Chapter 22, everybody! In which Willow is tormented with one of the test chambers that gave me grief….Hopefully next week we'll be fully back to our usual schedule. ^^;

Don't Starve © 2013 Klei Entertainment

Portal © 2007 Valve

Just two more tests until your surprise!

Did he really think she was going to get excited over that?

But I suppose I ought to focus on this one first—hard light bridges. Liquid sunshine pumped down to form a literal bridge of light. As a matter of fact, if you were to rub your face against it, it'd feel like the sun hitting you. It'd also set your hair on fire, so—stop that!

He shut off the bridge so she couldn't see about combusting her hair. Willow tried very hard not to pout.

What is it with you and your obsession with fire? Bad parenting is what my money's on, personally. Oh by the way, that's related to your surprise.

She had personally had money on neurotoxin being related to the surprise. Well, if he wasn't going to say anything else useful—time to solve the test.

Because now, she had a motivator.

He really, truly wondered which turnip wagon they thought he fell off of.

Seriously?

Big escape planned for three tests from now—two, considering she was taking this test.

Perfect.

He couldn't help but chuckle darkly at the notion that they honestly thought he hadn't been listening. Her mood swing had been enough to alert him to the fact that some harebrained scheme was being cooked up.

And at least now he knew what had happened to the idiot.

So! Test number 75 for three chambers from now—the unsolvable test. Unsolvable because it was a non-portable room filled with turrets aimed at the elevator. Perfect for ridding himself of the mute lunatic.

Next, make sure the test chamber before that was an aggravating one for her—force her to take her time, giving him enough time to send maintenance bots over to find the moron.

And he had just the test chamber for that.

Thermal. Discouragement. Beams.

With discouragement redirecting cubes.

And turrets for good measure.

Her chest was burning from keeping a scream in.

She thought back to the last test she couldn't figure out, involving three of those beams, their receptors, and one of those stupid cubes. She had never figured it out, and after an eternity trying to, had finally given up and focused on escaping.

Obviously, he remembered the grief it gave her too.

Have fun figuring this one out, he practically cackled. I'll be finishing up some behind-the-scenes scrubbing while you do. And don't forget—your surprise is in the next chamber, so don't dally!

She gave it some thought before using the portal gun to pick up the redirection cube with the intention of redirecting a beam so it fried the camera off the wall.

The lights cut out.

I know I paid that utility bill—

A sharp whistle and a flash of light redirected Willow's attention.

Wilson, just inside an open panel, waving frantically at her.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked. "Run!"