No Turning Back

[Ari]

The first thing she noticed was pain.

A searing pain, tearing through her body, making the fires of hell look like candlelight. It raged through her torso, seeping into her arms and legs like acid in her veins. Eyes kept closed, the Chimera was more than happy to let her subconscious recede, allowing her to slowly digest her situation. She knew three things.

It had been at least four hours since she had last taken medicine. At this point, she would be dead in 6 hours.

She was lying face-down on a hard surface that smelled like nothing, and felt like the white island her lab was built upon.

She hated the one that called himself ‘Omni’, an egotistical freak with a god complex.

As Ari peeled herself from the floor, she realised how wrong everything seemed. The sky and floor were both white in the same way, but there were no buildings. No gardens at the center, just a giant stone obelisk much like the gate to her home world, but off. An identical copy, complete with the werewolf bite out of the corner. A giant grave marker that didn’t exist anymore. Never had existed, as far as anyone else was concerned. The pain took a back seat to the regret, the distress at knowing all those people whose lives were torn to shreds because of her vendetta.

That was more than enough for Arriana to really shove her pain to the back of her mind, focusing on the impossibility of this moment, using the pain in her cracked and damaged soul to drown out the fire in her veins. Scanning the area, she saw nothing but distant marks encircling the stone. One in each cardinal direction, and another set between those.

This is not the world you know.

No kidding. It was so familiar, yet so extraordinarily strange. Decades of jumping between dimensions, but this was the first she had seen or heard of the Omniverse. There were no ancient records of this place. No footnotes in any journals. That gate was a one way opening. That attempt at being a god was rather low on the scale of things, and Arriana was unimpressed.

Don’t fear death?

Already covered. Even if she could die here, she wouldn’t stay dead. As much as she loved the pain of self destructive dna, it was about time she found medicine or a hospital. Something to reduce the crippling pain that only got worse.

Arriana coughed, only realizing that a handkerchief had appeared in her hands when she needed it when she was staring at the flecks of blood spotting the white fabric.

This does not bode well.

Keeping in mind the Omnilium that the faceless grinning specter had spoken of, she willed away the handkerchief. She barely caught a glimpse of the tiny spec of rainbow substance before it absorbed back into her palm. Curious.

Arriana closed her eyes and imagined wrapping her hand around one of Iza’s thick glass vials, the green pulpy mixture within. She felt her hand wrap around something solid, but found that the vial was empty when she opened her eyes. Furious, she threw it against the stone, relishing in the sound of shattering glass.

Rinse. Repeat.

A dozen times Arriana tried and failed to summon the chemical concoction that her team has designed. The ground was littered with broken glass in varying shades of green. The Chimera couldn’t wrap her head around her failures. She had summoned the cloth without thinking. Why was it that the one thing that would give her relief, the one thing that she needed and wanted most, was so much more difficult to create? The pain could not be controlled for any longer, and Ari collapsed against the pillar. She didn’t care about the glass beneath her, it didn’t even pierce her skin. Stilling her breath, Arianna’s head slumped to the side as her vision went black.




Arriana didn’t know how long it had been since she blacked out. The pain had receded, her body once agian accustomed to the constant agony. There was no change in the light source, if this world even had one. Time didn’t seem to exist here anymore than it did from her old world.

Old world. It was nice to know her brain had already come to terms with the fact that she wasn’t leaving this place. Considering the chances that her stone gate was completely useless at home, it would make sense that it was useless here. The Chimera would destroy it if she could, but didn’t know how powers worked here. Ari felt locked off from her central power, probably by the grinning specter. The omnillium probably had it’s uses. The more she gathered, the more power she could use. Chances were: everything was omnillium, so it wouldn’t be hard to find it. They had said the omnillium would come to them, so perhaps it was simply in the air around them. Infusing the world like magic had infused Sorvia. Whatever it was. It didn’t make medicine so she would have to find something that did.

Slowly but surely, Arriana made her way to her feet, analysing her surroundings once more. Eight points on the horizon, eight possible directions. Assuming she was on the North side of the pillar, heading Northwest or due North wasn’t a good idea. The former was made of moss-covered stone, the latter made of ice. North east was palm trees, but she could smell warm sea salt - too much heat above water, and she doubted that world would have a hospital of the caliber she needed. The southernmost gate smelled like smoke - a definite no - and southeast looked to be made of sand. Southwest smelled like raindrops and greenery, a good thing to remember for later. West and to the left looked to be made of stone, but the figures that slipped out of the gate seemed flighty. The Chimera doubted she’d recieve a warm welcome there. Her best bet would be walking right, and to the East.


Later, when her legs wouldn’t screech in agony every time she moved.

Arriana is standing on the south side of the fountain. What she is assuming to be north is, as you may have noticed, south. She's still by the fountain, and won't be leaving for at least an hour or so.

[James Knight]

"You must be new here," said Warren Zimmer as he approached, having watched her materialize at the Fountain. Recruiting Primes was not an easy task, but perhaps he could recruit this one to serve his purposes. "I can show you around the Omniverse if you want, provide you an overview of the place, and the natives. However, this service will not be what you consider free. You will owe me a favor to be paid at a time and place of my choosing down the line. Do you accept my offer?" asked Warren Zimmer. Really he could use all the help he could get in order to ensure the defeat of Yandere. She was a new Prime, and had no knowledge of that, and would never know of it, except what little he'd be willing to tell her anyway, and that was very little. Hopefully his offer would be accepted because he wanted  - no needed a new ally in his ranks. Of course likely he was going to have to train her some, but it would be worth the effort to do so, anyway. And if she was psychotic like Hecate, he could simply shoot her. It was a win win for him in all forms of the word.

[Ari]

The Chimera stared point blank at the man approaching her. He was definitely human. Possibly military, with the way he walked. Not an official, not uf he was approaching a stranger alone. _Especially_ one that could possibly be volatile and violent. At the very least, being moved here didn't affect her diplomacy or senses. The man smelled human, and clearly he hadn't been travelling long. The lingering scent of industrialism lingered on him, noting to her that he had walked here from the eastern gate. Primitive instinct told her to rush him, use her teeth to tear him to pieces and see every living thing as an immediate threat to her and her pack - but there was no pack, and killing him wouldn't do her any good.

I can show you around the Omniverse if you want, provide you an overview of the place, and the natives. However, this service will not be what you consider free. You will owe me a favor to be paid at a time and place of my choosing down the line.

Did he think her stupid? Arriana tried to not show annoyance on her face, but her eyes narrowed. A favor? That could be much more costly than a fee in currency. She dealt in favors within her home world's underground. Sorvia's magic ran off of what the humans called Karma. She knew the risks of cashing in on favors. She could use the aid in reaching the world he had just come from, but she didn't need to know about the others and it wasn't worth the cost.

"Amatch kosth. Ins' morr cavais, lesq' izzon."

The Chimera paused, watching the human's confused face. No contact with the outside world. Nothing but the clothes on her back and the omnilium from the specter. That meant no translations. She would have to do it the hard way. Translating in her head slowly, she reanalyzed the man in front of her. He looked worn, but he was thickset. Probably held up decently in a fight against other humans, but he was, after all, still human. Weak. Squishy. Humans weren't built for fighting anything but eachother. She'd been proven wrong before, but Arriana saw those as exceptions, not the rule.

"I am not in need of a tour guide, nor a protector. Whatever your motives are, it does not matter. New, does not mean halpless. I was not born yesterday, human, and I have never been dependent."

She didn't have an oracle by her side anymore, but that didn't mean she had nothing to bargain. She pointed to the Cosruscant gate, over Warren's shoulder.

"I am travelling in that direction. I will not accept your offer. If you will show me to that world's doctors, I will allow you three questions. Favors are much more costly than you seem to think, and I do not appreciate being undervalued."

The Chimera let her anger show through her eyes, the rest of her cool and calculating. She knew that as she stood, hair down and body draped in red silk, she did not look threatening and yet she would not hesitate to try and tear his head off if he chose to continue this path. Had he backed off, allowing her the room she needed, Arriana would calm and allow him to speak his mind. If he tried to force himself upon her in some internal sense of self-proclaimed philanthropism she would storm off and find the way herself, as she always did.

"Do we have an understanding?"

She realised after speaking that her insticts had influenced her more than they should have. She had lost her precious treasures, and The Chimera knew that presented the opportunity, she would attack everything on sight. Arriana growled audibly, and shoved all of that down deep, burying it beneath the pain, which had buried itself beneath her conscious mind. There was no time to wait. If the man refused, she would leave without him. If he waited too long to speak, she would be leaving.

"I don't have all day for this."

[James Knight]

Apparently this Prime at first could not speak english, but was quick to translate using Omnilium or some sort of ability Primes had. Either way, Warren could understand her now, and that was what mattered. She was not going to take him up on his offer of doing him a favor at a time and place of his choosing, in order to learn more about the Omniverse. "Very well," said Warren as he began the trek towards the gate to Coruscant. Since he could not convince her to do the favor for him which would be rather simple really, namely not going to the Tangled Green and aligning with Hecate, he'd have to learn more about her. For now he was going to play things the way she wanted, though he had a long term goal that he planned to carry out. Warren Zimmer knew the value of building up an ally so that they could hold their own in the Omniverse. Obviously she needed to learn a lot about the place, and he could be a patient teacher. For starters he was going to have to educate her about one of the more dangerous Primes out there. Hopefully it would not lead to her mocking him. Actually, was Yandere even a Prime? Well, Warren didn't know. Either way Yandere needed to be dealt with. If not by him, then by the Empire. And if not by the Empire, then by an enterprising Prime who could take the individual and break his accursed blade. 

"I shall guide you to the doctors. "  Warren was going to hold up his end of the bargain. On the way there, Warren asked her. "How much other than the spiel that Omni has given most of the new Primes do you know about the Omniverse, and would you like to learn more about the place? This question counts as one of the questions, by the way, not two, because both parts were combined." Truthfully he was trying to hold onto as much leverage over her as he possibly could, because he was going to need a Prime he could mold in his own image. A Prime like her could be very useful if given the proper tools and equipment. As Jason had ran off to do who knows what, Warren was on his own at present.

[Ari]

Arriana replied to his compliance with a simple nod, considering the deal made. She struck off for the gate, keeping pace just a little ahead of him - it was a reflex, walking ahead to protect but listening out for threats from behind. New worlds were always dangerous if you didn't know what kind of dangers she was looking for. She seemed to sway as she walked, bare feet leaving the ground just enough to not drag across, her footsteps light and silent. Her arms stayed close to her sides but never touched them, prepared to reach for a weapon that was no longer there. She was not military, but even Warren would be able to tell that before the Omniverse she had been a silent predator. Arriana would have smiled if she knew just how inexperienced Warren thought she was, but the question posed told her enough.

"I told you I don't need a tour guide. I need someone to help me get in to the heavily guarded world you just came from. It seems they would not openly welcome strangers snooping about their streets and, frankly, I don't have the time to search the world for what I need."

The Chimera looked back at the man, wondering if he was expecting that to be counted as a question. He had phrased them in such a way, careful with his wording. Foolish man.

"I am not a djinn, or as some humans call them, the 'genies'. You do not need to pick your questions so carefully. If it counts, I will say so. At'ch are not known for breaking rules or promises. You asked for a favor and I offered you information instead. Information for Information is an equivalent exchange."

Arriana's step faltered a moment, raising a hand up to balance herself. As much as she fought the pain, it still took it's toll. Growling to herself, Ari lifted her hands towards her head. A silver band appeared in her fingertips, which she used to lift and twirl her hair, tying it in a loose and very messy bun. This was a warzone. there was no time for her to be distracted, not even by her own nervous system. She had to focus, even if it was hard.

"I know how to make things, using the Omnilium. I know that I don't need to look for it to get more. My powers are confined, but I have been weaker, and I have been in more dangerous places. For two-hundred years I lived and grew an empire by studying foreign worlds and bringing back precious things."

Arriana left the nature of those precious objects a secret. No-one would be given the opportunity to blackmail her, not here. She turned back agian, pausing. She was strangely calm, her emotions a stone wall that could not be interpreted. It was a vast difference from when she had been growling in anger, and would be another sign that Warren could not underestimate this woman, could not assume that Omniverse's limits would continue to hold her down.

"I have fought a great deal of creatures, and made peace with many nations. If there is something you feel you must warn me about, please, feel free. But I will not let a human's poor perspective skew my vision. I am The Chimera, and I do not bow to the human's laws of nature."

[James Knight]

"Until you have recovered at least 50% of your strength, I would not go to the Tangled Green if I were you. Walking into the gate you want to is easy enough," said Warren, as he led her there personally. Warren put special emphasis on the not going to the Tangled Green in hopes she would not have to deal with the insanity of Hecate in the near future. Hopefully, not at all. While he may be a bit, okay, he was actually paranoid about that because of what Yandere had done, Warren didn't want others to suffer the same humiliation that he had. Thus, he was forewarning, and hopefully fore-arming her with knowledge. Warren concentrated and created a picture for her. "And if you encounter this Prime - you run."  The picture was of Hecate. "Trust me, it would be better for your health if you avoid contact with her, at least until you recover your full power. She and her lackey took over my home and gave me the boot out of it, permanently. Since then, I've been searching for a place to suitably rehouse myself. All in all, if you value your life, evading those two is of the utmost importance. Also, if you get a mobile dataverse device, and someone with the email "hecatebestwaifu" or something to that effect emails you? Ignore them." 

[Ari]

Arriana smiled as she continued to follow Warren, loving this new little tidbit. She weighed options in her mind, ever so tempted to tear this man to pieces, now that she knew his biggest weakness. On the other hand, she could abuse knowing this, and manipulate him later on. Arriana settled instead, for a mocking approach that would certainly piss him off. Getting into the city without him might be more difficult, but speaking the burning question on her tongue would be satisfying enough to make it worth it.

"Was your 'Little General' causing marital issues?"

Arriana grinned to show her teeth, incisors pointed slightly more than any human's teeth had any right to be. Her eyes were pitch black at that moment, making her look demonic.

"I didn't really take you for the petty grudge type. What'd they do, sue you for full custody of the kids? Did your precious wife file for a divorce because she was cheating on you?"

Arriana mocked shock, left hand rising to cover her mouth.

"She didn't tell you she was gay, did she. Oh, what a cruel woman. Always tell your husband if you decide to be gay, it just makes things run so much smoother."


Arriana grinned, dropping back just out of Warren's reach as she spoke. She was already in pain, she didn't need more. She was correct though, in that Warren's reaction was highly entertaining. The game couldn't go on forever but Arriana made a special note to never forget this information. 

"I can't tell you I won't go there, but I can tell you I don't plan on meeting people there. I could tell by the smell it's the most suitable climate for me to live. If you desperately need me, you'll find me in the water there. Somewhere. I assume by 'dataverse' you mean internet device. that does make me curious.."

The Chimera stretched out her hands, summoning the omnillium that she had created the handkerchief with. It dripped from her finger tips and hovered in a small sphere the size of a tennis ball in front of her. Arriana pictured in her mind, the stopwatch that had been specially made, just for her. It had been made using a gold hunter case with spiraling designs on the front, with a blue-tinted glass cover over the clock face. Each hand was made of a separate material: the hour hand of silver, the minute hand of copper, and a second hand in the same gold as the case. The outside case was scratched up and had been repaired many times, but she would never let it go. This clock was her tie to everyone she had ever known, good and bad. 

With the outer shell formed, she lifted the clock out of it's resting place, focusing on the inner workings still full of liquid omnillium. All the gears, the little glowing sphere that both acted as power source and a back light for when she needed to see the clock in the dark. With everything formed exactly the way it had been before the Omniverse, Arriana let the clock face click back into position, and pricked her finger on the hinge to turn it on. To Warren, it would seem like nothing had happened, but to Arriana the clock face was whirring with energy, blue light projecting onto the inside of the hunter case and reflecting up, to her eyes. She slid her index finger across the blue glass to control it, scrolling through her list of contacts. They were all still there, but they could not reach the signals. 

Hiding her crestfallen emotions, she raised the watch to align with Warren's face. 

"Look up, Jim."

Without further warning, Ari used her watch to snap a picture of Warren to build a portfolio later.

[James Knight]

"1. She was far too young for me, and I would never demean myself with such activities as you are describing," growled Warren at the mere implication he was interested in Hecate that way. The only interest he had in her was that she had been a Prime, and as such could be of more use to him alive, and on his side than dead. In retrospect he should have simply shot her, then and there and saved the Omniverse and himself the problems of having to deal with her insanity, for a week or two. "2,  She wasn't gay, so much as... well, corpse mutilating, essentially. Make of it what you may, but we are here at the gate," said Warren as he arrived with her at the Gate. In truth he was not sure he'd want to be around this woman. She was getting under his skin, and not in a good way. Warren then said. "Beyond this gate lies the world of Coruscant, I'll guide you to a hospital there, but then you are on your own." 

[Ari]

"That was the plan, Jim."

Arriana didn't respond to Warren's attempt at explaining himself. She got what she wanted, there was no need to dig further. The gate was, as he said, right ahead, and The Chimera fearlessly stepped up to their guards. They gave her curious looks as her black eyes swirled, a gold tint seeping out from the irises. They were not fully distracted, simply curious, and went about their duties. Being a new prime, with no weapons and only Warren for company, the soldiers did not make her entrance difficult. Politely, she saluted them in the manner of Sorvia's military - wide spread fingers over her heart, and a simple nod of the head. There was no need for the formalities, yet they felt appropriate. Arriana didn't spare a second glance to her traveling companion as she slid through the portal with regal grace.