HTN 5-43 Open your eyes. (NON canon version)

I wrote this version first and then abandoned it when I reread it and felt it was far too serious. I included it here as a patreon bonus but please be sure to read the cannon version.

The mines resembled a fantasy version of an actual mine. The main tunnel was wide enough to walk ten abreast with a ceiling that soared twice Frank's height. It was framed by wooden posts as if they supported the ceiling, and every so often, a smaller side tunnel branched off. There was a metal track that ran down the center that was rusted as if long abandoned. The sound of dripping water echoed down the tunnels as the group sat in a large round chamber.

“How many times has this happened?” Blackbast asked as Heather slept in the palanquin.

“A couple of times now,” Frank answered as he scratched at his head. “She pushes her power too far, and it catches up to her.”

“She pushes her power too far?” Blackbast repeated and thought back to the fight with the demon. She recalled the blue glow back then, but Heather hadn't collapsed afterward. There were a dozen questions she wanted to ask, but now was not the time. Lydia and her friends were sitting along the wall nearby, watching with interest. It was almost certain that this was one of Heather's mysteries, and the fewer who knew about them, the better. She could not risk asking a question that might reveal something to the vampire woman that was better left hidden.

“Did you see that woman fall from the sky?” Quinny asked as she came to the palanquin. “I think Hannah teleported with her into the air and let her fall.”

“That is most certainly what she did,” Blackbast growled. “She has a rather creative mind when it comes to using her powers.”

“I don't understand her powers,” Lydia called from the wall. “One minute she is living; the next she's undead. She tosses fire about like a devil but summons plants? What class is she really?”

“A Lilithu devil,” Frank replied and turned around to confront them. “With flower singer as her primary.”

“None of that explains how she could become undead,” Baron Durmont pointed out. “I am very familiar with the classes that have living and undead forms. I know for a fact that neither of her classes has any access to undeath.”

Blackbast growled with frustration as Baron Durmont backed them into a corner. She was about to try and explain that it was a power granted by her collar when Frank spoke up.

“She did it the same way I became human,” Frank replied and fished into a pouch. He pulled out a small white object and held it out.

“You have a figurine of transformation,” Lydia said with wondering eyes. “Where did you get it?”

“I found it a long time ago while plundering a world-generated dungeon,” Frank lied.

“And to think I thought you were a carrion knight,” Baron Durmont said with a shrug. “I suppose I can't be blamed. That figurine gives you practically the same abilities.”

“What’s a carrion knight?” Quinny asked as she came to his side.

Baron Drumont explained that it was much like the werewolf where you had a human form and a ghoul form. The player could only take the ghoul form in darkness, while inside a graveyard, or on corrupted ground.”

“So you would have a human and ghoul form,” Quinny said as she looked at Frank. “Why didn’t you pick that?”

“Because I wanted to be this,” Frank argued and pulled off his helm. “I happen to like what I am.”

“It suits you,” Lady Dellaquin replied.

“I wasn't trying to say you made a bad choice,” Quinny argued back. “I just thought it would make things easier. If I could have picked a zombie that could change to a human, I would have.”

Breanne drifted down the tunnel in her spectral form to inform that it was now midnight. Legeis was watching the tunnel opening with Umtha to ensure they were not surprised.

“You are sure there is another way out?” Breanne asked as she arrived.

“I built these mines with points,” Lydia replied. “I know for a fact there is another way out on the other side of the mountains.”

“And what dangers are we going to face trying to get through?” Breanne pressed. “I doubt you had time to add us to your allies list.”

“Mostly low-level stuff. Rats, spiders, bats, a few skeletons, and some cave crawlers. There is a chance of encountering a jelly cube, but I have it set to spawn on a lower level. I doubt it has found its way up here.” She paused and looked at Frank as he pocketed the figurine. “So, your Hannah has one that makes her undead?”

“It was made by the necromancer kings,” Frank replied as he lied like a champion. “Hannah was given it as a gift by another queen when she learned that Hannah and I were going to be married.”

“Ahh,” Lydia said as it made sense. “Hannah wanted to be able to share in your undeath.”

“I guess,” Frank replied and glanced at Blackbast. “Hers is a little different, though. It isn't really a figurine. It's a magical blue ring.”

“That makes sense,” Baron Durmont replied. “The necromancer kings were experimenting with all sorts of magical items. That must be the source of the healing you spoke of.”

Frank realized he had admitted that Heather could heal him in front of the three. He quickly agreed and said that the ring granted her minor necromancer powers. He even went so far as to suggest that Hannah wanted the ring because of her friends. Baron Durmont nodded and readily agreed that it must be a terrible burden to have friends she couldn't heal.

“Then what happened in the battle?” Lady Dellaquin asked. “When I saw her, she was glowing blue like a small star.”

“It’s part of the ring,” Frank replied. “It comes with a kind of curse that knocks her out if she uses too much of her power.”

“A curse?” Lydia asked as she leaned forward. “Why not take it off?”

“She can't,” Blackbast interjected. “The ring was a trap, and the other queen tried to blackmail Heather's mother in exchange for a cure. That is why we are traveling. We have been given a device that points the way to a shrine where cursed items can be nullified.”

“And you were appointed to be her caretaker?” Lydia asked.

“By her mother, Queen Gwen,” Blackbast replied. “The ring can cause Hannah to lose control and attempt to flee to the one who gave it to her. We cannot allow that under any circumstances. It would give Gwen’s rival a terrible bargaining chip. By collaring her, not only can I override the ring's power, but she cannot go far from me.”

“And then you can keep her under control until you find this magical shrine,” Lydia surmised. “How interesting. A noble quest to free a devil from a cursed ring.”

“It’s more so to consider that most of the party is made up of monster players,” Baron Durmont pointed out.

“Well, she is a monster player herself,” Lady Dellaquin added.

Frank wanted to tell them that Heather wasn't a monster player at all, but the lie was set, and her secrets were protected. They asked about the magical door, and Blackbast said it belonged to Legeis. It was a goblin portal back to his lair in a goblin village. He had a remote device in his armor he could use to open the portal and summon goblins to his aid. That seemed to placate them as they waited for the night to pass and hoped the paladins wouldn’t find the mine.

Breanne scouted the tunnels ahead and reported that they were empty. The whole time Heather lay asleep, blissfully unaware of where she was. Webster was tucked into the pillow by her head, watching intently. Blackbast never left her side, and Frank asked Webster if she was dreaming. Webster chirped and turned from side to side to signal the answer was no, which meant she was truly unconscious.

“Do we risk moving on while she is out?” Quinny asked as she looked down the main tunnel.

“I am sure your group can handle anything in here,” Lydia said. “I made this a long time ago for low levels to adventure in.”

“If players can’t settle here, why make them a place to play?” Frank asked.

Lydia sighed and explained that things were not always this way. Before Kevin, she had a small player population and a thriving kingdom. The mine was part of a larger plan, but that all came to an end when Kevin came. She had been reset several times, but they always made sure to restore the mine as soon as they could. It used to have a road and a small mining town, but these were removed to help conceal it. Now it acted exactly as it was being used, as an escape route if things went wrong.

“It didn't use to go through the mountain,” Lydia said. “I changed that a reset ago so we couldn’t become trapped.”

“Hannah would be fuming to hear this,” Quinny said. “She hates how monster players are treated.”

“Yes, she does,” Frank agreed. “Maybe we should go on. The sooner we find the shrine, the better.”

“You are going to leave us here to fend for ourselves?” Lydia asked.

“We already rescued you when you didn’t deserve it,” Frank argued. “You can thank Hannah for that. If it were up to me, we would have left you in the castle.”

“Frank,” Quinny said in alarm. “That isn’t like you.”

He sighed and turned away, wandering into the mine as the others watched him go. Quinny looked to Blackbast, who waved her to run after Frank. She nodded and headed after him, wondering what was hurting.

“Hey, big guy,” she said as she reached him. “What’s eating you up?”

Frank walked silently for a moment before looking down at Quinny. She had her featureless mask on, hiding her face from a world that persecuted her kind.

“I hate that we have to hide what we are,” he said.

“Is that why suggesting you should have been the carrion knight upset you?” she asked.

“I guess so,” Frank replied. “I love being a ghoul, and I don't want to change. What good is coming here to play when you can't play what you want?”

“I only said that because I thought it would give you a way to be with Heather,” Quinny said and looked away. “That is what you want, isn’t it?”

Frank looked to the woman beside him as she folded her arms over her chest. He stopped when he heard what sounded like a sniffle and stepped around to stand before her.

“What are you doing?” she asked as he reached out and took off her mask.

She looked down as her face came into view and revealed the tears rolling down her cheek.

“Why are you crying?” he asked as she tried to look away.

“It doesn’t matter,” she replied and walked ahead.

“I don't understand what's going on,” Frank said as he started to follow.

“Frank,” Quinny sniffed. “Why are you such a nice guy?”

“I don’t know,” he said as she stumbled over his words. “I just treat people fairly and take care of my friends.”

“And as a result, your friends love you,” Quinny said. “Especially Heather.”

“What do you mean?” he asked in confusion.

“Oh, Frank,” Quinny laughed. “Are you blind? Heather loves you. We all see it.”

“She doesn’t love me,” he insisted. “She still flinches sometimes when she looks at me.”

“That’s because you look like a ghoul from a horror movie,” Quinny said. “Even I find it hard to look at you sometimes, but we know the you that’s inside all that. The good guy that everybody loves.”

“So, are you saying you don’t mind how I look?” he asked.

“I did,” she admitted. “But, I don’t care anymore, and I’m not so sure Heather does either. I bet she would have told you sooner or later, but now that you have that figurine, there is no reason for her to wait.”

Frank remained silent as Quinny took a few steps ahead and stopped. She wiped her eyes and kicked a rock across the floor before glancing back at him.

“When we get back, you and Heather will get married and be happy.”

“We are only doing that so Gwen can get her points,” Frank reminded her.

“Frank,” Quinny laughed again. “Gwen did that because she knew you two were close but needed a little push. She set up the marriage to force you both to face the truth.”

“Are you saying that Heather and I love each other?” he asked in frustration.

“Are you telling me you're not in love with her?” Quinny asked.

“Heather wants to go home,” Frank cried. “Even if I wanted to, there isn’t any reason to start something I can’t keep.”

“No reason?” Quinny said as she turned on him. “Look, I think it's great that you want help, Heather, but we both know this is a one way ticket. Try as she might; Heather isn't getting out.”

“Don’t say that,” Frank grumbled. “Hathlisora was trying to find a way out, and the stories say she could open portals to places nobody else could go.”

“If that was the case, then why is Heather still here?” Quinny argued. “I don't understand how Heather is connected to Hathlisora, but everything we have learned so far indicates the plain failed.”

“Only because Kevin stopped it,” Frank suggested.

“We don’t know that,” Quinny cried. “We don't know anything. You told me yourself that when you first met Heather, she hadn't even picked a class. You had to go back and find her panel because she left it behind. That’s who Heather is, the girl you took by the hand and showed the world to.”

“I know, but the woman in the crown said Heather had done this before. She said Heather needed to discover the path slowly, or she would go insane,” he protested.

“Yeah, the woman in the crown said that,” Quinny retorted as she pointed to her head. “You do remember the dragon said the woman in the crown betrayed Heather once before?”

Frank went silent as he recalled the fight with the dragon knight. “But that only proves that Heather has done this before.”

“And failed because it can't be done,” Quinny pointed out.

“It must be possible. She just got unlucky the last time,” he insisted.

“Look, I will do all I can to help Heather, but maybe she would be happier if she decided to stay here,” Quinny said and looked away so he couldn't see her face. “With you.”

Frank scratched at his head while trying to understand what was going on. One of the reasons he came into New Eden was because he wasn't very good with girls. Now he traveled with four of them and still had no idea what they were thinking. All he knew was that despite looking the way he did, they stayed and treated him like a friend. Heather even started to touch him, taking his arm or riding on his shoulder. She even fed him cake when his clawed hands made it hard to use a fork. He tried not to read too much into it, but now Quinny was saying he was wrong. She suggested that Heather was starting to open up, and everybody else thought it too. He went to say something but noticed Quinny had her back to him.

“I think you were right. We should go now, and cover as much ground as we can,” Quinny said. “Heather will be fine by morning. She always is.”

Frank could hear the pain in her voice and wondered what to do. Quinny said Heather loved him, but why did she sound so hurt?

“What are you two doing?” Breanne asked as she returned from her scouting.

“Nothing,” Quinny said and put her mask on. She turned around and headed back to the palanquin without saying another word.

“Is something the matter?” Breanne asked as they watched her go.

“Breanne, can I ask you something?” Frank said once Quinny was out of sight.

“I don’t see why not,” she replied.

“Does Heather love me?” he asked and looked at the floor.

Breanne was quiet a long moment before floating up beside him. “I believe she does but doesn't feel like she can pursue it. I think she is afraid she will hurt you.”

“And what about Quinny?” he asked. “Does she love me?”

“You noticed that too,” Breanne sighed.

“She just made it very hard to miss,” he replied and scratched at his head. “What am I going to do?”

“I may be an old woman inside, but those years haven't given me any insight into how to handle a situation like this. In the end, you have to choose what you want most and hope the other one understands.”

“I don't want to hurt either of them,” he said and dragged a claw on the ground. “I suppose it would make more sense to pursue Quinny. We're both undead, and we spend hours together while Heather is sleeping. She has a fun sense of humor and shares many of my ideas about playing here. We have read a lot of the same manga, and watched the same anime. I really like her, but I also like Heather. She was my first real friend and has always stuck by my side. She picked the necromancer class because it worked well with mine, and has risked her life for me several times.”

“We have all witnessed the madness of Heather when your life is in danger,” Breanne agreed.

“But Heather wants to go home, and I would do anything to help her achieve that,” he said.

“And why would you do that?” Breanne asked. There was a long silence as Frank drew a circle in the dirt before him. “Be honest with yourself, or you will regret it the rest of your life,” she pressed.

“Because I love her,” he whispered.

Breanne put a hand to his shoulder and smiled with her withered face. “A terrible choice to make, but as I recall, that decision was taken out of your hands. You are already engaged to Heather, and she isn't afraid to marry you. Maybe it would be best to allow things to happen as they are planned and worry about the details later.”

“But what about Quinny?” he asked.

“She understands,” Breanne replied. “She might not like it, but she knows you and Heather are a package. If she wants in on it, she will have to harem it up like those books she talks about all the time.”

Frank started to laugh and shook his head. He couldn't imagine Heather agreeing to something like that, but the thought was funny nonetheless.

The scent of roses filled the air as she walked down a tunnel of green. The sky above was blue as a sapphire with tiny wisps of clouds. Something about this place seemed familiar as she wound her way through tall hedges that towered overhead. It was a garden of some kind, full of dense shrubs trimmed neatly into walls that formed a maze. White roses grew among the dark leaves in places, creating a lovely environment. She looked around, but there was nothing to see aside from the walls of green and the stone path. The only landmark she could use was what appeared to be an obelisk that rose out of the garden. The face was black stone, but there appeared to be a golden cap at the top. It was so high that it could be seen even from inside the hedge maze. In her heart, this was where she needed to be, the place where it all happened, but she couldn't recall what. All she knew was it was here, and somehow she had to find it.

The path was frequently broken by side passages that wandered off in new directions. She knew that choosing the wrong one would mean being lost, but wasn't she already lost? Her memory failed her as she tried to remember this place and why she was here. It had something to do with the roses, but she was sure they were supposed to be red.

Wandering the path, she began to take turns at random, giving up on trying to remember the way. One path was as good as another, and they all looked the same. Around a corner, she found a sundial on a white marble platform. Something about it screamed from the back of her mind as she studied the dial's face.

“Time is not what time might look,” she whispered as if those words meant something. She had no idea where they had come from but seeing the primitive clock brought them up. There was more to the memory, and she let go of trying to force it and let it happen. “The way she made the king forsook. Into the garden, he took the key and hid it in the prison of eternity.”

“Heather,” a woman’s voice called as if drifting on the wind. “You must find the prison. You must get the key.”

“How do I find the prison?” she called and spun about. “Where is this? Where am I?”

“The door is open, you have only to walk in, but once you go in, you can never come back out.”

“What good will that do me?” she cried.

“You must find a way,” the voice said as it started to fade. “The prison was made to hold you, but we know you will find a way.”

“We who?” Heather called as she turned in circles. “Who are you? Why do you keep talking to me in riddles?”

“Time means nothing to you or us. They didn’t realize that when they brought you here. They didn’t understand that you saw time so differently. You saw through their magic and learned to read what was meant only for them.”

“More riddles,” Heather cried. “I am growing sick of this game. If you can't offer me a solid answer, then I refuse to play.”

“Then you are already inside the prison.”

Heather opened her eyes to see eight little black ones staring back. Webster chirped and tapped at her head with a leg, causing her to flinch.

“Stop that,” she moaned and sat up to discover she was in the palanquin, but it was inside some kind of cave.

“You are finally awake,” Blackbast said as she appeared in the doorway. “They told me you would recover, but it took so long.”

“What happened?” Heather asked as she brushed her hair out of her face. “I remember fighting beams of sunlight.”

“Paladins,” Blackbast corrected. “You went mad with anger and started to glow blue. You were a terrifying sight to behold, but then all of a sudden, you collapsed.”

“I blacked out again,” Heather said with a sigh. “How long have I been out?”

“It has been over twelve hours,” Blackbast replied. “Your friends say you have been out longer than this before.”

“It seems to be getting shorter,” Heather said as she swung her legs over the side. “Why are we in a cave?”

“It is a mine shaft hidden in the mountains on the very border of Lydia’s kingdom. She led us here to hide while both you and she recovered,” Blackbast answered. “Are you sure you are well enough to get up?”

“I’m fine. I always feel great after one of my sleeps,” she answered as another form appeared behind Blackbast.

“It is good to see you have survived,” Lydia remarked. “I have to say I am impressed with your skills.”

“I kind of wish you hadn’t forced me to display it,” Heather remarked. “But thank you for leading us to safety.”

“Thank you for taking it with,” Lydia countered. “I had a moment to speak with your boyfriend, and he assures me he could have tunneled you out on his own.”

“My boyfriend?” Heather repeated, then remembered the fight on the wall. “Frank,” she whispered and looked at Blackbast. “I need to speak to Frank. I have something I need to tell him.”

“He is down the tunnel a ways,” Blackbast replied.

Heather hopped down and peered into the darkness, her devil sight easily piercing the gloom. She walked briskly, eager to find him and tell him what was on her mind. The careless words spoken on the wall were an echo of what she felt inside. It was silly to keep denying it, and it was time to say something.

Around a gentle bend, she found him standing near the wall. He was holding Quinny's hands as the two of them spoke about something. Heather hid in the shadows a moment and watched as they stared into each other's eyes. With a sinking feeling, she tiptoed away and slipped into the darkness.

“Did you find him?” Blackbast asked when she returned.

“I did,” Heather replied and plucked Webster from the palanquin.

“Did you tell him what you wanted to say?” the cat woman pried.

Heather looked down at Webster and smiled. “I didn’t have anything to say to him after all.”