CLOSING IN ▲ private

It did not take too long for the vermin scavengers of Dreamland to leak into the real world from the Dreamweaver’s trail. She had been mildly anticipating them, but did not expect them to arrive so soon. How they had squeezed through the crack in surreality and reality was beyond her, but here they were.

The Dreamweaver stood in a large mess hall within the fortress. The ceilings were high and the lights cast a pale white light on the stony floors. A young man was on the ground, passed out with his eyes open and rolled back in terror. Perhaps she had gone too far with his nightmare, but his fear hardly sustained the ever-hungry nightmare. She had begun to realize that the longer she lingered in reality, the more ravenous she became. A simple night terror effect was no longer enough to satiate her for more than a few hours to a short day. No, she needed more.

Or maybe, it was that she had recently been forced to share her prey-- at least upon this recent meal of the young man’s negative energy. The green eyes of the blonde glared out the corners to spot a mild ‘shimmer’ of the air. “I should have expected you all sooner,” she spoke, a mildly irritated smirk coming to her features. With a small burst of her own surreal energy, the disguise of invisibility was removed from the three feline beasts.

They smiled sheepishly at the Dreamweaver as their disguise was knocked away and began to float up towards the blonde-haired woman. The felines all had small manes of fur on their head, a chest, shoulders, and torso covered in thick fur, and a tuft of thick hair on their tail tips. The two males had vertical stripes over their eyes, three horizontal stripes on their forelegs, and four ringed stripes on their tails. One of them, the Dreamweaver instantly recognized. He had followed her once before, and she had grown to know him even by name. “Netsil,” she greeted, eyeing the black Nachtmyrr with a green mane and stripes and vivid sapphire eyes. “Who are your friends?”

She was not overly fond of the lesser nightmares, of course, but it was almost pleasant to finally have some company of her own kind here in the lonely reality. “This is Ryssa,” the dark-furred Nachtmyrr said with a silky purr, nodding towards the pale blue female with no stripes and gray eyes. “And this is Scyri, a regent among Nachtmyrr,” Netsil added, flicking his head towards the dark purple feline with lavender stripes and striking pink eyes. The trio floated around the blonde, surrounding her and inspecting her with curiosity.

“What are you doing here, Alwe?” Netsil asked, hovering right in front of the Dreamweaver’s human face. He was instantly silenced with a glare and sharp voice. “That name is not to be said here. At least, not yet. Here you may call me Veronika in this form.”




[497]

The Dreamweaver froze as she heard the sounds of trash-rummaging and munching. Of course there would be someone else nearby right as one of the three Nachtmyrr had namedropped her. She could only hope that the child had not overheard her. Netsil dipped his head in apology when the Dreamweaver snapped at him. Though irritating scavengers that ate the remnants of whatever food Dreamweavers managed to hunt and harvest, they still had a fair respect for them as fellow nightmares of a lower class. If her own higher being kin could not provide for the tiny Nachtmyrr that preoccupied the minions of the king of Dreamland quite often, who would? They were far too weak to successfully hunt on their own. The felines of dreams could only eat fear-- other negative emotions being too difficult for them to ‘digest’. Despite this, they had a much more limited arsenal when it came to actually hunting for themselves.

Green eyes flickered over to the raven-haired girl curiously. The nightmare still was hungry and she could assume that her visitors were as well. Unfortunately, Akeldama had plenty of fear knocked out of her already. If they gave her too much to fear, she would begin building a resistance which was ever quite attractive. Deciding that she was bored and still on the lookout for a meal, the Dreamweaver had a new idea come to mind. A smile curling her lips, Veronika attempted to make eye contact with the nugget-chewing girl. Even if she did not meet her eyes, she would still call her out. “Akeldama dear,” the Dreamweaver began, her trio of Nachtmyrr observing her interaction curiously. “Come on out. I have something to ask you~”


[782]

Grinning, the Dreamweaver watched the young girl remove herself from her under-the-table hiding place. Extending an arm, the being of surreality attempted to boop the raven-haired girl on the nose. She did so intentionally to make physical contact once again and get a refresher course on the past of the girl. The reality of her ‘magic’ made the nightmare feel tinges of excitement from within. The child had no idea just how much potential she carried.

“Tell me...” Veronika began, the trio of colorful felines looking on curiously. “Tell me about that thing that makes you so unique, so unlike other little children,” the nightmare prodded. She saw the special little source of decaying energy, but she wanted the small girl to identify it herself. After all, she would have to teach her how to use it in the most proper manner if they wanted to get anywhere with it.


[993]

“Don’t be so modest,” the Dreamweaver warned, a glint of threatening in her green eyes despite the warm smile on her face. Putting her hands in the pockets of her denim shorts, the nightmare pushed her face up close to Akeldama’s, disapproving the breaking of eye contact. “Look at me in the eyes when I’m talking to you, kid,” she admonished, a threat hanging in her voice.

Backing up slightly, the nightmare began to circle the raven-haired girl. “You know what I mean,” Veronika continued, fingers itching in her pockets. “That thing that has always made you a throwaway-- that aspect that makes people hate you so much. Talk to me about it,” the Dreamweaver commanded, recalling the strange power that she felt around the child, specifically when her unbirthday ribbons for Ambrosia had been broken. Meanwhile, the three Nachtmyrr hang back, settling on the ground as they watched with intrigued eyes, wishing to see how a ‘professional’ did it.



[1,154]

“Oh I know lots of things~” the Dreamweaver exclaimed matter of factly, a bright expression on her face. “Why don’t you just trust dear ‘ol Veronika and spill the beans~”

The blonde took a step forward, her hands lurching towards Akeldama’s throat to gentle stroke it with soft fingers. “Or I could spill your innards,” she commented with an innocent grin. She was not really one for hurting others physically. Even a slap from the Dreamweaver likely would not hurt much, if at all. However, if she got serious, her power with reeling in imagination from surreality would do enough damage. Her first choice would be a humble carving knife if it got that far, but the nightmare hoped she could keep this peaceful for now. She was already enjoying the mild negativity in the air as a sample taste. The trio of Nachtmyrr sniffed the air curiously, awaiting their healthy dose of fear to land on the figurative dining table.


[1,316]

The nightmare was well aware of the effects physical contact could have on people. Something gentle and graceful from one frightening or off putting did odd things to the mind and released a sense of unease that the surreality being found most striking in flavor. Akeldama quickly recoiled and began to give the Dreamweaver a little more of the information she already knew. Despite being able to read memories, minds, powers, and her ability to see things, words always brought it all together for her to truly understand. The explanation wrapped the produce in a neat little bundle, fresh for handling.

Veronika grinned at the explanation. The power to make things decay; to speed up the effects of entropy. That was certainly something that had the nightmare’s utmost attention. “How interesting,” the Dreamweaver mused, the fingers she had on Akeldama’s throat venturing up to the chin in a gentle stroke before she removed her hand from the small girl. “Born with it, were you? And you can’t control it… tell me, have you ever tried to harness it?” the dream continued with a smirk, truly intrigued.


[1,503]

The Dreamweaver had a rough idea of what the child meant, but wanted more than the vague answers she was being given. Internally shrugging, the blonde summoned a piece of broken wire, stiff from age and density. The piece was long and brought to reality straight from surreality, materializing instantly in the nightmare’s hand. With the metal wire in her hand, Veronika would circle around Akeldama once again, but not before lightly touching the piece of metal to her dirty neck and finally stopping once she was perfectly behind the young teen.

“When answering me, you should know that a vague answer won’t suffice. Give me details,” the nightmare said, still smirking. She would press the sharp metal at the back of the raven-haired girl’s neck a little more, possibly enough to draw blood, or possibly not. In actuality, she wanted to see the powers of decay begin to rust the metal-- a little test, per say. “Tell me in full what you are capable of.”



[1,670]

The blonde’s jade green eyes widened in excitement as she saw the unique magic at work. At once, the thin metal wire she held against the child’s skin began to rust. The russet and brown flakes began to dot the surface of the metal at a quick rate before it was completely covered in the iron oxide. Akeldama did begin to spill the details, starting with an explanation of what was happening to the thick metal wire that grew ever thinner. As the raven-haired girl continued to explain, the wire began to crumble in the Dreamweaver’s hands. At the sight of it doing so, the nightmare began to chuckle hysterically while Akeldama concluded her examples.

“Oh, this is just magnificent~” the Dreamweaver hummed happily, shaking her hands of the remaining particles of the dusty rust. Attempting to take the girl’s shoulder, the nightmare would spin her around to face her once again. “Just imagine what you could do if you could grow its power and control it,” Veronika continued with a smile of pure excitement. “Nobody could so easily stand in your way-- or else you’d rip apart families, you’d crumble villages, you’d destroy towns and take out armies… why…”

The dream being paused, taking a step back-- it was hard to contain her excitement in a form that could make contact with physicality. Nevertheless, the nightmare did her best. “You’d be feared. Powerful. People would hate you but there would be nothing they could do in their rage, lest they lose what’s close to them!”
Veronika took another step forward, forcing her face down towards the girl’s. “Doesn’t that sound wonderful?”
She could almost taste the feast.




[1,950]

“Hm, that’s unfortunate,” the Dreamweaver cooed when the girl keeled over. The power had gone to her head, but the appetizer was cut short when she fainted from the illness taking hold. Turning to the trio of curious Nachtmyrr, the blonde gave a defeated shrug. “Guess I knocked her dead too early~” she commented. Those delusions of grandeur truly did kill her. Or the tetanus did. That was always an option.

The nightmare caught the three in her gaze. “Go find a healer and bring them here. If she dies before you arrive, we’ll find a necromancer. Simple enough?” the Dreamweaver asked casually. Really, what a pain. The trio nodded in unison and vanished one by one. Minutes passed, and during that time period, Veronika would prod the raven-haired child with her foot at times to at least make sure she was still breathing, even if barely. “If you die, I’ll have to cook you right away for Ambrosia to prevent your meat from going bad. If the oven is hot enough, it should burn away any sickness so it won’t affect her~”

Veronika did not care if the girl did not hear her. She was merely trying to entertain herself while she awaited the Nachtmyrr, who seemed fairly attracted to her and hungry for what she might provide. Eventually they did return, a spooked woman mage in their midst. From what Veronika could perceive, she had not arrived freely out of any goodwill. The blonde walked towards the woman, hands on her hips before she pointed a finger in the direction of the fallen child. “Heal her and no harm will come to you,” the Dreamweaver commanded, frankly quite annoyed with the situation.

The healing mage went right to work, fearing for her life while inside the Basilisk Fang guildhall. The trio of Nachtmyrr seemed fairly pleased with themselves for their job well done.



[2,259]

Upon realizing that the child was healed the Dreamweaver turned her gaze towards the trio of Nachtmyrr. “Take her back where you found her,” Veronika ordered the three lesser nightmares. The feline surreal beings quickly tackled the woman and vanished suddenly with her. It was possible that they would stay to traumatize her, but the blonde highly doubted it. They were far too curious for their own good and would quickly return to see what else was in store for Veronika’s present plaything.

“Stand up,” the Dreamweaver ordered, green eyes gazing down at the girl with remaining annoyance before she continued. “Well, what are your thoughts on what I said? Are you in~?”



[2,373]

The Dreamweaver grinned at the girl’s response. Snapping her fingers, the blonde teleported them through a tear in reality to the cold Mount Hakobe Settlements. She knew that Akeldama would be familiar with the place. After all, it was the place where Ambrosia had discovered her and claimed her for her own.

“First of all, concentrate that power just directly on your skin to clean yourself up,” the nightmare instructed. If she really wanted to be some great being seen by mankind, she would have to make herself somewhat presentable. Surely her powers could kill off and dissolve the grim and bacteria into nothingness. “And don’t lose your clothes in the process or I’ll just let you freeze out here~”

Veronika had saved the child’s life once, but she was not in the mood for showing mercy a second time. If Akeldama wanted to be of any use to her, she would need to know how to take care of herself and not allow her unique magic to kill her. If she did, this was a lost cause, and the nightmare would accept it as such. She could apologize to her teammate later if the whelp died, after all. So it was not too big a deal, just a mild disappointment.


[2,571]

The Dreamweaver was mildly entertained and surprised by the raven-haired girl’s sudden transformation to someone much taller. Her clothes unfortunately were tinier as a result, but luckily the nightmare was not forced to provide or provoke. The girl snapped into action which amused the ever hungry Dreamweaver. The demeanor of the girl had changed. She was not that shy and shaking child, but a much bolder and daring woman. Was it the speech of potential the blonde had given that had emboldened her so? Veronika could only assume such as she moved closer, a soft smirk lacing her face.

“If he won’t give it to you after you ask once, there is no reason to give him a second chance or hold back,” the blonde cooed, green eyes glinting with fresh danger as she stared at the man, delicate hands in the pockets of her denim shorts. “You aged yourself to a fair degree, Akeldama. Why don’t you age this man to his grave?” Veronika asked, eyes darting to her guildmate and Ambrosia’s pet and back to the likely frightened man.

The three tiny Nachtmyrr soon appeared, having had to guestimate where to teleport in order to locate the stronger being of Surreality. Scyri and Ryssa sat back in the snow, watching the scene with curious magenta and hazel eyes, respectively. Netsil, on the other hand, casually floated over towards the human-formed Dreamweaver and chose to perch in her arms. Tenderly, the blonde held and stroked the obsidian and green feline tenderly in her arms while she watched the scene ready to take place before her.


[2,934]

The Dreamweaver was extremely eager to please compared to most people in the mortal realm. Ambrosia was picky and really did not care about the many mortal humans around. They were livestock and pets, not worth giving more than a glance at, if that. The nightmare’s teammate, at most, typically was only seen sometimes feeding her pets something cheap and basic, like dog food. They rarely got much treatment, if at all. The poor sods suffered from neglect mostly, which was not too much of an issue. When neglected, they would become the Dreamweaver’s playthings.

The Nachtmyrr and the Dreamweaver both lapped at the boring meal of the old man’s fear. It was certainly delicious, but something of a casual and bland taste at the same time. The Hakobe Settlements were growing old and tiresome on the figurative taste buds. Everything was the same and there was no spark or spice to be detected. Once the man was almost stripped bare, the blonde began to move towards the raven-haired girl, who was now several inches taller than her, once again. The silky black and olive feline was in her arms, adoring the gentle strokes and pets from the higher surreal being.

“Not bad, but surely you can do better,” Veronika commented, eyes half closed in boredom as she glaring after the fleeing man. “Tell me, Akeldama. Have you ever killed anyone?” she asked, throwing the girl a sideways glance. Netsil, cushioned comfortably in the blonde’s arms, purred at the question and the soothing pets, his sapphire eyes staring up at Akeldama questioningly.



[2,834]