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The night was cold, harsh and unforgiving. If things were different, maybe the two would’ve met under better circumstances. Happier ones, but instead they were here. Here in this manor, where their lives were at risk at every turn. It was… thrilling but absolutely terrifying. It was the only place in the world where everything that risked your life and made you want to never wake up again could be described as thrilling for the reward. Every had come to the manor for their own goals, but Money was what they were getting in the end. Money or answers. Both were necessary and both were what would drive anyone mad.
And yet Eli couldn’t bring himself to fight whole heartedly for the rewards. Not because he didn’t want them but because he found himself lingering on the Mercenaries words, on his actions and their time together. He had long since acknowledged that while he loved Gertrude, later down the line, they would not work out romantically over their... Disputes about her father. She valued her father over him, in the sense of happiness. If both he and her father were miserable, she would rather help her father than him because of these disputes. They were always over his disliking of businessmen and their tricks to con people into a life of debt. Their whole relationship was on the rocks over one topic, and they’d called off their relationship as a result.
Course, while that meant he was free to date whoever he wanted, that feeling of wrongness still ate at him. Everything he’d done for Gertrude and yet… what was it all for? The guilt ate at him. Was there a point for him being here anymore? Was there a point for him having saved Gertrudes life that winter? He wasn’t sure, and he felt completely awful. He couldn’t help how he was infatuated with Naib, the sound of his voice and the feeling of his hands the few times he’d gotten to hold them. The warmth of him, and the security he felt when he had the Mercenary on his team. It was so jarring because he felt so much more happier when thinking about Naib than he ever had about Gertrude. He knew that logically it wouldn’t work out, as they lived in two completely different worlds at the end of the day. He who had rarely encountered hardship because of his future sight gifted to him by his God, and a veteran that had given everything and then some for a country that wasn’t even his own. They were so far from being anything alike, it was insane. He couldn’t find a common ground besides this awful game and yet, he still found himself in love with the Mercenary.
It was never a surprise when he found himself paired with the Mercenary for matches, and he never felt scared when it came to these matches. The Seer was absolutely enamored when it came to the veteran and it was honestly embarrassing how giddy he felt every time. Of course, the two had been talking more and more often lately. Talk of escape mainly, and this time, they’d get it. They’d get their freedom. They had been planning for a while now and if there was anyone that Eli wanted to escape with, it was Naib. Sure they might not get the reward but he had made amends with his God and that’s why he had even come to the manor to begin with. To be able to repair his relationship with Hastur was what mattered most and he found love on the way, truly a wonderful thing in his opinion. Sure, anxiety couldn’t help but make him nervous but he could tell when something was about the get in their way and that’s what mattered most.
When the match loaded in, the Seer set to decoding, keeping an eye out for the hunter- Wu Chang, a formidable duo to go up against, but he’d planned for this. They would get out. Of the hunters to go against, their best chance for escape was against the Guards. It was solely because of their humanity. Of the hunters, they were the most likely to turn a blind eye and that’s what mattered the most. They were most likely to let them get out in the end. That’s what they were counting on. So they played the match as they would any other, except when the gates were activated, thats when their plan started. They wouldn’t leave through the gates. They would hop the fence with one of the many obstacles and Anne’s help. The Toy Merchant had agreed to this plan of theirs and thus far, everything was going to plan.
Anne set the remaining pedal up, positioned just perfectly to avoid the trees in the dark map, but set to be good enough to hop the fence. She pinged Cipher Machine Primed, not because there was one primed, but because she was ready. Eli and Naib made their way to the designated spot, careful to keep clear of Wu Chang as they chased down their remaining teammate. They weren’t in the plan on purpose, they’d feel too guilty leaving someone behind who knew. While Emma was a good teammate, she still had people in the manor for her. They didn’t, and they had every intention to get out.
When they reached the designated site, they all nodded, and Naib was the first to go. They waited in anticipation, worried that the jump might fail but when the whistle cleared the trees, Anne and Eli lit up. Eli went next, as he could help Anne clear it with Brooke. While he and Naib could handle a bit more, Anne was still… fragile. She had suffered a miscarriage after all, and was still traumatized by it. They knew she needed more help than either of them. Eli found himself surprised when Naib caught him but he wasn’t complaining, brushing himself off a bit when he was set on his feet before giving Anne an owl. She jumped, and landed the clearing just fine.
And with that, they took off. When, not If, the manor found out, they would rather not stick around. They knew the area was unfamiliar but if they could get far enough, they would find people eventually. That was a guarantee. The three kept on their way for hours before they finally took a break. Eli and Naib had been experienced with trekking long distances, Annie however was not. They saw lights in the distance and they knew they were close to being positive that they were free. This wasn’t a dream and it was… great. Only a few more hours after their break and they’d be free. It took about 30 minutes before Annie declared she was ready to continue going, and about 2 hours later, they arrived.
The… city was odd. By their standards at least. To them, it looked like a hundred years or so had passed but that couldn’t be correct, it wouldn’t make sense. While it may explain why Eli hadn’t received any letters from Gertrude in a long time, it wouldn’t make sense for them to just… live over a hundred years with no way of telling. People stared at them, which made sense considering how they looked. They had just trekked about 13 hours away from the manor, which gave them maybe 24 miles, maybe less, maybe more. There was no way of being certain but they were directed to the nearest police station to get things sorted.
“So let me get this straight, you three are apart of the 20 or so missing people from the 1800’s and it’s currently 2022. How the hell did you live that long?” Eli fidgeted, unsure of how to respond though he didn’t have to as Naib spoke up. “We accepted a letter, an invitation from The Baron DeRoss Manor. They’ve been taking people, dead and alive to play a sick set of games.” He was blunt, not hesitating to spill the truth about it. “Yeah okay and how did you explain living for so long?” Anne spoke up this time. “They had… gods there. Things you’d hear of in only fiction. We… still have some scars of it.” She rolled a sleeve up, the mark of Yidhra being prevalent. They all had one, though it depended where. “These weren’t optional. We… we would end up in a game and she’d be there and as a result, if you got leeched… well, it wasn’t exactly nice.” She gave a weak grin, but the strain and the exhaustion had finally set in.
It was months before the Manor was found again, and by now it was near deserted and falling apart but there was proof that they weren’t lying. They’d been giving housing as they tried to figure things out as the government wanted word of these experiments under wraps. Over these months however, Naib and Eli had gotten closer to the point they were near inseparable. It helped that the modern day was far more accepting than what their time would ever be and they finally had the ability to express and find themselves outside of their traumas. Course, it helped that the government in England did own Naib a proper reward so they would leave them alone.
Their house was downright lovely, a home suitable for them away from people. They had acres of land they could do anything with, a reimbursement for what Naib had to do in his time serving. It was… honestly like a dream. If it weren’t for the scars that ached every so often, they might believe that everything was a dream. It was just too good to believe was real. It was though, and that was the best part. They were free and happy and it was amazing. They had found comfort in each other when nothing else could help.
No one could help when that letter arrived though. “To Eli Clark and Naib Subedar, from Xie Bi’an and Fan Wuiju.” It was downright panic inducing, neither wanted to open the letter. It was the first of many however that soon arrived, from different participants they were sure were left behind. The first few gave Naib panic attacks and sent Eli spiraling to the point where their house was quiet until Annie dropped by to help. When they finally started to open the first, they expected something completely different. “Thank you. Thank you for ending that awful set of games. Your escape plan worked well. In fact, other survivors found it, and wandered. A few hunters went, us included, and a vast majority of us got out due to you two. Anne included, though she has her own letter. Smart, really. Maybe some time we should all meet again. I’ll keep this brief though as your actions have saved a vast majority of us. The Manor still is distributing the rewards, so don’t be surprised if you receive a letter from DeRoss anytime soon. It was hard enough for me to track you down, I don’t imagine it’ll be easy for him.” It was… comforting, almost. The fear still loomed that the Manor may reopen or that they’d be found again but… hopefully they wouldn’t be on the list if it did.
The night was chill, but not enough to warrant a thick coat, a pleasant breeze and chill in the air and home had never been so good. Eli pulled Naib in for a kiss, rings around their fingers and while time may have been harsh on them, things had never been better. They were happy, and free and finally getting better. While getting engaged had been… rushed years ago, neither of them regretted it. It was the best. When the two finally pulled away, they kept their hands entwined, knowing they would be together for now until the end of time now. The first to congratulate them was Anne, a smile on her face as she looked at the now wedded couple. They were happy. They looked upon their guests, familiar faces. The flash of a camera was annoying but at least it wasn’t a soul stealing camera anymore. Joseph had happily volunteered his skills as he had gotten therapy and gotten his life together after everything, and he was no longer obsessed with immortality or bringing the dead back. The fireworks went off not long after, supplied by Mike and Joker. The music played and they looked at their friends knowing they’d made the right choice. A champagne bottle went off the and the night was finally at it’s peak. The wedded couple were happy and everyone was okay. That was all that mattered to them.