Shivers
Rei checked over her shoulder to see if the boys were all going to follow her, and sure enough, there they were. They looked back at her, as if waiting for something. Rei sighed. "What we have to do is go down to the basement and get a book. There's an elevator in this room that will take us down there. After that, there is a maze that will lead us to a lake. We get on this boat and go across. The book is on the other side. Any questions?"
Trowa crossed his arms. "And there is just a boat down there? Waiting?"
Rei nodded. "Yeah. You were supposed to come across it to get into the museum-"
"Get in? You mean there's a way out?" Quatre looked at her.
Rei smiled ruefully. "Yes, it's possible to get out of the museum, but once you're on the grounds, you can't get out any farther. You have to come in here and finish the game."
"We should go now." Heero said, shifting from one foot to the other.
Rei nodded and turned. Opening the door with a creak, she reported to the boys over her shoulder. "There's may be an Ixupi in the fireplace, so don't look at it."
The group proceeded into the chaotic mess that was scattered all over the room. A chair was knocked over, books were thrown everywhere, papers scattered all over the desk and the wastebasket was overturned and dumped all over.
"Someone needs to hire a housemaid..." Duo muttered.
"He was attacked by the Ixupi and trashed his room. Though how the Ixupi were able to attack him when he wasn't near the fireplace is beyond me..." She stepped over the tipped-over chair and opened the door on the other side of the room. "This way..." She said faintly.
The followed her to the door but stopped as they saw a huge pair of double doors stood in front of them. The doors were covered by large white dice. Rei turned and a small, metal panel opened in the wall. She started pushing buttons and the boys leaned over her shoulder.
"What is that?" Wufei asked quietly.
"It's a little puzzle you have to do every time you want to use an elevator. You have to get the little icons lined up. See?" Rei stepped back as the tiny green heads on the gold grid spun once and chimed. The double doors opened and Rei ushered them in. "You have to push the buttons to get them to line up like that and the door opens."
The doors closed with a chime and Rei pushed the button on the wall with a down arrow. Wufei looked around the small elevator and finally set his eyes on Rei. "What exactly are these...things you say are spread around the building?"
Rei shrugged. "They are the Ixupi. A book in the library explains it better. But basically, they are ancient spirits that were locked up in special jars. Each one has an element that they hide in. Oil, ashes, water...they're all listed in another book. Well, the guy who ran this museum bought the jars and a bunch of kids came in fifteen years ago and broke the jars. The Ixupi stole all their life and they died in this museum."
Quatre swallowed. "They died?"
Rei nodded. The elevator chimed again and opened. A burst of cold air hit her. She shivered, very aware of how little she was wearing. Stepping out onto the cold marble floor, she suddenly wished she had tried harder to walk in her shoes. Duo stepped up next to her and leaned over. "Want a ride?"
Rei rolled her eyes and smiled. "I'm fine." She turned to the other and watched as the doors behind them closed. "Now is the maze, it's fairly simple, but we should still stay together." They nodded in unison.
She turned back to the maze and started off. Their footfalls echoed off the walls. Rei looked around the bare walls, at the lights swinging from the ceiling, and at the rusty pipe that ran along the floor next to them. After only a few minutes of silence, the walls opened up into a large, dark stone cavern.
"Whoa..." Duo commented quietly.
Rei looked around. (Good. The boat's on this side of the lake.) She walked over to the large, Egyptian-style barge. She stopped at the edge. "Hey..."
"Rei! I think I found one of those jars you were talking about!" Rei turned and saw Quatre smiling, holding up a clay pot the size of a basketball. A serpent's head lidded the jar.
"No, that's just Professor Windlenot's spirit. When he lost all his life energy, he got stuck in the vessel used to house the one who stole it. It's not any good. Open it if you want to talk to him, but he won't really tell you anything I haven't. But I have to ask." Quatre put down the jar and the all turned to her. "Do any of you have light stomachs, because the book we need is in the arms of a corpse and it wouldn't do to have anyone faint."
Wufei snorted. "We most likely have stronger stomachs than you, onna."
Rei pursed her lips. "My name is Rei." (These idiots have probably never seen a youma in their lives. Stronger stomach than me...)
She hopped into the boat and shivered again. (This boat is colder than the stone!) The boys jumped in noiselessly after her.
"How do we move it?" Heero asked, inspecting a strange looking crank on one side of the boat.
Rei squeezed by the other boys to the other end of the boat. She kneeled down and pushed down a lever. She tugged at the back of her skirt, very aware it was riding up her hips. "Pull up the crank at the bottom and start turning the one on top!" She called over her shoulder.
Rei's head almost smacked into the lever as the boat lurched forward. She pushed by the boys again, trying not to lose her balance and fall into the murky waters. Finally at the head, she listened hard, past the sounds of the stirring water. She smiled when she heard what she wanted. Touching Heero's shoulder, he stopped. Rei raised her voice and addressed all the boys.
"If you all listen hard, you can hear a faint music. This particular rhythm you will only hear when you are a step away from an Ixupi. Heero, crank forward one." He did so. "Now the music is louder. And if you listen, you will hear the element of the Ixupi. You hear water sloshing, and since that is pretty much the only thing around us, that is the Ixupi nearest. One more crank, Heero." He did it, but hesitantly. The sloshing water grew louder and the water creature rose up. It set its eyes on Rei and swiped through her. She stood her ground, but grunted and stepped back. Someone steadied her from behind. "And that's what happens when you look at one of them."
She looked up and smiled faintly at Quatre. "Are you alright?"
Rei nodded. "Yeah." She stood up. "Keep going, Heero, to the other side."
Heero grunted. "Hn." He spun the crank a few more times and the boat pitched ahead.
Wufei stepped around Duo, up to Rei. "I thought the water demon was in the fountain."
"It was, but there's lots of hiding places for all the different Ixupi all over the museum."
Duo laughed. "This place certainly does keep you on your toes..."
Rei laughed. The boat halted to a stop on the bank. She jumped onto the edge and looked around. There was a dark corner over to the side. Rubbing her feet together against the cold stone, Rei walked over there. She sighed. (Gross, I never did like this part.)
"Is that what happens to you when you lose your life energy?" Duo asked next to Rei, making a face.
"It is a particularly...repulsive corpse." Heero commented.
Rei sighed and tip-toed up to it. She reached her hand out and pulled an object from the dark, burnt-like arm of the body.
Duo looked over her shoulder. "Gross. What is it?"
Rei held it out to him. "A book. It has a bunch if stuff we'll need and has a missing page we'll need to look for to get the last jar, and just a lot of stuff."
Duo held up his hands and backed away. "Hey, I ain't touching that..."
Rei laughed and kept the book to herself. She jumped around Wufei, back into the boat. "Well, let's get back."
Quatre looked at her. "That's it? That's all we do over here?"
Rei nodded. "Yeah. Now let's go. My feet are cold."
So, what do you think of chap #2??? A little short yeah, and I know things are developing a little slow, but things will get interesting really soon, I promise. Well, R&R me alright??
Rei checked over her shoulder to see if the boys were all going to follow her, and sure enough, there they were. They looked back at her, as if waiting for something. Rei sighed. "What we have to do is go down to the basement and get a book. There's an elevator in this room that will take us down there. After that, there is a maze that will lead us to a lake. We get on this boat and go across. The book is on the other side. Any questions?"
Trowa crossed his arms. "And there is just a boat down there? Waiting?"
Rei nodded. "Yeah. You were supposed to come across it to get into the museum-"
"Get in? You mean there's a way out?" Quatre looked at her.
Rei smiled ruefully. "Yes, it's possible to get out of the museum, but once you're on the grounds, you can't get out any farther. You have to come in here and finish the game."
"We should go now." Heero said, shifting from one foot to the other.
Rei nodded and turned. Opening the door with a creak, she reported to the boys over her shoulder. "There's may be an Ixupi in the fireplace, so don't look at it."
The group proceeded into the chaotic mess that was scattered all over the room. A chair was knocked over, books were thrown everywhere, papers scattered all over the desk and the wastebasket was overturned and dumped all over.
"Someone needs to hire a housemaid..." Duo muttered.
"He was attacked by the Ixupi and trashed his room. Though how the Ixupi were able to attack him when he wasn't near the fireplace is beyond me..." She stepped over the tipped-over chair and opened the door on the other side of the room. "This way..." She said faintly.
The followed her to the door but stopped as they saw a huge pair of double doors stood in front of them. The doors were covered by large white dice. Rei turned and a small, metal panel opened in the wall. She started pushing buttons and the boys leaned over her shoulder.
"What is that?" Wufei asked quietly.
"It's a little puzzle you have to do every time you want to use an elevator. You have to get the little icons lined up. See?" Rei stepped back as the tiny green heads on the gold grid spun once and chimed. The double doors opened and Rei ushered them in. "You have to push the buttons to get them to line up like that and the door opens."
The doors closed with a chime and Rei pushed the button on the wall with a down arrow. Wufei looked around the small elevator and finally set his eyes on Rei. "What exactly are these...things you say are spread around the building?"
Rei shrugged. "They are the Ixupi. A book in the library explains it better. But basically, they are ancient spirits that were locked up in special jars. Each one has an element that they hide in. Oil, ashes, water...they're all listed in another book. Well, the guy who ran this museum bought the jars and a bunch of kids came in fifteen years ago and broke the jars. The Ixupi stole all their life and they died in this museum."
Quatre swallowed. "They died?"
Rei nodded. The elevator chimed again and opened. A burst of cold air hit her. She shivered, very aware of how little she was wearing. Stepping out onto the cold marble floor, she suddenly wished she had tried harder to walk in her shoes. Duo stepped up next to her and leaned over. "Want a ride?"
Rei rolled her eyes and smiled. "I'm fine." She turned to the other and watched as the doors behind them closed. "Now is the maze, it's fairly simple, but we should still stay together." They nodded in unison.
She turned back to the maze and started off. Their footfalls echoed off the walls. Rei looked around the bare walls, at the lights swinging from the ceiling, and at the rusty pipe that ran along the floor next to them. After only a few minutes of silence, the walls opened up into a large, dark stone cavern.
"Whoa..." Duo commented quietly.
Rei looked around. (Good. The boat's on this side of the lake.) She walked over to the large, Egyptian-style barge. She stopped at the edge. "Hey..."
"Rei! I think I found one of those jars you were talking about!" Rei turned and saw Quatre smiling, holding up a clay pot the size of a basketball. A serpent's head lidded the jar.
"No, that's just Professor Windlenot's spirit. When he lost all his life energy, he got stuck in the vessel used to house the one who stole it. It's not any good. Open it if you want to talk to him, but he won't really tell you anything I haven't. But I have to ask." Quatre put down the jar and the all turned to her. "Do any of you have light stomachs, because the book we need is in the arms of a corpse and it wouldn't do to have anyone faint."
Wufei snorted. "We most likely have stronger stomachs than you, onna."
Rei pursed her lips. "My name is Rei." (These idiots have probably never seen a youma in their lives. Stronger stomach than me...)
She hopped into the boat and shivered again. (This boat is colder than the stone!) The boys jumped in noiselessly after her.
"How do we move it?" Heero asked, inspecting a strange looking crank on one side of the boat.
Rei squeezed by the other boys to the other end of the boat. She kneeled down and pushed down a lever. She tugged at the back of her skirt, very aware it was riding up her hips. "Pull up the crank at the bottom and start turning the one on top!" She called over her shoulder.
Rei's head almost smacked into the lever as the boat lurched forward. She pushed by the boys again, trying not to lose her balance and fall into the murky waters. Finally at the head, she listened hard, past the sounds of the stirring water. She smiled when she heard what she wanted. Touching Heero's shoulder, he stopped. Rei raised her voice and addressed all the boys.
"If you all listen hard, you can hear a faint music. This particular rhythm you will only hear when you are a step away from an Ixupi. Heero, crank forward one." He did so. "Now the music is louder. And if you listen, you will hear the element of the Ixupi. You hear water sloshing, and since that is pretty much the only thing around us, that is the Ixupi nearest. One more crank, Heero." He did it, but hesitantly. The sloshing water grew louder and the water creature rose up. It set its eyes on Rei and swiped through her. She stood her ground, but grunted and stepped back. Someone steadied her from behind. "And that's what happens when you look at one of them."
She looked up and smiled faintly at Quatre. "Are you alright?"
Rei nodded. "Yeah." She stood up. "Keep going, Heero, to the other side."
Heero grunted. "Hn." He spun the crank a few more times and the boat pitched ahead.
Wufei stepped around Duo, up to Rei. "I thought the water demon was in the fountain."
"It was, but there's lots of hiding places for all the different Ixupi all over the museum."
Duo laughed. "This place certainly does keep you on your toes..."
Rei laughed. The boat halted to a stop on the bank. She jumped onto the edge and looked around. There was a dark corner over to the side. Rubbing her feet together against the cold stone, Rei walked over there. She sighed. (Gross, I never did like this part.)
"Is that what happens to you when you lose your life energy?" Duo asked next to Rei, making a face.
"It is a particularly...repulsive corpse." Heero commented.
Rei sighed and tip-toed up to it. She reached her hand out and pulled an object from the dark, burnt-like arm of the body.
Duo looked over her shoulder. "Gross. What is it?"
Rei held it out to him. "A book. It has a bunch if stuff we'll need and has a missing page we'll need to look for to get the last jar, and just a lot of stuff."
Duo held up his hands and backed away. "Hey, I ain't touching that..."
Rei laughed and kept the book to herself. She jumped around Wufei, back into the boat. "Well, let's get back."
Quatre looked at her. "That's it? That's all we do over here?"
Rei nodded. "Yeah. Now let's go. My feet are cold."
So, what do you think of chap #2??? A little short yeah, and I know things are developing a little slow, but things will get interesting really soon, I promise. Well, R&R me alright??