Escape From Tickle Tower

27

Alice and Rachel were walking through the stone halls of the labyrinth. The village woman was carrying Perrine on her back. “You need help?” Alice said softly as they kept walking. 

“I told you, I'm fine.” Rachel said as she kept walking, struggling to keep up with Alice. Despite growing up in the village, she was still struggling to carry someone close to her. “We should hurry. There must be a village or something around here.” Rachel said as they arrive at another fork in the road. 

“This way.” Alice said as she looked ahead. Rachel followed, making sure not to move too much so that Perrine wouldn't lose more blood. “How is she doing?” She asked. 

“I think the shock got to her. She hasn't made any noise or movements since the claws entered her.” Rachel explained as the two of them kept walking. 

“Have you tried to take the claws out?” Alice asked as she took a look at them, noticing more blood escaping the wounds. 

“I much rather not. Not until we can get someone that can treat the wounds.” Rachel explained. “Till then, we would need to find somewhere soon.” Alice nodded as they kept walking deeper into the labyrinth. They kept walking until they spotted someone else in the labyrinth. The person immediately panicked before running away from them. “Ah! Wait!” Rachel said while trying not to move too much. However, they were too late as the man ran further into the labyrinth out of sight. 

“C'mon. Let's follow him.” Alice said as she began to jog after the man. Rachel quickened her pace, making sure not to jostle Perrine too much. The two of them followed the man until they reached a large deadend. In the middle of the deadend were multiple buildings carved out of the walls. Torches lit up the area as a few people were walking around. Alice and Rachel walked into the stone village, watching as the few families that lived there stared at them. “You think we're welcome?” Alice asked. 

“Not at all.” Rachel responded as she watched everyone stare at the three of them. The red haired woman took a deep breath before taking a step towards the crowd. “We're looking for help! Can someone get us a doctor!” She asked the crowd. 

After a couple minutes, the two of them saw an older man walking up to them. The bald man gave them a half smile as he gestured for them to follow him. “Please follow me. I am a medic.” He said in a soft, but gruffy tone.” Rachel and Alice looked at each other curiously before following him to his home in the back of the village. 

The two of them walked into his small home. They immediately lowered Perrine onto the bed, making sure she was on her stomach. Alice was the first to look around, noticing an overabundance of things meant for only one person. Multiple cups, women's clothing along with male clothing, and even a bed meant for two. The black haired woman turned to the bald man, about to say something when she noticed him taking out the claws. 

To their surprise, the claws that were buried into Perrine's back were long. It took a second for the man to pull out the claws. As he did, the two of them noticed that the claws were about as long as sewing needles. It caused the women to wonder how the claws grew inside Perrine. “They weren't that long when we saw them.” Rachel said. 

“That's concerning.” The bald man said as he slowly stood up and walked over to a small cabinet. “So, what brought you to this floor?” He asked. 

“We're looking for a way to the top. Naturally, we needed to pass through here.” Alice responded. 

Rachel immediately glared at her companion, noticing the harsh tone she gave him. Slowly, she turned her head back to their doctor, walking up to him slowly. “We also had a friend kidnapped by three people. They were wearing armor and seemed to be part of a group. Do you know anything about it?” She asked in a soft tone.