The hostage situation escalated quickly.
One moment Rei was surrounded by forty-three knives in a ritual circle of death, the next Rosette had him slung across her shoulder like he weighed no more than a sack of slightly whiny potatoes.
"W-wait—!" Rei yelped as she marched with militant efficiency straight toward the far wall. "That's not a door! That's a—"
The wall clicked, swiveled and then opened. Then a hidden passage revealed itself with all the subtlety of a Scooby-Doo set piece.
Rei gawked. "You've gotta be kidding me—there are secret passages? In the academy?!"
Rosette's expression didn't change. "Every institution possesses forgotten wings. The Velvet Academy is… thorough."
"Thorough?!" Rei squeaked. "This isn't 'thorough,' this is illegal architecture! How many times did the headmaster approve blueprints while drunk?!"
[System Notification: Secret Dungeon Detected.]
[Name: Dungeon of Forgotten Clubs.]
