Red Daniel wakes up in the announcer's booth, sitting next to Acelegin.
Red Daniel; Ugh, I am so hungover right now.
Red Daniel looks around.
Red Daniel; Ah, fuck we're here again. How'd we die last time? Wasn't it like, a meteor or something?
Acelegin calmly sips his beer.
Acelegin; I haven't the foggiest idea what you're talking about.
Red Daniel; Oh, right, you're in denial or whatever. So, what's the deal this time? Another tournament? More dates?
Acelegin taps on a set of notes in front of him.
Acelegin; A series of Fear themed escape rooms.
Red Daniel; Oh, fun.
Acelegin; Let's get started.
Acelegin presses a button on the intercom in front of him.
Acelegin; Hello everybody, I'm Acelegin! I'm joined here today by my co-host, Red Daniel.
Red Daniel; Sup, cucks! The name's Daniel Xavier Ferris! Friends call me Red.
Acelegin; Welcome to the official Fearniversary Escape Room Extravaganza! Introducing our contestants!
A spotlight comes on, revealing the eight contestants.
Acelegin; Starting with my own characters, we have Dr. Ferris.
Red Daniel; Oh, hey! Another me! Hi other me!
Dr. Ferris sighs.
Dr. Ferris; I see. The "Red one"...
Acelegin; As well as... Terrence McCleary, is that you?
Quan; Uh, no. I'm Quan.
Acelegin; Oh, right. My other dark-haired guy in a purple shirt.
Red Daniel; You can be really lazy with character designs. How many redheads in dresses do you have?
Acelegin; Three.
Acelegin strokes his chin thoughtfully.
Acelegin; It's three, right? I'm not forgetting anyone, am I?
Red Daniel; How the hell should I know?
Acelegin; Anyway, onto some characters contributed by other writers. First, we have Kai and Kareena, a pair of friends from the same universe as Dr. Ferris.
Dr. Ferris; Hello, children.
Kareena; Oh, hey. It's you.
Kai; Hi, Doctor.
Acelegin; Next up, we have the body hopping Dr. Malice and the fearsome Muffin Man.
Red Daniel; Hehe. Muffins.
Muffin Man; Don't you mock me!
The Muffin Man's body briefly flickers, and he looks down at his hands.
Muffin Man; What the?
Dr. Ferris; Oh, I already tried using the God's Way too. They seem to have done something to lock us out of it.
Quan reaches out a hand and attempts to open a portal, with no success.
Quan; Can't get to the Path either.
Dr. Malice; So we can't just teleport out of this escape room. We have no choice but to actually play along...
Acelegin; Next, we have Omega, the Unlucky Man, master of infinite badass deaths!
Omega; Hi! How much danger are we in right now?
Acelegin; According to these notes, a fuckton. And... that's odd... What's your name, sir?
Terrence Anathema; I'm Terrence Anathema.
Red Daniel; So there is a Terrence here!
Acelegin examines the notes.
Acelegin; You... um... don't seem to be on the list. How did you get here, exactly?
Terrence Anathema; Well, it's a funny story. You see, I was-
Acelegin; On second thought, I've stopped caring.
Acelegin takes out a pen and scribbles something on the notes.
Acelegin; There! I've added you to the list. I probably have the authority to do that.
Terrence Anathema; Oh... Okay...
Acelegin; Now, on to the main event!
More lights come on, revealing that the contestants are in the middle of a massive, indoor hedge maze.
Acelegin; Welcome to the first escape room, themed after my own darling creation, the Vision! There are multiple exits to this maze, each leading to other escape rooms! Your job is to locate these exits!
Quan; A maze, huh? Sounds simple enough...
Dr. Malice; There's a catch, isn't there?
Acelegin; Scattered throughout the maze are various puzzles, traps, and maybe even some boss fights!
Dr. Ferris chuckles.
Dr. Ferris; Fascinating.
Muffin Man; So, what's the point of any of this? What reason to any of us have to take part in this nonsense?
Acelegin; Well, according to these notes, each of you have a reason to move forward.
Muffin Man; What the hell is that supposed to mean?
A realization comes to the Muffin Man, and he clenches his fist.
Muffin Man; Megan...
The Muffin Man glares up at the announcer's booth.
Muffin Man; I swear, if you've done anything to my sister, I'm going to-!
Acelegin; Look, man. all it says here is "a reason to move forward". Vague as fuck. Even I don't know what it means. I'm not even the one in charge here.
Quan places a hand on the Muffin Man's shoulder.
Quan; chill, man. "Reason to move forward" doesn't automatically translate to "we have hostages". Maybe there's just a reward at the end of all this.
Muffin Man; How can you be sure!?
Dr. Ferris; Clouding your mind with stress would be counterproductive. If we press onward, and make it out of here intact, we'll get an answer to your sister's whereabouts. Until then, it's best to remain calm and rational.
The Muffin Man growls, then lets out a sigh.
Muffin Man; Fine...
Acelegin; With all that out of the way, I'll leave you to it.
Red Daniel; Best of luck, bitches!
Omega; So, how should we go about this?
Dr. Ferris; We should split into two groups.
Terrence Anathema; But isn't splitting the party usually a bad idea?
Muffin Man; No, the Doctor's right. If we split up into two groups of four, we'll maintain the advantage of strength in numbers, while covering more ground.
Quan; Sounds good to me!
Quan begins moving towards the Muffin Man, but Dr. Ferris stops him by hooking his arm with his cane.
Dr. Ferris; You're with me, muscles.
Dr. Ferris firmly plants his cane on the ground in front of him, and glances at Kai and Kareena.
Dr. Ferris; As are the kids.
Dr. Ferris looks directly at the Muffin Man.
Dr. Ferris; As for the rest of you, I think it's best if the Muffin Man takes charge.
Dr. Malice; What? Really?
Dr. Ferris; I'm aware of your story, and your experience with the Amalgam. I'm sure you must have gained some leadership skills throughout all of that.
Muffin; Sounds good to me. Any objections from the rest of you?
Terrence Anathema; I guess not?
Omega; I'm probably gonna die anyway, so whatever.
Dr. Malice sighs.
Dr. Malice; As long as you accept our input, then I guess I don't have a problem with it.
Muffin Man; So, what's the plan beyond just splitting up?
Dr. Ferris gestures to the ceiling.
Dr. Ferris; We're clearly indoors. Which means the exits Ace mentioned are most likely along the outer walls. So, if we make our way to the outermost parts of the maze, we'll have a better chance of finding a way out.
Kai; Makes sense to me.
Dr. Ferris; As far as puzzles and traps go, both groups will need someone with half-decent intelligence to think their way out of a difficult situation.
Dr. Ferris locks eyes with Dr. Malice briefly, then turns to Terrence Anathema.
Dr. Ferris; Terrence, I'm trusting you to be the brains of your team.
Dr. Malice; Hey! I'm basically a doctor too, you know!
Dr. Ferris smirks at Dr. Malice.
Dr. Ferris; Are you, though?
Dr. Malice; Fuck you.
Muffin Man; Let's get moving then. Malice, Omega, and Terrence are with me. The kids and the big guy are with you.
Dr. Ferris; Excellent. Let the experiment begin!
Kai; Um... what experiment?
Dr. Ferris; The world itself is an experiment, waiting to be solved! And I'm just the man for the job.
Dr. Malice; I bet I can solve it sooner.
Dr. Ferris; I bet you're wrong.
Dr. Malice; Did you even work for your doctorate?
Dr. Ferris; Do you even have a doctorate?
Karrena; Okay, can we maybe end the scientific dick measuring contest here?
Dr. Ferris; Trust me, if we were measuring dicks, there would be no contest.
Dr. Malice flips Dr. Ferris off.
Muffin Man; Enough. Let's quit wasting time and move on.
Dr. Ferris; Agreed.
Dr. Ferris turns to Quan.
Dr. Ferris; Alright, big guy. You lead the way.
Quan; Me?
Dr. Ferris; As the physically strongest of our team, you'd do best in the front. I'll take up the rear, so I can keep watch on the rest of you.
Quan; Okay. Tough guy on the front line. Makes sense.
The two parties split up and begin walking in separate directions. After walking a few yards, Dr. Ferris turns to look behind him, and discovered that the hedge maze has formed a wall behind him, preventing him from turning back. Dr. Ferris smirks.
Dr. Ferris; Well, that's one hypothesis proven correct.
Dr. Ferris turns forward, and continues walking behind the rest of his group.
Dr. Ferris; Let's run some more tests...
Meanwhile, in the announcer's booth.
Red Daniel; So, the maze closes behind them, so they can't backtrack?
Acelegin; Yep.
Red Daniel; I see. So that's how it fits in with the Vision, and destiny as a whole. No matter what paths you take moving forward, you can't undo the choices you've already made.
Acelegin; Exactly.
Red Daniel; Wasn't this a scrapped idea for a Vision domain?
Acelegin; I think so. I don't remember whose idea it was. I could probably look it up, but... you know... laziness...
Red Daniel; So, something else has been bugging me. Didn't Kai and Kareena also die in a previous Fearniversary event?
Acelegin; I don't think so, no.
Red Deniel; No, I definitely remember this. It was the tournament one. We definitely commentated on Kareena's fight.
Acelegin; I know not what you are referencing.
Red Daniel; It was the one where I scattered weapons all over the arena.
Acelegin; I have no recollection of these events.
Red Daniel; fuck you...
Meanwhile, in the maze.
Quan; So, you're another universe's Daniel, huh?
Dr. Ferris; Correct.
Quan; Neat. Gotta say, you're a lot different than my Daniel. You seem more... educated?
Dr. Ferris; I don't go by "Doctor" for nothing.
Quan; Cool beans. And what about you two?
Kai; I'm his intern. I've learned a lot from him.
Kareena; I'm a friend of Kai's. I'm sort of working for one of the Fears...
Quan; Which one?
Kareena; Valravn.
Quan; Never heard of it.
Dr. Ferris; I'm not sure if she exists in your universe.
Kai; So, who are you, exactly?
Quan; Well, my name is-
Dr. Ferris; Derek Quanford. Better known as Quan. A former servant of the Slender Man, and an Enhanced. Capable of impressive feats of physical strength, and a close friend and invaluable ally to your universe's Justin Ferin.
Quan; How did you...?
Dr. Ferris; You and I are both creations of Acelegin. I've done my research.
Suddenly, a path off to their right seals itself, and another path further up to the left opens up.
Dr. Ferris; Hm. Interesting. I think I'm beginning to understand.
Quan; Understand what?
Dr. Ferris; Oh, more data is needed before I explain. Let us progress, shall we?
Meanwhile, in the announcer's both.
Acelegin; Hey, is that a mini-fridge over there?
Red Daniel; Looks like it. Want me to check if it has any booze?
Acelegin; Please do.
Red Daniel gets up, and begins walking toward the fridge, but trips and falls to the ground.
Red Daniel; Ouch! Fuck!
Acelegin; You okay?
Red Daniel; Yeah.
Acelegin; What'd you trip over?
Red Daniel; Looks like there's a random ass pipe running across the floor.
Acelegin; You didn't break it, did you?
Red Daniel; It looks dented a bit, but still intact.
Acelegin; Okay. I'm sure that won't be a problem later.
Red Daniel; Anyway...
Red Daniel opens the min-fridge.
Red Daniel; Score! Nat Ice!
Acelegin; Fuck yeah! Toss me one.
Meanwhile, back in the maze.
Dr. Malice; Haven't found any puzzles or anything yet.
Muffin Man; Try not to jinx it. It's been quiet so far. I'd rather not invite trouble.
Dr. Malice; Speaking of quiet... I haven't heard Omega or Terrence say anything in a while.
The two of them turn around to see the path behind them closed off, and Omega and Terrence nowhere to be seen.
Dr. Malice; The um... the way back is gone...
Muffin Man; And the other two aren't with us anymore...
Dr. Malice; Fuck! Did we get split up at some point?
Muffin Man; Evidently.
Dr. Malice; Shit! What should we do?
Muffin Man; We should keep moving forward. There's a chance we may run into them again. For now, we focus on our own safety.
Elsewhere.
Quan; So what's the deal with those other guys?
Dr. Ferris; Well, the Muffin Man is similar to me in some ways. He wields powers gained from the Fears. Unlike me, however, his abilities were gifted rather than stolen.
Quan; And the other Doctor?
Dr. Ferris; Pfft. If you want to call him that... He was a teacher, turned Thoughborn, turned body snatcher. As for Omega, he is a man with a penchant for dying in spectacular ways, only to reappear again later.
Quan; And that Terrence guy?
Dr. Ferris; He is somewhat complicated, but I believe he has had involvement in past Fearniversaries.
Suddenly, a harpy swoops down from the sky, screeching at them. Dr. Ferris calmly raises a hand, forming a finger gun.
Dr. Ferris; BANG!
A bolt of lightning bursts from Dr. Ferris's fingertip, blasting one of the creature's wings. Quan leaps into the air, grabs the harpy by the ankle, and slams it down hard onto the floor, breaking its back and killing it.
Quan; Woo! Good teamwork!
Quan turns to look back at the others, and his eyes widen in shock.
Quan; Um, the way back...
Kareena; It's gone!
Kai; Did you guys just notice that?
Dr. Ferris chuckles.
Dr. Ferris; Such is the way of destiny. Multiple paths forward, but no way back.
Quan; Well, that's annoying.
Dr. Ferris; Quite. I'm sure if Sera was here with us, she'd be equally annoyed. Although, she's always been better at making decisions than me, so she might just be in her element here.
Suddenly, the paths ahead on them change, presenting one path to the left, and another to the right. Dr. Ferris smiles.
Dr. Ferris; As I thought...
Dr. Ferris steps forward, and faces the path to the right.
Dr. Ferris; I believe the nearest wall is in this direction. I'll be taking this route. Quan, you take the children and go the other way.
Quan; What?
Kai; You're leaving us?
Dr. Ferris; You'll be safe with Quan. There's a matter I need to take care of. On my own.
Kareena; What kind of business could you possibly have in this maze?
Dr. Ferris; Let's just say...
Dr. Ferris looks down at his hand, and his body briefly flickers.
Dr. Ferris; I don't much enjoy being tethered...
Meanwhile, in a separate part of the maze, Terrence Anathema and Omega stand, perplexed by the closed of path behind them.
Omega; So, we got separated by the others, didn't we?
Terrence Anathema; And, we can't turn back to find them. Fuck...
Omega; Well, what should we do?
Terrence Anathema; Ugh. Of course. We all have a "reason to move forward". Because we literally can't turn back...
Omega; Like, are we a hundred percent sure that's what it means? I don't think we should rule out hostages or rewards.
Terrence Anathema; I don't know, man. Let's just keep going.
The two continue walking, until Omega spots an unsolved Rubix cube on the floor.
Omega; Oh! Look at this!
Omega picks up the cube, and Acelegin's voice suddenly comes on over the loudspeaker.
Acelegin; Congratulations, Omega! You've found the Rubix Cube Bomb Trap!
Omega; The what now?
Acelegin; The act of picking it up has activated the explosives inside the cube, and if you don't solve it in-
Omega; Done!
Acelegin; What?
Omega holds up the now fully solved Rubix cube.
Omega; I solved it.
Acelegin; Oh. That's pretty impressive. Unfortunately, you've solved it too quickly, and now it's gonna explode anyway.
Omega; Wait, what?
The Rubix cube fucking explodes.
Terrence Anathema; Oh my God! He's dead!
Acelegin; Yeah, you were supposed to solve it in a specific window of time. By rushing it, he caused it to go off prematurely.
Red Daniel; I mean, it's not a big deal. He's Omega! He'll probably just respawn in a different escape room.
Terrence Anathema; You know what, fuck you guys!
Terrence Anathema flips off the announcer's booth, then turns to walk away, and falls down a trap door.
Terrence Anathema; Oh shit!
Meanwhile, in the announcer's booth.
Red Daniel; Huh. What was that.
Acelegin; That's odd.
Acelegin check the notes.
Acelegin; The notes say nothing about a trap door being there...
Red Daniel; Where do you think it goes?
Acelegin; Another escape room maybe? I don't know.
Acelegin slaps the notes with the back of his hand.
Acelegin; Whoever's running this shit clearly didn't give me enough information.
Meanwhile, in the maze, Dr. Ferris stands, facing a wall of the maze.
Dr. Ferris; I wonder how Kallaway would do in this maze? Having his instincts would be helpful.
Dr. Ferris grins to himself, and rolls his eyes.
Dr. Ferris; Then again, he might just try to slash his way through the hedges...
The wall in front of him opens up, presenting a way forward.
Dr. Ferris; Hmm Excellent...
Meanwhile, in a different part of the maze.
Kareena; Ugh. I can't believe the nerve of that guy.
Quan; Relax. I'm sure the Doc knows what he's doing.
Kareena; Doesn't like being tethered my ass. Was he implying that we're holding him back.
Kai; I don't think so.
Kareena; What do you mean?
Kai; Well, he flickered a bit when he said that, just like the Muffin Man did when he tried using the God's Way. The Doctor's gotten used to using the God's Way to get around. I think he was saying that he doesn't like to be shut out of it.
Kareena; Okay, I guess I get that. But it doesn't explian why he went off on his own.
Kai; I think... maybe he's figured out what's holding him back, and is going to do something about it.
Kareena; And what if he does? Does he plan to just bail on us.
Kai; He wouldn't do that!
Kareena; Okay. I don't think I trust him as much as you do, but... well, it just sucks not having him here. He's powerful, and his absense kind of leaves us vulnerable.
Quan; Hey, you don't need to worry! You got me here! I'm the muscle, Kai's smarter than he gives himself credit for, and you... well, who doesn't like having a wildcard in their hand? Trust me. We stick together, everything will turn out fine.
Elsewhere.
Muffin Man; Damn it! A dead end!
The Muffin Man turns around to face the closed off way they had just come from.
Muffin Man; And, we still can't turn back. Terrific!
Dr. Malice; Just keep a cool head. This must be one of the puzzles they mentioned. We just have to figure out how to get forward.
Muffin Man; Don't you get it! We're trapped! And I.. I...
The Muffin Man slams his fist against the wall of the maze.
Muffin Man; I don't even know if she's safe!
Suddenly, a path opens to his left.
Muffin Man; What the... how did...?
Dr. Malice; This maze keeps shifting. I wonder why...
Muffin Man; Well, either way, we have a way forward again. A way to see if she's okay.
Dr. Malice; Maybe that's it.
Muffin Man; Maybe what's it?
Dr. Malice; Well, the path opened when you thought about keeping your sister safe, right?
Muffin Man; Yeah? So what?
Dr. Malice; Well, this maze is supposed to be symbolic of destiny, and choices. We have to choose what path to take, and we can't take those choices back.
Muffin Man; And?
Dr. Malice; Well, what ultimately influences our choices? It comes down to our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. If any of those change...
Muffin Man; Then we end up making different choices.
Dr. Malice; Exactly! The choices we make, and the choices ultimately available to us, depend on our state of mind.
Muffin Man; So, the maze is changing itself depending on our mindset. Malice, you might not be as dumb as the other Doctor thinks you are!
Meanwhile, in the announcer's booth, Acelegin and Red Daniel are snacking on potato chips.
Acelegin; So, uh... have you binged Hazbin Hotel yet?
Red Daniel; Holy shit, can we talk about that!?
Acelegin; I would love to!
Red Daniel; Okay, real quick. Favorite song and character?
Acelegin; Damn, it so hard to narrow it down! They're all great! If I have to pick just one of each, I have to go with Respectless and Emily, but it's like, real close.
Red Daniel; Girlboss energy and adorable angel girl. Fair. For me, I love all the songs, but More Than Anything is my fav. Lucifer is such a great Daddy.
Acelegin; I hate you calling him that...
Red Daniel; And my favorite character should be obvious.
Acelegin raises an eyebrow.
Acelegin; Angel Dust?
Red Daniel nods.
Red Daniel; Angel Dust.
Acelegin; Noice.
Red Daniel; So, um... should we be providing commentary?
Acelegin; You know, I've kind of stopped giving a shit, but we should at least check in.
Red Daniel; What's the other me doing?
Acelegin; He's standing in front of a wall. The wall has now opened up, and he's moving forward. He's now standing in front of a different wall. That wall has also opened.
Red Daniel; I don't get what's happening.
Acelegin; He seems to have figured out the maze's gimmick. You see, the maze changes depending on a person's mindset. And, since the shortest way to any destination is a straight line, the Doctor is exploiting that to his advantage. Whenever he hits a wall, he just allows his mind to wander until a way directly forward presents itself.
Red Daniel; Okay, let's pretend I understood any of that. Just where is he trying to get to?
Acelegin; It seems he's headed to the South wall. As for the others, Muffin and Malice are getting close to the West wall. Quan, Kai, and Kareena are nearing the East wall. And, what appears to be...
Acelegin checks his notes.
Acelegin; Oh ho! Looks like they're nearing the boss arena!
Red Daniel; Oh boy! Who's the boss?
Acelegin; I have no idea. The notes just say "Boss Arena". Seriously, these are vague as fuck...
As Quan, Kai, and Kareena enter the boss arena, a giant, eldritch monster, resembling a winged serpent. emerges and roars at them. Acelegin, suddenly filled with rage, grabs the microphone and roars into it.
Acelegin; TOM BITCTHTITS! My mortal enemy! Alas, we meet again, for the first time, for the last time!
Red Daniel; Who the fuck is Tom Bitchtits?
Acelegin continues speaking into the microphone.
Acelegin; Okay, guys, this is probably against the rules, but fuck it! I want this guy dead, so I'm gonna talk you through how to win! Quan, I need you to-
Tom Bitchtits smacks Quan with his tail, knocking him out of the arena. The hedge maze seals itself behind him.
Acelegin; Get immediately pimp slapped out of the arena...
Acelegin sighs.
Acelegin; Okay, I can still salvage this. Kai, get his attention, then run behind that pillar over there.
Kai follows Acelegin's instructions, and chucks a rock at Tom Bitchtit, then runs behind the pillar. Tom Bitchtits slithers to the pillar, and begins slithering back and forth on the opposite side as Kai.
Red Daniel; Um, what's happening?
Acelegin; I'll explain later. Kareena, see if you can find a weapon!
Tom Bitchtits begins moving around to the other side of the pillar.
Acelegin; Kai! Go left, and get to the other side!
Kai runs around to the other side of the pillar, and Tom Bitchtits begins slithering back and forth where Kai previously was.
Red Daniel; Okay, seriously, what's happening?
Acelegin; We're exploiting Tom's greatest weakness. His inability to navigate around pillars!
Red Daniel; Are you fucking kidding me?
Acelegin; That's how I beat him. Ow, fuck!
Red Daniel; What happened?
Acelegin; I stubbed my toe on something underneath the table. What the hell is...
Acelegin checks under the table, and suddenly grins broadly.
Acelegin; Oh, fuck yeah!
Acelegin produces a large plasma rifle from underneath the table, and slams it onto the table, pressing a button on it.
Red Daniel; Is that a fucking plasma rifle?
Acelegin; Fuck yes it is! But it needs time to charge...
Red Daniel grabs the microphone and shouts into it.
Red Daniel; Kareena! Do the wolf thing! Fuck him up!
Kareena painfully transforms into a bird-wolf hybrid, and begins fighting Tom Bitchtits.
Red Daniel; Kai! There's a pile of rocks to your left! Keep his attention divided.
Kai picks up the rocks, and starts running around, throwing them at Tom Bitchtits head. Kareena takes advantage of the distraction, grabbing Tom Bitchtits by the tails and slamming him into a nearby pillar. The plasma rifle finishes charging, and Acelegin opens a window and takes aim.
Acelegin; Both of you get down!
Kai and Kareena both take cover.
Acelegin; This is for Marchani, you motherfucker! Feel the wrath of the Lord of the Dickhouse!
Acelegin pulls the trigger, hitting Tom Bitchtits with a devestation burst of energy. Tom Bitchtits reels back in pain, and slither away into the depths of the maze.
Acelegin; Damn. He survived.
Acelegin closes the window.
Red Daniel; Okay, who the hell is Marchani? And you're lord of the what-now?
Acelegin; Dude, do even watch my Let's Plays?
Red Daniel shrugs.
Red Daniel; I mean, some of them?
Meanwhile, at the South wall, Dr. Ferris is intently listening to the broadcast.
Dr. Ferris; Hmm. Seems they managed just fine. Anyway...
Dr. Ferris examins some papers taped to the wall, with various symbols scribbled on them.
Dr. Ferris; As I thought. This trick again...
Dr. Ferris reaches a hand out, and sets one of the papers on fire, watching it crumbles to ash. His body flickers a little bit.
Dr. Ferris; Hmm. Let's see how many more it'll take...
Meanwhile, at the boss arena.
Kai; You okay?
Kareena, back in her human form, sighs and shrugs.
Kareena; That transformation sucks, but it got the job done...
Kai; I think I see a door over there.
Kareena; I guess we found the exit.
Kai; What about Quan?
Kareena; I don't know. Should we wait for him to get back?
Kai; I don't know. What if that thing comes back?
Kareena; Good point. But is going through there without our muscle a good idea?
Kai; I don't know. But...
Kai reaches out a hand to help Kareena up.
Kai; I still have my wild card. Maybe... that'll be enough?
Kareena takes Kai's hand, and he helps her up.
Kareena; Maybe. We've still got each other, no matter what.
Kai nods.
Kai; Let's go.
Together, Kareena and Kai exit through the door.
Meanwhile, in a different part of the maze, Quan lies on his back, moaning in pain. Acelegin's voice sounds over the loudspeaker.
Acelegin; And Kareena and Kai have successfully reached an exit! Good for them.
Quan sighs, and stands back up.
Quan; Good for them. The Doc's not gonna be happy about me getting separated.
Quan begins walking through the maze, until he finds himself at one of the outer walls. He examines the wall, then looks down at his right hand. He flexes his fingers, a thoughtful look crossing his face. After a few moments, he clenches his fist, reels back, and hit the wall with a powerful blow, causing a large amount of the brickwork to collapse, leaving a hole large enough to step through. Quan rubs his knuckles, admiring the results of his punch, and steps forward, through the hole he made.
Meanwhile, in the announcer's booth.
Red Daniel; um... did he just...
Acelegin; Literally punch his way out of the situation? Yes. Yes he did...
Red Daniel; Is that a bad thing?
Acelegin; I have no idea. I don't even know what's on the other side of that wall. Could be a death trap. Could be another escape room. He might not even be in the building anymore.
Meanwhile, at a different wall, Dr. Ferris continues walking along the wall, burning every paper symbol he comes across.
Dr. Ferris; That was at least thiry. Maybe it'll work now.
Dr. Ferris closes his eyes, and vanishes, reappearing a few feet forward.
Dr. Ferris; Heh. Fools, thinking they could restrain me. Now, for the next step...
Dr. Ferris vanishes again, but does not reappear.
Meanwhile, in the announcer's booth.
Acelegin; And he's gone too. Fuck...
Red Daniel; So, those papers were the only thing preventing him from doing that?
Acelegin; It would seem so...
Meanwhile, back in the maze.
Muffin Man; Hmm?
Dr. Malice; What's up?
Muffin Man; Something's different...
The Muffin Man teleports a few feet forward.
Dr. Malice; Whoa! You can use the God's Way again.
Muffin Man; It would seem so.
Dr. Malice; That means you can escape, right?
The Muffin Man remains silent for a few moments, thinking.
Dr. Malice; You okay?
Muffin Man; If there's even a chance she's in danger... I need to see this through to the end.
Dr. Malice nods.
Dr. Malice; Understood.
The maze shifts, showing them a new way forward.
Dr. Malice; Let's move. I think I see something up ahead.
They move forward, coming to a set of three levers, as well as two men, one dressed in a white suit, the other dressed in a black suit. Behind them is a door. Acelegin's voice sounds over the loudspeaker.
Acelegin; Congratulations! You've made it to the lever puzzle! Before you are three levers, and two men. One man speaks only in truths, the other speaks only in lies! Good luck!
Dr. Malice; Okay, it's one of these puzzles. So, we need to ask the correct questions to figured out which man is which, and use what they tell us to determine which lever...
The Muffin Man teleports in front of the White-Suited Man, and punches him in the face. The Man cries out in pain, clutching his nose.
Muffin Man; Did I just punch you in the face?
White-Suited Man; Yes. Yes you did.
Muffin Man; I think this is the honest one.
Dr. Malice; Okay, we have chosen violence. In that case, we might as well be sure...
Dr. Malice walks up to the Black-Suited Man, and kicks him in the groin. The Man collapses to the ground, writhing in pain.
Dr. Malice; Did I just kick you in the nuts?
Black-Suited Man; No, you didn't!
Dr. Malice; I guess this one's the liar.
Muffin Man; Right then. Okay...
The Muffin Man points to the first lever, and addresses the White-Suited Man.
Muffin Man; Is that the lever that opens the door?
White-Suited Man; No.
The Muffin Man points to the second lever.
Muffin Man; Is that the lever that opens the door?
White-Suited Man; No.
Dr. Malice; So, then it must be this one.
Dr. Malice approaches the third lever.
Muffin Man; Hold on. It could still be a trick. Is that the lever that opens the door?
White-Suited Man; No.
Muffin Man; So, none of these levers open the door?
White-Suited Man; That's correct.
Muffin Man; Then, what do they do?
White-Suited Man; Nothing. They're just there for aesthetic purposes.
Muffin Man; Then how do we open the door?
White-Suited Man; You turn the doorknob and push.
The Muffin Man stands in stunned silence for a bit.
Muffin Man; You've got to be kidding me.
White-Suited Man; I'm not.
Dr. Malice; Um... after you, I guess?
White-Suited Man; Good luck.
Black-Suited Man; I love you.
Dr. Malice and the Muffin Man approach the door, and exit through it.
Meanwhile, in the announcer's booth.
Acelegin; Well, I guess that's it then.
Red Daniel; You know, honestly this was pretty fun. I wonder what's next for those guys.
Acelegin; Who knows. Our work is done here.
Red Daniel; Yeah. We got watch a guy explode, another guy get kicked in the dick, and you fired a plasma gun at a snake monster that's apparently your arch nemesis.
Red Daniel produces a crack pipe and lighter from his coat pocket.
Red Daniel; How about some celebratory crack?
Acelegin; I think I'll pass on the hard drugs.
Red Daniel; More for me.
Red Daniel begins lighting the pipe.
Acelegin; Wait a second... do smell gasoli-
The announcer's booth fucking explodes.
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