THE NIGHTMARE - FACET IX
Maxwell dragged a hand over his face and closed his eyes. He had to centre himself.
Encountering that demon, it awakened something in him: Old memories, old fears, hidden fears, new ones.
Just staring through those primeval pools… it had made him remember what he had forgotten.
The fear.
The terror.
Maxwell could remember it now. That primal sense of terror emanating from it's ancient presence. Maxwell had rocketed through the Fade. He had seen many things through the void, but now he remembered where it began. What he first sailed through.
A veritable a sea of screams and hideous laughter!
The clacking of hungry mandibles of a giant spider, as eight lightless eyes pierce your soul. The thundering charge of a blighted war party, darkspawn prepared to destroy everything in its path. The piercing roar from on high before a dragonfire rained down upon them. The cold dread as the executor looms above you, steel kissing the nape of your neck!
They all laughed as they played on people's fears! Ghouls, imps, abominations! Demons, all laughing, jeering, cackling as they became your source of terror! Your most crippling anxieties!
But nothing, no demon or spirit, could compare to that moment when Maxwell set eyes upon it!
Power beyond comprehension! Horror beyond reckoning! Fear that crucifies you and leaves you paralyzed in horror.
You dared not scream. You dared not look away—! Lest it suddenly disappear and stand behind you!
That's what it looked like. Tortured souls and wicked hearts all revolving around one central demon.
The Nightmare…!
He remembered the demons being stirred up in a frenzy. Claws reaching, arms lashing, teeth gnashing as they suddenly saw unexpectedly prey the feed on—!
And then it was gone—SNAP! Like a fleeting dream.
…But it very, VERY, much real!
That's what he saw at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. All as the Fade flew him away like a fleeting gale. Terror incarnate. Feasting on the fears and horrors of dreaming souls just before they woke up.
…And his sister had defied it. Twice!
He couldn't help it. Maxwell laughed. The absurdity of it all! The Inquisition! Corypheus! The return of the Dread Wolf, Fen'Harel! It may as well have all been fairytales! BUT IT WAS REAL DAMN IT!
Tears ran down Maxwell's face. Whether from hilarity, or terror, he couldn't tell!
A demon like that didn't need to possess a mage. All it needed was a victim, an idea, and take its time corrupting it into whatever depravity it could unfold! Then the Nightmare would let it go, the dream rapidly unraveling, and the memory would swallowed up it like cooked noodles.
O what terror it could unleash if it was in the real world! Beyond the Veil! In this Blighted world abandoned by the Maker!
…
…But why hasn't it crossed over yet…?
Maxwell paused, suddenly sitting up straight. Borodo's body sliding over to the wayside.
WHY hasn't the Nightmare crossed over into THIS world?
There is no Veil here. Nothing standing between this world, and the Fade.
So why hasn't it emerged from one of the Four Blues? There were plenty of men, women, and mages across the seven seas. It didn't even need the Grand Line to emerge into the physical world and terrorize its people!
So why has it only attacked mages in their sleep? And why bother gathering a cult to help summoning it?
Something wasn't making sense here.
Maxwell frowned, "Or have I gone crazy again?"
"No. You're actually quite sane, despite it all." Mordred replied through their mental connection.
"And you may actually be correct," Mineive agreed with her master. "Something doesn't add up in this little mystery of ours."
"Spirits are capable of manifesting freely here. Little Garden and Merry have proven that," said Salem, stating the facts. "For what reason would a demon of fear need a flock of followers? It has a whole kingdom orbiting its space, engorged by terror of the Blights. Surely Fearlings, Wraiths, and other such demons would have followed their leader here."
"And yet, no demons…" Maxwell agreed. They would have leapt at the chance to be here! A free range or mortals, battlegrounds, and ruins. The temptation would be irresistible!
…Maxwell looked down towards the strewn body of Borodo, resting on top of his legs. He then reached over and placed two fingers against the side of his neck, in morbid academic intrigue.
Borodo was… amazingly alive, for a former thrall. His plus was slow, but steady. Maxwell thought it might have been a minor miracle for his survival. But now the question was: What was he going to do with him?
Maxwell had already lost Helsing. But, Borodo here was a thrall working directly under the cult.
If he woke up, there was a chance that Borodo would remember some details about the Children of Nightmare. He could interrogate him! Whether or not Borodo was a willing victim.
However, there was also a chance Borod would remain permanently comatose. Blood magic affects both the mind and body. Suddenly having the infection ripped out of you was sure to be traumatizing, and Maxwell wasn't sure he wanted to find out.
Correction, he knew how he could. The act of Mind Walking.
It was a spell that used blood magic to draw the victim's consciousness into the Fade so that a practitioner might communicate with them. Maxwell had done a deviation of this spell when he used Blueno's blood to have Mordred, Mineive, and Salem lurk in the assassin's mind. The power of his Door-Door Fruit was simply too potent to ignore!
However, Maxwell was hesitant to use it on Borodo. There were too many questions as to his origins. And Maxwell feared he may damage Borodo's mind beyond repair if he tried.
He was going to have to stash him somewhere. Somewhere he could keep him hidden.
Maxwell didn't want to risk a hospital. There was a chance the city guard would catch wind of his prisoner and interfere with his business. Bellos had already proven that tonight…
Perhaps his hotel room? He was already using it as a base for operations with Saga and Schneider. However, dragging an unconscious body past a bustling tavern was sure to raise questions. Even the inn keeper. Maxwell wasn't sure Ever would ever allow it, no matter what relationship she had with Schneider.
So where could he hide him…?
"My my… Now this is a find," a feminine voice sounded behind him.
Maxwell quickly pushed Borodo off of his legs and jumped to his feet. He had no idea if they were friend or foe!
Turning around, Maxwell saw a woman hiding behind the street lamp. She had been surprised, not expecting to be overheard. However, she quickly schooled her features and walked into the light.
Maxwell thought she may have been a prostitute, given her attire. She was blonde—hair done up in luscious curled pigtailed. Hoop like earrings hung on her earlobes. Her eyes were like delicious caramels. Long black eyelashes, and purple eyeshadow, giving herself a sensual look.
She wore a black and yellow corset, with the letter "Q" stitched onto each bosom. Her underpants were also black and yellow, with a fur laced waistband.
Her leggings were also mismatched. One was a black fishnet, while the other was a pink stocking, but rims had that same fur cuff on resting against her thighs. And she wore low red heels.
Maxwell wasn't impressed with a bumblebee theme, but he knew better than to judge a threat on first appearances. "Who are you?"
She smiled, teasingly, the way only women knew how. "The name's Honeyqueen. But feel free to call me 'Queeny,' or 'Honey,' or whatever else you like, sugar," Honeyqueen winks at him. "Now, what's your name?"
Maxwell felt awkward at how flirtatious she was being, but answered, "Maxwell Trevelyan."
"Trevelyan…? Trevelyan…!" She closed her eyes as if trying to remember where she had heard that before.
"Oh! You're that magician that's in all the wanted posters! Part of the Straw-Hat Pirates, right?" Well, at least she was informed.
"…Where's your beard?"
"Ugh…" Maxwell hung his head. He was never going to have this let this down, was he?
"Anyway," Queeny's eyes drifted over toward Borodo, "I'm impressed you were able to take Borodo down. He's a tenacious bastard when he thinks he has a chance."
"You know him?" Maxwell gestures to the unconscious thrall.
Honeyqueen reluctantly nods, "Yes… I know him. AND how he got mixed up with the Children of Nightmare. If you're fighting them, then I think you should listen to what I have to say. —Not here though…!"
Maxwell stares at her for a moment. She's not uncomfortable, but Max could tell Honeyqueen did not want to have this conversation out in the middle of the streets. The fact that she didn't know who he was right away suggested that she may be a third-party. And if she knew about the cult, then he could get some valuable intel out of her.
"…Alright," Maxwell wills his mace back into it's holdster. The fact whether she could be trusted or not could be determined later. "Where are we going?"
Honeyqueen stands up straight, turns around, and starts walking down the street. She gestures behind her, "Make sure to bring the theIf with you. He's going to be important."
"Thief?" Was she referring to Borodo?
Maxwell gives the man a look-over before picking him up like a dead boar. It was a little awkward, picking him up. He had to hook Borodo's good arm around his bad arm, and hold his foreleg, but Maxwell thought he would be heavier. Losing a limb does that for you, he supposed.
The mage then follows the Honeyqueen into the night, hoping he can get answers…
O O O
Gasparde didn't understand what was going on.
*SMASH!*
This fight should have been over by now! But here he was being pushed back!
*SWIPE!*
This little upstart, this Saga, was starting to get on his nerves! He bends like a reed, barely dodging his blows, then counters with that sword of his!
"RAAAAHHHH!"
He handles that sword like blasted ribbon! Slashing and thrusting like some damn sewing needle!
*THWIP!*
How does he do it?
*GLUB-WOB!*
His left arms flops around like a lip noodle! All in one hand! He's a damn cripple for Ocean's sake!
He was good! He was skilled! He was determined!
And Gasparde liked that in his opponents! He could play around and watch as his enemies paled at his power! Yet, Gasparde had faced hundreds of these kind of men with these qualities, and NEVER had they made him feel like he did now… The kind of man that made him feel fear!
Saga leapt back, coiling as he prepared to thrust.
This wasn't some damn vice-admiral after his head! He made sure to keep his activities on the down low to avoid that sort of attention! The kid didn't even have haki!
Yet that sword… It was wounding him!
THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE!
Gasparde punched down hoping to crush the swordsman. However all he did was punch a crater into the street.
"GEEHK!" Gasparde then quickly had to throw back his head to avoid getting nicked on his neck.
There was no flour around! No starch to coat the surface of his caramel body! That sword wasn't natural!
The blood red glow should have been his first clue! Every time the sword scratched him, the damn wounds wouldn't heal! It was like the sword wouldn't let him! Every scratch, every groove, inflected onto his gelatinous body, refused to congeal! And when he turned those part back into flesh, Gasparde would see blood!
His hands were shredded like a cat's post! His chest was littered with incisions! If this kept up, Gasparde was going to die from a thousand cuts! His Devil Fruit was the only thing keeping him alive!
Hardening the candy gave Gasparde some armor, but his powers weren't the invulnerable defence it usually was!
…Damn it. He wanted that sword!
Damn it! He wanted to win!
Damn it!
"DAMN IT!"
O O O
Maxwell looked around as they approached the cloistered building. They were walking up a narrow street on a hill, in the residential area. His legs were beginning to ache from carrying Borodo's unconscious body for so long. But, at least they were at their destination.
Honeyqueen walked up the steps to an old apartment building, taking out an old key as she approached the door. If there was an address, Maxwell certainly didn't see it. The bricks were showing, the plaster corroded away. Any windows that still had their lights on were a dull gold as they shone through their pull-down curtains. The apparent building almost seemed like a bunch of holes in the wall with all the buildings so close together. A closed off suburb, filled with cement, brick, and mortar.
The door opened with an audible click. "Inside. Hurry." Honeyqueen told him, and Maxwell carried Borodo over the threshold, careful not to bump his head.
It certainly wasn't a classy establishment. The foray was spacious enough, but the walls were an unfortunate dingy brown, with the wall paper peeling off in places. The carpet was matted and crusty, as if no one had cleaned it for years. No one sat behind the counter at the reception booth, and ripped open envelops sporadically covered the floor. Maxwell and his familiars all agreed, this place was a dump.
But, aesthetics didn't matter at this point. They were still walking.
At the end of the hallway was a case of stairs, leading up to the higher floors. Maxwell followed Queeny up to the second floor, we're they entered Room 225.
"Ah. Queeny, you're back! Wasn't expecting you so soon." As they entered the apartment, they were greeted by a bear of a man! Sitting at a round kitchen table, he easily surprised Maxwell in terms of height. He wore a green collared shirt, with the buttons around his chest undone to show off his hairy chest. However the buttons that were on were straining to conceal in his massive gut. An orange sash and red slacks were around his hips and legs, with a set of laced up shoes bound neatly on his feet.
Though as suave as their host was trying to be, his face couldn't really pull it off. He was balding, with long sideburns that snaked around his cheekbones, into a wiry mane of hair. A patch of spindly hair hung below his chin for a beard. There was also a tattoo on his forehead. An upside-down playing card spade. And despite his friendly greeting, his face seemed to always be in a permanent scowl. He was also wearing a red cravat, but it was so large, you could mistake it as a scarf.
"Yeah, I am early. But I thought it may be worth bringing in someone else on our business." Honeyqueen gestured to Max.
The man then stood up, looking down onto the mage. His head was almost near the ceiling! "And who the hell are—wait, is that Borodo!?" He then finally noticed the unconscious thrall over his shoulders.
"Yeah…" Honeyqueen sighed, then gestured between the two of them, "This is going to be a pain—Maxwell, this is my brother, Bearking. Bearking, meet Maxwell Trevelyan."
Brother? Maxwell looked up and down the giant… At least she got the good looks.
"As in the mage!?" Bearking reared his head in surprise. "But how does he—"
"Did someone say Borodo!?" a young voice yelled down the hall. A young boy came running around the corner, wearing a dull yellow shirt, red shorts, and a red and white toque.
"Ah jeez—" "BROTHER!"
Bearking rubbed his face while Akisu ran up to body over Maxwell's shoulders. He couldn't quite reach reach him, but the boy studied him intently, looking over his brother's features.
"What happened to his arm—!? Who are you!?" Akisu glared up at the Maxwell, demanding an explanation.
"AKISU! NOT NOW!" Bearking barked at the child. Akisu flinched but stubbornly kept his feet in place, refusing to leave.
"Brother, we've talked about this."
Bearking grumbled, rubbing his forehead in frustration. It was clear neither Akisu, or Bearking were related, or liked each other very much. Akisu actually didn't resemble anyone in this room actually, so it was a very odd family dynamic. Honeyqueen seem to be the mediator between the two, try to make sure they don't kill each other.
Bearking looked at the mage, "Just… set him down on the couch."
Maxwell nodded slowly and everyone flowed into the living round. The mage laid Borodo on the couch, making sure he was comfortable. Akisu had taken to kneeling on the carpet to be close to his brother. He was intently watching his older brother, pinning. Honeyqueen reclined onto one of the armchairs, while Bearking sat on the floor. The couch seemed to be his usual seat but, for Borodo's sake, refrained from complaining. Maxwell then took the last armchair, where he could see everyone across the coffee table.
"So… how do you—Wait, should the child be here to discuss this?" Maxwell asked, suddenly hyper aware of their youngest resident.
"Hey!" Akisu turned around to yell at him. "My name is Akisu, and I'm not some kid!"
"You're still a brat, you little shit," Bearking grumbled as he crossed his arms.
"WHAT WAS THAT!?" "YOU HEARD ME!"
Bearking and Akisu glared at each other with contempt. It was almost comical. Like a mastiff and a corgis staring down each other.
Honeyqueen sighed, "He can stay. This involves him as much as anything else." Akisu grinned at that statement, like he had just won a victory, while Bearking looked away, huffing.
"…Alright," Maxwell nodded. "So how are you guys involved in all of this? Or better yet," Maxwell looked over at Borodo, "how did he get involved with the Children of Nightmare?"
Both Bearking and Honeyqueen remained oddly silent at his question. They looked like they were sucking lemons... as if dreading Maxwell wouldn't like the answer.
"It's all their fault!" Akisu pointed at the two of them.
"Akisu!" Honeyqueen gasped.
"No! It was all your fault!" Akisu retorted. "If you hadn't gone along with that Sliep guy, none of this would've happened!"
"Sliep?" Maxwell leaned in. This the first time Maxwell had heard of a name in regards to the cult.
"…He's their leader," Bearking reluctantly replied. "We were… unfortunate enough to encounter him before we made our journey into the Grand Line."
Maxwell narrowed his eyes, "Unfortunate how?"
"…We were pirates," Honeyqueen answered. "We recruited Sliep just before we sailed up Reverse Mountain."
"So you were pirates… And you brought a kid with you," Maxwell stated accusingly, eye drifting towards Akisu.
"Hey! It's not like that—!" Honeyqueen tried to reassure the mage, but Akisu interrupted.
"They're a bunch of meanies. Forced me and my brother to join their crew after they destroyed Clockwork Island!"
Neither of the pirates could look the kid in the eye. Their eyes were full of shame, but only the kind you feel when you've realized you've been caught.
Maxwell scoweled at this information, "…I don't like the idea of you two doing this, but I'll put that thought aside for now…" He took a breath. "How did you two, meet this 'Sliep?'"
"…We met in Lougetown, just before we went to Reverse Mountain," Bearking answered. "I was the captain, and Sliep approached us with an offer to find a treasure with him. He had a map and compass, all he need was a ship to ferry him."
"He proved very good at navigating," Honeyqueen continued. "I'll admit, we were woefully underprepared for what the Grand Line had to throw at us..."
"But Sleip steered us through, as if he knew exactly where we were going… Probably did know, the bastard…!" Bearking cursed.
"How would he know that?" Maxwell asked. "Reverse Mountain scrabbles all compasses, including the log pose until it locks onto an island."
"Well, here's the crazy part," Bearking replied. "Sliep was a magician—"
Maxwell's thoughts screeched to a halt, as it latched onto that particular word.
Magician.
Magic!
Blood Mage!
He was the leader of the Children of Nightmare! A mage who likely made a deal with the demon in exchange for knowledge!
"—who fancied himself a sorcerer with that stupid hood of his. He was likeable, if a little odd. Always made time to talk among the crew. And like idiots, we fell for his deceit. Right up until he found that damn broken mirror!"
"Mirror?" Maxwell asked.
"There was a temple on one of the Oligos," Honeyqueen replied. "Sliep was apparently after this mirror specifically, so he could summon this important demon he was raving about."
"The Nightmare. He's trying to summon the Nightmare!?" Maxwell rose in his seat. He had to confirm his suspicion!
"Yeah… You know about it?" Honeyqueen asked, a little unnerved at Maxwell's urgency.
The mage rolled back into his chair, massaging his brow, "Unfortunately…" but then he paused.
"Wait… How did you three escape?" Maxwell looked between Bearking, Honeyqueen, and Akisu. "If Sliep was a blood mage, and he knew you for so long, how did you slip through his fingers?"
Bearking and Honeyqueen looked between each other, as if asking a silent question between the two of them. Akisu looked a bit confused, as if he had never asked this before. Nor had he ever seen them like this.
Bearking was the one who answered, "…While we were in the East Blue, I often made the boast that I ate the Kachi-Kachi no Mi. A Devil Fruit, that would harden my arms and make them black like so." He then showed off his fist and Maxwell watched in amazement as his skin began to change. Black ink seemed to bleed into Bearking's skin and engulf his entire arm, until it was nothing but a dark, shiny, forelimb. It almost looked like polished obsidian, the way the light hit it.
"But this was a rouse," said Bearking, looking at his arm. "The truth is, I know how to use a particular power, called Haki."
Maxwell nodded slowly, not quite understanding.
Bearking let the colour fade away, "Basically, it's just like I boasted about. It hardens my skin, makes my attacks hit harder, increases my defence if I block with it. But the navy doesn't like Haki users being outside of their purview, and I was a pirate. If word got out that a pirate in the East Blue knew how to use haki, they'd send a vice-admiral or worse to come after me."
"A vice-admiral!?" Maxwell blinked in confusion. "What's so special about this Haki, that they'd send such a high-ranking marine?"
"Well, it can affect Devil Fruit users, for one," Honeyqueen chirped.
"WHAT!?"
Maxwell stood right out of his chair. He had finally connected the dots! Maxwell thought he had been seeing things, but this Haki was how Sentomaru was able to hurt Luffy despite his Devil Fruit power! And how Rayleigh was able to block Admiral Kizaru!
"Are there two others!?" Maxwell sped across the room, grabbing Bearking by the shoulders. "Two other types of Haki!?"
"Uh…!" Bearking had been taken off guard by the mage's sudden interest. "Y-Yeah, but I never got to learn any of them…! Observation and Conqueror's. I only learned Armament."
"It all makes sense now…!" Maxwell whispered to himself. The headaches. The visions. The sudden unexpected bouts of timidity Luffy had been causing!
IT WAS ALL HAKI!
And Luffy had the Colours of the King! The power so rare that Alabasta's spirit warned Maxwell about it! If Luffy could learn how to control it, no enemy could dare hurt Luffy without knowing it themselves!
"Um… are we still talking about the cult?" Akisu asked in the awkward silence.
Maxwell blinked, suddenly remembering why he was here in the first place. "Ah… Right." Maxwell stepped back from Bearking, suddenly embaressed. "Sorry about that. That was just… personal thought."
"Right…" Bearking nodded slowly, as if wanting to move past this. "So, basically I punch away all the blood he was trying to fling at me, and I took Akisu with me to prevent the same fate."
He looked at Akisu, "I may be a pirate, but no child should ever have to suffer such a curse."
"And you?" Maxwell looked over at Honeyqueen, wondering how she escaped.
Honeyqueen raised a delicate hand, and its form began to ripple and change. It turned into mauve liquid, suspended in the air, and reminiscent of it's previous shape.
"I'm a logia darling. I know how to avoid unwanted juices."
Maxwell pursed his lips like he had also swallowed a lemon. He nodded. That made entirely too much sense!
"Still, I'd like to know. How did you end up chasing the Children of Nightmare, Mr. Trevelyan?" So, Maxwell told them all about how he came to be on the Creamy Mist Archipelago. How King Cello had recruited him to find the cult and arrest his niece.
"So you heard information that Helsing was going to be at the club and the intel panned out," Bearking stated.
"Yeah. I almost had her. But then Borodo here and some gas using cultist showed up."
Bearking leaned in, hands on his knees, "Did he seem hunched over? And did the gas's seem to come out of his butt?"
Maxwell blinked, "Erm… beneath robe, but sure..."
Bearking looked over at Honeyqueen, "Then they're still alive!"
"Yes!" Honeyqueen smiled for a moment but then it faded, "But we don't really have a way to rescue them…"
"Rescue them?" Maxwell asked.
"She means their crew," Akisu replied in their stead. "Skunk One, Boo Jack, and Pin Joker. They were their friends and executives on their ship."
"When I found you and Borodo in the Red Light District, I thought there may have been a chance you could help us rescue them…" Honeyqueen admitted. However she then looked at their… thief, and asked, "Tell me honestly, is Borodo's curse broken?"
Maxwell looked over at Borodo, his sleeping form still on the couch, "…I didn't break the curse… But something else did, and I don't know why." Max thought back to his encounter with the Nightmare. It didn't make sense, how he freed his thrall from Sliep's control. "To be honest, I don't know if he'll ever wake up. Blood magic is a very esoteric form of sorcery."
Akisu whimpered a little as he looked towards his brother, and the other two seemed to deflate at the news.
"…So, what can we do?" asked Bearking. "If we want to free our friends, what CAN we do?"
Maxwell sighed, "Honestly? I would just kill Sliep and hope for the best. Most enchantment break when their source of power is cut off." In this case, Sliep himself. However, Maxwell knew Sliep would quickly use their friends as meat shields, if given the chance.
"…Okay." Bearking nodded, "Then I guess we're going to the Oligos."
"Just like that?" Maxwell frowned.
"Just like that," Bearking began to get up and stand, as he confirmed their course.
"Bear, dear, you forget. We were lucky to find out that island was a part of this archipelago. It was dark, and storming, when we escaped. We don't know which of the Oligos Sliep is hold up on."
"That, and I want to know why he wanted this mirror so badly." Maxwell had heard of plenty of magic mirrors. But very few could possess the power to summon a demon.
"…I… may have… an answer—to both… of those… problems…!"
Everyone blinked and looked at the couch. It was Borodo, struggling and weak, but awake.
"BORODO!?" "BROTHER!" "HOW IN ANDRASTE'S BURNING BOSOM ARE YOU AWAKE RIGHT NOW!?"