The butler walked through the hallway with a rigid flow, his sharp gaze fixed on the path ahead and never veering to the side for even a moment. His lips were sealed tightly shut, only parting to answer questions when addressed.
Amphi followed the butler, followed closely by Ambrose, trailing behind him as they entered the grand hotel. It was a stunning homage to historical European Architecture. Its towering spires and intricate stonework cast an imposing shadow over the island. It stood as the sole structure on the entire island, dominating the landscape and visible from afar, making it a unique landmark amidst the surrounding sea.
The butler guided them through an endless hallway, lined with heavy wooden doors spaced ten feet apart, each one steeped with an air of mystery. His voice echoed softly yet clearly against the polished marble walls. "These are your accommodations. While your room numbers were previously communicated, should you wish to confirm your assignments, I can escort you to the front desk for verification."
Unsurprisingly, the NPCs quickly dispersed into their designated rooms, leaving only the players standing together, exchanging uncertain glances as the silence enveloped them.
Eager for exploration, Amphi was more than happy to accompany the butler to the front desk. Meanwhile, Ambrose anxiously surveyed their surroundings.
"Should we really follow him?" He whispered, apprehension lacing his voice. "Nothing has happened so far but…"
"Well, obviously we'll live." Amphi replied, his tone excited.
"What if they try to kill us?"
"No, they wouldn't" — Amphi crossed his hands, his expression growing annoyed — "do I really need to explain something so simple?"
Ambrose stared wearily, feeling both offended and frustrated.
"Sigh," he rubbed his bangs as if he'd resigned himself to an annoying task, replying with a monotone voice, "if they intended to kill us upfront, they wouldn't take such a roundabout way to do so."
"But you heard the voice; what if this is just a ruse in order to sabotage us before the three days?" He argued, his voice a light whisper despite his frustration in order to not alarm the crowd once more.
Amphi looked at him with furrowed brows. "So? What, you want to wait out here without a room and hope whatever greets us at night in the open is only there for a kiss hello?"
"No, but…" His voice trailed off.
"I noticed that all the NPCs knew their rooms and were given a key prior to arriving here. However, the players had no idea, nor were there any keys on our persons. That means whoever set this up intended for us to seek it. Have you wondered why?" He continued.
Ambrose's eyes widened as he took in his words, his hands instinctively reached his pockets to make sure there was no key, but just as Amphi stated: there was no key.
"Don't waste your time," he said, shaking his head, "I've checked, none of us should have a key on us."
"Back to the original topic, don't you find it odd? Why would they not give us the keys?"
"... To weed out the players?" Ambrose blurted with confusion, his head tilted to the side.
"This is why you need me, sigh." He shook his head, a confident smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "No. That's a stupid assumption. The faces of the NPCs go blank the moment we fail a quest, and many other instances point to them being already aware of our identities as players. It would be a useless endeavor if that were their intention."
Ambrose wore a conflicted expression, torn between understanding and confusion. "I'm not stupid, you just keep asking me so I'm throwing all my assumptions–"
"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, this leads me to believe that–The reason we weren't given our keys is undoubtedly a carefully orchestrated opportunity for us, the players alone, to seek out clues. They've set the stage like a game, so let's treat it as one. If entertainment is what they seek, we should give it to them."
"Ah, I guess that would make sense, it does feel like a horror movie.." He replied, his anxious demeanor not at all softening. "Are you by chance the mastermind..?"
After a while of back and forth, they followed behind the butler, who led them to a brightly lit desk adorned with exquisite golden carvings.
"Are there other desks like this?" Amphi asked, pulling out his notebook.
"Yes, sir. There's another outside on the beach that you can visit tomorrow. It provides a general map of the outside area, assists with lost-and-found inquiries, and supports you in any challenges you may face outside." The butler informed as he turned to Amphi.
"The desk in front of us deals with room assignments and any issues related to your accommodations," He said, gesturing towards a woman behind the desk, her professional smile radiating warmth. "If you have any complaints, you may use the phone beside your bed to reach her for assistance."
"Lastly, the main front desk: We skipped it when you arrived, since you, our esteemed guests do not need to check in the normal way. It can provide broader general information or connect you with someone who can help."
"Hm," Amphi smirked triumphantly, his gaze lingering on Ambrose for a second as if to say, 'See! I told you this was an opportunity!' Meanwhile, his hands jotted down every detail in the notebook. In his mind, the butler transformed from a mere guide to a potentially invaluable information dealer.
Ambrose looked on, his earlier apprehension melting away into relief as he recognized this, in fact, was not a trap, but an opportunity to gather essential information. Though the cheekiness from Amphi did make him want to keep denying out of pure spite.
"Is there a map of the area inside, mister?" Amphi inquired eagerly.
"You may request one from the receptionist when it's your turn." The butler replied, encouraging them to approach.
The first person to step forward was a woman, then followed by Amphi and Ambrose. Behind them, a line began to form, including the impostor and various others.
"Your room is 204!" The receptionist announced brightly to the woman, who thanked her before stepping aside.
"Your room is 409," she said with a smile, handing Amphi the key. He rubbed the rough edges thoughtfully, noticing that the room number did not align with the number on his skin.
"Hellooo, can I have a map?" Amphi asked the receptionist eagerly.
"Of course, sir." She replied, her voice cheerful yet mechanical. She bent slightly, retrieving a giant folded paper, and handed it to Amphi.
After receiving the map, Amphi stepped aside to examine it more closely. The receptionist continued to dispense keys to the remaining guests, her demeanor unfazed despite the large crowd before her.
"My room is 205…" Ambrose fretted, glancing at the key he just received with discontent. "I have no idea where it is, but it's certainly far from yours."
"Why do you want to be close to me?" Amphi slipped, his brows furrowed as he swallowed his discomfort. He quickly covered up his irritation with a teasing smile and took a deliberate step back. "Don't tell me.. You've fallen for me.."
"What?! Absolutely not!" Ambrose exclaimed, his hands waving wildly in flustered protest. "No, of course not!"
"I know it can't be helped but, please, keep those eyes off me," Amphi said, his expression serious and measured. Internally, however, he couldn't help but cackle at the panic on Ambrose's face.. "I know I am brilliant and undeniably cute, but there are limits."
"My intentions are completely innocent! You're way too annoying for that! But, even though you're annoying, being around you is comforting—" He struggled to clarify his stance but halted abruptly as he caught a glimpse of a subtle smile tugging at the corners of Amphi's lips.
His expression shifted, lips pressed tightly together as he re-evaluated the entire scenario where he danced to Amphi's taunts. "Oh, my god. You..!"
"Pfft—" Amphi let out a mocking laugh, his gaze fixed on him with a teasing expression. "Are you really that stupid?"
"Hey—" Ambrose shot back, pointing an accusatory finger at him, "I'm just trying to get along!"
"Sure, sure, haha, if I'm so annoying, then you should go find someone else!" he retorted playfully, turning his back to Ambrose while striding purposefully toward the hallway leading to the doors.
"Wait—" Ambrose called out as he reached out in vain for Amphi, but he was already too swift. The awkwardness of the situation kept him from sprinting after Amphi, especially since he hadn't the slightest clue where their rooms were. He figured Amphi had probably already deduced where he needed to go.
"Ugh, he's so annoying!" Ambrose shouted under his breath, frustration knitting his brows together. "Ugh, I really want to chase after him, though. Why is he so difficult?"
"No, no, wait." He paused her line of thinking. "Why am I being so desperate? If you consider everything, he's been annoyingly cocky. He's constantly looking down on me, teasing me, and he just has a really punchable face. Also, we literally just met."
"But.." He grumbled. "I have this really bad gut feeling to follow him, but why him? He's so difficult."
"It's not like I want to chase after you, okay! It's not my fault my gut has never been wrong in all 18 years of my life!"
"But, why is he so rude, it's not like I did anything wrong," He muttered, but doubt crowded his thoughts. "Well, there was that one time I called him a child, but I gave him candy, and he forgave me—so it has to be his own fault! Maybe he just doesn't like people...!"
With each passing thought, he spiraled deeper into overthinking territory, shifting from self-blame to placing fault elsewhere. "I shouldn't care– but, if I really did something wrong, I want to make up for it–'
Suddenly, a deep masculine voice echoed from behind him, causing his sharp eyes to narrow as he yanked his head to the source.
__
__
"What the hell, why's he so eager to stick around? That's suspicious." Amphi grumbled, rubbing his arms that were growing cold. "He'll get tired soon, though. Just another leech."
He walked along the pristine red carpet, the soft fibers cushioning each step he took. As he rounded the corner, he noticed the faint trail of mud he had deliberately left earlier, a breadcrumb for himself. Pitifully, it was rendered useless by the existence of the map.
Instead of retracing his steps back to the rooms, his curiosity compelled him to explore further down the hall, his gaze fixated on the map clutched in his hand.
As he scanned his surroundings, a glint caught his eye—a sleek elevator nestled around the corner. "That's odd," he murmured, pondering why they had chosen the stairs instead of utilizing the readily available elevator. "Or— Maybe I'm overthinking this. I've been on edge because of this shit. It could be just because of the large number of people."
With light, deliberate steps, he approached the elevator and pressed the button. It emitted a soft ding, and an arrow illuminated on the panel, indicating it was preparing to descend. Amphi took note of the fact that the elevator's display did not show which floor it was currently on.
With another pleasant ding, the doors slid open, revealing a clean, reflective interior typical of classic elevators. Amphi stepped inside, careful to keep his foot planted on the door to prevent it from closing prematurely. He had no desire to discover whether the elevator was a potential trap.
He examined the buttons lining the side of the elevator. A large digital screen mounted above them briefly illuminated the floor number, and below it were rows of buttons going from 'G' to '4'.
"G," he said, recalling that this should signify the ground floor. On the prior floor, he recalled rooms sporting the prefix '10X,' meaning he should find his room situated on the fourth floor.
'Hm, there is no basement,' He thought, his fingers sliding on the cold metal of the buttons, 'That, or the basement has another entrance.'
After examining everything and noting it all down, he paused to weigh his options. He hesitated for a bit before deciding against taking the elevator and instead stepped back out, continuing his exploration through the winding hallways.
He encountered windows and splendid decorative features, but found almost all the doors were locked, and the number of cameras prevented him from breaking in to see what was inside.
After a thorough investigation, he retraced his steps back to the staircase, ascending toward the first floor. The first room there began at '101' and ended with '110.' This pattern continued similarly across the other floors.
Finally arriving at the fourth floor, he followed the outline of the doors until he reached his designated room: '409.'
From his pocket, he retrieved his room keys, rubbing the hard edge of the keychain for reassurance before inserting the key into the lock. The key slid in effortlessly, and with a twist, the door opened with a satisfying click, unveiling a spacious one-bedroom apartment filled with exquisite, castle-like decor.
"A chandelier, too? Talk about showing off wealth," he remarked sarcastically.
He hummed a soft tune to himself, his gaze fixated on the delicate brass key in his palm. With a mix of curiosity and suspicion, he turned his attention toward the hallway leading to the other rooms. Taking a measured step, he approached room 408, the key glinting in the dim light as he carefully inserted it into the keyhole. To his satisfaction, it fit flawlessly. With a gentle twist, the lock clicked open, and the door swung wide to reveal an interior strikingly similar to his own.
"What? Seriously? In this day and age?" he scoffed, a smirk tugging at the edge of his lips. "I should really sue this place for safety concerns!"
After joking to an empty crowd, he made his way down to the third floor, each step echoing softly against the tiled ground. He approached room 301, clutching the key with a knowing look. Just as before, he slid it into the keyhole, turned it with a click, and the door creaked open, granting him access.
He smirked at his new find; however, he was interrupted by the sudden sound of chatter echoing through the corridor. Alarmed, he swiftly locked the doors behind him and hurried back to his room.
After entering, he ensured it was securely closed before he took a breath of relief.
Amphi glanced around the room more thoroughly this time, noting the imposing bookshelves that lined the walls, filled to the brim with a plethora of books in varying colors and sizes. Yet, none captured his attention; they were all classics he had little desire to wade through at the moment.
His eyes were drawn irresistibly to the desk, positioned next to a large window that offered a grim view of the island beyond, where the dark sky draped the land in the cloth of its shadow. The desk, crafted from aged wood, had a beautifully chaotic arrangement of items spread out across its surface.
It was an ideal setup for a detective.
He inspected every nook and cranny—the corners, the high ceilings, even beneath the mattresses—searching for anything out of place. But nothing surprising was found, no hidden cameras or secret compartments. Just an ordinary resort room. The sole intriguing discovery was a piece of luggage marked with the same number on his neck, which sat on the edge of the bed, as if whispering for him to open.
Eagerly, he opened it to find a collection of clothing that was far more similar to his taste compared to what he was currently wearing. Among the contents, he spotted a spacious handbag that spoke to his taste, making it impossible not to wear.
After some time spent sifting through the suitcase, he selected a few articles of clothing, ready for a different, more 'messier' look. Just as he was about to begin, a series of firm knocks broke the relative silence.
*Knock, knock.*
He hesitated, allowing a few seconds to pass for the visitor to announce themselves, but silence reigned in response. Cautiously, he padded toward the door, pressing his ear against the cool wood, straining to catch any sounds, breaths, or whispers that might betray the identity of the person outside. However, the door's robust soundproofing thwarted his attempts to hear anything discreetly.
A shiver of anxiety raced down his spine as a thought crossed his mind: 'Have the others returned?' It was impossible to tell, given how well the walls muffled outside noise.
*Knock, knock.*
The knocking persisted, more insistent this time. As tension coiled within him, he waited, heart pounding. Finally, with a steadying breath, he inquired loudly enough for the unseen visitor to hear, "Who's there?"