Dreaming of Demons (Dream x oc)

[65] Mind Games

I wasn't prepared to hit the ground so fast. My legs buckled and my body tumbled on the rock-hard surface. But I forced my momentum into a roll and managed to get back on my feet.

For a second, I was disoriented. The same night sky I had seen down in the portal now stretched high above my head. We were on land—or whatever this yellow, stone stuff was, and the air was chilly and empty. I glanced around quickly, my eyes shooting up the height of the obsidian pillars to my left. Some pink, glowing object twisted and swirled at the top of each one. They looked to be harnessing some sort of energy, but I had never seen anything like them before. The tall pillars stood in a circle, surrounding a smaller pillar in the middle.

And the Endermen. They were everywhere. their long, clawed fingers twitched as vibrant purple eyes turned to me. I looked away quickly. I did not want an Enderman attacking me.

But that was all there was. Nothing else in this vast Space. We were on a floating rock in the middle of the night sky with nothing but hundreds of Endermen.

And one Demon.

"Well congratulations, Taryn." Nightmare was on his feet, stalking toward me with his axe in hand. "You did it. You got me exactly where you wanted."

I hopped backward on my feet as his axe swung, the blade scraping the armor on my shoulder. A shield would have been nice right about now, but I had dropped mine in the stronghold, now lost in one of its many rooms.

I blocked Nightmare's next blow with my sword, glimpsing purple sparks over his shoulder. In the next second, Dream was there, then Sapnap, then everyone else. They had all jumped through the End portal.

My momentary distraction was caught by Nightmare and he shoved me away, quickly swinging his weapon up before my feet could find their balance again. I lifted an arm to block myself in reflex, and a line of pain sliced up the underside. I grit my teeth and adjusted my hold on my sword.

But Dream had distracted him, already clashing his axe with the nearly identical one Nightmare had. Sam lunged forward next, swiping at Nightmare with his own weapon. Nightmare jumped back from Dream, swinging his blade at record speed toward Sam. It must have caught Sam by surprise because he just barely managed to bring his shield up to block the heavy weapon. Yet the strength behind the strike proved to be too much and the shield shuddered in Sam's hands, nearly making him lose his balance.

The void of the End was filled with the shouts and commands of the others that had come through the portal. Some of them already had Endermen attacking them as they ran toward the giant pillars. They cut them down easily, but the group was slowly dispersing, making it harder for them to effectively get rid of the Endermen.

Nightmare had switched back to fighting Dream, and I jumped in to help, striking the Demon just at the edge of the gleaming armor sitting atop his shoulders. He spun, and I ducked, his blade following to whip right over my head. Nightmare used the momentum to swing through and block Dream's attack from behind.

I jumped to my feet, my arm brushing against my armor. My skin stung and I realized warmth had begun to stick to my hoodie on the underside of my arm. I stepped back and dug through one of my pockets to pull out a healing pot. My fingers fumbled with the cork for a second before I got it to pop open. I quickly tipped the contents into my mouth and dropped the vial. Once it started working, I wouldn't have to worry too much about Nightmare's blade catching on my skin. It would heal fast and I could keep fighting relatively unaffected.

Sam was helping Dream fight Nightmare again, and my weapon joined in the fray. I aimed for the Demon's head, but he twisted around. His axe blocked my sword in the air and he kicked my stomach. I coughed a bit, gritting my teeth and raising my weapon to swing again. The healing pot was spreading through my body, a numbing sensation covering my injured arm and swirling where the Demon had kicked me. Rejuvenated, I continued to attack him. Nightmare had to constantly switch between me, Dream and Sam. But he still managed to hold us off.