And a little bit more before going to bed.
**** **** ****
Somewhere, a different
dimension,
"He's THERE?!"
"Indeed he is,
Stormsdaughter."
The celestial being known in
one world as Major General Helene Diedmeier, a.k.a. Wetter Hexe of the United
Nations Metahuman Peacekeeping Forces, looked as if someone just appeared right
out of nowhere and kicked her hard right in the gut.
"How . . .? Why . . .?
THERE?! How did Doug get
THERE?!"
"A native of that
universe possessing one of the Voices of the Peoples' Desire sensed your friend
about to be attacked by beings who would seek his demise for all his acts over
the last fifteen centuries in his time-line since he was taken from your
side."
That message made Helene turn
totally white as her mind recalled where she had heard the phrase "Voice
of the Peoples' Desire" before in conjunction with a device or weapon that
could literally defy the Will of the Fates Themselves and drag
Douglas Quincy Sangnoir into a universe where the influence of the Power
that Unleashed Existence Itself in all its great complexity was so
unbelievably strong. On considering
that, the celestial being born a weather-manipulating mutant years ago in
Germany paled.
If the native of THAT
universe that dragged the Loon into it had been one of the so-called
"Jewel Warriors," the nearly-countless heiresses of the Seekers, that
person would have been referred to as a "Warrior of the First Race."
Helene had cause to remember
one of them quite well: The Earth Jewel
Warrior, a Canadian woman named Dean Raeburn . . . or "She Who Bears
The Keystone Jewel."
If the native of that
universe had been one who had taken the Test of the Praetorians and become a
"Praetorian Guardian" as they were called there, such a person would
have been addressed as a "Spirit Guardian of the Second Race."
Helene had met the Praetorian
Guardian for Earth, a charming fellow who called himself Vladímir Rusalovic
Tayceško in civilian life in Russia and Lord Rjazán' when in his
fighting costume – it was the same time Wetter Hexe had met Major Raeburn – so
he was known as the "Spirit Guardian Friend of the Keystone Jewel
Warrior."
If said native was a resident
of the planet Yiziba – a world that would have given metahuman control
activists on Helene's own Earth nightmares for the rest of their very lives! –
which lay three hundred light-years from the Earth in that universe, such would
have been addressed as a "Child of the Forge of the First Race."
Of course, the one
Yizibajohei respectfully nicknamed the "Goddess Who Walks Amongst
Men" in this incarnation by those who knew of her yet did not wish to
speak her battle-name Infinity would be addressed as the "Infinite
One" or the "Cosmic All."
The native of the planet
Noukiios who absorbed the blood of a celestial dragon into her veins in her
first life and had been reborn in this life was known by her popular name
amongst all those who celebrated her actions:
"She Who Speaks to Dragons."
On recalling all those names,
Helene then gulped.
The term "Voices
of the Peoples' Desire" applied to devices that came from one
world.
"Sagussa . . .?"
"Indeed,
Stormsdaughter. The native is of the
blood of His world."
The elder weather goddess
then blinked. "Why? He has never interfered before!"
"He does so now,
Stormsdaughter. And given what He is,
that he has allowed this to happen may indicate one of Us has overstepped His
or Her bounds. In His eyes."
Helene blinked as she found
herself alone . . . and then, after taking a moment to consider what she had
just heard, she chuckled as she relaxed herself.
"Well, that will make
Looney INCREDIBLY happy . . .!"
* *
*
Local Date and time: Monday 10 May 2011, 4:52 AM MSK
Location: A hidden hill east of Goroda Rjazán',
Rjazanskaja Oblast', Russia,
"Alright, I'm here! Where's the damned fire, Vlad?!"
Hearing that impatient voice
from behind him – One would believe that given she is over a hundred and
forty years old and had absorbed Hirosuke's very memories into her soul,
Deannette would learn how to speak with proper dictation, the
nearly-immortal being whose existence had been rumoured and speculated on for
thousands of years mused – the man known to the few people he had befriended in
this time period under the name "Vladímir Tayceško" took a deep
breath before he turned to gaze with his burning golden eyes on his current
guest, Earth's Seeker Jewel Warrior and the former commanding officer of the
1st Canadian Specialised Warfare Unit.
"There is no 'fire' which requires you to go extinguish it,
Deannette. But I would believe that you
would desire to know when a friend of Helene Diedmeier came to our section of
the Multiverse."
Silence.
"Helene . . .?"
Deannette Antonia Raeburn asked as she tried to recall where she had heard that
name before, and then she blinked.
"Oh, right! Back in
'Forty-nine. Some Nazi hangers-on in
East Germany tried to summon a goddess to help chase off the Allies occupying
the country at the time. They had some
of Josef's notes about divinities and they botched up the summoning
ritual. Dragged a young girl who had
just Ascended to Celestial level from her home universe to ours. After we cleared the mess out, you sent her
home."
"Yes," the
silver-haired man – in his current form, Vladímir appeared to be a man in his
mid-fifties, trim and fit for a Great Russian his age with no sign whatsoever
of any illness or addiction to any vices such as alcohol; Dean knew he was
thousands of years old though she hadn't guessed his precise age – said as he
walked down from the window of his home where he had been gazing somewhere,
beckoning his guest to join him at the scrying pool he had placed in the middle
of his domicile. "Look here."
Dean looked . . . and then
she blinked as she nodded as the image of a handsome man appeared in the
pool. "Oh, I've heard of this
guy. Arch-mage sorcerer but he can't
control his abilities. It's all locked
on him listening to music to make him do what he wants to do. Takes after all the Warner Brothers cartoons
back when they were making decent animated shorts before the big television
boom put a stop to all that." A
glance towards Vladímir. "How'd
this guy get here, anyway?"
The Praetorian Guardian of
Earth made a gesture with his hand, thus allowing the fourteen-decade old
Canadian ex-air cavalry pilot to watch a quick replay of Douglas Sangnoir's
life since he had been forced out of the dimension of his birth. Thanks to the Power Jewel she had found in
the summer of 1889 in a cave in the mountains of northern British Columbia, she
could follow along with the fast replay; normal Terrans and most Avalonians
would instantly get a headache at the massive flipping of images.
"Holy hell . . .!"
she then breathed out. "He's been a
busy one."
"One who has done his
best to honour his beliefs and his commitment to his wife. But in his doing so, he has attracted
attention. Look there."
Dean looked . . . and then
she smirked. "Ah! Didn't like the idea of coming to our little
corner of the Multiverse, huh? Saw
something they didn't agree with."
The ghost of a smile crossed
Vladímir's face. "Indeed."
"So who brought him
here?"
"This one."
The Canadian gazed down . . .
and then she scowled. "Oh, one of
those kids, huh? Got herself one of the
early Haijo-ju marks from Sagussa."
"Yes. Douglas has taken note of the Staff's power
and has decided he wishes to train young Mizuho in how to use the Staff. Negako's teachings so far have done much, but
there are things even she does not know.
With Douglas here, you will not have to intervene directly in this
matter, Deannette. But the chances are
there that some might become ambitious enough to brave entering our dimension .
. . "
A shrug. "Hey!
They want to commit suicide, that's their tough luck."
Vladímir could only shake his
head as Dean snickered . . .
* *
*
**** **** ****
Somewhere, a different
dimension,
"He's THERE?!"
"Indeed he is,
Stormsdaughter."
The celestial being known in
one world as Major General Helene Diedmeier, a.k.a. Wetter Hexe of the United
Nations Metahuman Peacekeeping Forces, looked as if someone just appeared right
out of nowhere and kicked her hard right in the gut.
"How . . .? Why . . .?
THERE?! How did Doug get
THERE?!"
"A native of that
universe possessing one of the Voices of the Peoples' Desire sensed your friend
about to be attacked by beings who would seek his demise for all his acts over
the last fifteen centuries in his time-line since he was taken from your
side."
That message made Helene turn
totally white as her mind recalled where she had heard the phrase "Voice
of the Peoples' Desire" before in conjunction with a device or weapon that
could literally defy the Will of the Fates Themselves and drag
Douglas Quincy Sangnoir into a universe where the influence of the Power
that Unleashed Existence Itself in all its great complexity was so
unbelievably strong. On considering
that, the celestial being born a weather-manipulating mutant years ago in
Germany paled.
If the native of THAT
universe that dragged the Loon into it had been one of the so-called
"Jewel Warriors," the nearly-countless heiresses of the Seekers, that
person would have been referred to as a "Warrior of the First Race."
Helene had cause to remember
one of them quite well: The Earth Jewel
Warrior, a Canadian woman named Dean Raeburn . . . or "She Who Bears
The Keystone Jewel."
If the native of that
universe had been one who had taken the Test of the Praetorians and become a
"Praetorian Guardian" as they were called there, such a person would
have been addressed as a "Spirit Guardian of the Second Race."
Helene had met the Praetorian
Guardian for Earth, a charming fellow who called himself Vladímir Rusalovic
Tayceško in civilian life in Russia and Lord Rjazán' when in his
fighting costume – it was the same time Wetter Hexe had met Major Raeburn – so
he was known as the "Spirit Guardian Friend of the Keystone Jewel
Warrior."
If said native was a resident
of the planet Yiziba – a world that would have given metahuman control
activists on Helene's own Earth nightmares for the rest of their very lives! –
which lay three hundred light-years from the Earth in that universe, such would
have been addressed as a "Child of the Forge of the First Race."
Of course, the one
Yizibajohei respectfully nicknamed the "Goddess Who Walks Amongst
Men" in this incarnation by those who knew of her yet did not wish to
speak her battle-name Infinity would be addressed as the "Infinite
One" or the "Cosmic All."
The native of the planet
Noukiios who absorbed the blood of a celestial dragon into her veins in her
first life and had been reborn in this life was known by her popular name
amongst all those who celebrated her actions:
"She Who Speaks to Dragons."
On recalling all those names,
Helene then gulped.
The term "Voices
of the Peoples' Desire" applied to devices that came from one
world.
"Sagussa . . .?"
"Indeed,
Stormsdaughter. The native is of the
blood of His world."
The elder weather goddess
then blinked. "Why? He has never interfered before!"
"He does so now,
Stormsdaughter. And given what He is,
that he has allowed this to happen may indicate one of Us has overstepped His
or Her bounds. In His eyes."
Helene blinked as she found
herself alone . . . and then, after taking a moment to consider what she had
just heard, she chuckled as she relaxed herself.
"Well, that will make
Looney INCREDIBLY happy . . .!"
* *
*
Local Date and time: Monday 10 May 2011, 4:52 AM MSK
Location: A hidden hill east of Goroda Rjazán',
Rjazanskaja Oblast', Russia,
"Alright, I'm here! Where's the damned fire, Vlad?!"
Hearing that impatient voice
from behind him – One would believe that given she is over a hundred and
forty years old and had absorbed Hirosuke's very memories into her soul,
Deannette would learn how to speak with proper dictation, the
nearly-immortal being whose existence had been rumoured and speculated on for
thousands of years mused – the man known to the few people he had befriended in
this time period under the name "Vladímir Tayceško" took a deep
breath before he turned to gaze with his burning golden eyes on his current
guest, Earth's Seeker Jewel Warrior and the former commanding officer of the
1st Canadian Specialised Warfare Unit.
"There is no 'fire' which requires you to go extinguish it,
Deannette. But I would believe that you
would desire to know when a friend of Helene Diedmeier came to our section of
the Multiverse."
Silence.
"Helene . . .?"
Deannette Antonia Raeburn asked as she tried to recall where she had heard that
name before, and then she blinked.
"Oh, right! Back in
'Forty-nine. Some Nazi hangers-on in
East Germany tried to summon a goddess to help chase off the Allies occupying
the country at the time. They had some
of Josef's notes about divinities and they botched up the summoning
ritual. Dragged a young girl who had
just Ascended to Celestial level from her home universe to ours. After we cleared the mess out, you sent her
home."
"Yes," the
silver-haired man – in his current form, Vladímir appeared to be a man in his
mid-fifties, trim and fit for a Great Russian his age with no sign whatsoever
of any illness or addiction to any vices such as alcohol; Dean knew he was
thousands of years old though she hadn't guessed his precise age – said as he
walked down from the window of his home where he had been gazing somewhere,
beckoning his guest to join him at the scrying pool he had placed in the middle
of his domicile. "Look here."
Dean looked . . . and then
she blinked as she nodded as the image of a handsome man appeared in the
pool. "Oh, I've heard of this
guy. Arch-mage sorcerer but he can't
control his abilities. It's all locked
on him listening to music to make him do what he wants to do. Takes after all the Warner Brothers cartoons
back when they were making decent animated shorts before the big television
boom put a stop to all that." A
glance towards Vladímir. "How'd
this guy get here, anyway?"
The Praetorian Guardian of
Earth made a gesture with his hand, thus allowing the fourteen-decade old
Canadian ex-air cavalry pilot to watch a quick replay of Douglas Sangnoir's
life since he had been forced out of the dimension of his birth. Thanks to the Power Jewel she had found in
the summer of 1889 in a cave in the mountains of northern British Columbia, she
could follow along with the fast replay; normal Terrans and most Avalonians
would instantly get a headache at the massive flipping of images.
"Holy hell . . .!"
she then breathed out. "He's been a
busy one."
"One who has done his
best to honour his beliefs and his commitment to his wife. But in his doing so, he has attracted
attention. Look there."
Dean looked . . . and then
she smirked. "Ah! Didn't like the idea of coming to our little
corner of the Multiverse, huh? Saw
something they didn't agree with."
The ghost of a smile crossed
Vladímir's face. "Indeed."
"So who brought him
here?"
"This one."
The Canadian gazed down . . .
and then she scowled. "Oh, one of
those kids, huh? Got herself one of the
early Haijo-ju marks from Sagussa."
"Yes. Douglas has taken note of the Staff's power
and has decided he wishes to train young Mizuho in how to use the Staff. Negako's teachings so far have done much, but
there are things even she does not know.
With Douglas here, you will not have to intervene directly in this
matter, Deannette. But the chances are
there that some might become ambitious enough to brave entering our dimension .
. . "
A shrug. "Hey!
They want to commit suicide, that's their tough luck."
Vladímir could only shake his
head as Dean snickered . . .
* *
*
Canadian lighthouse to U.S. Warship approaching it: "This is a lighthouse. Your call!"