[Legends of the Modern Age (Scion)] Chapter 1.B: Enter the Labyrinth

shepsquared

shepsquared

Hopeful Fool
You have endured the lobby of the strange hotel and have ventured down a nondescript corridor, one that lies directly opposite to the entrance to the toilets (Or that's what the sign says).


The walls are blank and the end is nowhere in sight. You feeling of unease grows with every step you take, but given what you know of the place so far, it is understandable.


Ahead of you lies a fork. To the left, a mirror. To the right, a pit.
 
Kendra stopped and waited for the others to decide which way was better. She tapped her flashlight against her leg in some kind of song-rhythm. It was kind of how she dealt with unease or boredom. Which she was feeling both right now.


"Get your motor runnin'." She suddenly said, her voice just as song-like as her flashlight-on-leg drumming. "Head out on the highway. Lookin' for adventure. And whatever comes our way."


And now her foot was tapping as she waited. "Yeah, darlin' go make it happen. Take the world in a love embrace. Fire all of your guns at once... And explode into space!"
 
Who would put a pit in the corridor of a hotel? Well, it wasn't a first-rate hotel, but even then she supposed it was better than putting one on the second floor. She used her magical sight to inspect the mirror then turned it on to the pit. If there was anything magical, she needed to inform the others.


Of course, the hardest part was going to be deciding which way to take in the labyrinth. She wasn't sure which myth this labyrinth was following. The Greeks had a ball of twine to get out, the Romans had the right turn method. The Incan used the call of a lone warrior. She wanted a sign, some sign of which way to go. Even one for an ice machine or vending would be good enough.
 
"It just occurred to me..." murmurs Libby, "...that none of us brought a ball of string. Oh, well..."


She pulls out a sheet of paper from her handbag and folds it into an airplane. "Shall we test the ways before us?"
 
Kendra immediately stopped her singing the moment Libby had that paper folded.


"Is that... A paper airplane?" She asked has her eyes practically lit up.
 
"Well, it's not a paper helicopter..." says Libby, amused. "I've confiscated so many from my students that the design just comes naturally."
 
"You're... A teacher, then?" Kendra had to resist the urge to grab that paper airplane out of Libby's hands and send it flying it whatever direction she fancied. Primarily to show her paper airplane piloting skills. "Ohhh, man, it's been so long. Last time I got to mess around with one of those was when I was doing guard duty in Germany. If paper airplane flying were an Olympic sport, I'd totally bring home the gold."
 
"I have perfect recall," Karima says when Libby bemoans the lack of twine, "which should serve us just as well if the Labyrinth doesn't change behind us as we move through it." She glances around both paths, frowning at the mirror, "since I don't want to start this expedition with seven years of bad luck, I suggest we traverse the pit if no one has any insights into going through it."
 
"Mm-hmm. I teach U.S. History at Cheyenne High School. Go, go, Desert Shields!" For a moment, Libby's playful smile makes her look much younger.


Then her expression turns serious again. "I was going to suggest we test both the mirror and the pit -- are either of them portals or merely obstacles? And does the pit have a bottom?"
 
Taken aback by the sudden smile, Kendra was silent for a good few moments. She was under the impression that her fellow Greek was incapable of such facial expressions.


"Libby, was it? You have a nice smile." Well, that came out rather awkward. The Scion of Ares was not one used to giving out compliments. "I mean... Errrr, I'm just full of awkwardness today. Not used to givin' compliments and crap."
 
solyrflair said:
Who would put a pit in the corridor of a hotel? Well, it wasn't a first-rate hotel, but even then she supposed it was better than putting one on the second floor. She used her magical sight to inspect the mirror then turned it on to the pit. If there was anything magical, she needed to inform the others.
Click to expand...
Both the mirror and pit glimmer with magic, although you aren't certain what sort. Anyone who turns around can see that the way back has been filled with fog.


The pit has no apparent bottom from where you stand, nor does the mirror seem all that special
 
Karima walks up to the pit, showing no apparent uncertainty at standing right on its edge. She puts away her gun and aims her small, but powerful, flashlight towards its deeps. After ensuring that she cannot see its bottom so easily, she pulls out a quarter and lets it drop into the abyss, keeping the cone of the flashlight on it.
 
"Er...thanks." Libby looks as awkward as Kendra feels. "Ah...as I was saying, let's runs some tests and see what happens if something touches the surface of the mirror or enters the pit. Care to do the honors?" She holds out the paper plane.


Just then, Karima tosses a quarter into the abyss. "Oh, dear. I hope we don't start hearing drums down there."
 
Now Kendra wanted to put a bit of distance between herself and her fellow Greek. "I'll do it."


She casually made her way to the mirror, and touched it without hesitation.
 
Libby watches in dismay. "I was going to suggest you just throw the airplane at it first..."
 
The mirror feels like jelly; yielding but solid unless force is applied. It ripples outwards from the point of contact but the reflection if otherwise normal.


You do not hear the sound of the quarter hitting the bottom of the pit.
 
"Well, that's interesting." Kendra pushed further into the mirror to see what happens.
 
"Looks like we can push through it." Kendra announced as she pulled her hand back.
 
"This thing is outrageously deep. At least 1500 feet. Does anyone have a rope or something we can throw into the mirror and get back?"
 
"Requires some force to go through, so I'd have to throw something heavy and solid." The Scion of Ares made her way back to the group. "I can't fly, so I think I'll be taking the mirror."
 
"The best I can bring to the table is my gun and my belt, neither of which is optimal," Karima muses.
 
"I can't fly either, so I'll be taking the mirror meself. Besides, it's not like we won't be completely lost, I've got a good sense of direction," Liam said.
 
"I doubt that the pit is quite as bottomless as it seems. There is magic coming from both, so I would surmise that both were portals to some point in the maze. And, also, I don't think that going back is going to be much of an option." She gestured back at the mists that had come in behind them.


She tried to remember stories of heroes in labyrinths from before. If this was a test and a true labyrinth it meant that they were supposed to arrive to the other side, but the choices they made would determine the perils they faced. If it was a simple maze, then there would just be a series of dead ends until they made enough correct decisions to exit.


"There is no more going forward. Both paths are unknown. But we don't have the right abilities to traverse the pit without undue risk. The mirror is the better option at this point. Kendra, at this point it might be more appropriate to sing a few verses of 'Brave, Brave, Sir Robin' for me." And with that comment, she pushed her way through the mirror, leading the group into the next part of the labyrinth. Time to face what may come next.
 
Libby glances down at her sword. "I know someone who can fly...but I'm not sending him into a dark hole that's probably a one-way trip to...somewhere." She sighs. "Mirror it is."
 
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