The ring of hot metal being struck on anvil rang loud in the large, hot chamber. Steel had passed the night pleasantly with her work. It gave her something to do while the pink, soft creatures slept above. On the anvil, she was finishing the last bit of shaping on an entirely hand-wrought pair of manacles. A few more strikes and the final half would be ready to accept the rough pin to hold it together. The gray woman always cherished the things she made mundanely instead of that she culled from her body and the air. This particular set of restraints, built with tight wrists and a single hook to direct whomever found themself in its metal grasp.

She had someone in mind for the manacles. Late the previous night, as an unfortunate lass skittered from her door to find her winding way back up to her dorm and escape her torment, one of the usual visitors stopped by to notify Miss Steel of a most intriguing guest to be sent to her the next morning. With nothing else to do in the interim, she'd taken up the task of making something to mark the visit, after a fashion. At least, that was the proper reason the gray woman gave herself. She did not like to admit to herself that she was bored with the waiting.

Maybe it was some strange thrill in being down here or maybe it was looking for something I'd lost, but I found mysel in only a nightgown, wandering the basement of the campus aimlessly. I was almost afraid of my own reasoning as much as any retribution for coming down here. Though, I'd likely just be thrown down here in a few hours anyway.

My nightgown was blue, translucent, and I walked with soft steps to not alert any scary monsters, but it was an experiment in self-destruction worthy of a celebrity.

The final pin slid into place and the contraption was complete. Now Steel just had to work out the simple pins that would hold it closed. She reached out for another scrap of raw metal and froze with her fingers above the pile of loose bits. A touch of mind had grazed hers and caught her attention. Her guest was early. This was most peculiar. Setting her work aside, the gray woman closed her eyes and reached out with her mind to settle it more fully on the student's. Maybe those above were getting clever about imprinting suggestions on the students to get them to go willingly below.

It was of no real consequence. Her mind slid forward through the cooridor to open a pair of doors on silent hinges with its long reach. Another passage presented itself to Linnis as she drew closer to the furnace, and warmth wafted welcomingly from within. With a dismissive wave of her hand, Steel lowered the flames in the massive chamber at the end to be livable to the student, then tucked her creation into her vest and stepped out into the adjacent room to see if the girl would accept her simple bait of heat to drive out the chill of the catacombs.

Not being entirely sure why I was here made it easy for me to be lured astray. I felt the heat, and though not consciously aware of the choice, I went down this new path. It was, again, a simple err in judgment.

A thin metal door slammed shut on its own behind Linnis. From dark shadows stepped the gray woman, her eyes a glowing yellow in the low light. "I'm glad to see you found your way alright, dear. Do you have your detention slip with you, or shall I have to add its loss to your punishment here?" Her expression betrayed no emotion aside from the slightest hint of disappointment. Within the simple room stood a simple chair, a simple table, and a short string of hooks dangling from the far wall. A plain door stood open at Steel's back. With the other door closed, the temperature was beginning to rise past the point of comfort, even for one as chilled and stripped as the young woman.

Shit. It was the only thought I needed. I literally had walked right into this one, and with no exit strategy. Was I such a fool? "I don't have a slip," There was no point, as I went over this in my mind, there was no moment where I should have not expected this. "I'm Linnis Van Ryan. You are?"

"I know who you are, young lady. I've been expecting you. You may call me Miss Steel, or simply Steel if you prefer." A small smile creased gray lips before she glanced down at her bare left wrist. "You're early by at least two hours, or else my watch is broken. Tell me, Linnis, since you don't have the specific list of your transgressions, do you know why you would be sent to me? Be honest, now; these eyes can see through lies," she said, tapping beside her vertically slit irises.

I laughed, defiantly. As long as she wasn't making a move, leaving was the easy bit. I turned and began to walk toward the door behind me. "Masturbating in class or skipping class for sex, usually. On occasion, tattered uniform after rape."

The harsh snap of fingers filled the room. The door leading back the way Linnis had come simply vanished into the wall in the span of a heartbeat. "You shouldn't turn your back on me, slut. It's quite rude." A sudden staccato of hard metal striking the floor, walls, and ceiling in a quick rhythm sounded at the student's back. A dozen flat bands of living steel curled away slightly from the edges of the room and began to reach towards the gray woman's prey as bare feet padded slowly forward.

"Shit.... shit shit shit...." I stepped back. With a small yelp, I looked around for an alternative. There was a door behind the silvery woman, one that needed a young teal-headed girl to dash through it as badly as I needed a door to dash through.

Yellow eyes shone as Steel picked up her prey's intent. The silvery bands curled away and back and tapped sharply on the floor as they made themselves into a sort of open palanquin for the gray woman. Her legs folded and her hand gestured welcomingly to the passage. "Go ahead, girl. Run. Run as fast as you can deeper into this place. I'm sure nothing will go awry." A dark laugh slid from her throat to echo softly in the bare chamber.

"You just saying that means things will go horrible if I go down there," I said with a nod to the corridor, "Meaning I might as well stay here, because the farther I go, the worse things will probably get. You're all so predictable."

"So you've seen it all, dear? Nothing will shatter that veneer you've built defensively about yourself?" The walls were starting to dissolve like sand. "It's usually unwise to challenge us, you know, especially on creativity." Whatever was making up the walls continued to move after it reached the floor. What looked from a distance like a cascade of gray sand was sliding smoothly directly towards Linnis. "Now, just because the door contains something terrible doesn't mean its worse than here. That doesn't mean it's better, either. All it means is that it's different. Which shall it be?" Her arm stretched out again to offer the escape. The things spreading on the floor resolved themselves into tiny spiders as they drew closer, skittering towards the teal-haired woman's feet.

"Part of me wants to say 'the devil you know'.... but it's spiders...." I stood there, and tried to squash one with my foot while weighing my situation delicately in my mind. No matter where I went, I was in trouble. It was just a question of what kind of trouble. If I knew what the next room contained, I'd be able to make an informed decision.... and the heat wasn't helping. I shed my nightgown, figuring I'd lose it sooner or later anyway, and started toward the next room.

The thing did not yield to her foot. Hard as a rock, it wriggled briefly and latched onto her to begin skittering up her leg. As she walked past the others, a few latched on and began climbing as well, though most remained in the previous room.
As soon as the door was opened, a harsh blast of heat washed over Linnis. The gray woman was at her back in a silent beat and pushing her forward at the shoulders into the expansive chamber. At the center sat the massive furnace used to heat the school and soften raw steel for working. The single round wall was festooned with shackles and restraints and hooks to hang cruel devices. The manacles crafted for the girl flashed into Steel's hands as the door shut finally behind her and sealed itself. The few creatures still clinging to her paused their ascent briefly.
"Give me your wrists like a good whore and you'll save yourself a lash."