Role-Playing - "Sometimes there's worse things than dying."

Ruthie wrote:

Ruthie wrote:"Skye suddenly dropped the book and stood up so quickly that Eva and Cyrus, who were standing over her shoulder jumped back. Skye's forehead darkened, the second time that day, which was rare. 'We're not alone,' she said in a slow whisper. A rustling at the farthest and darkest corner of the room brought the attention of the three other women. Bev drew her dagger and pointed it toward the sound while clutching her granddaughter's hand. Eva huddled nearby.
A figure emerged from the darkness, a tall, thin man with tousled, dirty blond hair, pale blue eyes, and tattered clothes. Another person came out, a woman this time with long dark brown hair and eyes and a small petite figure. What Skye noticed first of all, however, were the woman's pointed ears. An elf. The man spoke first, 'forgive us for eavesdropping, but, are you trying to find out how to overthrow the Reapers?'
Cyrus, Bev and Eva readily nodded, Skye acted as if in a trance. She knew that voice, somehow. The man bowed, 'My name is Dar, and this is my wife Hala. We've been in this castle for over four years now, so I think we know a thing or two about the Reapers here.'
Skye's eyebrows shot up... over four years? ... Yes, she had been only eight or so when her parents disappeared. She came back to the present when she noticed the woman looking at her. Dar was talking to the other women about how to handle the reapers, but Hala approached Skye calmly, gracefully, until she was right in front of her. Skye's memory jogged and a look of recognition came over Hala's face.
'Mother?' Skye murmured."

Hahaha!!!! Yesssssss!! Skye has found her parents.
@Everyone: Skye's forehead darkens when she senses trouble, a feature common in elves... and now that we know her mother is an Elf, that makes Skye a hybrid

eLIZabeth wrote:Since it seems that most people think I should bring Dot back from the dead, I guess I will. She'll just wake up in a cell like everybody else did, I guess...

IC: Dorothy

A dripping noise woke Dot up... or maybe it was a scratching. Or both. She sat up, but couldn't see a thing because she didn't have her glasses. She wondered why her room was so dark and why her bed was so hard. She had been having this very long and vivid dream about Lady Maeve being kidnapped, and then she went to look for her and ended up captured by Reapers and -" She suddenly awoke to reality when a drop of water hit her head. Fumbling for her glasses, which were on a chain around her neck, she peered into the darkness of her cell. It appeared she was alone, but there were some dark shapes in the corner. Moaning with despair, she sank back down onto the make-shift bed of straw, damp from dripping water. Trying to get her thoughts clear, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember the details of what had seemed like an impossible dream. There had been a castle; Cair Castle, and they had been taken to the dungeons. Her first instinct was to find if she could contact anyone. Crawling to the nearest wall, she rapped on it. There was no reply. She called out, her voice bouncing back and echoing around her. The only answer she received was an annoyed growl from the patrolling Reaper. She went to her cell door and looked through the bars, but didn't see more than a faint light at the far end of the hall. He must have just finished his round. A few moments later, just as she was about to retreat back, two silent figures emerged from a cell three doors away from hers, keeping well into the shadows. With a wistful, hopeless sigh, she let her head fall against the door bars.

Tags: um... Zier?

OOC: I hope I'm in the right spot with Dorothy, it's going to be a little difficult working both plots...

@Everyone - please tell me how this post is, especially Denis/Zier

Sarah wrote:Oh my... It's been quite a while in Ender's time since my last post. I've been sick so I have an excuse! I'll post later and try to catch up with you mercilessly fast people.

Ruthie wrote:This has something to do w/ my next post:
@Bev, Cyrus, and Eva:I'm thinking of having Skye's dagger made of Argentum, the one given to her by her father Please continue this section!!! Too epic to leave dangling!!!
Once again, sry to double-post... I'm trying to re-figure out how to write story sections on the quick reply thing again

Lon's heart pounded in his ears as Fiona led him back down the spiral staircase. He hoped against hope that there wouldn't be a Reaper down in the dungeons guarding the prisoners, but he knew better. The only reason Lon had escaped to begin with was because that guard had been taking Lady Maeve . . . away, and he was likely to be back by now. Lon could only imagine how happy the Reaper would be to see him out of his cell.
Sure enough, there was a ghostly light moving swiftly towards the stairs when Lon made his way down. The Reaper saw him and dashed forward, a less-than-elated look on his face. Before Lon knew it Fiona had passed through him and was standing in front of him. She held up a hand. "Hold it there butterfingers!" she snapped. "My prisoner now."
Lon lowered his head to hide his smirk.
"So hand over your little key-chain and I'll put him away properly," Fiona continued.
The Reaper fumed while Fiona spoke, but he did take the keys off his belt and hurl them at Fiona, who let them sail through her and hit Lon in the chest.
Fiona moved past the Reaper to the hallway, "Would you like to watch to see how it's done?" she said over her shoulder. From the icy glare the Reaper threw at her, Lon guessed that he didn't.
Fiona grabbed Lon by his shirt and pulled him forward, then allowed him to pass through her. "Get moving!" she snapped.
When they had walked a way, Lon looked back to see that the Reaper had left. "You sure you're not a Reaper?" he murmured to Fiona.
Lon heard it first, quiet footsteps walking along one of the side passages. He ran forward, momentarily forgetting to pretend to be a prisoner. "Zier!" he hissed. The man in the hallwa and his companion spun around, startled. "Lon! How did you get here?"
"Not now," Lon said."
Zier reached for a knife when he saw Fiona. "No!" Lon said, "It's alright, she's with us." Zier narrowed his eyes at the ghost, but put his knife back in it's sheath.
Checking the doors took time, but finally they found Dorothy, huddled in a corner crying. "It's alright," Lon said as he helped her to her feet. "We're escaping."
Jimmy was in the next cell over, but he was trying to pick the lock on his door with a twisted stick without much success. Pop was with him in the cell.
"Do you know where Lady Maeve is?" Lon asked Fiona. She shook her head. "We can't worry about her right now, we need to find the others and get out of here."

Dan wrote:

Ruthie wrote:This has something to do w/ my next post:
@Bev, Cyrus, and Eva:I'm thinking of having Skye's dagger made of Argentum, the one given to her by her father Please continue this section!!! Too epic to leave dangling!!!
Once again, sry to double-post... I'm trying to re-figure out how to write story sections on the quick reply thing again

Eeeehhhh, is it alright if her dagger isn't made of Argentum? I want to put more pressure on the Argentum-finders to find it, and I think one Argentum-dagger (owned by Lord Talbot) stretches the story as it is.

Dan wrote:

eLIZabeth wrote:Since it seems that most people think I should bring Dot back from the dead, I guess I will. She'll just wake up in a cell like everybody else did, I guess...

IC: Dorothy

A dripping noise woke Dot up... or maybe it was a scratching. Or both. She sat up, but couldn't see a thing because she didn't have her glasses. She wondered why her room was so dark and why her bed was so hard. She had been having this very long and vivid dream about Lady Maeve being kidnapped, and then she went to look for her and ended up captured by Reapers and -" She suddenly awoke to reality when a drop of water hit her head. Fumbling for her glasses, which were on a chain around her neck, she peered into the darkness of her cell. It appeared she was alone, but there were some dark shapes in the corner. Moaning with despair, she sank back down onto the make-shift bed of straw, damp from dripping water. Trying to get her thoughts clear, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember the details of what had seemed like an impossible dream. There had been a castle; Cair Castle, and they had been taken to the dungeons. Her first instinct was to find if she could contact anyone. Crawling to the nearest wall, she rapped on it. There was no reply. She called out, her voice bouncing back and echoing around her. The only answer she received was an annoyed growl from the patrolling Reaper. She went to her cell door and looked through the bars, but didn't see more than a faint light at the far end of the hall. He must have just finished his round. A few moments later, just as she was about to retreat back, two silent figures emerged from a cell three doors away from hers, keeping well into the shadows. With a wistful, hopeless sigh, she let her head fall against the door bars.

Tags: um... Zier?

OOC: I hope I'm in the right spot with Dorothy, it's going to be a little difficult working both plots...

@Everyone - please tell me how this post is, especially Denis/Zier

I think this post is perfect. And I like Dot a lot more now that I know her. But yeah, you're right on the nose with the plot, now hopefully Lon or Zier will come and rescue her.

Dan wrote:

Ruthie wrote:This has something to do w/ my next post:
@Bev, Cyrus, and Eva:I'm thinking of having Skye's dagger made of Argentum, the one given to her by her father Please continue this section!!! Too epic to leave dangling!!!
Once again, sry to double-post... I'm trying to re-figure out how to write story sections on the quick reply thing again

Eeeehhhh, is it alright if her dagger isn't made of Argentum? I want to put more pressure on the Argentum-finders to find it, and I think one Argentum-dagger (owned by Lord Talbot) stretches the story as it is.

Dan wrote:
IC: Lon

Checking the doors took time, but finally they found Dorothy, huddled in a corner crying. "It's alright," Lon said as he helped her to her feet. "We're escaping."

Ruthie wrote:

Dan wrote:

Ruthie wrote:This has something to do w/ my next post:
@Bev, Cyrus, and Eva:I'm thinking of having Skye's dagger made of Argentum, the one given to her by her father Please continue this section!!! Too epic to leave dangling!!!
Once again, sry to double-post... I'm trying to re-figure out how to write story sections on the quick reply thing again

Eeeehhhh, is it alright if her dagger isn't made of Argentum? I want to put more pressure on the Argentum-finders to find it, and I think one Argentum-dagger (owned by Lord Talbot) stretches the story as it is.

I dunno, I had wanted her dagger to be somewhat special... since it was given to her by her father (BTW, both of her parents were kidnapped by the Reapers years ago for sacrifices, but for some reason, they weren't used and were eventually just forgotten about for anything sacrificial and are now just prisoners. Skye was hidden by her parents when the Reapers came to take them. That was actually going to be part of my next post, Skye draws her dagger and kills the Reaper.. she doesn't know her dagger is made of Argentum until then) Her father had hidden that dagger along with her and hurriedly told her, b4 Reapers took him away, that it was very special and she should always keep it close by... heh heh

eLIZabeth wrote:

Dan wrote:

eLIZabeth wrote:Since it seems that most people think I should bring Dot back from the dead, I guess I will. She'll just wake up in a cell like everybody else did, I guess...

IC: Dorothy

A dripping noise woke Dot up... or maybe it was a scratching. Or both. She sat up, but couldn't see a thing because she didn't have her glasses. She wondered why her room was so dark and why her bed was so hard. She had been having this very long and vivid dream about Lady Maeve being kidnapped, and then she went to look for her and ended up captured by Reapers and -" She suddenly awoke to reality when a drop of water hit her head. Fumbling for her glasses, which were on a chain around her neck, she peered into the darkness of her cell. It appeared she was alone, but there were some dark shapes in the corner. Moaning with despair, she sank back down onto the make-shift bed of straw, damp from dripping water. Trying to get her thoughts clear, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember the details of what had seemed like an impossible dream. There had been a castle; Cair Castle, and they had been taken to the dungeons. Her first instinct was to find if she could contact anyone. Crawling to the nearest wall, she rapped on it. There was no reply. She called out, her voice bouncing back and echoing around her. The only answer she received was an annoyed growl from the patrolling Reaper. She went to her cell door and looked through the bars, but didn't see more than a faint light at the far end of the hall. He must have just finished his round. A few moments later, just as she was about to retreat back, two silent figures emerged from a cell three doors away from hers, keeping well into the shadows. With a wistful, hopeless sigh, she let her head fall against the door bars.

Tags: um... Zier?

OOC: I hope I'm in the right spot with Dorothy, it's going to be a little difficult working both plots...

@Everyone - please tell me how this post is, especially Denis/Zier

I think this post is perfect. And I like Dot a lot more now that I know her. But yeah, you're right on the nose with the plot, now hopefully Lon or Zier will come and rescue her.

Thanks! I'm really going to enjoy meeting Eva and Dot up...

Dan wrote:

Ruthie wrote:This has something to do w/ my next post:
@Bev, Cyrus, and Eva:I'm thinking of having Skye's dagger made of Argentum, the one given to her by her father Please continue this section!!! Too epic to leave dangling!!!
Once again, sry to double-post... I'm trying to re-figure out how to write story sections on the quick reply thing again

Eeeehhhh, is it alright if her dagger isn't made of Argentum? I want to put more pressure on the Argentum-finders to find it, and I think one Argentum-dagger (owned by Lord Talbot) stretches the story as it is.

I agree that maybe it would be too much if there already is an Argentum dagger, but I really like the idea of Skye's father giving one to her; I love any little underlying secrets that don't get found out until later on. Maybe the daggers could be a set that some how got separated? And it wouldn't affect the Argentum search all that much if Skye didn't find out it was Argentum until later... so I don't think we should drop this idea just yet.

Strange, random things went through Eva's head as she stood rigidly in the firm clutch of the Reaper. She thought about Dot, the Redwood, her favorite tavern. She thought about her family; she wondered what they were doing, and what they would do if they could see her now. She got letters from them about twice a month, but they never said more than "We're fine, we hope you're doing well, please come and visit us". Or they talked about news concerning whatever was going on where they lived., or maybe her brother Tyler's new dog. She always replied faithfully, but truthfully... she missed them, but didn't want to visit at the moment. She had just finished settling in on her own. She had met people, made some friends, gotten a job... been captured by Reapers.
She had to smile to herself at her own dry humor. Glancing up at the ghost's face, she saw that it was peering intently down into the mine, as if willing the three potential sacrifices down there to come up. Dar and Hala looked stricken, and stood frozen to the spot, thought the Reaper paid little attention to them. Eva nervously checked her watch. Five minutes had gone by since the women had disappeared down into the bright mine, and not a sound or anything from below. Had Bev and Cyrus really gotten that far into the cavern? And what about Skye? ... poor girl. She's right in the middle of everything. Eva thought sympathetically. She really liked Skye, even though she'd only known her for a short time. She remembered how she had seen her in the streets a few days ago... no, it was only last night, she corrected herself. Something about Skye reminded Eva of herself, and had triggered some memories from her childhood. And now that same girl was in an Argentum mine, with people's lives at risk. Eva's brow knit, and the seriousness of the whole matter hit her. They could all die. I hope they're Ok! Where in the world can they be? The Reaper voiced her thoughts. "Where are they?" She growled, her eyes full of anger. She turned them on Eva, and smiled with evil pleasure. "Maybe they just don't care what happens to you."
Eva forced down a painful lump that formed in her throat. She hadn't thought of that possibility; but she realized with a sinking heart that she didn't even know these people that well. And even some people she had known well had betrayed her before. What if it happens again? Would they really leave me? Her panic rising, Eva called out. "Cyrus? Skye? Bev? are you guys Ok? Can you hear me?" She tightened her grip on her tote bag until her knuckles turned white and strained her ears, hoping to hear a reply. She wasn't really expecting to hear anything, and she didn't. The room was as silent as a grave, and something told her that's what it would become for her if nothing happened soon.

"What are you saying?" Cyrus asked the voice of the Benevolent, "We don't have any Argentum." A small wind current blew past the group towards the entrance to the mine.
"Go." The voice said, "You have to save your friend."
I never really considered Eva my friend...wait, what am I saying? She's in danger no matter what our relationship is like. Even I'm in danger right now. Grammie too, and Skye, and every living person in this castle! The reality of thier situation dawned on Cyrus and tears started to well up in the corners of her eyes. Then Beverly spoke with a timid voice that Cyrus was not expecting, "I put Eva in danger." Her eyes scanned the floor, and she truly looked worried.
I have to be strong for Grammie or else we will never get out of here.
"Let's go," Skye barked and started to run back to the entrance. Cyrus tried to smile as she followed close behind. Besides, Skye has enough strength for all of us combined.
When the women reached the hole in the ceiling, Skye grabbed a makeshift ladder that was roughly attached to the wall. With two swift movements, she was back on the surface. Beverly made her way up the ladder next and as soon as she saw the Reaper with Eva, she yelled, "We didn't touch the Argentum like you said, so let the girl go now!" Cyrus joined the two and was carefully watching the Reaper's actions. The Reaper smiled and stared at the trio with hungry eyes.
"We have enough prisoners to finish our job, so I don't think I would get in trouble if I killed you all anyway. I haven't seen human organs in a long time."

Skye caught her breath sharply at the Reaper's remark and she glared at those glowing catlike eyes that smirked back at her so insolently.
"You will let her go!" She said through clenched teeth. She gripped her dagger around her waist.
The Reaper shrugged, still holding onto Eva. "Maybe... maybe not, though I think my answer will come in the form of the latter, don't you agree, girlie?" She hissed.
SKye's brow darkened and her eyes took on a yellowish hue. Hala and Dar, standing nearby, watched her with curiosity. Or, at least Dar did, Hala watched with a kind of hopefulness.
Skye unsheathed her dagger and pointed it at the Reaper's throat, her knuckles white, and her breathing rapid.
The Reaper knew she was nervous, but it wasn't so sure about Skye's change in appearance. It had seen that look before, on that elf-woman...
Skye strode ever so nearer. "Let, her, go." She said, dangerously quiet. Bev and Cyrus watched, surprised when they saw the Reaper's reaction to Skye's words.
The reaper managed a smirk, despite its nervous laugh. "Hah! Make me!" The Reaper was afraid of Skye!
Skye closed her eyes then and lowered her blade. Then, quick as lightning, she struck. Neither the Reaper, nor Skye was prepared for what happened next. Skye watched, as if in a dream... her blade... her running feet... the Reaper's shocked countenance... her dagger burying itself into the Reaper's shoulder... the ghost's shriek... and then Skye came back.
The Reaper dropped Eva and stumbled back, clutching its shoulder and staring at its hand. Cyrus squinted and gasped: the Reaper's whole arm was turning to dust! And not only that, but soon the whole Reaper crumbled into a fine gray power on the floor; the ghost's scream still hanging in the air.
Skye dropped her dagger as she stepped away from the dust where the Reaper once stood. "W-what happened?" She looked around at Eva, Cyrus and Bev, who looked just as surprised.
Dar and Hala, however, seemed unfazed, for both stepped up to the bewildered Skye. Hala whispered something in her husband's ear, gesturing to Skye. Dar looked at the girl, amazement on his face. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Skye? Is that you?"

Dot slipped along as with the group as stealthily as she could, which wasn't very stealthy because she was rather short and not exactly skinny. She recognized Lon in the group of rescuers, and there was a ghost too, a good one. They had unlocked the cells of four more people, which made their group consist of ten, including Fiona. Fiona and Lon led the way up the hall, the others trailing in a bunch behind. So far, not a Reaper in sight. Dorothy tried not to think about her surroundings; the dungeons smelled bad, like rot and damp and just nasty, and the walls were slimy. She called out to anyone who could answer her. "What's our plan?"
Lon stopped, and everyone gathered around. He had a thoughtful, serious look on his face, as if something was nagging him, deep inside."I think we should take as good a look around as we can. We don't yet know if there are others that are here. Something tells me that the Reapers would have ...err... dealt with ...at least a few of us sooner, but had a bigger problem to deal with." Dot appreciated his logic. Lon went on. "I think we should continue, but we have to be careful of the Reapers; maybe we should split up into groups. Fiona can't really protect all of us." He finished with a lop-sided grin at the girl ghost. There were murmurs of approval. Dot hoped she would get brave people in her group, because she was feeling pretty discouraged right now.

"I think we should continue, but we have to be careful of the Reapers; maybe we should split up into groups. Fiona can't really protect all of us." Lon said. "Besides," he added, "I'd like to see if we can find Lady Maeve. I don't like to think what they're doing to her up there."
The others nodded in agreement.
"The rest of you should try to find a way out of here, get back to town and get help," Lon said. "On second thought," he said, his voice falling to something as cheerful as a puddle of mud on a rainy day with a dead animal in it, "Maybe you should just get out of here. It won't be safe in town anymore."
Fiona scoffed. "What? You think just because now you know about the Reapers it's dangerous? The rest of us have been protecting you mortals all along."
Lon was taken aback. "What? Who's we?"
Fiona rolled her eyes, "The good ghosts. What? did you think the Reapers just left you alone because they were too tired to attack or something?"
"But then why would they attack now?" Dot asked timidly.
It looked like Fiona wanted to say something sharp to the small woman, but she bit her tongue. "Because the whole town left in different directions at once. We couldn't cover all of you," She explained. She sighed. "So yes, whoever's going back to town should get help, if there are any ghosts back from the search party yet."
"I'm going after Lady Maeve," Lon said. "Who's with me?"
Not surprisingly, Pop was the first to volunteer. "I ain't lettin' anyone back home ta thinkin' yer crazier than me!"
"I'm with you too," said Jimmy.
Lon looked at Fiona, knowing what pains the ghost had gone through to keep Jimmy safe, he wasn't sure she'd let him go alone now, and if Fiona decided to come with Lon, there would be no one to look after Dorothy.

...if Fiona decided to come with Lon, there would be no one to look after Dorothy.

Jimmy had scarcely recognized Fiona when she first popped into his cell. He couldn't stop looking at her face now, covered with the eerie swirling Reaper tattoos. They wouldn't come off, he knew, and knowing that she would be marked like that for the rest of... whenever... bothered him. And there was something else, the way she was talking about the Reapers and the Benevolents, "we good ghosts", it made it seem like some kind of secret society. Jimmy could tell there was something she wasn't saying. Well, if she hadn't seen fit to tell him before, then he'd just find out for himself.
Lon's voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"I'm going after Lady Maeve. Who's with me?"
Naturally, Pop volunteered almost before the words were out of his mouth. Jimmy smiled to himself. That old timer was simply unstoppable. He stepped forward.
"I'm with you, too," he answered.
Fiona quirked her mouth. "Well, someone has to go back to the town. I would, but I know that you guys would be much better off if I was with you. Then at least you'd have some kind of excuse. But then..." she glanced sideways, surveying the rest of the group. "The rest of you would stand a better chance of getting back if I was with you." She frowned. "Hmmm. Rock and a hard place."
The rest of the group began talking quietly amon themselves, dividing up. Fiona slipped over to Jimmy.
"What do you think?" she asked.
"What do I think?" he replied. "Go with them. They need you more."
"You sure? You'll be okay?" she said, and smiled a little. "Don't need me to watch out for you?"
Jimmy shrugged, suddenly feeling annoyed at her. Just because he was technically hundreds of years younger than her didn't mean he was some kind of child. "Oh, I'm sure we'll be fine. I mean, we've been managing pretty well without you, haven't we? Of course, we'd do a lot better if a certain lot of ghosts who we've been trusting all our lives had told us that there was a certain doom hanging over our heads, but I'm sure we'll work it out before it kills us. No need to bother yourself."
Fiona's eyes widened in surprise and the skin beneath her tattoos went a little whiter. "Jimmy," she said quietly, "I would have told you, really, but it's a secret. We're not supposed to tell anyone."
"So when were you planning on telling us? Before or after the sacrificial rite?" Jimmy snorted. "Maybe its hard for 'you ghosts' to remember, but we lifers only have one chance. We can die. So how about you go help out some people in the town, and we will finish things up here, and protect the rest of the lifers?"
Fiona opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it.
"Fine, if that's the what you think," she answered, looking at him angrily. "Be ungrateful. You have no idea what we've gone through to help out all you lifers who've ever lived in Goscite. I'll see you later, if you've still got your chance."
Jimmy watched as Fiona led the return group quietly down the corridor and around the corner. He turned to Lon.
"I guess we better get going," he said. "I have a funny feeling that things are going to start moving fast once they realize we're not there anymore."

Skye looked long and hard up at Dar. The man smiled slightly and held up his hands. Something clicked in Skye's mind and she smiled and placed her own hands over them. It was their secret handshake, what she remembered from all those years ago. Skye hadn't realized she had been crying but now, she flung herself into Dar's arms. Hala joined in the embrace as well, her chin resting on top of Skye's golden head.
The family stayed like that for a few moments; Eva, Cyrus and Bev were watching happily a few feet away.
At last, Skye let go of her parents and wiped her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she cried.
"Why are you here?" She asked.
Dar answered, smoothing back Skye's bangs from her forehead, "Do you remember that night when we first came to Goscite?"
Skye nodded vigorously. How could she forget? There had been a ghost sighting that night; at least eight ghosts, out near the Warren, and the villagers seemed too scared to greet any newcomers.
"The Reapers came for us," Hala spoke, marking the first time she had. "They broke into our room and captured us; you were hidden away so they wouldn't come after you as well." Hala's voice was soft and wise, like a cat's, if cats could talk.
"But why did they come for you?"
Dar answered with something like a wry grin on his face. "We had something that they needed, but when they found that we didn't have it, instead of releasing us, they kept us here, hoping that someone would come and try to rescue us; they were going to blackmail whoever it was to bring what they wanted to them."
"What was it?" That was Cyrus. She stepped forward.
"A dagger, but Hala and I hid it when we were taken, and the last person whom I know of that would have that dagger is Skye."
"What? Me? Why?" Skye was confused. Why would her parents hide a dagger along with her?
"I knew you would keep it safe," Dar replied. "The Reapers wanted it for a sacrifice, since the dagger is pure Argentum, but once it was discovered that we wouldn't be rescued, they eventually, albeit grudgingly, decided they would use us when the time came, even if it meant no Argentum."
"They were planning to use you for a sacrifice?" Skye realized that by giving her the dagger, her parents' lives had been spared.
"I knew you would keep the dagger safe, but now," Dar went over to the place where The Last Moments of Cair the Mage lay. He picked it up. "Now we have to stop this ritual and-"
At that moment, there came a noise from outside the door.

Ruthie wrote:@Angie/Lon/Cyrus/Eva/Beverly: Should the escaped villagers (Long, Pop, Jimmy, etc.) find Skye and Co. in the cell? Or should we continue on alone?
The sound could probably just be a mouse or something (or another Reaper haha) if you don't think they should be found in the cell.

eLIZabeth wrote:

Ruthie wrote:@Angie/Lon/Cyrus/Eva/Beverly: Should the escaped villagers (Long, Pop, Jimmy, etc.) find Skye and Co. in the cell? Or should we continue on alone?
The sound could probably just be a mouse or something (or another Reaper haha) if you don't think they should be found in the cell.

I don't know... I think we should meet dramatically, like both groups hear each other in different rooms, and they both think that it's Reapers. So they both plan to rush into the opposite room, and almost end up killing each other! lol But that's just me, we obviously don't have to do that.

Angie wrote:

eLIZabeth wrote:

Ruthie wrote:@Angie/Lon/Cyrus/Eva/Beverly: Should the escaped villagers (Long, Pop, Jimmy, etc.) find Skye and Co. in the cell? Or should we continue on alone?
The sound could probably just be a mouse or something (or another Reaper haha) if you don't think they should be found in the cell.

I don't know... I think we should meet dramatically, like both groups hear each other in different rooms, and they both think that it's Reapers. So they both plan to rush into the opposite room, and almost end up killing each other! lol But that's just me, we obviously don't have to do that.

I guess it depends who goes back to the village- I was going to have at least Fiona get caught as posing as a Reaper, and get into some hot water.

As castles went, it wasn't particularly confusing to navigate. Although it did have a sort of windy-ness to it. But all in all Lon was pretty sure he was headed in the right direction. Anything the Reapers were doing to Lady Maeve was sure to be dastardly, and anything significantly dastardly would be sure to be dramatic, and dramatic things only happened in a few specific places in castles. All that was left was to check those.
It was pretty safe to say Dramatic Spot #1, the drawbridge, wasn't the place for this dramatic deed--especially since it would be impossible for Lon and the others to search there without being seen. Dramatic Spot #2, a high tower, was ruled out because all of the high towers in this castle had long since collapsed. They did manage to check Dramatic Spot #4, the kitchen, but they didn't find anything there. Especially because Dramatic Spot #4 was a less dastardly and more dialog-y sort of dramatic spot.
That left Dramatic Spot #3: The Main Hall. Fortunately that was conveniently connected to the kitchen.
Lon crept close to the door and listened, he could hear Louis, shouting. Then a small female voice sobbed something. Lady Maeve. Lon held up a hand to the rest of the group, signaling them to keep quiet.
"What do we do now?" Jimmy whispered.

Lon crept close to the door and listened, he could hear Louis, shouting. Then a small female voice sobbed something. Lady Maeve.

Fiona stomped angrily ahead of the rest of the group. Everything annoyed her, especially the fact that her stopming made no noise whatsoever, which would have been somewhat gratifying. The nerve! she thought angrily. Honestly! After everything that the Benevolents had gone through and done for the lifers, to be so ungrateful!
You know, said a reasonable voice inside her head, it wasn't all of them. Just Jimmy, and he did have a reason. If you had told them before, then you wouldn't be chasing lifers all over the countryside.
Shut up, Fiona thought back, irritated. But she stopped walking and leaned with one arm on a tree. Then she hit it a few times, rattling the branches, and withered a few leaves with a particularly hard stare. She slumped to the ground and sat back against the tree.
"That's better," she muttered.
Oh, yes, now everything will work out fine, because you beat up a tree, the voice of reason commented sarcastically.
Fiona ignored it.
The breezy, warm of the summer afternoon was soothing, and even though Fiona couldn't feel the warmth, she began to calm down. Maybe Jimmy was right. If they had just told the lifers the whole story, then none of this would be happening. But the Secret of the Argentum and the Curse of Goscite were two things that were so deep in the town, so ancient and personal, it didn't feel right to talk about them to outsiders, people who could not know and would never understand what they had gone through. The power one could have through the Argentum, the greed of the Gosciters to possess it, and the awesome power of Cair as he cast the one spell he was sure would stop them.
Fiona remembered how it had felt when the spell was cast. The entire town had marched to the castle, eager to get their hands on the Argentum, now that they knew where it lay. But the mage Cair was firm; he believed that it would bring only harm, and had to be kept safe, and locked away. Fiona hadn't known what was going on, not really, but it was exciting and frightening at the same time. The Gosciters stormed the castle, breaking down the door and entering the Great Hall, fighting to get in first and start looking for the precious silver.
But Cair had been waiting. Somehow the Hall had expanded, and once the entire town was inside the Hall, the doors slammed shut, barring escape. Cair looked down at them sadly, shaking his head.
"I tried to warn you," he said. "But you wouldn't listen. I knew that it would come to this. This silver is too powerful and too dangerous for me to let you have it, but you've heard me say that before. I must protect it, and this is the only way I know how. I am sorry."
Cair spread his arms apologetically, almost like a shrug, and then deftly cast magical runes with his quick fingers. Fiona felt a cold wave burst across her, like when you jump in freezing water. She felt her breath stolen away, but then the wave battered at her, as if trying to beat something out of her. She held her shoulders to her chest and cried out, but her voice was lost in the Hall, as the other Gosciters were doing the same. The wave became too strong to fight against, and Fiona stopped and let go. It swept across her, taking something from her, something warm and full of vigor. Her life. She felt a dark void looming before her, and she fell into it. She hadn't remembered anything more, until she awoke again in Goscite, silent as a the grave. A ghost town.
Suddenly, Fiona became aware of the intense silence around her. The birds had stopped singing, and even the wind had ceased. Here I am, daydreaming, when I'm supposed to be helping those lifers, she reprimanded herself, rising to her feet.
"Where could they have gone?" she said, swinging around the tree. "I wasn't that-"
She stopped suddenly. Finding yourself suddenly face to face with a grinning Reaper will do that to a person.
"Hello, Fiona," said the Reaper. "I heard you changed sides. But I'm not so sure- seems like you forgot to change your colors when you did."
Fiona paled. Her shademark was bright and undisguised, not the dark shadow of a Reaper. She hadn't been counting on running into any.
The Reaper looked at her curiously. "You wouldn't have happened to notice any lifers running around, have you? See, some escaped from the castle, where we've been rounding them up. Apparently, a Reaper girl let them out. You wouldn't happen to know who that is, would you?"
"Umm, I-" stuttered Fiona, then she pulled herself together. No use trying to pretend anymore. she swung out, punching the Reaper in the face and knocking him backwards. Then she turned and ran. Right into another Reaper.
He spread his hands. "Now, Fi, that wasn't very nice to do to Rolf, was it? I thought you too was friends!"
He grabbed her arms before she had the chance to move and twisted them behind her. "I think we should go pay old Uncle Louis a visit, don't you?" Fiona struggled, but the Reaper was too strong. Rolf had gotten up and was walking over to them. He rubbed his sore jaw.
"I think that's an excellent idea, Mason," he answered. "He'll be missing his little Fiona."
And they began back to the castle.

Everyone eyed the door suspiciously, praying that the noise on the other side wasn't another Reaper. Eva sank back into the deep shadows along the wall, keeping out of reach of the light spilling from the Argentum mine. The others followed, not wanting to approach whatever was on the other side. Skye kept near the door, her dagger in ready position, and Dar and Hala stayed near her, looking ready for anything. Eva could barely see Bev and Cyrus against the opposite wall, and she hoped whatever came through the door wouldn't be able to see her either. The sounds behind the door had stopped, and she relaxed a little. But in the next moment, the door was creaking open very slowly, as though the one entering found it very difficult to push it. To everyone's surprise, not a Reaper but a Benevolent came through the door; a very old ghost, almost transparent, wearing clothes form ancient times, while he shakily hovered, and sometimes walked, with a wooden leg that scratched against the floor. Skye lowered her blade, and the whole group exchanged glances of wonder. Before anyone could make a move, the Benevolent had glided by them all, apparently oblivious to their presence, and disappeared into the mine. Everybody crowded over the edge, searching for an explanation.
"What do you think he's doing?" Cyrus whispered, her brow furrowing. "We already saw one Benevolent down there."
Beverly shrugged. "In my opinion, we should head back into the mine again." She gestured to Cyrus and Skye. "You saw how it was made of tunnels, maybe it leads out of here!"
Skye tapped her on the shoulder, smiling without much enthusiasm. "We can't leave, we're here to find the prisoners, remember? But I guess here is as good a place as any to start." She straightened up and looked at the others earnestly. "What do you say? Should we go down?"
"I think it would be good if we could find the Benevolent, he may be able to help us." Eva put in. "So I'm with you." The rest agreed, and they scrambled into the opening single-file, the light from the silver glowing.

Darkness as far as the eye see and quiet was all the group encountered in the mine tunnel. Everyone was walking single file, holding the hand of the person in front of them. Skye was in-between her parents; Hala's smooth hand felt icy in Skye's own hold, while Dar's felt hot. He's afraid, she speculated, even though she remembered Dar being a courageous fellow who welcomed a challenge. His years here have changed him, Skye thought angrily. She set her jaw when she thought of the fiend who had imprisoned her parents. Gast would pay!
Just then, the line stopped. Skye listened. Bev and Cyrus, who were at the front, whispered back, "Something's up ahead."
A shuffling noise was heard and the whole group froze, not even daring to breathe. The sound grew louder until it stopped right up front. A voice came through. The same voice that Skye, Cyrus and Bev had encountered before.
"What are you doing here again? I told you that you were all set, so why are you back?" The Benevolent sounded weary of the human visitors.
Cyrus' voice broke in. "Yes, we found out what you meant, but we were just following another Benevolent that had come down here not long ago. And we were also wondering if there is a way out of the castle through these mines."
The Benevolent was quiet after this statement, and then he sighed. "Yes, there is one, but I would not take it if I were you, especially now."
Beverly sounded indignant. "Why not?"
The ghost replied slowly. "Because human lives happen to be at stake, and you may be the last hope this village has. If you wish to save your community, then follow me. There is a special room up ahead that the reapers do not know of, or if they do, they're too cowardly to come down here and check it out for themselves." His sentence ended in a chuckle.
Silence, and then Skye spoke up. "I don't know about everyone else, but I want to save the village." She wished there was light enough to see, so she could judge everyone's reactions, but since there wasn't she went by tone of voice. Cyrus, Bev and Eva were somewhat speechless. Here was a street mouse who didn't even have a home or any sort of place in the village and yet she was here now, saying she would like to save it.
Dar and Hala squeezed their daughter's hands; Skye knew they were smiling. Finally the other three woman agreed, albeit reluctantly. The Benevolent took this in, and then urged quietly, "Then follow me, we don't have much time. Louis will probably be down here soon..."

Cyrus followed the Benevolent through the tunnels like she had earlier, but her mind was not on saving the town. Skye's reunion with her parents repeated in her mind. I wonder how my family is doing. I haven't heard from them in a while. Even though Cyrus was living in Goscite with her grandmother, she truly wanted to return to her hometown. The bond that Skye has with her parents seems so...pure. Why haven't I experienced that? The young woman was used to strict parents who loved her, but the two never really seemed interested in her endeavors. They would give Cyrus whatever she wanted if she needed it, but the only thing she never received was openly expressed love. The scene played in her mind, again and she shuddered. I don't feel good. We have to get out of here. I can run away with grandma. She knows how to live on the earth, and we can get back home eventually. My head... Cyrus slowed down and touched the side of her head. It hurts...
The Benevolent stopped and turned around, looking sternly at Cyrus. "What is wrong?"
She replied quickly, "Nothing but a small headache." The ghost stared at her for a moment and turned around, beginning the journey again.
The Benevolent led the group through tunnel after tunnel. Cyrus' mind began to wander, but she snapped back to reality when the ghost came to a sudden stop. "Here it is. This is what you need to defeat the Reapers. We were meant to guard this place, but we will open it in this time of despair." The ghost
swiped his hand over a hole in the wall. The group watched intently as the hole grew wider, wide enough for everyone to enter a room that shone with pure light from within. Before stepping into the hole, the ghost said, "Make sure you take as much as you need."