the clock tower

[groundrules]

Happy Hallow-elevator! The clock tower event lasts between 22 October and 8 November. ICly, the tower incursion stretches around a week, and you’re welcome to have your character investigate something else, if they finish early!

THE CLOCK TOWER

---

ALL IS AS ALL WAS| TRIAL & NO ERRORS | THE TOWER

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ALL IS AS ALL WAS

Play it cool, as Serthica’s customs officers pore over your passport papers, before grudgingly allowing you overground. Minaras, you hear, is hunting a delinquent.

Both it and Eidris fare well, with no sign of the damage that preceded the Unwinding. Locals no longer behave eerily, dragons and clockwork droids roam freely, and everyone hates taxes.

Yet perfect strangers insist they know you. Your assigned address leads to a different house. The roads, buildings and architecture look ‘lived in,’ but changed.

No one remembers the Unwinding.

■ Burlap mannequins sometimes watch from mirrors, windows and reflecting surfaces.

■ You might hear shifting and scratching in Eidris walls.

■ Minaras has doubled its bounty for a man not unlike Leonard McCoy.

■ Black fungal spores are found on the increasingly voluminous experiment vials, specimens and supplies thrown out by Minaras medical facilities.

■ Frail and confused, Ellethia survivor Zenobius finally awakens. A short thread is up for RNG grabs.

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TRIALS & NO ERRORS

The guard troops that Eidris and Minaras assign to the Neutral Zone now protect King Thivar and High Councillor Arabella during the annual Sanctuary Reckoning trials. Both adjudicate cases that violate the ceasefire.

Prolonging the trials buys time for your companions in the clock tower.

■ Create a distraction — flood the judgement hall rooms? Fire? Illusions?

■ Pose as trial participants: perhaps you are of Eidris, and you caught this wicked Minaraian raiding your home? Mayhap this wretched man of Eidris stole your girlfriend? Wait, you’re a Minaraian who wants to kill King Thivar?

■ …organise breakouts, if Thivar or Arabella have your jailed. You are first imprisoned in makeshift Sanctuary cells — all but poorly locked, glorified closets. Get a trial sentence!

■ Thivar and Arabella treat the trials as a box-ticking exercise.

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THE TOWER

As Eidris and Minaras play court, you can infiltrate the Neutral Zone clock tower of Vassarizhia.

■ Only token security remains. The door is unlocked.

■ Karsa supplies paper talismans that must be burned in the watch fire at the tower’s top level.

■ Each burned talisman amplifies the reveal spell that Karsa activates. Link a finished burning thread by 8 November to help the cause.

■ A November mod post will describe how much of Serthica’s ‘undeath’ characters can see.

■ Placing Magnus’ dragon eye before the tower’s telescope will allow characters to always see Serthica’s undeath, moving forward.

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✘ ELEVATOR ETIQUETTE

Imperfect stillness dominates Vassarizhia: your footsteps do not click, words die in your mouth. The tower’s rickety gear slither silently. Your heartbeat aligns with the clock’s tick… tock.
You have the growing, gnarly certainty that you have invaded something ancient and alive.

The tower’s entryway level is large, deserted, stacked with gears. At its core is a dilapidated open elevator shaft.

A large sign says to find and pull the floor lever, if elevators stop.

■ There are two elevators. Each narrow lift can hold up to four people, crammed. The upper half of the carriage is chain-link fence, while the floors contain hatches that sometimes open mid-travel for 30 seconds. Hold on to ceiling-bound leather straps.

■ The ropes holding the elevators are thick, but tattered.

■ The elevator’s creaking squeals can awaken swarms of 1m-tall bats and bat wyverns. They rattle the lift, but ultimately withdraw.

■ The elevator can stop at as many levels as you want (or none!).

■ Beyond the second level, you feel intensely paranoid and see your companions as the persons you most hate/fear for five to 10 minutes. Reaching the top, you are tempted to cut the lift ropes of those who follow. (The ropes and elevators recover, after crashing to the bottom. )

■ On each floor, as you exit the elevator, a nearby wall shows a different scratched instruction, signed by DAVID.

LEVEL I: THE LABYRINTH| LEVEL II: THE ANCESTOR | LEVEL III: TAG! YOU’RE IT
LEVEL IV: THE ROOM WHERE NOTHING HAPPENS | LEVEL V: IT’S RAINING (AGAIN)

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LEVEL I: THE LABYRINTH
CONTENT WARNING: MINOTAUR, BODY HORROR

Step into a jail maze, flooded to knee level. Confusing corridors narrow, widen and contort, while wall torches dim.

Intermittent howling reveals you’re not alone. Hiding, you see child-like chalk drawings of forest animals on walls — and a great minotaur. Keep silent.

■ David S P’s wall scrawl says, IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY.

■ Collect some of the many discarded daggers or axes. Rope bundles float in water — use them to paralyse your captive or briefly force them under your control.

■ Don’t linger in one place: rotting, bodiless hands surface to restrain you.

■ Bad news, if you swallow water when the minotaur or dead hands try to drown you: your skin stretches and bursts, while your bones pop and extend. You mutate into a half human, half woodland creature, all bloodlust. ( Inspiration, anyone? ) Your companions should still recognise you; between hazy memories and constant pain, you might struggle to remember them and even attack.

■ Morphed characters can (painfully) return to normal within minutes of re-entering the elevator.

■ A smaller and distressed three-headed minotaur also roams the labyrinth. Two of its heads sob, while the third urges you to hide with it when brother approaches. It tries to throttle you with a noose to make brother happy, if you follow. David did say.

■ The minotaur and its sibling have poor sight. They cannot enter a corridor where you’ve drawn or laid down a line.

■ Pull the lever, and a straight corridor leads you to the elevator.

TOP | LEVEL II | LEVEL III | LEVEL IV | LEVEL V

LEVEL II: THE ANCESTOR
CONTENT WARNING: GIANT SKELETON, BLOOD DRINKING

Here, only barren stone and thin rivulets of fresh water pouring from wall fountains with sharp-tipped ornaments — your spilled blood quickly infects the basins. Knives, pins and bowls have been abandoned nearby.

High pressure and vertigo overwhelm you. Follow a rhythmic heaving to where the upper half of an enormous skeleton — the Ancestor — has broken through a wall. White, silk thread fetters it. Dried blood rims its cracked mouth. Before it, the stone floor has been tarnished, up to a 5m radius.

The Ancestor appears dormant, a crown of iron thorns on its head. It clutches the lever tightly in its right hand. Above it, an engraving urges, SPILL WINE FOR YOUR ANCESTOR.

■ David S P’s elevator scrawl says, WATER TO WINE.

■ Dally staring and you feel dizzy, nauseous, depressed and compelled to share your close-death encounters. Before you know it, you are stepping into the Ancestor’s radius…

■ …where it plunges for you, if you don’t bear a filled cup. The silk ropes keep the Ancestor from reaching beyond 5m.

■ Two carvings under his fists read HONOUR THY FATHER and DISHONOUR THY MOTHER.

■ Quickly distract the Ancestor from crumbling his captives, tearing their arms or attempting to eat them.

■ The Ancestor is instinct-driven, consumed by thirst. It cannot see or smell, and only remembers taste. Sounds divert it.

■ Improvise: there is no actual wine here. Infuse water, spill blood, or vocally pretend you are delivering wine, and the Ancestor might spare you.

■ If sated, the Ancestor releases the lever.

TOP | LEVEL I | LEVEL III | LEVEL IV | LEVEL V

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LEVEL III: TAG! YOU’RE IT
CONTENT WARNING: SCARECROW, SKINNED CREATURES

Enjoy pitch dark, dread and bile spreading in your gut. Take a candle from near the elevator and roam through small, unlocked rooms that feature tattered beds, strips of tanning leather and blood or wax spilled on the floor.

■ David S P’s wall scrawl says, O CATCHES IT.

■ Ahead, you see candle-bearing mannequins that dance a hora to the same song played by Jim Kirk’s music box: “Up the mountain, in the grove, hand in hand to Ke-Waihu, fresh harvest’s a treasure trove, each fall we feast anew.”

■ The creatures are patched abominations of wax, skinned flesh and burlap. In the middle of the hora is a wiry scarecrow, eyes blazing with candle fire as it points a large cleaver. In certain lights, the scarecrow’s face briefly contorts into that of your mother. It wears priestly robes that Arc III survivors may recognise from the House of Ravens.

■ As the dance finishes, you notice the lever in the middle of the circle, where flame spells out TAKE THEM, NOT ME. The game begins.

■ The abominations run, gleefully manic and screaming TAAAA~AAAAAG. YOU’RE IT! The scarecrow unflinchingly cuts them down while pursuing you. Hide in the abandoned rooms, or risk snuffing your candle to avoid detection.

■ Some abominations slap you, hold you, or alert the scarecrow. Others offer shelter. A few peel off wax skins from their limbs — showing black fungi beneath. They murmur, IT NEVER GOES AWAY.

■ Parchment strips fall from the scarecrow’s sleeves, reading, HAPPY NAME DAY, MOTHER KNOWS BEST, THE SIN RAN DEEPER THAN SKIN, IF YOU CAN BEAR IT, IT’S A GAME.

■ Bless David: draw the scarecrow into a drawn or makeshift circle to trap it.

■ Intense, paralysing fear arrests you, if the scarecrow catches you. The wax abominations chant, TAKE THEM, NOT ME. One might even take pity and move your numbed mouth to utter the words. Say them — and the scarecrow lands deep cuts on your arms, then pursues your companion.

■ If you betray someone, the abominations take the appearance of your worst version: whether physically mutated, with a temper that amplifies your worst features, or both.

TOP | LEVEL I | LEVEL II | LEVEL IV | LEVEL V

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LEVEL IV: THE ROOM WHERE NOTHING HAPPENS
CONTENT WARNING: MANIPULATION, MENTAL COERCION

You enter a quiet room. The lever sits on a table, beside rope and a dagger. As you approach, your surroundings transform: perhaps your dearest dead appear to warmly welcome you. Crowds of your doubters celebrate your success. Or you are in a calm oasis, where nothing hurts.

■ David S P’s wall scrawl says, THIS DREAM IS A NIGHTMARE.

■ Whatever your deepest wishes, the room’s vivid illusions provide. With time, your beautiful dreams deteriorate into horror. Sometimes, you hear whispers of, Make a wish.

■ The room increasingly drains your life force. Within half an hour, you have gaunt flesh, brittle bones and a hunched back. Or you might feel compelled to harm yourself, clawing your arms and face, or pulling your hair out.

■ The damage comes undone minutes after reaching the elevator.

■ The room focuses on one person: if someone joins you, they see fainter echoes of what the room shows you, but they are not enthralled. They must coax or drag you away.

■ If you are under the room’s influence, it forces you to make any later intruders stay.

TOP | LEVEL I | LEVEL II | LEVEL III | LEVEL V

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LEVEL V: IT’S RAINING (AGAIN)
CONTENT WARNING: PLAGUE, THE CHILD

At the tower’s open-sky top, fire crackles from a small stone pit, shielded by a familiar, immovable blood-spattered white umbrella. Nearby, discover an immense rusted telescope and other discarded astronomy tools.

You trip on rain-battered yellowed bones at every step. One skeletal hand holds a watch piece, engraved for Mr. David Sebastian Pumpkins.

■ David S P’s has only scrawled his signature.

■ You might reach the flame easily, or be overwhelmed by sickness, black fungal spores blooming on your fingers, while you cough blood and experience intense fever. The symptoms wane once you reach the fire.

■ Burn paper talismans and link finished threads to help Karsa’s spell.

■ The child with a fox mask from the Unwinding could appear. Sign up for one of three short threads, which must finalise by 3 November.

NOTES

■ Some of the bigger plot clues have been emphasised, to help navigate through the horror details.

■ You can hit up some NPCs during the trials.

■ Check out plotting posts for last-minute team-ups.

■ Back to the top.

QUESTIONS

Comments

zhou fei

[snowcleave]

[ a selection of open and closed starts, feel free to tag the ‘closed’ top-level with a start of your own if we’ve discussed something, or if choosing chaos and wildcarding is what strikes your fancy. ]

closed

[snowcleave]

fei ⇢ magnus⇢ alec

[snowcleave]

[ After their excursion to the bowels of the Mouse House, and the conversations that followed, Magnus has proven himself to be a tremendously clever, powerful friend, and because of that Fei has committed herself to the worthy cause of getting him, and his husband to the top of this tower.

Sloshing through the water she keeps her sword drawn, taking her place in front of the other two - Alec is an archer, and Magnus has the eye - not to mention he’s already saved her life once and her sense of honor wouldn’t stand to do anything but insist on being the first line of defense because of it. Fei keeps a tight grip on Youhuang, pausing at an intersection of two pathways to look over her shoulder at the two men behind her. ]

Which way?

i'm alive again!!...i'm sorry the work week mostly killed me though

[incantates]

[ ...If only Magnus knew. He's aware, from intel, that there's something in this tower that can allow him to spread the dragon sight over a large area without him having to tax his own magic. He just has to reach it one piece, which feels like a feat easier said than done –aren't most feats like that?

The eye is currently hidden in a magical pocket space to keep it from harm or theft, but Magnus is worried about who can keep carrying it in case something does happen to him, hence why he has two strong, trustworthy and stab-happy allies by his side, one whose hand he's squeezing and whose side he's burrowed into as fingers seemingly grip at his boots and pant legs, threatening to tug him downwards from with each passing second he spends stagnating in one spot too long.

He's forced to kick the stubborn and eager grip of the damned just so he can continue to advance forward, motioning Alec and Zhou Fei to keep following. ]

I can try and use my magic to find the shortest path, but that's assuming the whole maze isn't enchanted and that the maze walls are static. That should save us some time aimlessly wandering around. I just need you both to buy me a bit of time –and for me to not drown.

and then i was gone all weekend 😔 also sorry!

[flatly]

[Alec is just starting to get a taste of what this world has in store for them, generally speaking, but he'd taken one fleeting glance at the looming clocktower and known it was bound to be a gauntlet even without months of being subjected to Serthica's (and everywhere before its) shenanigans. It just looks like trouble.

Luckily, they have backup. Or, more accurately, Fei is the one who has the backup as she's the one taking point here. Alec keeps an eye on her for the first few skeptical minutes as they slosh through the flooded maze, but it's pretty clear she knows what she's doing—at least as much as any Shadowhunter under his command (more than that, obviously, but he hasn't seen her at work for himself yet)—and he turns his attention to the more pressing matters of the room around them.

Like the hair-raising roar of the wandering minotaur, which goes echoing around the walls of the maze, making it impossible to pinpoint by sound alone. That... gives him an idea, actually.] Alright, I can keep an eye on the hands. [He (a touch reluctantly) lets Magnus go so he can fish his Stele out of a pocket, and hastily burns the Heat Vision rune into the palm of his hand. Before the mark even cools, he slides his bow off his shoulder and nocks an arrow on it. He looks to Fei, though he has to blink rapidly against the sudden onslaught of visual stimuli, the burning red forms the two people who walked in with him and the faint yellow of one, no— two roaming beasts beyond the tangle of walls.] And I can locate— whatever that is, through the walls. [Another roar sounds, as if on queue.] But if it gets too close you might be on your own. [Heat vision is very disorienting to fight with, after all. Telling friend from foe is not easy when all you have to go by is temperatures.] Alright?

[He probably should have asked that of her before activating the rune, but he's just sorta used to being the one in charge of plans and everyone falling into line, sorry Fei.]

[snowcleave]

[ Though the magic Alec works is a new sight for Fei, she's too preoccupied with cutting a path forward through the reaching hands of the dead to ask questions. Instead, she holds her sword at the ready, surging through corridors while swinging the wide blade in broad strokes, giving Magnus and his partner room to work.

The thunderous roar from somewhere that sounded much closer than Fei would have liked makes her tense, her jaw setting determinedly as she nods. ]

I am ready.

[ Fei turns this way and that, surveying all the passageways that led to the spot she, Alec, and Magnus now stood before another rush of reaching hands steals her focus, sending her rushing over, putting herself between her two companions and them, fighting them off. ]

If it comes closer you must tell me.

wangji

[snowcleave]

[ The creature keeps her under until she has no choice but to gasp out of desperation, rewarded with a mouthful of the now faintly blood-tinged water for her efforts. Gathering what energy she can to push the thing away, the air ripples and distorts around her palm as she brings it up, flat, to shove at the minotaur’s chest, qi expelling, the force of it repelling the creature back far enough to permit her to get back to her feet.

Bringing Youhuang around she forces herself to get grounded in a hurry, no matter how winded being nearly drowned has left her. Fei is still sputtering when she moves to make her advance, so consumed by the fight that she hasn’t yet noticed the snowy white feathers sprouting along the sides of her face and the lengths of her arms. There’s enough breath in her lungs to keep going, and so she does, a grunt of effort mangled into something closer to the screech of a predatory bird than anything else. ]

[downswing]

( Two beasts at odds.

He knows the first, back of him all knotted tendons and the aged territory of scars, old and new, and skin coarse and leathered, like refined gravel. Hunt or be hunted: in the twisting intestines of the labyrinth, Lan Wangji has chased the minotaur as his quarry, determined to let Bichen — drawn length of her silvered and hungry and strong — taste her fill.

The second beast, he cannot name. A frame narrow as moonlight beam, feathers drenched and drooped and hanging. Deep gashes on his arms have taught him — heal, heal fast, quicken and stitch together strong — to distrust the siblings of the minotaur, and so he surrenders Bichen to her sheath and approaches, silently serpentine, barely a shift and rippling in the water. In his hands, spread taut and mean, the length of his cutting chord — he loops it once, makes the noose, plunges to claim one of the beasts —

And stumbles down in water, with Zhou Fei, while the minotaur heaves and escapes both captors. No matter One catch is victory enough. He prepares for quarrel — before another torch blinks awake behind him, and in the dim lilt of labyrinthine light, green and ponderous, he thinks he recognises the sly beauty before him: )

...mistress Zhou?

[snowcleave]

[ There's the distaste for what ambient light lingers in this flooded maze, and the sudden thought that mice, as a meal, doesn't sound that bad, actually - but above it, all is the very human instinct to get out of the water, and find the heart of the maze where she knows the elevator waits. There are companions to find further up the tower, friends bearing precious cargo destined for the very top that she has sent ahead to try and cover.

The price she pays for her valor is a steep one, the feathered skin, the way her fingernails feel sharp and pointed as they press against the hilt of the sword she will cling to until her last breath, the want for flight. The minotaur bellows and the shout she gives in response is a shriek, cut off by the weight of an unseen attacker as she's knocked off her feet and pulled back into the water she fought so hard to right herself from once before.

The cord bites and sends her thrashing, fighting again for the right to stand, arms buoyed by damp feathers that beat out her annoyance against the dank air as her breath comes in an indignant, staggered gasp.

It's her name, it's that face, but something pulls her to a more violent conclusion, swinging Youhuang the moment she feels her feet steady enough against the ground. ]

Get back!

[ Once she's bought herself enough space, she sprints in the other direction, splashing through the water, the Minotaur not far away. ]

open

[snowcleave]

ii: if this wine hasn't turned to vinegar, there's enough to pour a drink

[snowcleave]

[ Fei has been prudent, allowing herself to enjoy the green plum liquor brought to this world from her own only when she feels it's a worthy cause, settling for the swill available in the city more often than not.

Still, for all her caution she’s gotten down to the last fourth of the small silver-encrusted bottle usually carried inside her tonic, and she loathes the thought of needing to put it to use like this.

Her hand tight around the neck of the flask Fei retreats a few paces, eager to try and get away from the awful, seasick feeling staring at the massive skeleton fills her with, turning her back to it once she feels safe enough to let it out of her sight. ]

There’s enough for one sip for each of us, then that bag of bones can have the rest.

[ Scowling, she takes her last taste of home before offering it to her companion. ]

[wooden_one]

[As someone who enjoys his drink, he feels her pain, certainly.

He hesitates, almost reaching out before dropping his hand.]

I don't drink. [Which is a lie because he drinks like a fish, but she seemed unhappy to waste it on the skeleton so he figured...] You can have my sip.

[snowcleave]

[ She turns, regarding the stranger skeptically before taking a step to the side, pushing the flask into his hands. ]

Then this is the best thing to start drinking on. Take your sip. We might die today.

[ It's her turn to lie. As formidable as that thing, with its massive upper half embedded in the wall and its blood-stained bony mouth, Fei gives it no credit. She's gotten through worse. In moments like these when she needs to be strong and keep fighting, all she can recall is that she's fought much tougher. ]

[kahl_175]

[The scowling woman doesn't want to give up her things. Kahl can understand that. But you don't refuse food or drink when someone cares about it that much. Kahl carefully takes the flask, taking a small sip.]

Taste like kubuchi. [Kahl glances over at the big skeleton, raising his voice.] Good wine, from home. Not have here. [He guesses that's what wine is. He's never drank it. Whatever it is, Horrek likes it as much as Horrek likes kubuchi.]

Urgh. [And like kubuchi, looking at the skeleton makes Kahl feel dizzy.] Strong. Ancestor will like. [Maybe. He's not sure it understands anything they're saying. He has his gun handy and a machete at his hip, but how much is a rifle and blade going to do against bones?]

[snowcleave]

[ While she doesn't know what kubuchi is, her companion's eloquent assessment of the offer she's got for that ornery bag of bones across the room pulls a smirk and a nod from Fei. ]

I'll go pour it, you cover me.

[ Kahl seems capable, and he certainly outmatches her in the size department, but Fei will never be used to not being in the front when it comes to danger and will offer herself up first without thinking nearly every time.

After one more nod she looks down at the flask, huffs, and starts towards the bowl, keeping her free hand on her sword, holding it at the ready. ]

iii: obligatory yellow wallpaper reference goes here

[snowcleave]

[ The things coming out of the walls almost makes the man made out of straw seem like a kitten. She’s pulled towards a wall unexpectedly, her feet dragging against the ground as she does what she can to beat the hands back with the scabbard of her saber, planting the tip of Youhuang against the ground in the hopes she can use it to pull herself backward.

There’s another ripple, another set of hands are there, peeling the wall back, exposing the pestilent black mold she has come to recognize and fear. With a cry of desperation, Fei uses all her weight to throw herself back and wrench herself free of the wall’s grasp, trying to avoid being pressed against what she knows will harm her worse than any of the massive beasts this tower holds. ]

wildcarding it up.

[growlies]

( There's a three-headed dog monster roughly the size of a wolf in the middle of this game on this level of the tower. Each of its heads aim an attack toward the abominations chasing after it - flame born from its opened, parted mouths. The strength of this fire sweeps up several of the abominations at once. Another one of the heads reaches out to latch hold of the arm of the abomination.

Cerberus craves violence, destruction, and there is no one to hold on to the chains wrapped around each paw.

But more are coming, and so is the scarecrow. Red doesn't see her yet - Fei. The shock and worry might be enough to force her to shift back alone, but so much of this monster is what is alive now, awake now, unafraid and ancient and made for death itself. )

[snowcleave]

[ Were it not for the way it fights against the Scarecrow's creatures, Fei would have written the three-headed hound off as another manifestation of this world's ugly power. Instead, she sees something else in need of defense and doesn't hesitate to charge ahead.

Unsheathed Youhuang sings as it cuts through the air, moved in an arching spiral that provides Fei with all the cover she needs to overwhelm each creature she encounters. She keeps the creatures back, felling one before she speaks over her shoulder. ]

Little doggie, do not turn on me once I get these thorns out of your paw.

[ She has been on this floor long enough, thank you, and with such an ally at her side, perhaps this is her chance to reach the elevator and go further up. ]

[scrapgege]

[And then there's a hand catching her shoulder and pulling her back with rather more ease one would expect from those long, elegant fingers... but once you remember this is the guy who flicked a person through a wall and didn't react to being stabbed, it makes more sense.

At the same time, the bandage around his arm suddenly unravels and shoots towards the wall and cleanly cuts through the limbs coming out while deftly avoiding getting any black stains on itself. Once done, it comes back to warp around his arm. It doesn't have a face, but it somehow still looks like a puppy expecting praise.]

Are you alright? Did you get any of that black thing on you?

[snowcleave]

[ Of all the people she'd want to have to face the challenge of this dangerous tower with, the seemingly indestructible Xie Lian is a welcome sight. It's not one she dwells on, too busy looking down and taking stock of her well-being, ensuring that while those spores got close, they hadn't had a chance to make contact, and after a few assuring pats to the front of her tunic, Fei gives him a nod. ]

I'm fine. Let's keep going. All of these walls can grab you.

[ Fei lifts Youhuang again and moves forward through the corridor, prepared to cut back anything that tries to grab either of them. ]

Your bandage is a useful weapon.

it is time for violence

[fushichou]

[This floor is pretty gross, but it's also more comfortable for someone created for combat. The mannequins and the big spooky scarecrow aren't great, of course, but Kanesada doesn't fear them, necessarily. It's just a matter of not getting caught by them. And, well, he does have his trusty sword in hand, so as long as he doesn't get careless, he doesn't worry too much.

Apparently, he can say the same for some of the other people who have gotten stuck here. That woman getting dragged into a wall? Not great. He rushes over, sword already drawn, and slashes at the arms of the wall-dwellers so they'll release their quarry. He's able to slice through one, but the others are only wounded. Or, well, as wounded as things get here. Can they even feel pain? With their luck, probably not. But he does enough damage to loosen their hold, at least.]

Now! Pull away!

[He makes sure to step back from the walls, as well. How embarrassing that would be if he ended up in the same predicament he'd just rescued someone else from.]

hello my love

[snowcleave]

[ When she's cut free Fei doesn't spare any time with catching her breath, as much as she wants to, springing into action after stooping quickly enough to secure Youhuang back in her grasp.

One hand rests on the sword's spine as she lunges towards a set of hands as they stretch towards her rescuer, cutting them free of the wall before she grabs onto the man's shoulder and pulls him further down the corridor, where the passage starts to widen, hopefully making it harder to get caught. ]

Have you been trapped on this floor for a long time?

[ She's given herself up so others can go ahead, but, it's getting old, maybe she's finally crossed paths with the right person to get her out of here. ]

iv: heaven is a place where nothing ever happens

[snowcleave]

[ The pavilion beside the Ximo River is especially resplendent on this day in the middle of spring. Nestled between the mountains, Fei can hear the sound of the river flowing, and the wheels that keep the Pulling Array working as they turn ever onward behind her.

Rude little girl, stop staring and come sit down.

The gruff voice is a warm echo, pulling at her heartstrings while it drains the deep black from her hair, leaving it snowy white. Fei takes one step forward, then another while tears spill down her cheeks, the ache in her chest flaring before the warmth of this moment soothes the pain away. ]

Elder Uncle?

[ Fei’s voice, ordinarily such a firm and concise sounding thing, falters, and she reaches out with hands that seem to sink in and wrinkle in a moment, spotting with age as though years move by in minutes. ]

[matermali]

[ Vanessa isn't one to normally be able to tell the different from reality and visions, at least not so easily. To witness such a beautiful vista echoed into this cursed tower leaves her increasingly nervous, and seeing Fei's enthrallment doesn't help.

When she reaches to catch at Fei's sleeve to try and steal the woman's attention, there's a stumble in Vanessa's step when she looks upon the rapidly declining state of her companion this closely. ]

Miss Zhou... Can you hear me?

[snowcleave]

[ Though she should remember the last time she saw the old man, lips blue from poison, posed in an eternal state of meditation, his death is forgotten when he rounds the corner, and enters, arms open wide.

Miss Zhou...Can you hear me?

But why would Elder Uncle call her as such? Only strangers use such terms. ]

You do not like me anymore Uncle? Did I wait too long to visit?

[ She laughs merrily, unfettered by the weight of years and countless tribulations, and props a hand on her hip, a show of feigned insolence. ]