Chapter Eighty-Five - Funhouse

Chapter Eighty-Five - Funhouse

Chapter Eighty-Five - Funhouse

We reached another intersection and as we had done a dozen times already, we waited as Orange walked around in a circle, phased through the walls, then returned to lead us on a little more.

All of this happened in near-silence. Only the occasional crackle of Amaryllis lightning marking the glass accompanied us.

The problem wasnt that we were tired, or that we had nothing to talk about. It was the constant walk down poorly lit corridors, expecting a trap at every step and finding none. All the while, a thousand reflections of ourselves moved around in the walls. The rooms we travelled through were sometimes so tight we had to line up in single file, and the air felt just a little too warm and stale.

It was creepy as heck.

When we reached the next intersection I huffed and crossed my arms. I dont like it, I declared.

What dont you like? Amaryllis asked.

This... thisness. The silence and the gloominess. Its not fun, I said.

Did you come here just for fun?

I thought about that for a moment. Mostly, yeah, I said.

Idiot, Amaryllis said. Were here because you got a quest. We really shouldnt complain.

I dont see whats so special about getting a quest.

Awa, Awen awad. Quests are... big. They only happen when big things are happening in the world. Theyre for very important people.

I snorted. Well, thats not quite right. I got a quest and Im just me.

I-I think youre important, Awen said.

I bumped my shoulder against hers, but shook my head all the same. It doesnt matter. Well get through this silly maze one way or another.

I was about to start talking about brighter things--I still had plenty to learn about my friends. Were they dog or cat people? What were their favourite colours? Big chins, cleft chins? No chins?--when Amaryllis shushed us all with a talon raised to her lips.

She crouched a little and I did the same, my spade coming up in a two handed grip ready to bonk anything that tried to cause trouble.

Then Awen pointed and all of our gazes snapped to the side.

Skittering along the glass, and reflected a thousand times over, was a beetle. A big one, the size of one of those novelty slippers that were shaped like bunnies.

We all watched as it scuttled closer, but instead of heading for us it... moved towards the mark Amaryllis had left in the wall. Tiny beetle-y legs started scrubbing at the burnt patch, slowly cleaning it off and restoring the mirrors shine.

Our tension seeped away. Its undoing all of my work, Amaryllis said.

The dungeon is rather clever. I eyed the beetle. Insight?

A Mirror Beetle, level 2.

Cute, I guess, I said.

We all agreed that sticking around wasnt going to help any, so we started following Orange again. The kitty was looking increasingly impatient, and I suspect that she would demand many pats and scratches when this was all done.

This place goes on forever, I complained a little later.

It will end eventually, Amaryllis said. Trust Orange.

I do, I do, I said. But its kind of boring. The worst part was that we were stuck shuffling along because moving too quickly, as we had discovered quite painfully, led us to run into the walls, bounce off their edges, and generally caused us to bump around like loons.

I was about to complain some more when I saw someone in the reflections ahead of us.

All three of us came to a stop as, from around the next corner came a short human girl. She was pretty, with bright blue eyes and long blonde hair that trailed out behind her. Her lips were set in a confident smile and she stood before us in the kind of adventuring outfit that I would expect a movie star to wear. That was, it revealed a lot of skin and probably wasnt all that suitable to actual adventuring.

And then we turned a corner and my heart stopped.

Broccoli Bunch was staring back at me.

Not another reflection. This Broccoli was all wrong.

She wore all black, a frilly, lacier version of my own dress. Her pale face was adorned with black mascara and an expression that was hovering somewhere between apathetic and depressed. Her shoulder slumped and she seemed to shrink in on herself. Oh, great. Just... keep moving. Its not like youre worth fighting or anything.

Um, I began. Hi?

Urgh, how can you be so peppy, the goth Broccoli asked. Just leave me alone. Or better yet, finish me off. This life is too miserable to be worth living. She pulled out a cigarette from her bandoleer, and lit it with a snap of her fingers. Just look at you three. Clever Amaryllis, who isnt half as clever as she wishes she were and only a quarter as clever as she thinks she is. Cute little Awen, with a mind filled with more delusions and taped-together dreams than any sense. You need to wake up and face reality girl.

Hey, I said. Thats a little rude.

Gothccoli took a long draw from her cigarette. Ah, look at me go. Standing up for the first people that call you friend. Youre so desperate it hurts. One day youll see that Dirt is just as cruel and uncaring as your home was. Then youll see.

Wow, Amaryllis said. I thought this would be funny, but this is actually kind of frightening.

Awa, that Broccoli doesnt... Broccoli right.

Gothccoli leaned against one of the walls, then waved the comment off. Go on. Keep on being a merry bunch of friends. See if I care.

I looked towards Amaryllis. Cant I hug her just a little? She really needs it.

Amaryllis rolled her eyes, and with a buzzing-crack, Gothccoli died an inglorious death.

I was at least content in knowing that that was probably how she would have wanted to go.

Orange returned, and it was a silent party that followed her to the end of the maze. The mirrors stopped, and we found ourselves in a little alcove with a door at the end.

I opened it to reveal the now-familiar ravine. Stepping out onto it and taking a deep breath of fresh air was a balm to the soul after the stuffy confines of the maze.

Whaaa, I said as I stretched out my arms and legs. That was awful!

Awa, it was a bit warm, but, um, there were no fights.

Amaryllis just huffed. If it wasnt for Orange we could have been in there for far, far longer. She picked up the cat and cradled it in her arms. Orange didnt make any noise, but I could still hear the faint rumble of her purring as it made Amaryllis coat vibrate. Were lucky that the party has such a good member in it.

We are! I said.

What followed was a minute or two of everyone cooing over Orange who took it with stoic aplomb and returned a smug kitty smile.

But all things had to end, and so we turned our attention to crossing the bridge towards the next floor.

We crossed with growing confidence, the last rooms lack of difficulty spurring us on. That is, until we were nearly halfway down the bridge and Amaryllis feet slipped.

She eeped and did a bit of a dance to keep her balance. It ended with her wings spread out wide and her butt low to the ground as she crouched next to us.

Awa, I... that was scary.

I giggled as my heart calmed down a little. You scared me too, I said. What happened?

Amaryllis scuffed her foot against the surface of the bridge with a growing frown, then leaned down to touch the surface. Theres ice atop the glass, she said, her voice calm and poised as if she hadnt just done an interpretive version of the chicken dance.

I ran my foot from side to side on the glass ahead, and true enough, there was a thin layer of ice atop the glass. The air was notably cooler too, but that was hard to tell with the way the wind twisted in the ravine. Well have to be more careful, I said. Maybe we can smash it?

And smash the bridge beneath? Amaryllis asked.

Ah, right, I said. I just hope that this isnt a hint of what is to come.

Unfortunately, it very much was.