The Underground
Part Four
The Sorceress's Apprentice A-Side
-Trapped far below the surface, in darkness only lit by the faint strobes and laser lights going off wildly below them. The two kidnapped DJs played and played and played track after track making sure not to set the alarm off for another harmful shock. Char could feel the sweat dripping down his body as he looked to Nick who was seemingly dead on his feet. It wasn’t that they were tired out right it was just standing in once place with nowhere to go and seemingly trying to focus. Char nudged Nick slightly as Nick shook his head blinking his eyes rapidly a few more times; "tell me you thought of something to get the hell outta here yeah?" -Char looked ahead at the large window and down below; "it’s strange...they haven’t said anything else.....what do they even want? This can’t be all just to watch us play to death?" -Char was growing annoyed and frustrated perhaps more than scared now. It was then Char was turned to play and he cranked the volume up as loud as it could go as Nick covered his ears; "HEY! ..hey...CHAR!" -Nick pointed to the glass frame as it was seemingly vibrating rapidly and the two exchanged glances briefly almost knowing what needed to be done as Nick started scrolling through selections; "we need to break 100Db to make such a thing happen...but most of this stuff in here is straight groove techno...whoever this "father" is, the dude isn’t one for hard style stuff...so unless you got a hard style track in your pocket...we can crank that shit up all the way and won’t stand a chance" -Char was rubbing on his head trying to concentrate as his eyes were fast scrolling multiple songs that had been preloaded on these decks, him and Nick both were walking song encyclopedias and Char finally turned the volume down and sighed; "yeah...I see that.."
"Even if we did break the glass out...were still hooked up to this stupid fucking thing.." -Nick raised his leg up showing the electric chain that was connected to them. "Maybe...if we overloaded it..Somehow?" -before Nick could think anymore the ominous voice from before called out; "my oh my you boys are quite a little rebellious bunch aren’t cha?..hahaha!..But I tell you what...how about we playing a little game?" -Nick and Char looked back to one another and suddenly both decks lit up at the same time; "I been taking it easy on you two..I wanna see some real Prince Djs’ in action, so for this next part...both of you will be playing but you will have to beat match to one another. If either of you fail, then BOTH of you are punished. This should keep you boys outta trouble hahaha" -As Char’s song that he had selected was playing, Nick had near no time to respond before both of them were shocked at the same time as Char took to a knee and Nick came down with him; "This fucker is gonna kill us...we are gonna die here CHAR!" -Char went down on both knees as he could feel almost everything moving in slow motion. Nothing made sense anymore; all he could think back to; was the dream he had. What Maleficent warned him about. As his hands rested along his thighs he felt something along his right thigh. Something was in his pocket this whole time. It was a small flash drive but where on earth did it come from. As Char’s eyes glanced upon it. Suddenly it all hit him in fast forward. The moment in his dream he was grabbed, Maleficent, somehow, some magical way slipped something on him right before he left his dreaming state. He rose up and taking the drive, he pushed it into the deck and it simply revealed one song upon it;
-Nick looked back; "Char..that’s one..of your songs.." -Nick rose up and Char instantly played it. The hard style poundings of the beat instantly had the deranged people down below running around and screaming in displeasure as they were not at all a fan of what was playing. "HOW THE HELL...THAT ISN’T ON THE THERE...WHERE DID YOU GET THAT!?" -The Man called over the loud speaker and suddenly the decks lit up again and Char and Nick both were electrocuted seemingly on command this time; "BAD BOYS!..BOTH OF YOU!...I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!" -Nick instantly dropped seemingly about to pass out but Char stood his ground straining under the intense electric shock torture. As his vibrant blue eyes only started to get darker. The deepest memories of his time under the wicked Sorceress unlocked from the harmonic sounds of this particular track. For this was the very first song Char ever manipulated with his own "ability". As the magic of the drive infused into him releasing these repressed actions. The entire room began to fill with ominous glowing blues floating around. As the final drop resonated from the track, the vibrant waves of blue floated outward rapidly as Char’s hands manipulated the very sound waves of the powerful song. Turning the distorted bass kicks into what felt like rocket propelled grenades as they exploded outward completely destroying the window and some of the wall around it and even short circuiting the entire electronic setup ending the torture as the chains exploded and the decks fried catching fire. The entire place went dark in an instant.
As all but the wild neon blue glow of the sound mage, and his magic floating around him. As the Sorceress Apprentice had fully awoken once again. Nick opened his eyes only to see darkness and Char leaned down on one knee trying to wake him. "Hey...it worked...we gotta get outta here..." -Nick raised up still out of it and no idea of what had just happened but once Char said they were free he got up quickly, though uneasy and took a deep breath; "I thought I died for a minute...I can’t see shit..." -The faint flames of the decks were the only light left as Char looked down below to the makeshift dance floor and saw the deranged people scatter and vanish into the shadows; "As much as I don’t want to go down there...I think we have no choice..." -It was a nice drop but there was a few large boxes stacked near the right side of the widow to making it a bit easier down. As the two finally made it down the reality of this place took hold. The place smelled awful, and there was trash everywhere, used needles, and what in some places looked like human remains. "Char what the hell is this place..." -The people all stayed in the shadows staring in fear, course Nick had no idea, they were all fearful of Charming. As Nick grabbed a bent up pipe on the floor he wielded it like a sword almost keeping his guard as Char kept close behind him; "keep going that way...it looks like some kind of exit no?" -As the two made it through the long dark tunnel of the damned. They came to a long hallway of metal walls rusted with a few doors. Trying the first one it was locked of course. "dammit..." -Char tried the next one and without fuss it opened. Though upon entering it was far from what he expected. It was a large dining room of sorts. Or at least it felt like such.
The place was dimly lit by a few candles, but it felt like a huge room, with a massive dining table in the middle. All well decorated or at least it appeared so. But the décor was run down and ragged. There were twelve seats, each with a simple tea cup placed before each. Though it was hard to make out the opposite end of the table it looked to be a shadowed figure. Char closed the door and Nick kept the pipe up, ready to swing at the first thing that moved but nothing. It was quiet and while there was more space beyond the initial dining table it was hard to see much else. Char and Nick made their way along the sides of the table reaching the opposite end only to find a horrid scene. There was a man who sat at the table in his own unique chair of sorts. This man looked young, but his body was shriveled up like a raisin. Malnourished and hooked up to multiple tubes and IV’s of some kind. Also along one of his arms it appeared a tube lead down draining his blood into a small bowl of some kind. This man seemed to not even be awake or perhaps even conscious to what was even happening to him. Nick took one of the candles to raise it up to view the man more clearly, and his eyes finally shot open. He moved around in his chair rapidly but his body so badly weakened he couldn’t move really. He couldn’t even speak as his mouth would open but only gasps and grunts coming out of it. Nick and Char both jumped back a moment. But Char could feel something weigh heavy on his heart. "Nick..." -Nick nodded; "yeah...I feel it too..he..is one of us isn’t he?" -This man was indeed a fable but unsure until Nick noticed something along the table in front of him. Random magazines and pictures of a well handsome man; the famous Actor Phillip Dupont. Who was said to have died at sea on his private yacht. Char and Nick stared at the picture then back to this shell of a man and realized; "Char...this is Phillip Dupont..or...what’s left of him..." -The mystery of what was happening here was only growing by the second and they were still no closer to getting out of here. But it was then they could hear what sounded of footsteps of someone coming down the hall before and the sound of the door opening.
-Nick and Char ran off into the shadows of the large room and watched. Suddenly the slender and long fingered hand appeared along the door as it opened revealing what appeared to look that of a man. His face was pale white and he had heavily sunken in eyes. He wore a roughed and ragged looking black three piece suit, along with a beat up looking top hat. He was breathing heavily though he started mumbling to himself in a fast and jerky like manner as he walked into the room. Instantly Phillip began to grow even more alarmed though only moans and cries fled from his lips. "oh where oh where could they have gone?...the Queen will not accept this...no no no no...oh hush you!" -this man was just as deranged and crazy as everything else going on in here though he gazed at Phillip with a sudden pause and then began to smile. His teeth were like jagged looking knives in his mouth as he laughed; "oh Phillip...you are always sucha smart one...you know where they are ...yes yes yes!" -What would follow was surely bizarre, the man walked over to where Phillip was confined to then began to move the tubes around and started to mess with something that instantly made Phillip scream out in these awful gasping breaths. As more blood was drained from his already deteriorating body, down into a small tea cup. A fine couple of drops. As the man raised it up he smelled it and released a creepy sigh of relief; "this shall help...yes yes.." -The man would then drink the blood he had just drained from Phillip. And as if he was going into a meditative state suddenly. A strange purple glow manifested around him. As his eyes fired right open staring straight at Char and Nick both; "THEY ARE HERE THEY ARE HERE!" -Nick quickly jumped from the shadow and taking the pipe he had and swung across at him, this man was strange but still rather small in size to Nick and Char both. Char pushed him as the man tried to flee away and Nick landed a clean hit right to the man’s face as he dropped to the floor; "Char...Where in the fairy tale fuck all are we!?" -Char bent down staring at the tube of blood that dripped from Phillip; "...we have to get outta here...and find Mal..." -Nick was confused at Chars response; "I thought she was gone?...What would she know.."
-It was then they heard a loud ringing over the sound system as it sounded like the power had been restored to the area. "You boys have caused far too much trouble!...no sons of mine! you are!...though it’s clear we underestimated you Char...so perhaps you can still make me proud...maybe it’s time I greeted you boys myself...a little play time with dear ole dad!" -Nick raised up the pipe ready; "show yourself already motherfucker! We are tired of the bullshit!"
-though it was silent, after a few more moments Nick headed for the door back into the long metal hallway and Char followed though the faint murmurs of Phillip turned him back. "Char...Where are you going.." -Char walked back to Phillip, all the tubes hooked up to him and his body in the condition it was in, it would be near impossible to take him with them. "We can’t save him Char..." -Char reached for the long tube that was stuck along his back, while the Prince like blue eyes, stared up at Chars own. Char could feel exactly what this Prince longed for. In one motion Char pulled it out of him as the man gasped one hard breath and seemingly collapsed back in the chair as his chest was barely moving, breathing slowly; "We can save him from whatever the fuck this is...no one deserves this..." -Char pulled the last few main IV’s that were connected to him. The man unable to speak now or even able to relay any sound at all. A faint few tears flowed down his cheeks as Char walked on with a sudden sense of anger. The surging magic within was still very active as he followed Nick; and the two would venture back out and head for the lone door all the way to the end of the hall. They entered and instantly something hit them like a brick wall, a powerful smell. Though; the room was in pitch black darkness.
Even the candle Nick had grabbed earlier went out in this humid feeling room. "I can’t see shit..." -Char fumbled around trying to find anything that could reveal a source of light. Only to stop dead in his tracks as his hand touches what felt like another hand though it was cold he grabbed it and it came right with him. Char had another hand in his hand as he dropped it in sudden disgust. Just as he did, one by one, lights came on slowly revealing a truly gruesome sight. Meat hooks, and tables coated in blood lined with body parts and what looked like buckets filled with organs and entrails. Saws and other indescribable tools laid about on the walls and tables as well. Char instantly kneeled over and threw-up into a bucket only to throw up again when the bucket was full of what looked like eyeballs. Nick held his hand to his nose and tried to reach out to Char; "Char just don’t think about it...I think I see another door over there...just stay focused..." -Nick laid the pipe down and this time grabbed a Machete that was caked in blood along the opposite table Char was near; "no...Its...I can feel them Nick...all these ..." -Nick's senses were not as adept as Chars of course but it slowly filtered in once Char had spoken of it. As they turned through a small hall and into the next room where the door was, it finally settled in though it became more apparent all the same. Suspended along giant hooks were several naked men and women all young and beautiful looking.. Though their bodies were still intact they were well dead now. Each one had buckets under them being drained of blood though something was much more different about this blood.
-Char could feel that these suspended bodies and even the remains scattered all over this ghastly slaughter house place were all fables. The blood was given off a radiate golden glow that he was unsure of what it was. Though some of the girls he felt like he had recognized somewhere but he could place it. "Nick these women look familiar..." -Nick took one look at one that had long dark hair and was quite slender frame and long legs as he narrowed his brow though it was hard to even focus on anything but he gasped suddenly; "I know this girl...she’s a Olympic gold medalist Vidia Tomescu....or...was.." -Char then looked to another one, who was another slender build girl with brown hair still in pig tails though it was rather matted up a bit now. Char quickly however recognized her face; "This girl...this is Bess Fontana. She’s a famous artist...I literally bought a painting from her some time ago.."
-It was strange to see these people, though Char had no idea they were fables but what connected them he wasn't sure. Though; the faint golden glow to their blood had him even more in wonder. As this golden hue, felt so familiar to him. As if he recognized this sort of "glow" along the skin of the Tremaine sisters. His stomach still felt like it was spinning and Nick grabbed him to head for the door that was now visible in this room. The two finally made away from the grizzly and mysterious scene. Just as Nick reached for the door to open it, the place suddenly went dark again though it lit up with these vibrant red emergency lights in each corner of the room. Though Nick quickly opened the door into another large room though this one seemed a bit more of a supply room of sorts with what appeared to be a large set of stairs to the far end and at the top looked like some sort of elevator though it was hard to make out. Nick pointed; "Char I think we found a fucking way outta here...let’s go!" -Just as they were about to make a run up the stairs when suddenly the wall beside them opened up, for it was some kind of shutter gate of sorts and revealed behind it was a massive looking man. Easily bigger than Char and Nick both, he wore a long apron that was soaked in blood and in his massive bulking arms he held he a chainsaw. The roars of the blade soon came to life. His face was covered with a mask of some kind. Though staring through it was these soulless looking black pools were the eyes should be.
The mask itself looked like it was made of flesh and roughly patched together, and placed above on his head was a wicked crown made of nails, metal and barbed wire that was stuck into his head as it was covered in blood. He raised the chainsaw up and revved it to life and instantly he attacked Nick who blocked him with the Machete he had though the saw broke it into pieces as the machete was heated up and broken on the floor smoking. Char ran the opposite way down a series of hallways down below as Nick followed after him into the next room that was filled with boxes and containers. Char leaped over some and Nick followed as the massive man slammed the chainsaw through the containers and boxes slicing into them and bursting through. The panic and terror filled within the both of them, this was a true nightmare come to form. This man was sure the source of everything they had seen but was he the voice that had called out to them all this time as well? Though it was clear this man was in no mood to be talking at all. Char rolled under a table in the next room as Nick darted off still and the man followed after Nick. Char took a moment to close his eyes unsure of what even was happening and the will to process it all. Though; he couldn't leave Nick alone with this thing. He had to channel into that energy previously. Though Chars magic was still only growing and without a proper source to channel it, such as the flash drive and the song from earlier. He was as useless. Though he had been taught of using with such, it was extremely dangerous to do so. As the magic could be damaging to a person.
But these were desperate times. And Char opened his eyes and slid back from out the table, though things grew quiet. Nick had reached the last room in the area and hidden inside a large metal locker of sorts. As the massive man suddenly went quiet behind him. The chainsaw itself was also no longer heard and Nick looked through the faint top of it through the holes and could not see anything or anyone around. "What the fuck.." -he whispered to himself only for suddenly the massive saw blade to erupt right beside him as it screeched against the metal causing sparks to fly everywhere. Nick dropped down inside the locker trying to avoid screaming for help. Char stepped into the room as the large man paused for a moment sensing him and turned around ripping the chainsaw out of the locker. Char raised his hands up, his heart racing a million miles a minute. As his hands began to glow, the man stared in wonder and finally sure enough he spoke; "you maybe the son we been looking for..." -his voice was surely the same man but much more refined and not as manic sounding it startled Char a bit but the man still didn’t stop his approach as he lifted the saw up and growled about to strike. Char felt his body strain but the chainsaw began to glow; "you make too much noise..." -Char spoke before using his sound mage abilities and manipulating the very sounds of the saw itself, it exploded outward and exploded the chainsaw sending the sharp edges of the saw onto the man into a shrapnel like blast that caused him to scream out in pain and run off seemingly before vanishing all together. Char's vision crew blurry and soon he could feel something wet leaking from his nose. As his blood dripped from his nose, his body felt like he had been run over by a train as he was not used to this strain of magic use. Nick popped out of the locker and grabbed Char; "What the fuck was that!...Char...CHAR! snap out of it! we gotta go!" -Nick grabbed Char with arm around his shoulder and walked with him through the rooms as it seemed the "The Red King" had vanished for now as they slowly climbed up the stone stairwell. An elevator was there and pressing it, it opened up as Nick helped Char in. He looked at the console. Chars collapsed to the floor against the elevator watching as Nick pressed the button to the ground level. "Finally we’re getting the fuck out of this place....."
-The elevator began its climb and Nick turned around but just as he did so, through the open platform of the elevator a massive hook nailed Nick in the back as the arm of the mad man appeared and grabbed Nick right out of the elevator as it was moving. Char reached out but his body was in no shape to help as he struggled to get up he limped over gazing down into the darkness hearing desperate screams from below. "NICK!!!!!!!!" -Char knew it was suicide to go back down there but as he reached the top. He found himself alone, and out in the dark night though what he did not expect was the massive flashes of police lights and loud sirens as he appeared to be at some abandoned complex. He stepped out off the platform hardly able to walk as police rushed the scene. But who or how did they know to arrive so quickly? Before Char could wrap his head around everything. He was carried off by officers and watched as a swat team took for the elevator. Char found his way to an ambulance and was instantly treated upon. Though through the paramedics and police hounding him with questions already a hand with black painted nails slid through pushing an officer to side; "No questions....you want to talk to him...you can speak to our lawyers....Charming honey.." -Her voice somehow was like music to his ears after all this time. He closed his eyes; "I tried Mal but ...I’m just not strong enough..." -Maleficent finally came fully into view of him as she reached down to grab his hand with her own; "no Char you were strong enough...it’s because you were strong I was able to find you...." -Char opened his eyes one last time before finally passing out from the pain and exhaustion;
