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The rat screeched, scampering away from the group as they used the opportunity to move on. The left teleporter brought them into what appeared to be some sort of sewing room. A large black cabinet sat to their left, and before them was a large table with a fancy sewing machine on top, a large red fabric hanging from it. The decaying smell gave way to the smell of sugarplums, and a faint hint of cotton candy. Once again, two panels sat before them.

Perfuma gulped and took a few steps forward, eyes shut and body tense as she inched to the center of the room. Pausing a few moments, she opened an eye and looked around before turning to the group. "It looks like this room is safe...?"

@Jeremi @Lucky

---

As the young mage ventured forward, a loud crinkling noise sounded as he stepped on some paper. Looking down, he'd see it was a wanted poster with his own picture on it. WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE was written at the top.

"Oh my God..." Yang was staring at the building next to them, where plastered all over the wall were their pictures on wanted posters. Every single one had the 'Alive' option violently scratched out.

"There they are!" As soon as one of the guards cried out, the world glitched out.
253019-travel-to-esco-ruins-the-abandoned-village-in-spai.jpg


The city turned fully abandoned, empty husks of buildings surrounding them all. The wanted posters stayed the same, but even the guards changed form.

as_d_shadaloo_soldier__street_fighter_v__render_by_denderotto_db37lmz-fullview.png


"By order of the sheriff, don't let them escape!!"

@Takumi

“As safe as it can, I suppose.” Haru took a few steps forward as well, coming up next to Perfuma. “I wonder if we’re just supposed to blindly walk around until we find what we’re looking for or should we take a look around? At least…there’s hopefully no rat this time.”

@Lucky
 
"Explore? Do you think we'll find something more in here?" Draq looked around, scratching his head. "I guess that cabinet and sewing table are our best bets...but I don't know if they'd leave us a clue since they're trying to stop us."

"It has to be worth a try, if we're going to save Godiva!" Perfuma walked to the large red fabric and pulled on it. "It's stuck...!"

@Jeremi @Lucky
 
"Explore? Do you think we'll find something more in here?" Draq looked around, scratching his head. "I guess that cabinet and sewing table are our best bets...but I don't know if they'd leave us a clue since they're trying to stop us."

"It has to be worth a try, if we're going to save Godiva!" Perfuma walked to the large red fabric and pulled on it. "It's stuck...!"

@Jeremi @Lucky

“Let me help,” Haru went to help Perfuma try to pull the fabric, never knew what you could find in places like this that could help them. Unless this was another trap for a rat or some other creature to get the jump on them.

@Yun Lee @Lucky
 
With the tarp pulled away, it became clear that what was looked like a sewing machine was actually a record player. However, the record seemed to be missing...

@Jeremi @Lucky
 
Verde Weat

“ I’ll go and see if I can find a record in the cabinet,
Verde replied, figuring it was as good a place as any to start looking.

@Yuh Lee @Jeremi
 
Verde Weat

“ I’ll go and see if I can find a record in the cabinet,
Verde replied, figuring it was as good a place as any to start looking.

@Yuh Lee @Jeremi

Well that was weird, Haru thought to herself. “Be careful,” She remarked to Verde. “There could still be something waiting for us somewhere.”

@Yun Lee @Lucky
 
Shuffling through the cabinets would reveal a record, though it looked rather beaten up. "Will it play anything?" Perfuma asked.

"Only one way to find out!" Taking the record, Draq put it onto the player, and soon a crackling audio played. There was no noise save for the static at first, until a woman spoke.

"Are you ready for tonight's story, my king? Now, you remember where we left off, don't you? Yes, that's it. The Pirate King was looking for his treasure, the Red Orb. With this orb, he would finally rule the seas. The Pirate King left the interior of the cemetery, and was now outside on the mountain itself. His right-hand man was beside him like always, and his other mate had been left behind to deal with something important. But what neither knew was that she had left their world, captured by a wicked foe. Hm? What's that? Her name? Yes, her name waswaswaawaswaswaswaswaswaswaswaswas--"

Draq lifted up the needle as it snagged in a sharp dip in the record. "That was Miss Shahrazad talking...you don't think she's here too, do you?"

@Jeremi @Lucky
 
"Let's not cut out the possibility," Haru remarked before looking over to the teleporters. "So which one should we go on next?"

@Yun Lee @Lucky
 
Verde West

" I think she might know more than we do. I think going right is incredibly important, we should try to stick to the same pattern, so if we get lost, we can backtrack and figure out what went wrong."

@Yun Lee @Jeremi
 
The right panel would take them...

...

...

...to the right panel of the entrance.

"Oh, come on!" Draq exclaimed, only for Perfuma to put a hand on his arm.

"Deep breaths...just relax...we'll figure this out." She looked around. "I...guess we go back to the right, then?"

Draq tried to take a deep breath, but sighed instead, slumping his shoulders. "Do we have to? How do we make sense of anything here?"

As the two continued talking, someone might notice a strange shadow from one of the lamps in front. Almost like there was something obstructing a portion of the light...

@Jeremi @Lucky
 
The right panel would take them...

...

...

...to the right panel of the entrance.

"Oh, come on!" Draq exclaimed, only for Perfuma to put a hand on his arm.

"Deep breaths...just relax...we'll figure this out." She looked around. "I...guess we go back to the right, then?"

Draq tried to take a deep breath, but sighed instead, slumping his shoulders. "Do we have to? How do we make sense of anything here?"

As the two continued talking, someone might notice a strange shadow from one of the lamps in front. Almost like there was something obstructing a portion of the light...

@Jeremi @Lucky

Haru perked up. “Hmm?” She looked over to the lamp in front of them. “Do you see that?” She grabbed the ax off her back and went in for a closer look.

@Yun Lee @Lucky
 
There seemed to be a scrap of paper within the lamp. It was the written version of what Ms. Shahrazad had spoken on the record.

The Pirate King was looking for his treasure, the Red Orb. With this orb, he would finally rule the seas. The Pirate King left the interior of the cemetery, and was now outside on the mountain itself. His right-hand man was beside him like always, and his other mate had been left behind to deal with something important. But what neither knew was that she had left their world, captured by a wicked foe. Her name was

Coincidentally, the paper was ripped right at the same point that the record cut off.

There was something on the back of the paper, too:
Vanity: 3, 411Bedroom: 10, 11
Dining Room: 4, 5, 10Living Room: 7, 8, 9Bathroom: 2, 3, 6
Sewing Room: 1, 2, 8Entrance: 1, 9Study: 5, 6, 7

 
Last edited:
There seemed to be a scrap of paper within the lamp. It was the written version of what Ms. Shahrazad had spoken on the record.

The Pirate King was looking for his treasure, the Red Orb. With this orb, he would finally rule the seas. The Pirate King left the interior of the cemetery, and was now outside on the mountain itself. His right-hand man was beside him like always, and his other mate had been left behind to deal with something important. But what neither knew was that she had left their world, captured by a wicked foe. Her name was

Coincidentally, the paper was ripped right at the same point that the record cut off.

There was something on the back of the paper, too:
Vanity: 3, 411Bedroom: 10, 11
Dining Room: 4, 5, 10Living Room: 7, 8, 9Bathroom: 2, 3, 6
Sewing Room: 1, 2, 8Entrance: 1, 9Study: 5, 6, 7


"I found something," Haru showed the back of the paper to the others. "I think these are the coordinates for those teleporters. What do you think?"

@Lucky @Yun Lee
 
Verde West

" Those look like they are. So, if I am reading this correctly, we need to get into the dinning room to make it into the bedroom and find our way. The way we were going seemed right."

@Yun Lee @Jeremi
 
"There has to be something that we're missing," Perfuma said. "Though looking at this paper...numbers 1 and 9 are the teleporters in here, right? We used 9..." Her finger searched for the room with a 9, landing on the Living Room. "...and we ended up here. And from there, we can either end up in the Study or the Sewing Room, and we went to the latter."

"What's got me is that some of these numbers are different," Draq added, looking at the paper from behind the others. "Some are bold, and some are underlined! I think that means something more...and maybe that story, too."

"The story?" Perfuma raised her eyebrows. "But why would that matter? It's just nonsense!"

"Maybe. But if it was, why was it both in the sewing room AND on the paper? Almost like someone really wants us to have it..."

@Jeremi @Lucky
 
"There has to be something that we're missing," Perfuma said. "Though looking at this paper...numbers 1 and 9 are the teleporters in here, right? We used 9..." Her finger searched for the room with a 9, landing on the Living Room. "...and we ended up here. And from there, we can either end up in the Study or the Sewing Room, and we went to the latter."

"What's got me is that some of these numbers are different," Draq added, looking at the paper from behind the others. "Some are bold, and some are underlined! I think that means something more...and maybe that story, too."

"The story?" Perfuma raised her eyebrows. "But why would that matter? It's just nonsense!"

"Maybe. But if it was, why was it both in the sewing room AND on the paper? Almost like someone really wants us to have it..."

@Jeremi @Lucky

"Maybe we have to follow a specific one?" Haru asked "Maybe the underlined ones are a clue that will help us get through this?"

@Yun Lee @Lucky
 
The rat screeched, scampering away from the group as they used the opportunity to move on. The left teleporter brought them into what appeared to be some sort of sewing room. A large black cabinet sat to their left, and before them was a large table with a fancy sewing machine on top, a large red fabric hanging from it. The decaying smell gave way to the smell of sugarplums, and a faint hint of cotton candy. Once again, two panels sat before them.

Perfuma gulped and took a few steps forward, eyes shut and body tense as she inched to the center of the room. Pausing a few moments, she opened an eye and looked around before turning to the group. "It looks like this room is safe...?"

@Jeremi @Lucky

---

As the young mage ventured forward, a loud crinkling noise sounded as he stepped on some paper. Looking down, he'd see it was a wanted poster with his own picture on it. WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE was written at the top.

"Oh my God..." Yang was staring at the building next to them, where plastered all over the wall were their pictures on wanted posters. Every single one had the 'Alive' option violently scratched out.

"There they are!" As soon as one of the guards cried out, the world glitched out.
253019-travel-to-esco-ruins-the-abandoned-village-in-spai.jpg


The city turned fully abandoned, empty husks of buildings surrounding them all. The wanted posters stayed the same, but even the guards changed form.

as_d_shadaloo_soldier__street_fighter_v__render_by_denderotto_db37lmz-fullview.png


"By order of the sheriff, don't let them escape!!"

@Takumi

Morgan hesitated for only a second, before he opened his tome with an exhalation of breath and held out his arm, hand outstretched, and let his eyes gaze down at the page he had open for a split second.

Vwzzpt!

Lightning crackled down his arm and out of his palm to crash into the grunts before him, or at least the ground between them before the grunts could get any closer. Aurellio was determined to have their heads, but he would've rather face Aurelio himself and gotten this over with quickly.

@Yun Lee
 
No more Beauties and Beasts.

Jean's fingers twitched. His eyes were wide. Unblinking. He drank in the light's glow.

No more happily ever afters.

Everything he had ever wanted.

Freedom. True Freedom.

No. He had read about things like this. Poison apples. Deals with demons. Promises too good to be true.

Magic always came at a high price. He'd be trading one fate for another. The Devil he knew for an angel he couldn't begin to know. He was leaving one cell, only to step into another.

Never be free. Never. Never.

He could shut to door now. Turn away. Run back to his dorm and throw his sheets over his head. He could choose the Blue Pill and return to his old life. He could enjoy it whilst it lasts. Enjoy those fleeting days of bliss before becoming a beast.

Or he could roll the dice. Become a new man. A prisoner to a different fate. Perhaps a greater fate than his. One free of royal obligations. A life not bound to a tale as old as time.

But it came at the cost of the life he was living. The price was too high.

For a man as rich as he, the 'price' of things had rarely deterred him. But there was one thing Daddy's Money couldn't buy.

That morning in the Hocus Latte.

Flirting. Laughing. Drinking coffee by the liter. The smiles. The cakes.

The whistle of boiling kettles. The scent of cocoa and cider. The warmth of steam and the chill of the morning breeze.

It felt like a lifetime ago. It all seemed to complicated then. But now? He yearned for that simpler time. Before disappearances and mysteries. Before strange memories and illusions. He knew his place. It wasn't perfect, but it was where he belonged.

He would have given anything to go back to that day. He'd take it all. The good and the bad. He would have given Robin a larger tip. Slapped Angel's back a little harder. He would have laughed a little louder and smiled until there were tears in his eyes. He would have lived each and every second to its fullest.

God, if he had his time again. He couldn't let it go.

Then again, it was always meant to end this way. Whether he became a Beast or a new man, he was always fated to change. To grow up and move on. It was a fate he shared with the rest of the human race. There were no spells that could break that curse. There would never be another morning like that one in the Hocus Latte. That moment had long since passed. It had died, like all moments do. All he could do now was carry it with him. Let it live on within him. Cresent. Angel. The others. They had all accepted their fates. It was time he joined then.

Times had changed. And now, he would too.

Jean smiled, his eyes glassy and red. He took a deep breath. And he took a leap. A gamble. He accepted his new fate.

He let the light wash over him. He didn't fight it. He welcomed it in. The Good. The Bad. The Ugly. He felt it all twist and fray. It unravel like plucked wool. The spirit of 'Jean LeDompeteur de Beaumont' was peeled back like old wall paper. Crumpled up. Discarded. Deleted. Out with the old. In with the new.

The never was a 'Jean'. There never was a 'Beast'. He was a fairy tale. A story, living on in the heart of a new man. And his story was...

View attachment 4926
"Beautiful."

The Masked Man cooed to himself. It felt good to be back.

***
"Such foul creatures..." He tutted as Morgan fried the grunts. "To rebel against their Heavenly King... Disguising..."

His hand drifted towards his face. His slowly removed his mask. His tongue danced upon cool edge as it slip away from his skin.

View attachment 4927
"Do you not recognize my beauty, mongrels?" Vega taunted. "Pity. You've forced my hand. I have no choice but to sully my claw with your tainted blood. Death is a suitable punishment for your crimes against beauty!"

@Yun Lee @Takumi
 
"Hang on...let me try something!" Draq walked over to the right teleporter, vanishing an reappearing after a few seconds. "That one took me back to the sewing room," he said. "So I guess that means the right teleporter is number one?"

"I guess so..." Perfuma noticed something more within the lamp, and pulled out what turned out to be a small pencil. So the right teleporter is one...meaning the left is nine?" And going off that, that means..." She scribbled on the paper, adding her own notes to the page so that their table now looked like this:

Vanity: 3, 411Bedroom: 10, 11
Dining Room: 4, 5, 10Living Room: 7 (ST), 8 (L, SW), 9 (E)Bathroom: 2 (SEW), 3, 6
Sewing Room: 1 (R, E), 2 (L, BATH), 8 (LR)Entrance: 1 (R, SEW), 9 (L, LR)Study: 5, 6, 7 (LR)

"I filled in a few blanks based on what the paper told us," she said. "And when it says left or right, that means in regards to the portal we came from. I'm still not sure why things are bolded or underlined, but...maybe this should make things clearer?"

@Jeremi @Lucky

---

Morgan's attack would easily dispose of the soldiers, turning them into nothing but glitched binary code that would vanish after a moment. Only one thing remained, a small box on the ground.

"They don't recognize you because they don't know who you are." Whether Vega would recognize the young man who had once been Jay Hood or not, he seemed to recognize the former Jean, and was not happy to see him.

View attachment 4929

"We're in a simulation that's merged Aurelio's true memories with a firewall that's doubled down on his fake ones as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Those grunts and this street look familiar to us, but we're not familiar to them."

"The two of you know each other?" Sakura raised her eyebrows. "And I assume you know Aurelio, as well."

"I do," Yang said, narrowing his eyes at Vega. "I doubt he does, though."

@Sark @Takumi
 
"Ah, Chun Li's pretty Little pet. It's good to see you too, Yang," Vega teased. "Tell me. How is the witch? Still chasing Ghosts in China?"

"Yang and I? Oh, we know each other all too well," Vega smirked as he addressed Sakura. His eyes remained fixed on Lee. "The Fall of S.I.N.... It's been a while since I've had that much fun."

@Yun Lee @Takumi
 
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