Homesick Nightmares

[Kuzuru]

“We should go after her,” the Sage said.

“Fuck that noise,” Kuzuru answered as he skewered a straggler.

“Well we can’t just abandon her.”

Kuzuru removed his blade from the dog and held it up in the moonlight. A thick ichor slithered down the length of metal and dripped onto the desert floor. For a moment Kuzuru stood petrified, entranced by the subtle scents of foreign blood that only he could detect. He held the dribbling blade up to his nostrils, inhaled, and then flicked his arm sending a spray of syrup across the barren wastes.

“You really should stop speaking for people, it’s quite rude” Kuzuru said, locking eyes with the Sage, “and while you can’t abandon her, I very easily can.”

“Selfish,” the Sage hummed, “to be expected from a misanthrope.”

“Bite me,” Kuzuru said, “in case you haven’t noticed she’s probably the only one of us that feels somewhat at home in this place, you can go after her if you want, but I’m not going to go fucking around in devil-dog-dreamland without a guide, and our guide just told us to wait for her so, I’m going to do what she told us to do.”

Without waiting for a reply Kuzuru stepped forward, past the dwindling ring of light provided by the burning wreckage. The Sage sighed and followed after his companion and made sure to keep a healthy distance between them. In this world nothing stayed stagnant. The very earth beneath their feet shifted and transformed as easily as the wind. What was once a craggy desert wasteland was now a rough mix of scrub grass and snow. As ephemeral as the terrain was every configuration held a common hatred for travelers. Almost every step was uphill, and those that weren’t found mud puddles and other tribulations. Kuzuru stopped for a rest after a while and glanced back to find the Sage several paces away, standing still. The demon smirked.

“Are you afraid of me?” Kuzuru asked.

“Not in the slightest, but I am not a fool.”

“You think I’d attack you?”

The Sage scoffed, “I’m certain it’s a matter of when rather than if.”

A series of three curved blades sprouted from Kuzuru’s right forearm and he stepped towards his companion.

“Well if you’re so insistent on it, how about right now?” Kuzuru asked.
Without waiting for an answer the demon sprung forward. A scrabbling noise echoed across the dreamland as Kuzuru brought his blades low and dragged their tips across the earth. He was aiming to slice the man in half with an uppercut. As he stepped into the Sage’s personal space he swiped upwards. His blades caught nothing but air as the Sage sidestepped them and delivered a strike to the back of Kuzuru’s head with the knot of his cane. The demon stumbled forward and let loose a litany of profanities. It felt as if a grenade had gone off inside his head. He retracted his blades and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.

“Fuck, I was just kidding, goddamned fuck,” Kuzuru shouted, and stumbled towards the Sage.

“Enough of this,” the Sage began, but was interrupted.

“What?!” Kuzuru shouted, his ears screaming internally.

“Enough of this foolishness, demon, I have no intention on expiring in this place,” the Sage spoke, his stern voice cutting through Kuzuru’s ringing ears.

The demon held up his hands and said, “fine, fine, I’ll play nice, I get the feeling that it wouldn’t be much fun fighting you here anyways, let’s get going.”

The city itself was as barren and malleable as the badlands that surrounded it. Storefronts morphed into theaters and skyscrapers twisted into tight towering spirals. Distant voices could be heard murmuring throughout the city, like a crowd lurking just out of eyesight. Music droned like a heartbeat keeping the city alive, a heartbeat that was damn near catatonic. Windows turned to black mirrors that offered back nothing more than a murky and distorted caricature of the viewer. Streets stretched off into the horizon and little rivers of blood ran in their gutters. Kuzuru and Sage walked through the streets, keeping a careful eye at every distrustful shadow.

“Anyone here?” Kuzuru shouted, “we’ve got a fresh order of demon badass with a side of bookworm!”

No answer.

“It’s getting cold,” Kuzuru added, “you really don’t want to wait, I hear it tastes like shit if you have to reheat it!”