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“Are you sure this is a good idea?” A single soft voice rang out in the dead of the night, echoing around buildings so large they easily dwarfed the largest bus of the area. In the light of a full moon, a silhouette of a human female could be seen stalking low across the paved lot of the warehouses of their surroundings.

Her body was well sculpted, using years of working out and toning. Her face was soft and round, still cute like a child’s face, but beginning to have the effect of a full grown woman. Her eyes were a dull grey in color with a hint of a light blue. Her hair was purely Irish, a deep blood red. Ironically enough, her temper was practically non existent.

She wore what amounted to her version of exploring attire. A yellow sundress that was light and allowed her to move easily.

“Not really. But you said you wanted to explore, so here we are.” Rang out another voice, this one not so quiet, though the effort to be so was evident despite its decibel level. This one was uniquely male in source, so his relatively deep bass voice could carry quite a long distance.

Soon, a male’s silhouette could be seen running across the paved lot to the shadows that the buildings provide, where his accomplice was waiting.

This one’s body was also sculpted, though not through a gym. His was won by several years hard work. His hair was a dirty blond and his chin was hard and straight, not angled like some of his friends. His chin was strong, though it didn’t have a dimple that marked most with his kind of jaw. His eyes were a dull grey as well, but wide with an intelligence that spoke on their own.

He wore his typical black attire, a t-shirt with black denim and shoes. He wore a pair of dog tags around his neck and a watch on his left wrist.

But, unlike his sister, who had agreed to go with him on this venture, his temper was as fiery as her hair was.

“I know I said I wanted to explore this place, but in the middle of the night? If we were seen here…” She let the sentence trail off, knowing full well what he thought.

“If people knew we were here at night, they would say the same things if we were here during the day all alone. So just relax and enjoy this.” He says, again in his too soft, too loud voice.

With a shrug, she turns around to face the door that they had decided on, and tries the handle. Surprisingly enough, it was unlocked, and opened without a squeal. They pair of adolescent interlopers look at each other in surprise as they expected loud shrill sounds to come from the seemingly derelict warehouse district.

“I really hate to be the speaker of the obvious, but shouldn’t this be rusted out? These warehouses haven’t been used in years, at least by anyone we know.” States the female as she peered in through the crack to view the inside of the warehouse.

The years had defiantly been bad for this once proud building, for the inside was strewn with debris and beer bottles from all the teenagers who had come to party inside this place. Old newspapers from years back were strewn over the floor, left to yellow and decay. The building had an old musky scent to it, like someone at one time had relived themselves on the floor.

“This smells very strange.” She complained, stepping through none the less. Her male companion followed as well, shutting the door with a light yet cold breeze flowing through at the last second, sending chills running up and down both their spines.

Just as a joke, the male grabbed his companion at the ribs, tickling slightly and shouting “GATCHA!” She shrieked, of course, and the sound echoed throughout the warehouse. After the sound died down, he released her and whistled one long clear tune which echoed as well.

“Good harmonics for a warehouse.” The female states, walking forwards her wet sneakers squeaking on the floor, this sound echoing as well. Her partner steps around her and heads off to the right, reaching in his cargo pants for the small flashlight he always carried with him. With a twist of the cap, he lights the thing and a bright flash of light accompanies it as he activates it.

“For a place that’s supposed to be empty and derelict, this looks to be brand new, save for the debris on the floor.”

He states, shining his small but powerful flashlight around the walls of the cavernous building, before settling on his female accomplice. Her hair in the clear light seemed to be glowing, though it was in reality a soft dull brown, with hints of orange streaking throughout.

Strangely enough, in this light, her eyes seemed to glow a nuclear green, almost like an animals eye. She blinked in the suddenly bright light, and when her eyes opened again, the glow was gone.

“You mind?” She demands rather harshly, holding her hand in front of her eyes as if shielding her face.

“Sorry.” Was his response, as the beam of light flitted away to some other part of the building. While she was standing there waiting for her night vision to return and the after-image to dissipate, she heard his footsteps walk away.

“Ang?” She called, not wanting to be left alone in this big building, for he was the one with the intimate knowledge of this place, not she. Her voice echoed around the building a few times, growing softer each time.

After a few more minutes of standing there, her after-image of the light finally dulled enough to where she could see where she was going, and Angel, her companion, was no where to be found.

“Great. He left me alone. I guess there is nothing else for me to do but explore on my own.” She sighs and pulls out her own flashlight, heading off on some random direction. What she did not know, was that her choice of direction was the same as her male friend, Angel Goutyar.

What she did know, however, was that he was no where to be found, and might be playing a trick on her. With her flashlight held in front of her, as if it were a shield against any attacker, she strides forwards, looking this way and that, wondering about the many shadows that her flashlight were making dance.

Her path was that of a long hallway, lined with tubes and pipes, some with panels on them to show pressure that was still active. As she walked, she noticed several hollows in the wall, where a manhole cover lay, and ladders leading both up and down from there.

“ANG?” She called again, her voice sounding oddly dull and hollow, not like in the main room where her voice echoed.

In response, Angel shouted back. “Yeah? What do you want?” Since he was in a different part of the warehouse, rather, below it, his voice came out of every manhole and echoed around the pipes creating a very confusing effect. Then, just as she was beginning to panic, his head popped up from a manhole set in a recess.

“Yes? What did you want?” His sudden appearance, coupled with her panic attack, startled her so badly; she jumped at least half a foot into the air. Her leap also made her drop her flashlight, which broke when it landed, making her light go out.

Despite her shriek and the sudden dousing of her flashlight, Angel still kept his smile from reaching his face, though it was evident he was trying very hard.

“I… I… I just wondered where you went, that’s all.” She stammered, covering up the fact that her heart felt as if it were to break out of her chest at any second.

Angel just smirked, softly of course, and shook his head.

“Don’t worry Rose. I am still here. Now come down here and see what I found.” He places his flashlight on the floor, and drops down into the hole. From her viewpoint, it was pitch black, but from his it was dimly lit with red lighting. The light from the flashlight blocked out all the light.

“Fine. Just don’t look up when I come down, you here me Angel!” She says in a fairly shrill voice, for she had come with an ankle length skirt on. All she could hear of his reply was a very deep laugh, one that echoed throughout the place, making it sound horribly evil.

“Don’t worry my dear. I am not that kind of person.” Even though he was a trickster, he was not into that kind of thing, though he did help her down by holding onto her waist. When she had reached the floor, she paused and Angel took back his hands as if they were stung or something.

With his eyes shifty he grinned slightly, then turned and walked down the pipe that the manhole had lead them to.

“I certainly hope this is not a sewer.” She griped, gingerly stepping over a pile of semi wet newspaper with her skirt held up in her hand so as to not get it dirty or anything.

Angel just shook his head, and laughed slightly as the shadow on the wall ahead of him shook his head as well.

“No, I don’t think that this is a sewer Rose. More like an abandoned tunnel.” He speculates, walking forwards, his boots squishing slightly in the dampness of the tunnel.

Soon, after about three minutes of walking, the tunnel begins to grow smaller, and both Angel and Rose had to stoop to continue.

“Rose, turn off the flashlight please.”

“Are you kidding? In here?”

“Just do it for a half minute. Then turn it back on.”

“Fine.” As she relented, she turned off the light, and soon a glow could be seen at the end of the tunnel, not red like they had been seeing, but rather a deep blue, with some gold streaks on the other side of the wall opposite the tube they were now in. Since the light was out, their eyes had begun to adjust to the new source, and Angel began to walk on all fours towards the light.

“For some strange reason, you are really good at that.” Spoke Rose commenting on the way his movements were far more natural then any other human.

Angel stopped, and looked back towards her, raising his right arm to brace against the ceiling.

“I have a small dog at home, and this is the only way to truly play with her.” He states in way of explanation, continuing on all fours, looking remarkably like some long limbed demon that was crawling along.

When he had come to the opening, he braced his upper body on the walls, and leaned slightly out, seeing all the way down one end, and the same on the other. One end had a steel grate over it, with what looked to be a runoff point for the streets above. On the other end was a long curved tunnel, which vanished out of sight.

With a grunt, he doubled over, and shoved his legs out from under him, landing on the walkway below, his hands continuing to support his weight. He takes a few steps out into the much wider walkway, stopping just short of the trough in the middle of the way, where the water now flowed.

“Um. Ang? A little help here?” Rose called for him, as he examined this part of the town.

With a start, he turned around, and smiled at her, nodding his consent. “Very well, Malady.”

As she attempted to do what he did, she found that her skirt kept getting caught, so she called for his assistance. He relented shortly after her request and came to assist her, lifting her under her arms and setting her down on the concrete flooring.

“So what is this place?” She asks, looking around coming to a stop where Angel had before she wanted his assistance getting down.

“I have no idea. Well Malady? Where to?” He asks, gesturing with both arms towards the tunnel ends.

She thinks for a few seconds, then shrugs.

“I dunno. Why not over to the left?” she points towards the grating.

With a lopsided smile, he bows semi-mockingly and gestured for her to go ahead. She just stares at him and stalks forwards, her skirt blowing slightly in her wake. He just laughed deeply for a few seconds, then followed her, soon catching up to her at the grate.

With a practiced eye, she soon spots a place wide enough for her to get through, and possibly him as well. So, without further adieu, she squeezes through the large tube steel grating. When she is through, she turns to him and scowls.

“Don’t get any ideas Ang.”

“Oh calm down Sang…” He states, then soon remembers his mistake. “Oh boy.”

At once, here green eyes flash with rage, and she lunges at him through the pipes.

“I TOLD YOU NEVER TO CALL ME THAT!” her fingers formed a claw and grabbed hold of his shirt before he could move back and slammed him forwards into the grating. He sputtered out an apology, while being continuously slammed against the cold rusted steel.

“I… ow… am… ow… sorry! OW!” His words rang out with pain as the metal rang out from the impact of his skull onto the steel.

Finally, she stops, releasing him to let him fall to the ground, his eyes whirling about, and her chest heaving from the exertion of the beating she had just given.

“Serves you right Ang. I told you never to call me that.” With a huff, of breath, she stalks off, flicking on the flashlight to help her see her way.

After a while of this, she comes to a steel door set into the walkway and wall. It looked heavy and locked, but natural curiosity got a hold of her first, so she tried the door. Just like the Warehouse, she was surprised to find that the door was unlocked, and it swung open easily, like it was well used.

Upon closer inspection, she found that the hinges were in fact rusted shut, but she had opened it as if it were well oiled. With her wonderment in place of her rage, she heads back to where she left Angel laying there on the floor knocked out cold.

When she arrived, he was still laying there, but his eyes were open and he was coming to.

“Ang? You okay? I need you to come and look at something for me.” She leans through the area where a bar was missing, the part where she had slipped through. Angel sits up, holding his head where large marks were burning red on his forehead.

“Ow…” was all he said as he rubbed his forehead and Rose starts laughing at him. With a groan, he stands, wobbles once, then semi falls forwards, half lunges. He misses, and ends up hitting his head again on the pipe.

This of course, makes Rose laugh even harder, to the point where she backs up against the wall to support her snorting self. The wounded male just shook his head to clear the fuzzy-ness. He succeeds, partially, and continues to squeeze his large ribcage through the relatively tiny slot.

Once he was through, she had calmed down enough to where she could breath properly. That is, until she saw his forehead, which was completely red from the blows to it. With all control lost once more, she smirks, and then bursts out laughing once more doubling over while Angel’s head clears more.

“Yeh done yet?” he asks, standing without wobbling. For now anyway.

“Yeah. Why not? Come on.” With a shrug, she walks off leading the way towards the door she had discovered. He soon follows, and when they get to the door, it had shut again.

“Okay. What now?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Inside a nearby room, computer banks whirred up to speed, creating a soft buzzing that was inherent with all computers. A series of beeps split the air, announcing the awakening of the AI Kesh.




-Status: Online.
-Processing power: 100%
-Cognitive reasoning: Normal
-Holographic projectors: nominal.
-Verbal synthesizers: Active
-Processing power: Nominal
-Systems control: Active

After all this checklist had been crossed off, a blossoming mind within the computer system woke. Slowly at first, but gradually the rose of conscious thought grew, allowing for the AI within that system to wake as if from a long slumber.

“Wow… What a dream.” A female voice rang out in the darkness, echoing in the cavernous control room. This mind, this artificial being could hear several humans close by. She could see them as well. At least, she could see their heat signatures.

“Interesting. A couple humans down here at last. Hmm… Finally. Some one to talk to. Or at least, someone to have some fun with.”

This voice was not like the manufactured voices that came with some computers of this time, but was soft and natural. Much like a mothers, but with a hint of mischief.

Kesh reached out with her mental strands and touched the controlling mechanism for the hatch that the two humans had reached. Without a sound, the hatch opened once more and lights inside of the hallway lit up one by one.

“Come, little humans. Come into my home, said the spider to the flies.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Angel looks over at Rose. “I guess this is an invitation.”

Rose just shrugs, then heads inwards, fairly oblivious to the idea that this could be a trap waiting to happen. Angel smirks, then ducks into the hatch, the domed wall lights giving off enough illumination to allow them both to see.

Gradually, the walkway begins to develop an incline, which also begins to circle around a singular pillar of stone about ten feet in diameter with cables lining the outside surface leading straight down into the belly of the city.

“Man. This is getting strange.” Speaks Angel, his voice echoing down the walkway to the room with all the computers.

The two continue walking for a few more minutes, the lights behind them going out as they pass, and the lights ahead of them continuously being lit as they approach. Angel was weary of pretty much everything by this point, for he thought he was being led into a trap.

Rose thought along different lines, for she thought that she was being led to some kind of treasure.

Whatever they both thought, Kesh was leading them to something.

Before too long, they had reached a polished metal door. It looked as if it were make of brass, with a bass relief motif etched into the surface. The surface looked as if it were an ancient battlefield. Horses with wings and dragons on one level, fighting against demonic figures and creatures of seemingly living shadow.

Below that, was what could only be described as a science fiction design. Star ships going head to head against other massive star ships that could easily dwarf the tallest building.

Right in the middle of the door was a large wheel with spokes radiating out from it like rays of light from a star. In the middle of this wheel was a single emblem emblazoned upon the polished metal. The emblem was a single shield with a broad sword placed in a sheath within the shield structure itself. The point of the sword itself descended beyond the bottom edge of the shield, looking as if the shield had been impaled upon the sword.

Surrounding the sword and shield like a crown of cloves, were a pair of large wings. This entire emblem was only about as big as the palm of a grown female. Suffice it to say this emblem, though small, was of great detail.

Angel reached out to try and turn the wheel to open the door, but it was stuck tight. Rose upon kneeling to examine the wheel closer, found two roses underneath the sword and shield, flanking the tip of the blade.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Inside, however, Kesh had watched the humans attempt to open the door. First by brute strength, then by intellect. Continuing to watch with interest, Kesh keyed her speakers by the door.

“Riddle me this. I am cold as ice, yet hot as flame. I can be hard as steel, and yet soft as a feather. I am both red and black, and my nature is of flesh. What am I?”

She asks watching the humans reaction to her puzzle. As of yet, no one has been able to breach her puzzle. Some have tried, but all have failed. Even the sewer workers that had wandered down here. So, she waits for these humans to try and fail in their attempt to enter.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Both Rose and Angel think for a bit, then Angel begins to speak, but with a jab from Rose, shuts his mouth.

“The answer to your riddle is, the human heart.”

Suddenly, several thuds come from within the door, and the wheel turns over so that the sword which had its blade pointing down, was now upwards. With a hiss and a sudden inrush if air as if the room had been vacuum sealed, the door slowly swings open, revealing darkness inside.

A few wisps of smoke slide out from inside the room, as if from a smoke machine, only add to the effect of creepiness.

“Congratulations humans. Come on in, both of you. Come on in and receive your prize for answering my riddle.” A laugh accompanied the words; deep and rumbling like thunder, though with a very definite hint of feminine tones.

With a look at each other, and a shrug from both, the pair of humans walk into the darkness, smoke swirling at their feet as if tendrils were reaching out to bring them to some unknown fate.

Valyrie Portal:
Chapter Two
-The Being known as Kesh-

“Welcome Humans. Welcome to my Lair…” Kesh speaks from her AI core, the lump of bronze metal that shone slightly from the lights in the hallway. With a stroke of genius mischievousness, decided to close the door on them.

With a whir of servos, the heavy bronze relief door swings shut, sealing off the inside of the room without any light, shutting them in total darkness.

-THUD-

The room shook slightly from the impact of the door, the sound reverberating around inside like it was a drum. Kesh could see the two humans panic at the potential of being locked inside, and their basic instincts begin to surface. She could see that the two friends were beginning to hyperventilate, their eyes growing wide with primal fear.

Just to sooth them a little, she allowed her holo projectors to activate, the fog on the ground allowing for her image to be projected properly. The residual glow from the holo reflection created a mysterious light from behind the terrified humans.

Angel and Rose both whirl around to stare wide eyed at the ethereal apparition that had seemed to come from no where. Kesh’s light seemed to come from beyond a computer consol on the ground, the shadow from the consol itself casting strange shadows as the apparition strode forwards.

Suddenly, the glow seemed to grow brighter as a glowing brown nose poked itself around the computer hardware. Soon after, eyes followed, then ears and finally the complete body.

“Oh, its just a fox.” Exclaimed Rose, placing her hand over her heart as if to slow its wild rhythm.

“Yeah, one that’s glowing.” Retorts Angel, resentful of the fact that he was just as terrified as Rose was.

Kesh, seeing that things were returning to relative normalcy with the two humans, allows her fox holo projection to leap onto a chair, then onto it’s back, where it perched waiting for someone to speak.

She waited for a minute or two, just watching and monitoring the two as they calmed down and watched. With an after thought, Kesh finally turned on the inside lights revealing what this chamber was like when not in the dark.



The roof arched over their heads greatly, by ten feet or more. Most of the surface area was a myriad of materiel. Some parts were metal, others were plastic and wood. The room that they were in currently was domed at the top, with a single spire looking thing jutting down from the apex to hang about three feet from the top of the computer hardware.

This hardware was much larger then normal, being about two feet high off the ground and about ten feet in diameter. This was domed as well, though not as smoothly as one would think. Wires and tubes were running all over the computer hardware gleaming a golden brown in the harsh lighting of the control room.

Descending from the spire connected to the ceiling was a delicate looking array of panels and screens with what looked to be antenna branched out from a central bulb hung just underneath the spire tip.

Highly intrigued by the set up, the more technologically minded of the pair, Rose stood open mouthed in wonder at what this would do. She walked forwards boldly, seeming to forget a certain fox that was watching their every move.

Angel, on the other hand, did not know much about computers, other then how to operate a couple of programs on his own at home, and that was about it. He still strode forwards to examine other aspects of the room.

Kesh manipulated her holo projection and made it look at Angel then back to Rose who was looking at the computer screen intently.

“I hope you know what you are doing little ones.” Kesh speaks up, jolting the two back into the real world, as the holo fox turns towards them each. It opens it’s jaw and speaks as if it were human.

“Welcome to the Control room Humans. I am known as Kesh. I am a caretaker of the world of Sitnalta, and I wish to welcome you two to be its guardians. Do you have any questions?”

Naturally, the two had loads of questions. (But we won’t go into it now.) At least an hour later, all their questions were answered completely and fully. Kesh had explained how the world of Sitnalta was a world hidden inside her massive computer and that a rogue program was attempting to destroy Sitnalta and the gates to this world.

She explained that this program wanted only to destroy this world for reasons unknown and that the human children had to attempt to stop this from happening. She explained in excruciating detail about the scanners and how they would allow the human children to enter into this digital world to fight this program first hand.

Sometimes, she got so technical that Angel started to fall asleep. But with a poke in the ribs from Rose, he quickly woke again.

“So let me get this straight. You have chosen us two to become guardians in the fight against some evil program in your computer? Why not just erase your computer files.”

At this, Rose hit him on the back of his head.

“You idiot! Weren’t you listening! She said that even though she could do that, her programming wouldn’t allow her to kill. Inside her computer there are quite literally hundreds upon thousands of individual AI, not to mention herself.”

While Angel was nursing his blow, she continued to rant about this, and while he eventually did get it, it took a while. Fortunately, Angel’s parents were out of town this weekend, and Rose’s thought that she was at Angel’s home. That, coupled with the fact that this was a weekend, allowed them quite a bit of time to explore and have fun.

“Okay you two. Shall I get you loaded up for your training in Sitnalta?” Kesh asks, still in her fox holo form which was sitting in front of them behaving much like a cat.

Angel shrugged and unconfermative and Rose just nodded.

“Very well. Please follow me. This may feel a bit strange at first.” Kesh states, leading them both towards one of the silver pod looking tubes lining the outside ring of the control room. Angel shuffles towards one of them, while Rose walks calmly towards another beside his.

Kesh, while inside her separate computer system, activates the two pods that the children had chosen for themselves, and the silver doors swing open revealing a white liquid-like materiel floating vertically just inside the doors.

“Well? Step through already. It won’t hurt a bit.” She assures, her voice taking on a tone of soothing softness.

With a deep breath and a look at one another, the two flesh and blood beings step through their own liquid molecule scanners, leaving this world with a suction sound, the watery material rippling around them and after they enter.

Kesh allowed her hologram body to dissolve as soon as they entered the scanning materiel, their molecular structure translated to electronic data which was transferred into the base world of Laquli.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At first, Angel only felt water when he stepped through the shimmering portal. He had taken a deep breath, then stepped into it, his hand reaching out. At first, he felt nothing but air when he had touched the liquid like surface.

Then, something wrapped itself around his fingers, each one individually, and started to pull him through. He resisted, of course, but it was inevitably futile. He felt his arm being pulled through the now viscous liquid, faster and faster as more and more of his body went in.

The last thing he knew of the real world was that he had shut his eyes and gave into the pull that was influencing his body and stepped through. He could feel the cold tingly liquid flow over his body slowly, yet faster then he could react. With an involuntary gasp, he blacked out, and without any more feeling, he fell to the ground.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Sonia had been walking through the forest near her home for hours now, and still hadn’t had anything to eat. Her brothers came behind her, snickering as the dark colored creature shoved through the brush, her crimson markings standing out greatly against the greens of the leaves.

Why can’t I have had normal brothers and sisters? Why did I have to be stuck with these jokers?

She thought as she shoved her way through another clump of trees, her short charcoal colored fur getting matted and dirty in the process. Her brothers had completely different markings, one was brown and had strips and dots as his.

Her other brother was a light red, almost a pink color. The trio that had gone foraging for food because they were hungry, and were a small pack. True, they had their differences, but that was because they were a family, and they loved each other in that respect.

“Hey Son! When are we going to get something to eat?” Called Diem, her brown brother from somewhere behind her. Sonia just rolled her emerald eyes towards the canopy and the skies beyond.

A loud crashing sounded off behind her, and the two brothers barreled forwards, screaming and waving their hands above their heads. Sonia, the gullible little thing that she was, believed that there was some horrible monster chasing them from behind and shrieked as loud as she could and started running forwards. (Truth be told, she could scream very loudly.)

Screwing her eyes shut, she barreled through the brush and into a clearing where she tripped over something that seemed to have fallen into the clearing. With a gasp at the unexpectedness of it, she lay there sprawled over this fallen thing, ribs and chest heaving from lack of breath.

Diem and Sundae, her pink brother were cackling in the brush like hyenas, falling over each other at the idea that their plot worked and they had scared her completely. Then, once they had calmed down, they found that they couldn’t hear Sonia any more.

In truth, she had calmed down, the fake monster all but forgotten, as she had begun to examine the rarity that she had tripped over. She sat there, her simple cloth blanket thing wrapped around her thin little body protectively as she poked the oddity with a sharp stick.

Diem and Sundae came rushing out of the bushes, looking wildly for her. They stopped and stared dumbly as they saw her poking at a large pink fleshy thing with a stick.

“What do you think it is?” Asked Sonia, poking it’s head a few times.

“I dunno.” Diem answered in an awed voice, walking over slowly, leaving Sundae standing there where they had stopped.

“Is it edible? Can we eat it?” Sundae asked in a hushed voice as he stood as far away as possible from the thing that had appeared in their favorite clearing.

At this time, the being woke from his slumber, bringing one massive arm under him. (It was massive by their standards.) With a deep rumbling groan, he shoved his upper body from the ground, and brought his feet under him till he was sitting upright.

“No… I am not for eating.” He mumbled, wiping the crust from his eyes. The three little creatures screamed loudly, causing the human to put his hands over his ears.

Diem and Sundae ran off, heading back towards their village to tell the elders about this monster that they had come across. Sonia, as brave as she was, stayed behind, waving her pointed stick around like a lance, to attempt to drive the huge creature away.

“St..st…stay back you… you.. you giant monster… thing!” She stammers, while slowly edging away from Angel, not knowing who or what he was.

A twinkle lit his eyes despite his headache, and a low rumbling laugh filled his throat. He threw his head back and bellowed his laughter to the sky, causing birds of all shapes and sizes to fly from the trees in a cloud of shocking color.

With a slow smile upon her face, she begins to recognize what it was that she was hearing, and lowered the stick. Soon, she begins to laugh as well, her voice tweedy and high, yet shocked through with what sounded like tubular bells.

After a good couple of seconds of laughter at her bravery, he looked directly into her eyes with his and smiled. His legs were spread out in front of him and he was leaning on his knees. Even so, his face was just barely above hers.

“So. What exactly are you?” He asks, cocking his head in wonder.

She takes her little stick and plants it in the ground, standing proudly with one hand upon her hips.

“We are the Vee.” She states with an air of flourish.

“Okay little one. What are the Vee?” At his question, she halts, faltering in her provided showing as she looks around nervously.

“Umm… Dunno.” And with that, she takes her stick and scampers off into the brush leaving a small but noticeable trail as she took the path she loved the most back to her village.

After a moment, Angel stood, noticing how small this area was. It was only about five foot by six, and he nearly reached the lowest branch if the clearing.

Interesting. Such small creatures. Angel thought as he began to make his way through the brush, twigs snapping and branches catching at Angel’s clothing as he forces his way past.

A couple of yards away, Diem and the others were waiting in fear as they heard the crashing and breaking of the twigs. Some of the braver ones held up sharpened sticks, blackened as they were due to their use as food sticks.

Sonia came running from the path that she had made years ago, waving her stick and laughing as she did.

“Everyone! Come see! We have company!” Her message was not truly understood, for normally she was terrified of most things.

Just then, as she had reached the line of defenders, Angel appeared in the shadows of the tree line his massive form hulking in the darkness provided by the leaves. He stopped short of coming into the light, and tilted his head at the curios little beings that populated the small village just beyond the tree line.

To the Vee, Angel was a huge hulking monster, whose origins were as unknown as their own seemed to be. To Angel, the little Vee were only a small species of creature, some shorter then his knee, others just barely reaching his waist.

With a smirk at the bravery being shown, Angel steps from the tree line and into the light. Several of the Vee gasp at him, and scamper away. He saw that there were several different sizes of huts, each with a hole in the middle for a fire and smoke. Most were made of sticks, with twine wrapping them together.

Other huts, more typically, the larger ones, were lined with clay bricks, and shaped much like a Quonset hut.

One thing caught his eye though. A similar gathering of Vee on the other side of the village, plus one much taller being. On the other side of the village, about twenty yards away, stood Rose. Only, she looked different then what she had before.

“This day just keeps getting stranger and stranger.”









Angel stood on the other side of the village from her, trying to take in most of the changes that had appeared to take her over. It appeared that her yellow sundress had been replaced with a far more flattering half dress. Her top left her midriff open and he could see her smooth skin, admittedly pale, though still strong.

Her skirt was flowing, allowing for a graceful if not full range of motion. They went down to her knees and ended there, leaving her calves open.

“Dang. Someone did a number on you sis.” Was all he said as he looked on in wonder at the changes someone made to her particular style.

To her, he had changed much as well. Though, some of them were not quite so disagreeable. He had grown taller by at least half a foot, now standing at six feet by her estimates. His hair was a little longer, and instead of being a dirty blonde, he was now a platinum blonde, and strangely enough it looked better on him then it would on anyone else.

His body was a little more defined then before, and had grown in stature along with his height, making his shoulders seem even broader then before the muscle mass had even gotten there. His clothing was not changed all that much, at least not as much as his kin. His shirt was changed into a loose muscle shirt that hid his torso fairly well, and it flowed around him somewhat.

His pants were changed into a light cotton like fabric, meant to breath in the humid environment, while still giving a measure of protection for his flesh.

All in all, the changes wrought upon them both were fairly drastic but not overpoweringly obvious.

Rose felt a simple tug at her hand and looked down to one of the Vee, who had latched on as if his life depended upon it. His skin was a dull brown in color, and looked more like fur then skin. She didn’t converse with them as much as Angel had, and didn’t know that these creatures were friendly.

To Diem, the one latched onto her hand, it felt as if his long time friend had finally gotten back from a trip that lasted several months, and he had wanted to give her a much bigger welcome. If only he had been able to reach her properly.

Rose looked up at Angel in wonderment as Sonia latched herself onto his leg in much the same manner. He just shrugged and waited for something to happen, but he didn’t have to wait long until the Elder had arrived in the middle.

His body was a lot larger then the other Vee, though not quite as large as the humans that had invaded his home, unintentionally mind you, but it was still an invasion. With a single motion from his hand, Diem and Sonia detached themselves and scampered away to their respective homes. With another motion, he beckoned Angel and Rose forwards to his side so that they may plead their case.

The male and female humans picked their way through the cluttered living areas of the Vee, trying hard not to step on anything or break any of their tools or pottery. Before both of them knew it they were at his side looking down at Vee that was five feet tall.

With a hacking, rattling breath, he began to speak, his voice soft with age, though it still held a commanding presence to it that could not be denied.

“Why are you here? What business do you have on the island of Laquli?” He demanded to know. But before the two could even open their mouths to speak, another voice was heard, this one they knew well.

“Relax Tastardis.” Called Kesh from the border of the village, in which the elder Vee jumped and turned around suddenly.

“Goddess.” Was all he said as he fell to his knees somewhat painfully and bowed towards the red fox that had appeared out of the foliage surrounding the small huts.

“You may get up now Tastardis. Angel? You mind helping him?” She asked of the male interloper, who only nodded and put his hands gently under the Elder’s arms and lifted, proving remarkably easy for his changed body.

Once Angel had set the old one on his feet, Kesh stalked forwards, leaping occasionally from roof top to the ground and back again, though that was no large feat considering the size of the houses. Finally, after about ten or so jumps she stood before the being that was in charge of this village.

“Goddess, I don’t know what these things are doing here…” At this Angel opened his mouth to speak, but a look from the fox shut it again. “These things just came out of the village and two of my Vee are acting very strange around them. Its as if they have lost their minds!”

His tone was mildly despairing, for he had no explanation for Diem and Sonia’s behavior as of a few minutes ago. Kesh simple nodded, a distinctly human trait, though it suited her some how. Both of the humans had no idea what so ever about telling male foxes from female, though Kesh had a very distinct feminine feel about her.

“We should talk Tastardis. Show us to your house.” She bowed her head towards the elder, who was bewildered beyond belief. He opened his mouth to protest, then sighed in resignation and showed them to his home, which was towards the outskirts of the village, and it seemed large enough for the two humans to fit inside comfortably.

The door to the place was only a couple strings of beads that provided him with some privacy. Angel swept aside a couple of the strings and motioned for his sister to go ahead of him, with she chuckles as she does.

Even in a strange world his manners are always present. She thought as she went in.

Even though she was five feet five inches at the most, she still had to duck in order to make her way through the cluttered home. Like most bachelors, his room was cluttered with many items and artifacts, most ranging from small trinkets to some rather strange looking tools whose purpose was beyond any of the human’s comprehension.

As Angel went in, he had to stoop rather badly just to navigate through the cluttered home. He almost got caught by several hanging strings that held laundry. He saw that Kesh had leapt onto a table top and Tastardis had sat in his favorite chair, looking over most of his things. He had a single window that allowed for light to shine in through and it brightened the room considerably.

The Elder Vee motioned for the humans to sit down, though they had to sit on the floor for all the clutter on his chairs. Even so, they were all at about the same height.

“Tastardis these are my messengers and warriors, Rose and Angel. They will be helping me throughout this time of trouble.”

“I see.” Was all that he said, even as he took in the siblings appearance.

“They will be coming here for their equipment and their briefings on the situations as they arise.” As detailed as the explanation was that she had given to the pair in their world, this was still bordering on very confusing.

“And I am to assume that they will be needing my portals?” Tastardis had asked Kesh, who nodded her confirmation. Angel lost track of it there, as his mind wandered.

His thoughts were a blaze of fury, a torrent unto themselves as they raged through his head. Like most boys his age, he thought of strange things, more mundane then what he was experiencing now. A voice cut through his reverie, and he blinked to shake the cobwebs from his mind.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Are you ready to go?” Asked Kesh, as she stood at the threshold of a door that was unnoticed before. He shrugged, having missed the whole explanation, but that is why he hung around his sister so much. He was the brawn and she was the brains, of their little duo.

With a heave, he forgot how tall he was now, and knocked his head into the roof, shaking loose some of the cloths lines and dumping the washed laundry onto the floor. He winced, holding his head with both hands and remembering to duck as he went into the next room.

This room was a lot less cluttered then the other, though it still looked as though it was used for some storage. There was a large ring on one wall, looking big enough to hold Angel in with some extra room to spare. Around this ring were eight devices, each a triangle like spade with two rod like wings on the widest point. The point of the triangle was dulled somewhat, and they all pointed inwards. Each of the devices had painted upon it an emerald green coloring, for what purpose neither of the humans had any clue.

Tastardis had shoved a pile of tools and equipment off of a little control panel that had been set up to seemingly control the ring of devices. From the control consol to the devices led a series of black wires, each one hooking up to the wings of the triangles. Angel assumed this meant that they were either control cords or power cables.

“Alright. When I turn this on, you will go through the Valkyrie Portal and into the realm that is having the most trouble. I warn you though, you will be changed into the beings most needy of your assistance in the realm. If it’s a fairy realm, you will change into fairies and so on. Got me so far?”

A nod and he continued.

“Good. Now, make sure you step back, for the splash will be big.”

He tapped a few of the buttons and twisted a couple of knobs. One by one, the green marked devices lit up and started humming loudly, a soft thumping sound countermanded it and provided a nice tempo. Once all of them were lit, a pulse of blue energy shot out from each device, intersecting in the middle and rebounding back to their origins. But, they carried with them a streamer of fluid energy after their rebound which connected each spike of energy to each other.

When they each impacted their respective projectors, a large splash shot out five feet from the center of the web of energy, the ripples created after it receded completing the portal. When it settled down, which was almost immediately, a light blue rippling dappled the walls behind the ring and behind the watchers.

Angel stared in wonder at the device as a whole, then remembered he had seen this thing in the real world.

Kesh spoke in her soft voice, interrupting the silence after the activation of the portal.

“Now listen to me, and listen good. I will give you both a single key to this gate. Each one activates the gate on it’s own, but be wary. If you lose this key, you do not get another and you depend on the other for your way home. Got me?”

The Fox had stood beside the gate as it activated, sending her fur standing on end from the static electricity. Now, however, she was once again sleek as she faced the humans. They both nod, not beginning to grasp the importance of her words, but understanding at least that they could be lost in this world.

When she sees that they understand, she nods to Tastardis, and he hands them both a starburst shaped thing, about as thick as a spiral key ring, and two to three inches across. Each had a small button on it, that when pressed, activated the portal to allow them through. Tied to the top was a small chain meant for hanging around the neck.

Rose took the smaller chained one and Angel the longer one. When they both put them on, they noticed that somehow, the chains were fitted to nestle exactly where they two preferred their pendants to rest. Angel’s was just above his heart, while Rose’s hung between her collar bones.

“Now that thats settled, lets get you two through there and find out what you can about this world. Keep in mind, that in some realms, I am considered a god, and in others a demon. So please. Be careful.”

The two nodded their consent, and stepped forwards through the portal, taking a deep breath as they did so, before entering the event horizon.

A flash of light, a flash of green hit their eyes, followed by a cacophony of sound, just before they blacked out. Angel’s last conscious thought was of the heavy weight on his back, then he too lost consciousness.

Valkyrie Portal:
Chapter four
-The Pixy World-

A rustling of leaves, the running of water nearby sounding like a water fall. Many things assaulted his hearing as he struggled to gain his wits about him from the darkness inside his mind. The second thing was his sense of motion. He was rocking back and forth in a rhythmic motion, too rhythmic to be natural. He didn’t feel wet, so he couldn’t be on water.

Then, his hearing picked up something as he struggled to regain foot holds on consciousness. Voices. Four of them distinctly talking around him. Strangely enough, he could understand them as if they were speaking English, but it was a much different language.

“Where did you find this one?” Asked one of them, his voice a deep baritone that seemed to rumble in his bones.

“We found this one and a female along the banks of the river. We already took the female to the compound.” Spoke a much more feminine voice, something that spoke not only to his ears, but to his soul. He wanted to get up and shout with joy. Then he heard another voice speak out.

“What if they are the foe? We should kill them immediately. Take care of a potential problem.” This one was female as well, though her voice was cold and harsh, probably the result of many years of harsh battles.

“Come now Val. Lets give him the benefit of the doubt. He didn’t appear to have any markings like they do.” A male voice rang out, this one a lighter voice then the one that spoke before, giving a name to the female that wanted to kill him.

Slowly, but surely, his eyes awoke as well, sending bright pains slashing through his skull as he looked upwards. All of his detail was fuzzy, so he couldn’t make out any markings or such. All he knew what that he was lying on his back, being carried by four people. He looked around, seeing fuzziness, but realizing that these people had gossamer wings strapped to their backs.

Fairies? What… How? Why am I being carried by fairies? His mind was as confused as ever and he moaned softly, drawing the attention of the group of five. Four carrying him on a stretcher and one keeping a watchful eye on him.

The male that had spoken first leaned over while walking, placing his large hand on Angel’s forehead as if to check his temperature.

“Can you hear me son? Can you understand what I am saying?” His gravely voice grated on Angel’s nerves, though that was dissipating rapidly.

“Yes, I can hear you.” His reply was more of a groan then actual words as he tried to roll over. The doctor’s hand on his shoulder stopped that from happening.

“Hey doc! If he is so well that he is talking, why don’t we just let him fly the rest of the way?”

“Fly?”

“He must have been hit harder then I thought. He is in no shape to fly anywhere right now and you know it.” Scolded the Doctor as he strode beside the fallen Angel.

Angel just let his head fall back as he lost conscious thought once more and darkness overtook his mind and eyes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rose lay on her back for a while, allowing her own senses to come back to her before she got up and wandered around. At first she heard nothing. Not even the water fall that thundered beside her bed. Then, slowly by surely, she did hear. And she heard far more then she ever had before in one place. She heard birds chirping away in the background, their voices sounding huge.

She heard more understandable voices in the background over the water fall, speaking in an alien dialect, though she could understand them as though they were speaking English.

“We brought back the male just a while a ago.” Spoke the gravely voice of the doctor.

“Any damage?” Asked a haughty female, though her voice was high with concern.

“None, my queen.” He stated, confirming her suspicions about the woman.

“Very well. Keep me informed.” A pause, then footsteps that sounded very odd and hollow to her ears.

Her skin felt as if it were on fire as her feeling returned to her. Her smell returned at the same time, and she could scent water somewhere nearby, though how she could she had no idea since she had no idea what water smelled like, if it had a smell.

She heard beads rustling somewhere close by, and she could tell that someone had put beads instead of a doorway. Her sense of sight hadn’t returned quite yet, so she just stared openly at the ceiling not seeing at all.

Suddenly, as if by magic or something, she scented something wild, yet utterly contained, like a caged animal. Something sat on the edge of her bed making it dip slightly. Then, something cold and wet was placed gingerly on her forehead, cooling off the burning feeling that her skin had.

She sighed, signaling her watcher that she was awake, and she attempted to make conversation with Rose.

“Can you tell me your name little one? Can you tell me anything at all?” The gilded voice that was so sweet and caring flowed over her like a lover’s caress, making her relax and causing the rest of her senses to come back to her.

Blinding light shot into her eyes after so long in the darkness and she cried out, jerking upright in the bed and shielding her eyes with her palms. Strong yet soft caring hands gently held her shoulders as she whimpered at the pain and rocked back and forth.

“Shhh… calm down there little girl. You’ll be okay.” The voice crooned again, patting her on her back and rubbing between the shoulder blades… And between something else that was caught on her skin.

Risking more blinding pain to her eyes, she reached back with one hand, brushed over the silken hand of her caretaker, then over a filmy thing that seemed to be growing out of her skin. Her fingers explored around the joint, massaging sore muscles and feeling the things that had somehow attached themselves to her skin.

“What…?” Rose’s voice croaked as she spoke for the first time, the sound seeming so strange and alien to her that she didn’t recognize it from the voice that she was used to. She opened her eyes slowly this time, to minimize the risk of her eyes being blinded again. At first, all she saw was blue. Then, she noticed the brilliant colors that inhabited it as she stared at the quilt that had covered her.

It was a soft quilt, images of leaves, acorns and other such foliage decorating it as she stared. As she did so, a face came into view to the side, stricken with worry.

Her face was the picture of youth, someone about 20 years old or so, yet her eyes spoke of someone much older then that, at least. Her hair was a lush red, with a few locks of a deeper red out the front dangling in front of her face. The rest was pulled back in a ponytail, flowing down her back.

She wore a simple dress, something that covered all the necessary bits, a skirt for the bottom and an open back that tied at the neck and covered the breasts. Her skin was a pale color, almost white with a couple of sparkles of something reflective adding a scale like effect to her skin.

But what drew her eyes the most was her two antennae growing out of her forehead. They were about half a foot long, with small bulbous ends on them, making them look all the world like strange limp drumsticks.

“Uhh…” Was all she said as she stared at the antennae of the pixie that had helped her back into the world of the living.

Following Rose’s stare, she looked up at her own antennae and smiled.

At least the girls being attentive. Thats always a good thing. The queen thought as she patted the arm of the very confused girl.

“Come. Let me show you my world. I’m sure something here would be able to jog your memory.” Her voice was kind, as if wanting Rose to remember something.

Rose just nodded numbly and stood shakily, grabbing hold of the queen for support. The lady’s form was as deceptive as it was strong, for it gave off the hint of a cold power within her lithe limbs.

Rose swayed for a few seconds before she caught her balance on the shoulder of the queen. After a few deep breaths, and with some help of her support, she trudged towards the beaded entrance, not noticing at all the amount of detail in the wood.

The first thing that caught her was the amount of activity there was going on. With her hand on the wall, and something brushing against the back of her calves, she stared in open wonder at the people running about in the courtyard below, and all of them seemed to have those gossamer things on their backs.

“What in the…” Suddenly, a female from the crowd spread the glistening blades that was attached to her back and lifted off. The wings were moving so fast she couldn’t see them as they created enough lift to shove the body off the ground and into the air.

Rose just gaped open mouthed as she realized slowly what the things were that were attached to her back. She spun around, trying to catch a glimpse of the things… wings, that grew out of her back. As she spun though, she felt air current rushing past them.

She gasped at the sudden realization that she had become a pixie. True, she wasn’t the brightest star out there, but she was very intelligent for her age.

“You must have fallen farther then I thought.” Spoke the queen from behind her, watching as the girl spun around trying to see her back. Her voice was a sad thing, as if she mourned the loss of someone.

“Fallen?” Rose’s face fell as she struggled to remember what had happened.


“Yes M’dear, you fell from quite a long ways up. Both of you did.”

“Both? Oh! Now I remember! Angel was with me!” Rose’s face lit up like a light bulb, briefly giving the queen hope, then dashing it immediately.

“Angel? Oh, that must be the name of the boy you were with.” She tried to keep her face from revealing her thoughts.

I just hope I can tell my daughter everything so she doesn’t hate me anymore! She is standing right here, right in front of me and yet I cannot say a word! Oh, how I long to take her in my arms and promise everything will be alright.

Unseen, the queen shed a tear of uttermost sorrow as her little one ran about trying to find this boy, this Angel.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Like his sister he was knocked out cold, though his senses came back to him as he woke the second time fully restored and acute. At first, he thought he was still being carried. But then, he realized that he was lying in a soft bed, softer and more comfortable then anything he had ever slept on. But, annoyingly, two strips felt as if it were vinyl, for they stuck to his back.

With a groan, he sat up in his bed, running his hands through his hair in his stretching. Then, suddenly wide awake, he ran them through again, used to much shorter hair now felt thick, coarse hair running down his back.

“Now that ain’t right.” His voice was like Rose’s when she first spoke in this world, lighter then it should be but still gravely, but not as much as the doctor’s. As if on cue, a single male that had been snoozing in a chair off the foot of his bed started and woke.

This man was shirtless, but his chest was acceptable for the style. Roughly chiseled, he looked like he could rip apart anything in a second or two. His skin was marked by scars here and there, symbols of a hard life, or one filled with work. His hair too fell down his back in a wild mess. The bones in his jaw looked hard and rough as well, much like granite in a way. The only real soft thing about this man’s appearance, was his eyes, for it was filled with compassion rarely seen.

“What isn’t right?” He asked in his gravely voice, whom Angel recognized immediately as the doctor from before.

“Uh…” Angel’s mouth shut before he could say anything else the door burst open and a blur of red and pink streaked inside to tackle Angel around the neck.


The obvious reaction would be to fall over, but Angel was by now used to Rose’s wild greetings, and absorbed the greeting with a whole heart, finally being with his little sister once again.

A soft cough caught his attention and he looked towards the door catching the sight of the pixie queen in his eyes.

“Rose… Whose your friend?” He asked, staring in open wonder. She, likewise, did the same.

Red hair? But… How? This day is getting stranger and stranger. Her thoughts echoed that of Angel’s earlier words, wondering why two of her pixies had red hair. Normally, they would have jet black or a raven’s wing purple, but never red.

With a shake of her head, she cleared the cobwebs and looked back as Rose detached herself from her brother’s neck. She looked back towards the door, her gossamer wings flickering shortly, just beginning to find their way.

Angel, never one to miss out on a chance to tease Rose, immediately found her antennae and flicked one gently, bringing full attention back to Angel.

“Why did you do… oh no. I’ve got them too.” Suddenly, her happy face looked very downhearted as she gently fingered her dangling appendages. She turned to face the queen.

“What do these do?” She asked unabashedly as she arranged herself upon his bed, her wings arranging themselves behind her before she knew it.

“Those are an extra sensory organ. It allows you to communicate with others on a level few have ever touched.” She explained, walking in and nodded her head towards the Doc, giving him her thanks for looking after Angel.

“Come. Let me show you two our world. Perhaps you will like it here.” She left the rest unsaid, though it was clear to her and to the Doc. And perhaps you two wouldn’t leave like last time. Its been so long since they left…

Valkyrie Portal:
Chapter five
-The Past revealed-

Kesh stood watching over the pint sized Angel and Rose, her form invisible in her observation mode.

This is most unexpected. I took two seemingly random people in when they were exploring and the Pixie Queen knows them as her children. I should do some digging into their history. That should shed some light on this problem.

She reached into her memory and found the recording she wanted.

The time was several years ago. The pair of pixies had found the portal she had set up in the digital realm that was her domain. Until now, not one of the little sprites had any interest in her tech, though these two were abnormally curious about most everything.

They had the same profiles as the two humans, looked exactly like how they did now, only with a few differences. The young male was a haughty arrogant man with his sister being pretty much a cold hearted b***h.

That was almost 20 years ago today. She thought as she reviewed the evidence. These two pixies had investigated my portal and found out how to turn it on. They did and were transported to the Vee island where they were then drawn into this world by the corresponding portals. All the Vee reported was seeing two strange lights, one red and another blue blasting away from Tastardis’ home.

When they got out of the control room, they set the password system to their own code, realizing that they would need to get back in after they lived for a while in this world. Fortunately, an hour or so after they left my room, they found themselves on the doorstep of an orphanage and they had unwillingly made themselves into babies, with no memory of who or what they were.

She continues reading the report as the data streamed before her virtual mind.

That’s the problem. Knowing them like I do now, their base instincts will begin to take over, making them want to find their old memories and personalities and become one once more. If they do this, they may want to take over the pixie lands like their predecessors planed to so long ago.

If that happens, they could very well come through the portals again and take me out knowing now that I am aware. She gave a mental shudder at the thought, then went back to reviewing their progress.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the first things the pair of humans disguised as pixies clearly after a few minutes of being awake was the amount of detailing these creatures had put into their walls. Numerous fancy designs dominated the surface area, creating strange little texts and murals, while others just followed the grain of the wo