Night 57: South Hall
[From here and here.]Well this was not as expected. The last hall he'd trekked through down here at least had those swell picture stories about death to entertain them on their way. Here, Peter had to settle for whatever amusement could be drawn from a pitch black room and all the adults holding the flashlights. So much for the Peter Parker Finger
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Indeed, the "puzzle" for the door was something so basic that Erika didn't even consider it worth her time. Perhaps she really was just in a foul mood and didn't want anything more to do with the basement, but her attitude changed after she opened the now unlocked door and made her way inside... Just a few steps. Sync was indeed correct about needing a light in this dark hallway, though what the light revealed to her was a pleasant surprise.
The imagery and architecture was just as depressing as the other hallways they've been to, but the only item of interest to the girl was the dark door at the very end of the hall. Dark was the best word to describe it as it was carved with vicious demons and a carved snake protruding out of the middle, mouth open to display vicious fangs. Luckily for them, there was something carved on the bottom that could easily be understood as instructions.
"Only those two who offer their blood will be allowed entrance..." Erika read aloud, a frown when she realized that it was only asking for two people when four were needed to enter. What was the point of that, then? Perhaps the other two were needed for some other task... Or there were two needed for a sacrifice. There was also the method of offering, though Erika was able to make a good guess: Those two fangs were sharpened to a very fine point that would make it very easy to prick your finger on. Along with the fact that it was attached to the door, it was easy to reason that the snake was the one to offer blood to.
Now, the question was if she wanted to be one of the two who had to do it. Her eyes lingered on the snake's form for a moment before she turned back to the group that was hopefully behind her. Hmph, it was something like a sacrifice, she would be more then happy to ask all three of them to offer blood. On the other hand, offering blood might have been a way to obtain something beneficial. With the way things have been going, it seemed like pain was the way to finish the puzzles down here. In that case, it would be foolish of her to pass this up. It was probably best that she also acted quickly, lest Noah or anyone else get the idea to volunteer before her.
"... Hm, I suppose I have no choice. Very well, Serpent-san." She didn't bother with all of this just to turn away at the last minute, so Erika reached forward and pressed the tip of her finger against the fang.
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Oh, nevermind. More Biblical imagery. Ch - okay, no. That was in bad taste.
His eyes adjusted to the darkness rather quickly, the aid of the candles along the wall adding to the light from the girl's flashlight. The carvings were a little less holy than chorusy, trumpeting angels (there had only been one real trumpeting angel, thank you very much), but it was still the same old, same old. Not even tapestry-worthy.
Their little group bumbled to the end of the surprisingly drafty hallway, halting at - of course - a giant freaking snake statue. You couldn't can it, could you Landel? You just had to go and name him Noah Morgenstern and create his own little stone punch in the gut.
Ass.
Because Erika must have assumed no one in the damn group could read or the moment just needed that little bit of spooky echoing, she recited the inscription staring them in the face. Blood magic, huh. Heavy stuff.
It wasn't with a sense of protecting the children (even the silent one who hadn't annoyed him yet) and it certainly wasn't with a self-sacrificing attitude that he pushed them aside and made his way to the snake. Nope. This was all ego. See what a bit of angel blood did to this spell.
Okay, in retrospect? He would figure out what a complete idiot he was and how much he should have known better. Kali. Remember Kali? Hindu goddess slash girlfriend slash most likely to win a fire-based pun award for sex? Yeah, she was into the blood magic thing. And he had even gotten caught by it.
It wasn't an angel thing, that ego. It was a Gabriel thing.
So he pushed his thumb against the fang without a word, bringing a drop of blood to the surface.
"Let's get this ball rolling already." So to speak. No Raiders of the Lost Ark crap, please.
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