Journey to the City of Dreamers

Expedition

Matsumoto Ooawagaeri and Alice of Diamonds were still recovering from their bizarre encounter with The Dodo when Alice finally saw fit to share what had been bothering her throughout their travels. Each time they encountered another creature, be it the Cats of Ulthar, the Cheshire Cat, or even Yeb of the Whispering Mists, each had completely disregarded her as a mere Figment. Rather than talk to a bunch of sentient dreamstuff, they instead much preferred to converse with Ooawagaeri, a true Dreamer.

The elder Matsumoto probed a bit, asking Alice about things she remembered and things she did not. From her answers, a curious picture began to emerge. Even though she had died in The White Rabbit Bowl and should have no knowledge of the outcome, Alice of Diamonds was still able to confidently answer who had won. What's more, she possessed a relatively intimate knowledge of The Enchanted Wood and remembered serving the Queen of Diamonds for all her life despite really having only existed for a few days total. It was clear then that someone was pulling the strings, altering Alice's view of reality to suit their own purposes, whether it be The Dodo or someone else. This made her quite mad. She had decided that they would next work on making her "whole," however that might be done. As Ooawagaeri was currently inhabiting her sword, he seemed to be along for the ride.   With the comatose King of Hearts safely in hand, the two began to consider how they would return to Ex Arce Adamantem and report to the Queen. The Castle of Diamonds was unique in that it had hardly any aerial profile, with most of the structure buried beneath a canopy of vines. Combined with the twisting, unsteady nature of the Wood itself, this made it quite difficult to find, especially from the air. Ooawagaeri decided to take a risk and teleported the two back to where he thought the castle was. It worked, but the experience was not the same as a usual teleport. Ooawagaeri felt as though he were falling, slipping through some tear in reality into a dark emptiness where enormous, globular spheres turned to watch as he plummeted past. The sensation lasted for less than a minute, after which he found himself on steady ground once again, just outside the castle as he had planned. Alice was visibly shaken as well, apparently having experienced the same thing herself.   That was quite a mystery, but duty came first, and so Ooawagaeri and his wielder marched once again into the Adamantem and sought an audience with the queen. Regal as always, the Queen of Diamonds was pleased with their delivery of The King of Hearts. True, this version of the jolly little man would do nothing except laugh when his tummy was poked, but even a catatonic King would work well enough for whatever political machinations the Queen was devising. With a few words to Alice and her sword as well, the Queen dismissed them for the rest of the day, bidding her knight to return on the morrow for another mission.   Their destiny was now in their hands, and Alice was eager to make for somewhere they might find a way to elevate her from Figment to something greater. Celephaïs, City of Dreamers, seemed like the most logical destination. Thinking of that caused an image of Jericho Petalwing to once again flit through Ooawagaeri's head. With it came a tugging, a flutter of heartstrings that pointed him somewhere to the northwest. That, Alice suggested, was exactly where they'd find the City. It was not too far, just over a mountain range and a strait in that direction. Ooawagaeri upgraded the Fly spell he was still maintaining on Alice and, after taking a few moments to adjust to her newfound speed, they were off.   Compared to the chaos that had followed them through the Enchanted Wood, their journey over the mountains and sea was quite uneventful. Soon, Celephaïs was clearly visible on the horizon. Tucked in a natural bay, the port city glittered like a jewel under the midday dream-sun. Shining towers and innumerable stained-glass windows caught the light to reflect a vista truly unlike anything they might find on Earth.   Alice managed to slow her descent with a bit of advice from her companion, then landed on one of the many wharfs that branched out from the harbor proper. It was incredibly busy here, porters and shiphands bustling this way and that with heavy cargo piled up in their arms. This was the most populous place Ooawagaeri had yet seen in the Dreamlands. Surely they couldn't all be dreamers. After nearly being overrun several times, Alice fled from the scene, finding her way out of the throng and into a small plaza just to the east. Atop a flight of stairs leading to this place, a pleasant fountain bubbled and gurgled. Aside from the stone statue decorating it, Alice and her sword were the only guests there, and she could rest for a moment.   They spoke then briefly about who they would find to help with her situation. Kuranes was the obvious answer, that self-styled King of Dreamers. He seemed like a difficult man to find, however. Alice suggested that he might reside in the grandest building at the center of Celephaïs, but Ooawagaeri knew of someone closer by who might be able to help. Jericho. Again the thought struck him and again it was as though a skilled lutist ran their delicate fingers over his heartstrings. He knew, then, that Jericho Petalwing had to be in the port from which they'd just departed.   After gathering her courage, Alice was ready once again to brave the crowds of wharfhands and make her way through the maze of docks and ship masts. Their journey was only mildly perilous; the rushing sailors seemed to have no malice toward Alice, and indeed hardly spared her a second glance despite her strange clothing. Eventually they came to a grand ship, resplendent in its craftsmanship and towering sails. This was their destination; a fact that Ooawagaeri confirmed by sensing Jericho's familiar rose-pink aura through the hull of the ship. There was a gangplank lowered for the irregular traffic on and off the ship, but the elder Matsumoto decided to try a different approach.   From his cabin within, Jericho was drawn out by a series of shouts implying that his beloved Aotsuki Tsukamoto was drowning in the bay. Upon looking over the ship's rail, he saw only Alice of Diamonds with a great, heavy sword slung across her back. When that sword began speaking in his friend, Matsumoto Ooawagaeri's voice, he was truly intrigued. Always the gracious host, Jericho Petalwing welcomed them both aboard his ship, and the three had a chat sitting on boxes and barrels near the vessel's edge.   Jericho understood Alice's predicament almost at once. The thing separating a Figment from a Dreamer, he explained, was no more than the lack of a soul. If someone were to cast Create Soul on her or something similar, that should solve all of her woes. That was powerful magic, though, and beyond Jericho's abilities. Ooawagaeri, however, was stunned. He knew that spell, and was able to cast it right there to grant Alice a soul. Somehow, he'd thought it would be more complicated than that.   Alice, too, found the situation a bit anticlimactic. Now blessed with a true soul, a Dreamer in her own right, she somehow felt... almost the same. There was a bit more light in her eyes, a bit more blush on her cheeks, both things that Jericho immediately picked up on, but nothing as monumental as she had perhaps expected. Still, their quest was complete; successful thanks to Petalwing's hospitality. Their discussion moved from there on to Ooawagaeri's own strange situation. Jericho was able to confirm that the elder Matsumoto was now a Dreamer, albeit a very curious one to inhabit a weapon rather than a human-like body. The culprit, they found, was the small jewel Alice had mentioned, embedded just above the hilt of his sword-form. That little red gem held Ooawagaeri's soul. Probably, that was why he was able to access his magic and prana as well, despite not being in his usual body. Jericho suggested that they might be able to pluck that gem right out and put it on just about anything, should Ooawagaeri want a different sort of body. He considered it, uncomfortable with the idea that his soul was stored somewhere anyone might easily strike at it.   At least, Jericho was able to assure him, the situation wasn't permanent. As a Dreamer, Ooawagaeri would wake up hale and hearty as usual whenever his body did, and should have no troubles in attending the tournament the following morning.