Forums » General Roleplay » Two Sides of the Same Coin(Back)

Time was nothing lacking of short. Jonathan's hand reached forth from the black in which he was dragged down into. The moment when Aearion passed the corpse to begin his ascent up the stairs, the Butler's corpse's eyes shot open as darkness consumed it from sight. Still with the dried, decrepit look of death about his face. Surely there was something more powerful at work. Like a basement flooding did Absence begin to pool the lower floor. The phantoms were losing their hold on Jonathan; such a bind could not last for but so long. Heavy breathing resonated from the depths of the basement.

What did the Butler's abrupt and disturbing awakening signify exactly?

Where else was there for the group to turn? There was always more of the manor to explore, backtracking down the hallway to the door leading into the ballroom, or up the stairs? (1D100 still applies to the staircase)

Although Zaida's explanation was rather brief, Takurasho wouldn't press for further information on the spot. He was thoroughly convinced that standing still for too long was a terrible idea. A short nod was his only response, body moving to turn on a heel {no use exploring where Zaida'd already been}, hesitating once he heard Aearion's call. Yet again he'd open the door. His pale countenance displayed absolute befuddlement- they'd left the Mer in the ballroom behind them, by what means had he managed to materialize ahead of them? He was certain it was Aearion & not some apparition or phantom {as it was his job to recognize such things}.

Pale lips parted to deliver a reply, but it was in that moment that the sound of ragged breathing reached them from the basement. "I believe it's in our best interest if we save our questions until later, for now we must keep moving." That said Takurasho would spin about & head in the direction from which he & Aranel had just come. He was beginning to fear the Whittaker presence was practically omnipotent within these walls, but he was still unwilling to abandon the mission. Regardless of whether or not his companions followed, he'd deviate away from the ballroom door in favor of the stairs, his pace rapid as he was carried along on those spidery legs of his. The speed was uninterrupted by the ascent until the the stairs gave way beneath him {& whoever had joined him}.


{{Sorry for the wait everyone, I was traveling home from a few states away yesterday. Hope you all enjoyed your 4th}}

Aranel was obviously pleased to hear the bard's voice echo from below. "Friend!" she called. Aranel was a friend to all if they let her, and she was more than happy to know he was alive on top of it all. Relief coursed through her, but it was only momentary as Takurasho's words snapped her back into reality. They were still in hot water and needed to complete the task they set out to do.

She turned to follow him, though in some immeasurable amount of time after he slipped, she fell in after him. Somehow, she was given a moment of gracefulness as she landed on her feet, legs crumpling beneath her while her hands and knees caught the rest of her weight. A delayed gasp was given as she looked up, then around. "Ow...," she whimpered finally, standing up on shaky legs as she calmed herself. "Are you alright?" she added, whispering.

Zaida was silent, running the marking in her head while she followed. She trusted their judgement on direction. They had been there and she hadn't. Her eyes went this way and that while she looked for a clue, any idea on what she was looking for.

She didn't want to tell them everything, but wanted to give them an idea. As she made her way down she spoke two short, clipped words, "A skull." There was no sense in giving them more if they couldn't figure it out.

Zaida landed easily and brushed herself off. It wasn't a completely graceful landing, but it was better than the other woman.

At the sound of Aranel's voice, he was relieved. Such an innocent voice could not have been the work of anything evil, could it? "I'm coming up!" He'd warn the group before entering through the opened door.

Aearion was as amazed to see everyone as they were seeing him. These spirits were clever indeed to have reunited him with his group. He hid his surprise with a grin, though."In a place as hostile as this, I'll perceive even you as a friend." He mused to Zaida, shrugging off her negative comment. Before he could ask where this woman had ran off to, as well as wondering why he did not notice her absence earlier, she had already given the reason. It was short, but more than enough.

"Agreed. We had best kept moving." The Mer replied to Takurasho as he followed him. Now with a much more noble goal, releasing the spirits who'm had saved him, there was no way Aearion would run away from this quest. He owed it to them to see this through. His ignorance had been traded for bravery.

Sadly, when the stairs collapsed beneath them, the Mer was not quick enough to grab on to anything. He landed on his feet, though a little rough."Agh.." He'd silently moan as he rubbed over the heel of his left foot. The man wore no shoes, and the floor was rough on him!

Having landed in a sturdy crouch, Takurasho would rise slowly- testing to ensure no damage had been done to his knees or ankles- & began patting the dust & debris from his shoulders. He growled something out of mild agitation under his breath, meticulously combing his fingers through his hair to rid it of any splinters. "I'm fine," he replied moodily, "but is everyone else alright?" Aside from his relatively vain preening, the man carefully looked about, inspecting each of his companions. Zaida was [unsurprisingly] the least affected of the group. Aranel & Aearion caught his attention in turn, but after a moment's speculation he decided they were well-off enough to carry on.
His attentive gaze would then travel full circle around the room as he gathered his bearings. Hopefully this sudden alternative route wouldn't throw them off too terribly. He'd hoped to ascend the stairs & locate a master bedroom, as often times such beings would keep precious items in a more personal area from their living days. However, much like a dragon hoards its gold beneath mountains or within deep caves, his goal- the treasure- was probably deep beneath the manor.
"Aearion..." Takurasho began curiously {only after his initial question was answered}, still looking about. "How is it you escaped Jonathan?"

The group found themselves in a particular corridor. Torches already lit to a slow burn. Here stood a door. Here, everything was quiet. Almost no sign of Jonathan's dark-lke presence to be spotted. Normalcy in the shadows here. Beyond that door.. oh what could lie behind such a door constructed of wood older than the manor here itself with added effect by the stone surface from floor to ceiling.

A loud *CLANK* rung in echos down the short corridor. It came from the door. The door itself slowly creaked open, but just a little.

"Sometime a man's greed can be so great that he is willing to sacrifice all other possession both physical and beyond just to retain it. So blind can a man become over such a trivial thing." This was the butler's voice, still aged and decrepit as when first heard some hours ago.

"Your journey here is almost to an end. Those of you who wish to see it through may enter. If not. I can provide safe passage far away from this place."

He spoke through the crack in the door, not revealing a physical constitution for eyes to be lain upon. Should any of the members rush forward to see on the butler's condition, there would be nothing but the chamber the door veiled. Despite which, whether casual entry or rushed pursuit will only be the chamber. Gold. Mounds of gold, treasures and antiques. At this point; the quest would have been completed with a report to The Gentleman that the riches were in fact tangible. Now.. more importantly was the health of each member that they may escape in one piece from Jonathan's fury.

Just above through the hole in which they had fallen from came Jonathan's voice in a rumbling roar. "I WILL SEE TO IT THAT YOU ALL PERISH HERE!!" It was clear the souls no longer held power over him. Jonathan was free and was scouring the manor for the group. This was Jonathan's domain. It would not take long for the group to be found.

Up the staircase in the chamber did lead to another door, however this one held evil behind its red design. Evil, sin, crime, all of the above poured from the surface visibly in a red vapor.

Jonathan's rampage above ground was sending periodical tremors through the stoneforged crypt. How long will the structure hold out? Some pieces of roofing had already caved in, revealing beams of sun ray from the outside. The chunks of rock shattered upon impact with the ground below.

A skull? Aranel wasn't sure what she meant by it, but the words had to have been important if Zaida uttered them. Perhaps they should look for a skull? Here, she imagined a human skeleton, where they'd need to do something with its noggin. That was close, but not quite it.

Aranel followed, quite relieved that there was someone who didn't mind taking the lead. She'd be too nervous to do that in this situation. Her eyes glanced upon the door down the way, though soon they widened when she heard the familiar voice of the butler following the slight opening of the door. A relieved grin stretched across her face, though, when she realized it was a helpful voice.

Johnathon's own terrified her, and she was sent walking at an increased pace past the chamber door. "I don't think you will," she replied, knowing he more than likely couldn't hear her. "I really don't."

When the door was fully open and they stepped inside (Hell, even before they even stepped inside), those riches were indeed found. Her eyes grew large and excited, though soon softened when she realized she shouldn't take any. Oh, but how she wished to! It would help her tremendously. She could eat better food on her trips! Could buy a tent to sleep in! So for a while there she daydreamed of what she would get if she was allowed to take a few coins. Of course, these thoughts didn't last, considering the house was quaking and chunks of the ceiling above were falling down.

"So should we leave?" she finally asked. "I don't recall him asking us to hoard up and bring him back a load of treasure. And it's probably best if we don't take any ourselves... Might be cursed or something!"

After having hopped around ridiculously, Aearion finally regained his composure and answered Takurasho's question."My friend, I'm as puzzled as you are. One moment I was about to get attacked by Jonathan, and the other I woke up in a puddle of water. All I remember is a bunch of arms surrounding me all of a sudden and... well, lull me to sleep, I believe. The last I remember is that gut wrenching scream of Jonathan's. I couldn't even scream or I had fallen asleep. I ... I believe these spirits saved me for some reason. They figured I was important. Or perhaps enchanted by my songs." He jested. The explanation was dead serious, though.

Aearion had paid much more mind to Jonathan's yell than the voice of the butler. He was getting very anxious, as he was a witness to just how ruthless and fast this man truly is. The sight of all that gold made him forget about all that madness though.

So many riches! All just ripe for the taking! The Mer was about to grab a handful of gold until Aranel made her comment on how it might be cursed. He hadn't listened to the butler's cryptic rambling, but if he did, he might have come to the same conclusion. Aranel might just have saved Aearion's life. He quickly got a grasp of the current situation once more."Right, right. We weren't supposed to take any, I believe. It's not trustworthy anyway with Jonathan on our tail."

Zaida was still quiet, fidgeting with the scarf that covered her hair. She turned her eyes this way and that, not wanting to miss anything but missing so much because she couldn't look at the details of each stone. She was beginning to feel useless, but she didn't want to turn back for safety. What was the point of life if there was no risk.

She caught Aranel's arms when they saw the gold, "Cursed or not it is not yours to take." She looked at the others, knowing full well of the cost of taking. She didn't remove her hand from Aranel, so long as she wasn't trying to push Zaida off.

Aranel jumped a little when Zaida grabbed her arm. At first, she was offended, but realized she might have enunciated poorly and that this whole thing was a misunderstanding. "Miss, let go," she began, tugging a little. "I said I didn't want to take any. I said 'it's probably best if we don't take any,' you can ask either of them, promise!"

Aranel wasn't normally a violent soul, so she wouldn't try to shove the woman, but it didn't really help her opinion about her much. She understood why she did it, but still. It was probably just her terse personality that made her feel uncomfortable. She wasn't a bad person as far as she knew, but she wasn't normally the type of person she'd befriend.

Aearion's explanation was received with a small chuckle & a knowing smile. "Indeed, bard... you were extremely fortunate. Perhaps we all are with that being the case." Takurasho recovered the black doctor's back, which he'd lost his hold on during the fall, & opened it to rummage through his equipment & ensure nothing was broken. "Those spirits are clearly trapped here- likely to provide sustenance for Jonathan. I'd thought them his puppets, but evidently, he has little to no control over them. They may prove a useful factor to us again." With this he'd produce a very peculiar device. It appeared to be a hand-held record player, however, it was lacking the turntable & tone-arm, so it was essentially a small box with a little pavillon {horn} attached. There was a tiny hole at the back for one to speak though. "In fact, perhaps if we attempted to contact them we-"

It was at this moment the clank resonated down the corridor, cutting Takurasho's explanation short. Just as well. Seeing as Jonathan was practically breathing down their necks, now was the time for immediate action & not experimentation. Ho-hum.
The butler's cryptic warning would again confirm his assumptions of "Mr Whittaker" {that is to say, what was left of him}. Knowing what they were facing certainly brought a small sense of satisfaction, but this too was cut short as Jonathan himself roared threats from above. Aranel's defiant reply was certainly a surprise. He couldn't help but grin at her sudden confidence, following the group at the rear for a change, entering the chamber last. Now this was a relief. Finally seeing the prize before them!

Having entered behind them, it wasn't until the soft sound of clanking coins that they would have noticed him lifting a handful of gold. Takurasho would eye the handful with a mild lust, seeming nearly entranced, gaze narrowing as it shifted from the treasure to his companions. Their reaction to the treasures suggested they'd make it difficult for him to take off with any. "I'm sure the only cursed thing here is the Whittaker spirit himself," he'd suggest as though in hopes of changing their minds. He genuinely found the "cursed" notion to be rather silly. A single coin was slipped into his coat pocket, justified with a line to the effect of "A sample for our employer". Surely he could barter a slightly greater payment from The Gentleman by producing proof as confirmation.

Aearion had a difficult time to not pick any coin up."My friend, if something looks too good to be true, it probably isn't true!" He spoke in a loud tone."Let us at least put Jonathan down before messing with his riches. I'll feel much better if that threat is gone."

His gaze turned to the two women in the company, who seemed to argue."Relax, madame. She did indeed suggest us not to touch the gold. Perhaps you ought to grab a hold of friend Takurasho." He mused. By the way Aranel had spoken it had sounded like Zaida was pushing the poor woman to the floor. He was glad to see it was nothing so drastic.

"Now we had to find... a skull?" He remembered Zaida saying."Look around! It might be right here...." He looked over to the red doors. These looked different than the ones in the mansion. "... or over there?" He pointed at the mysterious doors as he walked over to them.

The rumbling continued on for a few moments more. Jonathan was clearly terrorizing the manor. Why was it that Jonathan could not see them here? In a place where shadows and dimmed lighting were prevalent, a beast that dwells with such prowess has not yet found them? Curious.

The rumbling ceased. All was quiet. A sense of stillness filled the atmosphere. Jonathan descended. A wrath so cold the torches that were once lit in the prior corridor were extinguished in his presence. Every step he took caused a sort of darkness to coat the ground around his feet. The human visage of Jonathan had since come and gone. A large black hand ripped the doors clean off the hinges. Crawling out from the corridor in his massive size he stood at a rough eleven feet high. A Beast of Absence. Could one spare to say a ghoul or spectre? Hard to say.

Each of the six red orbs that levitated in the absence of detail to the face focused solely on the gold; having not seen Takurasho slip a coin to himself.

"The gold. My fortune!" A sense of relief seemed to have washed over Jonathan's beast-like, rugged voice. One step forward. "Why had I not been able to remember it was here all along!?" Another step just before his body fell into the ground like a liquid; becoming that of a shadow and zipped across the stoney ground only to rise in the midst of his gold. "Oh my.." The sound of golden coins falling into more golden coins as some fell from the ridges in his spine. "My gold. Mine.. MINE!!" Grabbing two large hand fulls of the fortune and letting it slip between deadly fingers. "I gave it all away. The cost of more power was my greatest desire. Now.. I have both!" A slow laughter bellowed. "P-power and fortune!!!!"

Of the six orbs that posed as optics to him did they float through the black of his body to different points on his frame each individually with a focus of a different member of the group leaving two in his cranial region.

"And now all I require are you four for me to leave this place." Jonathan's tail extended out and in a quick swipe moved across to strike Takurasho and knock him aside. The battle against Jonathan was about to begin.

At the top of the stairs came a subtle whisper. Zaida's name. The Butler's voice. From the shadows at the top of the stairs was the Butler's silhouette trying to lead her to the door just at the top of the flight of these stone carved case of stairs. Here, Zaida and perhaps whomever else was curious enough to followed Zaida should she heed the voice will come across the red decorated door. The butler however would again be nowhere to be found.

Takurasho grimaced, sighed heavily, then gave a reluctant nod. The bard's charismatic diplomacy acted as a voice of reason. However, Takurasho would not remove the coin from his pocket. "Very well... I suppose we-..." silence surrounded them "...wait." His head tilted to the side, bony fingers brushing a thin curtain of white hair away from his ear as though to aid his senses. A chill would shudder down his spine as Jonathan materialized. It occurred to him that he should have listened to Aranel all along, & he uttered a swear under his breath. "I should have known..." he murmured. "How foolish."
With a flourish he withdrew each rapier from his hips, one held across his body as if to shield himself, the other held to the side as though to act as a barrier between the creature & the group behind him. "Wretched beast," he snarled with disdain, nose wrinkled as if disgusted by Jonathan's form. "Pitiful abomination! Your kind are meant to die & pass on, your soul is a useless leech fe-"

It was in this moment that Jonathan struck, cutting short Takurasho's spiteful line of inquiry.

{Continued from last post after roll}

His body was swept aside, both weapons knocked from his hands as he crashed into a mound of gold & tumbled to the floor. In a moment Takurasho was on his feet again, seemingly alright besides some disorientation, & he scooped the rapiers up. His generally smooth countenance was disfigured with rage. "That a cretin such as yourself would have even the audacity to strike me!" Every syllable his voice delivered dripped loathing. The outburst was one of pride, haughtily growling as though Jonathan were a slave who'd spit at the feet of his master. Granted, this certainly wasn't the case, but Takurasho seemed far more offended than frightened. He was definitely making no attempts to lessen his chances of becoming a target [again]. The man hadn't seemed to of noticed the butler's voice.

Aranel was a wimpy thing and it hurt her more emotionally than physically (as it hurt her none at all) for the woman to hold her like that. Thankfully, Aearion was quick to pipe up and back her up on that. She was probably able to pull away by now, especially with the appearance of a beast-like Jonathan. She inhaled a deep and quick gasp when he attacked Takurasho, and during this time, she was too distracted by wondering if the man was alright to hear the Butler speak to Zaida.

The girl looked down to the tonfa at her sides and pulled them out just in case, though was unsure whether or not they would even work against something like Jonathan. She swallowed a breath of air and thought for a moment. "Takurasho, please calm down—" she started, then ran up to the man after excusing her from Aearion's presence nearby. Didn't want to be rude!

"You got pointy-sharp things. I dunno how well these will work but maybe I can taunt him and you can flank him while he’s distracted? Even if he winds up chasing me I'm pretty fast. Just running up at him is probably going to get you killed so you gotta play it smart. C’mon, can we try it?" she whispered as quickly as she could.

The three of the four orbs drifted through the shade as to focus solely on Takurasho. There was something different this time around. Could it be his rage? Nevertheless it did not stray Jonathan from his course of destruction and it was apparent solely to him that Takurasho was the only probable threat. The sole orb that was left behind by the other three continued idle drifting, keeping watch on the other three of the group. That blackened tail of his swished back and forth behind him as heavy steps were taken toward Takurasho, never minding the gold coin that were being strewn about with such fleeting sounds of metal impacting to rock.

Towering over Takurasho, Jonathan stood upright as much as his awkward bipedal shape would allow. "Ferocious." He mured almost in mock. A large black arm was raised and slammed into the stone ground just to Takurasho's left sending tremors through the ground as if to intimidate Takurasho. "Have you any idea what it was like!?" He lowered his frame into a quadruped's stance with his absence face peering deep into Takurasho's eyes. "Having gone to hell. Leaving your life's work behind only to be found by mere mortals like yourselves!!" Pushing his face closer to Takurasho's "This gold is mine! All of it! Neither you, nor your friends, nor the Devil himSELF CAN KEEP ME FROM WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE!!!!"

Slow steps on all fours did he withdraw on. "This will end swiftly and I can go out and enjoy my riches, becoming more rich and more powerful.." The tail lifted from the ground before whipping into the stone, cratering the rock around its point of impact.

Just before Jonathan was to initiate his pounce a hand found itself on Takurasho's shoulder. Old, wrinkled fingers held firm to Takurasho's shoulder. "Perhaps it would be fair if I granted sir, Takurasho similar gifts that I bestowed upon you, Master Jonathan." Oh that voice of guidance. It were the Butler.

What did he mean exactly when he said that he gave Jonathan his current status?

The Butler's hand began to seep a black tar-like substance from the palm of his hand. "Do you accept my offer, sir Takurasho? Or what about you, Lady Aranel?" The option was available to either or both when those old eyes of his shifted to look at Aranel.

Temporary Traits to be added, if yes:

The Umbra
Shadow's Sight: Grants gifted vision from every shadow within a sizable radius
Shade's Mail: Take's reduced damage while in the shadow
A Faded World: While standing in deep darkness, physics no longer apply to gifted, allowing for supernatural strength, body modifications, levitation and moving from Shadow to Shadow.
Veiled Recovery: While standing in the dark, injuries are mended at astounding rates
Umbrablade: A weapon crafted from the wielder's soul. Able to create darkness in the wake of its edge
[Side Effect: The longer Umbrablade is in play, the more it wears on wielder's stamina]

The Butler will take his leave promptly after gifting Takurasho.

If no, however, the butler will promptly disappear from sight as swiftly as he came to be next to Takurasho.

Regardless of decision, Jonathan will bellow in shock and rage at the Butler's betrayal, but also bewildered at the inference of having been the one to give Jonathan his abilities.

Zaida let go of Aranel without a second thought. When her name was whispered she turned her eyes towards the source, but not her body. She carefully weighed her options. She looked at the fight in front of her and stepped back.

She gathered her skirt and kept one eye on the monster in the room and the other guided her towards the voice. She moved quickly, with little grace. Faster the better, no worrying too much about falling. Falling would be nothing compared to being attacked now.

She went up the stairs, two, no three at a time, skirt gathered lightly, showing off strong legs in tights that hugged the muscles gained from walking everywhere on foot.

The fact the mansion had stopped rumbling somehow frightened Aearion even more than when it rumbled. It could hardly mean Jonathan had left. Soon he would see proof of this, though.

Aearion had seen much in his life, but quite something like this. It frightened him beyond belief! Jonathan truly had no more human qualities. This was an abomination! He couldn't help but take a step back when the shadowy creature.

Aearion was speechless, and before he truly realized it, the fight against Jonathan had begun. Takurasho had been violently smacked aside, and now Aranel was heading towards her. The bard knew he was rather useless in a fight. He was no brave warrior, nor did he have much skill with the sword. Even his one handed crossbow skills were questionable. He was so used to convincing people to fight in his stead, he couldn't even imagine himself facing an abomination of Jonathan's size.

And then Zaida ran past him for the red doors. Did she know where the skull was? Perhaps this was something the Mer could help with! He decided to follow the woman who's name he still didn't know."Aranel!" He cried out, unsheathing his shortsword and throwing it at her. The thing would probably land before her feet. At this point, he didn't even question why the butler was on the battlefield again after having seen his corpse. After today, the Mer wouldn't be questioning a lot of things.

"Woman, wait up!" Aearion cried out to Zaida as he ran after her. A few coins were scattered over the stairs, and Aearion's bare feet could feel them all, which did slow him down.