"What do you mean, they got him?" Kayley mimics.
"What happened?" Kristoff slides up beside her, worry etched across his face as he notices Eli crumbled to his knees.
Eli allows himself another moment of regret before he straightens back up, his expression resigned. So much for keeping Flora's promise. So much for keeping the rest of the gamers safe.
On either side of the group, two towering cliffs reach into the bright sky, enclosing them in a sort of valley. It causes Eli to feel trapped. He matches Kayley's horrific gaze, and Hiro's questioning look. Guilt wraps around his heart like a metal hand, squeezing.
Ariel approaches him, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. It does nothing to reassure him. "They won't do anything to him." She notes, though her tense posture suggests she's not so certain. "It's me they're after. Scar will just use him as bait." She chews on her bottom lip, fingers digging into Eli's shoulder. "If I turn myself over to him, he has to let Jim go-"
She's immediately cut off by Kiara, who's normally pale face is bright red from her concealed anger. "That's not what Scar does. He's not that merciful." Her words are like venom, hatred for her uncle thick in her tone. "If you turn yourself over to him, he'll play you and Jim against each other."
"Then what do we do?" Aladdin questions, the seemingly only calm one out of the group. He folds his arms, gears in his mind turning as he searches for a solution. "Go after him ourselves? Gang up on Scar's gang?"
Mason paces across the dirt, his normally bright features excruciatingly dim. "We don't even know where they are. How do we find them?"
"What about the fairies?" Kayley peers hopefully at Eli, then shifts her gaze to Mason. "Can they track them down, or find out where they're taking Jim?"
Eli nods, swallowing the growing lump in his throat. "It's a start. I'll try to get a hold of Flora." He fishes his iPhone out of his pocket, squinting in frustration at the lack of reception.
"Meanwhile..." Ariel drags a hand through her hair, exhaling deeply. "We need to find out where we are, and what we need to do to get through this level." She examines the scenery around her, squinting. "Um... Where are we?"
"Some kind of valley?" Kristoff supplies, shrugging cluelessly. "Are we supposed to climb to the top?" He studies one of the cliff sides, partially wishing he had his ice gear with him. But that isn't exactly the best thing to bring to a fancy mansion party.
The gamers spread out, trying to keep the horror of Jim's disappearance far from their minds. Each one silently prays that Scar won't kill him - that he will use Jim as bait to lure Ariel in. All they need to do is find a way to outwit the guy, rescue Jim, escape the crazy game house... And then what?
Aladdin leans against a sheer rock, muscles aching. All this energy he's exerted since the night started is wearing him out. It's been 28 years since he last scrambled around this much - 28 years since his Agrabah street rat days. Dodging Sheriff Graham hadn't caused nearly as much effort as his time with Razoul. He gifts himself with a moment of relaxation, a moment to pull this scrambled thoughts together - when he notices it.
Someone else is missing.
Lips etched into a deep frown, he pushes away from the rock. Eight other gamers wander around, searching for any sort of clue on how to beat this level. Eight other gamers desperately try to push the horror of Scar out of their minds.
Eight. Not nine.
"Where's Mulan?" He asks, breaking the chilling silence. His friends still, for the first time noticing the absence. He spins, searching up and down the cliffs, behind large rocks, into both distances of the valley. "Mulan's gone."
