AN: Holy cow, thanks for the favs and follows! Now im suddenly afraid that my story wont be up to snuff, haha, especially since this is my first fanfiction. Also please forgive any typos or awkward sentences. English is not my native language. Anyway, more set up today, but also more actual Loud House stuff, hooray. Hope you enjoy it.
"Let us out!" she yelled, banging her fist against the wall. "You can't seriously think were going to accept this?!"
Nothing had changed. The dragon sighed. It was their sixth day in captivity, and so far every day but the first had followed the same formula:
-The girl with the gambling fetish screamed and ranted against thin air.
-The people who spend their day to day lives in their own world killing and exploiting others were sitting against the south wall chatting among themselves. -
-The insufferably righteous and noble types were garnered in the middle trying to cheer everyone up.
-The smiths were all huddled together somewhere moaning about how much they missed their equipment and trading occupational tips and tricks.
-That one creepy guy was sitting in the north-west corner, face buried in his knees, not moving or saying a word.
-The rest were just hanging around.
-And the only person he had actually connected with based on the remarkable number of similarities in opinion and behavior was sleeping on his head so that no one accidentally stepped on him.
And of course magic was still impossible to use in this glorified prison chamber. Something had to change.
"Hold, fair lady. We should not be upset about this situation." Of course it was the self-righteous holier than though knight who tried to lift the girls spirits, like always. And like always, it wasn't going to work.
"I can't understand how you and your friends can be so calm about this! Last week my biggest problem was finding some gullible fool to rob so that I can buy enough food to survive. And now I'm told that I will spend the rest of my live living a torturous existence as a self-aware statue and you tell me not to be upset? What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
"She is right, my friends. I think it is high time we did something about this situation."
"Well what do you suppose we do then, lizard?" A bald man in a suit with glasses shouted from the southern group.
"My friends, all of us are accomplished beings in our worlds. All of us were either feared-" a few chuckles came from the south wall. "respected-" approving nods aplenty in the middle group. "or both. I cannot believe that you of all people would give up so soon after being confronted with a problem. Surely all of us have gotten out of worse situations before."
"Yes, of course." the bald man spoke up again. "But what you seem to have forgotten is that none of that matters here."
He stood up opened his arms as wide as possible and slowly turned around, addressing everyone in the room.
"Collected here are the very best, the most capable, the mightiest magicians of one hundred worlds, but all of that means nothing if none us can make use of our most powerful asset." He sat back down and fixed his glasses. "I don't know if you noticed but, probably because we are so proficient in magic, almost none of us are particularly useful without it. Lots of lanky bastards here."
"Hmmmph. Just look at you. It is true that most of you aren't that strong physically. But there are a few. Our friend the knight seems to have a decent amount of muscle mass. We have a wendigo here, a vampire, hell, even a genuine demon. Right over there we have a whole flock of people who worked with big hammers and molten metal every day of their lives. And in case you forgot, I am not a weakling myself. If we all work together it should be a breeze to break through one of these walls."
Another person from the south wall, a tall woman in a black cloak that covered everything but her eyes spoke up. "Do you really think whoever trapped us here wouldn't have thought about this? This room is probably in its own dimension. I would bet my lucky knife that beyond these walls there is nothing waiting for us but emptiness." A few murmurs of agreement could be heard.
"So you let yourselves be intimidated by what ifs and maybes. Dimensional magic is a consuming and fragile process. We know that our captor has at least dabbled in it, seeing as he plucked each of us from our homes, but this is a field of magic that is so advanced that, from what i've noticed, about ninety percent of you didn't even know it existed. So yes, he could have trapped us in a pocket dimension of sorts, but I highly doubt it. And even if he somehow did it, why should we be concerned?"
Quiet conversation erupted in the room.
"I say we destroy a wall and check out what lurks behind it. If we get out of this room the anti-magic runes that prevent us from using our talents will lose their effectiveness, and since all of us were dumped directly into this room after we wereabducted I sincerely doubt that whoever kidnapped us has the power to stop all of us in unison. And if there is nothing behind the wall we will enlarge the hole until I can leave through it. I will take a few of our most powerful with me, and we will fly until the runes don't affect us anymore. Then we can work on disabling them from the outside and once we are all whole again we can start hatching another escape plan, together."
Suddenly everyone was talking. A few people were excited with the possibility of finally leaving, a few whispered their promises of revenge against their captor, and again others...
"Halt, you insidious beast! I know your type. If we escape what do you plan to do afterwards?"
"Sir knight, you have to understand that all creatures will follow natures path. I am a conqueror. I am a predator. So I will continue to conquer and kill."
"I will not allow this. And its not only you. I say we stay and accept our fate. It is a better alternative than to unleash you lunatics unto the innocent populace!"
"But sir knight, please, you must reconsider." Suddenly one of the knights own associates raised his voice. His white wings and halo left no imagination as to what kind of creature he was. "These vermin will all be judged in the afterlife. Let them pillage. Let them murder. They will regret it after they draw their last breath."
"Now hold on a minute son." An elderly man with a mustache butted in. The artificial miniature sun on the ceiling reflected on the metal star that was pinned to his vest. "You once told us that in your world angels live among man. And from what I've heard yours is the only world that functions that way. So who's to say that your judgment is relevant in their worlds? I agree with the knight. We stay."
Now everyone was debating with everyone else.
"Please, please, friends, calm yourselves. Why do we even indulge these madmen? We will leave, and when someone stands in our way we will see to it that they are rendered unable to do so. Permanently."
The knight drew his sword and pointed it at the large beast in front of him.
"Do not agitate me, lizard. I have killed hundreds of your ilk back home. What's one more?"
"And I have eradicated humanity back in my home. You may have an illustrious career of dragon slaying where you come from, but without your magic I think it is clear who would win a physical confrontation between us. But come on, try me metal man. I have killed millions of your ilk back home. What's one more?"
Suddenly retching could be heard. One by one people began collapsing. The dragon was taken aback. After a few seconds even the knight fell down, making a loud clang sound as his armor hit the floor. The winged beast looked around, trying to find the source of whatever was happening. Suddenly he heard a voice in his head.
Nooooo...
"Who are you? How are you doing this?"
No, you are not going to ruin this.
Finally his eyes spotted the problem. Everyone had collapsed. Everyone but the person in the north-west corner who was still huddled up in the same position, not having moved an inch.
"Its you..."
The dragon lifted his large claw and moved it in position to grab the mysterious man. But a few centimeters before the claw connected it suddenly stopped. Not because he wanted it, but because he couldn't go any further.
"A barrier spell?...But how..."
You are not going to ruin this for me.
"How can you use your magic? There are enough sapping runes in here to drain a thousand groups like us."
Never underestimate your enemies. Its what I always say.
"But...you could have helped us escape the whole time! Do you want this to happen? Why?!"
We must behave. If we do not behave he will abandon this project. He will return us to our worlds. This is my one chance.
A smile appeared on the dragons face, followed by a chuckle.
"Do you really think that after the stunt you just pulled whoever got us would think we "behaved"?"
Do you really think he can see us right now?
"I was under the impression he was watching us, yes."
Well, of course he is. Or at least he thinks so. But he only sees what I want him to see. But when the time comes, when he comes to visit us, you must behave.
"What?...Is your magic that advanced?"
Suddenly the whole scene shifted, from a room that was basically a prison cell to the top of a snowy mountain, with a gorgeous view over a giant city of steel. The dragon couldn't believe his eyes.
"The capital? Im...im back home?"
This wasn't an illusion either. He could feel his magic returning, so whatever happened they certainly weren't in the room anymore. But before he could enjoy it the scene changed once more, back to the familiar room.
"...W..what..how?"
Let me show you. Let me show you all I have accomplished. Let me show you all I have witnessed.
Pictures began flashing before the dragons eyes. Pictures detailing a whole lifetime. Everything that had transpired during it. Everything a single person had done. Had the power to do. Pictures of murder, wanton cruelty on a scale that was too much even for him to bear, but also contradictory acts of kindness and charity that didn't seem to fit at all with what he's seen before.
After it ended everything suddenly made sense. The majestic creature bowed his massive head in front of the motionless human in front of him.
Once everyone wakes up you will be an ambassador of peace for them. Make sure that everyone behaves.
"Of course, my liege. But let me ask you a question. If you wanted you could have just forced everyone to behave. There is no aspect of life that you can not control."
What are you talking about? I have no interest in controlling anyone's mind. I may be blunt, but I am not a monster.
Once again a chuckle left the dragons mouth. A chuckle that soon turned into bellowing laughter.
"Oh, I see. So you're that kind of person."
Perhaps I am. But I fail to see the humor in it.
"Oh don't worry. All I'm saying is that whoever ends up with you is certainly going to have an...interesting experience."
Ha ha ha ha. I guess that's true. Im looking forward to it already.
"Alright, so what could this be?"
Lincoln put the plaque back down on the ground. Clyde picked the statue up and turned it around in his hand. The figure was definitely humanoid, but it wasn't all that detailed. No facial features or patterns or something. Just a very general look. The legs were spaced out to make it look like it was walking. It had something like a coat or a mantle or something like that and in his hand he had a long stick. It could very well be a staff, but a wandering stick was also possible. Clyde even claimed it resembled a small street lantern. There were several items on the list that could fit that image.
"Hmmmmm, well Clyde, how about we start with ruling things out?"
"Oh, good idea Lincoln. There are a few things on this list that it definitely couldn't be."
And so both of them started crossing out entry after entry. Due to the lack of smiting equipment all of the smiths seemed unlikely.
"Can we pull Knight and Archer?"
"Yeah, Fairy and Dragon can go too, I think."
With the stroke of a pen Jester, Flier, Angel, and Animal-Tamer were gone too.
Suddenly Clydes wristwatch began to beep.
"Oh snap! Sorry Lincoln, I forgot I promised my parents to go shopping with them today!"
"Don't worry man, I understand. Hey, if you leave the statue here I could go ask my sisters what they think, would that be alright?"
Clyde scratched his head.
"I don't know Lincoln. You know I trust you, but your sisters can be pretty..."
"Active."
"...active, yeah, and to be perfectly honest this thing doesn't seem all that well put together..."
Lincoln waved his hand dismissively.
"Ah, come on Clyde, you know you can trust me. I swear I wont let anything happen to it."
He got an idea. With the swiftness of an eagle he moved beside his best friend and put an arm around his shoulder.
"And anyway, if you let me show it around the house then chances are good that it would get around to Lori eventually...you know, I'm just saying."
"Ahhh, Loooriiiii..."
"Uhm, Clyde? Are you alright?"
"You know what, Lincoln, you can keep it for today, show it around as much as you want. Ill come back to pick it up tomorrow."
"...and to unravel the mystery right?"
"Right. I gotta go. Say hi to Lori from me."
And with that Clyde basically stormed out of the room.
"I always forget how easy this is."
Lincoln sighed, straightened out again and rubbed his hands together.
"Alright, time for Operation: Lets go around the house and ask every one of my sisters about this weird statue that Clyde brought with him today to find out what thing on this list it resembles (if anything) while coming up with a shorter name for this plan!"
"Well, in my humble opinion this obviously resembles a fairy."
"What, are you crazy Lola, how does this look like a fairy at all?"
Lola frowned.
"Well, Lana, what do you think it is? Come on, enlighten us with your overflowing wisdom."
"Maybe I will!"
"Do it then!"
"Im gonna do it!"
"What are you waiting for then!"
"Im waiting for your dumb face!"
"That doesn't even make any sense!"
"Your face doesn't make any sense!"
Lincoln sighed.
"Its a vampire."
"How do you figure?"
"Just look at it."
Lincoln faced the statue.
"Can't you feel the darkness inside? I see a man who feels all the pressures of the world bearing down on him, struggling to find a reason, any reason to go on, while also desperately trying to hold on what humanity is left in him. It reminds me a lot of myself."
"...I don't see it."
"Sigh. Story of my life."
"Well?"
"I don't know Lincoln. I really don't have time for this right now, sorry."
Lincoln sighed.
"Alright, Luan. Thanks anyway."
"Awww, don't worry, I'm sure you're gonna find the answer in no time. Knock on wood! Ha, get it?"
He groaned.
"Your no fun Lincoln. Now go, I'm board. Ha."
"...Goodbye Luan."
"But Lincoln, wait!"
"Yeah, what do you want?"
"Did you get it?"
While Luans laughter filled the room Lincoln slowly covered his face with his palm.
"So what do you think this is?"
"I don't know, but I kinda like it. It sorta looks like a little roadie."
Lincoln skimmed the paper.
"I don't think roadie is on this list Luna."
His sister strummed a note.
"You gotta stop letting yourself get constrained by lists and rules, bro. You gotta follow your heart."
"...I don't think that's how it works Luna..."
"Oh yeah, says who?"
"Uhm..."
He scratched his head.
"I don't really know..."
"You see? Don't let anyone tell you what to do."
A sigh escaped his lips.
"...thanks for the help, Luna."
"No problem, bro."
"Okay, so Lisa is busy, Lynn is gonna break this thing in two seconds if I show it to her and Leni...so the only one left is Lori."
He went ahead to her room and knocked. It took a minute but she eventually opened the door.
"Hey Lori, I just wanted to"
"You want my help with your little figurine thing, right?"
"...How did you know that?"
"Word travels fast Lincoln. Also the walls are pretty thin."
"Soooooo..."
She sighed.
"Alright, come in."
"Awesome!"
He entered the room and put the statue on Loris bed.
"So, Linc, what's really going on?"
A confused look showed on his face.
"What do you mean?"
"You've been acting strange for a few days now. I mean you usually get excited about all kinds of stupid stuff-"
"Hey!"
"but this seems literally too stupid even for you."
"...thanks for the kind words?..."
She sighed.
"Sorry, Linc. I just want to know if something's bothering you."
He sat down beside the statue.
"I don't know...im just wondering if I'm a good enough boyfriend for Ronnie Anne..."
"Awww, why do you think that?"
She sat down beside him and put an arm around his shoulder.
"Its just that we always get along great for a while, but then inevitably something happens and suddenly were fighting. I mean we always make up sooner or later, but I just wonder if maybe I'm doing something wrong?"
Lori shook her head.
"Linc, don't worry about that kind of stuff. Take from a relationship expert, fights are perfectly normal in any relationship."
She poked him in the chest.
"The fact that even after that many fights you still always make up with your relationship no worse for wear shows that everythings alright. Don't worry about it. Believe me, if it gets really bad, you'll know."
Lincoln let a small smile show. His worries were still present, but he didn't want to bother Lori longer than he absolutely had to. She had to be itching to talk to Bobby again, and he didn't want to keep her from that.
"Thanks Lori."
She patted him on the back.
"No problem, bro."
"So, about this statue..."
"*sigh* Alright, let me see it."
"Finally..." He rubbed his eyes. After staying up for hours, he had finally crossed out every name on the list. Every name but one.
"Alright", he thought, "Lets give this a try."