The Edge of Ruin

Chapter 4: Slay

The Gate spat them out in the entrance hall of the Fortress of the First Spire – the primary Spire from which all Oneiroi traveled to walk between Spires. It was an activity hub, significantly larger than the other six Spires, and had been made the center piece of what could realistically be called a small castle – dubbed the First Fortress by most. The Spire itself speared through the heart of the Fortress, shrouded partially by a large tower, surrounded by six equidistant smaller towers that were meant to represent the six other Spires. Within the Fortress swarmed Oneiroi – those traveling to their Spires for the night and those just returning, haggard and tired.

The massive Spire electrified the air of the Fortress, and the power emanating from it was palpable on Alex's skin. Taylor had described the feel of it as an adrenaline rush, the raising of hairs on the back of his neck by excitement and anticipation. To Alex it was sticky – it felt like the power the Spire spewed clung to her skin like a bad residue, but the undercurrent of it was one of immeasurable power. She'd never met another Oneiroi who described the Spires the way she did – they were all awed or dumbfounded by them, never describing them as discomforting. For most, their Spire was the most secure place in the world for them to be.

She and Taylor made their way through the bowels of the Fortress to its center, where the beating heart of the Barrier stood. The Fortress was the last defense they had for the First Spire, should the other six all fall. As such, the Fortress was also the seat of the Paragon of Morpheus – Alex's mother. Alex knew she would appear through the Gate behind them any second, so she urged Taylor to quicken his steps as they made their way towards the First Spire.

The tower the Spire stood in was titanic, reaching up almost ten stories. The Spire itself stretched much higher into the air – no Oneiroi had ever been able to reach the top of any Spire. Inside the tower, the air was even thicker with power. The hairs on Alex's arms stood on end, and she noticed Taylor shiver beside her.

"Can you imagine being stationed here?" He said, grinning. "Being near this every day – feeling this every day?"

Alex scratched her nails over her arms. "Sounds like a nightmare," she said, then smirked. "Pun intended."

"Hardy har," Taylor said, shoving her lightly. "Let's go Icky, we're on the clock."

"You know it's Icarus, you dick."

Taylor laid a hand on the spire, over one of the hundred transportation runes scattered around its base, and winked back at her before flashing out of existence. Alex gritted her teeth and shook her hands out at her sides before stepping up and doing the same, muttering a quiet éktos – 'sixth.'

Traveling through the Spires felt like having a hook in your gut that yanked you forwards, and Alex was always left gasping like a dying fish when she reappeared on the other side. Taylor, as always, was unaffected.

"Glad you could join us," a voice came from her left, and Alex straightened from where she'd keeled over to see that it was Ariadne who had spoken. Her golden-blonde hair was immaculate, contrasting starkly with the dark of her Oneiroi cloak and armour plates. Her Horn collar and bracers glinted in the firelight of the small campfire she, Taylor, and her partner Pandora were seated around.

"Fire? Really?" Alex said, running a hand over her braids self-consciously. Even though her hair was only chin length in the Waking World, here it hung almost halfway down her back. Thankfully it was still braided – she had no idea how to deal with that much hair loose.

"It was cold," Pandora spoke up. She was tall and lithe, with muddy brown hair and even muddier eyes that peaked out over the mask she had covering the lower half of her face. Her hair hung in one glistening sheet down her back, swaying like a waterfall whenever she moved. She was seated to the right of the campfire, picking at her nails with a dagger.