Aranel Galeantara

A Carpet

• From One Door To The Next

  Living in a place as strange as Rift Castle is sometimes very terrifying. I'm by no means alone, so long as I'm within the walls. I am not permitted to leave, nor are any of the other denizens of the castle. We are trapped her eternally, somehow separate from the rest of the world.
  
  Rift Castle sits in a forest, but where in particular is unknown. I think it travels, or maybe it's surrounded by a big bubble akin to the magic within its walls, stationed between its doors. I really don't know. What I do know is if I were to walk outside and run toward the forest in hopes of leaving, should the Castle allow it, something would happen and I would be forced to come back.
  
  I've given up simply running away. There's so much more to it than that.
  
  But here are some of my stories so far. My encounters and my failures and my successes.
  
  
  

  

  
  

  Frozen Tundra:

  
  I walked through the door on my first morning of living at the castle. I didn't know anything about the place until after things started getting strange, so walking through my room's door to go find the owner to give thanks left me shocked. I stood in a blizzard, outdoors, barely able to see my hand in front of my face. When I was there, I met a tribe of pleasant... elves? I think? But they required our help. By now, Takurasho had followed me in. I was given a bell to ring should I need him and somehow ringing it in the rift did summon him. In any case, we assisted them in trying to make peace between another tribe. It didn't go very well, as immediately we were attacked. I refused to kill - and I think they did, too. Even the enemy tribe. One man I was defending myself fell and Takurasho came to finish the job, and I protected him. Takurasho and I did not fight, but I feel I paved the road for a worsening acquaintanceship by acting how I did. There were some losses, but I feel this was one of the more... forgiving Rifts I'd been in.

  
  
  

  The Floating City of Yabas:

  
  It was a floating sphere of Dwarven machinery - a city that floated, powered by a massive stone in a glass container on its underside. There were elevators leading from the ground up through the city to the top. There were explosions and screaming and people were gathering at the ground beneath the floating city. When we inquired - I was with Takurasho here, as well - we found out that the automatons were running amok. When we got to the top of the city, we discovered this was true, but heard something about Bloodletters. I was confused at first, but found out later on what that meant. There was a massive automaton - a single huge robotic creature - roaming about town and causing destruction. Whoever wasn't fighting was fleeing, all except for one person. Deciding to help, Takurasho and I ran toward him only to find out he didn't need escorted off of the city at all. He was the man causing these problems!
  
  I blacked out.
  
  When I came to, I learned Takurasho and I had fought, and later on it was explained that the Bloodletter in question was a mage who uses blood to manipulate things around them. They create golums.
  
  I was being controlled.
  
  Takurasho destroyed the man and the giant automaton failed to exist seperately from him, collapsing onto the city streets. We had to run back to the elevator because the place was beginning to collapse. When we reached the floor, the explosion from the city itself pushed us out of the elevator doors and back into the Castle.

  
  
  

  Lake in the Forest:

  
  After inquiring with Takurasho through his door about him being in my room last night - I actually had to ask Sabbath since I had no clue where his room was, so she brought me there - I turned to leave and passed through a doorway into a hall. Well, that's where I was headed, anyway. Sab and I stepped out into a dark forest. Soon enough, we were met by a terrifying snake-like woman with the torso of, well, a lady, and the bottom half of a massive snake. I think she was hungry, because she attacked Sabbath. I managed to help her get free and she ran off to find help, but while she did I was attempting to distract her and keep her preoccupied with fighting me. I got fairly injured, but nothing serious. Mganga's ointment helped heal the wounds to keep them from scarring, but I couldn't put it on my eye, so I can't see out of it. I still have one more and I've learned to deal with it. Sabbath returned playing her flute, a few bodies walking with her. She came to help me out - there was a graveyard out in the forest, which I'm guessing that's where she got the bodies from. Once the snake-lady ran away into the lake, We started walking toward the graveyard and found a mausoleum. Grabbed a couple of torches from the wall and went inside, wound up coming back out into the Castle hallway just outside of Takurasho's door. Sabbath no longer had her torch, but I still had mine.
  
  I found out that day that no one but the Master and I could bring things back.
  
  I also found out it was a bad idea to talk about it.

  
  
  

  Field of Dreaming:

  
  Takurasho and I again found ourselves stuck together in another Rift. Here, it was a field. I couldn't see well because in the Rift with the snake-woman, I had lost my glasses. But I was approached by a young boy I learned was named David, asking about his parents. I promised to help him find them. Before I could call for Takurasho, I fell asleep. There had been a musical humming since I arrived there and it continued to get louder and louder as the moments passed on. The next thing I remember was "waking up" in a clearing in a forest. There were creatures that showed up - like wolves composed of shadow and ink and they were massive. We were chased out of the forest and toward a rope bridge. The wolves did not follow us, but they did chew the bridge. No one fell, though, thankfully, and we all made it to the other side by climbing the bridge. There was a chapel.
  
  We walked into the chapel. David ran off and immediately I heard him cry, but I saw nothing. We searched and searched for him, and it turned out he fell through a trap door. Which... I found by falling through it again.
  
  I woke up in the field I was in previously with Takurasho and David sleeping nearby. I was stripped of the nice dress I was wearing, which... was being carried off by some woman and a man. Takurasho pursued them and I gathered David and began to run, but I realized David was cold. I tried to feel for a heartbeat but didn't find anything. He died.
  
  Takurasho fell unconscious so I had to leave David. I gathered the man and tugged him for the caravan, hoping to request for help, but wound up realizing that the caravan was our way home. I put him inside, ran to get David, and returned to the caravan. We were home.

  
  
  

  Desert of Bones:

  
  I could not see anything. My glasses were still lost in a Rift somewhere else and this place was all one color. The sand, the sky... it was a barren wasteland of gray. There were a few trees jutting out at random, but they were a strange off-whiteish-yellow color. Sabbath said they were composed of bone. All three of us were here, by the way. Sabbath, Takurasho, and myself. He picked her up because she'd been previously injured and required a crutch, and she held my hand so I would not lose myself. It felt as if I would fall for eternity had I let go.
  
  There were creatures also made only of bone. They attacked us. One completely impaled me through the stomach with his spear... and I died.
  
  Sabbath, you see, is a medium. She acted as a beacon and allowed my spirit to take over her body while mine was as well. It was all very confusing at the time, but I learned why later. I... refuse to state why here in case they ever read this, and in case anyone they know ever reads this. In any case, this happened after we found a cave at the base of a single hill. It's odd thinking about it now, but everything about that Rift was strange. In the end, Mganga managed to revive me with the aid of ah... the nameless "friend."

  
  
  

  Dead Castle:

  
  I was hungry and wanted to find the dining area, but walked into another version of the castle. It was dead here, too. Rundown, empty, quiet. I saw that unnamable "friend." A version of Sabbath was here, too. She was older though, and the "friend" was fully tangible. It was amazing and terrifying at once. She let the "friend" attack me. They needed me, what I could do. They were close and I tried to use this Rift's version of Sabbath to hold hostage until I could walk through another doorway, but they swiped at her and killed her. I still blame myself for that, and it's especially awful to think of because she was my friend in my Castle. I threw her at them and they held her, so I don't think they meant it. I ran and arrived back at my Castle.

  
  
  

  East Haven:

  
  I was here for six years. Six wonderful years... I met the love of my life here. I saw his sister's spirit and helped her move on, I watched Officer Radcliffe and his rookie son drift apart. I watched him be pulled into the flaming pit my lover's sister's body was burning in. Ironic how I came to adore this Rift's version of Takurasho, while still hating the one from the Castle. I suppose I convinced myself that my time in the Castle was a lie, that I was dreaming or I had lost my mind. I forgot about it somehow. Which... was strange, since I was born in a completely different time. His father sent us to a cabin and, unfortunately, the jealous maid who was hired to look after us (seeing as though we were both injured from the policeman's gun before he died) pushed me out the window after some wolves arrived in the yard. My leg was mauled and eaten off of, and I was bit in other places as well. My mind snapped and I was admitted to the Mental Hospital for a few years. He was a psychologist there but he was kept separate from me due to our connections.
  
  Takurasho somehow managed to get me out of there, which caused a big problem since a lot of the patients were breaking out as well. Radcliffe's son was trying to stop us, but Takurasho pretended to threaten him with his own gun. He held me close, so when the policemen began to shoot, he died and I was wounded. I... killed myself. I was dead, actually dead - I was there with his spirit at the funeral and I was watching as they lowered our bodies into the ground.
  
  But the castle pulled me back the moment we were settled into the dirt. I'm guessing it acted as a last-minute doorway.
  
  I've yet to recover from this. My mind feels weak. I'm managing, however.

  
  
  

  Dr. Reynold's Island:

  
  Takurasho and I were placed on a Cruise Ship in what I believe was the early 1900's. A terrible storm came and knocked us off the ship but we sought refuge on a nearby island. There, we found a young woman, completely feral in mind, who had the strange ability to shift into a fox. I wasn't certain why until I had been kidnapped by a couple of men and taken to a facility. I saw many odd creatures while I was there. Most of them were normal animals with human features, like hands and feet. It was awful. I think Panna was a successful experiment, able to freely change between human and fox with no real consequence. Unfortunately, they thought of replicating those results with me. They put me to sleep.
  
  When I woke up, I was in the castle - having somehow brought Panna back with me. I was told we rode her through the facility doors and into the castle. Since I was on her, I guess I was able to bring her back.
  
  Yeah. She can be big or small. It's really crazy.

  
  
  

  Burning Hospital:

  
  I arrived in a burning hospital and met with a young version of my mother and this Rift's version of Takurasho. They offered me a place to stay, which was nice. My mother and I went to town after I had rested and decided to work together, along with Takurasho, to bring down the bandits that had been causing problems with the town. With her, in particular it seemed. I didn't know why, though. She went on and I sat down somewhere since I couldn't handle walking much - my leg was still hurting tremendously at the time. A girl came to me looking for help, but it wound up being a trick and, again, I was kidnapped. Why people like doing that to me, I have no idea. I was brought to a bandit cave, carried by one man. He was quiet, even gentle, but the girl was brash and threatening. They thought I was Astra, my mother.
  
  In the cave, the bandit leader knew I was not my mother. He was angry... set the man who'd carried me on fire with the now-flaming bottle of alcohol he'd been sipping on. I ran over to him, I tried to help. I told him to take off his clothes and stop, drop, and roll while I tried to smother the flames. My arms were cooked... I couldn't help him. He died of shock before the flames were diminishing.
  
  They locked me up in a cage with a warrior woman and we managed to break out. She listened to my instructions. With her help and with the help of this Rift's version of that unnamable "friend," we managed to conquer the bandits.
  
  And I managed to murder the bandit leader.
  
  I am not able to forgive myself for that, either. For my inability to save the burning man, and for how I murdered his boss.
  
  I was in this Rift a few more days before I returned home when I tried to go to the bathroom.

  
  
  

  New Orleans:

  
  This was especially brief. Takurasho and I appeared in New Orleans sometime in the 2000's, I'm not sure. But we witnessed an assasination of someone - again, I'm not sure. I waited while he pursued the murderer and called for authorities. They arrived around the same time he returned and, at the time, I had no idea what happened with the girl. We promised to go with the police to have coffee and talk about what we saw in a nearby cafe, but when we walked through the doors, as I was hoping, we returned home.

  
  
  

  Forest Town:

  
  Takurasho and I appeared in a burning forest and chased down the culprit to her tent. She wound up not doing anything, from what I knew, and offered to let us stay in her tent. It was a short Rift for me, but Takurasho seems to know more about it than I do... I wonder what happened?

  
  
  

  Port City:

  
  Takurasho and I decided to gather supplies for the Castle. I was still without glasses, so I used that and my already dirtied appearance to panhandle. I earned enough to purchase a few things honestly, though Takurasho seemed to have gone about it in his own way. He did bring me glasses, though. Odd how they were so perfectly in tune with my prescription, though.

  
  
  

  Takurasho's Hometown:

  
  We arrived there, still trying to gather supplies, and visited his family. His pregnant mother was very pleasant and his father was the same as the one in East Haven. We were both redressed in clean clothing. Unfortunately, he wore an outfit identical to the one he was buried in - well, his Rift-self. It upset me. We went out to go eat together, but there was a strange set of twins and their father playing music. To avoid saying anything potentially harmful to the man or his mother, the end result was that she died and her baby was born with an illness. Takurasho was very torn up about it. One of the little girls had died and the other suffered head trauma. It was Sabbath.
  
  I'm unsure if it's the Castle's version or not... it worries me.

  
  
  

  Carnival Spectacular:

  
  It was anything but spectacular. I arrived there, alone, on my way to go fetch Sabbath so that I could continue Gathering. I came across a circus and had been invited to be a part of the show. I wish I would have said no... The man was, for lack of better words, a psychopathic werewolf. He'd been dying for a protege and I happened to be the first one who didn't die. I lost myself that day. A good part of me. And I'm certain that I'll never get it back... I killed eight people in my visit to the Rift. I'm so happy the Castle doesn't let us go back. I've never felt so afraid of someone before in my life....

  
  
  

  Land of Dragons:

  
  For once, all of us went. Well, aside for Mganga. He never comes with us. But I never saw him come out until after I killed the demon. But in any case, it was Takurasho, Panna, Sabbath, and myself all in this forest. We found an evacuated forest town, like a tree-house only more like a city. A huge dragon landed as we were changing into clothing we found (with the death of the demon, the castle fell apart inside and became empty, so all of our clothes were missing). It breathed something, and Sabbath and Panna were taken. It put them to sleep. Takurasho and I were mistaken for our Rift-selves and somehow my Rift-self managed to have a very, very high position. She was the queen. So I ordered them to take us to where Panna and Sabbath had been taken to, and when we got there, we were discovered as impostors. I managed to open the only door out, but it took us to a room with a dragon sleeping and a wall of hundreds of people attached to the dragon by tendrils. Sabbath and Panna were among that wall. I think it was siphoning it. No, I know so. When I touched that door, for a moment I was apart of something else. I saw out of three sets of eyes, and shared three different minds.
  
  The man with our Rift-selves (it was strange seeing them) went to attack me and I fell asleep. He blew some sort of... stuff at me, like what the dragon breathed out. Spores, I think. Suddenly I was asleep, but I had the strangest dream. I could hear Takurasho speaking in my head, and same with another foreign voice. I saw out of two other sets of eyes, one of which was mostly closed. When they opened, I loomed high above everything and here's the crazy part: I ate the Rift-Version of myself. Then everything went black, and I woke up in the castle.

  
  
  

  Wild West:

  
  When we returned from the Rift with the dragons, Panna, Sabbath, and I were poisoned. Sabbath was only a little sick, thank goodness, but Panna was really bad. So I went to try to find medicine for her by searching for a Rift. The Castle gave me what I wanted, but not I needed. I was in an old desert-y kind of town. I saw a man (later introduced himself as Coyote) advertising his medicine and went up and tried to get some, told him that my friend was sick. Unfortunately, he wound up having me drink some and the stuff messed with me real bad. I changed, then blacked out. I woke in jail feeling terrible. I couldn't eat anything... After a few days, the Deputy allowed me to help him out as some form of community service, I think, and so I'd patrol the town at night with him. He knew what I did was an accident. Unfortunately, that was... well, I killed a girl. I feel so awful.... I don't remember it. I just know that what I drank was something like... whiskey, cocaine, and wendigo blood (which came from the medicine man).
  
  There was a stampede of centaurs and I fell into it. Well, I was dragged into it since I lassoed one, but they were running fast and pulled me off. I got hurt, but I was okay. Next patrol, I noticed that the baker was gone. The Deputy and I go to retrieve her. We found Coyote's camp, complete with two other people and Shu tied up. I took her back, but Rangus (the Deputy) told me to leave him there. Not to look back. So I left with her, brought her to this Rift's version of Mganga, and returned. Rangus was standing there instead of Coyote, holding his horse's insides above him. It was awful.... Turns out, Coyote can use peoples' skin as his own. He attacked me, and just when I thought it was too late, the Sheriff (who had been sleeping the past few days... odd gargoyle creature) rescued me and told me to go back. I returned to Mganga, got patched up, and had a long conversation with Shu. She was the one from our Castle... And she was stuck in a sort of Rift-limbo. We die in the castle, and that happens. We die in a Rift, we come back to the Castle.
  
  I learned a lot about my new home after talking with her. Each time the Castle's Master dies, a new floor opens up. So now we're going to get Takurasho to assume the next role as Master, have his body die (I hate this...) and see what happens.
  
  I hope everything's going to be alright.

  
  
  

  Carnival Spectacular Part II:

  
  I returned from the last Rift and wanted to go take a nap. Even if my room was empty, it'd probably be much more comfortable than a cage, simply because it's mine. ...Well, I thought so anyway. I go to enter the hall leading to it and I step out of the bathing tent from last time I was in the Rift with Conall. I just... picked it up right where I left off. He tried to feed me a raw steak. When I refused, he started banging my head against the plate. I didn't get too hurt this time when I tried to escape, but I didn't and was thrown in the cage anyway. I woke up the next morning to the Rift versions of Takurasho and Sabbath cutting my hair off with the threat that if I kept acting up, my head would be shaved. I was allowed out of my cage this time so I could eat. One of the carnies - I never caught his name - said I could, but that Conall wanted me to take a bite of the raw meat he had set aside for me since yesterday first. The guy was paranoid I was tricking him into betraying Conall by asking him to let me hide it, so I told him if he left me alone I wouldn't tell Conall that he betrayed those orders. Bit it off, buried it, and got breakfast.
  
  I left the tent and tried to apologize for Sabbath. She was hurt because I was in a new change of clothes, where she was previously in charge of having me change. I tried to explain I didn't do it to hurt her, but when I told her about what I knew about her and Takurasho, about the Castle and the Rifts, they didn't take as kindly to it as I thought. They thought I was mad. Conall came out to speak with us, and I explained what I told Takurasho and Sabbath, but with no personal information about them. I think he believed me... but he also brought up a good point: I'd only returned to this rift, no others. He mentioned that maybe the third time's the charm... that maybe I'd stay for good that time. The calm(ish) conversation lasted no time before I said something to set him off. I think it was because I told him that his Carnival was not a Wonderland. He hurt me, but not as much as he could have. I was grateful for that. Relieved, too. Takurasho and I spent some time after he left talking about what parts everyone must play in Conall's Wonderland. We knew I was Alice. We guessed that Takurasho was the White Rabbit, but he then refused to do what the White Rabbit did. He didn't want a part in it, I think. So he stopped talking to me. Before he left, we both came to the assumption that Conall was probably the Cheshire Cat.
  
  I somehow worry I'm wrong about that.
  
  I tried to walk off under the guise that I needed to pee, but the guy from earlier - the one I blackmailed - asked me if I wanted to come with Conall and him to town to sell some stuff. I thought if I went through a door or so in town, I could return home. Turned out, just walking through the tent to see what we were going to sell (as it was all inside it) was more than enough to send me home.
  
  I have a lot of thinking to do.

  
  
  

  Finding a Body:

  
  In order to unlock the floors of the Castle, Takurasho decided to assume the next role of the Master of Castle Rift, but only temporarily. We found ourself in a dark and quiet rift with a version of himself running from persecutors. But he was different somehow. Not as civilized, I suppose? He managed to kill one of the townsmen pursuing him, but had been killed in the process. The Takurasho I knew divised a plan to carry both the body of his alter-self and the body of the townsman so that he would have a living replacement once he sacrificed the other body.
  
  I stayed near a tavern for a while before he was ready. I had to sleep in the tavern's storage building for a few nights, but eventually it was time to go home again.

  
  
  

  Non-Rift - The Second Floor:

  
  After I assumed the role of the Master of Castle Rift, we decided to explore the new floors. The second floor had a log book in the library of Rifts the first Master had experienced. ...All of them were those I'd been through and in that same order. It was a little frightening and a whole lot confusing. After exploring more, I found that he had a museum of sorts.
  
  The angel replica I carved for my late beloved's sister sat amongst the things he took from the Rifts. It had my signiture. Every nook and dent that made the piece mine was there, but it had aged.
  
  To make matters worse, Takurasho found Conall's cane. It smelled of my blood. Of his. ...I panicked. Takurasho became increasingly upset that I wouldn't answer his questions pertaining to the cane and wound up damaging my angel. I blacked out, and when I woke I'd been cut and found out that I destroyed Sabbath's leg to such an extent that it had be to amputated. I'm thankful that when I attempted to run outside to leave that wretched place, I kept circling back and she emerged with a prosthetic. She seemed more confident, too. I was happy she was okay, but a part of me felt so awful, and I knew that'd n ever go away. I'd always feel guilty for what I did.

  
  
  

  Conall's Headquarters:

  
  I walked through the doors to the third floor and thought where I ended up was where I was supposed to be. The lighting had changed, sure, but I'd never been here. I discovered soon enough it was a Rift.
  
  Someone opened a door across the room and stepped inside, wearing a black cloak and a porcelain mask. I offered to leave in my nervousness, but the person who replied was actually Sabbath. Another approached, garbed in black with a different mask (a plague doctor?), who wound up being Takurasho. Yep. Definitely a Rift. I was warned I needed to equip my gear before our boss was upset with me. I wasn't sure who it was or what the gear happened to be, but I followed them and found some lockers, one of which had my name on it. I realized I was filling in for my Rift-self, somehow.
  
  There was a matching outfit to theirs inside, but I have to question it now that I've experienced the Rift. A pretty dress isn't appropriate for what I was about to do. Apparently my confusion registered as an overused excuse my counterpart would have: amnesia. Takurasho took off his mask at some point, too, and the poor man's face was all burned... He was even missing an eye.
  
  We approached the boss' office and much to my horror, I discovered it was Conall. However, I wasn't so sure it was a Rift-version of himself, as he called me "Red." He explained what my purpose was here and I learned that we were assassins targetting Shushome and Rangus. He called me forward to retrieve my ammunition, and when I did, he held me there and went on about taking his place. I left when he released me. I wound up on the roof with Sabbath soon enough, and I wound up shooting her with this crossbow I had. I yelled for Shushome and Rangus, who were across the street, to run. At that point, a bomb had been detonated on schedule, and I tried to get to the couple to explain.
  
  Rangus was injured, Shushome wound up being the one from the Castle, and Takurasho emerged with bombs strapped to his chest. He didn't detonate, and he wound up taking me back to the headquarters as per my request.
  
  Conall knew I wasn't this Rift's Red. Er. Aranel. Me. His promise to always find me rang true. He had died in our Castle. He explained his immortality as a result. He said he'd known me many times. That he knew me more than I'd know another being. That I was meant to be him, that we were the same.
  
  So I shot at him. I missed, and he shot my leg with a pistol. We fought a little, but he let me hit him. He wanted me to kill him? I don't know. Was creepy. Tried to get me to transform... but thankfully Takurasho came in before the fight could escalate, and he shot him. Conall panicked... He didn't want to die by Tak's hands. He wanted me to kill him, and it was so confusing.
  
  Tak helped me out to the elevator and said to take his car and leave. He would see to it that everything here was taken care of. Yet as I started to drive away, I believe he detonated his vest. I tried to leave the car but wound up running back into the Castle.

  
  
  

  Wasteland:

  
  I don't remember a great deal about this place. I was helped to do so later, but not a lot happened. I was indoctrinated into this group called The Children of the Sun, who dug around and scavenged for interesting and useful technology. The whole world was different - dying, even, but so much more advanced than even East Haven and New Orleans, when I went there.
  
  At some point I was taken to Haven, which was a city on a platform above the Wastes, which were essentially slums, and Takurasho took me back to the Wastes after my mind was wiped clean. He helped me regain my memories later, though. I don't remember a whole lot, but I do know after some time, I think we followed a member of CotS back to their compound and walked back into the Castle.
  
  But I also remember battles. A war, almost.

  
  
  

  Non-Rift - The Third Floor:

  
  Bodies of people I've seen in Rifts are encased in some clear coffins. Every person has a key around their neck, and the coffins themselves have locks. Mganga says in the center, there is a 'Nganga' or spirit pot, where dark spirits are usually held. Something is in there. Something we have to face.
  
  Peddler's Hollow:
  A medieval-esque place. I can't remember most of what happened, but I befriended a lot of people, and endured a lot of tortures. I returned to the Castle about a year later with many new scars. My left arm was dead from an accident while I was transformed. I could not move it any longer.

  
  
  

  Cog Corp:

  
  I stumbled across a building and was in line to sign up for something. I learned people were getting limbs replaced and free glasses and things, so I figured maybe the Castle was being exceptionally friendly. So I went ahead and signed up. ...Little did I know I had signed up for a military for a place I knew nothing about. Its technology seemed almost fantastic, reminding me of my home had it acquired more Steampunk themes. There were three groups: Stalkers, Seraphss, and Boomers. When it was time to pick which group we wanted to be in, I saw this woman go toward the Stalkers only to be refused. So I tried. I was stupid and tried to hype myself up. But after being hit with some hallucinagenic dust or something, I began to see things and I think I might have passed out. I woke up in the infirmary, but hey! I got in.
  
  Later my arm was removed. Omega gave me adrenaline, but I started to transform so he gave me a tranquilizer as well. When I woke, he seemed to think I was a bit more useful than before.
  
  Omega had Eight cut my clothes off in the cafeteria, and made everyone say a nice thing about me. I think because I said that Ben and Kildra were nice, so they were friends. It was humiliating. Sabbath had to give me her clothes. I think he wanted to destroy my chances at any friendship here.
  
  Through training, I learned a lot. I was even taught to fly! ...Though I still get sick when too high off the ground, and I'd rather not use the Seraphs' flying mechanisms again.
  
  Later, we were sent on a rescue mission to find Omega. When we found him, turns out he was a robot of some sort? An automaton. ...Kildra, Ben and I were taken aboard an airship, too, kidnapped and held for ransom. I think Kildra was the most, though. Kildra gave me a key while on that airship, and before I could be helpful, I walked through a doorway and wound up back in the Castle.

  
  
  

  Doctor Dralt's Office:

  After unlocking Kildra's coffin, I walked toward the stairs in the Castle only to wind up in a therapist's office. It was an older Takurasho, and after some talking, he gave me pills to help control my transformations. I later lost them, unfortunately. I also met with myself... I - she could call upon these Rifts? Summon them in a sense? She told me to be patient with Takurasho, then sent me on my way. It was bizarre.

  
  
  

  Busch Gardens - Howl-O-Scream:

  
  The Castle was merciful and sent Takurasho, Sabbath, and myself to Busch Gardens in Florida. We had a lot of fun up until I realized the moon was full. It was a bit too late, and I transformed near a 'haunted house.' Sabbath killed me here, but I was taken through a doorway and spared. It was fun until then at least?

  
  
  

  Elvish Forest:

  
  Met a group of elves. Glendir, Bailin, and Harrow. I learned a little about their culture. There were no gender roles, and every person was free to do as they wished for their community. A man who wears dresses and sews and tidies up is just as respected as a man who hunts. I liked that. I learned about Naomi again, she was terrorizing their village. We went to confront her, but I found a key hanging on a log's tree limb, so I tried to get it. Naomi brought me to a cave, as I offered to help her slay a beast that was upsetting the balance of the forest, or so she said. When we got there, it turns out that Glendir's kin was there - an exiled family member who was stricken with vampirism. When I thought we reached an agreement, he killed Glendir in his panic and fled. I wound up back in the Castle. After a while, Takurasho and I walked up to the third floor and unlocked another coffin. It was the vampire. Torr. Who just happened to be Takurasho's great-grandfather.

  
  
  

  Elvish Forest II:

  
  I came here with Torr and discovered elves from Glendir's forest rallying up with Trinitera, the Tuntarian woman I met in my very first Rift. Apparently since I had visited them last, I am regarded as a Goddess? Brielle, she called me. Takurasho had a role, too, but I forget what they called him. I tried to be helpful, to help them smooth things out, make peace in the situation. A group of vampires were apparently coming, and we had to prevent some sort of altercation.
  
  I learned that Torr had been turning people in the Glenmoon clan. But after talking it out, everyone reached a compromise. The vampires banished Torr without harming him, and would try to make peace with the humans. Show them they aren't to be feared. I'm not sure how it went, though.
  
  Trinitera gave me her key.

  
  
  

  Peddler's Hollow II:

  
  A lot has happened. I've attempted a relationship with Lady Alixana, but it fell through. I feel like a monster because of it. She acts as if she despises me, as a full moon snuck up on me and I did unspeakable things. I read this and definitely feel like that monster.
  
  And yet I still managed to befriend a Viking man. We shared drinks in celebration to something I forgot, but I got the wrong bottle. An insemination drink or some such thing, and as a result, I was pregnant. Conall showed up, too, to make matters worse and kept referring to himself as a grandfather to my baby. He says I'm not Alice anymore. My baby is.
  
  It frightens me.

  
  
  

  East Haven II:

  
  I was sent back to East Haven, to Takurasho's home. It was messed up, dusty... abandoned. Near the basement, there was a plaque on the door that read my name. When I walked downstairs, it was be my room... It had books and paintings and dead plants, untouched projects I should've been working on. There was a package, too. It was my workshop... and I didn't know he did this for me until just now, however many years later.
  
  The package was a set of steel carving tools.
  
  I met with Takurasho's spirit. He gave me a little moonstone to give to my baby when she was born. We caught up a little... He gave me hope of seeing him again.

  
  
  

  The Witch Trials

  
  We stumbled across some witch trial, Takurasho, Sabbath, and I. The person on the platform looked demonic, but... clueless. We met her sister in the crowd, who explained to us that she was made that way by the priest condemning her. The girl on the platform had fallen for another woman, and disgusted, he had the other woman burned at the stake. She was supposed to be forced to summon the devil or something... I'm not sure. Takurasho took care of things. I'm not sure what happened to the girl, but her sister was killed, the one who told us the story.
  
  This was a sad Rift....

  
  
  

  Carnival Spectacular Part III

  
  Apparently I'd been gone four or five months. I was told Conall wasn't mad, but that he'll want to talk to mee immediately. They'd been expecting me. So I went into his tent, only to stumble across the most terrifying thing I'd ever seen: a skinned wolf's head. Conall was treating it like gold... even smiled at me, excited, happy when I showed up.
  
  I met the Red Queen.
  
  I thought she was wonderful.
  
  After I spoke with her, Conall asked me if I was 'ready.' He had business to attend to in town and he needed me to be ready. I didn't like the sound of that. He led me to a tent where he told me to lay down on this strange crucifix-like mechanism. I was told by the Queen that I needed to trust Conall, and I obeyed that, strangely enough. So I tried trusting him. Yet when I laid down on it, I was strapped down, and after the mechanism was adjusted, I was upside down above a bucket. He was going to fill it with my blood. My throat was slit.
  
  It lasted a short time before the other carnies, namely Takurasho and the older man I'd seen before, came to my aid. After a tussle, the older carny was slain and I was able to run back to the Castle, but not before grabbing the key that fell to the ground once the carny's head was cut off. Conall is strong... Am I that strong?
  
  I realized he was Bartimus, and that he was the last person we had to get out of the coffins in the third floor.

  
  
  

  Non-Rift: The Nganga

  
  After resting and learning that I had the ability to choose Rifts as the Master of Castle Rift, we all returned to the third floor to approach the dome in the center. After unlocking it, we discovered a very malnourished Conall and the Red Queen's head. All I remember hearing was her voice, screaming in my head for me to kill my friends. To "kill them all."
  
  I transformed. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but Mganga was able to give me the wolfsbane pills I acquired so long ago (I thought I lost them - apparently they were on my nightstand the whole time!) and so I transformed back. When I woke, I discovered I'd harmed Lord Bartimus and Takurasho was dying. Conall had said the mantra that doomed vetala, and he was unable to recover.
  
  I lost him again.

  
  
  {More to come as the next Rift concludes.}