9. Pardesi_chick

Haruka's narrowed gaze studied the words printed on the paper but anger clung onto your rapid beating heart. She was surrounded by others in the same predicament, loud murmurs ensued. The samurai inhaled and exhaled through her nostrils at the same time a dark scowl appeared on her beet red countenance.

"Oi!" she yelled for the main person's attention. "What is the meaning of this, huh?"

"Treat this game as a life and death situation," Fire Lord smiled at her. "We have two of your precious ones with us."

"What do you mean?" she moved forward a little. "Precious ones? Don't play games with me, coz I'm really not in the mood."

"You will be now," he chuckled. "I understand that Haruka is an orphan but I'm sure, you might still be stricken to hear that two of your closest friends are here and will be watching you play this game. Everything else is already written in your file."

"Damn it," she muttered. "B..Beast castle? What in.. are you trying to sabotage me?"

But her constant bicker was duly ignored; Haruka stomped over toward the rows of "machinery" yet one stood out.

A steed.

She tucked the ridiculous file in the folds of her kimono to expertly climb atop the creature; sleek black coat and sinewy muscles on display as it adjusted her weight on him. The silent samurai wielded the reins toward the portal that would either be the cause of her death or show her to a new dimension.

"Come on, nice and easy," she murmured.

Haruka lightly kicked on the steed as it bolted forward and jumped into the whirlpool whilst her heart almost caved in. Instead of swords, her field of vision took the view of a never ending meadow when the steed trotted forth as if it knew where to journey off. The blonde head once again pulled out the file to scan through the sentences and nodded slowly.

"Beast castle," she talked by herself. "Sounds quite safe to me."

After hours of aimless journey, they halted to gaze at the divider crossroad and instinct told Haruka to head for the left section. To reassure her safety, the female carefully slid out her katana and felt instantly safe by the weight of the weapon in one hand as the other clutched onto the rein.

A gloomy castle loomed ahead, her decision early was correct but somehow regretted the choice.

Think about the safety of those two, she mentally chided herself.

As they neared the creaky gate, Haruka slid down from the steed to tie the rein loosely before she trekked all the way to ward the huge double door. Above, thunder rolled in as the dark sky casted an eerie atmosphere and those weird statues gave her a chill.

Infamous Japanese folklore viewed them as demons.

She sheathed the katana to use both hands to push against the heavy oak door with a loud grunt. Her wide forest-green eyes blinked, she spied no movements from the corners and gingerly gained entry. A chill ran down her spine.

Haruka had both arms outstretched by the side as she walked in slow pace so as not to make any sudden noises.

"Who is she?" a whisper floated out of nowhere.

In a blink of an eye, Haruka pulled out her katana to gripped with both hands whilst she glowered at the darkness where the source of whisper came from.

"Come out," she challenged. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Don't have to be so violent, mademoiselle," another voice piped in. "Clocksworth, the poor thing has little clothes on her."

Haruka stumbled back in both horror and befuddlement, in front of her stood two unusual objects. One had two fires lit on each side as the other, seemed to have "needles" attached on it's round face. Either Haruka must have had too many cups of sake or she suffered from an paralyzed nightmare.

"What are you two?!" she freaked out.

"My name is Lumiere, at your service," he bowed before it hopped closer. "We must hurry now."

"Let me introduce as well," the clock grumbles at the same time glared at the candelabra. "My name is Cogsworth."

The clock grasped for Haruka's hand to bestow a kiss but the samurai was unamused as she snatched her limb away.

Finally she recalled the game and reacted without putting much thought to crouched down to stare at the odd objects.

"My name is Haruka and I come from Edo," she introduced in haste. "But I'm in a game right now-"

"We know," Lumiere nodded. "That is why, we need your help in return for something more valuable."

"Help?" she frowned. "What do you need Lumiere san?"

"There are two people trapped in the dungeon," Lumiere explained. "You seem capable to herd them out of here."

"Lie to me, and I'll chop the candles off, Lumiere san," she warned in a dark tone. "I don't mess around."

"A-are you sure about this, Lumiere?" Cogsworth spoke in a concerned tone. "We will all be-"

"Told you she is capable!" he waved both lit arms toward the grumpy clock. "Come on, we'll bring you to the dungeon."

"I must be an idiot," she mumbled. "Who skips off with talking creatures all the way to a damn dungeon?"

"If you're an idiot then I'm suicidal," Cogsworth lamented yet dutifully trailed after them. "But quickly before we are all spotted."

"By whom?" Haruka became alerted instantly. "Do I need to be on guard?"

"Our sire," Lumiere sighed aloud. "He is not the same ever since-"

"Hush, hush!" Cogsworth interrupted the pair. "Now Lumiere, don't have to open our skeleton doors."

"You mean, skeleton behind closed doors," the candelabra groused. "We are almost there, watch your steps, mademoiselle."

"What is mademoiselle? My name is Haruka," she corrected him as they ascended the cobbled stone spiral stairs.

"Are you married, Haruka?" Lumiere grinned at her as he hopped each steps with ease.

"Now you have done it, Lumiere!" Cogsworth wheezed from behind. "You must never question a girl about her status."

"Oi," Haruka hunched low to peer closely at the candelabra. "Do I like a damsel to you?"

"Oh no no!" he quickly assured her. "Because mademoiselle is an honorary for young girls."

"Hm," she mused. "Permission granted to call me mademoiselle."

They caught up to the dungeon with no time to waste, Haruka gawked at the sheer size before she paused alongside the duo to peer in. Another girl attired in a blue dress with apron spotted them as well as she got upright to stumble forth. Fear contorted her beautiful expression.

"Who are you?" she whispered. "Lumiere, Cogsworth!"

"I'm your saviour," Haruka smirked. "Now stand back, mademoiselle but my apologies if you are married."

"What?" the other frowned in confusion.

The blonde haired samurai swung the sharp blade toward the lock in two attempt before the heavy metal fell against the floor with a loud thud.

"Get out," Haruka commanded but another figure caught her attention. "Who is that?"

"He needs to go as well," Lumiere informed.

"Help me," she turned to stare at the pretty female with dewy brown eyes. "I won't be able to drag him alone."

The pair were able to perched the drowsy male between them but Haruka was even more shocked by the stranger's attire. In hurried motion, the five of them staggered downward to pause near the entrance when the candelabra halted Haruka mid-step as another object appeared.

"This is your gift in return to aid these two," a strange teapot appeared on a squeaky table.

"What is that?" Haruka's eyes widened at the visage of a beautiful rose flower in a glass encased.

"We must leave now," the girl placed a hand on Haruka's arm. "Quickly."

Haruka grasped for the glass encased display ito tucked in one arm before half dragged the still drowsy male who uttered a few incoherent mutters.

"Thank you," she bowed at the rest. "I'll never forget each one of you."

Thankfully, the pretty dark haired girl had her own horse to travel back to wherever she came from. As for Haruka, she allowed the stranger to sit on atop the horse as she hotfoot away, because the castle definitely had an eerie presence but mostly, the gift she had enquired was both a mystery and hope for her.

10. TARDIS_at_221B_

Ellie Carlile could feel the hands digging into her back as she trudged along the pavement.

"Will you quit it?!" She suddenly shouted. Ellie wasn't sure she had yelled like that since she was a kid, but she was fed up. The Fire Lord's henchmen had been pushing her and a group of other tributes along for last twenty minutes, all of them blindfolded. He sent shivers down her back every time he touched her.

"No, I don't think I will," he growled, emphasizing the last word with a hard shove that sent her flying to the ground. With her hands restrained behind her back, she had no way to catch her fall. She winced as her face smacked into the hard pavement. She could feel a throbbing cut on her cheek.

"Oops."

She felt pulling on her throat and began coughing violently as she was yanked off the ground by her collar. The restraints fell from her wrists and she immediately massaged her neck and applied a little pressure to her cheek. The only thing that kept her from ripping the blindfold off and running was the thought of her family, trapped and scared. The Unseelie King threatened to kill her loved ones if she didn't comply to their twisted Games, so she had no choice. She may not have loved Abnegation for the last few years, but she wasn't so selfish as to let her family suffer for her sake.

The blindfold was ripped off, and she blinked her eyes quickly, expecting to be hit by bright light. However, there was no need. Her eyes adjusted quickly and she could suddenly make out a dimly lit, vast warehouse. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all made from grey, monotone concrete. It looked like a basement out of a horror film, except about a hundred tile larger It contained everything from old cars, to steam engines, to spaceships, lines up in an even row across the room. They looked as though they were plucked from different eras. Some didn't even seem like vehicles. One was just a blue, inconspicuous-looking box.

The rest of the tributes were kept from entering the warehouse, so she was alone with just the Fire Lord for company.

A flash of maroon robes whipped by her as the Fire Lord came into view. His face, full of wrinkles and frown lines, gave her stern look. In his hands was a simple beige folder.

"This will disclose the location of your first tribute. Once you arrive you must bring them back to your vehicle and await further instructions. Along the way, you will find something to aid your mentoring. Remember, so long as you comply, your family is perfectly safe. If not..." The Fire Lord trailed off.

"Yeah," Ellie muttered, biting her tongue and keeping her head down.

"Although they may not look it, all of these are vehicles from different realms. Choose wisely, as you will be using your vehicle for the rest of the game," he explained quickly, turning on his heel and marching away.

Slowly, she opened the file. Inside, it contained the location of a dog pound in something called the "Disney Realm", as well as pictures and diagrams. After examining them, she turned to the line of vehicles.

As she walked, she dragged her fingers across them. Finally, she neared the end of the row. She became curious about the strange blue box. Along the top, it was engraved with the words "Police Public Call Box". It looked like something from a 1950s movie. If it really was a vehicle, it seemed awful tiny; in fact, it looked to have an area of, at most, six square-feet. Ellie's curiosity got the best of her, and she pushed open the door and hopped inside.

She was immediately taken aback by its immense size. It had towering ceilings, complete with balconies suspended from the walls and hallways going off in every direction. Neon glowing emanated from the walls, casting a faint blue light across the entire area In the center of the room was a control panel, full of buttons, levers, and screens strewn haphazardly across the surface.

"It's bigger on the inside," she mumbled to herself, astounded.

She slowly walked around the control table, gazing carefully at each piece of technology. She tried to figure out what they were used for, but she had no clue. Everything was covered in strange circular inscriptions, as though they were an alien language. Maybe they were, she didn't know.

Suddenly the entire contraption began rumbling and shaking and making a strange wheezing noise. It ended as abruptly as it had started. Ellie wondered if perhaps it had been an earthquake, or if the vehicle was just falling apart.

She made her way towards the door to see if she could find any clues about what had happened.

As the door popped open, she finally understood what the rumbling was. She had moved. She stepped out onto the floors of the dog pound from her file. With a last glance at the folder, she set it in the box and closed the door behind her.

The temperature in the kennel was cold and uninviting, matching the overall design. The floors and walls were made from cement and the crates were classic wire cages. Within the cages were all kinds of dogs - big, small, purebred, mutt. The only thing that united them was the evident fear and despair in their stances and faces. Most of them were so distraught they didn't even seem to notice her entrance. Ellie's mouth dropped at how pitiful they looked, their snouts low or buried in their paws.

At the very end of the row was a livelier looking bulldog with a muzzle around his snout. His fur was a beautiful light brown with streaks of white, but it was matted and unkempt. As she neared his cage, he perked up and began wagging his tail excitedly.

"Hi!" She giggled, a wide smile growing across her face. She reached her fingers through the bars to pet him. He rubbed up against her hands excitedly, his whole body wiggling with excitement. He looked so sweet that she was unsure why he was wearing a muzzle.

The rest of the dogs became intrigued, moving towards the edges of their cages.

Ellie began to unclasp the dog's muzzle, just as two workers in lab coats appeared around the corner.

"Stop! Stop, stop, stop!" One of them shouted, just as her finger unclasped the last button. As soon as the workers entered the room, the dogs huddled into the corner of their cages.

Out of precaution, she pulled her hand from the dog's cage. For a moment, he looked up at her, seemingly confused. Then the dog spotted the workers and simply freaked out. Suddenly he was whimpering, barking, and attempting to lunge through the cage. The gate broke open and he attempted to make a break towards the door. The workers raced towards him. One grabbed him by his collar as he jumped. He began twisting and snapping his teeth, trying to break free of her hold. The other worker found the muzzle and began forcing it over his snout.

Ellie wasn't sure what to do – the dog had seemed so kind before the workers appeared. She couldn't tell what had set him off. She didn't know if she should try to help the technicians or maybe help the dog.

The workers finally clasped the muzzle over his mouth, and he immediately relaxed. He rolled over on his back, looking up at the employees expectantly. Instead of petting him, as the dog seemed to think would happen, the workers grabbed him roughly by the collar and dragged him back down the hallway they came from. She heard them talking about how, "he wasn't going to get adopted anyway", which didn't bode well. She watched as they disappeared into one of the examination rooms.

Ellie raced after the dog but stopped short of the door. What could she do to help? Should she even try?

Heart pounding, she told herself that she was on a mission. Her top priority was rescuing the tribute, as that would ensure the safety of her family. As she passed the door, she heard a whimper but it was quickly cut off. She didn't hear another sound from the room. She stifled her reaction and forced herself to ignore it as best she could. On the floor was a ring of keys, which had evidently been dropped in the commotion. She dashed down the hallway, looking for perhaps another set of cages, or anything else that stuck out.

As she passed one of the hallways, she heard a soft sobbing sound. Had she not been listening so closely, she wouldn't have noticed it. She turned down dimly lit passageway where she was surrounded on both sides by rows of cages. Finally, she reached the end of the hallway and the source of the whimpering.

She could only make out vague silhouettes, but one was a very different shape than the others. She knelt down by the cage.

"Hey. Don't respond, just listen. When I let you out of here, go down the hallway to your left, towards the front of this building. In the lobby, there will be a blue box. Open the door, go inside, and don't leave for any reason. Got it?" Ellie whispered, then tried each of the few keys on her ring until the cage door open.

Immediately, she began unlocking the as many doors as she could. It was obvious that the shelter wasn't treating the dogs as best as they could, and somehow it just felt right to free them. As soon as most of the cages were open, she raced down the hall, toward the cages in the front of the kennel. On the way there, she saw the muzzle sitting next to the bulldog's collar outside of one of the rooms. She wasn't sure exactly why, maybe she had bonded to the poor dog, but she grabbed them on the way out.

She began unlocking the initial row of cages as the door of the examination room burst open. One of the workers shouted as she saw the dogs running amok and the silence of the shelter quickly dissolved into chaos. The workers began chasing the fleeing dogs, and Ellie had just finished unlocking the last cage as they came bearing down on her. They screamed something at her, but he couldn't understand it due to the clamor around her.

Satisfied that most of the dogs would make it out, she took one last look at the horrific shelter and darted into the strange blue box.

11. ZSB2000

Thurinor gazed up at the stars, connecting their light pricks in dark blue into constellations. He spoke its name to himself softly – Wilwarin. In his heart he spoke another, similar in meaning.

He looked down at the book that rested on the wide branch, formed and grown to be used as a table.

Soft steps alerted him to an intruder. He furrowed his brow, "Bruinir, you are not welcome to the contents of my alchemy shelf! Depart from here, for I am studying."

"You are always studying, my old friend," a gracious, wise voice made Thurinor shift from his tome to the entryway.

Galadriel stood there as a smile lit her face. Her eyes were kissed by the stars in the heavens and her hair waved through the gentlest breeze in Arda.

Thurinor relaxed and crossed his arm across his chest in greeting. "I thought perhaps the young Elf placed his heels lightly as to pass unnoticed. Your presence is a welcomed alternative."

Galadriel drifted to his side. She lifted her head to gaze at the stars just as he had. The light poured down onto them, lighting the Elven Lady. "Gwilwaren has grown as beautiful as the butterfly she is named for. I receive word that she is well and loved."

"I am sure she is loved well," Thurinor said as he closed his tome.

The Lady chuckled at his merriment, "Indeed, she is. If only they could see the beauty she inherited that is in you. These years have not been kind to you, nor have you been kind to them. A time will come when you shall face the restlessness in your heart."

"I fail to feel restless in your presence, my Lady."

Galadriel could not help but smile at his flattery, "Keep well, friend, and be kind to the youngling. He regards you more than he despises you." With a soft farewell, she turned away.

...

The lord of terrors stood before Thurinor. He was a creature of the darkest nightmares. Horns of the Balrog curled around his head, pale as death. One side resembled a beautiful man – the other marred with scars and a void where the eye should sit.

Thurinor suppressed a shudder as the Unseelie King grinned. The glint of the One Ring on his finger enraged Thurinor. It was as if it mocked him. A substance of Arda betrayed its world for another, allowing unholy conversions upon the worlds of others to play agame. Thurinor had no choice but to play.

"She is kept safe... for now," The Faerie said as he turned to the metal wall beside them, "would you like to see?"

The wall slid from the floor and into the ceiling, revealing a girl shivering on the floor, frightened and cold.

"Strange magic, yes?" said the King.

"This is no magic," Thurinor growled as he touched the cold glass. The place he had been taken was a world of Men's study and design. Terrible inventions surrounded him, making him question his very perception of reality. Despite the lack of magic anywhere in these inventions, its presence was felt throughout the air and a dark magic clung to the one who called himself 'Count Dooku'.

The girl jumped when she saw them. She scuttled to the glass, placing her hand across from Thurinor's. A peace fell upon her face as she smiled at him. Even in a place she did not know or belong, she had endless hope. It was this endless hope that Thurinor envied.

"Father," Gwilwaren mouthed silently from the other side.

There was nothing more to say than, "I shall do as you command."

...

Thurinor had run out of amazement. There was none left to express over the grandiose elements of separate worlds. A visual culmination of these worlds collected in one enormous hall. It was obvious why such a place existed. Above the lesser vehicles loomed a disk and two handles of such size, Thurinor would hardly believe Glaurung, father of dragons, would measure up to its mass.

He had been told it was intended to travel the stars, but would Varda allow this invation of her domain?

"Enterprise," Thurinor sneered, "What a suitable name for Man's misplaced ambition."

Of those set before him, there was only one true object of magical nature. The embroidered cloak held a semblance of magic, but the wardrobe held an ancient, powerful magic. It was melded into the wood's very being. The wood was magic, and it was the only thing Thurinor would trust. The woodwork lacked proper skill, but he suspected this had been much more than a simple Man's project.

He opened the doors to find a rack of fur coats. But trusting the nature of magic, he stepped inside and closed the doors, letting the magic guide him. Back into the wardrobe he ventured, never finding an end until he burst out into a forested grove.

...

A strange sense filled Thurinor as he silently traversed the unfamiliar woods. He felt uncomfortable and agitated. Rightly so, for he did not belong in this world and he repulsed it as it repulsed him. Yet, there was a soothing stream of magic within the elements. It was not strong, nor was it very old, but its presence assured Thurinor that magic was the same throughout all worlds – even if the rules of it changed from place to place.

As he stepped, Thurinor suddenly jolted forward and landed on his face. He grumbled as he stood. He was an Elf! Elves did not trip!

He dusted off his tunic and continued, ignoring the papers he had been given and allowing the magic to run through him and guide him to his destination.

Only a few minutes past before his toe was caught again and he tumbled. Thurinor jumped to his feet and looked around with his sharp eyes. Something was going on around him that he was not noticing. It wasn't long before it occurred again.

This time Thurinor spotted the culprit – a small branch with two green leaves attached. As he grasped it, he suddenly felt its significance. The magic of the forest around him was focused on this branch that felt older than the forest. Maybe it was not as old as he, but it was wise. Thurinor wondered at the form this magic took on. He knew the importance of trees more than anyone... but a twig?

Thurinor put it in the back of his mind to study later, but for the time being, he stored it in his tunic.

...

Once Thurinor had reached his destination – the village, he decided to approach and show himself. From afar the people appeared peaceful and domestic in their living amongst nature.

However, the moment one man laid eyes on him, several warriors surrounded him with weapons. Even with his expression of peace, they did not trust him and even looked displeased. They forced him to stay where he was, away from the camps until an older woman carrying plants and spices came to him. There she curtly asked if he was ill or had been near an ill person recently. After he replied with a negative, she inspected him anyway. She was particularly interested in his ears.

"White men," she scoffed with a shake of her head as he told her of his Elven genetics. At least she no longer suspected him of ailments.

When she departed, the warriors guided him through the village. It increasingly annoyed him that even though he would have followed of his own free will, the brutes insisted on keeping their spears less than an arm length away from his body.

He was led into one of the larger, longer tents in the village and told to sit at one end to wait

...

Thurinor did not expect to see a woman enter from under the flap. Usually Men preferred the male as their leader. In this instance, Thurinor could tell by a single glance why they chose her. She had a strong angular body that she held confidently and with power. Her square jaw was set and determined. Wide lips in a straight line combined with her simple yet piercing dark eyes made for an impressive expression of strength.

Her elegance as she approached Thurinor surprised even him. This was a woman of experience.

"Why are you here?" she asked skeptically. She looked down on him with harsh eyes. There would be no introductions.

"I am in search of an individual. I believe he is..."

"For the last time, you may not have him." The woman interrupted him without respect for his words.

Thurinor huffed and spoke firmly, "I am under an obligation to retrieve this boy. Some agreement could be made, I am sure."

"An 'agreement'? You mean barter for his life? No. He will pay his price."

"If nothing else will persuade you, I must ask on the basis of life. Events have transpired which I cannot reverse. I have lost freedom of my own life and the life of my kin. Their blood is threatened if I cannot deliver. When we are gone from here, he will be no problem of yours," Thurinor said, refusing to believe he was pleading. He was debating – yes he was debating. He would not plea before Men.

She turned away from him momentarily as if his speech stung her. She turned back with flames in her eyes, "I believe in justice, white man! I am the chief. I am the justice. It will be dealt. As for the life of your kin – the life of your people! You think your blood means anything to me when my people have fallen by the hundreds? Years ago I stood up against the sword to prevent the shedding of blood. But I could not foresee the death caused by your curse. I defended your kind only to have you spread blight upon our tribes!"

"Disease..." Thurinor said aloud as he understood the meaning of the medicine woman's inspection.

"Yes! Disease! Disease that cannot be cured. Disease that white men carry across the sea. Disease that spares the white man but annihilates my people! Do not speak to me of your kin. Mine is dead because of you."

She was silent as a moment of emotion swept across her face.

"If you have no other reason for coming here, I will have my warriors escort you from the village." She did not stay to hear his answer. She knew it already.

...

Thurinor stayed out of sight, giving the villagers the idea he had left. Instead he had silently climbed a tree and now spied down on them from between the boughs. He felt ridiculous crouched behind a veil of leaves, but he would sacrifice more for his daughter. He would not let happen to Gwilwaren what happened to his life.

He recalled the papers the Count had given him. He pulled it out of a fold in his tunic. Somehow, the map drawn there knew where the prisoner was kept. Thurinor picked out the hut and devised a course of action.

At nightfall he climbed down from his perch and ventured into the village unseen. He was completely silent and quicker than the guard's eye.

With his back against the hut, he picked up four pebbles. He then threw them across the way where the guards went looking.

A hint of a smirk appeared on Thurinor's face. Men could be so dull.

He slipped inside and darted to the post in the middle, tearing the ropes from the prisoner's hands and feet. He was jostled awake just before Thurinor grabbed his arm and pulled him outside.

The pebbles had distracted the guards for only a few seconds and were now returning to see Thurinor sprint out of the hut, dragging a barely conscious figure behind him.

They raised alarm, shouting and chasing after him, waking half the village.

Even with the clumsy baggage, Thurinor was much faster than them.

Finally the boy got his feet under him and pulled away, skidding to a stop. "Wait!" he shouted as he dove for a hole in the ground beneath a tree.

"What are you doing, boy?" Thurinor growled as he followed.

A blue necklace was yanked out of the hole just in time for Thurinor to seize him once again.

"I got it!" the boy said as he tried to keep up beside the Elf.

When they reached the grove, Thurinor only released the boy to open the wardrobe doors and bowl him inside. The village warriors burst into the grove and he jumped in himself, slamming the doors behind him.

12. StarzAboveMe

"A fire lord," Nobuyo Tsuruga muttered as she crossed her arm. "Damn him...threatening me of all people." She sniffed. "I'll have that bastard know just what kind of material Nobuyo Tsuruga is made of. I'll show him, then send his fiery bottom to fiery hell."

The fire lord she spoke of had been a being which Nobuyo had never, in her entire twenty seven years of life, seen or known before. He had been more intimidating than any demon she'd faced. She recalled a dark aura surrounding him which had sent Nobuyo into a dimension of fear she'd never entered.

Though afterwards it had sent her into a dimension of irritation and anger.

The Fire Lord had given each mentor a location to go to, though first instructing the mentors to go to a place within his ever-so-dreary castle. Currently Nobuyo was wandering through a damp and dark passage, with only the torches lining the obsidian walls on her right guiding her through the corridor. The darkness made her uncomfortable. It reminded her many things she'd buried in her mind which she had hoped would never surface again.

Nobuyo shuddered, pausing a moment as hesitation creeped over her.

What was she even doing? Obeying the will of some fire lord who'd summoned her from her peaceful life which she'd gained after years of suffering and enduring, and threatened her. And something of a "tribute" she was suppose to mentor. Nobuyo had practically zero experience mentoring. Perhaps she should had just sliced off that lord's head and gotten everything over with. Her body began freezing up. Gods. What was she doing? She couldn't do this. This was on a whole new level from demons and shoguns and all that whatnot--

Nobuyo.

She stopped. The paralysis and numbness in her bones began thawing. The voice which spoke to her provided her a warm solace. A patch of sunlight. She closed her eyes.

There it was. That benevolent smile. Radiant as the sun. Gentle as the summer breeze. Nobuyo could have sworn that she even caught the scent of pine and herbs. She breathed out before opening her eyes.

Be brave. Are you not named after faith?

She was. The character in her name. Nobu: 'faith'. She was a girl of faith.

Resolve grew firm within her and she clenched her fist. This was nothing. She could do this. She'd go to whatever heaven or hell which was assigned to her and find that tribute, and show that Fire Lord just what kind of person she was. She'd show everyone the kind of person Nobuyo Tsuruga was. Her eyes narrowed and her legs began moving again, her strides long and confident.

As if turned out, she'd arrived in a circular room, arching doors surrounding her. There were several other mentors there. Some looked anxious. Some scared. Some excited. One tribute was in tears while the other was muttering to himself.

"Now then," Nobuyo murmured. She approached one of the doors which surprisingly had her surname engraved on it. She gently pushed at it. The door opened an inch. From the thin crack created she could see nothing but darkness beyond the door.

One of the mentors cried out something and Nobuyo glanced back to see a woman staring at her in horror and astonishment, her mouth moving quickly as words in a language unknown to Nobuyo tumbled out of her mouth.

"I don't understand you," she said to the woman, her brows knitting. "Forgive me."

The woman began speaking in a more insistent tone.

"I....I'm sorry," Nobuyo said faintly before turning away from her and facing the door once again. This was probably it. The gateway to the location she was suppose to go. She slipped a hand into the collar of her yukata and pulled out a frayed piece of parchment. There were characters familiar to Nobuyo drawn on the parchment, but they were in Chinese. The origin of the Japanese kanji. Below those characters was the Japanese translation.

Her lip curved into a wry smile as she shoved the door all the way open. Her eyes widened.

There was nothing. Just pure darkness awaiting her.

Uncertainty bit at Nobuyo. The woman behind her was practically shrieking now. But her voice fell deaf on Nobuyo's ears. So this was what she was being sentenced to. Nobuyo swallowed. So be it.

Before she could think of anything else, a great force pulled her in, causing her body to pitch forward. A shriek slipped out of her mouth as she fell through the doorway and into the darkness.

The wind as cold and stinging on her face as her body plummeted at an unbelievable rate through the chasm. Nobuyo felt her stomach curl and her heart pounding frantically against her chest. It was not like flying at all. It was frightening. Falling for heavens knew how long, and in darkness as well. Nobuyo curled her body into a ball, Pressing her hands over her head as she closed her eyes and waited for the bone-shattering impact.

What a horrible joke. How would she complete her first task when she'd be dead before she did it.

She probably should had thought of that before opening the door.

But what met her was not the unforgiving impact of the hard ground. Instead, she found herself being slowly lowered. Her feet met the ground but the moment they did her legs betrayed her, turning weaker than a blade of grass so that she collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily as if she'd ran a long distance.

"Ah," Nobuyo gasped. She sat up and slowly allowed her eyelids to lift up.

She was in a large, red-and-yellow room. The ceiling might had been as high as the sky itself, majestic, crimson pillars stretching up to support it. Lanterns gave a orange-yellow tint to the room, There were windows which looked to had been crafted by skilled artists, with wooden designs crossing over the paper screen to form maze-like designs. Large red doors framed with curtains stood proudly behind her.

Nobuyo slowly stood up.

Undoubtedly she was in China.

A palace in China, to be more specific.

Of course, the Emperor's palace.

Nobuyo's legs grew weak again.

"I will force that pompous Fire Lord to commit seppuku [ritual suicide] when I get back," she grumbled. "Slice his head off if I have to. Yes maybe that would be better. I can execute with my own hands. How lovely."

The idea enticed Nobuyo and gave her motivation to make it back. Now, first she'd have to find...

Nobuyo reached into her yukata, praying that the parchment would still be there. To her delight, she found that it still was. It was a miracle that it had remained with her even after the fall.

Thankfully, the characters were written in Japanese so Nobuyo could understand.

"Find...the sword of Shan Yu...and the Emperor's seal?" She nearly shrieked at the last part. "That idiotic lord wants me to get the emperor's seal?! He has to be mad. How on earth to I get the Emperor's seal? Steal from him? Oh yes, fantastic idea. I'd have the entire country of China my enemy. Yes. That is just fantastic."

Forget executing him. I'll torture with my own bare hands. Slice him up to little pieces. Feed his remains to his minions. Oh no. That's not enough. I must first--

Nobuyo fumed as she came up with multiple ways to torture the Fire Lord.

Someone called her. Nobuyo spun around.

"Ni shi shen me ren?"

Nobuyo blinked. What was this? She could hear the original language...but at the same time...in the language she could understand...Japanese...

She was hearing the man speak Japanese and Chinese at the same time.

"I..." she started.

"You, what?" the guard shouted. "In the name of the Emperor, answer me!"

He could understand her!

Nobuyo clapped her hands together in delight and approached the guard.

"I am Nobuyo Tsuruga," she answered, her voice firm and calm. "And I mean no harm at all to be here."

The guard eyed her warily, distrust obvious in his narrowed eyes. "You are not from this kingdom...foreigner..."

The moment he said foreigner, Nobuyo knew she was in trouble. And judging by the way the guard was eyeing her, she knew that he would not accept any excuses at all. Not only that, but judging by the way he towered over her, she was no match for him the way she was right now.

However...she was not going to risk that just yet....

"I am...a foreigner," started Nobuyo, her voice slow as she carefully backed away from the guard. "Please hear me out...I'm looking for...the sword of Shan Yu..."

Immediately, the guard's expression darkened. Nobuyo gulped. She shouldn't had said that. What a horrible mistake. But...what exactly was it about this sword which made him look that way?

Just what are you having me take, Fire Lord?

"That sword," the guard began in an icy tone, "is forbidden."

With a growl, he brandished his sword and made a strike at Nobuyo. She flitted out of the way, unconsciously using the demon powers within her to do so.

The guard's eyes widened. The speed at which Nobuyo had gone was one practically impossible for any human. She had been a blur to his eyes.

But what choice had she had? Nobuyo growled under her breath. This guard was very skilled. She could already tell from the way his blade had nearly grazed her skin, the swiftness of his movement, the agility despite the armor.

Nobuyo's katana was sheathed at her side, but she would not raise it against this man. Nobuyo did not blame him for attacking her. She was probably suspicious enough, being a foreigner, suddenly appearing in the Imperial Palace, asking for the sword of Shan Yu--whatever it was. Irritation shot through Nobuyo. It was all the Fire Lord's fault.

The man struck again and Nobuyo dodged. But he read her movement and quickly adjusted so that his blade swung to the direction Nobuyo had moved in. Surprise and a quick moment of fear flashed in Nobuyo and she quickly ducked as the blade swept inches above her head.

There was a loud boom and Nobuyo tossed a glance back to see in horror that more guards were spilling in through the opened red doors, armed in spears, swords and bow and arrows.

"Oh heavens," she breathed.

How I'm going to torture that Fire Lord when I return.

"Get her!" the guard she'd been fighting roared.

With a resounding cry, the armed men all rushed at her in a great wave of weapons and armors. Nobuyo barely managed to dodge a blade as it came down on her. Her hand automatically went to her side and she whipped out her katana from its sheath. It came to use the second she drew, as she use it to knock an arrow away from plunging into her skull.

It would had been easier if Nobuyo could had just cut them down. But no. She refused to take their lives.

All she could do was parry, dodge, cutting arrows and throwing punches and kicks.

After a while, she could feel her energy draining away from her. Her muscles pleaded her to stop and it felt as if her limbs had been wrapped in stone blocks.

It was time to use that form.

A strangled cry erupted from her mouth and a great wind swirled around her, so powerful that all the soldiers and guards around her were immediately knocked away, sent sprawling to the ground. Nobuyo didn't need a mirror to know that her dark hair was now washed in snowy white, her irises turned tawny and glowing, and small horns had sprouted from her forehead.

Now, she was in her demon form.

"M-Monster!" one of the men yelped, scrambling away.

The guard eyed her scrutinizingly, appearing to be considering now of just what exactly he should do.

"Yes," Nobuyo said loudly, her voice echoing in the large room. She looked at each men with a hard gaze. "I am a monster. I can kill all of you in a minute if I have to. You'd be dead before you'd realize my blade is in your body. So if you wish for your lives to be spared, then stay away from me."

She enunciated the last part in a low voice, close to a growl. If it was what took to not hurt anyone, to threaten to hurt them instead, that was what she would do.

"Our lives belong to the Emperor," the original guard spoke up. His gaze was steady. "Our loyalty are to him. If our lives should be wasted to protect him and our kingdom, then so be it. I will cut down any monster or demon in my way."

Nobuyo was speechless. This man...he was truly a man among men. She could see it now. The way he glowed and stood out from the rest of them.

Though unfortunately, it would be a pain in the case that he was this special. Nobuyo sighed.

"I see. Then don't blame me for what I am about to do," she started, raising her sword.

The men began raising their weapons as well, moral apparently raised by the guard's words.

Perhaps I shall die here, Nobuyo thought bitterly as a smile formed on her lips. Die her, having not accomplished a single thing. Die playing the fool and liar.

"Do not move!"

A voice rang out in the room, a powerful air to it that made even Nobuyo drop her weapon. Her entire body froze on the voice's command. Such power....could this be...

She slowly turned around.

An elderly man with regal stature, a wise yet stern face, dressed in royal colors of gold, orange, and red stood in the open doorway. His eyes were thinned and there was something about him which made Nobuyo want to drop to her knees and bow before him as if he was a god.

The Emperor.

"Your Majesty," the original guard greeted respectfully, bowing deeply before the Emperor.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Emperor demanded, approaching the mass of guards and weapons with three armed men following him. He pointed at the guard. "Answer me."

"We have an invader here," answered the guard. "She says she seeks the sword of Shan Yu."

"And the Emperor's seal," Nobuyo added.

There was a gasp which spread throughout the room.

"How dare you speak without permission of His Majesty!" hissed the guard, shooting Nobuyo a venomous stare. "Such audacity!"

"Let her speak," the Emperor said calmly.

The guard bowed his head in silence.

Nobuyo took a deep breath. "I apologize that I will have to take these objects. But I come by the order of a person known as a Fire Lord. This is my mission and I cannot leave without completing it."

The Emperor was silent for a long while.

"Answer me." He directed his attention to the guard. "Has she harmed any men?"

There were glances exchanged and some muttering.

"She has not," one man spoke up.

"I see."

The Emperor stood stagnantly before turning to whisper something into the ear of one of the men who'd accompanied him into the room. The man nodded and scurried out.

"You will have these two object," the Emperor began, "on the condition that you return them. Should you not, you will make an enemy of this entire country."

"Your Majesty!" the guard gasped in amazement.

"She means no harm," said the Emperor in a solid tone, "and I can tell that she is earnest and not evil. Yet judging from your appearance, you appear dangerous in many ways. I will lend you the two objects you request. In return, you will leave peacefully and not disturb my palace any longer."

Nobuyo bowed deeply. "Yes, Your Majesty. I thank you for your benevolence."

"Do not mistake this for benevolence." Nobuyo glanced up to meet chilling eyes. "I will still see you as a threat until you return those two objects."

What a ruler, Nobuyo thought with fear and awe running down her spine.

The moment the two objects were given to her, Nobuyo felt a tug. She tried to ignore it as she bowed to the Emperor once more.

"Thank you," she said as gratefully as she could. "I will forever be in your debt."

"I will make use of that," replied the Emperor. "You are lucky you encountered someone like me instead of the leader of the Huns."

The tug grew more insistent and Nobuyo dropped to her knees. "I ask permission to leave."

The emperor nodded.

The guard who had first greeted Nobuyo was assigned with the task of escorting Nobuyo out of the palace. When they exited the room though, Nobuyo whirled around the man a kind smile and bowed deeply. She could feel it. The tug had turned to a strong pull, and she knew she didn't have much longer.

"Thank you," she said, and as soon as the words left her mouth, she found herself dropping into darkness like she had when she first came to this country. She heard a startled shout from the man above, but the hole was already closing.

Nobuyo closed her eyes and clutched the sword and seal to her chest.

This time, she felt like she was flying as she fell

13. jaypvie

Denji entered the warehouse, clutching the file in his hand so hard that his knuckles turned white. The door slammed shut behind him. Tears clouded his sight.

They had Sindan. They had Lee.

He hadn't seen his wife and son in years. Somehow, despite the war, blood and death he had witnessed, he hoped against all hope they might be reunited someday. But now, Ozai had captured them, and forced Denji to play this — this game in order to save their lives.

Deep inside, he knew he couldn't win. Good people didn't get happy endings. But it was the only chance his family had. He had to try.

Denji scanned the unfamiliar vehicles in the warehouse, trying to figure out how they worked. A big red machine caught his eye. It was standing on a track that went all the way through the warehouse, reminding him of the stories he'd heard about the Ba Sing Se monorail. Words 'Hogwarts Express' were written on the front. He ran a hand along its side before pulling the door open and climbing aboard.

The machine jerked along the track, seemingly moving by itself, and headed for the other end of the warehouse, picking up speed. The door slammed shut, and Denji yanked the knob in a desperate attempt to escape before the inevitable crash. The wall the track ended at rushed toward him.

In a flash, the world around him disappeared. The machine was suddenly completely still again, and the knob turned easily.

Denji stepped outside, still shaken up, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight outside. He was in a small valley surrounded by cliffs. At its center rose a tower. Vines twined around it, almost completely obscuring the light yellow stone it was made of. Behind it, he could see a stream forming a waterfall and disappearing beneath the ground, and after a moment's concentration he could sense a large cave it had carved into the stone beneath him. He turned around, carefully surveying the area for signs of danger. If enemies were nearby, they were probably atop the cliffs, observing him. As for the poor soul he was supposed to save, his file said they were in the tower.

A closer look revealed the tower had no entrance on ground level. He could see a window near the top. Denji considered creating a stone pillar to reach it, but that would make him an easy target for any hostile onlookers, not to mention that the obvious point of entry was the likeliest to be a trap. Instead, he put his hands on the wall and pushed. The solid stone gave way, opening into the darkness.

An unbearable smell of rot and death washed over Denji, clouding his senses and bringing him back to the battlefields where he'd lost colleagues and friends. The inside of the tower was pitch black, the daylight from the entrance barely penetrating the darkness.

He stepped in cautiously, his feet upsetting a thick layer of dust. It rose into the air, filling his lungs and stinging his eyes. He doubled over, coughing, and recoiled when his head brushed against thick cobwebs hanging from the ceiling.

Something moved in the darkness above him, and a small light flickered to life near the top. A female voice, raspy from the lack of use, rung through the tower, seemingly coming from everywhere at once.

"A visitor? I'd expected you sooner."

He could make out a figure sitting in the web a couple of stories higher. It wore a dress, which might have been red once beneath the layer of dirt covering it. It seemed to be lowering, the light floating behind its head, making its gray curls glow like a halo.

The surreal image made him shiver. This was no battlefield. At least they were real. This was a nightmare.

"They said you'd come. They said you'd be here soon. You'd be looking for the girl they brought."

Denji's breaths were short, ragged. He'd faced horrors before. He'd felt fear. What he felt now was a different thing entirely. His heart thumped loudly in his chest, urging him to run before it was too late.

He imagined Lee's ten-year-old face, streaked with tears. Promise you'll come back, dad... promise me, please!

He slowly walked to the middle of the room, stirring the years-old dust once more and ducking beneath the spiderwebs, his eyes never leaving the woman. Yes, she was definitely closer now. He couldn't see it because of the web, but there had to be a rope mechanism she was using to descend. All for show. If only he could believe that.

The light moved, showing her face at last. Denji stumbled and fell backward, a primal fear surging through his veins, freezing his blood. The corpse's eyes stared at him from a rotting face.

The voice giggled. "Oh, haven't I introduced you? How forgetful of me. This is my mother. Mother, this is Denji. He's the one I told you about."

The stone floor scraped Denji's hands. He curled his fingers into fists, and there was a barely audible crack beneath him. "Who are you?" he called out. "Show yourself!"

"If you say so..." There was movement in the darkness again, and then the voice started humming a slow, eerie melody, before rising to a song.

"Flower, gleam and glow..."

High above, a golden light lit up.

"Let your power shine..."

It surged down, spreading like fire through what Denji had thought were spiderwebs. He'd been wrong.

It was human hair.

It shone through the layers of dust covering it like sun would through a grimy window, illuminating the tower, revealing faded paintings on the walls and rotten stairs leading to the top. The speaker was up there, a seemingly young woman with ancient eyes, tangled in her own hair. She swung down to the floor with practiced ease.

She was pale as a ghost, her limbs little more than skin and bones. Her sunken, disturbingly green eyes bore into his olive-colored ones. A faint smile played on her thin lips.

"Are you scared?" she said, taking a tentative step forward. Denji scrambled away from her, more muffled cracking sounds following him. "There's no need to be scared. There's nothing dangerous in here, not like outside. Here, it's just me and mother and Eugene." An exaggerated look of surprise crossed her face, only to be replaced with another eager smile. "I haven't introduced you to Eugene yet, have I? Silly me!"

She turned and beckoned, and the floating light from before — a paper lantern, as it turned out — approached her, turning slowly to reveal a man's face clumsily drawn on it. She beamed at Denji. "Isn't he lovely? I even got the nose right. He was so proud."

"But what — who are you? What happened here?" Denji managed to get out through gritted teeth. The girl cocked her head.

"Hmm, I don't really remember. I..." She frowned, staring off into nothing. "I... I mean... I remember..." Horror washed over her face, her voice fading to a whisper. "It can't be..."

Denji stood up cautiously, trying not to attract her attention again. He inched toward the exit, carefully shifting his weight across the floor between steps.

"She killed him!"

The scream startled him, almost causing him to jump. The girl was still staring into space, tears pooling in her eyes, reflecting the golden glow of her hair.

"She stabbed him! She wouldn't let me save him! She wanted the magic all for herself, and she wouldn't let me save him!"

Angry emerald eyes snapped back to Denji's face. The girl bared her teeth in a growl.

"And it was stupid. In the end, it was stupid. It was for nothing. Because you know what?" She took a step forward, drawing a knife from her sleeve. Denji tensed up, preparing to dodge the weapon, but instead, she sliced through a strand of her hair. The loose end hung in the air beside her, still shining with golden light.

"It just had to be me cutting it. If I wanted to, I could keep the magic in the hair. She needed me for that — the healing, the eternal youth — and I could've given her what she wanted, if only I knew! He wouldn't be dead! I wouldn't have had to kill her!"

She took another step, her eyes glinting with madness. The floor crumbled beneath her.

Denji threw himself through the improvised doorway, landing back-first into soft grass. The girl's scream was abruptly cut short. Its faint echo in the cave beneath the tower rung on for a couple more seconds.

He walked back to the tower's entrance, glancing inside. The fall was deadly; the girl's hair hadn't managed to support her weight, and it now hung limply, its glow dying out. The only lights that remained were the floating lantern and the one strand the girl had cut off.

The lantern floated towards Denji. Almost instinctively, he extended a hand, and it softly landed on his palm, giving one last flicker before going out, and he stored it in his pocket.

Denji bended the earth around his feet, making it extend into a bridge across the gap and create stairs to the top of the tower. The room at the top was small and messy; several books, stained and destroyed, littered the broken bed, and there was a sun painted on the floor in rusty red. Denji almost tripped on something on the floor; a metal circle, bent and darkened, with three tear-shaped crystals inserted into it, the middle one cracked.

Behind the bed, he saw a figure lying on the floor. The person he came for, Denji realized. The player in Ozai's game. Ozai had called them tributes — offerings to appease him and the other overlords he'd allied with. Bile rose in Denji's throat, but he swallowed it and picked up the limp form of a girl, carrying her back down.

Halfway across his improvised bridge, the dimming light from the strand of hair caught his gaze. He hesitated.

I could keep the magic in the hair... the healing, the eternal youth...

The youth Denji didn't care for, not much anyway. Long ago, he'd promised Sindan they'd grow old together, and he never broke his promises. But healing... the tributes would need all the help that they could get, and their lives were tied to Sindan's and Lee's.

Promise you'll come back, dad...

I will, Lee. I'll come back, and we'll all be together again. I promise.

He gently laid the girl on the bridge, then reached out for the strand, wrapping it around his fingers.

Good people didn't get happy endings. But maybe they could get a fighting chance.

The tower crumbled to pieces as he left, taking the tribute — no, the girl — along with him.

14. D-Willy45

I am still not sure what happened. One minute I'm in my home on the outer edge of a small village. Next thing I know I am pulled out of my house by fire nation soldiers. I was brought to the fire nation's capital and then to a cell. No one said anything throughout our little exertion, not even the insects bothered to break the silence. I suspect I will be spending the rest of my life here, rotting in prison. I knew my antics wouldn't go underneath the noses of the Fire Lord forever; I just hope Lee is safe. Knowing Ozia, Lee is probably at the boiling rock by now. My heart aechs with every thought of what he must be going through.

I'm sorry love. I just hope you will ever forgive me.

Footsteps echo through the stone corridor, the first sign of human life I have heard in awhile. I haven't bothered keeping track of the time; but I know it has been at least two days. The noise gets closer until a man in metal armor opens my cage and lifts me off the ground.

"Get up."

I don't fight back as he (not so gently) brings my to my feet. He takes me outside where a komodo rhino is waiting. We hop on and start for the bay at the far end of the city. The Midnight breeze cools down my sweaty body in an instant; I can't help but shiver. It takes us about half an hour to reach the docks. I have long been forced to breathe steam on myself to keep warm. We get off and that is when I notice him.

"Hello Lin Fang."

Ozai stands over me with an intimidating smile plastered on his face.

"My lord." I say. I make sure to stand up straight, my face void of emotion. He will never intimidate me. He didn't years past and he won't now.

"You are a very smart woman Lin so I won't beat around the bush. I heard of your useless antics. You spread propaganda and conspiracies about me. Treasonous acts are punishable by banishment or execution." He places his hand on his chin in thought. "Though, I have a more prosperous use for you. I have collaborated with two other very powerful men. We have set up a game of sorts. As a push to get players I took it upon myself to find them."

My heart seizes up, my stomach twists in a knot. I have no idea who these people could be. His conquest has made him enemies with everyone.

Unless the King of Ba Sing Se betrayed his people!

"You maybe wondering what you get from this. Well I could possibly pull a few strings and set your family as well as yourself free. As long as you stop talking bad of this great nation."

My bravado shatters completely. I take a sharp breath in surprise.

What angle are you playing at Ozai? Can I even trust your word?

I think for a second before saying.

"How do I know you will keep your word?" He shrugs.

"You simply don't. But I will say this, you know what will happen if you decline."

My whole body tenses up. This is all my fault, but I will fix this. No matter how long it takes, I will bring the family back together. I let my head fall in defeat, my muscles relax.

"Ok, Ozai. I will play your game. Where do I start?"

*************************************************************************************************************

He brings me to a large building and shows me a wide range of machines, all lined in a row. Amongst them is a blue box and a wooden treehouse. But what catches my eye is the steam train at the end of the line. Ozai tells me to hop on and I do. He explains that I need to find a person in captivity and this will get me to my destination. He gives me a piece of paper then steps away. And just like that the train moves; two wooden doors open to let us exit the building. Then there is a blinding flash of light. By the time I look up from covering my eyes I already know I am not where I once was. A blizzard rages on with a furry only the the water tribes could fathom. I get out and immediately take in the scenery. In the distance is a translucent castle, It's dark blue tint makes it stand out from the white of the snow and light blue of the sky.

Looking around I have no idea where I am at. I might be at the North or South pole but I doubt it. I take a look at the piece of paper Ozai gave me and start reading.

Dear Lin.

I know this may seem weird to you but please be assured that this is all according to plan. You have been transported to another world in which you have only one mission, find the target. We unfortunately have no information on your target's appearance but we do know it is being held captive in a "ice castle" which I am sure you have already spotted. Good luck and come back in one piece.

Sincerely, Fire Lord Ozai.

I burn the parchment in my hand. Anger starts to rise inside my stomach. My knuckles light up, my feet melt the snow. I shoot flurries out of all appendages and start flying towards this, "ice castle".

Do not worry Lee, this will not take long.

My mind is a blank slate, I don't even feel the cold wind blowing against my shoulders. I ease myself down at the front gate. The castle is very breathtaking up close and I would be very imprest had it not been for my situation. I am about to step inside but stop mid stride when I hear footsteps. The ground shakes ever so slightly underfoot. I look to my left, nothing. I look to my right and that's when I see it. A giant colossus appears from around the corner. It has just seen me and is now running towards the gates. He lets out a roar that echoes through the empty mountainside. I am at war with myself; do I fight or flee, I choose fight.

I wait until the snow monster is right on top of me before jumping into the air. I use my arms and legs to fly. The monster seems befuddled by my assault and tries to grab at me. I use my speed to my advantage, flying past his face and around his massive body. Whenever I get out of his vision I send a flurry out of both my hands at the golem. He melts easy, piece by piece he begins to fade away. Then out of nowhere he backhands my blindside then grabs me out of mid air. I am totally encased in his grasp by body squished in his palm.

No! You won't end me!

My arms and legs illuminate the otherwise total darkness. I breathe deep, fire escapes my mouth. Then with a yell as powerful as a tiger-dillo I burst free. Chunks of his hand goes everywhere. I open my eyes to see his face not feet from mine. I throw two air punches and launch myself backwards.

Wow. I didn't know I had this much energy. It's good to see my old bones aren't breaking down. But this isn't the time to think about this.

By now holes protrude all over the golem's body. His stumbling around gives tells me that he is done, he only need one push. I grab onto the side of it's neck and point my other hand in the air. Storm clouds form in the sky and in an instant a bolt of lightning shoots down and strikes me. I then place my hand to where the top of his backbone would be and fire. With a loud, "Boom!" the energy in my hand shoots through the monster. I pull my hand away and see a small hole where my fingers once were. The monster loses form and falls into a snow pile. I ease myself down before walking in.

If the castle was majestic outside then it is completely astounding inside. Room after room I walk into to see no one. The whole structure has a blue hue to it, adding a nice contrast to the endless white outside. By the time I reach the stairs that lead to the second story I have only seen one thing; a pair of blue gloves on a pedestal. I left them where they were, I am here for one thing only. The top of the stairs open up to a large ball room and it is there that rests my target. I make haste to the middle of the room where a body is chained to the floor.

Looking at the person I cannot see any of their features. Their body is covered in a long but thin shirt and the same for their pants. The person is obviously sleeping so I tap their shoulder.

"Hey. It's time to wake up."

The person looks to me slowly. Their face is covered in a metal mask with only slits to see from and to breathe. Whoever this is, they do not seem scared. I try once more to make out who they might be, but I can't. I don't even know their gender or even skin color. I look down at the chains, medium sized rings link together with the last one embedded into the floor. Instead of traditional cuffs, two massive balls of iron cover the person's hands.

"Here let me help you get those chains off. I already defeated the golem outside and-"

The person becomes instantly aware at the mention of the monster. The person stands up and throws their hands into the air and just like that, the rings snap. I am taken back by the feet but my amazement is interrupted by a noise saying.

"Um. I'm sorry am I invisible?"

I look to where the voice came from. At the end of the room is another figure that is chained, but this one isn't human. It's a snowman, plain and simple.

"Ah so she is coherent. Thanks for neglecting to notice me, it warms my heart."

"I am only here for him, golem."

The person in chains stands back and shakes their head. They make it clear that they aren't leaving without it. I roll my eyes and pinch the ridge of my nose. Then we hear footsteps charging up the stairs. By the sounds of it I would guess six people at least. People appear around the corner, I count five plus another snowman. Four of the people are obviously important, the other two not so much. This witchcraft is honestly disturbing, I will be glad to leave. A woman, (who is obviously the leader) with white hair steps forward.

"Look, I don't know who you are of how you got here but if you leave now we will not attack."

I don't need to think twice before I act. I launch a fireball towards the woman's direction. She steps back, narrowly avoiding it. The two guards raise their crossbows but I quickly shoot them down with bolts of lightning. The person in chains charges in, forcing me to follow. They run up to one of the two guards, who is on his hands and knees, and hits him in the face. They then drive their shoulder into the man's stomach and runs him off the castle to his demise. The white-haired lady shoots her hand to the person and pins them against the wall with a sort of ice bending.

"You will not leave here you monster!" She yells.

Now's my chance.

Her side to me, she has no idea I'm coming. Then right before I my fist hits her face I see the enchanted snowman that came with them jump in my way. My fist goes through his chest and without thinking I stick my other hand through and rip him in half. The woman starts screaming but is cut off by me grabbing her collar and driving her face into the ice. After that the other two don't put up a fight. We break the snowman free and make our way to the train, and to home.

15. Enchantresses

Nessa Shade was unsure how long she'd been walking through the acrid desert. Thirst prickled the back of her throat and hunger was beginning to claw it's way out of her stomach. The last time she'd eaten was before -- well, before she'd met up with the group of people who had stolen the only person she truly cared about and sent her to a far-off land called 'Agrabah'. And though she'd been to many places, she had never heard of this one.

Her blood boiled, and not only from the heat. Memories surfaced in her mind, temporarily overcoming her hunger and thirst with the bitter tang of rage. The man who had called himself 'the Fire Lord' -- a rather pompous title, not that anyone had asked Nessa's opinion on it -- had given her nothing but a simple manila folder with the name of the location she was currently scouring, and an object for her search. Find a tribute, he and his co-conspirators had said, help them win, they had said.

Do it, or we'll kill the little warlock girl. The girl you call your family.

Juniper and Nessa were not blood-related, but that didn't stop Nessa from calling the girl her 'baby sister'. And, just like most big sisters, Nessa would snatch the moon from the sky if it meant saving Junie.

Markets were swimming into view, and Nessa protectively flipped the hood of her cloak over her head. Two men moved aside to let her pass, and she tried not to think about their stares following her every movement. She'd grown up like this, with subtle thievery and a billow of ill-fated innocence that she wore like armor. It had been so ingrained within her, that she couldn't forget it if she wanted to.

Her stomach growled lowly, reminding her of what was important. Just a quick detour to nab a loaf of bread, and then she'd hunt down her tribute, who was bound to be somewhere in the city. The conspirators wouldn't send her on a wild goose chase -- that would ruin their precious 'game'. Nessa's fingers brushed over a ridged roll and she tucked it into her sleeve, dipping her hand into her pocket and letting the snack spill safely into her robes. She could leave now. She could get back to the hunt, back to her familiar world, back to Junie.

"Stop, thief!" Nessa looked up sharply.

She wasn't the only one to do so. The alarmed stall owner had alerted the guards just a short distance away -- the armed guards. Desperately, Nessa began stuffing all the food she could find into her surprisingly well-pocketed cloak. Her hands brushed something metallic, and she mindlessly shoved it in alongside two apples and a loaf of bread. If she was going down, she might as well take it all with her.

"Vandal!" The stall owner yelled louder, trying his best to grab at her wrist. When he finally took hold, Nessa allowed just the smallest sliver of magic to wiggle out of her fingers and the man yelped, leaping back and clutching at his own hand. A ripple of something in between confusion and fury passed over his face, and then he was shouting again: "Outrage! Scoundrel!"

Nessa spun, the hood of her cloak still concealing her face. At least a dozen pairs of boots thundered into her vision, halting right in front of her. What Nessa liked to think of as a 'charming smile' tugged at her lips, the only prominent feature visible below her heavy hood. "Let's not be too hasty."

The heavyset men before her deigned to ignore her advice. The slick sound of swords being unsheathed rang in her ears as a dozen fists pointed their blades towards the thief in front of them. "Take them back," the supposed leader cried, referring to the food weighing down her pockets. "Take them back, if you have to rip her open to do it!"

The warlock brought her long fingers towards her head and swept back the hood of her cloak, revealing pitch black eyes. Her warlock mark made it impossible to tell where the pupil began or ended. A few of the guards recoiled at the sight of it, perplexed by the new development, while the others stood transfixed by the energy pooling in her hands. With a sharp crack, Nessa flung her hands outwards, hitting the first wave of guards and sending them hurtling backwards.

It wasn't enough. More lawmen were storming towards her, drawn by the scene she was creating. "Can't we all just get along?" Nessa offered weakly, traces of magic still wafting around her palms.

"Wrong!" A sword split through the air, narrowly missing her neck. Another whizzed behind her and Nessa managed to dodge the weapon's path, though barely.

Her heart rate picked up and she struggled to get a grip on the source within her, the place she tried to focus on when she needed to gather magic. She called, but none came. The guards that hadn't yet moved seemed to be almost waiting for her to regain her bearing, to blast more of them back and prove the full extent of her awe-inspiring power.

With an all-too-guilty smirk, Nessa bolted.

The apples and the copper and the rolls all bounced against her thighs as she grabbed the pole of a stall, using it to swing her into a mostly-abandoned alley. A single man in a purple vest guiltily swept something behind his back, the monkey on his shoulder looking a bit too innocent as she ran swiftly by. She decided to ignore them. She had better things to worry about than her fellow street rats.

Behind her, the thunder of the men's synchronized footsteps followed her into the alley. Sand and dust kicked into her face and she coughed a bit, panting heavily as she began to realize just how poor of an idea she'd come up with. The alley was a dead end, leading only to a stack of decaying boxes.

Using the last of her magic to steady the rot, Nessa took a running leap and spring-boarded off of the boxes and into a tower, the lawmen clamoring behind her. Her fingers scrabbled at the window, and an apple tumbled from her pocket into the sand below. Cursing loudly, she tried to keep her grip on the edge of the window but found her fingers slipping, one by one.

"Junie," she murmured to herself. This was for Junie. This was for the family of the tribute she had yet to meet -- a family that she'd been informed was also in danger. This was for herself and the years she had yet to live.

Her fingers slipped.

And a hand caught hers.

With the combined strength of herself and the stranger, she managed to crawl-slash-fall through the window in an undignified heap of limbs. "One trick ahead of disaster, as always," Nessa commended herself, patting her pockets to make certain she hadn't lost any more of her loot. It was hard-earned at this point. Her fingers once again brushed over the metallic surface of the foreign object she'd mindlessly nabbed. Something about it felt off, almost. Not in a bad way, but in a way that sent a tingle of magnetism thrumming through her veins.

"Quick, the stairs!" The bellow of a guard below made her snap into action once more.

"Oh, they're quick," Nessa mused, snatching her hand from her pocket and examining the room around her. It was small, with only a couple of amenities. One was a battered and discarded sword. The other was an oriental rug. Her eyes nearly passed over it, before a shiver of movement caught her eyes. Was the rug... floating? Whatever, still not as strange as the wardrobe she'd used to get to this land in the first place. Another smirk passed over her face. "But I'm much faster."

She moved over to the carpet, clamored on, and snapped her fingers. She didn't speak "Oriental Rug" but she hoped the thing would understand. Instead of shooting out the window as she'd hoped, it spun to face the man who had helped her.

Banging came from nearby. The guards were getting closer, and she couldn't be here when they burst through that door.

"Fine," she grumbled to the carpet, "be that way." An idea, a stupidly hopeful idea, popped into her mind. "Is he my tribute? Is he the one I came here for? Never mind. I don't know why I'm talking to a rug. I think it's hallucinations. Dehydration, or whatever."

Still, the hope only flourished when the rug lifted her up and down frantically in a way that could be interpreted only as a nod.

The man still hadn't spoken, and Nessa didn't have time for further conversation. The doors behind them burst open, and Nessa barely had time to reach out and help the man onto the carpet before they flew away.

"Carpet, take us back to the Wardrobe!"

The sound of a dozen swords clattering uselessly against the wall was music to her ears as she and the stranger bid farewell to the city of Agrabah.