The Curse of Taloncrest Manor

Chapter 9: Revenge of the Magistrix

"WHAT?!" Ricardo exclaimed. "But....but he was our only hope of getting through the mansion easily!" He thought for a few moments. "Did you see where they took him?!" he asked desperately. "Unfortunately, I don't think I did....I was still a bit tired at the time, so I didn't catch everything...." Elijah lamented. "But I did see.....three ghosts. Two of them were dressed in some sort of robe or cloak with the beamed eighth note symbol on their backs---that's how I knew they were from the Songsworn---and....the third one looked familiar. He was dressed very sharply, wore a cape, and had a deep voice....I think it might've been Dischord!" 

"Dischord....isn't that the guy who we met earlier? The one who was guarding us before we were saved?" James asked. "Yes, that's him! Oh, no....he and Melody must've gotten wind of the groundskeeper's involvement in our rescue!" Cooper realized. "Did you see anything else after that, Elijah?" Ricardo asked once more. "Umm....one of the cultists just placed their hand on the man's back and he dropped to the floor almost instantly. I blacked out again afterward, and when I woke up, they were gone." 

"Shoot....this is bad. This is really bad," James said. "What are we going to do?!" "Wait!" Ricardo piped up. "Maybe they took him to the Conservatory! It's practically the Songsworn's base of operations!" 

"Even if we do find him, what would we do then?" Cooper asked. "We have the energy core, but we needed the groundskeeper to actually infuse the power into the weapons in order for them to work!" Ricardo facepalmed at this realization. "CRUD! Well....we can't just leave him alone! We've got to do something!" 

"I got it! Remember that secret stairwell that led from the Conservatory, down to the first floor, and to the backyard? The one that we used when we fled the stage the first time? Maybe we can use that path to get to the backstage area without being seen. We can't risk going in the main entrance; it'd be too obvious." James suggested. "From there, we can hide and see what they're planning on doing with him." 

".....That's a good idea," Ricardo commented after spending a few moments thinking about it. "Here," Elijah added, grabbing the powerless ghost weapons off of the table and handing them to the others. "I've recovered, so I'll be able to come along again. And I think we should bring these, just in case the groundskeeper is able to work his magic right then and there." 

"Alright, I think we have our plan of attack figured out. To the Conservatory!" Ricardo declared. 

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Meanwhile, the groundskeeper was being held captive in the backstage area of the music hall, restrained by Dischord and two Songsworn cultists. "You'll....you'll never get away with this, Melody!" he called out. "Oh, no, no, no...." the Magistrix replied, chuckling. "It is you who won't get away with what you've done." "What....what do you mean?" the man asked her. Melody promptly flew into a rage. "Do you know how long I have suffered here? The lives I've stolen? The blood on my hands?! No. And you'll never know, because you're not one of us. I was this close to fulfilling my one remaining desire....qualifying for my ascension....reaching a happy, eternal afterlife....." She turned to look at him. "And you let my victims get away!" "Now, wait just a second! How can you be so sure that it was me?!" the groundskeeper shot back. Melody calmly held up the gold button she had found lying on the stage earlier, and the man saw that it looked exactly the same as the ones that adorned his coat. "....Oh." 

"I could kill you and take your soul as punishment, but I think you deserve worse. So much worse." she said. She sounded calm, but it was clear that she was furious. She looked over at one of the cultists restraining the groundskeeper. "You there. Would you be so kind as to play the music track for me?" she asked. "Yes, Grand Magistrix," the cultist responded obediently.