Round Robin 1.3: The Saga Continues Again

[DerVVulfman]

2

With a wicked smile, she rose the spear above her. The then swung the blunt end of its shaft around and struck the robed man as Daniel struggled to hold him still. A loud crack sounded as wood met bone and the stranger’s head shot to the right. Daniel loosened his grip as all resistance left the stranger. The figure slumped to the ground, unconscious.

But Robin wasn’t done yet. She stepped forward and kicked the prone figure onto his back with her boot. With a snarl on her lips, she placed the tip of the spear under the man’s chin.

“Stop!” shouted Daniel. “Robin, you don’t want to do that!”

“Fool of an elf,” she spat out. “You know damn well that I’m not your precious Robin.”

“I know.” Daniel pressed himself against the bars. Pressed against them to get as close to her as he could. “I know that you couldn’t get this far without her.” Daniel’s voice became deep and forceful. “Let... her... go,” he demanded.

The same wicked grin appeared on her face. “I see you DO have a fire within you after all,” she declared. “Something about you she tried to hide from me.”

Daniel watched as the figure standing in front of him changed. The eyes glaring at him softened and the lips no longer tightened into a smile. A moment passed between them as Daniel assured himself that this was no trick. That Balthus was gone.

“Robin.” he muttered.

“I hate to say this but I think he was right,” Robin stated. “I think I have to kill him.” She knelt beside the probe figure. She sighed as she searched the man for whatever she could get hold of.

“No,” Daniel replied. “You’re not a killer.”

Looking up at her friend, she answered back. “I already am.” Then she returned to the search. “You forgot about the guard already?”

“That was...”

“That was no excuse” she interrupted. “I know who did it, but the sword was in my hand.” With a decisive tug, she pulled a small leather pouch loose and stood up. “But thanks. I know you’re trying to help.” Robin pulled a ring of keys from the pouch and tried one by one to unlock the cage. It only took the third to succeed and free Daniel from the small iron prison.

[kalier]

3)

For a moment, Robin hesitated, her eyes drawn to the prone figure of the robed man. Daniel touched her shoulder lightly to gain her attention. "Let's go." He said softly, worried that she might decide to kill the man after all.

She nodded, although her answering smile was more a grimace than it was pleasant. "I wonder why he was down here, though. He must have been hanging around for a reason..."

"What about us?" Daniel asked her. "Whatever he was doing had nothing to do with why we're here, so just forget about it. Let's just get what we came for, and get out of here."

"You're right." She sighed. "But--" She turned to glance once more at the robed form. "Shouldn't we make sure he doesn't follow us?"

Daniel grinned. "Yes. And I think I have an idea."

Between the two of them, they managed to drag the robed man into the cage, and locked the door before he came to. Just as he was securely inside, he began to gain consciousness. Daniel crossed his arms in front of his chest, while Robin stood beside him. They just waited.

The robed man groaned, holding his aching head as he gingerly sat up. "Wha--?" He glanced around warily, and realized where he was. "You little--"

"Well..." Daniel said with a malicious grin. "How does it feel to be a prisoner inside your own trap?"

The man growled something unintelligible, and Robin laughed. "I think this is actually very fitting." She said to Daniel.

"This isn't over!" The robed man screamed at them. "I'll get you two for this!"

"You'll have to get yourself out of there first." Robin pointed out. "In the meantime, have fun!" She grabbed Daniel's arm, leading him away. The robed man was still yelling curses at them as they discovered a corridor that they'd missed.

Robin gripped Daniel's arm hard. "I think this is it." She whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

"This? But--"

"I can sense something ahead, Danny! I think we're finally almost there!"

"Robin, how can you be sure?"

"Hurry, Danny!" She took off running. Daniel followed after her quickly, hoping that Robin was right, and this would be the end of their journey. However, he also sensed something. Something that he was sure that Robin hadn't. If he was right, their troubles were just beginning.

(kinda rushed since I'm trying to keep the deadline, but having trouble staying connected long enough to work)

[Mea]

1)

He had some other questions first though.

"Robin, wait.

"What?"

I need to know... how did you... do that?"

She stopped. "Do what?"

"That... mind thing. I could hear you in my head."

"Oh, that."

"Yeah. That. Don't tell me that runs in your family too."

"It doesn't. It just, kinda, a little trick I picked up," she added with a weak laugh.

"Nice trick," he said quietly.

"Hey, came in handy back there didn't it?"

Daniel said nothing.

Robin went on. "I thought it might work both ways, but I never really tried it until now. I wasn't sure, but I guess it worked pretty well."

"So how long have you been poking around in my head?"

"Is that what this is about? Daniel, your by best friend! I'd never do that to you."

"What about Balthus? Would he do that? Is that why he can take over?"

"Of course not!, Now come on Daniel, we gotta keep going. Soon it'll be all over."

That's what I'm afraid of, he thought to himself (he hoped) What's going to happen when this IS over. Balthus is a complete psycho and I have to wonder what's going to happen when we get this thing. If he actually keeps his word and leaves her... what is he going to be? Oh Robin, I know you don't always think things through, but this time...

"Oh great." Robin's voice snapped him out of his thoughts again.

There was a door.

It was massive and it was metal and it positively loomed over them in the gloom of the hidden corridor.

"That... is a big door," said Daniel for no good reason. Robin nodded in agreement.

"So... think we can open it?"

"Can't hurt to try. right?"

Daniel nodded, but that feeling Daniel had earlier was stronger now. That ominous feeling that Robin seemed to miss. Even through all that metal, he could sense a dark... something. He couldn't describe it but he knew it was bad.

And we're trying to open the door, he thought. Great.

[DerVVulfman]

2)

[ DerVVulfman passes ]

[kalier]

3)

The door wouldn't budge, no matter how hard they tried. Daniel guessed that it was bolted from the inside. "We're going to need a key." He told Robin.

"A key?" She muttered in response. "But it's so close! I can feel it!"

"We have to go back. Maybe there was something in that room we missed. We certainly missed this passageway."

"Or maybe that robed man has it." She said thoughtfully. Daniel didn't really like the gleam that entered her eyes. It seemed to be half Robin and half Balthus, or perhaps even madness. Having many people in someone's head could do that to a person. Or so Daniel thought.

"In any case, it doesn't do any good to just stand here." He didn't like what he sensed behind the door, anyway. Maybe if he could get her away from the door, it would disappear as quickly as it had appeared. He was almost certain that the corridor hadn't been there when they'd first entered that massive room.

Even if it meant that Robin would bully that robed man again, or perhaps even killed him, Daniel had to get her away from here. Something terrible was behind those doors. Robin believed she sensed what she was looking for, but he didn't believe it. Whatever was behind that door, wanted her to think that. Daniel was beginning to doubt that what she needed wasn't even down here.

The cavernous room was exactly as they'd left it. Except for one small detail; the robed man was no longer in the cage. "Where'd he go?" Robin demanded.

"I--" For some reason, the walls seemed to be closing in around them. Daniel thought they seemed closer than before. "Robin?" He hesitated, looking around. "Where'd that passageway go?"

"Huh?" She glanced around. Sure enough, it had disappeared. The room was narrowing in around them, and they had no way out. Daniel wasn't sure if it was sorcery, or some kind of mechanics, but they were trapped. Once again. And this time, it looked as though they were in even more serious trouble than before. If they didn't find a way out soon, they would be squashed.

[Mea]

1)

"The way we came in, it's gone too!"

"Quick, start searching!"

"For what?"

"ANYTHING!"

The massive cavern continued to grow smaller like a deflating balloon around the duo. Already it was less than half of its original expanse and contracting rapidly.

And yet...

Something on the edge of Daniel's senses nagged at him as he frantically searched for an escape. Something about the walls...

He could hear the grinding sound of stone against stone and, felt the solid rock as it pressed closer and closer in, even smelled the disturbed granite dust, but something about it didn't feel real.

The cavern was huge, he thought, Massive solid stone. And stone doesn't shrink, not like this, not this fast. No machine can do this, and no one has that kind of magic, do they? It doesn't make sense.

His eyes narrowed as the wall roared towards him. He couldn't help but to stare at it, into it...

...and through it.

Daniel blinked his elven eyes, and the illusion melted around him like morning fog. He was still standing in the vast cavern with the faint wisps of the contracting walls flowing around him like smoke.

He turned. "Robin, it's okay! It's only an... illusion."

He trailed off. Robin hadn't heard him; she was still trapped in the spell's grip. Beneath her feet, worn symbols etched into the rocky ground glowed faint patterns that pulsed with sorcery.

The spell... But it can't hurt her, it isn't real!

It can't.

Can it?

Crap.

"Robin, listen to me. It's NOT REAL! ROBIN!"

She can't hear me. Now what do I do?

[DerVVulfman]

2)

Taking her by the shoulders, Daniel shook Robin as he attempted to get her attention, to no avail. She remained glued to the spot, her face fixated in a look of terror and desperation as the phantasmal walls loomed closer. “Robin,” he cried. “Please wake up!” But she didn’t hear him. She didn’t even flinch as she stood there.

The symbols! Daniel thought. Glancing downward, he saw the runes pulse with more spectral energy. The amber glow became almost solid as the walls closed around them.

Grabbing Robin by the waist, he tried to pull her out of the circle. But it was no use. Whatever sorcery created the illusion also fixed her to the spot. Please... please wake up, he thought despairingly. Fear and futility came upon him as he suspected that this illusion would soon crush his childhood friend. Somehow, he had to shock her into seeing the truth.

Shock her? Daniel gulped. There wasn’t much time left as the granite walls, illusionary or not, were mere yards away. Grabbing her by the waist again, Daniel bent closer and pressed his lips into hers. As he kissed her, her lips responded and returned the kiss. It was gentle and sweet, and Daniel noticed the faintest hint of strawberries on her lips as the walls around them faded away like a thinning fog, revealing the granite cavern they were actually within.

Then wide-eyed and confused, Robin flared up and pushed herself away. With a look of disgust, she backed away from her friend.

“Elf whelp!” she spat. “What do you think you’re doing!”

Balthus again? he surmised. It was possibly the worst timing ever.

“Crap.”

[kalier]

3)

Through Robin's eyes, Balthus glared at him. Daniel was so surprised by the emotions he'd felt while kissing Robin, he never saw the fist swinging at his jaw. The contact made a loud cracking sound, and Daniel's head snapped back. Startled out of his daze, he held a hand up to his jaw.

"Was that necessary?" He demanded. "If I didn't do something, Robin would have been squashed by that illusion!"

Neither Balthus or Robin replied. Sighing, Daniel decided not to press the issue. "So what now? I still don't see that passageway, but at least the walls are no longer closing in on us."

Robin shook herself, forcing Balthus to retreat. "Well, if those walls were an illusion, I would have to say that there's an exit here, but it's hidden. We just have to find it."

"Right. Maybe I can use my Sight."

"And I think we'd better find that robed man again. I bet he has the key we need to get into that room."

"Alright." He agreed. "But where could he have gone?"

She smiled maliciously. "I'd bet he's hanging around here somewhere. Someone attacked us, and the only one we've seen down here is him. We just have to figure out where he is."

Daniel began to walk away, but Robin wasn't finished with him yet. "Hey." She said, grabbing his arm. "What you did..."

"Yes?" He asked hesitantly.

Smack! Robin's right hand descended upon Daniel's already aching jaw. "Don't ever do that again. Not without my permission!"

"Robin--"

"Shut up!" She crushed her lips against his, then abruptly pulled away. "There!" She said triumphantly. "We're even!" Her face was flushed, and Daniel's heart was pounding fiercely. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to react. He wanted to kiss her again. He started to reach for her, and her hand came up again. Smack! "We have to find that robed man and the key!" She said, irritated. "There's no time to play around. Not that I want to!" Her words were defiant, yet there remained a definite flush to her cheeks.

Daniel grinned to himself. His jaw may hurt from Balthus' punch and Robin's slaps, but he had the feeling that things were going to get very interesting between him and Robin after this.

[ note: by popular demand, the word limit has been raised to 500 words. ]

[Mea]

1)

* * *

Yes, very interesting...

The man in the shadows continued to observe the two intruders with interest. They were not your average thieves, that was for sure. The boy obviously had elf blood in his veins and the girl... the girl continued to be a mystery. Half the time she didn't seem to know her own mind.

Well, she certainly knew his. She knew about Lord Tomas' orders, about the Order, about Olan even. It was frightening how much she knew.

And she knew Balthus, or someone claiming to be Balthus. What had she said? '...if my family is ever to be free of the curse, I've got to do whatever it takes' or something like that. What kind of curse, he wondered.

Well, curiosity or no, he couldn't afford to let his guard down again. He'd been lucky they hadn't killed him earlier and the humbling experience of having to pick the lock on his own cage was something he was just going to have to live with.

At least it didn't seem they'd gotten into the vault yet. It sounded like they were going to interrogate him on a way in when they got themselves caught in one of the old illusion traps. He'd briefly considered intervening, he wasn't quite sure why, but found that it was unnecessary: the two had managed to escape the glamour, albeit in a rather unique way.

He shook his head - Poor guy. You save the girl and look what it got you.

"We have to find that robed man and the key!" he heard the girl snap. "There's no time to play around."

So, they were looking for him again. He expected as much.

Very well then, he thought to himself, let's at least make this interesting.

He touched a chunk of rock in the wall that looked like all the other chunks of rock except this one caused a small well-hidden passage to open.

"What was that?" he heard the boy say as he slipped inside and let the panel slide flush with the wall once more.

They'll find it soon enough, he thought. If they don't, I've overestimated them. Either way, better make sure I keep the advantage this time. If they get into that vault, Tomas' ire be the least of our worries.

* * *

"What was that?"

"What was-"

"Shhh!" shushed Daniel. He focused into the gloom some meters away where he thought he heard a faint grinding of stone on stone. A faint bit of movement caught his eye in the shadows and then it was gone.

He cautiously crept closer, but with his sharp eyes, all he saw was stone and shadow.

[DerVVulfman]

2)

Still, Daniel decided to play it cautiously and kept low, waving Robin to stay back.

“What do you...”

“Shh” he shushed again, this time more forcefully. With a defiant scowl, Robin stood straight and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Daniel knew that look. He knew it all too well. Even if they made it out of the fortress, he knew he was a dead man.

Turning his attention back to the empty chamber, he stepped forward. It was difficult for him wearing the heavy armor and vestments of a castle guard. He was unaccustomed to the weight, and the sound of the metal on metal grated on his ears as he tried to see and hear where the blur he caught a glimmer of vanished.

He expected that Robin was doing no better as she had been trapped within the steel and wool of a guard’s vestments for longer still. True, it was her idea to disguise themselves if they were seen in the fortress. But it was also her plan to steal away into the fortress from the beginning. And he still had no idea what it was that Robin was looking for.

I never expected any of this, he thought. Traps, beasts, magic. And her family secret? That was... Daniel squinted even harder, trying to use the Sight to see anything moving in the dark. Nothing more than telltale patterns from a couple of insects flying in the air. One chasing the other in some sort of dance. They flitted around and spiraled as if they sought to mesmerize the young elfling. ...that was worth the kiss.

Daniel glanced back to check on Robin. She was right where he left her, but grinning from ear to ear. Her lips were puckered up teasingly while she massages her jaw with a gloved hand.

Hi, Danny. Almost childlike did her voice sing inside his head.

Angry as she was with Daniel, she had tightened the grip in her right hand, pressing the silver band under the glove into her flesh. As it tingled, she was startled by his confession as if it was suddenly whispered into her ear.

But now, Robin could see his face grew flushed, and the anger in his eyes told her that he was furious. “ I’m sorry”, she apologized. “ I only caught that last part by accident.”

“Uh, huh”, he muttered back, then turned away.

“I didn’t mean to,” she admonished herself. Damn this ring, she thought. The heirloom she wore was becoming more trouble than it was worth she felt. “I can’t right now, but I promise to take it off when we get away from here.”

Daniel froze in place.

Robin didn’t need the ring to sense that she confused Daniel to no end and she could have sworn that his lightly pointed ears started to stick straight up. Seeing that they were both flustered and apprehensive, she soon had the opinion that she should have mentioned the ring from the beginning.