Betrayal at House on the Hill

[angelcage]

[ You sleep, the ground cold beneath your cheek. The ground is hard as stone, cold marble beneath a fine layer of dust that doesn't come anywhere near acting as a cushion. The dust stirs with your breathing.


>> Wake up ]

Comments

[dendarii]

I beg to differ --

[ Ow fuck stairs. Sorry Mordred, he's coughing blood all over your shoulder. ]

[withintreason]

Oi.

[ coughs, also. ]

You saw that armor I was lugging around. You think an Assassin wears that? Could it be that this commander is an idiot?

[dendarii]

[ He subsides after a moment. ]

N-no. Not my point. Mustn't ... rely on appearances. S'how I surprise people.

[withintreason]

[ mumbled, a little ]

Sure surprised me with that tackle of yours.

[dendarii]

[ A sharp, pained laugh. ]

Just so. Same applies to my people. Scrape together every advantage you can get.

[withintreason]

Hah!

[ --- coughs ]

Ah, damn. That's something I can respect. --damn, these stairs go on forever.

Your people all tiny like you?

[dendarii]

[ Another of those wet laughs. Despite everything, his vision is starting to darken and blur. Not good ... hold on, dammit ... ]

Alas. No. Most are at least five and a half feet, on average. I'm the smallest by far.

[withintreason]

[ i guess that's what size humans are normally ]

Huh. And here I thought you were like, a commander of gnomes.

[ grunts, as she finally gets to the top of the stairs -- and she squints, taking a moment to pause. ]

Oi oi, that wasn't there before, was it?

[ about the exit door ]

[dendarii]

Nothing so fanciful. Only normal humans.

[ He lifts his head. It's mostly a blur ... but it looks like the outline of a door. ]

So the ritual really did open our way out.

[withintreason]

The ritual or killing that last rat?

[ either way, she's pushing forward -- faster this time, reinvigorated ]

[dendarii]

Either. Both. Whichever.

[ He's getting blurrier, but - dammit. Hold on. Almost there... ]

[withintreason]

Hey -- you'd better not die on my back, that's a shitty place to go!

[ BUSTS THROUGH THE DOOR

or just pushes it w/e ]

[dendarii]

Alive. M'alive. Not dead yet.

[ He wants to be, though. Every breath hurts. He blinks dizzily at the ... countryside ... around them. Shit. ]

Car?

[withintreason]

[ she stands up taller, straighter. at the same time, she begins to glow -- gold. from the moment she stepped outside.

ah. ]

. . . Can't see one. Maybe around the back.

[ setting him down though, gently -- against the door, with care and strength. ]

[dendarii]

[ He's too weak to do anything but wheeze uncomfortably as she sets him down, one hand falling across his chest. And blink at her. Everything. ]

Are you glowing?

[withintreason]

Ah -- well, I thought this might be the case, but it looks like it. What a pain!

[ with a lofty shrug ]

It's a long story, but I'm not human to begin with. The point of the matter is that I've run out of mana, so I don't have much time left. It looks like I'll be returning sooner than I thought after all.

But you managed to get out of there. That's great. Keep fighting, eh, Miles?

[dendarii]

[ He's hallucinating now, as close to death as he is. That's what's happening. Okay, he'll play along. ]

Mana? What? Returning where?

[withintreason]

[ oh look her feet are disappearing. fun ]

To the Throne of Heroes. I'm a Spirit, of sorts -- a ghost. Hey, you wouldn't happen to be a magus, would you?

[ with a laugh, like it's a joke ]

[dendarii]

[ Her feet are disappearing. ]

What the hell is a magus?

[withintreason]

A person who uses magic, obviously! Damn, you are some kind of idiot. Anyway, the point is, so long as I'm not tied to a source of energy like a magus I'll disappear. Tch, you're going to make me explain this shit?

[dendarii]

[ She's going to disappear. That's ... probably for the best, but dammit, enough people have died already tonight. He forces himself to sit up, pressing his hand to his wound. By now his whole shirt is soaked with blood. ]

Energy. I've got - something like that. Superpowers. Damned porter gave them to us.

[ It's all magic to him, anyway. ]

[withintreason]

Hah? Seriously?

[ takes



a moment. ]

. . . Well, damn; it was a joke.

[ a beat ]

You're sure about this?

[dendarii]

[ He manages a manic sort of grin. The image is likely helped by all the blood smeared all over himself. ]

You have to keep me alive if you do, right? If I die, you die.

[withintreason]

. . . . . . You're pretty cunning, I'll give you that.

Fine then! Contract with me and I'll keep you alive! I'll only warn you once now though, I'm a Saber class, Saber! I take a lot of energy, so you'd better have enough!

[dendarii]

We're going to find out, aren't we?

[ He holds out his hand to her. ]

I accept your contract.