Rythian's feet quickly found the marble tiles of the first floor shortly after leaving the room with Martyn and Toby's mangled bodies. It felt as though it had only taken him mere seconds to race back to the stairs and fly down the many steps to get there. Hearing Zoey, Lalna, and the others a ways behind him, he turned and dashed in the direction they had last left Lomadia's group in one of the first floor hallways. He turned a corner and slid to a stop when he reached his destination, only to have Zoey and Lalna crash into him from behind. The three then tumbled forward into a dog pile. Rythian, trapped on the bottom, gave a groan of discontent as he felt a weight lift off his back.
"Sorry Rythian." Zoey laughed nervously behind him, obviously embarrassed. The mage rolled over to see that the redhead had extended a hand to help him up. Meanwhile, Lalna was busy muttering something to himself as he fixed his goggles upon his head, the eyewear having become askew in the fall. Rythian smiled slightly under his mask as he took his apprentice's hand and stood up just in time for Honeydew and the others to catch up to them.
"Why'd we stop here?" Minty asked, beginning to study the narrow hallway. Rythian turned to see that Lomadia's group was no longer where they had last seen them. Nothing was there except for a few deep splotches of blood staining the light red carpet that draped over the marble. The mage suddenly realized that not only were Lomadia, Ravs and Nilesy missing, but Xephos' body was gone as well.
"This is where we found Xeph's body with Lomadia and her group, remember?" Rythian heard Lalna speak off to the side. He turned back around to face the group just in time to see Minty give a thoughtful nod in response. Sjin stepped forward and raised a brow.
"Hey, speaking of that, where is Xeph's body? Did Lomadia's group drag him off somewhere?"
"Why, to bury him? We're locked inside here!" Sips shouted back in return. Sjin just looked at his friend and shrugged.
"Well, it's a possibility."
"Maybe the murderer came after Lom, Ravs, and Nilesy left and dragged Xephos off somewhere?" Zoey piped in. Rythian shrugged as he saw Lalna take a step forward, no doubt to take hold of the crowd again.
"Alright, that's enough everyone. We still have three people unaccounted for. We need to keep an eye out. Now, Minty, you take Sips and Sjin and-"
"Hey, hold up." Honeydew interjected. "You're seriously suggesting we split up again after all that's happened? I already almost died tonight, and I don't want be put into a situation where that could happen again, thank you very much!"
"He has a point, Lalna." Rythian added casually. The scientist glanced at him before he sighed.
"Fine. We'll stick together, even if that means we cover less ground. We'll check the first floor and move up towards the upper levels until we find them. Is that clear?"
"Crystal." The group heard Zoey and Minty respond on their behalf. Lalna gave a curt nod and turned to lead the other six further down the hall. The group walked quietly for the next few minutes, the eerie silence occasionally broken by the calling of one of the missing party guests' names. They checked every unlocked door and gave a thorough assessment of the room behind each, finding nothing except the occasional speck of dust. Ridgedog's cleaning services certainly did an exceptional job of keeping such a large place in order. The series of hallways in that particular wing brought about nothing, so the group eventually migrated its way back to the main foyer.
"Where to now?" Sjin asked. Rythian witnessed the other man's eyes thoughtfully shift upward to the rotund, decorated ceiling above them. He spared a glance up to the painted swirl of clouds overhead before returning his gaze forward. Lalna halted to think for a moment, and the others followed in suit, waiting for him to give a command.
"The east wing is out of the question... should we try the basement again, or move on to the west wing?" He mused.
"You know, the one place we haven't checked out yet is the kitchen. Maybe we'll find the three in there! Or better yet, weapons! I'm still hoping we find a chainsaw around here somewhere." Zoey added again, though she kept that last part mostly to herself. Rythian noticed his apprentice's hands rub together excitedly, no doubt another wild fantasy racing through her mind.
"That's an excellent idea! At least we can grab a knife or a frying pan or something in case you-know-who decides to strike." Minty commented. Lalna nodded in agreement before the group turned and faced the door that led to the main dining hall. They shuffled through and saw that not much had changed since when they had last been here, when all this chaos first started. The fountain of wine was still spewing off to their right, the pinkish-red liquid bubbling as it cycled through the machinery. The long wooden table was still in order, the tablecloth ironed so no wrinkles were present with all the plates perfectly in line and ready for use. There was indeed one difference, however. Ridgedog was absent from his dining chair.
"Ridge is gone too?" Rythian asked. He brought up a hand to scratch his head. "Okay, this is getting weird."
"As if it wasn't already a strange enough situation before?" Honeydew remarked, his arms folding over his chest, partially hidden by his long mess of a beard. There was a brief debate that once again got them nowhere before the party returned their attention to the task at hand and entered the kitchen, carefully stepping over the mess Kim had made when she dropped most of tonight's dinner.
The kitchen was rectangular in shape, and the floor was now an alternating pattern of black and white tiles. A row of iron stoves sat along the wall to their right, a few pots, pans, and woks still messily arranged atop the inactive cookers. In the middle and along the left wall of the room were steel tabletops for preparing food, with the occasional sink built into part of the counter. Along the back wall was the large fridge, the meat locker, a few pantries and a door that looked to lead to the broom closet. Also near the back wall was a door that appeared to lead out into the west wing. The compact jumble of bodies dispersed to explore before they eventually condensed near the back of the room again. A few had already picked up an empty wok or a rolling pin for protection. Rythian watched as Sips jokingly jabbed Sjin in the side and jerked a thumb towards the meat locker.
"Hey, five diamonds says there's a body hangin' in there." He whispered. The dirt trader was quickly shushed by Minty and the others that had heard him, earing Sipsco's CEO a few harsh glares. Their collective attention was suddenly recaptured when a thump was heard from inside the broom closet. Instantly, those gathered began to look between each other, silently willing others to be the first to take a look inside. Eventually, Honeydew gave a loud sigh and stepped forward, cracking his knuckles and rolling up the sleeves of his tuxedo.
"Fine then, you bunch of babbies, I'll do it." He muttered. Rythian watched as the dwarf's hand tightened firmly around the door's handle, and Honeydew seemed to pause for a brief moment before he swung the wooden door open. Before he could report what he had found, a new voice pierced the air. Well, a battle cry to be more precise. Honeydew was suddenly knocked back when a foot collided with his jaw. The remainder of the party witnessed a little figure emerge from the shadows with a broom in hand. Wielding the object like a martial arts staff, the figure spun the object in their hand before taking another swing at Honeydew's head before jabbing the broomless end into hiss gut. The dwarf fell onto his back and groaned as the little figure pointed the broom down towards his face.
"Kim?" Sjin asked, recognizing the girl once the fast movement of battle ceased. "Kim, calm down! It's just us!"
Kim glanced upwards and scanned the crowd, and her stern expression softened into a sheepish smile.
"Oops, hi guys." She stepped away from Honeydew and tucked the broom behind her back. The dwarf groaned and picked himself up before merging with the group again. Rythian heard Sips snicker behind him.
"What were you doing hiding in the broom closet?" The mage asked the girl in front of him. Kim's eyes darted in his direction.
"What do you think? I'm hiding, that's what! Who wants to be running around here when there's a murderer loose? Joke's on you guys, because I haven't seen any trouble since I got separated from Martyn and Toby."
"Separated? How?" Lalna jumped in. Kim looked his way and became slightly embarrassed again.
"Well, we stopped on the third floor and began to check out the rooms. While I was checking one, Toby and Martyn were checking two others just a door or two down. I finished up and went to find them, but they just disappeared or something! I eventually got too scared to continue on my own, so I ran down here to hide. It was the only place I could think of at the time." She explained. The group shared a few looks before Lalna called them into a huddle, Kim of course being excluded.
"So, do we believe her for now or not?" Lalna asked in a whisper. A few looked like they were about to answer, but Honeydew beat them to it.
"Of course we don't believe her! She's the prime suspect, and you just saw what she's capable of! She beat me up for Notch's sake!"
"Oh, you're just upset because you got owned by a girl with not even half your muscle." Minty remarked with a smug smile. Rythian heard Zoey giggle beside him as Honeydew shot the blonde a glare.
"Like I said before, Kim wouldn't hurt a fly! I say she's innocent." Sjin spoke again.
"Then explain who could've strung up Martyn and Toby by their necks on the chandelier then." Lalna questioned in return. Sjin looked as though he was about to give some sort of reply before Kim suddenly broke into the group's tight circle.
"Martyn and Toby are dead?!" She asked, eyes wide. "What?! Did anyone else die?"
"Xephos, sadly. Possibly the entirety of Lomadia's team as well." Rythian told her. Kim's eyes widened again before she whined and held her face in her hands, having dropped the broom a few seconds ago out of shock.
"Oh Notch we're so screwed, so royally screwed I don't want to diiieee...!"
Kim continued to fret about their situation as Sjin stepped over and began to calm her down. Rythian and Lalna shared a look.
"Looks like a genuine reaction to me." The mage shrugged. He saw Lalna frown and sigh again before he looked in Kim's direction.
"Alright Kim, calm down. We believe you for now. Just stick with the crowd from now on, alright? We still need to find Lomadia's group." The scientist told her. Kim, still frowning, gave a quick nod as the party gave one last look around the kitchen to grab a few cooking utensils for makeshift weapons. Rythian pulled a knife used for cutting vegetables from a drawer and tucked it into his belt for easy access. He saw that Zoey had managed to grab a frying pan and Lalna snatched up a cleaver. The way the scientist held it suggested he was used to using such a tool.
Armed and ready, the group continued through the kitchen's side door and into the west wing. They fell into the routine they had used while exploring the east wing; search each room and occasionally call out a name. Rythian trudged behind Lalna, Zoey at his side and the others behind him. The mage's thoughts drifted to those who had fallen this night, and he wondered if their passings had been quick and relatively painless. After tonight, things would be different. Some faces he would never see again. Not that he socialized much anyway, but that sudden realization was enough to make him pause and think. Whoever did this would certainly pay for their crimes.
The mage's thoughts were broken when Lalna suddenly stopped in front of him. He looked past the scientist to see a large bloodstain in the middle of the floor, one they had not seen yet. Beyond the red splotch was a trail of more of the red liquid. The droplets formed a line that curved into the next hall to their left and continued out of sight. Lalna suddenly started forward again, entering a run as he began to follow the trail laid out for them. Rythian grabbed a confused Zoey by her hand - her real hand - and took off after the scientist, hearing the others begin to follow as well. The trail led them through a series of twists and turns before it stopped at the foot of another door. Lalna waited for the others to catch up before he swung the door open and rushed inside. Rythian let go of Zoey and pulled his cutting knife before following.
The group seemed to have stumble upon a parlor of sorts. Up against the back wall was a grand cobblestone fireplace, and the head of a bear hung above the structure, its face forever twisted into a threatening snarl. The flames were currently nonexistent, but two logs sat in the fireplace, ready to be lit whenever they were needed. Two large, arched windows were up against the right wall, red drapes pulled back to frame the rain that continued to beat steadily against the glass panes. Like the ones up on the fourth floor, these appeared to be welded shut, and even if you smashed through the glass, your path was blocked by a clump of rose bushes. At the center of the room sat a tall padded chair that faced the fireplace. It was a royal blue, and a cursive "R" was carved into a golden ornament near the upper back side of the chair. A matching royal blue footstool sat off to the side near the base of the luxurious seat. The apparently used to be one of Ridgedog's favorite places in the manor.
After quickly scanning the room, Rythian's eyes fell upon the blood trail again and followed it over to the back left corner of the room. Huddled in the corner was Nilesy. His glasses sat crooked upon the bridge of his nose, and his greyish-blue eyes were wide as he stared off somewhere to his left. Knees held to his chest, the poor man rocked back and forth with the flat side of another cutting knife pressed up against his cheek. The stainless steel utensil, along with part of his sleeve, was soaked in blood.
"Nilesy?" Rythian cautiously took a step forward the shaken man. It was obvious that Nilesy was not in the best mental state at the moment. The Scotsman's eyes darted in his direction before they widened even more, and on reflex the man raised the knife to defend himself. His crazed expression softened when he recognized familiar faces, and he slipped back into his huddled position, his back pressed up into the corner as far as he could shrink away.
"You're not him. That's good. You're not all here. That's bad." Nilesy muttered quickly, and Rythian noticed his eye twitch. The group shared a few concerned looks as Zoey also took a few steps forward.
"Nilesy, can you tell us what happened? Who's 'him'?" The redhead asked. Nilesy's eyes quickly darted in the party's direction again before they returned to staring off to his left again. The Scotsman continuously rocked back and forth like a metronome.
"First we ran. No, we walked. We walked and then we ran. We left. Left Xephos. Left to find you lot. That's when he showed up. Grabbed Lomadia and snapped her neck, right in two. Aye, gruesome sound it was. Ravs fell right afterwards, and then he came for me! Oh, but I had the knife. Grabbed it when we passed through the kitchen, that I did. Stabbed him, right in the side. Blood went everywhere and splashed onto the floor. Not a pretty sight, I tell ye. He ran. I ran. Now I'm a-waitin'. Waitin' for him to show up again. To try and take me with 'im again! But I won't let 'im. Oh, not today." He paused to give a maniacal chuckle. "Y'see, I have the knife. He does not have the knife. I-I'm safe as long as I have the knife..."
"What did he look like, Nilesy? ...Nilesy?" Zoey asked again, but it was no use. Nilesy continued to mutter to himself, ignoring the redhead, and his Scottish accent eventually became too thick to understand as he spoke quickly and quietly. The party shared a few more concerned glances.
"Well, I guess that means Kim is innocent. Nilesy, as super crazy as he is right now, said a man attacked him and got the others." Rythian spoke.
"But that's impossible! None of us guys could have done it! We all have eye-witnesses to back us up." Sips yelled again, confused. He pointed over to Nilesy. "And Mr. Crazy-Bonkers over there said that they passed through the kitchen. Would've Kim have heard?"
"They could've easily passed through before I got there to hide, y'know." Kim replied, casually resting her rolling pin up against her shoulder. The mage heard Lalna give a loud hum of thought off to his left. It was enough to catch most people's attention.
"If what Nilesy says is true, there can be only one other option..." He mused. It took a moment for the others to understand. Rythian looked in the scientist's direction when he realized what Lalna had implied.
"There's someone else in the manor..."