Twisted Wonderland 2

Tower One

You stare down into the deep, dark abyss of Tartarus. You're careful not to get too close to the edge, fearing that if you slip, you'd just fall forever. Vil, Rook and Epel stand beside you as they look over the edge.

Vil folds his arms. "So this is Tartarus. The Phantom containment facility. It's so vast and deep, it's rather overwhelming."

"I'm feelin' a cold updraft." Epel observes. "Winter back in Harveston is mighty frigid, but this ain't quite the same."

Rook nods. "Agreed. This chill is spine-tingling. It elicits an instinctive shiver. Perhaps it's not a mere updraft, but the chill of a fear we all must face, that of our mortality."

A shiver runs up your spine.

Vil sighs. "Well, this is certainly a place where the living have no business lingering."

You hold your arms. It's so dark, I can't see the bottom. And Grim might be down there...

You all walk through a doorway and find the stairs leading down. The stairs look to be carved from the wall and spirals down to the bottom. The only source of light comes from the torches in the wall. The blue flames don't create much light though.

Vil pulls out the map. "According to our map, there should be an elevator nearby that will take us into Tartarus. Ah, there's the door." Vil tries the door but when nothing happens, he narrows his eyes. "Of course it won't budge."

"They did say Ortho had control of all the electronics in this place." Epel says. "Maybe he's shut down the elevator to keep us from interfering with his plan?"

With a ding, the elevator doors slowly slide open, revealing a gloomy, dark interior. You all stare at the open elevator, dread flooding through your veins. Epel starts walking away, only for his collar to be grabbed by Vil and dragged back.

Rook turns to Vil. "The elevator door opened. You know, this is..."

"Almost certainly a trap, yes." Vil nods, letting go of Epel. "A prankster android and an elevator are a diabolical match. But it is our only way forward. Let's just hope he doesn't shake the elevator up and down."

The three boys step inside, leaving just you. "Uh, I'm not so sure about this. We don't know when the last time this thing has been inspected."

Rook only chuckles. "Where's your sense of adventure, ma belle?"

You sigh but you step reluctantly into the elevator. "This goes against all my better judgment."

Once inside, the doors close. The screen inside the elevator lights up and you see Ortho waving.

"Hey, guys! Welcome to Tower one of Tartarus, the cursed containment facility!"

Vil narrows his eyes. "And there's our prankster now."

Ortho doesn't seem to listen. "I can't believe I get to see a real-life version of Night Raven Quest. And it's got new characters and classes we never expected!"

"Wait, what's Night Raven Quest?" Epel asks.

"This is your party's first checkpoint on your grand quest to reach the Underworld." Ortho explains. "If you want to take us on, you'll have to prove you're more than a match for this challenge."

The screen changes, showing what looks to be the start of a video game. Vil quirks an eye. "Is this Star Rogue? The game you had me play during the lockdown?"

Ortho nods excitedly. "I'll let you into Tartarus if you beat it. Now, shoot for glory among the stars and soar like a comet!"

Vil rolls his eyes with a sigh but complies anyway. The game starts and the pegasus character appears. Vil moves the character to dodge objects and enemies but he quickly gets overwhelmed. When Vil moves his character away from one object, he only runs into another. Very quickly, the screen flashes red with game over written on the screen.