Revenge of the Treacherous Shadow

Nephis cursed. "That bastard! I'm sure this is just another assassination attempt from him, how are we ever supposed to survive long enough to find a gate in a forest where great abominations lurk everywhere."

It had been four months since the sovereigns had predicted the war, and during this time Nephis, and Cassie had been sent to the forest surround true Bastion to become masters. Ever since then, it has been hell for Nephis and Cassie. Each day they ran away from some new terrible abomination. Each day they fought almost to their demise, while being constantly bathed in blood, Nephis and Cassie had truly been through hell. 

"Neph, do you even have any idea of where we are going?" Cassie asked, her voice projecting her feelings of trepidation and dread. 

"I don't but I will find a way, just like I've always done." Nephis responded, her voice carrying a certain finality that made Cassie know that the conversation was over. 

Later on, when Nephis and Cassie would sleeping in a dead hollow tree that they had found, Cassie would wake up frantically, shaking Nephis violently.

"I found the gate! Nephis! Wake up, I found the gate!"

"where is it?" Nephis asked, her voice carry curiosity but also fear, for Cassie's visions always seemed to come with a price. 

"The gate is under a tree! A massive tree! We should head over there now. It's just north of our location!"

Although Nephis understood Cassie's desperate need to get out of this gods forsaken forest. However, considering their less than stellar history with massive trees, she was more inclined to not get anywhere near the tree.

"Cass, I know that you are desperate to leave but you shouldn't let desperation cloud your judgement. This forest is massive, there are probably many other gates that we can use. Instead we should focus o -"

"ROAR"

Nephis was cut off as a roar echoed through the night sky. 

"Nephis, wh-what is happening? Is it a nightmare creature? Where is it? Can you see it? Do you know what rank it is?"

Nephis, ignoring Cassie's hysterical questioning, would quickly formulate a plan to safely leave the tree. But all of her plans would be cut short when the monster rammed itself into the tree.

"crack"

As the wood at the base of the tree would start breaking, Nephis, acting quickly would take Cassie and jump. 

"Get on my back Cass!"

"Why? What's happening Neph?"

"Just do it! We don't have much time!"

Leaping off of the tree, both of the girls would be taking a direct path to the solid ground. 

"crack"

Nephis's bones broke. As she screamed in pain she quickly healed herself with her fire and started running as fast as she could. Only glancing back for a second to see the beast that was chasing them.

It was a bull. A massive bull, its skin was bronze, while its horns where silver. It charged directly behind them. Its red eyes gleaming with passion.

The bull bellowed harshly, its voice carrying across the forest sending chills up Nephis's and Cassie's spine. 

"Nephis! It can only charge in one direction! Change direction quickly and run in zigzags or we will never outrun it!"

Using her awakened ability, Cassie was able to predict the bulls movements allowing Nephis momentary respite as the bull tried to change directions. However, even with this knowledge, the bull was too fast, too strong, and had way to much stamina. Nephis couldn't run forever, and Cassie's essence would run out sooner or later. 

"Is this how I die? After everything I've been through, it this the end?"

Tears welled up in Nephis's eyes as she continued to run with all her might, enhancing herself with her essence, genuinely trying her best to escape. Sadly it was all for naught. As the bull stood over them, ready to kill them, it was suddenly pierced by green vines. The vines, which were a deep green color seemed to suck all the blood from the bull, leaving a terrifying lifeless and bloodless corpse on the floor. 

"Welcome to my forest children. I hope you've enjoyed your stay so far."

|||

The mountains surrounding Ravenheart were gigantic, their frosty peaks could be seen even from miles away from their location. Today Kai, Effie and Seishan were climbing these mountains. They were trying to find the nightmare gate hidden in these treacherous peaks. 

"How much longer is it going to take to climb these mountains? I'm Hungry" Effie drawled, her voice as usual, portrayed a carefree quality that both annoyed people, while simultaneously lightening up their day. 

"Just be patient. According to this map that the queen gave us, we will arrive near a safe cave that we can camp in." Seishan responded, her voice curt and serious, indicating a distant relationship with Effie. 

"Fine whatever. Hey Kai! Do you see anything up there?"

Effie yelled up towards Kai. Kai was acting as their scout, using his ability to fly, he would be sent a head to scout out nightmare creatures.

"I see two creatures, they seem to be like the ones we've encountered before."

"Good. Effie, you're with me, we will attack them head on. Kai support from the top. Understand?"

"Understood."

"Understood."

After spending four months inside of the dream realm together, they had formed a cohesive team. With Seishan leading them, they had been able to take down many nightmare creatures easily. 

The two nightmare creatures looked like a mutated version of mountain goats. Their horns long and curly, resembling a whirlpool. Their fur, resembled iron shavings, hanging loosely upon their bodies. 

After giving the orders, Seishan rushed forward, using her dormant and awakened ability in tandem, while summoning a sword memory, she pounced. Immediately feeling the effects of her ability, the mountain goats started bleeding profusely. Not giving them a chance, she swung her sword at them. 

In the air, Kai marveled while looking at her attack the creatures. It was always so impressive and yet so harrowing how she cut abominations down with ease, leaving nothing but a bloody mess in her wake. He didn't let this distract him from doing his job as he would draw his bow and shoot at the creature. Wounding it terribly on its leg.

Seishan, disengaging from the battle would command: "Effie, come here and finish them off."

"Sure thing boss!"

Jumping from her vantage point, Effie, using her spear would stab the first goat. Killing it instantly, before attacking the other one and killing it.

[you have killed a fallen beast, Mountain Goat]

[you have killed a fallen beast, Mountain Goat]

"Tch. This stingy spell, not even a memory for all of my efforts."

rolling her eyes Effie would curse the spell.

"Whatever, lets move towards the cave and set up camp."

Seishan continued. Speaking in her same curt and dry voice. 

"Alright, alright, no need to be so cold." Effie replied in a fake sad tone.

Continuing along the uneven mountain path, the cohort would finally find the cave. Entering the cave they would set up camp and start eating the food they collected. 

"Hey Seishan, I noticed your always so distant with us, so to break the ice, I decided that we all share our first nightmares. I'm sure it will be a great bonding experience!" Effie said in her usual upbeat voice. 

Seishan would look at her coldly, before sighing. "Sure, why don't you start first." 

"Of course! So in my first nightmare, I was part of a warrior tribe of women called the Amazons. They worshipped the God of war. My first nightmare was all about me winning a war for the tribe, as we were being attacked by followers of the storm god. So of course I beat all of them up, but looking back I know I could of done something better in the process, but whatever, the spell did give me my Kickass aspect for it so it's okay." 

Kai would speak up next. "In my first nightmare, I was the son of a hunter, artisan, and scholar. Most of my nightmare was learning how to hunt. Before my father sent me to the forest to hunt a creature myself. However, things went wrong, and I ended up fighting an awakened monster, although due to my cowardice my father was killed, in the end I did manage to shoot down the abomination." Kai talking about his nightmare would have a melancholic expression upon his face, indicating that the nightmare probably affected him more than he let on. 

Finally, Seishan would start talking. "During my nightmare, I was a slave prostitute. For months I was used by many men, old men, young men, awakened, any person that stepped into that place would use me. I was defiled beyond repair. And the worst part was that I couldn't do anything. My aspect which was [Useless Slave] didn't give me anything. All I had was my wits, and using my wits, I escaped. And my nightmare ended. The only part I will ever regret is not killing them all, and burning down that slave house to the ground. 

"Damn" Effie said, her attitude taking a complete 180 after hearing her story, "I'm sorry, I didn't think that it was that bad, if it was I would have never insisted on sharing."

"It's fine Effie. It doesn't matter. Not anymore." 

Seishan responded, her voice came out softer than it ever had before when talking to them.

"Anyways, go to sleep. We have much to do tomorrow."

|||

"What the hell is this?" Sunless asked to nobody in particular, looking at his memory [ silver bell ] and concentrating, the memory would slowly start acting weird. He saw all of a sudden a sort of tapestry of ephemeral strings, shining with a beautiful radiance.

"What is this?" Sunless couldn't help but ask himself again as he looked closer into the memory, so close in fact that his nose started touching it. What are these strings, and why do I feel a sort of affinity to them. Observing them for a while sunless was then able to recognize something, a certain string connected to one another in a way that was familiar to him, looking intensely at it, he would see the string, the way it twisted and turned, the way it overlapped with other strings then he understood it. [Sonorous], and thus, like a tidal wave, understanding crashed into him. 

"I understand it now. I can see the runes! But what is this? Can I interact with it? This is weird."

Quickly summoning another memory, Sunless gazed at its spell weave. Reading it, and memorizing the weaves. Not particularly knowing what they were for, he still somehow understood the meaning behind them without having to do anything but look. 

Anyhow, Sunless after testing his memories, and seeing that he couldn't interact with the weave would just leave it. Continuing his journey towards the pyramid. All the while contemplating the meaning behind what he had saw.