Chapter 6: Mortals birth, Mortals death

Aliciae shook her head wildly as Elaine pulled the blade from her throat, Aliciae letting out a low growl her eyes fading back to their regular colour. She didn’t have the strength to use her power and instead she lashed out with her one arm, the other covering her throat but Elaine only had to step back and Aliciae didn’t even lightly touch her any time.

Joanna stared wide-mouthed and the wounded creature that no longer looked or even seemed human growling with its back to her.

Aliciae looked at Elaine with blank hatred but stopped lashing out and just stood still the blue blood staining her clothes and the ground; Elaine had the chance to see her properly in her complete REAL form. Her skin completely blue her eyes a natural glowing red, her hair black but with streaks of grey hanging down her back and her back hunched over slightly like an animal matching the sounds escaping her mouth.

It didn’t last long though her growls were replaced by heavy, desperate attempts at breathing but she had no chance. Her eyelids began to flutter closing for 1 or 2 seconds and then suddenly opening like she was falling asleep she didn’t try to move away though she may have known she had little chance. Instead she stood in one position swaying slightly like her legs were having trouble holding her body weight she lifted her head looking up at the sky and then looking back at Elaine a choking voice rose from her throat speaking.

"There will be m-more more of me this world is is not safe and don’t you d-dare…"

Her word’s were cut short she could say no more, her eyes closing she fell to her knees and finally on to her stomach and there she stayed silent and still.

Joanna stepped forward and lightly tapped Aliciae with her foot before jumping back, Aliciae did not move.

"I think she is dead" Elaine smiled "Yes she is dead!"

Joanna wasn’t so sure she knelt down gradually by Aliciae’s side and gently rolled Aliciae so she lay on her back, her eyes were closed as well as her mouth and her blue skin was slightly duller it looked like her final end. Joanna smiled slightly too standing up straight she looked at Aliciae’s frozen face again and then at Elaine and Guybrush.

"Thank you just so much, Elaine!" Joanna could hardly contain her happiness "She would have killed me no doubts there".

"No doubt, I can’t be certain but I suspect if the chance arose she would kill all of us".

Joanna looked back down at Aliciae "I’ve known her for so long" she sighed "And I still don’t know what she is and I don’t think anyone will she was not human that is for certain".

"Hey" Guybrush suddenly cut in not wanting to be left out "Lets go tell the voodoo lady of our little victory I’m sure she was very concerned about what would happen to Aliciae".

"The voodoo lady? Who is that?" Joanna asked

"She lives in that building" Elaine pointed to the building with burning torches on the roof "She knows a lot about mystical and voodoo things".

"Oh I saw a woman in that building, she must have been the voodoo lady" Joanna said just loud enough Elaine could hear "She did seem concerned about this situation".

The voodoo lady was already in view as they entered the building her hands in her lap.

"Since you are all here and you seem quite happy I believe there has been a victory, has there?"

"A victory for us, a loss for the now passed Aliciae" Elaine smiled examining the stained blade for the first time.

The voodoo lady didn’t smile though she looked a bit concerned "Elaine is that Aliciae’s blood?" she asked.

"Of course it is blue so it couldn’t be any of ours" she replied slightly confused.

"Blue-blooded" the voodoo lady said to herself "She was blue-blooded".

"Yes" Joanna nodded "Does that mean anything?"

The voodoo lady was whispering strange things to herself the only words that could be heard were ‘blue-blooded’.

"She was a physical being too, right?" the voodoo lady stopped whispering and looked at the three by the door.

"Physical being? She was physical I think yes I mean we could have touched her she had skin and stuff and...." Elaine started saying fast but the voodoo lady motioned for her to stop.

"I don’t see how this works" the voodoo lady for once sounded confused herself.

"What do you mean you don’t know how it works?" Joanna asked, "How what works?"

"How Aliciae can be blue-blooded" the voodoo lady looked at Joanna. "Blue-blooded creatures are other worldly yes like I believed Aliciae was." she paused "but they usually cannot pass into this world in a physical form at least they are normally in a spirit form like a ghost".

Elaine, Guybrush and Joanna looked at each other nervously in silence until Joanna spoke "But she didn’t pass into this world did she? She was born here and of course she would be half-human so maybe that would have made her an exception".

The voodoo lady smiled for a moment "Of course! You are right, she was born here and did not pass through but if she was blue-blooded she would be more like her father".

"Yes we all knew that" Guybrush said "I think the powers, the blue skin, the mind reading gave us that same idea".

The voodoo lady laughed "Nice to know that nothing can change our old Guybrush"

"I agree" Elaine smiled looking at Guybrush "I’m happy about that".

Suddenly a loud cracking sound like a bolt of electricity came from outside followed by a blue flash.

Elaine opening the door quickly and looking outside

"What is it?" Joanna said panicking "What was that?"

"I don’t know" Elaine replied "I can’t see anything"

"Aliciae?" Joanna tried to look past Elaine "She’s got up hasn’t she?"

"No" Elaine shook her head "She hasn’t moved an inch she is still lying by the fountain but the…" Elaine gasped "the water in the fountain has turned red!"

The voodoo lady got up "Go!" she said "Go now, I know what is coming it may be better if you saw this"

"Are you sure about that?" Guybrush asked before Elaine pulled him through the door.

They ran to the fish fountain where the red water was starting to boil like in a cooking pot and occasionally a few drops of water would spray over the edge of the fountain some far enough to hit Aliciae in her face.

"What the hell is happening?" Joanna took half a step toward the fountain avoiding being hit by the red water.

The water suddenly began to rise and flood over the edges of the fountain and the three had to step back to avoid it boiling their shoes, the water hissed and some quiet voices began to rise also. It was impossible to make out what they were saying it was a language they had not heard before.

The water started to rise higher than their heads and started taking shape it just looked like a skeleton head with a body that was wide and long but they couldn’t see anything like arms or legs just a big wide shape.

"Aliciae"

The three turned to look at Aliciae who still lay silent and still but the red water figure moved from the fountain and loomed over Aliciae’s body. A hand emerged from the giant shape and its long fingers wrapped around Aliciae’s throat the water running onto the ground.

A choking noise suddenly came up and Aliciae’s eyes opened she was starting to take in breaths roughly but her eyes were glowing again although she wasn’t trying to fight the water figure.

The voice trailed off and the skull of the figure smiled evilly.

Joanna closed her eyes "No" she whispered to herself "no not one of them".

Aliciae’s face was in its skull-like form nearly identical to the water figure but blue instead of red, she did not move but she was examining the floating figure above her.

The figure lifted up and turned to the three by the side its grin still in place.

For the first time they noticed when it spoke its mouth didn’t move, it spoke through its mind. They felt slightly relieved though that it had said another world.

The figure floated down the red water on each shoulder spouting one flame each but only on the shoulders it floated towards them and looked at Joanna.

It looked at Aliciae with only small black dots for eyes in its huge sockets and Joanna felt something pulling on her waist backwards.

She was suddenly hurtled into the air and landed onto the ground on her back pain exploding through her spine and the back of her head.

She was in too much pain to try and stand so could only look up at the sky, until Elaine’s face appeared over hers.

"Joanna are you alright?" she asked desperately shaking one of Joanna’s arms.

"Yes" Joanna managed to groan "Help me up, before that thing does anything else!"

Elaine gradually pulled Joanna up while Guybrush supported her back to stop her from falling backwards and Joanna managed to hold herself on her feet still in some pain and feeling ill.

The figure was watching them the flames on its shoulders dimming slightly

Joanna began to feel even more and she nearly fell but Guybrush was still supporting her back and pushed her back up.

The figure began to move forward again but suddenly stopped the flames on its shoulders shooting up and the figure lifted itself up so the three couldn’t see its head anymore.

It swirled around violently before exploding in a blinding red flash.

The voice echoed before becoming silence.

Aliciae had lifted her head but was starting to choke again her hands were shaking over as she tried to breathe but after about 6 seconds she gave up and her head fell back onto the stone ground her eyes closing as it hit.

"What was all of that!" Guybrush suddenly shouted, "What was that water thing? Why did Aliciae come back and then die again? Why did that water thing vanish for no reason? Why…"

"Lets not ask questions" Elaine cut in "It’s gone and Aliciae is dead and I don’t think anything is coming back to help her now".

Aliciae suddenly started shaking violently and something blue lifted out of her before flying away into the air.

It was Aliciae’s voice but it was in the air not from where her body lay.

"What did that mean?" Joanna asked rubbing her back where the pain was starting to ease.

"I think we should go and ask the voodoo lady" Guybrush looked over to the voodoo lady’s shop.

"Why?" Joanna asked, "We have already been there".

"Well she knows about abnormal sorts of things and that blue think didn’t look normal plus you know I don’t want to walk too far and she is really close."

The voodoo lady yet again was waiting for them an expression showing she probably knew what they were going to ask.

"First things first" Joanna said still rubbing her back "What was that thing that came out of the fountain?"

"I am not sure exactly what it was" the voodoo lady looked at them blankly "It was of course something from Aliciae’s own world I would have thought a relative of Aliciae it may have even been the father but it has returned to its own world now".

"Good" Guybrush sighed with relief "Now did you see that thing that came from Aliciae, what was that?"

"It was her soul not like our souls but the problem is this means Aliciae is not at her end".

"What do you mean?" Elaine frowned "Where did she go?"

"She will try to find a little girl’s body to take over since she means to re-birth in some way the girl will be only a few years old and will be girl with little or no family who is unprotected I already have an idea of a girl who I believe Guybrush and Elaine know about a Robyn-Louise".

"Robyn-Louise!" Elaine gasped "She was on Plunder Island, she was abandoned or something!"

"You must go find her" the voodoo lady urged "I am sorry Joanna but you cannot your fate is not to be tangled with this".

Joanna looked quite happy that she wouldn’t have to confront Aliciae again "Ok" she nodded.

"Come on Guybrush!" Elaine was already out of the door "We have to save Robyn-Louise"

Guybrush followed "We’re not bringing her home afterwards are we?" he whined.

Joanna followed them out of the door and waved goodbye and remained standing outside the door as they ran off and around the corner.

"Good luck!" she called after them thinking to herself whether she would see them again.