Post by Skulldon on Aug 29, 2011 20:29:21 GMT -5
Skulduggery jumped down into the tunnel, the lantern in his hand. He’d found it in a mine, after a bit of an adventure. He remembered taking it back to Scarecrow, getting a whiff of her soul for the Lantern to follow. Just a sniff. He’d taken his guitar, strapping it to his back, and kissed her goodbye. He’d raised the lantern and a pink trail of smoke had led him, over the hills and in the valleys. It took three days and nights of following the trail, lantern held aloft, but it would soon be worth it.
The tunnel was long and damp, but the ethereal light from the Lantern lit the pink trail in the air, leading him onward. He had no idea where this was leading him. The tunnel widened suddenly and dropped into a vast cavern, the walls covered in spider webs. In the center of the room was a large glass tube, at least fifty feet high, lit from within by hundreds of bright glowing lights that spun in a circle against the glass. Skul walked towards it and put a skeletal hand on the glass. It was warm, and hummed with somewhat human noise. These were souls, and something was keeping them here.
“I see you have found my lair,” a voice behind him hissed. Skul turned and saw a giant spider, glaring at him with its eight eyes, rubbing together suspiciously-human hands. “And my…power source.”
Skul looked back up at the glass tube.
“So I have,” he said evenly. “And you’re keeping them here why?”
“I am the Soulweaver,” the spider said imperiously. “I trap these poor, wandering souls, draw energy from them. Soon, I will have enough to become a god!”
“I’ve heard that one before,” Skul said wryly.
“Have you now?”
“Yes I have.” Skul lit a fire in his hand, setting the lantern down. “Someone I care for is in there, and I intend to get them out.”
“I don’t think so….”
Skul heard sounds around him, and a dozen or so smaller spiders descended from the ceiling to surround him, hissing. The Soulweaver started to laugh and chant something, holding his hands together, a ball of silky webbing building up and getting bigger. The spiders jumped him, seemingly all at once.
He ducked under one, his hands flaring with purple light that spread up his arms and to his head, setting his skull alight. Two jumped from the front, and he batted one away and caught the other in midair and held it still as it struggled against him, burning it to a crisp. All the while, the Soulweaver’s spell built in power.
He headed for the larger spider, but got caught by several of the smaller spiders, shots of web holding him back. He laughed and exhaled, the fire from his head catching alight the webs and spreading to their owners, sending them screaming as they burned alive. He turned toward the larger spider but was tackled by another, slamming him against the glass tube. The spider snapped at his neck, but Skul grabbed it by the neck, pulled it off himself and slammed it into the ground, putting his foot on the spider’s body and pulling. Gore spilt all over the floor as he once more looked at the larger spider and could only watch as it finished its spell.
A huge blob of webs and goo smashed into him, covering him and trapping him against the tube, immobile. The Soulweaver laughed.
“Worthless skeleton! Now your soul is mine…”
The spider approached. The webs started to smoke and crackle. The Soulweaver gasped and tried to back away, but got caught in the explosion anyways, sending him flying backwards. The web burned away as a living ball of flame took a step. Skul looked up, barely visible through layers of purple flame. His suit had burned away, and as the fire died down it seemed to solidify around his bones, giving him a purple suit the color of his flames. His eye sockets burned with purple embers, glaring at the spider.
“No. No, not this time. Your souls are mine.”
He stepped towards the spider, who scrambled back on his many legs, unable to get to his feet. Skul advanced quickly, picking the monster up by his neck and holding him there as the flame burned him alive, screaming as he turned to embers and ash.
That done, Skul walked to the glass tube. He placed a hand on it and then punched it, his skeletal fist burning bright, melting through the glass. Air hissed out and atmosphere in the room changed substantially as hundreds of souls poured from the hole, flying around the room and dissipating into the walls. Skul hurriedly raised his lantern, pointing it at the flood of light. One soul, seemingly half-formed, flickering faintly, floated towards him and into the lantern, becoming the flame inside, flicking faintly.
He looked at it, then up at the tube, quickly emptying. As the soft wails of the dead echoed around the chamber, he left to go back home.
“You…you found it?”
Scarecrow blinked as Skulduggery approached. He hesitated.
“Are you sure this will work?”
“Yes…” Scarecrow nodded, but a bit slowly. “I think so.”
He held the lantern up, and both he and Scarecrow looked into it. Then she looked up at him.
“If…if it doesn’t, if something happens…I love you.”
He leaned forward a tiny bit, putting his forehead on hers.
“I love you too. It will work. Try it.”
She nodded and took the lantern, taking a deep breath before opening the side of the lantern and breathing in the pink smoke that wafted up. She was silent for a moment, then coughed. She doubled over, clutching her chest, hacking and coughing. While Skul watched in horror she fell to her knees, unable to breathe.
Then suddenly, she breathed out and a light purple smoke escaped, and the straw body of Scarecrow fell to the ground. An image solidified out of the smoke, a woman, blond, wearing a simple purple dress. Skulduggery looked on in awe as memories flooded back to him. He fell to his knees and raised one hand to her.
“J…Jessica. I remember…I remember your name!”
She looked down at him, suddenly smiling and laughing, looking at her ghostly form.
“I remember you, too! Adam…” She leaned down, taking Skul’s hand. “Come on. Get up.”
Skul obeyed, letting her pull him up. As he did, he felt something fall away from him, and felt lighter. He looked back, and saw his bones, stripped of life, laying in on the ground. He gasped in disbelief, looking at himself, human, now filling out his purple suit. He looked back to Jessica.
“It’s…it’s over.” He laughed, on the verge of tears, running his hands through her hair. “We can leave now.”
“Lead on,” Jessica said, laughing herself. She bowed, still holding his hand, then pulled him to herself, embracing him. They both laughed in joy and relief as their forms blew away on the wind, their voices echoing on the tombstones of the graveyard for a long, long time.
The tunnel was long and damp, but the ethereal light from the Lantern lit the pink trail in the air, leading him onward. He had no idea where this was leading him. The tunnel widened suddenly and dropped into a vast cavern, the walls covered in spider webs. In the center of the room was a large glass tube, at least fifty feet high, lit from within by hundreds of bright glowing lights that spun in a circle against the glass. Skul walked towards it and put a skeletal hand on the glass. It was warm, and hummed with somewhat human noise. These were souls, and something was keeping them here.
“I see you have found my lair,” a voice behind him hissed. Skul turned and saw a giant spider, glaring at him with its eight eyes, rubbing together suspiciously-human hands. “And my…power source.”
Skul looked back up at the glass tube.
“So I have,” he said evenly. “And you’re keeping them here why?”
“I am the Soulweaver,” the spider said imperiously. “I trap these poor, wandering souls, draw energy from them. Soon, I will have enough to become a god!”
“I’ve heard that one before,” Skul said wryly.
“Have you now?”
“Yes I have.” Skul lit a fire in his hand, setting the lantern down. “Someone I care for is in there, and I intend to get them out.”
“I don’t think so….”
Skul heard sounds around him, and a dozen or so smaller spiders descended from the ceiling to surround him, hissing. The Soulweaver started to laugh and chant something, holding his hands together, a ball of silky webbing building up and getting bigger. The spiders jumped him, seemingly all at once.
He ducked under one, his hands flaring with purple light that spread up his arms and to his head, setting his skull alight. Two jumped from the front, and he batted one away and caught the other in midair and held it still as it struggled against him, burning it to a crisp. All the while, the Soulweaver’s spell built in power.
He headed for the larger spider, but got caught by several of the smaller spiders, shots of web holding him back. He laughed and exhaled, the fire from his head catching alight the webs and spreading to their owners, sending them screaming as they burned alive. He turned toward the larger spider but was tackled by another, slamming him against the glass tube. The spider snapped at his neck, but Skul grabbed it by the neck, pulled it off himself and slammed it into the ground, putting his foot on the spider’s body and pulling. Gore spilt all over the floor as he once more looked at the larger spider and could only watch as it finished its spell.
A huge blob of webs and goo smashed into him, covering him and trapping him against the tube, immobile. The Soulweaver laughed.
“Worthless skeleton! Now your soul is mine…”
The spider approached. The webs started to smoke and crackle. The Soulweaver gasped and tried to back away, but got caught in the explosion anyways, sending him flying backwards. The web burned away as a living ball of flame took a step. Skul looked up, barely visible through layers of purple flame. His suit had burned away, and as the fire died down it seemed to solidify around his bones, giving him a purple suit the color of his flames. His eye sockets burned with purple embers, glaring at the spider.
“No. No, not this time. Your souls are mine.”
He stepped towards the spider, who scrambled back on his many legs, unable to get to his feet. Skul advanced quickly, picking the monster up by his neck and holding him there as the flame burned him alive, screaming as he turned to embers and ash.
That done, Skul walked to the glass tube. He placed a hand on it and then punched it, his skeletal fist burning bright, melting through the glass. Air hissed out and atmosphere in the room changed substantially as hundreds of souls poured from the hole, flying around the room and dissipating into the walls. Skul hurriedly raised his lantern, pointing it at the flood of light. One soul, seemingly half-formed, flickering faintly, floated towards him and into the lantern, becoming the flame inside, flicking faintly.
He looked at it, then up at the tube, quickly emptying. As the soft wails of the dead echoed around the chamber, he left to go back home.
“You…you found it?”
Scarecrow blinked as Skulduggery approached. He hesitated.
“Are you sure this will work?”
“Yes…” Scarecrow nodded, but a bit slowly. “I think so.”
He held the lantern up, and both he and Scarecrow looked into it. Then she looked up at him.
“If…if it doesn’t, if something happens…I love you.”
He leaned forward a tiny bit, putting his forehead on hers.
“I love you too. It will work. Try it.”
She nodded and took the lantern, taking a deep breath before opening the side of the lantern and breathing in the pink smoke that wafted up. She was silent for a moment, then coughed. She doubled over, clutching her chest, hacking and coughing. While Skul watched in horror she fell to her knees, unable to breathe.
Then suddenly, she breathed out and a light purple smoke escaped, and the straw body of Scarecrow fell to the ground. An image solidified out of the smoke, a woman, blond, wearing a simple purple dress. Skulduggery looked on in awe as memories flooded back to him. He fell to his knees and raised one hand to her.
“J…Jessica. I remember…I remember your name!”
She looked down at him, suddenly smiling and laughing, looking at her ghostly form.
“I remember you, too! Adam…” She leaned down, taking Skul’s hand. “Come on. Get up.”
Skul obeyed, letting her pull him up. As he did, he felt something fall away from him, and felt lighter. He looked back, and saw his bones, stripped of life, laying in on the ground. He gasped in disbelief, looking at himself, human, now filling out his purple suit. He looked back to Jessica.
“It’s…it’s over.” He laughed, on the verge of tears, running his hands through her hair. “We can leave now.”
“Lead on,” Jessica said, laughing herself. She bowed, still holding his hand, then pulled him to herself, embracing him. They both laughed in joy and relief as their forms blew away on the wind, their voices echoing on the tombstones of the graveyard for a long, long time.