As she approached Blenheim Palace for the second time, Emma double checked the contents of her inventory, and came across an unpleasant surprise. She was down a Hallowed Candle, with five instead of six in Eden's Echo, and her lighter was nowhere to be found. Both of these, despite the fact that they'd only vanished at the palace gates, last time around.
[You can't count on a perfect reversal. Not with the current instability.]
That could be a problem, Emma realised. Even if we get multiple tries at this, if resources aren't replenished, each loop will leave us worse off for the next attempt.
Emma commanded Sir Bearington to halt before the palace gardens, determined to do some research before charging in blindly once more.
Earthbound immortal.
The earth elemental emerged at her command, extending two small, humanlike hands to take custody of the Black Candle and the matchbox.
[Matchbox stored.
Candle withdrawn.
Soothing Candle withdrawn.
Hallowed Candle (Demonic) withdrawn.]
One of each remaining candle was added to the pile, forcing the creation of a few more hands to hold them all, before the Earthbound Immortal made its way up the lawn, retracing Emma's steps from the previous timeline. Halfway to the palace gates, he stopped in place and lit the ordinary candle. Unlike before, there was no hint of the unsettling presence that had grated at Emma's nerves. Thinking this might be due to her own position, Emma took a few steps inside the palace garden, but nothing changed.
Drop the candle.
Her summon obeyed, tossing the still-lit candle into the nearest patch of grass. The moment it landed, Emma heard the same ghastly shriek from before, and the Candle popped, for lack of a better word, splattering the lawn with chunks of wax. Emma kept an eye out for the perpetrator as she caught up to her summon, but nothing showed itself, allowing her to examine the remains of the candle.
Flash frozen?
Picking up a piece revealed it to be cold to the touch, and extremely brittle. Just a bit of pressure from her fingertips was enough to turn the wax into powder.
The Soothing Candle, next.
A calming fragrance filled the air; one that Emma couldn't place exactly, but reminded her of the rose garden she passed each day on her way to school.
[Status condition: Sleep resisted.]
"...Not that I know of," the rifleman grunted. "We'll take a look, want to come with us?"
Emma checked her inventory again, ignoring the rifleman as she glanced down the list.
Inventory - Eden's Echo A ring containing fifty cubic metres of storage space, capable of instant transfer. Living beings stored are held in stasis and slowly heal. All sapient creatures are less likely to attack the wearer. This item is invisible except to the wearer, who cannot wear other jewellery. Currently contains:
5050 Thrones
Victorian Gown (3-piece)
5x Black Candle
5x Candle
4x Hallowed Candle (Demonic)
5x Soothing Candle
Browning Hi-Power (13/13)
30x Meals, Ready to Eat
10x Bottled Mineral Water (2L)
Leftovers (Home Made)
2x Stainless Steel Pot
Shovel
British Army Knife]
True to her expectations, the resources expended before were gone; everything Emma thought might have an impact, short of firing arrows at random, and she wasn't that far gone just yet.
"Sure, let's go take a look at this church," Emma agreed, before the rifleman could prompt her again. "Somehow, I have the feeling I'm not meant to visit Blenheim Palace just yet."