The palace was in an uproar. Hours ago, two invaders had appeared out of nowhere, bypassing hundreds of barriers, both mundane and magical, along with something that continued to baffle the people called in to study it. Senshi Mercury was en route, but it would be some time before she arrived, and there was a far more pressing issue at stake.
Queen Serenity was missing. The two invaders were, as well. All-in-all, it painted a rather problematic picture.
"Have the guards begin a sweep of the outlying region," Chancellor Locksley ordered. Since being informed of the Queen's missing status, she'd started tearing the palace apart looking for the sovereign.
"I've a company of men standing by to do that, but the moment they're out there, the people are going to know something's up. Won't take them long to guess," the Captain of the Royal Guard replied.
"With the way the Palace is lit up, I'm sure they're guessing what's up already. Won't be long before Earth takes notice," she growled.
Before he could respond, there was a flash of light from the doorway nearby. Marcus drew his sword and made his way down the hall slowly. The Medical Chambers had been checked thoroughly, but because that was the last place Serenity had been seen by loyal members of the Palace staff, it was a restricted area until a proper investigative team could arrive from Mars to inspect it.
For Serenity, this was a much-desired homecoming. Her kingdom was under attack, and she had hated being away, even knowing as she did that time was malleable enough to prevent her absence from being anything more than momentary.
She frowned at the condition of the medical chambers around her, however. Cabinets and cupboards were opened, their contents hap-hazardously strewn about the room, and it looked like the healer on duty had abandoned his station.
"Well, this place has seen better days," Kyle said, before looking around rapidly. "Umm... Where's Matt?"
Serenity looked around as well, her frown deepening. "I... don't know. He was close, but the spell that thing cast right before we left interfered with the spell that brought us here..."
"Lady Serenity!" Someone said from the hallway, drawing both their attention. Marcus looked as his sovereign in shock, before glancing at the stranger beside her and frowning. Black and red armor that left all but the barest amounts of skin on the arms exposed, and a hood that hid all but a pair of glowing red eyes.
"So, thought you could get away with kidnapping the queen, did you?" he growled, even as the figure reached up to pull back it's hood. With his head exposed, Marcus recognized one of the two men they'd found out in the courtyard, and he held his sword up, preparing for a fight.
"Stand down, Captain," Serenity spoke, sighing. She was relieved to see Marcus; gladdened even. But his zeal for service sometimes sapped his good sense. Knowing Kyle, her Captain of the Guard would stand little chance in a fight. Maybe in a duel, where the odds were altered to ensure fairness; but in combat, Kyle rarely fought fairly.
"Highness? You've returned!" A new voice said, before a petit-yet-rotund woman cried, slipping in past the Captain of the Guard. She wore an elaborate feathered turban on her head, and Kyle winced at the large red circle dyed into her robes. It was like a target, and she even wore a badge in the center of it, like some tin-plated bull's-eye.
When Chancellor Locksley's eyes fell on the rogue, they narrowed. "Kidnapper! Guards!"
Serenity sighed again. Chancellor Locksley was an important member of her staff, but if Captain Marcus was prone to bouts of zealotry, Locksley was prone to periods of paranoia. Admittedly, before her visit to Azeroth, she'd disappeared for a week before coming back and claiming she'd been kidnapped, but the palace guards had quietly informed curious parties that she'd been locked inside her room for the week, occasionally climbing out the window in the middle of the night to drink in one of the local bars just outside the palace walls.
"Chancellor, Kyle here is a friend of mine. Without him, I'd be..." She paused, not wanting to frighten her staff needlessly. Finally, she settled on "in a far worse situation."
The Chancellor stared at Serenity in shock for a moment, before breaking into tears. "Oh, you poor dear! He's confused your mind!"
"I came as quick as I coul- Who's that?" A new voice asked.
Serenity stared. What was Senshi Uranus doing here?
"He's a kidnapper! He's brainwashed the Queen!" The Chancellor wailed.
"Is that so?" The Outer Senshi asked, scowling. The room had only one exit, she and the Captain of the Guard were effectively blocking it. With a flourish, she drew the Space Sword, its jeweled blade glinting in the white light of the medical chamber.
"... Riiight..." Kyle deadpanned, turning to Serenity. "This is what you were so eager to return to?"
Serenity was torn between laughing at the question, or berating him for his lack of decorum before others. She was also pleased to see such a beloved friend, even if she was far from her designated post. Finally, she settled on another sigh. "He's not a kidnapper. He's a... An ally."
"See! He's twisted her thoughts! He admits to having taken her and keeping her from returning to us, and our Queen calls him an ally! She's been corrupted!" The Chancellor cried, before turning to Uranus. "Senshi! You have to save her! Subdue her before he can convince her to do something she'd regret! Captain, take him out!"
Uranus looked between the Chancellor, her Queen, and the unidentified person standing unnervingly close to Serenity. Especially unnerving because he had moved when speaking, and inadvertently exposed a pair of deadly looking blades at his waist, both glowing with magic.
"Belay that," Serenity ordered, no longer amused. The Chancellor had, in recent times been acting somewhat contrary to her typical self, but that... had she honestly just ordered one of her Guardians to subdue her Queen?
"Captain?" Uranus muttered, unsure what exactly to make of the sudden tension that suffused the room.
"It's... an odd situation," Marcus said.
Kyle just started laughing. "Oh, this is just..." he trailed off, before looking at Serenity with a grin. "Let me guess, the Chancellor has been acting somewhat strange lately, maybe odd trips outside the castle, or behaving contrary to what once was usual?"
Serenity's eyes narrowed, this time focusing on her Chancellor, who was no longer crying, but openly glaring at Kyle and herself. "Actually, now that you mention it-"
"Lies! The foul magus further corrupts the Queen before our very eyes!" The Chancellor hissed.
"Nope! I'm Queen Serenity's friend. One of two, actually," Kyle said, not bothered by the way Uranus or Marcus tightened their grips on their weapons as he motioned towards their Queen. "Oh, and that's not the Chancellor."
Uranus was the first to respond. "... What?"
Kyle shrugged, before turning his back on them to examine the room again as he spoke. Of course, when his back was turned, he slipped a throwing blade into his hands, but concealed it from view as he elaborated. "That's some shape-shifting or form-stealing monster. The real Chancellor is probably trapped in a trunk in her room. This one is some agent of the enemy intent on sewing discord and strife at best."
"At best?" Captain Marcus asked, even as the Chancellor sputtered.
"Well, from this, it might have been trying to assume control of the Empire, intent on bringing it down from the inside," Kyle offered.
"That's-" Uranus started, about to say 'crazy,' when a shriek of rage made her turn in shock.
"HOW DID YOU KNOW!" The Chancellor screeched, even as her form distended, becoming far less human, and much taller.
"Holy shit, I was right?" Kyle muttered, before speaking louder. "My, what big teeth you have," he snarked, before swinging. Uranus, who'd been watching the monster in surprise, heard something whistling in the air, before the youma's head snapped back, a thin blade appearing in its eye.
"You'll all die!" It hissed, even as dark ichor dribbled from the ruined eye socket. Before anyone else could react, the youma kicked out, sending Uranus flying into Captain Marcus, both hitting the floor with a crash as the monster took off down the hall.
"By your leave?" Kyle asked with a smirk, even as he pulled the daggers at his waist. Serenity gave a curt nod, before striding forward. Uranus and Marcus were already pulling themselves to their feet when Kyle slipped past them.
"Uranus!" Serenity said, freezing the senshi and guard captain in their tracks. "Observe and assist only if necessary. Captain Marcus, come with me. And bring your guards."
"At once, Lady Serenity! Where are we headed?" Marcus asked. He'd wanted to go after the monster that had dared parade around the castle disguised as one of its inhabitants, but his loyalty to the Queen overrode his need for revenge.
"To the Chancellor's quarters," Serenity answered, before turning and heading down the hallway in the indicated direction.
Uranus emerged into the Royal Gardens ready for a fight. She'd heard her Queen's command, but seriously doubted the figure in red would have much luck. Attacks on planetary centers around the system by these things had required concentrated attacks from the Mage corps, if not Senshi intervention to bring them down.
Of course, she was surprised to see the monster strolling away unimpeded, the figure nowhere to be found.
"So. Uranus," Kyle asked, fading into existence beside her as he spoke. She leaped back, brandishing her sword and only barely suppressing the attack that had been on her tongue.
"DON'T DO THAT!"
"Sorry. I've just... never fought a youma before. Not sure what it would take to kill one. Figured it might be easier if we worked together," he replied. The monster had stopped its escape attempt as a number of guards surrounded it. For a moment, none of the figures across the gardens moved, then the youma struck, and an armored body went flying.
"I have orders to observe. If you require help, I'll intervene, if-" She was cut off by an upraised hand. This civilian silenced her? Just who did he think he was?
"I get it, yeah. Okay. Thanks for nothing, then," he muttered, before fading from view again. Actually, now that she had watched it, he'd merely faded. he was still visible, but easily overlooked, despite that gaudy armor. She frowned as he sprinted towards the youma tossing guards around, before moving to follow.
"Useless Senshi, a plot out of Chrono Trigger, and no back up," Kyle grumbled to himself. With a lunge, his blade connected, breaking stealth as he employed a move he'd used only hours ago on a dragon far larger than this. The youma howled as its leg collapsed under it, the strike severing ligaments even as the wounds spurted a black ichor over the ground nearby.
"You two!" Kyle yelled at the nearest guards with a sword and board, "charge its leg from the side!"
The two looked at him in surprise, having seen the red-dressed figure appear out of nowhere to strike the monster tossing them around with a crippling blow. "NOW" The figure roared, and they complied, the order making enough sense, and the voice being commanding enough to override their suspicions. That, and he'd already wounded the monster.
As those two charged, Kyle lunged, catching the youma at the waist in a diving tackle that hit at the same time the two guards rushed its knee from the side. With a wet crack, the joint was ruined, and the youma fell to the garden grounds with a screech.
Pulling his arm free, Kyle turned to look at the rest of the guards, who were staring at the spectacle in surprise. "Well what are you waiting for? Kill it!" He roared, and they hustled to comply. In a matter of moments, the youma, who had n too pre-occupied with its debilitating injuries, had been dispatched.
Kyle pulled his daggers from the corpse, frowning at the ichor that dripped from the blades for a moment before wiping them off on the nearby ground. Then, with a flourish, he re-sheathed the blades and turned back to the castle.
"So, how did you know?" Uranus asked, standing in his way with her arms crossed.
Kyle shrugged, and slid around her as he spoke. "Seen it before, Senshi Useless."
"That's Uranus!" the Senshi growled, as she stomped into the palace after him. "And just who are you, anyway?"
Kyle reached up to pull his hood back over his head. The enchantments in it worked whether it was up or not, but for appearances-sake, the red eyes and hidden features made for a far more sinister look than with the hood down. "I'm Batman," he growled, doing his best to contain his laughter. That was the other reason he'd pulled the hood up. Then, with a mocking salute, he disappeared before her.
Matt was in a lot of pain. He'd been conscious as Kyle had picked him up off the frozen ground of Icecrown, and remembered the pain as his friend had managed to aggravate a broken rib by throwing him over his shoulders, even as his head swum around him and something hot and stinging oozed into his eye.
Then there was a twisting sensation, a flash of light, and he'd felt himself tumbling for what felt like hours, before hitting a stone floor at an angle and sliding a couple feet before running into something that gave way only partly.
Of course, he had no time at all to consider trying to heal himself or going back to sleep when something slammed into him with all the gentleness of a freight train. Even worse, whatever it was had to be magical. It bypassed his armor completely, and impacting him so completely it felt like his soul had just been pierced.
With a howl of pain, he finally found the strength to crawl to his feet, head spinning, even as the people around him began shouting at each other and him in a language he didn't understand.
His body felt like it was on fire. With another yell, he slung his sword and put his hands out before him like battering rams before taking off for the nearest doorway. Most of the figures in his way wisely moved, but a few who apparently wanted to call his bluff were hurled away by fear- and pain-fueled strength.
Choosing his path at random, Matt watched through injury-hazed eyes as the world moved around him, his arms listlessly shoving obstacles away until he found himself outside, staring over the parapets of an impressively large castle with a moat below. Of course, dizzy as he was, leaning over to look down at the moat was just as bad an idea as the few watching would have made it out to be, and with a wince, he tumbled down into the brown waters, taking a moment to regain himself before crawling out of the moat slowly and stumbling off into the nearby forest.
When one of the people who'd been ruthlessly shoved aside by the madman managed to make it to where Matt had last been seen, he was gone. As the figure turned to the guards who had watched him fall and began berating them, Matt stumbled through the woods, delirious, soaked, tired, and broken, and looking for any sign of his missing friends.
Serenity felt a headache coming on. Matt was still missing, her advisor here in the Silver Millennium for the past few weeks (barring an extra-dimensional trip that lasted over two-years there) had been an enemy agent, and now it seemed Kyle and Uranus were close to going for each other's throats. With a sigh, she looked at the two glaring at each other from across the table, before slamming her hand down on the table with enough force to make the candle-ware jump. "Enough!"
The two stopped to look at her in surprise. "Senshi Uranus, I trust Kyle as much as I trust you. To question his presence is to question me." The senshi's complaints died on her tongue.
"And Kyle," Serenity started, leveling her most annoyed gaze at him as she continued; "I know you know better. Do you really wish to give your co-workers a bad impression so soon?"
Kyle sighed, collapsing back in his chair. "No, Serenity... My Lady." He winced as he remembered to add a title. Fortunately, everyone seemed to accept it as a proper form of address.
"Co-worker?" Uranus asked, frowning.
"Again, this is a matter of trust, Senshi Uranus. And, as it so happens, a matter of needs, as well. But I'll get to that later; Captain Marcus! What did you find out from the Chancellor?"
The Captain, who had been quietly watching the proceedings with interest, stepped forward. "Majesty, the Chancellor was taken two weeks ago on her fact-finding trip to Mars. Since then, the imposter kept her tied up in her trunk and only fed her when it remembered to. There was no questioning, no attempts to learn anything specific," he summarized, frowning.
Serenity frowned as well. They both knew what that meant. "There's another agent in the castle," she said, earning a nod from the Captain, the Senshi, and the rogue. "We'll have to deal with that. And soon," she finally said, before turning to the Captain again. "What of the Chancellor herself?"
"She rests, Highness. The ordeal was... trying, and she was poorly cared for as a captive," he finally explained.
Serenity made a mental note to go see her soon. "Very well. What of the guards searching the castle? Any word of my second companion?"
Marcus shook his head. "No word, ma'am. However, the security station monitoring the castle wards report that there were only two breaches at the time you and... Lord?" He paused, watching Kyle for a response, before continuing haltingly, "Kyle arrived. Your return was, or course, registered as such, as well as one 'unknown.' If the person you seek did return with you, it is safe to assume he is not on the premises."
Kyle, for his part, had almost cracked a smile as the Captain attempted to place him within the hierarchy as he knew it. The thought of Matt still missing, however, stole the mirth from his mind before it could fully register.
"Extend the search to the city," Serenity said, before frowning, "Actually, extend it to Mars and Venus, and monitor the ambassador from Earth," she ordered.
"Should I inform our people on Earth as well?" Marcus asked, frowning.
Serenity shook her head. "Not just yet. He arrived as we did, and I saw enough to know it was relatively close, and into a place of power. Earth has relatively few magical hotspots."
Marcus nodded, before stepping out the door.
"Now, as for you two... there's work to be done, but first, I have to ask; how'd it go?"
Uranus was shocked. She'd seen Serenity like this before. Even participated in friendly conversations with her queen with little formality. But for her queen to act this way in front of a stranger? "It... Went well, your majesty," She finally said.
Kyle sighed, before collapsing back into his chair. "Yeah. 'Well.' Sailor Useless here sat back as I and your guards took down the imposter."
Serenity just nodded. "And your thoughts, Senshi Uranus?"
Uranus frowned, glancing at the man seated across from her, then at her queen, who was watching her intently. Finally, she spoke. "He's got some fancy tricks, but seems only a little more capable than your average guard. Also very little honor in combat; not that a monster would have bothered calling him on it."
"Oh?" Serenity asked, hiding her smirk, "explain."
Uranus frowned, feeling like she'd stumbled into a trap somehow. "His blows were designed to cripple, and came from the rear as his opponent ran. He sought outside assistance instead of finishing off the wounded youma on his own, and, thinking back, he also attacked the youma without either your permission, or announcing his intent."
Kyle leaned forward, holding his hands up to get everyone's attention. "Okay, wait, stop. I have to interject here; do you really expect me to do all that when fighting something that intends to kill everyone you know and love and bring this empire to ruin? If so, I'm not sure what help I can be, Serenity." He paused to look out the window mounted high on the wall across from him. "Aside from suggesting you start working now on writing an impressive will."
Uranus growled, but Serenity held up her hand. "He speaks his mind, as I have asked you to. And where we returned from, his methods of fighting was some of the most feared in the world."
"Where were you?" Uranus asked, looking him over again. Then she frowned. "And if he was feared, I'm surprised they haven't been overtaken yet."
Kyle shrugged. "I've yet to show you some of my better tricks, Senshi. And in a fair fight, you're right, I'd probably get my ass handed to me. But, as you pointed out, I don't fight fair. I fight to win."
"There's a difference between fighting to win and fighting fairly?" Uranus asked haughtily.
Kyle just shrugged again. "A fair fight is a farce. In a battle to the death, you don't cripple yourself to make it more sporting, and you don't give your enemy an advantage to make it more fair. Your use whatever trick you have, from poisoned blades to hidden ranged attackers to ensure that your enemy falls and you stay standing. To not do so is to endanger yourself, those under your command, and everything you're trying to protect. Or do you honestly think a monster like the one I just fought would begin a fight with a bow and a concession to terms?"
Uranus scowled, but didn't reply. Instead, Serenity spoke up again. "Interesting as this conversation may turn out, I have to move things along. Uranus, you said he 'sought outside assistance.' What did you mean?"
Uranus shrugged. "When the monster was crippled, instead of moving in and taking it out himself, he called..." She paused, then frowned. "Actually, he ordered the guards nearby to strike with another crippling blow, before he and a few more guards moved in for the kill."
Serenity grinned. "Is this true?" She asked Kyle, who shrugged.
"You know me. When I say 'jump...'"
"- They ask 'how high?'" The Queen finished. Then she let loose a short laugh. "It would seem your idea has merit indeed. What are your thoughts on my guards?"
Kyle frowned. "Hmm... I'd call them 'ornamental,' if they hadn't listened. As it is..." he paused, and both Serenity and Uranus leaned forward to hear his assessment. Finally he shrugged. "Ornamental."
"Care to elaborate?" Captain Marcus growled from the doorway. He'd returned from running the errand for his queen, and returned in time to hear this stranger dismiss his guards so utterly?
Kyle took a deep breath. "Well, for starters, they're all equipped the same from what I've seen. Sword and board is great, but without the ability to strike from range, you're at the enemy's mercy if they have any mages or archers. Secondly, they listened to me. Good for me, but it means their discipline is not up to par. Finally, there was fear and uncertainty in their eyes as the faced that youma."
"And there wasn't in yours?" Uranus asked.
Kyle shot her a withering grin, "I've fought a dragon as big as this palace's main hall. No, I wasn't afraid. But they were. I can only assume that they're used to letting you Senshi take care of things like that, and they're more used to dealing with the more mundane issues."
"And you expect my men to take on monsters like that?" Marcus asked, frowning.
"Why not? Their job is to protect the palace, isn't it?" Kyle asked back.
"But they can't possibly win against something like that!" Marcus retorted.
Kyle sighed and pulled his dagger, ignoring the way Uranus and Marcus tensed as he did so. "With this blade, I crippled the monster. And with your soldiers' help, it was killed. Do your men stand a chance against the monsters one-on-one? Not likely. But in numbers... Well, as they say back where I'm from: 'quantity is a quality of its own.'"
"And just where are you from?" Uranus asked.
Kyle just sighed as he looked back up at the window, and the blue-green planet partially visible beyond.
Matt awoke with a start, bright sunlight reaching through the gaps in the trees above to strike his muddied armor. One ray of light struck his helmet at just the right angle for it to shine in his eyes, eliciting a groan from the weary paladin.
Annoyed, and a little confused, Matt sat up. When the world failed to dance around him, he frowned. He was still tired, but he didn't feel nearly as wounded as he had before. He vaguely recalled his exodus from some castle, but now, he had no clue where he was. The forest around him gave him little clue, save that it was temperate, and only by carefully examining his surroundings could he tell which way he had come from. With another groan, and some confusion, he set off in the direction he had been heading before falling asleep, idly wondering if he'd be able to get himself a breakfast.
Unfortunately, breakfast was not to be had. He'd had a small water pouch, but midway through the day he'd drunk it, ignoring the thoughts about the mana-restoring properties it had, and relishing the feel of the water on his parched throat. That had been about four hours ago now, and he was really wishing he'd had another.
Finally, there was a sound up ahead, not immediately recognizable, but magical in nature, and he broke into a trot, hoping against hope there was someone with some food and a drink.
Instead, he nearly threw himself off a cliff, source of the distant roar of a waterfall he'd heard earlier now apparent. Before him was a chasm, the misty bottom below shrouded in vapor. To his right, about half a mile, a waterfall plunged into the chasm from a narrow, fast-moving river, and across from him, another cliff that overlooked the chasm and stream below from the opposite side.
But far more impressive was the floating platform that sat halfway up the waterfall. Two smaller platforms orbited it, and on all three, numerous beings stood. From this distance, Matt couldn't make them out clearly, but even from here, he could tell they weren't human.
That was when another magic blast struck the cliff opposite him and exploded, the sound of the blast echoing through the canyon even as the two adversaries darted through the air and threw another series of blasts at each other.
One of the figures was obviously like the ones below and to the right. Inhuman, and giving off a noticeable aura of wrongness that made him instinctively reach for his sword.
The other figure flew by Matt then, unknowingly passing close enough for Matt to feel his breath hitch, and his eyes widen. That uniform, that hair... That face. There was no doubt about it. There was a monster... a youma fighting here. And its opponent was Jadeite.