Dark Tales From Dandelion

1

Vance knew of the phase-shifter tailing him; he’d known since the second Veil when the phase-shifter had risen from the waves to cross the island behind Vance. The phase-shifter could have been just another traveller on the path toward the Woman in White, but Vance was too good at reading people by their subtle movements and vibrations—something made easier by the helmet’s vibration reading capabilities.

No, the phase-shifter was definitely following him in the careful, measured way that only a tail would move in. He’d have to keep an eye on the man as he continued. Vance had had a pleasant time with the light creatures—had one of them looked like Genna? He may have been projecting his new obsession onto the creatures, allowing his true desires to invade his actual experiences.

The shifter had not been in that strange little town with the well that led to the light creatures, but Vance guessed this was just how the Loose String in the mountain wall worked. As he walked, he cleaned his seven-shooter revolver, put the pieces back together, then took off his helmet and oiled the jacks. It felt good to take off the thing, even though the helmet cooled his head when it got too hot with recycled air from the outside world, he still got a little claustrophobic inside of it when he had it on for too long. He wasn’t overly worried about the phase-shifter, because if he wanted to hurt Vance, he would have by now, but Vance didn’t need the helmet to fight a phase-shifter. He’d taken them on before, and between the downloaded Ken-Phae training, his Rocco class one skill level in the Rocco Way, and the helmet’s vibration readers, he didn’t have much to worry about with one phase-shifter following behind.

Vance’s thoughts turned to Genna. He still had a little while before he would get to the battle test of the third Veil. Her beautiful, round blue eyes, her long orange colored hair, like the color brown and red fucked and had a baby, giving birth on top of her head. How romantic. Maybe you should tell her that nex’ time you see her, Vance thought, rolling his eyes at how ridiculous it sounded.

That dimple … he wanted to crawl into that dimple and fall asleep forever. For some reason Vance couldn’t explain though, he couldn’t quite remember Genna’s face but for remote aspects. It was like he hadn’t stared at it long enough yet to be able to recall it and look at the whole picture, there were only shadows and fading features that came and went, never together; this only made him need to see the mystery of her more, again and again, until he could take her with him wherever he went instead of carrying these fractured phantoms.

Vance put his head down a bit, sneaking a look behind him to see if the phase-shifter was there, but he was gone. Voiddamnit, thought Vance, keeping enough presence about him to not look all around very obviously. He just aimed his head down on either side, itching the top of it around the ports, while he sneaked looks behind him to look for the man. Nothing. Vance started to put his helmet back on and pretended to fumble it, dropping it on the ground behind. He turned around and bent down to pick it up, looking at the landscape behind him.

There was no longer a phase-shifter behind him, just a large field of grass, trees, some rocks and the mountains to either side. The wind blew. Vance worried he was having another hallucination. He put on his helmet, allowing the fiber-optic wires and nerves in his brain to reach up and connect with the helmet’s own, then clicked it into place. The screen lit up with an intense energy, outlining a form that was at least seven feet tall, maybe eight. Vance jumped back and drew his fang blade from his back and his gun from its holster on his right hip. The reddish-green energy form just stood there, seeming to look at Vance. I am losing my motherfuckin’ mind. He retracted the helmet’s visor so he could look at the red-green thing with his eyes. Without the visor, he saw nothing but the landscape again. He put the visor back down and saw the energy form. It didn’t seem hostile; it just stood there, but then it waved in greeting. Vance raised the hand holding the sword in acknowledgement of the wave. Then the creature beckoned to Vance and started walking in the direction of the next Veil. It’s going to the Veil?

He looked around. No phase-shifter. Had it all been in his mind? Some people would argue that everything was indeed, but Vance had come and gone from that place and had no need to seek the answer now.

Fuck it man, what am I gonna do? Fuck it to death? He thought; the thing did look similar to the light creatures he’d enjoyed time with back in that well. He put his gun away but kept the blade out and attuned the Inner Vibrations. He kept a close eye on the energy form through his visor, while trying to also keep a discreet eye on the landscape behind him to watch for the possible return of the following phase-shifter. Nothing came of it, however, for the phase-shifter did not return and the energy form just kept walking with its long stride toward the third Veil.

2

Vance looked at the big translucent wall of the third Veil, remembering his first go at it so many years ago. He made it through one of the shadow opponents before having both legs broken, and almost being killed before he was transported to the other side of the Veil by the Woman in White. Is that what this energy thing is? Did Mama send it to walk with me? This thought made Vance feel very warm inside, like a hit of a drug that was rare and usually didn’t come to town clean, but this time he got the shit uncut. She was the first person who’d shown Vance unconditional love and the idea of her sending vibrations specifically to travel with him was the best welcome home he could have asked for. This thought also brought with it a crushing guilt for what he was actually here to do. Was the money really worth it? Why did it have to be those names written on the paper?

He looked at the energy form and gave it a nod, then put his blade in the left hand and raised his right hand in the Gesture and said: “To you.” The thing didn’t respond, but walked into the third Veil, disappearing as it walked through, the walls not sticking to it whatsoever. Vance shrugged, then drew his gun, switched his weapons between hands and walked through the Veil. As the final bits of the wall unstuck themselves and retracted back to their source, he looked up and noticed the outline of the energy form was in here with him, but it now took on a completely black, shadowy form. What in the actual fuck ….

“Hello,” it said. “I’m Vermilion, what’s your name?” The thing that called itself Vermilion had what looked like shadowy seven-shooters on its hips. A Drake? Vance thought as he looked at it in awe. The Boost was still strong, so this couldn’t be psychosis from a comedown or from lack of sleep, he’d slept just fine last night. Was this the thing he had to face? Was this the way the Mother was going to test him this time? Man, FUCK this third Veil boleshit, he thought as he raised his seven-shooter up to the face of the shadow thing. “NO! Please! I’ve already been shot in the face once in this Voiddamned Veil. Can you just hear me out?”

“Why should I? I been through this shit befoe. I think the Woman in White is just up to some slick shit,” Vance responded.

“I thought the same thing! Please! You have to listen.”

“I don’ have to do shit motherfucker,”Vance said as he cocked the hammer.

The thing that called itself Vermilion moved faster than Vance had ever dreamed of moving, and as it did, Vance fired the gun. Vermilion was now behind Vance with his own gun cocked and ready to fire, pointing at the back of Vance’s skull.

“Okay, I tried to ask you nicely. I’m not going to fire, but I will keep this aimed at you and if you try to fire your gun again—I will be faster and more skilled with my weapon than you are with yours, and I will fire. My ghost shot will be faster than yours if you have one,” Vermilion said. Vance was completely still, baffled by his present circumstances. He was so Voiding fast, he thought.

“Alright, man. You got me. I gotta ask how you got so fuckin’ fast, though. I aint neva seen nobody move like that.”

“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me probably. Let’s just say I’ve had an awful lot of time to practice. Now, I introduced myself to you, I expect you to return the courtesy,” Vermilion said, pushing the barrel of the gun into Vance’s head a bit more beneath the helmet. Shit, Vance thought. I’m fucked.

“Vance.”

“What?”

“Vance. V-A-N-C-E. You got pilgrim shit in your ears?” Vance said.

“You’re awful shit-talky for someone who’s got a gun pointed at his ears,” Vermilion responded.

“Yeah, well maybe I’m ok with it either way, Vermilion. I don’t think it really matters.”

“Alright save the fucking apathy for someone who cares, man, I’m just trying to explain my situation to you and hopefully, if you’re a halfway decent person, you will help me. We can talk about nothing mattering later after we’ve settled this; we don’t have a lot of time before the Veil realizes you haven’t moved and throws the shadow things at us.” Vance didn’t really have a choice.

“Ok, I’ll listen.”

“Can I move my gun?”

“I think you can?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yes you can. You’ve got me, Vermilion.” Vermilion lowered his gun and Vance slowly turned around to face him.

3

Putnam watched The Drifter as he entered the third Veil. He’d taken the form of a small bug, one of the potentials that had thankfully presented itself to him—this open landscape wasn’t ideal for either his oily form or the Deva-tar-ta, if one was trying to be discreet. Putnam flew toward the third Veil and entered, grabbing a phase warp in the air as he did, the dissonance warbling in his ears as he shifted back to his oily form and drew his sword. It was much easier to fight when Putnam assumed this form, because he didn’t have to fight against the pull of the potential beckoning him to the other side. In their original form, a phase-shifter was more deadly with a sword than most forms they could take when shifting. Except maybe that fish thing I became, Putnam thought, cringing a bit at the thought of eating through the other monster’s brain underneath the lake.

4

“—Time moves differently there, you see. So I was there for years. I don’t know how much time has passed here, however.” He paused and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “It’s like a backwards reflection of our world, so anything I thought may be familiar was practically the opposite of the thing I’d come to know in this potential reality,” Vermilion said to Vance. A black oily shape appeared behind Vance with a sword drawn. “Looks like our first one. Behind you.” Vance spun around, his sword in hand, attuning the vibrations and pushing out with a diminishing mantrum that would make the target smaller than it was, but the thing was too fast, moving like a cloak with no body inside, shifting this way and that, making it nearly impossible to vibrate into it. Vermilion moved almost as fast as this thing, but not quite. Vance drew his gun and began to shoot, and as he did, the thing danced forward, dodging the bullets—his and Vermilion’s, as the Drake had also started firing, running a circle around the oil shape, firing his ghost shots as he did, but it made no difference, the oil was faster—then, before Vance knew, the oil-shape’s blade was at his throat, pressing painfully against it. Vance attuned a shielding vibration, pushing it out, making the blade shakily move back for a moment, but then it pushed back through, working on Vance’s fatigue and breaking his concentration.

“Go ‘head,” Vance said to it through gritted teeth.

“Why are you attacking me, and why are you here?” said the shape.

Vermilion cocked the hammer of his gun.

“Tell your friend to put his gun down on the ground or your throat gets cut.”

“Put the gun down, Vermilion,” Vance said, and he heard the gun thump down on the ground.

“Now please, answer my questions.”

“We attackin’ you ‘cause you fuckin’ scared us. This is the Veil where you’re supposed to attack black shapes that fuckin’ rush you,” Vance said.

“I’ll give you that. But why are you here?”

“Oh, you sneaky FUCK!” Vance said, his eyes widening, realizing this was the phase-shifter that had been following him.

“Vance, maybe don’t yell so much at the thing that has an edge to your neck?” Vermilion commented.

“Shut up! This motherfucker has been followin’ me since the second Veil, probably before then. I shoulda known you woulda changed into a fuckin’ bug or some shit!”

“What are you doing here?” The phase-shifter asked again, pressing the blade into Vance’s flesh, drawing a tiny bead of blood. Vance choked against the pressure.

“Goin’ … ta see … the Mother,” Vance said.

“And what is he? The big black shape? Is he a creature of this Veil?”

“Ask … Him …” Vance said, shifting his eyes toward Vermilion. “Or … you can move … yo fuckin’ steel.”

Putnam did nothing of the sort.

“I am a Drake of Karad-Dürn. You’re familiar with potentials, phase-shifter?” Vermilion said. The phase-shifter didn’t respond, so Vermilion continued. “This Veil is kind of like a very large phase warp. Kind of. It’s a catoptric castula. I’m not sure if the Woman in White knows, but her Veil has been compromised. Something got through, using a special kind of bullet, took my daughter, and left me in its place on the other side, but instead of having my daughter strapped to my chest, there was a bundle of blankets in her place. I was there for years and discovered that my daughter and the Woman in White are both in danger. Can one of you tell me what year it is?”

“DG3000,” said the phase-shifter. “Summer One.”

“So there hasn’t been much time that’s passed, which means that the ünta that got through with its idder—Red is what it called itself—could still be stopped, if they haven’t reached the tower yet,” Vermilion said.

They all fell silent for a few clicks. Vance was craning his neck back away from the blade, he and the phase-shifter both looking at Vermilion.

“What the fuck is any o’ that shit?” Vance asked, exasperated.

“What do you mean?” Vermilion said.

“I think your friend here—what’s your name?” the phase-shifter asked, looking back at Vance.

“Vance. And yours?”

“Unimportant. I think Vance is referring to the words ‘ünta’ and ‘idder’ that you used to describe this Red character,” said the phase-shifter.

“Ah yes. I was there for too long and forgot that most of this potential reality is unaware of the endos,” Vermilion said, looking off into the sky.

“I think he may be fucked, man. Or we’re being seriously fucked with,” Vance said to the phase-shifter out of the corner of his mouth. Or I’m just being seriously fucked with for all my fuckeries since I been gone, Vance thought.

“Endo? Does that have anything to do with an endoheist?” the phase-shifter inquired, ignoring Vance.

“Endo is a potential reality, or the space of potential realities. It also is used to describe your experience of reality which is unique to you,” Vermilion said. “From what I understand, an endoheist is an interdimensional beast that sucks up the endo in one focused area. How do you know about—”

“Nevermind. Why is it so many things? The endo, I mean,” The phase-shifter asked.

“It’s a homonym. Like the word band—it can mean ‘a group’, or it can mean ‘a ring’. The meaning of the word is completely dependent on the context,” Vermilion replied.

“I know what a homonym is, thank you,” said the phase-shifter, “what about the other two words?”

“Ünta and idder?” Vermilion asked. The phase-shifter nodded his head. “Ünta is your consciousness, your mind, your awareness. Idder is the personality or group of things you’ve attached your ünta to and now believe define who you are.”

“So an awareness got through, with it’s personality, and is now in your body? Is it a phase-shifter?” The phase-shifter said.

“No. It is a shape-shifter. That’s what it’s called there. They have a similar order to that of the phase-shifters though. Red took my shape and has the fastest ghost shot I’ve seen or heard of. He has my daughter, Prudance, and I need to get her back. We all need to get her back,” Vermilion said.

“And why exactly do we need to do that?” asked the phase-shifter.

“She is the key that will unlock the Woman in White’s head,” Vermilion replied.

“The fuck?” Vance said.

“I don’t know. That’s what the Merrilore told me when I went to her. You have to stop Red. Please. I was traveling with a group, and if it’s still Summer One here, they shouldn’t be too far ahead. They were heading to an Inn called Lack-A-Daisy’s in the Endynas—”

“Wait. What are their names?” Asked the phase-shifter.

“There’s an old man named Quint who looks like he was struck by lightning, grey-white beard and hair, glasses. A woman named Fiona who carries a sword much like yours, phase-shifter. A man who babbles and can’t really do much else—his name is Carter, then there’s a sesnickie named Pip, and my daughter Prudance who is most likely strapped to Red.”

Vance felt sick. He emptied his stomach on the phase-shifter’s sword and face.