clouds came and covered the sun

[hairpining]

[You find yourself in a small, quaint little town. The architecture has a notably late-1800s bent to it, in contrast to the clean, crisp air you breathe – combined with a faint, flowery scent – it's almost as though it is not industrialized at all.

Which would be easy enough to believe. After all, there do not seem to be any people out other than you and your fellow spelunkers – in spite of the occasional whisper you might hear. Hushed and impossible to actually make out.

Far in the distance lies a towering building, similar in shape to a fairytale castle.]

(Castle Town | Atelier | Smithy | Castle Town Revisited |
Painting the Roses Red | The Golden Afternoon | Castle Corridor |
The Library of Babel | The Girl Without Hands | The Garden of Paradise | The White Bride and the Black One |
The Princess Sleeping in the Glass Coffin)

((BGM entirely for ~atmospheric~ and ~stylistic~ purposes and personal reference, feel free to listen if you want to!))

Comments

[kalahiki]

[...That wasn't what he meant but it's adorable so. Streeeetching.]

...Any ideas how to get across?

[hairpining]

... Red man, your head monstershark flies, doesn't it?

[guardofsteel]

Yeah, we could ride on that.

[ But then there is a wall. Though it probably can't quite be called a wall since it's horizontal and hovering just an inch over the water. ]

Or we could just use this. [ Elijah gives the Barrier bridge a good stomp, just to prove its stability. Despite the fact that the bridge appears to be made of red glass, it doesn't break. It doesn't even wobble. ]

[kalahiki]

That also works.

[Welp, let's just go across the bridge then!]

[hairpining]

[You get across without incident!

... And Elys actually jumps off Elijah's back at this point.]

Bye-bye.

[guardofsteel]

[ ...wait, what? ] Finally leaving us, hm?

[kalahiki]

...I get it. You can't follow us in there, right? [Headpats for Elys.] Can you get home safe?

[hairpine]

I'll be okay.

[... Urm.]

I had lots of fun today!

[guardofsteel]

[ Elijah is just going to wonder if he could just leave the Barrier up. He's never actually tried leaving a Barrier up for that long or in an area that he wasn't in, so he's not entirely sure if it will work. But Elys has to get back across somehow, doesn't she? ]

If you say so.

[ ... ]

Stay safe, alright?

[kalahiki]

It was nice to meet you, Elys.

[Sei...actually reaches up and pulls off one of his earrings. It's a pretty simple red stone set in a music notation shape, but.]

Here, as a good luck charm.

[hairpine]

[... Oooh.

She takes it ;u;]

It's pretty!

[guardofsteel]

Yeah. [ More headpats for Elys. ] Take care, kid.

[kalahiki]

Take good care of it. It's always brought me good luck, so it'll do the same for you, 'kay?

Good bye.

[hairpining]

Bye-bye!

[She goes on ahead across the bridge, in case Elijah can't hold it without being there! And waves goodbye from her side of the river.

In front of you are two doors, as earlier mentioned! A black one labeled 'Index,' and a white one labeled 'Core.']

[guardofsteel]

[ He leaves the bridge up anyway. Just in case someone else happens to come this way. ]

So. Shall we go ahead to the Core?

[kalahiki]

That's likely the way out, yeah.

...It's probably going to be ugly.

[hairpining]

[To the Coooooore!]