Enter Our "Heroes"

Tanner let this process for a moment.

"Lost... souls?" He wasn't entirely sure what that meant. "How do you lose a soul? You just showed up when I died." He frowned. "Are there people who know how to escape from you?" Maybe I can learn from them.

Still, though, the offer was perfect. He'd get back to his life without any real detriment to himself, just "collecting" some "lost souls"... well, sucks to be them. They've had their time.

He shrugged his way out of Death's arm, taking a step away to look at them, to see if the face was hiding anything. Nothing. To be fair, if they wanted to hide something, I doubt I'd be able to tell. He looked back at his limp body, sprawled in the dirt. Amazing how useless it ended up being. "Fine. I accept the deal. Now tell me what to do."

“Let’s just say the others lacked a special sort of... charisma” They replied smacking their lips on the last syllable for emphasis. Death wasn’t the sort to exemplify revealing extensive amounts of information. When you’re existence has lasted over so many eons you start to lose the patience to divulge each and every mortal breath with answers to questions that have been asked so many countless times in so many different ways. Not to mention, stretching the truth was the best way to make a deal for any business wager. It wasn’t a lie. “No one can escape Death, my boy, I’m just a very busy individual whose talents are betters suited not playing a game of tag."

Upon Tanner’s reply their eyes went wide with the pleasure of sealing the deal. Ignoring Tanner’s rebuff of Death’s casual attempt at comforting him - a practiced art for someone lacking in human empathy, they clapped their hands twice.

“Excellent,” they said before their voice shifted with an ethereal tremor that sent chills through the quarry, “A deal has been struck.”

“I’m more of a welcome party, you’ll be more of a watchdog.” There was a short pause before Death chuckled at a joke with a punchline that seemed like they weren’t going to share. “Speaking of dogs - ” Death raised their voice, not in a shout, it was eerily calm but amplified, like the whisper was filling the ears of everyone listening. “Elias. I know you’re watching, dear boy, why don’t you join your new compatriot down here?”

Trying to get into earshot, he was over halfway down the outer wall of the quarry’s sloping incline that was carved into the walls of the very rock itself Elias backed away from his hiding place with a jump. Death’s back was to him, but they knew he was peeping. Of course they did, it’s Death. Elias knew that but his curiosity got the better of him.

He looked over the edge again, taking care not to look at the broken, crooked body on the ground but slowly shifted his gaze to make eye contact with the incorporeal soul making a deal with Death. Gripping the strap of his pack, Elias took down the path at a fast pace. Better not make Death wait too long. He let air out of his nostrils with a huff at the irony of that thought.

Turning their attention back to Tanner, Death’s unwavering grin stuck to their face. “You didn’t think I would send you out into the fray alone, did you?” Death snapped their fingers remembering the last part of the pact, "Let me equip you with the necessary tools to aid you.”

((ugghhh controlling two characters at once is why I was avoiding this! LONG POST!))

Tanner turned to Elias. "There are more people who have made deals?" He squinted. This guy looked familiar. "You... you're in one of my classes. Who are you? How does this all work?" He took in Elias' tousled dark hair, sweat sticking it to his head. He was avoiding looking at Death - they were creepy and their interactions seemed... forced. Too inhuman.

Slightly out of breath from the hike, Elias squinted at the shape of the person before him. He could make out features but it was like the soul was behind a screen or a gaussian filter. His human eyes didn't have the gift of second sight, but the wolf's were another story all together. The boy - no, Elias knew his name, although the boy didn't know him - Tanner’s aura was a swirl of shifting colors, flickers of deep red, a bright pee-yellow, a dark forest green, and wisps of seeping muddy gray that was snaking off of him like smoke, trying to cling to his corporeal body. The colors made his light look dirty. ’Anger. Fear. Insecurity. Guardedness.’ Elias thought to himself, recalling how to read the colors that aided in his survival.

Upon hearing Tanner address him, Elias’s eyes flicked from the body back to the source of the voice.
“O-oh, right. English.”And then after a short pause, "Elias.” He said curtly, a blush creeping up from his ears. Death was looking at him with a creeping grin that turned their mouth up at the corners. Elias was quick to change the subject and ignore Tanner’s other questions.

“You’re floating. You might want to try and ground yourself for this part.” He noted, gesturing at Tanner’s nebulous feet almost a foot off the ground.

“Elias has a point.” added Death, stretching out his hand for Tanner to take, and turning back to  Elias to offer his other hand. A door shot out of the ground effortlessly behind them, forming from the dirt and sand and rock. An old oak antique that had hinges of wrought iron and a door knob in the shape of an hourglass that was slowly turning until the sands began to fall. The door opened with a click and gave a heavy creak. Behind the door was darkness. Elias gingerly took Death’s hand. He’d never did this with a partner before, he wondered what his role would be.

“It’s time to chose a path,” Death motioned to Tanner before leading them in through the archway into the darkness.

Tanner blinked, trying to see, but there was nothing to see. At least not at first. As they walked, the light began to change, almost imperceptibly, until it was bright, empty white. Tanner couldn't help but look at Elias as it got lighter. This guy... so he's died before, too? He didn't bother asking more questions - he'd figure it out as he went. Plus, neither of his companions seemed to be forthcoming with information.

"Here," Death said. "This is where you will choose. Or, well, be chosen. Who does the choosing? Ah, well, just do your best. I'm sure you'll be fine." They let go of Tanner and Elias and began to dissipate.

"Wait! What am I doing?" Tanner yelled. "How am I supposed to do anything, there's nothing here!"

Death laughed, and then was gone.

Tanner scowled at where they had just been, then looked at Elias. "So, what do we do?"

Elias slid his eyes over to him. "We wait."

"For what?"

"For nothing. This is the waiting part. We wait." Elias sat down on the white ground.

Tanner sat down across from him. "So... we just sit around? How does this prove anything?" He picked at his fingernails. "Is this a Waiting for Godot thing? Are you and I supposed to... I dunno, philosophize or something? Talk about waiting?"

Elias stared at the ground, carefully avoiding eye contact. He was surprised that Tanner knew anything remotely philosophical or anything rooted in english at all. He didn’t seem like the well-read type.

“I think... it’s more of an Allegory of a Cave sort of deal. We wait.” He repeated.

He busied himself staring into his open palms on his lap, trying not to tug at them or fidget too much. He didn’t want to look as awkward as he felt.

“Look… I-I’m sorry you…” There really was no eloquent way of putting it, “Died...” Elias trailed off. He figured Tanner could at least put two and two together and insinuate that he wasn’t trying to be unceremonious, he had died himself, after all.

“If it’s any consolation, I’m here too.” Without tilting his chin up he made eye contact with Tanner through his hair which he quickly tucked behind both of his eyes quickly before looking away. 'Obviously, idiot.’ He chided himself.

((I have an idea for Tanner's "test" next round so you can ask questions in the meantime!))

Tanner didn't know what Allegory of a Cave was. He looked away, indifferent.

"Yeah, I'm also sorry I died," Tanner said, without heat. It was a curious thing, to be dead. To be obliterated. His parents... but no, he was getting a second chance. This kid was still around, so he would be too. How? He decided it would be too hard to figure out Death's machinations and gave up trying to puzzle it out. The point was, he would still be alive. That's all he needed.

Looking back on his last sentence, he realized it could have been taken badly, like he was being insensitive. That always happened; he would say something and people took it in the worst way. Elias didn't seem to be taking it poorly, but, honestly, he didn't seem the type to expound on his emotional state. He seemed... very shy. Still, though. "Sorry. I wasn't trying to be a jerk. Um." Tanner tried to come up with a question other than the obvious. He failed.

"How did you die?" he blurted out. Way to go, asshole. Oh well, we're here. "And what happens during this... thing... we're in?"

Elias felt his heart palpitate at Tanner's response.
'Right, bringing up the death of the guy moments after it happens is a great plan. Remind him how not alive he is. Probably going through the stages of grief starting with anger directed right at you. Smart.' His own churlish thoughts mixing with the hoarse growl of the wolf. Elias didn't use to be as hard on himself before he shared his body with the soul of another. He started to pick up some mannerisms of the wolf as well, which included, but was not limited to, being obnoxiously self-deprecating and a perfectionist.

Tanner snapped him out of his mental cynicism with his riposte. Elias's bright eyes flashed at Tanner as the white room started to cloud overhead. Dark storm clouds shifted and smoked their way across the ceiling, yet Elias's eyes shone bright in the coming darkness the same way any canine's would reflect light.

"I was born with a congenital heart disease." He said flatly, tugging at his shirt collar to show evidence of part of a long surgical scar that started along his sternum, "I died alone in a hospital bed while my family slept about a year ago." Taking another beat to add, not unsympathetically, "There are worse ways to go."

His last words were said in stereo as the shape of a large, grizzled wolf took form at his side, taking a few strides  out from behind Elias to sit beside him. The wolf had clearly died in a much worse way than Elias did. Where the faint scar on Elias wouldn't allow part of his eyebrow to grow back the wolf carried a much larger one making it so his eye wouldn't open completely. Patches of hair would no longer grow showing the wolf's age like rings on a tree and the battles he'd won and lost. His aura was a palette of violet and gold, making him a little hazy and hard to see to Tanner's untrained eye.

Almost answering Tanner's last question grass grew beneath them, curving and swaying outward until it connected in a clash of flowers between them and cultivated a board with pieces scattered across its squares.

"When I was here I was alone. The wolf chose me after I was tested. It was different for me, though, it wasn't like this, it was... I think..." Just realizing he was sitting squarely beside him, Elias slid his eyes over to the wolf questioningly before looking back at Tanner. "I think it wants us to play the game..."

Tanner started in fear at the wolf appearing next to Elias and watched it warily. It was dreamlike, muzzy, but fearsome, from what he could see. Does he know it's there? Tanner was about to say something when the grass suddenly grew out and he stepped back, trying to avoid it. He watched as the board was set up. "What game?" I'm not very good at games. "How did you play it if you were alone before?" Tanner walked over to one of the pieces and reached out to touch it. His eyes returned to the wolf, nervously. "Or, well, kind of alone. And what do wolves have to do with this?" A hundred questions were running through his head. He thought for a moment he was being rude, but no. This guy is the only one I can ask about any of this.

The wolf laughed cruelly at Tanner's reluctance to be anywhere near him. Elias glanced at the wolf and back at Tanner. He wasn't sure if only he could hear the wolf or if it was only in the back of his mind like it usually was.

"He won't hurt you. More like he can't," I think, "He's using my body as a... like... a-a... a conduit to this plane." Elias shook his head and gestured with open hands at Tanner's questions. There's so many things even he's not completely sure he could answer fully, but he'd still try his best to answer them. "The wolf chose me because of how I fared in my test. It's Death's gift to us so we can be better prepared for what comes next. To protect ourselves and our pack." Elias repeated what he'd heard the wolf tell him plenty of times. The wolf nodding sagely added, "Does it matter what game, Boy? It's about patience." He snarled gruffly, baring his teeth in a dangerous smile, "Something you obviously lack."

"I-I didn't play a board game." Elias hastily interrupted the wolf, not trying to scare Tanner any more than he needed to be. "I was tested with survival." Elias wrung his hands remembering what he went through to get here. To end up here again.

"I belong to him only, Boy." The wolf tipped his nose at Elias and snapped at Tanner, "Wolves don't have to do with all of this, there's just me." Elias promptly opened the game's lid with a wooden clack and took in the wooden patchwork of squares and spaces that snaked across the face of the board. Two wooden dice sat impassively in the center, waiting to be picked up.

"I met other animals but only the wolf stood by me." Elias said meekly picking up the dice and holding them out to Tanner. "Maybe you'll meet one too."