[TCP] MAZE TRIALS 2.0

[skinstealer]

MONOPOLY: ...sign over here.

 

Tightrope quickly turns to look, and Autopsy trails behind. The three of them stand there in silence for a few moments, taking in the sign's cryptic instructions.

---

This puzzle requires three participants.

Each participant must don a colored bracelet and wear it for the duration of the puzzle. The RED bracelet represents the LYNX, the blue bracelet represents the LARK, and the green bracelet represents the LADYBUG. All of these creatures must be transported from one end of the gap to the other. The SEER, represented by the baton, is able to bring order and safety to these creatures as they cross, as without him they would destroy one another.

The SEER allows one creature to cross the gap at a time. If multiple creatures attempt to cross the gap at the same, they will all perish. If a creature attempts to cross the gap without the assistance of the SEER, it will perish.

The SEER prevents conflict among the creatures it protects. Without him, chaos will ensue.
If the LYNX is left with the LARK without the SEER's protection, the LARK will perish.
If the LARK is left with the LADYBUG without the SEER's protection, the LADYBUG will perish.

The bracelets will not activate until they are worn by a TCP.
The baton must be held close to a bracelet for the bracelet to receive its protection.
The levers will not slow the fan blades unless all three bracelets are active.
The trial door will not open until all three bracelets and the baton are safely on the other side of the gap.

---

 

Just behind the sign is the usual lever, along with three bracelets and a baton placed atop a pedestal.

 

TIGHTROPE: That's...
TIGHTROPE: Poetic.
AUTOPSY: It's not often that the overseers give a little story...
AUTOPSY: Hopefully it's not too hard to figure out!
AUTOPSY: I always struggle with this kind of thinking, but- we're a team!
AUTOPSY: I'm sure we can do it!
MONOPOLY: ...I've seen stuff like this a couple times.
MONOPOLY: S'propaganda.
AUTOPSY: ...you think so?
AUTOPSY: It reads more as a whimsical framing device to me.

 

She tilts her head to look at him more carefully.

 
 

[image description: autopsy looking nervous and rubbing the side of his face as monopoly glares him down, his clustered eyes looking different ways.]

 

MONOPOLY: Doesn't mean it's not both.
 
 

Autopsy pales, nodding and averting his eyes.

 
AUTOPSY: R-right!
AUTOPSY: Well, let's put our heads together and hash this out!
TIGHTROPE: Okay, so... The lynx kills the lark, and the lark kills the ladybug.
TIGHTROPE: It would help if I knew what those were, but whatever.
TIGHTROPE: And they need the seer to cross, and only one can cross at a time.
TIGHTROPE: Doesn't seem like it matters who gets what bracelet, at least. That's something.
TIGHTROPE: ...This does feel like some kind of fairy tale with a moral, doesn't it?
AUTOPSY: It sounds like the seer's looking out for them...
MONOPOLY: Think again.

 

Both of her companions seem startled at the harshness in her voice.

MONOPOLY: They're animals. Fictional or real, I don't know.
MONOPOLY: But I've heard of them.
MONOPOLY: The lynx, the lark, and the ladybug.
MONOPOLY: In the wild, they predate on each other.
MONOPOLY: Lynxes are big, and kill birds- like the lark.
MONOPOLY: Birds are small. But ladybugs are smaller, and they're eaten by birds.
MONOPOLY: It's brutal, but it's how the natural world works.

 

She pulls back away from the sign, crossing her arms.

MONOPOLY: ...but in the outside world, there's no such thing as a "seer."
MONOPOLY: That's just here.
TIGHTROPE: So they're bringing order to chaos, then?
TIGHTROPE: Making our lives better, or having us serve a purpose rather than being wild and undefined?
TIGHTROPE: ...

TIGHTROPE: Yeah, that sounds about right.
 

Its voice is dry and bitter.

TIGHTROPE: Figures they couldn't just make us a normal puzzle, they had to add an extra layer of self-righteousness on top.

 

Autopsy says nothing, back to avoiding eyespot contact.

MONOPOLY: It tracks for them.
MONOPOLY: To them, we're nothing but something to poke and prod at best.
MONOPOLY: And at worst, well-

 

---

It's an art piece.
It's meant to be dramatic.

---

MONOPOLY: Our suffering makes for a great performance.
MONOPOLY: ...
MONOPOLY: ........
MONOPOLY: Let's do this and get out of here.
TIGHTROPE: Right.
TIGHTROPE: So...

 

Tightrope glances back at the sign, doing its best to ignore the symbolism.

TIGHTROPE: It doesn't say anywhere that the lynx kills the ladybug, so the lark- oh fuck it- the blue bracelet can cross over just fine.
TIGHTROPE: But then how would the baton get back to the start to carry the other two bracelets over?
MONOPOLY: ...could just throw it.

 

Tightrope looks at Monopoly with a blank expression for a moment.

TIGHTROPE: Right. It doesn't say you can't do that.

TIGHTROPE: So blue tosses the baton back, and then green comes over, and...
TIGHTROPE: But then blue would kill green as soon as the baton leaves again.
AUTOPSY: I don't think any of us are going to kill each other!
MONOPOLY: Whether we do or not doesn't matter- it's just a dumb puzzle.
MONOPOLY: But...
 

She crosses her arms, jiggling her foot and making a distinct thunkthunkthunk on the ground.

MONOPOLY: Fuck. I don't know.
AUTOPSY: ....

 

The meaty TCP presses a hand to his chin, rubbing it.

AUTOPSY: ...in times like this, I really wish I had that special trick I keep hearing about.
 

Tightrope snaps out of it a bit at that, its concentration broken.

 

[image description: divided panel: tightrope trying to think over the puzzle, only to be startled with a small pop effect over its head as it loses its train of thought]

TIGHTROPE: Sorry, what?

 

Mono looks over carefully, trying to be discrete.

AUTOPSY: It's just...
AUTOPSY: Something that you said earlier.
AUTOPSY: About this being a performance!
AUTOPSY: I remembered that I've heard some other trialgoers saying that.
MONOPOLY: ...you have?
AUTOPSY: Mhm!
AUTOPSY: And some of them even have a way to get around it.
AUTOPSY: A whole secret language...a code.
 

The candy type feels a cold, chilling feeling go through her whole body.

AUTOPSY: I just think...
AUTOPSY: That would be cool. And useful!
AUTOPSY: A way to speak without the seers, well- seeing!
AUTOPSY: ...or hearing? I dunno!
AUTOPSY: But you have to be in some kind of secret club or something...
 

Tightrope turns towards Autopsy.

TIGHTROPE: I've, uh... I've heard similar things.
TIGHTROPE: Never heard about the... 'secret club' bit, though?

 

The last few words almost feel like a question.

I sure have.

AUTOPSY: There's a whole group that knows it, and you have to get in with them-
MONOPOLY: Don't know if that's something you want to touch.
AUTOPSY: Oh?

 

The body type peers over at her, his wet eyes blinking in a curious expression.

AUTOPSY: Do you kno-
MONOPOLY: It drives you mad. The code.
MONOPOLY: The group you're looking for-

 

More leg jiggling.

MONOPOLY: They're trouble.
AUTOPSY: ...are you sure?
AUTOPSY: I mean, I heard they're nice-
MONOPOLY: From who?
MONOPOLY: No one in their right mind would call that group friendly.


 

....
....................
..................................now we see how he reacts.