20 Ashan 718
Max shoved her way through the Almund tavern. She could've sworn she'd pushed open the doors to the Buckle and Chain she was wont to haunt, yet when she stepped inside something felt...off. She couldn't figure out if it was the furniture. It could've been the faces of the crowd for all she knew. Whatever it was, there was something that made the room feel alien. The Mixed Race shook her head. She hadn't the time to be paranoid. She'd come here to find Mercedes and that was exactly what she was going to do. Her hands gently guided her between conversing parties, narrowly avoiding drunkenly tipped mugs and stumbling patrons in her search. The bodies constantly bumping into her were about to convince her to throw a fist when she finally spied him with his back turned.
"There you are!" Maxine breathed her relief. Her hand reached out to grasp Mercedes by the shoulder with a broad grin on her face. The moment she touched him, however, he turned to reveal he wasn't Mercedes at all. In his place was Earth Mask staring right back at her, his eyes hidden by that sinister mask. Her own eyes went wide and her lips parted. Fear paralyzed her in place, and before she could so much as get out a word or raise her arms in defense, the earthen spear he raised above his head came soaring down upon her.
"No!" Max screamed, her flailing body rising violently from where she laid in her bed. The covers flung off the side of the bed entirely, pillows scattered in every which direction. Her chest heaved and cold sweat beaded across her forehead. Her hands came up to run down her face.
Fuck!
It was a dream. Just another dream. But it wasn't just a dream. It was a damned nightmare, and it recurred night after night. Some things were different but it always ended the same. He was always there. Sometimes it was in a familiar place she once loved to frequent like a tavern or a cozy restaurant in Almund or Scalvoris Town. Other times she was back down in that hole like she'd never left. One way or another she was trapped still, forced to relive that evening over and over again every time she fell asleep. Earth Mask might've been long gone from Scalvoris for all she knew, but the fact was he was alive and well within the confines of her mind.
Max threw her legs over the side of her bed with a frustrated groan. Her shaking hand snatched up the half finished bottle of rum from her beside table, and tipped it toward her lips. She took a few bits to chug the liquor before she set the bottle aside. Her head dropped in her hands. Alcohol and bug berries were what she been trying to turn to each time when her nightmares thrust her awake. The alcohol numbed. The bug berries brought on a high she felt in her body that made everything seem okay for a little while. A crossfading combination was something she'd been experimenting with, but nothing kept the nightmares away. Sooner or later she'd have to fall back asleep. Sooner or later he'd come for her again.
Through her fingers her caramel eyes spied something across her room. Peeking up from a bag she'd haphazardly tossed in the corner was a small collection of joints she'd bought from that drug dealer, DuCarinos, that one night at the Four in Hand.
Ambrosia.
The high she'd gotten that night was unlike any she had ever experienced in her life before. She wasn't out of it the way she was with Bug Berries or blacked out on alcohol. With just the right dose, she felt like she was something...more. Her energy was through the roof, the intensity of her focus unparalleled. More importantly, she remembered that the stuff had kept her up for days even though it was her first time on it. Her hands slowly began to slip from her face. She could practically hear DuCarinos' promises ringing in her ears once again.
"The drug allows you to reach a new level of awareness… of focus and control. You’re able to do more, think more, feel more, be more… but it comes at a price. As with everything."
Maxine slowly rose from her seat to cross the room toward the bag. Her hand gingerly plucked one of the joints from the stash before she wandered toward the window. Caramel eyes stared unseeing into the darkness hanging over Scalvoris Town. She could hardly remember what it was like anymore to have a decent night's sleep, undisturbed by the darkest corners of her own mind. Did anyone else out there awake with such intense spikes of adrenaline that their bodies shook, pupils dilated and bodies prepared to face a threat that breathed no life in their bedroom? She placed the joint of Ambrosia between her lips and leaned down toward the lit oil lantern hanging off to the side of her view.
"One of these joints will keep you awake for days with enough energy and focus to accomplish those feats you haven’t yet been able to. So, what do you say? Care to dabble in the darker things in life?"
The end lit and the smoke filled her lungs. She held it there for several trills before slowly exhaling, pulling the joint away from her lips so that a gentle stream of smoke bounced against the glass of the window. Just like that her deal with this new devil was sealed as tight as the joint DuCarinos had rolled. Despite the fright and exhaustion seizing her, Ambrosia broke through to fill her mind with nothing but clarity. The need for sleep slowly faded into the background as an otherworldly energy filled her. Maxine took another drag. She'd have to make the stuff last. Perhaps she could get away with only smoking half the first joint for now. It would be just the one. Tomorrow she'd throw the second joint out if she had to. Just once was all she needed. Just one break for a few trials where she wasn't tormented by the apparition. She wasn't going to get hooked. She could control herself. She could.
Max shoved her way through the Almund tavern. She could've sworn she'd pushed open the doors to the Buckle and Chain she was wont to haunt, yet when she stepped inside something felt...off. She couldn't figure out if it was the furniture. It could've been the faces of the crowd for all she knew. Whatever it was, there was something that made the room feel alien. The Mixed Race shook her head. She hadn't the time to be paranoid. She'd come here to find Mercedes and that was exactly what she was going to do. Her hands gently guided her between conversing parties, narrowly avoiding drunkenly tipped mugs and stumbling patrons in her search. The bodies constantly bumping into her were about to convince her to throw a fist when she finally spied him with his back turned.
"There you are!" Maxine breathed her relief. Her hand reached out to grasp Mercedes by the shoulder with a broad grin on her face. The moment she touched him, however, he turned to reveal he wasn't Mercedes at all. In his place was Earth Mask staring right back at her, his eyes hidden by that sinister mask. Her own eyes went wide and her lips parted. Fear paralyzed her in place, and before she could so much as get out a word or raise her arms in defense, the earthen spear he raised above his head came soaring down upon her.
"No!" Max screamed, her flailing body rising violently from where she laid in her bed. The covers flung off the side of the bed entirely, pillows scattered in every which direction. Her chest heaved and cold sweat beaded across her forehead. Her hands came up to run down her face.
Fuck!
It was a dream. Just another dream. But it wasn't just a dream. It was a damned nightmare, and it recurred night after night. Some things were different but it always ended the same. He was always there. Sometimes it was in a familiar place she once loved to frequent like a tavern or a cozy restaurant in Almund or Scalvoris Town. Other times she was back down in that hole like she'd never left. One way or another she was trapped still, forced to relive that evening over and over again every time she fell asleep. Earth Mask might've been long gone from Scalvoris for all she knew, but the fact was he was alive and well within the confines of her mind.
Max threw her legs over the side of her bed with a frustrated groan. Her shaking hand snatched up the half finished bottle of rum from her beside table, and tipped it toward her lips. She took a few bits to chug the liquor before she set the bottle aside. Her head dropped in her hands. Alcohol and bug berries were what she been trying to turn to each time when her nightmares thrust her awake. The alcohol numbed. The bug berries brought on a high she felt in her body that made everything seem okay for a little while. A crossfading combination was something she'd been experimenting with, but nothing kept the nightmares away. Sooner or later she'd have to fall back asleep. Sooner or later he'd come for her again.
Through her fingers her caramel eyes spied something across her room. Peeking up from a bag she'd haphazardly tossed in the corner was a small collection of joints she'd bought from that drug dealer, DuCarinos, that one night at the Four in Hand.
Ambrosia.
The high she'd gotten that night was unlike any she had ever experienced in her life before. She wasn't out of it the way she was with Bug Berries or blacked out on alcohol. With just the right dose, she felt like she was something...more. Her energy was through the roof, the intensity of her focus unparalleled. More importantly, she remembered that the stuff had kept her up for days even though it was her first time on it. Her hands slowly began to slip from her face. She could practically hear DuCarinos' promises ringing in her ears once again.
"The drug allows you to reach a new level of awareness… of focus and control. You’re able to do more, think more, feel more, be more… but it comes at a price. As with everything."
Maxine slowly rose from her seat to cross the room toward the bag. Her hand gingerly plucked one of the joints from the stash before she wandered toward the window. Caramel eyes stared unseeing into the darkness hanging over Scalvoris Town. She could hardly remember what it was like anymore to have a decent night's sleep, undisturbed by the darkest corners of her own mind. Did anyone else out there awake with such intense spikes of adrenaline that their bodies shook, pupils dilated and bodies prepared to face a threat that breathed no life in their bedroom? She placed the joint of Ambrosia between her lips and leaned down toward the lit oil lantern hanging off to the side of her view.
"One of these joints will keep you awake for days with enough energy and focus to accomplish those feats you haven’t yet been able to. So, what do you say? Care to dabble in the darker things in life?"
The end lit and the smoke filled her lungs. She held it there for several trills before slowly exhaling, pulling the joint away from her lips so that a gentle stream of smoke bounced against the glass of the window. Just like that her deal with this new devil was sealed as tight as the joint DuCarinos had rolled. Despite the fright and exhaustion seizing her, Ambrosia broke through to fill her mind with nothing but clarity. The need for sleep slowly faded into the background as an otherworldly energy filled her. Maxine took another drag. She'd have to make the stuff last. Perhaps she could get away with only smoking half the first joint for now. It would be just the one. Tomorrow she'd throw the second joint out if she had to. Just once was all she needed. Just one break for a few trials where she wasn't tormented by the apparition. She wasn't going to get hooked. She could control herself. She could.
