Wow, two updates in a short amount of time. This chapter was very fun for me to write, I hope everyone enjoys reading it as much as I did making it!
John: No, I don't like cyborgs. I LOVE cyborgs. I am OBSESSED with cyborgs.
Chapter 6: Mansion of Mysteries, and a Sleeping Man
They had kept on walking, not stopping at all. Evening was approaching, yet they were not sure when they wanted to stop for the night.
Ryei looked up at the sky, and shook his head. "It looks like a storm is coming. We had better find shelter as soon as possible."
Varen examined the clouds that were starting to cloak the sky. "It's going to be a pretty bad one. I agree that a place to stay would be the best idea."
"We might have to resort to trees for cover," Karen pointed out. "The Capital is still far away, right? We probably won't find any buildings around here."
"That's true," Hope agreed. "Let's look for the thickest foliage then."
About thirty minutes later, it began to rain. It was soft at first, but they knew it would come down much harder quickly.
"Any bright ideas?" Daine asked as they walked on.
Gaignun was sniffing the ground, trying to pick up the scent of something. The rain was making it difficult though.
"You guys stay here, under these trees," Varen suggested, indicated to a group of trees. "I'll go ahead and look for an area that will suit us better."
"Are you sure? You'll get completely soaked," Hope stated.
"I told you, I like the rain," Varen reminded her. "I'd rather take the time to enjoy it."
"Alright then, go ahead," Daine nodded. "We'll wait here."
After they settled down, they fell silent, all with their own thoughts. Only Hope and Gaignun continued to talk.
You couldn't pick up anything?
No. The rain is making it impossible. We can only hope that Varen will find something.
Hope looked over at Daine. You said that he has the scent of blood on him. Tell me… is that smell fresh?
No. Some of it is very, very old. Some of it is more recent, but still from a time long ago.
About how old would you say?
I cannot say… it is one of the oldest scents I have ever picked up. It is so ancient, that I suspect that he was not born when he acquired it.
What are you saying? He had to be alive to obtain any kind of scent!
True. But some of the scents are far too aged… I know he could not have gotten them in his life time. I am aware that he slept for twenty years, but that is not what I mean.
Hope sighed. It's all so confusing… will we ever know the answers to even half the questions we ask?
"Hey, guys! I found something!" Varen called, walking over to them. "You won't believe it! There's actually an old mansion!"
"A mansion?" Ryei said in disbelief.
"It looks like this is our lucky day," Karen joked as they rose. "Lead the way Varen!"
The rain was coming down much more fiercely now. Varen was still able to find the mansion easily though. They soon arrived in front of it.
Daine examined it suspiciously. It might have been an effect of the lightning, rain, and darkness, but the mansion seemed like something out of an old horror novel. It was an ancient, yet sturdy structure that was colored dark brown or black-Daine couldn't tell with his limited visibility. It was two stories tall. Although it appeared threatening, it would provide good shelter.
"It's creepy," Hope commented. "What if this is a dangerous place?"
A thunderclap caused them to wince.
"Forget I said that," Hope said.
Daine tried to pull open the door, and sighed. "It's locked. So much for entering."
"What if someone is here?" Valor asked.
"It's doubtful. Just look at how old the building is. Besides, most people died in the incident," Zari pointed out. "If the people who lived here somehow survived, they would probably not stay here."
"That's true," Varen nodded. "Which is why I thought this would be a good place to stay. But with the door locked, I guess not."
"Daine, what kind of a lock is it?" Zarek inquired.
"Just a rusted padlock," Daine shrugged. "It looks fairly old."
"Stand aside," Zarek ordered. When Daine did so, he brought his switchblade out of his arm and slammed it into the lock several times. The lock broke away.
"Well, that's one way to do it," Ryei commented as they entered the mansion.
The room that they stepped into was quite aged, which made its elegant appearance not as glamorous as it once was. Carpet that had been royal purple was now faded, beautiful curtains filthy, and windows grimy. They walked over layers of dust, which caused Valor and Gaignun to sneeze a couple of times.
"Hello? Anyone home?" Karen called.
"I hope nobody is, or I will have to pay for that lock," Zarek said dryly.
"You don't have to worry about that," Ryei said, looking at the hand rail next to the stairs. "Just look at this place. There's so much dust-it's obvious that nobody has been here for a long time."
"This is not the best area that I could have chosen," Varen complained.
"It is shelter, and we should be grateful for that," Hope stated.
Daine walked up to the staircase and carefully put one foot on the bottom stair. When it held his weight, he proceeded up, using the hand rails. "Let's check the upstairs. We might as well use this time to get some sleep."
"I'll second that," Varen said as they followed him. "Have you guys realized that it has nearly been two days since we slept? I'm exhausted!"
"I think we all are," Karen replied.
Daine examined the first room in the hall, which turned out to be some sort of guest room. There were three beds, all with the head to the wall opposite of the door. A quick look into the room next to it revealed an identical area.
"This will work," Daine decided. "Although we might have to shake out the dust from the sheets. Hope, Karen, and Zari can have the first room. But we don't have enough beds for the rest of us."
"I don't need one," Zarek informed him. "I will sleep on the floor."
Zari gave in to the pleading look Valor was giving her. "Valor can sleep with me."
"Gaignun can stay near me," Hope added.
"I'm not tired just yet," Ryei announced. "I want to explore the mansion a little bit. That leaves the three remaining beds for Daine, Varen, and Yamato."
"That works," Varen agreed. "Good night guys."
"Hold on. I want to look around too," Hope told them. "I just don't think I can sleep."
After pleasantries were exchanged, they went into their rooms. Ryei went downstairs, warily climbing down the stairs. Hope followed him, and then left to go to the ballroom.
Ryei wandered through the rooms, taking in all the details without stopping. Eventually, he came to a closed door, and cautiously opened it.
This room could only be the library. There were several bookshelves, and too many books to count. They were everywhere, including the floor and furniture. Fact, fiction, mysteries, horror, suspense, romance, tragedy, science fiction, literature, mythology, drama, this room held at least one of every book type written.
Ryei was amazed at the sight. After getting over it, he began to run his hand over the titles. Some had worn away with age, but he saw many others that were perfectly intact.
"What a place," Ryei murmured. "If only we could stay here. There are so many books… I could absorb myself in these for days, if not months, or years." He sighed. "Oh well. Maybe I can come back one day. Until then, I might as well make use of the time I have."
He looked over at a stunning red chair that was in the middle of the room. It had books piled on it. Ryei carefully moved them, placing them on the ground next to the wall where many others lay.
"Where to start?" he wondered, gazing at all his options. He looked over at the elegant table in front of the red chair, and was surprised that there was only one book there, when there were so many everywhere else. Out of it emerged a yellow sheet of paper.
"A bookmark? So whoever was here was reading this book…" Ryei said to himself, picking it up. He looked at the title, and raised his eyebrow. "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde… that's an interesting choice." He opened the book, turning to the page that was bookmarked. When his eyes fell on the bookmark, he memorized the page number before taking it out.
"There's writing… a poem of some kind?"
Let me see… how did it all begin?
In truth, I think I have always desired this sin.
Violence, monstrous, torture, blood, and pain,
I was always fascinated with these, but does that make me insane?
Nevertheless, I must continue what I have started,
Genes and cells are nothing, but many more precious things I have parted.
Really, did I have any choice over my life?
Oh, you might think decisions would cause no strife.
Onwards then, leave me to my thoughts.
May the secret I hide never be let out, while I search for the answers I sought.
"What kind of a poem is this?" Ryei muttered. "I wonder if this is based of reality or imagination… but why would it just be left here? There's got to be something important about it…" He reread it a few more times.
Suddenly, it dawned upon him. He read it once more. "That's it!" he realized. "Now I see… but what can this mean?" He walked out of the library, closing the door behind him.
"I had best show the others this," he said, going up the stairs.
-----
Zari went to the window to look at the falling rain.
"Are you coming?" Valor asked, pulling back the sheets.
"I will in a second," she answered, seeming distracted.
Valor suddenly caught sight of two golden sparkle. Grasping it quickly, he determined that the sparkles were two keys, kept together by a key ring, and carefully slipped them into his shirt sleeve.
If it was important later, he would show the others, but not until then.
-----
"This must have once been a beautiful place," Hope said, sadly gazing at the room where a crystal chandelier still hung, with several tables pushed to the side.
After some more searching, she saw something that made her smile. "A piano! It's been forever since I've seen, much less played one!" She sat down before it eagerly, looking at the sheet music.
"Numbers? It must be for fingering," Hope muttered, starting to play the song. It had a soft, haunting melody that seemed to fill her with depression. Although she made a few mistakes at first, her older skills eventually took over and soon she was not missing any notes.
When she finished, she followed the repeat sign back to the beginning of the song, and stopped suddenly. "Wait… these can't be fingerings. Some of these numbers just don't make sense!"
She memorized them. "2, 9, 3, 7, 5, 4, 1, 6, 0, 8. But what are these numbers for?"
-----
Daine woke up abruptly. Sitting up, he wondered what had caused him to suddenly awaken. Putting his hand on his head, he found it to be covered with cold sweat.
A nightmare? he thought. If so, I can't remember it. It was probably just the storm, he concluded, looking out the window to see rain still coming down.
He looked around the room, wondering if Ryei had come back yet. He immediately saw that he had not. Varen was sleeping peacefully, while Yamato seemed tense even though his eyes were closed. Zarek was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall. Daine made a mental note to ask if he was really asleep, since he just couldn't imagine a machine needing time to slumber.
He picked up his pillow, feeling like he needed to do something besides just sit still.
I guess being asleep for twenty years killed any need I have for any more sleep, even though it has only been a few hours… huh? What's this?
Where his pillow had been, he found a slip of paper. Picking it up, he scanned it quickly.
The sun starts its path, twenty paces you should follow its trail.
The way the needle points, ten more you need to go, count precisely and do not fail.
At the entrance, pause, and look down.
Notice the object on the ground.
Daine shook his head in bewilderment. What the heck is that supposed to mean?
He was torn out of his thoughts when Ryei entered. He indicated to the hallway. Daine got up instantly and followed him out.
"What is it?" Daine whispered.
"Look at this poem," Ryei replied, handing over the sheet of paper. "Do you notice anything strange about it?"
Daine read it swiftly. "It sounds horrifying, tragic, and mysterious. Is that what you mean?"
"No." He pointed to the first letter on the first line. "See the starting letter of each line?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Read them going vertically."
He looked again. "L-I-V-I-N-G-R-O-O-M. Living room? What is that supposed to mean?"
"That's what I want to know," Ryei told him. "It seems like there is something in the living room that the previous owner of this mansion did not want anyone to find. He might have left that there in case he needed to remember something about it."
"Oh, wait! Maybe this will explain!" Daine showed Ryei the riddle he had uncovered.
Ryei nodded when he was done. "It does. The sun rises in the east… go east twenty steps, in other words. Then go north ten paces, because the needle of a compass always points north. After that, something on the ground stands out."
"You figured that out quickly," Daine said, impressed.
"I've read several books that deal with riddles," he replied. "That one was pretty simple. Try and get some rest. We can tell the others about this in the morning."
"Yeah, let's let them sleep on."
-----
Hope went upstairs and slipped into bed quietly.
Did you find anything? Gaignun asked her. He was already at the foot of her bed.
Maybe. I found several numbers, but I do not know what they are supposed to mean yet.
Perhaps they will prove important.
Or maybe not. I'll tell the others later.
Hope lay down, giving her companions one last glance. Karen seemed completely relaxed, while Zari had her arm around Valor, which Hope assumed was to comfort the boy.
We know so little about all of them, Hope thought.
They do not know us well either.
That's true. She pulled the covers over herself. Maybe they'll know someday, but not yet. Good night.
-----
Daine opened his eyes to see that it wasn't quite as dark as before. While it was daytime, the storm was still blocking most of the sunlight.
"Morning," Ryei greeted him. He had gone back to the library to sleep on a couch after reading a bit, but once he had seen that nighttime had ended he had come up again.
"Same to you," Daine replied, getting out of bed. "Are we the only two up?"
"No," was Yamato's reply. He had risen as well.
A crash sounded from the room where the girls were sleeping. Varen leapt out of bed.
"Whoa! Did something attack?!"
"That was just Gaignun," Hope told him as the girls entered the room. "He was leaping off of my bed."
"Oh," Varen said sheepishly.
"So it looks like we're all awake," Karen noted.
"Yes," Zarek confirmed as he rose. "But it is still raining. We cannot continue on yet."
"Then maybe we should look into something that Ryei and I found," Daine suggested.
"What would that be?" Varen asked.
Daine and Ryei explained about the pieces of paper they had found, and how their riddles fit together. Hope thought about the numbers she had seen, but said nothing yet.
"So we should look for this something?" Karen concluded.
"Exactly," Daine nodded. "We don't have anything better to do anyway."
"I'm all for that!" Hope voted.
"I think we all are," Varen said. "Let's get down there!"
They descended the stairs quickly but cautiously, and followed Ryei to the living room. It was a fairly large room, about forty feet across.
"Daine, I'm going to read the instructions out loud. You follow them."
Daine nodded, and stepped to the entrance of the living room.
"Twenty paces east."
Counting carefully, Daine stopped at about the middle of the room.
"Then ten north."
Daine halted right before the dining room.
"Stop at the entrance… now we know what that means, it's the entrance to the dining room. In fact, we could have entered that way and completely messed up… it's lucky we didn't. Now, look at the ground. Is there anything unusual?"
Daine kneeled down to examine it. "Not really… wait! There's a rug here… let me move it." He did so, throwing it aside. Dust flew everywhere, causing them all to cough. After it cleared, they looked back over at Daine, who was staring at something.
"We found what we were looking for," Daine told them.
It was a wooden trap door with no handle that they could see. After many tries, Daine finally managed to grasp the side of it to pull it open, revealing a staircase.
"Shall we?" Daine asked.
"You lead," Varen recommended. "We'll follow."
Daine didn't trust these stairs any more than the ones to the second floor, but they held. As he carefully made his way down, he couldn't help but wonder if the last line in the poem Ryei had found would be revealed here.
He finally stepped onto firm land again, in a tunnel. The others soon arrived.
"Well, there's only one way to go," Zarek pointed out.
They walked down the tunnel, which didn't take any turns. It turned out to be a short trip. At the end, they found two doors. Both had padlocks on them.
"These things again?" Daine muttered. He looked at them quickly. "Zarek, you won't be able to break these. They are much more sturdy than the one outside."
"Do they require a password or a key?" Valor inquired.
"A key. Is anyone here good at lock picking?" Daine questioned.
"No, but maybe these will help," Valor suggested, handing over the two keys he had found.
"Where did you get these?" Daine asked.
"I found them hidden in the bed sheets."
"It's a good thing you did," Daine said, taking the keys from him and inserting one into the center door. "Drat, that one didn't work. Let me try the other one… ah, there it goes."
He cautiously pushed open the door, revealing many bookshelves and even more books. There was another locked door, but it wouldn't open to either of the keys.
Ryei was looking at the titles of the books. "All of these seem to be record books for experiments, or on science. The next room might be a laboratory."
Karen opened one book that she found laying out on one of the bookshelves. After reading it a bit, she shook her head. "Just listen to this."
October 24, 1990
I am quite curious at what causes the specimen to act the way it does. The first time I had it, it would always express its hatred toward me, trying anything to kill me. Now it does not focus on that as much, as if it has no reason to live. But then again, it might be understandable. But I do not love anything, except my work, so I will never know.
The specimen reacted badly to being injected with poison. Although it tried to hide it, I could see the severe pain it was in. The blood tests read that the poison is completely gone though. I don't understand where I went wrong, but in the case of this specimen, I am glad that it did.
October 25, 1990
Most intriguing indeed! When burned, the specimen healed instantly, or so it appeared. Yet it couldn't conceal the agony it was going though… tears of pain, unable to say anything, not even how much it hated me. How pathetic. Yet I must be growing soft-that was the only experiment I decided to do today. I have more liquids I must test.
October 26, 1990
The specimen has done well when cut, always mending. This time, I kept slicing to the bone. Every time, it healed. Breaking the same arm had an identical result, even when repeated. Although completely recovered, with not even a scar remaining to show what had happened, that arm was useless, even when I left it. How strange... the body healed, why not the pain?
I must continue with the experiments. I must understand what went wrong, and if it is the only thing that I did wrong. I am in no hurry though-I have all the time in the world, after all. Many more nights of observation for me… and of torture for the specimen…
Karen put the book down. "I can't read on… these are too inhumane! There were even flecks of blood on the pages!"
"Did it ever say what this 'specimen' was?" Hope asked, looking sickened.
"No. I wonder what kind of a creature it could be," Karen muttered.
"It's probably inside that laboratory, if it's still alive," Ryei said, indicating to the locked door.
"Poor thing…" Hope said sadly. "Nothing deserves to go through what that book said."
"We will get nothing but more sorrow from this area," Zari stated. "Let's go back outside. Maybe the other key will work on that other door."
"Good point," Daine replied.
"Wait!" Valor called. "Look at this!"
They went over to the desk and saw what Valor was indicating to. It was a Duel Disk, with a deck sitting next to it.
"What on earth are these doing here?" Varen wondered.
"I don't know," Daine answered. "But somehow, it doesn't seem to belong."
They stepped outside, and Daine put the second key into the lock. It clicked open, and they stepped inside.
It was almost completely empty, save for one object. A black coffin lay there, locked with yet another padlock.
Karen paled. "A coffin! But why would someone leave a coffin here? Is there… a body inside?"
"Well, that's what coffins are for," Varen reminded her. "But why padlock a coffin? That seems kind of stupid… I can't think of anyone who would want to steal decayed flesh or bones."
"Besides, this is a padlock that requires a pass code," Daine told them.
"A pass code? Daine, can I look?" Hope asked.
"Go ahead."
"Let me try something." She turned the lock, muttering, "2, 9, 3, 7, 5, 4, 1, 6, 0, 8…"
She tried to pull it open. Nothing happened.
"Where did you get those numbers?" Ryei inquired.
"I found them on sheet music for the piano in the ballroom, but they didn't make any sense as fingerings," Hope explained. "But I guess it didn't work after all."
Yamato looked at the lock again. "Try 29, 37, 54, 16, and 08."
"Good idea!" She quickly inserted the numbers. This time, when she pulled, the padlock opened.
"Well, let's see what's in there," Daine said.
"You can't be serious," Varen protested.
"I am." Before they could stop him, Daine slid away the lid of the coffin.
Inside it was something nobody had expected. Instead of remains, the man that lay inside looked almost alive. He wore a short sleeve dark red t-shirt and black pants, with black shoes. His silver hair went down to about his waist. He also had on a black cape. Around his neck was what looked like an iron collar. There were no symbols on it-it was just a metal band, with no visible way to take it off. His skin was pale white, as though he had not been in the sunlight for a long time, if ever.
Everyone stared in silence for a few minutes, before Hope stepped forward. She gingerly touched his hand, drawing back immediately with a shiver. "He's as cold as ice."
"So he's dead?" Karen whispered.
Hope pressed her hand against his chest, taking them off after a few seconds, and then gently held her fingers up to his neck. After a few minutes of trying that, she grasped his wrist, and then set it down again. "Yes. His heart is not beating, and he has no pulse."
"But how can he still look like this?" Ryei wondered. "If he had really died, we wouldn't be seeing something like this… instead there would just be bones, or something."
Daine lightly brushed his fingers over the man's hand. "I think I know what happened. He's asleep."
"Asleep?" Varen said in disbelief.
"Yes. When certain injections are used, the person's heart will slow down, and the blood will stop running until they are awake." He pressed his hand against the man's chest as Hope had done, and waited. After many seconds, his patience was rewarded when he felt a heart beat. "Yeah, I feel his heart. You just didn't wait long enough Hope. He's alive, but asleep."
"By injection?" Zarek asked.
"That's right. Look here." He brought up the man's right arm, showing them a small needle embedded into his flesh, held by a strap. "It continues to inject the fluid through this. He also has a similar one on his left arm."
"But why would somebody put him to sleep?" Karen murmured.
"We have no way of knowing, except to ask him." Daine pulled out the needles gently, setting them back into the coffin. Then he turned to Zarek. "Could you carry him upstairs?"
"Yes. So that means he will not wake up instantly?" Zarek inquired, easily lifting the man's frail body.
"It looks like he's been asleep for a long time, so I'm not sure how long it will take," Daine informed them. "But now that the needles are out, it's only a matter of waiting for the last injection's effects to wear off."
"How do you know this much about injections?" Varen questioned.
"I've just learned things here and there, that's all," Daine responded. Hope, Yamato, and Karen could tell he did not want to mention what they had discussed in the restaurant, so they let his lie slide.
As they left, Valor looked over at the room with the books. "What if that Duel Disk and deck belongs to this man?"
"Good point," Ryei nodded. "I'll bring it up with us."
After Ryei emerged from the room with the Duel Disk and deck, Daine locked the two doors again. "There's no point in leaving these open right now. If we need to come back down, we can always unlock it."
-----
The climb upstairs was quick. Once there, Zarek laid the man on one of the beds. He still did not move.
Daine looked outside at the rain. "When the storm is over, we need to leave this place. If this man is still asleep, Zarek, would you carry him when we leave?"
"Of course."
"I guess we can just relax until it is time to leave," Daine stated.
"I'm going outside," Varen announced. "I'll be back soon." With that, he left the room.
"I'll be in the library," Ryei told them.
"It's been a while since I've read. I'll join you once I've checked something," Daine said.
"See you there," Ryei replied before leaving.
"I'm going to check out that piano again," Hope stated before she exited, Gaignun following.
"Karen and I must discuss something," Yamato informed what remained of the group before they went to the other guest room, shutting the door behind them.
"I feel like those record books below hold something important," Zari confessed.
"You can't go down there again. We have no idea what might happen. It was lucky that nothing occurred the first time we were there."
"I know. I just don't like this feeling I'm getting." Zari moved towards the door before pausing. "Valor, I want to talk to you. Let's go to the living room." Valor nodded, and they went downstairs.
"What about you Zarek?" Daine asked.
"I will stay with this man," he decided. "If there is any change, I'll tell you."
"Thanks," Daine said. He gently lifted the man's arm again, looking at where the needle had been. He wanted to see if the wound it would have left was bleeding.
There was no puncture. The skin looked as though it had never been broken.
Well, they were very small needles… the ones I were injected with didn't leave any injuries. Hm…
"See you later," he said to Zarek before leaving.
-----
Ryei was reading Redwall in the red chair when Daine came in. He was so absorbed in the book that he didn't even look up at Daine's arrival.
Daine looked over at the bookshelf, and saw, to his surprise, Dracula. He smiled at the irony of it. The man they had found had looked much like a vampire, but he somehow doubted that vampires were able to be put to sleep through injections.
It's still a good book, he reminded himself. Picking it up, he settled down to read on a couch.
-----
So what do you think of that man? Hope asked as she played the mournful tune on the piano.
He has had years upon years of suffering, with no pause to his torture. There is a great sorrow that clouds his heart. That is all that I can tell.
Torture? How was he tortured?
I cannot tell. It might be physical, but it is more likely to be mental.
Can we trust him?
I do not know. My instincts say yes though, because we were the ones who helped
him.
You have a point.
----
"So what do you think about all of this?" Karen asked.
Yamato sighed. "We may be wanted, but it isn't like we are usually greeted with open arms either, being bounty hunters. This really doesn't change things for us."
"What do you think about the group though?" Karen inquired. "I think they're pretty cool to be with."
"We will have to leave them soon," Yamato reminded her.
"I know! I just… you know, thought we could get to know them," she said.
"You can. I wouldn't bother though," Yamato stated.
"You're probably right." Karen lay back on the bed. "Still no word from the boss?"
"None."
"Then there's no point in leaving yet. Let's stick with them for now at least."
"For now."
-----
"Valor, you are aware of how dangerous this is for you?" Zari asked. "As long as you are with us, you will be pursued. Are you sure you want to stay with me?"
"Of course I am! I don't have anywhere else to go. And you're the only person I trust." Valor looked away. "Unless you want me to leave…"
Zari shook her head. "Actually, that is something that I really do not want to occur. Over the short time I've known you, I've grown to care for you a lot. I was hoping you would feel a sense of security if I was around, but after that fight…"
"That doesn't matter. You fought for me, risked your life to save me. I felt like it would be my fault if you died," Valor confessed.
"No, it will never be your fault if I die. I have chosen to protect you, and I will keep that promise," Zari assured. "There's something else though."
"Yes?"
She unbuckled something wrapped around her shoulder, and handed it to him. Valor carefully drew the silver dagger from its scabbard.
"If I do ever fall, you must have a way to defend yourself. I hope that this will give you some chance in surviving."
"It's perfect! Thank you," Valor said, putting the dagger back into its scabbard. "But I'll never have to use it… you'll always be there to help me, right?"
Let us hope so, Zari thought.
"I have one question though," Valor told her.
"Yes?"
"Why do you care about me? What is it about me that makes you want to help me?"
Zari stared out of the window, watching the rain poring down, while remembering.
"Because you remind me of myself."
-----
Zarek was also looking outside, thinking as he did so.
My life has only been about serving those who called upon me for missions. But now… I actually have people who care about what happens to me, and each other. It's foreign to me… I've been separated too long from these kinds of feelings.
He looked over at the man, who was still asleep. It had been a few hours, yet he had not even moved. Zarek looked out the window again before getting up to go over to the man. He gently laid his right hand on the man's left arm.
That was when he felt something that had not been there before. It was a small pulse.
Zarek went into the hall quickly, down to the library, and knocked on the door.
Daine shook his head as Ryei started to get up. "No, let me. I'll check it out."
He closed the door behind himself. "What is it Zarek?"
"The man has a pulse now."
"That means he's waking up," Daine said. "Alright, I'll check it out. Make sure nobody else comes in-I don't want him to feel surrounded."
"Affirmative."
Daine ran into the room, seeing that the man still lay there. He held the man's right arm, and indeed felt a steady pulse. After letting it go, he stepped back a few paces and waited.
The man stirred restlessly, and then tried to open his eyes, only to have them forced shut by the light. Daine recalled his first moment at having seen light for twenty years as a painful one, and turned them off.
"Sorry about that," he apologized.
The man's eyes flew open again, and he forced himself to try and sit up.
"Relax. I mean no harm," Daine tried to assure him.
The man turned his gaze to Daine, who stiffened at the sight of them. They were blood-red.
"Are you alright?" Daine asked, trying to shake off the shock he had witnessed.
"…No." The man lifted his hand to examine the iron collar around his neck. Then he let it fall as he leaned against the headboard.
That was an idiotic question to ask… "What happened to you?"
"…" The man was examining the room. "I have no reason to explain myself to you."
"True."
"How did you find me?"
Daine took out the papers and keys that they had found, and explained how they had come here and the way they had come to the two rooms underneath the mansion.
The man shook his head. "I know that other room all too well… how I would love to look at those books that are there."
"You can," Daine offered. "We have to leave soon, but you can stay here and read them."
"No. I will not stay here. There are too many memories here…" The man trailed off, looking out of the window. Then he turned to Daine again. "I will leave this place, but I have no idea where to go."
"Then come with us," Daine suggested. "We may be wanted, but we aren't planning on getting caught. If you accompany us, you can leave when we reach the Capital or something. I'm sure you could find somewhere to stay there."
The man stared at the wall opposite of him. Daine let him think as he waited. Finally, the man nodded. "I will accompany you, but only for a short time. I prefer solitude to anything else. The only reasons I am coming is because I have no idea of what the outside world is like anymore, and I feel as though I owe you and your friends."
"What do you mean?" Daine inquired.
The man seemed to hesitate. "I was kept in this mansion against my will. Let us leave it at that."
Knowing he would not share any more information, Daine accepted the explanation. "Can you stand now?"
The man tried to rise, using the bed as support. After a few seconds, he managed to stay up. "Yes."
"Just relax for now. We're going to leave, but not until the rain has stopped. I'll introduce you to my companions when we're ready to go. Is that ok?"
"It's fine." The man sat back down.
Daine left the room to give the man some time to be alone. He sensed something strange about him, as though he had gone through much pain and had nothing left to live on for. He shook off the feeling as he went back downstairs.
The man was thinking about the last thing he could remember. No, it wasn't the fact that he had been asleep for so long that filled him with sorrow. It was a much deeper memory… one he could still remember as though it was yesterday.
And once again, he pushed the memory aside. He refused to think about it. It was too much for him to accept, that he had really done it.
Yet he knew he had. And the only way to deal with it was to act as though it didn't matter. Which it didn't, anymore. Or so he kept telling himself.
-----
Varen stepped inside the house, closing it behind himself, and called out, "Hey, guys! It's stopped raining!"
"Are you sure?" Daine asked as he emerged from the library, Ryei following. "Does it look like it will start again?"
"Nope, the sky's clear now. We'd best get a move on-it's
only noon, which gives us plenty of
time to get moving."
Daine frowned. "Normally, I'd wait the rest of the day, since any mud we come
into will surely slow us down. But we just don't have the luxury of wasting
time. Ryei, can you tell Hope, Zarek,
Zari, and Valor that we are leaving? I'll get Yamato,
Karen, and the man we found."
"He woke up?" Varen inquired.
"Yes. You'll talk to him in a few minutes," Daine told him.
"I can do that," Ryei agreed. Then he walked up to Varen and slammed his hardcover book over Varen's head.
"OW! What the heck was that for?!"
"That's for interrupting me while I was reading. Now I will have to reread the entire chapter." Ryei walked off to get the others while Varen muttered a few unpleasant things about Ryei under his breath. Daine climbed back upstairs, and knocked on the guest room door. Karen opened it.
"Is it time to go?"
"Yep. Go downstairs and meet up with the others in the front. I'll be there shortly."
After the duo had left, Daine knocked on the other door as well, before opening it.
"What is it?" the man asked, relaxing when he saw who it was.
"We're leaving now. Are you ready?"
"Yes." This time, the man was able to stand up easily enough.
They descended downstairs. Daine went up to the others, indicating to the man.
"It's all right. He's an ally at least."
Gaignun's hackles went up, and he snarled. There is something wrong with his scent. It is so alien! I did not notice before, but now…
Can we trust him? Hope asked, alarmed.
I do not know yet.
"What's wrong with him?" Karen inquired, looking at Gaignun.
"Oh… it's nothing." Hope tried to smile at the man. "It's nice to meet you, mister… what is your name?"
"You may call me Ark," he replied, his eyes examining the others.
Ryei carefully observed him. Those red eyes… something about him is wrong. I cannot tell what though.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Hope, and you already know Daine. That's Varen, he's Ryei, she's Karen, he's Yamato, he's Zarek, he's Valor, and she's Zari. Did Daine already inform you on our situation?"
"Yes."
"Then you know that we are in danger. Are you coming with us?"
"I have no choice," Ark shrugged.
"You might be injured or killed if you come with us."
To everyone's surprise, Ark laughed coldly at that.
"You won't need to worry about that happening."
"We can debate all day, but we need to get moving," Varen interrupted.
"You're right. Let's get out of here," Daine agreed.
Ryei hesitated though. "Hold on. I almost forgot something." He then left for the library.
In a few minutes he was back, holding the Duel Disk and deck that they had found below the mansion.
"By any chance, are these yours?" he asked Ark.
Ark took the deck, and drew a few cards from it.
"Yes, these are mine."
Ryei handed the Duel Disk over as well, before stepping outside with the others.
Ark was the last to leave, looking back into the mansion.
"And so the nightmare began here, yet it will not end, even though I shall finally leave," Ark muttered to himself. Then he closed the door.
Ryei overheard him, but said nothing. Nobody else seemed to notice.
-----
Their walk was made in silence, although many of them were tempted to ask questions about their new companion. One look into his red eyes would cause them change their mind though.
After some time, they came into a muddy area. Crossing it was an annoyance, and took some time. Valor had too much trouble and could not go on-Zari had to carry him.
Yamato tripped on the way, nearly falling. He used his sword to stop himself from plunging into the ground, and then leaned on it as a crude walking staff.
As Daine walked past the area where Yamato stumbled, he noticed something on the ground and picked it up. He didn't bother to look at it until they were out of the mud and on firm ground though.
It was a picture of a woman. She wore a purple and white long-sleeved shirt with white shorts, held by a silver belt. She had on brown, clear stockings that were difficult to see unless looked at closely. She had on a purple glove on her left hand, and on each of her arms was a black band of some kind. At her neck was a silver collar-like item with a blue gem. Her skin was a soft brown, and her ears were pointed. Her silver hair was kept in a high ponytail, and she too had red eyes. They did not seem as hard as Ark's though.
Daine beckoned to Karen. She came over to him, and he showed her the picture. "Do you recognize this woman? I think Yamato might have dropped this…"
Karen shook her head. "No, I've never seen her. Can I look at this?" She turned over the picture. "There's a date on the back… that's strange. It says September 24, 2092. That was only a month before he met me…" Karen handed it back. "I wonder why he didn't mention her to me?"
Daine was interrupted by Yamato's snarl of rage.
"How the hell did you get that?!"
"You dropped it," Daine stated, offering it. Yamato snatched it back, glaring at him.
"Don't ever look at my stuff again. Never." He fingered the hilt of his sword before turning around and stomping off.
"Why was he so mad? It isn't like I damaged it or anything…" Daine muttered. By then, Zari had finally emerged from the muddy area, and they could continue on, so Daine didn't ponder on it for long.
Karen was slightly disturbed though. Why hasn't Yamato ever told me about this woman? Is he trying to hide something from me?
-----
They tried to avoid all of the muddy parts that they could after that. Luckily, there weren't that many.
The quiet trip was suddenly interrupted by a beeping sound that came from Yamato. He looked around quickly. "Continue on. Karen, come with me. We'll be back shortly." Then they ran off.
"Zarek, fall to the back and keep an eye out for them, would you?" Daine requested.
"Sure."
They continued on without pause.
-----
"All clear," Karen reported as they arrived in a small clearing.
Yamato took out a black device and set it on the ground, pressing a silver button. The screen on it lit up, and a hologram appeared above it in a beam of light. The woman wore a combination of dark and light green long sleeved shirt and pants. She wore a red hat over her blonde hair, which was in one long braid. Her skin was soft brown as well. She also had glasses, but they did not conceal her violet eyes.
Right now, she seemed extremely angry. "Yamato! Karen! What have you two been doing?!"
"Looking for Benjamin White," Karen stated. "That was the last command you gave to us."
"You've been slacking off again, haven't you?! He's already been killed!"
"What? Someone got to him before us?" Karen asked.
"Of course someone else took your kill! That's what happens when you don't work quickly!" the woman shouted.
"We get the point, Rico," Karen replied, rubbing her ears.
"I'll give you three guesses at who killed him."
"It's obvious," Yamato growled. "I only know of one man who'd get to it before we did."
"But usually, he doesn't. That shows just how lazy you two have become! Get moving, or else your future will be filled with lead!"
"Yes ma'am," Karen said. "What are your next orders?"
"You have none right now. Just don't be as slow next time! And quit drawing attention to yourselves! Now both of you are listened on the want ads, for some reason I don't even care to remember! We may already be on the top of the list for being bounty hunters, but don't announce who you are to the world!"
"We get the point," Karen repeated with a groan.
"Then stay in touch. Be prepared for my next orders." The hologram faded out.
Karen sighed. "Geez! I thought she was going to shout at us until the next century."
"We were lucky," Yamato stated. "At least she did not kill us."
Karen nodded, remembering the bounty hunter saying: If Rico says jump, you ask how high.
"Let's get back to the rest of the group, or they'll grow suspicious," Karen told Yamato.
He shrugged, and they started back towards them.
-----
"So what was that all about?" Varen asked as Yamato and Karen walked back in.
"Mind your own damn business," Yamato said.
"Excuse me," Varen muttered.
After that was a few peaceful minutes while they kept walking, when suddenly they heard something. It was footsteps, coming from the left side.
Gaignun snarled. I do not recognize this scent…
"It could be an enemy," Hope said quietly.
Yamato slowly drew his sword. "Let me deal with this," he whispered.
As the figure emerged into view, he lunged, the sharp sword whistling through the air as it came towards its victim.
To be continued…
