A beaten man, a helpless voice, a sign of hope…
Summary[]
John and Arthur have been trapped in the prison pits for nearly three months. They escape and free a cana named Lorick, who gives them directions home. They encounter a friendly creature that digs up a vegetable for them, who John names "Lilly". They trade the vegetable to the Trader for their previous items, including the pallid mask, the coin, and the lighter, as well as the Crystallizer of Dreams and a music box that was buried with Faroe. The Trader reveals that he found the music box in the city on top of the Ten Thousand Steps, which leads Arthur and John into the city.
Synopsis[]
Arthur dreams of a boardwalk and hears a young girl say "Run!". He wakes to find a cooked leg and a filled water bucket. Arthur immediately begins drinking, mentioning that this is the longest time yet between the bucket being refilled.
Using a stone and John's help, Arthur marks another tally on the wall: they've been stuck there for 85 days. John requests to know about Arthur's dream, but Arthur reminds John they agreed he can eat first. While he does, John discusses escape and the possibility of mixing water with the dirt to create a more sturdy step. Arthur believes he'll die of thirst if they do, refuting John's assertion that they'd give him more water before he died. The top of the pit is fifteen feet up.
Arthur worries about immediately getting recaptured and put into another pit if they escape, one without their escape step. He alludes to using most of Mr. Faust. He finishes eating, and Arthur describes his boardwalk dream. When he reaches the young girl, Arthur refuses to go any further, stating that their deal entailed sharing only as much as Arthur wanted. John says that the deal only included mention of Faroe.
Immediately, Arthur snaps: part of the deal also included John not mentioning Faroe's name. They return to thoughts of escape, with Arthur suggesting sharpening Mr. Faust's femur. John states that Arthur is dallying because he's afraid; though defensive, Arthur is eventually convinced. He agrees to try and jump out of the pit, as opposed to attacking a guard for a better weapon.
They use their constructed ramp to jump; unfortunately; they're so out of sync that John cannot accurately tell Arthur the correct moment to jump. Arthur requests to do it without John's assistance and manages to succeed, pulling themselves above the edge of the pit and into the massive cavern. John notes no guards and a thin mist that clings to the ground, obscuring the pits.
They move. Briefly, they have to hide on the ground to escape the notice of a guard, and insects crawl on Arthur. Later, Arthur has to cross a pit on a blank to avoid attention of the guards -- in so doing, the prisoner announces themselves and pleads for water. Uncertain of where to get any, Arthur apologizes and continues onward until he finds a bucket and a water drum. John insists that they shouldn't risk themselves, but Arthur recites part of the Invictus poem and suggests that doing otherwise would let the King win.
The prisoner receives his water and thanks Arthur by name. When Arthur asks why, the prisoner remarks that they are a cana and knows many things. The cana suggests that the King does not know the cana is here, and tells Arthur how he can return to Earth: a plateau, beyond the city at the top of the Ten Thousand Steps. The cana suggests Arthur barter his way home. To thank the cana, Arthur drops the plank into the pit so they can escape.
The cana is a small frog-like creature who introduces themselves as Lorick. Lorick says that their intended exit wouldn't have worked, and guides them to another passageway. They escape the prison pit area. Both Lorick and Arthur thank each other. Arthur expresses hope for the first time in a while. Lorick warns that hope is attractive to those who dwell in darkness. He gives Arthur directions to the red lake near the Ten Thousand Steps.
When Arthur asks why they were imprisoned, Lorick says they helped someone else escape -- but leaves before they can answer who.
Arthur and John dissolve into arguments about John giving orders to Arthur. John agrees to act only as Arthur's eyes, but suggests that they may need to work together to escape this place. Arthur suggests eating it like an elephant, and John directs Arthur towards the lake.
Free, Arthur becomes overwhelmed by relief and hope. John asks what it is like to be overcome, and Arthur grows upset and says that John broke his trust. John attempts to apologize, but Arthur questions why John murdered Emily MacFarland. John remarks that he was the King in Yellow at that time and couldn't use her, but he isn't okay with that. To Arthur's surprise, John elaborates that he's trying to be better, even as he makes mistakes. He says that Arthur doesn't need to care about him, but that he is genuinely sorry. Arthur accepts the apology as genuine.
They approach the pillars of ice. John thinks he can see the steps. Before they approach, they spot a large cow-like creature. John describes the character as quadrupedal, plate-like bones and moss-like fuzz on its back, an elephant/ant-eater face, beady eyes, massive ears, and a mouth at the end of the trunk.
It comes over to eat the insects on Arthur and Arthur pets it, to John's admonishment. Though Arthur bids it farewell, it tries to follow and digs up a waxy root vegetable for Arthur. Arthur takes the vegetable from it. John suggests 'Lilly' for the creature's name. They remove the painful-looking harness on Lilly, and she wanders off.
John explains that 'Lilly' was the name of the nurse in Harper's Hill, and the person who gave John his name. Arthur realizes Lilly was important to John, and reassures that giving the name to the creature did not lessen her importance to him. They start to climb the Ten Thousand Steps, reviewing their work so far: Sarah Cummings, Roland Cummings, JD Ackerman, and Anna Stanczyk. They plan to look for Anna after they leave the Dreamlands.
They approach the city gates and find the Trader. Arthur suggests trading the waxy vegetable: valuable and only found by buopoths, according to the Trader. Aggressively bartering, Arthur manages to retrieve all of their items as well as the Crystallizer of Dreams and a music box: one that plays a familiar piece of music. After the Trader admits he got it from the city, an upset Arthur hurries towards the gates and reveals to John that this music box had been buried with Faroe.
Votes[]
- Chapter 91: Plan A: Climb Out Of The Hole Now [20] / Plan B: Pull A Creature Down To Fight [6]
- Chapter 92: Head Back to the Prisoner with Water [22] / Move Ahead with the Escape [9]
- Chapter 93: Hide and Wait to see if Something is Following [19] / Keep Moving [6]
- Chapter 94: Set Lilly Free [24] / Leave the Harness on Lilly [1]
- Chapter 95: No vote.
