Chapter 2 – Arriving

Disclaimer: I do not own Skulduggery Pleasant, One Punch Man or Avatar The Last Airbender. Just so you know:

1). this is the Valkyrie from before Death Bringer, so she is already a necromancer-in training and Darquesse is already known of;

2). the time in the OPM Universe is well before the current events (that is to say, before the Monster Association Arc);

3). Toph is from roughly around the end of Book Two of Avatar… and maybe just into the beginning of Book Three.

And that's about it I have to say. Enjoy the story, and reviews are always welcome!

Toph took it as a bad sign when she fell through the ground.

Literally – one moment it was there; hard, solid and dependable – the next, it was gone and her feet made contact with nothing. Nothing! Not being able to see was… was… well, it was terrifying. It was why she had taken some time to get used to flying on Appa's back.

But, of course, Toph – being Toph – would never admit this to anyone. Ever.

Fortunately, she was only suspended in nothingness for just a few seconds. And soon she was deposited roughly onto sweet, solid land.

"Land!" She exclaimed and slumped down with a sigh of relief.

Toph placed her hand face-down on the ground, getting to grips with her surroundings. She frowned; it wasn't like anywhere she remembered having been to, but it didn't worry her much. Around her, she could see unusual towering buildings that jutted upwards like strange columns of rock. Toph herself was lying on a perfectly flat surface, that dropped onto a slightly lower surface about a foot away. Underneath both she could feel drains and sewers; all leading somewhere. But the strangest part about this place was the silence.

There was no one outside on the streets, but she could hear them all nervously hiding in the buildings that lined the streets. Why were they hiding?

And more importantly; what were they hiding from?

When Valkyrie was sucked through a swirling, shimmering portal, she realised that it was going to be one of those days.

Please not the dimension with the Faceless Ones.

The portal dropped her from a few feet above the pavement and she landed with an "oof!" not far from another girl who was lying spread-eagled on the paving blocks. The girl turned her head in Valkyrie's direction, the content smile on her face instead being replaced by a more guarded, suspicious expression.

Slowly, Valkyrie got to her feet and felt her nausea subside. Looking around, she saw buildings – office blocks and whatnot – lining the street she'd been deposited on. There were a couple of cars parked alongside the pavement, but there were none going by on the road itself. In fact, the only other person Valkyrie could see was the girl. She was scowling at Valkyrie, so she turned to observe her companion.

She looked young. And short. Black hair, green and pale yellow dress with a thick belt around her waist. And… blind? Yes, there was no mistaking her clouded-over eyes. Valkyrie couldn't help but stare, until;

"What're you looking at?" The girl demanded defensively.

"Uh, sorry?" Valkyrie blinked, surprised by the sudden hostility.

"You heard me!" The girl exclaimed as she sat up and narrowed her eyes slightly, "And who are you supposed to be, anyway?"

"I'm Valkyrie – sorry about earlier," she apologized.

"Huh."

"So, you are?" Prompted Valkyrie.

"…You can call me the Blind Bandit!" She smirked as she jabbed a thumb at herself.

"You want me to call you 'The Blind Bandit'?" Valkyrie couldn't keep the smile from her face.

"Yeah – you got a problem with that?"

"Nope, none at all." She declared.

Smart, thought Valkyrie; a taken name. She wasn't a sorcerer – that much Valkyrie could tell – but there was something else about her that she couldn't place.

"So? Where're you from, huh?" The Bandit nodded her head at Valkyrie.

"Me?" Said the other girl. "Why would you ask me where I'm from?"

"Oh, I dunno – maybe 'cause it sounded like you fell through something that sounded like whatever it was that I fell through." Stated the girl plainly.

"You mean a portal?" Asked Valkyrie, feeling her pulse quicken.

The Blind Bandit shrugged nonchalantly, reaching up at the same time to poke a finger into her ear.

"Is that what it's called?" She asked, though didn't seem entirely interested.

"Yes – that's probably it – so, Bandit where are you from, exactly? Can you describe it?"

"Um… What's there to describe, really?" She pondered, tapping a forefinger to her chin, "Well, there's Appa; he's a flying bison… belongs to Aang… Oh, who's the Avatar, by the way."

"Avatar…?" Echoed Valkyrie, unsure if that name was supposed to hold some gravity.

"Oh yeah, y'know," she shrugged, "he's gotta end the War, probably kill the Fire Lord in the process and talks to spirits and stuff."

"Spirits?" Valkyrie was a little perturbed by this as she thought back to the Remnants from her own dimension. "What kind of spirits, exactly…? Actually, never mind – I don't want to know."

"Okay." She said, "I don't blame you – I don't get spirits, either."

"Where is everyone?" Valkyrie murmured to herself, the oppressive silence beginning to bother her.

"They're hiding." Stated the Bandit plainly, surprising Valkyrie.

Valkyrie wondered how the girl could know. It wasn't like she could have seen where they had gone. So, it was with some skepticism that Valkyrie nodded slowly.

"Uh-huh."

"What, don't believe me?" She snorted.

"No, it's just…"

"Is it because I'm blind?" The Bandit asked bluntly.

"Well…" Valkyrie shrugged.

"I can still see you." She said, "And that building, and the people inside. I can see the road, too, and the sewers underground… How about you? Can you see any of it?"

Valkyrie made a bit of a face at the younger girl. Why was she so accusing and blunt and... She lost her train of thought as she realised how much the girl was like her. She almost smiled to herself as she looked back to the Bandit.

"Okay, Blind Bandit, maybe we can help each other," Valkyrie ventured.

"… What've you got in mind, then?"