The Undertow: Session Six

Mikansia: The main character, a female elf played by Lena. Last session she encountered someone who could hear The Music, Renough, the aide to the General of the human fort. He had killed himself. Before he did that Mikansia could hear The Music whenever she was near him. She also slept with "One Night", a human who was in a rather bad (and drunken) place at the time. He professed his love to her. Mikansia let him down as gently as she could. She's still traumatized from being raped by her father, the vile Krakeru, who said it was the beginning of her education in "The Music".

Captain Akseli: Mikansia's commander in the Sword Singers. He had followed her down with Firstword Yngvar when she had deserted, in an attempt to find her father Krakeru.

Firstsword Yngvar: Mikansia's first-in-command NCO. He'd come down with Captain Akseli to get Mikansia back, and was stranded too. He doesn't seem to like Mikansia too much.

The Music: A concept talked about by the vile Krakeru, who had sold his soul to The Nameless, eldritch horrors who terrorize the universe.

Elfwatch: The human fort that Mikansia, Captain Akseli, and Firstsword Yngvar are stranded in after Krakeru brought their ship down. The dark elves are currently sieging. The alcohol's now gone. Hooray.

One month passed. During that time Mikansia managed to keep her composure in public. She trained with the soldiers in swordplay, and did strength training in her room when she couldn't sleep, which was often. When she was alone in her room Mikansia kept a chair under her doorknob. No one had tried to break in, but it helped her feel safer than she had felt recently.

One night the door rattled. The chair didn't budge. The Music could be heard.

Mikansia back away from the door, hoping it would hold. It did. But she could hear "One Night"'s voice beyond, begging weakly for help. Hesitantly, Mikansia opened the door and "One Night" slid through it into her doorway; he had been leaning against the door.  A crowd was gathering. Mikansia tried to move him, but he was just too big, standing at a good six and a half feet tall. A major came up to her and asked if "One Night" was bothering her. She said he wasn't, but he should be brought back to his barracks. As they picked him up "One Night" looked at Mikansia and said "Hi, I'm Tyce. I was looking for you." He didn't want to leave her, but the major got a few enlisted to carry him back to his barracks. The Music faded as he left. Tyce kept saying he couldn't get it to shut up.

The next morning Mikansia began to look for Tyce. Eventually she found  him, curled up in an alleyway, holding his head. She could hear The Music again. He looked up, smiled at her, and said "Hi, I'm Tyce. I was looking for you." Mikansia was puzzled: Tyce had told her that the other night! He stared down at the ground. For a second there was a look of comprehension and horror. And then he looked up. "Hi, I'm Tyce. I was looking for you". Mikansia took a step back. The Music was louder. Another major, Major Renee, saw her and came to help. He'd been looking for Tyce this whole time. Concerned, he told Mikansia that this was new.

They brought him into Major Renee's room. Major Renee explained that Tyce was easily the most impressive soldier he had ever seen. A natural leader, they were about to promote him to sergeant. And then, three weeks ago, he became erratic. He started skipping shifts, shirking work and starting fights. He couldn't be found yesterday, at all. "Hi, I'm Tyce. I was looking for you". Tyce curled up on Major Renee's bed and began to suck his thumb. Mikansia asked Major Renee if he had seen this happen to anyone else recently. Major Renee said he'd seen some odd things, but this was completely new.

Tyce got up and told Mikansia she needed to follow him. He left Major Renee's room. Curious, Mikansia and Major Renee followed. Tyce headed for the tunnel's collapsed entrace. Mikansia froze. She went no further. Captain Akseli came up and asked what as going on. Major Renee brought Captain Akseli up to speed,  as opposed to Mikansia, because Tyce was saying "Hi, I'm Tyce. I was looking for you" to Mikansia again. Captain Akseli immediately brought Mikansia and Tyce to the General of the fort and sent Major Renee to find Firstword Yngvar.

Captain Akseli took Mikansia and Tyce ("Hi, I"m Tyce. I was looking for you.") to the General's quarters and knocked. The General was grumpy when he answered the door, but he quickly let the three in when he saw Captain Akseli was among them. Firstsword Yngvar came rushing in. Mikansia was introduced to the General as Krakeru's daughter; the General looked at her in sympathy. Mikansia winced at the name. Captain Akseli gently touched her wrist and asked if she was ok.

Mikansia flinched and jumped back, but she did not reach for her weapon. Firstsword Yngvar practically died from embarrassment.

Captain Akseli explained that Tyce was being hollowed out by The Nameless. Humans were made by the khen-zai to be malleable, adaptable, and so when a human encountered a Nameless they eventually lost who they were, as the Nameless were able to sync up with their soul and body and wipe it clean, passively. In fact, if Tyce had been having issue with the Nameless since Krakeru's scream (which a channeling of The Music of The Nameless) that meant that Tyce was an extremely resilient human. Mikansia asked if the effect couldn't be reversed. Firstword Yngvar said that a primal connection, like a lover or a mother, might have had success with Tyce the previous night (and with this he shot Mikansia a look), but Krakeru was one of three elves recorded in elven history who had this power, so not much else was known than that.

Tyce said, in a voice very different than his own, that this was very true.

Everyone jumped.

His gaze wandered off. "Hi, I'm Tyce. I was looking for you".

After some more deliberation it was decided that, since Tyce was following Mikansia around, he should continue to do so, with Firstword Yngvar there as bodyguard. In the middle of this deliberation Captain Akseli all of a sudden stared off off into space. Firstsword Yngvar gently brushed the back of his neck and Captain Akseli snapped back to reality, as if nothing had happened. Firstsword Yngvar had been shooting Mikansia more significant looks throughout the briefing, but she said nothing. Tyce had tried to hold Mikansia's hand as they walked, same as a toddler might. Mikansia did not let him; the differing voice had thoroughly creeped her out, nevermind The Music, which continued. They were going to Firstsword Ynvgar's room, but Tyce wanted to go to where she had been sad; the place where Mikansia had told Tyce she didn't want to see him anymore. She had been so sad that it had hurt for Tyce to see her like that.

By the time they got there Tyce had stopped walking like an adult. There was an odd spring his step, reminiscent of a small child. But when they got there he became very sad and quiet. He asked Mikansia why she'd never given him her name. She said she hadn't realized how important it would be to him. And she told him. For just a second she could see a flash of something malevolent, something that took great pleasure in her revelation to Tyce.

"Hi, I'm Tyce. I was looking for you."

So they brought him back to Mikansia's room. Tyce visibly relaxed upon entering her room. He sat down on the floor. "Hi, I'm Tyce. I was looking for you". And then he said in that other voice he'd been looking foward to seeing the inside of her room.

Yngvar's sword was out and streaking towards Tyce. Mikansia barely blocked him. She asked, regretfully, if it really was too late. Firstsword Yngvar asked if she really wanted to find out. Ashamed, Mikansia said she didn't. Tyce gazed at the blade, terrified but longing for the cold steel. Mikansia lowered her blade and knelt beside Tyce. She got him to look at her and told him to listen to the sound of her voice. Everything was going to be alright. Slowly, lovingly, she began to sing the Lament of Mourning, in her low, rich alto. Firstsword Yngvar steeled himself for the deed.  Tyce closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief as he listened to Mikansia, slowly rocking back and forth to the slight beat of the song.

Tyce opened his eyes and stared deeply into Mikansia's. "Not yet," he whispered. Tyce stood up quickly, smoothly. Yngvar backed up in utter surprise. There was a spark that had returned to Tyce's eyes. He had returned in a way that Mikansia did not understand, but recognized. With infinite gentleness Tyce took hold of the hilt of Firstsword Yngvar's blade; surprised, Firstsword Yngvar let him take it. Mikansia, unsure of what was going on, continued to sing. Turning to face her, Tyce hugged her and whispered his thanks in her ear. He turned back to Firstsword Yngvar and promised to return the blade soon.

And then Tyce began to sing along to the Lament.

With a spring in his step Tyce went out the door. He broke into a run, singing at the top of his lungs. Taking the steps to the southern wall two at a time, he looked down and grinned. Firstsword Yngvar and Mikansia were right behind him. Turning to them, Tyce told them that the siege wasn't quite so heavy on this part of the wall.

He jumped

And rolled.

Humans didn't dodge arrows like Tyce did.

Nor did they sing as he did all these things, singing in a high tenor the Lament that he had learned so quickly from Mikansia.

The sun set, and Tyce could be seen no more.