series of coloured statues arranged in a very specific way. They were a bit shorter than he was and they were each soldiers of some kind. "What do they mean?" Asked Andrael in awe. Kristoff walked around and noticed a stone tablet on the floor in front of them. He read it out loud. "It is dangerous to travel alone. Strange things lie in the darkness. They will find you unless you find them first. If you wish to prepare yourself, first you must help me. Let me be free and your path will be guided. - Red Guard" He paused and looked around. Katy walked over to the statues and gave them an experimental nudge but they were all locked in place. Ajax had his eye on something else entirely. He breezed past the statues and walked over to one of the walls. There was a hole in it. He peered inside but it was empty. The stone had crumbled and collapsed here. He turned back around and noticed that the red statues were looking straight at it. It is now Phase 13. Phase 13 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Players (17): Airlea Ajax Andrael Arimnestos Brittany Dennis Dern General Chuikov Hobert Katy Kristoff Maria Peter Rhea Scott Sophia Tyrese Exits: North East West

We take boat:

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Quote Angela looked on at the body of Thomas miserably. Parker shrugged. "Time to move on ya know. Let's just go for it." Kane nodded. "Great idea!" He said with a grin as he shoved Origo forward onto the boat. Origo shuffled uncomfortably. "Fine, whatever." He said, not too enigmatically. Slowly everybody began to climb aboard. The various group members grabbed an oar. Wilt rushed over and grabbed Brie's oar for her, holding two. This caused much eye rolling. "Weren't you a captain once Urk?" Said Parker scratching his head. Urk was too busy waving his hands a the water. He smiled and an Ace of spades bobbed up and down before disappearing. Parker shook his head. Strange guy. "All set?" Said Lee, grabbing two oars. Next to him, Boone was waggling a banana around in the water helpfully. "Then let's go!" Said Lee cheerfully. Everybody moved their oars slowly but Lee's strokes were enormous. The boat careened and jolted across the water and everything seemed to jerk around. "Slow down Lee!" Said Ezra. Lee looked back miserably. "I can't help it!" He said. They were having to shout now. The sounds of the water were increasing. There were waves out here. The former stillness was disappearing. As to what was causing them...that was a mystery. Boone dropped his banana with a shriek. As he did he noticed a ripple on the water. He began pointing at it furiously but nobody paid any attention. The boat glided across more water. Rowing was becoming arduous. Wilt panted as he could no longer keep up. "Time out!" He insisted. Everybody paused for a moment. "If you two would focus on rowing and not making babies for ten seconds we could-" Angela started and then stopped. They were still moving and nobody was rowing. Eleanor looked over the side of the boat, curiously. "It's the fucking current! It's taking us along!" The boat began to jolt unsteadily, moving towards the East of the vast watery expanse. It was also gaining in speed tremendously. They held on carefully. It was gliding past more land. One of the chunks of land had another wooden dock on it but the details were hard to make out from here. As they looked on in horror, a skeletal shape stalked across it. It glanced over at the group in the boat, shrieked horribly and vanished in a flash of purple. "I'm getting sick of those guys." Said Culo miserably. They carried on moving, veering slightly North now until the boat ground to a sudden stop. "Now what?" Said Ezra, rolling his eyes. Boone was still pointing frantically at the water. This time, Marek followed his gaze and looked down. There was an enormous scaly eye, staring up at them. "WATCH OUT!" He shouted as the boat shook with a tremendous crash. There was a reptilian roar from the water, followed by a huge splash. Over their collective heads arced something long and scaly. It seemed to go on for an eternity. Along its back were a number of spines and fins. It cleared the boat and splashed down hard into the water, a fish-like tail submerging in its wake. There was another rumble as the head of the beast shot out of the water. It roared at the group. It was a dark blue with green hues, scaled along like a lizard. Its reptilian eyes took in the group carefully and it roared once more, revealing an enormous set of razor sharp fangs below a serpent-like tongue. Without warning, the beast lashed forward at the group but at the very last second it stopped. It froze completely still, looked on at the assembled, let out a huge roar and submerged with a mighty splash. The force of the wave carried the boat forward once more. "What the hell was that?" Blurted out Kane. The boat was moving of its own accord once more. It veered Southwards and came across a high bridge. The water began to narrow here, forming more of a canal. The canal passed beneath the bridge and so too did the boat it was carrying. Finally it moved Eastwards and came crashing onto land with a thud. The group groaned and picked themselves up. They were in a small recess at the end of the canal. The land here was the size of a regular room. To the South was a locked door but there was another Eastern exit. Ezra turned around to look over at the water once more. There was an old, weathered dock here too but no statues. There was also a second boat. It was moving away from the dock, back across the canal all of its own accord. It is now Phase 13. Phase 13 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Players (18): Angela Boone Brie Eleanor Emperor Fong Ezra Frederick Kane Marek Mark Origo Parker Rita Sr. Culo Stonehard Lee Urk Walton Wilt Exits: East South (Locked) Take Boat (West)

PHASE 14:

The darkness room with my group:

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Quote Wilt strolled along the shore by the canal and marched in front of the door. He stretched his shoulders nervously and looked around. Brie was looking very worried. Wilt put on a brave smirk and pushed. He wasn't afraid of the dark. He stepped into the unknown with his eyes shut. It was better this way. The door behind him slammed shut as he opened his eyes. He was in a long room that was twice the width of a standard room. The Northern door he'd just entered from was on the Eastern side of the room. It extended Westwards and there was another door leading out to the South. He strolled across the room. It was very dark and filled with lit candles. Their small sphere of light was the only illumination the room had. Standing in the corner was a hooded figure. Wilt leaped and reached instinctively for his sword. Realising that it was no longer there, he cursed. The door behind him opened as the rest of the group flooded in. They glared at the hooded figure. It was the man from before. "You're very persistent aren't you? No matter. I take it none of you are afraid of the dark." Wilt smirked. "I fear nothing!" That ought to impress her. The man grinned over his thick black beard. "We shall see." He said. At that moment all of the candles flickered out. The room went into pitch darkness. "Where did the lights go?" Came a voice from the shadows. Nobody could see who said it. "EEEEEEAAAOoooo" Came a sound. They could hazard a guess at that one. "We shall see how you take to darkness for a while. I will light them all...slowly. In the meantime enjoy the darkness. Now if you'll excuse me...I must be going." Came the voice of the hooded man once more. There was a sudden flash of light and the darkness returned. Various people fumbled their way around but it was useless. They had to wait for the candles to see anything. It is now Phase 14. Phase 14 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Objectives: The room is covered in darkness. Because of this, all players will be unable to post with their original accounts this phase. You must log in to a new account, the details for which will be posted in your journals shortly after the phase begins. Each player is next to a candle. To light it, you must post ##Light: Candle in your private role threads. Only lighting in your role thread will be accepted. One candle will be lit every hour. They will be lit in the order that people submitted the lighting action. Once your candle is lit, you must only post using your regular account. Players (18): Angela Boone Brie Eleanor Emperor Fong Ezra Frederick Kane Marek Mark Origo Parker Rita Sr. Culo Stonehard Lee Urk Walton Wilt Exits: North South

The other group splits up to manhunt Carl

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Quote Hobert marched Eastwards. A lot of people were staying behind but he wanted to experience adventure. The thrill of the unknown! Exploring an ancient past labyrinth with all the wonders it must have. He glanced down miserably. If only Static were here to enjoy this. He missed him terribly. "Let's go!" He said cheerfully as he waved to the others staying behind. Stepping into the Eastern door he glanced around in awe. The room beyond was dark. It was almost cave-like in appearance. Maybe he'd find a Geodude or a Zubat! Or a Nosepass! Hobert grinned at the possibilities as he walked around. It was a standard sized room. The only light that was shining came from a series of candles, resting at the base of a large statue. He took in the statue as the others came in to join. "Are you okay Hobert?" Asked Katy nervously. Hobert smiled and looked up. The statue was of a woman, standing tall and bold. In her hand was an orb. Maybe it was an ultra ball! The possibilities excited Hobert. Kristoff walked past him and tapped it. "Just a statue." He muttered. Hobert growled. His imagination world was better than this one. It is now Phase 14. Phase 14 will end in roughly 24 hours from now. Players (9): Airlea Arimnestos Brittany General Chuikov Hobert Katy Kristoff Rhea (I) Sophia Exits: East West (Apologies for delay. Difficulties with change)