Archive of Our Own

 

"Newcomers? At this time?" A questioning voice filled the ears of all three travelers, belonging to that of a mature looking woman with concern etched upon her features. Gloved hands tugged at the fabric of her blue capelet, surveying the unfamiliar faces all somewhat obscured by the darkness that the evening brought with it.

 

"It's best that you come in and introduce yourselves, there's a lot we need to explain."  

 

There was no way of telling what each new arrival was individually thinking, but all seemed to share a look of suspicion as they were led to a door off the side of the parlor room.

 

From what they could hear, there was a sizable group already gathered just beyond the door. A rowdy group at that. The woman that led them inside let out a small huff of air before turning to the others with a look of reassurance. And then, she ushered them inside.  

 

Suddenly, it went from a cacophony of voices speaking over one another to a silence so profound, one would have thought the room was empty to begin with. The newcomers barely had time to register that they were in a dining area before they found themselves under the scrutinizing gaze of a handful of strangers, some appearing more cautious than others. One of them dared to break the silence by taking a few steps forward, his mouth almost as wide as his eyes as he pointed between the three figures still by the entrance.

 

"Ah!— New survivors?!"  After standing in shock for a few seconds he ran forward to close the distance. He was rather young, with bright eyes behind thick glasses frames, and a few freckles dotting his cheeks. His clothes were unlike anything the others had ever seen before. Despite his odd appearance, two of the travelers gave him a polite smile. The third— the man who had knocked on the door earlier— furrowed his brow, a frown etched upon his face.

 

"I'm sorry, did you say survivors?"

 

The people gathered around the dining table shared a knowing look, one that made the man's stomach churn at the prospect of being kept from a big secret. Out of the three, he was the least pleased to know there had been others residing at the manor. Before he had the chance to confront them, the woman from before placed a hand on his shoulder.

 

"Why don't you all sit down? I'm afraid there's more going on than whatever reason you may have come to the manor."

 

"As if! We don't even know if they're dangerous or not yet– it is a full moon after all. You three, introduce yourselves this instant!"

 

At the sound of a harsh voice barking out commands, almost everyone groaned.

 

"Don't you get tired of accusing everyone?"  Said a man at the far end of the table, sounding far less interested in the current conversation. He tilted his cap upwards to get a better look at the trio, revealing a scar on the left side of his face, and a peculiarly placed piercing on the bridge of his nose.

 

"They don't look dangerous to me."

 

"Well that's your opinion— Norton Campbell!"  The wary man hissed in response, his two front teeth more prominent than before with the disgust he displayed. "You don't get to decide that!"

 

"They're a little strange looking, but I think they're fine!" Another person suddenly spoke, a spunky looking girl sporting an orange jumpsuit. A cheerful woman standing next to her hummed in agreement, a clenched fist held to her chest as she smiled.

"It's always nice to make new friends in the manor! Welcome! My name is Emma, Emma Woods!"

 

"And I'm Tracy Reznik!"

 

"Wha—?! Hey! What are you doing introducing yourselves right now?!"

 

"Ah! I want to introduce myself too!"  A hand belonging to the strange looking boy shot straight into the air, the other moving over his chest. "Please consider me your good-luck charm going forward. You can call me Lucky Guy!" He beamed with enthusiasm, giving no room for pause before he surged forward to push everyone closer towards the dining table. One of the newcomers, a woman carrying in her hand the skull of an ape, accepted his offer with a gracious smile, and moved to take a seat. The unique accessory of hers hadn't gone unnoticed.

 

"Th-th-th-that's not real, is it?!" Said a bearded man sitting next to her, fear evident in his eyes. Though she had a feeling that wasn't such an unusual sight. He gripped a flashlight tightly in his hands, pointing to the object as if it offended him. The woman simply grinned in response, caressing the top of its head as she spoke.

 

"It's merely a wood carving, you don't need to worry. What you should be concerned about is the curse that dwells inside it."  A giggle left her dark painted lips as the man beside her let out a shout, immediately jumping from his seat to crouch behind a chair on the other side of the table. Quick to take his place was one of the new individuals, clad in traditional religious garbs and carrying a wooden cross that they gently set onto the table.

 

"I'm still intrigued by this curse of yours. You should elaborate sometime."

"Let's become closer, before I reveal something like that."

 

A smile made it's way to their lips before they turned to adress the majority. "I'm Ramiel. Pleased to make your acquaintance, everyone."

"Patricia Dorval," the woman offered as well.  

 

They both turned to the man they arrived with who remained unmoving. Procured from his jacket was an ornate pocket watch that he studied the details of in his hand, forcing the group to sit in an uncomfortable silence before he decided to speak.

 

"My apologies for being so cold. My name is Jose Baden. This place is... livelier than I expected it to be. But my business is with the Baron. You all wouldn't happen to know where he is right now, would you?" The more he spoke, an air of self-assurance began to surround him that seemed much more natural than his previous demeanor.  Instead of taking his place at the table, he began to pace around the floor as he waited for an answer, eyeing the decorations that lined the walls. The woman who had still yet to introduce herself grimaced.

 

"Ah... about that. No one here has actually ever met the Baron, or seen him for that matter. I'm truly sorry to disappoint you, but it appears you've been misled."

 

"Misled? I assure you my dear that's quite impossible! Somewhere in this manor there's something that belongs to me, and I intend to meet with the Baron to get it back."

 

"Hah! What makes you think you're so special to be granted an audience with the Baron? Some of us have been here far longer than you, and are far more important. If he wanted to meet with any of us, he would have done so by now!"

 

Tired of being ignored, one man in the room made his presence known once again. In one swift movement, he pushed his glasses upwards with his palm against the side of his round frames, sneering at the man holding the pocket watch. Unlike the other male with glasses, he was much more hostile, and dressed far more formal. His behavior was a stark contrast, however, as he practically hissed while pointing a finger in the other's direction.  

 

"Now listen up, and this goes for the rest of you as well! You should forget any reason that you came here to the manor, because none of that matters anymore! You're survivors now— a pawn in the Baron's game just like we are. But just look to me for guidance, I'll teach you everything there is to know! And remember this name: Freddy Riley!"

 

"H-h-h-he's a liar! Th-the-the only thing he'll teach you is how to p-protect him!"

 

"Noone was talking to you, Kreacher Pierson! Stay out of this!"

 

"N-n-no! You do this every time people sh-sh-show up!"

 

The scowling man, now known as Freddy Riley, became far too engrossed in his argument with the skittish man, who lifted himself from behind his chair to take a few taunting steps forward. Letting out a few hoots and hollers, he flicked his flashlight on and off in the other's face, fast on his feet as he moved backwards every time Freddy attempted to lunge for the object. Even Jose— who at that point had still been hanging on to Freddy's curious words— took a step backwards, out of the way of their ongoing squabble. He had no time to warn them of a lone figure standing against the far wall until it was too late, and Kreacher's back collided roughly against the chest of a tall, thin man.

 

Although his face was partially hidden by his long hair, equally as pale as his complexion, a scowl that rivaled even Freddy's was visible enough to startle Kreacher into retreating.

 

"Watch where you're going," the tall man hissed under his breath, clicking his tongue as he tightened his grip on the shovel he held in his hands. His glare darted between the man who bumped into him and Jose, eyeing him warily before moving to take a seat at the table with a huff. There was an empty chair across from Patricia, though when he sat down it wasn't her striking appearance nor her artifact that intrigued him. His gaze fell upon the intricately designed cross resting upon the table, and instinctually, he clutched a smaller, wooden replica dangling from his neck. This caught the attention of the person sitting next to the woman, though they simply offered him a smile. He looked up at them for a fraction of a second, and then his head turned to see everyone staring at him with mixed gazes. Some expected a further outburst, while others anticipated some kind of introduction. Quickly, he bowed his head towards the ground and simply sucked his teeth, pulling his shovel's handle closer to his chest. Some of the survivors let out a breath, while Freddy just looked ready to go back to bickering. One of the survivors seized the opportunity to speak before that could happen, the same woman that the newcomers first met.

 

"As I was trying to say before... Most people come to this manor for a specific reason. Some even get an invitation from the Baron himself. But once you arrive... unfortunately, there's no hope of leaving. We become survivors, in a never-ending game where there are only temporary winners and losers. I apologize for not introducing myself sooner, but... My name is Emily Dyer. Please, come to me if you ever find yourself injured or under the weather. Along with Miss Woods, Mr. Riley and Mr. Pierson, I'm one of the manor's guests that have been here the longest. So what Mr. Riley says holds some truth... he does have quite a bit of knowledge."

 

The aforementioned man gave a little huff as he crossed his arms, but said nothing more.

 

The way everyone in the room seemed to accept this as the truth made something in Jose's stomach churn. He turned to the pair he met on his way to the manor, Ramiel sharing his look of unease. Patricia was the first to speak.

 

"How curious... how exactly are you supposed to play this game?" Suddenly, she gasped, pressing a hand against her curled lips. "Or could it be... the game has already begun?"

 

"H-hey! Wh-why are you smiling when you s-s-say that?!"

 

"It's not supposed to be fun, you know!"

 

 

Ignoring the outburst from the bickering duo, Emily persisted.

 

"The game begins every time four people in this manor are given an invitation to participate. We don't get much of a choice to decline even if we want to. Our goal is to work as a team in order to make it out alive, all the while we're actively being... hunted down. Just as there are many survivors, there are also plenty of hunters to chase us. You'll meet them all eventually, but I'd suggest not venturing outside this manor for the rest of the evening. During a full moon is the only time we can visit the hunters outside of the game, but not all of them are so inviting to us survivors... even when the game is over."

 

"B-but! Some of them can be pretty nice! If you ever want to meet them, just let me go with you! I want us all to get along!" Lucky Guy quickly interjected, earning a nod of approval from Emma.

 

"Mhm! I'm sure Robbie will be happy to have new friends to play with!"

 

"You make it sound like a good thing," Norton grumbled. The pair didn't seem deterred by his negativity.  

 

As Jose began to let their words sink in, he suddenly shook his head. "Waitwaitwaitwaitwait, hold on— what exactly is stopping us from leaving? What do you mean we can't just refuse to play this 'game'?"

 

"Many of us have tried to leave, myself included." A new voice began to speak, softer and quieter than any of the previous. Jose jumped, turning around to see a masked man with silver hair who was a bit shorter than him, holding a case close by his side. The man looked equally as startled, flinching backwards before holding his free hand up in a placating gesture.

 

"S-sorry. I was waiting for the right time to— nevermind." He shook his head, adjusting the collar of his jacket. Jose took a moment to clear his throat.

 

"It's quite alright, mate– but, what you said just now— you were serious?" His voice raised in pitch, doubt evident in his tone. The man quickly nodded in affirmation.  

 

"Y-yes.... For a long time... I couldn't believe the situation I was in. Many of us couldn't. But trying to escape here... it means nothing. You'll always end up back at the front steps of the manor."

 

"Unfortunately, what Mr. Carl says is true," Emily confirmed.

 

Jose held a hand up to his face, stroking the ends of his mustache with his thumb and forefinger. He released an incredulous huff.

 

"This feels... like a terrible dream." Ramiel scanned the faces of those occupying the room, picking up their cross to cradle it close to their chest. The man with the shovel let out a scoff.

 

"... You get used to it after a while," he muttered, his voice laced with a bitter tone.

 

Ramiel hummed in response. "I suppose that'll end up being the case, I have no reason to doubt your words. But I'll admit that it's quite relieving to meet a fellow man of God under these circumstances." The pale man looked up once more, visibly studying the other's features, listening closely to their voice. His face briefly twisted into confusion, but after a long pause he nodded, blinking slowly.

 

"Are you... some sort of priest?" He could only infer, based on the other's clothes.

 

"Ah... not exactly, though I work closely with the church. I'm an exorcist."

 

"An exorcist?" Emma chimed in with interest.  

 

"Y-y-you speak with gh-ghosts and stuff? Miss Woods, y-you should stay far away from someone l-like that!"

 

"Hmph I'm in agreement with the thief for once! It's bad enough we already have two others so closely related with death. I get chills even thinking about it!"  

 

"Hm... your fears seem to stem from ignorance about what being an exorcist really means. I'd prefer to see my job as… helping guide unruly souls to a much happier rest, and vanquishing evil from this plane of existence."

 

"Guiding them... to rest?" The soft voice of the silver haired man caught the attention of the room, causing him to shrink in on himself. "That choice of words... It feels familiar to me, is all. I'm an Embalmer..." He spoke with uncertainty as he addressed the exorcist, but the corners of his eyes crinkled with an inexplicable emotion close to excitement.  Ramiel chuckled in return.

 

"I see. So you're one of those closely related with death that Mr. Riley mentioned."

 

He nodded once, then lowered his gaze to the floor.

 

"Mr. Aesop had a similar realization when Andrew first arrived at the manor too!"

 

"Ohh– you're right, Lucky Guy! Andrew told us a long time ago that he was a gravekeeper!" Tracy chimed in, pointing to the man sitting across from Patricia with a hand on her hip.

 

He made a noise of surprise, not expecting himself to be a topic of interest in the conversation. He expected some sign of disgust on Ramiel's face, but was surprised to see none.

 

"Ah, Andrew! It's nice to know your name," they clasped their hands together, their cross still in their clutches. "I think what you do is quite lovely. Even after the departed are long gone, it's nice to know there's someone out there to look after what remains of them on Earth. Likewise, I appreciate those that make the transition into a permanent sleep quite beautiful for them." They finished with a nod towards Aesop, who similarly looked caught off guard by the recognition. He was quick to dismiss them with nervous laughter under his breath, but Andrew floundered for a response before he ultimately decided on a defeated huff of air.

 

The room fell into a silence much more comfortable than before as the newcomers settled into their new, confusing situation. Jose's face twisted into an expression of confliction, but he resolved to get answers once things weren't so... busy.

 

Patricia was surprisingly the hardest to read; after her initial unease she hadn't expressed further dissatisfaction with the current predicament.  Her eyes only held a sparkling curiosity as she took every sliver of information handed to her in stride. She sat quite contently, before she felt the overbearing presence of the rude, bespectacled man close to her.

 

"And what's the deal with you two? Surely a woman carrying around a curse can't possibly be more normal than an exorcist! That isn't to say I trust that man over there either—!"

 

Without missing a beat Patricia lifted her ape skull to be level with her head, pointing it in Freddy's direction before she gave the top of its skull a firm tap. Almost immediately, the man shot straight up, spine stiff as he blanched at his sudden immobility. Kreacher screamed at the display.

 

"Sh-sh-sh-she put a curse on you!"

 

Patricia giggled. "It's only a small showcase of what I can do. I'm an enchantress, you see. You'll be perfectly fine."

 

Freddy tried to stammer out some sort of response, bunching up the fabric of his shirt at his chest. Some of the survivors snickered at his expense, to which he quickly began yelling at them.

 

"HEY! That wasn't funny! Knock it off, all of you!" He shouted, waving his hands wildly in the air.

 

Emma tried to stifle her laughter with a hand, quickly turning to Jose to redirect the attention of the group.

 

"And what about you, Mr. Baden? Someone dressed so fancy like you must have an interesting job!"

 

Jose idly began to smoothe out the wrinkles in his jacket, forming a crooked smile on his face.

 

"That's awfully flattering of you to say, miss. I happen to be a First Officer. My father is... well, he used to be a Captain of a mighty fleet— it was an honor to be able to work alongside him!"

 

"Woah! That sounds like a lot of fun!"

 

"Indeed it was, but it wasn't always as easygoing as you may think! We had our fair share of bad weather and traversing of the unruly seas." He chuckled, gesturing wildly with one hand as he spoke.

 

Freddy scoffed, moving to sit down at the table.

 

"Well, it's a shame you somehow managed to find your way here instead of staying out at sea."

 

Removing himself from the conversation, he lifted a chalice from the table and gave it's contents a swirl,  bringing it to his lips. Emily took the opportunity to address Jose with a disappointed shake of her head after observing her peer's behavior.  

 

"Please, don't hesitate to come talk to us if you need anything. You all should get some rest, it is rather late. If we're lucky, there'll be enough time tomorrow to better explain how the game works before any of you are forced to participate."

 

For the second time that evening, Lucky Guy raised his hand.

 

"I can show you all to your rooms!"  

 

The exorcist laughed at his enthusiasm. "That would be wonderful."

 

"Yes, thank you Lucky Guy."  Emily bowed to the young man, who gave her a thumbs up in return.  

 

Without any objection from the new inhabitants of the manor, they soon found themselves being led back through the door they initially entered, venturing even further inside to discover a living space far more grand than what they initially imagined while looking at it from the outside gate.

 

Back in the dining room, most of the survivors were already talking amongst themselves about various things, some curious about those they just met, while others were more indifferent.  

 

Norton fiddled with the magnets in his hand, thinking back to the First Officer's peculiar reactions to the situation.  It's not that he couldn't blame him for being cautious of course, that much was understandable.  But his business with the Baron felt far more personal than he seemed to let on. What business does a seafarer even have with the owner of the manor? And that pocket watch...

 

"Tch."

 

Emma looked over at the disgruntled man, tilting her head in curiosity.  

 

"Is something wrong, Norton?"

 

"... No. I was just thinking..." He trailed off, catching the attention of a few other survivors who quickly leaned in his direction, some more subtle than others.

 

"If I had a watch like his, I bet it would sell for quite a bit of money. That priest girl's cross looked pretty expensive too."  

 

Emma let out a giggle, and everyone else deflated almost instantly. They all returned to what they were originally doing, leaving the Prospector to ruminate by himself.