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An hour later, you and your team stood at the foot of an impressively large mansion that made Madame Web’s manor seem like a truly humble abode. Its hedges were perfectly trimmed to resemble an assortment of animals, and you were pretty sure that you spotted a pool, a greenhouse, and a neighboring estate for servants out in the distance.
Whoever this lady was, she wasn’t hurting for cash in the slightest.
Flint was still gaping at the opulent archway while you were ascending the stairs to knock on the front door. Even Prowler was looking around with some interest.
Before you made it to the top of the stairs, however, the door flew open to reveal a burly butler in a rabbit mask. You all froze, wondering whether you’d need to fight your way past him.
Through the holes in his mask, you could see dark, beady eyes flitting back and forth to inspect your group. Seemingly satisfied, he took a step to the right and gestured for you to enter.
You did so cautiously, feeling for your spider sense so that it might provide some guidance in this situation. Those thoughts were quickly halted, however, when you got a moment to take in the mansion’s interior.
In the dimly lit foyer, you could see what looked like spotted, redcap mushrooms growing up out of the walls and floor. There was also grass growing up in the corners of the room where black and white, checkered floor tiles should be. Whereas the lawn outside was neat, trim and tidy, the grass inside was slightly overgrown and shaggy.
The faint sound of rainforest frogs and chirping birds echoed throughout the estate, but you noticed that it sounded strangely artificial. That’s when you noticed the speakers up above.
And now that you were getting a closer look at this overgrown grass and all these multi-colored mushrooms, they all appeared to be quite fake. This was all purely decorative. Although, you didn’t know any classy people that kept their homes in such a state on purpose.
<span class="mu-r">“Hope we didn’t interrupt your spring cleaning.”</span> you said to the butler.
He just made a noncommittal grunt and started walking towards the marble staircase. You followed him, taking note of the low-burning candles lining the walls, and the various priceless paintings that had been defaced without a second thought. A particularly massive portrait of a middle aged man was filled in with black teeth, an eyepatch, red devil horns and a grand, curling mustache.
To your relief, the lady of the estate had the good sense to preserve the red velvet carpets that laced the halls. A big part of that was most likely due to its vibrant color. After spending a minute in her home, you had barely seen anything that wasn’t red, black, white or gold in color.
And what was with all these clocks!? They were everywhere, constantly ticking down and spinning far faster than they reasonably should.
(Cont.)
