“It’s where food is kept cold,” the doll answered, pointing at the large door and its shattered lock. “Beats me why there’s an entrance to the basement in there.”
As far as he knew, it was the only entrance (or hidden entrance) found so far, and it was still fairly odd seeing a concealed staircase in such a modern kitchen the second time around.
As they entered, the sound of a woman’s skilful singing drowned out Archer’s words. Opera? Sounded German. He’d had experience with opera before, but he had to admit, whoever was singing down there had quite the voice. Strange enough during a Landel’s night, stranger still to be coming from the ballroom.
Ren took a silent breath, hardly needing the use of his second sight to make an assumption. He used it anyway. Definitely not smart to go down there without having an idea of who was doing that. Once his eye blinked open on the vaulted ceiling, he brought the ballroom into focus even as he split his attention with the two with him. In the southern portion of the room, he saw something, and quickly repositioned his eye on another column. Half woman, half something else, levitating off the ground and belting out German opera with a deceptively beautiful voice.
Well, that proved it.
“There’s an enemy down there,” was what he said out loud, cocking his head while observing the trap door, and at the same time recalling his eye. “One of the more dangerous ones, I think.” Let them think he’d had some experience.
Celes shifted in the chilly air. Uncomfortable, she mused, but not life-threatening. She wondered how Ren could see that which laid beyond the door. It was an interesting ability, to say the least.
The song seemed cajoling, urging their small party closer to its songstress. "It seems as though the Good Doctor," the name was laid with some sarcasm, "has a certain love for the arts, does it not?" The young general hoped that the creature would put up more of a fight than some of the other monsters. If it were half human, she wondered, then did it also mean that it acted on more than base instinct, or was the song just a form of human mimicry?
"Naturally," he replied to Celes' comment. Archer should have known better than to think it would be smooth sailing; this night had already had its share of screw ups. What was one more?
He found the entrance, exposing it to his team, but he didn't go down yet. "Hold on a sec."
Instead, he took out his map from his sack, displaying the basement. "Here. This is where we'll come out in the basement. It leads to a ballroom and to the south is our goal for tonight." Pointing to the southern door, to the right of where they entered, he continued, "Near the door, there are two indentations, which I assume serve as locking mechanisms, for a sword and shield. I have both of those objects."
Searching his sack, Archer pulled out a bundle, the sword and shield. "Ren, I'd like for you to place these in their proper position, while the rest of us cover you and handle the monster. We'll wait for Brook downstairs, just outside of the ballroom, but if the monster senses us we'll have to take action without him."
"Do you guys have any advice or comments to add?" He turned to look at his teammates, studying their facial expressions. He didn't know about Ren, but Celes, as a general, probably had more tactical experience than him. "Before we continue, I should also point out that I don't know what lies beyond that door. Arts and Crafts doesn't have any intel on that area. I assume there's something of worth in there since it's so heavily guarded, but for all I know, it could be a trap. The other rooms each had their own dangerous trials, so if anyone wants out, now would be the time."
He wouldn't blame them if they chose not to go, especially with the way things were going. Plus, he understood that the unknown was a scary thing for some people.
He leaned over Archer's map with his flashlight, curious. They'd explored a lot more than he had, and it showed. There was a labyrinth down there and everything, huh? Weird. The basement was the kind of obstacle course he and the others would come up with for a particularly 'athletic' contract, though some of the elements were less quaint when he had to face them down as the target.
It wasn't until Archer pulled out something from his makeshift bag that the doll made a distracted noise. "Hmm?" He took them reflexively when they were offered, balancing them in his arms and wondering at the feel of blade against his hand.
What was all this about?
He blinked, expression placid, though inwardly wondering if he was getting asked to take care of the door because he was supposed to be the weakest link. What was Archer going to do if the doll had the inclination to back out or Brook didn't return from his other dangerous fight? Have one or the other be bait while the other tried to open the door? Now that was a scary thought. There might not necessarily be safety in numbers, but it was definitely better than nothing. At the same time, however, if there really was something dangerous behind the door, Ren didn't mind being the first one to take a look.
"I don't have a problem with any danger," he started thoughtfully. Then he hefted the two items he'd been given. "But where did these come from?"
The tiny glow of curiosity over the weapons was quickly stamped out while Celes thought of a proper way to take on the creature beyond the door. Strategy before pleasure, after all. Ren was their 'weak link', so it was probably correct to keep him as far from the fighting as possible. That left the rest of them; and with the exception of herself, Celes assumed they were all close-range fighters. As the only person with any sort of long-range attack immediately at her disposal, it would leave her in the background as well.
The General frowned deeply, considering. "Do you have any sort of long-range attack, Archer? I've a little magic left to me, it seems, and it would be best if I used it wisely. I would rather not waste it on a smaller monster and risk being unable to heal, or heal one of us and not have enough to properly defend myself." Especially if she was without a sword for Runic.
"I got them from exploring the basement, specifically the elemental obstacle course in the south eastern area and the labyrinth in the south west," he said, responding to Ren's question. Then he handed a smaller sack to him."You should also keep the artifacts bundled up in this sack. Although they look pretty, I wouldn't rely on them in combat, since they seem more decorative than practical."
Turning to Celes, he said, "Yes, I have my bow and five arrows, which I'm proficient with." Boy was that an understatement. In his normal state, there was no way he'd miss unless he wanted to. If he shot at the target a hundred times then he'd hit the bullseye a hundred times. Archer wasn't the heroic spirit of the bow for nothing. And like he thought, the general brought up some good points.
"Right. I was thinking that I'd offer long-range support while you covered short to mid-range. That's why I think you'll be needing this," he said, extending the handle of his sword to her. Somehow, he had a feeling she'd prefer it over the bat. "Then you could give Ren the bat for self-defense, just in case."
Finishing up, he spoke, "Like the Celes said, we should try to conserve our energy. Our goal is to get past the monster, to the southern hall; not to defeat it."
He was very pleased that no one mentioned backing out, after he gave them the choice.
[Switching posting order to Celes-mun, with permission.]
Celes smiled as she took the blade and tested its weight and balance and then handed the bat to Ren. "Perfect, this is definitely an improvement and my natural element. Thank you, Archer." Celes hoped that it too could still channel from an enemy's ability and channel it into her. Perhaps she'd be able to use a more powerful spell, a more potent heal.
Was that so... Was that part of the whole basement's purpose? Another cat and mouse game with locks and keys? He had to smile a bit at the advice that followed, though he said nothing, and instead slipped both items into the bag, shortening his grip on the mouth so that they'd be easy to retrieve.
The servant was all right with being taken only at face value. He'd just have to support them if or when it came down to it.
And on that note, he wasn't all that surprised to hear that both used magic and stuff, though maybe he should've been. If only a little. Long, mid, or short, those were all ranges easy enough to handle with certain kinds of supernatural capabilities, but since he wasn't being asked, he kept his mouth shut about it. An 'Archer' with a specialty in archery, huh? Definitely fitting.
The bat was something he eyed with some scepticism, though he took it all the same. It wasn't going to do him much good, but if they weren't enlisting him for any ill-matched battles, it was probably better he carried it than Archer or the girl, right? "Thanks. I'll try and get it back to you in one piece." Baseball had never been his sport.
As long as the goal was to avoid the monster, not get in its face, Ren figured it was well enough that they didn't get into a discussion of what that she-thing could do. It wasn't like he knew firsthand, anyway. Running worked fine, if they were attacked while waiting for Brook.
He nodded and gave a half-smile to show he was ready. Glancing at Celes, he added, "By the way, I never got your name."
As far as he knew, it was the only entrance (or hidden entrance) found so far, and it was still fairly odd seeing a concealed staircase in such a modern kitchen the second time around.
As they entered, the sound of a woman’s skilful singing drowned out Archer’s words. Opera? Sounded German. He’d had experience with opera before, but he had to admit, whoever was singing down there had quite the voice. Strange enough during a Landel’s night, stranger still to be coming from the ballroom.
Ren took a silent breath, hardly needing the use of his second sight to make an assumption. He used it anyway. Definitely not smart to go down there without having an idea of who was doing that. Once his eye blinked open on the vaulted ceiling, he brought the ballroom into focus even as he split his attention with the two with him. In the southern portion of the room, he saw something, and quickly repositioned his eye on another column. Half woman, half something else, levitating off the ground and belting out German opera with a deceptively beautiful voice.
Well, that proved it.
“There’s an enemy down there,” was what he said out loud, cocking his head while observing the trap door, and at the same time recalling his eye. “One of the more dangerous ones, I think.” Let them think he’d had some experience.
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The song seemed cajoling, urging their small party closer to its songstress. "It seems as though the Good Doctor," the name was laid with some sarcasm, "has a certain love for the arts, does it not?" The young general hoped that the creature would put up more of a fight than some of the other monsters. If it were half human, she wondered, then did it also mean that it acted on more than base instinct, or was the song just a form of human mimicry?
Reply
He found the entrance, exposing it to his team, but he didn't go down yet. "Hold on a sec."
Instead, he took out his map from his sack, displaying the basement. "Here. This is where we'll come out in the basement. It leads to a ballroom and to the south is our goal for tonight." Pointing to the southern door, to the right of where they entered, he continued, "Near the door, there are two indentations, which I assume serve as locking mechanisms, for a sword and shield. I have both of those objects."
Searching his sack, Archer pulled out a bundle, the sword and shield. "Ren, I'd like for you to place these in their proper position, while the rest of us cover you and handle the monster. We'll wait for Brook downstairs, just outside of the ballroom, but if the monster senses us we'll have to take action without him."
"Do you guys have any advice or comments to add?" He turned to look at his teammates, studying their facial expressions. He didn't know about Ren, but Celes, as a general, probably had more tactical experience than him. "Before we continue, I should also point out that I don't know what lies beyond that door. Arts and Crafts doesn't have any intel on that area. I assume there's something of worth in there since it's so heavily guarded, but for all I know, it could be a trap. The other rooms each had their own dangerous trials, so if anyone wants out, now would be the time."
He wouldn't blame them if they chose not to go, especially with the way things were going. Plus, he understood that the unknown was a scary thing for some people.
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It wasn't until Archer pulled out something from his makeshift bag that the doll made a distracted noise. "Hmm?" He took them reflexively when they were offered, balancing them in his arms and wondering at the feel of blade against his hand.
What was all this about?
He blinked, expression placid, though inwardly wondering if he was getting asked to take care of the door because he was supposed to be the weakest link. What was Archer going to do if the doll had the inclination to back out or Brook didn't return from his other dangerous fight? Have one or the other be bait while the other tried to open the door? Now that was a scary thought. There might not necessarily be safety in numbers, but it was definitely better than nothing. At the same time, however, if there really was something dangerous behind the door, Ren didn't mind being the first one to take a look.
"I don't have a problem with any danger," he started thoughtfully. Then he hefted the two items he'd been given. "But where did these come from?"
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The General frowned deeply, considering. "Do you have any sort of long-range attack, Archer? I've a little magic left to me, it seems, and it would be best if I used it wisely. I would rather not waste it on a smaller monster and risk being unable to heal, or heal one of us and not have enough to properly defend myself." Especially if she was without a sword for Runic.
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Turning to Celes, he said, "Yes, I have my bow and five arrows, which I'm proficient with." Boy was that an understatement. In his normal state, there was no way he'd miss unless he wanted to. If he shot at the target a hundred times then he'd hit the bullseye a hundred times. Archer wasn't the heroic spirit of the bow for nothing. And like he thought, the general brought up some good points.
"Right. I was thinking that I'd offer long-range support while you covered short to mid-range. That's why I think you'll be needing this," he said, extending the handle of his sword to her. Somehow, he had a feeling she'd prefer it over the bat. "Then you could give Ren the bat for self-defense, just in case."
Finishing up, he spoke, "Like the Celes said, we should try to conserve our energy. Our goal is to get past the monster, to the southern hall; not to defeat it."
He was very pleased that no one mentioned backing out, after he gave them the choice.
[Switching posting order to Celes-mun, with permission.]
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"Well, then. I'm ready when you are."
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The servant was all right with being taken only at face value. He'd just have to support them if or when it came down to it.
And on that note, he wasn't all that surprised to hear that both used magic and stuff, though maybe he should've been. If only a little. Long, mid, or short, those were all ranges easy enough to handle with certain kinds of supernatural capabilities, but since he wasn't being asked, he kept his mouth shut about it. An 'Archer' with a specialty in archery, huh? Definitely fitting.
The bat was something he eyed with some scepticism, though he took it all the same. It wasn't going to do him much good, but if they weren't enlisting him for any ill-matched battles, it was probably better he carried it than Archer or the girl, right? "Thanks. I'll try and get it back to you in one piece." Baseball had never been his sport.
As long as the goal was to avoid the monster, not get in its face, Ren figured it was well enough that they didn't get into a discussion of what that she-thing could do. It wasn't like he knew firsthand, anyway. Running worked fine, if they were attacked while waiting for Brook.
He nodded and gave a half-smile to show he was ready. Glancing at Celes, he added, "By the way, I never got your name."
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With that finished, Archer stepped forward and descended into the darkness.
[from here]
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