Caitlyn's 2023-2024 Stories

Haunted House Speedrun!

Approaching the front of the class, Brooklyn had come up with a new idea for what her club could attempt. Looking towards the small group that had decided to gather alongside her club, Brooklyn then proceeded to pick up her notebook before flicking to the right page where she had been sketching out her plans with some help.

Brooklyn announced. "Our next quest is a journey to a Haunted Mansion. The goal is to investigate it in its entirety and even engage in some puzzles and battles if necessary. This had been a team effort by my club over the past month. And now – I think it's time for us to decide on how to tackle this. Since the map is right here – we can determine what order, we can look at the rooms."

Tipping the book up, a small piece of folded-up paper fell out. Immediately, Brooklyn picked it up before unfolding it to reveal the map of the haunted mansion as well as the surrounding area. As it wasn't overly large, Brooklyn placed it on an empty desk before turning to the others.

Brooklyn then asked with a smile. "Would you all like to come over here for a closer look and... it seems like we also have guests, who might want to join us on this journey."

Martin, the club's Honorary Member, looked at the two next to him before standing up to speak. "Nathan and Felix had asked me if they would like to visit us during club hours. I accepted their offer. Sorry about that, Brooklyn."

"I don't mind, and thank you for visiting, as we do need some people who know a bit about mansion/castle explorations! Ashleigh, would you like to come over and give your ideas about how we can tackle this adventure as well as the order of the areas we could do in the mansion."

Ashleigh answered. "Yes, Brooklyn." On looking at the map of the mansion and the surrounding area, he then concluded. "Our best option is to explore the surrounding area to find any hidden secrets that could aid us in our journey. As you can see here by the design – one of the teachers must've visited the place and worked out the geographics of this. Although – the only way to get there is by using a portal. It's as if they generated this in a new Digital Realm."

Jackson then approached and questioned. "Ashleigh, is there a chance it could be guarded somehow?"

Noticing how her club was starting to gather around, Brooklyn looked over and stated. "Nathan, Felix and Martin, would you three like to have a look at this, for planning reasons and to see if this journey would be good for you to take on with us?"

Martin lit up. "Yes, Brooklyn! Even if I might not accompany you, it's still a good chance for us to explore a new area and learn more about it first."

Felix added as he followed suit. "And by the looks of this – it appears to be a mansion that has multiple rooms. Yet even though this might be more mysterious than what I'm used to in expeditions... I should be okay if we work as a team."

Nathan concluded. "There are multiple rooms, but... Ashleigh, would you like to explain the surrounding area first?"

Ashleigh went on. "It's guarded at the front, as you can see here. So, our best bet is to either distract the guards or defeat them in battle. But as the gentleman as I am, due to having been born in London – We can discuss a possible trade unless they're hostile – THEN we fight them. Surrounding the area – there is a cabin that is like a storage. We'll investigate that and then go inside. And now for the order of the rooms. Who would like to determine the names of the rooms?"

Jackson admitted. "Thank you for the suggestion of talking to the guards first, Ashleigh."

Marcus asked. "Didn't I do that at one point during the Mystical Ranges expedition?"

Brooklyn thought this over before starting. "Yes, when we found that tundra area and we needed a way to get through a gate into the Ranges. Would one of you like to determine the rooms, Nathan and Felix? Or even you, Martin?"