The Curse of Taloncrest Manor

Chapter 31: Liberation

The creature flailed about the yard as the team attempted to dodge its attacks, its ghostly wails getting louder and more emotional by the minute. At one point, its twisted, gnarled limbs ensnared James, but Cooper quickly improvised and cut it off with a nearby pair of garden shears. James breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew! Thanks for the help!" 

After several minutes, the battle had more or less reached a head. Neither side was showing any signs of giving in, and the courtyard's condition was not getting any better.

"How are we going to stop this thing?!" Discord exclaimed. Melody tried blasting it with lightning, but the amalgamation deflected it, causing a portion of the yard to catch fire instead. Ricardo's eyes landed on the newly-created blaze, and also observed that there was a rug laid out next to it. Just then, he got an idea. "Everyone! Lure it onto that mat!" he said. 

"Way ahead of you!" Discord jumped and delivered a strong right hook to the amalgam's jaw, forcing it backward closer to the fire. Elijah quickly ran to the garden shed, grabbed an abandoned flashlight, and charged up a light blast to stun the monster. "Wow," he remarked. "I'm surprised this thing still works." 

At that point, the creature had been thoroughly winded, and both of its feet were on the mat. "What now?" James asked. Ricardo only had one word. 

"PULL!" 

W...what are you doing?! STOP!  one of the souls inside the construct cried, in a futile attempt to communicate with the heroes. 

Do not worry, it is okay.....I believe they mean to assist us,  another voice responded. 

With one movement, the guys pulled the mat out from underneath the amalgam's feet, causing it to fall into the fire and burning away its crude outer shell. 

Countless spirit essences flew out of the pile of smoldering nature remains. Once they hit the ground, they immediately reformed into the shapes of the ghosts abducted by Octavio. Melody and Cadence recognized all of them immediately; some were regular party guests, and others still wore the typical robes of the Songsworn. 

Just then, Cadence spotted a pair of Songsworn cultists who appeared to be much shorter than the others, and joyfully sprinted towards them. "Cantrelle! Clarion!" she cried happily as the trio shared a group hug. 

Melody and Discord watched as the three friends reunited. "You've raised quite the family, Grand Magistrix," he said, smiling. "Some people might call this a 'cult'....but you can't deny the unity within its members is unparalleled." 

As the ghosts were rejoicing at their freedom from the doctor, Melody, Dischord, and Ricardo explained the entire situation to the crowd, filling them in on what they had missed during their time in captivity, as well as the current situation regarding their mansion imprisonment.

Afterwards, Cooper walked over to the middle of the courtyard and spotted an object on the ground. "Guys, look!" he called, pointing to one of the stone tiles. Elijah's eyes widened. "That's the Breaker Room key!" 

He picked it up and handed it to Ricardo. The guys, alongside Melody and Dischord, prepared to depart the courtyard, but were stopped. 

"Grand Magistrix! And Her friends!" 

The group turned around to see Cadence stepping out from the crowd of ghosts. 

"I'm afraid we are unable to accompany you much farther than this. You saw what Octavio did to us, and there's no telling if he would do it again. All these years, I never imagined that anyone who wasn't even a ghost themselves would be able to manipulate us to such a degree. Not to mention that Thomas has become even more powerful than before. But.....you've come this far. You should know that you have our full support!" she said cheerfully. 

"That means a lot, Cadence," Melody responded. "The Conservatory has a hidden bunker underneath the stage; I highly doubt Octavio knows about it yet. If you and the others relocate there, you should be safe until we manage to deal with the threats at hand." 

"Right away, Grand Magistrix! Everyone, move out!" Cadence ordered as the rest of the group disappeared. Before exiting personally, Cadence shared one last look at the group. "I have faith in you! Give this story a happy ending!" 

With that, she teleported away.

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The gang re-entered the Foyer and headed to the Breaker Room. There, they found that the door was once again clean. "The spirit wards must have disappeared when the amalgam was destroyed," Elijah concluded. 

Ricardo used the key to open the door, and immediately made for the machine at the back of the room, throwing the switch. 

The entire mansion lit back up almost instantly, much to the joy of the heroes. "So, I take it that the elevator in the Showroom is up and running?" Jane suddenly piped up. Everyone looked at her in surprise, as she had not acted or spoken much since the crew saw Octavio again in the courtyard. ".....Sorry. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I genuinely thought Thomas was a good friend of my husband's. I never, for a second, thought he would think of doing things like this....." 

Ricardo walked up to her and gave her the closest thing to a pat on the back that he could manage. "We'll worry about that when the time comes. Right now, both your loved one and my loved one are in his custody, and they should be freed." 

Jane nodded. 

"Are we ready, everyone?" Cooper asked the group.

James breathed heavily. "Ready as we'll ever be, I suppose." 

Elijah remained as optimistic as ever. "Let's do this!" 

"That butler's going to pay for what he did to me," Melody said gravely. "And I will gladly fight at Your side," Dischord added. 

Ricardo and Jane exchanged a long glance. "It's now or never," he declared as he pressed the button. 

The elevator doors closed, and the car began ascending.