Night 60: Underground Lake

[razing_phoenix]

[From here.]Just like the last time, Guy's feet hit the uneven sand as he took in that unmistakable smell of dampness. This area was almost dead quiet when compared to the hallway that they'd just come from, but he still could make out the lapping of water and the creaking of the dock. All of those sensations just reminded him of the fact that they

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[full_score]

As nauseating as the sudden shift could be, the transition wasn't as jarring this time around. Claude's feet sunk into the sand as he quickly regained his balance, and his eyes readjusted to the dark, moist cavern. He had a feeling they'd warp here several times more in the future, so it was probably just as well that he was starting to adjust. Glancing at both of his friends, Claude was relieved to find they'd made it here along with him.

Even though none of them likely wanted to deal with the ferryman again, they needed his boat to cross the water. Claude moved beside Guy and Anise, his grip tightening on his sword in case something ambushed them.

All this toll talk irritated him, though, especially after last night. "That's not fair, though," he sighed, unable to keep the frustration out of his voice. "I mean, we didn't even make it across the lake. Of course, I guess that won't mean much to this guy, but..." Well, he could dream.

It was then that something occurred to him, and his gaze snapped over toward Anise. "But besides that, shouldn't I be the one to pay this time?" Claude pointed out. "We never got to any doors, and my sense of touch came back just fine this morning, so it's not like I really had to pay anything in the end." To be honest, he'd expected to take the toll again, since he'd hardly kept last night's long enough for it to be an inconvenience to himself. It didn't seem right to foist the responsibility onto Anise when he didn't think he'd shouldered his fair share of the burden.

[razing_phoenix]

It didn't take them long to cross the sandy area and reach the docks, although Guy made sure to move his flashlight around them in case the ferryman decided to ambush them again. It didn't seem like the skeleton meant them any true harm. Instead, he just liked to string them along and trick them. That didn't mean that Guy wanted to be startled, though. Still, the ferryman was their only way across, which meant they had to be at least somewhat polite. It was a good thing that Guy had some experience with being civil toward people he didn't like.

He wasn't that surprised that Claude was bringing up how they hadn't gotten anywhere last time. As his boots hit the wooden planks that made up the dock, Guy turned back toward the pair. He had to admit it would be strange if they had to deal with a mute Anise for the rest of the night, but...

"Well, I think we should also make doubly sure that we can't repeat the same toll. Seeing how it's a different night, and -- like you said -- we didn't get anywhere... we could at least ask." They'd only gotten a very vague briefing on how this all worked the first time, after all.

[gald_digger]

Anise turned to face Claude when he voiced his objection, looking a little surprised. "Huh? But..." She'd fully expected to be the one to pay the toll this time, but now that he mentioned it, she could understand where he was coming from. They didn't even get across the lake last time, did they?

She pressed her lips together, reluctant to agree. Anise felt like she needed to pull her weight more, especially after they rescued her before. But he had a point, and Anise couldn't come up with a good argument against it. "... Okay," she eventually agreed with a sigh, then looked over to Guy. "Yeah, it can't hurt to ask... probably." There was no telling what that creepy skeleton might do, but she could always have hope.

Speaking of whom... where was that creepy skeleton? Anise checked over her shoulders. Maybe he was trying to sneak up on them again.

[full_score]

So far neither of them had any strong objections, which would hopefully make negotiating with the skeleton go smoother. In the meantime, they couldn't do much until they found him. Part of Claude feared that maybe he'd decided not to man his post tonight for whatever reason, leaving the three of them stuck in a lurch. But they'd found him twice before, at least, so maybe their luck would hold out a little longer.

"Mister Ferryman?" he called out as he took a few more steps onto the wooden dock. "We'd like to talk to you!"

Hopefully he wouldn't play games with them with this time, but Claude knew that was probably wishful thinking on his part.

[trolltaker]

"About time," came Charon's gravely voice from further up ahead. The torchlight illuminated his white bones as he rose from the gently rocking boat. "I was just about to get ready to see if I could find someone to play a game of cards with -- or to push into the lake, either one." With how ill-tempered a lot of the creatures here were, any game inevitably ended with someone falling into the water.

"Kind of flattered to see you back again so soon," he chuckled. "But I guess you three didn't come just to look at my pretty face." Gazing at the group with a pair of hollowed eyes, Charon continued speaking. "Anyway, you know the drill. Who's it going to be tonight?" Placing some of his weight onto his staff, he eagerly leaned forward. "The cute one?"

[razing_phoenix]

As it turned out, the skeleton had been hiding in his boat after all. Guy hadn't spotted him until he emerged, which seemed strange. On the other hand, something that was just a bag of bones could probably hide pretty easily. It was still bizarre to see a skeleton walking and talking; sometimes it almost felt like the ferryman could make expressions, even though it was just a talking skull.

It was a mix of intriguing and unsettling, but either way there was only one thing that they needed from the ferryman, and that was passage across the lake. While Anise had conceded to Claude taking the toll easily enough this time around, they still needed to be careful.

"Not necessarily," he responded before either Claude or Anise could speak. "Before we decide on anyone, we were wondering... Are we allowed to repeat tolls? Claude gave up his sense of touch last night, but seeing how we never really made it across, it doesn't seem fair for that to be off-limits now." Guy thought that he sounded pretty convincing, but he realized that that wouldn't necessarily make the skeleton any more inclined to be helpful.

[gald_digger]

The skeleton's voice sounded ahead of the group while Anise had her head turned, and she snapped her gaze back just in time to see him rise from the boat. At least he didn't catch her completely off guard this time...

When the skeleton leaned closer and mentioned the toll, Anise frowned in return, scrunching up her face in disgust. "Boooo. You don't have to be so creepy about it." While she enjoyed being 'the cute one,' the skeleton's words were sounding less flattering and more disturbing with each night.

Fortunately, Guy went ahead and started negotiating, and Anise kept quiet while he did. He was usually good at this kind of stuff, though she was a little skeptical about how cooperative the skeleton would be. He didn't strike her as someone who cared that much about what was fair.

[full_score]

While Guy had a valid question, the more Claude thought about it, the less giving up his sense of touch sounded like a good idea. As a front-line fighter, he needed to rely on his ability to wield a sword. If he couldn't use his body to gauge how much force to throw into an attack, where would that leave him? Without something so crucial, he'd easily become a burden if they fell under an unexpected ambush -- and, judging by their first night in here, the odds weren't in their favor.

"On second thought, it might be better if I give up my voice tonight after all," he suddenly said. While he wished he could have had a little more time to think things through, he also knew there was a chance the skeleton would interpret Guy's words as verification that Claude actually wanted to hand over his sense of touch. With that in mind, he'd decided it was better to speak up sooner than later.

"Anise might need her voice to cast one of those fonic artes, right?" he pointed out with a concerned frown. "What if we get bounced back somehow and she winds up having to give it up as another toll?" This place didn't always play fair, and it was probably better to be prepared.

[trolltaker]

Before anyone had a chance to add anything else to the conversation, Charon cut in.  "Pleasure doing business with ya', Blondie," he said with an unnatural, grating laugh.  Then, as if to seal the deal, he knocked his staff against the dock.  The sound echoed off of the damp cavern walls.

"Anyway," he casually continued as he turned to look at Guy, "I normally hate answering Captain Obvious questions, but--" Pausing, he gave a raspy cough and cleared his non-existent throat.  The next time he spoke, his voice sounded eerily familiar -- just like the one he'd just taken as payment.  "Since I want to give this baby a test spin, I guess I'll be generous."

Growing quiet a moment, he considered how he'd sounded just then.  Not too bad, though not getting the chance to take Cutie's voice left him a bit disappointed.

"Oh--right, got distracted there, sorry," Charon continued.  "Anyway, like I said the first night you were lucky enough to find me, you can't pay with your sense of smell again.  That's boring, and this place isn't exactly a charity.  The other stuff, though?  Fair game, no matter how many nights you have to come begging for my help.  A guy made of just bones isn't going to be picky about that stuff."

Gesturing to the boat, he looked at the group.  "Either way, the toll's been paid, you've got your tickets, so climb aboard."

[razing_phoenix]

Guy hadn't really been ready for Claude to change his mind at the last minute like that. Giving up his voice? It seemed like it would be a tough burden to bear, but in the end Guy could understand Claude's reasoning pretty easily. So long as he could still nod, shake his head, and gesture to them, they would hopefully be fine.

Not that they really had a chance to reconsider, since the ferryman took his toll almost right after Claude made his offer.

Guy's gaze remained on Claude for a moment. This wasn't as bad as if he had lost his sight or something, seeing how that would have had some terrible memories associated with it, but --

Then the skeleton spoke up again, and it was with a voice that most certainly didn't belong to him. "What--?" Guy's head whipped over to stare at the ferryman, his shoulders stiff. While he'd realized beforehand that the skeleton took their senses for itself, this was the first time that it had been quite so obvious, and it was bizarre.

While Guy didn't really want to hear it in Claude's voice, he still made sure to pay attention to the explanation. So it seemed like other than smell, everything else could be repeated in subsequent nights. That was something they should keep in mind, then.

When the ferryman ordered them aboard, Guy sent Claude a worrying glance before taking the lead and settling on the far end of the boat. He hoped he wouldn't have to deal with listening to the ferryman talking with Claude's voice for too much longer.

[gald_digger]

Claude's reasoning was sound. In fact, Anise had considered that too, back when she was thinking up objections to him going before her. Being able to feel was vital to swordsmanship, and she needed a voice for fonic artes. This way, they'd all get to stay in good fighting shape.

The sound of the staff's thud was as ominous as ever, but what was even worse was the sound that came out of the skeleton's mouth after that. Anise was taken aback for a moment, flinching at hearing her friend's voice coming from the ferryman. She took a moment to absorb both that and the information he was giving them, and then sighed. "Now I'm really glad I didn't pay tonight."

Before boarding the ferry, however, Anise went to Claude's side, her hand fishing around behind her for something as she did. "I brought these just in case. You should take them," she explained before finding and producing a pen and two folded paper scraps. "We can probably get by on gestures, but if you need, you can use this!" So long as they didn't end up swimming again, that was.

Once those were handed over, she flashed him an encouraging smile and hurried over to the boat, settling into a seat with as much distance from Guy as was possible in such a small space.

[full_score]

Oh, hell, was the ferryman seriously using his voice now? Claude grew stiff at that realization. Really? Well, at least this beat paying over his sense of touch, although for a fleeting moment he wondered if such a price was worth not having to hear that skeleton talk like him. But, no...last night he'd realized he'd made a mistake by not quite thinking things through, so he was glad to at least get a chance to set things right this time around.

At any rate, thankfully the skeleton decided to clear up some of the confusion about how tolls worked. With that done, they were ready to be on their way. But, first, it looked like Anise had thought to bring along a pen and some paper just for this very scenario. Claude wordlessly raised his eyebrows at the offer before taking them with a grateful smile. Thanks, he mouthed, and he tried not to let the lack of sound unsettle him too much.

After tucking both items into his jacket, Claude climbed into the boat after his friends. He settled down beside Guy, careful not to jostle his seat too much. After flashing him what was hopefully a reassuring grin, he waited for the ferryman to take them across.

The sooner they reached the other shore, the better.

[trolltaker]

Once everyone sat down, Charon took his usual position at the back of the boat and pushed them away from the dock with his staff. The water gently lapped against from their movements, sending small waves across the dark lake. It was quiet -- and, thankfully for the group traveling with him, the skeleton wasn't in the mood to shatter tonight's relative peace. Considering how long he'd been stuck here alone, it almost surprised even him, but maybe that was what laziness did to someone.

Well, whatever. If they didn't wind up like the unfortunate creatures scattered across the sand, they'd likely be seeing him again anyway. Their luck was bound to run out sooner or later.

Charon chuckled. "Since there's nothing new to see this time around, try not to jump around so much, all right? I can't guarantee safe passage every time, and carrying on like a bunch of banshees like you did before won't help you."

[razing_phoenix]

As it turned out, Anise had possessed the foresight to bring some sheets of paper and a pen along with her. Guy watched as she handed those over to Claude, smiling at the sight. That was bound to come in handy at some point, though he also realized that they should probably rely on it as little as possible, seeing how they were going to probably be forced into situations where they wouldn't have the time to wait for Claude to write things out.

It was a relief nonetheless. Before long the boat had set off across the murky waters, and by now Guy knew better than to peer into it too closely. He thought that the remark that the ferryman made about their previous reaction to the waterlogged corpses was rather exaggerated, though he realized that there was no point in arguing about it.

Besides, it would feel strange to argue with someone who was speaking with Claude's voice.

"Don't worry, we aren't planning to rock the boat around or anything." In fact, Guy was staying pretty still. It wasn't like the boat was that large, after all, and he didn't need to brush against Anise by accident. That might end up with one of them falling into the water, and who knew what that would mean for them.

[gald_digger]

Aside from the short exchange between the skeleton and Guy, the ride across began quietly. Knowing what sort of things could await them on the other side, it was almost like the calm before a storm... though with Claude unable to speak, it was possible that the whole night was going to be much quieter than what Anise was used to.

Despite being reminded of the bodies in the water, Anise found herself gazing outward at the faces bobbing along near the surface. It was hard not to look, when that was really all she could see beyond the boat itself. If nothing else, they served as a somber reminder to stay on guard. Anise still didn't know what could have happened for them to end up like that, but what she did know was that she didn't want to find out the hard way.

When she'd had enough, the girl looked back to the inside of the boat and let out a small, barely audible sigh. She didn't enjoy sitting quietly for such a long time, and the skeleton's reminder that they were no longer guaranteed safe passage left an uncomfortable bit of tension in the air. Inwardly, she was just praying that the ride would be uneventful to the end.

[full_score]

Claude wanted to come out with a grumpy retort, especially with how annoyed he was getting from hearing that skeleton use his voice, but he clenched his jaw and kept quiet. It wasn't like speaking would do any good, anyway, thanks to the toll he'd paid. But when he thought of how much better off they'd be if he had his sense of touch, his frustration ebbed a bit.

Instead, he silently listened to the sounds of the ferryman's paddle breaking into the water and pushing them along. The stillness of the caverns unnerved him. Claude could practically feel the nameless faces peering at them from the dark lake, their gazes burning into him, but he did his best to ignore it.

If they were lucky, they wouldn't have to find out firsthand what had happened to them to wind up like that.