Abandon All Hope

((WARNING: Abandon All Hope story arc contains extreme violence and/or language, and disturbing imagery. If you are easily offended, please refrain from reading on.))



0. Check Your Normalcy at the Door

Things had, at least, calmed down. Which was why it was likely completely unexpected that walking into a little cafe in the Marketplace would yield such surprising results. The cafe was not surprisingly clean -- it had a dingy feel and color that made Ada stop in the middle of her conversation with Ghent. "And she said to me, you can't wear bl--"

Ada stopped with little regard to whether Ghent would bump into her, or not. All around were patrons at tables and booths, but they seemed quiet and mournful and gray. Even the air in the room was stagnant and stale-smelling. "I don't remember this place being so... charming." An eyebrow was raised, as Ada looked to Ghent.

Ghent had been listening to Ada's story rather intently. He hadn't expected the sudden stop, however, and did bump into Ada a little. He'd been about to speak, but Ada's sudden shift in subject made him stop. She was right. This seemed nothing like the cafe they'd been to before. There was, however, a familiar face amongst the downtrodden.

"Ah, you're both late. That's all right." Tyler had approached them when Ada finished speaking.

"Jad." It was a greeting, for the most part, but Ada was busy looking around. She looked back behind her at the front window, noting that it was the place they had intended to be. Then, she looked back to Tyler. "Do you want to stay here for lunch? We could go somewhere else..." It might have been a hint, since Ada was getting such a strange feeling from all of drooped faces that were staring in their directions.

"Tyler, you look a little... sickly." Ghent was right. The older man looked a bit paler than usual. This was definitely a little out of the ordinary, even for Rhy'Din.

"I'm fine, Ghent, I'm fine. Adalia's right. Let's go out this way." A large crowd seemed to be coming in behind Ada and Ghent. Jad was gesturing to a side door further in the cafe. It had a sign above the door. It swung back and forth a little, since the nail holding it in place was loose. It couldn't be read just yet.

It was funny, Ada hadn't noticed the difference in Jad until she could compare him and Ghent. For that matter, comparing her pale, fleshy arm to others in the room made her feel tan and alive. As she passed Tyler, she reached a hand back and grasped at Ghent's hand. "That's strange, isn't it? That all of these people are sitting here, and no one's eating?"

And they weren't, either. Meals had been served, but they just sat on the tables in front of the other patrons, completely untouched. Glasses were full, silverware was polished and unmarred, and the staff of the cafe seemed more interested in watching them, than cooking and delivering meals.

Jad took up the rear, making sure that Ada and Ghent continued on to the door.

"Very. I wonder what's going on." It was mostly the staff that unnerved Ghent. Dead expressions on all of their faces. One smile did appear, as they got closer to the door. Ghent squeezed Ada's hand. He quickly looked away from the waitress. He could clearly read the sign on the door, now. It stated its message brightly. It looked like it had been painted in blood.

Abandon all hope ye who enter here.



I. Into the Darkness

Ada didn't seem to notice the warning, despite how prominent it seemed. She just opened to door and took a step through, since that had been where Jad had directed them.

What was through the door was different -- there was a humidity to the air, and Ada could see the moisture hanging in the air, blocking them from seeing what lay down the long, brick hallway. Or was it an alley? There was a sudden impression of being outside, and Ada could hear a screech of a bird somewhere overhead, while mutters and moans bounced between walls, echoing down the hallway toward them. "This is the way? You're sure?" She looked back to Jad, noting that the door behind him was no long there -- just another brick wall. They were standing in a dead end, now.

Ghent had hesitated in his step, but the fact that he was still holding Ada's hand (and Jad had nudged him out) kept him from being able to do anything. Something felt wrong, but he couldn't determine what it was. He frowned at Tyler, who looked away from him to answer Ada.

"Positive. Just keep going straight ahead." He seemed undisturbed by the sudden disappearance of the door.

What choice did they have? Ada took lead and moved forward through the muggy fog, attempting to wave it away with her free hand.

It wasn't long, though, before another figure appeared. The woman was dressed in torn and tattered clothing, and much of her exposed skin was bandaged with dirty cloth. Rotten teeth showed as she smiled, and she hobbled close to Ada. "Shuch a preethy ghirlll..." A bony hand reached out, touching the fabic of Ada's shirt. Then she turned to Ghent, touching his clothes as well. "Ahnd a handshome bhooy..."

Jad said nothing. He did move in front of Ada, Ghent, and the woman, though. The latter's appearance and actions again seemed to have no effect on the Lieutenant Colonel.

"Can we help you, ma'am?" Ghent couldn't very well just lash out at the woman before them. Her touching his clothes made him feel quite uncomfortable, though. He tugged on Ada's hand a little, trying to get her to come closer to him. This was all becoming extremely confusing very quickly.

Ada moved up against Ghent, finding the contact to be some comfort. She looked over the old woman, her eyebrows knit together. It wasn't often she'd seen someone so destitute in Rhy'Din.

The old woman smiled and laughed at Ghent, nodding like she didn't understand what he said. "Mhy schildrhen -- mheet mhy schildren."

Another laugh, as she turned and gestured down the alleyway. Around Jad came many figures of different ages and colors and states of disarray -- they poured around Tyler, seeping toward the bony woman, their faces all grim and droopy.

Ada laughed, though it was very obviously a nervous reaction. She did wave, though -- to the group in general. "Hi..."

Normally, Jad's lack of a reaction would have reassured Ghent that there was nothing wrong. This time, it did not. "Tyler, where are you going?" The question was harsh. The appearance of more figures did little to quell Ghent's apprehension. He looped an arm around Ada and reached to his back. The knife was there. He pulled it free and held it loosely at his side.

"You two were late. Come along. They can talk to you along the way." A calm answer from Tyler. He kept going.

"Yhesss, whe whill take yhew." The old women gestured ahead, waiting for Ghent and Ada to move. The figures around them murmured, but didn't seem to actually say anything. "These are mhy schildrhen. Whe live hhhere -- live off of the shcrapsh."

"From the cafe?" Ada seemed reluctant to go, but she didn't want to lose sight of Jad. So, she moved on, but didn't allow herself to get too far from Ghent at all. Some contact was made at all times.

"Noh, the shcrapsh frhom thosh -- frhom yhew, and yhew." She gestured at them with both hands palm up and outstretched. The right hand was missing the last three fingers.

Ghent started moving. He kept his arm around Ada. He didn't want anyone getting near her. He was definitely in protection mode, even though Ada seemed all right at the moment. He looked at the woman for a moment while walking, even at the others. "What do you mean by scraps, ma'am?"

Tyler had paused a little ways ahead. He was aware of what was to come.

The "children's" voices raised in intensity for a moment, before the old woman let her hands fall to her side again. She looked at Ghent as she hobbled along toward Jad. "What whe are ahffhorded, fhriend. What merschiful ahllows uhsh..." Her head dipped to him, showing brittle, greasy, gray, thinning hair.

Ada's eyebrows were still knit together, as she listened. It was hard not to be distracted, though, as the "children" kept grabbing at the fabric of her skirt and then retreating. She lifted up on her toes and tried to gesture Tyler back toward them.

Ghent paused. His expression softened a little as he listened to the woman. "You mean, only what people will give you?" Ghent looked over the woman and the crowd for a moment. Even in such a situation, Ghent's heart would not allow him to be unkind. He sheathed his knife and let go of Ada. The coins he had brought along to pay for their lunch were offered to the woman. "I'm sorry, it's all I have with me."

Which was the truth. It would leave Ghent completely broke, for the moment. He offered them over. Maybe it would be enough to feed them all once, he hoped.

The old hands clasped around the hand Ghent offered the coins from before he even had a chance to let them go. The beggarwoman laughed though it was more of a hiss with a whistle accompanying it. "Yhew har khind, shir. Blesh yhew..." Her head dipped, and then she took the coins and hobbled away into the fog. The "children" followed, though the chorus of their voices seemed to grow lighter. And, as fast as they had come, they all left.

Ada watched, confusion written all over her features. Jad had made no move to help, or anything. Despite all of that, she was touched by Ghent's generosity, and perhaps a little ashamed she couldn't offer anything, herself. After all, she had so much to give. "That was very nice of you, sweetie." She had to give him that compliment, for certain.

"People shouldn't suffer for what isn't their fault." The "children" leaving with the woman only reinforced Ghent's thought that she took care of all of those people. "Besides, we'll be able to eat another time." To him, there had been no other choice. He smiled a little at Ada, though, for the compliment. He reached for Ada's hand again and started toward Tyler.

Jad smiled at both of them, as though their lines of thought were crystal clear to him. "Let's keep moving. We're almost there."

((This is adapted and edited from the play of July 7th, 2008, with permission. It is intended as a continuation of the Ethereal Reveries storyline For more information, please PM or e-mail Adalia Dodd.))

Abandon All Hope

((WARNING: Abandon All Hope story arc contains extreme violence and/or language, and disturbing imagery. If you are easily offended, please refrain from reading on.))



III. Excess in Excess

As Ada fell into a heap, half entangled with Ghent, she let out a sigh of relief. Then, of course, immediately moved to check if he was breathing. "Ghent?" This was not good.

Already, she was beginning to feel chilled, after so long in the heat. She looked at Ghent, brushing some of the water out of his hair, before she turned her eyes to Jad. "Take us home, Tyler."

"I'm sorry, Adalia, I can't. I don't want to be here either." Finally, some sincere words from Jad. His expression became stoic again, as though anything short of being neutral with them was against the rules.

Ghent took a deep, gasping breath. He seemed all right, if not for the initial shock of going down into the water so suddenly.

Acclamation wouldn't be swift, but it was coming. In the darkness, it was hard to tell, but Ada could pick out some tables and could smell a fire burning, but could only see the light from it when she actively looked for it.

All around the room there were tables filled with gilded goblets and dinnerware, while food and gifts and toys were strewn all over the place. Jugs lined the tables with water and wine, and behind each jug was a person, mouth agape hands on their stomachs.

Snoring settled into the world, and Ada noted that there was a young woman at the table -- the only one that seemed to be awake -- taking hurried bites of what appeared to be cake. "E-Evelyn...?" She looked so young -- younger than when they had last seen her.

Ghent began to pull himself up to his feet. The water on him was drying up far more quickly than he would have thought. He looked to Ada for a moment and then out at the tables. He was beginning to believe that Tyler wasn't playing some sort of trick on them. His dark eyes went to Jad.

Tyler looked at Ghent, and then gestured around the room. "These people have a great amount of everything, while those of their employ have so little. Excess can lead down the wrong path, if you allow." And then Jad dipped his head and backed into the shadows.

Evelyn looked up from behind the table, her eyes sharply focused on Ada, and then Ghent. "What do you want?" Her voice was typical of a prissy rich girl, and she turned her nose up at them. "Clean this mess!"

Ada raised an eyebrow and looked at Ghent, before trying to adjust her outfit some. Not that it would help. "We're not the help."

It was then that the name Ada had used dawned on Ghent. Her mother was here? A red brow went up as he looked at Evelyn. Ada had said all he intended to say. His dark eyes swept over the tables, searching for the fire he could smell. He stayed close to Ada, though. "I don't see a door or anything." He had hoped there would be one around, even if the last one nearly caused him to drown.

Evelyn stamped her foot rather loudly, causing all the other people to start and look around groggily. They seemed uninterested in Ghent and Ada, though. "There's a door here."

Ada looked around at the people, and then for a the door her mother was speaking of, but couldn't see one anywhere. So, she moved to the edge of the table, pressed a hand under her nose to guard her nose from what smelled like rotting food.

"The water, earlier, it represented lust, Tyler said." Ghent was talking to Ada, even though he was looking at Evelyn. "So, these people are gluttons." That was pretty obvious just by looking at them, for Ghent. "We're missing something to let us see the door, maybe?"

"I said there's a door here!" Evelyn stood up and stamped her foot several more time, and all the people started in unison, once again. She grabbed a piece of meat off the table and flung it at Ghent. "Don't call me a *liar* you knave!"

"Hey!" Ada's posture changed, as she saw food being flung at Ghent. She could see some firelight coming in through cracks in the walls, illuminating them all strangely.

Ghent tilted his head a little. The meat bounced off of his shoulder. Had he not noticed something he probably would have drawn his gun on Evelyn. Maybe the girl meant literally? Ghent moved closer to where Evelyn was and looked down at the floor, searching.

There was a door in the floor with a round wrought iron ring attached to open the door. All around the floorboard were pieces of rotting food, and there was a square of light all around the trap door, flickering like firelight. In the middle, a "4" was scratched into the wood.

Ada noted Ghent's look and stepped closer to him. Before Evelyn could say anything, Ada put a finger up to her lips. "Proper ladies know when to keep their mouths closed." Already, she could tell her mother was turning red.

Ghent started sweeping the rotted food away from the door. "She was right." That was to Ada. "Right here." He looked up at the both of them for a moment. The smell was making him sick, but he was good at dealing with that sort of thing. He grasped the iron ring and tried to pull the door open.

There was no give to the door, but when the handle was moved, there was an opening for a key with light shining through it. Evelyn stomped on one of Ghent's hands, then grabbed up a large platter, giggling to herself. The platter was cradled close, as she backed away. "You'll never get in without a key!"

Ada winced as Ghent's hand was stomped, then moved around to kneel next to the door. "There's no lock." Her fingers brushed at the door, and the hole shaped for the key. She ducked her head down and peeked through the hole, almost immediately sitting up and turning away, dry heaving a bit.

Ghent grunted in pain and pulled his hand close after it got stomped on. "You..." He stopped himself. He couldn't bring himself to swear about Ada's mother, no matter the circumstance. Ada's heaving got his attention, though. He looked over to her and frowned slightly. "What was it?"

"There's bodies... and food... and..." A shake of her head, as she tried to ward off the nausea. It certainly was rather unpleasant smelling over the door, and she was having a hard time grasping how anyone could sit over it and eat.

Evelyn backed herself into a wall and started eating some more of her cake, handfuls at a time. She laughed, too -- pointed a finger at Ghent and laughed, despite the fact that her hand was covered in silver frosting and chocolate cake. "You'll rot here, too!"

"We've got to find a way through." Ada's description was good enough. He didn't intend to look past the door except when leaving. The only other light he could see was from the wall. "Do you mind looking around here? I'm going to see if there's something to the wall."

Evelyn sputtered cake out of her mouth as she laughed. "You won't find it, you silly things. You won't find it, because you're too stupid to look in the proper place." More cake shoveling, right into her mouth.

Ada groaned. "I can't believe I'm a part of her..." But she still nodded to Ghent, finally over the dry heaving. "I'd like to shove that whole platter down her throat." The was a mutter, as Ada started brushing away food and searching the floor for a key.

"If you know so much, why are you still here?" That was to Evelyn. Ghent was trying to taunt information out of her. He put his hand against the wall and moved it across the surface. He was searching for anything unusual or a way to see the source of light behind the wall.

"I live here. If you're so smart, how come you're not through that door?" Evelyn's hand pointed sharply at where the door was, causing her cake platter to tip and drop to the floor. Evelyn gasped and immediately tossed herself down over it, eating hastily.

Ada stumbled up a foot and one of the diners snorted and then resumed snoring. It was enough to startle Ada, though, who jumped and bumped her head on the underside of the table, sending a chain reaction of started people down the table. More mumbles, but no key yet.

Ghent wasn't finding anything at the wall. It seemed pointless to continue with that. He went back over to the table and actually stood up on it. He pinched his nose shut as he walked down the length of it, looking for anything that seemed out of place.

From up high, the solution would probably be much more apparent to Ghent. All of the dishes were shaped like keys, in one way or another. Although, many of them had already been ravaged by the diners.

Evelyn looked up, grinning and showing dark, chocolate covered teeth and silver iced lips, though it was sneer-like. "That's right -- you have to be above them all!" She seemed to have a great amount of glee at seeing Ghent on the table.

"Would you shut up?!" Ada was getting frustrated and made a noise as she was accidentally kicked.

Ghent looked down at all of the dishes. Immediately, the shapes began to dawn on him. However, he had a hunch none of the ones on the table were right. "Ada, I think we need her platter." He dropped off of the table and immediately started going for Evelyn.

"It's mine!" Evelyn took the platter and turned away from them, shoving more cake in her mouth like an animal.

Ada, however, was crawling out from under the table. She brushed rotten food off of her knees. "Give us the platter, Evelyn..." Slowly, she was working to trap her mother in the corner from one side, hoping Ghent would come around the other way.

Ghent waited to see which way Ada would go for. He did, in fact, go the opposite direction. He wagered as long as they both could get close, one of them could get the platter. "Yes, give us the platter. We need to leave."

There wasn't much of anything left of the cake, except what appeared to be a few bite, and as soon as they got close to her, Evelyn turned to the corner and cowered, leaving the platter behind.

Ada knelt down and looked at what was remaining. "Did she swallow it? Or is it really small?" She couldn't imagine there was a key hidden in such a little piece of cake.

"No. Remember when she said there was no key? She wasn't completely lying." Ghent reached down and took the platter. He quickly headed back for the door on the floor. He paused, trying to let Ada get a good look at the platter, then tried to shove it into the hole.

Evelyn couldn't even see what they were doing, but she laughed into the corner. "I told you that you were too stupid! You can stand high, but can't think right!"

Ada rolled her eyes and looked at Ghent. "I think I preferred the last place to this..." She watched as he tried to use the platter to open the trap door. What was left of the cake rolled onto the dirty floor, silver icing catching the light of the fire seeping through the crack.

Ghent slapped the portion of cake out of the way. "Sweetie, could you stand on the table for me?" His eyes lifted up to Ada. Maybe there was something of the door he couldn't see at this angle.

Ada looked at the fallen cake and scrunched her nose. "I don't think that'll do it..." She picked the piece up and held it in her hand. "I don't think the five second rule applies here, either."

In the corner, Evelyn gasped. "Don't eat my cake!"

"What do you mean?" Ghent lifted his head a little and looked over to Ada. The platter hadn't been doing anything, obviously. He looked over to Evelyn briefly, then back to Ada.

"Someone has to eat it -- " And then she cringed when her mother let out a horrible, blood curdling scream. "I'll do it." She might as well, right? It likely wouldn't hurt them, but she'd rather have Ghent in top shape.

He'd been about to argue, but he just closed his mouth and nodded instead. He watched Ada, waiting to see what would happen when she ate the cake.

Ada shoved the cake into her mouth and chewed. Her face betrayed her, though, as she didn't find the cake to be appealing or worth eating. Between chews, she comments through the mouthful, "Hope this icing isn't mercury based." A bit cheeky, that was.

Evelyn had quieted, now that the cake was gone. She just cowered in the corner, while Ada finished. And when the last swallow happened, the trap door swung open, revealing a different scene than there had been when Ada had looked. There was just what appeared to be a pedestal rising above blackness.

Ghent made his own face, watching Ada eat the cake. None of the food in the room had looked appealing. He doubted the cake was any better. His doubt was confirmed by Ada's words. He looked at her, then down to the pedestal. "Let's go." His hand offered to her.

((This is adapted and edited from the play of July 7th, 2008, with permission. It is intended as a continuation of the Ethereal Reveries storyline For more information, please PM or e-mail Adalia Dodd.))

Abandon All Hope

((WARNING: Abandon All Hope story arc contains extreme violence and/or language, and disturbing imagery. If you are easily offended, please refrain from reading on.))



V. Exhumed from Wrath

When the door slammed behind him, Ghent wheeled around. "Sh*t!" Ada wouldn't have closed the door on him, of that he was confident. Immediately, he pulled his Jericho out of its holster and started to look around, cautiously.

The door shuddered behind Ghent, and the sign above the door swung lazily in reaction. The rest of the room seemed to move, too, as the floor was apparently covered in small creatures, skittering around Ghent's feet, but never under them.

In the distance, there was a great pit of glowing embers, illuminating contorted and disfigured creatures, clawing and snapping jaws at one another.

A moment later, Jad seeped from the shadows, seemingly unconcerned that Ghent was armed. He crossed his arms and commented flatly, "That won't do any good here."

Ghent looked over at Jad and examined him. He did not holster his weapon. He turned back to the door and tried to get it open again. "Where's Ada, Tyler?!" The door just didn't seem to budge at all. He turned and looked out into the distance, seeing the pit. "...What is going on?"

Tyler glanced back over his shoulder, his expression remaining mild, before he regarded Ghent again. "There is a balance -- a balance needed for a person to go through life properly. These people," He gestured around him, "do not have that balance, nor did Adalia. She is here, with us."

He waved Ghent along, walking toward the pit.

His steps to follow Jad were hesitant. The way how he had phrased it left him feeling uncomfortable. He looked at the creatures on the floor as he went. His Jericho was held loosely at his side. He couldn't bring himself to put it away just yet.

For once, it seemed like Jad was not going anywhere. He stepped to the edge of the pit. The deformed figures around it were humanoid, but resembled more of a twisted creature than a human being. They paid no mind to Tyler or Ghent, though -- just ripped at each other viciously, tearing away flesh, and biting at their own arms when they got in the way.

Jad gestured into the smoldering pit, intent on letting Ghent see what was there. Inside, there were charred bodies, writhing and opening their mouths like they would scream without any voice to scream with. "She is here because she enjoyed her acts of vengeance and spite."

Ghent looked into the pit for a few moments. Ada couldn't be in there, right? Neither would he expect Tyler to lie to him. He thought about it for a moment. His expression was definitely troubled. After a few moments, he whispered. "Liar." He leveled the Jericho with Jad. "A-Ada isn't in there. You're l-lying." It was a rare type of reaction from Ghent. Both juvenile and full of fright.

"How can you deny it? Look closer, you will be able to tell which is her." Jad seemed unphased by Ghent's reaction. He looked at the gun, and then looked at his friend, and then stepped to the edge of the pit.

The bodies writhed and burned in a churning mass. There were so many that it would be impossible to count. But, at one point, a very familiar robot arm shimmered out of the mess of black and orange. Jad pointed, almost excitedly. "There! Do you see her?"

Ghent kept the gun trained on Jad. He did go to the edge of the pit, however. The robot arm in the midst of the chaos made his arm shudder in anger. His reaction was far from logical. He reached out for Tyler, trying to grab him by the shirt. "Why are you doing this, Tyler?! Ada doesn't deserve this! Answer me!"

"I would think, by now, that you would realize this isn't of my doing." He looked down the barrel of the gun, right at Ghent. "We all must suffer the choices we make in life. Some less than others, though. You were not vengeful or full of spite, if you could help it."

He looked at Tyler for a moment. He was right. Ghent knew this wasn't his fault. He shook his head and holstered the gun. He searched the pit again, to catch sight of that robot arm once again. Without a second thought, he jumped in, trying to make his way to the owner of that arm.

It was a mess in there. Hot, burning, deadly... Any time an arm was near Ghent, it grabbed at him, trying to claw its owner out of the pit. It was deep, too. Almost unending and easily dense enough to suffocate someone quickly.

Despite all of that, a robot arm did come out of the mess, grabbing onto Ghent. A moment later, the other arm followed, blackened by the heat, and both of them wrapped around Ghent like he was a life preserver.

It had to be Ada, the arm was too similar. He no longer cared what happened to him. He just wanted to get her out. He tried to get under both the fleshy and robot arm. He headed back the way he came. It was so hard to breathe. It felt like his lungs were on fire. Tyler served as a landmark, showing Ghent where he had come from.

As soon as Ghent reached the lip of pit, Jad couldn't help himself but smile. It didn't last long, though, before he stepped aside to give them room.

Ada coughed and collapsed at the edge of the pit, but seemed no worse for wear than before, despite the fact that her formerly smoldering skin was now just covered in an ashen shell that was flaking away any time she moved.

Ghent sat down near Ada. He was watching her, hands clutching to the sides of his head. He looked up at Jad. He didn't think he would get an answer, but he had to ask. "Tyler, who is doing this?" Ghent scooted a little closer to Ada and put a hand in her hair, looking her over.

Tyler shook his head. "Answers are like a glass that was once full -- you can look one moment and it might be half full, but upon closer inspection, you might find there wasn't anything inside after all." He gave Ghent a meaningful look, then cleared his throat and faded away.

Ada reached her hand up to grip at Ghent's arm, coughing more. She couldn't speak yet, but it helped to have that contact. The edges of her hair were singed, as was her clothing. Underneath the layer of ash, her skin was reddened, but it wasn't as bad as it seemed -- the orange light from pit just made it seem that way.

He wondered what Jad meant. His attention quickly focused onto Ada, however. Considerations could wait until they were out of danger. "Ada, are you all right?" His tone was full of concern. He noted her singed hair and clothing. Her hold on his arm didn't bother him. He glanced out into the pit again. "Wrath." It made sense, now. Consumed in their wrath, they attacked and were burned by their own actions.

"I'm okay, it's okay." She seemed certain of that, and moved just enough to throw her arms around him into a great, big hug. "I want to go home, though..." Understatement of the year, perhaps.

As soon as Ada had her arms around him, his attention on the pit vanished. He held onto her tightly for a few moments and then let up his grip. "I didn't think I was going to be able to help you." Jumping into the pit had been more a reflex than a conscious decision for Ghent.

"I didn't know what was happening..." Ada finally let go of Ghent and got to her feet, brushing off what she could off the ash. Poor Ghent had a fair share of his own ash to deal with, so Ada reached out and tried to brush it away, too. Then, took Ghent's hand as she started for the door. "What was Jad on about? Glasses being half full?" She wasn't sure if he was trying to tell them to be optimistic, or what.

"I'm not really sure." He followed Ada as she went, giving her hand a squeeze. He considered Jad's words again as they went to the door. Did he mean there was nothing there at all, literally? He shook his head. He couldn't tell just yet.

She nodded and reached out with her spare hand, turning the knob on the door underneath the "6." "I thought this was the way we came, but..." Her voice trailed off, since she imagined Ghent understood what she meant. A moments hesitation came, before she opened the door. There was no way she was walking through without having some physical connection with Ghent. So, she took the plunge and stepped through, into the darkness once more.

"Men often make up in wrath what they want in reason." -William R. Alger
((This is adapted and edited from the play of July 9th, 2008, with permission. It is intended as a continuation of the Ethereal Reveries storyline For more information, please PM or e-mail Adalia Dodd.))

Abandon All Hope

((WARNING: Abandon All Hope story arc contains extreme violence and/or language, and disturbing imagery. If you are easily offended, please refrain from reading on.))



VII. The Viscosity of Violence

The door was swung open, and it felt like there was a tug that pulled them inside. There was a long hallway with two doorways on each side. The air was almost putrid, and had a coppery smell to it. Screams echoed and bounced around, and there were tell-tale sounds of gunshots every so often. At the end of the hallway, there was an opening, and red eyes loomed there, bright against the shadows. They watched Ghent and Ada, snickering and making all sorts of snorting noises.

Ada hesitated a moment, a bit worried about what was to come. "Stay on your toes, if you can." An idle comment, as she started moving forward.

Jad appeared outside the first door on the left, but didn't offer any words. He simply waited.

Ghent nodded a little and moved with Ada. The smell assaulted his nostrils. Combined with his relative weakness at the time, it made him want to be sick. Two doorways. That didn't make him comfortable. He'd struggle without Ada at the moment, he knew that. His dark eyes looked at her.

She could feel that he was looking at her, but Ada made no move to look back. At this stage, her attempt at alertness was precautionary. As she stepped closed to Jad, he spoke, "This is where violence rules. Much of what you will see is by your own hands, so take heed in my warning: Violence is not the answer you seek. Find solace in the quiet deep." In a moment of levity, Jad threw his arms into the air at the statements he was being forced to made, before turning and disappearing once more.

"I guess he's getting fed up, too." Ada shook her head and stepped forward to peek her head into the first room.

Ghent had watched Tyler until he disappeared. Ada was likely right. "I think so too." He followed behind Ada a couple of steps. He couldn't move too terribly fast, afterall. He looked into the room that she was peeking into.

Inside the room there was a body -- not just any body, but the body of the man who had attacked Ada when she had brought him back from the clinic to help Ghent. He was half-rotted, and sticking out of the ground, eyes glazed over and staring into the doorway.

Ada's eyebrows drew together, noting that she recognized the man. A shake of her head, before she turned away from the doorway and looked at Ghent, then the door behind him. "I have no regrets -- he attacked us first."

Even half-rotted, Ghent recognized the man as well. His feelings were similar to Ada's. No regret. He remembered how he felt, seeing that man's hold on Ada. It was one pull of the trigger he'd never feel sorry for. "As*hole." Ghent muttered.

She raised an eyebrow at Ghent, but didn't feel much like commenting. She looked at his wound worriedly, before looking into the first room on the right. Several more bodies were there, these sitting out without any protection from the elements. "These two chased you..." Ada pointed at the pair, noting where she had blown off part of one's face with her shotgun.

"One of them lived, didn't they?" Ghent couldn't quite remember. There'd been three, hadn't there? He wasn't sure. The obvious shotgun wound had little effect on Ghent. He'd seen such results numerous times. They no longer fazed him much at all. He was moving slow, but seemed to be doing all right.

"I think a third did, yeah." Ada nodded and eyed the glowing eyes at the end of the hallway. There were hiss-like snickers coming from the darkness, like they were waiting.

She hesitated, but moved on, anyway. At the second door on the right, she looked in to see the massacre from the dockside warehouse. The soldiers known as the Spectres could barely be considered whole anymore. "What difference does this make? Is it showing us how violent we are? Because we only acted appropriately to what was offered to us..." Bitter? Maybe a little.

"I don't know, Ada..." Ghent's tone was unsure, lacking confidence. It was a rare occurrence for him. He wanted to draw his gun. He'd feel more comfortable with it out. He remembered Jad's words, however. It was likely best to leave it holstered. "We've never killed out of cold blood..." Not that he could think of. They were always protecting each other or someone else.

Or themselves. Still, Ada seemed less than convinced about their guilt. She didn't feel guilty. For that matter, she didn't even remember taking out the Spectres. Still, she kept the principal in mind as she moved to the last door, across the hall.

Inside the last room was not quite what Ada expected. It was simply the young, cocky mage she had paid to open portals for them. Her eyebrows shot up, and mouth hung open. "I didn't even know he was dead..."

Ghent got closer to Ada. He was still falling behind a bit. When he got to where he could see inside the last room, he frowned a little. He didn't recognize the mage. "Who is that?"

"It's the boy I hired to open portals." Ada looked down at her robot arm, which she wouldn't have, if it weren't for the mage's lack of attention and enthusiasm. "I haven't seen him since..." She tried to think of when. It took a moment, but eventually it came back to her. "Not since I spent those days around that magnetic field on the grounds..."

"That doesn't make any sense. How is that related to those other bodies?" He glanced behind himself, back toward the hall. The Spectres had been mauled, though he never quite figured out by whom, so their situation fit. This young mage, however, didn't. Not in Ghent's mind.

"Are they related?" Once more, she looked at the glowing eyes waiting. Then she looked at Ghent. "Jad said that most of what we saw would be of our doing -- maybe this was the exception?" Although, Ada couldn't rule out that she might have unwittingly caused the young mage's death. His body had looked charred, though -- as if he had been in a fire.

She shook her head and started toward the opening and the eyes. "It doesn't matter -- let's go."

The eyes were unsettling, but there wasn't much of a choice. They had to keep going forward. Ghent was a couple of steps behind Ada. "All right." He followed her, looking into the opening.

At the doorway, there seemed to be a wall of people. And before Ada could react, the reanimated bodies of those in the four rooms filtered out, moving in behind the two of them, hissing and moaning. Ada looked between the doorway and the ground closing in. "Oh, no..." She didn't like the look of this, at all.

Ghent turned to look behind them. His eyes widened a little. His hand grabbed the grip of his Jericho. Immediately, he let go of it, since there'd been a sizzling sound. It had burned his hand a bit to touch the gun. Ghent looked to the wall of people and then at Ada.

Ada looked at the doorway, keeping her eyes on that. "I'm going in -- you look for the way out, okay?" She braced herself, then took off at the red eyes at a run, barreling into them and disappearing into the darkness. They must have followed, because the eyes disappeared immediately from the doorway.

Well, he couldn't go backward into the walking corpses. He stepped out of the doorway as quickly as he could manage, searching around in the darkness. It was a bad time to be without his flashlight, he realized.

There were sounds of snickers and cackles that moved around the room as Ada tried to keep them occupied. In the corner, barely visible in the ambient light, was a round stone protrusion out of the ground. At the doorway, the ambling dead were continuing after Ghent.

Hopefully, Ghent's shuffling was a little faster than theirs. There was little he could do to pick up the pace, considering his injury. The faint light got his attention rather quickly. He glanced behind him briefly and made his way to the protrustion, looking over it.

It seemed to be a dark well, or something similar. The inside was hollow, and the number "8" was carved into the stone as if it had been claws that had done so.

Meanwhile, Ada was being backed into a corner, though she refused to fight back. Jad had been pretty clear on violence, and so far, he had been right about all of those cues. "Did you find the door?!"

"I found it! Come on!" He yelled to Ada. He lifted his hand a little and waved it. He couldn't really see her that well, but he was unsure if she could see him. He thought the motion might help. He turned to look for the corpses, to see how close they had gotten to him.

The corpses were not three feet away when Ada came shouldering her way through them. All those games of football with the locals boys seemed to have paid off some. Unfortunately, it sent her right into Ghent, and the both of them went down the mouth of the well, heaped together and falling...


((This is adapted and edited from the play of July 12th, 2008, with permission. It is intended as a continuation of the Ethereal Reveries storyline For more information, please PM or e-mail Adalia Dodd.))

Abandon All Hope

((WARNING: Abandon All Hope story arc contains extreme violence and/or language, and disturbing imagery. If you are easily offended, please refrain from reading on.))



IX. Tempus Traditor

As they went through, they were dropped a couple of feet onto the bottom of a grassy hill. The crest couldn't be seen, but they were in a large line. Not very far in front of them in line was a huge man. His face couldn't be seen, of course.

Ada looked around, an eyebrow raised. The grassy knoll seemed so out of place compared to the rest of the places they had been to. So, she leaned to the left, looking up the line of people. Then right, looking at the very same people. "Well, this isn't so bad..." Famous last words?

"Maybe not..." Ghent wasn't too sure on that just yet. He was looking further ahead into the line. Ghent saw someone. Someone highly disfigured, but in one piece, which was impossible. Grenholdt. His jaw clenched. The line started going forward. The large man turned around when he heard Ada's voice. It was Theron.

She hadn't noticed anyone familiar, but the way that Ghent seemed to suddenly tense got her attention fairly quickly. "Sweetie, what is it? Are you all right?" Her hand reached out to touch his shoulder, giving him a once-over in hopes that her stitching hadn't given way, causing him to bleed again.

Absorbed in his newfound anger, Ghent simply turned to look at Ada for a moment. He gave her a small smile and nodded. "I'll be back in a moment. I'm going to look around a little." He hadn't even seen Theron, he was so singularly sighted. He kissed Ada briefly and then started further up the line, dark eyes locked on Grenholdt.

She nodded and watched Ghent go up the line of people. She wasn't sure whether she should be looking, or not -- maybe she was supposed to hold their places in line? Still, it hardly matted, because when she turned back, a large hand grasped around her wrist, pulling her out of the line. "I've been looking for you..."

Ada gasped, eyes wide as she looked up at the hulking man. "Pate!" It was purely reactionary, though -- she had given him up as a godfather when the whole mess had turned awry. "Let me go!"

Her tugging was rendered futile, as Theron looked back over his shoulder and started in the opposite direction that Ghent had gone. "Keep quiet." He sounded as if he wasn't willing to argue.

Ghent had been busy doing something unwise and was unaware of the struggle that had happened between Ada and Theron. Ghent's right fist shot out and blindsided Grenholdt. He still managed to get a good deal of strength behind it, despite his injury. Grenholdt stumbled away and then turned to see who had assaulted him. He laughed right in Ghent's face upon spotting him.

"This is your doing, isn't it?!" Ada tried to plant her feet, hoping that she could manage to at least slow down the movement away from Ghent. Her free hand tugged at her robot arm, but she could feel that Theron's hand fit well into the grooves that had been made when her arm had be squeezed so tightly.

Theron gave another tug, pulling Ada a few inches off the ground so that her feet no longer offer resistance. "No. This is your doing, not mine. Your friend would be wise to not interfere."

"How dare you!" Ghent slammed his fist into Grenholdt's face again. The man had caused his world so much anguish, not to mention Ghent's personal life. Hatred was all he was capable of feeling toward this man.

Grenholdt shook the punch off. "There's no use in acting that way, Major." His eyes had glanced down the hill. Grenholdt watched as Theron dragged Ada away. He snickered at Ghent.

"My fiance won't stand for this!" She had to correct him, though it probably wasn't the wisest thing to say, as it obviously just irritated Theron more.

"Is that so?" He stopped dragging her along and looked back down the line, trying to pick out the young man. "Fine, then call for your savior." His grip on her didn't loosen.

Ada opened her mouth like she was going to yell, then let it close with a click of teeth of teeth. "Uh uh. No. If that's what you want, then that's what I've got to avoid." She was fairly certain of that.

Theron growled. "Fine." He turned and started back in the direction they had come from, seeking out Ghent on his own.

At the same time, Grenholdt was very obviously pointing down in direction Ada had been. Were they working together? That seemed unlikely. Ghent turned to look where the man pointed. He was looking for where Ada had been, in line. He didn't see her, of course. "...Ada?" Ghent called out. Grenholdt's snickering was ignored as the Major headed back down the hill.

On the other side of the line, Theron was returning them both to the spot where he had plucked Ada from. As he got closer, he heard Ghent's footsteps and lifted Ada's arm up, well over his had, causing her to dangle there like a doll. "She is here!" His voice was booming, compared to the quietness of the meadowlands.

Ada struggled, swinging her legs. "Let me down!" And then, she considered her words, and went for something more productive. "Ghent, run! He wants you close!" It made sense to her, at least.

Ghent didn't intend on leaving Ada there with Theron, of course. Nor did he plan to waltz up to the large man without trying to gain some sort of advantage. His Jericho was drawn and leveled, quickly. He stopped walking for a moment and took aim at Theron's shoulder. The one attached to the arm he was holding Ada up with. He fired once and continued his advance.

The arm immediately dropped, putting Ada down on the ground. Theron didn't let go, though -- he held onto her wrist, as the other arm came over to press against the wound Ghent had made. It looked like such a small wound in such a large man. "Waste your ammo, boy, that is fine..." His and Ada's form flickered, and when they returned, the shoulder wound was gone.

Ada held a hand up at Ghent. "He's altering time -- that won't do any good!" At least, she assumed that was what Theron was doing.

"Let her go or the next one is in your head. I don't think your little tricks will help you with that." Ghent's tone remained harsh. He kept on advancing, but halted about twenty feet in front of Theron and Ada. He looked at Ada, briefly. There was no way he would leave her with Theron, but she was right. The shot hadn't done much good at all. He leveled the gun again and watched the large man.

"I considered that you were a smart man, Major, but I expect a smart man would heed my warnings. And you have not." Theron lifted a hand, and time stopped for all but him. In that unending moment, her moved and took the Jericho from Ghent, replacing it in its holster.

On his return trip back, he lifted the frozen Ada up and held her against him like a shield, one restraining arm around her, the other used to cover her mouth. And then time started again, seemingly lurching to everyone else's eyes.

Nothing had seemed to pass to Ghent, of course. His gun was no longer in his hand, however. Ghent's frustration and agitation was reaching a dangerous level. "Let her go right now, or I will murder you!" For Ghent, they were strong words. And again, he's advancing. Logic just wasn't settling with him right now.

Theron took several steps back. "Stop!" He knew that a person backed into a corner could be dangerous, and Ghent seemed to be approaching that stage. "Stop, and listen, if you do not wish the both of you to be dead."

Ada struggled fruitlessly, muttering into the hand over her mouth.

Ghent almost continued forward, but he did not. He halted and pulled his foot back. He didn't reach for his gun again, instead he watched Ada for a moment, helplessly. His dark eyes went back to Theron, but Ghent didn't speak. He was waiting to see what the man has to say.

"If you are looking for blame, then you need to look no further than woman before us." As he spoke, Ada tried to shake her head and get some sort of motion or word in edgewise, but Theron had it well-covered. "These things the keep happening, they're not meant to be. She had brought them about -- for her, for you, for all involved."

"Liar." Simple, confident. Ghent's stance became aggressive again. He hadn't bought what Theron said at all, apparently.

"There was a robot, was there not? It would learn and change in order to complete its objective. This--" His hand lifted to gesture around.

Ada took immediate advantage of being able to talk. "Run! He's tr--"

Theron's hand clamped down again, as he continued like nothing had happened. "All of this is caused by that robot. It is from the future -- her future. The advanced technology adapts and changes in order to acquire its target. In this case, it happens to be someone we both know well."

"Get to the point." Ghent said it angrily. He had heard about the robot, but there was no obvious correlation between it and Ada, aside from the machine trying to kill her. He didn't quite understand how it could be Ada's fault.

"Heed my warning's, Major. And just let me take the girl..." Theron took a step back from Ghent. "The facts are clear, but you must open your eyes wide enough to see. The arm, the sudden annihilation of the Spectre's, the scorch earth in your own back yard? How many satellites point their lasers at innocent girls?!" It seemed as though Theron was getting frustrated, too.

"I don't care!" Ghent roared at Theron! It was too late, now. He was already moving, faster than he intended to, at that. His knife was pulled free along the way.

Theron seemed surprised -- more so than he would have expected to be. Still, he had time on his side, and was able to disappear just in time.

Ada dropped to the ground, face pressed down into the grass as she expected Ghent to be hacking and slashing, and didn't want to be in the way.

Frustration, anger, hurt, everything that had culminated over the past few months. Theron had managed to pull it out of Ghent. His knife slashed through nothing but air. He looked around for Theron for a moment. Catching sight of Ada made him abandon the search and drop down to her. "Ada! A-are you all right? D-Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine." Of course, "fine" was a relative term. Physically, she was unharmed, but there were certainly a lot of thoughts running through her head. She lifted her head and immediately wiped her eyes and nose on her shirt. "Are you...?"

He let out a quiet sigh. For a brief moment, he looked for Theron again. After that, he reached out and hugged Ada, fairly tightly. He did have to be careful of his wound, afterall. "As long as you are." He pulled an arm away from Ada and ran it through his hair. It wasn't out of vanity, either.

Ada reached her hands out and grasped at him head, kissing his cheek several times, over and over again. "It's okay, sweetie. It's okay, we just need to get out of here, and we can go home and sleep for a week. And I'll bring you everything you need so you can rest and heal properly." She was hoping to comfort him a little, before she rose to her feet. "You can even stay here -- I'll find the way out."

Ghent just didn't know what to do. He had been about to say something to Ada, but Jad appeared nearby. "It's all right, Ada. It's enough. At the crest of that hill, they are stabbing one another in the back and shoving each other off of the cliff. This final area belongs to the traitorous." He looked down to Ghent and frowned a little. It was unpleasant to see the Major that way. "In showing your loyalty to Ada, you've earned the right for you both to leave."

A large door appeared nearby. There was no number on this one.


((This is adapted and edited from the play of July 14th, 2008, with permission. It is intended as a continuation of the Ethereal Reveries storyline For more information, please PM or e-mail Adalia Dodd.))