The Orb of Pyritus The Orb. It is all powerful and sought by many, but few are the ones who will wield it. When it was created the Orb opened a myriad of portals to other dimensions, as though it were calling its suitors into battle. Now, conflict is brewing across the Multiverse as competitors seek to be the sole holder of the ORB OF PYRITUS. The Game This is not a typical game on the RPG forum. It is designed for low commitment play for any players who want to introduce themselves, practice, experiment, or just have fun. The goal of each character is to acquire the Orb of Pyritus. When the orb was created it opened many portals from other dimensions. Your character can be from any dimension you can imagine and be whatever type of character you wish. Its wide open. The Orb The glowing Orb possesses unlimited power. Anyone who wields it will have his natural abilities enhanced to a supernatural extent and may also find new powers. The aura of its effect spreads to all others nearby, but to a lesser extent. The enhancements of the orb work on both living and non-living objects. The Rules How it works: 1. The object of the game is NOT to acquire the Orb. It is to have FUN and enjoy a challenge. No whining if you don’t get awarded the Orb 2. ONLY the GM can move the Orb into new hands. This will be done in game by the GM or delegated in the discussion thread. Success in acquiring the orb will be determined according to creativity, quality of writing, obedience to the rules and maintaining fairness and movement in the game. 3. When the Orb is transferred, the character will be immediately warped back to his home world with the Orb leaving those who lost the Orb to find a different portal to the new world. 4. All portals lead to the Orb. 5. The Orb cannot be destroyed, damaged or changed. 6. "I turned around and he was gone." It occasionally happens that players go absent. If you find yourself stuck waiting on a absent player you may ask permission of the GM to invoke the "I turned around and he was gone," rule. To do this, you write in that the absent player's character simply disappeared when your character wasn't looking. Disappeared characters can always be brought back into the game by making an excuse for disappearing if the absent player returns. Standard Rules: 1. Do NOT control other characters, including causing direct injury to other players. It is each players option to decide the degree of injury his own character receives. As an example you can shoot a fireball or grapple and try to break your opponents arm, however, your opponent decides how burned or injured his character becomes. You succeed in the game by how well you write and how creative you are, not by how much you injure your opponent. 2. GM is law and can break and modify his own rules without notice. 3. No god moding. Strive for balance among all other players. 4. You cannot kill other players 5. Players can make Non-Player Characters if necessary 6. No out of character content (OOC). Keep that to the Discussion Thread. 7. Write the NEXT part of the story. Avoid re-capping. Use showing in the present to respond to previous posts; avoid re-telling entire previous posts from your character’s perspective. 8. Character Templates do not need to be approved, but must be posted in the discussion thread with the characters name in the post title. A list of current characters can be found at the bottom of this post. 9. No one-liners or short posts. Let’s shoot for 100 words + 10. Read the chapter summaries below and the most recent posts in the current chapter. 11. Abandoned characters will be simply dropped (See 'How it works: Rule 6: "I turned around and he was gone,") 12. FLAMING, INSULTING, OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF HARSHNESS THAT IS DELIBERATELY USED TO HURT SOMEONE ELSE’S FEELINGS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED AT ALL, NOR ACCEPTED ANYWHERE ELSE AROUND THE FORUM. 13. Edit before posting. 14. View the Discussion Thread for less formal details and to direction in the game. 15. Dialogue from other characters should be put in BOLD type 16. Put your character’s name in the title of your post 17. More than one character is allowed but requires the permission of the GM 18. Please feel welcome to make suggestions and negotiate with the GM! Character Template: Name: Age: Gender: Appearance: Personality: History: Powers/Equiptment: Chapter 1: Magnalian, Summary When Magnalian created the Orb of Pyritus he had no idea of the struggle he would have to hold onto his creation. At first Magnalian sought to destroy the portals that were opened by the Orb, but soon realized that the portals leading into his world were what the Orb drew its power from. Instead he summoned magic seeking monsters to seek out the portals and devour any that passed through. Many of these monsters fell at the hands of the heroes that passed through the portals, but the serpentine Nasgar always returned stronger and more cunning than before. When it became clear that his strategy was failing Magnalian summoned Greywind the wraith to spy on the incoming Orb seekers and foil their plans while he prepared a challenge for them with the help of the Nasgar. Magnalian decided that instead of fighting the warriors he would try to recruit them by defeating them in a show of his power. The successful recruits would then defend his Orb while he went on to conquer more worlds. Gathering the heroes in a great Colosseum he challenged them to defeat his monsters for the prize of being allowed to live and join his side. But Magnalian gravely underestimated the heroes before him, and his beasts fell one by one. In the end only his creation the great and powerful Kitza remained. But Pyree Lasstor the space pilot slipped past Kitza and used her skills in teleportation and the combat training she had received from some of her fellow heroes to defeat Magnalian. Both Pyree and Magnalian fell from a high ledge, Magnalian lost hold of the Orb, and the woman Pyree touched it while falling. Pyree instantly vanished along with the Orb, and Magnalian fell to the ground where he was crushed by a dragon that fell after him. Current Characters (Chapter 2): Pyree Lasstor (Current Orb Holder) Magnalian the Summoner Atlas; Corporal James Farmer Drake, Magnafire Eslana Forcanus Kitza Greywind Raven-Ryder Tom Wilde Taliza Marcus Schroedinger Grand Magister Zaca’reb Faramar & Serene Isel Redfang Lady Isabella Miri Moncreiffe Padoc Ekard TulBuk
Magnalian the Summoner Chapter 1: Magnalian the Summoner The warm orange glow lit the face of Magnalian the Summoner as he gazed into the orb. His wizard’s laboratory was filled with smoky haze that lingered from the powerful spells that had just been cast. After decades of effort he had finally done it, he had made the Orb of Pyritus. The orb set quiet and heavy in his palm. Of course he had done it; he was the greatest summoner of all time. In his dreams he had walked the planes of a thousand worlds and found the most ferocious and capable creatures to summon to his aid. The concept of the orb was simple, it was a magic node that touched the power and energy of an infinite number of dimensions and transmitted that power to his wielder. It was the execution, the making of the orb, that had been difficult. After a colossal effort and hours of focus and incantation Magnalian had just accomplished his goal but was now left weakened and exhausted. He slumped to the floor of his stone laboratory with his eyes still fixed on the nascent Orb of power. He breathed a sigh of release as he felt the orbs power begin to surge through him. He could feel the presence of a million worlds at his fingertips. He now had the power to pull unimaginable creatures of any size by a mere thought. The power of the Orb was even greater than he had imagined. But as Magnalian reached out to feel the connection to the multi-verse, something unexpected happened. The power of the Orb surged through him, it overwhelmed his senses. In his weakness the wizard was unable to control the awesome power of the Orb. A brilliant glow burst forth and a sphere of energy swept across the previously quiet farmland. The rift moved quickly and Magnalian could feel its effect across the land. In the common places of his world it did little more than startle the peasant farmers and their sheep. But in those secret sacred places the rift left in its wake open portals to worlds unknown. Recovering from the shock and regaining control of the Orb Magalian looked through the multi-verse, across time and space. What he saw terrified him. Untold numbers of journeyers would come through the portals of the Orb. Some would come for its power, others to end the coming strife, but all would bring conflict as they sought to wield the power of the Orb. Magnalian had but one choice. He must find the portals and close them all. Certainly the warriors would come, but he would face them. He would face them all and defeat them for he was the one true master of the ORB!
Igor Igor stepped out of the portal. "Are you sure about this?" he heard a voice in his head say while he cleaned the dust from his classy suit. "This artifact is very powerful, and we both know how power influences you." Igor sighed, obviously annoyed by the voice. "As you wish, just be careful" advised the voice one last time before vanishing. Opening his eyes, he saw he was surrounded by cornfields, the only exception to that pattern being an agglomerate of small and humble houses in the distance. I need to rest. he thought, before closing his eyes and starting to walk calmly and slowly towards the small village. While walking he decided he would expand his mind in order to scan this unusual world for the mysterious artifact. Very close to his position he sensed small sources of power and he quickly came to the conclusion they originated from other open portals similar to the one he went through. His mind was getting tired and he didn't find anything worth of any worrying in a 15Km radius so he decided to retract his mind. It was too soon to tire himself, fun times were coming and he needed some energy left to obliterate every useless obstacle standing between him and the artifact.
Riley Burstion "Just when I thought there was nothing worth discovering on this godforsaken island." A snap, a sizzle; filling the grove of tight-knit trees with the flickering radiance of a candle, a small flame appeared in the palm of Riley's hand. The man blinked once as his eyes adjusted to the sudden change in lighting. Satisfied with the situation, he began to asses the swirling mass before him. Dark and intimidating, the vortex seemed to be the epitome of chaos itself; random bits of matter surging together as one, strange faces and what seemed like spirits soaring through the abyss. Riley could've sworn that, when he listened closely enough, he could make out the faint sound of screams. Strangely enough, the warrior felt no fear when faced with this ghastly vortex. He had been through some rough times. The horrors of war change a person, however he knew that no one would again experience the terrors he had suffered. That he had been so cunningly convinced to betray his friends and allies to fulfill his own selfish desires still enveloped him in guilt and sorrow, but it now came with a certain resolution; a determination to never again let himself become weak. It was with this resolve that Riley stepped forward, unwavering, toward the portal. He knew no fear. As an adventurer and warrior he had always known that his life would be full of danger. If it meant he could discover something known to no other, he would take the risk. To him, it was worth the challenge. He entered the swirling maelstrom, a cheeky grin plastered to his face as he dematerialized. It was time for a new adventure.
Magnafire Drake Standing on the ancient steps of Drax, he reflected on how he ended up here. In the endless Celestial Desert or as some preferred the Darklands. The journey was tedious, he well knew the things that lurked here. From the fearsome Sav'drek beast warriors to the Serpentine, whose resentment of all things Edge has never ceased. He climbed the steps, admiring the strange markings on the arch that led into the courtyard. A long abandoned fountain occupied the middle of the courtyard, with benches on all sides. The main building ahead, and the ones surrounding him, were a bleak colourless grey, made of both metal and stone. The intricate placement of each made the metallic sections twinkle briefly. He made his way towards the Draxitium, the home of all the tomes, the Drax Priests wrote. All this knowledge you search for. I could just tell you it you know. "Now where would the fun be if you told me everything." Exactly, this entire pilgrimage would be pointless. Magnafire sighed, "I need to know how to avoid my destiny. I hate seers." You can't avoid your destiny, First Edge. "Call me that again, Blade Edge and I will lose you." Then what would happen to your sanity. "It would be a lot better off," answered Magnafire. The lack of response made Magnafire smile. Standing in the ancient library he realised all the books on the shelves had fallen into disrepair, decrepit and covered in dust he frowned. Seems I was right. "No, there is a tomb, I recall reading up on it, before I set off. That may yield some answers." I wish I had a new Master, all this wandering and no fighting. You've gone soft. "No, I'm just given into my need for knowledge." So you are. carry on, don't talk to me unless there are any undead lurking in the catacombs. The Magnan nodded and began exploring the building, other than old stonework tables and chairs, he saw no means heading into the lower half of the Drax. He sighed, and returned to the large Library. He approached the altar in the middle and leant on it, feeling it buckle, he applied more pressure and the altar slid over the stone tiles. He made his way down the steps. As he reached the bottom he found a wooden door. As he pulled it open, he found himself staring into a dark void. "By the gods, Blade Edge!" What now you blithering fool? "Dark Void. Could it be? the Shadows of Sycane have poisoned this place," he exclaimed. No, I would know its type. This is chaos. Let's see where it leads. Hmm. Magnafire drew Blade Edge, and placed the flat side on his shoulder, "Yes let's" He stepped into the darkness. The power surrounding felt unnatural, it was not ancient or for that matter Sycanian in origin. It was alien.
Magnalian the Summoner The earth shook as the ancient pillars fell. The swirling vortex slowly faded before the eyes of Magnalian as he patiently watched. This was the third portal he had closed, how many more could were there? The sorcerer felt a twinge and a shiver down his spine; another champion had come through a portal. They were coming far faster than he had anticipated. He would wear himself out chasing down portals. Time was running out, he needed servants to do his bidding while he prepared for the coming onslaught. Closing his golden eyes the summoner searched the multiverse for a savage creature he could bring to his aid. He needed something primitive, with an instinctive attraction to the magic of the portals. Ah, yes there. They would do nicely. A dozen columns of black smoke began to swirl in ront of Magnalian. “Go my minions! Find the portals tear them down and destroy anything that comes through them!”
Igor Igor woke up. Something wasn't right. He quickly scanned the area surrounding him with his mind, and he felt an odd presence nearby. Having a foggy mind from having just waken up he's not able to identify this being, but the power emanating from it was enough to get him out of his comfortable bed. As he walked out of the house he glanced at the pile of corpses near the town well. Weak people with weak minds... I was barely able to take any energy from them. It'll have to do. He sat comfortably on a wooden bench and with his eyes closed he accessed his mind once again, quickly directing his focus towards the unknown creature. Knowing exactly where to look made it a lot less exhausting than scanning in a radius around himself. His mind was crystal clear and sharp as an arrow, and he decided to test the being right away. Seeing the beast in the horizon Igor threw three spears made out of pure psychic force at the creature that he had now identified as a rampaging behemoth, carrying a giant maul in his back. The beast didn't appear to sense the spears coming, Good, it has no psychic focus. Convinced that the battle was over Igor started retracted his mind, but he looked at his enemy long enough to see him shrug off the mental spears with ease. Damn! Suddenly a voice echoed in his head. "Reckless fool, who do you think you are? I shall punish you for your recklessness." Igor realized he had underestimated his opponent. You should've tried to pierce his mind first. This is typical, you never take your enemies seriously until they're about to kill you. said another voice in his head. He didn't have time to pay attention to it so he just repressed it and focused on the task at hand. He could now feel the behemoth shaking the ground as he ran towards him.
Corporal James Farmer (Atlas) Atlas pounded on the makeshift wooden door in front of him. “Someone in there? Open the damn door!” There was a hesitant reply, muffled by the thick mud walls. “Who’s there? Is that you Corporal?” The door opened up, and Private Langer stood in the way. “Sorry sir, I thought you were enemy.” His arms were shaking, and he looked as if he were going to soil himself. He couldn’t have been more than eighteen. Atlas quickly moved into the room, shutting the door behind him. “Are you Assist, Private?” asked Atlas, moving towards a slightly open door on the opposite end of the room. Langer nodded. “Where’s Team and Ready?” Langer shrugged, “I dunno sir, I lost them down the block that way,” he said, pointing his thumb back. Atlas cursed. Everything had gone to hell. Their entire unit had been ambushed, and the three fire-teams had been scattered. This was supposed to be his last tour in Afghanistan too. So much hope for nothing. A barrage of gunshots rang out in the distance, making Langer jump. Atlas grabbed him by the back of his uniform, and placed him in front of a small hole in the wall. “Hold this point, and let me know if anything comes near the front door, you got it?” He didn’t wait for a response, as he quickly unloaded the contents of his bag onto the floor. He shoved all the ammunition back in, but left most of the utility tools out. He considered keeping the detonators and transmitters, but decided against it; someone would have already radioed for help by now. He used the back of his M-4 to break all of the electronics, and scattered the bits across the floor. If he was going to make it out alive, he needed to be light. “Uh, Corporal, sir! There’s movement!” said Langer. Atlas swore. “Shut your trap, Private!” he hissed. He pushed Langer aside, and looked through the hole. Sure enough, an array of bodies shuffled just outside the front door. There were too many of them. Without any warning, Langer screamed and started firing rounds through the wall blindly. There were shouts from outside the door. They knew someone was here now. “You stupid, goddamn –!” There were multiple bursts of return fire, cutting Atlas off. He yanked Langer onto the floor, and dragged him across the room. A makeshift grenade flew in through the hole, onto the ground, and Atlas swore again. Without any hesitation, he hauled Langer up, and barrelled through the door on the other side of the room. The flimsy door barely resisted, and Atlas fell into the void hidden behind it.
Riley Burstion The smoke was the first thing that Riley noticed. He waved his hand blindly in front of his face to clear the air as his eyes and throat began to sting. "Where the hell am I?" he coughed, stumbling blindly forward to escape the suffocating smog. It was a few minutes before he managed to clear the cloud and get a bearing on the situation. He almost wished he had stayed back in the smoke. Where there is smoke, there is fire, and Riley now discovered its source. A roar pierced the air as a blazing inferno illuminated the night sky. Soaring on leathery wings, a dragon wheeled above the village, setting ablaze the thatched roof of each and every village hut its flames could reach. The screams he had imagined emanating from the portal he now found to be authentic; villagers sprinted frantically throughout the now-scorched farmland, everyone hoping to save their self, few succeeding. All was in disarray as Riley dashed toward the village. His hand soon found the blade at his side and unsheathed it. He had to do something; if the dragon was left unchecked for even a few more minutes, the whole village would be razed. He grabbed a man by the collar of his shirt as he ran past and asked, "What's going on here? Where did this dragon come from?" "I - I don't know!" the man stuttered, clearly terrified at the situation. "One second, all was quiet and then out of nowhere we heard the roar! It came from the east, burning everything in its path!" The man glanced at the sword in Riley's hand and hysterically begged, "Save us, mysterious warrior! Slay the beast!" "Calm down!" Riley ordered as he shook the man roughly. "You need to get the villagers to safety immediately! Do you know of somewhere that they will not be found by this creature?" The man nodded hastily. "Then take them there and stay until morning! Now, go!" He released the frightened villager and he rushed off, calling for all of the townspeople to evacuate at once. Riley nodded, satisfied with the farmer's actions, and turned to face the beast. He let out a shout and rolled to the side as the dragon swooped overhead, its razor-like talons barely missing his exposed head. Hefting his sword, Riley swiftly retaliated, managing to sever the tip of the dragon's tail as it passed. "Now the real fun begins," he muttered with a grim smile, rising to meet the dragon head-on. With a quick snap of his fingers, Riley's ebony blade ignited. The flames danced on the metal in a failed attempt to consume it. The dragon wheeled around to face Riley and let out an ear-shattering roar. The sound reverberated throughout the village and the screams of the innocents grew louder. Riley blocked them out as the dragon glided toward him; he knew from experience that every second of the battle counted and that he needed to retain his focus. With a bloodthirsty battle cry, he launched himself toward the scaly fiend, his blade a blur as it lunged toward the dragon's neck.
Thatratar, Sword of Kingdoms Ripping through cloud and severing the sky with teal lacerations, the Sword was pulled through the vortex. Thatratar had little use for questions anymore. It was The Sword of Kingdoms. It saw that this was of The Orb's doing, and that Magnalian the Summoner did not understand the true gravity of his artifact. Surely, The Orb was to build the most sacrosanct of churches, the tallest of towers and the grandest of cities. Thatratar simply needed to get in proximity of The Orb in order to take possession of it. Stabbing the earth after plummeting from the summon, it took into calculated consideration as to how its' goals (and those of his new prospective owner) would be met. It would need a new owner and there were few exemplary candidates to select from. Thatratar saw their faces and knew their names... --Igor; the staunch rebel fighting against authority figures for the simple sake of being defiant. Even in the world that he comes from, Igor has typically been known to be unnecessarily difficult. He never did fit in with everyone else. Igor should understand that he shouldn't be made to feel alone when he can have the most powerful sword in all of the universe at his beck and call. [Thatratar, Sword of Kingdoms, is willing to be Igor's weapon should Igor be the first to choose it for himself.] --What of Drake; a former servant of The Black Dragon of the Celestial Desert? Reluctantly approaching the day where his destiny is aligned with that of the First Edge, poor Drake should realize that "destiny" is whatever he wills it to be. It's true. He can embrace his hatred, reject the prophecy of the First Edge, reject the responsibility of the "bond" Blade Edge imprisons him with and wield me. [Thatratar, Sword of Kingdoms, is willing to be Drake's weapon should Drake be the first to choose it for himself.] --Riley Burstion; a mere child from Driath with a staggering amount of potential ...the likes of which Thatratar hasn't seen since Nero. He has a simple fascination for the unknown of his world. Riley should wield Thatratar. It sees all of his world today, just as clearly as Thatratar has seen it since it's inception. If he wishes to explore, Riley needs it's favor. [Thatratar, Sword of Kingdoms, is willing to be Riley's weapon should Riley be the first to choose it for himself.] --How about Corporal James Farmer; Detroit native and decorated human military officer? He should imagine the superior forts, trenches and encampments he can build through the Sword of Kingdoms. How much easier would it be to find The Orb with Thatratar as his weapon? It already knows where The Orb is; it's simply a matter of getting there. Then, the world as he sees fit awaits. [Thatratar, Sword of Kingdoms, is willing to be Riley's weapon should Riley be the first to choose it for himself.] --Finally, Magnalian the Summoner himself. He should realize what millions of years of knowledge can do for the enhancement of his understanding of The Orb. Swords may not be the weapons of choice for wizards, however, to deny himself the rare opportunity of an audience with a being like Thatratar would be ill-advised. After all, ignorance of The Orb's power is what caused the maelstrom of portals to appear in the first place. [Thatratar, Sword of Kingdoms, is willing to be Magnalian the Summoner's weapon should Magnalian the Summoner be the first to choose it for himself.]
He emerged into the village, looking relaxed with the flat end of his sword on the shoulder. The flames that danced, and the smoke that drifted up, made him sigh. Always villages. What now? Bandits, rogues... oh crap. He stared up at the massive dragon, its massive scales and talons could no doubt skewer a man. He blinked at the sight of the man trying to defeat it. Charging blindly at it, clearly not afraid that he might get eaten or worse incerated. "Should we help him?" Blade Edge quickly answered, yes, I've waited long enough. Magnafire moved forward, lowered the sword, as Blade Edge coated itself in ancient fire. He saw the tail of the dragon had been sliced off, but the man was aiming from the throat. Magnafire formed a ball of flames in his hand, wieghed it in his palm, and threw it at the Dragons head. Was that wise Magnafire didn't respond as he rushed to join the warrior. "For the sake of quickness, I'm Drake, General of the Burnt, and this is my bound sword Blade Edge. Now pleasantries aside. Let's slay a dragon." Magnafire felt Blade Edge's lust for blood, its bold laughter, and its eagerness to join the fray. The Dragon was heading for the warrior. So Magnafire, darted at it's side as it began its lunge. He drove the tip of his blade into the wing, and allowed Blade Edge's fire to do the rest. The Dragon would now find flying a whole harder will its scolded and wounded wing. Magnafire jumped backward and deflected the now sharp scaled tail that swung at him. He looked at the warrior, anticipating his own move. let's finish this, he thought. Edit: I decided to change my post to be more interactive.
Eslana sat down in the bar, and everyone cheered as her latest catch was drug into the room. It was a large beast, a Cuuf, something like a deer with claws and a nasty set of horns that pointed straight out of the top of its head. Fighting the beast wasn't much of a challenge to her, but because the Cuuf also breathed fire, few normal folk could hunt such a thing. After tiring it out, Eslana had easily slain it and brought it back to this town, which needed a good feast. "To Eslana!" She smiled to the toast, bowed her head, and then stood up to go to the washroom. "Nice catch Eslana." "Way to go." "What a feast you've given us." "Don't know how you do it." She smiled at all the comments she was given on her way. She was a hero in this town too. She was a hero everywhere, of course. There wasn't a place that didn't know her name. Even if she hadn't visited the village yet, they knew her name. The world knew her name. She was proud of that. She opened the door to the washroom as she smiled at another comment, nodding to the man. Then, she walked in. When she got into the washroom, she looked around, confused. It was definitely not a washroom, that she was sure of. She had walked through the door into a wide open field, with a town about two miles away from her on a hill. She'd never seen it before, she would remember it. She remembered all the towns she'd been to. No, this one was a new town. Turning around to warn others of the magic, she found the door gone. All that was behind her was the rest of the large field. She shook her head in confusion. Magic, someone had put a magic spell on the door. Perhaps they were trying to catch her. She smiled, as some had tried to use magic on her. That plan never succeeded. She was no more scared of magic than she was of a sword. But, let them try if they must. Eslana patted her sword and began walking towards the village. Let them try.
Enter Pyree Lasstor The suns were shining. The winds were blowing. Pyree couldn't even remember the last time she had been planetside for some rest and relaxation. She stood at the top of a cliff, one that separated the noisy urban entertainments from the lush wildlife preserve. She consulted the trail map she had purchased. Costly, along with the many other supplies the tour guide insisted were necessary. Without caring much for his sales pitch, she had gotten a small tent, some loose fitting clothes, and a pack to carry her stuff. She considered the leisurely trail with its manipulated gravity for the casual hiker. Since the local cuisine hadn't agreed with her stomach, she favored light hike over the intensified routes for sport enthusiasts. It was a good thing she remembered to bring a weeks worth of ship rations for her vacation. She jumped down the cliff, letting the air tug and rip at her skin and clothes. The fresh air was exhilarating compared to the recycled air aboard her ship. As the ground approached, she adjusted the gravity device, loaned free of charge to any tourist or visitor. She landed roughly, but lightly, falling forward onto her hands. It was then that she felt it, a strange sensation; like a tug or a pull; like gravity almost. She may have felt it because she was attuned to it, being a psychic space pilot, but she didn't question the fact that it was there. It was coming from the sport route, and she ran to it, her pack bouncing haphazardly on her shoulders. Rocky outcroppings blocked her way along the forested trail. As she got closer and closer, the sensation changed. It was less of a pull and more of a call or a cry. “Come. Power. There is Power. Take it. Come take it and power is yours.” She had felt the cry but not with her ears, it must have been some other vibration that didn't travel through the air. The air was still, serene almost. Slightly winded and well off the trail by now, she saw the unnatural light. Glowing and orange, a large three meter portal hung in the air. It wasn't right. The gravity here clearly was wrong. She tried to think of what amusement such a gateway would serve, but instinct told her it was nothing of the sort. “Come. Power.” The cry wasn't as strong as it had been the first time. She walked up to it and spoke to herself, “Here goes.” She took a deep breath and crossed the boundary. Her knees buckled underneath her and she fell to the ground. “Gods almighty! What's wrong with this place!” She thumbed at the gravity device, dialing it down several notches. Nothing happened. “No,” a combination of disbelief and dread crossed her mind, “You have got to be kidding me. It doesn't work?!” Movement crossed the corner of her eye. With her breath stuck in her throat she turned her head. There looming over her, was a large, black snake easily as thick as a tree. Worse yet, it was in an upright striking position tongue flickering a meter above her head. She shrieked, still on the ground and absolutely helpless.
Corporal James Farmer (Atlas) Atlas shot up from the ground, lifting his arms before he could realise that he didn’t have his rifle. He squinted from the unexpected light, and shielded his eyes. How long had he been out? Where was he? “Assist?” he whispered, looking around. He spotted his M-4 a few feet away, lying neatly on the ground. He quickly scooped it up, brushing off stray pieces of grass. Grass. That couldn’t be right. There shouldn’t have been any grass for miles. At least not the kind of lush grass he was seeing. “Assist?” he called out, louder this time, “Private?” Atlas turned around, only to find a large field of what must have been cornstalks. Where in hell was he? He might have continued to circle for a while around if he hadn’t spotted his rucksack, which he must have lost when he fell. When he fell into what? Atlas grabbed his bag and slung it back around his shoulders. He quickly scanned through the rest of his gear to make sure he wasn’t missing anything, and then turned his attention back to his situation. There was absolutely no sign of the urban mud-houses in which his squad was ambushed. He must have been relocated by someone. By the enemy? Or U.S. reinforcements? Atlas felt frustrated. Neither group would have just dropped him off in the middle of some damn farmland. “Private! Private Langer!” Atlas cut short as he caught movement to his left, and he turned to face it. A large animal stood over Langer’s body. From where he could see, it looked like a round ball of black fur. Without thinking, Atlas walked towards it, waving his gun. “Hey! Shoo! Get out of here!” It lifted its head away from Langer, and faced him. Atlas froze. That wasn’t an animal. Large, sharp red eyes turned to glare at Atlas. What had looked like its rounded body had only been its head. Behind it trailed the rest of its body, long and snake-like. Spittle and blood spewed from its mouth as it flicked its tongue. It had been eating Langer. Suddenly, it reared up and started to slither towards him at a frightening speed. Atlas quickly lifted his rifle and aimed at the creature’s head. But before he could let off a round, something else appeared. It was a woman. She didn’t fade in, or float down from the skies, she just appeared; right between Atlas and the oversized snake. She lost her footing as soon has she made contact with the ground. "Gods almighty! What's wrong with this place!" It didn’t take her too long to notice the creature only a few feet away from her. It had forgotten about Atlas, and honed in on its new target. Without a second thought, Atlas re-aimed his M-4, and pulled the trigger.
Pyree Lasstor Staccato cracks pounded the air. Pyree felt their vibrations even through her scream. The snake, also affected, recoiled with spurts of blood. Looking to the source of the sound, she saw a strangely dressed man brandishing some kind of weapon. It was a gun, but not like any of the kind she had ever seen. He stepped forward strongly and smoothly, shooting out another burst of cracks into the air. This time, the projectiles caught the monster in the head with another gush of blood. It coiled low to the ground and, instead of attacking, slipped away fast, too fast for something that large. The stalks of corn waved in its passing. The snake was gone. Stunned, exhausted from her run, Pyree struggled to pick herself back up. The gravity was heavy, way heavier than it rightfully should be. In her lapse of thought she realized she was still tied down to her pack. She fumbled with the straps; her hands slick with blood. As she stood up the man shouted at her. It sounded like a language she knew, maybe with a very thick accent. “I'm sorry, what did you say?” He shouted again. In English. It was a sharp command in old English. Since he still had the weapon pointed straight at her, she froze in place. The man approached her cautiously, in the same slow and careful footing in which he assaulted the snake. His clothes were a sandy color, tans and browns blended in a shape that made your eyes slip away. Although, they were baggy clothes, covered in belts and pockets and straps, a plethora of uncomfortable fasteners. His eyes didn't leave her once until he was close enough to spit on her.
Faramar "Jor'tash! Wake up!" With a jump, he stood up from his bed and grabbed the hilt of his sword beside him. His eyes now open, the gold colored room lit up to show the sillouette of one of the servants of his house. She looked worried, more than usual at least. "What is it Dral? Has another one spawned?" "Well, a beast was sighted by one of the peasants... but it is unlike every other beast ever reported before!" Faramar's body tensed up as his facial expression turned into a mix of worry and curiosity. A new monster after all this time? He ordered the servant out and sat grabbed for his black slick pants. He looked at the window behind his bed. «The first moon is in it's descent already», he thought as he put them on. Finally ready, he grabbed his sword, Jor'Reda, leaned it against his shoulder and started walking towards the door. As he reached for the handle, a bone-shattering screech echoed through the land. Screams followed from all across the land. «I must hurry». He fllung the door opened and sprinted through the ill lit corridor to the gate. Amidst the darkness of night, he unfolded his white wings and flew off in the direction from which the otherwordly sound had come from. The land was merely a blur beneath him as he dashed toward the nearest village. As he arrived, the second moon was already rising up in the horizon and he could make out a mountain far off to the east. «A mountain? There are no mountains around this land.» He stopped and flapped his wings, not moving from place, glaring at the large colossus that was in front of him. The colossus looked back. A massive eyeball, bigger than his sword, at least fivefold was focused on his very being. It was bigger than anything he had ever witnessed and he knew immediately that he stood no chance against such fierce opponent. Faramar dove down into the land and started to sprint towards the beast. Even though he wasn't taller than its foot, he didn't even hesitate. After all, he was the keeper of peace. As he approached the demonly behemoth, he realized that it had lost sight of him, so he stopped in his track and scanned his surroundings. A few houses were still more or less intact in the place where the village used to stand. The monster did not seem to be moving, so Faramar started towards one of the houses. The house had only three walls standing, and the door was no longer held by any hinges. As he walked toward the door, however, he seemed to have lost his footing and started falling toward the ground. A minute passed. Then two. Faramar's body never hit the ground.
Corporal James Farmer (Atlas) Atlas kept his gun at his shoulder, following the creature with the muzzle of his rifle as it slithered into the fields of corn. Then he trained his gun on the woman in front of him. It was clear in an instant that she wasn’t an Afghan native. She appeared to look more like a civilian rather than a soldier, and she wore a peculiar outfit which indicated a casual demeanour. Atlas couldn’t think of anyone who would’ve dressed like that, but her choice of clothing was the last thing he had on his mind. “No sudden movements! Hands in the air!” shouted Atlas, slowly moving forwards. The woman hesitated, looking back and forth between him and his weapon, and blurted something in a strange dialect. “I said hands in the air!” repeated Atlas. She seemed to understand this time, and slowly lifted her hands with her palms facing outwards. He approached her carefully, prepared for any sudden movements. When it was absolutely clear that she had no weapons on her, he lowered his rifle slightly. “Lady, you’re going to tell me just exactly what the hell is going on here,” he said, hoping she understood him, “And what on Earth was that thing?” The woman raised an eyebrow. “Earth? This is Earth?” She spoke with a strange accent, the likes of which Atlas had never heard. “Ma’am, I am Corporal James Farmer, alias Atlas one-four, of the 12th infantry regiment, 1st battalion, under the command of Staff Sergeant Williams,” Atlas hissed under his breath, “I was deployed in Regional Command South, stationed near the military outpost outside of Kandahar,” Atlas paused for a breath, “And you are going to tell me, where in the goddamn world I am!” The woman stared at him, completely bewildered. Her expression had changed from fear to confusion, then just as quickly, to disdain. “If you want anything from me, I suggest you tone down,” she said, crossing her arms. She was definitely civilian. Atlas had no doubts there. He tried again. “What’s your name, citizen?” “Pyree. Pyree Lasstor,” she replied evenly. “What country are we currently located in, Lasstor?” “What?” “What country are we in?” “What country? I want to know what planet we’re on. I can only think of a few that sustain this much gravity and harbour a breathable atmosphere,” she replied. Atlas shook his head, wondering if he had heard her correctly. Had she gone mental? Or was he in a deeper shithole than he could have imagined? Breaking off the conversation, Atlas made his way towards Langer’s body. He didn’t have to check his pulse to know that Langer was dead. Two large puncture wounds were etched into his side. “Dammit Langer!” At this rate, he didn’t even know if he could get Langer’s body safely back home or not. If home still existed. “Rest in peace, Private. Your country is proud of you,” he said. Atlas turned Langer’s body over and pulled out the packs of ammunition from Langer’s pouches. To his surprise, Langer also had an FGM-148 Anti-tank Javelin with him. There were only six tandem warheads for it, but that was better than nothing. Being an Assist, Langer lacked any long-distance transmitters. The only transmitter Langer had on him was a squad radio, and Atlas was sure nothing would pick that up. He found himself wishing that he hadn’t broken his own transmitters back in the mud house. He gathered up the relevant ammunitions, and holstered the Javelin on his back. When he turned back to Pyree, he found that she had swapped her bloodied outfit with a padded uniform, and was poking at some sort of wristwatch. “Lasstor, do you happen to have a cellphone or radio on you right now?” asked Atlas. She only looked at him strangely. Atlas cursed. Nothing was ever easy. He un-holstered his M1911 handgun from his back pocket, and pointed the butt-end at Pyree. “You know how to use this?” She eyed the gun, “No, but I can figure it out.” When she reached for it, Atlas pulled it back. “Listen here Lasstor, you keep this holstered down. Don’t even think about using the damn thing unless something’s breathing down your neck, and I’m not around. These weapons take training and practice to use, and the last thing I need is you shooting yourself, understood?” Pyree scowled, "That weapon is ergonomically designed for the human hand. I don't need a guide book." She snatched the gun from his hand. Suddenly, Atlas heard an unearthly roar emanating from the background. Pyree had turned to look, and Atlas followed her line of sight. A large, thick pillar of black smoke was rising from the distance.
Faramar Opening his eyes he saw nothing but darkness. He tried to move. Nothing. It was as if his body had detached itself from his mind, and he was now soaring through the void. There was no ground beneath him and no sky above him. Suddenly, a splash. Pain coarsed Faramar's whole body like a lightning bolt. He was able to move now, so he clasped Jor'Reda with his tail and tried to flap his wings. He found it to be useless. All he could think was «What happened? Did "that" hit me? Am I unconsious?». He opened his eyes to find that he was surrounded by a transparent liquid, similar to what he knew as "Yagh". He realised he was not using his lungs anymore, and that his guills had taken over. Now that he was more calm, and in control of this strange situation, Faramar started to think. The last thing he remembered was a running towards a villager's house trying to hide from a gigantic beast. The beast! Pulling himself together, he folded his wings neatly benhind his back and started to swim to the surface. «I have to save them!» he thought «I have to stop it!». The peace keeper could make out some strange, small creatures, not very different from those he knew, but that did not matter now, he was focused on his goal. The surface was close now, and he knew it. He swam upward so fast that when he reached the surface, he kept going until he was at least 3 meters above the water. He spread his wings majestically and shook them as hard as he could so that they could dry. He looked around. Beneath him was that strange transparent liquid. Above him was what seemed to be a blue rendition of what he knew as the sky, "Davr". In front of him, endless coats of liquid extended into the horizon. He turned back and made out a small green mass not far away from his position. Everything seemed calm and the only sound was the wind blowing past him. Where was the monster, the wreckage, the people and the land? The situation was too confusing, almost overwhelming. But Faramar knew he had to keep his head in place. He had to save his people! Suddenly, a very distant roar, similar to the one he had heard before he blacked out echoed in the distance. It came from the green mass, which he was now mostly sure was land. He looked back to make sure his sword was still in place and, clasping it tight, he flew off toward the sound.
Riley Burstion "For the sake of quickness, I'm Drake, General of the Burnt, and this is my bound sword Blade Edge. Now pleasantries aside. Let's slay a dragon." Riley looked the man up and down, analyzing his newfound ally. He seemed to be capable enough, and the sword that rested on his shoulder was quite a formidable weapon. The newcomer had already wounded the dragon heavily, hindering its ability to fly; the beast would have to fight on the ground from now on or risk leaving itself open to attack due to its injured wing. Distracted by the sudden appearance of the other warrior, Riley did not see the hefty tail of the dragon soar through the air. This lapse in concentration earned him violent blow in his midsection that sent him stumbling backwards several feet. Riley stood back up, gasping for breath and wiping sweat from his brow. He growled. Now he was pissed. Riley flung his head skyward and roared with almost as much ferocity and rage as the dragon itself. Within seconds his body was engulfed in a unrestrained inferno. He saw the shocked expression of Drake and grinned. It was the reactions that he got from onlookers that gave him the most satisfaction. Laughing maniacally, Riley rushed the dragon without hesitation. As he neared the beast's head, it opened its gaping maw to assault Riley with its fierce fangs. Filled with an uncontrollable, animalistic fury, the warrior cleared the jaws of death in a single bound and alighted on the creature's back. Hacking and slashing wildly, Riley reduced the leathery matter of the dragon's wings to tatters, shifting and moving as the beast strove to remove the annoyance from its spine. In an attempt to end the fight once and for all, Riley gripped a large spike on the dragon's head, near the skull. He clung to the spike with all his strength as the fire enveloping him began to expand. It was a matter of seconds before the entire creature was covered in the searing flames. The dragon roared in agony and made an effort to leave the ground, but its lacerated wings were no longer strong enough to sustain its weight. Hoping that the flames would have weakened the dragon's scaly defense even a tiny amount, Riley raised his sword above his head. Roaring with fury he plunged the burning blade into the top of the dragon's skull, successfully spearing its brain. It writhed in anguish before collapsing to the ground, dead. Hyperventilating and sweating from the extreme heat, Riley leapt from his place on the dragon's neck and landed on the scorched grass of the farmland. He gasped and felt a pain in his chest; the blow from the dragon's tail must have broken a rib or two. Riley was covered in minor burns, but the majority of the fire had not harmed him. He thrust his blade into the ground to cleanse it of the dragon's black blood, and glanced at the other warrior. Riley grinned and waved. "Enjoy the show? Sorry if I sort of took things into my own hands; I get angry sometimes," he admitted as he advanced toward the man. Patting him on the back, he continued, "The name's Riley. You say you're called Drake? Nice to meet you. Now, where the hell are we? I remember walking through this insane-looking portal, and all of a sudden I'm fighting a dragon. Not the greatest welcoming committee, but at least we're alive, eh? I'd really like to figure out where it came from. One of the men mentioned that it arrived from the east, but those villagers acted like it wasn't exactly a common occurrence; I'm sure there's some sort of dark force behind it all. It usually seems to work out like that." Chuckling, Riley retrieved and sheathed his sword. "My apologies," he added, "I've really been ranting, I suppose. Where are you from? How did you find yourself in this place?"
Igor The behemoth's mind was protected by a metaphoric wall of stone, and Igor needed to make a decision. He'd either try to penetrate the beast's mind or blast him with psychic force. Recalling how easily the beast had shrug off his spears the decision wasn't hard. Igor knew he could overwhelm the beast physically but he didn't have enough time for it. The beast was only half a minute away when he decided to isolate his mind from his body once again. This time he wouldn't waste time or energy searching for anything or attacking the beast from a far. His mind sped past the small buildings towards the beast and in a matter of seconds Igor was inside the behemoth's mind. In front of him there was a giant wall of solid stone reaching a height far greater than the human eye could see. "So this is how you want to fight!?" echoed the beast's voice in his head. Exactly what I needed. If he's able to communicate with my mentally there must be a way in and out of this wall! presumed Igor. As more of a taunt than an attack, he gathered some psychic force and then disjointed it into a million tiny fragments which raced extremely fast towards the wall. At the last millisecond they stopped and jointed again, this time creating a big slimy matter that started to spread through the wall as if searching for a small crack. "Having the slightest hope of being able to breach this wall in such a trivial way shows how your excessive arrogance doesn't match your low intellect." Igor ignored the behemoth's insult and repeated the same process. He's right though, I won't find the hole this way. Something is approaching extremely fast from the north. interrupted the voice inside his head once again while he weighed his options. Just try to stun this irreverent beast and buy some time. You can probably trick whatever is coming towards us into helping you fight the beast. Igor was obviously annoyed, but he knew the voice was right, as usual. Let's be realistic, you're not breaking into the behemoth's mind any time soon, he seems to have been thought how to protect it by someone very powerful. You need someone who can bring him down physically. advised the voice. Relutantly decided to do what the voice suggested Igor pulled out a box of matches out of his blazer's pocket. He then procceeded to walk towards the wall which was largely covered by the sticky matter which he began to turn into an explosive material that reacted to flames. "What are you doing, idiot? What is that object you carry in your hand? Some sort of weapon for weaklings of your likes?" "Fuck you." Igor replied as he lighted a match and threw it against the wall. He instantly retracted his mind projection, just in time to be back to his body before the behemoth's mind imploded. This won't do any damage but it will buy me some time. By the time this beast is able to put his mind back together whatever's headed this way will have arrived.
Eslana Forcanus Eslana walked through the field, calmly, and finally heard a fierce creature roar in anger. She knew it was anger, she'd heard that sound before. Why the dragon was angry... well, she didn't know. It was probably attacking someone, or something, maybe even somewhere. Whatever the reason, it was a bit away from her, so she wasn't concerned about being attacked. As she stared at the sky, she was... scared wasn't the feeling, she was confused. Something, a man maybe, was flying through the air, towards the sound of the dragon. No, it wasn't a man, it was... she didn't know exactly what it was. It was a flying man, at least, to start. But it was wet, still dripping water from its body. And, it seemed to have something on its neck, but she wasn't sure what. It looked sort of like a harpy from her world (she'd slain every one of them, making them extinct), and perhaps they still existed in whatever place she was now. She didn't think twice to ponder the thought; she was going to find out. "Shoot first, ask questions later," she said, pulling out her sword. She concentrated as the... thing flew overhead, apparently ignoring her, or not noticing her. The white and black gem began glowing brighter, and turned to a yellow color. Then, she pointed the sword in the direction of the harpy thing and shouted. "Lozching!" A lightning bolt fired from the sword, and it made direct contact with the flying beast-man. It wouldn't kill him, Eslana had made sure to use just enough power to stun it. She smiled as it jerked from the electrical blast, and began falling to the ground. She sheathed her sword and began walking towards the place where it would land. She was going to get some answers.
Relagator Thum Thum stood on the watch deck, the army stretching out before him. Thousands upon thousands of T' gal already to give their lives for the aqusition of the orb. He smiled, today was going to be a good day. For years they had been traveling form planet to planet conquering and wasting T' gal lives. But the orb would change that. It would change their whole empire. With the orb they could simply threaten planets with anihilation. "Relagator, the gate is online and ready for inspection." One of the engineers said from near to his elbow. He nodded and they headed down to the main floor. The lines of warriors moved as they walked towards the jump gate mounted at the top of a ramp. It was the largest jump gate they'd ever built, designed to allow the army to pass through into the orbs realm. "Activate it." Thum ordered. Their was a brief delay as the energy orbs flickered on before they started firing energy into the gate. The gate was fuzzy at first, Thum unable to see anything at all. Slowly the picture cleared and Thum axed through. On the otherside of the portal he could see a field, rain lashing the ground and churning it to mud. "Prep the gravity bomb, I'm going throught to scout out the area." He said. The engineer nodded and headed away. Thum didn't bother to say anything as he stepped into the gate. Nausia gripped him as the world started to spin. Thum tried to ignore it, he'd used he gate before but the effects were never this bad, then again they were crossing into another world. The feeling stopped and Thum looked around. A small figure in the distance caught his attention before he was knocked sideways by a large creature. He stood, furious. "No one knocks down Relagator Thum and lives!" He roared charging after the creature. It was heading towards the figure in the distance snarling uncontrolably. As they drew near Thum could see the figure was a small Jok'un like creature. He decided to ignore it for now and smashed his hammer into the behemoth's side. It spun off course, rolling across the ground. Thum didn't give it a chance to get up. He followed it as it rolled, giving it a barage of empowered blows before finishing it with a blow to the head. He kicked its lifeless carcass. "That'll teache you to disrespect Relagator Thum!" He headed back towards the humanoid figure, hammer raised, shouting greeting in various languages as he did hoping it would speak at least one of the dialects he knew. "Koh?" "Megronoti?" "Tompey?" "Hello?"
Magnalian the Summoner They were coming in droves, Magnalian could not believe it. Many had already fallen to his creatures, but two of his greatest beasts had also been slain. "If only I could shut these damned portals!" the wizard cursed aloud. Back in the quiet of his small stone laboratory, he searched every tome he could find. Something was troubling him, something unexpected. He had closed three gates before retreating to his home, but closing the gates had had an unexpected consequence. It was small, almost imperceptible, but with each gate that closed the power of the Orb diminished. Magnalian paused as the realization struck him. The Orb drew its powers from the infinite alternate worlds of the multiverse. But the power came through the portals. Without the portals there could be no Orb. Red hot rage filled the magician as his own arrogant foolishness overwhelmed him. He slammed his fist on the marble table in front of him. Fire burst from his hand as he swept every book off and sent them sailing into the wall. Fine then, if it is to be a battle for the Orb then he would ensure that it was a battle of epic proportions! Moments later a pinpoint of light rose into the darkened sky. Holding the Orb aloft Magnalian soared into the heavens by its power. He paused to survey the land for a moment before sweeping his free hand toward the quiet countryside. Again his summoning was preceded by black smoke, only this time it covered an entire swath of earth many miles around that encircled the wizards home. Next Magnalian raised his hand to the sky and a second swath of earth behind the first simply disappeared leaving a great chasm. As the smoke receded from his first spell, Magnalian smiled at the dense jungle he had brought into existence. Better than a single beast it was an entire ecosystem of danger and wrath. Surely this would slow them down. The evil wizard descended gracefully back to his abode, there was much more to do to prepare.
Pyree Lasstor Pyree watched as Atlas checked around the edges of the cornfield. She idled over the bracelet, finally released from her pack. It was her one true emergency equipment, much more effective than any gun. Her portable power core was stored inside, twenty strands of space-time particles. In loose terms, they were sub-atomic threads that she could use to teleport. As she approached, Atlas raised his arm, his hand a clenched fist. She stopped and waited patiently not quite sure what his obsessive caution was about. Sure the snake might still be around, but it was hurt and probably not looking for a fight. The real problem was this miserably heavy planet that she couldn't even use her gravity device on. Pyree froze, but not from some hand signal. What if her portable core didn't work? She had to know. If she couldn't manipulate space-time particles, then she really was stranded. She closed her eyes and focused on her bracelet, drawing out the fragile thread and stretching it over to her companion. When she opened her eyes again, she was standing right in front of him. In a swift movement, Atlas had his firearm against his shoulder, its muzzle in her face. When he saw what was in front of him, his eyes opened wide. “What in the –!” He looked back to where Pyree was standing only moments ago. “Atlas,” Pyree queried “But you were just… what did you do?” “I used my power core. It was costly, but I had to know for sure that it would work.” “Scared the hell out of me, that’s what you did! You’re lucky I didn’t pull the damn trigger.” Disregarding his bark she continued, “I need more information. If we're going to get out of here, I need to know what's going on.” Still startled, Atlas raised his voice, “I don't know a damned thing, Lasstor, and even if I did I probably couldn't tell you.” “Call me Pyree.” Atlas didn't respond, but started walking down the wide path at the edge of corn field. “Fine, then maybe I can tell you what I know.” He barely indicated that he was listening with a slight turn of his head. “I was on planet D prime, when I noticed something strange. What I found was a portal. Or is doorway the better word?” He stopped, and turned to face her. “Planet D what? Portals? You’ve gotta be shitting me,” he said with a look of disbelief. He hesitated for a moment before continuing forwards. “Fine. Portals. So?” “The portal led here, but whether it was here or there doesn't matter. The real strange thing is the portal itself. Portals don't exist. An open doorway to another location doesn't match theories of space-time. Especially not when a gravitational body as large as a planet is involved. It's more likely to be an alternate dimension, but that completely contradicts everything we know about space time.” “I don't know a whole lot about rocket science, but they sound the same to me.” “There is a difference, because one is impossible. What about that pull? Did you feel yourself pulled here?” “Pulled? No. One second Assist and I were there, the next we were here.” “I was pulled here, I think. Or maybe I was called here. Back on D prime I felt like I had to get something, but as soon as I got here, I couldn't feel it anymore.” Atlas snorted. “Couldn't feel your legs either, could'ya?” “You don't have to believe me. Whatever that feeling was, I bet it’s the only way back.” “Back? You mean back to Afghanistan?” “Most likely, or D prime.” “Judging by the amount of smoke up there, this place might be worse than Afghanistan. No, never mind. I'd rather take on giant furry snake monsters instead of insurgents mixed in with civies.” “Afghanistan is that bad?” “Lasstor, the media doesn't even know the half of it.” “Well I'm gonna go check it out. All this walking is killing me.” Pyree closed her eyes, and pulled another precious thread of space time out of her bracelet. Leaving her with 18 left to adorn her wrist. Being so close to so much gravity she probably couldn't make it to another star or solar system, but the smoke off in the distance seemed reasonable enough. “Hey, You're not gonna do that thing again, are you?” She stretched the thread out, tying it between her and the far away place. When she opened her eyes, she felt sick. This place was not right. The farmlands were gone. The rolling hills disappeared. Even the blue sky had vanished. It was hidden, by foliage so dense she couldn't tell the color of the leaves. The air was also different, as though it didn't belong on this planet. She didn't make a mistake in her teleportation, unless the gravity of this place had messed up her coordinates. "This isn't it!" she yelled in despair, "This wasn't where the smoke was coming from! What's going on!?" She couldn't go back to Atlas. She didn't even know which way back was. She curled up into a ball on the dense jungle floor, trying to block out the impossible. That's what this place was. That's what it all was, just an impossible dream.
Corporal James Farmer (Atlas) Atlas blinked. Lasstor had vanished. He stood still, staring dumbfounded at the position she once occupied. Then he turned a full circle; just to make sure Lasstor really was gone. He swore under his breath. Atlas adjusted his helmet and looked back to where the smoke was rising. Pyree was right about one thing: a fire usually meant civilization. Deciding not to waste any time, he headed for the smoke. Pyree had stated that there might have been additional “portals” open, which could bring him back home. Atlas shook his head. It was ridiculous, but what else could have explained this? He remembered falling into some sort of void before he woke up, but it could easily have been his imagination. Then again, it wasn’t every day you saw some space woman from planet whoknowswhere disappear without a damn trace. Atlas quickened his pace and moved off the dirt road. A field of corn stood in his way, the stalks swaying above his head. Atlas thought about going around the field, but decided that would only take too long. He kept his gun trained forwards as he shuffled through the cornstalks. This would be the worst place for an ambush. It took quite some time to get through the field, and Atlas had to stop once to catch his breath. The Javelin was weighing him down considerably. Eventually, his forced march was awarded. Atlas broke free of the cornfield, and hopped over a low wooden fence. The smoke was much closer now, and Atlas could see the outlines of what had to be a village ahead of him. But before he could start off towards it, a gleam of light caught his eye. He turned his head to the source, and found it embedded deeply into the dirt. A sword protruded from the ground, glistening with soft, teal light.
