[center][h2]Rise of the Sleepers -- part 3[/h2][/center]

For safety, the trip through Limbo was short and done very much in the embrace of Xiaoli -- Hermes’ mortal mind barely keeping it all together. With a rush of light, the two suddenly landed on a big mossy patch. Hermes let out a hollow cough, her eyes adjusting to the new light around her.

Her heart quickened, she was in a forest -- just like last time -- except this one was different. Her rush of anxiety quickly turned to curiosity as she looked around: the trees were a lot bigger, a lot older and wider, with gnarled roots that threaded out of the thin mossy ground and branches that lumbered above, darkening the understories. Leathery shrubs and other hardy plants cut out territory among the roots and moss, above them tiny lightning bugs flickered with unusual brightness, giving off most of the grove’s ambient light, but what stood out the most was the wind. 

A gentle breeze seemed to cut through the area without end. It was silky and slow, with a thick plant-like fragrance stuck to it and when Hermes closed her eyes and really tried to listen, she could make out gentle chimes -- almost reminiscent to the snapfruit chimes when a stiff wind blew by. Xiaoli followed the sound with watchful skepticism. 

“... It might be a trap,” she whispered. “Anything that resembled the real world can be a lure hiding greater dangers…”

Hermes slapped her Narzhakian mace into her grip and held it close, “You’re probably right -- as always.” She smirked at her wife, but her eyes stayed serious, ever flickering while the cloudling in her hair crackled menacingly. Hermes pursed her lips. 

“Which way do you think we should go?”

Xiaoli put her hands on her hips and hummed. “... I mean, straight forward is usually not the worst - then again, straight forward may as well be backwards in Limbo…” She snapped her fingers repeatedly as she weighed the multitude of options. “We should stick to a roofed road, still - would rather you not stare at the night sky so much.”

“Afraid I might see something more beautiful than you?” Hermes joked, a tiny laugh attempting to keep the conversation light.

Xiaoli snickered politely. “Close, but not quite - I would rather not have a repeat of the last time you looked up, that is all. I therefore suggest we continue through the woods.”

[i]”Pop?”[/i]

Hermes looked as if she was about to say something when suddenly a stuff breeze powered through the trees. The rustling of the leaves seemed to immediately put Xiaoli on edge, her hand rocketing to Hermes’ arm.

“Alright! Let’s get going already - better get this over with sooner rather than later, right?!” Xiaoli said with almost interrupting quickness and pulled Hermes along, keeping a borderline hostile, watchful eye on the canopy above.
 
“Well hold on, now,” Hermes said as she was tugged along, one hand keeping her club close to her as they blasted through the snapping underbrush, “I don’t think we should just rush through all of this!”

[i]”Zzt!”[/i] A crackle erupted from Hermes’ hair.

Xiaoli furrowed her brow anxiously. “Hermes, dear, do you not remember anything? Nothing about the night sky or the… Things that followed?”

“I remember everything,” Hermes insisted, her brow falling, “Horrifying dreams, strange visions while awake, asking K’nell about it.” She twisted her lips as she thought, “I remember he showed me the night sky, it was a test… but what--” She squinted as if trying to force a memory, “I just remember dread, cold shivering dread. The world was empty again.” She shook her head, her long messy hair snagging a few low hangings leaves from their homes as they hurried by.

Xiaoli caressed the palm and fingers of the hand she held softly, her sandy skin giving the move a slightly rough texture. “It’s hard to see from the outside, too… Awful, really. You just stand there, and nothing we do gets any response - unless you start talking gibberish in that odd accent…” She shook her head. “I don’t trust him at all, but I trust the shifting nature of the environment even less. If there’s a chance that the stone ring can help us avoid the night sky, then we should seek it out.”

Hermes opened her mouth and then closed it, “Well, if we are going to do this -- let’s do it the old fashioned way, then.” With a push of her leg she hip checked into Xiaoli, her free arm wrapping around the river-girl’s waist, Xiaoli blushing and smiling reminiscently all the while. Hermes’ sandals fluttered, as if stretching from a long sleep and then all at once the trio sent a shocking boom through the forest, themselves turning into a blur.

The dreamer’s eyes flickered quickly as she zipped between trees and over and under branches. Her eyes drifted upwards, and then as if a needle suddenly sunk into her eyeball, her entire body cringed, a look of terror slicing across her features briefly. Her chest sank and body shivered: a featureless black sky peeked menacingly through the trees -- but in an instant the canopy overtook it once more and she released a breath she didn’t know she was holding, ever thankful for the speed she was going at. 

Quickly a wall of trees came flooding in from the distance as they zipped forward. Hermes quickly slowed down, the trio landing softly onto the mossy floor below. Hermes let her hand fall from Xiaoli as she held a hand up to her chin, eyes scanning the trees before her. They had grown in such a way where each giant trunk was pushed up against its neighbor, creating a palisade of impenetrable trees. 

“Xiaoli?” Hermes said almost commandingly, eyes still on the trees.

The river girl gave the wall a frown and voiced a quiet, “yes?”

“It would seem we have bumped into an old nemesis of yours,” Hermes’ eyes flicked over to give Xiaoli a look from the side, a curl on the edge of her lips.

Xiaoli rolled her eyes, but could not help a snort-like laugh from escaping her firmly-pressed lips. “You dumby.”

“Oh!” Hermes turned her head, a wide smile on her face, “I got you! Ha! I knew I was funny.” She rested her club on her shoulder and looked back at the tree. She hummed in thought -- a habit picked up from Xiaoli, “So, my first instinct was to smash it all down, but then I remembered that those branches--” She pointed up to the canopy of the trees before them, “Are all that’s keeping the night sky away from us.” She gave Xiaoli a sideways look, “Pretty clever, eh?”

“Yes, yes, quite clever,” Xiaoli returned. “Do you think we can walk along this wall until we reach something of note?”

“Maybe,” Hermes bit a finger, “Or…” She looked over at Xiaoli, “You could cut us a hole? Just big enough to squeeze through.”

“Didn’t you just say this wall keeps the night sky out?”

“Well,” Hermes put a hand on her hip, “Yes, but a small hole; the trees are pretty big, I’m sure [i]one[/i] little bitty hole wouldn’t knock ‘em down.” 

Xiaoli gave her a skeptical look, but couldn’t seem to find a good counter-argument. Thus, she drew a small circle in the air before the wall, only to see that the leaves and wood covered by the circle began to rot and fade to dust, leaving a Hermes-and-Xiaoli-sized hole.

“There. That ought to do it.”

“So talented,” Hermes smirked, but her hair crackled with indifference. Xiaoli didn’t pay Poppler much mind and without much more, Hermes trotted in front. The eager adventurer slipped through easily, only having to reposition her club once. The Dreamer stretched her legs, a wet dew brushing against her ankles. 

She stood in a dim glade, tall dewey grass of a dark green carpeting the area. Rings of mushroom pocked the ground, and the canopy above was so thick that she could barely see much further, the only source of light being a set of glowing runes that swirled across a standing ring of stone.

She strained her eyes, but she couldn’t read the runes. She took a step forward, the sound of Xiaoli clambering through the hole right behind her. The head of her club fell to the ground as she dragged it behind her, eyes perplexed by the suddenly familiar writing. A breeze snaked through her hair, leaving a soft whisper in her ear.

[i]“Why are you so worried?”[/i]

Hermes’ eyes widened, a pang of worry seeping into her chest -- had it always been there unbeknownst to her? She grit her teeth and walked on, but the breeze slipped into her ear again.

[i]”Why are you so mad?”[/i] 

It was true, she didn’t notice it before, but the coals of a burning rage sizzled in her stomach, pushing a tingling energy out to her limbs. Why was she so furious? It mixed with the worry, turning into a stew of emotion, and yet the breeze lapped at her conscious once more. 

[i]”Why do you hold so much?[/i]

She looked down at her fist, fingers clenched over the club, her other hand on the hilt of her longknife. She sucked in a breath and let go of the hilt.

“I don’t,” She whispered harshly back, her free hand tentatively touching the stone ring before her. She turned her head to look at Xiaoli, but for a moment all she saw was a flash of furious black eyes. She quickly closed her eyes and let out a slow breath, heart racing. Slowly she opened them again, Xiaoli standing in front of her. Her face had contorted with anxious worry. 

“Dear… How are you feeling? You look…” She gulped and took her hand in her own. “Would you like to take a short breather?”

"I'm fine," Hermes nodded and gave a reassuring smile, "Let's just do this and hope it doesn't put me off from adventures forever." 

Xiaoli looked as though she wanted to continue asking, but evidently decided against it. She squeezed the hand affectionately and gave her a small smile. “Yeah… Yeah, let’s. Just… Make sure to tell me if you feel anything strange, okay?” Xiaoli then gave the stone circle a hard look. “What do you think this is?”

"Bit of a tall order when everything feels strange," Hermes smirked, the light hearted joke not easing her chest or stomach, "But sure, if anything sticks out -- you'll be the first to know."

[I]"Crackle."[/i]

"No I stick by that," Hermes grabbed at her hair before scanning the stone ring. She pondered for a moment, eyes glued on the runes and hand on her stomach; it was curling again. "Time to go through then?"

“Yeah. Stay close - it may affect you like the portal into Limbo did.” Xiaoli’s body took on the familiar dim glow and she placed her palm on the stone, and the whole structure began to hum softly. Hermes’ hand squeezed Xiaoli’s and she gently tugged her along with her to the center of the ring. Wisps of white light zapped from the ring as the two approached the gaping center, snapping off of them like jolts of flaming lightning. Hermes’ face held firm, her stomach groaning with displeasure as the light grew and grew, the tendrils growing more frequent until there was only a blinding white and an electric crackle. 

Sensation returned. 

The first thing that graced Hermes’ senses was a soft music. It nearly reminded her of the palace, but it was laced with a certain sorrow that hit her heart with a forlorn arrow. It was exotic, it was sad and then her vision came back. It was blurred, with pools of different greys mixing and fading into each other. A warm wetness fell down her cheek and she raised a hand to it. With the back of her hand she wiped her face, collecting a tiny puddle of tears -- she was crying. 

She felt the sandy skin of Xiaoli touch her arm and she turned away from the empty grey landscape, finding Xiaoli’s face an oasis in the depression. The river girl pulled Hermes into an embrace and took a deep, shivering breath. 

“Here, come here… Did you see anything?”

Hermes pulled out of the hug, “No, I-” Her eyes widened. Behind Xiaoli stood a completely monochrome figure, it looked exactly like her save for long feathery hair. Two dark eyes stared unblinking at Hermes, a flat line for a mouth. In its hands it held a strange instrument with a fat hollow bottom and long neck of two strings. It’s fingers were dancing along the length, while the other hand held a bow to it, plucking the sounds into existence. Behind the figure the empty grey of this world swirled. 

Xiaoli turned her head quickly and spotted for an instant a gray shade in the middle of fading. She sucked in a breath and raised her hands in preparation for battle, sand coalescing into a dagger in her hand. However, whatever it had been was already far too gone.

“... What-... What was that?”

Hermes spun around, her sandals making tiny splashing sounds as if she was standing in a puddle -- but all around was just endless grey. She squinted, the anxiety in her stomach balling into a stone and boiling into something else entirely, “I don’t really know.”

Though the empty landscape never shifted, the sounds of the instrument lingered, each pluck causing Hermes’ left eye to twitch. She tilted her head, as if listening to a voice under the music, her eyes rising to look back at Xiaoli, “I think we should keep going...”

[i]”Pop?”[/i]

“I don’t know where,” Hermes hissed at Poppler, a stress in her voice. She immediately swallowed and sighed, “I’m sorry, Poppler.”

[i]”Zzt...”[/i] 

“Let’s just go forward,” Hermes let the head of her club fall onto the ethereal ground as she dragged it behind her, kicking her sandals in what was her best guess for ‘forward.’

“Babe, I-...” Xiaoli began, but stopped herself. She sighed noiselessly and stuffed her hands in the folds of her robe.

“What!?” Hermes spun around, her voice a tad more aggressive than it should’ve been, the music quickening. She ran a hand through her hair and let out a hollow whistle, eyes bouncing off of Xiaoli, “Sorry,” she cocked her head, eyes abuzz with frustration “What do you need?”

Xiaoli’s eyes widened, then jumped away from Hermes, turning to the ground. “N-nothing, it’s fine… You’re right, we should continue.”

“I know,” Hermes said uncharacteristically, “That’s why I said it -- forward, away from here.” The dreamer turned again, her fingers shaking with energy, only tamed by clutching her club tighter. 

A pained expression washed over Xiaoli’s face, and her eyes did not move away from the ground for a long while as she followed her wife deeper into the dream world.

A tense silence followed, save for the plucking of the instrument. Each resounding strum seemed to cause Hermes to flinch, her footing quickening into a faster walk. She could almost feel the pain she caused Xiaoli linger behind her, but as it swirled into the furnace that was her stomach, she just felt angrier. Her lip trembled slightly and she tucked it behind a bite, eyes closing with frustration. 

Xiaoli, meanwhile, kept a somewhat cold distance from Hermes, as if the raging radiation burned her delicate sandy skin. Her way of walking was careful and somber, her neck inclined forward all the while. The hem of the robe swished airlessly around her feet, dragging across the empty plane of existence. After a while, she went, “Hermes?”

“What?” It came as a snap.

Xiaoli gulped and feigned a smile. “Do you remember when Chagatai and Wenbo stole your quoll shoes and buried them in the vegetable garden?”

“Yes,” The answer was short and sizzling, a dam between Hermes’ growing rage and her voice.

A small snort of laughter forcefully escaped Xiaoli’s nostril. “Y-yeah, it took us a week to find them and by then, they had already begun to mould. You scolded them so hard, and of course Chatagai took the brunt of it because of who he is.” She giggled and smiled weakly. “... He probably still would do that for any of his siblings, or children…”

There was a long pause, save for the music, as if Hermes was digesting the story. The music quickened, and Hermes could feel it in her heart. Her brow furrowed, “Are you trying to make me happy?” Her voice was quiet, yet jittering with energy.

Xiaoli’s mouth flattened out. “Trying’s a good word.”

Hermes looked over her shoulder, her face stern, “Why can’t I just be mad? I never get to just be angry,  I-- I--” She closed her mouth, brow slanting, “I’m sorry Xiaoli, but-- can I just be mad?” The plucking twanged and Hermes closed her eyes, letting a slow breath out of her nostrils, teeth clenched. The grey figure flickered, walking next to Xiaoli, plucking away.

“Is that okay?” Hermes asked, the energy in her voice more of an assertion than a question.

“... This is all very new to me - usually I’m the angry one,” Xiaoli admitted. “It just feels wrong - you’re not supposed to be angry. The realm is affecting you, it must be.”

"So I can't be mad?" Hermes huffed, "I can't always be so cheery -- does it have to be the realm's fault? I can't just be mad!?" Her voice raised and she exhaled quickly, "What about me, Xiaoli, why can't I just be pissed for once?"

She stopped and turned to Xiaoli and the musician, ignoring the latter as the music increased yet again. Hermes' face was reddened, her eyes watery with frustration, "I have plenty to be mad about!" Her fist clenched.

Xiaoli recoiled, seemingly unable to really wrap her head around the concept that Hermes could be this angry. She cleared her throat, opened her mouth and thought better of what she had planned to say. Eventually, she just replied with, “Want to talk about it? The things that make you angry?”

"It won't change anything," Hermes defended loudly, "You don't want to hear it anyway."

“But I do, Hermes!” Xiaoli insisted. “Please, just talk to me. Like you always do.”

“Fine!” Hermes’ body shivered with anger, “I hate Galbar, it doesn’t make any sense and the--” She cut herself off, eyes flickering with rage, the music following her thoughts. She clenched her teeth, “It is all wrong, and we have to pay for it -- our babies have to.”

“W-wait, wait, what’s the problem with Galbar? What is it doing to our children?” Xiaoli asked in baffled confusion.

Hermes groaned, “No, what I’m saying is it--” She let out a frustrated grunt, “Xiaoli. I... don’t... matter... to... Galbar. Our... kids... don’t... matter! I made... we made life and we didn’t.. I didn’t.” Hermes furrowed her brow, “Why am I alive if I’m just supposed to go away?”

The music stopped.

Xiaoli’s look flickered around to pin down the source of the silent void that had replaced the music. Feeling anxious moisture on her brow, she took a step closer to Hermes. “Hermes, you’re not supposed to go away - you have a purpose; our children have a purpose. Where are these thoughts coming from?”

“This isn’t about purpose,” Hermes anger choked for a moment, as if snagged on the silence, “I’ve always had a purpose, Xiaoli -- but I am mortal, our children our mortal.” Hermes pursed her lips, the anger resurging, “We aren’t allowed to last forever on Galbar, we are meant to go away -- so why do we even have to live first?” Hermes shook her head, “I’m not a tool, Xiaoli, I’m not a source of entertainment, pity, pride, or even worship...” Her eyes flared and her voice rose, “I’m Hermes, and I don’t want to go away-- I don’t want to watch our children go away.” She exhaled sharply, “And I can be mad about that.”

Hermes looked down, as if the rage was subsiding. There was a soft crackle in her hair and Hermes let out a softer breath. Her eyes seemed to scan something that wasn’t there, as if examining a thought. As she did, the grey world seemed to fade into blackness.

“... Hermes,” Xiaoli said with a somber sigh. “None of us are meant to be around forever. In time, even the gods might shrivel up and blow away as dust on the winds. As all life is born, so it must eventually die so it can power the cycle that brings more life into this universe. It’s tough thinking about death, I know, but-...” She stopped herself, surveying the surrounding void. “... But it’s not coming for any of us any time soon.”

"Then what's the snapping point?" Hermes voice raised but never reached a cord of anger, everything sinking deeper into the darkness. "My original purpose was to experience but I broke that mould, K'nell praised it and I felt good -- only to be told later on that none of it mattered and we all are some... Fuel for a process that I could give a damn about."

The grey flickered back on, and the music began, Hermes' voice having found its energy again, "No, I'm here now, Xiaoli, and I'm alive -- there has to be a better reason for life than some sick ring-a-round or damn life, damn Galbar, and damn creation. There is more than purpose, Xiaoli, there is reason -- and I demand it!" 

All at once the grey world suddenly bloomed. Greens and yellows swirled back in -- the smell of wet soil, the creaking of trees. They now stood under a mess of gnarled branches peppered with crab apples. The ground was a short dark moss, and the forest stretched in all directions.

Hermes stood in shock, her anger leaving her with a breath. The figure with the instrument slowly faded away again, its instrument having long since dissolved into nothing. Xiaoli’s now-teary eyes nevertheless took on a skeptical scowl as she surveyed the forest.

“Ugh! I hate this place so much - now where do we go?!”

Hermes furrowed her brow, the anger in her stomach residing slowly. The energy stayed, but the blind anger was gone -- it was a fury, but a different kind. She sighed, the cool forest air swirling into her lungs, "Xiaoli, I--" She stopped."I wish I could say I'm sorry for the things I said, but I'm not-- I am sorry for how I said it though."

Xiaoli’s frustration with the environment subsided as well. She gave Hermes a sad, weak smile and said, “It’s… It’s alright, dear, it’s just… Uncanny, seeing you this way. I didn’t know how to react. I won’t pester you about it anymore, though…”

"I think you should," Hermes countered, "Clearly I have some things pent up..." She frowned, "Do you want a hug?"

“Yes, please,” Xiaoli whimpered and held out her arms.

Hermes sighed and stepped in, putting her arms around her wife. Almost instantly, a voice like escaping steam sounded.

"Ssso, you're the onesss doing all that ssscreaming?"

The two turned, a surprised crackle coming from Hermes' hair. In front of the two stood an animated skeleton, flanked by a nearly identical looking ethereal copy, and a ball of light.

[hider=Sleep Three: The Sleepening]

Hermes, Poppler, and Xiaoli go to limbo, make jokes, have a swell time while tension builds..

Then they pass through a ring of stone and shit gets weird. Hermes encounters a being, and gets pissed... She argues against Galbar and then eventually finds herself in another wood... Then cliffhanger. 

Done.


[/hider]

[hider=A lil music for ya]

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHTiSH5MLhA&list=RDkHTiSH5MLhA&start_radio=1]On our way to Beyonder[/url]
[/hider]

Prestige = 35