A cool breeze whipped around Sally’s body. Nothing but a wall of deep green met her eyes as she blinked them open. Grass. On an aching neck, she turned her head to the side so see the vampire also laying down on his front looking a little dazed.
“Do you think that was actually the trial, or we just broke it with your dispel hammer?”
Theo closed his eyes and exhaled. “Knowing us, it doesn’t make much difference either way.”
“Falling upwards,” the zombie murmured to herself, groaning as she pushed up to her elbow to realize that yes - she was actually a zombie once more. Her hand went up and felt the red flower she had taken for her hair. It had been real, at least.
“Got something for you.” He rolled over onto his back and started to feel for his pockets - before remembering it was in his Inventory.
“Is it a way to turn back into the bone construct? It was kinda cute.” Sally stretched out as she made it to her feet and she looked around.
Rolling fields, woodlands, and potentially a stream if her ears were correct. Wasn’t… super vibrant and colorful like the trial area, so it could just be the normal world. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to pick out any Dungeons or landmarks.
“Here.” Theo stepped over to her and brought out the spined skull.
“Aw, that’s sweet and thematically appropriate.” She smiled and allowed him to put it in her hair beside the flower. “Now I feel like a princess.”
“That’s troublesome,” he replied, putting a hand up to the side of her face as he furrowed his brow. “As you look like a queen.”
She rolled her eyes and brought him in for a hug. “You relentless flirt. Let’s get finished up in this world so I can take you home and do unspeakable things to you.”
“We must be close now.”
“Duh, we’re hugging.” She kept a grip on him as he tried to move away.
“No, to the, uh… what was it we were supposed to do now?” He wrinkled up his face and frowned at the scenery.
Sally let him go and put her hands on her hips. Bernard had said to complete the trials so that they could get the key to unlocking Cross’ memories and save the world. Or something like that. It wasn’t very clear, and perhaps she should have asked a few more pointed questions before accepting the prospect of either fighting the giant sunflower or…
Her brow furrowed, and she held out her hand. Mostly normal. At least, in appearance.
“Maybe what we need,” she began, slowly, “is a few helping hands.”
Hand clenched together and the ground ahead of them shook and writhed as if it was water. Arms burst from the shaken dirt, and a group of ten zombies began to crawl out of their imagined home. Her normal undead looking pals all but for one difference - their heads were the broad sunflowers. Each with two glowing yellow eyes and a wide toothed maw.
“Interesting development,” Sally mused. That didn’t even feel like a spell. She had just willed them into being. Oh… she had become Bernard. Her eyes tried to go through her System menus to locate more information and paused at the first window.
[Sally Danger][Human, Zombie, Life Aspect.]
“Oh.” She pulled a face, trying to understand it and what the long-term implications were. “What does your profile information say now, Theo?”
The vampire tilted his head to the side before raising his hand up to the created zombies. “It says two heads are plenty better than a dozen.”
“That’s not a saying.”
Theo’s hand clenched closed, and there was a brief tension in the air. The group of zombies paused and then their necks burst open, spraying blood in unison. They each dropped over to the ground as the light vanished from their deep-set eye sockets.
Sally pulled a face. “That’s mean. I guess you’re Death Aspect now, as well as being a Human, and Vampire.”
“I actually have Human twice, but that has never been a plot point, so don’t worry about it.” He put his hands in his pockets and grinned.
She ignored him and glared out at the surroundings. So they were sort of demi-gods in this System now. As neat as that sounded, it didn’t appear to really solve their issue of saving the world. Were they even in the proper area? Eyes narrowed as she scoured across the sky this time. There was no sign of the darkness that was consuming this world.
“We’re still in a trial,” she concluded.
“So, we need to find the key, perhaps?” Theo raised an eyebrow and looked over at the woods. “Unless we did break things and are in a run-off area. An inert and disconnected part of the System.”
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“Can it, fangs. We’re sorting this good and proper.” She exhaled through her nose. “Oh, a message from Chucky.”
[Chuck: Not to alarm you, but what just happened?]
[Theo: You can see the changes to us?]
[Sally: wE BECAME ASPECTS OF]
[Sally: sry caps]
[Sally: we are now Life and Death.]
[Chuck: …]
[Theo: It’s just a temporary Class for this System.]
[Theo: Right?]
[Chuck: I’m… not entirely sure.]
[Chuck: It has changed your core, the same part that makes you semi-Monstrous.]
[Sally: But how does that work when we come back to Sanctuary?]
[Theo: I’ll be Death of the Party?]
[Sally: And I’ll be the Life of the Party??]
[Chuck: …]
[Chuck: Perhaps I should have gotten some answers before contacting you both.]
[Chuck: Try not to turn into eldritch beings before coming home.]
“Been there, done that.” Sally rolled her eyes, but grinned at the vampire. He seemed to be lost in thought. “Got some worries in you, pup?”
“Hmm. Is it weird that we’re now the Aspects that used to be siblings?”
“Why are you saying that kind of thing out loud?” She scowled at him. “Get your ass moving or I’ll Life you to death. We’re not literally them, you punk. Just have their powers.”
He nodded. “Convincing enough for me. Where are we headed to then?”
Sally turned her glare back across the dull scenery and sighed. Where would she be if she was a key? Probably… in a tomb. That made enough sense. She turned toward the woods and pointed. “That way until we find a graveyard.”
Theo grinned, his fangs catching the light. “Say less.”
----------------------------------------
Humphrey paced up and down the light blue room, while Dent and Chuck watched him.
“It’s probably nothing bad,” the swordsman offered.
“Probably.” The death knight stopped and crossed his arms, crimson flame flickering behind his helmet. “You just said their retrieval to this world was now more difficult, even if they died.”
“I did.” Dent shrugged. “But that’s not… back me up here, Chuck.”
The Architect looked between the angered plated figure and the rolling screens of numbers and symbols. “I do like a challenge.”
“That does not comfort me.” Humphrey sighed. “Do we not have similar functions as the Aspects in Sanctuary?”
Chuck shook his head. “Systems generally have what you’d call Administrative roles. Sometimes it’s an Architect or the sole creator. Others can have several Monster-based entities that run some of the System. I’ve even seen a world that has basically a pantheon of gods that watches over their world.”
“So the issue is…” Dent pulled a face. “It’s simple for you to take over the big boss position from a smaller or abandoned world, but bringing back two ‘Admin’ classes into this world where we don’t have the precedent or capacity…”
“Challenging,” the Architect confirmed.
Humphrey narrowed his empty sockets. “Our time is further limited, as the world itself is already dying?”
The swordsman nodded. “Seems you got everything figured out.”
A growl was the given response. “What can I do to help?”
Chuck sighed and gave them both a glum smile. “Didn’t want to have to do this so early, but this would free up a lot of resources and processing power. Unfortunately, you know what that means, Dent. Ready the launch.”
With a sad shake of his head, Dent turned around back to his monitors and controls. Hitting a few buttons which turned a bright red, he glanced to the Architect for final confirmation. “May the great sea be gentle with our souls,” he murmured.
----------------------------------------
“Really?” Sally hopped over a fallen log and raised an eyebrow at the vampire. “But she seems so sweet.”
“Yeah. It’s that type you always have to watch out for betrayal. Makes more sense than your suspicions over Claude.”
“I’m sweet, and I’ve never betrayed you.” She paused as he stopped, and they both maintained silent eye contact. “That was more of a trick than a betrayal. Be fair.”
“I almost lost my leg.”
She rolled her eyes. “Almosts don’t count for anything, pup. I’m pretty sure you’ve almost killed me more times than that.”
He wrinkled up his face, and they continued walking. “You literally killed me to attack Seven, remember? Put your hand right through me.”
“That was pretty badass.” Sally grinned. “How odd though, with all the fighting and deaths since, that’s the only time we’ve killed each other.”
“I still haven’t actually killed you.”
“Details, details.” She waved him away. It would be easy to pass it off as just their love that had kept that off the table… but now that he had brought it up, maybe she’d give him a little stabbing once they got finished with this adventure.
They fell into a silence as they continued through the woods; the sunlight passing through gaps in the canopy. No Monsters or any landmarks, which lent to her theory that they were still in a trial.
“I tried messaging Poppy, but she didn’t respond.” She looked over at the vampire. “You think they’re okay?”
“Should be. It’s probably just a trial restriction.” Theo flexed his fingers. “I told them to stay safe and protect Cross while I was gone.”
Sally nodded. “Without Bernice and you there, they’re much weaker. I’m partly worried Brian’s group will turn up and do something.”
Another silence fell between the two as they rounded the crest of a hill. The vampire turned his eyes to her. “If they hurt any of our friends, we’ll murder them all.”
“Goes without saying.”
She could definitely eat.
The pair paused at the apex of the raised ground, and Sally pointed down to the left. “That look like a graveyard to you, pup?”
“I’m somewhat of an expert, and yes - it does.” He grinned as they changed direction.
While she was eager to stand about and test out what a Life Aspect could really do, they didn’t have the luxury of time. Hopefully the key was easy enough to grab, and getting some sentences out of Cross would guide them to how to really save the world.
Worst-case scenario, they’d have to wait until the system was weak enough and Chuck could just pull it… if he had the strength and ability. He hadn’t said he was ready… and in fact, seemed rather put off with their new job roles.
Nothing worth worrying her own head over at present. Her time in Thrimble hadn’t been super great. Some nice new pals, but the actual progression part of the world hadn’t scratched the right itch.
Maybe the next one would be better with the full group of Outsiders.
The tree thinned out, revealing more of their destination.
Rows of small gray gravestones, arranged in a modestly sized area penned in by metal fences. In the middle was a large tomb, a gate at the front - probably leading to an underground part.
“Rather romantic,” Sally said, “shame we don’t have a picnic.”
“Or the capacity to enjoy our usual picnic activities.” He raised an eyebrow. “Reminds me of that little one near the end of the fourth area.”
“Ha! You were coughing out powdered gravestone for a week.” She looped her arm around his.
“Let’s go knock on the door and see if the key is home.”