06-25-2009, 04:23 AM
1)
Daniel nodded. He was getting bad feelings as well, but he'd blamed it on his own personal paranoia. Being stuck with Marcus hadn't helped either.
He hadn't told him much more about himself during their escape, only that he couldn't allow Balthus or Tiberius to get this "thing" they were after, which had been buried under the fortress for centuries, even before Balthus found it (whatever "it" was), and had only recently been unsealed.
"Some things should stay buried," he'd said. That didn't sound promising.
Ahead he could see a faint glow from somewhere beyond the next bend. As they approached, he started to get the ominous feeling he had back at the vault door, a sense of a presence of some kind.
But it was not the vault he found around the bend, but the scene of the explosive trap. The light poured in from the sparkling chamber beyond the hole in the wall.
The older man bent down and picked up a pair of bent reading glasses from the floor, the lenses miraculously intact. He studied them a moment, then carefully bent them back into shape before setting them back on his face.
"At least it's not a total loss," he shrugged and futilely scanned the room for anything else that might have been left behind.
"Are you going to kill Robin?"
The older man paused. "I don't want to, lad, believe me. But if there's no other choice..."
The half-elf turned away. "She won't let him beat her. Not Robin."
"I hope you're right, Daniel. I hope your right... Come on, we better keep moving."
With that, he ducked through the hole and into the crystal cavern.
Daniel followed close behind. The floor felt odd under his bare feet- smooth but fragmented and surprisingly warm - but he still felt a chill run through his spine. That feeling he'd had before was even stronger now, and he almost thought he could hear voices, hundreds of them softly whispering just out of the edge of hearing. There were no words, just constant moving sound.
"You all right?" Marcus asked.
"Fine," replied Daniel quickly. He wasn't going to let his nerves get the best of him now.
They hadn't gotten far when they saw a figure standing in the middle of the passage, blocking their way.
Daniel stared. He recognized him - it one of the guards Robin killed earlier, the one with the spear who still wore the blood-stained tabard that became his shroud. He was standing before them, pale and grim looking, bearing the spear he'd owned once before in life, his eyes clouded and his face set in an emotionless expression as he blocked any further progress.
Marcus must have recognized him too. He shook his head sadly. "Krieger..."
"I thought he was dead," whispered Daniel.
"He is," Marcus answered quietly. "This is only a puppet Balthus left behind, damn him. A little present to keep interlopers like us out."
Daniel nodded. He was getting bad feelings as well, but he'd blamed it on his own personal paranoia. Being stuck with Marcus hadn't helped either.
He hadn't told him much more about himself during their escape, only that he couldn't allow Balthus or Tiberius to get this "thing" they were after, which had been buried under the fortress for centuries, even before Balthus found it (whatever "it" was), and had only recently been unsealed.
"Some things should stay buried," he'd said. That didn't sound promising.
Ahead he could see a faint glow from somewhere beyond the next bend. As they approached, he started to get the ominous feeling he had back at the vault door, a sense of a presence of some kind.
But it was not the vault he found around the bend, but the scene of the explosive trap. The light poured in from the sparkling chamber beyond the hole in the wall.
The older man bent down and picked up a pair of bent reading glasses from the floor, the lenses miraculously intact. He studied them a moment, then carefully bent them back into shape before setting them back on his face.
"At least it's not a total loss," he shrugged and futilely scanned the room for anything else that might have been left behind.
"Are you going to kill Robin?"
The older man paused. "I don't want to, lad, believe me. But if there's no other choice..."
The half-elf turned away. "She won't let him beat her. Not Robin."
"I hope you're right, Daniel. I hope your right... Come on, we better keep moving."
With that, he ducked through the hole and into the crystal cavern.
Daniel followed close behind. The floor felt odd under his bare feet- smooth but fragmented and surprisingly warm - but he still felt a chill run through his spine. That feeling he'd had before was even stronger now, and he almost thought he could hear voices, hundreds of them softly whispering just out of the edge of hearing. There were no words, just constant moving sound.
"You all right?" Marcus asked.
"Fine," replied Daniel quickly. He wasn't going to let his nerves get the best of him now.
They hadn't gotten far when they saw a figure standing in the middle of the passage, blocking their way.
Daniel stared. He recognized him - it one of the guards Robin killed earlier, the one with the spear who still wore the blood-stained tabard that became his shroud. He was standing before them, pale and grim looking, bearing the spear he'd owned once before in life, his eyes clouded and his face set in an emotionless expression as he blocked any further progress.
Marcus must have recognized him too. He shook his head sadly. "Krieger..."
"I thought he was dead," whispered Daniel.
"He is," Marcus answered quietly. "This is only a puppet Balthus left behind, damn him. A little present to keep interlopers like us out."