#dreaming

"Gold trod NOT safe" McKeever says

"Not safe at all!" she agrees. "We've gotta get back on the silver, or get to the end of this." She gets her spear in hand. "Hurry!"

Thoughts take form and ripple out to the trod... Submit to the fell, renounce the Tuatha, swear to the dark, and you may live!

She can feel that in her head like a primal scream in a cave

"Did you hear that?" The Nocker says moving with her "That thing is.. oh crap"

It reminds her a little of Darkgate, what the prison area feels like

"Don't trust it, it lies!"

"Run sisters, run..." "If only we could swim.." Pale maidens drenched with river water scramble along...only to be devoured

Sylvi recognizes those women... Rusalka! Gerd went on about them!

Can she stab at the monster? Is it within reach?

She can try! If she times it's nextt swat

"Run! Keep going!" She waves the nocker on ahead and gauges her timing for the next pass. Spear ready....

And the tendril comes down destroying something that looks a lot like a sluagh.. but with no mouth..

as that happens, the tendril is in reach

She screams as she stabs it, hard!

And her spear marks it not at all, does not penetrate, does not pierce... all her might, and she is but a gnat...

and yet!

She causes the tendril to brush the golden trod..

and the creature's fell flesh burns! Singed really

"It...it can't touch the golden trod!" she calls to the nocker...and, well, it's likely that the other chimera can hear it as well.

"Yeah, but the golden trod doesn't protect us.." McKeever says "And I realize what these poor things are... these are lost kithain, changelings that no longer are found in the Autumn world.. and that thing either corrupts them.. or .destroys them! "He luanches a flare at the creature.. annoying it

And the Killomus would scream if they could as they are removed from their chance at the world

"No!" Killomus may be ugly and weird, but Sylvi's always found the thought of them charming in an odd way. "McKeever, is it corrupted itself?" She tries to stab it again.

Tink. Nothing. She canno hurt it.

And a tendril comes down to strike at...

Suddenly a rush of wind comes up behind her, blowing her down the golden trod. Wind created by a cantrip! And it just saved her life

She lands at the feet of a figure in red and black armor, a troll offers her hand to help her up "Run. Don't fight it. Just run"

She doesn't need to be told twice. She's running, and if she passes the nocker, she picks him up and carries him.

And she tries not to look at the creatures she can't save.

She can try to grab one of them too, if she does but it'll be catch as catch can

She does! She reaches out for whomever is closest.

"You okay?" the troll nearby grabs someone too , her dragon head shield upraised

She sounds familiar

She doesn't pause, but says, "I'm not hurt."

She doesn't slow unless the sounds of that thing seem to be further back. If it's pursuing them, she keeps going.

the golden trod turns into a slide... splitting... and the thing howls in the distance Damn Yule! Damn The Kithain! Damn the star of gold that seeks to bring dreams slain back! It will not last.. it will FALL before the Dark!

But the tendrils are no longer reaching them...

Sylvi keeps running a bit longer, but eventually slows and dares a glance back.

Out of hundreds of dreams that were striving, perhaps a dozen have made it...

"Well, there's a silver trod.. drop down on it and it should lead you to Rivervale" Kelby tells her "You okay?"

It was a massacre, Sylvi thinks, stricken. But still... Some made it. Be grateful for that. She slows to a stop and sets down her passengers....Then STARES.

"KELBY?!"

"You're...you're HERE!"

"I am..." She says "Oh my gosh! Sylvi! Hey... I remember you!" She hugs her TIGHT "I remember you!"

McKeever "So you two have met?"

Sylvi returns the hug, hard. "I didn't know....! Kelby, I've missed you so much! Are you on your way back? I know you'd be, like, a baby, but...oh, the DeBukes would be so happy to see you!"

"Baby?" She grins "Is that what you think? Ken me"