Author's Note: *Holds up bloody axe* I'm baaaaaaaaaack... :D
Sorry for the long wait. Separated is my priority when it comes to finishing fanfics, but at least I'm updating this now, right?
Lalna listened half-heartedly as quiet, worried murmurs broke out amongst the group at Rythian's deduction. It was clear no one knew how to react to the news. There was a slight release of tension now that they knew one of their own was not a traitor, but the feeling of relief was quickly overshadowed by another wave of fear. Someone else in the manor could mean anything from an unusually intelligent mob to a rampaging lunatic. Finally, Sips spoke up as he turned to address the rest of the ragtag team. He stood with his chest puffed out in pride, taking a moment to adjust his collar before he spoke.
"Another person in the manor? Pfft! That's ridiculous." The CEO of Sipsco rolled his eyes and waved the claim off dismissively, though a thin layer of doubt was enough to break apart his façade of confidence. "Ridge said this is a private party, and we're the only coup'la people for miles besides the Testificate staff. Am I right, Sjin? I gotta be right."
"I dunno, Sips. Nilesy is the only witness." The dirt trader's partner in crime replied with a frown, scratching the side of his head quizzically. "Even if he is slightly bonkers now, he's the only one we can go off of at the moment. We just have to trust him."
"But how're we going to find the killer? It's too dangerous to split up." Kim's tiny voice managed to pierce through the murmurs and side conversations that surrounded her. She clutched her makeshift weapon close to her chest anxiously. "And it's quite obvious this guy gets around pretty quickly and quietly. He could be anywhere by now, probably gathering the bodies for some blood-ritual or something. Ick."
"I know, we can set a trap!" Honeydew piped up, snapping his fingers at the idea. The ginger-bearded dwarf then looked to Lalna, who was still gazing out the rain-pelted window in deep thought. "Hey Lalna, you're a smart guy. Any ideas on how we can snag this crazymun and beat the shit out of him?"
"Hmm?" Lalna turned back to the group to see that they were all staring at him expectantly, even Rythian. He paused to rub his chin as he continued to try and piece a plan together in his mind. After a moment, he gave a frustrated sigh and ran a gloved hand through his shaggy blonde hair, disrupting the goggles atop his forehead as he did.
"Sorry guys, but I can't think of anything." He admitted at last. "This murderer has no distinct pattern in how he kills. We could always try live bait, but we've already lost too many tonight. I doubt any of us want to risk it."
"And we still haven't ruled out that it's just one person running about." Rythian added. He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. Like Lalna, his mind was drawing a blank when it came to good ideas. "While it seems unlikely, it would explain why the murders have no consecutive pattern."
"Maybe it's just best that we hunker down somewhere and wait for the storm to pass." Minty advised after a moment. "If we all stay in one place with few exits, the murderer will be outnumbered and with little space to run. We'll catch him sooner or later. Once the sun's up, we can smash a window and make a break for it."
"Or we could just burn the entire building down once we're outside." Zoey suggested with a casual shrug, though her tone implied that the idea was something she was really hoping she could do. Honeydew's eyes brightened mischievously at the mushroom girl's words as he started to twirl a strand of his beard between two of his fingers.
"Aye, now that's an idea. One good old batch of TNT and BANG! No more Notchforsaken madmen running around and filling people with holes."
"We can do that once we actually reach outside." Lalna interjected. He clapped his gloved hands together once again before looking between the multiple faces that surrounded him. His cleaver remained safely tucked in one of his massive lab coat pockets. "Well, I for one agree with Minty's idea. This room seems safe enough. We can manage here a few more hours until the storm passes, right?"
Most of the people in the room nodded. The only person who didn't was Nilesy, but the poor man was too lost in another one of his delusions to partake in the party's democracy. Rythian then bent down beside the fireplace, holding his hands close to one-another as he turned his attention to the stoked logs just waiting to be used as fuel.
"I think I can get a fire going to keep ourselves warm. Just give me a moment to-"
Suddenly, the sound of some machinery clanking off echoed from elsewhere in the manor before the room when completely black. A cry from the Endermage could be heard has a few orange embers erupted from his general position, startled by the sudden blackout. The particles erupted outwards like a firework before they all quickly died out. Nilesy shouted something incomprehensible, his Scottish accent once again proving too thick. Lalna reached for his clever and drew it immediately, holding it out in front of himself protectively. The room was utterly silent save for the soft pattering of rain against the windowpanes. Sips suddenly declared "Come at me bro!" before Sjin whispered for his friend to be quiet. No one moved. Everyone listened for even the slightest of peculiar noises in tense anticipation.
Suddenly, Lalna felt a heavy hand grab his left shoulder and shove him to the side. The scientist, not expecting the sudden push, fell to the floor with a grunt. He heard Zoey give a yelp somewhere next to him, but he doubted someone had pushed her like they had him. All of a sudden there was a large crash near the center of the room, like something heavy had toppled over, and Honeydew let out a startled yell immediately afterwards. Lightning flashed outside, illuminating the pitch-black room for a few short moments. Lalna glanced up just in time to see what the new light revealed.
A tall figure now stood at the center of the room, with Honeydew's shirt collar held firmly in one of his gloved fists. He wore a long black overcoat over a white, bloodstained dress shirt. Most of the blood was centered around a wound in the stranger's left side. The long beak of a Renaissance medicine mask obscured his facial features, and his hair color remained hidden under a hood. Lalna had just enough time to see the figure bring down a heavy-looking sword towards Honeydew before the lightning died. Thunder boomed in the distance, drowning out the dwarf's final scream. A few more people cried out as well, and Lalna could just make out the sound of a frying pan colliding with two more skulls in the darkness.
In an instant, the lights were back on. Rythian still remained crouched by the fireplace, one of his hands grasping tightly to his kitchen knife. Minty and Zoey were safe off to the side, the latter having leapt into the former's arms. Meanwhile, Kim stood over the two unconscious forms of Sips and Sjin, her frying pan held in a resting position behind her back as she stared down at the two she had mistakenly struck in the dark. The two dirt traders had fallen over one-another, large bumps already becoming visible on the back of their heads. At the center of the room, Honeydew's body was draped over Ridgedog's toppled lounge chair, a deep gash having been sliced into his shoulder. The faintest of footsteps could be heard sprinting down the hall just outside. The murderer had struck again.
"He's found me! He's bloody found me!" Nilesy instantly jumped back up onto his feet and dug his fingers into his tangled black hair. His knife remained awkwardly gripped in his right hand, the blood on the blade staining parts of his ebony locks. The disturbed Scotsman then sprinted out of the room in a panic, screaming at the top of his lungs as he did.
"Nilesy, wait!" As Lalna pulled himself onto his feet again, he watched as Rythian rocketed to his own feet and took off after the man. Cursing quietly under his breath, the scientist snatched his cleaver back off of the floor and hastily followed. He heard Zoey shout something to Minty about helping Kim with Sips and Sjin and being careful before her footsteps fell in time after his own. Luckily, even in his panic, Nilesy was smart enough not to run in the same direction the killer had fled. He had ran back in the general direction of the main dining hall. While Rythian, Lalna and Zoey chased after him the best he could, he had ultimately proved too hard to keep up with. By the time they reentered the dining room, it was clear that the local pool salesman was long gone.
"Shit! He's going to get himself killed at this rate!" Lalna exclaimed. Immediately after he spoke, two more piercing screams echoed down from the direction the three had just came from.
"Kim, Minty!" Zoey had already taken a few steps to head back to help when Rythian grabbed her by her wrist. Lalna could only stand there and watch as the two slowly descended into a bitter argument.
"Zoey, we need to go! I'm pretty sure we can escape if we blast the front window-"
"You're just giving up on them?! We have to go back!" Zoey had whirled around to face the mage. "If we run now, then they'll never-!"
"It's already too late for them, Zoey! I just need to get you out of here!" Rythian shouted back. The tone of his voice reflected his stubborn seriousness. He seized the redhead by her hand again, but she only yanked it back. "Zoey!"
"No, Rythian! I don't need you to protect me! I can do things on my own!"
"Not something like this! Now let's just go!"
"Why the heck have you been so bossy lately?! 'Zoey, don't do this. Zoey, don't do that! Zoey, stop playing and focus!' Ever since we ran away to that place in the desert you won't leave me alone, even with Teep! I'm not some little girl, Rythian!"
"I know that! It's just...just..."
"What? You don't trust me anymore?"
"No! I just...I-"
"Just what!? Rythian, spit it out!"
"I JUST CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!" Rythian suddenly seized Zoey by her shoulders and pulled her closer as he yelled the last sentence. The mushroom girl was taken aback, and the two simply stared into each other's eyes for a few, silent seconds. Lalna still stood off to the side rather awkwardly, not sure what to say for once. He had suspected that Rythian had feelings for his apprentice, but he was never entirely sure until now. The scientist watched as Rythian bowed his head, loosening his tight grip on Zoey's shoulders as he let out a sharp exhale.
"I just...can't. Not again." He finished in his regular volume of speaking. Zoey was still speechless, but she moved one of her hands - her real hand - to take one of Rythian's in her own. Rythian looked back up to see the girl wearing one of her usual, cheery smiles, and though it was hard to tell, Lalna thought the Endermage smiled in return. A suspicious pair of footsteps then echoed from the hall whence the three had come, bringing the scientist back to the situation at hand. He turned to the two next to him, almost feeling bad for interrupting the tender moment.
"Well, now that trouble in paradise has been sorted out, might I remind you that we have a homicidal psychopath on our tails?!" He cried frantically. Rythian then let go of Zoey and took a few steps towards the door to the main foyer.
"Right! If I can blast the windows or the door open, we should be able to get out of here using your hovercraft! C'mon, we need to-!"
Before the mage could finish, the floor suddenly dropped away from beneath their feet. A large trap door had seemingly opened at random. All three scrambled to grab a hold of the edge of the trap, but none were successful. Rythian, Lalna, and Zoey then tumbled down into the unknown, forced to leave the mysterious killer and their only chance of escape far behind.