Escape From Tickle Tower

31

The three women were walking through the maze again. Slowly, they walked back towards the doctor's room. As they walked past the few people that resided there, the three of them noticed the look of shock and worry aimed at them. When they walked into the bald man's room, they saw him clutching onto a small ring. Once he heard then enter, he immediately turned his head to face them. “What happened?” He asked softly, realizing that his Allora wasn't with them.

“I'm sorry. We were unable to bring her back.” Perrine said softly while holding her head down in shame.

The bald man followed suit, hanging his head low as his grip on the ring tightened. “Can you tell me what happened to her?” He asked softly. The three of them could hear his voice cracking.

Perrine's eyes widened as she turned to Alice. The older woman met the magician's gaze, nodding as she took a step forward. “You see, when we went over to the skull gang's lair-”

“A stone monster attacked and took her into the walls of the labyrinth.” Rachel said as she walked forward, cutting off Alice. The black haired woman looked at her red-haired companion, watching with a surprised look as she continued. “Sorry we couldn't help her. It seems like multiple people in the skull gang were taken.” She explained.

“T-thank you.” The bald man said as he brought his hand closer to his chest.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” The village woman asked softly.

“Please. Just leave.” The man said before sobbing into his hands.

Rachel nodded before turning around and tapping Perrine and Alice on the shoulder. “C'mon. Let's go.” She said softly before heading out.

The other two women looked at each other before following Rachel. Alice waited for the three of them to turn the corner before saying something “Why did you lie to him?” She asked.

When she did, Rachel stopped walking. She stood, facing away from her comrades as she spoke. “No matter what we said, she was not coming back. I figured we could save him from heartache. It's one thing to think she betrayed you, never coming back. It's another thing to think she betrayed you and will never come back for that reason.” The redhead explained.

“But he should know the truth!” Alice yelled out in frustration.

“Honestly, I don't have the heart to tell him. What I said probably isn't too far off from the truth. They sucked me into the wall with Perrine being the only reason I escaped.” Rachel said. However, when she turned around, she noticed Alice glaring at her. “Yeah. I thought so. Still, I don't want him to suffer more than he has to. He won't have to deal with the knowledge of her betrayal. We'll be taking that info with us as we leave this floor.” Rachel said before turning back around and heading off deeper into the labyrinth.

Perrine turned her attention to Alice who was gritting her teeth. “Are you going to go back?” She asked softly.

The older woman bit her tongue, wincing slightly as she did so before taking a deep breath. “No.” She said as she turned to face the brown haired woman. “I'm not happy about keeping someone that helped us in the dark, but it is best to keep moving forward. I still have someone I need to find.” She said softly before following after the red-haired woman. Perrine watched for a few seconds before running after them, keeping her head low as she did so.

The three of them walked through the labyrinth, noticing it was quiet and empty. Occasionally, they would come across the frantic screams and laughter of the skull gang in the distance. However, they were never close enough to meet them.

After a few hours of walking, the three of them found the entrance to the staircase. “Finally.” Perrine complained as she began to run towards it.

“Hey! Wait!” Alice said before chasing after her. Rachel could only shake her head Before running after them as well.