Crypt of Hopes and Dreams - Empress' Tomb
13/6/2015 Saturday
After going through the last floor and defeating small amounts of shadows, allowing Alexei to exercise his new power a little bit, before they finally reached the last room of this dungeon. The design began to become more derelict, shattered stone coffins laid in the corners and bones and corpses were unkempt and scattered in the catacombs. The final room was similar, tacky, yet depressingly coloured and designed, the brightness seen in the beginning of the dungeon, gone.
"S-s-stay back! Stay back! Y-you... You want this girl r-right?", the cultists were... Not exactly what he expected. They stood atop an altar, and with no other doors, they figured out that there was no way out of here, only the door which Rui and the party stood between was their exit. Though, these cultists... Were just normal people.
"I-I... What is this place?! Is this meant to be the new world?! I-I thought... Lady Asai... Where...?... I...I...", his voice changed mid-way through his speech. His partner holding Elena beside him was visibly distraught.
"AAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH", the man fell to the ground, and erupting from his body was what appeared to be a shadow. In what looked like confused terror, the shadow charged at the party, but was very quickly cut down as Alexei charged in first. The one still awake, fell to his knees, and dropped Elena beside him. They had no idea what just happened...
Abandoned Warehouse
13/6/2015 Saturday
Rui and Kami carried the cultists away and then turned them into the police, while Elena was being taken by Alexei to the hospital... Rui and Kami returned shortly after, though Alexei remained at the hospital. They got word that he collapsed as soon as he delivered Elena to the hospital. It was likely out of exhaustion. That said... They returned to speak about their findings of all this, and it only raised more questions. These cultists, were definitely blissfully unaware of what the mirror world really was, thinking the mirrors were the way to a 'new world', certainly believable, but with their reactions... They felt it was a paradise, but were betrayed... There may be more to it than that though, or maybe it was more complex.
"Then... What could they be after? If it was delivering people to a new world, like a paradise... Why wouldn't they go in themselves?", he said. Something about the 'Lady Asai' was strange to him though...
"Indeed... One thing stood out, the Lady Asai, they mentioned... It might be their leader... I'll look into a 'Lady Asai', and see what that turns up... For now I think everyone should go rest", Kami seemed to be a bit more focused, now that he had a name to work with it might be easier.
"Agreed, Megumi and I will keep a closer watch over the mirror world then", said Kazuki. With that, everyone present agreed to go and rest for today.
"Welcome, to the Velvet Room"Alex's eyes slowly opened to a soft somber song, the first thing he thought, was 'blue', as was the colour of this room. The long table before him was a dark brilliant brown with lacquer, placed upon it was blue decorations and silverware. In front of him engraved in front of his seat was "The Hanged Man". It seemed ominous to him, but it was not something he pondered on for long. Though out of the corner of sight he noticed he was in different clothes, a fine suit of navy with a purple-blue tie, as well as a lapel pin indicating his arcana's number. Beneath the suit jacket was a high collar waistcoat as well, matching colour. Then he would remember the voice that lulled him awake here. He turned down to where he heard the voice... An old man, with a long nose, and beside him stood a laid of fair hair, straight and down to her waist in what would vaguely look like a waitress' uniform, but also was designed as a suit.
"This is a place that exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. My name is Igor, and this is my assistant, Henrietta", he began. His voice was punctual, distinct, but not completely smooth, it gave the man a mysterious quality.
"It appears another guest has joined us at the table", as he said this, Alexei noticed in the other chairs, that there were silhouettes... He recognized some of them. He saw them in, 'that place', earlier, whatever it was, helping him rescue his sister.
"You almost tread a dangerous path, in your emotional outburst, you would have never accepted that side of yourself... Still, be at ease, not much harm was done to your sister, she rests in the bed beside you", that's right... Alexei had taken her to the hospital...
"Now then... You have drawn, the Hanged Man... A fitting card for you. It represents being torn between two extremes, and a sense of self-sacrifice, something you feel for your sister... Admirable, but also... Dangerous", he evaluated.
"For now I will leave you this key... And you will return here of your own volition when the time comes", he clicked his fingers, signalling the lady beside him to step over to Alexei, and handed him a distinct key.
"But until then... Farewell", and with that, Alexei's vision faded once more back into reality.