What have I forgotten?... Part 5- The Other

[Asa]

Pryll crawled out of the water, shifting back into Pryll. His fingers bit into the hard, cracked sand. "Amazing," He gasped in exhaustion, "The sand...and soil...has already started...to harden! Something...magic has...happened......well, that's quite...obvious," He clambered to his feet, feeling the hot of his sun on his back. "Well, we've got a whole new land to explore...I should be able to supply a little food, but not much. We should find some plants. As soon as," He walked forwards across the hard desert floor. He looked around. In the distance he could see some greenery. "We should head for there. Animals should be nearby. I bet they have weird languages, then. Or would they be normal...?" He walked in thought. So much was happening. So much...

"Look at this!" Exclaimed Pryll, examining the plants, "This acts as a fountain for animals! It's...amazing! I've never seen nor read about such a thing!" The plant he was looking at was about 8 and a half feet high, with water spouting out of the top, which collected in a bowl-like part of the plant at it's base. "We should set up a little view-box, to watch for animals!" He shifted into a shovel-handed, four- legged creature and started digging a small hole in the ground, which would fit them both to stand, but not any room for comfort. He then dug underneath it, leaving a layer of hard, caked mud on top. This took about twenty minutes, but once it was finished, he jumped in and peered out of the hole, then sat back in comfort...well, mild comfort, anyway. "Let's wait and watch, I want to see a little of the local wildlife,"

[wolfenchantress]

Ayria stared in amazement at the new island. The sand was dry, which was weird, seeing as the thing came from the ocean. It stretched on forever it seemed. There was some different kinds of greenery that shed never seen before. She was eager to see the kinds of wildlife, so when Pryll dug out the hole, she obediently wormed into it, peering out of the viewing hole.

It wasn't long before she saw movement.To their left, three animals were cautiously taking slow steps toward them. They were spotted, like hyenas, but their jaws were longer. They walked in four legs- the back two looked lethally fast. A tail with a barb at the end lashed behind them. Big feet allowed them to walk easily on the hardening sand.
Then, to her surprise, the middle one flared wings. They were coated in a soft fur that blended in perfectly with their coats, hiding them from view. They were big - the size of a small horse. One of them let out a snarl, head moving back and forth.

"Pryll, they can smell us," She whispered, and all three of the things snapped to attention. A bird dove down and began drinking from the fountain-plant, wary of the three creatures near it. A small rodent scurried in their field of view before escaping into a hole, much to the irritation of the first creature.
"Should I try to speak to them?" She asked, even more quietly.

[Asa]

Pryll watched in absolute fascination at the new animals, and the wings! He was utterley amazed. He suddenly whipped out his diary and started quickly sketching drawings of the hyena-like creatures, front, side and wings, then jotting down notes of behaviour, etc. "Hmm? Talk to them? Well...I guess you could...it could be a little risky, and we don't want to unsettle the balance of nature. Heck, these could be the only three on the island. But, if you want...hey, go for it!" he encouraged, "Tell me everything they say, try not to question them too much, they probably won't like that. Remember, tell me everything," And so he sat there with his pencil and diary, waiting.

[wolfenchantress]

Ayria grinned and slid from their viewing post. She walked foreword a few paces toward them before stopping. Almost immediately the one in the middle - obviously the leader - began a low, steady growl, and crouched, jaws open, ready to kill.

"Wait!" She shouted. Their language was weird - almost a dry cackle. It froze, the surprise evident in its face. "Don't kill me. I just want to talk to you."
"How can you talk to me? You are not of this race. You are a human - we have heard of your kind in stories."
"Only in stories? You have never seen one of us?" The hyena-ish thing stepped until it was right in front of her, looking her up and down.
"No. We thought humans were legends made to scare us." With that he knocked her flat on her back with one powerful swipe. "And if you're anything like you are in the stories, I don't think any of us want you around." He lowered his head until his fangs brushed her neck, and she froze.
"Don't. Please, don't," She choked out. The other two laughed- sounding quite a lot like a hyena, really. "I want to hear the stories. I promise, we're not like them." The thing picked its head up.
"How many of you are there?" It snarled, going from threatening to completely terrifying.
"J...Just two...I promise, we weren't here to do anything but observe..."
"Where is the other?" It asked. "Bring him here. I want to see that he is not armed." Rather than tell it where he was, she called out to Pryll.
"Pryll, slowly come over here. As a human. A non-dangerous human," She said. Then, to the hyena thing, "We want to hear the stories, we can tell you if they're true or not." It looked down on her thoughtfully, looking back at the other two.
"We will decide later. I wish to meet this other human."

[Asa]

((I hope you don't mind Ayira translating for Pryll))

Pryll listened to Ayira and he climbed slowly out of the hole, just an ordinary human, "Ayira, I need you to translate for me," He said to her, "I'll discuss some sort of...political agreement," He took a step towards the Alpha Male (Or what seemed to be the Alpha Male) and it growled at him. Ayira translated- "Don't come any closer," It said, "Okay," Said Pryll, "Listen, I would very much like to hear these stories of us. Please, tell us one,"
The hyena grunted, "If you wish," It said, and Ayira translated, "Our most well-known story, is the story of the magic-sucking human scum," It said scornfully, "Once upon a time, as you humans start, animals lived in tranquility with the people, and magic kept everything together, everyone was happy, but then the humans started building things, weaponry, machines. Magic deterierated from the world. Only in some places is it still in effect, such as the old temple on Sandew island, where this island was created by our God, The One. His brother lives here on this very island, The Other,"
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Said Pryll, "The One has a brother?"
"Yes, he does, he is said to be seen in the Teranu Caverns," The hyena replied.
"Right, okay. And where are the caverns?"
"They are underneath the Ptorian Mountains, the tallest mountain range on the island,"
"Hmm..." Said Pryll, "Umm...any other stories?"

[wolfenchantress]

(nope, not at all )

"You mean aside from the one where the army of you human scum wiped out almost the entire animal population on this island, or the one where you poison us with offerings of rancid food?" It snarled, baring long fangs.

"Wait, wait.." Ayria said. "Are these legends, or true stories?"
"Does it matter?"
Ayria thought for a moment. She figured that Pryll would want to go to these caverns. She did herself. But how would she convince them to let them go?
Ayria stood. There was a lot of growling and hackle-raising, but none of them moved. "Will you let us pass?" She asked hesitantly. The leader laughed.
"Let you pass? No. We are not even going to let you live. You asked to hear the stories. Nowhere in that did you ask for your lives to be spared." Again, she was knocked back with enough force to see stars. He extended razor claws and pressed a paw into her stomach. one grabbed Pryll's arm - not enough to cause injury, but enough to hold him in place. The third stood watching.

"Pryll?" She said. "Any ideas? I don't think these three like us very much."
"Trying to make escape plans, are you?" It snarled, dragging the claws an inch down her skin. She clenched her teeth at the red spot that flowered over her shirt.
"No," She said. "I want last words with him." It snorted.
"You humans, always want things, even when you're going to die. fine. You may speak last words. I give you five minutes." It lifted the paw, the other let go of Pryll. "But if you try to run, we will catch you." She didn't doubt it - these things looked built for speed.

"Pryll, what are we supposed to do?" She asked. "They'll catch us if we run, and they'll kill us if we don't." It seemed like a hopeless situation on her part.

[Asa]

"Ayira," He whispered, "You've forgotten something. I can shift. Just what into" He pondered. He couldn't fly away- they had wings, too. He couldn't hide in tree's- there wasn't any. He didn't want to run away, as he would have to carry Ayira, and that would slow him down. He could always fight, but he didn't know how good they were at fighting. He was completely and utterly out of ideas. A huge dragom-like creature flew on the horizon. "Dragons," Breathed Pryll. They had been extinct for thousands of years, and he didn't think they'd be coming back. They were creatures of magic. "Ayira, step back. We're going to fight. Just translate my words and theirs for me please,"

"Creatures!" He shouted, "Let us leave, or you shall perish! I have powers beyond your imagination! Let us leave- or I shall kill you," The hyenas sniggered, "You? Kill us? Not likely. We are the ultimate war machines. We fear nothing but DRAGONS! And you are hardly a dragon,"
"Aren't I?" Said Pryll. He roared as he shifted into a huge red dragon. The hyenas screeched and fled, tails between their legs. Pryll shifted back and laughed, "Good job I saw that dragon! We'd be dead meat if I didn't...well, next time we're in a struggle and an open space, I'll know what to do,"

"Come on, we should head for those mountains and find the caverns. If i'm their God, then who's their God's brother?" Asked Pryll rhetorically. He walked in the direction of the Ptorian Mountains, but first, he took a drink from the 'fountain' plant. The water was sweet, refreshing. He flipped out his diary and quickly sketched a few things he'd seen. Then, he went towards the mountains. It was soon dark, and they had to rest. "I'll be a dragon whilst we sleep, watch over you," He shifted into a great red dragon and lay Ayira down around his arms, and fell asleep himself.

[wolfenchantress]

Ayria watched the transformation into a dragon and was rather impressed, really. She'd never seen a dragon before, not the full sized ones that were talked about in legends, and normally she would have been completely terrified. But, knowing it was Pryll, she wasn't.

The Hyena things ran off, yelping. She made a face at their departing words - 'We will come for you two. With help.' She translated this to Pryll.
"There are probably a lot of them..." She said. "But hopefully all of them will react the same toward a dragon."

They walked for a long while in the desert. She'd never thought a place could get so hot, but with the beating sun and nothing to shade the island, it quickly rose to a high temperature. She ignored it, fascinated by the landscape. Other animals frequently crossed their path, none of which she'd seen the likes of before. A lot of different birds.

Finally, when they stopped to rest, she didn't sleep right away, instead she listened to the sounds of the land she'd never been to before. Finally, however, the tiredness was too much and she fell asleep.

[Asa]

Pryll awoke to the heat of the sun blasting onto his scales. He shifted back into Pryll and shook Ayira, "Hey, wake up. I want to get moving. The sooner the better," He helped her up and said, "Hmm...food...I wouldn't want to risk eating any of these plants, even if the animals eat them. Their stomachs are probably made to be able to eat this stuff," He thought for a moment, "I could shift into one of those tree people...a small fruit-bearing one," So he did that and he grabbed the fruit off his branches and dropped them onto the floor then morphed back into Pryll again, "There we go," He said, "I won't be able to do that much. There's not many that have edible fruits, fifteen at most. Let's get moving," He headed towards the mountains, chewing on a Humango fruit.

"Here we are!" Said Pryll, sitting at the base of the mountain, "Now we've just got to find the entrance to the cavern. We'd better start looking. Let's split up, we'll cover more ground," So he set off round the mountain, not thinking about how hard it was going to be to find this entrance, "Tell me if you find anything!"

[wolfenchantress]

Ayria began to climb the sloping mountain. It was going to be difficult to find the entrance to where the cave was. Nonetheless, she climbed, searching carefully every crevice she could find.

At least Pryll can change into a bird or something and cover more ground, She thought. Maybe this won't take so long after all. She cursed under her breath as she scraped against a rock, trying to get over a ridge. The hyena-thing's claws had dug deep into her stomach. Not deep enough to be fatal by any stretch, but enough to slow her down.

After about an hour, she climbed onto a flat rocky area and flopped onto her back, looking up. In the sky. She could see th hyena things flying above, far above, towards where her and Pryll had been previously. She laughed - they wouldn't find them in a cave on a mountain.

Once she was rested, she rose again and walked towards the slope opposite her and reached out to climb - and fell though the wall. She landed hard and scrambled up again, looking back., Solid wall remained. Cautiously, she reached out, seeing her hand go though the rock again. It was sheer luck that she'd managed to find this cave. Maybe it was the right one. She walked back through the wall, standing on the ledge.

"Pryll!" she called. "Pryll, come over here!"

[Asa]

Pryll flew over to her in the form of a large bird and saw her climb through the solid rock. He shifted back into himself and landed in a squat next to her. "The entrance!" He exclaimed, "Wow, what a stoke of luck you found it! Well, lets go in," And he jumped through the rock. He landed on the rough, stony floor, and looked around. He was in a large round room. The architecture was different to anythin he'd ever seen- it had stone pillars that consisted of many thin stone tubes winding in and out of each other. When he looked closer, each was engraved this tiny images of demons, some looking like the crocodile-headed one that had helped him in the ritual. The floor was shiny and smooth, yet he didn't slip on it at all. As he stepped towards the centre, a section in the wall faded slightly, and as he continued towards it, it went solid. Pryll ran to it at put his hand against it, but it was stopped by the wall. It wasn't another secret door like the entrance. He ran back to the centre and the wall again faded slightly, so he shifted into kake'e, a creature with a long tongue so he could try to see if he could get something through whilst he was in the centre, but he couldn't shift. He tried again. Nothing. He cursed and climbed out. He shifted succesfully, then jumped back in, but he turned back into Pryll. "Damn, I can't shift! This is going to be annoying. Ayira, does the wall fade when I stand here? Can you see it too? If you can, could you get an animal of some sort? Then we can put it in the middle and we could pass through ourselves!"

[wolfenchantress]

The inside of the cave was amazing, to put it simply. She would have never found this wall in a million years if she hadn't tried to climb it.

She watched Pryll struggle with keeping himself in the center and going through the wall at the same time.
"Yes, it fades when you step in the center," She answered. "And yes, I'll go fetch some kind of animal. Be right back." She stepped outside of the cave and was surprised - inside, the temperature was considerably colder. She wondered why she didn't notice it before. She scanned the area finding no animals. She frowned, scanning the skies. A lot of hyena-creatures flew about, and a few birds. She summoned a bird down.

When it landed in front of her she blinked- it was nearly as tall as her. Its feathers were the color of the sand, streaked through with bolts of white. It looked like it could kill at a seconds notice, but it was very docile.
"What is it"? The bird asked, head cocked to one side. She motioned it into the cave - which the bird first distrusted, because of the solid wall and once it agreed, had trouble getting into - and asked it to stand in the center of the room. It complied happily, and the rock spot changed again.
"Shall we try going through now?" She asked.

[Asa]

((Sorry for late reply, family been over))

"Yes," Said Pryll, looking at the bird, "Could you tell the bird to stay there. I don't know how long we'll be though, but if the bird goes then we'd be trapped," He stepped through the wall and suddenly felt a deep chill, freezing him to the bones. He shivered and carried on walking. On each step the temperature changed, sometimes even boiling hot so he had to skip forwards very quickly. The tunnel was natural, stalagmites hanging down from the ceiling. There was a mysterious light lighting their path. It seemed to be coming from them. Pryll felt a strange feeling of déjà vu in this place, but he knew it was impossible for him to have been here. He dismissed it and continued walking. I wonder, he thought, if we'll come out in a huge cavern? He didn't know where he got the idea from, but he thought it might happen. Then, to his surprise, it did! It had opened up into a huge cavern, and in the centre, a person sat. Pryll remembered now. It was in his dream. When he was in his cave. And the person in the middle...he collapsed deep unconscious on the floor. The person sat in the centre...was him.

[wolfenchantress]

Ayria spoke to the bird; "You will need to stay here. If you leave, we will be trapped in here forever, and will possibly die in here. Can you do that?"
The bird ruffled his feathers. "I am in no hurry. Go, take your time." She nodded and followed Pryll.

The temperature in the cave was horrid and erratic, hot then subzero. Rather uncomfortable, really (understatement of the year.) Finally, it opened into a cavern, and Pryll dropped. She ran after him, and saw what happened. The person sitting in the center of the cave looked exactly like him. Or, maybe it was him. She halted next to Pryll and dropped to her knees fearfully.

"Pryll?" She said softly, then turned her attention to the other one sitting in the center. "Or..Are you Pryll? Are you both the same person, or...? Are you his brother?" She gently shook Pryll's arm. "Pryll, wake up..."

[Asa]

"No, I am not Pryll Fullfot," Said the young man, standing up and walking towards them, "I am...what do they call me...ah, yes, 'The Other'," He looked down at Pryll, "He looks just like me," Commented The Other, "How...odd..." He nudged him with his foot. Pryll's eyes flickered open. "Wha..." He gasped, looking up at himself in front of him. Memories came flashing back. He remembered the dream, fainting at the thought of himself sitting in the middle. He sat up.
"You must be 'The Other'," He said, "According to the flying hyenas, your my brother," He stuck out a hand. The Other took it uncertainly and shook it slowly, with a confused expression on his face. "I didn't think you'd be so...so human," The Other said.
"Well, I don't shake hands much...I know lots about many cultures. Human culture is just the one I copied just then," Pryll replied somewhat cheerily.
"Okay...well, what bring you here. Brother," The Other shot a look at him.
"I was sent here. By a crocodile demon. Right after I rose this island from the sea,"
"Wait-- you created this island?"
"Yes, basically. I had to go and get some crystal and--"
"I don't care about that. So you're The One?" The Other cut him off.
"They say so," Pryll replied.
"I don't like you much. You're too...optimistic," His Brother complained.
"No, no, not all the time. Just at the moment. Had I arrived tomorrow I might be very angry, or really depressed. I have big mood swings. It's just the billions of years weighing down on me," Pryll smiled, "How long have you been around?"
"As long as you, I should imagine. However, only recently have I awoken. Time has passed slowly. I remember every little detail. I can't drift into a day-dream...I feel like I've been trapped in this cave for an age," The Other sighed.
"Well that's odd," Said Pryll, "Because I have a rather bad memory. I can't remember past 150 years. So much I wish I could remember...so much before I started my diary. Do you think that you could help?" He asked.
"Possibly...give me your hand again, like you did when you shook it," Pryll lifted his hand and his Brother took it and gripped it.

Pryll gasped with the tight grip threatening to crush his hand. Sweat dripped from The Other's brow. Suddenly, he broke off and fell onto the floor. "My God...so much...memory" The Other's eyes were darting two and fro, his hand shaking, "I--I can see...everything. It's amazing...your locked memories unlocked and passed on to me, your Brother" His shaking reduced to a slight quiver and he stood up. "Please," He began, "Let me come with you. I can guide you with much precision. Everything," He tapped his head, "Is in here. I am afraid, Brother, that I cannot divert the flow of memory back to you. But you are the raw power. I am the brains. We should leave here. Ayira, you can let the bird leave. Tell it that it is thanked by the Gods," And they set off out.

((I was thinking we could somehow merge Asa and Vedisca into this story. It'd be a shame to waste good characters. Maybe Ymira had to go and Asa and Vedisca went to explore the new island. I doubt Jotun will be coming back. Also, you can continue the story past the end of my post )

[wolfenchantress]

Ayria watched the whole scene play out with some apprehension. She wasn't sure what to think of this 'Other' character, but she didn't interfere with anything.

When they touched hands, she almost did, seeing Pryll's reaction to the contact. The Other had gotten his memories. It seemed to her tthat is was almost as if Pryll was the one with the powers, and his brother was the one with the memories - that they were just meant to find each other.

She followed them out, nodding to the bird to give it its leave, and it flew out of the rock. She followed - and ran face to face with two others, one with a wicked scar across his face and the other apparently his traveling companion.

Vedsica watched with shock as a bird flew from the mountain. Straight from the inside of the mountain. He glances over at Asa, eyes wide, as three others followed it. He was starting to doubt their choice of coming to this desert in the first place. The three that came out, a younger girl and two brothers who could very well be twins, looked just as surprised to see them.

"Who are you?"
"Who are you?" Ayria and Vedsica asked in unison to the other parties. "And how in the seven hells did you come from inside of a mountain?" Vedsica added.

[Asa]

((Oops, I don't think I made it clear enough that Pryll didn't get his memory back, but his Brother took his memories, so he is very smart but doesn't have any powers. I'll modify my post and it would be good if you could change yours a little, too. Thanks))

Pryll ran out from the mountain into two individuals, one wielding a ferocious scar. "What are you doing here?" He asked suspiciously,
"We might ask you the same question," the one without the scar said, "How did you run out from that rock?" Asa didn't know of any other magic users, but it was possible that he had used magic.
"The rock?" Replied Pryll, "The rock face there is merely a hallucination. It leads to a secret cavern. No need to try and get in there, there's no treasure,"
"Hmm, I can believe that. What's your name?"
"I'm Pryll Fullfot. My companion is called Ayira," There was a cough behind him,
"Don't forget me, brother," The Other said, stepping forward, "I'm...well, I am 'The Other'. We haven't decided on an easier name for me yet. And you are?"
"Asa. And this is Vedisca," He replied,
"Asa? I...well, Pryll met you're--" The Other was cut off by a nudge from his brother, "Nevermind," he muttered,
"So," said Pryll, "What're you doing here?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Said Asa, "We're exploring a mysterious island and we're exploring it!" That wasn't the real reason- the real reason was because the tiniest bit left from his magic kicked in and told him, rather than going to Drano to re-acquire his magic, he should go here. It said all would become clear when he got here. Maybe these people could help...WUMP! A hyena-creature flew down from the sky onto Asa's back, pinning him to the ground. three more landed whilst another two circled above. A seventh flew in and knocked Pryll to the ground, unconscious. The Other dived back into the rock to protect himself. It was up to Ayira and Vedisca.

[wolfenchantress]

((Oh, sorry. and whoa, this ended up really long lol ))

Ayria didn't know what to think of these two. One bore a nasty scar down his face and across his eye - judging by the look of it he couldn't' see from it. The other might have been a friend or his brother. And how would they have gotten here so fast? They hadn't been on the island that long.

Vedsica thought the same things of these three. He didn't exactly trust those who popped out of mountains that seemed to be solid walls. However, he exchanged basic information and pleasantries with them. Asa smartly didn't tell them the real reason they came to the island.

Vedsica was going to add to Asa's explanation, but then something dropped from the sky, landing square on Asa, pinning him down. It was massive, built like a horse, and looked like a hyena, but with more powerful...well, everything. He cursed as more dropped form the sky, one knocking the one called Pryll to the ground. The Other had dived to the ground, leaving only him and Ayria standing.

"Vedsica, to your left!" Ayria shouted, and he spun around to his blind side, drawing his sword in the same movement, blocking one of the things as it nearly mauled him. Three more advanced on him, and one grabbed his right arm that held the sword, clenching its jaws. He felt his bones crack and fell to his knees with a scream of agony, dropping the sword as blood sprayed across the rocks. They advanced, and right as he thought he was dead, he heard something.

It was a song. The hyena things froze, frothing and snarling, but with heads tilted to the side, listening. He looked between the furry bodies. Ayria had taken a defensive position standing over The Other. The hyena that had knocked out Pryll had abandon the unconscious form in favor of a moving target, and the one holding down Asa had frozen with the others. Ayria clutched a pathetically small dagger in her hand, eying the three horse-hyenas surrounding her. He tried to listen to what she was saying, but couldn't - it slipped from his memory like water.

Ayria motioned for Vedsica to act - she couldn't sing forever, and the hyenas were breaking the trance it had over them. Clumsily, he switched sword hands and slashed the throat of one, watching it drop like a sack of potatoes. He dispatched of them all, hating himself for doing it, watching the terror in their eyes as they saw their deaths coming and couldn't move to stop it, except for two that broke the spell and had flown off the moment they could move. When everything was silent again, he stopped, panting. Ayria swayed and fell, blinking in sudden exhaustion.
"I don't get it," She was mumbling, "I'm never tired after I speak to them. Then again...I've never been able to do that." A frown creased her brow, "How did I do that?" Whatever it had been had taken almost every ounce of energy she had.
She focused on him. "Your arm." She said. "It's broken." He looked down at the useless limb and sighed, cradling it in his hand and fighting the tears of agony that suddenly sprang up as the adrenaline wore off and the pain set in.
"Yeah." He managed.
"Does it hurt?"
"Like you wouldn't believe." He turned away from her, figuring she didn't look hurt - just completely exhausted. Questions could wait on both sides - he definitely did not trust these people, but one of them had just saved their lives- and knelt by Asa. "Hey, Asa. You allright?"

At the same time Ayria went to Pryll's side, kneeling and gently shaking his shoulder, baerly concious herself - everyhing seemed foggy and slow, like she was underwater. "Pryll, wake up," She mumbled. "They're dealt with." She looked at The Other. "You weren't hurt, were you?" She squinted, focusing on he from not far from her past the black at the edge of her vision.

[Asa]

Pryll groaned and looked around. He rubbed his head where it had bashed down on the rock. He spotted the bloody hyena bodies around him and said, "So, they're dead," then stood up. His Brother climbed back out from the inside of the rock. "Sorry for cowering like that- I don't really have any first-hand combat experience," He sat down on the warm rock. "So, I guess I have you to thank, Vedisca. Thank you," Pryll started, "Anyway, since you seem to be good fighters and seem to be able to be trusted...at least a bit, then I suggest that we travel together," Pryll proposed.
"Sure, we'll travel with you," Said Asa, not asking Vedisca at all for approval. He could just tell that these two were here to help him get his magic back...in some way, "So, could I have a look in the rock, then?" He asked, trying to find out if what they told him was true.
"Sure," Said Pryll, "Just jump down there, you should pass through,"

Not trusting this person enough to take a leap of faith into the unknown, he stook his head down, first. To his suprise, it did pass through the rock. He put his feet down and lowered himself in. The circular room was very interesting, and somewhat familiar. He pictured a big hole in the wall, a red demon running through it, then retreating back. He gasped and realised it was painstakingly similar to the room in his secret basement. "Everything alright down there?" Asked Pryll, poking his head down. Asa gave a start and spun round, rasing his hands defensively. Pryll chuckled, "No reason to jump. I just thought I heard you gasp. Nothing wrong?"
"No," Asa replied breathily, "No, nothing at all..." He went over to one of the pillars and inspected it closely. His eyes flicked over the carvings, and he stopped at one that looked worryingly familiar. It was him, Vedisca and Ymira, facing a huge shadow-demon. He frowned and moved on, making a mental note of it's position. "Hey, Vedisca," He called, "Come and look at these carving...they're...um...really good!"

[wolfenchantress]

Vedsica had just opened his mouth to say that there was no way he would travel with these three when Asa accepted the offer. Vedsica snapped his mouth shut, in way too much pain to argue.

Ayria hesitantly walked to Vedsica's side, crouching down - she could tell that Vedsica didn't like, or trust, her. He glared.
"What?" He said sharply.
"Let me see your arm," She asked gently.
"What, can you sing my arm back together too?" He said sarcastically, though he honestly didn't know - maybe she could. Actually, if he thought about it, he couldn't remember any of the song she had sung at all. He did offer his arm though, and she sucked a breath in through her teeth - the bones were shattered, that much was obvious.
"What happened?" She asked quietly.
"I got bit, what do you think?"
"No...your scars." She was eying the dozens of thin white lines that ran all along his arms. He looked away, mumbling a quick reply about a childhood accident - an obvious lie, but before she could call him on it, he heard Asa call from the fake wall-cave. Painfully he rose, and entered the cavern with obvious hesitation, cradling his arm.

"This better be important," He muttered too low for Asa to hear - he wasn't exactly in the best mood at present, and felt bad taking it out on other people. He knew that it must be if he was calling him in here. He looked around in surprise...the room looked surprisingly similar to the basement room.
"Asa..." He started. "This room...What do you think about it?"

[Asa]

"What do I think about this room?" Asa replied, "I think that something weird's going on here. A mysterious new island emerges from the sea. There's a secret hidden cave with a similar design to that of a demon's lair, and we're carved onto the pillars in an event that only happened a few months ago," He was speaking in a hushed whisper, "And, hey, I hope you don't mind me accepting to travel with those people. My sliver of magic told me that 'all would become clear when we got here'. Well, these people seem to know something about magic. At least, the girl does, with her singing. Anyway, I think these people can help me. I need to tra--" He fell to the floor, clutching his chest. "Ved," He gasped, "Did you feel that? There was a burst...of magic. It came from the cave beyond here..."
Ask the Other
"Did you hear that?" Asa said, looking up, "A whisper- it said--"
Ask the Other
"There!" He exclaimed a little louder than he meant, "Did you hear it?"
"Everything okay here?" Asked someone, jumping in.
"Yeah...fine," said Asa, "Hey, are you Pryll, or his Brother?"
"I'm his Brother, The Other,"
Ask the Other
"Need anything?" The Other asked.
"Um...no--I mean yes. Yes. There is," He stuttered, "You see...well...I'm- I know you won't believe this- I'm magic," He awaited his response,
"Okay," The Other replied, a little confused,
"You don't believe me, do you?" Asa sighed,
"No, no, quite the contrary. I just don't see why I shouldn't believe you. Lots of people are...wait, I'm thinking of the wrong time zone..."
"Excuse me?" Asa cocked an eyebrow at him,
"Time zone. Um...how to explain...you're less likely to believe me than I was to believe you. You see, I am Omniscient, it means 'all-knowing'. Pryll and I have been around since to dawn of time. He roamed the worlds, I was locked under the sea, asleep. When he performed the ritual to rise the island, I woke, and found that I have a perfect memory, much unlike my Brother who completely forgets everything past 150 years ago. When we met, his memories were sent over to me, so I now have millions of billions of trillions of years memory in my head, all memorized in perfect detail. I just get time zones mixed up a little. I was thinking of when magic was in full flow, and it wouldn't be at all unusual to be magical," He gasped for breath, "Soooo...do you believe me?"
"You're a nut!" Asa yelled, then turned his back on him.


"Hmm, I wonder when to tell them I'm a shape-shifter?" Pryll pondered out loud, half-aimed at Ayira, "What sort of prank to pull?" To him, it was a very tricky question. Perfection- it was important to him right now, no particular reason why. One of those Hyenas? No, too realistic...a yeti? That's unpredictable, but not quite weird enough. He could turn into Vedisca or Asa, that would freak them out. But when? How could he really weird them out? He needed to get the time and place perfect. Perfect...
He reached up to rub his chin. Wait...his chin felt like jelly. He looked at his hand. It was constantly changing. Changing each second, sometimes hairy, most of the time just normal people with slightly different shaped hands. But the worst thing was, he had no control over it. "Ayira!" He yelled in panic. His voice was constantly changing, his vocal cords stretching and compressing, "It's me, Pryll. Help! I can't control my shifting! I can't...can't" He was breaking down into tears, "Please," He sobbed, "This is really scary," He fell to his knees, whimpering, "I want me back,"

[wolfenchantress]

Vedsica was about to hastily step in and explain that they weren't magic - though it would have been a lie - in order to stop the Other from thinking they were mad, but he was cut off.

Don't. Vedsica jumped.
Oh...My magic...I'd nearly forgotten it was there... He thought.
I know you did, you dolt. Now, are you going to fix your arm? He broke into a slow smile. He'd completely forgotten he could do that.
He began using the magic to heal his shattered arm while listening to the Other's explanation. Asa considered him a nut, but he wasn't so sure that was accurate. He was about to ask a question when he heard a panicked cry from outside the cave. HE jerked his head that direction.
Will I ever get anything to say in? He sighed heavily, before going to investigate.

Ayria frowned, not thinking a prank would be a good idea. She knew the one with the broken arm and scarred face didn't trust them. That would make it worse. But before anything could happen Pryll became rather panicked. She looked over in shock - he didn't seem able to stop changing. She jumped to her feet.
"Umm what do I do?" She said to herself, trying to stay calm.
"Other!" She shouted, for lack of anything better, and he came running. "What do I do?! He can't stop shifting!"
The other thought for a moment.
"you need to use magic, what else would you do?" He said matter of factly. She blinked.
"But I can't-"
"I can." Vedsica cut her off. "Grab his hands." She was momentarily taken aback at Vedsica's utter calmness, and at the fact that his arm seemed fine now, aside from a row of scars added to the ones already present from the Hyena thing's teeth.

She grabbed Pryll's changing hands, and felt Vedsica's hands on her shoulder. In a second she felt his power, and stiffened with surprise.

Vedsica nearly fainted upon seeing Pryll changing shape but his it behind a mask of calm. Now he was sure - these were untrustworthy people. But, the girl seemed completely at a loss, so he figured he'd step in.
What he was doing was pouring magic into Pryll that would make his body more reluctant to changing, make it want to stay in its human form, at least until the changing was under control and hopefully give Pryll a chance to stop it. He had no clue if it would work, but he thought that if it was given to Pryll through someone he trusted, like Ayria, it might.
I'll do my best, His magic had said, and he hoped it was true.
Come back soon. I don't want you to be stuck inside someone we do not know.
And with that he had begun the magic transfer, hoping it would work.

[Asa]

Pryll's ears started to ring, but he felt Ayira take his hands, with Vedisca behind her. He started to feel strange, like his shifting was being stopped. Hooray! He thought, I'll be back to normal! But it didn't do that. Suddenly, Pryll disappeared. Pryll felt his atomic structure destabilize, crunbling away. "Ooh," Said the Other, "It's put him back to his original state- a group of gaseous atoms that could alter and morph into any form. Unfortunately, he hasn't been in this form for so long, he can't morph back. However..." He drifted off. He gently pushed Vedisca aside and focused. Sweat started to form on his brow. His heartbeat increased. He started shaking. Hello? It was his magic. "Hey," He said, "It's been a while," You're damn right! His magic laughed, Now what needs doing? Uh, huh. Right, got it. It should be possible...
The Other reached out with his hands and pulled the invisible atoms back into place. Slowly, Pryll started to piece back together, the atoms re-building his human form. Eventually, he was back in full. The Other sat down on the hard earth. And Prylls shifting had stopped. "Listen, Vedisca, or whatever your name is, please don't meddle in areas which you don't understand," He said scornfully, "You could have killed me if my Brother didn't save me. I think your magic could learn a thing or two. But," He said cheerily, "Being in that gaseous form gave me time to think- and I know what was wrong with me. I was in a state of mental confusion- with all the oddities that have been going on lately, I've been confused. Eventually, all that confusion and uncertainty unleashed, making me shift continuously. The short time in nothingness refreshed my brain, but I'll have to be careful not to set it off again. Anyway, I'm sure that you're quite confused here, Vedisca. It's time to come clean," And he described about his life, his problems and his powers.

Asa, who had just appeared outside as the figure had disappeared, was shocked at what he heard. Having just called the Other a nut, he now felt more inclined to believe him, since it wasn't just him to come up with a crazy story. He pulled the Other to one side and asked, "Listen, I've lost my magic, but I believe you know how I can re-obtain it. Do you?"
"Yes, I do. You simply need to make contact with another demon, and walla! You have your magic back. Now if you excuse me..." and he walked off. Asa was worried. His magic had told him to come here. And if by coming here, he would make contact with demons...he went to tell Vedisca of his worries.

[wolfenchantress]

Vedsica watched as the Other put Pryll back together again, stunned into a frozen silence.

What did you do to him? He asked his magic.
I tried to make it stop. Vedsica had a suspicion that if his magic could shrug it would. I didn't exactly know what I was doing, you know.

And to emphasize that point, the moment Pryll was himself again he told Vedsica off for 'meddling where he didn't belong.' Of all the... He bit back a particularly nasty retort.
All I was doing was trying to help! He fumed silently.
To be fair, it's true. You didn't know what you were doing, nor did I, his magic pointed out.
Well, the Other fellow wasn't exactly the most descriptive. All he said was use magic. I have magic. So I used it. They can hardly blame me. Besides, you're the one who advised I should help.
I thought it would help them to think we're good people.
Well, obviously it didn't work.

When Asa approached, he forced himself into a calmer demeanor.
"Make contact with demons?" He said. "That sounds...dangerous. We've met demons before, though, so how bad can it be?"
And remember that it was those demons that brought this upon us.
He ignored his magic and turned away from the other three with a parting glare.
"Do you know where we're supposed to encounter these demons?" He asked.

[Asa]

"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling it's in that cave- we'll have to get in there with help from the weird ones, you know, Pryll and his brother," Asa answered Vedisca, "We should ask them to let us in, then, I'm not sure, but I think we should let them come with us. That Other could provide useful information, while Pryll can shapeshift into something very powerful- maybe even a demon,"

"You want to go in the cave? Why?" Pryll asked,
"I'd just like to look inside," Asa answered, giving nothing away,
"Hmm...I guess we could help you inside. I'd like to stay here, though. I can keep the door open for you,"
"Oh, well, I thought you might want to come with us, you know, to...help?"
"Help? With what? What are you doing in there?" Pryll asked suspiciously. Asa instantly knew that he'd chosen the wrong words.
"Nothing," He replied quickly, "Just thought...you could..." He tried to think of a valid excuse, but nothing sprung to mind. Then, he got one, "I just wanted to get to know you," Pryll was flattered. Someone wanted to get to know him! It wasn't often that he heard that.
"Well, I'd love to come. I'd like to get to know you, too. But I'm already booked. My brother and I are going to talk. I want to learn all about my past. So, I'm sorry, but I'll have to refuse,"

Asa cursed under his breath and went off. So he couldn't at least bring the walking encyclopaedia of knowledge of absolutely everything you could ever wish to know, since he would be with Pryll. He went back to Vedisca and told him that they could go into the cave, but the two brothers couldn't accompany them. He told him to wait for him at the entrance to the caverns then went and found Ayira. He asked her if she'd like to accompany them, for an exploration of the caves. He didn't like lying to her, and if the worst came to worst...he shook the guilty thoughts from his head. Hopefully, she could talk to the demons, then she would be safe. "If you're coming, follow me," And he headed through with Vedisca into the most likely demon-filled caves.

"So," Said Pryll, "Tell me how it all began,"
"We were created in the centre of the universe, just the two of us. We were thrown out into the endless space beyond in the form of gaseous atoms that could transform at will. After years of flying through darkness, we landed at this planet. I was imprisoned beneath the rocks, and you mourned for my passing. Even a group of atoms has feelings. I was the smarter of the two of us, and without me you were lost. You floated round, scatterbrained, so to speak, but you found your muse on a large continent, each divided into different climates despite being so close. This is due to the continent being a place of huge magic. Here, you learned, with the help of magic, to take form. At first it was random shapes, then it was simple creatures, until eventually, you became a basic shape of a Human. You were very strange looking, and had little intelligence. One day, you accidentally killed a man named Pryll Fullfot. He was out hunting and you were scared of him. You were hiding when he came close, and you didn't like it. You took a rock and smashed it over his head. Filled with grief, you used your power and took his form, before blanking out the memory of his death- this damaged your memory forever- and instead, you thought you werePryll Fullfot, and returned to his family and continued on as normal. But you didn't age. Your family saw this and you investigated into it. Then, one night, you re-discovered your power of shapeshifting. You realised you were different. You realised you didn't belong. So you ran away. Slowly, over the centuries, the continent split into separate islands. You explored the world beyond the islands, but always found yourself drawn back to them. There's not much else for me to say, without going into extreme detail," The Other finished.

[wolfenchantress]

Ayria nodded.
"Sure, I'll come with," She said, somewhat uncertainly. She didn't quite know why, but somehow she didn't think this was just an idle walk. She followed Asa over to where Vedsica stood, who glared at her, but in his eyes a strange glint passed for just a second.
What is going on? She thought to herself.

Vedsica didn't like that Asa lied to Ayria, however much he disliked her. He knew that if demons did happen to be inside this cave, there was a good chance she'd die.
Relax, will you? His magic said irritably. He blinked, the only sign that he had heard the magic outwardly. He still, after all this time, found it strange to hear a voice inside his mind, let alone one who could sound irritated.
How can I relax? We're running blind into demon filled caves and are probably going to get Ayria, and possibly ourselves, killed.
You don't like Ayria.
So? It doesn't mean she should die. His magic was silent for a moment.
You could always try and protect her, you know. She doesn't have to be completely ignored.
I know, I know. If she gets attacked of course I will help. But I don't know if just me wielding you alone could help anything.

His magic was silent as they followed Asa into the cave, not knowing what to expect. For all he knew, maybe demons didn't even live here. Maybe nothing would happen.

Ayria followed the two inside the fake wall. She could tell by the tension in the air that this was not at all an exploratory mission, and that they were probably walking into danger. She followed anyways. If they asked her to come, they must have for a reason. She stayed a step behind them, feeling somewhat the intruder, and walked in silence.

[Asa]

Asa continued down the passage, his shrivelled remains of magic waking ever so slightly. Asa looked around the large cave that they had entered. There was a small seat in the centre where, presumably, the Other had been sat. The air was alive with magic, he could feel it. He felt certain he would find demons here. He walked cautiously into the centre of the cavern and sat on the chair. He pondered what to do next. There wasn't any doors that he could see of, but there could be hidden ones. He could just see a small hole in a wall far away. He stood up and jogged over to it. The hole wasn't quite large enough to fit his fist in, but he could trace the inside with his fingers. The inside was dark and he couldn't see that far into it, but it looked like it went a long way. He stepped back as if examining a particularly good painting. There must be something to it he thought, there must be a use for it. He walked back up to it and, to his suprise, he could fit his fist in it. He looked closely at the edges. He could now see that it was very slowly expanding.

Suddenly, there was a shockwave, knocking him to the floor. He looked at the hole. It was now large enough to fit four fists in. From deep inside the cavity, a black, leech-like creature came flying out. It had a round mouth lined with sharp, jagged teeth. It had lots of prickly black hairs. Asa got to his feet and stepped back. The leech landed at his feet and sniffed with an up-turned human nose on the top of it's head. It seemed to grin at Asa and the hairs on it's underside grew longer, lifting it off the ground. The hairs started turning and it moved towards Asa at an incredible speed. Asa turned and ran, but the leech caught up and latched onto his ankle. He toppled over and landed hard on his back. He felt a rush of energy and blasted a white-hot blast of magic at the leech, blowing it to pieces. "Welcome back," Asa said to his magic.
Well done, his magic said to him, You did well to make all the right decisions. In fact the best decision you made was probably bringing the girl on this expedition. She will be of use later,
Asa smiled. It was good to have his magic back. "Vedisca," He shouted, "My magic's back!" As he said that the hole in the wall, now a lot bigger, was starting to flood with more of the leech-like creatures. There were hundereds all pouring out, sniffing the air, and speeding towards them on their extended hairs.

Asa reacted swiftly, firing shots of white energy at the oncoming horde. When they hit, they exploded, disintergrating the one it his directly and setting alight the nearby ones with pure white fire. He sent out a shockwave, knocking them back and slowing them down. One leapt into the air straight towards his face. He ducked and made it hover in mid-air. He filled the wriggling beast with magic, then fired it into the crowd. It exploded on impact, shredding a fair few to pieces. "Vedisca," He yelled, firing a ball of electricity at the swarm of demons, "I need you to construct a barrier around us, quickly!" Asa was straining from the effort of keeping them at bay. He swept his arm in a wide arc, magically slicing the leg-hairs off the oncoming wave. The others behind them charged on, ignoring the immobilised demons that they were crawling over. "Vedisca, I need that barrier NOW!"

[wolfenchantress]

Vedsica could feel magic in the air. That was obvious. But it wasn't until the first leech thing flew out that he suspected that there were demons in the room. He sighed and cast a quick look over to Ayria, who was frozen in complete shock. Good. Stay there, they might not go for you, he thought, before sending a blast of liquid ice at one of the leech demons that froze on contact. Another shoved past it and it fell, shattering into pieces on the floor.

More surrounded them, moving with a terrifying speed that didn't seem quite possible. He was so concentrated on fending them off that it took him a second to heat Asa's shout for a barrier.
A barrier? He thought. How am I supposed to make that? I know how to attack with magic, but not...
Just think about doing it, and you can. I will help. Do it, now, or everyone in here will die! His magic snapped. He obeyed. He dropped to his knees, placing both hands on the floor, and directing his magic into a dome around them. He shaped it into a sphere - who knew if these things could dig under a dome shield? and infused the crackling lightning walls with ice as well as fire, so the three elements swirled like deadly liquid that covered them, a transparent layer. Next, he added a buffer of air to the inside of the shield, so if anyone inside it touched the walls they wouldn't be killed by the shield. He fought to get the three elements to coexist without canceling each other out - holding the shield up was harder than he imagined it would be, but he knew he had to keep at it. He closed his eyes, concentrating - but it was draining him at an alarming rate because of the complexity of the barrier.

Ayria watched in terror. Magic? Demons? Why had they taken her along? As a sacrifice, or as bait, maybe? She watched the shield go up, and was impressed as well as grateful. She didn't know exactly why she was here. So she sat still, watching.

[Asa]

Asa watched, impressed. Vedisca had put up a formidable barrier and there was no doubt that the barrier would hold. The only doubt was in if Vedisca would hold. Asa watched him straining from the effort of holding the element-filled shield in place. "Keep it up, Ved," He said, trying to help himself recover some of his magic. One of the leeches flung itself through the air at the barrier. It collided, making a hole, "Vedisca, I need it to stay full. I can keep a few holes in check, but any more and we'll be overun," More of the demons jumped through the hole. Asa frazzled them with bolts of lightning then magically lifted their smoking corpses and placed them over the hole. He burst a volt of magic into them and they turned into part of the barrier. He saw another flying towards the shield threatening to put a hole in it, so he impaled it with a pin-sized prick of energy, so the hole that he created was minimal in size. Quickly, he rushed over to Vedisca and started to help him maintain the barrier. "Okay. We've got what we wanted- my magic- now what?" Asa whispered to Vedisca, "They don't seem to be stopping. We need an escape plan. I doubt we can outrun them, since they seem to be quicker than us. And in such numbers...anyway, the only solutions I can think of is try and leave the shield up unnatended- if it would work--" No, it wouldn't his magic cut in, "Okay, scratch that, it won't work. In that case, theres only my other alternative- sacrifice the girl. It's the only other way I can think of. She'd delay them whilst we run to safety--" Fool! his magic interrupted again, do you think Pryll would take kindly to it if you came back without her? He's become very close with her- he would kill you if you caused her death. Even if you lied to him, his brother would tell you were lying. Sacrificing Ayira is out of the question. "Okay, scratch that, too. I'm out of ideas- it's your call,"

[wolfenchantress]

Vedsica listened to Asa, breathing heavily. He dripped sweat, his arms shook with the effort of maintaining the barrier, of strengthening the parts of the barrier that the slug things were about to his to prevent more holes.
He didn't answer Asa, not right away. He turned his thoughts inward, where his magic was at its best. It could keep this barrier going for hours, it was just his body that couldn't take it.
What can we do... I don't know! He thought, exasperated. I can't go like this forever!

Unless... His magic prompted.

Unless...? suddenly the thought clicked into place, no doubt placed there with some help from the magic. He was having trouble thinking.
"Asa...you need to trust me. I can't explain, I don't have the energy to right now. I'm going to move the shield over the opening of the cave in here, and you're going to take Ayria and leave. I can handle these demons, I promise." With that, he made the shield move, so the opening to the cavern was within it.

His plan was simple, really. He was going to let his magic take over his body, and then he was going to kill these slugs. The outcome he hoped for was that he would kill them and manage to get out. The worst was that he'd bring the room down and kill himself.
Are you sure you want to do this? His magic asked. Remember, if your soul isn't strong enough to take your body back I will stay in control. I can't just give it back, that's not the way it works.
What about last time? When I was out of my body? I didn't have to fight for it then.
that was different. You were still in control by me, that thread of magic that kept your spirit in contact with your body was me, and I also kept you in control. I can't this time if I'm to help.
...FIne. If I don't , all three of us will die. So get on with it! I can't hold this barrier forever!
One more thing to remember. When magic gets its own body....
Vedsica clenched his teeth. Hurry UP! he cut it off.

To Asa and Ayria, he snapped, "Go! Please, trust me...I can handle this, and in about ten seconds I'm going to lost control of this thing!" Proving his point, the barrier wavered, flickering momentarily.