Basement of Dolls The domain of the Dreamreaper

Loss comes fast, without warning and mercy. In legends, love is a force that conquers all. Failing that, the heroes will trump insurmountable odds by discipline alone. These were the thoughts that passed through Tharia’s mind as the monstrous teeth bore into her left side. She blinked in horror as everything from her shoulder on disappeared between those teeth. Shock numbed the pain as the human girl stumbled back, her eyes locked with the giant creature towering above her. The large maw of the fox punted her aside like a broken doll.

Tharia sailed through the air and crashed against a wall that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She felt a rib crack, followed by sharp pain in her lower chest. A shrill voice reached her ears.

“Found you!” Sisi said and let out a sigh of relief. Tharia noticed the edge of a golden sphere touching her body. She was half inside of it. Her eyes were locked at her shoulder where once an arm had been. A gory mess remained, blood had dripped onto her clothes. The fox in the distance had lost interest and resumed its primal battle with the serpent.

Something about the sight was immensely funny to her. Just like that, snap, it was gone. After that first impact, she didn’t even feel pain anymore but a cold numbness crept into her body. The spark inside ignored the bloody mess and instead concentrated on the rib. To her, these were odd priorities. At this rate, she would bleed out soon. Already she felt a cold numbness creep into her bones. Her skin looked more pale than usual.

The sphere moved closer towards her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Sisi rolled the staff along the floor by throwing itself against the cage of its prison. Soon the sphere enveloped more of her body and she lost sight of the giant fox as the sphere replaced it with a creepy basement littered with dolls. They looked cute. Like her Annabelle. Hard shell, all squishy and mushy inside. She should collect them and maybe build a house of Annie Puppets in the summer. Maybe two summers, she had only one arm left after all. This was funny but it was the concerned look on Sisi’s face that pushed her over the edge.

This wasn’t funny. It was hilarious. No one laughed but her, but she in turn just plain lost it. Her unhinged laughter brought pain to her chest. She flopped to the ground and rolled around in a hysterical laughing fit until searing, crippling pain sprang up inside her chest. Here it was. Payday.

Dreams of Torment The domain of the Dreamreaper

Annabelle once more found her body bound to a chair. It stood on the roof of a large mansion. A single moon stood high above them, drops of white light poured down from it. Their touch changed the lush lands into nightmarish shapes right in front of her eyes. She tested her bounds, much to the amusement of the Dreamreaper that stood next to her.

“Two hundred and twenty-two times. That last one, how did it taste?” he asked with raised eyebrows. Annabelle couldn’t deny the rush of blood on her lips. It stained her chin and was intoxicating. Jolts of energy ran through her when she licked it up.

“Different, special”, she replied honestly. The doll in her lap suddenly looked up at her with a look of mock disgust on its wooden face. The man next to her chuckled.

“It should. She was special after all. To you that is. The last one was real and you tore the poor little girl apart. Should have asked her if you could take a bite, none could ever resist the urges you exude. I’m sure they would even indulge in cannibalistic joys if only you’d ask.”

Seething rage cooked up inside of her. She strained against her bounds with fletched teeth. The Dreamreaper leaned down towards her and offered his neck to her.

“Do you think I would taste better? Go ahead, have a bite”, he said smugly.

Annabelle arched forward and sank her teeth into the neck. Feeling fresh blood on her lips, she tore the jugular open in blind rage. Yet the man just laughed in her face as the scene became ever more gruesome. The next second, she was even more tightly bound to the chair and the Dreamreaper once more stood next to her.

“My, you’re a feral one. You could end this, you know? Maybe if you tell me how you ascended twice, you could go out there and stop her bleeding. Sure, she ain’t whole anymore but she doesn’t need to die just because you lost it”

She would have long told him if she knew. The feral goddess growled through clenched teeth, these were barely words anymore but their meaning was clear as day.

“When this is done, there will be nothing left of you”, Annabelle groaned.

The Dreamreaper stepped forward and then whirled around. He brushed the dust off his shoulders and then lifted up his fingers. Thin strands led from them to her own body. She felt her finger lift up as the strings pulled on them. The puppeteering god kept on pulling until they strained against their natural bonds and then, with glee, pulled them further.

“Let’s proceed to the next stage. It shall be our last”, he said and let go of the strings. Darkness encroached on her until it was all that was left. There came no sound, no air, she was even deprived of the sensations of her body. At first, she appreciated the calm that came with it, until memories came to live inside her own head. Prisoner to her own thoughts, her mind began to torment herself.

Root of the World Domain of None

Tharia suddenly regained consciousness. She jolted up as the strong scent of an ancient forest pushed down on her senses. A cold tingle ran over her bare naked skin as the earthen coat slid down her shape. She quickly snatched it up again and covered herself with her fingers accidentally brushing along her left arm. With confusion, she realized that her body was unblemished. Her fingers ran along the entirety of her left side until she confirmed everything was without harm. A soft hum reached her ears. She tilted her head and for the first time realized where she was.

Her body sat on a bed of moss at the root of a tree so large, one could hide small villages inside of it. Several more of these true titan trees formed an endless forest around her. Primal screams echoed throughout this wilderness and strong energies pulsed through the very earth itself. She shook her head and concentrated on the hum. It came from a figure several meters away. Without the earthen cloak, Mother Bone looked downright fragile.

That strange entity was hunched over a cauldron that couldn’t be any more of a cliché if she tried. Her hands held a ladle and with it, Mother Bone brought the cauldron to live. Intense energies swirled within. Bubbles popped and odd odors emenated out of it.

“So that’s how you chose to see me”, the crone suddenly said and stopped. The cauldron turned into a gnarled web of roots that sunk back down into the ground. Soft ripples of visible energy ran along those roots and Tharia followed them trace back into the ancient trees around her.

“The other two will not see you. They wish for your punishment. Your Annabelle is free but it’s a different kind of free from what we wanted”, Mother Bone spoke and sat down next to the confused human woman. Crooked fingers reached for the coat and tugged it higher to cover everything but Tharia’s head. Despite her nakedness, she didn’t feel embarrassed, she felt at home and this strange entity seemed more like family than her real family had ever been.

“Alas, hasty judgments wake old scars”, the crone said and waved her bony hand. She appeared matronly but there was also a hidden threat in her demeanor. The crone leaned down and looked deep into Tharia’s eyes.

“Why did you not keep your end of the bargain?”

There was only one situation the question could pertain to. It was the reason why she could not lie to Annabelle anymore. Those eyes burned into the depths of Tharia’s soul.

“I love her”, Tharia said but the crone suddenly slapped her across her cheek. It was a quick motion that hurt more on an emotional level.

“Those words come too easily to you”, the crone said, “Take away the desire and what’s left will tell you about your real feelings.”

A sharp finger plunged against Tharia’s forehead. Of course, she loved Annabelle. What was not to love about that beautiful pale skin, the perfect shape made out of countless feverish dreams. Who could resist those curves and the lure of the flesh? Tharia felt the flinger slip into her forehead. She blanked out for a few seconds as Mother Bone seemed to search for something inside. The feeling of a finger wiggling around in there was nauseating.

Suddenly, the finger was pulled out again and with it came a silvery strand of softly glowing energy. Tharia realized that these were part of her lustful emotions. What was left inside of her was a mess of chaotic feelings that all circled around Annabelle.

“I hate her”, she heard herself say. It was the truth but only part of it. Words sprung up from the depths of herself.

“She twirls and the world holds its breath. Annabelle makes me realize I’m a petty and vain goblin that has always been envious of her. How could I not?” Tharia said and brushed her right hand through her hair, “I fear her. If she were to ask, I would jump to my death. If she begged, I’d kill for her. I’m afraid of her. Twice now she tried to kill me and twice I was okay with it. For I’m nothing but her crazed slave, unable to remove my bonds”

The crone nodded once. She kept the string of silver floating in the air. Now that the aspect of lust was gone, Tharia realized just how deeply she had been affected by Annabelle. This was more than just lust, it was an unhealthy obsession, a compulsion to the point of idiocy. Yet it was also something else.

“But there is more. Those memories we made are the best of my life. I wake up in the morning and I wonder about her. Being close to her fills me with joy and it’s not just sexual. I want to be with her, see her smile, make her smile”, Tharia suddenly pushed her jaw forward. Muscles tensed in her face while the crone watched her every move.

“Making her happy makes me happy. So yes, I do love her”, Tharia said and raised her right arm to shake it in front of the crone “I also hate her but things are never easy and if you can’t deal with that, then I’ll shove your bony fingers up your... uh.”

Words eluded her. For the first time in her life, she didn’t know what to say anymore. Instead, she snatched the silvery strand from Mother Bone’s finger and felt a strong rush of desire wash back into her mind. Yes, it was an obsession. Yes, it was sexual. It was neither healthy nor sane but this was hers and she never let go of what was hers.

“There are two types of love”, Tharia whispered with quickly rising voice, “One is the mad craze at first sight that fizzles out. Like this, I’ve loved her once. The other type is insanity that accepts all flaws and grows stronger for them. Like this, I love her now. So if you don’t like that, shove it up your bony arse and poke for treasures.”

The crone suddenly laughed. And it wasn’t just the crone. Suddenly a young voice blended in, followed by an adult one. The old hag reached up her bony hands to either side of Tharia’s head.

“We will have accepted this”, the young voice said and with it came the face of a young girl on a creepy old body.

“This was deemed enough once the price was paid”, the adult woman said.

“She may wonder about the price still. It’s but a contract renewed”, the crone said. The strange entity picked up the earthen coat, revealing Tharia’s slim shape to the forest. She felt a sudden rush of shame at this and covered her flat bosom with her right arm. Mother Bone stood up and spread her arms. With all three voices in unison, she spoke. Tharia suddenly felt as if she stood at the center of a force of nature.

“We will take your suffering in your place like we did years before”, the crone said and suddenly leaned forward. Four fingers reached directly into her left arm. Where before there had been no feeling, she suddenly felt prickling sensations. The crone pulled her hand back out and what she held in her fingers was a white glowing shadow of her arm. Only this one looked like something out of a nightmare. The white energy flowed into Mother Bone and the strange entity shook in place. The ancient trees groaned in agony and the ground itself wound up with roots lashing out at thin air.

With an unceremonious pop, something gnarly fell to the ground. It was a branch with a bone inside of it. The bone was old and withered and when Tharia looked closer, it seemed like an arm to her. A shadowy white light shivered inside and then died instantly.

“After all, a god can’t hurt a god. A technicality we claim of the world. You are not of the divine, yet you are not quite human”, the voices continued. These mundane sounding words had a strange power. The ancient forest twisted into an odd dome above her. Tharia felt like she was witnessing the birth of a world or something similarly ludicrous. Energies swirled into a ginormous whirling sphere in the sky. The young woman gazed in awe at the interplay of power in front of her. These things she had called gods all her life long, they were nothing in comparison to this old one. Her dear Annie was a sham and so were the rest of her kind.

An odd protrusion suddenly reached down from the swirling sphere. It snaked it’s way around ancient trees and towards the right hand of Mother Bone. With that energy at the tip, the crone leaned down and suddenly stabbed Tharia’s abdomen. Searing pain lit the young woman on fire while the hag scratched and burned strange symbols into her.

“The mark of a contract you will not break. We will meet once more when we chose to die. Then you will take up our mantle”, the crone said and then stood up again. The pain ebbed away, but an intricate layer of letters spread from her stomach to her entire body. They emitted a subtle glow and then suddenly shaped into the images of florals. Tharia watched in confusion as her body became adorned with masterful pictures.

It was beautiful but also invasive. Pastel flowers circled her small bosom, the edge of a rose danced around her navel. Amidst the flowery impressions, there were also more sinister illustrations. There was a skull pierced by roses that appeared on her lower thigh. The ivy running up from her toes weaved around figures of bones. When all was said and done, her body had been turned into the canvas for a pastel painting of nature. This nature, however, took nourishment from the macabre. Tharia lifted her fingers and glanced at the intricate floral patterns running along her knuckles.

“This marks you as ours”, the crone said, “Remember this oath. It binds you with words as powerful as the world itself. Your path is now preordained.”

Tharia noticed that the forest started to fade around her.

Basement of the Dolls The domain of the Dreamreaper

Soft warmth reached Tharia’s body and she felt the touch of clothes on her skin once more. She looked into the tiny face of Sisi. The spirit had a shocked look on its face.

“You just started sprouting floral tattoos ... just what is going on?” it stammered. The young woman shook her head and felt a sharp sting of pain inside of her. Her spark mended the broken rib but it would take days to heal fully. The entirety of her left side prickled with numb sensations, it didn’t listen to her commands yet. This too would take time. She finally replied to the elemental.

“The old one intervened. Let’s end this.”

Tharia shuffled along the floor until her right hand touched the staff made of chains with Sisi in it. She used it to push her weary body off the floor. When the broken rib moved, she winced in pain and her fingers cramped around the staff.

“As much as I enjoy your suffering, are you sure you can do this?” Sisi inquired.

Instead of an answer, Tharia started walking. It hurt at first and then it got worse. She liked to think that discipline kept her going but really, it was just stubbornness. That stupid goddess was hers and hers alone to mess with. The elemental stood on its toes inside the cage and examined the world around them.

“He seems to ignore you for now. As do his little doll soldiers. Do you trust me, Tharia?”

“Not at all!”

“Good”, the elemental said with a gleeful grin on it. The sphere of light suddenly shrank until it tightly wrapped around Tharia. She saw nothing anymore, neither the real world nor the dreamworld.

“I’m hiding us from sight”, the elemental said, “Walk two steps forward.”

Tharia stepped into the darkness, her feet touched a soft carpet and that was the full extent of what her senses felt. That and fear inside of her. She walked precisely two steps and then stopped.

“Why didn’t you do so earlier?” she asked.

“Everyone’s a critic. Domains have weird rules and I’m skirting them by being awesome. Alright, wait for another two breaths... one, two... now continue forward.”

Worst about walking blindly through a basement infested with enemies was the feeling of vulnerability. Even if she saw nothing, she knew they were all watching her. Those lifeless eyes examined each and every single one of her motions. It was irrational, but she just knew.

“Stop”, Sisi commanded and she listened.

“Wait. Wait longer. Good. Now run.”

Tharia changed pace and started running. Pretty soon she became all too conscious about how poor her stamina really was. Especially since her own body was pretty much all she could physically feel. That and pain from the rib.

“Left now.”

Like a puppet, the young woman with the magical flower tattoos was dragged along by Sisi’s verbal strings. The elemental commented with obvious surprise.

“This is actually working, Tharia. You’re close. Prepare a thrust attack.”

With her entire body tensing up, she carefully lifted the staff to her side and changed her stance. She had no formal combat training but with an inquisitive mind, a lot can be learned by imitation. With her left foot in front, she now walked slightly sideways while her right arm held the staff close to her side.

“Thrust. Direct ahead!” Sisi shouted and on command, the sphere suddenly expanded all around her. The sudden rush of sensory input befuddled Tharia but her body snapped forward without conscious thought. She leaned her body into the thrust and even switched onto the other foot to increase her range. A strange man suddenly came into view. He looked confused as the sphere enveloped his body. That confusion only increased when the tip of the chain-staff punched through his chest. He raised his eyebrows while looking at Tharia.

“You’re a god too? Curious, a flower one by the looks of it? Did you just awaken? No, you’re not complete, it’s something else”, he said and then shrugged his shoulders. He effortlessly removed the staff from his chest again.

“Do you mind, fledgling? I’ve got important things to do”, he said and then pushed the staff aside. With just one hand, Tharia couldn’t resist the strength. It made her lose her balance and the Dreamreaper used this moment. He stepped into range and punched her flat in her face. Tharia stumbled back and caught an immediate second strike to her stomach. Both momentarily hurt but left no permanent damage. Neither had her staff on the Dreamreaper.

A third punch came towards her and she finally reacted in time. She sidestepped it and then brought her staff in with a wide swing from the right. It smacked right into the god of dreams but like before, she couldn’t bring in the full extent of force with just one hand. Especially since she was off balance and in pain from the broken rib.

“Tharia. Your staff has a second attack mode”, the fire spirit suddenly said, “Slightly twist the top half, then thrust as far into him as you can, no matter the cost. Trust me.”

The young woman nodded and stepped away from the Dreamreaper. He looked at her weapon and then raised his eyebrows.

“You know you can’t hurt me?” he said.

Tharia, however, did as Sisi recommended. She reached up to the upper half of her staff and twisted until she heard a quiet click. Nothing else changed.

“Oh well, go ahead, give it a try then”, the Dreamreaper said and laughed. He spread his arms and pointed at his chest, “I like it when they struggle and it will pass the time until your friend breaks!”

The human woman looked at the god and couldn’t help but come to one conclusion: Arrogant idiot. She once again took up a balanced stance and then quickly lunged into a thrust of her weapon. The staff once more pierced into the laughing Dreamreaper. At the moment of impact, Tharia felt the weapon start to collapse in her hands. She pulled back but only half of the staff came back out and it quickly lost cohesion. The human girl jumped back with a single barrier-chain in hand, the second one fell down on the other side. There was no trace of the sprite left. Trust me, the sprite had said. Tharia let out a bitter laugh.

“Even your lent power decided to abandon you. She had always been loyal to me. I think she loved me dearly, why else would she do the things she did?” the man said with a smirk. Tharia stepped back and started whirling the chain like a whip. She didn’t quite understand Sisis plan, she didn’t even know if the spiteful sprite could still be considered her ally. None of that mattered, she would not give up Annabelle.

Tharia stepped forward and let the chain-whip snap at the Dreamreaper’s cheek. It smacked his face to the side.

“I’m talking!” he said with consternation. A precious moment of time was spent on him complaining, it cost him as the chain struck him again.

“You lousy...”

Smack. The whip crashed a third time into his face and then a fourth. He stumbled back as Tharia kept up her assault. She knew it was pointless but damn, did it feel good. Her right hand changed direction slightly. This was a low blow and she would enjoy it. Following a sudden surge of sadism, she aimed the whip directly at his crotch. The god of dreams glared at her and raised up his hands.

“No, you don’t!” he exclaimed, “I shall not suffer mockery in my domain!”

Yet nothing happened. With confusion, he took a look around himself. The golden sphere was still there and like it had done for Tharia, it bridged the real with his domain. With his powers canceled out, he suddenly let out a roar of rage. The man stormed directly for Tharia. The human girl let the whip snap and smash into his thigh. He stumbled momentarily but this only increased his rage.

“You will suffer worse than she did”, the god snarled. His face was a grotesque mask of pure hatred with pursed lips showing crooked teeth and bloodshot eyes trying to kill Tharia by look alone. While she gained distance on him, she suddenly noticed an odd little detail. The god of dreams had started to show a subtle golden light inside of him.

“When I’m done with you, there will be nothing left of...”

He never had it in him to finish the sentence. Or rather, he had too much in him. The golden sphere collapsed around him and Tharia momentarily stood inside of his domain. She looked up at the large feathered serpent. Even in this beast form, the god looked stupefied. Tharia had the presence of mind to throw herself to the ground. Not a moment too soon. The sphere collapsed and so did the domain of the god. Chunks of flesh and red mist had turned the basement of dolls into a butchery. Where the good had stood, there now floated a human-sized woman with fiery golden hair.

“There will be nothing left of you, Antescedante. Your slave knew no loyalty in the end”, it said.

Tharia blinked up at the burning elemental and stuttered, “D-don’t tell me you were...”

“Inside, yep. I realized only I could end it, when you broke your rib due to my intervention.”

The elemental floated over towards Tharia and then leaned down on her until all she could feel was intense heat.

“I’m next?” came Tharia’s whispered guess but the fire sprite shook its head.

“Even I won’t mess with whatever has claimed you, child. Get your friend. When his domain collapsed, she was brought here. Let’s go now and talk later”

Annabelle sat in a sea of vast nothingness with an obsidian sky above and an empty void beneath. None of her senses felt anything at all. Despite all that, it took her a while to notice a strange old woman stand next to her. The old hag wore a mosscloak, while a large animal skull with horns covered her face.

“This is how you see us, curious”, the person said and then continued with a second voice, “You’re pitiful but your presence is needed. You’ve slept enough”

“Who are you?” Annabelle whispered. She didn’t know what to think and feel anymore. This was the first human-like contact in what had felt like centuries of solitude. The hag suddenly stood in front of her. Two bony fingers locked her face in place. A golden sphere appeared inside of the crooked palm. Without warning, Annabelle suddenly felt the golden sphere pressed against her lips. She struggled for breath as the crone mercilessly forced the orb into her mouth. Annabelle gagged and coughed, yet once it had entered her completely, the pressure disappeared and so did the hag.

Energy seeped out from the sphere and into her throat. Divine essence poured out in dizzying amounts and collected inside her chest. While she still got used to the renewed strength inside of her, the darkness peeled away to reveal a library of sorts. She was resting on a bed with limbs that hurt. She felt chaffing pain and realized she had a strong scent of ointments and herbs. Annabelle looked into the weary face of Tharia and felt tears well up.

“Are you real?” the goddess said with a weak voice.

“Real contender for the smartest question of the day”, Tharia snapped back with snark, “Of course I’m real you numbskull”

Annabelle blinked and closely examined her friend. The small girl balanced herself on that staff, she looked weary. Sweat stained her clothes and her skin was feverishly pale. Annabelle noticed the flower images underneath the clothes.

“You seem intact. Mostly. You’ve blossomed well”. Her own dry lips made talking difficult. Tharia showed her a pained grin in response.

“A horribly painful pun”, the human girl said, “I’m happy to have you back. If you don’t mind, I need to... lay down... now”

She watched as the short-haired girl blew her a kiss and shambled over towards a couch in the room. There were no external wounds but that didn’t mean Tharia wasn’t hurt. The girl just flopped down onto a couch and let out a sarcastic “ouch.”

Moments later, she heard the other woman snore. A sudden hot wind made Annabelle gasp for air. The striking figure of a woman with gold hair appeared out of thin air. The fire elemental crossed its legs while floating in front of her.

“Give her some rest. She’s battered and bruised. It’s been a while since you went under and that stupid girl pushed herself despite a broken rib. Something is broken with her healing too, can’t do it as strongly as before. Day in, day out, she went out and brought back food and amenities for you. Even flowers”, the elemental said and leaned forward, “You don’t deserve them. Either way, Is your mind well?”

“No. It’s a mess. I don’t dare close my eyes for fear of what my mind will show me”, Annabelle replied truthfully.

“Figured as much. Death might have been a favor. Things got a whole lot worse while you slept the weeks away”, the woman with the golden hair puffed a ring of fire in Annabelle’s direction. It evaporated just a hair’s width before it hit the goddess.

“Remember Ascension? The creatures before were failures that couldn’t gestate. Others did and time is up. I’m afraid we haven’t seen the sun in weeks. Welcome to the world of hungry godbeasts.”

End: Book 1 - Curses old and debts anew. All Paths End. | Coming Up: Book 2