literature

The Manor Project Chapter 55

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Steph wrapped her fingers around the book and lifted it gently off the pedestal. She lifted it the tiniest fraction, there was a click.
    'Oh fuck.'
    A cage descended upon the room.

Lauren felt the thud of steel hitting concrete. If she had a heart it would have skipped a beat.
    'Out,' Agatha cried. 'Knee touched the mat!'
    DOES IT STRICTLY COUNT IF MY KNEE CAP HAS DROPPED OFF? Charon asked, still holding his position with noticeable effort now that his kneecap was on the floor.
    'I am going to say yes,' said Lauren, desperately trying to conceal her growing fear.
    'What's wrong pickle? You sound like someone has gone and stolen your favourite chimney,' said Ella sweetly from her position on the mat.
    'Huh? I guess I'm just a little tired,' Lauren replied. 'At any rate, Fence left leg red.'

'This was a really dumb idea,' Digi hissed. 'How on Earth did we think he wouldn't have any security measures?'
    'Who knew anyone would want to break into Fence's house?' Chalky replied.
    'Oh I don't know. US MAYBE?'
    Green-hair raised her hand for silence. 'Blendy,' she said slowly, 'can you use your magic on the bars?'
    'Oh I don't know any destruction magic but even if I did, those bars are steel. You can't magic iron at all. I'm a little uncomfortable just being near all this iron, it burns us fae you know,' Blenderina replied, tucking her hands into her armpits in order to keep as little skin exposed as possible.
    'Does Anyone Have Any Alcohol?'
    The group stared at Bio-chan.
    'I thought you didn't drink,' said Chalky suspiciously.
    'I Don't. But Do You Remember That Time Steph Got Really Drunk And Woke Up In The High Security Bank Vault?'
    'And there was that other time when she woke up in that heavily guarded military base!' said Xen cheerfully. 'What's your point?'
    'If We Get Her Really Drunk She Might Be Able To Break Out Of Here.'
    'And this is why I carry a bottle of vodka with me everywhere I go!' said Steph, producing a full bottle from her coat.
    'For this exact reason?' said Digi raising an eyebrow.
    'No…' she said quietly, unscrewing the cap.
    'Less talking more drinking, Fence might be here soon,' said Chalky. Steph complied cheerfully.
    'In The Meantime Maybe I Could Bash The Bars With The Mace?' Bio-chan suggested.
    'I think it would make too much noise,' said Green-hair.
    'Are we going to burn the book or what?' said Xen.
    'We can destroy it after we've figured out how we're getting out of here,' Green-hair replied.
    'Now that just doesn't look healthy at all,' Digi observed as Steph chugged to the bottom, barely bothering to stop for a breath.
    'Gosh I really wish I could do something so Steph wouldn't have to do that,' said Blenderina.
    'It's not like the rest of us can do anything right now either,' Chalky replied sympathetically.
    'How about we call for the robot? He's bound to have some sharp cutting tools.'
    'Yes but in getting down here he would probably bore through several walls,' Digi sighed, 'the poor thing wasn't designed for subtlety.'
    The vodka bottle was empty.
    'Is this likely to work?' said Green-hair.
    'It's worked for her in the past,' said Chalky.
    'Hey what about those phantom assholes that got us in this mess in the first place? They seemed comfortable enough moving all our shit around so maybe they could voodoo the bars away or something.'
    Before anyone else could respond, Steph started to move. People fell silent with anticipation. She examined her surroundings as though she had never seen them up until five seconds ago. She looked at everything with amazement. She pulled herself up onto the sacrificial table and promptly fell asleep.
    There was an awkward silence.
    'Well I'm All Out Of Ideas.'
    'Ghost girl, where are you?' Digi called out.
    Waiting for no introduction, the apparition flickered into view and stared at Digi with a face painted with misery itself.
    'Oh there you are, um, we kind of got stuck,' said Digi awkwardly with his hand behind his head. 'Do you think you could break us out of here?'
    She nodded slowly and drifted over to the barred entrance. She put her hands to the cold steel bars and silently concentrated.
    They promptly exploded.

The twister pile collapsed.
    WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT?
    Fence rose up from the pile.
    'People are in my workroom,' he said, with uncharacteristic seriousness.
    'What an exciting turn of events!' said Ella. Lauren felt sick.
    Fence waved a hand wreathed in a tangle of black energy.

'Go go go!' Green-hair shouted. People started running up the stairs and Green-hair picked the sleeping Steph up and slung her over her shoulder.
    'I was hoping you would be quiet!' Digi shouted at the spectre.
    The doorway was blocked by the walking dead. Bio-chan quickly struck one down with a mace but just as she brought her arm up to strike again, more came through the door. They started piling into the room. She was pushed backwards and lost her balance. Bio-chan fell backwards but Green-hair quickly caught her, still with Steph over her shoulder.
    'If I get eaten I blame all of you!' Digi cried as he bonked an undead with his frying pan. They couldn't stem the flow of oncoming zombies at all. Their efforts seemed fruitless as the zombies kept flooding in. The corridor at the top of the stairs filled with tangled darkness. It squirmed and wriggled and descended slowly upon the stairs.
    'Who dares to trespass in the house of the lord of undeath?' a voice boomed out. A looming figure barely perceptible in the dark appeared at the trapdoor. It hesitated.
    'Oh hello there neighbours,' said Fence confusedly in his usual mode of voice. He snapped his fingers and in a flash of black, the room was suddenly devoid of the undead. 'What are you doing in my house?'
    'Fence you son of a-' Chalky looked ready to kill when Blenderina put a hand on her shoulder.
    'Could we please just try the sensible thing?' implored the fae. Chalky looked into her eyes and her rage dissipated. Blenderina looked up at Fence and twiddled her fingers nervously. 'I don't think we have ever been formally introduced but my name is Blenderina and I used to be a terrible fairy godmother.'
    'Okay,' Fence replied curiously.
    'You see that poor girl over there?' she gestured to the phantasm floating obliviously. 'She exists here because of your work. She and many others are trapped painfully in the in-between because of what you do. They can't move on. The others had a plan to destroy what they presumed was your source of power to fix it and I guess I was silly and went along with it. But this is getting a little ridiculous so I'm just going to say it.'
    'If this doesn't work, I'll knee him in the crotch and you tackle him,' Digi whispered to Bio-chan.
    'You need to lay those bodies to rest. All this zombie stuff needs to stop, please. It's hurting people,' Blenderina's eyes started to water. 'I can't use magic to help people anymore so I will just have to use my words instead. This girl needs help and this is the only way I can think to give it to her.'
    'I had no idea…' Fence stared at her dejectedly. 'But what else could I do? I don't know anything else.'
    'Death is a pretty broad field y'know,' said Digi. 'All sorts of things you could get into.'
    'I suppose so… well I better lay them down then,' said Fence with a sigh. He clasped his hands together and shut his eyes. Slow moving energy swirled around his hands briefly. Then it pulsed outwards in every direction with an audible whomph. 'They're all gone now.'
    The spectre turned towards the necromancer. Her phantom body started to break apart from the bottom. The pieces that broke off began to fall apart themselves until they crumbled into ghostly dust. The girl's mouth slowly upturned and her eyes opened just a bit wider. She smiled peacefully just before her face fell apart. A ghostly yet pleasant sounding sigh fell upon the room.
    Charon appeared at the entrance.
    THERE SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN A SUDDEN INFLUX OF SOULS INTO THE STYX. I AM SURE I WAS NOT MEANT TO BE WORKING TODAY BUT I HAVE BEEN CALLED IN, he said, seemingly exasperated, FENCE, YOU SEEM TO HAVE DEALT WITH YOUR TRESPASSERS. WOULD YOU CARE TO JOIN ME?
    'Sure,' he said, without much enthusiasm.
    I THINK WE MIGHT NEED A NET.
    'Ferrying the dead,' said Digi scratching his chin, 'that's something to think about.'
    'Hmm,' said Fence. 'I must be off then neighbours. Agatha can show you the way out.'
    People filed out of the room. Charon and Fence ambled in a different direction.
    'Oh hey, um, I'm glad you're not dead,' said Lauren as they came out the room.
    'Me too!' said Digi cheerfully. 'To keep a long story short, this whole mission was pointless and we should have just done what Blenderina suggested. Then you wouldn't have to be concerned as to if we were dead or not.'
    'I think violence would have yielded a perfectly amicable solution for everyone,' Chalky said bitterly.
    'Um, did you guys leave Steph at home or something?' Lauren asked.
    'I-' Green-hair suddenly realised her shoulder was significantly lighter. 'Where on earth did she go?'

Steph lifted her head groggily off the cold concrete floor. She looked around the room through hazy vision. She could just about make out a large imposing safe door.
    'Not again…' she murmured weakly before laying her head down again to rest.
I was like half an hour late, sue me. :stare:

Story arc resolved, CHALKY NEW STORY ARC GO GO.

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Xen-yakodo's avatar
There are a lot of typos here... I think you should get Chalky to edit it...

Hehehehe..... 'Death is a pretty broad field y'know,' said Digi. 'All sorts of things you could get into.'

Like crochet. :D