I can't move my hands are flailing uselessly, nails scraping against the shifting wood uselessly.
I looked around but all i saw is more trees more trees, and even more of them.
Agatha whispered: "don't waste your time, relax, you should attack its core instead."
'What?' I thought; it was so absurd it almost sounded like a game.
"What cor—" But before I could even finish, more limbs locked around me I couldn't speak couldn't even move my hands.
I'm starting to feel dizzy with no air going to my lungs, it all felt like being under a boulder.
Then a crazy idea came to mind, the last thought I could manage; the ghost of that creepy bird used to be able to possess my body so could Agatha do it?
But then my eyes widened; antlers, the almost human skull and steps that made my blood stutter, it's that thing.
Suddenly, the lack of air wasn't the most dizzying thing, my consciousness began slipping quickly my eyes felt heavy like rocks.
Then I fell unconscious.
.
.
.
In the Center of his domain, that ghost wearing the human skull walked through it while dragging a human body, his steps calm
The human... looked human but his legs weren't his ears were pointy, it was a weird sight.
Unbothered by its prey's abnormalities he slowly tied the human to long stick, one that was big enough for a scarecrow.
All around the Center, in three circles is more bodies tied to sticks, but each one looked more like a mannequin than anything else.
Each one of the mannequins was just a little different, shorter taller skinnier stronger... and their faded faces too, even without features they were different.
But none of the mannequins got hair on them as of that hair is somewhere else.
The wearer of the human skull stared at Odd for a long moment, stranged by something or maybe confused. Then he spoke:
"Agatha..." his voice a strangled mumble, like he was speaking without air, breathless.
"I didn't expect you to leave your... duty so rashly..." He chuckled, shaking the human skull with his shoulders.
Agatha didn't speak, the silence stretched until he broke it again: "Should I tear his flesh apart just to get a reply? How... irritating, always."
Then Odd's body stirred his eyes snapped open and sharp, she tilted his head before she spoke, her voice sharp:
"Don't you get tired from killing humans? You and those like you will get humans extinct."
She shook his head: "why am I even trying? Just... leave me the hell alone; you wouldn't want me as your enemy, would you, Creek?"
Creek smiled under the mask of the skull his eyes roamed down the human body Agatha possessed, before shaking his head.
"Did you come for the devine skin?"
Agatha blinked once, the silence stretched again before she sneered.
"No... you got me here, you oaf."
Creek stilled, then chuckled his voice shriek.
"I guess I saw a human and couldn't hold myself. But... let's be real, you do want it, the devine skin."
Agatha didn't respond his eyes locked on Creek as she contemplated for a moment, then smiled.
Creek turned his head to check on his collection of mannequins before he turned his attention back to Agatha.
"What about a game..." his voice was offset as if the sound came from the wrong direction, not that Agatha would care she was a ghost of songs herself.
"A game...? For him, isn't it. I see..." She tilted his head for a second. "I'm listening." Her voice quiet.
Creek smiled under the mask. "The rules are simple... he just has to run away."
Agatha smirked prompting Creek to tilt his head, confused.
Agatha shook his head. "Mm, I'm just amused... this man... he has done nothing but running away; it's instinctive by now, I bet."
Creek hummed for a second. "I see..." an eye opened from within the wood of his staff and another from the bone of his skull.
"In that case, I'll make it more interesting. Every one of my servants will follow him as he runs away. If he somehow gets out, he'll find the third Divine artifact, or dies in the way."
Agatha tilted his head, making the expression on Odd's face a scowl then Creek shakes his head. "But of course, I won't follow him... otherwise it'd end too quickly."
***
It was dark for a while, somehow I still feel alive I still breath, and slowly my eyes opened.
The first thing I see is the clearing with no trees for a distance, the mannequins are there, a doz—... did that one move?
I took a deep breath, a shiver went down my tendons as I took a step back.
Another mannequin tilted its head, it'd have looked like the effect of gravity almost...
Then the sound of snapping wood echoed and I knew immediately to run the hell away, more than five mannequins moving with historic abandon on all fours towers me.
A few more snapped off of their pegs and even more followed until all of them were running with hesitation in their heist.
I was already running through the woods my feet are very tired by now already but I might make it...