who stole your heart and the key?

[steelmyself]

In the dark, you taste something sweet and tart on your tongue, almost like apple but not quite: pomegranate juice, out of nowhere. A hint of something metallic accompanies it.

You fall down.

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[mentifact]

[ WWWWELP

stumbles back a few steps before twisting and dropping to the ground. reorients xemself to face forward and then army crawls... into the tunnel?? ]

[steelmyself]

There are a multitude of passages branching off from this main tunnel, and it's impossible to make out which one the sound comes from.

As you head for the tunnels, though, you can see a sticky black ooze clinging to the walls and floor in each of them.

[mentifact]

[ oh goddamnit

WHATEVER. GO LEFT. THROUGH THE SLUDGE LET'S DO IT ]

[steelmyself]

Fortunately, there seems to be a narrow path through the black ooze where it's fairly shallow, and the winds subside somewhat as you make your way along it.

Unfortunately...

To the sides of the path, where the sludge is deeper, things start to reach out of it at you. Arms and legs (and maybe a tentacle or two?), all of them shapely and beautiful, grasping at you.

[mentifact]

[ that's pretty Freudian.

now that it's less windy xe's gonna. try... to stand up and walk normally... as much as is possible, with all the grasping ]

[steelmyself]

It is.

It's possible to walk through the path, if you don't get distracted by those sexy, sexy disembodied limbs.

[mentifact]

[ if they were attached to voices xe might get distracted

as it is it's not too hard to keep going ]

[steelmyself]

The black ooze slowly begins to recede as you move on, but it still clings to the floor, wet and sticky. You haven't fully emerged from it when the sound of the song suddenly sharpens, and you can make out where it's coming from--a passage just up ahead.

The passageways widen into a full, echoing cavern here, with multiple tunnels leading off from the sides. An arch of stone twists across the cave high above, and perched atop it is a young girl, no more than ten or so, with white hair and a white nightgown. She's the one singing.

There are three swords stabbed through her heart, and blood drips down to the floor from her body. Drip. Drip. Drip.

[mentifact]

[ ah...

I don't want to interrupt...

lifts the sword to shine a little more light, to get a look around ]

[steelmyself]

The corrupted black ooze still clings to the edges of the cavern, but it's drawn back.

The singing girl...no matter how you try, you can't see her face.

[mentifact]

[ hmmm

is there a way to climb up the arch ]

[steelmyself]

It's pretty smooth. It's clearly not meant for climbing.

[mentifact]

[ waves to her with the sword, and bows if she looked xyr way, but unless she stops from that then xe's going to move on ]

[steelmyself]

But which direction?

She stops singing long enough to speak. "You're going to need a guide."

[mentifact]

Ah- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt.

[steelmyself]

"You want to keep going, right? That's what this place is about, isn't it?"

[mentifact]

Is it?

[steelmyself]

"That's right." She smiles. "Nothing here can ever turn back."

[mentifact]

[ I don't totally understand but ]

Why not?

[steelmyself]

"That's the kind of place this is. Once you choose a path, you have to follow it to the very bitter end."

[mentifact]

[ ... ]

I don't think I've really chosen a path. So then, what do you think will become of me?

[steelmyself]

"You're a true innocent. More of a Fool than anything."

Her blood drips gently to the ground.

[mentifact]

You might be right. But where should I go? I'm just not really sure.

[steelmyself]

She holds out a hand, and a ball that glows like moonlight drifts down from it. "Follow the light."

[mentifact]

[ can I touch it ]

Thank you.