White Rabbit Bowl: Exploration

Sporting Event / Competition

Transported to various corners of the expansive hedge maze in The Enchanted Wood, each of the Four Cardinal Generals took a moment to become acquainted with the Figment of Alice they had been paired to. Matsumoto Ooawagaeri had chosen Alice of Diamonds, who was revealed to be terse and rough, but with a strong sense of honor. Maxim ended up tied to Alice of Spades, who was aloof and practical. Aotsuki Tsukamoto, predictably, had thrown in his lot with Alice of Hearts, who was just as predictably sweet and earnest. Ryūzaki Sanosuke found himself in the company of Alice of Fools, unpredictable and morose. Finally, Hashinara Yoshitakatomo discovered that she* had not traveled far. Instead, she* stood now where The Concierge had moments before, and in front of her was Alice of Clubs: subtle, loyal, and ready for her* command.

As the Concierge called the start of the contest proper, the five different groups began moving through the maze. First encounter and first blood was taken by Matsumoto Ooawagaeri. Locating Aotsuki through ki detection, he took the form of a great fox and teleported behind the hapless White Frog with Alice of Diamonds riding his vulpine form. Though Aotsuki’s defensive skills are famed for a reason, he was caught by surprise and from behind by the assault. Able to block the first two blows, he barely missed the third, and Diamonds’ great blade cut through Alice of Hearts’ shoulder, cleanly severing her arm. The strong-hearted Alice managed to avoid crying out, and Ooawagaeri ended his assault out of respect for a friend. With no more than a whisper, he magically returned to the other side of the wall from whence he came. Before Aotsuki could relax, however, he was called upon to shield his charge one more time from a sliver of magic cast by Alice of Spades far on the other side of the arena.   On the other side of the maze, Sanosuke moved northward cautiously. He was aided, somewhat, by Alice of Fools’ spotty mental detection techniques. It was quickly becoming apparent that he had not chosen the most reliable of partners, however. Before long, Sanosuke encountered Maxim coming the other way, and lay in wait for him. Maxim, however, spotted the Silver General (but not his Alice) and the two faced off against each other. Sensing that nothing good could come of a direct confrontation at this point, Maxim quickly grabbed his Alice around the waist and retreated around the corner. His escape was held up by the appearance of the King of Hearts, whose bizarre physical appearance caused him to slow.   The King was a jovial sort, and welcomed Maxim to his gardens, while warning him to stay away from his wife further along the path, as she was less well-disposed toward visitors. On the other side of the hedge, Sanosuke experienced a strange half-conversation, only able to hear the King’s replies but not Maxim’s questions. Eventually, Maxim thanked the King for his hospitality and retreated back to his starting position. There he and Alice of Spades regrouped, but not before recommending the King to Sanosuke and requesting that he not give away their position.   In the courtyard outside of the maze, Yoshitakatomo was busy with her* own preparations. She* first created a magical clone of her Alice, before casting spells of undetectability and magic interference on the original. With both of them moving stealthily, and one mystically nigh-undetectable, it seemed as though Yoshitakatomo was the only one moving into the maze. With divine prerogative, she* walked over the first hedge-wall, and immediately found her*self lost. Moving south once again, she* overcame another wall, and was drawing close to the great tree that dominated the center of the maze. An odd feeling overcame her* then of being watched, but unable to find its source, she* dismissed it. Meanwhile, Alice of Clubs and her clone were taking another route toward the same place.   In Aotsuki’s corner, he was busy healing Hearts’ wounds as best as he was able. Though a divine caress from Amaterasu removed her pain and the bleeding, there wasn’t much that could be done about her missing an entire arm. Sensing that it wouldn’t be a good idea to stay in the same position, he grabbed Kagami and Tama and, together with Alice, made plans to retreat back to his starting fountain.   Unbeknownst to him, Ooawagaeri was not immediately in pursuit. Instead, he cast a spell of detection on his liquid weapon, then hurled it toward where he sensed the most presences in the maze. The enchanted item landed in the center of the maze, under the great tree, and he saw there a queenly figure flanked by a pair of guards. None of them noticed the new weapon, nor did they notice when Ooawagaeri split off some water from it to grab the shimmering sword beneath the tree and take it into his own possession. The Concierge spoke to him and him alone then, explaining that the weapon was the Vorpal Sword, deadly to figments and the only thing thought to be able to harm The Jabberwock. Though those terms meant little to him at that point, he decided to keep it and handed the blade up into Alice of Diamonds’ hand.   Moving southeast from where he had been, Ooawagaeri traversed a few twists and turns before coming across a strange beast lounging in the shade of a wall. Long, grey, and flabby, Ooawagaeri inexplicably recognized this as a walrus. It stared at him for a time, and he conjured a fish as a gift before asking for passage. When the creature didn’t reply, he took it as a yes and began forward.   Elsewhere, Aotsuki had set up Tama in a place where he thought she could affect the most people, and commanded her to activate Absolute Gravity. The power snagged Alice of Diamonds and the original Alice of Clubs in its grasp, as well as the poor Walrus. Only Ooawagaeri was present to see the uncomprehending animal held to the ground as though by a giant hand. With that done, Aotsuki made good his intention to fall back.   At this point, just as Sanosuke himself was meeting up with the King of Hearts, something huge, black, and terrifyingly fast burst from the tree at the center of the maze. Huge and drakelike, the creature easily snagged Yoshitakatomo in its talons and flew her* to the north of the courtyard before pinning her down and gazing with evil reddish eyes. The activity was such that everyone in the maze got some taste of it, though only a few truly understood what they had seen.   Remaining calm despite the situation, Yoshitakatomo judged the creature to be a figment in the form of a mightily powerful and evil dragon. It was intelligent, judging from the look in its eyes, but not in the mood to communicate. Finally getting serious, she* teletransported herself from its grip, eliciting a bellow of rage that struck out across the length of the maze. Yoshitakatomo rejoined with both Alices of Clubs, then wove powerful magic to fuse herself with the original. Dubbing the new combination Queen Alice, she further modified herself with vicious teeth lest such a thing happen again.   Bidding farewell to the King of Hearts after a pleasant conversation, Sanosuke moved in the opposite direction from where Maxim had left, picking up Alice of Fools in the process. This Alice had seen the entire course of events when the dragon had grabbed Yoshitakatomo, and so relayed that to Sanosuke. With that in mind, he began looking for a place to stash the Alice to keep her out of trouble. In the meantime, he hefted her up onto his shoulders to get a look over the ten-foot-tall walls on each side. Through her descriptions, he learned of the Card Soldiers just one wall away, on the path to the center of the labyrinth.   Ooawagaeri met back up with Aotsuki at this point but, instead of continuing their battle, they decided to join forces. Both had gotten wind of the monster out in the courtyard, and with the Vorpal Sword in hand, Ooawagaeri and Alice of Diamonds decided to put the contest on hold and go hunting instead. Once he understood the situation, Aotsuki and Hearts offered a truce, and hopped on the Sable Fox’s back to lend their assistance.   < Previous: White Rabbit Bowl: Introduction