Ready, set, GO!!!

Luke Takes his eyes off of the wall. “What do you mean these games almost always have a theme?” Yeah I know but look at the pictures we have to find some of them don’t fit, Like your Dragon.” Max has stopped looking at the picture and is studying the small plate with all the images in outline on it. Luke moves back to stand next to her. “You see some of the make sense like the pigeon or the traffic cop/ road worker. But then there are things like the dragon or the demon head, then there is the DNA code and is that a log.“ Luke looks the plate over and shrugs.” It’s most likely just another glitch in the mutating programing.” Etta and Jed work their way across the picture finding things here and there. Jed is almost as in as much awe of the picture itself as he is at the scope of the task. Etta just sighs is she looks over the top left of the picture “You know I am usually much better at these games.” Luke starts on the top right of the picture as he scans the space ship coming in to the frame he freezes his mouth drops open and the turns sharp to Max. “Sweet, I think there should only be two left to find now.” Etta says aload but only Jed seems to be listening. “Bet I find them first.” He says with a smile. Luke moves quickly back to stare at the plate again. “Did you say a DNA code?” Max who has stayed back to take in all of the picture at once only moving up to touch any image she finds jumps a little at Luke. Luke’s voice is sharp and strained. “Yes it’s right there next to that log looking thing, I think it’s the last two we have to find, why?” “It’s not a log” “What, ok so what is it?” Luke ignores her “Do you have a twinkie yeah I think there are a few boxes left in the car, why Luke what is going on?” Max yells after Luke as he runs to the car, Max is starting to worry after all the weirdness of the past few hours or well three days she fears what my come next.
Luke reaches Toby and opens one of the back doors, flailing to grab a twinkie he settles for taking the whole box with him as he races back to the others. Max is still watching him as he slide to a halt next to her and rips into the box. He man handles three out of the box and tosses the box to Max. His face is twisted and scrunched with the effort of concentrating, freeing all three from the packaging he smashes them together in his hands , rubbing them together into a sweet smelling mess. Luke slowly pulls his hand apart and a green window opens between his hands. He holds the window up to the plate and six of the images are alight with in the window. The Dragon, the DNA code, The mountain, The vailed lady, The garden archway, and The Demon. All the color drains from Luke’s face terror replaces it as his hands begin to shake. He flings the twinkies from his hands and runs to Jed and Etta. “STOP stop we can’t solve this, It’s not a puzzle. Luke grabs them both and spins them away from the wall, as Jed spins and is ripped away his finger tip just brushes the picture. “Hey hands off pal why did you do that there is only one left?” Etta says as she finds her footing. Luke lets out a long breath. “Sorry” He says with his hands up “It’s not a puzzle it’s a passcode.” Max puts her hand on Luke’s back. “A passcode to what?” “To something that can never be opened.
“It was the first thing we coded the villain for Sacred Garden. A demon that was meant to challenge players like nothing before it, it was made to learn from the player and grow more challenging and smarter each time you faced it. Luke is about to continue with his tale when a soft ding comes from the wall, as they all turn to look at the source of the sound the wall explodes. In a beam of flashing light all in the party are blinded, Jed feels wind blow through his hair and rap around him. When he opens his eyes he is in total darkness, “Hello, hey is everyone ok?” For a few seconds there is no answer then a gruff voice says from the darkness “Jed is that you, where are you?” It takes Jed a second to realize the voice is Etta’s. Etta is blown over as the wind hits her and is knocked off her feet. As she lies in the darkness trying to get her breath back she hears Jed. “Miss Etta is that you?” “Yeah Jed is Max or Luke with you?” Jed waves his arms about seeing if he can reach anybody. “No I don’t think so.” Etta sits up her breath returning in sharp gasps. “You would happen to have a light on you would you?” Jed moves his hand around to his back to pull up his inventory, the light that comes from the window blinds them both for a few seconds. “Wow that didn’t seem that bright before.” Jed lowers his hand and starts to scroll. “Jed.” Etta says as another windows of light opens up a few feet away “I think this will work, where are we?” Jed doesn’t answer he starts to walk, the light bobs along for a bit then turns bobs for a bit then turns again. “I think we are in a dungeon.” “Great well let’s try to find the other two.”

The wind whips around Luke on instinct he grabs a hold of Max. She pulls a away but only for a second then grips his hand even harder. The wind stops as quickly as it started then everything is still. Luke opens his eyes and looks around. “Max we are not outside anymore.” He looks down at his right hand still gripped by Max. Max fallows his eyes and then drops his hand. “Almost like old time.” Max just lets out a hmph and looks up to the darkened sky. “Ok if we are not outside then why are there stars?” “That is a good question another one is what are we standing on?” Max takes a step and feels the soft spongy something under her feet. Luke walks a few feet away and waves Max over “I found an edge.” “Edge of what?” As Max reaches the edge a hum comes from every were and nowhere, with a flash light floods in and the whole of the space is light. Luke jumps back from the edge, his eye wide he looks past Max. scrambling to his feet he runs back the way they had come. “NO NO NOOO, what?” Lukes hands are on his head. “This, this, how Max we shrunk” Max looks and feels confessed “Luke how could you know that?” “Because this is the my chair the one we have been trying to get to.” Max looks up and sees what she thought was stars is in fact the neural head gear. Luke and Max just stare at each other in disbelief. They look to the foot of the dive chair as a noise gets there attention in time to see monsters hands reach up over the edge.

They both stand still, staring in terror, frozen in shock and bewilderment as the claws continue scrabbling up onto the dive chair. Claws become arms, arms become upper bodies, and the two just stand there. Not until five red demon-looking monsters gain sure footing and begin running toward them does Luke finally regain some composure. “Oh, wait a mi- duh!” Luke says slapping his forehead. Max, not as composed, yells “Wait what!?” As she finishes, Luke pulls a staff from out of nowhere and points it at the red devils. “Petra!” The staff glows dimly and shoots a beam of sickly green light at each of the monsters. One by one, they each slow to a stop as they very obviously become stone. Max sighs heavily with relief, pulling herself together at last. Luke turns to her. “Wizard. Duh.” “What the...how? Why did we freak out so bad there?” Max asks, perplexed. “Fear. No doubt they were enchanted for just that purpose...what’s that sound?” As Lukes finishes, Max begins to hear it too. A faint but growing sound of scratching. Then whispers. Then as if deja vu, little hands and arms and heads start popping up over the edge of the chair again. This time, it’s clear there are many many more of them. As if on queue, Max screams in agonized terror at the sight of the advancing hoard of demons. And in truth, Luke also feels the fear rising up...or rather, settling down onto him. This time, however, he is prepared and wastes no time reacting to it. He raises the staff again, giving it a spinning flourish, and barks “Animat! Vigo!” Staff glowing, words resounding, and stone demons responding by coming to life, he yells at them, “Attack! MIT RAAAAAJ!!!” Pointing at the hoard of little demons now pouring over the edge of the chair. At once, the five stone demons turn and charge toward the oncomers. The scene when they meet is gruesome. Wicked, shrill screams pierce the air, blood and limbs flying everywhere, the carnage begins like an explosion and spreads through the fray in seconds. The enchantments that now lay on the original 5 make them faster, stronger, more ferocious, and more driven than the others. The new guys don’t stand a chance. Luke steps back toward Max to check on her. “You alright?” Putting a hand on her shoulder, he looks into her eyes, searching. Max’s eyes snap to his. Her expression is almost feral for a split second, but recognition quickly returns to her. “Y-...yeah. Ok. I’m ok. Wow. That really sucks, Luke.” Her breathing is a bit heavy, but it slows as she calms back down. The fighting in the background begins dull and fade as the hoard is quickly vanquished. “Alright, alright, so... we’re tiny...but we’re in the house.” Max says, getting her bearings.
“Yep.”
“And we’re on the dive chair.”
“Yep.”
“And we need to get into the source code.”
“Yep.”
“Sooooo...” Max says, stalling as she turns, searching the room for clues. “There! We need to get over there. That’s your old desk, right?”
“Yep.”
“Yeah. Ok. So...how can we get over there? We’re too freaking little.” She looks at Luke who is obviously just waiting for her to catch up. Smiling wryly, he throws his wrist out to one side and snaps three times like a diva.
Max rolls her eyes and groans...and almost loses her balance as the ceiling suddenly zooms in. She starts and catches her balance as it registers that they are now full size and standing on the dive chair. Luke takes a slow, falling step down and offers her a hand. “Oh, please. I should’ve helped you down.” She says snidely as she hops off the chair landing easily. “Oh look! Your little monsters are so cute now!” Luke looks at them and pauses for a moment, thinking. “Hm...wonder...” he mutters to himself.

Max, back on task, rushes around to sit at the desk and work on getting access to the computer terminal. As Luke walks up beside her at the desk, he also is settling back into the task at hand. “Get as deep as you can before you put me in. I’m gonna go find Jed and Etta.” He heads toward the door to check outside. When he gets to it, he turns the knob to open it, but it’s locked. Without thinking, he checks the lock. It’s not locked. It just won’t open. “Hm.” Luke mutters finally starting to pay attention. “Uh-oh.” He says quietly. “Uh-oh, what?” Max asks, somewhat absently as her fingers give the keyboard a healthy dose of button-mashing. “Uh-oh the door that exploded just a minute ago is still here and won’t open.”
“Try unlocking it, genius?”
“Yeah. Not locked...just won’t open.”
“Did you...” her fingers stop. “Exploded?” “Wait. How?...”
“Not sure yet....new screen maybe?” Luke guesses as he tries to peek out the side windows. “Ok. You keep working. I’m on this. Maybe they’re in the house. I hope.”
Luke starts toward the door to the next room. “ Luke...” Max starts. “...be careful. This is getting pretty scary.” I know.” He says pausing. Then he walks back around behind the desk where she’s sitting and leans over, very close, face to face with her, and pauses. Her breath catches as she waits for him to move, eyes locked on his. He lingers for a moment then says “I will.” as he suddenly stands back up placing a crown on his head that he had apparently just grabbed off the bookshelf behind her. Then he strolls out the door into the hallway. Once the door closes behind him, he stops, takes a deep breath and sighs it out. “Alright. I’m the king of this castle. ...but which castle is it?” “Jedd! Etta! You here?”