The princess's expertise does not extend to sensing what is around corners.

There is no sound, not even of breathing. There are no people in the room.

Lurel cautiously takes a few steps closer towards the room.

"I'm sure Midge would be able to tell if there's danger," he mumbles, more to reassure himself than the others.

He turns to look at the others. "I think it would probably be better if we don't all go in at once.... just in case it's a trap. I'll go in first. Midge, shout if you sense danger. Princess - could you keep an eye on the passage behind us and alert us if anyone approaches?"

He stops at the entrance to the room, and peers ahead.

Ford follows Lurel to the entrance.

"Two heads are better than one, as they say. I'll come with you."

You find four carved heads, one in each corner. They have intense stares. Both Ford and Lurel hear the following words in their heads.

"We will help you if you bring the child. We will not harm him, nor will we keep him here long. Otherwise you can proceed without our help but one of you will certainly die."

"The child...? Does it mean Midge?"

Ford looks around the room at the faces and shivers slightly.

"Can we trust them you think...?"

Lisette looked confusedly at Ford. Is he talking to himself or something....

"Who are you talking to Ford?"

Ford calls out to Lisette.

"The heads... probably another one of those 'voice in your head' things. Couldn't you hear them?"

He pauses for a moment.

"I think they want Midge for some reason. They claim they want to help?"

Lisette looked at Ford and then to the faces and then to Midge. Why would they want Midge? What could they possibly want that meant that they would have need for a child...Lisette screwed up her face and thought hard. Perhaps they wanted the spoon. She looked at Midge and felt uneasy, she did not want Midge to be harmed by the faces.

She expressed so to Ford.

Lurel took a deep breath.

"Bring the child," he mutters. "Perhaps they do mean Midge. Perhaps there is another child in here somewhere that we need to find. Can we trust them, though?"

Lurel gnaws his lip anxiously. If he does not comply with the heads' requests, he will be responsible for the death of at least one of the members of his group - if the heads are to be trusted.
If the heads can be trusted, then Midge will be safe.

But what if not?


Lurel sighs. It is not a decision he can make.

"All right, everyone," he announces to all the others. "There are four carved heads in there, and this time they sort of spoke to me. They said they wanted us to bring 'the child' - and promised not to harm him, or to keep him here long. If we do they will help us. If we don't want to we can go on without their help."

He does not mention the assured death of one party member they heads foretold - he does not want to put pressure on Midge, or on any of the others.

"The question is of course - do we trust them? And is it Midge they mean?"

OOC: sry im late peoples, it was my birthday on the 20th and have been busy since

IC:
"I dunno... maybe it is me they want, perhaps they wish to know about Mara. Then again, maybe they want somebody else? It would be wrong to instantly assume that i would be the only child amongst these walls."

"But seeing as i do meet the prerequisites, and they mean to do me no harm, or to keep me here for a prolonged, i think it would be best to just merely try. Any help in this place is welcomed."

OOC> Happy Birthday for last week Shin!

As Midge moves in towards the heads a gate slams down blocking out Siffli and Lisette. In the room a table rises. It is set with a meal, some kind of meat and vegetables. To one side is a bowl of soup and a plate with fruit. A jug and glass of water complements the food.

Also on the table are a knife and fork, some kind of spice in a small jar and a vase of flowers.

No voices are heard.

Lurel, Ford and Midge are within the room.

"Woah!" shouts Midge as the door slams behind him.

"Finally some decent food!" says Midge as he flies to a seat at the table, although he is distracted by all the faces watching him...

"Alright! What do you want!?" he shouts

The silence is pregnant. Clearly they expect you to work out what they want.

Ford jumps at the gate closing and the sudden appearance of the table.

"Er, Midge! I wouldn't be so fast to eat anything on that table. It could be poisoned after all. Or, another test."

He looks at the various types of food and blinks.

"What could they want us to do?"

//OOC - there is no spoon? //


Lurel nods.

"It probably is a test," he says, 'but whether it's a test of trust or of something else - how can we know? Maybe we're here to watch Midge eat. Maybe we're meant to prevent Midge from eating the stuff. Maybe the heads want to know about Midge's table manners. How are we meant to know? But if what the heads say is true, then they won't harm Midge...."

Lurel pauses.

"'They' might not harm him, but by eating the food Midge might harm himself. Argh! If this is a test of trust, then it's much harder than any of the other tests we've faced so far in here! If we trust them, then it would be safe for Midge to eat the food, I suppose. If we don't, then why did we bring Midge into this room?"

He looks at the table again, hoping to spot something there that will give him a clue. He bends down to sniff the flowers, but touches nothing on the table.

You notice how exquisite each object on the table is. The flowers smell delightful.

There is, however, no chair at which anyone could sit to eat.

The voices in Lurel's head say "speak what you think".

(ooc> Table layout attached.)

"Yeah... this one's a real headache."

Ford inches forward towards the table.

"Well, let's see here."

He slowly puts his index finger forward, and gently pokes at some of the meat.

The aroma arising from the food, especially the soup is very enticing. What Ford quickly discovers is that whilst the food and water are moveable, nothing else is. Not even the cutlery can be lifted from the table.

OOC> I forgot the plate with fruit in the diagram, it's on the other side from the soup!

"Well. It seems to be normal. Smells pretty good too! But I can't move any of the cutlery for some reason."

Ford turns to Lurel.

"Any ideas?"

"It's beautiful'" Lurel says. "I don't think it's meant to be eaten..... it looks more like... like a work of art. Something to look at - to feast your eyes on, so to speak. And those flowers have a wonderful scent too."

There is a sighing sound from the heads.

"We would eat."

They are waiting for you to do something.

OOC> It would be nice to know what the people outside the room are doing!

OOC> sighing from the heads? or from you, Malchik?

IC>
"Well we could eat.. they said no harm would be done to ME? so i am not entirely confident at your health. But if anything, i believe we should eat, maybe this is a test maybe this isn't."

"We don't know any better so it is still risky, coming in here alone was a risk we might as well see it through."

Midge circles the table for a moment and then attempts to pick up the cutlery..
"Hey! what's going on i can't eat without cutlery"

"It's lucky i bring my own stuff" sniggers Midge as he pulls out his spoon and takes a spoonful of the soup and puts it to his lips.

"This smells good" he says as he sips it.

The soup is quite delightful. But as Midge puts the spoon into it for a second time the whole thing vanishes, the spoon with it.

Midge (only) hears "Well, child, we do not know whether that was a willing sacrifice or not, but we will give you the benefit of the doubt. You will now know as strongly as the spoon what level of danger is near. However as you will not glow, you will need to tell the others!"

Everyone hears the next words as the door slides open.

"Your map will now show you the passages on the east side of the maze that are currently open to you. You have visited the northern most room and we are as far east as you can go. There are five other rooms all further south that are aligned with this one."

As the words resound you realise they are not coming from the pink heads but an indistinct shadowy form, most reminiscent of a dragon, that flickers on the back wall. The voice reminds you of the one you heard before.

"If you turn south at the next opportunity you will come to a crossing passage. The path to the west (the right) will take you to one who can answer every question you may have about this maze. You will only learn after he has spoken that his payment is the life of one of the party. If there is no other hope for you, that may be a solution. We advise against. You seem so far to understand what needs to be done."

There is a sudden wistful change to the voice.

"I do hope you succeed."

The voice and shadowy form vanish but a new table covered with many kinds of delicacy appears. It is clear that you may eat safely.

You check your map.

Lurel calls to Lisette and Siffli. "It's safe to come in now - and there's food here!"

After nibbling hesitantly at one appealing looking morsel and finding it delicious, Lurel helps himself to a generous assortment of delicacies.

Between bites, he explains to Lisette and Siffli what happened.

"Midge was really brave," concludes his tale. "I Didn't have a clue what to do, and was scared to touch anything - I'd still be standing there looking at the table."

After eating some more, he continues: "The heads warned us about one particular passage - south and then west - I suggest we avoid that one. But shall we keep to the edge of the maze as we have done before - or do you want to explore it all?"

Ford grins.

"Well done Midge! That took some guts."

He looks around at all the food.

"Hmm, well, it didn't kill you, let's try some."

He starts picking and choosing from the various delicacies on the table, picking up a few pieces of meat and eating hungrily.

"Mm! Good to have some decent food at last. Thanks heads!"

He turns to Lurel.

"Well, sticking to the edges might be best. We don't want to head into the centre and find there's some sort of hideous guardian or something."

OOC> I'm off for a chaotic weekend so leaving early. Just let me know when you come to the next juction/room.

IC> The food not only makes you feel more cheerful it mends any wounds you have. You will be able to take on the next section of the maze as fresh as when you started.

OOC> Mentally and physically that is. You haven't been anywhere remotely like a bath! Ciao!

"No problem... they took my spoon though. But they told me would no longer need it as its powers have been drawn into me. "

Midge pauses for a moment "I wish they had let me keep it for the rest of the meal" as he grabs a peculiar looking fruit

Ford looks to Midge.

"Oh well, so long as it's effects remain. Hey, will you start glowing whenever danger is near??"

He grins and finishes another piece of fruit.

"Phew, I'm stuffed. Soon as everyone's had their fill, let's get moving! I feel the best I've been since we entered here."

"That food was just what we all needed, I think," Lurel agrees. "Let's go on while its effects last. South, I suggest - as long as we avoid heading west, and the one the heads warned us about."

You return to the previous junction and turn south to the next crossing path. The right hand tunnel is brightly lit and leads to a how and cheerful looking door. This was the passage you were warned against. The left hand passage has a glow coming from the end and weird noises you cannot make sense of.

"Well, it looks like we have to head left, then... towards the bizarre noises."

Ford gulps.

"I just hope it's not anything too hideous..."

"Well, Midge isn't glowing yet," Lurel grins. "Does that mean that passage is safe, Midge? I wouldn't mind having a look at that left hand passage.... it should be another dead end, at the edge of the maze... and... well... so far those dead ends haven't been dangerous. Princess, can you sense anything in that passage?"

There is no danger sensed, only strangeness. You walk on to find a room shaped like a triangular arrowhead. In each of the three angles a head juts out at you causing the brownish glow. Although the heads are devoid of mouths they seem to be screaming.

You cannot at first make any sense. You pick up odd words.

Eventually, half deafened and pleased to get out you come up with twenty words. Perhaps they could be made to mean something.

You write them down alphabetically:-

After, again, Anima, clue, far, find, found, hearing, her, here, if, is, it, of, return, the, third, to, you, west.

Back at the junction you turn south ignoring the dangerous path to the west. The next passage, also leading to the west, is empty and appears to be a linking passage. You proceed to the next crossing passage.

The route to the west is again empty, nothing more than a link. That to the right gives Midge bad vibes. Ahead is another crossing passage.

OOC> I'll update the map next time.

"Let's not go right, if you don't think it's safe, Midge," Lurel says. "And left would just take us back into the centre. Let's see what's at the next junction."

He sighs.

"I've been thinking about those words we heard. Maybe we can try to see if we can make some sense of them."

He starts mumbling combinations of the words:

"After hearing..... west of here.... the third clue.... you found Anima.... return to her again... it is here.... find..... far.. "

He shrugs.

"There are so many possibilities.... maybe we should try to guess what the heads were trying to tell us."

"But the heads could mean anything what they say is garbled and makes no sense

maybe if we did go west...?"

"If we do go west, one of us dies. They made that very clear."

Ford blinks.

"'Return to her again'... could that mean that dog that we ran into earlier? That's the only person... thing, that we've run into in here. But as you said, there are so many different combinations it's impossible to know..."

"I wonder if the Anima might be the heads over on the west side of the maze?" Lurel guesses.

OOC> I'm en vacances in France for a week sans computer and the computer here has been dead for all day yesterday and most of today. I haven't had a chance to do the map I'm sorry. I will however give you a SMALL hint re the word order.

I won't lock the thread but won't be posting again until 18th.

IC> After thinking about the inflection of the words you heard you conclude there were two sentences. One begins 'The third clue', the other 'If you find Anima'.

Following the suggestions of Ford and Lurel you turn neither left or right but continue south.

The next crossing has paths both east and west. East leads to a brightly lit room which gives no cause for unease, though you cannot see what it contains. Westwards at first appears to be another linking passage until you see a small door half way along on the right. It has a bell and a plaque, perhaps a name plaque, outside.

Ahead of you there are no further passages to the east, two lead off to the west. The path you are on continues south a little way and comes to a dead end. Unlike everywhere else you have seen it gives the impression that this is a barrier. It would also agree with the map and the statement made in the room where you ate that they completed the parts of the maze you could reach AT THAT TIME.

"Hmm... " Lurel keeps mumbling the words they have been given, trying to bring them into a logical order.

"Hmm.... The third clue is found far west of here? If you find Anima, return to her again after hearing it? Did I use all the words the heads gave us?"

He sighs. "Can anything think of other sentences we can make with those words?"

More and more Lurel becomes convinced that the maze is there to test them - their courage, honour, intelligence... what else? What will happen to them if they fail one of the tests? The feeling of being trapped becomes stronger.

"Why are we being tested? And who is testing us?" he wonders to himself.

Then he snaps his fingers.

"Do you remember the cave on Levdia, with the injured bear?" he asks the others excitedly. "That was a test - of our compassion, I think. Once we'd shown ourselves willing to help the bear someone appeared to help us. I was reminded of her when me met that dog.. Laka.....and I wonder if that was this Anima we're to find?"

OOC: Sorry for such a spammy post but I'd just like to say that I'm still alive and well and active and am paying attention to what's going on. I haven't disappeared so don't worry about that.

You stand at the crossroads mulling over the reference to third clue. You heard one at the fountain as you entered the maze and one at the whispering wall. But what did they mean and what must you do?

Could there be someone to the west who might complete your map or is it the lair of your former attackers?

Well, you can't stand still for ever. You consult your map.

"Hmm," Lurel ponders. "I'd quite like to see what that plaque by the door is - but equally that room on the left seems to be the last passage on that side...... so unless Midge senses danger there I'd quite like to explore that first, then investigate that door."


He tries to recall what happened so for.


"We've been told there are things we need to do before we can leave - there was that clue at the fountain... something about switches and control panels, wasn't it? And time must be a factor too..... the whispering wall said to move quickly once we found the switches. And note in the first box..... we already found two of the clues it mentioned."

Again he pauses, trying to take in all factors.

"I'm starting to wonder..... "he continues hesitantly. "Some of those heads have spoken to us... but so far only the ones where there were 3 and 4 heads. And we only encountered those after we'd met Laca, and those bowling skeletons. So now I'm wondering..... perhaps the other heads have messages to pass on too, but we weren't ready to hear them when we passed them. And we're meant to find the clue to the west..... which is where those heads are. So now I'm not sure.... should we go back to the heads, and see if more of them talk to us now.... or should we explore the rest of the maze, until we find those 'switches' the fountain mentioned? I have a very strong feeling that we will have to discover safe passages through this maze so that we can find our way around it quickly.... especially if time is a factor. "

He shrugs helplessly, acutely aware of his indecision. 'Why would anyone put me in charge? I'm no leader!'

"What are your thoughts on this?"

"Well, seeing as we have talked to the rooms with the 3 heads and the 4 heads, perhaps it is time to see the 5 heads again... however I'm not sure if we should follow the instructions given to us by the previous set of heads first."

"Going back to the other heads is a pretty big detour. I think we should explore local areas for now, and if we find ourselves heading back that way anyway take a look at the heads."

Ford looks around.

"Want to head left then?"

Midge feels nothing bad about any of the neighbouring passages. Siffli too cannot sense anything alien.

Taking the left passage brings you into a brightly lit room devoid of decoration. On one wall is a row of horizontal switches, eight in number.

All eight are upright as you face them. A quick experiment shows that they can be moved to the right or to the left. Each time you move one you hear a very faint rumbling as if something in the distance was moving.

6,561 combinations stare you in the face. Or should you already know what to do?

"Eight switches," Lurel mumbles. "I wonder... could they be related to those heads? The most we saw of any one kind was 8.... the first ones we came across. The last ones we saw were 3 - they gave us the clue about Anima. Perhaps the switches could be related to the alignment of the rooms the heads are in relative to the maze? The only questions is... seen from what direction?"


He pauses. "And we haven't found 1 and 2 yet. Or heard the 3rd clue. Do you remember that note in the box? And there was something about instructions for a control panel.... we haven't got anything like that yet."

Once more he hesitates.

"I think we should explore the maze some more before we try the switches. Let's go and see what that plaque says. And meanwhile... let's all try to remember everything we were told in this maze - anything could be important."

You return to the crossroads and continue ahead. There is a door halfway along. The plaque outside reads. "Anima's Dwelling".

The plaque is not properly fixed to the wall and someone has taken advantage of this to poke a piece of paper into it. You can read the paper without touching it.

It says:-

"Come on in. You can reach me by my remote."

The door swings open of its own accord.

"Should we go in now, or look for that third clue first?" Lurel asks the others. "What do you think?"

Lurel peers in through the open door, to see if he can make out anything of what lies beyond.

It appears to be a very pleasant house. You can see a small hall leading to a sitting room. Flowers are much in evidence. There is a closed door off each side of the hall and a staircase leading up. The two doors open as you look at them. The room to the right is a kitchen, that to the left a workroom. In the workroom a device resembling a female mage is propped against one wall.

Although nothing is written you guess this is the remote.

"Argh!" Lurel exclaims. "This looks just so inviting.... and we've been told that we should seek Anima.... but equally that house looks just too inviting."

He sighs.

"Midge, if you don't have any ill feelings about this room, let's go inside, and see if we can work out how to contact Anima."

He looks around, still plagued by doubt. 'What if that's the wrong thing to do?'

"We were told to lok for Anima, weren't we?"