"You got the herbs?"
"Yes."
"And the water?"
"Yes."
"And what about the ram's blood?"
"No."
"No?"
"OF course I have it" Arliss snarked. "God, you are worse then mom."
"Hey!" Arlen shouted. "I am neither fat nor have a bladder problem."
His younger brother rolled his eyes. "That we know of." Arliss began to arrange the items around the bowl shaped impression Arlen had made in the ground. "Explain to be again why I had to get up so early, leavin' a very snuggle-wanting fiancé I might add, and take a trek into the forest?"
"It's 10 am!"
"Again, really early."
Arlen sighed. "By the Mary, blessed mother of the baby Jesus, you are a lazy sack of shit. Bein' King has really softened you…bet you wouldn't last 5 minutes in a Dallas slum without beggin' for food and a nice frosty beverage."
"Could too!" Arliss retorted. "Just like to spend the nights planning evil. More of a night owl…late to bed, late rise: Makes a King happy, horny and fine."
"Fine doesn't rhyme with rise."
"Oh, I'm sorry Miss Dickinson. Mine teachin' me some more grammar? WOULD YOU JUST TELL ME WHY IN THE SAM HILL WE ARE OUT HERE!?!"
"If you must ask…" Arlen said, "It's a spell I'm workin' on. You know how my Shadow Saber lets me open portals to the Shadow Realm?"
"Yea, of course I do. You're spirit partner is Neo, so you share his abilities of interdimensional transportation."
"Except it isn't interdimensional. The shadow realm is a halfway house of dimensions."
Arliss frowned. "Explain?"
"Think of it like this:" Arlen began, slipping into his Midwestern professor accent, "There are 2 dimensions, ours and the world of the duel monsters. Now, normally, the two should never meet, a great space of emptiness dividing the two and preventing one from being able to move between then.
"But there are times, like ours and the duel monster dimension, when the space between then is microscopic. When this happens, a realm is formed between them, a buffer between the two. Beings can pass through this buffer to reach the other side, but they are affected by it in different ways.
"The Shadow Realm is a buffer. When a duel monster is able to leave their world, they leave their bodies behind in the shadow realm and enter our world. While, when a human enters the shadow realm, it drains them of their life force unless, like us, they are endowed with magic, which can counteract the draining."
Arliss looked at his brother, scratching his head. "Knew there was a'reason we sent ya to college."
Arlen shrugged. "Always enjoyed physics class. Anyway, right now my sword is only strong enough to pierce the shadow realm and form fully made portals to allow a body to enter there, instead of merely our spirits like when you meditate. This spell I have planned with increase the sword's power so I can slice into the duel monster realm…and give our duel monsters full forms."
That caused Arliss' interest to be piqued. "Really…we could give the Strike Ninja or Neo real bodies?"
"Oh yea." Arlen said, switching back to his southern accent. "Now then, let's begin the spell."
&&&
"Come on Jaden, keep up!" Alexis laughed, leaping over a fallen tree.
"huff…why…huff…are…huff…we…huff…doing…huff….this?" Jaden panted. Pressed in a pair of shorts a black tank top, Jaden Yuki wasn't fooling anyone. His shirt was soaked with sweat, his face was read, and he was nearly crawling.
Compare this to Alexis Rhodes. The Queen of Obelisk Blue had on tight running shorts, professional running shoes, and a running top that was little more then a sports bra. Her hair, done up in a ponytail, gleaming in the mid morning light as she took a drink from her water bottle.
"Because it's fun! It gets your heart pumping and your lungs working. Besides, it helps sharpen your mind. When your body is tired, your mind is allowed a chance to restart and begin thinking fresh." She smiled, taking a deep breath, enjoying the summer air. "Mmmm…I come up with my best duel strategies while running."
"I can't….feel…my legs…" Jaden whimpered.
Alexis looked back at Jaden and laughed. "Come on, the lake is up ahead! We can take a quick dip, maybe even swim across it before heading back for lunch. Running really builds up your appetite."
"You better have a horse ready then!" Jaden shouted as Alexis started off, laughing at him. "Make it two horses…and a few pigs…and a cow…"
&&&
The Harpies Pet Dragon let out a roar, eyes focusing in on Arlen and Arliss. The dragon took a step forward, claws digging into the dirt as it flapped its wings. The brothers took a step back as the dragon snapped its jaws at them, then shooting out a fireball right towards the two.
It might have been more intimidating is the dragon weren't a foot tall.
"OW!" Arliss shouted, grabbing his foot. "That hurt." He stormed towards the Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon, glaring at it. "Watch me punt it, Arliss."
"Hey!" Arlen shouted, rushing forward and sweeping the baby dragon into his arms. "Mayday would be killin' me if we hurt this little guy." The guardian itched the dragon under its chin, the baby looking u at him before it began to coo. "See, he's only a baby. We could give him to Mayday…has been buggin' me for a pet."
"Great, we are summonin' lizard-like puppies." Arliss groaned. "I thought we were trying to make my Strike Ninja corporal."
"We are." Arlen said, setting the baby dragon down by his feet. "Stay." He looked back at his brother, the dragon purring as it rubbed his ankles. "The spell worked…I can open a portal big enough to bring this guy…or girl…out. Just need to redo the chant and pour in some more ram's blood."
"Yes mother." Arliss grumbled.
Arlen looked down at the Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon. "Uncle Arliss is really moody isn't he?" The little dragon squeaked and began to nip at his shoe.
"I can hear you!" Arliss shouted as he poured the ram's blood into the dirt basin. "Your spell is ready!"
Arlen nodded, walking towards where his brother stood, the dragon chittering as it followed him. Taking a hold of the hilt, he summoned the aura blade and dipped it into the dark blood, the mixture turning back.
"Power of darkness, I call upon you! Aid your master!" Arlen called out, the wicked magic flowing through him and out of his blade. Arliss and the dragon babe took a step back as Arlen began to glow. "Open the gate between the worlds and grant me what I desire! IN THE NAME OF LOCKEHART, OPEN THE PORTAL!"
The instant he spoke the words, the air in front of the Rare Hunter cracked open, dark energy escaping and lashing out at all of them. Similar to the dimensional fissure card he used, this rift in the fabric of space torn open wider and wider, revealing a purple and black landscape. Images flashed, worlds appearing and fading in the blink of an eye. Lightning struck out, nearly hitting Arliss. The Rare Hunter managed to dive out of the way as Arlen's spell entered its final phase. Looking down, Arliss locked eyes with the frightened dragon babe.
"Just let him finish, then he can coddle you all he wants." Arliss muttered. "Just a few more…"
"Come on Jaden, I heard some…thing?" Alexis Rhodes said, skidding to a halt behind Arliss and Arlen. "What the…"
"Alexis?" Jaden called out, bursting out of the forest, not bothering to look for anything in his way. So, it was no surprise that he bumped into the baby dragon, sending the little thing racing towards Arlen's leg.
"OW!" Arlen cried as the baby latched its claws into his leg in fright. "Oh…shit…"
It had only take that brief lapse in concentration to degrade the spell. Now, the portal began to violently react, tendrils of energy shooting out and dragging anything they touched into the vortex's gaping maw. Arlen leapt back, the baby dragon still holding his leg in a death grip as one tentacle slammed down right where he had been standing.
"It's unstable!" Arlen screamed. "We have to…"
"SHIT!" Arliss cried out, one of the vortex's tentacles grabbing him and pulling him forward. He fell on his back, groaning as he was pulled towards the swirling mass of dark energy. Thinking quickly, he reached out…
…and grabbed Jaden's ankle.
"AAA!" Jaden cried out as he was pulled with Arliss. Alexis sprung forward, grasping Jaden's hand. Arlen grabbed hers, then wrapped his free hand around a tree truck, forming a human chain. "AAAAAAA!"
"Jaden, hold on!" Alexis screamed.
"Don't let go!" Arlen cried out. "Just another minute…"
"I'm slipping!" Jaden yelled.
"Don't let go you moron!" Arliss roared, watching in horror as Jaden's hand slowly came loose from Alexis'.
"Jaden!"
"Alexis!"
"Arliss!"
"Arllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn…." Arliss cried out just Jaden was pulled free, the two of them sucked into the portal. Arlen tugged forward, pulling Alexis away from the two.
"NO!" Arlen cried, springing forward. The portal snapped shut, leaving him with a face of dirt.
"Jaden…" Alexis whispered. "Professor Milo…what was that?"
Arlen looked over at Alexis. "….What the hell are you wearing?"
&&&
"AAAAAAA!"
Arliss and Jaden held each other as they catapulted through the darkness, whizzing past dimensions left and right. The Rare Hunter grunted as he was struck in the back by a miniplanet, the entire thing exploding.
And then…blue sky and green grass.
"Oooooow." Jaden groaned, looking up. "Where are we?"
"I have no idea." Arliss grumbled from beneath him. "But if you don't get up…listen, I've heard the rumors about you and Syrus, and while I am all for that lifestyle, I don't swing that way."
"Huh?" Jaden said.
"Get the hell off of me." Arliss shouted, shoving the Slifer Red duelist off of him. "Damn boy, you don't get to be that close unless you buy me dinner."
"I don't understand." Jaden replied.
Arliss sighed. "I am calling you a homosexual…gay…you are sexually attracted to men."
"…I don't follow."
"Oh for the love of Mary, mother of Jesus." Arliss snarled, standing up and dusting his jacket off. "It's been fun and all, but I am going to go home and put a gun to my head. More entertaining then talking to you."
Jaden looked around him. "Uh…Arliss?"
"…what?" Arliss said, bowing his head and pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Where is home?"
"It's…" The King of the Rare Hunter paused, looking about the windswept grassland. "Uh…"
Both of them turned as a deep roar issued from the forest…and trees began to fly up straight into the air.
Jaden and Arliss shared a look. "Truce?" They both said. "Truce." Turning on their heels, the two broke into a run, heading towards the tree line on the other end of the plain. Looking behind him, Jaden let out a gasp as some…smoke creature began to pursue them.
"You're some freaky magic user guy…attack it!"
Arliss frowned. "Ya don't think I would if I could? That vortex sucked most of the power from me…I need time to recharge."
"How long?"
"I don't know…just keep running!"
The two continued to run, panting as they forced their legs to keep going. For Arliss, who had gotten use to the dark magic giving him the stamina to run a mile a minute for hours on end, this was a punch in the gut. It was withdrawal, and he didn't like it one bit.
"I'm tellin' ya freckles, I heard somethin'!" A voice called out in front of the two…a voice that sounded very familiar to Jaden.
"Arliss….is…that…you?"
"What?" Arliss panted, looking up…to see what some could call an older version of himself…standing next to an older version of Nessa. "What the…"
"…hell?" 'Older Nessa' exclaimed, watching as the two teens rushed towards them. "Sawyer, that kid looks like you!"
Sawyer stood there, jaw hanging low. "Now what in the…" Both froze as they heard the monstrous roar. "Kate, run!"
The four of them bolted through the forest, branching striking their bodies and they broke through the dense brush. Arliss and Jaden continued to push forward, bodies aching. Their new companions were also forcing themselves to move faster. Finally, the roared died away, leaving them in silence.
"What the hell was that?" Arliss exclaimed.
"A smoke monster…you think it was a duel spirit?" Jaden asked.
"Not likely...could be…"
"Duel spirit…who the hell are you people?" Sawyer asked.
"And why do you two look alike?" Kate asked, pointing towards Arliss and Sawyer.
The Rare Hunter frowned. "We're from an alternate reality…most likely he's my alternate self, just like you are the alternate version of my fiancé."
"Your fiancé?" Kate stammered. "You sure she isn't with some tall dark haired guy?"
"No, unless Nessa is boinkin' Bastion on the side."
"Boinkin'?" Jaden questioned.
"A nice way to say fu…" Sawyer didn't have time to finish, as the two new arrivals began to flash in and out of existence, black magic flaring around them. Then, they were gone. "…we never speak of this again, freckles?"
Kate nodded, still trying to wrap her head around the idea that another version of Sawyer had been with another version of herself.
&&&
"So, do you think there are other people with powers out in the world?" Kelly Raegan asked.
"Could be." Dr. Linda Frey said. "Would be strange if only Carter and I had them."
"Like Hiro." Hank Delpine said. "He must have had powers if he could come from the future."
"Or a time machine." Carter offered. Hank glared at him. "Just saying."
"But the question is…how do we find them?" Kelly asked.
"AAAAAAAA!" Arliss and Jaden screamed as they fell from the sky, right behind the van carrying the 3 college students and their professor. But before they could land, another vortex opened, causing the 2 to disappear.
"… did you hear something?" Kelly said.
"Nope." "I didn't." "Me neither."
&&&
Jaden looked down at his hands, startled that they appeared to be nothing more then 2d sketches. Turning to Arliss, he opened his mouth to ask what was going on…
"Take on me." Jaden sang to his utter surprise, Arliss looking around in shock as 80s alterna-rock played all around them. "Take meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ooooooon…take on me! I'llllllll beeeeee goooone, in a day or twooooooooooooooooo!!!"
The Rare Hunter's eyes grew wide as two guys who looked like motorcycle riders back in the fifties suddenly stepped from around a corner, wielding large wrenches. Jaden grabbed Arliss' arm, dragging him through a wall until they reached a dead end. The two of them began to bang into a wall, trying to escape, until Arliss stumbled through one, dragging Jaden with him.
&&&
"I am so going to….OOOMPF!"
Arliss groaned, rubbing his head. "Ow…I am gettin' real tired of fallen down and hurtin' myself."
"We're lucky though." Jaden said, sitting up. "This big, lopsided pillow cushioned our fall."
"Uh…Jaden?" Arliss said, slowly standing up. "That ain't no pillow."
"What is it then?" Jaden asked, poking it.
"That would be my ass, and it isn't lopsided!" The woman they had fell on shouted, throwing the Slifer Duelist aside. Jaden grunted, crashing into a red headed girl who had been standing nearby. Both tumbled as Arliss took up a fighting position. "Who dares attack me?"
"Arliss Lockehart, King of the Rare Hunters. And you are…"
"You don't know?" Arliss turned to find himself staring at a scabby little demon. "This is the all powerful, all beautiful Glorificus!"
The King of Rare Hunters raised an eyebrow. "Glory…wait a minute darlin'…" Arliss turned his back on the woman, who could only watch as he blatently ignored her.. "Is there a girl named Buffy Summers around here!?"
"H-how do you know me?" Buffy asked, the troll hammer loosening from her grip.
Arliss grinned like a kid locked in a candy store. "If you're here…" He slowly looked up, watching as a man with bleached blond hair and a black duster fought against another demon on a steel structure. a young girl was screaming for help, tied to the structure and clothed in some ugly dress. "Spike…" Arliss began to laugh. "We're in Buffy the Vampire Slayer!" The Rare Hunter began to jump up and down like a schoolgirl.
"Is your friend ok…was his brain sucked out?" Willow asked Jaden.
The Slifer shrugged. "Don't know…could be."
Arliss suddenly froze, turning back towards Glory. "You." He snarled, taking several steps forward. "It's all your fault!" He roared, beginning his march towards the hell-god. "Your minion cuts Dawn, Buffy sacrifices herself, Willow brings her back from heaven because she's an idiot, and I have to go through 2 seasons of 'Buffy' and a season of 'Angel' filled with angst instead of Spuffy love, then get a crappy ending with Spike, the Poofter and the Blue Broad fighting the demons of Wolfram and Hart!"
"I die?" Buffy asked.
"I bring you back from heaven?" Willow said quietly.
"What's a Spuffy?" Xander asked.
Jaden frowned. "What the heck is going on?"
Arliss didn't pay attention, stalking towards Glory until he was a few feet away. "Watcher!" He bellowed. "We're on the Hellmouth, right?"
Giles stood there, startled by the new arrival and his pronouncement of his Slayer's death and rebirth. "Uh…yes…"
Arliss smirked. "Good." His eyes glowed black. "Dark magic…just what I need to recharge!" The Rare Hunter slowly lifted from the ground, calling upon the dark magic that filled Sunnydale to him, absorbing it. Everyone, including Doc and Spike, froze and watched as the newcomer powered up.
"We couldn't end up Ultimate Muscle." Jaden muttered, taking a few steps back. "Had to end upin a place where Arliss goes insan…er."
"We have to stop him!" Buffy shouted.
Jaden held out his hands towards Arliss. "Give it your best shot lady! We've been trying to stop him for 2 months!"
Arliss laughed as the dark magic poured into him. Finally, he lowered to the ground, energy crackling on his fingers. "Any last words, bitch?"
Glory glared at him. "A mage thinks he can beat me? Ha! I am endowed with powers you could only imagine. And no one calls me a bitch or calls my ass lopsided!"
Arliss shrugged, still smiling. "Ok…but I do have something else." He held out a hand, creating a gun of pure shadow magic. "I call this a pistol. Reach for the sky, honky!" He glanced over at the Scoobies and shrugged. "I was watching Dave Chappelle last night."
"The guy from Men in Tights?" Xander asked, before Arliss fired, blowing Glory's brains apart. "Nevermind." The young man said, stepping away.
Arliss' eyes returned to normal as he moved towards the steel structure, Jaden fast on his heels. Reaching the top, Arliss glared at Doc, the demon promptly throwing himself to his death rather then deal with the angered shadow mage.
"Spike…" Arliss whispered. He fell to his knees. "I'm not worthy…I'm not worthy!" He began to chant,a la Wayne's World.
Jaden raised an eyebrow. "This is a side of you I've never seen."
"Bloody 'ell, slayer, who is his wanker?" Spike asked as the young woman climbed up the structure.
Buffy frowned. "no clue…just appeared…" Before she could finish, a vortex appeared below them. Arliss' eyes went wide as once more, he and Jaden were being drawn towards it.
"NO!" He screamed, clinging to the steel. "I don't want to go…."
Jaden grabbed Arliss' waist. "Come on…we have to go…maybe we're going home!"
"…I don't want to go!" Arliss cried, the King acting very much like a child. "Spike! Spike, listen to me! You love Buffy! Buffy, you love him! Screw Angel, Captain Forehead took back the day he was human because he is a lying rapist and a pedophile that likes little girls! Don't have the angst…make sweet Spuffy love…." Arliss lost his grip, him and Jaden sliding into the portal. "And if you meet Tucker's brother, kill him right awaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy…"
Buffy and Spike looked at each other. Dawn frowned.
"What the f…"
&&&
"AAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Arliss and Jaden fell to the ground, rubbing their heads as they sat up. They were on the grassy top of some cliff face, overlooking the ocean. One lone tree stood above the water on the edge of the cliff. Around them, were trees, blocking their view.
"Man…can we just stay here and rest?"
"I wanted to rest in the other world…but no! We had to come here!" Arliss shouted, pouting.
Jaden was about to say something, before he noticed exactly where they were. "Arliss…I know this place…this is where I dueled Wheeler!"
"Who's Wheeler?" Arliss asked, dusting off his blazer.
"He's a dueling monkey…"
"You mean like Chumley?"
Jaden didn't pay attention. "I think we're home!" Jaden shouted. "Come on, let's find Alexis and Prof. Milo!" Before he saw if Arliss would follow him, Jaden was off.
"Damn it boy…" Arliss snarled as he gave chase. "You forgettin' I'm not your friend here!?! We're suppose to hate each other! The damn truce is done with, and I get to go back to trying to take over and kill ya'll!" The Rare Hunter continued to move through the forest, catching up with Jaden as they reached the end. "That's funny…" Arliss said to himself. "Thought there should be more fores…"
"Whoa…" Jaden whispered, skidding to a stop. "It…it can't be."
Arliss looked down, eyes widening. "Lord Almighty…" He whispered.
The forest has been scorched, only the blackened trucks of the trees sticking up from the barren soil. For nearly a mile in front of them, the area had been laid to waste, destroyed beyond repair. The two stood there in shock, taking in everything until their eyes met an even more surprising sight.
"No…" Jaden whispered. "It…it can't be…"
"It is." Arliss whispered, looking at the rumble that stood far from them. A great mass of stone and wood lay in a disordered heap, some scorched, the rest broken. Arliss' eyes could see bits of glass, along with other items sticking out of the site of devastation. The lake that had once stood next to the structure was now dark, polluted and choked full of wood, debris…
…and bodies.
Bodies wearing dueling blazers.
"The Obelisk Blue Guy's Dorm." Jaden whispered. "It's…gone."
"What could have happened?" Arliss asked…before whipping around. "And why do I have the feelin' you know all about this!"
Jaden turned to see Arliss confronting a duelist in a blood red blazer who stood a few feet away from them. The teen stayed there, a wicked smile playing on his face as he watched them, namely Arliss. He reached up, adjusting his sunglasses, fingers just barely touching his light blue, almost icy colored hair. The locks hung down to nearly his shoulders, in a style that reminded Arliss of Zane. Infact, much about this young man reminded him of the Kaiser. The duelist stood as tall as Jaden, lean and trim, and Arliss could sense Shadow Realm magic all around him. He had an air of confidence, of arrogance, of power. But for Jaden, he saw past that instantly.
"Syrus?"
Author's note: The worlds Arliss and Jaden journeyed to were LOST, my fanfiction Elsewhere (A HEROES fic), Take One me by Aha , Buffy the Vampire Slayer and finally the world this arc will take place.
Look for the scene where Arliss and Jaden appear in Elsewhere in two weeks in chapter 11. Expect the dialogue to be the same, minus actually reading about Arliss and Jaden.