[IC] Nexus Of Worlds Multiverse

[Skallagrim]

The Nexus of Worlds

On the great obsidian throne in the center of the Great Hall, Skallagrim sat whispering in a haunting voice, “Dreamer I am here at the Nexus of Worlds, I shall watch the threads of fate and the multiverse so that all Dreamers may see and observe.”

With that, Skallagrim reached out through the multiverse seeking worlds and entities who showed promise and aptitude. Using the incredible powers of the Dreamers the Walker between Worlds emerged on each world, a Ghostly figure seated upon the Obsidian throne his gaze covering the scope of the world, seeing and remembering everything to be recorded in the far darkened halls of memories..

On each world, wormholes appeared, hidden vortexes connecting each world to the Nexus of Worlds, as well as to the other places, known and unknown in the vast multiverse. Yet not all worlds will find the gates, some worlds turned towards technology and a blind eye to the pathway between worlds. Others crafted legends of such things in their hoary past, dismissing any such wormhole as sheer folly and the sightings of delusional minds.

Should one find a gate and enter it they will find themselves on a small moon, circling a gas giant, in turn circling the brightest star of a triple star system. This planet is where the Nexus of Worlds resides, a place that bridges the worlds of reality with those of the Dreamers.

This is the great hall, a place of shimmering lights. In the center of the hall upon a raised dais is the Obsidian Throne, from which all worlds can be seen. Atop it is Skallagrim the Cughatgh.

To those who approach the skeletal being he whispers softly, “Here in the endless void, a midst the eternal star shine of the omnniverse, the Dreamers craft lands of dream and fantasy, yet for all our power, the realities of the living surprise us. A hundred billion worlds lay before us and each offers life and death. Yet the machinations of these beings always surprise us.”

Skallagrim stands and extends a hand, his voice like thunder, “Welcome to the Nexus of Worlds. We, the Dreamers, welcome thee. Your presence will be recorded and your world will be cataloged.”

Skallagrim waves to the Great Hall around them. Within the hall stands the golden trees Glasir and Læraðr. The hall's ceiling is thatched with golden shields. Various creatures live in the Great Hall such as the stag Eikþyrnir and the goat Heiðrún, both are standing atop wide wooden steeps and consuming the foliage of the tree Læraðr. The land around Great Hall is lush, with thick green grasses and shrubs with fruit and nuts. Beyond that flash of green, the dreamed of summer lands, lies the worlds connected to the Nexus of Worlds.

“'The Nexus of Worlds is a dream, a fantasy or nightmare depending on how you approach life. However, out there, lays a multitude of lifetimes. Some will come to the Nexus; others will live a thousand lifetimes and never find it. Those who have come here will find pathways to other worlds, other times and places, perhaps you have dreamt long upon this and when you wake we shall be naught but a fading memory. Perhaps your will is strong and you will remember us, remember where we reside, perhaps you will come to wage war on the Dreamers, or perhaps curse us for your own demise.”

[Salroka]

With little warning, a red-clad warrior and his accompaniment of soldiers would materialize next to a long-disused gate in the Nexus of Worlds. Over two-hundred souls lay motionless on the ground where they appeared. Cathak Talon lay there for just under a minute before his eyes snapped open and he sat up. "Am I... dead? Is this..." he scanned his surroundings before continuing with his confused ramblings. A lush landscape, animals, fruit trees, water... it was oddly similar to the lands outside of Lookshy. So where was he, really? Had Yuri maybe reversed time, or transported Talon and his soldiers away from the city of Nexus? What in the name of the Scarlet Empress was going on? Where was he?

Rising to his feet, Talon sighed heavily. It was situations like this that he was not good at dealing with. Sure, he had the senses of a hawk... but when you're confused about where you are or what happened, all the senses in the world can't help you much. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spied something unusual. A skeletal form, as unfamiliar as it was ageless. Normally, he would assume such a thing to be dead... but that was where his sharp senses came into play. He could tell simply by looking that the being was not the traditional definition of dead. No... something was different. There was something to this being. Something... more. "You there. Identify yourself!" Talon drew his blade as he approached, ready for anything at this point.

And then the being spoke... and then stood. His voice rang out through the air as if it was a clap of thunder. Talon was instantly ready to combat this being. Someone with such a presence, such force of being... could only be Anathema or of the Fair Folk. As he was preparing to rush into the fight, his potential for motioned over the land around them and continued to speak. Its words were intriguing, to say the least. A moment of contemplation followed, though Talon kept his weapon ready. "Then tell me this, being.Or, Dreamer, as you seem to call yourself. Tell me why I am here." he lowered his weapon and returned it to the ring holster at his belt. After all, there was little honor in keeping a weapon drawn during conversation.

"I know not of the Dreamers you speak of, nor these 'other worlds'. I know only of Creation and her sister realms. I've not come here by choice, I seek only the way back home, and I care not if I remember this place. In addition, I seek not war with you unless you..." he paused for a second, thinking back on his friend who had been "anathema". Were they really so bad as the Immaculate Order made them out to be? Perhaps not. "... I ask you not to threaten me, for I will not take another mention of my death so lightly." One hand gripped tightly on the hefty blade at his hip. He was more confused than ever at this point, and an animal that was confused and afraid was not always the most reasonable thing.

The fact of the matter was that Talon and his men were strangers in an unknown world now. They had yet to realize it, as they were all still down for the count... but Talon was staring the truth in the face. Either he would have his answers soon... or he would be forced to cut those answers out of someone. "Tell me... what in the name of Yu-Shan am I supposed to do? I need to know. Now."

[Skallagrim]

Skallagrim sat down, the amethyst energies flowing slowly around his head, the eye sockets brilliant with the light. His voice a murmur, soft yet audible to the man called Cathak Talon. “You are here because you choose to come here. You entered the gate of your own will and here you stand.” Waving a hand ,”This is the Nexus of Worlds, from where we Dreamers see and watch, pondering the possible permutations of life and death.”

Listening to the man, Skallagrim lowered his head; “Creation is as we dream it. All realms exist, all things exist somewhere…we Dreamers watch all of these realms, all of these existences and contemplate them in their entirety.”

“Threats? I hardly threaten I merely explain the possibly outcome of your actions. Should you draw your sword then we shall engage in war. What if you win? How will you find your way to your own realm amidst the countless pathways? Are you long lived enough to find your way home? What of your men, are they sturdy and strong enough to face horrors beyond anything their minds can conceive?”

Skallagrim stood, slowly, step by step coming down so he was face to face with the man who among all those who had come was able to stand, with a slight wave of his hand several shimmering gates appeared and through each the sights on the other side could be seen.

Darashal where a great war was in the beginning phases as warships sailed around the planet while on the planet below people struggled to resist the Knights and soldiers of the Angar-Ryllan Empire

Sortiarius a world much like the one that Talon had come from, where a small village was under attack by Elves or Sidereals, a huge bear running for the town where an elf killed with a blood lust that would cause anyone of common decency to turn away.

Mystique a strange world where magic and machine were one and the same. Two strangers, not of this world prepared to engage in combat. Their structures similar to Talon’s but that is where the similarities ended.

Angar-Rylla Homeworld, where a small ship faced off the grand home fleet of the Empire. A man who was out of his league in terms of firepower, but a strange bravery or foolishness was seen in the exchange.

Turning towards the man next to him, Skallagrim pointed, “There, somewhere among those worlds you will find your way home. You are here, therefore you must make a choice, make a stand and allow us the opportunity to see how your kind can shape the multiverse, for good or ill.”

Turning to climb back to the high backed basalt throne, Skallagrim glanced back, “That, that is what you can do. “

[Asuras]

Fortunately for Talon, Cathrel was a visitor to the Nexus at the time, taking a moment in its sanctity to gather her thoughts and review the map she was constantly updating, held within her staff. The glass bulb towards the top emitted a holographic diagram of a collection of spheres circling around one another haphazardly. Some were larger than others, some were weirdly shaped; for example the shape of the universe she had just recently visited, that of Aurora. It was a half sphere, as if the missing end were hidden from view. It was hazy and flickering, but something about it seemed quite potent. She would speak to Skallagrim about it later, for if the Staff of Tranquility could not map it, then the Dreamer too would not be capable of peering into its depths. With the sound of a blip, and later the introduction of human voices into the otherwise deathly quiet Nexus, Cathrel lifted her gaze from the map.

A small army of men were incapacitated, lying on the ground. One of them stood and spoke up to Skallagrim himself, seemingly lacking in fear. Nevertheless, his voice expressed definite confusion, and she could tell he felt lost. Picking up her staff, Cathrel fixed her bag to her back and approached the man.

"Tell me... what in the name of Yu-Shan am I supposed to do? I need to know. Now." Skallagrim answered the man, but Cathrel added in her own words to aid in the ease of his confusion.

"I am familiar with travel between the universes, if it may help, I can lead you across the multiverse in search of your own home," she paused and smiled devilishly, twirling her staff around as if to propose a dangerous prospect, "Alternatively, if you're feeling adventurous, I can take you anywhere but." Cathrel winked at the man, though judging by his status above the rest of the slowly recuperating soldiers, it was doubtful he had time to fool around the multiverse.

[Salroka]

Talon's men were only just starting to rouse themselves when the odd young girl made her approach. Wait... young girl? Associating with this skeletal being that showed Talon multiple worlds? This was too much... he couldn't actually wrap his mind around the various implications, the thought of multiple universes, travel between them, and so on. Something in his mind gave way, and he released his grip on his weapon. "The way... The way I came was only possible due to the blood of the anathema. I can't go back that way. So take me wherever you feel I would be of most help." He motioned to his men, whom were for the most part up and on their feet. Then he pressed a closed fist to his chest and took a knee.

"Sir... Dreamer. Young Lady. I'm nothing without a cause to fight for. My men and I are valiant, headstrong, and capable... but I also feel..." he recalled seeing the various wonders that the gates showed him. "... I feel as though I, with merely my blade and my abilities, would fall short of making any real impact." Talon seemed discouraged by the things he had seen. They had skyships in Creation, sure. But these advanced models that could traverse the stars were beyond anything he had ever seen. To know there were things like that in existence... made the normally proud and boastful man feel just how small and insignificant he really was. It was not the most comforting thing he could think of. In fact, it was downright unpleasant.

"Regardless. If you believe I may benefit a specific realm, then my men and I stand ready to do what we can." ... if nothing else, he could perhaps show the Multiverse that the Scarlet Dynasty was not a thing to be trifled with. Even if he died, even if he lay forgotten on a world unknown to the Empress, even if he never got to look upon his home again... he could show these "Dreamers" that his people were not beneath notice. And it was with that thought in his mind that he grasped his weapon with renewed zeal, drew it, and shouldered it. "Show us the way, girl! The Burning Wings stand at the ready!" ... and that was that.

[Asuras]

It certainly was a time in need of any extra hands. The Angar-Ryllans were swiftly mobilizing on countless fronts, and even a swordsman and his company could do damage in multiple ways. Cathrel crossed her arms, lifting a finger to her lips as if in contemplation. She traced over her memory of various universes, deducing which would be best for these so-called 'Burning Wings', that or which one needed the most help. Mystique came to mind; several blips of foreign entities were making their way into the universe from elsewhere, slowly but surely, consistent with the use of sabotage and espionage. Large as the Burning Wings might have thought themselves, they were nothing against a true Angar-Ryllan force. Cathrel did not know if the assailants of Mystique were Angar-Ryllan in origin, but it was much more probable these men could serve as guards and lookouts moreso than a formidable fighting force.

"I am unfamiliar with the energy you and your men exhibit, so I cannot say I know of your home universe either. What I can do though, is help you along the way towards giving your Burning Wings a purpose here in the multiverse. You'd be surprised how useful your skills can be out there," she smiled. With a twirl of her staff, a portal opened up at her side, revealing an image of a phenomenally darker world than the Nexus's tranquil atmosphere. She waved a hand at her nose and grimaced. "I forgot how musty the place was." With a gesture, she beckoned for Talon and his entourage to enter, the portal just big enough to allow two men through at a time.

"I'll clarify you on where you are to go and do once we're all through. Chop chop!"

[Skallagrim]

Skallagrim listened as the man spoke, addressing both he and Cathrel. He also listened to her response, smart; indeed the Dreaming Queen had chosen well this young woman, whom all Dreamers smile fondly upon, remembering a time when the wonderment of traversing the vastness of the multiverse filled them with awe.

As the gateway opened to the lands of Mystique, the Walker Between Worlds paused, his energies flaring slightly as he reached out with those energies to touch the girl, envelope her in the wispy tendrils of aesr.

“The magic of Mystique is harsh. Technology is as much a part of that land as the magic. To rely on one aspect of the world and deny the other could lead to a catastrophe for this man.”

Drawing back the energies to him, Skallagrim turned his attention to the Angar-Ryllans. Indeed their war had intensified, driven by the fear and power lust of their Lord General, Dou’far Klaast. Would he change his mind if he knew that for all the power the Dreamers wield, for their ability to see all possibilities of existence, they had never used that power toward anything other than study.

No, no he would assume that the Dreamers were as he was. A man to whom the idea that there were much more to the multiverse than he could hope to comprehend, frightened him.

Absent-mindedly Skallagrim’s fingers fell on the pommel of Onverlicht, what would happen if he appeared in the midst of that great ship and simply cut the threads of existence from around the Lord General? A thousand Dreamers all responded with a thousand possibilities.

“I hear you; yes I agree we should allow this reality to continue as it is. So many elements introduced; the future is not yet coalesced. Let us see where these heroes will take the possibilities then.”

With that he sat back, lowered his head and let the slumber come upon him, drifting back slowly into the dream state. Allowing his consciousness to expand and merge with the other Dreamers, until he was seeing the myriad of possibilities and pondering each one as they came to him.

[LeeRoy]

A beautiful Sunday morning, no rain or even a cloud in the sky. The perfect day for Keezi's favorite hobby, hiking. Today she had chosen to go to Mercer Island to enjoy the beaches, the cold water was always nice. She packed her survival kit and slid her bat into the side slot. (The side was actually intended for water bottles, but the bat fit perfectly and she always carried it.) And off she went, starting with a casual jog to get from her home to the bridge connecting the island to the mainland. One step onto the bridge and everything went crazy. Crazy? What on Earth do you mean by Crazy? Crazy as in: The bridge was suddenly and immediately covered in smoke, a thick black and acrid smoke. Not unlike that above the pool of a volcano, and Keezi couldn't see a thing through it.

"Ah, hello? Anybody there?" She actually rolled her eyes, immediately realizing that she had seen this all before. Her guard lowered and she started meandering forward, half expecting to run into Huehueteotl at some point. But as she kept going she started to think that this might not even be her Patron God's work, so she withdrew her bat and wrapped her fingers around it. The leather bindings at the base crinkling from the strain. "Huehueteotl? Is this you? If this is you I'm gonna be real pissed!" At this point she hadn't even thought about how long she had been walking. She had long since passed the actual length of the bridge and was no longer in her world, she was on a bridge between worlds. Keezi's legs started to grow weak, and that was unusual, she had been hiking since she was a kid. This wasn't exhaustion, the energy was being sapped from her. This may have been a side effect of traveling between dimensions, or maybe it was her body trying to stop her from doing something stupid. Either way.

The smoke began to clear and before her was a massive hall, like the ones that you would see in a castle or some jazz. At the back was a huge black throne of what looked to be glass? Was this the true home of Huehueteotl? He lived pretty modestly then, cause he's a god and all. "Hey, Huehueteotl?! Are you here? I followed your smoke and stuff, I'm just kinda. Here now? Why'd ya bring me here?" Then she spotted a- A skeleton? "Yo shit! Huehueteotl? Are you dead? Did you die, is this your skeleton?!" She trotted as quickly as she could towards the throne and slowly pointed her bat at the skeletal figure. Tapping what she was assuming was the kneecap of him with the bat. "Hey, buddy? Are you Huehueteotl? Or are you just some corpse?" Jeez, Keezi, you're talking to corpses here. Get it together, there's no way that Huehueteotl could die, he's a god! "Pfft. What am I doing, this is a corpse. Gods don't have corpses, they just. Uh. Like, live forever and stuff." Keezi relaxed, spinning around a bit and letting the bat drop from its raised position. "This is stupid. I'm here for a reason, Huehueteotl! Aren't I!?"

[Skallagrim]

The human woman tapped the armored knee of Skallagrim;

"Hey, buddy? Are you Huehueteotl? Or are you just some corpse?" Jeez, Keezi, you're talking to corpses here. Get it together, there's no way that Huehueteotl could die, he's a god! "Pfft. What am I doing, this is a corpse. Gods don't have corpses, they just. Uh. Like, live forever and stuff." Keezi relaxed, spinning around a bit and letting the bat drop from its raised position. "This is stupid. I'm here for a reason, Huehueteotl! Aren't I!?"

A laugh erupted from Skallagrim that sounded through time and space as amethyst energies flared intensely from his eye sockets, turning his attention to the woman before him.

“I am not your Huehueteotl, and no child, even Gods may die.” The skeletal being murmured standing slowly, casting his gaze on Keezi, bathing her in a brilliant amethyst glow.

“You have come at the cross roads of your life little one, you have come to the Nexus of Worlds. The next choices you make speak volumes of your character and your life.”

Stepping down from the great black throne, Skallagrim peered down at the human female, his gaze drinking deeply of her essence, studying the threads of fate that streaming from her form, following them into the multitude of possibilities that lay before her.

With a subtle movement of his right hand, the room descends into pitch black, the temperature dipping down to freezing, then a sudden burst of lights filling a series of arches, in each doorway an image of the world’s lay before them.

“Your fate is intertwined with these worlds Keezheekoni, somewhere beyond your simple dreams of a demon god lay the true multiverse. Behold the vistas of life that call to you, which your essence, your life, draws you too. “

Turning to face the woman, “Simply choose what you will Keezheekoni, seek your destiny and step forward through the arch into your life.”

[LeeRoy]

Laughter from behind her and a super cryptic voice. Her head slowly turned to face Skallagrim as he rose to his feet. Skeleton dude isn't dead, and is preaching about how gods can die. Neato burrito. Keezi slipped the bat into her pack again and reached into her pants pockets, rifling around for a bit and finding what she was looking for. She pulled out a pack of mini-cigars and placed one between her lips. "So, what about that?" With a flick of her thumb she lit the tip of the stick and let out a puff. "So I've been tossed into a place where I get to choose what world I get to go to? Neat."

Her hand slipped the pack into her right front pocket real quick and she pulled another drag. "I'm going to a new world where my superpowers are gonna work? And in this place there's gonna be super powered people I can beat up?" The cigar had burnt up completely and she tossed the butt aside, wiping her hands off afterwards. "Which one of these worlds has the biggest ass to kick? Let me rephrase that. Who's ass needs to be kicked hardest? I think that I should probably storm in, beat them up, steal their food, and then call it a day. That sound like a good idea to you? Er- SkeletonDude?" Keezheekoni had totally forgotten the introductions, and assuming this thing was some sort of god or emperor thing she just assumed she wasn't supposed to know its name. And that it knew everything about her already.

"Oh, uh, right. The cold. Why'd you make the room cold? It's an appreciated gesture, but why'd you do it?" The girl had started stretching, lowering her body to the ground and pushing her right leg as far out to the side as possible. Repeating the process with her left leg, and then twisting her arms around and around carefully. "Can one of these tubes lead me right in the face of whoever I'm gonna turn into my punching bag? That'd be cool, just show up and whack'm in the head with a bat."

[Skallagrim]

A niggling at the edges of Skallagrim’s consciousness, a fear, an uncertainty called to him. Turning his attention from the woman Keezheekoni and towards the warrior Talon and his warband, the Dreamer reached out through the darkness, his thoughts wrapped around the man, “Come to me Talon, come and address your concerns to me.”

With a wave of his hand space compressed in the vast halls of the Nexus as the Burning Wings, poised to go through a doorway were back before the Dreamer.

“I sense uncertainty in you Talon. Come reveal your fears to me that I may understand them.” Skallagrim said as he raised a shimmering wall of energy around them, showing Talon the entirety of the multiverse in a single instant.

“I am capable of understanding much, but in you I sense loss as well. Why do you mourn? Why do you feel the way you do? Are you not blessed to live your life focused on your world and your life? Would you prefer to stay here, amongst the dark halls, the forgotten dreams and watch the vast potential of all life play out before you? Would you prefer to stand watch here among the shadowed and dream alongside the eternal?”

Skallagrim focused on the 200 men behind Talon, then his gaze flooded the man before him in a dazzling glow of energy, “You shall live forever, never dying, and eternal as long as the Dreamers possess the Nexus.”

Facing Keezheekoni, he said “Your life may play out as you wish. If you want to balance the great wheels of fate, go, hide amongst the darkest shadows, and hunt among the ruins for a small machine. It possess a great and terrible power, one that can alter every thread in the multiverse, find the lost omnicron and preserve it. You will find among the forgotten relics that bound a terrible dream. Find it in the great ruins of the prison that once held the Nightmare who Walks. Beware though for your strength lies in hiding the artifact, not employing it.”

[LeeRoy]

The Skeleton dude was talking to someone, and that was awfully strange, Keezi thought they were alone. Keezheekoni turned around and nearly screamed in surprise when she noticed what was effectively an army of similarly clad men in the same room as her. "Ho-Jeez! Fucking A!" She had been wholly unaware of their presence, and this was more than a little group of people. This was a group numbering in the hundreds. He spoke to them of uncertainty and fear or something like that. She was honestly more focused on the fact that there was an entire army here.

"Dude, that's not cool. Why didn't you tell ah never mind. So, about this omicron thing." This was likely going to result in a conversation, a long-ish one at that, so Keezi sat down on the floor with a quiet humph. "What exactly does it look like, I get that it's a machine but what shape or color or whatever? Or is it some kinda fourth dimensional thing kept wrapped up in a special cloth, because we of lesser layers can't comprehend it." She chuckled at her own unfunny joke, referencing an old sci-fi movie.

[TheBiddz]

"Ladies and Gentlemen, be careful today! We have record breaking temperatures recorded all across the state, reaching a high of 130 in Orlando! Heat stroke will set in very quickly, so stay hydrated and stay indoors if at all possible"

Drawing the stares of everyone on the street, though not for long, as they are all too busy trying to get where they are going without spontaneously combusting, Kholodny Zima shivers. "Man, I'm freezing here. 130 degrees my ass. It feels like the dead of winter to me. Though, I suppose that's normal. It always feels like winter to me." He sighs and continues walking, all bundled up in his oversized blue goose feather coat, with his sweater and shirt underneath. "Kholdny. It has been 27 years that you have lived with me. How is it that you have not gotten used to the cold yet?" Stribog, God of the Winds, interjects his moping with a question. It is a question that he asks at least once a week, more as a little jab at Kholodny than a serious question now. Stribog and Zima are buddies. "You know exactly how. Its fucking cold man! I have to deal with my balls freezing ALL the time! I thought moving to Florida would take care of that but noooooo. Its cold. Its always cold. I hate it." Kholodny hangs his head, his voice dropping. "I just want to experience one day where I can be warm." What a whiner.

He shrugs and keeps moving on. Not too much he can actually do about it he supposes. It is useful for somethings, rarely. Like that one time he got mugged. That dude really did not expect getting a literal cold shoulder. He probably lost his arm to frostbite. Serves him right. Kholodny bout had a damn heart attack, and it took him more than an hour to get his legs to stop shaking and his teeth to stop chattering. Oh well. "Brrrr. Why does it feel like its getting even colder!? God DAMNIT. I haaaaaaaate this." He looks up and, what the hell? Is that a- Oh no. Why is there a blizzard moving towards him? It looks like a little localized tornado of snow. This sucks. "Stribog, do you know anything about this?" "I may." "I-Is that it!? Thats not helpful at all!" He jumps backward and catches a breeze to help him do a backflip and spin in the air to land 15 feet away, his body now facing in the opposite direction. "Shit shit shit shit shit!" Kholodny curses, taking off in a completely vain attempt to run away, not even bothering to find out whats going on, that would just waste time. He doesn't want to deal with a single iota of this bullshit. He's fucking terrified of this and whatever it may lead too. His legs are shaking, and he trips. Mother. Fuck.

Welp, there it is, game over. The little tornado catches up to him, and in a violent whirl of snow and ice, Kholodny Zima gets swept up and whisked away. He's going to hate this.

"You have got to be fucking shitting me." Yep, that's how this day is going Kholodny. "What-no, where-no, Jesus christ what the FUCK just happened! This is bullshit. Absolutely bullshit." Kholodny mumbles into the ground, his face down into the cold (Of course) hard floor. What is this floor? Marble? Granite? Doesn't matter. He puts his hands on the floor and pushes, slowly and unhappily getting up off his ass. "Fucking bullshit. Blizzard tornado in Florida on the hottest day of the year. Is this an anime? I swear to god." He shuts off communication from Stribog for a little bit, he wants nothing to do with whatever that old Russian bastard set up or has to say right now. "I hate this. Someone's gonna punch me in the face, I just know it." Goddamnit this is terrifying. He doesn't want to be here at all, his heart is racing, knees weak, arms spaghetti.

Looking around the gigantic room, he spots three things. One, giant army. Two, giant skeleton dude. Three, normal looking girl with a cigar. "You've got to be fucking kidding me. This is ridiculous. Okay so, no one's fighting, and they honestly don't look like they'd kill me? Maybe? Oh fuck, I don't know. I guess my best bet would honestly be to go to the girl and skeleton dude? He looks important? Probably knows Im here already? Fuuuck. Im gonna die. This is it, the end of my life." He sniffs a little bit, voice shaking and stammering as he whines. He decides to take it low and slow, getting back on his stomach, his palms out in front of him. "Okay, time to do my patented sneaking technique. 'Cold Penguin Escapes Seal.'" Using his powers, he ices over the floor directly underneath his stomach, no more, and no less. That way, there's no visible trail of ice, he doesn't have to exert power, and the ice melts as soon as he's moved on, leaving no trace. Plus, ice this cold is frictionless, letting him move without a sound. He aims towards the girl and begins to move slowly, silently. "Oh fuck, I should probably stop before I actually get over there or I might scare her and she'll hit me. But I'm the one scared here!" He thinks to himself, sobbing on the inside. So once he gets within 20 feet, easily within viewing distance of the Skeleton (Who he is DESPERATELY trying to ignore for fear of a heart attack) he takes a deep breath and stands, the ice melting from underneath him. With shaking legs and a heart beating so quickly it feels like its going to burst, he steps forward to about 5 feet behind the woman, making sure his footsteps can be heard, against all normal instinct screaming at him. "E-E-E-Excu-Excuse me. I would like to not die, and to know wh-what I'm doing here. Plea-please don't kill me or beat me up." This is a sentence directed at, but not specifically TO the woman or Skeleton in front of him. He don't know what the fuck is going on.

[Skallagrim]

Another person entered the Nexus, another form of life, another distraction to otherwise remove the Dreamers attention from the threads of fate. The Lord of Nightmares was already influencing the vast multiverse, shunting people through tunnels to the Nexus, forcing the Walker between Worlds to focus on the intrusions rather than examine the various weaves that the Nightmare began weaving.

The being, a man, for it was a man, a gangly man who tried to hide his presence from the Dreamer of the Nexus. Even as the man crept forward on his sheen of ice, the Walker between Worlds was already turning towards him.

His attention focused on the being sliding across the floor on his stomach, watching with interest as the man attempted to be stealthy. The entire time the man maneuvered to get into position he failed to look directly at the Dreamer, confirming the threads of fate that the man was indeed a skittish individual.

Why had the Dreaming Queen deemed this man, this Kholodny Zima a player in events far beyond his comprehension? Extending his energies back, ripping through the threads of a hundred thousand possibilities of the man’s existence, and each of them led the man here., a disturbing event to say the least.

When the man spoke, his voice quivered; “E-E-E-Excu-Excuse me. I would like to not die, and to know wh-what I'm doing here. Plea-please don't kill me or beat me up."

Skallagrim growled; “Kholodny Zima why have you and Stribog entered the Nexus of Worlds?”

Turning fully so he faced the man, the Dreamer walked forward, stepping up to the man merged with god and glowered, “This is unacceptable. Your threads of fate continue to lead here but they must not, you have someone to save Kholodny Zima, I let you make the choice of whom to save.”

With that a shimmering gate appeared, showing a town aflame, a giant dragon taking flight to face a horrific creature that seemed on the verge of death and a smaller dragon facing an elf who seemed intent on killing her.

“Go, find your fate…find your courage…”

[TheBiddz]

Oh gods. He's talking directly to me. Oh my god he sounds upset. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. *Click* Kholodny Zima, you know that cutting the tie only lasts for so long. As long as you live, you and I are connected. I will give you courage, though you must take it yourself. Also, do try and watch your language a little. Yeah. Yeah okay. We'll do that. Taking a deep breath, Kholodny allows Stribog to meld with him to a higher degree, filling his body with a cold courage, his eyes becoming a glowing, radiant blue. It's not enough to fully stop his leg from shaking, that would require Stribog almost fully taking over at this point, and right now it's about 70/30 percent Kholodny to Stribog. But it cuts the stammer and thats a hell of a lot better than nothing. Stribog would love for Kholodny to do this by himself, but as he is now, Skallagrim may honestly make him piss himself, and we can't have that. That's an awful first impression.

"So be it. You want me to take a quest? I'm not sure if I'm cut out for something like this, but I will try. Its either that, or have to deal with you getting angry at me, and somehow I feel like that's by far the worst of the two options." So, with the three options in front of him, Kholodny Zima is forced to make a choice. Though, if life experience has taught him anything, its that there is always at least one more option that is explicitly stated. He glances at the girl. There's always at least one more option.

[LeeRoy]

From less than a few feet behind her a voice chimed up, it was masculine and rather hushed. An assassin! Was just about all the thought that she had put into it before raising her baseball bat upwards again, she took a quick backstep with a twist. Swinging her bat around with all of her weight behind it, but before striking him she let her arms go limp. The air about him was incredibly cold, like, actually cold. Holy shit, the air around this dude was cold! "Hey you! You're cold, it's gross, but you're actually cold!" The bat lowered to her side and she brought up her left hand. "Name's Keezheekoni, call me Keezi. This guy here is a Skeleton dude, he told me that I should probably go do something that'll save the world." The bat wielding hand raised upwards and pointed to Skallagrim with the bat.

The guy was literally shaken up about all this though. She couldn't even tell if he was looking at her right now. Skallagrim had sort of just yelled at him, or raised his voice or something. The guy's almost as perplexing as her feral patron god, so she didn't really know how to read him. Showing a shaky dude like this a dragon. What's he gonna do, kill it? He's cold, and that's about all she's seen of him. Though he could be here on the same kind of mission as her. Oh my god! This guy could also have a mission, and he was sent to be her sidekick. Fate demanded it!

"So, now that I've made introductions, Captain Cold. I'm gonna ask you what your name is, and whether you want to go on an adventure with me to save the universe or something. Alright?" Her attitude about this whole ordeal was rather self centered, officially seeing this as her chance to be a 'main character' in her own story. A story for the ages, to be told at tables where legendary heroes sit and drink booze. Ah booze, that sounds real good right now. She turned around and looked at Skallagrim, who by this point was visibly angry. Or sort of. He has no face, so the anger is sort of assumed. "Hey, Boney-guy. Can I bring Coldilocks with me to save the world?" The cold man would either be a super cool team up of fire and ice, or a huge mistake on her part. By bringing along a guy whose teeth are rattling in either fear or cold, or any combination of the two. "Also, I do still need info on the whole Omicron thing. I need a description, it could be super vague, but I need something to work with here."

After that thought something started to happen. Easiest way to explain this is to ask you this question. You ever see Sailor Moon? You know that little transformation sequence where they glow real bright and then get more powerful? Yeah, something like that. Except, her body didn't change much. She did get quite a bit more toned physically, in fact she could say that she was ripped right about now. Not in the bulging ripply sort of muscle, but now she had definitely increased in muscle mass. At least twenty pounds more of the stuff. And her bat was noticeably heavier, it was clearly not regulation now. The heat that she radiated was a lot stronger, even with her skilled control over this temperature she was scalding hot to the touch. Keezheekoni likes this new change. A voice rang out in her head, sending a message directly to her from wherever gods lie. "You are my champion, as such, you need more power to combat the champions of others. I fare the good fortune." And then it went silent. "Neat."

[Salroka]

“I am capable of understanding much, but in you I sense loss as well. Why do you mourn? Why do you feel the way you do? Are you not blessed to live your life focused on your world and your life? Would you prefer to stay here, amongst the dark halls, the forgotten dreams and watch the vast potential of all life play out before you? Would you prefer to stand watch here among the shadowed and dream alongside the eternal?”

Those were the words that the Dreamer spoke to him. Though they stung, the words were absolutely correct. Talon was uncertain, uneasy, and upset. Somehow, this being had read the Dragon-Blooded like a book. Adding fire to the flames that roared in his mind were the numerous images he had seen when they all flashed before him. So much information that it would take most months or years to glean it all... had been shunted into his mind in nary a second. They showed many lands. Some darker than the Underworlds of Creation, some brighter and more glorious than the Imperial City or even Yu-Shan. Creatures more foul than he had ever seen, and beings with beauty incomprehensible.

The skeletal being was correct. To this point, Talon's entire life had been a sham. Anathema were not even a fraction of that which plagued existence... there were much worse things. Hell, he had even had an Anathema as a friend, and was going to even question the guy instead of simply execute him. But then, that friend sent him here. Perhaps Yuri knew what lie in store... perhaps he wanted his friend to find there was more to life than hunting those who have done nothing wrong. Then, the same being offered Talon and his men a place and a duty. To remain in the Nexus and defend the Dreamers as their guardsmen/enforcers/etc.

"You would be able to keep myself and my men here? We would remain comfortable, fed, and with a fulfilling purpose again?" He sighed heavily and discussed the prospect with his two lieutenants while the two other newcomers chatted and bickered. The two officers both seemed conflicted, but not against the prospect. They wanted to do more, but also seemed to feel that this was their best prospect for survival in this odd new place. So it was decided. They would remain and serve the Dreamers as soldiers, guards, emissaries, and enforcers.

"We accept. The Burning Wings will remain in this place and perform the tasks related to your defense, so long as we have purpose and are not mistreated." He honestly didn't feel these beings needed someone like him to defend themselves, but how was he to know for sure? Perhaps their magics were more defensive and supplementary, rather than offensive. "Just tell us what to do and we shall comply." He then looked at the two newcomers, one of whom was being more disrespectful than Talon had been on HIS arrival. "Shall I start by escorting this one off of the premises, Sir?" asked the Exalt as he rested his palm on the pommel of his weapon.

[Skallagrim]

"We accept. The Burning Wings will remain in this place and perform the tasks related to your defense, so long as we have purpose and are not mistreated." He honestly didn't feel these beings needed someone like him to defend themselves, but how was he to know for sure? Perhaps their magics were more defensive and supplementary, rather than offensive. "Just tell us what to do and we shall comply." He then looked at the two newcomers, one of whom was being more disrespectful than Talon had been on HIS arrival. "Shall I start by escorting this one off of the premises, Sir?" asked the Exalt as he rested his palm on the pommel of his weapon.

Skallagrim turned and moved to sit again on the basalt throne, “You shall reside in the Halls of the Brave where you will live forever.”

Once settled he turned his attention to the two humans in the Nexus, an odd pairing perhaps their individual gods had some plan for them. Concentrating he swept away the various realities where the two characters killed each other, and there were a great number of them, he finally examined the possibilities that one or the other was to survive their encounter. Sadly, those realities also led to ruin because neither of them amounted to much more than trouble makers.

Then he found it, a single weave where a minute set of realities existed where both lived and grew both as people and warriors, taking their responsibilities seriously. Delving deeper, Skallagrim found that they would indeed find the Omnicron and promptly lose it because of their divergent personalities. However in all possible universe where this occurred positive outcomes were gained.

“Burning Wings…before you make yourself home in the Great Hall, please escort these two towards the Sortiarius gateway…it is possible they may play a part in the unfolding war before us.”

[TheBiddz]

Escort? That doesn't sounds super pleasant. What did they do to deserve an escort? Though, on the other hand, Kholodny doesn't really want to jump into one of these portals unattended to. Having done what he needed to really do, Stribog severs the body link, leaving little Zima in full control again.

(Things without quotation marks are his own thoughts) Oh nooo, now I really don't want to do that. A dragon? A....goat...thing? Evil elves!? Im gonna die. What was I thinking, agreeing to something like that. Oh. Thats right, its because if I hadn't, this skelefucker was probably going to murder me! Maybe. I don't know. He seems respectable, but... And with that, Kholodny's legs gave out. None of this shaking nonsense. Nope. Right at the knees, and he's down.

"Uh. Oh, this looks like quite an embarrassing situation to be in. Um." He looks over at the firey woman to the side of him. "Not the best introductions right now, but the name is Kholodny. Can I uh, have some help? I don't think I can stand." He looks sheepishly around, totally aware he looks absolutely pathetic. In a room full of (He assumes) battle hardened warriors and the dude just straight up collapsed on the floor. He can feel Stribog facepalming in the back of his head. "Kholodny friend, you are embarrassing sometimes. You still best comrade, but so embarrassing." Yeah, he knows Stribog. He knows. He doesn't know about any of these weave things or anything, but he's praying to all manner of gods, including the one inside him, that he doesn't kick the bucket by the end of the day. He was planning on having a nice bowl of chili later that day too. How sad of a life this poor man leads. Now it looks like portal jumping and (Probably) getting the shit beat out of him. Oh yeah, and he's still cold. Never a change in that one. "Man, this fucking sucks."

[LeeRoy]

"Nice to meet you Kholodny, and sure, I can help!" In an incredibly nerdy but rather heroic posture Keezheekoni literally grabs Kholodny off of his knees and looks at Talon. Who is rather aggressive and beefy to be honest. "There is absolutely no way that I'm gonna go with an army of muscular men who probably haven't seen a woman in years. That's a bad idea written all over the place. So-" Keezi's hand rose up and she gave the entire army of men the middle finger before breaking into a sprint down one of the pathways, exactly opposite the army of Talon. "See ya later suckers, we're off to Adventure!" Now, unfortunately, she still had poor Kholodny in tow, dragging him down the pathway as well. And what's even worse is that neither party knew where these portals lead to. But Keezheekoni's confidence and excitement were high as ever. This was wholely new to her, on Earth there were no supervillains, no heroes. Just a girl with superpowers and a baseball bat. Sometimes she beat up a couple criminals here and there but there was nothing really super heroic. And now, as she dragged along her icy companion she leapt forward into a portal of a new world to explore and probably cause some serious problems. Mayb a bit of mischeif here and there. So here's a short summary. The girl's an idiot, the guy's being dragged along for adventure which he's not gonna like, and they don't know which way they're going.

"To infinity, and beyond!" She screamed happily as she ran headfirst into adventure.