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Discarding this one, chosen next roll.

CASUALLY REROLLS

There were too many cells. It felt like he would easily find himself lost within the Red Queen’s Castle if he wandered any more. Yet imagine his surprise when he found a fountain with colorful liquids swirling inside. Beside it stood a table with a tea cup that held instructions. It wasn’t a good idea, but he chose to follow through anyways.

Elliot does not beg. He never begs. He goads, and if he’s desperate enough he asks. There are no words to hear over the voices and cacophony when the mist hunter stands in front of him with a calm expression.

Someone is yelling into his headset to do something. Hopkins, do something!

His old friend turns his head to the side, peering at the death hunter to do something. His eyes narrowed, and for a moment he swore he saw a half-nod in request. Request for—

There is no need for communication. Elliot couldn’t even see his face behind the mask anyways. There is only silent agreement, a nod to the friendship they shared once upon a time. No matter how wide the chasm between them has grown, he still knows exactly what he’s asking for.

And even with a mask, there is a metallic taste in his mouth as the blade drives right through Elliot’s gut.

He woke up, gasping loudly.

((You have become the most powerful entity in this world. What do you do with that power?))

Trex wasn't sure what brought him back down to the little cell, with the sparkling fountain and teacups. Maybe he was tired. Maybe he just needed to sleep for a bit. His foxfire seemed to understand, it flopped over in a corner while he took some water in a little teacup, and took a sip. He set the teacup back down, and sleepily sat down next to his pet. The moment he hit the cold floor, he was out like a light.

In this dream, there was a calm, peaceful air. He looked out the window, and it was the island he currently lived on. With all it's labs and dorms and training yards... But there was a change in the atmosphere, instead of strict and militant training, people were laughing as they sparred, training for fun and not because their lives were on the line.

They knew it would be okay, they were safe on the island. The mist had been cleared, and there was sun. There were no dark shadows, no threats to worry about. There were no reasons to be afraid, and while they lived on the island they were free to pursue other occupations. In that way dream-knowledge is self-evident, he knew there were scientists on the island, and athletes, and bakers and artists and everything they all would have been if there was no threatening darkness...

It was a dream that left him feeling calm when he woke, but also hollow and empty.

After escaping from the prisoners, Feral still found himself in the dungeon with no sight of any sort of escape. From the running, he was extremely thirsty and needed to find something to drink and rest for a moment before he can continue on with his escape. The moment he thought about it was when he ran into a fountain within a large cell. The shimmering waters had attracted him fully and Feral made his way over to take a drink. He didn't need a tea cup at all and merely used the silver ladle to scooped some of the water up to his lips and drank all of the water.

"It's sweet . . ." Feral muttered under his lips as he set the ladle down and oddly find himself very sleepy. He couldn't fight against it. Feral desperately groped around for a wall to lean against it as he was overcame by the slumber. Slowly he slid down the wall until the large Gryphon sat on the floor to sleep . . .

An image came to mind, a dream. Feral saw himself back in the real world and took notice of how he had changed and looked older. His fiery hair looked longer with braids, stronger, and looking around for something. He was in the forest that was familiar to him from long ago. It was where he met his first friend out of his home, a friend after the chaos he had unleashed. The place held some very good memories there for him It seemed that he was looking around through every bush and looking up through every tree that he can possibly see, but the Rakshasa couldn't find anyone. He stood in the woods alone, and looked absolutely heartbroken that the demon could be on the very verge of tears now. "Tavi . . ." The kitsune was nowhere to be found . . .

Feral jerked around in his sleep and was fully awake from the terrible dream. There were tears stinging his eyes as he remembered what he had saw about being in that forest where he had wanted to go to . . . with him. And he was not there.

Sap found this place decent enough to explore. It wasn't as intriguing as the mad tea party, but she'd complained about that enough.

This cell was strange, different from the others. It felt underwater and oddly comforting in its familiarity. Familiar? Oh! The pool of water was much like the lake.

Perhaps it also had strange memory powers? Sap was wary of said strange memory powers, but she decided to take a look anyway because why not. Nothing happened.

She saw the cups that said 'Drink me'. Oh. So she was supposed to drink the water?

Well.
She figured she might as well. She filled a teacup with water and...

"Bottoms up?"

----

"Sap! Help!" His name was Paulo, . He was a Reaper with a blue bull familiar, a patron of lumberjacks and, here in this new school, they had obviously gotten along poorly. Her being a tree and all. So far, her dislike of him had partially stemmed from him being generally better at everything and older.

But, she had learned, she was smarter. "Why?" she asked him, standing over him as he grovelled.

"Please! I can't take tests. I... I fall apart. I'm no good at them..." he held his hands up, pleading, "Please, Sap, please help me... you get this stuff, this magic stuff... Just help me study, help me pass this test..." he looked up at her, "I'm begging you..."

She was moved (Mooved in his familiar's case), but she feigned disinterest, pointedly inspecting her branchy fingers. "Soooo, what do I get in return?"

"Anything..." he said, "Anything you want... I gotta pass this class. I gotta. Otherwise my parents'll disown me!"

"Anything?" Sap had some ideas about how that anything could be used. But, she was too nice to abuse it. "How about this. If I help you, You stop making my life hell and threatening to chop me down? How about that?"

"Yes! Yes! I'm sorry! I'll do anything!"

Sap grinned. "Excellent! Lets get started" She was going to help him... She didn't intend to make it easy.

-----

Sap awoke with a start, blinking as a puppet again in the red queen's castle. What the heck had that been?

The imprisoned mass had told him, them, that they were free to roam, and roam he did throughout the castle. He didn't get too far through the dungeons until he found himself in that particular cell with the fountain.

And so he did as instructed, as he always seemed to do in Wonderland. He drank.



They had said to never go home. He always understood that it was pretty much that no friends or family would actually find out he was actually alive and well (and better). Milo hadn't even left really on good terms; if one could really say that, he had just left with no word at all, no faked death, no note, just left. He was probably a missing persons for a while. (It made him feel terrible when he realized this back then, but it had subsided, he had more important things to worry about).

It seemed sound, until there was no home to return to. Ravished, destroyed, Milo was standing on the aftermath of an invasion and a path of destruction that had struck the whole island chain. It hadn't been a target, he couldn't remember pissing off any particular Horsemen, just in the way and a casualty in the bigger picture. They had attacked the Pacific Rim specifically. And now he was just standing on ash and soot, nothing left, not even the lush forests that still scattered the island or any of the wildlife. There was no one to recognize him now and he almost laughed at the cruel joke but he couldn't muster it. Much less any emotion as he pushed himself forward and up the barren hill.

He had come here specifically, managed to pull a few strings to be allowed to get the clearance. Didn't figure it would take him too long, he just wanted to do one little thing. Up the hill would have been a house, one particular house; his. But now there was nothing and if not for the easy geographical location, he might not have ever found it.

Milo stood where he imagined his front porch would have been, imagined his grandmother sitting on one of their beaten up chairs as she regaled some sort of weird urban legend (mostly made up by her, right then) and the trees not too far off blooming with fresh plumeria and a few mangos. But it was gone, all gone. He closed his eyes, trying to push the memories away. He wasn't here to reminisce, he was here to say goodbye.

In his grip he held a simple lei, crudely made from flora from Deus. "Aloha 'oe." The Sun whispered, setting the ring of flowers upon the ground, "a hui hou kakou..."

Somehow he held it all together, he didn't cry. Maybe he was more broken than he realized, hardened from battles and strife. Something he didn't want to become.

Flyin'High had again wandered into a part of the castle that she did not know about. She was met with a large pool, slightly red in tint. It had a sign, DRINK ME. Well then…should she? There couldn't be any harm right? Knowing her she would be harmed, but whatever. She picked up a cup and poured herself some.

He saw him, there on the ground then. How could she have not noticed before? How could SHE, Anthe, not notice HE, the man, that dreaded man that had killed so many in her visions in her nightmares? Oh they and never met before. oh no. But he plagued her forever. He tormented her like no other, drove her out of her mind. And oh look he was on a precipice. Anthe didn't know where it came from or how she got there only that he was begging for her help. Maybe he thought her an innocent bystander who had no idea who she was. That she, little girl, would help one of the most powerful and destructive meant of the generation without her knowing?

His face, so wounded, so open, trying to fool her. Well she knew what he REALLY was. So he got no help from her today. but she would give him the pain he caused her, oh yes. She reached down as if to pick him up. He thanked her profusely, for saving him. But oh, oh no, he was TOO heavy. Oh NO, her hands were slipping. Oh WELL.

+3 levels
+3 loot