Castle Hydra: Next Generation

[frostmourne]

A few minutes after Kenan had left, a stargazer lily popped out beside the birch tree. It seemed to shake its petals before touching the dying tree with a leaf. The cut healed and the tree shook itself before bursting into bloom. "No need to harm the innocent." a voice sighed. It seemed to come from all around the tree.

Aza instinctively formed a sword and jabbed. The tip stopped a few inches from Kenan and the whole thing dissolved. "Yes? Where's Jared?" "Here. His name is Skulni. I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you until you saw him. He would have taken you forcefully and hurt-" He spoke faster and faster the more he said, pleading look in his eyes. She smiled and put her hand over his mouth. "Calm down. I haven't seen you this ruffled since that time that foreign princess dumped boiling water on you in front of the whole court. No, even then it wasn't this bad." She laughed a the memory and grabbed Kenan's hand. "Now let's go before that spider of a fiancé comes crawling out."

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan looked happy and actually smiled a bit. "He wouldn't hurt you... I'd kill him." he nearly purred, knowing it was true.

[frostmourne]

"She'd flip if you tried." Adrian snickered, popping out of a nearby bush. Aza jumped and grabbed Kenan's arm. She relaxed once she realized who it was, but didn't let go of his arm. Instead she glared at Adrian. He grinned cheekily at her. "What? You would." he said, tone innocent. "Was your fiancé really that bad? Maybe I should go see for myself." She glared daggers at him and clung to Kenan's arm. Jared frowned and tapped a pine tree a few times, like he was knocking on a door. The pine tree opened and swallowed Adrian whole. There was a muffled knocking sound and something that sounded like a hyperventilating songbird. "What is he doing?" "Complaining about tree sap."

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan put his other arm around her and hugged her gently. "I can if you want. Just give me the word... Jared, please let him out." he grumbled.

[frostmourne]

Jared looked at Aza, seeking her opinion. "Aza?" She nodded and smiled as Kenan hugged her. Adrian tumbled out, covered with bitter sticky sap. "There were bugs in that tree!" Adrian complained, picking a beetle out of his cloak. His hair stuck up in every direction in stiff spikes. The tree sap had hardened and had covered him in a hard coat. Aza touched Kenan's cheek before turning slightly in his embrace to look at Adrian. She laughed at his new hairdo. "Did you do that?" she asked Jared. "Of course not." His eyes twinkled and changed to warm brown before flashing back to green.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan sort of went limp and looked blissfully disoriented. "Did he do what?" He asked happily, before gathering himself again. "What happened?"

Edited October 9, 2011 by lycrawaterz14

[frostmourne]

It was a miracle Adrian kept a straight face as he walked away. Jared could just hear him roaring with laughter from a mile away. He sighed and waited it out. When the laughter didn't subside, he went in the same direction as Adrian. He came back a few moments later, looking like he was going to drag Aza off somewhere again. "I never thought I would see a flood of spiders." he muttered, tapping on each of the trees. They started to move, crablike, until the area they were in whirled around, dark branches swishing. There was an insectile movement to their right. A nearby tree gave whatever it was a solid whack. There was a nasty crunching sound and the movement stopped. A moment later came a sharp click followed by another thump. A nasty yellow liquid dribbled sickeningly from the tree branch. Aza looked away as another insect was strangled by a vine. "We'll leave as soon as Adrian comes back. He was coming back when I last looked." He tensed as the branches rustled again. This time it was a hand parting the branches, followed by a spindly arm. "May I ask why you are murdering my pets? Aza...and what is this?" a snide voice said, sounding fairly disgusted. He gestured in Kenan's direction and a spider scuttled across his hand.

[ktav13]

((any word from mendez you guys?))

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan flinched his hand in a good solid motion, and glared at him. "All you have to do is say the word..." Kenan murmured, and turned back to Skulni. "Referring to me like I'm not in the room? Rude." He said studying his arm like it was an assessment.

 

(Not a clue where he is Ktav. Nobody posts anymore...)

[frostmourne]

Skulni chuckled, a horrible raspy sound. "Rude indeed. Let go of her." he snapped. Slimy black worms wrapped themselves around her wrists and yanked abruptly. The hood of her cloak rose as she was dragged to his side. He tugged her hood back and ran a clammy finger down her cheek, leaving a long thin cut. He licked it before it had a chance to heal. "Sweet. Tell her father I accept his challenge." he called as he began to drag her to his castle. The forest had a dangerous, angry air. Aza turned and shook her head ever so slightly at the two of them. When her head was turned, he nipped at her exposed throat, lapping up a drop of blood before the wound closed. She winced as he chuckled again and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

[lycrawaterz14]

"First of all, she was holding onto me," he stepped beside them and drew his sword. "Because she was afraid of you." he growled and put his sword at his throat. "What challenge."

[frostmourne]

He grinned at Kenan with twisted humor. "Her father would be most....unpleasant if she gets as so much as a scratch. I'm already doomed to lose this wager, so why not hide what might have been the prize?" He became semitransparent and tightened his hold on Aza's wrist. She shuddered and went limp in his grasp. He smiled and let go, letting her collapse on the ground. "Goodbye for now." He stroked her cheek and disappeared in a wisp of nasty smelling fog. Jared was frozen to place, looking horrified. "Not her. Not another one." The surrounding flora and fauna was unnaturally still. Adrian finally burst out of the trees, covered in dead spiders. "Jared. She'll wake up in a couple of decades at worst. At best she'll wake up this month." he said softly, prodding him with a stick. He didn't seem to hear Adrian, but pointed at the ground. The two flowers that were on the comb appeared again. "So what? She's not going to die." Adrian said, puzzled. Jared just shook his head.

[lycrawaterz14]

"WHAT?!" Kenan growled. "ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?!!!" He snarled, and sheathed his sword. He mumbled, and his hand turned skeletal. A large black dog, almost the size of a horse appeared. "Bring Skulni." He said, his voice more raspy. The hellhound rose, large as an elephant, and barked. It was gone. "What did he do? And more importantly, what is he?"

[frostmourne]

"Skulni is the monster of the mirror. He lures in people who are vain or proud. Other times he does it just for to entertain himself. Once in the mirror, the physical body falls into a deep sleep and the rest resides in the mirror. They are either horribly tortured, or given a slightly happier illusion. The time span and illusion depends on what they did." Jared murmured. "You can tell if a mirror has a victim inside it if a bit of blood trickles out occasionally. The person remains in the mirror unless Skulni releases them or the mirror is broken. The mirror has never been broken before. Skulni can only have one victim at a time because he stays to watch them." He reached into the brown leather messenger bag he carried and plucked out a gilded mirror. He shook it slightly and shook his head. "Not this one." "I'll check his castle." Adrian offered before crashing through the forest like an angry bull.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan quickly followed Adrian. "Tell me if the hellhound returns!" he called back to Jared.

Edited October 10, 2011 by lycrawaterz14

[frostmourne]

Adrian burst through the empty castle. Through the entire castle there was only one mirror. It was just polished silver disk with a simple wooden frame. Adrian shook it, but there was no blood. He looked frustrated and threw the mirror against the wall. "Where? Where else would he hide a mirror?" he hissed angrily. A bowl of goldfish in the corner caught his eye. He touched the surface of the water and found it wasn't water at all. He picked up a mirror and shook it. Sure enough a few drops of blood trickled out. He handed it to Kenan, unsure what he should do to it. Jared knelt down and picked Aza up with surprising strength for his thin frame.

[lycrawaterz14]

"If I break it, I think Aza will be harmed... no sense chancing it." He turned his back to Adrian.

 

His eyes were empty, and when he opened his mouth smoke cane out, and entered the mirror. The word 'Skulni' was echoing everywhere, by voices that would drive one mad. The smoke retracted, the life force of Skunli at the end, and Kenan slung it across the room, unable to destroy it without his father's power. He collapsed to the ground, and the hellhound returned, the bottle around its neck grabbing the life force.

 

"Skulni. Come out and face me if you wish to live. You have about..." Kenan grunted in pain. "Two minutes to reason with me."

[frostmourne]

"You underestimate us." he chuckled. "To completely destroy us, start by breaking every mirror in the world." The voice faded into silence, but the life force remained. The mirror seemed slightly translucent for a moment before solidifying again. Jared came in, still holding Aza. "It didn't work? There's more than one isn't there?" he asked, voice carefully controlled.

Aza smiled as she perched on the rocking chair close to the fire. She thought it was strange she felt no pain, but after all, it was just a dream.

[lycrawaterz14]

"Fine." Kenan sighed. "I can suck the life out of every mirror. Father won't be pleased." He shrugged, and raised his arm, but collapsed. Something was very wrong. He seemed to be bleeding from his chest, and quickly.

[frostmourne]

Adrian ran over looking rather worried for once. "What's wrong? Stupid question, sorry. Jared?" He kept pressure on the bleeding, hoping there was actually a wound. Jared nodded, gently put Aza down and handed him some medical supplies. "Be much easier if Aza was awake." Adrian muttered.

Aza was too close to the fire, but she didn't care. Not even when the flames began licking her skin. She started to pull away, feeling uncomfortable, only to find she couldn't. She started to panic, madly struggling.

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan shooed the two away quickly. "Help Aza..." He let out something between a grunt and a cough, and the wound on his chest opened up more, like there was acid on him. "I'm fine, help her."

[frostmourne]

"That's what Adrian said after he nearly cut off his own hand. Aza won't be hurt. You on the other hand.." Jared muttered. "So do tell us what's wrong with you." Adrian added, hands flying across the wound with practiced grace. Once he had covered the wound with a odd orange paste, he began to bandage it. Jared rushed over to Aza's side as she began to twitch uneasily. He remembered a poem he scribbled down a few months after meeting Aza. He only recited it when she had completely lost control which hadn't happened for a long while now.

"I listened long to your story,

Listened, but could not hear.

When you chose to walk that path so overgrown,

I remained alone in my fear.

Cold silence covers the distance,

Stretches from shore to shore.

I follow in my mind your far off journeying,

But I will walk that path no more." he whispered. Aza stopped twitching wand lay still again. Adrian looked a bit surprised. "That's the same poem she wrote in her notebook." "So she remembered after all."

[lycrawaterz14]

Kenan was still in pain and the wound was spreading. "I've just overworked myself. There's only so much death a human body can take before it rots..." he held the wound like it hurt but still tried to hide it.

 

"A year isn't going to be enough..." he whispered to himself, and looked over at Aza. "Please fix her." he mumbled. "She's clearly hurting..." He sunk deeper into himself, on the outside looking blank.

[frostmourne]

"Enough for what? He's bleeding to death and he's worried about sleeping beauty over there." Adtian snorted, bandaging his wounds as fast as they spread. Aza seemed peaceful until Jared got up to help Adrian. She shuddered as she felt him start to leave. He shot an apologetic look at Adrian and Kenan. "It's alright, I can work fine without you. Do think morphine will work on him?" he asked, noticing his pain. "I don't know Adrian, but if Aza doesn't loosen her grip she's going to break my wrist." Jared muttered. Adrian shrugged and injected morphine in to Kenan's bloodstream. There was a sharp cracking sound a moment later. "I was right."

[lycrawaterz14]

"I don't have enough time for a year. I'm just too strong to last in this body." he shuddered. "What is that? Kinda stings..." he muttered and rubbed his shoulder.