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Ashildr leaned against
Ashildr leaned against the car, trying to keep up a calm facade while staring at her cell phone. She had gotten it precisely for this purpose, really: that when the time came, she would be able to lean against something, plug in her earbuds, and text like she was some high schooler in Starbucks.
Luckily, it was only about nine o'clock, and nobody was asleep at that time. Ashildr was able to have a very realistic conversation as she waited. Hey, Ash, what's up? U shud come over tomorrow: we're having spaghetti.
Nah, won't be able to make it. We're going to a movie.
Cool, which one?
Dad's an Emma Watson fanatic.
Say no more.
Well, at least she had appropriate friends.
"Honey, are you doing okay?" Ashildr looked up at the officer, who was bending slightly to be face to face with her. "I know this is rather traumatic for you."
"I'm fine," she replied, shrugging with a teenage air.
"Good. Then you won't mind if I ask a few questions."
"Fire away." She had prepared for this.
"What's your full name?"
"Aishling Luna O'Brien. I'm Irish."
"What about your father's?"
"Michael William O'Brien." That wasn't true. His name was Áed.
"Where were you two headed?"
"We were going to the movies in the strip mall up ahead, to see Beauty and the Beast." That was, technically speaking, true. They were going to hide in the movie theater.
"Thank you. I'll come back if I need to ask you anything else." Ashildr noticed the obvious lack of what happened? She, of course, had an answer ready, but it wasn't needed. The smashed driver's-side window, cowering daughter, and beaten father showed it all.
They hadn't made it. Somehow, their chasers had missed Ashildr, but there was still the matter of her father. Dead, the medics had said. Rediculous, Ashildr knew. All she had to do was get to him and everything would be fine.
Everyone there was very distracted. The flashing lights and CAUTION tape sent even the policemen into a panic. This was a small town; nothing like this had ever happened before, and there was only so much you could do. That made it much easier for Ashildr to sneak right up to her father's body and wrench his jaws open.
"Taispeáin dom má tá sé ina chónaí," she whispered. "Ostende mihi vivit."
A thick white smoke billowed from her mouth and down his throat, spiralling and contracting, writhing as it entered its new host. But it soon billowed, overflowed, and poured out of his mouth again. "No. Impossible. Taispeáin dom má tá sé ina chónaí. Ostende mihi vivit. Ostende mihi vivit!"
No matter how many times she repeated the spell, it was painfully obvious.
Her father was dead.
Ashildr wrenched open the backseat door, crawling into the car and hefting out one of the cushions. There was a messenger bag there, smushed from being hidden so long, but ready if she ever had to flee. Ashildr snatched it up, slung it over her shoulder, and got out of the car again, sprinting into the woods.
When she was far enough away, she pulled out a flashlight from the bag and rummaged around for the notebook. That was the most important thing, bigger than even the map. If the notebook was not there, all was lost.
She breathed a sigh of relief as her hands closed around its hard leather surface, pulling out the brown-binded book and flipping it open. Her father's handwriting had not changed in thousands of years: it was still almost impossible to decipher. Still, she only needed to refresh her memory, not learn anything anew.
____
THE CONTENTS OF THE NOTEBOOK
On your travels, you will encounter many creatures, and it is essential that you know how to recognize them, and battle them if need be. Know that all magical creatures are either immortal or undead, so the methods for defeating them must be followed to the letter. The rarities are from one to five, one being the rarest and five the most common. Please be careful, my darling. Remember, every magical creature can transform themselves to look human, so be alert at all times.
Species: Dragon
Rarity: 1 - there are many of us in this world, but almost all are hibernating and healing. I doubt you will come across another waking dragon on your travels.
Types: Riding (that is you, my dear - designed for others to fly on, red-scaled); hunting (as I am, made to seek out prey and capture it, blue-scaled); fighting (the most dangerous of all, I pray that you do not meet one of these vicious creatures on your quest, black-scaled); breeding (like your mother, made purely to keep the species alive. Beware - they have a violent streak, purple-scaled).
Powers: Fire-breathing, flight, impenetrability (do not let anyone get under your scales or you shall be truly doomed).
Identifying features: long, claw-like nails; wild hair; short build. It is possible they may show you their wings, but unlikely.
Weaknesses: If you ever find yourself fighting a dragon, get your claws under their scales before they get under yours. You are agile and quick, like all of your type; most other dragons are slow, but harder to breach the defenses of. Fighting dragons do not have scales on their stomachs, so if you do find yourself battling one, get under them. Just remember: this lack of scales makes them the quickest of the dragons, so beware.
Immortality: It is impossible to kill a dragon, as you know. But we can be mortally injured, and fall alseep to heal our wounds. This happened to you when you attempted to join the American Revolution, do you recall? You slept through much of the Western Expansion. Remember that dragons are one of the oldest species on this planet, and can come from as long ago as Ancient Greece.
Species: Pixie
Rarity: 5 - they normally travel in packs, and there are many around this world.
Types: Flying (Flying Pixies are often called fairies by the humans because of their wings and small shape); shape-shifting (one of the trickiest, as they use these powers to pass off as anything and then wreak havoc); spell-casting (the most dangerous, as they are tiny, powerful targets); boogieman (terrifying pixies, ones that prefer scaring humans as opposed to their other, prankster relatives).
Powers: Invisibility, changing their height (each type of pixie has a separate set of powers.)
Identifying features: A small, skinny build; short hair; freckles; a light, common laugh; pointed ears in some cases.
Weaknesses: All pixies cannot resist a good joke, and will fall over laughing; they especially appreciate slapstick. Flying Pixies' wings are incredibly delicate and can be harmed simply by touching them. If you can find a way to silence a Spell-Casting Pixie, they are completely harmless. Boogieman Pixies detest the light, especially sunlight.
Immortality: Pixies are easily confined, and it is difficult for them to escape almost any cage, but they cannot die, as they don't have blood in their veins or a heart to pump it. Remember that Pixies are generally not more than a few hundred years old, as they first started appearing in the sixteenth century.
Species: Mermaid
Rarity: 3
Types: Selkie (shifters, though they are limited to mer-shape, sea creature-shape, and human-shape), Siren (the most beautiful, with singing voices that will lure anyone towards them - but beware, for they are the singular carnivorous species of mermaid); Maiden (the ones most commonly seen by humans, and a completely useless breed in my opinion).
Powers: They do not breathe, resistance to pressure, inhuman strength, communication with sea creatures
Identifying features: Very long hair, an attachment to water, flirtatious nature,
Weaknesses: Mermaids dehydrate if they are out of the water too long, and become weak and susceptible. In order to shift into their creature-shape, Selkies need their skin (often a piece of clothing), and are stuck as a human/mermaid without it. Sirens admire voices as beautiful as theirs and will let you free if you impress them. Maidens are flirtatious and weak, though they have a tendancy to befriend other, stronger sea creatures - beware of those.
Immortality: Mermaids do not breathe, and therefore do not need lungs; they have no blood to react to pressure with. They can feel pain, but are not damaged by attacks. The best thing to do is render them incapable of whatever they are attempting. Remember that mermaids are creatures that first came about during the Reconaissance, though ones that old have generally retired to the middle of the ocean by this time.
Species: Vampire
Rarity: 4
Types: Pack (travel in groups and are very vicious when together. They are very loud and blend into crowds, trying to isolate groups to attack.); Lone (travel alone, very bloodthirsty. Usually hunt in small areas, blend in with the background, and attack singular people).
Powers: Turning into bats, knowing their exact location at all times, a limited teleportation, night vision
Identifying features: Overlarge canines, a goth dressing style, overly pale skin
Weaknesses: Vampires dislike garlic, and enough of it will make them hesitate before attacking you, though it is not the best weapon. They are not susceptible to holy water or crosses, so DO NOT USE THESE. Wooden stakes are the best, though they are also injured by silver. They detest sunlight, though it will not kill them, and lightbulbs/flashlights have no effect.
Immortality: Vampires are undead. They do not have blood, but they do have a heart. Piercing this heart will cause them to return to their grave - the time depends on the severity of the wound - before they can walk the Earth again. Remember that vampires average at about two hundred years old, though they first began appearing in the eighteenth century.
Species: Werewolf
Rarity: 3
Types: Hybrid (can turn into a wolf at will, generally very bloodthirsty and dangerous creatures even as humans); Moon (only turn into a wolf at the full moon, though they still have dangerous qualities as humans); Lycanthrope (can turn into a wolf at will, though also turn into one at the full moon; at this time they have no control over their actions, and tend to be rather docile otherwise).
Powers: Shifting into wolves, inhuman strength, inhuman agility, night vision
Identifying features: A lot of hair, scarring, a tall stature, sharp teeth
Weaknesses: Werewolves are injured by anything silver, and even touching it against them will make them cry out in pain. Other weapons don't even harm them, however. They detest getting wet and will avoid water at all costs.
Immortality: Werewolves can die. However, if you kill them, they are not destroyed; a hundred years after dying, they return as an Undead, and the only way to fend them off is returning them to their grave, similar to a vampire. Remember, werewolves can be ordinary humans with their lifespans, but once they die they can be hundreds of years old - I once meta 567-year-old Lycanthrope when I was searching for your mother.
_____
I actually get to talk now.
Okay, so, that was a big info dump, but please read it - everything there is important, and stuff you need to know. There's actually stuff I didn't even mention, which I will clarify in the actual writing when we get to that.
First things first. This is a solo write, not an RP. Sorry, everyone. However, in this solo write, I am requesting that you do not, actually, base your character off yourself. Design it like you would in an RP; make it anything you want. However, I need you to be REALLY SPECIFIC. I don't want to mess up anything while writing this, so I need as much info as possible on your charries.
As much as you needed to read, I had to write. I don't think I can stand writing another creature bio right now. So, if you notice that I'm missing an obvious one, poke me and I'll decide if I want to include it. Got another creature in mind? Give me the name and I'll decide if I want to have it there! If I do, I'll give you a bio for it - if not, you can choose one of the ones above, or request a different one.
I'll accept ten people in this, maybe a few more if I feel generous.
Here's the charrie sheet! Please keep the characteristics of your species in mind while filling it out. I'll correct you if something doesn't line up.
Name:
Age:
Species/Type:
Gender:
Appearance:
Clothing:
Personality:
Likes:
Dislikes:
Hobbies:
Family:
Background:
Other:
submitted by St.Owl, age Recarnated, Everywhere
(April 16, 2017 - 5:40 pm)
(April 16, 2017 - 5:40 pm)
*virtually starts smashing St. Owl's computer* *realizes that's not the best idea cuz then St. Owl couldn't write* *reluctantly draws back though not without giving St. Owl's computer a scowl*
(May 20, 2017 - 10:37 am)
(May 21, 2017 - 9:13 pm)
(May 22, 2017 - 3:16 pm)
*sighs* it's not as good as before . . .
Believe it or not, this whole part was written with the 2017 "Gaston" as a sountrack. They don't really match up, do they?
Part 6 - The Truth Is Not Always Welcome
As Argen toppled over, instinct took over his limbs, and he grabbed his attacker's arms, throwing her to the floor along with him. She overbalanced for a moment, and he took the chance to pin her to the ground - but this advantage didn't last long. The girl pushed off with her legs, shoving Argen off of her, and in the second that he stumbled away, she scrambled away and stood up.
Or, what could be called standing. She was hunched over slightly, snarling and foaming at the mouth so that she looked like a wild animal. Her curly brown hair, completely untamed, only contributed to the look. As Argen struggled to regain his footing, she pressed her palms to the floor and leaped into the air.
Argen watched her, and as he did, the thing he wished would never happen again - did.
He sprouted scales and fur, falling onto all fours as his face and shoulders stretched out, accommodating his new appendages. He could feel his bones stretching, growing, strengthening, as he increased in size.
Finally, Argen, as a chimera, threw himself at the girl.
But -
No.
No, it couldn't be.
Her eyes -
Her pit black eyes.
Argen's heart sunk.
He knew exactly what they were dealing with.
~~~~~
Though Ashildr wanted to keep her eyes on Argen's battle, she didn't get the chance. Behind the first girl streamed a ton of fighters, pouring into lobby like fish swimming with the current. Some began to explore the rest of the hotel, darting up stairs and opening doors, while others chose partners, of sorts, to battle with. Ashildr's partner was a Vietnamese-looking girl with dark hair in a sloppy bun that threatened to turn into a ponytail. Her shins were visible, as her canvas pants were rolled up to the knees, and recently scratched, indicating this wasn't the first brawl she'd been in. As Ashildr readied herself, the girl began to run towards her, morphing and changing as she did so. Her nose extended into a hooked beak, dark feathers sprouting on her neck, though the fur growing on her horse-like body was a lighter, dappled color.
Ashildr had fought hippogriffs before, so she wasn't especially intimidated as she shifted herself. Her muscles grew larger, stronger, her body thicker, as scales pushed through invisible pores in her skin. Soon, a riding dragon roared and charged towards her adversary.
Ashildr had not had to put up her defenses in centuries. As every creature got used to the fact that evil was no longer lurking in every living thing, the threat began to diminish; and so, too, did the habit, until both were extinct.
Or so they thought.
Ashildr had not felt the pain in centuries, not since the first time she ever put up her defenses. Her Full Form collapsed under the pressure of it. It felt like someone was raking her scaleless flesh until she was chopped into pieces too tiny to see. It was as if the most ferocious beast the universe had ever known was tearing at her from the inside out. Someone was plucking the scales off her body one - by one - by one.
She withdrew into her mind.
There was a darkness there, a darkness so cold and hard that she could not penetrate. She swam as far and hard as she could through the murk, trying to find something, anything to stop it, but it had cast every weapon into the furthest reaches of her mind, setting up a barrier of negative emotions into her path.
A happy thought. A happy thought. Please, oh please let there be a happy thought -
Twenty glasses of mead collided in midair, foam sloshing onto the wooden table as each person took a swig out of their mug. Usually, the meetings were solemn and formal affairs, full of diplomacy, but today was different. Today was a celebration. A celebration of Áed, best known for being the sire of Ashildr, steed of Camelot. But today, he gained a new title. Today, he was a new man. Today, Áed sat at the head of the table, the highest honor that could be bestowed by the Dragon Council.
As each person sitting dug into the bloody meat that had been served, drunken cries echoed around the hall. Toasts - some serious, some joking - filled the cavern, often followed by laughter that caused everyone to choke, until they thumped each other on the back and did it all over again. "To Áed, destroyer of demons! To Cúntóir, slayer of Olc! To the Dragon Council - may we never die!"
That triggered a series of hoots, which went on until they collapsed into coughing once again.
~~~~
"Whoa. I mean, I knew Argen was cool, but not this cool. Like, a chimera? How many of those are there in the world? Four? Five?"
Sorrel rocked back on her heels, completely entranced by the battle raging in front of her. Argen looked amazing. He had three heads, not counting the snake that was his tail: a lion, dragon, and, inexplicably, goat. Delightedly, Sorrel watched him pounce at his opponent, the goat head spouting fire as it went. The only thing wrong with the picture was, the girl Argen was fighting didn't seem intimidated at all. In fact, she looked excited.
Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around Sorrel's middle, knocking the air out of her.
"Isn't this great, Sorrel?!" Nocturna demanded, resting her chin on Sorrel's shoulder. "There are so many people here, and all of them want to fight me!"
"Right," replied Sorrel absently, still watching the battle. Argen had doubled over, all of his heads bowed, shaking them slightly as he backed away from the girl. Suddenly, she collapsed on the floor, and Argen reared up, turning - right towards them?! "Um, Nocturna?"
"On it!" she chirped. Nocturna's arms, still wrapped around Sorrel, tightened as they folded over to reveal her blue Full Form. Just as Argen was almost upon them, she shot into the air, hooting gleefully.
After a moment, Argen spread his own wings and flew up towards them, his lion and dragon mouths snarling. "Nocturna!" Sorrel shrieked. "Do something!"
"What? No!" Nocturna replied, and Sorrel was terrified to feel her grip slacken. "I've seen something much more up my alley. Good luck with Argen!"*
"Hey! Wait! Nocturna!"
Sorrel slipped out of Nocturna's embrace, toppling right towards Argen's back.
~~~~
"Hey, you!" Nocturna shrieked, barreling towards her opponent.
He was a boy, dark-haired, with bleached pale skin. Nocturna could tell he was a vampire because he was hunched over the limp form of Ashildr, who had morphed back into her human form sometime during her battle and was curled up on the floor, unconcious and whimpering.
"Oh! I know you! You're Quentin Kalshrani!"
"Sagis," he grunted, looking up. "I changed it. I'm not part of the clan anymore."
"Oh. Okay." Nocturna smiled. "Hey, why are you eating my friend?"
"Because she's unconscious, and they promised me any casualties."
"Who?"
"Oh, you know" - he gestured arily - "them. I'm not exactly sure what they are."
"We have many names." Another girl settled next to Quentin, leaning over Ashildr's limp body. "We are also very powerful. We can give you everything you desire. You should join us, Nocturna pon Kalshrani."
Nocturna bit her lip. The girl's eyes were disturbing - a pit, pit black. "I don't know. What do you do?"
"We regain what is ours."
"What is yours?"
"Everything!"
"Oh. Hmm. I don't know if I want everything necessarily. Just a couple things. Actually, I think I have those couple things. So no thanks!"
"Really? Are you sure? You see, Nocturna, we have ways of getting what we want. And if you do not join us voluntarily, like Quentin did, we will do so by force."
"Wait, like, manipulative force? I don't know if I'll be able to let you do that. Why don't we spar instead?"
"No," said the girl firmly. "Possessive force."
~~~~
"Argen!" Sorrel shrieked. "Snap out of it, you idiot! Let me down! Quit sending your stupid snake after me!"
For the first time, she wished she wasn't a mermaid. Being any creature but a mermaid would have been insanely helpful in that moment. But no; instead, she was stuck clutching onto clumps of Argen's hair for dear life as he tore around the lobby, his snakey tail snapping at her, his goat head unsuccessfully attempting to turn so he could blow fire at her. "Oh, come on, Argen. Please?"
As if by magic, he paused in midair.
"Oh, thank Neptune," Sorrel muttered, as the snake stopped its attack. She rested her head on his neck, breathing a sigh of relief. "I was sure you were going to kill me."
"No. Don't thank anyone yet." It was only a growl from the dragon head, but it spoke clear as day. "If the demon left me, that means it's possessing someone else, and they will not hesitate to attack us again. Unless they can fight it, which I doubt."
"Why?"
"Because the last demon was killed by a dragon called Áed thousands of years ago. No one but the Old know how to defend ourselves against them, and we haven't had to since then, which is why I was possessed in the first place. Sorrel, can you give me a run-down of what's happening? My heads aren't very flexible and I can't look down properly."
Sorrel peered over the edge of his huge body. "Well, the girl you were fighting is still on the floor. Yikes, she looks terrible."
"Yes. She was possessed by the same demon that took hold of me, when it left her. However, because she's never been possessed before, she's obviously in a much worse state than I am."
"You've been possessed before?"
"Yes. Multiple times. What else is happening, Sorrel?"
"Well, the lobby's pretty emtpy. I think all the people went into other parts of the hotel. Oh, that's odd. I don't see Henna or Adelaid anywhere."
"That is odd." Sorrel heard a frown in Argen's voice. "We may need to keep a closer eye on them. They could be possessed. What else?"
"Oh! There are a bunch of people around Ashildr. She's not looking too good."
"She probably fought a demon. I'm surprised it relented. That takes great strength - though she is very powerful."
"Huh. I wouldn't have guessed that. Anyway, Nocturna's over there. So is this Asian girl and another vampire. Oh - Nocturna's looking this way! But - Argen, what's wrong with her eyes?"
"Her eyes?" His voice was not skeptical - could it be afraid?
"Usually I can see them from this distance, because they're so scarlet they sort of gleam, you know? But I can't. What happened to them?"
"Oh, no," he muttered. "She's been possessed. Sorrel, hold tight. We may have to fight her."
"Fight her? But - "
"You will not have to fight me."
This time, both of them stared down at her (well, as best as Argen could). Nocturna's voice had carried through the whole lobby. "I would have preferred a stronger host," she said, offhand, "but I never have been fond of chimeras."
Argen snarled.
"If you let us take this girl" - she nudged Ashildr with her foot - "no one will get hurt."
"No," said Argen firmly.
"Are you sure? We have more allies than you realize."
"I'm pretty sure we know exactly how many allies you have. And they can't help you. We're the only ones here!"
"You're completely outnumbered," Demon-Nocturna replied. "Admit it. The mermaid is useless" - Sorrel bristled - "and even you cannot battle two vampires and a morphling. I heard you haven't even been in your chimera form for thousands of years, Argen. Is that true?"
He didn't reply.
"I knew you'd see sense." Nocturna slung Ashildr's body over her shoulder. "Good-bye, you two."
_____
*Please note that Nocturna isn't aware of the danger Sorrel is actually in. This is all really a game to her, and she sees no threat from Argen, who's their friend.
Also? There are multiple actions described here that could be described as more lovey-dovey movements. They are not. YA has corrupted our minds so that the sweetest of friendly actions suddenly screams CRUSH!!! when, in reality, it's just two people who enjoy each other's company in a comfortable, not serious way.
(that being said, a gay Nocturna is an interesting idea . . . unless, of course, you have an objection, Curio.)
(May 22, 2017 - 7:04 pm)
No objections here! (I actually kind of imagined her as gay, only I didn't want to mention it because LGBTQ issues can get a bit ugly on the CB. Cool!!)
Oh gosh...if and when the demon leaves Nocturna, she's in for an enormous reality check...Awesome writing as always :)
(May 23, 2017 - 3:10 pm)
Yay!
Hey St, no 'fence meant, but if someone in this thing is LGBT+, I might not be able to remain on this thread. Strict rules.
(May 22, 2017 - 8:13 pm)
THIS IS SO AMAZING!!!
Keep writing!!
(May 22, 2017 - 8:36 pm)
Top!
(May 23, 2017 - 5:35 am)
Yay! I 100% support anyone LGBTQ+. You guys are awesome!!!!
(May 24, 2017 - 8:43 am)
I am so glad that I found people on here that also support LGBTQ+ people!
(May 24, 2017 - 10:09 am)
Cool Solo Write!
(May 24, 2017 - 8:40 am)
Yay, Asteria's in this one! I think. It seemed like her, anyway. This part was really good, even with a delete first! I really hate it when that happens. It stinks.
(May 24, 2017 - 9:20 am)
Indeed it is her! I applaud you on your identification skills. Well, it wasn't exactly a big secret, haha.
To everyone: IT'S MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!!!! YAY! And while my evil ELA and science teachers decided it was okay to pound us into the floor with homework, I think I'll probably be able to finish the new post by Monday!
(May 26, 2017 - 6:06 pm)
(May 25, 2017 - 6:40 pm)
(May 26, 2017 - 3:19 pm)