Hey everyone, and welcome back to yet another story, this time a one-shot. This one takes place during fellow Fanfiction author Bloodrayne666's story 'United by Fate', more specifically right after chapter six, 'Picking up the Pieces'. Though that might change a little depending on how that story unfolds from that point onward, but shouldn't affect anything in the long run.
This is just a way for me to set up for a potential story line that may or may not come to pass, but I like to keep my options open. So I hope that you'll all enjoy this, as the Mutopians prepare themselves for the worst.
Preparations
It was close to midnight in the city of Chicago, and much like other larger cities, Chicago never really slept, but the nightly active humans weren't the only ones awake at that hour. Hidden beneath the surface, deep underground, was the village of Mutopia, a secret sanctuary for outcasts inhabited mostly by mutants.
Throughout its history, Mutopia had been a safe haven for its inhabitants, completely unknown to all but a select few human allies.
But that was no longer the case.
Every resident of Mutopia had gathered in the canteen, and everyone was talking over each other regarding the reason that they had gathered there, making it virtually impossible to get a word in.
"QUIET!" a powerful voice roared, causing everyone to fall silent and focusing their attention on the owner of the voice.
"Thank you." Tyroth the Dragon said, clearing his throat before continuing. "Okay, I'm sure you all know why I called this meeting, but just to make sure that we're all on the same page, I'll take it from the beginning."
"As you all know, with Diablo still on the loose, our home is threatened, threatened to be exposed to the outside world. Now, I don't know whom Diablo could tell of our existence and location, or if he even would do such a thing, but he can still be discovered by others, and we have to assume the worst in order to prepare for those eventualities."
"And what exactly do you mean with that?" asked Bill the Duck.
"After our last meeting, we started taking our security even more seriously. Passwords have been changed, and Hacker is still working on setting up more cameras."
"That I am!" the spider piped up.
"However, there is one more thing that we might be able to do, brought up last time by my own sister, and that is that we leave our home."
Immediately people began talking in a minor panic, the very thought of having to leave Mutopia behind shook them to their cores, especially since they didn't have anywhere to go. Diablo knew not only the location of Mutopia, but also the Lair of their friends in New York, and there were so many Mutopians, so moving anywhere would be difficult at best.
"Everyone, please, calm down and listen, for I might have answers to your questions!"
"Well, spill it already!" Rattletrap the Rat cut in, but quickly earned glares from most other inhabitants, to which he waved his hands in surrender. "I know, I know. 'Shut up, Rattletrap.'."
"As most of you probably remember, several years ago, I, Sephie, Mona and the turtles were sent on an adventure to another world, Nirn, specifically the land of Skyrim, where we met our now resident Vampire/Werewolf, Devina. I still have the talisman that sent us there, and we can go back."
"Are you saying we go to another world?!" Cam the Rhino exclaimed.
"Won't that be just as bad?!" Kate the Viper asked.
"I won't deny that Skyrim is dangerous in its own right, with magic, giants, undead, dragons and who knows what else, but relative to that world, that's not much worse than the natural dangers of our own world. And to add to this, we would be able to walk around among the inhabitants, even live together with them, as there are more than just humans, beastfolks included. At worst, we'd be considered second-rate citizens."
"You really think this is a good idea, boss?" Jack the Wolf asked.
"It's the only one I've got. Look, I know the thought of abandoning our home scares you, it scares me too, but we have to be prepared in case we have to. All I'm suggesting is a possibility, a way for us to survive, should the worst come to pass. We could have to leave within the next week, or the next moth, years from now, or not at all, we simply don't know what's going to happen in the future, but we can prepare as best we can for it."
The canteen was filled with low murmurs as people began to talk, letting Tyroth's words sink in. Old George the Turtle, the founder of Mutopia and oldest mutant, sat silent, his gaze fixed on the dragon. His heart hurt because of what might transpire because of a traitor, yet after hearing Tyroth's suggestion, he felt a glimmer of hope, and pride, in more ways than one.
"This is a huge thing to even consider, and I pray that we won't have to go through with it. If any of you have any objections or better ideas, at any time, feel free to speak your minds. However, I would ask that you all each prepare a short list of important things; clothes, blankets, tools, personal belongings, anything that you think that we could use that you can quickly pack in the event of us having to evacuate in a hurry, but no electronics or more advanced objects."
"Why not? Surly that would make things easier for us, right?" said Patch the Badger.
"Whether it was the transportation, or Skyrim itself, every electronic device that we brought with us was completely drained of power, from our shell-cells to Sephie's electro-arrows. Besides, the technology of that world is equivalent of medieval Earth, so we'd be very restricted in what we could even use tools for. No use in bringing a screwdriver or wrench if there are no screws or bolts, so keep it simple, basic."
"But what about the well, brother?" Amber asked, setting off more murmurs. The well was the source of their mutations and the powers that came with them, a legacy from the last ancient Dragon Guardian, Thaenia Gentleheart, and it was as holy as could be to the Mutopians.
Tyroth lowered his head slightly, taking a short moment to gather himself before answering.
"As much as it pains me to even consider this, the well is far too dangerous to simply leave behind, but it is impossible to move it, so I'm afraid that we have no other choice if we leave… we must destroy it."
"WHAT?!" everyone exclaimed at the same time.
"You can't be serious!"
"Destroy it?! We can't do that?!"
"What will happen if we do?!"
"It can't happen! I just can't!"
"Everyone! Please, listen to me!" Tyroth shouted. "Remember, this is still in a worst case scenario, but the horrible truth is that we simply can't allow the well to fall into the wrong hands, and since it can't be moved, we have no other option, if it even can be destroyed in the first place, but we will have to try."
"Why? If we're leaving for another world, can't we just let this take care of itself? It's not like we're gonna be around anyway." Rattletrap asked, and while he got quite a few glares from the others, they couldn't deny that he did have a point.
"Look, all of us do our best to help those less fortunate, that's how many of us ended up down here, but there's only a small number of us that actively work to protect the people of the surface. By evacuating to Skyrim, we're all putting ourselves first, and that is logical, but I can't in good conscience leave anything behind that could cause so much harm as the well. Could any of you?"
No one answered, in fact they all remained completely silent.
"However, and I will be honest with you about this; we don't know what will happen if we do manage to destroy the well. Hopefully, nothing will happen, but we have no guaranty for that. It is fully possible that we will die, or maybe turn human again, or who knows what else. But again, we can't leave the well behind, so we must take the risk regardless, if the time comes."
Worry spread among the inhabitants, yet they made no effort to argue, for they all knew that Tyroth was right. Whatever the cost, the well couldn't fall into enemy hands, that would be far worse than abandoning the people the Chicago Knights were protecting.
"I got a question." said James the Chimpanzee, resident doctor. "Let's say we manage to destroy the well, survive it, and travel to this Skyrim, then what? What's stopping our enemies from following us there? From what I understand, the talisman doesn't come with us, it just sends us to another one, so it will still be here after we leave."
"They will need to use the talisman as well, yes, and thus they need to understand how it works. None of our enemies even know of its existence, or that it's magical, and even if they somehow figure all that out, they still won't know where we've gone. Skyrim is just one destination."
"What? You mean there are more places it goes to?" Percy inquired, scratching his head.
"See the talisman as a phone, dial the right number and you can reach basically any place in the world. Know where the other talismans are, and you can get there, even though there are thousands, or even millions of them.
But if you go in blindly, where you'll end up is anyone's guess, so the odds of anyone being able to follow us are virtually zero. All that we know, is that one will only be able to travel to places that are safe, so there's no risk of ending up at the bottom of the sea or in an active volcano."
"Well that makes me feel a whole lot better about this." said Vincent the owl. "If you know what you're doing, then I'm certain that we can trust you with it."
"You are all in the right to doubt something like this, it is bigger than anything we've had to deal with before. And resettling will come with it's own hardships, even without the natural dangers of a new world, so we must all be prepared to work hard.
But again, this is just one possible solution, maybe we will never have to carry through on it, but I want you all to be prepared all the same, so take some time and think about this. That would be all, but I'd like to have some words with Devina, Kate and Jake, the rest of you are dismissed."
A few minutes later, the canteen had been emptied, with the exception of Tyroth and the three he had requested to speak with.
"Okay, boss, what's up?" Kate asked impatiently. "Why would you want to talk with the three of us?"
"Because you all have… special circumstances."
"Circumstances? I'm not sure I follow." said Devina with a raised eyebrow.
"Unlike the rest of us, all of you actually have another option when it comes to having to evacuate Mutopia." Tyroth began.
"Both you and Jake are human, well, at least in your current form, and both of you could easily live on the surface should you want to, rather than coming with us. I'm sure that Hugh can help you both to find a new place to call home."
"I don't know about that, Tyroth." said Jake, holding his chin in thought. "I know that I haven't been here for long, but I really do feel like I belong here."
"I understand, and it warms our hearts that you think so. But you also have to think about that you still have relatives, and I'm not talking about Mona or Diablo, but the rest of your family. If you come with us, you would never be able to see them again."
Jake stood in silent thought as he considered Tyroth's words. When he had been talking about evacuating to another world, it hadn't even crossed Jake's mind that he wouldn't be able see his family ever again. It was a far greater decision than he had thought.
"And what about me then?" Kate asked.
"Kate, it's no secret to anyone that you and Mikey love each other a lot, and just like with Jake and his family, you'd never be able to see him again if you go, so I'm allowing you to stay with him and the others in New York."
"R-really?" Kate said, slightly taken aback by what she heard. "But… is that really alright?"
"Look, I got Sephie, and I wouldn't be able to live if I had to leave her behind, so I understand how it would feel for you. I don't want to force you to leave those you love behind, so I'm offering you another option, and this offer extends to Jake as well, as Mona also lives there."
"A fine gesture." said Jake with a smile. "However, we can't forget that the Lair is also in danger, just like Mutopia."
"That is true, and that's why I'm going to ask them to come with us. Should the Lair ever fall, we'd offer our friends a place here without a second thought, so asking them to join us if we have to leave is the least I can do. Once we're done here, I'll give them a call and explain all this to them."
"What about April and Casey? Can they come too?" Jake asked.
"If they want to, I won't stop them, but they'll have to understand the price that we all will pay for our safety."
"We understand, and I hope that they will too." said Devina. "Though I doubt the they'll have to deal with vampire hunters like I might."
"Hey, if anyone tries to come after you, they'll have to deal with us as well." said Kate, placing a hand on Devina's shoulder. "You're one of us now, and we Mutopians stick together."
"Whatever the case, you three all have options in this, go make sure to give it some thorough thought before you decide and let me know once you do. That's all for now."
As the others walked off, Tyroth pulled out his shell-cell and started dialling the number of a near friend, taking a few breathes to steel himself.
"Hello, Leonardo here."
"Leo, it's Tyroth."
"Hey, how are you doing? Any news on Diablo."
"Sadly, no. But that's not why I called you. Is everyone there right now?"
"More or less. Why? What's going on?"
"Gather them all and put me on speaker, we got a lot to discuss, and it's important."
It took quite a while to explain everything to his friends, and they all reacted as he had expected, the same as the Mutopians. In the end though, they were left with a lot to ponder, and while they were happy for the offer to join the Mutopians, they would need more time to consider the possibility of leaving for another world.
But they were not the only ones that Tyroth would speak to. Over the years, the Mutopians had gained a number of human friends and allies, and the Dragon would have to explain their situation to them all. However, he kept the details of where they were going to himself, to make sure that as few as possible outside of Mutopia knew of Skyrim or the talisman, both for the Mutopians' sake and for their own.
However, there were a few that took the news particularly bad.
"NO! A THOUSAND TIMES NO!" the human woman yelled.
"Mom, please, you're gonna alert the neighbours." Tyroth said.
He had decided to tell his parents in person, and had gone to the apartment they were renting right above Mutopia. They had not reacted well to the news, Erica the least, something that Richard noticed as he tried to calm down his wife.
"I don't care! You are not going through with this! I won't allow it!" Erica continued.
"Look, it may not even come to that, but you deserve to at least know this should it happen."
"And you think that I'm just going to accept that you disappear, possibly for ever?!"
"Erica, I know you're upset, I am too, but he does have a point." Richard said, still trying to calm down Erica.
"It doesn't matter! We've already lost him once, and we almost lost our daughter too! I won't let them disappear from our lives again, especially not now that we've got grandkids too!"
"Please, just take a few breaths and calm down." Tyroth said, to which Erica sighed in frustration and sat back down in the couch. "This is just a precaution, and I pray that we don't have to enact it, but there are a lot of people in Mutopia that we have to defend if we're exposed, and this is the only idea we have so far."
"And you think that you'll be safer in this other world? This Skyrim?" Erica asked, giving her son a glare. "I remember the stories. Sephie got turned into a vampire while you were there. And you think that you'll be safer there? That you'll be able to raise the twins?"
"The people that live there do it, and I'll defend my friends and family with everything I got should anything threaten them. But if Mutopia is exposed to our enemies, they won't stop until even I fall to them. In Skyrim they won't be able to reach us any more. We'll be a lot safer there, regardless of vampires or dragons."
Erica leaned forward and placed her head in her hands, yet remained silent.
"Are you sure about this, son?" Richard asked, keeping an arm around his wife. "Is there no other way?"
"Not that we have found so far, but we'll keep looking, that I promise. Though, I fear that we will have no other choice if we are to be able to live our lives in relative peace."
"Then we're coming with you!" Erica suddenly said, looking up from her hands and locking eyes with her mutant son.
"Erica!"
"Mom, I don't-"
"I won't let our family be broken up again, not after all we've been through! If my children and grandchildren are going to live somewhere halfway across the universe, then so are we! We are going, and that's final!"
"Well, you heard her, Tyroth." Richard sighed.
The Dragon pinched his nose-ridge and shook his head, he knew, as did his father, that when Erica got in this kind of mood, next to nothing could make her change her mind, and arguing would only make it worse.
"Fine…" he sighed in defeat. "If you're set on this, then there's nothing I can say about it. And I must admit, part of me is actually happy about it, because I would miss you both like crazy were we to leave."
"And we'd miss you too, why do you think that I won't let you go without us?" Erica responded.
"Point well taken, I just wish I could keep you both out of this sort of things. Still, the Foot does know of you, so I guess you might need this just as much as us, just like April and Casey. Then the same applies to you as to us."
"Don't you worry about us, we'll make sure to be packed and ready at a moment's notice." said Richard.
Early the next day, Tyroth sat in the temple, meditating as he had been doing ever since he discovered his magical powers. It helped him focus, honing and tempering his powers to the extent that allowed him to use it controlled and effectively.
But that was not the main reason this day. This day, he let his magic flow into the temple around him, and especially the well in the centre. Ever since it had been discovered that the well was magical, no one had really continued to think about how it worked, they didn't have to, as long as it worked as it should, everything was as it should be.
Now, however, Tyroth was determined to figuring out how it worked, how the powerful enchantment was woven, what properties it possessed, and most importantly, how it could be destroyed and what would happen to them if it was. It was something that he didn't want to do, but he might have to one day.
As Tyroth sat by the well in his deep meditation, he didn't notice George standing in the entrance, watching him with a warm smile.
'You have done so much for everyone already, and you continue to do even more. Whatever the future holds, I know you will be there, leading us all to the best of your ability, and we will be safe by your side. There is no doubt in my mind that you will continue to look after our people once I am gone, lad, and that makes me so proud.'
And that's all I wrote. As you saw, they are preparing to evacuate should they need to, however, while it is heavily implied that they would go to Skyrim, the door is left open for many other locations as well, opening up form many different crossovers, mostly non-canon.
Now, I'm not promising that any of those stories will be written, I just want to have the option to if I should feel like it, and these kinds of preparations are logical to take in their situation.
The last meeting that Tyroth mentions, at which Amber asked if they should leave thier home, is from Bloodrayne666's story 'Falling Inside The Black', just for refernce.
Also, I've finally decided on names for two of the characters that's been mostly in the background, namely Bill the Duck and Vincent the Owl. Will expand a bit more on them in the future, as well as others that mostly live in the background for now.
As a final note, a message to Bloodrayne666: I hope this doesn't mess up some details that you've got planed, just message me if there's something.