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Chapter 28 by Redchopster

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You take Shantae's petrified arm and grab it by the end. You stick it into the room, and grab the book. As you try to pull it back, you find that it refuses to budge more than a foot. You couldn't see them before, but now that they've been disturbed, you notice that there are thin spiderweb strands covering the inside of the room. Using the arm, you are able to slide the book along the floor like a hockey puck. It lands at your feet, completely string-free.

Suddenly, several pairs of eyes shine in the darkness of the room. You hear the scuttling of arthropod legs across the floor. You grab the book and run back to the storeroom to hide.

Half an hour passes before you dare to leave your spot. You open the book, and take a look at the map. It appears that you went entirely the wrong direction and that the way to the maiden's hall lay in a room you had passed on the way here. You flick through the pages and read the notes. In a nutshell, the notes covered everything the rumors did. However, there were a few things you were surprised to learn.

A girl named Mai apparently wrote the book. However, she had gone missing not too long ago. You eventually concluded that it was a different Mai, and the one that used to be a resident with you was simply a person that had been transformed using the same template.

You also discovered that the book mentioned hidden cameras in every location besides the pool. However, there were also mics in every location besides the theater, which might have explained how Athena had managed to evade being caught. At least, right away... You had recently learned about the cameras when you talked with Alex. She mentioned the hidden camera in Winry's room was broken.

Suddenly, a thought came into your head. How lucky must you have been to hide the knife in the cabinet? How lucky must you have been to not have been noticed when discussing your plan with Winry? How did anyone not get noticed? How was the entrance still open?

You found this all to be very odd.

You turn the page, and find the map, sketched out in perfect detail between two previously blank pages. You notice that there are three floors of the dungeon, each in identical layout to the maiden's hall and the surrounding labs. They must have been constructed for future use, but were being temporarily used in order to store experiments. You noticed that the way to the next floor was in the same place you entered the dungeon. A vent in room #24. You should have figured.

You took a closer look at the map. You noticed that you were in entirely the wrong area. The way to the maiden's hall was in a hallway before an intersection, unintentionally hidden in one of the side rooms you had passed along the way.

You continued reading, and were surprised to find that Weiss had added some notes of her own.

"I've noticed something strange. I encountered no resistance when entering the dungeon. I've seen piles of clothing everywhere. It's clear that a lot of girls made it this far. So how is it Alex never caught any of them in the act? Is security really more lax than we thought it was? And something else keeps bothering me... But I can't think what... Just that something feels... Wrong. There are so many articles of clothing down here, and some of them had maps. Why have so many of them failed?"

You turn the page again. The page seems to have been torn out, probably by accident. You take a look at the next one.

"There must be something somewhere... There has to be another way! I'll try looking in these rooms... Perhaps I can find a clue..."

The notes end there. You close the book. It appears as though Weiss had gotten captured by whatever lay in the spiderweb room. You knew that she'd met her fate long ago, but still you felt sad. She had discovered something, but what? Maybe it was written on the missing page... Whatever it was, you didn't have time to sit around. You'd have to think along the way.

You followed the map to the maiden's hall. You encountered no issues along the way. You swung open the doors and stepped inside. It was breathtaking, but for an entirely different reason than before. The hall was horrifyingly huge. It had the appearance of a haunted mansion. Cobwebs lined the corners (thankfully, they appeared to be normal). The carpet and wooden railings looked decrepit and worn. And strangely, the hall was lit up with dozens and dozens of candles. You slowly made your way toward the door. However, as you made your way down the last set of stairs, something made you stop dead in your tracks.

"Asuka, is that you?" You heard a voice from across the hall. You turned and looked. There was the same naga that you'd encountered in the hall earlier.

"Your hair looks a bit different..." You gulp.

"She'll notice me for sure..." You think to yourself. You had no other choice. You made a break for it back up the stairs.

"HEY! WAIT, GODDAMN IT!" The naga yelled, having noticed you weren't who she thought you were. You needed somewhere to hide. You saw three potential spots.

The first was behind an armchair. It was bright green and lit up with dozens of candles.

The second was in a dark room that had it's door missing.

The third was on the uppermost floor, in an unlit corner. You could lay flat on the carpet and hope she didn't notice you.

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