A Game of Gods: Infinities

"Eh?" Nanoha blinked and titled her head at the portal's sudden appearance, before glancing back at the chiming door, then to Yee. "What's at the door? Is it dangerous?"

She took a single step towards the portal, but her left hand went up to grip Raising Heart.

Gunner deftly called her auto guns out of her mechanical holsters, the twin weapons sliding easily into her grip. She glanced around, trying to figure out what spooked Yee to that extent.

Mehir has heard that voice in the past. It was the voice that people used in dire straights. He nodded curtly, and jumped into the portal, the mystical energy around his hand flaring up.

The Doctor smiles. He knows what it's like to commit "sins" for the good of many. "Yee. I know what it's like to be shunned by your kind for doing the right thing. I promise you Yee. The reward for doing it will be worth the loss of trust from your own people."

Heh, I wonder what that old man's got planned for us. Oh well, I'll get my answers soon enough. Xigbar thought as he heads for the portal, his weapons at the ready.

The Doctor jumps into the portal. "I wish to see you again Yee."

Erio picked Strada up off the floor and headed for the portal.

Wonder which way up I'll come out of this one.

I think this is going to turn into a Running Gag; Erio and portals do not get along with each other.

With some level of reluctance, given that something was clearly about to attack and Nanoha would've liked to have been able to help Yee stop it, Nanoha passed through the portal.

Garland was very reluctant to leave in the face of an opponent, but if this thing was powerful enough to give a Celestial pause, he wouldn't stand a chance. He stepped through the portal.

"He just HAD to stop before telling us somethin' vital, huh?"

Hellboy went through the portal.

The Gunner simply entered the portal after the others, giving Yee one last look. "Good luck." She said before she went through.

Shotaro noticed something from the corner of his eye. He walked towards it and discovered it was another portal. "Uh, guys! I found another portal! Would anyone like to test it out?" Shotaro said to the people in the streets.

The Crystalline City...

A cold wind howled through the crystalline metropolis then, small patches of frost spreading across the gleaming facets of those towering gems as it washed over the various Champions. Strangely, the wind itself did not feel as cold as the frost would indicate; while this breeze would chill most of the displaced heroes considerably, particularly in the case of those members of the group who were underdressed (Lucy, to give one example), they would find the cool fingers ghosting across their skin to be not much colder than a gentle autumn breeze. Furthermore, the wind itself did not last for very long; scarcely had five seconds passed since the breeze began blowing through the city when it died, and the frost coating the crystals rapidly began to melt.

Over by the portal, the light generated by this rip in space and time cast deep shadows across the ground and surrounding walls; an astute observer might notice, where he or she paying rapt attention, that the number of shadows cast did not correspond to the number of Champions in the portal's vicinity—there was an extra shadow, one which lay close to that of Shotaro as if its owner were standing right next to the Kamen Rider. But clearly that was impossible, for no one was standing in that position.

A dry, rasping sigh echoed through Shotaro's ears then, and a voice as soft and withered as a rotting sheaf of papyrus began to whisper to him seemingly from nowhere.

Are you so resigned to the role they have picked out for you that you would blindly leap through their hoops, Hidari Shotaro? I would have expected better of his disciple...

Kaede, unconcerned as she was with the surroundings, had no difficulty spotting the portal. Whilst she was debating the merits of standing around in a crystalline city versus walking through a rip in the air, a chill wind sprung up... it wasn't as bad as nocturnal rain when standing by the ocean but it was certainly an incentive to run through the rip with speeds that could only mean using her vectors for propulsion. Hopefully, it was warmer on the other end... wherever and whatever that was.

Knowing my luck, this'll make the idiot take control. The Diclonius Queen predicted, right before she passed through the rip. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she was right—Kaede went in, Nyu came out.

Shotaro felt the cold breeze and felt his hat was being picked up by the wind. He grabbed it and secured it to his head. He then heard the raspy voice. His eyes widened when it mentioned "His disciple". He then looked around for the source in fear. Then looked at the ground and saw the additional shadow. He jumped back in fear, losing balance and landing his butt on the ground. He began to pant heavily.

"Wh-Who's there?" Shotaro stammered.

The Crystalline City...

A dry chuckle ghosted through the air, and Shotaro would feel a brief pressure on his left shoulder—as if someone unseen had chosen to place their hand there for but a moment.

Now now, Shotaro, there is no need to get excited; after all, I only wish to help you.

The strange, disembodied shadow seemed to bend down and offer a hand to that of Shotaro; as it did so, the young Kamen Rider would feel a faint prickling sensation on his left bicep as something immaterial and invisible took hold of his arm. Then the shadow straightened up a moment later, somehow hauling Shotaro's own shade to its feet; and the young Rider would find his body mimicking the movements of its shadow a moment later, rising to his feet against his will.

Much better, the voice rasped. Friends should not leave friends laying on the floor, after all. Would you not agree, Shotaro?

Shotaro felt the force and saw the shadow. He hesitates, not knowing what is going on. "Do... Do I know you? Should I know you?" Shotaro asked. He felt confused from all of this.

The Crystalline City...

I admit, we have never met before; however, I knew your mentor, Hidari Shotaro. Narumi and I were friends, I suppose you could say, though it has been over a year since we last spoke; he and I were in a situation very similar to the one you currently find yourself in, Shotaro.

The voice paused then, and the shadow's head seemed to pan back and forth as though it were taking in the city's magnificent vista. After a moment, it let out a brief sigh.

Such ostentation...

edited 7th Oct '11 2:25:59 PM by SullenFrog

Fluttershy shivered as the suddenly breeze hit. "It is winter now?" she asked. She then noticed Shotaro. "Um....Shotaro? Who are you talking to?" she asked.

Shotaro's fear simply vanished. So many questions to ask him. So many answered by what the veterans said. It helped weed out the obvious questions. He knew that Narumi was in a similar situation before. He knew of his current whereabouts. Shotaro then looked towards the portal, then around the city. Then to Fluttershy, who asked who he was talking to. "I have no idea. I'm talking to a shadow who apparently knows my old mentor." Shotaro said to Fluttershy.

Oh, I know a great deal more than that, the voice remarked dryly. I know how you can be free of this madness. You see, the ones responsible for dragging you into this mess, they may purport to be different from the beings who kidnapped your mentor to jump through hoops for their own amusement; but the distinction is purely academic, isn't it? No matter what they profess to be, they are still just cosmic-powered thugs who cannot do a thing for themselves and thus rely upon mortal beings like you and I to provide service and entertainment.

The shadow seemed to shrug then, as if in disappointment. Unfortunately, I cannot simply free you right here and now; if it were that easy, you would not have been in this mess to begin with. Even so, I can guide you and point you in the right direction...

Shotaro paused. He then looked at Fluttershy and the other champions. He thought of how the challenges might get more mentally scarring. He knew what to do. He then swallowed. "Okay... What's the first step?" Shotaro asked the shadow, unsure if the shadow had some ulterior purpose.

Tyrell continued juggling fireballs. Even though some jerk had summoned Boreas, God Of The North wind, and temporarily frozen him solid the place was still kind of boring. One of the wierd looking knights was talking to an invisble Venus Adept he apparantly knew and nothing really important was going on.

"I'm bored. And cold. And hungry. I'm going to go see what's on the other side of that portal."

But this time I'm not going to get injured. This time, I have a plan.

Carefully preparing himself, Tyrell hurled himself bodily through the portal feet first...

edited 7th Oct '11 3:47:58 PM by Azreal341

The Crystal City...

First of all, there is...another friend of mine, shall we say...who is in a slightly worse predicament than your own. He is the key to your release, though he himself is a prisoner and I do not know precisely where he is; but clues to his location are scattered across the universes—they can be found, if one knows what to look for. If you can find him—and if you can free him, more importantly—then securing your own release will become much easier by several orders of magnitude.

The voice fell silent then as Tyrell attempted to leap through the portal; the shadow reached out to grasp at Tyrell's shade with one arm, and the adept would find his flight coming to an abrupt halt before an invisible force set him down.

Pay attention, boy, the voice rasped, or you could be jumping through hoops for the rest of your natural life...and potentially beyond, as well. Our captors are dicks like that.

"Alright... Free the captive. I'll consider that if these challenges get worse. Which by what you're saying, will be. I'll also let the other Champions know as well. Thanks for the advice Mr..." Shotaro tried one last time to at least get an identity out of the shadow so he wouldn't simply go around calling him "The Shadow Man".