Sleeping Giants Game 42
Intro
Stratton's Dream
Your head hits the pillow, and you are out like a light. You have a few dreams this night, but one of them stands out much more than the others.
You see a dark, claustrophobic room with two doors. One of the doors has a circular symbol on it, the other is plain. It’s as if you are stuck in the top corner, watching as a man wearing all black armor straps someone in to a strange table. Next to the table is a variety of blades, pokers, and other instruments of torture. But once they finish strapping the person in, they do not reach for any of the instruments. They simply take a step back and wait.
Before long, the door with the circular symbol swings open. In walks a tall woman, with brown skin and black hair. She wears a robe of muted red and wears no emotion on her face. Her feet don’t even seem to touch the ground as she glides over to the person on the table. The black-armored man takes another step back, almost in fear.
The lady leans in to the person strapped to the table, and says, “There’s an easy way, and a hard way. The fact that I had to come all the way here, means you’ve chosen the hard way.” There is obvious anger in the lady’s voice. She reaches down to the man and places her hand on his bare chest. A loud singe echoes throughout the room, as if a blazing hot pan is being held under water. The man lets out a loud scream, and she pulls her hand away.
A brief moment of complete silence, other than the now heavy breathing of the man on the table. The lady sighs, and says “Bigby, Bigby, Bigby. How long must we drag this out?” She places her hand on his chest once more, and again he screams in agony. The black-armored man takes another step back, and visibly winces. Even though you are not physically there, you can smell the scent of burnt flesh permeating the room.
Another moment of silence. Another sigh from the lady. This time she reaches not for his chest, but for his face.
“Okay! Okay. I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
The lady pauses, then pulls her hand back. “Good. I knew you’d see reason.” She leans in close to Bigby. “Tell me about Misha, and how she’s siphoning abjuration.”
You wake up in an instant, and it’s morning. You can feel your chest pumping, as if your heart is racing. But it’s not your heart. You reach in to your shirt pocket and pull out the small blue silken handkerchief. It is glowing brightly and pulsing magically. As you hold it and stare at it, it dies down until it becomes ordinary once more.
