damned_institute | Night 59: Underground Lake

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Night 59: Underground Lake

[from here]

"Oof!"

When the bracelet was slipped over her wrist, there was a moment of disorientation, during which the floor beneath Anise's feet was suddenly replaced with something soft and uneven. Thrown off balance by the unexpected change, the girl fell over backwards onto her rear. Fortunately, the sand made for a fairly painless landing.

She reached for her flashlight and turned it on, hoping to locate her friends and figure out where she was. Immediately, she noticed the irregular shapes poking out of the sand, and the dark, rippling water nearby.

"Hey, isn't this...!?" She pulled herself up to her feet, brushed the sand off her pants, and started scanning the area for the lights she knew would be there. Sure enough, she could see something flickering in the distance. It had to be that skeleton's dock.

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It had felt a little ridiculous, the three of them shoving a bracelet over their wrists at the same time under the belief that it might actually do something, but Guy kept his mouth shut about it when it ending up working.

Part of that was that he ended up disoriented from the movement, the shifting around enough to make him queasy for a moment. Still, Guy had been exposed to the institute's style of efficient transport enough times that he was able to recover from it relatively quickly.

His hand still tight on his sword, Guy took in the new area and quickly recognized it as the dank caverns that they had come to a few nights ago. This meant that they were going to have to deal with that skeleton again, didn't it?

"Looks like he wasn't lying. This'll definitely make things easier," Guy remarked as he glanced down at the bracelet. It was still kind of unsettling having someone else's bones around his wrist, but it seemed like they had no choice but to make use of it.

Though there was something that seemed different down here. "Hey, Anise... can you feel the fonons anymore?" Maybe Guy was just out of it from warping, but it seemed to him like he didn't have access to them anymore.

With all the uncertainty surrounding the bracelets, Claude also thought it would have been pretty anti-climatic if nothing happened. That clearly wasn't the case, though, because the moment they slipped them onto their wrists, he felt his stomach pull as they warped to another room.

The sensation of getting thrown from one part of the building to another didn't sit well with Claude. It reminded him too much of the night he'd been taking for experiments and forced to blindly stumble through door after nauseating door, only to wind up on the Calnus with his father. There was no use dwelling on that, though, so Claude promptly shoved that thought aside.

A quick glance around himself let his light fall upon Anise and Guy. Now that he knew they'd stayed together, he let out a small sigh of relief. Putting on the bracelets at the same time had been a good idea. He could only imagine how frightening it would have been to see either of his friends disappear.

Another sweep of the area soon revealed that they'd wound up on the dimly-lit beach they'd found awhile back. So, these bracelets took them straight to the caverns, then. Guy was right -- that was convenient, especially considering how perilous it could be to come here on foot.

Of course, he hadn't expected anyone to bring up fonons. Raising his eyebrows, he looked from Guy to Anise...and suddenly realized that the surge of power he felt just moments ago had left him.

Anise had to admit, this really would make things easier, especially if they could use them anytime. Half the trouble of exploring the basement was actually getting there, after all. Maybe they could even use them to escape if they wound up in a pinch, like last night...

"Huh?" She was caught by surprise when Guy suddenly asked about the fonons, but when she took a moment to think about it... she couldn't really feel them. Just to be sure, Anise set her weapon down for a moment, pulled Tokunaga in front of her, and concentrated on making the doll bigger.

Nothing happened.

"... No good. And just when we finally had all our artes back, too..." Pouting with disappointment, she put Tokunaga back. It had been so exciting, so liberating to be back to full strength, and having all that taken away just as suddenly was sort of like a slap in the face.

While Claude was remaining quiet for the moment, Anise went ahead and gave her own abilities a test. As Guy had expected, they had lost that power just as quickly as they'd had it returned to them. He hadn't even gotten the chance to use any of his Artes before this had happened. Anise had ridden around Tokunaga and Claude had used that one energy attack against the cat, but--

Well, there was no reason to let himself feel jealous or allow any other petty feelings to get in the way. In the end it was probably a good thing that he hadn't been forced to use his Artes, right?

"I wonder if the military regained control or if it has something to do with how we warped." Maybe being displaced the way that they had when they'd moved from one place to another so quickly had cut off their connection to their abilities somehow. Guy couldn't explain how such a thing was possible, but it seemed feasible if nothing else.

Well, there was nothing for it at this point. They were down here now, so they were going to have to keep moving forward. Guy held on tight to the hilt of his sword, relieved to see that their belongings had moved with them without any trouble. "Either way, guess we should get going."

He couldn't quite hide the disappointment on his face when Anise failed to make her doll grow large again. Man, that could have been so useful down here! But it wasn't the girl's fault, so he didn't want to outwardly focus on that. More than anything, he was bothered by the sudden change, and the fact he'd personally be a lot less effective in battle now that their powers were gone.

The swordsman sighed. Just when he thought they'd made a lucky break, too...

"It could be a number of things," Claude said with a small shake of his head. "I guess it can't be helped now, though." They would just have to make the best of things. Frowning to himself, he turned toward the direction of the dock, his hardhat lighting a path for them.

But Guy was right that they shouldn't stay in one place long. "Yeah," he agreed. "We don't know how long night will last." With the current state of the institute, Claude was almost afraid they'd find a way to knock everyone out, kind of like what had happened during the first riot. Doing his best to focus on the task at hand, he began leading the way ahead.

Though she was still pretty miffed over what just happened, Anise had to agree that the only thing left to do was move forward. She followed as Claude began walking, pointing her flashlight around just to be safe. There wasn't any guarantee that the beach was safe. Actually, that reminded her...

"We're going to have to meet that skeleton again, aren't we?" she asked as she walked, thinking back to some of the more cryptic things the ferryman had told them the other day. "I wonder what he meant when he said he couldn't guarantee our safety again?" Had he been protecting them from something before? Or was he dangerous himself? Chances were that he wouldn't explain even if they asked.

Not like having one more danger looming over their heads made much of a difference, anyway. If their last trip was any indication, they were going to have to stay constantly alert if they didn't want to get killed.

Guy followed after the other two with little complaint, taking care to not lose his footing on the uneven sand. All of them were annoyed that they had lost their powers as quickly as they'd gotten them back, but in the end standing around and being upset about it wasn't going to do them much good.

It seemed that he and Anise were thinking along the same lines when it came to that skeleton. Her question about what the ferryman had hinted at before was definitely ominous, but Guy knew that it wouldn't be enough to deter any of them.

"I guess we'll see. He's probably going to want another toll, too." Guy wasn't sure if sense of smell was going to be enough to appease the thing this time, either. He already knew that Anise or Claude was going to want to volunteer since he'd done it last time, and in the end he couldn't argue with that logic.

It didn't take them long to reach the dock, and as they did so Guy went ahead and called out. "Hey... Mister Ferryman." Well, it wasn't like they had any other name for him. "Are you here?"

Claude's expression immediately darkened when he thought about the toll. They were lucky Guy hadn't permanently lost his sense of smell. Granted, they couldn't trust that would be the case next time. But he didn't want to let Guy stick his neck out twice, and he didn't feel right letting Anise step up to the plate. It would be best for him to take the hit this time around.

"Let's just hope for the best," Claude said with a small breath. Hopefully no one would jump the gun like last time. Before he could ask his friends to not immediately volunteer for the toll, though, Guy called out to the ferryman.

For now, all he could do was let his light shine onto the dock and listen for a response.

"Think I'd be anywhere else?" Unlike last time, Charon didn't rise from the docks or even the lake. He'd felt the change upstairs and had gone for a little stroll around the lake, busily pushing things into it, when he'd felt the magic pull and heard familiar voices in the dark. Beneath his feet a brittle bone snapped and gave way and, with the never-changing grin on his face, the ferryman's skeletal form emerged from the darkness behind the trio.

"Looks like I've got a repeat performance tonight. Those bracelets are pretty handy, aren't they?" he quipped, quietly chuckling at his own inside joke and moving forward to eye his first group of repeaters. Maybe tomorrow Blueberry and Minty would come back. "So? You know the deal. Who will it be tonight? Any young, excitable go-getters in the group?" He looked to Anise and it seemed as if his grin deepened. "Or do I get to choose?"

"Eek!"

Anise jumped when the skeleton appeared behind them, whirling around and backing up a few steps. She frowned as he spoke, feeling bitter about being startled so badly. What was he doing over there, anyway!?

With the way the skeleton looked at her as he spoke, her expression shifted from discontent to... well, being creeped out. She had actually been ready and eager to volunteer herself for the toll, but seeing that made her hesitate. She knew she owed it to Guy and Claude to stick her neck out for them since they were always doing it for her, but at the same time, there was a part of her that just didn't want to give the ferryman what he wanted.

Her expression slightly uneasy, she looked to her companions. "Right, well... we should work this out together. No heroics this time!" She shot an accusing look at Guy, though it only lasted a second. "It's pretty obvious it should be either me or Claude, and... then there's the actual toll." Anise tilted her head to the side as she thought about their options, none of which she liked. "What do you guys think the next-least-debilitating one is?"

The voice coming from over his shoulder wasn't something that Guy had expected, but he was quick to react and turn himself around. It was a good thing, too, since Anise almost backed right into him. Luckily, Guy managed to sidestep out of the way just in time.

It looked like the skeleton was still in the mood to lightly tease them, which was simple enough to ignore. Guy didn't like the way that it was looking at Anise, though. There was something about it that just got under his skin.

In the end, Guy realized that this was something that Claude and Anise would need to work out amongst themselves. Still, he could at least give his opinion on what the toll should be, even if offering himself up was out of the question.

"Well, assuming that smell is off limits, I guess taste would be next." Eyesight, hearing, and touch were all extremely important, especially for the sorts of challenges that this place had offered so far. Guy knew that they weren't going to be able to get away with the easier ones forever, but they could at least try to play their luck for now.

Upon hearing that voice behind them, Claude's heart nearly jumped into his throat. "Gah!" Spinning around, his light settled on the skeleton from before. They were lucky that thing hadn't been one of the monsters from upstairs. Then again, who knew whether the ferryman wouldn't eventually attack them? This place was unpredictable.

He let out a sigh and decided to focus on the matter at hand, though. It sounded like the skeleton expected more payment to get across the lake, and the way he looked at Anise was nothing short of creepy. Oh, brother, he inwardly groaned, but figured it would be wise to keep his comments to himself. Besides, they needed to figure out what to do in order to reach the other shore.

When Guy suggested taste, though, Claude shook his head. "I don't remember him mentioning that one, though," he pointed out. The two were so interconnected that he wouldn't have been surprised if the ferryman considered them the same. "Isn't it a choice between sight, touch, hearing, or...voice?" He wasn't entirely sure of himself, but that's what he remembered.

"If that's the case," Claude quietly added, "touch might be our best bet this round." After all, sight and hearing were out of the question, and they couldn't rely on charades to communicate during a tough situation. "I've already lost the ability to sense pain before, so I kind of know what to expect. Maybe I should be the one to do it."

The thought made him uncomfortable, especially since he couldn't trust that the institute would give it back right away. But what else was he supposed to do?

Seemed like the intrepid crew were already off and on their way to deciding what toll to pay, so the ferryman stayed silent as he moved toward the dock to ready the boat. He didn't have to tell them that they could pay the same toll again now that it was a different night. In fact, he didn't have to do anything but let them work out who was going to give what. If they wanted to assume they had to give something new tonight? Who was he to argue and make life easier on them? Despite himself, he chuckled as he drew the boat in closer to the wooden dock, listening to the trio work things out.

He had to admit he was a little disappointed they didn't go for "taste," but oh well - they chose one far more exciting to be sure. And, since Blondie 1 (or was he 2? maybe it didn't matter) was offering himself up for the task already, the skeleton turned and struck the dock with his staff. "Touch it is then. Thanks for the toll, Blondie." Never mind that it wasn't actually volunteering. It was close enough. Stepping aside, the ferryman motioned to the boat. "Your chariot awaits."

Voice...? Was that one of them? Anise didn't remember clearly, but she figured she'd trust Claude on that one. The skeleton probably wasn't going to let them get away with any more freebies, so it would make sense. In that case, touch was probably best, since sight would be hard to deal with, and the other two would mess up their communication...

Anise knew Claude had a point in volunteering himself, but she had a few points of her own to raise. For one, losing that sense could make it harder to use a sword, while Anise's fighting style wouldn't be affected as much. And besides, she owed those two for saving her last time! She opened her mouth to mention those things...

... but was immediately cut off by the echoing thud of the skeleton's staff. For a moment, her mouth remained hanging open, no longer for speech but as an expression of shock.

Eventually, she found the words. "Hey!! He said maybe, you creep!" she cried, indignant. "We weren't done talking!"

Between the glares she shot at the skeleton, she sneaked a glance over at Claude, feeling a little guilty. Maybe if she hadn't hesitated to speak up... No, this was absolutely, totally, one hundred percent that skeleton's fault!

Right, of course. Because having both smell and taste as options would have clearly made things too easy on them. Guy sighed, realizing that the other options open to them were all going to result in some manner of inconvenience. They just had to make sure to pick the one that was going to trip them up the least.

Claude suggested touch, and while the idea of someone being unaware of their wounds bothered Guy, he understood that it was probably the best choice out of the options that they had. It was true that Claude had handled a lack of pain before, but it wasn't as if that situation had ended well for him.

Guy realized that no matter what they chose, it wasn't going to be something he was satisfied with, so in the end he couldn't protest to Claude's suggestion. Nor did he have the chance, since the next thing he knew the skeleton had taken the toll -- and without even giving them the chance to properly discuss it.

Anise handled being outraged for him, so all Guy did was send the ferryman a glare. In the end, he couldn't say that he was that surprised. He turned his attention to Claude next, fixing him with a worried glance as he heaved a sigh. "Well, either way it's done now. I guess we'd better just get moving."

They were going to have to pile in that boat again, so Guy went ahead and stepped in first, retreating to the front of the boat. That way Anise could sit on the other side and they wouldn't have any unfortunate incidents.

He really should have seen it coming, but Claude couldn't help but shoot the ferryman a wide-eyed look when he knocked his staff against the dock. Before Claude could even say anything in their defense, he felt his sense of touch fade away, leaving only a disconcerting blanket of numbness behind. Frowning, he adjusted his grasp on his sword, but soon realized that he couldn't even register the blade's weight.

His stomach turned, and he fought the small wave of panic that threatened to ebb at his resolve.

This...was a lot more intense than his lack of pain from several nights back. Maybe he'd spoken too soon when he'd said this was the best choice, but there wasn't any going back now. While he was touched at Anise's angry response on his behalf, Guy was right -- they needed to just keep moving at this point.

"Come on, Anise," he said, doing his best to look upbeat. "We'll figure out a way to make the best of it." Claude had to keep himself from scowling at the ferryman as the two of them climbed into the boat after Guy. He didn't want to provoke the skeleton, but more importantly, he needed to pay extra attention to every movement now that he'd lost feeling in his body. Soon, he settled down near Guy, his expression somber as his gaze avoided the water.

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Night 59: Underground Lake

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