The groups triggers a spell trap!

Perhaps, if she hadn't already been effected by the previous curse, perhaps Becky would have seen the slightly different color of the trap before them. Or, perhaps if she had been more willing to confide in her team, one of the others would have taken the lead, and their senses for either the natural world around them or the faint arcane glow that colored this particular trap would have tipped them off. Alas, neither of those was the case, and so as Becky led the way forward, her body language low and hidden, and her mind filled with the distant, disturbingly familiar screams that echoed through the halls, her foot fell on that tile without noticing.

The spell filtered out quietly, like a sprinkling of morning dew in pale pinks and silvers, falling softly over the unsuspecting group. Becky had no way to react, and found herself doused in it, it's drowsiness washing over her, mixing and competing with the hallucinogenic curse that already held her under it's thrall. Her steady footfall gave way to a more stumbling gait as confusion overtook her. "Guys, I think there..." she started, but her voice trailed off.

"Something's going on!" Robin immediately declared. She could feel the tingle in the air, even before the spell hit, and she stepped forward to wave her rapier in the air above Fuu's head, leaving a veil of mana in it's wake. The cascade of arcana fell against it like raindrops against glass, and Fuu turned to give a thankful smile. Robin smiled back, but the gesture was slow, drowsy. By the time she placed a similar shield over her own head, it was too late, and the pale pink light was already filtering in through her skin.

"Be at peace!" Kiera hissed, having her own problems. At the first sign of the arcane energy, the symbiote which made up her arm had surged to life, it's red eyes sudden full of cruel hunger. It squirmed up, jerking Kiera about as it did so, contorting itself over her head and spreading its mass out like a disk.

The creature burbled in alien glee as the droplets vanished into the churning ichorous mass of it's body.

"I need to... dispel it, or... something," Robin frowned, she tried to raise her rapier, but her eyes felt so heavy, and her body with it. The sword tipped forward, and Robin planted it in the dirt, slumping against it as she started to collapse to the ground.

"Hey, stay with me, Robin!" Fuu rushed over, propping up the smaller girl. "I need you to think! It's definitely some sort of enchantment, right--hey focus! Becky! Do you have anything that could--"

Fuu cut off as she immediately saw that Becky was in no state to help. The blonde looked to be a confused mix of half drunken half terrified. Fuu had no doubt that her frail constitution had left her more effected than most would have been.

"Stay on guard, Kiera, okay?" Fuu held their newest member's gaze just long enough to be sure she understood, though the task was a bit difficult with the way Kiera was jerked about back and forth by the creature on her shoulder.

She rushed over, pulling Becky's satchel from within her delirious friend's coat and rifling through it for some sort of hopeful antidote. It was a frail hope, as Fuu knew she didn't really have any idea how to begin reading the alchemist's notes. If she just pulled out something at random, she'd be just as likely to kill Becky as to wake her!

***

This chapter was co-authored by Mapron01(https://chyoa.com/user/Mapron01) Please check him out!