Author: Cymbel, Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 12:15 AM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

She would be here any moment now. Pacing back and forth he nervously looked up every few seconds. He had arrived at this place where only a pedestal with two objects laid following his victory over the four-faced guardian. Following the battle, he had spent some time healing and resting before pacing as he did now. Hearing the sound of cursing under one's breath, he saw the brunette woman stagger in looking worse for wear. "Shiloh!" He called out, his face breaking into a bright smile. "Ah!" Quickly he ran over to catch her as she collapsed onto the ground. She looked terrible, but there were no wounds on her body. Her eyes looked dull and it was as if her soul had left her body. Propping her up, he tried to make her comfortable and cast a spell to alleviate any mental fatigue she still had. She stayed still for a while, glassy eyed and unresponsive. She was still breathing, so that was a good sign. Then, she moved and rubbed her head with a groan. Handing her a flask of water, he let her sit in silence until she decided to speak up. 

"Are you alright? I heard screaming…I was worried." He sat next to her, taking the flask when she was done. "Yes….no. Is it over?" She rolled her head over towards him, weariness in her eyes. "I believe so. It's peaceful here. There's only that pedestal and those objects. Should we take them?" She nodded, rubbing her eyes. "Sure." He carefully picked the brooch and bottle up, and tucked them away safely. Helping her to her feet, they both were enveloped in a bright light–returning them to the Sanctum. "They made it!" Voices surrounded them as the staff of Antikythera swarmed around him and Shiloh. "So how'd it go? Was the last one a real nail-biter?" "Hey, what was the first one like? Did it have those crystal fountains I heard some people talking about?" "Settle down everyone, you can ask them later. Let's bring them back to the Clephsydra." Several pairs of metal hands raised Shiloh and him up over their heads, as they marched out to show off the two new champions of the goddesses' challenge.

It was a wonderful feeling being surrounded by loved ones and friends after a long journey through life, death, love, and desire. A small smile came to his face as he watched Shiloh fall asleep.

[OOC: A big thank you to the users Serci, Magusandrus (Douken), Brandon (Xunatar), Brittlez (Angela Rose), Whit (Dalanesca), elusivephantom, and many more for their suggestions for this thread! You guys made these 18 holes a fun but challenging endeavor! A big thanks to all the staff here on Revaliir!]

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 11:50 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

The flag was in sight. Behind it was a door, a tall door like the one she had seen a long time ago when she first started. The four colors depicting four orbs were present. Was this the end? It had been an uphill battle in more ways than one. Her mind and body were strained, and she was at her breaking point. In the past she thought she had reached it, but somehow managed to continue on. This last obstacle would either make or break her–figuratively and literally. She wanted this all to be done. This was enough. No mortal or deity should put themselves through this. There were a few things worse than death, she had learned. And how a painful lesson it was. One more trial, one more door. Then finally, she would be given release.

Going through the motions, the repetition from the past holes allowed her to perform almost robotically. After the hundredth time, your own body would begin to remember through muscle memory. Aim high, aim low, putt at full power, putt at half power, tap gently. She was drained and emotionally numb. It didn't matter what was at the end anymore. She just wanted to leave. This last course had a combination of every simple hazard in the book, and was three times as long. With the end in sight, she let loose a powerful backswing–turning the ball into a tiny projectile with the force of a large hailstone. The flag was in her range, it shouldn't be long now. The arc was completed and the ball was descending down, and she held her breath. Faster, faster, faster it fell towards the earth.

At the last moment, some unseen force from a figure in the trees knocked it back, flying towards her and then past her, rolling in the dirt. The storm deity snapped. Having put up with every unreasonable thing imaginable, this was the last straw that broke the camel's back. Hurling her golf club at the opposite side of the maze, it vanished once it fell out of bounds and returned in the pile on the ground. Grabbing a ball from the stack, she ran all the way to the flag screaming at the top of her lungs, and threw the accursed little thing into the hole. Then for some reason, an apple appeared in her hand which she threw at the door. Despite her last action not being within the original rules of golf, it was accepted and the way opened. The remains of the fruit's smashed pulpy flesh fell onto the grass as she stormed out. 

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 11:32 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

Lightning was crackling everywhere, and he saw devastation pummel the earth below. It was terrifying on a different level than what he had went through so far, and he understood why. A scream, an awful and almost unearthly scream echoed throughout the walls. Curling up, he sat on the floor with his hands over his ears trying to wait it out. The stonework shook with waves of tremors, and he felt his stomach churn. "Ut malediceret vobis! Maledicam domo tua, milia sanguinis penuriam vestram! A te in pustulis correptus est, eoque in te omnes!" Words full of anger, hate, and spite were like a thousand burning arrows doused in poison. He could feel the sheer intensity of the emotions behind those words in a foreign tongue. It shook him to witness it. He had only seen her become angry once, and it had been terrifying. Smoke rose up from the forest as the lightning hit with wild abandon. He couldn't stop her or calm her down. It was painful to see her in this state. 

"I'm coming, Shiloh. Please, I'm almost there!" Finally pushing past the doors which would lead to the final stage, he held hope in his heart that he would be there to greet her in the Sanctum. They were almost at the end, almost out of this maze. Soon it would over, and it would be only just a memory. A single string in the fabric of eternity. "Hold on and endure, friend. I will be with you soon." He whispered as he stepped to the last challenge. Drawing his sword, he stood before a towering guardian with four faces and four arms. Each of the four with a different expression and different color bore a weapon or power that referenced the four orbs. Life, Love, Death, and Desire. "May my humble resolution be worthy in your sight…"

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 11:09 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

"Somebody, please–get me out of this sadistic game. I want out!" She shouted, vainly hoping somebody would hear. The new challenge presented in this one didn't make her feel any less miserable. There was a lumber mill–for heaven knows why–and logs were being rolled off a ramp across the fairway to the opposite site. The logs would then float down the river flanking the area. The madness kept on going! Yes, she was mad–mad to continue playing a game designed for failure, to frustrate and foil at every turn. Mad that she wanted completion more than her own sanity's well-being. Utterly beyond the point of depravity, and several other things. Why? All because she wanted to see what was at the end of this maze. She went through varying degrees of hell to get here, and continued to plod through this despite everything within her screaming. Existence was pain. Death was the end of all things. The world would wither and die while burning in a flood of fire and brimstone. Then a meteor the size of Parvpora would impact the sea, drowning everything else that hadn't turned to ash.

She had fallen into despair believing that this was all just an elaborate ruse and there was no end to the maze. But she still wanted to finish it. That was the paradox that made her who she was. There was a safe spot a few meters forward from the area the logs would roll down. If she could get the ball to roll there, she would have a much easier time. Observing the timing of the falling logs, she aimed high and went for a long shot. Another rare beautiful shot, traveling through the air like an eagle on the winds. It fell right before the boundary too, which wasn't too bad for an angle. Then, that little child showed up. "OH NO YOU DON'T!" Fed up with shenanigans, Shiloh ran around the fairway heading straight for the little girl. Unsurprisingly the red-head nabbed the ball again and rolled away into the bushes. "GET BACK HERE YOU PUCA IN HUMAN SKIN!" The deity shrieked as she cleared out the underbrush with wild swings from an electrified club. That was it. She had enough. Enough with the traps, the hazards, the random encounters throwing her back to the beginning. She was getting that ball back and giving that girl a piece of her mind.

That little imp ran giggling through the forest and tangled roots. Anything smaller than an adult sapling was mowed down in the wake of Shiloh's fury. On the other side was the rest of the river, and there were the logs floating in the water. The child was close to the riverbank, and there was nowhere to run. Having her cornered, Shiloh was tearing up the ground with enraged strikes. There was a swath of destruction trailing behind her, showing where she had been. The child looked worried for a moment, then quickly took the ball in one hand and threw it into the water with a splash. Dropping to her knees, Shiloh let out an agonizing scream that reverberated through the entire maze. An explosion of lightning rained down from on high, striking at random with wild abandon throughout. To the other participants, this sudden turn of events only added to the maze's original dangers.

Pounding her fist on the ground she spewed curses in words from another world, her fury reaching it's pinnacle. That outburst had briefly lowered the strain from within, but now that ire was burning bright once again. She'd conquer this maze, she'd conquer it surely–no matter what it took! By the Circles, she'd beat this tortuous place once and for all. 

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 9:47 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

Meanwhile, Cymbel was screaming yet again for a completely different reason. He was running with his eyes wide and face pale in fear as a thunderous rumbling followed. As soon as he entered this place the door sealed up and a boulder was dropped behind him. It began rolling towards him, prompting him to run in the opposite direction of its path. A rolling boulder in a maze was truly one of the most fiendish traps an architect could employ. Unfortunately this was fairly common, as it was rather easy to implement. But what wasn't easy was escaping a moving ton of rock that seemed to home in on his location. If he didn't find a way out or a safe space to duck into, he'd be crushed. There would be no continuation after that. "Let me out, let me out!" He wailed, throwing anxious looks over his shoulder with each step. How was he supposed to focus on finding the exit with imminent death behind? He shuddered to think what would happen if he ran into a dead end, and prayed that it would never happen.

While avoiding being rolled flat, he had to use the maze navigating strategies he had used before. Hug the left wall or the right, then keep going in that direction. He ran into a dead end, but thankfully had enough of a lead on the boulder to retrace his steps to a passageway with more branches. This was nerve-wracking, and diabolical. He begged to the goddesses for mercy. Left was no good, so perhaps right was the way. Every turn he made had the rumbling not too far behind, an ever-present reminder of impending doom. He was running out of stamina. There were three ways to go now. Forward, left, and right. He gave a quick look at each one, and tried to discern which path had ways to escape. He couldn't see around the left path's left-hand corner, and the right path led straight down. He had to run ahead, straight ahead.

Pulling himself together for one last sprint, he raced down the corridor. He found an alcove with an impression in the shape of a body against the wall, and laid himself in it. It was just deep enough that the boulder rolled past him, leaving him unscathed. From behind the wall opened, and he fell backwards…safe, but tired. All of this running and stress was bad for his heart. 

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 9:32 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

She could feel it in her bones. The end was close, she knew it. How, she wasn't sure. But then again maybe it was just wishful thoughts, desperately hoping for sweet release. The giggling returned, and a scowl began to make its way across her face. "You…" She pointed at the little girl. The girl grinned that impish grin of hers, and it made the deity madder. The redheaded gremlin waved, and then scampered away. She didn't trust that child one bit. "I swear…something bad's going to happen. I know it." It was another standard hole, with another mixture of hazards she had encountered before. But a shaking began to begin in the trees, and then it became a tremor. A skeleton began crawling out of the ground, and soon flesh began to grow over it. To her horror, Shiloh began to fall into despair as she saw what was happening. A manticore, a Bakulaw terror lizard, and three lycans emerged into the scene–in the flesh. "No…no! Why?! Why would you do this to me?!!" These were just a small sample of what she had to cut through in the maze of death and desire. She knew those beasts, and they even had the scars where she had dealt a killing blow. But wasn't there something that was missing?

The ground shook once again, so strongly she thought it was an earthquake. The form of a skeletal dragon reared its ugly head with a blood-curdling roar, and they all rushed to return the favor she had given them back in the previous maze. Grabbing the ball and fleeing, she saw the little girl standing off to the side, with a glow from her hands. "Oh you little–" Shiloh cursed before she dodged a flying femur coming off of the bone dragon. This was completely absurd! How on earth was this even golf anymore?! As if repeating their past actions, the Bakulaw terror lizard ate the lycans again before charging after her. This was definitely Dalanesca or Angela's doing. How else was it possible for these exact enemies to be revived in the most inconvenient situation possible? 

"If you block my shot, I swear I will put you so deep in the ground you'll never crawl back out again!" She shouted at the remaining monsters. Charging up the metal club, she threw it like a boomerang and hit the manticore square in the face. The club was teleported back into her hands, thanks to the retrieval system implemented for her convenience. Amusingly enough, this was very helpful in combat. Pelting the two smaller monsters with as much electrically charged metal as she could, she threw it like a javelin and impaled it through the manticore's skull. A bolt of lightning struck the beast, reducing it to a charred corpse. With the club back from her throw, she aimed it into the gaping maw of the terror lizard. It gnashed its large jaws onto the metal club, giving her time to draw another lightning bolt to the head. This reptile was tough, as it took more than one bolt to properly take it down. Now the dragon was left, and this was the worst of them all. Using wind to lift herself up, she dove down with a powerful electric field. Ramming the skull down into the dirt as hard as she could, she began beating it over the head with the club in her hands. 

It reared up again, flinging her off. She retaliated by activating the shadows within her, and fully supercharged by her accumulated rage she tore the ancient skeleton asunder. Bones were splintered, fragments were bashed. It was a bloodbath, without the blood. The aftermath was a destroyed fairway and several bones jutting out of the earth. When all was quiet again, she set her ball down and sent it to the flag properly.

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 9:33 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

He could finally see Shiloh again. Back in the maze with translucent walls, he saw Shiloh hard at work. He himself had to follow a lit path to reach the end, and the light pulse's movements weren't easy to foresee. But when he had a few seconds to spare, he would look down and see how she fared. Every so often he would see a rustling in the trees and bushes surrounding the meadow. Sadly he couldn't warn her, as his voice couldn't reach her from here. Nearly losing sight of the light orb he quickly ran to catch up. The rustling continued, and he saw a mop of reddish hair emerge from the green leaves. What was that? Was it a child? No sooner had he seen it, it disappeared back into the shrubbery. How odd… But it didn't seem to be inherently malicious, so he didn't feel worried.

"No!" He almost stopped when he heard her speak. "Back away right now! Do not touch that ball!" Glancing down he saw the reddish mop of hair again, only this time it was a small child halfway out of the bushes instead of the top of its head. It was a child about three to five years of age from the size, and the giggling made him wonder if it was a boy or a girl. To his dismay the child snatched the ball from the edge of the grass and hid back into the plants, causing his friend to express her sentiment in unintelligible sounds. He felt bad watching without having a way to directly help. He almost fell behind the light orb guiding him down the maze. Silence was heard from below as he continued his winding trek through the pathways. This orb, was it truly leading him the right way? He was sure he had doubled back on a few areas a while ago. Keeping his attention in two places made it difficult to follow. 

By the time he was thirty minutes into his walk, he was serious doubting the credibility of this guiding orb. Were the walls moving around, or was he imagining it? Despite his misgivings, he chose to continue. Patience was a virtue after all, and if he turned away in haste he would have to restart his trek if he chose incorrectly. More time passed, and his diligence paid off. It led him to a tall, grey stone door with a dim sphere in the center. The light entered it, and the lines in the door lit up. The door parted, and a current of warm air greeted his face. Was he coming closer the end? If so, then they would be reunited soon. He couldn't wait to tell Shiloh of what he had went through.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 8:45 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

Fifteen. How much longer already? Crossing a bridge over a babbling brook, she briefly glanced to watch as leaves flowed down the running water. It was a small comfort in this horrible construct of divine design, but she still had to push forward. There was a giggling, and she turned her head to see who it was. There was a small child peeking out from behind some bushes, her curly red hair making her easy to spot in the midst of green. Frowning, Shiloh went straight to setting up her first swing. It bounced off from where she wanted, and rolled a little too close to the boundary for comfort. It was still salvageable, all she had to do was hit it back to the center and then work up from there. Then the giggling returned, and the little redheaded child poked her head out from behind a tree. She was right by the golf ball, and Shiloh knew what was going on. "No. No! Back away right now! Do not touch that ball!" The girl giggled and reached down to grab the golf ball. "I said do not touch that–frrrghhhh!" The end of that sentence devolved into angry gibberish as the child deliberately snatched it up and disappeared into the forest shrubbery.

That child. That bleeding cheeky red-headed child. No, she had to stay calm. She had been angry for nearly all of the way here; she should be over this already. Back to starting…again. She might rant and rage, headbutt grown men into the distance, and give death threats to animals–but she had to draw the line somewhere. The more she dwelled on it, the longer it would take for her to get out of here. Yes, that was right. This was something she needed to remember. Shiloh took another swing, this time better. Going up to its new landing spot, she noted she would have to angle her hit around. The little gremlin was nowhere to be seen, so she should be in a clear for the time being. A clack sounded as it flew up, and padded along the trimmed grass. Running as fast as she was able, she arrived at the ball before the little girl showed up. A sigh of relief left her as she now only had a few putts left to get it in. 

A quick tap made the ball roll too far past the flag, and she was dashing over to intercept it before a certain someone else did. Placing the club's head firmly in back of the ball, she tapped with a little less power. Following the curve of the land, it smoothly entered without any further problems. Now she could breathe a little easier. The hedges opened up to a gazebo-styled landing, marking where her next shot would start. Somehow she had a nagging suspicion that she was being watched directly, and kept looking over her shoulder.

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 8:17 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

A scream of rage shook him awake. He had fallen asleep from being worn out after rowing like a madman, and now his clothes were dry again. "Shiloh?" He looked all around, unable to see where it had come from. It was time to move onward, as he couldn't stay here. Maybe Shiloh was waiting for him back at the orbs' shrines already. Shielding his eyes, he walked into an idyllic grassy area. The ceiling however, was still present so he was still inside the confines of the maze even now. There was a small shrine at the center which had a place to put something. A scroll on the basin read in calligraphic letters: 'I bear veins but cannot bleed, give me what sheds from my wounds.' Another puzzle, a welcome sight after nearly dying to beasts and traps. So he needed to collect what the shrine wanted, and if he was correct he would be allowed passage out. This was far more preferable to deathtraps and scares.

"What has veins but cannot bleed? It can't be anything that lives. But most things with veins do bleed, regardless." Searching the contained meadow, he found a tree oozing sap. Unsure if this was the right answer, he picked a piece off and went to the shrine. Placing the dried bit of resin into the bowl, he waited for its response. The sample glowed, then burst into flames violently! Staggering back, he felt that this wasn't the right answer to the riddle. But what else had veins? The trees didn't have blood, but if cut the sap would flow. In a sense, it still did bleed then. Dejected, he decided to search more carefully. Worn out, he took a break leaning against an stone outcropping in the artificially created scenery. Standing up to resume his search, he brushed off the back of his clothes to find some metallic flecks from a crumbled rock. "Isn't this mica? I'm surprised that even this was brought in." Then, realization dawned. Ores had veins! This stone was a bit metallic, wasn't it? When veins of ore were exposed nothing flowed out, making it a perfect fit to the puzzle. When the miners chipped the rock, it would shed fragments but no liquid.

Taking the rock the mica had come from, he rushed to the shrine and put it into the basin. The sample glowed, and this time vanished in a less sudden manner. The shrine began to radiate a warm glow, and he felt his fatigue wash away. Feeling refreshed and healed, he saw the scroll's words change. 'You have passed the trial, now proceed. May success follow the wise and prudent.' The rumbling of stone that he had missed for so long returned, as the wall opened up to show a flight of stairs leading up. After walking around in the dark and braving the raging waters, he was returning to the higher levels again. 

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:21 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

"…Are you serious? What is this?!!" The path led her to a building, with arrows pointing to where the flag was. Inside was a series of swinging pendulums obscuring the way to the fourteenth hole. "How is this even possible? You're kidding me! You are bloody kidding me?! I have to make this in ONE SHOT!? AGHHH!!" Throwing her hands up in outrage, she yelled incomprehensible things to the sky. Frankly there wasn't much else to say about her attempts aside from screaming, cursing the entire genealogical line of the creators of this game, and yelling about how much she hated this. She had to retry her shots several times. As soon as it cleared some pendulums, another would come to knock it out of alignment. Frustration was an understatement. At one point she just lined up a row of balls, taking hits as soon as she could send them. She had gone far beyond the point of caring. She just wanted to get out of this never-ending torment.

  After an indeterminate amount of tries, one lucky shot made it past the pendulums and went around the rim into the hole. By then she had bent several clubs, all of which reverted back to their initial state right after. She stomped off to the next area through a portal that opened once she had cleared the challenge. Angry mutterings were last heard as she disappeared from sight, and the portal closed up. Unfortunately for the deity, she still had several more rounds to go before she could escape this infernal maze.

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 7:04 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

"Bank left, bank left!" Shouting above the roaring waves, Cymbel's hair was damp and clinging to his face. Paddling the oars of a small boat while being carried along a powerful current, he was trying to navigate the flooded tunnels of the maze. He was first hit by a wall of water, then tossed into a wooden boat. Soggy and shivering, he had clung onto the sides until he got hold of the oars. Rowing upstream was pointless, so the best he could do was move the direction he was going. This was not as easy as expected, since the tunnels were filled with their own share of dangers. Sharp-toothed fish would leap out from the water, forcing him to duck for cover. Sometimes the ceiling had spikes which were deadly when the water rose at a bad moment. There were sea creatures with electricity coming from their bodies. And then a tentacle from some deep-sea horror would try to grab at his little vessel.

With only the oars as his weapons and method of horizontal movement, it was a torrent of aquatic threats after another. He had to smack the tentacles off the boat's wooden body, while dodging the hungry biters. There were even sharp rocks that forced him to frantically paddle to one side or the other. The rolling and lurching motion would've made him sick if his stomach weren't empty. The worst of all had to be when a rogue wave crashed onto him, and he hung onto the boat by his fingers. Why was there a series of flooded tunnels in here to begin with? None of this made sense! Spitting out another mouthful of water, he coughed and continued steering. The raging waters were approaching their end, marked by the biggest waterfall he had seen. The little boat flew off the edge, gliding through the air to crash into the stone floor of an open set of dry tunnels. Cymbel tumbled out, a dripping mess. The oars snapped from the impact and the boat's hull splintered as well. Wringing himself dry, he took out a lantern and tried to bake his clothes so they weren't damp anymore. Shivering, he sneezed. Wrapping himself in a dry set of clothes he summoned, he took a rest to recover his energy.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 6:45 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

"If you come within a single foot of my ball, I swear on the Conclave I will roast you in front of your own brethren." Shiloh glared intensely at a bush-tailed squirrel sitting in the middle of the grassy meadow that was eyeing her golf ball. She was back in the spring-green pastures of the wildflowers surrounded by woodland. There was still more to this terrible game, and things quickly went downhill after the appearance of Dalanesca. Perhaps somebody upstairs thought she had it too easy, and thought she needed an even greater level of challenge. Her frustration and anger were now at a continuous simmer, having still carried over from the crows and steam vents. The course itself wasn't too difficult to pass through, but now the local wildlife was showing an unhealthy interest in that little pockmarked white rock of hers. And if they took that out of bounds, then she would have to start from the very beginning.

She was beyond exasperated to the point where she was irritated at everything. She was already giving the evil eye to bluebirds and robins. Shiloh first noticed this particular red squirrel when she was halfway through the length of the fairway. At first she thought it was just a typical curious rodent, and expected it to go back to whatever tree it came out of. But soon she noticed it was approaching her position with an abnormal level of boldness. She was sure she didn't have any food on her to give it, and there weren't any acorns or tasty tidbits lying around. It was then she saw the look in its eyes, and knew this little creature was a sworn enemy. That little greedy cheek-stuffer wanted that ball for who knows what, and she wasn't going to give it to him. Or her. It didn't matter at this point. She was already paranoid after experiencing Serci's unintentional blunder and that bearded man's callous ignorance. She would not suffer sabotage again.

Keeping a wary eye on that squirrel, she was moving ahead gradually. But whenever she looked away, the squirrel would move. That little bloody thief was waiting for her not to notice to steal it out from under her nose. When it was within earshot she yelled, warning that if it chose to be a pest it had better prepare to take the consequences. It probably didn't understand a word, but it should at least pick up on her tone. The flag was in sight, and she could see the outline of the waving cloth clearly. Just a few more shots, and she would be on to the next area. It was then that the squirrel decided to make its move. Making a mad dash from its seat on the grass, it was heading straight for its prize. Shiloh caught sight of it out of the corner of her eye, and brought down her club with a healthy current of electricity. It leaped back and tumbled around, scampering away to a meager twenty feet. It still wasn't fully ready to leave that ball alone, so she made a quick putt to decrease the time in between shots. Under different circumstances, it would have been comical. But she was out of humor and out of patience to put up with shenanigans. She was more than glad to leave that troublesome rodent behind.

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 6:17 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

"Ah I know this one!" This was a puzzle he had heard of when he was a child. It was a story involving a wolf, a rooster, an ox, and a goat. All four needed to cross the river, but there were weight limitations and certain animals could not be left together. The wolf would eat the goat if left with it, the ox couldn't carry the wolf with it at the same time. The rooster had to go with one of the herbivores as it was the lightest and most flexible. A few trips back and forth with the ferry finally brought all four beasts across. Just when he was wondering why this seemed so simple, the walls opened up and revealed four beasts behind metal gates! He had celebrated too soon–this was the true challenge! There was a roc, a minotaur, a chimera, and a warg all looking at him with bloodthirsty eyes. He now had to choose his first opponent, neither which were preferable in any shape or form. With much unease, he picked the chimera. 

The gate was unlocked and the horrid beast was bounding towards him! With a scream, he cast a spell–causing blinding light to flash across the small room. It staggered everyone in the chamber, including himself. For the chimera it was especially bad, since that meant four pairs of blinded eyes instead of two. Calling a sword into his hand, he began slashing, releasing sharp cuts from a razor sharp wind. He hated doing this, he really did. But it was trying to kill him. Finally when all was quiet, he opened his eyes to see the fallen body of the chimera. Feeling terrible, he watched as the body shimmered and dispersed into particles of light. It…was an illusion? It must have been more than that, as it bore substance a moment ago. Conjured constructs, designed to test his mettle was his answer.

The three remaining beasts awaited his next choice. This time, he picked the minotaur. The bipedal taurine creature thundered towards him with hammer in hand–and he shrieked while backing away. Casting a spell of illusion, he made himself blend in with the many others of his copies. Somehow it hit one that wasn't him, and he took the chance to create a veil of fog. The fog quickly filled up the chamber, and the minotaur was snorting in rage. But soon, its movements were starting to become sluggish and its senses dulled. Keeping quiet, he waited until he heard a heavy thud. When the fog dissipated, the minotaur was unconscious. Its body then shimmered and vaporized. With difficulty, he managed to defeat the warg and roc. Once all were gone, the door to the next area opened for him to progress. Sheathing his sword, he gave a prayer of thanks to the stars for their benevolence.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 3:55 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

Location number twelve. Keeping track of her progress was starting to become difficult. Hours must have passed by now, and she wouldn't be surprised if a day or more had flown. There was something distinctly wrong about this new area, and it was on the tip of her tongue. Maybe it was the odd absence of the lush green grass she had been so accustomed to, or the barren earth she was now standing on. Or maybe it was the rows of bare trees, devoid of any green in their gnarled branches. Certainly not the mobs of crows sitting on said branches. Of course not. Why did everything here scream 'murder'? She'd climbed up a ladder and went down a trail only to find this sight. There was a flag at the end of all this, but small suspicious craters in the ground were dotting the area. 

As she lined up her shot, a sudden sound of hissing led to a burst of steam shooting boiling liquid into the air. The unexpected jet made her jump, and she covered her mouth and nose at the sight of the billowing fumes. Maybe it was time to put on that mask she had in her pile of things. A plague doctor mask appeared, and she set the club down to put it on. There, now she could avoid at least some of the vapors. It was a straight shot ahead to the hole, but by now expecting things to be easy was wishful thinking. Sending off a powerful swing, the ball flew like an arrow loosed from a bow. An excellent flight of at least twenty meters, then the rapid descent to the ground. With an extra ball in hand, she ran to find it. Then, the moment she had been afraid of had arrived. As if waiting for an unknown signal, once the ball was no longer in the air all of the crows in the area took flight and began to swarm. They were going for the ball! 

No, she was not going to be set back again. Not after all she had gone through! No matter who or what came in her way, she wasn't going to stand by and let them push her around. With a gale at her back, she sped forwards with great speed into the heart of the mass of crows. Wildly swinging an electrified club, shrill cries and squawks turned into a cacophony enough to drive one mad. The noise was unbearable, and she was feeling that rising anger coming to the surface. "Bloody filchers with wings…get out of my way!" The gale turned to a maelstrom, and the vortex sucked all the birds in. Releasing it into a scattering of winds, a flurry of feathers rained down as the crows were disbanded and flung to the opposite sides of the area. With that major distraction gone, she went to find her ball–only to realize that it wasn't there. Did she accidentally pick it up with the air currents? No, surely she'd have noticed. "Where is it? Where'd it go?" If sabotage by others was hateful, then self-sabotage was ten times worse. Did she just drop the rock onto her own foot?

The whistle of another erupting vent made her jolt again. Covering her ears, Shiloh's eyes grew wide as she saw that familiar white shape now rising into the air… The cawing returned, and the crows were coming back! "No, not again! Not this time! I won't let you! Get out, get out, get ooouuuuttt!" Her voice screeched in a rising scale. A blast of electrical discharge radiated from her person, and all the birds were locked in stasis. The vent's spray had run out of steam, and the ball was falling back down into the vent's opening. Quickly she smacked it with the flat side of the club head, moving it further forward. Furiously rushing ahead to get the ball to the hole before she lost track of the birds, she managed to roll it in as her focus on maintaining stasis waned.

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 3:13 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

"This can't be safe…It's–it's impossible." Standing on one side of the chasm, he had seen the words on the wall before his entry. They stated in engraved print: 'Walk by faith and not by sight'. But there was nothing here to walk on! How would he know where to step and where there was nothing to catch him if he fell? "No…no I don't want to go! There's nothing there!" He had made the mistake of gazing into what he found as an endless abyss below him, and now was in the clutches of absolute terror. If only he had a way to cross that didn't involve leaping into the void! The prospect of plunging to his death was enough to finally force him to breathe out vapors, and as he hyperventilated, a slow-moving fog began to fill the air. The more he thought about it the more distressed he became, to the point that the whole chasm was nearly obscured.

As the fog thickened, a miraculous event took place. The fog began to outline shapes in the area, revealing that contrary to his common sense–there was an actual path to walk upon. Calming himself to where he wouldn't suffer a breakdown, he noticed the strange phenomenon while breathing in and out. He couldn't believe it! So the writing on the wall was telling the truth. Realizing this was no time to dawdle, he quickly began climbing onto the parts that had been revealed. He had to hurry before his mist dissipated. Continuously creating a steady flow of fog, Cymbel picked his way across the invisible bridge. Finally, he jumped onto the very much visible–and solid ground breathing a sigh of relief. Falling to his knees, he hugged the ground as he let out sobs of happiness. Never before had he been so grateful for solid ground. Oh sweet security! 

Perhaps the past few ordeals had strengthened his spirit albeit slightly, as he felt he was recovering from stress somewhat faster than before. Hopefully that was the case. He still didn't see Shiloh, but he believed that she would be alright. He believed in her as herself and not as a deity. When they met again, surely she would be so proud to hear how far he had come.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 2:03 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

She squinted her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. The edges of her mouth turned into a scowl at what was before her. The path from the last hole led her to a chasm, with large circular platforms bearing extensions to form a bridge. She was currently standing on solid ground, but she would have to cross the wooden platforms suspended over the abyss. The main problem with this was that said platforms were spinning. They weren't rotating quickly, but knowing she would have to time her shots to make it fly in the right direction was an annoyance. Not only did she have to worry about losing the ball, but she had to make sure she didn't fall off as well. The maze was upping the ante again, swiftly and surely.

Slow and steady won the race, as the tale went about the turtle and the rabbit. Shiloh knew what she had to do, even if she didn't like it. No large swings, no hard strikes. Controlled tapping was key. Too much momentum would make it roll off the platforms. Too little and it would fall short. "Aim for the middle…" She muttered to herself. As long as it landed and stayed close to the middle, then it was safe. Taking in a deep breath, she emptied her mind. Thinking would only interfere with her movement, and she needed to putt the ball without hesitation. A low arc with the club sent the ball into a gentle pitch. The ball landed a little closer to her side than the middle, then stopped in place. Good, just as planned. She crossed onto the platform when the bridge extension came around towards her. There were two more of these circular spinning platforms before the other side of the chasm was in sight. Again, she inhibited herself from thinking too much. She had to stay calm so her shots would be steady.

Another shot, another almost perfect landing. It was a little more to the right than she wanted, but it was good enough. With careful observation, she crossed over to the second platform. There was one more left before she could return to solid ground. The pressure was on, having come this far on her first attempt. Forcibly clearing her thoughts again, she took a few more minutes to stabilize. Breathe in…breathe out. Wait until you felt it was the right moment. Then, when everything was aligned–a swing. The club rolled the ball up onto the head, then released it into a beautiful parabolic arc into the air. This time the ball landed dead-center, with a few bounces before settling. Now, she only had one more putt left to go. Not wanting to ruin her chances, she decided to use teleportation to get across. She was so close, yet so far. The emotions writhing beneath were trying to force their way up, but she had to press them back down. Not yet, not until she claimed her victory.

This time she didn't hold back and made a hard swing, sending the ball high and far. It landed with a bounce meters behind the hole, rolling back and forth. Swiftly landing on the chasm's opposite side, she wondered where the flag was. The hole wasn't in sight. Following the grassy green, her eyes traced a path until…she saw it. The hole and flag wasn't on ground level. They were up on a high level, raised on a ledge a meter high. So this was the real challenge. Finding her ball, she looked back at the ledge, then at her current position. A high shot with a short distance was needed here. With all her hopes and dreams behind her backswing, Shiloh sent it up into the heavens. Then, shading her eyes she waited as the white speck began to fall to the earth. It landed! Bouncing high, it went up and down, up and down, up and down…until finally, it rolled down. Her first complete success since the start of the game.

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2018 12:56 AM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

Here he had been expecting a return to the puzzle rooms, only to find himself into another mess of winding corridors. The wall which he entered through sealed itself, making retreating out of the question. There was a lantern on the floor, with a piece of parchment. 'May the light guide you through the darkness.' As soon as he took the lantern, the entire area fell into a pitch black. The only area that was visible and lit was in a three meter radius surrounding the lantern itself. Even with his enhanced eyesight in low light conditions, the distinct absence of it rendered that ineffective. He was alone, in the dark.

"I need to find my way out of here…" He said to himself. His levels of anxiety were very high now, and talking to himself helped vent some of that stress. Clutching the lantern, he quietly walked through the maze's passages. There was a palpable chill in the air, and not simply due to a drop in the ambient temperature. He was afraid. As he walked he heard noises. The sound of something moving within the labyrinth. Worried, he stopped moving. Was it just his imagination? The noise, however persisted. It was gradually growing louder and sweat began to form beads on the back of his neck. Frantically searching for a place to hide, he quickened his steps away from the sound. Finding an alcove, he ducked in and smothered the lantern so the light wouldn't show. Then, holding his breath and shutting his eyes, he waited.

The sound grew closer, and something was stalking the passages. Soon it was gone, but he waited a little more just to be sure. What was that? There was something terrifying of the unknown, and it was too late to turn back. He prayed a silent prayer for the gods' mercy, to anything or anyone benevolent enough to grant him safety. Creeping about, he kept an ear out for any strange sounds, guided by the lantern. He had to hide several times, muffling the light so he wouldn't be found. Why he felt the need to was something he couldn't understand completely either. But it was almost instinctual. Carefully, covertly he continued on like this. The silence was probably the worst part of it all. Soon, he saw a doorway. Unsure if it was the right one, he approached with caution. Drawing his sword, he reached out tentatively and touched it with the tip. While he did so, he heard the shuffling again, and was seized by panic. Quickly rushing towards the door, he grasped about in search for a handle with the lantern's light brightly burning. The sound was approaching faster, and terror was overwhelming his senses.

"Please, please open! I beg of you!" He implored, pressed against the stone. Then, just as he was sure whatever that thing was had turned the corner–the stone door swiveled around sending him elsewhere. The lantern's light was blotted out by a sudden brightness, forcing him to cover his eyes. But…the shuffling sound was gone. Slowly readjusting his sight, he saw he was no longer in that dark collection of tunnels. The lantern was glowing faintly, and a pedestal with an impression perfect for the base of the lantern was present. Now safe and sound, he took it and set it in place. The door to the true eleventh location opened up, welcoming him to a slightly less fear-inducing area.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 8:43 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

This particular area was much smaller than the past few she had trudged through. The lay of the land was simple: rolling hills surrounded by sand, with the only way to the other side blocked by a windmill that had a tunnel through its base. The only problem aside from the quicksand border–this windmill had large paddles attached to the sails. The tunnel which she was aiming for wasn't very wide,and the paddles blocked the entrance completely when they moved in front. This would all hinge on timing. …Oh joy. This was several times worse than the previous hole. This area was explicitly designed to be infuriating. With how lightweight that ball was, hitting the paddle would send it flying back. And the rotating paddles would push the ball off to the sides too. This would be a headache and a half. 

Not expecting her first shot to succeed, she went through the motions of getting prepared and waited. When she saw the gap between the paddles approaching, she gave a quick swing sending the ball straight ahead. Unfortunately her judgment on the speed of rotation was off, and the ball was fired off a bit too slow. The edge of a paddle made contact, sending the pockmarked ball rebounding into the sand. Back to the drawing board…again. A second shot went off too early, and the paddle smacked it backwards. She tried hitting with less force, making a faster swing, rolling the ball with a putt. Neither worked for various reasons. Just as she was about ready to hack off the windmill's sails, she heard a chuckle from from nearby. Turning to look, she saw a familiar dark-haired woman lounging on a cushioned reclining chair on the grassy area past the quicksand moat, off to the side. There was a glass in her hand, and a table with a bottle of some sort of alcoholic drink–half full. "Hey kiddo, having fun yet?"

"…Dalanesca." Shiloh was wondering when she would show up. With this being the ultimate combination of everything awful the four orbs had to offer, there would be plenty of casualties. Giving the goddess a beleaguered look, she asked: "…Is it time already?" The Reaper waved a hand, dismissing her assumptions. "I'm not here to kill you, I'm here to watch you be miserable." There was a long pause as she narrowed her eyes into a glare, before Shiloh replied. "I would say make yourself comfortable, but you've done that already." Slightly disappointed that she wasn't being relieved from this mortal coil, Shiloh returned to the battle against one of the most iconic and irritating obstacles ever to grace the golf green. Knowing somebody was actively watching her suffering did not improve the situation one bit.

Attempt four–the ball was aimed too high and hit the sail, falling down only to roll backward. Attempt five–aimed too low, was hit back immediately. Attempt eight–bounced too much and lost momentum before it could be inevitably knocked back by the paddles. With each failure, she was growing more and more frustrated. In one nonvocal outburst, an especially hard hit caused the ball to ricochet at a dangerously high speed, embedding itself into the trunk of the trees forming the area border. By now she had stopped keeping track of the count as it would just make her angrier. Eventually, she figured out a strategy. Instead of trying to time her hits from afar, she putted the ball closer to where it was less than a meter away. Now all she had to do was aim straight and true–at the right time. With mid-strength hits, she tried getting a feel for the timing of the windmill's rotation. It had to possess enough momentum to not only clear the paddles, but make it through the tunnel behind. 

Staying still for minutes, she waited. Watching the rotation of the sails, she stayed put until she could sense the speed at which it was moving. Then, when she had the rhythm down–a forceful, controlled tap. The ball rolled smoothly through the gap, past the paddles, right into the tunnel, and disappeared to the other side. Continuing down the slope on the backside, it entered a winding chute that led directly to the hole. The silence was finally broken with the musical clink of success.

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 4:12 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

"How does this thing work again?" Never having operated any form of transportation other than a horse or carriage in his entire life, this was completely foreign to him. Hesitantly he had gotten on the metal cart, and was trying to get it to move. It was too heavy to budge, and moving the lever on it didn't do anything. There were brakes on it, but he didn't know. Cymbel began fiddling around with anything on it he could see, with little success. Finally he spotted some sort of metal pin, and pulled on it. Several good tugs were enough to get it loose, and he was wondering what purpose it served when the cart started rolling. Lurching forward, the metal cart leaned as it dipped down the slope…then very quickly began to pick up speed. 

Hanging onto the lever in the middle of the brakeless cart for dear life, Cymbel barreled down the tracks at breakneck speed. The tracks in the tunnel led to a wide open cavern with several branching pathways for the track he was currently riding on. Screaming, he squeezed his eyes shut as he doubled up near the cart's bottom platform. The speed at which this was going was terrifying! It was much faster than even the fastest of horses, while the shaking and squeaking wheels didn't make him feel any safer! His cries were muffled by the noisy rattling of the derelict cart. He had no idea how far he had gone or where he was, hyperventilating when it finally came to stop. Shivering from fear, he let go of the lever and laid down on the cart floor with his face in his hands. It took him a while to calm down enough to uncurl from the fetal position he had been in.

Wiping his face, he saw that he was back at the beginning. How was this possible? What about that terrifying ordeal he had endured minutes ago? Back at the tunnel's entrance again, he had come full circle. The tracks had to go somewhere, and before he shut his eyes, he saw there were four branching paths that were offshoots from the main line. He didn't know which one he had taken in his first ride, but it didn't lead out. He then realized he had been holding onto the metal pin he had pulled out earlier, having grasped it tightly as soon as the cart ran wild. Putting it back in, he now understood the pin was part of a larger mechanism which could pivot around the pinned joint. This pin would make the cart stop, making it slow down when in place. Depending on when it was inserted, you could either stop the cart entirely or bring it to a slow halt. Maybe he could use this to help him see which path was the correct one to take?

Pulling the pin out halfway, he nudged the front end of the cart to move slightly. This time, it began to roll down in a much controlled pace. Dropping the pin in all the way as it started picking up speed, an awful grinding of metal against the ground filled his ears. Covering them, he winced while noticing sparks flying. He was approaching the crossroads again, and saw the other paths more clearly. One went straight, two went directly left and right, and one sloped off to the right slightly. Lurching to a halt, he found himself stranded at the slope's bottom. What now? Careful observation revealed some old weathered wooden signs with something painted onto them. He couldn't read their contents, but he did notice some subtle differences around the paths. 

The left and right paths led up, and had drier ground. The two paths leading forward were similar up to the split. The one leading straight ahead was the same as the ground behind him, while the one slightly right had more damp soil. Hotter air was coming from the left pathway, an odd smell came from the right. The middle-right had a cooler draft, but it wasn't as strong as the currents out of all four. He decided to take his chances with the middle-right, and hope he was correct. That didn't solve the problem of getting the cart moving, however. Trying to fiddle with the mechanisms again, he took the cart's lever and began pulling it up and down. Slowly but gradually, it began to move the cart in the direction where he was facing. With much effort and patience, he shifted the cart towards the exit of his choice. Fortune must have been smiling on him, as he found himself out and into the maze again.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2018 3:02 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

She was out of the marsh and back in the forest. Before her was a rocky cliff with a lookout post. Climbing it, she was greeted with a bird's eye view of the surrounding area. A very winding stretch of rolling green was sandwiched between densely forested woodland. It was a larger version of a past encounter, but with no gaps in the trees. She loathed to think of what kind of trickery would be thrown at her, but she wasn't going anywhere by standing here. Begrudgingly she climbed back down and took the stone stairway off the cliff. Long rolling meadows with plenty of quicksand traps were present. It also had small patches of water, which were bottomless like the sand. It was a combination of some of the most annoying obstacles she had seen before the difficulty took a steep incline upward.

There were two options here: she could putter around for an hour moving the ball through the obstacles, or go for a long shot and send it across the forested area in hopes that it'd make it to the other side. Doing this would bypass the loop, and cut straight through–saving time and distance. It would also save her a lot of trouble. And since that was what this entire place consisted of, she wanted as little as possible. Moving to the point she had mentally marked before descending, she positioned herself so her swing would direct the ball over the woodlands. Winding up and swinging the club far back, she spun and slammed the ball with all the kinetic force she could. It went off like a firework across the treetops, and she began running down the grassy green hoping to make it in time before it landed. Once she knew where it fell, she could better adjust following attempts. Zigzagging through the quicksand patches and ponds, she immediately began searching for the ball. A little spot of white against green should be easy to find.

Approaching the approximate area where it should have landed, her eyes came upon a sight that made a chill creep into her bones. There was a tall, dark-haired man with a powerful, muscular build. He was armed, and had a wildness to him that triggered her instincts to keep away. But that wasn't the worst part…in his hand was the spot of white she had been looking for. He must have picked it up right before she arrived. That man was probably another participant in the maze, just like Serci earlier. And if that was true, then it was probable that he couldn't see her either. With fingers crossed she desperately hoped the man would lose interest and drop the ball. "Just leave the ball…leave the ball…drop it and leave it…" Shiloh muttered under her breath. She didn't need any more problems to crop up today. By all that was holy, if he could please ignore the ball and move on….

With unthinking nonchalance, the man tossed it aside with a flick of the wrist right into the woodland underbrush. That single dismissive act lit a fuse inside the deity, and made her absolutely livid. The next sound the man heard was an ear-piercing shriek like the screams of an infernal banshee before an enraged storm deity rammed into him at gale-force speeds–sending him flying into the distance. Eventually she made it to the flag, and putted the ball into the hole after doing a few more runs.

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 11:53 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

For the first time since their arrival, Cymbel was now in a proper maze. He was confronted with nothing save for winding passages. No chambers with instruction, no riddles on the walls, no odd puzzles to strain himself over. After seven chambers of this the sudden turn of events was rather jarring. With no time to lose, he began running down the corridor. He hugged the right wall, making right turns and only going back if he encountered a dead end. After a while he stumbled upon a lever in the wall. Out of breath, he grasped it and leaned to pull it down. When it was lowered, the sound of something moving rumbled beneath, and he went to search for more. As he passed the crossroads, he noticed something on the floor he hadn't seen before. 

In previous chambers the walls and floor were translucent, but this time he couldn't see below where Shiloh was. And on the floor was a spiraling design, with eight spheres embedded into the stonework. One was lit, so he assumed there were seven more he had to located within the passages. Catching his breath, he dashed down another path he hadn't taken yet. It was a good thing that mosaic recorded his progress–otherwise he wouldn't know how many he had left. Going in and out of these winding halls and serpentine tunnels left him completely disoriented. He was already terrible with directions, and it was impossible to tell where north was. Somehow he managed to get them all, returning to the spiral pattern to collapse onto the ground. Breathing rapidly, he could feel his lightheaded dizziness ebb away as he sprawled out on the cold, hard floor. His legs were sore, his arms were burning. Everything hurt, and he just wanted to leave. He didn't know how Shiloh was doing, and it was terrible. Was there a way for them to leave if they wanted to quit?

That question would forever be left unanswered, as before he could even stand the floor opened up and he fell down a tunnel to the next area. It then closed up, just like nothing had happened. Rolling down the smooth stone, he was deposited out a chute onto the floor. It wasn't a maze this time, but there was a set of tracks with a metal cart bearing some kind of level mechanism. The tunnel leading down was dark, and dimly lit. He really did not want to go any further, but going back wasn't an option. He still couldn't see Shiloh from his location, and the coldness of the chamber was seeping in through his cloak. There must be some sort of opening further down, as a strong draft was coming in from that direction.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 11:28 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

This was becoming a slow descent into madness. How far had she progressed? How far did she have left to go? Where was she? Why was she still playing this godforsaken game? Unfortunately none of these save for the last one had an answer, and the only way to get out was to get through. By the gods she hated this infernal torment of pockmarked balls and metal clubs so much. The next challenge was simple at a glance but she no longer trusted anything anymore. Before her was a marsh with several small islands, creating a circle. In the center was a large island where the flag fluttered in the wind. She was now walking across the bridge to the first one, and shaded her eyes to see where she was aiming. 

In the other islands there were small rings of toadstools in various colors. She had no idea what they were for or why they were there, so she lined up her ball to aim as close to the central island as possible. She swung with a quick thwack–sending the little cratered ball sailing to the inner ring of islands. It bounced, and rolled into the fairy ring of mushrooms. Wondering how she was going to get over there, suddenly she was teleported to the very island her ball was on. It was abrupt and very disorienting, and she nearly fell backwards into the watery morass behind. Good thing she didn't, or else there'd be more than one tree burnt to cinders today. She was now closer to the main island, and it appeared she could hit it over with another swing. The problem was overshooting it, which was more than likely to happen. With a grimace, she made her next hit. Her response was the watery plop of a white pockmarked ball sinking into the tangle of aquatic grass. In a blink she was returned back to the beginning. 

She worked her way back to the inner ring again, this time on the left of the central island. The gap to it was shorter here, but that meant it was more difficult to make it stay on land. Shorter distances were actually worse than longer ones, as precision was nigh impossible. With a halfhearted prayer she hit high, hoping it would slow down enough to make it. It didn't…hitting the edge and rolling down into the muck. This was the third time she was doing this. How many islands had she hopped across now? Each time was just as frustrating as the last, leaving her at the mercy of fickle fortune. And no, she couldn't manipulate luck so it would end in her favor. If she could, she would have tried–and would have finished this accursed challenge a long time ago. The ball was two islands away from the inner ring, and the fluttering flag waved as if beckoning her to come and finish the hole. It was taunting her, teasing her. 'Just try and win me,' it was saying. It was just sitting there, flapping about like it had not a single care in the world.

One island away now. It was right there, just a few meters away. She could literally cross the gap with a well-timed pole vault, but she had to use this unwieldy metal club to send this irregularly shaped object there. Still not quite abandoning hope for some mind-boggling reason, she tapped the ball with an upswing and hurled it onto solid ground. Finally, a bit of progress. Now standing on the final island–thank the Conclave–she had to aim for the flag. There was a circle of extremely large fungal specimens glowing with a phosphorescent sheen, and something about it made her consider keeping her distance. Trying to send the ball directly through the glowing caps, it went off by a slight angle and bounced off the stalk of a rather springy mushroom. Panicking, she managed to stop the ball from falling off the island, and nearly gave herself a scare. Inhaling and exhaling a few more times, she carefully guided the ball to the stalks, then held her breath. Touching the ball with the least amount of force humanly possible, it went rolling into the large fairy circle and fell into the hole.

The mushrooms then twitched, and proceeded to double in size, creating a much larger gap for her to squeeze through. The flag and hole disappeared, only to be replaced by a swirling portal to who-knows-where. Still holding her breath, she quickly went in to limit her exposure to these magically-supercharged fungi and disappeared.

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2018 4:30 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

The room was cold and a bit damp, and he was standing before four long glass gauges with varying water levels. Each gauge was connected to a wheel which would increase or decrease the water volume in the gauge accordingly. There was an image of the channel between the island and riverbank on the opposite wall, and it had jets of water with heights corresponding to the amount in the glass gauges. What was he trying to aim for this time? Watching the image of the water jets, he noticed it wasn't stationary. Every now and then, the image of a white little ball would bounce across, but if it fell on a jet that was too low or two high, it would plummet to into the water or shoot up into oblivion. "Ah, I just need to make them all the same height then?" Returning the wheels, he turned one of the lower gauges up. The water level rose, but as it did so–the gauges to the right and left fell by a level. When he tried to raise either of those gauges, any others beside them would fall or rise. This was…quite the conundrum.

After each adjustment he would go back and forth trying to get all of the gauges to the same water level. Soon he figured out a strategy, and slowly changed them to the height he desired. At last, they were all even! Wiping his brow, he turned to check the picture behind him. The water jets were level, and when the white ball returned it bounced off them like a flat stone skipping across the surface of a lake. A resonant chime sounded, and the water from the gauges began to all drain down in unison. The wheels were locked in place, and wouldn't budge no matter how much he tried. Was that correct? There weren't a limited number of tries he could use to solve the puzzle, right? Anxiously he watched from above as he watched Shiloh prepare to hit the ball again. While he had been busy adjusting things he heard shouts and screams from below. Hopefully she was alright.

The ball sailed over the channel, and like the picture had depicted jets of water rose in time to keep it going. With perfect timing, the ball bounced all the way to the island, and rolled straight into the hole before the flag. It was a success! Now the ninth area awaited them both, and he saw his section of the maze had become much larger than the single rooms he had been working in earlier.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 5:36 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

Another area where the flag was across a body of water. This time it wasn't so bad, as the bank she was aiming for wasn't so narrow like the first time she encountered this type of hazard. The only problem was the peninsula had become an island, while the river was less swift and more calm. She'd been thinking about a way to better control her shots, particularly for ones like these. If she sent the ball high, but not far–then it would bounce onto the grassy island. With a fast and powerful swing, she slammed the club against the ball shooting it into the air! But before it could even reach its apex, it vaporized! "WHAT?!" How was that even fair? How on earth was she going to hit it she couldn't make it arc? This was unreasonable! Every other area before this one allowed it, so why not here?

It was forcing her to take the harder route–a lower but longer shot across the water. If the maze thought high shots were too cheap, then fine. They'd at least allow a mid-height shot right? Another swing sent it sailing, and it looked like it'd make it onto land. But halfway across the river and the waters frothed, and Shiloh had a feeling whatever was coming out would make her scream. A massive tuna fish leaped out from the surface and swallowed the golf ball whole! Almost as long as a man's height, the fish's glassy eyes blankly stared into the distance as it ate the ball, then fell back in with a splash. Shiloh had no words to describe how she felt watching all of this. It just…ate the ball. It ate it. Wasn't this even more impossible now? Holding onto her boiling emotions, she sat down and laid the club on the ground. Burying her face into her hands, she sat for at least five minutes in that position. Never before had she possessed such unbridled hostility against a fish.

As long as she hit the ball across, that fish would try to eat it again. There was only one logical course of action: get the fish out of the way. She prepared a second ball, this time as a lure. When it leaped out of the water to hinder her progress, she'd fry it before it could return. The second ball flew just as well as the first, and sure enough–the water's surface bubbled before the great white tuna was coming from below to intercept it. "I've got you now–you gluttonous thief!" Charging towards the riverbank Shiloh had electricity crackling along the length of the club. Raising the metal club high, her attention was drawn away by a group of shouts and rushing water. "Thar she blows! Get 'er, boys!" A flash flood of water surged down the river's course as a wooden raft with four cait sidhe were barreling downstream. With a flick of the wrist, one of the felines flung a harpoon attached to a rope, and skewered the tuna clean through. The fish flailed in the air, struggling–but things didn't stop there. The mighty flow sweeping down the river carried the raft bearing the four past Shiloh in a flash!

The cait sidhe all grabbed hold of the rope and dragged the impaled tuna along with them, out of sight. The palm of her hand smacked her forehead as she grit her teeth in exasperation. This was her third attempt at this already. She hoped that fish was the only one in the river, and that there wouldn't be any more 'surprises' until she was done with this hole. She'd tried aiming high and in the middle, and both failed spectacularly. If she was going to be set back anyways, then why not try aiming lower for kicks? Swinging the club like a croquet mallet, the ball skipped across the water. As it began to lose momentum, she worried it would sink. But to her shock, just as it was going down a jet of water spewed from underneath sending it back into the air! This continued all the way to the island, and the ball bounced lightly on the trimmed grass as it rolled into the hole.

That was…the easiest drop into the hole that she had. The hedges on the right side opened up, leading to another section surrounded by dense forest. The upcoming one was the eighth challenge she would encounter.

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 1:26 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

He was wary of what the maze would have in store for him this time. The past few sections it had been lenient and toned down the sudden-death punishments, but he was afraid that thinking about it would jinx his chances. He had a spell of protection active on him at all times now, just to be safe. Again he was presented with a wide pedestal, but with a circular pattern of six spheres. They were buttons, and there was a line of instruction above them etched in the stone. "Falter not on the path of memory. May your mind's eye always be true." Cymbel read. "I'll assume it has something with memory and sight, though I believe I may have an idea of what will be required from me this time…"

This was a memory game. He would have to follow the pattern of the buttons, and each time it would grow more complicated. If he made a mistake, he would have to restart from the very beginning. These sort of things were familiar to him, as he recalled playing such games as a child. Though there weren't six things to keep track of, however. Starting the sequence, he watched the buttons light up as follows: one, five, three. This was simple, and he finished it easily. Then the second started: two, four, five, three. Not too difficult, and fairly straightforward. The third came around: six, one, three, five, two. This was giving a bit more of a challenge with more random spacing. This continued on for several minutes, and so far he had done well to stay on track. Around the twelfth sequence, things suddenly took a turn for the worse.

The speed of the flashing increased, and the number of things to remember stayed constant. His fingers were flying across the board, doing his best to keep up. Then more to the sequence was being added, with repeats and unexpected changes. He had been fairly confident a while ago, but now it was really making him sweat. How many of these did he have to complete for it to consider the challenge done? This was the sixteenth now, and it wasn't letting up. They gave him a bit of mercy by not continuously adding on more starting from the first sequence, but it wasn't any less difficult. He needed to blink, his eyes were getting dry. But he was afraid to, as it might cause him to miss seeing one of the flashes. Straining, he pressed on–aiming to finish this in one go. He finally had encountered something he was decent at; he wasn't letting this slip through his fingers now!

The twentieth sequence was done, and the spastic flashing stopped. Closing his eyes at last and letting out a long exhale of a sigh, he rubbed his wrists. There was the sound of six musical notes, then the pedestal began to retract into the floor. "I-I beat it! On the first try…oh gods. It's finally done." With much relief, he waited until his eyes were less dry to move on to the seventh chamber. How many more must they pass through to see the end?

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 1:09 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

As if this place wasn't full of bizarre things, this next area left her scratching her head. Normally there was a flag and a hole. But this time, there was a flag, but six holes. The flag was in the center of a ring of holes, which made absolutely no sense to her. The total area was also fairly small, the size of a local pub. What was this maze going to pull this time? Silently she set the ball up and hit it towards the ring  of holes. Aiming for one, it rolled a bit too much to the side and was about to fall into the hole beside her target. This would have been fine, until a pole sprung out from that very hole and blocked it from entering. The ball was bounced off and slowed to a halt outside the ring of holes. Alright then, if that one was wrong, she could just try every one until something worked. Simple, right? This turned out to be easier said than done, as the spring-loaded poles would pop out to obstruct the ball if it came too close, sending it rolling all over the place. Was this even considered 'fair' anymore?

After much, much more frustration, she finally got into one of them. Then the hole disappeared. The way to the seventh location was still blocked, so what was this supposed to mean? "…You want me to get this ball into all of the holes. All of them. You jerks…" Shiloh griped as she figured out what this was all about. She repeated the same action several times, probably under at least forty hits with the club. The spring-loaded poles made the ball ricochet, further dragging out the time needed to finish the challenge. At last, she was left with one hole out of six. She rolled it in, then crossed her arms as it disappeared too. The hedges parted, and led to a set of stairs going down a grassy slope. That was probably the worst thing she had to do so far. Hopefully in the later sections that particular obstacle wouldn't come back again. 

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2018 3:40 AM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

This new section was more confusing than the others he had seen so far. There was a map of the fifth portion of the maze Shiloh was currently traversing, and there were small symbols in the shape of various woodland animals. There was a blue bear on the left, a red deer on the right, a yellow eagle on the top, and a green squirrel at the bottom. There was a square of four buttons, each with one of the aforementioned colors. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be doing for once. There was a red caricature of a person, representing Shiloh on the map. As he watched, the caricature would move in tandem with her progress in the real maze below. Waiting for something to happen, it was fairly quiet from below. Maybe this section was a bit of a breather for them both?

While his focus was drifting off, suddenly the squirrel icon flashed green! Startled, his first action was to press the green button as soon as possible. The animal icon stopped flashing right after. "Am I supposed to be doing this? This is what I'm supposed to be doing, right?" There weren't any hints so he was basing this off of his prior experiences so far. He wasn't willing to try to test what would happen should he fail to press a button correctly, so he continued. As Shiloh's icon moved around the curve of  the course, the blue bear and red stag started flashing in unison! Quickly pressing the corresponding buttons as hard as he could, he sighed in relief when they stopped. Soon the flashing animals started to happen more and more frequently and it was a test of speed and accuracy. It was becoming rather hectic, and it wasn't slowing down. 

The sound of his friend screaming gave him a scare, and he glanced down to see if she was alright. Thankfully she was unhurt, but it was clear she was not happy. His attention wasn't able to dwell on what could have given her grief as he needed to return to the color-coded patterns again. Cymbel lost track of what was going on in the map as he was frantically pressing buttons, until the entire map lit up and the flashing stopped. Mentally strained, he saw the pathway to the sixth area open, and Shiloh make her way towards the next section. The challenges were becoming more and more relentless on both of their sides.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Sat Feb 2, 2019 6:20 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

This place kept getting stranger and stranger. This time instead of sand pits and rivers, before her stretched a long idyllic pasture. It was a cheery Terra meadow with wildflowers poking out their colored blooms from their long Glaciem slumber, outlining the edges of where the trimmed grass was. She was supposed to keep her ball within these lines, that she understood. What made her feel uneasy was how abnormally peaceful it appeared. It was very spacious in contrast to the more boxed-in areas, and the hedge boundaries were obscured by tall trees. This would be a lovely place to sit down and take a break…if it weren't part of this maze. The grassy green meandered around a corner forming a bend like a snaking river. Gently rolling slopes and small raised mounds signifying animal dens were scattered through the small plain. She didn't see the flag from where she was, but seeing there was only one direction leading away from her current location, it was wherever the meadow ended.

The first few hits weren't too hard. It was a nice change of pace from the hectic timing she had in overcoming the last four holes. Avoiding the animal dens were easy, and she was gradually moving the ball through without working up a backswing. Now reaching the bend of the course, the flag's bright colors flapped atop a small ring of mushrooms. 
A fairy circle–when was the last time she'd seen one of these? Looking at it made her feel nostalgic. They weren't the red ones fortunately. To the far left and far right there were breaks in the trees. When she saw them she didn't think about it much, and thought it was odd that they were here. There wasn't a path or any signs of trampled grass, so what was this for? Shrugging, she prepared for another shot. As she swung the club back, a rustling came from the bushes lining the edge of the right-side forest. It grew stronger, followed by the rapid snapping of twigs and branches. Was something coming? 

Suddenly, a person burst out from behind the trees, running at full speed. Expecting an elk or a pack of wolves, this unexpected result threw her off. "Wait, what? Why are people coming out of–" Shiloh quickly realized that although she was in plain view the man was not slowing down, and secondly–that man was Serci, the resident champion of the elder goddess. How did she know who he was at a glance? The answer was simple: it was his face and his long blond hair. "Serci?" The thought never occurred to her that other people might be nearby. All this time she'd thought this was some isolated area or an entirely different place from the rest of the mazes. This was the first time she had run into anybody in here. "Hey, Serci! Where are you–WAIT, STOP! DON'T COME OVER HERE!!" Confusion switched to panic as the man was charging ahead, running right towards her ball!

"No no no no no no noooo–AGHHH!!!" Her shouts fell on deaf ears as he was completely unaware of her presence while he passed through to the forest on the left side, kicking the golf ball with his foot and sending it flying into the woodland. Shrieks pierced the air as the deity voiced her extreme displeasure at his unintentional sabotage, and a bolt of lightning struck the tallest tree within a mile's radius. It was charred in an instant, reduced to a smoldering, brittle spire of blackened timber. Burying her face in her hands she groaned in exasperation, dropping her metal club. Thanks to him, she had to go all the way back and do this again! Picking her club up angrily, she stomped off to her initial starting point. The second time around she made sure to hit past the area, keeping an eye out for other people coming out of the trees bent on making this harder than it should be. 

She made it into the hole in three hits once she landed it close to the flag. She was still seething over having wasted ten minutes of her time though.

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Fri Mar 9, 2018 4:09 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

Up above, Cymbel was racking his brain with the next puzzle. It was simple, but time-consuming. There was a table with eight tiles, in a three by three grid. Each tile had a portion of a picture, and the only way to complete it was to slide the tiles around until every one was in the right place. The image that he was supposed to recreate was of a wooden bridge over a rushing river. This bridge would span across the riverbanks, allowing passage. He was sure this bore significance to what Shiloh was doing, thus he hurried as fast as he could. The first few moves were easy, but soon he ran into problems. He had successfully lined up a row, but it was in the middle when it should be on the right side. Moving that meant shifting the five other tiles around, and then he had to figure out how to make the other columns match too.

The maze had been kind enough as to not fire projectiles at him for moving too slowly, but he was already putting pressure on himself. She was depending on his progress, and he had to help her as much as he could. Finally, he was down to the last two tiles that needed rearranging. This was more trying than getting the first six right, and he loathed to undo all the work he had done. After several minutes of stressful concentration, it was complete. The tiles fused together, making a complete image and the table retracted into the floor. Looking down, he saw the bridge in the picture emerge from the river's waters, but by then Shiloh was already on the opposite side of it. Disappointed in himself, he and Shiloh progressed to the fifth area.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Fri Mar 9, 2018 2:40 AM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

"How many of these have I been through now?" She grumbled, entering the fourth area. These were getting progressively more difficult without any break in between. It was like this place was never-ending. To think the last maze might be infinite made her feel like she wanted to lie down and return to the earth. Fighting enemies were preferable to this under almost any circumstance. At least you could tell when a fight was over. Still no sign of Cymbel either, but for some reason when she used aura sight he seemed close. Must be more of this place's enchantment at work. Hopefully he was safe, wherever he was. Surveying the lay of the land, she noted that things had gone up a notch. First of all, there was a river cutting through the meadow. It was quite wide and the current was noticeably swift. The second thing she noted: the flag was across the river…on a peninsula.

At least she didn't have to worry about any sandpits and underhanded tricks. The ground was actually fairly level this time. Shiloh was sure she would be able to send the ball over the water, but crossing over was a slight problem. She could use magic…but with how ridiculous and strange this place was there was no guarantee that magic would work the way she wanted. Best to take things as they came, and use it as a last resort. Lining up for her first shot, she stared at the flag waving across the water for a long time. Once she got an approximate idea of the general distance, she steadied her grip and unleashed a backswing. The solid clack of the club making full contact with the ball was the most satisfying thing to hear in this game of perpetual frustration. When you heard it, you felt like something was actually going right for once. The ball flew ahead, reaching higher and higher. But soon its height reached its apex and gravity took over. It plummeted into the river with a splash. She was definitely not getting that ball back.

This time she wasn't as upset. She figured the first shot would fail, and was using it to gauge how to adjust her next attempt. So trying to send it across in one go wasn't plausible, but she could at least get it closer to the riverbank so she could reduce how far it would need to travel. A better shot allowed her to control the ball's landing, and she was a meter from the water's edge. The opposite bank was five meters away or so, and if she hit it at full power it would make it. Maybe she was finally getting the hang of this game. That was unless there was another twist waiting to be tossed in. The narrow strip of land which led to the flag far across would be a finicky place to nail a landing. A little too much to either side and the ball would sink to the riverbed. Each time she lost a ball she had to start over, and each successive repeat wasn't any less difficult. Preparing herself for failure, she did her best to hit it straight. The head of the club had a way of causing the ball to go off course should it hit with the slightest angle, which made precision shots so impossible.

As expected, it felt to the side. Her lips drawing into a thin line, she went back to square one. Working her way back again, she decided to angle her shot. If this ball was doing opposite of what she was trying to do, then maybe she could work this to her advantage. It was probably just all in her head, really. Somehow, she managed to land it a little ways from the tip of the peninsula. Now she was halfway there. The river didn't have any fallen logs or conveniently-placed rocks, and she sure as the Circles of Inferos wasn't going for a swim. Rubbing her wrists, she decided to try that spell. It would get her over should it work on the first try. Teleportation was her best choice out of what she had available. Focusing past the opposite bank, she disappeared and reappeared where she had set her gaze in a flash. Holding herself steady, she leaned on the metal club. "Huh…it worked. That's a relief. I'm running out of patience with this place."

Again she went through the tedious task of leading the ball to the flag, and getting into the hole. Just as it rolled in, there was a rumble and sound of roaring waves. Glancing behind, a wooden bridge emerged from below the water's surface. That would've been a lot more convenient about fifteen minutes ago, before she had made it across herself. She'd finished this area and the next one opened up as expected. Shading her eyes, she squinted trying to see if there was any way to see what the location after the incoming one had in store.

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Thu Mar 8, 2018 6:28 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

He had been working on a puzzle while Shiloh was trying to tackle whatever new hurdles the maze produced for her. Presented with a wall bearing an inscribed riddle and a dial, Cymbel was deciphering it. "A country boy and farmer's girl met at the fair and had a go. Round and round they turned to and fro, a step to the left then a twirl. Bowing twice, a do-si-do–keeping right with goodly time. A quartet of bards standing tall left their seats to join the row; adding reason to their rhyme they gave the crowd an encore."  It had something to do with the dial, the numbers especially key. Testing the dial, he noted it turned freely counterclockwise and clockwise. Returning it to its original position, he broke the riddle down. "I has something to do with turning this dial, but there must be a correct code to solve it. Let's see…'a step to the left then a twirl' and 'bowing twice, a do-si-do'. I must turn this dial left once first, I suppose?" Doing so, he moved on to find what his next action should be. "Now, 'keeping right with goodly time'. They bowed twice, so a right turn two times. There, settled." 

The next line was less straightforward. "No obvious hints now. A quartet of bards left their seats…then after that I should repeat the directions at the beginning?" He was afraid of making any hasty moves. What if he had to start from the beginning if he made an error? Whatever actions he took would reflect onto her too, so he couldn't afford to guess at random. "If four people joined the dance, then I must turn this four more times. I'm not sure if this is correct, but I'll hazard a guess and move it to the right four turns." Doing so, he heard a click and something whistling at high speed. An arrow whizzed by him, barely grazing his shoulder! "AHHH!!" Screaming he saw the bolt sticking out of the wall, behind him. Calming himself, he believed it was safe to assume his guess had been wrong–if that shot was any indication. He couldn't find where the arrow had come from, and was much more anxious about his own safety now.

"Four to the left then… Once more, from the beginning." He said, voice shaking. A turn left, two to the right, four to the left. He was safe so far, so now he was at the part with the 'encore'. Was it a complete repetition of the first two actions, or a repeat of everything up to this point? It could also mean another four left turns too. He had at least two more chances to be shot at, and felt his palms sweat. Casting a spell of protection, he took in a deep breath. "Please let me get this right." The fey prayed as he turned the dial left four more times. More arrows rained down, causing him to shriek while curling up into a defensive position. The spell worked thankfully, and they clattered to the ground harmlessly. He had one more chance. He really didn't like this, and wanted it to end as soon as possible. It was a fifty-fifty chance of success, slightly better than a third like before. Crossing his fingers, he repeated the turns, then moved the dial left one and right twice. There was a click again, and he was already ducking down when the walls started to shake. 

Half-expecting an avalanche as punishment, he was relieved to see the wall with the riddle disappear and the dial vanish. Another puzzle completed, but he was feel less eager to continue. This was starting to become downright deadly.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Thu Mar 8, 2018 5:49 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

While she had been contemplating on breaking the door down, it suddenly shook and split down the middle. It parted, and it revealed the path to the third level of this game. Unsure of what she had done to make it open, she chose not to think more on it and advanced. Another of these long rolling meadows of meticulously trimmed grass. This time the slope was downward, and there were a few pits of sand on the sides. They weren't too wide, about ten to twenty feet or so in diameter. This looked much easier than the previous one. Hitting a ball downhill meant she could land it at the flag with a single swing. A loud whack marked the beginning of the ball's airborne trek as it sailed high and far from her elevated position. As it flew, she noticed that she had hit it a bit too hard. Just as it sailed past the flag and towards the hedge wall boundary–it vanished! Shiloh blinked. She was waiting to hear the soft plink of it reaching the ground, but it never came. Did that ball just disappear into oblivion? If she overshot it by too much, then she'd run out of balls to use before she'd finish the challenge. Reaching down to pick up another from the pile provided along with the metal clubs, she stopped herself when she saw the one at the top of the neatly arranged pyramid of balls back in its place.

"…What the–? I know I just took one from the top a second ago. How did… You know what. I'm not going to think about it. If that pile is just going to regenerate ones that get used, then that's fine." At this point she really shouldn't be surprised anymore. Apparently her first shot was bad, so she readied for her second. Hitting with a lot less strength, it flew off and rolled down the slope. This was much easier, and more logical. If it gained enough momentum, that should carry it to the hole without a hitch. It rolled, hopped and bounced as it went along following the curvature of the land. It was halfway down when it started to fall to the right and made a beeline for a sand pit. The momentum it had gained made it land smack-dab in the middle with a dissatisfying landing. This would make it a bit more difficult to get the ball back on track, but that was fine. As she walked down the slope, suddenly the sand pit started to move and the ball sank into it. Like the quicksand around Vada, it swallowed it whole.

"I knew it. Of course it had to be quicksand. Why wouldn't it be?" She muttered, climbing back up again. Taking a third ball from the pile, she repeated her actions. This time it fell into a pit directly, having decided it wanted to fly towards it like a moth to a candle. These little misshapen rocks were getting on her nerves, with their erratic–and at times–random behavior. On her seventh try she managed to land it so it was just inches away from a sand pit, and walked to with bated breath. It had better not try anything funny, or she'd be planting it when it stood. Smacking it with a level hit, she sent it to the bottom while avoiding the rest of the traps. Hitting the slight upward slope of the ground a meter from the hedge boundary, it rolled to a stop a foot from the flag. Finally it was behaving like she wanted.

Many tries to coax the ball to the hole later, it rolled in…only to stay above ground. Then some unseen force ejected it into the air, to plop back onto the grass beside the flag. Swallowing the ire building up in her throat, she went to inspect the hole. It looked completely normal. She would have to find a way to make it accept her attempts. Trying to direct the ball to the hole again, she watched closely. Just as it was over the rim, something appeared below to block the ball from falling in. Then it spat the ball back out. "You little…Stop trying to block me, you cheat! I made it in–twice! What do you want from me?!" After many repeated attempts punctuated with sounds of anger and growing discontent, finally the hole conceded her victory. It fell with a clink, and the hedges parted. It was about time it had stopped fooling around and accepted reality.

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Thu Mar 8, 2018 4:59 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

So far it had been uneventful on his side of the maze while he watched her progress. From what he could hear, she was struggling with trying to send a ball to a colored flag. If he were sitting on a chair, he would be on the edge of it as he saw her make her first hit. It traveled quite a ways, but from the slowing descent he could see it wasn't quite there. She likely intended to hit it to the other side in one go; ambitious but well worth it if it succeeded. It seemed the force didn't carry it as far as she wanted, and it fell a few meters short of her goal. Then, to his dismay he saw it continue to move…back towards the beginning! Shiloh was clearly not happy with this, dashing ahead with the metal stick in hand. "Hurry, it's rolling faster! Oh…she can't hear me." It was easy for forget that though he could see and hear everything she was doing, it didn't work the other way around.

A sense of relief washed over him when she finally stopped it, and a sigh escaped him. It was hard to watch her be so upset. He understood how frustrated she would be to have to start from the very beginning. With a much more successful second shot she had it on level ground. She spent a few minutes around the flag, trying to adjust her force to send the ball into the hole. The telltale 'clunk' told him she had succeeded, and he was waiting for the path on his end to open up. But…nothing happened. "A door? What am I supposed to with this?" Shiloh's voice caught his attention again, and he knelt to the ground to take a closer look. On her side there was a door, with four colored circles on it. He didn't remember seeing anything with those colors anywhere, but if they both were stuck then what could he do?

The panel! It had nearly slipped his mind. He had refrained from touching it as he observed his friend's progress, so much that it had been overlooked. There were four buttons, but all the same color. This was probably the last step then, seeing nothing else around that would bear any connection. Hesitantly, he pressed them all in order. Each one lit up with a color before dimming again: white, purple, red, black. "The colors were in a rhombus pattern, if I recall. White and red going vertical from top to bottom, and black to purple horizontally. I don't see any other hints, so I'd best try them in the order they appear."

The first combination he entered was white, purple, red, black. Nothing happened. Then he tried white, black, red, purple. Again, silence. "How about red, black, white, purple? No…then red, purple, white, black?" He decided to try things crosswise. Red, white, black purple. Nothing. Red, white, purple, black. No response. White, red, purple, black? Running out of options, he attempted another variation. White, red, black, purple. A rumbling began to shake the maze, and he grasped at the pedestal with the four buttons as he tried to hold onto something stable. "Was that it? Did I find the correct answer?" The way before him opened, and his worry turned into a smile. "The way is open! I'm sure that means the same will happen for her too." The puzzle wasn't particularly difficult, but he had a feeling that they wouldn't remain so simple as time went by. They both progressed to the third area.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Thu Mar 8, 2018 3:18 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

Now she was at the second stage of whatever this weird challenge was. There was that pile of metal clubs and odd pock-marked balls again at the beginning, just like the previous area. Shading her eyes she looked out to the horizon, scanning for any sign of that flag. This time the grassy meadow stretched out further, leading to a red scrap of cloth flapping in the breeze. An uphill incline began where she stood and continued all the way to the hole with a gradual gradient. A little more difficult than the first, but not impossible. "Ok, this looks pretty straightforward. I wonder how long this is going to keep up." Shiloh got into position, and swung as hard as she could in hopes of sending the ball all the way to the top of the hill. She looked on in satisfaction as it soared high into the air, but then started frowning as it began to arc downward in descent. It stopped short a few meters away from her intended target and fell onto the trimmed grass. Then it started rolling backwards. 

"No, no no no no no no no–" She began muttering as she broke into a sprint to try to intercept it before it completely rolled down the slope. "Stop! STOP! I said stop!" She yelled, arresting its movement in stasis. Letting out a short exhale she managed to hold it from moving. Unfortunately now it was halfway between her starting point and the flag up there. Glaring as she walked up to it, she positioned herself so the head of the club would be right behind the ball as soon as she released it from suspension. When it wore off, it began rolling again, but this time it wasn't going anywhere other than up. With a forceful tap she punted it high into the air, having it land on the flat grassy summit like she initially intended. Now all she had to do…was carefully roll it into the hole. The key word being 'carefully'.

It was now only three inches from the flag. Taking in a deep breath she tried to shake off any jitters in her arms. She'd worked so hard to get here. The last thing she wanted was to do this thing all over again. With the club behind the ball, she lightly tapped the ball forward. Watching in anticipation she was clenching her hands as it rolled forward. Closer, closer, closer–and it rolled just past it by two inches! With a grunt of displeasure, she went to its new location to try again. Again, another small tap but lighter than the first. It rolled, rolled, rolled….and stopped right in front of the rim of the hole. Shiloh stared at the white-crater covered ball in silence. "Really? Really!? You're going to stop right there?" Going up to the flag, she nudged the ball and it fell in.

The hedges behind the end of the area parted, but instead of a path there was a stone door. There were four circles on it in a diamond pattern, in the colors of red, black, white, and purple starting from the bottom and moving clockwise. There wasn't anything else around it like a keyhole or mechanism to open said door. What was she supposed to do here? Wasn't getting the ball to the flag enough to let her pass? Come to think of it, she didn't see any colored powder fly into the air after the ball rolled in. There must be something else that needed to be done in that case.

Author: Cymbel, Posted: Mon Mar 5, 2018 4:25 PM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

When the bright light faded, he found himself in a strange structure of semi-transparent stone and long passages. Confused he began searching for Shiloh immediately, but found himself lost in this strange new maze. Dejected, he sat down and hung his head…only to realize there was something below. Looking closer, he saw rolling pastures and hedges arranged in a maze-like pattern. How odd, it was as if there was a maze right below this one. There was something moving, but from a top-down perspective it was difficult to determine who it was. Watching the person's movements, he gradually began to recognize some details. Dark brown hair, a plain off-white tunic. Could it be…? "Cymbel? Are you here?" He jumped when he heard the voice. It was her! Lowering himself as close to the ground of the see-through maze's floor he shouted back. "I'm up here! Shiloh, I'm above you!" Vainly attempting to get her to notice, he sighed when she failed to look up. But at least he knew they were together…more or less.

From his higher vantage point, he watched her pick up some metal sticks and something too small to make out. She walked up to a spot on the green pasture, and got into position. Then, she gave a powerful swing! Her pause afterwards was likely due to her watching where the thing she hit went, and she started walking forward. He began to follow too, facing a slightly different challenge of almost running face-first into the semi-transparent walls. They both were lined up at the end of where they could walk. He was before a large solid door of dark stone, while below she was at a flag planted into the grass. She tried to move whatever she had hit to the hole before the flag, which took a few tries. As soon as it went in, the stone door began to rumble, retracting into oblivion. The way to the next part of the maze was open, and he was right behind Shiloh's steps keeping his head down to see where she was heading off to.

"It would appear that our mazes are connected somehow. If she completes one portion, then we both can advance. It would be easier if we could communicate with each other." He said to himself. "Hopefully things don't become too difficult…" This time he was faced with a panel of four buttons in a row. They were all the same color and shape, and he had no idea what purpose they had. If he did something here, would that affect her below him? He waited for her to make a move before trying out the buttons. His guesses could be wrong, after all.

Author: Shiloh Kyrie, Posted: Mon Mar 5, 2018 2:21 AM, Post Subject: 18 Holes of Torment [P][Event]

Finally, all four mazes had been conquered. It was no small task, and she was glad to still be here at all. The last maze was death in all shapes and forms, a nasty gauntlet of wave after wave of the world's fiercest and most bloodthirsty creatures. Mentally exhausted, she was hoping that this one would be less taxing, but she doubted it. Reuniting with Cymbel, they went to face the final maze the two goddesses had to offer. But little did she know, Shiloh would soon learn to regret her dogged pursuit of taking on all the challenges. They placed all the orbs in at once, and they were transported one last time.

The light faded and she found that they were separated again. This was starting to get repetitive, and bothersome. It was bad enough that she had to take on the last three on her own, but it was just as hard for him too. Looking around she blinked in confusion. The hedges were still present, but for some reason the passages were…wider. Actually they were very spacious, and covered with a thick carpet of well-manicured grass. "Cymbel? Are you here?" A quick scan of aura sight answered her question and she felt it was too peaceful. This was the worst of the worst, so why was it so quiet? She was sure there was something fiendishly horrible waiting around the corner…the problem was she didn't know what. Inspecting the place, she shaded her eyes as she saw a lone flag in the distance. Nearby she found some oddly shaped clubs that appeared to be a cross between a pole and a flat-headed hammer, some white spheres with a pockmarked surface, and unusual pegs.

There was a small book with them, titled 'The Beginner's Guide to Golf'. "So this is the last challenge? I was expecting something more…deadly. Not that I'm complaining though. I'm just glad to have a break from things trying to rip me to shreds." Browsing the pages, the gist of this was to use the weird hammer-sticks to hit the pockmarked balls to a hole–marked by the flag. Simple enough. Maybe if she completed this task she'd find out where Cymbel had gone. Readying herself, she took a position similar to what she saw in the diagrams in the book and put down a ball. Taking a mighty swing, she sent it flying with a loud WHACK!

The ball sailed through the air like an arrow loosed from a bow, falling onto the grass carpet. It landed only half a foot away from the flag, which was a fairly nice for a first hit. Walking up to it, she looked at the distance left to the flag and noticed an innocuous hole in the ground. "So I'm supposed to aim for that huh. Alright, this should be quick." Hitting with the hammer-head club, it rolled gently towards the hole…only to end up a few inches behind it. Frowning, she readjusted her grip and tried to tap it with a little less force. It rolled a little less quickly, but stopped just short by a centimeter. She stared at the ball with a hard glare. Taking in a deep breath, she went up to it, and barely touched the ball with the club and it went in. After she did so, the hedges opened up another area, this one with patches of sand in the grass. A burst of colored powder flew up in the air with the first round done, and she gave the area one last look of suspicion before moving on.