i_weavedreams A Hope in Hell [Part 2]
Who: Kyle Rayner, and Morpheus (Special guest appearances by Nada, Azazel, and the full cast of Hell) What: War and Spoils Where: Hell. The Dreaming. Home. When: Immediately before this Note: Part 2. This log was over 18 pages in MS Word.
[Morpheus]: "We do not need to ssssstrike, Dreamlord," the demon-insect buzzed. "Death would only be a releassssse."
The demons were getting themselves worked up into a frenzy. He was taunting them, egging them on. Until he saw the glow drop from the gates. Dream swung the blade in his hand, drawing attention back on himself.
Azazel began to laugh. "Methinks the Endless is afraid," he said in a mocking tone. "Resorting to empty threats and bad cliche, Morpheus?"
The blade flashed in the crimson light, and bolts of light seared through Beelzebub, bringing the insect-like demon to a spluttering end. Dream’s midnight eyes burned, glaring at Azazel. "Remember to whom you speak, little demon. I am Dream of the Endless. You would do good to respect me." His gaze was on the many eyes on the demonlord, but in the corner of his vision, he saw the green glow return, and a similar-colored streak moving quickly towards him.
"Enough of this talk," said Azazel, angered by the attack. "Seize him!" The hoards on all sides of him charged at once.
The wings folded under Dream's cloak, and the Prince of Stories dropped like a stone from the sky.
[Kyle]: Kyle arrived just in time to hear the demon grab for Dream. One by one they seemed to go for him and Kyle wondered if he would actually be able to do anything against them.
With little though he created a net to catch Dream, for it looked to Kyle as if he was falling out of control. And at that speed, the impact would probably kill him. ...If death was possible. Or pain of any sort.
He went next to hoping that his creations would work against the hoardes attacking Dream, placing a temporary greenish shield over the man as he flew to him quickly.
[Morpheus]: Ah. A net. How creatively simple.
Dream dropped into the net, and looked up in time to see the first of the demons slam bodily into the shield. It was the impact of the ones that followed the first that mashed those bodies against the glowing green disc, and gore began to run down the sides. Morpheus regained his footing and stepped lightly into the air. The blade he weilded was a good one, with Celtic runes etched into the steel, and as it whistled through the air, light burst from the edge, running down the side to incinerate the first of the demons crawling over the sides.
"Lantern!" he called. "To the Gates! Hold them back!" He began to move in that direction, floating backwards, sword raised defensively as he watched the Horde.
"Leaving so soon, Dream King?" came a voice behind him. Dream turned, and there was Azazel dropping down behind him, a thousand teeth glittering in a malevolent smile.
[Kyle]: Kyle would have listened to Dream had he not seen the demon coming down at him as soon as he'd turned to obey. But there he was, like nothing Kyle had ever seen before. Focused and obviously ready to attack from the way he taunted.
Kyle hoped that it wouldn't be an affront to Dream's masculinity that he chose to turn back towards the battle and not towards the gates as had been ordered. He sent a decoy of himself that way instead, hoping that for a few moments the mass of demons would come down with a group stupidity.
He, in the meanwhile, would help here. Even if it was just for a few seconds. Dream couldn't be the only one who got to play with swords after all. Kyle fashioned one for himself before going for Azazel.
[Morpheus]: A being of a thousand eyes was Azazel, with a thousand teeth as well. But only two hands.
One behind him, pointed at the Lantern, the other pointed at the Dream King. From each came a stream of liquid fire, burning the very air as it rushed at them.
Morpheus reached into his cloak, hand slipping into the Dreaming and snatching a salt shaker from a table where a dreamer had disregarded the feast at the table for the more succulent taste of his hostess. Neither noticed the salt disappear. From Morpheus's hand, he threw it into the blaze coming at him and stilled it in the air. The hellfire, warded away by the simple mineral, washed around him like water over a stone. Curled behind his shield, Dream hoped the Lantern had survived the blast.
[Kyle]: Well... he'd survived.
But one could survive a lot of things. Sometimes that didn't mean much. He'd survived, but not with out injury it seemed. Kyle had to admit, that giant flow of fire was not something he'd been expecting at all and it had blown him back something fierce. It had been too late to set up a shield once he'd realized what was happening, so he'd had to take the brunt of it.
The good deal of his costume that ended up singed and ruined was easily replaced, and he did it as soon as he managed to push himself up from the ground. But that turned out to be not the best idea, as he hadn't been accounting for what the pain of fabric, even imagined fabric, on skin would do to fresh burns. There were plenty of them. Kyle felt every one of them as he began to fly again, the air touching by each.
Dream had come out of it alright, this was no surprise to Kyle. He'd probably known it was coming. Azazel looked unharmed as well. "Now what?" Kyle stared at Dream.
[Morpheus]: Maybe not completely alright. The flames had licked the edges of his cloak, and there was another assault of demons coming at his back. But Dream had seen their target already, hidden in the gaping maw of Azazel.
"The horns!" he called, throwing out another shield of salt to ward off the tieflings threatening his back. "Azazel has them!"
His cloak continued to burn, slowly, but now was no time to be concerned after fashion. Morpheus swung out the blade, light fragmenting off the edge and slicing through the demons three deep. Bodies fell to the ground, and Dream suddenly found himself sinking as well, as the weight of his cloak grew more and more cumbersome.
[Kyle]: "Tell me what to do," Kyle looked from Azazel back to Dream. There were several creative responses that he could think of, but the other being was the expert here. This was not Kyle's world, as the pain of the burns proved thoroughly.
He and the ring were at ready, and there was neat new green shield surrounding. He couldn't afford anymore injuries and he worried when it became apparent that Dream couldn't answer.
"Fuck," Kyle muttered under his breath before turning back to the main demon. He assumed he was the 'head'. Looked evil enough.
Kyle eyed him before raising an eyebrow. "That fire thing... pretty nice trick."
Banter and stalling talk. It was the first thing you learned in Superhero 101.
[Morpheus]: This was Hell. This was all worlds, and none. This was no more Dream's territory than the City. And his connection to the realm that was his source of power, was ebbing away.
It was the Key. The Key that was so imbued with the defenses and maintenance of Hell. It was starting to tear apart the careful construction of his cloak, and his connection to the Dreaming.
For now, the salt shields seemed to b holding up. Morpheus gripped the hilt of his borrowed blade, and went back to work on the waves of demons that continued to attack.
[Azazel]: Azazel was a typical villain. He loves to gloat. Pride was a sin, after all. The Demonlord opened his mouth and hissed at Kyle. exposing, for just an instant, the pair or horns secured inside his maw like molars. "I hold the powers of Hell, little mortal. Are you the hero that the Dream King has brought before us? What a sad ploy. You have no power here." As Azazel taunted, flames began to rise around him, like an aura of fire, burning brightly. "Surrender to me. Pledge your soul to Hell, and I shall spare your miserable existence."
[Kyle]: "Pledge my soul to..." Kyle trailed off, shaking his head as he floated in front of the demon. He smirked, as the question in his mind became what could he say to just royally piss this guy off?
That was always fun.
The sword in his hand disappeared for a moment, only to be replaced with a larger one which he decided would probably be better. "Can't pledge my soul to a place I'm probably not going to believe in again tomorrow. This is all just a dream," he grinned and gripped the sword, wondering if Azazel would open his mouth again. At a whim he envisioned and created a large set of chains. "And, I'd say my powers work pretty damned well."
[Azazel]: "A dream?" All of Azazel's eyes narrowed in anger. "We will crush the Dream King, little mortal. His bones will hang in the City of Dis for all eternity, while he still lives to feel the whips of flame sear his bones. Your powers are nothing to us."
And Azazel opened his mouth again, spewing forth another stream of hellfire at the impudent mortal.
[Kyle]: Not this time. Kyle had enough burns to last him the month. He dropped the chains, really meaning he left them floating in the air, and held up the sword he'd fashioned to meet the stream of fire.
The green glow around the sword intensified as the fire it against it and the shield it produced around Kyle's immediate vicinity. And while this time it was hot, Kyle received no more burn and when the stream was over he was able to drop the sword and look at Azazel smugly.
"A dream," he repeated. "And obviously, the little blue men have not paid you a visit, because I don't think you've heard of my power."
[Azazel]: "Your powers can mean nothing to the might of Hell!"
Azazel reached up with one hand, and a sword matching Kyle's appeared in his hand, glowing red from the hellfire that had created it. "I will feast upon your flesh while you watch for this!"
A circle of flames came up around them, and Azazel threw himself at Kyle.
[Kyle]: He would have retorted, probably commenting to Azazel that he needed to get rid of this arch-villain speech he had going on, but Kyle found himself too busy dodging. And dodging was rather tricky when surrounded by fire.
He moved in time to avoid being skewered by the sword, but that only placed him on the other side of the circle and soon they were back in the same position they'd started from.
He grasped for a bit of stalling time, throwing the chains he'd created, and more, over and around Azazel. He had no doubt they'd break, but at least he could buy time.
Kyle glanced upward. Taking it higher was going to be his only option to get out of this circle.
[Azazel]: The horns he'd stolen gave Azazel the power to break the chains. The flames that encircled them were subdued as he transferred power into his limbs, and then raised the sword to cut them away.
"Is that the best you can do, little firefly?" the archdemon sneered.
[Morpheus]: Far below them, Morpheus had landed back on the ground, no longer able to sustain the weight of his cloak while in flight. It was hard, painful to keep fighting, but there was nothing else to be done. He didn't dare reach back into his cloak. He could feel the heat of the Key even now. The Dreaming was burning. His cloak was smoldering. They needed to get out of Hell.
He didn't risk taking a look towards where Kyle and Azazel battled. There was too much at stake. He could only hope that Kyle was doing a hero's work.
[Kyle]: If running was a hero's work, then he was doing it. Kyle flew up quickly out of the circle of flames hoping that Azazel would follow. In fact, he prayed he would. And since Azazel seemed to think him a firefly, Kyle didn't spare the glow emanating from his body as he flew. Maybe that would give Azazel a beacon to follow.
Once out of the flames Kyle stopped and hovered in mid air. He turned to face Azazel should he choose to come out of his safe area. He clutched his sword, holding it so that the tip was pointed forwards.
"C'mon," he beckoned with his free hand. "The firefly wants to play." He had a plan. Maybe. Sort of. It depended on whether the demon could open his mouth without blowing fire from it.
[Azazel]: The demon fell for the taunt. He wouldn't let a mortal mock him, never. Azazel was already thinking up a million ways to punish the firefly, and not a one involved death. Not immediately. Not even for centuries.
He rose, moving swiftly, one hand raised and shooting balls of fire, sword in the other, trailing behind him.
[Kyle]: The sword blocked the fire effectively enough and when the demon was close enough, Kyle wasted no time in pushing forward aiming for his flank. He used the ring, placing various obstacles in Azazel's way. A chain here, a wall there... each was breakable as it wasn't his best work. It was just made to be a distraction.
"I can tell, the look on your face is giving it all away... you've never seen a Green Lantern before, have you?" Kyle continued, his tone mocking as he rushed at the demon aiming the sword for his arms. "I can tell you the story if you want to hear it. It's not long. Starts out with a bunch of little blue men..."
[Azazel]: Azazel cut through each obstacle with explosive force, driving power into the sword with each blow. "I have no need for your stories!" he roared. His free hand continued to fire ball after ball of fire. But his anger, and his annoyance at the man's impudence was making him sloppy. His aura of flame had dwindled, with the power being redirected to the sword, and the fireballs.
Then they collided, sword locked with sword, each blazing red and green like something out of Star Wars. Azazel bared his teeth at Kyle, pushing against the Lantern.
[Kyle]: "But it's a good story!" Kyle protested, bracing himself against Azazel's force to his blade. He managed to whip up a grin for the demon as they stayed in this tenuous stalemate. "Okay, so the little blue men make these rings... like the one I'm about to kick your ass with, that one. See it? And these rings, they make..."
Out of the ring he pushed a life sized figure of Darth Vader. Not that the demon would get the reference, but hell. Kyle found it appropriate. And besides, that wasn't the onlything he knocked out.
Kyle grabbed hold of a new shield and also a fresh pair of chains which he ordered to wrap around Azazel's arms. "So, they've got these rings, and they decide to throw them all over the galaxy to find their matches..."
[Azazel]: The demonlord roared as his grip began to falter. The flame aura sprang up around him again, burning at the chains and attempting to dislodge them. He was having trouble concentrating on so many things at once - especially when the central focus of his wrath was trying to incinerate the green-clad young man -- the mortal -- he was locked in combat with. The flames burned hotter, but his sword began to slip. He righted the sword, and the chains pulled tighter. Azazel roared in fury, the maw opening as he drew in air to blast another wave of hellfire directly into the Lantern's face.
[Kyle]: "The rings found their matches. This one found me... one before this found Hal... one found John... hell, one even found Sinistro of all people. Y'know, that means there's hope for you too," Kyle said with a patronizing nod and smile.
And then there it was, the opening. There was fire coming out, yes, but with the shield, perhaps the burns he would suffer over those he already had would be minimal. Kyle raised it and continued talking. "And when we get the ring, we get this... I guess the best word is 'oath'. We get an oath we've got to take. And you know how it goes? It took me a while to memorize because I'd just gotten out of finals and my brain was a mess, so you'd better appreciate this..."
Kyle raised the sword and shield. The tip of the sword pointed straight towards Azazel's mouth where he aimed to shove the thing down the demon's throat. "Okay, listen, it's great, really." Kyle charged towards him. "In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight, let those who worship evil's might, beware my power, Green Lantern's light."
[Azazel]: Blinded by his rage, many of his eyes focused elsewhere, on the chains, on the shields, concentrating on controlling the power that was overwhelming him, Azazel roared on, the rage turning to shocked fury as the green blade slid into this throat.
Below, all the demons froze, looking up in astonishment at the deathcry of their overlord. Morpheus, his clothing torn and burned, blackened skin on his now bare arms, smiled.
[Kyle]: "So that's the oath." Kyle's grin grew much bigger as his sword grew heavy with Azazel's sudden weight on its end. It was a clean stab, straight through his ugly, firebreathing mouth. The green shield disappeared so that Kyle could have one free hand.
"And I'm telling you this, because I want you to know," Kyle pushed the sword in further so that he was closer to the demon and could lean over to touch him easily. Though it was to be the barest and quickest of touches as Kyle thought the demon's mouth to be a rather disgusting place to have to put one's hand.
He wondered if Dream could grab a bottle of hand sanitizer out of that cloak of his. "I'm telling you this because I want you to know that what ever you think of this? It's not personal. I mean, really, I didn't wake up this morning saying to myself, 'hey, let me find a guy with an oversized mouth and more eyes and teeth than necessary and stick my hand right in. No, I didn't say that." Kyle plunged his hand into Azazel's mouth, searching for Lucifer's Horns. "But I'm doing it, and I want you to know it's just not personal."
He gripped something and pulled until it ripped right out of the demon's mouth. Two horns, hot from both their power and from being inside that cavern of a mouth. "I'm just doing my job, upholding the oath, making the world... oh."
Azazel was no longer at the end of his sword. In fact, Azazel was nowhere to be found. A pile of black ashes showed clearly against the green hue of the sword.
[Morpheus]: The demons scattered. Falling over one another in their desperation to get away from the green figure who had just destroyed their overlord. There would be no fighting now, not when the victor still held the prizes in his hands.
Morpheus staggered, and pressed the tip of the sword into the ground to support him. His free hand reached into his sandbag and pulled out a handful of grains. It took a few minutes, but with the grains, he was able to reconstruct his cloak and repair some of his wounds. When he was done, he looked to see where the Lantern was now.
[Kyle]: Kyle eyed the horns he was holding, noting that they didn't really look like anything special. He poked at them. Nothing happened.
Whatever. He supposed to didn't really matter. They'd accomplished both tasks. The girl and the horns, and they'd gotten them without dying. Mission accomplished.
Kyle dropped his sword and as it fell it faded slowly into nothing. It didn't hit the ground. He watched it briefly before starting downwards himself towards Dream.
"Are you alright?" Possibly a senseless question, as the man didn't look anywhere near as fine as he had when they'd started on this jaunt.
[Morpheus]: Dream managed a shrug. "I'll survive," was all he said on the matter. "My kind are far more endurable than the guises we wear."
Now that the demons had cleared away, Dream reached into his cloak. He winced, gritted his teeth, and withdrew the Key. The metal burned his palm. "Take us out of here, Lantern. Our work is finished."
He held out the maliciously glowing Key. "Take this, but do not let it touch your flesh. You will need it to seal the Gates behind us."
[Kyle]: "I get to carry the horns and the key? I can barely contain my excitement." Sometimes after a little too much villainous banter, Kyle forgot who he was talking to.
He slipped the key straight from Dream's hand and into a pouch created with the ring. He'd already stuck his hand inside a demon's mouth tonight. No need to get his skin eviscerated as well.
"Do you need help? To go, I mean."
[Morpheus]: "Yes," Dream replied, his voice dry. "It was very exciting. Tomorrow we go to the zoo."
Once the Key was off his person, he shook his head at Kyle's question. The remains of the cloak folded over him, and for a time, encompassed him. One minute. Two. Three.
[Kyle]: Whoa.
Kyle refrained from sounding like Keaneau Reaves. But he was thinking it. Dream had definitely just made a joke. That was historic.
It was even kind of funny. In a 'we just survived a battle for our lives' type of way.
Then he disappeared into that cloak of his and Kyle thought he was simply fetching something as he'd seen demonstrated all evening long. Though, normally, Dream [Azazel]or rather, his hand) had popped back out a lot faster than was happening now.
Dream wouldn't get lost in his own cloak, Kyle decided quickly, after a fourth minute had passed. He thought again as time approached five minutes. Maybe... could a spare demon have possibly gotten inside?
"Dream!" Kyle shouted hesitantly. What was the protocol for jumping in after him...?
[Morpheus]: Another minute passed before the cloak shivered and took form again. It was a much healthier looking King of Dreams that emerged from that cloak, though there was still obvious exhaustion on his thin face. He stumbled, but caught himself, holding one arm out for balance. "The Dreaming is in chaos," he said, explaining by way of apology. "I did not expect to take so long. My apologies."
There was more chaos there than could simply have been caused by the Key -- not that it wasn't enough. Something else was affecting the dreamers, something beyond his realm of effect.
Now was not the time to consider it. Dream shook the thoughts out of his head. "We should leave, before they grow bold enough to regroup."
[Kyle]: "Really, it's a good idea to warn to mortal before you disappear into stuff like that," Kyle was floating now, horns in one hand, and bag with the key in the other. He was more than happy to leave this hell hole [Azazel]oh man, was he clever) and lock the doors behind them. "And I really don't like the thought of them regrouping, so I'm pretty much going to agree on the getting out of here thing."
He looked around and then looked back at the horns. "Hey, uh, where's Mt. Doom? Or whatever Hell's equivalent is?" He didn't even bother to explain the reference, because he assumed that there were enough geeks in the world for it to have popped up in a dream for than once. "And do I get to throw them in?"
[Morpheus]: Prince of Stories, Mr. Rayner. Middle Earth was originally envisioned in Dream's realm. It was for a modest boon that a certain J. R. R. was permitted to retain his memories of the place.
"The bargain was to recover the horns, Kyle. Not to destroy them. I will return them to the Morningstar when we return."
Morpheus extended a hand to accept the horns.
[Kyle]: "You said that these horns will give the Devil his full power back. And that the Devil is in the City, right?" Kyle asked. He really hoped that Dream was not having trouble connecting point A with point B when it came to his point.
[Morpheus]: Morpheus nodded. "Yes. That is why he would like them back."
There was a problem with this? Dream didn't meddle in the affairs of the world. If his task was to return the horns, he would do so. It was as he said he would do.
[Kyle]: Okay, obviously Dream was not getting this.
"You want to give the Devil his full power back while he's living with Mortals? Dream, not everyone comes equipped with a ring and a utility belt," Kyle said, shaking his head and leaving the horns at his side. "We've got to find ourselves a Mt. Doom."
[Morpheus]: Dream frowned, consternation rising. "It was the bargain we made, Lantern. I will not break my word by destroying that which I have been asked to recover."
[Kyle]: "What was the bargain you made?" How many people had he possibly consigned to death? Well... maybe not death, but having the devil on earth was iffy enough. Giving him back his power? Well that was just stupid.
[Morpheus]: Dream thought back to the bargain struck with Lucifer, and stated, "Retrieve the horns, and the Key, and the Morningstar would set the rest to right."
[Kyle]: "Good, it's settled. He's not getting those and we're going to a volcano." He stared at Dream. "You got a volcano in that cloak?" More staring as neither of them moved. "Come on. We've got horns to destroy."
[Morpheus]: Dream narrowed his eyes. "I am unclear what definition of 'retrieve' implies 'destroy'. Perhaps the word is translated different in your realm of origin?"
In other words, what's the weather like on your planet?
[Kyle]: "Did you tell the Devil that you would give the horns to him?" Kyle asked, staring right back. "Did you tell him that you would place the horns in his hands? Because, Dream, I don't know who else is down in that City. I've heard rumors of Batman, but that's it. Point being, there's no where near enough manpower to deal with the Devil reigning in full biblical proportion. So, if we can avoid it, can we please not give them back to him."
[Morpheus]: Dream considered that. And finally shook his head. "No. I did not say that I would give them back to him."
Fine. It was against his policy to meddle in the affairs of the world as it was. If the human thought it was proper not to return the horns, then so it would be. However...
"I would not recommend destroying the horns, Kyle Rayner. Power tends to revert back to the origin. The horns are only a vessel. I have had some experience in such a matter."
So it had been for him, when his ruby had been stolen. John Dee had used it against him, nearly killed him, and destroyed the ruby in the process, returning all the power it had contained back into Dream.
[Kyle]: Kyle couldn't help the triumphant smile that adorned his lips. At least he hadn't had to explain it point by point. Almost, but not quite.
He didn't even argue when Dream said they couldn't destroy them. His logic made sense and so Kyle nodded. "So if we can't do that, where should we leave them?"
Admittedly, he'd been looking forward to seeing Mt. Doom, but, he'd take what he could get.
[Morpheus]: Dream lifted his hands, palms up. "Within the Dreaming is the safest place I know of, apart from the realm of my elder sister. I control the Dreaming in its entirety. Nothing can be removed from there without my knowledge."
[Kyle]: "Good," Kyle answered with a nod. He was going to trust Dream on this, for the more he thought about it the more he realized that the horns he held could not go back into the City. Whether they be for the Devil's use or anyone else’s.
He moved his hand from his side to place them into Dream's hand. "He won't be able to get them through a dream or anything like that?"
[Morpheus]: The King of Dreams shook his head. "Not even the dreams of the Morningstar can penetrate the walls of my castle. It is secure."
He motioned towards the Gates, placing the horns in the depths of his robes. "Please. I would see Nada again."
[Kyle]: "And I would lock the doors," Kyle said, definitely not sounding anything like Dream at all. But he was in a...well, not a good mood, but certainly a lighter one than he'd been in earlier. It helped that the evil demon was dead.
Suppressing an urge to create munchkins that would sing, 'Ding dong the demon's dead', Kyle floated over next to Dream so they could head towards the gates.
[Morpheus]: The King of Dreams either didn't hear the mockery, or chose to ignore it. He walked - didn't fly, didn't float, but walked - to the Gates. They were still well secured, but already straining against their bonds at the presence of the Key.
[Kyle]: It didn't take more than a simple thought to reopen the doors. The chains and glue disappeared into thin air. Kyle hurried through the doors, not thinking it wise that they take their time, as who knew what could walk in or out.
"I'll just... yeah." He didn't know what Dream wanted to say or do to Nada, but he assumed whatever it was he didn't want him hovering over his shoulder, so he stood to the side, still holding the key.
The door probably needed locking. Maybe he'd do that.
[Morpheus]: It was rather nice of Kyle to give them a moment of time alone. Dream and Nada took their time together while Kyle was turned towards the repair of the Gates.
It was several minutes before the King of Dreams stepped up to the Gates, to catch Kyle's attention again. He was alone. Nada was nowhere to be seen.
[Kyle]: He was afraid the touch the key based on Dream's warning so it was surrounded by green now as Kyle locked the gates. It had turned and clicked in the lock, but Kyle wasn't sure how locked was locked when it came to the gates of hell.
"What happened to the girl?" Kyle asked when Dream came over. "And, how do I know when this is... er... done?"
[Morpheus]: "If the lock has clocked in place, then no force within Hell short of that Key can open them again." Dream turned away from the Gates before answering Kyle’s first question. "She forgave me. For ten thousand years of imprisonment in Hell. But she made her choice long ago. So... I let her go."
He started moving away, back from the Gates, content to let that be his only explanation.
[Kyle]: "Oh." Kyle looked over at him and got rid of the green trailing from the key after removing it from the lock. It floated back into the bag he'd fashioned.
"Where do you want this?" he asked, gesturing to the bag. "I'm going to assume you don't want it going back to my world."
[Morpheus]: The Key was not Morpheus' responsibility. That burden lay with the one being in all Creation who could use the Key without harm. And it would have to be returned to him, whether Kyle approved of it or not. In the hands of anyone else, it would tear the fabric commonly known as reality to pieces.
"I will take it where it needs to go," the Dreamlord said, holding out his hand. There was a different quality to his voice, a sense of sorrow, a sense of resignation. "Come with me, Kyle Rayner. It was through dreams that you arrived here, and so through dreams you must depart."
With a handful of sand from his pouch, Dream opened a portal in the space between them. Returning was always easier than coming - as long as one knew the way.
[Kyle]: "Back to sleep," Kyle said with sort of a sigh. It was something of relief. They'd survived, which was more than Kyle could say he'd expected. It was hell and everything.
Kyle stepped behind Dream to follow him through the portal. "How much time's gone past?"
[Morpheus]: "Difficult to say," admitted Morpheus. "Time moves somewhat differently in Hell."
They emerged from the portal at the ivory steps of the Palace of Dreams. The Gryphon and the Gargoyle guardians were startled by the sudden appearance and even moved to defensive positions before Morpheus raised a hand. They stopped immediately at his movement.
"Master," the Gryphon bowed. "You have returned."
"How long?" the Dream King asked.
"A week, if Lucien tells it right."
Dream sighed. "I've no doubt he does." He turned back to Kyle. "I give you the choice, Lantern. Would you prefer to keep your recollection of this night, or commit them to the Dreaming?"
Not everyone would want to remember a trip to Hell, after all. Even if it had been one wherein the Lord of Hell's ass had been successfully handed to him.
[Kyle]: The choice to erase his memories? The look Kyle gave Dream probably made him seem a bit crazy, but to be perfectly honest he thought the idea was a little off. Perhaps he just wasn't thinking about it like Dream was, that no one would want to remember a trip to hell.
Maybe he didn't want to remember, but erasing it completely... that was cheating. It seemed cheep some how. Not to mention unnatural.
"Don't touch my head," Kyle finally answered. "Even if it has been a week."
[Morpheus]: Dream shrugged. "Very well. Should you change your mind, you have but to call my name, and I will hear." He looked weary. Beyond weary. Into the realm of exhausted. "Forgive me for not seeing you out myself. I have matters to attend to. Matthew will assist you."
At the mention of his name, a raven perched on the bust atop the palace doors looked down at them. "Hey. You OK, boss?"
Dream ignored the question. It wasn't seemly for a monarch to express difficulties to a subject. He kept his attention on Kyle. "I thank you, Lantern, for your assistance. I believe I owe you a boon in return."
[Kyle]: "Huh, a... oh." Kyle ran a hand through his hair and looked down, kind of embarrassed. "Not really." He shrugged.
"I don't do this for the reward. There isn't a reward. I think Supes'd be pissed if I took a reward." He looked up again and gave Dream a another shrug and a small grin. "In other words, no... you don't."
[Morpheus]: Dream shook his head. "Not even Kal-El can break the oaths of my kin and I, Lantern. A boon. Whether or not you choose to call upon it, is a choice for you alone." He bowed his head in a rare show of respect before retreating into the doors of his palace.
The raven, Matthew, seemed to shrug. "Looks like you got it, if ya want it or not." He took wing, and fluttered down to Kyle's shoulder. "Ain't seen him thank anyone in... well. Let's just say it ain't exactly commonplace."
[Kyle]: Kyle laughed. "Him? Hah. Never would've guessed." Sarcasm of course. It helped him deal with the fact that he was talking to a raven.
A talking raven. Even after they'd left hell it just kept getting weirder.
"So, what direction's home?"
[Matthew]: "Well, that depends," said Matthew. "Do ya want the easy way back, or the faster-and-not-quite-painless method?"
It was the same choice that had been offered to Mal on his trip to the Dreaming.
[Kyle]: "Spare me the pain. Please." Kyle said, staring at the raven. "And... I've already missed a week of work, so faster would be better."
[Matthew]: Matthew tilted his head. "The fast way hurts. Like wakin' up after a night of tequila and hash. But you'll be back before ya can blink. You want gentle, that means a walk over to the Shores, and waitin' for the right Tide."
And there was no knowing how long that would take.
[Kyle]: "Just... " Kyle shook his head and held up his hands to the raven. "Fast way. I've had hang over before. I can deal with it."
What he couldn't deal with was losing his job, which was definitely going to happen if he stayed away any longer. A week was pushing it to begin with.
[Matthew]: Matthew was amused at how many of them seemed to opt for the fast way.
"You got it," he said, and nodded to the Gryphon. He took off from Kyle's shoulder, just as a massive wing slammed into Kyle's chest, knocking the Lantern clear down the palace steps and back into the sand.
[Kyle]: "Ow." That was his first word. And his second. And his third. And fourth. He'd would've added another one but an incessant beeping started going off. Either that or he'd just started noticing it.
It was an alarm clock. His alarm clock, to be specific. And it wasn't helping the massive headache he had. This was more than a night of tequila and hash, this was...
Wait... tequila and hash? Kyle blinked. Where had that come from?
As soon as he wondered, the answer came to him. Fast and in shots. One memory after another, each one coming before he had time to process the last.
He'd... beaten the head demon of hell?
Kyle sat up, then thought better of it. He reached over and hurled the alarm clock at the wall.
He'd already missed a week of work. What could one more day really hurt.