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The darkness surrounded the scene and Allison woke up back in the void. The bubble retreated from her again. She was through with this. She launched herself off the ground and reached the edge of the darkness, pushing hard against it like it were a shell. She felt it gave way and she screamed as she pushed through. Her eyes opened overlooking the land below the side of the pass. A slight breeze passed over her, washing in relief and lightening the load on her body. The shadowed figures were nowhere to be seen.
The pressure on her was lessened, but wasn't fully gone. It still took some effort to pull herself up, but it was not the impossible task it seemed so before. She made it to her knees and through labored breaths pushed herself up to her feet. She instinctively reached her hand over to her armlet and felt the warmth of the concealed spear inside. She felt a unified presence within her and she felt the shadow of Jace over her shoulder. She was much too old to believe that he was physically there, but she knew always that he was with her.
She ran a hand through her hair and looked up at the morning sun. It sat haunting in the sky like a specter. The breeze betrayed the tense nature of the view, as it passed pleasantly against her skin. She turned at once to the spiraling mountain behind her, and her neck craned up as she struggled to get view of the peak. The mountain curved inward so she couldn't see over, but she knew if she continued on the path eventually she would reach it. Suddenly, she knew it was an inevitability—she'd overcome the darkness and fought through her own memories to get here. Choices of the past be damned, she was going to make it to the peak. She saddled her bag back on and stretched her aching muscles out. When she could delay it no longer, she started moving up the path.
As she approached the peak she could feel the effects of the pressure lessening more and more. She found the cusp of the peak as she approached. It dipped down into a crater as she saw the form of the creature she had seen so long ago. Digging into the mountain from the peak was Sakonna, a scaled body ending in a barbed tail that looked to be as thick as a tree trunk. There was an ethereal quality about the skin underneath the scales that reminded her of Issachar. Razor sharp claws slashed and tore at the earth and the face at the end of the long neck was like that of a performance mask.
"Sakonna, It's been a while," Allison said.
The dragon stopped digging, she could feel the air crack with energy. It was as if a presence turned inside the beast, yet the dragon itself did not move. "Allison Fae, you still yet live."
"You knew as much. You don't need to feign surprise."
"Regardless. It brings me interest to see how you've grown. You are far from the scared little girl who I met in that desert. It's good that you did not bring the human up here. I would have had no qualms about ending their life for coming up here. I have a feeling they would have been able to make it to the top."
"But yet you won't fight me."
"Of course I am able to fight, but I would not kill. And you similarly would not do the same, because you know that it would result in the death of all of those down below and then some. This world has seen enough fighting, don't you think?" Allison found herself in a similar position as she had all those years ago. She was stronger—much stronger than she ever could believe, and yet she still did not yet possess the capability to do what she wanted.
"I desire to see each of you punished for the pain you have caused, the lives you have taken, and the blatant disregard for life that you carry. However, I cannot kill you as you say. So I shall continue to find a way to stop you that does not involve such."
"You have other desires, do you not?"
Allison swallowed. "I also desire to find Issachar."
"Still a desire to see the vessel, is that it? Even in your most honorable of motives you still allow your personal goals to intermix."
Allison said nothing.
"Well, Allison, luckily, we come yet again at a crossroads where we can set aside our feelings for one another to both achieve what we desire."
"And what makes you think I'd do anything further that would help you?"
The dragon's neck finally craned around and she saw the same blank stare on its face. She could almost envision a crooked smile forming. "Because, you would not be considering it if your personal goal were not so important to you. You'd be willing to let your other goals slip away if only slightly to move slightly closer to finding the vessel."
Even if she didn't want to say it, deep down she knew that this was the case. Otherwise she wouldn't have come. She knew the odds, she knew the chances of finding some way to fully stop them on the way was slim to none. It would take dedicated research and resources in order to discover that...she knew what an opportunity to encounter one of the Creatures of the Night meant.
"So, what would you want in exchange?"
"The fragment of the Monoliths that you carry with you."
Allison was taken aback. "No, absolutely not."
The two of them stared at each other for a moment. Allison took a step forward. "I plan to keep it."
"Then I shall plan to refuse you yours," Sakonna said.
"No, I don't think you will," she said, defiant. "You need it. As much as I desire my goal, I do not need it. My bartering chip is I hide it somewhere you'll never find it."
"There is nowhere I cannot find," Sakonna said.
Allison said nothing in return. She simply stood still. "Who knows, maybe down the line we'll find a way to get what we both desire in a way that doesn't sit unwell with the both of us, and maybe then I'll be more willing to part with it. But you'll never know if you don't see that time come."
Sakonna was quiet now. She was thinking over her options. "I guess you win, Allison. I accept those terms. For now it is not imperative I gather that fragment. I must ask that you reveal you still currently possess it on your person."
Allison chuckled, rubbing her hand over her armlet and extending the Lance of Longinus to its full length. "Trust may seem foreign to you, but I stick to my word."
"Cut the venom," Sakonna said. "Trust goes so far as the word carries."
"So, with that, where is Issachar?"
"So eager," Sakonna began. "Patience leads us all to what we seek. First I must finish my job here. Buried within this mountain is the rest of that which you bare so proudly, the Black Monolith."
Allison gripped the lance tighter. "Then hurry it up." She retracted the lance back into her armlet and sat along the edge of the crater.
Sakonna turned back around and continued to dig into the crater further. There was nought a word shared between them until she stopped digging. A light spilled from under the earth and it drew even Allison's attention toward the crater. She stood back up and looked down as Sakonna's claws grabbed at the pitch black material that seemed to glow around the edges. It drew her attention immediately.
"The Monoliths are the key to returning us to where we came. You're already aware of the power that even a fraction of them can hold," Sakonna said. Allison could see the full view of the object, it looked like a diamond shaped crystal. A chunk out of the center had been carved out neatly, and she felt a warmth on her left wrist as the lance resonated. "They act as keys to the central unit, and can take the shape of most anything. The entirety of what I do is to eventually gather every single one. Long ago, I acted in unison with my siblings to gather each of the treasures. Things as of late...have changed significantly."
Allison remained silent.
"The truth of why I am unable to negotiate for better charges is the severity of how much has changed." Her head turned back toward Allison again. "I am dubbed a murderer in most of my sibling's eyes. There is chaos where there once was unity."
Allison couldn't believe it. Was this some level of actual need from the beast? Allison thought it best to hold and wait what come.
"In truth, I am not as solid in my pursuits that which we disagree on as I used to. I still desire to see the Monoliths recollected, the world of before brought forward, but I am...confused on recent events. I wonder if there is not a toxin that has spilled in the pool to lay ruin to what we see, and if so, if that is truly right."
"Why do you tell me this?" Allison asked.
"I guess I am asking for your help, Allison Fae. And I know by itself that would be a laughable action. But I still call Issachar an ally. So, really, I only ask that when we meet up with Issachar we seek to find the source of the toxin. This works in your favor if your goal is to see our goals crushed completely...or as you hope—maybe naively—to see everyone at peace."
The opportunity was there, it was out in the open. Allison thought there with the options lying out on the table. Standing with one monolith in tow, including her own fragment that which she obtained so long ago at this point...she wondered if there wasn't a way that this could work out. The situation before them seemed to be changing by the moment, and if she wasn't quick on the up she may be left behind.
"I see your situation. I am interested in seeing Issachar, and so I shall confirm with him. Then, and only then will I make my final decision if I continue in your company after that, but no sooner."
Sakonna stared at her, taking her full stature in. "You are a marvel, Allison Fae. Even for a half-breed, you are...stronger than I could have ever believed. You know, a small part of me considered killing you for the remaining monolith fragment. It wasn't a serious consideration—the destruction that would cause would push me away from that idea—but also...I'm not too sure I'd end up victorious in that fight now. You have...an inexorable will."
"Flattery won't affect my decision," Allison said.
"It wasn't meant to," Sakonna stretched out her long neck and beat out her long wings. "But I am prepared to leave if you are coming along. We shall meet Issachar along the way."
Allison stood staring at the dragon. In one fell swoop she made the decision she's wanted to since she was fourteen years old. She ran over and climbs onto the dragon's back.
"Come on then," Allison called, grabbing hold of her neck. "Take me to her."