.hack//SIGN Fan Fiction / .hack//LIMINALITY Fan Fiction / .hack//Legend Of Twilight Bracelet Fan Fiction ❯ Episode One- .hack//Destiny ❯ Hall of Horrors ( Chapter 18 )

Chapter seventeen- Hall of Horrors- The World

 

"Well, whoever's this is, they certainly know how to decorate!" Upon entering the castle they found it to be modeled after a carnival's mirror house. Or was it a haunted house? Whatever it was, it was weird.

"Whoever decorated this has a seriously jaded mind." Badger remarked, sardonically. As the group wandered through the main hall, Joker smacked into a mirror.

"OUCH!" The others turned to face her.

"Shssh!" She smiled.

"Sowwy!" The four stumbled to what appeared to be the door. It was hazy, but it had a knob. Sircosgi placed his hand on the knob and turned. The knob decided to make the sound of a foghorn. Frozen in horror the group stared. Finally, Pai got enough sense and sliced the door in half, stopping the horn. However, the door turned into pea soup. Sircosgi looked at it, puzzled. Badger, though, had an idea.

"This could be the Astral Plane." The group looked at her.

"The what?" Joker asked.

"Well, things there are literal, no, they're analogical. Like if I feel trapped, I will be in a cage. Or, I guess, puns make sense. Like the door- it was thick fog. Haven't you ever heard the phrase 'the fogs so thick it's like pea soup'? It makes sense, but it's not supposed to. Make sense?" The group nodded then shook their head. "GAH!" A loud boom sounded. Sircosgi sighed.

"Well, there goes the element of surprise." Joker took up her blade.

"Well, I'm ready for a scrap!" Pai waved his hand at her.

"No, not yet." He motioned Badger over closer and whispered into her ear. She gasped, nodded, and smiled. She walked over to Sircosgi as Pai whispered to Joker.

"Hey, whenever you get a free chance, look at one of the mirrors." Joker shuffled her feet, stretched, and faked a yawn. She glanced over when she finished and saw the figure from the plain outside, except he was in all of the mirrors. How had they missed that? Unless-

"It's a trap." Joker whispered back to Pai. He nodded. Sircosgi had come to the same conclusion.

"When we opened the door, we triggered the trap probably. We must go forward. I don't think we have a choice in the matter.” He said.

“What makes you say that?” Pai asked.

“The door leading outside disappeared.” Pai took a cursory glance backwards. Sure enough, the door had disappeared, leaving no evidence that it had ever been there. He sighed.

“This certainly is one hell of a fun house.” Sircosgi laughed. The figure froze at the laugh, then resumed circling the group.

“You know how pissed off Mom and Dad would be if they heard you say that?” Pai laughed. Badger and Joker, meanwhile, glared at them.

“Guys,” Badger finally said, “this isn't a time to joke!” Sircosgi and Pai immediately sobered.

“Right-o mum!” Sircosgi said with a straight face.

“Capitol, capitol, wot!” Pai said with a smirk. Joker smirked back and backhanded him.

“OUCH! That was ten life points! What the hell are you thinking?” Pai yelled.

“YOU HAVE PLAYED FAR TOO MUCH!” She cried out. Sircosgi immediately waved his hands.

“Okay, you have a point. Let's get through this. Remember our mission!” He said, then as an afterthought, “We're not here to play around.”

“Score one for the girls!” Joker said. Badger smiled as she walked towards the door. At the frame, she smiled, remembering what Sircosgi had said to her. When she scratched her head she and Sircosgi raised their staffs.

“Rue ROM!” They yelled, pointing at two individual mirrors. The figure froze again when the two spells broke the mirrors. They continued to break the adjacent mirrors.

“It's working!” Pai cried out as he raised a scroll. “ION STRIKE!” That spell alone took out two mirrors. Joker was using physical attacks on mirrors, shattering them, leaving only one mirror left.

The figure in the mirror seemed to recover their composure. They waved their hands. Suddenly the remaining mirror raised off of the ground, revealing a doorway. With an evil laugh the mirror disappeared, taking the figure with them.

“What do you make of that?” Pai asked the group, which was in silent shock. They shook their heads in unison and approached the door.

Above the door was a symbol in ancient runes.

“What do you make of THAT?” Badger asked. Sircosgi looked closer at them.

“This doesn't make sense!” He cried in outrage.

“What?” Joker asked, apparently speaking for the group.

“Well, these are Arabic.”

“Huh?” Pai asked.

“Simple. Foreign and Ancient Texts. I studied it last semester.”

“WHAT does it say?” Badger inquired.

“Gimme a sec! I may be a linguist, but I'm not good with ANCIENT texts.”

“A linguist?” Joker asked, intrigued.

“Yeah. Long story, will tell later.” Sircosgi said, preoccupied. Joker sighed.

 

The group went sat in a circle before the door, as Sircosgi translated the text alone.

“What's taking him so long?” Joker asked, after a time of silence.

“You wanna take a crack at it?” Badger asked in a menacing tone. Joker's eyes went wide.

“NO!”

“Then remain silent.”

“GOT IT!” Sircosgi cried in triumph.

“WHAT IS IT?” The three asked in unison.

“Well, simply, its meaning is Conquest.”

“The Horseman's lair. May God help us all.” Badger somberly commented.

“God had nothing to do on this one.” Sircosgi said in a whisper.

“This is what we came for, right?” Pai asked.

“I think so.” Joker added.

“What if-“ Pai started but stopped when Sircosgi raised his hand.

“Don't. What happens, happens. We may not find the truth here, but we will find some answers. Let's do this for Lisa and Amanda. Okay?”

“Stop the sap.” Badger said, her voice emotional.

“If this is it,” Joker started, “just know that I have never felt more, more accepted than I have before. You guys, you guys are true friends.” Pai sniffed.

“Ditto.” Sircosgi smiled grimly.

“Shall we dance?” He asked, humorlessly, to Badger.

“Certainly. For the idiots.” She said as the two of them walked through the door, followed by Pai and Joker.