Mirror Mirror (Updated 11/20/13)

♚Fables

Tucked away in a World within a World lay a mystical realm, a firmament of untapped magical empyrean occupied with some of the Universes most recognizable entities. Folklore heroes and villains who, until recently, were only an imagination based reality relegated to the fictional transcriptions of literary masterpieces. But what if the stories were real? What if the enigmatic legends of fabled histrionics had not been birthed from humanities imagination, but rather a richly developed province were magic, fantasy, and the unimaginable, had grown from an embryonic spark of Darwinian mysticism? What if...

Driven with obsessive fervor and an insatiable hunger for power, the Voodoo Viper, Jabari Vaillancourt, had spent a life-time, several in fact, scouring the globe for anagogic relics. Determined to elevate his already impressive knowledge of the arcane to the pantheon of the elite, the immortal mages and sorcerers of legend. Authenticated apex's with talents beyond the compressions of lesser mortals.

In his pursuit of esoteric excellence, Jabari found himself in a small city of 8th century nativity near Bavaria, in the Main-Spessart district of Germany. "Lorhr a. Main", as it was refereed to, was famous for its Spessart Museum located in the Lohr Castle. Former home of Maria Sophia, owner of the Talking Mirror. The same infamous mirror of Grimm's fantastic tale of an evil queen, dwarfs, and a lovely princess cited as Snow.

Mirror Mirror on the wall, show me where the magic is, show me it all.

The discovery of the enchanted mirror was an opportunity unlike anything the malevolent mystic could have imagined. For the mythical mirror on the wall was a crossroads, a portal through the looking glass operating as a spiritual bridge between two Worlds. But little did the Voodoo Prince know, that getting in was oh so much easier, then getting out. And while the real World had barely aged more then a few days, inside, more then two years time had paced.

Alot can happen in two years.....

The Journey thus Far

• Captain hook (The infamous pirate and foe of Pan. Currently dropping anchor for supplies, seemingly unaware of Pan's ordeal)

• Kufu (Hook's monkey companion)

• The three little pigs (Vicious commandos defending pig territory)

• The three blind mice (Embarking on a journey though the enchanted forest with Mistro (See the other worlders)

• Peter Pan and the lost boys (Mature swashbucklers who sail the seas, until the red queen's guard attacked and Peter wound up in our world. Currently chasing down his shadow)

• Tinker bell (A mature and timeless companion, held off the queen's guard while peter escaped, presumed dead)

• Kenny chance (This universe's mad hatter, on a quest to retrieve his magical hat from Captain Hook)

• The Big bad wolf (Bill) (The Big bad wolf of the Red riding hood Fable, retired from his terrorizing days. He now chose to help two strangers to the Fable world in an investigation involving the Beauty and the Beast)

• Charming (The suave con artist who is busy swindling hopeless princesses out of their riches with his almost inhuman charm)

• The Beast (A monster yet to be seen, but three seek him to further an investigation..)

• Harper (A winged, flying monkey from Ozland. Instead of being on a side, the chimp chose to be the quickest courier in the land.)

• Puck (A small faerie who wishes to help Bill and the CV duo on the Beast investigation)

• Willy Wonka (The infamous chocolateer from the Charlie Fable. He left his factory in order to embark on a quest)

• Captain J Flint (A buccaneer who is currently in the company of Arturia, both now seeking out Ambrosius)

• Itsy (Of the spider Fable, seeks revenge on Camelot and intends on toppling down it's royalty)

• The wizard of Oz (Imprisoned by Jabari, who is using him as a source of information related to the powerful magics of Oz)

• Frankenstein (The monster created by a mad doctor, now a blood thirsty warrior who roams the land in search for good battle, currently in the presence of the Itsy situation in Camelot)

The Comicvine universe

• Eternelle (A kindred in New Orleans, currently in the company of a displaced Peter Pan)
• Ambrosius (Mystic master, currently embarking on a journey to the land of Fables. They intend on searching for the Beast. With him now is Angela Lee and the Big bad wolf)
• Angela Lee (Ambro's mystic companion in this journey, currently searching for the beast with the company of the Big bad wolf)
• Allegiance (Star spangled hero, now in the land of Camelot and wishes the company of the king, set on a path that interjects with Itsy's plans)
• Mistro (Currently fighting off a Wolf attack along with the three blind mice)
• Jabari (In Ozland, searching for the spoils of magic he originally came here for)
• Pick - Summoned by the Wizard of Oz to combat the evil Jabari, who has taken over the Emerald Castle.

- Courtesy of Bill the Bad

Perpetually battling against the almighty winds the famed ship of Hook sailed forth towards a truly unknown destination, all but pursuing the ever lasting goal of treasure, rum and women. The frantic crew running around the ship like ants in a colony, not slowing down in face of utter peril, three men having gone overboard in under one hour. But they paid no mind, running around tirelessly engaging the unrelenting ocean. Tugging and pulling against the robes keeping the ship steady. Watching for approaching enemy ships, icebergs and more. Hook standing amidst to peril, his arms skilfully directing the ships movements his rough and scarred hands tightly gripping the helm as he steered. His iconic dark hair blowing in the wind, his face damp, his ancient hat damper, angrily spinning his head towards his pet @kufu with a quick growl prior to looking at one of his crew members, "Have ye located th' treasure yet?!" His head snapped backwards as the ship buckled upwards before crashing back down onto the pacific ocean sending a ridiculous amount of water to flood into the deck, "I don't be knowin' how long we be lastin' in these oceans without a destination! Hurry up, ye fools!" His eyes darted forwards again while talking to the boats second mate, "Take th' helm 'n steer th' boat boy, I have business 'n matters too be attendin' too" Recklessly spinning the steering device for no real reason left, the boat randomly jolted sidewards before the second mate caught grips and straighten it up. Walking through the deck with uneven footsteps, his weight erratically transferring from one foot to another before he caught sight of one man throwing water out of the ship with a ridiculously small bucket, "Clear th' decks faster matey, ye're takin' too long! Do ye want as to die this day before we reach that treassure?!" Clanking his foot down and walking into his quarters before somehow falling asleep, unsure and totally uncaring if he would survive the journey but having faith, albeit without ever showing it , in the loyal crew.

Perched on @captain_hook's shoulder, Kufu contently and gleefully watched all the crewmembers run about doing their jobs. “Eheheeee.” Kufu giggled to himself quietly as Hook barked out orders at all the crew. The situation was horrid, the terrible storm was smashing waves against the ship,and the high winds fought hard against the ship’s course. A crewmember was trying to dispel water from the ship with a tiny bucket,this showed even more how terrible the entire situation was,but Kufu remained happy and content. As Hook went into his captains quarters,Kufu hopped off his shoulders and wobbled out onto the deck. The ship rocked back and forth harshly,but Kufu kept his balance and he wandered forth still. He heard a crewmember say “Aw not that blasted baboon again.” “AGH!” Kufu screeched at him,his teeth bared.The crewmember was disgruntled,but returned to his duties. “Eheheee” Kufu giggled as he wandered to the front of the ship,he looked off into the distance and saw nothing.He wondered where they were sailing to. Hook spoke of treasure, but Kufu had no desire for such things, for he, was infinitely powerful. Kufu made a sort of sack appear out of thin air. It was a relatively small sack,about the size of Kufu,tied shut by a rope. Kufu clutched the bag and untied the rope,it immediately let out a ridiculous amount of wind,sending Kufu flying around the ship with a loud wooshing sound. “Wheeeeeeeeeeee!” Kufu yelled in glee as the bag twisted and turned as it flew over the ship. “Eheheheheeee!” he yelled over the wind. Then the bag deflated and Kufu fell onto the ship again. “Awooohhh.” Kufu grumbled sadly. The crew members didn’t notice a thing, simply because he wanted it to be that way. Kufu sat in the middle of the ships deck, fiddling with the deflated sack. He wondered once more where the ship was headed, but he didn’t really care, as long as it was a fun journey.

Sgt. Rakku, head of the bunny brigade is sent on a mission to aid the rookies through the evergreen yonder, the hogfather had sent a message through one of the green crystals to ensure that the wolf does not pass the last checkpoint. The pigs had come on a suicide mission but it is the job of this bad hare to turn it into a happy ending, one that has to be earned through gunfire and blood. A band of three brothers separated from the rest of their battalion as they were ambushed by a field of cannon fire, they hold the remains of their mission as they retreat into separate strongholds. Fortress of 'straw', Fortress of 'wood' and the Fortress of 'brick' separated through entire plains of nature as the march of the wolves come in many packs. These pigs are more than normal soldiers as they have been roughly conditioned, but the wolves have been tampered with dark teutonic science. The wolfmenschen are a dreaded force that have been the bane of porcine front, they are sent to conquer large portions of land.

War is hell for both sides as many innocents have been sent into the 'slaughterhouse' rounded up with codes on their lapels and sent in groups. Many of them went into cargo where they never return, the allies are working together to end Noble Wolf's reign of power. The secret in their hands may prove to end the war once and for all, as in every stronghold there are groups of people that are crucial for the end of the bloodshed. Transport routes are bad so they are divided into groups, Rakku's job is to connect them together but he needs to find the exact locations so that he may be able to put them together. Now he is on the outskirts of the first stronghold, separated by a barn as he takes a vigilant look over the entire stretch of land. In a castle there seems to be a resistance mounted by a lone soldier. Shooting various mongrels on the other side, as they return fire from behind cover.

Rakku takes hold of his mosin nagant and send a bullet from one ear to the other as it flew away with the brain of an enemy Pinscher.

Mistro layed in a motel bedroom,the lights were off,the ceiling fan was whirring above his head.
He was almost asleep when he heard three little voices.
“Oof!” “Watch it!” “You watch it!” “Shhhh!Hes sleeeeping.” Mistro was so tired his brain dismissed the voices, and forced his body into sleep.
Mistro felt as if he was being sucked through a tube by a very powerful force at lightning speeds.His eyes shot open, he was in a large field, the grass was plush under his fur.
He sat up immediately, looking around, blinking wildly. He rubbed his eyes, but everything stayed the same,he was in the middle of a sort of clearing. Forest surrounded him on all sides,the trees had pink and purple leaves.
“Where am I?” Mistro asked himself. He looked at his wrist and saw his and saw his G.D.S was still there.Oh good. He thought as he tapped it, the G.D.S hummed but teleported Mistro nowhere.
“Oh,right,we forgot about big guy over here.” a little voice said.

“What?Who said that?” Mistro asked as he turned.
“That was me,Im one of three.” A mouse said not quite looking at Mistro.
“Brother of one and three, is me.” Another mouse said,standing up from behind the grass.
“Brother of two and three is me.” Yet another mouse said as he too,stood up from behind the grass.
“We are the three blind mice” they said in unison.
“Where am I and how did I get here?”
“Ah you’re in the land of the fables,we found you in this field.” The mouse to the left said.
“But,I heard you last night” Mistro said.
“You may have heard us,on your journey here.” The mouse on the right said.
“What do you mean?”
“No more questions!” the center mouse yelled.
“We have to go through the enchanted forest.” The mouse on the right said as they began their little march towards the entrance to the forest.
“Why?” Mistro questioned,following behind.
“You ask too many questions.” The center mouse said.
“What are your names?”
“I am Ridley"The center mouse said.
“I am Latimer” The mouse on the left said.
“I am Cranmer” The mouse on the right said.
“Nice to meet you,Ridley,Latimer,and Cranmer.” Mistro said. They continued their march once more,into the forest.The forest was weird,it had a magical essence to it,the wind carried magical energy off the trees,and sprinkled it around like glitter.
Upon checking in his cloak Mistro realized his pistols and his sword were both there.
Ah good,hopefully this place doesn’t have any hostiles,but you never know.
Mistro was coming to terms with being in the land of the fables relatively quickly.
“So where are we headed?”
Ridley sighed and didn’t answer.“We never really have a destination, we sort of just adventure.” Cranmer said.
So Mistro followed them onwards,into the enchanted forest.

@eternelle:

Swords clashed with violent intentions while the sound of powder loaded revolvers being fired with deadly accuracy resonated in the background. Peter Pan and his heroic Lost Boys valiantly trying to fight there way through the Queen of Heart's elite guard, the Noir Roses, in route to their trusty sea going vessel, Fantasia. The Queen's guard, now seemingly under the control of a displaced evil (Jabari Vaillancourt) who had come to the land of Fables in search of achieving magical superiority, had ambushed the mischievous group with deadly consequences. Several Lost Boys lay dead or dying, and Peter himself having sustained several injuries, was rapidly running out of energy.

"Peter!"yelled his miniaturized side companion, Tink."We all cant make it, but you can. Go! Bring back help. Save Fables."she pleaded while stylishly performing several pirouette's and elusive feints. Spinning back, forth, and under, several strikes and slashes."PETER GO! WE'LL HOLD EM OFF!"

Reluctantly, and in-spite of the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Peter dashed ahead. Baseball sliding under two simultaneous sword swings and right into a continuous somersaulting ball down the wooden dock towards the ship. A quick look back as his lifelong friends, his family, gallantly held the line so he could escape. Cutting the anchored ropes and vaulting aboard, Peter swiftly navigated the ship out to sea heading straight for the isolated storm cloud and the funneling spiral that would transport him to the other side. His friends sacrifice would not have been in vain. This was his final thought as both he, and his ship, were sucked down into Davey Jones' locker.

- On the other side of yesterday -

The annoyance of multiple squawking seagulls slowly forced Peter to open his eyes and carefully examine his strange surroundings. "Where am I? When am I?" he thought. Where indeed, where indeed......

"What do you get when you jump the gun, a slit neck and a pocket full of gum. Hehe, how stupid of me. How stupid of me indeed. No, no have to think on my feet. Have to forget, forget, forget, forget. Have to focus, focus, focus, focus. Have to find something that'll knock the socks of that stupidly dressed captain. Show him who's boss. That's right. Who's boss." The fellow dressed in white spoke to himself in a continuous loop, traversing the halls of Asylum Oz, with his pointer finger pressed against his thinly sealed lips; silencing every off putting noise muttered by an odd looking patient.

"Easy as pie, that's what I'll say. You've got a sty in your eye matey! Yeah, that's exactly what I'll say indeed. Spit in his face, cut him at the thyroid, teach him not to mess with little old me." Mister Chance adjusted his scrubs, smiling from ear to ear, excited to see the proverbial bees knees. Before his eyes there it stood, a silver door that wasn't misunderstood. "Take my @kufu? That's perfectly fine. Perfectly, perfectly, perfectly fine. I've got something better. Something better for sure. Something that'll change this game we play and make me not insane." He knocked on the door once, twice, maybe even thrice. However, he wouldn't leave it all to chance so he did what he did and opened the door, thrusting with a white knight's might.

"Fear not young lass, you're prince is here!" He exuberantly exclaimed as bright red lights alarmed those flying primates. Fearful of rejection the supposed savior flashed his pearly whites, flexed his average physique, and winked the wink that made all the ladies go weak. "You mustn't be afraid. We must run, be quick, get away from those who seek." He extended his arm toward the quivering patient, presenting concern for her ever so frightened state. And for a moment he looked perplexed, wondering why she spoke in sounds and not the common tongue.

"Oh yes, yes, yes, yes! How rude of me." He clasped his hands together, stomping his feet onto the ground in a musically inclined fashion; cleverly crafting catchy sounds even as primitive roars grew closer and closer. Before he could make one last movement the girl in grass green grasped his forearm as tight as can be. "Oh yes!" He excitingly shouted, and together they----

-----teleported from the clutches of certain demise. "Oh yes! Thank you, thank you, my precious, precious fairy!" He hugged her tightly, chuckling uncontrollably as sleigh bells frantically rung. "Sorry, sorry. I apologize for the invasion of your privacy. I-I come before you, before you with revenge in mind. No, no, I mean with a trade in mind.....with a dash of delicious revenge. You see I can help you." He opened up his arms for a warm embrace, but she shied away in fear of mental ways.

"No, no, please don't go. Please, I promise you what I say is positively truth. I'm a magician you see. Some even say warlock, but I prefer magician...a magician indeed. If you can bring me to @captain_hook, the one who stole my pet assistant and most of all.......my magical hat! My magical hat being the thing I need to do what you'll need. Yes, yes that's the plan. Help me get to the man whose hurt us both and you'll have a voice, a voice, a pretty one at that. What do you say? I promise it'll be fun, fun, fun! And once it's done you'll be free and I'll be sane. So, tell me...what do you say?" She shook her head up and down, more than ready to break the hook. So, she took his hands and waited and waited----

-----waiting for the perfect moment to board a boastful boat. Because, when it became stationary the two would arrive in the vicinity of their targeted man of action.

@mastermouse:

Three blind mice. Three blind mice.

See how they run. See how they run

.They all ran after the farmer's wife,

Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,

Did you ever see such a sight in your life,

As three blind mice?

I've been tracking these three little rats for the past week and I am finally getting close to them, they wish they could say that our previous encounter went better than than the one to come but after all I'm the reason why they are blind as Dracula's eyes now. A couple of hundred years ago I hunted them down and ripped their eyes out and ate them, it was fun as hell watching them run around hitting themselves against trees and tripping every five steps. I let them go so I could kill them later, sometimes I feel generous and give them a chance to put up more of a fight. What's the point if the prey doesn't at least make it interesting? If I did this for hunger I would just go over to the pigs' fortresses of straw and wood and destroy it like I did last time to eat every piece of bacon that I could find. They're actually lucky that lately I've been craving mice instead of pig.

Catching up with them was cub's play, despite being mice they are loud everywhere they go. The story with the farmer's wife spread fast so they are now famous everywhere they go, the fables even made a goddamn rhyme of the story. Their sightings lead me to the western enchanted forest, where I picked up their smell after briefly eating a rabbit. Halfway through the trail I smell another scent, more precisely another mouse. Good, the more food the better.

"Enough with the f*cking rhymes. I told you I would rip your guts out the next time that I saw you".

I jump towards Ridley with beastly speeds and try to bite his head off, the little bastards won't stand a chance against me.

Walking through the enchanted forest was a weird sensation,the magic flowing around you,the vibrant colors,and the feel of the forest were all very strange. The three mice walked and chatted quietly amongst themselves. Mistro was wondering how he could possibly even get home.For the time being however,Mistro was content with his situation,the enchanted forest was a very nice place.
"Hey,big guy" Ridley said.
"Yes?"
"Whats your name?" he asked.
"I am Mistro,why do you ask?"
"No reason,just curious,I wanna be able to call you by your name Mistro." Ridley answered.
The mice themselves were walking surprisingly well even though they were all blind.
"This enchanted forest is a weird place,how big is it?" Mistro asked,genuinely curious.
"Its as big as your journey needs to be." Latimer said.
Mistro,surprisingly, was content with this answer,for some reason,it made sense to him. He wondered how long they would walk this forest.
Just then,he smelled something coming,and could hear something walking not far in the distance,leaves rustling.
"Enough with the f*cking rhymes.I told I would rip your guts out the next time I saw you." a big wolf said,just before it lunged towards Ridley.
Mistro got in the beasts path before it could bite ridley,and attempted with two tons of force,to kick the beast away.

Liar. Cheat. Thief. Con Artist. Fraud. These were but a few verbal insults that Charming had stumbled upon while on his quest to freedom. It wasn't his fault that the various princesses and maidens of the fabled land couldn't differentiate the polarity of his love and their desire to be apart of it. It wasn't his fault that they accepted his hand in marriage so eagerly which in return would grant him the key to their hearts and thus their bountiful riches and vast fortunes. He was nothing more than a mere man with a bright smile and a flare for the theatrics and as far as he was concerned if the world couldn't survive him then the world didn't deserve to survive.

Charming pondered this from the balcony of the estate of a woman who's name he had long forgotten over the course of multiple glasses of drink. The moon's pale glow engulfed his bare skin from above while his eyes remained in trance with the landscape of the small fishing town far below. The ugliness that was common life gave him an uneasy feeling. He had lived the life of a peasant boy and then the vigor of a young squire before his rise to prestige. He understood what it meant to be nothing more than a small rotating gear in the never ending machine that was life. He had dreamed of the day that he would finally slip free and establish himself as something greater than such and now that he was almost there he couldn't help but return to his state of graceful drunkenness.

"Come back to bed." Her voice is soft and melodic and combined with the gentle chime of the outside wind it creates a vibrant echo that most romantics would compare to music. He however hates her for the third time on this night as he is forced to bury his dreams once more and surface back to his surreal reality. With this he releases one of his prized smiles and turns to his newest project. "But of course mi'lady. I was only admiring the moon one last and final time before I deny it of it's absolute beauty for on this night there is something in my gaze that shines even brighter." His words spit like daggers and his eyes grow wide with putative passion as he makes his way back into the woman's bed. She smiles briefly before taking the man into her arms. As he kisses her neck ever so gently something bright and shimmering catches his eye. It shines in his iris creating a lustrous glow that emanates the fire burning deep within his heart. The woman notices and releases a slight giggle that throws the conman off.

"You like it?" She caresses the ruby necklace in her small palm before continuing. "It's the heart of Odette. S'been in the family for ages." Her tone is proud and her gesture stimulating.

"It's beautiful, but no gem or lace of gold could ever compliment you, my sweet." The words themselves are harmless but something about the way he says them is unbecoming and serpentine like a predator stalking it's prey.

"Could one compliment the mountains with a fragment of diamond? Could one dress the oceans up with the shine of sapphire? It is not the gem that compliments your soft sweet neck but you who compliments it's glimmer with one of your own. You transcend it and I will have no part in this fallacy." With a quick nip of his hand the necklace leaves her neck, it's location quickly placed in the heart of his palm. Like a fly trapped in his web she stares awestruck into his eyes unable to focus on anything other than the large blue depths that stare back into her. He leans in for one final kiss before quickly rising and heading for his clothes. His excuse is quick and jaded and her confusion is predictable and humorous. Before a word can escape her lips he is already out the door. By the time she realizes her prized heirloom is missing, it's already too late. His mouth is sore from smiling, but as he hears the deafening screech of a woman who has just discovered what it truly means to be penniless from the blackened streets below, he can't help but smile once more.

The mystical community of New Orleans had been in a flurried tizzy the past week. Soothsayers and seers were out of their element. Precogs were blanking. Anybody with the power to foresee was clouded. The witches were confused and the Kindred had gone to ground, laying lower than usual, even for them.

All of the portents foretold of something astronomical, something unprecedented. Something that would shift the climate of their entire community, potentially of the entire world. The Mundane's (those without any form of mystical ability or connection) had no idea. No four dollar a minute psychic was going to tell you of mystical currents.

Guinevere had patched into one of her associates, a witch with the power of premonition who rightfully derived her powers from the line of Delphi Oracles. Kyra had been of much use to her throughout the past few years and she was the reason for Guin's presence at this particular point of Lake Pontchartrain at this moment in time. She was one of the three beings with any form of 'seeing' powers that had remained unclouded and Guinevere took a quick moment to thank her fortuitous foresight.

She'd been tracking through for the past several days; using her Kindred abilities to sniff out the area and suss out the situation all in an attempt to be ahead of the game for whatever mystical wave of shock and awe was so quickly approaching them all.

It was four AM in the morning and an eerie almost full moon hung in the sky as the hints of sunrise fought at the edge of the horizon. The result was an illuminated sky with a blood red tint. You don't have to be tuned into the more cosmic goings on to feel the heavy pit of foreboding that an occurrence like that left in your stomach.

The first droplets of a cold November rain came down, as if the night could have been any less forgiving. They were nothing to Guinevere, the one who had coined her own name so long ago after legend and myth had carried it across the ears of a town. She was the boogie man, the myth, the nightmare and she took off in a graceful loping run as a figure materialized on the shore of the lake in the general vicinity where Kyra had led her.

Her eyes flashed pure yellow as she used her Kindred abilities to cut through the faintly illuminated darkness as if it were nothing. The ever-present leather jacket guarded from most of the ill effects of what had amounted to barely a drizzle as she rushed to the side of the fallen figure.

It took mere seconds to ascertain that he had been through an ordeal and just several beyond that to come to the conclusion that he was not of this world. The mystical energies were flowing around him. She could feel them coalescing in the air in a nearly nascent and contiguous manner.

He was exactly what she'd been sent here to find. Whether he was friend or foe remained to be seen.

She crouched down in front of him, the yellow in her eyes having receded only to mere flickers, marking her as something other than Mundane. "Welcome to the Big Easy, mon ami."

------------

The sunrise was staining the horizon with a vivid canvas of pinks, reds and oranges as it fought it's way up into the sky. The myriad of color flowed through the streaming curtains that covered the windows of one of Guinevere Thibedeaux's many safehouses. This one was situated in the Garden District, a true wolf wearing sheep's clothing.

All the food, medical supplies and above all, weapons a girl would ever need, were within handy reach. As were no less than two escape vehicles of different variety.

It was where she had removed the city's newest guest to, waiting as he came to his senses and took in just where he was.

Hook angrily clutched at an old rope steadying himself upon the boats front, the rocking from side to side had kept him all but awake, but he again, paid no mind to such burdens of the sea. His toughed grip clutching at the heavy rope, his eyes pensively fixed ahead longingly staring upon the land in near sight, they needed supplier and that little village ahead was in their path. Ready to be ransacked and robbed, murdered and pillaged, or in other words, the pirates had set their course. "Steady th' boat ye bunch young fools, land be in sight 'n we're runnin' low on grub 'n drink! 'tis could be th' last land stop in weeks, gotta come in safely or else we risk th' entire journey!" Hook turned around patted his left shoulder waiting for his pet @kufu to arrive. Upon doing so, he'd slowly speak with a pirates snarl to follow, "Looks like ye're gonna be gettin' them bandannas after all 'tis timme me jolly bucko...To be tellin' th' truth, even though ye're not human..ye're me best bucko...I mean, "Friiend" up in 'tis god forsaken boat, thank ya, ma jolly monkey" Snapping his head forwards, unaware they'd meet a very unexpected guest once they docked..... @kenny_chance

@angela_lee

"I can't thank you enough for accompanying me, Ms. Lee", the Intellectual Illusionist's audibly temperate voice conveyed, auricularly embellished by his lexical grandiloquence. Winsomely smiling in Angela's direction with mesmeric suavity, Ambrosius resumed, deftly performing a synchronic succession of right handed gestures fortified by conscious mental commands, numinously ensorcelling a medium-sized orb of vibrant white light via his self-developed 'Iluminação' spell, inspiriting the temporary, ambient illumination of the Spessart Museum's caliginous, nighttime environment. "There it is amor", resting the varied-hue of his perceptive eyes on the anagogically revered Magic Mirror of belletristic fables and parables.

Motivated by the morally galvanized incentive of disrupting anathematized adversary, the Voodo Viper, Jabari's pursuit of power, the Paranormal Perfectionist continued, "I have been observing this man, Jabari, for a while. He once a friend, and I had honestly thought him to be dead. But I had received word from a synthetic named Jack and a, believe it or not, talking duck", Ambrosius quietly chuckled with clement amusement, a subtle shake of the head wordlessly highlighting his succinctly diverted disposition, "That he was alive and well". Gradually adopting a demeanor of appropriate situational earnestness, he lingually proceeded, "I have never claimed moral perfection my dear, but this man is a monster. Trust in my words, you will see for yourself". Transitioning onto a topic of nonexistent ethical austerity, he elaborated, "Legend has it that this mirror is anthropomorphized, that it speaks in aphorisms".

Offering educational clarification, the Grandiose Illusionist further indulged in conversational interaction with the entrancing Angela, "But we are not here for that. The Talking Mirror or Magic Mirror, what have you, is also a portal. A gateway connecting this material plane to the World of Fables. That is where we are going". Chivalrously securing his right arm around Angela's lithe waist, the Portuguese Paranormal diminishes the distance between with a charming pull of cosmopolitan dalliance, bringing her closer to him. "Shall we?", he enticed with a flirtatiously raised brow and enthralling side-tilt of the head. Lightly pressing his palm against the unblemished glass of the Magic Mirror, Ambrosius' ingrained supernatural attributes fervently stimulated it's mystical properties, frenetically pulling both mystics into a pulsating rift of cascading colors.

Re-materializing in the outskirts of fictitious French village in a realm of abundant magical phenomena, Ambrosius abruptly experienced an ethereal disturbance of his mystical faculties, not unlike subtle muscular weakening. "Hmm", repeatedly clenching his left fist in ponderation of his condition, the illusionist dismissed the sensation as the imparted effects of the unfamiliar realm on emergent visitors, ignorant of Jabari's purposely utilized blood hex on the Magic Mirror in preparatory anticipation of the Paranormal Picasso's pursuit. With his elemental (wind) magic and several of his personalized spells stripped from his person for the duration of his time in the World of Fables, Ambrosius' potential departure had been plagued with insurmountable difficulty. "We must find the Beast, the one from the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale".

"The creature is not as it is described in the stories. It is a carnivorous monster that had failed in its attempts to capture and consume Belle", Ambrosius tersely explained, "Under ordinary circumstances, I'd recommend we avoid it but it is fundamental to my objective. The Beast's supernatural senses allow it to 'smell' and pinpoint malevolent magic. It is our best chance of finding Jabari should he practice any of his magic here. But to find the Beast, we have to find the last person to have ever seen it, Belle".

Kufu sat in the middle of the deck, still sitting with the empty bag of winds. "NYAH!" he screeched as he threw the bag overboard. Kufu didn't notice,but it seemed @captain_hook was awake and busy,he yelled about land ahead. "Oooooohh." Kufu grumbled happily,he liked the idea of reaching land soon. Then Hook motioned for Kufu to return to his post on his shoulder,Kufu scuttled forward,climbed on his back and sat on his shoulder. "Ehehee yaaay,nana's" Kufu had a big monkey smile on his face,he patted Hook on the head as a sign of his friendship. Kufu wondered once more where this ship was even going,he knew land was not far away,but he knew not what the land contained. The adventure was something Kufu would enjoy.

Anxiety was the only thing aimlessly wandering David's mind, nothing but darkness cloaked his sight as he lay on grass. The darkness was soon broken in it's harmony as a goose sat beside him honking, opening his eyes slowly he saw a twinkle in the corner of his eye, but his eyes bolted open when he made it out. A golden egg, the size of a bread loaf, sitting right next to the goose. Snatching the egg from the goose it honked wildly and flung it's wings through the air. Reaching down to grab the goose it quickly soared off from the site and into the air; standing up to get his sences straight he noticed that he was only wearing briefs.

"Wait where the hell is my gear! And...where is this?"

Looking around for something to wear he found nothing but sheep's skin lying on the ground, tying it around his waist for some sort of cover he began walking into the woods.

"Oh wait...better grab something to cover my face up."

Reaching over into a pond he pulled out a Lilly pad and tore two holes in it and two more on the side, running a long piece of grass through the side he pulled the mask over his face as he walked into the woods.

"Come onnn...Come on!" Harper hissed while he reached at the key ring of the sleeping guard, barely able to use the branch he snagged due to the small steel cage that held him. The damned queen's guard have been more aggressive than ever these past few weeks.

Finally though, salvation, he got the key ring."YES! *gasp!*" The flying monkey slammed his furry hands against his mouth after yelling in victory. The guard of course awoke and saw what the little courier was doing. "You little Oz monkey! I shoulda cut your bloody wings off!" He promised while going to reach for his bastard sword. But as soon as he turned to crush the monkey, he was gone...

A cautious stance was taken while the guard searched the tent, hearing a flap here and there. Until he finally caught the little guy slinging his trusty magic messenger bag over his shoulder. "GOT YOU NOW!" The guard screamed with a sinister grin, raising his blade up. But Harper was quicker to reach into his bag and grab a handful of magic poppy powder, tossing it in the man's face."Nighty night, bastard.." Harper chuckled like the misfit he was before taking flight just as the guard fell asleep and fell right on his face.

Harper took to the skies, high above the woodland outpost that had him trapped for days. He had time to think of how far behind he was, so many letters to deliver, messages to regale. But first, a drink. At amazing speeds, Harper soared out of the queen's land, and towards a familiar french village.

They all kept their eyes on him, like he was going to do something vicious. But in all honesty, Bill just wanted a damn drink. Here he was, the big bad wolf...Well...One of the two. Bill had a brother, who never learned to tone it down, always the wolf, always. After the woodsman cut Bill down though, he retired from his terrorizing days. That didn't stop people from seeing him as a big bad.

He never asked for another ale, just a feral glare at the barkeep was enough. Bill had been there all night already, he had forgotten how many ales he had and how many rolled cigarettes he burned through..His wolf blood was hard to calm, ale only did so much. "Hey Bill, you hear about Pan yet? His ship got jumped and he went missing..Bad new for those boys.." The waitress came by and picked up Bill's empty glass, placing another one in front of him.

"Brat was going to get it sometime...Hook?" Bill gruffly asked before taking a gulp of ale. "Hook? No..Harper says it was the Queen's guard.." She answered before walking off to make another round. The queen's guard? Bill thought, was that flying monkey drunk again? What would the Queen want with a flying teen and some punks at sea? Hook was going to be pissed..As if Bill cared though.

"Hey pooch! Dog bed is in the corner!" Some Frenchman tough guy called him out, he must be new to the pub..The barkeep only sighed as he knew what was going to happen next. Bill set his cigarette down gently and turned to the table of five, hair growing thicker all over his body, claws and fangs included...

Ten minutes later, Bill was human looking again, sipping on another ale. And outside was six Frenchmen in a literal pile, all cut and bruised up but not dead.

He might not be so big anymore, but he certainly was still one of the bads.

Frankenstein stood upright aside a wooden chair, sharpening his longsword's blade with some sort of stone just to, after finishing it, slam the sabre into the timbered floor, swimmingly piercing through it. Impatiently awaiting for the feminine figure to end taking notes. Snorting heavily enough for the sound to echo throughout the abandoned facility, louder than any gritting plate. The noise reverberated for minutes, leisurely fading withal the mighty breeze. The lady gestured for him to continue.

"You see, ma'am, I never was able to understand humans. You believe and magnify acts recognised as miracles, such as turning water into wine or walking above water, yet, when a true miracle stands right before you, it's considered an abomination. Life is given again to diverse pieces of corpses and it's just an horrific monster. Guess Jesus didn't had this problem. After all, he had no scars or death's scent. My denial, so intense, even Father abandoned me, abnegating my existance as his prodigal son, his masterpiece. I had to revenge, so I murdered not only him but his entire family. One by one. And there was I, lost on the heinous cold, prowling as a dog with no owner, seeking for a reason to live. Father would want me dead, I couldn't allow him such delightful pleasure, so I kept moving. Turns out my seclusion was not profitable. Even though I outbested humans on many diverse paths, my essence belongs to manhood. Therefore, I do need trivial things such as drinks, food, challenges. Opting to leave the glacier, I searched for days, craving to encounter a wandering boat. The captain allowed me to join his crew in exchange of a favor. I should murder some man he owed money to. I can still remember my first mercenary job. Brandishing a longsword, I wrecked those men to dust." All of sudden, a somewhat scrumptious grin emerged at Frank's visage, a sign of his relish of murdering. "Blood squirting towards my face, so warm. The delightful cacophony of steel crashing both bones and flesh. Ah, simply outstanding! Therefore, I act as a mercenary. Accepting any requests for money. Even yours, Miss Shelley. Although it's odd, telling my story for cash, it's what I do, and I absolutely love it." he spoke nonchalantly gesturing towards the lady. "I told you everything I acknowledge, from the very beginning to the supposititious finale. Now, most importantly, my money." the disfigured mercenary ordered, promptly attended as Shelley cautiously hurled a sack of coins upwards, which he readily picked midair, nodding positively.

Slowly wading towards the door, Frankenstein contemplated the magnificent sight of such apocaliptic scenario, a destroyed village. Letting a tiny sadistic chuckle out while putting the freshly acquired money inside his jacket's pocket and wondering about his future quest. "Might just hunt the Beast everyone's babbling about. Or even aim higher and attempt murdering the boy, Pan, and his childish crew. Hmmm, promising challenges and rewarding kills. Yet, first, let me drink one more beer at Cave Bear's, it could always be my last." still smiling, the humongous figure dissapeared, his shadow fading as he enters the mystical mist.

@ambrosius:Persuaded and swayed, like trees blown by the caressing winds of both grace and destruction. Angela was eager to participate in his ordeal, after all she owed him a favor, even if he had denied such a thing. Thanks to his intervention during the New York City's socialite encountering, she miraculously retrieved her talisman through the use of wits, manipulation, and of course trusting allies: friends. "Jabari?" she asked, unknown of the man's reputation and what his capabilities were until fully brief but explained by the impeccable talented witch before her. She some how found this man fascinating, like an urban legend, more like a ghost for. Holding onto her grimoire that latched onto her breast by her tight hug, the witch felt tired to carrying such an object. "Magic Mirror? To the Words of Fable? I always thought they were myths. No one has ever crossed into that world or so made it out alive to tell tales of such experience. To be honest I think its bull, even though people say the same with magic. But Fable... I'm not willing to accept that there's an actual world in an another dimension that holds all the fairy tales told to me as a kid." clearly she held some knowledge of the fairy tale land but not enough to the point of her actually believing in such a thing, they were more like Jabari, an urban legend. But thankfully she was in the presence of a skilled orator who had more than magic within his belt of utility. He had knowledge and wisdom.

The more he informed her on the matter and the more the stories and myth surrounding Fable became evident, it was as if she heard mentioning of it before, clearly known since she had little information on the subject but with disbelief. But something incubated within her mind that brought a spark of remembrance to her mind through his presentation, her grimoire. Quickly laying the spell book down flat on her palm while she flip through the pages like an impatient squirrel for nuts, the witch was scanning for the pages that led towards a story, once that would connect with Fable.

"So basically, this realm is birthplace for all myths, the parallel world that is untouchable. Some logic and physics are distorted while some remain true to Earth. One thing for sure is the magic. This realm itself shifts uncontrollable, magic waxes and wanes. This is the home for all stories. Just be sure you are not the story." summarizing only the details that stood as the most important to the witch, she read them aloud as she then burrowed herself into the arms of the Maestro of Magic. Unconcern for the travel, the one thing that bothered her would be the shift in the mystical alignment, would this world leave her powerless or would it potentially help her... do more.

"Do you feel that?" she commented as they arrived in the fictitious French village, the village had a classic and old feeling about it, the two were more of an anomaly to the eyes of the local villagers. "I can barely muster anything here... the magic. I can feel it slipping through my fingers-my body." this sudden sign of unwanted concern reminded the witch of her bound powers with her coven, it was as if her connection them through the circle's talisman was temporary disconnected or/and with interference. She felt that her dependence on magic was a weakness to her but yet that was all she ever relied on, it was always apart of her, like any other functioning organ in her body.

"No magic, no locator spell. I guess we'll have to find this lovely beauty the old fashion way. Through this city of mostly rags and barely riches." she gestured and suggested interactions with the common folks around, but she quickly found that even this method itself held quite a barrier, more specifically a language barrier. After several attempts of conversing with the venders around, the witch felt hopeless and an accompany feeling of wishing to return back to her Earth, but they couldn't, not until they find the fabled 'Beast'. Jabari's presence in both planes of Earth demanded they stay even if the rough journey ahead of them beg for their accepted loses. "If stories and movies served me right... there's supposed to be a castle. Somewhere here... Maybe if we're lucky we'll find a dvd player with a copy of the movie. Can we go home? Or better you stay and I go back. Watch the movie and return to help us in this Grimmy land of Disney lies." despite her unfavorable remarks and nagging, she was catching on to the stories, but she left out the main environmental area that differentiated the castle from those in towns. The castle in which she was referring to was the one located somewhere in the woods. Unaware that the castle itself was cloaked by the enchantress they hoped to find.

As opposed to the decorated films and stories told for kids, the real stories and its characters that existed in Fables were far from it, this land was nothing of pixie dust and happiness nor innocent. Instead it was a melancholy land with dark, painful, and murderous intentions, nothing here was was pure, it was all tainted.

@bill_the_bad: @angela_lee:

Lethargically exercising the minutely waned strength of his grip with an infrequent succession of hand clenches, the Ambrosial Apogee confirmed the captivating Angela's voiced suspicion regarding the diminishment of his supernatural attributes, "Hmm", pensively eying the gestured lameness of his folding fingers with analytical discernment, "You are right amor, it seems that our magic has been substantially weakened". Offering educational elaboration, the Paranormal Perfectionist continued, "But it cannot be", following his stubbornly defiant statement with verbalized clarification, "I've accounted for these kinds of occurrences. I should be at my optimum levels but I am feeling forsaken by my elemental magic, and a variety of other spells". Concisely parting his lips in facial disbelief, Ambrosius postulated, "This must be Jabari's doing. He must have anticipated my arrival".

Discarding hypothesized conspiracies of only theoretical weight, Ambrosius subtly chuckled in response to Angela's uttered complaints and incessantly pessimistic remarks, "We can go home once we have found and stopped Jabari, Ms. Lee", the Portuguese Picasso affirmed, an affably projected smile of disarming suavity serving to further impart confidence in his entrancing companion's faith in the potential fruits of their undertaken misadventure. "Vamos querida", gallantly taking her hand in his with metropolitan winsomeness and enthralling charm, Ambrosius, in the company of the innately ambitious witch exercised his lexical French fluency, immersing himself in informative conversational exchanges with the fictitious French village's pedestrians, urbanely requesting the location of Belle, or at the very least, one with knowledge regarding the fabled princess' geographic location.

Instructed in the search for 'one of' the Big Bad Wolves of juvenile fairy-tales, the Intellectual Illusionist's investigative pursuit culminated in his setting foot inside a localized pub of bland decor and somber interior design. Recalling Angela's previously voiced remark regarding her exponentially deteriorated magic, Ambrosius offered a flattering compromise. "You say your magic is weak here, no?", he rhetorically inquired, calmly removing his dearly coveted Merlin pendant from his person, the Grandiose Mystic alluringly placed around his companion's neck, flirtatiously raising a brow, tersely admiring her facially expressed beauty. Enticingly pressing his lips against hers in a succinct, electrifying kiss of entrancing titillation, he temperately parted, "Que bonita", engrossingly winking, "To compensate for your lost magic, the amulet will grant you supernatural perception, the ability to communicate with the spiritual, and it will greatly fortify your mental and spiritual defenses".

Subsequently taking hold of her hand with chivalrous dalliance, the supernatural dyad approached their target, the described 'Bill the Bad' mutely indulged in his alcoholic beverage. "Bill the Bad I presume?", he inquired, "I am Ambrosius, and this is my...", unsure of Angela's social designation, he concluded, "Friend and close associate, Angela. We were told that you could lead us to Belle's castle. It has eluded us thus far. Perhaps you would be so kind as to help us? We need to find Belle in order to find the Beast. The creature is instrumental to our search for a megalomaniac who seeks to disrupt the mystical order of this place".

Their was once a young man a prince, a noble and stunningly good looking chap. His father a wise king seeking no further conflict with his neighbor, arranged his son to wed his enemies daughter bringing peace and influence to both families across their lands. And after a time the married couple came to rule equally over the twinned kingdoms or so the people would think. But this is the story of the happy after.

15 years had passed since the white wedding that brought joy to the combined kingdoms.The king now much less stunning and much more rugged with his hair and beard showing the slightest hint of grey.The queens radiance having not faded even the slightest in the years. The two monarchs still very much in love informed the kingdom that on the anniversary of their union in this there 15th year they would hold a grand party and renew their vows to each other.

The queen, as queens do spent months finding the perfect tailor to make the perfect dress that would mark the occasion. The king found now tailor in the kingdoms that fit his taste, scouring the neighboring countries and kingdoms he still came up dry no tailor had the flamboyance or the skill to match the kings wishes. And with days to go a wandering tailor came to the king promising him the tunic and cape of his dreams. A steal of a deal ready for the big day, if the king would pay him three times the price. Nervous of upsetting his love he paid and he waited.

Two days before the celebration the tailor arrived smiling and jesting to the court as he approached the king. "Your majesty, i present to you my finest work. The finest tunic of ethereal fiber i have ever constructed. Its weightless stain proof and one size fits all". The king reached out at the tailor feeling the exquisite softness of the robes but seeing not a hair.

WalKing to his chambers the king tried the fine and expensive robes on. His skin felts soft yet cold almost naked against the fine ethereal fabric.The day of the vows cam and the king strutted into the church in all his finery. His entrance met with a chorus of laughter and confusion. Meeting his beloved wife mere feet from the archbishop. "What are you doing?, how could you do such a thing" his wife fleeing in tears, the archbishop recoiling in horror "Its ethereal fiber, i thought you would like it"

The ceremony cancelled and the king fuming he called for the tailor and had him brought before himself and his wife. "Tailor you have done my wife and i a great dishonor. You insulted my intelligence, my pride and the love of my good lady. I have promised her she will see the day she deserves away from your ternary but first i will make amends. In payment for your lack of service i have decided a fitting punishment.

FLAY THE SKIN FROM HIS BONES!, THEN CRAFT ME THE CLOAK I PAID FOR".

And so the king waited and it the coming weeks he wore a new cloak of sewn skin as the king and his wife where once again happy. A lesson for all the people of the land the king thought, let nobody try and pull the wool over my eyes again. Renewing their vows knowing that once again that nobody with f*ck with them.

The End

And that's when everyone in the pub went silent and stared at the three. Mostly out of possible interest that Bill might throw these two strangers out like the other six. What really got Bill going, was the mention of his second worst title that haunted him. Even as the stranger started to explain himself, Bill was busy finishing off his pint and rolling up another cigarette.

Beast? Belle? Why would he want to hunt down the original "bad romance"? Why was he bothering the Big Bad Wolf while he was just trying to wallow in peace? Didn't matter right now, the last thing Bill wanted to do is turn these strangers down, and have them get some amateur tracker to lead them into nowhere. If Bill was anything other than a former child eater, was that he is an excellent navigator.

"Heh..Either you're pretty brave, or pretty stupid to walk up to the wolf and start requestin' things. But you don't seem like the stupid type.."Bill's voice was gruff, as if every R had a wolfish growl to it by nature. Looking past the man was a lady way too beautiful for these parts, a simple nod and smile sufficed as showing he didn't mean to barb his words that harshly. "First off, Bill Wolf is my name, only scared shitless villagers call me by my old handle..Now, about Belle.."

Bill lit up his cigarette while turning his stool to face the two adventurers, taking a few puffs before starting. "Been a few years now since I heard from Belle, she let me stay at her castle once after I was wounded from a few hunters back in my big bad days..She has a thing for animals, reminds me alot of Ms.White actually. Hmm, anyhow, Belle has lost few few screws if you know what I mean, hasn't left that castle for years cause of that beast..Always looking for her. The castle is charmed, no sort of 'monster' can step through the front door, like a barrier. Luckily you both don't seem like monsters so you would be in the clear. But trust when I say, let me do the introductions.."

Bill scratched his stubble a bit before recalling the time he saved Belle from the beast, and how the beast damn near crushed him, even as the big bad. "But now I'm getting ahead of myself, there is the hike to that castle. Don't know if you have ever seen it. But the damn thing is on a cliff surrounded by more cliffs..Look what I'm saying is, you two don't smell like Fables, and this is going to be pretty risky. I'll help, any chance to put that f*cker down is a go for me. What you need to ask is, are you guys ready for this?"Bill leaned in a bit, dead serious eyes shined a bit through the cigarette smoke.

Vibrant golden colored hues enchantingly shimmered off the fabled brick road leading towards the Emerald City and its imperial palace. Love birds tweeted their romantic melodies while the other woodland creatures frolicked and played along crystal clear streams and over-sized mushrooms blooming with color. But further down thoroughfare, the sun had dare not shine in quite some time. The golden laced walkway had corroded, as if infected by sorrow, the woods had sinisterly morphed into an unrecognizable forest of fear.

And yet, perhaps the most terrifying metamorphosis, had befallen the illustrious Emerald Kingdom as even the Wonderful Wizard had been unable to defend his castle against the mounting forces of the Voodoo Viper, Jabari Vaillancourt. Who's visual reign of terror could best be examined through the so called, "Gnome Garden" lining either side of the former yellow brick road. For there, impaled upon exaggeratedly long pikes, moaned several unlucky munchkins. Captured, tortured, and eventually perforated through their central body mass by decree of the self-appointed ruler of Oz, Jabari.

Inside, snaked sideways across the arm rests of the king's throne, the deplorable violator lay, feet lackadaisically hung over the sides while he read"☠Wha dis? Poison appahs and candy housahs? I need reaaaal magic." unceremoniously tossing the leather bound codex over his head before taking a massive bite out of a shinny red apple. Obnoxiously draped in a myriad of gold chains, rings, and even a crown, which partially rested on the side of his bald head, looking every bit the cartoonish figure, the svenomous Vaillancourt disinterestedly waved his metal clanking hand. Silently commanding his requisitioned army to bring forth the prisoner.

Bursting through the massive double green doors and into the royal throne room, the chained Wizard of Oz was marched and brought to his knees in front of the mystical malcontent. Bloody, beaten, and defeated, the poor wizard of storied renowned could barely left his head, so Jabari did it for him. Digging the elongated nail of his pinky underneath the magician's chin in order to elevate his eye-line before demanding, "☠I grow tiahd of dis wizahd. You will tell me what I want to know, and soon." bass filled cadence enunciated with authoritative demand. "☠Or I will continah'ta build my glorious gardahn wit dee little peopahl." extending his arms high above his head with joyous illustration. "☠Now dhen, where it iz? Where is dee box? Dee box of Pandora........."

Such a boring existence Puck now lived, no longer able to play with regular humans like he used to. All these restrictions that were put in place to protect the mortal world ended his fun and games leaving Puck alone to sulk like the child he was in the forests in resentment of the magical community which now shunned him for nearly exposing magic to the 'mundanes' on one too many occasions and now he was forced to sit on the proverbial naughty step for forty years. Little time for most fables all of which had lived an extended lifetime, he soon found that he was free to roam the streets of fable town on the condition that he would save his pranks for other fables.

So when the time finally came he left the forest and quickly returned to the city using a new disguise to blend in with the everyday crowd and he tried his best to adjust to a normal life, however as time went on he found his new life rather draining and the need to continue his games was too much to ignore forever. He had to find something to pass the time, a purpose, a goal or some-kind of quest anything to keep out of the grey pit of average life. Since then he had always kept one ear out for any rumours or tales that could lead him on an adventure and it didn't take long to gather information on a plethora of stories none of them too specific but certainly enough for him to go on each one if he so desired but the question now presented was which one to do? He had heard that apparently the Beast was on the agenda for lots of people in the area and that Bill (@bill_the_bad) had a high interest, Puck had heard the many tales of the big bad wolf and how he had been trying to settle down a little from the whole terrorising escapade. Finding Bill wasn't that hard, he had already seen him many times going to the same pub and today wasn't much different.

He stepped merrily through the door dressed in his casual attire of dark blue denim jeans, a white t-shirt with a blue peace symbol and a thin grey hoodie. His ghost white face in shone in perfect contrast with his short cut jet-black hair, his sky blue eyes scanned the room and it didn't take him long to find Bill talking to a couple of people possibly enquiring about the beast. Not willing to introduce himself so soon he simply continued making his way to the bar and took a seat pretending not to acknowledge Bill or the others. Something strange was in the air, like there was a strange fluctuation of magic that was tampering with his powers and even he couldn't quite tell what was casing it. It certainly wasn't Bill and it wasn't this building, it was more like he had just felt an invisible delayed wave of force go right through him like a phantom. Whatever it was had distracted him enough to ignore the bar keeper asking him twice what he would like to drink, snapping back from what seemed like an endless stare into nothingness Puck finally answered "Just a water. Please." He said quickly in a voice that seemed a little too high pitched or his physical appearance of a twenty year-old, realising that he had probably drawn even more attention he decided to just act normally and carry on waiting for his drink as if nothing happened.

Once upon a time...

To the west of Wonderland there is a medium sized city located in one of the more 'civilized' areas of the land. This is a place almost exclusively populated by human fables. Magic has largely been forsaken in mens pursuit of scientific discovery. The anthropomorphic animals, and enchanted creatures of the land had learned to avoid this city. That's not to say there wasn't the occasional werewolf attack, or boogeyman inhabitation. Special city guard called the Huntsmen were dispatched to deal with such nuisances.

In this city there is a chocolate factory, its owner an infamous recluse for years. He was seen now and then at the local tavern, but that did little for the rumors surrounding the odd fellow. Some said he had gone mad all alone in that big factory. Others said the factory was just a cover for a lab, and Wonka was trying to replicate Frankenstein's experiment. Still others said he was Dr Frankenstein himself, his death being faked. Other rumors went around as well. Everything from Wonka being a vampire, to a child eating monster.

These were not openly said of course. Just things whispered of pints of beer to pass the hours, and to put off going home. The truth, as they say, is stranger then the fairy tale....

*

*

*

"I need Numbers Five and Thirteen, Kevin, Number Twenty-Two, and Ek-mm-bolo-makmak-nic to report to my office immediately for reassignment." Pause. "That is all." Will wonka added as an after thought, just to be clear. The imported Winkie people were excellent with mechanics. Not so great with understanding orders.

"Bad news my esteemed employees." He told the five identical assembled Oompah Loompah's. "I received a letter this morning from a flying monkey. Her majesty the Red Queen has recalled me to service." A small twist of his cane revealed a razor sharp sword, its edge sparkled with latent enchantment.

A sword that has tasted the blood of a unicorn will be forever sharp, and will never know rust. It will be able to kill almost any creature. Some say even gods may die at its edge. The weapon bears a curse though. The memory of killing a creature of such purity can never be forgotten. Never redeemed for. The guilt of the kill is a cloak the sword bearer must carry for all its life. It was this guilt that had originally led to his self imposed exile, and his subsequent slow descent into madness.

The paranoia that had lead him to fire all his workers, the cabin fever caused from isolation. His father abandoning him at a young age. Some days he was clearheaded, and could see what a shamble his life was. Other days he was lost in the melting pot of mental instability, and personality disorders. Mostly he was fine. Sucking hard candy helped a lot, he had found.

"I'm leaving you five in charge of my factory. Treat her well in my lack of presence." The Oompah Loompah's nodded in unison. "We'll have to suspend hiring the new Winkie workers. Such a shame. I do enjoy my travels to the Land of Vinkis." He started towards the great glass elevator, the device covered in dozens of transparent control buttons that moved the machine in every direction imaginable, and a few that had yet to be imagined. He stepped into the elevator slowly, and turned back to his staff. "My dear Oompah Loompah's, it is with a sad face, and a heavy heart I leave you. But I have complete t-t-t-t. Ahem. I said, I have complete t-t-t... Sorry, Ipromised myself I wouldn't cry." He said, despite having dry eyes. With that he pushed a button without bothering to look, the elevator flying up through a special hatch in the roof.

Then - Chicago

Tucked away semi-comfortably in a bed within her new home, Arturia lay engaged in a restless sleep, tossing and turning as vicarious visions plagued her mind. Although many came as indistinct images and mangled sounds, every so often, there came one or a few which would show with perfect vividness – these which allowed a modicum of usable information to work with, in those cases when she wasn’t merely dreaming nothing-dreams. Cases like this one. Amidst this dream, among split-second flashes of gunfire and zinging swords at sea, she found herself in the dark, a practically pitch black environment in which there was nothing she could see.

"I can't thank you enough for accompanying me, Ms. Lee." A vaguely familiar voice announced the presence of two. It took a moment, but Arturia was soon able to place the voice as that of her newfound companion, Ambrosius. Soon after he spoke, the area illuminated, allowing her a clear visual on her partner and his unknown companion. Curious, she listened in on every word he had to say, even as he passed through the mirror into the foreign land.

Arturia snapped awake, jolting upright, and let out a pouty sigh, her scrunched face displaying a degree of dissatisfaction. “’Partners,’ right?” She began querulously to herself as she hopped from the bed and bolted from the room. “And I don’t get a mention, an invite, not even an ‘I’m leaving’ notice? What, like I’m not good enough? Yeah, right. Well, guess I’ll just have to show ‘em what I’m made of. I’m coming too.” And so, driven by a desire to help, and perhaps even one-up the experienced master of illusions, she ventured to place herself in the land of the tall tales. Unaware of just where Ambrosius and that “Ms. Lee” had gone to locate the mirror, Arturia was all too happy to take the rapid route, finding the image of the area in her mind and teleporting to that location, although finding herself in the dark. After a few tries, however, she was able to fabricate her own rendition of the observed and mimicked light spell, so called Beleuchtung, as per personal tastes, “And now we’re in business.”

Now - Elsewhere

Business – On that front, she was quite right, but contrary to expectation, the young succubus found herself on the potentially wrong end of a business deal of which she had no anticipation that she would be a part. Rather than materialise right behind Ambrosius like she intended, she found herself manifest aboard a raucous pirate ship, run by none other than Captain J. Flint, “the bloodthirstiest buccaneer that ever lived.”

Never would’ve guessed they meant that literally, a fearful Arturia thought upon the revelation that not only was the captain indeed a vampire, but so were most of her crew, with the inclusion of a number of other unusual creatures. There was also the fact that “Joseph Flint” was actually Josephine, a female captain, who nevertheless displayed the same ferocity and commanded the same respect, if not more, as the stories told.

Arturia appeared on the ship just as the captain and her crew were in the closing stages of a confrontation with a foreign enemy, nearly getting her own head lopped off by one of the enemies before dispatching him over the edge and earning some form of rapport with the crew. Nevertheless, when the remaining of the enemy forces had begun fleeing, it didn’t take long for them to recognise her as an outsider, even if a friendly one. With a natural charm and all things considered, “Arty,” as they’d taken to calling her, was allowed a spot in the crew, and allowed the time to explain what she knew of her situation.

Circling her almost predatorily, Captain Flint seemed to take quite well to the story, particularly the parts which she fabricated entirely, playing on the nature of the crew. “And ye say this Amb…Am….Your friend! He’s offerin’ a mighty handsome reward for takin’ this beast, an’ an even bigger reward for this Jabbah fellow. Alrighty, then! Guess we’re on the hunt! Arty, lead the way! You point and that’s where we’ll go!”

“Uh……That way!” Relying on an instinctual hunch, Arturia nervously pointed out, praying that whatever the odd feeling in the pit of her being was right and could lead them to Ambrosius. On her suggestion, the enthusiastic captain ordered it done, and they were on their way.

@ambrosius: @bill_the_bad:Trusting her with undeniable faithfulness, the charming magician had given Angela his sacred talisman, Merlin, as he wrapped it around her neck, it hung alongside her own personal talisman. "Are you sure?" she questioned him, secretly thanking him in her mind, inside the mesmerizing enchantress was screaming with joy. Though the mystical medallion acted with passive gifts, it was enough for Angela to exert some usefulness as oppose to acting as the damsel in distress in this mission. "Thank you Ambrosius... I sort of feel useful now." running the smooth surface of the gem as she spoke, she played with her newly bestowed jewelry. It was the best thing a woman could receive at the moment, best of all it held mystical properties, one that she would soon exploit.

"Well this is depressive. Where's Cinderella at? I'd like to be where she's at right now instead of this ratchet looking bar for low lives." afraid to stain her hands or even touch anything in the welcoming bar that the two had just entered, Angela felt as if she had degraded herself just by coming here. As the two witches approached the man in question of whom would aid them, 'Bill the Bad', Angela only saw a pig before her, ultimately describing his habits and metaphorical appearance. After his improper introduction, Angela felt as if it was needed to tell him off, "Great, we need this peasant's help to actually find the Beast that we're looking for." she cast off, insulting the alcoholic as he questioned their intent upon first contact. "Do you know 'who' you're messing with? Lets get this straight, we ask questions and you answer them. Unlike my lovely friend here, I don't like playing by the rules. If you refuse, I'll turn brain into sh*t. Now are we clear?" the witch rebuttal and warned him to follow suit if not then conflict would surely arise. Even in her current state she was more than willing to gamble and make threats. Self-containing any remarks as he spoke on his histories and those that coincide with the Beast and Belle, Angela listened and took mental notes. As he finished she surely couldn't hold herself anymore at this point, she had to make some sort of judgmental remarks, as noted when she opened her delicious lips again.

"I didn't know Belle had such bad taste in men. Disney sure lied to me." speaking under her breathe as the instrumental speaker spoke, she could smell the recently drunken alcohol in his breathe even from afar, that and his bad dental hygiene. After his conclusion on Belle's whereabouts, Angela's initial presumption on Belle's lineage was beginning to connect, she was indeed a witch. Presumably a powerful one as well, with enough magic of her own to conceal the castle's sight and prevent creatures in all realm from entering its doors. Before the three would embark on the unfavorable sojourn, the witch questioned if there was any other way besides by foot to reached the castle, she preferred to not damage her lovely heels, but asked if she could remain while the two men set sailing. Voicing series of the many generated complaints, the Asian Diva just refused to do things in such 'manual labor' sort of way. "Can we take a plane or jet, or something? I really don't want to ruin these heels. You see, Bill, unlike you they cost more than your life. But first, can we get out of here? This place is making me ugly, but it is no wonder why you hang out here, it perfectly compliments you... in a bad way." directing her insult towards Bill, she knew her requests was pointless but it didn't hurt to try, the beauty just wanted to exclude herself from this point as she had other agendas in need her of attention. Strolling down towards the exiting doors for fresh air, she could feel the stench of every hungry eyed leech staring at her, but sadly all they could do was fantasize, as she was clearly off limits. Crossing her arm in disfavor the witch tapped her foot as she called out for the magician, "Any time now, Ambrosius darling. You sure know how to keep a girl waiting."

@jabari_vaillancourt:

Somewhere in the depths of space...

Ring Capacity- 90.1

A star burns and flashes, it's gases sending flares into the blackness. Around the star, dozens of the Avatars of Will floated around it. Among them was Sam Richmond, ex-firefighter turned to galactic peacekeeper... not something he expected. Through the Avatar's rings, a brutish voices yelled out. "Alright, sparks. This sun is about to go supernova and turn into a black hole. There ain't no changing that. What we can do is move it away from the populated planetary chain of Ozzi'dar. We've trained for this, now- initiate formation D."

With that, the Avatars lift their rings in unison, and blast out dozens of beams of green light. The beams spread as it hits the sun's gravitational field, all together forming a perfect sphere. Sam grips hist wrist, which is shaking at the amount of power being used. The brutish voice again yells out. "Feel that? The pull of a star is a terrible thing to overcome, but you sparks can do it. On my count, all of you pull. We need to get the giant gas ball into motion; that's the hard part. Now... 1... 2... 3!"On the leader's count, all the Avatar's yell out and force their will into their rings. First nothing happens, but like a boulder slowly falling down a hill, the sun begins moving. Sam grins and follows his partner's movements as they drag the celestial body onwards at incredible, but unnoticed, speeds.

The glowing green star barrels through space, and everyone is telling each other how amazing this is over their rings. In all honesty, this was just another week in the life of the Avatars. Most just never get over that feeling of pride; not that there is anything wrong with that, of course. They were entire systems away from Ozz'diar by now, so the leader decided to talk some more; this time without yelling. "Good job, sparks. This should be a safe distance. Everyone recall your constructs, were going ho-"As the Avatars begin to call back their shielding over the star, a huge flash of yellow light and orange flame bursts through the cracks.

"SHAAAZIIT! We underestimated how close this was to blowing, everyone launch now!"The leader yells out from Sam's ring before all communications are lost. He wasn't paying attention, he was already rocketing away, with a supernova following him. His hands burn, and his skin stings... and this time it's not just a little bit. He closes his eyes tight just to keep from going blind. He wraps his arms around his face as he flies as fast as he can.... it was so quiet when he heard a voice. Not from his ring, but from his head...

"Come to your King, my Emerald Knight; save me from this world of fright. Use your power, your courageous might... for all evil bewares you, Avatar of Light."

The skies above Ozland

Ring Capacity- 64.5

His hands stopped burning and his skin stopped stinging... it wasn't as bright anymore... he could see it through the cracks between his arms. Slowly, he lifted his forearms from his face and saw.... something unexpected. A beautiful green grassland, a golden road, a dark forest... where the hell was he? Then... he saw a emerald wall below him. A wall to what? Well, he looked up at where he was heading...

A emerald castle. A big, shining, beautiful... but somehow, corrupted, emerald castle. He was in awe, an confusion, and frustration- all at the same time. He didn't have the time or care to stop and reason, he was far beyond that point. With a huge *CRASH*the front of the once glorious castle erupts like a window that got hit by a baseball. And, with a *THUD THUD THUD* the Emerald Knight lands in the center of the throne room, right between a chained magician and a tyrannic sadist.

As he slowly stood up, dusting emerald dust off of his shoulders, the magicians applauds and cheers. "The real magic is right there, you monster! My warrior of green! My emerald warrior!"One of the guards knocks the magician across the head, bringing him to his knees. A angry looks crosses Sam's face then, and he raises his ring, which is beginning to glow brightly once more. As the other guard lifts to take another strike, the magician still babbling, a green blast hits him in the gut, sending him flying against the opposite wall; before the other guard can say a thing, he is blasted right behind his companion. Turning his attention back to the man on the thrown and the man in chains, the Emerald Knight raises his ring in their general direction. "Now, can someone please to explain to me where the hell I am and what the hell is going on?!" His fist tightens, and his ring flashes threateningly.

@bill_the_bad: @angela_lee:

Temperately reacting to Angela's inherent prima donna disposition and bumptious remarks regarding Bill's uncomely visage and the pub's repugnant interior with empathetic nonchalance and considerate tolerance, Ambrosius' uniquely hued oculus met Bill's, "Don't mind my associate, the woman is simply speaking her mind", optimistic in the cultivation of a coercive atmosphere of tangible amiability through attempted lexical clarification of Angela's verbalized bluntness, "To answer your question, Mr. Bill, do not concern yourselves with our well-being. We have experienced far far worse than what this realm has to offer. Your help would be most appreciated, but this cannot be an immediate endeavor", he paused, "We will need some time to properly acclimate with this world. Tomorrow, meet us here, same time as now, so that we may begin".

Self-assured of the supernatural canine's compliance, the Paranormal Perfectionist issued a wordless farewell, a mutely showcased inclination of the head expressing socially obligated genteelness prior to his anticipated departure. "But it keeps you wanting more, no?", the Modernized Merlin dallyingly enticed, securely wrapping his right arm around his captivating companion's supple waist, gallantly leading her to the pub's environmentally lauded exterior. Once outside, and appropriately exempt from the pub's ambient self-degradation, Ambrosius proposed, "I don't intend to walk for days without rest. We will need some form of accommodation. Tis best if we search for a place to stay in. Preferably the best this village has to offer". Tersely immersing himself in a feverish search, the Grandiose Illusionist, dictated by temporal eventuality, was directed towards an opulently maintained hotel of relative upscale decor.

Renting what was not unlike a lush suite for a succession of forthcoming days, Ambrosius turned to Angela, his left hand trailing along the stimulating surface of a red-velvet enveloped sofa, "Not too bad, wouldn't you say?", he flirtatiously inquired, "You seemed rather tense before amor, perhaps we could-", the vocalized sexual undertone of his impending proposition abruptly halted amid the august charmer's peculiar pause, his fundamentally ingrained supernatural faculties lethargically alerting him of a familiarized, yet substantially distant presence, unknown to him, Arturia had discerned the apparent details of his excursion from the material plane and followed. "Hmm", quietly dismissing the infant 'mystical connection' mutually shared between he and Arturia, Ambrosius resumed conversational interaction, albeit transitioning onto a discussion of superlative earnestness as opposed to it's previous carnal implications.

"We'll need a map of this world, it's geography must be nothing short of abnormal", the Ambrosial Apogee nominated, "Tomorrow, we can find out. Surely one of these local shops sell them". Subsequently meeting Angela's eyes with ocular mesmerism and enthralling pizzazz, the Intellectual Illusionist urbanely smiled, "And though those heels", he began, purposely seating himself in provocatively intimate approximation to her, "Do embellish your loveliness. If we are truly to trek along cliffs as the wolf claimed, you will only do harm to your feet. Perhaps we find appropriate attire? Or do we rent some medium of transportation, a horse or whatever these people have here", Ambrosius propounded. "I sense walking is no longer a practical option. We will be traveling, a lot. Perhaps Mr. Bill may assist us tomorrow in our search for proper transportation".

@mastermouse:

The kick came out of nowhere and sent me flying towards one of the trees, it was more of really strong push than a kick, who the hell is this rat and how is he so strong? I growled at him and said. "You're all dead you hear me?". Then I used my sonic growl towards him and the three blind mice. I heard that since they were blinded they developed some kind of special hearing or some sh!t like that. If that is true my abilities should really f*ck with their sh!t.

Quickly after that I rushed towards the left rat, what was his name? Latnmer, Latimer? I jumped with ferocity hopefully as he is dazed I will get the chance to claw him across the face with my left paw and then feed on his flesh.

The Spider Queen Itsy, a name that once caused terror to ripple through the Enchanted Forest for thousands of years just by speaking her name. She ruled the forest, her children prospering throughout the land and even reaching out to the kingdom of Camelot. For years she would attack the once weak kingdom, consuming as many citizens as she pleased. The kingdom feared the evil spider Queen, and managed to have strike a deal with Itsy. They would offer her five virgin males every year from each corner of the kingdom, once a year at the first day of spring if Itsy and her children would leave the kingdom alone. Tired of having to fight for meals and sacrificing her children, she agreed to this and for hundreds of years, this tradition went on. Until a young wizard came into the kingdom, calming he couldn't kill Itsy, but trap her inside a prison. The king agreed, and that following spring, Itsy didn't get her sacrifices.

Hungry and angry, Itsy and her children went and attacked the kingdom. The battle raged on for five days, until the wizards promise came to pass.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

Climbed up the castle top.

Itsy rushed up the castle walls, wanting to claim the king's heart for herself. Her legs clung tightly onto the walls as she began to reach the castle top. The knights of the kingdom and Itsy's children raged in battle as the Queen of the Spiders went to fetch the King. Arrows were no match for her naturally armored skin and the swords were nothing but sticks to the monster. Nothing could stop her from reaching to the man who broke their contract... no one...

Down came the rain

and washed the spider out

The wizard began to set his plan into motion. He created a storm so powerful that it forced the powerful that it not only drowned out Itsy's children from the kingdom, but forced the Queen off the castle and back to the ground.

out came the sun and rendered the spider weak

and the Itsy Bitsy spider became a prisoner...

Quickly pulling out the sun, one of Itsy's weakness, the spider was unable to move fast enough into the darkness. The wizard used his magic to then impression Itsy inside an enchanted egg. The Wizard explained to the king that it must be kept in the brightest spot of the kingdom to keep the monster inside too weak to break out during the night when the sun was sleeping. But the wizard also warned, that while the enchanted egg was strong enough to withstand mother nature, it could never be dropped, or else the egg will crack, and Itsy would be freed once more...

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Two centuries passed and the people had forgotten about Itsy and her ways. The stories that once made knights cower in fear were now reduced to comedic stories and the egg was now nicked named 'Humpty Dumpty'. But there the egg sat on a shrine in the middle of the kingdom, the wall that the egg sat upon was built so that the sun was constantly hitting it, to keep the evil spider queen weak.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

But one day, a knight went to do the weekly inspection of the egg, to be sure it was not compromised. However, his armor made his clumsy and the egg slipped through his fingers. A crack was formed upon the enchanted prison, but nothing happened. Thinking he was free of any consequences, instead of reporting it to his next in command, he set the egg back in place and walked off... sadly he wasn't aware, that what he did would cost the safety of the kingdom.

and all the Kings horses...

and all the King's men...

As soon as the sun set, the egg began to stir. With people away at their homes or in the local pub, no one paid attention to the egg. Everyone went about their evening, and why should they have worried? No one knew of the crack that was now quickly growing on Itsy's prison. Going back to check on the egg, the knight picked up the egg once more, realizing that the fracture in the shell was growing he panicked, dropping the egg once more. A dark purple hue hissed through the fissures of the white shell as a crackling laugh could be heard. The knight screamed as he ran off, going to rally the king and the other knights, but it was too late... Itsy was free.

Couldn't put the monster back in

her egg-shell prison again....

The knights came with swords and arrows in place, and while Itsy was a powerful Queen, she was far too weak to go on the attack. Using what powers that were available to her, she escaped the kingdom and returned back into the Enchanted Forest where she is now trying to regain her strength and hopefully rebuild her army of children to extract revenge on the kingdom of Camelot.

There was no way this woman wasn't a princess, not for her manner no, Bill hasn't seen someone so snobby in a long time. But, he simply chuckled off her aggravated vanity while sipping on his ale. Bill was infamous for what he has done, making alot of people attempt insulting the wolf, this was a walk in the park.

Bill heard them until they were at least halfway across the village, it was indeed a burden to have the hearing he had. He lit up one more cigarette with a match before getting up to grab his coat, leaving the ales he purchased on a tab and simply walked out of the pub. Tomorrows travel was still up in the air, what was certain though, was the confrontation with the beast..And that was something Bill was indeed not looking forward to in the slightest.

The big bad navigated the nightly village with ease, so many less people to stare at Bill. Unluckily for himself, the ale had already burned away in his feral blood, not even in human form could he get drunk for longer than a half hour. At least he now had a clearer head to think of these two strangers, did someone find another gateway to their world? That wasn't even a question, all evidence pointed to it.

Did some outside force take over the queen's guard? Is that why enforcement has been so tight? It would indeed explain how the guards suddenly had the stones to take on one of the most skilled sword fighters and stand alone combatants on the mystic sea. Bill would just find out soon enough wouldn't he?

But first, some rest indeed. Tomorrow he would meet those two strangers back at the pub for no doubt the first quest he had been on in a long time now.

@bill_the_bad:

Unfortunately for him, Puck had only heard Bill being insulted and only some small details about the Beast and what they were planning. Puck downed his water and watched closely as Bill left the pub, he brushed some dust off his grey hood and got up from his chair when Bill had left the building and although stealth was not one of his specialties, Puck knew that finding out where Bill lived would make it easier to find him in the foreseeable future. He steadily followed the wolf-man always staying within eye sight but never coming too close.

As he stalked Bill, Puck couldn't help but question the intentions of the big bad and why he was so fixed on having an encounter with the Beast. Those fifteen years of being out of the know had clearly taken their toll on Puck and now he seemed to be scrambling back all the gossip that he had missed and all these new rumours which was frankly becoming quite the headache for him. Perhaps Bill was a bounty hunter, or maybe he was just after some good old fashioned revenge. Whatever the case, Puck's burning desire for adventure and entertainment had yet to be quenched so he continued on his trail carefully but rather easily following the wolf. It could have been that Bill knew he was following him and just didn't care or that he really didn't know that Puck was right there.

The crowd soon became thinner and it would soon become a little more obvious to Bill that someone was on his trail but at this point Puck didn't mind at all, part of him was even tempted to call out his name and actually make a proper introduction however such an act would easily draw unwanted attention to the both of them which is something he didn't want. He decided to wait patiently for the right time to converse with the hound hoping that he would get a swipe round the jaw, he eventually managed to track Bill all the way to his house and at this point it would be fairly clear to Bill that he was followed so without waiting another moment he finally spoke to him "Hey listen!" Puck said in a rather annoying and loud fashion to get the attention of Bill "I heard along the grape vine that thou art on a quest to find the Beast no?... I am known as Puck, and I am willing to offer my help in your little adventure". He paused for a moment awaiting the reply of the wolf man.

@eternelle:

As if his eyes had contracted a layer of fog inducing film across them, Pan's hazily depleted vision watched. Watched as his friends and compatriots fought with a dedicated honor fueled by their loyalty, by their love. "No." he tossed. "R..run."he turned. "Tt.tt.......TINK!"he roared, shooting up out of bed. Covered in a cold sweat barely able to catch his breath, frantically recalibrating his senses. Looking around coming to terms with his newly found refugee status literally heartbroken over the fact that his friends, his family, had sacrificed their lives in order for him to escape, the weight of their hopes and expectations anchored around his neck.

It was then that he noticed her, sitting across the room sharpening a lethal blade. His own arsenal based accoutrements methodically laid out ready and waiting."Thank, thank you."softly tracing a finger across the fresh bandages and treated wounds."Are you a Princess?"slipping his freshly washed hooded uniform on preparing to return. "I was suppose to come here and get help but I....it was a mistake."hanging his head in apparent defeat. "There's no army here, no aid. Just a princess with a sword...what good is that?"

Snatching the flint pistol decorated belt off the back of a nearby chair racing towards the door, he suddenly paused. "YOU!" obvious anger resonating forth. "GET OVER HERE!"diving towards the wall. And as he did, the dark silhouette of his own body gingerly flipped through the air and bowed as it landed. Pan's shadow was lose once again.

@lastpyre:

Bill growled louder and louder the more this person was following him, he could smell anyone form a mile away, and this fool was no different. What the hell did he want? What was so damned important that he was tailing the wolf? That's when he finally pissed Bill off officially by yelling at his back while telling him what to do...

"Hey...How's about you F*CK off!"Bill shouted while turning around, his features turned feral for only a moment, showing just how much he liked when someone told him what to do. He turned back around while pulling out a cigarette and lit it trying to cool his already boiling blood with the help of tobacco therapy, it only did so much.

"Yeah, you heard right..But what makes you think I want some little guy like you following me around and getting himself killed? Hmm? If you are considering adventure, maybe you should go find Pan..Cause I'm on a mission of murder..It ain't fairy tale material kid.." Bill puffed smoke before starting to walk again.

Years and years of being the wolf made his choice of company preferably zero, being a touch person to convince of anything. It was enough that those two strangers happened to have akin interests, was this thing going to pester him until he finally complied?

@frankenstein_, @itsy:

Once upon a time...

---

"Ugh," the star spangled hero grumbled, rubbing his temple. "Feels like I just got trampled by an elephant. Where the Sam Hill am I?"

He took a rain check on his equipment. His uniform and shield were still intact, but his radio back home had disappeared. There was no sign that he was robbed while he slept, but he still had no idea what happened. Recovery had to wait, though. Something found him.

Charging across the grasslands came a knight in full battle plate, wielding a javelin lowered to impale the newcomer to the area. Allegiance leaped to his feet and rolled out of the way just as the heavy hooves of the stallion thundered past. He removed the stalwart symbol from his back and put it into a defensible position. The aggressor did not slow down. He rounded out a complete hemisphere on his steed, u-turning straight for the All American.

This time, Allegiance was prepared. He deflected the lance with his shield and outstretched his large arm into a vicious clothesline, taking the knight down to earth with a single swift blow to the throat. The horse continued to run until he came to a gradual stop near the bottom of the sloping hill they erupted from. Allegiance's attacker, pinned down by both the weight of his protective suit and the much stronger man's ferocious hammer arm, discarded the lance in a panic. His hand went straight for the sword in its scabbard at his belt, but Allegiance smacked him upside the face with the dull side of his shield. The helmet, as a result, was sent rolling across the grassy plains.

"Stay thy hand, villain!" the knight protested, trying to punch Allegiance away with his free hand.

The super soldier was having none of that today and caught it mid-flight, twisting the joint until he forced the knight to roll onto his stomach. He dug his knee into the chainmail near the knight's kidneys. Any harder and he'd be pissing blood for a month.

"I'm only going to ask this once. Where am I?"

"You truly don't know? Thou art in Camelot, fool! Now unhand me so we can continue this battle henceforth!"

"I don't think so,"

With a simple lifting gesture, Allegiance flicked the knight in his almost 100 pounds of armor towards his horse. He landed with a crash near the beast's hooves, undoubtedly humiliated. Allegiance pieced together what his opponent had said, coupled with the fact that he wore armor not unlike those weird medieval roleplay carnivals. But in contrast to those odd gatherings, this man legitimately tried to kill him. He did not appear to be completely ignorant in the ways of brute combat either.

"Just what the heck is going on? I've heard of time travel, but this is ridiculous,"

"It is not as ridiculous as it may seem, traveler," a small voice called out to him from the nearby trees.

He noticed them before - grim, foreboding things with gnarled roots and hardly any green. They were mostly an ashen black with any number of gristly foliage like mushrooms or wisps of old leaves. Come to think of it, they formed a forest that stretched farther than he could see in either direction. He tried to locate the source of the voice. Perhaps someone in this time period, or whatever, had some sense about them after all.

"Uh, hello?" he replied.

"Hello indeed! Down here!"

Allegiance did as the voice beckoned and spotted an eight-legged creature resembling a spider, but with a humanoid torso jutting out from on top. Presumably female, the spider-thing looked back up at him with eight twinkling eyes and a pair of fangs jutting out from her upper jaw. He could not believe what he was seeing and his new acquaintance made it seem like this was a normal thing around these parts.

"I am Aranea, of the Clan Eightfold. This is indeed a strange place for you to try and understand, but it is not Camelot. That kingdom's jurisdiction does not reach out this far. You are at the edge of the Enchanted Forest! Queen Itsy rules here, not that sickly Lancelot!"

"Wait, if Camelot is a thing," Allegiance interrupted. "Then shouldn't there be a king named Arthur?"

"Ah yes, but that was a long time ago. Itsy and Arthur were more or less neutral to each other in those times, but the old fool got into a fight with Mordred and they both died! It was wonderously entertaining for us to watch, but then Lancelot took the throne. He used to be a kind and just ruler, but something poisoned his mind. Perhaps the ghost of Mordred come to wreak one last vengeful curse against Arthur? Who really knows? But the end result is that Lancelot began using a new breed of knights to bully and attack anything that did not swear fealty to the royalty of Camelot,"

"Where was this Queen Itsy during all of this?"

"She was imprisoned in a magical egg - on orders from Lancelot. When she broke out, Lancelot went into hiding. His knights have been coming dangerously close to attacking the Enchanted Forest again. We're afraid a war is going to break out and since Queen Itsy is not at her full strength, it will not be a happy ending,"

All throughout her story, Aranea maintained a large grin on her face. Allegiance found it somewhat disheartening. Though he had some measure of sympathy for Aranea, he wanted to hear the other side of the conflict. War was never justified, but fighting someone without knowing their problems existed as an even more pointless solution. The knight who attacked him earlier remained a possible source of further information, though he still seemed rather volatile - especially when he marched behind Allegiance and tried slicing him in two.

With a large kick to the base of the sword's hilt, Allegiance left the knight open.

With an uncommon mathematical accuracy, Allegiance struck the man in the face with the duller concave side of his shield, knocking out a mouthful of teeth and sending him back down to the ground. The unbreakable emblem rebounded off a rock and back into Allegiance's hands. He wrapped the straps underneath his armpits and secured the symbol onto his shoulders before bringing the defeated knight up off the grass and into interrogation mode.

"Take me to your castle. I want to talk to your king."

At this point, Aranea had retreated back into the forest to relay the discovery of a possible new ally in the upcoming confrontation to her beloved queen.

@lastpyre: @ambrosius: @bill_the_bad:Inside their own shared bed chambers the witch looked around as if she were a child with many curiosities, like how Toys R Us would be. Looking at each and every detail as she laid flat on her belly with her leery eyes, on the couch. Instead of reacting with amazement, Angela reacted was great discomfort and displeasure, this was endangering. "It could be better." she commented with distaste, slowly getting up taking a seat next to the magician. Flattery took over as it was evident from the sudden heat-like sensation rising to her cheeks, she was blushing, but yet flattery would only take the charming wizard so far. "Perhaps we could what?" she questioned with slight smirk blooming, reflecting the same sexual tone in her voice that mimicked his in its femininity. A slight pause his response was rather unusual, but the witch only thought he was pondering on his next move. "Perhaps tonight we can..." leaving the ending a bit of a mystery, she knew the magician was well aware of her intent, clearly so as her silky voice and luscious lips met his ears. The exotic witch could only whisper so much before it would divert all his blood flow towards one particular area, something Angela would befriend later this night.

"Are we done here?" trying her best in keeping the primal lust between the two at bay, the intellectual gifts of the Maestro of Magic before her resumed towards offering suggestions and tactical routes on how to handle their trips, perhaps he was distracting himself from his true desires. "The heels will stay. While the rest can... go away." the brief pause had only meant one thing, the upcoming sexual activities that was about to erupt between the two magic-users. Slowly slipping her shirt off as she bites her lower lips in satisfaction, the witch teased and swayed her hips side to side with a made-up rhythm being her only guidance as she began to strip. Once done, she revealed only her red laced bra and her exposed midsection, which graced her translucent fair skin to his sparkling eyes, both pure and elegant. Leaning in closer towards the engaging sorcerer, the sorceress herself began to work the oldest form of magic, her specialty: seduction. A skill that was forcefully task and willingly wanted by the man and even the succubus herself. As she slid on top of his perfectly erected Picasso, formed by her erotic imagery, Angela began ripping his buttoned shirt apart and telekinetically disarming and tossing his belt aside. The only way through a man's heart was through his pants, she tore his zippers and button asunder and opened them with her dirty formed thoughts. Sliding both palms from his stomach all the way up until receding towards his shoulders, she leaned in closer, knowing her silky smooth touches intensified his sexual nerves, hovering her face just inches above his. It was as if millions of passionate stars were about explode with her next move, creating a shock wave of pure arousal throughout the universe. Suddenly the war between mouths and tongue had begun, leading trails of kisses down his neck, the witch planted every hot smokery kisses on his bare skin until she went down south reaching her final destination, his abdomen. Removing the only concealing fabric on her breast and lower body, the witch snapped them loose with but only a thought (telekinesis). The sexual energy created by the two was giving Angela enough mystical energy to exploit and pervert, as shown with her small telekinetic feats. Tantric magic, the magic of two universal bodies sharing and colliding as one, the power and the magic of sex itself was undeniably powerful. Every bodily touch and engagement they made charged both their bodies with sparks of mystical energy, the strays of magic caused minor disturbance within the rooms such as small objects breaking and vibrating. Riding on top of the beloved sorcerer, the witch invoked the element of fire, lighting up every candle within the room with flames, the small candle flames suddenly rose in high peak as the sexual activity between the two intensified and justified itself. This trade of sexual and explicit treatment lasted until one quarter from sunrise, hopefully the melodic moans of ecstasy didn't disturb their neighbors, but who cared at this point.

Sleeping peacefully and undisturbed, the satisfied sexual predator watched as the sorcerer slept in peace beside her, a beautiful sight she thought. Sliding off the cotton fabric sheets, Angela reached out to grab a robe to conceal her naked figurine. Knowing that the magician, after a long night of intense physicality, slept with lullabies in his head, Angela walked out the building to catch some fresh air. In the center of the garden walk way, Angela stood still as she used the gem that Ambrosius had given her in conjunction with her own talisman. Anchoring the magic of one world to the other, Angela attempted to access her muted gifts. Reaching out towards nature and its spirits, the act of spiritual communal was in session, as noted with the elemental winds declaring their presence with brushes of air striking against her body. The strong gust of winds lifted her shimmery hair into a vivacious mane while throwing back her robe to bare her skin as nature once intended. Her eyes slid into darkness as she closed them with pleasure as the magic flowed through her, she felt the rush of vast elemental (wind) energies surrounding her. Whispers of the nature's servants communicated with the wicked witch, "I need help finding something or someone." she said vaguely in the eerie setting, stretching her arms apart she embraced the elements as they then spilled secrets of the world to the witch. Just as the spirits spoke, she caught scent of another who silently emerged behind her, like silent dark shadows, the venomous witch bared her teeth as she knew exactly who it was "@clara_mass I thought you'd never make it."

As the sun peaked high with delightful rays, the moody sorceress was far from thrilled about her new attire. "I feel old." she said bluntly aloud for others to hear just as the Grand Illusionist was in the process of paying for the pale pink French dress, it was both insulting and ungrateful especially towards the weavers art. "Is there anything of... I don't know, higher quality, better design, and nothing like that beast?" pointing across towards Bill with annoyance as to why he still stuck around, unfortunately the ladies of the boutique had no other special gown for the witch as she had taken the best one made. Fanning herself with the accessorized fan she asked for the two men to hurry about and begin this uninspired quest unaware that another party had requested his membership in this little collaboration of artists, "Now where too?".

@lastpyre: @bill_the_bad: @angela_lee:

Amorously indulging in the libidinous desires of his seductively attributed lover, Ambrosius' hands amatively trailed along the voluptuous frame of Angela's bare figure, suggestively lingering on the flesh of her bulging curves as their lips met in a lasciviously symmetrical exchange of erotic chemistry, fervently immersed in the salacious lip-lock, the tantalizing texture of her glossed, luscious lips further enticing him into carnal submersion. Sensually gliding his hands along her sumptuous frame, the Illustrious Illusionist's titillating palms impishly brushing against the carnally rousing portions of her torso, massaging her erogenous zones with sensuous stimulation. Whispers of quieted endearment and cheeky salaciousness met her right ear, his moist breath, hot against the exposed flesh of her earlobe with seductive enthrallment, her unblemished, milky skin sliding frantically against his, the subtle, glistening sheet of sweat on her bare frame adding textured enticement as they glided against one another, joining together as their sexually gratifying immersion culminating in a night of entrapping, impassioned eroticism.

"Tis only temporary Ms. Lee, the dress does little to mitigate your loveliness", he winsomely flatters, the morning following their previous night of steamy carnal indulgence. "It is the best fabric and quality available in this village", the Paranormal Perfectionist resumed, subtly turning towards Bill, an affably acknowledging smile of social civility manifesting as his celestially hued eyes concisely analyzed Bill's supernatural composition. "I was going to suggest that we search for a form of fast transportation, such as a horse but..", pensively rubbing his urbanely bearded chin in inquiring ponderation, Ambrosius continues. "My 'senses' if you will, they've shown me something rather curious. Your supernatural structure, your ethereal composition, what have you, it boasts similarities to what a Mesoamerican culture of my world has termed 'Nagual Magic'. Essentially my good man, this raises questions, and so I must ask", aristocratically folding both arms behind his back, subconsciously mirroring the cosmopolitan mannerisms and expressed blue-blooded regalia of his late grandfather, "Can you transform into an animal? Or rather, something more of an animal than your current form".

"Something that the two of us could use as a form of transportation. If you could transform into an abnormally large wolf, the size of a horse perhaps, that would solve our present dilemma", Ambrosius temperately quipped, an audibly poised titter escaping his patrician frame following his subtle jest, ignorant of Bill's ingrained ability to transform into that which he had just described, a wolf of elephantine physical proportions. Lexically addressing Angela's terminating inquiry, the Portuguese Picasso answered, "A map. We'll need a map. Though Bill here must have decent knowledge of this world's geography, I don't believe he knows every geographical detail of this place". Ocularly eyeing both his companions, Ambrosius advised, "Wait here, I'll only be a minute".

Setting foot inside the expansive interior of an approximated shop, succeeding in the purchase of a relatively unblemished map of their immediate location. Cautiously folding purchased visual representation and appropriately handing it to Bill, Ambrosius suggested they commence their misadventure, "Shall we begin? Bill, you know this land better than both of us. Lead the way to Belle's castle", unaware of any potential company that had trailed Bill to his encounter with the mystical dyad.

@lastpyre: @angela_lee: @ambrosius:

The Big bad was quick to leave a note at the pub to meet them ten minutes outside of the village for reasons unknown. When they arrived, Bill couldn't help but chuckle while lighting up a cigarette as the two approached while he was in the company of his follower from last night. They both stunk heavily of sex, Bill's amazing senses had that smell right up his nose. "Had a fun night gang?" He teased at the two before taking a puff of his rolled cigarette.

Next was Ambrosius impressively guessing Bill's supernatural disposition, though his facts were reversed in some cases. As soon as he went to go get a map, Bill looked on over to the woman and the other one while grinning. "Oh I think I got the transportation covered..." Bill stripped down fully, clearly not shy in the company of the others. The sight didn't last long though, for Bill transformed elegantly into a massive wolf, the reason now clear why he didn't want to do this in the village.

Ambro arrived in time for Wolf to look right at him with his full yellow eyes, a wolfish grin on his large snout. "You see Ambrosius, I don't evolve into the wolf, I regress back to this form, I was born a wolf after all. That human form is something I learned to do later on. But now I'm just bumblin'...You navigate and I'll go..Hop on my back, for whoever is coming with.." The Wolf's voice was intensely powerful, no doubt rumbling their chests from the bass alone. He continued to lower his shoulder down enough for the three to climb on, clearly just enough room for three people.

"I can have us there for sundown, works better in my favor that way anyhow..."

@bill_the_bad: @angela_lee: @ambrosius:

Puck was surprised at the sudden snap of Bill who appeared to not want anything to do with Puck and in short told him to go away and do something else, the feral features of the man were shown and the growl in his voice made him a bit more intimidating. Before Puck could think of a good comeback he was already off walking again but it would take more than that to deter him though, after all this time of restrictions and never getting to have any fun he was not going to let this guy talk him down. He stood as still as a statue for a whole minute before finally moving away feeling slightly awkward and a little frustrated that he didn't say anything back, at least now he had learned that it was Bill's intention to end the life of the Beast and Puck really couldn't care less about the life of that mangy animal. He wouldn't personally want to kill the beast, but if someone else was going to then he wouldn't mind helping them along the way. He knew exactly where Bill and the other two were going to meet and he easily found his way to said location.

Beforehand he had not gotten a very good look at the two others that had accompanied Bill, he had travelled to the meeting place only showing himself to the rest once they had began conversation about traveling but Puck would decide to avoid interjecting in the conversation between the man named Ambrosius and Bill and let them talk about transformation and maps whilst he twiddled his thumbs longing for the end of the slightly dreary conversation. The nature sprite zoned out a little and was distracted by a butterfly that landed on his arm and flew around him gracefully reminding him of his friends back in the forest, it was at this moment that he looked up to see that Bill had begun to strip and Puck let out a little murmur of disgust as he transformed back into his normal form. It then became all too apparent that the party intended to travel on the back of the wolf man, resourceful yes but it all seemed a bit redundant to the faerie who finally stepped up to speak.

"Ahem..." Said Puck loud enough to gather the attention of the others "That won't be necessary for me. Behold." With that Puck removed the grey hoodie and the t-shirt leaving his jeans on and clicked his fingers, his skin appeared to turn from ghost white to a more full and tan colour whilst his eyes turned a dark shade of green, a small brown goatee appeared and his hair became brown and unruly with the odd stick and flower inside, he shrank nearly two inches and finally a pair of two majestic fairy wings of a large size sprouted from his back and he giggled a little as the wings fluttered and carried him above the others. Dust seemed to emit from the wings as he continued to hover there and say "I'll follow when thou art ready to undergo this quest".

@allegiance@itsy (@feral_nova)

Frankenstein swiftly moved throug the multitudinous trees and lianas of the Enchanted Forest, his corpse scent, instantly withdrawing any supererogatory cluster of animals to reach him and, consequently, abash his path back home. The winds aided by spreading such gruesome odor between the forest's natural restraint, a barrier of vegetation. Ventures, however, circulated the bounty hunter's mighty figure every step, his death's smell, the superior perfume for them, a scent of carrion, a scent of food. He had been perambulating for hours now, heading back and forth, lost amidst the wood's wilderness.

All of sudden, Frank's attentive eyes located some sort of glade, composed by a huge diversity of trees and a tiny river, its blue, pure water flowing on complete harmony, embellishing the flawless entonation of birds' whistles. A sentiment of repose and aplomb so mighty, that it would fill any orthodox being with its august magnificence and natural pageantry. Yet, Frank was no orthodox being. Utilizing from his infamous quick draw, Frankenstein shot three bird thoroughly, allowing the other to flee. “Damn birds, always attempting to ruin my day with their blissful singing. At least I have enough food for one night now.” Frank chuckled as he knelt downwards, collecting the lifeless preys, instantly displuming them with his sword and arranging a bonfire. “Now let’s cook these little, idiotic animals.”

Distracted by the cooking, Frankenstein gloomily intonated a descant, no lyrics were spoken, simple mumbles and growls, mashed, yielding a discouraging, yet harmonious sound. His visage, more tenebrous than average. Reclining over the central rock, placed perfectly aside the bonfire by his gargantuan vigor, Frank ate his meal stilly, sinking on memories of a dreary foretime, dreadful images and puzzling sentences formed withal his mind. “Father…” he muttered, moving his wrist frontwards, attempting to reach the unachievable. A small teardrop, coursing his cheek’s contour, passing through his malformed chin until it finally dripped, near his jowl. It was the first time he cried in years, outlying from society, deep inside the forest’s mystical landscape.

Minutes of pure reflection promptly passed, Frankenstein rubbed his eyes, his torso inclined forth, nigh slithering his bent knees. Both arms, folded below his head. He tirelessly faced the verdurous ground. “I feast over another well succeded contract, but is money truly my own goal? Is this what you envisioned for me, Father? Your greatest scheme, a plain mercenary?” the mercenary spoke, scatterbrained, silently inquiring which other plans destiny had reserved for him.

@_pick:

A crescendo of shattered glass rained down upon those in attendance as the Wizard's noble champion arrived. Emitting a bodily sheath of verdigris colored energy and power, immediately launching into a protective mind-set as he witnessed the helpless mystic's physical bereavement. Without hesitation the Emerald Avatar triumphantly conjured identical blasts sending two of the Voodoo Viper's requisitioned guard's into opposing walls with violent repercussions. Blood splattered smears visually memorializing the forceful collision.

"Ah, dat some reahl powah dhere."devilishly smirking. Nodding his head at the impressive display, his unsettling gaze focusing on the hero's glowing ring. "Nice bling, hope it fits."insinuating its eventual abduction. Snapping his fingers, Jabari summoned his personal guards, a terrorizing trinity of fabled notoriety. The first, announcing his presence via a straw based attack, firing hundreds, if not thousands, of magically forged projectiles. Acrobatically flipping from out of the shadows and landing in a crouched position in front of his ruler. "What bettah protectaaah dhen a Scahcrow?"mocking cadence echoing through the chamber. Before yet another legendary legionnaire emerged, his metal foot steps clanking every inch of the way."My metal militant." Jabari laughed. "But I save dee best for last, no?"holding out his hand in order for the deadly Dorothy to place his voodoo walking stick in it.

☠Morbidly, Jabari had decorated the magical artifact with the decapitated head of Pan's loyal fairy, Tinker Bell. Mouth stitched shut, eyes sunk deep into her decaying face. Raising his arms above his head with theatricality, the room began to shimmer and shadows began to lurk. "Tis a good day to die mon ami. A good day." antagonistically agitating the Emerald Emissary.

@darkknightdetective:

Mistro was more pleased then he thought he would be when the animal was sent flying towards a tree from his kick. The wolf threatened Mistro,and then emitted some sort of sonic growl,the three mice were immediately dazed and cried out in pain. They stumbled about in the grass yelling out,confused and scared.
The wolf leaped towards Latimer angrily,most likely in an attempt to eat him.
Leaping through the air?Is this wolf an idiot?Hes defenseless.
Mistro was much faster then this wolf,he unsheathed his sword and dashed forward towards the wolf in an attempt to simply stab him in his side.

@the_lion_king:

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Zoe's voice pierced through the skies as she ran as quickly as she could through a Dark Forest, dogs the size of bears chased after the very confused teenage hero. One second she was about to start her nightly patrol and the next she was in a very sinister looking forest and all around her, creatures that were triple in size. "BAD DOG!! BAD BAD DOG!!" Where was a rolled up news paper when you needed one?!

Her foot quickly got caught in a vine, falling over and landing face first into the soggy ground. Pushing herself up she quickly turned around to find the dog lunge at her, it's paw dug into her shoulder as she cried out in pain, she was pinned to the ground. He began snapping at her, it's large fangs reaching down to take her head in as she threw her right arm up, pressing forcefully against the beasts throat.

Taking in a deep breath her body erupted into flames, catching the beast on fire. Letting out a horrible and painful roar it quickly ran off, leaving Zoe on the ground as she put out her flame. Quickly putting out any small fires she would have made at that moment around her she looked over at her wound, it looked worse than what it really was, but she didn't want to just leave it alone to become infected. Slowly making her way deeper into the forest she could hear creatures rustling around her, and she swore she heard a voice or two. This place... it was dark... sinister... and overall just creepy as hell. What was she doing here? How did she get here? Where the hell was she? And what was that, that attacked her? Too big to be a normal dog... "From now on, I'm going to be a cat person."

Then, her ears caught the sound of something... "Water!" She huffed to herself as she forced her way through vines, cobwebs and hanging branches. Pushing a series of branches back a single stream of water was seen, the water was clear, clean and she swore it almost twinkled as she knelt down next to it. Taking off her gloves she set them down next to her as she reached down with her right hand, cupping a small amount of cool water and gently pouring it on her wound. Then, like magic, her wound was healed! She was shocked, her eyes widen behind her helmet as she held her breath for a moment, looking at her shoulder still in disbelief. "Where the heck am I?" She whispered to herself.

@jabari_vaillancourt:

Ring Capacity- 60.3

"Whatever planet I'm on, it sure has it's share of fare of weirdos." Sam's fist tightens as the henceforth freak blabbers on. Before he could think too much about such medial things, the Voodoo Viper summons forth a trio of oddly familiar looking personal guards. One looked like a scarecrow, another was made of metal, and the third was... a girl in a dress, splattered with blood... What...?

"No. HELL no. This isn't happening..." The Avatar of Will thinks to himself as his mind puts the puzzle together. "Emerald City... Scarecrow... Tin Man... Dorothy?" His face started to show his worry as his eyes darted around the room. Slowly, he turned his sight on the old prisoner to his side. "The Wizard... the Wizard of Oz?" He said slowly, as if trying to convince himself. His neck snaps back towards the man on the thrown- he didn't recognize him from the fairy tale; he must of known something.

Unfortunately, before Sam could yell any sort of orders or profanities, the Viper's pet Scarecrow launches a barrage of needles... thousands of them. Turning to the chained wizard, he lifts out his ring and sends out the construct of a huge arm; the green hand grabs the wizard and pulls him towards the Emerald Knight, who erects a bubble-shaped shield as fast as possible. Some of the things had already dug their way into his leg; his shield only blocking the bulk of the damage; looking like a glowing green pincushion on the outside.

Bending down, he tears some of the things out and tosses them to the ground. Before he could get them all, the huge Tin Man rushes forward, lifting his axe like a barbarian. Sam's eyes widen as the blade digs itself into the side of the construct, not bouncing off harmlessly like almost every other Earthly weapon he's ever seen. He shakes his head, trying to get the doubt out of his head. "Come on, Sam.. focus... in brightest day..."

A dozen green arms stretch out of the bubble from around the axe made gash. Half grab onto the handle of the weapon, trying to pull it away from the automaton; the other half began striking it with clenched fists at all angles. The tin man groans and bangs as he is thrashed, and eventually looses his grip on his weapon, trying to defend himself from the assault. The axe is pulled inside of the bubble, and dropped harmlessly on the ground at Sam's feet. He smiles as his will grows back over his fear.

He reverts the shield, but continues the attack on the metal man. While the majority of hands keep punching, two hands grab onto the tin man's face, blocking it's sight; two more reach behind it and pulls it's legs from underneath it, ending with a louder *BANG* as the giant falls. Sam retracts the hands, and quickly points his ring at the ceiling. A glowing green piano falls from above, landing on the Tin Man with a satisfying *CRASH*. When the piano disappears, the Tin Man was in pieces. Before the Avatar of Will could celebrate his victory, a now furious Scarecrow leaps over the corpse of his friend at the Emerald Warrior. Throwing back his his wrist, Sam sends out a huge emerald fist and knocks the lanky figure away. The boneless body wiggles disgustingly from the blow before standing back up. "And now blackest night..."

Sam turns to the wizard, who was now quivering on his knees in a equal amount of awe and fear. "Stay down." He says, pointing his ring in the old man's direction, forming a small shield around him. As he finishes, the Scarecrow leaps onto his back, stabbing into him with his hay-like needles in a fury. Sam thrashes for a few seconds trying to throwing the straw-thing off of him, before he floats into the air and rapidly expands his personal field, launching the Scarecrow to the ground. The Emerald Knight creates a minigun construct in his hands before firing a barrage of green bullets down upon the Scarecrow. The straw-thing's body is torn to pieces by the modern weapon, leaving nothing behind but a stack of needles, a straw hat, and a single piece of hay.

With a look that mixed determination with smug pride on his face, he floats down in the direction of the Voodoo King and the insane Dorothy; floating a spear's distance away. "Got anything else from my Childhood for me to destroy, freakshow? Or are you gonna do something yourself, for a change?" The Wizard stands up within his bubble, cheering muffled cheers.

Ring Capacity- 44.7

It was a never-ending torrent of black wolves, their eyes red with the reflection of his fallen comrades. Bloodied fangs that smelled of gore, he smells his kind mixed with wold saliva. Little eyes that stared into the abyss that separates hell from the void. He is trapped on the butt of the fixed seat, expending very the limits of his life manning the turrets of the first fortress. Knowing not where to aim, but pulling against the trigger mechanism that tilted the contraption which balances the fine points between now and oblivion.

His battle brothers have left him with the responsibility, as a sworn member of the battalion he must be strong so that the mission goes on. Fiddler, along with the ace of the squad 'Practical' already made it into their respective checkpoints. The one he is in can be considered a death-trap, his condition being almost akin to that of a suicide mission. While his condition is not improving, the belt is disappearing fast inside the ammunition feed. There is a heavy machine gun and at the last resort a squeeze pistol with one bullet in his boot

Vision is barely good, stomach hurt by stray bullet as he is about to lose sense of what and where. Fifer regrets that he did not take bootcamp seriously as Practical, him and fiddler are always playing before they got enlisted in the war.

It was the two of them in the mud, carefree under the blue sky. They were orphans, but adopted as brothers under the same roof. Looking over each other as they grow up, their family is not rich but for a while they had a happy life. Grub in the morning, grub in the afternoon and maybe if they are lucky they can have fruit before bed. The kind of life where simple things like waking up at noon and staying up until early morning becomes a pattern. The stream of life flows like the river and tomorrow is always as clear as day, they may be pigs but in their small world they lived as nobles.

Then the wolves attack.

The motherland is supposed to prepare the porcine against all threats, but in this vision of reality they become food for the wolves.

“Hold her steady! Pull your shit together!” Captain Flint shouted at the struggling crew over the roar of thunder, the sturdy ship, Walrus, rocked violently to and fro on the savage waters. Caught in a brutal storm, streaks of lightning coming down dangerously close around them, some of the newer crew members found themselves fearing for the ship’s constitution and their own lives. Meanwhile, Captain Flint, backed by her more experienced shipmates, weren’t worried about a thing. Arturia, for her part, counted herself among the former. But as she went to inquire regarding the possibility of taking a break, she noted that Flint wasn’t just not afraid of the storm. She was, in fact, revelling in it.

“Y'know, you’re so cute when yer scared, I don't know if I wanna listen cuz I feel for ya or if I wanna keep on just so you'll keep makin' that face.” After flashing a taunting grin, bringing every one of her perfect teeth to show, she seemed to consider and shrugged carelessly. “Alright. If my guide’s no good, guess there ain’t much more t’ say. We’ll wait it out or whatever, then we’re back on the trail.” Turning, she gave a holler to what seemed to be no one in particular. “Eddie! Find us a nice place to drop anchor!” Although Arturia failed to notice it at the time, a raven set out at that moment from atop the mast, returning quite a while afterward.

“Ten degrees starboard, captain! Land, ho!” the talking bird shouted upon his return, grumbling afterward to himself. “Hate goin’ out there in that shit weather. Not me, next time. Nope. Nevermore.”

-- --

Arturia heaved a sigh of relief as the ship pulled ashore and the anchors were dropped into the seabed, officially signifying what she perceived as relative safety in whatever place they had landed. The entire crew departed the ship in a hurry for the shores, the captain at the front. Surveying the area, not too far from the shore, she noted a deep forest, comparing with a map produced from the inside of her coat. Whether or not she actually knew where they were or not could not entirely be judged through outside observation, but she nodded and mumbled something to herself before turning to face the crew. “Alrighty, folks! Listen up! Gather ‘round and shut up!” Immediately afterward, the entirety of the crowd gave complete compliance, allowing her the necessary attention. “Some o’ you decided ye wanted to bank here. Storm could be a while, an’ that means we’re gonna need t’ set up camp.” Raising her arm outward, she measured about midway through the group, dividing more or less in half. “Everybody to the left o’ here, off inta tha forest for materials n’ stuff! Everybody else, keep watch over tha ship! Movers, move! C’mon, Arty. You’re with me.” With that, she, too, turned and headed for the forest, followed by a reluctant Arturia.

Alone with the vampiric captain, and unsure of her actual purpose, Arturia was on high alert the entire time. She’d hoped for guidance in the form of an example to follow, but Flint gathered no materials and spoke no words for quite some time. She merely moved deeper and deeper into the forest; deeper than what seemed reasonable for seemingly doing nothing. The first acknowledgement she gave came after a flash of lightning and the sound of thunder, her arm reaching back to signal Arturia to halt.

“Hear that?”

“Hm?”

“Sounded like a scream. Let’s go see.”

Arturia hesitated, stopping where she stood, thinking to issue another concern. “I-I-I don’t really–”

“Let’s gooo!” The captain cut her off, showing actual annoyance in her voice this time, prompting a swift compliance.

As they trudged along, Flint leaned down and wrapped her arm around Arturia, giving a light squeeze, flashing another toothy grin with her fangs on full display. If this is an attempt to ease things, Arturia thought, it isn’t working. In fact, all it did was incite more nerves, reminding her of why exactly she hated and feared vampires in the first place.

“You scare too easy, kid,” the elder woman spoke up again. “You gotcher concerns an’ everything, but remember, you asked for help to find yer friend. An’ since Andrew Murray passed, there’s only one captain in this crew. ‘sides…” She stood upright. “We’re pirates. We walk, ride, we live on the wild side. An’ we laugh in the face of danger! Hahahaha!” Casting her arms into the air, she let out a hearty, resounding laugh. Soon after, the voices of crew members echoed in the distance. But aside from that, something else happened.

Danger laughed back.

There came a more lasting laughter, closer, as if right around them. In the dark of the forest, Arturia didn’t see until they were within the same area. A group of what appeared to be…bipedal hyenas, and oddly garbed, emerged, giggling their hearts out. Captain Flint and Arturia stopped. The hyenas continued cackling, forming a circle around the two. Sometime later, the area fell silent, save for the soft patter of raindrops, and they all stood eyeing one another for what felt like entirely too long. In an almost reassuring gesture, the pirate queen whispered a light remark at the timid demon. “You are uneasy. You have never sailed with me before. I see.” All the while, she merely continued smiling. Finally, one of the hyenas spoke up.

"Well, well, w—!"

CRACK! BANG!

Thunder cracked and a gunshot rang out. And, simultaneously, quicker than any in the area could cognize, Captain Flint had crossed the distance and now had her hand thrust clear through the chest of the now dying hyena, another to her side dropping with the bang of her pistol. Understanding this signal clear as day, Arturia’s claws extended and she prepared for swift defence against the now aggressing enemy.