The Gathering

It would take more than just magic to do what needed to be done. Certainly the great knowledge and power left to her by her mother would play a valuable role in the task, but technology would be needed as well. Unfortunately, at least at this moment it was unfortunate, she had spent the last several centuries keeping the technology in the land as minimal as possible. Despite this setback she managed to assemble the materials she needed over the course of about a year. Assembling it correctly took almost another year. Helianthus had spent all of her considerable years here in Gemma, unlike her mother who had spent thousands of years traveling through both time and space, and had only settled here for the last five hundred years of her life. Helianthus was thankful that her mother had passed on most of what she learned to her daughter before she died, and what she could not teach she left in dozens of leather-bound books. Helianthus had no ability to transverse through dimensions like her beloved mother, but she did have the knowledge and skills to pull a few others through to her own dimension.
The real problem was getting the right people. After months of tireless research she found that the only element she could control as far as choosing who she brought over was their power level. Basically, the person pulled to her would have power about equal to what she herself put in. It was not a perfect science and there would likely be some more or less powerful than she intended, but she had to hope for the best. In fact this was her only hope at all. On her own she had not the power to defeat the black mass that was chomping at the borders of her kingdom.
When the day finally came to welcome her guests, she found herself much more paranoid than she had expected to be. She called in her personal guard, the only men in the land trained for combat. They were skilled in fighting against magical beings, but they were few in numbers. Still they were all she had to watch her back should she accidently bring forth someone with ill intent. She had them follow her to the sub-levels of the castle and surround the room. There was also the possibility that the visitors would misunderstand her own intentions. She ordered her guards not to attack unless there was no other choice.
Another security precaution she took was to limit the amount of power that could travel through the machine. Any power in excess of what she deemed safe would be diverted to a storage facility in an undisclosed location. The power would be held in special gems that can only be used by Helianthus herself. She would restore their power to them should they choose to help her kingdom (after they finished) or should they choose not to, it would be restored when she sent them home.
Finally, with everything as prepared as it ever would be, she got down to business. The machine was far more complex than most men could even comprehend, but in appearance it was quite simple. It looked like a large glass circle on the floor, with two iron handles sticking up from one side. She had simply to grasp the handles and release as much power as she wished.
To start she released a great deal of power, but she did hold back. She was unsure of the results and needed to set a precedent. She had to maintain that power level for nearly half an hour before the shape of a man finally appeared in the bright blue light emitting from the glass circle. She stared wide eyed at what appeared to be a man in the strangest clothing she had ever seen, an odd looking suit that was colorful on one side and dark on the other. He was holding a strange weapon of some kind but she put a hand up to warn her guards back.
The next to come through was a tall muscular man wearing all black.
Next was a young boy with beautiful blue hair.
Next were two girls at the same time, Helianthus was not even aware that was possible but the technology was new to her so she was not that surprised. One girl was dark and exotic, the other seemed to be holding the head of some strange breed of bear…
Several more followed. By the time her work was finished, about five minutes total, Helianthus was exhausted. She stood by quietly and looked at the small group, waiting to see their reactions.

Lord Coake, God of Insanity, had been standing in the middle of a newly created universe, talking to other gods, when he was suddenly pulled to a room he didn't recognize. He blinked a few times, looked around and said "What am I and where have you done to the other Gods?!?! Wait.......that's not right.......Let me try that again! When am I and who have you done to the others? No.....still not right.....Screw it! I can tell you've never seen me before. My name is Lord Coake, God of Insanity, and inventor of many things! Like the Telescopic Viewscreen (or T.V.), or the 'Nunchuks', or the 'Battle Blade'. Speaking of which......." He then trailed off as he reached for something in one of his suit pockets "Anyone want something to entertain you? I have a new invention called a 'String-wheel'." He then held out an object most refer to as a yo-yo. "No takers? Aww....." He then walked over to the woman who appeared to be in charge and asked "So, what did you bring me here for?"

Mist went through some strange energy field that appeared before him while he was touring Aro's Heart. "What is this" were his thoughts as he noticed it almost absent mindedly. When he finally as through, there was a man in black along with someone he did recognize.

"Coake, is this your doing?" the god of mysteries questioned as he set his feet on the floor. "I do not appreciate being interrupted during my tour of queen Aroro's holy city..." the god only ten seemed to have processed what something of what was going on and readied Enigma. "...Why are you confronting mortal directly"?!" he almost shouted at the god who seemed somewhat crazed.

"Thank you very much. I appreciate your generosity." Maximillian said, staying still beside her. Looking outside by the room's window, he noticed the rain was growing faint.

" It seems like the rain is passing. It might be a good idea to use this opportunity to go buy some traveling supplies at town. That way, we can leave to undertake our journey at the earliest. What say you?" the mysterious traveler asked.


However, the spirit sorcerer never had the chance to hear a reply from the lady he had been speaking with, as he felt the fabrics of reality wrapping around him and tearing him out from this world. His vision blurred out and faded into darkness as he lost physical contact with his surroundings, just as if his senses decided to shut themselves off. But while this experience seemed to be lasting an eternity in the necromancer’s mind, it in fact only took a mere second for Maximillian to become one with his senses again. Abruptly brought back to life, his stomach felt upside down, a feeling he was well accustomed to. While he would usually expel all the tea he had drank earlier after this sudden transportation from one world to another, it was an experience Maximillian had grown to be used to, from his unusual past. His sight returned quickly to him shortly after he opened his eyes, to see himself standing in the middle of a poorly lit room among strangers.

“Unexpected planar shifts, those always get into your stomach. I recall having told Lord Death that I was going on vacation though. Why would he…” the ex-Reaper mused to himself before interrupting himself, looking around his surroundings.

The Undertaker frowned slightly as the scenery was unknown to him. While he had grown to be accustomed to being unexpectedly called from the mortal realm to the realm of Death, this environment wasn’t nearly close to the room he had been often been summoned into previously. Was this supposed to be some sort of new Reapers’ Headquarters, or just someone who have had acquired the ability to call on specific people? The latter seemed more plausible, considering the odd group of people that were standing in this room. While some of them would have the look of Reapers, none of them emanated this unique aura that made Envoys of Death what they are. So that must means that whoever summoned him here made it accidentally, or was looking specifically for an ex-Agent of Death among other kinds of people.

His frown was quickly replaced by his trademark smile, even though he had no idea where he was, who those people were, or for what purpose he had been called in this world. He however remained optimistic as his casual self and took his top hat from his head, bringing it to his chest as he bowed courteously with his other hand behind his back. His sight turned to a young woman who had been standing next to him, looking rather unwell. The reaper of old raised an eyebrow as she asked faintly to the other girl dressed as a bear to hold an apple. He took a step behind her and caught her motionless body as she fell unconscious backwards by seizing her shoulders firmly, keeping her from brutally falling. Unconscious in his hands, Maximillian slowly brought the young lady to one of the room’s walls, placing her against the wall as he checked up on her conditions.

“Looks like she is simply unconscious. Planar traveling would do that to most people of her age, mind you.” Maximillian stated as he checked up her pulse and her breathing, double-checking the exactitude of his words as he “saw” the young woman’s aura. He stood up and turned to the rest of the group in the room. “Ah, but where are my manners. My name is Maximillian Von Alistair. While it is a pleasure to meet people from other worlds, may I ask for what purpose you have brought an Ex-Reaper into this plane of existence? If you have done your research, perhaps would you know that I am no longer in service?” Maximillian asked politely, speaking with such odd honesty considering who he was.

Emi was not summoned to the arena by the five minute bell, but the loud crack of lightning. In an instant replay she traced the bolt back to its source of origin and to the victim. An innocent man lied dying on the stadium floor wreathing in pain as the remnants of life left his body. The man named Alistair had made a grievous error. He had revealed some of his talents to her before the fight had even started, where she had purposely concealed hers. More importantly, he had unwittingly changed the rules of the exchange. She was no longer competing in a silly game to achieve her own selfish goals. This was real now. She was once again fighting for justice, and she would not hold back. At the start of the tournament Sunflower had promised that all of the contestants would leave with their lives, but this sudden surge of motivation would test the upmost limits of her abilities to keep said promise. There was a reason Ursa Minor did not have as long a list of villains in her rogue's gallery as most. When she dealt with criminals, she dealt with them permanently. It was bad for public relations, but her extreme methods ultimately proved to serve the greater good, and were eventually embraced by others.
 
Immediately after passing under the arched entrance to the arena Ursa Minor leaped at the skyscraper nearest to her. She crashed through a window panel on the seventh story and entered a diving roll that brought her to her feet halfway across the room. As she rose she brushed her right hand against the thermostat and elevator controls in a seemingly clumsy fashion. She took her stance, perfectly guarded from every angle. Her many mentors had trained her well. Although she had just entered the arena for the first time, it was already as familiar as her own home. Not even the designer of this place could rival her intimacy with its layout, and she had chosen her starting point perfectly. Baring any hidden, and miraculously undetectable cameras she was completely out of the view of both her adversary and the spectators. It would force the man to blindly come in after her, in the most favorable setting imaginable, while she could perfectly view the entire scene through an array of sensory inputs that would baffle lesser minds.
 
Then there was an unexpected flash. Every one of her display systems turned white. When everything came back online she could see that the world around her had had changed as if she had been hibernating when winter gave way to spring. The carpeted office floor had been replaced by the stone tiles of an ancient basement. The natural glow of torches on the wall took the place of the florescent lights that had hung overhead. She now stood in the center a large glass circle. Within a second of her arrival her helmet produced an image of the building, revealing that she was in the basement of a castle somewhere.
 
She tightened the grip on her sword, a weapon the likes of which no one here had ever seen before. The cutting edge was impossibly sharp, thrusters were built into the rebated edge, and the blade produced heat and a sharp humming sound as it vibrated. For all she knew this could be the doing of the vile man she had entered the arena to kill, and the armed men and women in the terribly dated  clothes surrounding her were minions of his. She waited for them to attack, knowing a counter would be much safer than a charge when outnumbered so badly.
 
Then the girl next to her passed out.  The apple seemed so minor that she let it fall to the ground, but the samurai of justice could never let an innocent child fall into harm's way when she was so near. It was impossible for one who panicked so easily to be an enemy so Emi immediately took pity on the girl. She was not the only one. A man cloaked in black that towered over both girls caught the timid one mid fall and brought her safely to the corner. At this display of compassion Ursa Minor took one hand off her weapon abd it slightly. She still doubted the intent of the others in the room and would continue to do so until she had an adequate explanation of what had happened.

''20 minutes'' a faint voice could be heard, hoarse in its tones as the sound of fiddling was in the background,
Tick. The lock fell down the floor, hitting the navy blue carpet, the sound of the impact muffled by the fabric, as the door it was protecting opened slowly, but quietly, leading into a luxurious bedroom, a fine smelling odor could be immediately picked up, roses, perhaps. A red carpet of the same material as the blue one leading into the door, with red walls and expensive curtains made out of silk, with a clear view of the shining moon in the night, and the view of the sprawling clock tower. Only one place in the city had this view, Baron Drumm's mansion.

A fire illuminated the room, it reflected off of most of the valuables in the room, from golden plates and silver spoons, to valuable paintings, big and small and statues and busts, be it gold, silver or bronze, but that was cut short as a bucket of water was quickly thrown over it, one can see a faint shadow swiftly passing by as the room turned dark savor for the light from the moon, and piece by piece those valuables disappeared, almost as if absorbed by the darkness that dominated the space, save for one vault attached deep in the wall, beside the finely carved wooden bed with red blankets and  red cushions, matching the overall aesthetic of the room. An protruding out of the shadows, slender fingers finding their way to the vault's dial, slowly adjusting,
7....
5....
And 3. A 'click' was heard as the protective steel opened up, revealing nothing but a ring, but not any ring for that matter. A gold ring, decorated by a bunch of small gems of varying color, with a big diamond, the size of a cherry right at the middle.
''Well lookie here'' that same voice spoke again, but he wasn't alone. The door burst from the other side, a bunch of guards with a lamp light walked in, swords drawn out and in the background once could see the Baron himself, his heart almost skipped a beat the minute he saw that ring's diamond shine bright in the darkness.
''GET HIM!'' he shouted, pointing with his wrinkly finger at the culprit.
''Really? today is the day you choose to come back home early?'' with little time to think, the thief turns his back to the guard, eyeing the window, using his agility, he swiftly runs over, head on jumping through and smashing the glass, rope in hand, but just before he threw it to attach to the nearby roof, he felt his muscles contract, all he can see was a white flash....

And Kalian landed right on his face, and considering the hype, the black hand was unsure if he was in some kind of transition to hell, that is until he opened up his eyes...
''Wait, this isn't hell. Where is the fire and eternal torment? all I feel is a concussion....'' he mumbled to himself, quick to rise on his feet, quickly realized he wasn't where he originally was. Instead of of the gloomy city, instead he was in some kind of underground basement, the ground beneath him made out of transparent glass.
''Before I ask the obvious, I must say atleast you picked the right time to do whatever the hell it is you do'' he proceeded to admire the ring in his hand, he swiftly noticed he wasn't alone, as he scanned each and everyone of them. First, there was an elderly man, very unkempt and hairy with a bushy, white beard, with an odd suit, half of it being colorful and vibrant, the other grey and plain, a sharp contrast, as he rambled on and on about his inventions, Suffice to say he's out of his mind.,
Then there was another person nearby, a young looking lad, no older than 20 with unorthodox blue hair.

On the other side you had 3 people, a dark clad, pale as snow man, dark red eyes with white hair, and a very fine looking suit, stands at around 5'9 to 6 ft tall, huge contrast to the old man's appearance, and on the other side stood a girl, very young in appearance but with a fit, strong looking build. What was most remarkable about her is a giant...bear on her head, but they weren't close to each other to chat, rather the center piece was yet another girl, close in age to the other one, with chocolate black hair flowing covering her down to her thighs, a small modest figure with a distinctive blue vial, or a shalwar around here. The man in black had her cornered after a break down she suffered of some sorts, while the other female looked at them both with astute attention, this came across just a pure waste of time to Kalian.
''You know, I won't act as if I know why we're here, and no disrespect to broody guy or bear head, but I sincerely doubt its for some teenage girl to cry her heart out. Just deal with it and pick up the pace''. as he kept fiddling around with his prize in his hand.

Helianthus searched the faces of each visitor, searching for signs of aggression.  She stood calmly, a small serene smile on her face. Hopefully the site of her would calm any who might attack out of confusion or fear. She was already impressed with the turnout. She could not exactly sense their power levels but she could sense the capacity of the gems she used to store their excess power, and some of them had actually filled several gems nearly to overflowing.

Amazing! Here on Gemma these people would be considered gods! Of course her storage facility help a great deal of their power so they would have to make do with only a fraction of their usual ability. They would still be extremely capable, and dangerous. Even if they all agreed to help, she would have to watch them closely. Some of them seemed very unstable.

One girl seemed to suffer from an instant panic attack and pass out. Oddly enough she had the presence of mind to hand her fruit to the girl in the bear outfit first. Helianthus was already considering sending that one back. She clearly did not have the experience needed to handle this traumatizing situation, let alone what Helianthus was going to ask of this group. Helianthus had a hard time understanding how that one had even made it through the portal. The machine was supposed to target those of a certain power level. She shrugged, at least she was unconscious for the time being.

Helianthus turned to the others. A handsome man in black robes caught the girl and laid her gently against a wall. He introduced himself politely and asked why he was brought here. She sensed that he was going to take this sudden intrusion with more patience and understanding than some of the others. She did not yet wish to speak so she only held up a hand to beg his patience and continued to watch the others.
The strange girl in the bear outfit seemed very wary, right up until the dark girl passed out. She seemed a little comforted by the reaction of Maximilian. Helianthus nodded to her troops to reassure them that the bear-girl was not an immediate threat.
The crazy one seemed to be taking it all in stride and the blue haired boy was apparently blaming him. They knew each other, this was good. Hopefully they were friends.

The final arrival was a tall thin man in all black, he landed on his face. He had apparently been falling before he was taken.

Finally she stepped forward and smiled brightly.

“My friends, please accept my humble apology for this intrusion. I realize what an incredible inconvenience this must be. All will be explained momentarily. First, allow me to introduce myself, I am Helianthus, Queen of Gemma Polentia. If you would all escort me to a more comfortable room, I will be happy to explain everything.” She gestured toward the girl on the floor. “If one of you would be so kind as to bring our panicky friend, I will send her back as soon as we finish speaking.”

She turned and left the room without waiting for a response. She was immediately followed by her guard.

The woman who introduced herself as Queen Helianthus looked vaguely familiar and something about her visage filled Ursa Minor with rage. She was barely able to keep herself from lashing out at the queen, but ultimately managed to repress the her unprovoked impulses. After all doing so would childish and she was no child. In fact she was so mature she showed no visible signs of anger at all. The helmet covering her face helped.
 
Instead the great hero simply nodded politely and turned back to the girl who collapsed. She had already silently proclaimed herself as the meek one's sworn protector. As a fierce force for good She simply could not bear to see anything happen to one so helpless. By this time she had properly sheathed her sword but kept the augmenting properties of her helmet active. Powering down would leave her too vulnerable should the situation turn against her.  She only trusted the tall gentleman in the black suit. He shared a name with the man she was to fight, but was otherwise seemed to be his total opposite. She was especially wary  of the raving man with the yo-yo. He had the makings of  super villain in her eyes.  Besides, even though Emi deemed the other girl a child and herself an adult she was physically smaller and  too weak to carry her far without her armor modifying her strength.  She picked the unconscious girl in the blue dress up  supporting her with one arm under the knees and the other behind the head.  Her readings confirmed that Maximillian was correct in his diagnosis. She was unconscious but had suffered no lasting damage and would likely wake up in just a few minutes if not sooner. Instead of following the queen out of the room she stopped and turned so her back was against the wall and waited for the others to exit before her. She had no intentions of letting any of them walk behind her through a narrow hall, not even the man in black who seemed so kind at the moment. As she waited she locked eyes with the man who had spoke so callously against the innocent flower in her arms. The bulbous eyes of her helmet made it impossible to really glare, but she hoped that her unbreaking stare and stern upright posture would send the message that this girl was not to be messed with. As she gazed at the man she began to silently ponder where one with such ratty clothing acquired a ring with such a large jewel and why he was holding it rather than wearing it when he had dropped in…

Even though attention was diverted towards the girl who fainted, the person responsible for bringing all those people together spoke and apologized for the sudden intrusion, all while identifying herself as Queen Helianthus, of some place called Gemma Polentia.  One couldn't help but be encased by her beauty, almost 6 ft tall with a pale complexion and blonde hair, she asked everyone to movie into another room, for the sake of secrecy and probably more..comfortable location.

The first thought that ran through the thief's head the minute queen was mentioned was valuables.. Who knows what riches and loot this place contains, who knows how valuable alternate dimensions black market items would be? before finally encasing the ring in his hands within one of his many pouches and pockets.
As he looked around the area some more, his eyes connected with the kid who was holding the teenager, interesting role reversal he though, as her death stare intensified, he couldn't help but blurt out
''What, you're going to act all moral on me now bear head?'' that was his nick name for her, as he elegantly made his way towards the queen, quickly breaking eye contact with his confrontational glaring opponent on the way.

Ayperos had remained silent throughout the exchange. Flipping a dagger through the air and catching it by the tip, he observed the goings on around him. When the figure responsible for his transport spoke he listened with a bored expression.

Finally he spoke, his voice quiet and yet penetrating all conversation floating through the air, "How about we quiet down and listen to what the lady has to say. I for one would like to know why a high value target just escaped with his life due to this sudden dimensional shift."

The transport had actually nigh on killed him. The sudden dizziness had knocked him off his guard and nearly allowed the target's bodyguard to put a crossbow bolt through him. But now he had regained his composure and waited to see what the sudden disturbance which had ripped his life away from him...and why he was interested.

Helianthus moved with grace and elegance through her great halls. She walked with the unflinching confidence of a woman accustomed to being followed. Never once did she look back to see if her guest's had followed her out of the room. Should they choose to wander the castle, they would simply miss the same opportunity afforded to the others. With her head held high and her dazzling hair swishing like a pendulum on her back, she led them to the end of the hall on entered a room on her left. This room would serve two purposes. First, it was large and had plenty of comfortable furniture, and food already prepared and laid out throughout the room; and secondly, it was sealed with a magical barrier that would prevent anyone from listening from outside the room. The barrier served another purpose which she would explain to the others shortly.

She stepped off to the side and stood in front of a large cushioned chair at the head of the room. She waited patiently as her guests filed in, smiling and nodding. Her servants quickly showed them to their seats which were strewn around the room in no particular order, except that they all faced the Queen. The servants offered cups of her best wine and told the guests to ask for anything else they may require.

"Once everyone is seated and comfortable, I will explain your presence here." She said.


Marya dreamed that she was being mauled by a giant teddy bear! Her eyes sprung open and for a moment she thought the nightmare had come true! Then she remembered her strange predicament and she felt even worse. The girl in the bear costume, which Marya now realized was actually only a helmet, was carrying her down a long hallway. She stared up into the large eyes of this strange character for a moment. It was hard to tell if the girl inside was looking at her or not. She considered asking to be put down but she was not sure that she could walk straight yet. Besides that if she was honest, she felt rather safe here in this strangers arms.

She was actually rather surprised the bear-girl could carry her so easily. If Marya was not mistaken, the girl was actually a bit smaller than Marya herself. Well, if she had to trust anyone in this strange place, it might as well be the one that was kind enough to carry her.

"Umm... do you know where we are?" She whispered. "Also, do you still have my apple?"

Amat sighs as she returned to her feet, shedding a tear and staring at the grave in front of her, "Unton..." She murmured before looking up, Powering herself into the air with a swift beat of her wings and a push of her legs with her Aegis of the Celestials following. She stopped her rise with a sigh, keeping herself in place until a wierd shifting in the air alerted her to something happening. A quick browse through what she could remember recognized this as a planar shifting, altering her pose to make her appear both important and like she had appeared of her own will.

Once the shift finished it was a sifferent setting altogether. A room, with many gathered, was what she was deposited into. She stopped her wings and let herself descend to the floor. She looked at those around, and saw that the seating made all face the same woman.

"Where... Where am I?" She asked the air quietly before her gaze turned to the woman, "Milady... Are you the one who displaced me to bring me here?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, "Whatever the reason I'm curious to what the reason is." As she said this her aegis settled next to her shoulder, the orb containing a sworling mid of a demonic red and angelic white.

How, how DARE HE?! Who did this scoundrel think he was admitting to a theft right in front of the Samurai of Justice. Urgh. His arrogance really got under her fur, not she dared to let anyone see. A moment later she realized that no one here actually had the slightest idea of who she was, but the man's actions were still inexcusable. Unfortunately, she could not just cut him down for what seemed like no reason, not to mention her hands were full at the moment. She would have to wait for the time being. Once she caught the man in the act, or even just found a chance when they were alone, she would be swift in cutting off both hands, and most probably his head as well.

Emi waited until all the others had left in pursuit of the queen before leaving herself. As she walked through the narrow halls that quickly widened into great corridors she observed her surrounding and tried to figure out exactly where they were. The databanks she had downloaded from the IPF had no records of Gemma Polentia. The castle looked typical enough on the surface. It had the classic fairy tale decorations including statues, paintings, and tapestries. The only thing the halls lacked were shining suits of armor, but the stonework and architecture were not consistent with anything in the known galaxy. The walls were even made of materials never before seen by any of her peers or predecessors.

In her enhanced form, the girl in her arms felt so light that Emi had actually forgotten about her until as she analyzed her surroundings. She was reminded of the girl's presence when she stirred in her arms. Emi ignored any requests of putting her down until they reached the meeting room with the lavish stuffed chairs. She did not yet trust that she had the strength to stand on her own, and feared what would happen if she passed out again. Emi answered both questions aimed at her with a solemn shake of her head. Despite her best efforts she had not the slightest idea of where they were, and even if she had regarded the apple as something worth saving, the one thing her futuristic armor lacked was pockets.

When they entered the room Emi carefully sat the other girl in a chair in the corner. She tactically picked the location to keep from getting flanked if this proved to be a trap of some sort. The tiny warrior was still on edge due to the surreal circumstances. The winged devil appearing out of nowhere did not help. The instant the woman appeared Emi grabbed the hilt of her blade and prepared for a killing draw. When the newest stranger cordially spoke to the Queen, Emi reluctantly loosened her grip. She had almost begun to relax when a new alert appeared on her heads up display. Her systems had finally pinpointed why Helianthus made Emi feel so uncomfortable. The Queen was somehow a child of Sunflower, the twisted midget who had made others in a tournament for her own amusement who had also greatly insulted the samurai of justice with her relentless teasing. This predicament must have been her doing. As distraught as the discovery made her, Ursa Minor refused to storm out. Instead she was going to leave in a calm, rational, and mature manner. Using the map she complied of the building she determined the shortest path out that did not include the window. She was fine with jumping several stories, but the faint hearted one she was protecting would probably pass out again if she took her that way. Once she found a suitable path and mustered the resolve to find her own way home she gently grasped the hand of the girl beside her and tugged evocatively.

Helianthus nearly shouted in surprise when a winged woman suddenly appeared in the same manner as the others, except in the very room they stood in instead of on the glass circle. Surely her mother could have explained this phenomenon, but it was a mystery to her. She greeted the woman respectfully and asked her to be patient, all would be explained.
Before she could begin to explain, the girl in the bear helmet grabbed the dark girl and started to leave. Helianthus held her hands up in a pleading gesture.

"Dear one, if you could grant me but a few moments of your time, I believe you more than anyone else here will be interested in what I have to say. If I am not mistaken, you are the great Ursa Minor are you not? Samurai of justice? I have heard tales of your skill and bravery and it is needed here more than you could know. Please, just give me time to explain?" The girl said nothing but seemed contend to wait for an explanation.

Helianthus looked over the room and studied the group. So far she was very pleased, they were all quite capable.

"I will start by saying simply that I brought you here to request your help. My kingdom is being attacked by.... something terrible. I will explain more but first I will say this; if you choose to stay and help I will grant you any request within my power. Be it fortune, power, information... she looked to Ursa Minor as she mentioned information... or anything up to half my kingdom. It will be dangerous, even for those of you that are immortal, this will be a challenge. I request that those of you who choose to stay, please introduce yourself and make your request if you wish to say it publicly." She stepped toward Ursa Minor before anyone could speak up.

"First though, I would like to introduce someone I consider to be an extremely honored guest. Before you stands the one and only Ursa Minor, Samurai of Justice and protector of the universe. Her bravery is known far and wide and even if no one else chooses to stay, I will be honored if she will take up my cause and help me protect the innocent people of my kingdom."

Finally she looked past Ursa to the dark girl that had fainted. "You my dear, will be sent back to your home momentarily."


Marya thanked the bear-girl as she laid her down on a comfortable chair. She did not seem very talkative, but Marya felt that she could trust her. In fact she had the air of a hero about her, something told Marya that if she wanted to stay safe here, she should stay close to the bear-girl. Of course, as scared as she was, she knew that these people were no real threat to her. If any of them laid a hand on her they would regret it. She was not skilled with her ability, but she knew that under the right circumstances it was a force to be reckoned with.

The bear-girl apparently had decided to leave, and Marya was ready to follow until the angel-lady convinced her otherwise. According to the introduction, Marya's instincts about bear-girl were correct, she was a hero. Then the Queen said that Marya would be leaving, and to her surprise that thought actually upset her!

She jumped to her feet and, completely unintentionally, touched the chair and blew it to a million pieces. The shattered wood and feathers from the cushion exploded all over the room, covering everyone in debris.

"Ummm.... I would like to stay." Was all Marya could think to say.

From lavish surrounding to another that's how it was for Kailan, this was a proper castle alright. The sound of drinks being poured and the pungent smell of food crept into the room, and a very posh meal seemed to await the group. Kailan has seen his fair share of oddities during his time, but nothing quite like this. Fascinating architecture like no other he ever saw, he scanned the area for valuables. While he couldn't eye any particularly special loot while inside, the paintings were very alluring, as he toyed around with his small razor, hoping to grab one or two off the wall before this is all over. The man in rags proceeded to grab one of the many wine glasses on offer, silver with unique engravings and marking all over it, stealthily disposing of the contents before taking it for himself, he wasn't a fan of drinking, it takes him off of his edge and lowers his awareness. Soon everyone followed suite into the room, with the little kid dropping the teenager on one of the many couches, before the Queen began to speak.

She went on about a kingdom or something being under danger, the shady figure wasn't paying much attentions till she started talking about a reward.
Fortune, power, information and possibly a share in the kingdom. That's a very lucrative deal for anyone, and the thief couldn't help but be intrigued by the endeavor, even if it truly was as dangerous as the radiating beauty was claiming. But before he can chime in and try to talk his way through and get the most out of this mission, she walked towards the confrontational youngster and the Queen started talking again.
''Before you stands the one and only Ursa Minor, Samurai of Justice and protector of the universe. Her bravery is known far and wide and even if no one else chooses to stay, I will be honored if she will take up my cause and help me protect the innocent people of my kingdom." Samurai of Justice? that's the last thing the thief needed, her attitude and her less than subtle name suggested she won't tolerate crime, no matter who it was inflicted at.

He stepped forward, looking directly at both the queen Ursa Minor, a calculating look in his deep emerald eyes.
''I want immunity, plain and simple. For as long as i'm in this kingdom, bear head of justice over here shall not inflict any damage on me.'' and there, he laid down his terms, if I can get her off my back, i'm free to do my own bidding. and if the Queen was as desperate as she sounded, his plan was gong to go without a hitch.
And oh yeah, Kailan Jones at your service, professional....entrepreneur at your service''. Enterpreneur, fancy way of saying I steal things for a living.
And then Ursa's personal baggage jumped and wood started flying everywhere, a sharp fling of wood almost wounding the thief if not for his quick reflexes, dashing away quickly.
She wanted to stay, that's what she said a waste of time is the only thing that ran through Kailan's head
''Really? you want to stay? so you can have more breakdowns and just slow us down more? you can't even get up on your god damn feet right''

Ayperos had begun twirling the dagger in his fingers in a manner that couldn't even be followed by the human eye. In reality he was doing tricks at a much faster speed then he normal could, 5 times as fast, making the dagger just a flurry of silver occasionally catching the light and glinting. It looked very pretty but was in actuality a mixture of a threat and blatant display of power. Until he knew the full story he didn't trust anyone and wanted everyone to keep their distance.

"Madam Samurai," He said in his quiet cutting tone, "I do believe that we all have a vested interest in this threat. I would assume that inter-planar help would not be called unless it were an inter-planar threat." He nodded at the queen, "Am I correct in my assumption?"

Upon the chair exploding several shards of wood headed straight for Ayperos, but were blocked in a blur of metal. He filed away the information for later. Such a powerful individual could be trained to strike down evil wherever it reared its head. If her head didn't get in the way that is. He turned to the queen and repeated the question as if nothing had happened.

She finally understood how the girl had been pulled through. She had turned that chair to dust with a simple graze of her fingertips! Helianthus smiled at the strange girl and simply nodded. Then she turned to Kailan.

Helianthus had expected a wide range of possible demands, but the thief took her off guard. She stared for a moment, at a loss for words. She could offer the thief immunity from her own guards, but she could not speak for Ursa Minor. Finally she regained her composure. She squared her shoulders and looked him in the eye.

"I can assure that any crimes in my kingdom will be overlooked as long as you do your part. That will not include any violent acts toward my people. Hurt a hair on their heads and I will incinerate you. That go's for everyone here. As for Ursa Minor, I am afraid she is not actually under my command. Her own authority actually extends far beyond my own and she will have to speak for herself." She turned to Ursa.

"I would request that you grant him this immunity though. He could be a great asset to this group and would likely end up saving far more than he hurts..."

To Ayperos she said simply, "I have no idea the reach of this threat. Ursa was called here randomly like everyone else. I can tell you that if I can bring you here, it is likely they will eventually find their way to your own worlds. Though I do not know this for a fact."

Never! Impossible! How could she? How could Helianthus ask that if she knew who Emi was. Did she think the Samurai of Justice bit was some of joke? Maybe she did know, maybe she just didn't care. She was Sunflower's daughter after all. Her request could just be some sadistic ploy to break her to the point of tears, but it did not work, or at least no one could see that it had.

As easy as it would be to shrug this debacle off as a cruel joke, Helianthus seemed different from her mother. Emi wanted to believe her, to at least believe that she was a benevolent queen who really needed their help. The reward was secondary in her mind, protecting the innocent was all the motivation she needed to fuel her. Besides, she was already certain to have her one wish granted once she got back home to win the tournament. What made the situation unbearable, was that she would have to allow lesser crimes to go unanswered to stop a greater evil. As she pondered she curled her hands into fists only to fling them back out violently and repeat the process. At the same time she turned back and forth between the queen and the thief who sought protection from her taking advantage of the fact that her helmet concealed her face and was waterproofed even from the inside. How could she, one of Earth's greatest heroes let any crime committed before her go unpunished. Was that not what it meant to be a sword for justice? Maybe she would not have too. She had faced galactic level threats before, but then again she had help then too, but that was different! Those were heroes like herself. How could she possibly work someone she knew to be a villain.

Ursa Minor finally slumped her head and shoulders in defeat. She conceded with a meek nod to the queen. She would leave the thief unharmed so long as he helped save the kingdom, even if the whole ordeal made her feel dirty.

For most of the first encounter with every other fellow that have been summoned by the Queen of this world, Maximillian remained silent. He knew that the answer to his earlier question would be answered a bit later on, for he believed the words spoken by the royal lady standing in this room. And to further explain his quietness so far, the ex-reaper never was much of an active man. Most of his life consisted of taking care of the dead, either by leading them to the realms of the afterlife, by burying their dead bodies and by crafting that which they would rest into for eternity. Truly, being the caretaker of the damned wasn’t much of a heroic and prestigious job known to men. While he may have stories to tell, those are better left buried with their dead.

The undertaker was quite amused as he looked over the youngest of the people here take care of the unconscious girl, who was a bit older than the futuristic-looking teenager. Although she was silent for the most part, Maximillian felt the aura of pride and bravery the young one was exuding. It was hard to tell however, whether her looking over the weak was just out of the goodness of her heart or ulterior motives. Something felt off about this girl from the future. He nonetheless left her be for the time being. But as they were about to head out, he couldn’t help but notice the apple that has fallen onto the ground, unpicked by the girl who had been handed the fruit. Maximillan simply smiled and crouched to pick it up, dusting it off with the sleeve of his black robes before putting it away under the gray funeral cloth wrapped around his torso.

Following the Queen and her suite of guards and would-be heroes, the damned guide would soon know better about his new “comrades” and the reason they were all brought here. With the sudden appearance of what seemed to be some sort of angel, things seemed to have taken a more interesting turn when they soon found out revealed who everyone was, why they were called here, and even what they desired most. Maximillian couldn’t keep himself from grinning as some introduced themselves. The young girl who had taken over the protection of the other teenager was revealed to be one of the greatest protectors in the multiverse, while the unconscious girl turned out to be some sort of freakishly powerful entity as she destroyed a chair into millions of pieces with a simple touch, and two of the men standing there had traits of assassins, thieves, or even both. One of them was sure to be a criminal for having requested immunity from crimes he might commit during his stay in the world.

The reaper coughed, clearing his throat from the dust that had settled in from the violent destruction of the furniture. After hearing out what the Queen had to say about the reason they’ve brought the whole misfit group in this world, Maximillian could not help but feel a little dismayed by the reason. He was no hero, all he ever did in his life was guiding the souls of the dead to their eternal peace, a neutral kind of life so to speak. He wasn’t one to save lives, but neither was he one to take lives as well. He however felt the need to help out, as this potential thread could possibly extend to other worlds. While saving worlds wasn’t part of his job, Maximillian could not let such a destructive anomaly run rampant in the multiverse.

“As I’ve said earlier, my name is Maximillian Von Alistair. You don’t really need to know anything about my being other than the fact that I was working closely for the dead. I would usually not lend a hand in the world of the living to save lives, as it is not quite what I am allowed to do. But lucky for you, I no longer work in this department. Plus, if what you say is true, then this threat begs to be more studied upon, see if it can indeed reach other dimensions. You have my word, as a Reaper, that I will help you in ridding your realm from this threat.” Maximillian said, tilting his hat upwards to reveal his honest blood red eyes, Maximillian took the opportunity to once more introduce himself, as well as the motives that would make him help in this cause.

"None currently present I recognize, by name or by form, in the legends of my home. If this Samurai of Justice were a protector of the universe then why did she forget my home plane?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That however is beside the point. My name is Amat Ceras Arasu, halfkin of the rage-fuelled Balor demons and the burning ones of the heavens, the Seraphim. I won't go into my past, what I have done is irrelevent to who, and what, I am. I merely ask to the veil over the memories I lost eight centuries ago to be lifted if I am to help out." Amat delcared, "If you must know, I can draw upon the powers of my kin, and I pity any who draw my ire."

She looked the queen directly in the eyes then added, "I'll aid in dealing with this threat." She then turned away, "And If any here have something against demonkin speak it now. Else leave the hatred until after the task."

"Well, seeing as how we're doing that thing that's the opposite of a goodbye, I'l go next. My name is Lord Coake, God of Insanity from my realm, and inventor of various things." Lord Coake said as he fiddled with his string-wheel. "As for my request, I really have none. I'll help simply because it seems like that's what all the cool kids are doing these days. Well, that and forum-based roleplays, but you won't know about those for a while." He then began to do some interesting tricks with his string-wheel, such as skipping rope with it, or spinning it over his head like a flail.

Helianthus Considered the girl, Marya, and decided that perhaps she would let her stay after all. She did not relish the idea of sending a child into battle against the powerful enemy that threatened her kingdom, but at least Ursa Minor seemed to have taken on the role of her protector. Besides, she was a little concerned about how the IPF agent might react if she forced the issue.

"You may stay dear. It is clear that you are very fearful and ill suited to handle dangerous and strange circumstances. The fact that even in the midst of that fear you are willing to stay and fight speaks volumes for your character, my respect you have earned even before making your request. As for the others, I have no doubt that in time you will earn their own respect as well. As for swallowing a bug... maybe ride with you mouth closed next time? I am not sure I see the relevance."

To Ursa Minor she said, "I realize the weight of this decision and I hope you believe I do not make it lightly myself. I am my mothers daughter and a part of me would like nothing more than to turn this brigand to a pile of sugar and move on. But, we have a responsibility to the people. I am glad you see the wisdom is sparing the small fish to catch the big one."

To the reaper she replied, "Maximillian Von Alistair, I am honored to have you in my kingdom and I wish it were under better circumstances. I realize that you could walk away now with nothing to lose by leaving us to die, so I can not say how much I appreciate your willingness to help."

To the winged woman, " Amat Ceras Arasu. You will be a valuable asset to the team I am sure. I believe I can help you reveal your hidden past. In fact I imagine it would not present much of a challenge for me at all."

To Lord Coake....she only smiled and nodded. She was not really sure what he was even talking about but he seemed willing to help.

Without waiting for the rest to introduce themselves she moved back to her spot at the head of the room. There would be time for the rest later. For now she had to give the details of their purpose here. With a wave of her hand a large three dimensional image of her kingdom appeared in the center of the room.

"This is Gemma Polentia." She pointed to the kingdom, made up of several small villages surrounding the enormous castle. All of this in the protective circle of the three great forests and the endless sea on the fourth side. "We have been a kingdom of peace and prosperity for our entire history, which is longer than even I remember. In all this time we have never had need of an army, and nothing more than a minimal police force to handle petty crime. The people here are human in appearance but share little of the more negative traits of humans from other planes of existence. They feel very little in the way of greed, lust, hatred, jealousy... they are not pure good but they are innocent. And they are weak. This is why I called upon you for help. I cannot look to my people and I cannot leave them alone in order to go and fight this threat myself." She put her arms behind her back and took a deep breath. "As for who this enemy is..." another wave of her hand revealed a swarm of powerful black creatures ravaging a small village outside the Great Woods. "We call them The Black. They are a race previous unknown to Gemma Polentia. They seem to have sprang up from the planet itself, or perhaps the darkest pits of hell. They are pure evil and incredibly powerful. Even if it were not for there numbers, which are too many to count, they have champions among them that rival even my own power. Necromancers and sorcerers. Witches and colossal beasts wielding entire redwoods as clubs, all sharing one distinguishing feature, skin as black as their hearts."

She stopped here to gather the reaction of the others.

The mad god seemed to ignore Mist, despite the obvious threat that the god of mysteries was making. When the woman that Coake seemed to be threatening claimed responsibility for shifting the god and the various other individuals whom had also appeared afterwards, Mist decided to drop the threat and deal wit whatever was going on at a later point. A mortal being able to summon two gods from their own world was interesting after all.

When the summoner left Mist waited behind ,hoping to split in two while in private but as luck would have it another wished to leave last. Mist grumbled under his breath as he left the chamber, so that the woman in the bear costume would also leave, and  followed the particularly powerful woman who identified herself as a queen. When he finally reached the destination she had set out for, Mist noticed quite a bit of food and drink. None of the food preset would even compare to the banquets set out by the god of festivals nor would the drink compare to those produced by Veata Pom, yet it wold dot satisfy the mortals who were gathered even if some chose theft of the containers rather than the food itself.

Mist listened to the introductions of each individual who had previously appeared and who now seemed to appear. Some even set out rewards they desired before the queen proceeded to give them an overview of what hey would fight. When she seemed to have ceased talking Mist decided to speak.

"Do not misunderstand, I will likely assist your people but I would like to know what you think you could offer a god." Mist said in a voice that seemed to fit his apparent age yet was backed by far to much power to be contained in the body he had. "I also wonder how those creature could harm my world should they come to it. Coake and I are not the only gods to inhabit and protect the world, in fact we are among the lowest ranked gods of Iaras."