The Keepers of Chaos: A Vault of Hell

Markos Amanodel: XXIII

Kindness for his Nightmares: XXIII

Markos reentered the building, his body sore and his mind racing. "If you keep at it you'll be able to do more than summon lightning." Herod added helpfully. For the best three hour's Markos had the components and requirements to summon a witch bolt drilled into his skull, along with the differences between cantrips and spells.

"Well.. I have actually casted some magic before." Markos admitted as they walked together back to the manor. Markos wasn't all that good at it just yet, but he knew he could get better. After their 'teaching' as they put it, Riu was pretty exhausted. Markos could see that looking over at her white hair it was no longer in its normal combed length over her sides, instead now messy and thrown in random directions. Herod was not much better, Markos giggled lightly.

"Really what kind of magic?" Riu inquired. Her voice was slightly higher pitched and definitely showed the wear of teaching him magic. Markos looked over, meeting her blue eyes.

"Plannar shifting!" He exclaimed. Herod gave him a shocked look before he broke out laughing, his green eyes showing his utter confusion and disbelief. Well.. he knew that his siblings did not find it funny.

"Yeah.. planar shifting.. Sure Markos." Herod replied as he laughed. Riu joined in and Markos just frowned.

"Well, It's late.." Markos said suddenly. "We should all be getting some sleep." He stared at the stairwell leading to the rooms on the upper floors, if they were being honest with themselves sleeping in the rooms they claimed didn't fair well, afterall according to Asher and Adleth who had actually gone to each guild, they were infested with termites and other problems.

'You could burn it all.' Markos cringed as another whisper went through his head. Of course now was the time he had to hear some idiot's perspective.

'What if we just tried blowing it up!' Another whisper. Markos shook his head.

'I'm me.' Markos thought. 'And I'm in control.' He stared at the floor of the tavern where Herod, Adleth and Riu were currently sitting on a blanket discussing who knows what.

"Markos." Markos turned to see Asher's concerned eyes. "You ok?" Markos went to open his mouth, he wasn't ok he knew that, he was far from ok, but at this point he had no comment, how could he? While he grew more comfortable with the group he found himself landing on worse rolls of the dice like his insanity was just going out of control.

'No. I'm not insane.' Markos told himself. 'I'm fine.' he took a deep breath before nodding. "I'm fine Asher."

"Well, I don't know about all of you, but I've dealt with enough random shit today. I will sleep." Alekzandr said firmly. Alekzandr pulled out a bedroll from his backpack as Asher did the same, now while Asher's bedroll was new and freshly purchased to replace the one he had.. recently lost. Alekzandr's was a dark blue with tattered edges and a clear picture of age on it. As he unfurled it on the ground. Markos threw his yellow cloak to the floor.

'Is that what you want, Pharaoh?' Markos could practically hear its voice as he stared at the cloak, a spoil of victory, a victory he wished he hadn't even needed. He set a few things from his bag onto the cloak. He could tell that while Adleth, Herod, and Riu had yet to even start to try and sleep, he was going now. At least he had Alekzandr and Asher nearby. Perhaps his dreams.. Would be merciful.

They were.. not. He received no such mercy. He felt his mind tear in two as he slept, his body plunged under the oceans as he witnessed a city glowing in the distant depths. Non Euclidean geometry reached out with tall spirals that seemed to double in on themselves, roads in which Markos could see both the beginning and ending as they sat next to one another. It was a city unlike any other, and a city he dreaded to see. A booming deep voice came to him, muffled from the distance as it called out in a guttural language; Markos could understand yet he could not make out the words. The water was a freezing cold that bit at every inch of his skin, as he pleaded the waves to become undone to be rescued from this hell. Whispers intruded his mind, he thrashed in the deep blue, and called out for help screaming under the waves though he knew no hope would come. Oxygen was ripped from his lungs as he screamed his ankles feeling as if they weighed a hundred tons as he felt himself being dragged downward towards the sunken city. His thalassophobia went off as Markos tried to close his eyes, eyes that could not shut. "I'm not here, I'm not.. This isn't.." He felt the panic rise in his throat as air spilled from it, until no air continued. Markos tried to take deep breaths to remember he was sleeping. It was all a dream, a dream he told himself as his lungs filled with sea water and slime. He clenched his already closed eyes shut but it did nothing as he saw the green and white city below him. At once a deep sound could be heard churning below as he looked down and saw a racing object coming for him, he could not truly see it but could feel the dragon arm reaching for him. He felt the fear fill his body as he desperately paddled for it miles away from him, the water kept shifting as whatever came for him got closer and closer. Markos breathed in the salty water before a hand gripped him