The day was almost at its end when Zane and Faye made their way towards the orphanage. After getting some information from the man, they were both thinking of how to deal with the cursed child. At least, Faye was more or less completely lost in her own thoughts. From whatever they heard, she did not have any more doubts on the fact that a child was really behind it, but whether they were doing it fully conscious or if there was something else, she did not know. Since they were dealing with a kid, there were several complications including the fact that if they did not handle it well, the Rune Knights would hold the both of them responsible. And Faye did not want to deal with the lot of them.

“It’s an annoying little case however I look at it,” She told Zane as they walked. The orphanage was apparently situated to the west of Era and they were already very close. Perhaps just five minutes more. It made her more anxious. Usually, she would not feel anything towards the missions she take but this one was just giving her some creepy vibes she couldn’t explain.

“How are we going to deal with it without hurting the kid?” She sighed, running a hand through her bubblegum pink hair. It had gotten a teeny bit poofy since morning due to the weather. She quickly pulled out a hair tie to hold it all together in a low ponytail. The last thing she needed was for her hair to get in the way of this job.

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Faye was right. No matter how many ways you sliced it, the fact was that they were going to have to at least try to find a method of stopping the kid without putting them in too much harm. Zane imagined they were an orphan, and as such he couldn't help but feel even more sorry for them. To grow up without any family... well, Zane simply couldn't imagine something like that. Noting how Faye's hair looked quite nice in a ponytail in the back of his mind, Zane put his hand on his chin and really thought to himself as they got closer to the destination.

"Well.. the only way I can think of is being able to expel the curse from the kid without hurting them too much. But even then, we have no real way about knowing how the curse works right now. It really just boils down to us having to use quick thinking." he said, as the two were coming up around the block of the oprhanage. They would be there in less than a minute at this point. "You'll be okay in there, right Faye? Not that I doubt you, just making sure and everything." In truth, Zane was wondering if even HE would be okay. He wasn't all that strong, and if anything his greatest skill was bluffing. Still, they had already gone pretty deep on this job already. Zane had no intention of giving up here, and he hoped that Faye felt the same. Besides, if she chickened out now, chances are he'd probably have second thoughts about the whole situation as well.

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“Mmm. There is no other way around it. How we handle it would depend on the situation we encounter,” Faye replied, nodding her head. She was spooked out but she was also ready to face whatever that would be thrown at her. Although it had been a while since she last had to fight something in a mission, Faye was quite confident in her strength. At least, she did not think it would take that much to take down a child…if things ever came to that.

On the other hand, her worries must have reached Zane because he asked her if she is alright. “I’m fine. Sorry I made you feel concerned. This whole situation just reminded me of something I did not want to, that’s all. It would not be good to just leave it alone at this point anyway,” She told him, shrugging her shoulders. She willed herself to just calm down. There was no point in getting worked up.

And in between their conversation, they had already arrived at their destination. “Ugh” Faye couldn’t help but grimace at the state of this orphanage was in. Not only was the building ages old, it was also starting to fall apart. Besides, from where they stood, it looked abandoned. “Did the cursed child drive everyone else out or something?” she wondered out loud. A large oak tree in front of the building was casting dark shadows over it. “You don’t suppose we are in some kind of horror novel, now do you?” She asked Zane, laughing mirthlessly at herself.

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It was somewhat relieving to hear Faye's words, Zane knowing now that he was not the only one who was a little bit freaked out by all of this. This got amplified as they reached the destination, the place almost seemingly designed to look as creepy as possible, right down to the nearby Oak tree. "Yeah, this place looks like it hasn't seen anyone in quite a while..." he noted, as he slowly approached the door of the orphanage. From the looks of it, to get in, one wouldn't even need to twist the doorknob. The place was so run down that you could likely just give the door a light push and it would blow right open.

"Yeah, I think that comparison is pretty darn accurate." Zane said, in note to her comment about being in a horror novel. It was as though this entire place was designed to be as creepy as possible, though Zane knew it wasn't that way. At one point, this was probably a bustling orphanage full of playing kids. Judging by the size of the building, it probably had quite a few kids as well. Zane thought about what became of them a little bit in his mind, but that served to do absolutely nothing except creep him out even more in the process. But it was too late to turn back now.

"Alright Faye.." he said, taking a deep breath as he placed his hand on the door of the building. "Here we go." and with one push, the door opened...

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Faye paid attention to everything. The rush of wind weaving through the cracks, the squeaky signs hanging over the doors, the rattle of windows, the cry of loose floorboards –Faye made sure she missed nothing. It was almost pitch black inside the old orphanage. Though sunlight came streaming from here and there, the light was so pale and insignificant that there was no difference between its presence and absence. A long hallway laid before them littered with broken chairs, splinters, dusty, stained sheets, and all sorts of things, at the end of which was a long staircase. The scene jumped right out of some horror stories and despite having faint memories of living in some place like this in her childhood, Faye felt a cold shudder run through her.

“It looks like the other children somehow managed to run away,” Faye told Zane, hoping to create some sort of conversation going. Anything to help them take their mind out of the picture of despair right in front of them. “The only thing keeping me going here is the fact that I am eighty percent sure we are not dealing with some sort of ghost,” She sighed.

Tentatively, Faye started walking forward where just her first step in arose a deafening screech of anger to rise all around them. She knew it knew. It knew they were there and it was most likely waiting to be found. The flickering shadows lead straight towards the stairs. “I think that’s where we go…”

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Zane could clearly see that Faye was just as scared of this place as him, and he could tell she was just trying to continue to talk so that the two wouldn't have to feel alone in this creepy place. Zane too thought that maybe he should just talk to distract himself. What would the normal him say in this situation...?

"It's alright Faye, I'm here. I'll protect you." he said, with a confident face on. That being said, he knew full well that he wasn't really that strong. Did he just sign up for something he knew for a fact he couldn't do? Zane grumbled to himself silently. He always tried too hard to show off when there was a lady involved...

The children who escapes must of put up a fight, that was for sure. There was scratch marks on the floor, the furniture was all broken, and Zane had to make sure to watch his step from all the glass that remained on the floors. In addition, the smell wasn't too pleasant either.

The screech shocked Zane too, and it became very apparent very quickly that it came from upstairs. Zane gulped, knowing that this was it. The child was up there, probably in one of the bedrooms. At the base of the stairs, Zane and Fate made their way up. Without even any other indicator, it was obvious to tell what room the child was in. There was a real energy to it, one that could easily make even the bravest people feel a chill down their spine. Zane slowly approached the door to the room, which was closed. The only thing keeping them from the child now was a doorknob. "Faye, are you ready...?" he asked, hesitating a little bit himself. "If we don't make it out from here, I wanna let you know you're really beautiful." he said, not even able to blush from his declaration due to the sheer fear he was facing. And so he put his hand on the doorknob, turning it to see what was within...

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Faye did not expect Zane to call her beautiful at a time like this. It felt nice to hear compliments from someone, but the timing just could not have been worse. She only gave him an odd look and then turned her attention back to the problem at hand. They were already outside the door, and just by the sheer, unmasked aura of evilness coming from inside it, Faye knew the child was in there. With a hand pressed onto the door, Faye stood still for what felt like ages until finally giving Zane a nod, indicating he should open the door.

When he does so, Faye would press onto the door further, slowly peeking over the opening in order to see inside. The room was almost empty. There was a very big window at the other side with a dark red stained curtain hanging over it. Faye could just feel her hands grow cold at imagining what the stain could be. In the middle of the whole room –of what looked like a child’s playroom- sat a single wooden chair. From where they stood, it looked completely empty but Faye’s heart was already thumping loudly in her chest.

There was a real urge to just throw the whole thing away and leave the orphanage, to leave the child to her own devices. It would hardly affect her even if the child became completely possessed. But then again, if she ran now, didn’t that mean she was a coward? Just like the demon possessing Hana told her.

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Zane's little confession of Faye's beauty didn't really seem to hit the dramatic notes that he intended it to. Oh well, you miss every shot you don't take after all. The real concern however was the now empty room that the door had been opened too. This was probably the creepiest part so far. The room was nothing but walls, a chair, and a cursed child. She was just staring down at the ground for the time being. Zane, gulping, took quiet steps towards the child. They were only but 2 and a half meters apart now. Suddenly, the child turned to Zane, giving him a soul-piercing glare.

But the glare wasn't even the worst part. The child's eyes were all black, and nothing else.Zane never really imagined the child's face in a good light, but this was even scarier than he had imagined. Sweating, Zane stared down the child for a few seconds before she let out a monstrous mix of a growl and a shriek, lunging at Zane with her hands, dark magic protruding from her nails. Zane was barely fast enough to dodge this, the nails nearly hitting his face.

Now, there were a lot of things that would make Zane hesitate in a fight, but of all of them the one that made him do so the most was going up against a child. Not even that, but a child who seemingly had lost her free will, possessed by some sort of otherworldly curse that most likely took over her body completely. For now, it seemed like the child was ignoring Faye, only going for Zane. Zane figured perhaps this was because the child saw him first, so he decided to take advantage of this fact.

If the child was too busy attacking Zane after all, Faye would be able to make an easy strike on her. Her attention seemingly only belonged to him, so her back was often left exposed while she tried to kill Zane. The girl eventually switched her attacking style, creating a dark ball of energy to fly at Zane. Zane, once again narrowly dodging it, noticed that it was so powerful that it was able to create a hole in the wall of the orphanage, something that was seriously no joke, even if the place was admittedly looking a little bit run down at the moment.

"Faye! See what you can do!" he said, as he hoped that the girl he came with had picked up on the optimal strategy for this situation. Zane had actually been closer to death than this, but at least in those cases he didn't have to deal with someone who's eyes were pitch black. The girl once again switched to her nails, now being able to actually scratch a bit of Zane's clothes. He had stamina aplenty, but even he would soon tire out given not only the speed but also the frequency of the girl's attacks. It was now or never. Zane was the damsel in distress, and Faye would have to be the knight in shining armor that could save him. In reality, Zane was more like a decoy really - but the other analogy sounded much better overall.

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Faye felt horrified at the scene. The moment the cursed child looked up at Zane, Faye brought her hands up in front of her mouth and muffled a gasp. At this point, it was not just enough to say something was possessing her. In fact, it was just eating at her. Her face was pale and thin with bones sticking out. The skin looked faded here and there along with deep wounds that looked like it was rotting. No, the dark magic was just going to devour her and move onto a new host, it was a terrible curse indeed.

It was when she attacked Zane that Faye fully snapped out of her terrified stupor. Watching it go for his throat quickly began making Faye forget fear. She was starting to get angry. How dare it attack someone she just befriended? She wanted to hit it back down at the very first strike, but seeing Zane’s movements, Faye was quick to realize that he was keeping its attention away from her. It gave her a chance to attack when it least expected and Faye was itching to just one-shot it. But of course, she had to be mindful of the actual child’s health.

As Zane led it around the room, Faye began to analyze the child’s movement and attack pattern. It was fast, and it was also powerful. Not only did she use claws, but there were also energy balls being thrown around –rather lethal ones at that, too. Faye considered all the possibilities. She could attack it from behind, or she could throw the child to the wall and pin her down with something.

Counting on her options, Faye could only wait as Zane brought the girl around. As soon as the child was within three meters from her, Faye released her water magic. A bright blue magic circle indicated its activation as a wave of water rose in front of her and at incredible speed crashed right onto the girl in the middle of her attacks. Faye watched her turn around and attempt to move away but no matter how quickly she attempted to move, the thin ribbon like wave would reach her first.

But it wasn’t over. The wave swept the child over to the other end of the room. “Quick! We need to hold her down!” Faye had already pinpointed the only other object inside the small room. She swiftly lifted up the chair, giving the child no time in order to make a comeback, and slammed the four wooden legs over her small frame. It created a temporary cage of sorts, one at which the girl was already starting to claw at.

“Zane! Knock her out with something” Faye eyed one of the half broken legs of the chair. She reckoned that if he could grab it, when the child lunges at Faye, he could just hit the girl over her head and temporarily knock her out. She trusted him to be able to control his strength. Even if the dark magic was powerful, its host was still a weak child.

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Knocking out a child wasn't exactly something that Zane could say he put on his bucket list, but hey, here he was anyways. Impressed by Faye's actions, Zane was quick to move to where the child was trapped. He knew that despite the magical prowess of the thing, in reality the body was of a young girl, so Zane simply gave a light chop to the back of her head, just enough to knock her out. Concerned, Zane decided to check her pulse on her neck really quick, tensing up before sighing. "It looks like she's still alive.." he said, panting. "Good work, that went about as well as I could've ever asked it to. Shame about the wall though..."

Zane would bring the child up on his back, almost as though he was giving her a piggyback. "What was that merchant's name again? Well, no matter what it was, we should probably go talk to him." Walking out of the room, Zane was just happy to leave this place behind him altogether. He was getting kind of tired of creepy stuff at this point. The whole thing felt like he was in a horror story, and quite frankly this was one that needed to just end already. "We should get outta here fast, I'd rather not stay in such a place for long."

Once the two were out of the inn, Zane began walking. Luckily it was dark out by now, meaning that even if somebody saw the child, they wouldn't be able to see their face. Plus, with Faye walking with them, the 3 almost seemed as though they were simply parents bringing their tired child home for the day.

Of course, that vision was ruined the moment they stepped into the bar. Luckily Gaud Teller was still there, smiling as he waved for the two to come over.

"So, the two of you managed to do it! And with the girl still alive too, I see. Just leave her on the chair there." Zane dropped the child on the chair, resting her on it. He positioned it a little bit special though, hoping the bargoers had less of a chance to see her face. "I have to admit, that was probably the most chilling thing ever.." Zane said, still not quite forgetting of the horrific sights they had seen tonight, especially with, you know, a cursed child with black eyes right there.

"Hah! Well, you two certainly will think the reward to be worth it. One second..." reaching into his pocket, Gaud pulled out quite a nice amount, giving it to the two. "Well, we'll see if we can get the girl help as well. I suppose in the end we can also figure out why she got cursed too."

Zane smiled, nodding. "I'd like that a lot. I don't think any kid should have to go through that." Looking over to Faye, Zane spoke. "Here's your share." he said, handing her half the money that Gaud had given them. "I couldn't of done it without you. Hell, I'd say that you did more than me, honestly."

The two exited the bar, the light almost sucked out of the city. "Faye, what inn are you staying at?" he asked, thinking that perhaps he would walk her home for her safety - though another part of him just wanted to stick around her more in general. "I think it would be best if we walked together after all that, right?" Should Faye have accepted, he would be quite happy. Either way though, they got paid - and the horror of the cursed child was finally over.


2016
EXIT

“Oh,” Faye sighed as she threw the chair away. She finally got a good look at the child. “Good, we can’t afford to have the child dead now,” Faye replied as she leaned over the girl and placed a finger over her pulse. Its slow beat told Faye the girl was alive but not all that very healthy. They would have to eventually figure out a way to remove the curse from her body, but that was something she was ready to leave to Gaud and whoever that can help him. She was done with this sort of missions. It was too much of a hassle and an assured way of getting a heart-attack.

“I haven’t moved around so much in so long,” Faye complained, stretching out her hands. The missions she took were usually so peaceful that Faye had almost forgotten the feeling of having her magic hanging at the end of her fingertips. There was that familiar tingle and then a whoosh and a bam. She could have termed that better but who cares, this was all in her head anyway.

While Zane was hoisting the girl up to his back, Faye was already walking out the door. With their mission successfully complete, her one track mind was now fully focused on getting back to Gaud Teller and handing the child over. Poor kid would have to be locked up somewhere until they could separate the evil magic from her. Faye wouldn’t want to be her. The kid will never be able to forget it in her life. She will never be a normal child. Faye knew that better than anyone.

Night had fallen while they were battling the kid. The streets were now just people going back home after a long day of work. As their shadows fell on the path ahead of them, a tall one and a slightly short one, along with the small child’s, Faye, too, unknowingly had the same though Zane was having. Only, she dismissed it as soon as the thought entered her head. Family was only a wonderful lie. Hers have always been lifeless puppets.

When inside the inn, Gaud was quickly all over them. He seemed genuinely happy that the child could now be saved. She did not want to rain on their parade by bringing up the psychological impacts it would have, so Faye mirrored his beaming smile back at him without meaning it. Zane handled the rest of it as she just dawdled along.

Outside, she walked with Zane as he asked where she was staying. “Ah, it’s just a thirty minutes walk from here. The Cat’s Paw inn,” Faye understood he wanted to walk her back and honestly, after what they had to go through the whole day, she gladly welcomed it.

-Exit-
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