18th August 2013
07:02 GMT -5
The first three are wearing
pretty good plate and chain. The helmets are open-faced and provide no protection at all for their ridiculous ears, but they're reasonable. Their shields are large, and they're using them to provide cover both-
Fzp! Fzp!
-for themselves and for the crossbowmen just behind them. Naturally, those bolts don't do anything to
me… Ah, looks like they're covered in something noxious.
"I appreciate that my arrival was a surprise, but-.
"
The shields part as a… Mature female elf wearing leather fetish gear steps up, a glowing ball of something in her hands. Okay, that's a little more than I'm prepared to tolerate in the name of making a good impression. I-.
And I'm... Not there any more. A larger room, large stone blocks used to make the floor and the walls while the roof is stone. Ritual symbols on the floor and… Glowing magical barriers all around me.
"Okay, teleportation into a magical cell.
" I look through the glowing barrier into the dimly-lit hall beyond. Three figures, elves by their jutting ears. Two women showing more skin than women their age should, though to be fair they've got the figures for it. One fully dressed man a little closer and dressed… Better than those I've encountered so far, but not quite so well as grandfather's lingerie models at the back. I try smiling
"Not a bad idea. If it makes you feel happier. Now, could someone please tell me what's going on?
"
The elf man narrows his eyes. "How are you still alive?"
"Three meals a day, breathing, the blessing of the Ophidian..?
" I shake my head.
"Can you ask a more precise question?
"
"You
died."
"Yes.
" I nod.
"Twice so far. I don't let it get me down.
"
One of the women, the one with the wedge of white hair standing out in all directions from her head, draws herself up slightly. "You don't know who we are, do you?"
"Not the foggiest.
"
"Or where you are."
"And you deduced all that just from me telling it to you directly. Truly, nothing gets by you.
"
The other elf woman, this one with black hair worn partly in a high ponytail and partially free falling, looks to her colleague. "Perhaps there was damage from the delayed resurrection?"
"Breaking out in three, two,-
"
White hair raises her hand, glaring, black-green light flickering over her fingers!
"-one,-
"
White… Smoke erupts from the part of the barrier in front of me and flows into me, doing… Nothing?
"-zero.
" I reach forwards, laying my hands on the barrier and
feeding.
Black hair glances from the barrier to her colleague and back again. "Why did that not work?"
The barrier flickers once, twice, and it's… It doesn't feel like it usually does but
something's clearly happening, and then it's
down and I walk out of the ritual space.
"Explain, or I make you explain.
"
"Ah." The male elf backs up slightly, hands open. A pointless gesture given the fact that magic doesn't require you to be holding something in your hands. "I believe that my… Mistresses, are confused as to how you're alive when we all saw you
die."
I halt my march, since he's being helpful.
"I can't think of an occasion where you could have seen me die.
"
"Ah, that.. is…" He raises his hands a little higher. "If I may..?"
I nod, and he makes a gesture, white-gold light dancing around his hands…
Someone appears in a recumbent position-. Oh, it's a corpse-.
Oh, it's…
My corpse.
Huh.
"I
believe that Resurrection
usually restores the body to life, so you understand our confusion. None of us practice Light Magic at the highest levels. Unless you had a brother, in which case you have my deepest condolences."
Genetic scans match. No ring on the
corpse, obviously. No tattoos, because I got those after…
I suppose that it was unrealistic to expect that every version of me survived on whatever world they ended up on.
"Where am I?
"
"I'm afraid I never asked what god he worshipped-."
"No. Where am
I, here, now. What is this city called?
"
"You have the pleasure of standing in the city of Salgunsal, in the king-. Ah,
nation of Ygg-Chall." I frown at the hesitation. "Your… Ah, doppelgänger, expressed disquiet at the idea of a kingdom without a
king."
I nod firmly.
"Definitionally, a kingdom requires a king or queen. But what
world is this?
"
"This-? 'World'?" I nod, and he looks back to the two matriarchs for guidance. Since they don't seem inclined to offer it, he considers his options for a moment before replying. "This is the world of
Ashan."
"Oh.
Marvellous.
"
"Do you..? Mean to say that you are from
outside of Ashan?"
I sigh. Assuming that my memories of Heroes of Might and Magic V and VI are accurate -which given that the backgrounds contradict each other at least one set aren't- Ashan is the creation of the dragon goddess Asha -thus the name- and is otherwise isolated from the multiverse. Possibly deliberately, possibly not, but that may well be a known fact in the setting and as such someone coming from
outside of their pocket universe is a slightly bigger deal than the D.C.U.'s 'take a ticket and wait to be called' response.
Now, the Dark Elves worship Malassa, the Dragon Goddess of Darkness, so they're not going to try and kill me for being a heretical abomination. Kill me to steal my ring or other equipment or just for fun, possibly, depending on which clan these elves are from, certainly, but not as a point of principle. But beyond their religious affiliation the different clans manage their own affairs and I… Don't remember much about them. The only clan name I remember is the Soulscar clan who were a bunch of demon worshippers.
But unlike… My clone brother there, I've got two fully charged rings and there aren't a
lot of things around here that can stop me. So worrying about exactly what they want or think probably isn't worthwhile. I need to meet up with Angelica and Mazikeen and then try and get back to our Earth. So I think that honesty is the best policy.
"Yes, and I'd like to get back as quickly as possible.
"
The two biddies at the back are very still and very quiet. I suppose they didn't bother to ask…
Him, and…
Ah, right. He wouldn't have had my anti-magic protections. And without a soul, it's entirely possible that he couldn't use
those experience obelisk things to speed up his learning. The damage spells I remember from the game
should have been counterable with a power ring, but there are probably all sorts of magic effects in-universe that weren't standard combat spells. Darn, because being able to visit every
Crystal of Revelation and Planetarium on the planet in a couple of hours would be… Rather useful.
"Ah." The male elf glances back at his bosses, droops slightly when he sees that they aren't give him any direction, and then returns his full attention to me. "Why don't I see how we can help with that?"
Did he somehow end up in the Player Character role of one of the games, perhaps? And this is something of a post-'game over' timeline...
