[IC] Dragon's Mask

[drewccapp]

"Ask her ta turn us back?" The fox raised her head a little, curious at that novel thought. She looked up at the sky, her mouth closing slowly, imagining what it might be like to ask such a thing of the Gold Lady. She shook her head quickly. "No, no, no! I couldn't do that! She's the Gold Lady! The most important person in this whole world! What if I mess up? What'd everyone think of me? Oh, I don't think bein' human is worth that risk."

The Fox had a point. Arthur had no idea what would happen if they were to mess it up, and he really did not want to mess up. He did not want to be turned into an animal or a monster though. He could not think of any other way than to just ask her to turn them back. Killing was just bad.

"I do," the mouse squeaked defiantly. Dooa wriggled his nose at Riley, and he pointed with a little paw over Riley's clasped hands at the open elevator that stood awkwardly at the edge of the top of the tower. Inside looked nearly identical to the little room that Riley had first arrived in, and had left behind at the horrors' restaurant. "That can take us to the library -- and the Gold Lady!"

Arthur looked towards the tower. He remembered the monsters entering from below. Would he see one of them? Would they eat him? He swallowed hard. In order to get home there seemed to be only one way, and he did not enjoy the thought of going that way. Staying here was not an option he wanted to take either.

The fox looked far less pleased. "You'd barge in unprepared, then? The horrors'll be guarding her, an' there's no reasoning with them. Best have a friend and a bit o' glimmerdust, and a bite to eat just in case." She turned a dark eye to Arthur, and very subtly motioned toward the silent robot on the porch of the little house with the broken window and the closed door -- and the windmill that rose beside it, with the great mountain-crystal shining beyond it.

Arthur's stomach growled at the mention of food causing him to blush embarrassed. He had been experiencing so much stress that he had not realized he was hungry. Would it really be okay to grab some food though? Even though the place looked abandoned he had no idea if someone lived in that house. What if they needed that food? Mommy always said there were "people in Kenya that are starving, so eat your food." He never really understood the connection between himself and starving people in Kenya, but what if the person living in that house was starving? The thought of stealing their meal felt exactly like the thought of killing the Gold Lady.

Arthur looked at the Fox with a quizzical expression. "What's glimmerdust? What does the big wind-up toy do?"

The robot looked like one of the wind-up toys in Arthur's toy collection, although it was bit more worn looking. Riley seemed to have come to her own decision, but Arthur still had questions and concerns. He did not want to move forward until they were all answered or resolved.

[Mokley]

"Well, the wind-up is Ferdinand. He's the groundskeeper. Glimmerdust is what powers anything and everything," the fox explained happily. "Lightbulbs, conveyor belts, enchantments, wishes, dreams --"

CLICKCLACK^whrrrrr

The entire tower shook and vibrated, sending Riley and Arthur toppling off their feet and onto the shuddering grass.

The elevator began to beep and flash red lights.

The fox shuffled to the edge of the tower and peered down, ears perked and curious. "We're diving!" she called. Indeed, the water below was seething and churning and frothing and rising rapidly up the side of the tower.

Dooa's whiskers wriggled in concern. "That hasn't happened in a very long time. This whole place is gonna get drowned. To the elevator, quickly!"

The fox's ear twitched. "I'll fly to shore -- I won't fit in that elevator. Anyone need a lift? Hurry now!"

[bloonewb]

Riley immediately took off running for the elevator. With every hasty look over her shoulder, the water seemed to rear closer, while every look forwards seemed to tell her that the elevator was coming no closer. However, she didn't trust the Gold Lady, that she was sure of. Anyone who did must not have something completely right with them, either. If she allowed herself to be picked up by the mechanical fox, where would she land? In the water? Right into the lap of a monster? No, best rely on her own two feet for the time being.

The elevator flashed a brilliant red, inviting Riley in with its welcoming light. She was so close now, but a few steps back she swore water lapped at her heels. She couldn't even tell if her stockings were wet, in this hurry and sheer terror. Her mind shuddered, imagining why the locals were so afraid of the water. What could be in it? There were always stories in the newspaper, heralding sharks appearing dangerously close to the shores, and once there was a harrowing image that still haunted her nightmares today. What was in this water, in this land of fairies? A shark? Or something worse? Don't think. Just keep running, keep running, keep running . . .

[drewccapp]

Arthur started as the tower started to shake suddenly. He could already feel the panic rising within him. Two directions for him to run. Shore or elevator. He did not want to take another swim even with the friendly helper that pushed him to the surface before he drowned. Riley ran towards the elevator and he found himself automatically following after her.

He really did not want to be alone. The monsters definitely scared him, and even the talking animals made him nervous. Being with another human just like him was certainly preferable. Even if they were all once human before they were not anymore and even though people were scary non-humans were even more so.

As the elevator doors closed he took a deep breath. "Phew I really didn't want to take another swim."

His clothes were still a little damp from his swim earlier, and he now was beginning to feel uncomfortable from them. He started to scratch all over due to the sensation of his skin drying slowly. While he scratched he looked at the buttons of the elevator while the rumbling sound outside grew louder. He recognized some of the symbols as similar to those he saw when he first came here in the underwater room and frowned at them. He looked to Riley and the mouse to wait to see what was going to happen next.

He had no clue what to do here, and the thought of pressing the wrong button terrified him.

[Mokley]

skffffclack

The elevator door slid shut and locked into place, and the seam was completely invisible among the patterns in the coppery, red-illuminated walls.

Arthur and Riley could hear the water hissing and sloshing and churning just outside the walls of the elevator, rising quickly higher and higher -- but fortunately, it seemed, the elevator was airtight.

Soon, outside the walls all they could hear was a dull underwater gurgle.

"Press the button!" the little mouse squeaked from Riley's grip. "That one! That one! We need --!"

DING!

A cheery little sound rang all around them. The second button lit up. The elevator rumbled and rattled, and began quickly to descend.

The little mouse squeaked in trepidation. "Someone's called the elevator! What if they spot us? Oh no oh no what do we do! Quick, hit all the buttons! Maybe we can get off, maybe we can stop!"

But hitting all the buttons would do nothing; the elevator, it seemed, was very much intent on going directly where it had been summoned, as if there were nobody inside it at all.

In the elevator with Riley and Arthur was only the mouse, a pile of pillows, and a huge folded blanket.

The elevator continued to descend, down and down.

"What do we do, what do we do!" the mouse wailed.

[bloonewb]

Riley looked around, her eyes darting this way and that. Panic had set in now. The objects littered the floor, they were useless to her. What's worse was the little mouse Dooa's near-constant shrieking, loud and shrill, that absolutely disrupted any attempt at thought.

"Quiet, you," Riley hissed, not daring to do any more. She knew well enough that rodents, when shook, are vulnerable to having their necks break. Even for annoying ones, that is not a fate that any living creature deserves. Come on, think! Think! Should they hide under the blankets? No, it's folded up in the corner, and probably for a reason. Someone or somethings would see it was out of place and know something was up. Dive into the pillows? Perhaps . . . unless some horror wasn't looking where it was going and squashed the lot of them under their toes. "Lad, you got any ideas?" she asked, looking over to Arthur. Surely he must know something!

[drewccapp]

An absolute panic rose up through all of Arthur's body when the elevator started moving. Then he heard Riley ask if he had any ideas. He scanned the elevator quickly. Looking at the pile of pillows and the blanket. Suddenly, an idea came to mind.

"How about we pretend to be a monster?" Arthur suggested and then grabbed the blanket and covered the pile of pillows with it.

He lifted the blanket and climbed into the pile of pillows. After readjusting himself he wrapped a part of the blanket around his head so only his face could be seen through the pillows and blanket. He imagined he looked fairly intimidating being so "large" in the pile wrapped in the shawl of the blanket.

"This place is full of monsters, right?" He asked. "So if we're a monster they'll ignore us. Come on! Get in!"

He felt pretty proud of his idea.

[bloonewb]

Riley didn't know about this plan. True, it was better than anything she can think of, but still, there were too many parts she can't account for. What if the monsters know all the other monsters, or notice that the pillows and blankets are missing? What if the pillows and blankets are there for a more sinister reason than her mind can conjure up? She rolled here eyes and stared weirdly at Arthur. She didn't know if it was his lilting American accent or what, but something told her that his idea may not be the best . . .

However, what choice did she have? And with time running out, too. Reluctantly, she ducked under the covers and nestled herself in the stuffy embrace of the pillows. "I'm not happy about this," she said. Hopefully, her voice carried to him even under all these fabrics. It was only a matter of time until the wiseness of their decision was revealed to them in the form of a hungry monster.

[drewccapp]

Arthur blinked with surprise as Riley rolled her eyes at him. What was wrong with his idea? When it came to hiding he was great at finding new and creative ways to hide. The skill he had most confidence in was hiding. He could not contain his confusion and bewilderment. In this world of monsters and people-turned-animals he was certain he could hide well once he learned about the space well enough.

He watched her climb into the pile of pillows with clear reluctance and nodded with a smile as she did. Without many options he was not surprised and still somewhat pleased with his quick thinking. She mumbled something after entering the pile, but at this point Arthur had refocused his attention to the door. He swallowed nervously as he felt the elevator coming to a stop.

[Mokley]

SKREEEEE KFF!

The elevator stopped with a slightly seasick bob. For a moment, the only sound was an underwater gurgle just outside the elevator shaft; a dense closeness, even a threat that only thin metal lay between them and pressurized water.

For a moment, everything was suspended.

The lights on the walls brightened, and quietly the door slid open to reveal purple scales and yellow-green spines and bulbous jowls and tusks that dripped a foul stringy liquid. It wore an evening tuxedo.

The monster stooped and waddled, slippery, into the elevator, which dropped slightly with the added weight. The monster blinked once -- with six eyes -- at Arthur's face sticking out of the blankets.

"Argoo gala? Has supper finished?" it asked in a muddy voice, just before it stretched out a long finger and pressed the last button, which Riley would recognize had the same symbol as the marquis for the dining room. It hummed low, evidently not expecting much of an answer, while the door slid shut again and the elevator rumbled downward.

[drewccapp]

Arthur had not expected to see the monster he saw. He had seen some scary monsters, but this one was particularly so. The monster then spoke, and Arthur was surprised to understand some of what it said.

"Argoo gala? Has supper finished?"

He took a deep breath to calm his pounding heart. "Going to the library first. Can you press the button for me?"

Beneath the blanket and pillows he could feel himself shaking like a leaf. He had no idea if the monster would help. He had no idea if the library would open before the room he wanted to go to. If their choice came first he would certainly make a run for it, and he hoped that Riley would follow after.