The Undertow: Session Fifteen

Mikansia: The main character, a female elf played by Lena. Last session her sword, gifted to her by Jabez, who had sacrificed her career and life for her, had been stolen, by one of her co-workers, Dale.

Tyce: Back when Mikansia was at one of her lowest points, she had a one-night stand with a human named Tyce. He had been exposed to the Music, which is always deadly to humans. Mikansia helped him to resist the effects long enough to escape and contact Marian, the Countess of Fire... somehow. Yeah, that's not been explained yet, has it? What, you thought it was gonna be this session? Ha!

Mikansia dragged Dale aside, fuming. She demanded to know the whole story. Dale said about three weeks after Mikansia showed up he was flying over the Etranger Mountains, when he heard a strange, discordant, music.

Mikansia's breath caught in her throat.

Dale said that he had gone down to check out the source of the Music, only to find a glade with a large and weird boulder. The Music came from it. Nothing else was around it. Right after that was when the dreams began. A scaly creature with rainbow feathers began appearing to Dale in his dreams. It produced a sword that Dale had never seen before and indicated that it wanted Dale to bring it to him. The next day Dale saw the sword; Mikansia drew it to gut a rogue who had attacked Decima. No, the creature did not want a replica. It wanted the original sword and none other. Dale refused.

And that's when the nightmares started.

It always ended the same way: Dale's wife, Ember, being violently raped before him. All of his dreams eventually twisted this way. And when it went on and on, for almost a year? Dale just couldn't take it anymore. He collapsed into Mikansia's surprised, but sympathetic, embrace. He sobbed from relief. He was sorry, but the sword was with the creature now. And he had slept like a  baby afterwards.

Decima snuck up and whispered to Mikansia that she'd overheard "Dream" and "Music"and said the ship was already getting prepped to go. Mikansia was surprised, but went along with it. Ensio stepped out of the smithy, armed and ready. He explained that Decima was a member of Those That Sailed and was a friend of Marian, the Countess of Fire, who had recommended Nomi and Fish to them in the first place. So they knew a thing or two about the Nameless and Dream. And Ensio could not sit idly by. And, as an elf, he didn't have to. Decima was still human, even if she was immortal. So Ensio was going.

Decima, Ember, and Simone accompanied Mikansia, Dale, and Ensio to the ship. Ensio and Decima were quite relaxed, joking about Ensio being in trouble if he didn't make it home in time for dinner and what a disappointing husband Decima had become immortal for.  Ember was confused and heartbroken and wanted to know why Dale hadn't talked with her about any of this before; Dale promised her he'd tell her everything when he got back. Mikansia had given a note she'd written for the sleeping Akseli to Decima. They hopped into the ship and flew off. Ember and Simone didn't move  until long after the ship had flown up and away.

Ensio had taken the ship up, so that Dale could wave to his confused wife and child. As soon as they hit the proper altitude Dale took over and Ensio sat down. Ensio explained through the howling wind that what Dale had seen was probably an eldritch egg, which was formed at a site of intense despair and anguish. Given their existence, the Nameless were effectively everywhere and could see all those dark and horrific moments. Because of the Flame being in its proper place in the planet the Nameless coudln't manifest very easily, but if one underwent enough trauma...

Mikansia's mind returned to the night Krakeru had raped her and channeled the scream from the Nameless. There had been a moment when she had felt a pull, to channel the Nameless. It was a choice, but a tempting one. Ensio, seeing her fall into a reverie, asked if she knew what he was talking about, personally. Mikansia nodded. Ensio didn't pry, but said he'd personally experienced that pull, to let the Nameless into the world, as well. He then slipped into his own personal reverie, just mentioning it. Mikansia waited until he came back out of it to ask if they could really withstand the Nameless. Mikansia had never even met a single Nameless, had Ensio? He said he hadn't, but that whole charging forward into battle like a hero thing wasn't his style, at all- Mikansia may or may not have shot Ensio a bit of a side-eye at that comment- but ultimately, elves could withstand the Nameless because of the sorrow baked into their very beings.  Because only sorrow could remember the world as it was, as it should be. And that was something the Nameless could never remove from them.

After a few hours they could hear it: the Music. Dale went down into a valley, straight into a glade. He indicated one of the mountains and told them the eldritch egg was in a cave in that mountain. As they entered the trees the Music got louder. All of a sudden some tree branches above them snapped. Mikansia could feel a rush of wind above her and whipped her sword through what looked like empty air.

Her fist connected with something furry. Her sword drew acid. Her arm burned; she didn't flinch. For one second Mikansia saw a tri-segmented body and twelve legs. It screamed like a man flayed alive. She felt the wind rush and knew it had jumped away.

Ensio was holding off another one with a magnificent sword. Dale was lying on the ground, sword a short distance away. Mikansia could see a tri-segmented shimmer atop him. She ran her sword into its segmented bulk. It screamed that mannish scream. The shimmer dropped; its furry bulk was crushing Dale and she could hear acid eating away into Dale's skin. She yanked Dale out before the damage became deadly.

Ensio hadn't finished off his creature yet, so Mikansia charged. Seeing it was outnumbered, the shimmer jumped. Mikansia held out her sword.

The creature fell back, a deep cut in its stunned skull.

Mikansia dispatched. The male scream was heard again.

Ensio laughed: this was why Mikansia was getting the big bucks! Mikansia told the shaken (and very smelly) Dale it would have been good to know about those things! Dale retorted that none of them had been there the last time he had been here, months ago. They heard another scream up the hill, from the direction they were going. But this time the scream contained words of pleading for mercy, for help!

Tyce was at the mouth of the cave.

Mikansia gaped.

Tyce smiled. And motioned inside.

Mikansia blinked. Tyce was gone.

Around the corner, in the gloom, sat an eldritch egg, the size of a boulder. And reaching out of it was a man, covered in fur, desperately trying to get out.