Test Drive #14 : Shall We Play a Game?

[solravehmods]

The cold has begun to ebb from around the castle, though not enough to banish all of the snow and ice that lingers outside. The permeating darkness has also seemed to let up enough for things to not be nearly as dangerous as they have been beyond the safe areas. All in in all it feels as though there's a breath of "normal" on the wind that might let the heroes breathe, at least for a short time until the next dangers come crawling out of the proverbial wood work.

There is still something odd going on, though.

In the altar room a little girl is standing at the center to greet the new arrivals. Is she a stand in for Ozuma, or something else entirely?

Upon approach she smiles calmly, cutely even, and while you may feel a low key sense of dread for reasons you can't explain she does seem to be the only person that might have some idea of what's going on.

Hands behind her back, short curly pigtails bouncing as she rocks on her heels, she looks at you with an excited glint in her vibrant eyes.

"Do you want to play a game with me?"

Say no, and she'll pout visibly, but surprisingly nothing terrible seems to come of it. She lets you go without protest, fully admitting that she'll simply ask someone else. Whatever worry one might have had over refusing such a request from an oddly placed child in this situation melts away and you are free to move on to the rest of the castle to get your bearings. You may even find Ozuma somewhere near by.

Say yes, however, and she'll grin even wider, holding up a strange looking coin. It's old and tarnished, with engravings and embellishments that would likely make very little sense to anyone.

"Okay! I've left ten of these coins all around! Find them fast and bring them to me!"

How fast?

A thoughtful hum.

"Twenty minutes? That's long enough, right?"

What happens if I fail?

A giggle, a wink, finger to lips.

"You don't want to fail, do you? Besides, it's just a game!"

So.

Do you really want to play this game?