A/N: I really got into character with this one by writing it while exhausted. All jokes aside, it's time for another look at the world's sleepiest man... and a bit more dreamy shenanigans.
Aside from the usual thanks to the hardworking betas... there's art piece by EarthVsTheDerek over in the Archiveofourown version showing a take on Jakob's appearance!
There wasn't any getting out of this one. With the punch just an inch from her face, Frazie threw her Shield up, praying the barrier would fare better than the Hippocampus' fence did.
The Permanence's fist hit dead-on. Her head whipped back with a sharp crack, the sheer force launching her off her feet and hurling her into the distance. She saw stars as she tumbled head over heels, and not just the ones in the night sky.
The only good thing was that the landing was soft - she twisted through the air again and again until she crash-landed into a cloudy cake, leaving a Frazie-shaped dent in the puffy pastry.
Frazie moaned, clutching her throbbing head. She'd endured, but just barely. There was no doubt that if she hadn't protected herself, that would've been a one-way ticket out of Jakob's mind — a very, very painful one. Even WITH protection, she was hurting bad.
She wasn't getting any time to recuperate, either. She might've been out of their cone of light, but a few Permanences were headed her way, scanning the direction she'd been sent flying in hopes of finding her again to finish the job.
Oh, what she wouldn't give for a Dream Fluff right now. Wobbling to her feet, Frazie pried herself out of the hole she'd made with a grunt, stumbling to her knees when she hit the ground.
Not a moment too soon. The bright glow of a flashlight tickled her toes and she threw herself to the side just before it fully washed over her. Three of the guards converged where she'd just been, flicking their heads back and forth to illuminate their surroundings.
Frazie covered her mouth, not risking a single sound, laying mere yards away from her pursuers. After a moment's inspection, the trio shrugged, each turning to head off their own way. As far as they knew, she'd been dealt with.
Buuuut just in case she hadn't, they didn't go right back to sleep. Instead, they took up routes, patrolling the area in large loops. The rest of the Permanences did too, their spotlights floating steadily across the area until the entire field was under their scrutiny.
Great.
Picking herself up, Frazie pressed against the cake again, scooting along it to bypass the guard that was still in the area. She had to be careful. One wrong move, and this excursion was over.
Another Permanence lurked ahead, blocking the path with its light. Stealthily, Frazie reached out with her Telekinesis, giving the creature a sharp tap on its far shoulder. Its gaze snapped back with a surprised grunt, giving her room to dash past its front and jump up atop a pyramid of clouds before it could notice.
She perched herself at the peak, feet planted on opposite sides of the structure while she surveyed the area. Oooooh, these guys were good. She was hard-pressed to find a weak spot in their pathing, brow furrowing with concentration. It was risky, but with a little help from Invisibility, she could possibly slip around to the side.
A path mapped in her mind, she jumped down, riding her Levitation Ball down the slope to pick up momentum. She hit the bottom and bounced, flying across the field, the short-sighted brutes blissfully unaware of her sailing overhead.
The only problem was she was soaring right into another spotlight, but she'd planned for that. She popped her orb and vanished simultaneously, rolling invisibly through the line of sight and coming out unseen.
So far, so good. She dropped her cloak and ducked behind cover to check the area ahead while she recharged. Halfway there.
The other half wasn't as easy, though. Their patrols even tighter, Frazie had to hide herself more than once in order to bypass their airtight security. Every time one strafed right by her side, she was relieved they were so shortsighted, barely scraping by with Invisibility to get out of any close calls.
Before long, she became visible again, peeking out over the edge of a giant teacup to spot a lone shimmering dream cloud just a short jog ahead.
Perfect, she'd made it. Well, almost perfect. It was flawless up until a previously unseen Permanence poked its head around the side of the saucer and affixed its gaze on her.
Come ON.
A chunk of the cloudy cup burst apart as the creature lurched through it, not even taking a half-second to step around the side. Yelping, Frazie darted from cover, beelining straight for her destination.
She was fast, but it was faster. Even when she hopped on her ball again, the monster was gaining on her with arms outstretched. What were these things?! They were powerful, they were fast when they wanted to be... and this one was about to wring her neck.
The lone cloud was just ahead, mere seconds away, but the Permanence's stomping footsteps were growing louder right behind her. Left with no other choice, Frazie pushed forward off her ride, hoping against hope that she'd enter the dream before her stalker knocked her lights out.
The cloud engulfed her just as it swung. She could feel the air woosh behind her from the sheer force of its blow, but it'd missed. Barely. Rolling onto her feet, she dove behind the nearest thing she could see.
A second later, a flashlight poked from the clouds she'd popped out of, slowly shining its light back and forth. Her heart thudded in her chest as it passed over her hiding spot, but finally, it retreated back into the fog, leaving her alone.
As soon as she knew she was safe, Frazie let out a looooooooong groan. That'd been too close. But she'd made it... and now she could see where she'd ended up.
She poked her head out from cover, mouth quirking. Huh. 'Cover' was a bit more spot-on than expected... she'd landed in a quaint little bedroom, its quilt-covered mattress being the only thing that'd protected her from certain death.
Standing up, she looked around. Not that there was much to see — just a small room without even a door to exit it. A bedside table with some prescription bottles on it. A lone window with a view of the street outside, a lamppost casting a faint rectangle of light on the carpet. After all the wild places the last dream had shown her, this one was surprisingly mundane.
So, what, was she just stuck here? Nowhere to go but back to a bunch of angry guards? At a loss, Frazie crossed over to the window and threw it open, leaning out to peek around.
It wasn't just a street outside, it was a small town. The bedroom window was just high enough to reveal rows and rows of houses stretching off into the distance, and not a single sign where to head.
How the heck was she going to find the exit cloud here? It could be ANYWHERE, on any corner, in any building. She could be here for hours if she was wandering aimlessly. Hoping to find a clue below, Frazie threw a leg over the sill and jumped out.
But she didn't land.
She didn't even fall an inch. She hovered right where she'd leapt, a faint breeze tickling her body as if the air itself was holding her up. "What the...?"
She twisted back and forth, looking for a cause - no wires, no invisible footing, no tricks.
Frazie was flying.
Going still, Frazie hummed with thought, trying to figure out just what was going on and how to work with it. She tried flapping her arms, looking like a complete buffoon in the process. Trying to walk or roll or lurch just made her flip upside down. Finally, leaning forward, Frazie spread her arms and pushed ahead.
At last, she moved. An unseen force propelled her, the wind whipping through her hair while the road passed under her.
A wide grin spread across her face. Now that the initial confusion passed, she tried to figure out how to control it. She glided back and forth, looping through the air, laughing and hollering as she soared over the street like Peter Pan.
"Woo!" She hadn't had a rush like this since when Milla had first taught her Levitation. She pondered for a moment if this was related, but no, she wasn't using her powers at all. The dream itself was carrying her, letting her see its splendors from a new angle.
It was an acrobat's dream come true. Kinda literally?
If she could, she'd be here all day, just savoring the elevation elation. It almost broke her heart when she realized she needed to get a move on. This would make finding the way out a LOT easier, at least.
A little too easy, in fact. Because once she rose up high into the sky, it turned out the dream cloud that'd take her out of here wasn't down below... it was up in the air with her, a gleaming speck in the distance.
Good thing she'd suddenly become skyworthy, or this would've been an impossible task. Coursing forward as fast as her new ability allowed her, she spread her arms and soared, the light of the city below slowly trailing by while she made her way.
It'd take time, but she'd reach the exit eventually. A huge span of empty air separated her from the cloud... but it wasn't empty for long.
She'd gotten close enough to see the cloud better, but also close enough to see it was bubbling, roiling. Suddenly, it spat out a figure... then another... and another, and another. The typical mental guardians had followed her in.
Apparently, someone was funding the Censors with military force. The little men flew in on little biplanes, their sleepcaps flapping in the wind as they beelined for her. They weren't alone. A familiar yet new creature flew in beside them, held aloft by their own wings.
They looked a lot like Regrets with a fresh coat of blue paint... and heavier artillery. Their hefty anvils had been replaced with spiky spheres, now labelled as DEEP Regrets.
Lovely... they were evolving. But surely they weren't any harder to deal with than normal. Frazie let them come to her, one of the new Regrets being the first foe to reach her. Although it took a few more Psi Blasts than its predecessor, a few shots was enough to make it burst and send its weight whistling downward.
Frazie turned to focus on the rest - until an ear-splitting crack rang out from below drew her attention. The new weight was heavy enough to smash right through the roof of a random house, nearly splitting it in half. The building shook, but it stood, sporting a new dent in its tiles... and then promptly exploded. A crackling sphere of electricity burst out of the house as the Regret's payload went off, sending the house's lights into a flickering fit before the structure caved in entirely.
Oh, boy. If there were actually people in this dream, they weren't going to like that. Frazie would like it even less if that ten-ton bomb went off anywhere near her.
Flicking her eyes back up, Frazie narrowly rolled to the side as a plane unleashed a barrage of little red crosses at her and missed - they'd somehow shrunk and weaponized the symbols they usually jumped from. Crap. This had gone from an unforgettable experience to a deadly, dreamy dogfight scarily fast.
Keeping on the move, Frazie strafed through the sky, honing her Telekinesis on the machine's propeller. With its propulsion halted, the machine stalled to a standstill. Its pilot hammered at the controls, frustrated. "No! Noooo!"
If getting stuck was enough to annoy it, it no doubt felt a lot worse when Frazie pulled hard and bent the fan's blades inward. The little lawyer had just enough time to gulp, wave farewell, and start screaming as its vehicle started to descend downwards.
One down, a dozen to go. Eager to avenge their (literally) fallen comrade, more shots rang out - the Censors were staying level, opening fire with their custom pellets, but their Regret buddies were flying high, hoping to surprise her with an attack from above.
Frazie had to be careful not to get caught off-guard. Still pushing herself through the sky, she dove down underneath a line of approaching planes, flipping around and returning fire with a mixture of Psi Blasts and Knives. The blunt projectiles rocked their ships until they finally exploded or rattled apart while the blades sliced straight through them, rupturing their engines and puncturing holes in the thin metal.
The buzz and rattle of planes was quickly replaced by the wails of Censors falling back to the earth, the loud roar of their failing aircrafts accompanying them.
Up above, the Regrets got into position and let their mines fall. Moving swiftly, Frazie ducked and weaved, narrowly avoiding projectile after projectile. They wooshed by by mere inches, raining down on the city below as she danced around them.
Barely avoiding the whole lot, she gripped the last one with her mind and strained, its humongous weight almost too much to bear even with her powers... but, finally, she shouted defiantly as she managed to flip the weight around and launch it back where it came from.
The Regrets' eyes bugged out just before the explosive went off, completely overpowering them with electricity. "Gzzzt! Bzzzzzzzzt!" Their blue bodies quickly grew black and charred before they tumbled out of the sky like the flies they were.
Only one managed to avoid the world's most efficient bug zapper. It summoned another weight and scanned for a target down below... only to feel someone tap it from behind.
It slowly, nervously peeked over its shoulder. Behind it, Frazie tutted — and then flipped, driving her heel sharply into its back.
It crumpled like paper, sending it and its burden rocketing to the ground to join its friends. Frazie dusted her hands off, the skies hers and hers alone once more.
With the path finally clear, it was time to reluctantly leave this wonderful dream behind. Savoring her last few moments of flight while she could, Frazie did one last loop-the-loop before zooming right into the glistening dream cloud.
Her entrance was a liiiittle too fast. She'd expected to slowly descend back to the floor, but the instant she'd breached, she felt the wind fall out from under her. Taken by surprise, she gasped and tumbled, trying to right herself. She hit the ground and rolled, losing control.
Wham!
"Owwwww..." Somehow, although this area was just as puffy and soft as all the others, she'd managed to hit the one solid thing around. Landing with her feet dangling over her head, she groaned, her spine sore from crashing into... something.
Wincing, she rolled back onto her butt, rubbing her back. She wasn't the only one hurting from the rough landing — she'd bowled over a very unfortunate Memory Vault, the little metal creature's eyes rolling about in a daze.
Oops. "Sorry..." She wasn't happy to harm it, but at least it'd been an accident. On its exposed tongue sat another set of photos. Though her curiosity was piqued, Frazie glanced around to see where she'd ended up first.
She'd made it, for the most part. She'd been warped again, the palace of dark clouds floating in the air not too far away this time. All she needed to do was climb one last set of scattered clouds leading up to it, each one stormier than the last.
She flinched when some of the darker puffs crackled, spitting lightning all around them. Alright, she'd have to watch for that too. But once she'd crossed through this last bit, she could finally get to the bottom of Jakob's problem.
Dusting herself off, she stood and apologetically patted the safe's head before swiping its treasure. Leaving it behind to recover, she began her ascent, leaping up to the first platform of many.
While she climbed, she intermittently checked out the polaroids. Partly to distract her from her still-aching backend, partly to try and glean a hint to what lay ahead.
Salesman of the Year
"We'll take it!"
Jakob whooped, clapping his hands together. Another car sold to another lovely young family... but it was never the allure of a good sale he celebrated, no, it was the thought he'd just given them something that'd make their lives a lot easier. "You won't regret it, ma'am!" he told the wife, who'd made the final decision. "The brand new Highway Stallion model is an absolute delight. Hottest engine on the line, the smoothest ride around, and its newly patented cup warmer to keep your coffee warm on a long drive... you are in for a treat!"
Her husband chuckled, stopping him. "You've already sold us, no need to keep singing its praises."
"It's hard not to!" Jakob shook his head, patting the hood of the vehicle just above its shiny horse logo forever emblazoned with its hooves held high. "Trust me, you've made a good choice. If you'll just follow me back to my office so we can settle some last details..."
An hour of contract signing, extraneous details and insurance junk later, Jakob waved farewell to his clients as they drove their shiny new vehicle off the lot. He breathed a satisfied sigh for another job well done.
He was just about to head back inside when a hand roughly clapped his shoulder, making him jump. "Attaboy," his boss praised by his side. He was a broad-shouldered man that always smelled of cheap cologne. A man who'd given him his first proper career, the job he'd worked hard to excel in... a man he looked up to. "Can't say I've ever had an employee as energetic as you before."
"Shucks..." Jakob rubbed his neck, always happy to be praised. "I'm just doing my best. I want every customer to leave satisfied."
His boss snorted, turning to head back into the dealership. "Well, keep doing your best and there may just be a promotion in your future, kid."
Jakob gaped. "Really?!" An excited pep in his step, he followed after, the evening sun setting on another day of hard work over the lot.
Things couldn't be better.
Jakob hummed a tune he'd caught on the radio on the way to work, going over some paperwork on his desk. Just him, the early sun filtering through the window shade, and the television in his office quietly playing some black and white sitcom just to have some noise in the background.
All was peaceful until his phone buzzed to life. A client calling already, huh? Prepared to talk business, he picked it up, placing the receiver to his ear. "Helloooooo, what can I help you wi-..."
"It was you!"
What the...? "M-me? I'm sorry, sir, I have no idea what you're talking about..." Jakob shifted the phone to his other ear, wondering if he was getting prank called first thing in the morning. "If there's an issue, I'd be happy to help."
"Trying to play dumb?! It's all your crappy car's fault! You're the reason my grandma's-...!"
"Slow down, slow down! I don't understand the problem!" Jakob protested, but the man on the other end was ranting and raving incomprehensibly.
Jakob had never been so relieved to hear the phone beep, signaling another caller. "I'm so sorry, sir, could you hold a moment?" Without waiting for a response, he switched to the new line. "Good morning, this is-..."
Another unusually aggravated customer barked at him. "I need a refund on that Stallion right now! There's no way I'm keeping the thing after that broadcast."
"Whoa, hold your horses!" Jakob pleaded, still hopelessly confused.
"Was that a joke?!"
"No! I just..." Jakob pinched his brow, steadying himself. "What's going on? What broadcast?"
The caller went quiet a moment, as if trying to decide whether or not he was feigning ignorance. "Turn to Channel Two."
Jakob did just that, getting up to flick the TV knob to the news station. He wanted answers.
And boy, did he get them.
The screen flicked to the middle of a report, a newswoman delivering all the facts into the mic in front of a recording of a flaming wreck. "-reached out to the Highway Stallion manufacturer for comment. They've claimed their new model was recalled almost immediately after production, its dangerous flaws discovered only once it hit the lot. Its new tire rubber tears easily, its seatbelts are prone to snapping with sufficient strain, various motor failures, and its cup warmer often overheat and burst into flames. Despite the recall, it seems some managed to get sold off anyway. More and more reports are coming in of pile-ups and accidents all across the city. Avoid the freeway for the next few hours, and if you've recently purchased this model, it's highly advised to get your money back. Coming up, we'll be taking a look at—"
Jakob clicked the TV off, mouth agape. He'd had no idea. Oh, this was bad, REALLY bad.
He jerked to life when he remembered he still had someone on the line. "I'm so, so sorry, sir! I'll do everything I can to get you your money back..." The phone beeped again. "...After I handle this new call. Sorry, sir, please hold!"
The new caller wasn't any happier. Or the next. Or the dozens that came after. He couldn't even get back to his first caller with the flood of complaints coming in, each more horrifying than the last, each one accusing him. Their pain reverberated in his ear, each one making his heart sink more and more.
"In the hospital! Don't know if he'll ever walk-"
"...-eight car pile-up on the highway! I think it just caught fire-..."
"...-we can't afford to pay for the damages! We'll be broke! Please, you need to help-"
"...-our life's ruined! RUINED!"
Completely distraught, Jakob ran his hand through his hair, in way over his head. There was only one thing he could do.
"I need to speak with my manager! Please hold."
Leaving his phone hanging off the hook, Jakob barged out of his office, almost tripping over himself as he sprinted to his boss' room.
He slammed the door open, panting. "Sir! We've got a situation!"
"Eh?" His boss put out his cigar, giving him his full attention. "What, we got another bum sleeping in the lot?"
If only. Jakob filled him in as best he could, stumbling over his words. His boss sat composed the whole while, hands folded, mouth taut.
"...And I don't know what to tell them!" Jakob finished, taking a deep breath. "Sir, what do we do?!"
His superior mulled it over a bit, calm, composed. "Here's what you do," he finally replied. "You promise them we'll make things right as soon as possible, tell them they can come down for a new car at 20% off, and then you hang up."
...Hang... up? People were suffering, angry, confused, and he was supposed to hang up?! "Sir, these people need help!" Jakob protested. "We need to do what we can to fix things!"
The other man just scoffed, waving him off. "Who cares? We got their money."
Jakob was completely flabbergasted. "Who cares? I care! And you should, too!"
"Well that's funny, cause I don't."
"Why aren't you taking this seriously?!" Jakob had to resist tearing his hair out in frustration. His boss had been stone-faced the whole time, unsurprised... almost as if he'd known what was coming, and already prepared how to respond.
That's when it hit him. Jakob straightened up, almost too afraid to ask what'd crossed his mind. "...Did... did you know about the design flaws?"
To his horror, his boss just sneered. "So what if I did? The customers don't know that." He laughed, a cruel, barking cackle. "Oops, didn't get the memo! Complete accident. So sorry, but we can't help you... want a discount on your next purchase?"
It was like Jakob's whole world had been pulled out from under him. All he could do was say the one thing running through his mind. "But... why?"
"It would've been a real shame to see all that series go to waste. Why send it all to the scrapyard when we can make a little more dough? The customer gets a car, we get paid... and the contract ensures it doesn't come back to bite us in the ass. They can cry to the manufacturer for letting the cheap piece of crap hit the lot in the first place."
Jakob was going to be sick. He pulled on his tie, fighting the urge to let his breakfast come back up. "You're... you're a monster!"
"And you're in trouble if you let this slip to anyone." His boss suddenly fixed him with a cold, piercing glare, drawing a thumb across his throat. "I'm only gonna repeat myself once: Get back to work, tell them some sappy mumbo jumbo, and then hang. Up."
Sheer unfiltered disgust coursed through every inch of Jakob's body. There was no way he could go back to that heartbreaking task, not after he knew what he did now. Only one option remained.
"Do it yourself," Jakob snarled, stomping away. "I quit."
The boss seemed surprised, but only a bit. "And give up on that promotion? Oh, well. Your loss... there's dozens more shmucks like you just begging for a job."
Jakob returned to his office just long enough to grab his things, the phone still sounding off while he packed. He couldn't look at it, the things he'd heard still haunting him alongside his manager's heartless laughter.
He left the dealership and never looked back.
Time passed. The scandal eventually tanked the manufacturer, and just like his boss predicted, no one was any the wiser of the true culprit. But that didn't mean justice wasn't served.
Ironically, when his boss finally got his comeuppance, it wasn't because of his disgusting deed — it was tax evasion that got him thrown behind bars. Yet it didn't make Jakob feel any better. The damage was already done.
Every night, he laid awake staring at the ceiling. Heart heavy, all he could do was run his memories of that day through his head again and again.
When the fatigue finally became too much to bear, he rolled over and popped open one of his prescriptions. He'd been visiting his doctor for his sleeplessness, and each time, they had some new medication to try. They usually worked, for a time... but eventually, his insomnia would return.
He waited and waited, but to his dismay, this new dose was losing effectiveness too. He groaned, shoving his pillow into his face as the sun began to filter into his room. Another all-nighter. There was no way he was going to nail that interview later. Yet all he could do was force himself up and try anyway.
The voices on the phone would haunt him for days, weeks, months... years. Even when they finally faded to the back of his mind, he still laid awake at night, eyes wide open, heart heavy.
"I'm telling you... I'm at my limit, doc..."
His doctor, a short man, scribbled down a few notes on his clipboard. "Let's see what else we can do..." Flipping the page, he scanned through his list. "Tried that... tried that... and tried that. Hmm. Do you recall if we've done Slumbasil yet?"
"That was our third option... I think?" Jakob racked his tired brain trying to remember, barely able to keep his eyes open. "Fifth? May... ywn... maybe..."
"I don't believe it matters so long as you tried it." He went back to his list, checking off a few things, until finally... "I'm sorry, Mr. Winkle, but I think we're out of options."
Not the answer he'd wanted to hear. Jakob clasped his hands together, pleading. "That can't be right! You've gotta help me, doc! There's... there's gotta be something we haven't tried!"
"The only thing we haven't done is try knocking you out with a mallet."
"...Can we do that?"
"No, Mr. Winkle. I was joking."
Jakob wasn't laughing. "B-but... you're a doctor! You're supposed to heal people!"
"I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker. I'm sorry, but we're all out of ideas. We can't cure you."
Jakob clutched at his face, struggling to process everything. There was no way they'd tried everything. There was no way he was stuck with this curse. No way... no way... no way. "You're... you're just holding out on me! You bastard!"
With surprising strength for a thin and exhausted man, Jakob lunged for the doctor, slamming him against the wall. "I know you have something better!" he roared, shaking him. "Help me! HELP!"
"W-what are you doing?!" His doctor tried to pry him off, but it was no use. He wasn't listening. He wasn't stopping until he got what he wanted. "A-alright, alright, you're right! There's one last thing we can try!"
Jakob finally relaxed, a sleepy smile drifting across his face as he let the doctor fall back to the ground. "Thank goodness...!"
Keeping a nervous eye on his patient, the doctor motioned for him to stay put. "I'll get it set up for you, I just need to call it in."
More than happy to have an excuse to sit back down, Jakob didn't even bother climbing back up on the examination table, just flopping down to lean against it and shut his eyes. While he rested, his doctor quickly left him alone in the room to go dial up a certain number.
"Get me Thorney Towers. Yes... violent tendencies, delirium, yes. Please come pick him up at your earliest convenience. And hurry!"
Frazie felt just as disgusted as Jakob had been.
She'd had it backwards. Jakob didn't need a doctor... he needed a therapist. Or a Psychonaut.
It all made sense now. He might not have been directly responsible, but it was clear the consequences of his boss's greed and selfishness had hit him hard. An indirect tool to so much pain, people's cries ringing in his ears at the dead of night... no wonder he had trouble sleeping. And judging from the storm brewing in his head, his guilt had followed him into his dreams as well.
Subconsciously weighed down by his past while awake, awoken by night terrors and nightmares when he tried to escape it... the perfect recipe for decades of misery.
That just left one final question... just what exactly was stirring Jakob's dream clouds into a thunderous tizzy up ahead?
Another blast of thunder and blinding lightning stole her attention, too close for comfort. Amidst digging through his troubling past, she'd managed to avoid getting struck by lightning and made it up to the citadel of clouds. The formerly puffy purple footing was now black as coal, and while it wasn't acting up right now, Frazie didn't exactly feel safe walking across it.
Stowing the photos away, she braced herself and stepped into the cluster, making her way into the center of the storm.
As expected, it was dark inside, but still bright enough to see that the chamber was empty. Stepping closer to the center, Frazie cupped her mouth and called out. "Helloooooo? Anybody home?"
No response. She turned, hands on her hips. There was definitely something here, it wasn't like these clouds were worked into a frenzy for no reason. Was the cause hiding inside them or something?
She was kind of right.
A bright orange glow suddenly came from below. Frazie's head whipped down to notice some sort of hellish maw opening beneath her.
"Eep!" She quickly threw herself off it, and not a moment too soon. Gnarled hands and sharp claws suddenly burst from the crevice, snatching at where she'd just been.
She didn't want to imagine what would've happened if she'd gotten pulled in. But just because she'd escaped didn't mean she was safe... whatever had created the portal wasn't pleased she'd dodged it, starting to emerge from the hole in the ground.
Bit by bit, it showed itself. Its twisted horns came first, followed by eerily glowing eyes and a protruding mouth surrounded by sharp teeth. Its body was slimy, shifting, a noxious purple hue covered in more little maws. Each one had arms dangling from it, ending in everything from claws and hands to scythes and blades.
Frazie wrinkled her nose at the unnerving creature. "Eugh... if this place is full of dreams, you're a nightmare." If only she knew how apt the moniker was.
The monster didn't respond, at least not directly. When it spoke, it was only in a raspy whisper, talking to something that wasn't there. "...-our life's ruined! RUINED!"
"What?" It certainly wasn't referring to her... it must've been echoing something from Jakob's past, a shrill hiss that haunted the back of his brain. The voice that called to him from across the expanse of his mind.
"It was you! It's all your fault!" it rasped again, contorting its body to stand a little taller. "YOUR FAULT!"
"Oh, shut up." Frazie spread her feet wide, ready to throw down if this thing attacked. "Nothing's my fault, and nothing's Jakob's fault either! He had no idea what he was doing!"
The creature observed her in silence, its orange eyes unblinking. Frazie stared right back until it started to get awkward. "So... are we going to have a problem, or...?"
Yes. Yes they were. When the creature finally moved, it wasn't to attack... it was to transform. Frazie jumped when a sickening crack suddenly came from the monster, its body bending backwards unnaturally.
It lurched forward again, snapping, twisting, each sound more gruesome than the last as it changed before her very eyes.
It stretched out until it was on all fours, its shadowy body contorting legs ending in everything from hooves to insectoid claws, a blazing tail sprouting from its hindquarters. Its face elongated, its twisted maw becoming an equally twisted muzzle. More arms sprouted from its neck, forming a mane of limbs coiling and swiping at the air.
Its terrifying transformation finally complete, it reared back on its hind legs and let out a whinny that scratched at her very soul. It'd gone from an already disturbing conglomeration to a horse from hell.
It wasn't just a nightmare anymore... it was a Night-Mare.
Frazie recognized that pose, the hooves high in the air, its horrific head craning towards the sky. It was emulating the logo on that car Jakob was selling, a symbol of his trauma given form.
It brought its feet down, slamming them into the clouds. Right on cue, they started to crackle and glow with electricity as it spread its terrible influence over Jakob's dreams. All around the dark dome, lightning burst out at wild angles, the deafening boom of thunder reverberating from all angles.
If she wasn't sure this was the cause of the problem, she was now. Trying to wipe the revolting sight she'd just seen from her mind, she glared down her opponent. "It doesn't matter what you change into, you don't scare me."
The beast simply snorted, pawing the ground, preparing to charge.
She braced herself again. Alright... she could handle a horse. She owned one, after all. This one was just bigger... and scarier... and violent... and had flailing arms tearing the air over its back. Alright, this might be a bit harder than training Sugarcube. Being gentle and soothing would only get her so far with a monster like this. Maybe she didn't have to beat it into nothingness, though… maybe it'd adopted some mannerisms from the form it took?
Yet, Frazie's face grit with determination. She wasn't just going to beat this sucker... she was going to tame it. For Jakob's sake.
I'd say I glide very often in my dreams, and that was partly the inspiration for this chapter. An excuse to have ecstatic, flighty Frazie again! ...And then immediately throw her in a dogfight. What kind of dreams do you guys have?
Also yes, I'm being a punmeister again. Fight me.
