Crossover Escape: Gotta be more than Lucky to survive

1.29 Maze

The rounded another bend and Luca felt more sharply that they were headed slightly down. A fact the Luca quickly verified as he examined the updated map. Comparing the trajectory to the hypothesised design of the cube with the time taken by the academic team to reach the crystal chamber Luca finally confirmed the position of the final chamber.

[Lucky: It can be confirmed that the crystal chamber is in the centre of the cube.]

[Rӓv: Meaning that all paths should be roughly the same distance and time is depended on the ability to deal the circumstance of the path.]

An exclamation came from Holly at the front as he broken into an abrupt sprint as the floor started falling out from beneath him. Despite the floor not looking any different it folded from the centre like split boards swung down into empty space before snapped back up with a shudder. Tails stopped just before the first plank and waited until Holly reached solid ground again on the other side right before a small archway. Luca noticed the way Rӓv was eyeing the roof and shook his head.

[Lucky: Such a friendly trap that can be delt with by just running fast is quite nice for this place.] Luca kept his tone mild but smiled slightly when Rӓv stopped looking at the roof. Tails took a half step back and then took of in a run crossing the path after Holly. Rӓv barely waited for the board to return up before she raced across with Ghost running at her side. Luca shook his head as the two reached the other side and promptly began to bicker.

Once Luca crossed Tails Holly led the way through the arch. On the other side was another arch with a picture of a round maze on the side. Luca looked at the picture and then in sync with his team raised a hand and used the camera of his glasses to take a photo. Luca had specifically put the chain that held his glasses in place on today preferring to keep them on as opposed to moving to the contacts and he noticed that the others had done the same.

[Holly: Having a map is good but save for the exit which is clearly marked there are four entrances and we don’t know which one we are standing at.] Luca nodded in agreement but wasn’t overly concerned.

[Lucky: We will be able to tell which one if we go through the maze as the path is different from each entrance.] Luca waved his hand and Rӓv sent the RAL and butterflies into the maze. Luca was actually quite pleased by this outcome as aside from traps or attackers within the maze the maze itself shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Still Luca kept an eye on things he still felt it was a bit simple to have a maze with the map right outside.

The truth proved the Luca was right to be cautious. In the video of the maze Luca had noticed the academics group turning sharply and exclaiming several times but had not been able to distinguish the cause. Once they entered the maze and passed through the second corner, they established which entrance they had come in through only to have to stop in place as the segments of the maze in front and behind them made a solid grating noise and shifted in place. One going to the left and the other to the right. Luca could not even be certain that their own segment hadn’t moved as well.

[Holly: Wow, the creators of this really can play.] Luca nodded in agreement but waited for the walls to stop moving with great interest. A moving maze would definitely be fun. It preluded the simpler methods of moving through the maze and increased the challenge level.

[Lucky: Well it seems we will need to get a move on then.] Welcome to the underground. Luca laughed shortly as he hummed under his breathe while Holly brushed his sleeves as if girding for battle and started forward.

[Holly: As if a little moving maze will stop me, I grew up around might markets how could this even compare.] Luca had to snicker again but amiably followed along as Holly moved through the maze.

[Rӓv: How are we going to know we are at the exit and not a different entrance?] Luca agreed that the question needed to asked, but didn’t think anyone would have an answer to it.

[Ghost: Is obvious. Outside not move.] Luca might have been pleased with the answer if it weren’t for the provocative way Ghost said it.

[Rӓv: Even if that’s true Ruski I don’t believe that you can keep track of the original entrance relative to the exit with the shifting rings.]

[Ghost: Can use flies to track.]

[Rӓv: They’re Butterflies you language challenged annoyance. Unfortunately ones without mapping capabilities. They are also in here with us.] The exasperation in every word was clear and Luca suspected that there would be some technical changes made to said butterflies as soon as Rӓv could. Likely with Holly as hostage and Ghost under death threat. Amused by that mental image Luca trailed the group while resisting the urge to laugh.

As the group rounded the next corner Luca felt the ground lurch beneath his feet and he stumbled into the wall as a result. Which in turn left Luca separated from the rest of  the group.

[Luca: Guys?] Rӓv and Ghost continued to bicker despite Luca’s call. Luca had wanted them to relax a bit, not to stop paying attention. As the movement stopped Luca checked the map and pulled out his own map. Over the ongoing bickering he wouldn’t get a word in unless he yelled and even then, it was doubtful.

Still it was fine, someone would notice shortly and if they didn’t. Heh. Luca released tow of the butterflies he had and directed one in front and one in behind not further than the edge of any passage he was standing in so as to not lose them, but far enough that he would have a few more second warning if something approached him.

Luca progressed carefully as he compared the map that was forming on the glasses display to the image of the maze map. At the same time he watched the markers displaying the others and counted the time till they realised that Luca had been separated. There was already considerable distance between the markers, and it was telling Luca a fact about his team’s attention the he was not happy with.

[Tails: Wait, Lucky how did you get separated.]

[Lucky: Heh.] Silence descended save for the background music followed Luca’s comment as Ghost and Rӓv stopped arguing.

[Lucky: Its good it only took ten minutes for you to notice.]

[Rӓv: Oops.]

[Lucky: Its fine. Good that we can be so relaxed in this likely death trap says mentality is stable or there is no sanity left either way. Just wish people could be a bit more attentive to their roles.]

[Rӓv: Yeah, oops on that two, but ah Ghost and I just got left in the prior segment.] As Rӓv explain Luca watched as their markers were separated from Tails and Holly.