Written Wonderland

Dehaljadrun laughed quietly again, staring intently at the captain with all the desire in her body plain all over her skin. She was practically vibrating with anticipation. She was going to so thoroughly enjoy this.

“Walk around the circle and take the talisman from the crone,” she said with a deeply compelling voice, thrilled at giving him orders. “I will take this as a symbol of our deal. Then, I will show you.”

Hm. Evan slowly rocked his weight side to side for a moment as he held his gaze steady, contemplating how he wanted to respond to the goddess' instruction. The desire to be disobedient in some way was strong - it wouldn't do to set the goddess up with skewed expectations for their interactions, after all - but, then again, this didn't seem like the situation for it just yet. He could play nice while things were still being set into place.

The captain slowly pushed himself to his feet and then began his trek around the circle, opting to head in the direction Xavier was in. He kept his gaze on the goddess, though, wanting to watch her watch him as he moved. He wasn't walking all that differently from normal, but if nothing else, that bulge was still very much present, and he wasn't hiding it in the least.

He did shift his gaze to the priestess once he passed the midway point, and he regarded her curiously. Was she also enjoying the show, or was she indifferent? Quietly disgusted, even? Evan wasn't even sure which he hoped was the case, entirely. He did want to show her respect, though - he appreciated her stubbornness in pursuing this meeting, and her earnestness in getting him on board. If not for her, who knew how long they'd have been stuck in that aggravating as fuck cycle of waking to mysterious screams in the night, and Evan was grateful as shit to see the end of that god-awful state of being. So, he definitely felt like he owed the priestess one, in a way he didn't mind letting her know.

To that end, he knelt down before her - not quite the deep, tensely humiliating position he'd taken with Mizu the other day - ugh - but a more casual pose, his muscles mostly relaxed, and his eyes gently meeting the woman's gaze as he have a light, grateful nod and held his hand out to her.

The crone regarded Evan with dignity as he approached, appreciating that, in this way at least, he was keeping a tone she appreciated. All things considered, though, she didn't think his behavior had been out of place. That all was in line with how to get what one wanted from the goddess, at least if the person in question was male. The crone briefly stopped to consider if Evan had been planning this display even long before she suggested the ceremony. 

When he knelt and stretched out his hand, the crone hesitated, looking at Dehaljadrun, who was not even attempting to hide her excitement. The crone had seen that look before and knew what it meant. The crone then took another look at Seth, who had gone silent but was furiously shaking, and the crone had the feeling that it would only take one word from the goddess for him to break the circle and free her. The crone did not see other options in the cascade of possibilities around her, though, and as far as she was concerned, the blame for whatever happened next lay solely at the captain's feet. The crone knew, even if the circle were broken, that the goddess would not be able to stay in this plane long because of the bindings in the underworld, but that did not mean she would not wreak havoc in the meantime. Although, she seemed fairly one-dimensionally focused on Evan, and the goddess bore no significant ill will toward anyone in the circle... maybe it would turn out all right. The deal that mattered had been completed, regardless. Since the crone could not see any other course of action, she placed the talisman in Evan's hand and braced herself. 

--

Evan walked by Xavier on his way toward the priestess, and Xavier could not hold it in any longer. Even though Evan was looking away from him, he could see the swell of Evan's pants at eye level, and Xavier was full of desire. Before he even knew what was happening, he brushed the back of Evan's calf with his hand as he passed, relishing in the brief moment when he could feel the curve of it underneath the thick fabric. It was not until Evan knelt near the crone that Xavier realized what he had done and grew deeply embarrassed, though he remained silent. 

--

The goddess put her hands on her hips with her weight shifted to one side as she watched Evan walk. He was still putting on a good show, just as she had hoped, but it pleased her even more to watch him obey her. Mmmm, this all felt so deliciously good. She waited with intense anticipation, ideas forming in her head as the crone hesitated to drop the talisman into the captain's hand. The crone looked at Dehaljadrun as though the crone knew what the goddess was planning, but both of them knew it could not be helped now, and this made the goddess' anticipation ever greater. The inevitability of it rolled around in her mouth and made itself present in her body as electricity.

When the crone finally let the talisman touch Evan's hand, the goddess wasted no time. 

"The first night begins now," she said with a dark glint in her purple eyes. She looked at Seth and dug deeply into his mind, causing him to cry out, to find his full name. "Andreas Seth Hadorack Germain, Andreas Seth Hadorack Germain, Andreas Seth Hadorack Germain. Come to me." Seth also wasted no time. He dropped the bracelet in his hand, promptly stood up, and immediately crossed the line, tears flowing down his face. The second his foot touched the ground over the line, Dehaljadrun motioned to the portal sphere above her head and pointed at Evan. In one brief moment, the portal moved, elongated horizontally over Evan's head, and moved down over him so that the captain promptly disappeared. Though she planned to immediately go through the portal herself--the pain of the bindings having become apparent once the circle was broken--Dehaljadrun hesitated. Seth was still approaching her, and she sent bands of lightning to pin his feet. He slowly came to realize that she had used him and grew thoroughly angry. He shouted out her, but the sound of the electric fire practically drowned him out. 

"Don't make me gag you, too," she told him. He promptly stopped his stream of profanities, and she laughed briefly before turning to Xavier. She walked over the line of the circle, the pain significantly intensifying but still manageable for the moment, and crouched to one side of him. Though Xavier was intensely afraid, he sat paralyzed at the sudden disappearance of the captain, and he feared that any movement would worsen whatever was going to happen. 

As she knelt, Dehaljadrun grew hungry even for this small lad, and his fear of her mixed with his confusion with his desire for Evan and his desire for her made her intoxicated. "I'll be back for you sometime," she said in a seductive whisper into his ear. She then kissed the side of his face as she reached down to put two fingers inside his pants' line just deep enough so she could pull at it. Xavier moaned loudly, and the goddess laughed. 

Finally, the goddess walked over to the crone, who looked back at her without fear, without emotion even. The neutral expression on the priestess' face was almost infuriating. There was nothing Dehaljadrun had ever done that seemed to surprise her. She thought about tearing this woman down where she stood, of ending her for all the times she had confined Dehaljadrun to this 10-foot circle, but the goddess briefly wondered, if not this woman, then who would summon me? Are there any left who even remember how? That thought stopped her. She gritted her teeth through the mounting pain and said, "Until next time, then," with as much of a grin as she could manage, as if out of respect. The goddess then blew Seth a kiss, motioned for the portal to be vertical again, and walked through it herself. The portal then contracted into a sphere and shrunk until no one could see it anymore. 

The electric bindings that had been around Seth's feet disappeared, and he promptly fell to the ground, feeling for the first time since he went to sleep the previous night that his mind was his own. 

Mizu refused to speak with her captains until they were out of the city and on the path back toward the camp. She knew that they were are at least curious if not fully disheartened by how things had gone with Shalbuleth. Not to mention that her plan had absolutely no likelihood of becoming a reality, though she did hope that either the crone or Phantom may have some advice for her about where to start looking. But the other issue was time. How long did she really have before they needed to move the camp again? The king wasn’t going to let them build up their forces forever, and Phantom had said there were already preparations going on at the castle. Mizu gritted her teeth and prepared to speak to resolve some of the issues, sounding significantly more confident than she actually felt.

Without turning around to address the soldiers as she walked, she said, “When we get back, I want all the captains working toward finding a solution to this problem. No suggestion is too ridiculous. We have to admit that the cause seems supernatural, so the cure, too, might be supernatural. In the meantime, I will seek out answers from the old woman who approached us to determine if she has anything useful to contribute.” She paused for a moment to take a breath but then continued. “We have faced demons down in battle. We have suffered losses but have beaten back the king’s army, though we are outnumbered. Our cause is just, and that fact burns brightly in our soldiers. We have the determination to find what the Shel’ti need, to accept their help to increase our numbers, to show the neighboring countries that we expect to be taken seriously. But I need all of your support to do that.” Mizu then fell silent, waiting for the captains to disagree with her or tell her she was insane. She wouldn’t fault them for doing so because, at this point, by her own standards at least, it could easily be true.

When Evan had strode over to the crone, he felt confident that everything was favorably in place. Even Xavier's light touch as he passed had been gratifying in its way, and he'd felt proud of Seth for holding himself at bay despite how much he was clearly struggling. He anticipated that they'd all be on their way soon, and he'd deal with his obligations to the goddess later that evening. ... And sort out his relationships with his soldiers, later.

But in the moment he held out his hand, he felt the crone's hesitation, and his eyes widened as it sank in that something was off. Fuck, what had he missed?

He barely had time to contemplate the question before the crone did place the talisman in his hand, and he curled his fingers around it to grip it tightly. The goddess' voice rang out in the same moment, and the fear that he'd been harboring pleasantly as excitement in his gut shot up through his body, some voice in his head angrily chiding, you fucking idiot. He let out a frustrated growl as he twisted to look over his shoulder at the situation behind him. Xavier was flustered but fine; the goddess' attention was on Seth; and Seth was-- fuck.

Evan hastily pushed himself to his feet and attempted to intercept his cadet, but he hadn't reacted quickly enough. Seth's foot landed inside the circle when Evan was still a few steps away, and on top of that, embarrassingly, he found himself stopping when the goddess pointed at him, a mixture of fear and curiosity and - god fucking damn it - some unexpected pang of fucking obedience of all things anchoring his attention on her. He managed to shake it off just in time to toss Xavier a frustrated, apologetic expression, before the portal descended upon him, and all he could do was be sure to clutch the talisman tight.

--

Blake was patient as she awaited the time to speak with her commander. Up until then, she did well at keeping her worry and frustration hidden deep within her, covered over thickly by her usual stoic exterior.

For the most part that held up when Mizu at last began to speak, though some tension did rise to the surface when Mizu mentioned the old woman. Blake appreciated that they had to pursue supernatural options, but she had never been comfortable with the goddess the old woman had alluded to, and in fact, had supported the king's decision to stamp out her worship from their lands. In hindsight, Blake acknowledged that the king was likely already not himself by that point in time, but even so, it was a decision she had felt very comfortable with when it was made, and never particularly looked back on.

The thought of appealing to that very goddess now was... uncomfortable, to say the least.

Mizu finished her speech with a call for her captains' support, and Blake felt deeply torn. Of course she would support her commander, whatever she chose to pursue... right? Even if it meant consorting with the Demon Queen? Hrmm.

Blake audibly swallowed, which might well be perceived as a notable break in her usual composure.

"I distrust that woman deeply," she offered after a moment, feeling confident that Mizu was leaving space for honest replies. "But acknowledge we have to pursue unorthodox solutions. I support getting more information from her, but would feel deeply uncomfortable actually doing what she suggests."

Mizu was grateful when someone broke the silence, and she deeply appreciated the reasonableness with which Blake spoke her mind. 

"I plan to gather information from her, but I do not intend to go blindly into whatever she suggests. If anything, I would hope she could give us at least a lead on another possible strategy," Mizu rolled the idea over in her mind. On the one hand, she would appreciate Blake's level-headedness in a meeting with the crone, but at the same time, part of Mizu wanted to speak with the old woman alone to find out why the hell the woman knew Mizu's full name. And she didn't feel comfortable doing that in front of Blake. It felt too much, at least from an outside view, like indulging a superstitious pattern of thought, and even if Mizu was curious, she didn't want her soldiers aware of that. She would need to decide later how to handle the situation, but for now, she let her answer stand. 

When no one had anything further to say, Mizu nodded and led the rest of the way back to camp in companionable silence, though her dread at where the path was leading increased with every step. 

Upon returning, the sky was strangely dark for late afternoon, and the tents had all been tied down as if in preparation for a storm. Mizu was grateful that Elaine had been so diligent in her tasks, though she wanted a few moments to settle in before she debriefed with her. She knew they still had their own screaming soldiers to talk about.

“Everyone, settle back in but don’t drop your guard. If we are going to find a solution in time, we cannot even wait until tomorrow. Begin asking your soldiers for possible insight tonight. Blake, make sure that the other captains know. Send runners if you’d like.” Mizu thought again about whether to bring Blake to the meeting with the crone and decided going alone was not going to give her the upper hand in talking with the strange old woman, lest Mizu herself actually start to believe some of the nonsense she spouted. And, she did not want to wait until the following day. Time was short, and the crone was, unfortunately, their best lead.

“After that is finished, come back to the strategy tent, and we will go meet with the old woman.” Mizu had an idea of where to find her. She had seen the woman go back on a narrow forest path and figured, if nothing else, that was a good place to start.
 
--
 
Xavier blinked several times after the goddess disappeared, shaken and angry.

“What the fuck, Seth?” Xavier couldn’t help himself from saying. Honestly, he wanted to shake the man, but he looked pretty damn distraught already. Plus, Xavier hardly trusted his legs enough to get up right at that moment.

Seth did not answer but shook his head slowly as if clearing a bad dream. He sat up straight from where he had fallen and surveyed the meadow as if seeing it in a different light.

“She’s… she’s gone?” he finally said.

“Yes, she’s gone,” Xavier said with a little sympathy but, like, not much. Xavier looked over at the crone, who was busying herself with cleaning up the meadow, wrapping the twine on the inner circle slowly around her hand. “So, what now? Can we bring Evan back?”

The crone did not look up at Xavier. “He has the talisman if he needs it,” she said simply. To Xavier, it seemed like she could do it, if she tried. But he also wasn’t sure he wanted to force the issue. If Evan had the talisman, he would come back when he needed to, right? Did he even know how to use it? The goddess sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him. Fuck.

Reminding himself of the goddess made loads of uncomfortable memories come back, but the one that stuck out was Evan’s apologetic face as he went through the portal to gods know where. To think he thought it necessary to apologize to him after… oh, lords. Yep, he definitely had touched the captain’s leg. That was benign enough, right? I mean, Evan was basically strip teasing over there… Mmm. Yeah, Xavier found it a successful persuasion technique. Full points. 10/10.

Seth managed to get off the ground. He looked surprisingly stable as he surveyed the damage he had done to his hand.

“Well, she seems to have fully gotten out of my head, so I suppose she’s keeping her word at least,” Seth said. Xavier shook his head. And 
Seth said, “What?”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Sorry, did you not see what she was capable of? Trying having that in your head for the better part of 24 hours!”

“At least I didn’t let my dick cross the fucking line!”

“Oh, gods, and you didn’t nearly pounce the captain yourself?” Xavier looked a bit taken aback. To be honest, he had sincerely thought Seth had been too far gone to notice any of that.

“That’s just mean,” Xavier said in a more reasonable tone of voice. Seth shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t want to tell anyone about this,” Seth said after a moment, shaking his head. Xavier mostly agreed with the sentiment, though he knew that, sooner or later, someone would have to tell Mizu. Hopefully Evan would be back to take that burden onto himself. Xavier didn’t quite feel up to it and certainly would not seek that out himself.

“Let’s just get back to camp,” Xavier finally said, waving the crone an awkward goodbye.

Blake eyed the other captains when no one else responded to Mizu, mildly irritated that she of all people had been the only one to speak up. But then, she reasoned, perhaps she had shared sentiments similar to what the other captains were feeling, and further conversation would be redundant, which she could appreciate. Settling on that assumption, she continued the walk in silence, as comfortable as she ever was about it.

She was uneasy about the feeling in the air when they returned to camp. The darkened sky certainly factored into it, though she felt like there was something else. Then again, it could easily just be her general uneasiness about the situation as a whole, seemingly mirrored in the unexpectedly dim afternoon. She elected to settle on that thought for now.

She was surprised and honored when Mizu not only tasked her with informing the other captains, but also requested her company in going to meet the crone. One might dare say her lips almost broke a smile - though really, it was more that the low-key irritation that eternally tinged her expression faded away for a moment. It returned quickly, though, as the gratification of Mizu's trust only went so far against her discomfort at the thought of going to speak with the crone. Hopefully she could let Mizu do most of the talking again, even if this would be a rather different sort of meeting. She bowed her head to her commander, signalling that she accepted all of her given tasks, and then left to get to work on them.

Balancing efficiency with thoroughness, Blake found several of the captains to inform in person, and sent runners after others. The captains she spoke with in person got slightly more detailed explanations - though, Blake was known for erring on the side of concision over informativeness - but both groups of captains would be referred to the other captains who had gone on the journey for more information.

She also debriefed with the lieutenant she'd left in charge of her purview, though that went quickly enough as they were both rather soldiers of few words.

All that done, the captain headed for the strategy tent, hoping she hadn't kept her commander waiting.

Mizu took a few moments to set herself down after the long walk but hurried more than she might have otherwise to have time to speak with Phantom before Blake returned. She resisted the urge to take her hair down. There was more work to do today. 

Sitting down at the table near the map, Mizu opened the device Phantom had given her, and it immediately glowed with a strange light, which she had come to understand was a sign it was connecting. Before long, she heard Phantom's voice emanating from it. 

"Mizu," Phantom said, "it's not like you to call on me so close together." 

"I wouldn't, except the meeting with the Shel'ti did not go as planned."

"What do you mean?" Mizu related the details of the conversation, admitting that she had claimed she could do something that seemed utterly impossible. It embarrassed her, but she hid it well in her voice. 

"And you think this woman will help you?" 

"No, not particularly, but we are running low on options. There are several other countries further to the east, but I don't think we could reach them in time for them to be useful. I think we have to put effort here first, and if nothing else, find a better strategy to face off with the king." 

Mizu waited for a response for a long time, but she did not break. Finally, Phantom said, "I know you don't like where this is headed, Mizu, but I think it's going to be all right." Mizu stiffened. She had expected anger or maybe at least irritation. Disappointment, surely, but what she was getting was reassurance. For some reason, that briefly made her want to cry, but she shoved that down, knowing that her brain would never be able to process anything if she started that and absolutely not now.

She did not trust herself to respond, so Phantom continued. "Don't let your dislike of superstitions get in the way. If you had seen some of the things the king is doing now..." Mizu didn't want to think about that. It brought up uncomfortable memories of the demons from the recent battle. 

"And what if the old woman insists on making us summon the goddess?" Mizu couldn't believe she was saying such a thing to Phantom, but it needed to be on the table. Phantom was quiet for a moment. 

"It might not hurt to have a goddess on your side," Phantom said. Mizu could almost hear the smirk in his voice and wished she could slap him from here. This wasn't a joking matter. "I'm serious," he added when she did not answer. Mizu shook her head and closed the device. She was tired, and that conversation wasn't helping. 

Mizu was grateful when Blake arrived at the tent so that she could stop wallowing in her thoughts. Yes, wallowing. Goddamn, she was tired. She briefly wondered if she should wait to talk to the crone but decided against it. She had gotten herself into this mess, and she was going to get them all out of it. 

With fresh determination, she met Blake outside and nodded. 

Mizu was grateful that Elaine walked up to the two of them since Mizu had just been about to go find her. She needed to know what had transpired in the camp before she went to talk to the crone. 

"I heard you made it back," Elaine said by way of greeting. "I wanted to give you the rundown myself now that I know what happened with the Shel'ti." If Elaine was frustrated by this exceptionally vague notion of finding out what was taking down their soldiers, she did not show it. 

"Thank you. You have prepared the camp well." Elaine took this praise without in any way acknowledging it. "What about the screaming men?" Mizu asked, not wasting any time. Elaine briefly looked down before meeting Mizu's eyes again. 

"There were two attacks last night. One man is in the infirmary tent. The other one woke up afterward. He was wearing his charm when it happened." 

"And the other one didn't have one?" 

"No." Mizu raised her fingers to her chin. This was interesting. So, the charms, could it be that they were working?

"Does everyone have a charm now?"

"As far as I understand, yes," Elaine said. Well, that solved that problem, at least. Mizu had the short thought maybe offering the charm solution to the Shel'ti would be good enough to get reinforcements, but she sort of doubted it. It was a tool, though, at the very least, and probably not nothing to the Shel'ti, if they could get over their own superstitions.