"167 hours, 35 minutes, and 42 seconds until level collapse." Came the familiar voice as you head down the stairwell.
All of you head down that day. Leading into the underground tunnels. These tunnels should not be here. In some places, this should be a subway or a sewer system. Or just dirt. Instead, what looks like a maze crafted by stone and ancient peoples seems to have popped into being.
If any of you change your minds, you find you cannot leave. The portal is one way, and you don't even see the surface anymore. The lights from the tunnels are familiar however. They seem to be streetlights, home lightings, and other modern light fixtures somehow repurposed to give the shadowy dim illumination to the tunnels. As if someone stole all the light blubs and other such electric devices and installed them inside here.
Eventually, if you wait long enough, others come down as well. Random people seeking to get out of the cold, because suddenly there is no where for them to go up top. Some of them want to get their families back, and others are just keen on seeing aliens for the first time. You might want to group up with them for safety, or maybe you just think you are better off alone.
Whichever you decide, you find you are not alone here in the Labyrinth. There are horrible traps, such as crushing walls, spiked pits, and blades from the ceiling. Even those among you who go on by yourselves hear the screams of people falling prey to such things. They echo from what sounds like thousands of miles away, carried by the tunnels right to your ears.
Eventually the traps stop. Some of you are skillful or lucky enough to bypass them. However, this maze is not done with you. There are living things within the halls that come from the shadows. Spiders, the size of dogs crawl from the ceilings and floors. Some shooting webs and dragging their prey away, others pouncing on helpless people. Those of you who came down armed find that bullets work just fine on these creatures. However, its what leading them to you is the problem.
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Small blue humanoids, about 3 feet tall each. Carrying daggers and crossbows, and seemingly able to command the spiders to attack. They send in the horrible arachnids first, and then proceed to try and ether capture or kill anyone who remains. Bullets again work on these things, as do normal weapons and blows, but there are many of them. Eventually you have to run, and if you did not run right away you take serious injury and maybe spider poison as you stand your ground.
Despite that, you do manage to live. Hurt, exhausted, and running blind, you mange to find a glowing neon sign. It seems assembled from standard neon available in any city, however it spells out a word in a language none of you knew before today. Somehow, all of you understand it now.
GUILDHALL THIS WAY It even has a helpful arrow.
Sensing that the creatures are now hot on your heels, your run. Or stagger, depending how much fighting you did to get here. You do find an elaborate double door. Carved with odd runes and bat winged horned people. Above the massive structure reads in the odd language the same word as before, plus one other.
GUILDHALL SAFEZONE.
Even lightly touching the door opens it, and you quickly walk through. Even if you came down with others, you are alone now. However, upon entering the Guildhall it slams loudly behind you. However, in time it will open again, revealing others you have never met before who will join you.
The place is fairly unremarkable. There is a counter with a variety of medieval costumes, armor, and weapons. The lights are glowing orbs that float freely. Several comfortable chairs seem to be placed at random spots, and a picture of what looks like a family of part human part badgers wearing strange clothes wave from its hanging spot over a active fireplace.
Its what's floating in the center of the room that makes you stop with alarm.
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Before you can scream, draw a now empty weapon, or even run, you hear a voice in your mind.
'Hello. I am Guildmaster Trevik. I am sure you have several thousand questions. I am only allowed to answer a few of them. Feel free to ask anything however. Once you calm down that is.'
Worse, when you stare at the eight foot tall floating thing, a pop up window appears in your vision, and the familiar game show host voice narrates the description.
"MIND HORROR!
These horrible predators collect the brains of their victims by drilling into their skulls with their long tendrils. The more brains they feed into their beak, the more intelligent and telepathic and telekinetic they get! Don't worry, they don't eat morons, so all of you will be fine! Wait...no you won't."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:35, Sun 16 Jan 2022.