┌─────────────────┐
▹Von Darket Castle◃
└─────────────────┘
.Welcome to the grand Von Darket Castle where this year it's been rented out for some scary-good fun, screams and maybe even some laughs. Mortals and immortals alike are cordially invited to step through the twin iron gates that dark-metal dragons watch over. Don't worry, they won't bite! Much. Whether supernatural or not, those who wish to enter or have been curious about the property in general now how a chance to enter. Invites were sent out in the form of parchment sealed shut in a mysterious black wax. By an unseen force, the invite showed up where you could see and open it to read it's contents. The letters were neat and thin but very easy to read. Simply take this letter and present it to one of the dragon guardians. Don't be alarmed when their jaws take it from you, though! Once the letter is secured, the gates will open and you'll be instructed to stay on the trail. It leads through a forest. Venture off the path and you'll end up back at the gates to start all over again!
But be warned! Once you reach the end of the trail, there is a grand castle that stands before you. Turning back won't work as you'll end up right at the entrance of the castle! The forest and the grand building hums with a mind of it's own. Or maybe your mind merely plays tricks on you? Do you dare to enter? Are you scared yet? You will be soon enough! Or, you know, just fall into uncontrolled laughter instead? The castle itself looms with a very thin mist that lazily rolls through. You can see several yards ahead of you, still. But beyond that? It fades into obscurity. The door will open as soon as you get close enough to it. But there seems to be no one inside that touched it. Beyond the large oak door will have a mix of stone and wood interior. Polished floors, candlelight and the echos of voices too vague to be coherent. Shadows seem to watch, dance and taunt at every corner where the faint glow flickers to chase them away. Dare to step closer. Only to be yanked into a random room!
.
Trick or treat.
.
Rules of the thread:
☆ - Please continue to follow all RPR rules in addition to these
☆ - Keep things PG-13 please and thank you as this thread is public so everyone can read it
☆ - Absolutely no bullying/politics/hate of any kind
☆ - Do not bring OOC drama into the roleplay thread
☆ - Please be civil and remember to have fun
☆ - No posting order, but please be courteous to others
☆ - All species are welcomed here
☆ - Powers are to be kept within reason
☆ - Please continue to follow all RPR rules in addition to these
☆ - Keep things PG-13 please and thank you as this thread is public so everyone can read it
☆ - Absolutely no bullying/politics/hate of any kind
☆ - Do not bring OOC drama into the roleplay thread
☆ - Please be civil and remember to have fun
☆ - No posting order, but please be courteous to others
☆ - All species are welcomed here
☆ - Powers are to be kept within reason
Okay so, how this works is simple! Your character will be randomly teleported to any given room within the castle, except for the throne room or outside. It will be locked or sealed shut. How your character escapes is completely up to you. It can simple or as complicated as you prefer. But be warned! Once they leave the safety of that room, the real fun—or nightmare—begins. They may find themselves chased by other characters who are dressed up with props that look like real weapons. Rest assured though, nothing is sharp or deadly. It's made of plastic or rubber! But it will look real enough! As long as your character doesn't look too closely! The chase could be scary or funny. It depends entirely on how your character reacts to them and how they react in turn. With this in mind, those that "chase" have one goal. To steer the "victim" toward the throne room. The hallways can be as long and twisting as you prefer. Or they can be short. Now... If and when your character reaches the throne room, they can relax there for a bit and choose between three options:
Option #1: You can choose to go for another round of the escape rooms. If this is the case, then your character will be directed toward a door where they will be teleported to a new, completely random, room. Take note that they will never be placed into the same room twice. The castle is mysterious that way! Once the door closes on them, the game starts all over and they must find a way to unlock the door. Keep in mind, once the door is open, they are no longer "safe" and will find themselves being chased! It should be noted that they can't use the door to backtrack to the throne room. It's a one-way connection. The only possible way to get back to the throne room is to go through the castle's confusing twists and turns.
Option #2: You can choose to have your character relax, mingle and enjoy some complimentary refreshments. There are Halloween-themed finger foods neatly arranged with plates and utensils. There're sweet, sour and tangy-themed drinks available with cute umbrellas shaped like ghosts, bats, vampires and little witches. But beware! While the refreshments are a "treat" to enjoy, some of them come with a random "trick" up their sleeves! Your character might find their hair will turn a completely different color. Or maybe their skin does! There's a few that might trick the mind into thinking they're seeing double of everyone else! The choice is ultimately up to you.
Option #3: You can choose to exit the thread for the night and enter another that shares a connection with this one. For those who want their characters to find something more relaxing, possibly even catch a spooky film, they are invited to enter through this white door. They will be taken to the Scarecrow Video (Off the Trail) where a man named Ilya runs it. But before your character opens and walks through, they are welcome to take along some little parting gifts which include 3D glasses and a baggie filled to the brim with candies. Maybe even consider picking up an extra for Ilya on your character's way out?
Option #4: Last and not least, the final option you can choose to do once your character reaches the throne room is step through the black door which is the exit from the games. If that is your wish, then your character will find themselves stepping through the door only to be teleported just outside the iron gates where they first entered. The guardian dragons there will thank your character before the scene dissolves and there's only a forest that stands there. Please note this is an exit.
P.S., dice rolls are allowed for those who want to come up with creative little quirks during the games. This is absolutely optional.
With everything above mentioned, I hope everyone has fun trick or treating experience. Happy October!
A suit of armor clinked as Hannah awkwardly moved around in it. She had overestimated herself in the thought that she could possibly run in this thing without a problem! Well, too late now! The event was here, and she would stick to her guns with this! "I hope I don't fall over. It'll be a nightmare to try and get back up if I'm caught alone in the hallways." Words murmured more to herself than anyone else. A few other people had already gone to their respective sections that they would be in charge of. It must have been hilarious with how every movement had to have looked! The woman barely contained her own laughter at the absurdity! And she was the one that wore it! If no one died of laughter tonight, it would be a miracle! A faint snicker was heard from somewhere close by as sensitive ears picked up on it.
"Yeah, yeah! Laugh it up!" She called out with amusement and giggled herself with a slight shake of her head. Sconces held slender white candles as the glow from the small flame flickered as if to taunt and tease while she rounded a corner and came to a set of stairs. Part of her wished she'd had the presence of mind to take put on the iron plates of the suit when she had arrived at the spot first. "No regrets. Nope." Stubborn to a tee, the woman gripped the stone rail as best as she could. The stone clinked with every step that was made. Hannah practically waddled just a little bit in order to go up without slipping! About halfway up she had to stop for a moment and fight the laughter because of her twin brother's familiar voice that came at the foot of those stairs! Eyes rolled as her lips were unable to stop from their wide grin.
"Don't ya even!" This only made him burst out more though. Which in turn made her eyes close as she struggled not to give into it. Mercifully, he soon calmed back down and came up the stairs. As stubborn as the woman could be, she knew it was better to have some help to go the rest of the way up safely. It took a moment, but after a few minutes they were on the fifth-floor landing. "Thank ya, now git 'fore I change ma mind." With much humor, Charlie tapped her helmet and teased before he hopped up onto the flat surface of the rail and slid down to the lower levels with ease. As the twins parted, Hannah resumed until she came up to the hallway that held five of the escape rooms she would watch over. The walls were lined with aged, vintage wallpaper that held old, framed paintings of landscapes and portraits of individuals long past.
The floor had a long red carpet that ran the length of the fifth floor. Other suits of armor, same color and design, were lined up. She took the spot that was empty and got into position. She'd never worn something like this before, so this was a new experience to say the least. But she had gotten the idea from a movie years ago. Oh, what was it now? While she thought about it and searched through memories, the hallway fell into a hush. The decorum of the castle had been altered for the night in preparation for the games. Well, most of it anyway! Candlelight made the shadows dance like ghostly fiends out to grab someone's ankles. The air was cool as the chill of night steadily seeped through from the outside. She could even hear the wind as it howled low like a wolf who laid in wait. Her eyes went from the color of dark honey hazel to the gray of her inner beast. It was almost as if the feline waited to pounce. Maybe it did. Or maybe it just wanted to play, too.
A distant scream was heard as it pierced through the stillness and silence. Somewhere, possibly on the second or third floor, the first victimof the night had managed to unlock their door. It sounded like they were being chased already, too! Every ounce of her strained to listen in on the chaos of feet that pounded against the stone floor like a frantic rabbit. The iron armor slightly moved as she tried her hardest to contain the laughter when she heard one of the other chasers that had this infectious laugh. It sounded downright hilarious! Maniacal, sure. But seriously funny! Her body moved and bent slightly to one side as she snickered as quietly as possible! Yet the movement also meant she accidently bumped into the suit that was positioned right next to her as it started to fall forward! "No no no!" Hands darted out in an attempt to catch it.
Instead, she fell forward with it! A clatter immediately echoed from the spot like an alert to the clumsiness. It did sting, sure. But she couldn't stop herself from the laughter of the situation! After a moment, it was finally out of her system enough she could breathe normally. Then the awkward process of getting back to her feet began. The armor wasn't designed to be worn. It was supposed to be decorative. But she insisted on it nonetheless! No regrets though! A few minutes of struggle and she had gotten to both hands and knees. That's when someone ran screaming past her. They even jumped over her! Hannah froze there as if she didn't know whether to stay still and pretend to be some weirdly positioned suit of armor or what! Her lips parted then slowly closed. Any second now one of the others was likely going to come barreling down that hallway, or not at all! Honestly? She wanted to just laugh, but it wouldn't come out right then. This felt silly and ridiculous.
But hilarious!
The October air carried a faint chill, the kind that pricked at the skin but didn’t quite bite. The drive out here had been quiet. Radio lowered, headlights carving a pale path through a mist that clung stubbornly to the edges of the forest. Grant had taken the long way, maybe on purpose. He wasn’t the type for Halloween parties anymore, and if Evie hadn’t cornered him in the kitchen that morning, he might’ve spent the evening like any other like finishing reports, checking Evie’s lunch prep for Monday, and pretending not to notice the loneliness creeping in with the fall light.
His daughter, however, had plans of her own. Her classmate Mia was throwing a sleepover, complete with pumpkin carving, a “spooky movie marathon,” and what she called a ghost hunt in the backyard. He’d stood in the doorway as she zipped her sleeping bag into a duffel, her tiny hands working with military precision, all gap-toothed focus and giddy chatter. The invitation came from Mia’s mother, a woman who texted too many exclamation points but always kept her promises. For once, Grant had no reason to say no.
So here he was on Halloween night of all things, standing before twin iron gates that gleamed under the castle’s floodlights. They were carved into dragon shapes, their metal wings stretched in mid-roar, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought of his old headquarters back in Seoul. Different kind of fortress, same chill crawling beneath the polish.
He’d agreed to this on a whim or at least that’s what he told himself. His neighbor from across the hallway had mentioned the event in passing one afternoon, casual and offhanded, like someone talking about a local fair rather than a castle full of jump scares. He’d nodded politely, tucked the information away, and thought little of it until Evie brought it up later that night while rinsing paint from her fingers at the kitchen sink.
“Dad,” she said, in that tone that made her sound older than her seven years, “you should go with her.”
He’d looked up from packing her overnight bag. “Go where?”
“The castle thing. You like her, don’t you?” She said it with the innocent bluntness only a child could manage. “You always look different when she’s around, like you’re soft.”
Grant had blinked, halfway between amusement and disbelief. “Soft?”
Evie’s grin was sly, the same one she wore when she’d caught him sneaking extra marshmallows into her cocoa. “Mia’s mom said you don’t have plans tonight, and I’m busy, so you might as well. You can’t just stay home doing work stuff again. That’s boring.” He tried to argue. Something about safety, about late nights, about how grown-ups didn’t just “go out” like that. But Evie had already zipped up her sleeping bag and was slinging it over her shoulder like a mission pack. “You’ll have fun,” she said, already halfway out the door. “You need to.”
So here he was.
The parking lot was half-shrouded in fog, laughter drifting from the path ahead where faint lanterns flickered through the trees. He adjusted his coat, straightened the cuffs of his shirt beneath it, a habit he couldn’t break, and glanced toward the figure walking beside him. He’d never been one for costumes, but the event had encouraged it, so he wore something halfway there: a dark three-piece suit, the top button undone, a black tie loose at the collar. A faint slash of red across his pocket square, more suggestion than theme. It was enough to pass.
The letter she’d handed him earlier which was a parchment sealed in black wax, stamped with some ornate emblem, was folded neatly in his gloved hand. He watched the faint plume of his breath disappear in the air as they stopped before the gates. The dragon heads moved. At first, he thought it was the wind. Then came the slow, grinding sound of metal shifting, and the dragons’ jaws opened. Grant exhaled and offered the letter. The metal maw took it, paper vanishing with a flash of blue light. “Cute,” he muttered under his breath. His voice came out even, but the faint lift of his brow betrayed curiosity, or maybe disbelief.
The gates creaked open, revealing a forest trail lined with lanterns shaped like candlelit skulls. He hesitated for a heartbeat before gesturing her ahead, his hand motion smooth, polite. A habitual courtesy of protection. “After you,” he said, tone low, neutral.
Somewhere behind the trees, faint laughter rose. He knew that could’ve been joy or warning. Grant’s mouth curved slightly, not quite a smile, not quite unease. “Remind me,” he said quietly, “if this place starts asking for blood sacrifices, we’re leaving.”
The words were dry, but his tone made it hard to tell if he was joking.
His daughter, however, had plans of her own. Her classmate Mia was throwing a sleepover, complete with pumpkin carving, a “spooky movie marathon,” and what she called a ghost hunt in the backyard. He’d stood in the doorway as she zipped her sleeping bag into a duffel, her tiny hands working with military precision, all gap-toothed focus and giddy chatter. The invitation came from Mia’s mother, a woman who texted too many exclamation points but always kept her promises. For once, Grant had no reason to say no.
So here he was on Halloween night of all things, standing before twin iron gates that gleamed under the castle’s floodlights. They were carved into dragon shapes, their metal wings stretched in mid-roar, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought of his old headquarters back in Seoul. Different kind of fortress, same chill crawling beneath the polish.
He’d agreed to this on a whim or at least that’s what he told himself. His neighbor from across the hallway had mentioned the event in passing one afternoon, casual and offhanded, like someone talking about a local fair rather than a castle full of jump scares. He’d nodded politely, tucked the information away, and thought little of it until Evie brought it up later that night while rinsing paint from her fingers at the kitchen sink.
“Dad,” she said, in that tone that made her sound older than her seven years, “you should go with her.”
He’d looked up from packing her overnight bag. “Go where?”
“The castle thing. You like her, don’t you?” She said it with the innocent bluntness only a child could manage. “You always look different when she’s around, like you’re soft.”
Grant had blinked, halfway between amusement and disbelief. “Soft?”
Evie’s grin was sly, the same one she wore when she’d caught him sneaking extra marshmallows into her cocoa. “Mia’s mom said you don’t have plans tonight, and I’m busy, so you might as well. You can’t just stay home doing work stuff again. That’s boring.” He tried to argue. Something about safety, about late nights, about how grown-ups didn’t just “go out” like that. But Evie had already zipped up her sleeping bag and was slinging it over her shoulder like a mission pack. “You’ll have fun,” she said, already halfway out the door. “You need to.”
So here he was.
The parking lot was half-shrouded in fog, laughter drifting from the path ahead where faint lanterns flickered through the trees. He adjusted his coat, straightened the cuffs of his shirt beneath it, a habit he couldn’t break, and glanced toward the figure walking beside him. He’d never been one for costumes, but the event had encouraged it, so he wore something halfway there: a dark three-piece suit, the top button undone, a black tie loose at the collar. A faint slash of red across his pocket square, more suggestion than theme. It was enough to pass.
The letter she’d handed him earlier which was a parchment sealed in black wax, stamped with some ornate emblem, was folded neatly in his gloved hand. He watched the faint plume of his breath disappear in the air as they stopped before the gates. The dragon heads moved. At first, he thought it was the wind. Then came the slow, grinding sound of metal shifting, and the dragons’ jaws opened. Grant exhaled and offered the letter. The metal maw took it, paper vanishing with a flash of blue light. “Cute,” he muttered under his breath. His voice came out even, but the faint lift of his brow betrayed curiosity, or maybe disbelief.
The gates creaked open, revealing a forest trail lined with lanterns shaped like candlelit skulls. He hesitated for a heartbeat before gesturing her ahead, his hand motion smooth, polite. A habitual courtesy of protection. “After you,” he said, tone low, neutral.
Somewhere behind the trees, faint laughter rose. He knew that could’ve been joy or warning. Grant’s mouth curved slightly, not quite a smile, not quite unease. “Remind me,” he said quietly, “if this place starts asking for blood sacrifices, we’re leaving.”
The words were dry, but his tone made it hard to tell if he was joking.
The drive over was quiet with the radio on more or less like background noise while her heart stammered a little within her chest. Anxiety was there because she was in a vehicle, but somehow it was lessened because of her neighbor's calm presence. The ride felt...bearable. Usually, every year she either went over to a friend's place or celebrated quietly at the apartment. But since she moved to a new, quieter complex and neighborhood, there hadn't been any real plans made this year. The invite had mysteriously appeared a week ago without warning nor hint of anyone else's presence. At first, she thought it might be an early Halloween prank by a friend. But when he suggested taking along her neighbor from across the hall, she realized it wasn't. It took Rhys a little bit of nudging on his part, but it was enough for Bianca to ask Grant if he wanted to come with her. A hint of red tinged her cheeks at the memory.
The world outside the window of the car looked like it had become steadily emersed into a world of mystery and magic as the headlights became little more than pale beams that pierced through the fog as it curled almost lazily around them. Since she wasn't familiar with the area still, she didn't mind the length of the ride. Somehow, even without words, not as much of the usual anxiety was present. Eventually, the car pulled into a lot that seemed out of place but there all the same. The engine cut off after it was safely parked, and she undid her seatbelt. As the thick belt slid across, she glanced at Grant momentarily before she opened her door about the same time as he opened his own. The cool October air rushed her, but it felt refreshing. There was muffled laughter nearby, excitement from people either going in or just now exiting. Bianca hadn't initially planned to be anywhere, so she had hastily pulled out last year's costume. It wasn't much, but maybe it would be enough to pass?
The usually hazel color of her eyes were a bright gold, but this could easily be explained with contact lens. Not that she actually wore them, but still. Tonight, she could get away with it and most would think it normal. Thigh-high boots crunched slightly as she stepped on asphalt and quietly closed the passenger-side door. Whatever anxiety that had been there was nearly gone now as she walked around to join Grant. Even in a three-piece suit, she still felt a soft warmth toward him. "I'm ready if you are." Lips turned upward into an easy smile. The invite had already been given to him as he led the both of them up to the iron-clad gates where two guardian drakes stood in that seemingly frozen position of a roar. At least, until they got close enough that she felt the magic as it rolled off them. The metal dragons' movements were somewhat slow but calculated as one of them took the letter into it's maw. There was the sensation of a magical surge just before the invite erupted into blue flames.
While it might have looked curious to others, what her eyes revealed was something a little different. Briefly and as discreetly as possible, she looked up and around the general area as she saw something else in general. The faint shimmer of what her mind interpreted as light, was actually magic which manifested. The only way to describe it was to call it a web. Similar to a spider's web, maybe. The vibrations came from the magical energy as it traversed the web. The energy did move out of her immediate sight, but the general shape of this web was clear. It looked more or less like a dome or blanket of sorts. A quiet smile appeared to Grant's word of cute but it was enough to make her glance at him briefly. The way his brow was slightly lifted made her wonder if this was the first time he'd seen something like this before. She giggled but wasn't really startled by the guardians' movements. Being a witch had it's advantages.
The gates opened as the metal creaked ominously. Given the level of detail and craftsmanship of them, the sound was likely on purpose for the evening's events. To Grant's smooth hand gesture, she began to move ahead. "Thank you." Her voice was warm as it normally was. There was a laughter in the distance, somewhere within the forest itself. Whether it was joy or warning, she didn't necessarily flinch, but there was a slight pause in step as she looked briefly around as if to pinpoint exactly where it came from. To Grant's words she replied in turn with, "If they do ask for those, we'll be the quickest to leave they ever saw." Was it a joke? Sort of. Maybe. She wasn't entirely sure this place would do that. But just in case? She wouldn't hesitate to make a door for them to exit through if things became dangerous. But because the letter had mentioned games, fun and maybe some hilarious moments, she took it at face value as she did with everything else.
Sometimes her naive nature got her into a pickle. Hopefully tonight wasn't one of those times as she began to walk down the trail through the thick forest. Yet as she did, the magical energies made her feel a little giddy. She couldn't help but smile as eyes glowed just a shade or two brighter. Small skull-shaped lanterns gave just enough light to indicate where they needed to go. But the fog grew thicker and soon she could only see several yards ahead of them before her field of view blurred into a mass of white. Perhaps it was because Grant made her feel safe, but she edged slightly closer to him when there was a howl in the forest just to their right. A nervous giggle bubbled up. "That was very realistic sounding." A soft exhale was made as she glanced around them briefly. It felt like there were eyes on them.
As unnerving as it could make some, she didn't really sense any danger at the time. As they walked, the quiet curled around them. Each step she made subconsciously synced up with his. If he said anything, she would respond accordingly. But otherwise, they eventually got to the castle front where there were stone steps that led up onto a raised stone pathway of sorts. Then there were large doors. Oakwood maybe? They had come to a clearing as an enormous stone castle loomed over like something out of a dark fairy tale. The sight was certainly impressive, and she wasn't sure what awaited them inside. "Have you ever been in a castle before?" The words tumbled out before she could stop them. The tone held both nerves, curiosity and hinted with excitement. It was likely more than obvious—this was her first time in such a place as big as this! The moment they set foot closer though, that's when she felt it. A mass of magical energy.
Oh crap! Her steps faltered a little as she hesitated slightly but ultimately continued to walk until they were nearly at the doors. They looked incredibly detailed with depictions of dragons, knights and medieval scenes. Yet the wood looked as old as the castle did. From this point of view, there was just enough visibility that the treeline showed against the fog as it swirled into shape and patterns to entice the mind of goblins or ghouls that might lurk beyond. It could just be a trick of the light. The imagination, as it were. Her breath hitched slightly as she realized she paused a moment too long and glanced at Grant with an apology in her eyes. "Sorry, maybe I'm a little nervous?" She smiled a little bit. Half curiosity, half nervousness. She still wanted to go in, absolutely! Just... Just as long as she wasn't alone. If he hadn't changed his mind by this point? Then she started against toward the big oak doors. Though as she did, they mysteriously creaked open.
Her pace slowed as there was no one there. A surge of magic was felt as the sensation of goosebumps ran up her arms. The doors opened wider until they could go no further. Inside, a slow gush of warm air enticed them to come in like a silent invitation. Somewhere in there, she could hear the echoes of screams, laughter and otherworldly growls. It didn't look like anyone was inside. At least not from her point of view. A nervous giggle found it's way out before she could stop it. This made her cheeks flush red. Then, with a mental brace, she dared to step into the threshold. "Well here g-!" That sentence got immediately cut off as unseen hands yanked her by the shoulders and hips. When she stepped just inside, it would have looked like she was tugged forward and instantly vanished in thin air. What actually happened, though? A powerful spell had grabbed ahold and placed her into an empty escape room!
If Grant went in after her? That same magic would have placed him in the same room as Bianca. The strange glow along the web she had seen earlier? It was a magical signal from the guardians. One letter for two participants. The games separated victims into two categories: singe and group. It was a means to keep people together when they first came in. Now, if they split up, it was on them.
As Bianca recovered from the whirlwind sensation of being yanked, she looked around and realized where she was. A furnished bedroom with candles to keep the room dimly lit. The windows were strangely darker than outside as she wondered if they were tinted. There was a fireplace that held rows of candles, neat and—organized by colour? If Grant was suddenly there, it did briefly startle her. A breath was released as she looked at him for a moment. "Are you alright?" She went to stand next to him as she made sure he was before another look around the room was given. "I'm guessing we must escape this room." An attempt at some dry humor on her part as the corner of her lips curled into something of an amused smile. Though as she tried the handle of the door to the hallway outside, she found it was locked. "Of course it's locked. Why wouldn't it be?" Murmured with a hint of both sarcasm and irony. She knew it must have been locked but tried it anyway. Never knew for certain!
The world outside the window of the car looked like it had become steadily emersed into a world of mystery and magic as the headlights became little more than pale beams that pierced through the fog as it curled almost lazily around them. Since she wasn't familiar with the area still, she didn't mind the length of the ride. Somehow, even without words, not as much of the usual anxiety was present. Eventually, the car pulled into a lot that seemed out of place but there all the same. The engine cut off after it was safely parked, and she undid her seatbelt. As the thick belt slid across, she glanced at Grant momentarily before she opened her door about the same time as he opened his own. The cool October air rushed her, but it felt refreshing. There was muffled laughter nearby, excitement from people either going in or just now exiting. Bianca hadn't initially planned to be anywhere, so she had hastily pulled out last year's costume. It wasn't much, but maybe it would be enough to pass?
The usually hazel color of her eyes were a bright gold, but this could easily be explained with contact lens. Not that she actually wore them, but still. Tonight, she could get away with it and most would think it normal. Thigh-high boots crunched slightly as she stepped on asphalt and quietly closed the passenger-side door. Whatever anxiety that had been there was nearly gone now as she walked around to join Grant. Even in a three-piece suit, she still felt a soft warmth toward him. "I'm ready if you are." Lips turned upward into an easy smile. The invite had already been given to him as he led the both of them up to the iron-clad gates where two guardian drakes stood in that seemingly frozen position of a roar. At least, until they got close enough that she felt the magic as it rolled off them. The metal dragons' movements were somewhat slow but calculated as one of them took the letter into it's maw. There was the sensation of a magical surge just before the invite erupted into blue flames.
While it might have looked curious to others, what her eyes revealed was something a little different. Briefly and as discreetly as possible, she looked up and around the general area as she saw something else in general. The faint shimmer of what her mind interpreted as light, was actually magic which manifested. The only way to describe it was to call it a web. Similar to a spider's web, maybe. The vibrations came from the magical energy as it traversed the web. The energy did move out of her immediate sight, but the general shape of this web was clear. It looked more or less like a dome or blanket of sorts. A quiet smile appeared to Grant's word of cute but it was enough to make her glance at him briefly. The way his brow was slightly lifted made her wonder if this was the first time he'd seen something like this before. She giggled but wasn't really startled by the guardians' movements. Being a witch had it's advantages.
The gates opened as the metal creaked ominously. Given the level of detail and craftsmanship of them, the sound was likely on purpose for the evening's events. To Grant's smooth hand gesture, she began to move ahead. "Thank you." Her voice was warm as it normally was. There was a laughter in the distance, somewhere within the forest itself. Whether it was joy or warning, she didn't necessarily flinch, but there was a slight pause in step as she looked briefly around as if to pinpoint exactly where it came from. To Grant's words she replied in turn with, "If they do ask for those, we'll be the quickest to leave they ever saw." Was it a joke? Sort of. Maybe. She wasn't entirely sure this place would do that. But just in case? She wouldn't hesitate to make a door for them to exit through if things became dangerous. But because the letter had mentioned games, fun and maybe some hilarious moments, she took it at face value as she did with everything else.
Sometimes her naive nature got her into a pickle. Hopefully tonight wasn't one of those times as she began to walk down the trail through the thick forest. Yet as she did, the magical energies made her feel a little giddy. She couldn't help but smile as eyes glowed just a shade or two brighter. Small skull-shaped lanterns gave just enough light to indicate where they needed to go. But the fog grew thicker and soon she could only see several yards ahead of them before her field of view blurred into a mass of white. Perhaps it was because Grant made her feel safe, but she edged slightly closer to him when there was a howl in the forest just to their right. A nervous giggle bubbled up. "That was very realistic sounding." A soft exhale was made as she glanced around them briefly. It felt like there were eyes on them.
As unnerving as it could make some, she didn't really sense any danger at the time. As they walked, the quiet curled around them. Each step she made subconsciously synced up with his. If he said anything, she would respond accordingly. But otherwise, they eventually got to the castle front where there were stone steps that led up onto a raised stone pathway of sorts. Then there were large doors. Oakwood maybe? They had come to a clearing as an enormous stone castle loomed over like something out of a dark fairy tale. The sight was certainly impressive, and she wasn't sure what awaited them inside. "Have you ever been in a castle before?" The words tumbled out before she could stop them. The tone held both nerves, curiosity and hinted with excitement. It was likely more than obvious—this was her first time in such a place as big as this! The moment they set foot closer though, that's when she felt it. A mass of magical energy.
Oh crap! Her steps faltered a little as she hesitated slightly but ultimately continued to walk until they were nearly at the doors. They looked incredibly detailed with depictions of dragons, knights and medieval scenes. Yet the wood looked as old as the castle did. From this point of view, there was just enough visibility that the treeline showed against the fog as it swirled into shape and patterns to entice the mind of goblins or ghouls that might lurk beyond. It could just be a trick of the light. The imagination, as it were. Her breath hitched slightly as she realized she paused a moment too long and glanced at Grant with an apology in her eyes. "Sorry, maybe I'm a little nervous?" She smiled a little bit. Half curiosity, half nervousness. She still wanted to go in, absolutely! Just... Just as long as she wasn't alone. If he hadn't changed his mind by this point? Then she started against toward the big oak doors. Though as she did, they mysteriously creaked open.
Her pace slowed as there was no one there. A surge of magic was felt as the sensation of goosebumps ran up her arms. The doors opened wider until they could go no further. Inside, a slow gush of warm air enticed them to come in like a silent invitation. Somewhere in there, she could hear the echoes of screams, laughter and otherworldly growls. It didn't look like anyone was inside. At least not from her point of view. A nervous giggle found it's way out before she could stop it. This made her cheeks flush red. Then, with a mental brace, she dared to step into the threshold. "Well here g-!" That sentence got immediately cut off as unseen hands yanked her by the shoulders and hips. When she stepped just inside, it would have looked like she was tugged forward and instantly vanished in thin air. What actually happened, though? A powerful spell had grabbed ahold and placed her into an empty escape room!
If Grant went in after her? That same magic would have placed him in the same room as Bianca. The strange glow along the web she had seen earlier? It was a magical signal from the guardians. One letter for two participants. The games separated victims into two categories: singe and group. It was a means to keep people together when they first came in. Now, if they split up, it was on them.
As Bianca recovered from the whirlwind sensation of being yanked, she looked around and realized where she was. A furnished bedroom with candles to keep the room dimly lit. The windows were strangely darker than outside as she wondered if they were tinted. There was a fireplace that held rows of candles, neat and—organized by colour? If Grant was suddenly there, it did briefly startle her. A breath was released as she looked at him for a moment. "Are you alright?" She went to stand next to him as she made sure he was before another look around the room was given. "I'm guessing we must escape this room." An attempt at some dry humor on her part as the corner of her lips curled into something of an amused smile. Though as she tried the handle of the door to the hallway outside, she found it was locked. "Of course it's locked. Why wouldn't it be?" Murmured with a hint of both sarcasm and irony. She knew it must have been locked but tried it anyway. Never knew for certain!
It'd been ages since the vampire last stepped into a castle. More like one that echoed his old home from decades back, before folks built up the modern world we know now. October air hung heavy, turning spots like this into prime haunts for spooky vibes. People flocked here for the chills and thrills, drawn by ghost stories and fake cobwebs. That morning, a fancy invitation arrived at his clinic, sealed on black wax parchment. He ran a dentist office these days, pulling teeth and filling cavities under bright lights. Halloween always gave him cover to hunt for his favorite "cranberry juice." He joked to patients that it kept his fangs white-yeah, he called them that for fun. Truth was, it hid his real thirst, a habit stretching back over a century. That pull, that endless hunger, dragged him to this castle tonight.
He wondered how many guests would cram inside those stone walls. The idea of snagging one or two for a quick bite danced in his head. He didn't need blood to survive anymore. Not like in the old tales but cravings hit hard sometimes, like a midnight snack call. Fresh blood warmed him up, sparked old memories. On Halloween, no one batted an eye at weird stuff. Costumes, fake bites, dim lights. it all blended right in, letting him prowl without a second glance. He paused at the gate, drew in a cool breath of fog-laced air. "Well, let's see who gets lucky tonight," he muttered, a sly smirk tugging at his lips.
Once, he'd ruled a place just like this. Back in the 1800s, his castle stood empty, ruins of a fallen kingdom overgrown with vines. No parties then, just echoes and dust. That life felt like a faded photo now, random bits popping up unbidden. He shook it off and pulled out the letter. The dragon guardians eyed him sharp. He flashed the invite and nodded coolly. They waved him through. He'd trek the dark forest path next, branches scraping like whispers. But not yet... something shifted in the shadows ahead.
The man trudged along the winding path through the thick forest. That bright glow pulled him forward, like a magnet. He stepped out of the woods and blinked hard. When suddenly he arrived at ....a study room? Right in the middle of nowhere? What the heck was going on here? His mind raced. Should he bolt out the way he came? Or duck inside and hide from whatever chased him? This setup screamed escape room. You know, those puzzle spots where folks pay to lock themselves in and crack codes to get free. Theo had seen ads for them in the city, full of brain teasers and hidden clues.
"Fine," Theo snorted, shaking his head. They wanted his smarts now, huh? The room looked just like the one back home in his apartment. Bookshelves crammed with dusty paperbacks and thick textbooks lined the walls. A wooden desk sat in the corner, piled high with scribbled notes, pens scattered around. Pictures hung crooked on the walls...old family shots, maybe? Or maps? He couldn't tell yet. What if this was some twisted game set up by the people after him? Escape rooms often mimic real life to trick you, experts say. Like that one in Chicago where players solve riddles based on a detective's office. Stats show over 8,000 of these places worldwide now, with folks spending hours trapped inside.
Theo scanned the space eyes darting fast. Clues had to be somewhere... a loose floorboard, a funny book title? But first things first. He grabbed the door handle and yanked. Locked tight, no surprise. The click echoed in the quiet room. "O...kay?" he muttered, frustration building. "Now, where's that key hiding?" He patted his pockets, then eyed the desk drawers. This puzzle wouldn't solve itself.
He wondered how many guests would cram inside those stone walls. The idea of snagging one or two for a quick bite danced in his head. He didn't need blood to survive anymore. Not like in the old tales but cravings hit hard sometimes, like a midnight snack call. Fresh blood warmed him up, sparked old memories. On Halloween, no one batted an eye at weird stuff. Costumes, fake bites, dim lights. it all blended right in, letting him prowl without a second glance. He paused at the gate, drew in a cool breath of fog-laced air. "Well, let's see who gets lucky tonight," he muttered, a sly smirk tugging at his lips.
Once, he'd ruled a place just like this. Back in the 1800s, his castle stood empty, ruins of a fallen kingdom overgrown with vines. No parties then, just echoes and dust. That life felt like a faded photo now, random bits popping up unbidden. He shook it off and pulled out the letter. The dragon guardians eyed him sharp. He flashed the invite and nodded coolly. They waved him through. He'd trek the dark forest path next, branches scraping like whispers. But not yet... something shifted in the shadows ahead.
The man trudged along the winding path through the thick forest. That bright glow pulled him forward, like a magnet. He stepped out of the woods and blinked hard. When suddenly he arrived at ....a study room? Right in the middle of nowhere? What the heck was going on here? His mind raced. Should he bolt out the way he came? Or duck inside and hide from whatever chased him? This setup screamed escape room. You know, those puzzle spots where folks pay to lock themselves in and crack codes to get free. Theo had seen ads for them in the city, full of brain teasers and hidden clues.
"Fine," Theo snorted, shaking his head. They wanted his smarts now, huh? The room looked just like the one back home in his apartment. Bookshelves crammed with dusty paperbacks and thick textbooks lined the walls. A wooden desk sat in the corner, piled high with scribbled notes, pens scattered around. Pictures hung crooked on the walls...old family shots, maybe? Or maps? He couldn't tell yet. What if this was some twisted game set up by the people after him? Escape rooms often mimic real life to trick you, experts say. Like that one in Chicago where players solve riddles based on a detective's office. Stats show over 8,000 of these places worldwide now, with folks spending hours trapped inside.
Theo scanned the space eyes darting fast. Clues had to be somewhere... a loose floorboard, a funny book title? But first things first. He grabbed the door handle and yanked. Locked tight, no surprise. The click echoed in the quiet room. "O...kay?" he muttered, frustration building. "Now, where's that key hiding?" He patted his pockets, then eyed the desk drawers. This puzzle wouldn't solve itself.
rolled 1d6 and got a natural 1.
Note: 1-2: Room #1 | 3-4: Room #2 | 5-6: Room #3
The gates parted with a low groan that resonated through the air, like an old beast stirring in its sleep. Beyond the archway, the world shifted—the forest pressing in, the lanterns stretching their light across the fog until even color seemed muted. For a moment, Grant just stood there, letting his eyes adjust to the dim. There was something almost theatrical about it all: the way the mist curled, the way the air carried the faint tang of iron and woodsmoke. Whoever organized this had an eye for detail.
He exhaled through his nose, a slow, measured breath. Halloween nights like this used to mean sitting with Evie on the couch—animated movies, hot cocoa, her small frame curled under a blanket as she fought sleep halfway through Halloweentown. Now, she was out there somewhere with her friends, probably covered in glitter and pumpkin pulp, insisting she didn’t need her dad to walk her up to the door. She was growing fast, and every year it showed. The realization brought an ache that settled somewhere beneath his ribs. So this was what he’d chosen instead. Mist and magic. And Bianca.
He watched her move ahead, boots catching the lantern light, the gold tint of her eyes glimmering faintly through the haze. There was something unguarded about her excitement—curious, even childlike—and for reasons he didn’t want to examine too closely, it disarmed him. The forest swallowed sound differently here. Every crunch of gravel, every breath seemed heavier, deliberate. Somewhere ahead, the laughter from other visitors echoed and twisted, carried by the wind into something else entirely.
When the howl came from deep within the trees to their right, it was sharp, almost too real. Bianca startled slightly, a nervous laugh slipping past her lips. Grant didn’t flinch. He’d been through too many nights where noises in the dark weren’t costumes and jump scares. If anything, he tilted his head toward the sound, one brow lifting as if waiting for the rest of the show to reveal itself. “Very realistic,” he echoed dryly, his tone even. A beat passed before his mouth curved in faint amusement. “If it starts asking for a union contract, I’m leaving as well.”
It earned him a glance from her, half amused, half uncertain whether he was serious. That was fine—he preferred it that way. He adjusted his coat as they continued along the trail, the fabric catching faint dew from the air. Ahead, the skull-shaped lanterns flickered, casting soft halos that broke apart in the fog. Somewhere behind them, the gates groaned shut. The sound rolled through the fog like a final punctuation mark. He didn’t look back. Whatever waited ahead, he’d seen worse. And somehow, walking beside her, it didn’t feel half as haunting as it should.
The castle loomed ahead like something dredged up from an old European storybook—massive stone towers piercing through the mist, their silhouettes blurring where the fog thickened against the pale moonlight. The place had presence, the kind that made the air feel a little heavier the closer they got. Grant slowed his stride as they reached the first tier of steps, the quiet between them stretching thin and soft, punctuated only by the muted scrape of shoes over stone.
When she spoke, he glanced sideways, the faintest curve to his mouth betraying a trace of amusement. “No. Haunted house once, though.”
“Evie’s friend invited her a few years back. Parents turned the whole house into one of those neighborhood scare setups—dry ice, strobe lights, fake blood packets. I told myself I was just going to drop her off, but she clung to my leg the second a guy in a zombie mask jumped out from behind the bushes.”
An exhale slipped through his nose, something like a laugh buried in it. “We made it halfway through before she decided the kitchen was a safe zone. We spent the rest of the night sitting on the counter with a bowl of candy while the other kids screamed down the hall. She still swears she ‘won’ because the ghosts couldn’t make her run.” There was a softness in the way he said it—one that didn’t surface often, even when he spoke about his daughter. For a moment, the haunted castle before them felt smaller than the memory.
When Bianca’s steps had faltered, it broke his train of thought. Instinct moved before thought did. Grant shifted closer, one steady hand brushing lightly against her arm to keep her from slipping. “Easy,” he said quietly, the timbre of his voice low and steady, the kind that anchored rather than startled. His hand lingered just a second longer before he withdrew it, letting her regain her footing. “You okay?”
When she smiled that small, apologetic smile, he returned it with one of his own. It was barely there, more in his eyes than his mouth. “I’ve seen you trip over air before,” he murmured, tone dry but not unkind. “You get used to it after a while.”
As they stepped forward again, the doors before them gave a long, theatrical creak. Grant’s gaze tracked the shifting seam where the wood parted, faint light spilling through the widening gap. His posture changed almost imperceptibly—shoulders angling forward, stance grounding itself as though his body remembered how to clear a room before his mind did. He caught himself, exhaled slowly, and forced that part of him back into silence. “Guess that’s our cue,” he said finally, the corner of his mouth lifting as he motioned her toward the open door. “Let’s hope this one has a kitchen safe zone too.”
The moment Bianca vanished, it didn’t look staged. One second she was right in front of him and the next, the space she’d occupied collapsed inward with a sudden rush of air. Grant froze where he stood, his hand instinctively half-raised like he could still reach her before his brain caught up. The air pulsed with something strange—a pressure shift, like static and altitude sickness rolled into one—and his eyes narrowed toward the doorway that still gaped open, the light inside flickering faintly like a lure.
“Bianca?”
Nothing. Only the low echo of screams and laughter somewhere deep within. He exhaled sharply, jaw tightening. If this was part of the event, they’d gone all in. Without wasting more time, he stepped forward, crossing the threshold. The sensation hit him instantly. The floor vanished, the air folded, and his stomach lurched in that weightless way that reminded him of turbulence at thirty thousand feet except worse. His vision fractured, then reassembled, colors bending in on themselves. It was over in seconds, but his equilibrium didn’t agree. He braced a hand against a wall as soon as solid ground returned beneath his feet, inhaling slowly until the tilt of the world leveled out again.
Warm air. Candlelight. Wooden floorboards under his shoes.
He straightened, eyes adjusting to the dim glow that flickered from the fireplace and the cluster of candles arranged neatly along the mantle. The room smelled faintly of wax and dust, tinged with something metallic beneath it. He scanned quickly—bed, furniture, draped curtains, no visible exits—and found Bianca standing nearby, visibly shaken but intact.
Relief passed over his features, quiet and brief. “Yeah,” he said after a beat, rolling one shoulder back to shake off the tension. “I’m alright.” A pause, then a faint, wry exhale. “Thankfully, so are you. And thankfully, we ended up in the same room.”
The last part carried the subtle rhythm of humor beneath the calm. He moved closer, eyes scanning the walls again, tracing the lines of faint carvings and the glint of candlelight reflecting off something metallic on a nearby shelf. “Guess that answers the ‘what happens if you go in after someone’ question,” he murmured, his tone bone-dry.
When she tried the door and it refused to budge, he shifted beside her, testing the handle himself with a controlled twist. Locked, just as she’d said. He looked at her, one brow lifting in amusement. “Figures. They really meant the escape part literally.” He stepped back, gaze sweeping over the room again. “Alright. Candles, colors, patterns—probably a puzzle.” He gestured slightly toward the mantle. “Let’s start there. Whatever this is, I’d rather not wait to find out what happens when the room decides we’ve taken too long.”
Grant’s gaze lingered on the row of candles. Each one is a different color, neatly arranged from pale ivory to deep crimson. Whoever designed this room had an eye for theatrics, that much was clear. It wasn’t random décor; the symmetry was too deliberate. He moved toward the fireplace, footsteps muffled by the rug beneath them, and crouched down slightly to get a closer look. The wax was still warm, freshly melted. Someone—or something—had lit them not long ago.
His mind automatically began cataloguing: colors, spacing, alignment. He’d done this kind of mental dissection a thousand times before though usually it was of people, not puzzles. Patterns of behavior, inconsistencies in testimony, the tells of a guilty conscience. He’d once been able to walk into a boardroom and know exactly who was lying before they opened their mouths. Old habits didn’t die easily; they just repurposed themselves. “Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet,” he murmured under his breath, tracing the line with a finger in the air. “Spectrum order. Maybe that’s the key.”
His eyes flicked toward the mantelpiece, where a small brass plate gleamed faintly in the candlelight. The engraving was faint but legible: “When light burns true, the path shall open.”
“Figures,” he muttered, leaning in a bit. He’d seen escape rooms before—corporate team-building nonsense, mostly—but this felt a little too immersive. The kind that blurred the line between trick and magic. Still, logic first. He wasn’t about to start believing the castle could think. Grant straightened, turning slightly toward Bianca. “If this is following typical design logic, we probably need to light them in a sequence. Or match them to something else in the room.”
He took a slow sweep of the space. The walls were paneled in dark oak, a mirror hung to the left of the bed, and on the nightstand sat an old-fashioned jewelry box. In another corner, the faint outline of a bookshelf could be seen through the haze of candlelight. No visible locks on the drawers. No obvious symbols. He frowned slightly. “Let’s not touch anything we can’t un-touch,” he added quietly, half to himself. “Some of these things have pressure triggers.”
He shook it off, running a hand along the edge of the mantel, feeling for any hidden latches or temperature shifts in the stone. The surface was cold except near the violet candle, where the heat radiated stronger than expected. His fingertips hovered, the faint prickle of energy beneath his skin unmistakable. “This one’s different,” he said, tone lowering slightly as he glanced back toward Bianca. “Either it’s the start… or it’s the warning.”
He stepped back, arms crossing loosely, his eyes scanning between the candles again. “I’d bet it’s a sequence. Spectrum or reverse. Let’s try left to right first, but stay ready.” Then he reached toward the first candle—ivory, harmless in appearance—and waited, eyes half-narrowed, listening for any change.
He exhaled through his nose, a slow, measured breath. Halloween nights like this used to mean sitting with Evie on the couch—animated movies, hot cocoa, her small frame curled under a blanket as she fought sleep halfway through Halloweentown. Now, she was out there somewhere with her friends, probably covered in glitter and pumpkin pulp, insisting she didn’t need her dad to walk her up to the door. She was growing fast, and every year it showed. The realization brought an ache that settled somewhere beneath his ribs. So this was what he’d chosen instead. Mist and magic. And Bianca.
He watched her move ahead, boots catching the lantern light, the gold tint of her eyes glimmering faintly through the haze. There was something unguarded about her excitement—curious, even childlike—and for reasons he didn’t want to examine too closely, it disarmed him. The forest swallowed sound differently here. Every crunch of gravel, every breath seemed heavier, deliberate. Somewhere ahead, the laughter from other visitors echoed and twisted, carried by the wind into something else entirely.
When the howl came from deep within the trees to their right, it was sharp, almost too real. Bianca startled slightly, a nervous laugh slipping past her lips. Grant didn’t flinch. He’d been through too many nights where noises in the dark weren’t costumes and jump scares. If anything, he tilted his head toward the sound, one brow lifting as if waiting for the rest of the show to reveal itself. “Very realistic,” he echoed dryly, his tone even. A beat passed before his mouth curved in faint amusement. “If it starts asking for a union contract, I’m leaving as well.”
It earned him a glance from her, half amused, half uncertain whether he was serious. That was fine—he preferred it that way. He adjusted his coat as they continued along the trail, the fabric catching faint dew from the air. Ahead, the skull-shaped lanterns flickered, casting soft halos that broke apart in the fog. Somewhere behind them, the gates groaned shut. The sound rolled through the fog like a final punctuation mark. He didn’t look back. Whatever waited ahead, he’d seen worse. And somehow, walking beside her, it didn’t feel half as haunting as it should.
The castle loomed ahead like something dredged up from an old European storybook—massive stone towers piercing through the mist, their silhouettes blurring where the fog thickened against the pale moonlight. The place had presence, the kind that made the air feel a little heavier the closer they got. Grant slowed his stride as they reached the first tier of steps, the quiet between them stretching thin and soft, punctuated only by the muted scrape of shoes over stone.
When she spoke, he glanced sideways, the faintest curve to his mouth betraying a trace of amusement. “No. Haunted house once, though.”
“Evie’s friend invited her a few years back. Parents turned the whole house into one of those neighborhood scare setups—dry ice, strobe lights, fake blood packets. I told myself I was just going to drop her off, but she clung to my leg the second a guy in a zombie mask jumped out from behind the bushes.”
An exhale slipped through his nose, something like a laugh buried in it. “We made it halfway through before she decided the kitchen was a safe zone. We spent the rest of the night sitting on the counter with a bowl of candy while the other kids screamed down the hall. She still swears she ‘won’ because the ghosts couldn’t make her run.” There was a softness in the way he said it—one that didn’t surface often, even when he spoke about his daughter. For a moment, the haunted castle before them felt smaller than the memory.
When Bianca’s steps had faltered, it broke his train of thought. Instinct moved before thought did. Grant shifted closer, one steady hand brushing lightly against her arm to keep her from slipping. “Easy,” he said quietly, the timbre of his voice low and steady, the kind that anchored rather than startled. His hand lingered just a second longer before he withdrew it, letting her regain her footing. “You okay?”
When she smiled that small, apologetic smile, he returned it with one of his own. It was barely there, more in his eyes than his mouth. “I’ve seen you trip over air before,” he murmured, tone dry but not unkind. “You get used to it after a while.”
As they stepped forward again, the doors before them gave a long, theatrical creak. Grant’s gaze tracked the shifting seam where the wood parted, faint light spilling through the widening gap. His posture changed almost imperceptibly—shoulders angling forward, stance grounding itself as though his body remembered how to clear a room before his mind did. He caught himself, exhaled slowly, and forced that part of him back into silence. “Guess that’s our cue,” he said finally, the corner of his mouth lifting as he motioned her toward the open door. “Let’s hope this one has a kitchen safe zone too.”
The moment Bianca vanished, it didn’t look staged. One second she was right in front of him and the next, the space she’d occupied collapsed inward with a sudden rush of air. Grant froze where he stood, his hand instinctively half-raised like he could still reach her before his brain caught up. The air pulsed with something strange—a pressure shift, like static and altitude sickness rolled into one—and his eyes narrowed toward the doorway that still gaped open, the light inside flickering faintly like a lure.
“Bianca?”
Nothing. Only the low echo of screams and laughter somewhere deep within. He exhaled sharply, jaw tightening. If this was part of the event, they’d gone all in. Without wasting more time, he stepped forward, crossing the threshold. The sensation hit him instantly. The floor vanished, the air folded, and his stomach lurched in that weightless way that reminded him of turbulence at thirty thousand feet except worse. His vision fractured, then reassembled, colors bending in on themselves. It was over in seconds, but his equilibrium didn’t agree. He braced a hand against a wall as soon as solid ground returned beneath his feet, inhaling slowly until the tilt of the world leveled out again.
Warm air. Candlelight. Wooden floorboards under his shoes.
He straightened, eyes adjusting to the dim glow that flickered from the fireplace and the cluster of candles arranged neatly along the mantle. The room smelled faintly of wax and dust, tinged with something metallic beneath it. He scanned quickly—bed, furniture, draped curtains, no visible exits—and found Bianca standing nearby, visibly shaken but intact.
Relief passed over his features, quiet and brief. “Yeah,” he said after a beat, rolling one shoulder back to shake off the tension. “I’m alright.” A pause, then a faint, wry exhale. “Thankfully, so are you. And thankfully, we ended up in the same room.”
The last part carried the subtle rhythm of humor beneath the calm. He moved closer, eyes scanning the walls again, tracing the lines of faint carvings and the glint of candlelight reflecting off something metallic on a nearby shelf. “Guess that answers the ‘what happens if you go in after someone’ question,” he murmured, his tone bone-dry.
When she tried the door and it refused to budge, he shifted beside her, testing the handle himself with a controlled twist. Locked, just as she’d said. He looked at her, one brow lifting in amusement. “Figures. They really meant the escape part literally.” He stepped back, gaze sweeping over the room again. “Alright. Candles, colors, patterns—probably a puzzle.” He gestured slightly toward the mantle. “Let’s start there. Whatever this is, I’d rather not wait to find out what happens when the room decides we’ve taken too long.”
Grant’s gaze lingered on the row of candles. Each one is a different color, neatly arranged from pale ivory to deep crimson. Whoever designed this room had an eye for theatrics, that much was clear. It wasn’t random décor; the symmetry was too deliberate. He moved toward the fireplace, footsteps muffled by the rug beneath them, and crouched down slightly to get a closer look. The wax was still warm, freshly melted. Someone—or something—had lit them not long ago.
His mind automatically began cataloguing: colors, spacing, alignment. He’d done this kind of mental dissection a thousand times before though usually it was of people, not puzzles. Patterns of behavior, inconsistencies in testimony, the tells of a guilty conscience. He’d once been able to walk into a boardroom and know exactly who was lying before they opened their mouths. Old habits didn’t die easily; they just repurposed themselves. “Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet,” he murmured under his breath, tracing the line with a finger in the air. “Spectrum order. Maybe that’s the key.”
His eyes flicked toward the mantelpiece, where a small brass plate gleamed faintly in the candlelight. The engraving was faint but legible: “When light burns true, the path shall open.”
“Figures,” he muttered, leaning in a bit. He’d seen escape rooms before—corporate team-building nonsense, mostly—but this felt a little too immersive. The kind that blurred the line between trick and magic. Still, logic first. He wasn’t about to start believing the castle could think. Grant straightened, turning slightly toward Bianca. “If this is following typical design logic, we probably need to light them in a sequence. Or match them to something else in the room.”
He took a slow sweep of the space. The walls were paneled in dark oak, a mirror hung to the left of the bed, and on the nightstand sat an old-fashioned jewelry box. In another corner, the faint outline of a bookshelf could be seen through the haze of candlelight. No visible locks on the drawers. No obvious symbols. He frowned slightly. “Let’s not touch anything we can’t un-touch,” he added quietly, half to himself. “Some of these things have pressure triggers.”
He shook it off, running a hand along the edge of the mantel, feeling for any hidden latches or temperature shifts in the stone. The surface was cold except near the violet candle, where the heat radiated stronger than expected. His fingertips hovered, the faint prickle of energy beneath his skin unmistakable. “This one’s different,” he said, tone lowering slightly as he glanced back toward Bianca. “Either it’s the start… or it’s the warning.”
He stepped back, arms crossing loosely, his eyes scanning between the candles again. “I’d bet it’s a sequence. Spectrum or reverse. Let’s try left to right first, but stay ready.” Then he reached toward the first candle—ivory, harmless in appearance—and waited, eyes half-narrowed, listening for any change.
The last candle burned low, its flame thinning to a faint shimmer before curling into smoke. Warm air still clung to the room, the scent of wax and old wood settling as the silence grew. Then came a sound, a single click as the door’s latch released. Grant turned toward it. The noise was small, but it meant something. He let out a slow breath, brushing a bit of wax dust from his sleeve before glancing to Bianca.
“Well,” he said, voice calm, “I’d call that a success. We survived the first round.”
A trace of humor touched his mouth, restrained but genuine. The air shifted again, a soft pulse that drew their attention to the open door where a warm light waited. It felt like the castle itself was ushering them out. He looked at her, tone light but certain. “Looks like our ride’s here.”
For a moment, he lingered. The room was quiet now, the rows of candles flickering unevenly, their colors bleeding together in the dim. It had been strange, disorienting even, but not unpleasant. Against all odds, he found himself feeling a little steadier than when the night began. “Remind me to thank Evie for this later,” he said under his breath. “She was right. There are worse ways to spend Halloween.”
Light flared once near the threshold. When he stepped forward, the room’s edges wavered, the world dissolving into a haze of white and gold. A blink later, gravel crunched underfoot. The gates loomed before them again, still and silent, the dragons frozen as if they had never moved at all. Grant exhaled, a faint laugh escaping him. “Guess that’s the end of the line.”
He met Bianca’s gaze, offering a small nod that carried warmth. “Come on. I’ll drive.”
Together they started down the path toward the car. Behind them, the lanterns dimmed one by one until the castle and its tricks slipped back into the fog, leaving nothing but the road ahead and the first trace of dawn beginning to lift the sky.
“Well,” he said, voice calm, “I’d call that a success. We survived the first round.”
A trace of humor touched his mouth, restrained but genuine. The air shifted again, a soft pulse that drew their attention to the open door where a warm light waited. It felt like the castle itself was ushering them out. He looked at her, tone light but certain. “Looks like our ride’s here.”
For a moment, he lingered. The room was quiet now, the rows of candles flickering unevenly, their colors bleeding together in the dim. It had been strange, disorienting even, but not unpleasant. Against all odds, he found himself feeling a little steadier than when the night began. “Remind me to thank Evie for this later,” he said under his breath. “She was right. There are worse ways to spend Halloween.”
Light flared once near the threshold. When he stepped forward, the room’s edges wavered, the world dissolving into a haze of white and gold. A blink later, gravel crunched underfoot. The gates loomed before them again, still and silent, the dragons frozen as if they had never moved at all. Grant exhaled, a faint laugh escaping him. “Guess that’s the end of the line.”
He met Bianca’s gaze, offering a small nod that carried warmth. “Come on. I’ll drive.”
Together they started down the path toward the car. Behind them, the lanterns dimmed one by one until the castle and its tricks slipped back into the fog, leaving nothing but the road ahead and the first trace of dawn beginning to lift the sky.
That concludes Grant's role in the thread. Thank you Cynical for hosting!
You are on: Forums » General Roleplay » Trick or Treat: Escape rooms of Von Darket Castle