The Undertow: Session Twenty-Four

The cult of The Lone Keep must fall! Mikansia and Nomi, determined to end the vile Keep's existence, have acquired a working star map so they can intercept the orbiting Keep. But first, they have to drop off some of their compatriots at the human city of Vigilance.

Vigilance was partially elven built, for the purpose of keeping the demonic The One in the Deep imprisoned. Mikansia had always been a bit skeptical that humans could keep the Elven Inimicai secured, but The One in the Deep wasn't running around and creating havoc anymore, so who was she to argue? And it was a beautiful city, with its red-roofed white-walled visage shining in the sun. It would probably look better with the dark black of the Void for a sky, not this ridiculous blue, but still, at least some humans had taste. Vigilance was atop a mountain, surrounded by mile upon mile of mountainous forest. Decima had asked that she and the girls be dropped off a little ways outside the city, as they didn't want to spook the population.

Fish was asleep before he landed. Everyone else fell off him, in a heap. Everyone else, except for Mikansia. The walls of Vigilance were before her; the vast forests of the northern Étranger Mountains behind her.

There was something up in the sky; its wings were too leathery to be a bird, Mikansia could tell from even that far up. As it came closer it brought a hurricane that dwarfed anything Fish could ever summon; an actual dragon, surrounded in flickering oranges and blues. Mikansia had to back away from the corona of flame and steady herself against Fish's unconscious bulk. On its back was the Creature from Dream, green scales shining in the early morning light. All its voices could be heard; various voices, various tones, as the real dragon landed in a miniature earthquake.

"Give me that!"

"So many generations! Wasted!"

"I've earned it!"

"How dare you!"

"DIE"

"You first!" Mikansia drew the rainbow blade that the Creature had made from Jabez's sword. She had lost it once; she would never lose it again. Dragon or no, Mikansia would not run.

Twelve orcs came running up from behind the dragon, using the flaming whirlwind as cover. So did a werewolf.

Mikansia sighed. And cut a hole into the realm of Dream. That was one of the sword's powers.

She was back in the impossibly bright fields. She knew she had less than a moment. So Mikansia focused on a memory: she had left Nomi, back when their compound had been invaded by pathetically insane Zaina. Mikansia had no way of knowing if Nomi and Fish were going to make it out at the time. Mikansia didn't want to admit she still felt guilty about it.

But she had to.

And she sank into that guilt.

She'd never live up to the debt she owed Nomi.

"You rang?" Nomi stood beside her, with a bit of a mocking smile.

"You fell asleep"

"I did?"

Mikansia nodded. "Apparently extreme danger bores you."

"Oh please! That's just not-"

"I hate to interrupt and rush. But we're getting attacked by a dragon."

"A real dragon?? Fish isn't a real one. He hates being re-"

"Could you please pull Fish out of whatever dream he's in so we don't get roasted???"

"Oh, right. Real dragon. Got it."

The real dragon stuck its head through the hole. The furnace from hell opened. A hill popped up in front of the pillar of hellfire. Mikansia was startled. She had barely even seen the movement of the dragon before the fire had unleashed; how the hell had she reacted so fast, especially in someone else's defense? Fish rocketed from the sky of Dream, plowing into the real dragon's face. They rolled out of Dream and into the waking world. They rolled down the mountain, kicking up trees and hills and boulders and whatever else was unfortunate to get in their way.

The werewolf jumped through the hole in Dream. Mikansia diced him so quickly the werewolf was forgotten in the rough draft of this post, no I'm not kidding this wasn't even a freaking fight. 

Erhem. Sorry.

Three orcs ran into the hole, eager and ready to avenge their compatriot. Mikansia barely even looked at them as their heads went flying in a rainbow-blood flash of light. Nomi whistled, finally registering what had just happened. Mikansia was a bit smug. She wasn't at Krakeru's level. But still.

Fish went flying through the air like one would punt a ball.

KABOOM

A nearby mountain peak went up in a debris cloud. The real dragon's hurricane wasn't too far behind. "FISH!! NO! YOU BASTARD!!!" Nomi ran out the portal, screaming at the top of her lungs.

A blade entered Nomi's ribs. She fell over. The blade stayed. Blood exited. From around the corner of the hole stepped the Creature. He reached into Dream and a new sword appeared in his claw.

"So much time."

"Waited long enough."

"Please."

"DIE!" Mikansia lunged as The Creature swung down at Nomi's leaking form. Mikansia rushed through the hole in Dream, impossibly fast. Four orcs and their swords popped between Mikansia and The Creature's descending blade.

Mikansia hadn't moved as fast or as gracefully as Krakeru. She blocked five blades at once, so quickly there was only one loud ringing sound. No, Mikansia had not been as fast as Krakeru in that moment.

She had been faster.

The Creature and the four orcs stared at Mikansia. For just one second nobody moved. And then all five foes lunged at Mikansia. Spinning out of the way of The Creature's lunge, Mikansia swung once.

The four orcs fell in half, blood spraying over The Creature and Mikansia. There wasn't a mark on Mikansia's shining blade.

With a series of guttural screams and yells The Creature lunged at Mikansia, knocking her back into Dream, through the hole; the rainbow blade was sticking out through its back.

Nomi twitched. She wouldn't last much longer.

Mikansia could hear a buzzing as she got up. It was the giant insectoid keepers of Dream. And they wouldn't be merciful to whomever opened that portal.