Nether

1

Chara, a small girl of only fourteen stood on a rock outcropping that hovered in the sky, clouds all around her. She put up a sticklike arm to block the watery sunlight from her pale green eyes, and searched the misty clouds. It was chilly, and she wrapped her gray cloak more tightly around her. After a moment she called: "Icky! Hey! Ick!"

And suddenly, there emerged a large limbless creature with decayed grey wings and a single lidless blue eye. The tubelike form drips of black tar and it had no face, only an eye at the end of it's curved neck. 

YES, HUMAN SPAWN?

Chara was afraid in the slightest, despite only being the size of one of it's feathers.

"Hen let me off of farming duty early, so I've got some time before Grip sends me off on some chore or other." She grimaced, thinking of how Grip would look if he realized she was going here again. He couldn't see Ick of course. No one could. Kids  her age were warned to stay away from 'Crazy Chara.' "Could you finish that one story about the mad king while I still have time?"

AS YOU WISH, THOUGH IT WOULD BE NICE IF YOU CALLED ME BY MY REAL NAME, RATHER THAN THAN YOUR SOMEWHAT DEMEANING TITLE YOU HAVE CHOSEN FOR ME.

Chara rolled her eyes. "You know I can't pronounce that rubbish you call a name, Ick." 

αποσυντίθενταιαυτόπουπετάει IS NOT SO HARD A NAME TO PRONOUNCE!

She gave Ick a dry look and the creature sighed resignedly.

VERY WELL...

Chara settled herself onto the long grass and looked up at Ick expectantly. The creature began.

NOT SO LONG AGO THAT IT HAS FADED ENTIRELY TO LEGEND, THERE WAS AN INSANE KING. WHERE WE LAST ENDED, HE WAS SENTENCING ALL PEOPLE WHO COULD CARRY A WEAPON TO DEATH, EXCEPT, OF COURSE, HIS OWN HONOR GAURD.

BLINDED BY THE PARANOIA THAT THEY WOULD TURN AGAINST HIM, HE PURGED THE KINGDOM AND KILLED HIS ENTIRE ARMY. UNBENOUNCED TO HIM HOWEVER, HIS FIRSTBORN SON, ARDUV, HAD BEGUN PRACTICING IN THE BLADE. ARDUV'S DREAM WAS TO BECOME A FAMOUS KNIGHT OF THE LAND, AND SO BEING YOUNG AND FOOLISH, HE TRAINED IN SECRET IN THE PALACE GARDENS.

ONE EVENING, ARDUV WAS SPOTTED BY HIS YOUNGER BROTHER, PEYTER. PEYTER LOVED HIS BROTHER, AND PROMISED NOT TO TELL THEIR FATHER. HOWEVER, HE TOO WISHED TO BE A KNIGHT, AND SO ARDUV AGREED THAT THEY COULD LEARN TOGETHER.

ABOUT A YEAR LATER, PEYTER WAS PRACTICING ALONE WHILE ARDUV WAS ON A SCOUTING MISSION WITH A FEW OF THE GUARDS. THEIR FATHER WISHED TO CLEAR HIS HEAD, AND WAS ON A STROLL THROUGH THE GARDENS WHEN HE WITNESSED PEYTER EXPERTLY JABBING AT A TREE TRUNK-

"A what?" Chara asked, head cocked to the side.

IT IS A CERTAIN PLANTLIFE THAT IS COMMONLY TALL AND CONSISTS A VERTICLE TUBE WITH PROTRUSIONS COMING OUT OF ALL SIDES. AS I WAS SAYING, THE KING FLEW INTO A RAGE AND WAS SHOUTING FOR HIS GAURD TO KILL THE BOY, WHEN ARDUV RETURNED AND SAW THE SITUATION. JUMPING FROM HIS HORSE HE CRIED, 'IT IS I WHO TRAINED HIM, AND IT IS I WHOM YOU SHOULD PUNISH!'

Chara sniggered. "People actually talk like that?" The creature sounded almost offended as it replied.

I SPEAK IN THAT MANNER.

"Well you're not exactly 'people,' are you?"

I SEE YOUR POINT. ANYHOW, THE KING NOW TURNED HIS MURDEROUS RAGE TOWARDS ARDUV AS PEYTER TRIED DESPERATELY TO BRING THE KING'S ATTENTION BACK ON HIM. 'DON'T YOU SPEAK!' THE KING ROARED, AND PEYTER FELL SILENT AND WATCHED IN HORROR AS HIS BELOVED BROTHER WAS MURDERED. ASHAMED AT HIS COWARDICE, PEYTER SCREAMED A BATTLE CRY AND KILLED HIS FATHER AS A FEEBLE WAY OF HIDING HIS SHAME OF NOT SAVING HIS OLDER BROTHER. WHEN HE LOOKED UPON HIS FATHER'S CORPSE HOWEVER, HE DID NOT FEEL REDEMTION, ONLY DISGUST AT HIS ACTIONS. HE FLED THE SCENE, AND WAS NEVER SEEN AGAIN.

For a moment the only sound was the faint whistle of the wind and the far off chatter of farmers chatting to one another as they worked.

"That's it?" Chara said, brimming with the indignation that only someone who feels cheated out of a good story can weild.

THAT IS HOW IT ENDS, YES.

"But what happened to the younger brother?!" she huffed.

THAT IS FOR YOU TO DISCOVER, I BELIEVE.

Stupid creature, she thought. Saying cryptic things just because it thinks it sounds cool.

What was that even supposed to mean 'for you to discover'? She would never be able to discover anything as long as she was stuck on these rocks in the city of the least imaginitive people in the universe.

"Chaaaaraaa," called a voice carried over to her by the wind.

Dusin. Great. She'd probably spend all day milking the weeds when he discovered she'd snuck away to here again. If she were lucky. And is she was unlucky they might even report her. She couldn't afford that again.

"Catch you later, Ickey!"  Chara called over her shoulder as she ran towards the rope bridge connecting to the other rock island.

"What were you doing over there?" Dusin demanded when she finally arrived, puffing. He was tall and heavyset, with tanned thick arms and a permanent scowl on his square face. The clothes he wore were the common garb of motled gray cloak with loose brown clothing underneath.

Chara shrugged and tried her best to look innocent. "Looking at the clouds I suppose."

He glared suspiciously at her. "Looked like you were talking to someone. No one was there, though."

Again, Chara shrugged.

Dusin fixed her with another piecing look, then sighed. 

"Chara, you can't keep doing this. Your parents are worried sick, they don't know where you are."

She tried her best to not let any of the guilt show in her face, and Dusin gently took her by the shoulder and led her across another bridge. She immediatly recognized where they were headed. "Dusin, no, don't!" 

Dusin only shook his head. "I'm going to have to report you for this, sorry Chara."

Feeling more bad then ever, she grudgingly trudged towards the center island. The city tower.