The Adventure Continues

The excavation was complete.
Styx nodded grimly, a peculiar smile on his face. He was deep inside the blue mountain, very nearly at the center. Wraith was here, somewhere. He could sense her somewhere within. With unusual determination he broke through the final wall into the central cavern.
All was dark. There was a chamber, disproportionately large compared to the exterior of the mountain. It curved up, overhead to a shallow pointed dome. From the very center of the ceiling hung a tiny figure from a silvery strand, wrapped in what appeared to be a cocoon.
Then, suddenly, there was light.
A gargantuan spiderlike creature stared down at Styx with hungry eyes. He backed against the wall nervously. The creature took a step forward. It smiled wickedly and growled.

Meanwhile,

Far to the south, Prophet and Lank stood before the Chasm, staring across to the other side. "Is there a way around it?" asked Lank. Without waiting for an answer (he already knew there was none) he looked around for a means of crossing it. Nearby were several trees. Lazily he plucked one from the ground. An extensive root system blossomed beneath it, stretching longer and longer as he pulled. At last he brought it to the edge of the Chasm and laid it across. Instantly the roots contracted and the tree zipped back across the ground and into its hole, as though it had never moved. Then it shot out again, bounding to the edge of the Chasm and hurling itself across, before moving back again. This repeated again and again.
"Well," said Prophet, "that is interesting." He pulled a comically large nail from his pocket and placed it on the ground before the Chasm, securing it with a large black magnet. The tree threw itself down on the nail, shuddered, then pulled itself off as before, spraying a stream of watery sap. "Well, that didn't work," Prophet muttered, slipping the nail into the magnet and back into his pocket.
Lank stared. "Do you seriously have a nail that fits inside a magnet?"
Prophet looked down and shrugged. "Yeah."
"How do you get it back out again?"
"It's not easy."
"Anyway." Lank looked back at the tree falling across the Chasm again. "I'm sure we can still use this to get across. Ought to be fun."

Meanwhile,

Styx hung from the ceiling, suspended by a strand of webbing. Wraith dangled beside him. "It's a velocarachnid, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Shit. I had no idea they got so big..." He shook his head and watched the behemoth pacing below. "Well... I guess this is it, then."
There was a bright flash and a rumble. Seconds later Skeleton screamed out of the tunnel in full battle armor. The velocarachnid rumbled around to face him. They stared each other down. "This creature may not be defeated [by ordinary means]," said Skeleton. "I will [attempt to] rescue you." Then he charged, striking the beast on the head with his hammer. The crash reverberated throughout the cavern, but the monster did not appear to feel it. It laughed. Skeleton flew up and slashed at the strings holding up Wraith. When they snapped she dropped like a stone... straight into the mouth of the velocarachnid.
"No!" whispered Styx. He dared not say it any louder.
But Skeleton was underneath, slicing carefully through the skin on the creature's belly. After several long, agonizing seconds of cutting Wraith fell out, coughing, crying and slime-covered. Again, the creature did not appear to notice. It stretched up its neck and swallowed Styx, who promptly fell out of the same hole into Skeleton's arms. Skeleton held the two siblings and rocketed back out the tunnel, spinning through the air as the delighted Wraith laughed.

The three landed near Styx's home in the forest. Skeleton turned to Wraith. "Where will you go? [You may not stay here.]"
Wraith sniffed, wiping the last of the tears from her face. "Maybe I'll go west. Find a home there. The Hanging Forests sound nice."
Skeleton nodded. He turned and raised himself off the ground. "Thank you," said Styx.
The pale alter looked back. "[Do not expect me to help you again.]" Then he left.
(Note: This final message translates badly to written word. A more accurate representation of its meaning could be written as: "Expect nothing." This corresponds to an wordless saying we have, meaning "Anything might happen, or then again it might not." This is why most of the Nine have decided to retain the English language for narrative sessions, as it is easier to communicate to outsiders than Skeleton's brand of thought/speech.)
The two siblings watched Skeleton leave. Then Wraith hurled herself at Styx and embraced him, whispering happy nothings into his ear. She kissed him softly then scampered away, up the mountain. After a minute of climbing she found an alcove just wide enough to curl up in. She clambered in to test for size, then sat cheerily on the ledge with her legs swinging before falling asleep against the wall. Styx watched her warily for a minute before returing to his own bed for a rest.

Meanwhile,

Across the Chasm, the rocks Lank and Prophet marched across gradually faded from a deep red to a dirty brown. There was silence for awhile. Suddenly Lank pointed. "There, you see that?" he yelled excitedly. In the distance lay a small, crumbling castle. The pair hurried towards it. Suddenly from the ground in front of them burst a dark, round head. They stopped short, then leaped to the side. The Dark Serpent licked the air, then lifted up and plunged into the earth a short distance away. Its body stretched out behind it, growing wider and thinner like a flatworm before suddenly disappearing, as though it had been cut in half.
There was silence for a moment. Prophet lifted his head. "Do you suppose-"
"The only person who's ever killed a Mindworm," Lank inturrupted, "was God Himself. We don't stand a chance." The pair looked up and gulped. They turned back to the castle. All across the plain were long, thin holes not unlike the one the Serpent had just made. They looked at each other. "Come on," said Lank. "Our sister needs us." They set off.

Sometimes I have waking dreames that Skeleton fuses with the haich. Sometimes they turn into a wise and powerful Defender. Other times they turn into a rampaging monster. I wonder if these are really dreams, or if we're picking up images of Skeleton's experiments. It's fair to say we don't know what the two of them are doing up there. If they are trying to merge, the results in either case will be... spectacular.

Tomorrow is the last day of classes. Then, exams. Two on monday, one on tuesday (and then half a day of waiting because there's no way to get home). I need to study. Math and Anthro shouldn't be too bad, but a lot of Biology went right over my head these past months.

It turns out I can't go to Danica's baptism. We have a first aid course all day on sunday. I feel horrible. Bitter. Cheated. It reminds me of when they handed back the forms for the New York trip, cheques attached, no explanation given. Another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, gone forever. This time hurts more, somehow. I guess it was more important to me than any silly school trip. And I won't be there.
It's strange, though. Here's a terrible event that I can in no way twist around to somehow be my fault. I don't really know how to deal with it. It's just sitting there, a deep pocket of loss and regret.
I... I feel awful about it. I said I wouldn't miss it. I'm so sorry...

Mandy
A script interlude from the latest Lit project.
Scene Zero

Scene: Warm, comfortable office. There are large shelves stacked with books and a desk with a computer. Center stage is a table with comfortable chairs on either side. There is a door to the right and a closet to the left. The lights are dim, virtually twilight. MANDY is curled up on one of the chairs, weeping softly to herself. BETH enters from the right.


BETH: Mandy? MANDY sits up, drawing breath, hastily wiping tears from her eyes. Oh... are you all right?

MANDY: I'm fine, Beth, I'm fine. Sniffs.

BETH: Oh... well, I just came to tell you Moe's here. We've been looking for you for awhile. Didn't expect to find you here. Pause. I brought coffee. If you're interested.

MANDY: Oh... Thank you.

BETH: Are you sure you're fine?

Lights up.

MANDY: No, not really.

BETH: What? Why?

MANDY: It's... well, I'm worried about Moe. I'm not sure I'm comfortable talking to him.

BETH: Don't be silly. You've been seeing him for months, how can he possibly scare you now?

MANDY: I’ve never felt safe around him. He’s big, and he acts threatening. He’s frightening…

BETH: Don’t be silly. You’re a big girl. You’re supposed to be able to deal with people like this all the time. Come on, what's the real reason?

MANDY: Well... it's also David. Pause. Everything's... Everything's not all right.

BETH: Are you having problems? It's not that uncommon among recent couples. I'm sure you'll get over it soon enough.

MANDY: It's not... well... last night, we got into an argument, and… he hit me. Lightly touches shoulder. I don't know...

BETH: Mandy, listen to yourself.

MANDY: What?

BETH: I've known David for just as long as you, and he's not the abusive type, okay?

MANDY: But... but he hit me. That's bad, isn't it?

BETH: Look. I know you're upset at the moment, but it's just a phase. You two are going to live long and happy lives together, okay? And in the meantime you've got a responsibility to take care of your patients. Responsibility, Mandy, remember what that means? Moe’s waiting outside for you. Isn't he more important than this?

MANDY: I... I guess so, Beth. I'm sorry.

Lights dim.

MANDY: I'm sure, Beth. I'm sure.

BETH: Well... if you're sure. Pause Shall I send him in?

MANDY: Moe? Oh, yes, yes, please. Thank you.

BETH: Starts to leave. You’re not overworking yourself again, are you?

MANDY: Not at all. I’m perfectly all right. Besides, I have patients to look after.

BETH: I just think maybe you should take some time-

MANDY: I said I’m fine!

BETH exits, casting worried looks back at MANDY. MANDY brushes hair out of her eyes, takes deep breaths. Sighs softly.