The creeping vines extended out further from the looming plant-like Life as he rose from the altar. Roots crept up along the back wall, covering some of the light from the windows.
Sally shrugged. “Eh. I’ve seen a lot worse. You forget that most of my friends are Monsters. Probably could have just led with this.”
The flat sunflower face lost some of the lustre from the wide grin across it. Bernard tilted his head. “Well, I don’t think the other Players would have been so accepting of my true form. The elven appearance was meant to give off a more trustworthy guise.”
“Well, you failed at that, too.” She rolled her eyes. “The only way you could have been more suspicious was if you kept hiding away a dagger every time I looked at you.”
The grin returned to Life’s face. “Ah, so you didn’t see that.” After a few seconds of silence, he tilted his head. “That was a joke.”
“Cool. So what’s the deal here, then?” She waved her dagger at the roots along the walls of the darkened cathedral. “Unless the trial is to put on the best undead rave on this side of Sanctuary, I doubt you’ve done this for any good reason.”
Despite the change in appearance, Bernard seemed to have the same affable—if slightly weird—personality. Drawing her into the building with all her zombies didn’t sound like a particularly effective plan for killing her off, if that was his intent. Even if there was something about the building that made her weaker, or could damage her zombies… but he had just given them to her.
“What more good a reason than to save the world?” He raised an eyebrow - or at least his sunken eye-socket changed shape to give that appearance.
“Either you have the wrong end of the stick, or are speaking in riddles again.” Sally crossed her arms. “I was hoping for something to eat, but it looks more like you’re preparing to have me for dinner.”
“Quite the contrary.” Bernard shifted and looked over to the wall, as if he could see through it. “Just waiting for my sister to get in place so we can do the big reveal. She is always late for things, you know.”
The zombie tapped her foot on the floor. “Bernice is luring Theo in to a similar building over wherever they are, I assume?”
“Correct.”
“And then our ‘trials’ can begin? We have to fight you both and win?”
Life rolled his eyes. “You have no patience, Mrs Danger. Does everything have to be a life and death battle with you? Oh, I see the irony there.”
“Just some answers would be nice.” She took a deep breath and sighed. “I don’t know why everything has to be secretive. Either you’ve got a good thing going on and I’m all aboard, or we have a problem and I’m going to have to stab you.”
“Very well. You’ve managed to put up with me this long, so…” Bernard loomed a little closer to her. “In order for you to ascend and save this world, you are going to have to absorb me.”
“Oh.” Her face wrinkled up. “Like eat your brains? That is kinda my thing…”
“No. Nothing so simplistic. I will be sacrificing myself and granting you the position of Life in this world, with all the power and responsibility that comes with it.”
Sally stared at him blankly for a few seconds. “So Theo gets to be Death?”
The large plant grunted and looked toward the ceiling. “That is your one take away from this?”
“That just sounds like a lot of commitment, and you’re self-sacrificing for that? What if I fail?”
“As a System-created being, there is little I can do to shuffle away the inevitable. The System is failing and I am just a domino in that eventuality. If I can pass on my power to you - as a mix of Player and Monster - then you might have a chance of changing the fate of this world.”
“Aaahh.” Sally rubbed at the bridge of her nose. “Let me phone a friend real quick and get a second opinion.”
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Lucius tapped the pen on the side of his notepad. “I’m just saying, this has been a point often repeated in our sessions, Edward.”
The demon rolled his eyes and adjusted his position on the long couch. “If people can’t accept me the way that I am, that is their issue.”
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“Valid, but you’re the one complaining that you are deemed too suspicious, are you not?” A floating question-mark appeared beside his head.
“I suppose I just want to eat my cake and eat others’ too.”
“That’s not… oh hang on - I have an important message coming in.”
Edward sat up. “Is it Theo?”
The Shade shook his head, but wrote something down on his notepad. “Sally.”
[Sally: Hey Lucy!]
[Sally: Feels like forever, miss u]
[Sally: Have a quick question…]
[Lucius: Sally! Missing you too - shoot!]
[Sally: How do you think it would affect me mentally to become the living aspect of Life?]
[Sally: Like on a potentially long-term basis.]
[Lucius: o_o]
[Lucius: Life, huh? Not Death?]
[Sally: RIGHT?]
[Sally: But no, that’s my lot. Power, but some responsibility.]
[Lucius: You have made progress in the latter.]
[Lucius: And never had issues with the former.]
[Lucius: Without sitting you down, I would ask you to reflect on the benefits…]
[Lucius: And any particular pitfalls with the role.]
[Lucius: Then see if that pairs up for the life goals we had visualized.]
[Sally: Thanks, Lucy - I needed a level head to point me in the right direction.]
[Sally: Talk soon x]
Lucius closed down his chat and looked back at the demon, who was trying to not look interested in what the conversation might have been. “Doctor-patient confidentiality.”
“Bull.” Edward sighed. “You’re not even a real doctor.”
A dark raincloud appeared over the shade as he pointed the end of his pen up at the certificates hung on the wall. “Can’t argue with the receipts, my friend.”
“Those are made up.”
“Edward.” Lucius shook his head slowly. “Everything in the System here is made up, including you. So let’s circle back to why you have such an issue with trust.”
“I’m a demon.”
“Well, whose choice is it to let that define you?”
Edward ground his sharp teeth together. He should have never let the vampire talk him into this.
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Theo shrugged. “Alright, I’m in.”
Bernice tilted her head to the side, the flickering flames of the candles in the dark building illuminating her mane. “Really? Without any further clarification needed?"
“I mean, I’ll still be me and everything, right?”
“You will. No changes to your personality. Just certain powers and control over things here.”
The vampire nodded. Becoming the Aspect of Death just sounded too good to pass up. He was willing to risk whatever the cost was, plus he might be able to save the world, too. The only thing was that he’d need to be careful not to brag in front of Sally about it - she was sure to be sore about being the Aspect of Life.
“Whenever you’re ready, then.” Theo worked out his shoulder and relaxed the warhammer to the ground.
“Just waiting for my brother.” She rolled her eyes. “Always has to yap more than necessary.”
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“…and then I said, may creation guide you.” Bernard smiled widely.
“Yeesh.” Sally pulled a face. “I sure hope I don’t inherit your sense of humor.”
“Unlikely. It is mostly the title and boons granted.”
“Mostly.” She sighed. “So there’s still a trial, right? It’s not just a signature I have to write on a contract or something?”
“I’m afraid not, Mrs Danger. Are you ready to begin?”
She looked around at the rather bored looking zombies just staring off at the walls with their glowing yellow eyes. Although she would much rather be out punching things with Theo, or trying to crack open the secrets in Cross’ skull… she did have a job to do here.
“Yeah, fine. Let’s get this over-”
Bright white light flooded her vision, and she held up her arm across her eyes. “A flashbang, really?”
She growled as her vision slowly cleared, and a… soft breeze rustled through her hair. Still wincing, she turned to see that she was no longer in the cathedral. Instead, it was a garden.
Vibrant plants, flowers of all colors of the rainbow in full bloom. Rich and healthy greens of trees and bushes. The chirping of birds and the soft sound of a stream in the background. She looked down at the lush grass beneath her boots.
“Bit cliche, isn’t it?” she asked the empty air. Bernard wasn’t hanging about somewhere, and her zombie pals hadn’t made the same journey alongside her.
Perhaps her knife was all she’d need. After a big stretch, she sighed and looked about for some landmark to travel to. Over to the right there were some hedges arranged in an arch as if they were the start of a maze or hid a reclusive house.
Spinning the [Skeleton Key] around in her hand, she hummed to herself and strode off toward whatever the potential trial might be.
----------------------------------------
Theo looked down at the pile of bones he was standing in before glancing at the streams of blood running down the cavern walls. Full skeletons were pinned to sections of the ruddy rock, in various positions that they may have died in.
A faint mist of ash rained down from a small opening in the high ceiling that barely let in enough dim light to see the fresh horrors he had arrived at.
“Huh. Had expected a graveyard, so I wasn’t too far off.” With a grin, he held his hands up for form a rectangle with his fingers, one eye narrowed as if he was trying to take a good photo. “Sally would love this, though. Very atmospheric.”
Stepping out of the miscellaneous bones, the ground itself was soft and damp. Mossy, perhaps? An inquiring glare made it out to be something more organic looking than first anticipated. The waterfalls of crimson trickling all around this almost circular chamber gathered at a central point and formed a shallow stream.
Warhammer back into his hands, Theo stepped into the blood and shivered with a little excitement. “I hope I get to keep this… like Edward’s demonic Domain. A date night here would be…” he paused as his voice echoed around the walls. “Very noisy.”
The vampire pulled a face, wondering why he was talking out loud to himself. That was generally more of a Sally thing to do. Briefly, he thought about how she was getting on, and if the area she was in was remotely as creepy as this. He shrugged and focused on his own troubles for now.
Hoisting his weapon over his shoulder, he started off downstream, on the way to whatever the potential trial might be.