Welcome to chapter 13. I'm very proud of this chapter, I worked hard on it. Everything turned out just as I imagined it. :D I hope you enjoy it, I sure enjoyed writing it. I had very few bouts of writers block with this chapter, which is awesome! ^^
Thanks to all my readers and reviewers, your comments are always appreciated!
"What do we do! April-"
"I know." Lyon said as they ran, "But there is nothing we can do right now. First lets lose these things."
The two ran into the woods out of the village but when Cora glanced back she saw that the strange lights were still in pursuit. Seeing this, the girl picked up the pace, keeping up with Lyon in speed.
Suddenly four of the lights appeared in front of them, putting both at a standstill. They cried out in surprise and quickly dashed to the right, Cora glancing aside as they ran, finding so many pursuers now it was hard to count.
The worst part is, Cora thought, I think I may just want to give up. I don't think I could leave this world without April.
The only thing keeping the girl from falling to the ground in tears was Lyon's tight but gentle hand over hers.
April woke up in darkness, which was absolutely terrifying for her. The girl sat up with a soft gasp. Her heart was just now starting to beat hard and she could feel goose bumps prickling to life on both her arms. She was scared; there was no denying that very real emotion.
Calm down, April told herself, Lyon and Cora are probably worried sick, and all I can do is cower in the dark. With a decision decided, the red head reached her feet.
The darkness penetrated every part of the air around her, it seemed to be an endless thing, and so very cold. April rubbed her arms, trying to warm up and calm herself at the same time, then reached a hand out. She touched cold stone and grabbed her hand. The rock was damp and it was very cool to the touch, almost burning.
April looked up, remembering her fall, and was terrified when she saw nothing but darkness, holding back a cry, she looked again and saw a tiny dot of light up above.
See everything will be fine, April thought, just wait and Cora will fly down and save you.
So the girl waited on the damp ground, burying her head in her arms, trying to ignore the suffocating darkness around her. For a while, possibly twenty minutes, she tried, but soon her imagination brought her back to reality. April peered out from a crack between her arms and felt tears threaten to spill when she realized she was still lost in the dark.
April was about to hide in her arms again when she saw it, a tiny orange light in the distance…the distance? How big was it down here? The girl quickly got up, water trickling down her legs from where she was sitting in the water. It took only a moment for the light to intensify and soon the area was lit up.
The creature holding the lantern gave her a kind, and slightly creepy smile, "Good morning."
Cora gasped for air, her body exhausted from running away from the specters. Lyon sat by her. They had successfully evaded the light creatures and were now hiding on a hill behind some tall moss coated rocks. For awhile the girl had been too afraid to breath, feeling afraid that the things chasing them could sense her in the air, but soon that had became impossible. Now she was taking in lung full's of fresh forest air.
"Lyon…what should we do? What if those things have April?"
"Shh…" The yoshi held up a hand and peered out from behind where they were hiding. Cora did as he said but fingered the hem of her shirt anxiously. While they were hidden, April could be in deep trouble!
Finally the blue yoshi turned to nod at her, "I think they're gone, but just in case…stay here." Lyon stood up.
"What do you mean? You're leaving me here?" Cora cried.
"Stay." Lyon told her, "I'm going to sneak back into the village and see if I can find April."
Cora frowned, "Lyon I can fly, can you fly? Seriously I can help. I'm not a weakling you know!"
"I just don't want to lose you too." Lyon's eyes were sad.
Cora sighed, "You won't…and don't give up on April. She will be just fine."
"Ok." Lyon nodded. "Lets go."
"Let's split up." Cora suggested, "You head left and enter the village that way and I'll enter through the right."
They walked away from their hiding spot and nodded at one another, "Stay safe Cora." Lyon whispered.
"You too." Cora replied softly.
Then they were off, Lyon quickly ran into the direction he was appointed, his feet not making a sound on the ground. Cora began running too, half flapping her wings so that she sort of glided over the earth, trying to keep her feet from making any noise.
Lyon circled around the trees and began heading towards the village, his eyes glancing around him for any sight of the ghost things. After awhile he crept through the trees, alert for any movement around him.
Cora picked up speed, glancing side-to-side; worried that soon the creatures would find her again. She didn't know exactly what they were still but deep inside she knew it would most definitely be a bad idea if she made contact with one. They were tainted somehow, the lights felt…sinister.
Please be all right April…please. Cora felt an overwhelming sadness and felt tears fall down her cheeks. Why did April have to be the victim here? If she had fallen down the well…she could have easily used her wings to escape…but…. April was helpless. It just felt so unfair. And without April's power, they had no hope of keeping away these strange enemies.
Cora felt herself move faster, her hair flying behind her as she went. Her wings were now flapping in a steady beat and she was practically flying; her feet barely touching ground. She was so caught up in her emotions that she didn't see the old stump in her path and her foot caught it.
She cried out and toppled forward, waving her arms, trying to keep balanced. It was in vain and Cora fell, her head knocking hard against a thick tree root. It only took a single second for the girl to fall into darkness and a second for her to wonder when everything would be okay again.
Marvin and Henry had reached the village a few minutes after the trio. The koopa's glanced around at the buildings that seemed to stick out of the ground like tombstones. The fog that crept around the shacks and out of the mouth of the well did little to improve that image. This was a creepy place, both could agree on that.
"I get the shakes just looking at this place." Henry laughed uneasily, "Can we leave now?"
The magikoopa ignored his partner and took a step forward, his eyes gazing around him behind his specs. Something was not right here, he was certain of it now. There was no denying the pull of the place; it seemed to tug at a place deep inside you. It may have been his magical abilities that made him feel this way. After all, those who were in sync with magic usually had more control over senses outside the body than those without.
Henry also looked around, his clawed foot scratching small lines in the dirt. He was pretty nervous, pretty much really freaking out. This place was like something from a horror movie. Now all they needed were the monsters. Henry gulped when he imagined fangs and glowing eyes.
Marvin took a few more steps into the village, but then stopped. The wand had been in his hand, arm hanging calmly beside him, but now it was up. He held it like he was preparing to attack, possibly defend himself from something. He knew now they were coming, he could feel them...
The hammer bro opened his mouth to ask the magikoopa something when he felt a chill on his right shoulder. He glanced at it and felt himself scream. A tiny light was floating about an inch above his shoulder, casting an eerie glow on his skin. Still screaming, the koopa began running into the village.
"Don't!" Marvin shouted as the bro ran past him. The light that had been on Henry's shoulder was now gone…and the koopa was heading into trouble.
Henry gasped and stopped as lights lit up several feet in front of him. Soon they were surrounded, Marvin now standing next to the bro, his body tense.
"You fool!" Marvin hissed, "They were herding you here, where they're at their peak of power! We must retreat!" Not giving the hammer bro a chance to reply, he grabbed his companion sharply by the upper arm and quickly raced to his left, where there were less of the lights.
He screamed some strange words only a magikoopa would make sense of and waved his free wand arm. A flash of green light, almost appearing like a lighting bolt raced to where the lights were in front of them, causing the specters to disperse in a flicker of scarlet light. They raced through where the lights had been and into the forest, the village behind them.
After awhile of running the two stopped, Henry falling flat on his face, gasping for air. Marvin wiped the perspiration from his forehead with the sleeve of his cloak and sat on the ground. Luckily they had evaded the creatures…for now.
"T-that…was…so…scary!" Henry breathed, his eyes wide under his helmet.
"I've seen worse." Marvin said with a slight sneer, though he was too tired to say much else. The magic he had cast was powerful and was used in only rare cases against an enemy of unknown power. It had worked but only by proving that they were up against some nasty stuff.
Nothing I can't handle, the magikoopa thought to himself, feeling almost arrogant.
Henry stood up on shaky legs, "So…what n-now?"
"Now we head somewhere safer to rest." Marvin said and picked himself up off the ground, making a face when he realized his cloak was damp from the grass.
The two began walking into the woods and after only a minute, Henry stopped, Marvin bumping into him from behind. The koopa cursed under his breath and hit Henry in the shell with his wand, "Why did you stop?"
"Look! What is that?" Henry pointed up ahead. Marvin sighed and looked to where he gestured. He blinked in surprise when he saw something up ahead on the ground. They both began walking that way, Henry hesitant, afraid it could be a trap set up by the light things. Soon it became apparent that that wasn't going to be the case.
"Hey…its one of the girls." Henry murmured.
Marvin rolled his eyes, "I can obviously see that."
The hammer bro kneeled down and brushed a hand down her back, "Cool, I didn't know human's could grow wings."
"It's probably just an upgrade, the Marios have shrooms that enable wings. The real question is, what is she doing here and where are the other two? Here, help me move her over." The two worked together, grabbing both arms, and flipped the girl gently onto her back, making sure that her wings lied flat.
"She has a mark on her forehead, maybe she fell and hit her head?" Henry said.
"Gee, how long did it take you to figure that out?" Marvin murmured with his usual sarcasm. He gazed down at the body, unsure what to do. Lord Bowser had ordered them to follow the adventurers and snag the necklace when the girls had found it. Maybe this was too good of a chance to pass up though? Could they just capture one of them and force the others to find and hand over the treasure? Or would that only cause problems more than anything else?
Before anyone could decide anything there was a sound in the air, like a sudden gust of wind, but all around them. They both got to their feet. The lights had returned and more were appearing out of thin air in front of them.
Henry began running before the other koopa could do a thing. Marvin glanced down at the unconscious girl, cursing to himself of a possible lost opportunity, and ran after his companion.
April was in shock. It had worn off quickly though when she realized that the creature in front of her was a familiar one; well at least in a game sense. She had played all the games in the paper Mario series and was surprised to find one of the creatures in the series standing in front of her.
He wore a white sheet that draped over his hidden form but didn't touch the ground, revealing light blue shoes. What looked like a tassel was hanging from the top of his head in a dark blue color, longer than the others of his kind that she had seen in the games. He was a duplighost, one of the enemies that could copy the forms of other creatures. And in one case, a boss named Doopliss, could steal the identity of people. He looked almost like Doopliss, but with a wider smile, and of course the absent bow and party hat.
"W-who are you?" April asked him, feeling unsettled by his wide set grin.
He kept grinning at her, his red eyes bright. The light that lit up the room was caused by the lantern he held in his blanketed hand, "I am Tomas, and what would your name be?"
April opened her mouth, and then hesitated. In the second paper Mario game, Doopliss had taken over mario's body after finding out his name, or so she remembered. What if this creature tried the same?
He seemed to read her mind, "Heh…don't worry. I wouldn't steal a ladies body anyways."
April nodded slowly, "Umm…ok. My name is April."
Tomas gave her a sweeping bow, the lantern's light causing shadows to dance on the surrounding stonewalls, "It is a pleasure to meet you." He straightened up, his smile growing, "You are my first company in many years."
"…That's, uh…nice." April was at a loss for words. He was the first of his kind that she had met, was he to be trusted? Were any duplighost good in this world? Was she just being racist or something?
Tomas looked her up and down, and the girl began to feel uncomfortable by his almost penetrating gaze. The eyes seemed to pierce through your very being.
"Here, follow me." Tomas turned to the side slightly, revealing a passage way behind him, "You'll be more comfortable inside and away from this wet place."
April frowned and glanced up one more time, then followed the duplighost. He didn't seem too frightening, just a bit creepy which after the events so far she could live with. Tomas led her up some craggy stone steps and soon they were walking down a dark corridor, April walking faster to keep up with him, the darkness they left behind seeming to follow them.
"Here we are." The ghost stopped in front of a wide set wooden door, and with another sweeping gesture of his sheets, motioned for her to step inside, "Ladies first."
April kept an eye on him as she opened the door then looked away again. She tried to keep eye contact with him but all it did was give her the chills. He seemed to mean well, but why did she still feel so…afraid?
The room inside was surprisingly quite spacey. The room was made completely of stone but a large burgundy rug covered most of the floor. Torches on the wall lit up the room, but there were only two, one on each wall, so the room was still a bit dim. A long rugged looking couch took up one part of the wall and a long table was to her right, a set of large unlit candles as the center piece. Many pictures lined the walls on one side of the room, all depicting snowy forests and stormy landscapes.
April stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, Tomas closing the door behind them, "Take a seat and I'll see if I have any means of drying you off." The duplighost then moved to the right wall and pressed a stone in the wall. Part of the wall opened, like a cabinet almost and the duplighost peered inside, his back to the girl. April decided to take a seat on the couch while Tomas searched for whatever he was looking for. She sank back into the couch, gazing about the room.
"Found it." Tomas closed the cabinet and turned to face her, what appeared to be a dark colored towel in his hands. He sat by her and handed her the towel, April accepting it quickly, feeling ill at ease by his jack-o-lantern smile and disconcerting gaze.
She wrapped it around her shoulders and torso, feeling a smile come to her face at the warmth. April felt a little better now that some of the dampness was gone and turned to Tomas, "Thank you."
His smile widened, "Your very welcome April." She felt herself shudder slightly when he said her name, it just felt wrong when he said it. April felt guilty for feeling this way but was relieved when the duplighost took it as her feeling cold.
Tomas moved some more of the towel over her body, "Let me help, if you want me to I can light some candles."
"No…its ok. I'm fine." April gave him a small smile and hugged the towel against her body. She then gazed up at the ceiling, happy that it wasn't too low. She felt slightly claustrophobic in rooms sometimes. This ceiling thankfully though went high up so much that shadows took up most of it.
"What brings you to my home?" Tomas asked her suddenly, and she looked at him, almost in surprise.
"I…fell." April said, "I was leaning on the well."
The duplighost nodded and gave her an empathetic smile, "Yes, that is only one of the entrances. It was unfortunate that you had to enter the hardest way."
April laughed lightly, "Yeah, it was definitely not a memorable moment, in a good way I mean. It was pretty scary."
"I can imagine." Tomas placed a sheeted hand on her shoulder. April felt another chill rush down her spine and flinched.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" He asked her, not removing his hand from her shoulder, which was odd.
"Well…no…I mean yes. Sort of." April stammered. She hated being rude, but at the same time…sometimes you had to set boundaries. He couldn't hate her for being truthful could he?
Tomas nodded slightly, keeping his smile, and slowly removed his hand from its infringe on her shoulder.
There was a long silence that seemed to stretch onto forever, so April spoke first, "Thanks so much for helping me. I was afraid that no one would ever find me."
He grinned, "Wouldn't that be a pity? It is a good thing I have made my home down here."
"Yes." April stared straight ahead at the door then gazed at the table to her right. She could feel Tomas's eyes on her face and she felt a prickle of discomfort again.
Suddenly the duplighost stood up and sent over to the table. April's eyes followed him, finding that it was easier to look at him from farther away than close up. Tomas lit the candles in the center of the table, though the girl didn't see how, maybe magic? Then he turned to look at her, "If you would like I can find you something edible to eat? Just wait here and I'll return soon." He began walking towards the door.
"That sounds nice and all but-" Before April could finish he had already left the room, the door closed behind him, "Okay…never mind then."
Lyon froze when he heard another sound nearby. He quickly glanced from behind the tree he was taking shelter behind. The yoshi saw nothing and kept moving forward, his eyes alert for any more balls of light.
Soon the village was in sight again and he moved towards the closest building. Cora was nowhere in sight yet and he had yet to catch her scent. He hoped she was okay; maybe she was hiding in wait for him?
The yoshi moved closer to the village then saw something move in the corner of his vision. Something white…was it a ghost? Lyon took a risk and moved quickly towards the figure. Soon it was in sight and he found himself looking at a creature hidden under a thick sheet, only shoes visible from beneath it.
"Who are you?" The sheet creature noticed him immediately, dropping some of the mushrooms he had in his hands. His tone was unfriendly; there was no concealing it.
"I am Lyon." He told him, "I am looking for two of my friends. They are human girls, one of brown hair, the other red. One fell down the well in that village."
The creature shrugged, keeping his odd jack-o-lantern smile, like it was part of his sheet, "I haven't seen em. I'm just out here looking for my dinner."
Lyon stared. Something wasn't right about this guy. Those eyes seemed to conceal something, and then flash… knowingly. Was he lying? "Are you sure?"
The sheeted figure's smile grew, "Sure as gold."
0_0 Wow. This is an interesting predicament. What happened to the minions? Did they escape? Is Cora still okay? What does the duplighost have planned? What will happen to April? Find out next time~ :D Maybe! ;) Reviews are loved dearly ^_^
Note: College starts up again in a few days so the next update may take awhile, but don't worry! I'm not planning on giving up this fic just yet! ^^ By the way, if anyone is into random-on-crack humor check out my mary sue fic. I'm proud of that story as well, no matter how insane it is lol. :3