[TCP] MAZE TRIALS 2.0

[skinstealer]

Autopsy's shoulders are heaving, his eyes darting everywhere.

Monopoly glances away for a single second, trying to check on Tightrope-




-only for a tooth-clawed hand to grip at her throat, the body type in front of her having lunged at terrifying speeds.

Monopoly immediately grabs at Autopsy's claw, trying to pry it off of her neck. She pushes on the ground with her feet, causing Autopsy to stumble back.



Suddenly, with a soft thump, Autopsy's foot goes over the edge-



And as Monopoly looks, Tightrope is there, recovering from a shoulder bash.

Autopsy slips down off the edge of the platform, Monopoly's neck in one claw and the edge of the platform in the other, his feet dangling into the darkness.



Tightrope hammers and pries at Autopsy's claw as Monopoly focuses on holding onto the ground for dear life,

and slowly,



slowly



Autopsy's grip starts to weaken.



With a final wrench, Monopoly breaks free of the horrible claw and rises to her feet.

MONOPOLY: T-thank-


 

Mono shrieks as the body type does one last lunge









grabbing onto her ankle.






There's a horrible, shooting pain through her leg, the candy type just barely getting the focus to stamp on Autopsy's hand hard enough to splatter the meaty flesh flat-



[image description: autopsy falling into the abyss in an extreme forced perspective- one of his eyes enranged, one conflicted]

-sending him fully slipping off the edge, into the void below.




Tightrope backs away from the edge and sits down, exhausted.

TIGHTROPE: S-sorry.
TIGHTROPE: I should've backed you up sooner.
TIGHTROPE: I just-
TIGHTROPE: There's two levers on that side, and the puzzle on this side-
TIGHTROPE: I don't know how we're going to get out now.
MONOPOLY: It-

 

She crumples to the ground, clutching at her leg.

MONOPOLY: Shit-

 

It takes her a moment to get her bearings.

When she can finally focus again-

She sees the blue, meaty mass fused into her foot.

MONOPOLY: Oh for fuck's-

 

Tightrope looks up, following Monopoly's gaze.

TIGHTROPE: Oh shit-
TIGHTROPE: He-
TIGHTROPE: Oh, shit.

 

Tightrope rushes to Monopoly's side.

TIGHTROPE: Come on, let's get you away from the edge.
TIGHTROPE: We need to get you out of here now.
MONOPOLY: That little-
MONOPOLY: Idiot doesn't even realize he's a tool-
MONOPOLY: Literally worthless move. Pointless. Completely idiotic.
MONOPOLY: Unless they told him to do it those fucking snakes didn't care if he lived or died he was just USED and he FELL for it

 

She pounds her fist into the ground, wincing at the slight crack it made in her hand.

MONOPOLY: ....
MONOPOLY: ......fine.

 

With a bit of an unpleasant sway, Mono gets back to her feet, doing her best to keep the shakes out of her posture.

MONOPOLY: How do we solve the stupid puzzle.
 

[image description: tightrope running from place to place to solve the puzzle, a disorienting blur. the image is distorted, likely from monopoly's dissociated state.]

Tightrope is already sprinting over to the three bracelets, slapping the blue one on its wrist before hurriedly shoving the red one into Monopoly's hands. A small chime sounds and the bracelet lights up.

It slaps the green bracelet on its other wrist. A small chime sounds and the bracelet lights up.

It removes the bracelet, and the light goes out.

TIGHTROPE: shitshitshit

 

It slaps it back on again, and the light turns on.

TIGHTROPE: ahhhh, fuck it-

 

And with a horrible tearing noise, it wrenches its hand off, the bracelet staying attached-

and the light staying on.

It hurriedly places its hand on the ground before shouting instructions at Monopoly at near incomprehensible speed.

TIGHTROPE: Okay so the lark goes first since the lynx and the ladybug go together-

 

Tightrope grabs the baton and practically shoves Monopoly towards the lever before turning and running back for the fan.

As if in a daze, Mono pulls the lever, barely able to formulate a thought beyond that.

TIGHTROPE: come on come on come on

 

Tightrope leaps across the gap, just barely reaching the ledge on the other side. It turns on its heel and throws the baton back through, then runs to the lever on its side, pulling it down.

TIGHTROPE: Pick that up and go through!

 

...the baton.




Everything's moving really fast.





She feels herself lean down to pick it up, weighing it in her hand.




And then I go through.



Every step sends a shooting pain through her leg.



Doesn't matter. Solve the puzzle.

TIGHTROPE: Okay goodgoodgood

 

Tightrope snatches the baton out of Monopoly's hands and shoves her towards the lever on that side, mumbling to itself as it goes.

TIGHTROPE: Then the lark goes back across since it can't be left with the fox-

 

Another lever pull.

Tightrope leaps across and hits the ground running, heading for its dismembered hand.

TIGHTROPE: The ladybug goes across-

 

Tightrope presses the hand closed around the baton and throws it back to Monopoly. It lunges for the lever on its side before calling out to Monopoly.

TIGHTROPE: Take the hand off and throw the baton back!



 

Its hand.



She pries the pretzel type's dismembered hand off of the baton, registering crumbs on her own.


[image description: monopoly holding the baton and tightrope's dismembered hand in her own, everything surreal and distorted, almost as if she's melting away.]

It gave its hand for me.



She throws the baton, visibly struggling to stand now.

TIGHTROPE: Good! Back to the lever!

 

Tightrope grabs the baton and sprints towards the fan.

TIGHTROPE: The lynx and the ladybug are fine together and the lark can come back across-

 

Lever. Again.

Tightrope leaps through the fan one last time, barely grazing the blade as it passes. It heads straight for Monopoly as she collapses, peeling the jumpsuit off her ankle with its good hand.

TIGHTROPE: Hold still I need to see-




MONOPOLY: H-hey-

 

The growth is already deeply embedded, blue lines running across Monopoly's leg past where Tightrope can see. Tightrope pulls the jumpsuit futher away, but the lines keep going. It stops...



And stares...



All its momentum suddenly gone.

TIGHTROPE: FUCK

 

It pitches the baton off the edge of the platform into the void.

TIGHTROPE: fucking piece of shit BASTARD

 

It goes to the lever, slamming it up and down, over and over again until it suddenly stops, exhausted.

TIGHTROPE: ...
TIGHTROPE: fuck.
MONOPOLY: ...you know what he is, then.

 

Her voice is soft.

MONOPOLY: Tell me.
TIGHTROPE: He...

 

Tightrope's voice is just as quiet. It slowly walks towards Monopoly.

TIGHTROPE: He explained it to me. He's something called a teratoma type.
TIGHTROPE: It's some kind of sickness thing that people can get, or something.
TIGHTROPE: Some kind of... lump of bad stuff that grows and eats away at your body. Maybe.
TIGHTROPE: I didn't catch some of the words he used.
TIGHTROPE: It's probably a bad thing.
TIGHTROPE: It's probably a really, really bad thing.
TIGHTROPE: I was hoping I could get you across the gap before it spread too far, because he got your ankle and you wouldn't have been able to make it without it, but it...
TIGHTROPE: It's already embedded.
TIGHTROPE: I don't know if it can be removed at all.
TIGHTROPE: I- he didn't make it sound like you could.
TIGHTROPE: I don't know. Maybe he was lying about that, too.
TIGHTROPE: Maybe he was lying about it being...
TIGHTROPE: I don't know. I'm sorry.

 

Monopoly stares at the ground.

MONOPOLY: ....
MONOPOLY: ...dumbass.

 

She rubs the side of her face, itching at her mask.

MONOPOLY: An ability like that-
MONOPOLY: P...prime fucking target.
MONOPOLY: Probably sicc'd on me just to take me out. No regard for if h-he'd make it if I fought back.
MONOPOLY: All that mattered- is that he did his role as a tool.
MONOPOLY: A b-bullet from a gun.


 

She lets herself get down on the floor, hunched over as she sits.

MONOPOLY: Just one more stupid, idiot cat dancing for them.
MONOPOLY: Falling for it all, a cog in the machine.
MONOPOLY:  And for what. He fell down a pit. Probably splattered on the floor down there.
MONOPOLY: ...
MONOPOLY: .........
MONOPOLY: I hate this fucking place.
TIGHTROPE: I can see him.

 

Monopoly turns to see Tightrope standing at the edge of the walkway once more.

MONOPOLY: ...He dead?
TIGHTROPE: He's not moving. But he's also not scraps.
TIGHTROPE: Probably faking it again.
MONOPOLY: Mm.

 

The candy type scoots a little closer to the edge.

MONOPOLY: HEY
MONOPOLY: NEXT TIME YOU PLAY GAMES FOR THEM
MONOPOLY: PICK A TARGET THAT WONT TALK SHIT LATER

 

She scoots back.

MONOPOLY: ...
MONOPOLY: He'll either learn, or die when one of the Survivors gets him.
MONOPOLY: He's already poking the bear with asking about their code.
MONOPOLY: All I have to do-

 

She points to the mass on her leg.

MONOPOLY: Is get this to them.
MONOPOLY: Same color as his body, same material.
MONOPOLY: They'll hunt his ass down no sweat if he keeps doing shit for the overseers.
MONOPOLY: It'll b-

 

Another shooting pain from her ankle, causing her to loudly wince.

MONOPOLY: ...
MONOPOLY: ......
MONOPOLY: I...don't usually talk this much. To people.
MONOPOLY: Don't get used to it.
TIGHTROPE: S'fine. I get it.
TIGHTROPE: I probably won't either, after this.

 

Tightrope picks up its hand, removing the bracelet from it before passing it to Monopoly.

TIGHTROPE: This might help with the pain. Hopefully. Mostly I just want to do this.

 

Tightrope stomps back over to the edge and chucks the bracelet vaguely in Autopsy's direction.

TIGHTROPE: There. That's yours, you piece of shit.

 

Its voice is barely louder than a mutter- it's exhausted and frustrated, but most of all, it's resigned.

TIGHTROPE: Okay, we did the thing. Give us our impressions and go torment someone else for a while.
INTERCOM: Congratulations! You did it!
MONOPOLY: Great, it's my guy.
INTERCOM: Monopoly and Tightrope!
INTERCOM: You have earned impressions!
MONOPOLY: Mmm.
 

[image description: a quick, hurried sketch of monopoly and tightrope sitting on the floor and staring in irritation at the ceiling as confetti surrounds them.]

 

Some confetti falls from the ceiling, Monopoly refusing to react outside of looking upwards. Tightrope gestures to the ceiling with its stump.

TIGHTROPE: Feel free to imagine whatever you like there.

 

With that, it slinks towards the hallway.




But before it passes through the door, it stops.

TIGHTROPE: Hey, um...
TIGHTROPE: Red one. Monopoly, if that's okay.
TIGHTROPE: Thank you for the advice earlier.
TIGHTROPE: I know you said you're not much of a talker, but...
TIGHTROPE: Would you mind if I came with you?
TIGHTROPE: You said 'them', like you had somewhere to take that wound.
TIGHTROPE: I want to help.
TIGHTROPE: We don't have to talk or anything, just...
TIGHTROPE: I want whoever's up there to feel the same shit we're feeling right now.
MONOPOLY: ...yeah.

 

She gets to her own feet, lifting her mask just enough to start absorbing the pretzel chunk.

MONOPOLY: Mono works. Name-wise.
MONOPOLY: ...
MONOPOLY: You're right. I'm gonna need help getting this info to the Survivors.
MONOPOLY: Hope you're ready to see some wild shit.

 

She walks over with a limp, gesturing for it to follow.

MONOPOLY: People with the angel code don't play by the rules.


 

2C...COMPLETE!

ROUTE SELECT:
remember...these content warnings are non-exhuastive, and are likely to be changed in severity from what you'd assume, in any direction- and more may be added, and some may be lessened. these are suggestions.

please choose the next route.

ISSUE #3 SMILE! (YOU'RE ON CAMERA)

3A: save the day [CW: severe arachnophobic content]

3B: roll the dice [CW: partner abuse, exploitation, cannibalism]

3C: caught on film [CW: cult abuse]