Ch 01 Awakenings
Disclaimer: Don't own any of these characters but hopefully you all enjoy this particular mix of Gargoyles, Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon, 3x3 Eyes, and Yugioh.
Goliath and his fellow gargoyles awoke. A minute, an hour, or a century it did not matter, the magas' spell had been broken and they were all together and alive. The dog like gargoyle growled attracting their attention. Looking in his direction their eyes widened at the city of strange buildings and moving between them strange creatures.
"Which of you is the one named Goliath?" asked a calm voice.
Turning Goliath saw a human dressed in an outfit that reminded him of a nobleman.
The man had a smile that was both friendly and mischievous his face famed by long whitish hair which covered the left side of his face.
"I am Goliath." Goliath then noticed the castle behind the man towering over Castle Wyvern.
Bowing slightly the man chuckled, "Greetings, I am Maxamillian Pegasus; and I bid you welcome to the last decade of the 20th century."
Moments later they were in the Great Hall of Castle Wyvern the main table laid out with food. "After being in stone sleep for 1,000 years I thought you might be hungry and had a feast prepared. Demona and several of my old friends will be joining us momentary."
The beaked gargoyle frowned slightly, "What of our rookery eggs?"
"I am not sure. Demona said that the Magas and Princess Catherine took them elsewhere for safekeeping but she did not know to where they were taken. Not even the book he left behind which documented the events said. The League of OtherWorlds has seen many gargoyles clans but only one from Scotland. Until now that is." Pegasus pulled out a little bowl filled with folded pieces of paper. "But first things first. With the exception of Goliath and Demona you need names."
"Names?" asked the elderly gargoyle, "Why do you humans insist on naming things? And who is this Demona you speak of?"
"Names allow us to identify things and people at a distance." said a female voice. Turning the gargoyles were greeted by a blond haired woman with a warm smile. "As for who Demona is, I believe Goliath's name for her was Angel of the Night."
"My wife Cynthia." smiled Pegasus.
Goliath blinked in astonishment, "My Angel of the Night is alive?"
"Very much so. Sadly for her she did not sleep through the last 1,000 years. Rather she lived through every day of them." Pegasus held up his hand, "I respect her privacy so am not privy to the details. Though it does seem to be similar to the process in making a Wu."
"A Wu? What is a Wu?" asked Goliath.
"An unkillable guardian. It is created when a part of the soul is removed and merged with the soul of another being." frowned Pegasus, "From what Demona told me it was the work of three Sanjiyan Unkara who wanted to play."
"Rough translation they were bored and made Demona and MacBeth their latest project." said a female voice.
"Hello Ranko. Training with Demona over?" asked Pegasus
"No, she and Hotaru were both in one of their moods." said a red head as she entered the room. "I left after they ripped out each other's liver for the third time." Ranko then looked at Pegasus, "You sure having them do that to each other is healthy?"
"As Wu they cannot kill each other and they both need to work out some frustration. Demona especially. The last thing I want her to do is go back to her old 'Kill all humans' mentality. My niece also needs to work out some frustration."
"Did you say rip out each other's liver?" asked the small gargoyle.
"Feel better?" came a voice from outside of the room.
"Somewhat. I still say you should have let me kill that Hunter, Hotaru." growled a familiar voice.
"Demona, killing him would just have the next generation of racist morons go after you. Putting him in a full body cast sent a more effective message. Believe me. Though there are times I wish I could get my hands on Queen Serenity and not only put her into one but dump a can of itching powder on her afterwords."
Two figures then entered the room. The gargoyles gasped as both were covered in blood. "Couldn't you ladies at least washed up before coming in here?" asked Pegasus calmly.
"My fault, Uncle. Demona was so angered at dealing with that Hunter jerk in Tokyo that I thought it best she saw Goliath after we worked out our anger." said the human female leaning on the pole arm she was carrying.
"Well at least you are not dripping it on the carpet. You have any idea on how hard it is to get blood stains out?"
"My Angel of the Night are you ok?" asked Goliath grabbing Demona by the arms.
Demona gave a laugh, "Don't worry my love. I have survived 1,000 years. This is a little thing, especially as we are now together again."
"Hate to break up the family reunion but we do have some important matters to contend with." smiled Pegasus.
"Ah yes, the names. You humans do have this habit of naming everything," chuckled Demona whose eyes fell on the bowl, "That is unnecessary."
Pegasus frowned. "You've been using the ERB again."
Demona smiled. "It has its uses. The eldest of you is Hudson. The smallest Lexington, the pudgy one Broadway, and the one with the beak Brooklyn."
"ERB?" asked Lexington.
"Eisenstein Rosen Bridge. It like this castle is a crude replication of advanced technology."
"Clarke's Law," grinned Demona. "Any sufficiently advanced or different technology is indistinguishable from magic."
Setting the bowl aside Pegasus sighed. 'You're in one of your moods again." Pegasus then smiled, "You have entered into a multiverse of advanced science Goliath. Exciting but also dangerous brave new worlds."
Hudson stroked his beard, "Multiverse? That is a word I am not familiar with. And what do you mean by worlds?"
Pegasus smiled and pulled out a thin book. On the cover were two humans in strange garb running toward a man about to crushed by a heavy looking object. "I imagine you are all familiar with the term universe. Well uni means one while multi means many." Pegasus frowned, "Two years ago events happened that shook everyone's view of the Earth and its place in the grand scheme of things. In fact the very concepts of time and history were shaken to their core. My friends and I created the League of OtherWorlds to help guide everyone through these new and exciting times."
"I could do with a little less excitement thank you very much." said a female voice, turning the gargoyles saw a blond haired human lady enter the room. Well she looked partly human. In place of hands and feet were wicked looking talons and feathered wings extended from her arms.
Demona broke from Goliath's embrace and gripping the woman's arms and pulled her to Goliath, "Mai, am I happy to see you. I want you to meet my beloved."
Mai smiled and extended a taloned hand, "You must be Goliath. Your Angel of the Night has told you much about you. Mai 'Valatine' Kujaku, Harpie Lady. Pleased to meet you."
Cautiously Goliath accepted the hand and frowned, "Harpie Lady?"
"Just one of the many residence of the ShadowRealm. Though Mai was like me born human." finished Pegasus a smirk appearing on his face.
"Pegasus, please don't remind me. I was such a shallow person when I was Human." said Mai making a face.
"Mai as I have said before to my sisters Pai and Parvati being human is not a matter of appearance it is a matter of the heart and the mind." said Ranko, "and sadly not all humans had good hearts or sound minds."
"True but there are humans who see beyond the pettiness and create high ideals. The men who founded this country over 200 years ago for example whose beliefs echo to the modern day. Freedom to worship as you choose as long as it does not deprive anyone else of their happiness or freedom, the right to speak your mind, and the right to read what you want to were all put down in the Bill of Rights." Pegasus swept his arms wide, "Rights that have been defended no matter what the cost to property or life. As a President of this land said so that 'the government for the people, by the people shall not perish from the face of the Earth'"
Ranko chuckled, "Still the showman, Pegasus."
Pegasus laughed, "Ok, perhaps that was a little over the top but you have to admit of all the countries of this world the US and Japan have made the best adjustments to the new situation. What is left of the Soviet Union would like the whole thing to go away, the Vatican even after two years doesn't have clue one, the Islamic and Christian rightwingnuts are frothing at the mouth as usual, and everybody else is too wrapped up in their own local problems to care." Pegasus then gestured to the table, "At least you can enjoy the feast and then you can learn more about the world you have woken up in. And I have even invited some friends to help you make the adjustment."
~*~*MoT*~*~
Goliath was stunned by the assorted beings that come in to join in the feast. Never before had he seen such a group before. It was as if every myth and legend he had heard of had come to life. After the group sat down Pegasus tapped his glass with his fork getting everyone's attention, "People of the League of the OtherWorlds. I am proud to announce a new addition to our ranks. The clan of Goliath and Demona." Everyone rose and clapped. "Please give Goliath and his clan all the help they need to adjust to this time."
Everyone then sat down and the feast began. A female angel like being leaned over to Demona, "I see why you waited all this time Demona. He is much like my son. Perhaps once he has adjusted you can have my son and daughters teach him the Ganso Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu. He has the potential to become a Grandmaster; I feel it."
Demona arched an eyebrow, "I'll take it under consideration. I am surprised that you would not want to do the training yourself, Genma."
Genma shook her head, "My methods were crude and dangerous. My children have refined them greatly. Besides even if I was stupid enough to try my old methods, they were designed to test the limits of humans not gargoyles."
"If you were stupid enough to use your old training methods Pops Demona would likely tear out your heart and make you eat it," said Ranko darkly, "Then I would force feed you your own liver as desert." Ranko then got a smirk, "If you are so impressed with Goliath perhaps you should ask Demona if she shares."
Genma chuckled, "You both know I don't swing that way. Though I could ask Goliath if he shares. Demona is quite beautiful in her own right."
Demona chuckled, "I thought you had a mate."
Genma signed, "A human mate, Demona. I love Nodoka dearly but the woman has a lot of traditional hang ups that get in the way. Plus I am very afraid that when her time comes she will not want to make the Transition. That means reincarnation and we have seen how confused that can be at times."
Goliath noticed a man leading a child into the room a golden staff in his hand. Hotaru looked up and got out of her chair. "Merik, I knew you would be able to make it." Hotaru said.
"The new people have interesting Ki auras, mommy." said the little girl.
"Athena, now what did we tell you about looking into people's souls?" asked the man looking at the girl.
"Not to do it, father. But I am looking at their Ki or life auras not their soul auras."
"My mistake, I keep getting the Chinese and Japanese Ki terms confused."
The girl giggled bounding from between her parents sprouted blue feathered wings out of her back and flew around the table. Settling next the smallest gargoyle she took his hand in hers, "How about tomorrow we fly around the city?"
"Sure."
Demona chuckled. "Hope you can keep up. Athena can fly fast." Demona then turned his attention to Pegasus, "I still remember when we first met. When I still hated all humans."
"Considering that it has been only within the last two years humanity has been forced to admit it is not the only intelligent life in the multiverse it's understandable." Pegasus sighed, "To use another quote, 'I believe Man's wisdom must walk hand and hand with his idiocy. His emotions must rule his brain. He must be a warlike creature who gives battle to everything around him, even himself.'"
"Dr Zaius, from Planet of the Apes," said a young woman next to Ranko. "Man fears the unknown and that fear always manifests in one of three ways. Either he worships that fear in hope to appease it, he hates it and attacks every chance he gets, or he ignores it in the hope that somehow it will magically go away." The woman sighed, "The Sanjiyan Unkara played on those fears, passing themselves off as deities, angels, or even devils. Immortality, eternal youth, and great 'magical' power does not mean great wisdom. In the end we managed to destroy ourselves, leaving behind the tattered remnants of once great tribes."
"Pai there is no reason to assume that those other tribes suffered the same fate as yours. But I would like to know what did happened to them." responded Pegasus.
"Sanjiyan Unkara? That is a term I have not heard before." replied the elderly gargoyle.
"You may not know the race name but you do know the names of many of us." chuckled Ranko opening up a third eye, "Ra, Odin, Zeus, Thor, and Anubus to mention a few."
"There were rumors of a splinter tribe that left Sazan long before I was born." said Pai, "They were led by a Sanjiyan Unkara called Oberon who considered all his subjects his children and hence their name Oberon's Children."
"The third race." said the awed elderly Gargoyle.
"You will find that the Earth of the 20th century is home to more than three races." smiled Cynthia.
"According to the stories Oberon's Children were more powerful than most Sanjiyan Unkara but that power came at a price. They were highly susceptible to iron." said Pai.
"Their 'magic' sure isn't." growled Demona, "I have been impaled enough times on iron pikes to find that out."
"Ran afoul of some religious nutjob?"
"Yes but he didn't impale me because I was a gargoyle but because he didn't believe in my immorality as he prized honesty above all else. Centuries later with a little prodding another man used his name as the title for his vampire novel." Demona smiled as she poured some more wine, "It was painful but I did get to watch him use the same method on the Turks he hated so much." Demona rose swaying a little from the wine, "A toast to the only human that I truly trusted. To Vlad Tepes Dracula."
Pegasus shook his head taking a sip of his wine. "About how many goblets of wine have you had Demona?"
"Only five." replied Demona as she filled her goblet again.
"In short you are drunk. I would say you will pay for it come morning but you will be in stone sleep come dawn." thump
"Would waking her up and putting coffee in her help, Uncle?" said Hotaru as she looked down at Demona out cold on the floor.
"In her current state? No. Let her sleep it off. Next night Golieth and his clan can start exploring the worlds."
~*~*MoT*~*~
Demona woke from her stone sleep will one splitting headache. "Haven't over done it like that in centuries." she growled. She then noticed Goliath giving her a glaring look, "How much do you know?"
"Pegasus said the details could be found in his library. What I found out about Vlad Tepes Dracula turned my stomach," growled Goliath. "How could you admire someone like that?"
Demona glared back, "The way you are talking you would assume I was admiring someone like Hitler, Stalin, or Mao. Vlad III did what was needed to protect his country, Goliath. Unlike the humans you trusted Vlad kept his word to the day he died. He even set up things so his word would be kept after his death. To this day his castle is one of the few places where I am totally safe." Demona turned away, "You have no idea of how painful it is to reform after being smashed during the day." Demona turned back her eyes blazing with fury, "While you slept the last 1,000 years I have lived every day of them. I have been killed more ways than I care to remember always coming back. Once I proved I was telling the truth Dracula protected me from feeling pain except when I offered my body to help him satisfy his sadistic needs."
Goliath expression turned to one of disgust. "I said sadistic not sexual needs," said Demona, "When he was exiled he bought mice and birds to impale but he liked nothing more than to watch a human suffer. I was not human but did want to repay him for how he protected me. And when he returned to power oh how those who had dethroned him paid." Demona smiled. "It made all the pain I went through during his imprisonment worth while."
"Demona. Oh there you are." said Hotaru entering the room; noticing Gloiath's expression she frowned, "What'a wrong with Goliath?"
"He thinks my choice of human protectors leaves much to be desired." grinned Demona.
"You mean Vlad." Hotaru said shaking her head, "In some respects he was better than many of his contemporaries. You cannot judge him on tenth or twentieth century standards, Goliath. Even today the people of that region still regard him as a national hero because of his efforts at keeping his homeland free. But as to what brought me here." Hotaru handed Demona an envelope.
Demona opened the latter and frowned as she read the contents, "It's from Pegasus' friend Shadi. Seems he found something very strange in England." Demona handed Goliath a small picture. "A monument to some gargoyles who helped protect the humans there from one of the worst group of humans who ever lived. I think the gargoyle to the right looks familiar." Goliath frowned at the picture which showed himself and another gargoyle standing on some sort of machine.
"What does it mean?"
"It means trouble." scowled Demona grabbing the picture and leaving the room.
Moments later the gargoyle clan and Pegasus were all looking at the small picture. "Pegasus how can Goliath have helped fight the Blitz? He along with the rest of my clan was in stone sleep back in 1940." asked Demona.
"What is the Blitz?" asked the small gargoyle.
"It was a series of attacks on London the capital city of England," Pegasus leaned back, "As far how I think you suspect the reason as do I."
"Time Travel," said Demona shivering.
Pegasus nodded.
"What a minute, are you saying you can travel though time?" asked Brooklyn.
"Not that it does any blasted good," fumed Demona. "Nothing we did changed the outcome in the here and now. Three methods and they all have the same blasted problem," grumbled Demona as she walked over to a black stone circle sitting against a wall. "Either you arrive in a parallel reality that resembles the past you came from or your actions are part of actual history. Not that it matters as in either case the present remains the way it is. So you can change the past...only it won't change this present."
"Demona, I, and the Grey Moon clan went on a little trip to 994 with the Stargate here and we changed some things."
"The Vikings did not like being divebombed by a whole army of flying shadowbeings. Ruined their day and attack. But it didn't matter for this world this history."
"I did warn you that was going to happen," said a voice.
Everyone turned to see a man dressed in a black robe his arms folded across his chest.
"Yes Wiseman you did warn me...twice. Once in 1994 and again...in 542."
Wiseman took in a deep breath. "What did you go and do?"
"Used the Time Gates to enlist the aid of King Arthur and Merlin. Found out something very interesting," finished Demona as she touched a glowing box next to the Stargate.
The spiral-like black and white symbol in the gate's hole started spinning and when it turned gray a picture formed.
In the picture a pair of doors appeared and from them emerged Demona.
Narrowing her now red eyes she ran to the sound of battle in the distance.
The image shifted and there was Wiseman and several men in armor fighting a woman with a pole shaped like a key and dressed in a skin tight top with a frilly short skirt.
The woman turned, scowled, and said "Death Scream" resulting in Demona being thrown across the battlefield.
"Pluto, what are you doing?" yelled Wiseman.
"All threats to Crystal Tokyo must be eliminated. Death Scream."
"Silence Wall."
Pluto narrowed her eyes. "That is one of Sailor Saturn's powers."
"I'm just full of surprises. Fire Soul."
Pluto just barely dodged the ball of fire thrown at her. "That was one of Sailor Mars attacks."
"Yes and here is one of yours. Death Scream." Pluto went flying.
"Artaire Jadeite Pendragon, keep Sailor Trigger Happy busy while I check on the gargoyle she blasted."
"Mereland Wiseman, I doubt the creature could have survived her attack," said an armored man.
"If it is who I think it is she not only survived but is royally pissed, Sir Kay," said Wiseman as he moved at inhumanly fast speed over the battlefield.
Wiseman shook his head as he leaned over the gargoyle. "Demona. What the hell are you doing here? The battle that took your clan from you won't happen for over 400 years. I told you before you can't change your present. I can't… oh kuso."
Demona started to snicker, then giggle, and finally laugh. "I came looking for King Arthur and Merlin and I find out I already had their aid."
"Merlin died of radiation sickness in the mid 1940s."
"The Merlin of myth and legend is a composite character. But you already knew that didn't you?"
"This is a divergent past; it has no connection..."
"This isn't a divergent anything; this is your past colored by the mists of myth and legend. And by a future you have prevented."
"A causality loop? Really? Come on Demona. Time travel doesn't work that way."
"But there are threads of history forming cables of probability aren't there? This may not be exactly what happened but with only stories written centuries after the events…."
Wiseman turned toward the battlefield. "How can it be my past? In my past Pluto was doing the Rip van Winkle impression clear until my counterpart's little time trip messed up things more then one of Pops' schemes messed up my life."
"And Pluto died in a possible future but was still guarding the Time Gates."
Wiseman stiffened. "Kuso. That thing out there is not Sailor Pluto at all but a ki construct akin to a Shadowbeing."
"Despite all your acquired wisdom there are still times when you don't want to face the reality of the situation and so ignore what doesn't fit your view."
Wiseman turned. "Using my own words to you on me. Cute."
"Well that outfit of yours is from a stage play of A Christmas Carol so it seemed appropriate."
"What are you talking about?"
Demona laughed again. "Looks like we both were right. Not the past of my Wiseman."
"Which means you aren't my Demona."
"I know that tone, Ranma," smiled Demona. "No I am not your Demona...I had a future far worse. In that future, that tomorrow that for me will never happened I performed a ritual that was supposed to..."
"Kill all of humanity leaving the Gargoyles to rule over what was left of the planet. I know. Goliath and his friend Elisa shut down that mess before I had to involve myself."
"Seems in that future the spell was slightly wrong. It only killed some 90 percent of the human population."
"So it was you, not a tag team match of Pharaoh 90 and Princess Snow Kaguya that put Nitwit-Queen Simpleton in charge in that future. You and Pops would have made the perfect FUBAR tag team. How did you and Elisa get along in your world? Were you still trying to kill her very other week for 'taking' Goliath away from you?"
"I assume your comment means that this Elisa was human. I haven't meet her."
"Yet."
"It may not happen. After meeting you I abandoned the effort to cast that spell as I found out where it would lead. Besides you gave me something better."
"What's going though that mind of yours, Demona?"
"I have another option in saving my clan. The same method Pegasus used to bring back his wife. The same way your father was brought back."
"Great, as if my Demona getting that Pops level idea in her head wasn't enough. We simply don't know enough about the ShadowRealms the Moon Kingdom or Egyptians created to pull something like that off on that scale without it blowing up in our face."
Demona snorted. "That is where you are wrong. I have the information I need to pull it off."
"Sounds like you picked up my old size of Jupiter ego before I became Wiseman."
"No, my Wiseman is better versed in the ShadowRealms then you. For instance how did I get here?"
"Easy, there is only one way to do this little trick – the Moon Kingdom's Time-space Gates."
"In my world my history in 1994 I have three options to choose from," grinned Demona.
"Three options? But 1994 was nearly 2 years ago, well from our proper present."
"And you and your friends haven't figured out the other options yet. I'll give you hint for one of them. Just ask the Doctor."
"Doctor who?"
"Exactly."
Wiseman sighed. "Look Demona, I got to get back in the fight to shut down that ki construct out there. I want your word as a gargoyle that you will run this Tribble brained plan by my counterpart."
"You have it."
"Why do I have this ugly feeling that isn't going to slow you down?" said Wiseman as he ran toward the battlefield.
The image faded turning to the gray image of before. "Well what do you think?"
"If you can't change history to where it matters use history to your advantage. I must say from a challenge point of view I like it but..."
"You have the same concerns your counterpart did."
"Not only that but this is something too big to be just decided by us. The Magus' book gives us a guide to Oberon's little vacation spot and it seems logically that is where the eggs were taken."
"What about that picture?" asked Goliath.
"Like Demona showed it doesn't mean that is the Goliath of this present this world."
"My head is starting to hurt," commented Hudson.
"It's like a fork in the road," said a voice.
Turning everyone saw a reptilian humanoid in the same outfit as Pluto.
"Hello Chronus Aeon," said Demona.
"This plan is better then your kill all of humanity one but it is still bad."
"We got you back out, didn't we?"
"But not in my real body."
"And their real bodies were smashed by the Vikings, so what's the problem?"
Pegasus snickered, "You've got to admit she's got you there." Pegasus' face then got somber. "But Chronus does have a point about this being a really bad idea. You are proposing using a technology that we don't really understand."
"We know it can work. You used it bring back your wife. Genma used it to return from being drowned."
"What does she mean brought back your wife?" asked Broadway.
"My wife died years ago. I was shown a way I could bring her back with my Millennium Eye. What you saw, and this is true of nearly all the Shadowbeings you saw, are the souls of the dead using bodies made for them."
Pegasus gave a very heavy sigh. "We discovered that there were ways in which the past could be manipulated that didn't kick you into an alternate world. But they can only be very minor things that do not change the immediate or long terms results. Events with poor documentation by actual witnesses or archeological evidence are far easier to muck around with then ones with good archeological evidence or worse witnesses documentation."
"Even if it was possible to get their souls out so all the Vikings smashed were soulless husks our ability to retrieve souls is erratic at best," commented Wiseman. "Nevermind that to date only Peg's revival of his wife has worked as planned...everything else has been less then stellar."
One of the Harpy Ladies chuckled. "I prefer this body to the one I had in life. It's vast improvement."
"But remember, Steelfeather, you didn't remember who you once were for almost a decade," commented Wiseman.
"Perhaps I didn't want to remember. Recorded history has not painted me in the best light. My political miscalculations, egotism, and suicide resulted in a year of total chaos for empire. What good I did do has been largely forgotten and I have been portrayed as a monster nearly on par with Caligula for over 19 centuries."
