Disclaimer: I in no way own Gundam W or AD&D. Don't sue; I'm simply an E5 in the USN, therefore I have no money. Ha.

A/N; dream sequence, Telepathic communication in dream sequences, /magical spell/

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The huge knight fully emerged from the ground.

Standing now over even Trowa, its massive seven foot frame clad in what may have once been shining, exquisite plate armor that was now blackened as if burned, its skull face leered at the adventuring party before it. Drawing the massive shield that it carried upon its left arm back, it swept its longsword that it held in its right before it, denoting its challenge. Orange-red fire gleaming in the skull's otherwise empty sockets, it stared the small party down, fear and cold emanating from its massive armored hulk. An icy wind blowing past rustled the flowing, tattered gray cloak that hung around its guarded shoulders, flapping in the breeze as he began its approach, each step clanking loudly to confirm the validity of the armor it wore, belaying it to be no illusory image.

Duo's eyes widened as he slowly backed away from the approaching skeletal masses, his hands before him and his teeth nearly set to chattering. "Someone's penetrated the dream?" he softly breathed, his voice quaking at the possible consequences that one particular statement held for them all.

Wufei simply nodded, his visage as calm as it could possibly be as he held his sword before his body, its shaking tip the only thing belaying his true fright. "Aa. Someone significantly more powerful than I am."

Trowa uttered a quiet curse. "What do we do? Do you think they can really hurt us? I mean, after all, this IS just a dream right?"

It was then that the huge knight that was leading the group of skeletons laughed and spoke, its eerie, dark masculine voice erupting from its long dead, decaying throat through its smiling, lip-less jaws.

"We did not break in with psionics."

All conversation amongst the companions came to an utter end, as they diverted their attention to their approaching enemy. "What?" Duo questioned, even as he started readying his components for his small ensemble of spells.

Again, the Death Knight chuckled. "We did not infiltrate the dream with psionics. Rather, magic gave us access."

Wufei gulped, even as Duo gritted his teeth and shouted, "That's fucking impossible! There's no spell known that can infiltrate a psionisist's dream, you lyin' shit-bag!"

Wufei sighed softly. "You're incorrect."

Turning questioning eyes to his friend, the longhaired mage whimpered, "What do you mean?"

"Quatre's being held by a lich. He's had hundreds, if not thousands of years to develop his own private spells whose likes will have never been seen by the remainder of the Realms."

Heero's voice cut into the verbal fray, snorting nasally, "Meaning that, in this dream, we could very well die."

"Yes."

Nodding, the Prussian Blue eyed man whispered the command word that activated the magic of his Flametongue longsword, bringing the weapon to life, drawing magical, searing fire to existence upon its glistening, cracked edge. "Then we'd best not be simply standing about. If this battle can affect us in this dream as it could in the waking world, we'd best do what we do best."

His three friends simply stared at him.

Sneering, his eyes focused directly on the knight who stood as leader before the skeletal horde, his gaze locked with that of the Death Knight and no shred of fear showing upon his person despite the cold aura that flowed from the Knight to create such, Heero chuckled. "We attack, gentlemen."

All said, Heero tightened his grip upon his sword and leapt forward, his challenge his war cry upon his lips as he charged towards the massive black-armored knight.

Gray and green cloaks fluttered in the icy wind as the clang of the two longswords being brought together with nearly weapon-shattering strength echoed across the black, doomed fields.

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The lich cackled softly.

Seated before its prisoner, the undead mage sat at its working table. The beakers of liquid and sampled flesh had been set aside to make room for its newest prized piece of equipment, a crystal ball. Glistening in the dim firelight that illuminated the chamber, the clear sphere glimmered merrily in the otherwise dull, lifeless environment. Within its very depths, though, light did not and could not penetrate the scene being displayed.

"Why, look at this, my dear little Solar," the mage softly breathed, its voice grating through its rotting throat, "your friends are so foolhardy as to attack my minions, even though they do realize that it is more than possible for them to perish within the raven-haired one's dream. Such bravery, no?"

The small blond boy, hanging by his wrists from shackles permanently buried in the wall behind him, lifted his head tiredly. Forcing his blood-encrusted lashes to part, he stared with dim, glazed over, cloudy aquamarine eyes at the ball that rested as the focal point of the wizard's desk, his lips remaining sealed shut even as he watched the occurrences within the sphere.

'Heero...' his mind softly breathed.

He stared as the young warrior brought his weapon against that of the Death Knight once more then swiftly lifted his bracer-protected left arm to ward off the knight's second swing of his dreaded sword. The weapon skipped along the metal device, then sank cleanly into the exposed flesh that rested behind it.

"No...!" the blonde softly whimpered, his voice finally coming to him as he watched the brown-haired man back away a few steps, his arm hanging limply at his side even as his sword tumbled out of his right hand to allow that appendage to grasp his wound, attempting vainly to slow the flow of blood.

"You see, boy?" the mage cackled softly, its whispered voice grating along the chamber walls and flooding Quatre's ears. "Their stubborn resolve to rescue you would seem to be unbending. Their stupidity in not realizing the severity of the consequences they shall have delivered upon their persons will result in their deaths long before they can set foot outside of my lair with even the faintest hope of rescuing you."

Quatre stared at the crystal ball, horror flooding his slowly opening eyes.

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"HEERO!" Duo cried out, watching the longsword fall from his lover's suddenly limp hand, watching the red liquid of life pouring from his arm like wine spilled from a full goblet. Attempting to rush forward, he was stopped by Wufei. "Damn it, let me past! He's hurt!" Duo bit sharply, glowering at his friend.

"The knight won't attack until he's ready."

"What?"

"Look, Duo," Wufei murmured, "the knight has lowered his sword. He is waiting for Heero to be readied for battle again."

The mage stared, even as Trowa's voice flowed from the darkness behind him, stating, "The Death Knights follow the same code of honor they adhered to in life, even if their purposes are twisted for evil. They were paladins, Duo. He will not strike an unarmed, unprepared opponent."

"However, those skeletons will. And, as he does work for the darker forces, the Death Knight will do nothing to stop them," Wufei stated blandly.

All three watched as the skeletal horde, numbering fifty in all, began their charge towards the injured man with wild cackling hovering at their teeth and fierce red fires flickering with sadistic glee in their empty skulls' sockets.

"Fuck me if they will," Duo growled, gripping his staff and stepping a few paces to his left, attempting to give himself a firing range clear of friends yet filled with foes.

Trowa nodded, watching. "What should I do, Wufei? There isn't anything I can effectively do in this dream. I'm no good at hand-to- hand combat. My skills rely upon the shadows and the environment of the city."

Nodding, the psionic warrior kept his eyes upon the skeletal horde, blinking as the roaring fireball Duo brought into being temporarily offset the darkness of the nightmarish dream. "Take one of the horses and ride away from this battle. Hopefully, should we make it out of this nightmare, you'll have kept at least one mount safe. If anyone is injured, we'll be needing it."

"Got'cha. What are you planning to do?"

Wufei sighed softly. "I don't know. But, one way or another, I WILL bring this dream to an end... whether we get to Ormath or not."

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Heero grunted as he hefted his sword once more, his left arm still limp but its bleeding slowed. Snarling the command word to activate the sword's magic once more, he brought the weapon to bear once more.

"You still continue to challenge?" the knight said, a cackle following his statement.

"Of course."

With a laugh, the knight nodded. "Then you shall die. You shall /DIE/."

Heero staggered, his sword falling again, falling to his knees. Hand curling against the breastplate he wore, his eyes wide and sweat trickling down his temples, he whimpered as his heart's beating fluttered, stopping then suddenly restarting once more. Magic... /Power word kill/...' his mind instantly recognized, even as he felt his strength flag when he attempted to regain his feet. Fuck!'

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"See, little Solar? Your friends are no match for my dear Death Knight. Already, he's nearly struck down one of your most powerful party members, and he's received nary a scratch to his armor."

Quatre stared with horror-filled eyes at the glistening globe of crystal upon the lich's table, tears beginning to well upon his eyelashes.

'No! He's... he's dying. He's going to die. He's going to die...'

He whimpered as he heard Heero scream once more, recognizing the sounds of sword sinking deeply into flesh and the dripping of precious life- sustaining blood followed by the clang of a wildly wielded sword attempting desperately to beat the offending weapon delivering the dire cut away.

And, as hot tears began to fall from his eyes, Quatre stared.

'Why am I crying? I... I'm feeling sorrow over this... over the sacrifice of a mortal. Why? Isn't it their position to do this? Aren't they destined to die as it is?'

'But this death...! This isn't right. To die, attempting to rescue me...'

'It's what should happen. They are mortal, I am a direct descendent of the Gods. They are human, I am Solar. It's their place.'

'But... he's fighting for me, not out of obligation, but out of...'

'Out of friendship.'

More hot tears trickling down his cheeks, Quatre shook his head.

'Friendship.'

'Even though I've been so cruel to them, they still want to rescue me out of the bonds of mortal friendship.'

'I can't let them die!'

Focusing his mind, Quatre gritted his teeth. The intruding presence of the small Brain Mole, held in its cage beside him, still gnawed at his mind, keeping his Power Pool constantly dwindling and hovering upon the edge of decimation. However, he could feel some of it remaining. And, latching onto those few precious fragments of psionic strength he still had, Quatre closed his eyes and attempted to do what he, too, had thought to impossible.

He attempted to shatter the dream.

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Heero laid, broken and burnt, blood leaking slowly from his body, upon the cold dark ground as the chilling effects of the /Wall of Ice/ that had been conjured in the air above him to crush him slowly wore off with the spell's end. Lifting his head, he grimaced as he attempted to gain his feet.

"And still you fight, human. Have you not learned to take mercy when it is granted to you?"

Heero sneered, slowly getting to his knees, grasping his sword in his mangled hand.

"Stay down, and you live," the knight said, its orange-red fiery eyes glistening as they set their gaze upon the downed man.

"At what cost?" Heero quietly grunted, slowly struggling to his feet. "If I do not face you, you will progress to your true target. I saw your gaze resting upon Wufei. You realize that this dream is his doing, and your mission is to remove him... to stop us. Because..."

"Because?"

"Because your master truly fears us."

The knight nodded. "Wisely deduced, young warrior."

"And that is why I'll not simply lie down here and die, even though such is what my body is craving. I'm going to protect my friends. I'm going to protect my Duo. I'm going to protect Trowa and Wufei. And, most of all, I'm going to protect the Solar called Quatre... if not for his own good, then for the good of these Realms."

Gaining his feet, Heero snarled as he yanked his sword upright, his own blood dripping from its pommel.

"I care not if you can not defeat me honorably. I care not if you are going to kill me. Because, with Tempos as my witness, I do hereby swear by the very God of War who I revere that I shall take you with me from the world."

Staring at the warrior, digesting his challenge, the knight chuckled and brought his weapon to bear once more, crossing it with Heero's sword.

"Very well, young man," the undead knight breathed, "your challenge is accepted. Let us battle, then, till the onset of true death."

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Yet another skeleton exploded.

Panting, attempting to draw breath that refused to come to his oxygen- starved lungs, Wufei stared at the hordes that continued to press in around him. 'Damn it! Will this never end?'

Behind you!

Gripping his sword, he spun suddenly on his feet, swinging the katana with nearly inhuman strength, bringing it crashing through the skeleton that'd approached from behind. As the bones of the creature dissolved into dust, completely obliterated, Wufei turned his dark gaze to the small pseudodragon that flitted over him and nodded. My thanks.

No time. The mage and the warrior are both in trouble.

Wufei stared, then growled. I'll never reach either of them in time. Please, go assist one of them!

The small dragonette, with a swift nod of its scaled head and wink of multifaceted, multicolored eyes, quickly flew towards the wounded brown-haired fighter, its tiny jaws open with a mighty roar proportional to its minute size.

Wufei stared as the pseudodragon flew directly for the Death Knight, only to stop its wild flight and plop down gracefully upon Heero's shoulders, wrapping itself tightly about his neck without choking him, biting upon its own tail to keep itself secured upon him.

Heero fought on without notice or care, his sword crashing into that wielded by the Death Knight and crackling threateningly.

'I get it. The knight still has more magic left - the dragon can share its resistance to magic with whoever it's in physical contact with. Perfect plan, little one!'

Suddenly Wufei staggered, holding his head, his eyes wide as yet another presence broke into his already nightmarish dream.

And the swords of the undead fell.

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Trying his damnedest to ignore the little dragonette that had suddenly wrapped itself about his neck, Heero lifted his sword barely in time to block the oncoming swing of the Death Knight, grimacing as his muscles strained under the force of the undead being's heavy-handed blow. Snarling, he cursed the tiny dragon. "What do you think you're doing!" he cried out, even as the dragonette hissed at him.

"/Fireball/ " the knight growled.

Heero's eyes grew huge as the huge ball of hot flame, its heat comparable to that of the Dracolich's dire breath, roared towards him.

It suddenly vanished.

"Wha...!"

With a purr, multifaceted eyes glowing with blues and greens, the tiny dragon stared at him smugly.

The knight growled in anger, bringing his weapon to bear once more. "Damn you," his otherworldly voice grumbled from deep within his armored being, "utilizing a damned pseudodragon for its magical resistance!"

Heero blinked, then grinned. 'Magic is suddenly out of the question, eh? So this is to be a battle strictly of swords.'

'I have a chance.'

Bringing his weapon before himself once more, relieved to see that the dragonette's magically resistant body didn't affect the functioning of his sword in any fashion, he brought the fire-drenched weapon above his head and brought it down with a wild scream of fury.

The crashing clang of the two weapons meeting echoed through the dreamscape, bringing everything to a halt.

And, as Heero staggered back a pace, he stared at the hilt he held in his hand, not bothering to watch the shattered remains of his enchanted sword scatter themselves about the field.

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Duo's eyes roved wildly, trying to take in everything that was happening at once. He stared as Wufei fell to the onslaught of five skeleton-wielded longsword, blood flying from the wielded weapons even as his form was lost in the chaotic heap that was his attacker. He stared as Heero threw the hilt of his broken sword at the Death Knight, hoping to have some luck and strike the dire undead as it approached, its sword upraised and prepared for the kill. He stared as Trowa suddenly burst back onto the scene, riding one of the party's two horses and leading the other by the reigns, a spear hastily fashioned of a tree's limb obtained from somewhere within the dream in his free hand and a scream of determination upon his lips as he charged the armored skeletal warrior. He stared as the tiny pseudodragon launched itself from Heero's neck and landed upon the Death Knight's face, miniature claws digging into rotting flesh and small, fiercely toothed jaws sunk into its eye sockets, attempting to nibble it to death as its minute stinger sank itself into the creature's neck, ineffectively poisoning the dead being.

'I can't help...'

His /Magic Missiles/ roared into being, destroying those who attempted to approach him.

'I can't help...!'

Drawing his hands forward, his final spell upon his lips, he whimpered as he spread his fingers in a fan, prepared to blast his /Burning Hands/ spell.

'I can't help!'

Yes, you can.

Duo stared as suddenly those who approached him stopped moving. Staring wildly about, his eyes widened.

Everything had stopped.

"What the fuck!" he exclaimed, staring at his unmoving surroundings, spinning about.

Statis field.

He blinked. Then, smiling as recognition finally struck his mind, he laughed. "Quatre!"

No time for pleasantries. I can't maintain this for much longer. He's already noticing that I'm interfering... He's already coming...

Duo blinked, hearing the small voice whimper. "Wha... what can I do?"

Just remember that this is a dream! the tiny psionic voice whimpered quietly, just as the projected presence vanished and time resumed around the mage.

"Remember that this is a dream..."

Duo's brow furrowed as he scratched his chin.

"This is a dream."

Suddenly, realization dawned on him. Drawing his hands forward, he smirked at the undead creatures that still approached him, swords uplifted and screams of victory upon their lips.

/PRISMATIC WALL/

A vertical, opaque wall - a shimmering, multicolored plane of light that flashed all colors of the visible spectrum - erupted into being before the mage, leaping from the Weave into reality. Those who charged ran into it without realization of its existence until it was far too late.

As skeletons crumbled into dust, turned to stone or simply vanished as the colors sent them to alternate Planes, the mage laughed.

"That's right! This is just a dream! Meaning..."

"Meaning I can do anything I've ever wished."

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Wufei beat those who attacked him off himself and staggered back to his feet just in time to see the /Prismatic Wall/ erupt into being. "What the hell!" he murmured, his eyes huge.

Then, realization struck him as well.

'He's realized this is just a dream. He's realized that his magic here isn't limited to the bonds that constrain him in the waking world. Then, he can... he can...!'

Even as Trowa's ill-crafted spear broke as it plunged through the small opening between breastplate and helm in the Death Knight's armor and the small dragonette was thrown from the undead being's face, even as the knight's sword plunged home and skewered the warrior who'd just drawn his dagger through his chest, Wufei turned his attention to the mage.

"Teleport them all!"

Duo turned and stared at the warrior as his scream echoed across the plains. "What!"

"Get in there and teleport them all to the site you saw in the crystal orb! Get them to the lich's lair now!"

"But...!"

Grunting, the warrior marched over to the mage, taking care not to touch the huge shimmering wall of color. "Listen. You can do whatever you like in this dream. Wraithform. The Death Knight won't be able to touch you. Simply touch each one of them and teleport away."

"But... you..."

Wufei smirked. "I'm going to finish this. It's my dream."

Duo grinned, nodding. "And you're...?"

"I'm going to end it in the most volatile fashion I can dream up."

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Trowa pulled tightly on the reins of the horse that he rode, similarly slacking on the reins of the one he lead, letting that one barrel into the Death Knight, knocking the skeletal warrior off his feet. Snorting, he glanced down at Heero.

Emerald eyes widened.

"Oh Gods, no..."

The shriek of a dying horse drew his attention, and he lifted his gaze to witness the horse he'd stood upon the Death Knight being cleanly cloven in half by the undead warrior's enchanted sword. Releasing the now worthless reins, he pulled violently upon those of the horse he rode, forcing it into a hasty retreat from the undead being.

The tiny dragonette suddenly appeared, having flown unnoticed to the acrobat and landed on the horse's head just as a viciously cast /Wall of Ice/ was cast, its effects to be centered upon them.

Trowa blinked, staring as the wall appeared on either side of himself and the horse, its effects on them negated by the pseudodragon's natural resistance against the harmful effects of the Weave.

"Thank you, little one," Trowa softly breathed, lightly caressing the pseudodragon's head, eliciting a purr of satisfaction from the creature. It turned its head, staring at him with multifaceted eyes that flickered between blue and red.

"You want to attack this fucker?"

The little head nodded.

"Fine. I'll cover you."

Pulling a dagger from the waistline of his breeches, Trowa snarled at the knight, bringing the horse charging in once more.

Suddenly, his charge was interrupted. The horse reared, neighing in fear as the black tendrils of night enveloped it.

They were no longer on the death-coated field.

Trowa blinked, staring with wild eyes at his new surroundings.

The afternoon sun glistened merrily upon the Shining Plains, their green grasses swaying as a gentle breeze rustled through the lush plant stalks, the silvery tint held by the unique vegetation sparkling like fine platinum.

"We're...!"

Duo's voice chuckled from beside him, even as the black mists that'd surrounded himself and the horse slowly materialized into the braided mage.

"We're by the lich's lair."

Both adventurers stared at the huge gaping hole that was before them, leading into darkness.

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"So, your little friends have managed to make it to Ormath," the lich breathed, its voice cracking slightly with what could be interpreted either as fright or excitement. "Do you truly think, little Solar, that they can be victorious against me?"

Quatre smirked weakly but defiantly. "We shall see. Maybe they can."

"I do so highly doubt it. Once he comes into the waking world once more, the little mage will find himself just as useless as he was before. The man he claims as his lover will die. And the psionisist will not escape his own dream."

"You make predictions far too early, lich."

Glancing over, the red fires that served as its eyes glistening with annoyance, the undead mage huffed. "And what leads you to say that, Angel?"

"Simple. You can not see the probabilities before you."

"And you can?"

"Quite easily. They've more of a chance than you're letting yourself believe, mage. If you wish to continue this unlife of yours, you'd best be prepared."

A small smile graced the beaten, wounded blonde's blood-encrusted lips.

"Never underestimate the power of the human spirit. Especially when it is laced with love. It can be one of the most potent, powerful forces in the universe - a perfect weapon that even you and your magic will find impossible to destroy."

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Wufei watched as his companions vanished, and nodded with satisfaction.

'Time to end this.'

Slowly, calmly, the young man closed his eyes, blocking the vision of the enraged Death Knight charging towards him, ignoring the clattering of the charging skeletons that remained after Duo's spells and his sword had decimated their numbers, unfeeling as the cold wind of doom blasted over his form.

He focused, instead, upon the structure woven into his dream.

'The high rolling mountains to the north. Source of strength and stability, the mighty turtle. Offset by the roving, slow flowing, winding river to the South, the direction of the indomitable phoenix. To the west, the soft hills covered in their green forests. Tiger, guardian. And to the east, the rolling hills that protect this land from the sea, housing the great dragon.'

His mind focused on the east.

The dreamscape was bathed in white light as the hills to the east suddenly exploded, freeing the white pearl-scaled dragon that rested within the soft soil into the darkened atmosphere. Opening its mighty jaws, the beast roared in fury, its echoing cadence of its power deafening as it shook the very land below it.

'The dragon - the embodiment of her.'

The enormous beast reached towards the heavens, wind rushing through the mane that flowed down the length of is serpentine body. Peaking near the very stars themselves, the dragon wrenched its body back towards the Earth below, its jaws parted, pure white flame erupting from its throat as black eyes narrowed and nostrils flared.

'Victorious over all as she always was in life...'

As his foes screamed, the hot touch of the dragon's fire scolding them before completely incinerating them, Wufei calmly opened his eyes. Facing the dragon's face as it hovered before him, its claws firmly seated upon the hills it came from, he lightly caressed the dragon's glistening white scales.

'Meiran... thank you for your aid.'

The dream dissolved around him, the field slowly coming back to life and the sun peeking shyly out of the shadows as the dragon melted into the woman he knew and loved, wrapping her arms around him and tenderly kissing, scolding him for not waking up when his friends were in dire need of his aid.

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Duo and Trowa screeched in fright as the psionisist suddenly appeared beside them.

"Wufei! Dammit, warn us before you do that, will you!" Duo exclaimed, huffing and puffing as he let his staff drop from his hands and covered his heart.

"Indeed," Trowa murmured, sheathing his daggers.

Snorting, lightly patting the pseudodragon's head as the tiny lizard alighted to his shoulder and perched, he shook his head. "You two are truly hopeless."

"Hn," Trowa huffed.

"How's Heero?" Wufei softly asked.

It was Duo who responded. "He's not going to last very long. We don't have any Healing Potions remaining, and... and I'm no priest..."

Wufei sighed and nodded. "Then, if we're going to rescue the boy, we'd best do so quickly.

Duo snorted, "Yeah. If you fuckers let his death be in vain, I'll kill you both."

Trowa simply nodded as Wufei walked towards the gaping hole that supposedly lead to the lich's lair. Glancing over at the acrobat, the young warrior frowned. "Coming?"

"Of course." Slipping one dagger into his hand, he walked to Wufei's side and nodded, leaving Duo and the party's one remaining horse to stay upon the generally safe surface of the plains with the mortally wounded fighter.

The shadows roiled as they were penetrated by two humans and their pseudodragon companion.

tbc...