:[VDay 2020]: The Maze of Shadows

[FA Goddess Eris]

What We Do in the Shadows

The ground is warm. Too warm. The air smells sweet, like Spring. The ground is dark. Too dark. Everything is silent.

A spark caused a fire to burst out. The fire encircled the group of pae. It did not burn, but allowed everyone present to see exactly where they were. Shadows danced on the walls as if controlled by puppets and not cast by those present.

A thump and the ground rumbled. Something big and serpentine under the floor caught the firelight. It looked like a tail or snake. It appeared to be slithering in oil.

The floored bulged and waved like it was about to burst open.

The fire fizzled out and all was dark again. A lamp was lit down a pathway to the South. Everything was still dark, but it provided a place to go should the floor monster burst through.

In the west, a torch on the wall illuminated a dark cave.

Prompt
A. Stay and risk the ground monster
B. Move down the south path
C. Head west towards the cave

Reply by Feb 8 @ 11AM EST

Participants

show spoilerhide spoiler

• Erminea
  
• lKelpie
  
• Lory
  
• Blush
  
• Parker Pothagios
  
• Poliuah
  
• Ju An Emi
  
• Killa x Raunuin
  
• Mellinae X Phorcys
  
• Beltan x Xoana
  
• Aquos x Rainbow Dash
  
• Bindi x Oriana
  
• Beryl x Huayne
  

 

[Fea Line]

1 = A / 2 = B / 3 = C
Parker roll
B. Move down the south path









One minute a girl was feeling up his wings, the next he was plummeting down through the ground and into some kind of death trap he had only heard rumors about. Screaming, he fluttered his wings but was unable to stop himself and eventually landed with a thud into what felt like hot, oiled, utter darkness.

Panicking, he lifted his hands, hearing a goop sound slide off them and back into the ground. He had been about to get to his feet when the ground rumbled beneath him and a snake...or tail...or snake tail seemed to ripple through the 'oil'.

Backpeddling, he scooted himself to his feet and glanced around, rubbing his arms. He didn't see anyone he recognized immediately of those that had fallen down with him, let alone Rosewater. He hoped she was ok, wherever she had hovered off too. Right now though, no one was safe. "Oh...Maybe we should move on... doesn't seem safe to stay here...." he gulped, eyeing the south passage. Something instinctual told him to go that way and slowly he began moving off in that direction, testing his every step to make sure none of them sent more snakes and tails slithering whichways.  

[Irish Night Fox]

C. Head west towards the cave

This was definitely a part of the party her parents had warned her about- the utter chaos. She almost didn't believe her eyes as the floor fell out from under them. She grabbed on to the thing closest to her which happened to be the female and they plummeted downwards.

When she came to it was just... dark. She blinked madly trying to straighten her mind out, which wasn't easy. Spring? That almost brought her a sense of peace and joy, perhaps she was ok. When her head stopped spinning she realized how wrong she was. She was far from ok.

She fluttered her wings in an attempt to get up, but they did nothing. She fluttered them again and her body didn't move an inch. She squeaked in fright and pushed herself up to a seated position, taking note there were others with her. She wasn't alone! But why couldn't she move? She looked down her tailfin and let out a terrified scream.

She was covered in GOO! Her beautiful tail was GOOPED!

"WHAT IS THIS!? WHY ME!?" she went on and on with her wails. She was in such a motion that she pushed herself almost trying to get away from it and noticed she slid forward. She paused a moment and scooted her tailfin... she could move? It was slow, but she could do it.

"I'm a SEA SLUG!" she wailed again. She caught sight of her new friend and practically fell into her arms in a dramatic display, "THEY'RE THE UGLIEST CREATURES OF THE SEA AND I'M ONE OF THEM!"

The ground moved. Did the ground just move?

It was like reality just set in and she remembered the space she was in. Another squeak and she tugged on her friend. "Lets get out of here, I don't want to be around when that thing shows up." So now it was time to put her assumptions to the test. She began to scoot forward... and sure enough she began to scoot slowly forward and a trail of ooze followed behind her. So gross.

"Lets head for that cave looking area. Maybe it won't be able to follow us in there."

Antidia

For Bindi~

 

[MiddyGlow]

Kelpie

RP to Come

B. Move down the south path  

[Twitchapher the 3rd]

Aquos blinked but his eyes couldn't adjust to the darkness. Oh no. Oh no no no. Not again! He had already done this before and he ended up married. He groaned and looked around. Rainbow Dash was with him. "Hey. Hey Rainbow Dash? You ok?" He went over to the blue fauny. "Well...I had said I had been in a maze before. Looks like this is round two." He let out a nervous laugh and hung his head slightly. Really. Not again.

"Well I didn't die last time but I did end up married. Kinda don't want to go through that again, no offense." He paused. "Maybe you have better luck then me Dash?" He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not much of a fighter. More defensive if anything but it wouldn't be right of me to not see you out of here." He gave her a small smile. "Let's get you out of here alright? I don't know what could happen or what's to come but the least I can do is make sure you're alright in all this." He paused again. "Can you fight if you need to?"

Wolfs Heart

Aquos will go where ever RD wants to go.

 

[Daisicle]

[Killa x Ranuin | A : Stay]

Killa was sure she saw her life flashing before her eyes as the naga grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the unending abyss.

It might not have been a particularly good life, or an eventful one, but she'd been quite fond of it.

Now it was over.

.
.
.

Everything was dark when the rabbit came to, her eyes groggily attempting to adjust to the limited lighting, only to be blinded by the temporary flash of fire. What was that; a snake? Was that the snake from before? Had she become even bigger and scarier? Had Killa been pulled into the darkness just so the snake could appear in it's final form to consume her once and for all.

Ohno, ohno, ohno, ohno ohno, ohno...!

Unable to process the presence of others nearby, the bunny curled up in a panic, tears rolling down her cheeks and her arms holding her head.

Teigra

Killa -> Ranuin

 

[Dream WhiteWitz]

C. Head west towards the Cave



Oh, this is definitely not good. Not good at all, Blush thought as she looked around, her eyes widened at the new environment in which she fell. She did fell, right? She didn't just accidentally hit her head on something and dreamed this up like an Alice in Wonderland kind of thing? The female certainly hoped not, she was a lost at riddles and certainly, things like that aren't her strongest forte. Building traps and surprising stuff, that is more her thing nowadays. Ohhh, she mentally cringed to herself pacing a bit, leaving obvious track marks on the ground.

"Ok, this is nothing, Blush. Decide what you want to do! You gonna let this beat you? HECK NO! This won't beat you! What you going to do?! I'm going that direction!" the angel yelled, giving a firm nod as she marched west, towards the torch that illuminated a dark cave. "Screw the others. Anyone coming for me, gonna get a face punch," the female growled.  

[DaemonGabrielle]

Mellinae X Phorcys - C. Head toward cave

Mellinae's eyes opened in darkness. Panicking, she fluttered and flopped like a fish. When she said she had to be strong tonight, she hadn't meant this.

All of a sudden a ring of fire lit up around them but poor Mellinae couldn't see cause after darkness, the lights were so bright. So she missed the fact that the floor was doing the mamba.

It wasn't until the world around d her darkened and the subtle light lit up around her that she truly saw again. And it was abysmal. This place was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. She wondered if Phorcys was okay. Wait a minute!!

"PHORCYS!!!" she hollered, scanning her surroundings and the other pae that landed.

She remembered the ballroom. That vile woman arguing with another naiad. That idiot. She had no clue who this Venus was, but obviously she was an awful b***h. She remembered the ground opening up and splitting and then nothing. She must have lost her conscienceness in the fall.

She flopped some more in panic only to realize she had more flop to her flip. Confused, she reached her hands down screeched. Her eyes slowly followed. She had weird appendages coming out of where her fins used to be. Pale and thin, they looks almost like crab legs. Except there were 8 of them and they're spindly and multi jointed and seemed to come out of
her stomach area and omg, she was hideous and going to die in the awful waste land.

What on earth had happened to her? She was stronger than this. She swatter her cheeks and let the sting calm her down again. There had to be a way. Where was Phorcys? Why on Earth had Venus punished them all? Why did she have these....things?

She turned to scan the horizon again only to now see the ground tumbling about. Well, that was a huge NOPE. She tried to stand, but couldnt quite get the hang of the legs and how they worked. She turned back toward the other patrons of the party who were starting to wake, it seemed, but she had yet to see her handome date. She screamed yet again PHOOOORRRCCYYSSSS?!?!?!"

teigra

 

[Dragon Berri]

Jae is choosing C, the cave!


Jae relaxed as the temperature rose, at least until it started to become uncomfortable. She leaned back as the fire sparked, brightening the darkness and giving them a chance to see what was going on. As well as things that weren't quite there, but still cast shadows on the walls.

She might be a big, bad snake, but this was creeping her out. Even the serpentine thing made her uneasy. She was definitely not staying in one place to see what that thing was. Jae felt better with the cave option, so that's where she headed next.  

[Elros Namasi]

Beltan x Xoana C. Head west toward the cave
Beltan was not going to stick around here and wait for the huge whatever it was to burst through the ground. He was suddenly uncomfortably reminded of exploding palace walls. No, now was not the time. He'd said he'd look out for Xoana so that's what he was going to do.
Despite the darkness, he could hear the other pae in the room moving and had made a quick note of their general positions while the flames burned high. Many of them seemed to have the same idea.
Turning toward where he'd last seen his date, Beltan told her in a calm, but serious tone, "Ok, I want you to stay close to me, Xoana. I don't like how open that path is and I really don't like how exposed we are here. That cave to the west might offer us more defense. Are you ready to move?"

Menelie

Whoops, forgot the quote ^^;

 

[Antidia]

Bindi headed west to the cave with Oriana

The moment the floor gave out, Bindi was fluttering her wings. But the EVIL MAGIC LADY's hole sucked her down. Her screams likely were heard until she stopped falling.

The landing was awkward and she shrieked a little at the same time as her new friend, although likely for different reasons. "I think something slimed you!" She'd barely let her words pass her lips before the lady threw herself into Bindi's lap. "I uhh, have never seen a sea slug before, but if you are one, they can't be that bad? I wouldn't say ugly, that's for sure" Just maybe slimy. "By the way, I'm Bindi. While it's nice to meet you and all, I just wish circumstances had been a teensy bit better."

She reached out to touch it because why not.. IT squished between two fingers and she made a face then turned to rub her hands off on the ground. The floor bowed a little, "What was that?"

Bindi caught sight of something moving under the floor. "O.. oo.. oh no! Sorry!" She tried to lift her friend up so she could up off that floor, just in case but fell to her knees. "WHAT?! wuthawut!?" She couldn't fly. She.Couldn't.Fly. It took time to process. She'd never not been able to fly. It was like breathing or drinking for fish, it just happened, never had to think about it. She fell to her knees. Some help she ended up to be.

"Cave?" She'd been so wrapped up in her own misery she might have for a split second forgot she was this ... trap, with someone else. "Yes, let's hide in the cave!"

Irish Night Fox

Oriana surprised

 

[Menelie]

Beltan x Xoana C. Head west toward the cave

Xoana was doing her Very Best to keep from shooting into absolute hysterics. Nothing, at any point, ever, in her life, had prepared her for anything remotely like this. Her eyes darted around wildly. The light wasn't comforting--instead it had a searing heat that made her skin feel like dead coral, and it snapped and popped in a way that made it seem almost alive; not to mention the shadows it was throwing all around the place.

She was so incredibly grateful for Beltan in that moment. The most she could manage in response to his question was to reach out and grab his hand, and a whimpered "Let's get out of here." She hoped he wouldn't let go of her. These awkward land appendages were still awkward under her, and she didn't trust herself not to fall down if they had to move quickly, which it seemed they were about to do.

Elros Namasi

Beltan

 

[Wolfs Heart]

Rainbow Dash x Aquos choose B
Kids? Marriage? Speaking of crazy... Boom. The floor was gone.
For a moment she forgot about the pae she had been talking with. "Who turned up the heat?" She squeaked as she tried to fan herself. And what was with all this darkness. When the fire lit up, she momentarily saw some other strangers and saw the familiar face of Aquos.
Wow, he was really rambling. "Round 2, huh? Calm down bud, I got this! Ain't nobody is getting married to anybody." She put her shades on, she was the picture of calm and cool... On second thought, it was already hard enough to see without these. She quickly put them away. "Like I said, I got this." She wasn't really sure how she would do in a fight, but she was awesome and pretty resourceful and that would probably get her far.

Aquos had been talking about seeing her through this, but by the look of him he was the one who needed to be seen through this. Rainbow Dash felt the floor move beneath them. "Look, we need to get away from this, I don't want to see what twisted thing is hanging out down there." She quickly scanned the other options, feeling they needed to move fast, and she was great at fast. The faun had read enough 'Daring Do' books to know that cave was likely the creatures lair, so she quickly tugged at Aquos' forearm and pulled him down the other lit path.

Twitchapher the 3rd

 

[Teigra]

Mellinae X Phorcys - C. Head toward cave

Ugh, his head hurt...

Phorcys was groggy as he tried to raise himself upright, but the room seemed to spin. Room? Why was the floor so oily and....moving...?

He winced as a piercing call split the air. Someone was calling his name. Wait...not just someone...

"Mellinae?" He blinked his eyes open, but wasn't sure he was really awake when he did. Other Pae seemed as bewildered or shocked as he was, all in various states of collecting themselves from the fall.

That's right, they fell...

"Mellinae!" he called again, stronger this time and he caught sight of the struggling lady nearby. Of course, if they were on land...he glanced down, yes, he had his land legs...but she, she couldn't do the same. It would be up to him to help her to the nearest water source and better that than this disturbing hellscape. It was blazing hot and they would soon dry out at this rate, and--

Were those crab legs?

Clutching his head, Phorcys made his way over to kneel by Mellinae's side. "It's okay, I'm here," he reassured her, not exactly sure what to make of this new development. "Err...do you think you can move? I don't know if right 'here' is the best place to rest for long. I can help you if you need it."

DaemonGabrielle

Phorcys > Mellinae

*****

[Killa x Ranuin - A - Stay]

Applebloom! Ranuin tried to reach out for the fauny as they fell, but to his dismay he couldn't seem to reach her. And worse, her piercing scream faded and disappeared. No, nonono!

He hit the ground hard and rolled. Ugh, the heat seemed to hit him like a wave and the floor was oily and sticking to his fur. Immediately, he was scrambling back to his paws. "Applebloom? Applebloom! Are you okay? Where are you?" No answer. And no sign of her, though there were plenty of other Pae from the party around him. Not as many as had been in the ballroom, however.

The roiling floor beneath his paws stirred him to action and he looked around the group noting the faun and fauny kin in the group, but also noting their surroundings weren't a good time to be picky about one's companions. "I don't like this. We need to move," he spoke outloud, relieved to see many Pae already up and mobile, clearing from the area except a few.

Daisicle

Ranuin > Killa
Woof is present to protecc when ready