Infinities

Outside the City Walls, South Gate

“Hmm?” Sazh turned, surprised to find himself being addressed by that green-haired woman he’d seen talking with the red lizard thing before they’d all been sucked through the portal. He couldn’t help noticing that her clothes looked the same as they’d been before, unlike just about everyone else…but then, her getup had already been a perfect fit for this strange place.
 He listened to what she had to say, and he found himself scratching awkwardly at the back of his head…or at least he’d meant to, before the cool texture of leather reminded him that he was wearing a helmet now. “No, ma’am, ” he said at length. “This’d be my first, though I did go through somethin’ a little like this about a year ago. I guess we’re supposed to be helpin’ these people cure this plague, but unless there’s some kinda monster to shoot I ain’t gonna be much help there…”
 He paused. “Sorry, I should probably introduce myself. My name’s Sazh, Sazh Katzroy. You?”

 Nearby the wagon, one of the guards overheard Cloud’s question and let out a snort. “Please. It’s been eight decades since the black dragon Praxidiometes disappeared; if that monster had any mates or offspring, they’d have reared their ugly heads by now.”

 “Pipe down and get back to work, ” another guard admonished the first.

Stalgrim, for his part, blew out a breath. “Where to even begin… you have come to us at a most inauspicious time, Brother Jack. The plague and the tainted waters it springs from are only one of three problems facing Riverrock.” He pointed off towards the horizon, in the direction the Champions had come from. “Relations with the Scaled Nations, our lizardfolk neighbours to the south, have become increasingly strained of late; the city council fears that at least some of their tribes may be pushing for war, and with the sickness ravaging our streets and our people that isn’t a war we can hope to win.
 “Worse, ” he continued, “several nomad tribes have come down from the Gogol Plains to the north, seeking refuge within our walls. They say that they were driven south by a vicious nocturnal enemy, a pitiless force that vanishes with the dawn and rises with dusk, their numbers always greater than the night before.” Stalgrim’s expression was grim. “The curse of undeath has taken root in the Gogol Plains, and the dead now march.”

Outside the City Walls, South Gate

“So I see, ” the hooded figure said dryly. “And naturally, the same is true of your Warforged companion. It is curious that an iron golem such as you can talk, and that you are so short…but then, the same can be said of your Pegasus as well.”
 “Well, that’s the thing, ” Sazh said to Edward. “He didn’t. Accordin’ to him, we all got yanked inta this mess by that Omega guy; the old man’s got no control over who comes an’ who goes.”

 He started to look around for Selim…but that’s when the kerfuffle happened. Sazh could only stare at what happened between Ranmaru and Fluttershy in bemusement. “Okaaaay…somebody wanna tell me why the flyin’ horse is spazzin’ out?”

 Stalgrim’s brows drew together as he observed this altercation. “You’re not inspiring much confidence, Pegasus, ” he said with a sigh. The captain first pointed to Guilmon, then to the wagon’s driver. “These men are not dragons. They are lizardfolk, something completely different; they have about as much in common with dragons as I have with you. A true dragon would be at least five times their size, walking on all fours, and sporting a pair of wings.”

 He turned to face Leo then. “The plague itself is not entirely natural, ” he explained. “It is not easily cured even with healing magic; our best scholars claim that it actively resists attempts to remove it. It came to our city through the now-tainted waters of the river Brandt, which flows from the Marshes of Ia-Kong to the west.” Stalgrim pointed in that direction, indicating that sinister jungle off in the distance with crumbling ruins poking above its canopy. “The source of the corruption doubtless comes from there, but I should warn you—the marshes are extremely dangerous. Those who enter them seldom return, no matter how well-equipped or experienced they are; those few that do never speak of what they encountered.” The half-orc fixed Leo with a serious gaze. “If you go in there, you had best do so prepared; otherwise you will never come out.”
 By this point the massive gate had finished swinging open, giving the Champions their first look at what lay within the walls of Riverrock. A broad cobblestone street, thirty feet wide and hundreds of feet in length, ran from the gatehouse towards the distant center of the city with its gleaming towers of gold and silver. It was lined on either side by slant-roofed, wooden-walled buildings of varying heights, all of them sharing an architectural style markedly different from the towers the Champions had glimpsed from atop that grassy knoll; those familiar with Earth and its cultures might recognize the style of these buildings as being vaguely like those of certain historical Asian cultures, like feudal Japan or ancient China. Few people were about, and of those that were most seemed to be lizardfolk.

 “This is Riverrock’s foreign district, ” Stalgrim explained. “It is one of nine that make up the city.” He turned and began to walk through the gate; Sazh, after taking a moment to don his own mask, followed after him.

 As he followed the Captain of the City Watch, Sazh found himself frowning. “Hey, how come you’re not wearin’ a mask?” he asked pointedly, his voice muffled.

 Stalgrim did not slow down as he answered. “As a paladin, I am empowered by my faith in Vyraiah the Ivory Queen; one of her blessings is an immunity to any and all forms of disease, even those of a magical or supernatural nature. Simply put, I can’t get sick.” He paused for a moment. “I also have the power to remove sickness, but my ability to use it is…somewhat limited, ” he added morosely. “I can only use this gift five times in a week, and it can only affect as many people as I can touch. It has made some small amount of difference, but…not enough. Not nearly enough…”



Kyoko dropped to the ground, giving a strangled cough. She tried to stand, then fell to her knees, hair falling loose over her face and bruised, claw-marked neck. Her hands were shaking.

Link was too shocked to respond to the Time Lord. The girl had been less than courteous, but hadn't she healed him? Why had the avian attacked her so violently?

Her jibes had reminded him of Midna, when she had still mocked him at every opportunity. She was hiding something under that mask.

Had she really wanted to help? He didn't know.

He approached along with the Doctor. His eyes were wary and sympathetic.

"Hey..." Extending a cautious hand, he tried to touch the kneeling girl gently on the shoulder, only to have his hand swatted away.

"F**k off." The girl's bruised mouth had curved into a bitter, vacant smile. "F**k off, you hear me?"

The Doctor's hand was similarly repulsed.





The Doctor watches Saren zoom off and attack Kyoko with a look of pure horror on his face. Should have known. You can't mouth off to him but...that violent?! At least Saren's okay. Now to help the girl.

 The Doctor suddenly notices Link and gets a huge grin on his face. "Link! Great to see you! Mind if we talk while I help out the girl Saren attacked?" Good to see some of us are still safe. Good to see the Nomads haven't tortured us yet.
 The Doctor suddenly turns to Samus. "You too! Me and Link here can explain everything we know about the challenges. He's been here since the beginning of this set, actually. So, mind asking again what you would like to know?"

The Doctor starts to slowly walk over to Kyoko and sticks out his hand as an offer of assistance. "Hello, miss, I'm the Doctor. I'm deeply sorry about my friend there. He's got an uncontrollable temper and seems you set him off. Anything I can do to help?"