Crypt Keepers [Kouri, Mirage]

[Fubuki Kouri]

Alright... alright?! Are you insane, Mia?! Her violent screams echoed inside her mind, but she had no energy left to speak. Mia's concern was appreciated, but it was horribly misplaced. The smaller ghost asked for her well-being, couldn't she see Kouri's mutilated state? The girl was adorable for the most part, but her detachment to reality and lack of common sense were worse than the Vantha ghost. Kouri felt her rage building inside her, she gritted her half-teeth and she barely held back the urge to pat away Mia's arm. The ghost girl's mind was wrecked at the moment, her emotions fluctuated between anger, despair, and frustration; joy and happiness clearly weren't two of them. As such, it was hard for her to appreciate Mia's innocent childish concern.

To make matters worse, Wanda started screaming at her. The ghost girl flinched as she took a step back. She had never seen the Spiritist acting so emotional, she was always calm and collected. Were the spirits that much of a threat? The sheer shock at this new sight momentarily caused Kouri to forget the pain wrecking her body. "..." So startled, she couldn't answer the Spiritist's question, her half-jaw slightly opened in agape. Thankfully, Mia got the hint and helped her. The older ghost girl just nodded, confirming Mia's statement.

"!?" Her crimson eye shot open as she felt her surroundings dimming down as if lights escaped her eye, sounds became even more muffled and slow than before, and her remaining hand twitched. "Ku... uh..." With every passing tick, Kouri's form became more and more transparent. She couldn't last much longer, she needed soulmist. The ghost girl dropped down to her knees, clutching what was left of her waist, her very long hair falling down from her head to cover her half-body. Her half-opened eye watched as Wanda called two of her guardians, the cloaked woman and the man with the oversized hammer. Key? What key? She couldn't care about anything at the moment, all she wanted was some soulmist. With the guardians' disappearance, Wanda finally noticed Kouri's plight and gave her a jar full of delicious, delicious soulmist.

"Ha... gimme!" Like a drug-addict, Kouri used what remained of her power to focus the soulmist on her remaining hand, grabbing the jar. She then turned it upside-down, pouring the contents to her mouth. "A... aaaaaah~" A very long sigh with a tone unfitting for a girl her age, the ghost girl absorbed Wanda's extremely potent soulmist. The ghost girl literally wriggled on the ground, her soulmist body twitching in pleasure. She curled up her body, clutching the jar near her chest. Her moans and gasps filled the air as her body quickly regenerated. The other half of her form spawned, completing her once more. "Uuuuhn~" She lay there on the ground, her eyes half-opened in the afterglow. Wanda's soulmist was the best thing in the world, nothing could ever match it.

As usual, she felt powerful and strong. The rejuvenated ghost shifted to a standing position, her companion white wisps spawning near her, they swirled around her ethereal form. With a swift dash, she joined Mia and Wanda. "Thank you, Mistress Wanda." She handed the jar politely, her voice mighty despite the high-pitched girlish nature. With her mind cleared, she could know deal with more pressing matters. "What did you mean by 'key', Mistress? A key to what? To..." She turned her head, facing the small tomb. Her right hand raised to point at the shimmering lock. "...that shiny lock?"

Meanwhile, her mind came back to the human sorceress. Madame Anna, I hope you are alright. Anna got two members of Wanda's powerful legion of guardians heading to her, she should be alright. She better be, for Kouri would make sure to drag her soul back if she died, Anna would become her playmate for all eternity.

[Mirage]

Daren smiled and laughed, "The only monsters that prowl this night, my dear, are you... and I. And if there were such beasts about, what hope have they against me and my precious Anna, agent of Chaos?" He crooked a finger, motioning Anna to come closer, "Maelstrom is simply put off because I have replaced him as Qiao's favorite follower. He really is quite childish, but not a threat to me." Every word dripped with magic, each motion cast a spell, an enchantment that intwined around Anna, filling her, pulling at the strings of her heart and soul. Desire intermingled with calm acceptance, something like love but more primal. Feelings of trust, and slowly she began to forget why she hated him so. The closer she got the more pungent the magic became, almost suffocating to the point that all she could focus on was Darren. His eyes looked like the eyes of a lover, his voice a song too much to resist. If she did not fight it Anna would be drawn in more and more, forgetting what she was and why she had to be wary. IF she were not careful she could lose herself in this man's intoxicating Aura.

"I think it is time that I made you mine in body and soul... Come and be by my side Annalisa Marin, and I will protect you..." He extended his hand out to her, smiling the picture of beauty and serenity, his arms open to accept her, "Come with me, and all of your desires will be yours."

*****

Wanda accept the jar, storing it away once more as she ran her fingers through her matted hair, "They to this lock, yes... The key that will unlike something that should never be opened again." She turned and returned to the path, eyes in deep thought, and planning, "Long ago I rounded up the worst, most vile and dangerous of ghosts and Spirits. Those that could not be saved, and would never pass on. I trapped them and imprisoned them all within prisons of my own creation, which I stored deep under ground. I locked the only entrance to that tomb, and carried the key with me at all times to prevent anyone from ever releasing them again. But now... The key is gone, thus the whole of the Citadel is in danger should those who are trapped there be released." She looked around the courtyard, "Even my wards could not stop them if they were all released... they would destroy the courtyard, and free all of the ghosts I have trapped in here as well. It would mean the end of Sahova."

[Annalisa Marin]

The caution and even the madness held within her now diminished as Daren spoke, his words inducing a calm in her and tugging at the most primal parts of her brain. As he beckoned for her to draw closer Anna found herself almost unknowingly taking small steps towards him, she didn't really want to stop because he was so very magnetic. He spoke of her devotion to Chaos not with disgust, rather he seemed to accept it which was certainly something Anna craved. He was playing with her thoughts and feelings, his power probably made it so he knew most every dirty little secret she had.

The only thing there was Daren, standing open and accepting before her to take her into his arms with passion and acceptance. She wanted to jump in, but something restrained her a feeling deep within her mind that screamed at her why this was wrong. Her content smile turned to a small frown as she pondered the feeling, which surged to the fore front on her mind in an instant to dispel this hold.

Hate, pure and black shot out in her mind. She hated Daren, he was the cause of all her problems, he was the reason she suffered so much, if it were not for his influence she wouldn't have been forced into insanity. She hated him and in many ways, hate made all things were possible, such as breaking a spell placed over her. Or breeding in its place a desire to make him suffer in the worst of ways, to take that which he valued most and took for granted.

The frown was replaced by another smile, this one dangerous and hungry and the insanity brewed behind her eyes with something else behind it. The fires of her hate for Daren burning brightly as they mingled with her chaotic insanity, it was her defense against this hypnotist filth. She already had found acceptance in the arms of another, Rhysol was a god and what could Daren, a pathetic mewling little hypnotist compare to the Lord of Chaos himself? Nothing. She didn't need or want Daren, unless of course he was screaming and begging for her mercy.

"Oh Daren, I would love to. There is only one problem here, in that I hate you with the cold chill of the darkness between stars. You pathetic little hypnotist, you believe you can compare to the likes of the Lord of Lies? I hate you in every single way its possible to hate someone, I don't just want you to die I want to show you the meaning of the word 'pain'. You are nothing more than a slave jumped above his station, without your little mind tricks you would be just another test subject." Anna said, spitting the word slave from her mouth with as much disdain and scorn as possible.

The Djed focused beneath her hand welled up, purple translucent liquid pooling in her hands and spreading to sheath them. Her grey eyes were narrow and hostile, whatever spell was upon her certainly felt like it had been broken. Every part of her screamed at her to kill, but she held back on that. He was still Qiao's favored pet for the moment, however there was nothing that said she couldn't make him suffer. It had been far too long since she had indulged in the blessings of chaos.

"You, Daren, are blind to what you toy with and the power it possesses. Perhaps I should remind you of the divine master I possess?" The tall woman said, her words carrying with them the seeds of corruption.

It was a simple curse, one that was meant to strike him blind in a few days time. If he truly understood Chaon and its power the weight of the words would hopefully be understood by him. She wanted him to fear that power, to understand that his little hypnotic tricks were nothing at all compared to the influence of Rhysol. The blessing of a god was hers to command, what could he compare to it?

[Mirage]

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OOCFor this one post we skipped you Fubu, but that is just because there will be a time lapse as Anna travels to the Courtyard to meet up with you again ^.^

Darren's smile slipped from his lips and he lowered his hand. He gritted his teeth, grinding them as he growled, "You never learn. Each and every time I offer my hand you slap it away. Every opportunity I give you, you refuse me. Rhysol this, Rhysol that. Thats all you ever talk about. All you ever say."

His head twitched to the side and he cracked his neck, squeezing his hands so tight that that his nails summoned drips of blood from his hands, "Stupid Anna... stupid stupid stupid Anna!" He shouted, clutching his head and doubling over as he did, "They want to kill you, but I don't let them and THIS is how you repay me? This is how you treat my KINDNESS?" His body shook, and what looked like black smoke erupted from every pour of his body, filling the passage way behind him. The lights began to dim as the smoke resolved itself into three large figures, red eyes and long white teeth glaring from the darkness. One circled his feet, another perched near his right hand, and finally another hovered over him, looking down at Anna while his ghostly clawed fingers hooked on Daren's shoulders.

If Anna tried to draw on her reimancy she would find herself frozen, unable to move. The ghostly figure that circled Darren's feet smiled a lopsided, toothy smile as it laughed. A tendril from it wrapped around Anna's own ankle, and seemed to be holding her body motionless, locking her away from her own powers as the giggling, maniac laughter filled her head once more. Even if she did not it would still latch onto her, freezing her movements and her voice.

"Well WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW!? He has abandoned you! But my gods, the ones I worship are here, always with me, giving me power and strength whenever I call upon them!" He stumbled forward, fingers clawing at his own scalp to pull away hair and pits of flesh, like he was trying to get rid of an itch on his very skull. He looked at Anna with one eye really wide, while the other squinted, "You love him so much, are so devoted to him, then why doesn't he save you now? He doesn't love you, he doesn't care about you at all. YOU are the slave. YOU are the pathetic wasted took, thrown aside to ROT IN SAHOVA." he spit to the side, rolling his neck once more as he straighted. The largest shadow loomed over Anna and Darren now, glittering eyes fixed on the Apprentice as if on the edge of acting, but still it did nothing but stare. The one at Darren's feet would continue to cackle all the while.

Pressing his hand through his hair Darren looked at Anna, "So you hate me do you? Well that doesn't matter. You do not have to like me to give me pleasure. You don't need arms or legs either. Let me tell you a secret Anna dear," He leaned in close to whisper in the girl's ear, "You will NEVER be able to kill me." Pulling back he paced back and forth a moment, scratching at his hands until they, too, began to bleed, "Mind tricks you say... yes without this 'tricks' I would not be where I am, but look where they have gotten me. Power, influence, everything I could ever desire. These mind tricks have silenced you and you GOD. I am your God now. I control your Fate. I HAVE CLAIMED YOU FOR MY OWN!" He stopped, and once more turned his eyes on Anna, "Well then, why don't I show you just what my tricks can do? You wont give yourself to me because of your devotion to the God of Chaos... so why don't I take that away from you? Remove every memory you have of him, make you forget that he even exists...?" His smile broadened, "Yes... Yes I think that will do nicely. I will wipe from you all memories of Rhysol, of Ravok, of your home and family, leaving only me. Then you will give yourself completely to me. Then I will take you, body and soul, consume you in every way possible." He stepped forward, reaching with his right hand. As he did so the smoky spirit that entwined it grinned broadly, slipping forward to look Anna in the eye, a mere breath away, "While I am at it, why don't I take away all of your knowledge of magic as well. Make you useless that that bitch Amaryllis. Make you worthless to Sahova. Yes... Annalisa Marin, from this day on you will never be a mage again."

Darren's laughter filled the room as he pressed his thumb to Anna's forehead, hands brushing her cheeks as her vision was filled by creatures red eyes. She would fill it slipping into her, pouring in through her mouth and noise, even her ears and the corner of her eyes. Her vision would go blank and she would feel a cold spreading, filling her. It was like she was being invaded in all the worst ways. The thing shuffled through her mind, extracted her memories at a painstakingly slow rate. It flicked through her memories of Ravok and Rhysol, of her family, of her friends and all of her magic. It found all of it, pulling it all out of her one piece at a time.

Then suddenly it was gone. Whatever was supporting her disappeared and she would crumble to the floor. It would be several chimes before she finally awakened, gazing up into the translucent eyes of the serpent witch who looked down at her. The ghosts head would tilt to one side as she inquired, "You are Annalisa Marin, correct?"

Anna would find the corridor devoid of any signs of Darren or the black spirits. Another ghosts stood guard several feet away, and the Dhani looked at her with slight disinterest, waiting for her to answer. She would find that all of her memories were there. She could still remember Rhysol, her magic, her family. Everything. Perhaps whatever Darren tried to do was stopped before it could be completed...?
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[Annalisa Marin]

Anna found herself frozen in place, unable to move or even call upon that which gave her strength or power. Ghostly specters loomed over her and him, that petching laughing one filling her mind with that stupid petching laughter. She wanted to kill it, to shut it up forever and then take Darren apart piece by piece. Fear crossed her heart as she looked at the looming spirits, those voices were so close to him all the time. If they could do this to her, freeze her magic in place and render her powerless what more could they do.

He yelled at her and raved but she glared at him, the fear returning as white hot hate as he dared to diminish the value of Rhysol. He dared to blaspheme against her god, her lord and master? She was going to kill him slowly for that, offer up his heart to Rhysol for such and affront to the Master of Chaos. He would pay for this and everything else, just as soon as she regained the ability to move or use her magic. Petch politics and petch Qiao, this was more than personal it was spiritual now.

Where was her god? He was always with her, his blood burned into her flesh to make her something more than the common masses. He valued strength, if she couldn't save herself then she was unworthy but if she could she was worthy of further blessings. She might be a slave, but she was a slave to a god. Darren's specters were nothing compared to that. She wasn't going to falter in her faith again, she was an agent of Rhysol and would never abandon that side of herself.

The fear returned as he implied the removal of her limbs, simply keeping her around as a toy for his pleasure. It vanished when he stated that she would never kill him, oh that was where he was wrong. She was going to make an example out of him, she was going to tear him limb from limb and bathe in his blood. She spread his body throughout the Citadel, a message of what occurred to those that dared to violate Annalisa Marin.

The fear was back as he mentioned taking her memories, this time actually showing on her face as it lost a fair bit of color. No... he couldn't take that from her, he couldn't take her faith from her! Not that, anything but that. She wouldn't be her anymore without it or her other memories, just a hollow husk devoid of anything.

He pressed his thumb to her forehead and that thing entered her, violating her in the worst possible ways. It could see everything, everything was laid bare before it. It was taking her apart piece by piece, merciless in its advance to rob her of her memories. Annalisa Marin was being unraveled, being unmade and it was probably one of the worst experiences in her life. She wasn't ashamed to admit she wanted to scream, to beg him to stop but her voice was frozen. Tears, however, did cloud her eyes. The tears of a monster, cornered and scared.

No! Oh gods please no! Stop! I'll give anything just please stop! STOP!!! She thought as everything was being picked apart.

Then, miraculously it stopped and Anna found herself crumpling to the floor and she knew no more for several chimes. When she did awaken it was to the sight of translucent serpent eyes gazing down at her, asking a question. Was she alright? What kind of stupid Rhysol cursed question was-

Wait, Rhysol. She remembered. By the Lord of Lies she stilled remembered! She shot up to her feet, instantly regretting the action as pain washed over her. She remembered it all, she was still Annalisa Marin and she was still alive. A half mad grin creased her features, her voice her own once more. Darren hadn't taken them from her, she still remembered it all.

She looked down the empty hall, her grey eyes blazing with renewed hatred and madness.

"You are wrong Darren! I'm going to petching kill you, not before I tear off your limbs and violate you in every way imaginable and unimaginable! Do you hear me you little shyke I'm going to make you wish you were in the arms of Krysus over my tender mercy! Petch you!" Anna yelled down into the empty caverns, probably looking like a mad woman but she really needed to get that out of her system.

She took a few deep breaths, calming herself slightly before turning back to the ghost. She cleared her throat and brushed off her clothing lightly, composing herself slowly. Now that her little temper tantrum was out of her system it was perhaps good to answer her apparent rescuers.

"Ahem, yes, that is I. To whom do I owe the pleasure of thanking for your timely intervention?" Anna said politely.

[Fubuki Kouri]

Wanda's ominous explanation about the box's content seemed like it was pulled out of a mad writer's story. The thing was filled with ghosts and spirits capable of destroying Sahova, even with all its magical power and powerful wizards? It sounded so absurd that Kouri couldn't help but to giggle, confusion mixed with disbelief. "W-what? That's impossible, it can't be..." The girl's volume steadily decreased with each word, she knew Wanda wouldn't lie to her, there was no point, but believing in the story meant something or someone out there held the key to unlock eldritch abominations that should be kept away.

The ghost girl felt so small, so weak, compared to these horrors. She was no match for those monsters within Anna's mind, if these locked beings were far stronger, then there was nothing Kouri could do but cower and cry like a little girl she was. Suddenly, she felt a sense of responsibility, if Sahova was destroyed then Rena, Kriem, Mia, and Anna would be gone. "Let's find the one who steal it! And kill him! I know, I know... it must be one of those monsters! O-or, the so called Darren or..." She panicked and held the sides of her head with both hands, long alabaster locks flowing in the air in fear. She wasn't ready for this, these things should only exist in books and stories and yet there she was, standing before a box which was the only thing keeping Sahova from being destroyed with abominations.. and the key was missing.

"I'll find it! Tell me where to find it!" She was eager to depart, they couldn't stand idle with this knowledge in mind. She must tell everyone she knew, Kriem, Amaryllis, Anna, Ser Crowley, and others. "Maybe Madame Amaryllis can help us, Madame Wanda! I... I think she has lots of friends". The ghost girl trembled as she materialized her hands and reached out to grab Wanda's left hand "L-let's go now! Please!"

[Mirage]

The dhani raised one eyebrow at the sudden outburst, but did not say anything further about it. She folded her arms over her robed chest, tapping her long nailed fingers on her upper arm as she said "He is gone, for now. Contain yourself. Such behavior is disgraceful for a sorceress." She cleared her throat, motioning to her companion who still scoured the hallway, hammer in his hands, "This is Zale Ironhammer, and I am Dasshna of the Swamp. We are guardians of the Spiritist Wanda of the Courtyard. She has sent us to collect you as she requires your presence immediately."

"Lets go, before they come back." Zale said in a hurried tone, "I don't fancy dealing with the creatures in their own domain."

"Yes, of course." Dasshna motioned to Anna, "Come, we will guide you from this place." The ghosts would then begin to float off in the opposite direction that Darren had fled, their course to take them over the course of a bell back up through the Dungeons and into the Courtyard.

*****

The Spiritist raised her hand, her voice irritated, "Be silent and be still. Rash actions now would be foolish and dangerous." She sighed and shuffled over to a headstone that was little more than a stone block, and there she settled herself down, stretching her crooked back somewhat as she folded her hands in her lap, "We have already sent Dasshna and Zale to collect you 'friend'. They will be along sooner or later. Until then, we will remain here." And that was her final word on the matter. Wanda would grow still then, and remain completely silent no matter what was said to her. Mia would groan as she floated and clung to Fubuki, "Ugh I HATE it when she waits... She's so dull and boring... Want to go play in the dungeons?"

Mia smiled up at Fubuki, obviously already forgetting about the situation at hand.

OOCOK I am SO sorry for letting this sit for so long. We are right there at the end. Lets wrap this up! I have a feeling we will be getting a continuation this season

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna wanted to snarl at the ghost for that little comment, but deep down she knew it was correct and that she was letting Daren get to her far too easily. Still, there was only so much the mind could take before it snapped and hers had just been violated in the worst possible manner. Her memories almost fully ripped from her, the sanctity of her mind had been attacked and nearly torn asunder. Anna wondered what person, living or dead could simply walk away from that no worse for wear, probably no one in this life or the next in her opinion.

It took the tall woman a long moment to properly process the words spoken to her, a blank expression adorning her face for a couple of ticks before lighting up. Mistress Wanda, Mistress of the Courtyard and the one who held Kouri’s leash, yes, it was all coming back to her now. Guardians… by that Anna assumed they were powerful spirits in their own right, perhaps even more so than Kouri herself but that was pure speculation on Anna’s part. Had Kouri managed to reach her then? Why would she care that a pulser had been in some bit of danger?

Creatures? Did he mean those damnable Voices that had echoed in her skull? The presences that had twisted and wrapped themselves around Daren protectively and prevented her from drawing upon her res? What were those things anyway? Certainly no creatures of blood and flesh and Anna highly doubted that they were mere products of hallucination. It appeared at these creatures that had come to escort her to Mistress Wanda might know more, so the sorceress recovered her wits and smoothed out her clothes a bit. This accomplished Anna offered a curt nod to the one known as Dasshna and followed as the spirits would lead.

“I suppose I owe thanks to you both, as well as Mistress Wanda. I didn’t look forward to losing my mind to those… things.” Anna commented, sounding rather uncomfortable with the idea of thanking anyone.

“Speaking of which, what the petch were those things? Daren Marlow called them his gods but I somehow doubt a god could be driven away so easily.” Anna inquired as they made their way through the Caverns.

Half of her didn’t expect an answer but she sure as petch wanted one, how could she fight a foe that she knew nothing about. Every now and then her gaze would flick back behind her, searching the shadows for any sign of Daren or his creatures. She was scared, frightened by something that could steal away her powers that so defined who she was in this life. If they could take those away from her, then what defense could she possibly muster up to defeat Daren? How could she rob him of that power long enough to murder him? Was that the other part of Maelstrom’s riddle? Were those things the key to the powers the hypnotist commanded?

So many questions and not enough answers, it was maddening really the mental circles that she skirted around. Anna needed to arm herself with something, so means to stave off the Voices otherwise she would fail just as she had this day. Perhaps Mistress Wanda had a solution, so method that was tried and true enough to stop the Voices next time, to rob Daren of whatever power they granted him. One thing she did know, was that near robbing of her memories hadn’t been Daren, that had been that damnable Voice.

OOCAgreed, lets finish up this quest that we can move forward with other plots.

[Fubuki Kouri]

OOCAlright wrapping it up! Would this be my last post?

"B-but... *Gasp* Mistress, t-they..." The ghost girl gasped and her misty white breaths hitched as she desperately tried to calm herself down. She couldn't understand on how Wanda could act so calm and composed, perhaps it was a perk of being a Nuit, to be so placid and detached from the world that even an apocalyptic level of threat didn't unnerve her. The Spiritist's firm words worked on her though as Kouri slowly calmed down, she steadied her unneeded breath then just trembled there on the spot, releasing her hold on Wanda's hand.

"U... umu..." She nodded with a slow motion of her head, acknowledging the Spiritist's words that those two scary ghostly guardians would bring Anna back safely, she had grown rather attached to the human, her wanting Anna to be her eternal playmate was a sign of her twisted childish kind of 'love'. The ghost girl couldn't do anything but wait so her crimson eyes roamed over the eerie courtyard then decided to just sit in the air on an invisible chair. However, her 'little sister' clung to her, eliciting a surprised gasp from the older girl due to how edgy she was at the moment.

"P-play?" No matter how much she wanted to play, now wasn't the right time, even her child-like mind knew that, Kouri slowly hugged Mia back as she settled the girl down next to her, leaning her head as if seeking comfort from the smaller ghost, "Not right now... n-no, B-big sis will play a-after w-we kill those t-things... d-don't you agree, Mia? T-they will always disturb us, k-kill them... kill them! We will kill them first," A flash of malicious anger flashed on Kouri's white features then she nuzzled their foreheads together, "After that, we will play together, as long as you want, Mia."

[Mirage]

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A simple reply would tell Anna that all of her answers would come when they reached the surface, and after that the journey would be mostly silent, with Zale and Dasshna sharing hidden words in a language that Anna could not recognize. A bell past, and finally they found the path beneath their feet turning to solid stones, and through the Dungeons they marched to enter the Courtyard.

Wanda stoop up as they approached, and Mia, who had been unusually cooperative, remaining silent and nestled in Fubuki's lap the entire time, drifted up to float next to her. The little girl's face showed a little disappointment, as if she secretly hoped Anna would have died in the tunnels below.

"Annalisa Marin I presume...?" Wanda shuffled forward, grabbing Annalisa by the chin as she approached and turned her head this way and that. She grimaced and released her just as quickly, "You have been touched by a Spirit. Then our suspicions are correct." The old nuit instantly lost interest in Annalisa, looking to the two ghosts that flanked her, "What did you see?"

Dasshna folded her arms, looking down at the woman, "Dark shapes swirled around the man she called Darren. The chill in the air was like that of a ghosts, but the aura about them was unlike anything I have seen."

"Them?"

The dhani nodded, "Yes, there were three of them."

Wanda's lips made a thin line as she turned a way, waving a hand to dismiss the ghosts who both vanished from view. Mia bobbled and skipped beside Wanda, eventually floating backwards to talk to the Spiritist, "Soooo are they gone? Can Mia go play now?" but Wanda once more waved her off, and with a pout Mia floated back beside Fubuki.

Shuffling over to the tomb with the silver lock, Wanda crouched low and shuffled her fingers in the grace at its base, "It is what I suspected occurred. Somehow those three have escaped and taken possession of this 'Darren'." Finding what she was looking for, a small key rusted the color of the grass, Wanda undid the tiny lock on the tomb, throwing the doors open wide. She motioned for Annalisa and Kouri to follow her.

The small size of the entrance did not carry over to the tomb itself. They traveled down twenty steps in a narrow passage, and then at the bottom the world seemed to open up to them. The room below was large, massive even enough to rival Lab 15. It took up the entire space beneath the Courtyard, and it went down three stories. Two sets of stone steps wound down the side of the sheer cliff walls, leading to three different landings which circled the space. There was no railing, and roughly carved doorways set into the stones themselves lead to individual rooms. Wanda proceeded down the right staircase, traveling all the way down to the ground floor and heading straight across the opening. There were hundreds of openings to caves set into the walls on each level of this ancient tomb, all various sizes. Some large enough to let all three of them travel through it barest, while others would force Wanda and Anna to their knees to crawl into. Wanda ignored all of these, heading directly to the room on the far side from the stairs.

The room was roughly round in shape, and set on a shelf of rock were three urns. Each urn was covered in dark glyphs which looked suspiciously like they were written in blood. Each urn was cracked, and their lids smashed on the ground.

Wanda stepped forward, her hands carefully picking up the pieces of the smashed lids, setting them on the shelf before each of their respective urns, "So it was these three... What a fool than man was. He thinks he is in control, but it is really they who pull him along like a puppet on a string."

She fell silent then, lost in thought as she traced her finger over the dark designs. During the trip down Mia clung close to Fubuki, her body language speaking of her nervousness of being in this place. Kouri would feel it as well, or rather she could hear it. The cavern was filled with screams, roars, cries and moans all around. The air shook with rage, dark feelings soaked this place. In this place a ghost would feel sick, weighed down by irons and the noise, oh the noise could turn even the strongest ghost away. Yet they had a task, and they had to be brave. For Anna, however, she would catch a whisper every now and then, but beyond that the tomb was just that, an empty tomb.

"Big sister... I-I want to leave. C-can we go now, please?" Mia had shrunk to half her usual size, clinging to Kouri's hand with all she had.
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