Carnes High

Star's eyes narrowed as Shad mentioned hurting her father, but he was right. They needed to find Stella before something else did. "Alright, let's hurry then," she said, perking up her ears even further as she realized all of the dangers of the Underworld. Especially for Shad. All of her tails were out and she was on high alert for one particular monster. The last thing she wanted to do was walk Shad right into HER lair. Although, living with Star might have made him build up some sort of immunity.

"If you hear a hissing noise, close your eyes immediately," she warned him. With the quick words of advicee, she grabbed his hand and led him towards the darkness.

-----

"Charon, I'm giving you one more chance to let us cross," A furious Nyx hissed. The feathered demon sat, relaxed in his lovely little ferry that was filled with various gold coins. The river that the boat floated upon was filled with screaming shadows and spirits that would do Charon's bidding just for a chance to escape the agony and get onto his boat.

"Sorry Mr. Cariana. No can do! Rules are ru-" but his words were cut off as the older demon reached across and put his hand around Charon's neck. He then tossed Charon against the wall and hopped into the boat. He turned around to the halfling he had concealed in a shroud of shadows.

"Come on my dear, do as I told you," Nyx told Stella. She nodded quietly, took his hand and hopped into the boat. A wall of white demons covered the area behind them so that Charon could not fight back and was left in the dust.

"Why? I'm not afraid of a few snakes." Shad snorted remembering the snake boy Amondus he had nearly beaten to a pulp a few times. He followed Star with more confidence as she seemed to be in total control of her powers. He let his wings stretch a little but kept them close to his body, everything was making him more and more on edge. He let his fangs out too, the soreness of them sinking in.

He tried to calm himself down by focusing on the flicking of Star's tails but nothing seemed to be working. He hated not being in control and he knew if they found Estella and Star's father he wouldn't be able to calmly talk this over.

Star smirked at him. "When it comes to her, it's not the snakes you need to be afraid of," she said warily. She was the reason Star was never allowed in the Underworld. If Star came across the snake-haired goergen, no one knew what would happen. Would Star be immediately defeated like she is around sirens or mermaids? Or would she dominate like she can around wood nymphs? Maybe she would be evenly matched like she is with a harpy.

Star looked back at Shad and he seemed uneasy. "It'll be okay," she promised, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

"I know." Shad gave her hand a little squeeze and got closer. His wing fell around her shoulders as if it were a another arm around her. His aura was wrapping around hers in a protective embrace, if it wasn't going to stay dormant he might as well let it do what it wants. "I don't have anything to fear with you here and safe." Shad replied flirtatiously.

"Except I do have something to fear! Your father is going to feed Estella to some random demon!" Shad snapped. His mood changed in an instant as comforts disappeared, realizing the sudden change he shook his head as if it would keep the darkness away.

"Sorry that was irrational. I'm trying my best here but seriously how can demons handle this magical pressure." He began to flex his other hand nervously.

Star continued her sly smile at Shad until he started to freak out. "Hey!" She said, whipping around quickly to face him. She put her hands on the sides of his fave and looked into his eyes

"You just need to relax okay? I know you feel funny, but unless you keep your cool, we won't be able to help Stella even if we do find her." She lightly stroked his cheek with her thumb before letting him go. She turned around and they continued down the cavern, but came to a dead end. It was blockaded by bright white shadows that illuminated Star's hair, but the sudden change from dark to bright white made her flinch. It was enough to blind her so that she didn't notice the unconscious Charon laying by the cavern wall.

"We'll have to find another way..." Now Star seemed anxious. The other ways were usually treacherous and full of fiends and demons of all sorts. It was no place for a vampire.

Shad relaxed but he couldn't tell if it was his own will or her hypnotic eyes, the later actually seemed more likely in his flustered condition. He let the goal of finding Estella sink in and in his more relaxed state let it guide his thoughts in a more peaceful manner.

Just when he thought he would be able to get through this without freaking out too much the flash from the dead end blinded him. Even after his eyes adjusted he still couldn't see more than shadows and strange figures. With his sight dulled his others were strengthened and his fangs ached at a familiar scent.

"I smell blood." Shad said before they moved on, it was a monsters and was a seemingly insignificant amount. "You didn't hurt yourself right?" He asked her before realizing he would have instantly recognized the smell of her blood no matter what the amount, but she seemed more anxious than before.

Star's ears twitched forward as she heard the noise of a faint heartbeat in the darkness. Charon's aura had been masked by the mass of white shadows, but now that she was focusing in on it she could feel it.

"I'm not the one bleeding," she said in a calculating tone. With quick as lighting movements she reached into the darkness and plucked Charon from there. His head lolled to the side and she slammed him against the wall.

"Charon!" She shouted in the darkness, bearing the beginning of new fangs. With her new tail, her fangs would come in. He blinked his eyes open and looked right into hers. He didn't stand a chance in his weakened state.

"Who did this?" She growled, but the aura coming from the shadows was just as recognizable as hers.

"Nyx... And Estella..." He had closed his eyes again, but was still under the spell.

"What were they doing?" She squeezed his neck, having no mercy for the boy she once cared so much about. Her daughter was in trouble.

"They took the boat and are on the way to see my parents." His head fell to the side and he was unconscious. Star released him and let him fall to the floor.

She turned back to Shad and brushed past him quickly. "We need to hurry," she said without looking. "Try to keep up."

Star quickly phased into a five-tailed fox mid-stride. [I think she was at five tails... Maybe four.] Her silver coat was glowing in the darkness as she took off down a side passage. She was on a mission and didn't care if she reached Stella before Shad. Star was quick in her human form, but she was even faster as a fox.

Mama Bear, Mama fox, whatever species you want to call her was on a hunt and Shad wasn’t about to stop her. Shad nudged the unconscious Charon with his foot and snickered before they left the cave. It was clear Star held no more favor for the demon and it made Shad feel dominant and cocky.

“So I’m assuming your father taking Estella to Charon’s parents is bad?” Shad asked briskly running next to her foxy little form. She was faster than normal but he could handle keeping up, especially with his aura was unlocked like this, if he was burning off blood anyways he might as well channel it toward something useful like running faster.

Shad tucked his wings in closer to his body and picked up the pace, dealing with these demons was not going to be fun, and although he didn't like to think about it there was a burning sensation in his throat, he had blood less than an hour ago and already was thirsty again, at this rate he would be in a blood coma in the next few hours and if there was going to be a fight the excess burnt blood would put him at about half that time. He needed to work fast and carefully, or Star would need to save more than just Estella.

"I think we're lost..." Jaimie commented very bluntly, it seemed the two of them had been going in circles. The leprechaun didn't respond, and when Jaimie turned the corner Sean had disappeared. Confused Jaimie looked behind him and around the other corners but it seemed he was now completely alone. Without the leprechaun to follow Jaimie was at a loss, there wasn't anything to guide him and with the bit of Arabella's powers he had clung to before they were separated he couldn't really do much.

There was something strange about this situation though, Sean and him had been fine wandering for the past who knows how long but for him to suddenly disappear, that was weird. He walked forward his hand trailing the wall next to him when he felt something cool around his fingers like water, glancing down he saw the wall had turned to liquid beneath his fingers. He pushed his hand through and brought it up the wall which he had now determined was not solid. It felt strange but maybe this was where Sean had gone.

Holding his breath as if he was diving into a pool of water he stepped through. Like jello, the wall stretched spit him out on the other side and slapped back into place with a comical jiggle. Jaimie took a breath and opened his eyes to a dark cavern reminiscent of the one they had been in when they first found out about the deal. Out of the Shadows, as if on cue a demon stepped forth with a large scythe in hand. Jaimie took a step back and was prepared to jump back through the wall, the demon approached and Jaimie felt the wall again, it was rock solid. Jaimie swore under his breath.

"Nice try,but I brought you here and only I can let you leave." The Demon spoke with a chuckle as if this was entertainment, Jaimie relaxed a little, entertained controlling demon he could handle, as long as he wasn't blood thirsty.

"What do you want?" Jaimie demanded less forcefully than usual, to be honest he was sick of it and wasn't planning on making another deal with a demon.

"Well everyone wants your soul but that's already promised to someone just a bit higher up than me." He smirked with jealousy. "I want nothing more than to give you truth, Felizimito, you know that's what you are now right?" Jaimie's eyes jumped from the ground and locked with the demon's, He did not expect the conversation to take this turn, Jaimie had determined he was different but no one had ever put a name to the abilities he had developed because no one had seen it before.

The demon saw the shock and took it as a no. This would be easier than he thought.

"So now you know I can tell you more about yourself and these new powers you've been developing but I can't just do that for free." The demon pulled out an onyx necklace from his coat, a tiny scythe charm danced from the end of it, a tiny soul stone glowed where the blade met the handle. "This object holds the secrets of felizimitos in it, and all I ask for in return is that you return the charm to me when you're done with it." He smiled and held out the necklace to seal the deal.

"When will I be done with it?" Jaimie asked wondering what he could possibly mean, he didn't even know how this object would give him the knowledge.

"You'll know" The Demon said simply with another smile, "Take it or leave it the door is open for you to go." Jaimie looked behind him and the wall was swirling with liquid, the demon was honestly giving him the choice. Unsure he wished desperately for Arabella to be there with all of his might to no avail, no magic would bring her to him at this moment. This decision was his to make, trust the demon and learn who he had become and how to control his abilities or walk away from the golden opportunity. There were no downsides.

Jaimie reached his hand out and picked up the necklace.

To Be Continued.....

The beast continued to move down the paths there was no rhyme or reason to the directions the beast made. The bleeding had stemmed itself and He moved with a purpose taking random turns and making his way down the halls that led to random points. After all his mind was only operating on its level It had a mission and it was determined to find her; but finding her was going to prove to be a big part of the problem. Time seemed to be irrelevant the beast simply kept its pace had it been minutes hours it didn't matter all that mattered was the end statement and that was not losing her. Unfourtenatly before he could find amber he would have to first figure his way out of the maze And unfourtanatly for him that was seeming to be highly unlikely.

Amber ocassionally glanced at Jacob and Arabella every now and then as they walked. She would hate to be separated from them. Even if her sight allowed her to see more than other humans, she was still human, and still fairly weak compared to anything that might live down there. She had to find her way out of the maze; this was hardly a place for her, and she just wanted the whole situation to be over and done with, so they could all go back home.

She allowed herself to become used to hearing the footsteps rather than having to look to make sure they were still there, and focused instead on finding a way out of the maze. After a while, though, she glanced around to find herself alone. Where could they have possibly gone? Hadn't she been following them? How could they become separated like this? She had a moment of panic before forcing herself to calm down. Panic wasn't going to get her anywhere near where she needed to be; it wasn't going to help her situation at all.

She took a deep breath and glanced around herself; there had to be a way to find the pair again. But, no matter where she walked, even if she turned around to take a different turn, she couldn't seem to find them. Was this a part of the maze? Something to confuse them to make them even more lost? If that was the case, she couldn't let it work. She just had to find her way out on her own, which, hopefully, wouldn't be too hard. She turned a corner too fast and stumbled, reaching a hand out expecting to catch herself on the wall there. Unfortunately, that didn't work, and she managed to fall through the wall instead.

She stood up quickly and brushed herself off, glancing around. It didn't seem like anyone else was there, leaving her alone in a room, with no one to help her if someone came after her. She took a deep breath, more out of frustration than to calm herself down. There seemed to be nothing there, but a simple pendant sitting on a rock, in the center. She moved closer to investigate, seeing as there was little else for her to do. There seemed to be a bit of magic in the pendant, but she couldn't even begin to identify what it could possibly do. But then, maybe it would help her? Maybe it was there for a reason...but, if they were all already lost, why bother leaving anything to cause harm or trouble? And why would anyone leave it lying around for a possible ally to find if it would cause serious harm?

Still, it seemed foolish to just pick up a random item like that. She glanced around the room once more before sitting down by the amulet and closing her eyes to think. She'd never find Aiden stuck in this room. She wouldn't be able to find anyone stuck in this room, for that matter. Or...perhaps this was some sort of puzzle? Was the amulet supposed to help her out? She looked at the amulet again, examining it a little more closely. It seemed fairly simple, really, but she was able to see a hint of magic in it. Maybe it was there to help allies out of this strange room, and to keep unwanted visitors suspicious? Somehow or other, the oddest thoughts echoed through her head; that it would be a good thing to grab the amulet. That it would help her out if she did. That she wouldn't get anywhere without it.

She highly doubted it was really all that useful, but the thoughts running through her head, though she was sure they weren't really hers, seemed to be right. After all, if the amulet wasn't there to help, what was it there for? She sighed to herself, shaking her head. She shouldn't be trusting random thoughts, but how could she argue with them?

She reached out and picked the amulet up, hoping it would help her find Aiden and the others.

actuly is dolan

Jacob looked about him, feeling strange. Glancing down at his ring he noticed that the glimmer within the jewel had faded to a tiny flicker. He turned his gaze to the others. “This isn’t good, something about this place is sapping my power even more. Normally magics of this world shouldn’t affect those of Hirule, but…” He looked from each side of the wall to the tunnel before him and called out above him to ensure the other two could hear, “Hey! Jamie! You guys keep going forward, we’ll try and meet up once we get out of here!” he took off his ring and tossed it over the wall, the spikes not interfering with the object, “Here! Take this! It’ll allow us to find you later; I won’t be much use with or without it anyway. Just keep one hand on the same wall and you’ll find your way out!” he looked to amber and Aura as he placed his left hand on the left wall, “Let’s go, it’ll take some time but we can definitely find our way out, the Demon’s want to slow us but I doubt they want to keep us here indefinitely, then they wouldn’t get our souls.

As they progressed he never once took his hand off the wall, “This damn thing is huge!” yet at the moment when he turned his view toward Amber as she started for the amulet his face drained of all color, “Amber, stop-!” he called, finally taking his hand off the wall as he reached out, too late.

The onyx burned with its own trapped heat and Jaimie handled it carefully, he knew not to be concerned about the chain but the actual scythe, the gem on it would be what contained the actual information. Common sense told him to save it for later but curiosity got the better of him and he touched the gem.

The silvery blue gem liquefied and coated his finger, the liquid settled in with a freezing burn and soon coated his entire hand with a frostbitten feeling. It was one of those "oh shit why did I trust a demon" moments. The liquid gem didn't stop there, it continued up his arm. New instincts led Jaimie to try and stop it with his other hand as claws grew and his ears became cat like. Soon the liquid was even crawling up his face.

Before the liquid could overcome him images began flashing over his vision, ones of war and terror, bloody battles of the past, Vampires, Demons, Werewolves, Witches, all were present. The clearest of his visions was one of many races of monster, most of them he didn't recognize, gathered around a table, the council he seemed to recall. Suddenly he was sitting at the table, when he looked up a vampire that resembled Shad sat across from him. Angry arguments continued around him the sullen vampire looked at him with a distaste. Jaimie fled from the Vampire's stare which took him to a ghostly form above the creature he had been inhabiting. The cat like rogue stood an commanded attention of the room pledging his troops to the protection of the humans. Jaimie watched in awe as the ordeal continued, alliances were made, some were broken and the council was dismissed in a bloodbath, a demon ruler lying dead, and the cat man standing over him with a new demonic appearance.

Jaimie flashed back to his own body and recovered himself to find he was not at the same place where he had left his body, he felt paralyzed yet he was moving. Something had gone horribly wrong. In his newly paled hand was a ring, Jacob's ring, the sickly blue skin surrounding it was not his to control and his body began a hunt for the hirule, luckily the moves seemed sluggish and zombie like, so perhaps Jacob would have the sense to restrain him rather than hurt him.

Amber had examined the amulet carefully before picking it up; she wasn't exactly overly surprised, really, that it had magic, but she wasn't prepared for anything else that happened afterwards. It wasn't anything more than a brief touch as she reached to turn it around, to be able to see it from all angles, but it was more than enough, apparently. As soon as the gem started to cover her skin, she knew this was probably one of the dumbest things she had ever done. But there was no stopping it now.

Somehow, her own vision blurred and she no longer saw the walls around her. Instead, she saw wars, fights, battles that she assumed must have already occured, or perhaps were yet to come. She didn't need to focus to see that there were many different races taking part in these battles. Still, the biggest shock for her seemed to be representatives of many races around a table; a meeting, of some sort? While the details weren't clear, she could make out an argument, and, in the end, a fight. Apparently the argument had concerned humans, and she didn't need to see this to know that not all monsters agreed with humans. No wonder there was a fight.

By the time she could see the walls again, she knew something was wrong. She was moving...but felt like she was still lying still. It was an odd feeling, and it gave her a sense of motion-sickness. But, when she tried to take control of her limbs, when she tried to stop herself, she found herself incapable of control. Of course; she had to be curious, she had to pick up the amulet. She had to know what sort of magic was in the gem. She was vaguely aware, after a moment, that her form wasn't even really her form anymore. That she had claws that didn't exist before; that her form might not even be recognizable. Hopefully none of her friends would do too much damage...but, if she didn't look like her normal self, how were they supposed to know? How different did she actually look by that point?

Fortunately, she didn't seem to be moving too fast. Hopefully that meant she wouldn't be considered much of a threat. But...where was she going? She couldn't tell where her body was going, and couldn't make out the maze in her head. Perhaps her body had an idea of where she was going...but, without any knowledge of where her friends were, or any sense of direction, for all she knew, she was only getting herself even more lost. She hoped that was all that was happening; she would hate to find herself in a fight. Although...was this form permanent? Was she going to be stuck like this, with no control, but free thought, feebly fighting the movements of her own body?

Seconds, Minutes or had it been hours? That was one of the few fleeting thoughts that barely traced across the beasts primitave mind. The labyrinth seemed to just go on and on. But everything was distorted and altered from his perspective. the wound from the spike by now had healed giving him back his full range of motion, not that he had noticed in the first place. Pain would have just fueled his rage and now he was stuck at a four way intersection.

The beast stopped as he looked down each direction once sniffing the ground unsure which way to go, It let out a small snort then inhaled deeply. What followed next was a long Howl drawn out a cry looking for some reply of any sorts. The beast stood their for a moment. His ears Perked up as he listened intently for some sort of reply not that one would come but he could hope.