NaNoWriMo 10.5

Written in the same night as 10 2830

He could feel rough patches in the wall, felt where paint was and had been, could smell the dust that covered everything- including the flaking paint that was covering his hands like pigmented snow. It was said that in some of the highest mountains, it fell as blue, but somehow he doubted that this kind had been seen anywhere. The light from the globe shrank quickly, as the bugs began to die. He reached in and picked out two of them so the others would not be exposed to the rot and death of their comrades, so that they would have more room and air andwold live longer. It was the least he could do, so that he would not be in the formless night again. Rough edges of... something... brshd his fingertips. It fel different. It wasn't paint, nor the rough stone of the walls, though still stone. He traced the outline, his eyes straining against the othingness that was threatening to swallow him. A door? Where had this been! He pushed against it, hearing it scrape against the flagstones of the floor, but not wanting to give up, no matter what was on the other side of his. He strained his body, and it moved further, little by little, inch by inch. It was slow going, but eventually he could see a faint light spilling from around the edges, spilling into where he was. It hurt his eyes more than the twinklebugs had, but he merely closed his lids so that he could keep going. If he paused then the door would fall back into place under its own weight, trapping him once more.

He could feel a sweat breaking out by the time he managed to get it open enough to slip through. He edged as close as he could to the opening, making sure there was enough room for him to slip through without getting crushed between it and the wall, or in the doorway, as was like to happen as not. It was a grim thought, but the faint grey light encouraged him on. A deep breath, and Kirn ent for it, pressing himself against the wall as he was unable to open the door enough to step into the room in front of him as fully as he was able. It swung closed behind him, scratching up his back, but that was not the important thing to him. The cool, wet breeze that cradled his skin was. His eyes were watering against the light, but he didn't want to let go of the sight. Wherever he was, it was someplace that he had never heard of before in tale or legend, or history or geography. This was some sort of palace that he had entered, and if anyone had heard of this, it would have been telling.

The slender hallway he entered faced some sort of solarium, where four wings met in the center, and a skylight opened up into the world beyond. Only grewy light filtered through. It must have been a cloudy day here (odd since it had most definitely been sunny when he had disappeared from the forest), and fog rose from the sunken center area, where a large and twusted tree grew, the color of his skin. It was odd to see it in another living being, especially one that seemed to eschew such colors and existed in such vibrancy. As he walked towards it, his eyes catching the sight of mouldering tapestries that lay on the floor and paintings in crude but vibrant colors that covered the walls, he wondered where this was. It was not the world he had come from, that was for sure. However, the only beings that could create such a place could be the sylphs- and they did not leave ruins like this, Did they? Few lived to tell tales of such places, and sylph nations were not places that one just wandered into. They were often closely guarded and manned, and most who attempted such were gruesomely illed, their remains left as warning for others who would think to do the same. This place, however, reeked of age and neglect.

Could it be that the ones here had been wiped out? By the Greenies that they had fallen in league with, perhaps? No, greenies didn't have the ability to Pass like elves and other, more elf-like creatures. Like humans. His head whipped around, looking for some sign that perhaps Nia was here, perhaps had passed by... there were tracks in some mud that pooled in a little corner of the hallway, but they were animal tracks, as near as he could tell. The closer he got to the center of the hallways, the wotse the floor got, cracked and crumbling. Vines and ivy reached up the walls, striving to conquer the stone that dared defy it and stay where it was. It was almost ready to fall into the center area, when he was close enough to look over. To his surprise, he realized that this was two stories high- he could vaguely see other entrances down there, through a fog that seemed to crawl and slither up the stones towards the second floor.

He couldn't see any sign of anyone else, though, and that was more than disheartening. Where could she possibly be? Or perhaps they had ended up in two different places? Kirn wasn't well-versed in the tricks and magics of the old races such as sylphs, as they were enemies and to be avoided at all costs. He didn't even know much about humans, for that matter, but sylphs went far beyond that in obscurity. He stepped back, and waited for something that could tell him where she was. If she was able to be heard or seen anywhere here- this place seemed to have been built entirely of stone, and it had been hard enough for him to get out of that hallway. That he had made it here was a miracle in and of itself! Perhaps she had been far unluckier in her area of reappearance.

It also gave him time to think about what had hapened and how he had gotten here. Old stories told of getting to these places by tunnels or the like, placed in odd places, some in fruit, some in rocks, others in trees and nests. Whatever they were, though, they were Other Places. Not like normal ones, for entire cities could not be held in a normal nest, right enough! These were places to hide things, and the Sylphs loved to do that. They were odd to begin with, loving to play tricks, loving to hide away and be found, but when the King had discouraged the races to mix, they went from odd but prankful into downright spiteful. They went to old enemies, went to destroy old friends. And created these Other spaces, so that they could hide away and rest, and go to wage war another day. He supposed the lantern appearing was a leftover magic, something that let the sylph that entered know that they were welcome. Too bad there really was no welcome. Perhaps that was for the best, though.

He glanced around him at a rustle, then realizd it had come from below. He peered over, slwoly, hardly daring to breath to try and hear what was below. A shreik, decisively inhuman, met his efforts. A startled cry, and he covered his ears as he backed away from the center. A dark-winged creature was rising from the mist slowly, and Kirn was not about to wait for it to get any higher up! He started running down a different hallway. The latern was left behind, useless, as he hoped that he would be lucky enoug to escape with his life. THere was little else to hope for, in this place. A door, made from the differently- colored and textured stone than the mansion (possibly a palace, dependoing on how old it was) appeared to his right. He slammed his body against it. While it was going to leave a rather nasty fbruise for the next day, he felt ift give way more easily beaneath him than he thought it would. It was no small relief to have it shut behind him. Thankfully, this place had a sundow to the outside, and with the light that filtered in through dirtied and broken windows, he could make out this was a sitting room, an entrance to somebody's living quarters. The wood was rotting, and the cloth for the most part had mouldered away. He could feel the soft remains squishing beneath his feet as he ventured forward, hoping that he would encouter something more friendly and less dangerous than whatever had been in the solarium. He could hear it's wingbeats as it flew on past, seeking out it's mean with a few clicks and screetches.

Kirn was relieved that it would have no luck finding him today. His sword was now drawn, and he tested the weight in his hands. This would have to do- there were probably weapons of some sort here, but it would be dangerous to use them,e ven if they were not long-rusted and ruined. He could hear nothing from the next room, so hoping against hope, his hand pushed against the next door. It slid open far more easily than expected- the sylphs must have had dwarves help them with these, though their work had been unused for so long and most of it had started to fall into disrepair. Only dwarves could make doors like these, with no apparent hinges and light enough that one such as him could have no trouble. This room had once been a bedroom. He could see where the posts had once stood, and the few carvings that weren't worn away by time or things that ate such woods stared at him, strange and eerie. They were not ones that he was familiar with. They must live here in the Other Place, he reasoned, though that was no comfort. He would probably have to deal with them soon enough, and not knowing what they were would make them more difficult to defeat.

Piles of what once had been furnishings and clothes were in heaps, but it wasn't untidy. None of the ruin he had seen had been such unless it was simply by not being used. It was as if it had simply been abandoned. But why would the Sylphs do such a thing? There was no purpose to it, and whatever this place was, it had been built with great skill and care. His eyes strayed to the window in this room, which had been left open. Dangerous, yes, but he had to see. He slid foreward, long-gone floor coverings almost ticking his feet, in this place where the memory of things long past was so strong. He could hardly wonder that there was anything left but the stone. There was no sound or movement but the wind, but it lacked the creepy whistling that the forest had, which had turned out to not be the wind but the calls of the greenies that were about to attack. No sounds were prefferable, since the danger of them being signals to attack was high. He eyed the world outside. Fog and mist covered this Other Place. It was an empty town, large, at one point obviously bustling, but now left to the ravages of time.

It was a mystery as to why it was here, and one that he desperately wanted to know. It had saved his life, after all, but also... to know about it meant to know how to escape it. That was something he was unsure of at this point. He stepped back, unwilling to stay close to the window for too long. Back to the other room, glancing at the remains of what had to have been scrolls (what some people would give to be able to read them! He would be able to buy back his belongings and tools ten times over, but alas, these were in far too poor condition for anyone to read). Another door on the other side caught his eyes, and he went to push it in, too. There was a light scuffling noise. He paused, holding his sword at ready. Whatever it was, he would kill it. That he was certain of. He would kill it before it killed him, and he would feast on its flesh! THere was no creature that would stop him!

It only took a moment and a deep breath for him to gain the courage to slam the door open- thankfully, it opened as smoothly as the first one- and went in, his eyes scanning for the danger. It was coming at him, a blur of brown and white, spreading it's claws out wide. His sword went into and through it, and a scream emitted from it. From her. He felt the weight of her body on his sword as his mouth opened. The only sound he could make was a groan, as the horror of what had happened filtered into his brain. The creature he had seen with his fear-addled mind turned into a slight figure, dirtied robes clinging to her, but flowing out when she saw him and rushed towards him, a smile on her face as the crown of white hair streamed behind her.

She was crying, lying on the ground and clutching at her side. Kirn started at her in shock, utterly useless and unable to do anything except watch, studying her, making sure she was really the little Priestess that he had vowed to protect and take to camp. This was no trick- Nia lay there on the floor, and when Kirn finally was able to do something, her dirtied, brown robed were slowly staining a dark red, as was the floor around her. The sword clanged on the floor, and she let out another scream of pain as he lifted and turned her, needing to see where the wound was and how bad it was, The robes ripped in his hands as he tugged on them, looking at it, and needing to get a better view. THey were in his way, and that would not do. A hiss of air between his teeth, as he drew in a sharp breath. His heart and stomach sank to the floor. This was as bad as anything he'd seen, fairly deel but only cutting her side. She needed this stitched up immediately.

He flet around on himself, hoping for a needle, as his eyes glaced around. His gaze alighted on something that would do in a pinch- it was a pile of steel settings, what looked to be what was left of a clock. His fingers fan over and through the gears. If he was lucky... if he was lucky.... Ah! A spring! He pulled it from the pile and glanced at it. This would do! It had started to rust in a few places. It was steel, though, and hardier than most other metals. It would do for now- it would have to do. Otherwise, there was no hope. She straightened it out the best he could, then glanced down at his own shirt. Something to swe her up with... only one thing would do! He pulled out the string for a bow. While Kirn himself was not trained as one specifically, he had been trained to use one in an emergency, and this was something every soldier carried on them. Who knew what would happen in an emergency! While it was a rough solution, without it she would bleed to death. As it was, Nia was looking pratty pale- and with her complexion, that was no small feat. he untied her belt and folded it, making sure that she wouldn't bite off her tongue by placing it in her mouth.

With that he gathered the flesh , pressed it together- the slick feeling of blood making it dangerously likely he would lose his grip and stab herin the wrong place- and began to sew. He glanced at the window that was also in this room - was there no place here that was protected from the elements?- and could see nothing eyeing them from the outside. Even if there were, there was nothing he could do about it at this point. His fingers worked their magic, as unskilled as it was, to let her see another day. If they got out of this place, at least. Small whimpers were escaping, as were tears. She was definitely cring. Kirn wanted to stop and make the pain stop, but if he didn't, then it would all be for nothing. He coudn't do that. It was no small relief when he was able to stop and tie the string. Nia had gone limp by then, from the pain, probably some exhaustion. But at least she was not in pain while she was unconcious.

He rested his bloodied hand on her forehead, pushing aside her hair so that he could look on her sleeping face. It was a comfort to him right now, and that was something he wasn't going to give up easily. His red hands stained the white strands of hair equally red, giving her a look that was not dissimilar to that of the punks that ran around the capital back home. A small smile escaped. He wondered how she would take that comparison. Of course, that it was blood spoke to something far more serious than simple rebellion...

This was a dangerous place to stay while she healed. Her blood was on the floor, and the wound was still oozing, though he had done his best to patch her up. She would need time, and rest, and the work of her elvish heritage to help her through this. For now... perhaps the hall where he had first come from? Nothing seemed to be there, and he would likely have been attacked if it were. The issue would be that creature from before. Was it lying out there in wait for him? Anticipating his next move? What else was he going to do, though? He took his sword back into its sheath and lifted the girl into his arms. She looked quite young like this, helpless, in a deep and possibly escapeless slumber.

His ear pressed against the door that he had entered the set of rooms from. He heard nothing out there, nothing to indicate a living presence. That might mean nothing here, especially with doors made of stone. He set Nia down right noxt to it, in a position to be grabbed easily and run with if so necessary. He leaned into the door, and it swung open more smoothly and before, almost as well as the inner chamber doors had. His eyes saw nothing as they gazed into the hallway. There was... nothing, though the hallway faded into darkness as it went father from the skylight. His eyes studied the center area. He saw no movement in the fog that threatened to escape the bowl that cradled the old tree. his hand reached down to grasp his ward. Then his hand jerked back- he had forgotten fopr a moment that he could not pull or tug her. That would pull the stitches out, and the renewed blleding would certainly bring something their way, whether they were aware of them right at the moment or not! He bent down, taking his eyes off the main area of the palace for a moment.

When he turned back, there, at the dark end of the hallway, was the beast. He froze, Nia in his arms, unstirring, but most definitely appearing to be a snack to whatever it was. It was humanoid, covered in a dark orange fur, and with two great wings upon it's back. They reminded him of butterfly wings, but the orange and crimson pattern looked far more insidious than those. It's head swung around, enlarged nostrils sniffing at the air. It's eyes were a pale, sightless blue, but still managed to pierce his soul when they met his. He felt dizzy, more frightened than he had a right to be, and though the girl in his arms was not to be jostled or moved quickly, he found himself doing exactly that. His footsteps pounded through the hall, echoing and deep. The creature let out a loud shriek and a few clicks, and took to the air. Its wings pounded the air steadily. It wasn't a fast pace, but it didn't need to be- it was able to cover a lot of distance with one wingbeat.

That distance was a curse to Kirn as his footing faltered over the cracked and dangerously crumbling rocks that were what was left of the floor. He could hardly believe that there was any way out from this situation. The door that he had come from was... was... open? He couldn't believe it. Almost didn't, but he could hear the wingbeats behind him and they were the same tempo as his heartbeat, and all that he could do was dive in and pray that they would be safe. Thankfully, that was exactly how it worked out. The door closed behind him as he stumbled nad bumped into it, and that left him and Nia in the dark, with no way to see, and no discernable escape. After all, the door had been open. But who had opened it, and why? He waited for someone to say something, to reach out and kill them, perhaps, but it never happened.