At long last, here is chapter 4. Please, keep reviewing, it encourages me to write faster.
Chapter 4
The remainder of the ride to Midgar went more smoothly than either of them would have guessed. There were no further incidents involving falls from Ebony's back, but both Hsss and Snake Face ended up getting saddle burn. Each day they alternated who rode in the saddle and who rode behind, and after seven days Midgar was finally in sight. And the Snakemen capitol city was like nothing either of them had ever seen before.
Midgar was an immense castle that appeared to be encased in gold. It sat in the center of a plain overlooking the sea, surrounded by a deep trench. It was relatively square with a tower at each corner, and a pyramid like structure at its center. They could not see its drawbridge from their angle, but they were certain that it was huge. They could vaguely see the small figures of guards on the ramparts. But the castle was still distant, though its size made it seem relatively close. Snake Face and Hsss wasted much time just staring at it.
Eventually Hsss, riding in the back today, gave Ebony the tongue-click command when Snake Face would not, prompting her back into a walk, and followed up with a kick to get her up to a gallop. With any luck they would reach the gates by nightfall. The ride seemed impossibly slow without the sun for reference on this cloudy day, and with Midgar not seeming to change size as they approached. But as the sky began to darken, they found themselves at the edge of the trench, which they now saw to be filled with muddy water.
Snake Face brought Ebony back down to a walk as they circled the moat. Something caught Hsss' eye, and he leaned over as best he could to try to identify what it was he saw beneath the water.
"Hey, Snake Face, do you think the moat is filled with spikes?" the Hydra asked, taking only one set of eyes away from the pit. Snake Face leaned over as well, curious to see what his companion meant.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it was. It's a good defense." He squinted down at the murky water, watching the shapes beneath it seem to take on sharpened appearances. "Well it sure looks like it is."
"I thought so." The remainder of the ride went in silence, still awed as they were by Midgar's magnificence, how it towered over them, and how it still glistened even in the dark. When they finally reached the drawbridge they had to crane their necks just to see the top of it. And there they waited as dusk settled, unsure of what exactly to do; neither of them had the faintest clue as to what the decorum was in Midgar. Did you ask to be let in, or did you wait for an invitation?
"Maybe we should hail them," Hsss suggested quietly.
"I doubt they'd be able to hear us," Snake Face whispered back. But just as he spoke those words the drawbridge was lowered slowly with a long, low groan and a clinking of chains. When it finally hit the ground it did so with a resounding thud that shook the land around it.
"Or maybe they can…" Snake Face corrected himself, eyes wide. Ebony danced about uneasily beneath them, whinnying nervously. In the gaping blackness within the gateway a faint, golden glow appeared.
"Enter!" a thin, male voice called from the dark. As if obeying a silent command not from her riders, Ebony stepped onto the drawbridge and slowly, one step at a time, crossed it. Snake Face could do nothing to stop her, not that he really had much of a choice.
The horse's hooves clattered nosily against stone as they reached the inside of the castle. They could now see the outline of a robed figure beneath the glow. As they continued to approach it became apparent that the light came from the tip of his staff. Ebony came to a halt before him, whickering and shifting nervously.
"Welcome, Snake Face, son of Poseidon, and Hsss son of Serpentor. We've been expecting you," the thin voice spoke again, now obviously emanating from the priest before them. They could safely identify his breed as Cobra, not only judging by his slight build and three-fingered hand, but also by the shadows cast on the folded hood beneath the cowl.
"Come with me. You may leave your horse here; she will be able to find the stable on her own." The Cobra turned to the side as he spoke, indicating that they should follow him. Hesitantly, they hopped off Ebony's back, Hsss first, Snake Face unhitching the saddlebags mid-dismount. He passed the one he knew to be the Hydra's to his companion whilst keeping his own.
"You needn't worry about her tack; the stable master will take care of it. Come," the Cobra continued, turning around with a flourish of robes as he spoke, and began to stride down the hall. Hsss and Snake Face nearly broke into runs as the followed, their saddlebags slung over their shoulders. True to the priest's word, Ebony turned and vanished into the darkness, her hooves still clattering audibly even after she was no longer visible.
The shadowed hall seemed immense, and the Cobra's light lit very little of it. Hsss and Snake Face struggled to stay within the glow and keep pace with their guide. Their footsteps echoed noisily, as did the tap of the priest's staff on the floor. Hsss could sense the amount of power this castle held; in fact he could even say that he could smell it. With no magical talents of his own, Snake Face could only feel it as a tingle in the back of his mind.
After a short while of walking the priest veered off into an adjourning corridor, pausing briefly to make sure the young Snakemen were still following him. The corridor led to a spiral staircase, upon which they ascended several flights. And finally they reached another hallway, this one barely big enough for one Adder to walk through, lined on each side with doors.
The Cobra's pace slowed here, looking at each door in turn before stopping at a pair of them that seemed to suit his liking. With a slight murmur from the priest the two doors swung open. The rooms were lit by a cold blue light, but were unoccupied.
"Each of you gets a room. Make your pick. Doesn't really matter, they're virtually the same. Good night." With those words the priest continued down the hall, fading into the distance. Soon the only light left was from the rooms. Looking between each other, Hsss and Snake Face gave a half shrug to one another and walked into either of the rooms, slowly shutting the doors behind them.
Hsss set his bag down and looked about the room, taking an inventory. There was a bed at the far wall, with simple linen sheets. There was a desk against one wall with a chair that was obviously designed to hold the weight of any breed. There was a dresser with a mirror and a water-filled basin at the other wall. And the blue light came from a small, iron cage on the ceiling. He could now be certain that the glow was a work of magic.
Having had a sufficient look around the room, Hsss set about discarding his clothing. His jerkin went first, pulled over his head and dropped to the floor. He then sat down on the bed to remove the britches, and threw them into a pile with the jerkin. Fully unclothed he stretched and yawned widely, leaning back. Swinging his legs up onto the bed and under the sheets he laid himself down, idly scratching the spot where his necks joined. Looking up at the light he dully noted how soothing it was, despite its coldness, almost like moonlight. And with that thought Hsss closed his eyes and drifted off.
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Hsss awoke slowly from the best sleep he'd had in a week; it felt so good to be in a bed again. For a brief instant he thought he was back home, but he quickly remembered that this was not Tamat, this was Midgar. When he opened his eyes his vision was slightly blurred, but he blinked a few times to clear it. The first thing he noticed was that the light had changed its color from blue to gold.
Exhaling in a soft, long grunt, Hsss sat up and arched his back and necks, a few bones popping as he did so. Sliding his legs off the side of the bed, and absently itching his groin, he stood and shuffled over to his discarded saddlebag. Rummaging around inside it, he passed over the britches in favor of his customary gray tunic, deciding that his legs needed some air after seven days of riding. He pulled it over his central head groggily, only to realize that it was on backwards when his extra heads couldn't find the slit they went through. Grumbling, he pulled his arms back in and spun it around. With the tunic on properly, and all five heads outside of it, he snatched up its worn leather belt and secured it to his body.
Idly smacking his chops and scratching his butt, Hsss opened the door and moved out into the hallway. It was lit now by the same golden glow as in his room, but he paid it little mind, trying to remember which room Snake Face was in. Believing he'd found it he knocked on it hesitantly.
"Snake Face?" There was no answer so Hsss tried again. "Snake Face? You in here?"
"He's down at the stable with his horse," a cold, female voice resonated inside his head, causing him to jump. He looked around franticly, but no one was there.
"Where are you? What is this?" Hsss asked of the empty hallway.
"No where near you. I am a telepath. I'll be giving you directions to the stable… now." In an instant the images of various corridors, stairways, and halls appeared in Hsss' mind. The first image was of him in the hallway, and the last was of Snake Face in the stable with Ebony. Nodding to no one but himself, he turned and walked to the stairway at the end of the corridor.
Hsss really had no idea where he was going, but his body carried him as though he did. Down the stairway and back into the main hall, which was now brightly lit, with several robed Snakemen milling around. Most only gave him a passing glance, but a few seemed more curious. When he reached the raised drawbridge he stopped and looked around. He vaguely remembered that they had left Ebony here and that she'd walked away in what had to be the direction of the stable. He went the way she had gone.
The smell of straw and animals soon reached Hsss' nostrils, and their sounds followed shortly after. It comforted him somehow, and he closed his eyes in a sort of pleasant relief. He wasn't aware of where he was going, and apparently neither was another walking the same path. Maybe her War Cat saw it coming, but they most certainly didn't until it was too late.
The impact wasn't enough to knock either of them over, nor was it enough for them to bounce off of each other. Hsss' eyes flung open when he suddenly found himself pressed against a distinctly female body, and jerked his central head downward. In the same instant she quickly turned her head, eyes wide, only to have the tip of her snout brush against his. Their eyes widened further in a brief moment of confusion, before hastily breaking apart and turning away.
"Sorry!" they said simultaneously, heat rising beneath the scales on their faces. Eyes darting around in embarrassment, the adolescent Viper tightened her grip on her cat's reigns and steered around Hsss. He could not stop himself as he turned to watch her.
Every little bit of her was beautiful in Hsss' eyes. Her smooth, lime-green scales, her slender build, her deep blue eyes. Blue eyes were so rare, and her dress complimented their shade perfectly. The way she smiled as she stroked her cat's lavender fur, and the sound of her musical laugh as she did so. Her smooth belly, her soft breasts, her sinewy tail, the subtle swing of her hips, and her slender, digitigrade legs caused a heat to rise within him, hazing his vision.
"Hello? You still in there? Hsss?" Snake Face seemed to appear suddenly at his side, and getting no response he stepped in front of him and snapped his fingers in Hsss' central face. "Wake up, lover-boy."
Hsss blinked rapidly and slipped a head around Snake Face to continue watching her, but she was gone. Wait a minuet; lover-boy?
"Isn't it a wee bit hazardous to keep a table-dagger in the general vicinity of your groin?" Snake Face mocked, a huge grin plastered on his face. When Hsss didn't take the hint he flashed his eyes downward, grin broadening. Looking down and following the Gorgon's gaze, he realized that the lower part of his tunic was hanging differently than before. Snake Face snorted with laughter as Hsss' eyes widened and as he tried to hide it.
"Cute, isn't she?" the Gorgon went on, gesturing with his head in the direction she went. "She was down here before I was. I get the feeling she's just left though."
"Is there a problem, boys?" a low voice sounded beside Hsss, nearly causing him to jump out of his skin. Spinning around he came face to face with a Constrictor a good head taller than himself. Though if his posture were better he would have been taller still; he hunkered over, and his digitigrade legs were bent excessively. His dirt brown scales were somewhat ratty, and the black blotches were quite difficult to distinguish. His dark eyes looked at him quizzically, while a tail longer than the rest of his body swayed about behind him. As those eyes traveled downward they lit up with recognition.
"Oh, is that the problem? Hormone surge, I wouldn't worry. At your age you'd better get used to them, because you will start experiencing them all the time. Cold water usually does the trick. There's some right over there." As he spoke the Constrictor gestured with both his head and his tail directing Hsss to a trough of cold water. Nodding and averting his eyes in embarrassment, Hsss hurried towards it, kneeled beside it, and dunked all five heads into it. In an instant he felt the heat in his loins subside, and he sighed in relief as he came back up from the water, shaking it from his heads.
"That better?" Hsss nodded in reply, and the Constrictor grinned back, padding over to a nearby supply stall. Bending over at the threshold it appeared he was going to pick something up, but instead he dropped onto all fours and lanced his tail into the room.
"Oh, I don't believe I've introduced you yet," Snake Face said suddenly, coming to stand between them. "Hsss, this is Pyathon. Pyathon, Hsss."
Pyathon only gave Hsss a passing nod as his tail found what he was seeking. Remaining on all fours he turned and began to pace the line of stalls, an empty bucket held tightly in the coils of his tail emerging from the supply room.
"He's an animal-empathic, you know," Snake Face went on as Pyathon began to gather discarded brushes into the bucket. "Meaning he can talk with animals."
"Yes, a branch off of psychics, I know what it means," Hsss assured his understanding, rising to his feet.
"I didn't believe him at first when he told me, but he proved it when he gave Ebony a full bucket of oats, told her to take only ten and return the rest," Snake Face continued as he picked a brush up off the floor and tested the weight in his hand. "And she did it without a fuss; she's normally quite greedy about oats, too."
"Amazing," was all Hsss could mutter, genuinely impressed. "Speaking of which, how is she?"
"She's just fine," Snake Face answered and walked over to one of the stalls, just as the aforementioned black mare poked her head out, whickering. "And she's happy to see you, aren't you, Ebs?"
Ebony snorted and butted her head against his outstretched hand. Grinning, Snake Face brought up his other hand, the one that held the brush and ran it down her neck. Murmuring softly he began to brush her shoulders, pressing his forehead against hers.
"Ah, there you are, I was told I would find you here," a thin, yet forceful, unearthly male voice spoke, barely above a whisper. Hsss and Snake Face's heads snapped around to view the newcomer. And what they saw surprised them.
His figure wasn't all that imposing; in fact he seemed harmless. He was a few inches shorter than them and he was slender. Most of his figure was concealed by his floor length, long-cuffed, snow-white robes, which were bound about his waist by a gold chain. His big green eyes were well framed in his round-ish, short-muzzled, tan-scaled face. The staff he leaned on was gold, made up of three serpents coiling about each other, holding a rather large, spherical moonstone between their snouts. Around his neck was a broad, gold collar, inlayed with emeralds and an amulet. The amulet caught Hsss' eye as he noted its shape: like the spread of a cobra hood with a red stone carved to look like a slit-pupil eye in its center, and with a small tail coiled out behind.
"I don't believe I've introduced myself yet. I am Asp'rios, High Priest of Serpos," the unearthly voice continued smoothly. Realizing whom they were dealing with, both Hsss and Snake Face bowed respectfully. Nearby, Pyathon gave a small salute over his shoulder.
"I am sure both of you are wondering why I have summoned you, and I can assure you that all will be revealed shortly," Asp'rios went on, waving them up with a slight flick of his wrist. "But I need to speak with each of you individually."
Asp'rios paused then, eyes meeting each of theirs, looking through them, weighing the options. He lingered at Hsss, his boring gaze stripping him of all mental defenses. He could not blink to break the stare, but the High Priest saved him the trouble.
"Hsss, son of Serpentor, I will speak with you first." As he spoke, Asp'rios turned with a swishing of white cloth, and began to almost glide away, continuing to speak over his shoulder. "Come with me."
Only glancing back at Snake Face once, Hsss followed. He found himself being led back into the main hall, but this time led up a different spiral stair. This one was steeper than the other, and steeper than anything in Tamat. But while it wore on Hsss' knees, Asp'rios just seemed to glide up them with no difficulty. Sunlight flooded Hsss' vision when they reached the top, and the smell of salt was suddenly there as well. As his eyes adjusted he realized where he was: Midgar's ramparts.
The golden castle seemed even larger when one looked down from its ramparts, and Hsss was astonished by the sudden feeling of acrophobia. He didn't dare look past the parapets for fear of becoming sick, but instead allowed his first view of the ocean to capture his gaze instead. The jewel-like glistening, and the distant sounds of the crashing waves and the mewling of seabirds comforted him.
"You are calm, that is good," Asp'rios murmured next to him. "The situation is stressful to us, it will be easier for you to handle if you are relaxed. Now where shall I begin?"
Hsss looked expectantly at the High Priest as he stroked his chin in thought. And then something occurred to the young Hydra.
"Who is Grayskull?" Asp'rios' eyes lit up at that question.
"Ah, yes, Grayskull, yes, that is the ideal place to start." A deep breath and a pause. "Well, first of all, 'Grayskull' is just the name our scouts have given him, because of a certain helmet he wears. We haven't the faintest clue what his real name is. We know little about his origins except that he is a minor lord. A few years ago he began a building project, a castle. And here is our first mistake in dealing with him: we didn't view the construction for what it meant, and we will soon be paying for it. He was building a defensible fortress, using a design similar to Midgar's. Again, we don't know what he's named it, but our scouts have dubbed it 'Castle Whiteskull'. He is currently using it as a base of operations. Are you following me, Hsss?"
"Yes, I believe I am," Hsss replied in an almost dazed voice, trying to let the information sink in. "There is more, isn't there?"
"Much more, I'm afraid." Asp'rios swallowed before going on. "What makes Grayskull such a threat is that he knows how to rally the other peoples to his banner. He is offering them independence, and like starved beasts they leap upon it like it were a scrap of meat, with little thought as to the results. A few continue to side with us, but we cannot count on them for long. And the thought of Eternia divided is a horrifying thought for one solitary reason."
"What reason? There must have been something I haven't been told." Hsss didn't like the direction this was headed and was beginning to feel sick.
"I'm not at all surprised that they didn't tell you little ones yet." The High Priest wrung his hands around his staff, steeling himself. "Roughly thirty winters ago, we felt a presence just beyond Eternia, an evil presence. It stalked just beyond our reach but not beyond out vision, like a Worg circling an injured Dragon. We knew he stayed on the fringes because Eternia was united under one banner, but we also knew that if the people were to break off from each other then he would strike. There was only one name we could give to this evil: the Chaos Bringer."
The name stirred up spares memories within Hsss. Memories of the name being uttered in low tones, and of his father darkening at the mention.
"Alright," Hsss swallowed. "I understand now why the situation is dire, but I still don't understand why you summoned me."
"I was just getting to that, and I warn you now: it is not easy to understand, not even for us." Asp'rios stepped over to the parapets, and leaned on them, sighing. "Maybe explaining the process of choosing would help you understand. When problems like this arise it is always the younger generations that have to bear the brunt of it. And thus it is them we must prepare to deal with it. From the younger ones of each clan we select a potential leader. It could be anyone, really, they just have to have the right qualities."
"What qualities?" Hsss interjected. "How do you know?"
"Please don't interrupt me." Asp'rios turned back to look him in the eyes again. "What makes a leader varies from clan to clan, but the universal quality is being someone the masses can follow to the ends of Eternia without question. This can be achieved in many ways: being intelligent, being levelheaded, being merciful, being just, being strong of will, heart, mind, or body, and even just being a sorcerer. It is, after all, a cold fact of nature that people without the gift of magic feel much safer if someone who has it is on their side."
"And which of these qualities are mine?" Hsss asked after a pause, with a bizarre feeling stirring in his gut.
"Well, you have always been cunning, you aren't one to panic easily, and you're hard to break." Asp'rios took a step towards him. "And you have some talent for sorcery. It hasn't fully manifested, but it is there. Wait a moment, let me test just how far it has come…"
In a flash of movement the High Priest brought his staff about, a white blast forming at its tip. Acting on reflex, Hsss dropped his extra heads behind his back and raised his arms protectively in front of his central face. The blast blinded him and burned his arms, but he remained upright, a soft green light appearing at the fringes of his vision. There was a moment of equilibrium between Hsss' shield and Asp'rios' blast, before the shield gave way.
When Hsss' vision cleared he was on his back, with Asp'rios standing over him. There was a slight smile on the High Priest's face as he reached down a hand to the fallen Hydra.
"As far as I had anticipated," Asp'rios murmured as he pulled Hsss to his feet. "You have a good instinct for it, you just need to hone your skills. Your mother is a sorceress, is she not?"
"Yes, she is," Hsss answered, still shaken by the sudden attack.
"Has she been tutoring you?" Asp'rios released his grip, pulling his hand back into the folds of his robes.
"No… she thinks I should figure it out myself, like she did."
"I see… I guess that leaves me with only one option at this late date," Asp'rios muttered under his breath, turning away briefly before turning back. "Hsss, I am taking it upon myself to train you in sorcery."
"What…?" Hsss was stunned by the declaration. "Why…?"
"It is too late to have a slow easy training." The High Priest began walking back to the doorway, gesturing Hsss to follow. "We need to have you up to speed as fast as we can. Every sorcerer we have on the field is an advantage to us. Come, there is little time to waste."
Hsss, still confused, trotted after him, leaping every few steps as they descended the stairs. When they reached the main hall Asp'rios looked over his shoulder as he walked.
"Your training will start now." The High Priest did a quick u-turn into another stairway. "This way."
Asp'rios led him up to the very top of the stairs, to what reminded Hsss of the combat-training hall back in Tamat. It was quite vast, with a door in each of the walls, most likely leading into similar chambers. Striding into the center of the room, the High Priest spun around to face his new student, flinging off the white robe in a flash of blinding light. When Hsss could next see, Asp'rios had changed his garb to something more appropriate.
All that remained of the original garment was the collar and amulet. His chest and legs were now bare, with a floor length, white loincloth as the only piece of fabric left in the outfit. He now sported gold wrist guards, toe guards, and shin guards, as well as red-leather kneepads. Hsss could see now that he had a sturdy build for a sorcerer, much like Fang's. In fact this body might well represent what old Deadeye looked like in his prime, before all the mutilating injuries.
"Using a focus would be a good idea for you," Asp'rios murmured as he stroked his chin in thought. A look of concentration spread across his face, and out of the air a silvery-white staff appeared before an astonished Hsss.
"Take it, take it!" Hsss gingerly touched the staff, before taking it into his hands and testing its weight. "You do know how to use a spear in normal combat, don't you?"
"Yes, I do," Hsss almost whispered as he realized how light the staff was.
"Good… Shall we start your first lesson?" Asp'rios shifted his own staff so that he now held it in both hands, looking at Hsss expectantly. With some trepidation and a swallow, Hsss answered.
"I am ready to begin."