Hello, readers! Here's the next chapter for you all to enjoy.
Happy Labor Day, to those who celebrated it earlier this week. Unfortunately, my work here doesn't really get a break. Then again, I do enjoy writing these stories for you all, so that is its own reward.
Oh, and thank you to the one Guest reader who says I am the only author to update constantly. I'm not sure that'll always be the case, but I'll try my best to post these chapters on a regular basis.
DISCLAIMER: 'Alice: Madness Returns', and the 'American McGee's Alice' series, is owned by Spicy Horse and EA, including all beta content for the games. The author owns his OC and any custom elements he introduces into the story.
Onward to the Chapter!
A massive river of molten metal streams down the main part of this chamber. Half of this river is in front of us, and half to our left. I quickly see a figure inside a large oval container, or platform, that hangs over another black abyss which both halves of the molten river fall into. This figure is a mouse wearing a white-and-blue checkered vest, and a small teacup for a hat. It also has wheels in place of legs, and its right eye is a metallic red. Its left eye, which I see as it looks closely at us, is held open by clamps. A strange key winds around and around in its back, like it's keeping the mouse alive.
"Dormouse," Alice suddenly shouts to the half-mechanical rodent. "What's your game, here? What are you and the March Hare doing to the Domain that's so important? Answer me!"
"Your presence here is unwelcome," the mouse responds in a grated female voice, just like the loudspeakers in the other chambers talked. "We have a mission to complete, and you, Alice, are an intolerable annoyance!"
As she says this, a hanging cauldron with two long, white arms attached to the sides, uses those arms to open its bottom. This releases more molten metal into the river below.
"Some like it hot," the Dormouse continues as the armed cauldron moves along the right river and releases more of its contents. "But, no one likes it this hot!"
The mouse then laughs wildly at us. A quick glance at Alice tells me she doesn't really care about this rodent's attitude. Frankly, I'm more worried about burning in the molten metal than what the Dormouse says.
"Time your jumps on the columns there," Alice orders me as she points to several columns that rise and fall in a pattern above the molten river. "Let's move!"
I grit my teeth as we jump to the first column, which falls a second before I expect to land on it. We still do land on it, just as the cauldron with arms moves past us and drops molten metal very close to us.
"She's using the Hatter's arms to rain that metal on our heads," Alice realizes out loud. "Sounds more like what a rat would do than an honest mouse."
I start to reply, but my words turn into a scream as, once again, burning-hot tea scalds my skin and soaks my clothing. I look around for the culprit, and find an Eyepot standing on a metal square across the abyss. I quickly summon the Automaton Hammer, switch it to 'RM', take a knee, and fire a shot back at the monster.
The shot arcs wide and splashes into the river, despite my having aimed right at the creature. The only word I can say at this sight is, "Fuck!"
"Silly boy," the Dormouse taunts at me. "That's a weapon of the Hatter. Those relics always fall apart when you least want them to. Toss it into the scrap pile, that's all its good for!"
I glare at the mouse, and suddenly see a more mangled Dormouse in its place, its legs and right arm cut off and replaced with metal. I blink, and the rodent is back to its current self.
"Come on," Alice says as she tugs my arm. "Let's get out of the Eyepot's range."
I move with Alice across the other moving columns, but with one last glance to the Dormouse. A feeling of anguish sticks in my chest as I try to picture a similarity between the current creature and the mangled rodent I saw in that split second. Why is anguish there, of all feelings?
Once we reach the farthest column, a switch comes to view. Alice peppers it as I keep a watch on the Eyepot. Thankfully, we are out of its range. I can't stop a smile as I see it scuttle back and forth on its square in a futile effort.
"Keep focused," Alice orders me. I turn back to her just as two metal platforms rise from the molten river. Additional molten metal gets poured on them every few moments. Once again, Alice and I have to time our jumps across these platforms. Even with good timing, though, the plates feel hot to my feet as I run across them.
A toadstool spring pops up close to the last platform, and we use that to reach a higher space covered on three sides by large metal crates. Insidious Ruin emerge in our path, in front of a large valve. I flick the Hammer's power on and charge in as Alice moves over to some boxes on the left. I vent out my anger on these creatures as I bash their liquid bodies to the black tar they really are.
Ruin splatters the walls when I finish. My arms strain to lift the Hammer as I pant for breath. Alice gives me a quick pat on the back as she passes by and turns the valve. The river on our side cools, but we also see Bolterfly nests drop onto two of the columns.
"Just stop trying," the Dormouse then shouts at us. "I've got the arms you need. Well, strictly speaking, the Hatter needs them. But, that doesn't matter now, because I'm going to melt you like lobsters in a boiling pot!"
I grit my teeth at the rodent's taunts, but Alice walks back to me with a calm expression.
"I saw a keyhole when we were crossing the platforms," she tells me. "You can stand guard down there while I go and look."
I reply with a, "Sure thing," and follow her down to said hole, which is alongside the now-frozen metal river. Alice shrinks down, and I keep watch for any Bolterflies that dare come over here. I also see another of those vents beneath another switch; guess that's the next thing we have to do.
Alice emerges with the words, "Only a bottle," and she moves back up to where the valve was. I try to mention the switch to her, but she doesn't seem to hear me as she moves over to a weaker wall near the valve, places a Clockwork Bomb there, and detonates it a second later using her remote. The explosion doesn't harm her in the slightest, and I run up to her as we land on the frozen river close to where we started.
The Bolterflies instantly move toward us; Alice draws the Pepper Grinder as I switch the Hammer to 'RM'. Alice takes quick, precise shots at the mechanical bugs while I focus on the nests themselves. The distant Eyepot rains liquid hell down on us from afar. I have to teleport after each shot to avoid the long-range tea.
I get some Bolterflies on me, as well, and their sting hurts just as much as in the Vale. I refuse to get enraged, though, and do my best to focus on the nests. I don't hear, or see, the Doormouse's cauldron move around as I fight.
It takes several tense, pulse-pounding minutes of dodging and shooting to blow up the nests and rid the air of Bolterflies. Alice looks just as worn out as I feel, but we force ourselves forward as the Eyepot continues its bombardment. We cross under the columns to reach the alcove with the vent and switch from before.
I point towards the switch as we step out of the Eyepot's range, and Alice tiredly nods before she peppers the switch up. We both have to dodge the steam vent as it moves out of the alcove and activates. We use the vent to reach a new area to our right, and then stop. There's nothing but molten metal in front of us, large grates keeping the river from overflowing. The grates look too weak to climb on, and they're probably burning hot, too.
"Take that, then!" the Dormouse yells at us from safety. "The path "least traveled" is now impossible to negotiate! Hahaha! You two can't reach me, no, not at all!"
We both take a moment to catch our breath, but it is Alice who first gets the idea to use Shrink Sense. I quickly follow suit, and see a hidden path that crosses the river. However, even more of the liquid pours from a pipe above into the middle of the path. Alice absorbs some teeth as she walks across, while I have to contend myself with the hiccups I get while shrunken. There is some amusement in a purple drawing of Alice standing victorious over a pile of slain monsters, Vorpal Blade in hand.
We grow back to normal size, and drop to the other side of the river. Several metal squares rest above the liquid to provide a semi-connected path. Insidious Ruin and Eyepots, including the bastard one from earlier, approach us just after we land. I switch the Hammer to 'MM' just as Alice readies her upgraded Vorpal Blade.
"Move to one side," she commands. "Split up our foes. There's too little space to fight together."
I obey her order and leap across the river to a nearby square, separate from Alice. I then have to leap again when the Dormouse's armed cauldron appears above me and opens itself up. Molten metal pours onto where I once stood. I wave my arms on my new square to balance myself.
Two Insidious, and the bastard Eyepot, move towards me. They move across the squares easier than me. The Insidious reach me first, but the squares force them to advance in a single line. I move as close to them as I dare, and use the Hammer's swing to slam one of them right into the river. It instantly melts into a black puddle that floats above the lava. I then jump back as the next Insidious charges me.
Once I move back, the creature moves to the side as the bastard Eyepot scuttles towards me. I clench the Hammer in my hands, and stand my ground. When the creature raises its two front spiked legs to skewer me, I deal an uppercut swing to it. The impact's explosion almost knocks me off the square, but it also cracks the Eyepot's 'eye' as it falls inert. The second Insidious doesn't stand a chance against me, and I turn to kill the bastard teapot.
However, I execute a different plan when I look over to Alice. She's cornered against the second Eyepot, and the Dormouse's cauldron.
"Alice!" I cry out. "Switch targets!"
Alice looks at me, and then teleports several times towards me in a few seconds. I teleport over the river towards the second Eyepot, and pound it into submission with wild swings. The Hammer's momentum carries me from swing to swing, but scalding liquid burns my back before I deal the killing blow. I teleport away, and look up at the Dormouse's armed cauldron above my former position. The liquid on my back makes moving hurt like a motherfucker.
The pain fades to a sharp sting as my mists do their work. Still, I try to focus on other things. There had better a be a Shrinking Violet nearby, or this pain's going to be here a while.
I teleport to Alice's position. The other Eyepot is already dead, and she peppers a switch on the far wall. Alice's eyes widen as she turns to see me, and her eyes widen even more as she runs over and looks at the burn on my back. It probably looks as bad as it feels
"Are you able to keep moving like that?" she asks with concern. I nod my head even as a fresh sting makes my legs shake. It's like the burn has fingers that reach into my muscles and rip them to shreds. Even so, I force myself to stand tall and say to Alice, "I'm fine. Lead the way."
"Be sure to keep up," Alice warns me, but I see doubt in her eyes as she turns to where we need to go next. We move to the far side of the river, where larger bits of metal of various sizes and shapes drift down toward the abyss. I have to focus to jump across these, and I reach a platform above the river. Alice leads us towards another valve.
Two more Insidious Ruin rise from the floor to block our path. Alice places a hand in front of me with the words, "These are mine. You just watch."
I stay still as she draws the Vorpal Blade and casually walks over to the small beasts. They stare at her until one of them gets brave enough to charge. Alice slashes into its mask before it gets close. She continues to slash without pause until the Insidious screams and melts away. The second one tries to attack her from behind, but she teleports away from its swipe. She sprints at it and, with six quick slashes and a twirl, kills it.
Once again, I feel awe at Alice's skill. She smiles confidently at me, and then turns the nearby valve until we hear a click. The rest of the river freezes up, and a steam vent rises to just behind the Dormouse's location. The rodent has a bitter look on her face as she looks down on us, her plan apparently foiled.
"A temporary setback, this," she announces as a smaller column in her container starts to rise up the pipe that connects to this chamber's ceiling. "A minor hindrance. A trivial impediment! I'll just move along, but I'll deal with you both later. You two will never stop our grand plan!"
"Shut up, you malformed rodent," I mutter as the Dormouse fully vanishes from our sight. I follow Alice out to the frozen river, and she points to the Dormouse's container as the armed cauldron hangs over a large chute. The frozen and drained river reveals the chute to our eyes, with the words, 'RUBBISH' on the chute's sides. The Dormouse's container has a visible lever inside it; the lever may be our ticket to getting the arms off the cauldron.
"Those are the Hatter's arms on the cauldron," Alice states. "We just need to pull the lever, and then follow them down the rubbish chute. Hatter had said the machines will do the rest."
"Those had better be his arms," I say with a growl as the burn's pain comes back in full force. "I don't want him picky with what type of hands he gets."
Alice gives a brief chuckle at this. We use the new steam vent to reach the container. I stand to the far side as Alice pulls the lever with another grunt. The rubbish chute opens up, and the Hatter's arms drop down.
"Let's go," Alice calls to me as she jumps down the chute after the arms. I swallow and follow into the chute's darkness. The air roars in my ears as I feel my butt press along one wall of the chute. I can't control my pace.
I land a few seconds after I see the light of the Hatter's chamber, and I land hard on my butt and lower back, just below where the burn is. I cry out, and then slump to the mostly-flooded floor as my body gives out on me from the pain.
I hear the Hatter shout, "Mobility will make a nice change!" as I slip into a black embrace.
My senses slowly return as I realize I'm still in the Hatter's chamber, my lower body propped against a wall. I don't know how much time has passed until I see Alice's face very close to mine. My cheeks grow hot as I turn my eyes away from hers; she pulls back as soon as she sees my movement. The Hatter has fallen asleep again when I glance over to him, the giant hands above his head and torso holding his arms for him.
"Ah, you're awake," Alice quickly says. "You were out for a few minutes. I knew that burn would become serious if left unchecked. I propped you against the wall so you'd rest easier. I should have taken you back to a Shrinking Violet, or something."
"This isn't your fault, Alice," I say as I slowly stand up while using the wall as support. "I think I let my pride get the better of me."
I reach a hand to my back and carefully rub around the burned area. I draw my hand back the moment I feel a painful sting. The burn's still there, that's for sure.
"Do you think you'll be able to continue?" Alice asks with a concerned look. "Your back was starting to peel really badly a while ago."
"I'll be fine if we can take it slow for a while," I say as I walk over to Alice without falling over. "Don't worry so much about me. We're in a war for your world, after all."
"Who told you we were in a war?" Alice raises an eyebrow as she asks this. "I mean, I do realize the larger significance of our battles, but I never outright talked about war."
"Blame the Cheshire Cat," I say with narrowed eyes. "He spoke to me a couple of times while we were separated, and he mentioned subtlety is often better than brute force in war." After a moment to consider what I just said, I then comment, "I suppose I haven't been keeping that advice in mind recently, have I?"
"You'll learn soon enough, Kyle." Alice says this as she turns to the pressure pad. "Get to the elevator, I just need to place a bomb on the Pad."
I move over with a glance to the slumbering Hatter, and smirk at how happy he'll feel when he's fully assembled again. Alice places the bomb, and we both get on the elevator as it rises up to the clock face.
No new foes face us when we reach our destination, but we now turn to the right. We leap to another teacup-cart station. The difference with this station is a large hammer that looks like a fist pounding into the station's top over and over again. Alice slashes open boxes along the way, with two Slithering Ruin being no threat. We get into the cart the same way as before, and descend to the entrance of the large head with so many pistons.
We enter a gray-walled chamber with a few lights that don't make the place any more comfortable. A few large gears slowly turn on the far left as part of a huge abyss surrounding a path on that side leading to an unseen destination. The cart moves back after we get off, just as the Cheshire Cat appears before us.
"The dimensions of this desolate tract are unknown to all but the inhabitants," he says. Alice scoffs at this 'advice', and the Cat vanishes before we can say anything to him.
I slowly walk along our only path, held above the abyss by large chains, while Alice reaps the contents of some boxes to the side. The path leads to a narrow stairway that curves up, and I walk up one step at a time. The stair ends at a large pit, a door on the other end of the area, but beyond our reach.
"A worker's paradise," I hear the Dormouse's voice shout from more ornate speakers hung along the walls like in 'Smelling and Regurgitating'. "And, you don't have to die! Not a cheap slogan; we really care! Fight the good fight! Work until you expire, substantial rewards in heaven! It is better to give labor then to receive pay for it. Words to live by! You can eat them, too!"
The same message repeats again, which gets me just as annoyed as the last time I heard this crap. The only difference is the name on the speakers reads, 'March Hare' instead of 'Dormouse'. Not that that's much of a difference, really; the Dormouse's image is still attached to the speakers.
I smell pepper as Alice draws the Grinder, and I cover my mouth to block a loud sneeze as Alice peppers up a switch that I see is behind a metal foot. The foot pounds the metal beneath it over and over again, which serves to block some of Alice's shots. She eventually gets it, which causes a metal platform to descend via chains to our level. We cross over the abyss with ease.
The next chamber is the same as the last one; a door across an abyss, a switch on the far wall. However, four metal robots rest on one wall, and a giant fan with three blades slowly turns in the other. Alice turns to the switch with the Grinder, but misses on her first few shots. I break open two metal boxes with the Hammer, and find a floating white pen among the rose petals and teeth.
The switch's activation opens the door for us, and lowers a large brown, stationary gear to our level via the pipe going through its center. However, Alice first moves to the memory and touches it. The voice of an older man who my mind interprets as high-class rings in my ears; "Industry relies on suffering, obsolescence, and ruination, Alice. It's made the East End into a privy! Consider a simple farm life, in Australia, perhaps. We might liquidate what remains of your inheritance."
"How selfish of you to mention that, Doctor," Alice spits back at the voice. No doubt she notices my confused expression, because she then explains that this 'Doctor' is named Wilton J. Radcliffe, Alice's current solicitor and former lawyer of the Liddel family.
"He's a greedy bastard, really," Alice tells me with a venomous look on her face. "A miser, only helping people if it ultimately helps him. He represented me after my family's death, but he eventually got the notion that I was mad off my rocker. He made an official report on the tragedy, but I suspect he's lost interest in me, as a person. All he wants now is my money, and my old rabbit to boot!"
"And, you're going to give him neither," I state, just to make sure I get what Alice is saying. She nods sharply, to which I then ask, "How did he lose interest in you, as a person?"
"He claims I have an obsessive interest with fire, since that's how—" Alice suddenly pauses in her explanation and looks at me in what I think is guilt. "I never told you how my family died, did I?"
I shake my head, not trusting my mouth to not say the wrong thing. Alice turns away and takes a breath; this issue sounds serious to her, so I give her as much time as she needs.
"To put it simply," Alice explains with her eyes to the platform beneath us. "My old family house caught fire one night when I was 7. I was able to escape, but I was the only one who did. The damage to Wonderland you've seen is the result of the suffering I've dealt with over the many years since then. I've seen the worst part of humanity, and had to overcome my own trials to get here. People in London call me 'Fire Girl', as if the fire is all that matters to me. They don't care about the life I once had!"
Alice's fists clench so hard by the time she finishes this that I think her gloves will break apart from sheer force. I take a small step back from her, but she calms herself back down over the space of several tense seconds. When she finally looks at me, I see the corner of her eyes have turned red, like she was just about to cry. This brings up the question of Alice's emotional stability to mind, but I drop that question almost instantly since it would put me at odds with Alice.
"Thanks for telling me this, Alice," I slowly say before I leap to the large gear. She follows behind me, both of us silent as we enter the next area.
This area is much larger than the other two chambers, but only one path winds to the next oval-shaped door on the upper left corner. This path is split between raised hands for us to stand on and curving metal walkways. Both of these are separated from the abyss by metal grates, but the hands also have giant metal fists slamming down on them with loud clangs. A platform lit by a brighter bulb is to our far right, which is what we move over to.
I break open the boxes for Alice, but she is more occupied with a pressure pad. She stands on it as a test, and the nearest two smashing fists along the path rise up and stop moving. Alice places a Clockwork Bomb on the pad, and I do my best to keep up with her as we move underneath the fists. We then jump onto two moving gears that are intertwined with one another, their speed slow enough to not impede our movement. We reach an open hand just before a third smashing fist just as the Bomb explodes.
I try to get a rhythm to the smashing, but Alice just goes for it. She teleports through safely, thank goodness. I teleport through just as safely a few seconds later, and we reach a safe spot with a keyhole to our right. Alice shrinks down and goes inside while I look at where we should go next.
I smash open a weak wall nearby, and then a second one near the first. A Pressure Pad rests in a small room which the second wall blocked off, the path seemingly leading back to the two intertwined gears. I move onto the Pad, and the gears rise up a few feet to match the level of another platform to the far right.
Alice comes over to me as I walk out of the Pad. I raise a hand to the Pad, and she nods without saying anything. Alice remains silent as we race across the risen gears before the Clockwork Bomb she placed there blows up. We come to another platform with some boxes to the side of a risen space hidden by grates, and a small set of stairs leading to it like it's supposed to be special.
It turns out there is something special about this area; one of the smashing fists is stuck into the grates, which forces it to wiggle up and down. The space it leaves beneath is enough for us to cross through when shrunken, but the next fist in line pounds just like all the others. I do see a purple arrow and Clockwork Bomb drawing on the floor that lead to another weak wall. I smash it open once we teleport by the fist, and Alice places another Bomb on the pressure pad inside.
We move out and onto another open hand to find the two gears have risen even further, and the oval door is finally open after all of our work. The feeling of success pumps extra energy into my legs as Alice and I race along the gear's surface to reach the door. We make it over a few seconds before the Bomb explodes, and the gears lower back to their original position.
The Dormouse's new mantra blares in my ears as the oval door closes behind us. Alice breaks some metal boxes along our path, which leads to a curving walkway over a glowing green pit. I try not to look down as an Eyepot jumps down to us from amidst a pile of stacked containers. The creature scuttles towards us, but we quickly act to take it out. Alice' stuns it with Pepper Grinder fire, and I smash it to bits with the Hammer.
'Huh. I could get used to this,' I think as we move to the next area. 'These enemies don't seem too hard, once you get used to their tactics.'
The next area has two pairs of large metal hands clapping together, one after the other. Their pace is too quick for us to just run through, but we are able to teleport through them one at a time. Once we pass the second one, we notice a toadstool spring to our right, which we use to get to a higher platform with a few teeth. A pressure pad rests to the far right, which opens the door beyond the clapping hands for us when I stand on it.
An Insidious Ruin then walks out of the next room and stumbles right into the path of the second pair of hands. Needless to say, it is crushed into a black pulp, and that sight makes me laugh so hard. Alice chuckles for a few seconds, as well, the sight of our enemy's apparent stupidity enough to provide amusement for her. I'm glad for that.
Alice soon places a Clockwork Bomb on the Pressure Pad, and we barely twirl, or leap, across both hands into the next room. The oval door closes shut behind us as I notice five raised square spaces on this room's floor marked with grey outlines. Two are to the left and right, and one in the room's center. The purpose of those squares becomes clear when five metal fists begin pounding down with no apparent pattern. To make matters worse, Insidious Ruin and Eyepots appear from the raised platforms to our left and right.
"Stay put," Alice warns me before I can make a move. "The Ruin will come to us. Don't risk getting crushed just yet."
She summons the Pepper Grinder as she says this, and cranks out pepper bullets like crazy at the left Eyepot. I switch the Hammer to 'RM" and aim at the right Eyepot. The fists get in the way of my aim, but they seem to block the Eyepot's aim, as well. It's a race to see who'll shoot, and hit, first.
I charge my shot to its fullest, and fire when I can see the Eyepot clearly. The shot flies a bit up from the jerk of kickback, but it still hits my target and stuns it. It won't stay that way for long, though, so I keep my thumb against the trigger as the gauges slowly tick down to when I can shoot again.
An Insidious gurgles from right next to me; I press the trigger in surprise. The Hammer fires a shot, but it arcs to the left and almost hits the closest metal fist. Then, to my confused joy, the Eyepot stands up from its stunned state and scuttles right into the path of the shot! I hear the explosion mix with the creature's death cry, but a slash to my side reminds me the Insidious is attacking me.
Pepper flies into my nose as Alice fills the creature with bullets. It stumbles back from the combined force… and is crushed underneath the center fist. My satisfaction is cut short when the Grinder emits a loud shunk and releases a huge cloud of pepper. I flash back to when this happened in the Vale—it didn't end well for me, then.
The moment the pepper hits me, I sneeze up a storm. My legs jerk wildly on the floor, and my hands barely hold onto the Hammer. as I feel the sneeze fade, but my head start to ache. The pounding mixes with the pounding of the fists in my ears until everything I hear is loud noise. That noise turns into blind rage after I feel burning tea on my backside. I cry out as I feel my burn wound surge with fresh pain.
"I've got you," Alice calls out as I hear her run in front of me. I am forced to cover my nose as she releases another wave of pepper bullets, but she stops before the Grinder overloads again.
She soon calls out, "That's all of them, Kyle," and I force myself to stand up again. Strangely, the fists don't stop their pounding, which forces us to teleport carefully through them to reach the door. A red switch hangs on the wall, which Alice quickly peppers up to open our way onward.
Dr. Bumby's glasses float to our immediate right when we exit, which Alice walks over to and touches. Bumby's voice comes to our ears with dark words; "Some insects eat their young, Alice. They have much to teach us, alive or dead."
"Why would Bumby mention that?" I ask Alice as we walk down a tight, dark corridor that curves to our right. Alice shakes her head with the response, "He's always been fascinated with obscure things like that; I've had to spend a year with him in therapy, so I know something about how he works."
Alice says no more as we move into the next area, but I suspect she's had a lot worse of an experience with Dr. Bumby. I've only known the man for a few days, and he rubs off on me in the wrong way. She's had to spend an entire year with that man.
We enter a large chamber filled with rusty metal cages connected by pipes to the walls. Many of the cages each hold a bird I don't recognize. That could partially be because the birds have metal parts attached to their bodies, or replacing entire limbs. It could also be because these birds, even to my eyes, look very sick and weak. I soon notice a red sign that has the words, 'DODO MISERARIUM' printed in fancy letters hanging on the right wall.
'These are dodos?' I ask myself as I look at the birds again. 'Rather odd sort of birds.'
"Blasted Hare," Alice curses as she looks at the cages. "He's using the dodos as slave labor, and the Dormouse cooks the ones who are too weak to work." I blink in surprise at that last bit; those creatures eat these birds, as well?
"We need to get to the Hare and remove him from power," Alice comments before she turns to me. "You see about our next path. There's a Snout I can see with my name on it."
Alice raises the Grinder with a determined smile on her face, which makes me smile back as I see her happy again. I turn to the path in front of me, and notice a cage without a dodo inside that moves up and down every few seconds. I jump onto that cage, and then onto another nearby cage, to plot our next move.
A hoarse squawk from below me makes me pause; I kneel and lower my head to the bars below me to see an angry dodo with both legs replaced by machinery looking back at me. My landing probably made it upset, even though I didn't channel any of the mists into my feet to provide extra jump. I mouth a, "Sorry," to the dodo just as I feel the cage shake slightly from another person landing on it. The dodo now squawks loudly, which sets off a few other squawks from other cages.
"These dodos don't like us," I state as I stand alongside Alice atop the cage. "We'd better move through here quickly, and ease their suffering."
"They're already suffering enough," Alice agrees as she points the Grinder at a nearby switch. She peppers up said switch, which causes a few empty cages to lower to our level with loud screeches of metal. The dodos get more upset by the noise and movement as we use the empty cages to reach a steam vent that brings us up to a solid ledge.
I smash a weakened wall near us, and Alice pulls on the lever that's inside. A new steam vent moves into position near us, and we use it to land on some occupied cages further up. I feel the dodo in the cage beneath us pace back and forth in what I assume to be panic as Alice peppers a switch just above where we were. Funny that I didn't see it when we were down there; that would have saved us a bit of travel.
The new switch's activation makes more empty cages move to our level, and also lets out more metal screeches. The dodo's squawks now turn wild as I notice a few flap their wings in panic at all the noise. We move across the cages to a new oval door, but a Liddel memory rests to our right. Alice moves over and touches it, and Alice's sister speaks an interesting fact.
"Cover its cage and the canary goes to sleep, Alice," she explains. "Out like a snuffed candle. Sleeps the sleep of the 'just', like Mama and Papa. After 10:00, they're unconscious."
Alice chuckles as she hears this, but the fact that Lizzie seems to know about her parent's sleeping habits doesn't sit right with me. Then again, my sleep over the past few days in London hasn't been very pleasant.
The oval door opens for us after Alice touches the memory, and we move through an open door marked with the words 'ENGINE ROOM'. Incessant pounding reaches my ears as, once again, we enter an extremely-large chamber…
Alright, that'll be all for now. Again, those who have played the game should know what's coming next. But, it's alright if you don't know, and I hope you stay interested for what's to come.
Please review, comment, and constructively criticize as you wish.
Draconos is taking off!