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..."

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.

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.

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....

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...

"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

OMG :(

That was awesome.

I nominate Queen Geneviene for one of the leaders.

I would be honored to continue serving my Queen *bows*.

Friends, very interesting. I thought I was a goner.

Boone for leader

Let's elect two leaders and start from there... Should Kristoff be one of them?

There was some bickering between some of you, can we keep that to a minimum while figuring out the leaders and how to divide ourselves?

It would be an honor to be a leader but I understand if you disagree.

Interesting.