Welcome to Gaia! ::

[ Area 9 ] [ Event 3 ]

With it being pitch black, Jake found it hard to figure if he was making any progress at all. Was he going forward? Backward? Circles? He really didn't know. The darkness also skewed his sense of time, and he wondered how long he had been in here. More than a few minutes, surely. But had it been an hour? Or two? Surely not that long...

Part of him wondered if he should try pulling out his phone. That would at least solve two of his problems, but then a voice distracted him.

"Do you really think anyone would want to befriend someone as dull as you?"
"Really, they can do better. All of them can."

Jake did admit he didn't have a lot of friends in the first place, and... it wasn't like he was going around try to befriend others, but it still hurt, and he tried to ignore it, and press on.

Area 3
There was no hesitation as Matt stepped forward into the foreboding tower. The black like inkiness seemed to swallow his body whole as the voices started to echo and then fade away. Purge the horseman, that was their goal anything that lingered in their way in search of Madea. For once he didn’t think about what orders he was given instead he merely continued forward each step growing darker and darker.

More voices started to whisper, some snickering as they amused themselves with his smaller steps he slowly started to take. He started to shuffle his feet as he realized that he could no longer see nothing in front of him. Not even his own hands dared to give any sort of show faint of an outline when he waved them in his face. Stretching his hands out forward he tried to see if he could feel anything, a wall, a door, or anything that was something that he could follow at least.

“Hahaha, look at him….” A voice echoed as he continued to slowly shuffle forward, “doesn’t even realize he is in a maze! So stupid.”

Of course that would be his sort of luck Matt thought as he continued to slowly step forward with a sense of care. More voices lingered in the air but they fell silent on his ears before a familiar one started to sound.

“You know we aren’t your friends Matt,” the voice replied its distinct like sadness lurking in its undertones.

“Tori?” He replied as he paused from his movements.

“Hahahahahahaha and you trust us? I can’t believe it! Do you really think someone like Bix or I would even care about some moron like you? You can’t even fight. Look at you. You and your pathetic fairy wand.” The voice replied continuing as he slowly started to move again, he could feel the annoyance lingering in his chest where the scar laid hidden beneath his clothes. Hatred and doubt, Matt didn’t have time for that; he didn’t have time dealing with the thought that his friends didn’t care.

“Oh can it will you. Your not Tori and quite frankly if Bix hates me then well I guess I deserved it then didn’t I?” He muttered under his breath as the voice continued its little rant.

Area 4 => Area 6

Ignatius continued on, eyes darting around for any signs of some kind of item he could use to maybe attempt to attack the darkness and end whatever was whispering in his ears.

When a third voice joined the garbled, angry nonsense of the second and the mocking, deriding tone that sounded so strangely like his mother's voice, Ignatius let out a low snarl. He wasn't going to let this get to him. They were just trying to get him down. He was a super hero! It didn't matter if he doubted his ability to function at an academy. That was baloney and he could consider no such thing as that. There was no such concern, no such reasons...

Like he was swatting at a horsefly, Ignatius moved his hand around his head, attempting to swat off whatever was whispering in his ears. Considering that failed, Ignatius just continued forward. Perhaps it was possible to simply walk away from what was whispering in his ears. Perhaps even run.

Running sounded good. And relaxing. He liked running.

[ Area 3]

Walking in the darkness felt as though it were Bastion's specialty, but there was still a sense of anxiety in not knowing where your next step lie. Having his Noni on one arm, a constant presence never leaving him, helped to relieve that anxiety. He knew that Lushka was right beside him as well, and so Bastion felt safely sandwiched between two people who would keep him safe. Much like his childhood, Bastion accepted being protected with ease.

"Yes, Noni! I'll be careful!" He promised, turning to call out to Lushka. "My arm is here, if you need something to hold on to! I suppose this maze was created to vex us, but as long as I have the two of you, I suppose it is nothing more than a walk in the dark. Hardly troubling!"

He sounded very sure of himself. For now.



1/10

Area 6 => Area 9

The idea of walking briskly ... or running ... really more like running as fast as possible without losing his ability to tell where he was going... seemed to be at least somewhat effective in chasing off the voices. He, at least, did not hear a fourth voice join the chorus of voices that were ringing in his ears already. That was good.

"Don't you get tired of all that negativity, voices?" asked Ignatius, even though his words fell on nonexistent ears. "Seems tiring to me. I'd rather do things like praise people. Maybe you could tell me how attractive I am, or something?"

It was hard to say if he was trying to talk to the voices or if he was trying to make himself feel a bit less nervous about their constant presence. It was quite likely a combination of the two.

1 -> 3
[1/10]

Darkness might not have been frightening for someone who relied so heavily on the shadows, but Lushka would have found it unsettling in this strange new place without the presence of someone he knew.

The voices of Nergui and Bastion in front of him served as a reliable form of guidance (he thought, at least), and he swallowed hard as he hurried to catch up with them. If he lost their voices, he might lose his way, and he didn't want to live in this place forever.

Forever was a very long time to not have a purpose.

"Much appreciated," he quietly mumbled, small hands reaching to close around Bastion's arm.

[Area 6 Event 2]

It was a hum of acknowledgement that had followed Bastion's words, chin dipped in a nod, but her gaze stayed focused on the darkness before them. Searching for anything and everything, not just signs of danger, but any little thing that might provide assistance.

She heard a giggle in the dark. It was light, but cold, and utterly familiar. "Lan?" She had not seen the petite noble upon entering, but that did not mean she was not there. Certainly someone as small as the mare could have little trouble slipping through the darkness unnoticed. "Is that you?"

The laughter grew louder, nearer, and a chill rolled up the priestess' back as she scanned the darkness, hands leaving the wall to search for the conquest mare, but there was nothing to find.

"You let him back into your life, after everything that has happened?"

Nergui flinched, jerking back from that sweet voice and hitting the wall. "He is bond to me," she protested, pretending that she did not hold her own doubts. "He loves me."

"You believe that? He is a player. You aren't his Astrid, just a poor replacement."

"Hold your tongue." It came out as a growl, lips curling as she turned, searching for the petite frame that should have come with that voice. "You know nothing of our relationship. You are jealous."

"You're naive, Nergui. He will never love you as much as he loved Her."

"Enough!"