[AUTO EXAM] Xavier Hollow (Y1 - Y2) - Fin

[kuropeco]

THE EXAM: HOUSE OF HORRORS (Y1 > Y2)

Each student ready to move from the first year to the second would find a nice, neatly printed letter taped to their door inviting them to participate in a "Non-Mandatory-But-Highly-Recommended-Anyway Test" (or NMBHRAT for short). A location was provided at the bottom of the note (a section of the grounds, just near the forest), and beneath that the words "Come at anytime."

Upon arrival, you would first notice that a peculiar house has been erected. It's not large enough to overshadow any of the dorms by any means; in fact, it seems rather tiny and shabby in comparison, with the door half stripped of its paint, the windows cracked and smeared with dust, and everything looks as though the merest touch will make it collapse.

At first you wonder if you're in the right place at all, but then you notice a little box sitting just outside of the house. Closer examination would reveal a note, written in a loopy handwriting perhaps familiar to some:

Welcome welcome to the House
Please be quiet as a mouse
The House will tell if you are good
The House will tell if you are bad

Think you're up to face the thing?
If you pass it, all will sing
Do your best, oh fair student
I hope your deaths you do circumvent

THE EXAM

THE HOUSE OF HORRORS

The smell is what gets your attention first; like smoke and old wood, it wafts across the air towards you, enticing you onward, pulling you forward, and you reach the little shabby house and the door half hanging off its hinges, practically begging you to come inside.

A sign posted outside reads "Welcome to the House."

At first, you're mildly concerned but upon knocking stepping inside, you realize that the house in question appears deserted.

Well, that's just creepy. But trying to go backwards only results in failure - the door has locked behind you. You're trapped inside, and now you must figure out how to get through the house in order to continue on your quest.


--------------------------------------------


TO GET THROUGH THE HOUSE:

There are THREE MAJOR ROOMS to the House of Horrors. In order to successfully pass through the House and receive your exam credit, you must navigate through all three rooms until you reach the exit, located after the very last room:

• Cutthroat Kitchen
  
  To get through the Cutthroat Kitchen, you need 10 steps. Roll 1d4 and add up the amount of steps you take (i.e. you roll a 3, that's 3 steps forward). You must get at least 10 steps. If you go over ten, that's fine, as long as it's at least 10.
  
  Each number of steps rolled has it's own consequence:
  1 - You open a door in the kitchen looking for the exit and promptly find yourself dunked by a bucket of icy water. Who left that there?
  2 - You trip and fall into a vat of what looks like melted chocolate.
  3 - You step in a pile of what looks like sticky glue on the floor and therefore get it stuck on the bottom of your foot/shoe for the rest of your trek through the House.
  4 - For some reason, there is an entire bin of tiny bones that you somehow manage to knock over, which, of course, makes a terribly loud sound.
  
  
  
• Lurking Library
  
  In order to get through the Library, you'll have to find the right combination of books in order to find the combination. Roll 3d6, and follow the guidelines below:
  
  - 1,1 OR 2,2 as two of the numbers - Looks like you've found some sort of...oops better put that back quickly before a certain cranky Librarian sees you looking at por - (try again)
  - 3,3 OR 4,4 OR 5,5 OR 6,6 as two of the numbers - You pull out a book, and then another, and to your relief you see that the door beyond swings open for you to slip through! (success)
  - 1,2,3 (doesn't have to be in order) - Somehow you get entangled in what looks like a long rope made of paper and spend several moments trying to break your way free, when you notice that in the process you've actually fallen out the door into the next room. How convenient! (success)
  - 6,6,6 Is that a giant spi - quick run for it - (start back in the first room)
  - 1,1,1 You try climbing a bookshelf, rather than pull books trying to find the secret switch, and wind up tumbling over the side rather ungracefully. But hey, look, the...nope, just a shadow (try again)
  
  
  
• Bloodcurdling Bedroom
  
  The Bloodcurdling Bedroom requires only one thing - picking the lock successfully to get through the door on the other side. Roll 1d100. You must get above a 65 to have successfully picked the lock. If you roll below, then your attempts were unsuccessful and you have to keep on truckin'.

Upon their exit from the house, a certain mischievous Trick or Treater can be found lounging in a tree on the other side, looking as happy as a pig in mud. He smiles down at you, his grin terribly self-satisfied, and tosses you a rolled up piece of parchment. Opening it, you see a certificate of Exam Completion.

"Congratulations," he says brightly, and flashes you a wink. "You're now a Knob."  

[kuropeco]

Xavier Hollow did not like the letter he found posted to his door early one morning.

Actually, he liked the letter, but what he didn't like was the concept of having to participate in something so riddled with confusion and chaos and frightening things that was making him so nervous. Xavier thought he was most likely ready to (finally) move onto the second year, but in order to do so he would have to prove himself worthy.

Like that would ever happen.

He'd faced worse things, he supposed. He'd been sent to that terrifying place that had been called Wonderland, forced into becoming something he wasn't. He'd attacked Helmut (he hadn't known it was her at the time, but that was beside the point). He'd come back and nearly been eaten by a giant creature, but had thankfully spent the rest of the afternoon safely huddled away in a blanket and pillow fort with his (only) friend. He'd been attacked by humans or hunters on multiple occasions and had survived.

He'd actually made a friend, and that was progress, wasn't it? And while Hel was intimidating as all Jack, she had (sort of) helped him with his fighting issues (sort of maybe perhaps kind of). She'd encouraged him, which was something; at least until she'd threatened him about Helmut, and then she'd gone back to being intimidating.

So, all in all, Xavier decided it was best to try and move onto second year with as little as fanfare as possible.

It was with a certain amount of apprehension that Xavier approached the designated meeting place. There wasn't anyone there, but there was a sign and a very terrifying looking house. Xavier inched closer, his heart in his throat, and squinted at the sign, trying to make out what it said.

That wasn't reassuring at all.

He tried to remind himself why he was here, what he was doing that he was going to be better for this in the end. Xavier took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, straightened his coat, fluffed up the fur, smoothed back his hair, readjusted his stance; and when he was finished procrastinating and dawdling, finally took a few uneasy steps into the house hoping it would not be like a certain other kind of house he'd been in recently.

It was dark inside, which was probably why, three steps into this place, that Xavier's foot sunk into something gross and slimy and sticky. He reared back, squealing girlishly, and tried shaking his leg, as though this would get whatever was stuck to his shoe off, but it had no effect. He walked another step and found that, while his shoe now squelched noisily and embarrassingly, he could still move forward.

Xavier sighed.


STEPS: 3 / 10

Quote:

You step in a pile of what looks like sticky glue on the floor and therefore get it stuck on the bottom of your foot/shoe for the rest of your trek through the House.

 

[kuropeco]

He really hoped he would be able to get out of this place in a reasonable amount of time, but considering it was himself, Xavier sincerely doubted he would be allowed out of the House without considerable suffering happening because he couldn't seem to go through anything in life without considerable suffering happening. A very sad but very true aspect of his life that Xavier sometimes (always) wished would be different.

Not that he knew what he would even do if his life was different, but maybe he'd be less of a chicken if he actually had a somewhat normal life. Highly doubtful, but still a possibility.

Maybe.

Perhaps.

(Or not. Maybe he was just over thinking things again.)

The next few steps went mostly without incident, though Xavier was growing increasingly anxious about his squelching shoe. He took another step and felt the bottom of his boot stick to the floor, causing him to stumble abruptly. Xavier stopped walking and turned around, wrapping his clawed hands around his leg and attempting to pry his leg free.

"Come...on..." he mumbled, cheeks flushed, and with one great heave he managed to yank himself free. This, of course, resulted in not only Xavier staggering several steps, but also colliding heavily with something on a nearby table. It turned out to be a large tin of bones, which, upon Xavier's unintentional contact, fell to the floor and exploded open with a deafening sort of crash, spilling bones everywhere. Xavier shrieked automatically, then clapped a hand over his mouth, muffling the sound.

"But...whyyy..." he moaned piteously, and shuffled quickly away, not wanting to touch the bones (who knew where they had even come from), and leaving them exactly where they were.


STEPS: 7 / 10

Quote:

For some reason, there is an entire bin of tiny bones that you somehow manage to knock over, which, of course, makes a terribly loud sound.

 

[kuropeco]

He kept moving through the terrible little house, hoping it would be over soon and that he could get on with his life, maybe go and eat something or huddle in his pillow and blanket fort away from the rest of the world. Maybe when he was done he'd call Helmut or stop by and see if she wanted to do something just to take his mind off of where he currently was.

Xavier saw a door up ahead and rushed towards it, hoping it would be an exit, but -

There was a great deal of sputtering and a deafening shriek and then a very wet and soggy Xavier kept trundling on.


STEPS: 8 / 10

Quote:

You open a door in the kitchen looking for the exit and promptly find yourself dunked by a bucket of icy water. Who left that there?

 

[kuropeco]

Now soggy beyond belief Xavier was seriously regretting his life choices; but thankfully he manged to find the exit.


STEPS: 11 / 10

Quote:

You step in a pile of what looks like sticky glue on the floor and therefore get it stuck on the bottom of your foot/shoe for the rest of your trek through the House.

 

[kuropeco]

The next room was full of books. Xavier stared around wondrously, swallowed, and shuffled nervously through towards the nearest bookcase. He stared at the rows upon rows of volumes, took a deep breath, and tried to figure out which was the right way and which was the wrong way.

History of Toadstools was not the right way; but as Xavier soon discovered, History of Toadstools and Once Upon a Pumpkin were the right books to have pulled. There was a creaking sound and the door to the next room swung open, much to Xavier's endless relief.

Quote:

3,3 OR 4,4 OR 5,5 OR 6,6 as two of the numbers - You pull out a book, and then another, and to your relief you see that the door beyond swings open for you to slip through! (success)

 

[kuropeco]

The bedroom seemed harmless enough, but, as always, Xavier didn't trust it. He grabbed a pin, fiddled with the lock as quickly as he could, and pushed open the door, tumbling onto the grass outside. It was much better out here, and he could actually breathe. Xavier crawled to his feet, heaved a sigh, and grabbed his diploma before hightailing it out of there as fast as he could.

Quote:

Roll 1d100. You must get above a 65 to have successfully picked the lock.