CLOSED

[Fortune86]

((Skipping forward ))

 

Eli had spent the whole afternoon alone in his room, sitting on his bed and staring out the window. It was a pretty good view, even if it did mostly show the usual dark skies. But beneath the clouds there was the mountain as it rolled down towards the plains and several small villages tucked in here and there, lights shining like stars. Most of the servants and soldiers came from those villages. Going into the vampire lord's service was something of a mixed blessing. On one had you got decent wages and you and your immediate family were exempt from Zygard's diet, but since the vampire was easily displeased it carried a high risk of death.

 

August had been to see him a few hours ago. He had told Eli of the offer he had presented to the girls. Apparently Andromeda had been quick to agree, but August had given her the extra time to think it over.

 

One of the purposes of the whole experiment was to find suitable warriors who would do anything to survive. The last few days they had been forced to fight and kill strangers and friends alike. These last three, through their fear of death, had shown just how easily they could be manipulated.

 

Eli had mixed feelings about Andromeda. He didn't think of her as a bad person, but she had killed more often than the other two. And even if she was willing to join, what about Maria and Kanya? Would they take his father up on his offer? He didn't want them to die...

 

Sighing Eli picked the bracelet he had been wearing off his bedside table. It didn't have any of the Sorceress' poison in; he had been safe from the start. Even when he fell in battle the protective enchantments had saved him. Nobody had known he was a mole, whose sole purpose was to ensure that the real prisoners grew more hopeless and accepting of their fate every day. They had thought him a friend. And Kanya, whom he had grown closest to, had even confided in him about her past. What did she think of him now? She probably believed him a monster, like his father.

 

Eli threw the bracelet on the floor and started to pace about. He hadn't gone to dinner, claiming he felt ill, and while it had been an excuse not to face his father he felt nauseous all the same. He didn't want this!

 

Suddenly an idea struck him. Would he dare? He'd get into a lot of trouble. The most he had ever been in. But if the alternative was watching the first people he could actually think of as friends get killed or forced into a life of slavery, what else could he do?

 

He walked over to his door and opened it as quietly as he could. No one was about. It was the middle of the night so all the servants would be in bed. If he was going to do this, he would have to do it now.

 

Fading into invisibility Eli closed the door and crept down the corridor. He would have to pick something up first, but then he could straight down to the arena. He just hoped he wouldn't get caught on the way.

 

~~~

 

Eli was used to sneaking around the castle, hidden by his powers. It was normally easy enough but there was an increased guard outside the prisoners’ cells. No one had wanted to take a chance that the girls would some how break free.

 

It had taken Eli an hour to get both items that he need, the second of which being the set of keys that allowed him to get into the solitary room and the common room beyond. It had taken several attempts to get them, backing off every time he thought he might get caught, but eventually he was able to lift them from the guard room. Knowing he didn't have long before someone saw they were missing Eli had raced to the solitary room, unlocked the door as quietly as he could and then open it and stepped inside the moment no one was looking. Now the clock was ticking.

 

Eli locked the door again from the inside. Now if someone found that the keys were missing they would still either need to fetch the spare set from wherever they were or smash the door down. Either way it would buy a few more minutes.

 

Eli turned to the door to the common room and unlocked that one as well. When he stepped inside he looked around. No one was about. Where they all in bed?

 

Dropping his invisibility Eli stepped further into the room.

 

"Hello? Girls?"

Edited January 23, 2014 by Fortune86

[Chicogal]

Maria had been lying awake in her bed, thinking hard. Would Zygard really kill them if they chose not to join him? Or was he sorting out who feared death and who would not? Groaning, she rolled over. This was all so difficult and confusing. It was then that she heard a voice calling out. "Girls," that was what it had said. Better go and see who it was. She rose and walked to the common room, freezing as she saw who it was. Sliding into a defensive stance, she put up her fists and went up on her toes. "If you try anything, it will hurt badly when you wake up," she hissed, understandably cautious.

[Rarek]

Andromeda had somehow managed to reach her bed after August's refusal to accept her answer. How dare he? It was clearly what he was looking for, and she wasn't about to change her mind!

 

She heard a voice call from the common room, calling for the girls. Must be August, being early deliberately for their answers. No matter, hers was the same. She limped into the common room, almost dragging her leg behind her. It still hurt so much to put pressure on it, she daren't try immediately.

 

Her face twisted into rage however as she caught a glimpse of Eli. "You!" she hissed, nearly immediately forgetting how useless her damaged leg still was. She began to rush at Eli, ready to tear him to pieces before her leg gave way, finding herself flat on the ground.

 

She punched the stone floor in frustration, angry she was so helpless. Tears fell too as she had to come to terms with her predicament. Zygard has taken everything from me. From us. I can barely stand anymore... Her gaze flitted up to Eli again, tears mixed with fury as she once again found herself speechless, as though daring Eli to do whatever unspeakable thing he was sent for.

Edited January 23, 2014 by Rarek

[Fortune86]

((Rarek don't forget the healing stones in the cells. Andromeda's leg would be mended by now.))

[Rarek]

((Ghost pain and stiffness are still issues to deal with. With the amount of pain and blood she initially lost, I would also assume a few nerves were severed. Even if her leg was mended, it would feel as though her leg was asleep, the pins and needles feeling could also contribute to being unsure of pain. Finally, couple that with days of being trapped and the guilt of murdering people, I doubt it's much of a stretch to say her mind is messed up and at least a little incoherent.

 

Sorry, I feel like a continuous problem child ))

[DragonSpirit009]

Kanya opened her eyes due to the sudden voices. She wasn’t clear if it was already a new day and August was waiting for their answer or not. None the less she rubbed her eyes clean and got out of the bed. Just as she peered out the door she saw Andromeda and Maria in the common room.

 

“What’s going on?” Kanya spoke as she came closer.

[Fortune86]

Eli took a few unconscious steps backwards when Andromeda appeared and rushed at him, but she fell over before she got too far. Eli could not see any fresh injuries, so perhaps her leg had cramped up on her.

 

Maria had also shown up, looking upset and wary. When she suggested that she might hurt him if she tried anything, Eli shook his head.

 

"You couldn't hurt me if you wanted to. At least not yet."

 

Kanya appeared last, or at least her voice did. She was standing just out vision, probably still in her room.

 

Gathering his nerve Eli called out to her.

 

"It's me."

[DragonSpirit009]

Kanya shook her head making sure she was completely awake. The voice was just too familiar to ignore. With that she pushed past the other two girls until Eli came to view. She could see the others wasn’t too pleased to see him but Kanya couldn’t determine how she felt. Not so long ago they fought and he could have killed them easily. Now he was standing here in the middle of the common room looking innocent.

 

“So it it’s you? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with that loony bat guy?” Kanya asked not sure if she should be either surprised or angry.

[Fortune86]

"It's me" said Eli trying to remain calm and reminding himself that Kanya had every reason to be angry with him. He couldn't lose his nerve, not now. Knowing he didn't have much time he started to press on.

 

"I know you're really angry with me right and probably have a lot of questions, but I can't go into anything just yet. I'm not here to cause any more trouble, I came to help. To get you all out of here."

 

This last part was directed at all three of the girls. He just hoped they would give him the benefit of the doubt for a few minutes.

[Rarek]

Andromeda's mind was sent reeling when Eli mentioned his reasoning for coming. Her mind was sending figurative error messages, conflicting information overloading her mental processes. As a result, she sat there dumbfounded, a look of confusion and disbelief on her face. Finally, she looked directly at Eli, with a confused but mostly curious tone in her voice.

 

"Why should we believe you? After all you've done to us? You killed Alia." This fact seemed to bring back an element of resolution back to Andromeda, whose expression turned slightly hostile again, but still curious.

[Fortune86]

Deciding it wouldn't help to remark that Andromeda had killed more people than he had, both times with neglect of her own power, Eli ignored the comment.

 

"I've never actually lied to any of you" he pointed out. "I just...omitted certain details. There were many things I could have said or done, but I didn't because I was afraid. I have always done what my father asked of me, always. This is the first time I have gone against his will."

 

As he reminded himself of this Eli felt a stab of fear. He was going to be in so much trouble.

[DragonSpirit009]

“And you killed a whole lot more than he did.” Kanya spoke as she turned around to confront Andromeda. It’s true that each of them had killed someone but if they were to do a count Andromeda would be top of that list.

 

“We are all guilty of taking someone’s life and we all feel awful about if but…” Kanya looked over her shoulder and looking at Eli. “But if he is offering us freedom then I think we should just have a listen.”

[Fortune86]

With Kanya willing to give him a chance Eli stepped forward and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a bracelet with the number nine on it and put it on. He felt it clamp onto his wrist and winced. There was no going back now.

 

"If you want to get out then you need to get the bracelets off first. I'll show you how."

 

Eli walked past the girls down to cell number nine and opened the door. Stepping inside he stood and waited so that they could see what he was about to do.

[Rarek]

Feeling a little dejected that she was portrayed as a bigger menace than Eli, Andromeda reluctantly followed the others. She pursed her lips when she heard Eli telling them there was a way to remove the bracelets. Wasn't he the one who was safe? No matter what he did, he was still Daddy's boy and given special consideration when the decision is made whether or not to activate a bracelet.

 

Andromeda looked down at her wrist. The pair of bracelets bearing the number 7 stared up at her. Even if it were possible to remove them, she didn't know if she wanted to, as ridiculous as it sounded. There was a chance that Cassandra's bracelet no longer worked, having been activated once. It probably wasn't intended to be put on multiple people.

 

Nonetheless, she needed her own bracelet off, so she watched quietly and waited to see what Eli had to say.

[Chicogal]

Maria's eyes stayed narrowed. But she listened to him. And nodded. If the little squirt could do something for them, then she'd better go along with him. Even if it did turn out to be a trap. She followed him into Room 9, also glancing down at her bracelet.

[DragonSpirit009]

Kanya was relieved to see Andromeda not going on the war path with Eli. She just wanted to keep the peace and hopefully if Eli spoke the truth she could break free to explore the world. With the tension slightly less Eli lead them towards his cell and Kanya followed eagerly. She might be easily miss lead but she could feel Eli had a good heart and actually believed him.

Looking at the others she took note that all of them stared at their bracelets. Kanya gazed at her own as well before she looked at Eli hoping that he a way of getting them off.

 

[Fortune86]

When he was sure that all three girls had followed after him Eli raised his wrist to show the bracelet more clearly.

 

"My own bracelet, number four, never had any poison in it. This one does. At this moment in time I'm in the same situation as you. If I try to remove or break this bracelet it will inject me with the poison."

 

He took a breath, hoping that his plan would work. If it didn't it was all over.

 

Swinging his arm around Eli smashed the bracelet against the wall of the cell. There was the sound of the bracelet cracking slightly and then Eli cried out in pain as it activated. With his other hand he grabbed at his wrist but he could feel the poison flowing up his arm.

 

However, to his immense relief, before the poison could travel too far the healing stones of the cell started to glow. As their lights washed over him Eli felt the poison recede. A few moments later the bracelet unlocked and dropped from his wrist to the floor, leaving his arm free and in its natural state.

 

Eli looked over at the girls and gave a little sheepish shrug.

 

"That's all there is to it."

[Rarek]

Andromeda blinked. Was it really that simple? Could they have had the ability to thwart them this whole time? Then she began to wonder. How could it possibly be that the sorceress overlooks this issue in the very place they'd in theory be spending most of their time? It's not like this was a tiny detail, the bracelets just plain didn't work in ANY of the cells. There had to be something more, the sorceress wasn't that stupid.

 

And yet, there Eli stood, completely fine. She clutched her braceleted wrist, as though protective of the two bands of metal, waiting for someone else to go first.

[Chicogal]

Maria glanced at the other two. No-one would want to go first. But she believed him. And she wasn't going to be a wimp. Chin up, she stepped next to the war and bashed her own bracelet against it. It also snapped, and she gritted her teeth hard. Entire body tense, she waited for the pain to go. When the healing was done, she slid off the bracelet with a rather triumphant expression and then turned toward the others with an eyebrow raised.

[DragonSpirit009]

((Sorry for the wait guys. Been very busy))

 

“Is that all it takes?” Kanya spoke to herself as she looked at her bracelet. It was something so simple and Eli did it himself. But the question was at that moment if it was going to work the same for them. Things were confusing but as far she could tell this vampire was the adoptive father of Eli. Could they trust him?

 

Kanya thought for a bit longer until she took a step closer to the wall. With a swing of her arm the bracelet came in contact with the wall and cracked. She decided that if she was going to die then she would at least die trying to get free. The sudden pain of the poison set in and Kanya slightly curled up a little forcing her screams to remain within her. It took a few minutes and everything was over but she felt exhausted and sweat was dripping from her forehead.

 

“Piece of cake.” She spoke sounding a bit out of breath as she dropped the bracelet to the floor.

[Fortune86]

Eli risked a smile when Maria and Kanya followed his example and destroyed their bracelets. He looked over at Andromeda, wondering now if she would be brave enough to do the same.

 

A large thump down the corridor made him jump. The guards had discovered the keys were missing. Another, louder thump indicated that they weren't bothering with the spare set. They were simply going to break their way in!

 

Eli darted forward and grabbed Andromeda's hand. This was no time for her to dally around. Pulling her over towards the way he smashed her bracelet up against it and watched as it activated inches from his finger, bathed in the glow of the healing stones.

[Rarek]

Andromeda pondered for a minute as the others destroyed their bracelets. What should I do? The chances of it happening three times lucky was unlikely, but Andromeda was still skeptical. It can't possibly be such a big loophole.

 

She was about to say something when banging started to sound from the common room. No sooner could Andromeda process this was she yanked into the cell. She shouted in defiance, all the time she spent being controlled only continuing now. She yelped as her own bracelet came crashing off, immediately pulling her arm close to herself before Cassandra's bracelet received the same treatment. She started to shake temporarily as the poison began to work, then faded as the stones neutralized it. She was still quivering slightly as she looked up at Eli in anger.

 

"How dare you! You think that just because you think you have a solution that SHOULD work means you can make the decision to risk someone's life for them?" She silenced any possible answer by holding up her hand, Cassandra's bracelet still firmly attached to its wrist, then made a gesture towards the hall, her voice iced with fury.

 

"Lead the way Mister man-with-the-plan." It was clear that Andromeda wasn't about to forgive Eli for anything any time soon, nor was it likely she'd allow him to remove Cassandra's bracelet. At least she was willing to leave, but it was clear her patience had already worn thin.

[Fortune86]

"I couldn't wait for you to make up your mind" pointed out Eli just as a large crash happened further up the corridor.

 

He pushed past Andromeda to get out of the cell and saw as several dozen armed men spilled into the common room, their weapons raised. When they saw Eli they momentarily lowered their guns, but raised them again when they spotted the girls.

 

"Shoot them" said the most authoritative of the bunch. "But don't hit the boy."

 

The soldiers raised their aimed their rifles and started to fire.

[Chicogal]

A half-smile flickered at Maria's mouth when she felt her powers arrive. Her legs were springy, full of energy and ready to run. And now she didn't feel so scared about the guards anymore. Her arms lifted upward quickly, and in that second, water gathered beneath them. Then she violently pushed it toward them, jumping and rolling to the side in order to dodge any bullets. That should knock them well off their feet if she was lucky. And if not... "Use your electricity!" she yelled.

[Rarek]

Andromeda would've protested, but really had no time to do so. She rushed out of the cell just in time to see Maria's assault on a literal army of men. The bullets were flying past as her eyes widen and she flattens against a wall.

 

"Use your electricity!"

 

It occurred to her now that Maria had free reign of her powers. She suddenly leapt into action as her eyes flare up, ready to throw up a wall of electrical energy...

 

But nothing. Not even a spark. She shrieked as she dived back against the wall, numerous bullets narrowly missing various regions of her body. Andromeda became even more frightened and confused, not understanding. Finally, her gaze rested on the thin band of metal around her wrist. She stared at it for a few seconds, then closed her eyes in shame.

 

I'm sorry, Cassie.

 

She slammed her wrist against the wall, shattering the metal into a billion pieces. Immediately, her eyes lit up and energy shot out of her hands towards the incoming bullets. With a series of small thunderclaps, six sparrows formed and began to drag themselves along the ground, through the water which Maria had left. Great sparking current ran like a fuse along the floor straight to the feet of the army of soldiers. A few of them convulsed to the floor, still others surprised enough to lose their focus.

 

"Now! Go get them!" Andromeda shouted.