New Blood: The Second Dream

New Blood: The Second Dream
Date of Scene:	21 July 2014
Location:	Elliana's Nightmares
Synopsis:	The second dive into Elliana's dreams relives one of her worst memories.
Cast of Characters:	12, 92, 168, 253, 331, 383, 395
Tinyplot:	New Blood

---

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
Once again, the 'room' that is materialized inside is actually just a homey little area atop the giant serpent's head. Wrathborn's human form is here, sitting upon one of the recliners. Sofas are here, and a low table holding an extensive selection of tea and coffee for those who want it. The man waiting just quietly sips the tea, as he knows everyone that Fairchild knows. "Welcome back."

He doesn't need to say anything more, for now. As before, numerous small rocky 'islands' are attached to the winding, massive body of the serpent. These consist of a Gate, a Wasteland, a Temple, a Burning Manor, a collection of Alleyways, and that's it for tonight. Looks like some of the earlier options aren't available.

Psyber (253) has posed:
Passing on an offer of tea or coffee, Psyber takes a flask out of his jacket and takes a heavy swig from it. After last visit, he has some trepidation about coming back here. And not just because of the strange dreams, but because it was affecting Elliana's sleep patterns to even let them in here.

So he looks much more stern than usual, brow furrowed as he silently waits for the trip to get underway. It's an odd look for him, definitely.

Himei (331) has posed:
Himei is here, dressed casually as before. She frowns at the change in landscape, but then just shrugs a greeting to Wrathborn. "Not as many options tonight, but still a few to check out. Anyone up for the burning house or the alleyways?" She glances to the others, then back to Wrathborn.

To the manifest Shajem, Himei isn't quite sure what to say tonight. "Any reason for the smaller selection?"

Laine (383) has posed:
In wolf form, Laine is being pretty quiet. No need for her to say much. She's only passingly familiar with Elliana, but she is familiar with dream realms. This one is a little different than most, but the principle is the same, and she's padding in a circle around Himei and Psyber right now. Being this close to a source of corruption, even from another world, is making her mildly nervous and has her hackles raised.

Mordred (12) has posed:
Mordred is here again, because someone has to make sure people don't wander into the wrong areas and, I don't know, fill the entire dreamscape with tildes or something. She is wearing Dream Psyber's Dream Coat still. She hopes there is not a second Dream Laine inside it waiting to pop out. One was enough!

Under the coat is her standard short jeans and tank top. For someone who hates being called a girl she doesn't really dress the part to fool anyone, either.

"I'unno. Hey snake, say something."

Amalthea (395) has posed:
The last time she was here, the waiting area on top of the giant snake head had crappy reading material. No matter how she turned the magazines in her hand, or how she looked at them Amalthea couldn't make heads nor tails of jack squat. At least now there's something that appeals to her a little more.
The mechanical mythic is in her platemail again, taking every step in a realm of dreams with utter serious caution. She also has a WHOLE coffee urn in her hand, laden with sugar and cream, and she's sipping right from it. "Wrathborn." Is as far a greeting as the shajem gets from the unicorn as she casts her eye over the potential choices. "Had my eye on that fiery house, the last time we were here." She admits when Himei brings it up.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
"No more City, and the Torn World is gone as well." Nathan says, an eyebrow up, arms crossed but otherwise entirely polite. He examines the new locations... Alleyways. Uuuuugh, no no no, no thanks.

"I was the primary decisionmaker on this matter before, so I leave it to another who might have some interest in the mind of Lady Fairchild to determine what troubling dream environs we will be investigating tonight. If Amalthea wishes to pursue the Burning Manor, I certainly will not object."

There's a glance to Wrathborn. "I have to admit some idle curiosity, though. The multiple locations have always been a feature of her dreamscape. Does Lady Fairchild dream in parallel processes? Is she directly experiencing all of these nightmares at once?"

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
Wrathborn shrugs to Himei's question. "It's complicated. The simplest answer is that she isn't dreaming of the other stuff tonight. There are a few other nightmares not visible, but I've taken the liberty of tucking them along the underside. Mostly small, simple ones. I doubt you will learn anything from a nightmare of Lady Fairchild attending the War Council in her underthings." Sip. "No, she's never actually had that nightmare, but the metaphysical equivalent in relevance."

Nathan's question has a more technical answer. "Not as such. More like... the seeds germinate in parallel, and then she walks through the results, mentally. If you stayed long enough, it would be theoretically possible to cause the landscape to shift by your actions in an earlier nightmare."

He nods, and gets back to business. No walking this time! "The Burning Manor it is!" He claps his hands, and the 'waiting area' is now right outside a large manor. Despite the outward image, now being /in/ the dream the manor is not actually on fire, though it does have a shattered front door. A smaller door that doesn't look like it belongs there is on the west wing, shimmering in and out of existence. "Now then, this is a... well, the last time you visited a nightmare of the future. This is a nightmare of the past. You will find this one more difficult to change, as it is a memory, though you /can/ do so if you really want. You will also find yourself being thrust into roles suitable for you, or adapted into the history as she is best able. Don't expect the recognition you had last time."

He sips his tea, and now that he's doing that the muffled sounds of battle can be heard through the shattered front door, as if from far away and underwater, or slowed down. He adds, "Choose either entrance, or both, but remember that as this is a memory it may be incomplete in places, especially the places Lady Fairchild was not physically present. She has... filled in the details with her imagination, at times, and it may not be entirely accurate as a result."

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber gives a nod of his head after a while, "The Burning house is as good a place as any to go, I agree." Psyber says, sounding off agreement with Amalthea, "I think we should ge-" Psyber pauses and looks at Wrathborn, "You have that nightmare here? I mean, SHE has that nightmare here?"

Drawing a sword he hasn't used in a while, Psyber pulls out a longsword from inside his jacket and flourishes the blade with a faint crack of lightning and thunder, "I'll go in the front door. Seems most direct."

Himei (331) has posed:
"Huh." Himei rubs her chin, but she doesn't have a problem with the choice given. She does kind of debate which to go through, but after a little mulling it over, she decides, "If the front door is where the violence is, I'd probably be better off there." She nods slightly, adjusts her jacket, and heads for the front door.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
"I believe I understand the nature of this, then. I do, however, need further insight; I will try to gain insight into the nature of how information garnered within the context of the dream affects the dream itself in use, as before." Nathan Hall says. "But while there are many things to worry about here, playing along is not one of them. I am used to playing roles. Ideally I will have no need to defy them the next time."

Nathan then heads through the Other Door, the one that seems much less associated with violence. A door to the past of the manor, maybe? The interior? Or maybe this connects with something even more threatening... Hmmm. Well, nothing to do but act on it. With shuffling steps and a reluctant inclination, he tries to push through the shimmering door.

Laine (383) has posed:
This may be a surprise, but Laine does not follow Psyber's lead. Sniffing at the air, the wolf growls at Wrathborn... then turns around and heads for the door with Amalthea and Nathan. Silently, her mental speech explains, Thinking should be here, not there, for wolves. A silent wish of good luck is given to the others.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
A long, strong, pull of chugging down the rest of the coffee in her urn and by the time Amalthea sets it down, they're already there. Though the sudden lack of flames does result in a quirk of her brow, she questions not the ever protean nature of dreams; even those of old memories. Off Psyber goes one way, the distant and muddle sounds of fighting making one loppy ear prick up. And briefly silver lips purse in thought. But the front seems handled so she shifts the attention of her gaze. It's the out of place door, flickering off and on is what grasps her. And that is the way she marches, setting one hand on Nathan's shoulder. Even if the other entrance seems more active, she makes the usual 'keep on your toes and get the hell behind me at first sign of trouble' gesture at the librarian.

Mordred (12) has posed:
"Oh man, violence, sign me up!" Mordred says, as she casually walks after Psyber and Himei, letting the other three handle the boring door. She does not arm herself, though, and rather just stuffs her hands in the coat's pockets, being a delightfully useful tag-along.

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber dislikes the fact that Mordred his stealing his style and looking good doing so. And he knows if he just asked her to stop, she'd only do it more. So his solution is to reach over and pat Mordred on the shoulder, looking at the girl seriously, "I know what you're trying to tell me by wearing my jacket. You need a father figure. And I promise to be a better one for you than Arthur was from here on out, Mordred."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
THE FRONT DOOR

Those who go through the Front Door of the manor abruptly find themselves in the foyer. Himei, Mordred, and Psyber will encounter a scene of carnage inside, and as soon as they cross the threshold everything speeds up to normal time. Bodies are strewn everywhere... a few of them apparently manor guards, but the VAST majority of them are recognizably one thing: Empire soldiers. Officers, footsoldiers, even armored knights. Literally dozens of them are thrown about at odd angles, cleaved in half or missing limbs.

And more are coming. Those who step through the front door are no longer AT the front door, simply because the soldiers have to pour from there. A steady stream armed with spears, blades, axes... everything. They come and come. And they die.

A single man is holding them back. Though dark of hair and eyes, the resemblance is still uncanny, obviously Elliana's family. Most likely her father, from his age. He's fast, darting about and leaping with nimble motions, his sword cutting through soldier after soldier. Psyber and Himei will recognize the blade as Majestic, the very same sword that Elliana used when she joined the Union. All three will see that he's also badly wounded, already slowing due to numerous arrows and cuts that leave him bloodied, and he's also unarmored. Despite this heroic defense, there's a strange aura of disquiet around him, flickering between that and a brilliant display of valor. It's more a feeling than anything directly visible, conflicted and uncertain. It is, however, very clear that he's not going to last much longer.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
THE SIDE DOOR

The others step through the door and find themselves in a room down the hall from the main room, with the sounds of battle in the distance. Wrathborn has chosen to come here, rather than with the others, and he's here too. No tea in hand, he looks more serious now. Also quiet... for a very good reason.

The room has a large panel that has been opened, a secret exit with a tunnel looming darkly beyond. An escape tunnel from the chaos of the manor(which STILL is not on fire, to note). In the room, aside from Nathan, Laine, Amalthea, and Wrathborn, are two people. One is a tiny blonde girl, seven years old, who is wailing and has tears streaming down her cheeks. She's clinging to young lady also with blonde hair and blue eyes, though the resemblance to Elliana isn't as strong otherwise. It's still obviously her mother, and she's saying something to the child.

"Please, Elliana. You have to listen. This is important," the woman is saying, cupping Elliana's cheeks. Only... the next words that come out sound garbled as if underwater, even though Elliana is staring up and clearly trying to listen. It's a brief statement, whatever it was... perhaps three or four sentences at most.

Then the woman lifts up Elliana-child and turns, as if she can see at least one other person is here. She pauses, then seems to sync up with who is here... and suddenly shoves the little girl into Amalthea's arms, where Elliana clings tightly while still crying. "Keep her safe at all costs. You're the only one who can, now. I'll... buy some time for you and seal the exit behind you."

Mordred (12) has posed:
"W-What."

Mordred, flustered, glares down at the coat, then at Psyber. She is unsure if she should bark angrily and say there's no way he could compare to Saber, or say that she has enough of one annoying father she can't seem to kill. A second time.

Eventually what comes out sounds something like "Shut up! I look great and you're jealous you don't have my figure!" That... that doesn't even make sense. But it's what she manages!

As they slip through and carnage ensues, she regains her cheerful mood and grins wide, but does not actually join in. Oh, no, this is much nicer to watch. That man, she's seen him before, after all. Or at least, must have caught his face in a dream or two, those rare times she bothers sleeping. Here's a chance to see his swordplay, as Elliana 'remembers' it. And he's not half bad at all.

She goes as far as wondering if she should cross blades with him. It's not like it'll change history. But ah, well, her master might not approve of the impulsive decision.

Himei (331) has posed:
Himei reaches for her sword... and then thinks better of it. Partially because it won't change anything, and partially because something very important hits her, something that immediately raises curiosity. She glances at Mordred, then at Psyber, and then she steps out of the way to watch Elliana's father go to work.

And when she does that? Himei asks her question. "If Majestic is here, then how did Elliana get hold of it?"

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber pats Mordred on the shoulder again and nods, "It's true, you've blossomed into a lovely young woman and a strong knight. I'm proud of you, son-daughter." Psyber gives a hard and firm look to Mordred before he focuses back to the task at hand. This is going to be a fun day for him, at least in messing with Mordred. It might mitigate how uncomfortable this nightmare makes him. To Himei, he responds, "It's possible she came back for it later in her life. Or that he hid it before he died."

Psyber flourishes his blade and runs in towards Elliana's father. He is holding his blade in his hands as he shouts, "Milord! General Steppenworth's forces are pushing in on all fronts! You MUST flee the Manor, leave it to your guards to hold your escape."

It seems like roughly a thing that would have happened.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
There was an important statement made. Did Elliana not hear it? Is it too much of a secret for us to find out now? Nathan Hall stares intensely at the pair as soon as he gets in here, his expression as stoic as ever with just the exception of really gritted teeth and wide eyes. Argh, and the lip-reading option is probably garbled too! Nathan can't make heads or tails of this, and makes a lightly frustrated noise. She even explicitly says "this is important"!!

Oh well. Focus on what's at hand. There's only one option to figure this out. Elliana escaped, he knows that worked. She even kept some allies. Maybe Nathan can learn something if he can survive this. He gives a firm nod to the mother. "Yes, Lady Fairchild." He's already taking on the role of someone in service to the family. "She will be safe. Farewell, ma'am." Might as well be final about it.

He gestures for Amalthea to move through the passage. "Keep her safe. I will follow behind." Then to Laine. "Scout ahead. Ensure the safety of the passage as we go." He wonders if her superior senses will work in someone else's memories. Hmmm. Well if anyone's will work, it's gonna be Laine's.

He's gonna start following along as the group leaves... Though he may hang back for something briefly, even after the panel is re-sealed.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
It is not the sight Amalthea had expected to see, entering through the mysterious door. The woman and child in their last moments together, as mother prepares to part with crying daughter. And immediately the unicorn is halted. The child is familiar. There is no doubting that in her mind; the diminutive figure of the younger Elliana is one Amalthea knows well.
The last time she had seen the girl like this in a dream, Amalthea struck her hard enough to break her jaw.
Instantly, the memory of that time makes the old knight's expression harden with a mix of equal parts shame and regret, as she watches on. It's the muddled moment of those last sentances that earn her scrutiny. The way it doesn't come out right shakes her visibly. But it is brief as the woman turns and thrusts the child into her arms.
W-wait what?
"Muh?" The act catches Amalthea utterly off guard for the span of a few beats as the little Elliana /clings/ to her. "..."
It is an awkward spot to be thrust upon, but in Amalthea's defense, this time she does not strike the girl down. Instead one arm scoops her right up.
"I will."
And for a moment she haltingly considers, eyeing Elliana's mother for a long, silent few beats. Before she starts marching down the path, holding the girl to one shoulder, "Alright. Come now, off we go, child." Murmured as re-assuringly as she can.

Laine (383) has posed:
And what does Laine have to say to all this? She doesn't have the deep history with Elliana that the others have. To the wolf, Elliana is two things: the voice on the radio or girl in the office who helps sometimes, or the one who fought the Eater-of-Souls when her world was dying.

It really doesn't matter though. Whatever sins Elliana commit in the future, this was an innocent version. Without hesitation, Laine bolts into the darkness, seeking out any threats by sense of smell... and observing the makeup of the dream.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
AT THE FRONT DOOR

The soldiers die, but Father is being pressed back steadily, bleeding at the floor. It's pretty clear that he's not going to last long. One hand is clutching his side as Psyber runs up to him and says that. His reply is... a smile. "A bit too late for that I'm afraid! Not much longer!" There's the oddest way his words are said that says he's not talking about his life alone here. He'll gladly take the assistance though, giving him a breather to slump down to one knee.

IN THE OTHER ROOM

The panel does... not close. It's one that's meant to break away and it would be a struggle to reseal properly. Mother doesn't even try, though she won't remark on Nathan staying to see what she does. Which is... walk into the other room.

FRONT DOOR

So now Himei, Mordred, and Psyber can see Elliana's mom just walk up to her husband and place a hand on his shoulder. She doesn't look like she's trying to flee! And the soldiers are still pouring in!

Have we mentioned the manor is NOT on fire?

Wrathborn sighs, shakes his head, and wanders into the hall to head toward the front door. He calls out, "Many of you have asked why I took the pain from Lady Fairchild in the tree that one day. Are you really ready for the answer?"

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
IN THE TUNNEL

Laine's keen familiarity with dream realms will let her understand that the 'tunnel' is... not really stable. It's basically darkness and dreamstuff, with no real form to it. This matches the fact that it's unlikely Elliana remembers anything about the tunnel clearly right now, other than a few tiny lights which lend islands of stability to the tunnel, reveling dank stone walls. The lights appear to be magical, not torches.

"MOMMAAAA!" Well, Elliana is making her thoughts known! She's squirming and reaching back, yet at the same time her other arm is clinging tightly. She doesn't /want/ to go, but neither is she trying to escape really. It's pretty easy for Amalthea to feel why she has that death grip. Elliana's memories of the tunnel include vague shapes with huge, sharp teeth, cackling laughter, and grating whispers. She's probably terrified.

Mordred (12) has posed:
"No! Stop that! I AM NOT A WOMAN AND I AM NOT -YOUR- SON," Mordred suddenly barks out in anger. There's a flicker of flames in her eyes-- literal flames-- and the subtle hint of a flaming red aura about her, before she closes her eyes and just starts taking in deep breaths. There's a pulse of anger, the sort that would incite others around her to it too, unrestrained and unresisted.

"Calm. I am calm. I am the fucking breeze and the waterfall and all that stupid relaxation tape shit." Rumble rumble. She is obviously unhappy.

She decides to focus her gaze on the wife and husband team for now, without actually doing anything herself. She is less likely to blow that way.

Psyber (253) has posed:
"T'will be an honor to die by you side, Milord," Psyber says, twirling the blade in his hand. The half-angel doesn't actually think this many soldiers could kill him, but he does think whatever part he is playing would be vulnerable to superior numbers. The opposite of Mordred, Psyber is willing to place himself directly into the narrative.

When Mordred DOES scream and yell at him, Psyber doesn't react visibly. Mentally he flinches and takes a note of it for later, realizing the influence of the sealed Shajem. Was this one incomplete like Elliana's? Worth noting to Nathan confirmation either way. But he doesn't actually react to Mordred. Wrathborn has said something much more interesting.

As Psyber thrusts forward, trying to stab his sword into the floor of soldiers and hold them back, he says to Wrathborn, "Yes. I am ready for your answer."

Himei (331) has posed:
Himei, unlike Psyber, is not going to egg on Mordred. Instead she's going to change the topic real quick to try to calm down the swordswoman while the story unfolds. "Hey, Mordred. Uh... does Elliana ever talk about her dad? Or mom? Like... what am I seeing here? This doesn't quite look idealized."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
Nathan narrows his eyes. What EXIT was she sealing? As she leaves, he darts forward quickly, nudging the door back open just enough to take a look at what she's doing over in the front. Oh. Oh wait. Hang on. Hang on. What's she doing with that Blooded? And Psyber and Mordred and Himei are here. It's still not on fire yet? And the exit is still not sealed...

"Oh."

Amalthea (395) has posed:
Whatever the hell's going on back in the manor, Amalthea can not let that deter her. She now has a duty, and a course, and she will follow it through, no matter what may come; high water or hellfire.
Probably fire, though she hasn't seen any of that /yet/ and it's mildly worrying.
She could probably keep up with Laine, but she lets her keep a good distance ahead as the unicorn begins a steady and purposeful hustling stride. But the form of the tunnel is one that makes her frown, especially at the girl's cry in her ear.
But her grip is firm, holding the squirming child, her other hand flick-plinks the tip of her horn with a finger, alighting it with a gentle seashell-light. A faint glimmer to try and light the way better and hopefully make some of the terrifying imagery recede somewhat. "Shh." Murmured gently. Trying to make the small blonde focus on her with a far gentler whisper than what may have been expected were anyone else around to hear it of her. "Elliana, I can't see so well out this eye." She notes, pointing to the closed one. "How about you help me with both of yours so we don't take a nasty trip and fall? Do you remember what your mother said to you just now? I'm sure it's something she would want you to hold onto."

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
Exit can't be sealed physically. So, how do you keep anyone from getting to it? Obvious. You light everything around it on fire for a barrier. Or something along those lines. Right? That, or something massively obstructive is gonna happen here really soon.

If Psyber, Mordred, and Himei decide to take Nathan's advice, it'll be fairly easy to track him as he runs back to the secret exit. Whatever the decisions they make may be, Nathan's going to be dashing his way straight to the secret exit, hoping he hasn't used up too much time, and probably dashing into it, ready to dive if there's any sudden explosions or things like that.

You know, it actually might not be Elliana's mom! But you know what? In Elliana's memory this place was on fire. And if Elliana was already as far away from the manor as she was, then being able to know about the fire must have meant... Something particularly destructive, in some way.

This is incredibly worrying.

Laine (383) has posed:
Bounding forward, Laine's ears are perked... and her teeth bared. A low and feral growl lifts from the wolf, and her normally jovial mood is replaced by the more feral anger that Amalthea, at least, has seen once in a great while. It's a focus, an attempt to drive away any dream dangers and bring the path to a safe ending. She doubts that anything would /kill/ them, but it would be a very natural 'ending' to the dream to end up lost in the catacombs.

Which is something that lends a tremor of fear to Laine's growl, too. THAT is an alien noise to the unicorn, no doubt.

Mordred (12) has posed:
Mordred turns to look at Himei, shrugging. Right, conversation. Idle chitchat. That's good to stay calm. "Eh. Sometimes. She talks all nice about her mother. Doesn't really talk about her father much. I don't think she hates him or she'd have probably tried to use that to appeal to me. Or snake-asshole woulda tried. Kind of an obvious connection to make. Most of her dreams that involve 'em're more about her mother."

Another shrug. "Sorry, s'all I got. We don't talk parents much. Makes me pissy and she likes me not pissy, except when we play video games, then she teabags my corpse just to piss me off."

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
Nathan's shout gets a shrug from Wrathborn, and the man folds his arms. "She has this nightmare almost every night. There are some sensations that are better off not remembered."

Father is still on his knees, and he smiles, "You don't have to do that. You can go protect all we have left..." It's not a demand though. Both jobs are equally important... especially as someone steps through the doorway. At first a large, murky, blurred figure, the armored man resolves suddenly into a middle-aged man, carrying a massive warhammer over one shoulder.

"Hm. That's new," Wrathborn notes. "Never saw his appearance before. Must have been something you all did. Stick around if you like. It may sting a little though."

Mother sighs, holding up her free hand. "I think she'll be safe. I only hope she remembers..." A burst of flame appears in her hand, starting to blaze a bright white.

Himei (331) has posed:
Himei stares at the flame, and with Nathan's warning she, too, gets an idea of what's about to happen. "Sting a little, huh?" She shrugs, drawing her sword. "Well. It'd leave a bad taste in my mouth if I didn't at least try."

Himei doesn't run, even if she's rather scared of what could be about to happen. Instead she rushes in, blade flicking out and aiming to disable the big guy in armor with one slash to his shoulder joint.

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber grips the longsword in his hand, moving over to stand near Elliana's parents, "It feels weird for you to be the one charging in with the blade and me to be the one doing this..." Psyber says to Himei before sheathing his sword.

Psyber then dashes in towards the massive man in armor and coils back his arm. He then releases it in a devastating haymaker, straight for the solar plexus of the armored man. Psyber's punches CAN level walls with his own natural strength, and he's hoping to do some serious damage by punching that armor inward sharply.

Mordred (12) has posed:
Mordred, completely helpful, does nothing.

She considered summoning Clarent and cutting Elliana's mother's hand off, cut the spellcasting short, but eeeeh, that's effort right now. Let's see if Himei and Psyber's big plays end up in big payoffs or not. Otherwise, she'll just be standing over there, hoping her magic resistance is good enough.

Do you die for real if you die in the dream?
Ah well who cares.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
IN THE TUNNEL

Sniffle. Elliana shakes her head, rubbing at her eyes a few times to clear the tears away. "N-no..." That's in answer to what her mother said. "I... I don't know." Hiccup. She scrunches her face up and turns to look, pointing a wobbly finger down the corridor. It stabilizes abruptly, becoming an aged, cobwebbed passage that looks safer. Old, but safer. Familiar, even. Some crumbling stairs lead to a mechanism for opening the exit in the distance, where Laine is heading. Laine can feel that something has shifted the focus of the dreamer, stabilizing it to a 'safer' end.

Nathan thus gets only a few moments of terrifying utter darkness full of indistinct monstrous faces before it solidifies into that long corridor. It does have side passages, but they're faded and indistinct, making it easy to figure out where to go.

It's only a few steps later that Elliana closes her eyes, the tunnel shuddering with a rumble in the distance and sifting dust and small rocks tumbling down from the ceiling. The tunnel holds, built far sturdier than it looks, but something big just happened.

AT THE FRONT DOOR

Mordred does nothing but watch, while Psyber's fist slams into the man's chest to send him reeling back. He grunts, and barely manages to block Himei's slash with any effect. It sinks deep into his other arm, anyway, but the warhammer is swung back in preparation to smash something. Just the act of swinging it backward sends a pulse of power so impressive that it shatters the far wall. Soldiers are pouring through that hole now, faceless generic soldiers. Far more than should be warranted for one little manor at the edge of town, really, but this is a nightmare of suspect historical veracity.

Majestic is planted in the floor with a thunk, and Father hoists himself up atop it. Mother whispers something to him, and then-

The explosion blasts out supports, shatters stairs and walls, causing the entire house to go up in flames and start to collapse in upon itself. Here at ground zero, the man is hurled backward screaming, while the soldiers are incinerated in gruesome shadow-skeletons wreathed in flame. Everyone remaining will feel a slightly dulled sensation of intense burning, probably rather agonizing, all over their bodies. Anyone who has been burned alive will recognize that something has dulled the intensity of it, though, and a moment later all the 'dreamers' are left intact, standing in the crumbling remnants of the manor with nary a scratch.

Psyber (253) has posed:
"Ow. Explosions hurt."

Sun Tzu, better known by his more mundane alias as Psyber, stretches a bit and dusts himself off in the aftermath of the explosion. He doesn't let out any other expression of agony, but boy did he sure as hell FEEL that one. And he particularly does hate burning, since it's one of the injuries that takes him the longest to regenerate from. With a glower, he looks around. He is happy to find himself lacking actual injury after the sensations he just felt, but still.

"What happened to them after this? The sword, the man they killed..." Psyber starts to shuffle his way to the remnants of the manor, "For her to remember how THIS happened is rather surprising. I wonder if that was Steppenworth we saw," Psyber ponders aloud. He wants to sift the remnants a bit, maybe see where Majestic wound up.

Mordred (12) has posed:
Mordred is thankfully used to pain.
Not burning alive, although that's going to be dulled by her resistance one way or the other. Not enough it would be a good idea to stand in the fire, but enough it's not quite on the same level of lethality for her. Or pain. Because pain sucks.

To Psyber, she shrugs. "I don't think she remembers this. I think she just thinks this is how it happened, so that's what we're gettin'. Well, ain't really farfetched. Takes someone with a lot of magic to wreck a whole manor like this in one blast."

Mordred stretches, trying to shake the remnants of pain off.

"Whatcha care so god damn much about her dreams for anyway?"

Amalthea (395) has posed:
Amalthea sure as hell isn't stopping. Though she casts a futile glance back over her shouldr as the shudder rocks the tunnel, spattering her pauldrons and cloak in dust, but does not falter in her step. Laine's growls... She's heard before yes, but the new note to the wolf's rumble is one that surprises and even worries her. But when the tunnel seems to stop being so horrifying, she only begins to march faster, one hand atop Elliana's head to shield the child from falling debris.
"Laine you're the expert on this... Stuff, what does it mean when nightmares stop being so scary?"
. o O (Please don't say they get worse.)
"We're almost there. Come now, it's not so bad anymore is it? Think hard now on it, but if not; then make me a Promise? If it ever comes back to you, you share it with me, one day yeah?"
She'll probably one-hand the exit mechanism.

Himei (331) has posed:
Groan. Himei sits up from where she was knocked over by the blast. Even if it doesn't hurt now, that brief sensation was enough to make her a little green. "Yeah... and uh, it's not really my story to tell, why they're interested, but I guess it was my idea to look into them."

Himei actually looks a little sheepish at admitting that, now. "I don't get it, though. What's the whole fire thing about? Question, I mean?"

Laine (383) has posed:
Laine is bounding for the exit as well, though she waits for Amalthea when she gets there. That's the point, after all. Glancing back, she senses Nathan coming too, but Amalthea asked a question of her. The little wolf perks ears.

Can mean feeling better. Can mean ending with bad thing. Hope the first.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
Nathan catches up just in time to hear that Elliana doesn't know.

Damn it! Well, at least he didn't get into the tunnel right at the last second, just about to be blown up, and having to be launched forward dramatically by an explosion.

None of the others came in? He looks back. Well, he did what he could, he's sure they've got their own ways to handle this sort of stuff. He really wishes he could find out what was so important, but he'll figure it out later, there's no point in flailing around about this now.

So, now they understand the nature of this nightmare, the memories it has... This one's less Abstract. How can Nathan use this information to test the reactivity of the dream? The answer is... He can't! It's not usable in the way the last information was, so he's just going to hope and pray that Amalthea's plan is gonna work and that Laine can figure out more information about all this.

Maybe the other team can figure something out too? But Nathan has no idea what's going on over there.

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
Wrathborn is standing around the wreckage. "Don't bother looking, this is... hmm. Static scenery now? This part of the dream is over. Mordred is right, this is all conjecture on Lady Fairchild's part... though informed conjecture. She came back when she was older to retrieve Majestic, so she knows where it fell."

As for the other group, the door swings open, and... there's a small group of soldiers camping right outside the secret entrance, who look up and scramble for weapons. A horse is right by the entrance, unhitched, and that seems important for some reason.

The image is also kind of grainy in some way. Laine can probably sense that something very specific happened that relies on specific roles. This would be an EASY place to go off the rails somehow.

Psyber (253) has posed:
Psyber looks over towards Mordred, "That's a complex question that has a many-layered answer that would take hours to fully explain," He says to the blonde girl before placing his hands into his pockets and then staring Mordred dead in the eyes.

"But if you absolutely must have a reason, it's because Elliana is one of my best friends and I'd like to perhaps prove to some that she's not nearly as bad as history is shaping up to make her in some eyes," It's a fairly straight forward answer. It's, however, a fragment of a larger truth for Psyber.

However, it's as much as Mordred is going to get, and Psyber wagers that this particular splinter of the larger answer will suffice the knight, if not be a relatable reason.

Amalthea (395) has posed:
'Could mean ending with bad thing'. Amalthea can only hope with Laine that it is, in fact, the first of the two possibilities, but for now, she gives the child a small squeeze. "Good girl." The unicorn chuffs as she yanks the mechanism and the secret door opens to...
Armed Imperial men.
"... Oh come on."
It's never easy is it? But the sight of the unhitched horse leads to instant action. She hasn't drawn her blade yet and that means her other hand is free to...
Scruff Nathan.
And just like that, she flings the child and the Union general into the saddle and smacks the horse on the ass as /hard as she can/, before drawing her sword and throwing herself at the men blade first with a monstrous bellow.

Mordred (12) has posed:
"Oh. Meh. History is lame. It is only recorded by the winning side, and the loser side gets all the bad shit stuck to it." Oh she wouldn't know anything about THAT, would she? Mordred shrugs. Whatever. None of her business she guesses. Or maybe all of her business, we'll see later.

"I mean hey, take my shit excuse of a father for example. The ~King of Knights~. The ~Once and Future King~. Woooooo, big legend. Didn't ever do anything wrong in his life. A hero!" She snorts. "You know, except all the people whose lives he ruined too."

Laine (383) has posed:
When Amalthea charges, Laine gets the idea. This is how the dream might supposed to be going? Whatever. She's pretty sure giant half-wolves aren't a part of it, so she bounds forward and barks and snarls, leaping for a throat to try a takedown as fast as possible.

Nathan Hall (168) has posed:
Nathan is tossed bodily. He is used to that by this point, and just sort of goes along with whatever that is, keeping a straight, blank face the entire time as he lands on the horse. Elliana lands is probably going to land around him, but if he can, Nathan will try to get her into a more secure position on the horse.

He also intends to hand on tightly to both TinyFairchild and the horse itself, because even if this is a dream, it's still kind of terrifying. He has also completely forgotten much of hid grudge here since TinyFairchild comes from before the whole betrayal thing, focusing instead on the destination. Where DOES this thing go?

Elliana Fairchild (92) has posed:
Elliana SQUEALS and flails, landing with a thud... and then grabbing hold of the mane and reins in a desperate grip. "Ah, Sir Hall!" That's blurt out, but without the same tone as adult Elliana. Nathan is probably taking the place of someone else in the dream, actually.

The swat sends the horse galloping with a whinney, and Amalthea charges the group of soldiers. She could probably take them if things weren't in dreamland.

And then, abruptly, the dream tears itself apart. Unlike last time, the group isn't immediately thrown back to start. First, there's an emptiness... and then a large scrolling series of letters passes by.

CONGRATULATION!

A WINNER IS YOU!

THEN the group is dumped to the waiting room again. Wrathborn hmns, "That one went about as it was supposed to, it seems."