The Dimensions

Yuko finally made it back to her house, bleeding and bruised. Her clean clothes and immaculate hair were now ripped and in dissaray. "Dome...Domeki. Bring me some tea. And...go to the storehouse and bring me the talisman with the hourglass on it," she said to her dark haired houseboy between pants. She wasn't used to this pain; she was the business woman who sat in the background and ordered people around. But now she had been beaten around. And it was all that damn Zarco's fault.

Yuko knew that despite her strength, she would never be able to beat him alone. His power was far to great, and matched even that of her own. She would die if she tried. She almost did. He was brutal, and relentless, and strong. But Yuko had a plan, one that would work; one that would bring down the villainous monster for good.

When Domeki finally came back, Yuko clutched the talisman close and said a spell, chanting its words over and over again. It was a spell that would solve their problems; that would save the dimensions from complete distruction. The enchanted charm began to spin and glow, becoming faster and brighter with each passing second. It began floating into the air and suddenly, with a burst of white light, it shot up into the farthest reaches of the dimensions, searching for the chosen ones, the ones who would save time itself.

The ones who would defeat Zarco.

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Aelita clutched her 15 year old sister's hand as she ran, gulping for dry air and feet pounding against the waning ground. She was terrified. The last time she had seen her parents was before the fifth Earthshaking, and then they were suddenly gone. Tears burned her cheeks, rubbed raw from wind and sandpaper-like earth. She longed for happier times when they would sit around the fireplace and learn their lessons or read together, telling jokes and poking fun at the City elves and their strange religion and beliefs. She shook her head, trying to concentrate on what was happening.

The ground shook again. This was the sixth time. Cordelia screamed to her sister as a large chunk of land fell off where they had been just seconds before. Aelita tried everything she could to summon an airship like the time she read the legend that spoke of a world much different than hers where technology ruled. How she wished to be their, or anywhere except here. Her heartbeat sped up and her feet flew faster than they ever had before, even faster than the boy that lives next door who allegedly ran all around the country before. She dragged Cordelia along behind her, willing her to keep up and not fall behind. She didn't know what she'd do if she lost her.

Several minutes passed and they began to slow down, thinking that this horrific event was over for good. They stopped and Cordelia asked Aelita if they were okay now. "I hope so. I hope so," she repeated, hugging her little sister and stroking her hair. Then the seventh shake occured, worse than any before. The whole world shuddered and suddenly began to fall. The air was thick with screams as people all around grabbed onto anything and anybody they could, praying that they would be okay. Aelita squeezed Cordelia tightly, promising to never let go. But a piece of...something...struck her head and she loosened her grip, loosing her sister.

"Cordelia!!" she screamed, grabbing for her. Then, her world flashed white. When she again opened her eyes, she found herself somewhere else, still dirty and screaming, grabbing for and calling out to her lost little sister. She looked up finally, tears pouring down her cheeks and splashing on the ground, to see a very tall, strange looking woman.

"I'm Yuko," the black haired woman said in a rather cold sounding voice. "Welcome to the portal between dimensions."

No one except perhaps the witch saw the slumped figure appear. He was not there and then he was. Dyew was unnaturally still and silent until the witch woman greeted them. It was this greeting that prompted him to take a deep breath of air and stir. The first thing he did was check to make sure his blade was clear to be freed of the scabbard that rested upon his lap. He blinked eyes as cold as the witch woman’s voice and tilted his head to the right and back. A resounding hollow pop issued. This was followed by a lesser pop as his head was tilted the other direction.

The slumped figure slowly stood and fastened a wondrous tooled scabbard in which resided an equally wondrous weapon. Frost wrapped the soft and hard leather garments that wrapped his body but he did not shiver. Dyew shook the ice and snow out of his cloak. The ivory fabric hung damp around his shoulders and back but the black chains of script that lay sprawled across the cloth danced as if the surface were a mirage.

Of his face only his eyes were visible but the cold that still clutched at him cast his breath in steam that trailed out the cowl that masked him and over the lip of his hood. Glacier blue eyes slid to the form of the witch from lowest to highest point before darting to the others who had apparently been pulled away from their home occurrences under similar circumstances.

He lowered his left hand to the girl so that she could stand with his support if she accepted his help but he did not take his eyes from Yuko.

William pulled his fiancee through the halls of the royal family's flying castle. "Come on! Get your ass moving!" Will tugged harder, gripping her wrist. They just had to get to one escape pod. Then they could start their escape. The couple made it to the main hall, stopped by the men in the black robes. Maybe they were shadows. Will didn't know. "What do you want from us?" He barked at them.

One stepped forward, but they all spoke. "We want your land. It is most suitable in this dimension we have found for our new living space. Your people will be allowed to live, but they will be slaves if they submit and will be killed if they do not."

Will faltered, his wide, hazel eyes scanning the room. "Fuck you!" He screeched, pulling his sword and shield from his side, sprinting at the men. His sword was raised and he was ready to strike, but as soon as he started the downward motion, everything turned white. He hit something solid on the ground, his eyes closed, bracing himself to be killed by the magic so unfamiliar to his land. When his eyes opened, he hadn't a word to describe the sight. He saw two women. One was short and one was tall. Short one had some weird-ass ears. He also saw a strange man.

He spoke in his native tongue. "Frana to ramm od e?" This translated roughly to "where am I," which one would only know if they knew his language, but hey. He didn't know how to speak any other languages.

It was all over. Her life on the Valiant. Her dream. And all because she hadn't closed the bloody door. What a stupid, dim-witted idiot she had been! It only took five seconds of being one for her whole life to be completely ruined. And she wasn't being dramatic either. If all went as she expected they would, she would be dead in a matter of days! And she doubted she could pull the pregnant thing either. She raked a hand through her red hair in extreme anxiety before stopping her pacing to stare out after the hallway her fellow midshipman had ran down.

If she could catch him, then maybe she could save herself! She could still be known as Martin Peterson, the daring midshipman, not Marin Peterson, the girl who dared to dream . . . and got her bloody head chopped off. The former definitely suited her better, she decided to herself, before blasting off towards the runaway midshipman. If she remembered him correctly, he was one of the slower ones on the Valiant, but it still didn't help the fact that he had already had a five minute start. That was a long time according to Marin's rule book, but she was going to try anyway.

There she went up over the fatty, blubbery skin of the Valiant, chasing down a chubby, pasty boy with her fate in his hands. That sure was comforting. . . . She shoved past message lizards, hydrogen sniffers, and tired midshipman on the way to the mess hall for their regular break, earning surprised squawks, alerted barks, and several obscenities mixed in with grumbled complaints from her fellow crew members. As Marin neared the Captain's Quarters, her heart began to sink, as the dreaded thought that she hadn't made it crept over her mind. But before all hope was lost, she caught sight of a sweaty midshipman ready to open the door to the quarters.

She could stop him! She just needed to reach out, grab his collar and wring his little, fat neck, then--

Marin wasn't on the Valiant anymore. She felt her legs on steady ground and looked up to see a thin, pale, black-haired woman. She had said her name was Yuko. . . but portal between dimensions. . . ? What was happening? What was she doing here?

Gui cursed loudly as he walked aimlessly in a desert which used to be a big forest "Damn it...Where the hell is that witch anyway?" He wiped the sweat away from his forehead and muttered "She'd better be worth it...". As he tripped and fell to the ground, Gui yelled "Argggg...Bullshit! That's it...I'm going back...this is a waste of time..."

As he turned his head and prepared to go back, Gui paused. He had come a long way and wasted his time to arrive to this place. Would it be okay if he left now? What about his effort? Gui cletched his fist tightly and gritted his teeth...what about his defeat? Let out a heavy sigh, Gui ran a hand through his sweaty hair and continued to search for the Dimensional Witch...after all, he had wasted his time, he could just...waste his time a little bit more.

Gui summoned a wind and sigh in relief as the cold air blew to his face "ahhhh..." As he opened his eyes, Gui frowned again as he remembered the reason why he had to search for this Witch. He had many sleepless nights. He had trained restlessly and yet... everytime he tried to beat that damn old woman, she...somehow...always managed to beat him up. He put a hand on his face and sighed "...what an embarrassing defeat..." He cletched his fist again "...I am the savior...I am NOT going to let some old women beat me up like a child..." He gritted his teeth.I want power...I want more power...this is still not enough to beat her.

As he lost in his thoughts, Gui didn't notice that he had walked to a big sealing circle. When he found out that he couldn't move his body, Gui began to panic.What type of magic is this? Why can't I move? What the hell? As the circle glowed brighter, Gui felt his body being pulled by a strange force and before he knew it, he appeared in front of a weird house. Gui saw several males and females, all in strange clothes. Gui opened his mouth and asked "đây là đâu? Tại sao ta đến đây? Bà là ai?" Which meant "Where am I? Why am I here? and who the hell are you people?"

Aelita looked up as a rather large man with stunning eyes offered her his hand, helping her to stand up. Warily, she accepted and shifted her weight to him to move slowly onto her feet. She quickly moved away though, leaning against a post on the sidewalk to support her. She stared at the strange new woman, feeling an unusual aura of wierd vibes coming from her. She seemed intelligent--Aelite could spot an educated person from a mile away--but magic at the same time. No one in her homeland was both of those things. Except her, in a sense.

She wiped her blue eyes and red cheeks with the back of her sleeved hand and sniffed a couple of times, thinking about what was happening. Dimensions? Portal? She had heard of portals before, in her books, but what were these dee-men-shuns? Curiousity overcame her, numbing the sadness she felt from her sister. She began to speak to the woman, Yuko, before being suddenly interrupted by somebody...appearing out of nowhere. She gasped as the man suddenly disinegrated into being. She walked towards him, reaching out to see if he was real. And then the next person appeared. A tall, slightly feminine looking man. And then another and another, each one stranger than the next, until there were five of them, all standing, gawking at each other, she the only female in a group of...very handsome men.

A few spoke in strange tongues, making sounds completely unfamiliar to her ears. She figured it must be there language. But where had they come from? Were they like her, stricken from their homelands and brought to this strange new world? She wanted to communicate with them, but she didn't know how. She decided to try her name.

"Aelita," she said in her soft and high voice, pointing to her chest. "Aelita Keirsa Ferkay. Then she turned to Yuko. She had understood her somehow, even though they must speak different languages. "What's going on here, Mrs. Yuko? Why are we all here? Why can't I understand the others? What are dee-men-shuns? How did I get here, my country was being destroyed? What happened to my sister?" she asked the intimidating woman, all the questions slurring together as she spat them out.

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Yuko watched as the pieces of her puzzle all came together, her plan coming with her. She listened to them, acknoweldged their confusion and questions. She chuckled to herself as the young elf, Aelita, interrogated her. "Calm down all," she said, her voice mirrorring all of their own languages. She whispered something to Domeki and a few moments later he reemerged from the house with a small white ball of sorts, which quickly bounced into a small, long eared animal. "This is Mokona. When you are near him, you will all be able to understand any language," she said with no further explanation. "Now that you can all communicate, this will be easier. Go ahead, introduce yourselves."

Gui looked around, confused as hell. Where was he? What was this place? What the hell? Why did this place have so much trees? Illusion? He didn't see as many trees as this place had since...Gui paused. Since when? Since when was the last time he saw this many trees? He knelt down and touched the grass gently. As he discovered something, Gui's eyes widenned and he yanked his hand like he was being burnt Oh my god! This is real, living grass!. He touched a flower and shook slightly with emotions this is not an illusion...all of this is REAL! Am I in heaven? He looked around again. This place was filled with trees, the nature was bursting with energy...so beautiful...so...perfect

As a creature spoke and pointed at itself "Aelita...", Gui frowned slightly.What kind of creature is this? Is its...fur yellow? Or is it its hair? What kind of ears are those? Its spoke in a strange, high-pitch language that neary made Gui cover his ears. A voice spoke to him, clear and...in his native language "Calm down all..." Gui looked at the paled, thin woman and opened his mouth to ask but was interupted as a...white, hairy thing appeared. It had eyes and ears...strange eyes and ears but still eyes and ears nonetheless. Gui assumed it must be some kind of animal. The woman continued "This is Mokona. When you are near him, you will all be able to understand any language..." He cocked his head to one side. This creature was called a Monoka? Strange...He opened his mouth again only to be interupted...again, this time by the black-hair woman "Now that you can all communicate, this will be easier. Go ahead, introduce yourselves."

Gui glared at the woman and folded his arms "Why should I introduce myself to you? I don't even know if I can trust you...why don't you introduce yourself first..."

Dyew’s posture straightened slightly but he never stood easy. His knees remained slightly bent, shoulder width apart and his left hand rested upon the pommel of his sword. His stance seemed relaxed to those not tempered in the furnace of war. His right hand traveled the distance to his face and pulled down the cowl that had concealed a handsome face. He was rugged with his black un-groomed beard but no less striking because of it.

When his right hand again dangled at his side he would have spoke but he was beaten to the punch by Gui and so his short introduction came after. “D is enough of a name for me.” The short statement revealed a deep voice marred as if by lack of sleep caused by nightmares. Perhaps he was waking up from one now. Perhaps he was still deep in it, still alive. He also had a heavy accent laced very much like an offspring of Gaelic.

Most would ask the question again but he knew that someone else would and so it was unneeded dialog. Even so he was not interested in the who, the what, or the how. He was only interested in the why. All answers would come in time and he was a patient man.

As each comer introduced themselves he nodded, sparing each a glance if he could without turning his head. His eyes always turned back to Yuko.

"Alright, alright." Will glanced around, examining all the strange people. He sheathed his sword, attaching his round, bronze buckler to his sheath. From his other hip, the scraggly-looking prince pulled a flask that obviously contained some sort of alcohol. He paused, taking a long swig from the flask, collecting himself before looking around again, pulling his silky noble's clothes to look a little more proper, ignoring the blood trickling down his forehead, over his scar and down his cheek. "Yuko, huh?"

"My name is William Augustus Benson. I am the prince of the great land of Tildae. We have created the technology to harness the natural power of steam and I am going to lead it to a greater future." His strong, but slightly slurred voice was a little on the loud side. He slouched, looking uninspired, even after hearing himself speak. Looking at everyone but D, who had already introduced himself, he asked "And you commoners are..?"

Gui shook his head as the others began to introduce themselves.They're all so stupid...what if this is all a trick...trusting fools He gave a nod toward D as the man introduced himself. Another man began to introduce himself and Gui's eyes narrowed slightly.A Prince, huh? look like a drunk to me... But as the man continued to look at them with his bored eyes and asked "And you commoners are..?" Gui's control broke. He was angry, no, scratch that, he was pissed. He had searched for a damn Witch for nearly a week now in a shitty, hot desert and then, he was transported into this place and had no knowledge and lost...and this...insect dared to call him commoner?

He growled angrily, his gloves bursted into red flames as he took a step forward to the insect, ready to fight "How dare you call me a commoner? Do you know who I am? I am the savior of the world...Gui, a god among humans...how dare you talk to me with your disrespect tone? Do you want to be burnt alive?" He gritted his teeth and held his fist high, his arms still covered in red, hot flames.

William grinned, swinging his entire torso towards Gui, as opposed to just his head. "A saviour, huh? Look like some kind of..." His drunken mind fought with his conscious mind. "Some kind of..." He fought for words, squinting and furrowing his brow. "...Commoner." He grinned, totally satisfied by the words that came out of his mouth. He drunkenly swung his sword from his sheath, tearing his buckler from his pocket, taking a defensive stance. "I'm warning you. I'm a fantastimalistic fighter. That's what we call someone who is really, REALLY good in my language." He had obviously made the word up.

"And for your information, your fire doesn't scare me one bit." He made a slight advance on Gui.

Dyew was a man of little words but he knew that as long as this went on he would not get the answer to the one question he had and so he intervened on William's behalf. "Her name is Yuko." He motioned in the direction of the witch with his left pointer finger. "She has welcomed us to the portal between dimensions." William then chimed in on his own behalf which given his current level of intoxication only made matters worse.

Dyew would only make one more attempt at defusing the situation. He did not have vested interest in either man at this point. "He dared because you had not introduced yourself. He did not know who you are for the same reason. He responds rudely now because he is filled with liquid courage and his mind is clouded. His reply to Gui's next questions meant for William paused as he shifted his weight only slightly to the foot furthest from the sorcerer before speaking in a flat tone. "I am sure he does not want to be burnt to death. It would be regrettable for everyone, sober or not." Dyew did not seem bothered by being called a commoner for his part. "I am sure you both have many questions for Yuko as do I." That was a lie. He only had one question. "If you get into it now it prolongs the introduction process and keeps us all waiting on the answers we seek."

Aelita listened as the men exchanged words, in her language. Or at least she was able to understand them. Yuko said that the Mokona creature would let them understand each other, but she couldn't believe that a small, cute animal like that could have that sort of attention. She started to reach out to it but immediately turned back to the men. One, the quiet but seemingly nice man who helped her up before, said he wished to be called "D." She was curious about his real name, but respected his decision to not share it. Another one with black hair didn't say his name, instead demanded in a rude tone to know everything. He could at least have the decency to introduce himself. A third guy, with curly hair, introduced himself as a prince. Aelita was disgusted by his cocky attitude, resembling that of the elves in the City in her old home, but was fascinated by this steam technology that he mentioned.

Home...it seemed so distant now. A stray tear escaped her eye no matter how hard she fought to keep it back. She had to stay strong around all these people, just as she had at school when she was younger and they teased and bullied her. She missed school too. She missed everything.

Her reminiscing was suddenly interrupted by some raised words. The long-haired, rude guy who refused to say his name was offended by the Prince's, William's, remark about commoners. Of course, Aelita was used to it, so it didn't bother her much. But this guy was flaming mad. Literally. Red flames burned around his hands, dancing with each other and threatening William's life with their heat and intensity. William brought out a sword and took up a drunken fighting stance. D made a comment to them, but Aelita knew an off-handed comment wouldn't work in this type of situation. She had seen it enough with her father and at school. The comment needed action to back it up.

"No!" she said firmly, standing in-between them, one arm extended towards each man. "Don't fight, please. This kind woman has given us the power of communication, and you have the audacity to abuse it like this? You should be disgusted with yourselves, both of you. You need to apologize."

She turned to Yuko, bowing apologetically. "I'm sorry for them." Then she turned back to the rest of the group and introduced herself, "I'm Aelita, as I tried to say earlier. It's nice to meet you all!" Then to D, "Thank you for trying to speak sense into them." She smiled.

It was only three in the morning, but alas, Shaxan still could not sleep. He was restless; haunted by recent dreams of the previous war that had kept him awake. He sighed as he stared up at the ceiling from his bed. He sighed, got out of bed and grabbed his sword. He figured that he would make himself useful by patrolling. Perhaps that would clear his mind of things. He left his chambers and walked down the dimly lighted hallways of the palace. Shaxan had no idea why his memories of the war were plaguing him. Perhaps it was because of post-traumatic distress; after all, the war had ended a few months ago. But perhaps it was because his brother, the leader of the rebellion, was killed in the earthquake during the final battle. The sound of footsteps approaching him snapped him out of his thoughts as he turned around. It turned out to be another knight of the empire; a female one at that.

"Shaxan," said the approaching knight. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I should ask the same of you, Dyem," replied Shaxan. "I'm merely going out on patrol."

"At this time?" asked Dyem. "It would probably be better if you rested. You seem to have been stressed as of late."

"I'm fine," smiled Shaxan under his face plate. "There's nothing to worry about."

"But-" started Dyem.

"I know you are worried, my friend," interrupted Shaxan. "But I can assure you that things are alright."

With that, the male knight walked off.

-----

Shaxan walked in front of the main gate of the palace, the cold night wind wrapping around his armor. The Sorayan sighed and looked up at the starry skies.

"If only..." he whispered gripping the talisman around his neck given to him by his brother. "If only I could do something about His Lordship's tyrannous ways."

He closed his eyes for a moment, only to open them back up again when he heard the sounds of his environment change dramatically. There was an argument of some sort. He opened his eyes... to find himself in a different area entirely. Shaxan, shocked by this new place, looked around wildly. No longer was he in the desert world he called home, but in an area with strange organic beings. Where was he exactly? Did he fall asleep on accident? Was this all some wild dream?

Gui continued to growl as the cocky insect insulted him once again. He watched with sharp eyes as the creatures named Aelita and D tried to stop the fight. Their empty words meant nothing to him. He raised his hand, trying to grasp the cockroach's neck with his burning hand but stopped as he realized something: If he fought with his power here he would harm all the trees...maybe even accidently burn them. What about the flowers? the birds? Gui shook his head slightly. He wouldn't harm the nature intentionally...not until he died.

He took a step backward and crossed his arm. He would let the trusting fools think that they had won this fight but he would have his revenge later...when they let their guard down... Just you wait, cockroaches! "...Gui...the sorcerer..." He introduced himself curtly. He didn't even bother to apologize to Yuko as Aelita bowed her head.what a weakling! Gui sneered mentally.

But...wait a minute! Yuko? As in Yuko the Dimensional Witch? Gui's eyes widened slightly. He huffed and asked "...are you Yuko the Dimensional Witch?" He vaguely saw another creature appeared but ignored it entirely as he focused solely on the witch.

William watched, uninterested as "savior boy" approached with firey hands, despite that weird thing with the ears trying to intervene. Aelita, she had said her name was. He knelt down, raising a brow with extreme curiosity, examining Aelita's ears. "What the hell is with your ears? They're all... Pointy." William had never seen this before. Such a strange creature.

Suddenly, another one appeared. "Another? Seriously?" He stood, shaking his head. Taking another swig of alcohol, he distanced himself from the group a bit. He didn't like them. They were strange. "So what the hell is a Yuko? Or a Mokona? And why can I understand these roaches?" He looked at the tall, black haired woman. "I don't even think there are words in my language for those. And how did I get here? And why am I here?" William was starting to get angry.

This was getting no where fast. He moved away from the party after acknowledging Aelita. Dyew sat upon a large moss covered boulder under a nearby deciduous tree and removed a pipe. He then preceded to clean the pipe and tap out the old tobacco and ash before packing it with fresh tobacco. Before raising his pipe he spoke with the same flat tone and without looking at anyone in particular. "Yuko is her name and she is the Dimensional Witch. The creature is named Mokona or is a creature called a Mokona and is changing the way you perceive the words I am speaking so you can understand. You arrived here through the use of powerful preternatural force." He paused for a moment and then recanted the last statement. "Powerful magic."

He fiddled with a pouch at his belt, putting the small leather envelop of smoking tobacco back where it belonged while he continued to speak. "You are in a place independent and beyond the bounds of what you once called home, a portal between dimensions as Yuko has said. I believe that answers enough of how and where for now. Once those last two introduce themselves we will all know the who." He paused putting his fingers close to the bowl of the pipe. The tobacco lit as a single whispered word floated into the air and was lost. He inhaled the smoke and his eyes slid to Yuko and locked on her casting a fierce glare. The smoke coiled between them as he exhaled. "The only thing that confounds me is why. If you would be so kind, answer William's final question."

Marin watched in amazement as the white ball became a small, fluffy animal. It was nothing like she had ever seen before, and she examined it with unconcealed curiousity. "Wow! What a strange beastie you are!" she exclaimed in awe. "And you allow people to understand each other? Like a translator? Bloody brilliant, I'd say!" She wondered what exactly had been altered from this animal's genetic make up to allow it to achieve such a thing. Nothing this advanced had occurred yet back home! Maybe . . . this place was an entirely different dimension?

As she looked around the strange grouping of people that had gathered, noticing that besides the Dimensional Witch as Yuko had said she was, the strange, pointy-eared girl, and herself, they were all men. Marin had grown accustomed to the sight of the opposite gender, considering she had spent six years on a whole aircraft full of them. But they didn't look like they had anything in common with eachother, and that confused her. A fiery man who looked to be about fifteen, a bearded man who called himself D, a prince (who slightly irksome as he had called the rest of them commoners). As she watched the now literally fiery guy preparing to challenge the equally as cocky prince, she was surprised to find the other girl trying to stop the fight.

This made her think about intervening. She didn't look as strong as the other two, and she would be damned if she would watch an innocent get hurt just because of two stupid people and their bloated heads. Then a newcomer appeared a tad later than the rest of them had, this one a definite strange sight to behold. Was he a machine? A dummpekof Clanker from back home in some sort of walker? But on closer inspection, he didn't look anything like a Clanker walker. Marin couldn't find any gears or steam-powered, well, anything on him.

"If you two are done bickering like little girls, I'd like to introduce myself as well," Marin cleared her throat. "I'm Martin Peterson," she had been so used to saying the name, it flowed out of her easily now, "Midshipman from the Valiant." Though, she guessed it would be more accurate to say former midshipman now....

Aelita breathed a sigh of relief when the black haired sorcerer, Gui, put his hands down and extinguished their flames. She couldn't stand to see them fighting, not here. They would probably destroy Yuko's house. And then the woman would be mad and not explain to them what was going on. She diverted attention quickly to William when he asked about her ears. "Of course their pointy, I'm an elf, silly. Well, part elf. I'm also part human and my dad told me I have a bit of dwarven blood too. What was that you said about steam tecnology? Does that really exist? How does it work?" she siad quickly. She was a pretty quick speaker, always stumbling over her words and blurting out questions to try to learn. It was normal for her. Everybody in the underground asked questions.

She didn't have time to wait for his answers though, because when she finished talking a newcomer arrived. A large, metal newcomer. "Whoah!" she said, walking towards him. He looked like a bigger version of the little robot that the scientists back home had made. "Where did you come from? Are you a robot? Or is that just a machine that a human person is in? Is it okay if I touch you?" she asked in amusement. She didn't wait for his agreement though. She reached out and touched his cold metal...whatever it was anyways.

Finally, the other guy introduced himself as Martin Peterson, and shared her interest in the Mokona creature, whatever it was. There was a very interesting cast of characters, she thought. She couldn't help but picture them all as characters in a book, fighting crime or learning magic, something exciting. It thrilled her, to think of what they could do. She didn't really listen as D spoke, but caught the end of his dialogue, wondering why there were there. They were all wondering why they were there. And Yuko had yet to explain anything. She turned towards the woman who was watching them all with vacant yet amused eyes. There would need to be a lot of explaining.

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Yuko stood back from the group, watching as they argued and fought, listening as they told their names and hinted at their personalities. She couldn't help but compare them to the last group that had come through several years ago. A smile played at her lips, breaking through her stone exterior. The childish, magical one, Gui, was definitely like her old friend Kurogane, William was a much more drunken, cockier version of Fai. She remembered how those two would always go at one another, Fai trying to see how far he could push "Kuro-poo's" buttons. The elf's, Aelita's, peaceful personality was similar to that of Sakura's, but she showed just a little more spunk. And then there was the brownheaded girl...Martin? Yuko was curious as to why she was posing as a boy, but she supposed it had something to do with her saying she was a midshipman. She resembled a female Syaoran, but she wasn't sure of her personality quite yet. She seemed a little more snarky and definitely not a soft-spoken. And then there was the android-like creature (she was able to identify him as) who hadn't really spoken yet. And D...

"You seem very knowledgable, D. You must have done some research. Your homeland must be familiar with myself, as must yours, Gui. You act as if you've been looking for me," she said slyly, grinning just a bit. This was definitely interesting. "Yes, my name is Yuko, the dimensional witch. As D said, this is the portal between different worlds, each set in a different plane of time and space and each so different. We call these dimensions. You came here because I called you." She paused, letting her words sink in...and just trying to build suspense. It was her game, seeing how annoyed she could make people.

"Some of you may have been experiencing...unusual circumstances in your home dimension. Maybe danger, maybe just some things out of the ordinary that suddenly happened recently." Pause again, swallowing. "A rip has occured in time, caused by a magician named Zarco." The name caused her to wince, causing her blood to boil and her healed injuries to ache. She got much more serious. "He is an evil and powerful wizard, and he wants control. His goal is to cause distruction in all of the dimensions, make them weak and susceptible to outside forces. I've tried to fight him, but..." she trailed off, wincing again and grabbing her side where the largest wound was located. She didn't want to bring up the painful memories again.

"You are the chosen ones, the guardians of time and the dimensions. All I can tell you is that you must beat this evil, fight him and strike him down. I must tell you, this won't be easy. The burdens of so many now rest upon your shoulders. You many encounter war, famine, disease...some of you may not make it. But you must try. You have to correct what damage has been done and restore balance to the dimensions, or else no one will survive. There will be no homes left, no peace or good left anywhere."

She pulled up Mokona again and held him out to the group. "This is Mokona. He is a Mokona, and there is only one other like him anywhere. He will be your transportation as you move through the dimensions and your method of communication with me. Yes, you will be granted this power: to move through worlds. But you cannot choose where you go, not even Mokona nor I can say where you will end up each time. It is random, and you must be prepared for anything to happen. But don't think that this doesn't come at a price.

"To maintain the little balance that is left, your payment to me must be that which you care for most deeply. It isn't necessarily a materialistic item, and it isn't most definitely isn't something that you are willing and happy to give up, but you have to to travel. Otherwise you'll be stuck with me. Forever." She grinned again. It made her happy to torment people, satisfied her to see their expressions when she told them they had to give her what they loved most. Most would say she was sick, but hey. She was Yuko. She could do whatever she wanted.

She nodded to Domeki. "Please make your payments to him."

...What exactly were these things? The people here were all organic. How strange, thought Shaxan. And what was more strange, was that he could understand their language; which probably meant that they could understand him too. But they too stared at him, as if confused by his sudden appearance. He wondered what kind of world he had stepped into. One of them, which he assumed to be a female judging by her voice, asked a lot of questions.

"I am a Sorayan, not a robot," he said firmly. "And what in the world are all of you? Your kind doesn't seem to exist in my world."

Before he could object to being touched, the girl placed a hand on Shaxan's chest. Her hand was oddly soft and warm. Just what was this creature, he wondered. He then turned to the woman who referred to herself as Yuko, the Dimensional Witch. Shaxan blinked, as if surprised. The concept of different dimensions was not unheard of in his dimension, but everyone didn't believe they existed; it was always considered a children's story. To think that they actually existed... it was quite shocking, really. Yuko explained that a man by the name of Zarco was causing strange events by creating a rift in time. He was was quite confused by what she meant by chosen ones, if his home was in danger then it was his duty as a knight to protect it, even at the cost of his life.

But then came the kicker... everyone had to give up their most precious item, whether it was a memory or an object. Shocked, Shaxan wrapped a hand around the talisman his younger gave to him so long ago. He didn't want to let it go... it was the last memento he had of Jair. He was incredibly reluctant... in fact, he almost refused. But what choice did he have? He would have been stuck in this odd dimension for an eternity. Shaxan sighed and forced himself approached the one called Domeki. He reluctantly took off the talisman and gave it to him.

"Take care of it." he muttered quietly, with bitterness in his voice.

Gui's eyes narrowed and he crossed his hands stubbornly as he listenned to the Witch talked about the dangers the Dimensions were going to face. It was none of his problems. Who cares if other Dimensions are destroyed? As long as it's not his...he didn't care. "I want power..." Gui said finally "...the power I... know not..." He said bitterly as he remembered his shameful defeat and the old woman's words. "I want that power so I can become the savior of the world..."

He shrugged his shoulder and continued "I don't give a damn if the other dimensions are destroyed...as long as it's not mine...I simply don't care..." He spoke after a small pause "...that old woman told me to find you and ask for more power..." He ran a hand through his hair, his eyes locked with the Witch's eyes "...I only look for you because you can give me the power I want...I will...exchange some things precious of me for you...you give me power...I go back to my dimension...ends of deal..."

Gui looked around, thinking hard about the price. What was the most important thing to him anyway? He had no friends...no relative...nothing important to him beside the nature...but he didn't exactly own them...what was the thing he treasured? Gui's eyes widened again as he found his answer "My Fire Element..." Gui mumbled. He gritted his teeth. Was this power great enough to exchange for his precious power? Was this power better than his Fire? Was this power he knows not really enough for him to become the savior? He cocked his head to one side and asked "...Will the power you give me enough so I can become the savior?..."

A wiry grin played across his lips as Yuko spoke. He knew this game but he was on her turf. He was smart enough to know he was outmatched here and now but he would poke and prod her as she was poking and prodding the others. As some of the others offered up their most prized possessions he tapped his pipe out and put it away. As Gui posed his question to the witch Dyew stood and approached the witch, coming close if she allowed him. She had no reason not to at this point.

Then he whispered to her with that same grin upon his face.

"..."

The smirk trailed to the other side of his face as he continued to whisper into the witch woman’s ear.

"..."

He pushed with his lead foot leaving the witch’s side. “The devil is in the details and I am very observant. You have pulled us all from our respective worlds to defeat an enemy you could not and yet you ransom us. You explain away the guilt of your action as a need to maintain some semblance of balance.” His smirk became a sneer and the sneer became an angry scowl but he was facing away from the witch now. “When you hire mercenaries it is normally the employer that pays them, not the other way around.”

Dyew paused before turning to face Yuko, his face once more stone cold. “I suppose you’ll want something that belongs to me?”

William thought long and hard about his entrance fee. He sat down where he stood, thinking about the most important thing in his life. His flask? Nah... He could get another, he figured. His fiancee? No... There are plenty of women in the kingdom willing to bed with him. His money? His clothes? All replaceable. He thought hard, purposely dancing around the only real possiblity- his nobility. The most important thing in his life. The one thing that, if disposed of, none of the others could be replaced. He felt a sick knot form in his stomach as the realization dawned on him.

The noble prince stood, his long, brown, curly hair falling over his face. His wide, hazel eyes were pointed at the ground as he, too, approached Domeki. He stood for a long time in front of the creature, silent, before mumbling something absolutely inaudiable. With an inquisitive look from Domeki, William repeated himself. "My nobility. I'll submit my royalty. If I have to give up something I love, I might as well go balls out, right?" He spoke begrudgingly. As a white light surrounded him, his clothes seemed to change. They were no longer silky or comfortable. They were a strange garb that he assumed was native to this world. Native to the commoners. "Fuck me..." He groaned, walking a ways away from the group and sulking.

Yuko listened to Gui, acknowlegding his questions and taking them into consideration before answering, "This power you seek, I cannot give you. You wish to gain strength that is beyond my powers to bestow upon you. Instead, you can use the powers that I can give you to discover it on your own and travel with your fellow companions. You can only learn it through wisdom, and wisdom you can only gain through experience, through tests and trials." Her face remained unchanged, her perfect smirk stayed in place. But she noted that he was almost exactly like Kurogane. This was the same power that he had searched for, and he was only able to gain it through his travels, making friends--and some foes--along the way. "As for returning to your dimension...just hope there is a dimension to return to. Keep in mind that if you refuse to take up your destiny and don't aid in saving the dimensions, it is highly likely that your dimension could be destroyed. And if it's not, it will most definitely be changed--probably not for the better."

She was interrupted during her speech to the boy by D. He was starting to get on her nerves. As he whispered to her, he was trying his best to strike a nerve, to make her feel remorse and maybe even anger. He did strike a nerve, at the pride part. But she only grinned, closing her eyes and speaking to him telepathically as he walked away.

"..."

When he began to lecture her about bringing them here and asking for payment, she actually let a laugh escape her. "I never said you had to pay. I told you you could stay here with me. I could use the company. All I really have is Domeki and my other two housemaids. And they're basically children. As for the balance, I speak the truth. I don't feel guilt. It's not in my nature which is why I'm perfect for this job. The balance of the dimensions really is dependent upon giving equal to what you receive, and you are receiving a very powerful type of magic. Not everybody can just travel like this at will. And please, don't consider yourselves mercenaries. Consider yourselves heroes. I know Aelita was saved from certain death, as well as William, probably. This gives them a second chance to do something with themselves and get revenge for their homelands. I hope you understand." Her face returned to its usual smirk.

Gui gritted his teeth. He hated vague answer. It made him nervous...and weak...and lost. He loved the nature...He loved the trees, the birds, the flowers...and if this Witch's words were true then...even if he had the power now...he couldn't stop the nature from disappearing on the surface of his home planet...his Dimension...He cletched his hands and reached his decision. He would have to give up his Fire Element. Damn it! But this's just a small price to pay for wisdom and the power that made him the savior. He walked toward the boy named Domeki and raised his fists. Flames bursted out from his hands and Gui closed his eyes to concentrate his power to form a big ball of fire.

"...I shall embrace my...destiny..." Gui spat out the world 'destiny' bitterly "...for the sake of the nature...however..." He paused and said in an icy cold tone "...however...the moment I have the power I know not I will end the journey..." He gave the fire ball to Domeki so the boy could take it "...this is my payment...my...Fire Element..." He said finally.