"I'm not completely sure how it happened," Alice admitted. "I think maybe since I was created by one of those weird stones, I might've been able to take some of their power for myself. But that doesn't explain Ellen's shield."
Amadeo laughed. "Nothing about you two makes any sense, but we can worry about it later. There are tons of monsters lurking outside this chamber and someone has to remind them who's running the show around here."
"Let's go!" Alice said.
They took off running towards one of the chamber's back entrances. Amadeo had his golden sword and shield in hand and Alice her sword and knife. Her two living weapons followed behind her.
Ellen continued lingering in disbelief. While her shield was more potent now, she no longer had to fear being stuck in one spot whenever she needed to repel a magic weapon, that didn't change the fact that the shield she'd grown up with was gone now, replaced by another she barely recognized. It also didn't tell her anything about where her shield had come from in the first place.
"You can't just stand there!" Alice shouted. "We can hold them off for now, but I don't know how long my weapons will last!"
Ellen shook her head. Nothing made any sense, not her shield or her knife or the mysterious stones or the monsters of the world, but she didn't have time to worry about any of that right now. She had to save her friends.
She ran towards Tear, still unsure how she could reach her.
More beak-faced, axe wielding monsters were pouring out of the tunnels near the back of the chamber. Right now they didn't pose a threat, Amadeo had no trouble blocking their axes with his shield while occasionally cutting down any monster that came too close, and Alice's living weapons were slaughtering them almost as fast as they appeared.
"Do your best, Ellen!" Alice called out in a charming manner not at all like her old self. "I didn't gain this power so I could fight these lump heads. The two of us are going to save the world together, but first, you have to help our friends!"
There was something enthralling about the way she spoke. Not only did she consider everyone in their group her friend now, but she'd gotten it into her head that they could save the world. Ellen smiled and grabbed Tear's shoulders.
Chapter 18
When the white light faded, Ellen was standing atop a twisted, dusky platform inside the Brazen Dimension again.
"How did you get over there?" Tear asked
Ellen marched over and grabbed her shoulders. She wanted to tell her that this was a dream, and that she was currently asleep inside an underground chamber, but she'd tried the direct approach several times already and had met with outstanding failure each time.
She had to do something so outlandish that Tear would doubt everything around her. That had been Amadeo's suggestion.
"Your grip is really tight," Tear said, squirming as she spoke.
Ellen released her, then pondered. What could she do that would instill doubt in Tear's mind?
She reached for her buckler, her new shield would startle Tear awake in a heartbeat, but much to her dismay it hadn't come with her this time.
"Do you want to take a break?" Tear asked. "I think we're getting really close to that strange green stone, but I don't mind stopping."
"Follow me," Ellen said. She had an idea, a cruel one that would likely upset Tear for days, but she had to do something.
Tear nodded. Ellen led her to the edge of the platform then peered over the side. As far as she could tell, there was nothing down there, only black empty space. Anyone who fell off the side of the platform would fall forever.
Unless they were trapped inside a dream, one that wanted them to have a pleasant experience. There was nothing pleasant about falling through darkness forever. So far Tear had likely had an easy time in this dream world, and the Ellen she'd been helping had probably treated her kindly. The sudden change of events would instill a great deal of uncertainty and doubt into her, causing her to wake up. That's what she hoped.
Ellen put one hand on Tear's back and started pushing her forward.
"Wait!" Tear cried. "What are you doing? Stop!"
Her begging was painful to listen to, but this was for her own good. Ellen pushed harder.
"I don't know what I did wrong but I'm sorry. Please don't shove me down there! I'll do anything you ask just please don't do this!"
Her crying was too much to bear. Even if this was for her own good, and even if this was all just a dream, Ellen couldn't bring herself to hurt Tear. She stopped pushing.
"Thank you," Tear said, panting hard. "You're kind of a cruel person, but I knew you could never do something that evil."
So Tear thought she was a cruel person. That wasn't a very accurate description, at least, not anymore, but it did give her an idea.
"What kind of person am I?" Ellen asked. "Can you tell me?"
Tear eyed her for a moment, seemingly confused by her request. "Well... like I said, you're pretty cruel sometimes. You can be really unfriendly, too. I've saved your life more times than I can count and you haven't thanked me once." She smiled. "But I don't care about any of that because you're my friend and I plan to help you no matter what!"
And to think she had tried shoving Tear off the side of the world. Ellen wanted to shove herself off as punishment for having come up with such an awful plan.
She reached out and planted her hands firmly on Tear's shoulders. If Tear believed she was a cruel, evil monster, then maybe showing her kindness, or perhaps love, would wake her up.
She peered into Tear's hazel eyes then started massaging her shoulders. Both were stiff and rigid, or maybe Tear was just frightened because she'd never been touched this way before.
Tear's face flushed red. "W-what are you doing? This isn't like you at all."
"I haven't told you this before," Ellen said, "but I'm really grateful for all the help you've given me."
It wasn't their situation that'd put those words in her mouth. She really meant them.
Remembering her own dream, Ellen added: "I think we should become more than friends."
She puckered her lips, closed her eyes and started pulling Tear in close.
"W-wait! Hold... hold on!" Tear stammered. "I'm not... this is too fast!"
Ellen ignored her quiet whimpering and continued pulling her in. Tear was trembling, but she didn't seem to oppose the suggestion. That wasn't good. It meant her plan might fail, and there was no way she could go back on her offer after they'd shared a kiss.
Her nose bumped into Tear's nose. She leaned back a little, titled her head to one side then continued pulling Tear towards her.
"This can't be real," Tear said, her voice racing. "This isn't like you at all. There's no way you'd do something like this. This has to be a dream."
Those were the magic words. Ellen opened her eyes to find that the bright white light had already engulfed both her and Tear. The Brazen Dimension was gone, hopefully forever.
She let go Tear and took a step back. "That was all just a dream," she agreed. "You didn't want to wake up, so I had to do something desperate."
Tear beamed at her. "I remember everything now. All this time I thought I was trying to save you, but you were actually trying to save me." Her face flushed red again. "You know, I wouldn't mind-"
Ellen opened her eyes. She was back in the underground chamber again. Tear was asleep on the ground before her, her face tinted red.
There was something adorable about her, Ellen couldn't deny it. The only thing more pleasant than her smile was her personality. She still hadn't the faintest what she'd done to deserve a friend as kind as Tear, but she was thankful to have her.
Tear opened her eyes and yawned. "How long was I asleep for?"
"I'm not sure," Ellen admitted.
She stood up, then looked towards Amadeo and Alice. They were both still fighting; Amadeo with nothing but his sword and shield and Alice with her living weapons. A pile of ragged, bloody monster corpses lay before them. There was even more monsters trickling in
to the chamber through the backmost entrances, but Alice and Amadeo seemed to have them under control.
"I don't feel very hungry," Tear said, "so it's probably only been a few hours." She sat upright. Her eyes went to Brendon, and she gasped. "H-he's just asleep, right? And you're going to save him?"
"They're all asleep," Ellen said, gesturing to Brendon, L.L. and Sycamore. "I was too, but-" She shook her head. She'd have time for this later. "You need to help Alice and Amadeo. They're-"
"What are those!" Tear cried. "Are they... did Alice create those?"
She must've noticed Alice's weapons. "She became a lot stronger in her dream," Ellen said.
"How-"
Ellen nudged her forward. "We'll explain it all later. They need your help, and I need to-"
"Right!" Tear scooped up her bow and took off running. "Once we're done you have to tell me everything that happened. I especially want to know what happened in your dream!"
That wasn't a conversation she looked forward to, but Ellen still nodded.
She moved up beside Brendon. What could she do that would instill him with doubt? And L.L. and Sycamore? Something told her they would not respond well if she tried to kiss them. The thought alone made her shudder. But she had to figure out something and she had to do it fast. Alice and Amadeo and Tear were not going to last forever, especially not if the source of all the all pulpy, pounding sounds found its way into the chamber.
Chapter 19
Back inside Brendon's dream, Ellen once again found herself outside the Monad Fortress. Brendon was standing a short ways away, staring down yet another colossal centipede-like monster. Four living axes lingered in the air above him.
The colossal monster raised one of its scimitars and took a swing at Brendon, who responded by having one of his weapons block the attack. The scimitar was knocked away while Brendon's weapon did not lose a single one of its individual parts.
The monster attacked with its other scimitar, but the same thing happened again. Brendon chuckled.
"Stop playing with it and kill it!" Ellen shouted.
Brendon startled and dropped his great axe. As he picked it up, the monster tried bringing its hammer down on his head, but two of his living weapons shot through the air and intercepted the attack. One was destroyed, but the second caught the monstrous hammer in midair and held it back.
"You shouldn't surprise people like that," Brendon warned. "You might get someone killed."
She couldn't get anyone killed, not in this dream world. "Look at this," Ellen ordered.
Somehow, her buckler had followed her into this dream. She tore it off her back then summoned her shield.
Just like in the waking world, her shield ended up imbued into her buckler. She held it up for Brendon to see. "My shield changed forms," Ellen said. "Isn't that-"
Too late did she remember that in his dream, Brendon had never met her. He didn't know the first thing about her shield, old or new. Her plan had already failed.
"That's a strange little shield you have there," Brendon said, "but this isn't a good time for-"
The monstrous hammer slipped around Brendon's living weapon and crashed down right beside Brendon. The impact launched a thick cloud of dirt into the air and sent Brendon stumbling away.
Once he recovered, Ellen said: "You're really lucky that attack missed you." Of course, it really wasn't luck. This was Brendon's dream, and she couldn't imagine that something he'd dreamed up would kill or even hurt him.
"Lucky... yeah," Brendon said, still sounding shocked. He wiped the dirt from his forehead. "You weren't hurt, were you?"
That gave Ellen an idea. She collapsed to one knee and gripped her left ankle. "Something sharp hit my leg," she lied. "I think it might've been a knife."
It was a terrible lie and she'd presented it so badly she couldn't imagine Brendon believing her for even a second, but sure enough, he came over to investigate.
"Are you bleeding?" he asked. "Let me take a look."
"There's no blood, but it hurts so bad I can't stand up." She wanted to cringe. She'd never been a good liar, and the act she was putting on now was especially awful.
But Brendon seemed to be buying it. "I'd take you into the fortress, but-" He glanced over his shoulder. The colossal monster was glaring down at him with its deep red eyes. It looked like it wanted to rip him to shreds, yet it stood idle, seemingly waiting for permission to act.
"Isn't it strange how that monster is restraining itself?" Ellen asked. "Have you ever seen a monster hold back like this?"
Brendon chuckled. "I bet it's afraid." Despite his laughter, there was a hint of doubt in his voice. "You can probably make it inside the fortress on your own. I'll keep that thing-"
Ellen forced herself to cry out in pain then collapsed onto her side, making sure to keep a tight grip on her supposedly wounded ankle. "I really need help," she whined. "Can you carry me into the fortress?"
The request was partially for herself, even if it was fake she was still eager to see the inside of the Monad Fortress one more time, and partially for Brendon. The monster would not strike him down. In the meantime, its odd behavior was bound to fill him with doubt.
"Well-" Brendon took another look at the monster. "It must be tired out. I'll bring you inside, but I can't leave that thing alone for long." He slid his axe into the harness on his back then scooped Ellen up in his arms and carried her into the fortress.
Her heart sped up as she passed through the giant archway, and for once it had nothing to do with the hundred foot tall abomination following her. She was about to see her old home.
She was soon inside the fortress again. It looked exactly like she remembered. The grassy courtyard was full of young kids running and playing. To the left and right of the courtyard sat massive collections of houses and dormitories and armories and training halls and other buildings whose purposes she still remembered despite not having been here for months. The spiderweb of roads running all over the fortress was just as messy as ever. There were people all over, probably hundreds, none of whom seemed to be aware of the monster lurking outside the fortress's walls.
"For someone who's leg hurts so bad you can't walk," Brendon said, "you sure have a big smile on your face."
Ellen couldn't help it. What else was she supposed to do after having seen her favorite place in the world?
"I'll set you down here and-"
"No wait!" Ellen blurted out. The only reason the colossal monster was sparing her was because she had Brendon close by. If he left, she was done for. "Can you bring me to the hospital?"
Brendon sighed. "That monster-"
"Look at it. It's not doing anything. It could wipe out the whole fortress if it wanted to, but it's just standing there."
"That's true," Brendon said cautiously. "It's unusually tame for something its size. All that sparing we-"
"And nobody in the fortress is afraid of it," Ellen pointed out. "Why aren't they running away? Doesn't that seem-"
A woman's shriek interrupted her. She was standing near the edge of the courtyard, a horrorstruck look on her face. "Monster!" she cried.
Others took notice of the giant red eyes staring in at them and shrieked as well, then everyone fled. In mere seconds the courtyard and nearby roads went from crowded and bustling to deserted and silent.
Ellen frowned. She should've kept her voice down.
"I'm surprised they didn't take off sooner," Brendon said. "It doesn't look like that monster can get passed the wall. I'll try to get you to the hospital, but if that thing attacks I might have to drop you and run."
He moved left, still holding Ellen in his arms, and headed down a long road that ran alongside the wall.
Ellen watched the top of the wall. The colossal monster's head bobbed in and out of view. It was so close she could feel the tremors from its footsteps.
What could she do now? No matter how weird the colossal monster acted, Brendon would keep finding ways to rationalize its behavior.
Brendon gave her a puzzled look. "I'm the leader of what? Never heard of it. Are you sure you hit your leg and not your head?"
"You're the one who probably hit your head," Ellen grumbled, annoyed.
She couldn't stay mad for long. In a way, Brendon's response made sense. While he might've been the leader of the special forces, he never acted like it. It was always Lindsey who took the leadership role while Brendon simply protected the fortress.
"Where's Lindsey?" she asked. "Don't tell me you wrote her out of your life as well."
"She was hurt earlier, and I took her to the same hospital I'm taking you," Brendon said. "If you're lucky, you might get a bed beside hers."
He hadn't written Lindsey out of his life. That gave her a small hint of relief, but she still hadn't the faintest idea how she was going to wake him up.
The colossal monster was still stomping around right outside the fortress's wall. It might break through the wall if it knew she was alone. There was still a chance she could coax it into doing something outlandish, or maybe it would smash her with its hammer like it did earlier, but she had to try something.
"My leg feels a lot better," Ellen said. "You can set me down now."
"If you say so." Brendon set Ellen down. "The hospital is just down the road. Even if you feel healthy, you might want to get yourself checked out anyway." He lowered his voice. "And I don't mean your leg."
Ellen tried to shoot him a dirty look, but Brendon had already turned his back to her and was walking away. It didn't matter. After all the time he'd spent in this dream of his, he was going to be feeling very foolish when he woke up. If he woke up.
She drew her knife and summoned her shield, which ended up imbued into her buckler again, then faced the wall and waited. The colossal monster had stopped stomping around. Did that mean it was going to attack, or had it simply gone idle after losing sight of all its targets?
Scouring Majula (Ellen's Friends Book 3) Page 18
