Krampus plot

[unglitched]

This just isn't Vanellope's day. One minute she's in Milliways minding her own business, the next some hairy horned monster thing is bundling her up in a sack and carrying her off.

The next thing she knows, she's being dumped in a... huh. What is this place, exactly? It looks like something out of an old-school FPS, all bare stone corridors going off in different directions. And the hairy horned monster seems to have vanished completely. Where is she, and how the heck is she supposed to get back home?

Maybe that big guy in the leather armor knows something. She approaches him and clears her throat.

Comments

[unglitched]

"Mm-hm." Vanellope gulps and nods, her eyes fixed on the statue.

[its_possible]

He's pretty good at the hurrying backward thing. He's done it before, though he's usually got better weaponry on hand.

He misses his sword in particular.

But even he needs to blink sometimes--

"They're getting closer."

[unglitched]

"So are the ones over here..." She gulps again. "I think they're all moving."

[its_possible]

"How do they do that?"

Not that the how is that important. They just need to get to the door and get out of here.

[unglitched]

"They must move crazy fast," Vanellope murmurs.

"They're moving toward the other door too..."

[its_possible]

"They're not going to get there."

He hurls the gold coin he'd found as hard as he can behind him--it ends up embedded in the face of one of the wax statues, with a faint thud--and starts sprinting toward the door. He can run much faster forward.

[unglitched]

The turn gives the statues time to move, and it seems like everywhere Vanellope looks she sees another statue that wasn't there before...

[its_possible]

He will jump over the statues if he has to--surprisingly acrobatic for someone of his build--but that takes time he doesn't want to spend. Better to just run, wire cutters out like he can actually do something with them.

[unglitched]

"How much further?" calls Vanellope, not wanting to risk turning to look.

[its_possible]

"Almost there," he says, shoving a statue to the side as he runs past--they can be moved, apparently, or maybe that one was just non-moving regular wax.

"Just hope it's not locked."

[unglitched]

"Don't say that, you'll jinx it!"

[its_possible]

Naturally, Uther--don't you know how these things work? Never say it.

And so, when at last they reach the door--half sliding to a stop, half colliding with the wall, actually--well, there's no handle, just an indentation.

He pokes at the door. Nothing happens.

[unglitched]

"What's the holdup? Just go already!"

[its_possible]

"I don't suppose you have a key," he says. "Or know how to pick locks. This is beyond my skill."

Normally he'll just brute-force his way through, but with a statue right there, he doesn't have the room to charge at it.

[unglitched]

"What?!" That makes her turn and look. "Aww, you gotta be kiddin' me!"

[its_possible]

"Unfortunately not," he says. "Can you try to get it open while I try to shove these statues back? Clear us some room, if we need to break the door down."

[unglitched]

"I'll try, I guess..."

Vanellope got to be decent at picking locks when she was in exile. But it kind of helps if there's actually, y'know, a lock and not just a round hole in the door.

[its_possible]

"No pressure."

She'd best figure something out, because those statues followed them while they were looking at the door. If they want to get out, it's either through the door or over the statues--and they just might decide to bite, or whatever it is they do.

Do statues bite? Living statues would have to have some sort of nourishment, wouldn't they?

[unglitched]

Vanellope sticks her fingers into the recess, trying to feel some lever or other mechanism that would open the door. This would be easier, she thinks, if she had some of the pretzel rods she used to use to pick locks back home. All she's got is that... stupid... duck...

"That's it!"

[its_possible]

"What's it?" he asks, attempting to stare down four different statues at the same time.

Which would be much easier if he were a lizard or something.

"Can you get it?"

[unglitched]

It's crazy, but it just might work.

"Cross your fingers..."

Vanellope pulls out the duck again, holds up the bathtub plug end, and slots it into the recess in the door.

click

The door opens of its own accord, the rubber duck still attached.

[its_possible]

Thank whatever gods there might be in this place, they've got a way to escape the statues.

The door closes behind them, locking the statues securely on the other side... and as it does, the lights come on. Blindingly bright lights.

Uther blinks a few times, trying to adjust to the sudden change.