Eternal Princess
"DUSTY!"
The falling girl screamed the name as if her life depended it on it. In part because it did. It had been such a long time since she had been at the mercy of gravity. Until that cat got his lazy butt here, there was nothing she could do but plummet. But even then, it was admittedly hard for Kat to get too worried. She had become so accustomed this feeling of falling. The wind whipping about her as she climbed to terminal velocity had become something ordinary to her. Instead what had the girl so worried was how embarrassing this all was! A Gravity Shifter falling to her death? Who heard of such a thing! Even if she lived, how was she going to live this down!?
"Got you!"
Kat felt a hand grab hers and slow her descent. It took a moment for her brain to register she was no longer falling, and another to recognize the her rescuer.
"Raven!"
Kat's face brightened into a smile. As if purposely being fashionably late, a certain cosmic cat also arrived, materializing out of thin air and announcing its arrival with a meow.
"And Dusty! Where were you!?"
With her Guardian here, Kat let go of Raven's hand and floated weightlessly in place. She grabbed hold of Dusty to give the little cosmic being a disapproving look, who responded with another meow that might have been an apology before disappearing into the ether. There but not there.
Raven for her part could only let out a sigh that was half relief, half exasperation. She had half a mind to scold Kat and her guardian for being so careless, but decided to let it go. Kat was safe, that was all that mattered. So instead she looked down toward the massive landmass, giving it consideration for the first time.
"So what's this."
Kat could only shrug.
"It was there when I woke up. Lisa wants us to explore it."
Explore that? There was just so much of it, where would they even begin? Luckily, it seemed Kat already had a specific place in mind. Grabbing Raven's hand again to get her attention, Kat pointed at the nearby amusement park.
"Raven, let's go there first!"
Before she could even say anything, the black haired girl with red highlights was being dragged along by her friend.
The cities of the new world would find an eye sore in their blue skies. Dispatched from the floating city came a number of strange floating vehicles, each bound toward the most populated areas they could find. To modern viewers, their movement and general shape could be liken to a small blimp, though their metal exterior made such a descriptor not quite fit. Hanging from the underbelly of these flying ships was a hive of large bulky screens, angled downward and facing multiple directions as to grab the attention of viewers below. The picture quality wasn't great, akin in quality to that of CRT T Vs rather then modern displays, but it was serviceable.
As to what what played on these screen? Advertisements mostly. A news segment would break the chain of commercials every now and again, but with a 2/3 favor for commercial run time, it was easy to guess which was the priority. Tooth paste, a sale on kitchen appliances, a new cola flavor, the latest luxury vehicle, this was the sort of crap these people felt necessary to invade your airspace in order to inform you of. At least that was what you could gather from context clues. The whole thing was in another language. To people from Earth, it would sound some where between between a Latin based romance language and Simlish. Even if you could under stand, the sound quality was as out dated as the visual. As a result, the whole thing had a sort of muffled echo-y quality to it.
The programing all had vapor ware aesthetics. Eye catching purples, teals, and pinks with editing sensibility right out of the 80's. From a courtesy glance at the cast of the segments, the floating city was a very ethnically diverse place. A real mixing pot.
Domino and Castella city would be the areas most targeted, appearing to be dense population areas.
Ivalice would receive one or two of these flying machines, but with their population areas so spread apart, it didn't seem worth putting too much effort.
Anor Londo would receive a courtesy visit, but the pilot could recognize a high end neighborhood when he saw one. The type of place that pays to keep any reminder of the lower class out of sight. So while he would test the waters, he wouldn't press his luck, especially with those Dragonslayer Greatbows and demons at the ready.
Everywhere else seemed abandoned or unpopulated.
How do you kill that which has no life?
Nia and Pyra, The Last Outpost: You Know What They Say...
As the two adventurers explain, Nia couldn't help but look at the girl's hat with a mix of curiosity and unease. She could only ask what kind of Blade is Moko, what weapon he has, what abilities, what element he controls, that sort of deal. However, she had to mentally correct herself that these two are not like Pyra and her. There are some odd-looking Blades out there, but not one that looks like a hat!
Pyra posed a question to Kayne, "Would you like us to join you? We were exploring around and finding out what the other places around here are and we'd like to help you out."
Nia wasn't going to complain much about the task if it means they stay out of the castle town. Sure, finding a lost pet's owner sounded tame compared to "escort someone up to a place that only exists in children's stories to make them feel good" but at least this gives them some direction. Where the direction is, however, is different. She spoke to the young artificer after she's done interacting with Qilby and possibly Surtr, "You know where these birds came from?"
"I treasure every day with you, darling." "No need to be so sappy, love." "You know that's how she is, Nia." - AU!Pyra, Nia, Mythra
Conan - Ruins Building
Conan kept his sword in place even as the wolves backed down, seemingly after the loud howl heard through the ruined city. The Cimmerian had little interest in fighting wild animals, but he did look around the old room to see if there was anything of potential interest. If there were none, he would jump out of the window to join the others below. "There seems to be little of interest here, true. Nature has retaken this place. But it was worth to see if there stragglers, at least."
The Last Outpost: "...of Happiness?" Shit, That's Pretty Dark
Kayne could probably guess that her greeting of the one-armed man caught him off guard; it wouldn't be a hard guess, considering how he flinched and yelped at the sudden loud noise near him. Though in all fairness, the sight of a young lady waving her detached arm at you while shouting "we match!" would probably disturb anyone.
"Wh-what? Oh, oh! I see you've...ah, yes. I suppose we...I suppose we do."
The Eliatrope gave Kayne a hesitant wave, perhaps trying to decide if shaking hands was a touch inappropriate given their shared disability.
"Greetings, uhm...Kayne, was it? You seem remarkably well-informed about our collective situation. 'Conjunction of worlds,' 'dimensional rift,' 'alien ecosystems,' you use words and concepts that should be well beyond your years."
Before the young artificer could counter the seemingly patronizing remark, Qiby smiled: "It's most impressive—not to mention quite the time-saver! Setting these Wastes aside, I'm quite interested in learning what sort of place you came from."
With Pyra's invitation to have Kayne and Mono join the expedition (or were they joining her? The semantics hardly matters), it seemed that Qilby just might get his opportunity. But before they could start that talk, they needed to get their bearings again.
"I may be able to help with that." the Eliatrope smiled at Nia, before closing his eyes for a moment to focus. When they opened again, the brown iris and black pupils had been replaced with an eerie blueish-green glow.
"The settlement I spotted is still a ways in that direction." Qilby pointed North, before glancing to the East for a better sense of what civilization lied beyond the mountains. He frowned. "Still not much of note over there, I'm afraid. And as for the castle..."
Qilby's glowing eyes widened a bit as he turned towards where Kayne's earlier visitors came from. His lips creased a bit, suggesting either intrigue, anticipation, or possibly a mild shade of fear. But whatever he saw, the direction he was staring would be rather clear: he was looking at something high above ground level.
"Yes." he said after a moment. "Best to keep our distance, still. There's something up there, above the forest canopy. Something..."
His eyes narrowed. "Ancient."
Edited by TheodoreHastings on Oct 6th 2022 at 6:57:58 AM
An Ordinary Oddball
Kayne & Moko—The Last Outpost
"Of course you can come with us!" Kayne agreed cheerfully, nodding. "There's safety in numbers, and I'd feel better with more people around me again. It's always nice to have lots of people to talk to. Especially about books and stuff!" This last bit was apparently directed at Quilby.
"Kayne here is an expert tracker," Moko said. "The plan was to retrace the birds' steps to whence they came, since they appear to be flightless. Though the presence high up is troubling, as long as Kayne wears me, she will be safe from magical and psychic tracking. With a combination of my magical properties and her own skill at woodcraft, we'll have a relatively easy time of it, I think."
Edited by JumpingFruit on Nov 6th 2022 at 11:31:35 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Mountains, Mountain Pass: Unwelcomed Visitors
The scouts heading Westward from Ivalice would find little to note along the mountains. Rocky terrain, some grass, and the occasional rustle of small birds and rodents was more or less all there was to mention. There was a path of sorts through the mountains, but that probably wasn't the clearest promise that they'd run into anyone anytime soon. After all, the mountains could've easily been taken without them.
But about half an hour into their journey, the scouts would discover something perhaps only the most perceptive among them would notice: total silence. The rustling of animals had stopped, and it was not because of the scouts.
Something else had scared them off first.
Perhaps the scouts would hear the creatures before they saw them—the offbeat flaps of large batlike wings as loose rocks toppled down to the mountain path as they landed. There were two of them; teeth bared, limbs stained with a red liquid that needed no explanation, and each baring a long jagged spear in their four-fingered hands.
They looked down at the eight scouts from their perch above the mountain pass, wings stretched out and moving slowly as if to threaten a dive onto their position. But before either scout or demon could act, a cry was heard from farther up the path.
The cry came from a tall and foreboding figure in a long black and gold robe.
It sported a bizarre cylindrical helmet with six eyes painted on the front, and it held a trident-like staff in its (evidently human) right hand. This figure obviously had access to some kind of magic, as some of the more observant scouts might notice. After all, the sorcerer did not walk onto the path; the space twenty feet ahead of them seemed to warp with a blue glow before he suddenly materialized there.
As for what what cried, it was in a tongue both totally foreign, yet completely understandable. Though perhaps the scouts could understand the message even without the universal language:
"To arms, strangers! The Demons of Izalith are no friends to thee!"
As if to demonstrate the point—or perhaps to draw the monsters' attention away from the crowd—the sorcerer murmured a spell and shot a bright blue comet the size of a baseball towards the batwing demons. The spell missed its mark by a foot, and scorched the rocks one of the demons had chosen as its perch. In response, they demons carried out the threat they had made to the scouts, only this time choosing the a new target: the Channeler who had been pestering them since the forest.
Edited by TheodoreHastings on Oct 9th 2022 at 5:53:12 AM
Anor Londo, Balcony
The gijinkas follow Gwyndolin through the door and into the palace. It has a real classical splendor to it that is quite different from the more modern architecture of the Pokemon world.
“That is correct,” Helia nods. “We have our own gods that are different from your own, one of which specifically oversees the domain of space. And yet… even they have been caught flat-footed by all of this. Our appearance in this strange new land, the appearance of territories such as yours - much as we try to find an alternative and more ‘sensible’ or convenient theory, we have come to the same conclusion as you. That we are indeed all from vastly different worlds, worlds no Pokemon has the slightest knowledge of.”
Lucia speaks up once Gwyndolin asks about the Pokemon world.
“Well - to begin with, Pokemon are a category of beings that look like humans, but have some sort of bestial traits depending on which type of Pokemon they are. Tails, wings, feathers, claws, perhaps ears reminiscent of a canine or feline - those are just some examples. We also have various abilities - breathing fire, controlling electricity, any number of things one might imagine.”
“As for the world itself, all started with Arceus - the God of all Pokemon. They created the world, everyone in it, and delegated dominion over time, space, the earth, sky, and so on to various other pokemon who would help them oversee the development of history.”
“There are many different regions in the Pokemon World, but all we have around here in this land is Castelia City - from the Unova region. It looks quite different from this land, as your messengers have already seen firsthand. Very heavily urbanized, so there’s lots of skyscrapers, apartment buildings, housing, and everyone’s always busy and always has somewhere they need to go. Modern life in a nutshell, I guess.”
She ponders what else might be relevant information.
“Oh, and our leader is Prime Minister Rachel, more commonly called Ray. She is the lord of the skies, and is known for mediating disputes between powerful pokemon whose strength makes them a danger to everyone around them when they fight. Well, those are the basic facts, anyway. If there is anything in particular you wish to know, I’d be happy to answer.”
Mountain Pass
As the scouting party ventured on, the silence became practically deafening, as welcome as it had seemed at first. Thus, tensions had been building, and it was almost a relief when two targets and a supposed ally made themselves known.
The first to make its presence known was one of the Black Mages, who channeled a ball of orange fire and sent it hurling at one of the demonic creatures. They were joined by the female Knight of the group, who advanced forward and drew her sword before moving into the fray.
Proud member of the AGOG community.
Cool Dude
Amusement Park
Looking downwards, Kaiba noticed the robot offering the park's new visitor a flower. A number of questions came to mind within the span of a few seconds, like who this robot's owner was, and why with a theme park in such a decrepit state was there nevertheless such a state of the art form of technology still functioning...but enough thinking. With her trademark stoic frown, Kaiba nonetheless accepted the flower from the strange robot with no complaint. She could have acted dismissively for such a petty token, but this was a machine. Getting angry at it would be like being angry at a dog, only doing what its masters told it to. She contemplated the flower a moment. A pretty shade of white, but it didn't look like any genus she'd ever read up before....Wait, she was getting distracted again in her thoughts. Kaiba decided to test the robot, to see if it had any true artificial intelligence or was just limited to its role as greeter.
"Haven't heard of this Land of Dreams...but I'm sure I'll find something I like in this place. I don't suppose you could tell me more about it, could you? Or if there's a map around here?"
We Are Our Avatars Forever (Now on Discord by invitation, PM)
Domino City, Kaiba Corp. Building: Seeking Some Answers
Surprisingly, the Disciple of the Hero Killer seemed to take Krillin's question to heart. A short conversation later, and the reptilian vigilante agreed to hold off on enacting any judgement on so-called "heroes" for the foreseeable future. There was no telling how much this place was like or unlike his neck of the cosmic woods, so there was a chance (however slim) that the heroic profession simply didn't exist here.
Besides: there was no telling how bad the consequences would be if Spinner decided to act without thinking. Better to lay low and figure things out before starting to "correct" the public's perspective.
With that fire doused out, Krillin and his two companions crossed the border into the city. A rather familiar site to the Satan City Cop, though even his jaw dropped at the sight of the titanic structure that was Kaiba Corp's headquarters. Too bad that expression didn't last long, since the angry protesters outside the front doors quickly caught Krillin's attention.
"Well, looks like we've found who's supposed to be in charge around here." the officer said to his teen companions. "Follow me, and stay close."
Weaving through the line of protesters was easier than expected, though Krillin did have to wave his badge around once the building's security blocked his way. Fortunately, the guards were much more worried about the crowd than a single cop and 2 kids, so getting inside was far from impossible. Once in, Krillin went straight to the receptionist and asked to speak with whoever was in charge.note
"It's important that we meet with them as soon as possible. We have a few clues about what's happened to the city."
Mountains, Mountain Pass: So Much for "Do Not Engage"
The demon targeted with the fireball went from a pale pink hue to a bright orange, however the flames didn't deter it—they did however convince the monster to pick a new target. Dive-boming like a spear-touting phoenix, the batwing demon descended on the black mage, ready to skewer the wizard for not minding their own business.
...or it would have skewered the black mage, had the knight not intervened and blocked the attack with her shield. Suddenly in melee range of a meatier enemy, the demon hissed in the woman's face and attempted to get some distance between them with a jab of its spear as cover. Should the blow hit the knight's armor or shield, the woman would discover this spear was more than just a pointy stick—sparks of lightning would dance across the metallic surface of her armor, possibly shocking her in the process.
Meanwhile, the mysterious sorcerer was busy channeling another spell to strike the demon just now leaving its perch. Unfortunately, the spell was cast a moment too late, and flew through the empty air where the demon had just been: its target was the female White Mage of the scouting party, gliding on large wings, teeth bared and spear in position to impale right through her stomach.
Anor Londo, Palace: Do You Have God on Speed Dial?
Gwyndolin's expression would probably be a mystery to the visitors, partly because they were leading the tour, and partly thanks to the extravagant mask that covered everything but the lower half of their head. But even if they couldn't see their face, they could hear the smile in their voice:
"How intriguing. Our world has no known equivalent to this 'Arceus' deity. Mayhaps the Eternal Dragons knew more, but our history of the world only extends to their tyranny and the Age of Stone. Mine father, Lord Gwyn, recovered a piece of the First Flame discovered deep in the heart of our world. With its power and the aid of powerful allies, Lord Gwyn defeated the dragons and brought forth the present age: the Age of Fire. Tis in this age that humanity has grown to thrive, as have many other races once shackled by the dragons. The Giants, for example."
The Dark Sun turned their head slightly in Helia's direction. "Thou sayest thine Supreme Deity delegated others to reign over different dominions of the Pokemon world. Does this mean that thou hast met thine progenitor?"
Anti-Gnosis Weapon
Western Frontiers
Suddenly, there was an enormous, earthquake-like rumbling, though the ground beneath one's feet didn't move, and a great, scintillating light of shifting colors quickly stretched around the West, like some kind of ground-bound aurora. Then the tremendous sound and beautiful light faded, and in their place sat... well, a lot of things
◊, really.
New Arrivals
You awaken suddenly and without warning, and though you feel well-rested, you don't remember going to sleep as the last thing you were doing previously. How odd. Unless you are still in the midst of a deadly battle at the moment and have more pressing concerns, it will very quickly become evident, through the vastly altered horizon, or the people whose company you suddenly are or are not in, or the last message of a petty and self-indulgent godling, that you are not where you were before you woke up.
Furthermore, if you had earned a wish from a certain demonic genie-like entity but not used it yet, you find that there is something like a small red cloud or clouds floating in your peripheral vision, and as soon as you attempt to grab it, it materializes in your hand into a tablet that seems to be made of solid ruby and engraved with obsidian letters:
BREAK WITH INTENT TO GRANT WISH.
Yet as soon as you let go of the tablet, it returns to being a cloud in the corner of your vision.
Now, what to do with this information...?
In Orbit, Samus Aran
You awaken in your ship, exactly where you were within it prior, but there's suddenly an unfamiliar planet below you. The Baby is, thankfully, where you left it. There's a roundish metallic thing out your frontal viewport that's getting bigger and that you may take a moment or two to parse as a space station in your newly awake state, and a green and white ship much larger than yours cruising toward it on a path roughly perpendicular to your own. Also your radio comms seem to be receiving a transmission...
"Attention unidentified craft, please alter course to avoid collision with this station! Do you copy?" the voice of a peppy and youthful but somewhat panicked woman buzzes across your speakers. "Attention unidentified craft, please alter course to avoid collision with this station! Do you copy?! Attention-"
Oh.
Hill
At first, one or two things appeared around the hill: a treasure chest or two, a filly with a fine brown coat and magnificent white mane. Then, a young, pointy-eared boy clad in green, and what seemed to be a floating ball of yellow light with wings, and a large wolf with an odd mark on its forehead and a cufflink on its forepaw. A lavender-haired lady with red eyes and rabbit ears, wearing what looked to be a school uniform, who might have met two among the former before. And finally, a pair of albino sisters, who knew neither the filly, nor the boy, nor the ball of light, nor the wolf, nor the rabbit.
My, oh my! What have you gotten yourselves into this time?
Velvet Room
"Whuzhuh?" Minako started in her chair at the dining room table, along with all the rest of the members of SEES who'd been on Battleworld with her. Shaking her head to clear it, she looked this way and that, feeling like something was out of place. There was Leif, right where he'd been, and her teammates, also at the table, and there over in the other room were Mami and Sayaka and...
"Wait a minute...! When did you get here, and where did the Tokyo guys and those neat space-age-y people go?!" she squawked, jumping up from her seat and rushing over to the lounge area, where she counted a 100% decrease in adults and greater than 100% increase in teenagers.
"Your breakfast, Mr. Leif," Margaret intoned, setting a drink and a few different plates before the bug, piled high with the foods he'd requested.
The Land of Dreams
"Oh, well you see, Miss, before humans abandoned the Earth and fled to the Moon, they had these things called 'amusement parks', where people would go to have fun and celebrate in peace, without conflict!" the short robot explained. "And since we here at the Land of Dreams think it's so much better to embrace love than perpetuate the never-ending war with the Androids, we refurbished the place, and now we have fun and are jolly all year 'round! We have balloons, and flowers, and a shop, and confetti, and costumes, and a roller-coaster, and even a recently reopened theater! We don't discriminate, either! Both Machines like me and Androids like yourself are welcome here! So have a look around, relax, don't worry, and be happy!" The bot raised its arms above its head and wiggled a little in what was probably supposed to be an expression of dance.
Meanwhile, flying in from the Southeast came Kat and Rae-Rae over the top of the coaster. Unlike Kaiba and her copter, their landing options as merely person-sized fliers were much more varied, the possibilities running the gamut from anywhere in the main thoroughfare to the plazas to the alleyways, and more!
Desert
"...Wow, that was something, don't you think?" said the floating Machine of the lightshow.
"Sure was!" agreed the de-facto leader of the desert band. "Now, get ye gone, exile!"
"Yessir! Let's go, Your Greatness! I'll race you!" the floater saluted, then began zooming through the air toward Castelia.
Eastern Ruins
The elder Pikmin in Wulfrik's grip let out a series of additional squeaky noises that the Wanderer was able to parse as - in between demands to be let go of - words that suggest the old raisin is breaching a taboo by even telling you that this "Great Usurper" exists, for the Great Usurper is not to be spoken of, and saying more will curse the wrinkled one's entire clan for generations. Evidently, the thing was some kind of boogieman for these tiny plant people. Needless to say, the inch-tall geriatric patient refused to elaborate.
Meanwhile, the flowering plantmen near Amako's sandaled feet formed up and started marching steadily North along the road in response to Yoriichi's request, heading toward the massive tree in the Northwest corner of the ruins. Motioning for the others to follow if they cared to, Amako strolled along after the small army of Pikmin, humming a tune that only she and Yoriichi (and unbeknownst to either, Wulfrik) could hear. Soon enough, they reached a side road branching East - except to call it a road would be a misnomer.
The entire street was filled with familiar, Earth-like plants bearing edible fruits and seeds. As might be expected, there were also a multitude of small animals about the place, but even with the beasts' feasting, there was more than enough for the travelers to partake if they wished. The reason why this particular street was overflowing with bounty compared to its surroundings was not immediately clear, but a rather artsy, stylized sun painted onto the side of a building along the road offered a clue as it emitted a soft, magical light.
"Huh...?" Amako squinted at the symbol, tilting her head. "But that is Our mark! Why is someone else using it?" she questioned, befuddled.
Downstream, Riverside
"Kweh!"
"Kweh!"
Heads snapping up at the unexpected interruption, the giant yellow chickenish birds inspected Igno for a couple moments, then shook their feathers in apparent shrugs and went back to drinking from the river. One of them even thoughtfully stepped to the side to allow him to access the water himself.
Your move, Mr. Elder Scrolls Protagonist.
Edited by darksidevoid on Oct 24th 2022 at 10:40:02 AM
GM of AGOG S4: Frontiers RP; Sub-GM of TABA, SOTR, & UUA RPs
Commander O'Neil stumbled to his feet as his office ceased shaking. He stepped out and marched through the halls, numerous base staff scrambling. "Okay, what the hell happened?"
One of the various on site security personnel started with "uhm", only to get a finger held up. "And if you tell me it's likely aliens, I will be very upset."
The Security officer said nothing and lead O'Neil to the Geoscape.
O'Neil marched in and looked over the base staff staring up at the holographic globe... it was missing. "Bradford, what did you do?" O'Neil asked.
"Commander, I insist I have done nothing."
"Okay... what did Shen or Vahlen do?"
"I don't think either of those two were responsible sir."
O'Neil scratched at his chin a bit, he had a good few decades of service. "Okay... tell me, have we sent out drones yet?"
Bradford blinked. "Uh..."
"Right, get some aerial surveilance drones up, come on people we're professionals here! Scramble what on site Ravens we have and find out what happened!"
"Sir, won't that likely re-"
"Bradford the Geoscape is down, that means our satellite uplink is gone. We have several on site power sources, something took out our satellites. If we got hit, we need to find out what we're facing now."
"Roger that commander!"
O'Neil rubbed his face, "Somebody get Vahlen and Shen in here! I need to figure out what science crap happened!"
Zhang sat up from his bunk and stepped out slowly. He saw Annette slowly step out from the women's barracks as well, holding a pistol.
"You felt that as well?"
"Felt it? I can hear it, we're... well someplace else."
Out of a magnetic catapult, two Raven Interceptors are launched into the sky, to start observing what has changed.
she/her friend to the hooved
Elaine, Ruins, intersection > eastern street
Elaine doesn't have much success parsing the odd wrinkled Nuzleaf's rambling, save for something about a "great something-or-other". Server... surfer... supper? That's stupi-wait. Is it 'Usurper'? Of course. Thaaat's not ominous. She then thinks aloud for a moment, frowning. "What legendary could that be? Do the rest of you guys even know what I'm tal-"
Her attention is soon grabbed, though, by the little ones near Ninetales' feet lining up at the prettyboy's inquiry and making their way off toward parts unknown. After hurriedly scarfing down the rest of her meal, she gingerly follows alongside everyone else until they reach a branch in the road, beyond it a plethora of familiar-but-not-quite fruiting plants and... pokémon? They've got the same look going on as those fish, regarding her with oddly thoughtless eyes.
"Okay, the pokémon here are kind of wigging me out, now." she remarks under her breath, pushing that thought aside as she properly looks about the place, eyes settling on that sun mural, its apparent glow, and Ninetales' clear confusion at the sight. Yeah. Figures she doesn't know any more about this place than us.
The symbol itself isn't immediately familiar, and she struggles to puzzle out what it might mean from what she's seen and heard about the various legendary pokémon inhabiting her world. There's one in Alola, associated with the sun... A lion, solar-leo-something...? Couldn't be. Does he kidnap people and pick up entire chunks of landscape? Fat chance.
Conjecture aside, something nags at her wild pokémon intuition. Not helped at all by their lack of useful information, this little oasis amidst the ruins starts to look a little too good to be true. "Ever occur to you guys that this place is... uh, kind of abandoned?" she ventures, eyes narrowed. "Nobody here, totally reclaimed. What do you think happened?"
Edited by Chortleous on Oct 25th 2022 at 6:57:18 AM
Diana Burnwood
Near Castlevania
Before Raven Beak could enter the castle, a great earthquake happened and everything went dark.
Moments later, the warlord awoke in his Throne Room in Itorash. He silently got up, thinking it was still the copy back in the Common Room.
But upon looking at the large window, he realized that this wasn't the case. He could see rolling hills, farms, and cozy little hamlets complete with windmills, some of which were strangely on fire.
Primitive and useless things, really.
More interestingly, there was a familiar land plunged in eternal darkness with an ominous castle not too far away from where he was.
The stoical warlord didn't react as he curiously looked around himself, internally assessing the situation.
"Lord Raven Beak?" a voice said. Raven Beak turned around to see a Chozo in golden armor entering the room before bowing at his sight. He didn't say a thing.
What an interesting development.
That was a Mawkin soldier, one of the warriors Raven Beak ruled upon. An elite one, to be exact, one of the best of his tribe. But how odd... They all perished during the X's invasion of ZDR years ago. And this one wasn't infected. Could it be that he got resurrected? Or was he a soldier taken from the past?
"I trust that you have a lot to explain." Raven Beak coldly said, choosing not to say anything for now, nor to show his surprise. He had to show he was in control, as always.
"My Lord... I regret to inform you that only six of us Mawkin remain. We still have Quiet Robe by our side. It seems we are in a foreign world. Our situation is critical-" the elite soldier said.
"But not desperate." Raven Beak sternly interrupted, prompting the soldier to raise his head and look at his supreme leader. The Chozo overlord slowly turned towards the huge window of his throne room.
"I was already brought into this strange world, long before you. I just exited the castle that you see here. A powerful Lord, wielder of dark magic resides there. He is a precious ally."
"The castle plunged in eternal night, my Lord?" the Mawkin soldier asked, curious. Raven Beak sternly nodded then pointed at his subordinate.
"Have the ship land near the castle immediately. And gather everyone."
"Yes, my Lord." the Chozo said before hastily leaving the room.
Raven Beak sat on his throne and folded his arms, in deep thought. As he did so, Itorash slowly moved back towards Castlevania. A reunion with the Count's forces was in order.
He didn't have an army yet, but his people were valuable, even if they were only six. And Quiet Robe was valuable as well for his knowledge. But how strange that his Toha prisoner was around too.
Perhaps did this meant...
Ivalice
Ridley barely had time to react when he suddenly awoke above some kind of big ugly city that looked like it was built by primitive lifeforms.
"...What the HELL IS GOING ON???" the dragon boomed from afar, his blood boiling. Seconds ago, he was busy fighting droids in PANDORA, and now he was lost in the middle of nowhere.
Ridley would have gladly attempted to raid the city on his own and put it to the torch, confident he could do so by himself when he noticed a big, ominous shadow above it. The psychopathic dragon looked above himself and gasped.
"... Is this...?"
His Mother ship. The one that Samus Aran destroyed during her first mission on Zebes. And if there were a big ship here...
There were pirates inside. Troops.
Just like old times.
"FINALLY!!" the dragon loudly cackled before looking once more downwards.
Lesalia will have to wait... for now. He had to investigate. Ridley flew towards the ship and, to his relief, was granted to dock the bay. Upon entering, he was greeted by a Zebesian.
"Sir Ridley?! Is this you?" the crustacean pirate exclaimed, raising his pincers upon seeing the big dragon landing. Ridley didn't answer yet, looking around himself with a huge scary grin, like a child who got a new toy.
"You! State your identity this instant!" Ridley suddenly roared at the pirate.
"Yes sir! Unit 670, at your command! Master Kraid sent me to greet you on board!"
"Kraid...?" Ridley gasped, surprised. The dragon was forced to think, putting a claw beneath his chin.
Back when he was summoned to Battleworld, he had nothing. And before that, he lost his entire army and his life after his last battle on Zebes. Now, he had his personal ship, Kraid, and some mooks. For what purpose they all got back from the dead, he didn't know, but he wasn't going to waste it.
"How many pirates is there here?" Ridley asked.
"Six soldiers and master Kraid, sir. Even we are unsure why we are so little."
Ridley's grin fell off his face. 6 soldiers? He was expecting an army of pirates, not 6. The pirate groaned and facepalmed.
"Whatever... Bring me to Kraid and the others immediately, we need to know what the fuck is happening here. Also, have the ship go further up. We're above a city, you idiot." he growled.
"Well... We just awakened sir, and we thought about gathering resources by ransacki-" the Zebesian said.
"I know. So get it the fuck up so that they don't try anything stupid. I want to know what's our status. Then, we'll have our fun." Ridley viciously ordered, walking on his own toward the ship's center.
Gunship's interior
Samus Aran slowly awoke in her gunship's interior. She wasn't wearing much, having her Zero Suit disabled
◊.
The bounty huntress slowly looked around herself, silent. She looked at the unknown planet in front of her. She frowned.
Something felt wrong.
Suddenly, a chirp echoed through the room. A chirp that Samus knew too well. Her expression darkened.
Immediately, Samus summoned her iconic Power Suit and pointed her cannon at the source of the noise, preparing an Ice Beam. Soon, a lifeform she knew too well came out of its hiding spot. A species that she thought she eradicated for good.
A Metroid. More precisely a hatchling.
Samus got surprised for a moment but still prepared herself to finish off the dangerous parasite. Instead of fleeing or trying to attack her, the creature kept chirping, and floating around Samus.
Samus silently watched the Metroid hatchling, studying it. It felt familiar.
She then widened her eyes in realization.
...Impossible...! she thought.
This was no mere Metroid hatchling. It was the one she spared on SR388 after whipping out the dangerous species. The one Ridley stole back to Zebes.
The one that sacrificed its life to save her against Mother Brain, supreme leader of the Space Pirates.
This was the last Metroid. Alive, somehow.
Samus glanced at the planet again. At first, she hardly believed it, but she recognized the Metroid before her.
Why was it here? Whatever the reason, she had to make sure it would never fall into wrong hands again. She could kill it of course but... She couldn't bring herself once again to do it.
Wordlessly, Samus lowered her cannon and offered her hand to the Metroid. The creature floated there, chirping.
Samus looked back in front of her.
Oh right, a station was just in front of her, and a much bigger ship was just above hers. And someone was speaking to her.
Samus, still keeping her Power Suit on, didn't answer. She stayed on her guard, even more than before now that the Hatchling was somehow back. She had to protect it from others... and also others from the ravenous alien as it squeaked even louder, visibly hungry. More importantly, she had to get to the bottom of this.
The bounty huntress kept her calm, took control of her ship and had it alter its course to instead safely approach the base's entrance. She also transmitted her identity code. She wasn't sure it would be useful, figuring out she was in unfamiliar territory, but it was better than doing nothing. She also sent a message.
Copy. Samus Aran. Bounty hunter.
Edited by Scipion3 on Oct 24th 2022 at 1:32:13 PM
"One last tango, 47."
Meeting Room 2
Homura had been about to reply to Amber’s explanation about the current status of her...acquaintances when the Cure’s (final, it turned out) words rang out in her head. Her eyes widened as she read between the lines, the impending deadline for this world coming far sooner than expected, with so little warning. No! Why now! She was just starting to get a grip on the gameboard, what the rules were, what pieces she had to play. Her mouth started to open to say something to the other time-looper when darkness came once more.
Velvet Room
As soon as Homura had regained the smallest amount of consciousness she snapped upright in the chair she was seated in. Her heightened state of alert wouldn’t be tempered by the fact that she soon recognized she was back in SEES’ headquarters, for her eyes would soon focus in on the sleeping form of a pink-haired girl two spots to her left. “Madoka…” she muttered with urgency, getting up from her chair and rushing over to check on her, completely ignoring the also-passed-out girl with long green hair in the seat between them. When Minako rushed in to see who was there, the other girls from Mitakihara that were brought in by forces unknown would also be apparent. One she would recognize right away as Kyoko, and two that were not familiar to her on the other side from Homura and Madoka — both dressed in rather nice civilian clothes, one with green hair and the other with light gray.
Over at the dining area, Mami was as confused as Minako was about what just happened, while Sayaka had to take her face out of the plate of pancakes and scrambled eggs it happened to land in when apparently everyone had a simultaneous case of narcolepsy. “Ugh...what was that…” she slurred before letting out a loud “urgh!” when she touched her face and realized there was maple syrup on it.
“Sayaka?” Kyoko would immediately get up and hurry past Minako into the dining room to track the source of the voice.
“Huh? Kyoko?!”
“Sakura-san?” Mami was just as surprised. “What are you doing here?”
“I don’t know — one moment I was with Kaname and then all of a sudden I black out and suddenly I’m here! Wherever ‘here’ is — what is this place? What’s going on?”
<It appears we have been moved across dimensions again.>
Some people might be surprised at hearing a new voice echoing in their heads. Others, namely most of those from Mitakihara who were awake at this point, would find it a very unpleasant surprise. Homura would immediately withdraw a Walther PPK, her eyes scanning around for a certain alien space ferret asshole.
The very moment she was brought back to the world of waking consciousness, the elder of the sisterly pair snapped her eyes open from the veil of enforced hibernation mode. The arm jumped, instinctively going for the blade at side before conscious thought belayed that action since there was no tense feeling that an active combat situation would have pinged.
A baleful gaze so similar to that of a wary beast's leered in a steady pan of its surroundings with the head staying stock still so as to not give away any overt movements. Only when the area was scanned to a sufficient degree did she finally swivel her head to regard the still sleeping sibling curled up on the grass.
The awoken guardian who stood silent vigil over her defenseless family member before simply picking her up to support on her back while the twintailed girl slept obliviously on, wordless doting expressed through body language and gentility that seemed to be sparse with regard to any other person in the immediate surroundings.
"...Where is this?" Less of a question and more growled investigation, there was no doubt that whatever confusion was had at the displacement was rapidly being overcome through temper going from simmer to slow boil. Not even the fact that there was some sort of pony in the same vicinity of a tattooed wolf without the latter pouncing upon the former was enough to detract from her need of answers.
There was an expectancy to at least be given something that would sate the truly dreaded ire of an elder sister turned parental figure. Such was not something most people would be able to take on when exposed to the full force of such sheer and unadulterated nakama power.
CiC, Ragnarok
“Status report! What the hell just happened?!”
“Units are checking in, sir. No significant resistance, but we’ve lost contact with Yggdrasil. As well as with all assets beyond about six miles of the area. Field commanders don’t seem to know what happened either. Outside geography...is completely changed.”
“What?”
“Beyond the immediate surrounding area, none of these features look familiar. It’s like we’re in a different world.”
Another officer turned to the head honcho. “Message from Greer — they also experienced momentary loss of consciousness but are back.” The man turns to his radio again. “Sir, they want to talk.”
“VOX.”
Over on a screen, the image would flicker on to show a young woman with very light cyan hair and a blonde child in a black dress. The young girl speaks up. “Captain, what’s the status of your men?”
“They are nearly in position to start. Whatever...that was, it has only caused a few minutes’ delay at worst. However, it seems...”
“Yes?” The young girl’s tone of voice betrayed the impatience of someone waiting to hear that the company’s second quarter profits were going to fall short of expectations, rather than someone who’s been told that the store was out of strawberry ice cream.
“It seems the...surrounding geography around the city has been altered.”
“Our sensors here suggested as much,” the taller girl intoned back in an even voice.
“You are not surprised, my lady?”
“Keep to the original plan. Everything in the Academy’s vicinity looks the same as before. We can work out what’s going on outside once we secure it first.”
“We have lost contact with headquarters, my lady. And all assets that were outside of the city beyond approximately six miles.”
The girl stared back through the screen for a moment, then closed her eyes as her blonde hair began to glow for a few seconds before a faint rumble began to shake the ship. All of a sudden, out of the starboard side windows a large beam of light shot down from the sky many meters across, dead on the span of the bridge that crossed the bay into the center of the city. Most of the men aboard the ship looked out the windows, watching in a mix of awe and terror as the light faded to reveal the span of the bridge obliterated.
On screen, the girl opened her eyes again and looked back through. “I said, keep to the plan. The enemy will be in the same situation as us. We move fast, we retain initiative, and we will take control before they can stop us.”
“Yes, my lady. For the Golden Millenium to come.”
The connection closed.
Fuuka, several locales
The light show upon the bridge became a most grandiose wake-up call, snapping many people out of their confused mysterious stupor from the apparent mass narcolepsy that seemed to have affected everyone. Confusion reigned as seemingly out of nowhere large armored vehicles and tanks began rumbling through the streets, converging on the Academy. No one was in any position to offer resistance, between the sudden presence of armed soldiers and not understanding why apparently everyone had decided to take a nap in the middle of their daily business. While some of the soldiers stood guard at major intersections in and around the town, the majority would soon form a perimeter around the Academy grounds, a noose to be drawn to take their objectives.
In some places around the Academy, minor scuffling would break out as some students tried to resist in indignation the orders being given to get outside as one by one buildings were stormed and their inhabitants marched out. But the soldiers had guns and tanks and the students did not, and in most cases the protestations would be smothered by forceful shouting — at most one or two instances of warning shots before resistance died down. Many tried to run, but few would be able to escape before soldiers forced them back or tackled them to prevent escape.
Director’s Residence
Another young girl looked out a window from her seat in a wheelchair, her eyes fixed upon the ruined bridge out in the distance. So, they were still making their move, despite the strangeness of what just happened apparently to everyone.
“Mistress Mashiro?”
She turned her head to see a young woman in a maid outfit who had called her. A boy in a white buttoned shirt and long pants was leaning against the open doorway just behind her, looking up from his thoughts: “I suppose you’re ready to greet our unwelcome houseguests?”
“Gather the HiME,” Mashiro replied. “Keep them out of their hands. I will meet you later.”
“Mistress Mashiro...” the maid began.
“Go, Fumi. I can take care of this. They need to be safe.”
“Yes, Mistress.” Fumi bowed and followed the boy out, leaving Mashiro to look back out the window, counting the minutes it would be before the door would be knocked.
Edited by megarockman on Oct 25th 2022 at 9:28:42 AM
Eternal Princess
The tranquil atmosphere of the hill was perhaps ruined by the loud snoring of the rabbit girl. While she could be perhaps considered cute in most scenarios, the way she was sprawled out with her mouth hanging open could hardly be seen as flattering. She was sleep deprived the night before. So whether voluntary or not, this moment of rest was a welcome change of pace. It would last only a moment however. Whether spurned on by some bestial instinct noticing the change in her environment, or simply the need for a bathroom, the bunny suddenly sprung up. Despite how quickly she got up, for several of the seconds that followed the rabbit merely stared ahead blankly with an expression that seemed to suggest she either got too little or too much sleep. After several more moments pass, Reisen came to an astonishing realization.
"...I'm outside..."
She began wiping away the drool and rubbing her face as she tried to collect her thoughts. She wished this was the first time she woke up some place completely random like this. Think. What was the last thing she remembered. Ah, that's right. They were in Nyarly's realm, they just got done beating the flying fish demon. Then the half human and demon hunter's shadow started flirting. It looked like they were going to be a while, so she went to go find something to drink. Judging from the smell on her breath and pounding in her skull, she found it. From there things get pretty blurry. How did she from there to here? Where was here? What time was it?
"WHAT TIME IS IT!?"
The bunny girl once again suddenly sprang up out of nowhere. This time with an expression of pure horror. She was late! She still was on kitchen duty for that night! She was only able to get the morning off by spending the night before mass producing bento boxes! Finnelan was totally going to have her hide! She had to get back to Luna Nova now! She began running about the hill back and forth in a panic, trying to get some sort of bearings on where she was at.
"EH!? Where is this!? I don't recognize that! Wait...IS THE SUN SETTING!!!??? No...wait...IT'S RISING!!!!?????"
The bunny girl grabbed the sides of her head like it was about to explode. Little noises escaped her lips then let on just how much she was screaming internally. After flailing about for a bit, the bunny girl fell to her knees, utterly defeated.
It's over...
The shock was enough to clear her head long enough to realize she had an audience to her little melt down. A pair of white haired girls she had never seen before. They looked human, but she didn't think they were, it was hard to tell. One of them was a warrior by the look of her eyes and weapon at her hip. The other was a Vocaloid? With twin tails that long, she wouldn't be surprised if she ended up being a white haired variant of the virtual diva.
There was also a wooden forest spirit with a sad look and a familiar looking hat. Actually that was familiar looking fairy too! Wait, was that the little hero kid, what's his name, Link? Reisen would give the two a look of recognition, but didn't want to make the first move. The kid looked completely different and it was hard to tell distinct features on a glowing ball of light with wings. If she was wrong, she didn't want to look like an idiot by going up and acting all chummy with complete strangers. Well, look more of an idiot then she already has.
Oh, there was a horse and wolf there too. That's cool, though being a rabbit, Reisen gave the wolf a cautious eye.
After staring at them for a small while, Reisen would simply silently turn away from the group. She fixed her messy hair, straightened her clothes, took a deep breath and turned back toward them all smiles.
"Good morning."
Her voice was pleasant and polite, a far cry from the blood curdling groans and screaming she was doing just a moment before.
"Sorry to be a bother, but would any of you happen to be able to point me towards Luna Nova? Even this chunk's portal would be fine."
Kat and Raven would fly right through the heart shaped hole in the castle. With a quick shift in gravity the two would settle on the castle wall, standing perpendicular to the rest of the world. From their vantage point they could take it all in. The lights, the sounds, it was all very magical. It reminded Kat of Pleajeune back in Heckseville, even if that place was geared toward an entirely different kind of entertainment. Her face lit up with child like curiosity as she could not help but laugh in excitement.
Raven tried to play it much more aloof, but even she could not completely hide her intrigue. Perhaps some small part of that lost little girl was still there inside her, curious about all the things she missed out on growing up. Even so, it was hard for Raven not to feel wary. Something was off about this place. Before she could think to deeply on it, Kat was once again leading her by the hand.
"Come on Raven! Lets get closer!"
As the two began flying closer, even Kat began to become perplexed. There was no one at this park. Several animatronics wandered about, but there were no people. On top that, at closer inspection several parts of the park were in severe disrepair. The two gravity shifters would float just above the heads of amusement park residents as they quickly made their way around in hopes of finding someone. Anyone. Luckily, in a sea of robots, a human sticks out.
"Ah! Raven! There!"
The Kaiba Corp CEO would find her conversation interrupted when a flying dark skinned blonde and a raven haired girl with red highlights and pale skin suddenly landed beside them. Kat would seem to realize what she did as she took in the body language of the robot and the long haired brunette. An embarrassed smile flashed across the girl's face as she apologized.
"Ah! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt. But..."
Well, if she already interrupted them, she might as well ask. After all, this was important. They just suddenly found them selves over this massive land mass with this amusement park near by. She just needed to know. Looking squarely at the long haired brunette from Domino city, Kat asked her question.
"Do you know where the food court is? We have been looking everywhere for it but can't find it."
Behind Kat, Raven solemnly nodded her agreement with the need for this mystery to be explained.
How do you kill that which has no life?
Vampire Hunter
Dracula, Castlevania, This Time In AGOG
Before Dracula could call on Death to escort Raven Beak in, he found himself waking up inside his throne room, sitting on his throne. Did things revert? Dracula checked the the general area...
"What happened?" Lisa asked her husband.
Dracula knew that if they had truly reverted back to their world, the love of his life, Lisa would not be here with him now. Looking in the corner of his eye, he appeared to have two ruby tablets... wish-granting ones if what they read on them is correct. They also can seemingly be dismissed magically.
"I... don't know, but we are not on Battleworld anymore," Dracula said as he headed to the window to look out at the new planet.
It appeared that the castle was surrounded by a forest except in the east, where there appeared to be mountains. However, as Dracula looking out the windows of the highest point of the castle, he could see that past the forest in the northwest, there was a grassland full of rolling hills, farms, and cozy little hamlets complete with windmills. Some of them were on fire.
Before Dracula could do anything with this information, he noticed a spaceship land near the castle. Looking at the ship and being wary of invaders, Dracula instead saw Raven Beak exit from it.
Raven Beak was here as well. This has gotten curiouser and curiouser.
"Please stay here," Dracula told Lisa. "I need to make sure everything is safe."
Dracula got up and left his throne room to head to the entrance for a reunion with Raven Beak, who appears to have more resources with him now, given the spaceship that had landed in his front yard.
Sypha & Carmilla, Edge of the Forest
Both the witch and the vampire woke with a start. Spotting Sypha Belnades right up next to her, Carmilla felt the cold of an icicle right next to her gut. The witch hadn't stabbed her yet, but it was clear they were not in the safety of the Common Room anymore.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just freeze you and turn you into a ice sculpture?" Sypha angerly said to Carmilla.
Sypha felt Carmilla lick her neck, and her eyes widened, knowing her position against Carmilla was not as strong as she thought it was.
"One little bite, and I could turn you into a vampire, Witch," Carmilla whispered right in Sypha's ear.
They were in an apparent statemate. If Sypha tried to stab Carmilla, Carmilla would turn her into a vampire. And if Carmilla bit Sypha in the neck, Sypha would freeze Carmilla to death.
"How about we declare a truce for now," Carmilla whispered. "Figure out what has happened before you freeze me and I turn you."
"...Fine," Sypha replied, unhappy with this situation. The vampire and the witch untangled from each other, before noticing their surroundings. At the edge of the forest, there appeared to be rolling hills. While they now had an uneasy truce, they travelled onto the rolling hills.
Trevor, Grant, & Alucard, In The Middle Of The Forest
Trevor Belmont, Grant Danasty, and Alucard all woke up with a start.
"Why ain't we in the Common Room anymore, and where's Sypha?" Grant asked Trevor.
"I do not know," Trevor answered truthfully.
"I should still be in the Sky Palace," Alucard added, confirming his presense here. "But I do not see Sypha here."
"This worries me... If we were back home, she would also be with us," Trevor frowned, not liking that he was separated from Sypha right now.
"Yeah, and we'd be somewhere near Drac's Castle," Grant nodded.
"We'll head... that way," Trevor decided, pointing south. "See what we can find once we get out of this forest."
"Right." "Alright."
Thus the vampire, the vampire hunter, and the pirate headed south towards Manhattan, though none knew it yet.
Edited by GameGuruGG on Oct 25th 2022 at 8:22:18 AM
Wizard Needs Food Badly
Ashe & Grey (Domino City)
Upon reaching the city alongside Krillin, both youths found themselves going wide-eyed at how big the building in front of them was. The city was nothing too remarkable, but seeing that tower made Legion's HQ look modest in comparison. Thankfully, both of them had enough of their wits about them to stay quiet and stay close to Krillin, allowing him to do the talking (and privately, Grey was thankful for this, as he had a feeling that if Ashe opened her mouth, their lives would become much harder).
Ivalice Scouting Party (Mountain Pass)
With the female knight having intercepted the attack meant for the black mage, and with her blocking the jab of the spear with her shield, she grit her teeth as the electrical damage coursed through her body, but she held firm all the same. Knowing that more of the same awaited her if she wasn't careful, the knight decided that swift action was needed, and charged ahead while the black mage conjured and cast an icicle that hurled itself towards the demon.
As for the female White Mage that was in danger of being impaled, she had enough sense to at least try to get out of the way, throwing herself to the side and allowing the male Chemist to get a clear shot. As for what he was getting a clear shot with, well...
BANG
As it turned out, the Chemists had access to firearms. Not particularly advanced firearms, as both Chemists had what looked like pistols and rifles, but still, the demon had just been shot at with a metal ball, so that had to hurt.
Sky Palace
High in the sky above an unknown land, a rather frazzled group realized that something was very much off. The last thing they remembered was being in a different land and being called upon to fight, but now they were...in a wholly different land altogether.
"Truly, someone in the cosmos wants to make my life harder than it should be." The Angel of Light grumbled, and began flying around the Sky Palace to assess if there was any damage that needed repairing, leaving the task of investigating the lands below to his Champions.
Proud member of the AGOG community.
Link's House: The New Wild
The moment Link realized that he was laying prone on the ground, his hand reached for the Master Sword. Bolting to a half-panicked sitting position, the Champion waved the blade towards his flanks before his mind finally registered what his eyes were seeing:
He was back at his house.
"Ah!"
Link was on his feet in an instant. The startled cry of his princess came before any questions he had about their current situation; about the battle against the Demons in Manhattan; about the apparent "end" of Battleworld.
Taking a look at what was bothering her highness, the Champion gripped his blade tighter and moved to her side. Something invisible to the Champion seemed to gather around her, follow her even, though after a knee-jerk attempt to swat the phantom away, the princess realized that the fog in her peripherals compressed at her touch. It evaporated just as swiftly once she yanked her hand away.
"Wh-what?"
She reached for the mist again, retracted her hand, and reached for it a third time. The misty tablet responded in turn, altering its state of matter based on the princess' ability to grasp it. Only when she read the text (in a script she both knew and did not know) did she decide to leave the cloud alone, and scan the world around her.
"Is it over?" Zelda asked; Link wagered she was just thinking out loud. "Are we back home?"
Thinking aloud or not, the knight shook his head and pointed toward the wooden bridge that connected his house to the rest of Hateno Village—a place that was nowhere to be seen on the other side.
Zelda shuddered. "This doesn't make sense. The Cure said we were going home, I'm certain of it! If this isn't Battleworld, and this isn't Hyrule, then...where are we?!"
By throwing her arms in frustration, the princess inadvertently materialized the tablet again; this only fanned the flames.
"And what in the Goddess' name is THIS thing?! 'Break with intent to grant wish?' A wish for whom?! FROM WHOM?! Can the Cure still reach us or is this a trick? Is this some sort of elaborate test, or will we get some answers if we manage to find another stupid note in the grass?!"
"Maybe the Cure owes you?" the Champion suggested as he sheathed his blade.
Zelda was a hair-trigger away from dismissing the suggestion in another flare of frustration, but she caught the look in her knight's eye. Since he was usually a man of few words, the princess had learned to interpret Link's thoughts through expression, and the subtle shifts in his sky blue iris told her that he was worried. That she was worrying him.
The princess took a deep breath, massaged her temples, and exhaled. "I'm sorry, Link. I'm just...tired, I suppose."
Link gestured towards the inviting house, but Zelda shook her head and elaborated.
"Tired of feeling...well, 'powerless' is no longer appropriate. 'Blindsided,' perhaps. A century-long struggle against the embodiment of darkness, and suddenly I find myself abducted to two planets in as many days; if our luck keeps on this path, I'll be gray-haired by the end of the month."
The Champion's chuckle made the princess smile. Least she wasn't alone here, either.
"Well, we'll make no progress just standing around here. Best we mount the horses and see what's across the bridge."
The princess moved towards the stable, but paused when Link's gaze turned towards where he'd last seen the tablet.
"I don't trust it." Zelda replied to the unspoken question. "Not yet. Not until we can confirm that its intent is genuine, which is all the more reason to find someone who knows this planet better than we."
The Champion nodded, and the pair mounted their steeds and trotted off the bridge, towards the cliffside and the large valley below.
The Hill: Unexpected Reunions
Tatl groaned back to the waking world with a fact which may as well been gospel: they had been knocked out again, which meant that her lazybones partner wasn't going to be getting up on his own. The undeniable truth of this observation gave the fairy a rare shred of comfort, for she had sworn to never again try to wake the little hero the only way she could: by rushing into him to deliver a startling little BONK! on the head.
If the kid wanted to nap in random places, fine. Sleep the day away for all she cared! Tatl was sick of playing alarm clock!
"EH!? Where is this!? I don't recognize that! Wait...IS THE SUN SETTING!!!??? No...wait...IT'S RISING!!!!?????"
The sleeping wooden creature roused from its slumber. The gross-looking green bubble that inflated and deflated with its breathing suddenly popped, and the masked Hero of Termina groggily opened his eyes and sat up.
Normally this would be the point where Tatl would make a snarky remark at the little hero's expense, but the earlier outburst had awoken something else that had been sleeping on the hill.
"Take the mask off." the fairy ordered with unusual urgency. "Now."
Confused by the tone, the Deku Scrub tilted his head. What was so important that he couldn't even get a big stretch in? Sure enough, he'd hear the reason coming a few feet behind him.
"Grrrrrrr..."
The wooden creature gave the Deku Scrub equivalent of a gulp. Of course—dogs hated this form. They always tried to drag him by the arm or bite off his hands because they kept mistaking them for sticks!
In a mix of curiosity and concern about the distance between them, the little Deku Scrub turned around and covered his mouth to suppress the scream. The gray beast was at eye-level with him...but only because it chose to lower itself into a predatory stance. Eerie yellow eyes stared down intelligent blue ones, even though the latter belonged to a large wolf baring more teeth than the little hero could count.
"NOW!"
The Deku Scrub grabbed both sides of his face, and yanked away. A bright light sparked from where the figure stood, strong enough to make at least the nearby predator shield its eyes. A moment later, and the Deku Scrub was gone—replaced with a pointy-eared boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, sporting a sword and shield, boots, a utility belt, and a green tunic and cap.
Despite expectations, the wolf didn't seem to care what form its target took. A few sniffs of confirmation were all in needed to resume its crouching position...though at least it stopped growling at him.
Too bad; the little hero could've really used that audio cue.
"WATCH OUT!"
Having slowly bridged the distance between them, the wolf finally pounced. Armed with only a magic mask in his right hand, the boy never stood a chance. Frozen in place, he fell to the ground with a stifled yelp as the powerful beast pinned him to the ground and—
"Tehee heeheeheha hahahahaha!"
—started coating the kid's face in big slobbery kisses while wagging his tail as fast as he could!
Realizing that the pup hadn't pinned him as tightly as he feared, Link tried (semi-successfully) to shield his face with one hand as he pushed the wolf's head away. It took a bit longer than he wantednote , but soon the Hero of Termina was back on his feet and returning the wolf's affection with some scratching behind the ear; a gesture the beast enjoyed for a moment, then trotted over towards the others.
Reisen would be the first figure approached, but after a few sniffs in her direction the beast would walk towards the white-haired twins. Alpha and the sleeping Luna weren't treated so indifferently, and not in a positive way—while the beast raised his fur a bit and growled at the elder sister after a short glance towards the boy, it also made not moves to get close to the machines. Just enough state that he'd already chosen his favorite person, and the kid was not to be messed with.
While the beast was screening Link's (present and future?) friends, Reisen might hear a familiar loud and high-pitched voice answer her question.
"What're you talking about? Luna Nova's...wait a sec, REISEN?! Where in the Goddess' name did you come from?! We thought you were dead or vanished with the others!"
The name of the friend he'd made the day before made Link's ears twitch. He turned around and spotted the woman with the bunny ears, and soon the cheeks he had just wiped clean were wet with tears.
Kyubey was nowhere to be seen; neither were any Magical Girls, or any other means to telepathically relay a coherent message from Link to Reisen. But if the Moon Rabbit wasn't careful, she was about to have a joyfully sobbing grade schooler tackle her with a great big hug. That was message enough.
The fairy realized that her last exclamation might sound...odd, given Reisen's...return appearance. So to save some time and maybe distract Reisen from the fact the kid trying to hug her was coated in tears, snot, and wolf spit, Tatl explained:
"After the fight with Nyarwhatever-he's-called, a lot of you guys disappeared. A whole day passed, and when we finally got back the planet wasn't as big as it used to be. Luna Nova was gone, along with...a lot else. Eventually things got so bad the Cure just gave up. Said that we were all going home. Then we passed out, and woke up here.
"So either you are secretly a Terminan, or the Cure is a giant LYING JERK!" Tatl cried to the heavens.
Whether his hug was successful or not, the little hero would turn his attention elsewhere while Tatl filled Reisen in. Epona was safe and sound, and that treasure chest of stuff was here...did that mean this was that "Heart of the Moon" room that had Majora's name on it?
No, that didn't make sense. That place was strangely empty. Real pretty and stuff, but there wasn't anything alive in there. Chirps from birds and crickets you couldn't see, a breeze that came from nowhere, and nothing for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles around. Nothing but a tree and a hill and a field. A nice picture, but nothing more.
This tree, and this hill, and this landscape...it was alive. There were places to go, and a sweep around revealed to the little hero that there were a TON of places to go—some even high up in the sky! And it all started here: a new world, and a new adventure to begin!
And he'd start by greeting that lady watching over the sleeping lady. You could never have too many friends!
Alpha would probably notice the pint-sized swordsman approach her before he...wait, he didn't say anything. He just grinned and waved at her, then seemed to spot something odd over her left shoulder and pointed toward it.
Should the Crimson Abyss decide to follow in that direction, she would see a note stuck to the lone tree:
Hello, Newbies!
You might be wondering what you're all doing here...
Turns out, so do I! I'm heading out to get a fix on what's going on out there. Be back by sundown!
Yer pal,
Igno
Beneath the note was a doodle of a sun setting and two moons in the sky...or maybe they were three suns and only one was setting. Hard to tell on just a 30-second doodle!
Edited by TheodoreHastings on Feb 9th 2024 at 2:11:19 AM
Breath of the Sun
Eastern Ruins
Yoriichi quietly followed Amako, who in turn followed the little ones to a bounty of food. This place was vibrant and full of life, no doubt caused by the brilliant sun upon the wall.
"Many in Nihon pray to the sun goddess, Lady Amako." Yoriichi mused. "It is unsurprising for people to turn to her in such a desolate place."
Kongara and Seitaka had quickly climbed a tree to pluck fruit from it, a few pieces dropping down. Makura caught a peach, munching on it as she observed and pondered the fish-lady's question.
"Well, something brought together a bunch of cities and castles and stuff. This place was probably abandoned before it was brought here." It was the most obvious explanation. "Could be from one of those post-apocalyptic worlds where humanity's dying out."
"That's horrible." Yoriichi murmured.
"I mean, I doubt people would have left a city this big unless something really bad happened." Makura shrugged, taking another bite. "And like Elaine said, this place has been empty for a long time. Weird about that sun picture, though. Maybe there's a straggler around?"
Scrunching her face, Makura sniffed at the air, focusing her ears and nose to see if her keen senses could pick up anyone else nearby.
What is so amusing about this? Why do you take lives? How can you forget?
she/her friend to the hooved
Hewkii, waking up on the hill.
In the shadow of the great tree, a short distance from the other new arrivals, a form appears unceremoniously sprawled out in the grass on its stomach. Roughly humanoid and of a wide build clocking in at around 7 feet, it's clad in yellow and black metallic armor of entirely alien design overtop a physique that appears near-totally mechanical to the untrained eye. Stowed across its back is a polearm-like weapon and what appears to be a handheld rotary cannon of some description, while on its hips sit two lengths of coiled chain and a canvas satchel, and near-totally concealing its face is a broad, angular mask.
A long moment, then a twitch as its reddish-pink glowing eyes open and focus, greeted at first by nothing but grass and dirt.
Wha-
Where am I...?
Shifting uncomfortably, the being soon hauls himself up off the ground and stands up on momentarily unsteady legs as he takes in his immediate surroundings and the patchwork vista beyond, blinking hard a few times... and then catching sight of the assortment of other beings who also find themselves gathered around the tree.
He blinks again, brows furrowed beneath his mask. Okay, this ain't Spherus Magna anymore.
Hewkii is used to nonsensical patchwork environments—he'd spent most of his remembered life in a desert adjacent to an icy mountain, itself next door to an active volcano, and a dense jungle beyond that, all on a single island—but the beings here are what throws him for a loop, hammering home that he's awoken in a truly alien place.
Not a scrap of useful armor between them, the bipeds are clad entirely in flimsy-looking fabric with heads covered in long hair, looking somewhat like he'd imagine Glatorian to look without their armor or augments... is that what these beings are? The quadrupeds are at least vaguely similar to Rahi or some of the creatures he'd seen inhabiting Spherus Magna, but even that resemblance is superficial at best. Floating around near one of the shorter ones is a little glowing light with wings who also seems quite talkative. One thing at a time.
Sensing then how alien he might likewise appear to them, Hewkii raises his hands diplomatically to indicate that he's presently unarmed, but remains ready to spring into action should things go south. Could they be the ones responsible for putting him here? Some of them have their own weapons and there's no telling what powers they might possess nor how trigger-happy they could be.
"Uh, hi. Where am I?" he ventures aloud after taking a second to find the right words, part of him beginning to doubt that they even know, from the looks of them—one is apparently asleep.
Edited by Chortleous on Oct 26th 2022 at 2:07:37 PM
Anor Londo, Palace
“Indeed I have,” Helia nodded in response. “Arceus is not known to make frequent appearances, but they do make their presence known from time to time - generally when they believe there is a situation severe enough to warrant the use of their power… or for other reasons that admittedly aren’t always clear to us. Regardless, Lucia and I have particularly important roles within the Pokemon world, so it’s not unusual for Arceus to check in with us from time to time.”
“That’s right,” Lucia concurred. “Arceus’ policy towards the Pokemon World can best be described as one of limited intervention. They protect it, but have no real interest in ruling over it’s day to day affairs. Such is why that responsibility falls to our government, instead.”
Castelia
After a truly thrilling race, Ray and the robit arrive at Castelia. The machine is greeted by a couple of dangerous looking pokemon that, curiously, look remarkably dissimilar from Ray. First, a leviathan monster swims in the water surrounding Castelia’s entrance
◊, and on the bridge stands some sort of tall dinosaur-like rock beast
that blocks your path.
“Halt!” says the Tyranitar. “What is your business… here? Madame Ray!”
The two pokemon tilt their heads as they notice Ray.
“There’s no need to be alarmed,” Ray assures them. “They’re with me. They have found themselves homeless within this world, and I’m allowing them to stay within Castelia for the time being.”
“I see… very well then. Go on ahead, our guest!”
They get out of the way, allowing the robit to pass. The two of you reach the city proper. Ray turns to you.
“Well, here we are - welcome to Castelia city.”
You notice there’s a decent number of both people that look humanoid like Ray, and more monstrous beings like the ones you saw guarding the entrance to the city. You see someone transform from monster to humanoid form, confirming that they can apparently switch between the two at will.
Meanwhile, people are reacting to the sudden appearance of Manhattan about as you'd expect.
"What the heck is going on this time?"
"Hey! That city looks like us, but without pokemon. What gives?"
"Arceus, please help us in this trying time. No seriously, I know you are out there somewhere and it'd be nice if you could come down from Heaven, or the Spear Pillar, or wherever it is you actually go when you leave for like 15 years at a time. Hm... does anyone have the Azure Flute? No? Oh come on..."
Ray just gives a resigned sigh.
"Well, this is going to make things even more complicated. As if I didn't have enough to deal with."
Then the hierarchy of power in the multiverse abruptly changes when a large orange dragon named “Charlie” the Charizard
flies to the scene… well okay, it doesn’t really. It’s pretty much exactly the same as it was previously.
“Whooooah!” he says in his best Keanu Reeves impression. “It’s the Prime Minister! And a robot dude!”
“Hello Charlie,” she greets the very relaxed dragon. “This is an outsider who is without a home. I’m letting them stay in the city.”
“Oh, cool! Well, you want a tour of the city or something, mecha dude? If you need a place to crash for a while, I can help with that too.”
Edited by HilarityEnsues on Oct 26th 2022 at 3:30:32 PM
Kayne & Moko—The Last Outpost
As the Chocobo began marking Kayne as its kin, her mouth briefly opened in an "O" of surprise, but it quickly turned to delight as she hurriedly moved to grab Moko's brim, as one would do to their own headwear in a strong wind, giggling with wonder all the while. Moko abruptly sprung up to full height (which admittedly wasn't much, but it helped make Kayne look taller in any case) and huffed while shaking himself off in a very fastidious manner as soon as he could, producing a very comical effect in the meantime.
"Oh, um, sorry for being so rude, Miss Nia! I'm Kayne, and this is Moko. He's my very bestest friend, and because he helps me make sense of any magic I can't sense myself, he's also my talking thinking cap. He lives with me and goes on adventures with me too!" Kayne introduced herself and Moko cheerfully.
"Quite charmed, and a pleasure to meet all you fair folk," Moko greeted in turn, scrunching up his hatly body in a very gentlemanly bow. "We were just about to strike out on an expedition, for you see, this day has apparently seen fit to deposit some very strange neighbors on our doorstep." He indicated the Chocobos with a glance of his large and expressive crimson eye.
"And these birds, well, I don't own them, or keep them, or anything," Kayne continued. "Y'all will notice that I've built all this myself, but don't have anything in the way of stables or anything like that. In fact, we met just this morning! They were digging in my garden for vegetables, so I decided to help feed them. Then I saw that this fine fella here had a saddle on his back, so I think that their former rider must be really worried about them right now. I also figure that it's too early to be allowing any foreign fauna to stay in the Last Outpost for too long. With this conjunction of worlds, whether due to a dimensional rift or not, the effects, positive and negative, of alien ecosystems abruptly becoming enmeshed have yet to be seen. That's why I've got to help these birds back to their home somehow."
"I must say, though, that it is quite pleasant to no longer be too close for comfort to a barren, rocky wasteland," Moko insisted. "And how I hate sand! It's coarse and rough and irritating—and it gets everywhere! I'd rather be anywhere but in a desert. Not like Kayne, she's like a fish in water everywhere and anywhere she goes. That's a Scavenger rapscallion for you, I suppose."
"But out in the wilds, no bad men can find us, nor can any monster overcome our bravery. They can't take our freedom from us," Kayne said resolutely. "But if we're no longer the last outpost of happiness before entering the wastes, we should probably change the name. But I like what the name stands for, though. Eh—I'm not changing it. Plus I don't want to re-carve all the rocks I marked. Some circuitous line of thinking this was!"
It was then that Kayne noticed Quilby in the background. Her face lit up as she saw his missing arm, and her eyes twinkled with innocent curiosity. There was a whirr as she detached her mechanical prosthetic from its stump, and then she spoke jubilantly, in a vague attempt to soothe some of the sadness and/or ennui she felt was emanating from his person (not knowing he was really deep in thought), saying "Oh, look, Sir, we match! We should be friends!"
Edited by JumpingFruit on Oct 5th 2022 at 12:09:48 PM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.