Inexorable Altercation [Round V - Saint Arthelais' Hospital]

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SpoilerHello, for people who have been reading this but not following events in the #grandbattle channel: there's been no sign of PlumFinder in over a year, so I'm sticking around to manage Loran.

Loran shoved the key in another lock.

It didn't fit, of course, but at least the doors had locks now. But the damned thing still didn't work.

"Keep trying," Daddy Ham said. "The keyhole is in this round somewhere."

Loran whistled back at him, annoyed.

"Must I explain this again, Parset? I saw the Book, the one detailing it all. Merely snippets, but one line is clear enough. 'And then Parset's key turned in the lock.' And I know Azgard did not see beyond this round."

Loran whistled angrily as he walked to the next door.

"We could simply wait for it, true. But idly sitting around until fate runs its course is no way to live. We must seize fate, Parset. Even if it is predestined, that does not mean we cannot earn it."

Loran's whistle dropped to a hum. The key didn't work in this lock, either. Why was it so hard to find a simple keyhole?

Before he could ponder that question further, the door swung open.

"Beggin' yer pardon, friend," Parsley said, scowling. "But I don't believe this is yer room."

----

"I can't believe he was fool enough to let that thing at his memories," Felix Atrum sighed, shaking his head.

"AT LEAST IN HIS CURRENT STATE, LORAN IS NO DANGER TO THE OTHERS", Voitrach spelled out. "THOUGH WE DO NOT YET KNOW WHAT OTHER RISKS THIS PLACE CARRIES."

"And we can't help them," OTTO chimed in. "Loran was the only one who could see us."

"Don't see why we should," Greyve muttered. "What does anything in the physical world matter to us?"

"I should think Loran's survival concerns you, at least," Felix replied. "And as far as the other contestants are concerned, he's just abandoned them. If we don't give them some sense of what's happened, they might try to kill him."

Greyve grunted noncommitally.

"Not to mention whatever Daddy Ham did has kept us from leaving this room," OTTO added. "If we don't make some move to change our situation, we'll have nothing to do but sit around and wait until someone dies - which could be Loran, and even if it isn't, who's to say we'll be brought along with him in our current state?"

"All right, all right!" Greyve shouted. "I've got... well, a hint of an idea." He stood up and walked over to Annaliese, still snoring. "There's something... someone... in the girl's head. It's a long shot, but I might be able to use that to make contact."

Greyve held up a hand to Annaliese's forehead.

"I've got no idea if this is going to work," he said. Then he tapped her lightly with one finger.

---

"I'm lost," Loran explained. "Don't even know how I got here."

"Aye, that's simple," Parsley said. "There's a demon at work, you see. Uses illusions. Tricky to know what's real and what isn't."

"That's nothing new for me," Loran muttered.

"Ye'd best stick with me. I'm wise to demon trickery."

Loran considered refusing. After all, if there really was a demon around, how was he to trust this man? Perhaps he was the demon, telling one poor sap who couldn't trust his own eyes under the best of circumstances what was really going on. Perhaps the demon wanted this key he was carrying for some reason - assuming that wasn't a hallucination as well.

On the other hand, Loran was so unsure of what was going on that it might be worth the risk.

"Fine," he said. "I could use a second pair of eyes."

Daddy Ham followed closely behind them, unseen by either. He formed a face only so he could smirk.

It was very useful, he mused, having a pawn who didn't even have to remember you were there.