Topic: MAZE

[MartAnimE]

[Mimiru]

"There was that room...", Tsukasa chimes in, quietly, "The room we were in before, Mimiru.", he reminds you.
"The blue door was held open by a bed, so we should be able to make it inside. I know how to get there, it's not far."

Doon shrugs, happy to go along with the group's decision. He gets up and stretches casually, ready to follow Tsukasa. "Lead the way, kid!"

[MartAnimE]

[Elenore]

Margaret remains withdrawn and silent. She gets on her feet and holds on to your arm, trying to stay close to you.
She's looking rather gloomy, but it might just be shyness around the new people who have joined the group.

[Pulsen]

I stay close to Margaret giving reassurance when needed. "Are you okay Margaret?" I ask with a bit of concern.

[MartAnimE]

[Elenore]

"I... I don't know, Elenore.", Margaret tries her best to answer you honestly, "Mr Carrossea said we should stay calm, keep a clear mind, but I don't know if I can.", she admits.
"I'm not strong and I can't fight, so I'm afraid. Afraid of dying, of getting hurt, of losing you. What if another monster shows up because of me?", she holds on to you tighter.

[Kapenguin]

"Alright, works for me. Let's hit that blue door!"

I move to follow Tsukasa to the destination.

[MartAnimE]

[Elenore]

As the whole group follows Tsukasa, Doon overhears your conversation with Margaret. Before you get a chance to speak, he can't help butting in with unsolicited advice.
"Don't overthink it, Margaret. If you're afraid, just replace your fear with a different feeling.", he suggests with a smug grin and an air of confidence.
"Huh... like what?", Margaret tilts her head, giving it serious consideration, "Just think happy thoughts!", Doon explains, smiling suggestively.
"If I were your lover, I'd give you something to be happy about...", he sighs teasingly, "Looks like Elenore gotta step up her game..."

[MartAnimE]

[Mimiru]

Tsukasa nods and starts walking towards the room. You follow him closely, staying alert to danger.
The other three walk slightly behind you, making small talk. Elenore and Margaret seem to act like a couple.
Doon previously referred to them as his friends, but you get the feeling he's more of a third wheel and a shameless womanizer.

[MartAnimE]

[Elenore] [Mimiru]

"Are you always like this?", Tsukasa asks Doon, exasperated, "I'm starting to regret bringing you back..."
"I'm just teasing.", Doon laughs, "You all need to lighten up, stop taking everything so seriously!"

You all continue following Tsukasa down the labyrinthine hallways. He stops abruptly in front of the indigo door.
"That's Sora's room. I wonder...", he pauses, thinking, "If you die in the Maze, do you die in the real world?"
"You think the Maze isn't real?", Margaret asks, suddenly interested in the metaphysical implications.

"Yes, I think we're stuck inside a video game.", Tsukasa confirms, "Sora, Mimiru, and myself, these bodies, these aren't our real bodies."
"These are our avatars, the characters we play as in a video game called The World. This happened to me before.", he confesses.
"I fell into a coma in real life and got trapped in The World. It was just like this. It's the only explanation that makes sense."

"Wow!", Margaret reacts, "Maybe you're right...", she ponders, "My first thought was this was all just a very vivid dream, I get those often."
"But I've also experienced some scary supernatural things in real life, so I can't tell anymore whether this place is real or not."

"Maybe it's a secret government experiment, maybe we've all been abducted by aliens!", Doon jokes, endlessly amused by the spooky nature of this conversation.

[Pulsen]

[Elenore] [Mimiru]

"Are you always like this?", Tsukasa asks Doon, exasperated, "I'm starting to regret bringing you back..."
"I'm just teasing.", Doon laughs, "You all need to lighten up, stop taking everything so seriously!"

You all continue following Tsukasa down the labyrinthine hallways. He stops abruptly in front of the indigo door.
"That's Sora's room. I wonder...", he pauses, thinking, "If you die in the Maze, do you die in the real world?"
"You think the Maze isn't real?", Margaret asks, suddenly interested in the metaphysical implications.

"Yes, I think we're stuck inside a video game.", Tsukasa confirms, "Sora, Mimiru, and myself, these bodies, these aren't our real bodies."
"These are our avatars, the characters we play as in a video game called The World. This happened to me before.", he confesses.
"I fell into a coma in real life and got trapped in The World. It was just like this. It's the only explanation that makes sense."

"Wow!", Margaret reacts, "Maybe you're right...", she ponders, "My first thought was this was all just a very vivid dream, I get those often."
"But I've also experienced some scary supernatural things in real life, so I can't tell anymore whether this place is real or not."

"Maybe it's a secret government experiment, maybe we've all been abducted by aliens!", Doon jokes, endlessly amused by the spooky nature of this conversation.

I sigh at Mr.Doon's poor attempt at humor. "I'm not sure what this place really is. However, it would explain why Mr. Tsukasa has magical power here. All I have is my martial art skills, I wasn't able to shoot blasts of ki or do a Kamehameha. I think it depends on where you were when the maze took you."

[Kapenguin]

"One thing that I can do, that I couldn't do even in The World, is that I can summon my sword to me at any time, even if it's halfway across the room. Check it!"

I place my sword on the floor and slide it a good distance down the hallway. Then I hold out my hand, and the sword disappears from its spot on the floor and reappears back in my hand. I rest it on my right shoulder.

"See? I'm with Tsukasa. I think this is some weird simulation of some kind. But I can't pull up any kind of command menu like I can in a regular game."

[MartAnimE]

[Elenore] [Mimiru]

"Well, I certainly never played The World.", Doon mentions, "I have better things to do with my time...", he adds, in a mumbling tone.
"It doesn't really matter where we are or why we're here. If this is a game we just have to beat it. Let's move along, please."
Doon sounds impatient yet again. Tsukasa nods and continues walking towards the destination, he reaches a dead end.

At the end of the hallway, on the right, there's an open room, half of the bed is sticking out through the door.
You can see part of a blue door, lighter than the indigo blue, effectively blocked by the metal framed bed.
Tsukasa climbs inside. He takes but a few seconds, then steps out, feeling fully recovered.

"Alright, I'm back to 100%. Does anyone else need to go inside?", Tsukasa asks the group.
Doon and Margaret don't feel particularly tired, having just been revived not long ago.

[Kapenguin]

"Sure. I could use a refresh after that fight. Hopefully there aren't too many more scorpion monsters running around here."

I step into the room briefly to heal my body.

[Pulsen]

"I'm not sure we have this game "The World" in my world," I say thinking about the MMOs I've played.
"Is it like Final Fantasy XIV? Margaret and I play that quite a lot."
"That's quite the trick. Can't do that in XIV." After watching the sword trick

"I might as heal up as well. But I'll do it after Miss Mimiru is done."

I go in after Mimiru comes out.

[MartAnimE]

[Elenore] [Mimiru]

You both enter the room, one at a time. Any injuries or pain you might have from the previous fight are gone. You're back to full health.
"I can't detect any further keys.", Tsukasa observes, "I think it's up to you now, Margaret. Please lead the way.", he requests humbly.
"Hmm.", Margaret nods, "I can do that.", she starts walking towards the last key, firmly holding onto Elenore's hand once again.
"But... what scorpion monsters do you mean?", Margaret asks Mimiru, in a tone suggesting equal parts curiosity and dismay.
Doon raises an eyebrow, equally apprehensive, though he seems content to follow along in silence for the time being.

[Pulsen]

"I think it's like some of the monsters we fight in Final Fantasy XIV."
"You can do this Margaret!" I say to boost Margaret's morale when she holds my hand.