Open Night of the Living Nuit

[Assilsa Curare]

There are faceless fears that plague the earth, everyone fears something however these fears come out in different times and points in a person’s life. Some might be when they are but a child and some might not even surface until late in life.

Assilsa’s own fear only came out in her dreams. In the darkness of her dreamscape there was always one, one that crept the caves of her mind in search for her. As the darkness formed these familiar tunnels Assilsa began to wonder why was she always in darkness when she dreamt?

Looking down at herself she was that she was wearing a long flowing red dress, a version that was much longer than the one she usually wore in her dreams. This dress covered Assilsa’s feet and sat loosely on the ground itself, the top was strapless and Assilsa had her hair loose around her body. She felt as if she were attending a ball rather than walking around a dirty tunnel.

Taking a few small steps that echoed through the emptiness of it all, Assilsa grabbed the skirts of her dress to allow for easier movement. She began to wonder what she was supposed to do, all her dreams had a point to them. It was a chance for her to either be crippled in fear or work out issues. This dream just felt wrong, incomplete almost.

[Phyolea]

Phyolea found herself swimming in darkness. There seemed to be something wrong with this water. The sea felt different somehow. It seemed too still. She swam further to get a sense of her bearings. She noticed walls. The walls were narrow and grimy. She was swimming in air? Phyolea picked up the pace. It appeared she was in a tunnel. She still could not determine whether she was truly in water. However, it seemed a minor detail.

Phyolea's sense of adventure took over. What was at the end of the tunnel? She wanted to check it out. Surely there would be treasure. If there was no treasure to be found, there was sure to be something she could take as a souvenir. Phyolea swam ahead, eager to see what lied in store for her.

[Assilsa Curare]

Her dress a red beacon in the darkness, pale skin like a light bulb. Assilsa continued to hold up her skirts half walking half jogging through the dust. Seeming as thought she had barely moved with all the walls looking the exact same no matter more far she ran, maybe this was the nightmare?

It wasn’t until her pale feet splashed into ice water that she stopped. What was this? Even for Assilsa this was getting odd, she didn’t know how to swim… why would water be in her dreams?

The sound of water droplets hitting the body of water echoed throughout the water filled tunnel, focusing on the sounds instead of the sight of the tunnels. The echoes of her own breath, the usually peaceful sound of water… yet as she focused Assilsa heard another sound. Footsteps, eerily finding its way to her ears, there was someone else…

They sounded heavy and shuffled, something that would strike fear into the hearts of even the bravest of people. Something was coming… Taking a further step back into the water Assilsa turned so she was facing the way she had come, whatever it was couldn’t swim? Could it? If it could she was screwed if she couldn’t find another way either across or around.

Heart pumping with fear Assilsa watched the tunnel expecting movements, the footsteps could still be heard but as of yet she couldn’t see anything, was it worst to not see? With one swift but shaky movement Assilsa crouched down in a flurry of her skirts, the smaller she was the harder she was to find.

[Phyolea]

Phyolea swam faster and faster. Details became clearer as she swam. She realized that she could see herself when she looked down. It was her reflection? The walls seemed to be made of some sort of stone. Intrigued, she peered ahead to see what manner of treasure lie ahead. She was not disappointed.

A woman illuminated the darkness. The woman's skin shone as the moon. Her dress was as the rays of a setting sunset. This woman was beautiful. Phyolea stopped. She had to learn more about the sight she beheld. "♪ Hello ♫," Phyolea said in her native tongue. She was pleased to note that her melodic Char language was clear and sounded as it did when she was in water. Yet she appeared to be in the air. But the woman before her was certainly not a Charoda. Phyolea tried again. "Hello," she spoke in the common language.

Phyolea lowered herself to stand upon the surface of what appeared to be water. She wasn't sure if it was water, a mirror, a mirage, or if they were upside down in water. Either way, she tried to use the bipedal motions she had grown accustomed to using on land. She wanted to converse with this woman.

[Assilsa Curare]

A small yelp escaped Assilsa’s ruby lips, jumping backwards Assilsa fell onto her back. Before her stood a fish, blinking a fear times she realised it wasn’t just a fish, it was a fish person… she had never seen one before had she defiantly heard of them around Ravok.

The woman? In front of her was slim , she looks almost silver all over? And Assilsa though she was pale. Getting back into her crouching position Assilsa dusted off her back and rear end. Her red eyes focusing on the Fish woman Assilsa wondered if she was part of her dream…

“Hello….?”

Giving a small wave Assilsa stood up slowly allowing her skirts to fall back to the ground, this was getting odd, a fish person who couldn’t possibly be the source of the footsteps since they swim. Looking the woman up and down Assilsa noticed that she was standing ontop of the water…. How?

“How are you doing that!?”

[Phyolea]

The woman had asked a valid question. Phyolea looked down. So she was on top of the water? How was she able to swim through air? Phyolea shrugged. She had no answer to the question, as she really didn't know how she was doing it.

"Perhaps you can tell me?" Phyolea answered. "What is this place? It is... strange. It has an odd feeling about it. I have never been here before." Phyolea peered at the woman. "I have never seen someone like you before. Are you a goddess?"

Phyolea surveyed her surroundings for more clues about her location. Try as she might, she could not find any information that told her what this place was named. However, she did at least find something interesting. The woman did not appear hostile. After all, she had not killed her... yet.

[Assilsa Curare]

“Welcome to the cave Systems of Kalinor, well what I remember of them… that’s why it’s so dark…”

Assilsa pitied the woman, to be trapped here with her, well it was almost a death wish. A dream was a dream, but this nightmare was not the ideal place.
Yet Assilsa still didn’t know who the fish woman had managed to fly or stand on top of the water. One of the comments caught her most attention, she was hardly a goddess.

“I am not a goddess n-“

The sentence ended into a stunned silence as a loud scream echoed off the walls, a scream of absolute fear. Following this terrible scream was the sound of metal on stone.

…scratch…scratch

The deafening sound was getting closer, the footsteps must of belonged to this sound aswell. Turning her back on the fishwoman Assilsa watched the tunnel with shock, he was coming… The one thing that she didn’t understand was what ‘he’ was. There was only two things Assilsa was terrified of and she was faced with both… Looking back at the woman she raised a finger to her lips.

“This is my nightmare… I am so sorry…”

[Phyolea]

A terrifying scream pierced through the air. Then the sound of metal on stone followed. Phyolea's eagerness gave way to trepidation as the sound grew louder and louder. The odd feeling she had before grew along with the sound. It felt like loss, like tears, like despair. Phyolea tried to peer further down the tunnel to see what it was, but alas. It was not close enough to be illuminated by the glowing woman.

Phyolea walked over and stood next to the woman. She had no idea what was going on, but she couldn't flee and leave this woman to deal with... that. She wasn't sure what it was, but she was pretty sure it was probably not friendly. Perhaps the two of them could flee together.

Phyolea took some precautions. She broke a miniscule piece of coral from her pendent and used her coral manipulation to make it grow. With any luck, she could make a barrier for the two of them and buy them some time.

[Assilsa Curare]

A weird substance began to grow in front of Assilsa, reaching out and touching it Assilsa concluded that she didn’t like its feeling or even how it smelt. Looking back at the fish woman who was trapped in her dream.

Assilsa needed to learn how to control her own dreams, to learn how to walk upon water. Taking one small step forward she hopped her feet would hover above water instead on slashing through. Yet again the cold water spilled between her toes sending shivers through her spine.

…knock…knock….knock…

Spinning around back to the coral which had started as a pale pink, now was blood red and on the other side was a cloaked figure, disfigured face hid among the shadows.

Assilsa let out a terrified scream. It was the faceless beast of her nightmares. Pale silvery eyes seeing her but not seeing her, face almost melting away from his bones.

Curling into a ball Assilsa continued to whimper and yelp shaking with the built up fear how could this be true? She hadn’t had a nightmare like this for years. The breath caught in her throat. The faceless nuit was her childhood fear, all because of the silly tale.

“…The faceless Nuit…”

[Phyolea]

Seeing the woman sludging through the water caused Phyolea to sink. She had barely noticed, however. Her focus had gone into making the coral grow. A smell coming from the tunnel made her apprehension take root. It was like nothing she'd smelled before.

The woman made a terrified scream and curled into a ball. Phyolea looked up. She saw something or someone who appeared to be long dead. Yet it was coming toward them. She couldn't make out what it was... The creature had no face. The smell... It had been the source of Phyolea's growing trepidation. She stopped growing coral. She stared at what her senses told her was dead. The cloying smell of rotting flesh clung to her nostrils. For a few moments she forgot to breathe.

Then she remembered. They had to flee. Phyolea reached out to tap the woman. "We need to run," Phyolea managed to whisper. Her voice was choked out by her own fear. Phyolea had the strong urge to carry the woman and run as fast as she could. Why was that... thing coming after them? Her mind seemed to chant. Run. Run. Run. Run.