---

---

Sabine was a fae? Leah thought she was Inhuman. Was she fucking born here, on some far away piece of the world and only just now learning about it? Fuck, Leah knew how that felt. It hurt like hell when it happened to her, too. Luna's comments on the situation made her feel a bit less frantic. Ben was Inhuman, and he wasn't convulsing on the ground. So it wasn't a moon people thing, at least. They just had to let her go through the process... However long it took. While Vicky was slowly dying, and while nefarious people prowled the sands. Because of course.

Leah sat the kit Vicky offered up next to her. She ignored Jean-Luc barking up a storm, ignored the others getting their bearings, and focused on the immediate situation. Leah's two runes floated into her palm, and she whispered something into them. They stacked over each other and the glyph appeared again. The magic energy that coated Sabine was a little brighter, the awful pain she was an extra step diminished.

"That's about the best I can do right now," Leah told her, gently. She leaned back on one knee, rolling the two stones around in her hand. Would the Wreath help? Whatever was happening to her didn't quite seem like damage, just a change.

"If some of you are going, I'll stay here for defense." Leah laid Sjafnamarr on the ground beside Sabine, out of the way so she didn't roll over the massive blade and slice herself. With her free hand, Leah felt the sand underneath them. It was warm, and felt familiar enough to work with. She clamped a fist around the sand, it shifted under everyone's feet. Twenty feet away, in every direction, it climbed over itself and formed circular walls, until they were twenty feet high. Directly in front of them, a door opened wide enough for two people to walk through at once. It faced the crawling structure off in the distance.

The dome solidified into sandstone, the exterior dim on the inside.

"Now we have cover to hide in. We'll probably be hard to spot that far away. If Danni goes, he can make a fire to signal us after he gets their attention, and maybe Andy can shoot a bolt up so we don't lost anyone. Unless Sabine and Vicky can use their connection to find each other, but we don't want to push either of them right now. Chase, you can probably find us quicker than Percy if you can lock onto someone's shadow. I have no idea if Dorian can get in and out of the Astral from here... If we get swarmed, I can close the door." She looked at everyone gathered around. Splitting up was objectively a risky idea, but it wouldn't do to move Sabine or even abandon her.

"Stay together and be damn sure you don't lean too hard on any one person. Just like the Contest… Luna, here-" Leah reached into her bag and withdrew one of the pieces of her collection that she brought with her. A grey, hexagonal pyramid no larger than a baseball. There were geometric lines running across its surface, as if it had been used to practice manipulation of mineral structures.

She sat it down between her and the other girl.

”It’s Magnetite. If the dwarves need to be paid off to help us, give them that.” And with that, she grabbed her seven foot-sword again, pocketed her runes, and stood guard right outside the entrance.

---

---

Bandits.

In Marlena's unprofessional opinion, she preferred Luna's idea of forming a circle over turtling up. It made sense to not be exposed, but she wasn't going to fight anybody. If Sandbenders from The Last Airbender showed up ready to rob them of their dragon companion, then Marlena was of a mind to just scatter the group to the four winds. The dome that Leah put over them was useful, though. Even as the sun was going down. Marlena couldn't bring herself to watch Sabine's body reshape itself. It'd be nice if she could do something, but she didn't have healing spells. The Story Magic that dictated how things went seemed capable of changing a person physically, considering the fact that Percy had cat ears. What purpose did it serve to subject somebody to this? Was she being retconned into being a fae? When they went home, would she be back to normal?

”I’ll go,” She decided. ”I can’t fight, but I can probably reason with the dwarves in that mountain. And, I think…”

She tossed her board out in front of her. It didn’t hit the sand, instead floating a few inches above it. Marlena’s telekinetic power kept it there, and it was difficult to see her grin in the dim light.

”Cool.” She stepped on it, and to her surprise, it didn’t knock her off. She floated towards one of the walls of the sandstone beachhead that Leah made, standing on the board. ”I’m mobile. I can get around okay like this, I think. If anyone’s stalking us, maybe I can fly higher and call it out. How long can we afford to stay here?”

The prospect of a fight with bandits while she was in another universe made her nervous. Were they magical bandits? Were they werewolves, vampires, some other fantastical creature? And how many of them were there? Marlena didn’t want to fight anyone.

---

---

---

Sabine's body felt like it wanted to break out of its shell, like a butterfly exiting the cocoon that had kept them safe. She could hear the others talking, but the pain was making her head swim and she could not pinpoint if any of them were concerned for her or for their situation. She could feel some warmth spread through her as the pain became a bit more manageable, the others obviously doing what they could to ease her suffering.

And then, all at once, it stopped. The pain was gone and, in its stead, was a sense of peace. Of bliss. It was as if the pain was a roadmap and she had reached her destination, the hardships overtaken by pleasure.

Sabine took a beat to ensure she was okay and that she was no longer dying. Once she was sure she would be fine to move, she tried to stand up, only to feel her legs buckle, and she fell over. Did the pain weaken her? She looked around and felt something moving behind her. She glanced back as a quick flicker of pink mixed with shimmer swept in her gaze. She kept looking and, sure enough, it came back. She could feel it now, connected to her as an extension of herself.

Sabine had fucking wings!

She stood up again, getting a sense of it. Her body felt the same, but was definitely different. To those who could see her, Sabine's eyes were now pink, the same color as her wings. Her ears were pointed and elongated. Her limbs had grown. And her hair now shimmered in the light. Sabine took a step forward and found herself nearly falling again. Whatever metamorphosis she had experienced had now changed her body. What was it Luna had said? Fae? She was...fae?

Sabine wanted to deny the reality, but it was clear that something was different with her. But...why? She was inhuman, wasn't she? It explained her powers. If she was fae, then that meant.....her mother was here for a reason.

"Well, that's going to take some getting used to." She looked at the others, both to keep herself calm as well as to ensure she was okay. And at least she was. Vicky was another matter. "I don't think I am in the best shape to be moving around, so I'll stay back and help as needed, but...yeah I have some things to get used to and know how to use. We can discuss and also freak out after we are safe."

Danni had expelled himself and Amelie was...fucking huge now. Jean-Luc was being taken care of and seemed content now. And all of this was chaos incarnate. Also..."Wait....Percy is a catboy now?!?"

---

---

---

Things were quickly spiraling as some of them rushed to help Sabine out with whatever the chick was going through. Fairy puberty by the sounds of it. At least they had someone here familiar with all of this. But to think of of them was fae. Did it make sense? No. But then again, they just used a mushroom circle to transport to some world where they could barter with shiny rocks and saying thank you might mean you give up your firstborn child.

Millie's head was swimming, but at least she held her breakfast.

She walked over to Danni, offering a comforting hand on his back. "You okay, cuz? If you need a moment, then take one." Even though the threats of everything seemed to be buckling down on them, it would not do them any good to have multiple people having medical or mental crises.

Sabine had stopped screaming and stood up only to faceplant. Millicent got a good look now. The girl had shifted all right. She now had a set of beautiful wings along with a shiny makeover in the vein of her hair catching the light and fucking sparkling. She looked taller now, too. Sabine was definitely not human anymore, if she ever was. "So, is this a permanent change then? Like, if she goes back to our world, will the wings still be there, or is there going to be another painful shift back?" Millicent didn't know if she would be as strong.

Vicky needed the immediate attention now, and it sounded like the group would be separating, which made sense even if her gut instinct was to not to split the party. That often did not go well. "If we are splitting the group, I'll go with the others who are heading out. I may not have experience fighting actual people, but my aunts and uncles did train me. I can hold my own if need be." Millicnet put a pin in all of the other questions she had that could be asked when they were safe, like why was Danni's dragon so big now, why was there a giant moving mountain, and WHY was Percy a cat?

Sabine hadn't thought of it that way when Millicent mentioned going back. Would she have to go through the painful process again? She could feel pressure building up in her chest, and her breath hitched. And then she felt like...something inside of her yearned to burst through, to manifest in matter.

And in front of her, from the literal sand, a vine bashed through. The vine itself was covered in thorns, and it wrapped itself around Andy, Chase, and Marlena and began to tighten and constrict.

Sabine nearly fell back again as this...thing emanated in front of her. She did not have plant powers. And yet, she felt connected to the thorny vine as if it were an extension of herself. "Shit!" she said as she tried to will herself to pull the vine back, to stop it from harming her friends. She reached out mentally and, to her surprise, emotionally, and felt the connection. She managed to gain some semblance of control, and the vine released Andy and Chase, but still wound itself around Marlena. Much as she tried, she couldn't stop it. "I'm sorry, I can't stop it. I don't know what's happening!"

---

---

Everyone kept telling them that they couldn’t move Sabine, they couldn’t touch Sabine, and Dorian was already agitated with the fact that he was helpless to help in this situation. The constant reminders pushing him more and more to want to call for action in some capacity. Glimpse stated she was blooming, changing into a fae and couldn’t be tampered with while they did so. She also said that the mountain was their destination and that Vicky needed the aid of the people there, yet Sabine couldn’t move, but Vicky was dying, all of it felt like the world's worst trolley problem, and Dorian had always been one to try and find the smart ass solution to it where no one dies in the end. ”I’m with Perce on t’is one. We’re gonna ‘ave to split the party if we want to ‘elp everyone ‘ere. Beanie can’t move and Vicky needs our ‘elp as well. We can’t just sit and wait and see ‘ow long eit’er of t’em can last.” He watched as Leah poured more magic into Sabine, helping to ease the pain as best she could. His heart sank slightly at the touching sight. The ways in which Leah had grown as a person, the way in which she was so caring and protective now with her skills. She learned magic and used it to help aid others, no blasting spells or things to harm, just things to take care of those she loved. Dorian was surrounded by magical tutors and friends, and yet here he was without a single spell in hand to help anyone here. He clenched his teeth as he tried not to think about it, walls coming up and surrounding them as shade overtook the area and blocked out the sinking Sun. Dorian blinked, then realized it was Leah at work once again, preparing them for the worst of it.

Chase spoke up, offering his two cents into all of this, acting as if he knew everybody and was so sure of everything they could do. Dorians teeth found purchase onto his cheek as he tried hard not to say anything, before finally sighing and rolling his eyes as he made his way over towards Marlena, trying to ignore the commands that Chase was giving, and the paper he’d given to Vicky. He would ask about it later, but for now he was ready to head out. Dorian looked over at Marlena, nodding as they mentioned they were ready to head out. He wasn't about to leave Percy alone with his former bully however, so he grabbed Percy's hand before looking pointedly at Chase. ”Percy is mote t'an capable of decidin’ if ‘e wants to go or stay. And ofcourse ‘e's gonna be comin’ wit’ me.” The same shimmer of telekinetic energy that had wrapped Percy many times before, now enveloped him again as Dorian used it to lift the pair and make his way out of the construct that Leah had made. Flying out towards the mountain that was wandering the desert. ”T'e nerve.”

---

---

Chase would have to explain the names and meanings to Andy some other time. Maybe once they were all settled down and turning in for the night, he could finally decided to answer her question. He’d lie to some extent of course, telling her that they were the names of Knights from Ben’s kingdom that he had once employed, and that Kay was a bully all the same as he was a knight. How she would take it would be up to her, but he didn’t exactly care at the moment. If anything, it was all just a bit to him, and one he’d run into the ground until he found diamonds. She did however have some sense to ask the one person here who might know of what was happening, what's happening. Turned out being alive wasn’t the only thing that Sabine's mother was keeping from her. She was fae as well…unless her father was somehow the fae and a bug person fucked a fae person and made a fae bug…probable. He’d have to ask Sabine or her mother later somehow. Beyond all that Avalon was 100% real and he was cheesing over it big time. He could actually meet some of the Knights, or Arthur or Merlin! He could walked the storied halls that he’d spent so much time in his life looking into. What’s more, he could tell Glimpse to stick it and that they’d still use the names he chose because people can share names it wasn’t weird. Besides, perhaps pulling up into towns with names that fit a story would work better than some random names they could come up with on the fly. What? Was he supposed to try and call Andy ‘Elvira’ now? Absolutely not. Walls began to form around them, and Chase turned to look at Leah, before letting out a breath of relief when he’d seen how large she made the space. They could do with losing a few people inside of it though to help relieve a bit more so that Ben wouldn’t feel all too confined. Watching her, he saw more similarities between themselves, and he realized that this asshat may actually have a type. He hated that.

”Like I said. Don’t move unless you know what's going on. And what's going on is that we should most definitely not move her. So, here’s the game plan. Percival's right, we need to split the group up to divide and conquer. April (They/Themue aka the Laddy of the Lake), Percival, Leah (Lancelot), Ben (Galahad), Gideon (Bedivere) and I should all hang back. Everyone else should go forth and try and get to the walking mountain. Get the help of those there and see why the story needed Vicky to get there. Do Not use your real names while there.” Chase rummaged through his pack and found that his notebook and art supplies hadn’t been tampered with. He wrote down everyone's listed codenames next to their real names on a piece of paper and handed it to Vicky. Inscribed on it was ‘Andy - Kay, Danni- Gawain, Vicky - Isolde, Dorian - Emrys, Marlena - Bors, Millie - Lionel, and Glimpse - Tristan.’ ”Keep your names and the names of your teammates memorized. From what I've read the fae hate when they find out they’re the ones who have been tricked or lied to. All of you listed can fly in some way shape or form. So…fly you fools! And seek help.” Chase unclipped his skateboard from the back of his bag, tossing it over towards Andy. ”Board means more to me than you know, so dont fuck it up. You can use your lightning powers to fly with it yeah?” He didn't know a lot about heroes or villains or what classified a mutant or not. But he did know science, it was how he was able to get into the school he attended before AA. His grades waved the fees and allowed him to stay so long as he maintained his GPA. Lightning was basically one big electromagnetic phenomenon, and that same phenomenon is what was used for high speed rails and hover tech, electromagnetism. So if sparky could have enough of an imagination then perhaps she could use his board to fly with the rest.

Dorian had flown out alongside Percy, Chase figured the motherfucker was clingy as hell. That or he just really hated him. He wasn't going to sit around and worry about it though, not when things were finally deciding to look up as Sabine's screaming subsided and her form finally took shape. ”Bug people…” Chase offered quietly to himself in awe as he immediately began to poke Ben's back to see if he was going to be growing wings anytime soon. His investigation turned up nothing, save for a thorny vine that erupted from the ground and wrapped itself around Chase. Apparently her form change came with new powers, great. ”Love the new look, but I usually like a date and food before I'm tied up and whipped.” The plant didn't last long however as Sabine managed to wrangle it back and Chase took in a deep breath, noting Marlena was still entangled. He tried to use the shadows formed from the dome to free Marlena, but they barely budged an inch around her. ”Huh…maybe if I try something smaller…” He spotted Millie comforting Danni as he puked up chunks, deciding that he didn't want or need that here especially in a closed location, so he tried to move the shadows around the spew. They swallowed the vomit and vanished, but as to where he wasn't sure. The location he'd originally tried for was blocked by some form of defenses, but it wasn't here and that was all that mattered. ”So you're like…what? Double bug now?”

---

"Legs are good!“ Victoria called out to Chase happily.

Biting her cheek about the lack of defensive elements on Leah's structure and trying to pay a place called Everforge with what amounted to iron ore, she looked Marlena's way. "I'd stay low. If they're used to hiding in the dunes, they'll see you long before you see them. But they can't see you behind another dune. The means of survival have an order: Don't be there, followed by don't be seen, don't be acquired, don't be hit, don't be wounded and ending with don't be killed."

Seeing no change in Sabine, she quickly pulled the bracelet off and pocketed it. Then it happened. Wings. Victoria wasn't gobsmacked easily, but on this occasion her jaw hung a little loose. Suddenly her seeming ten years older for no reason didn't seem relevant. And they look pretty too...

Fortunately, Luna found a legit sounding reason to not use the names Chase dished out. She didn't want to break his spirit early on, but she absolutely hated Isolde. It sounded like someone's favorite aunt. What, was Matilda taken?

As she listened to Chase list out his proposals for fake identities again and read the paper he gave her, she frowned. Victoria walked over to him, tapped his shoulder to get his attention, and nodded towards the exit of the hut, leading them out so they could have a private chat.

"I noticed the distinct lack of arthurian name when you referred to yourself. By process of elimination I can only conclude that you think of yourself as Mordred... Aren't you trying a little bit too hard to put Jello's vision into existence?“

She gave him a look that was both an amused smirk and an annoyed glare. "Get a clue, clownie. This whole mission is about sticking it to an organization that ordains how people's lives should happen. If I had the time to embroil mission patches before we left, they would include the TVA logo, a raised middle finger, and the tag line would be 'Fuck destiny'. So do your part and don't submit to it, hm?"

She sighed, looking at the sunset. "Look, I have you on my radar for all of three days, and already I think you are one of the most rational and agreeable people of this lot. I kinda consider that rare and I would so hate for this subset of people to be growing smaller."

Then she chuckled. "Besides, if I hate something in stories, it is repetition and copycats. Take it from someone who had the control of her body taken away on multiple occasions: Shit gets old real quick."

"Now, you weren't there for it, but we've already had a traitor in our midst story with Arcade. And from what I've seen so far, I don't peg you for someone who wants their story to be a sloppy second."

Victoria's eyes turned back to meet his. "Basically... Don't be that guy. So could I ask you for a favor? Next time we meet, have a different name for yourself. I'll be eagerly awaiting the introduction." she gave him a final smile, pat on the back, and went to pack her stuff up for the trip.

"I think I'll risk a flight. I don't know how fast this will progress, so there's a non-zero chance of me falling out of the sky, and it will take a chunk out of my power reserve, but I think crashing closer to the mountain is preferrable to safely malfunctioning further out." none of the options sounded good to be honest, but her armor and shell survived being slammed around like a ragdoll by Rada into a concrete wall, so taking a high speed tumble into soft sand was something she was willing to chance. "I'm banking on a place called Everforge having enough waste heat to give me a charge boost once I'm there."

Then she addressed the last risk item on her list. "If I'm not in a state to bargain for myself once we get there..." she brought up, tearing two pieces of paper of her own and writing something on them, before handing them in Luna's and Marlena's directions, "These are my top limits unless anyone else wishes to chip in on my behalf. Past that, I'd ask to change the request to being sent back home, if that's viable."

So much was happening and Danni had so little attention, doubly less when he was trembling at the knees and groaning as a kind hand rubbed his back. His stomach was still shaky and honestly, Danni couldn’t be mad as he finally opened his eyes. Bones under skin… Danni felt his stomach rumble uneasily again and he chased that thought away. “God, t’at was awful. T’ats a terrible way ta start an adventure. T’anks, illi-pede.” Danni muttered as the shadows washed all of his retching away. Danni winced as he pushed himself up again and his stomach protested the movement, but now was not the time for a weak stomach. Vicky and Chase were outside doing something so he couldn’t thank him for the whole clean up crew. “Okay, okay, what was goin’ on now? I was ‘eadin’ ta Dee for somet’in’... Oye, where did t’e sky go? When did we make a dome? I def t’ought all t’at rumblin’ was just me tummy bein’ all upsetti and t’e shakin’ just me, but dan’ t’is is kinda cool yeah know? It’s like a super secret ‘ideout. And like, who is gunna see us in t’is place? We’re gunna look like a rock like all t’e ot’er rocks, yeah? 10/10, would recommend one rocky gal for t’e smartest person award!”

He gasped. Beanie. Had. Wings. Danni helped himself to Beanie’s personal space in half a heart beat, snuggling in close as he poked and prodded at the wings. “T’ese are so cool. Pleaaaaaase tell me you’re gunna keep ‘em after all t’is? I love t’ese. T’ough I don’t t’ink I would want ta rock t’em, I’m ‘appy wit’ t’e fire and t’e flames, but do ya know what t’is means, do ya know what t’is means?! Fly dates! We can go flyin’ taget’er now! Omg, Beanie. Just listen ta me. Ya know ‘ow we ‘an’gout and we like ta dance when t’in’s get like, stressi spaghetti, yeah? Just imagine we do bot’. T’ink of t’e photos. Omg, we can dance for fun and frame it wit’ t’e moon when it’s really big and get photos of it! Oh! We can actually dance on clouds!” Danni was practically vibrating as he ran his hand down the top edge of the wing and slipped into the slit of her clothes to feel where it connected with the skin. “I’mma manniest t’is for us. T’ese are def gunna stay, specially since t’ey seem ta be fully part o’ ya? Like, I don’t t’ink t’at’s comin’ off tbh. T’at’s def like attached ta somet’in’ in ya. Probs your heart. Mhm mhm mhm.” Danni nodded before he gasped dramnatically again.

“Amelie, baby. You’re so big!” Danni rushed away from Sabine and tackled his dragon, sending them rolling through the sand. Danni cackled wildly as Amelie yelped in surprise at the wrestling, but eagerly matched his energy, until the collided with the side of the dome with a heavy thud. They were quiet for a moment before Danni started howling with laughter and Amelie was slipping out from Danni’s arms and bouncing on him over and over. “Wai- Amelie, no you’re not- OOF- You’re not smal-GOD- Stop please!” Danni couldn’t stop laughing as Amelie kept bouncing up and down on him until he finally wiggled out from under her and tapped her on the nose. She playfully bit at it.

“Okay, you’re not a smol anymore baby girl, t’at’s for sure.” Danni huffed a laugh. He felt around for his bag, realized he dropped them both further away, and sighed as Amelie nose around his pockets for anything to eat. “Don’tcha worry. I brought your treats! You’ll - no, I don’t ‘ave t’em on me. You’re gunna ‘afta wait a second.” Danni snorted at the irritated hiss that Amelie gave at the idea of waiting. “I’ll getcha a treat in a sec and t’en we’ll find somewhere wit’ some AC and a real comfy bed ‘cause I t’ink we deserve t’at after gettin’ tossed t’rough anot’er dimmy. Dang, Eli woulda like t’is place too - hm, do ya t’ink ‘e’s gunna be spicy t’at I didn’t tell ‘im I was comin’ ‘ere? Nah, t’ey’re dealin’ wit’ Vengy stuff, we’ll be back before t’ey even notice.” Danni looked around the dome and frowned.

Now why was there a vine around… “Omg, are t’ere secret plant peeps under t’e ground? Are t’ey ‘ere ta eat ya brains? Omg, girlie I don’t really know, I gotcha, I gotcha. Okay, okay, okay, okay don’t worry. I gotcha. I am an expert at t’e whole fire t’in’y, never once set not’in’ on fire I didn’t want ta.” Danni held up a finger gun and popped his hand, a condensed fireball flying out and burning away the vine. He blew on the tips of his finger and mimed holstering a gun. “See look at t’at. Perf shot, 20/10 would recommend. Oh t’at floaty t’in’ is sups cool! Can ya fly too? Wait, where is Dee? Wait, where’s Spicy? Omg, who is t’e old lady? Did t’ey turn inta a old lady t’is time?! Y’all’s choice of glam is wild. But if ya wanna be old, t'at's on you. Don't gotta flex t'e time powers like t'at. T'ough, def a step up - no mustache. I liek t'at a lot.”

---

---

---

Luna pinched the bridge of her nose. ”I mean, sure. Have more than half of us go to the Everforge and leave the rest back here to defend and protect themselves in a sand structure that does not belong here. That’s not a beacon for anyone around, either. Nope. Not at all.” Luna would have preferred a smaller party to venture to entreat with the dwarves. For the danger is likely to be greater in the middle of this desert.

Luna accepted the stone and paper from Leah and Victoria, respectively. She pocketed both items. ”I will do the negotiating with my friend. Perhaps she will let me cash in a favour. The rest of you, don’t die. And Chase, if you call me Tristan, I will punch you. Use Glimpse or Luna. I am known here. My name is not as powerful as my former title was.” She walked out of the small doorway, nodding at Leah. ”Have fun. Hopefully, we won’t be long.”

She watched Dorian and Percy fly away. Without the others. ”Bloody fucking idiots,” Luna cursed. ”Oi! If we’re going, we go now. Or those two are going to be the ones negotiating,” Luna called back to the rest of the leaving party.

---

---

---

---

“I’m not leaving Sabine if she’s hurt. I have actual first aid training.” Andy hadn’t taken as much opportunity to learn from the direct brain downloads on Genosha as she wished she had. However, First Aid had been one of the things she had learned. Andy closed her eyes. The screaming from Sabine and the thought of Genosha brought up horrible memories of the attack. Of the bodies and death that had followed. Danni had been adopted by Casper and James after that attack. His bio parents had died that day, She didn’t even know who they had been. She took a deep breath.

Chase tossed her his board. She stared at him for a moment, processing what the fuck he was saying. She turned the board over. There wasn’t a lot of metal on it. She wasn’t actually Magneto’s daughter, just adopted. Her ability with lightning and metal had been tested. She had for a moment in a training fight with Magneto caused him to lose some control over the metal he was using. So she knew it was possible. Usually she didn’t use her lighting to cause metal to fly. Her experience with it had been to use it as a channel to expand her range.

“I can’t promise that I won’t damage the board. I’ve never used my lightning to fly. I know I can control metal, but Magneto may be my father, but he adopted me. If this board means that much to you... I think it would be best if I didn’t experiment with it.”

"Yeah I dunno who this Mags guy is, but your parentage doesn't determine what you can or can't do. You determine that. Aaaaand for right now, me too. You got this, just...try not to fuck it up." Chase was insisting though. She sighed. She’d give it a try. A part of her was amused that Chase didn’t know who Magneto was. During her youth, prior to the time travel, he was the big bad. Everyone had been afraid of him.

Andy was grateful she had put away her mug of coffee. It would have made a big mess, even covered when Sabine picked her up with her plant tentacle arm things. Thorns digging in but not breaking the skin. Well at least she wasn’t screaming anymore. The dome had really made the screaming unbearable... and the memories hadn’t helped.

“Sabine... you look... fly af.” Andy cracked a huge smile. The phrasing was older than her. “Though I don’t think we need to split the party now.”

Sabine let her go, and she took a couple steps back. Not particularly wanting to get pulled in again. “Do you think you could walk?” Sabine did seem a little bit like a fresh born calf with how she was walking now. Sabine expressed that she didn’t want to move around. Andy thought it might be good for her, but she wasn’t going to push it.

Why the fuck is Dorian acting like that? Danni had burned away the vines that had still held Marlena. Andy watched Sabine to see if she looked like that hurt her. It seemed like it hadn’t hurt her, which was good.

Part of the group, Dorian and Percy had been the first ones to leave, and several others were leaving. She sighed. She should stay with Victoria if she were now in the most danger. If anything she could send some electricity into Victoria’s chassis to help with her charge. “I probably should stay with Victoria as I can give her a boost if she needs extra power.”

She looked to Chase one more time. “You sure? Like really sure?” He continued to insist. She shook her head. Fine. Andy spent a moment examining the board again. This might be easier if she took off her boots, but she was not going to do that. She had channeled her lightning through her feet before, even with shoes. Andy stood on the board. She had never actually used a skateboard before. Well that wasn’t totally true. She had a couple of times back in Foster care. A million years ago, at least that is how it felt. But, she wasn’t riding it like that so she wasn’t too worried. She thought about the practice fight with Magneto and how she had felt when the metal had stopped moving because of her. She thought of the rail gun her and Mary Sue had made. Andy frowned and let the electricity that lived inside her, always on the edge of her awareness spread out. Maintaining it was a bit different, but she had had practice with that with her sword. There was a cracking sound. She winced. She could see fractals burned into the board. Chase had insisted. At least it didn’t shatter. She would have felt bad about that.

Now how the fuck was she supposed to fly? Well, she could control lightning. Not easy, but she could. So she mentally lifted it. Andy had always used metal to control how the lightning moved. That was why she wore the jacket she used to wear all the time. That’s why she had the gloves or the sword as mediums for the lighting. This was just a different medium.

The lightning obeyed. The board with it. Fuck. Okay. This could be cool. Holy shit. Andy pushed and pulled and followed after the others toward Everforge.

---

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Ben was relieved he wasn’t the one who had been messed up. It sucked to be wrong, but April seemed fine clearing it up. He nodded. “Thanks, sorry.” He wasn’t sure why he was apologizing but it felt like the right thing to do.

There wasn’t much he could do about Sabine and he felt bad about that. He wished he could help, but unless she wanted to be swarmed by insects.... “Bloody hell, April are you okay? Did the heat get to you?” He wasn’t sure why she almost passed out just standing there after making the binoculars for Chase, but he hoped it wasn’t the desert. They’d be in even more trouble if another of their group couldn’t handle the Otherworld.

Suddenly they were in the shade. Ben froze for a moment as he took stock of what had just happened. It seemed Leah had pulled an April but with stone instead of Ice. At least there was two obvious exits. The one at the top of the dome and an actual opening on the ground. He moved closer to the ‘door’. The space was big and with the clear and obvious exit that Ben could reach, he was able to keep the panic that rose at first at bay.

Sabine stopped screaming. That was a relief. Especially now that they were in an enclosed space. He looked over and saw that she now had wings. Andy, Chase and Marlena were all near her, and vines whipped out and grabbed all three of them. Sabine was able to control it enough to let go of Andy and Chase, which with as little as he knew about Andy was probably a good idea. Marlena was still wrapped up. Ben went to try to help Chase pull her free, but Danni sent a blast of fire, he backed up quickly to avoid getting caught up in the backsplash.

“Seriously, we aren’t bugs.” Ben sighed. He still didn’t completely understand how that idea had become the main theory about Inhumans. He also was starting to think Sabine wasn’t an Inhuman. If this was some secondary metamorphosis, like his uncle had gone through, that was really weird because there was no Mist here. She also didn’t go into the pod thing that helped facilitate the transformation. He made a mental note to ask her about how she got her first power.

Victoria, who did in fact look like whatever was wrong with her had aged her like twenty years, pulled Chase aside to talk to him. Ben wanted to listen in, but instead he took up his position by the ‘door’ again. He took a moment to look around and assess - Amelie, oh shit she’s huge! He stared. How? What the fuck?

Half the group was starting to leave. Those that either of their own volition or that Chase had suggested to go. Luna... Glimpse? Both names sounded fake so he didn’t think it mattered which he used. Glimpse had said, sarcastically, that it wasn’t a good idea to split them, and now that Sabine was... better? They probably didn’t have to split the group. He also didn’t feel too upset about staying. Though he was curious about Everforge, and why it was so important for Victoria to go there.

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Percy paused as their surroundings shifted, the sand around them slipping and shaking as Leah created a large structure. While it lacked the detail of previous things she had made, it was still impressive - sand was notoriously difficult to manipulate, and with Sabine’s condition and their new location, the ability for Leah to focus through the noise was commendable. The desert they were in wasn’t flat and smooth - it sloped, with dunes and rises. He agreed with Leah - they’d be hard to spot from far away, and if bandits came close enough to see them, they would have found them even without the structure. And with Leah remaining here, she could shift the structure as needed, creating extra features on the fly.

His ear twitched as he was reminded that they’d found a better teleporter already. It had taken him a lot of effort to build his skills up to where he was now, to be able to move the group around great distances, but Leah was right. Chase would be able to find the others faster. They didn’t need him for that anymore.

“We can’t stay here too long. When the sun sets, the temperature will plummet. The shelter will help, but we need wood, coal, or some means of sustaining a fire beyond Danni constantly creating one,” Percy crossed his arms, as he answered Marlena. Her hoverboard, admittedly, looked pretty cool. But it was overshadowed by the end of Sabine’s transformation, as the pain and screaming stopped and she manifested… wings. On some level, he felt relieved. He wasn’t the only one who had changed. Vicky looked like she had forgone her skincare routine and aged a few decades, Sabine was now some form of fae, and he… was a cat boy, a miqo’te for lack of a better explanation. His cheeks reddened as she loudly proclaimed his kitty cat-ness to the others. “Yes, that seems to be the case,” he mumbled.

His suggestion to split into groups was elaborated on by Chase, with a proposed split being that April, Leah, Ben, Gideon, Chase, and Percy remain behind, while the others go on ahead. That… didn’t make complete sense to him, if part of the point was that Sabine wasn’t well enough to travel. Those not selected were mostly those who could travel quickly under their own power - but with Sabine well now, not enough to fly with those brand new wings but no longer in danger, he didn’t know how much the plan was necessary. If anything, one group could go in advance to treat with the mountain, while the other group moved more slowly - and if necessary, could mount a rescue operation should things go poorly. Similarly, he disagreed with Chase’s choice of names - largely because he doubted others in the group (Danni and Gideon) would be able to remember them. “Why don’t we just use our codenames? We’re all accustomed to them in Excelsior.” They’d even managed to largely use them during the Contest of Champions.

Dorian took his hand, and a moment later, familiar energy crawled across his skin. It cut through the small barrier provided by his ring as if it wasn’t there, until Percy felt Dorian’s telekinetic touch all around him. His boyfriend seemed almost hostile though, as he stressed Percy’s name, declared he was capable of deciding what he wanted to do, and then immediately decided for Percy that he was going. He didn’t mind, it was his preference - they were on an adventure, he didn’t want to be stuck behind at camp, not when it was his life ultimately on the line and his powers were useful for quick entrances and escapes. But still, the contradiction stuck out to him as Dorian flew them out of Leah’s structure and up into the setting sky.

He couldn’t blame him, though. The stress he felt around Chase wasn’t just mental, it dwelled in his body - he hadn’t known that his tail had been twitching while Chase spoke, only calming and stilling once they left the dome, hadn’t noticed how his heart rate began to race and now steadied, hadn’t been aware of how each muscle in his body had tensed, braced for a punch that had been thrown a thousand times before. Dorian must have just been worried, afraid that Chase was going to try to hurt Percy if he left him alone.

“I know,” Percy said softly, giving his hand a squeeze. “But I don’t think he wanted to hurt me by having me stay behind. He just likes strategy like you do.”

Dorian hadn’t slowed their flight, but even then, the mountain loomed in the distance. It was the largest mountain he’d ever seen, barren and made of dusty pinks and oranges with no visible vegetation, no signs of life. The legs were easily as tall as Stark Hall if not even taller, and with each step, gigantic clouds of dust were disturbed, small sandstorms generated along its path. The sand rippled around it from the tremors, so that large rings appeared around the footprints, new dunes and hills. It did not stop when the terrain became uneven, did not pause when it encountered rocks or debris - it crushed everything beneath it, flattening out and altering the landscape.

It had created the desert, Percy suspected. And if it found Leah’s structure, it would not alter its course. It would flatten it out, too. “The mountain will crush everyone if it gets close,” he muttered. They needed to be faster, then. So he took a breath, concentrating on the grip on Dorian’s hand, and focused on the mountain. He didn’t know what its interior looked like, but he could see it, he could get them closer - the blue energy built up in his hands, a matching pulse of light in his eyes, Percy felt his grip on time and space loosen, and for the briefest of moments, he could hear the rattling of chains, the indistinct chatter of nervous conversation, could smell the spices of a market place…

And then something repelled him, the energy he called up backfiring, as he and Dorian were blasted apart, and Percy began to plummet, falling from the sky like a rocket to the sand below…

“Dorian!”

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The cave Leah had made for them all was kick-ass - although April did admittedly glance over at Danni and Ben, making sure neither of them were too freaked about it. Danni’s claustrophobia was better thanks to Ser Nemo’s training methods - in their professor’s words, it had been a liability that Danni needed to learn to face. So they weren’t too concerned for their brother, but Ben didn’t have that sort of experience and he hadn’t done well with the ice structure the day before. He seemed okay though, having moved over to the entrance. “Mm, nah, not the heat - I tend to run pretty cold, although I’ve been feeling kinda warm lately, so maybe it actually is the heat?” April shrugged at his question. It was probably just how frightening and disgusting Sabine’s transformation had been.

Not that there was anything frightening and disgusting about her now. She looked… incredible.

April bit their lip. Sabine looked more than incredible. Her hair was sparkling, her eyes were a deep pink, and the wings… God, those wings… They had to force themself to look away, to stop from staring at their ex-girlfriend like they wanted to eat her. She’d already been hot. Now… April swallowed. And tried their best to refocus.

“Marlena is hella good at getting adults to do what she wants - she got Pym eating out of her hand,” Gideon chimed in. “And spooked the hell out of Wanda. So dwarves should be easy.”

April’s eyes flickered back again to Sabine’s wings. They looked so delicate, and the patterns on them were so beautiful, just like a butterfly… How would they feel beneath their fingertips? Would they feel like silk? Could Sabine wrap them around herself and someone else - could she fly with them - could she…

“Erm, yeah, I can stay behind on guard duty!” April was flustered as they dropped their bag to the ground, fishing out the batons and the water bottles. They went to tuck the batons into their pockets, only to find that the outfit was severely lacking in them, so they moved them to be sticking just out of the bag, just in case they ran out of water and the fight was still ongoing. Despite Leah’s ideas about April branching out into blood, they weren’t ready to start experimenting with that. Dorian left with Percy and a moment later, the ground beneath them started to shake. April immediately suspected that it was the mountain - as cool as the dome was, it did mean they couldn’t see where the moving mountain was headed and if it had suddenly decided now was a good time to get into soccer - but thorny vines burst up instead, ensnaring Chase, Marlena, and Andy. Their eyes widened. Were these from the bandits Glimpse had mentioned? Did plants just attack people in Otherworld? Did…

Sabine did this??

April did a double take. Not only was Sabine now a fairy, but she was a fairy capable of tying people up…

Their face turned bright red at some thoughts that entered their mind. Maybe it really was a Papa era. Something was stirring inside of them that hadn’t been there before.

Fortunately Danni had recovered enough to help free Marlena, as April’s brain was fully short circuiting. He’d been able to touch Sabine’s wings. Could they…? Nope. Nope nope nope. Absolutely not. The heat was getting to them. That was all. They cracked open the water bottle designated for drinking and took a swig.

“Erm, Dori and Percy left - went off to the mountain to get help for Vicky. Vicky is… I thought I heard her go outside with Chase, but…” They looked around the room. Chase was here. But Vicky… Vicky was nowhere to be seen.

And there was an old blonde woman they didn’t recognize.

Their eyes widened and immediately, April threw up water around them, little spheres centered on their hands. “Who the hell are you?!” If they didn’t get an immediate answer from the intruder, they were going to blast the hell out of her. Sabine was injured and not everyone in there could fight, and with Percy and Dorian and Glimpse and Andy gone, they weren’t at full strength. April hadn’t fought with the newcomers before, either, so they were only confident in the skills and abilities of Excelsior.

“Isn’t that Glimpse?” Gideon shrugged, but she drew her sword anyway, just in case.

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"Wait-" Leah put a hand out to stop Luna from running off. Looking back through the door, she saw things that stirred several feelings in her. Sabine's hair sparkled now, and she had fucking wings. If it weren't for the fact that it had hurt her so much, Leah might have been awestruck. Her girlfriend just became so much hotter and she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Or what she was feeling. Was Leah into monstrous women now? Probably. Fuck, it probably sucked from Sabine's perspective, though. But then, Leah knew how it felt to suddenly be in a completely different shape one day. They'd talk about it later, surely.

The vines appearing out of sand snapped her out of whatever thoughts she was having, thoughts left as an exercise to the reader. People got grabbed and Danni expertly incinerated the vines to set them free. She was up on her feet and moving now, the transformation was complete. She seemed to have new powers she couldn't control, but that meant they didn't have to be sitting ducks right now.

Good.

"She's stable now, it should be safe to move her. I didn't think that'd be so fast. Get back inside, this just go so much easier. I'm bringing everyone." Leah stomped her foot against she sand, and the dune rumbled. The ground around the dome became a solid floor of sandstone, spreading about ten feet further out then the base of the structure, so that the fliers among them could land before walking in. If they so chose. And then the structure began to rise.

"Everybody sit still!" She called inside. "I used to pull this sort of trick all the time!"

The dome and the platform it was fused to rose out of the sand and above the desert, like a spacecraft ready to take flight. It moved so smoothly that it was almost imperceptible to anyone on the inside who wasn't paying attention.

Leah exhaled slowly, and then knelt down to touch the floor with one hand. "Never was a fan of this, but now that those two can both move, it's safer." The structure moved through the air, slow at first, as Leah got a feel for the way this world's sand responded to her powers. It was earth, but it wasn't the Earth, and so she wanted to play it safe. No fancy palisades or crenelations beyond a solid dome. Still, this was functional, and she was almost surprised she got it to work.

They were all flying. Everyone taking shelter was now airborne, and covering ground from above. The dome picked up momentum, and they were on their way.

"If you can fly... Go ahead!" Not all of them could. Sabine surely couldn't with wings that new, she didn't trust Victoria to try, and maybe Luna couldn't either. She'd just let them approach as they wished. If they wanted to check on Sabine and Vicky inside, then great. If not, then that was fine too.

"Do what you've got to do," She told Luna. "I'm just going to focus on this."

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Marlena was very grateful that Danni had set her free. She didn't say it aloud though, as she was aghast at what had happened to Sabine. Her new body was Otherworldly. She wobbled in the air as her board caught her before she could hit the now solid sandstone floor. Sabine being able to move under her own power seemed to make things far more cohesive, which was great, but something strange stuck out to her.

"Hey, Sabine... I saw something like this in a book." A book written by someone who signed it as A. Pavon. A book on the autopsy of people with supernatural powers. "It had diagrams of people with wings, a woman like you who was from Avalon... Pretty nasty stuff, but I'll tell you the rest later. I think there's an explanation, for now..." What would she do now? Well, she figured she might as well try and fly off. This situation was making her antsy. The knowledge of that text was ghastly. Several prominent places of study around the world deemed it off-limits, having banned the damn thing.

She hovered around and out the entrance, to where Luna and and their pilot stood. There was a frown on her face. "Something about Sabine's situation's got me antsy- I think I know what just happened to her. I'll stay nearby, but I need to move. Got a bad feeling"

Marlena thumped her left foot against the hovering board and veered around the dome. It was exhilarating to be so high off the ground, and the cool dusk air send a delightful shiver down her back. She could see so much from up here... Even Percy falling through the air.

Wait a minute-

Percy!

Marlena swerved around in the air, nearly slipping off the board. She had to lean more to the sides to account for the board tilting so far left and right now, it was interesting but it'd definitely be a learning curve. She flew towards where she saw Percy falling and stuck a hand out to try and slow him down. Telekinetic energy roiled up inside of her, and... It felt like trying to grab wet soap. He was just falling to fast for her to catch.

"I can't get him! Dorian!"

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After ensuring Danni's breakfast wouldn't make an encore, she stood and waited to see what the travel plans were. While she didn't relish the idea of splitting up, it made sense. Those who could transport themself easily could go onward and see about getting Vicky what she needs. Sabine seemed fine now, though she walked like a newborn baby deer, which was equal parts adorable and concerning. Chase had also given out weird codenames. She wondered what her's was. "Ooooh, what's my codename? I haven't given that much thought back home, but here? Is it something cool and heroic-sounding?"

Sabine's mental state was not in the best place. After her transformation, she didn't think anything else could go wrong. And then she sent out random vines from the ground that attacked her friends. She had managed to get it under control for the most part, save for Marlena. Danni had aided her and Sabine braced for pain, only to find she was okay. So, her vines (if they were even her's which...yeah they had to be right?) did not harm her. Good to know.

All of that was quickly overshadowed by everyone fawning over her. Danni hyped her up, which of course he did. She blushed slightly. "I mean...I'm still getting used to them, but I'd like to, I think? I'm sure they have their use, but I can barely walk at the moment, let alone see if I can fly." Though his energy was infectious. She wondered if she would be able to shift back and forth back home. She hoped so, it would be handy. Andy called her fly af, which made her blush even more. "Yeah, I can walk. It's going to take some getting used to, but I am not immobile. Thank you for the help, Andy."

"Yeah, sorry about that," she told Chase. "Didn't know I could do that. Also didn't know I could sprout wings and all of this, so we're all learning new things. I'd also object to the bug comment but..well.." she drifted off, signaling to her wings.

Leah had taken control which was..oddly very hot. Making a transportable shelter for them, Sabine took the time to relax, finally. Her mind was still whirling with all the new information. So she was fae? Her father definitely wasn't so her mother had to be fully fae. What did that mean overall?

As Sabine spiraled, Millicent waited to see what the others would do. Those that could fly had begun taking off and...leaving her behind. "Hey, what the fuck? I can't fly! I know I AM fly, but that's different in this context!" Luna had also fucked off, ignoring her question about Sabine's state. Millicent flung her arms up, giving up. "Guess I'll be here with you all. Let me know if either of you are in pain. I can make something happen as well."

Sabine shook her head. "The pain is completely gone. Like it never happened. I feel...good. Weird, but good." She also liked this new attention. "Is..." Sabine began to ask when April summoned some water, staring down someone. While everyone's appearance changed more in their clothing (Sabine being the exception), Vicky had changed more. Why was April staring her down?

Millicent gazed over to see April square up, and Millicent noticed a new blonde woman. How did they get here? Millicent sidled over, preparing to unleash her own hell on this new person. "You heard her. State your name and business."

Sabine was exhausted at this point. "Guys, it's Vicky." Sabine didn't think she would have to convince her friends of that. "You didn't think Vicky being an android would be drastically different over here? So maybe turn down the active combat stance."

Sabine maneuvered herself over to Leah, not wanting to disrupt her concentration. "You know, that hair is a real turn on." Okay, maybe she did want to disrupt her.

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Whatever it was that was going on inside of Andy’s head when he tossed his board towards her, Chase didn’t know. All he could tell was that she was clearly nervous about even trying to do this feat of flight, especially with his own board. When she finally spoke, telling him she was worried about damaging his board as she experimented with it, Chase couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He understood the risks, and while the board meant a great deal to him, so did helping Sabine. Though it seemed that she was starting to calm down a bit, he still would rather a native look at her condition to see what exactly is going on with this damned story. Beyond that…omelettes and all that. He still remembered when he tried experimenting a bit, though his was meant to be less dangerous, a small push on a small boy against the shower walls, the panic attack that ensued after wasn’t expected, but without that they wouldn’t have been able to grow past where they are now. Sometimes eggs needed to be broken, sometimes you had to risk your favorite possession to help another. It happens. "Yeah I dunno who this Mags guy is, but your parentage doesn't determine what you can or can't do. You determine that. Aaaaand for right now, me too. You got this, just...try not to fuck it up." Once he said his piece, he walked away, taking away the choice for Andy to give him back his board immediately and chicken out, besides, it appeared another resident of the stands had wanted to talk to him. Vicky tapped him on his shoulder, a quiet hm escaping him as he turned to see the now older blonde woman gesturing towards the outside of the structure for a private chat. What was it with these people and talking privately? Every one of them seemed to want a one on one when they could simply speak to each other amongst the room.

He did agree however, following her towards the exit of the structure before she began to…chastise him? Chase wasn’t exactly sure what to call it. It felt like the same form of concern that Ben had shown for him a few times since they’d met, with equal parts disappointment if he were to guess as well. He couldn’t help but smirk as she spoke to him, trying so hard to hide his smile as he rolled his eyes and averted his gaze to the horizon and those that had already lifted off. If there’s one thing I hate, it's copycats. Chase tried to choke back a laugh, if only she knew how on the nose she was already. His entire existence from his experimentation downwards was made in the shadow of the one who made this dome that they currently resided in. But she was right. ”Please, you don’t have to worry about me ok? I am one hundo an original. If I become a villain and turn against you guys, it’ll be in a much better way than that Cadie ever did. Guarantee it. But…I get your drift, so no worries I’ll…think on it.” Chase knew Ben would appreciate the change in name as well. Danni’s voice cut out through the conversation behind them, not like it was difficult given that the structure was a perfect echo chamber for his already naturally loud voice. ”Those two went flyin off towards the Mountain. Figure other’s are gonna foll–” Luna/Glimpse began to state their disagreements with the way things were already working. ”Oh please, I beg you to punch me. I’ve been dying for a feeling of home. Maybe I’ll be able to tell who you hit more like, my mother or my father. But if you have a problem with how things are being done around here then overy up and take charge. It’s your realm, your world, but not your rules you got it? Don’t toss out vague plans expecting others to follow what you’re thinking. Give the deets or don’t complain. You wanted a party to go and stay, fine, but those who were meant to stay and protect are the best equipped to do so, and those that left were the ones able to get there the quickest. I’d move us all through shadows but I can’t. Their fortress has a barrier keeping teleporters out, I tested it already with Danni’s vomit. It’s part of why I wanted Percival to stay behind, because his powers wont work against them right now. So do me a favour, Chase reached into his bag and pulled out a rainbow colored lollipop that was shaped like a dick. ”Eat a dick and calm down.” He exhaled, clearly annoyed as he began to make his way back inside. Looking at April with a flat look of annoyance. ”Power down Katara, it’s just Vicky. How did you guys ever win the Contest is beyond me.”

The ground began to solidify beneath their feet, sand hardening as Leah started to make the structure ready for movement, it started to slide, slipping against the sand before finally the sound of sloshing stopped and the only open doorway showed what looked to be the clear sky ahead. They were flying, on a rock, with no windows, and one door. Chase felt unsteady, he looked towards Ben worried about what this might do. The space was still large, but now there was barely any escape for them. ”Sorry Millie, I uh…don’t actually know what your powers are at all. I just figured it was a 50/50 shot that you could fly some way shape or form. Buuuut I can answer what your codename is. It was Lionel, one of the more favoured and famous Knights of his time.” Chase hated that they were flying blind. There was no way shape or form that Leah could see where she was going, especially with no earth to navigate herself with via contact. He took in a deep breath, trying to steady himself for something larger than he had ever made before. ”Sis, I’m about to take control of this ship ok? We cannot be flying blind like this but we also can't risk you losing control mid flight to give us a few windows. So…I’m gonna take the reigns, you work on the windows and I’ll work on getting us there.” Chase placed his hands down onto the floor of the structure, pulling the shadows from beneath it up to meet the bottom as the shadows from within began to pool out from the only opening and coat the underside of the dome. A pair of large shadowy chicken legs formed, adhering itself to the rocky hovel and they began to sprint full speed ahead on a collision coarse with the very mountain they had been trying to get to. Chase wasn’t about to admit he lost control of the construct, how could he? He didn’t even know where they were going because they were blind. ”Windows! We need windows before we crash into something blindly. Fuck man, how the hell did you plan to fly this thing without any visuals?”

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Andy had done some flying over winter break on the Aurora. It had been a blast. She had fallen and thought she was going to die. Thought she was going to break her back or skull. But between the soft snow and whatever her body was doing now that made it so she didn’t take damage like she used to. It had in a way been a nice exchange from the Vampirism.

This was a slightly different experience. She was learning how to control the board using her electricity. She could manipulate the lightning. It wasn’t the board she controlled, but since she was using the metal in the board as a focus it worked. She was definitely going to do this more. But... maybe not with Chase’s skate board.

Andy didn’t know exactly what happened but she saw Percy plummeting. Marlena yelled that she couldn’t reach him. Andy pushed, the electricity in her sparking as she dove for him. Andy grabbed Percy out of the air.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry.” The electricity was no longer going. Partially Andy had been more focused on catching Percy and partially she did not want to electrocute him. She couldn’t get it going again. Fuck. “Sorry!” Andy rotated, not unlike a cat, putting herself between Percy and the ground. She held the board with one hand and prepared to land into the sand like she had the snow. It would hurt, but at least it wouldn’t be cold.

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Victoria is an android? He didn’t know much about the ones who weren’t in the Contest. Really he didn’t even know all that much about the ones who were in the Contest, except for what Danni had told him. He trusted Danni had been honest with him, he just didn’t always have the clearest and most succinct explanations. Ben was getting used to them. Sometimes he had to ask a couple of times to get everything, but he had to know what to ask. He definitely hadn’t known to ask if anyone in the group was an android.

Leah was standing just outside the dome she had made. She lifted the whole structure up, and then some, and started flying it! Ben grabbed the door frame, he was grinning madly as they rocketed across the desert. He was in his own way an adrenaline-phile. Heights had never bothered him. He respected gravity, but he wasn’t afraid of leaping between structures. This was a new experience and it was bloody awesome!

Chase was yelling about them careening blindly. Ben frowned and looked at him confused. Leah was literally right there, looking where they were going. He was about to correct Chase in his misassumption when Chase did something with shadows to make them actually start speeding about blindly!

“Chase! Get over here at the door! We can see where we are going!” He gestured with his free hand at where Leah was standing near him.

Danni gasped audibly. “Vicky? Is t'at really you?” Beanie and Sauna Boi were def big on stranger danger so like, they had to be tight. His eyes teared up as he gently touched her face. His voice broke a little as he spoke. “Is okay, we're gunna fix t'is for ya. Idk why t'e Fey played a nasty trick on ya already; I know magical'll do ya in real quick like, so we're gunna make ‘em fix t'is for ya. It's not fair we all got real cute outfits and t'ey changed your whole face and everyt'in’. Even if I ‘afta be spooky and flamey, I promise ya we'll getcha ba- OH MY GOD, AMELIE DON'T JUMP!” Danni screamed as he looked past Vicky and watched Amelie snapping after the skate board, decidedly her new chew toy, and leapt off the side of the dome after it and vanished from view. Danni let out another ear piercing screech and bolted for the opening.

“VICKY, IMMA SAVE MY DRAGON AND T'EN IMMA FIGHT T'E FEY FOR YOU JUST WAIT, I GOTCHU!” Danni shouted over his shoulder. Danni glanced back just in time to dodge Ben, a little flame helping him twist at the last moment rather than fully slamming into him, but Danni did ruffle his hair as he began to catch air. “‘scuse me, Starlight!” Danni shouted as he rocketed up and burst down over the edge where Amelie had vanished.

Where he expected to see his dragon screeching as she plummeted towards an early death, Danni watched with wonder as Amelie's wings beat wildly. They were straining, the muscles in her shoulders clearly underdeveloped, but she was managing to keep her altitude for a few moments. Danni sniffled, the proud pet parent he was. However, the moment was short lived as she locked up, legs spread out as far as they would go, and wings locked in gliding position. A soft distressed whine issued out and Danni cooed at her distress, shifting closer to her, and hovering just above her. “It's okay, baby girl. You're doin’ so great! Keep t'ose wings straight and feel t'e air currents, yeah? You gotta ride ‘em or you're gunna get real tired and they'll ‘elp ya slow down as you're fallin’. And once ya get used ta t'is, we can fly around together! We can do flyin’ walks rather t'an normal walks or we can do bot’! But I t'ink you gotta follow t'e no flyin’ rule in t'e ‘ouse or t'e ‘rents are gunna be extra spicy, okay?”

Danni stayed close as Amelie drifted closer to the ground, shrieking whenever she left a current or shifted incorrectly and suddenly dropped further than she expected, but otherwise in basic control. Danni looked up at the commotion ahead now that he was settled and cocked his head. Andy was under Spicy and hurtling down at an alarming speed. It reminded him of when they were skating in the sky over their vacation and Andy slipped off the colors. But she was def in better condition this time - she was even shifting herself around in the air and she wasn't screaming, so she ‘ad ta ‘ave everyt'in’ under control. Maybe they were sky dancing!

“Andy, do a barrel roll!” Danni shouted helpfully.

---

---

---

Chase's comments had Luna seeing red. She balled her hands into vista, glaring at the arrogant worm when he waved a candy dick in her face. She snatched it from his hand and threw it away.

”I don't do dicks! And I would have explained things if your mates hadn't dove through the fairy ring and then flew off without listening to anything I had to say. You want to lead? Fine. Then you get your group in line because they're all going to get us killed before we can even get Vicky the help she needs.”

Luna stopped off, reading to leave the ungrateful group of brats behind. Let them navigate the Otherworld without her, when the ground started to rumble beneath her feet. She turned around, alarmed a mythical creature was about to emerge, but what she did see made Luna stare in awe. Leah raised the sand dome from the ground. The structure had solidified to sustain the movement. Luna grinned, shaking her head. Her brief stint of rage gone.

”I see you. Incredible work.” Where was this before Dumb and Dumber took off without the group? If only they had waited.

”I'll run ahead and meet you there!” Luna called to Leah before she took off.

Luna felt the rush of freedom running always brought her. Especially when she could run… wait. Luna's speed had been dampened from what she was used to. Was this an effect from her deaging? If that was the case, what else had been affected?

Luna met up with the group in time to see Percy falling from the sky and Andy racing to get him. Luna bounced her weight from foot to foot, ready to catch one or both of them if she needed to.

”Come on, come on. Slow yourselves,” Luna muttered under her breath.

---

---

”Quel culot, ce type ! Who does ‘e t’ink ‘e is? ‘uh?! Tellin’ people what to do, what t’ey should be called, Je ne comprends même pas pourquoi il est là. I mean, ‘e just showed up out of t’e blue, actin’ like ‘e knows everybody when ‘e don’t know no one from a paint can! And to t’ink t’at ‘e would try and ground you. T’at ain’t strategy Perce t’at’s foolishness! After all you can teleport! Just because ‘e is afraid to make t’e jump ‘imself , or is too weak to, doesn’t mean you cannot non? If ‘e liked strategy t’en ‘e’d actually be good at it. And anot’er t’ing! – Perce?” Dorian had finally noticed the lack of hand holding on to his. Hearing Percy’s scream as he began to fall down away from him, careening straight towards the ground below. It was clear Marlena had tried…something, but whatever it was, she wasn’t able to snag Percy. Maybe he was fallin too fast, maybe her telekinetic reach wasn’t that far, Dorian didn’t know. But as he turned around, floating in air to figure out the best way to catch Percy without causing more damage than help, Andy had taken to the rescue with quick reflexes, and even quicker thinking. She had caught Percy, and Dorian breathed a sigh of relief a moment too soon before something knocked them both off the both and sent them spiralling downwards, Andy flipping her position to take the brunt of the fall. He could hear Danni shouting towards them, see Luna beneath them waiting to catch someone as if the fall wouldn’t somehow break her arms, and all Dorian could think was to quickly yell back at Andy ”Do NOT do a barrel roll! Merde! Ce n'est pas parce que tu as neuf vies que j'en ai autant!” He grumbled to himself as his mind worked out a solution.

Dorian reached out with his powers, feeling the trace amounts of Andy’s left over on the skateboard as he tried to amplify it and use the electromagnetic field himself. Hands made of static that looked straight out of a horror movie began to rise from the metallic portions of the board and gripped onto Andy's back, pulling her closer and onto the skateboard itself as it magnetized onto her. With that, Dorian began flying towards them, arms pressed to his sides as he shot like a rocket at the quickest he could go before going astral and colliding in with the skateboard, taking possession of it. There was a faint purple glow around it before it settled down and began flying again, lifting both Percy and Andy through the air and towards the mountain. Normally he’d save materialistic possessions for things like pranks, but this seemed like a good opportunity to use his powers to save someone instead. If the damned thing had a speaker or some form of electronics in it, he could at least talk to the two of them, but unfortunately the board lacked any way of communicating with the pair so Dori settled on saving them now and chastising Percy for letting go later.

---

"I beg your pardon?! I look barely thirty, and more bullshittery excluded, I'll keep looking like this while your face turns into a wrinkly raisin with time, thank you very much! _{Old lady... the nerve...}" Victoria grumbled at Danni's comment, nodding a thanks at Andy as she offered to act as a wallbox for her. Who then immediately abandoned her to go have herself killed right alongside Percy, who's future self were they here to save already.

Vicky had other problems though, namely that some blondes took exception to her tiny identity misfortune after about twenty minutes of her being there. The level of OpSec these people had was truly abysmal. Fortunately some others jumped to her defense as well. "Oi! What they said. Here's something only you and I might know: I gave you a snowglobe with a chunk of ice in it. Ice that you could also use to kill someone with cancer by dropping it in their drink, because it's an alpha source. That good enough?" she asked, not waiting for any answer as she walked over to the edge of the now flying sand hut, wanting to help set Andy and P/Ercy down in one piece.

And this bloody magic world threw more logs under her feet. "Great. Not only has my bestie been reduced to a glitchy pixelated rainbow mess for the last few weeks, I can't even see well enough in the distance in this damned place to get a lock on those two." she vented at noone in particular.

Danni came for round two, and Victoria managed nary a peep before he got distracted by Amelie taking a leap off of the edge and followed suit. Although, the looks are starting to grow on me. Now I'm gonna look official AF in a suit. Might even treat myself to a new one! I did always want a Tom Ford.

She then carefully shuffled over to the edge to see Danni and Amelie both flying, which thanks to Dorian's effort the two imperiled adventurers now also seemed to be. And then she looked a bit too far into the darkness. The hut seemed to have two shadowy poultry legs, that seemed to be doing something between a sprint and the twitching of an electrocution victim. She took a few steps back from the edge and took a look at the author.

"Chase... those are bloody cursed."

---

---

---

Glimpse was alone in her position on the ground. Above her, Andy and Percy’s rapid descent suddenly slowed, as Dorian disappeared completely from view. The skateboard carrying the two children continued to zoom off towards the mountain, towards the Everforge. Marlena hovered in the wings nearby astride her own board. The ground beneath her feet shook, tremors spreading out like ripples in a lake, sand kicked up and obscuring her vision. Whether it was from the Baba Yaga transport crafted by Leah and Chase, or by the walking mountain, it was hard to say.

And suddenly, the ground burst beneath her feet.

Glimpse was knocked flat onto her back, a meaty paw pressed down firmly on her chest. The creature barked, short and breathy, almost the same sound as a dying kazoo. It was easily over five hundred pounds, somewhere between the size of a donkey and a horse, with thick, coarse reddish brown fur, tiny beady eyes, and a rodent-like face. A saddle was fixed to its back and atop it was its rider - garbed entirely in torn up robes and mended armor, their face obscured with wrappings and goggles designed to protect from both sand and the sun. The dwarf carried a spear, energy crackling as its tip, with a glowing purple gem affixed up near where the salvager gripped it.

“Seas síos, a dhuine!” the dwarf hissed, their words almost snatched away by the wind.

Four other salvagers popped out of the ground, their capybara rearing as they dug away the sand to breach to the surface. But with their compatriot having handled the first mortal they found, they set their sights on the bigger prize - the bigger threat. The capybara galloped forward, as their riders swung hooked chains in circles above their heads. They were dressed similarly to Glimpse’s opponent, well-loved rags and worn pieces of armor, spears secured over their backs with those same iridescent gems. The capybara circled the Baba Yaga transport, spreading out as to cover the four cardinal directions evenly, and they let the hooks fly with a flash of golden light. The hooks shot out with incredible speed, three of the four penetrating the base of Leah’s structure, while the fourth one went wide. The salvagers held onto the other end of their chains and continued to race around, ensnaring and tangling the shadowed limbs just like in an ancient mortal tale.

Meanwhile, the Everforge mountain had altered its course, walking straight towards the teetering Baba Yaga transport. The gap between the mountain and the rock was closing rapidly, currently at a distance that could be traversed by foot in fifteen minutes. The mountain quaked, a groan emanating out across the desert, as dozens of what looked like tiny black holes appeared, dotting its face. From these holes, projectiles came - projectiles that rained down upon the structure, kitchen sinks, ball bearings, scrap metal. They collided with the side of Leah’s structure and Chase’s legs, the compact sand giving way and leaving behind holes that were technically passable as windows. The stress from the capybara and the cables sent cracks through the base of the structure, and not everyone inside was unscathed from the projectiles’ hits.

Leah was knocked to the ground as a dumbbell collided with her head. Jean-Luc yelped, as the ground beneath him cracked entirely, and the goodest of boys was sent into free-fall. Vicky, Millie, and Sabine were all knocked to the floor as well, taking hits from an anvill, a bowling ball, and a bar stool respectively. A short sword had been about to collide with Ben, only for a last second intervention by Chase causing him to take the hit for his boyfriend, the blade sheathing itself in his stomach. Only Ben and April were left standing.

But the worst hit of all was Gideon’s, as a rod pierced through the sand walls and embedded its way into her chest, killing her instantly.

If action wasn’t taken immediately, everyone in the Baba Yaga transport would be falling with Jean-Luc soon.

The fliers outside didn’t fare much better. Not only did they have to dodge projectiles, but they had to dodge cannons. Like something from a video game, cannons with wings were chasing after them, somehow able to reload themselves as the onslaught of random objects continued. Danni, Amelie, Dorian, and Marlena managed to dodge the initial volley - but Andy and Percy weren’t as lucky. A knife shot out and nearly embedded itself in Andy’s thigh, her enhanced reflexes allowing her to shift away just in time. But Percy wasn’t able to dodge the bottle that cracked open over his head, the broken glass leaving cuts as mead spilled all over him, Andy, and the skateboard that was Dorian.

---

---

As Percy plummeted to the ground far below, he saw a series of increasingly bizarre things - Marlena, floating on a board, calling out for Dorian - Andy, flying somehow, lightning crackling all around her - Danni, flying alongside the baby dragon who definitely hadn’t been capable of flight earlier that morning - and the gigantic rock structure, briefly moving unaided before sprouting a pair of shadowed legs, barreling chaotically towards the mountain. None of it surprised him, though. When it came to his friends, the weird and the bizarre were to be expected. They came together and did unhinged things. That was Excelsior’s way.

The unexpected occurrence was something far more normal. Andy collided with him, failing to arrest his fall. His arms smarted from the impact, and she shifted around him in their drop, moving so that way she was beneath him, all the while offering apologies. It confused him for a moment - she’d tried to save him, why was she apologizing? - until it dawned on him, his eyes widening with realization. She was apologizing for touching him. She was apologizing for touching him and he couldn’t feel it, not really. His heart skipped a beat. Dorian’s birthday gift to him was really working, it was really dampening out the feeling of touch.

“Je suis d’accord, ne fais pas de tonneau! Et je n’ai pas neuf vies, c’est ridicule!” He didn’t realize he was speaking French - and with the stress of the situation, it would be some time before he would. Dorian shot towards them like a bullet, phasing at the last second as a horrific pair of hands gripped Andy onto the skateboard, the board began to glow purple, and then suddenly they were flying once more. His tail slowly stopped twitching, but he didn’t fully relax. Not really. He couldn’t feel the contact from Andy, but he had spent so long with touch being unbearable with almost everyone, it was stressing him out to have to maintain it even without the usual discomfort.

“Merci, Dorian. Tu peux me posséder ou créer Gémeaux si tu veux.” He very much appreciated the rescue, but he also didn’t want his boyfriend stuck in a skateboard… especially not Chase’s skateboard. He very much hoped for Dorian’s sake that he didn’t know who it belonged to, as much as it made Percy’s stomach churn. “Et merci, Andy. Je suis reconnaissant pour ton aide.”

He lifted his head, daring to look at the mountain they were rapidly approaching. It had changed directions, heading right for them now - and little black specks were coming off of it, swarming like flies. They came closer and closer, until he could identify them - until he could see cannons with tiny wings allowing them to achieve flight, as well as a rain of the most random projectiles he had ever seen, household objects flying straight towards them. “Attention!!” He tried to duck down to avoid a glass bottle, unwilling to teleport as he didn’t know why his last attempt had gone so poorly - was there an anti-teleportation field here in the Everforge? Was he just rusty? But he couldn’t avoid it, the bottle hitting his head and breaking, small gashes left behind by the glass that stung from the wind - that stung even more from the contents, the familiar scent of alcohol washing over him.

The universe was laughing at him.

He bit down on the inside of his lip to manage the stinging pain, only to then notice that the tails and ears weren’t the only cat-like features he had acquired. His canines were much sharper than they’d been. Great. Fantastic. Incredible.

“Il faut que nous arrêtions les canons.” He didn’t know any magic, which he assumed had to be part of how the cannons were flying in the air. But he could see two ways to disable them. They either had to find a way to create a blockage so the cannons couldn’t fire or they had to take out the wings, so they could no longer fly. He took a deep breath. “Attrapez-moi, s’il vous plaît.”

He carefully got up into a crouch, his heart pounding, and he leapt. For a brief few moments, time seemed to slow down, as he approached the arc of his jump. It felt like he was flying. Then gravity reasserted itself and rather than fall, he landed, straddling the cannon. It hurt like hell. Percy laughed nervously. His hand went to the sword on his hip, but he hesitated, staring at the anxiously fluttering wings. Maybe he could…

Percy tugged on the left wing. The cannon started tilting to the right.

He let go and it reasserted its course, going straight.

He grinned cockily. He could work with this.

---

---

Chase’s comment to them stung. So did Sabine’s. But infighting wouldn’t get them anywhere. Working together and building each other up had been how they’d won the Contest, had been how they’d survived Arcade - and it was how they were going to handle this, too. So rather than argue back, April just let them. But it also meant they had an apology to make.

“Shit, that’s really you in there, Vicky?” they asked, moving their hands down and sending the water back into the bottles. “Sorry for being jumpy - and like Danni said, we’ll find a way to get you back to yourself for sure! We’ll beat those frown lines off in no time. You seem okay on smile lines, though.”

Their set-up had definitely improved, at least. Leah had sent the rock airborne, zooming them along to catch up with the others so they could travel as a team. April braced themself for the inevitable rocky landing, and then Chase improved things even further, combining his powers… somehow, April couldn’t see outside… to make things easier on Leah - even with the lack of windows. So many people were standing right by the doorway, it was hard for April to really see outside.

But they didn’t need an unobstructed view to hear Danni scream as Amelie jumped over the edge. April’s heart accelerated to a painful pace as they rushed outside, twisting their body sideways to avoid bumping into Leah, Ben, and the others crowding around the doorway. They frantically looked over the edge, already debating if they could try to throw some water at Amelie to catch her in a bubble… only to see that the baby dragon was flying. They squealed in excitement, reflexively going to take out their phone to get pictures, only to remember it wouldn’t work in Otherworld. “Omg, it’s baby girl’s first flight!!!” It was a tragedy they didn’t have photos of it, but maybe Vicky would be able to send them some clips once they were back.

The dome started to shake, cracks forming through the ground. April froze. They’d gotten used to Leah making the ground quake, pretty much always with a warning that came in advance. “Uh, Leah, this is you, yeah? Or…” April hit the deck as a giant metal cylinder soared over their head, narrowly missing them, and instead crashing up against the dome, fracturing it further. The entire structure was swaying, as more household objects appeared out of nowhere, a vicious onslaught that showed no mercy for just about anyone. They scrambled to open up their water bottles, before pulling out all of what they had and throwing up an ice shield, hoping to protect the others from more carnage. It wasn’t large, just a few feet by a few feet, but they only had two liters on them. They positioned it right in front of Leah. If Leah went down, they’d all fall to their deaths. “I need more water, donations would be appreciated!” they called out to their friends.

They had turned their head behind them as they made the request, and their heart dropped into their stomach. A rusted metal pipe had sailed through the walls of the structure, and before Gideon could even react, it had impaled her. The girl stared at her own chest for a moment, dumbfounded. She opened her mouth to speak but only blood came out along with a strained gurgling. Gideon staggered forward, before collapsing to the ground, dead.

April screamed.

They’d never seen Gideon die before.

But unlike the near faint from Sabine’s body horror, they managed to keep themself standing, managed to keep the ice wall up to protect Leah from further harm. “Guys, what the fuck do we do for Gideon? Shit, we need Andy - do we need to pull the rod out of her or does she do that or… shit, shit, shit! Chase! JEAN-LUC! FUCK! SOMEONE SAVE THE DOG!”

---

---

Chase turning the dome into a hut on legs certainly helped. She wished he'd have asked before doing it when she was actively trying to concentrate, but it took some of the strain off her. While she kept it up, he kept it going forward, kind of. It certainly didn't help, however, when Sabine stepped out with her wings and sparkly hair and started hitting on her. Leah could feel her face warming up as she stared forward at the roving mountain.

"Sabine. I'm trying to concentrate, here. You can worry about trying to pull my hair when-"

The sound of shouting and the bursting of fucking capybara steeds from the dunes below caught her attention. Bandits, if she wasn't mistaken. One immediately got to Luna and the rest started firing hooks at the dome. Three struck the underside, and she could see the bandits circling them to bind the shadowy legs in wire. That was a problem, and Leah figured she could turn back and shout for him to shut his power off so she could just bring them higher. But the moment was stolen away by the Everforge changing course. It was moving straight at them now. If they didn't veer off somehow, they'd be damn near flattened... Or would they? They were in the air, after all.

When the mountain started vomiting fucking detritus at them, it tore through the dome. Sandstone wasn't the strongest thing in the world, and Leah hadn't intended for it to suffer the abuse of a veritable meteor shower. The dumbbell to the side of her face hurt like a bitch, and shoved her off her feet into the floor as if America Chavez had just haymakered her again. Leah helped Sabine get behind the wall after she got clocked by a fucking bar stool.

She grabbed her sword and held it up.

"Tiwaz."

A rune flew out of her pouch and slammed itself into a slow along the blade. The rune was reflected up and down the kaleidoscope surface of the weapon, and the Thousand-Faced Rose morphed from a sword into a long spear. The blade thinned and stretched forward at one end, shortening as the hilt became a full haft. The tip of her spear was alight with golden energy, and it vaguely resembled the rune that was now embedded just above Leah's fist.

It'd be easier to fight in a confined space with than her sword, if the bandits somehow got up here.

Everyone inside was getting worked. Leah saw Gideon die, and a mix of her being Leah and Gideon being Gideon meant she wasn't that phased. She'd just come back, probably with that metal still stuck in her. Honestly, Leah didn't quite get how her resurrection thing worked. But she had more important things to worry about.

Using April's ice wall as cover, Leah picked herself up and slammed her palms into the floor of the flying structure. Two of her runestones flew out of their pouch and connected to the back of her hands. The Wyrd sprawled over the entire thing in lines of golden energy, holding the sandstone tighter together. Not by much, but it was enough that she could move and take her attention away from the outside for just a moment.

She dropped one of her bags on the ground by April. "Water in here, take what you need!" And then she stepped past them and Sabine, looking at the damage inside. There were holes in the dome, pieces of metal strewn about.

And Chase had a fucking sword in his stomach. She ran over to him and wrenched it free as if it were just a splinter. It was deep enough to puncture an organ, and she was already reading her spell.

"Sit still." Leah pointed a hand at him, causing more runes to orient themselves by her hand to form a stave. Magic rolled over Chase's body, sealing up most of the wound. That looked like agony to her trained eye, it was good thing she'd invested her time into this. It healed him up to a point he could move around.

"You still have internal bleeding, I can fix that. You're going to need more help, so move slow. Use your powers on the dome some more, the legs were a good idea, just let me focus on you."

She knelt down in front of him, spear held upright, and prepared to cast the spell again...

---

---

Whoosh.

Fwip.

Boom.

Projectiles hurled off in her direction like she was trying to dodge a meteor shower, but almost miraculously, Marlena had managed to outright avoid damn near everything the dwarven bandits and the crawling mountain on legs could toss at her. It surprised her as she danced through the air on her skateboard-turned-hoverboard, a winged cannon firing a pounder that Marlena barrel-rolled away from, with her power keeping her feet and the board in contact with each other. Combat was a foreign thing to her, she had no formal training in the art of piecing a guy up, let alone dwarves riding capybaras in an alien desert. She had her knives, yes, but Marlena carried those because she was a transgender teenage girl who live in New York City, not because she was some kind of roguish dagger fighting savant. So the only thing really on her mind as she improved a master-class in evasive maneuvers was the dog that had fallen from the sky.

For a moment, the projectiles flying her way were a bit much to actually move towards him. One of those winged cannons made her have to jump and land as she flew in a straight direction, just to avoid getting blasted into the next chapter. Marlena dropped out of the air, arms behind her as she careened down toward Jean-Luc, swerving left around another cannon and getting a close call from a radiator that the Everforge spat out. She reached her arms out and caught the dog, holding him close and slingshotting herself back up into the air with centrifugal force that she hadn't imagined she could leverage.

"Got you!" God, he looked so damn soft- Was he going to shed fur on her nice new robes? Oh well, Marlena wasn't thinking about that. In fact, her pulse was hammering when her board went still. The scrabbling little creature was immediately supplied with headpats and reassurances to the best of her ability. Though, admittedly, she was more of a cat person, so she wasn't that sure how to console a dog.

"Take it easy, Frenchie, I'm not letting you fall. I've got an idea." Her Otherworld outfit was layers of robes over one another. Under her cowl was another layer, and over both of those was a sash that went around her full body, fastened into place by a belt. That was the perfect spot for someone his size.

Up there, above the dome and the chaos below, she womanhandled him and stuck the Golden Retriever in the loop around her back, then blindly wrapped one of her backpack's straps around his other half so he was nice and snug. No chance he'd go flying when she started doing flips and other maneuvers she didn't even know she could do with her powers. "Okay... What do you think, Jean-Luc? Should we try and help them?"

He was just a dog, so it wasn't like he could talk.

"Between you and me, I'm way out of my depth here. I don't know those dwarves enough to negotiate like Luna, I can't fight like Excelsior, and I definitely can't pull what Chase and his sister from another mister are pulling right now." It was exhilarating. And also terrifying, what if they got hurt down there? What if Marlena had to cause someone harm herself? Could she even do that?

She fumbled with Jean-Luc's leash, tucking it in with him as she thought. And then... It hit her.

A grin spread across her face. Who said she had to fight the bandits?

She reached behind her and ruffled the puppy's fur. "Jean-Luc, you and me are about to cause a ruckus."

Marlena tilted backwards, and the board went over her head in a backflip that sent her careening in a nosedive once again. She went wide, and embraced the cold desert wind that rushed past her. She had a plan, and if it worked, maybe it would buy the rest of them some time.

---

---

---

Luna continued to chant under her breath for the pair to slow down or for someone else to catch them. She had a great vantage point from the ground and saw Andy and Percy slow as Dorian neared, before he disappeared. Luna didn’t question it, not when she saw Andy and Percy being saved.

”Good, at least…that….crap.” The ground started to rumble under Luna’s feet. Sand rapidly shifted and moved. She scrambled to try to get out of the growing sinkhole but fell backwards.

”Oof!” Luna collapsed, her breathing shallow and rapid as she stared up at the slobbering scavenger. And it’s four-legged companion. ”And this is why we don’t go running off before knowing all the facts.”

Luna plastered on a smile, uncovering her face as she looked blindly up at her captor.

"Bright stars!” she greeted, before crossing her wrists and hammering them together twice. The scavengers weren’t always the friendliest, but hopefully, they would give her a minute to explain why she was here. Up above her, chaos ensued. Luna could hear screaming, yelling and…cannon fire? Shit. The Everforge was firing upon them all.

Dammit.

The capybara screeched, and its dwarven master tugged on the reins, studying Glimpse for a moment. The wrappings and goggles made it impossible to discern their faces or to gauge their reaction to her words. The dwarf then shifted, taking one hand off of the cattle prod, the other reaching into their saddle bag. They produced a pair of cuffs and they tossed them down at their captive. “Cuir iad seo ort!”

Fucking hell.

Luna complied, knowing this was her best option for now before she spoke again.

”Ma leigeas tu leam bruidhinn ri mo chompanach, faodaidh mi toirt orra stad.” She held up her arms, showing that the cuffs were now on and secured.

The dwarf’s head tilted briefly back in the direction of the Baba Yaga structure, rapidly crumbling under the Everforge’s onslaught. In the sky, the cannons were menacing the children who had taken flight. At the moment, the fight was solidly in the salvagers’ favor. “Beidh do chompánach leat go luath go leor, a leanbh.”

That was becoming glaringly obvious as Luna watched Leah’s moving dome begin to collapse. Well, capture was one way to get where they needed.

”Feuch gun innis thu do Kasimira Mythrilmorningstar Infuri gu bheil fàbhar aig Luna Braddock ri iomlaid.”

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Ben was yelling at Chase to get over towards him by the door. He looked over and around briefly as he realized just then that Leah wasn’t with them inside the dome, its shape just allowed for the sound of her voice to carry towards every person in there as if she had been. Unfortunately for him, however, there was already a small crowd around the tiny opening, and having every person stand around one small spot that could lead to them all falling was a horrible idea when all the flyers save the newborn fae were off in the distance already. It didn't help when Amelie and Danni came barreling past people, making Chase's heart skip a beat as he worried that in their carelessness they might actually shove someone off the ledge and overboard. Somehow he doubted the sand dunes would offer a good enough cushion to not kill whoever was so unlucky. His attention was called over towards Vicky as she called out about his addition to the Dome's Exterior. ”It's a land of stories, so I borrowed some legs from an old Russian Tale Percival's mom would tell us. Figured it fit the theme.” There was a grin on his face most suitable towards mischief.

The grin was quickly swept off his face as he saw the glimmer of something off in the distance. Something shooting straight towards Ben. The very shadows he was currently touching now engulfed his body in a smoke, dodging the several random items that had come rocketing where he had been kneeling, before reappearing just before Ben as the shiny object made itself known. A sword stabbed straight through his body, the air knocked out of his lungs from the impact as he took a sharp breath and looked down at the damage. His stomach felt hot, and the pain stung, but as he assessed the damage he turned to look over his shoulder and smile at Ben. ”No big deal Benny Babe. I think it missed the important stuff.” Never mind that the only important stuff to Chase was who he was currently looking at as he spoke the words. ”See?” Chase tapped the handle of the sword, having hoped it would springboard somehow and make a boing sound, but it didn't. The world was falling apart, the Dome was damaged, the dog was lost, and Gideon was laying on the floor lifeless, shadowless. But Ben was ok.

Leah ran over to him with more care than any family member had ever shown him. Ripping out the sword from his stomach as she began to weave some Nordic magic into his wound. Chase couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. ”Hey, shame it missed my kidney. Then maybe it would've been The Sword in the Kidney Stone.” His comment punctuated by a grunt of pain as he places his hand over the open wound. ”Dome. Fix. Got it. Hey Millie, you said to let you know if I'm in pain? Well, just a tad bit here if you wanna lend a hand as I patch this place up.” His hand was still pressed against where the sword had been, his other touched the floor as he knelt back down onto one knee to snag some shadows. Chase closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to weave the shadows into the cracks and crevices made by the barrage of bullshit, a sharp pain met him mid breath, and when he opened them up his powers exploded.

Shadows filled too much, darkness overtook the Dome and burst outwards destroying every last bit of the structure as it crumbled back into sand. It reminded him a lot of those stones he'd find as a child. Red and coarse, and with the smallest bit of pressure they'd dissolve into sand beneath his fists. The floor fell beneath him, beneath all of them, they were plummeting to certain death, it was all his fault. Which version would he be? Which Mordred? Which Baba Yaga? Was he a Knight to save others? The Witch who aided Heros? Or the traitor? The villain? Darkness consumed every portion of them as his shadows outstretched beyond the dome and engulfed everyone in a sphere of pitch cold darkness. He wouldn't be the reason they died, Knights who stumble had to get back up. He owed it to Ben, and Vicky. To Danni to show them he was right. Chase took the darkness that surrounded the party and collapsed it all into a singular point, sweeping up every person along its path.
When the darkness showed up again, the entire team from within the dome appeared from inside the shadow of the Dwarf that aimed his spear at Glimpse. Standing behind him as darkness over shadowed the pair and the rest surrounded him. ”Oh you brought some handcuffs! Wonderful, I always wanted to try a little good cop bad cop role-play. I'll start, I can be the bad cop.” Chase stood, holding the sword that had been stabbed within him in his hand.