Chapter Two
Noelle Nightshade
"And this wouldn't happen to be for your personal amusement, would it Nemesis?" I ask, desperately trying to avoid the horns of the half-bull, half-man, the Minotaur I believe he is called. "Absolutely not! This is in no way a form of amusement for me!" Nemesis yells as she laughs from the stands. "Nemesis!" We all complain. The bull-man thing roars and charges me again; I narrowly dodge the attack. "Hey! Horn-head! Catch me if you can!" Hayden taunts. The Minotaur lets out another ear-deafening roar at Hayden. "Is that the best you can do?" Hailey yells at Hayden or the bull-man, I can't be sure. The twins continue insulting him. I let out a sound of exasperation and look around. 'Come on, Noelle. Think, think! Come on, think.' I silently chant in my head. I look around and finally spot a red cloth off to the side. I quietly make my way towards it. However as soon as I move, the Minotaur notices me. I quickly make a grab for the cloth and wave it in his face. He roars and charges. Just before he can hit me or the cloth, Parker spins me out of the way just in time as the Minotaur crashes into a wall. "Got a bit of a death wish there, don't you?" He smirks but I can detect an undertone of worry. His eyes also give it away. I smile thankfully and see the bull-man getting up. "Show time." Parker laughs. I roll my eyes and run off waving the red cloth around. He growls angrily and chases me around. I carefully lead him. Straight into a wall, that is. I look around and see the cage Nemesis let him out of. "Maybe I do have a death wish..." I trail off to Hayden when he appears at my side. He just chuckles and ruffles my hair. "You got this, kid." He cheers. I give him an unimpressed look. He just laughs.
I start to run towards the other side of the arena, the bull coming a little too close for comfort as I make a particularly sharp turn. I run faster. I'm eventually right in the doorway of his cage. He's standing a few yards away from me. I wave the cloth around wildly. He roars and charges me. I take a deep breath and run towards him. Before we can collide I throw the cloth in his face and spin out of the way but his horn grazes my side. But he continues running and crashes straight into the wall. The others quickly close the gate and sink to the floor. My hand flies to my side to inspect my wound. I lift up the hem of my blouse to find it bleeding. "It's not very deep." I sigh in relief. The others mimic me and stand up. Nemesis cheers and appears in front of us. "Wonderful. Truly amazing. All of you. I knew you could do it!" She smiles. We raise our eyebrows at her. She smiles sheepishly. "Well, you seven are the first generation who didn't think of using weapons..." She trails off, gesturing to the weapons rack off to the side that I'm sure none of us noticed. "Scribe!" Nemesis claps her hands twice and the book appears again. It glows golden as he says, "Congratulations. Now for the Second Trial. Shall we proceed?" We look at each other and chuckle. "Absolutely." Parker answers sarcastically. Apparently the Scribe does not understand sarcasm because a bright light envelops us.
"Parker!" We all scold when we see that we are standing at the top of a tower with our staffs in our hands. "What? It's not my fault he doesn't understand sarcasm!" He defends. "In this challenge, you must fight your way to the ground floor. This challenge does not only test your fighting skills but how well you work together as a team. The floor is also wooden and rotten in some places. Be careful. You may begin." Nemesis announces. We groan and make our way to the floor below using the stairs in front of each of us. Wait, why is there another staircase? The thought flies out of my head when something comes flying towards us. Hayden raises his staff and bats the creature away. It goes flying out the building. "Nice hit." Parker whistles. "Thanks." Hayden smiles. But then it comes back with its friends. We look at each other and run as fast as we can down the stairs. The creatures follow us and hover around us. "Ah!" Lanie screams as they back her up to the edge. "Lanie, hold on!" Victor yells out. He runs towards her, hitting them away. "Lanie!" Victor cries out, his staff falling through a hole -not that he notices-, and dives to catch her hand when she falls of the edge. "I got her!" He yells. We quickly take over his job, trying to give him a chance to pull her up. "How do we get rid of these things?" Lanie cries out when Victor gets her up. "We'll figure something out! Right now, we do as Nemesis says and continue to the lower floors. Besides my staff is down there." Victor says as he helps Lanie up and grabs a stick from the floor and hands her her staff.
I see Hailey and Parker about to retort sarcastically. "Not now. We can't afford any arguments. We have to work together." Vance says. "Of course you would take his side." Parker scoffs. I feel a strange presence in the air. Then it disappears. Suddenly the creatures retreat. "Did anyone else feel that?" I ask as we continue down warily. "Feel what?" Hailey asks. I sigh and mutter, "Never mind." I scan the next level before we enter through our separate stairways. I hear a noise that sounds strangely like bees but different. "Okay, now please tell me someone heard that?" I practically beg. They just shake their heads and stare weirdly at me. I growl and mutter, "I have just about had it with hearing, seeing and feeling things that no one else can. When we get out of here, Nemesis is going to have some spell casting to do." I then sigh. "Okay, it's clear. Let's move." I follow the others but when our feet touch the ground we all fall through the floor. We all scream our heads off as we fall. We see the floor and realize if some divine force doesn't intervene, we will be pancakes on a rotting wooden floor. I close my eyes and wait for the impact but it never comes. I slowly open them to see the others doing the same. I look down and see that we are only about a meter away from the floor. I look up and see a man surrounded by bees and insects of different kinds. Including the ones that attacked us. I look closer and see that they are actually hybrids of bees and lady bugs. Granted they are sizably larger and look much weirder but you get my point.
"WHO DARES TO ENTER MY SACRED TOWER?!?!?!?!?!?" A loud voice thunders, making the seven of us jump in surprise and fall to the floor. We quickly stand and observe our surroundings. 'This place looks like it could use some cleaning. Urgh! And smells like it too.' I think as I smell a particularly terrible stench which I then realize comes from the man. I look up and see an old stained glass chandelier that strangely fits the creepy feel of the room. I notice a door with a huge padlock on it. I look to the adjacent wall and spot the only key that looks big enough to fit the lock hanging from a nail on a metal ring. "Who are you to ask us who we are? This could be our tower and you could be the one trespassing." Hailey asks. I sigh. "Hails, I don't want you to change but please have a little self-preservation." I scold. She rolls her and eyes and mutters, "Yes, mom." I roll my eyes and see Parker snickering out of the corner of my eye. I whack him over the head and turn to the man. He glares at us. "I shall ask again. Who are you all?" He shouts. 'We are the-" Parker cuts Vance off before he can say Wolves of Nemesis. "Traders! We received the invitations you sent us and we cannot thank you enough for your hospitality kind sir." Parker says dramatically with a bow. "The pleasure is ours, good sir." I bow next to him and the others follow us. "So how may we help you sir?" The man stares at us curiously. "I do not remember sending out invitations..." He says unsurely.
Parker laughs. "Oh sure you did, sir. I have proof right here!" He pulls out a card with writing on it but before the man can read it, he tucks it away. "So, how may we help you kind sir?" Before the man can speak Parker continues. "Would you happen to need something to make your significant other feel special? Perhaps, in celebration of an anniversary or some such occasion?" Parker suggests as he dances around the man, confusing him. "What are these strange things you speak of?" The man questions. "Oh, just normal things. Surely a smart man like you would know what they are." Parker trails off adding a questioning tone at the end of his statement, making it sound like a question. "I am very smart! I made these hybrids! See!" He proudly displays one of his creations. It buzzes angrily in Parker's face. He just nonchalantly sighs. "And I came into this trade with so much hope." Parker sighs. I sympathetically pat his back. "What do you mean?" The man looks ready to crush Parker. I speak up before Parker can. "It's just that there was a man who made those several years ago. He even merged a spider and a giant!" I say with a victorious smile. Granted it's a little far-fetched but it works.
The man gasps. "WHAT?!? That is impossible."
"Well tell that to... What was his name again?"
"Grant? No... That was the man who brought them back to life..." Hailey pipes in. The others catch on.
"No. Grant was the one who controlled all the insects. Altair was the one who brought them back to life." Hayden corrects her.
"Oh yes! It was Casper who merged them... Wasn't it?" Vance adds.
"No! It was Darien who merged them!" Victor argues.
"Was it? Wait... Who are we talking about?" Vance asks, confused.
"The hybrids!" Lanie puts in. "Wait, are you saying you just randomly said any name that came to mind?"
"Um... Maybe." He answers hesitantly.
Lanie and he start bickering and Victor tries to stop them. Parker and I along with Hailey and Hayden also start to argue over something. We notice the man start to grow red as he tries to follow our conversations before he finally yells, "STOP!!!!!!!!!!" We all shut up. "Is something the matter, sir?" Parker asks innocently. "You shall tell me the name of this man and after you tell me how to merge a spider and a giant, I, Alther Lockhart shall kill you all then him. Now speak." Alther orders. "It was Darien. Darien Stormson. I believe he already died." Parker answers. He cackles evilly. "Excellent! Now tell me, little trader, how did he merge them?" Parker frowns as if he's giving away some big secret. "I don't know if I should..." He trails off. "I order you to tell me." He slams his hand on the large wooden table making all of us jump. "Okay. He started off by picking up the heaviest chains he could find and handing them to his assistants." Parker looks around as if waiting for the assistants to appear. "I do not have assistants." Alther mutters sadly. "Hey! Cheer up. We'll be your assistants. Right, everyone?" I ask. Everyone agrees. "See. And there's the chain!" Parker says. We all help him lift it up. "Next, he ordered his assistants to bind him in chains." I say and tell Alther to find something we can use to lock the chains together. He picks up a lock and stares at it, unsure. "Are you sure that's what he did?" Alther asks. "Absolutely. You do want to be the best merger in the business right?" I ask. He nods vigorously. I pat his back reassuringly and almost feel bad about tricking him. But... He also wanted to kill someone because they supposedly did something better than him so... Not as bad as I would feel if he was innocent. "And then, do you know what he asked the assistants to do?" Parker questions after we tie him up and lock him in place. "He asked the assistants to kill him and bury his remains where he found his first insect; would you like us to do that for you?" Parker asks. "Parker, what are you doing?" Victor hisses to him. Parker just shakes his head. "Why would he do that?" Alther asks with wide eyes. "Because he felt so ashamed of what he created that he asked his own assistants, his friends to kill him. He lost everything he cared about the moment he created them. Would you like that to happen to you? Because that is what happens when you mess with Nature. She comes back and takes what is hers. Would you like that to be your fate?" Parker asks. He hands me his staff and picks up a random sword to hold to Alther's neck.
Alther's wide eyes suddenly turn red and he screams as in pain then collapses to the ground and turns to ash. "Parker! What did you do?" Vance asks. "Nothing! I swear! I just held the sword. I didn't even touch him with it." I tense up as I feel that strange presence again. "Tell me, you can sense that?" I plead with them hysterically. 'Please don't let me be the only one.' I silently repeat in my head. "Yeah, I do. It's like a cold shiver running down my spine." Hailey says. "Oh thank goodness." I sigh in relief. Then they all, except Parker and Lanie burst out laughing. "There's nothing else here. He's defeated, Noelle. Whether or not by our hand. It's not like we could kill him even if we tried. He may have been a monster but he was a living creature." Hayden says. "Yes, I know but-" Victor cuts me off. "It's over, Nightshade. Drop it." Victor orders. "Come on. Let's find the key and get out of here." Hailey says. "It's over there. On that nail on the wall next to it." I point out. "Hah! Did you feel that too?" Hailey mocks. "No. I, unlike you de Luxe, have eyes and observe my surroundings instead of wasting time mouthing off to whoever I come across." I retort and turn away. I notice Parker glaring at her. "Hailey, I know you want to open your mouth and speak but do us all a favour and shut that big mouth of yours for a minute while we focus on getting out of here." Parker says. She just scoffs and watches as the others retrieve the key. They unlock the door and we walk down with me and Parker at the back of the group. He stares at me, worried. I just smile reassuringly and mouth, 'Thank you.' He just smiles and mouths back, 'Anytime, kid.' I chuckle. "Something funny, Nightshade?" Hailey hisses. Then trips and falls. But Hayden catches her. "Only from back here, sweetheart. Might wanna pay more attention." I smile sweetly at her as she huffs and turns back to the front. Parker laughs and throws an arm around me. "Nice move. The cheerleader's angry." He calls out loud enough for Hailey to hear.
She tries to turn and hit Parker but I grab her wrist and twist it. "Don't start something you can't finish. If you try to touch him, I'll kill you." I growl. She gets the message and with a glare backs off. "Thanks kid but it's not like she could have hurt me." He reminds. "I know." I smile sheepishly at him. He laughs again and we finally reach the bottom of the staircase. This room is bigger than the others so far. I tense up. Parker looks at me in concern. "Take the one to the right. Now. Don't go near the left." I say when I see the two similar doors. The strange feeling is coming from the left. 'Why can't they feel it?' I think desperately and block Victor's way to the door on the left. "It's like you want us to stay here longer. There's a window on both sides. Can't you see the one on the right is just black? But on the left you can see the tree trunks. Why do we not take the one on the left?" Vance asks. "Because it's an illusion. There are no windows! There haven't been windows on any of the floors so far. Why would there be now?" Vance looks at me as he says doubtfully, "They are right. Why not take the left?" My eyes widen when I see Hailey grab the key from Victor and open the door on the left. I run to her and push her out of the way just as the door bursts open. It sends me flying straight into a wall. It somehow doesn't crush me and leaves enough place for me to crawl out. I stare in fear at the masked man as he walks up to me. I back up against the wall and try to kick him away but he just picks me up by the throat and presses slightly. "Oh Novae. I wonder how angry it would make you to see me kill your descendant. After all you were the one who imprisoned me." His cruel voice sends shivers down my spine. "He-Hel-Help. So-som-someone. Pl-plea-please." I choke out. He snarls and presses my throat tighter. "No one is going to help you. They are all dealing with their own fears." He laughs and gestures to where the others are each being attacked by a silver flash.
When one of the flashes slows down, I see a little smoky imp with a cruel smile as he tortures Parker. "Those imps are called Fearsome Flashes. Catchy name, I know but it's not the worst. They can find a person's deepest fear and they torture them with it. You know, until the person dies." He says as if he's talking about the weather not crazy imps who torture people with their worst fears until they die. "Y-yo-you si-sick ba-" He slaps me before I finish that. I ignore the sharp sting and the cheek that's probably been cut by the metal glove on his hand. "That's not very nice, Noelle. What would momma say?" He mocks. I freeze but try to say. "W-was g-gonna s-say ba-bass. Li-like ss-sea b-bass, n-no?" He laughs. "Just like Novae. But she knew when to give up. I know your worst fears, Noelle. But more importantly, I know who your father is. Your real father. Would you like to know, Noelle? Who you've descended from?" He loosens his grip and I slump to the ground. "Wh-who a-ar-are y-you?" I choke out. I look up to see him take off his mask. My heart stops beating. Those eyes. I stare up at him, hypnotized. He laughs. "Missed me Nightshade?" He asks. I stare up in shock. "Yes, I am alive. Thought I was dead, right?" He smiles sadistically and crouches down. He leans closer and closer to me until our faces are almost an inch apart. I can only stare up in shock and horror. "We haven't been this close since, when was it? Oh! That's right. It was just two years ago, wasn't it? Two years ago, to this very day. Did you forget Noelle? I suppose not. You are wearing black. You remember, don't you? What I did to her? How I made you watch as I tortured then killed Novena Nightshade. You remember, don't you? Good because I'm going to kill you exactly how I killed her. And your father is going to watch as he loses another Nightshade." Before he can make another move, an arrow pierces him then dissipates. My eyes widen at the blood stain. He collapses to the side and all the imps turn into ash just like Alther. The man first takes the form of an imp slightly larger than all of the others then turns to ash like the others.
I look over to Parker and I see him slowly getting up with Hayden's help. All the others are okay. I sigh and try to stand up but I fall back down and hiss in pain. I look down to see the cut I got from the Minotaur's horns bleeding even worse than before. "Great, I'm guessing one of the side effects of getting harassed by Fearsome Flashes is any wound, physical or emotional gets worse?" I ask no one in particular. "We should get out of here." Hailey says, not looking me in the eye. Parker walks over and helps me up. I hiss and lean on him. He basically carries me over to the door because I'm very sure my feet aren't touching the ground. None of them except Parker and Lanie can even look me in the eye. 'Pathetic.' I scoff at them. "You think you are so much better than us just because you were right about those... Things. You aren't okay? Don't think you are!" Hailey hisses suddenly. I give her an unimpressed look. "Did I say I was?" I ask her. She stares at me. "I don't care who the hell you think you are but let me tell you one thing. I have never claimed nor will I ever claim to be better than anyone else. Ever. Are we clear?" I ask her. She just nods dumbstruck. Vance gets the key from the other door and opens the door to the right. We step out to see Nemesis standing there. She holds out her hands and a green light envelops everyone but me. Nemesis then walks up to me and places her hand on my forehead. I fall unconscious for the third time today. 'This is really getting annoying.' I complain just before darkness overcomes me.
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A.N.: Hey everyone. What's up? Please review and tell me what you like and don't like about it or if something is wrong, please feel free to point it out. So have a nice day. Or night. Or... Yeah, you get it.
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