Silver Swords

Cool, dark midnight surrounded Acacia Venhana. Venturing just a few miles outside of the city, she came across a small group of trees, tall and slightly red, not dissimilar to the ones for which she was named. Pulling a long wine-red blanket from her pack, she laid it across the soil, crossing her legs as she sat.

One by one, eight crystal spheres, grey in color, appeared from her satchel, which she placed in a circle around her. When the final was placed, some of them began to glow. The first, ahead of her, a brilliant white. Across it, all-encompassing black. To her right, glowing blood-red, and opposite that, illustrious royal blue. She nodded as each began to shine, expecting such a result. As the final sphere glowed, she looked eagerly at the remaining four, still dull grey.

Expectantly, she waited, hoping for change. Minutes, then hours, with nothing to show for it. She nearly gave up, but stopped just inches from a sphere, which set itself aglow with vibrant yellow as she moved to pick it up.

"Yellow. Cute. But what does it mean?" She said aloud, as if expecting an answer.

She sat, observing the glowing spheres, now five in total. White, black, red, blue, yellow. Internally, she took a guess at what the other three might be, though she knew there was little reason for it.

She sensed something. Deathly quiet, but not entirely silent. She could feel it stalking her, circling around her, about ten paces away. She closed her eyes. The noise grew clearer, and closer, until it was right on top of her. Her mind reached out to elsewhere, another place entirely. Another state of being, that of utter calm. Fear melted away as she pulled herself back, and only focus remained.

The hunter became the hunted, as it leaped forward, jagged yellow teeth snarling. Acacia sprung up above it, arcing through the air, two twin blades whipping from their scabbards, then disappearing just as quickly. She landed a few feet ahead, eyes still closed. Behind her, a yelp of pain came out from the creature, as two deadly slashes gushed out dark green blood. One of the wounds rumbled across it's Body, trembling and widening over time. The other lightly shined with white light, shimmering and burning into the flesh.

With a final cry of death, the creature fell limp. It was only at that moment that Acacia opened her eyes, turning to inspect what she had slain. Four legs, each abnormally long in comparison to the rest of it's body. It had no eyes, but bore empty sockets where they may have once been. Viscous slime poured from it's Mouth, burning the ground in a pool at the base of it's Head. Dark, bulging protrusions littered it's body, pulsating softly, even after death.

Another noise. But different. Still, the Drow closed her eyes, and sought that inner calm. This time, her eyes opened, scanning the perimeter. Another creature approached, small than the first. From the brush rose the shape of a black hound, with golden yellow eyes, a third blazing across it's forehead. She did not draw her swords. Instead, she watched, keeping hold of her senses.

The black wolf raised it's head at her, before lowering it, and sniffing. It made it's way to the first creature, snarling as it came close. It reeled back, facing the moon. From the depths of it's body, it let loose a howl. Soon, it was joined by another, in the distance. Then a third, fourth, tenth, twentieth. Acacia could neither see nor hear them move, but she felt their presence.

The first of the wolves approached her, sitting down at her feet. Cautiously, she inspected it. For what seemed to be a wild beast, it was remarkably clean. Across it lay more small streaks of gold, seemingly at random. It raised a paw, which she promptly took. She lifted it up and down, letting go as it pulled away. It stood, circling in place, before laying down, curled up like a ball.

Acacia felt no evil from the creature, nor from it's Companions. Even a further heightening of her senses, momentarily blessed by divine magic, did not detect any. With little to lose, she too curled up on the ground, joining the creature in slumber.

When her eyes opened, they saw a land wholly different from whence she came. Vast, ice covered mountains dotted the earth, out unto the horizon. The sky was not the vibrant blue of day, nor the darkness of night, but a yellow expanse, broken only by the occasional cloud. On a cliff above her, she saw the wolf looking down to her. She felt a sensation, unfamiliar to her. She felt meaning, but there were no words. Only implication, and emotion. The feeling came from the beast, and she understood what it meant.

"You have joined the hunt. The first kill is yours, Night-Slayer."

She raised an eyebrow, not speaking, but trying to communicate in the same way it had.

"Is it? I see. Then I have stolen that glory from you, have I?"

The Wolf crooked it's Head to the side.

"There is no glory in the killing of Darkspawn. Only the hunt."

Acacia crossed her arms.

*Darkspawn?* She thought, before responding.

"Then you know what that thing was, do you? What, then?"

"Shadow-Runner. A gruesome creature. But your twin fangs were sharp, Night-Slayer."

*Night-Slayer. That was her, then? Lucien would probably find that 'cool'. Liliana, too.*

Before she could say anything else, the wolf raised it's head, looking to the right. From that direction, more howls came. It began pacing, before running off, disappearing. Acacia went to follow, but managed to stop herself.

*That's enough for now. Need to get back. Need to go home. Wake up. Wake up!*

And so she did. The buzz of insects filled her ears as she raised her head up from the dirt. Wiping her face with a sleeve, she held the hilts of her blades. Letting go, she stretched out her arms, taking in her surroundings. The wolves were gone, and the glowing spheres were in her bag once more.

*Only a dream*, she thought. Surely, that was all. But she knew that dreams could be just as real as the waking world. Perhaps, when the time was right, she would return to that world. The World of Dreams.