The Scramble [Complete]

[Omni]

Raymond looked down from his goggles. No activity at the Fountain of Infinity. He’d been stationed here for two months now and in that time not a single new Prime had materialised. He’d seen a handful of others; a guy with a leather jacket, some orc, some long-haired, robe-clad hippy. Every time it happened, he bolted back to his superior officer, but they were all known. Just Primes ‘respawning’. Raymond couldn’t help but feel a bit of jealousy, and a bit of pity. They were immortal, they could do whatever they wanted so long as they didn’t get banished. No fear of death. On the other hand, they were even more trapped than everyone else. I mean, could Primes even die of old age? The Omniverse was only eight years old, so nobody knew yet. Except Omni, of course, but as a secondary Raymond had never even seen Omni.

Nope. Raymond sighed, sitting up and reaching into his pack for a biscuit. Just another boring day.

(Provided your joining form has been approved, you may now begin to post. You will wake up at the Fountain of Infinity, along with anyone else who has already posted. More posts to follow once we’ve got a few arrivals)

[Samus Aran]

Samus opened her eyes. White. What the hell?

She sat up. More white. Was she still dreaming? She looked down at her hand. She was in her suit. If this was a dream, it was a very convincing one. She could hear water, close by. She turned and looked at the fountain behind her. Enormous, metallic and circular. It was spewing water in a great arc. As she looked up at it, a fine mist fell upon her visor.

She got to her feet. What the thing had said – that this was another world – had to be impossible. This was somebody’s trick, somebody had trapped her. Was this virtual reality? Was she strapped to a chair somewhere? It wouldn’t have surprised her to be woken up by the Galactic Federation, arrested after she’d sent the space station crashing into planet SR388, destroying both. But this was too weird. The Federation wouldn’t do something like this. The space pirates perhaps. Or some unknown foe.

Samus surveyed the blank world around her. What next?

[Violet]

Her fingertips flexed lazily as awareness came to her, one little ebb at a time. Sensation came next, whatever she was on was cool, not too hot, not too cold, but somewhere in between. What she rested upon, however, was hard as stone, but strangely comfortable. Garona’s eyes flickered open, finding herself surrounded by pure whiteness.

There were no sun, stars or moons to light her path, no wind, nor other sounds to signify she was even outdoors. Her head lifted from the ground, her raven hair unbound and pooled beneath where her head had been. Focusing, her senses hyperaware, she became confused, as if she were wading through a thick fog within her mind. How did she get here? Where was here? Neither outside nor inside, but somewhere that was completely devoid of life.

Every muscle in her body tensed. Was this a trick? Had she been captured? The more she thought about it, the more elusive her memories became. Where had she come from? Climbing to her feet, she found herself weakened, knees quivering as she tried to stand fully. Finally, after several attempts, she did it. Her head felt light, and she found it difficult to think. Her in-borne survival skills were of no use, even though she remembered vaguely of something needing done. What was it? She cried in exasperation, fists clenching at her sides, pressing half-moons into her palms that immediately filled with blood. She barely even felt that. It was as if every bit of her flesh was numbed, but fully aware of being touched. What the hell was it that she was supposed to do?!

Garona began walking slowly, methodically. Scanning her surroundings, she couldn’t even tell how vast the space was. She halted suddenly as another thought occurred to her.

Was she…was she dead? Was she in the land of the ancestors, even now? Why had they not revealed themselves to her? Crumpling to the ground, Garona looked about, completely lost. Completely…helpless. Dread, loathing and the stink of fear began to creep up her spine, the hairs on her arms straightening.

What the hell was happening?

[Samus Aran]

Samus had barely been thinking for a few moments when, out of nowhere, an alien had materialised. Green skin, black hair. Wearing armor that looked like it was made with leather and buckled together with metal bolts and bracers. Samus questioned its protective qualities. The being seemed no more aware than she did. That reassured the bounty hunter while simultaneously putting her guard up. While there was no ruling out the possibility of deception, it seemed this being was in the same situation she was. Another captive?

“Who are you?” Samus asked.

The being stopped, turned. Samus could now see the muscles etched into her – it appeared to be a female – body, tensed and ready to fight. “Who are you?” it shot back in a low growl. Its eyes darted up and down Samus’s body. “What are you?” it added.

Fair enough, the hunter supposed. Samus tapped a non-existent button on the side of her helmet (the controls were all virtual) and her visor lost its external opacity, revealing her eyes. “My name is Samus Aran. I’m a bounty hunter from the Galactic Federation. You don’t look like you’re from a Federation planet.”

“Federation?” The alien’s eyes narrowed. “What is this place?” she demanded, jerking her head towards the blank landscape.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” replied the bounty hunter. “Did you see the thing? The white thing in the darkness?”

“The white thing, yeah. What is it?”

“I don’t know.” Samus frowned. This was starting to become frustrating. “I don’t know any more than you do. I just arrived here.” She breathed out, letting her chest sink. If this alien was a simulation, it was trying damn hard to make itself convincing. “I guess we have to play the game,” she said, more to herself than anything else.

[Violet]

Garona’s eyes narrowed as they took in the entirety of this strange female with the brightly-colored hard shell. Her voice was odd, as well. She had seen something similar on Azeroth, she remembered; one of the races…what was it? Short, bald green-fleshed beings with pointed ears, then soft pink skinned beings of similar stature, both were genius and resourceful, bringing to life things hewn of metal and magic. The memory came to her in a flash, and was gone again, leaving its latent scent behind. Could this thing be one of their inventions?

Her heavily booted feet touched lightly on the hard surface beneath her, filling the space with its leathery sound. Circling the creature, Garona took in the shiny plates of metal and glass, daring not to drop her guard lest it attacked. The thing was bigger than she, although that was never a problem. Her dagger discriminated not against size. The problem would be penetrating that armor to get to the sweet meat underneath.

“So,” Garona stopped just to the creature’s left, her muscled arms folding across her chest, body stiffening. “A game, hmm?” Something came to her, an abstract vision, followed by a voice that was somehow familiar. Her eyes flashed with the revelation. “Omnilium. That’s what we have to find. That’s the game.”

Samus shrugged, the movement nearly imperceptible beneath the heavy shell. “The voice told you that, too?”

Garona nodded. “I barely remember the darkness that spoke to me. He made that part clear, though. That thing is supposed to…what was it supposed to do?” Her eyes squinched in confusion as she tried to recall what he had said. The voice was definitely a “he”, although it lacked the gravelly deepness of the males of her kind.

“He had also mentioned something about being ‘reborn’;” Samus said. “I think that means we will risk death, but to be reborn is to be-“

“Immortal.” Garona whispered the word like a deeply seated desire that had suddenly become real. It was a tone filled with both awe and reprehension. To be immortal seemed to be the pinnacle of her innermost wishes. She could do anything, free to work however she pleased without fear that she would die for good.

The idea, as well as the presence of this female did prove one thing: she wasn’t dead. The ancestors had been far too quiet for her to drink the idea down in the first place. Since she seemed to be very well alive, perhaps it was time to do some investigating. She was somewhat relieved not to be alone in this white void, but she wondered whether this thing was friend, or was she foe?

[Ganondorf]

In that black, immaterial void, Omni’s last words rang true within Ganondorf as the being faded from view, becoming one with the darkness around them.

“I’ll be watching… and waiting.”

To the man from the desert, holder of the Triforce of Power, those words were a challenge. Even a creator could be toppled, and Ganondorf would one day face this creature again. On that day, Omni would fall and a new creator would take its place.

It didn’t matter to Ganondorf whether or not this Omni, as it called itself, was good, bad, or indifferent. All that mattered was that he would… no, he HAD to take his rightful place as the shepherd of this world, this Omniverse. The people here needed a strong hand to guide them. They needed Ganondorf. And that fool of a creator let slip an all too important clue in his spiel. With Omnilium, anything one could desire could be gained. And Ganondorf only desired conquest.

In the seconds, or perhaps years in that place where time had no meaning, since Omni vanished, a new vision began to unravel in front of Ganondorf. The darkness was replaced by light, sudden and blinding after the stark black landscape of before. For a moment, Ganondorf felt rage boil within him at the thought that perhaps that creature had lied to him. Rising from his kneeling position, he turned… and saw it.

A massive, metallic fountain, spraying water dozens of feet into the air greeted his eyes and all anger bled out of Ganondorf. No… this wasn’t the Sacred Realm, his prison for what seemed an eternity. This was someplace new, someplace different. Even the pure white landscape seemed different on second glance. Less pure, yet at the same time mutable. If this Omniverse was truly a place where anything could be obtained, this place certainly epitomized that concept.

Before Ganon could celebrate his newfound freedom with a sinister, yet manly laugh, voices from the other side of the fountain, barely audible over the sound of the water splashing, drew him up short. While it was fortunate that he had been placed opposite of these others, the fact that he wasn’t alone worried Ganondorf. Who could these others be? And what foul twist of fate would put them so close to him upon his revival? Raising his right hand, Ganondorf stared balefully upon the back of it. Much of his strength hadn’t yet returned to him since that decisive battle and remained locked within the Triforce residing in his soul and on his hand.

It was no act of the Sages or of the Hero, but the protection afforded to those who wield the Triforce that had so weakened him. Mortally wounded and being imprisoned, the Triforce had locked much of his being within itself, to be brought forth once more when Ganondorf was ready to use it again. But through some strange quirk of the nature of his revival, his power had instead remained locked away and it would seem that only would return his strength to him.

As such, Ganon was in no shape to fight anyone. Well, perhaps a weakling, but he had no way of knowing just how strong these people across from him really were.

Of course, Ganondorf thought with a sly grin, There are other ways to handle a confrontation.

With that thought in mind, the Gerudo King strode around the great fountain to meet these other people. Mentally, he prepared himself for what would come, but nothing could prepare him for those he saw on the other side.

Two people, as different in appearance from each other as Ganondorf was from a Zora. One wearing tribal leathers with two daggers on her hips, was obvious female, though of a race Ganon had never encountered before. Her green skin was of a much richer hue than Ganondorf’s own, his being a mere olive tone while hers was more of the deep green of a forest canopy.

The second, clad in strangely colored armor and wearing a helmet, was even stranger. At first, he thought the being might be a knight of some kind, though lacking a weapon. However, the shape of the armor immediately led him to believe this person must be a female. In all of what Ganondorf knew, women had never been knights; warriors perhaps, but never armor-clad as this one was. Both were shorter than he, though at an impressive seven foot, six inches this was nothing unusual.

Fortunately for Ganondorf, he was still arrayed in his fine apparel from his time as the ruler of Hyrule, thankfully repaired due to some quirk of this place or a gift from Omni. As the two turned to look at him, Ganondorf greeted them with his most winning smile and bowed deep at the waist.

“Ladies, I am Ganondorf, King of Hyrule. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

[Illidan Stormrage]

"Now go home Link. Regain your lost time! Home ... where you are supposed to be ... the way you are supposed to be ...

Link sat up, his head weary and pulsing. What happened to him? The last solid, reliable memory he had was of Princess Zelda. She pursed her lips, brought the Ocarina of Time to her lips, and played a melody he heard so many times before but would likely never hear again. Her song. Zelda's Lullaby. The magic imbued into the ocarina took hold of him and thrust him through time. As he waited, eyes closed and mind throbbing, his memory cleared. There was a brief moment where he was slipping between his teenage and child self where he was halted. Suspended, the ever moving sands of time poured through his mind's eye, and he saw worlds beyond imagining.

He hoped it was a dream, but the longer he concentrated, the more he realised he'd seen ... himself. Not actually himself, but men and children who were like him. There was a spiritual kinship, a deeper connection than blood, that they all shared. While he sensed they weren't his ancestors or descendants, they were progenitors or receivers of an untold bravery. Link opened his eyes. The Triforce of Courage? Were those people all recipients of that mystical triangle of the gods?

In any case, as his vision rested on each, he felt something attach itself to him like a line of web. Each "Link" added their own strand to him until he bore a spiritual connection to each and every one of them, with him at the centre. What did that mean? Had the opening of that pathway in time wrought greater repercussions than even Zelda could foresee?

Apparently, he thought to himself as he took stock of his new location. This wasn't Kokiri Forest, and he wasn't ten years old again. Whatever paused him when he hovered outside of time must have pulled him here, but where was here? Link first guessed that he may have ended up in the Temple of Light again, but the stark emptiness around him made that unlikely. A great metal fountain fired a jet of water high into the sky, where it fell back into the basin in droplets. The gentle, rhythmic pattering of water on water soothed his frayed nerves for a moment, but too much was askew. Link found his feet and wondered what his next move would be.

He searched through his tunic. Many of the items he once used in service of Hyrule had vanished. On his back he still retained the Master Sword and his Hylian shield. At least he had the means to defend himself if required. He patted his body for anything else; a bomb, an arrow, a medallion of the Sages. Nothing remained. Not even his old fairy ocarina. He hoped to play Saria's Song, that the magic of her song may find its way to her and give him advice. There wasn't much to do now except explore. Maybe there was something or someone nearby who could help.

As Link rounded the fountain, he spotted two others, neither of whom he recognised. One was green skinned, dressed in animal skins and with hideous, pointed teeth. Whatever it was, it appeared female. Maybe it was a Moblin, or a Lizalfos, but she seemed too svelte and civilised for either of those two options. She conversed with a person in an orange and red suit of armour, but it looked nothing like the suits he'd seen knights wear. It encompassed the entire body, even molding over the head, with a large round opening on one arm. Perhaps this warrior lost their hand in battle? Link couldn't see a sword or shield anywhere else.

“Ladies, I am Ganondorf, King of Hyrule. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

Link's blood froze. Partially blocked by the fountain, Ganondorf bowed to the two strangers, his words falsely respectful. He was no longer the boar faced demon Link had defeated before, but the Gerudo king was always a threat in the best of circumstances. The proclamation of his title, the King of Hyrule, didn't get past Link's attention.

Link's left hand swiftly unsheathed his blade, his right slipping into his shield. Ganon looked up at the noise, his eyes wide. It was obvious he hadn't expected to see him here either.

"Get away from them!"

[Nyx]

Nyx transitioned from unconsciousness to fight or flight in record speed. Where the others seemed to slowly rouse themselves from whatever kind of stupor Omni had put them in, the second her brain whirred back into action, the mage was sat bolt upright, panicking. It felt as though her heart was trying to burst out of her chest, and as she raised a hand to try and contain it, she noticed her skin felt cold and clammy to the touch. She almost felt relieved; at least the palpitations helped her to feel more alive. She took a few deep breaths, trying to process exactly what had happened, and where she was now.

The last thing she remembered was being surrounded by the Templars, then... Nothing. Just this, whatever this was. Everything was white. It felt sterile, clinical. She couldn't help but find herself wishing that she had woken up in the Templar's dungeon over this vast nothingness. Heck, she'd even take the Fade over this weird plane, and that was saying something. Here, she had nothing to go on. Just whiteness as far as the eye could see. She was used to some fairly sparse landscapes, but nothing like this. Nyx finally dragged herself to her feet and took another look around, with fresh eyes.

It seemed as though others were here with her, but who were they? There was a tall thing in a spacesuit, a green-skinned human with pointy-looking ears, a weird gremlin-looking creature and a small human with pointy ears and a funny green suit. He didn't seem to take too kindly to the gremlin. It was definitely a strange collection of individuals, by anyone's standards. Certainly nothing she'd ever seen or dealt with before. Could they be demons? Could this be part of the Fade? Was this some bizarre kind of test created for her by the Templars?

Warily, the mage dusted herself off (though her robes were unmarked by dust, or indeed any particles of anything,) and took a few tentative steps towards the group. She hesitated as she drew near. What was she supposed to say? Would they even be friendly towards one of her kind? Her hand clenched itself into a fist, and Nyx found herself gazing down at her palm almost longingly. A deep scar ran from her thumb to the knuckle of her little finger on her left hand. 'Well, there's always that, I guess...' she mused to herself.

[Omni]

“Hey, Raymond, what’s that?”

Raymond choked on his biscuit. What followed was several seconds of hacking, chest-thumping and deep breathing before he was ready to respond. His fellow scout, Mikhael, was pointing at the Fountain of Infinity. Raymond dragged his seeing-goggles across the flawless ground and brought them to his face.

Two Primes! And he didn’t recognise either of them. He might have been wrong – there were a lot of Primes he didn’t know of – but there was something about the way they moved, lingered around the Fountain, that seemed unlike a veteran of the verse.

“Two Primes at once.” Mikhael whistled. “You reckon they got kilt in the same fight?”

“Could be,” replied Raymond, frowning. “Wait … what?!” He jabbed a finger forward. “Is that …?!”

“Three Primes!” Mikhael exclaimed. “Wait … no … four Primes! Look at ‘em all!”

“Where’s that magic rock?” Raymond was fumbling in his pack.

“I got it right here,” said Mikhael. In his hand was a blue stone, etched with runes, which he handed to Raymond.

Raymond took the stone, feeling it react to his touch with a faint glow. It was warm. He was still getting used to this type of thing. Back home, magic was something they heard about, but never saw. In Camelot, though, there was an island in the sky just full of magicians, all casting their spells and making rocks like this that let you talk to someone miles away as though you were right next to them. It was freaky, but Raymond couldn’t deny that it made his job that much easier.

“Um … hello?” Raymond spoke into the rock uncertainly. “Hello … command?”

No response. “That there rock is broken,” said Mikhael. “Can never trust magical stuff to work, too complicated. You stay here, I’ll--”

A voice came through the stone, sounding faintly as though it were coming through water, but amplified. “You’re supposed to say who it is.”

“So are you,” said Raymond.

A silence. “What’s the problem?”

Raymond looked across to the Fountain, visible in the distance. It seemed like it was going through some change, darkening in colour as it grew in size. Jagged spokes had appeared and were slowly extending from it in an upward spiral fashion. “We got four Primes at the Nexus.”

A distorted noise that might have been a scoff, or a gasp. “Four Primes? New?”

Raymond shrugged, then remembered the rock couldn’t see shrugs. “I … I’m not sure! But … I think so. None of them look like Primes I’ve seen before.”

More voices, too quiet to make out. Then, “Hold your position. Do not approach the Fountain. We’ll have someone there soon.”

“Right.” Raymond handed the rock back to Mikhael, and could feel himself shaking with adrenaline. Mikhael took no notice, all of his attention on the Fountain in the distance. Primes, for the first time! But not just one. He grabbed his goggles and pressed them to his eyes. He scrambled for the rock again.

“C-command!”

“Yes, scout.”

“Make that five Primes!”

* * * * *

On the other side of the Nexus, three identical men in white stood outside of a perfectly curved archway of blocks of what looked like stainless steel. Through it, a city could be seen. A magnificent metropolis – the sun was setting there, casting a beautiful orange hue over the skyscrapers and through the door. One of the men had a radio pressed to his helmet, which looked like a kind of futuristic gas mask.

“Three Primes,” said the man. “That’s three Primes.”

“Four Primes,” one of the other men interrupted. “That’s four Primes now.”

“Four Primes …” he paused, letting the radio speak back. “Yes, another one just appeared. None of them match the database.”

“Holy shit,” said one of the soldiers with a laugh. “Five Primes. Five!”

The soldier on the radio nodded, glancing through the gateway as he did so. “Uh huh. Okay. Roger that. There’s five Primes now. Yeah. Alright, will do.” He clicked the receiver.

“What’d he say?” asked one of the other soldiers.

“He said hold tight, don’t move. The Judge is coming.”

[Ganondorf]

“Get away from them!”

That voice! That shrill, annoying, and all-too-familiar voice! Ganondorf knew it to the very core of his being. Yet, somehow knowing what he would see when he looked to its source didn’t protect him from being surprised. It really was the kid, dressed just as he was when he and his Sages had imprisoned Ganondorf back in Hyrule. Anger welled up within the Gerudo King before he could stopper it with his resolve. A battle here would do no one any good, least of all Ganondorf. Instead… Oh, what perfect irony.

With a weary sigh, Ganondorf rose from his bow and addressed the two women again. “Apologies, my ladies, but I must see to this man and his grievances against me. It seems that some men are unable to react to a situation with anything other than threats and violence and I would be amiss if I didn’t try to calm the man down. With any luck, I shall return shortly and we’ll all be able to get along.”

And with those few sentences, Ganondorf knew he had planted a seed of doubt in the women. One man, polite and respectful seeks peace, while the newcomer, wielding sword and shield, seeks war. They may not truly believe it, and they may be able to see through this small ruse, but even if they knew exactly who he was they’d have to wonder at his change in demeanor.

As the tall man of the desert turned towards his green-clad foe, another woman timidly approached the group as well. Clad in robes of some kind, it was fairly obvious to Ganondorf that this woman had to be a Sage or magician of some kind and he inclined his head in respect to her. Regretfully, not the full bow of before, but Ganon had to hurry if he was going to defuse this situation.

“Apologies, Maiden, but I’m afraid this gentleman and myself have business to discuss. I will return to introduce myself shortly.”

With that said, Ganondorf approached Link, who still held his sword and shield at the ready. With a snort of derision, Ganon crosses his arms over his chest, making his frame even more impressive in the process and spoke quietly.

“Put those things away before you embarrass yourself even further, Boy.”

With a soft chuckle, Ganon continued while his opponent looked on, wide-eyed. “You obviously didn’t expect to find me here, nor I you. And unfortunately for you, I have no desire to fight you. Without Zelda, your piece of the Triforce is worthless to me, and I doubt Omni was foolish enough to summon all three of us here. Not with the power we hold in our hands.”

Shaking his head, Ganondorf dropped his arms to his side and gave Link a look of pure exhaustion. “During my imprisonment, I changed. I realized the wrongs that I had done, and for this reason Omni offered me a way out. Yet, without giving me as much as the benefit of the doubt, you raised your blade to me. Who, pray tell, if the real monster here, hmm?”

Finally resheathing the cursed blade and stowing his shield, Link stared incredulously at Ganondorf in response to his claim of wanting peace. Still, something still bothered the Hylian knight.

“You ask for the benefit of the doubt, yet claim to be the King of Hyrule? A kingdom you tore apart with war and stole from its rightful rulers. For that alone, you deserve death.”

“Death?” Ganondorf replied, “Here, death is fleeting. You could plunge your blade into my chest to the hilt, and still I would return. And in the end, it would do neither of us any good. Revenge doesn’t suit you, boy, and nothing I do now can truly repay what I’ve done before.”

Turning from Link, Ganondorf took a step back towards the others before speaking back over his shoulder. “But I can try to do better.”

Though his outward calm and false guilt never broke, Ganondorf boiled in barely managed emotion from within. He had been close enough to wring that fool’s neck, but as he himself said: death was fleeting in the Omniverse. It might have given him momentary satisfaction, but it most certainly would have become an escalating war between himself and that child, and he couldn’t afford to devote any energy to that.

Besides… it would have soiled his image in the eyes of the others, something Ganondorf also couldn’t afford. Every great ruler needed allies, after all. And perhaps, just perhaps, that boy in green might become one as well.

[Violet]

Before she could deduce just how to take this strange, hard-shelled creature called “Samusaran”, more activity pulsed around her. Several more strange creatures emerged from a structure she hadn’t noticed previously. It spewed a clear liquid – water?- in a large arc several feet away from the source. A fine, wet mist enveloped it, and occasionally, she could feel the droplets spritz against her face.

Her body was tensed, hands instinctively going for the jeweled pummels of her daggers (thankfully, they were still there, she observed with relief) and withdrawing them from their leather sheaths. One other female and two males emerged, all three initially similarly disoriented, but quickly recovering enough to make introductions.

The short male with the funny green headscarf seemed even more perplexed than she, especially towards the taller, red haired giant. Instead of simply pummeling the scrawny creature, as most of her kind would have done, he responded eloquently towards the smaller man’s claims. Still, there was something unsettling about him. His sticky sweet tone reminded her of…of…someone. She saw the elder orc’s face, but for the life of her, couldn’t place the name. Her memories were coming in fragments, but they weren’t coming quickly enough to her liking. She scowled around her dainty fangs, her emerald complexion darkening with her mood.

She observed their banter, noticing that the two knew each other, even if it wasn’t a civil relationship. None of the others seemed to recognize the other, and with the exception of these two, the rest seemed to be completely alien. She wondered, though, if any others would appear that would be like her, that she could find some connection to her home. Would the ancestors curse her to live in a world where neither they nor her kind roamed?

“A thousand deaths will never erase what you’ve done in the past, but now is not the time to ponder redemption. We need to figure out who else will be popping up, and where the hell we are. Even more important, we need to figure out if there is a way back.” Garona stepped towards the imposing figure of the red-haired man.

[PepsiWhirda]

Whirda came to consciousness much the same way she always did, except someplace different. Her hands groped blearily at the sheaths at her hips, to find the hilts of her blades. She still wore her armor, black leather crisscrossed and pockmarked with the scars of former battles. She sighed her relief.

The air was full of the sound of gurgling water. Beside her was an expansive fountain, spitting water. The spray flecked her face and beaded in her hair. Whirda rose to her knees and surveyed the landscape: bare white, clinical, unblemished white in every direction. Similar to the black void from which she'd come. The heaven to its hell, perhaps.

The words of the one who brought her here, Omni, still echoed in her head, though the details quickly faded. The Omniverse, Omnilium... rebirth? Concepts familiar to her, but way above her pay grade in the realms. Above her pay grade anywhere, realistically. What motivation could Omni have to call on her? A mission, maybe? A vendetta to settle? For all she knew, she'd been chosen arbitrarily. Not that it mattered. Wherever she was, whatever fresh hell this might be, it was an escape from something worse.

She reached her feet unsteadily, and the new perspective brought murmurs, voices. Faster than her eye could follow, her kukris whisked from their sheaths. Through the haze of spraying water she could see forms, humanoid forms, at least five of them. Two men, two women, including an orc - normal enough. But the fifth... Whirda sidestepped to see a woman in armor, all red and orange metal, with a cannon at her side, glowing faintly, unlike anything she'd seen before. They all postured defensively, not like they were expecting an attack, but like they found themselves on unfamiliar ground. Maybe Omni brought them here as well.

"One way to find out," she murmured. "Might as well make an entrance."

After a moment's focus, Whirda leaped high, aided by a summoned gust of wind that propelled her high over the fountain. She tucked into a somersault, and, using the wind to control her descent, landed catlike in the center of the group, blades drawn but held icepick style, palms raised to show she was no enemy. She flashed a grin and flipped a stray blonde curl out of her eyes.

"Omni didn't tell me there'd be a party," she said. "I'm Whirda."

[Proto Man]

Before the white, the last image he’d seen was the skull fortress collapsing into the ocean, its fiery debris raining down the cliff face as the android played his flute. His helmet rested on his lap, and his scorched shield rested just a few yards away. Dr. Wily’s base was destroyed, his robotic children were destroyed, and the last image Proto Man had of his co-creator was the scientist fleeing into a room seconds before it was filled with debris. The threat they posed to Monsteropolis was no more, which meant that only Dr. Light remained. The ‘good doctor’ had once again managed to triumph over his partner-turned-nemesis, but what had the cost been?

From Proto Man’s perspective, there wouldn’t be true peace until both of those madmen were behind bars. He was their first creation--their first failure--and Proto Man wouldn’t rest until neither of them could harm the world with their children. Light claimed that he was in the right, but the red robot had seen the dark depths that the man had gone to stop his rival. The overweight man with the santa beard had tried to use his robots to murder Wily. Even worse, the robot he picked was derived from corrections to Proto Man’s flawed power core and programming.

The blue robot had proved to almost be Proto Man’s equal in combat, yet his programming kept him on a lesser level. Mega Man, like the rest of the ‘Robot Masters,’ lacked the spark that made his brother the most unique android in their world. Sure, he had a stable power supply that didn’t run the risk of someday failing spectacularly, but Proto Man would rather self-terminate then go a day without his sense of self.

As he played his flute, the red robot looked down at the brother he had saved. The soft, doughy features of the android were at peace, but the scorched and broken appearance of his body suit and armor showed the struggle he had gone through to defeat Wily. Proto Man didn’t know why he’d bothered to carry the robot out through the collapsing fortress. Wouldn’t Light just wind up sending his favorite son out to capture him? Surely the good doctor wouldn’t want to leave any loose ends, especially when one of them was a walking nuclear bomb with sapience?

Without his helmet, Mega Man looked almost identical to Proto Man, and it was probably that very resemblance that made it impossible for him to kill the smaller robot.

And just like that, Proto Man let out a yawn and closed his eyes. In a jolt, he shot them open in time to catch a glimpse of a white figure standing still among an ocean of black. Another jolt caused nearly half a dozen messages to pop up on the android’s internal display, all sent from an individual labeled as ‘Omni.’ Graphic representations of some material called Omnilium and multiple landscapes flashed across the HUD, and then everything was white again, with only the sound of voices and rushing water telling Proto Man that he was somewhere else entirely.

The android slipped his helmet on as he rose to his feet. He clenched his right hand, and when he relaxed his fingers, his hand was replaced by an arm cannon. In his left hand, his shield materialized and he slipped it over his shoulders until it rested on his back. Although he was battered, burnt, and in need of some rest, Proto Man wouldn’t be caught off guard. He hadn’t lived this long just to die to a bunch of strangers at the base of a fountain.

[Eighteen]

There were echoes upon echoes until there was nothing left. The rattling voice that had approached her senses had drilled information into her skull. If not for the dreadful sight of its sliced smile the girl may have batted an eyelash or two. Not only had she been unable to bat her eyes, she could not move, and it was in this way that she was told the story of the Omniverse and her role in this world.

“The world,” she breathed, and her eyelids fluttered. It had all melded into one until all that remained was white. It was familiar to her, and yet, so very alien. Juuhachigou had never known true death. It had always been a gateway to another place. Surely, this was not death, because she was still alive…or so she thought.

She sat up, flaxen hair falling past her shoulders, her blue eyes searching. “This can’t be real,” she murmured, squinting, trying to get a hold of her senses. “Did I register for Dante’s Abyss?” It had been a handful of years since she, or Raditzu, had joined the universally dominating tournament.

If it wasn’t Dante’s Abyss, chances were it could have been any number of foes. They had their fair share of abductions, games, battles, and events, and more often than not she was strapped down in some metallic bed being uploaded into a highly advanced program.

And yet….and yet…

The android stood, and with a gentle breath, she composed herself. Eyelids closed, and her mind swept forth, feeling for…anything. That was when she felt more than a few things scuttling about in this expanse. Two in one direction, another pair in the other direction, and then, behind her…

“A fountain,” she mused aloud and stared over her shoulder.

Indeed, behind her, warping and twisting into something she had never quite seen before, stood a fountain. Metallic projections jutted up in a spiral, and then slowly, they were branching out like a metal tree with fingers full of water. The water soon created a waterfall in a circle from each arm of metal, filling a circular basin.

It was beyond the fountain that she felt them. Others, many of them, but she could not tell if they were strong or weak. It was a troubling feeling. The lack of information made her breath quicken. Normally she could feel the power. Some would be weaker than others…but all she knew was that they were alive, and they were…mingling.

The android lifted a hand and stared at her palm. Although a small orb appeared, and indeed it was full of power, it was nothing compared to what she knew she was capable of. It left her stomach feeling heavy, and with that sense of foreboding, she jumped.

Eighteen landed, warbled, and fell to her hands and knees. “No!” she exclaimed in astonishment. “What happened to my powers?” The gift of flight was gone. No matter how she focused, no matter what she did, she could not fly.

Worse…she could not transform.

She need not rush her fate, considering that she had no clue as to who these others were, so she found herself sitting on the edge of the ever changing fountain and setting her face in her hands. I’m dead. That has to be it. But why am I not on King Kai’s planet? I always end up there…unless this really is a game. All I remember is…

Eighteen gave a sigh and lifted her head. She remembered everything, except how she got here. Raditzu had been happily eating another tower of waffles and she had left him behind. If this was a game, he would be here, he was always here.

In trepidation, lacking all sense of self, and all powers she had once known like a second skin, the android slowly moved around the fountain. Hearing snippets of conversation, a lack of answers, a questioning on location and reasoning, she knew these people were not as off the mark as she had feared. In fact, they were on the same page, and just as confused. A decade ago she would have questioned their attire, and skin color, but being mind-fucked for so long had changed her view on the worlds she knew.

“Hello, my name is Eighteen,” she said, approaching the group with neither smile nor frown. "I couldn’t help but hear that you’re all just as unsure of this place as I am. Well,” Android Eighteen paused, threaded a hand through her lengthy blond hair, and jabbed a thumb in one direction very much as her comrade was wont to do, “if you didn’t know already, I think we’re being watched.” She then pointed in the other direction. “Over there, too.”

[PepsiWhirda]

Whirda sheathed her blades and followed the newcomer's finger with her eyes. The white stretched interminably into the distance, the ground coming together with the sky so subtly, it was almost imperceptible. A bare shade, no sun, no stars - a sky for being diagnosed under, for repenting under. Whoever brought her here, this Omni - she thought she was coming to understand his plan for her, her purpose in all this.

If she squinted just right, she could see what the newcomer saw: a smudge of black on white canvas, the vague outline of a head, shoulders, a figure lying flat to avoid notice. A second, similar figure. Beyond them, what looked like an arch of gray stone.

"Who are they?" Whirda asked, turning back to Eighteen. What sort of a name is Eighteen, anyway?

In the realms, strangers were a double-edged sword. Most often the kind pointed at your throat and poised to plunge. Whirda's every sensibility, every instinct, screamed danger. Unfamiliar terrain, a group of strangers of unknown disposition, tenuous allies at best - in Faerûn, it was the sort of situation to send her running. But what choice did they have? It was hard to imagine any two warriors who could contend with their group, now eight-strong.

"I think we should talk to them," Whirda said. She laughed. If only her mother could see her now.

[Nanoha Takamachi]

Far too much white to be the destination portal, either the Dimensional Transfer had gone wrong, or something was very much amiss here. Nanoha wasn't entirely sure which was the more likely option, but that strange entry sequence message was a strong indication of the latter. Probably an extra twenty six percent or so. Taking a moment to gather her bearings; gravity seemed to have regular directional parameters, and the ground felt solid underfoot. Raising Heart was floating a few inches above her and yet her barrier jacket hadn't been activated, so it was clear that the immediate area didn't appear to be a particularly dangerous situation.

'Raising Heart, run a diagnostic. Systems check, then a location matrix. Find out where we are." Nanoha paused, turning on the spot to study the large structure behind her, and added an afterthought. "The transfer didn't misfire, did it?"

No, Master. No issues detected in Dimensional Transfer. Outside interference detect. Diagnostic loading.

Nanoha sighed, before turning her attention back to the shifting structure before here. It looked like some sort of enormous water feature, but it was growing at a rapid pace. The water itself didn't even seem to be a real liquid, rather some sort of bizarre illusionary trick that sprouted from the centre of the... Fountain? Best thing to call it, for now. Even as she watched, large spikes began to grow out of it and the entire thing shifted hue to a darker tone. It was unnerving, this constantly changing feature in an otherwise blank and uncomfortably white landscape. Doubly so when she couldn't detect any obvious mana source powering it. The growth seemed to spring from nothing. Logically impossible, of course, but Nanoha wasn't sensing any real illusion-type magic at play here either. As far as she could tell, what she saw was reality.

Diagnostic complete. Total shut down of key systems, mana output levels nominal, mana shaping capacity greatly reduced. Device form limited to Axel Mode.

Nanoha turned sharply to her Device, and friend, at the last part of the diagnostic report. How could Raising Heart's capabilities be so limited, yet no external damage appeared to have been sustained. She hadn't felt any drain of her Linker Core too, which was confirmed from her Device's output level meter.
"Run the Location Matrix, please."

Location Matrix unavailable. Dimensional tracking system not responding... Initiating Area Search.

Considering the situation, and the circumstances involved here, was beginning to give Nanoha a sinking feeling in the pit of her gut. An abrupt Dimensional Transfer issue, a very unusual entry sequence message by some sort of strange featureless creature, core issues with Raising Heart's systems and now they were unable to link up with TSAB's tracking system? The list of possible causes were shrinking rapidly, and everything pointed towards an exceptionally dangerous conclusion.

Obviously she had encountered an unregistered, undocumented Lost Logia. One of the powerful devices from Ancient Belka all the way out on the fringes of TSAB regulated space-time? Unheard of, but also not entire inconceivable. Caution would be wise here, and it was a good thing Raising Heart had already thought to cast an area search. Nanoha watched as the four mana spheres launched themselves across the blank landscape, but it didn't take long to receive a report from the orb that had travelled around the fountain.

Lifeforms detected. Status, unknown. Co-ordinates are specific. Three... Recalculating... Four. Detected.

They were around the other side of the fountain. Had they already been here? Perhaps more victims of this Lost Logia's powers? Taking note of the still changing shape of the fountain, Nanoha headed around the curve towards the side she had designated as 'south' for the time being.

Rounding the fountain, four figures came into view. All were humanoid, though all very different. Crouching down behind a steadily growing offshoot from the fountain, Nanoha surveyed them carefully. One appeared to be a robotic construct of some sort, and the other three were vaguely human-like creatures with varying size, shape and skin colouration. She couldn't make out what they were saying from this distance, but the largest and smallest of the two appeared to be in some sort of verbal alteration, and Nanoha felt that familiar urge to step in and ensure nothing escalated. It was but a moment after considering this that others began to appear as well. Small pulses of light followed by some sort of visual distortion, a bending of the air that swirled a figure into existence. It didn't take long at all for there to be eight creatures total.

Nanoha hesitated. Eight strangers, all clearly as disorientated as she was. Not particularly reassuring, but perhaps some friends could be made here.
"Raising Heart, run a scan here. See what you can find out about these people, but be ready for anything."

Understood, master. Standby, ready.

As she stood, several of them had begun to look around further than just the other people near them. One of the newest arrivals pointed out into the distance in two directions while talking to the others, right as Raising Heart projected two video feeds onto Nanoha's visual display.

Area Search completed. Additional life forms located. Locations are specific. Limited visual feed available.

Taking a brief glance at the visual feeds before dismissing them, Nanoha stepped forward towards the eight strangers in front of yes. It was easy to infer they had finally spotted the onlookers as well.
"Hello, everyone. She's right, we aren't alone out here. There's two groups; two and three."

She paused as they all turned her way, some briefly surprised by another sudden presence.
"I am Nanoha Takamachi, Major in the Time/Space Administration Bureau. I... Hope we can all get along; it would be nice to find some friends here, in this desolate landscape."

[Nyx]

Nyx inclined her head politely at Ganondorf's apology, watching him approach Link with some interest. Though both of these unusual gentlemen were strangers to her, the taste of conflict was one which was all too familiar to her. When the green-skinned one failed to take the confrontational approach she had expected, the mage seemed to lose interest, her gaze now drifting towards the fountain. Had that always been there? More to the point, it seemed to be evolving before her eyes, though very slowly. Was magic responsible for this? If so, it was unlike the uses for magic she was used to back home. Nevertheless, she seemed intrigued and a little appreciative of such an innovative use of magic. She found herself considering whether her own magic could be applied for such show-y and domestic purposes.

Her train of thought was interrupted by the newest arrival, Whirda. "You certainly know how to make an entrance," Nyx chuckled, bringing her hands together in an uncharacteristically sincere clap. She had to admire the other woman's talent. "I can't help but feel as though the word 'party' is a little strong, however..." she continued, raising a finger and lightly drumming it against her lips as she took another look at the strangers surrounding her. They really were an interesting and diverse assortment of adventurers, but then again weren't all parties like that? Admittedly, Nyx had limited experience in co-operation - her mentor at the Circle Tower was always insisting she didn't play well with others, - but even the great mages of legend were rarely surrounded by allies you would expect. It was definitely an interesting thought. Could she see herself working alongside these people?

Another stranger approached. Nyx found herself almost feeling overwhelmed by what was happening, especially since this was yet another female who seemed.. well, different. Sure, she looked human - but Nyx knew as well as anyone that looks can be deceiving. The blonde brought interesting food for thought - that they were being watched. Maybe that was why she felt so inexplicably uneasy? She followed Eighteen's point, squinting to try and focus on the two blobs which she presumed were the scout groups the android was talking about.

"Nice to meet you, Eighteen," Nyx replied, considering offering a hand, but remembering her scar and thinking better of it. She settled for a polite nod in the woman's direction. "I'm Nyx." She paused for a moment, sighing as her gaze flicked between the two blobs in the distance. When she turned back to her own group, someone else had approached. The group was snowballing fast, but at least Nanoha shed some light on the situation. "Do we know why they're here?" the mage enquired, but as the words left her lips she realized how unlikely she was to receive an answer. Undoubtedly, the others around her hardly knew why they were here, let alone anybody else. "Or more to the point, what they want from us?"

[Nanoha Takamachi]

It was a bit disheartening, really; no-one seemed keen to introduce themselves to Nanoha. Not even the girl who had spoken opened with a greeting and introduction. It just wouldn't do, normally, but these were extenuating circumstances and considering that, perhaps some regular formalities should be dispensed with. Now that she was up close, Nanoha took a few moments to carefully study the group. They all appeared to be very unique in their own way. Clearly this Lost Logia had a wide range of effect if it was capturing victims from such varied sources. To apply such a powerful magic on as wide a field as this could possibly be was almost enough to worry Nanoha. But, ultimately, it would just require some careful thought to unravel this mess before it became a major incident. Contacting the TSAB was of top priority, but for now making allies and friends here would be the logical approach.

Besides, Nanoha could never have too many friends.

The questions the young lady asked, however rhetorical they might have been, were certainly worth considering. Nanoha quickly ran through her memory of the events leading up to the present moment, and suddenly remember the details in that strange entry sequence message. That featureless entity that referred to itself as 'Omni'- obviously a magical construct servant of the Lost Logia- had divulged some information that would prove useful, if could be trusted. A place called the 'Omniverse' (probably a pocket dimension), mention of others within this place (clearly indicated by the presence of these strangers), a recommendation to not prioritise self-preservation (this had never been a priority for Nanoha regardless).

"Why are they here? From the looks of it they are scouts, just here to observe. What they want is something I think we'll have to ask of them ourselves."

Want. What did they want.

Suddenly it hit her. There was something else Omni had said. A mention of rules and others who desired something called 'Omnilium'. Whoever created this Lost Logia didn't have much creativity, it would seem.

Master. Anomaly detected.

Raising Heart's voice rang out, jolting Nanoha from her thoughts, followed by some surprised sounds from someone in the group. Looking down at her hands, Nanoha suddenly realised a small glimmering orb lay pulsing in her hand, light playing within as streams of rainbows and stardust. She recognised this from the message from Omni. Was this meant to be Omnilium? Seemed similar to a Linker Core, if she was able to summon it just by thinking about it.
"Rasing Heart, run a scan on this, please."

Substance unknown. Potential energy detected.

"With it, anything you desire can be yours." The words rang through Nanoha's head like it was fresh from Omni's mouth. Anything, it said? Then the best course of action here is to test...

Nanoha focused on the orb, ignoring for a moment the talking that broke out around her. Consider this orb like her Linker Orb. Grasp and pull, grasp and pull.
"Raising Heart! Please!"

Yes, my master. Standby, ready. Axel Mode.

There was a tingling sensation from her fingertips to her chest, then a feeling like something had been unlocked from around her Linker Core. As Nanoha felt a familiar sensation flowing from her, she gentle shut her eyes and summoned forth her Barrier Jacket. The recognisable signature of her magic seal emanated up from the ground beneath her feet, pulsing with Magenta coloured energy. Her uniform winked out of existence ever so briefly, as Raising Heart spun around her weaving spell energy onto her flesh as quickly as it was made bare. The bulked-up layered dress, shortened dress and sectioned over-dress flowed around her in a sudden burst of white light, forming her blue and white protective clothing.

Raising Heart, having generated the Barrier Jacket, turned its attentions to itself. The standby form of the glowing red gem swelled into a jewel the size of two fists, the staff head shimmering into place around it; a partial golden ring with two small exhaust valves at the next where it met the body of the staff itself. A length of shining ivory metal over half as tall as Nanoha herself spun itself out from its golden capping, culminating in a thickened pink rear grip. The gem itself, arcane runes running across its surface, sat suspended within the centre of the ring.

The powered up Device gently landed into Nanoha's outstretched left hand. The entire process had only taken a few seconds.

Systems nominal. External power source unnecessary. Primary use enable.

Nanoha opened her eyes and looked up. The expressions on the faces of the onlookers were mixed, but Nanoha was nonplussed and smiled broadly.
"Well, it would appear this stuff has its uses, and all I did was just think about it!"

[Illidan Stormrage]

Ganondorf was different somehow, Link thought as he resheathed his sword. He'd known him best as a cruel usurper, tainting the land of Hyrule in seven short years. Yet here he was, cool and collected, speaking to him rationally as if Link were the one out of line. How long was he sealed away before he was brought here by Omni? Had he realised the error of his ways in duress? Or was it a condition of freedom?

Link discarded all of those questions. The Gerudo king may have fooled him momentarily, but Link couldn't accept that such a change could happen in a heart as black as his. This was an act, to gain the trust of these strangers around them, who incidentally kept coming as time went on. While still a child, Link remembered peering through the stain glass window in Zelda's courtyard, seeing Ganondorf kneel and pledge fealty to the Hylian king. But as soon as the opportunity arose, all of his promises of loyalty meant nothing more than the air that carried them. This display of courtesy was just that; a display. Link was sure that when Ganondorf spied the chance to strike out for himself, he wouldn't hesitate to take it.

But it was as he said. Slaying him would punish him momentarily, but Omni's words indicated that they would resurrect. Besides, Link hadn't managed to kill Ganondorf anyway. The Master Sword was stronger than his black magic, but the Triforce of Power seemingly granted immortality to its owner. Link had no inkling of how to stop the Gerudo sorcerer without the power of the Sages.

He looked around the group. A wide range of people turned up all at once, and apart from himself and Ganondorf, none seemed to have previous connections. The rest were all strangers to Link, too. Some looked almost Hylian, like the blonde woman who designated herself as a number, except she lacked the pointy ears of his people. Many others looked like assassins or mercenaries, judging by their attire and unconcealed weapons.

Link was growing anxious. He didn't want to socialise with these people. Who were they? Link was an able warrior, but if distrust was already sown by Ganondorf earlier, they could turn on him at any moment. He stood by, fingers wriggling and ready to reveal the Master Sword if things went awry.

[Omni]

It was an amazing sight that had the denizens of Minas Tirith and its surrounding villages staring out of their windows, called out by the commotion in the streets. In the air above, an entire fleet of pegasi were flying. The direction they were heading in could not be mistaken – the gate to the Nexus. Everyone was squinting their eyes to see if they could see the King. But the horses were there one moment, and gone the next, leaving a disappointed sigh in their wake.

Still, they asked one another. What could cause so many to leave the castle at once, completely unannounced? It didn’t take long for the villages to send riders out to the castle, where they were met by crowds from the city residents. The guards were looking very stressed, trying to dismiss the crowds with ever more exuberant body language at the same time more people arrived to ask the same questions.

“I want to talk to the King!” several people started demanding. “We want to see the King!”

“The king’s not in right now,” said one guard, and as soon as he’d spoken those words, he regretted it. “Ahh, I mean--”

But that was that.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, in Coruscant, several large transports were humming their way through the night sky. They were given significantly less attention – after all, in Coruscant, lots of things happened at night, and those things weren’t limited to the lower tiers. If they suspected, or even thought that the transports probably were owned by the government, it wasn’t something to talk about. Not unless you were one of the anarchists of the lower tiers. They were comfortable here in Coruscant, and it was thanks to the Emperor’s methods that they stayed that way. If Palpatine was doing something at the Nexus, it was for the good of all.