Enter the next chamber.

Niki lowers her shield slightly as her steps slow. All of you notice why rather quickly. The light cast ahead allowing you all the ability to see isn't coming from her shield nor is it extending from the chamber you just left. The room ahead is already lit instead. Niki's next step is quieter, much to your surprise, as she creeps closer to the doorframe. All that can be seen so far is a table at the wall, and another label of, "LAB #3 - MUIAN". It seems that perhaps you've entered this laboratory from a smaller, older room, like coming through the wall of the broom closet, because this next chamber opens up even wider, and somebody is waiting for you inside.

The moment Niki notices somebody, she leaps into the room and screams, "Stop right there!"

What happened to being stealthy?

As the party barges into the room, a woman screams at the top of her lungs in panic at the unexpected interruption. She appears to be human, though she has an unnatural radiance you've come to expect from elves, and the distracting beauty of something like a succubus, albeit nowhere near the confidence or bravery as evident by the terror shown on her face. Her hair is pale green, tied back into a bun, and her bangs come to a curl over her forehead almost like a spring. A golden ring rests atop he head like a tiara, though it bares no gems. Her eyes widen, which makes it even more apparent that her irises glow like rings of yellow light. She jumps in place, though doesn't come back down. You find her floating barely a foot off the ground, though she does so without any sound, any wings, or any spell cast, at least from what you've been able to see.

She's wearing a thick, pale yellow sweater, though it doesn't do much to hide the puppies behind it. Over that, a white lab coat, which nearly reaches her ankles. She also wears a short black pencil skirt, black-tinted stockings, and flats to match. Though if you peer closely at her footwear, you can make out a thin, beautiful pattern of golden swirls along the sides.

Eva grabs your arm tight. "Careful, Kyle. She must be a mage of some sort." Her other hand squeezes around the shaft of her magic wand, shaking forward as she readies herself to cast a spell if needed.

"Stop screaming and tell us who you are!" Niki demands. She raises her shield up in front of your chest as she plants herself firmly as the defensive wall between the party and this beautiful stranger.

Amara taps the bottom of her staff on the ground behind you, and a moment after, Summer and Taiga so the same with their respective spears.

Meanwhile, Delphi stands up straight in the middle of your head. "Something feels weird about her. She's not an elf, is she?"

"Her ears tell me no," you reply. "But I see what you mean. Her skin is so perfect it's almost like it's been polished. She floats there with an odd, mystical aura I haven't felt before."

"I told you to tell me your name!" Niki shouts again.

The woman lands back down with a tap of her flats against the stone tiles beneath her. All around the room are tables of papers and such, similar to the last, but not only is there far more now, but the walls are wider and the ceiling is taller. Contrary to the last chamber, this one is utilized frequently. The one you stand in now is the core of LAB #3. That means the one before you must be a servant of Elok Daven.

"Intruders!" the woman screams. She slams her hand down on a red button behind her, and suddenly everything goes into motion. Cogs turn and lights flash. Mana floods through the walls as the magical mechanisms are activated, and moments later, passages open from multiple locations along the walls, allowing for various things to enter.

The first, second, and third challengers are all ALICE androids. They enter garbed in leather armour, each wielding a spear. They move as one. Each poses with their weapons out-stretches in unison from different parts of the chamber. Next, a number of metal spheres roll out from the wall, and they begin to collect in the center. They snap together like magnets, and as they rise up into a mass, the woman disappears behind a hulking beast. Soon it has arms and hands, legs and feet, and the last sphere forms a head with three eyes of cyan light that piece down like laser beams. One hand extends three razor-sharp claws. The other forms a shield. Lastly, in the center, what appears to be a cannon takes shape, and with a hum it begins to glow.

"We're fighting, guys! Draw your weapons and get ready," you command. Then you feel a tingle down your spine. The hum of the cannon grows in volume, and in a manner of moments, it's flashing bright. "Look out!"

Niki launches forwards with both hands on her shield. It's just in time as well, as a massive blast of energy explodes from the golem's midsection in a beam. The light refracts off in every direction. While the blast is brief, the **** is ****. Niki does successfully block the attack, but she's sent soaring back straight down the hallway to slam up against the back doorframe. She grunts and falls to her knees, though it'll take a lot more than that to injure Niki. That being said, her super strength doesn't make her any heavier. That took her out of the fight for a moment.

"We've got it!" Taiga and Summer shout together. They soar forwards with buzzing wings just as one of the three ALICEs come running forwards.

The ALICE ducks beneath one of the spears and parries the other, though thankfully when she thrusts a counterattack upwards, it narrowly misses. Taiga and Summer land behind her, and they aim their weapons forward.

That leaves two others, however, as well as the big fellow in the middle.

"That's it," Delphi grumbles. "Just because I'm small, doesn't mean fuck all! I'll show these guys the power of the Dark Fairy." She leaps into the air with a purple glow surrounding her body.

Meanwhile, one ALICE sprints towards you. However, you not only dodge the strike, but you maneuver swiftly around to her back for a slam of your weapon's pommel against her back. With a pirouette, you slice clean through her hair as she whips around. Though before she can recompose herself, purple bands fall down from above and grab her by the arms. She's yoinked straight up into the air and slammed against the ceiling.

"Entangle," you whisper with a step forwards. Then, you lower yourself into a readied position. "Eva, Amara, see what you can do about the massive hulk of metal."

Amara places a hand upon your shoulder. "Bless," she says with a shiver and a smile. She wraps her arms around you, and offers an embrace as she whispers, "Good luck".

"Okay, Amara. We don't have time to cuddle. Let's go!" Eva says.

The elf's cheeks light up. "R-Right. Sorry."

Right after those two make their way past you, farther into the room though alongside the wall, the ALICE leaps into the air. Like a falcon, she plans to strike you down from above. Instead of backing away, however, you move forwards. It causes her to miss as well as land right in the doorway. Just then... Pang! Niki's shield smacks her in the back of the head hard, causing the android to stumble forwards disoriented. She presses her foot down right on top of your trap, causing blue tendrils to burst out and yank her down to the ground.

"I'm back, but that thing is charging up again!" Niki calls out.

You turn your head to the golem of balls. "I'll try to pierce the head. See if that works."

Niki grins. "Then I'll do what I do best."