Voyage Through the Multiverse (Ended) [IC]

[Naval Monte]

Ka-chunk!

Kyle looked down at the needle in his arm. His broken, bloodied limb. He trembled and quivered, yet he moved. He tossed the needle to one side, ripping it from his flesh with his teeth and collapsed against a wall away from his captor, the stunned porcelain man leering at him in disbelief. His face was gone now, replaced by a maelstrom of broken white shards. Yet his feeling of surprise was still palpable.

"The fuck? How'd you-"

Kyle didn't talk. He was barely breathing. His eyes were stretched wide open, unblinking and too weak to shut. Tears poured down his face now that his muscles came back online, the runes all over his body glowing like scorching stars. And then, in one instant, they shattered; their power expended. He tried to stand and fell down again, roaring silently as his empty lungs expelled what little air remained in them. He tremored against the wall, trying to hang on. Blood pooled at the edge of his eyes. Pinkish fluid leaked from his ears. He was squeezing his brain like a sponge, exhausting it of all nervous potential. He was overriding his paralysis at a terrible expense.

The manager stepped forward, truly angry now. "You! You come in here, demanding to see me. You steal my documents, intrude upon MY territory and have the AUDACITY to demand what's mine! I'll kill your little girlfriend, rip your limbs off, mount you as a trophy to remind myself of what putrid INSECTS get! Now be a good boy and STAY!"

The manager's arm exploded into a mass of flesh and welded steel, a crude yet simple gauntlet erupting from his limb. His body became distorted, demonic, red and speckled with black streaks. His eyes were fiery, and yet his figure remained the same; as if there were two beings imposed upon one another. One half frail man, the other an abomination. He roared a deep, binary scream, an expression of contempt and rage. With one fluid motion he drew his arm back, disgustingly graceful for such an unnaturally warped figure.

"Bleed, you repugnant scourge!"

When the swipe ended, Kyle was not a scratch worse off than before. Jacquelyn, on the other hand, spilled her intestines over the floor, flaps of skin dangling from her newly open abdomen. Eviscerated. Disembowelled. She knelt in front of the manager, his human form returning as he peered down at this petulant girl with a mixture of disdain and... begrudging admiration. There were not many he knew who were so stupid, and yet so caring for others in his line of work. Was this boy so important to her? He certainly didn't seem like much. For the years of detachment, of business and dealing with otherworldly creatures had stripped him of one thing. Empathy. As true an imitation of emotion could get, and as far from the real thing as a person could be.

"T-take... mine. Leave, him... alone."

She was talking. Impressive. He could've sworn he'd torn her innards out. A tough girl, she was. Then again, with those injuries, she wouldn't last much longer.

"Do you think you matter to me at this point? I could kill you all with an effortless touch. You are intruders. Selfish brats who demand attention when they are not heard. You could've lived, if you hadn't decided you were better than us. If you hadn't patronised us simply because you were overconfident. Is this the first time you've been truly overwhelmed, dear? I'd say it's going to be the last, too."

He was goading. Despite it all, the carnage, the situation, his arrogance and her injuries, Jacquelyn's mind remained cold. Detached. She was being pushed from reality by the pain. Every time she started to feel, every time she started to take something seriously, The Answer was there; reminding her she had an audience. A God. She couldn't bring herself to care. Until now.

"D-d-don't... hurt... him. Elizabeth, what... what's there to g-give?"

She paused. She'd never seen Jacquelyn so vulnerable. She wasn't breathing. She was seconds away from death now. Where was the sassy, overconfident woman she'd met? In front of her now was a sad, weak, powerless wreck. And it broke every single preconception she had about her.

Elizabeth was silent as she looked at Jackie's current state, her innards torn out of her bodies and her aura fading just as her consciousness. Elizabeth, the manager, and the mannequin all knew that in her state she would attract a reaper who will harvest her soul and take it who knows where? Can a reaper even take Jackie's soul to any of the after life realms in here or will it try to take her soul to the after life in her universe? Dies her universe even have an after life? What happens to souls in her universe after death?

Damn it Liz now us not the time to get distracted by useless shit. This whole mission had went to hell, Jackie is dying if you can't think if something , Kyle is going to be the Fates prison bitch if you can't convince them to let him go, and the Kents must likely are causing trouble that I will have to fix!" Elizabeth was grabbing her hair as she realize just how deep they were in with this mess.

Elizabeth looked through every option she can think of, rejecting a vast majority due to either leaving the Kents behind or Jackie and Kyle's condition not making the plan viable. She looked at Dawn but knew that she won't help, if there was one moment for her not to interfere in it was this exact moment. Looking at Zelena the witch knew that the other might not be so willing to help strangers unless it benefits her, hell she is most likely thinking of her own escape plan. I'm just glad Skylar isn't here because she might try to pull some heroic stunt that would backfire on us horribly. the witch thought, sighing at just how grim the whole thing is.

As the chaos witch contemplates on all of her option she looked at the manager. She felt his aura during his shapeshifting and smell the all to familiar scent coming off him; the scent of sulfur and other burning elements, of boiling blood and chemicals, of burnt rotten flesh and rusted metals. She knew this putrid smell alright for it was ine she smelled many times in her career as both a detective and sorceress, it was the scent of the Infernus.

Once more she not only felt his powers but seeing that particular gaunlet jogged back an old memory she almost forgotten, back when she was just a little girl and she would sneak into her mother's studies to read her journals she had written down in the room. Books detailing such diverse topics such as on all of the anomlous creatures, artifacts, locations and phenomenon she saw on her travels. The many esoteric formulas, rituals, and cantrips she learned and even performed herself and on the occult traditions and practitioners who formed and used them. These stories of the fantastic mixed with stories of the mundane locales and people she met that still filled her young heart with a sense of wonder and adventure.

They were truly innocent times Elizabeth thought, almost wanting to smile on them if it wasn't for the fact that she was about to get a new addition on "dead friends" list... again.

Thinking on the chapter she saw on the beings of the Infernus she remember a page on the lords that once ruled the world with absolute rule until they were forced to share their power to a pantheon of dark gods that many demons believed are the same ones from their religion, a claim that a few deny but keep a secret in fear of facing the wrath of those imposter deities. She read of her mom encounter one such infernal lord years ago when she was on her journey on undoing a curse placed on her father and how it was one encounter that almost ended her life, on the final page she revealed the name of the demon lord.

As Elizabeth was deep in memory lane to gather the useful information she has the manager walked up to Jackie. "I'm afraid my dear while you were a great source of entertainment for this old soul this show mist come to a close." His arm began to peel away and morph into an armor plated gauntlet with needle-like talons. As he pull back his arm to deliver the final blow and take Jackie's soul before the reaper can claim it Elizabeth spoke one word that would stop him.

"Mephistopheles." Elizabeth said, catching the manager by surprised due to the name be uttered, forcing him to lower his armor as his surprised visage turn to face the witch "What did you just say?" He asked, his voice quivering. She gazed at the manager with a determined glared. "You're Mephistopheles, one of the demonic lords of the Infernus." The manager was stunned to hear those words, but his surprise soon turn into a maniac glee as he began to laugh, his form changing once more but yet he still kept the form of an old man.

"I have not heard that name for a long time. Aaahhh, it feels so good to hear it again. Oh how I truly miss my old titles. The Corruptor of Genuis, the Infernal Contractor, and the Faustian King. Tell me Ashwood how did you know that it was me?" The now named Mephistopheles asked, curious on the witch now that Jackie was close to death and Ashwood was proving to be a new source of entertainment.

Sadly for the demon lord Elizabeth was not in the mood to play any games aa with her usual grin she said. "Yiu know the deal Mephy, a good magician never reavels their secrets. Besides how I know it was you isn't important. What is important is that I can give you."

The demon lord frown slightly at the denial of such critical information but was still interested on her offer. "What do you want to give me Ashwood if it isn't information?" The witch dropped her grin as she coldly state. "A soul, but not any soul." She patted her chest. "Mines." She declared. The manager was more cut off guard as was the mannequin and no doubt everyone else.

Yet unlike before he did not find the news amusing, quite the contrary he was suspicious of her words. "What game are you playing at Ashwood. I know for certain that you wouldn't sell your soul unless it was put of a ploy. I heard what you did to Nergal the last time you tried "selling" your soul." The demon lord spat out. The mannequin even chimed in. "Don't believe a single thing this hoe say boss. She is just playing us. This bitch gets off with messing with people's heads." The thug was ready to try and stab Elizabeth with another needle should she try anything. Elizabeth kept a stoic face as she said. "I'm being honest. You can have my soul for the safety of everyone in my group and for the information you have."

The demon lord still looked at Elizabeth with suspicion. "I will accept your offer for a soul but I won't take yours Ashwood. Yours while very tempting is no doubt filled with a deadly trap I do not intent to active. I will only take it unless no one else wishes to take your place." Mephistopheles declared, a sadistic grin on his face as he looked at everyone on the room. Waiting to see if no one will come to Elizabeth's aid.

[The Palmetto]

L-Fel

As the final assaultor fell to the ground, Irwin took in a deep breath and analyzed his situation once more, taking in what he had just heard. Apparently these people had tried to mug someone, or even kill them. One of the guys on his own "side" in the brawl sounded like he had gotten on their bad side, or vice versa. Surprisingly, the men had mostly used their fists or crude weapons like knives, which didn't really make sense. Most attacks back in Australia were large scale operations using plenty of guns, most people knew that the government was able to simply order a drone strike on any weaker law breakers. Irwin found himself a bit surprised by the lack of government enforcement. There wasn't the slightest whirring noise of a government drone, nor any footsteps from officers on patrol. The environment was alien yet relieving, and though it was drastically colder than what he was used to, it seemed an improvement from his own country.

"Oh, thanks- Am I interrupting something?" Irwin asked Ackermann and Fred. He had initially come over to thank Ackermann for the compliment, but noticed that something was going on.

[Prusselanden]

L-Fel

As the final assaultor fell to the ground, Irwin took in a deep breath and analyzed his situation once more, taking in what he had just heard. Apparently these people had tried to mug someone, or even kill them. One of the guys on his own "side" in the brawl sounded like he had gotten on their bad side, or vice versa. Surprisingly, the men had mostly used their fists or crude weapons like knives, which didn't really make sense. Most attacks back in Australia were large scale operations using plenty of guns, most people knew that the government was able to simply order a drone strike on any weaker law breakers. Irwin found himself a bit surprised by the lack of government enforcement. There wasn't the slightest whirring noise of a government drone, nor any footsteps from officers on patrol. The environment was alien yet relieving, and though it was drastically colder than what he was used to, it seemed an improvement from his own country.

"Oh, thanks- Am I interrupting something?" Irwin asked Ackermann and Fred. He had initially come over to thank Ackermann for the compliment, but noticed that something was going on.

"Umm....no...."

"Not really." Fred plopped some bags onto the ground. "Anyways, what do you prefer, store-bought mac salad or German potato salad?"

"Potato, bitte!"

"Good, cause I hate potato." Fred gave Ackermann a tub of salad and started to eat his own with a plastic fork. "Anyways, we gotta continue to find a timeline that has the tech to patch you up, so be prepared to go."

"Aww...." Ackermann looked at Ammy, Irwin and Brent. "Sorry, it was nice meeting you guys...."

"Ready? Chapeau, take us to the year 2100."

No answer.

"Chapeau? Goddamit, it's fainted again"

[Saint Morning]

Wicked Witch

Analysing the scene, Zelena pondered on her next move, regarding the manager with the same sense of ambivalence as she did the Dark one. He was powerful that much was certain, the way he made Elizabeth and the rest scramble about showed his skillet. The extent of his skills still shrouded in mystery, it was a risk trying to attempt striking him with her own magic at the moment. She needed a better understanding of his power, while she cared little for the well-being of the rest she was still new to this world and she needed them, at least for now.

“If you’re expecting one of us to willing give up our souls instead, I’m afraid you overestimated the morality of this group,” She said, pushing off the wall. Perhaps there was someone who would but in this given moment it seemed irrational; if what the demon claimed was true then Elizabeth had already got her soul back and if she could do it once then what’s stopping her from doing it again?

“So I suggest you take her deal and bugger off to Kansas,” 

[Shark isle]

Brent visibly looked uncomfortable when he Ackermann asked why the Pantheon goon squad attacked him. He couldn't tell civilians the real reason why, it was against protocol. Luckily, he didn't have the answer due to a lucky intervention by some jerk dressed in old fashioned clothing. He watched their next actions with a raised brow. How the hell did they get a time machine? Were they Pantheon agents too? He then turned to Irwin and extended his hand while saying," Thanks for the save man. The name's Brent, Brent Adler.'

[Skylus]

L-Fel
Ammy
Iowa

Ammy was very confused.
"Excuse me....You have a time traveling device? How does it work? There is one where I am from, it is called the Spirit Gate, and it sent my and my friend back one hundred years."

[Ihury]

???

"Shoto Fujinuma. Wake up."

The bracing cold air around him jolted the young man awake, his eyes suddenly refreshed and looking up at a clear grey sky above him. There wasn't the slightest trace of wind as he awoke, but what he did feel was himself bobbing on water, in a tiny boat.

Slowly, he came to find his bearings. There was, however, nothing in sight except for the icy river upon which he was going down and empty white snowy plains flanking both sides of the river. On the other side of the boat sat an old woman, quietly stirring a little pot of soup that was steaming hot despite there being no heat source.

"Who are you?" Shoto asked, looking around. He found himself dressed in a white kimono; much to his further confusion, upon looking into the water off the side of the boat, he noticed his jet-black hair had turned snow white, like the snow that flanked both sides of the icy river.

"I am known by many names", said the old lady, her face hanging in a mournful, distant frown, as she stirred the soup. "You probably know me best as Meng Po, the Goddess of Forgetfulness."

"The-"

"You have died", she said. "As have all your comrades."

Shoto swallowed. The old lady quietly gazed up at the grey, cloudless sky, the warm rosy colours of her face and Shoto's the only colours in the otherwise monochrome world.

"We're sailing upon the river Gunnthrá, one of the Eleven Rivers of Ice", she said to Shoto. "Alongside us flows the rivers Svöl, Fjörm, and Víd, which will all merge into the river Gjöll that will bring us to the gates of Hel."

"I don't remember anything."

"That was by my doing", the goddess replied, sighing deeply. "You would not want to remember what has just happened to you and your comrades, for the mere thought of it would probably keep you awake forever."

"Who was responsible?" Shoto asked.

"It was Anguia the Necromancer", Meng Po replied, stirring the soup. "Not many know his name, for he perished five hundred years ago, or rather... made a forbidden cross into the world of the dead. He's gathering souls to form an army to overthrow the gods."

Shoto fell into silence. He looked down at his hands, and then at the sky and at the soup the old goddess was cooking up. He fought hard to contain the liquid that had welled up in his eyes.

"So why am I here?"

"Because I, too, need to gather people who can fight him", said Meng Po. "I need to help put an end to Anguia's machinations, and for that, I need people who can fight. I tried to save your entire group, but... you were the only one I managed to reach in time. There is, however, somebody else..."

As the old lady's sentence trailed off, Shoto turned around and looked; ahead of them was a second boat, upon which sat another Meng Po. On the boat stood another young man, bespectacled and white-haired, also dressed in the same white kimono Shoto wore. For a moment, he could not recognise the bespectacled man, having lost his memory; it was at that moment that both images of Meng Po on the boats whispered a chant, and that moment, it was as if a pair of scales had fallen off Shoto's eyes.

"Kacchan!?"

"Shoto!"

"Your old classmate, Kazuma Nagumo", said the Meng Po on Shoto's boat. "He, too, perished in the mortal realm as a result of the spiritual warfare wreaked by Anguia the Necromancer. Barely, I managed to save his soul from becoming one of Anguia's faceless soldiers."

"Shoto, I never thought I'd see you again", said Kazuma, bursting into tears and trying to reach across to Shoto's boat. The Meng Po on Kazuma's boat remained silent.

"But there is no time left", said the Meng Po on Shoto's boat. "Before Gunnthrá merges into Gjöll, I must send you and Nagumo back to your world. There, you must find two people.

"One of them is Elizabeth Ashwood. The other is named Johann Georg Faust."

Shoto glanced at the still-teary Kazuma.

"Now sleep", said both Meng Pos in unison.

And all went black.

[The Palmetto]

L-Fel
Iowa

"What are you two going on about? Alternate timelines? And why are talking to a hat by its French name?" Irwin asked Fred and Ackermann. Irwin was decently educated on things like alternate timelines, but those were mostly the work of science fiction and fantasy. But he wondered: was he in an alternate reality? He had to make a lot of assumptions about what was going on, and wanted to finally ask some questions about what was going on. He lived in an authoritarian state, and didn't exactly like being kept out of the dark.

"You're welcome, mate. Name's Irwin Emmet, at your service," he replied, bowing with his hat. This guy seemed to be normal, at least. Irwin liked him so far.

[Prusselanden]

L-Fel
"Alright, everyone shut up. I'll answer your questions, just slow down." Fred inhaled. "This hat was given to me by the Goddess of Time. I work as a Zaetgeschlager. I fix timelines when they go wrong. I tell it to take me somewhere and sometime, and it will take me. Each zetgeschlager has a hat with their own unique name. Mine is Chapeau. Problem is, Chapeau's a bit skittish, and tends to faint a lot. So when Chapeau swoons, it can't do shit and I'll have to wait for it to wake up." He explained.

"Anyways, just because Chapeau tanked, doesn't mean we'll be staying for long. As soon as it awakens, I'll have to take Ackermann somewhere."

Ackermann kept looking at Irwin with curiosity, mostly interested in his accent. "And vhere are you from, Irwin Emmet?"

"So....you said your friend was taken back a hundred years? You looking for them?" Fred asked Ammy

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

The Forbidden Act

The Soaratorium

"As long as you keep your researchers in line I don't see a problem with it. Although the Guild might, especially if you insist on... criticizing their naming conventions..." Rex said after Hex informed him that a group of researchers would be accompanying the agents back to Bherna. Hymel meanwhile was awfully confused by the agent's questions, but answered to the best of his ability. "I'm sorry, an 'elf?' I'm a wyverian, not an 'elf.' And yes, the Hunter's Guild is the primary governing organization of the world, and they work along side other organizations such as our organization, the Wycademy." He explained. "They manage the hunting of monsters and the processing of their materials. They also assist in the establishment of cities and villages, by assigning leaders and defenders." Hymel continued, whilst Nali looked at Doug.

"I really hope so. You seem like a nice guy Doug, so I hope we can help you! And yeah, Dragons! Elder Dragons to be precise. They're a classification of monsters saved for the most powerful and mysterious of monsters. Valstrax, the one this ship was made to study, is a pretty strange creature..." Nali suddenly paused as if she were putting something together. "Come to think of it, it's actually pretty similar to your ship! Instead of flying in a traditional way with flapping wings, it actually propels itself through the sky at incredible speeds with pure dragon element! It's wings are like giant cannons that fire out the stuff like a gunlance's Wyvern Fire!" She explained, excitement building in her voice as she spoke.

[Naval Monte]

The Forbidden Act
The Soaratorium

Hex shrugged. "So long as their naming convention isn't too nonsensical I will not make any comments on it. As for the Guild having issues with the researchers then they will have to take their complaints to the director of our camp." The woman told Rex aa she moved her hand to her mask and removed it; revealing a face with a slightly tanned complexion, sharp facial features, green eyes and short brown hair. The most striking part of her face was the three scars, one cutting across her lips, a set of three at her left cheek and another on her forehead almost getting her left eye.

The researchers were surprised upon seeing Hex's face. It wasn't her revealing her identity that surprised them but the presence of scars on her face. They were all sure Reavers had regenerative capabilities? Of course what most didn't take into account was that while Reavers can heal any damage inflicted by them, and as such prevent any future scars from miring their skin, the regeneration doesn't immediately target old scars they gain before they were augmented. For her part Hex saw no reason to remove the scars, they didn't hinder her performance and she didn't care too much about what people thought of her.

Besides the woman saw them as both a badge of honor for surviving against what was thought as impossible odds and as symbols of bitter failures, physical reminders to learn from her past mistakes to prevent any repeats that could cost both her life and that of her teammates. When Hymil spoke about what he is and about the Guild. "Wyverian? You don't look much like a dragon to us pal, you look like an elf." Conman said, still keeping the cloth mask covering the lower half of his face and helmet visors. Jinx was the next one to speak "So they are pretty much the closest thing to a government here, why they call themselves a guild though? Guilds are a group of craftsmen and merchants who form together for both mutual aid and pursuit a common goal. So you are telling us that a group of powerful craftsmen and merchants rule the world?"

While Jinx was fascinated by the news some of the researchers were less so, in fact they were worried about the idea of a medieval megacorp ruling the world and having its own army. Their experiences with corporations dealing with the paranormal coloring their perception. For them companies should never get involved with the anomalous business, whatever vestigial remains of morality they had left finally dies once they find the secret world. "What are the other organizations and what does your organization do?" Jinx asked the not elf. Hex attention went back to Rex. “Did the Guild grant you superhuman abilities or were you born with them? The weapons you use would be impractical for a regular human.”

The other researchers stayed quiet as they allowed the Reavers to ask the questions, only willing to join once Delta Buckler was done.
[

[Skylus]

The Third Wizarding War
Malfroy Manor

A sonic boom resounded around the area as a bright light flashed in the woods of the Malfroy's residence.
Lucius and Bellatrix ran outside, wands drawn, as an olive skin- toned man stepped from the woods, wearing smoking royal clothing.
"I mean you no harm. Lower your weapons."
The two Purebloods looked each other, then at the stranger.
Lucius spoke first.
"Who are you?"
The stranger smiled and met Lucius' gaze.
"Who am I? I go by many titles, some have been forgotten, others shall be remembered until the end of time. I have fought countless heroes, only to be defeated at the very last moment....."
The man floated a few inches in the air before the Malfroy's and summoned lighting magic.
"Who am I? I am the Demon King, I am the King of Evil, I am.......Ganondorf."
Ganondorf began to laugh as Lucius looked at his wife and Lucius spoke.
"Are....Are you a Dark Wizard...?"
Ganon stopped laughing and looked down at Lucius.
"Dark Wizard? No, I am a Warlock. Where am I?"
At this point, Draco came running up to his parents, saying something about there being an attack on Hogwarts, and that the barrier was down.
Lucius frowned.
"Is this true?"
His son nodded, then saw the man floating behind him.
"....Who is that....?"
Bellatrix shooed her son inside and her husband followed him, she turned back to look at Ganon.
"I am Bellatrix Malfroy, and this is my ancestral home. You appear to be out of time, why not come in, sit down, talk with us?"
Ganon thought about this for a moment, then nodded.
"I'd be glad to."
The man stopped floating, adjusted his robes, then walked into the mansion, Bellatrix shut the door behind him and all went silent.

---

There was a bright light. A burning sensation above her. Her eyes were... no, her entire body was on fire. The taste of metal and sulfur. Alright. Keep it steady, establish the world. She was lying on her back, arms beside her torso. There was a fuzzy warm feeling around her lungs and stomach, just beneath the rib-cage. Her last memory had been of hitting the ground, hard. There was a lighting fixture above her; warm and yellow, possibly wax flame. Her eyes were shut and her surroundings smelled of copper and musty wood. She could hear a faint tapping and far away voices, a floor below her. She tried to breathe in and nearly exploded, suddenly thrown into raucous coughs and sputters. She writhed, filled with a drowning sensation, until she coughed up a globule of warm, sticky paste. Mucous. Well, it was better than blood, at least.

Polly opened her eyes. As she suspected, there were candles around her, along with the familiar turquoise of daytime spilling through the window. She wasn't sure how long she'd been out or where she was but suffice to say it certainly wasn't the domain of either AEGIS or 836. Where was Marcus? Did Madison survive? She tried to sit up and realized she was practically immobile. Her legs weren't responsive, her arms were too heavy to lift and breathing took so much of her concentration that she couldn't levitate either.
"Don't move. You were in the worst condition when they brought you in; almost too much for me to heal. The muggles would've left you for dead."
Polly's eyes rolled toward the haggard, soothing face of Beatrice. She sat next to her on a wooden stool, silent beside the few words she offered. Polly knew better than to speak. The effort might kill her, tear her lungs open even more than before.

The old Witch smiled at the woman, and gently laid a hand on her arm.
"You will heal. You were difficult to bring around, but I managed, oh yes...."
Beatrice sighed and shook her head.
"What did all of you fight for you to end up like this, I wonder. If you're wondering about my great granddaughter, she'll live. She's been through worse than this, I'm afraid. Danger seems to find her at every turn...."
The old Witch got up from the stool and walked over to a window, threw open the curtains, which allowed the morning sun to come into the room. Polly would see bookshelves of ancient books, a roaring fireplace, chair, tables, the stool, and three lanterns scattered around the room. A bear rug was on the floor in the middle of the room, the rest of the floor was ancient stained wood.

Beatrice looked back at Polly.
"I healed you faster than I should have, but I had to, Madison was far more injured than I realized......You should be able to sit up, at least, talk a bit...Here, let me help you."
The woman walked over and slowly helped Polly sit up.
"There. I understand you have questions, ask away, dear."

Polly lay in silence for a while, mind racing with possibilities. Should she trust this woman? This world was still foreign. She might accidentally commit a social faux pas or break a law. In fact, it was entirely possible that she was being prepared for something. An interrogation, execution, you name it she'd seen it. It wouldn't be the first time she awoke in the middle of a ruse. So instead of getting straight to the point, she decided to probe "Beatrice"'s honesty.
"So where are we? What country, I mean? And what's your name?"

Beatrice smiled at Polly.
"We are in Scotland, on the outskirts of a town called Carrowteige. My name is Beatrice Hadel. I am Madison's great grandmother."

So far so good, eh? Scotland. Polly knew of the history of earth. If they were stilling calling it Scotland, well... she knew the rough window of centuries that they were in. Then again, this universe might be completely different; as she'd already said. Any information given to her would be relative to this reality.
"Beatrice, huh? I'm feeling a bit... well, under the weather. What's my name again? I'm having... no, wait. What day is it? When did you find me and how long have I been out?"

Beatrice sat down on the stool again.
"Madison appeared with you, and another a week ago. She is still unconscious, I awoke you an hour ago, to see if you would need help waking up."
She smiled..
"It appears that I still am a healer after all, I won awards and medals for my healing magic...although that was a long, long time ago..."
Beatrice got up from the stool and steadied Polly.
"I'm going to help you stand now. Just hold onto me, dear."
Beatrice helped Polly stand and the woman would notice she was wearing different clothing than the ones she arrived in - she was wearing some sort of nightgown.

"So where are we going? I assume we're... well, pardon the reference, but we're not in Kansas anymore, are we? Has there been any talk of a recent cataclysm? Some kind of monster?"
Of course, Polly knew that Beatrice did not know a thing. She'd said as much earlier, claiming to not know what Madi and her group had been running from. Now, it was just a waiting game to see what beans this healer would spill. Gather information, extract resources and escape before letting too much slip. That was her goal. She couldn't trust anyone, not when so many eyes were on her now. AEGIS, Hogwarts, Marcus, the world at large... things were moving now and she'd be damned if she didn't make them turn out her way.

Beatrice shook her head.
"No, I am afraid not. But something very powerful and dangerous had to be chasing you..."
Just then, a sort of yell and a thud came from the other room.
"...It appears that Madison has awoken. Would you like to see her?"

Polly sniffed, grimacing and clearing her throat. There was something caught in her stomach. She certainly felt no better than before, but considering her current state of "not being dead", well... it was all she could do to not think about the fact that she wasn't wearing her previous clothes. In fact, she'd been stripped of every last useful utensil on her person. Her weapons, the belt, communications, data sets, samples and more than a few compromising documents. The stench of suspicion began to waft off of her. This "Beatrix", "Madelyn", they... she had to move quickly and establish who they were. She still didn't have a complete picture of this world's politics and military capabilities, nor of their culture; but a sphere of knowledge was beginning to build. She had the pieces for a jigsaw, now she needed the glue.
Hang on. Bad analogy. Nobody uses glue to assemble a jigsaw.
"Yes. I would like to see her."

One moment, Madi had felt as if she was floating. Now? Well, she was currently lying on some sort of wooden floor, trapped by a bed sheet.
After several moments she freed herself and looked around, it dawned on her where she was.
".....We made it........Ow......"
Her hand flew up to her chest and she rubbed it until the sharp pain faded.
Okay....Don't talk, I guess.
it took a while for Madi to get up but she eventually did and noticed she wasn't wearing the clothing she last had on. That made her a bit uncomfortable but she had to admit it did fit her.
Madi then heard low voices in the other room and recognized the voices to be her great grandmother, and the other Polly's.
She decided to go say hello.
After a few minutes of walking very slowly and supporting herself with the wall, Madi entered Polly's room and leaned against the door frame.
"....Hi....."

Polly looked up as Madi stepped into the room, mostly recovered. She was walking without any assistance, which was something that Polly could not say about herself. The depth of her wounds had probably damaged something quite important; like her ability to breathe, her spine, her digestive system. These "witches" almost certainly knew nothing of human anatomy, much less that of an extra-universal explorer. She tried to move her arms, probing them as blood sloshed within. Yeah. Just as she suspected. She hadn't gotten enough blood, nutrients, antibiotics or anything. They'd just patched up her bones, sealed the injury and laid her to bed. She probably wouldn't be in operative condition for at least another week, or until she got some actual treatment. Perhaps AEGIS would be willing to help?
"So, the prodigious witch comes to visit me. You're looking better, Goodwill. Mind telling me what I'm doing here? I thought 836 would've wreaked a lot more havoc than it did."

Madi weakly smiled at Polly.
"What can I say? My great grandmother knows what she's doing. She actually worked at St. Mungo's and has plaques there and stuff but she retired a few years ago. As to what you're doing here, I had to get us somewhere safe. Which would be here."

"So we're in a manor in Scotland. Pretty nice place. How about we get down to business, though? You're back home, but I'm still a foreigner. Not sure what I'm going to do but it's safe to say that I still have duties I need to fulfil. So where's Marcus? Is he here?"
Of course he wasn't. He practically didn't know anyone besides Polly in this place. If he'd been anywhere near them, he'd already have been at her bedside, waiting for her to awaken. Her real question was, "where was Marcus?"

Beatrice smiled.
"I can help with that."
With a wave of her hand, Marcus appeared in the room.
Madi simply stared at the old woman.
".......How......"
Beatrice smiled.
"I'm old, dear. I know many things."

Marcus appeared out of nowhere, apparently in the middle of eating breakfast. He fell on his ass, appearing in the air shaped like a thunderbolt. Polly would've stepped back in surprise if the action weren't almost impossible to achieve in her current state. He was dressed in a clean suit, possibly from AEGIS; navy blue and plastic straps over his body.
"What the fuck- how did-"
"Beatrix. She teleports people."
"Bullshit. How'd she know where I was?"
"Magic, Marc. Get used to it."
He sighed and brushed himself off, regarding Polly with an air of impatience.
"Haven't seen you in a week. Was wondering where you were, but AEGIS were kind of uptight about telling me. Last thing I remember before you disappeared was facing down the smoke monster. Turns out, ropes aren't the best things to fight amorphous piles of ash with, so uhh... got a few injuries to show for it."
"You don't look all that bad."
"Well, a bear didn't buck me off and nobody shot me; so there's that to begin with. Then there's their crazy good medicine. They've got magic healers, artificial limbs, all the good stuff you keep rambling about."
The two turned to Madi and Beatrix, thoroughly perplexed by the sheer convenience of the events that'd just unfolded.
"I get the feeling that I should be more surprised, appearing in front of y'all in an unfamiliar situation after a week of presuming you were dead, but... what are we going to do now? 836 is still out there, we're still trespassers in the magical world and there's not much for us to do besides stand around and wait for something to smash us into the ground again."
"Yeah. So what now?"

Madi left the room to find actual clothing to wear and came back a few minutes later wearing a black t shirt and blue jeans, the Sword of Gryffindor at her side.
"Well, looks like I own the sword now....For a while at least."
She was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Madi! i knew I heard you speaking!"
it was Link, followed by Miria.
"How...How did you get here?"
Link quickly brought the group up to speed of what had happened since they had left.
"I found my parents, Madi! They recognized me....I told them to go back to Outset and wait until I got back."
"You do realize that time passes differently there than it does here? What if they spend weeks or months waiting?"
Link looked a bit worried for a moment, then changed the subject.
"Your great grandmother is very nice. She let me read some of her books. Your world has....fascinating history."
"..I bet it does...."
Madi noticed for Marcus to follow her as she left the room.
She just the door and then leaned against it.
"Okay....We need to plan what we do next. Any suggestions?"
"Well, I really don't know what attacked you or what happened...."
Madi quickly recapped the events.
"A monster that we're calling 836 started attacking people at Hogwarts, controlling them with this slime like substance. It killed and maimed people, destroyed part of the school, this Muggle task force called AEGIS showed up to take down the monster, Aurors showed up not long after. They're like....guard, pretty much, people that keep the peace and stuff, anyway -The Horseman of Death, War, showed up, mad the creature mad, it got out of the castle and attacked us. We barely escaped with our lives.....and now it's a week later...."

While the Elven boy stepped in to speak with the rest of the group, Miria had remained in the doorway. She didn't want to crowd the room too much; she felt that Polly and Madi needed some space, what with their injuries and all, and she didn't want to intrude on the Grandmother.
She also was beginning to feel oddly claustrophobic, staring into the room. It reminded her vaguely of the crowded chaos back at Hogwarts, a thought that left her feeling anxious.
Standing in the hall, Miria greeted Madi's grandmother the same way she had the young witch on Outset Island, holding her arms to her chest, wrists nearly touching, and giving a mild bow. “Hello, Ma'am.” She said, wanting to be respectful. “Are you the one who found us?”

Beatrice smiled and nodded.
"I am. My name is Beatrice Hadel. I am Madi's great grandmother. If you are wondering where you are, my house and land is on the outskirts of a town called Carrowteige, in Scotland."
She quickly checked the woman to see if she was injured and healed her using powerful healing magic.
"There. You should be good as new now."

Miria shivered, feeling the dull pain all over her simply vanish. It was a strange experience, not unpleasant, but definitely unlike anything that she'd ever felt. Of course, there was still the question of her glasses that needed some attention, too.
“Thank you, Ma'am. I don't suppose you'd know how to repair spectacles, too?”, she asked, chuckling nervously. She was still having trouble seeing through a cracked right lens.

Beatrice smiled.
"Yes. That's one of the oldest spells in the book, young lady. Here."
She repaired Miria's glasses and handed them back to her.
"There. Your glasses should be fine now."

Polly shrugged. This Beatrice really had some skills. She could teleport people from wherever they were from across entire countries, heal people with life threatening injuries without any lasting consequences and even repair items with little more than a thought. They were one of the most powerful beings she'd met in her time. AEGIS, and her own explorer's league, truly stood no chance of establishing any sort of power in such a universe, if entities such as Beatrice could just teleport them into space.
"Alright, that's all well and good. I'm glad to see you're unhurt, Miria. Good to know that you're all healed up, Marcus. It's great to hear that you're basically unscathed, Madi; but can we please just acknowledge the fact that 836 and AEGIS are still out there, probably leveling forests or something as they fight? I just want to know what happens to us now! We're foreigners, interlopers, probably illegal immigrants being held under strict supervision. What, happens, now?!"
"Calm down, Pol. Not to be a buzzkill but yeah. Do we just live here for the rest of our lives, do we teleport back to Outset, do I get to go home (wherever that is) or what? You've been avoiding the question, Beatrice. Is something wrong?"

Miria was delighted, and amazed; for an apparently old spell, she was pleased with the result. Her glasses were almost better than what she could have gotten back home! Hell, she was just glad to not be half-blind for gods-know-how-long.
She bowed again, grinning a toothy grin. “Thank you very much! I hope I'll be able to repay you for this.” , She said.
That done with, her attention fell back on Polly, Madi, and Marcus. “So, we all are safe, then?”, She asked, glancing between them and Madi's Grandmother. “Well, safe for the time being, anyways? I doubt we need to worry about being stuck here, with the crystal, anyways. We're far from that Castle, yes?”

Madi glanced at her grandmother who motioned for her to speak.
"Uh.....Yessssss.......We're safe here. We're somewhat far away from Hogwarts, around.....200 miles, I guess. We are not stuck here, there's a set of Tim-Stones in the woods nearby that I can use to take us back to Outset, of wherever you need to get back to. As for you guys not belonging here.....You're fine here. I'm not sure how long you're going to have to stay though...."

"Well, while you're all having a good time I'm going downstairs. Have you got my equipment? I have a few calls to make."
"(You might want to change out of those clothes, too. You're a bit casual for someone who's just been through hell.)"
"(Hey, you're taking this whole teleporting without a notice thing without a hitch. It's like you've been here all along. Well, whatever. Disregarding Beatrix's BS, I'm going to find my kit. I don't trust any clothes they give me, especially not when...)"
She stopped short. It might be an illusion. It'd explain why Marcus could appear out of nowhere, why her body was functioning despite the massive injuries she'd sustained. She did a quick reality check, moving each of her joints and making note of each sensation. Soft floor. Mild voices. Birdsong. The smell of the sea. No inconsistencies. Well, at least she could be 10% sure that she wasn't being manipulated into giving key information away - but it'd be best to move forward under the assumption that she was being watched. Making her way downstairs, she first entered the living room, a television playing anachronistic slides at a measly 36 frames per second. These kinds of flatscreen entertainment devices were relics. Hey, was that Seinfeld? No, wait, the Housewives of Beverly M.A.S.H. Her historical knowledge was really failing her here.
"Anyone mind telling me where my stuff is? There's some sensitive stuff in there."
Of course, she'd just clued them into her equipment being important. If they were watching her, they'd come up with a story to keep her away. That, or they'd already looked through it all. Either way, her databanks were safe so long as they didn't manage to pull the encryption pass from her head. Then again, it was a distinct possibility. Best not to type in any passwords until she was well clear of the household.

---

The stone walls of St. Mungos echo the screams of the ill and the mad, their tears and blood staining the once polished floors as the staff of nurses and doctors rushed through the halls to attend to the growing numbers of patients being sent their way. Many within the institution were use to treating the worst affliction that magic can conjure but as students cry in pain from skin melting sludge and Aurors rave madly about whatever launch their broken minds conjure forth from the ether of madness the staff was almost willing to admit that the current situation was beyond anything they have ever dealt with. Almost.

It was true that they were in uncharted territory, especially with some of their patients being muggles of all things! But the wizards and witches of St. Mungos vow to treat any patient that comes to their care and baring if they can't heal them then treat to make their stay as comfortable as possible. Of those injured the muggles were worse, a few new nurses vomiting when they saw the state of the muggles and others wondering what sort of magic was keeping them alive.

None of them knew what caused their injuries but they knew their magic can repair their bodies, though most worried about their minds as whatever attacked them seems to be capable of attacking the minds of its victims as well.

As they began the long process of repairing the bodies of the muggles a group of Aurors stand outside of the room. "So what are we going to do with them once they are able to move?" An Asian looking fellow ask to his brunette companion. "Orders from the Ministry is to take them in for questioning. I heard they are to be placed in trial." The other Auror was surprised about the news. "Trial? For what?" The other shrugged. "Most likely because they are muggles trespassing on Ministry grounds." The other points out that on that case they would have just wipe their memories and send them back. "I don't know what to say other than that is our orders. I can't say to know what goes on in the hands of our bosses other thsn them wanting more money."

The other auror didn't say anything as he looked back into the room, the nurses covering his fight of the muggles. The Auror had a bad feeling on what the Ministry was planning to do with these muggles and after what he saw the last thing he wants is the Ministry to cause more problems for them to deal with.

---

A middle aged, olive skin toned man in dark robes floated in the air above a ocean, over looking a triangular structure in the distance.
"A prison? These imbeciles think they can prevent me for creating an army? They're foolish to think that."
Then man began to fly towards the prison at a high rate of speed, slowly increasing until -
BANG.
Rocks and rubble shot in all directions as the man hit the side of the prison and blew a giant hole in the side.
He cracked the ground as he landed and the Dementors began to surrounded him, intrigued by this new arrival.
Ganondorf raised his head, shook off dust and small pieces of wall from his robes, and then smiled.
"Prisoners. I have come to offer you a resolution."
His voice echoed throughout Azkaban as he began to walk down the corridor, the Dementors following him as various prisoners slammed up against their cell doors.
"Join me, and I shall grant you your freedom. I shall grant you revenge on those that wronged. you.....Join me, and together, all of us can create a new world."
A man stepped forwards and Ganondorf turned to look at him through his cell door.
"What is your name, Dark Wizard? You seem to be quite powerful."
Ganondorf started floating and summoned hand magic, which made the Dementors draw back a bit.
"My name?I go by many, many titles, but you may call me Ganondorf for now. And who might you be?"
Ganon moved his hand close to the cell door's lock and the man followed the movement with hungry eyes.
"Barty Crouch Jr. Let me out, let me out and I'll prove to you my loyalty...."

Ganondorf grinned and blew open the cell door, then began to go around Azkaban, releasing every single prisoner. Somehow, those that lost their minds were able to not attack anyone, prehaps some part of them wanted to be free.
At long last, Ganondorf stood in front of at least 300 Witches and Wizards.
"Prisoners of Azkaban. Do you swear loyalty to me?"
All of them yelled yes in various tones of voice and Ganon nodded, then blew open the wall nearby, revealing a storm filled sky.
"Then let us go forth! Let us go forth and create an army that this world has never seen!"
And with that, Ganon flew out the window and the 300 + prisoners followed, along with at least 200 Dementors. Within minutes, Azkaban was completely empty, and what appeared to be a dark cloud began to fly over the countryside......

---

Lisbon had been having a good day. She'd picked up a coffee from her favourite two goblins' cafe, had a particularly uneventful trip to work at Gany's Herbologist's Heaven... all in all, it'd been quite well. She enjoyed the crisp air of London's more arcane sectors than the muggy, oppressive mood that France's wizarding society gave off. Ne'er had there been a better time to break away from the European mainland, especially with all this muggle talk of some new somesuch called... "Brexit"? She dismissed it without a second thought. Obviously just the name of another war or political conflict. She couldn't be asked to keep up with such lowly concerns, especially when Tim the Cat was screwing with her plants again! She grabbed a broom on her way in and dusted the little feller off the display cabinets, wiping off a shimmering cloud of green dust as she did so. Oh, not the emeranthus! What had the feisty feline done this time? She chided the familiar and sat down at the front desk, pulling a newspaper out from under the table. A new headline today! "Azkaban Breakout"? Some strange figure she did not recognise shifted on the page, a flash of lightning momentarily lighting his face in a loop, ad infinitum.
Lisbon flipped a remote out from the cabinet and flicked the button at the television opposite her station. For a very long time there'd been restrictions put in place to prevent the magical from having their own TV stations; the stuffy Ministry of Magic never allowed them to. Now though, in the age of phones and advanced computation - things that seemed to be inconceivable to even the most powerful of practitioners, they'd become a little more lax about administration. Magical TV had only been around for a few months but in that time dozens of stations had popped up, concealed by some convoluted means of "smuggling radio waves away from Muggle televisions" that she had no interest in learning. Really! Were muggles so important that all technology these days had to chase their coattails? She hoped not. The screen flickered on after a few seconds of static protest, revealing the grainy and reassuringly familiar face of Saxon Gin, the most vocal and well dressed announcer in wizarding society.
-orts of hundreds of prisoners fleeing Azkaban. Last night, history was made. The world learned of the presence of a new power, supposedly known as "Ganondorf". However, we here at Media Septem prefer to call him by his real title; a terrorist and a danger to all of society. Somehow, this mysterious figure unlike any other managed to breach all of the world's most famous and brutal prison's defences, managing to liberate every single inmate confined within its walls. Experts, analysts and aurors alike are scratching their heads as to how this might've happened. During the attack no patroni were located, nor were any bodies. However, what our team was able to discover was an enormous gaping hole, pictured here by our lovely second-eye owl Pilico, blown in the penitentiary's side. Detectives and authorities are on the scene now searching for the missing prisoners and dementors- however attacks and incidents have already been reported as far south as Cornwall. If you know anything of the events that took place, please contact your nearest auror. Should you live in the area you are recommended to seek refuge with family and, in the event of an attack, fortify your house and attempt to call upon a guardian; whether that be a familiar, friend or enforcer. As always, your safety is our top concern. Now onto the mystery of the mysterious-
She flicked it off. No point in learning more about... well, whatever had happened. She looked outside. Young children kicked balls in the street, rummaging through gutters and cobbled streets. Feathered creatures of all shapes and sizes flew through the sky, keeping beady eyes on the ground. Men and women, most of whom she recognised as patrons, went about their days as any other, collecting fruit and trinkets as part of their daily rounds. Could the world be any more peaceful? And Azkaban was so far away, too. Oh! Here was a customer! A man, it looked like, wearing a bright smile and a long scarf. He tipped his bowler at her and picked a Blighter Rose off the shelf as he came through the door, setting off the dangling chords set above the doorway and filling the store with a familiar, warm melody.
"Hello there, sir. Can I help you with anything?"
He looked up as if pleasantly surprised and approached the counter, setting his purchase down with a pleasant tap.
"Why, yes there is. I'd like to have this one please."
"Ah. For a friend, I presume?"
"A lover's garden. She's always loved the macabre. A lovely shade of purple on this one, don't you think?"
Lisbon tilted her head appreciatively at the flower, resting her palms against the oak table and examining the plant. Of course, she knew nearly everything about it, working diligently to keep all the plants alive every day. She curled her lip at the stem, a thorn or two missing from a clumsily handled pruner. Nevertheless, it truly was a beautiful specimen. She couldn't doubt his taste in flora.
"Yes. It's exquisite, right? I'll tell you a story about this one; Gany, my boss, found this beaut just lying on the shore of the Alternate Thames one night as he was coming home. Didn't know what it was doing there but it seemed abandoned, so he brought it back and nursed it back to health. What you're seeing is the product of a healer."
"He seems like a good fellow. Worked here often? Hang on, let me get my purse..."
As the man rummaged in his pocket Lisbon continued, looking up at the dusty wooden roof as she recounted her tale.
"Seven years now, if you can believe it. My ma always said I was destined for better things but I like it down here. I get paid well and the neighborhood's always peaceful. If you ask me, there's no place more homely than this corner of town."
"And you might've said safe, once upon a time."
She looked back down at the man with a quizzical expression, feeling a hard wooden jab in her chest. She looked down to see the end of a battered hickory wand, already gleaming a green light. The man's smile turned a sickening shade of lime as his teeth parted.
"Avada ke-"
And the last thing she saw was his smile.

---

A red tailed hawk flew into the living room of the manor and landed on Madi's shoulder, waving a rolled up newspaper in her face as the bird hopped up and down.
"Crimson! Yes. I know I've been gone for around two months. We can talk later."
The bird allowed Madi to take the newspaper that was tied around his clawed foot and the hawk then flew over to Beatrice and sat on her head.
Madi read the newspaper to herself and then looked up.

"Azkaban was broken into....Says that....The man who blew a hole in the wall and let everyone out isn't from the Wizarding World nor possibly even Earth.....He's said to have dark powers that rival those of other Dark Wizards that lived long ago, they're comparing him to Voldemort and Grindelwald....oh, they have a name.....Ganondorf Dragmire.....Dragmire, why does that name sound familiar....."
Link answered that question.
"Because he's the man who's tried to kill me at least three times. He's the one who caused everything to happen that caused me to become who I am now. Madi, he's dangerous. We....we have to stop him before...."
Madi met his gaze from across the room as she let the newspaper land on the coffee table before her, the moving picture of Dragmire being illuminated by flashes of lightning.
"Before what?"
"Before he tries to take over your world. He tried to do it to mine and when that failed, he must have came here. but your world is so vast compared to mine...."
Madi looked down at the moment before raising her gaze to the room's occupants.
"I think i know where he is, or where he's going to be."
"Where?"
"The place we just left."
You could have heard a penny drop in the silence that followed.

---

Anderson looked at Atem as the truck they were on shook. The other soldiers either chat with each other , listen to music from portable music players, read from magazines or books, or were silent as they were lost in their own thoughts. After 836 disappear from the grounds of Hogwarts the general ordered for everyone to leave the site, aware that the ministry would be swarming the area soon. Anderson send a final message to let everyone back home know what happen and him moving to a new area, and to send him more forces to secure or terminate 836.

As the convoy travel on the dirt road through thick woods the general said. "So who are you and how did you get in our camp without our guards seeing you? Do you work for those thaumaturges that appeared on our camp?"
“Thurmatugures? I have never heard of those before.” Atem said. “And I told you, I am pharaoh Atem Akhnamkanon of Egypt. I was in the after life when I found myself in your camp all of a sudden.”

War in the meantime was tracking down 836 on Ruin. Following the strange aura it has.
"From where we are from there is no pharoah with that name. So either you are lying to us or you are like us, another extrauniversal visitor to this world. As for thaumaturges well that is just another way to say magicians."

War would find that even with 836 gone the sky still snow black ash and the ebony towers of crystals still stood tall. The madden creatures from the Forbbiden Forest can be heard but none seem to be coming out, preoccupied with hunting down those still sane in the woods.
The red rider went into the forbidden forest, having a feeling that finding the creature again wouldn’t be easy. But it was his fault it was free, he was going to finish what he was sent here to do no matter what. But he might need help.

Atem chuckled at what the agents said, telling them, “You see, not all pharaohs were recorded in history. Some purposefully made sure nothing remained of his reign, for various reasons. One reason to make sure something sealed away never gets out. Now, I don’t know if I’m from another dimension or not, but history is not always written in stone.” He then sighed, “What I sealed away was a magic so dark that was made by a demon bent on ending the world, given to my father to beat any realm that dared to attack Egypt. Without any knowledge of me or its existence the magic, and demon, were both sealed away.”
War would find in the woods was dead unicorns being drained by mad giant spiders. Thevspuders wouidvsee him and would charge towards him.

Anderson chuckled. "Boy you work in my line of work long enough and you realize that reality itself was never anything people say it was, let alone history. Heck we had to cover up several moments in history. But from what we know of Egypt's secret history we never heard of a demon bent on destroying the world being in there, at least nine that we are aware of. Maybe the Celestial Order covered it up? They use to be in anicent Egypt before they launched a failed attempt on stealing the powers of Ra. Well, so they claim anyways. Trying to dig through their history is a nightmare because if some parts of their history isn't obscured or removed than others sound more like mythology than historical fact. Either way, there is no proof that you existed so it is safe to say you aren't from my world. But of you want to prove me wrong then tell me how your magic works? Maybe it is similar to mines"
Atem thought about telling the agent about shadow magic. The pros and the cons. The main con was that if more people learned about it he could get out again. The nameless pharaoh trusted Horakhty when she said that he wouldn’t be a problem anymore, but if knowledge of shadow magic gave him power, and he just re learning his name and what it was, making three people aware of its existence gave him enough power to break free of his banishment, adding to the count was risky. The pro however was there would be more people to try to stop him if he does get out again. After thinking about it for a few minutes he sighed and told the agent,”It’s called shadow magic, you take energy from yourself to summon monsters from a place called the shadow realm to fight for you, including the gods. On top of that you can send others there to game them. That’s where everyone involved, including the person who initiated the game, is at mercy of the shadows. Break the rules of the game and your not living for more than a second. The demon created that realm and everything in it. Then it created created a book covered in flesh, my father found it and in it was how to make items to use the power of the shadows. It’s a set of seven, each one made with the blood and souls of thousands. Needless to say I didn’t know any of this until I became pharaoh. And didn’t learn about the demon until near the end of my reign when I sealed everything connected to the shadow realm away with my soul any knowledge of me and my family.”

The rider would charge towards the spiders and start to bisect all of the ones that came near him. “yep, will definitely need to call in at least one of my brethren.” War thought. But until then he would fight.
Anderson thought over what Atem said about shadow magic. "Summoning otherworldly beings sounds like something my worlds magic can do. However it isn't tied to one realm and it can do much more than what shadow magic is capable of doing, but the yeo have some disturbing semblance with each other. As for where it comes from well I rather let an actual thaumaturge tell you more about it. Magic isn't my forte." Anderson explained. "Where is the book and items now? Why did your father believe that messing with those powers will help his people?"

The spiders contuine with their suicidal charge towards War, some trying to pounce on him and others shooting out web projectiles at him. War would see that some have black crystal growths on their bodies.
“The book is destroyed, I made damn sure of that before I sealed the shadows away. The items buried underneath hundreds of thousands tons of sand, stone and metal, except for the mellinum puzzle.” Atem said as he pointed to the golden upside down pyramid hanging around his neck. “This was supposed to be down there as well but it seems like me sealing my soul away made me connected to it. As for why my father thought that messing with those powers was a good idea, we were in the middle of a bloody war that we were loosing until he found the book. My advisors that also served him said that the villages that were sacrificed all volunteered. And it did work. The war was won less than a week later. That’s really all I’m comfortable telling you about it.” He was not going to tell him that shadow mages could call upon the shadows that naturally occur in the physical realm. Including people’s own shadows, or the worst things it could do like steal souls, shatter sanity, and other things like that. “But the existence of shadow magic needs to be known by people as little as possible. The demon was sealed by the high gods when I returned and regained my memories but it gains power with each being that knows of shadow magic. When I sealed away all knowledge of it only me, when I regained my memories, and about four others, it still got out.”

War kept on killing everything that attacked him while riding deeper into the forest.
Anderson frown at the news on the release condition to release the demon. He couldn't keep information like this away from the Overseer Council, yet he also can't risk releasing this demon. "So what do we do if this demon gets out? Will it appear in this world?" He hoped that was not the case, they got enough to deal with.

As War butchered the spiders he would see some develop black cancerous growths with black slime oozing off them, he also saw more with the black crystal growths. The spiders kept on attacking the deeper he went into the woods, their numbers growing the deeper he went
“I hope not, but I don’t know. It destroyed the undestroyable with a flick of its finger. Something that even the gods feared destroyed with one finger.” Atem admitted. “So if it does get out again, even after the gods sealed it away, I don’t know what to do other than seal the knowledge away again, because they made it clear, them sealing it was a one time thing as unlike other pantheons, the Egyptian gods don’t need worshipers to keep their immense power. It just boosts it. And worshippers don’t do anything for Ra.”
“Well either way lets just hope the gods’ seal holds.” Atem said.

War just kept killing.
The truck would stop moving. "Looks like we found the perfect spot for our new home. Right now we could use your help on setting up our camp. We can't keep you a prisoner for now because we are after something that escaped from our captivity and is now rampaging in this world." Anderson told him as the soldiers left the truck to assist with setting up the camp.

The spiders would begin to leave War alone. But he would soon find that he was now standing in front of one if the towers. War would feel the creature's aura coming off the tower but he would also feel the same with the others. 836 left these towers for unknown reasons but one of them was now clear, to hide its presence from aura readers and sensors
“Yeah I’ll help, don’t know how good at it I’ll be though” Atem replied to Anderson
As the two got out of the truck they can see tents being set while the Goliath suits are setting up more metallic structures. "You know how to set up a tent?"
“No, i have never done manual labor at any time in my life. Wasn’t allowed to, but I have seen it done and I’ll try.” Atem said. “Though I can help with security, show you a few monsters.”
Anderson was curious on seeing the magic of the pharaoh. "Go ahead. Let's see these monsters."
Atem obliged and said, “I’m going to summon a monster that isn’t powerful, but useful nonetheless.” Before the mellinum puzzle glowed a golden light, at that Atem whispered just loud enough for Anderson to hear, “Kuriboh I summon you!” When that happened the glow shut off and shadows parted, allowing a brown, floating puffball to float through, Atem however looked a bit more tired. “This is kuriboh, it takes attacks and prevents any damage being done no matter how powerful.”
Anderson looked at the shadows enveloping the ground, the other agents stop on their work to see the summon. When Kuriboh appeared Anderson gave a puzzled look at the creature while some agents began laughing. After Atem explained what Kuriboh can do Anderson said "What an interesting monster you have there. Was very different from what I thought the shadow realm would have."
Yes Kuriboh, don’t want them to know the more powerful monsters yet.

“Monster’s range in size and power. Some of the more powerful ones need the summoned monster’s energy on top of my own. And when it comes to summoning the gods, it takes several of the monsters that were summoned with the weaker’s energy.” Atem explained as he sent kuriboh back, the energy he used to summon kuriboh came back to the pharaoh, and he looked as energized as he was before he summoned kuriboh.
"Interesting. Right now we don't need anything like a god defending us. Just a decently powerful monster will do for the time being."
Atem nodded and yelled, “SUMMONED SKULL! I SUMMON YOU!” Once he said that the mellinum puzzle began glowing again and thunder started to roll as the shadows moved. Until the light died down and the shadows stopped moving. Nothing happened for the next minute other than the thunder still rolling. Then lightning struck in front of Atem, as the light died down a tall skeleton with purple demon wings, glowing green eyes, and purple muscles being held by the bones could be seen. Atem however looked like he stayed up a full day and night.
"That is more like what I think the Shadow Realm would have." Anderson looked the fiend standing before him. "How many monsters can you summon? If we can have more than maybe we-" as he look at Atem he noticed his sudden change state. "You're alright son? This thing isn't draining your lifefirce to keep it around isn't it?"
“In order to summon monsters I have to give my energy, that’s why tributing the weaker monsters is preferred to outright summoning the stronger ones. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine, just give me a minute.” Atem tiredly reassured Anderson. “And I can summon as many monsters my life force permits, how do you think we won that war we were loosing in a week. And no, it’s only to summon them, the monsters quickly adapt to their energy to the summoner if provided energy from a shadow mage or a monsters energy that’s been adapted to the mage's energy before making the trip. Otherwise they’d be a bit weaker but much more wild.” He then said before looking better and standing up straighter. He still looked tired but not as much anymore.
"If you feel like you cam handle this than I will let you go what you think is best but the moment you feel like you can't hold it together contact one of our mages. They might have some things that could help you." The general told Atem. "I have to oversee the rebuilding of the Gate to get back in contact with command, hopefully the situation at the other side is resolved and they can spare us more resources and manpower."

[Naval Monte]

The Third Wizarding War

Philip heard the sound of leaves crumbling against his feet as he walked up the hill to follow his friend. Howard woke him up raving about seeing something strange on the trees on the forest close by his house. The old wizard was ready to except seeing a bunch of kids missing with his old friend or even some magical creature on the loose, as far as he was concern he just wanted to get back s d finish reading his book and make a new batch of tea.

"How far was this thing you saw Howard?" Philip called out, wishing he brought he much thicker coat as he felt the breeze blow against him. "We are just close to it. I think I can see it" His old friend said as he began to walk faster, almost leaving Philip behind due to his bad knee. After a few minutes they were close to the summit of the hill and as Howard look down to Philip heard his friend shout that they are here and after reaching the summit to look down all that Philip could do was stare at the sight was amazement.

On the branches of the trees were strands of crystalline strands. The crystals were blue in color but the light reflecting off them made other colors appear, colors that Philip had no words to describe. He heard of some spiders forming large groups and construction massive networks of webs but he was not aware of any spiders that can create crystal webs. As Philip thought on how such webs could appear overnight without him noticing Howard began to go down the hill to inspect the web closer.

Philip reluctantly follow down a few seconds later, much slower due to his reservation on getting closer to the mysterious web and due to his aching joints. But he had to make sure his friend doesn't do anything stupid, just like trying to reach out to touch a strand of the web like he was doing now.

"Would you cut that out Howard! You have no idea what made this thing. For all we know whatever made this could still be here." Philip said as Howard tried to jump to catch the strand, managing to only touch it but not getting a good grip on the strand. Turning to face his friend the incredulous old wizard replied with. "You think an animal made this? I think what we are dealing with is some kids missing around with underage magic and pulling some sort of joke." Philip wasn't feeling too sure about that statement, he had a strange feeling that something was not right with the webs.

"Regardless we should mail the Ministry about this so they can figure out what is going." Philip said as he turn around and began to climb up the hill. But he stop when he heard Howard painful moan and him landing on the ground. Turning around he saw him clinching his chest as he was suffering a heart attack. "HOWARD!" Philip shouted as he rushed to his friend the best he could to be at his side. Once he knelt down he took out his wand and began to cast a spell to help lessen the effects of the heart attack so they could have enough time to reach a hospital. As he cast the spell he found to his horror that it did not work. He did it a second time and like before it failed to work.

Aa he tried for a third time the wind blew and a strand of the web flew off and landed on Philip's shoulder, the old wizard barely noticed it as he was preoccupied with his dying friend. Unfortunately for Philip he would fail to save his friend as Howard would die in front of him. Philip himself would soon due shortly afterwards as he tried to reach to his house. Their bodies would later be discovered by a close friend who would report the incident to the Ministry.

---

Thomas looked at his pocket watch as he waited for the train to arrive, given orders to replace the conductors for the next trip. Thomas heard of muggles using trains that use a different fuel for their train but he still believes that steam is the better choice for trains, the old steam locomotive possesses a charming quality that their modern muggle counterparts lacked. As the train whistle was heard blowing Thomas looked up from his watch and slimed as he saw the steam powered machine move to into the train station.

Once inside both Thomas and everyone waiting to board the train would see balls of cotton sticking on the train and cars, what made Thomas worry was the patch of rust surrounding the cotton balls. As the passengers began to leave the train they too would join the sight sewers to see the strange cotton balls as Thomas marched to the cabous to meet the conductor. Once he saw the young man who drove the train Thomas would ask what happened to the train.

"Strangest thing. As we went by a bridge there these cotton balls floating down from nowhere. We thought it was strange but sense they weren't hurting anyone so we thought nothing of it. I didn't know they stuck to us." The young conductor said. The train would be removed service to be study by the Ministry. When they checked the bridge the cotton balls were sighted on the entire bridge was closed down as the cotton balls were found not only growing on the rails but also causing it to rust. The cotton balls on the surrounding area were being searched but with a river under the bridge many suspect that some floated downstream, lost as far as officials are concern.

---

Arthur Weasley was an honest and good man. He was a man who loved his family dearly and tried to provide for them to the best of his abilities. He was a strong believer of the equality for all magical and muggle folks. He was also once in charge of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement before being promoted to Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defensive Spells and Protective Objects.

Yet even with those years of experience behind him that did not help Arthur understand the strange object before him as he saw the branch it was slowing forming break off, making the fifth identical copy sense it fell to his possession. The short, rounded, stick was brought to his attention when it was confiscated by a con artist trying to sell it as a protection item. As Arthur studied it he would conclude that it had magical properties, as its replication capabilities showed, but he still couldn't make out what it does. By the time Arthur admitted defeat and request to transfer the stick to a different office or department that can better study it the object was in the process of making its eighteenth copy. He wonder if there are anymore copies of it out there that remain undiscovered?

---

Auror Chang and his partner were called in due to reports of wizards and witches going mad and attacking people in the village before dying suddenly. As the aurors checked the body they all had holes on them, one that lead to something entering the body and many others exiting. The two Aurors all heard the same story from the survivors, how it was a normal day until the deceased started screaming of intense migraines follow by descending into madness before they all dropped to the ground having seizures follow by death. This was written in their reports to the Ministry.

The next letter from Chang to the ministry would detail how during the night he was forced to kill his partner due to him falling to the same affliction that occured with the deceased witches and wizards. He would report that other members of the village also became mad and acted the few remaining same survivors. He would describe on how he tried to save the survivors and report on seeing strange worm like creatures bursting out of the skins of those experiencing seizures, how he felt an immense pressure in his head when he saw the worms and an intense feeling of fear.

His letter would contain eyewitness testimony of those present during the night and a body of one of the worms killed and even an egg that Chang believes belongs to one of the worms. The Auror was transferred to a new task force made to deal with the growing incidents of anomalous magical incidents and to fund the strange muggles who appeared along with the anomalous incidents.

---

Robert cried his heart out as he tried to wake his parents, his persistent shaking not stirring his parents from the fear induce face as they lay motionless on the floor, unaware or unwilling to accept that his parents are dead. It started as a typical day for Robert, everything was the same as always until his parents surprised him that due to his good grades in school they would take him to the toy store to buy something as a reward. Being a small boy he excitingly accepted.

Robert and his family reached the toy store and as Robert looked around he looked st all the toys, none catching his interest until he found one toy. It was an odd looking one. It resembled a strange slug with eyeballs on sticks and a wide mouth with teeth. His parents also found the toy odd and as they tooled to the manager on what it was Robert began to investigate the toy.

Just as the manager was telling his parents he wasn't sure how it got on his store Robort squeezed it and the toy emitted a loud scream that frighten Robert. Yet for his parents and the manger they had looks of sheer horror that all three would seem to due from fear, leading to Robert's current predicament as the police arrive. While the police tried to ask Robert what happened the toy would secretly be taken away from police custody and be sent to the ministry.

[Menschenfleisch]

The Forbidden Act | Tone

He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, really. September, or "Caitlyn Themis" as she'd revealed, had hyped it up to be some kind of technological marvel but honestly? He was... well, it was less of a technological act of genius as a logistical one. How in the name of Echo had they managed to move this thing here!? Did they disassemble it and put it back together on the other side of the portal? Did they build it from scratch, stuff it in a locket or what?! It was enormous! And also, apparently the size of a goddamn blimp. From one end of his vision to the other stretched a colossal metal superstructure, an exoskeletal frame holding together the lumpy insides of this gargantuan creation. The tail end was a fiery mess of pipes and radial dishes, men scurrying around like ants on its rim, setting antennae and plates in place. A hexagonal grid of openings covered the back end of the ship, emitting a pungent aroma of sulphur and ozone. It was no coincidence that everyone working at that end of the vessel wore full body protective suits, the ground beneath it melting away as the conceptually corrosive exhaust bit at the dirt, turning solid rocks into puffs of wispy smoke.

Further beyond that was an array of cannonades and neon lights, blinking with phosphoric hues and bleeding blues, seemingly turning the entire atmosphere a deep, sterile shade of aqua. Rifled barrels and other weapons of indescribable proportions jutted out like bristling feathers, sticking into the sky as tall as skyscrapers, and many times as formidable. The jittery, guttering sound coming from within the ship's weapons core sent deep tremors through the earth, something enormous and titanic struggling within. Something horribly ancient and utterly unstoppable imprisoned within a cage and turned into a battery from which to expel the most vast and terrible forms of obliteration known to mankind. Undulating distortions in the air clued him in that there was far more to the ship than mere technology. It was a living, breathing thing. When his eyes travelled across his glazed surface, interspersed with monolithic carbon frames, dark as midnight and shaded in crimson, it seemed to gaze back; though not with eyes but fingers. He could feel this thing probing the world around it, crushing the essence out of all that it saw as being within its domain. The centre of the ship was an endless series of iron barrels and plates of other esoteric materials, agonising to look at. The tortured, hardened space around it was like a barbed crown of rose stems, digging into the flesh of reality like an instrument of hate.

And the head of the ship. Oh. It was... true, horror. The visage of Ares, Athena, hatred and love. The ultimate expression of presence created in order to achieve a total nothingness. Anger and fire, to preserve a state of calm and peace. Hypocrisy incarnate, honed to an irresistible edge.

"Impressive, right?"
"I- but... why did you create this? Why is it... I can't..."

Phobos walked to stand in front of Valerian, putting his hands behind his back and smiling wryly. Victor gave him an incredulous look, hiding the almost palpable terror inside. The man's eyes were still hidden by the darkened lenses, but he could see his satisfaction like a beacon. Phobos raised his hand and-

"Alright. Turn the eidetic illusion off."

The ship swirled away like water down a toilet, revealing a decidedly less-

"What the ungodly shit!? Why did you do that?! I can't fucking believe you would do something like that! What have you got to say for yourself, you smug bastard?"
"I thought it was funny."

Anyway, as I was saying, the ship swirled away like water down a toilet, revealing a decidedly less horrific, but much more tactical vessel. Sleek, black and avian; with a large glassed cockpit and two short, flared wings on either side. Enough to fit a dozen men, if a bit tightly. September was already stepping up, alongside a bundle of other men and women, faces and bodies hidden behind tactical vests and visors. She turned to Valerian, gesturing at him with a nasty looking serrated blade.

"Well? Hop on! Lock and load, we're going after a drone."

Tone, now a little shaken, simply stepped onto the ship and sat down as the hangar's door shut itself behind him.

"So, uhh... where are we going?"

L-Fel | Cassia

"Well... dude. I didn't know you could fly. Shucks, if I'd known that was on the table I'd have turned into a bird, or a plane, or a flying space monkey already! Ah well. Say, how about we get this show on the road? Ey, Mr. Driver... you okay there? Don't worry about my friend, he's just an extradimensional god of marine wildlife. Bah, you see that kinda stuff every day."

[Naval Monte]

The Forbidden Act

"Welcome aboard new guy." The pilot said as he rolled his chair to look at Valerian. "Get your butt seated and buckled up because we are pressed for time since we got lucky on find ping that drone's location." The bearded pilot explained, his eyes covered by shades as he wore a cap and jumpsuit instead of visors and tactical vest.

As Tone too his seat, sitting in front of Caitlyn, the pilot turned around and began to flip and press on the buttons and switches that made up the complicated looking control systems of the craft. The twin duct fans in the wings and maneuver jet thrusters all turn on as the craft began to take off vertically from the ground. Phobos had gus hands in his pants pockets as he watch the craft lift off, a smile on his face at the sight of AEGIS'S technological marvel working as intended.

The gunship may lack the same shock and awe factor that the illusionary monstrosity that Phobos made it look to trick his new partner but where it lack in a unique appearance the machine made up for it in efficiency and reliability. A craft made to represents AEGIS philosophy of making powerful, rugged, and versatile technology to fulfill their mission objectives.

Aa the craft turn to face the direction where the drone was detected the twin back engines flared up and the craft raced off, flying away the camp as one goliath suit controlled by the AI inside of the computer network of the mecha exosuit waved goodbye at the craft.

Inside the gunship Valerian would see the soldiers doing different activities while seated. One was listening to music while another was drinking from a flask. Some soldiers were checking on the guns while others were reading from magazines or book. A soldier next to Tone offer him beef jerky. Others listen to music while Caitlyn was carving a piece of wood with her knife.

The group seem to be relax and either already made their plan before boarding the gunship or were going to make one once they land. The pilot was silent as he was focus on his work, the rumble and echo made by the jet engines can be heard and felt inside the ship. "We have a few minutes until we reach our destination." The pilot told everyone.

Soon those few minutes passed and the jet began to slowly descend down to the ground. As the hatch open the soldiers saw that it was still in the misty peak region. "Looks like our drone didn't go that far. Let's grab the thing quickly before it teleports or encounters the wildlife." Catilyn told the group as she got up from her seat and got out, the others following. One soldier with a tablet like device was using it to follow the signal of the drone and instructed the group where to go.

[Skylus]

The Forbidden Act

The Soaratorium

"As long as you keep your researchers in line I don't see a problem with it. Although the Guild might, especially if you insist on... criticizing their naming conventions..." Rex said after Hex informed him that a group of researchers would be accompanying the agents back to Bherna. Hymel meanwhile was awfully confused by the agent's questions, but answered to the best of his ability. "I'm sorry, an 'elf?' I'm a wyverian, not an 'elf.' And yes, the Hunter's Guild is the primary governing organization of the world, and they work along side other organizations such as our organization, the Wycademy." He explained. "They manage the hunting of monsters and the processing of their materials. They also assist in the establishment of cities and villages, by assigning leaders and defenders." Hymel continued, whilst Nali looked at Doug.

"I really hope so. You seem like a nice guy Doug, so I hope we can help you! And yeah, Dragons! Elder Dragons to be precise. They're a classification of monsters saved for the most powerful and mysterious of monsters. Valstrax, the one this ship was made to study, is a pretty strange creature..." Nali suddenly paused as if she were putting something together. "Come to think of it, it's actually pretty similar to your ship! Instead of flying in a traditional way with flapping wings, it actually propels itself through the sky at incredible speeds with pure dragon element! It's wings are like giant cannons that fire out the stuff like a gunlance's Wyvern Fire!" She explained, excitement building in her voice as she spoke.

Doug didn't bother to correct Nali on the fact that his ship really didn't have movable wings but instead focused on the fact that a dragon, of all creatures, could possibly fly as fast as his ship.
"Interesting....Is there any way I could see this creature myself?"

[Prusselanden]

L-Fel
The driver looked up at Aestus and seemed mildly surprised, but a little relieved too, as he did not have to fit Aestus into his car.

"That's fine if you want to fly. Saves me the trouble." Alameyahu got into the seat next to the driver, as Jules put her luggage into the trunk of the vehicle and sat in the back.

"To the Marriot on Roselle Road in Carlisle, please." Alameyahu told the driver. Jules looked out of the window. Des Moines was a nice city, but it certainly wasn't as big or busy as Sault St. Marie. However, she was still very interested in taking in her new surroundings, as she had never been outside of the state before. It was nice to be somewhere new.

The Uber would drive and drive, for a few hours, until they would stop at a moderately large hotel building.

[The Palmetto]

L-Fel
Iowa

"The Goddess of Time? A z-ga-thinger? That sounds like crazy stuff, mate. What do you mean by Goddess of Time? Is she some sort of literal deity, or is that just a name? " Irwin asked curiously, but somewhat excitedly. Though he would have normally doubted the man's story, being a biologist, he found it worth considering because of what had just transpired. Irwin craved knowledge, and wanted to know as much as possible about what was going on. Maybe he'd even write it all in a journal and publish it at some point, gaining fame from the things he learned from his man and his companion.

Speaking of the companion, she had taken a special interest in Irwin.

"Me? I'm from Australia, I was up in the Waklands before I ended up here. A bit surprising to end up from being in a swamp to a place like this. How about you, mate? You from Germany?" He asked curiously. Ackermann was certainly interesting, looking like she was half-Asian, but speaking in a thick German accent. Not that her accent was the only thick part about her, though.

Hotel

The ride was uneventful for Aestus, he just flew up in the sky so no one would notice him. He did see a few strange metal flying things, but managed to steer clear of them. After a few hours, they had arrived at what looked like a hotel. Dropping down and letting his ray orbit around him, he wondered what was next.

"So, what now? Do you want to take a break or shall we precede with our job?" He asked her. Aestus wasn't too motivated, to be frank. He was just along for the ride, trying to do something he thought might be right. Regardless, better to do this than nothing.

[Menschenfleisch]

The Forbidden Act | Avarice and Tone

Avery, Audrey, Avarice, et cetera. Who was she, really? Was it a threat to all of reality, a bleeding infestation at the heart of everything? Was it a concept, as beyond gods as infinity to none? Was it an idea, the thought of all-consuming presence? Of destructive grace, of unrestricted consumption? Was it the thing that left none to grieve, left none to suffer - left none to breathe and none to carry on...? It was, and is, an absolute. Whatever it wants to be, ever changing and ever conforming. A goal, for Valerian. An unattainable, ever-longed for conclusion. His eyes, his memories are set in stone. Now, the only thing left is to let that stone fall.

Is she a repenter, bringing about her own redemption? Is she a bringer of life (though not hope) wherever she goes, doing her best to save those in danger? Is she a curious philosopher, regarding men as tiny as ants to her with the awe of giants and colossi? Is she a martyr, destined to die in order to bring about a glorious rise? Is she a thing cursed by nature, made to be inescapable and horrific, only to be the most kindly thing of all? She is a student, learning about the world and kneading herself to fit in with it. She is an observer, ever travelling and always without bias or agenda. She still cannot regret her past and she may never have the opportunity. But she is melancholy now. Untarnished joy and excitement, muddied by sadness. She is on the precipice now.

The Soaratorium's grand designs were nothing short of marvellous. Great bands of ivory and steel rose up, constraining its bulbous balloon within twisting layers of hardened metal. Ropes ran its length and a great emblem was emblazoned upon the front, a woven reminder of its heritage and purpose. It was the everyday sort of thing that Avarice could not find enough of, the curious nature of men. The deck ran wild with little creatures, humans going to and fro as they prepared to disembark. Many greetings were exchanged and no shortage of remarks were given between the parties, too. That young boy, the one in the white robes with golden trim... Costello Bianca, aged seventeen, aspiring lawyer. Lived and died on 15th Centenary Avenue. The thought burst into her mind unprompted. This boy reminded Audrey of Costello. They had looked and behaved exactly the same. After trillions of experiences, there were going to be overlaps but this, was the first time she made the connection.

Around her were people she knew. Almost precise copies of individuals she'd unfortunately eaten during her tenure. For the first time, she was humanising her past. She felt a pang of... something. An emotion she was close to describing, naming, giving a pretty label and tying up with a bow. We know what it is already, right? Pressing onward, she walked forward, not minding the glances of the ship's crew as she stepped up to the great brazier lighting the deck with its flames. A crude, rudimentary means of aviation. A guttering flame, struggling to be heard. She had not been able to see such melancholy imagery before. Now that it was possible, she was overwhelmed by it all at once. She might've cried from the experience, but concepts are not beholden to such cascades of emotion. Instead she looked at herself, toward the people surrounding her, then back at the fire. And she pondered for a moment.

That is all.

Valerian, on the other hand, was having a rocking time sitting in the silent, unmoving cockpit of an airship ten thousand metres in the sky, screaming through the atmosphere with the roaring sound of literally nothing whatsoever. The entire thing was dead quiet, save for the impressively annoying and repetitive sound of Caitlin carving scores into a horse-shaped piece of wood. Thank god the other soldiers were doing quieter things like listening to music, disassembling guns, chewing on jerky and talking to each other with voices conditioned to speaking in war zones; always a little louder than they had to be. Victor gratefully accepted a piece of jerky, munching on the salted, dried, processed sirloin of a slaughtered cow as he awaited the end of the trip.

"So, new guy. This is your first mission, right?"
"My first one with AEGIS. It's around the two thousandth, four hundred and seventeenth time I've embarked on a mission on some sort. That isn't a brag, by the way; I'm just saying that this isn't anything new. You don't need to worry about me."

One man, standing on the corner and apparently cleaning out a pistol, chuckled.

"Ha. Listen to this guy. "No need to worry about me"? That isn't what this is about."
"If you should be worried about anything, it's all the paperwork! Welcome to AEGIS, where you gotta fill out a form for every bullet you shoot. I swear, we could double our quotas if we didn't have so much paper to sift!"
"Yeah yeah, Jekins. That's only 'cuz you're new to the group. Anyway, as I was about to say, we're just breaking bread. Never worked with an outside consultant before. Should be fun, long as you don't do no creepy shit."
"Ey, you aren't going to sacrifice us to Satan, are you?"
"Hey fuck you, you already sold your soul to Lucifer back in Stockholm!"

Valerian laughed. For all his attempts to appear serious, he was still a man at heart. He was jovial, cordial and above all, unconcerned. It was just a routine drone recovery, after all. Getting to Ava could wait until it was alone.

"No, no. I'm going to sacrifice you to Garybudrah. His image of torturous eternity is way more colourful than my pal Satan's. Can we get this over with quick? I have a dinner date with Hitler tonight."
"Yeesh. You're going out with Hitler? He's a real gold digger, you know that?"
"It's a free meal. He's paying for dinner!"

The room sniggered, and they fell back into an easy silence as the journey finished, the hanger bay's latch unlocking with a faint click, followed by the resonant boom of the door falling open. Outside, the faintest trace of snow was visible on the ground. Rocks and teal tufts of grass poked through the gravelly soil, barely managing to touch the sun's rays through the white smog. A draft of cold air ran through the ship, chilling Valerian to the bone. He stepped outside and sank almost an inch into the ground, his thick boots easily punching through the soft icy covering. The rest of the squad disembarked, crunching through the snow as the ship lifted off and departed without a sound behind them. If all went according to plan, it'd rendezvous and pick them up once the drone had been secured. It couldn't land without being sure that the drone wouldn't shoot it out of the sky, turn it into swiss cheese or worse.

"Snow? We were in a temperate forest a few minutes ago. What gives?"
"We're pretty far from base, actually. A couple dozen kilometres, in the middle of a mountain range. AEGIS in-house tech. It's centuries ahead of what the public has access to."
"Seems a bit selfish to most people, but honestly; would you want your world governments flying around with ships and guns like ours? Every idealistic rookie learns the hard way that humanity, given the means, will do anything to ruin itself. Just ask Samothrace."
"Never heard of it. Not once, in the last thousand universes I've visited."
"Exactly."

Victor tugged his coat tighter around himself, looking up into the blurry sky. Clouds and thin conglomerations of snowflakes obscured the sun, leaving it a distant, hazy glow. The drone was supposedly a bit further up this mountain, probably buried within the snow somewhere. He could see the whole range from up here, an enormous ring of blue mountains covered in thin tundra snows and pines. He could see plumes of emotion coming from below, visualisations of the local fauna's auras as they ran around in the forests at the base of the stony formation. No doubt, before journey's end, they'd have to confront a monster or two. It'd be good to get some practise in before he had to face off against Ava, and possibly a posse of other people again.

"'Right. We've pinpointed our target. Everyone, eyes open and trigger-fingers ready. Mark, you take point. Dorothy, cover our cliffside flank. Everyone good? Let's go."

The team set up the side of the mountain, trudging through the snow toward certain, inescapable...

Boredom.

[Naval Monte]

The Forbidden Act

Unfortunately for Valerian he was right about the walk, it truly was boring. The more they walk through the more it became apparent that the group might have been lucky on finding the one area were monsters were not present, something that some soldiers found to be dreadful as all they saw was just endless patches of white with some turf of grass and soil poking out from the snow.

Aa the bone chilling cold breeze hit the soldiers it was their endurance training and uniforms that prevent them from shivering, the mission at hand and the lookout for any monsters that might be camouflaged being good motivators on ignoring the cold. The sound of the snow crunching and the breeze of the wind and other ambience was the only sounds they heard.

"Okay this place is now starting to become eerie. How the hell can there be mo sighs on life out here?" One of the soldiers said, voicing a concerns others had. A few more minutes pass u gil Mark order the group to stop; taking out his binoculars to get a better look at what he thinks he is seeing.
"I see smoke. We are getting close to a settlement." Mark told the group. The other soldiers parked up at the news.

"Hopefully the locales in that town are friendly to outsiders." Another said in response to the news. Mark turn to Caitlyn. "Do we go to the town ma'am? We could always go around it if you feel that exposing ourselves is too dangerous?" The women thought over her decision, it didn't take long. "Our Presence will be known soon eventually sense we sent diplomats to speak and make a deal with the powers of this world, we might as well greet these people now that we have the chance of making a positive first contact." She explained, satisfying most with the answer.

As the group made it to the smoke they would soon find a small village made up of wooden houses, a few towers, and one large metal ore acting as a landmark. The people were doing their usual activities but stopped once they saw the odd group, the soldiers were surprised to see that people in the village include a race that looked like elves and bipedal cats. "Looks like we are popular in here." One soldier deadpanned.

The group would find an old woman and one of the bipedal cats sitting around a camp fire and whdnnthebold woman saw the group she got up and walked up to them. "I never saw hunters like you people before? What brings you all to my village?" The old woman asked. Catilyn responded with "We are searching for something out on the peaks." The old woman seem curious. "Mind telling me what it is?" The agent only responded with a rare monster that they heard was out on the mountains.

"I see. Well I wish you all luck on your hunt. If you all need a break to regain your energy and warm up then you all can stay here for a while." The old woman told the group. "Thank you ma'am but we must go. We are pressed for time on reaching our target." The agent explained. The old woman frown but didn't say anything on what she was feeling. "If you feel this target is that important than I shouldn't hold you all back. I wish you all luck with your hunt."

As the soldiers thanked the woman they began to walk through the village to find the exit. As they were about to leave they saw moving shapes from the distance. As they shapes grew closer they saw four massive ape-like creatures charging towards the village. The hunters and defenders in the village also saw the monsters charging as they began to run out to face them.

Catilyn soon saw many smaller apes following the larger ones, the larger ones being the obvious leaders. She loaded her rifle. "Get ready team, we have some wild animals to terminate." The woman began to run forward, aiming with her gun and firing on one ofbthe smalker apes as the other soldiers join her.

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

The Forbidden Act

The Soaratorium

Rex simply shrugged at Hex's reply. "Alright then... Just try not to be too insulting." He said, now looking at her revealed face. Meanwhile Hymel looked as if he were trying to maintain his composure as he was barraged with more questions. "Well, I suppose you'll just have to trust me. My species is thought to have a lot in common genetically with wyverns, thus the name. Again, I have no idea what an elf is..." He replied. "As for the Guild: The Hunter's Guild is responsible for the hunting, capturing and researching of monsters and the distribution of their materials. And while they oversee most operations in the world, they assign leaders to the various cities and villages of the world, such as governors and chiefs." He continued.

Hymel then went on to describe the other organizations of the Guild: The Elder Dragon Observation Team, who were tasked with locating and tracking Elder Dragons, The Research Commission tasked with studying a newly discovered continent, Royal Paleontology Scriveners which are tasked with the study of many different types of monsters, and finally the Wycademy. "We are essentially a sub-branch of the Royal Paleontology Scriveners, as we're tasked with the study and surveying of different monsters inhabiting specific areas." He said.

Rex then answered Hex. "Well, yes and no. Only certain people have what it takes to be a hunter, and so the Guild has a pretty rigorous training program meant to find people that can handle hunter equipment effectively." Rex paused for a moment as he thought about how to further explain."Now I don't pretend to be an expert in how it works, but Gesh tells me it has something to do with our innate bio-energy, or what some might call spirit. Basically, our equipment has some latent bio-energy left over from the monster it was created from, and thus it somehow interacts our own energy and enhances it, allowing hunters to perform at physical levels far beyond that of a regular human." He said.

Meanwhile Nali replied to Doug. "Um... well I don't know about that. We haven't encountered one for a while, but I might be able to show you a sketch of it when we return to Bherna! I know someone that's a big fan of drawing doodles of monsters as a sort of record. Maybe she'd let you look at it?" While these conversations were going on, the two smaller airships were currently loading the Deviljho's corpse onto a large wooden slate that was held between both ships, strapping the beast down so that it wouldn't fall mid-transit.

[Naval Monte]

The Forbidden Act
The Soaratorium

Hex nodded to the request to keep limits to her insults. Meanwhile with the researchers talking with the Wyverian one asked the obvious question of how a wyvern can mate with a human to produce a hybrid offspring? "Elves are one of the members of these beings called faeries who are spirits born from creativity and imagination who reside in the Dreamlands. Some of your physical features matches the elves." One researcher told Hymel. Despite the ridiculous claim he spoke about faeries and the dreamlands with such seriousness to let him know that he was not joking about those two things existing.

As Hymel explain more about the Guild and it operates and the various groups within it to make the bureaucracy and administration functional the various cameras on the researchers recorded what he told them along with recording what the cameras were seeing. As one asked what Elder Dragons were and what made them so special that an entire organization was made related to them a female researcher asked a different question. "I've noticed you all still use blades weapons and armor yet you also have gunpowder weapons and airships. What sort of technologies do you have?"

The researcher was puzzled by the anachronistic nature of the technology used by the hunters and wish to know how far this peculiar phenomenon goes. As the researchers asked questions to know more about the world they were in Hex heard what Rex said about hunters and bio-energy?

"So you use the life force of both your body and slain monsters for power? Some cultures back in my home believed in life energy that can be used to grant one superhuman powers, I'm sure believers would love to meet you." Hex said as she fold her arms in front of her chest. "You know boss they saw us use magic I think we can tell them that we use an energy that is both a life and spiritual force to do make magic possible." Trick said, pointing out the futility of hiding the existence of magic after the fight against the Deviljho.

"Yes, hiding it now doesn't mean much. I'm just to use to hiding it from others to just willingly say it is real now." Curse soon asked a question. "What sort of training they make you go through and are special drugs and potions used?" Jinx asked if bio-energy can do besides enhance physical abilities.

[Prusselanden]

L-Fel
Iowa

"The Goddess of Time? A z-ga-thinger? That sounds like crazy stuff, mate. What do you mean by Goddess of Time? Is she some sort of literal deity, or is that just a name? " Irwin asked curiously, but somewhat excitedly. Though he would have normally doubted the man's story, being a biologist, he found it worth considering because of what had just transpired. Irwin craved knowledge, and wanted to know as much as possible about what was going on. Maybe he'd even write it all in a journal and publish it at some point, gaining fame from the things he learned from his man and his companion.

Speaking of the companion, she had taken a special interest in Irwin.

"Me? I'm from Australia, I was up in the Waklands before I ended up here. A bit surprising to end up from being in a swamp to a place like this. How about you, mate? You from Germany?" He asked curiously. Ackermann was certainly interesting, looking like she was half-Asian, but speaking in a thick German accent. Not that her accent was the only thick part about her, though.

Hotel

The ride was uneventful for Aestus, he just flew up in the sky so no one would notice him. He did see a few strange metal flying things, but managed to steer clear of them. After a few hours, they had arrived at what looked like a hotel. Dropping down and letting his ray orbit around him, he wondered what was next.

"So, what now? Do you want to take a break or shall we precede with our job?" He asked her. Aestus wasn't too motivated, to be frank. He was just along for the ride, trying to do something he thought might be right. Regardless, better to do this than nothing.

"She's both a goddess and time itself. It's....complicated. You know, how Gaia is both the Earth and its goddess? If she dies...all time will go to shit." Fred tried to explain. "Her agents are the zaetgeschlagers, who make sure time is running as it should."

"Germany? I don't know about zhat place. I am from Zhe kingdom auf Prussia." Ackermann gaved Irwin a slight bow. "You say you are from Australia? Isn't zhat zhe prison colony auf zhe British? Vhat is it like over zhere? I've always heard it's ver varm, und zhere are many animals in it."

[Menschenfleisch]

The Forbidden Act | Tone

The walk itself was pretty, if incredibly unremarkable. Of all the places he'd been, nothing still quite matched the quiet, peaceful beauty of a snowswept landscape. Stars glittering like jewels in an ocean of oil? Bleeding hearts, screaming pillars of fire across the universe? Bleak woven webs, glittering white in the faint glow of a billion, billion lost souls? Eat your metaphysical hearts out. Nothing beats the incredible, inescapable allure of god, DAMN, SNOW. He sighed. Ugh. Memories of snow crested holidays. Those images were so far away now that they barely registered whenever he thought about his past. It seemed like all he'd ever done was wander in search of killing Ava. He shook his head, distending a flurry of snow from his unkempt hair. No time to doubt his motives. He was close, now. If he was going to have second thoughts, he should've had them years ago.

"So... you keeping up there, buddy? You don't have an exosuit or anything."
"Actually, now that you mention it, I could really do with one of those. It's, umm... admittedly pretty cold without one."
"Yeah, we got automatic legwarmers and everything. These babies are sweet."

They walked in relative silence for some time, crunching snow beneath their boots as they trekked toward the drone. It seemed like an open-and-shut operation, really. Did they need such heavily armed soldiers on a mission like this? The natives were dangerous, sure, but not exactly aggressive. He'd heard talk of an attack from earlier that day yet he still found it hard to believe that anything in this world could pose a legitimate threat to the dogmatic, militarised infrastructure that AEGIS had set up and functioning. A bit overkill, right?

Turns out, no. Overkill is a word people use when they underestimate things. He stayed away from the village for the most part, getting little opportunity to talk before the settlement was accosted by apes. He wasn't surprised to find that these things were coming en masse, hoping to drive the mechanical invaders off their land. The villagers reacted almost instantaneously, grabbing sticks and spears from wherever they were lying and lining up in formation to face down the interlopers, a line of cat-people prepared to meet the simian rush. However, even without his enhanced perception, he could see that they were not out in force. The men at the front, scarred and experienced though they might be - having lived here for generations, were far from firm. This attack was motivated by AEGIS' presence, and the apes were projecting their hostility not just onto the soldiers but also the humanoid cats living here. The village had probably never faced such overwhelming odds. September began to bark orders through her mic, mobilising the entire squad.

"Alright. Team "Severe Tempest", weapons hot. I want our designated rear guard defending the village. Sec-2 and 3, watch for flanks. Newbie, the front's up to us."

Valerian was more than happy to oblige. He reached out with one hand and clenched his fist, stopping the charge in its tracks. He couldn't possibly control so many at such a distance, especially such high-cognition animals as apes; but he could still seize control for a second or two. A wave of apes tumbled over each other as their legs gave way beneath them, sending a number tumbling down the embankment and barrelling into their comrades - yet the ones further back, shielded from the mental attack, began to vault over their recovering companions; being met with a vast flurry of iron slugs and rail shells. Was there no end to this assault? Surely, these creatures would give up once the initial momentum was broken. Yet, they got back and up, and began to run with renewed vigour. Something wasn't right here. Animals didn't behave like this, pursuing their targets so relentlessly.

"Be advised, Tempest. Our targets seem to be possess non-baseline behaviour. No beast, predator or otherwise, would keep going in the face of this kind of firepower."
"Acknowledged, however irrelevant it might be. Just keep shooting!"

The eight man team split up with the precision and finesse of a clockwork watch. September drew her rifle and primed the dual rail-coil accelerator inside, firing off a blindingly fast burst into the crowd. She picked her targets carefully, a holographic reticule appearing over her right eye as she systematically downed the ones at the front of her vision, delivering perfect headshots time and time again. Two groups of two went out on their own, taking down targets thirty degrees or further from where September was aiming, a plume of smoke streaking over the snow and momentarily tinting the whole world orange as a colossal blast shook the snow from the soil, a tsunami of shrapnel and fire engulfing a dozen adversaries. A group of three apes, small and swift, burst through the ranks and headed down September. She downed one halfway through its step, sending the man-sized predator tumbling through the snow. She calmly lowered her gun and drew back her left arm, delivering an bone-crushing pneumatic punch to the next, caving in its face mid-air and throwing its limp body several metres back. The servos in her arm made a satisfying click as they set themselves back in place, recharging in preparation for another physical attack. The last leapt around her side and tried to come at her from the right, screeching in rage. Without missing a beat she raised her other gauntlet-bound hand and said the magic word.

"Incinerate."

A roiling cloud of fire and thermite burst out of her wrist, incinerating the poor chimp instantly. Its cooked, blackened bones collapsed into a pile, the ligaments and cartilage that had held its skeleton together having been entirely burned away. She turned to Valerian, who up 'til this point hadn't moved an inch - preferring to watch as the team sprang into mechanically choreographed action.

"So, are you going to help out? You're not all talk, are ya?"

Victor took a firm step forward, brushing his hair behind his ears.

"Trust me. I can do a lot more than just rant."

He was remiss to kill so easily, but watching the rest of the team blasting these gorilla-knockoffs into oblivion convinced Valerian that the time for mercy had long since passed. He reached into his pocket and drew out a rose, the tiny spurt growing into a terrifying entanglement of thorns and creepers, loosely wrapped around him like a partial suit of armour. A column of apes broke away from the central mass and began to encircle the village, which by now, had lowered their weapons in favour of watching AEGIS go about what they did best; obliterating any and all opposition, with extreme prejudice. As two quarters of the team began to fire upon their flanks, Valerian fell upon the brunt of the horde, drawing a long, straight blade and carving through their ranks. At this range, he could attract their attention; line them up for more devastating attacks. He ran a greater risk of injury, true, but these things were trivial compared to what he'd faced down before. A broken bone or two was little more than a hindrance for his powerful healing factor.

He cut through one with a visceral silence, the great ape splitting open without a sound. This sword was really something, huh? Not a hint of resistance. He sliced through air, bone and stone with casual ease and practised fluidity. A rain of ribs, blood and gristle came down around him as he worked, the thorns armour his back working as a third limb, ensnaring and tearing apart his enemies. He kept note of his footwork, staying as still as possible, and keeping a good grip on the ground whenever he could. His boots sloshed through the pool of blood around him, gathering quickly as apes piled up to tear him to pieces. He could feel them biting and clawing at his defences, tearing through his rose's overgrown stem. But, without anything sharp, they barely posed a challenge. A stray fist went through his barrier, charging toward his face. Instinctively, he caught the blow under his arm and pulled his assailant forward, twisting around and plunging his blade into the attacker while simultaneously turning his back and delivering an elbow strike to its abdomen. A crushing series of fists slammed into his back, sending him sprawling forward.

Victor momentarily lost his grip on the ground, sliding forward and barely ducking under another tufted arm. He swung upward, cutting the limb from its owner and reached out with his spare hand, ballooning the creature into a pile of soggy tumorous tissue before exploding, creating a blinding screen of blood. Slowly, laboriously, he propped himself up; no thanks to his sword, which sank into the stone like butter when he tried to use it as a support. September shouted something in his earpiece, but he paid no attention. Around him, a ring of apes prepared to dive in. How many had he killed by now? Two dozen? More? He'd seen bloodshed the likes of which few could begin to consider, even in the realm of fantasy. Avarice's rampages, torturous actions, had desensitised him. He didn't even acknowledge the rusty smell in his nose; he merely brushed a layer of gore off his chin and raised an arm.

The circle began to close in as Valerian closed his eyes, working his magic. Far away, the smell of vomit and blood grew stronger. At seventy of these things were attacking the village, far more than any natural conglomeration. Maybe it was the same influence that'd driven the Deviljho he'd seen earlier insane. The line charged at him with reckless abandon, mouths snarling and dripping saliva. He fell to one knee, his eyes and arms glowing a blinding, ethereal blue. His rose was tattered, the petals shedding. His arm was coated in scrapes and bruises, microfractures in his bones sending an intense spear of pain through his spine. One of the apes drew nearer than the others, a particularly large and brutal specimen. It leapt into the air, raising its forelimbs in preparation and- crunch, its face hit the ground.

"I'm not a one trick pony, you know?"

His work was done. An army of the dead, raised to fight for him again. He hadn't been planning to take on the entire group on his own; oh no, he would've died if he tried. Instead, he'd aimed to build his own army. The ones he'd slain, and the ones the rest Tempest had killed, began to rise, their bodies animated by invisible lines running through their arteries and veins. The undead beasts' eyes flashed a fervent blue, and they turned on their former brethren, tearing them limb from limb and engorging themselves on their flesh. Tempest Squad's communications blew up with confused remarks; yet September only smiled, watching warm blood melt bleached snow.

"That son of a bitch. For a moment there, I thought he'd get himself killed."

The battle was nearly over now. The dead began to outnumber the living as bullets and undead fists overwhelmed natural muscle. Victor walked calmly toward Caitlin, his wounds gradually sealing themselves as he walked. He was still covered in blood, bruised and maybe a little unsteady in how he walked, but he was alive and well. His face gave nothing away. He did not take pride in such acts of immodest destruction. He merely dusted himself off and raised his hand, causing the revived to die again. He did not want to tether them to his will longer than he had to. With a grim, bloody look, he stood before September and buried his sword in the stone, panting and watching as mist left his mouth.

"So... how was that?"

L-Fel | Cassia

The foreboding hotel before them was... wait, was that a butterfly? Oh. Cassandra hadn't seen a butterfly in ages. Social butterfly, physical butterfly, theoretical noospheric predator butterfly... her mind wandered in all directions sometimes. It could get pretty hard to focus all the noises in her head, though she found that electroshock therapy and massive amounts of cocaine generally did the trick. She manually converted some of the particles in her brain into various feel-good hormones, the exact natures of which I will avoid so I don't offend any biology majors.

"Ah. So we're here, eh? Thought we'd be heading straight into the action. Then again, who am I to judge you?"

She leaned across the seat toward Julian, smiling with one half of her face.

"I'm sure you have something important to do here. I'm physically incapable of feeling impatient until I desire to do so, so... I guess take all the time you need!"

[Naval Monte]

The Forbidden Act

September gave Valerian a smile. "I think this mission will be over a lot sooner than I thought if you can pull of more surprises like that newbie." She said to him as she have him a slight pat on his shoulders, surprisingly the tap didn't cause any amount of discomfort or pain. There were very little chances of her accidentally hurting Valerian with the exosuit, with both the direct neural interface ensuring that she has perfect connection to the suit to control every minute movement from her, and the semi sentient AI assistant to help regulate all systems of the suit and even take control over some in situations like the one she been through September never had to worry about losing control over her suit...

Even when she was dealing with Augers. At that point she would request a suit with good cyber security software and electronic countermeasures suit, yet even with that she still felt too uncomfortable being in those suits when dealing with literal computer wizards. She seen what happens when those bastards either cause a suit to fail or worse takes it over, those are moments September sometimes debates with herself on why she never took the amnestics to forget about them?

Lingering too close to Valerian for a few seconds too many she let him go and began to walk around the battlefield to check on the casualties. September village doctors and apothecary rushing to the injured giving them potions that she knew from the camera feed from Agent Vega will aid in boosting the bodies regeneration process. She saw the team medic also assisting with some of the injured as they began to apply medi-gel on to the wound of one of the talking cats.

September walked to one of the giant apes that was one of the leaders of the attack. She remember to have seen it's eyes being bloodshot during the attack, if her memory was recalling it right the eyes might have been glowing? Kneeling down she began to brush aside the blood stained ivory fur, revealing the flesh underneath. The skin was tinge blue. "What is the skin color of the smaller ones Mark?"

She waited for a few seconds for a reply until she heard an answer from him. "It's blue like all of the others boss. Whatever made them go apeshit seem to effect their bodies as well." The women snorted. "Apeshit? Seriously?" She heard Mark chuckle ay the other line. "Sorry ma'am, couldn't resist making the pun. But are we dealing with some sort of contagion that is affecting the wildlife of the world?" September was silent, mulling on the possibility and its implications.

"We can't be certain on what we are dealing with. But the fact this also happened to that unholy offspring of a dragon and T-Rex we can't rule out a possible viral and bacterial source to this anomaly." She looked at the injured defenders. "Let's just hope this doesn't affect the humans, elves, and cats, or that it mutates to do that." September took out a needle and injected a clearish gel-like fluid into the corpse. As the nanites congregate through the blood vessels they would begin to set off signals for a ship to extract the corpse for study.

Putting away the needle she got up and as she turn her back from the body she saw the old lady who was now surrounded by guards. "Thank you for helping us. We are truly grateful for you all risking your lives to protect our homes." September just merely gave the woman a wave. "It was nothing ma'am. Does this happen often?" When the question was asked the old woman frown, the two guards looking sullen at each other as to just reinforce that this was not the first attack.

"This wasn't the first attack, but it was the first time the monsters all attacked in such large numbers. Before this we had dealt with solitary monsters or just small groups. Just like all if the previous attacks no matter how many times we harm them they would keep fighting until a fatal blow was dealt to them, as though they all gone mad." She looked at the other villagers. "I'm just glad this attack had no deaths but I fear that eventually we will face against a raid that we can not fight against."

September felt a sense of pity for the old woman and the village's plight, yet she knew that AEGIS can't interfere with the matters of other worlds unless the Overseers deem the actions justified. "Have you tried reaching for help from any nearby towns or villages?" The old woman shook her head. "We are too far away from any nearby settlements and it would take days for our messages to reach the Guild to send in additional hunters."

September cursed in her mind. "We'll see if we can find help after we complete our mission in here. Maybe we can clear out some of these mad monsters for you." The old woman smiled. "Thank you dear. I think it is best if you go now, you don't want to be out on the mountains during night. Not only is the cold far worse but far more powerful monsters prowl under the cloak of darkness." September thanked the old woman and order her team to move out. As Tempest Squad moved onward they saw from beyond that some if the villagers, the chief included, was waving them off.

As the team resume their dull walk through the snow cap terrain the team was silent. "So you think if we report about what is happening with that village back at camp we might help them?" Dorothy said from the flank of the group, her and Mark resuming their previous positions. "Who knows, the Overseers can be fickle." The team knew that while individuals like Phobos and Scry might have the highest ranking on the camp to act as leaders they still need to report back to the Overseers on all matters, and one relating to assisting natives on another world is one that needs to be brought to attention to prevent them on being caught in a delicate and violate political quagmire.

As the team debated with each other and themselves on whether they can interfere with situation over at Pokke Village the group was behind stalked by clever creatures; their amber colored, stilted pupil, eyes watching the group of humans in strange armor with eyes befitting one filled with base animalistic instincts and desire, right now the strongest desire those beings were feeling was hunger.

As the group kept walking September saw the holographic imagery project on her eyes, her suit's AI telling her that it detected something. "Everyone stay alert, we have something following us." September whisper through the mic to minimize the chance of their stalkers on overhearing them. "You want me to take care of them now boss?" Dorothy asked. "Negative. Send out the scout swarm so we can get a visual on our targets." The soldier complied, taking out a small cylinder capsule and opening, releasing gunmetal gray dust that flew in the air as the wind carried them.

The utility swarm began to fly aground in the air as they searched for the predators. It didn't take long for the swarm to find them and broadcast back to the team what they were seeing. "How the hell are there dinosaurs up here? Shouldn't they be frozen corpses for even in this terrain?" One soldier said as he was amazed at what the holographic projection showed.

The group was being followed by pale blue raptor-like creatures with black stripes on their backs. The Raptors had long, talon-like claws, on their hands and a large dull red creston the back of their head with long yellow jaw that almost resembled a break to some squad members. September noticed that the eyes were not red, meaning that these creatures were hunting them on their own will and not due to whatever madness befell the other monsters.

"Looks like we are about to have yet another dino crisis fellas, let's show these scaly bastards why humanity has surpassed them as the dominant species back home." The soldiers let grins form on their lips as they got their weapons ready. As the Velociprey began to draw closer the team waited for the chance to surprise the creatures. One of the Velociprey began to run and just as it jump to pounce on Dorothy the woman shimmer out of existence, the monster landing on the snow confused. It's confusion didn't last long as a slug tore through its eyes and brain, spraying blood and gray matter from its head. As the wyvern bird fell lifeless on the ground Dorothy reappeared, her weapon aimed at the creature as its rapidly cooling body began to dye the snow dark red.

The other wyvern birds began to cry out in anger at the action, taking defensive positions as the team aim at them. The group heard another barks and roars and saw from on top of large rock was one similar to the others but it was larger in size, sporting both a large blue crest and twin blue blades and sickles at its hands and feet. "Looks like we found the alpha." September looked at the other raptors, beginning to encircle them. "So all we have to do is take out the alpha and these guys will flee." Mark said as the barking grew louder. "This will be done in no time."

As one soldier aim to shoot at the Giadrome the alpha jumped out of the rock and evade the shot. As the raptor roar the other members of the pack began to look fidgety until two ran towards the troup and were shot through the head. The others began to roar at the sight and two more sprint towards the squad. These two survived the first shot by dodging it with a jump but as they landed second rounds torn through their bodies, killing them.

The Giadrome let out a roar and the others began to rear in defensive positions. The Giadrome shot out a blast of frost at September but Caitlyn simply aim her gauntlet at the blast and send it a blank of fire and thermite to counter it. The Giadrome and other Velociprey seem spooked by the action as they all began to flee. "Well that was anticlimactic." She said as she watched the fleeing monsters. "Let's keep on moving."

The group kept on going and unlike before they didn't find anymore monsters trying to eat them, instead they found the entrance to a cave. "The drone seems to be inside ma'am." One soldier said as they checked the tablet. September ordered everyone to get their lights turned on as she and the rest enter the cave. On the cave ceiling they found icicles hanging above, a few drops of water landing on the cave floor. As their footsteps echo throughout the cave the group stayed on high alert encase something choose to attack them now that they are trapped in an enclosed space.