Ellis took Antonio's hand and stood, shaking his head a little in annoyance. "Yeah, it was like someone was pulling me somewhere. Maybe they were leading me someplace. But I really don't think it would be somewhere good." Ellis sighed and rubbed his neck. "It pinched a little at first, but then it was just uncomfortable." He frowned. "I have no idea what happened, but I'm going to hope that it never happens again." Being pulled somewhere like that gave him a feeling of doom that he didn't want to experience again.
He shrugged as he helped him up. "You never know, maybe it's leading you to an adventure. Maybe if you follow wherever these…" He glanced down at the tattoos and waved at them, "tattoos are trying to take you, maybe they'll be less uncomfortable?" He sighed softly and walked around the kitchen. "Well then maybe not actually, it could lead you back to where you came from…"
"I guess it could be…" Ellis shrugged, not sounding fully convinced. "Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. And I'd rather go anywhere else than that strange, jail-like lagoon." He shuddered slightly, remembering the place where he… well, that was where he'd died, wasn't it? Ellis shook his head, getting rid of that unpleasant thought. "Well, um… thank you for the food. I wish I could repay you, but–" He started, thinking that now was probably a good time to leave. He never got the chance to finish his sentence. Out of nowhere, a strange person with dark hair and bright blue eyes appeared in the middle of the kitchen.
"Ellis. Newest primordial spirit. Answer the call," She said, sounding slightly impatient. Ellis stared at her, wondering what she'd just said. He opened his mouth to ask her what that meant, but before he could, she disappeared again.
"Uh…" Ellis looked at Antonio. "Did you see her too?"
Antonio was going to offer a place to stay if a tour of the town, anything to keep Ellis here for bit longer. But the offers never even came to fruition. He whipped his head towards the entrance, afraid that his parents had found him. Much to his surprise it was a stranger, with stunning blue eyes. The rest of the individual was shrouded in black cloth. He watched her leave after her little message then turned to Ellis, nodding slightly. "I did. What did she mean? Primordial spirit? Is that you? And what call?"
"Uh… good thing you did, because otherwise, I would be worried. But… Primordial spirit… I don't know why she would say that. I'm not one. At least… I don't think I am." Ellis frowned, trying to figure out what she had meant. "And that call… it must have been the weird pulling sensation from earlier." He rubbed his neck, eyebrows creasing further. He was about to say something else when the tugging sensation returned. This time, it was too strong for him to resist. Ellis was pulled out of the kitchen, practically running towards his destination: the Deep Woods. He was too surprised to even yell for help. A feeling of dread started building in his chest. He couldn't go back in there. He absolutely couldn't go back in there! And yet, he was absolutely powerless to stop himself. At least, until he reached the edge of the woods. The second he passed into the Deep Woods, Ellis suddenly found the strength to stop himself. He stood right inside the woods, shaking slightly from the effort it took to continue standing there.
"huh, that makes less sense than before. Maybe it's-" Antonio glanced up Ellis stood and tilted his head curiously "what is-" he count say more before the other bolted out the door. Antonio just stood there for a moment, unable to comprehend what had just happened before grabbing his cloak from a nearby hook and running out the door after Ellis. He had lost him in the town but the crowd of stunned and recovering people, it was easy to figure out where Ellis had gone. But the looks of it, back to the Deep Woods. "Oh no…" Antonio breathed, picking up the pace as he headed back towards the dreaded Woods.
He stopped near the endge, having never gotten this close to the border, not even when he had helped Ellis before.
"Ellis?!" He called, tiptoeing closer, somewhat seeing a dark figure as he got closer but he knew it could be a trick from the woods themselves
Ellis heard Antonio behind him and turned his head slightly. "Um… I'm sorry. I couldn't stop it." He was jerked forward another step but managed to stop himself again.
"Stop struggling." A strange, disembodied voice came from the dark woods in front of him. It sounded very annoyed. Ellis narrowed his eyes at the woods and very, very slowly took a step back. It was hard, but he managed it. If he had stopped struggling, he would have been dead a long time ago. He would keep fighting until he was dead. Ellis heard an annoyed scoff and felt something woosh past his ear, towards where Antonio was standing. "Fine. If you won't comply on your own, we can add a little incentive. Either stop or this mortal will die."
Antonio relaxed a bit, relief washing over him as he saw a glimpse of Ellis' familiar face. "Don't apologies, it's nothing you can control." He took a few more steps forwards, officially in the Deep Woods now. He glanced around, eyes catching on the green and deep purple leaves. They looked like jewels in the sunlight peeking through the canopy. Beautifully horrific.
He took a deep breath, suddenly feeling a breeze, but something was different about this breeze. It wasn't…natural. he wasn't sure if it was his new surroundings or something else but it Antinio could hear a low ringing, like a blade being sharpened on a stone, and for some reason, he felt something against his neck as if a blade were lightly pressed there. He inhaled sharply and tried his best to relax. "I'll follow if you want." He said softly, not daring to speak any louder in case he disturbed whatever was close to him
"What– no, don't follow me!" Ellis yelped, managing to turn around to fully face Antonio. He really didn't want to go wherever the voice wanted him to go, but he would also rather that Antonio stayed alive. He'd been nice to him, nicer than anyone else he'd encountered. All Ellis wanted was to get Antonio and get out of there. But he couldn't move or Antonio would die.
A soft popping sound cut through his thoughts. Ellis frowned, then frowned deeper at the appearance of what looked like a very normal wooden trapdoor under Antonio's feet.
"What is this?" The voice asked, seeming just as confused as him. "What are you–" Before it could finish its sentence, the trapdoor under Antonio's feet opened. Ellis must have had one under his feet too because he fell at the exact same time as the man. His stomach twisted, his vision going black for a second before he found himself falling onto soft dirt. A glance around proved that he was in the middle of a forest– a normal forest, thankfully. Antonio was there as well, though how that had happened was a question he had no answers to.
Antonio tilted his head slightly when Ellis told him to not follow. "But what if it's-" he flicked his gaze around as a popping sound came from around him. He felt the pressure lighten from his throat, allowing him to slowly look down at his feet where Ellis was staring. His brows creased in confusion, why would there be a door in the woods. But before Antonio could put the thought into words, the floor opened up beneath him, the last thing he saw was Ellis drop down as well, then just darkness. He was being carried alive, dropped into a hole never to see the sun again. A few more seconds the rest of the air from his lungs was knocked out of him when he hit the ground with a thud. Ateast the landing was relatively soft. He slowly brought his gaze up to look around as he slowly regained his breath. He pulled himself up and ran over to Ellis, "we really can't have a full conversation without you falling can we?" He teased, helping him up
(Apologies for such a late reply, life has been wild lately.)
"Um… apparently not." Ellis accepted Antonio's help and stood up. He was feeling slightly dizzy, maybe because it was the first time he'd done… whatever it was he'd done. Ellis blinked a few times, then glanced around with confusion. How had he brought the two of them here, and where even was 'here'? "Um, I'm sorry. I think I basically abducted you." Ellis tugged on the end of his braid, looking at Antonio with a slightly embarrassed look. "I'll try to get us back, but–" He frowned, a memory suddenly floating to the surface of his mind. It must have taken place sometime during the time he was in the lagoon. Ellis was being taught something… something about reality. And how to bend it. Maybe… maybe that was what he'd just done. The problem was that he couldn't exactly remember how to do whatever it was he'd been taught. Their escape was extremely lucky, then. If only he could retrieve the memories. It might help with anything that came after him.
As if on cue, a roar echoed from the woods around him. "You've got to be kidding me." Ellis pressed his lips together and turned towards the noise. He wasn't very confident that he would be able to deal with whatever that thing was, but he apparently had the skills. Maybe muscle memory would be able to help him. Either way, he would do his best to keep Antonio out of danger.
(ah don't worry! Sorry too for replying so late!)
"don't worry about it, I'm just glad I'm not alone." He tried offering a smile but deep down Antonio was terrified. This wasn't normal, not even for the Deep Woods. Then again no had ever come out of here alive to tell what actually happened within, until now. He looked around, surprised to find that he could see at all. Antonio had expected this underground forest to be pitch black but somehow sunlight streamed in from the high canopy.
He yelled and snapped his head towards the noise coming from behind the trees. He pressed a bit closer to Ellis, trembling slightly "please tell me you're hungry again." He whispered, eyes darting around, trying to pin point exactly where this creature was going to come from
"Okay. I'll still try to get us back." Ellis glanced at Antonio, a small laugh– maybe from the fear or shock– bubbling to the surface despite the circumstances. "That wasn't me." He narrowed his eyes in the direction of the roar, but couldn't see the source of it just yet. There were all sorts of terrible monsters, but he hoped that this would be one of the less terrible ones. Maybe it was even just a bear? Another roar sounded, closer this time, and Ellis was finally able to see the source of it. A tall, skinny figure that seemed to be made of shadows slid out from behind a tree. It didn't appear to have any facial features other than a wide, sharp smile. Although it looked delicate, its fingers were tipped with sharp claws and it moved much faster than Ellis liked. "Um…" Ellis started backing away from it, trying desperately to remember what he had done last time to bring them to safety. He'd just wanted to get out of there, hadn't he? But try as he might, wishing to get Antonio to safety didn't create a single random trapdoor.
Antonio gaped at the creature that emerged from the forest, a creature just as gloriously gruesome as the stories told. "So they were true," he whimpered slightly, seeing the sickly grin spread across it's face. It knew it had won before it was ever given a chance to try. As much as he wanted to, Antonio couldn't tear his gaze away from creature, even as he backed away from it as it advanced. He pulled Ellis along with him, gripping his arm tightly. He refused to die here, even if his home wasn't great, he refused to become one of the people's stories. Antonio had half the concious mind to slowly pull out the canteen containing their water and used his abilities to bend the water into the air. He used to play a game with the cat where he'd bend water around for her to chase, sometimes shaping it into animals she had liked to hunt such as nice or birds. He wasn't sure if it would work with this creature but it was better than just standing ther3 waiting to be eaten. He closed his eyes and concentrated, bending the water into what looked like a deer, positions it near the creature, hoping, praying that it did the trick.
Ellis watched as Antonio created a deer out of water and hoped that would distract the creature long enough for him to figure out how to get them out of there. The creature turned towards the deer slightly, hissing slightly as it did. Ellis froze, not wanting to make any sounds that would distract it from the fake deer. The creature started towards the deer, moving slowly at first but then speeding up to a horrific speed. It arrived next to the deer and swiped its claws through the deer's midsection. Ellis forced himself to stop focusing on the monster and start focusing on an escape plan. He narrowed his eyes, thinking hard about leaving. But try as he might, he couldn't concentrate on that. Instead… his mind started wandering towards the creature again. But not about how scary it was, or how it might kill them.
"You… wait." The words slipped out of his mouth, something feeling off about them. The creature instantly turned towards them and Ellis was sure he'd made a mistake.
"Hmm. You are them." The hissing the creature had been making until recently turned into words, causing Ellis to jump. "The rest are coming, did you know?"
Antonio's eyes widened as the the creature suddenly sprinted towards the awaiting deer at alarming speeds, much quicker than what Antonio could anticipate. He yelped out in Surprise as it slashed through the deer, momentarily forgetting it wasn't real, expecting there to be blood. He returned the water back to him but kept it swirling behind him in constant stream in case it could be used as a distraction. His breath stilled as the creature swung itself towards them and advanced slowly again as if i were merely waiting to grow bored and fibay consume them.
His brows creased in confusion as words came from his ink black mouth, slurred with the occassional hissing. He quickly glanced over at Ellis "do you know what it's talking about?" He asked softly, backing up once again, shifting his gaze around.
(I'm so sorry for taking so long! I somehow lost this one.)
"I… I don't know." Ellis frowned at the creature. It might have been his imagination– no, it had to be his imagination– but the creature didn't seem so terrifying now. It was as though the aura of danger had been dispersed. "Do… do you think that thing meant that person we just escaped from by 'the rest'?" He glanced at Antonio quickly, not wanting to take his eyes off the thing for too long. Although it had stopped all aggressive motions the second he spoke, he wouldn't put it past the thing to suddenly strike out of nowhere.
"Yes. The rest. They are coming. They are coming for you. And they're angry." With that, the creature turned and disappeared into the woods so quickly it might have simply vanished, if not for the slight rustle of leaves in its wake.
"What?" Ellis squeaked, staring in shock at where the creature had just been.
(it's all good!)
"I'm not sure," he whispered, eyes used to the creature. He breathed in a sharp breath as the creature suddenly eased it's hostility.
Somehow the mention of "the rest" being angry. Antonio watched carefully as the creature dissapeared into the bushes before slumping to the ground, not wanting to move any further. "Is this how it was when you were here?" He asked, glancing up at Ellis. "How did you manage to stay alive for so many years?" He whispered, flicking his gaze around at the treeline, half expecting the creature to come back with more of it's kind.
Where Do we go from here? Is there even a way to go?"
Ellis stared after the creature, hoping for something to happen to explain what the creature had said. Unfortunately, nothing did.
"Well, I was stuck in a pond for most of the time, so this is a new experience." Ellis finally managed. In all honestly, he would almost rather the pond than the constant 'being chased' and 'getting forbidding and cryptic messages'. "I… I don't know. If we keep walking, we have to reach the edge eventually, right?" He glanced over at Antonio, feeling quite guilty he'd brought the man into this situation. He was lovely and didn't deserve all this danger and craziness at all.
Antonio took a deep breath and nodded, slowly rising from.his position. "Right, then maybe we can find a way out of here." He nodded to himself and started walking, not daring to go odd to where he saw the creature dissapeared to. "Well, I have been begging for an adventure. Guess this is my answer." He chuckled lightly but it felt wrong, to laugh in a place like this.
He checked his water supply, occasionally glancing.around just in case something else decided to attack them. "Might have been better to get a sword instead of a canteen of water." He said softly
(Sorry for the wait!)
Ellis nodded slightly. "I'm guessing you weren't expecting this kind of adventure, huh?" He laughed along with Antonio, feeling like there could be nothing better than to laugh in a place like this. It pushed away the dark much better than any sort of light ever could. "Maybe…" Ellis shrugged. He wouldn't be able to use the sword, but it probably would have provided some semblance of safety. And if worst came to worst, one could always wildly swing it at whatever was attacking. "Still, you did good with the water." He added. Ellis opened his mouth to say something else, but something caught his eye first. There was a very bright light, too bright to be from the forest, shining ahead of them. Ellis automatically froze, grabbing Antonio's arm to stop him as well. That was not a good sign, was it?
"not at all," Antonio sighed softly as they walked, always keeping his hand near the skin of water in case anything else were to happen. He blushed lightly and ducked his head "thank you but I don't think it did much to fool that creature." He blinked rapidly at the light, first very confused, they were underground, what sunlight would be able to penetrate down to here? He stiffened beside Ellis clinching the Han that was grasping his arm. "What is that?" His whispered, turning his head away from the blinding light. "Maybe it's a way out?" He suggested after a few moments of waiting for some sort of attack
(so sorry for the long wait!)
(You're good! I won't be able to respond as quickly from now on, as school has started up again. :)
Ellis stared at the light as best as he could without being blinded, but it didn't make any sudden movements. It was just glowing. "Maybe…" He said doubtfully, taking a few steps towards the light. "I guess we'll never know if we don't check it out." Ellis glanced at Antonio, then started walking towards the light in earnest. He rounded a corner, the source of the light coming into view. It was a person, the source of the light contained in their palm. Ellis was positive he didn't make a sound, but they turned around nevertheless.
"Oh, hey! Are you stuck in this–" They focused on Ellis and groaned. "No, you're not." The person lowered their hand, the light dimming slightly. "I apologize for trespassing in your forest. I was just lost. Why don't we just turn around and walk in opposite directions? Or better yet," the person continued with a smile almost as bright as the light in their hand, "you could tell me how to get out of here?" Ellis stared at them, his confusion plain on his face.
"I don't know where we are. This isn't my forest."
Antonio hid behind Ellis as they started to approach the light, heart pounding in his chest. He peeked over Ellis' shoulder, a small gasp escaping him when he saw an individual standing in the center of clearing, light held delicately in their hands. Antonio flinched when they turned around, searching the individual's features for any sign of hostility or harm. Instead he found the individual seemed just as lost as they were. He glanced at Ellis and tilted his head curiously. He slowly stepped to the side to better see the individual, a small ribbon of water flowing around the pair, ort of creating a barrier between them and the mystery person. "Who are you?" Antonio asked, eyeing 5he ball of light with intrigue
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