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Tangled Fate
The Elsewhere Files: Rathess Chronicles
Chapter One: A Rough Landing
By: Grounders10
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The southeastern jungles of Creation were a wild place of monsters and lost civilizations from previous ages. A determined man with enough experience, power, and preparation could find treasures beyond imagining if he was willing to brave the jungles. The Jungles filled with tyrant lizards, supernatural diseases, carnivorous plants, and a thousand more dangers each more vicious and wild than the last.
And yet for all those dangers, there was one thing, one place, in the long-abandoned Jungles that drew men, Exalted and mortal alike, back to the place where their people first lived. The City of Rathess.
Rathess the First city, the Glittering jewel of the Eastern Jungles, Capital of the Dragon Kings ancient empire and former home of the Ochre Fountain.
Rathess the Fallen, home of Savages, Monsters, and forbidden gods. A place of the damned and a testament to decay and corruption.
Spoken of in the oldest texts as the birthplace of civilization and home to the first humans both savants and treasure hunters have launched many expeditions into the forbidding jungles of the south-east in hopes of recovering some shred of treasure or long lost knowledge. Of those few who succeed none have ever lived to tell of the horrors that have laid claim to the city.
Perhaps it is ironic that those who never sought the city are those who might stand the greatest chance of surviving. Irony, or perhaps something more. Something like Fate.
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The winds whipping past her ears was the first sign that something had gone horribly wrong with her day. Not that Nodoka Saotome's day had been going particularly well. The genealogy lessons she had been trying to impart on her son and his fiancee and her sister had been less well-received than she hoped. Her son, it seemed, had little interest in the minutiae of their history and well Akane had paid close attention, her siblings, even Kasumi, has seemed to grow tired of the discussion easily. Even after she had ended it to allow for lunch things had gotten worse when she had rolled her ankle and spilled her juice on her son, turning him into his girl form.
Ranma's curse was… complicated for Nodoka. She loved her son, truly she loved him, but even though she had declared his oath to be a man amongst men fulfilled, there was a part of her that always wondered… It was hard to put her feelings into words, but seeing the young girl whose bright red hair reminded her of her own family running about energetically in place of her son…
It was difficult to say what her worries were, just that they were there.
The storm that had rolled in had really been the cherry on top, turning the sunny, if rather warm, weather into a dreary humid summer storm. Or so she had thought. Then everything burbled pink. In that time between understanding, a fire seemed to ignite within her chest and then she found herself falling through the sky, cold wind scrapping her cheeks and ripping her hair from its bun, sending the auburn locks trailing through the sky behind her like a banner.
Above her, golden light unfurled, blazing with the last flickering flames of light that blazed within the sunset skies the world over. From within that light unfurled wings of flame and a tail of fire that hung in the sky as an ethereal phoenix plummeted with her towards the ground.
The sky was black, no stars, no moon, no light. Yet the world was not entirely enveloped in darkness. Above her, a silver light fell with her. Out to the side, another silver light fell down towards the landscape beneath them. Lights could be seen, though they had no pattern or order, dotted about the landscape. Blue lights, red lights, gold lights, flickering or glowing strong. The land beneath was, from what little light there was, awash with trees and the occasional stone structure. A tower that stood high over the landscape in the distance glittered with flickering lights and another stood in the opposite direction with strange wisps of light that occasionally flitted about itself. Directly beneath her, in the path she seemed destined to follow, was a large structure whose presence was only hinted at by dim blue lights amidst the garden that encompassed it. It was breathtaking, and from the perspective of someone plummeting to their death, utterly terrifying.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah," she screamed as the weight of her situation, and how dire it was, sank in. She clutched the sheathed and wrapped family katana to her chest, afraid it would be snatched away by the winds as she panicked. She had fallen to her death once before, though that had been interrupted by her son at the last moment. This- There would be no last-second rescue by her son. No desperate heroic effort from another. She was falling, far and free from any cliffs or structures that might have saved her.
Her wail whipped out across the sky and in seeming response the silver light directly above burned away to a sliver of silver as it suddenly sped up and whirled away from her towards the city. The second light shrank as well, disappearing with the distance into a glimmering speck.
She fell, a golden comet alone in the sky.
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The ground approached with alarming speed and soon Nodoka realized that she was falling for a dark patch of ground inside the garden, though it was beginning to brighten as she fell closer and the golden aura that surrounded her lit up the ground. It seemed mostly clear of trees and brush, though that still left hard compacted dirt, which was hardly a safe landing.
She was going to die. She was going to hit the floor and die, splattered across the ground. She would never see her husband or son again, and she was only just getting to know Ranma properly as his mother.
For a moment she froze at that thought, fear holding a grip on her heart as she plummeted towards the ground. Then the flame that had been burning in her heart since the world had gone strange flared and she frowned. She had only just found her son. Her child. Dying now?
She cast her eyes at the world below. It was coming faster than she would like, fast enough to kill, but when had odds stopped her child from attempting the impossible. Even if she were to die, could she face her child with pride if she had not at least tried?
No. No, she could not. She would not.
Throwing her arms out she spun in the air until her feet were below her. Her kimono had loosened in the winds and the skirting flared outwards in the breeze as she fell. Terrified beyond measure, but buoyed by a strange fatalistic calm she fell to the ground.
Her feet touched the ground and she let her legs buckle from the force, sliding forward into a roll like those she had seen her son and husband do so many times before. Somehow, some impossible way, it was enough to prevent her from dying. Her speed, built up to terminal velocity, bled off a little as it translated from vertical to horizontal, but it wasn't enough as she rolled across the ground towards a small black pond.
Barely noticing the pool of water in time she kicked herself back into the air, spinning from a ball rolling across the ground into a graceful pirouette through the air over the pond. Yet it was large, too large even with her speed to cross in a desperate leap. Her eyes searched frantically for something, anything, to fall upon that wouldn't see her plunge into the unknown waters. A lily pad was all that caught her eye, directly in her path as it was. A lilypad could not hold the weight of a full-grown woman, or even a child, for even a moment. Desperate, and feeling strangely warm, she brought her foot down upon the lilypad anyway.
Impossibly, it held.
It held for but a moment, but it was the only moment Nodoka needed as she leapt off it, her momentum carrying her further across the pond. Flying across the pond she leapt and bounced from lilypad to bullrush to rock to blade of grass and finally into a barren gap between two trees at the water's edge where softly glowing blue flowers hanging from the limbs illuminated the area.
Breath heavy, she knelt in the soft dirt between the trees, propping herself up with her hands. She looked forward into the heavily overgrown, garden that was lit by the soft blue light of the flowers in the trees and the much stronger golden glow that seemed to be coming from her. Yet the only thing that rolled through her mind was that she was alive. Against all odds. Defying all possibilities.
She was alive.
"Well…" She breathed heavily to the empty garden. "That wasn't as hard as Genma made it sound." She laughed a ragged chuckle that turned rapidly into tears as she knelt beneath the trees. She cried, sobbing with relief as she allowed herself to lean against one of the trees. Minutes passed like this until finally she choked back her tears and rubbed her face clear of their traces.
"Enough… enough…" She whispered, finally looking around with eyes that saw. Beside her was a mostly overgrown path of paving stones with tall shoots of grass rising from the cracks. The two trees she was at were not the only ones, nor the only ones with softly glowing blue flowers hanging from them. She could see more along the path, though many had grown so much that their roots were pushing aside the ancient path.
To her right was the pond, silent, black, and unsettling.
Pushing herself to her feet, and feeling remarkably uninjured after her impossible fall, she clutched her sheathed blade to her chest. In the distance, she could hear birds chirp and the soft rumble of the roars and cries of a thousand different beasts. The world was dark, but this place was alive.
She shivered. The place was alive, but all those noises were distant and far away. This garden which surrounded her was quiet. It was silent in the way that only the most abandoned of places could be.
Undoing the wrappings around the family blade she cast aside the cover and held the sheathed blade in her hands. She had no skill with the blade, but having the old weapon in her hands made her feel better about the situation, calmer. In control for just a moment.
"Must it always come down to just you and I?" She asked the blade, drawing it from its sheath with a worried frown. The polished steel shone in the golden light she cast as she ran a finger along the edge, taking care not to cut herself.
With a sigh, she slid it back into its sheath and took stock of herself. Her hair was loose, her kimono had nearly unravelled, though that was perhaps a mixed blessing since it would make it easier to readjust it so she could draw her sword from her waist. It would hardly be traditional, but then falling out of the sky was hardly traditional either.
It took her a few minutes, but she retied her kimono so that she was able to slide her sheathed blade into her obi in a spot that was easy enough to draw from. The retying also left her legs a bit more free than normal. Running was not something she normally did these days, but those roars and cries in the distance worried her and while it might have made her kimono less proper and decent if it made the difference between life and being eaten…
Well, propriety was all well and good when you weren't staring down a tiger.
That done she took a deep breath to steady herself and stepped onto the garden path. It was a garden, that much she was sure of. She could see the walls of stone that encircled it across the pond, lit as everything was by the softly glowing blue flowers and the brilliant golden bonfire centred on her.
She looked right, then left. Seeing nothing but trees and brush she considered the issue. The wall was to her left, which meant the large structure she had barely seen had to be to her right. If there was anyone who they were probably there. If nothing else maybe she could find some information about this place. Where it was in relation to home… if she was lucky.
As she walked down the broken and overgrown path her left hand came to rest on her sword hilt as her eyes scanned about. It was comforting, though hardly enough to calm the nerves generated by the distant noises. A matter made worse by some of the statues that had been used in the distant past to decorate this garden. Along the paths were short stacks of stone blocks with carved faces of reptiles and other animals, though mostly reptiles. Some few were intact, standing solidly beside the path as they must have done for years. Those were usually coated in vines and moss. Most, however, were laid out upon the ground after some event had cast them down.
The faces of these statues scowled at her from the shadows and seemed to move as her light passed over them. A trick of the light to be sure, statues couldn't move to follow her movements… and people didn't suddenly fall from the sky either.
Her hand tightened on the hilt of the blade as she passed another pair at the base of a short set of five steps leading up to an overgrown courtyard. A broken stone bench sat to the right of the top step. Another sat further to the left and had been entirely overrun by a particularly clingy bunch of vines. A tree sat in the middle of the courtyard, having burst up through the remnants of what had once been a fountain. It stood tall over the courtyard, its many limbs dripping with vines overflowing with glowing blue flowers. It was beautiful in a sad lonely way.
Nodoka walked around the courtyard, her eyes taking in the statues in the corner and the broken benches by the two paths to the right and left of her entrance. Both paths disappeared into the undergrowth quickly. As she rounded the large tree she spotted another exit on the far side of the courtyard. More than twice as wide as the other paths it led off under an intricately decorated, but aged, archway towards the large structure she had seen.
Stopping beneath the archway she paused to take in the sight of the structure she had seen from above. Her light could barely reach it in the gloom, but it was enough to give shape and definition to it. It was a pyramid, short and squat in the stylings of the Aztecs or Mayans of South America. She counted three low steps to its shape, each not even twice the height of a man.
She frowned. "South America maybe?" She wondered aloud, pondering the mystery. It would explain some of the noises she was hearing. It sounded like a jungle on the other side of these walls.
She continued pondering the mystery for a little while before a chirp from just above her broke her out of her thoughts. She looked up at the archway. She had to step back several steps to get a good look, but when she did she spotted the source of the chirping. A small pure silver sparrow that glowed like moonlight chirped down at her. It was the first sign of anything living besides trees and other flora in this garden since she had arrived.
"Hello," She said. It chirped at her and fluttered off its perch down towards her. It circled her twice chirping before coming to rest in front of her, chirping more as it did.
"Well, you're quite talkative, but I'm afraid I don't speak sparrow," Nodoka said and the bird fell quiet for a moment. Then, without warning, it lunged towards her. Its formed flowed, expanding larger and larger in the blink of an eye and before Nodoka could react a familiar young woman wearing a dress and an apron slammed into her hard enough to knock her to the ground.
"Aaaaauntieeeeeee," Kasumi sobbed.
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"Kasumi, you got caught in this as well." Nodoka sighed as she sat up with the young woman hanging onto her. She pulled the younger woman into a hug and rubbed her back as she held her. "Shhhh, its okay Kasumi."
"Mhmm…" Kasumi sniffed. "I-I was getting the laundry from the l-line then." She sobbed and Nodoka pulled her closer, resting her head on the other woman's head.
"I know. Then the sky, and the falling." Nodoka said, "I'm glad you're alright." Kasumi nodded into her shoulder. The young woman was normally so unflappable that seeing her like this… Well, she had hardly been any better only a few minutes before.
Nodoka cast a cautious glance about the foliage surrounding them. There had to be something out there. In a place this abandoned, there had to be something especially with how quiet it was. And yet, in the entire illuminated range of her glow, nothing seemed to be visible. Taking her eyes off the flora she turned her attention back to Kasumi.
"Are you alright, no broken bones? No cuts? Bruises?" She asked, pushing Kasumi away so she could look her over. Other than the lines of tears running down her face the girl appeared fine to her.
Kasumi shook her head. "Fine." She sniffed, wiping her face clean on the sleeves of her dress. "I'm not hurt. Oh dear. I've gone and made a mess." She sniffed and ran a hand over Nodoka's shoulder.
"It's fine Kasumi dear. Now, can you stand up? Sitting here is making me nervous." Nodoka asked.
"Oh, yes of course." Kasumi hurried to stand up and held out a hand Nodoka gratefully accepted.
One hand going back to her sword, Nodoka cast warily about the area. It almost felt like something was out there… something… She frowned. "Let's move onto the building up ahead. Some shelter would be nice I think." She said, smiling at Kasumi reassuringly. "Please try and stay close to me, Kasumi." She missed the wary look the younger woman sent her sword as they started up the path.
"Auntie," Kasumi began.
"Yes?" The brush and trees on either side of the path gave way to a grove of bamboo that had to blue flowers. A breeze kicked up and a soft rustling began around them as the wind played with the stalks of bamboo.
"Before we were in the sky I… I saw something. Did you also…?" Kasumi asked softly. Nodoka glanced over. Kasumi was keeping close, but her eyes were raking the bamboo on either side of them with nervous energy.
"One moment I was sitting at the table, the next… I was falling from the sky. It was terrifying." She admitted, "But it was instant, there were strange sensations… some of which I can't put words to, but I saw nothing."
"I see…" Kasumi said softly, "I… There was a young man, he spoke to me."
"Really? And what did he say?" Nodoka asked.
"He said that I was Exalted, Lunar Exalted." She replied, "I don't know what he meant, but when we arrived I was felt… more."
"Like there is a fire burning inside?" Nodoka asked, placing a hand over her heart where the flame seemed strongest. She could feel it deep inside, pushing and pulsing with her every action and thought. It had surged strongest when she had hit the ground and the acrobatics that had followed it. Acrobatics she would have sworn this morning that she was incapable of. Yet now, she was sure if she wished she could run along the sides of the bamboo grove as though it was a solid wall… yes, she could see where it would be best to place her feet, how to balance her weight so she did not fall and she could feel the warmth inside her quiver in anticipation of use.
"Yes, a warm flame that burns silver," Kasumi replied nodding.
"Silver?" Nodoka tilted her head to the side in thought. "No, mine feels like the sun. Like standing in the sun at a beach."
"Oh… perhaps…" Kasumi frowned in thought. "He did say I was Lunar Exalted. Perhaps, just maybe, you are something different Auntie?"
"Maybe, but this is a poor place to hold this discussion Kasumi. Perhaps we should shelve it for now?" Nodoka asked as the reached stairs leading up into a large open area of cracked stone and tall tufts of grass and bamboo directly in front of the pyramid.
"Of course Auntie." Kasumi nodded, stepping closer as they moved up the short staircase of stone to the next courtyard.
Several small stone structures stood on either side of the plaza leading up to the pyramid. Hanging by their doors and windows were crystal lanterns that glowed like small suns, casting bright light across the plaza. Nodoka carefully led the way towards the nearest structure. She did not expect to find help, everything was simply too abandoned for that. This place had once been grand, but now it was a ruin.
The door was heavy stone and seemed impossible to budge when Nodoka and Kasumi placed their weight against it. It clearly was a door, the decorated archway and the clear split in the sun motif on the door made it obvious. Yet it would not budge. Next to the door was a window with a small opening like those you would find at a teller's desk in a particularly secure bank. The hole was too small for a person, but the window…
Nodoka tapped the window with her knuckle before frowning. The noise it made was unlike any glass she had heard before. She tapped it again. It sounded more like rock than glass. She drew her sword and rammed the hilt into the glass.
"Auntie!" Kasumi gasped as the sword bounced off without leaving a scratch after Nodoka had thrown her weight into the strike.
"This place is abandoned Kasumi. No one will care." Nodoka said before sighing. "However, whatever glass they are using for this is tougher than I can break. Let's check the other ones." The other few structures were exactly the same, sealed doors and impenetrable windows.
Giving up on that Nodoka led Kasumi towards the main building itself. A trio of archways led to a short flight of stairs that led to another archway before the path went beneath the overhanging roof of the pyramid.
"Auntie, should we be here?" Kasumi asked softly as they passed beneath the pyramid's roofline.
"Where else would you suggest?" Nodoka asked in replied, "I haven't seen any other places to go." The path led to a pair of double stone doors. The walls on either side were intricately decorated, though the details had been worn down by time and Nodoka could only make out a few images here and there, no two depicting the same thing.
"Just, something is-" A clatter and a growl behind them caused the two to turn back to the way they came.
It was a cat, large enough to ride upon and with fur that would have blended into the darkness if it weren't for the gold and silver glows that emanated from Nodoka and Kasumi. It snarled and paced at the roofline, penning them inside the entranceway.
Nodoka pulled Kasumi behind her and drew her sword. The blade shone in the light of her aura. The cat shied backwards from the gleaming steel. It growled, a low rumble that raised hairs long the back of Nodoka's neck. In response, she drew herself up and, waving the blade, took a step towards the cat.
It stepped back and hissed. Sensing its hesitation she leapt forward with a cry and the beast jumped back, falling down the stairs towards the plaza. She paused at the top step and looked down. The big cat had landed in a heap but quickly regained its feet. It paused to snarl at her before running off into the bamboo.
Nodoka sighed and the tension in her drained out, her sword falling from its raised position to her side. Instinct fueled by the flame within had guided that reckless action, though it seemed to have paid off. "I don't think staying outside tonight is a good idea." She told Kasumi as the other woman walked over to her.
Kasumi nodded, then frowned. "Where to take shelter then?" She asked.
"Through there. If the doors will open." Nodoka said, nodding to the pyramid before leading Kasumi back over to the doors. They hurried, their steps more urgent than before now that they knew something was out there with them. Something in this garden.
The doors of the pyramid were stone, and quite heavy. Unlike the doors of the smaller buildings, however, they did move when both Nodoka and Kasumi pushed on them. The noise they made as they scraped across the ground echoed in the night air and made Nodoka wince. Something had to have heard them. Once the doors were open enough they slipped inside.
For a moment the only light was themselves, then something seemed to notice them and crystals the length of her forearm that had been set into the walls came alight with a rich golden glow. They found themselves in a hallway broad enough to drive four cars side by side, though the ceiling was low creating a claustrophobic atmosphere despite the broad hallway. Loose stones littered the hallway and a strange moss or possible lichen clung to some of the walls.
The walls themselves though… They were works of art. Carvings, protected from the elements by the building, stood out clearly with what appeared to be nearly fresh paint. They appeared to run the length of the hallway on either side all the way to a small door at the end.
After closing the door behind them Nodoka stepped up to the nearest painting on the right-hand side. The style was strange, blocky and rough, yet the precision of the work showed that it had to be a deliberate choice. The first paint had a golden star falling from the heavens flanked by two smaller silver stars. One of the silver stars broke off and fell amongst shadows while the other remained with the golden star.
Nodoka spared a glance at Kasumi who was looking at the paintings on the other side with disturbed look. The brunette was glowing silver. Nodoka held her hand up. She was glowing gold and they had fallen from the sky… and there had been another silver light that had fallen away from them.
The golden star became a woman with bright red hair and the silver star a bird. They entered a temple and were met by four beings. The details were obscured somewhat by the lichen and the stylistic depictions said little other than the four were larger, or perhaps it was symbolism as some kind as the next carving had one of the four showing the red-haired woman a broken city of shattered pyramids. More carvings followed, other peoples, the appearance of a silver snake, strange events and even battles seemed to be carved into the wall, wrapping around the far end until it reached the door.
Flanking either side of the door were people. On the right, the red-haired woman flanked by a silver bird and a silver snake with a multi-hued sword held in her hands. On the left, a man clad in gold with an army of strange pale beasts cloaked in shadows with long clawed hands. Above the door was one last carving. Two figures, their shapes indistinct, atop a pyramid by what appeared to be an altar. One of the two lay upon the altar while the other held up a glowing gem that blazed like the sun.
"Auntie," Kasumi said, "This place…" She trailed off as her eyes fell onto the paintings on Nodoka's side of the hallway. She walked over to the warrior woman with the sword and placed a hand on the silver bird that flanked her. "This…"
"Is strange." Nodoka agreed, "Something weird is happening. Has happened. The first carving showed our fall. At least, I think it did. A golden star and two silver ones. One went astray, the other became a bird and stayed with the golden star."
Kasumi nodded. "The other side is…" She shuddered. "Disturbing."
Nodoka looked over at the other side and walked back down the length of the corridor to the beginning. The things on the wall were quite disgusting and disturbing. Wretched shapes that might have once been men cavorted with pig-like monsters in arcs that, were they not depicted in such a blocky unrefined style, would have turned the stomach. There was a stretch of wall where the paint and carvings had been roughly chiselled away and when Nodoka ran her hand over the surface she snatched it back almost immediately. It felt oily and wrong. Her hand tingled as the flame inside her flooded it for a moment and the feeling of wrongness receded.
When she reached the beginning she saw the man who had stood opposite the red-haired woman. He was entering an overgrown city of shadows, his golden light intertwining with it. He had appeared, much like the woman, all throughout the mural. Again, and again, and again, taking part in depraved act after depraved act.
"Auntie, what is this place?" Kasumi asked from her shoulder as she studied the mural.
"I don't know, there is no writing Kasumi." She replied, walking back towards the far end of the hall.
"Would you even be able to read it? This place… we aren't in Japan anymore." Kasumi said.
Nodoka nodded, fingering the hilt of her sword as she approached the door that led further on. "I know a few other languages Kasumi. It made for a decent hobby while waiting for Genma and Ranma." She told the younger woman. "Even if I couldn't speak it, I may have recognized it." The years had been boring and attending classes at the local college had been a nice way to pass time.
"You never mentioned studying other languages before," Kasumi said, "How many?"
Nodoka shrugged and brushed a loosened strand of hair back behind her ear. "Five, a little of several others. English, Spanish, Mandarin, Greek, Korean, and I've poked at Ancient Egyptian, Mayan, and several ancient dialects of Chinese." At Kasumi's surprised look she smiled. "It was a long and boring wait Kasumi dear. I had to find something to do."
Turning away from Kasumi she examined the door. Unlike the last several it didn't seem to have a clear turning point. There were no breaks in the details of the golden sunburst design and no clear way through. Yet, it had to be a door. It was set within a frame and everything led to it. She felt a burning curiosity at this place. She had been taken here, Kasumi had been taken here. She was here not at home, here. So what was so important about this.
Driven by an uncharacteristic impatience she reached out a hand and touched the sunburst design. It was warm and metallic. A metal that seemed to burn with a familiar fire. Her other hand went to her chest and she ran a hand along the edges of the design. The first within seemed to call out to her, tugging at her own flame. With a moment's hesitation, she gave in and a bit of her flame flowed out of her into the mark. The sunburst immediately reacted, light bursting from it in an eye-searing display that sent Kasumi reeling, yet which had little effect on Nodoka herself.
There was a rumble and Nodoka stepped back, giving a worried look at the ceiling as dust was shaken loose. Then, with a rumble that dwarfed the racket created when they entered the front door, the stone door lifted from the ground sliding easily into the ceiling. It slid away to reveal steps that descended steeply into the darkness. Her hand clenched the hilt of her sword and she stepped through the portal onto the top step.
"Auntie!" Kasumi cried. Nodoka spared her a glance then continued down the steps.
"Let us find out why we're here Kasumi." She said, walking down the steps lit only by her own luminance. The other woman followed carefully, taking the steps with less enthusiasm than Nodoka. Down the steps went, twenty feet, forty, fifty, until finally, it let out into a tall, multi-levelled chamber lit with soft golden light emanating from burning torches that gave off no scent.
Pillars of stone supported two levels of walkways on the right and left of the chamber with the center a high vaulted ceiling. The floors were covered in intricate patterns of strange metals of nearly a dozen vivid colours. Doorways led to corridors to the left and right and tall statues of dinosaur-esque humanoids stood flanking each entrance. At a glance, Nodoka counted four different species. One was thin with long limbs and a long narrow tail. Another had broad shoulders with a flat crocodilian head and jagged tail. The next was similar to the second with broad shoulders, but with a jagged shell on its back, thicker limbs and a jaw like that of a snapping turtle. The last was thin and gangly with a pterodactyl-like appearance enhanced by the leathery-looking wings hanging between the joints of its forearms.
Despite the size, the styling of the construction was very much in line with the pyramid above with hard blocky edges on most surfaces and the same sharp and blocky art style carved into large murals on the walls. Scenes of war and peace decorated the walls in massive murals that stretched from floor to ceiling, each flowing into the next like an impossible story.
At the far end of the hall, standing as a centrepiece, was a three-story tall golden statue of a man with four arms, his body sculpted to show his athleticism and clad in only a golden skirt. Around its feet sat what appeared to be four caskets of stone and glowing blue crystal.
"Oh my…" Kasumi breathed as she joined Nodoka in the entranceway. "This- this is…"
"Beautiful," Nodoka said, taking a moment to admire the sculpting of a nearby statue. The statues were very unlike those outside or even the murals on the walls, having been carved with realism in mind rather than artistic style. The statues on either side of this door were of the thin, long-limbed variety and possessed curved beaks and solid ridges that emulated a head crest of feathers.
Nodoka stepped into the room and the slap of her bare feet on the tiles echoed in the chamber. Kasumi followed her, her own feet making only slightly less noise as they walked down the length of the room. As they did Nodoka scanned the room, taking in the little details. The scraps of what may have been banners hung from poles that stuck out from the walkways.
They paused in the middle of the room, Nodoka eyeing the doorways around them. Nothing stirred inside of them. There were no sounds, no movement, and no clues that this place was anything but abandoned. Other than the lights, though those could very well be some form of magic. This place, too much of it was inexplicable in that same way that Ranma's curse was.
She sighed and ran her thumb along the hilt of her sword. What to do now? Curiosity had driven her through the doorway, but now that she was here… Her eyes came to rest on the caskets by the base of the statue. Was this a tomb? It seemed like an odd design for a tomb. Perhaps a shrine then? The caskets had been placed in what would normally be a place of honour, by the feet of the centrepiece statue.
Feeling curious once more she started walking towards the dais on which the statue and caskets rested.
"Auntie? Should we be here?" Kasumi asked from where she remained in the centre of the room.
"No, no we shouldn't be," Nodoka said absently as she reached the dais. "We shouldn't be here, we shouldn't be in this place at all. But we weren't exactly given a choice." Her hands clenched, the fingers about the hilt of her sword turning white. She wanted to be home, a bit too warm but safe with her son.
Since they were, however…
Nodoka reached out and ran a hand over the blue crystal surface of the nearest casket. It came away with a thick layer of dust. The light of the crystal grew brighter in that area with the dust removed. She waved the dust off her hand with a frown.
"Auntie, please, let's go back upstairs." Kasumi pleaded, her tone drawing Nodoka's attention. "All of this," Kasumi gestured to the room, "screams magic to me, and whenever someone finds magic like this. Things go wrong Auntie. Please."
"Things have already gone wrong," Nodoka replied, turning back to the caskets. She paced in front of them, eyeing their placement. Placed as they were at the feet of a giant statue whose position was in the place of greatest importance implied a certain importance of their own. It implied they were being honoured here, in this shrine. And four of them as well…
She glanced up at the four hands of the giant statue. Yes, four seemed to be important here, of course, there was one other place she had seen four before coming down here. Four shadows with the red-haired woman… Or four with her maybe.
"Auntie!" Kasumi took a step towards her, "Please."
Nodoka ignored her this time, running a hand across the casket to clear it of dust. She shook her hand off as she examined it. There. There was an odd indentation, like lines connected to a circle… or perhaps fingers to a hand. She glanced down at her dusty hand and held it up to the casket, pressing her palm to the indentation.
"AUNTIE!" Kasumi started running.
She could feel something in the casket resonating with her and, like the door above, she pushed against it with her inner flame. There was a flash of blue light from the casket and all the dust seemed to vanish as the glow of the crystal grew until it was competing with her aura. Then the one next to it began to glow. Then the next, and finally the last one. The glow flowed over the chamber, nearly washing away Nodoka and Kasumi's auras.
"Auntie! Why?" Kasumi asked as she stumbled to a stop beside her.
"Answers," Nodoka replied, taking a step back from the dais and the glowing caskets. She needed to know why.
There was a kra-thunk from the first casket Nodoka had touched. Vapour gushed forth in a cloud from a thin line down the front of the casket. Kra-thunk went the one to the right and more fog-like vapour filled the air. The noise was echoed in stereo by the third and fourth caskets, the two releasing streams of fog into the air. The vapours swirling above them before falling like snow towards the ground. More poured forth from the bases of the caskets, washing down the steps like miniature waterfalls. The temperature of the room dropped precipitously and Nodoka could swear she saw her breath.
There was a loud cracking sound from the first casket as the lid on it swung open and a wave of cold air and fog rolled out into the room. A shadow moved in the fog a moment later a clawed foot appeared from the mists. Whatever noise it made on contact with the tiles was drowned out by the cracking sounds from the other caskets. The foot was followed by another, and that was followed by the rest of the being it belonged to.
They were one of the four species who had made up the statues. This one was long-limbed with a thin muscular body covered in tan scales and had a metallic grey beak. It shook its head before catching sight of her. The creature's head tilted to the side like a curious bird.
Kasumi whimpered and stepped behind Nodoka, who stood stock-still as she watched the other three caskets pop open. One by one creatures, like those of the statues, stepped out of the caskets and quickly noticed her. Each of the four species was represented. The crocodile-like one was grey-blue and seemed to grin upon seeing her. It made a noise, no it spoke, to the thin one. The language was like nothing Nodoka had ever heard before, being almost musical despite the gruff tones of the creature.
The rail-thin pterodactyl-like one said nothing, simply stepping up beside the slim one who was nodding in acknowledgement at what the crocodile one had said. The last of them stepped out of the far casket. It was of the largest of the four species, with limbs as thick as the body of the first and a distinctly pronounced jaw. When it saw her its hands came together and it knelt, saying something in the same language as the others.
For a long moment, they stood staring at each other. Then the first opened its beak and spoke. The words were as incomprehensible as anything else the creatures had said.
Nodoka shook her head. "I'm sorry," She said, "I don't understand you." What might have been a look of comprehension crossed the face of the first. It nodded and said something to the others, they nodded in turn. The largest said something that earned it a hiss from the crocodilian one.
The first held up a hand and said something else. The largest nodded before bowing to Nodoka. Then it left, heading for one of the doorways along the walls. The crocodilian one nodded to Nodoka as well before leaving as well, the pterodactylian one following behind without a glance to Nodoka.
That left Nodoka and Kasumi alone with the first of the creatures. It stepped off the dais and Nodoka stepped back, pushing Kasumi back a step as she did. "I warned you, Auntie," Kasumi whispered.
"And they do not seem unfriendly so far." She replied, though her hand on the hilt of her sword drew it ever so slightly. The action did not seem to offend or frighten the creature. If anything it seemed amused. It held a hand out, palm up, to her. She stared at it for a moment before reaching out with her own hand in return.
The scales of the creature where oddly warm and the claws of its hand were gentle as it bent to kiss, as best it could with a beak, the back of her hand. Despite herself, she blushed. It said something as it straightened and released her hand. Then it gestured to a doorway before walking in that direction.
"Auntie do we…?" Kasumi asked with a frown. Nodoka put an arm around the younger woman and gently guided her along as they followed the first creature towards the door to the immediate left of the entrance on your way in.
"We follow," Nodoka said, "I think we're among friends."
Kasumi frowned. "Maybe for now…" She sighed, but let Nodoka guide her. "Tampering with magic rarely ends well Auntie."
"We're already neck-deep in it, Kasumi," Nodoka replied. "Unless you think this is worse than waiting upstairs where a cat was apparently trying to decide if we would make a good meal."
"We might still wind up a meal," Kasumi returned, falling silent as they followed the saurian creature down a short hallway to a crystal door. It waved a hand over a panel by the side and the crystal parted, sliding open with a hiss. The room beyond was not what they were expecting.
Turquoise grass coated the floor of a large room lit by glowing crystals hanging from the high ceiling. Crystal tables and elegant wooden seating filled up most of the room with what had to be a bar made from crystal taking up the far wall. There was another crystal doorway beside the bar. A crystal fountain in the corner tinkled gently.
Then the door slid shut on them. Several awkward moments passed before the door slid open again to reveal the saurian. It gestured to a table with an elegant padded wooden bench in the corner. They quickly hurried through the door once the saurian stepped aside. It followed them over to the table and let out an odd clicking noise when it laid eyes on the table. It waved them back and walked over to the door beside the bar.
Nodoka and Kasumi watched as it ducked inside. A minute later it returned with a remarkably clean towel and a bowl that it stuck under the spray of the fountain. The table was wiped down, as were the seats before it gestured for them to sit while it ducked back through the door.
"Rather polite," Nodoka commented as they sat down. The bench seemed to bend and conform to them as they sat down.
"Yes, I suppose it is," Kasumi said, though her frown said otherwise. She seemed to be judging the saurian and its motives. Not that Nodoka blamed her. It was only natural to question what seemed to be good fortune so soon after their unexpected fall.
The saurian returned a few minutes later with three clean glasses and a pitcher of ice. It caught the water from the fountain in the pitcher like the bowl from before, before bringing the pitcher and glasses over to their table. It set them down then took a seat across from them and glanced towards the entrance with an impatient look. After a few moments, it sighed and poured out three glasses, pushing two towards Nodoka and Kasumi.
Taking a sip of the water Nodoka was surprised at how clean and fresh the water was. It was nice and refreshing after the time she had had. "It's good." She told Kasumi who hesitantly drank from the glass. Judging by how most of the glass disappeared she would say Kasumi was happy with the water. The Saurian clicked with amusement and poured her another glass.
A few minutes into their quiet sit down the main entrance opened and let in the crocodilian one. It had a bag under one arm. It came over to their table, bowing slightly when it reached them, before handing over the bag to the first. They exchanged words as the first fished inside the bag. It pulled a sheath of parchment and a strange glass lens, both of which it set on the table before placing the bag on the ground beside it, though not before what appeared to be a large pencil joined the parchment and glass.
"Paper and a pencil?" Kasumi questioned, nursing her glass of water.
"Parchment actually," Nodoka corrected, "Is it going to try and communicate with the written word?" The lens' frame was made of a jade blue metal that shimmered oddly and something that wasn't exactly gold. It was gold, just a strange shade that seemed warmer somehow. It would be more surprising if it wasn't magic.
The first took the lens and placed it over the parchment, running a claw along the metal rim of the lens. Nodding to itself it placed the lens beside the parchment and took up the pencil. It scratched a complex symbol into the parchment. It looked, to Nodoka, to be very similar to something the Mayan or Aztec might have written.
The first glanced at the lens and nodded. The symbol had appeared on the lens. It set the pencil down on the parchment and spun the lens and parchment to face Nodoka and Kasumi. It tapped the symbol on the parchment and said something short, then pointed at the copy of it on the lens and said the same thing.
Operating on a suspicion Nodoka took the pencil and, in Japanese, wrote the first word that came to her mind on the paper: Fish. She glanced over to the lens. Rather than Japanese appearing in the lens another not-Mayan symbol appeared on the lens.
The creature leaned forward and tapped the word fish on the parchment with a claw. "Fish," Nodoka said.
It nodded and tapped the lens. It said a word. Then it pointed back to Nodoka's writing. "'Ish," it said.
"Fish," Nodoka corrected.
"Fish," It said nodding, then it pointed back to the lens and said that word again. Nodoka tried to repeat it. The word got knotted on her tongue. She tried again. The being corrected her.
"Fish," it said.
"Fish," She replied. The creature nodded and something that might have passed for a smile appeared on the crocodilian's face. It rumbled something to the first then headed off towards the door by the bar.
"Auntie, is it trying to do what I think it is?" Kasumi asked, leaning forward to peek at the parchment.
"Yes, Kasumi. I think it is." Nodoka said, already writing another word down on the parchment. "I think it's trying to teach us how to communicate." Oh, this was going to be interesting.
-0-0-0-0-0-
The language, High Realm, as she later learned the locals called it, was in Nodoka's experience and unusually easy to learn language. Not because it was a simple language, it was in its ways far more complicated than most, but it simply seemed to make sense. Maybe it was the magic lens they were using as a communication aid, perhaps it was the simple nature of the language… Or perhaps it had to do with the strange sense of familiarity she had when learning the language. Whatever the reason was, within an hour they had gone from no ability to hold a conversation to a somewhat rough, but understandable, conversation over a meal of what appeared to be fresh fish and a root vegetable of some kind.
It was an enlightening conversation. They learned that the four creatures were all different sub-species of the same race who were known as the Dragon Kings amongst other minor things. Still, there was one rather pointed question Nodoka was burning to ask.
"To fall so far and so suddenly. It would be terrifying. Your quick reaction does you credit." The first creature, whose name she learned was Five Words Wise, said in High Realm. Their mastery of High Realm had proceeded much more swiftly than the Dragon King's mastery of Japanese.
"Well, it was react or die," Nodoka said with a sigh, shivering at the memory from only a couple of hours previous. "There was no time to think." Though there had been plenty of time to feel terrified. Kasumi nodded beside her. While the younger woman's grasp on the language was not as complete, they had managed to get it to a point where Five Words Wise had suggested taking a break to eat.
Nodoka sipped the tea that she had been brought. "I have questions." She said before the Raptok, for that was the name of Five Word Wise's sub-species, could say anything more.
Five Words Wise nodded. "I imagine you do. The least of which would be the mural upstairs, I assume?" He asked.
She nodded. "Yes. It has our fall on it and some truly… disgusting things as well." She frowned in disgust.
"The mural up there is a composite of numerous divinations done over a fifty-year period. Together they are a record of what the four of us here call the prophecy of two paths." Five said. His talons clicked against the crystal table.
"You predicted we would come here," Nodoka noted. Magic, it seemed, was at the root of this.
"Not I specifically. In this, I am merely a believer. My skill for divination is but a shadow of my peers. But yes, you or someone like you was expected." His eyes shot to her forehead. "We had been expecting a Dawn Caste truth be told, but that was perhaps a romantic hope. A caste was never specified in relation to yourself."
"Caste? What caste?" Nodoka asked, leaning forward.
Five Words Wise paused. "You do not- of course. Why would you?" He sighed, "Allow me to start from the beginning. First, however, I think we need a mirror." The Raptok reached down into the bag by his side and fished from it a small hand mirror. He held it out to Nodoka.
Taking it Nodoka glanced down into it, then paused. She looked rather ragged with her hair loose and a few smudges of dirt on her face. What drew the eye, however, was the glowing half-filled circle on her brow. It glowed golden like a miniature sun upon her brow. Her finger went straight through it when she tried to touch it and it felt like nothing. There was no warmth, no cold, no texture. Just a glow of golden light.
"Kasumi, how long has this been there?" She asked the younger woman.
"Since we arrived. At the time I didn't think to mention it and afterwards well…" Kasumi flushed. Nodoka hugged her with one arm.
"That's fine Kasumi, this has been rough on both of us." She said in Japanese before turning back to Five Words Wise. "What is this?"
"That is a Caste mark." He replied, "It denotes which sort of Exaltation you possess. Allow me to be brief for this topic has a long long history, Exaltations were created by the gods to fight their enemies by empowering humans with divine might. Yours was one of three hundred created by our Lord The Unconquered Sun, God of the Sun. Your companion is one of another three hundred created by his close companion Luna, God and Goddess of the Moon. While Lunar Exaltations are beset by the ever-shifting nature of Luna and thus take time to set their caste with each new host, Solar Exaltations are fixed into five castes."
"The Dawn, warriors and generals; the Zenith, priests and kings; the Twilight, sorcerers and scholars; the Night, spies and assassins; the Eclipse, diplomats first and foremost. Your mark is that of the Twilight Caste." Five Words Wise finished.
Nodoka pursed her lips as she rapped her fingers on the side of her glass. "That only begs more questions." She said thoughtfully.
"And I will be glad to answer them. Though on the topic of Exaltations there is much none of those in this place know, and yet what we do know would take hours, or even days to cover." The Raptok replied.
Nodoka nodded as she continued to tap her fingers against her glass. "They were created to fight?" She asked.
"Yes." He replied, "It was a war unlike any before or since. A war between those who would see the world prosper and those who saw it and those who resided in it as toys, playthings for whatever alien desired they had."
Nodoka paused, her fingers hovering silently. "So we were brought here to fight then?" She scowled. She as no fighter, no warrior. That was her husband and son's duties.
"I cannot say why or how you were brought here. Such things were never covered by the prophecies. However, the war I speak of has been over for millennia. In its aftermath, the Unconquered Sun named the Solar Queen Merela as Queen of Creation and gave to her and the Solar Exalted the right to rule creation in their stead." Five Words Wise told them.
"The right to rule…" Nodoka sighed. This was getting more complicated. All she wanted was to see her son, to hold him and never let go again… "I have no interest in ruling anything. I just wish to see my son again." She told their host.
"And I just want to go home," Kasumi said, holding her tea with both hands.
"I am… not sure what can be done about that. I am sorry, but the most the prophecies spoke of was that they, you, 'would fall from the sky from lands lost in ages before time'. At least those that offered some form of words. The Orrery does not offer verbal or written prophecies, it merely allows those skilled in divination a greater opportunity to study the sky in detail." Five Words Wise said apologetically.
Nodoka had not thought it would be that easy. This was magic, and if Ranma's curse had taught her anything, it was that magic could be stubbornly difficult. "I see…" She said, considering the issue.
"We do have a library here," Five informed her. "It is on the third floor, however, we did not fill it with the most advanced tomes of sorcery. Our first intention was to preserve the knowledge of our people's technology and secrets from the ravages of time. Everything else came afterwards."
Nodoka held a finger up and to her surprise, the Dragon King fell silent instantly. "May we have a few minutes alone?" She asked.
Five bowed his head. "As you wish. I will be right outside," He said, standing from his seat and heading out of the room without another word.
As the door slid shut Nodoka sighed and stood up. Her feet sank into the soft turquoise grass as she paced beside the table. "I didn't expect getting back home to be easy," She said after a few moments of pacing.
Kasumi nodded quietly, looking down into her tea. "I hope Akane and Nabiki didn't get involved in this," She said.
Nodoka paused her pacing and reached over to pull Kasumi into a hug. "I'm sure they're just fine. They're probably worried sick about us," She told the younger woman.
Kasumi returned her hug. "I hope so Auntie, I really do."
Pulling back Nodoka went back to pacing. She dragged a hand along the tabletop, her fingers tracing patterns as she walked. "So, we can't just turn around and go home," She said. Kasumi set her cup down on the table.
"And it sounds like something bad happened here," Kasumi added.
Nodoka nodded. "Yes, and they seem to think we, or at least I, can do something about it. Haaaaa," She breathed out a heavy sigh.
"This prophecy Five Words Wise spoke about…" Kasumi bit her lip, "We've seen a few in Nerima before you joined us, Auntie. I- They do hold weight."
"Hmmm," Nodoka frowned, pausing her pacing as her fingers tapped a tempo on the table. Her foot began tapping the floor. "Those murals, they showed a lot of fighting." To put it mildly. Even assuming the least amount possible it ended in a clash between the red-haired woman, quite possibly her, and a blonde man of some kind. Only one of the two would live and the lack of colour in the final painting suggested that her survival was not guaranteed.
"I… I haven't practiced martial arts since mother died," Kasumi said, "Akane was the only one who continued practicing after…"
"Well, you've seen some of my… unfortunately incidents with a sword," Nodoka smiled sheepishly. Despite her efforts in the past, her ability to hold onto a blade had seemingly gotten worse rather than better as time had gone on. "We may not, however, have a choice. Even in the darkness, I could see a city. I wonder how bad things are there compared to the gardens outside."
"You're worried that this place won't give us a choice," Kasumi sighed. "I… Any place where giant cats can hunt you in what should be a garden is not safe. If we ever intend to leave this place, I don't think we'll have a choice but to fight. We don't have Ranma or Akane here to protect us. It…" She swallowed nervously and Nodoka picked up where she left off.
"It comes down to us to fight for ourselves," She finished, getting a nod from Kasumi. Humming softly she leaned against the table, sitting on the edge of it. "You know, I've been feeling increasingly impatient since we got here," She said, changing the topic. Kasumi sent her a curious look. She ran a finger along the rim of her water glass before pouring some more from the crystal jug. "I waited patiently for years for Ranma and Genma to return. I grew used to taking the long view, being patient and restrained." She filled her water to her lips and took a sip. The cool, clear water was refreshing.
"Standing here, right now… I feel tense like a spring coiled too tight. Every second we spend talking my mind- I can't seem to sit still. I need, actually need, to do something." She sighed.
"But what to do," Kasumi said, nodding her head in understanding. "I… Ever since we fell I've felt nervous. The world, I can hear things I didn't before. Feel the air and its flows. Smell a thousand things I can't even recognize and…" Kasumi wrung her hands together. "We don't know where we are. We don't know when we are. Who we are with, or what anyone here wants."
"They want our help," Nodoka said, considering the way that Five Words Wise had been treating them. It deferred to her, showered her with praises, and seemed almost eager to impress her own importance upon her.
"With what?" Kasumi asked, "we know nothing about this place."
"Then we need to fix that," Nodoka said, sipping her water. The action calmed her a little, even as her mind began to properly consider their options. "We could ask them for more information. Access to their library. They've already shared their language with us. Assuming their books are written in the same language, we should be more than capable of using their library for research."
"That would only help with the past. They haven't said how long they were down here, did they?" Kasumi asked, her brow furrowing in thought.
Nodoka shook her head. "No, I don't think they know either. Years, decades at least. Perhaps centuries given the wear on the pyramid," She observed.
"Then they probably know as little about the world around here as we do," Kasumi noted.
"Assuming their prophecy isn't correct," Nodoka said, her mind drifting to the mural. The tone of the redhead's hair was significantly brighter than her own, though that may have been due to lack of knowledge, artistic interpretation, or time. It was so very close to her son's female form, however. So close to what her own at been at that age.
"Even if it is, it can't have told them everything…" Kasumi nervously bit her lip, "I think- I think we need to leave the safety of this place and see the world outside once the sun comes up. There are too many things we can't learn down here."
"Sun should be up in another half-hour, I think," Nodoka said, tilting her head to the side in thought. She could feel the sun now that she was thinking of it. It was right… there, just below what would be the horizon if she was above ground. It was hovering there, quivering slowly higher with nervous energy. It would be a half-hour before it crested the horizon, but the sky was probably already lightening.
"If they'll let us, we should take a look. Maybe from the top of the pyramid, Auntie?" Kasumi suggested.
"Oh, being let out won't be an issue I think," Nodoka observed.
Their discussion came to an abrupt end as the crystal door slid open and in marched the largest of the four Dragon Kings, the Anklok. He was wearing what appeared to be plate mail made from brilliantly green interlocking leaves. He knelt before Nodoka, one hand resting on his bent knee, while the other was clenched at his chest. His head was bowed. Behind him Five Words Wise stepped into the room. The Raptok sent what might have been an apologetic grimace towards her.
"Exalted Ones," The Anklok began, "I am sorry to disturb your counsels, however, a matter most urgent has come to pass."
"We were just about finished anyway," Nodoka replied, pushing away from the table. "What happened?"
"A few minutes ago Clear North Wind spotted a group of Dragon-blooded, dressed similarly to you, moving through the city towards the East Gate." Nodoka's brow furrowed, Dragon-blooded? "They were being hunted and herded by what appeared to be a group of our feral brethren and several large Goblins. At Clear North Wind's urging, I joined her in intervening before they could be harmed. They are fine, however, they cannot understand us, nor we them. One of them attempted to communicate with us in the tongue you used previously Exalted One, I came to ask if you would be willing to leave the safety of the temple so that we might communicate with them."
Nodoka looked to Kasumi, both of their eyes wide. There were others from home, here, in this place. "Yes, of course. Was there anyone there that resembled either of us?" She asked.
The Anklok shook his head. "I am not adept at telling one human from another," He said with a tone of apology.
Nodoka turned to Kasumi. "Kasumi, do you want to stay here or-"
"I will be coming, Auntie," Kasumi said firmly, standing up. "I hope my sisters aren't there, but if they are I won't leave them alone."
Nodoka nodded. On one hand, she wanted to see her son, on the other… well, there wasn't another really. Her son was more than manly enough to withstand a place like this and she cared little about where she spent her time with her son. She had had so little of it before…
Pushing the melancholy away she turned back to the Anklok, "We are both willing to accompany you…?" She trailed off, realizing that she didn't know the Dragon King's name.
"Flame Born of Southern Winds, at your service Exalted Ones," He said reverently, continuing to stare at the floor as he did.
"Then, Southern Winds, please lead the way," Nodoka said.
"Please, follow me," With that the Anklok rose from his spot and marched back out the door, leaving footprints in the grass as he walked. The two exalted followed him, Nodoka paused as they passed Five Words Wise.
"Coming with us?" She asked.
"For your safety milady," He replied, falling in behind them. As their small group passed into the corridor beyond, Nodoka quietly shook her head. This horrible day just seemed like it was getting stranger with every moment.
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A/N: Whoooo~ First proper chapter of the Elsewhere Files, no those short snippets didn't count.
Thank you to Gekkou_Yoko for her help with proofreading again~
I have a discord server now, for anyone who wants to talk, so please jump on. I love hearing what people have to say~ *Happy Kitsune Wave*
To my Patrons thank you for your support~ If we get enough monthly support I should be able to afford a good picture to put before this side-story. Anyone who wants to help my link is in my signature below.
And on that note, I'm going to go relax a bit before going to work on my school projects. *Floofs tails* No rest for the writer it seems.