Disclaimer: I own my OCs, but the Guardians are off-limits.
Reshma had proved herself at apt at deflecting questions by the time they reached the proposed "lead". The curious Guardians found either they were ignored, Reshma would smile at a patient or she would find another creative method of silencing them. Let's just say that the book that slammed shut on Jack's face was enough to shut them up. All except Sandy, but he was easy to disregard as she simply had to avoid looking at him.
There is nothing particularly outstanding or notable about the door they went through, nor the room they went into. It is like any other room in the building. Even the man slumped in a non-descript chair is plain in appearance with an almost deadened look. Thousands of scales erupt from the fabric of Reshma's nurse outfit, flipping over to transform back into her wine red and mulberry purple coloured dress, her true spirit reflecting outwards. A pair of rainbows flow from her back imitating magnificent wings. Reshma glides towards the man, wings outstretched.
The man looks up from his lap to see the nearly angelic sight before him. A glimmer of hope shines through his despairing eyes. "Here to kill me?" he pleas. Reshma reaches out a hand and he does not flinch, instead leaning into it eagerly as though her touch will bring him death. She strokes his forehead and an unnatural red lights up in his eyes. The Guardians gawk, Tooth's hands flying to her mouth, but he does not see them. Only Reshma. The garish red tendrils creep from his pupils like highlighted blood vessels. It is horrific.
"You are so brave," Reshma coos, as though he is a small child. "You so strong. Stronger than you know. I will help you." She plunges a hand into the man's chest. He grins manically through the agony. Tooth gasps in horror and Bunny makes a move to stop it, whatever it is, but Sandy wraps his small hand around the Pooka's arm, shaking his head. The meaning is clear. No, let her do it. A strangled scream escapes the man, still smiling, as the red of his eyes glows to blinding proportions.
Finally Reshma yanks from the man's chest a bright mass of twisting red, like disease come to life. The man collapses into his chair, unconscious. Bunny, unable to hold back anymore, bounds forward. "What did ya do to him?" he snarls. When Reshma turns to the approaching Bunny he is met with a shock. Sweat drips down her face and her eyes are glazed over. Her rainbow wings evaporate as she pants in exertion, trembling.
"Alive," she says out of nowhere. "He's… he's alive." She raises the mass of red up in a manner that should be triumphant but is more exhausted, grim satisfaction. "Nicolas, a Snow Globe?"
"Of course," North offers her the Snow Globe attached to his belt. Reshma takes it and, with no reservations, combines it with the red mass. North protests as the Snow Globe becomes seeded with red. Ignoring North, she smashes it, opening a swirling portal. Rather than benevolent it appears malicious and wild, like it desires nothing more than to consume them.
"Hold hands!" Reshma orders above the noise of the corrupted portal. The Guardians do as she says with Sandy's prompting. "This isn't your usual portal! It'll get bumpy!"
She drags the Guardians in and they disappear in a bang of light. They run out the other side, onto a large, flat clifftop, unharmed. For a bumpy ride it was hardly any worse than a sleigh ride with North to the Guardians. Reshma would disagree. She falls to her knees upon leaving the portal, almost pulling Jack and Sandy down with her. Sandy, flocked by Tooth immediately rushes to her side.
"Oh my goodness! What happened?" Tooth frets, her maternal instincts overpowering any thought of what she had just witnessed. Dreamsand images flash over Sandy.
"Virhorann is here," Reshma gasps. A giggle comes from over the cliff face and, like a bug scuttling from the sewers, Insanity crawls onto the ledge, joining them. Instinctively the Guardians form a protective circle around Reshma: North drawing his sabres, Bunny baring his boomerangs, Tooth spreading her wings, Sandy making Dreamsand whips and Jack brandishing his staff, tipped with frost.
"Good messenger boy," Insanity garbles to Jack. A shot of frost lightning rips from Jack's staff, missing narrowly Insanity. "Good messenger boy." At last the others understand what Jack spoke of - the absolute, terrifying madness in Insanity. Before the Guardians can attack Reshma pushes past them, stumbling slightly.
"You wanted us here, Virhorann," Reshma spits, spear growing from the ground and she snatches it up, pointing the razor sharp edge at him. "So do it. Do what you want to do. Make us insane. I will fight it and win, like I always do." Insanity cocks his head.
"Hear it? Belief?" he croaks. "Maybe I don't wanna. Maybe lady. You know what I want, huh? Maybe lady." Giant insects, patched together offspring of scorpions, spiders, roaches, beetles, centipedes and something else altogether, climb onto the ledge. "Pretties want to play." The insects lunge at the Guardians and Insanity lunges at Reshma.
"They're unpredictable!" Reshma yells, pinned down by Insanity. "Make him mad!" She squirms out from under Insanity and jumps off the cliff, followed by the madman. The Guardians are too distracted by their company.
The Guardians fighting are truly a sight to behold. They are fierce, merciless with the overgrown bugs. Reshma was right, they are unpredictable. When they expect it to feign left it tumbles, when they expect it to bite them in half it spits acid. And there are hordes of them. Not even close to the number of Nightmares they faced in the battle against Pitch but overwhelming numbers nonetheless. Yet the insects stand no chance against the Guardians. Either they are frozen, slashed, torn, cracked or squashed. Soon, few remained.
While the Guardians attacked, Reshma drops in the air Insanity close behind her. The bird wings that burst from Reshma's back are sliced away by Insanity's sprouted silver claws. She stabs him with her spear and he cackles as it passes through his body. They land on an out-cropping of rocks, jutting from the side of the cliff, with a thud. Insanity rolls off of her, face rippling. Reshma stands, weapon-less, facing him.
"You found me," Insanity sing-songs.
"Next time do not leave that much of your power in a human," Reshma says, face blank. "It led me right to you."
Insanity grins. "Too tempting. All it took was a clink and he begged. Death, death, death. So boring." Dents form on his left cheek, elongating into fingers stretching from his skin and then a hand. He leans in close, Reshma unmoving and expressionless. The hand growing from his cheek reaches for her as he whispers, breath hot on her skin; "Tempting, little messenger boy. Like you."
Reshma stares into his eyes, the same candy red twining there. "Jack is innocent, like Eira." Insanity's face twists into one of utter rage. He tackles her against the cliff wall, rocks showering down on them.
"NO!" he howls. "Not like her! Never like HER!" Insanity scrambles away, up the cliff to the Guardians leaving the rocks behind Reshma digging into her flesh. She trails after him, clambering over the lip of the cliff in time to see Insanity, coated in the guts of his insects, driving a clawed hand into Jack's throat. Jack screams as red slithers into him. Insanity withdraws his hand and vanishes, leaving the insects left alive writhing and screeching in green fire.
JACK! AHH! Really, I don't know why I do this to myself.
Just going to let you guys know that I'm not trying to say being insane is equivalent to being evil. Look at me, I'm crazy and I'm not a hundred percent bad! But seriously, mental disorders are not always something to be ashamed of. My little sister has an eating disorder, ARFID, and she is a perfectly kind, sweet, at first glance normal kid. Sometimes good people have a harder time navigating the old noggin, or have to struggle through life because they think differently. Insanity may be bad, but so are some people completely free of clinical "mental illness". Don't define someone by their mental differences.
Thanks