02-22-2017, 11:15 PM
“Ehm… not really…” Luci starts to explain, but the Sage is only half paying attention to her explanation. The River of blood that their rainbow-hued boat was sailing in seemed only to be getting more and more powerful. Whatever trauma this dreamer of theirs was experiencing, it was certainly not something that they could afford to underestimate. The Sage was painfully aware how out of his element he was. He had guessed right about the Stained-Glass girl's strange abilites, and the Bounty hunter had yet to prove more than a nettlesome tag-along, but if this situation turned ugly, the Sage would be relying on them for support.
The Stained-Glass girl seemed less at ease now that they were on the move, and The Sage noted with a passing bout of concern that they were leaving behind whatever haven they had been in, the phantasmal buildings giving way to a much more open space. The current of fleeing life flowed on ahead of their painted vessel, twisting and turning in an almost corkscrew path against a vast nebulaic world. They were horribly exposed to whatever else was dreaming nearby, and the Sage knew it.
Casting his attention back to the conversation behind him the Sage caught the last few words of Luci’s explanation, “So, I may not be a person by technical definitions…” She gave the Demon a smug grin, “But I am way more human than you can handle.” For his part Kuzuru seemed to have been surprisingly subdue during the exchange, barely interjecting except to ask a question or two. He’s studying her… the Sage realized, surely she can tell… right?
He didn’t have time for their game at any rate, and The Sage turned around to face them, interrupting before Kuzuru could probe for any further information. “Luci,” he interjected and the swirling mass of color turned her head to face him, a quizzical look on her face, “You said that our dreamer might be making enough noise to draw attention to us. What kind of attention are we talking about?”
The Psychedelic painting pulled the dying stub of a cigarette out of her mouth. “It’s just the nature of the place, pal.” She exhaled deeply, a curl of smoke sinking downwards into the river below. Luci watched it disappear below the crimson tide “Well that was disappointing…” she muttered before continuing, “We’re in the world of dreams. It changes if we want it to enough. You wanted an umbrella to protect from that bloody rain, so you got one. I just finished my cigarette and it did nothing so…” she held up a fresh and smoking cigarette in two fingers, before winking at the Sage.
“Let me guess,” said Kuzuru with his arms crossed, “There’s a catch.”
Luci just laughed, “Of course there’s a catch, Kuzie! Do you control your own brain? Deep down? The more unstable the dreamer, the longer, you stay dreaming, the more the uglier side starts to peek through.”
The Sage scratched his beard as he pondered this new information. “But to shut out your emotions, even in self-defense, hardly seems like the way to gain control of your subconscious. The fundamental schism of mind and soul would only serve to exacerbate the…”
Kuzuru interrupted with a drawn blade, “…And right on cue.” He said, pushing the Sage to one side. The aging man caught the edge of the vessel as it swayed alarmingly with the sudden motion. Looking behind him, he saw the demon’s blade slicing quickly through a blood-covered being that had risen from the tide on which they rode. The thing made of blood dispersed, sloughing back into its constituent current with a wet squelch, and Kuzuru snapped his blade clean. “Watch what you’re thinkin’ about there old man! That Pokemon was after your hide!”
“That’s exactly my point, Bounty hunter!” The Sage argued stubbornly, “By forcing ourselves to be devoid of thought, we separate from ourselves the…”
“I said, stop thinking about stuff like that,” Kuzuru spoke roughly, decapitating a second blood-being, this one resembling an orc, “you’re the one calling all these things, right?”
“Both of you shut up.” Luci ordered, moving to the front of their swaying vessel. “Arguing like that will just call worse things than these. Besides, that Orc- guy was mine. Real Jerk.”
The Sage shrugged, still half-sitting from where he had nearly fallen out of the Cat-boat. Kuzuru scowled and turned back to scanning the lack of discernable horizon. “What’s that?” he asked pointing at some small dark spot a good way ahead of them on the river.
Luci sighed, “Great.”
The Stained-Glass girl seemed less at ease now that they were on the move, and The Sage noted with a passing bout of concern that they were leaving behind whatever haven they had been in, the phantasmal buildings giving way to a much more open space. The current of fleeing life flowed on ahead of their painted vessel, twisting and turning in an almost corkscrew path against a vast nebulaic world. They were horribly exposed to whatever else was dreaming nearby, and the Sage knew it.
Casting his attention back to the conversation behind him the Sage caught the last few words of Luci’s explanation, “So, I may not be a person by technical definitions…” She gave the Demon a smug grin, “But I am way more human than you can handle.” For his part Kuzuru seemed to have been surprisingly subdue during the exchange, barely interjecting except to ask a question or two. He’s studying her… the Sage realized, surely she can tell… right?
He didn’t have time for their game at any rate, and The Sage turned around to face them, interrupting before Kuzuru could probe for any further information. “Luci,” he interjected and the swirling mass of color turned her head to face him, a quizzical look on her face, “You said that our dreamer might be making enough noise to draw attention to us. What kind of attention are we talking about?”
The Psychedelic painting pulled the dying stub of a cigarette out of her mouth. “It’s just the nature of the place, pal.” She exhaled deeply, a curl of smoke sinking downwards into the river below. Luci watched it disappear below the crimson tide “Well that was disappointing…” she muttered before continuing, “We’re in the world of dreams. It changes if we want it to enough. You wanted an umbrella to protect from that bloody rain, so you got one. I just finished my cigarette and it did nothing so…” she held up a fresh and smoking cigarette in two fingers, before winking at the Sage.
“Let me guess,” said Kuzuru with his arms crossed, “There’s a catch.”
Luci just laughed, “Of course there’s a catch, Kuzie! Do you control your own brain? Deep down? The more unstable the dreamer, the longer, you stay dreaming, the more the uglier side starts to peek through.”
The Sage scratched his beard as he pondered this new information. “But to shut out your emotions, even in self-defense, hardly seems like the way to gain control of your subconscious. The fundamental schism of mind and soul would only serve to exacerbate the…”
Kuzuru interrupted with a drawn blade, “…And right on cue.” He said, pushing the Sage to one side. The aging man caught the edge of the vessel as it swayed alarmingly with the sudden motion. Looking behind him, he saw the demon’s blade slicing quickly through a blood-covered being that had risen from the tide on which they rode. The thing made of blood dispersed, sloughing back into its constituent current with a wet squelch, and Kuzuru snapped his blade clean. “Watch what you’re thinkin’ about there old man! That Pokemon was after your hide!”
“That’s exactly my point, Bounty hunter!” The Sage argued stubbornly, “By forcing ourselves to be devoid of thought, we separate from ourselves the…”
“I said, stop thinking about stuff like that,” Kuzuru spoke roughly, decapitating a second blood-being, this one resembling an orc, “you’re the one calling all these things, right?”
“Both of you shut up.” Luci ordered, moving to the front of their swaying vessel. “Arguing like that will just call worse things than these. Besides, that Orc- guy was mine. Real Jerk.”
The Sage shrugged, still half-sitting from where he had nearly fallen out of the Cat-boat. Kuzuru scowled and turned back to scanning the lack of discernable horizon. “What’s that?” he asked pointing at some small dark spot a good way ahead of them on the river.
Luci sighed, “Great.”
If history is to become legend, it first must be recorded.