Into the Malevolent Castle, Trapped within Options

[Ryuga]

"Well would you look at that!" exclaimed Lao has he clenched his hand into a fist and smacked the palm of the other. "Saves me the trouble of having to track that bastard down."
With that, he booked it for the door, not bothering to wait for the others. The journey was simple enough, three different hallways, or open rooms, the exact combination he didn't bother to remember. No monsters on the way either. In his excitement, Lao lunged at the last door, violently kicking it down as he flew into the dim-lit dinning room. True to it's name, it was a rather dark place, the only light coming from the candels placed on a rather well decorated dining table in the middle of the room.
"Alright Butcher! Show yourself!" hollard Lao.

[Sparrowsmith]

Julian clasped his hands together, leaning onto his toes and rocking backwards onto his heels, then vice versa, in a child like manner.
"Oh goodie!" he beamed brightly. His youthful wonder evaporated into a more beastly visage as he uttered a single word. "Entertainment." he then set off in Lao's direction, albeit much slower.

[Nicsp]

Siegfried held out his free hand towards them. "Wait! Wait!" He called out as he ran after the two, one of the doors tried to close on it's own, but Siegfried promptly smacked it backwards, snapping it off of it's hinges before it was closed completely. "Don't rush off ahead! We don't want to get split up again! Also, we are just walking into a trap, you realize that, right?"

[Sparrowsmith]

Julian laughed, refusing to stop, but not moving too quickly either, "Nonsense!" he chortled, "Our chum is walking into a trap, I'm just trying to get a good seat."
He reached the second door and grabbed it. His arms tensed, nearly pushing the door closed after him, but he hesitated. As Siegfried drew closer, he pushed the door open further, ensuring the others would get through, barring interference. The Madman whispered just loud enough to be heard, "we should probably stop him... Shouldn't we?" his voice was grave; unsure. He retrieved his crossbow from his back and began walking towards the third and final door.

[Darkblade]

Edward made his way through two of the three rooms he was required to go through.
He reached for the handle of the door leading into the third room.
"This is insane...Should have never come here."
He opened the door into the third room and walked in.

He found himself in the room where he found a corpse impaled on peices of wood several hours earlier.
However this time, the corpse was gone. The peices of wood were still in the middle of the room covered in blood.
He headed on to the door and walked on through.


Moments after lao shouted for the Butcher to show himself, a steel cage rained down from the ceiling into the room, smashing one of several available chairs to be sat on, it was in pieces, beyond repair.
Seconds later, torches on the walls lit up with a cold blue flame.
After the dust settled, the cage appeared to be empty with a note.
Edward drew his sword, cautiously walked over to the cage and pulled the note off to read it.
"Oh dear, looks like one of our guests chairs have been broken, I guess they'll have to stand. What a shame, in any case, if you want to leave this castle one of you had better step into this cage. Everyone else will be eating shortly." Edward read aloud.
The temperature in the room seemed to slowly rise.
Beams of light seemed to break through the cracks in the floor, boiling water could only just be heard.
Edward dropped the note on the floor and backed away from the cage. As though he had an idea of what might be about to happen.

(OOC: I think things might start getting kind of nasty. Tell me if it does get ... to that point.

[Ryuga]

Lao tugged at the collar of his shirt as the room grew gradually warmer.
"Is it hot in here, or is it just me?" he asked just as beams of light began to break through the floorboards.
Lao continued to just stand around, a blank look on his face until suddenly it hit him.
"Oh god! We're gonna get cooked alive aren't we?!"

[Sparrowsmith]

Julian gazed through the rising heat, his eyes fixated on the cage. It was very much the elephant in the room.
"Any volunteers?" He asked, though the words hissed out like a threat. His crossbow was already drawn and loaded, and any reservations he had of firing it dissipated with each increment of the intense heat.

[Darkblade]

"I get the feeling theres going to be little room for debate about this." He said as he looked at Julian.
Edward gave up hope. There was little room for any other option that he could see.
He climbed into the cage and pulled the door shut, the lock slid into place on its own.
A few seconds later, the cage rose from the ground, the chains pulling it up at varying intervals of varied power.
It unsettled Edward more than he wished it did.

Suddenly, the beams of light breaking through the floor slowly broke the stone away, a large boiling cauldron rose from the light, behind it
the Butcher himself, laughing with a pig like snort.
"Well, well well, a noble sacrifice from the one who took my hand. We'll see what takes you first, the fear, the heat or this boiling water."

Edward shook with intense terror, every attempt he made to not look at the cauldron was met with failure.
"Bastards..." He managed to mumble.

"Oh, I nearly forgot, the feast. For now, since there are only two of you, this will be a much happier dining experience."
For the edges of the room a blue glow emerged, eventually taking a humanoid shape of that of two specteral maids, each carrying a platter of food each. They each placed the platter onto the table, the lid was left on both, however both aromas were disturbingly different.
One smelt entirly delicious, like a roast dinner, the other smelt the opposite like raw uncooked rotting meat, an example of The Butchers best and worst efforts.
" I present the first of three meals. Both plates must be finished. Both of you get the option of choosing whichever one you want. Once you've sat at the table, you may not leave, the maids will be horribly offended. And remember, you're eating to leave."
The Butcher quickly dissapeared back to where the cauldron came from.

The cage in which Edward was sat slowly hovered high above the boiling water filled cauldron. Every so often something above him forced
the cage to shake uncontrollably. An impish laughter could be heard above him.

((Sounds like Edward is going to miss out some good eats.))

[Sparrowsmith]

Julian sat by the meat that seemed festering. The stench made him retch, a reaction not lessened by the thick heat of the room. He took off the lid, revealing the horrid meal underneath. Regardless, the Madman eyed it with feigned hunger. His insanity found no problems with stomaching the putrid dinner... Or so he hoped. He imagined the torture was inescapable, and so the logical solution was to enjoy it. He reveled in their inability to faze him, right until he felt like he was going to be sick.

[Nicsp]

Siegfried listened in carefully, seeing little choice, he sighed and looked at the plates. "I guess we have no chance but to comply, we should decide who will eat wh-" Before he was able to finish his sentence, however, Julian was already munching down on the rotten meat. Siegfried shivered a bit in disgust but then slowly walked over to the other one, he examined it for a bit before he took a seat and got to eating. Lanzenreiters are bigger than most humans, that, coupled with the fact most of them were warriors who trained hard and moved a lot, gave their species a quite huge appetitte. Though the soup from earlier was a great filler, he gladly went down on the nice smelling meat.

[Ryuga]

Lao stood idly as the scene unfolded before him. Siegfried sat eating a decent meal, a stark contrast to the situation of the other two. Julian forced himself to eat the poor excuse for a meal. He might as well have been ingesting poison. And finally, Edward was trapped in a cage which slowly moved him closer and closer to the boiling cauldron.
Was it shock, fear perhaps that had put Lao in a stupor? No. Lao was angrier than he ever was in his entire life.
Veins in his forhead throbbing, Lao finally walked towards the Madman who ate the rotting food. He placed a hand on Julian's shoulder, signalling him to turn around. As he did, Lao delivered a swift, but powerful punch to the Madman's gut, hoping to force a vomitting reflex. He then grabbed the platter containing the poor excuse for a meal. His face twisted in disgust, but not from the stench emitted from the morsal. He seemed to be more revolted by the existance of such a thing. In one swift motion, he flung the platter away, turning towards the spectral maids before the contents splattered against the wall. He looked as if he was ready to kill someone.
"Horribly offended if we don't finish your meals...?" he spoke, his voice low but trembling. "You'll be offended?!" his voice rose until he finally exploded. "OFFENDED?!" His voice boomed through the dining hall. Lao took a breath before continuing. "You lost the right to be offended the instant you served that piece of ****! To think that someone thought serving that garbage was acceptable, I've never been so offended in my life!"

[Sparrowsmith]

Julian, quite predictably, heaved up his meal. He picked himself up and nearly repaid the favour, until he realised the fate he'd been saved from. He managed to summon a lackluster smile,
"But sir... I was enjoying that." he drew his crossbow and prepared to fire it. He turned to Lao, "If we can tip the cauldron over, we'll get rid of the water and the fire. Do you have any ideas?"