It was nighttime in the 21st century. It was almost quiet inside the medium-sized night tavern, characterized by the chill-jazz music that was playing in the background, and the few people starting to get drunk with the intoxicating drinks they had in their hands.

"Another one," a girl in her late twenties said speaking in a plain American-accent. This particular female had black hair that extended to her shoulders while she had natural dark orange-colored eyes. That lighter than fair complexion on her skin put together with her Asian-like descent and her height of 5 foot 10 inches while she wore a white shirt under a blue jean-jacket and black jean pants made her description in that bar, sitting down on a barstool while waiting for her drink. She was then handed a shot-glass with some of that drink she requested and she smiled. "Thanks, Jeff." She said this with a low-key profile on her voice.

"No problem, Janeth." Jeff, the bartender with fair complexion said this with a nod while he moved on to check on other customers sitting on barstools in front of the long counter...

Meanwhile, another girl in her early twenties had entered into the establishment, walking past the glass double-sliding doors. She had blonde hair styled to a single ponytail with dark green eyes. She looked around seeing only a few people. She didn't notice one or two people looking at this girl's black leather jacket with white sideskirts and blue jean pants. Having a height of 5 feet and 11 inches and looking quite athletic with almost no fat, she looked somewhat attractive and over average. This girl then browsed the right pocket of her pants and took out a piece of paper and looked at what was written. "Find me at the counter, black hair with blue jean jacket" was written on that paper. Then she looked at the only long bar counter in the place while seeing the description of a person wearing what was said on the paper. She sighs and approaches the barstool next to the subject and sat there with her chest and head able to reach over the counter table thanks to the barstool.

Janeth was gulping down on her drink from her shot glass before she gently puts down the glass on the wooden counter. She sighs, feeling the heat leaving from her throat and mouth. She might not want to admit it, but she was already feeling the little drunkenness from what she was drinking. She remembers she was there for an hour now, and she would feel that she would want to keep being there for a while. But then there was the blonde who she didn't make eye-contact with until she looked at the blonde's arms over the counter, seeing the girl who was patient as she kept silent. Janeth only smiled and chuckled. "You didn't need to be to fill yourself with no words. Order up."

The blonde was a little startled when she heard the girl over the next seat talk to her casually. She looked at the those dark orange eyes with her own dark green ones and was trying not express hostility. "Wish it were easy," she replied with a British accent. "You look like you did that too many times."

"Shut up," Janeth replied casually then looked away in annoyance. "I'm trying to help you and you just tell me what I already know. Start telling me what the hell's new."

"Well," the blonde said. "For starters, you look like jolly shit as drunk as the way you look like. I ain't telling you any more than that."

"Well screw you too," Janeth said annoyed at the blonde and looked at her with a slight glare. "You wanna tell me more? Please tell me more."

The blonde girl winced and thought her partner in conversation was sarcastic, making her laugh and finally smile to break the tension, with evidence as she saw her company raise an eyebrow. "Oh shut up. You just wanted me to blurt out while you're drunk. Maybe you should do that first."

Janeth analyzed what the girl said and put a palm on her face while sighing. "What in God's name have I gotten myself into?" She mumbled this to herself before she looked straight at the blonde. "Alright, you got me there. What's the last thing you've done for the next three days?"

The blonde girl didn't seem fazed at first, but her next set of words was revealing her emotion. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm the bitch who lured you here just to have a talk with you." Janeth said this before she smiled, and saw the blonde glare at her. "I enjoy conversations like this, Leona. And I apologize."

"Not accepting anything," Leona said this glaring at the one she's talking to, clearly upset. "I'm good at following instructions just to survive, but really?! You bring me out from time just to talk to me here and now?! Next thing you're going to tell me is that you're the one who set this all up, bringing me up here in the year 2017!" Leona got off her barstool while looking at Janeth. "So how about-" She suddenly grabbed Janeth's shirt and pushed the girl down to the floor just as Leona pounced on top of her with face close to the other. "-you tell me what the hell I'm doing here."

Soon, other people were seeing what was happening that security was being called to the area...

"HEY!" A tanned-skin man wearing a black shirt was brisk-walking to the area quickly to attempt in stopping the commotion.

Janeth immediately reacted and looked at the man who approached. "Stand down! She's with me."

Leona softly growled when Janeth looked back at her again before speaking up. "That shit is not going to stand. I hate being ripped out of my time."

Janeth snorts before replying. "I snatched you from one dimension, and timeline, bringing you here in this insignificant dimension for our meet, just to make sure I get through to you, because I want you for something." She paused for a while, not changing how she looked at Leona and how she was alert and continued to speak. "I ain't explaining anything because I want to be simple when I say that... I need a friend... right now."

Leona was a little shocked to hear those words from Janeth, a person who she didn't know yet. This was completely different from how she'd meet her friends. Was she worth the time at all? She closed her eyes and shook her head, not liking how she'd take this before she decided to get off Janeth and stand over her, offering her hand. "Why not?" she said.

Janeth took Leona's hand and was able to get up before nodding to the man working security. As soon as the man left the two to their own devices, Janeth looked at Leona. "Name's Janeth. Really... I'm sorry if I dragged you into this but... this is probably the best way to break it down easily."

"By drinking in a bar like this?" Leona replied and chuckled, feeling amused. "You wanted to drown your sorrows for what?"

"I don't know," Janeth said. "But I think I need it."

Over the next hour, there were no other people inside the establishment. Leona and Janeth were seated together at a table while there was a bottle of intoxicating drink with two regular glasses half-empty from that drink. Leona was listening intently to Janeth who was laughing.

"And then, and then-" Janeth said to speak her mind while the alcohol was in her head. "-this time when Sachio was in that ship by mistake, she accidentally found her way out by blowing out the warp core, surviving every hit."

Leona laughed. "Are you serious?! And that's during while she's still shit in fighting?"

"Yeah, yeah. That obvious thing about her using the Whammer-Hammer in most situations needed to be expressed," Janeth was expressing while picking up her glass of her drink before gulping largely, emptying the formerly half-empty glass before moderately slamming the glass on the table. "I liked those times which made me laugh a little. Damn it... I can't forget how my daughter is grown up after all this time."

"But seriously though." Leona said this to give out a serious tone. "She's engaging your former private army?"

"For what it's worth," Janeth sighs. "She told me she has the strength to do it. Flight-Dagger's advanced technology was made possible with mostly my help. But I chose to get a lot of allies along. This is an organization stretching to multiple dimensions. And it's headed by a corporation board including himself in it. Goddamn Paul Zix... I was once the one who headed it, but after refusing to follow protocol, that's where I was pinned. And I had this feeling... Zix wanted me to get off the board. I didn't know that time. I saved a ship's crew that had reason to not be saved from their ship. It was like ripping their honor away and the rules stated-"

"Screw those rules," Leona suddenly said before picking up her glass and gulping a few times before putting the empty glass down while breathing out in relief. "You have your side to all of this and you were probably doing what you thought was right."

"Yeah. I dunno if they listened to my final thoughts before I dismissed or not, but they made it clear I'm fragile in my leadership. I thought back then that maybe the organization deserved better. So I was comfortable with handing it all over to Sachio." She groans before putting one palm of her hand to her face. "I should have seen this coming... DAMN IT..." Janeth suddenly used her arm to force her glass to slide off the table, being thrown off in her force before it went straight to one barstool, breaking the glass into pieces.

Both were silent for a while after the glass broke into pieces on the floor. Leona looked at Janeth, staring down on the table for a while. And while the blonde herself looked at Janeth feeling devastated remembering those memories again, she remembers something she would wish to share. "Oi Janeth," she said. "You remind me of my brother."

Janeth then slowly looked up to Leona. "I remind you of him how?"

"He lost friends in a training exercise in boot camp after attempting to save an opposing team member. He was still a recruit back then. I'd compare you to my brother, while I compare that saved opposing team member to be Zix. You said you found Zix to be more than a man but a beast?" Leona asked to clarify things.

"You caught on," Janeth said with a smile. "Zix was a hybrid demon who also was a former human knight, betrayed by his own men. When he attempted to take a kingdom away from his former friends, he was suddenly attacked. Now normally, I would go against his own methods, but he had potential to be something more than what he is. He might turn evil, but there was a way to take himself to be neutrally aligned once he's had his fill. He was able to succeed in his revenge and was a ruler. And one kingdom at a time for several years up to a century, he was something of an image. He wasn't just a military leader, but he was also guiding kingdoms under his rule to prosper in a number ways that weren't possible without his help. Then instead of being tyrannical many years later, he was a savior. He was wise... so wise he even steered me towards him in a way. But don't mistake his calm demeanor strictly speaking that he's cool with what you say. Behind his calm face, he could feel rage. And the next second, maybe you could be his next meal. This made me think he's more than a leader. And so... I invited him over to my organization. He gladly accepted. And from then on, we both set up what seemed to solidify the Flight-Dagger Organization. I used to be alone with my organization. And with him... we were able to procure more ships... and then some. Our influence spread through dimensions and I was... quite satisfied to be honest."

Leona saw through Janeth's eyes that there was contentment, the way she's able to interpret it through her own past. Or maybe it was Janeth's drunkenness that led them both through that moment? Leona eventually understood where Janeth was coming from. In the biggest sense, Janeth was broken, not expecting Zix to turn his back on the organization and seize control of it for himself. And now... Janeth needed another friend.

Then Leona decided with a simple nod before speaking up. "You know what? Tell me what you need from me. Whatever comes, should come. If that's how you want to treat it." She paused for a while to see Janeth smile at her for saying yes. "And there's also the talk of my compensation for being with you-"

"Oh screw you," Janeth said with a chuckle before putting her hand on Leona's shoulder sounding to be a little more sober. "I'll never get tired of this, won't I? I'll show you bits of who I am. But if you're serious on this, then thanks." She sighs before continuing. "The first thing you should understand is that I'm a rift-traveller. I go through dimensions and it took me a long time to master it. You're seeing the bitch who knows how to do it. Tomorrow morning at 10AM, I'm gonna show you more of me. What you've seen in combat... well... You haven't seen everything." She keeps her hands to herself before chuckling again. "When ya get back to your apartment room, just prepare whatever light weapons you got. I know where you're sleeping. But I'll tell you through a note on where to go to meet me."

"Wait, I got questions."

"Then wait for it until it's right you ask." Janeth said this while slightly glaring at Leona. "I'll tell you what I need to tell you. It's actually better if I show you. Now..." Some sort of opening to another place was beginning to open up from behind Janeth, appearing like a portal only there wasn't much aura around it to tell it was a portal. "You got instructions in your room. I doubt that in the first three days you were around here that you wouldn't know what to do on this new set. You got this far. Now I wanna see if you can prepare yourself for what I'm about to show you the next time we meet. See ya." Janeth said this before she inched herself backward and entered the portal before it got smaller and closed off. Janeth was no longer there, entering into a portal and disappeared into it.

Leona wasn't sure of what to think of it, but she asked herself if Janeth entered a rift, if that's what it's called. At least that's the only thing that was considered weird unlike the time she arrived at this instance. "I gotta stop being drunk," she mumbled to herself.

The next morning as what was agreed already came. Leona was walking groggily under the morning sun. At what used to be a reservoir, it was drained from all the water, and what was left was nothing but open concrete space. She felt quite uneasy when she was walking here. Though she already feels that she was sober, she just feels there will be something completely different that day. How? If she talked to an inter-dimensional traveler, she knew her time with Janeth won't always be on her type of "normal".

As Leona was seeing Janeth ahead, she noticed Janeth was dressed differently... wearing a dark blue skirt and black sneakers on her feet for her lower attire, and wearing a white-base green-outlined half-sleeved polo and a notable but small green ribbon on her chest. Her eyes appeared to be naturally green for some reason.

Janeth smiles seeing Leona arrive. "Glad to know you've come... even if it's 10 minutes late."

Leona snorted, giving emphasis to her attire of wearing a brown jacket, while showing there are holsters with pistols inside the jacket and revealing she had a black undershirt. "Why don't you give me a break? Sobering up may be easy, but I have to be prepared."

"Good thing you brought those pistols nonetheless. Because even as a dark absorption-witch, you're going to find our next environment a little more interesting. But before we go..." Janeth then raised one hand and waved it around in a twirl before a small rift opens above her hand. And down came her Strike-Cutter's hilt as quick as it should fall before Janeth firmly held her weapon's hilt and handle. As the rift closed, she swung her blade in a circle in front of her as she observed her weapon. "I always had a thing for preparing myself. I can interchange weapons using a personal storage pocket-dimension. Needed a personal storage to make sure I have what I need. But this Strike-Cutter served me for a while. I needed a bigger blade, unlike my Strike-Rapier with only a lethal tip and a thin blade."

"Can you still maintain speed with that thing?"

"Thanks to my enhanced strength, I can. And if you're asking how deep it can cut, imagine an elephant. I swing once at its neck and I can easily sever its head." Janeth chuckles. "Anything else?"

Leona snorts, doubting Janeth's information. "For anything else, I want to be given clarity. Where exactly are we going that you're telling me this?"

"All in good time, until we drop in." Janeth said this with a smirk before snapping her fingers on her free hand before a rift opened to each of them. Janeth and Leona dropped into the rift before it closed right above them. Janeth screamed in laughter, falling from the sky of day and past clouds. "HERE WE GO!"

Leona was surprised ever since she started falling and she couldn't believe at first she was in a different place. But realizing she was at the sky, she adjusted her fall and made sure her head was facing down and her body was angled downwards. Then she heard lots of gunfire in the distant surface below. And as she was looking at the ground, she was shocked to see the soil was battered, filled with trenches and anti-tank obstacles.

Then she realizes it. Janeth is crazy enough to land them in a battlefield... And Janeth's craziness was evident when Leona heard her boisterously laughing, so excited to land at the surface... This made Leona gulp.