Chapter Text
"... Is this some kind of joke?"
"Does it feel like a fucking joke to you?"
Emma wasn't sure how to feel.
Frankly, it was a miracle she was still awake, helping Patricia haul out an unconscious - but still breathing - Helena. As soon as she was certain the Enchantress had her friend well in hand, she pulled away to take stock of everyone.
She had been one of the last to leave the building, using her own prepared materials to keep herself as unharmed as possible. She'd known for awhile that it would end like this, if all else failed; Emma was an impulsive girl, but let it never be said she wasn't clever. Pulling down her now-dried mask to take down gulps of fresh air, she took down faces, bodily states. Barring some burns, it seemed like the worst everyone got was heavy smoke inhalation. Hardly a problem for the… The already…
… They weren't dead anymore.
Though still wearing whatever they had been prior to the blaze, the hunters no longer towered over everyone, and unnaturally grey skin began to take on a more natural hue as blood pumped in her veins. She could still see her father's bandages, covering his injuries from before the whole mess, but he looked marginally less corpse-like, his muscles no longer grotesquely bulging.
Mary's neck seam had healed as she embraced Michiko. Robbie's bag was still over his head, but there was an absence of unearthly twitching beneath the burlap. Ann's neck had shortened to a normal length. Galatea, being carried now by Bonbon, had rosy, flushed skin and clear eyes. The Wu Chang stood together, for the first time in… Ever. Alive and weeping.
All the survivors were rattled, but alive.
It was a happy ending, despite the great risks and perils and trials.
She felt numb.
It felt almost too easy, too good to be true. That belief was steadfast, and set in further as the letters fell from the sky; looking heavensward, she could recognize the bird flying away over the forest, knowing full well she would be back soon enough.
One landed directly in her hands, and opening it to read the contents, she couldn't find it in herself to react.
Congratulations!
You have won the game. You escaped the manor! I’m happy to tell you that the wish you came here to achieve will be granted within the next 24 hours. Please await another letter that will be personally delivered by me- though enclosed is a voucher for a nearby inn that you may reside in until my arrival.
With the package provided, feel free to adventure about the town in my absence. I’m sure you will be happy to learn about the funds included.
All the best,
Baron Dennis DeRoss
... It was over? Seriously? Just like that?
It took a moment for her to realize that she had wholly expected them all to die in the foyer. Though fear in the moment had made her reactive, like her fellows, she didn't anticipate that the manor would actually give in; her exchanges with Nightingale, as an intermediary for him, led her to believe he was stronger than that, even when burned alive. If he had waited only a little longer, they truly would all be dead. What was the point in keeping them alive?
She felt… Nothing.
It had to be a trick or joke. They were getting something more out of this - that had to be it. She had half a mind to charge right back into the blaze and throw the stupid invitation right in his -
"Emma!"
The hoarse cry of Melly snapped her out of her thoughts, and Emma realized she'd been crinkling the letter in her hands. Quickly smoothing it out and stashing it in her apron pocket, she hurried to the Entomologist's side, exchanging a chaste kiss on the cheek before Melly held her face in both hands.
"Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, Mells - how does it look?"
"Well… I wish we still had Emily," She laughed tiredly, and Emma felt a pang of guilt; "But Mr. Lucky managed to find one of her syringes before the place blew up, and he's checking up on the folks who have it the worst. Right now, it looks like everyone made it out alright, and none the worse for wear."
"Good. Once everyone's on their feet, we should find a river and consider that inn…"
"Is taking any offer from DeRoss a good idea?" Jose, helping Demi recover nearby, challenged; "Last time we did, we all almost died , in case you've already forgotten."
Mike, still breathing heavily from where he sat next to an only just rousing Margie and a dazed Murro, shook his head.
"Hey, that was scary and all, but I trust Emma! She hasn't led us the wrong way yet, and she never left anyone behind during the games!"
Helena had managed to awaken as well, though she leaned heavily on Patricia as Fiona tended to her wounds, and nodded her agreement.
"And if anything goes wrong, we'll face it together, right? United we stand, and all that?"
The feeling of emptiness was replaced by warm fuzzies as more of her fellows nodded and murmured their agreements; Jose's doubts seemed to be silenced as he nodded concedingly, focusing on helping Demi to her feet. Taking a deep breath, Emma managed to push up a smile.
"Right then, that's the plan. Everyone, if you're in a bad way, check with Lucky. Try to wake up anyone who passed out, if you can. Eli," She pointed towards the Seer, who was combing ash out of his owl's feathers and looked up when spoken to; "Can you send Brooke Rose to scout out some water when she's flight-ready?"
"Sure."
"Thank you! And -"
"Miss Woods?"
She turned on her heel, blinking in surprise at the group of ex-hunters that had gathered. Michiko was the one who had spoken to her, and bowed respectfully now - an act that Emma reflexively returned.
"Pardon the interruption, but we were wondering… If your plan has room for us, as well? We have… We have nowhere else to go."
She paused, glancing over the faces before her. She could remember the murderous glee on some, the regret in others, as they chased her and her peers during matches. Now, though, they were all one and the same; tired, lost, and afraid of the future. With a smile, Emma nodded, shifting to gesture towards her fellows.
"Of course. You can start by helping people recover."
With a set of nods in return, most hunters filed past her, though Bonbon remained to carry Galatea in the absence of her wheelchair; Leo, too, hesitated, if only to offer a hug to his daughter - one that she accepted without hesitation, suddenly wanting to cry.
"I'm proud of you, Lisa."
She shook her head. "Don't be. I've done a lot of bad things, papa - I'm just trying to make it right."
"What better reason to be proud of my little girl?"
With a faint smile, she squeezed her eyes shut, then pulled away and gestured towards the recovering victims.
"People need you. Go on."
With a smile of his own, he nodded, leaving her side to assist the survivors. She watched the scene for a moment longer before turning back to the manor, watching the last of the flames crackle. Her smile faded as she stared at it, feeling as though she were being watched by it with smug satisfaction.
This wasn't over. She would be back, sooner or later. They both knew it.