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Mandy had been deliberately staying out of fights and just having fun walking around on the gravity defying stairs when they decided to stop being so gravity defying.

Ouch. She was right, that had hurt but clearly not so much as falling to the ceiling and down like the people falling had. Her instincts that had been moping at her not trying out the awesome floating ability now seemed to get on track with her common sense. Ahhh vindication.

Still private victories later, right now extracting herself from this pile and dealing with the figure. Maybe they'd finally get some direct information?

"And what possible use could we be to you?"

Maybe if it answered they would finally get some understanding towards the figures intentions, after all when the others had mentioned it her fight had seemed awfully like a test. One that she hoped she had past.

((HP: 23))

The hood tilted to one side slightly, "Isn't being useful to me enough?" A pause and then, "It should be. So go through the door behind you, and defeat the man within. I may even thank you afterward." He gives the group a small shoo-ing gesture to hurry them along.

Malodore got to its feet - though it did give Riley a worried look, and sidestepped over to stand next to her. "Care to give us some details? If we're so important to you, it behooves you to equip us as best you can," it said, its gaze narrowing.

Then it crouched down next to Riley.

Riley's eyes turned to look at the door, and then turned back to the hooded figure. She got herself to a standing position without using either of her arms, just as Malodore began to crouch beside her. It was a welcoming presence, but she was a little distracted by the rage that was building up inside of her at the moment to accept it.

Malodore would hear a sickening crack, as Riley grabbed her arm and yanked it powerfully, pulling it out before letting it slam back into it's socket. She let go of her arm, while her reddened eyes glared at the calm and collected form of the reaper telling them what to do.

No.

She stated it just as calmly as he had, but there was nothing calm about her gaze.

Let us go home.

"Well yes I'm sure being useful is great and thanks would be nice, more than we usually get but we have this unfortunate need to know why if you would be so kind to indulge us." Mandy said this all in a calming tone, clearly trying not to gain the figures anger after previous displays by them, though it did bite at her to be so polite.

Still she couldn't quite suppress sending a clearly baffled look at her companions. Why the sudden change from just attacking?

Arachne scowled, clutching herself as there was no one else to hold onto as the hooded figure ranted.

'If you're that fabulous, fight the battle yourself!' she retorted and then fell quiet, listening to a new, yet distinct sound.

'What is that??' she asked, moving a little to peer down.

Riley heard the cries of her friends around her, but everything had started to fade away. As she listened to the words of this reaper, two things became startlingly clear.

The first was that this being, whoever it was, was no mere reaper. In fact, she could sense the power emanating off of him from here. It was intoxicating. It was exactly what she had always wanted. She closed her eyes, and she could almost smell it.

The second, was that this being, whoever it was, was as chained to this place as they were right now. As powerful as he was, he was a prisoner in his own right.

If something could keep him from being free, they certainly had no chance.

Even as Malodore continued to try and cajole it, Riley started walking forward. She could feel the ground shifting beneath her feet. The cracks began to hiss, daring her to take a wrong step. Despite the dangers, she kept her eyes on the hooded figure, until she was closer than the rest of the group.

A deal, then. She whispered, privately. You need us. We need you. If you can grant them a way home, I will fight this battle for you.

Alone.

"As Malodore pointed out, what can you not conquer? That you would require mere children to do so?" She held Charlie in her arms, patting him on the back of his head as she frowned; what was he doing? Reapers can't channel FEAR without their weapon... He's not a reaper then? She was slightly fazed by the ground shifting beneath her, but otherwise appeared calm - she was thinking of her friends back on the beach. They helped her keep her composure, "If we defeat this... Thing, will you care to explain this further to us?"

She just wanted to know what was going on on this island - the mysterious cloaked figures, the fear draining, the numeral notes they had found around the lighthouse. What did it all mean?

"You're as trapped as we are, aren't you?" Her frowned only deepened when she realized that Riley had approached the figure - what was she doing? If she was planning on doing this alone, she had just contradicted her own words to Mac.

What happened to working together for a common goal?