As per my last author's note, I have decided to take requests from you concerning Undead characters. This first one is for Litefox, though I did find this one a bit difficult to write. Tell me what you think.
Chapter Six: Change
The elven sorceress looked at her body. Her skin had turned white. Her dress had turned dark. Her demeanor had changed significantly. She found herself angry at what she saw now.
Her fingers felt cold. Her ears felt cold. The one thing the elf wanted back more than anything was her body temperature. Oh how the living take that for granted. It was the one thing that showed that you were truly alive. Not just a surviving creature, but you were actually alive and free.
The elf wanted to cry. She wanted her life back. But here, in front of this skeletal man, it was inappropriate to do so. She couldn't let herself show weakness in front of others like she used to. That was how the beast saw her as a target for his nefarious plans.
"I know it can be a hard adjustment...," the skeleton stammered. He wore dark clothes as well- that seemed to be the norm for all Undead residents- but his suit had red highlights in certain places. His skull was decorated in the same way, as if for a celebration. And despite being Undead, he had been more than happy to welcome the elf into the Underworld.
"Save it," the elf grumbled. "I don't need sympathy."
"I just want to help you in any way I can. All new arrivals come in frightened and angry. You are no different."
"I'm not supposed to be dead. Not yet."
"Cursed, then? All living creatures who come down here without protection are often cursed to forever be Undead. They retain their physical forms, like you have, but they aren't-"
"Alive? Yeah, I can tell."
"Could you tell me what happened?"
The elf walked away from him. (No, floated. Her magic caused her to float.) She had decided that she was tired of his nonsense. Besides, there were more important matters to attend to. The people needed to know what had transpired down here.
"Can you at least tell me your name?"
Her name was of no worth to her anymore. She wasn't the same- she didn't even feel the same.
"It's Hex," the elf said.
Long ago, before the idea of entering the Underworld ever crossed her mind, Hex had been a masterful sorceress. Her friends and family had seen it as a strange idea. Elves weren't particularly known for their magical capabilities- they were tied to the trees and the plants, and didn't really have any use for spells. But Hex couldn't get the idea out of her mind. She just had to learn as much magic as she possibly could.
And learn she did. She practiced day and night on spells and incantations found in the best spell books. Hex learned quicker than she had anticipated, and soon outshined even the best in her guild. Her family discovered that she really was different from other elves- there was magic already tapped inside of her heart, ready to be channeled through her soul.
Everyone in Skylands could see it.
Even the most foul-hearted beasts.
Malefor had his own kingdom to look over. The Dragon King of the Underworld was busy collecting dragons to work in his mines or armies, but simply transferring eggs to his kingdom was no easy task. Cursed by undead magic, the embryos would quickly die, their souls unable to manifest in complete tangible ghosts. He had no use for those. Despite that, simply raising dragons in his territory at Concurrent Skies wasn't fast enough for him- he would be able to conquer all of Skylands, and he knew he could do it much faster than this.
When he noticed how powerful Hex had become, Malefor's interest in her peaked at its highest levels. She was such a spirited young girl. Her powers were matched by the energy she had inside of her. He had never seen anything like it. Maybe Hex could put protection spells on the eggs his henchmen collected from Skylands in order to bring them into the Underworld.
Of course, it wasn't a matter of asking about it. Malefor didn't like asking permission.
Her guild masters noticed it right away. Malefor's armies were attacking the islands, demanding that all spell casters be brought into their clutches at once. The guilds had to get away. Hex didn't even say goodbye to her family as her guild ran away from their small island home, hiding from the ever-watchful eye of the horrid beast that wanted the sorceress for himself.
They were always hiding. Hex couldn't spend a week in the same place without having to move once more. The guild had a few close calls once or twice, but somehow, they managed to get away. It was a hard life, always on the run. Hex's magic had weakened during this time- she wanted her home back, not to keep running away forevermore. Malefor's hunt never ceased to relent, and the guild kept moving as fast as they could.
Hex eventually grew sick of it. She wanted out of this circle of running and hiding! Though her magic was too weak for a protection spell, Hex traveled down into the bowels of the Underworld, deeper and deeper until she reached Malefor's terrible kingdom. The beast showed himself, a smile growing on his cracked lips. He'd spent years after this one sorceress, and now she decided to bring herself to him on a silver platter. It shouldn't be too hard to bring her into his kingdom.
A flurry of emotions had hit Hex the moment she entered the Underworld. Fear, confusion, joy- the strongest turned out to be anger. Hex unleashed her fury upon Malefor in a huge display of her magical ability. Spell after spell, curse after curse, she threw it all after Malefor. Not a single lick of fire touched her during this fight, no matter how hard the beast tried. After a long, arduous battle, Malefor cracked and was pushed back farther down into the Underworld, deeper than any dark spirit had ventured. The dragon slaves that had lived in the kingdom were finally allowed to go free.
Hex had been on her way back up when that skeleton crossed paths with her. He'd announced himself to her, welcoming her into the Underworld as if she was to be a new member here.
No protection spell.
Apparently she was a new member here.
Hex traveled into a small city in the Underworld. She wasn't sure why she had come here- her intention was to leave this dark foreboding place. She'd lost herself in the memory, probably. The fight had only happened a few minutes ago- it was far too early to lament about that. Of course, that would be the case if her life hadn't changed forever.
She couldn't control her anger. Nothing had set her off, and yet she felt angry. Was this how the Undead felt? Eternally angry, with nothing to look forward no and no rays of sunshine to see? Hex didn't wish to spend eternity like this. Despite finding that she no longer needed air, Hex took in deep breaths to try and cool her wrath. It didn't help.
Trumpets could be heard in the distance. Hex retreated to the sidewalk, where she was soon swept away in a crowd of giddy ghouls and skeletons. This certainly didn't look like the grumpy crowd Hex had expected- something truly amazing had to be coming their way. She poked her head out of the throng to find a large carriage of gold and silver ride down, carried by skeletal horses. A man sat inside the carriage, himself also a skeleton. He waved to the people, and the people were more than quick enough to wave back.
Hex found herself disappointed. She'd seen her fair share of noblemen during her years of hiding. The awe was lost to her. They had all turned out to be phonies, anyway. She certainly expected no less from this gentleman. She found herself angry at the ghouls now, for they were so enamored with this fake, pompous fool.
The carriage seemed to stop directly in front of her. The skeleton jumped out, pulling her out of the crowd and shaking her hand. He wore the gaudiest pieces of clothing and jewelry, and his face was somehow able to grow a moustache. (Though Hex was almost certain that he glued it on himself.)
"Hello my dear!" the man greeted her. "Hello dear denizens of the Underworld! Revel in my glorious glory! Your heroic hero has arrived!"
A wave of cheering sounded upon Hex's ears- they still retained their same, elfish sensitivity. Were these people all stupid?
"But I am not the only one who has arrived today," the man continued. He directed his attention toward Hex and said, "You must be the young lady that my top musician told me about. I am Count Moneybone, and I welcome you to our humble little piece of Skylands."
"He told you about me?" Hex asked. "I just got away from him."
"Well everyone does have the latest cellphone models nowadays- all information is given to me via text, quick as lightning. Although Fiesta does tend to prefer calling me about such issues- rather annoying really. My true purpose for speaking with you is that I would like you to come back with me to my mansion for a while, to help you adjust to your current condition."
"And what makes you think I want to come back with you?"
The crowd spoke up in a chorus of "ohhhh's", as if they expected Moneybone and Hex to get into a fight. Why was this such a big deal to them? It really made no sense to her.
"Now now, everyone calm down," Moneybone insisted. "There's no reason to get all excited."
He whispered to Hex, "If you haven't noticed, I am a pretty big deal around here. My subjects get upset if they think I'm in danger, and I really don't want that to happen. Come with me, if not for my sake, then for the sake of putting their minds at ease."
Hex looked back at the crowd. They all looked at the two of them desperately. There was no real reason to start a fight. Her only wish was to get back to the surface.
She resignedly joined Moneybone in his carriage. They set off with the cheers of the population sending them away. The carriage traveled down the road for a few moments, until eventually reaching a large citadel which Moneybone claimed to be his place of residence. Hex didn't utter a single word to him. As soon as this trip was over, she would leave before Moneybone could convince her to stay.
"Here we are!" Moneybone shouted. "Home sweet home! I can help you settle in if you like."
"What?" Hex asked. "No, I can't stay in your creepy citadel."
"You're confused. Creepy Citadel is far, far south of here."
"I mean, I'm trying to get back to the surface."
"Well then it's the first road to your left- oh, but you should stay for a little while, at least. Until you've adjusted to Undead-ness. I think the mortal Skylands would be very worried if you were to head to the surface in your current condition."
"I'm fine."
"I don't believe you are. Not really. You see, the Undead transformation is hard on many ghouls who first arrive into the Underworld. Spirits who come down naturally have the understanding to accept what has happened to them, but the way my colleague thinks you transformed- cursed by the Undead magic in our realm- can make this much more difficult. A flurry of emotions enters your heart, muddling your brain in confusion as you try to sort this new life out. This goes away after a while, but it can take days- maybe even weeks- for you to feel normal again."
That certainly seemed to make sense. But Hex argued, "You're a skeleton. You were born Undead. How could you possibly know how it feels?"
"Good question," Moneybone realized. "No, I don't know what it's like. But our best scientists determined that this has happened."
"Science can be wrong, sometimes."
"In this case, I don't think it is."
"And I think you have a different reason for inviting me into your home."
"That is just ridic-"
Music was suddenly heard playing at the front of the citadel. A mariachi band had come out, blasting away on their instruments. They were led by the same skeleton that had greeted Hex to the Underworld- Fiesta, was it? Hex knew the kind of melody they were performing- a celebratory tune, for announcing the arrival of a noble baron.
"Fiesta, this is kind of a bad time right now," Moneybone insisted.
"I know, but I wasn't at the doorstep when you first came back," Fiesta begged him. "You wrote it into my contract- "Be on time for Count Moneybone's arrival back at the citadel." Clear as day."
"I didn't mean right at the door as I rode in."
"You did leave most of my contract up to interpretation."
Moneybone tossed the thought away. "This is the marvelous Hex, new to the Underworld," he said, nudging Hex toward Fiesta. "She is the girl you told me about, right?"
Fiesta nodded.
"You can give her a tour of the citadel. Talk to her for a while, convince her to stay until she's fully adjusted." To Hex, he asked, "You can give me that at least, right?"
Hex had planned on leaving right away. She didn't owe these people anything. She didn't want their charity. Hex was about to say no, but suddenly got a better look at Fiesta. He stood idly by, watching as if something were to happen. There was no doubt that he would get angry if she defied Moneybone again.
"I want him to lead me back to the surface once we're done," Hex sighed. "I have to go."
"Splendid!" Moneybone cheered. "You two have fun. I should get back to my flat to check on some... matters, that need attending to."
The citadel's largest sections were the East and West Wings. The East Wing held the kitchen and dining room/ballroom sets, while the West Wing held the library. The rest of the citadel held miscellaneous rooms, which Fiesta had insisted were mostly flats for the occupants living here.
Oh yes, they had traveled all over the building that afternoon. Fiesta told Hex everything about it, though he talked enough for the both of them. He didn't even allow her to ask questions. That was fine- Hex was hardly listening. She cared not for any of this. She was simply waiting for the right time to explain that she had to get back to the surface.
Once they'd circled back to the citadel's entrance, Hex explained this to Fiesta.
"It can take a while to adjust to your new state," Fiesta reminded her.
"Yes, so you all keep reminding me," Hex spat with venom.
"You should stay here until that happens."
"I can't. This isn't my place."
There were more pressing matters at hand. The longer she stayed down here, the worse things would get. There was something more important at the surface that had to be attended to, and it simply couldn't wait.
"My guild needs to know that I'm okay," Hex admitted.
"Guild? Like with sorcerers and the likes?" Fiesta asked.
"Yes. We've been on the run for a while, and I went down here to exterminate the source of the problem. With my mission complete, I can tell my guild that we can stop running and go home."
"Why didn't you just say that before? I'll go tell Mon-"
"I don't want your help."
Hex turned to leave, heading in the direction that Moneybone had said before. He could've made it up as he was trying to convince her to stay, but it didn't matter to her. She'd find her own way back up. After that...well, Hex wasn't really sure. She knew she wasn't the same anymore, and she highly doubted that "adjusting" to her current state would ever bring that same spirit back. It was doubtful that she could join her guild in the same way again.
"You don't have to go it alone!" Fiesta shouted after her.
He was still going after her? Hex turned around. Fiesta hadn't left from where he stood. He glared at her, defiant at her outcry.
"Don't you get the hint? I'm done with you," Hex insisted.
"I'm not letting you go until I'm sure I've helped you," Fiesta argued. "That's the one thing I make sure of when welcoming new arrivals."
"And what makes you think I shouldn't be alone?"
"Everyone needs to have someone to work with. You're not as strong alone as you are with teammates. If you really want to head back up there, fine- but don't go it alone."
It would be hopeless. Hex knew what she was getting into. Many people would see her as a danger and a monster once she came back to the surface. Nobody would want to work with her. But that didn't mean Hex wanted to give up. She would find someone willing to be a partner- even if she had to forcefully coerce them into doing so.
"If you so choose to come back," Fiesta concluded, "You know where to find me."
She doubted she would. All the same, Hex promised, "I won't forget you."