[center][h3]Barney Rynsburger[/h3][/center]

All around, the Prison of Indictment surged with the chaos of a sudden war. Beams of light, plumes of shadow, weapons and spells of every kind filled the air as the thralls of the Warlords fought to the death. Whatever this symbolized could be pondered later; for now, the young adults pushed themselves into action. Despite enervation and injury, the ragged band of escapees clung to the one ray of hope that shone upon them, and one after another put their bet their lives on Spindle’s promise by hurling themselves from the top of the cliff toward the water that churned below. As they fell, their hair and clothes whipping in the wind, their screams of fear, desperation, and uncertainty joined the cacophonic chorus above them. Adrenaline made the moment seem like an age, but in reality only a few seconds passed before all ten splashed down and sped away, borne by the current.

The water was cold, not frigid, but bracing enough to shock the sense of all who immersed themselves within. To most it provided an extra jolt of energy, temporarily washing over the fatigue that clung to their limbs like so much dried mud. Not everyone who bobbed to the surface, however, did so with wide eyes and a loud gasp. It was Dakota who first caught a glimpse of Jin as their senseless body floundered in the water, and he didn’t think twice before putting his weary bones to work. Luckily for him, and indeed the whole group, the current that swept them downstream was mercifully gentle, more like a large-scale lazy river than the raging rapids one might see a daredevil hero contend with in an action flick. Dakota paddled his way over and grabbed hold, helping to buoy Jin above the surface so that no water would enter their lungs. An executive decision was made, and with the last of his spirit energy Dakota called upon Thamyris to save new acquaintance with Dia. As the healing magic flowed through Jin, pulling them back from the brink, Dakota breathed a sigh of relief. Then his body went limp, and he began to sink himself.

A spool of silvery thread looped around his arm, tightening harmlessly against the jacket, and kept him from going under. Spindle, having alighted upon the back of Odradek rather than plunge into the drink with the others, wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead with the back of her gloved hand. “Whoo-wie! Talk about a close shave!” Drifting above the water, she extended lifelines to each of the others in turn. With the extra help keeping them afloat, Barney and the others could afford to relax for perhaps the first time since their arrival in this absurd netherworld, watching the high walls of Pondwater’s dreadful jail recede into the distance as they floated on their backs. As he got used to the water’s temperature, Barney let his eyes slide shut, and as the echoes of battle gave way to silence he could let go of the stress that knotted his sore muscles, bit by bit. Despite the danger and the unknown, he could do little more than continue to trust in the little group’s guardian angel, who’d brought them this far and surely wouldn’t lead them astray. 

From her position atop her kitelike Persona, Spindle directed the group through the waterways. No pursuers appeared to give chase, and no dangers arose from the depths, so the escapees could enjoy a peaceful ride down the river’s twists and turns. All too soon, however, the moment of tranquility came to an end. After rounding a bend Barney found himself confronted by a view of the open ocean, where the river ended in a small waterfall that emptied into the kaleidoscopic, gelatinous expanse of tar that was the Sea of Souls. Walls of buildings ringed the bay, and in the middle stood a lonesome, towering island, upon which he could see an imposing citadel. The flashing red and blue lights atop the marble of classical architecture made him almost as uneasy as the prospect of being dumped into the illimitable tar pit that gleaming and bubbled only a few hundred feet away, but Spindle took a right turn down an alternate path toward a megalithic hotel, and pulled all her charges along after her. The channel led into the building, where the water grew shallower until Barney’s feet touched the bottom. After releasing the police girl’s thread he stood to find himself in a circular fountain pool, the fancy central water feature of the hotel lobby. More of a ring than a solid structure, the hotel featured a central atrium that extended from the bottom floor all the way to the glass roof of its twentieth story, with rings and rings of rooms in between. Through it Barney could see the turmoil of the smoke-gray sky, alight with the hellish light of eternal war. He shivered and climbed out of the fountain.

“Everyone alright?” Spindle’s Persona vanished as she hopped off, leaving the ten alone. “I reckon this place is safe, safe as it gets here anyhow, so we got a few if y’all wanna catch your breath.” She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder at the couches and coffee machines that littered the lobby. “All y’all oughta grab somethin’, ‘specially whoever’s got a Persona.”

Barney, massaging his wound, shook his head. “Thanks, but I’m not really hungry.”

The police girl grinned. “Lucky you, food ain’t just for fillin’ yer belly if yer in the Metaverse. It’ll patch ya right up, and drinks like coffee will give yer Persona more juice, too!” Her face turned serious once more as she crossed her arms, staring at the door that led back out to the city. “There’s a place nearby we can use to getcha home. But it ain’t gonna be easy–not with other Warlords sniffin around. You can bet yer behinds we’re gonna run into more trouble, so fill up while ya can.”