The Curse of Taloncrest Manor

Chapter 10: Execution

"Stay here, interloper," Dischord ordered as he and the two cultists prepared to leave the backstage area. "Oh, and just so you're not tempted to escape, like my Magistrix's last victims...." The vizier placed a pair of spectral handcuffs around the old man's wrists. After that, the three specters disappeared.

As soon as the groundskeeper was alone, the four boys immediately came to his aid. "You....! What are you all doing here? You're going to get us all killed!" the man whispered urgently. "We're here to save you," Ricardo explained. "Here, have a look at this." He took out the blue energy core that he, Cooper, and James had recovered from Octavio's laboratory. 

"The....the fuel cube....you actually managed to get your hands on it! I assume you didn't have much trouble?" the groundskeeper remarked. "It was actually very difficult...." Cooper commented, explaining everything that he and his friends had encountered during their time in the basement. The old man's eyes widened in shock. "Color me surprised! I don't recall any of that stuff being down there the last time I surveyed the mansion....oh, well. It's a miracle you three got out okay." 

"And that's not all!" Elijah piped up as he pulled out a familiar-looking pistol-type weapon that formerly sat on a counter gathering dust at the bunker. "You....you brought my projects! Well done, lads!" the groundskeeper said proudly. "But....alas, it is too late for me, my friends." he lamented.

"What? Don't worry, we'll get these off of you--" Ricardo protested, but the man was insistent. "No....I'm staying here." "What....what do you mean?" James asked softly. 

"Here. Can one of you reach into my back pocket? There should be a piece of paper in there with all the information you need." the groundskeeper instructed. After Ricardo retrieved the parchment, he scanned the paper, and found out that it appeared to be a set of instructions. "What.....what is this....?" Ricardo asked. The man smiled. "Instructions. On how to integrate the fuel core into the weaponry you've got with you. Now, you've got everything you require."

"Hand me that, would you?" Elijah requested. "I'll look this over. Who knows, maybe we'll be able to do this right here and now." "Yeah! And give Melody and her Songsworn goons the surprise of a lifetime!" James said excitedly. 

But Elijah's face fell soon after he began reading. His visage turned pale as he came to a realization. "Wire cutters.....?" he muttered. "But we left those at the bunker!" "Oh, no!" Cooper cried, as Ricardo facepalmed in grief. "So....what do we do now?" James asked. "There's only one thing you can do, my friends...." the groundskeeper said solemnly. 

Ricardo slowly realized what the old man was implying. "No....we won't leave you!" he argued. "There is no need to fear....I've lived long, and I trust that you four will finish my life's work. Leave me now, and return to the bunker to enhance these tools. They will prove a welcome addition to your arsenal." The man looked at Ricardo. "My boy....even though we have known each other only for a while, you have been one of the greatest people I've met. You have potential, you have drive, you have passion...." the groundskeeper addressed the boy one last time. "Your friends need you. Your loved one needs you. Be the leader they deserve." he ordered. 

Suddenly, the man gasped. "Shhh! Dischord's coming back! You four had better hide somewhere!" he whispered to them in a panicked tone. The boys reluctantly retreated further backstage and sought refuge behind a giant crate, with Ricardo being the most hesitant to leave the groundskeeper's side. 

Soon, Dischord had arrived. Just as before, two cultists were flanking him on either side. "Any last words, cretin?" the vizier asked the groundskeeper sternly. But all the man did was spit at his feet spitefully. ".....Such arrogance....take him away, Songsworn," Dischord told his assistants. 

The two cultists brought the groundskeeper before Melody herself. One of them stabbed him in the back with their spear, causing him to fall to his knees. Melody unsheathed her blade and held it up to the old man's neck, forcing his head upwards to look at her, just as she had done with Ricardo earlier. "I know you helped those boys escape, old man. I will give you one last chance...." she said, her words dripping with venom. "Where....are....they?" The groundskeeper, despite being heavily injured, did not give in. "I will tell you nothing," he said firmly. "You will not be stealing more innocent lives this day, 'Magistrix'......" 

"Hmph....I see. And is that your final answer?" she asked him as she conjured up a pulsing orb of ghost essence in her left hand. As a final gesture, the groundskeeper looked at her dead in the eyes and said:

"It is. At least my soul will get to pass on.....unlike yours."

This angered Melody even more, and she forcefully shoved the ghost orb into the groundskeeper's chest, painfully overloading him with magic to the point where eerie, cracked, light-blue lines began to spread all over his body. The groundskeeper's screams of agony echoed through the hall, their delightful sounds reaching Melody's ears. Ricardo, who was hiding backstage with the other boys, attempted to rush out and stop them, but Elijah quickly pulled him back, knowing how risky of a move it was. 

The old man's body was tearing apart more and more by the second. Eventually, he couldn't take anymore, and he was ultimately vaporized in an explosion that was bright enough to be seen from backstage, with nothing more than a dark, burning pile of ashes at the spot where he was brought to his knees before her. 

The groundskeeper was dead.