Member
RPM
TruthHurts
Xaltwind
Rune_Alchemist
Shazamrock
Yanadere
Double
Savo
Numbers
Ginger Tee
Friday Midday
Word Count: 1179 (+2 exp)(+all the rewards)
Level: 9 - Total EXP: 618/90
Location: Winterhold College ➜ Moon Mountain, The Frozen Highlands
There was just enough time between the Stargazer's defeat and the completion of the board game for the Seekers to catch their breath a little and feel some relief. When the various foes around the Dice Room fell and the ghostly game piece move towards the goal Ace could practically feel what was left of his energy bleed out through his legs, but he was professional enough not to collapse. It did take him a few seconds to rise from his firing position though, only offering Heismay a vigorous nod at the mention of the dentist-shaped bullet they'd dodged. And, unsurprisingly, he found the strength to beat a quick escape from the college once the exit doors opened.
In the right circumstances, without the whole maze being part of some ghastly spirit's game, the college could have been an amazing\, intriguing place. When the Cadet left it though, he hoped they'd be leaving it behind forever. Only once everyone was out and Sandalphon had cast her healing spell -which for once Ace did not cringe away from, merely letting the healing power wash over him- did the hunter fully relax, flopping down and letting his back hit the snow.
"We made it out!" he said, his breath puffing out in the cold air. "Fresh air...! This is the kind of chilling experience I prefer."
He remained lying in the snow while people shuffled around, got warm, and the boss did her head count. He probably should have taken this time to go over his inventory, maybe look at the spirits that had been spit out with them, but he needed the break to just decompress. And only now could Ace see the amount of people that were gathered there on the mountainside. Every one of them had been trapped in the college too? It was fortunate they'd been able to save that many, and the cats too. A handful of them had come over to him to nuzzle up against his thick fur coat, and the Cadet turned onto his side to give them all scratches and pets. It wasn't a secret that he got along well with felines of all stripes, so he was glad to run his hand over their head and backs, dodging a few of the stranger mutations they had while he did, rather than ruminate on the missing members of the team and anyone else that wouldn't have made it out of the maze. His brain and body had really been put through the ringer in there, from the simple stress of the unknown to the gauntlet of battles to the saturation of magic throughout the whole labyrinth. If he dwelt on bad news he'd probably lose his mind.
It wasn't long before the refugees gathered up to heed Sandalphon's suggestion to head down the mountain towards Christmas Village, escorted by the team's Witcher. Ace sat up then, brushing snow from his hair. Most of the cats that had gathered around him trotted towards their friends as they made to leave, though a few stayed behind and rubbed up against various members of the Seekers. One in particular (a tabby cat of warm gray and tan coloring with a rather goofy face, polydactyl toes on her front paws, and a short antler growing out of one side of her head) stayed firmly seated between Ace's legs, tilting her head to look up at him and poking her horn into his abdomen. He idly scratched behind one of her ears after turning her head slightly to move the antler.
"Oh, hold on - one of them was a healer," the Cadet mentioned. He scanned the group and found the lanky, decrepit man that one of Sectonia's antlers had carried who had purged the queen and Mokou if their curses. "Boss, maybe he can help you?"
He still had those assorted pills too, and though the chance they would cure or even just help with Sandalphon's symptoms was low he'd offer them anyway if someone could identify them.
Eventually the survivors did leave. "Good luck you guys," Ace said to the party splitting off, raising a hand high to wave. He caught Geralt's eye before the man departed with them, giving him a nod. "We'll see you again soon!"
Maybe even all of them, if they stuck around the village and the Seekers went back there to celebrate a job well done after they completed their mission. It was a nice thought, though going right back to their flying base to feast and crash would be just as good.
Ah. Dalamadammit. Ace thought to himself as food crossed his mind. Did the White Team even have any left? The peak of the mountain didn't seem too far away, but they had no idea how long they'd have to wait until the Guardian responded to their beacon - if he even really did. And they'd want to rest before facing him anyway, which was going to be hard to do if they were cold and hungry. He sat back on his hands, looking up at the what he could see of the remainder of their path. They'd have to see if there was any game to be found up here.
Sort of lost in thought, Ace hadn't even noticed that two of the college survivors (that weren't cats) had lingered behind until the kitty sitting with him let out a rumbling meow that drew the hunter's attention back down. He missed some of what the artist said at first, but caught on quickly that he was accusing the friendly, faceless man of something and asking the Seekers to... what, kill him?
Ace was on his feet again quickly, stepping forward to put himself a little between the faceless Fred and the other one. The antlered cat, who seemed a little confused when Heismay said, "our hunter," decided to play along like she knew what was going on and played her role by arching her back up high while looking at the accuser. Meanwhile, the Seekers' actual hunter spoke up.
"That's right," he said. "He can hardly communicate, so why would he waste time trying to lie? And even if he was trying to trick us, he had plenty of time already to attack us and didn't!"
There had been more than one instance where the faceless Fred was alone with only one of the little groups of Seekers that had encountered the parlor as they moved in and out of the drafting studio. If he was only pretending to be helpless and could see, then he also could have followed them into any of the other rooms they'd gone through, or trapped one or all of them by removing their improvised door stops.
"He said someone stole his face, and I believe him." Ace wasn't privy to the whole Fred story with the paintings and headaches and what not, but he could see the many similarities between the two men now - and he was inclined to side with Heismay's words about the thief being right in front of them.
