Hi! Here's the second part of what happened inside the Shian mansion. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! First part is full of mystery and suspense... second part, well, you know our party... It is kind of a joke.
I apologize if I do not name the three guys that appeared when we visited the mansion in chapter 6, but they did not play this time so, just act like they had gone away after one of them fell when Sianodell attacked him.
Enjoy it!
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Chapter 7: In Love and Death.
He gave a deep, almost evil-looking glance at each of us and drew out his flaming sword. He tried to attack Timmy, but missed. None of us knew what to do; he was our friend, we really did not want to hurt him (well, must of us, because Timmy did try to strike back).
Once again, he tried to attack. This time Bahamut was his target. Once again, he missed.
I suddenly had an idea, but it was not going to be easy to try it if he could activate that force field ring of his to repel me... or if he discovered what I was trying to do and would not let me get close to him...
It was a really simple idea. If I could get close enough to him, maybe I could perform my Touch of Fatigue. It would be a quick way to stop him from attacking us without harming him... a lot.
I told my companions what I was planning to do and Bahamut said he would help me, that he would try and stop Sianodell for me to get to him and perform my spell... It did not turn out so good, but I took advantage of the diversion Bahamut was creating to perform my spell and... It worked! Sianodell fell kneeling on the floor, using his sword to help him keep balance to stay up.
Since Sianodell had been stopped for a short while, the young girl ran toward the door and opened it... There was still another staircase to climb and she had to get her job done.
Anyway, my spell could not do anything against Sianodell's stubbornness... He suddenly stood up again, as weak as he was, and attacked Timmy, missing him once again. Then, Taltos used his pepper spray and blinded Sianodell for a while, during which we ran upstairs, losing Sianodell's track.
What we found upstairs was a single room, in which the only decoration was a black ceiling and a wardrobe placed at the far wall. As soon as we entered, I felt there was some kind of secret door behind one of the room's walls... maybe the one in which the wardrobe was located, but that was not all...
We felt there was something streaming down upon our heads, but we did not realize what it was until it was too late... The thing upon our heads tied itself around our necks and lifted us from the floor, beginning to strangle us... They were long threads of black hair.
Taltos and the young girl got to free themselves, using their knife and sword. Timmy bit the hair thread around his neck, making it let go of him. Bahamut and I, on the other hand, were having some trouble as we tried to get free... Each time we tried, we got a little bit more suffocated, until it was almost impossible to breath.
We were about to get suffocated when we saw where the hairs came from. We all looked up and saw the pale face of a woman appearing through the ceiling. She was pale and emaciated, and she stared blankly at us with her wide-opened black eyes, as she spoke unintelligible words... She started to go down until the whole upper part of her body (up to her torso) could be seen.
After many minutes of battling against the hair threads that were suffocating us, Bahamut and I finally got free. As we did, the woman fell off the roof and appeared right in the middle of us.
What could we do against her? Timmy tired to hit her, but his attack ran through her, as if she was not there... She was a ghost. That meant no physical attack was worthy against her... only a few magic or some magical items.
Fortunately, as part of her items for the mission she had to accomplish, our young semi-elf had been given a special dagger... one with a powerful spell that could only harm incorporeal creatures. She used it against this ghost, making her give a terrible scream, as a hole appeared in one of her legs... As the ghost dragged herself on the floor, she bit Timmy, who ran up to the wall were the wardrobe was located and broke it with his giant club, leaving an opening through which a new staircase appeared.
Anyway, we could not get through the door if we had that ghost to fight against... I tried a spell, but it did not work much so, once again, the young girl stabbed the ghost with her dagger and it disappeared through the floor, screaming...
Bahamut, Timmy and I went up to reach the new staircase, while Taltos and the young girl went back to the library to look for something... As we climbed the stairs, the young girl and Taltos came running to us, followed by a pack of wolves.
We kept climbing, faster and faster, trying to avoid the wolves that chased after us. There was an open door at the right end of the staircase... The last door in the whole house. There was where we had to head!
We finally reached the door. The room was some kind of observatory: its ceiling was completely transparent, letting us stare into the dark, star-filled, night sky... Árama sat in the middle of the room, while the young dark elf that had just appeared in the living room (A/N: remember the shadow that suddenly took shape?) began to walk toward her.
We tried to enter the room, but our only way in was suddenly blocked by that vampire... He stood right in the middle of the doorway and began to read theroll of parchmenthe had in his hand, creating a force field that did not let us get any further from where we were.
Things were not getting any good for us. Now we were trapped. We could not go further because of the force field that had been placed on the doorway, and we could not go back since we had a pack of wolves chasing after us.
While I tried to decipher a way to get through that force field, Bahamut, Taltos, the young girl and Timmy began to fight against the wolves that were trying to attack us. Timmy jumped on top of them and smashed a couple of them, but one of them got to bite him... The others kept attacking and got to kill a few of them, but there were still five wolves to fight against.
As this happened, inside the room, the wedding dress Árama had packed up some minutes before came out her backpack and surrounded her, as if she was putting it on.
-My wishes are finally going to come true- I heard her say. –But this happiness is driving me crazy.
-I have always waited for you- the young dark elf answered. –I have cried and died for you, my love, because I do not want to lose you... For in joy and death my home is in your arms.
-So- I could hear Árama say. –Finish what you began, Laucien! Transform me! You promised me! You said we would be together forever- she made a small cut in her neck and got ready for him to bite her.
He debated himself between his own thoughts and his blood thirst... He looked so weak, so pale, even for a dark elf... He really needed that blood she was willing to give him. He was about to give up to that young, frail body offering itself to him when the other vampire pushed him away, aiming a knife at his throat (A/N: the vampire had made a cut in one of his hands, marking theparchment rollwith his blood and kept it open with a pair of knives, so the spell kept working) and told him:
-Remember why you did not do it when you had the chance to.
Árama looked back at them and asked the one she had called Laucien please not to kill her, that he knew she was not the one who was asking that... He thought about it and just said:
-Leave Árama alone.
The ghost we had fought against a while before left Árama's body and got close to him. Her hands pierced deep into his ribs and a lot of wounds, like knife cuts, appeared throughout his body.
-Now all I see is your scars- she said. –I know where they are from. I just see you on your knees, begging... You hardly walk with your open arms, asking for more.
-We have been blessed- he answered. –But there is no cure for this pain. Right now my wounds are willing for my penance; I am lost in the divine suffering, because in your sweet torment is where I am willing. I cannot handle this pain, but I cannot close my heart because I do not want to let you down. I do not wish for the shame of all those promises we made and did not keep.
-But promises are made to be broken and forgotten. They are just words said to destroy, and they are so trivial and unnecessary, because all they can only cause harm. That is why I have lost my faith in you, because I cannot see them in your eyes, or feel them in your touch, or taste them in your lips, making me doubt about your love for me... And no one is going to love you like I did, but it is now too late because pain had turned to love and love to hate.
-Just believe me: I am so in love with you; you are everything I had ever wished for... I wanted to live my whole life with you, to make you happy... But I never wanted you to suffer. I never wished for you to spend an eternity in darkness... you did not deserve it.
She gave a shrill laugh.
-I look into the sockets of your eyes, which are now so dry, without any tears to drop anymore... How can I trust you if I know your tears have been taken away from you? You never wanted our hearts to open to the infinite feeling because the more we have; the more we want of what fills our hearts... So, whether you like it or not, this will always end in dead tears, for you have already decided for death and not for love, and love always ends up in tears.
Back on the staircase, the others kept trying to stop the wolves when this dark figure appeared behind the wolves and killed the remaining five with his sword: it was Sianodell. It seemed like he was back to his old self again.
-What is going on here- he asked me.
-Well...- I explained everything that had happened to him. –We cannot trespass the force field he created- I pointed at the vampire that stood at the door. –There is nothing we can do... and Árama is back there with another vampire!
Suddenly, the vampire that stood in the doorway backed away. He closed the parchment roll he had been reading and tore it down to pieces, breaking the spell.
I ran over to Árama and asked her if she was alright, if she had not been harmed.
-I am alright- she answered. –Not thanks to you, but I am.
Meanwhile, the young girl had begun her exorcism ritual. She placed a few candles around herself and said a few ritual prayers out loud... It slowly began to work: the ghost's feet slowly began to fade away. But that did not make Laucien very happy.
-You are not going to take my sweet torment away from me- he walked over to the young girl and attacked her. Then, he went back with his girlfriend.
But the semi-elf would not give up that easy. She began with her prayers again.
This time the ghost faded away almost completely... the only remaining part of her body was her head. It was almost over!
Anyway, when the young girl was about to say her last prayer, the other vampire took her by the neck, lifted her a little bit and told her to wait.
-Wherever you are, I belong there- Laucien told the ghost, as he held her head in his arms. –And a part of me will always be with you. So, let me be closer to you. Even if it is for this one last time, let me take you into my arms, like when love and death embrace.
-All this time we had to wait for what had been predestinated to us, and now it is too late... You are so alone and I am ready to disappear- she said in a sad but resigned voice. –I know the feeling of all the things that were left to say because I was never able to understand: Did you ever love me, Laucien?
The ghost's head had finally disappeared without an answer to her last question.
Laucien let out a horrible scream, but he was too weak to get up. He just gave a furious look to each of us and finally discharged his anger against the other vampire, taking him by the neck and lifting him from the floor.
-Why did you do that?
-I did it all just for you, master... I wanted to give you something beyond your redemption because if you fall lower, no one could ever catch you.
His hand turned into a wolve's mouth. Its sharp teeth bit Talmios while he was hanging in midair. Then, he made a large cut in one of his own arms and placed the wound in Talmios' mouth, so he had to drink from it.
-If you betray my confidence; I shall have to leave you. Remember what I taught you... But if I see you ever again, I will have to slay you.
When he had done this, Laucien pushed Talmios against the wall, leaving him unconscious (as far as we could see) and turned into a mist, disappearing through the window, toward the night.
Before we left the room, we searched it for the missing part of the painting... It was there, actually, placed in the far corner of the room, surrounded by dried red roses. Sianodell took it and placed it in his pack with the other part.
As we left the room, Talmios got up from the floor and looked at us. We got ready to attack.
-Do not worry, I am not going to try and attack you today- he said. –You helped me to help my master. But next time we meet, things are going to be different... I am a complete vampire now, so you will have to be careful.
He went away.
All of us began to run downstairs but, when we were about to reach the library, Talmios appeared again.
-Who was the one who broke my coffin?
We all looked at each other. I did not recall anyone breaking a coffin... At least none of the ones that had remained inside the house while the others searched the back yard. We were in trouble if he was willing to harm the one who had broken it. And, suddenly, Taltos gave a great display of his bluffing capacity:
-It was the young ninja that we left downstairs.
I guess it was because he had been week; or maybe because he was still grateful for what we had done for his master, because he just let us go...
We kept walking down, until we reached the house's front yard again. Back there, I looked at theroll of parchmentTimmy gave me back inside the mansion. It was a really simple spell... All I needed was a few things and a tree: the tree that was located at the right corner of the garden.
We began to walk toward it, so I could perform the spell... I do not know how he did it but, when we reached the tree, Timmy was already there, cutting off some of the tree's branches to make long, sharp stakes... We had to stop him from destroying the whole tree or my spell would not work.
When Timmy had finally left the tree alone, I placed the objects needed for the spell (some leafs and rocks of a certain kind) around the tree's trunk and said the few words written on the parchment. Suddenly, every single branch in the tree was illuminated by thousands of little lights.
Was that everything the spell was about? I could not believe it!
We suddenly remembered something: the statue we had bound in the first floor! We still had to find out what it had to do with the inscription in the golden plate! So, we decided to re-enter the mansion and, while Taltos went up to the library to look for some interesting books to study, the rest of us remained in the first floor, examining the statue.
Surprisingly, the statue had changed its position: it was not facing the door anymore; it was now facing the staircase... and its eyes had turned red!
Bahamut tried the secret compartment that had been discovered a few hours before and manipulated the insect-shaped device, turning it sideways, as if it was some sort of key. As he did that, red blood drops began to stream down the statue's eyes and a second secret compartment opened up under the first one.
It was a small compartment, filled with a small chest. Bahamut took it out. It was closed, and there seemed to be any key around to open it. I asked him to give it to me and performed an Open/Close spell to open it.
Inside the chest we found some sort of letter, filled with symbols and written in a language that none of us could identify. We decided to give it to Taltos when he came back to where we were for him to use the healm he received as a Christmas present to read it... He did so, but the only thing he said was that it was some kind of poem written in some type of infernal script, but that it would take him a pair of weeks to decipher its meaning. So, we let him keep the letter.
But that was not the only thing inside the chest: there were also six cameos shaped like small bugs, each of them with a different colored gem on it.
I closed the chest again and put it inside my backpack. I would keep it until we knew what that chest was about. If it was not anything wrong, I had promised my companions to give a cameo to each one of them...
So, with our job at the Shian mansion finally done and part of the secret of the statues finally revealed, we headed back to the University. But, before we did that, Sianodell went back to New Shanghai to deliver the painting, as that young man had promised. We outside the city, keeping Timmy as far away from it as we could.
°°° (Back at the University)
We arrived just in time for the University's sport and cultural festival: A whole day to have fun, practice sports, play, sing (A/N: We had a karaoke night! Haven't I told you that I love karaoke nights?)... A perfect day after a fulfilled mission! ... The only bad thing was that it was an obligation to be enlisted on at least one sport's competition. And so we did.
First, we watched a very interesting tennis game between one of the young semi-elf's classmates, named Yayoi and a University student. The high school girl won the match. Our young girl's team won a soccer match... It was actually her who scored the five goals that made them win. Taltos did not seem very happy when a high school student defeated him on a race, but there was nothing he could do against her: she really ran like the wind. Bahamut got to win second place at the archery contest. Árama, who had decided to practice fencing, got to be in the finals, but she lost her last match. Timmy would from then on be known as "the Great Orcish Barrier", for his impenetrable defense had won his team a football match... As for myself, my baseball team lost a very tied match against the Professors. The Social Sciences Faculty Dean hit the homerun that gave them the victory.
After the sport matches were over, we decided to go and look for something interesting to do. The young semi-elf said she would not be joining us, since she had a date with Yaashi (A/N: remember the young human who had saved her from the giant robot's ion pistol and died and then was said to be not dead?): He had invited her to the small fair that had been settled for the festival.
As we walked around the University, we were asked to play a friendly beach volleyball game against the group of Sentai Members we had met before we reached the University for the first time (A/N: Picture all of our characters playing volleyball on a sand field, dressed in bathing suits... Boys! Can't they think of anything else than seeing pretty girls in bikinis?). All of us accepted, except Taltos, who sat among the crowd with his video camera and recorded everything that happened (I think he had also settled the gambles for the game).
Suddenly, our little friendly volleyball game turned out not so friendly... They were actually winning, but we were also beating them up... Yes, I know it sounds kind of weird, but Timmy had broken the delicate-looking guy's nose and hit the little one plenty of times, until he was not able to play anymore and had to be replaced. His replacement was the young girl's classmate: Yayoi.
I am still not quite sure of how this happened, but as Árama sent a pass back to the opposite side, the ball hit the pink-haired girl's face, leaving a horrible purple mark on her cheek. Suddenly, without any apparent reason, Árama just went to the opposite side of the field and began to hit the pink-haired girl... That was when the game officially turned into a battlefield... Actually, it was a mud battlefield because, for some strange reason I cannot explain yet, a magical rain fell over our team's opposite side when we were losing the game.
Árama kept hitting the pink-haired girl, while Timmy began to attack her remaining teammates using everything that stood on his way (and not only those who remained, he also tried to attack the poor little guy he had sent out with one of the poles that kept he net standing).
On one occasion, as the poor girl tried to defend herself (calling her "poor girl" does not mean that I like her, but I still do not understand why Árama did that), Árama untied the knots that kept her bathing suit on, leaving the poor girl completely naked... As if that was not enough, she took the pink-haired girl by the head and rubbed her face hard against the mud-covered floor, saying: "Now tell me who is the most beautiful girl around!"
Their team's leader held Árama back and helped the pink-haired girl up, as he covered her with a towel. But that was not the end of it, because Timmy went up to him, ready to strike him, but the guy defended himself and hit Timmy so hard that he was pushed backwards until he fell upon someone who was just sitting there watching the game: the young semi-elf's date.
Suddenly, a sandstorm had covered the place: the Professors had arrived. Fortunately for me, when the fight started I moved away from the volleyball field and sat next to Taltos... I know most of you would not understand why I said "fortunately", but, after what had happened during the Humanities class, I was sure that Professor Drake would be looking for any single excuse to kick me out of his class (or of the University) once and for good. If anything wrong came out of that fight, at least I would not be involved in it (I know it may sound selfish, but I am really not willing to leave the University until I become a firecaster).
Nothing much happened after the Professors arrived. Things settled down and the rest of the game was obviously cancelled. The wounded ones were sent to the infirmary (specially Yaashi, who had a lot of broken bones) and those who had gambled against us paid Taltos what they had gambled (the whole crowd had decided to say we actually won because Árama and Timmy gave a good fight)... Soon Taltos' video would become famous all around the University.
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Yeah, I know it sounds like the ending of a movie. I apologize for that: I didn't know how to end it up.
I hope you liked this chapter. Personally, I loved the first part. It was so deep, so creepy at a start, but so heartwarming, so beautiful at the end (actually, this is an improved version of what was said in the campaign... My boyfriend let me use a poem he had written -using song lyrics- for one of my stories)... I remember I felt bad when my DM-GM said we found the remaining piece of the painting on the floor, surrounded by dried red roses. If I had been the one to take it away I think I would have not done it. I just can't!
I warned you. The second part would be kind of a joke, but I hope you enjoyed it.
Poor Yaashi! When you get to meet him as the story goes on, you'll get to know why he has been declared our campaign's little Kenny (those who had ever seen South Park may have a small idea of what I mean).
Well, guess what? Next week I will bring you "Intriguing Thoughts" (Bonus Chapter 2). Something's bothering Sianodell... This conversation will drive much more questions up to Gea's mind. (Just place it after we leave the mansion, before we reach the University again).
And remember the following weekend's two chapters. Chapter 8 will be "Happy Birthdays". The ending of our University's festival and a very special birthday celebration for Gea and Aramir.
RRRRRRREEEEEEEVVVVVVVIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW, please.
Ruby.