crescentview | the dreamer has nightmares

[ There is a buzz of excitement and anticipation in the air.

The massive airship speeds due west, the afternoon sun obscured by a saffron haze in a cloud of dust created from the arid sands below. Wind whips in Ellis's ears, the thrum of engines reverberate loudly in the air, creating a cacophonous clamor. Armed and armored individuals of all shapes and sizes rush to and fro, calling out in muffled, indistinct voices. Any attempt to look directly at any of these people will only cause the details of their appearance to blur, avoiding any personal identification. Looking over the edge to the ground below shows that, despite the furious wind, the airship and the rest of the fleet behind it sit perfectly still in midair.

Trahearne himself is standing at the very front of the deck, gazing out over the verdant brink of the jungle on the horizon. He is perfectly still, a quiet contrast to the hustle and bustle on the rest of the ship. ]

[ He dreams again.

For Ellis, this is such a rare occurrence that if he happens to dream about anything, he knows that something is afoot. That said, in dreams he still can't hear because he doesn't know what they're supposed to sound like, but he can still "hear" what people say in dreams--he can "speak" in dreams as well. It's an odd phenomenon that's chalked up to dreams being dreams, the unexplainable only happens in them, after all.

When he looks up, he sees Trahearne, the only person who isn't blurry amidst of the busy people. It's so cool though, being on an airship. Ellis has never been on one before, so he takes the time to look around before going to see Trahearne. It doesn't take long.

He waves, wondering if Trahearne can see him. ]

[ Trahearne senses he's not alone in his dream--it's an odd sensation, but not entirely unfamiliar to him--and he glances over his shoulder. He spots Ellis waving at him, recognizes him, but does not immediately know who it is. Only that he knows they are meant to be acquaintances, at the very least.

And so, without turning around, he beckons Ellis over, soon directing his gaze back towards the nearing jungle. ]

[ Ellis lightly tilts his head and goes to stand next to Trahearne and tries to follow his gaze. Why is he looking at the jungle so much. ]

Are we going there?

[ thank god for dreams I dont have to explain shit ]

[ Trahearne glances at Ellis, something in the back of his mind telling him that hearing this man's voice is something significant. But he doesn't let the thought linger.

There are more important matters at hand. ]

Yes--the Heart of Maguuma.

[ He stands proudly, his chin lifted, his voice in high spirits. ]

Today marks the beginning of our assault on Mordremoth, the jungle dragon. I believe with our superior firepower, the artillery strike should be enough to lure it out. And we will prove victorious against yet another Elder Dragon.

[ He grips the railing and peers down at the ground below, his smile dropping into a puzzled frown. ]

But...I have a feeling that something is terribly wrong.

[ Tree people assault jungle dragons. Man, that's some real irony right there. ]

Is it just a feeling you get? Or do you think there's a hole in your strategy?

[ Yeah, about that...

Trahearne's brow furrows, scanning the scenery below. ]

I'm not sure. I feel like...I'm missing something.

[ When he looks at Ellis, there's anxiety written all over his expression. ]

And it's going to have terrible consequences.

Did you double check your gear? Your troops? Your enemy intel?

[ Ellis tilts his head. ]

I hope it isn't going to be "the dragon is immune to all damage that isn't magical".

[ Trahearne shakes his head. ]

All supplies, troops, equipment is accounted for. Mordremoth has remained dormant for a long time, so we're making do with limited intel.

[ A low rumble begins to shake the air as they cross the threshold of the jungle. ]

I cannot shake the feeling that I'm making a mistake.

[ Well! Ellis doesn't like this! Obvious red flags in a dream, nonetheless. He's expecting this battle to end up in failure. ]

You're here already, so I guess you'll just have to make the most of it. Perhaps it's your nerves.

[ Since they're already fucked, might as well try to lessen the damage. Yeah. ]

I wish it was only my nerves.

[ As he turns to face Ellis, the hue of familiarity begins to color his expression. It seems he finally knows who he is now. The haze of the dream begins to lift as he becomes more aware of his memory, that he's yet again in another of his nightmares.

The bombardment begins. The airships send down the cannonfire, lighting the jungle below. And as it does, it seems as though the anxiety seeps from Trahearne and into the air around them.

He opens his mouth to say something, but his head instead whips aside to see a sylvari soldier grip her head in agony, draw her dagger, and stab a nearby ally.

Another sylvari soldier does the same. And another. And another. Chaos erupts on board.

Trahearne brings his hand up to his head, his face twisting in agony as he does. ]

I wish...we'd known...

[ Oh.

Oh boy.

Ellis looks at the sylvari attacking their allies and suddenly it's chaos. He knows his powers won't work on a pre-determined nightmare, so he doesn't bother and goes up to Trahearne. ]

Known what?!

[ Ellis wonders if the airship is going to crash and it's really taking his all to not just jump ship. ]

[ Ellis wonders correctly!

Except the airship and the jungle takes care of that for him. There's a brief rattle before a massive, thick, thorned vine--one almost as wide as the airship itself--rockets from the depths of the jungle below and pierces the ship, snapping it in two.

More shoot out from the jungle, piercing and strangling the rest of the fleet.

The deck the stand on flips on its side with such speed, Trahearne almost isn't ready. It sends them careening through the air, and he reaches out just in time to grab Ellis's hand.

Wind whips past them, and Trahearne yells through his headache-- ]

The jungle is the dragon!

[ Ellis shrieks when he's suddenly in the air and holds Trahearne's hand tightly. It's such a good thing his wacky survival instincts are not active in dreams because he would have gone through at least 30 methods in his head right now at lightning speed— ]

How do you just forget something so huge—

[ Ellis screams again, because they're probably heading right into the the pits of nature hell itself, huh. ]

We didn't know!

[ Trahearne yells in response as they plummet. He winces, grits his teeth, and pulls Ellis as close to him as he can.

Smoke begins to fill the air as the airships fail in the vines' grasp. More of the massive, grotesque vines burst from the trees below to pierce and strangle all that remains of the fleet. ]

And we should have known...

[ And, as dreams are, though Ellis is not sylvari, a voice--not much more than murmurs as opposed to actual utterances--echoes through his head with a dull throb of a headache.

Anxiety colors Trahearne's expression again as his own voice drops. ]

...We belong to it.

[ Well, there goes the airship. Ellis looks up at the wreckage and then at Trahearne. That sure is a lot to take in. He feels like he's in a movie. ]

You know... If you have any sick emergency maneuvers, those would be nice right now. Unless belonging to the forest means all that is gimped.

We have nothing.

[ Below, he watches a smaller, but no less sinister-looking bunch of vines shoot from the canopy straight towards them. ]

I'm sorry, Ellis.

[ The vines reach them in no time, quickly entangling the two and separating them. ]

This is the end.

[ And just as abruptly as it started, the dream comes to an end. ]

[ The experience of it was so visually strong and burned into his memory that despite appearing to be flippant, Ellis was pretty scared. He feels a lingering terror after waking up that he forcibly stabilizes to get rid of.

Anyway, later... Trahearne may find a white, adult samoyed dog with a bucket around its neck. It's holding a letter, thermos full of warm barley tea, and several apples. The letter reads as such in very neat and familiar handwriting: ]

Dear Trahearne,

I don't usually dream, but last night, I dreamed of you on an airship. Being on an airship was really cool. I've never been on one before. Terrible things happened after though, and I have a feeling you would know what the events would be. This isn't my first time dreaming about someone else--you're the second--and I feel like you may have dreamed of the same thing. The dream scared me, but I'm sure it deeply affected you much more, so I hope you accept the warm tea that would maybe soothe you, even for a moment. The apples are fresh and very crispy to serve as a good breakfast. I hope you like them.

Sincerely, Ellis

[ The letter is a surprise, but not unwelcome. Touching, even. Trahearne hadn't meant to scare anyone with his nightmares (he thought telling Kaspar he even had them was bother enough), so to read the letter is a shock to him.

No matter, though. He appreciates the gesture it all the same. Perhaps Ellis understands him a bit better now.

The next day, the empty and washed thermos is returned to him, alongside a punnet of strawberries, a pack of matsutake, and a letter delivered by a...flesh golem. i'm sorry. ]

Dear Ellis, I remember this dream, and I remember seeing you there. I'm deeply sorry you had to bear witness to that event - it was a terrible day, the beginning of end, you could say. I hate to hear that it scared you, but know that the threat of the jungle is absent here in Crescentview, so please rest assured that nothing should happen to either of us. But if the imagery ever comes back to bother you, tell me. We can talk through it together. The tea was delicious, and so are the apples. As a token of my gratitude for your thoughtfulness, please have a portion of our harvest. I hope they're all right. - Trahearne.

[ The response is delivered by the same dog. He's also curious on where the flesh golem is?? He wants to play with it. But, oh. Right. He has a letter for Trahearne. ]

Dear Trahearne,

Thanks for your harvest. I was wondering if you wanted to see anything particularly made with the things you've given me. Do you have any requests?

Also, thanks for your kind words. But really, I would rather hope to see you doing well. I know that sort of thing must mean a lot more personally to you, after all.

If you ever want to talk about it, you're welcome to come by my home any time.

I can't help but to ask though, what is the thing that brought your letter over?

Sincerely,
Ellis

[ Ellis is in luck, because the flesh golem comes back to deliver the letter. ]

Dear Ellis, This is a flesh golem, one of my necromantic minions. My cat is rather unreliable and I do not trust him to send letters. My golem, however, is connected to my will, so I am confident it delivers this letter without fail. I appreciate the kind offer. I'm doing much better, in comparison to when I first arrived. There is a peace in Crescentview I have never been able to experience at home, and it soothes my soul in a way I have discovered is much needed. The nightmares come with sparing frequency still, but I've learned to deal with them. Thank you, though. I will keep you in mind. You are welcome to use our harvest however you like. It's yours. -Trahearne.

the dreamer has nightmares | closed

ellis ✈️

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