DELTATOAD [Chapter 1]

12) ❤️ Adventure START! (For Real!!!)

With the spoils of winning now yours, you and Tippi were out of the battle, and not even a scratch on you! You would normally consider this a well-earned victory if it wasn't for the fact that your enemy didn't exactly know how to organize an attack...

Speaking of which, as you and Tippi began trekking away from the battle site, you found Olivia floating right there next to the path.

"Hi!" Olivia cheerfully greeted.

You and Tippi exchanged perplexed looks, glancing back and forth between the spot the origami girl was in a few moments ago in comparison to right now. She had only moved a few meters!

"Um... Whatever happened to running away?" Tippi asked with a sheepish smile.

"Well, duh, I already finished running away! See?" Olivia replied, gesturing to and from where she was minutes ago. "I was there, and then I ran away to here!"

Seeing as Olivia wasn't moving any further, you came to the conclusion that this was just how the origami princess acted. It was as if Olivia wasn't even proclaiming herself as the antagonist of your story, acting as if you might actually be friends with how casual her demeanor in conversations was. Tippi seemed to get this sense too as she let out a small sigh of defeat but smiled along with it nonetheless.

Tippi nodded at you, signaling that it would be a good idea to leave Olivia be in the meantime. After all, there was no point in starting a fight with her if you could just avoid it altogether. You two still needed to catch up with Mr.L.

Soon enough, the patches of purple grass trailed off until it was replaced by a cold stone floor and walls. You and Tippi had arrived in a puzzle room, one that looked like a bigger version of the last puzzle you came across. 

"I remember this one! Start the puzzle timer with that clock over there, Mario!" Tippi exclaimed.

She pointed you to the brick wall and sure enough, there was a plain clock sitting on the wall. If you didn't know the purpose of it beforehand, you would call it out of place. However, you knew the drill from last time, so you did as Tippi instructed and started the clock's built-in timer.

You started the clock and large tile-like buttons appear on the ground at your feet. 

You stepped on the first tile that appeared.

Two more tiles sprung up near your feet.

You motioned to Tippi and you both stood on the tiles.

You looked to the uneven floor, expecting two - or maybe even just one more - tiles to emerge. However, up from the ground came three tiles. 

You and Tippi both tried to stand on the three tiles, but it refused...

After a few moments, the puzzle timed itself out and it was left unsolved. You let out a sigh of defeat as Tippi huffed.

"Shoot! We need Mr.L to finish this one," Tippi commented.

Well, where there was a puzzle, there was usually a path or door nearby that is unlocked by solving the puzzle. Since the puzzle you were at didn't seem to have been solved beforehand, that could only mean that Mr.L must've hit a roadblock nearby up ahead. Seeing as the puzzle wasn't about to magically solve itself either, you motioned Tippi to follow you out of the room. She seemed upset over the fact that you didn't finish it, but you had a feeling you'd be back to solve it sooner rather than later.

You took Tippi and the two of you ventured further into the bricked hallway, farther from the bizarrely colored field. Soon enough, you were proven right. That puzzle you had yet to solve must unlock the door at the end of this corridor because there was a large immovable door with no handle in sight to even try and pry it open.