After a long night of partying and other assorted revelry, we all slept like babies, in fact sleeping in a little too much probably. It was nice to have a night of rest without any looming worries, though. As long as time was standing still in our world, we could chill out as much as we liked here with no repercussions. I'll admit, there was even a part of me that wouldn't mind staying here, but running away from our problems in the real world wouldn't make them go away forever.
<Celever> Good morning, Drac!
<Drac> Good mornings to you as well, cute one!
<Celever> Whatcha up to? ^_^
<Drac> Drac is preparing for his morning trainings, yes? Perhaps Celever would like to come along? Drac thinks we should train together, becoming unbeatable force!
<Celever> Training? Bluh... I was going to go eat breakfast with Keeper and then go play in the woods... Training is no fun. :<
<Drac> Okay then, meddling Drac will leave Nowi alone to her fun... Drac is old fool who is only thinking about self.
<Celever> Awwww, I'm sorry. Come on, let's go do that special training together after all!
<Drac> Oy, this is worse! You agree just to make old man not be feeling like sad sack!
<Celever> No! Look, you spend all this time worrying about me, so I should listen to your advice. Besides, once we're done training, you can come eat and play with me too. Yay!
<Drac> Well, if you are insisting!
GM DracLord and Celever attain support level A!
During Drac and Celever's special training, he picked up a bow and started playing around with it. He ended up having so much fun shooting at Celever and watching her catch the arrows in midair that he decided to keep the bow and start trying to learn how to use it in actual combat. He had a hard time carrying the bow along with both his swords and axes, though, so he decided to drop the swords and stick to his axes which had seemed more useful over all anyway.
... just don't ask me where the silly collar came from. I think he got that idea from CJ.
GM DracLord reclassed into Warrior!
After breakfast, I did a bit of reconnoitering and happened across a skittish Pegasus. The poor thing looked terrified, but immediately came up to me and started nuzzling me when it saw me approach. I'm not sure if it actually was looking for my affections or if it just smelled the apples I had stashed in my pockets, but we quickly became friends. I thought about how IE was able to use her Pegasus to get around more quickly and efficiently throughout the battlefield and sling magic from above, and I decided to try some aerial maneuvers of my own. The Pegasus took to combat like TT to a cake, but I found that it was trickier to attack with swords from the saddle, so I swapped out my swords for a lance. Wait until Drohn sees this!
Athena reclassed into Dark Flyer!
When I got back to camp with my new friend in toe, everyone was pretty amazed, but no one moreso than Light. She admitted to me that she also had found a Pegasus, albeit in a slightly different manner. When she woke up in her tent in the morning, the Pegasus was right inside sleeping next to her! She had had a bit too much to drink at the festival and didn't really recall how she'd found the creature, but Cinesra told her that she had won it herself playing a came of cards. I ended up showing her the basic ropes of flying and how she could ride the Pegasus in combat to keep us all healed nice and easily and she was thrilled with the idea. However, she seemed to have a problem casting magic from up high and settled for leaving the tomes on the ground and simply keeping a basic lance with her for self-defense.
Professor Light reclasses into Falcon Punch Knight!
Eventually we were all geared up and ready to head out on our way back to the Gate and into our own world. On the way, we came to a large, beautiful temple in the middle of the woods. Thinking the Gate might be inside, we popped in for a visit, but were astounded to find something completely different and unexpected...
<Naga> Hey guys, 'sup?
<Drohn> NAGA?! :O
<Athena> Wait, this is Naga? As in, the Divine Dragon God that we're going to be performing a ritual to see? She's just popping up here?
<Naga> I'm a dragon goddess, I can do whatever I want. *flips around and does party tricks*
<Drohn> Does that mean you're here to give us the power to defeat Grima?
<Naga> lolno. That's real world stuff. I'm the Outrealms Naga, so I don't really give a s*** about stuff out there. I'm more concerned about making musical versions of my favourite anime, keeping parallel worlds in check, and having sick rap-offs. In about that order of preference. Do you guys want to visit my Death Note: The Musical world?
<Drohn> Uhhh... that sounds great and all, but I think we'll pass.
<Naga> Okay, that's cool.... hey, you guys have got weapons and stuff. Are you pretty good fighters?
<Drohn> I'd like to think so. We've accomplished a lot of missions and we have a great tactician, but--
<Naga> Oh, hey, is that IE? HAY IE!
<IE> Uh, hi Naga!
<Naga> Hey, maybe you guys wouldn't mind doing me a quick favour then? You see, one of my parallel worlds is, well, kind of doing pretty badly to be honest.
<Drohn> We're kind of in a hurry...
<Naga> Oh, come on, this is the Outrealms. Besides, you'd be helping out an alternate version of IE over there, and her friends, too!
<IE> Wait... would be be traveling forward in time to save my future? :O
<Naga> Sort of? Man, it's hard to explain parallel worlds to non-gods. It's not
you you, but a different you. And your friends and stuff. Alt-you is trying to go back in time like
you you did, but, well, s*** is going a bit poorly this time around and it doesn't look like you guys are going to make it. I'd really hate to see that world go, too. That world makes the best pizza, far better than this world's pizza (no offense, guys).
<Drohn> So why do you need us? Can't you go there yourself?
<Naga> Grima's been revived in that world and he has super mad crazy powers, yo. He's blocking me personally from going, but I can send you guys in my stead.
<Drohn> Since this is the Outrealms, if we help you, it'll be on free time like the rest of our Outrealms adventures, right?
<Naga> Yep! All the exp and loot, none of the time wasting.
<Drohn> Alright, we'll do it. What's the game plan?
<Naga> Alright, there's 12 kids in total, IE and all her little buds. They split up in 3 teams to gather the gems like you guys did, but each group is getting ambushed on their way to reunite. So, just kill off their attackers so they can team up again and everything will be rosy. I'll send you to the group that has Redy and Bluey first.Thanks for being bros about this.
<Drohn> Happy to help!
Outrealms Naga led us through the temple and to a room filled with cool, shiny, glowy portals. She directed us to one of them with a wave and we all walked through, suddenly finding ourselves in a large, ornate manor.
<SAE> Wait a minute... I know this place!
<Drohn> You do?
<SAE> Yeah, me, Noire, Cynthia, and Kjelle got trapped here with a bunch of Risen... we barely escaped with our lives.
<IE> I remember you all talking about that when you came back, it was... terrifying.
<Athena> I guess in this version of your world, you didn't make it back.
<Drohn> Well, I guess it's a good thing we're here. If we can change fate in our realm, we can help change your alternate selves' fates as well!
<IE> But...
<Palutena> I actually find this very.... refreshing *evil grin*
<TT> If our daughter is here... well, we know we weren't able to help her and you in your own future...
<Celever> But now we can actually help our kids, yay! ^_^
<Keeper> I'll never let anyone say I was too afraid or too dead to save my little girl from a bunch of zombies!
<SAE> Dad, I'm right here! >:[
<Keeper> Well, my parallel world little girl anyway.
<SAE> I'm not little!
<Drohn> Well, regardless, we told Outrealms Naga we'd save their asses and we're going to. Everyone, prepare for battle!
I could tell just by looking at them that these enemies were tough, much tougher than any we've faced before. To make matters worse, we weren't just concerned for our own safety, but for the safety of the children who were trapped and weaponless. I sent SAE and IE up the right corridor to get to the other kids as fast as possible while the rest of us dealt with the immediate enemies to our left. This was easily our toughest battle yet. SAE was in the room closest to us. It was weird to see a girl so similar to our own and yet so different. It seemed her parents had no such reservations, however.
<Celever> SAE! Don't worry, mommy and daddy are here to save you!
<SAE> But...aren't you supposed to be dead? Is this some sort of curse?
<Keeper> Nope! Not a curse! Good guess, though. We actually came from a whole other world just to rescue you! So we're exactly like your parents...except I'm completely different. Nya ha! Crazy, huh?
<SAE> Well, I don't want you guys to fight for me, so go home, okay? I can take care of myself.
<Celever> I dunno, things look pretty hopeless to me. In fact, Naga even told us they were if we didn't help!
<SAE> But... how could I go on if I lost you both twice? So please...just leave, okay?
<Celever> ...Hmm, nope! Sorry. Nuh-uh. We're not going anywhere. I love you! I have to protect you! And we brought friends, too, so don't worry about us, okay?
<Keeper> So take care and hold tight, okay? I'm gonna mop up the rest of these Risen, and things are about to get gooey!
<SAE> I guess Naga really does perform miracles...
Once they were assured that alt-SAE was safe, Celever and Keeper head back around the other direction to follow their own daughter and help her and IE with any further reinforcements. Finally we managed to clear our own hallways of soldiers and TT was able to pick the lock to the next room, which held his own daughter.
<TT> Ohhay Noire, 'sup?
<Noire> F-Father? M-Mother?! B-but...how? Did...did you resurrect yourselves with some kind of curse?
<Palutena> Hee hee... And what if I did?
<TT> Oh, don't listen to your crazy alternate world mother, we're not actually your real parents. We came here through a portal from another world to help you and your friends out.
<Noire> Oh. I...I suppose I should have known. Death is permanent, after all... But I am happy to see you, even if you're not...you. Even if you are from another world... *sob*
<Palutena> Tears? Really? What am I supposed to...?
<TT> Awwww, cheer up, kid. Want some candy? I've got a whole bag here on my belt...
<Noire> *omnomnom*
<Palutena> Listen, I don't have much time. But while I'm here, I'm going to make the creatures who tried to hurt you pay.
<TT> So don't worry! We're going to go out and take care of this for you, kiddo.
<Noire> Thanks guys. <3
The further we worked through the manor, the more we ended up getting split up. TT and Palutena stuck with me and Drohn as we worked our way forward, though PMJ and Drac stayed behind to protect the kids from more reinforcements, and Light rushed around healing everyone while Cinesra tried to protect her. SAE and IE ended up getting to Cynthia just in the nick of time, while SAE and Keeper protected Kjelle. Eventually, their leader ran forward and charged at Palutena. It was.... Morgan? My own son? I couldn't believe my eyes. I rushed forward to try and talk to him, but Palutena and TT sliced him up out before I could get close enough, though I heard enough. Apparently my son in this world is a follower of Grima; I suppose I must also have chosen to accept Grima's blood in this world, wherever it was.
Once Morgan was taken down, it was only a matter of time before the remaining enemies were killed off. We had just enough time to make sure all four kids were safe before Outrealms Naga warped us back to the temple.
<Naga> Awesome! I knew you guys could do it.
<Drohn> That was a pretty intense battle.
<Athena> Yeah, there were a few times there when I didn't think we'd make it.
<Naga> Well, now you know why I had to send you. No way in hell would those kids have been able to make it out on their own.
<Drohn> I suppose you want us to go after another group now?
<Naga> Take your time and rest up for a bit first. Those kids aren't going anywhere for now, so you may as well chill out for a bit before I send you off again.
<Athena> Oh, thank the gods. I could sleep for a week.
<Naga> You're welcome!
<Athena> >_>
