What was that? Ishtar spun place to see that the door to the Hall had sealed itself, trapping the blue haired student. To make matters worse it seemed like the flashlight was failing as the room was getting darker and darker. Not now, not now. She wacked the flashlight a couple of times to see if she could get to illuminate the room better, but it was all for naught. The room kept fading into blackness. She was going to have to get a move on if she was going to get that golden disk she saw earlier. After taking a deep breath, Ishtar began moving towards where she saw the disk, sweeping the flashlight to see what little it still illuminated.

Every sweep of the flashlight revealed more of the same, decorative vases, beautiful tapestries, and fine statues. And always, all around her the darkness remained, ever foreboding, ever opaque. It seemed much more than just mere darkness, almost as if it was alive, almost as if it was closing in on her. Even in the darkness, one could see outlines of things, of people, of even your own hand. It wasn't the case in this hallway. Absolutely everything was masked, almost as if it was a second world of darkness, pulled over the first.

More disconcerting, however, was the fact that there was no sound whatsoever. Not even those of footsteps. If a vase was tipped over, it would surely break. But more to the point, there would be no crash, no way to tell that it had broken. The evidence of shattered shards would be present, but nothing of the sounds. It was as if the darkness devoured everything, sight, sound... Even any attempts to smell would end in futility, not even the slightest scent of flowers from within the vases to tempt the nose. If it wasn't for the flashlight, one might have believed herself to not even be there at all...

The darkness, however, did not strip away a sense from the girl, that of touch. The cold marble floor felt quite real and solid, almost grounding it all into reality. More than that, faint sensations began to brush themselves against the girl's body. Phantom touches ghosted across her naked flesh, there for an instant before disappearing. One could almost be forgiven for believing it to be a trick of the wind, little more than light breezes. Almost. The sensations returned every time they passed, stronger and stronger. Before long, these sensations couldn't be mistaken for anything other than hands, as they roamed over Ishtar's body, soft and gentle. Even if she shone the flashlight upon her flesh, they would remain unmoving, as natural as always. Nothing to betray itself, nothing to show evidence of. Under the glare of the flashlight, no invisible hands showed up, no phantom limbs moved across her skin. And yet, in the darkness, the sensations continued to swarm against her.

"Ahh, what do we have here? It's been quite a long time since we've ever had a visitor."

The voice seemed to come from nowhere and at the same time, from all around the student. Far different from the Marquis or any of the others, this one was quite soft, almost smooth-silky in nature. The words themselves almost sounded as if they had been purred out instead. Even as the voice spoke, the student was still under assault by phantom sensations. By now, they had grown more bold... Breasts felt as if they were fondled within hands that did not exist, the nipples tweaked and tugged on. The curves of her ass worshiped by unseen hands, caressing them as a lover would have. Everywhere along her arms and legs, hands ran up and down them, squeezing and massaging the naked limbs.

"You do know what happened to the cat, yes? And yet, you still came into the Hall of Curiosity? Ah well, it's not like you can leave now, until you find the... Well, I can't say what exactly just yet, but I'm sure it'll be quite the pleasurable adventure for you. Oh, and don't ask me to stop molesting you, because that isn't my doing. I'm afraid the darkness within this hall is fond of attractive young ladies such as yourself."

And as if to prove the voice correct, she could feel, all too easily, as what seemed like fingers sweeping over her pussy, quickly delving into the hole, still quite wet from her little tryst with the false 'goddesses'. All over her, invisible hands continued to grope and fondle the student's body, forcing pleasure upon her, as if she was the center of attention for many people to lavish their attention upon her. It was almost all too cruel, allowing the girl the freedom to move and do as she wanted, and yet to leave her no defense against the onslaught of erotic simulation.

"Oh, and I wouldn't stop if I were you. It'll only get worse, much worse the longer you're here. The last one to attempt an escape from the palace didn't even get past this hall. She was, shall we say... too weak? She gave in far too easily to the darkness and, well... Heh, I'm sure you can imagine all sorts of fates."

Ishtar looked around as the flashlight struggled to illuminate what ever she pointed the light at. There were vases, tapestries, statues are of fine make. Still there were other things that appeared nearby. It looked like the outline of people but blurred and hidden. The blue haired time traveler was sure that her mind was playing tricks on her. Still it didn't help the young womans nerves at all. As she tried to breath a little deeper in an attempt to calm her nerves.

As she continued forward she accidentally knocked over a vase. To her disbelief it made no noise what so ever. The blue haired student spun the flashlight over to where the vase fell over. It was in a hundreds of pieces, obviously shattering on impact with the ground. But why was there no sound? It didn't make sense, in fact very little about this room made any sense what so ever. She just wanted to find that shinny thing she spotted and get out of here now.

It was then that the young woman began feeling something brush against her skin, she spun around in confusion trying to figure out what was there. Yet, she swung the flashlight and there was nothing around her. She continued to move forward only to feel something brush up against her again. Again her light fought nothing. This pattern continued as the sensation became stronger and stronger, until Ishtar was sure that hands were actually roaming over her nubile body. They were soft and gentle but it was really of concern to young woman.

It was then she heard a voice, the young woman couldn't tell where it came from. It soft and silky smooth voice was almost in contrast to the situation she found herself in. W-Who are you? Do you guard this room? Ishtar continued to move forward but stopped when she felt her breasts begin to be fondled. A soft moan escaped her lips as she could feel her nipples begin to be tweaked. As she felt more hands begin to caress and massage ever part of her body, it felt like she was surrounded by many of these invisible hands.

The voice explained that she can't leave until she found an object, probably the object she needed to move further on. She was surprised to learn it was the hall itself that was molesting her. Even as the voice have mentioned it, the woman froze up as she felt fingers begin to sweep over her flower. She let out a moan as she felt some fingers penetrate her flower. And still she could feel the hands wandering over her body. It was a bit difficult to walk with this kind of stimulation, but the invisible hands were not providing any resistance. At was then the voice warned her that she was going to have press on as it was only to get worse from here....

"Hmm, guard? Not I, not quite. I suppose you could say I'm more of a spectator. I'm merely here to serve as guide for individuals such as yourself. Provide helpful hints and all that, you know? The darkness is actually the guardian, it's been stationed here to distract you from your quest as much as possible."

Even as the voice spoke, the barrage of phantom hands continued to assault the student, running themselves all over Ishtar and slowly allowing the pleasure to build. They did not make any sort of movement to restrict the girl at all. In fact, it was the opposite. She would find herself pushed along and 'encouraged' by her unseen assailants, as if the darkness wanted her deeper into the hall. And there wasn't any choice, really. With the door behind sealed shut, needing the object to open it, and nothing but the unknown ahead...

"Ah yes, helpful hints. Here's one. If you manage to get to certain segments of the hall, you'll find safety under a pool of light. The darkness' power only works in the, obviously, darkness. Under the light, it's forced to flee, affording you an opportunity to rest. As to where these lights are, they'll come on their own when you cross into their threshold, so no need to search for switches."

And still, the hands continued to attack the girl with pleasure, their actions growing more and more bold by the second, more and more stronger. Now, it felt as if the student's breasts were being fondled and teased so much. It even felt as if tongues had begun to lavish their attention against her nipples, teeth biting down softly on the nubs and pulling them, the sensitive tips bathed in warm saliva. And yet, under the light of the flashlight, no evidence was left behind.

"Quite persistent, isn't it? There's been quite a few people who tried the Hall of Curiosity, but none of them have ever managed to get out. I do hope you'll fare a lot better, though."

As helpful as the voice tried to be, it could do nothing to distract the girl from the fact that hands continued to roam over her body, fondling and caressing her all too intimately. Her pussy bore the worst of it as hands kept on rubbing against her lips, as fingers kept on teasing the girl's clit, as tongues continue to slurp against the wet folds of her cunt. Truly a most insidious enemy, the darkness kept on the offense, not letting up for a single moment, growing more and more pressing. Not all of it was erotic simulation, however. The girl found herself being comforted and massaged as well, hands working to relieve the tension within her all over her body, from shoulders to back to even the inner thighs. Everywhere, the darkness sought to bath her in pleasure.

T-the d-darkness...ohhh...is the...g-guard...ahhh...guardian? Ishtar could feel the hands to continue to run across her body. They were caressing every inch of her body and it was driving the woman wild. Her moans were starting to become more and more frequent even as she struggled to move forward. She could feel that the hands push her forward into the hall, deeper and deeper. Except for the object she was after was somewhere in here.

Uhhh....light...light will keep it away...ohh.....it will give...me rest. Ishtar began to attempt to the move faster through the room. Why did it have to be so long? She was about ready to run when she suddenly froze in place when she felt tongues begin to brush against her orbs. She let out a loud moan as she felt teeth begin to play with her nipples pulling and tweaking ever so slightly. She turned her flashlight to provide some relief, but she knew she was in a losing battle.

What h-happenn....ahhhh....what happened to them. Ishtar was doing her best to distract herself, but it was doing little good. She could feel hands continue their assault as her flower was being rubbed. She let out another moan as she could feel the pedals of her flower begin to respond the hands and now tongues as now joined in. It was all she could do to avoid stimulating herself even as she felt fingers begin to play with her clit. Still she need to move forward now, while she still could. Slowly she moved one foot forward followed by the other foot.

"Yes, that's right. The darkness serves as the Hall's guardian. Fear is a wonderful thing, it keeps us safe. And there are very few things that terrifies mortals more than the fear of the unknown. This is what the darkness represents, the unknown. It is, however, curiosity that overwhelms logic. It was curiosity that drove you into this Hall." The voice spoke, as calm and cool as usual, even as the girl moved deeper into the hall, slowly being overwhelmed by the constant touches of the hands and tongues. "Only the light, both the darkness' enemy and opposite, can drive it away. Only under the light will you be safe from the darkness, for a time. The longer you stay within the hall, the more powerful the darkness becomes."

As if to prove a point, the darkness seemed to grow even thicker, weakening the flashlight further. Too long here, it seems, and the darkness would definitely destroy the flashlight, leaving her totally vulnerable to it. By now, she could not help but feel everything the darkness forced upon her, every hand, every tongue, absolutely everything. Before long, she could suddenly feel her folds part more wider than what the fingers had managed, as what felt very much like a penis began to slide into her cunt, as thick as any she had ever taken in. More than that, it felt as if someone was right behind the student, holding on to her hips and taking her from behind. "Those that failed were swallowed up by the darkness, doomed to be ravaged by the darkness for all eternity. Well, not really. They were simply taken away, as failures. I suspect their fate wasn't pleasant."

The moment didn't last long, however, as light suddenly bathed the girl in its illumination, dispelling what influence the darkness held over her. She no longer felt the movement of hands, the attention of tongues, nor the grinding of a cock inside her pussy. The effects of such things, however, remained behind, leaving Ishtar to deal with the dying trembles of forced pleasure. "Well done, my friend. You've come across the first milestone. Don't tarry for long, for when you leave the light's safety, the pleasures will return. It does not fade away, it does not weaken. The longer you remain where you are, the stronger the pleasures will grow. Too long, and you may stand no chance whatsoever. You should also know this, there are four more lights ahead of you, and after that, the object you seeks lies just beyond it. Keep your resolve strong, or you will surely lose."

Ishtar could here the voice explaining what was exactly was attacking her and doing what it could to drive her wild. Her flashlight the only thing that was providing her some relief from the overwhelming pleasure she was experiencing. She had hoped that it wasn't too much further go until she reached the first light. She could use the light surrounding her ever so briefly just to provide her some relief. Because she didn't really know how much longer she could hold out.

It was then that her flashlight dimmed as darkness grew more and more. No, no please not now. Not now. The blue haired time traveler whacked the flashlight against her free hand, it had no effect on the struggling light. She moaned loudly as she felt to the hands and tongues starting were even stronger than before. The suddenly the young woman's head pointed to the ceiling as she let out a moan as she felt something penetrate her flower, filling it completely. The hands seemed to focus around her hips as she felt the member begin to thrust inside. As she heard what happened to the failures, she wondered if she was about to become one of them. She slowly fell forward.

Suddenly she was surrounded on light and all of the sides. She began to look around as she caught her breath as best she could. All the hands, the tongues, even the member had stopped as if they never existed. The voice congraduated on her success, and warned she could her that she couldn't doddle or she would be overwhelmed. Four...*pant*....there are four more before ...*pant* I reach the object. She took a second to recompose herself, she had to remain strong. She decided her next attempt would be require her to run to the next light.

'Indeed, just four more to go. It might seem relatively simple, but it's usually the case that the closer one gets to the prize, the more difficult the challenge. This Hall is no exception, I fear. The good news, however, is that once you've retrieved what you're looking for... Just by holding it, the object grants you protection from the darkness. Walking out becomes a relatively simple matter.' The voice spoke, still as calmly as ever, even as the darkness continued to grow thicker around the pool of light, almost as if it was gathering around Ishtar, waiting to pounce on her as soon as she left the hard-sought after safety of the light. 'Acquiring the object, I like to think, is a symbol of mastery over the unknown, which is in essence conquering the darkness. In any case, it'll be a difficult battle ahead. I hope you are absolutely prepared.'

I am ready as I going to be. She immediately began to run as fast she could down the hall. She knew as soon as she left the protection of the light she was going to be in a lot of trouble, but it was her only hope. If that light turns on, it would turn off again and she would be immediately swallowed up the darkness. And considering what had happened, she would be savored for quite a while. So she ran as she could, hoping to outrun the darkness. It was futile to think such a thing, but what kept her moving kept getting to the next light. She only hope she would make it before she was completely overwhelmed.

'Good luck, indeed. I hope you make it to the next one. I'll be waiting' The voice echoed even as Ishtar made her mad dash down the hall, desperately hoping the next light wouldn't be too far away. Surprisingly enough, her flashlight seemed to have returned to full power, shining brightly at whatever she had it pointed at, almost as if being under the light had somehow recharged it. But already, the light was beginning to weaken, this time much more quickly. At the same time, the darkness wrapped up around Ishtar quickly, battering her with sensations full force. In an instant, the student could feel the hands' unwanted attentions, now much stronger than they had been. The voice had been right; staying under the light had not stopped the hands, it only had prevented her from feeling them. Despite their absence, it was as if they had never stopped growing stronger. There was a major difference now, however. The student could now feel hands grabbing at her wrists, at her shoulders, everywhere on her body and trying to pull her back. They offered nearly no resistance, but even then, that was only growing stronger as well. It wouldn't be long until she could really feel her body being pulled back. Even as all this happened, she couldn't ignore the sensation of cocks now pumping into her pussy and ass, the feeling of being filled completely even though her holes had nothing within them at all. Even with her mouth closed, Ishtar couldn't help but feel a cock sliding into her warm mouth, the length pressing into her throat, every vein running over her tongue. The phantom cocks continued to ravage her despite not being there at all; this hall was truly terrifying when you thought about it.

Initially it looked like the blue haired time traveler was going to have an easy time making down the hall way. Initially, Ishtar believed she could outrun the darkness as her flashlight was as bright as it had ever been. But then she could feel the darkness surround her even as she ran, the light quickly fading way. Noo, I have to keep running. The young woman could feel hands grabbing at her arms, her shoulders even around her waist, doing what they could to slower her down. At first, there were just illusions figments of her imagination as she fled further down the hallway. But then she could feel them attempting to slow her down, making her trip more difficult.

As the time traveler took a few more steps forward, she suddenly stiffen up as she felt two huge members push into her flower and her rear. She let out a loud scream but it was cut off as she felt another invisible member push deep into her throat. The young woman stumbled a bit as she struggled to deal the sensations she felt. She could only let out quiet moans as she struggled to move forward to where she hoped the next light was located.

As much as she tried to keep on running, it was growing more and more difficult, with the darkness trying to overpower the light she held in her hand, with the phantom beings trying to hold her back. Now and then, she could feel some of them pushing her, almost as if they were trying to send her flying to the ground so that the rest of them might pounce upon her. All the while, the cocks continued to ravage her holes, pumping furiously into her and never letting up for even a second. Then, something else happened as well, something completely unexpected. There was a terrible upheaval, everything within the hall shuddering, even several of the statues and vases fell and crashed to the ground, with no sounds following them as well. 'Hurry! The darkness is growing even stronger! It'll soon have the power to destroy this hall, forever cutting you off from the prize you seek!' The voice echoed as the woman ran, yet another powerful tremor shaking the entire hallway. But then, luckily enough, Ishtar suddenly came under another pool of light, shining down on her and forcing the shadows away from her. 'You were quite fortunate, my friend. Another few seconds and you might have been taken-' Despite the sanctuary of the light, the tremors did not abate and only grew stronger, cracks appearing in the walls around Ishtar. 'Oh dear...'

Ishtar struggled to move forward as she she could feel the hands pulling on to keep from moving forward. The blue haired woman stumbled forward as she could feel her body being pushed to the ground. At least twice the young woman almost fell over but somehow managed to keep one foot in front of her to keep moving forward. It was getting harder with the invisibile members thrusting int her nubile body, the girl's moans and shouts getting louder. Ishtar could feel the pleasure starting to build in her, making it harder to resist the darkness that surround her.

Then suddenly the entire hall began to the shake, the blue haired time traveler looked around wildly. Statues began to fall over and vases slammed into the ground, silently shattering into a thousand pieces. The woman began to move a bit faster as she attempted to some how outrun the tremors. The voice told her she had to run as fast as she could and she struggled to do so. It was then she entered the next beam of light, and safety.

Or so she thought, the tremors continued until the walls began crack under the stress of the tremors. No!!!! Ishtar screamed as she began to run again further down to hall hoping to reach the item she was seeking before it was too late.

The tremors only grew stronger and stronger as Ishtar ran, cracks rapidly spreading through the walls much like webs as plaster began to fall to the ground soundlessly. The only difference was that there were no longer phantom sensations battering against the girl's mind and body, as if they had been rendered ineffective somehow or as if they were no longer enough to stop her. Instead, she was very much free to keep on running, unobstructed by anything save for the growing tremors. Once she had gone past the third pool of light, which did not even stay long enough for her to consider stopping, flickering as weakly as it had, chunks of the walls began to fall away, fading into the darkness as what appeared as liquid shadows flowed in between the holes. Even the very floor of the hallway began to lurch, as if it was no longer stable as well. 'Hurry! No one has ever made it this far, so I do not know what will happen... You must get to the end, no matter what!' The voice spoke, echoing as if it was growing more distant, becoming weaker and weaker as it went on. By the time Ishtar made it to the fourth light, it had only flickered on several times before fading out quickly, along with the flashlight, which held no more light at all. At this point, the walls were entirely gone, along with the ceiling, and the student was surrounded by nothing but pure blackness, both oppressive and hungry. But, just right then, something glittered just ahead of her, and she could soon see what she had been after, the gleaming gold symbol, resting precariously on the pedestal, almost threatening to fall off any time soon and disappear into the darkness forever.

Ishtar screamed as she saw the plaster fall around her, even though they were silent when the pieces hit. The size of the pieces and the way of shattered may her fear for her life. The hands and members that were prodding, caressing, and holding her back had all suddenly stopped. Normally, the blue haired girl would have felt relieved that to have the sensations fade away. However in this case it only served as a bad omen of what was to become.

She ran into the third light but it barely flickered, it would serve as no sanctuary for the naked time traveler. The young woman watching in horror as holes in the wall began to fill like a liquid, a liquid that threatened to consume her. Soon the entire hallway began to shake and felt like at any minute it was going to collapse, Ishtar felt like she was about to tumble over. But she had made it too the four light which flickered once or twice before fading away. The voice too grew weaker and weaker as it too was getting overwhelmed by the shadow.

The young woman could no longer see anything, she couldn't see the glow of the flashlight, the ceiling and the walls had disappeared. All she could see was the darkness rapid closing in on her, all hope was gone. Or was it? Just a head she saw the shine of a golden symbol. It was what she was looking for! She took a few more steps and dove for the symbol as it sat on the pedestal. She had to grab it, it was her only chance.