The Enchanted Maze Spring Ball '23

Roleplaying as Maila Aurora Laine

^{•Date• 21 April 2023
•Location• Hogwarts, Grounds}

+Red Converse

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• • • •Finnish •Swedish •Russian •English • • •

•Word Count• 690 •| Valentin Schnell | Ginyami Midorimori | Vyacheslav Aleksandrovich Preobrazhensky | Romeo Giovanni Marchonné | Amina Petrovic | @Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood • @Piérre Marchonné • @Ileen Knight • @Jack Burnett • @Ruby Cazares •|• Open to Interactions |•

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OOC Note: I'm incredibly sorry if I missed anything, please let me know if I did and I'll edit that! Also, I'm super sorry that this took me so long!

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The sun was setting lower and lower as the group still stood before the maze. As they talked, Maila's thoughts wandered off to the Banquet itself. It would surely be fun and she wondered what they had thought of to make the night unforgettable. As more friends of Valentin arrived, Maila turned her attention back there. Vyacheslav, or Slava, who's entrance had been accompanied by red glitter, shook her hand enthusiastically as she extended it and returned her greeting. He seemed like a happy, good spirited person and fun to talk to. Romeo was the next to join, he also seemed incredibly nice. The last to join them was Amina, a red haired girl that had left the whole group in surprise with a kiss on the captains mouth. When the situation had eased a bit, Maila returned Amina's high five with a bright smile and listened to the group talk. There wasn't much she could say to any of this, as she did not know any of these people other than Valentin. They all seemed to have been friends for quite some time and while she enjoyed just listening, Maila did not want to interrupt. She raised her eyebrows and had to contain a giggle when Romeo made a comparison between a tribble and Valentin. In Star Trek, those little balls of fur were described as a small, furry, gentle, cute but slow-moving and lovable species. That description surely fit in some ways but Maila wouldn't go as far as saying that Valentin was small, furry or slow moving. Still, the remark was quite funny. The banter, including the discussion of crushes went on for a little before they finally decided to move into the maze. Maila stayed at the back of the group for a little while before she saw Valentin waving at her, to come up to him and Romeo. She walked up beside him and smiled gratefully as she took the arm he extended to her. The beautiful flowers he has conjured were still in her left hand. Maila was extremely unsure if she should have done that, as the feelings in this group seemed extremely mixed at this very moment but she tried to push those thoughts aside. In all honesty, Maila was not listening to anything going on around her. She looked around at the pretty flowers as the sun slowly set above the walls of Hogwarts. Romeo and Valentin talked and Maila did pick up some things but she did not want to intrude in their seemingly privat conversation. The sun had now set and Maila could only make out a bit of light left above the walls of Hogwarts. She felt a light breeze pull on her curls as they walked through the maze. It was a beautiful sunset mixed with the darkness and she almost stopped walking as her eyes fixated onto the stars that were starting to bloom on the night sky but in the next moment a loud scream did make her stop in her tracks. "DON'T HURT ME!" Maila's heart started beating harder in her chest and she almost took a unsure step backwards before Valentin pulled her to his left side. While Valentin was now on her right, Ginyami, the Japanese Mahoutokoro Student, was on her left. Maila pulled out her wand in no time, positioning herself in a defensive posture and letting her eyes search every inch of what she could see. In the muggle world she would have used her fists instead of a wand but this was different. This was the wizarding world, this was Hogwarts. Mysterious things happened here, bad things. There was silence. Then Maila spoke up in a whisper. „Maybe, whatever that was, is just a student lost in the maze?” she asked, her heart beating fast. Her eyebrows furrowed as Amina spoke about the maze.. talking? Plants could not talk? Sure, Maila did not grow up in the wizarding world and definitely did not have as much knowledge of anything involving it, as the group she was with had, but surely she would have heard of talking plants, right?

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Actions: Entering Maze, lost in thoughts, thinking the whole situation is a bit weird
Moderated Actions: none
Stats: × Stamina: 7 × Evasion: 8 × Strength: 1 × Wisdom: 8 × Arcane Power: 1 × Accuracy: 10 ×
Abilities: The Martial Artist
Inventory: Wand

Post Tracker: 1 | 2 | 3

⦾ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 ⦾

None

's Grace in Effect

Soft boots silently pounding the ground as leaves fluttered behind him, translucent blue wings carefully tracing the breeze behind him as the boy seemed to almost float was he went along his way, Piérre rejoined the actually interesting part of the festival (at least in his opinion, anyways). He now had a small arsenal on him of fruit and a strange crystal potion that he had found at the banquet, as well as little odds and ends like pebbles and beanbags that he had stolen from the games part of the celebration. These he planned to use against the collection of students that included his brother and the elusive hell-chasing seeker that Piérre simultaneously knew so much and so little about. He had certainly learned more about the boy over the course of this year, though he had made most of his observations based solely on what few interactions that he had seen between his brother and Valentin. Such sparse interactions were likely the source of many errors in the course of his judgements concerning the exact relationship between his brother and the boy, but since when had Piérre ever done anything to go out of his way to confirm or deny a hunch?

He much preferred to act on what he knew in the moment no matter how flawed or how quickly he jumped to conclusions. The only way that he would be able to determine more, naturally, would be to relocate the group and to observe the interactions among them further...

To do that, though, he first had to find them. And the one that would likely know the direction to them would be none other than Piérre's favorite little familiar, Figaro. The loyal familiar had been lingering just out of sight and just out of mind of the group that he had been commanded to follow by Piérre himself, sniffing at the things that were left behind, and following wherever Valentin and Romeo in particular went by merit of the command that had been given to him by his beloved human brother.

Shifting his equipment a bit as Piérre began to renavigate the maze once again, the boy pulled over his shoulder the mandolin that had been secured to his back via a leather strap. With a small hum and a testing stroke of the strings with his left hand's fingertips, Piérre nodded at the tuning. It wasn't perfect, it was obvious that it had been muffed a little bit simply by merit of time and by the jostling of the boy as he performed his high energy maneuvers throughout the course of the week, but the tone of it was still highly pleasant as he started to practice a few of the more pleasant major chords he could recall off the bat before then quickly transitioning into the minor key and trying to recall but one of the many songs that he had been working hard to bash into his memories so that he could pull them out of a hat and play them on command for a party trick (not that he really went to parties that frequently, truthfully the Narrator here says such a thing to imply that while Piérre is not a 'partying' sort of fellow, he does get a kick out of entertaining others as if he were at a party). This one involved several difficult trills while trying to maintain a backbone of a beat in the process, something that the boy's thin fingers strangely found quite simple to do, especially when it came to the pizzicato that came directly after such trills.

Come Back to Sorrento:

There had been a few recreations of this song in particular, ranging from modern renditions all the way to Dean Martin and the original songwriter in 1902 that had composed this song with the help of his brother (who had written the lyrics). It had been through many renditions, many lyrics; but the one that Piérre remembered the best were the ones that had been sung by Connie Francis. Admittedly, the mandolin part that he knew didn't perfectly align with the lyrics that had been sung by her, but he was willing to at least try to hum the melody even if he couldn't make the words match up.

With the melody of the mandolin now joining in with the whispers of the maze, Piérre began to wander slowly; just fast enough to make a good progress, but just slow enough that if Figaro was close by his cat would hear him. With a small melodic hum to his words, Piérre began to call to his familiar to the maze; calmly and just loud enough to let his voice be carried through the atmosphere. "Fiiiiigarooo!" Came the tenor voice with a slight tremolo in the extended vowels. "Figarooo! Venire! Come!" He called to his beloved silver cat.

If Figaro could hear him, the feline would immediately perk up and listen once more for the command to make sure that it had indeed been his dearest human brother. "Fiiigaroooo! Venireeee! Come!" Would come Piérre's call.

Being a quite clever feline, Figaro would not hesitate to immediately bound away from the group that he had once been following in pursuit of trying to locate Piérre instead and to reunite with his master. No doubt Piérre would want the feline to recall its path so that he himself could rediscover the moving troupe, so the cat tried its best to remember the path it took to return to its brother; the most direct path it could. Piérre needed him, after all. Figaro could not disappoint his dearest, not for all the cat treats in the world. As the feline went about, the mystical sound of the mandolin began to flutter in the air, further assisting Figaro in his pursuit to aurally locate his eccentric master for the cat did indeed know the signature sound of the Czeckolsolvakian mandolin that Piérre was known to carry and practice upon.

Action: Enter the Maze from the Banquet | Trying to Call Figaro
Beast Master: Trying to Find Piérre

Reducio

Statistics:

Stamina 7 | Strength 5 | Evasion 15
Wisdom 10 | Accuracy 14 | ArcPower 5

Abilities:

Keen Eye | Calming Presence | Beast Master (Cat) | 's Grace

Inventory:

Holstered Yew and Snallygaster Wand | Deck of Playing Cards | Figaro | Mandolin
Locksmith's Knife | Gentleman's Slapping Gloves
1 Firebreathing Potion | 1 Turbo Farts Potion

Outfit

Reducio

Thought | Said

Zach, the introverted boy, stood in front of the Enchanted Maze wearing his suit. He didn't even believe that he would go to the ball with someone. His hands became wet with nervousness when he saw some students who looked charming in their dresses and suits. The crowd made him somewhat uncomfortable. "Should I make an excuse to go back to the dormitory?" Zach thought. But then he realized that it was rude to turn down the invitation that he had agreed to before.

The girl he was waiting for had arrived and greeted him. She had pale blue hair and eyes, and was wearing kind of makeup that made her look more beautiful than usual. "Uhm, thanks, Cassie. You look great too," said Zach. Cassie asked him to enter the Enchanted Maze and mentioned Ravenclaw in a maze. Zach nodded and responded, "Yeah, maybe. I-I mean," Zach paused for a bit as he realized he was starting to blurt out again, but he always believed that he should finish his words that he had started so other people wouldn't be upset because of the words they couldn't hear. "The maze is mainly about memory and luck. And I think anyone could finish it if they have a strong memory or very good luck," Zach smiled awkwardly. He just hoped that Cassie wouldn't hate him because of his answer. Then, they started going in together.

She looked as energetic and enthusiastic as usual while talking, and Zach enjoyed listening to her. Sometimes Zach noticed her hands holding gloves together. While they were walking, she mentioned that she would participate in the Knights Tourney at the end of the Maze. Zach nodded in response and said, "I see. I wish you good luck and stay safe, Cassie. I'll wait at the Banquet," and smiled at her. "She's such an interesting person with so much energy and enthusiasm," Zach thought..

Interacting with: @Cassie Jiang
Action: Entering the Maze

@Opeila Winters aka Theodore Duncain

Theo laughed and Dee smiled, pleased with the reaction. She'd always enjoyed making new acquaintances, and lately, everything around Hogwarts felt like more of the same. Not that she didn't appreciate her friends, but there was a thrill in getting to know someone new, especially if they clicked as naturally as Theo and Dee seemed to be doing. "Not really," she replied, shrugging. "But I've always thought that if someone gets bored a lot, it probably just means they're boring themselves. If adventures don't find you, make your own, you know?" Depending on who you asked, people likely wished for a little more boredom. For Dee it was more... wishing for a different kind of excitement, maybe. Sometimes. She'd be lying if she claimed she didn't like being in the middle of things.

Her eyebrows quirked in amusement as Theo dismissed the idea of Hinkypunks, instead offering animated cloaks as a real threat. Or adventure. She wasn't quite sure. "Noted, will avoid spooky old cloaks that aren't mine," she replied, holding a straight face for as long as she could before the grin slipped back onto her face, which admittedly wasn't very long. "Never heard of those, but magical creatures aren't really my forte. They do sound more fun than Hinkypunks. I'm sure we could take them, though, eh?" Along with anything else, monster or shadow, that the maze could throw at them. They had the right attitude for it, at least.

"I'll hold you to it," she promised, amusement dancing in her eyes. "If we don't have a great time, I want my money back." What money, you might ask? ... Don't question it. Delight lit up her face when Theo turned her words around on her. This was exactly the kind of banter she enjoyed, clever and quick, picking up on what the other said and making it work for you. "So you're saying you need me? Don't worry, I'll keep you safe from Hinkypunks or sinister cloaks. Maybe I'll even slay some dragons along the way."

A surprised giggle rose in her throat at the idea of running around the maze with garlic. They'd be sure to scare some of the kids rather than lurking vampires, but even that sounded fun. There was something simple about talking to Theo, an ease to the way they fell into step with each other, that Dee hadn't felt in a while. No dark memories, worries about hags or curses clouding the experience. She watched curiously as he went to retrieve two flowers, then stopped, surprise holding her still when he attached one of them to her hair, the loose braids providing plenty of opportunity to hold flowers. Touching her hand to the blossom, she grinned. "Ah, yes, I feel much safer already. The might of my bee protectors is flowing through my veins." She wriggled her fingers at him. "We should reward them with some honey when they have conveyed us safely through the dangers of the maze, what do you think?"

Skipping a few steps forwards, she then twirled around to face Theo. "Well then, dear knight, onwards to adventure and glory!"

Action | Hunting monsters in the maze

Sta 7 | Eva 13 | Str 3 | Wis 12 | Arc 8 | Acc 12
Evasive Maneuvers | Charmer | Perfectionist | Spell Spread

“Well excuse-” he stumbled and paused, squinting at the others teasing and as if in revenge, leaned all his weight into the others side making the 2 sway with the sudden weight. Dangerously close to a hedge they’d have barely stopped in time, Elsian wrapping an arm around Dori to stop them from possibly tumbling and taking him down with them with snickering laughter filling the calm air around them. “Well excuuuse me your excellency,” he sassed, voice shaking with laughter as they stumbled over their own feet, “but I might have slept through the route planning~” A teasing tone, but whether or not he was telling the truth or bluffing…well, even he couldn’t be totally sure he hadn’t slept through at least some of the details.

Even if he had, he wouldn’t change a thing in risking how things had turned out. Not if it changed any of what had happened so far. Them being late, the gift Dori had given, hell, even Kitty attacking one of his moth pins. Even if the rest of the night didn’t go well, even if his feet hurt at the end of the night or things went bad he knew this- right now… This moment where he could see the blush spread across Dorion's cheeks, coat ruffling on the breeze that made his heart twistin a way he wasn’t used to… The matching pin to the one he wore, surrounded by this secret garden looking handsome and magical and perfect; it made anything that happened worth it. Maybe he was greedy, selfish for the pride that bloomed in his chest at the sight.

The heart pin, stuck to the right side of his shirt, heavy and comforting. A heaviness that didn’t match its size, all in his head.

Blue and gold like the clear sky, the colors just like Dori’s coat. Pinks and greens and yellows, they all looked wonderful around the other. Creampuff was made for places like this, but the colorful blues and elegant whites of the nearby flowers were especially eye-catching. Enough to the point the sleepy lion simply couldn’t stop from getting lost in the sight, lazy and content to simply enjoy the small breeze that whipped by and up into the darkening, colorful sky. “I-”

He was always content when the other was around and that was what tended to be his downfall as he finally focused when the others hand drew near, warm fingers brushing against his hair. Flower carefully curled behind his ear and Elsian wondered distantly if they could hear how his heart had jumped in his chest.


The boy looked slightly startled for a split second before it melted into a flustered look. Unbalanced, he was unbalanced and had the small blush blooming across his face to show it despite the unwavering fondness fluttering in his chest.

Matching. Matching. Matching.

Flustered he ducked his head even as he teased and joked, the back of his hand pressed to his lips as he danced away following after the little mushroom.

Of course they matched. Dates should match for events; the tiny heart Dorion had gifted them a small but shining example. What was a flower on top of that?

Back pressed against the hedge wall and willing away the blush just out of sight, he realized it was a lot more. “Of course,” he started, sounding far more brave than he felt. His hand sticking out from behind his wall of hedge as the other finally dropped from his face, touching the flower behind his ear and then dropping. “Delicate flowers gotta match his date!”

“This way,” he joked, pitching his voice again as he showed himself and wiggled his fingers at the other goofily, “yes Creampuff, this way, follow us for we know aaaaalllll.” A drawl, voice going lighter as he slipped behind again, hand and fingers still wiggling as the arm slowly disappeared out of view. As mockery as if he was getting further away when Dorion played along.

A small jog would be all it took however before they turned the corner. They’d find Elsian wearing a grin, still shaking his hand at them dramatically before finally dropping with a tiny laugh.


“Alright alright, only the best of refreshments for your highness,” he gave their hand a squeeze as they walked after the little mushroom; a promise,“c’mon, I think I know how to escape sir Creampuff~”

¤ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 ¤

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Nec Temere, Nec Timide. Durmstrang Institute's

Romeo Giovanni Marchonné [6'6" | 198lbs]

"English." "Italiano. Italian." "Russian."

| Faint Scar on Left Eye & Mangled Right Ear | \ Fingerless Glove on Right Hand, Bite Scar on Forearm / | Lichtenberg Figure on Right Arm and Down Back |

Valentin Schnell, Ginyami Midorimori, Maila Aurora Laine, Slava Preobrazhensky & Amina Petrovic
@Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood, @Jack Burnett,@Beatrice Dupont, @Ruby Cazares & @Ileen Knight

Valentin helped to guide me away from a tripping hazard as he began to spill his inner thoughts to me. How many times had we spoken together before, with so many thoughts and so many confessions on Val's behalf to me-- confessions that I was admittedly frightened to acknowledge during that time in my life--, and yet I felt that there had somehow been such a disconnection between myself and Valentin in a way that while not physical or rational was still present. Almost a gossamer veil that impeded sight, though the vague outlines of the inner feeling was still present and abstractly able to be detected and interpreted. Perhaps I was denser than most, perhaps I did have so little social awareness and the ability to read the emotions of the ones that I cared for most. I suppose I wasn't used to trying to connect on the emotional level; I was more concerned about ensuring that my brother was able to get through the next day of school without getting slammed into the lockers or being forced to eat dirt. What came afterwards was something always highly personal to Piérre... he never really talked to me about it other than joking about it to the extreme. He never really confided in me in the emotional sense... So...

This was new and very strange to me.

I could not say anything about knowing anything about 'a murderer wearing the face of my father'; such a thing seemed so outlandish at face value that I didn't think I was able to quantify such a thing without at least sounding a little more than paranoid or otherwise neurotic about being surrounded by people that could be out to get me. But, for Valentin as of late, this was a valid fear. It was a fear that I did not want him to have, not under any condition, but it was a fear that I would not allow to harm him if I could continue to help it. We had come out of the situation... mostly intact, after all. "Valentin... I'm just happy that we all came back alive." I reassured him. "I-" I paused, trying to find the right words. "If something like that had happened to me... I would not have done anything different than you. Perhaps it would have been a different leverage, say Piérre or you... but..." My eyes flicked away. "You did what you thought to be the only thing to do in that situation. And my notebook... that's replaceable. I could have easily... well, not easily... but I would have rewritten everything down in it if I really wanted to."

Holding on to the love meant for another... "If someone really loved you, they wouldn't care about what you could give them materially." I shared openly. "Or at least, they shouldn't. Your presence alone, the light you give them just by being there; by finding that deepest pool of unity. The knowledge that one day, no matter what, in sickness and in health; in sorrow and in joy; two fleshes become one..." I couldn't help but hear my heart pound in my chest a little harder at my own words. "A sacred unity, one that no power in Hell or scheme of man could ever dream to break." And with it, of course, came the joy of raising children... A joy that Eleanor and Carlos... well... that they had partially had, anyways...

Val's outburst, however, caused my eyes to flick back to his hastily with a widened look and a slightly dropped jaw before my look softened again and I shook my head. "What Amina did was childish, I will agree to that." I tried to reassure Valentin to the best of my ability. "But you haven't failed us... well, at least you haven't failed me." I smiled. "If anything, I think I have more right to be upset than you; I would have failed you if you had dared to die on me... Again." I closed my eyes for a moment as a flash of lightning sang in my mind's eye; blinding and brilliant, the moment that I had extended unknowing fingertips towards that bolt of blue, with a cry as if to deter the wrath of God. As if I, somehow, could stand against the wrath of His nature, impetuous mortal I was.

I still didn't remember much after that moment... all I remembered was white. White pain. Getting to my knees, staggering up that hill; trying desperately to find shelter, to get back to the castle so I could find Valentin... make sure that somehow he would be alright.

My guiding right hand, the one holding the lantern steady... this was the one that had touched the singing electricity first, and that was what had created such a marking of its mastery over me. "Valya." I interrupted him as he began to spiral into what I sensed to be an emotional break. "Don't you understand that we're given the things we are given for a reason?" I asked him, quite seriously. "It's not just fate, I don't think, the fact that we were given the cards we hold. If I wasn't a vagabond, if my parents did not travel, I would not be here. Would not be here to share this moment, these memories. Can you imagine? I would have ended up at Beauxbatons or something. Gross, right?" I offered a crooked smile before it faded again. "You have your gifts, your wealth, for a reason. You seem to know the reason why, at least in part... but I don't think it's an accident that you feel this way." Things worked in Mysterious ways. "You feel for the world for a reason. You feel all these things for a reason. That's why. Discover why." I was a defender... because I knew that there were those weaker than me. Because when I was small, I could never have known how big I would grow up to be... The things that I would have to protect those I loved most from. That I would have to find loved ones in new, strange places which in and of themselves required so much strength to overcome the initial fear of.

Those first few months at Durmstrang had not necessarily been kind, but I had a terrible habit of being a quick teach.

As we formed ourselves into a defensive stature, Ginyami decided to join in with me and Val and created thusly our strange triad of persons. I had respect for him, after what he had done, but that didn't prevent me from being miffed as he shot an under the belt blow at my quick urge for action and defense of Valentin. I didn't seem to hear Valentin complain, however, as he took a similarly defensive stance to my back and covering my most obvious blind spot. Of course; he had worked in tandem frequently before. Now was most certainly no different. Feeling my lip curl ever so slightly like the nickname that Valentin referred to me by, I growled a response to Ginyami. "Is this really the time for underhanded comments, Mori?" I quipped back, affirming my posture as defensive and reflexive. "It's called teamwork. You should be familiar with it, I hope; you are on the Mahoutakoro team, after all. Suffered a few casualties that day, didn't you. Maybe your teamwork could withstand some improvements if you can... keep your heads above water." I narrowed my eyes for a moment, not even caring to make eye contact with the boy as my voice came off with a low, monotone rumble to it.

A game of low blows, have you? Try this one on for size.

"Would be a boon if you were paired off against Durmstrang in the next match; surely you'd prefer to be in hot water as opposed to icing off in the Great Lake." I spat, continuing to scan my surroundings. "We'd be more than happy to help you knock off some ice."

It was not because Valentin was weak. I had plenty of faith in my captain; I knew of his fortitude, his sheer strength of willpower in the face of adversity. He had demonstrated it to me over and over again, time in and time out as he refused to die no matter how high the odds were that were stacked up against him. It was not because Valentin was weak. It was never a matter of quantitative weakness. It was because I knew that two strengths together--even if mediocre in quality--were more powerful than any strength alone. Valentin was strong... I liked to think I was strong.

We had proven before, and we would continue to prove moving forward, that together we were so much stronger than we were apart. In combat, in strategy...

And that was something that could not be easily claimed nor picked up like a party trick.

So continue to scan I did; making sure that there was for certain nothing coming our way, even as Amina claimed that perhaps it was the maze. Certainly there could be some merit to her words; the maze did seem magically inclined, but just how magically inclined I had to wonder. "Yes, but what kind of magic is prompting this, do you think?" I asked of Amina. "Better to be safe rather than sorry, if you ask me." Ah yes, highly defensive, especially after that fall ball incident. It was a marvel as to why, I'm sure. At least this time my hackles were raised and I was ready to spring at a moment's notice. I didn't much relish the idea of being caught unawares again if I could help it.

Watching Amina's hand as it trailed the bush closely, I was ready to spring if something threatened any of our healths.

Action: Sassing back to Ginyami | Continuing to Scan the Perimeter

Reducio

Stats:

Ω Stamina 9 | Evasion 8 | Strength 15 Ω
Ω Accuracy 15 | Wisdom 9 | ArcPower 0 Ω

Abilities:

Ω Obnoxiously Strong | Perfectionist I | Martial Artist | Healing Sage I Ω

Inventory:

Ω Holstered [Redacted] Wand | Medicine Notebook | Enchanted Lantern Ω
Ω Peacetied Italian Longsword | Duro'd Roman Scutum Ω

Action: leave the maze