Aaaand it's back. Thanks to everyone who has been waiting patiently for this update. I know it's been a while, and I apologize for taking so long. Things are starting to settle down over here so it shouldn't be anywhere near a month long wait this time.

Disclaimer: I don't own Don't Starve or any of the characters

Seconds ticked by, becoming minutes as the group stood in their mutual unease. The haste from fleeing for their lives just a moment ago was replaced by trepidation as their newest obstacle stood before them. All the while, the divining rod screamed its discordant melody into the air around them, mocking the group with the promise of being near their goal.

Rising up from the collective daze, Willow was the first to take stock of the situation.

"It's a maze…" She said, pointing out what all of them had been fearing to confirm out loud. White marble walls stood before them, beckoning the group inside with an invitingly wide entrance. The seemingly benign opening was betrayed by the deep gashes and scorch marks lining the interior hall.

"No. Not a maze." Wilson said, his face falling as he took the divining rod from her and fiddled with it in an attempt to silence the din. "It's a labyrinth."

The others gave him questioning looks, clearly not understanding the difference. Seeing their confusion, he momentarily gave up his efforts to mess with the unnecessarily loud device in order to clarify.

"A maze is built to trap people." He began, his voice still feeling strained from the sprint. "A labyrinth is built to kill people. Even worse, we're too close to the exit to use the divining rod as any kind of reliable guide."

"Shouldn't that be a good thing?" Wendy asked, Abigail nodding beside her. "If it's close then it will be much easier to find."

Wilson shrugged.

"Maybe, or maybe it'll be infinitely harder." He said, raising a weary hand to his forehead to block out some of the oppressively hot sunlight beating down on him. "Think about it. The whole thing could curve and twist in on itself for ages. We might end up running in circles because we think we're getting closer, only to end up at a dead end. Metaphorically or otherwise. Not to mention there's no guarantee it's even on the same floor. For all we know, the door could be far below us."

His concerns were not unfounded. Though the roof of the structure was too low to accommodate two above ground floors, there was nothing stopping it from developing into an underground complex. Much of the dirt around the perimeter also looked as though it had been disturbed at some point, lending the possibility of subterranean excavation more weight.

Another bout of concern descended on them as the gravity of their situation once again hit home. This didn't last long however, as Wolfgang of all people stepped forwards.

"Oh! Oh! I have answer!" He shouted, bouncing up and down excitedly. "Is riddle right? I know answer! I heard long ago there is trick to mazey places. Always take left, and mark at corner. If find dead end, go back to last fork in path and take right!"

Wilson opened his mouth to dismiss the idea, but caught himself mid breath. His mind stopped for a second before he turned to the beaming strongman with a very confused expression.

"Wait a minute…" He said, growing genuinely concerned by the suggestion. "That actually sounds like a good idea. You know… a good logical idea. How did you manage to come up with that?"

He probably could have phrased it better, but Wolfgang showed no sign of taking offense when his cognitive functions were called into question.

"Is trick they taught me in circus!" He declared proudly, though his confidence wavered as he went on. "I get lost in mirror maze many time. Have to learn how get back out or no soup will be left by time I escape."

"That sounds like a plan to me." Willow offered, gesturing forwards with her fire staff. "Standing around here won't get us anywhere, and I think we'll be due for another drop in the landscape by the time we find another way through."

Wilson opened his mouth to object. Even with the crude but effective tactic, they'd still likely end up wandering into the middle of a monster's den. There was no telling what would be waiting for them on the inside.

That was when he saw his companions. Not just looked, but really saw them. Wolfgang stood with a confident grin splitting his features, hoisting up a hammer that probably weighed as much as Wilson himself. There was no sign of fear or hesitation in his features.

Wendy was nearby, one hand gripping her peculiar book of spells. She bore her usual veneer of calm, but there was an undercurrent of something else there. A strength he'd been overlooking in favor of seeing her fragile form. Her sister hovered close to her side, drifting from side to side with an aura of preparedness. Whatever lay ahead, she'd be ready to help them fight it.

And then there was Willow. He still didn't know just what to make of the woman. She was so unlike any other female he'd ever spoken to, and yet he found that wasn't actually a bad thing. She was waiting near the entrance to the labyrinth, casting an expectant gaze his way. She was willing to walk into the waiting maw without looking back. She was willing to battle her way to freedom.

For the first time, Wilson truly understood who he was working with. These weren't just a random assortment of people cast to the winds by the cruel hand of fate. They were a team, a family, and they were ready. All this time he'd been fearing that none of them would make it. He'd wondered how they could possibly be so calm with the twists and turns before them. He knew now that it was because they were too busy doing exactly what he'd thought impossible to look up and be worried.

They were giving it there all, and what had he been doing? Dragging his feet while they pulled him along? Constantly questioning whether or not they could do it? Reaching down, Wilson felt the handle of his knife tucked into his belt. No more. He didn't know what was waiting, but he knew he'd be ready for it.

Come hell, high water, or horrific monster, he'd be ready.

Willow seemed to sense his moment of clarity, casting him a curious glance as he squared his shoulders.

"You all right there Wilson?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. He replied with a nod and a small smile.

"Yeah." He said. "I just realized something I probably should have seen earlier is all. I'm right behind you. Lead on."

"Have we been here already?"

"No, I'm sure we haven't. We marked the path remember?"

"But I could have sworn…"

"We have been here. I remember that bloodstain."

"Which one? How can you remember a bloodstain?"

"There. The one that looks like an inside out rooster. I remember it because I was looking at it while you were deciding whether to go left or right."

Willow let out a groan of frustration, her hand running through her hair as she resisted the urge to bash her head against a wall. This maze was proving to be a lot trickier than she'd expected, and the migraine-inducing screaming of the divining rod caused her skull to feel like it was going to explode.

This place was maddening. Every twist and turn seemed to meld into one another, and to make matters worse, someone was toying with them. They'd found out early on that trying to move forwards with Wolfgang's plan wasn't going to work. Marking the walls had been easy enough thanks to Willow's staff being able to leave behind a scorch mark at will, but as soon as they rounded a corner those little guides would vanish into thin air.

None of the bloodstains or scratches that told of terrible things would disappear. Only the marks that they made. It was impossible to claim it was only coincidence. Either Maxwell was having a laugh at their expense, or something else was making sure that they stayed well and truly lost.

"If you remember we were here before, do you remember which direction we took?" Willow questioned, turning to look down at Wendy.

The girl paused to think for a moment, turning to Abigail as though she expected the phantom to be able to answer them. When that proved fruitless, she offered an apologetic shrug.

"I was looking more at the wall than at where we decided to go." She said, not sounding all that bothered considering the circumstances.

The fire starter let out an explosive sigh, rubbing her eye absently. When she turned to Wilson and Wolfgang, silently offering the same question, the both of them exchanged a mutual cringe.

"Sorry." Wilson apologized, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't really remember where here is, much less which direction we took. How long ago did we give up on the going left plan? Maybe it would be better to just assume we went that way and go right this time."

It was hard to argue with that logic. Well, it probably wasn't, but the fact that the divining rod's tirade of sonic abuse was currently turning the inside of her head to mush left very little argumentative capability in Willow's body.

"Right it is." She declared, gesturing forwards with her staff. "Maybe if we're lucky the place will sink into the sea before I bash my skull open against a wall."

Wolfgang chuckled uncertainly, not knowing whether or not she was being serious. In all honesty she didn't know either.

Another twenty minutes of aimless walking. Another twenty minutes of frustration and disappointment. None of them really knew how long they had before the next quake struck, but they'd stopped worrying about it overly much. Given that it hadn't struck yet, Willow was beginning to think that they were set to happen when the group progressed to a certain point rather than at time intervals. It would explain why they had one after the other only to go through a long period of stability.

Or maybe it was all random and the whole place could come crashing down at any moment. That was also possible.

"Hey, what's that up ahead?"

Wilson's question drew Willow out of her grumbling shroud of self-pity in time to see that, despite the seemingly endless march with almost no results, something had finally changed. A giant wooden door stood at the end of the hall they were walking down. It was massive, looking like it belonged in the gateway to a medieval castle rather than an elaborate maze.

Given the size, Willow felt a little embarrassed that she was only seeing it now but nobody seemed to notice.

"Is way out?" Wolfgang questioned, looking to the others for some sort of confirmation. "Does not look like door we normally use."

"I don't think that'll get us through to the next world, but it might help us reach the exit." Willow replied, taking on her role as their leader here once more. "But don't get too comfortable yet. We still don't know what's on the other side."

Backs were straightened, shoulders were squared, and the four humans plus one ghost did their best to take on a prepared stature as they made their way forwards. Out of the corner of her eye, she could spot Wilson gripping the knife at his belt. He had yet to pull it out but judging by the tense expression on his face he was prepared to do so at a moment's notice.

"Everyone keep behind me." She called, holding her staff like it was some sort of machine gun. "I'll be heading in first."

"Shouldn't fire lady stay back?" Wolfgang questioned. "Fire stick is shoot from range. You should keep distance yes?"

It took a moment for him to realize he was more or less volunteering himself to go first, at which point he suddenly looked less sure of his plan. He was spared from having to follow up on it though, as Willow shook her head.

"This way I can still back out if something goes wrong." She said. "I won't have to worry about getting up close and I can just run back. Besides, I'm the leader this time right? Leaders have to lead."

Wilson wore an expression that showed he wanted to say something to that, but he kept his mouth shut. He'd been acting pretty strange lately. She'd have to ask him about it later.

"All right. Time to get this party started." She said, more to herself than anyone else.

Cradling the fire staff under her right arm, she used her left shoulder to force open the oversized doors. They were surprisingly light, likely carefully balanced in such a way as to make them operable for those who weren't blessed with giant's strength. As soon as it had spread apart enough to move through, she poked her head inside while keeping her weapon at the ready.

Her jaw just about hit the floor.

"Uh… Guys…?" She called over her shoulder, never taking her gaze away from the expansive sight in front of her. "You're gonna wanna see this…"

At Willow's hesitant call, Wilson edged his way forwards. It couldn't be too bad as she had yet to duck back out of the room, but something in her tone left him on edge. Whatever this was, it wasn't going to be pleasant.

"How's it looking in there?" He asked, doing his best to keep his voice quiet. Given that the divining rod was blaring loud enough to wake the dead it was probably a pointless gesture but he felt the need to do it regardless.

Instead of answering, Willow pushed the intricately carved wooden doorway open further and allowed him to see for himself.

"Oh…"

The room on the other side was massive. An alternating black and white chess-board style flooring stretched the length of an enormous space. Giant marble pillars raised up from the ground, stretching like artificial trees up to support a second story. Scores of tiny alcoves had been carved into the upper walls, and in each one was a metal statue dressed in some manner of long flowing robe. On the ground floor a large number of metal statues resembling the front half of a horse stood at attention, forming a wide hall leading up to the object at the far end of the room.

It was designed like a church, but instead of an altar, Maxwell's doorway stood tall and proud upon the raised platform.

It was an impressive display, but Wilson knew it couldn't be as simple as just walking up to the exit. Even if he hadn't known that Maxwell was too cruel to just let them leave the scattered fragments of bone littering the floor would have made him understand.

"Looks like trouble." Willow said, turning back to the group to gauge their reactions. "Anyone have any guesses as to what we're going up against in there?"

The question was asked only halfheartedly. Given the large number of metal figures standing between them and the door, it seemed fairly obvious what kind of test this was meant to be.

Still. Wilson thought to himself. Maxwell has shown that he loves hitting with something entirely unexpected.

"I'll go in first." He volunteered, getting the others' attention. "There's no sense in putting everyone at risk at once. Keep behind me, and watch out for any signs of trouble all right?"

"Now hold on a second." Willow stated, giving him an annoyed frown. "Just who said you get to decide strategy here? I'm the leader for this little venture remember?"

"I know."

"I don't care if you don't want to admit- Wait. What?" She asked, blinking in surprise.

"I said I know." He repeated. "You're the boss this time, but I still think this is the best course of action." He left out the part where he really wished there was another way. He still didn't entirely trust the knife… shadow… armor… thing. Whatever it was. He'd come up with a more scientific term for it later.

Willow frowned, taking in his words silently before turning to Wendy.

"Say, does that little magic book of yours have anything that would be helpful indoors?" She asked.

The girl thought for a moment, opening the spell book and leafing through the pages quickly. It didn't take long for her to settle on something.

"Yes. I think I have just the thing." She said, keeping her finger in the paper to make sure she didn't lose the page. "I'm ready when you are."

A nod was all the signal Wilson needed. He cast one glance over his shoulder to see Wolfgang, Wendy, Willow, and Abigail each tensed in preparation for what would come next.

Taking a steady breath, he stepped into the room.

The divining rod went mercifully silent, apparently deciding that they were close enough to the door for it to become unneeded. The sudden thick silence magnified the soft tapping of his shoes on the tile floor, making each step sound like a bomb going off. He cast nervous glances to either side, watching and waiting as the stationary metal constructs stood ramrod straight in their respective resting places.

As he passed the halfway mark, all hell broke loose.

It started with a simple creak of unoiled hinges. Then suddenly a hundred pairs of mechanical eyes opened and immediately shot to him, fixing him to the spot. In the upper alcoves, the many humanoid figures rose up to their feet as one, electric pulses flashing through the glass domes on their heads as they moved for the first time in who knows how long.

There was a brief, tense pause as the legion of nonliving soldiers turned their attention towards the interlopers. It shattered as the first of the horse-creatures let out a mechanical wail and charged forwards.

There was no time for thinking or hesitation. The knife was in Wilson's hand in an instant, the tendrils of darkness already reaching for his mind. This time the transition wasn't anywhere near as jarring. Everything locked into place in the blink of an eye and a cascade of pitch black liquid-like substance spilled forth from the gem in the blade.

In an instant, he was transformed. Darkness wrapped around his body and his knife became a wicked sword. Fear and doubt ceased to exist in his mind. Questions and concerns no longer mattered.

The first of the horses galloped headlong towards him, intent on running him down and pulverizing him with its metal form. It barely had time to register his movement. The sword flashed three times, dismantling the offending contraption with contemptuous ease and sending a tidal wave of bolts and discarded metal clattering to the floor.

"Who's next?"

Those two words set off a landslide of metal as the army surged forth. Every metal horror intent on crushing him beneath their iron hooves.

Wilson was a blur. Darting to and fro, he acted purely on the instincts coming from his strange weapon. One after another, the horses were slashed apart and their remains joined the rapidly growing piles on the floor. Thanks to their size, they could only crowd around him about five at a time, and his unnatural speed allowed him to make use of that. He was just getting into the rhythm of things when disaster struck.

A bolt of electricity shot through the air, smashing into Wilson dead center and sending waves of electric anguish through his nerves. Even in his combat state, the pain was enough to disrupt his movements. Something his foes were quick to capitalize on.

One of the horses doubled over, aiming itself at him like a spear. It rocketed forwards before he could hope to recover and bashed into his gut with the force of an oncoming car. The shroud of shadows absorbed most of the hit, but the scientist was sent flying into the waiting mass of metal.

They didn't waste time. As soon as he hit the ground, a rain of blows fell upon him. Hooves, heads, and all manner of metal implements crashed down on his form with the intent to break him into a million pieces.

"WOLFGAAAAAAAAANG!"

All at once, the attacking automatons were scattered violently as a human shaped wrecking ball rammed through them. Following up his mighty battle cry, Wolfgang began laying into the hoard with wild abandon, his massive club pounding the metal hulls of his opponents into scrap metal. Abigail was not far behind, passing through the stallion machines and causing them to break apart from the inside out.

Wilson was quick to join them. Jumping to his feet, the scientist-turned-warrior turned his deadly blade on any creatures that tried to surround his friend. Jumping to the side, he narrowly avoided being struck by another ball of lightning.

The machines on the upper floor were slower to react than the horses, but their focus was now on the pair of humans fighting their horse-like brethren. They began charging power, sending up sparks and a faint glow as their internal power sources built up in preparation of launching another projectile. Before they could fire, one exploded in a massive fireball, its built up energy dispersing in a static wave that fried the two other machines on either side of it.

Willow launched two more fire bolts before they were able to return in kind.

"Hey Wendy!" She called, dashing behind one of the marble pillars for cover. "You ready?"

The girl nodded, though there was no way for the fire starter to see the gesture. Opening her spell book, she began to read. The words flowed off the page and took shape as writhing tendrils of energy that emerged from the floor tiles. Before long, they began to solidify.

Ten massive purple tentacles, adorned with all manner of spiky add-ons, burst from the ground and began lashing out at anything that got too close. Caught off guard by the sudden additions, the shooters on the upper level directed their fire towards the fleshy monsters.

It proved to be a fatal mistake.

As the lightning strikes hit their marks, the tentacles would stiffen and flail as though in pain. That quickly changed as they homed in on the source of their torment. Stretching their forms, they reached upwards and began assaulting the human-like creations. Electricity flew and rubble rained down as the alcoves housing the robots were violently destroyed one by one. Their attempts to fight back only hastened their demise, spurring the tentacles to attack with renewed vigor each time they were struck.

Willow allowed herself a momentary grin as she sent another streak of flame towards the mass of robots, their numbers beginning to dwindle. Wilson, Wolfgang, and Abigail were picking apart the ground troops with the ease of a well-oiled machine. She chuckled a bit at the irony of that statement.

Her cheer didn't last long however. An all too familiar rumbling filled the room and scattered all thoughts of enjoying the moment.

"Earthquake!" She shouted, her eyes immediately going to the door at the other end of the room. "Everyone move! Now! We don't have any time to waste!"

The others all began to break away from their engagements, but the mechanical beasts weren't about to let them go so easily. As though sensing the impending danger, they redoubled their assault in order to keep the humans trapped until they could no longer hope to escape.

Willow felt the floor begin to fall as the maze descended down towards the waiting ocean below. She was about to start shooting again in the hopes to free up Wilson and Wolfgang, but Wendy beat her to it. One of the tentacles smashed down in the midst of the horses and began flinging them in all directions. It managed to cut open a path and let the group make a break for it.

Willow ran. There was nothing else that she could possibly hope to think about other than reaching the door before it was too late. She could hear the rush of water as the maze began to fill up, but she didn't even pause to be afraid. All that mattered was reaching her goal.

The sounds of chaos and her fleeing companions greeted her from behind as she started dashing up the stairs leading to the doorway. Judging by the noise, the others were right behind her.

She reached the top in record time, taking three steps with each leap and not slowing down in the slightest as it leveled out. As soon as she was onto the platform, her hand shot for the lever on the side of the door and gave it a forceful yank.

She turned just in time to see the others reach the top as well. Behind them, a massive wall of water was sweeping through the room, drowning out the fighting tentacles and machines as it went.

Willow didn't have time to take it in fully. No sooner had she started to open her mouth to shout for the others to hurry up, she felt a familiar tendril wrap around her body. She was unceremoniously pulled into the open doorway, her last glimpse of the outside world being that of her companions being pulled forwards in a similar manner.

Then she knew nothing as the world went black again.