Episode 3

*Talk Page*

The Game Begins

The Light Tower says to get a Key, either the Keyholder must sever the limb themselves, or their killer must claim it when death frees it. The crowd sees Pezci's Key, and it sets off a Key hunt. Scypho is seen by a high society matron with squid bodyguards, and she orders them to go in pursuit. An evacuation is called, and everybody stops when the maelstrom arrives at the city.

## Cast of Characters

* Pezci
* Scypho
* The Mirror
* Madam Louv
* Madam's bodyguards

## Synopsis

The Light Tower continues its announcement, clarifying its latest statement.

"To receive a Key from a Keyholder, they must willingly cut off whatever appendage of theirs the Key bound itself to, or they must be killed by your hand to have their Key bind to you. So it's either consent or murder! Either way, blood must be spilled for your survival. Remember folks! This is an opportunity that only happens once in a millennia. (An ocean wave strikes the image of the Light Tower from behind, throwing spume all about.) So it's highly suggested to participate, and even more advised to win!

"**GOOD LUCK**"

The transmission abruptly ends, and hijacked screens everywhere go dark with a trailing "SHOOooo".

The glow from Pezci's Key has finally attracted the attention of the crowd as those nearest turn to look at the light. Perplexed at what the crowd is seeing, Scypho and the Mirror finally notice the glow, too. Someone in the crowd calls out that she has a Key, and a rather intense discussion begins. Scypho seems stunned at this point and acts amazed at her possession of a Key. A stern and officious police officer declares that something that valuable is too much for one person to wield, while others chime in with suggestions. One suspicious character wants to know how she found it. The officer demands to know how she got the Key, telling her to come quietly and avoid violence. Someone calls out that they don't have to kill her. Someone else worries that they have to act before the maelstrom hits. In a panic, Pezci turns and flees. A voice calls out that she's escaping, and the police officer yells that they can't let this chance get away.

Submersible watercars start honking as the mob of determined merpeople causes a traffic jam. As they rush by, Scypho complains about being crowded, carping they don't even know if it's a scam. He suddenly gets quiet when something catches his eye. Looking over the backs of the swimming mob, he spots a sharp-dressed high society merwoman being attended by a pair of squid mermen as bodyguards. Behind them is another, much sleeker looking, watercar idling in the current. Holding the equivalent of a cigarette in a long holder with tiny bubbles rising off the end, Madam Louv declares herself to be bored by the whole scene, claiming she's seen this plot like a hundred times. Now it's her turn to become quiet when she suddenly spots Scypho on the other side of the river of people. He turns away, trying to hunker down and hide his face with his jacket lapel, while the Mirror rapidly pushes out small oranges in a stream. The woman commands her bodyguards to follow him as the crowd continues to roll by in pursuit of Pezci.

An emergency alert siren sounds mournfully, and the video billboards on the surrounding buildings light up, calling for an immediate evacuation of the city. Scypho, with the Mirror still spitting out a trail of slowly sinking orange fruit, sees a report on a scrolling video news feed. He stops, looks up toward the sky and swears. The Mirror spots one of the falling fruit and sends out a mouth on a tentacle to messily eat it.

In the meantime, Pezci swims as fast as she can away from the following mob with her right hand covering her left. She stops very suddenly, hovering at the edge of a massive drop-off. Looking over the edge, she expresses an existential Dread of Depths. The police officer, leading the mob of greedy grabbers, sees this as their chance, but then everyone stops looking at Pezci, and instead looks stunned at something behind her. As a darkening shadow passes over, she twists around to get a look, and she sees a massive turbulence of swirling water, not unlike a tornado beneath the waves, and it's dredging up all manner of sunken debris. The now frightened crowd turns to flee. The police officer yells out "Maelstrom!!!" and another screams "Swim away!!!", as Pezci floats in place, looking up at the maelstrom.