Mission: Mansion - Task 7

"It's done," you tell the others. "Let's go back to the mansion." Grace gasps and places a hand on her chest. You notice that she seems more ghostly than before. "Let's hurry!" she calls. Her voice seems distant, like an echo from a faraway tunnel. She places a hand on your drawing and vanishes in a flash of sparks.  You take one last longing look at the food and do the same. 

You find yourself back on the steps of the mansion, along with the only wizard left in Sophia's group. Grace is nowhere to be seen. She must have teleported out. 

"Well, if we want to break the curse on Bartleby, let's get moving!" says your partner. She looks at the door and says the password, confidently stepping over the threshold. You sigh, deciding to get it over with, and follow her. 

The two of you head up the grand staircase in the entry hall once more, without much idea of where you're going next. Much to your surprise, you're not alone when you reach the top. A girl, dressed all in black, seems to be waiting for you. 

"You," you whisper coldly. "Yes," says Fiona in a matching tone, her mouth forming a sneer. "It's me." 

"Why have you done this to Bartleby?" shouts your partner angrily. 

Fiona waves her hand dismissively. "Oh, it was in my best interests." She doesn't seem to care to elaborate on her reasons, but instead changes the topic. "I suppose you're here to break the curse. You'll never find the amulet that's eating away his life, much less find out how to stop it, unless I tell you. Of course, you could always just search the mansion, but you know what happens if you stay here too long." 

She snaps her fingers, and transparent bluish forms appear around her. You whirl around and find them behind you, too. They're all wizards who succumbed to the curse. Fiona continues on. "They've become bitter and vengeful in all their years invisibly trapped here. You might even find that they want to kill you. It's your choice. You could leave here safely and let Wizard City fall, or you could stand and fight to the death." 

Her eerie smile grows wider as the ghosts close in.

*****

"Well, well," says Fiona when the last ghost vanishes in a puff of smoke. "I'll admit, you're better than I thought. You're out of immediate danger, but you won't survive the mansion's curse. That was laid down by my great-grandfather, and I'm afraid there's no way to break it." You shiver and notice that you're almost as ghostly as Grace was.

"But as for Bartleby's curse," she says, "You're running out of time. Bartleby is dying as we speak, and he won't survive much longer. You'll never find the amulet before you, as the poem puts it, 'join the ghosts in silent moans.' If I think you're clever enough, I just might tell you where it is. You'll never break the curse, anyway. Answer my questions quickly, or I might consider summoning some of my vampire friends..."

*****

Fiona looks surprised. "It seems you're cleverer than I thought. Very well. You'll find the amulet in the room on the left." She gestures with her hand. "I suppose I should tell you 'good luck,' but that's just manners. I'll see you around - if you're lucky." She teleports away in a stark flash of skulls. 

Your partner clenches her fists. "Hmph. Good riddance! Let's hurry and find that amulet."

When you enter the room, it's immediately obvious where the amulet is. On a raised pedestal in the middle of the room, there's a bronze amulet with a tree on it. It seems to be the opposite of glowing; that is, everything around it is cast into a strange darkness. On the pedestal next to it is a very heavy and thick book, likely over 1,000 pages long. How can you find the counter-curse in there? In desperation, you step up to it and desperately begin flipping through.

*****

You stare at the text on the page:

TO BREAK THE WILTING CURSE

The incantation to break the curse can only work when it is heard.

O victim of the wilting spell,

Here I stand your curse to quell.

Become again what you once were

As you regain your life-force sure.

And now, to get the curse to break the amulet with a jolt of power must shake. When this threat does no more loom, escape from your impending doom, for the coming blast will cause your death unless you have this cursed house left.

"All right," you say, "I'm going to read the incantation. But be careful! Apparently something terrible will happen after we break the curse, and we need to leave quickly. Get ready to run." Your partner nods resolutely and braces herself. 

You take a deep breath and begin reading. "O victim of the wilting spell, here I stand your curse to quell. Become again what you once were as you regain your life-force sure." You wait for something to happen, but nothing does. You whisper the lines written after the incantation. "And now, to get the curse to break the amulet with a jolt of power must shake." You raise your staff and aim a blast of magical power at the amulet. 

The amulet glows with a foreboding reddish light and begins to vibrate. "Run!" calls your partner as you both dash for the spiral door. You throw open the house's front door and run down the porch steps, out the gate, and to the steep planks up to the spiral door island. You stop short, remembering how you slipped upon entering the house. Your partner launches herself up the planks and heaves herself onto the small island, turning around to pull you up. 

You take one last horrified look at the house, and find it exploding in a cloud of dust and strange black fire. Then, you look down at your semi-transparent body and jump through the spiral door. The curse is broken at last.

So, this is a speed trivia challenge. The trivia questions will come in three sets, and each set of five questions features a different topic. I will comment at 9:00 AM EST with the first question, and your job is to reply to that comment with the answer as fast as you can. The person who gets it right first wins the question. If nobody gets it right, the person who answers first wins the question. The person who wins the most questions wins the set. After the first set is over, I'll post another section of the story, and post another comment with the first question of the second set TWO minutes later so you have a chance to read it. The questions will proceed as before. After the second set is over, more of the story will be posted and the third set will begin. After the third set is over, the rest of the story will be posted and we'll have a winner! Good luck.

Standings:

Set 1: Emma DawnRider
Set 2: Destiny SoulTamer
Set 3: Destiny SoulTamer

Destiny wins the contest! Congratulations! Prizes will be emailed out soon. There has been one change to the first prize. It is now wand of choice + story mention + custom graphics. Comment to say what you want.

- Sophia E