Princess Iba Algi - Stood On Top

Iba Algi, Harlecuin Sols, and Nin stood on top of a heavy stone boulder. The boulder lay on the floor of a round room lined with other boulders. Spectral arms reached out from the gaps between the rocks and twitched. Condemned criminals had been used to help cement the spells sealing the room. How terrifying was that? Pretty gosh darn terrifying.

Still, Iba Algi had seen worse.

The round room with a big rock lay at the center of a web. A dozen winding corridors were its strands. Most of those corridors led to rubble. One led to a staircase hidden by a wall behind barrels in an abandoned wine cellar under Lady Wu's Riverside Mansion. The wine had become toxic. Glyphs covered the big boulder in the round room. Mechanisms throughout the room could trigger lethal traps. Three little ghosts had nothing to fear from triggers or traps.

"Are you ready to go into the deep basement?" asked Iba Algi.

Harlecuin Sols and Nin nodded emphatically.

The three little ghosts pinched their noses and descended. It wasn't necessary for them to pinch their noses, but traveling through the heavy boulder was unpleasant and pinching noses helped. Under the boulder was a spiral staircase. At the bottom of that was a short stretch of level corridor followed by a ramp up.

At the top of the ramp was an octagonal room with a ridiculously high ceiling. The walls were a mix of granite swirled with sandstones – all carved with reliefs mythical beasts. There were three balconies at different heights on three different faces of the octagon. A column stood just inside each vertex. Glowing jade tiles formed a mosaic on the floor. It depicted a phoenix. Iron chains hung from the ceiling. Bits of armor hung in the chains. Piles of debris lay on the floor underneath each chain. Nearly invisible spectres twisted and writhed on the chains. Like the apparitions in the round room with a big rock, these spectres had lost all understanding of time, place, or themselves.

A stone sarcophagus lay at the center of the room.

Its lid was carved in the likeness of a young warrior king. 

"At last," said Iba Algi, "we've found the vampire's lair!"

"Oh my gosh!" said Harlecuin Sols. "Is he really a vampire?"

Iba Algi nodded solemnly.

"Trapped by an imprisoning spell," she said. "Because of that spell, strong spirits are unable to leave the mansion."

"What about weak spirits?" asked Harlecuin Sols.

"They fade away," said Iba Algi.

"But I'm not a strong spirit," said Nin. "Why can't I fade away?"

Iba Algi messed up Nin's hair.

"You are strong, Nin," she said. "And you were determined to save Countess Niwa."

Nin hugged her doll.

"You helped us so much, Iba Algi!" she said.

"I couldn't have helped you if you didn't let me," said Iba Algi. "So you are the real hero."

"Me?" squeaked Nin. "Oh, I'm not a hero."

Sealed inside his sarcophagus, the vampire let out a wail. Nin jumped. Iba Algi held her. Harlecuin Sols frowned. Turning his attention on the sarcophagus, he pointed a stern finger.

"Bad vampire!" he said.

The scream stopped.

"Oh my gosh!" said Nin. "Did you get rid of the vampire just like that?"

Harlecuin Sols shook his head.

"It's not so easy," he said.

"Let's look around," said Iba Algi.

The little ghosts circumnavigated the octagon. Although the vampire remained quiet, each child knew that he was watching from his tomb.

Finally, Iba Algi approached the tomb, and examined its glyphs.

"It looks really old," said Nin.

"It goes back to the beginning of the Qianqiu Dynasty," said Iba Algi.

"Why imprison a vampire in a spell?" asked Nin.

"Hmmm…," said Iba Algi. "Hmmm."

"I think this is a nefarious formation!" said Harlecuin Sols after a while.

"Oh my gosh!" said Iba Algi. "You're right, Harlecuin Sols."

"Am I?"

"What kind of nefarious formation?" asked Nin.

Iba Algi wandered around the sarcophagus. The answer was coming to her.

"This nefarious formation was created by First Qianqiu Emperor in order to…."

She considered.

"In order to what, Iba Algi?" asked Harlecuin Sols.

"In order to…," said Iba Algi. "Oh my gosh! In order to imprison the God of War!"

"Oh my gosh!" said Harlecuin Sols.

"But that's not very nice," said Nin. "Why imprison the God of War inside a spell?"

"Why do mad Emperors do anything, Nin?" asked Iba Algi.

"In order to power a super weapon?" asked Nin.

"Exactly," said Iba Algi.

"That's terrible!" said Nin. "Do you know how to let the vampire go?"

"I'm sure she does," said Harlecuin Sols. "Iba Algi is amazing."

"You're amazing too, Harlecuin Sols," said Nin.

Harlecuin Sols blushed. Iba Algi put her hand on the sarcophagus.

"I want Nin to be able to leave this place and come play with us," said Iba Algi.

"I want that too!" said Harlecuin Sols.

"Really?" asked Nin. "I haven't had anyone to play with in a long time. Having two friends to play with would be amazing!"

"More than two," said Harlecuin Sols. "There's a hundred friends to play with in the Old Keep!"

Nin looked happier than happiness itself.

"But for that," said Iba Algi, "we have to let the vampire go."

"It's mean to keep him trapped here anyway," said Nin. "Stuck in this box. At least I had a big house to walk around in. I came down here a few times, but I never stayed long. It's scary. If I knew there was someone trapped, I would have tried to say hello."

Iba Algi smiled and asked Nin to put her hand on the sarcophagus. Nin was surprised that the surface felt solid. She couldn't push her hand through. Iba Algi told Harlecuin Sols to put his hand on top of Nin's. Finally, Iba Algi put her hand on top of his.

"When I count to three," she said, "everyone push as hard as you can. One. Two. Three."

They pushed. They pushed and pushed. Something pushed back. The air started to swirl with angry lights. Electricity crackled on the chains. Nin asked why the vampire was trying to stop them from letting him go. Iba Algi explained that the imprisonment spell was trying to stop them, not the vampire.

"Push harder!" she urged.

There was a flash. Sheets of lightning flickered across the floor and up the walls. When the lightning faded, the room went completely dark.

"The floor isn't glowing any more," said Nin. "It was scary. But also pretty!"

The sarcophagus lid flew into the air and crashed down to one side. Nothing else happened. Slowly, cautiously, the little ghosts peeked over the edge of the sarcophagus. Inside it lay a vampire in armor made of fine golden rings. A broadsword lay on his torso. His hands held the pommel. The sword's tip glistened at his knees. Jeweled talismans and occult treasures surrounded him like packing foam.

"Hello, Mr. Vampire!" said Nin.

The vampire opened his eyes. He put one hand on the edge of the sarcophagus and struggled to pull himself up. The little ghosts tried to help, but that wasn't much use. Slowly, painfully, the vampire climbed out of the sarcophagus – and then fell over the edge.

"Oh my gosh!" said Nin. "Are you alright Mr. Vampire?"

The vampire didn't require air, but gasped anyway. Slowly, painfully, he pulled himself into a respectful bow.

"Isfet-Iah greets his benefactors," he said.

"Hello, Isfet-Iah!" said Nin.

"Will you be able to get out of here on your own, Isfet-Iah?" asked Iba Algi. "There's a big rock over the door. It's super heavy. But we've gotten rid of all the spells for you!"

"I can leave," said Isfet-Iah, "when the world above is dark."

"We'll keep you company until then," said Iba Algi. "There's a lot you don't know!"

The three little ghosts took turns explaining to Isfet-Iah what he didn't know.