Oz: Crossroad of Legends

Glinda held her daughter tightly, rested a hand on her hand. "It's okay, love. Let it all out. I have... something to tell you as well, truth be told."

"Relax, dear", Glinda said, holding Lana's shoulder. "Allow me to explain. We have successfully summoned a few Outlanders. Eight of them, to be specific. Half of them human, or at least appear to be. One of the non-humanoid Outlander resembles a small, hunched over wizard, who serves a larger, reptilian individual with a spiked turtle shell. The other is 'hedgehog' with long blue quills, wearing gloves and shoes. The fourth resembles a children's toy...

If what Cia told me is true, however, then there are other Outlanders that have been scattered throughout Oz -- a result of the ritual being interrupted. Possibly in a card-like state. This is... truly worrisome. We must make sure to make contact with them before our enemies, or even the wildlife, threaten their safety."

Glinda paused and gulped. "The Witch's forces had been successfully repelled. Out own forces do not appear to have taken heavy losses and the civilians seem untouched, but the full extent of damages are still being assessed. But..." She took a deep breath. "I must be honest. Cia, she... She is not in good condition. She is still alive, and I was able to speak with her briefly with a Morpheo Stone, but she has suffered from severe ether deficiency. On her own, she may not awaken for... quite some time." Glinda grasped Lana's hand before she could react. "But her condition is curable. There is said to be a spring in Yggdrasil that will cure her ills, should we bring her to it. It will be difficult, but I will not rest until she is brought there. I promise the two of you that. Do you understand?"

"Lana," Glinda began, keeping her voice low for the sake of the sleeping guests.. "You do understand that you were not brought to this safehouse so you could wander the city during a crisis?" she sighed. "I shall overlook this just this once. How many have you encountered? What are they like?"

---

Interrogation Room

Another stranger slipped into the room from the shadows, whispering something into the interrogators, who turned around to murmur amongst themselves. Meridia turn her eyes around the room for anything not nailed to the ground. Aside from a table and technically the chair she was on, it wasn't much. Plan B was the weapons off their backs, but she wasn't certain how secured to their person they were. Maybe their swords?

They turned back to her. She looked back up at them, acting like she wasn't just searching for anything that could work as an improvised weapon.

"The Galahad will speak to you privately," said one of the men.

They slimply turned and walked out the door without waiting for Meridia to shoot questions at them. The door clicked after it was closed.

Meridia took a deep breath, testing the bindings around her wrists and ankles.

Well then... Woke up wanting nothing more than time with Grant, now I'm captured again... By ninja cosplayers... I must have done something horrible in a past life. It's the only explanation.

She gave one big, frustrated pull at her arms.

I'm sick of it! I'm not going to be a damsel in distress for a third time!

She leaned forward for a closer look at the rope around her wrists. They were wrapped unneccessarily tight, and now that she was alone, she began to feel her hands falling asleep.

Okay... This is just like rope training, except.... The opposite of tying rope around a post. Easy-peezy. Just... gotta take my time.

Meridia focused. One of the cords began to twitch.

Safehouse

Glinda closed her eyes for a second to mentally brace herself again as she leaned her staff against the wall to hold her daughter by the shoulders. "Lana... Cia isn't going to wake up for... some time. At the very least, not without our help. She's fallen into a comatose state, unleashing a spell to drive back the abominations. However, if we were to bring her to Yggdrasil, we will be able to save her. And I promise to do everything in my power to succeed."

---

Dalish Settlement Under Siege

The White Tiger's Avatar roared in triumphant laughter as as it took was an outstretched palm for the defensive walls to crumple apart; stone debris blasted away to fall into the town behind, the defenders on to sprawling away helplessly, their fortifications proven meaningless.

Whatever resistance remained before them would be like throwing pebbles at a storm.

General Mason drew his arm back to give the order to destroy everything in their path...

*CLINK!*

A spark and a jolt of pressure from his shoulder guard gave him paused. He reached back to the point of impact and drew a bullet that had embedded itself into his armor. He could make out "Ma..." carved into the side of the bullet.

What--

The bullet detonated in a violent explosion, causing Mason and the Chimera to reel backward; mostly uninjured, merely stunned. A flash of light materialized in front of the general. He did not know his name, but we recognized the man casually tipping their hat at him through appearance alone.

"Howdy, pardner!"

Jonathan Sterling of Yuleia. The reports matched him perfectly. General demeanor included. They did not, however, have mention of his apparent disregard for his own life. Mason squinted at him without honoring him with a reply.

Why does this one reveal himself so brazenly? Is this some manner of trap?

"Lookie here," the other began. "I know I'm busy, and I reckon you're also pretty busy, so I'll cut to the chase: please don't destroy this settlement? Negotiatin' really ain't my strong suit, and no offense, but Ephesians have a reputation of bein' the same, but I'm willin' to sit down and have a long, drawn out--"

He is attempting to distract me.

Mason leaned forward to whisper something into his mount's goat head before dismounting. Sterling's hand twitching slightly before dismounting did not go unnoticed.

"Well pardner, how do ya do?" Sterling approached Mason with a casual walk. "Name's Sterling. Jonathan Sterling." He held out his hand for a shake.

Mason's hand, meanwhile, kept his hand on his scythe as he reached over his head. "Mason."

Sterling frowned as Mason brought his weapon down. The Angelo that was hovering above just out of sight dived in to take Sterling away in a flash of light right before the cowboy could be cleaved in two. A voice behind him alerted Mason to where he relocated.

"Alright pardner, guess it's a showdown."

Mason turned around to see Sterling pointing two revolver barrels pointed at his direction. He created a gravity well in front of him right as Sterling pulled the triggers, the bullets sharply careening into the dirt below.

"Enough of this charade!" Mason declared. He raised his weapon upward. "CHARGE! PURGE DELIVER THE GREEN DRAGON'S WILL!"

The soldiers cheered while Mason's chimera pounced forward. Sterling vanished in another ray of light right before he could be trampled underfoot. Another flash of light to Mason's side as Sterling replaced the spent bullets in his revolver. His Angelo partner uneasily drew their blade.

"Darn it, I knew I ought've called in sick today."

The soldiers all around then began charging as Mason charged at the Yuleians.

The Chimera was already within the village.

---

A large explosion almost made Grant trip over his feet.

"Duck and cover!"

Grant dived against the side of a house as large stone debris slammed all around him and a cloud of dust engulfed him. Grant didn't risk getting up until the noise subsided for several seconds. He had to cover his nose with his shirt to breathe after the resultant coughing fit.

"Now's our chance! Take advantage of the smokescreen!"

"Can't... see a thing in thi--"

Grant tripped over a piece of rebar and feel face-first into the dirt below.

"Dammit Grant, this is no time for slapstick!"

"You think I'm doing this on purpose?!"

Grant dragged himself up and reached for Morrigan's Pokeball when a way-too-close roar made him freeze.

"...What was that?"

The sounds of giant footsteps came closer and closer before Grant could see a giant, foreign creature dash through another building and sending a pair of other people flying. It looked like a horrific amalgamation of various creatures that vaguely resembled certain Pokemon of his world; the head of a Pyroar, another that looked like a Gogoat, and a tail that looked like an Ekans. All more ferocious than usual. It looked like something a mad scientist would create in one of the superhero comics Grant used to read.

"Who's THAT Pokemon?!"

The chimera's lion head breathed in and shot out a wide breath of fire, turning its head to burn everything in front of it. Turning its head turning Grant's direction. The young boy grabbed his other Pokeball and threw it as quickly as he could.

"Protect!"

Ymir the Turtwig emerged and gave a panicked yelp at what was coming right for them before materializing the barrier as instructed. Grant had to kneel down to get within range of the creatures comparatively smaller barrier.

"Check your hair, I think it's been singed," commented Gawain once the fire subsided.

Granted, however, saw that the Chimera had noticed the weirdly un-roasted human and his pet turtle and was beginning to slowly advance.

Not now!

Grant grabbed Ymir and ran as fast as he could from the chimera as it broke out once again into a sprint.

"Ymir, get Morrigan!"

The Turtwig took a moment to gain its bearings before using its vine to unclip the Pokeball from Grant's belt. The Murkrow stretched her wings before hearing Grant's panicked orders.

"Fly!"

Morrigan immediately began flapping it's wings without question, with Grant wrapping his free hand around its leg. The bird swerved sideways quickly enough to get itself and her trainer out of range of the beast's lunging claw strike.

For those not used to it, the sight of a 1'08" crow of approximately four and a half pounds ferrying a young man numerous times their height and weight would seem highly implausible.

Are we out of reach?!

The beast looked up at them. Fire flared within the lion's maw.

"No!"

"Down!"

Morrigan dived down just in time to dodge a fireball aimed directly at them. It maneuvered side-to-side to dodge the fireballs the followed, but a strained caw from the bird made it clear that Grant's weight was starting to exhaust her.

"We gotta fight back!"

"Uh... Ymir, Leech Seed!"

The Turtwig grunted a bit, drew its head back, and fired a set of seeds off the sprout on its head. Grant didn't have the time to keep looking to confirm whether they hit their target, as a sharp cry from Morrigan caused him to look up, seeing a few of the feathers on her right wing caught fire.

"Damn, grazed her! We're goin' down!"

Screaming, Team Grant dropped and crashed through a window to a two-story house and tumbled inside.

---

Meridia pursed her lips as she pulled her left ankle free from the chair's leg.

Alright... Now what?

Nobody has stormed in to stop her yet, so at least she probably wasn't being monitored. That being said...

Meridia walked to the door and turned the handle. Locked. Obviously. She sighed.

It's never easy.

Meridia took a deep breath, took a half-step backward, and drew her arms back.

Someday, I'll learn how to do this without needing dramatic hand gestures to focus.

Meridia outstretched her hands with a yell. The door flew outward off its hinges, creating louder crashing noises than Meridia would have liked.

Now... improvise.

Meridia rushed through the doorway and scanned the room for anything with the slightest possibility of being useful. A handbag on a table by the window was what caught her attention. She scrambled over to it. Sure enough, it was her's. Her peered inside and ran a hand through to take quick inventory of whatever she could immediately identify.

Three Pokeballs, money, potions, useless makeup... Well, at least I'm not totally alone.

Meridia slung the bag around her chest. Finding little else of value in the small gray room, Meridia bolted to the door, which slammed open inward right as she was about to reach it.

The ninja that opened pointed their blade at her. "Freeze!"

Meridia glanced down at the man's hip, then glanced upward. There were two sheaths: an empty one at their hip, and another behind their back, blade still inside. Meridia backed away slowly with her arms raised defensively.

"I don't know how you got out, but clearly we've underestimated you", the ninja continued. "But unless you truly wish to needlessly endanger yourself, I suggest that--"

Their own sword stabbing through their chest from behind silenced him quickly. Meridia took a small sigh of relief as the ninja crumpled to the floor. She wasn't sure if she could've manipulated that sword without them noticing in the first place.

Right. Running.

Meridia picked a random direction and bolted away as the ninja on the floor reached for the radio on their hip.

Location: Safe house

Lana having fully realized what her mom told her about Cia she just felt silent.

"Oh so it's just mana deficiency,". "And it was due to complications with the ritual,". "Yeah tree spring," Lana seems to almost be in a trance while saying these words.

Lana is trying her best to hide her tears but it's not working.

"Why Cia?". "Why couldn't I do anything to help you and mom?". "Why am I so..?" Lana begins to sob incoherently.

Lana goes to her mom and just begins to cry away on her shoulder.

"Why mom why?". "Why did Cia have to pay the price?". "Why couldn't I do anything to help you and her?". "Why am I so powerless and useless?". "Why mom?" Lana cries while sobbing and hugging her mom.

Charlie is roused from his slumber and looks over towards Lana and Glinda.

June nods. "That sounds like a good place to start.  I suppose I'll begin.  I'm June.  I was born in a small town...  I guess my life story's not so important.  Long story short, I ended up becoming a knight and leading a group to stop a small cult that was trying to carry out a coup by summoning a demon.  And, as you can tell from the dress, today I was supposed to be getting married.  What else...  Ah, yes.  I'm pretty good with an axe."  She pulls a battleaxe over half her size off a sling on her back, swinging in one-handed a few times.  "I'm good at riding.  This is my partner, Marth."  She pats her horse a few times.  "...I can also use a bow fairly well.  The head priest of my home country himself tried to teach me to use healing magic, but my aptitude is... not high.  I can still treat simple wounds well enough."