Waifu Catalog Beta Tester: Free to Play Skyblock

"Thornbolt. I think this one is going to be reasonable." Rose said calmly. "I am Rosevalda Durst, eldest daughter of the Durst family and heir to this house."

As she spoke, a dark blue version of Thorn peeked out from behind the bed. When Gil craned his head, he saw the skeleton of a little boy curled around a stuffed wolf atop a child's bed.

"So, local nobles who died locked in your room?" Gil asked.

"Essentially yes," Rose said, "and you appear to be a thief."

"By the name of Gilbert, yes. Forgive me if I keep my distance for the moment." Gil said, grasping the harp carefully. He felt no particular inclination to enter the room just yet. "So, you said you needed help?"

"Yes." Rose said, sitting and crossing her ankles. "Once, I hoped we'd be able to move on if released from this room. It hasn't worked Thursday last few times, but it gives us a bit more freedom until the house drags us back and locks us up. We can read a few books, stretch our legs. Make an escape attempt or two."

"And the part about helping me?" Gil asked. "Wait. Did you say the house is keeping you?"

"Yes. The house itself is cursed." Rose said, examining her blackened fingernails. "Or possibly its mother's spirit, but if it was mother once then I'd wager she's gone quite mad. I'll provide information, if you like."

"Reasonable." Gil said, "You said you wanted to move on? That is fairly standard for ghosts, no?"

Gil had a mild problem when he encountered "common" supernaturals. He knew too much. There were far too many types of ghost in the universe, with wildly varied levels of danger and lucidity. There were a few elements that were common, but nothing certain.

"Yes. It's awful, staying here in our room forever." Thorn squeaked from across the room.

Strange that a little boy and a girl in her late teens would be rooming together in a house this large.Gil thought, Oh. Never mind. She's a girl. She was probably like… 6 in the original. Maybe even a twin. Buying that modifier for my tests was a damn good use of credits. Always funny when they are this lazy about it.

"I've got a few hours left" Gil asked, checking his tablet. "I might be able to help, but I'll want something in return."

"Like what?" Rose asked, narrowing her eyes. "You seem perfectly happy to gather up my family's riches without my permission."

"If I can help the two of you out of this house, I'd like for you to serve as my companion and aide, Rosevalda." Gil said with a smile. "More formally, I'd like you to sell me your soul."

Rose stared at him, steepling her fingers. She felt the weight of his question flood her brain, and unlike those before her she considered it carefully. Her parents had taught her, through word and especially through action, to be careful about making rash deals with unknown entities. Metaphorically, she read the contract as Gil stood by, wondering if he'd done something wrong. He mentally started to draft his complaint about how poorly this mechanic was explained.

"Very well, Gilbert." Rose said. "I would like to amend your offer. I will do as you ask if and only if you can ensure that Thorn is well taken care of in my absence, in addition to facilitating our egress from this manor."

"Deal," Gil said, and checked his tablet. He smiled when he saw Rose in the retinue, which faltered slightly when he saw that she had a "pending" tag. Just like Ireena, 008, and the wolf, Rosevalda Durst was in the process of being captured but was not actually captured.

"I'll do my best, though understand that I will abandon you both if I'm placed in danger." Gil said, "No offense meant, you're just not worth my life. So, what have you tried so far?"

"Quite understandable, if you understand that I'm equally willing to sacrifice you." Rose answered with a thin smile. "We are incapable of leaving the grounds, even when the fog barrier isn't active. Fires do not take the house, as it can repair itself. There is also the complex beneath the house that we cannot enter. Unfortunately, those we have sent to inspect the area have all died or rejected further contact. I believe that the solution may be found there."

"Hmm. I think I'll pass. Would you say it's distance based, or based on the extent of your property?" Gil asked. "Was the complex forbidden for you in life? Does it feel any different when you try to go there than when you try to walk out the front gate?"

The conversation stopped as the two heard heavy footsteps below. A loud scraping noise as the hidden door was pulled open.

"Damnation. The House doesn't like this line of logic." Rose said, intrigued. "Please continue?"

Gil hefted the harp and rushed forward into the kids room. He pulled the door closed behind him just as the towering suit of armor stepped onto the landing. Gil slammed the door behind him. He half expected to hear fists or an improvised battering ram trying to break the door down. Instead, he heard a quiet click.

"And we are locked in once more." Rose sighed. "Usually it doesn't expend that much effort unless it feels threatened. You had best be as good as your word, or we will be trapped in this room until some fool with a lockpick wanders in. You brought the only key."

"I'm trying to figure out what binds you two here." Gil explained. "If it's purely spiritual then you're probably stuck until someone resolves some kind of unfinished business or destroys the house."

"I do hope you have an alternative possibility in mind." Rose said, an edge of danger creeping into her voice."

"Yes. A physical anchor." Gil said. "Something you can't stray far from. Traditionally, that would be either something precious to you in life, or…"

Gil looked at the sharply dressed skeleton at his feet.

"Just so." Rose said. "So if our corpses can leave the grounds, we may be able to do so as well?"

"Or something else of substantial emotional significance to you, especially if it was in your thoughts at the moment of death." Gil explained. "That wolf, for example."

"Lukas might be keeping me here?" Thorn asked, stricken, as he clutched a phantom copy of the stuffy.

"More like your soul isn't willing to leave him behind." Gil answered with a shrug. "If my assumption is correct, anyway. I've only got folklore to go off of. You, Rose? Anything your soul might have latched onto?"

"My exercise book." She said, instantly. "When I realized we might die, I tried to escape with magic. Obviously I failed, but that was foremost in my mind."

Oh boy! A goth ghost girl with magic powers? Is it Winterveil already?

"Alright. I'm going to need to strip your beds." Gil said. "What I'm about to do isn't going to be very respectful, but it might get you out of here. Deal?"

"Be my guest." Rose said with a shrug. "There is little I could do to stop you without escalating regardless."

Gil took the old quilt on Thorn's bed and wrapped it carefully, packaging the child and his stuffed dog together. He then repeated the process with Rose's charred skeleton and spellbook.

"Anything else I should grab?" Gil asked, "anything at all. I can only try this once and I haven't done it much. Anything that you would want to take with you, anything irreplaceable, could be the key."

Grudgingly, the two spirits took turns pointing out a few items. Thorn picked out several toys for Gil to pack; he did so with a tolerant smile. Rose wanted a specific pendent from her jewelry box; Gil took the whole box.

"What? Don't you want to have your jewelry with you?" Gil argued, "were you planning on leaving it for the next thief?"

Rose glared at Gil for several moments before relenting.

"Very well. I can not wear it, but I suppose I don't want it lining some opportunist's pockets." She grumbled. "Don't think I'll allow you to sell it, either."

"Disappointing, but fair," Gil said with a smirk, wrapping the box up with her corpse. "Now then, let's see if this works."

Gil hefted each of the bundled up bones, making sure he could easily lift and toss them. Then he pulled out the Door of Light and drew an archway on the bedroom wall. The edges of the arch sparked, and the doorway filled with a bright golden radiance. Gil picked up Rose's body and tossed it through, causing the ghostly girl to vanish.

"Wait! What happened to-" Thorn vanished next.

Gil turned and hefted the harp, but by the time he had it steady the door was flickering. He threw himself into the wall, which was now quite firmly a wall. He had to scramble to keep hold of the huge instrument, and only narrowly avoided dropping it on his own foot.

"Damn. Well I guess it's back to plan A." Gil closed his eyes and concentrated on going back to the skyblock.

Thankfully, the Evac process was fairly intuitive. Gil opened his eyes a few moments later, and saw Ireena and Snow sitting under the tree. They were looking out at the sky, which was a bit cloudy at this point.

"Yes, I understand he mostly goes to fairly dangerous places." Snow was explaining. "The last few weeks have honestly been quite boring at times. I think that's why he wanted to collect so many abandoned things. Sorting through it all will at least occupy us. Oh! Hello Master Gilbert!"

"Have you two unpacked Ireena's bag yet?" Gil asked, putting down the harp and taking off his backpack. He checked his tablet quickly. 3 hours. He'd taken his sweet time checking the house.

"I'm sorry, I need to head back out. I've got one more thing to do." Gil completed the mission, and Glanced at the next mission just long enough to know that it wasn't something he could do quickly.

Kill, Capture, or have sex with Baba Lysaga, the Witch of Berez

Reward: 10 credits, Scroll of Tantric Arts (binding)

With a ten credit reward, it wouldn't be easy even if he knew where the hell he was going. He didn't even read the rest, stopping only briefly to toss another bag Ismark had left here into the portal. He jogged back to the manor, and was relieved to see two bundles waiting just outside the grounds.

"That. Hurt." Rose's voice whispered in his ear, clearly irritated. "I will have words for you later."

"You do that. I'll be resting in a couple hours." Gil sighed, and started jogging to the church as dawn weakly fought against the overcast sky.

His muscles ached; he'd been straining himself all day and he couldn't afford to husband his strength. The healing leaf had helped him recover quickly, but that in turn had burnt quite a few calories. As bad as walking with a 200 pound man was, jogging with two bundles that collectively weighed about 40 pounds was far worse. It would have been better, slightly, if they had at least been even. Unfortunately, the skeleton of an 18 year old girl and her box of jewelry was notably heavier than that of a 4 year old and his soft toys. Gil was questioning whether all this was worth it by the time he reached Father Donavich, who was back to praying.

"Father." Gil called as he entered the door, which Donovich couldn't hear over the screaming from the basement. "Father, I need you."

Gil left Rose near the entrance, and trudged to the weeping priest with aching arms. He tapped the bald man on the shoulder, startling him.

"Good." Gil puffed. "Child. Needs burial rites. Maybe counseling. Thornbolt Durst. Take care of him?"

The perplexed priest took the quilt and peeked in, finding dusty, well loved toys alongside a bundle of bones.

"I… suppose." He asked. "What the devil happened?"

"Tragedy." Gil said, "doesn't matter. Be a good priest."

The father peppered Gil with questions until he hefted Rose's corpse and vanished. Between exhaustion and the fact that he only had 30 minutes left on the clock, Gil elected to stuff a pinch of healing leaf into his cheek and lay down next to the bundle to rest. He knew he'd feel awful without a proper cooldown, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Guys, don't open the quilt." He mumbled. "There's a lot of explaining to do."