Voyage Through the Multiverse (Open) [IC]

[Naval Monte]

Secrets of the Raven
Branhwrn

Hearing the woman speak Elizabeth try to hear for anything strange in her voice, any clues that she might be some creature pretending to be human. Yet she didn't focus on that for long when the woman started saying some things she shouldn't know. "What the hell? How much does this woman know about me?" the witch thought. At first she thought that maybe she knew of her reputation but when she said Teutonic friend she knew that was not the case.

"I would think mind reading but she can't read my mind without getting through my wards." Elizabeth then remember she made Lilith meet the Kents. "Right, in hindsight that was a bloody awful plan. Okay, so mindreader or clairvoyant. Maybe an oracle or seerer? Or she was spying on us with scrying? None of these options sound so great if anyone of one them is true." Elizabeth just gave Dawn a smile, hiding her irritation on the woman knowing so much about her.

"Sure love, let's keep going our merry way." She told her as she began to move forward. The group would soon see a building that look like the fusion of a cathedral and a castle stand before them. As they climbed up the steps and enter they would find Lilith praying inside. "Oi Lilith, we're here to pick you up." The witch called out.

[Demincia]

Secrets of the Raven
Branhwrn
Dawn Elissa and Lilith von Brandt


Dawn smiled and nodded at the woman who clearly was trying to figure out how she seemed to know as much as she did. "You will have your answers soon enough, of that you can be sure." she said. When they got to the cathedral, Dawn stepped inside and looked around. "How quaint." she commented. Mortals loved worshiping that which they did not understand. Dawn didn't care either way for any faith that they placed in her or not. "Do you suppose that whatever being this building is dedicated to even knows that it's here?" she asked aloud.

When Elizabeth called out across the cathedral, Lilith initially didn't respond. She was in the middle of a prayer, and did not wish to leave it unfinished. After a few moments, she turned her head towards the group and put her finger to her lips. She stood slowly and approached them, replacing her hood over her head. "Please don't yell. This is a place of worship, not a sporting arena." She glanced at the people behind Elizabeth. "I take it that you found the people you were looking for?"

[Menschenfleisch]

Secrets of the Raven | Jacquelyn and Kyle

Jacquelyn's mind raced with thoughts. If they were about to go on some kind of reconnaissance trip why was Elizabeth taking them to the cathedral? Either the plan had changed without her knowing or the authors were getting weird with how they wanted the story to progress. She looked around looking for Sa- wait, who... there'd always been only this many people here. Why did she remember there being more, then? Kyle looked over at her, waving his hand in her face and patting her on the back. No time to be confused, they were about to talk straight into a cathedral with a creepy redhead and a brooding witch. Kyle's hands twitched ever so slightly. Jacquelyn's eyes danced with light.

"Well then, Dawn. Would you mind telling our esteemed investigator here what you're doing, getting involved in our case? I'd sure love to know why we're walking into a disused cathedral to 'talk privately'. What, you couldn't find a good cafe anywhere in this city? I know a good place called the Limpet Diner."

Of course, if they were actually going to be ambushed, Kyle would've told her a long time ago. Jack stopped herself short of actually suggesting they were walking into a trap though. Dawn had piercing eyes, the kind that could almost certainly see through any bluff Jacquelyn had. It'd be hard trying to get the truth out of her. The woman on the other end of the cathedral, previously praying and now chastising them, seemed a little more laid back- scratch that, far too tired and jaded to even care whether they were giving her sass or not anymore. Lilith seemed to have seen it all.

"So, you're the person Elizabeth wanted to pick up? I mean, nice getup and everything but where are we going now? I thought we'd be chasing after the Fates, not gathering the Scooby Gang."
"Christ, Kyle; it's the Mystery Crew."
"Shut up."

Introduction | Avenoir

Ink. His thoughts glide on canvas like ink, painted with the coarsest brush and most frenzied hand. His mind unfurls like an angel's wings, dripping blood and humour. He grasps handfuls of snow in each hand, retching and shuddering like a dragon were about to burst from his chest. His head shakes, his eyes tremble. Darkness creeps at the edge of his vision, an intolerable, inexhaustible pressure building up inside his skull, squeezing his thoughts into a wet sloppy puddle. Something is wrong but he can't remember. There is a corpse but he cannot remember its name. He needs to forget. He needs to escape.

He straightens his legs and arches his back, trying to lift himself up. Droplets of blood - his own blood, fall upon the snow. They clarify into words, mad scrawls that melt the snow and freeze into crimson streaks. He can't read them. He can't remember what they say. He takes a moment to look behind him. Endless fields of snow, broken by a single trail of footprints from the horizon to where he is now. So far away, he can't even imagine the distance. He looks ahead of him and sees a corpse. It blinks at him once, lifting its head as if it recognises him. It opens its mouth to speak but he can't remember how to hear. His tears are warm around his eyes. His blood is hot all over his body. His memories are agonising. Incorporeal talons scrape away his mind, shredding his thoughts. He lets them. He doesn't want to remember.

Even so, runaway thoughts emerge.

"I take the burden."

Flashes of light. A colossus looking down, seven fingers grasping each of his limbs. Something searing pierces his heart, warming as much as it burns. A flower blossoms from his palm, dripping with nectar and nightshade poison. A star is born and flushes away the dark - then in ten million years it dies, and the dark retakes the light.

"I will remember her sacrifices. I will honour her name."

He is a waterfall. His blood waters the fields of remembrance, blossoming poppies and ferns upon the barren ground. One thousand, one million, one billion loving hands reach down to pluck them from the ground, carrying them in pockets and sticking them in hair. Their hands are stained with his memory. With their memory. A legacy that will not be forgotten.

"Hallow her achievements and succeed her in life. This I will do with foremost conviction and utmost imperative. No void nor light may stand in my way. No name nor stigma will colour my actions. I shall be Avenoir. I shall be our endurance."

The hands let him go, letting him fall. The fields were no more. His blood dried and thickened. Nobody remembered him. The world forgot them.

"I will carry our torch and keep our flame alight forever."

Streams of light fell past him now, wrapping around his body and thickening like sludge. They were soft and brittle. They cut and healed all the same.

"Mnemosyne..."

But he forgot what happened next.

Premature Introductory Post | Polly

"Now, what's an inexplicable treat like you doing here?"

The stone obelisk didn't answer.

"C'mon! Stop being so muh'sterious and do something!"

She tapped her foot, glancing down at her watch - not that it meant anything on this backwater planet.

”I didn’t want to do this but you leave me no choice. I didn’t come here for nothing.”

Polly set down her pack, previously levitating next to her as she lifted it by the metal streaks inside its weave and forced open the iron zipper with a wave of her hand. A pile of tools came flying out of the pack; a drill, a pick and a sealed box with a rather unhealthy looking glow coming from underneath the lid. She slid it open and revealed a tiny sample of superheated iron. She only had one of these so she'd have to be quick. She slipped her gas mask over her face and slid in the polarised lenses. The incandescent white fluid inside the box was bright enough to blind half the species in the Milky Way. With one flick of the wrist the little glowing streak flew out of its container and slashed open the stone egg like a scalpel, leaving a long red scar on its side. She flicked her wrist again, carving a roughly square section out of the stone sphere in front of her. She stuck iron pins in its surface, trying to pull the rectangular piece out. What could be in there? She played the possibilities out, imagining what might happen.

"Muahahah! Finally! After ten thousand years, I have emerged to conquer the world! You shall be first to die, little insect!"
"Ok. That's cool."

The entire thing popped off with a chorus of rocky snaps, eliciting a surprised yelp from Polly. A young man tumbled out, probably in his early twenties. She held out one hand, cushioning his fall with the bag from earlier. The pain of falling onto a solid metal pack full of sharp edges and power tools woke him up immediately, causing him to arch his back and howl in pain. He looked toward Polly, staring at her in confusion for a moment. Did he know who she was? His look of recognition faded almost immediately, turning to a pained expression as he clutched his head, standing up and stumbling to the side. She stepped forward and caught him by the back, arresting his fall. It'd been a relatively minor detail up to that point but both the obelisk and Polly were standing on an enormous precipice overlooking a canyon almost two miles deep. It would not do her any favours if the first human she'd met on this planet died after falling off a cliff.

"Woah there!"

She sat him down slowly, snapping her finger and bringing him a bottle of water and pack of rations. Corned beef and white rice; a good starting meal, assuming this guy was hungry. He took the bottle with both hands, like a drunk or an injured man would. Not a good sign. He was sitting on the ground now with a bottle of water, pre-prepared food and human help. Now was as good a time as any to start asking questions. She tapped him on the cheek, getting his attention and drawing his attention away from an apparently very, very interesting rock on the ground.

"So, hey pal. What's your name?"

He looked up at her as if he wasn't sure what she even meant. Did he even speak English? He opened his mouth slowly, bobbing open like a fish.

"My name? I- I don't... I don't know."

Damn it.

One Week Later | Avenoir and Mnemosyne

Polly drifted up to the top of the cliff, taking a good look around. Thin shafts of sunlight lit up the centre of the ravine, yes, but they did little to alleviate the thick darkness at the edge of the cavern. She clicked on a torch and held it above her head, lighting up a series of glyphs and runes on the wall. This planet... B-5607, known to the inhabitants as Alethia. Of course, it was nigh impossible to actually translate the esoteric carved symbolry on the walls but every now and then an English word or two would pop up; usually some kind of mythological reference or name. She took a photo of the blue stone slate and turned toward the cliffside, watching as Marcus pulled himself up with one of his cables. He'd apparently been rediscovering an arsenal of abilities and memories in the last few days, though his initial confusion hadn't quite cleared. She waved to him, smiling briefly.

"Hey, I've been thinking. About my name."
"Don't like getting called John anymore?"
"No, it's just... these glyphs. These passages of text. I keep seeing names and drawings I remember."
"Oh. So mind cutting to the chase?"
"I think I'd prefer the name Marcus. Marcus Cain."

Marcus stepped past her, looking up at the rows and rows of text in front of them. Every now and then the indecipherable lines would be broken by a word or two they recognised. Marcus, Cain, Avenoir, Mnemosyne; they were always seen together. Safe to say, they were either the same person or pretty close to one another. Polly didn't really understand his choice but she was fine with it. Sure beat going home and introducing everyone to "John Doe". She shrugged and turned around, flying upward to the ravine's portal to the surface. They were pretty much done here. Marcus followed suit, reaching out with one hand and firing off a thick black rope. He'd gotten pretty comfortable, using those abilities of his. She was kind of jealous.

Marcus looked back at the stones just before he left, glancing over the rock once again. He swore there were names there that mattered. Shimmering glyphs that he couldn't read. He blinked and it remained seared into his mind. No. That wasn't important. What he needed to do was follow Polly; without her he'd be stranded and lost. He wasn't sure what to make of her job, searching for worlds with important resources and colonial potential. It seemed like a lonely job. The last week had mostly been camping underneath rocky outcroppings and taking samples - not the most entertaining task, that was for sure. When he landed, he noticed that Polly was holding out some kind of transceiver, clicking like an overloaded Geiger Counter and pointing to something right in front of her.

"Well, that's my cue. I gotta go to the next survey location. Marc, you want me to send you home? I can put in a good word with the integration department, get you a job and lend you my house."

He really had to think about that for a while. What did he want? Where was he going, and why was he here? Whenever he looked at Polly his vision blurred, like maggots were eating away what he was seeing. And then, in between looking at her and looking away, he swore she became someone else. He had to find himself. He had to remember.

"No. I want to go with you."

She tilted her head, giving him a wry glance and then grinning.

"Well okay then, kiddo. Just hang onto my hand and we'll be fine."

They stepped forward together as the device in Polly's hand began to emit a high pitched whine. Ahead of them space seemed to distort, as if pulled apart by invisible hands. A web of entangled stars and cosmic ley lines dragged them in, countless sensations coursing through their minds. Their senses would have been overwhelmed if not for the sensory blackout training that Polly had received. Wait, what-

To Catch a King | Avenoir and Mnemosyne

A seized up and gibbering Marcus fell onto the sand of Outset Island, frothing at the mouth and shuddering like a heart-attack victim on adrenaline. Polly quickly picked him up by the shoulders and dragged him inland, depositing him on a patch of grass. His eyes rolled forward in his head, eventually setting themselves back in place and looking up at her. Surprisingly, it seemed as if he'd reoriented himself without any external help. Or dying. Which was neat. He stood up while nursing a terrible migraine, occasional tremors still running through his body.

"Friggin'... warn me when that happens next time, okay?"
"Eh, sorry. I guess I forgot to teach you how to stay calm. But you didn't have a stroke, which means everything is okay!"
"What the actual fuck, Polly?"

They both turned around to look at the pair of... mostly humans talking to one another. The one sitting down could almost be mistaken for a person if not for its red eyes and sharpened teeth. The girl talking to her looked a little more normal, though the fact that they were talking to a turtle like a friend made them seem all the more eccentric. The boy was worryingly well armed for a child but what was a little deadly weaponry worth these days anyways? Polly walked forward first; taking control of the situation, as always. She raised her hand, catching Madi's attention, and put down the large backpack floating in the air next to her, settling it down on the grass beside them. She didn't want to come across as too threatening. She really wasn't looking forward to dealing with another society but right now they needed all the information they could get. If this planet was dangerous, they'd need to get off it ASAP - though she wasn't sure if Marc's body could handle another interdimensional trip. Crap, what did the manual say about first contact?

"Hi there, ma'am. Your name's Madi, right? Sorry, I kind of overheard what you were saying. My name's Polly K. Delilah, and my friend here is Marcus Cain. We're here as explorers and adventurers. Mind telling me where we are and what your friend's name is?"

[Skylus]

The Catch A King
Outset Island
Madi; Ammy; Link; Po
Madi spun around and came face to face with two newcomer.
"Uh....Yeah, my name's Madi. Nice to meet you."
She noticed the floating backpack and grinned.
"No way. You do magic too?"
Issun yelled something about "you magic people and your powerful spells" before Ammy put the Poncle in her mouth like she usually did when she was either tired of him talking or when she simply wished for him to shut up.

The wolf god then got up and trotted over to Madi and the new arrivals, where she began sniffing all of them.
Ammy then couched and spat Issun out onto the sand.
The Poncle rolled around a bit, then got to his feet and began to bounce around radially.
"I TOLD YOU TO STOP DOING THAT!!!! But do you ever listen?! Nooooooooooooooo...."
He then got the feeling that people were staring at him and he turned around.
"Uh......Hello......"
Ammy then spoke to Madi in her mind.
"Issun is....Issun. He has a liking for woman and drinks, art, music, and isn't afraid to speak his mind. I'm Amaterasu, by the way."
Madi merely blinked.
"Okay, now the turtle and now a wolf??? The hell? Something must of happened to me when I went through the portal, normally I can only talk to animals when I'm in my beast form...."
madi then got an idea and a huge grin appeared on her face.
She turned to the others, who had joined the group by now.
"You want to see my beast form?"
Po looked confused.
"Wait. You can become some sort of animal?"
Madi nodded.
"Yeah. Everybody step back."

Everyone would hopefully step back and Madi took a deep breath, then was surrounded by a black fog, her vague shape grew bigger and when the fog cleared, a massive grizzly was standing before them.
The beast reared to her full height and let out a roar, then merely stood there, looking amused.
Link was the first one to speak.
"...Holy Din" was all he could get out and Issun merely stared up at the shape shifter.
".....Whhhhaaaaaaaa......"
Ammy sat down and grinned a wolf grin.
"Fascinating."
The bear shifted a bit and then let out a short roar and then transformed back into Madi.
".....Geez it's hot. Uh.....Right, introductions...."

Madi introduced herself again, showing off that she could do magic as she did so.
She then started off the introductions by introducing the newcomers.
"The woman with the floating backpack is Polly K. Delilah, her guy friend is Marcus Cain, the vampire merchant hasn't told me her name yet, I'm Madison Goodwill, though you can call me Madi for short, the kid with the sword is Link, the wolf is Amaterasu, or Ammy for short, the little man is Issun, the panda is Po, the turtle creature is Atlas, I have not named the Eevee yet, that's the fox creature running around..."
Madi took a deep breath.
"And we're currently on Outset Island. Any other questions?"

[Rostavykhan]

To Catch A King
Outset Island
Miria

Miria wasn't expecting a handshake, almost moving at the same time as Madi, although whereas the other girl extended her arm, Miria clasped hers and gave a short bow. Of course, she corrected herself afterwards, to reach for Madi's hand and return the kindness, almost forgetting that such a thing was custom for certain cultures.

Of course, the greeting was cut a bit short, as the cries and salutation of even more strange people exploded across the beach. Miria didn't jump, although she was notably quiet as they also introduced themselves, allowing them a chance to introduce themselves before answering to Madi's presumption that she was a vampire, as well as observe and note her suspicion of the shape-shifting animal people.

Once the conversation had died back down, Miria cleared her throat, and spoke again. "You may call me Miria.", She said, bowing once more. She was still going to maintain her story of being a Merchant, but she didn't see what the point was in hiding her name. The few strangers didn't seem immediately threatening, and knowing her real name or not wouldn't really matter is anyone did happen to attack. "Bankhari is my surname. I should also clarify, I'm no vampire.", She said, clasping her hands again, and letting her fingers tap together. "I would appreciate shade, however. This is quite a warm place; I don't recall the sun being so bright where I'm from."

There was one last thing that Miria wanted to address, though she let it remain unmentioned in the presence of the others: she wanted to bring up Madi's crystal, and compare it to her own. She didn't know how the others would react to her showing her crystal, or her telling of its power, so she figured it would be best to discuss it further when they had more privacy.

[Naval Monte]

Secrets of the Raven
Branhwrn, Cathedral

Elizabeth shrugged on Dawn's comment about whether God knows the building even exists or not. "If he, she, or it does know the building exists than they don't seem to care." She replied back. "From my experience most gods don't care for mortals unless they need us for something." When Lilith finally approached the group the witch chuckled. "But it was the only way for me to get your attention. But yes, I got what I was after. We are going after someone right now and then we are going to Club Midnight. I'll explain what I learn along the way.” she told the vampire nun.

When Jackie asked if they are still going after the Fates the witch turned to her. "We are, but I rather go after the living descendant of our dead artist before he leaves Paradise Lost. Besides if Fates are in a nightclub they won't be open now." She explained to the fire starter. The mention of the diner did get another reaction from Elizabeth, her stomach growling. "Maybe you can take us to that place after we are done with Paradise Lost." She said holding on to her stomach.

The witch turn to face Dawn. "But tells more about you love. We are in a private place like you wanted so our with it. Who are you and where do you come from?"

[Demincia]

Secrets of the Raven
Branhwrn
Dawn Elissa and Lilith von Brandt

One of the people in the group that was with Elizabeth (Dawn knew her name was Jackie, and that the two had gotten into an altercation, but she kept it to herself.) asked her about why they were in the cathedral. "I'm afraid you have me misunderstood, young one. I didn't choose the cathedral. I don't have any preference towards them. Truth be told, I find them a bit disturbing personally." Lilith glanced at the redhead, there was something unnerving about her, even to the vampire.

Elizabeth asked Dawn who she was, which was rather late. "Ah, the million dollar... Wait, we're in the UK, so it'd be closer to a seven hundred and sixty thousand pound... question." She shook her head, having derailed herself, "But that doesn't matter. You wouldn't believe me if I told you the truth, what you could understand of it at least. There's no reason for you to either, you'd just think I was insane, which is how it would sound. But... I shall try to condense it into a way that you could understand." she said, thinking of how to word it so it would be reasonable to believe.

She looked down at the ground for a moment, holding her hands behind her back as she thought. "For now, know that I am very old. And that I have a certain... affinity." She waved her hand, and time for everyone around the group froze. Dawn turned and opened the door, and the entire outside world was paused. "It's much deeper than a simple parlor trick, but that's as brief as I can make it without it sounding ridiculous."

[Prusselanden]

Sault St Marie, Michigan
Julian decided that enough time was wasted, and she turned to continue on her way to the police station. They could follow her if they wanted-she could care more or less. The surgeon soon saw the dimly-lit building, and put on her sunglasses as she entered through the automatic doors. The chief and detective would be waiting for her in their office.

She knocked on the door, waiting for the gruff "Come in".

Julian peeked her head through the doorway. She uttered out a sheepish "Hi" and sat into the chair in front of the chief's desk.

"Chief Erikson, um....so I was summoned..." Julian peeped. She was dreading the reason. She knew.

Meanwhile, Detective Alemayahu was looking outside the window, to see if anyone followed Jules.

[Menschenfleisch]

Secrets of the Raven | Jacquelyn and Kyle

Jack nodded at Elizabeth's response. She could, at the very least, acknowledge the logic of her answer. Unfortunately it didn't do much to alleviate her all encompassing boredom. Standing around, talking to people and generally being a nice, diplomatic member of society were definitely not her style. At least, that's what her history seemed to imply? She had all the memories of this so called "Jacquelyn" character but in all honesty she didn't know where the author's interpretation of her began and where she did, if there even was a boundary or lick of sense between the two 'categories'. In fact, it was hard to say which one was her present and which one was her past. Oh god, the confusion! With her luck all of these thoughts were probably being narrated out loud to the audience, too. No time like the present for an existential crisis, right? Kyle was rather more surprised than her at Dawn's demonstration of her abilities, though even he didn't seem too fazed by it; simply widening his eyes a bit.

"Questions about dinner aside, why'd you make us come all the way here if you didn't want to in the first place? If you can stop time it seems like a remarkably bad idea to, you know, attract the attention of the neighbourhood P.I and arsonist delinquents. I assume Elizabeth wanted to meet you for a reason. If you have any information that matters just spill the beans. You don't need to do this whole infodump- I mean, dramatic speech."

L-Fel | Cassia

Cassia followed Julian out of the cathedral in the absence of better things to do. After all, what was the point in sticking around? Watching the stones decay? He'd already spent a couple thousand years doing that - if there was any way a stone could fall apart that he didn't know about, he'd love to hear about it. On the way to the police station he experimented with various forms; changing his eye colour, gender, number of limbs and elemental composition. She eventually settled on being a brown haired woman dressed in sneakers and grey streetclothes; not as flashy as she'd usually have wanted but certainly serviceable in the meantime. She looked up at the window, catching the eye of Detective Alemayahu and waving coyly. She stepped into the station, leaning against the wall outside the office which Ignis had entered, not quite knowing whether to enter or not. Instead, she knocked and asked;

"So then Julian! You didn't say anything about being followed, did you? I'd love to help if you'd let me in!"

To Catch a King | Avenoir and Mnemosyne

Polly raised an eyebrow at Madi's suggestion that her abilities were "magical" in any way shape or form. Of course, having travelled quite far she knew how her abilities could appear magical to outside observers; it was a fairly regular occurrence that she encountered something that didn't mesh well with her own understanding of reality. So, instead of correcting her, she simply shrugged and accepted Madi's comment. Marcus took a moment to look at the dog padding over to them, sniffing the newcomers with a curious look on its face. Oh and it could talk too. That was... interesting.

"W-well, umm... okay then. Hi, there?"

Quickly looking around himself Marc pulled her to the side, turning her away from the group, conspiratorially cupping one hand and talking out of the side of his mouth. He really hadn't been having a good time with regaining his memories. His idea of "normal" was quite different from Polly's, she could see that - but what exactly had defined his early life was still a mystery to both of them. A walking enigma; just the kind of thing she wanted to crack.

"Pol, something isn't right about these people. The talking animals and the strange abilities they keep showing off. It hurts to look at them."

She looked back at the eclectic group. Sure, they weren't exactly normal by the standards of her home - but painful to focus on? Definitely not. She squinted one eye at Marcus, indicating that she had no idea what he was talking about. He was actually rather close, practically leaning into her ear while he whispered. It didn't bother her though, she'd obviously been the only human contact he'd received for weeks - as well as his entire memorable life up until that point.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with them. You sure it's not you?"

He shut his mouth. For all the things he depended on Polly for, psychological support was not one of them. His visions were far too personal to admit to anybody. He looked back again, his eyes falling upon Amaterasu, who momentarily flickered like a broken television. A dull ringing built up inside his ear, the wolf's form shifting more and more. It grew lacrimous eyes all over its body, weeping yellow tears. Thick ichor and amber bled from the sand, solidifying into a reflective yellow sheen. He looked down and saw dull grey eyes. Menmosyne. He blinked once, and the vision was gone.

"Never mind. It's probably just the delirium."

Their attention was once again drawn away by Madi's transformation into a bear. The two reacted quite differently. While Polly stepped forward and examined Madi's bestial form Marcus performed a rather interesting dance consisting mostly of flailing, yelling "what the ungodly hell" and falling on his ass. After she transformed back into her human form and addressed the group a second time he calmed down considerably, getting up and dusting himself off rather sheepishly. In response to Madi and Miria introducing themselves and showing off what they were capable of, Polly began fidgeting with her fingers; the long streaks of ferrofluid on her arm floating into the air and forming intricate geometric shapes above her shoulder.

"Oh! Well, this island and ensemble is very interesting. Were you about to head somewhere? I think it might be best if we travelled with you for a while."

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

The Forbidden Act

Moira and Percy - The Misty Peaks

Darkness. There was nothing but darkness. Moira felt herself floating in a void, not sure which way was up and which was down. She felt light-headed and woozy, and her whole body was trembling. Suddenly she felt her self touch solid ground, and her eyes opened to see gray clouds and green bamboo trees over her head. The ground was moist, and the air crisp on her face. The air smelled fresh, and the sounds of birds could be heard. She knew this place!

Moira sat up and looked around, and sure enough she recognized the locale as the region known as the Misty Peaks. She was back in her world! But what happened to the battle? Had another rift opened, and if so, why didn't she remember it? Could I have been dreaming? No, I don't think so. It's not like me to just fall asleep on the field, so it must have been true... I hope Gold and the others are okay. Moira thought to herself, standing up off of the ground. Judging by her location, she wasn't far from the prominent waterfall located in the region, so if she found that she could find her way back to the area's base camp.

It was then that she realized something: Percy wasn't anywhere to be seen! No! Don't tell me I came back but he didn't! The huntress thought, a cold feeling running down her spine. "Percy? Percy?! Where are you?! Percy?!" Moira cried out in desperation, rushing about and looking around frantically. Just when she thought all her hopes were in vain, she heard the familiar voice of her Palico crying out back to her. "Moira?! I'm over here, nya!" He said, and when she turned to face where his voice was coming from, she saw the melynx currently fighting off a particularly feisty Altaroth about 20 feet away.

Without hesitation she ran toward him just as he had finished putting the overly-aggressive neopteron down, and scooped him up in her arms. "Oh thank goodness..." She said, her voice trembling ever so slightly. Percy quickly returned the hug. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just glad you're safe to." He said. After a few more seconds of embrace, Moira sat Percy down and squeezed back the few happy tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. "A-anyway, we're back... Right? That did, in fact just happen yeah? We went to another world?" She inquired, hoping for some more confirmation. "Sure seems that way, nya. But don't ask me how we're suddenly back." Percy replied with a nod.

I knew I hadn't dreamed all that. Good to know I'm not just losing my grip on reality. Moira thought. "This... this is going to be one incredible story to tell to be sure. I just hope the others are okay..." The huntress said, looking at the ground with a bit of worry. Percy smiled. "Oh I'm sure they'll be fine, nya. They seem like pretty tough cookies to me. But enough of that, we should get back to the camp and see if we can't find a way back to Bherna!" The melynx said, prompting Moira to nod. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go." She replied, and then the two began their trek back to where she remembered the base camp being.

Both monster hunters were glad to be back, but little did they know that the most challenging and dangerous event of their entire lives was about to unfold... Only time would tell what would become of the duo.

[Prusselanden]

Misty Peaks
Cicero groaned, opening his eyes. He found himself in the woods and covered with leaves. Where was he? All he remembered was a falling sensation. He twitched a finger and slowly got up from the ground. This was a misty, bamboo-covered location. He could barely see anything.

Cicero spotted the two monster-hunters, however, and reverted to his human disguise, in case they would be hostile to them if they saw his alien form.


“Who is that?”

L-Fel
“WHO GOES THERE!?” Detective Alemayahu has her cocked her gun and went to the door, opening it to Cassia. “Who are you? What business do you have with Ms. Yamada?”

Julian looked out of the window.

“Do you know her, Ms. Yamada?”

”I haven’t seen her from anywhere” Julian glanced about nervously. ”What if she’s with-them?”

[Naval Monte]

Secrets of the Raven
Branhwrn, William's Castle/Cathedral

"You find them disturbing? Mind telling us what is disturbing about them?" Elizabeth was starting to get a hunch on what she could be but wanted to make sure that her hunch was correct before she said anything. "I take it a rift dropped you here randomly? That happens a lot. Just be glad you weren't dropped in front of a moving car or in a active war zone." The witch said to the redhead.

As Dawn continue to speak the witch put her hands in her coat pocket and felt her pack of cigarettes and lighter and other items in her pockets. "Trust me, nothing you say will sound too ridiculous to me." The witch let out a chuckle as she walked to a pillar close by and lean her back against it. "At this rate you can tell us you are the queen of England from another universe and we might believe." The mage joked, giving Dawn a cheeky grin.

When Dawn mentioned she was very old Elizabeth merely shrugged at the statement. "Heard that one a million times Dawn. By now that idea isn't too strange to me." However the affinity statement intrigue her. Before she can ask what was Dawn's affinity the woman shown it to everyone, as she open the door she showed the world was paused, for time itself was paused.

Elizabeth had her mouth wide open in shock at the display. Time alterations was possible but in her mind she knew it would require a long and elaborate ritual with many material components being used, precise acoustic and somatic actions being done and complicated symbol manipulation. For some they might even need teams of occultists and sorcerers to perform what Dawn did. Yet this one did it with just her own mind. Once more she referred to this as just a parlor trick.

Elizabeth closed her mouth and when she turned to Dawn she gave her a whistle. "Very impressive there red. You must be great at parties. Tell me are you available for parties? I got a mate whose cousin's party is coming soon." While Elizabeth jest in truth she was hiding the fear she felt at this woman for her previous theory of her being a simple demon was obliterated and now much theories much worse were taking its place.

When Jackie spoke it helped get her mind away from the theories stewing in her head as changed her expression to ge more serious. "I will have to agree with firebrand here. Please get on with what you want to tell us."

---

The Forbidden Act
Misty Peak

In the lush misty peaks another rift open, yet instead of a group of confused souls coming through a group of men and women in both military and researcher uniforms came out. Among them was the six man squad of Delta Buckler. While the team was ready to assist with the rebellion they were suddenly taken by yet another rift. However the rift that took them was one of AEGIS's doing. The organization has been studying the rift phenomenon long enough to make modifications to their Janus gates systems to use the rifts to explore new worlds.


After using it to get Delta Buckler back they allowed them a few days of rest after reporting on the success of their mission and what occurred after they were taken by a rift. Now with their break down the team now had new augs and gear to work in their latest mission, to protect the expeditionary team with another team and the guards. With the team out of the rift Hex and everyone with stealth suits active their active camouflage systems and vanished before everyone's eyes, being invisible even to their sensors. It didn't take long for the invisible warriors to spot the group with the hunters, the video cameras on them recording what they are seeing back to the team. Above an indivisible drone was also watching the group.

[Menschenfleisch]

Transition to The Forbidden Act | Avarice

The world stood still. One moment the man was talking and the next he wasn't. Was it the chronovores again? Maybe those particularly tasty deities from that weirdly salty universe had escaped. No, this was different. It wasn't a time dilation effect, she'd be able to see through it. The world truly had, for the time being, stopped entirely. It took Avery several milliseconds to realise what was going on. This wasn't real. She waved her hand through the desk, phasing through it easily now that she knew nothing around her was really there. Her eyes turned bloody red, wondering where her next meal was to come from. Her emotions were far too underdeveloped to produce a feeling approaching urgency but they certainly tried. The closest approximation she could feel was a dumb, numb thought.

"Oh. Well, this is bad."

Her entire body collapsed in upon itself, stretched in all directions and sliced apart by infinitesimal wires. Stars screeched and undulated as the song of energy overwhelmed all else. Great spires of steel and earth rose into the effervescent sky, glowing with purplish gasses and broken bodies. Flames fell from every corner of space and time, enormous rivers of blood stretched between galaxy-wide balls of corpses. Reality shuddered and buckled under its own weight, spinning in spirals and circles until it twisted upon itself in endless knots and frayed strings. Mountains of teeth flew like swarms of locusts, gnashing and disintegrating anything in their way. Planets, crusts broken upon like egg shells drifted through lonely nebulae of plasma and bones. Vast eruptions of entropy and heat built up at the cores of black holes, threatening to burst like blisters at the merest suggestion that having so much matter in one place could ever potentially be a bad idea. Avarice's eyes blinked once, and gazed upon a grand and empty blue sky. Then she began to fall.

For a being of such cosmic proportions, Audrey was a rather humble concept. Her idea of a good time was consuming a planet here and there, maybe learning all there was to know about a universe before reducing it to dust and stellar leftovers. The planet below her looked so tasty but even from here she could see the telltale glint of steel, the small and unassuming works of men upon the planet's surface. She wasn't sure about the law between different worlds but if this one was anything like the previous one killing people would be a bad, bad idea. That was unless she dedicated herself entirely to exterminating this race but that was a rather boring and repetitive thing to do. Why not relax and make a few friends?

The skin on her back began to peel away. Flesh and bone then marrow were flayed away from her body. A great fireball built up around her as she fell, blankly considering the atmospheric content of this planet. There was obviously a great deal of oxygen in the air, otherwise she wouldn't be producing such a glorious stream of red fire as she fell. Great chunks of meat were torn away from Avery's body, burning to dust and falling away like fragments of a larger whole. They were irrelevant. She regrew herself faster than this world's pitiful terminal velocity stripped her away. My, the ground was looking rather close. Best to brace for impact, she supposed. She turned into a cloud of black gas a couple hundred metres from the ground, landing and spreading herself out like an enormous gaseous pancake on the ground, two dozen metres wide. The fog coalesced and in the middle, standing tall and straightening out her clothes, was Avarice. Long streaks of earth were missing from the ground where she'd made impact. It wasn't as devastating as what might've occurred had she landed without converting but her inherently caustic properties still left their mark. Ahead of her were some canvas flaps. A camp? Boy, what was with her and camps? The last two universes had both deposited her near a campsite.

Avarice walked forward, the air snapping audibly as space crunched; turning a hundred metre gap to a few meagre steps. Being able to do that was pretty neat, if a bit inconvenient outside of combat.

"Hello? Anybody there? The name's Avery, or... Audrey? Famei, that's my last name. I think. Anyways, pleasure to meet you, purely hypothetical people who live in this camp! Say, you haven't got any food, do ya?"

Secrets of the Raven | Jacquelyn and Kyle

As Elizabeth and Dawn made merry with words, Jack and Ky occupied themselves by talking. They stood quite far from the main group, strolling along the opposite side of the street and admiring the view. Kyle stuck his hands in his pockets and took in a deep breath of crisp, morning air. The mists of London and the lustrous hues of grey reminded him of home. Would he ever return? He hoped so. He had such a life to look forward to with Jack. That name still meant as much as it did twelve years ago. This wonderful girl, always headstrong and honourable. He didn't quite know what was going through her mind but he was certain of one thing; that he'd do his best to help her come to terms with this strange revelation.

"Do you ever miss Toronto?"
"I dunno. I got mixed feelings about it. It's where we met, right? And look how we turned out. Bona-fide terrorists. Do you ever feel nostalgic for those days?"
"I guess I must be getting sentimental, 'cuz yeah, I miss it. Everything feels so overwhelming now, you know? Sterling, Elizabeth, this whole otherwordly adventure of ours, all of it seems too convoluted. I just want to go home and settle down, you know?"
"Yeah. Get a job, a house and a clean criminal record too, eh? Nah. I wanna fuck some shit up before we go home. I don't think I could go back to being normal even if I wanted to, at least not yet."

When Jacquelyn looked at Kyle she saw two people. The Kyle she was supposed to know and the Kyle she'd seen. A stranger. She had a history with him, an entire life lived together on the streets. Their highs, their lows, every emotional moment and story beat seemed as distant as a badly written ink scrawl. If this story continued, if they really ever had to go 'back', she couldn't stand the thought of having to live up to his expectations, the good memories he had of her and not who she felt like at heart. It was exhausting to pretend. It was exhausting playing the part.

"What about London? This place doesn't seem so bad."
"If we could bring over all our friends then sure. Kelly and Jonah are probably still worrying themselves silly about us. I try not to think about it too much though. The worst thing about it is that we can't even reach them to reassure them that we're okay. Hopefully they can build back up without us. The thought of meeting them again is exciting, yeah?"
"Ha, yep! Good ol' Kelly Linsberg, hacker extraordinaire. And Jonah, too! Who could forget that jokester?"
"Oh, yeah? Remember that time I got shot in the leg and you got hit by a tank, so we had to spend turns carrying each other through the sewers - then as soon as we got back, the first thing Jones did was pie us in the face? Uhh, I guess it's funnier in hindsight."
"You might've felt good about it but you didn't get citrus juice all over your cut-up face. I still flinch at lemon sauce sometimes, you know that?"
"I thought you got over that months ago! Guess I'm never buying you lemonade ever again."

Kyle jabbed Jacquelyn in the ribs playfully, jostling her slightly. She looked like she needed some humour in her life. Things weren't going right for her, he could see that clear as day. Honestly he wasn't sure whether it was entirely due to the supposed "authors" or if it was a mixture of other factors. Before they'd gone off to confront Sterling she'd been very reclusive, far more so than usual. He'd meant what he said about not being able to reach someone being the most painful thing. He had to get through to Jack, let her know that things were going to be okay. He only wished that his convictions were as set in stone as hers. Seeing an opportunity, he looked up and reached over the side of a street vendor's cart, snatching the nearest bottle of lemonade and waving it in her face. The sun seemed to shine through the clouds a little in that moment, even though they hadn't budged an inch.

"Ooohhh! It's me, the lemonlord! Fear me, mortal!"

Jacquelyn laughed softly, brushing Kyle's hand away and, just for a moment, looking as if the weight of the world weren't on her shoulders.

"Ha! Get that thing away from me before I start another fire, Ky."

The looks they exchanged were enough to sell what they were feeling. They were going to make this work. Jacquelyn wanted to be the good person Kyle knew, no matter the expectations. And if she failed to live up to that mythic hero's legacy then so what? She was her own person and he seemed the type to care about her no matter what. Kyle was determined to break down her barriers, reconnect and open up. It'd been too long since they'd talked like friends again.

They crossed the street together and smiled in silence.

L-Fel | Cassia

Cassandra was rather miffed at Julian's outright rejection. The gun conspicuously held at the detective's side was also a bit no-no. It was bad enough dealing with terribly rude and unfunny people every day but it was even worse dealing with them when her face was on the line. There wasn't really that great a risk of dying. For a moment she considered ripping the soul out of the poor officer then just a moment later rejected the idea entirely. It seemed that the various voices inside her head disagreed with that idea vehemently. Perhaps the psychotic and insane souls were getting a little too much representation?

"Oh please, Julian. You remember me right? I'm Cassius. Look at me!"

She only seemed to notice then that she'd shifted her appearance entirely. That explained Julian's earlier confusion, actually. Doh! What an idiot!

"Oh, right. I guess I look a little different. Excuse me for a moment."

Cassia stepped to the side, hiding from the detective. She shifted her face, trying to remember what she'd looked like before. A young man, dressed in fashionably fancy clothes with an ozone arm and electric eyes. Was it the right or left? Had it been neon? No, hang on, the light was argon. What skin tone had he been? Ugh. So many questions with such inconvenient answers. After a few seconds he gave up and just stepped back into the doorway. Glowing blue eyes, a metallic arm glowing with incandescent gas, pale skin with tanned splotches on his face and left arm. He probably looked a little different to how she remembered him but who cared? Being a shapeshifter was all that was important.

"Do you remember me now? Cassia. It'd be a pleasure to make your acquaintance, officer - likewise, it's a pleasure to meet again, Ms. Yamada."

[Prusselanden]

L-Fel
“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?” Alemayahu stepped back as Cassia changed form, still holding onto her gun. “THE HELL ARE YOU!?”

“Huh?” Julian ran over, spotting Cassia. “Oh, uh...Cassius...hi.” She too seemed a little put off, grabbing a table for some support. “Why did you follow me here? I really think you shouldn't get mixed up in this business.”

[Demincia]

Secrets of the Raven
Branhwrn
Dawn Elissa and Lilith von Brandt

Dawn didn't turn back to Elizabeth yet, instead she looked around at the cathedral more. "Maybe it's not for me, but I don't understand them. What's the point? It seems a bit conceited to me for anyone to think an all-powerful, all knowing being would care for such worship, especially across so many towns and cities. " Lilith glared at her, but kept silent. It wasn't the first time she'd heard this, nor would it be the last. "The architecture is pompous, the teachings dogmatic." She walked out the door, then turned a corner out of sight. Before anyone could follow her though, she walked back into the group from behind them. "But that's not important." she said, as if she didn't just suddenly appear behind everyone.

"A rift brought me here, yes. Though I wouldn't say entirely randomly. The destination was random, but crossing over was deliberate. You see, I'm very fond of my universe▬you tend to feel that way towards things you create▬so when some portal starts threatening it, I couldn't just stand by and watch could I?" She walked back to the front of the group again, with her back still to them.

"And yes, I did say create. Because in order for a universe to be created, there has to be a creator, or two in my case. Unfortunately you don't get to meet my sister, because someone has to stay behind to make sure that the portal doesn't rip everything apart."

Lilith's face went from a glare to a wide-eyed stare as the redhead spoke. "Sie sind... eine Göttin?" she said with disbelief. "Aber nach der Bibel Gott ist Vaterunser!" Dawn turned to face the nun in an instant.

"Perhaps to you, though you can't expect it to be the same in every universe, can you? That'd be terribly unoriginal. Though I suppose I do have a father, so I can't be too hard on you. We did all of the hard work though."

She looked back outside, and time unfroze. Everything carried on as if nothing had happened.

[Naval Monte]

Secrets of the Raven
Branhwrn

As Dawn spoke to the group about her being a member of a family of gods Elizabeth began to check her out. "You're much prettier than the gods I've met. Well the few avatars and envoys I've met anyway, never saw the true forms of the gods nor do I want. I have no intention of placing myself intiontally in the looney bin." The witch said, in a bored tone as she stepped out of the cathedral to try and follow Dawn... only for the woman to teleport. Looking around she soon found her behind them when she spoke, somewhat startling the witch.

"Bloody hell woman, give us a warning before doing that! It was a pain in the arse trying to find this bloody goth, the last thing I need is to find a ginger Time Lady." The witch complained, still keeping her hands in her coat pockets. Once outside of the cathedral she took out a cigeratte and lighter and began to smoke. She heard some bits from Kyle and Jackie's conversation as she began to lead them to the second strange feeling she felt along with Dawn.

"So assuming you are telling the truth I very much doubt this universe has any creators like you and your family. I think this one was just made either by pure chance or by accident. Second do you have any proof for your crazy story?" She asked, knowing that such a story would not produce evidence to easily prove her story. Yet the power she was feeling and her stopping time was almost enough to convince her that there might be some truth to her story. But Elizabeth knew that any miracles and divine intervention can be faked with the right tools and careful planning. "Tell me, have you ever heard of the term godwalker before?" She asked, beginning the first step on trying to unravel the mystery that was Dawn. "Also mind telling us a bit more about your family? I noticed that you mentioned your sister and father but said nothing about your mom."

Walking past the streets Elizabeth saw Halloween decorations in displayed. The mage felt a small part of her that still had strong feelings for the holiday being overjoyed to see the decoration. Yet she quickly reminded herself of her current case and those feelings of joy were reluctantly suppressed for the time being. “No point I being excited Liz. It's going to be a usual busy night with no one waiting back to celebrate the holiday or my birthday with me. Just a regular old lonely night back in my apartment if I finish this before Halloween." She thought somberly. Looming at

Wanting to move away from the thoughts she had she turn her attention to Jackie and Kyle. "So what kind of food does that diner serve and how much money does the service cost?" The witch was not going to spend her money on either some low class greasy joint that would fail a basic health inspection nor loss all of her money in a fancy but expensive restaurant either. Elizabeth saw a school of strange jellyfish like creatures floating above the buildings, once more she tried to ignore them as she was the only one in the group and at the street to even see the extradimensional beings. She can feel the Azoth surrounding them was acting off, a sensation while alarming was natural due to the coming event. "I wonder if our alleged goddess can sense what I'm feeling?" the witch pondered, moving on through the streets as people seemingly ignored the small group.

[Demincia]

Secrets of the Raven
Branhwrn
Dawn Elissa and Lilith von Brandt

Dawn didn't react to the looks Elizabeth was giving her. "If you'd prefer, I could bring my true form across into this dimension, possibly tearing apart the fabric of your universe in the process and kill every living thing." She paused only very briefly, not waiting for an answer. "No? Alright then." She looked over and saw Elizabeth smoking. "Such limited time, and you voluntarily shorten it even further? Some days I don't think I'll ever understand how mortals think." she said watching smoke rise from it.

"I've never heard of 'godwalker', though my father gave me the role of Timewalker when he created me." Her family was a bit more difficult to explain, for the same reasons Dawn herself was difficult to explain to the minds of mortals. "We don't have a mother. We were created by our father, two identical twins representing two opposite halves of the universe. Time, the elder sibling and Space, the younger. Together we forged the universe, and our father gave it life. Simple for me to understand, but nearly beyond your realm of comprehension. Not that I hold it against you."

As she followed the witch, Dawn noticed that she kept glancing upwards. Dawn didn't see anything, but she felt it. "Is that odd sensation coming from up there? It feels like time is behaving strangely."

[Naval Monte]

Secrets of the Raven
Branhwrn


When Dawn explained that her true form would destroy the universe if brought over Elizabeth responded with only a sigh, causing smoke to exit her mouth. "With his my day has been that is the most logical conclusion for it to end. Or maybe oblivion can get me out of this day before it can get any worse." The tone used made it hard to tell if the chaos magician was joking or being serious. When Dawn questioned about her smoking the witch shrugged. "Considering the occupational hazards my kind has go deal with a tiny fag doing me in would unlikely." The witch replied back with a smirk. "But I thank you for your concern."

When Dawn began to explain more about her family a few questioned appeared in Elizabeth's mind that she said. "So if your dad made you his did he do it? Also you have a twin sister huh? Fascinating." Elizabeth briefly looked as though she was in a daze before being brought back to reality when she bumped into someone. The man calling her a bitch. "Go fuck yourself too you no good tosser." She fired back at the man, giving him the middle finger. With the brief altercation over she return her attention back to Dawn.

"That depends. If it's the nexus storms then yeah, I can sense them. These things are made up of reality warping energy. Normally they cause minor extradimensional phenomenon to occur but whenever Halloween is approaching they start to rain down that energy, causing a gradual increase in the paranormal. Once Halloween is around the whole planet will be saturated by that energy. It will take until spring for it go return back to normal levels somewhat. Some of that energy will stay to linger on after all." Elizabeth explained. She choose to keep the jellyfishes to herself.

[Demincia]

Secrets of the Raven
Branhwrn
Dawn Elissa and Lilith von Brandt


Dawn watched Elizabeth's interaction with the man on the street and sighed. She wound back time to just before Elizabeth bumped into him, and the Timewalker pulled her out of the way. "Just trust me." was the only explanation for it she gave, letting go of the witch. "I'd watch where you're going, next time it might be a truck instead of a person."

Dawn pushed past it though, and answered Liz's questions about her father. "Just as I am the Timewalker, living embodiment of time, our father is the Lifebringer, living embodiment of life itself. He creates all forms of life, from the mundane mortals like you—no offense—to Primordials like my sister and I."

She didn't respond to the mention of the paranormal energy, instead keeping quiet. It wouldn't be the first time an extra-dimensional force was considered magical.

[Skylus]

Lincoln Douglas Forester (Second Lieutenant of the Hyrulialus Royal Air Squadron) "Chain-Link"
Hyrulialus; Farore Air Squadron Base; General Shakeal's Office
Faras (June) 24th, 3124 A.H.; 20:12

"...Now, I trust you can handle this by yourself?"
Two men were seated at opposite ends of an oak desk, paperwork spread out between them. The older of the two leaned back and crossed his arms as the younger man read through a mission report.
"We do not know the man's true intentions, but, judging by the past times he's been dealt with, we have a pretty good idea. We're not in the middle ages anymore, who knows what he'll do now?"
Doug sat up straight and stared down his superior.
"In case you forgot I dealt with him first hand.....Sir."
Shakeal opened his mouth to counteract but then closed it and looked down for a second.
"...Yes....yes you did, I apologize."
The man then smiled sympathetically.
"Not very often I say that, with all the chaos going on, I'm afraid I forgot about the attack on your ancestral home."
The Second Lieutenant gave the General a nod and waved a hand.
"Apology accepted, everyone's forgetful concerning what's been going on."
Shakeal clasped his hands together and spun his chair around to look at a giant holographic map of Hyrulialus and the surrounding nations.
"Do you think Hydialia will try to attack us?"
The man replied over his shoulder.
"Possibly, but we'll be ready for them, mark my words."
Doug looked down at the mission report one last time before nodding to Shakeal. He then pushed the chair back, stood, then pushed the chair back into the desk and turned around to leave the office.
"Oh, Doug?"
Doug spun around and stood at attention.
"Sir?"
General Shakeal smiled and stood up from his desk and nodded to the file.
"Take that with you. Just in case. Your ship is ready to fly, everyone knows you're leaving. Good luck."
With that, the General gave Doug a salute, grinning now, and Doug returned it, then picked up the file and then left the General's office.

---

Hyrulialus; Farore Air Squadron Base; Hangar Bay #3
Faras (June) 24th, 3124 A.H.; 20:24

When Doug stepped into the hangar bay, a group of technicians were standing around his ship, making last minute preparations. As Doug neared them, they all snapped to attention.
"She's ready to fly, sir. Good luck."
A few technicians scattered to go help other jets and other aircraft while someone with orange taxi sticks was standing near the end of the hangar. He gave a thumbs up and backpedaled a bit to get into position.
A voice came over the many loudspeakers lining the hangar bay.
"You are clear for takeoff. Stay safe out there."
A few people gave the ship a very quick check up before someone handed Doug his custom helmet and gear.
"Polished everything up for you. Good luck. Radio us back when you get near the thing. We'll keep you on comms the whole time."
Doug had begun to climb the ladder that had been rolled to his ship but stopped on the third rung and grinned,
"I know you will."
He then finished climbing the ladder and lowered himself into his fighter, the Golden Sapphire.
She was one of a kind, a prototype for the actual ships the Air Squadron used. The ship looked like

Golden Sapphire

has the Hylian crest as a hood ornament, colors are gold and blue; lightning bolt replaced with a Triforce

And had been in use for only a year.
She also had prototype weapons not found on any of the other ships and was the fastest fighter in the entire fleet.
That said something.

The jet began to taxi down the runway, Doug flicking various switches and pressing various buttons as his ship did an automated countdown and systems check.
The twin engines began to whine as they powered up and then ship began to shake.
Doug looked around before making himself comfortable and put both hands on the control yoke and began to slowly lift the instrument upwards as the person holding the taxi cones held them up and began walking backwards.
After a few seconds, the ship left the ground and began to quickly fly across the hangar bay and then was out into the open. The jet roared down then airstrip and then Doug pulled back on the yoke and shot into the blue sky, people running outside and waving at the departing airman.
Doug checked into the control tower to let them know that he was in the air and everything was fine so far, then settled in and raised his gaze from the ships mainframe to the sky before him.
it was a good two hours to the portal.

---

Hyrulialus; near the Hydialia border, open airspace
Faras (June) 24th, 3124 A.H.; 23:00

Doug hadn't encounter anything or anyone during the two hour flight, but that changed once he got near Hydialian airspace. Two jets came up beside him, one on each side, then slowed down to let him pass, then began to fire at him.
Doug did some crazy maneuvering, trying to get the enemy aircraft off of his tail, but to no avail - his entire ship shook as his right wing was blasted.
The three jets were nearing the portal and Doug picked up an energy spike, which was odd in itself.
Then the portal did something none of the airmen expected.
It turned on of its own accord.
The Hydialian fighters managed to turn back, but Doug's jet had already been damaged by the enemy fighters, and his controls weren't working.
He radioed back to mission control as warning lights flashed in his ship and the ship's computer kept on saying "error, error, systems critical, losing fuel" on repeat.
"Shakeal! Shakeal!"
Back on site, Shakeal shoved the man using the comms off the chair and grabbed the mic.
"Doug!"
The portal was getting closer by the second, this would have to be fast.
"I'm going down. I repeat, i'm going down, Two Hydialian jets attacked me, I'm going into the portal."
The group at mission control quieted, then Shakeal pressed the mic button.
"Say that again?"
Doug's words were not exactly clear but they understood what was happening - his jet was going into the portal and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
Then his comms went silent. His jet's marker was gone on the map.
"Sir, we just picked up a massive energy spike."
Shakeal slowly stood from the chair and stared at basically nothing, his face gray for once.
".....Contact his family. There's a chance he could come back. Try to keep the public from knowing about this, the last thing we need are riots and full blown panic."

---

The Forbidden Act

Unknown location, unknown time

The Golden Sapphire screamed as the jet shot from the portal, which closed and then disappeared as the damaged aircraft began to skim the many trees in the area. Fog was everywhere. But Doug didn't care about that, all he cared about was staying alive.
"Come on....come on.....Don't fail me now..."
His jet was dangerously low and he thought he passed over a camp of some sort as the ground quickly rose up to meet his ship.
He only had a second to react before his ship hit the ground.
"Aw, Far."
The ship hit the ground hard and despite how secured he was, Doug flew forwards into the glass windshield and the last thing he heard was the sound of breaking glass and shrieking metal.

The ship would be smoking and sparks flying if anyone got near the aircraft. If anyone dared to. The bamboo around the aircraft was smoking and on fire, and the ship had left a trail of jagged upturned grass and dirt and had snapped many trees in half.

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

The Forbidden Act

Moira and Percy - the Misty Peaks

The Peaks were especially misty today; it must have been morning. Moira loved the beauty of this area, and she recalled how she'd often accept quests set in the Peaks just so she could be here again. As she took in her surroundings, she noticed a shape in the mist: a humanoid shape. Percy saw this too and then looked at Moira. "Could they be a hunter, nya?" He inquired. "Maybe. Or maybe they're just a researcher. Either way, we should speak with them." She replied, and then the two walked toward the figure. It turned out to be a human man who neither of the two recognized.

He doesn't look like a researcher. At least no researcher I've seen. The huntress thought to herself. "Hello? I don't suppose you're with the Wycademy? My name is Moira, and this is Percy. We've been gone for a while now." She said to the man. Before any more words could be exchanged however, a rift tore itself open over the group's heads, and a flash of metal and smoke flew above them. There was a sudden crashing noise, and the hunting duo both looked at each other with panicked expressions. "Did you see that? A rift!" Percy exclaimed, causing Moira to grimace. "Yeah, it seems like whatever's causing them isn't done yet... Wait a minute..." Moira looked at the new arrival. "You didn't just so happen to fall through one of those too, did you?" She inquired, the answer piecing itself together in her mind.

"Even if this guy's from another world, I don't think we've got time to discuss that, nya! We should probably check out what that was!" Percy said, making Moira nod. "You're right. Okay whoever you are, I think you should follow us for now. We'll figure out what to do next later, but right now someone could be hurt if... whatever that was had a person in it." She said to the man, and then she and Percy were off.

As they made their way to where the thing crashed, they found themselves back in the camp sight. What they saw there immediately terrified them. It was her. That woman who devoured that Team Rocket member, the one who was clearly not human in how she acted. Immediately Moira drew her glaive and pointed it at Avarice. "You?! How did you get here?!" She demanded. A low, cat-like growl escaped Percy's throat as he glared at the deranged woman, spear in hand.

Nali Mendra - the Misty Peaks

This was all awful.

A young woman stood alone in a large open area with an abandoned building nearby, soaking wet and with a look of panic on her face. Her brunette hair was currently obscured by the cap of the armor she wore, but her face was visible and showed a youthful visage dabbled with freckles, and with purple eyes.

Her name was Nali, and she was a newly dubbed High-Rank huntress of the Guild. She had gone on a few high-rank quests with her companions Rex and Gesh over the last few weeks, but this one was something else entirely, something she wasn't prepared for at all. Their target: A Deviljho that had been reported being in the area. Her companions had warned her that Deviljho was nothing to be trifled with, but that if they were careful they'd come out on top.

That didn't happen.

What started as an ordinary hunt had quickly become a nightmare as Nali had been separated from her group. During the battle, it became clear that this Deviljho was no ordinary specimen, as it was far more aggressive than normal, even for a Deviljho, which were notorious for their aggression and ravenous appetite. During the scuffle, Nali had been thrown into the large lake that was located in the area, and by the time she managed to stop herself from panicking and get back on dry land, both her party and the Deviljho were gone.

Nali didn't know if they were dead, or if the Deviljho had pushed them further back into the treeline, but whatever had happened she didn't like it. Now the 19 year-old still literally and figuratively wet behind the ears huntress was searching the area desperately for her companions, all whilst keeping a skittish eye out for a certain green beast of teeth and death. She nervously clutched her bowgun to her chest, her eyes darting around the area. It was then that she noticed a hunk of burning metal careening towards her, and with a scream she dived out of the way just in time to avoid the crash.

She shakily got to her feat, her entire form trembling as she turned to examine the crash. She had never seen a vehicle like this before, and she didn't see how it could possibly fly as there was no balloon to be seen on it. I guess that's why it crashed? She thought. It was then that she noticed that the pilot seemed to be either dead or unconscious, so she quickly went to see if she could get him out. She winced at the sparks, but it was nothing as bad as a Rathalos' fire breath, so she pressed on and got to the cockpit.

Then using her hunter strength, and a whole of stubborn determination, she pried it open and dragged the unconscious form of the pilot out of the vehicle and onto the ground rather unceremoniously. "Hey, you okay? Hey, guy, you alive?" She asked. No response. "Darn it... Hang on." Nali reached into her pouch, and extracted a vile of green liquid; a mega potion. "This wont taste very nice, but it'll get you up." She said to the man, slowly pouring the contents of the vile into his mouth.

[Naval Monte]

Secrets of the Raven
Branhwrn

When Dawn moved Elizabeth away from the man and told her to focus on where she was walking to the witch rubbed her eyes. "Your right. I just got distracted by something is all." The witch told her as she saw a school of trilobites flying/swimming around Dawn, no doubt eating something she can't see from their world. When she told her about her father and her title.

"So your a time god yet you can't manipulate space even though those two are linked?" The witch asked, finding the separation odd. "So how did he create life? He just willed them into existence? Cut a piece of himself, or did life came from his jizz?" The witch asked, holding back a small laughter from her crude joke. "So that means you have a sister to deal with space? How is she like and you have other siblings for things like matter and energy, and if not why aren't they around? Your dad takes that role?" She asked as she led the group to the borderland.

Elizabeth can feel that they are getting near to the Borderland. She can see more strange creatures are being drawn to the flaw in reality as both the Azoth and foreign energy are attracting them like moths to a flame. "Hopefully there is no flame awaiting for us." The closer they got to the borderland tha more Elizabeth felt that something was wrong with the location, a result of it now being a spot were two alien realities intersect with one another.

---

The Forbidden Act
Misty Peak

The spectacle of the jet coming from a rift and crashing wasn't missed by AEGIS as half the domed began to fly away to find the crash site. On the masks and helmets of the cloak team their augmented reality sets showed glowing words instructing half the team to find the crash site. As one team began to leave to find the crash site the other lead by Hex followed a woman wearing strange armed and an anomalous bipedal cat also wearing strange armor.

The team followed them to the camp site and saw the woman and feline drawing arms on a strange woman, one who was making their aetheric viewing and imaging systems wild, alerting them to her anomalous nature. "Unidentified woman and possible anomalous feline seem to be agitated and threatened bu the presence of another entity. Unknown entity might be a threat. How to respond to this?" Hex whispered into her microphone back to the expedition leader.

From her headset she saw the orders type down before her. "For now stand down. Wait to see how unknown entity response to the threat. Should it attack you have orders to open fire on the target. If she does not attack remain hidden. We will have drones move in to hear their conversation." With the orders now issued many took aim on Avery encase she attacks the two individuals. The invisible drones, their duct fans not producing any noise due to noise canceling charms on them, moved close to the stand off so their microphones can pick up what they are saying.

On the crash site the other team found the wreckage of the jet fighter and the body of the pilot, a woman in strange armor pouring a strange substance into his mouth. “We found the crash site. Looking at the craft of appears to be a jet fighter of some kind. The model is nothing made by any nation nor is it ours, most likely it was brought to this world by a rift. A woman who we suspect is a native might be trying to heal the pilot but from the severity of the crash I suspect he is already deceased" the agent said.

Their AR sets came back with orders, telling them to wait for the woman to leave to salvage parts from the jet and anything from the pilots body. The team watched the two has they await to be left alone.

[Prusselanden]

Misty Peaks
Cicero watched as the two ran off. Crap, his only source of information on the place. He tried to follow be flight, but stumbled forward when his boosters wouldn't light up. He must not be used to being at the surface....after all, he didn't need for fly for the past 15 or so years.

"Guess I'll walk instead." Cicero picked himself up and started to jog to the direction he last saw a plume of smoke in the distance, drawing his attention. When he reached the crash site, he saw two people next to a crashed...spacecraft? Aircraft?

"What happened!?" He said as he dashed to Nali. "Is there anyone still in there? Is the passenger ok?"

[Demincia]

Secrets of the Raven
Branhwrn
Dawn Elissa and Lilith von Brandt

Dawn glanced at the witch with a slight sense of disgust and disapproval, but otherwise ignored her comment. "There are two of us in order to preserve the balance of the universe. Time and space are connected, but still separate. Three dimensions of space are useless without the fourth dimension of time attached to them according to relativity. As for my sister..." she started, pondering how to go about it, "She's like me. Identically so, except for what we are. I also live in a different dimension than her, but that's to be expected isn't it?"

Nearing the Borderland, Dawn felt an unwelcome presence, as if there was an overlap between different timestreams. "This... This is unpleasant. For me at least. This is something we would have fixed in my universe, instead of allowing it to continue." She needed to be careful, so as to not follow the wrong timestream and end up somewhere completely different.

[Skylus]

The Forbidden Act (Misty Peaks)
Lincoln Douglas Forester (Second Lieutenant of the Hyrulialus Royal Air Squadron) "Chain-Link"
Unknown location, unknown time

Trees. He was staring up at trees. Check that, bamboo trees. Or shoots. Whatever the damn things were called. He couldn't focus on anything, not that there was much to focus on anyway, there was fog everywhere. His other senses started to come back, but the darkness hung at the edges of his vision, he wondered if he was going to pass out again soon. Probably. Doug closed his eyes and began to mentally check what was damaged. Surprisingly, he wasn't in a lot of pain, sure, it was there, but it wasn't serious, maybe 2 out of 10 on the pain scale.....if that was even accurate.

The pilot opened his eyes again and he found himself looking up at a woman. She was young, maybe around his age, maybe a bit younger, but....by Farore, she was beautiful. Purple eyes, brunette...
"....Who are you and where did you come from...?", he muttered, gaze drifting but then it snapped back up to the woman's face.
"Did you heal me?" Doug eventually got out after he got over mentally beating himself up over the fact that he was acting like this around a woman.
While he was injured and downed, no less.
But that's when Doug realized he had a bigger problem.
His jet was basically totaled, he had no current way of getting back home, let alone telling mission command that he was still alive....Wait, had something moved in the bushes nearby? Nah....He was still out of it....wasn;t he?