[The Daniels Estate, Piasu, Ryomania, 10:40 AM, May 7th, Tuesday, 2025]
Amelia Orwell: "Tinker Bell... That's the ability's name...!"
Cathy rolled her eyes and hovered closer.
Cathy Ariston: "Okay, great, whatever. Can you use it to find Erika?"
Amelia nodded gently.
Amelia Orwell: "I can try... I wish to find Mistress Erika!"
She rang the bell.
A strange golden line started showing itself to Amelia, hidden from the sight of everyone else. It glowed like a thread, just above the floor, but Amelia could see it.
She pointed to it.
Amelia Orwell: "Look! There's a golden thread leading the way, s-should we follow it?"
She glanced between them for permission, both Jack and Cathy looked down, trying to find the thread but couldn't.
Jack Daniels: "A thread, huh? And only you can see it... Alright! Lead the way pipsqueak!"
Amelia blushed at Jack's words, but started leading them down the hallway anyway.
Amelia Orwell: "M-Master Jack, I'd appreciate you to not belittle me with such vocabulary... I'm not that tiny..."
She glanced back at him, Cathy rolled her eyes again.
Cathy Ariston: "Just keep walking, don't listen to him, that's just how he jokes."
Jack Daniels: "Speaking of which... A dog walked into a bar..."
Cathy turned to Jack, he glanced away pretending not to see her, while smirking.
Cathy sighed in frustration.
Cathy Ariston: "SO annoying..."
They continued walking down the left hallway, Tinker Bell gently tinkling as it followed behind them, under the stairs leading up to the second floor.
Cathy Ariston: "Hey, Amelia? Where's Erika even been, we haven't seen her in hours since we had breakfast."
Amelia Orwell: "Mistress Erika likes to workout after breakfast, that usually takes a couple of hours, and after that..."
She paused, looking back at them as they kept walking.
Amelia Orwell: "Between ten and eleven AM, Mistress Erika usually spends her time in the basement... Even I'm not allowed down there."
Jack leaned in, whispering to Cathy.
Jack Daniels: "I snuck in there, once, when I was like six or seven, all I saw was a bunch of dirt and dust, maybe even a few wooden beams? But that's it."
Cathy Ariston: "Dirt, dust, wooden beams... Sounds like a mineshaft. Got it."
They continued walking, past the maid's quarters, Amelia's bedroom, and down past a large iron door leading beneath the mansion.
The room they entered looked unfinished, there was no covering to the floor, it was dirt, as Jack mentioned, a few lone barrels sat in the corner with bags of flour, potatoes and other ingredients.
Cathy Ariston: "Wow, you weren't kidding, this place looks like something out of CubeMiner, ugh... and it smells earthy."
Jack Daniels: "Nothing like how I remember it!"
Wooden beams held up the ceiling, also made of dirt, roots sticking out from it from outside trees and plants.
The center of the room had a large dug out tunnel with lanterns and rocks, roots and even more dirt.
Amelia Orwell: "Wow... it's beautiful, in an eerie sort of way..."
Before the three of them could even take a step, the entrance door swung open, revealing another giant human head peeking out from it, like those from earlier, followed by a bunch of smaller heads.
They all came out of various vases, pots, jars, things from the kitchen, Amelia's bedroom and bathroom. This time, they all had long spindly legs. They all continued chanting.
The Heads: "DOP DOP DOP, SKIIII!"
Jack grabbed Amelia's hand and the three of them ran down the tunnel.
Jack Daniels: "Hah... Oh man! So much running... I haven't done this much cardio in a while..."
Amelia Orwell: "I would suggest not speaking! I may have accidentally swallowed a bug... I don't like it here..." Amelia whined, glancing back at the rapidly approaching creatures.
Cathy Ariston: "Shut up! Just focus on running! Let's go left here."
They made a left, the tunnels seemed to go on in multiple directions, lanterns and rooms everywhere, with wooden crates, tables, weaponry, everything wooden.
Jack Daniels: "Amelia! Use your Tinker Bell, try and stop them!"
Amelia Orwell: "Okay... I wish these spiders would fall!"
Tinker Bell rung once, twice—
The ceiling shook and lots of spiders began falling from the ceiling, as if an earthquake was happening.
Amelia Orwell: "AHH! THEY'RE IN MY HAIR! THEY'RE IN MY HAIR! MASTER JACK, HELP!" Amelia yelled, as hard as she could, trying to swat the falling spiders off her hair and clothes.
Jack Daniels: "Oh damn, we should've tested that out more... Ah, sorry! I can't really help, while they're still after us."
Cathy grumbled and began throwing the spiders off of both Jack and Amelia, she was unaffected by her aura which pushed the spiders off of her.
Cathy Ariston: "If I had those on me, I'd scream too."
The trio continued running from The Heads, which were completely unaffected, they weren't shooting like the others however, these were a different type.
There was a room at the end of the hallway, it looked like there were no other tunnels and the door itself had a bunch of strange markings on it, it was made of mahogany.
Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, giant roots shot out from the left wall, pushing the trio over and cutting off The Heads.
The Heads: "SKIIII—" They yelled as rocks fell upon the tunnel from the impact, blocking it off.
Jack stood up first, helping Amelia stand as Cathy hovered up.
Amelia Orwell: "I-Is it over? Those roots stopped them..."
The room at the end of the hallway opened.
Erika Daniels: "Hey Homewreckers... You're not meant to be down here."
Cathy Ariston: "Yeah?! And what the hell are YOU doing down here? You've been gone for hours! We had to fight off a bunch of—"
Erika Daniels: "Creepy heads? I know. I sent them after you."
She chuckled and stepped closer. Cathy closed her eyes, fuming, but trying to be respectful.
Jack Daniels: "What? Why would you do that? And what's with the roots then... Is that also you?"
Erika patted his shoulder, smirking.
Erika Daniels: "Relax. I was just testing you, remember, you need training. So, I decided to give you an early start."
She peeked over his shoulder at Amelia, who was brushing her hair with her hand.
Erika Daniels: "And you, sweetie, I wanted you awakened. You've been with us so long, I felt as if it was time you'd get your own powers. What'd you name it? Is it a Holiness or a Divinity?"
Amelia Orwell: "Um... It's this bell over here, I can make wishes to it and things happen..."
Amelia pointed to Tinker Bell as it hovered behind her.
Erika reached out and grabbed it, shaking it a few times before handing it back to Amelia.
Erika Daniels: "Not bad... Anyway, you two should follow me to the garden for training, Amelia, you stay here and clean. Oh and don't go through that door back there. Ever."
Amelia Orwell: "V-Very well Mistress Erika, I'll do my best, cleaning here...!"
Erika then walked past them, lifting her hand, the roots that blocked the tunnel suddenly went back into the wall, taking a few fallen rocks with them.
The Heads were no longer there.
Jack Daniels: "More training huh? Hey wait—You didn't explain the creepy heads or the roots! How are you doing that? I had a sort of embarrassing issue in the bathroom, so I gotta know!"
Erika Daniels: "You peed on one, didn't you?"
Jack Daniels: "Accident. Plus, it appeared there while I was peeing what was I meant to do—"
Cathy Ariston: "Okay! We get it! No more pee talk! Erika, what the HELL was all of that about?"
Erika smirked as she opened the basement door for them, leading them back up into the left foyer hallway.
Erika Daniels: "Relax, I'm still on your side. I'll explain my ability once I talk to James, you two should wait outside in the garden. I'll be in my room, preparing... Okay? No hard feelings?"
Cathy sighed and nodded gently.
Cathy Ariston: "Yeah, sure, okay... No hard feelings. We'll go outside, right Jack?"
Jack was collecting dust off the wall with his finger, not paying attention, Cathy cleared her throat and Jack turned to her.
Jack Daniels: "Huh? Oh yeah yeah, training, I'm in!"
He grinned and did a fist bump, glancing between the two of them.
Erika Daniels: "Welp, I'm gonna go... See ya later kids."
She turned and walked away, leaving both of them with their own thoughts.