Chapter Text
The air in the hall was thick with stifled silence, the words on the paper hanging over them with all the finality of a sharpened guillotine. Eli swallowed. ‘ I knew this was going to be no walk in the park, but… the more this unravels, the less I like it.’ He thought nervously, eyes trained on the glittering ink as the Embalmer gently placed the letter back down.
As he glanced between the other three men, they each appeared to be thinking much the same. The Prospector’s face was drawn tight, eyes black in the low candlelight. Mercenary was even more unreadable, his hood hanging low. One of his hands, balled into a fist at his side, shook minutely. Eli looked away, uncomfortable, and glanced to the last member of their mismatched team. Embalmer appeared outwardly the least affected, staring down at the letter sharply. He took a prim step backwards and turned around to face the rest of them, making a lopsided sort of circle. “Obvious intimidation tactics. Don’t write off the threats, of course, but they’re clearly trying to upset us. Don’t let it get to you.” The Embalmer said shortly. His voice, somewhat muffled by his mask, was soft despite the no-argument tone it brokered.
The words, though simple, acted like a breath of fresh air that gusted through the entry hall. Prospector visibly relaxed, and Mercenary glanced back up. Eli found himself able to breathe out a deep exhale, startled to find that he’d been holding it in the first place. It seemed that only a single push of motivation was enough to break the spell the ominous letter had placed over them. The Prospector slipped off his hat and scratched the back of his head awkwardly, letting out a wavering chuckle. “You’re right, sorry. Don’t know what came over me. Heart’s beating like a rabbit.”
“No, it wasn’t just you.” Eli interjected quickly, not wanting the man to feel alone. “It unsettled me as well. All of us, probably.” If they were meant to work as a team, they needed to all be on the same page. The Mercenary stayed silent, but Eli felt his pointed gaze on the back of his head.
The Prospector shot him a surprised glance with a thankful nod. He seemed back to normal, now, as relaxed as he’d been at the beginning without the dark expression pulling at his handsome features. “Seriously, though-” He started. “What do you guys think about all that? ‘Removed from the manor?’ ‘The promised hour?’”
Eli shook his head, frowning. “I… don’t know. I assume once we go to sleep, we’ll get taken to the site of this ‘game.’ Beyond that, as to what’s actually going to happen…” He trailed off, uncomfortable.
The Mercenary spoke up. “We have no idea, yet.” He finished, sounding frustrated.
The Embalmer nodded. “Despite the length of it, we didn’t learn very much new information.” He stated. “If you don’t count the fact that we’ll apparently be taken to a secondary site, that is.”
Prospector cocked his head. “Unless... unless the reaper comment was literal?”
A chill raced down Eli’s spine. As if sensing his distress, Popo returned to her perch upon his shoulder, fluffing her wings slightly with a low hoot. Mercenary’s head snapped around to the miner, hackles rising. The Embalmer’s eyes narrowed slightly, considering. “Like,” Eli swallowed. “... Someone actually trying to kill us?” He murmured. “Don’t get me wrong, I knew this was dangerous when I agreed to it, but… I don’t know.”
“I’d assumed that much was a given.” Embalmer said flatly. “But you’re correct, I believe. The lines ‘be quick and be careful,’ alongside the comment about a ‘reaper raising his sickle,’ give me that impression, at the least.”
Eli nodded. “Yes, I- yes. It’s best to be prepared for anything. In that case, do you think the Manor is actually as ‘safe’ as it’s implied to be?” He glanced towards the dark hallways that led off to the rooms from where he’d come.
The Embalmer didn’t answer, staring hard in the same direction. Mercenary folded his arms tightly, glancing around the room. “I wouldn’t count on it.” The shorter man said.
Prospector nodded. “Better to be safe than to be sorry, for sure.” He focused on the Mercenary, and the lighthearted attitude he’d introduced himself with was once again smothered out by dark seriousness. “How much of this place have we all seen?” His dark eyes danced around between the three of them. “I’ve only been in the guest room hallway and here, myself.” The Prospector pointed up towards the doorway at the top of the stairs that Eli had come through just earlier. Now that he was looking, it was only one out of three that sat on the top floor.
The others murmured in agreement.
Eli shook his head. “Same for me.” He said, glancing around the entry hall they lingered in. Besides the doors at the top of the stairs and the ominous locked front, there were two more exits from the lobby on either side of the stairwell.
Mercenary pointed towards the ground floor door on their left. “I haven’t been anywhere else, but the first thing I did when I got here was check the exits. That one’s the only unlocked door besides the one to the guest rooms.”
Embalmer nodded. “Not ideal, but unsurprising. Have any of your letters said anything about it?”
Eli and the Mercenary shook their heads. Prospector shrugged. “If you count the big stink about the front door, then yeah. That’s the only one I’ve seen mentioned.”
“So; as far as we know, there’s no rule against us forcing our way into closed-off parts of the manor? Only the front door?” Embalmer said plainly, and Prospector stood up straighter with a gleam in his dark eyes.
Eli swallowed. “It’s not a bad idea, but don’t you think the act of ‘forcing our way’ into somewhere we’re locked out of is by definition breaking a rule? I think- maybe we should be cautious, is all.”
Mercenary grunted. “I’m with the Seer, as much as I’d prefer to have a grasp on the whole mansion. That sounds too much like breaking a rule. They’re locked for a reason.”
“Understandable.” Embalmer inclined his head. “I propose we look for keys, then?” He paused, seemingly considering. “If it’s a matter of life or death, however, I won’t hesitate to break a door down.”
Prospector let out an ugly snort. “Yeah? All fifty twiggy pounds of you? Gonna knock it down?”
Embalmer glared at him from under grey fringe, steel eyes sharp. “Did I stutter? ”
“Okay, okay.” Eli interjected. Prospector, mouth already open to respond, shut it again with a click.
“Sorry, sorry. Was just makin’ a bit of fun.” The miner said, with the grace to look a tiny bit sheepish as Eli frowned at him. “I’m gonna lose my head if this atmosphere isn’t lightened up a bit, you know?”
Embalmer wrinkled his nose. “It’s not meant to be light. This is dangerous.”
“Well, yeah, but…”
Mercenary sighed and waved towards the door he’d motioned at earlier. “If this takes any longer, I’m just going to go in there by myself. We’re wasting time.”
Embalmer inclined his head towards the Mercenary in gratitude. “My sentiments exactly.” He glanced towards the Prospector, and when the taller man seemed to have nothing further to say, he shrugged and continued. “How should we deal with exploring? In pairs?”
“My girl can scout easily, if that helps.” Eli said, pointing at Popo who was still sitting quietly on his shoulder. “She knows what to do and what to come get me for.” Eli explained. “You asked about the blindfold, earlier - it helps with that, you could say. I may not be able to access the Great Eye at the moment, but I can still see through hers if I chose to.”
Silence met his words, even the Embalmer’s eyebrows raising slightly. The silver haired man’s expression was the only one out of the three that seemed closer to interest rather than disbelief.
Prospector stared at him, seemingly torn on how to react. “That’s… a bit wild.” He finally settled on. “Isn’t it?”
Mercenary opened his mouth, but Embalmer cut him off. “No, hear him out. Like I said earlier, I have my own reasons to believe in plenty of supernatural things. If you say you can, then you can.”
Prospector seemed to consider the words for a moment before agreeing. “Alright. Just prove it to me so I know we can count on it.” Mercenary spluttered slightly, but didn’t say anything else.
Eli nodded sharply, turning around. “Easy. Hold up any number of fingers. I’ll face this way, while my partner will face you. There’s nothing in this direction but the wooden staircase, so no reflective surfaces. I’ll still tell you the correct count.” Popo hooted amiably and maneuvered herself to look at the rest of the room.
“Alright.” The Embalmer said. “How many?”
Eli closed his eyes, the blindfold blocking out any remaining light that would have pressed against his eyelids and kept him from projecting smoothly. His awareness bled back into being from Popo’s perspective, her avian vision much sharper than his own and it took him a moment to adjust to the change. The Embalmer stood before him, holding up both of his hands. Three fingers were raised on each.
“Your thumbs, index and middle fingers are all raised on both hands.” Eli answered. “Also,” he said with a short laugh. “Mercenary has one of his own index fingers raised, off to the side. So, seven.” He turned around as he transferred back to himself, just in time to catch the Mercenary glancing at the floor sheepishly. ‘ Wanted to test for himself, hmm?’ Eli thought. ‘ Smart.’
The Embalmer nodded, looking unsurprised. Prospector’s gaze was calculating, weighing. The feeling of being used for his ability brought the usual discomfort and bad memories, but Eli figured the situation easily called for it and he brushed the uneasiness away with practiced ease. Mercenary seemed off-kilter at - likely - being proved wrong, so Eli spared him a quick smile to show that there were no hard feelings.
“How far does it reach?” Prospector asked curiously.
“I don’t know for certain, but big. The size of a small village at least.” Eli replied with a shrug. Popo wobbled slightly, fluffing her wings to keep balance and hooting angrily. “Oh- sorry, girl.” He murmured, brushing his fingers under his chin as an apology. “I can’t see what’s going on around my own body while it’s happening, though, so I’m a bit of a sitting duck.”
Mercenary nodded, taking the information in seriously now that he wasn’t skeptical. “Understood. If I tapped you on the shoulder, would you be able to feel it and come back to yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Simple, then. We use your owl to get eyes on places before we go there as long as someone’s with you to alert you in case of danger.” Mercenary said thoughtfully. He glanced at Popo, a worried look in his eyes. “And… she’s quick enough to get away if anything happens?”
Eli smiled, surprised by the concern for her. “Yes, definitely.”
“Good.”
The Prospector kept his eyes glued to Eli, an unreadable look on his face. “That’s a useful trick.” He offered, head tilted. “Why tell us? Especially when it has such a… dangerous weakness? Wouldn’t it be smarter to keep that to yourself? You said it yourself, you’re left… wide open.”
Blinking, Eli frowned. “I- we’re meant to be a team, aren’t we? We’ll work better together to solve… whatever this is, if we’re all on the same page.”
Prospector hummed. “I mean, of course. You’re just… very trusting, Seer.”
“Yeah, I’ve-” Eli scoffed. “I’ve heard that before.”
Embalmer looked between them before settling on Eli. “I would be happy to tell you about my… specific talents, but I worry they might distress you. With your permission, I’d like to keep it to myself unless I’m forced to use it. Make no mistake, I will tell you now if you’d like, but you’re likely better off not knowing.”
Eli stared at him. “I-” He stopped. “We’re a team. I’ll trust you.”
Prospector and the Mercenary looked at each other wordlessly, but didn’t argue. The Prospector shrugged. “Like I said, I’ve got some nifty magnets. They pack a hell of a punch - good for pushin' and pullin' stuff. Big stuff.”
Mercenary’s jaw flexed slightly. “I’m… ex-military. Good at parkour. Fast.”
Nodding decisively, Eli only shot the Embalmer one last unsure glance before looking towards Popo, still perched on his shoulder. He held out a single finger, and she tilted her head back happily.
“I’ve got a job for you, partner.” Eli murmured while scratching gently under her chin. She cooed agreeably, fluffing her feathers. “Fly through the halls and rooms you can reach. I’ll be there with you, keeping an eye out - if anything happens, come back. Don’t stick around. Stay towards the ceiling, and try to stay out of sight and in the shadows as best you can. Got it?”
Popo hooted sharply, shooting him a single baleful eye. Eli smiled. “I know, I don’t have to tell you. You’re plenty smarter than me, darling. I’ll see if I can find you something to eat when you come back, alright?”
With the promise of food in mind, Popo took off from her perch in a whirlwind of feathers. She hovered by the door, and Mercenary followed her over to pull it open just a crack. She darted through the slit and vanished into the darkness.
“She understands all that?” Mercenary asked, returning to the group.
Eli nodded as he closed his eyes and focused. “Yes. She’s very smart.”
He vaguely heard Prospector, voice distant. “Huh, sounds like every other pet owner.” Fighting the urge to laugh, Eli allowed his consciousness to bleed back into being behind Popo’s watchful gaze.
The owl was hovering carefully at the top of a room that was larger than Eli had been expecting - not as big as the entryway they’d bunkered down in as an odd little unofficial base, but still spacious - that he quickly recognized as a dining room. Popo glanced around in quick, sharp movements, but Eli didn’t see any signs of life. Four sets of flatware were laid out before the chairs spread out around the table, and Eli realized with a jolt that they were likely expected to be using them. Tiny - cards? - were laid out on each plate, and Eli resigned himself to more letters. Mentally nudging Popo to move a bit closer, he was able to make out single words on each paper.
Oh, he thought in a flash of understanding. They’re nameplates. These really are set out for us. It was slightly creepy, but Eli couldn’t help the rush of relief that shot through him - it also meant there would likely be provided food. That hadn’t been something he’d wanted to worry about.
Popo flitted away from the table, moving past a partition that blocked off the ‘dining room’ from the rest of a long network of hallways. Eli noted a small closed door on their left. The kitchen, maybe…? He thought curiously. There were a daunting amount of doors past the partition, all shut tightly. There was no chance of Popo being able to open any by herself. He noted a tiny corner with what appeared to be washing machines for clothes and a few sinks.
Alright, it doesn’t look like there’s anything else here we can see for now. Let’s head back, girl.
The sensation of returning to his body was as unsteady as ever, and Eli stumbled over to the door to let Popo back into the main hall. The other three stood back and watched him curiously. Once she was settled back onto his shoulder and preening with a job well done, Eli turned back to his teammates. “We couldn’t get very far - all the doors are closed tight. Nudging them didn’t do anything, but I can’t tell whether any were locked or not. Everything I saw was empty - a big dining room with… placemats laid out. For us, probably. A few hallways that led off to more doors.”
Embalmer picked up his briefcase and started towards the door. “Very good,” He said. “It’s a start.” Prospector peeked over his shoulder as he pushed it open.
The four of them filed slowly into the dining room, examining and poking things. “It really is a dining room…” Mercenary mumbled.
Eli smiled at him. “Still wasn’t sure?” He said lightly.
“No, I- well. Maybe? It’s just.” The shorter man seemed to stumble over his words for a moment, surprisingly afraid to offend for someone that gave off such a gruff impression.
“Don’t worry about it. I get it, trust me.” Eli said with a self-conscious laugh. “Hard to believe.”
Mercenary stared at him for a moment before nodding awkwardly. Something else that he hadn’t noticed earlier, however, caught Eli’s attention. “Oh- your mouth…? Did that happen here? Is it alright?” He asked hesitantly.
Mercenary startled, looking away sharply. “No. Uh, old wound. I think. Shrapnel cut it up.”
Off-balance, Eli nearly replied with but that stitching looks a bit fresh, doesn’t it? before thinking better of it and snapping his mouth shut. Something about the way the Mercenary was keeping his eyes glued on the floor and his posture tight gave Eli pause, and he changed the subject. “If I’m right,” he started. “Those cards on the place settings have our names on them. Or; titles, probably.”
Mercenary jumped on the distraction, practically hopping over to the table. After a bit of circling, he stopped at a chair directly across from the door they’d come through. “This one’s me.” He picked up the card gently, twisting it around to show Eli.
He was vaguely aware of Prospector picking up a place setting on his right and moving it - and the chair it was in front of - further down the table as he leaned in to get a closer look. Sure enough, the word Mercenary was written out in pristine cursive with shining green ink. The place setting directly in front of Eli said Seer.
“What are you doing?” Embalmer asked dryly, making Eli look up in question. “No, not you.” The stiff man waved a hand at the Prospector, who was re-making his setting on the far side of the table on the Mercenary’s left.
“I don’t want my back to any of those hallways.” Prospector grunted. “ Or that door. Or that one.”
Eli scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “Uh, you know we’d say something, right?” He asked hesitantly.
Prospector squinted. “... Probably. Still don’t really care, though, I gotta be honest.”
Embalmer’s chair was right next to Eli’s and right across from where Prospector had moved his. Mercenary eyed Prospector like he was a rabid dog that had just started spouting philosophy, and nodded slowly. “Yeah. He’s got the right of it. Scoot a bit further down, will you?” He asked. “I don’t want my back to the door behind us. We’ll both sit right there.” Mercenary pointed at a tiny corner of the table that had a good view of the entire room.
Prospector complied. “ Thank you. Glad someone else here has a brain.” He grumbled while dragging his chair loudly across the wood. Eli, still standing directly in front of his chair, looked over his shoulder at the wide open door to the foyer with a frown. “No, I wasn’t talkin’ about you, damnit. You’ve got like, eyes in the back of your head or something. Bird eyes. Come on, Merc, let’s get cozy. Scooch closer.”
Mercenary’s face scrunched up like he was smelling something bad and stayed where he was.
Embalmer looked up at the ceiling and sighed deeply. “Are we quite done? Let’s try the rest of these doors and see if any are unlocked.” He said testily.
They moved slowly through the dining hall, checking each door carefully. Only two knobs turned - one door near the odd assortment of wash machines, and another at the end of the hallway past the partition.
Eli had Popo slip into each room before they went inside to case it out much the same as he’d handled the dining room - “Oh, this one’s just a bathroom. Yeah, there’s an old looking shower and everything.” - “It was a greenhouse, I think. Some kind of garden. Very pretty, but I didn’t see anything useful.” - and they took their time poking their way through everything they could reach. The slight bickering, too, only seemed to increase after the dam had initially burst; although it hadn’t reached the point where it might interfere with their ability to work together, it still made Eli a bit wary.
They’d found a worrisome lack of food - despite the presence of the dining table and place settings, they hadn’t been able to access any sort of kitchens, pantries or iceboxes. Eli himself had even combed through the garden hoping to find something he could feed Popo, and come up with nothing. Most of the plants he hadn’t recognized, but the ones he did were certainly not edible. The others had shared around the same sentiments along with some frustration that none of them had much botanical knowledge. It was still beautiful, though, all the same; Eli spent a few moments longer than he had to simply wandering between the verdant green leaves, more than happy to give Popo some time to stretch her wings in a somewhat more open environment. Still… there was something off about it - something unnatural that he struggled to put his finger on. Perhaps it was the enclosed nature of the garden, or the air.
Stale. For being a bright room full of plants, with running water and bright lights for growing, something about it felt just as stale and stifled as the rest of the mansion.
Eli was startled to notice that the Mercenary had stayed behind while the other two had moved back into the main of the mansion, hovering near the door and watching Eli with sharp eyes that gleamed out from under his low-hanging hood. “Is everything alright?” Eli asked.
Mercenary nodded, and held the door open for Eli as he approached. Popo swooped back down to return to her regular perch. “Yeah.” He said shortly. “Didn’t want to leave you by yourself.” Mercenary stated, eyes once again dropping down and hovering near the floor.
Eli paused in the doorway, a sudden pit of unease curdling in his gut.
See, Eli Clark had good instincts. Uncannily good instincts, especially where danger was concerned - something of a sixth sense, maybe. Perhaps it was the wisping leftovers of his affinity with the Great Eye, or simply a quirk that he’d developed over the years. He’d learned over the years that when his base instincts told him something nearby was dangerous, they were usually right; although, whether or not he decided to be smart enough to listen to them was another story entirely.
It was for this reason he stopped, eyes darting around the garden behind them the way prey searches for a hunting predator. Popo tensed up as well from his shoulder, going completely still and silent. He took a step back into the mansion, slow and cautious. No matter how hard he looked, everything seemed utterly normal and just the way he’d left it. No shadow stretched too far, no leaf moved too much, and no trickle of water was too loud. Nothing seemed even the slightest bit out of place. He didn’t know what he was looking for, but there had to be something setting off that feeling of danger.
The Mercenary was stone still beside him, face completely hidden by his hood.
Eli’s hands curled into fists at his sides, and he took a few cautious steps back out into the garden. He looked around warily. Nothing had changed.
“What’s wrong?” Mercenary asked, moving beside him. He’d clearly picked up on Eli’s distress and was reacting accordingly, glancing around the garden like it held monsters he had to put down. Slowly, softly, the feeling of disquiet faded from Eli’s chest until it was like it had never been there in the first place.
Thrown, Eli relaxed in hesitant increments. “I… I’m not sure. I just… I could have sworn…” It had never happened before - that feeling of danger just popping up and then disappearing. He felt off-balance, confused. Like he’d managed to work up the courage to jump into a deep lake, just to find out that it was only ankle deep. Popo ruffled her feathers anxiously. If she had any thoughts about the last five minutes, she wasn’t sharing.
Mercenary blinked. “... Got spooked?” He asked, relaxing as well. Or, as much as he ever seemed to drop his guard; since Eli had met him, the Mercenary had carried himself with a constant air of watchfulness. He’d just… gone up a few notches, Eli supposed.
He nodded sheepishly. “I guess so, yeah. I’m sorry I scared you.”
Mercenary shook his head and gave a rare, crooked smile. “No worries. I’ve, uh, been there.”
Eli grinned, thankful. “Maybe we should get out of here and find the others?” He asked.
“Right. I think they were planning on -” Mercenary started, but whatever he’d planned on saying was drowned out by the sudden, ominous tolling of a loud bell that seemed to echo from every corner of the mansion. Mercenary shot up straight from his slouch, tensing all the way up. His scarred face twisted up into an expression of alarm and horror. “- the fuck?!” He hissed.
Eli was sure he didn’t look much better. “Was that… was that the clock ?” He whispered, frozen from head to toe.
“It can’t be. That’s- that’s what the paper said, isn’t it- We were supposed to have a whole day!” Mercenary spit out through clenched teeth as he broke into a run, dashing back into the manor. Eli dislodged Popo from his shoulder and took off after him, although he quickly realized he didn’t have a hope of keeping up with the shorter man. The owl glided beside him quickly; whatever annoyance she might have felt from being knocked off muted by the alarm running through both of them.
Unbidden, Eli remembered the clock that hung uselessly on his wall in his room. Thoughts racing, he sucked in a breath. “Maybe we did,” he bit out.
“There’s no way we’ve been at this for more than a few hours!” Mercenary shouted over his shoulder. The bell continued to toll, making Eli’s anxious heart skipping in time with it.
“No, the clocks! They’re all stopped! The windows are blackened, we can’t see the sun!” Eli explained hastily, breath coming in short. “Either we started way later than we thought we did, or they’re just going to make their own days and nights! Those lines are bullshit, we have no way of telling time in here besides counting seconds!”
Mercenary shot him a wild look. “Fuck! You’re right! Why didn’t I realize that?!”
Eli choked out a laugh as they broke out into the entry hall. “We spent all that time worrying about stupid shit, and didn’t put together the stuff that was right in front of us!”
Prospector and Embalmer were waiting for them in the lobby, and they both looked exactly how Eli felt. Prospector scowled as soon as he saw them, expression dark. “When are they gonna shut this damn thing up?” He grunted. The bell rang out like a shot, nearly drowning out the end of his sentence to add insult to injury.
“I would imagine as soon as we comply with the letter and return to our personal rooms.” Embalmer said stiffly. “Hurry.”
“Ridiculous.” Prospector snarled as they took to the stairs one by one. He whipped back around as he reached the balcony, eyes like flint. “What the fuck do they think we’re going to do after this? Just, what, walk into our rooms and go to sleep like good little kids? That’s what the fucking letter said, isn’t it? Like hell someone could sleep after this!”
Embalmer shoved past him without a second glance. Prospector hissed a bit as he stumbled away from the mouth of the staircase, glaring at the greyed man with vitriol. He snarled darkly and stalked after him. “I realized as soon as the bell began ringing that we have no way to grasp time here.” Embalmer called back. “A bit too late, for sure, but it’s something we will need to address come tomorrow when we’ve returned from…” He paused hesitantly, a tiny moment that was unlike the man Eli had come to know over the last couple of hours. It spoke for how unnerved he was, just like the rest of them. “... from whatever we’re doing next.” Embalmer finished uneasily.
Eli nodded, coming to a stop in front of the door he’d woken up behind. Popo hooted lowly, landing on his shoulder. Mercenary and Embalmer kept walking, but he noticed that Prospector stopped at a door directly across from Eli’s. “I realized the same thing on the way back.” Eli agreed. The second part of Embalmer’s words suddenly filtered through to him, and he swallowed down the rapid beating of his heart to grin determinedly. Yes, they would deal with it tomorrow. There was certainly something calming about thinking of a terrifying unknown event as already handled and in the bag, although perhaps not good for staying cautious of it. “See you… soon, I guess.” He ended awkwardly. The others all shared similar sentiments, odd as they were.
The bell rang out again, almost deafening on the second floor. Eli opened his door and slipped inside, turning around at the last moment to catch eyes with Prospector as he did the same thing. The miner rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, sharply motioning a single hand up towards the ceiling. “Don’t worry!” He called mockingly in the same direction. “We’re good little boys, going to bed for our nappy naps! You can fucking shut it off !” Prospector shouted angrily, and with that he slammed the door.
Eli shut his own door with a soft click and a shake of his head. As soon as he did, the bell cut short mid ring. He paused with surprise, but continued over to the bed he’d woken up in. Popo jumped onto the headboard, cooing. He sat down gently on the side of the bed and stared at the wall, mind totally blank. It wasn’t a very promising start. Sure, he wasn’t feeling it yet, but they hadn’t found anything to eat - failing whatever trials were waiting for them due to being weak from hunger suddenly seemed like a very real problem. They hadn’t made any progress on figuring out what was going to be waiting for them beyond vague impressions, and Eli felt - not for the first time - the bitter lack of his foresight abilities.
Eli sighed, looking down at his still-booted feet and kicked them listlessly.
He had to admit, Prospector had a point. It was a bit of a reach to assume they were going to just fall asleep after the scares they’d been given and the fear of what was to come, and on top of that stay sleeping soundly enough to be moved with certain-
Eli’s eyes widened behind his blindfold.
Unless they have some set up way of ensuring it.
“Oh, shi-” He barely had the time to stutter out before everything went black.