OU - Shards of Crom - Dwarven Woodlands

The castle is silent as Alix walks down the hollowed halls leading to her next target. Stone walls have been stripped of their banners, curtains, and tapestries from thieves and scavengers. Empty rooms are in disarray after being ransacked for their treasures. Cobwebs cling to every dusty corner and crevice imaginable. The scurrying feet of mice and rats scratch across the floors as they hunt for their next meal. No one resided in the looming structure since the Queen's demise; even her secret laboratory filled with potions and their deformed ingredients was thoroughly destroyed by her stepdaughter's husband long ago. However, the only room still untouched by weather and people is the throne room since the only way in is by the deceased Queen's hand.

The silver-haired Nobody, donning in her regular uniform and a hooded cloak, stopped in front of a pair of locked doors. A padlock securely fastened the doors closed; thankfully it had been rusted over. Smirking, she summoned her glass and shaped it into a large hammer.

"Nothing a little elbow grease can't fix."

Balancing her weapon in her hands, Alix did a couple of test swings before slamming the blunt end against the lock, shattering the weak iron. The lock gave a 'clank' as it hit the stone floor, the doors slowly swinging backwards. Shaping the hammer into her trademark glaive, she calmly walks inside the secluded room. Drapes of purple and black embroidered with golden tassels cover the gray stones. A lone decorative throne silently lies against the wall to the right while a large oval-shaped mirror hung on the opposite side across the room. The frame was made of the finest silver and the glass pane was the darkest black. When she didn't see the shard affixed to the looking glass, Alix inspected it more closely. No luck.

"Odd. The mission statement said that the shard was on the mirror, so where is it?"

She ran a hand down the smooth surface of the glass and felt something pulse beneath her fingertips, reminiscent of a heartbeat.

"It is…alive? Of course! The spirit of the mirror! How could I forget?"

Taking a few steps back, Alix cleared her throat and recited the summoning enchantment.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is the fairest of them all?"

After nothing happened, she said it again and once more. The Nobody raised a confused eyebrow.

"That should have worked. I could have sworn—"

"May I help you, young lady?"

Upon hearing a smooth baritone come from behind her, Alix whirled around and poised her glaive in a defense motion. A really tall man cloaked in a black billowing robe with a furred collar and wearing a bone white mouth-less face-mask stared down at her.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"I have been known by many names but you may refer to me as 'Spirit', young lady."

The lack of facial expressions is starting to creep me out. "You…are the spirit from within the Queen's mirror?"

"I was, yes. If you are here for an ego boost, I must decline. I no longer offer that service."

The Artsian frowned. "That's not why I am here, Mirror. I came looking for a shard. Have you seen it?"

A slight rustle of the masked man's covered right arm piqued her interest.

"No, you are mistaken. There are no such things here…young lady. Now leave." His voice went from calm to serious when she mentioned the shard.

Alix slyly smirked. So it's hidden there. "Sorry but I'm not going."

Spirit stiffened and loomed closer to her. "Then vanish."

Before she could launch an attack, a gust of wind from the real mirror engulfed the petite maiden and pulled her toward it. She dug in her heels and stabbed the blunt end of her weapon in the floor cracks to avoid being sucked in. Spirit did nothing but watch the Artisan resist.

"What are you doing?" she shouted over the gales.

"Bringing you to my world where you'll be part of my collection…just like the others."

"Others? What others?"

"The inhabitants of this world. They are now mine."

Feeling her balance weaver from the increasing winds, Alix tripped and stumbled backwards, unwillingly letting the mirror swallow her up. She disappeared into the darkness as the humanized being watched with a small smirk hidden behind his mask.

"Let the games begin."

~*~*~

"I have to stop landing on my derrière all of the time…" Alix mutters when she regains consciousness.

When the petite Nobody glances around while rubbing her sore behind, she noticed how monochrome the throne room had become…and how the throne was hanging from the upside down. She also saw that the curtains were flipped and did not sag from the imbalance of gravity; even the tassels were perfectly straight. However, the worst thing about the room was the fact that the mirror was longer occupying its spot on the wall. It completely disappeared.

"What the…everything is upside down and bland-looking…Just what did that spirit do?"

Picking up her discarded glaive, Alix walked over to the exit, casually stepping over the stone arch at the bottom (top?) of the doors. Even the corridors were reversed. She started getting dizzy and a little cramped, prompting her to leave the castle quickly. Several mice darted past her…overhead. Alix watched as the rodents run across the floor without plummeting.

"Okay…this is beyond disturbing, even for me. Spirit did say that this is his 'world', so maybe that is why everything is inverted."

After what seemed like hours, the silver-haired Artisan finally departed from the castle only to find the entire forest hanging in the sky, whereas the sky rested below her feet. Birds flew backwards beneath her boots while deer and rabbits pranced through the thickets in reverse. Her stomach gave a slight lurch.

"Mon dieu, I think I'm going to be queasy from all of this topsy-turvy."

Alix was frightened to walk along the sky-floor but she swallowed down her uneasiness and ventured further out into this new world. The trees became denser the more she walked; she was able to touch the tops of the trees with her hands. She spotted a few trails and a bubbling river overhead and decided to follow the watery path.

"I wonder how this world is able to keep its shape…" she muttered, watching some deer leap over fallen logs backwards.

"It stays this way because I will it."

Hearing the somber voice of the spirit, Alix brandished her glaive as she saw him materialized a few feet in front of her.

"How do you like my world, young lady?" he asked with a tilted head.

"Could use a couple of splashes of color," Alix sarcastically replied.

"I do not like color. I find it to be too…cheerful."

"What is your business with me? You said that you want me as part of your collection."

Mirror floated toward her, rousing the clouds beneath him. "I do. You are different than the others…and you defy me. You will make a fine mirror for me."

Wait, what? A flicker of confusion marred Alix's sturdy expression, prompting Mirror to continue.

"I have been telling others what they want to hear, but not one has said a kind word to me."

"So you decided to take-over because you were ignored?"

"Ignored…forgotten…broken, but enough of this ridiculous banter. I will have you, young lady, even if I have to tear your limbs off to keep you from escaping," the spirit threatened.

A clothed right arm was raised and millions of translucent spikes shot up from the sky-floor and zoomed toward the Nobody. Alix jumped back to avoid being skewered and swung her weapon at the still-approaching barbs. A few were shattered but more grew in their place.

"Attacking them will not help you. The more you shattered, the more will rise."

Alix huffed when she landed and sidestepped another attack. She run in a half-circle, with the spikes chasing behind, and headed toward Mirror.

If I can just distract him with his own attack, maybe I can land a hit!

Just when she was close enough to her target, the Artisan dispelled her glaive, cart-wheeled to the side before the glassy points could pierce her, and looked on as Mirror summoned a barrier to block. Skidding to a stop, Alix re-summoned her weapon and swung it at his head with the intent on severing his neck.

Got you!

CLANG!

Alix froze upon seeing her weapon freeze an inch in front of Mirror's face and from the fact that several spikes shot up under her feet, entrapping her within their glassy embrace. Her cloak was shredded to bits as her legs and arms bled from being sliced. Her weapon-arm remained outstretched and unmoving.

Mirror turned his vacant gaze toward the trapped maiden. "Impressive tactic, but futile. This world is mine and I see all, even your weak attacks."

"Bastard," she gritted out, struggling to free herself.

The last thing she saw was the scenery breaking away into a billion tiny shards and the darkness engulfing them.

~*~*~

"Do you think she's dead?"

"She was breathing when I checked a minute ago."

A sneeze. "Maybe she died after you checked."

"Try slappin' the lass awake!"

"A man should not," a yawn, "slap a girl."

"G-Gosh, what should we do now?"

A splash of cold water did the trick in waking up the Artisan, who sputtered and coughed in surprise.

"W-What? Who did that? Who's there?" she quickly demanded.

"S-Sorry, Miss, but it was the only way to see if you were still alive."

Blinking the water from her eyes, Alix found seven short portly men in variously-colored tunics and pants and caps, and differing in facial hair, intently staring at her. When she tried to move, that is when she noticed that the Nobody was chained to a wall. The new room she occupied was a large gray cavern with bars blocking the lone exit. Several lit torches circled the cave with the occasional manacle set between them. Bowls and spoons littered one corner.

"Did you do this to me?" she glared.

One of the men, the one with glasses, stepped forward. "Of course not! The Spirit of the Mirror did that."

"Y-Yeah, he said that you are his special prisoner," another said; the one with a blushing face.

Alix gave an experimental tug on the chains holding her, heavily sighing when they didn't break.

"Does one of you know how to pick locks?" she coyly asked. "Or have any glass?"

The seven men looked at each other and shrugged, shaking their heads, until the leader (she assumed to be) removed his bifocals.

"Will these do, Miss?"

Alix squinted at the lens and nods. "Perfect. Just slid them into my hands and I'll do the rest."

After doing what he was instructed, the dwarfs watched as the glasses shimmered with a light blue energy and shaped into a small key. Fiddling with the tiny object, the Nobody fumbled a few times while trying to find the lock and smirked when she heard an audible click and felt the manacles snap off.

"Yes! Merci, Monsieur, for letting use your glasses," she smiled, shaping the key back to its original shape and handing it back.

He gave a hearty chuckle, returning the lens to sit upon his nose. "Not a problem, Miss…"

"My name is Alix."

"What a pretty name, Miss Alix. I'm Doc and these are my brothers—"

"Happy!"

A yawn. "Sleepy."

"B-Bashful."

"Ah…Ah…ACHOO! Sneezy."

Only two of the dwarfs did not relay their names since one refused to speak and the other being mute.  

"Oh! This is Grumpy," Doc said, gesturing to the frowning dwarf. "And this is Dopey," he continued, pointing to the younger boy, who went up to Alix and excitedly shook her hand.

"Nice to meet all of you."

The eight prisoners then settled down and got comfortable the best they could on the cavern floor (ceiling?). Dopey sat by Alix, who patted his head.

"I-If you don't mind me asking, Miss Alix, but why did the Mirror capture you?" asked Bashful.

"Because he said that I am to be his new spirit," she scowled. "And since he took my weapon, I can't summon it again."

"Weapon? Summon?"

The Nobody sighed at the curious glances set upon her. "I'm not from this world. I came here to retrieve a power object that's in the spirit's possession."

Happy raised his hand. "Oh! I saw something glowing on his arm when he…attacked us," he said with a sad tone.

A silver eyebrow arched. "Why did he capture you?"

No one said anything until Grumpy finally spoke up. "Because he wanted us to make this mirror from the gems we mined until he found a suitable host for it."

Alix looked down. "Me…"

"When we refused, he took us here and locked us away, only letting us out to work," Sleepy finished, rubbing his drooping eyes.

"That is horrible! Don't worry…I'll defeat Mirror and free you."

Grumpy scoffed and turned away. "How do you expect to do that? You don't have a weapon."

The silver-haired girl frowned. "I'll…think of something."

"If you are…may I suggest right now?"

The eight prisoners jumped at the sudden voice and whirled around to see their black-robed jailer calmly standing in front of the bars. Alix quickly stood up, nearly knocking Dopey over only to have him cling to her leg. The dwarfs crowded around the Artisan, wanting to protect her.

"It is time, young lady."

"Plus mon corps mort, salaud!"

Mirror 'tsk-ed' and shook his head. "Such language coming from a lady…I'm appalled."

Alix tossed a few more curses, thankfully that the dwarfs could not understand her.

"Yell all you want, I will have you as my spirit."

She balled her hands into fists and raised them up. "Just try it."

In an instant, Mirror's right arm glowed black and blasted a beam toward the maiden. It zigzagged in the air, hitting her square in the chest. She fell back against the wall, gritting her teeth in pain.

"Y-You…" she hissed.

"Come with me or…"

Glass spikes shot up under the short miners' feet, encasing them between the translucent pieces.

"These creatures will die."

Alix paled with her eyes widening. "N-No…"

More beams of light slammed into her, pushing her further against the cave wall. She cried out at the numerous attacks and slumped over.

"S-Stop it…" she gasped.

The bars embedded in the cave opening were snapped away from the malevolent spirit, allowing him to float inside and toward the fallen Nobody.

"Without your weapon, your element will not work. You, my dear, are powerless."

"…Powerless? You think I can't do anything without my glaive?"

Mirror cocked his head. "Yes. A female should not fight…but only to serve a male."

Silence drifted between the two until a soft chuckle was heard from the silver-haired maiden that grew into a loud guffaw.

"Hahaha! That's so stupid! Vous êtes très stupides!" she laughed, throwing her head back slightly.

The dwarfs and Mirror stared at the amused Nobody.

"Why is she laughing, Doc?" Happy whispered.

The elder brother shrugged. "I'm not quite sure."

"She's gone crazy, ya hear!" Grumpy shouts.

Mirror loomed closer. "What is so humorous, young lady?"

Alix stopped laughing and gave him a devious smirk. "You just gave me all I need to fight you!"

She then kicked the spirit in the stomach, pushing his backwards, before hurrying to Dopey's side. Running a hand over the glass spikes, the Artisan shaped them into part of her glaive, before moving toward Bashful and Sneezy, doing the same. She barely had enough glass to defend when light-beams zoomed at her. The half-finished weapon blocked most of the brunt.

"You…how? Only your weapon can be used."

"You're wrong. As long as there's glass, I can use it! Now, guys!"

Before the spirit could retaliate, the two freed dwarfs tackled Mirror while the Artisan gathered more of her element. Pretty soon, all of the bearded miners dog-piled on the villain, watching Alix pin him down with her glaive's blade piercing his torso. If he was in pain, Mirror didn't show it.

"You can't stop me. I still have the shard, witch."

"Not for long~"

Breaking off a piece of the glass handle, Alix fashioned it into a dagger and stabbed the spot where she assumed the shard was. Luck had been on her side as light engulfed the cavern with Mirror shrieking, feeling the evil be purged from his body. Digging through the incision, Alix successfully dislodged the dimming shard.

"Ha! Got it," she shouted victoriously.

Letting out one last shriek, the once great Spirit of the Mirror shattered like a broken mirror, scattering across the ground.

"I-Is he really gone?" Bashful asked, picking up a lone shard.

Alix nodded. "Yes. I think, without the shard, he can't hold his physical form anymore and vanished."

"Well, whatever the reason is, we thank you for freeing us, Miss Alix," Doc smiled.

"Vous êtes les bienvenus, mes amis."

A chorus of confused mutters spread amongst the group.

"It means 'You are welcome, my friends' in French," Alix giggled.

"Friends? You think of us as friends, even though we just met?" Happy asked.

"Oui, I mean…yes!"

Cheers of joy echoed around her as the dwarfs all hugged her. Alix smiled, still keeping a good hold on the shard so she would not lose it.

Mission four…complete.