Post by skullwhite on Jan 18, 2007 8:14:04 GMT -5
It had taken two months for the kelpie to regain use of his human form. Two months he'd struggled and worked harder than ever before in his extensive life, except maybe that few weeks when that idiot Morphie had him hauling stones to build his palace. And now, in the thick of winter, he was more exhausted than he would have been usually. Normally he spent winters in his third form, freezing into whatever body of water he happened to be in. This year was different. He didn't know why he was not frozen in the disgusting crater that the humans called a lake, and he especially didn't know why he was here of all places.
Diadem had once been a grand and imposing fortress. During his short time here before the shadows fell, he'd become quite familiar with the place. Memories swarmed him, denser than mosquitoes and infinetly more annoying. He moved through what was left of the upper floors. He found Evie's old room, crumbling into disrepair. The trinkets and baubles she'd collected scattered across the room, many of them hopelessly smashed. He recalled many pleasant hours here.
Time to move on. The below ground levels seemed more stable. As he moved through the dungeons he remebered the piteous wailing of some of the captives who found themselves here. He remembered the crippled blonde girl who he rescued. Not that it did any good. Last the kelpie'd heard Fenrir had gotten her. Maybe she was better off as Unknown's victim, he thought.
On his way out of the dungeons, he caught his reflection in a pool of water. Ice obscured the edges, but the man it reflected was older and rougher looking than Skullwhite remembered being. The eyes were still the same gold-green like the sunlight that filtered through the trees and reflected off the lake. Now, however, one of his eyes had a scar running throught it. The scar was fainter now, but still clearly visible. Skullwhite splashed the water with his hoof-like boot and continued.
He'd need to come up with a new alias before he went anywhere near Drakborough, the Tunnel or Firefox. That meant he was stuck here because he wasn't going back to the woods. No human food meant grazing in horse form or drowning animals again and most animals were hibernating this time of year. Besides, his third form was no good in cold weather, he moved slower and sometimes, if he had to stay still for too long, it froze.
He continued his wandering until his explorations led him to a room he could use. It was small, but it had four walls, a roof and a door. Borrowing a few mostly intact furnishings from upstairs, he put a bed, a table, and a chest of drawers in the room. Never mind that he had nothing to put in the drawers, nor anything to put on the table. He had a plan. He would pose as a human. No more Nymph Woods for him. His magic was as good as any wizard's or witch's. He'd live here for a while, then in the spring, when he was ready, he'd assume a new life under a new alias. Maybe he could pass himself off as a water elementalist. and living in the ruins of Diadem was a stroke of genius. It's wasn't like anyone ever came here anyway.
Diadem had once been a grand and imposing fortress. During his short time here before the shadows fell, he'd become quite familiar with the place. Memories swarmed him, denser than mosquitoes and infinetly more annoying. He moved through what was left of the upper floors. He found Evie's old room, crumbling into disrepair. The trinkets and baubles she'd collected scattered across the room, many of them hopelessly smashed. He recalled many pleasant hours here.
Time to move on. The below ground levels seemed more stable. As he moved through the dungeons he remebered the piteous wailing of some of the captives who found themselves here. He remembered the crippled blonde girl who he rescued. Not that it did any good. Last the kelpie'd heard Fenrir had gotten her. Maybe she was better off as Unknown's victim, he thought.
On his way out of the dungeons, he caught his reflection in a pool of water. Ice obscured the edges, but the man it reflected was older and rougher looking than Skullwhite remembered being. The eyes were still the same gold-green like the sunlight that filtered through the trees and reflected off the lake. Now, however, one of his eyes had a scar running throught it. The scar was fainter now, but still clearly visible. Skullwhite splashed the water with his hoof-like boot and continued.
He'd need to come up with a new alias before he went anywhere near Drakborough, the Tunnel or Firefox. That meant he was stuck here because he wasn't going back to the woods. No human food meant grazing in horse form or drowning animals again and most animals were hibernating this time of year. Besides, his third form was no good in cold weather, he moved slower and sometimes, if he had to stay still for too long, it froze.
He continued his wandering until his explorations led him to a room he could use. It was small, but it had four walls, a roof and a door. Borrowing a few mostly intact furnishings from upstairs, he put a bed, a table, and a chest of drawers in the room. Never mind that he had nothing to put in the drawers, nor anything to put on the table. He had a plan. He would pose as a human. No more Nymph Woods for him. His magic was as good as any wizard's or witch's. He'd live here for a while, then in the spring, when he was ready, he'd assume a new life under a new alias. Maybe he could pass himself off as a water elementalist. and living in the ruins of Diadem was a stroke of genius. It's wasn't like anyone ever came here anyway.