"Quickly," Dylan whispers to Hedgehog and Aubrey. The pair had just retrieved one-half of three artifacts and were now quickly, though carefully, making their way back through camp. Although it was only hours, for them at least, It'd felt more like ages since they'd seen the old place. Their time was nearly at hand and their troubles would soon be brought to an end.
She could only hope that the others had also found success and were waiting for them at the mass hall. If not on their way to it. That's the part that scares her the most. She and Aubrey had gone through so much for Ramona's plan. If one of the other groups had filed to carry out their portion, all her hard work would have meant nothing. She couldn't have it fail now.
The campgrounds were fairly empty, which works out in their favor. Besides a few wandering corrupted occasionally jumping out at the group, Dylan would hastily dispatch them. He was a good fighter, but he'd been fighting relatively small things thus far.
Worry crept through Hedgehog's mind at the prospect of running into something bigger, nastier. Dylan could fight elves that matched Hedgehog and Aubrey in height, but what if they ran into one of her old monster friends. The image of Blanche was still seared into her mind.
They wouldn't run into any of Howard's family, however, to Hedgehog's delight. By the time the made it back to the mass hall, her worked-up anxiety subsides. The shield was still up, and it looks like everyone was still safe.
"God, I hope we aren't late." As Hedgehog spoke, she hears a sound from above that both startled and excites her. She looks up to see an alien saucer, a tad bigger than the usual alien ship, landing before them. Out of the space fairing vehicle stepped the king and Puddle along with Max and Michael after them.
The two seemed to be getting along. Seeing Max and Michael actually laughing together and not at each other's throats was some of the weirdest stuff Hedgehog has seen all morning. She isn't too sure how to feel about them, but she was happy to have had the pleasure of witnessing them with her own two eyes. She'd have to get the run down later.
"Hedgehog!" Max ran up and engulfed the girl in a surprising hug. Though he would quickly retract it. "Ah, you won't even believe it, turns out we were gone for a w-"
"Week." She chuckles, finishing Max's big revile for him. "I know." She was happy to see him, even after their bitterness toward each other days earlier she was relieved that he and even Michael was okay.
"Oh, And..." Max jumps up in excitement as he reaches into his hoodie pocket. "We did manage to get our piece." He held the tetrahedron up, its brightly shining surface nearly blinding the both of them as he does.
"And we got ours." She waves to Aubrey, and he runs over, heading Hedgehog the sphere before rushing to reunite with Michael. When she held up her shape the two objects begin to reverberate in either of their hands.
"Woah..." Max was in awe. The vibrating object felt strange and in a way comforting. They even feel like it calls out to them, strangely enough.
"And me makes three!" Hedgehog and Max turned to see Oliver riding on the back of a yeti she knew wall, along with Jason and another smaller yeti sitting behind him. "Thanks for the ride, Saxophone," Oliver says, hopping down off of Saxaphone's back, shortly followed by the others.
"It's no problem. Just doing my best to return the favor." Oliver gave the yeti a quick salute and then struts his way over to the rest of his friends. Giving him a brief once over Hedgehog could see that he was wearing snow gear with the heavy jacket wrapped around his waist.
"Heeeey, Hedgehog." He stood in front of her with open arms. She didn't need more of a hint to know what it meant.
She jogs up and throwers her arms around his body. She held her chest close to his to take in every bit of pleasure she got from feeling it rise and fall with each soft breath he took. She held on for a while longer and could have gone on like that forever.
"Wait a minute." She steps back from the boy and gives his shoulder a quick slap. "I hope you didn't wear your jacket like that up on the mountain." Hedgehog jumps right into berating him. She knows that's probably not the case, but Oliver could do some pretty stupid things when she wasn't around.
"What? No." Oliver said, hands up in surprise at the accusation. "It just got hot coming down... I wore my jacket Hedgehog, what do you think I am, some kinda idiot?"
She kept her eyes narrowed on him still. "Well... I'm glad you're okay." She smiles, stepping a bit further back from the boy when she felt the object in her hand vibrates more intensely. "Right, does that mean..."
"Yup." He brings the torus up, shining the golden object in front of her like an irresistible charm. "By the way, did you know we've been gone for-"
"A week, we know." Max and Hedgehog interrupt him. She could still hardly believe it's been so long. She would have made it to Heartford sooner if she'd walked.
"Wild." Max shakes his head. She could tell the lost time was weighing on him as well. "And to think nothing majors happened yet. What do you think that witch is waiting for?"
"Don't know." Hedgehog arches her shoulders. "Me and Aubrey were wondering the same thing on the way back honestly."
"Oh, you got stuck with Aubrey huh?" Oliver throws his head back with a small tisk. "Are you alright? I mean he didn't try to... you know." Oliver asked, trying to hide some belt-up rage behind a cool demeanor, but Hedgehog could tell from a mile away that he was worried sick.
"Don't worry, nothing happened." Her eyes wander to the ground as a small smile crosses her lips. "Honestly, he actually came through for me when we were there. I probably wouldn't have gotten the job done without him."
"Totally." Max agreed.
"Yeah, same." And so does Oliver. "They aren't so bad once you get to know them.
They bring their attention to the second group of kids. Jason approaches Michael and Aubrey slowly and a bit shyly. He held one hand against his arm and kept his eyes lowered. They were all doing the same thing in their own way actually.
Michael lightly tips both hands against his legs and Aubrey keeps his hidden away in his pockets. They were nervous, their eyes refuse to see one another. None of them quite know what to do until Michael speaks up.
"Hey, Jason..." He stops, narrowing his eyes a bit. Uncertainty starts to take hold of him, but it wouldn't stray too far in his mind. "I'm sorry for the way I been treatin' ya. A lot was going on and... ya know, it was all uncalled for..." He said. He felt like he could do better, but Jason doesn't care for better or worse. As long as it was genuine.
"Thanks, Michael." He smiles at the koala, his eyes finally meeting Micaels halfway. "I'm sorry for punching you earlier."
"Eh." Michael waves his hand out. "I deserved it. I was actin' like a dick."
"Hey, I'm sorry too." Aubrey butts in, putting one arm around both boys' shoulders and pulling them into a tight huddle. "I think we've all been some flavor of dick. What matters most is that we can choose not to be moving forward."
Michael and Jason snicker at the wolf boy. "Have you been reading philosophy books again?" Jason asked.
He squints his eyes off into the distance. "Maybe..."
"Right..." Michael squirms his way out of Aubrey's huddle and turns his sights to the other group looking at them with awe-struck eyes. "Hey guys, if we're gonna do this, then we should probably head inside right?"
Michael's voice shakes them out of their prolonged staring. "R-right." Hedgehog stammers, tipping both boys beside her. They step up to the shimmering orange shield with the second group and anyone else who wanted to stick around.
"So how are we supposed to get back in?" Oliver questioned, scratching his head. The bright barrier was enclosed completely around the mass hall, the thought of getting back in never crossed his or any of their minds at the time. All except Hedgehog.
"Don't worry, the shield only protects against dark magic." She gave a quick explanation, holding out a hand and placing it up against the barrier. "So long as you're not made out of pure malice, you can pass through easily."
She nods to the rest to do as she'd been doing. They all place their hands up to the shield, from the kids to Dylan to the aliens and yetis, and one by one slowly start fazing through the barrier, coming out to the other side fairly easily.
She leads the march up to the mess hall doors and pushes it open.
"Hedgehog!" Betsy runs up to her once the door opens and grabs the girl up in a much-too-tight hug. "Think goodness. We were starting to assume the worst." Her laughter begins bordering on tears as she held onto the girl.
"Yeah well, you know." Hedgehog managed out a muffle from where she was held. Betsy, realizing that she might have been killing the poor girl quickly let's go. "Thanks... woah!" She was so happy to see everyone had been okay, but she was even more surprised to see so many werewolves amongst them as well. "What is going on here?"
"Right." She rubs her neck. "We weren't really expecting you to be gone so long. After that first day, it became clear that something was wrong, and the food was running low fast. So, I convinced Ramona to let me go scrounging outside."
Hedgehog breathes a distressed moan. "Sorry." She felt bad about leaving everyone like that for so long, but at least Betsy was able to figure out a plan.
"Eh, don't worry, it wasn't your fault. Plus, if it wasn't for Alice, we wouldn't have been able to get any of it anyway." She said. It seemed like they were all relying on others for guidance on solving their respective issues. "But enough about that. Do you have the pieces?"
"Right." She gestures for Max and Oliver, each child bringing a corresponding piece into view. Betsy's let out a withered gasp at the sight of the gleaming artifacts. There was some skepticism with her, doubt that the objects would even still exist at all. Seeing them in person drives all her doubts away.
"Come. Ramona will know what to do next." She turns inward to the mass hall to seek out the older witch. Not a tough task considering that Ramona had been in a constant state of meditation more often than not during the week. "Ramona," Betsy calls, glancing down at the older witch.
Her eyes open slowly and come to rest on the three children behind Betsy. "Children!" She stood up excited and relieved to see that her voluntaries were indeed still in the realm of the living. "Does that mean..."
"All right here Ramona." They bring the artifacts back up. Despite their muddied history, the objects were a sight for sore eyes. "Okay, quickly. There's not a second to lose." She ushers the three of them to the center of the mess hall, waving kids and werewolves alike out of the way. "Placed them here, here, and here."
Ramona pointed down to three different spots on the floor. Each object was meant to keep a certain distance away from the other for it to do whatever it was supposed to do. Max places his piece down first, followed by Oliver and Hedgehog placing their objects opposite of each other.
After a moment of silence and some flaring nerves, the shapes would suddenly snap open. Four golden lights emerge from two of the objects. Two from the sphere and two from the torus. The lights slowly lurch their way across the floor toward the other objects.
Two of the lights would connect the sphere and the torus while the other two, connect to the tetrahedron, forming a large triangle at the center of the mess hall.
"Woah," Oliver smirks. "So now what? We all just go in, save Oscar and destroy an evil witch?" He suggested, ready to volunteer.
"Unfortunately, no, not everyone." Ramona breaks the bad news only after the fact. "It was only ever designed with at most two people in mind. Once that person or persons enter the teleportation field, the objects would lock up right after. You could only ever use them once every three days."
The group groans. That would have been nice to know beforehand. Now they had to make a decision on who would go into the castle to save Oscar. "I'll do it." But much like before Max would throw himself at the fire before everyone else.
"Nonsense child." Alice scoffs at him. "It's much too dangerous. I and Betsy will take it from here."
"But-" He starts up, but a quick shush from Alice quiets him down.
"Alice." Hedgehog steps forward. "With all due respect, Oscars our friend. It's our fault he's even in this mess right now. This whole thing is probably on us." She looks at Max, slowly stepping closer to the open triangle. He knew just as well as her that it was true. If they weren't acting the way, they had. If they hadn't been fighting over Oscar or tried to sway him to one side. Maybe he wouldn't have run off. They might have had a fighting chance in that case. "Besides, I'm sure you and Betsy still have to hold the shield up sooo..." She quickly pulls Max into the triangle and holds his hands in hers.
Alice and Betsy try to stop them from going but a large barrier raises around the two that no one could pass through. A safety measure that was meant to guard against any outside interference.
"Okay..." Max breathes out in panic. "What do we do now?"
Hedgehog lifts her shoulders in uncertainty. "I guess we just think about where we want to be." She said, closing her eyes and Max does the same.
After a moment something begins to happen. The field they were in begins to stifle. The air becomes a bit hard to breathe, and a light electrical current courses and jolts through their bodies. She feels like she's being lifted in the air as a bright light begins to shine. Then suddenly fades away.
She frowns, still feeling Max's hands in hers. "Max?" She calls out, her voice echos out as if she were in a large cave.
"Yeah." He calls back. She sighed, happy to still have him there, though she has no idea if the teleportation had worked or not.
"I don't know if-" She opens her eyes. Max was in front of her with his still shut. It becomes clear quickly that they were not in the same place as before. "Max. Max open your eyes."
The bat's eyes snap open and dirt around their new surroundings. He was just as shocked as she'd been. The room they stood in was dark, only lit up by red glowing roots running up the wet walls.
They appeared to be in a cell and looking past the bard door, there'd also been other cells, cages, and the like. Hedgehog thinks they may be in a dungeon or close to a concept such as that at least.
"Woah... where are we?" Max asks, eyes continuing to survey the dingy room they had manifested in.
"I'm not one hundred percent sure. But I think we're inside the castle." She looks around the dark empty space. "I guess the question is more like how did we get here? Like why here specifically? Doesn't really make a whole lot of sense to me."
Max relays a hum, pondering the nature of the objects. "Well, Ramona said they were designed to transport the user anywhere and everywhere, right? The way I saw it was that we had to think about the place we wanted to be. So that's what I did."
"Oh... same..." Hedgehog put a hand over her mouth and brings her eyes to the cold stone around them. "Still, that doesn't explain why we ended up here. I'm gonna assume it's a long way from where we want to be."
"Uhh..." Max laments with a shy grin. "That may be on me. A thought did cross my mind about ending up in a dungeon, and it never stopped." He rubs a hand over his neck.
Hedgehog lets out a heavy sigh at him. "That's great." She pokes her head out of the cell they were in. Luckily for them, the door had been left carelessly open. "Well, we should get moving. I can already tell we have a long walk ahead of us."
She steps out of the cell, looking down at each corridor as she did. She looks back to Max and signals an all-clear, ordering him to follow with a nod. The dungeon was emptier than she'd first thought and not just the portion they wound up in.
It was completely abandoned. No guards, no forsaken prisoners. Not even a single rat or bug wanted to be caught down in that heap. She couldn't blame them either. The drippings pitter-pattering down from the ceilings from sources unknown, the howling of constant wind. Besides being horrible, the dungeon was eerie, and it was doing a number on her nerves.
She peeks over her shoulder every now and then at the sound of chains rattling and cell doors opening and closing. The sooner they were out of there the better.
"So... why do you think she needed a dungeon she wasn't going to fill up?" Max asks, taking carious glances around the dark dungeon.
"I dunno." Hedgehog shrugged. "Maybe it came with the place." She peaks around another corner, holding an arm in front of Max to make sure they were clear to move.
"I'm just saying, seems like a waste of time and resources." Max cocks a brow. "If dark magic is finite that is."
Hedgehog groans at the bat's over analyzation of the dingy nightmare-fueled prison. "Come on." She rounds the corner, with Max close behind. They were there for Oscar, not to critique the architectural design of a hell castle. She thinks It was weird that he was more concerned about that.
Though she thinks he may have been onto something. The dungeon had a lot of open space and multiple layers with multiple cells, all empty. What would be the point in having all of this if the witch wasn't going to use it?
Hedgehog could think of a bunch of ways to put the underground prison to good use and only half of the methods involved torture.
She shakes her head. She had to focus on getting Oscar back, not thinking up ways to hurt people. That was a typical Susie way of thinking. Hedgehog didn't want to be like Susie, she didn't even want to be Susie-like. She wanted to be better, carve out her own brand of witch and not just be another pretentious knockoff.
It doesn't take them long to get out of the castle's dungeon. The place was super elaborate but at least it wasn't a maze. In no time they would find a large cavern with a set of stone stairs leading up and out of the prison.
Hedgehog found the exitance of the grottoes strange. The castle had emerged from the sea yet the dungeon and the enormous cave it was settled in made it seem like the place had always been there. Hedgehog would like to think that couldn't possibly be true, though she has seen some pretty weird things on the island.
After trudging down a long cold corridor, the pair finally step out into something more welcoming. More welcoming than a literal dungeon at least.
They had made it to the main hall of some building, she wouldn't exactly call it better. The carpets and rugs had a bright red tinge to them, the low lighting bathed the wide-open room in a warm golden hue, and the walls, beams, pillars, and some of the furnishings looked to be made out of a strange waxy material.
It gave everting a distinct bone meal or skeletal design. On closer inspection, she sees that some of the lamps and even the chandelier above were indeed made out of actual bone. If it weren't for that, Hedgehog would have found the hall to be nice and cozy.
"Hey." Max lightly touches his fingers to Hedgehog's arm, startling her. "So when we get to her, what then? How are we supposed to get Oscar back if she's this all-powerful witch?"
"I... uhhh..." Hedgehog stops. She hadn't thought that far ahead when she pulled Max into the teleportation field. She was stumped and would have remained so if her hands hadn't been nervously patting at her waistline. "Hmm?" There was an object still stuck in her skirt and she reached in to pull it out. "Ha, with this." She held her wand up to an unimpressed Max. "What?"
"Oh, nothing." He turns away from her. "It's just this lady is supposed to be really powerful and you only just got your wand. What's the likelihood of you... beating her."
"Max" She rests her condescending on him. Hedgehog didn't know how she'd go about it. In all honesty, she wasn't feeling too confident about the confrontation, thinking it might have been best if Betsy and Alice came instead of Hedgehog letting her emotions get the best of her. "Just let me handle it. I have a few tricks up my sleeve."
The bat relents, putting his trust in her even if she doesn't trust herself. She wouldn't let a twinge of fear and uncertainty drag her down and they continue through the main hall.
The castle was bigger than it'd appeared in the distance, almost an island in and of itself. The main hall was only one portion of the fortress and not the one they needed to be. Hedgehog would assume Elizabeth would be keeping Oscar somewhere safe and the only place she could figure was the tower beaming a bright red light to the sky.
Their only problem was that they'd have to get to it, passing through a courtyard and then a few buildings after that. Hedgehog sighs, her day wasn't over just yet.
The courtyard wasn't so bad in the sense that it was just as vacant as the rest of the castle had been so far. Hedgehog wonders why there was such a lack of guards. She wasn't complaining, of course, the less they have to worry about the better. It was just odd.
Either Eliazbeth was so sure of herself and her plan that she didn't care to order out any of the guards to keep watch over the castle grounds, or something else was going on. Whatever the case, the courtyard just outside of the main hall was clear.
The pair only had one problem. That being the gate to exit was locked up tight. It was huge, gleamed gold, and had an emblem of a spider etched into it. There has to be a way to open it. Maybe finding the mechanism with the spider emblem attached would do the trick.
She and Max split up after she comes up with the solution. It may have been a bad idea to go separate ways but seeing as how they were the only ones in the massive garden, Hedgehog wouldn't worry so much.
She was lost on where to start looking first, solving puzzles to open gates wasn't something she normally did. Though there was a Hedge maze that'd been snatching her attention. If anything the maze was a good jumping-off point.
She enters and right out the gate, there were two separate directions the maze splits off to. One to her left and the other to her right. "Man." She sighs and picks the right path. It'd turn out to be the wrong path when she comes up to another bronze gate, this time with a wolf emblem carved into it.
Hedgehog looks around, seeing that there was no way forward she turns back around with a grunt. The other path was more promising. Instead of there being another locked gate at the end of the path, she would instead find a lever. Just behind that was a fence where she could see the main gate past the bars. The lever was silver with a beetle engraved at the bottom of it. It most likely wouldn't be connected to the main gate.
She pulls the lever and as predicted the golden gate stays closed, though she does hear a sound somewhere off in the distance. It could have been her wolf gate.
When Hedgehog makes her way back over to the bronze gate, however, she finds it still shut. "Okay..." She mutters, taking a moment to figure out what the sound could have been. As she tries to leave, the gate suddenly screeches open, nearly frightening her half to death.
She rubs her neck nervously. Maybe there was a delay with the lever And the gate was only just now opening. She couldn't say for sure and she wouldn't dwell on it as she entered the recently opened gate.
As Hedgehog rounds the next corner, she finds yet another lever. This time made of what looked to be iron with a tiger engraved into the bottom. She walks over to the handle quickly and yanks it to the side. She hears another sound but nothing beyond that happens.
Hedgehog groans loudly. She was starting to get fed up, with levers and gates and corrupt and evil witches. All she wanted to do was stop and rest, give up her pursuit and everything in life and just sleep the days away.
But she couldn't do that. Oscar wouldn't want her to sit and sulk in self-loathing. As bad as she wanted to, she couldn't quit now. She has to find Max, the smart thing to do was to regroup with him so they could solve the puzzle together.
"Hey, Hedgehog!" As soon as she's about to turn and leave a voice from above beckons her.
"Max!?" She looks up to find the bat in a tower overlooking her, and the rest of the courtyard. "How'd you get up there!?" He smirks down at her.
"Right, so when we split I found a silver gate with like, a beetle on it, but it was locked! I looked around for a way in and all of a sudden it opened up. Kinda scared me!" He laughs. "When I went in, I came across another gate with a tiger on it and again there was no way to open it! Then I found a bronze lever with a wolf on it, so I pulled it thinking it would open the iron gate! It didn't at first but I don't know if there was a delay with the lever but the gate opened a minute later! Then I found this ladder and Hedgehog you won't believe it! I found the golden lever, with the spider and all!"
Hedgehog hums at the bat's expansion. She thinks back to the bronze gate and the sounds after pulling levers. "How annoying." The girl didn't care much for elaborate puzzles, they were more trouble than they were worth most days. "Can you pull that lever and see what happens!?" She calls up and he nods, disappearing out of sight.
She hears the sound of a heavy lever being pulled followed by another noise in the distance. Max tilts his head back over the edge of the tower.
"It worked, gates open!" He yelled down at her.
"Alright, I'll meet you back there!" She called back up as he disappears again. She was glad to have this portion of their adventure over with. Hedgehog doesn't know how but once they catch up with Elizabeth, she'd pay the witch back for the inconvenience.
She meets back up with Max at the now-open golden gate. She starts to walk but stops, her foot hovering slightly over the frame of the gate, hanging in between where they were now and where they would end up.
That feeling was getting to her again. The fear of what they might run into, of what might happen to them beyond this point. Hedgehog felt she didn't have the courage the proceed. A hand placed against her shoulder said otherwise.
Max looks at her, his eyes understanding way more than she ever realized. The same eyes she had fallen in love with. She can finally see him for who he really was then. More than just a crush, or a rival. He was her friend and they were going to weather this storm together.
From the main hall, Hedgehog could make out a few buildings and structures, but once she and Max are out of the courtyard they could see that there was way more to the inner fortress than just a few scattered buildings.
It was big enough to be called a city, at least by medical standers. It was a sight straight out of a gothic fantasy novel. A landscape that was plagued with lecture halls and towering black cathedrals with ridged dark edges and green bale fires blazing from troches. Though the worst was yet to come.
The worst part about this section, this little town they found themselves in all of a sudden, was the legions of corrupted patrolling the cobblestone streets.
"Great." She ducks behind a nearby wall with Max in hand. "More elves." Hedgehog might have found the city to be somewhat whimsical if it weren't for the familiar foe.
"Are those elves?" Max peeks out alongside her. There was no mistaking that those were the same hooded figures from Heartford.
"Okay." She pulls Max back around the corner and huddles up with him. "There's way too many of these guys and I've seen firsthand how bad they can get. We need to stay low and take it slow. The more eyes we have on us the worst things are gonna get."
He nods as she peaks back out to the street. A group of hooded elves were on patrol along the street they were on. Hedgehog held her breath as they pass, prying that they wouldn't spot the two kids. All they really had to do was turn their heads a few inches
To her relief, they pass without noticing. Their attention was focused only forward, maybe because they weren't expecting to actually run into any trespassers. Hedgehog thinks that's a good thing. It meant the patrols were all for show, something to appease their boss. None of them were alert, which meant they weren't trying too hard.
Hedgehog taps Max and they take to the streets, bolting across the cobblestone roads to a nearby church. So far so good she thinks. They were only five minutes in but every minute they weren't spotted was good enough for Hedgehog.
The small chapel they'd taken shelter in was dark, dripped in shadow, and difficult to see past a single foot ahead of them. After stubbornly staring her eyes at the darkness, she taps a palm to her forehead, remembering that she had a wand with her.
She pulls it out of her waistband and brings it up. "Uhmm..." She hovers a free hand over the wand as she's locked in thought. "Illumino," Hedgehog whispered as the tip of her wand lit up and brightens the room around them.
"Woah..." Max gasped. Strange obsidian statues lined each wall and corner of the church. They looked like a depiction of cloaked people, either cowering in fear or crying while gazing up. "Talk about freaky."
"Yeah..." Hedgehog agreed. The ancient witch was clearly into creepy scenery. She looks around the otherwise empty room and spots an exit off to the left. "Come on." Hedgehog beckons, making her way toward the opening. There was no time to admire what the witch saw as art no doubt.
The kids step out of the church, if Hedgehog could even call it that, and back into the open. The first thing that comes to note when they do is a waterfall, spewing crystal blue water past a large contraption, a sort of elevator with platforms moving up and down continuously.
The church was on some sort of cliffside. Hedgehog was becoming more and more impressed. The castle was getting bigger and bigger with the deeper they went. It was on a much larger scale than she could have imagined it'd be.
She steps near the ledge, getting as close to the edge of the calif and peers over. There was a ground below, unlike the bottomless pit she'd imagined. At the bottom, she could see something, things she thought were inanimate at first until they move.
They were weird, like black steel iron maidens on wheels. Hedgehog isn't sure if there was something on the inside controlling them or if they were moving on their own.
They would make sure to avoid the bottom of the castle at all costs.
She steps back from the edge and walks over to the elevator with Max by her side. They stop at a spot where a platform would be and wait for another to pass by. They didn't seem to stop for anything, so the two kids would have to be quick. As the next platform approaches they ready themselves, hopping on when it passes upwards. Max almost losses his footing but thankfully Hedgehog is quick to grab onto the collar of his sweater.
The castle had a lot of depth to it, both upward and down as well. What was it all for? Hedgehog wondered to herself, where did it even come from? To her, from everything she's seen so far, it looks like the fortes had always existed. That the display of the fortress rising from the sea was just Elizabeth unearthing it after so long.
The platform begins to slow down when it approaches a more elevated portion of the city, from where they had been before. The pair hopes off and lands right inside a graveyard. Just perfect she thinks.
Hedgehog has no idea how far they were from the black tower or if they were even still on the right track but the graveyard looked to be connected to a big building, maybe one of the many learning halls. Even if it wasn't, there was still a chance that the building would lead them back out into the city.
"That looks promising," Max said, walking close behind Hedgehog. "You think we can find a morgue here too-" He trips before he has the chance to fully declare his subpar joke. "What the-"
"You okay Max?" She spins around to the fallen boy.
"Yeah, my leg is caught on something-..." Before he could express his concern, the thing caught around his leg begins to tighten up. "Uhh, Hedgehog?" Max calls over to her as his expression becomes more worried and his tone frightened.
"What happened." She strolled up to him with a snicker. "Pull you're foot out dude."
He looks at her and back at his foot. "I- I can't." He struggled to yank his foot away from whatever was holding him with no luck. "Help me out."
The girl kisses her teeth at Max. "Alright." She reaches for both his hands and cements herself in the dead grass. "One... two..." She gives one quick, rough tug and is surprised when it doesn't work. "Huh?" She tries again with the same result, though nearly falling to the ground herself.
"See." Max starts to panic, kicking his caught leg around.
Hedgehog gets back up, retaking Max's hands. "Okay." She greeted her teeth, plants herself firmly into the ground and mustering up all the stringent in her little body and pulls at Max again. She tugs and pulls until she was finally able to yank him free, along with the thing holding him.
"Wha..." They bring their eyes to Max's leg and are greeted with long claw-like fingernails gripped around the bat's ankle. They continue to trace the hand up to an arm and further until they come across a rooted away face. Its lips were all but gone, revealing the jagged, aging fangs that sat clenched in its mouth. Its one good eye was a cloudy white and the other hung loosely from the socket, dangling freely in the wind. "Ahh!" Max screams, giving the thing a hard kick to its foul face, finally freeing the grip around his leg.
"I think it's time to go." Hedgehog pulls Max to his feet and races toward the building before them. Along the way, more dead would being to rise from their final resting places, taking after the pair slowly but surely.
Hedgehog could deal with Elizabeths monsters, slightly altered elves were one thing, but zombies? That was a no-no for her. She sprinted as quickly as she could to the building as the graveyard begins to come back to life and overflow with the undead. She bashes the door open, pulling Max in then shutting it behind her as hard and fast as she possibly could.
"Oh my god!" Max says through heavy breathing, holding a hand over his heart. "That was wild." He laughs, joy clouding over the worried tone that used to be. "Let's not do that ever again though."
"Definitely." Hedgehog couldn't agree more with him. There weren't even zombies on the island. The graveyard came right out of a horror film for her. The oddly beautiful castle was starting the wear out her patience.
"Where are we now?" Max said, looking around the room and Hedgehog does the same.
They were in a cramped space, about the size of a storage room, just barely big enough for two people. The space was jam-packed with old scrolls and books, stacked on top of each other and gathering dust. It pains Hedgehog to see learning material go to waste like that.
She looks over to what she assumed was the exit, a small set of stairs leading up to a doorless frame. She sticks her head out and into a long hallway.
"Max, this is looking good." She said stepping out into the long hall with him very close behind. he'd hate a repeat of the graveyard.
"What even is this?" Max asked, gazing at the mural that ran along the hallway walls. Most of it seemed familiar, history and events that had occurred in times past. The more they walk the more the mural shows.
Up until the point they were at now, the island, the large dark castle, and the creatures but it doesn't stop at the present. It keeps going to what might be, a future Max hopes never came to pass.
"I'm pretty sure it's a study hall." It was as she assumed from the outside. They hadn't been there long, but she could already make out patterns in the buildings and could tell in what way a structure was used despite everything looking very similar. The key to knowing was in the details. Study halls used softer edges in their design while places like chapels and guards' quarters used more sharp edges.
"Why would they even need something like this? Who's it meant for?" Max's curiosity was unending and so was hers. The only difference was Max was constantly voicing his, while Hedgehog kept mostly silent.
The girl's shoulders rise and fall. She doesn't know though she could take a guess. "I remember Susie telling me about this group she'd joined way back in the day."
"Right, the uhh... dark masons." Max rolls his eyes.
"I know..." She sighs. Susie said she had dealt with her former group, though seeing everything that was occurring now, Hedgehog should have guessed that wasn't the whole truth. "Maybe Elizabeth is trying to form a new organization, with new witches and warlocks?" She says, peaking into a classroom. "Ew." There was a figure inside, clade in bloodstained gold armor with their back faced away from the doorless entryway.
They stood, unmoving for a bit then suddenly its head springs up. It franticly looks around, its neck shaking and twisting about with a distinctive popping sound before going motionless once again.
"Ah... the aliens are here too huh?" Max whispers, looking into the classroom.
"Are those aliens?" She blinked her eyes. Now that she could see the brown fur underneath the faded gold, she believes it was one of them. "Rough." She sneers. They carry on before the alien got the bright idea to start moving again.
They come to the main hall of the building with the exit just on the other end. After sneaking their way through the building and past more elongated aliens. She was about ready to leave the study hall behind.
After two more aliens pass by, they take their opportunity and dash toward the large set of double doors, opening them and stepping back out into the city.
"Yes." Hedgehog hissed out a cheer. The tower wasn't too far from them now. Just a little longer and they could be done with it all.
"Finally," Max said as they descended the stairs of the study hall.
Hedgehog chortles. "We're so close now, all we have to do is take it low and slow, like before." As she turns past the outside gate, she runs face-first into something that sends her falling right onto the ground. "Oww, wha-" When she brings her eyes up, she sees what it was that sent her on her landing on her rear. It was an elf in much the same position as her. "Uh-oh." They look at her, caution spreading over their hooded face as they bring a bell out from their clock and begin to ring it.
"Or we could run, like now." Max panics and Hedgehog agreed, helping herself off of the ground, and the two bolt from the study hall.
They dash through the streets with nothing tailing them at first. However, in little to no time at all the roads are swamped with corrupted, hot on their tails. From the clocked elves to tall aliens to things they've yet to see.
from stone gargoyles and werewolves, though unlike the ones she's known, to knights with rigged and polished ebony armor. She speeds up, not wanting to get acquainted with the things following them.
They come to the black tower's entrance and slam against the black doors. It took some effort to get them open. The doors were so heavy it was almost like pushing against a wall. Once it's open they rush in and begin to close them from the other side, though they weren't closing fast enough.
Their pursuers get closer and closer. Just as they get a bit too close for comfort, the heavy doors seal shut and Hedgehog tightness the latch to lock them for extra measure.
"Oh my god!" Max sighs heavily. "They're definitely gonna get past that right? "He looks at the girl beside him. Max was right. They couldn't stay in that one spot forever with the army of angry corrupted on the other side. "So, were to now?"
She looks behind her to the crimson, obsidian tower they'd waltzed into and looks up to see how far it stretched. There were a few rooms past closed doors, but it appeared that the only way to go from there was up.
"Well, we have to get to the top." She said, pointing a finger upward.
"Right, up. Got it." Max nods and she takes the lead. This was their final stretch, one last long road that would lead them to the end of the chaos that had been thrust into.
She starts up the spiral pathway. They don't go far, the spiral passageway only ending a few feet above the ground floor at a door. She looks up to see the walkways leading from certain parts of the tower to others. The place was a nightmare, though Hedgehog should have expected no less. They just had to find a way to continue upward. Their only option was to go through the door in front of them.
There was no time to lose and hardly any left to take in their new black surroundings. The tower wasn't as appealing to her like the rest of the castle had been anyway. That's not to say it wasn't notable. Elizabeth had a certain style about her, a certain way the witch liked things to look. Everything she owned personally was either red, black, or some mix of the two.
Alters lay about, some appeared to be used for praying, probably to her, and others... well others were meant for more sinister uses.
Some looked like they were designed to juice the liquids out of living beings. She thinks back to the blood drive, the red sky, the chapel in Heartford, and she shivers at the thought. Hedgehog didn't even want to know with the witch's obsession with blood was all about.
The kids cross over the first walkway. She looks over the said. They were even further up from the ground now, a few feet though not high enough. The two still had a ways to go but at least they were making progress.
"It's almost kinda cool to look at, huh?" Max leans over the railing beside her. She could agree, even given where they were it was still a wonder to behold. "Oh no."
Until the double doors on the ground floor burst open, then it wasn't so cool anymore. "We should go." Hedgehog grabs Max by the arm and leads him into the next room.
She had all but forgotten about the mob of demonic monsters chasing them down and they were still at it, even now. They flood in through the outside quickly filling up the tower. No matter how far up Max and Hedgehog got, and how fast they did it. The mob still managed to keep very close behind.
Their loud roars fill up the once saren tower, gruesome as it did appear, it at least had the decency to be quiet. Hedgehog and Max hop from floor to floor, running across walkways and through an atrium, eventually having to stop to take a random guess when they reach rooms with multiple doors.
She thinks there nearing the top now as they reach a door at the end of one last long pathway. That door led to a room that leads to one other door before them. Their only option left.
The two kids enter the room and are almost taken by surprise by how hot it was. "Is that a lavafall?" Max looks at the stream of lava flowing down slowly to one side of them. Ahead was a bridge crossing over a river of magma.
"No time to gawk." She motions to him, crossing the bridge before stopping halfway through and turning back around.
"What are doing?" Max questions.
"They're coming too fast. I'm gonna try something." She brings her wand out. She waits, holding her breath in and her wand up. When the door burst open and the mob floods through, she speaks. "Scutum." Her wand lights up, casting a protective barrier out in front of her. Hedgehog felt she was getting pretty good at the whole magic thing lately. She continues across the bridge after taking one last look at her spall.
"Come on that shield not gonna last..." She stops and stares at Max. "What are you doing now?" The bat was trying to turn a leaver that'd sat off to the side of the bridge.
"This thing looks like it does something." He pulls at the lever, using all of his weight, trying desperately to tug on it.
"Maybe leave it, we don't have time." Hedgehog looks back to her barrier. It had started to give way as the mob rams their altered bodies against it.
"Don't worry... just a little more." He said, though her barrier doesn't have a little more time to spare. Then it shatters. Hedgehog groans and steps out, reading her wand and settling her nerves. She wasn't ready for a fight this big, but she wouldn't leave Max behind. She'd give it all she had "Got it!" Max shouts. he manages to pull the lever. When he does, the bridge drops down into the flowing lava, dragging everything still crossing with it. "Oh..." He stood next to her. "Not what I was expecting, but it still works."
He chuckles and Hedgehog stood relieved. Anything that wasn't caught on the bridge was left stranded on the other side of the room with no way to cross. She turns and follows the boy up the staircase and to what she hoped would be the last door they had to pass through.
Hedgehog and Max come into a long dark corridor. The only trace of light they can make out is the shimmering glow of red at the far end. She can feel it. Their misery was coming to an end. With each step they take the more fear she felt.
Her feet drag across the floor and her vision goes blurry. She feels like she's going to throw up.
"You okay Hedgehog?" The girl had stopped to lean up agents the wall. Her breathing had become heavy and her legs shaky.
"Yeah, just..." She almost gags on her words. "I'm scared Max..." Hedgehog added, not holding anything back or sugarcoating her feelings. "I'm scared of what might be behind that door. Of what I might see and have to deal with..."
Max is quiet. He might have been taking the time to form the right words, putting them all together in his mind as he slowly approaches her. She had half expected him to say that she was stronger than she looked. That she had gotten through so much and was still there and still willing to put her life on the line to save her friend. Though a lot of the metaphorical praise was just wishful thinking on her end.
"Hedgehog." He puts a hand on her shoulder, and she braces for the schlock to come. "Me too." She furrows her brows at him, confusion covering her face. "I'm scared to go through that door because I'm scared to see him again. To see what condition, he's in. I'm scared to face him about everything I've felt all summer long and how I hurt him... but I have to do it." He steps back. "And you know you have too as well..." He holds a handout to her. "We can at least face him together, make it not so scary."
She looks at him. Her stomach was more at ease and her legs weren't so shaky anymore. She stands up straight and reaches for his hand. "Okay." She takes it and they begin walking hand and hand into bright red light. They place their free hands on the door at the end of the long hall and on the count of three, push it open.
They step inside their last obstacle. She was expecting it to look more like the rest of the tower. Black and red, with blood alters and streams of lava trickling down from the ceiling.
When her eyes adjust to the room, that's not what comes into view. If anything, it's the opposite. It was a throne room, emasculate, sterile to an extent. Nearly every bit of furniture was as white as snow, with pinks and blues laced in for diversity's sake. Everything was so bright, Hedgehog wonders if the hellish sight outside was all for show.
The throne itself was made of crystal and translucent. On the seat sat nonother than Elizabeth. A brown goat with spiraling horns sitting on top of her head. She was wearing a long black dress that stretched far past her feet and held a staff with an orb infused at the tip. Hedgehog knew where Susie got her taste from now.
Above the witch was an even more harrowing sight for both Hedgehog and Max. Oscar had been strung up, his arms restrained, and the lower half of his body encased in some sort of resin. His eyes were covered with a white blindfold with tears seeping out from the bottom. Despite it though a smile stay's smeared over his lips.
It's felt like forever since she's seen that smile. Hedgehog wishes it was under better circumstances.
"Oh, well what do we have heae." The witch spoke leaning forward in her crystal throne. "Lost, lambs in search 'o sometin... I presume." She giggles at the two kids.
"You know exactly why we're here." Hedgehog steps up, displaying her disrespect for the cocky witch.
"Remind mei. I wasn really expectin' compana." She brings the staff up to her face and runs her fingers along the top. "Were ye, Susia?"
Hedgehog growls and steps even closer to the throne. "Oscar." She gritted her teeth. The girl wasn't in the mood for any more games.
"Ohhh..." She lefts her head bringing her eyes to the angry girl. "Was he yers? So yer're the reason that poor child is so distraught." A wicked smirk crosses Elizabeth's lips. "An all ma years. a've nevea seen such sorrow ina glow worm. Ye must have really done a numba on the poor boy."
"No," Max spoke up. "It's not like that it was just a misunderstanding. We would have never tried to hurt him."
The witch's smile disappears from her face as she brings the staff back into view. "Misunderstandin can be da worst kind of betrayal." She drops the staff once again. "Believe mei. There was a time when-"
"No. I don't want to hear it." Hedgehog snaps, cutting the witch off before she could start. "I'm getting so sick of you old ass witches using, way back when, as allegories for shit that don't matter anymore. I've heard enough. Give me back Oscar now." She growls. Her anger was apparent and patience officially at their end.
"W-what..." A mumble stutters from Oscar's mouth. His smile exits and is replaced with a worried frown. "He-Hedgehog..." He spoke more clearly; his tone was more ruth with fear.
Elizabeth waves a hand at him, silencing the boy and returning him to a blissful state. She's stunned but then shines another smirk at Hedgehog. "Ya know, I like da cut of yer mox child." She stood up from her icy throne. "Well, If ye come fer ma glow worm, I hope ye ready to fight for it."
Hedgehog chocks back some of her fear and pulls out her wand. She gestures for Max to find a safe place to hide. She'd deal with this, the best she could deal with an ancient witch like her anyway.
Hedgehog was ready but Elizabeth doesn't even give the girl time to think of a good spell before shooting lighting from her staff at the girl. She barely has any time to duck down behind one of the witch's pristine white couches. Some of the electricity had grazed her but all and all she was fine.
"Oh no," Hedgehog whispers.
"Oh, don't tell mei yer done alreada child." The witch taunts her, slowly making her way to the sofa Hedgehog was behind. She peers around it but finds nothing.
Hedgehog had moved, not wanting to be fish in a barrel and make things easy for Elizabeth. "Im just getting started, trust me." She said. Hedgehog knew she was outmatched, she'll admit that much, but being under skilled didn't mean she'd lay down and take whatever punishment the witch was hoping to dish out.
Hedgehog props herself up on the new piece of cover she had found and steadily aims her wand at the inattentive witch. "Ignis iecit." She whispers and the tip of her wand lights up, spewing out balls of fire toward Elizabeth.
She turns her head slightly with a twisted grin, lifting up a bit of her long dress. The fire is absorbed into the dark fabric, and she turns to where the flaming orbs had originated from. She spins the staff in her hands, slamming the bottom to the floor and sweeping a wave of blood Hedgehog's way.
"Ahh!" She's caught up in the blood swell, keeping her hands held out. She was soaked from head to toe. Of all the disgusting things that could have happened to her, being covered in blood manifested from thin air wasn't on that list.
"Ohohoh, oh lass." Elizabeth chuckles at the hopeless girl. "Yer new ta all this aren't ye?" She pears down at the girl. Her blood-soaked clothes were starting to stick to her body uncomfortably. "Yer're not very good at eh?"
Hedgehog grits her teeth at the witch. She could feel her face starting to heat up from the insults being tossed at her. She felt like throwing herself at the witch standing over her but clams herself before any rash decisions could be made. "Yeah, sure I'm not so good." Her frown turns into an uplifting smile. "But my friends always have my back."
Elizabeth rises a brow to her. "Wha-" Before she could get a word out edgewise, Max had jumped on her back. He does everything he could think of, pulling at her horns, her hair and even kicking the staff from her hands and to the ground, causing the orb to shatter on impact.
The witch had enough of the boy, bringing her hands over her head, garbing him by the hoodie, and tossing him out of sight.
Elizabeths eyes then fall in on Hedgehog next. The girl scurries backward on the ground as the witch approaches and grabs her by the neck once she catches up. She lefts Hedgehog off the ground and into the air.
"I'm goin' to enjoy feastin' on yer essence child." She held her hand to Hedgehog's chest then brings it back, ready to plunge her fingers deep into the girl when the clearing of someone's throat catches her attention. She spins her head around to find the origin of the interruption.
It was Susie. She doesn't say a word, standing in place stoically as she faces down the other witch with a deadpan expression on her grim face. Elizabeth looks at her staff on the floor and sees that the orb had been destroyed.
"Susia" Elizabeth grins, dropping Hedgehog roughly to the ground. "Supposein ye wanted to be tanglin' then."
Susie remains silent, moving slightly but barely at all. She parts her feet and draws in a silent breath. Hedgehog watches the two the entire time. the way they looked at each other was unnerving. Each weighing the courage of the other on a scale and peering into each other's eyes with two separate emotions on display. One of pure rage and the other of deep regret.
Nothing but silence and staring, up until Susie quickly raises her wand. "Revertere ad quies." As she speaks as she fires a quick shot from her wand, hitting Elizabeth in the chest and sending her flying to the back wall.
"Oh, gods." Elizabeth grunts. "Ah... Susia... I shoulda known yed pull this kinda piss..." Her voice begins to distort as she wails, groans, and moans out in pain. She stays stuck to the wall until it starts to bubble up around, sprouting flowers as her body dissolves into nothing.
"And that's, that." Susie laughs out, feeling the throne room with the kind of manacle sound Hedgehog could go ten lifetimes without ever hearing again. The girl pats down some of the blood embedded in her sweater and reaches over to pick up her wand. "Uh-uh." Susie places a foot over the wand and picks it up. "I'll be taking this."
"Oh, come on Susie." Hedgehog tries to argue but the witch refused to hear the girl out. At least it was over. Lost wand or not, she could be happy with the outcome of today.
"Hey, Hedgehog." Max hobbles over to her. "You alright?"
She gives Max a shocked glare. "Am I alright?" She chuckles at his lack of self-concern. "Are you?"
"Oh yeah." He smiles. "Yeah, she really tossed me across the room like a softball huh?" He helps her to her feet and in turn, she puts his arm around her shoulder to support his injured leg.
They slowly move over to the throne, passing it and coming to a stop at the resin cocoon that Oscar was half encased in. Hedgehog held a hand up to it. The resin was warm and reverberated a feeling inside of her she's never experienced before. It was like pure undiluted joy. happiness beyond anything she's felt and might not be able to feel for as long as she lives. She doesn't like it.
"At least help us out, Susie." Hedgehog looks over to the witch picking at her fingernails. Susie groans and rolls her eyes over.
"Fine." She takes the time out of her not-so-busy schedule and trudges over to the pair. She takes her wand out and gives the risen a light tap. "There, that's all you'll be getting from me."
It begins to chip, crackle, and eventually, the resin comes apart. Oscar's arms untangled from his bindings and his body flops into Hedgehog and Max.
"Oscar... Oscar." Hedgehog grabs the boy by his shoulders and begins to gently shake him. "Oscar..." She shakes him some more, but still no response. "Oscar please..." Hedgehog was beginning to worry, she gently slaps a hand to his face but still gets nothing. Not even the slightest reaction. She lowered her head, wrapping her arms around him and pulling his limp body in a careful hug. "...I'm so sorry..." She whispers as tears begin to roll down her cheeks.
"Hmm... Hedgehog." The girl jolts back when Oscar squirms to life in her arms. He brings a hand up to his eyes to remove the blindfold. His eyes flutter open slowly. "Hedgehog... Max?" A weak smile passes his lips. He brings his arms up and over each of their shoulders. "Oh, Have I been a fool Hedgehog?"
"No, Oscar no. We've been the fools..." She sighs in his cold arms. She couldn't keep hiding away from him. For the past week, all she's been doing was running from her problems. She wanted to control the narrative like it was her story to tell, but it wasn't. "We shouldn't have tried to manipulate you and make you choose sides. From the start, we should have been honest with you. From the start, we should have told the truth. I should have told you."
"Hmm." He hums, his weak smile growing a bit stronger. "Thanks, guys... hey Max?" Oscar looks at the other boy as the group separates.
"Yeah?"
"Do you like me...? Like, like-like me?"
Max mind sputters for a bit as he looks into Oscar's tired eyes. He doesn't know what to say, he doesn't want to say anything, but he knew that hiding his feelings wasn't going to cut it. Not this time around. "Yes... no actually. "Oscar's weak smile drops and even Hedgehog looks over at him with a puzzled look. "I... love you, Oscar."
The boy's smile returns, and he puts a hand up to Max's blushing cheek. "Me too..." He responds, his smile growing wider once again.
From nearby they could hear the sound of tapping. Susie had been slapping her hand against the walls of Elizabath's former throne room. "Man, that girl sure had a thing for corruption magic." Susie whistles, stepping over to the crystal throne. "She had good taste though." She admires the crystal throne with a hand to her chin. "What do you say we scrap this place for parts then?"
