Tuesday, October 27, 1868. Morning.
Phillips Harbour.
After leaving the hilltop the previous evening, Rev. Hale and Mr. Shaft escort Miss Pau back to the doctor's house. In the morning, Mr. Shaft brings the Darklight photograph of the Shelley Manor to the witchhunters for their examination. It doesn't take much encouragement from him or Reverend Hale to convince them to take it seriously. They drop their plans to investigate Mr. Waite further, and retrieve Rev. Locke from Dr. Greene's house. Miss Pau is left in the doctor's care, while Rev. Hale goes with the witchhunters to the Shelley house. Lei and Prayer go as well, dicreetly -- to ensure that the witchhunter find something mysterious to keep them there.
Dr. Greene is at first inclined to discharge Miss Pau, but the Chinese woman asks him not to. "I go back to Missus Stephenson and she only fret and fuss over me, watch me as much as Rev'rend Locke. . The witchhunters, they worry less about me here, too. For now, easier to stay. I keep out of your way."
So, officially, she remains in Dr. Greene's care. He prescribes gentle exercise for her, and sends her on a walk through the woods with Mr. Shaft and Caliban.
"Have you any word from Miss Townes?" Pau asks anxiously. "Or the coyote? I do not know what to make of his latest stunt."
The monkey scratches behind an ear, then shakes his head.
Herbert removes a piece of paper from his coat pocket and consults it. "We haven't heard anything yet, but we've got something else to look into: a possible site for the banefire. If we continue up Austen we should reach it before the intersection with Blackwood Road, in the woods," he notes.
"Oh, good," Miss Pau says, looking over Herbert's shoulder at the map. "That may be stretching Dr. Greene's definition of 'gentle exercise', but it's not a very trafficked road, at least."
The chimpanzee scratches behind an ear. "Ook ook, eek ook," he suggests, pantomiming putting something in a bottle. Hey boss, maybe we should try capturin' a spirit an' see if it, like, perks up near the spot? Or maybe we can bottle up the air or somethin'...
Pau translates, as usual, then adds, "Didn't you say something last night about having a captive ghost, Mr. Shaft?"
"With our compass set for detecting the unicorn, I don't have any means of testing the location once we get there," Shaft admits, then looks to Caliban after the translation. "The only spirit we have readily available is that of young Miss Shelley. But I'm not sure how we could know her reaction without releasing her on the spot - in which case she may be drawn back to the manor. With the witchhunters there now, it could be dangerous."
Caliban frowns. "Eeeeep." I dunno, boss. I dun' like just leavin' her in there. Even if she did brain-bash us.
"She's safer in there for now, until whatever is possessing the manor is dealt with," Shaft notes. "She's been weakened, and may not be able to resist whatever force is there trying to.. devour her."
The terrain is hilly, and Pau takes some pains to be go unrecognized, pulling the hood of her coat low over her face and keeping her hands in her pockets as she walks beside Mr. Shaft and Caliban. The latter two are, perforce, unmistakeable. They pass trappers' cabins and wagons rolling to and from markets and fields, people going about the normal business of life despite all the abnormal activities their town has seen in the last month.
To Pau, Shaft quietly asks, "You have always seemed to me to be a well prepared Player. Do you perchance have a spell or other means of divining the veracity of the portal location?"
Maybe Miss Pau could talk to her? suggests Caliban. He ponders this mysterious substance that spirits need. Or maybe if it's like that... Whadayacall it? Ready-akshun? It'd leak out into the dirt or rocks.
Miss Pau clearly sympathizes with Caliban's point, but she doesn't press the issue either way. She nods to Shaft's question. "I know the signs to look for. I could try talking to your ghost, if you like."
"Excellent," Shaft says, showing a bit of relief. "So far, we've only been able to address captured spirits via a device Caliban wears. We will have to see if you can contact her without it." He also nods to Caliban's suggestion of the portal leaking some sort of energy. The idea of 'radiation' is still relatively new, but Herbert has followed it, trying to understand some of Da Vinci's own musings on the possibility.
Caliban comments to Miss Pau, Miss Shelley, she's a crazy ghost. Likes to throw temper tantrums. She made us all see our worst nightmares. He shivers.
Pau nods, her head down as a cart passes them. "Some spirits can be very difficult to deal with. I have much experience with them, but not all of it good. Perhaps it would be best to have Yotee speak with her. Did you not say she had helped him before?"
About half an hour after they left Dr. Greene's, as they walk and discuess possibilities, the party reaches the crossroads. The stand of trees and scrub southwest of the intersection -- where Herbert's calculations point -- look densely overgrown and forbidding. Miss Pau frowns uncertainly. "That way?"
The chimpanzee wrinkles his nose at the suggestion of Yotee. Mr. 'Haha I got your stick'? Mr. 'Haha I'm going to get in the midst of this big spirit fight'? Mr. 'I can't talk straight to save my life'?
Caliban sniffs the air, then licks a finger and holds it to the wind to see which way it's blowing.
Pau looks wry. "Perhaps he'll be more constructive if he believes you're trying to help him." The wind is coming from the southeast, off the bay.
Herbert nods, looking at the forbidding spot. "It certainly appears to have been unvisited."
The Chinese witch leans forward, pulling apart branches to peer into the thicket. "It looks rather unvisitable, at that. Shall we assay it?"
Acting on a notion, the chimpanzee moves to circle the stand, testing the wind again to see if the flow is toward the trees, or simply washing over the forest.
To Caliban, Shaft says, "Keep your mind open to sensations, Caliban. This spot probably gives off some sort of vibration that makes people avoid it. Otherwise the road may not have forked to go around it." He nods to Pau, and steps off of the road.
The wind's direction is pretty consistent: diverted around large trees and shielded by the stand on the far side, but nothing unnatural about it. The whole area has a decidedly normal feel to it.
Caliban nods to his boss. Having failed to determine anything interesting from the wind, he tries closing his eyes and turning toward the suspected location, clearing his thoughts.
Still normal.
The ape shakes his head at his master. Nothin' special so far, he opines.
While Caliban meditates, Pau finds a stick and beats back the undergrowth, trying to get to the suspected site. A machete would be better suited to the task. "What locations did you use for your calculation, Mr. Shaft?" she asks.
"All of the residences of the known Players as of the Death of the Moon," Shaft replies, "including those of Players no longer in the Game."
Caliban peers at the humans' attempts to pass the undergrowth, then scrambles up into a tree to get a better vantage point. I'm gonna see if I can scout out a path, he suggests.
"Which Players no longer in the Game? St. John and Mrs. Everchild?" Miss Pau frowns. "This simply doesn't look right at all. Or feel right."
"And Mr. Girard, who voluntarily quit," Shaft says, frowning at Pau's comment about the place not feeling right. "If our balloon hadn't been destroyed, we'd have had more data to help weed out unlikely locations. As it is, this is our best candidate for the spot."
"Ah, Mr. Girard. Did he leave the Game before or after the Death of the Moon?" Pau asks. "I thought Miss Townes said he withdrew before nightfall."
"I'm uncertain," Shaft admits. "If we can rule out this location, I'll have to rerun the calculation with his residence omitted."
The chimpanzee suggests, Lemme see if I find anything before you beat yourself up too much on the brambles, I'll be right back. He brachiates through the trees, looking for anything that stands out as different.
"That might be it. Players who withdrew before the Death should not be included in the calculations," Pau says, watching Caliban clamber into the forest. The thick undergrowth continues all the way through, and he senses nothing remarkable about it. "Rae Mikkelsen's determination to enter the Game also concerns me. I do not know what effect her entrance at this late date will have. I do not even know if she can Play now."
The ape returns to report this information. Sorry, boss. We're gonna have to go back an' redo the calcs. Maybe Miss Pau can have a li'l word with Miss Shelley while we're at it...
Referring to his map, Shaft notes, "Even if we discount Girard, he was relatively close to Everchild anyway. He might account for a few degrees of deflection." Herbert tries to mentally correct for the possible error, figuring the real location couldn't be too far off from the calculated one. "Rae does not possess an Artifact, and the Unicorn itself is not actively Playing. Ah, very well, Caliban. I suppose we need to run two new calculations then, to be safe. The extra to include the Inn and the Mikkelsens."
The calculation process doesn't work in a remotely straightforward manner. It's not like taking eight points on a graph and figuring out where the lines drawn between them converge. It's more like looking at a billiards table and figuring out where one ball will end up after it bounces off of six walls and hits several other balls along the way. The angle of deflection on the initial shot, or the number of other balls it has to hit, actually makes a huge difference in where it finally ends up.
And this is why Mr. Shaft has the Analytical Engine to do the calculation instead of doing it in his head.
The ape picks leaves and twigs out of his fur and clothes, then fastidiously sweeps the detritus off of his boss's clothes and Miss Pau's.
"Or three," Pau says, a bit glum. "If Mr. Girard does belong in it, as well as Miss Mikkelsen. I hope your machine works faster at this than I do."
Back at the boathouse, Mr. Shaft sets to reprogramming the Analytical Engine to run the first of the new calculations. Miss Pau marvels at the complexity of the machine, but also seems put off by it. "What does it run on, sir?"
"Uh, electricity mostly," Herbert says, pointing to the cable that runs out through the water doors to the Babbage. "And.. well, a sort of residual life energy that can be derived from physical remains," he admits. "Spirit energy. I didn't realize spirits weren't a naturally occurring phenomenon that would keep renewing itself, I'm afraid."
Pau looks ill at this last revelation. She covers her mouth with her hands. "You're a ... necromancer?"
"Oh, hardly!" Shaft insists. "I don't.. raise the dead! I just.. recycle them a bit..."
The chimpanzee scratches behind his ear at this thought. A ne-cro-man-ser?
If this is meant to reassure Miss Pau, it's not working. "There was a man who commanded the spirits of the dead in the last Game, too," she manages, faintly. "The Necromancer, he was called. One of the Players St. John killed."
I think we're pretty safe from the boss commandin' the spirits of the dead, Miss, Caliban quips. The boss'd ask 'em very nicely, an' they'd probably get all mad at him anyway an' wouldn't do it. He's not very good with people.
"He did not command them with words." Miss Pau doesn't explain further. "I ... oh ... I think I shall retrieve my things from Mrs. Stephenson's home. I can do the other calculations we wanted to try by hand." She starts for the door.
"I can hardly command spirits," Shaft says, chuckling nervously. "I'm lucky to get access to lingering memories," he notes, and gestures to the central, cylindrical tanks within the Engine. "Our main driver is actually the late Mrs. Albason. Her knowledge of the region aids in the calculations, although her spirit does not reside in the Engine." He then just nods to Pau.
"I ... see." Pau doesn't look like she sees at all, or if she does, she's not seeing the same thing Shaft and Caliban are. "You know where to find me, gentlemen. Good ... luck." She opens the door and backs out of it.
The chimpanzee looks worried at Miss Pau and ooks at her defensively, I asked Mrs. Albason an' she agreed to help us. So it's not like we're enslavin' 'em or somethin'.
"I suppose we'll bring by Miss Shelley then in a bit," Shaft says.
Caliban's remark does seem to reassure Miss Pau, and she nods to him. She still looks green, but says, "That's good. Oh! Miss Shelley. I should talk to her first. Where is she?" Pau seems quite anxious to communicate with the bound spirit, after being reminded of her other purpose in coming.
Caliban goes to rummage up the crystal for Miss Pau. We can let her go with the Machine, but I dunno, maybe you can talk to her in there...
Herbert suggests, "Show her the contact points on the Trap, Caliban. She can probably touch those and be able to talk to Marseilles without having to release her. She's in the dimly glowing crystal."
Pau takes the crystal gently in her hands, as if it were a butterfly. "She is in here?" She turns the glowing crystal over, then gives it back to Caliban and follows him to the trap at Mr. Shaft's suggestion.
Caliban nods, and sets it up for Miss Pau, unfolding the box deftly into its cruciform shape. Out of habit, he begins hooking it up to the Machine as well.
After checking the program cards one last time, Shaft powers up the Engine. Gears begin to spin and ratchet, glowing fluids circulate through glass tubes and light bounces between mirrors and prisms.
With a shiver, Miss Pau folds her legs into a lotus position and sets the Spirit Trap in her lap. She touches her fingers to the contact points on it, closing her eyes. Her shoulders and jaw go slack, her whole body relaxing as she drops into a trance-like state.
Caliban hops into the seat to supervise the Engine's work on the new calculations, and incidentally to be ready if Miss Pau should show signs of distress. He gives a thumbs-up sign to his boss.
"I hope we get encouraging results this time," Shaft says to Caliban, and seems to include Pau's work with the spirit in the scope of that statement.
More time passes, as the Engine grinds slowly away at the new data and Pau appears to meditate on the Trap. Pau finishes before the Engine does, a long shuddering inhalation marking her emergence from the trance. "She's very unhappy," Pau reports. "She said that you tried to trick herself and Trouble repeatedly so that you could catch them and destroy them. She said you were unrepentent about it and told her she ought to want to be destroyed. She thinks that's why you're holding her now. I'm afraid she didn't believe me when I told her you wanted to let her go, if she would agree not to harm you. You do want to let her go, sir?"
"Once it's safe for her, yes," Shaft says, and explains, "She told us that our Spirit Lamp - the trick she refers to - was the only thing that could draw her away from her home at the manor. And you've seen the photo of what lies in the manor. If we release her now, she may simply return to that, and in a weakened state. If she would agree to stay here though, I might be able to restore her strength. Possibly."
"Ah, yes. She does seem weak now, especially compared to what she described herself as capable of. I gather she exhausted her reserves in her last assault upon you ... but I do not know of anyway to strengthen a weakened spirit. How do you propose to restore her?" Pau asks, curiously.
The chimpanzee concentrates on the recalculations, using an ouija-like pen to plot arcane lines on fresh sheets of very thin paper through which the map can be seen. He switches one out for another, in order to do the second calculation that was asked for.
Herbert retrieves the Spirit Stunner. "This is what exhausted her," he explains, and removes the glowing vial of necroplasm that powers the device. "This was originally the life essence of a fox, but it's possible that the energy Marseilles lost is now stored within it. From personal experience, I know that that energy can be restored to its original owner. If she will promise not to attack us or go back to the manor, then we can release her and see if she can draw strength from this fluid."
When Herbert withdraws the vial from the weapon, he notes that it's got less of a charge now than it did before Marseilles was shot. If her lost power is inside of its Spirit Battery, it's not there in any apparent manner.
Miss Pau nods at his words. "I see. I shall speak with her about this."
The chimpanzee looks up. Boss, maybe we can ask Miss Shelley to come with us to the next location, the one without the Mikkelsens, an' she can tell us if she feels anythin'. If it's the Portal, she ought to feel stronger near it, right?
Herbert frowns a bit at the depleted battery.. but still, finding out if spirits can draw energy of any kind from necroplasm is worth finding out. If it can partially reanimate dead flesh and store spirit energy that's added to it, then perhaps it has some of the 'missing ingredient' that spirits need. "She might be interested in that, yes, Caliban. Please make that offer to her as well, Miss Pau?"
Pau returns to her trance, although for a significantly shorter period of time. "She's still suspicious, and ... hesitant. I think what you said about the manor resonates with her. Marseilles says she feels as though she cannot stay away from it, but she understands that it's not healthy for her. She says she can resist its pull for a little while, however, if we release her. And she very much wants her energy back. She will consider accompanying us to the site. I must say, I would feel better if Trouble were here. Marseilles is very fond of him and I think she would be more cooperative if he were present. She ... does not exactly believe me when I say you've not harmed him."
Mr. 'Watch me take on the Hill' harmed himself, if anything, the chimpanzee huffs.
"Did you tell her that Trouble is.. investigating things at the moment?" Herbert asks.
"Yes, I did. And that he's his own worst enemy, but Marseilles apparently does not have enough experience with him to grasp that." Pau looks wry again.
Herbert kneels down next to the trap, and says, "Well, here goes." He touches the contacts in a specific sequence to release the ghost from the crystal.
Caliban mutters, Two of a kind... Hey, tell the boss not to go on to Miss Shelley about trying to 'help her on to the other side', okay?
Pau passes this caution along with feeling, as ... something emerges from the trap. There's no visible ghost; Caliban feels a prickle in his fur that signals a supernatural presence, but he can neither see nor hear her.
The chimpanzee lets out a breath, then resumes watching the Engine's calculations, keeping them steady.
"She should be here now," Shaft notes, and opens the vial of necroplasm. "Marseilles, if you can, try to.. absorb the life energy from this," he says, holding the vial out into the air.
For some moments, nothing happens. Caliban's fur prickles more, rising to stand on end, and then Shaft sees that the necroplasm level is dropping slowly. The green glow fades from the vial, as it appears to evaporate.
"Not enough," he mutters, and gets up. Empty vial in hand, he goes to the Engine and refills it from the main battery. "Essence of human may be better," he notes, and returns with the freshly filled vial. "Try again, Marseilles," he asks, holding out the vial.
That's spooky, the chimpanzee comments to Miss Pau. He looks up at this, worry-lines appearing in his forehead, then concentrates on keeping the Engine stable through the tapping.
"Spooky, but important," Herbert notes. "We need to know what it is that spirits need, after all."
While Shaft is getting the other battery, Marseilles appears as a wavering ghostly outline of a girl with eyes that glow a faint blue. "I feel ... weird," she says. Her image flickers, overlaying with vulpine features: a sharp pointed muzzle, pricked ears, a brushy tail. Her eyes narrow with concentration, and the inhuman features go away as she extends her hand for the other vial.
"A bit of fox essence, interesting," Herbert mutters. Louder, he says, "This is from Mrs. Albason, Marseilles. She lived here, so if you pick up any of her.. memories.. they shouldn't be too strange."
Morning, Miss, the chimpanzee says to Marseilles. He thinks soothing thoughts toward the Engine.
"Mrs. Albason. I remember her ... " She closes her hand on the vial, shuts her eyes. "Oh ... this isn't her ... it's Miss Linnesworth. Oh ... she did get married ... " Her face shifts again, features wavering between young and old, dress changing styles as they watch, as the battery drains. "N -- no -- " Marseilles shudders. "I don't want -- "
"It's all right, dearie," a different woman's voice says with the same voice. "I don't mind. I had a long life. Your turn now." Then Marseilles's body shifts back to her own, bright, solid, almost human except for her brilliantly glowing blue eyes. A hint of fox's tail swishes behind her. She hunches, wrapping her arms over her stomach. "I feel sick."
Miss Pau looks disturbed herself, and not sure what to say.
"Blast," Herbert mutters. "We need Marseilles' actual remains to make it work properly, unless I can isolate the energizing element and filter out the rest." He turns to Caliban, and asks him, "Miss Linnesworth? Could that have been Mrs. Albason's maiden name?"
Um... The ape reaches over and hooks the ouija board back up and then feeds the query in on the side.
The ouija board is silent on the matter, but Marseilles nods in answer to the question. "She used to be the schoolteacher."
Boss, we can't feed spirits reprocessed spirit energy, it just won't work, we need new energy, Caliban observes. I dunno how we're gonna get it though... Miss, you know anything about that?
"I didn't know Walter Albason had finally married her. She loved him so much. Ohhhh ... " Marseilles crouches down, hugging herself. "I want to go home. I don't feel good."
"I never expected the Elixer of Life to retain the same elements of a person that their spirit would," Shaft notes, rubbing his chin. "If we could convince the Church to amend the funerary requirements, we could ensure spirits get a supportive boost from their own bodies after death.." he muses.
"Ah, until the priests succeed in exorcising that.. hungry presence from your home, I would strongly advice against it," the man tells the ghost, and then asks, "Can you describe what you're feeling? What makes you feel sick and what made you feel stronger?"
"That was her spirit," Marseilles mumbles. "I ate her. She told me to eat her and I ate her. Oooggg."
"What?" Shaft asks, surprised. He turns back to Caliban, and asks, "Is there any presence of Mrs. Albason left in the engine?"
Caliban concentrates, reaching out to the Engine.
"This.. ahh," Shaft flounders, and then looks to Pau. "I suppose this is why the Hill spirit seemed a melange of forms."
Nope. Nothing there.
Gone, Caliban reports.
"Now I have all her energy. The fox's too. All that they had left ... " Marseilles looks at Caliban, touches his cheek. "Oh. I see now. I could eat yours, too." The ghost speaks with a certain detachment, half-grossed out and half-fascinated. "Lots harder when it's still attached, though. You'd have to want it eaten. Is that why you don't have a soul, Mr. Shaft? Did you let someone eat yours?"
Caliban's fur sticks up. Uh, I'll hold onto mine for now if you don't mind, Miss.
The Engins appears to have already taken enough spirit power to finish the current calculation and can do the rest on electricity. However, once it finishes they'll need a fresh spirit to get the rest.
"This is a dead end then," Herbert says, rubbing at his temples. Blinking he looks to the ghost, and says, "I.. may have eaten my own, actually. I had to create some necroplasm from my own blood earlier. It left me feeling... tired. I was compelled to drink the necroplasm as soon as it was ready, and that restored me, or so I thought. I never looked further, fearing the consequences."
The chimpanzee blinks at his master. That's it, boss, I'm never lettin' you experiment with the Engine when I'm not around.
"You ate your own soul?" Marseilles sticks her tongue out. "Ewwww! What'll happen when you die?"
"If the alchemists where correct, I.." Shaft starts to say, then pauses. "They thought the Elixer was the key to immortality. After my experience, I thought that if living people used it, they'd end up becoming vampires."
"And an excellent plan, Caliban!" Miss Pau adds after translating the chimp's words.
"This will be the last time the Engine is used as it is now, Caliban," Shaft notes. "Now that we know the implications of using spirit energy, we'll have to destroy the equipment and our notes after the banefire anyway."
"Yuck." Marseilles still looks greenish. "I don't want to be a vampire. Except it's nice not to be so weak." She lifts her head like a fox, sniffing at the air.
Okay, boss, the chimpanzee says, though regret is evident on his face, as he takes off the helmet. Without the spirit charging it, it's no wonder that the ouija board failed to do anything.
Pau breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir."
With a glance to Marseilles, the witch says, "I think you're right about how the Hill got its power, Mr. Shaft. How awful."
"Perhaps if we succeed in fixing the imbalance between worlds, I'll get a fresh soul, hmm?" Shaft suggests, trying to look on the bright side. "Of course, we need to locate the place of the portal, and then figure out how to prevent the overlord-spirits from taking over our world."
And whether we can bottle up this stuff on the Other Side and revive... Caliban looks at Miss Shelley. Our spirits.
Herbert goes over to another table and pulls away a cloth to reveal the completed Amplifier. "This device will work similarly to the Spirit Trap, but on a much larger scale. It draws energy from the banefire and channels it to an Artifact," he explains. "I don't know if it could drain one of the greater spirits though, or channel energy directly from the other side. Much of its function depends on the Artifact it is connected to."
Caliban scratches behind an ear. Hey, you finished it! Pullin' the late nighters without me, boss?
"Well, time was of the essence," Herbert notes to Caliban. "I had also entertained the notion of connecting it not to an Artifact, but to the Spirit Stunner itself, to create a weapon against a greater spirit."
"Oh! That's quite remarkable, Mr. Shaft." Pau goes over to examine the machine, although she doesn't seem to understand how it works.
After a moment, Marseilles looks at it too. "Yuck," she pronounces. "It's like an even stronger cage with a big funnel on the back." She shudders.
"You hold an Artifact, do you not, Miss Pau?" Herbert asks.
Don't worry, miss, it's not for ghosts, Caliban soothes Miss Shelley. Um hmm. Boss, what happens if you use this before there's a Banefire?
"We couldn't possibly power it without the Banefire, Caliban," Shaft explains. "We need the spirit-power of the Portal itself."
Pau hesistes, then nods. "I hold the cup."
So you're sayin' we haven't tested it? the monkey asks, worriedly.
"Well, of course we haven't tested it," Shaft notes. "The Rules state that a Game Artifact can only be used at the Banefire. If used before that.. then it couldn't be used at the proper time."
"Very clever," Pau says, "powering the Closing itself with energy that can only come while it's trying to Open."
Pau nods agreement with Shaft's statement, although she also looks puzzled.
"Is the Cup a neutral Artifact, or can it only be used for Opening?" Shaft asks.
Another hesitation, then a sigh. "Neutral," she admits.
Caliban ponders this... Then notices a rumbling noise. He peers down at his stomach. Imma gonna go make some lunch, what'd you like, Miss Pau? Miss Shelley? he asks as he heads for the kitchen.
"I would suggest Chamomile tea for Miss Shelley," Shaft notes. "The odor at least may help calm her."
"I'm not hungry," Marseilles says. "Thanks." Miss Pau is happy to have whatever the chimp's having, especially since Caliban eats better than most humans.
Marseilles sticks her tongue out. "I hate that. It tastes like wet grass."
To Pau, Shaft says, "A Neutral artifact may be of the greatest use. It can possibly be held in reserve, and used after an Opening. Does the Cup have any special uses that you know of?"
Caliban prepares some mint tea for Miss Shelley, and toasted cheese sandwiches for the humans and himself, with bananas cut up into slices and drizzled with honey for the dessert.
Pau nods. "It has healing properties, though I only recently came into possession of it and have not tried it -- because of the Game constraints you already noted."
Herbert taps his fingers on the table in thought. "Legend holds that the Cup may be the Holy Grail of Christ," he says. "Transubstantiation is the basis for the Elixer of Life. Specifically, transubstantiation from a pure source. If the other side of the Portal represents that pure source, then the Cup could possibly be used to feed that through into this world."
"I do not think I follow you," Pau says.
"I know I don't," the ghost girl chimes in.
Caliban sets out the food and the tea, then settles in to chow down. It's okay, Miss, I don't get what the boss says a lot of time either.
"You use blood in your rituals, do you not?" Shaft asks Pau.
"Yes, I do," Pau answers.
Marseilles thanks Caliban and cups her hands around the teacup, listening to Mr. Shaft with her head cocked to one side.
"The Eucharist is the most powerful of Catholic ceremonies," Herbert notes. "A reenactment of Christ sharing his blood with his disciples. Blood is fairly synonymous with Life in magic. The purpose of the Holy Grail, in essence, is to transfer divine life into the mortal world. It could heal the sick, heal the land, and presumably heal spirits, so long as one had access to that divine source."
The chimpanzee looks bemused. He swallows the bit of cheese sandwich and then says. So... You're sayin' we could use the Cup to power the Unicorn up to full strength, or maybe even more, an' the Unicorn could fight these other spirits on the other side?
Pau nods, thoughtful. "But I've not seen it work that way for the last. It's as if blood magic is powered by spirits, and lacks the power to repair them ... except in the way we just saw with Marseilles, perhaps."
The ghost hovers her face over the teacup, breathing in the mint fumes and trying not look ill. The hint of waving foxtail returns for a moment, then is gone again.
"I hadn't considered that, actually," Herbert replies to Caliban. To Pau, he notes, "We're cut off from the proper source of energy. That's the missing ingredient that's causing the spirits to wither in this world, I think. Necroplasm is not a pure source, it only renders one spirit more easily.. digestible.. by another. It's possible that the Cup could purify necroplasm, but we couldn't risk testing that out. The Cup can't be used before the Portal event. What I am suggesting is that it be held back and not used for Opening, so that it could be used as a permanent conduit instead."
Boss, I'm not sure if we can count on being able to do that with the Portal, Caliban points out, looking worried again. He snacks on a bit of banana. Everyone'd have to cooperate in doing that, an' we probably still would have to deal with the Other Side.
"Or make it into that ... fence? you were talking about? A way to channel in the energy without allowing the master spirits in?" Miss Pau asks, trying to follow. "Certainly, we have no need to use it if we are not fighting over whether to Open or Close."
An' then there's... St. John, Caliban points out.
"I do hope whatever Trouble has done, it doesn't let her loose. I fear she wants the Masters to ravage our world," Pau says sadly.
It's Trouble, I'm betting he did, Caliban observes glumly.
Herbert considers both questions. "The overlord spirits are the big issue in all of this. But their extreme power could be their weak point," he says, patting the Amplifier. "If we connect the Amplifier to the Cup, we may be able to convert the overlords into power. The Amplifier can only draw from large sources of spirit energy. A Greater Spirit may be drawn in, if there was something to channel that energy to that could make practical use of it."
Marseilles makes a face at Caliban but doesn't say anything.
Caliban gives Marseilles a wry look. Sorry, Miss, but my experience with Trouble is that he lives up to his nickname!
"He certainly would have saved us a lot of misunderstanding if he'd just explained his reasoning to us," Herbert adds.
Miss Pau purses her lips. "I realize we cannot test your device directly, Mr. Shaft. But surely there's some thing we can do to verify or refute these ideas, before the event itself?"
"The only large spirit we can test the theory on is the Hill Spirit," Shaft notes. "And.. well, we want to try and extract the Hart from it first at least. But it may be possible to configure the Spirit Trap to capture it, if we use all of the crystals. It isn't anywhere near the strength of the Amplifier, but then the Hill spirit is hardly a Greater Spirit. It's multi-part nature may make it easier to break up into six separate pieces that can then be drained off and.. set loose, I suppose."
The chimpanzee stares at his master.
Eying the ghost, Herbert suggests, "We could also try separating the fox spirit from Marseilles first as well."
Pau glances at Caliban. Marseilles scrunches her face up, then nods to Mr. Shaft. "Okay. I don't mind if it comes out. It's weird having it anyway."
Caliban looks at the Spirit Trap, still unfolded, and mentally compares it to the Hill.
Pau follows Caliban's look. "I admit that your theory seems reasonable, Mr. Shaft, but I'm not sure it's practical. For one, if it does not work, it will surely irritate the being."
Boss, I have an idea... Let's start with somethin' smaller than the Hill. Maybe that spirit Trouble talked about, near the river, or maybe the Shelley house, Caliban suggests.
Herbert turns to the trap as well, and says, "I think if we try to open two of the crystals at once to perform the capture, it might draw out the fox since it is the more loosely associated element." He pauses to think. "The river spirit might be good for the second test. Marseilles is here now and understands what we're trying to do though and can help guide the process."
"You already know it can hold ordinary spirits, however. You would need a powerful one for any meaningful test. Whatever is at the manor might be a better target then the spring spirit," Miss Pau says. "I've been to that spring ... it's spirit is not unusually large."
"We can try the manor then, if we can avoid the priests," Herbert agrees, then tells Marseilles, "We aren't going to be using the Spirit Lamp, so you shouldn't feel compelled to enter the trap this time. I'll open the crystals, and you can try to push the fox into one, or else push on it and enter one of the crystals yourself."
The monkey goes to supervise the trap, watching carefully.
Maybe we can sell the priests on the idea that you're some kinda ghost photographer, Caliban suggests.
Herbert activates two of the crystals, and steps aside. "Whenever you're ready, Marseilles. I don't know what it might feel like if it works, so.. be prepared for more discomfort."
Marseilles nods. She holds her face over her teacup for a moment longer, then stands and drifts to the trap. She screws up her face, concentrates and --
-- falls into the trap.
Only one of the crystals lights, and it glows almost as brilliantly as the first time Shaft caught her.
Herbert goes to operate the release sequence next, although the single active trap makes him feel a bit disheartened.
Oops, the ape says.
Marseilles pops out and makes a face. "I didn't do that right. Lemme try again."
The trap is reset, with two crystals active once more.
On the next attempt, Marseilles focuses more, squeezing her eyes shut. Her features twist and turn vulpine. Then her whole body shifts, shrinking into a fox shape. The fox jumps forward, and for an eyeblink of a moment, the ghost girl and fox appear together and almost separate. But when they go into the trap -- they go together.
Herbert releases Marseilles once more. "Hmmm," he ponders.
The girl is game to try several more times, but she can't seems to push it out. "It's not like trying to vomit," she complains. "It's like ... I don't know ... trying to will my arm to come off. It's not going."
Caliban rubs his chin and stares at the trap's activated crystals.
"Hold on then," Shaft suggests. "I think our idea of a 'filter' needs to be employed." He goes to connect the trap back to the Engine, and nods to Caliban. "You will need to be the filter in this case, Caliban. You can control the Trap better using the helmet, and try to restrict it to only capturing an animal spirit."
I don't think we're going to be able to separate the Hill then, it's had a lot of time to digest those spirits, Caliban muses. Huh what, boss? Okay, I'll give it a shot! He hooks it up, hops onto the seat and dons the helmet, then tries to reach out to the trap, his brows furrowing. The Engine feels different without Mrs. Albason.
Herbert makes a few adjustments, bypassing most of the connections between the helmet and the Engine to wire it directly into the Trap. "If this works, we may have another use for it anyway," he comments. "The Trap is under your control now, Caliban."
The Engine is much harder to work without Mrs. Albason, too: it feels like the difference between riding a carriage uphill and pushing one. Ooof. He gets it moving for this process eventually, and tries to filter out Marseilles from the fox -- no luck. As long as he's filtering, she doesn't go into the trap no matter how close she gets (a fact which rather entertains her). When he starts to relax the filter, at first nothig still happens -- then finally, all of her gets sucked into it.
Marseilles emerges from the trap giggling this time, and rubbing at her shoulders.
"Let's try it again, if you're up to it Caliban?" Herbert asks, noting the strain the ape seemed to go through the first time.
Ugh, I'm sorry, Miss Shelley, the chimpanzee says as he releases her from the Engine. It's just not... It's like tryin' to pick up soup with a fork! Eh, boss, I'm game to try but I don't want to wear Marselles's patience out.
"Try pushing the fox into the trap this time as well, Marseilles," Shaft suggests.
"It's okay," the ghost girl says. "It's fun. Peculiar, but fun. As long as I know I'll come back out."
They try a few more times, until Caliban is too worn out from the mental exertion of pushing at the Engine. But with no further success.
I need a banana break, Caliban declares. He pops the helmet off and goes to finish off the mostly untouched dessert.
"I think that's enough," Herbert says. "I was hoping it would get easier on you, Caliban, so that we might be able to connect the Helmet to the Amplifier eventually. We can still try to capture the Manor spirit, although.. ah.. there will be some risk."
Priests, the Manor spirit, getting sucked into the trap ourselves...
"I am sure there are somethings that cannot go wrong," Miss Pau says after Caliban's list. "Even if I am unable to think of them at the moment."
"Also, we cannot use the Spirit Lamp," Shaft explains. "We don't have anything to power it now. Which means we'd need the manor spirit to willingly enter the trap, and only one thing could tempt it so."
Caliban gulps.
"What's that?" the ghost girl asks, curious.
"Well, the one thing that spirit desires most," Shaft says, looking hopeless. "You, Marseilles. You'd have to be in the Trap, as bait. And while it could not actually get to you, it might be strong enough to damage the Trap and leave you stuck until it could be repaired."
Is there any way we can... make it look like Marseilles is in the trap? Like, with mirrors? asks Caliban.
"Oh no!" Marseilles crosses her arms and glares. "You are not using me as bait!"
Pau thinks, Now, this is something else Trouble would be good for.
"Do you know of any way to conjure up a spirit that could mimic Marseilles?" Shaft asks Miss Pau.
Miss Pau thinks. "I do not believe putting her in the trap would work as bait, in fact. She has almost no ... " the witch gropes for words " ... signature? in it. You cannot tell what is inside your trap while it's trapped. I could try searching for a spirit that could imitate her, but finding one willing to do such a dangerous thing would be iffy at best."
"Trouble found her in the Trap," Shaft notes. "He tried to chew her out of it. Still.. how do spirits actually perceive one another?" he asks. "Perhaps any spirit would appeal to the manor - since it presumably devoured that of the caretaker already."
Do we know it really cares whether it's Marseilles or any other spirit? asks Caliban.
Herbert begins disconnecting the trap from the Engine. "We could carry the trap right into the belly of the beast as well," he suggests. "After all, if I have no spirit, the Manor can't eat me."
The ghost girl shivers. "I don't know. I never understood what it wanted ... it was kind of like ... home, where I didn't want to be there but couldn't be anywhere else." She looks towards the manner, face foxish, a strange longing in the glow of her eyes.
Boss... The priests?
"That is likely because your family is.. inside that thing now," Herbert says, a bit hesitantly. "If they still retain some will of their own, perhaps they can use the Trap as an escape. The fox probably couldn't conceive of that, but a human spirit might."
"Perhaps now is not the best time for this," Miss Pau says, gently. The ghost girl looks even paler and nauseated again.
"I can wear the Trap under my coat, Caliban," Shaft suggests. "And just.. walk up to them to ask how things are going."
"If they are at all sensitive to such things, Mr. Shaft, they may well notice something has happened. Or was attempted," Pau says.
Yeah, boss, an' if strange stuff starts happenin'? asks Caliban.
"Well, they are there performing an exorcism," Herbert notes. "If the spirit suddenly vanishes, or becomes hostile.. well, there's an excuse for it right there."
I got a better idea, let's say you want to photograph the exorcism... For, like, posteriority or what was it? suggests Caliban. Then when you set off the flash, you hit the trap then. If we're all in the right place.
"They may not fall for the flash trick twice," Herbert notes. "But other distractions might work, if Marseilles or Miss Pau could provide for something suitably interesting."
I wouldn't wanna put Marseilles in the line of fire, Caliban points out.
Marseilles looks uneasy at this idea.
"I agree there," Shaft says. "It might be best if she stayed here, or possibly visited her grave to try and draw more strength from her remains."
"Ugh! I am not going there!" the ghost says, disgusted by the notion.
"Well then, the only other safe place for a spirit is inside the Engine, but getting back out again is problematical," Shaft says. "What do you want to do, Marseilles? And keep in mind that Trouble is doing something dangerous and would not want you around while he does it."
The ape whispers to Miss Pau, Like I said, my boss isn't good with people...
Marseilles screws up her face, realizing that her options are limited. "Maybe I'd better go home after all."
Pau offers gently, "You could stay with me, child. Lei and Prayer are already there to keep the priests distracted."
"Not while that thing is waiting," Shaft insists. "You may feel stronger now, but that entity is still dangerous to you. Why don't you.. go outside and play?" he suggests. "Explore being a fox for a bit, perhaps?"
This idea is both appealing and disturbing. She lifts her chin, her nose looking briefly pointed. "Okay!" She skips to the boathouse wall and drifts through it, vanishing.
I'm not sure what you just did, boss, but I gotta say, the fox seems to suit her, the chimpanzee opines.
Taking the Trap, Shaft says, "Well, I suppose we should see what the situation is at the Manor. If the priests aren't making progress, I can probably slip the Trap to Hale after activating it." Thinking about the fox-girl-spirit, he notes to Caliban, "Humanoid fox spirits are common in the Orient and the American west, so I don't think we've done anything completely unnatural. What harm could she cause just playing?"