Posting this now, but we won't start until everyone's here and ready.

I will also copy the last comments over in a minute.

@Alk (Luxia, Mason and Den)

Luxia slowly went cross-eyed as Den talked. Clearly, the old witch was only half paying attention.

When Den stopped, she snapped out of it. 'Oh, yes, yes, of course,' she said, rubbing her hands together. 'We're going to be saving lots of people in the Beyond, so we can simply add her to our bucket list!'

Mason cleared his throat. 'Madam... Several of my pack members also went missing--'

'I'll find them too!' said Luxia loudly. 'Every single one. Don't you worry about a thing. However, I'm /not/ taking any more people through this portal. So you two just go home and wait, K?'

@Alk (Plague squad)

Loch pushed Stal's wing out of the way so she could get in front of him. 'Wait, so you guys were /exiled/ here? To /this/ place? What the heck did you do, murder children?'

'...Something like that...' one of the guards muttered. Stal let out a huge sigh.

'OK, so we're stuck in a place called Beyond that's full of creepy monsters. Great,' he said. 'Well, /we/ weren't exiled, and we kinda want to get out of here.'

'Can't help you with that,' said the guard. 'None of us have the power to leave Beyond. But we can offer you a place to stay here at Lostville. You'll have food and shelter, and we can protect you from the Voidspawn...'

Loch glanced back at Shepherd and Pyre. 'Hey, you boys even listening?'

(I think that's pretty much all that's happening right now? Stellarus and Euterpe were waiting for Luxia to come back through the portal, and Dianne was about to encounter the Plague squad I think.)

(Hello there.)

(Hey there!)

@Rad
Den began to open his mouth to say something, he quickly thought better of it though and just nodded at the old woman. "Ok..." He said glancing wearily at the portal.

@Rad/ Xeno

Shepherd snatched up Marco and glanced over to where Stal and Loch were. He then whispered to Pyre "This place looks wrong... like home...."

@Alk

Mason looked like he wanted to protest, not wanting to just sit back and accept the witch's word. But, like Den, he held back the urge.

'What do you want as payment?' he said calmly.

'Oh, not a thing. Not a single Squall. Don't worry, I'll get your friends out before you know it.' Smiling like a maniac, Luxia waved, then stepped backwards through the portal.

Mason sighed and glanced down at Den. 'Well, I suppose we have nothing to do but go home and wait.'

@Alk/ @Xeno

Pyre grimaced uncertainly. 'I don't like it either...'

Stal grumbled. 'We should be focusing on finding a way out, not sleeping.'

'But we don't know /how/ to get out, Stal, and at least there are other people here to protect us,' said Loch, trying hard not to lose her patience with the grumpy dragon. She turned to Shepherd and Pyre again. 'What do you guys think? Should we hang out here for a while...?'

@Rad/Alk

{As the group contiued to converse in front of the guards, the shadow of something flying overhead passed over the group. It was a large, grey dragon and a voidspawn wyvern. After circling a few times, they land a little ways down the mountain.}

@Rad
"Yeah, I guess I'll go home now and check back here later. See you!" Den said to Mason as he prepared to leave.

@Alk

Mason frowned slightly, scratching his beard in thought.

'You're only a child. Are you going home to your parents? Or another responsible family member?'

@Rad / @Xeno

As the shadow of the the great undead beast flew over the group Shepherd gave Loch an unimpressed look. "Well I hope you don't mean out in the open"

@Alk/ @Xeno

The guards stiffened when the two huge creatures passed overhead, and did not relax when they landed further down the mountain. 'It's a Voidspawn!' one shouted.

'Ahhh!' yelled someone else from inside the village. 'Voidspawn attack! Run!'

'Get the weapons!'

'Get Octavius!'

'Who's the other dragon, though?' asked Pyre. 'That doesn't look like one of the void monster things...'

'I'll go and have a closer look...' muttered Loch, and without further ado she began to march off towards the newcomers. The villagers were still running around like headless chickens, scrambling to gather weapons and alert each other.

@Alk/Rad

{Dianne shifts back and orders her minions to stay put. Walking up towards the village, she stops when she sees someone approaching.}

Dianne: "Loch!? What are you doing in here?"

@Rad
Den Stopped. "Huh? Oh I don't have parents. I'll be ok on my own though, I know where all the great hiding places are!" He said reassuringly.

@Rad/ Xeno

Marco began to squirm and kick until he was free of Shepherd's grasp.
The dog darted straight after Dianne. Shepherd stayed beside the group not sure of what was going on. //Should I run? Stay put? Why is my dog always running towards the danger.//

@Alk

'I'm sure you do, but there are dangerous things happening in this city right now,' said Mason slowly. 'These portals could appear anywhere. And there are other things, too...'

He trailed off. Deep in his mind was a fear that Den might fall victim to those disgusting vampires, or one of the other countless criminals who ran the streets. He might not know Den, but he couldn't bear the thought of letting a defenceless youngster go off alone.

'Would you consider staying at my pack's hideout until your friend returns? If you wish to go off alone, then I won't stop you, but I will insist on sending some werewolves to keep you safe.'

@Xeno/ @Alk

'I could say the same for you! What are /you/ doing here?' Loch retorted. 'What, you're gonna tell me that /you/ fell through a mysterious portal as well?'

As Shepherd tried to run past, she grabbed the rope around the dog's neck to stop him charging at Dianne.

@Rad/Alk

Dianne: "Yeah, I did. Did you? How many-"

{She stops abruptly when she sees Marco.}

Dianne: "Marco?! Oh, please tell me Shepherd isn't here..."

(I somehow wrote Shepherd instead of Marco there, WTF)

(XD)

(Lmao x'D
RIP Shepherd x'D )

@Rad

Den thought for moment. "Hmmmm, alright do you have and sweet potatoes there? Can we get some on the way?"

@Alk

'Sweet potatoes...' Mason cleared his throat to hide a snicker of amusement. 'Yes, how about we stop at a supermarket and buy some? The entrance to the hideout isn't far from here.'

@Rad / Xeno

As soon as he recognized Dianne, Shepherd walked over and took the rope from Loch. "Ah Dianne,,,, we woke up here... Your couch is missing too I'm sorry about that."

@Xeno/ @Alk

'There's a /lot/ of us here,' said Loch, looking up at Dianne. 'I sure as hell hope you know how to get us out, or have rescuers on the way, or something. Me, Stal, Pyre, Shepherd, and Marco are all here!'

@Rad/Alk
{Upon seeing Shepherd, Dianne rubs her face in an exasperated manner.}

Dianne: "Don't worry about it, Shepherd..."

{She then turns to Loch.}

Dianne: "I'm afraid I don't. Like I said to the Downer girl who fell in with me, interdimentional travel isn't my forte. Really, all of you? That's most of your band..."

@Rad

Denarius jumped up in the air in a moment of celebration. "Yay! I'm going to meet a pack of werewolves." He giggled

@Alk/ @Xeno

Loch folded her arms. 'So, you don't know how to get us out either?'

'Great, then she's useless too,' Stal snarled, having heard them from a short distance away.

@Alk

Concealing his amusement at Den's enthusiasm behind a stoic expression, Mason took the lead, exiting the large house and setting off down the street.

'If there's anything else you need when we get to the store, do let me know,' he said absentmindedly. 'I have plenty of money on me.'

@Xeno/ @Alk

Luxia emerged from the portal, blinking owlishly at her surroundings, as if she somehow hadn't expected to end up back in Beyond. Then she caught sight of Stellarus and Euterpe, and went over to them, beaming.

'Ahh, Loopy! And Stetson! Well, well, let's start searching, shall we? If we're lucky, we might find your friends with their lives and souls intact, and not just their mangled corpses!'

{Dianne heard Stal's comment and turns towards him darkly.}

Dianne: "Watch your tongue, Stal! I might not be able to open portals, but I'm still the best chance you have at surviving! Besides..."

{She looks off in the distance.}

Dianne: "Someone might have found a way in here after all..."

@Xeno/ @Alk

Stal just eyed Dianne with an utterly unimpressed expression. 'Yeah, right. How would you know that.'

Suddenly, a group of men came sprinting out of the village. The eerie light reflected on the long spears and swords they were wielding. 'Kill the Voidspawn!' one of them yelled, as they began to try and edge past Dianne, to reach the undead wyvern standing behind her. 'It shouldn't be this close to the village! What's it doing here?!'

{Stellarus turns towards Luxia as she appears.}

Stellarus: "Alright, Little Light, well, we might as well start with Dianne, as she's the easiest one to find...Hey, Hector, what direction is she in?"

{One of the draugrs points to the distant mountain range.}

Stellarus: "Ok, let's go!"

{Before Dianne could reply to Stal, she turned to confront the villagers.}

Dianne: "Woah, woah, hold on! That's not voidspawn anymore. That, and all the things on its back are my minions. They're not a threat."

{The wyvern, humanoid voidspawn, and mutilated werewolf all wave at the villagers in a friendly manner.}

@Xeno/ @Alk

'We'd best be careful!' said Luxia in a singsong voice. 'It's almost nighttime here! Not that you can tell, because the sky neeeever changes! But /I/ can tell.'

She smiled and nodded knowingly.

'And when night falls in Beyond... that's the time when the worst monsters emerge... coming to the surface to prey on the small and weak.'

@Xeno/ @Alk

The villagers hesitated, squinting at the undead Voidspawn. '...You're a necromancer?' one of them said uncertainly, to Dianne.

While this was going on, Pyre reached over and tapped Shepherd on the shoulder. 'Umm... do you see a bunch of big dark shapes way over there?' he whispered, pointing into the distant crevices of the mountain. 'I have a nasty feeling they might be more monsters...'

Stellarus: "All the more reason to get marching. Let's move it out!"

{With that, the draugrs begin to march off towards the range.}

@Rad/Alk

@Rad/Alk

Dianne: "That's right. There's no threat here."

{She states as she eyes the weapons that the villagers had.}

Dianne: //I hope they don't do anything stupid...//

(Alk seems to be absent right now so I'll pause making any more posts till she returns, don't want to leave her behind.)

@Rad

Denarius eyes lit up. "Really? Althea hides all the money she gets so we don't often use it here... You must be super rich! I bet I could get a 1000 sweet potatoes!"

(I'll do the same)

@Alk

'Well, perhaps not /that/ many,' said Mason wryly. 'I believe I have about...' He slipped a hand into his pocket and felt around. '...Fifty squalls on me right now.'

Fifty squalls didn't seem like much to him, being from a rich family, but he knew it could seem like a lot to someone worse off.

(Nevermind, Alk is the devil and appears when I speak her name)

@Rad/ @Xeno

Shepherd leaned and looked over to where Pyre had mentioned the shadows. He saw a few things leap and dance from the shadows but due to the distance he was away he was unsure if it was his mind playing tricks on him. A dark feeling sunk in and he shuddered. "Best we get into that village soon then. I don't want to become

lunch"

(Lol)

**demonic screaching**

@Rad

"Whoah! You are super rich! That means your hideout must have even more riches!" Declared Den.

(Do you want me to say anything for Eu? X'D

(I wouldn't be opposed...)

@Alk/ @Xeno

Pyre nodded. 'Yeah, I hope these people finish talking and let us in soon. I definitely don't like the look of those creatures!'

As if to reassure himself, he reached down and tried to pet Marco.

The guards eyed Dianne for a moment, exchanging glances. Then they backed up, lowering their weapons slightly, but not sheathing them. 'Do you know all of these people?' one asked, gesturing at the rest of the group.

@Alk

'Well, yes, I suppose so...' said Mason warily. 'But we don't keep most of those 'riches' for ourselves. We sell them and then give the money to people who need it more than us.'

@Rad/Alk

Dianne: "Yes, they're my friends. They shouldn't be any trouble, but we would appreciate it if we could rest for a bit in your village."

@Rad

"But I thought the werewolves steal for themselves? That's what the papers and police have said"

@Rad / @Xeno

As Pyre bent down to pet Marco, the dog rocket launched himself at the vampire and played mouthed his arms.
"Marco get off!" Said Shepherd.

@Alk

Mason glanced at Den as they turned onto a street called Waning Moon Road. 'Some do. Werewolves can be petty criminals like anybody else. But not my packmates,' he said firmly. 'We steal only for the benefit of others. We know stealing is... wrong... but we want to help those less fortunate than ourselves.'

@Rad / @Xeno

"With our luck and your obnoxious noise they'll target you first"

*Grumbled Euterpe to Luxia

@Xeno/ @Alk

The head guard nodded. 'You can all come in. But, I do require that you leave your minions outside the village while you're here. We don't want to cause unnecessary panic.'

The guards then began to walk briskly for the village entrance, which was a small gap in the wall of flowers that surrounded in.

Pyre leaned back in surprise, though it didn't really hurt. It seemed like Marco was just playing, not trying to take a chunk out of his arm. He grabbed the dog's rope and tried vainly to restrain him. 'You might wanna pick him up so we can get into the village without him, uhh, running off again,' he said to Shepherd.

@Alk/ @Xeno

Luxia laughed, very loudly, and clapped her hands together. 'OOH, I hope they do! That would be so much fun!'

{Dianne nods and follows the guards. Passing by Stal, she turns to him.}

Dianne: "Look pal, we might have a way out of here after all. I'll explain once everyone's in one place and safe."

( @Rad/Alk)

@Rad/Alk{Stellarus looks over at Luxia when she says that.}

Stellarus: "Oh, really? In that case, you get to deal with any unscrupulous characters we encounter, kay, Little Light?"

Stella: //I hope to the divines that she's joking...//

(I'm probably gonna have to get off the computer now, so this might be it for now. We can try to get a few more posts done over the week, maybe.)

@Rad
"Oh I never thought of it like that.... I wonder if we could start doing that too! Althea wants to make a guild!" Exclaimed the small dragon.

(Alrighty!)

(Ok!)

@Rad/Xeno

"Right, if I loose him again it I might not be able to recover him." Said Shepherd as he scooped up the dog.

@Rad / @Xeno

Euterpe was unsure of what to say to Luxia's odd response. Welcoming blood thirty creatures seemed to be the last thing they needed.

@Alk

'Really?' said Mason dubiously. //What exactly are this boy and his friend up to? Are they stealing for their own gain, or for another purpose?// He was puzzled, but decided now wasn't the time to question Den.

They arrived outside a small, friendly-looking convenience store. 'Alright, pick out anything you'd like,' said Mason, stepping through the automatic doors. 'I'll pay for you.'

@Alk/ @Xeno

Stal just made a 'hmph' noise. Extending his wings, he barged past Dianne and entered the village first. 'You'd better...'

Loch and Pyre also hurried through the village entrance, the latter throwing a concerned glance at the dark beasts creeping down the mountainside.

The village consisted mostly of wood and straw huts that were haphazardly arranged. A few flaming torches stood around, casting an amber radiance that seemed slightly more welcoming than the eerie glow from Beyond's sky. The guards continued leading them through the village, seeming to head in a particular direction.

@Xeno/ @Alk

Luxia just smiled. 'Do tell me if you see any monsters, won't you? My eyes aren't what they used to be.'

She started ambling off towards the distant mountains, humming 'Thriller' under her breath.

@Rad/Alk
{Dianne looks at Stal with absolute loathing.}

Dianne: "Careful, Stal, 'lest I reconsider my kindness once this is over..."