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Snoofington generated a random number between
1 and 30 ...
28!
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 Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:30 pm
Cruz nodded appreciatively, flexing his fingers when she released his hand. They always felt better having another hand in them than without to him, so when Axel took his hand once more of her own accord he relaxed immediately into her grip with a calm and almost serene smile. "Strange," he agreed, taking a look between the two directions. The last time she had picked left it hadn't worked but he didn't want her to be unable to choose and so he gently tugged her hand to coax her towards the left, "Left is good." He didn't want her to think her previous choice was wrong.
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:38 pm
“Left we go!” Though left turned out to be another dead end, Axel chuckled. “Looks like the maze doesn’t want us to go left!” She laughed again and turned to head to the other way, there was bound to be something weird as per usual so she took a deep breath and gave one gentle squeeze to Cruz’s hand.
(( 0/5 challenges | 2/18 random encounters | 2/20 dead ends ))
#207399
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Snoofington generated a random number between
1 and 30 ...
2!
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:41 pm
At their second left being a dead end as well, Cruz let out a louder than average growl of displeasure, narrowing his eyes at the hedge wall that blocked their way. This maze was being very rude to poor Axel and he didn't like it one bit. Still, she chuckled and kept a good humor about her despite its clear bias and he softened, grinning at her laughter. "Guess," he agreed and to the right they went.
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:45 pm
You come across a rather large glass and wooden container. Inside is an exotically dressed mechanical man with what looks to be a crystal ball. Your presence seems to awaken him from his slumber, his eyes opening while the rest of him jerks robotically to life. The lights in the box flicker and spark oddly as the ball glows and the fortune-teller points you in a direction. Do you take his advice or go the opposite way?
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:58 pm
Relief washed over her when Axel noticed that the only thing weird was some sleeping man and a crystal ball. He looked like one of those fortune tellers one might find at a circus or an amusement park, Axel perked her brow. “I’m starting to see a theme here.” She said out loud, more so to herself then Cruz or someone else. The mirrors could also have been found at the same locations as this man, and if there was some sort of pattern hidden here, Axel was going to see it. After dealing with countless wedding themes, one which she remembers had a similar box as this, allowed her to see patterns when others couldn't.
The man coming alive made her jump a bit, she hadn’t expected it to just start without any buttons being pushed or coins inserted. Axel released Cruz hand to move around the box, looking for any clues or anything else. Finding none she stopped in front of it, one hand on her hip while the other rested under her chin. “What do you think?” Did Cruz know what these things were? “These things usually give you some sort of fortune, you insert a coin and they give you a mysterious message. Looks like this one is just pointing in a direction.”
Rubbing under her chin, Axel sighed loudly. “I think we should follow it. These things aren’t suppose to be bad or evil or anything. I’m not totally sure though with this maze, so far things haven’t exactly been all fluff and clouds.” She paused to think some more. “Though I’ll stick to going the direction he’s pointing, do you think we should go the opposite way?” Axel glanced the other way, lips pursing slightly. If Cruz didn’t want to follow the man’s direction she was going to stick with him.
(( 0/5 challenges | 3/18 random encounters | 2/20 dead ends ))
#207399
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Snoofington generated a random number between
1 and 30 ...
25!
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 1:07 pm
It was safe to say Cruz had never seen one of these contraptions before in his short life. The thing immediately roused suspicion in him, however, and he hesitate when Axel mentioned a theme. Aside from weirdness, he didn't see one but he had also never attended an amusement park or circus before. The pieces weren't there for him to put together, and so he just let out a rough grumble to acknowledge her.
Sparks flew and Cruz went on the defensive, teeth bared and claws at the ready as he growled loudly. It stared at them with its dead wooden eyes, jostled clumsily around in its boxed, and then pointed in a random direction only to fall completely still. His rune thrummed along with his heightened pulse and he reached out to Axel when she approached the strange machine, not trusting it. She didn't seem as apprehensive about it, which he took as a sign that it was alright for him to relax and he hovered cautiously to her side to further examine the strange box. Another, calmer grumble left him as she explained the machine's purpose before he looked in the direction it pointed. She thought it was indicating the proper way to go?
"Hrrm..." Cruz glanced over his shoulder at the opposite direction, and then another turn not far off. Their choices were fairly limited and they were already flying blind anyway. "Yes... we follow him." It wasn't out of trust for the thing, but more out of trust for Axel putting her judgment in it. Over all, he just wanted one of her decisions to be the correct one after that mirror debacle.
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 1:35 pm
Congrats! You managed to find your way into the heart of the maze. Though your momentary celebration will have to wait as a hairy, large horned brute of a beast is pacing about making noises as if he’s in pain. One might notice the bottle of booze he’s got tucked in one hand, though you may be more concerned with the giant ax he’s dragging about in the other.
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 1:49 pm
Happy that nothing had gone wrong for now, Axel sent Cruz a smile. If things kept up like this, maybe they’d be getting out of here soon enough and the maze was going to simply be a memory she’d laugh about in a few years. Of course, those happy thoughts flitted away just as soon as they continued down the path into an open area with a... Axel blinked and stared at the beast for her. “No... No, no, no.” Oh. My. God. That was a minotaur in front of her, and she froze right there in front of it. Those things were man eaters! Back in Greece there were a bunch of myths around those things, it was only her luck that she would come upon a minotaur in a maze here.
“Oh god, Cruz don’t move.” Axel was trying to desperately not squeeze the blood out of Cruz’s hand, but she was in panic mode! Her thoughts were so jumbled up she couldn’t even think about the ending of the stories, but she was sure it involved some sort of weapon and as far as she knew they didn’t have any. Axel dropped her voice low. “Okay Cruz, that thing is a minotaur. They are very, very, very dangerous man eating beasts.” Though he had probably caught on from the axe in his hand. “And I honestly have no idea as to how we’re going to get out of this one.”
Axel was not about to lie to him, he needed to know what they were up against. “I’m very open to any and all suggestions, because I do not have a plan out of this one.” The thing didn’t look too happy either, and was that a bottle of booze in its hand? What in the world... Axel was really confused. “I wonder if it can talk...” Though the grunting noises told her it might not be able to communicate very well. She had never thought of ever coming across a minotaur, she was going to have to call her mother once this was all over and done. Damn it, that man in the box was suppose to bring good things!
(( 1/5 challenges | 3/18 random encounters | 2/20 dead ends ))
#207399
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 2:32 pm
The grunting gave Cruz a start. He was already on edge from the weird machine just a minute ago and now... this. Cruz didn't know what to call it but his own increased heart rate and Axel's babbling told him enough: this thing was bad news. He held her hand tight just as she was doing to him, though her knuckles were going white she was so tense. Staring at her worriedly, Cruz kept quiet; he didn't want to alert this monster anymore than she did, especially after she warned him not to move. She soon put a name to the thing's ugly face and though he had never heard the term before it seemed to fit quite naturally. His whole body tensed at her description of 'man eating beasts', eyes going wide like saucers as he glanced back to its gargantuan, bumbling form.
Why would Anita or the Lab allow something like this to come up?! If she knew beforehand, there was no way Anita would have allowed him or Axel -- or anyone else, for that matter -- entry into this dangerous place.
"No idea..." he parroted quietly, keeping his voice low and steady in an effort to calm Axel as well. The air was thick with the monster's musk and the bitter stench of alcohol, causing Cruz to crinkle his nose each time he shambled nearer. No matter how close it came, the beast didn't seem to notice them in their current position and as it stumbled aimlessly, hooves gently shaking the ground, he could smell its intoxicated breath. Though he was unfamiliar with alcohol and its effects, he could tell something was clearly off about this thing's behavior and his brow furrowed inquisitively.
Each grunt and grumble of the beast seemed to be communicating something and each time its call sounded, his rune flared up in unison. Its energy spiked, then caved in and he felt a sudden pang of emptiness -- hunger, not just from himself but the creature as well.
It was not only drunk... it was amorous.
"Wait here..." he warned Axel, giving her hand one strong squeeze before prying himself free of her grip. Carefully, Cruz hovered further out into the large opening and drew nearer to the minotaur. It growled and roared while Cruz's rune reacted to both of their hunger, pulsing with an an energy and aura that could only be described as "kissable". It was enticing, as always happened when his rune demanded nutrition. "Minotaur," he called to it for lack of a better name, arms outstretched to draw further attention to himself and away from Axel, "Do you... want a kiss?"
The colossal beast stopped, axe and bottle gripped tightly in its hands. Its piercing eyes burned, a heaving breath exiting its large nostrils with enough force that it tousled Cruz's hair. For a few seconds the two stared at one another, as if sizing each other up.
"M...moo..."
It was a lighter, almost feminine sound this time that came from the monster, its brows upturning with an uncertain look. The axe blade was pushed into the earth, its hand reaching up to gently scratch its chin. The minotaur glanced away shyly. Cruz's expression softened and he chuckled, hovering closer. "I will kiss you," he assured it, the distraction complete as the beast hunkered down on its knees. Axel could easily dodge past it as Cruz readied for one of the greatest challenges he had ever faced: locking lips with an unnaturally large bovine.
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 2:42 pm
There's a distinctly...uh...magical happening after Cruz kisses the Minotaur - it lets them pass. The burly beast is swooning from the lip lock - or maybe that's just the first of many mouthfuls of vomit - but either way he moves from the path. Best flee before he asks for more...or pukes all over you.
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Snoofington generated a random number between
1 and 30 ...
14!
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 2:46 pm
(( Thank you mule! Rollin'~ ))
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 2:50 pm
There’s a rustling in the leaves. Thinking it only a small animal of some sort, you probably ignore it. Big mistake as suddenly you are dragged down to the ground by thick vines. The more you struggle the more they seem to want to curl around you and restrict your movement, as if they have a mind of their own. Whatever shall you do?
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 3:23 pm
‘Wait here’ Axel starred at Cruz’s floating form as he approached the minotaur, she’d tried to grab him but had missed and she dared not go after him now. He was going to die, the minotaur was going to hack the poor frei to pieces and Anita was going to kill Axel when she found out. There was no way around it, she watched him float right up to the minotaur and she closed her eyes, she could not watch this. Maybe they should have turned around and gone back the other way, if she was able to make it back to that boxed man she was going to cut him up and make a fire with the wood!
And then Cruz said something that sucked Axel’s attention towards him, her eyes opened up and her mouth fell. Did he just say kiss? Cruz was going to kiss the minotaur?! In her mind, she didn’t understand until it dawned on her, her conversation with Anita at the cafe. Cruz fed off of kisses, did that mean he was going to kill the minotaur with a kiss? That seemed quite odd.. But Axel watched from the sidelines, watched in horror was the minotaur bent down and kissed Cruz. She had seen a lot of kissing from weddings, but this was hitting a whole new level of weird in her book.
Oddly enough though, the beast let them pass without as much as lifting a pinkie to fight them. Axel made a run for Cruz, grabbing onto his arm. “Oh my god Cruz! You scared the living daylight out of me! But it worked, look!” She pointed to the path and pulled him away from the minotaur into safety. “Are you okay? How do you feel?” She had no idea how this kissing business worked for Cruz, but they weren’t going any further until she was certain he was unharmed. “You’ve been saving my butt all day huh?” Axel had been pretty much about as useless as a partner could get today, she was going to oew Cruz big time.
As they continued down the path, the rustling sound had Axel on edge, but when nothing happened she decided to relax. It wasn’t until she tripped and then was sent face first to the ground. “Ow..” Looking at her foot, it looked like it had gotten caught in some sort of vine. “What the heck?” There hadn’t been a vine before, Axel tried shaking it off but it began climbing up her leg, and the more she shook it the more it snaked along her body. “Cruz!” More vines had come to grab onto her now, and she was half trying to fight them off and half trying to get them off of her.
It wasn’t until all her limbs were immobile and one vine had made it up to her collar bone, wrapping itself over her shoulder did Axel stop moving. “You couldn’t kiss the vine away could you?” She spoke low, trying to regulate her breathing. The vines around her feet were wrapped tightly, more so than the one over her shoulder. Because she’s fallen face first, her back was to the sky and she could only hope that the vines hadn’t gotten to Cruz. Maybe the minotaur would cut down the vines for them if Cruz offered it another kiss?
(( 2/5 challenges | 3/18 random encounters | 2/20 dead ends ))
#207399
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 4:40 pm
The minotaur cooed, bashful, as it leaned in for a kiss. Cruz braced himself, clenching his eyes shut and puckering his lips tightly so that its large lips and tongue wouldn't intrude anywhere they weren't supposed to be. All he felt was the monster's cold wet nose on his face and then its warm, slimy tongue on his lips and cheek. Within his ribbon, the rune flared brightly as it sucked up the energy from the kiss. It was difficult for Cruz to keep his lips puckered when he wanted to frown so badly; the corners of his lips twitched and his brows were twisted into an almost horrified expression. It let out another coy but satisfied moo when it pulled back, saliva trailing from it off of Cruz's face and in his hair. He kept his eyes shut but heard it move away and after wiping his mouth with the back of his hand he gave it a rumbly "Thank you."
Eyes still shut tight, he heard footsteps rush up behind him and Axel's slender fingers grab his hand. Her voice was shaky, nervous, and she quickly pulled him to safety. Still wiping his face off with his free hand, he was finally able to open one eye and manage a full on cringe as he watched the sticky slime cling to his fingers. He licked the inside of his mouth distastefully, still recovering from the mouth assault of one much larger than himself. Even though his mouth had been closed tight, the flavor was still present: raw meat left out in the sun, the bitter sting of alcohol, and a generally unclean taste that wouldn't leave.
"Been better," he stated simply, shaking his hand off in an attempt to rid it of the gunk but it was no use. Gritting his teeth, he released his other hand from Axel's grip and pressed his entire front against the nearest wall of hedge and started wiping furiously, burying his face in the brush. It easily masked the sounds of rustling foliage to him but it seemed Axel wasn't so lucky.
The poor girl tripped but she was graceful and reserved about it. Cruz pulled his face away from the hedge in time to hear her shout his name and he shoved himself away from the maze wall towards her. Fluttering down, he watched as the vines wriggled all around her and he tried clawing at them. This only made them hold tighter and he growled in defiance, reaching down to try and pull one up enough that he could sink his teeth into it. The vine in his hands went rigid and pulled taut, escaping his grasp and thudding loudly against Axel's side. "S-sorry," he fumbled, resting his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. Each time she moved to attempt escape, the vines drew tighter and more of them wriggled out from the foliage. One of them snaked its way behind Cruz and wrapped around a wrist, to which he quickly recoiled and attempted to claw. It tightened and he growled at it in frustration. More came, wrapping themselves around his arms, up to his shoulders, and the more he struggled the tighter they became until he was pulled back against one of the hedge walls.
More crawled over him, one entwining around his neck and forehead to keep him pinned. Cruz's rune was pulsing like crazy, his eyes wide and wild. Growls and roars kept sounding from him, growing more frantic and pitiful by the second. If this was what all maze's were like, he never wanted to go in one again!
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Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 5:05 pm
The growls and sounds coming from Cruz were worrisome, but because Axel couldn’t see anything she tried to stay still. It was hard, it sounded like the frei was fighting off an army, but every time she twitched the vines tightened around her again. Closing her eyes, Axel counted down from ten. Nine, oh god what were they doing to Cruz?! Eight, at least she could move a shoulder now. Seven, Axel felt the vine that Cruz was pulling on come back to her side. Six, her whole upper body was without vines but she dared not move yet. Five, opening one eye she oh so slowly moved her head to see Cruz being pulled into the hedge. Four, now she was itching to go and help Cruz. Three, “Calm down Cruz.” Axel murmured quietly, but he probably couldn’t hear her over all the rustling. Two, almost there. One, the vines were completely off of her.
Axel sprang up.
“Cruz, Cruz you have to listen to me.” Axle glanced down, her rapid movement had made the vines come for her again, but since she’d frozen in front of him they had retreated again. “You have to stay calm and quiet, they’re trying to pull you because you’re moving.” If this kept up, they were going to drag him right into the walls of the maze and she wouldn’t be able to get him out. “Just look at me and breath okay? I’m going to count down and you just breath with me.” Gently, Axel laid her hands on both his shoulders so he could concentrate on her and her alone. “Okay here we go.”
“Ten, breath.” She paused a bit, breathing loudly so he could hear her and follow her breathing. “Nine.” If this didn’t work, she was going to gnaw on the damn vines herself. “Eight, breath.” Axel stared into his eyes, trying to force her calmness onto him. “Seven.” This strongly reminded her of how brides could get just as wild minus the vines. “Six, breath.” It looked like the vines were leaving now. “Five.” Only a bit more, his pulsating rune was worrying her a tad bit. “Four, breath.” Axel wondered how he still had energy after all this fighting. “Three.” Probably the minotaur kiss had helped, but it had certainly seemed like he hadn’t enjoyed it. “Two, breath.” The vines were almost completely off of him now. “One.”
Axel moved her hands to Cruz forearms and pulled with all her might, she didn’t look back as she ran down the path most likely dragging the poor frei along with her. Once they were officially out, Axel let him go and collapsed onto the ground on her back. She began having a fit of giggles, rolling every so often and not being as stoic as she usually was. “Oh god, we’re alive!”
(( 2/5 challenges | 3/18 random encounters | 2/20 dead ends ))
#207399
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