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

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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

[thedreamer]

[ There's a larger, more menacing minotaur lurking somewhere beyond them, the Doctor is well aware. And wherever that creature happens to be at the present moment, he certainly hasn't helped in keeping their whereabouts a secret - that, at least, he's also aware of. But things happen quickly in moments of great duress, split second decisions that can't be mulled over at length. He's drawn attention to them, but he's kept Red safe; given the choice again, he'd do the very same thing. The beast that comes for them may be big enough to fill this labyrinth entirely, but its size would be minuscule by comparison to the Doctor's rage, were any harm to come to Red or Vanessa.

Here again, he must make a choice - tend to Red, tend to the whimpering beast. But why does he have to choose? He can help them both. It intended to harm his friend, yes, but it was weeping as it approached them. Why? Does it fear the larger beast, as they do? Was it compelled to seek them out? To set them as bait and trap for its kin? It begs to be hidden, cowers in fear.

As always with the Doctor, these many thoughts and questions swirl around in his mind as quickly as one draws breath. He wastes no time at all mulling it over, but by his nature, he has to consider every possibility.

Red is his first priority and as she's helped to her feet by both himself and Vanessa, he spares a moment to briefly cradle her cheek in his hand. A fraction of a second, a chance to meet her eyes, to study, to assess, to make sure she's...well, as okay as she can be at the moment. He leans in, kissing her forehead briefly, a moment to betray his own fear, yet to assure himself of her well-being at the same time. He trusts Vanessa to keep an eye on her now as he turns his focus to the minotaur in front of them.

Holding his hands out, palms up, he approaches slowly and cautiously, making sure to keep himself solidly between Vanessa and Red, and the minotaur. ]

I'm sorry, I am, but you were hurting my friend. He forced you to do it, didn't he? Your brother. You're afraid of him, too, we all are, and we can help each other. Let me help you, first, with this. [ Still taking it slow, he approaches, his hands held out in a gesture of innocence as he reaches for the axe. He's moving slowly enough, talking softly enough, that it seems amenable for the moment. Anything in enough pain would be, probably, and so the Doctor carefully dislodges the axe, tossing it aside in the water. ]

I'm the Doctor and I'm very glad to meet you. None of us want to be here, do we? Dreadful place, really, not my scene. Can I know your name? [ The two heads just keep crying while the third seems to...vaguely understand what he's saying, yet offers no name. To which, the Doctor simply claps and then rubs his hands together, offering the creature a gentle smile. ]

No name? That's okay! We all have to start somewhere. You look like - Theodore. Teddy! Had a good friend called Teddy once. And I don't leave friends behind. Will you come with us? Help us?

[ If he could communicate telepathically with Red and Vanessa right now, he'd be telling them to run, to take this opportunity with the distraction he's created, and just go. Where, is the question, but they could get a headstart down a different path at least. As it is, he glances over his shoulder for a moment at both of them, his eyes briefly flickering with a look that almost begs, if they catch what he's trying to silently say. Immediately, though, he puts a smile back on his face and turns back to the minotaur. ]

We can all get out of here together, Teddy. You don't deserve to be trapped here anymore than we do. Show us the way out, eh?

[growlies]

( Red is grateful for Vanessa's hand up to a standing position so she isn't on her knees if this beast decides to lunge again. There's just a bruise across her neck, nothing more, impossible to see even in this lighting. Emotion swarms her chest stupidly now that she realizes how much danger both of them put themselves in to come back to get her like this. They could have used it as a chance to escape, to get out. She gets to her feet with her hand on Vanessa's arm, and then catches her breath. Vanessa's violent desire is shared, but then the Doctor takes a moment to check on her. He cradles her cheek and then kisses her forehead before turning to face the monster. It's enough to drain some of the violence in her for the surprise it brings her, staring up at him, struggling to process.

And her stupid fucking eyes start to burn and a knot lodges in her throat at the gesture, at the softness of it all and the protectiveness, and there really isn't time to sort out all her godsdamn feelings. And she doesn't-

Stupid fucking, godsdamn emotions.

Now he is placing himself in front of the same monster that attacked her. He is having a jovial word with it as if it deserves a chance (she would have told him not to have taken a chance on her either, on what she was if he'd stumbled on her in the Underworld). And she is not able to utter a word between the pain in her throat and the emotion lodged there. She only looks up toward Vanessa who looks as murderous as Red feels, and then to the Doctor when he looks back. She mouths a: Fuck no. She is not leaving him or Vanessa like they wouldn't leave her. She moves slowly toward the axe to try not to draw its attention to her, but she wants to be armed, and she wants to cut its limbs off one by one if it even dares to lash out toward him or Vanessa or them both. )

[matermali]

[ Even Vanessa is stunned at the sight of the Doctor turning his conversational gifts on the ugly beast that had just been dragging Red to God only knows what fate. To the other beast? To something worse, if she could not overpower it in time? The thought keeps her eyes narrowed on the minotaur and her knife well outward once it's established that Red seems able to breathe.

Never has she seen such a creature, but any awe she might feel at the newness of it is mired in revulsion. This thing intended to make off and murder one of her own, and she feels no compassion from (nor for) its twisted features as it limps upward and then a bit sideways while it regains balance. The one that doesn't weep whispers, but it's a whisper that tries too hard and Vanessa thinks it means for everyone within the prison to hear. If you like. Sorry about that. Just wanted you to hide with me. Brother was near.

To which, Vanessa shakes her head should anyone look her way. Does she get a vote? She isn't leaving the Doctor alone with it, and she will not follow anything that calls the other one brother, even if it hadn't just made such a terrible first impression. She inches closer to the Doctor; her whisper is in a huff.

First Red, and now he has tried to offer himself the martyr if that glance was any indication. Vanessa isn't even acknowledging the hypocrisy of it, not mere moments after agreeing to remain together. She travels with lovable fools. ]

Doctor, anything it tells us will be a trick. We cannot follow him, not after that. Nor can we allow him to roam and tell his brother where to find us.

[ One of the grotesque heads weeps louder at the sight of Red getting closer to the axe, and the one that had spoken of its brother is blinking a little too much at Vanessa, like it can hear her just fine despite the incessant noise of the other heads. What's she going to do to it?

Already she's glancing to where the noosed rope lay, and wonders where the rope they had dropped still floated. It may be too strong to be tied up with such a simple tool. It also may not take too kindly to the violence being further implied by the two standing behind the Doctor. She knows in its stance, and her gut. Violence is inevitable, no matter how they tried to proceed. ]

[thedreamer]

[ Why couldn't they just have run? That was his intention here, for the two of them to run. He could stand here as long as it took, chatting up the minotaur, taking every blow it might wish to land on his body. They could have gotten away, they could have been safe. He can't blame them for something he would have done himself, of course, but he can't help feeling that same panic rise in him that he always feels when those he cares for most are in danger. They may reach a point soon where there's a limit to what he can do to keep them safe and he dreads to think of it. Then again, he'd said only a short while ago they were stronger together. Not so now; now, Red and Vanessa just need to run far away and get to safety.

It's not lost on him that his approach is, perhaps, overly compassionate and idealistic. The thought that for a moment, he could appeal to the monster's own fear, is not the choice many (or even most) would have made. He's aware of Red reaching for the axe and he can feel Vanessa close to him. She's too close, it's not safe, should the minotaur advance. He looks to her over his shoulder now, worry in his eyes, whispering back to her with a tone that's firm and laced with an edge of burgeoning fear. Fear for her, for Red, not for himself. ]

Vanessa, please-

[ The rest of his plea is cut off as the minotaur, clearly lost to its own madness and beyond helping, suddenly lunges and reaches out for any or all of them. Because his sight is briefly turned away from the minotaur, the Doctor doesn't see its long arm swiping towards them, otherwise he would have pushed Vanessa out of the way before it could injure her. Instead, it reaches for Vanessa, grabbing onto her for a moment while the Doctor lunges for it in return in an attempt to sever its hold on her, to no avail; its grip is too strong, and though it seems to struggle for a moment - the Doctor is hoping that Vanessa has at least managed to injure it further with the dagger she'd been gripping - it tosses her unceremoniously back into the water.

The Doctor turns his trust back to Red, hoping she was successful in grabbing the axe, as he rushes forward towards Vanessa, his hearts pounding loudly to his own ears. ]

Vanessa!

[ Not knowing the extent of her injuries and with the fear the undead will pull her fully under the water, the Doctor is by her side as swiftly as he can be, nearly desperate in his efforts to keep her safe. ]

[growlies]

Fuck!

( Red shouts the word out as Vanessa goes flying, and worry spikes in her heart like she's never felt before. The swell of violent rage that had been building inside of her chooses this moment to explode explode. This wasn't supposed to happen. She cannot even look to see if she's okay or breathing or alive. A hit like that could- No. She is not letting herself think, cannot think at all beyond that swell of explosiveness. She reaches for the axe, needing to utilize that Cerberus strength which only ever comes to her in bursts, but it sure as fuck is gonna come to her in this burst if she has anything to say about it.

The Doctor's chasing after her. He's got the name for a reason. He can help her. He will help her.

The mini minotaur starts to chase after the Doctor and Vanessa, and starts to speak again, You'll be my friends if you come down in the water with me. Take a drink. Swallow it up. Join me.. An inhuman growl leaves her before she launches herself at its back. She aims and angles the axe right in between its shoulder blades. The blade meets its mark, sinking inside, as blood flies out at her in turn. It howls out in pain, trying to reach for her or the axe in its back, but not being able to.

She grips to the axe with both her hands. The rest of her body curls around the handle as she remains on the thing's back, catching sight of a glint of metal at its arm. She'll grab that before she goes, but first: Her voice is a low hiss against one of its heads: )

You won't touch them again.

[matermali]

[ The impact with the water, shallow as it is, leaves Vanessa too stunned to move at first. Sounds are a all just a single buzz. She didn't have enough time to see exactly where her knife got stuck on the beast, but she sorely wishes she had it against the myriad hands creeping and tugging and yanking at her while she's still dazed. The rank water is almost everywhere now, in at least one ear, where the buzzing muffles. It's only a moment, really, just a blink in time, and then sound and panic rush in all at once. Water sloshing, voices shouting, and another roar from somewhere not so distant anymore.

She hears her name, she hears another invitation from the weeping minotaur, and if instinct isn't enough to encourage her to hold her breath the moment she's pulled underwater, then spite is a fine substitute. Unfortunately, she's still winded from the landing and if she can't wrench the rotting from her shoulders and arms in time to get free, she may not have a choice in 'drinking the water'.

In the back of her mind, in the mist, she worries what the monster is doing to her friends. It makes her movements all the more frantic as she splashes and kicks, slapping and ripping at hands with such a fervor that she can't immediately tell when a pair belongs to the Doctor. As soon as she notices his murky silhouette from the dim torchlight beyond, however, Vanessa latches desperately to his arm. ]

[thedreamer]

[ He can hear Red quite clearly in the distance, struggling with the minotaur and seeming to overcome it, if the monstrous wails of distress are any indication. Her subsequent rage-filled warning to the creature reminds him so much of what he'd seen in her mind only recently: Cerberus unleashed. If she can't control it here, he worries for her, what it will do to her.

She's safe for now, he has to tell himself. If only he could be with her and Vanessa at the same time, but he has to prioritize in the moment, and that means kneeling in close to tend to Vanessa. He pays no mind to the way she swats at him, understanding her disorientation and fear, but working to calm her as quickly as he can. ]

Vanessa, it's me, you're safe.

[ His voice is firm, husky with concern, decisive. He can't be sure how long she'll be safe, but he'll do whatever it takes. With her hand on his arm, the Doctor briefly cradles her cheek in his other hand, looking her over in a matter of seconds, trying to ascertain her injuries while also knowing they just don't have time. She's being grabbed at, pulled under, and he kicks and hits at the hands as hard as he can to get Vanessa free. ]

We need to move quickly. Please, let me do this. [ This, meaning, to lift her into his arms, while they have precious few seconds to spare as the undead hands briefly retreat from his assault. She may be able to stand and move easily in a moment, but right now, he can't risk her being grabbed again and the larger minotaur sounds like it's bearing down on them. From which direction, he can't be entirely sure. If she allows it, he'll lift her as delicately as he can, mindful not to jostle any unseen injuries, though it's likely unavoidable.

He quickly turns back to Red now, to look up ahead and make sure she's okay. ]

Red!

[ Tell me you're okay, tell me you've got it. You need to be okay, you have to be, his thoughts tumble through his mind in a rush of fear.

The bloodied minotaur appears gravely wounded and though he'd been ready to offer it mercy only a few moments ago, he feels a relief at knowing Red has done what he should have.

I'm sorry, he thinks, but doesn't say, because they don't have time for it. His mercy - he got it wrong, made a mistake, and now it's put them all in greater danger. ]

[growlies]

( Red manages to reach out to grab hold of Vanessa's knife in the minotaur's arm, and she yanks it out. There is a moment where she holds the blade where her bloodlust demands more from her - there's the intense desire to stab it in all of its eyes until it cannot see any longer, until it really regrets ever touching Vanessa or betraying the Doctor when he had been trying to help it.

She breathes in sharp through the feeling barely managing to contain it, and then she sends a psychic, ancient growl into the smaller minotaur's heads to show him what she really is deep down. He must be thinking it now: how she is like his brother - only worse. She hopes he is thinking that. The minotaur wails again in fear this time, crying for his brother, before she drops away from the axe as he runs off in the other direction. Her feet hit the floor roughly, splashing up some of the water in the process.

It's still alive. She doubts it can die like she could not die in the Underworld. Her existence too tied to the place, but at least she's bought them time.

She turns at the sound of the Doctor calling her, meeting his gaze, taking in a breath of relief that he's got Vanessa in his arms and he seems to be in one piece too for now. Sorry, yes, he's sorry. She sees that even at this distance, but she can be the monster if he wants to offer help first, to offer healing. She wouldn't know how to do that part of it anyway. She's covered in its blood, breathing heavily, bruise around her throat, but she's fine. Red rushes back over to them. )

Vanessa? Are you- ( okay, hurt, alive, breathing. She's in the Doctor's arms, and- and she didn't swallow the water, did she? )

[matermali]

[ A gasp when she's suddenly freed from the foggy water, dripping from unkempt hair to soaked leather boots. It takes her a moment to re-orient as the Doctor hauls her back onto something almost resembling solid ground, though that's a generous term. Her hands twist into his jacket like claws at first, her breaths coming in only slightly pained rattles. The cut on her leg from fallen rubble isn't even felt, not really. Just the pounding of her heart registers. Then their voices, but it seems louder than even their voices, and she just keeps hearing names. Hers. Red's.

Red. Her head snaps around at the girl's voice.

Finally gasping for air, assured that she isn't about to drink some kind of deathly poison that the ghastly beast had tried inviting her to, Vanessa weakens her grip and gently pushes at the Doctor's chest. She can walk. She is well enough. If anything, she's embarrassed, but that is overcome by relief at seeing the both of them in one piece.

Seeing the minotaur just as it flees, Vanessa's eyes narrow. That earlier twisting in her stomach feels lighter now, like moths have unraveled the tangle. Silent if not for the thrumming of their wings. Futile, though. No light for anyone here.

There's pride for the damage done by Red's own hand, but disappointment that it does not lay dead. A bit of a wheeze while still catching her breath. It seems she never will. ]

I am─ I am well. We endure. But now it will alert its brother.

[thedreamer]

[ The Doctor assures himself that Vanessa is steady before he lets go, and even then, his eyes linger over her for a moment. Is she well? No, he doesn't believe that. Neither is Red. Are they both well enough for the journey ahead? He has to trust that they are because they have no other choice. They've both been injured, he failed to protect them, and this tower continues to play games with them. Gone is the Doctor's characteristically convivial and almost childlike demeanor. In its place is an ancient Time Lord wearied and burdened by loss and the impending fear of more of the same. He will not lose either of them, he will not allow anything at all to take them from him.

Shadows pass over his eyes now as he draws his gaze from Vanessa to Red. He feels the swelling dark rise in him when he notes Vanessa's injuries and the bruising around Red's neck, the blood on her, the blood she's spilled for them. She won't spill anymore blood alone in this labyrinth. Is this, then, what he must become again? Waiting for them in the darkness are two monsters, and it should be an easy thing, to accept that they must be killed. But it won't end there, he knows. This is just the beginning.

The memories are always near him, his past lives, the way he'd forced a regeneration upon himself to become a warrior, to do the unthinkable. What will this world make him? He holds on, the best he can, to his guiding principles, to be a healer, to be kind, never cruel, never cowardly. He fears nothing for his own sake, and he'll do what has to be done to keep them safe.

The Doctor briefly brushes his thumb across Red's cheek, his hearts aching at the blood that stains the pad of his thumb. I'm sorry, he thinks again, his eyes carrying regret and resolve.

Dropping his hand and then saying nothing else at all, the Doctor steps a few paces ahead of them, kneeling to search the water, fighting back any hands that grab at him. He finds more daggers (stuffing a few of them in his pockets), more rope bundles, and then he grabs another axe, with more confidence this time. He feels nothing but a sinking dread and aversion to the notion of what awaits him when confronted with the minotaur again. He'll be as merciful as he can be, even at the end, if it comes to that. He hopes it doesn't. Finally, he turns back to look at both of them, his words firm when he speaks. ]

We're not trapped here forever, there's a way out and we'll find it. I'm able to see hundreds of yards away, very clearly in the dark so I'm going up ahead to scout it. If the bigger monster finds us first - well, everything has a weakness, some have many. We'll figure that out, too. It's safe here for a moment. Have my back and don't argue.

[ The hands continue their intermittent assault, but they seem to be on more solid-ish footing at the moment. The labyrinth was designed to be confusing, nearly impossible to escape, but the Doctor is good at puzzles. He just needs a little time.

He hands a few of the extra daggers to both of them, if they'll accept. ]

Five minutes. Give me five minutes.

[growlies]

( They do not have time to argue as much as those arguments rise up in her throat, get caught there, burning in her throat (she did not argue for countless centuries in the Underworld - followed orders, obeyed).

The Doctor looks at her with another I'm sorry from closer this time as he brushes away the blood with such gentleness that it reaches her even in the middle of her violence and anger, but she shakes her head, harsh and hard in response. No. There isn't anything to be sorry about. She does not regret the blood she spilled, and she would (and will) do it again.

Vanessa is breathing. She is alive. There's relief in that. There's knowing what would have happened if she'd stayed back, hidden. The Doctor had a chance to pull her out of the water, because Red dove the axe into the monster's back. She will do what she has to, and it is another reason she does not bother to argue with him. If she senses trouble, if she senses he could get hurt or die (he knows she can die), she will step in - fuck the five minutes. Fuck waiting a full five minutes here in the water to see if maybe he comes back, to hear it all from a distance and know-. He can be angry at her for it so long as he is alive to be angry at her at all.

She takes the knife from him. Her hand grips the blade with tension still radiating through her body. Cerberus wants to come out still. She feels the way it claws at her ribcage, but she hasn't figured out how to unleash it from her body, how to make that switch - doesn't know what will happen if she does so (has been too afraid to). Her gaze lifts to Vanessa, knowing the other woman feels the same and would do what she felt was necessary if it came to it. She has a dark, violent power inside of her. She has magic. They are all three capable of brutality if a situation calls for that, she's aware, but there's a guilt in him and a line of ghosts he feels responsible for, and she guesses he doesn't want to add them to the pile (and some other reason he gives monsters all these chances that she doesn't have the time to think about, to consider).

What happened to sticking together? To having a higher chance of being cornered if they split up? Vanessa was right earlier. Red is learning how to navigate these situations, and this all feels wrong. But they do not have time to argue. )

Get moving then. ( She will wait until he cannot hear them follow - thirty seconds and then track after him. )

[matermali]

[ A twitch in the corner of her eye while she wrestles off her burdensome coat. It's abandoned in a soggy pile off to the side. Her breaths have begun to steady, but only just barely so when one of her companions is yet again trying to fling themselves into solitary danger. She can't see the purpose in it. What weakness can he hope to find? Their best hope is to seek the exit before it finds them. To seek it out just begs more trouble.

Just before she (grudgingly) accepts a dagger from him, Vanessa clasps at his wrist, pushing the sleeve up so that her palm can feel his hearts beat. He's sorry, but his apologies mean nothing if they lead to a wasted death. Vanessa trusts that any of them can die in this ghoulish prison. There's no argument from her only because she also knows there's no time for one.

She glares through the frustration, but her touch is soft for a moment before she takes the knife and curtly nods. ]

Do not play at our savior. There are no heroes here.

[ Only demons, only monsters. They have to fight smarter. ]

[thedreamer]

[ He would agree with that; he is far from being a savior or a hero. He's just a Doctor. All that he wants now is to find the way out. He doesn't want to fight, and he's hopeful his searching down the corridor will lead them out of here. He locks eyes with Vanessa for a moment, letting his gaze linger on her, a tumult of emotions surfacing for just a few seconds. His thumb briefly strokes across her palm before she takes the knife from him and lets go.

He spares no glance behind him now, just moving forward with purpose and intent. There are so many myths, legends, fairytales throughout the universe. He's familiar with bits of most of them, familiar enough with knowledge of the minotaur to realize the beast they're facing likely shouldn't be able to see them well. If true, its other senses would be heightened to compensate so it's little comfort, but it does give them at least a slight advantage if they're stealthy enough, and if he's correct. This tower - this world - has a way of twisting things, so he could be completely wrong about such an assumption. But for a creature with potentially poor vision, what would stop them in their tracks? As he moves carefully forward, his thoughts turn and twist, puzzling it out, along with what they can do if the creature turns out to have full use of all of its senses. He thinks again that he'd prefer not to kill it; to immobilize it, yes, to ensnare and trap it where it can't hurt anyone, absolutely. He will destroy, he has destroyed, but he's shed enough blood in his long life to wish for it to always be avoided at all cost.

When he does reach the end of this corridor, wanting to ensure they remember they've been down this way, the Doctor opts for laying down a line of rope to mark their path. As he stops and flattens himself against the wall, he slowly and carefully sticks his head out to begin looking in each direction and visualizing the paths down each corridor up ahead of them. He can see far enough in the distance to ascertain that all but one path has twisting curves. The last one to the far left goes straight down for quite a distance, where he can see a shadow of something that looks to be a way out. ]

[growlies]

I can't just wait here.

( Red looks back toward Vanessa as she starts to move. Even if she didn't know everything Clara had told her, she could not just wait, sit, be still, do nothing, but Clara's words remind her that his dying means more than his death. The selfish thing is... his death alone would be reason for her to act, but she understands now his death means potentially the death of galaxies, of so many people.

So he can't.

She can't let him. It'd be easy to lean on the nobility of it all, but in truth, she just doesn't want him to die. She doesn't want to lose him, and she trusts Vanessa to make the choices that are necessary even if they're not the good ones. Her shoulders are tense, her knife is drawn in close, ready to strike. )

I'm following. Are you coming with?

( She doesn't want to leave Vanessa here alone, but Red's going to leave- going to follow, she feels like she's crawling out of her skin to try to remain in one spot. )

[matermali]

[ Red's response to the departure is expected, and any delay on Vanessa's part is only due to pulling her hair back out of her face so she can better see, and ringing out at least an ounce of water from the upper half of her skirts so she can more easily follow. She's not a stranger to night work, but somehow flooding had never been a threat before. Rolling up her sleeves isn't easy when everything is so saturated from the slimy water, but she manages while stepping after Red.

Her own knife returned, it's folded and slipped back into her pocket so that she can favor the dagger that the Doctor gave her. It may not be in prime condition, but it may serve for at least one hit.

This is nothing against the Doctor's capabilities. She's known him to face down something of a god and nearly succeed, bearing his soul rather than shedding blood, but it was another's sacrifice that saved him then. Perhaps a Minotaur won't prove as formidable as the old god, but Vanessa has little qualms in following Red. She isn't going to seek out the exit without them knowing where she's gone, although she wonders if she might not slow the girl down. Vanessa's limp is slight, but present, and the pain is more than just the cut on her leg. Certain steps draw such a pang in her middle that she is careful not to breathe too deep.

It's a labyrinth, so it could be all too easy to lose him. Staying put for his return may be best in that regard, but the Minotaur would soon know to go there. She wonders if Red is somehow able to track the Doctor through these tunnels. When not having to fend off a groping hand from the waters, her gaze is sharp on the girl's tangled hair; it's still brighter than the flickering torchlight at times. If it weren't so damp, she wonders if the torches could have been used as weapons against the colossal-sounding monster somewhere beyond in the maze of halls and rooms.

Her voice is barely a whisper, wondering just how pronounced Red's hearing is. ]

I did not mean to sound ungrateful. You were formidable, and likely saved us all. Thank you.

[growlies]

( Red is currently tracking the Doctor. This place messes with her abilities, her senses, which she's sure is on fucking purpose, but she is confident in her ability to follow his scent if she's not too far behind. She knew Vanessa would go with her even if Red's wincing because she can tell the other woman is in pain. There's just nothing they can do about it until they get out of here.

And they're going to get the fuck out of here - all three of them.

The statement though makes her blink in surprise. It's a whisper, but she hears it as clear as if she had spoken it loudly, but it's the nature of the words and the thank you that surprises her more than anything.

She looks over her shoulder at her, keeping her voice quiet too. )

You didn't. ( Sound ungrateful. Red hadn't even been thinking about gratefulness or anything like that. Then she clears her throat, ducking her head. Her one free, bloodied hand slips back behind her neck. ) I couldn't... do anything else. When I saw it hit you, I reacted. But it's not like I've got endless super strength when I'm like this so hopefully we don't run into the big guy. ( She's not sure how many more bursts of strength or speed are left in her. )

[matermali]

[ She has given up marking the way forward. Any pitiful scratches her little knife may have made in the wall were likely impossible to see, especially in such a damp climate, and as it is she doesn't want to slow down their progress any further.

It's frustrating that she's unable to sense exactly where it is they need to go, or where they need to avoid. In the past, her clairvoyance had been able to guide her and her party to success, but everything is muddled here and it only seems to worsen. All she ever seems to feel is looming dread. A promise of despair.

There's further gratitude for Red's tracking abilities, then. And should they need further violence? Vanessa is beginning to feel the pressure of it, more-so on hearing that Red's strength may be limited. "Like this." ]

The Doctor is also formidable. Perhaps he can outwit the threat.

[growlies]

Yeah, he is. ( She trusts in his skills and abilities. She knows he's incredibly smart and knows way more than she could ever hope to know. There's everything Clara told her about him being a hero, about how if he dies now then a lot of galaxies die too even if that's not why she's so focused on saving him. Red's not a hero, but he is, and if anyone could outwit a minotaur and its labyrinth it would be the Doctor. God knows how many more monsters he has faced up against, and how many of them has he also given a chance to first? She wonders.

Is that why he has so many lives, so many regenerations? Tension still radiates through her. )

And I hope he does outwit the big dude, or better yet I hope we just find the fucking exit to this shithole. ( She winces and then looks back at Vanessa. Red knows she has magic of her own, but she doesn't know how- this place has affected it. She doesn't know if there's anything Vanessa will be able to do, and Red knows her magic uses her blood too, which is a shitty thing when she's already limping and nearly drowned. ) But we've had bad luck so far so I won't hold my breath, y'know?

[matermali]

[ Vanessa knows the importance of hope, even through the fears that seem to never end. Hope for survival is not the same as hope for an end, though. Such danger will always lure, and she doubts Red can say no to the call any more than Vanessa can. Yet, why must it always endanger those who deserve a better end? ]

We are alive. I would consider that good luck.

[ Though the optimism is forced, it's sincere, and Vanessa almost smiles through the flicker of fire and shadow. The girl cares so much, and while Vanessa understands the need for violence, it's always a shame when it must be called upon for the sake of something so pure as affection. It twists devotion into vengeance, and Vanessa knows how ugly that can be. ]

[growlies]

( Red does look over her shoulder at Vanessa to smirk lightly at that. Vanessa does not strike her as a particularly optimistic person so she realizes that she is saying this for Red's benefit, but she's genuine about it, and so it affects her nonetheless.

And granted, it's a good reminder. Red's not really used to being alive so this has all been an experience in the true fragility of life and how important it is: something as simple as breathing still. )

True. Alive, and we've all still got all of our limbs so far so, y'know, from that perspective, we're not doing half bad.

( There is a pause then because she senses the Doctor's headed back this way. She can hear his movement, which means he is closer. )

He's almost here so maybe we've even hit the jackpot. ( aka they're lucky enough to find a way out. )

[matermali]

[ If not for the occasional optimism, that stretch for hope always just in the distance, Vanessa wouldn't be alive to be walking into this new danger with new friends, she's certain enough. And if this is how it will be, endlessly, then better to survive it. May it only end when satisfaction is found.

That's enough to hope for.

Staying quiet so that they aren't easily detected should they actually be nearing the Doctor, the mention of a jackpot unsettles her steps, caution slowing her down more than any grasping hands from beneath. Do they have the right cards to bid on the jackpot?

Wary that such optimism might be taken too far, but hoping her rising unease is mere paranoia, Vanessa stays silent and nearby. ]

[thedreamer]

[ As he promised, the Doctor is making his way back down the winding corridor to Vanessa and Red, smiling when he sees them. It's a shift from when he left them because he's feeling far more optimistic now himself, more in control. He can see the way out (it must be the way out). The only challenge that remains is crossing over from one passageway to the next. They'll be exposed, and the threat of monsters remains.

He's still holding an axe and he has three long threads of rope draped around the back of his neck now, hanging over his shoulders. He reasons that, should something happen as they make their way to the exit, the more rope the better. If either minotaur can be captured somehow, it's preferable, but he has the axe in his hand still for a reason.

When he gets up close to Vanessa and Red, his eyes light up and he grins far more brightly than anyone in their current circumstances really should, but then he immediately presses a finger to his lips, silently conveying that they all need to remain as quiet as possible.

The minotaur - the big one - isn't far from them, so it's even more critical than ever to not alert it to their presence. So, he'll attempt to communicate with gestures; it's a difficult thing for someone as loquacious as the Doctor. But he claps his hands together softly, just once - giddy and excited - and then he points down the corridor over his shoulder before looking back at them, rewarding them with an enthusiastic thumbs up by way of silent explanation.

Just down that way, just a little further to go, and they'll be on their way out. ]

[growlies]

( Well, Red may have offered some optimism of her own, but that doesn't mean she actually expected the Doctor to show up, looking both giddy and exciting and giving them the happiest thumbs up. Then he does some form of charades that she manages to translate well enough. He found the way out, and he managed to do so without alerting the minotaurs any further than they already have been so that's... actually really good news. Other than the one minotaur being near, but if they're quiet and fast, they should be good, right?

She smirks fondly at him, but she will lift her hands up to finger-gun back, signaling she gets it and will do.

Quiet, got it. Just a little further away, can do. Stay close, check.

She'll look to Vanessa though and gesture for her to go first - between her and the Doctor if only because she's limping and also has all those skirts of her dress to worry about (gonna remind her to wear pants next time). Red wants to make sure she'll be able to make it okay, not fall too far behind or anything. )

[matermali]

[ The silent exchange between Red and the Doctor is as bewildering as it is heartwarming, but their emphasis on the positive leaves her unwilling to sour any hope that may be provided by possible escape (if she understood the Doctor's motioning correctly).

Curious about the rope he's gathered, Vanessa will lift one of the pieces from over his shoulders when moving to walk behind him. He must be thinking something similar to what Vanessa considered earlier, then. Perhaps the rope is sturdier than it seems and could well hold a minotaur in place, if they could manage it without being gutted in the process.

Hopefully it doesn't come to that. It would be nice for that ever present dread to be false for once. ]

[thedreamer]

[ He does spare them both one more cheerful, reassuring smile before walking up ahead again, leading them down the winding corridor that begins to narrow as it empties out towards the end. The Doctor pauses there, holding up his hand to signal both Vanessa and Red to stop just a moment as well. The howling of the minotaurs continues, echoing all around them, though for the moment, they appear to be safe.

He waits a few more seconds and then steps out further. It's a bit disquieting, how easy it is to step forward, even while they continue to hear distant howls of the ever present minotaurs. They could come from any direction, and the Doctor keeps vigilant watch all around them as they walk. Ten steps ahead, just ten steps. Then nine, then eight...he treads as lightly as possible, grateful that as they move more rapidly, the undead hands seem to ease their assault. When they come upon the corridor that will lead to their exit, the Doctor smiles at them both again for a moment, briefly over his shoulder, before focusing again on the path ahead.

As they pass the threshold, despite it being a long walk towards the exit, the Doctor is far more hopeful now, until he hears a sloshing sound descend on them rapidly. The smaller minotaur has returned, it seems, and they have precious few seconds to react. Recalling quickly its previous moments, the way it hesitated over a boundary of rubble, and the poor eyesight he presumes it has, he quickly darts in front of Red and throws down a line of rope in a desperate - and possibly foolish - hope that the corridor will appear to be impassable to the creature. Like closing off part of the maze itself. Will it work? ]