Group One
Based from the information he had amassed from the Lost Souls, it seems as if nobody found a map or directions which would lead them to the Stone of Sacrifice, but⊠Two of the humans found something even âbetterâ: a way to contact the Midnight Man and ask for his help. Even though Riley had not yet finished explaining the proposition Avian was already against the idea; this was too risky for a bunch of⊠well, letâs say it, neophytes who were all drenched in rainwater and shivering like wind-ravaged leaves. He was already accustomed to the cold biting his skin through his clothes, but whatâs to say that the Lost Souls and the other guides shared his constitution? Songbirdâs teeth were chattering so much that you could easily switch him in as a live bone rattle during a street performance.
Riley pulled the dragoon closer and presented the journals to him as if to say that there really was no other way to know the Stoneâs whereabouts. As he leafed through the aged yellow pages it began to dawn on Avian that yes⊠This was the only route there was to getting to the witches.
Frankly, it scared him. Obviously not for his sake, but for the ones who would have to fight should he fall.
He had, very much unlike Victoria, launched onto imagining the next events should they win this game. Sure, theyâd go to the Stone⊠But what then? It would be him versus how many witchesâŠ? How many could he fight until he couldnât stand anymore? One would be easy, two would be⊠a harsh battle, three was... Hmm. The soldier knew how far his abilities ran and felt chills run up his spine when he considered the probability of success⊠A dismal percentage, to be honest. He gave each of the Lost Souls a long, unflinching look and then nodded. If the odds werenât in their favor, heâd focus on killing one witch, get the heart, and keep the others away as everyone retreated. Thatâs the plan.
âAll right then, letâs summon him,â Avian replied to Rileyâs determined exclamations, a warm smile spreading through his face to keep the spirits up.
Much much later, they began this pagan ritual while Avian watched with his arms folded over his chest with his eyes closed. The rules were stated, lights flashed on and off, cryptic messages appeared on the walls, and glass shattered signaling the start of the game. He expected as much seeing that they were instructed to use light sources for the duration of the game; that meant that they would be given a disability at the very start... When you gambled your life far too many times you tend to pay attention to those sorts of details. Darkness fell over them like a thick blanket and the different colors their glow jars emanated light that was like something out of a ghoulish theater performance. Avian inhaled slowly before opening his eyes, which were now accustomed to the dark thanks to his earlier preparation, then unfurled his hands and moved to the rear of his group.
âOkay then, letâs do this,â He said calmly and loud enough for everyone in his team to hear as they reached the top of the stairs. âKeep an eye on your jar. Those bugs are tired, so they may be a bit unreliable. AlsoâŠâ The soldier passed out candles that he received from Songbird earlier. âHere, these may be useful. Unfortunately, we only found two flints so if you want to get that lighted, youâll have to go to me,â Avian talked gently and soothingly, seemingly unruffled by the tense atmosphere caused by summoning the Midnight Man.
The soldier then walked over to the left corridor where the bedroom was, but a loud crack resounded out of nowhere and he looked down to see the bugs in his jar flying around madly, the light they produced flickering on and off in an unpredictable manner. The little things kept slamming themselves against the glass, as if trying to break out of the container, and one by one the critters fell down to the bottom dead. He looked at the corridor ahead and swore that he saw something shaped like a person move through the shadows.
... Oh. Ohhh...
âLetâs go the opposite way then. Come on, everyone,â Avian called out firmly, still unflinchingly calm save for a wince when goosebumps broke through his skin, as the insects clamored even louder and the temperature dropped. Unintelligible whispers wafted from the silhouette and the noise got louder as it advanced, but the royal dragoon was already ushering the group into the opposite corridor. âAt least thereâs signs that heâs nearâŠâ He muttered as he kicked open one door near the end of the hallway and they moved inside the room.
Group Two
When everyone pooled their information, Songbird did the wise thing and shut up. Who would want to know about finding decapitated bunny guards in a possibly haunted mansion in the middle of a creepstastic forest anyway? Certainly not Jasper or Leila or, quite frankly, anyone. Martini looked queasy enough as it is. He briefly wondered how the mermaid would act if Two-Thirds was here⊠âHehehe,â The item hunter was unable to resist an evil snicker at the thought. Unfortunately, he laughed while Riley was knocking on the door so⊠Yeah, wasnât the best time for that type of sound. Thankfully nobody noticed- Songbird would have hated making anyone panic for no reason at allâŠ
âHey guys, here. Have these,â The item hunter distributed odd, twisted candles to everyone in his group. âIâm not sure if I need to worry if you need help with those since we have Ace,â He nodded towards the redhead, then brought out a rock before adding, âBut if your jars get lost or broken just approach me or Brandy, weâll certainly light the candles up for you. That goes for relighting too.â
Then all sorts of scary things happened and their instructions- well, it looked more like a challenge to be honest- were sprawled all over the walls before the lights disappeared completely. Songbird covered his head to make sure none of the glass pierced him, and unlike Avian, the item hunter hadnât prepared himself for the sudden darkness which left him stunned for a flat minute.
His group started to move and he struggled to catch up as hazy shapes and outlines popped out of nowhere. Still, at least he could identify who was who thanks to the glow jars. Just before they entered a room Songbird saw Avian and his group on the head of the staircase. The dragoon was frozen in place, eyes staring deep into the darkness of the opposite corridor, and even from there the item hunter could see the flicker of a split-second decision being made in the manâs violet eyes. The soldier then turned away and ushered his teammates away to the other hallway and Songbird sensed that there was something more to that act than the eye could see.
Ace and Inadi inspected a painting, the former knocking on the wood behind while the latter stabbed the artwork with his spear. They were in a wide room full of artworks and⊠well, shelves. Was this some sort of display area? Songbird rocketed to and fro, checking inside each cabinet he could before realizing that the Lost Souls have left him behind and moved on to the next room. He could feel the hairs on his nape stand up on end at the realization but⊠There were still shelves left unchecked.
Then the door slammed shut.
âEeek!â Songbird screeched out loud before clamping a hand over his mouth. What the actual carrot!? He got up from checking a glass case and hurried over to that door, trying the knob and pushing it. No such luck. It seemed jammed. âWell holy beans, how do I-,â He started, willing himself to remain calm as overall this did not seem like a good situation given what they were supposed to do right now. âHey, can you guys open this from the opposite side-!?â He yelped out yet again and lifted himself from his face-pressed-against-the-door position when someone tapped him from behind.
âRiley! Youâre going to kill me someday!â The item hunter snapped at the human who got left behind with him, but the annoyed tone was mixed with relief. It was a selfish thought, but at least he wasnât alone, thank the clouds.
It wouldnât do good to try and make lots of noise though, so Songbird kept calling through the door. âHumans? Brandy? Can you open this door?â When no reply came, the white-haired nobody braced himself and body slammed against it, his glow jar awkwardly cradled in one arm.
