The Virtues' Magecraft

Page 6: The First Mission Goes Wrong

"Alright," Liam began. "Here's the rundown of our situation. No matter how many times we climb up or down the stairs, we'll remain on the fifteenth floor. Elevators don't work. We can't leave through windows or doors, either. Alexander and Leonard tried climbing through the ceiling tiles, but the fifteenth floor was above that, too."

Alexander sat down, his back to a wall. "Isn't this all happening because Leonard went ahead and killed that spirit?"

Gabriel shook his head. "Curse magic like this is undone when the spirit dies. So this must be a different spirit."

"Okay, but you guys are forgetting that Leonard sensed a spirit on this floor," Lumiel said. "So where is it?"

"What if that thing that Leonard killed was just a chunk of it, instead of the whole spirit?" Anastasia asked.

"I guess that's possible. But it's unlikely. Haven't heard of that happening anywhere recently."

"But it's possible, right?" Giovanna asked. She sheepishly muttered, "What if it's outside? Then we can't get to it and we'll be stuck here until we die?!"

The room fell silent.

All seven of the Virtues stood, sat, and laid down in one of the rooms on the fifteenth floor. Their silence held the room with intensity. Not even half an hour had passed since they understood they were stuck.

For once, Alexander was the one to speak first. "Hey..." he said. "If we don't go back, then Archibald will come to help us, right?"

"In this situation, he might get trapped, too," Anastasia muttered, letting out a sharp breath.

"No, he won't," Gabriel interjected. "Uncle Charles would find a way."

Giovanna threw herself onto a bed. "We're gonna die here, aren't we? We'll starve to death."

"No, we'll find a way, too," Lumiel said. "He sent us here because he knew we could handle it. So that's what we'll do. Handle it."

Leonard cleared his throat as he ruffled his brown hair.

"So, uh..."

No one responded.

"Anyone got any fears?"

"Shut up, Leonard," Gabriel said.

"You shut up. I'm trying to make friends."

Gabriel groaned as he stood up from a chair. "You guys are annoying," he said.

From there, Alexander felt bad. He didn't want to bear the silence anymore, and he knew Leonard didn't want to either.

"I'm, uh... I'm afraid of blood," he said.

Leonard smiled. "Nice. Well... not nice because it's a fear. But nice."

"Heights," Anastasia said.

"Perfect. What about Liam?"

All six of them turned to Liam. Just like last time.

His stale voice spoke, "...Death."

They stared in silence, almost in shock. Liam didn't look like one to be afraid of death. He seemed to be one with no fear at all. In fact, he hadn't been the least bit fazed when they realized they trapped on this floor.

Giovanna got up and left the room.

"Where are you going?" Lumiel asked her.

"Gonna stay in another room. Staying here has gotten annoying."

Alexander nodded in understanding. "Leonard," he said. "The spirit's on this floor, right?"

Leonard nodded.