Bianca’s head was a mess with the voices of the dead in their mind, calling for justice for their deaths. Bianca was only vaguely aware that Attie was pulling on their arm to get them up and moving after having gathered up the child’s bones. With the confusion caused by Attie’s burning of the sage some of Bianca’s cleared of the voices of the dead allowing Bianca thinking clearly again. Mostly anyway, Bianca was still clearly rattled and wasn’t able to look at the ghost of the child following them. ”I, I know these tunnels, but, I can’t think straight.” Bianca breathed heavily as they followed Attie.

Bianca stopped and leaned against the wall before looking to Attie. ”That sage won’t last much longer and they won’t stop now that I am here.” Bianca looked to the girl for a moment. ”Burning the mansion won’t help, they’ll just haunt the area.” Bianca explained, at least that’s what they understood about spirits. ”They want justice to be able to move on, to be free from this plane of existence.” Bianca was silent for a while with their head bowed as they thought before speaking up again. ”Blood! I, I can do a ritual to appease them, a symbolic sacrifice of blood, that might appease the lot of them.” Bianca looked to the girl. ”But at the least we can properly bury her remains.” Bianca removed their dagger from its sheath and looked back to Attie again. ”I’ll do what I have to do, please, once I create the circle don’t cross it. Let them come, don’t stop them again.”

With that Bianca found a slightly more open place and around that time the sage had stopped burning and the spirits started to get their wits about them again. Now going to focus on what they were going to attempt, Bianca used the dagger to make a long gash on their arms allowing blood to flow. Using their control over blood Bianca made a near perfect circle around them first on the ground before within that circle drawing in their blood a pentagram. From the Goddess Cube on their belt Bianca removed an ornate chalice before they sat cross legged in the middle of the pentagram. Bianca held their hands over the chalice to allow their blood to fill it to the bring, by this time Bianca was slowly crossing the line into the symptoms of blood loss.

But that didn’t stop Bianca from their ritual, as they closed their eyes whole holding the chalice, allowing fresh blood to drip to the floor. After a few moments of silence and a slow build up of power Bianca started to chat in an odd language, their voice almost a whisper as the army of spirits started to flood the area again around them.

Attie stopped when Bianca leaned up against the wall. She took time to breath then looked back to them, wondering what plan they had in mind. Bianca mentioned a blood ritual which concerned Attie, only because she didn't want her friend to dry out. And what if the blood ritual didn't appease the ghosts? But if Bianca believed in it, then she would just have to trust them. She took a few steps back, motioning for the child ghost to stand back as well. The sage didn't last long and the spirits began to hunt down for them. It would be only a matter of time before they were found. 

"Alright. But be careful." Attie requested. 

She couldn't think of what to do to help her friend. Attie watched as Bianca held their hands over the chalice and began filling it with blood. Blood loss was a serious matter but there wasn't anything that Attie could do. She could not risk stepping into the circle and messing up Bianca's ritual. The angry mob of spirits began to flood the area again. However, instead of mentally attacking Bianca, they seemed to be waiting. Waiting for something to happen. 

Attie went through her bag and found the canteen of water along with some basic medical supplies. Supplies that Attie had no clue on how to use. A healer she was not. However, there were instructions in the bag of medicines. She knew that Bianca would need emergency medical attention after all that blood loss. Water was also good for blood loss. She skimmed over the instructions and looked desperately for something that would help with blood loss. But there wasn't anything other than directions to apply pressure on the wound and to drink water. Shaking her head, she tossed the instructions back in the medical kit and shoved it all back into her bag. The only thing she kept out was the canteen of water for Bianca, once they had finished. 

The spirits were waiting for the ritual to be completed. It seemed that they wouldn't react until everything had finished. But Attie did notice something. Each of the spirits were losing their fierce form and instead were transforming back to normal. Similar to how the child transformed. There were older women, older men, younger women, younger men, children, and teenagers. Most of them were dressed in poorer clothing and seemed to look beyond tired. 

Did this mean the ritual was working? 

Bianca’s mind was almost in a different plane as they chanted the ritual and the spirits started to react to what was being done and the power in the room building. The further the ritual went the more of a buzz seemed to start to fill the air and the blood that filled Bianca’s chalice started to bubble.

Bianca started to sway slightly but the blood started to come to a boil, there was no heat coming off of it, which just made things stranger. The buzz in the air had turned into a sticky wrong feeling, one had to remember that this was blood magic, inherently evil in nature, at least that’s what many considered it to be, so to most it felt wrong. With their eyes closed Bianca didn’t see the changes in the spirits, but they could feel the changes somehow all the same, Bianca knew it was working.

The blood in the chalice was at a full roiling boil by this point and as Bianca’s strange chanting came to a crescendo the blood exploded from the chalice as Bianca broke the circle. The wave of blood magic and blood washed over the area, and as each spirit was touched by a drop of the blood they vanished. Unless she had taken cover in a moment before this all happened even Attie would be smeared with Bianca’s blood. If so it would be hot, but not burning, and would tingle with the magic within it. The spirit of the little girl was touched as well, however because she was anchored by her remains to the realm of the living she remained, though the blood still touched as if she was corporeal.

As the spirits started to fade and their ritual over Bianca, who’s body had in that time seemed to have taken on a slightly more masculine build, fell over on their side. Blood was making it hard for them to stay conscious, using some left over magic in the air Bianca did managed to get the self inflicted wounds closed enough to clot on their own. But it would take a bit before Bianca would recover enough to move on again. ”I, I think it worked?” Bianca questioned looking around for Attie.

Attie was unprepared when the blood exploded from the chalice. Her face and body had spots of hot blood, which concerned Attie slightly. Getting bloodstains off of clothing was a difficult process. She didn't understand why the blood would cause the spirits to leave, perhaps it was because of the blood experiments and this was a symbolic way of returning blood? Was that it? Attie didn't really get the whole spirits and ghost process. Another thing that Attie was surprised by was that Bianca's body had shifted to a slightly masculine build. She didn't have an issue with it but she hadn't been expecting the change. Attie rushed over to Bianca and knelt down next to them. They used leftover magic to clot up their wounds but Attie was still worried. Blood loss was a major issue, whether or not the injury was closed. 

"Seems to have." Attie responded, "Don't worry! I didn't leave you. Now lets get you some water." 

She attempted to pick up Bianca's upper half and attempted to drag them over to a wall where they would be able to sit up against it. If that worked, Attie would hold up the canteen of water to Bianca. Water was essential in blood recovery. That much Attie knew. Meanwhile the little spirit girl watched the two. The spirit appeared to be at ease, or at least in comparison to before. The ghost girl floated up next to Bianca and lowered down to them. The spirit didn't say anything, instead she lifted her hand to Bianca's head and began to pet their hair. It was almost like the spirit was trying to show that she wasn't afraid anymore. Attie couldn't help but smile at the scene, even if everybody was covered in blood. It was a sweet moment. 

"….I f o r g i v e." The spirit girl said with some difficulty. 

Although she was a spirit, she still was a little girl and weak in her abilities, especially since she wasn't mad or scared anymore. Most of the child's power had come from the fear and anger. The fear and anger remained, as it wasn't easy to let go of it all, but it wasn't targeted at Bianca anymore. Instead it was just there, a useless feeling that had lost its strength. 

”Good, good.” Bianca breathed when Attie came over and reassured the blood mage that the ritual seemed to have to worked. Attie started to get Bianca moving to the wall and Bianca what they could to help until they were propped up against the wall and Attie was held up the canteen which Bianca gulped from. As Bianca drank the spirit of the little girl floated over and Bianca could only stare and wonder what would happen next. It did seem that the child spirit was at some kind of ease and didn’t seem afraid or angry anymore, at least not towards Bianca.

The words that were spoken by the spirit got a small smile out of Bianca. ”I am so sorry.” Bianca apologized again, even if they didn’t need to. It was around this time that Bianca saw that Attie was spattered with blood from the ritual. ”Oh, Attie, I’m sorry to you as well for the mess. Here, allow me.” Bianca used what magic they had left and focused on the blood that was stained within Attie’s clothing, seeing that it was Bianca’s own blood made it easier. After a moment the blood drops seeped out from Attie’s clothing until she was clean once more and Bianca had an orb of blood floating in the air above their hand, about the same size as a large marble.

Staring at it for a moment Bianca directed it the gash that they had made before. It as perhaps a bit disturbing, but dealing with blood magic usually was, to see the blood flow back into Bianca’s wound. When it was all back in Bianca leaned back again and sighed, gaining that bit of blood back did help, even if it wasn’t a lot. After a moment Bianca looked to Attie again. ”If you’re up for it, do you want to keep exploring the mansion? We can head upstairs next.”

Attie watched with wide eyes as Bianca retracted all the blood from her clothes and from the area. It was strange, and probably unhygienic but it was a unique use of magic that she didn't see too often. Their wound healed a bit but she couldn't help but be worried for them. The idea of going through the mansion was tempting, since they both hadn't been up there yet. But was it a wise idea? Bianca was still injured and they had the little girl's bones to bury. However, this would be the last time they got to explore. Attie finally decided to speak her mind. 

"Lets keep exploring. But only the upstairs. And if you start feeling dizzy or anything, then we are going to the nearest healer." Attie said, "I wanna make sure you'll be okay."

Attie's face was filled with genuine concern, as she wasn't the type to hide her emotions. There were a lot of concerns in her mind. This was Bianca's old home and although it might give them some closure, it also could reopen some old wounds. And make new ones, apparently. The only reason why Attie wanted to check upstairs was because she wanted to make sure Bianca got that full closure. Otherwise Attie would be taking Bianca to a healer. 

"Come on, we'll want to finish this before it gets dark" Attie said, holding out her hand to her friend. 

Attie put a smile on her face despite the gloomy atmosphere they had found themselves in. The world was harsh and brutal sometimes. Yet…she didn't want to fall into that black pit of sadness that so many were tossed into. Maybe they would be able to find something good in the manor, something that would raise up Bianca's hopes instead of tearing it down. Attie looked back to the tunnels with a slight look of confusion. 

"Hey Bianca which tunnel do we take?" She asked.