AN: Felt like a long time ever since I've updated. Here's the next chapter, but note that this is where the creepiness starts to settle in. Not just the Toy Animatronics included...
Chapter 31 - Enter the Dark Dungeon
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Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. She used to be as golden as one would ever imagine her to be. Her skin was shiny gold, her hair blonde and fair, and her dress as clean and untouchable as ever. She once used to rule a kingdom where she felt that she was unstoppable. Where she felt as if nothing was gonna hurt her. She couldn't ask for anything more than that.
She lived a happy life where no wealth could overcome her. She had a great family and a great place where her people could live happily together. No money could win her over; she can just give it to the needy. Even though she was probably holding the world in her hands, all she wanted was to have a normal and happy life while wanting to make sure that her responsibilities didn't get in the way.
Believe it or not, what made people love her was that she was kind to people. She was empathetic, coming up to those who need support the most. If you got a poor man fending alone in the streets, she would go to that man to offer him her bread. However, this didn't mean that she was a pushover. If you got a greedy man trying to bribe her over giving him money, she would gladly use a rolling pin to knock him out.
She made the task of being there for people who were in need. She visited schools to meet the children who would get the equal chance of seeing her. She visited bakeries to tell the bakers that they did a good job in making the muffins for her parents, even if she didn't favor those muffins. She would come to those she saw crying and tried to help bring them back up on her feet.
Something changed her life when she had to find her prince. Her king to help her rule over the castle. It wasn't easy finding the right guy she wanted. There were other options, but she wanted to be close to the family tradition of finding her worthy king. She wanted someone she could really love. To really get along with. Someone who she would like and love who they are instead of what they provide.
And that was when she found the right guy. He wasn't perfect, but he was close to one. She found him when he was at his best. He was funny, silly and ambitious. However, he had an ultimate goal of providing to the joy of creation to all around him. He wanted to make people happy. He wanted to have an impact left on him. A positive impact on him to let him know that there would be people who cherish him.
The two of them got married and the Princess started to learn more about him. He was a bit weird with his ideas and his ways of being valued. However, the two of them remained happy together. True love had been found and their good hearts increased in size. They could find comfort in each other, understand what they might be going through and rely on each other through the hardest times.
It was a match for heaven.
However, the Princess found herself lost in a series of events. Something terrible happened. But she couldn't remember. Was it due to the increasing arguments between them? Was it due to a child's death from one of her husband's inventions that went horribly wrong? Was it due to her love's increasing obsession of appeasing a god he worships?
Alas, she never knew the real reason why. She fled away from the kingdom when leadership was shifted over to him. She didn't know why she left him alone there, but something told her that he was out of his mind. They never called themselves 'husband' and 'wife' anymore. She found herself afraid to be around him after the incidents prior slowly became worse. The Princess found herself in village far away from his presence.
It kind of did help her to have time to think about what happened so far. She was able to think straight and maybe felt a little better. Now that the responsibility of her kingdom was forcingly taken off her shoulders, she could finally breathe a little. To live a happy and normal life she thought she would want.
However, she found herself missing her people. Her love. Her home. The village was nice, but nowadays, it started looking like it was a world that couldn't make her happy. Far from it. Farming, eating new food and chatting with the children might have put her mind into distraction, but it never replicated the same joy she got out from her former kingdom.
She found herself stuck in a system. A long cycle of the same old activities and the missing passion for life itself. She couldn't feel like herself. She always kept a smile on her face, but she found herself unable to pick herself up again. No matter how many times she distracted herself from the potentially happy moments in the village, she felt as if she was at her very low.
It wasn't the same as it was.
Where did her joy and kindness go?
Why couldn't she feel the same security and happiness other people have?
That was when a miracle happened. Not long after, she heard news that her kingdom was in danger. She decided to rush back home to find out what was going out. She just realized that in the midst of her breaking up with her love, she had forgotten about the people left behind.
She thought that it was already over for her kingdom, but it turned out, it wasn't over.
When she arrived, she found out that it was in a more terrible state than before. It no longer represented the bright and colorful kingdom she used to rule. The colors appeared to be muted, the tallest buildings were slowly falling apart and the sky turned into a dark and gloomy thunderstorm.
She suddenly felt as if a part of her life just returned, but not fully. This place, it wasn't like before. It didn't reflect her old happy life with her husband. It became a lonely graveyard, filled with monsters haunting the streets. She realized how much she turned away. She wanted all of this back.
And so, the Princess entered the gates despite knowing the dangers.
The Princess had nothing more than a golden dress and a dim lantern to glow in the dark. That left her completely unprepared. When she got through the eerily ghost town of her kingdom, she gasped when she saw her kingdom infected by floating heads.
Floating, black, glitching rabbit heads to be specific. It wasn't like anything she had seen before. She swore that she saw these heads in her husband's textbooks, but she couldn't confirm. These heads had large unhinged eyes, looking in all directions. Their ugly jaws kept twitching to reveal a disturbing set of human-like teeth. These must be the attackers harming her kingdom.
To her surprise, she was staring at them over a cemetery. Six tombstones rested there for the heads to fly over. Three of the tombstones were split in half, broken.
The Princess suddenly felt this sense of dread washing over her. These heads might not be what she thinks. It might not be from the living world. She could feel the dead wandering around her old home. However, she couldn't tell who this dead was or what they want. All she knew was that they were trying to harm people and the lack of civilians around meant they already got a head start.
Seeing the entrance not too far away, she quickly ran out from her hiding spot and sprinted towards it.
The head saw her and they went feral. They let out a terrible screech with their pupils glitching in and out. They all set chase on her, but the Princess was fast and cunning.
She knew the place better than anybody else could, so she knew how to lose them.
It wasn't easy finding a hiding spot in the now-dark castle. The same heads were floating everywhere, only known to the human eye when she flashed light right in front of her. She could have screamed if it wasn't for the constant chittering from them. That was what made her not afraid since it was predictable of their actions.
The horror only lied in their appearances, but it was nearly an easy escape from them.
The Princess quickly hid inside a small room, hearing the heads banging against it. She wasn't armed with anything and using her bare hands to fight back was suicidal. Pressing her back against it, she prayed that the rabbit heads would leave her alone. They were growing angry that they turned to scratching the door with their teeth. They were persistent.
Fortunately, they decided that they shouldn't wait for too long. They eventually left, snarling away. The Princess made sure to keep her ear to the door, hearing if there were any more whispers in the hallway.
Once she could confirm that there were no more, she quickly ran over to a torch and lit it up using her lantern. Golden light filled the entire small room, allowing her to collect her thoughts.
She wondered what she was gonna do with these ghosts. They felt like something that should be dangerous, but she didn't know what was exactly the danger. What happened to her people? What happened to her family? She might as well find no clue in her old castle if it was overrun by those floating glitching heads.
A chest box was right there in the corner. She opened it to find a floating, pink heart. It immediately zipped right into her chest, warming her up.
"Oh, how nice!" she chuckled.
Another part must have been given back to her. It felt as if she could feel her old joy again. However, it didn't feel natural. It was pleasant, but mysterious. She wondered if it gave her special abilities or if it made her invincible from the heads.
But the feeling of being invincible made her confident.
With that, she decided to venture through the castle to find more clues. She took a step outside the room and ran across the hallway.
It felt like a maze running from level to level. More heads slowly found her, but she beckoned them to do so. She never went on a chase or an intense adventure like this, so she might as well make the most of it. They still look scary with those wide eyes and gaping jaws, but the heart she was given made her a bit more fearless. Even if she acknowledged that they look scary, it didn't make her freeze.
As she kept going upwards, she stumbled across a door that strangely had light coming through the gaps. This was different from all the others levels that had their lights burnt out. And it looked like this door had the light coming from the chandelier than mere torches.
Making up her mind, she burst through the door and shut it locked.
It was a library. She was weirded out when she saw how it mostly looked the same. In spite of the heads invading the kingdom, the library barely had a single scratch on its books. Even better, the colors were more vibrant and visible. It was as if life was still given to this magnificent room of wonders and facts.
In the middle was a Man in Red.
The Princess gasped. That was her husband!
A feeling of euphoria struck her. A kind sensation returned to her to let her know that everything will be alright. It was as if fate had it for her to return to her love, so that she wouldn't have nothing again. The colors that left her life came flooding right toward her, telling her that she can trust her husband again. She wanted to.
She rushed over to the Man in Red and wrapped him in a tight hug. He gasped, turning around to face her.
He was in disbelief. "You are alive!"
The Princess smiled. "Oh, sweetheart."
The two kissed, their lips touching. It felt as if all of their problems faded away. Powerful since they returned to each other. The loving gesture between them let them know that they were in the right place while the rest could fade away. They realized how long they missed kissing each other.
"That is good," said the Man in Red. "That is good. W-What happened? Why did you come back?"
"I heard a bird telling everyone about spirits attacking our home," said the Princess. "I had to return."
The Man in Red nodded, flipping through a spell book. "I can handle this on my own. I just need enough time."
"Time for what?" asked the Princess curiously.
"I have been ruling this kingdom for years. Ever since you bailed out on me."
The Princess was taken aback by such a response. "What? I didn't bail out. You were-"
The Man in Red suddenly got bitter. "I've moved on from my unholy ways. I proved to be much stronger, better. The overlords I had been appeasing were real! You should have seen them!"
The Princess remembered why she ran away in the first place. Before, all fingers were pointed at him whenever the royalty family got into trouble. Especially when it cost the life of a child and it was true. She knew that their family was ruined due to being unable to trust him again and sick with his antics. But for what? What was that worth when she returned to see him in a tizzy?
"This is a lie, isn't it?" she asked, hoping that it wouldn't be insensitive.
"If you don't believe me, then you can go right out of the window with a rope around your waist," hissed the Man in Red. "You left me confused, condemned. Do you know how long it took for me to look out for myself?"
The Princess was afraid. Afraid of losing the one she truly loves. The one who would decide how she would be able to live. She didn't care anymore about his negatives as long as they worked together on this.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I know that you are angry at me, but…I miss you. I realized that I missed you all my life. I ran away thinking that I was safe and free. But…I was wrong. I needed you the most in my darkest times. Nothing was the same. Running away never solves the problem. I should have stand by you, so that we could be a perfect couple. And for one, I am starting…" She paused, trying to make sure that she sounded like she cares. "...to see that what you practice in was tremendous."
The Man in Red sniffed, shaking his head. He looked like he knew that the Princess was just desperate, but she was in a hurry to get a positive reaction out of him.
"Please, give me a second chance," she pleaded. "Please tell me. Tell me what I can do. Our home is falling to pieces. You're the only one I have left. I cannot lose you again."
The Man in Red thought for a while. An idea bulb went over his head. His smile returned, putting on the charm he used to have.
"You're the only one I cannot lose as well," he said. "How about we settle this with a deal? I'm finding what I can to create a spell to fix this. Until then, I need you to fend off the spirits coming to us. Take the Sword of Light. It can defeat the darkness."
The Princess was surprised when the Man in Red gave her a glowing golden sword. "How many are there?"
"Your aunt and uncle had gone rogue ever since your disappearance. Driven themselves mad. They must be hiding in the upper levels of the castle. Find them and get them. That will get rid of the spirits."
The Princess shuddered at the sound of her aunt and uncle being responsible for the floating heads and the state of the kingdom. She never knew that they would stoop to this low.
She never got to know them well, but she remembered back before she left that they would be nice to her. They respected her and her parents, giving good advice. They even had a nice buffet with the two complimenting on her mother's cooking skills.
However, interactions were just that for them. She didn't grow close to them. They seemed to have their own life. But now that they are hurting her home…
They have to be stopped. Maybe it might not go well for them when she locked them up. That would mean removing their life away from them. However, she felt envy. Envy that they stuck together longer than she and the Man in Red did. So why…should she worry about them?
"I won't let you down, my love," said the Princess, resting the sword over her shoulder.
The Man in Red smiled, kissing her on the forehead. "Be strong for me, my princess."
And thus, the Princess went out to make it her battle against the heads. Going back through the rooms was nostalgia and easy to find her way through, but she found it fun fighting against the rabbit heads coming close to her. It was too easy as well since one slash across each other and they went 'poof' in a smoke of black and white pixels.
She didn't know that this would be exciting. She was fighting for what remained of her kingdom. In honor of her family and her love to prevent those heads from doing any more trouble towards others. The confidence she embodied guided her to block or slice the heads in the right position without leaving a scratch on her shiny skin and dress. It felt as if it was given to her as a blessing.
Was this how the Man in Red felt when he appeared his gods? Did they answer his prayers and rituals that they gave him power? Did they save him from danger? The whole thing with protecting the kingdom felt as if…doing a favor for the gods.
And it felt completely right due to how excited and good she was feeling.
Really good.
As she battled along, she found herself becoming stronger. Not just in swinging a sword around, but in strength. From what might have been a slightly fat stomach due to eating her sorrows away turned into a stone-hard body for protection. From what might have been skinny arms turned muscular for strength. From what might be stubby short legs turned into toned long legs for speed. The confidence and the battle were empowering her, proving her worth as a fighter and the love from her husband.
She felt as if the gods were guiding her and making her stronger. A gift given to her as a reward for coming back to her love. An incredible turn-around in her life.
She was glad that she became fitter. Oh, how it was different from the old, hasty and humble version from before. This was her stepping into the next phase. To not become low anymore.
The Princess finally reached the room where she believed might be where her aunt might be at. And how did she know?
"She is right there," whispered the Man in Red's voice. "Get her."
The Princess paused for a moment, not even a hand reaching the door. That was strange. She swore that he heard her talking to her. Wait, no, a whisper. She heard a whisper forming in her mind. But it wasn't from her own thoughts. It sounded like him. But…he didn't explain about any spell for him to communicate to her, did he?
She felt a shiver up her spine. The voice sounded like it was a direct command, but the way it was presented was…flat. This was unlike anything the Man in Red ever said in the past. He was always filled with excitement with a childlike wonder in his voice. Whenever he got serious, he didn't try to mask it. But now, he sounded…flat.
Despite realizing this, she decided to do what he said and open the door. It was what he wanted, right?
Standing in the lonely bedroom was my aunt. She nearly looked like the Princess' grandma due to her hair greying and the more complex dress she was wearing. However, her aunt had a different color complexion as she was in shades of orange.
When the Princess entered the bedroom, her aunt suddenly looked upwards and rushed towards her.
"There you are!" she said happily as she hugged the Princess. "I was so worried about you."
"Aunt!" said the Princess, returning the embrace. "I'm so happy to see you!"
Being in her aunt's embrace suddenly made her feel safe. Just like how the Man in Red made her feel safe. For the first time, the Princess realized that she was actually bonding with her aunt. The two of them were in danger, yes, but it felt like the needed time to connect better than before. Glad that they were safe.
The Princess noted that this made her happy. It was a new form of happy. It wasn't like her previous joy before she left, but…
"You know what to do now," hissed the Man in Red's voice. "Get her. You have the sword with you."
Her eyes widened. That was when it all set in with what he meant of getting her aunt and uncle.
Without removing herself from the warm hug, she looked down at the sword in her hand. It was already starting to feel cold, but that might be due to how long she didn't use it for. It didn't feel right doing this. This felt…wrong. She just got back to her close family.
However, she remembered that the Man in Red telling her that taking out her aunt and her uncle was the only way to make the heads disappeared. It was the only way they could restore order to the kingdom so that they could be happy. How should she know that her aunt and uncle weren't planning to trick her? Or betray her by not reciprocating the same kindness she gave to them long ago?
"I-I'm so sorry that I…I didn't find you earlier," said the aunt, her voice cracking. "I thought that…I should leave you alone, but you must be worried about us. Is there a way in which…I can help?"
The Princess felt that her aunt was honest and generous towards her, but…this new form of love didn't feel right. It didn't represent her love to the Man in Red. It didn't make her feel sure that their future wouldn't be ruined once again. What would happen if she did let her aunt live? Would she do the same for her to ensure the Princess' passion for life thrive on? The aunt already got everything she needed…and now, she might trick the Princess so that she could suffer.
The heart wants what it wants.
The aunt gasped when she felt a cold steel poking right through her chest. She felt hot and then cold. And then hot again. Looking down slowly, she was horrified to see the Sword of Light stabbing right through her stomach. Red liquid was spilling from the wound, making her numb. There was barely any pain she could register.
When she looked up, she saw the Princess. The one who held onto the sword, her eyes widened in shock and apparent regret. The aunt could only look at her in disbelief. Why would…her child ever do that to her? That was when the pain came in. The pain of betrayal and heartache. The knowledge of a relative stabbing you in the chest for no reason.
It came quick as the lightning as the aunt slowly slid onto the floor. She could feel herself about to enter the big sleep, blood forming around her. It was already seeping up to her throat, making her gurgle it out with the addition of saliva. Her vision was beginning to darken, making it hard for her to see anything at this rate.
And then, everything went black.
"Good work, my princess," whispered the Man in Red's voice, echoing off the walls. "One down. I sense the spirits floating away. It's your uncle left."
The Princess barely said anything, staring at the body of her aunt. She looked down at her hands. Splattered in red blood. Her aunt's blood. Tainted on her sword, dressed and hands. And she was responsible for the spill.
She nearly hyperventilated, but the heart given to her let her calm down a little. After all, she became fearless, right? It didn't make her feel at ease when she realized that she just took down her aunt. A close relative of her family. Right at the moment when she was trying to comfort her with an apology to start over…
…but, no. The Man in Red made a point that her aunt was the one sending those spirits. He was right. If he was in charge and trying to use everything he can to keep the castle safe, then that mean he saw it with his own eyes her aunt and uncle wreaking havoc. They would have taken advantage of the Princess for their own goals. Meanwhile, she and the Man in Red would be in a poor state and they…might be able to get back together.
The Princess was afraid to scowl, but she was starting to think that maybe this was for the greater good. For the kingdom, for her and for her love. It was time where she get the life she needed. The heart told her so. It was what she wanted and what her love knew was right. It was them against the world.
Idle in position, she found another chest box. She moved forward to it, opening it up to find another floating pink heart. It flew right into her chest, making her feel lighter.
"What is this feeling?" she said.
It was a feeling she never knew, but it was one where it was familiar. More like her love's presence. So unnatural yet comforting. It reassured her that this was the right thing to do. Whatever her husband knows, she didn't need to be afraid of the consequences. All of them would lead to the positive path.
In fact, it made her more ready to come to her uncle next. The only man left causing the heads to invade the castle.
She made her way out of the room, not waiting for the floating rabbit heads to go away.
She didn't know it, but she was already sprinting faster and slashing through her enemies ruthlessly. Oh, she was becoming violent. No, savage. She was taking them down, not caring if they were friendly or not. They were all the same like what the Man in Red indicated to her. She thought that it would be the right thing to do. She couldn't just ask them politely what they want. That would be leaving her open.
She needed to be tough, no matter what.
The Princess reached to the top of the tower. She knew that her uncle was up there. The hearts told her that he was around there. She smirked to herself as she traveled upwards. These unbroken hearts were leading her in the right direction. It made her as if she was completing her destiny. Her life. The blood on her didn't faze her.
She finally reached the top and kicked the door open to the next room. She was surprised that it was a room that led to three doors. There were two on her left and right each while a large one was in front of her on the opposite side. It had a purple lock with dark tendrils seeping from the gaps.
That wasn't there before.
In the middle of the room was her uncle. A man in shades of brown with nicely trimmed brown hair, a brown robe, a utility belt that made him appear fancy and kind brown eyes. He was currently walking up and down the room, right until he saw the Princess.
"Darling!" said the uncle. "You're actually alive!"
He didn't come in the check on the bloodstains, but he did check over if the Princess was hurt. She was surprised that he didn't find her suspicious. But given that she had a sword in hand to defend herself and her uncle was also splattered in some blood, he might have already guessed that she dealt with the rabbit heads. But what did he do before she got there?
She noticed that there was a large black stain on the red carpet. The rabbit heads must have tried to attack him, turning against their master. But no worry, she will finish him soon.
"I'm glad to see you too," said the Princess, managing to pretend to be happy. "I've been looking around to see what happened."
"I'm glad that you are safe," said the uncle happily, a smile brightening the room. "Where is your aunt? I'm afraid that I might be the only survivor of the kingdom."
The Princess already came up with her own lie. "Erm, I passed her when I arrived. She is safe. Don't you worry."
She smiled to herself. This was becoming good. She just needed to make sure that he didn't see it coming and then, she will strike. She felt adored by her love alongside the hearts giving her power. She wanted to quickly finish her uncle already. She needed her happy ending here.
But first, there were always going to be obstacles.
"I found this chest in the room on the right," said the uncle. "It ain't anything I have ever seen before. Do you know what might be these objects I am holding now?"
To the Princess' surprise, he took out a chest box from his back. It opened up to reveal another floating pink heart. This one glowed brighter than the previous two hearts. Without hesitation, she let the heart sink into her chest and a feeling of eternal glory covered her entire body.
No, her entire world. She got a taste of how it felt like to be given…a higher purpose. A purpose her love wants to give her. It made her feel more welcomed than ever. More protected than anyone else could. She didn't want to rely on anyone else again.
"Princess, my dear!" said the uncle worriedly. "Are you alright?"
"I feel…I feel…" A smile crossed over the Princess' face. "I feel great!"
"OK, calm down there. We don't know how bad these hearts can harm you when you absorb them."
"Don't worry. I now got three hearts sucked into me. And these allowed me to battle through those spirits!"
Her uncle raised an eyebrow. "This is a new addiction now, isn't it?"
"Anyway, we should get moving. I heard that my husband is trapped in the library."
"Hold on," said her uncle. "There's…something I think you should also know."
There was something at the bottom of the chest box he was holding.
It was a key. A black key in a purple glowing outline. The tip of it had a demon head with holes made to represent the eyes. Just even looking at it was enough to tell her that it was unholy. It was something she shouldn't touch and not be touched by anyone.
It was…negatively alluring.
"A strange key," uttered the Princess. " I wonder what this opens."
"Don't you dare touch that key," growled the Man in Red's voice.
"Yeah…" said the uncle. "I think that key unlocks the one with the purple lock. But I don't know what to do…"
The Princess found herself in a conflict. There were so many questions about the rabbit heads, but she didn't want to go off-task to come upon something that could throw her to the side.
On one hand, her husband just warned her to not touch the key. By the sound of his snarl, he sounded…afraid. Or maybe mad. Perhaps he got mad because he was afraid of what the key might possess. She could feel his eyes watching over her, telling her not to do anything silly. She felt as if by taking the key, she would be betraying the Man in Red who was trying to make things right.
On the other hand, she noticed that the design of the key looked really similar to the rabbit heads floating around the kingdom. The black color, the purple aura and those eyes that looked shrunken. One could say that using it would lead to understanding the darkness instead of trying to run away from it. It might be dangerous, but this might be the literal key to fixing everything.
The Princess knew that she might be betraying her husband. She could feel his rage flowing through her body. However, in the end, she knew what she had to do.
"Let's look right through there," she decided. "Maybe there's something in that room."
Her uncle nodded. "A-Alright then. But hold my hand."
As the two of them came close together, the Princess felt a wave of betrayal invading her. It felt like her love was hurt. It was a hard decision, but she felt that this was the only time where he was wrong. It would be a bit kinder to find out who might be the real mastermind behind all the rabbit heads and maybe bring peace back to the kingdom.
Maybe she might…be able to realize what she did with her aunt was wrong.
The door opened and only led to a small room. And near the wall was an unlit torch. The Princess and her uncle came right in with the former using her lantern to light it up.
And then, they get to see who was responsible for the spirits invading the kingdom.
Right in front of them wasn't just a wall. It was an empty void beyond. A secret place to the castle. Towering over them was a large rabbit-like figure. Words couldn't describe how horrible it was. Its mouth was jagged to the point that its grin more looked like it was an abomination from the very first day it was born. Its eyes were purely white and not in the right shape, purple tears rolling down from its cheeks to reach its matching mouth.
If the appearance wasn't enough, the only thing that was horrible was how many bugs it had around it. Several detached spirits whispered many things that it was hard to understand what they wanted to say. The purple fog suddenly appeared behind them, making the Princess and her uncle uneasy. What came to their ears wasn't much better since it was in words they couldn't understand.
"I feel…strange. What is this feeling…?"
The Princess felt the entire room spinning. It was making her vision distorting, blinding her from seeing her uncle properly. To her surprise, she could hear what the spirits were saying to her. They were telling her off for her betraying her husband. The one who she trusted the most and then left away. He was mad, telling her that she needed to be back on his side right now.
As the room went faster, the Princess could feel something grabbing onto her mind. To her surprise, it felt warm. It didn't feel hot or cold. Just the nice warm sensation. It reminded her a lot of the welcoming arms of her husband. It must be him. Calling her to stop what she was doing. She had to continue what he told her to do. It was the only way to save the kingdom.
It was the only way to get her life back.
Her uncle was slowly backing away. Dark tentacles were forming from the rabbit figure.
It is about to come to grab them.
He looked behind. The door was right there.
The bright light is the only place that is really safe.
He grabbed the Princess by the hand, but she didn't budge.
"What are you waiting for?!" exclaimed the uncle. "We got to move!"
But the Princess wasn't waiting for anything. In fact, she could just do it right now.
Her uncle noticed that she was lifting up her sword.
Her eyes were glowing a mysterious purple.
Before he could scream, she stabbed the sword right through his mouth.
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[ERROR DETECTED]
…
[REBOOTING]
[WANT HOSTT TO EXIT?]
…
[EXIT]
[REBOOTING]
Cassandra's POV, Outside the Pizza Plex
The deep-voiced inspector had been staring at the arcane screen ever since he just played it. The rest of the inspectors didn't see any problem with that, more focused on collecting all the books from the secret room. So far, all of those books were nothing more than the rabbit lady's own depicted stories of her life. A few inspectors started to feel as if it was overrated, chucking them away. So much for finding anything in those books that could help us.
By the time they got out, I realized that the deep-voiced inspector hadn't said a single word ever since his fingers started pressing the buttons. He was just playing the game without a single word.
It looked like a basic dungeon crawl game where you fight back against enemies, find keys to rooms to progress further and discover chest boxes to get hearts. However, halfway through, I noticed that the screen began to glitch. It only got worse when he entered a room…where a glitching, purple rabbit appeared right in front of the player. And seemingly consumed her…
CRASH!
The deep-voiced inspector let out a gasp as if his consciousness kicked back in.
To our surprise, the screen suddenly had a crack on it. There were even stains over it as if a watermelon just crashed into it.
He slowly lifted his fingers close to his face and brought it to his eyes to see. It had the same stains as well. It was his blood.
He bent down choking a little. I was afraid that he nearly lost blood, but it seemed that he was fine after spitting out a mouthful. He turned around, looking lost and dazed. As the inspector tried to walk around to regain his steps, he noticed that the door was closed.
That didn't happen before. Nobody left that door closed.
"W-What?" he said.
"What's going on?" asked Oswald.
"I thought that. I thought I saw…"
"Why did you have the door closed?" I said slowly. "I thought we agreed not to close anything! You're locking yourself in."
"What? I didn't. I saw a princess stabbing her uncle through the…"
Oswald suddenly sounded afraid. "Stabbed through what? What did you see?"
"Geez, bro," said Cade. "Don't need to sound too panicky."
"Wait, what? No! I'm not panicky."
But the tone of his voice seemed to be panicky. Oswald was suddenly afraid. Looking back at the balcony, his present expression wasn't due to the frustration or agony of having his arm stuck in the door. He appeared paranoid. His wide eyes darted around as if trying to find something. He sensed something.
Then, it came to me. Why didn't I or Cade feel afraid for no reason?
The deep-voiced inspector turned over to the door. He tried twisting it. A single click. It remained locked. I could hear his breathing increasing as he tried to make the door budge. He took a step away, taking in the new situation in this apartment.
"I'm locked in!" he announced.
"What?!" hissed Oswald.
"Josiah?" said one of the inspectors, knocking on the office door. "Y-You can't open it?"
"I can't get out!" said Josiah, the deep-voiced inspector. "I'm trapped inside!"
"You didn't lock yourself?"
"I didn't! I was playing that arcade game and I saw some…things. But the next thing I knew was my jaw bleeding and the door refusing to open."
It was then that I had the same creeping feeling crawling through me. I realized that the rabbit lady must be here. She must be starting to use her powers and gadgets to enact her trap! I didn't want to see what the trap would look like. I have already seen a couple of people die. I didn't need that again. I immediately grabbed the radio communicator and flicked it on so that all inspectors could hear me loud and clear.
"Guys! Get out of there!" I exclaimed. "She's making her move!"
"Making her move?" said Cade, confused. "From where?"
"She's right!" said Oswald. "Everybody, retreat! Retreat!"
"Retreat? But there is nothing chasing us at the moment!"
"Guys, trust me," I said. "I can feel it. She wanted us to come here and she wanted us to play through the whole arcade game to stall you long enough!"
To my horror, that came true.
On the balcony, Oswald suddenly froze. Cade was still asking, but he realized as well that Oswald wasn't moving. I looked both left and right, trying to see if there was anything suspicious. However, there didn't seem to be anything out of the blue. Even the people surrounding me and trying to get themselves prepared appeared normal. But Oswald, he was as still as a statue.
His eyes glowed purple.
For a brief second, I thought I saw the rabbit lady's mask flashing over Oswald's head.
"What?" said Cade.
It came in too quickly to see Oswald pushing Cade to the ground. He was screaming. I'm not kidding. He had been cool and collected the whole time without losing his mind. Seeing him scream in a blind panic was an uncanny contrast to who he was usually. He began swinging his other arm around as if slapping away something.
But what was that something remained unknown.
It wasn't just Oswald freaking out. It spread like a hurricane as every inspector began screaming in fright. The monitors showing their cameras didn't display the full picture due to them running around, but they were all trying to run from something. There were the sounds of trampling, crying, smashing and bone crackling.
Meanwhile, Josiah seemed to be the only inspector on action to not be in a daze. Instead, he was trying to kick the door down with his foot, but it was pathetic.
"C'mon! Open! Open!" he screamed.
That was when I noticed something slowly coming in from the ceiling.
"Josiah!" I yelled. "Get down!"
He looked up to find a dark tentacle nearly about to poke him. He stepped back against the empty bookshelves He looked around, trying to find an exit. However, there were barely any windows or vents he could get through. I watched in horror as he inhaled sharply and the dark tentacles poked his nose playfully.
Josiah suddenly collapsed on the floor and the screen turned black.
"Are you having fun yet?" echoed a blank, robotic voice.
Three rounds of gunfire suddenly overpowered all the screaming from the apartment.
The rest became quiet with just the sobs.
I checked back on the monitors. Josiah's one was out. However, the rest were moving slightly. Nobody appeared to be killed. I found from one of the screens that the wall had bulletholes, but not blood. It was a complete mess with all the inspectors reduced to weeping messes. Only at least one or two were back on their feet.
They quickly ran to the office room and kicked it open.
They barely saw Josiah inside.
"H-He's gone!" said one of them.
As the rest of the inspectors groaned and looked up to confirm if there was any danger, Oswald slumped backward. The door opened wide, setting his arm free. However, he was flat as a pancake, unable to move. Or too afraid to move judging by how he shivered. Cade got back on his feet, rubbing the bump behind his head.
"What in the world were you thinking?!" snarled Cade. "I was trying to help and then you just scream at me for no reason…"
He trailed off when he noticed the fear on Oswald's face was genuine. And it wasn't due to Cade himself. If Oswald wasn't scared, he would have pointed out quickly that he saw something bad. But he didn't. It was enough to make Cade take a few steps back, realizing that Oswald and the inspectors were affected by…the rabbit lady.
But could that be true? From what I saw, Josiah was taken by a dark tentacle. That wouldn't be possible. The rabbit lady can do black magic, but this felt really uncanny in comparison to the more creepy, childish activities she presented. All it took was playing an arcade game that had a fake warning of 'more depression' and things went to hell.
Yet again, it was like we didn't exactly expect everything about her.
What happened to Josiah exactly? I felt guilty for not telling him to get out earlier. He was a decent guy and the first to be sympathetic toward the rabbit lady. He made the decision to play that arcade game to find answers, but that didn't go well.
What is going to happen to him?
AN: I tried my best with trying to think of how another trap by Vanny could raise the stakes higher and not be like the first explosion. Good news that we don't have any casualties! Sort of. Well, we have to find out what happens to Josiah!
The story about the world of Princess Quest is meant to be confusing and a bit cliché. It's actually interesting getting the write about the Princess' story and what she discovers later on. You might have noticed a few changes in how it went since it doesn't go along with the three games' gameplay or carry the same genre of needing to solve puzzles through finding keys and doors. The Man in Red is my version of the Old Man within the Princess Quest story, albeit younger and not connected to Old Man Consequences...
For those who don't know or haven't watched the Help Wanted VR game yet, that story of the Princess' journey reflects back to Vanny and what may be going on with her. Why the Princess got violent, that resembles Vanny slowly getting used to killing people when she first started...and thus, begins her own path of being a murderer. The smash cut back to reality with Josiah waking up from it to see a blood-stained shatter on the screen is inspired by a TV episode from 'Don't Hug Me, I'm Scared' (I won't spoil it for you!).
Originally, I was gonna add in a small scene of what Oswald and the inspector saw. What made them freak out. However, I'm gonna save that since we would need to get back to the others at the Pizza Plex...
Thanks for reading this chapter! If you enjoy this story, be sure to follow or favorite this story, so you can get updates about this story. Make sure to review this chapter on what you think about this chapter. Constructive criticism is good as well since I would need to know what improvements I should make.
Until next time, keep on rocking!