[TCS] Dust of Dreams - Printable Version

Kaimana watched it all, much like a play. She sympathized with the characters in the scenes as they were set, she felt the panic and alarm as they did, she witnessed their fear as if it were her own, and it reminded her of something. A scene that had played when she had touched a compass. The briefest tint of understanding flickered at the edge of her mind, daring Kaimana to grasp it. But he could not. It seemed as though they could do nothing until their guide instructed them. It wasn't until the words Change his fate. had fallen upon her ears that Kaimana felt that she understood. The panic of these people was long faded, the past of this king was a labyrinth he had locked himself within, and now they were locked in it with him. Kaimana figured any injuries sustained here might not affect them in the present (although lacking caution as a result would be risky), but they would affect him.

So what could Kaimana do? One of their group had created a barrier, which was a good start. Another had run—they looked too small to recognize the unreality of this plane, too small to put up their own fight. They were all too small to fight the intruder head on, but with the skills and the knowledge they did have, and with the "We're allies, likely from the future. As I understand it, this is your memory and you are its prisoner. Your Guardian has asked us to help you awaken. On your own, it is likely that you fail to stand here, but with all of us..." Kaimana's brain faltered as he stared into the violent maw, the violet flesh, and remembered Master Vargas. She wished the inspiration would come, but, well... "I'm not entirely certain, none of us are very large and also their might be a baby along with us which is unfortunate—not because they're a baby, but, ah—" Kaimana sighed and relented. At least the king would know who they were, generally.

Pelly was relatively mentally present until the fight showed up. Then Pelly was extremely mentally present and kind of confused but mostly ready to go. They weren't sure how to "change someone's fate" in a dream where the ending was something that had been predetermined but they had not yet seen. The jaguar was making sense until that last part—Pelly was completely confident they could probably get through this if they all worked together, even if they knew nothing about each other or their enemies or what, in general, was going on. Even if they didn't have that monster strength, Pelly figured they all at least had some magic, and magic was so flipping cool. Speaking of some cool magic: pa—pa—pa—PAH! The magical shield of the Kingdom of the Seven sputtered to life, and Pelly charged with it directly towards the open jaws going for their bird companion. Pelly, in essence, would attempt to wedge the shield into that big old maw.

DUST OF DREAMS

The Cave Stories - Canis

For a moment, the white tiger paused to listen to Kaimana. Some understanding, dawning in his face--something that might have turned to confidence--turned instead, after a moment, to confusion. It was Nemo's brief words--'wake. Up,' that jolted him. He stared, blinking.

The tiger hesitated, and then turned toward the entrance, bracing himself just behind Nemo. The pink gemstone at his forehead shimmered, flared, and a moment later a shock of energy burst outward... but rather than striking the slavering Valkhound, it backfired. The white tiger was sent spinning, staggering, blinking in his confusion. When he looked up at the tunnel, it was with a sick and resigned expression, as though he knew what would come next. As if he knew those jaws would soon close around his neck.

As if he remembered.

But... they did not. Nemo was there; Ampelio was there. Their magic not only kept the monster at bay, but choked it, stumbled it--sent it snarling back into the shadows.

Behind them, suddenly, the purple Valkhound was gone. Whether the white tiger knew the name Vargas in his dreams or not, the intent was there, and the magic worked. The tiger seized the moment. "RUN!" he roared. "Run! Get out!" They did--all of those who were huddling, cowering, fled down the tunnel exit. Their stampede was panicked, bodies colliding, ears flattened back, but a moment later the tiger was just behind them, fleeing at their tails. "Come on! This way--we can make it!" He grinned, his eyes lighting up with hope. "We can make it!"

And then... he paused.

One paw hung in the air, and the white tiger looked back at the Gembound present. His face--lit with that hope, with relief and joy--slowly sobered, and he placed his paw back down. He looked at Ampelio, at Nemo, at Giggle and Kaimana, then back down the tunnel, and his face fell.

Around them, the cave shimmered. It went silent, still, motes of dust drifting pink around them, and the tunnels seemed to crack and shift. "...They didn't," he said quietly, and took a few steps toward them. "They didn't make it."

"None of us did-... did we? I-... I remember," he near-whispered, and looked back at the tunnel. "It's all I remember-... over and over. Some of them-... Captured, killed-... when my magic failed us. When I wasn't... careful enough. One mistake. One mistake," he repeated bitterly. "Is this dreaming-? Is this... my fate, my punishment-? For failing them..?"

The tunnel broke into shards, and began to fall away, spilling the Gembound into peaceful darkness.

The white tiger looked at them, his gaze mournful, grief-stricken.

"...Did any of them make it?" he asked, and then the dreamscape fell apart.

The Gembound would find themselves slowly waking. A voice--deep, humming, that of the bones--spoke in their minds. 'Thank you.' This was all it said, yet with it came a gift: the knowledge of a new magic, faint but growing, the power of the spores that had sent them drifting into slumber.

The skeletal sentinel crumbled at last, his long watch finished, and slowly collapsed into a heap. The magic keeping him here--in whatever form, and however it had worked--faded.

And beyond--at the bottom of the pool--the purple-pink chrysalis was just beginning to crack.

Gembound have now completed Dust of Dreams, and may exit if they so wish. However, they may also remain to meet and interact with the white tiger now hatching from his chrysalis hibernation if they so wish.

This character is a rebel, and associating with him in the long term may cause ire in the more loyal Masters of the cave. On the other hand, turning him in or reporting this incident to those Masters may accrue a reward.

Achievements and spell rewards will be given out shortly.

Spell unlocked:

Dream Dust Medium Intensity Manipulation (Fungi). The caster releases a thick cloud of spores that imposes an intense feeling of drowsiness on any that breathe it in, including the caster. Particularly large, concentrated doses of the spores may cause total unconsciousness.