The Lone Keep is gone. Mikansia discovered her supposedly dead mother, Makirta, is very much alive. Taking her from the wreckage of the Lone Keep, Mikansia is unsure what to make of this unexpected development. But the family Mikansia has discovered is in tatters: Dale, young father of three year old Simone, had died to a dragon. Mikansia had banished The Dragon to Dream, unable to kill it at the time. Dale's wife, Ember, is beside herself with grief. After coming back to their old home in the Etranger Mountains Mikansia and her friends met up with Marian, who had made her way there on her own.
Mikansia woke up to the type of screams that turn a parent's blood to ice water. "Mamma Mamma WHERE ARE YOU?????" Three year old Simone just kept going and going. Mikansia was up and out of her old house. They'd come back to the old Sword Runner's base, up in the Étranger Mountains; it had felt good to collapse in the bed Mikansia had been forced to abandon. But now Mikansia was stumbling out the door... into the strangest twilight she'd ever seen. The normally clear mountain air was dark with particulates. There was the barest of hints of light from where the sun should have been. Simone was out, walking around, screeching into the darkness. Mikansia saw movement in her periphery; Makirta, Mikansia's estranged mother, was out out of her house, moving very assuredly for a severely malnourished elf.
Simone was still screaming; Makirta could wait. Decima had just come out of her old house and was wrapping her granddaughter in a bear hug while she cried. Simone finally choked out the words "Mamma was grabbed by a dragon and went through the ceiling! Get her! Please!" Mikansia held up Sydanelma, her magical sword, to Simone's red eyes; the soft rainbow glow soothed the toddler and her eyes glazed over. "Mamma..."
"It was probably just a nightmare," Mikansia said, feeling relieved.
"I wouldn't say that just yet". It was Jabez. He was standing next to Mikansia. And Decima jumped.
"What are you doing here?? We're not in Dream!" Mikansia said.
"Dream is now more tightly linked than before to the waking realm," Jabez stated. He looked uncomfortable.
Mikansia stared at Jabez, hard. "What happened? Why is Dream more connected than before?"
Even a dead friend can be dodgy. "That's... not really relevant to finding Ember right now," Jabez said, trying not to look at Mikansia. "The point is that Simone may be right. A dragon really may have come and taken Ember away."
Mikansia wanted to question Jabez a bit more, but he was right about that much. "Maybe Simone was thinking about Fish? Maybe he and Ember went somewhere?"
"No, Fish is still passed out over there, " said Nomi, coming up behind them. "He couldn't fly with Ember if it would save the world."
Everyone's face fell at that news. "Let's go over their house a few times," suggested Mikansia. "We could have just missed her. Using Sydanelma's light Decima and Mikansia searched the whole house several times over. Ember was nowhere to be found. "We need to start tracking Ember. She's clearly not here," Mikansia dictated.
Out of the periphery of her vision Mikansia saw him: her father, Krakeru. He was talking with Makirta, Mikansia's mother, who was far calmer and collected than she had any right to be. Mikansia walked over with Sydanelma out and stabbed Krakeru without a second thought. He vanished; Makirta fell over, screaming. Mikansia watched with disgust. She couldn't help herself; anyone who had that level of connection with the vile thing known as Krakeru had too many issues for Mikansia. But Makirta needed help getting up: she had awoken and all of a sudden couldn't move, not without help. Mikansia shuddered, but helped Makirta back to her house, helping her into her bed.
"Be gentle with her," said Akseli.
Mikansia jumped. She realized Jabez had been gone awhile. "You're not going to tell me what's going on, are you?" she asked Akseli.
Akseli shook his head. "No, I'm not. That's entirely outside your scope, what you're capable of dealing with, possibly forever. Just focus on what you can." He gently pulled Mikansia's to his. "Save Ember, the way only you can."
"By killing things" said Mikansia. There was some frustration in her statement; she wanted to know why the world had changed so much and just couldn't shake the feeling she needed to know to what it was. But Akseli was right: there were things she could do right now. And she trusted Akseli.
"Now you're thinking!" chuckled Akseli. And he was gone.
Nomi came running up. "Need help looking for Ember?"
"No, Marian will have the raw power to help deal with that dragon, if it's the one I think it is. I need you to stay back here. Guard Fish, Decima, and Simone. They need you."
"Oh c'mon I'm not a-"
"-not a babysitter, I know. That's not why I'm asking, Nomi. If things can manifest out of Dream Decima and Simone and... well.. Makirta... will need as much help as they can get. I'm not asking this to get you out of the way," Mikansia said earnestly. "I'm asking because there's no one else I trust with this. Period."
There was a brief flash of something soft on Nomi's face. Something beautiful. And vulnerable. "Well, I can't argue with that," she whispered. "You got it."
"Thank you". Nomi headed back to Fish. Mikansia walked up to Marian. "We have a dragon to track." Marian nodded. They left immediately, going down the mountainside. The spot of light that Mikansia hoped was the sun had risen into the sky.. but the world stayed in twilight.
Thirty elves appeared around them. "Taht's the one who brought down the Lone Keep and killed us! Let's drag her to Hell!" one of them shouted. Mikansia brandished Sydanelma and smiled. Marian's hands sparked green. A few minutes later Mikansia and Marian were alone on the mountainside: no corpses. That almost disappointed Mikansia. On they went, down the mountain.
Simone's dream form was sitting on a rock, looking around. Mikansia went to Simone while Marian began a spell to wake up Simone. Mikansia sat down awkwardly next to the three year old. She looked up at Mikansia: "Why did you let Daddy die?"
Mikansia took a deep breath. "Why do you think I let your daddy die?"
"You're strongest. You could have saved Daddy."
Mikansia had to absorb that for a moment. "Well... sometimes you can only do so much. And then... you just have to try and be at peace with what happened." Simone didn't look so convinced. Mikansia sure didn't blame her.
What little light was left was blocked out by The Dragon. Mikansia had trapped him in Dream when they'd first fought, but the barrier between the Waking Realm and Dream had made it possible for it to return. Ember sat on its back, a fell and bewitched light in her yes. "Simone, I need you to go and get Decima," Mikansia commanded.
"But Mama"
" I won't let the dragon take Mama! Not like it did your Daddy! I promise!"
Simone's dream form scampered away.
Marian came running up. "Finally got Simone to wake up! She's letting them know."
Mikansia stared up at Ember, avoiding The Dragon's gaze. She wanted to run. She needed to run. She had to run. But Ember was right there. She didn't know it, but The Dragon had her. Mikansia couldn't let that stand. Not again. Never again. She had to fight. She needed to. And that need outweighed her fear. No more running. "You with me?" she asked Marian.
Flames knocked The Dragon back. "More than you know."
A hurricane gale followed The Dragon's claw. By a miracle it didn't get through Mikansia's armor as she tried to duck under it. Time slowed. Mikansia thought the whole world may have stopped. She needed to get past this monstrosity's heavily armored head, to its underbelly. She had to. It had already taken Dale, it would not take Ember!
Mikansia ran, ducked, slid on rocks and gravel, and stabbed upwards with all her might. She was covered in blood. She heard the roar. And then felt a searing pain.
Darkness.
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