"Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken."
― Albert Camus
"You want to leave…" Ven stared into his friend's eyes, confused. Cain had greeted him with an embrace, but his first words were to ask to use the labyrinth gate to return to their home multiverse. "Why?"
Cain sighed, face locked in a struggle as he clicked his tongue. Ven's longtime training partner, the only other being he'd met that appreciated anime like he did, waved a hand to the realm.
"I need a change of scenery, this place has gotten too crowded for my taste," Cain cracked his neck and sent Ven a rueful smile. "You know I'm not a fan of Gods…"
A light flickered in Ven's mind. He'd forgotten about Cain's devotion to the death of the One God and others like him. Now that his realm contained a pantheon with him at its head, it was a bit awkward.
"I'm sorry," Ven shook his head and pulled a mask from the air. He tossed the skeleton-white gift into Cain's hands and smiled. "This will be less useful outside the realm, but it will still be helpful!"
"Thanks," Cain snorted as he snagged the mask from the air. He glanced over the skull shaped creation and smiled. "And it's fine… I would rather be on the hunt, anyways."
Ven nodded and let out a sigh. He wanted a vacation, but he didn't want Cain to be forced to travel alone… Ven snapped his fingers as the beginning of an idea flicked in his mind.
"You should do me a favour, when you're out there," A flick of his fingers summoned both Lyra and Brull. The wolf-kin was in mid-meal, her transport unnoticed as she devoured a huge bowl of noodles. Brull glanced around, tensed until his eyes took in Ven and Cain.
"What…" Cain squinted at the two Beastfolk, while Ven gave him a cheshire grin.
"If these two are up for it, I'd like to have them establish outposts within the Relic World's labyrinth," Ven poked the back of Lyra's head and the woman jumped. "I'd like you to watch over them for me, if you can?"
A long sigh escaped Cain, even as a faint smile touched his lips. The Murderer rounded on the Beastfolk and gave them a critical eye.
"I suppose I can help you out…" Cain frowned as his foot tapped against the ground. "But you'll need more than two or three agents, if you want to take and hold the other gates."
"I'll do a round of recruitment," Ven laughed. He turned back to Brull and Lyra. "How about it? Are you guys up to take a trip back home and plant the flag of Avalon?"
– – – –
"Lyra?" Aion looked up from her noodle bowl and found herself alone at the table. Her friend was gone without a trace. "How am I supposed to settle the bill…"
She glanced at the oversized cook, seated behind his bar sized grill. The friendly man knew Lyra by sight, perhaps she could get him to put the meal on the wolf-kin's tab.
"I'll cover for you," A voice laughed from behind her. Aion spun and found herself face to face with a brown haired woman, a wide grin on the newcomer's face. "Ven scooped up Lyra for a side project, so she might be gone for awhile."
The woman joined her at the table, a bowl of simple broth in hand. She sipped, face overfilled with satisfaction as she drained the soup away. Aion squinted. This person was a concept, yet she didn't recognise her face.
"Who are you?" Aion found the woman's fate impossible to fathom. "Why do you hold sway over fate…"
"You can call me Syy," the brown-haired woman winked as she placed her empty bowl onto the table. "I'm one of what the mortal's of the realm call an 'Ancient,' one of the founding members of Ven's little group!"
– – – –
"Space pirates…" Rafe shook his head. Even in a civilization that let mortals travel the stars, bandits and thieves refused to disappear. "Mara needs to step up recruitment in the enforcement division."
"I'll talk to her about it…" the familiar voice that snorted from behind him brought a grin to his face. The halfling turned to face Ven, the upstart that was the cause of this confusing realm.
"It's about time you came to say hello!" Rafe laughed and extended a hand to Vendak. The man had changed, body coated in a dense scripture of runes. "I revived in the middle of Avalon, not even a hint about what had happened!"
"Sorry about that," Ven returned Rafe's handshake, a smile of his own on his lips. "It looks like Mara has gotten you settled in well enough though," He squinted at the small fleet of pirate starships. A flick of a finger and the lot vanished, sent off to who knows where. "I had a job offer of my own, if you're interested?" Another flick of Ven's hand brought the two of them into a meeting room. "Brull and Lyra are already on board… they'll fill you in while I grab up the last members of the squad!"
Ven vanished and left Rafe next to a bemused Brull. The cat-kin reached out and patted the halfling's shoulder.
"Don't worry, you get used to it…"
– – – –
"Hmmm…" a shift of her bulk rolled her from her upside down position. The warm touch of the central star of the realm slid over her scales, white fire on crystal that brought a smile to her lips. "It looks like my evolution is finally complete!"
Huan stretched, a ripple that travelled from the base of her skull, to the tip of her long, silver tail. This was her third long sleep. One or two more and she might overtake her grandmother in size. Her Husband had entered a period of rest and growth, so she had done the same.
"I think I'll go pick on that crooked Cain, he can't still be stronger…" Huan snapped her massive jaws, an evil grin on her face. "I'll show him why he should fear the dragon!"