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INFORMATION REQUESTED: THE FATE OF YERIN AURELIUS OF THE REAPERS DEVISION.
BEGINNING REPORT …
The Abidan are a vast organization, operating on many iterations and worlds to connect and stabilize their connection to the Way.
The Abidan’s eight branches operate for this purpose and to save as many as they can from the Void and the Fiends that lurk in it. Any one of them is lead by a powerful Judge that embody a part of reality itself in their mantle.
But they are bound by pacts and oaths, limiting their ability to act against the natural fate of the worlds. Dooming many to death and corruption by the void.
All but one branch.
The Reapers division is not bound by pacts and oaths limiting their actions. Under the guidance of the Reaper himself, the judge of death and destruction, they act to save worlds when the other branches of the Abidan cannot.
The first of the Reapers is Yerin Aurelius, originaly from the world known as Cradle, she advance to the rank of Monarch in the local energy system and then ascended to join the ranks of the Abidan.
She is known for her prowess with the sword and her power over blood and death, her record shows that she is a capable operative, able to complete most missions quickly and efficiently and change the fate of the worlds she is sent to for the better.
Some consider her a potential candidate for the Reaper position.
SUGGESTED TOPIC: THE FATE OF WEI SHI LINDON AURELIUS. CONTINUE?
DENIED, REPORT COMPLETE.
∆
Iteration 3120, Hunted.
Yerin stepped out of the portal and looked over the world in front of her.
It was hot.
She was standing above a city and the city was burning in fire and lightning.
Dross spunned out of her head and floated next to her shoulder, his eye scanning the sights and making hummings sounds.
“Well. Looks like this is going to be an easy one!” He declared.
“Really?” Yerin was skeptical about that.
“Yes! Look there is a giant monster destroying things, it must be the Fiend. It doesn't look very strong to me, it's smaller than the Wondering Titan. Kill it with your sword and we can move on to the next iteration.”
Yerin saw the monster he was talking about. It felt like it had the physical power of a Herald and devastating the local defenders with his blows and his energy attacks.
As she watched a man in green robes summoned purple grey flames to attack the monster and was swatted away by it with enough force to send him flying several miles back but he calmly righted himself in the air and flew back to wrestle with the monster.
To Yerin senses it didn't feel like a Fiend. There was some void corruption connected to it, but it wasn't on the level of even a class 4.
It felt more like a construct. Maybe it was one puppeted by a Fiend, but it wasn't one itself.
Still she drew her sword.
The blade felt heavy, not physically, more like it had a weight to it that effected reality.
The core of the blade was made of white metal called wintersteel that could only be found on her home world, Cradle, and even there it was very rare. Most of the blade was of black metal, both of those metals were from remnants of swords she once carried, before she ascended.
And the edge of the blade glowed red.
For now.
The sword was a gift, from someone very important to Yerin.
Now she held it up, saw the locals finally noticing her as reality wrapped around her blade.
Then she swang.
As she did a giant blade of silver and red formed around her weapon.
The giant blade made of madra and aura, mixed with some sword authority, sliced through the construct.
Yerin seathed her sword. The city around her was in a pretty poor shape, maby some Phoenix could spare some time to help here, after she was done of course.
“See? That was easy” Dross said.
Yerin was about to answer him but then the construct flesh started knitting itself back together.
Yerin’s attack had slashed it from shoulder to groin and she felt it go out the other side, so why didn't it fall apart in two?
“Dross…” she started, getting her sword ready again.
[Right, you're attack definitely cut through, but hmm…. Let's see…. Yes yes… no…
Well bad news, it's actually larger than it looks, by a lot. Space folds around it's core, so it also tougher the closer to it you get.] Dross reported inside her mind and slowed her perception of time.
“Bleed me.”
She could feel the lightning forming.
Instead of shooting lightning at her, or summoning it from the sky the construct somehow formed it directly inside Yerin, or at least it tried.
Their Wills clashed, and Yerin’s Will crushed his.
The lightning flickered and died without fully forming, then a giant fist was crashing down at her.
She met it with her own.
Her hand, clad in black armor met the rock like flesh of the construct and deflected it away.
Black blood was still oozing from the diagonal cut it had, and if it bleeds…
Yerin tapped her sword hilt and her sword rang like a bell.
The construct staggered back as gashed formed all over it's body, blades made from its own blood cutting it from the inside.
[These are some very determined bugs] Dross was looking to the side, where now Yerin noticed flying bugs were forming shapes in the air.
“Is that a local language Dross? Can you translate?” She asked.
[Hmmm yes just a moment please… all done! This says ‘can you ride there?’ strange, why would the bugs want to know if you can ride? And on what? And where?]
“Dross!” She called him while meeting a wall of fire with her sword and hands, it washed over her armor harmlesslly but still.
[Ah yes, it might actually be ‘can you drive him there’] Dross highlighted a floating arrow in her sight.
“I can get him there” Yerin told the bugs.
[Oh they are moving again! Now it says ‘three minutes’ what do you think that means? Maybe they do want you to ride something? Interesting bugs]
Yering grunted and gripped her sword harder, slashing at the air in front of her, sending striker technique after striker technique at her foe.
The slashed of madra flew through the air and landed at the construct. Forcing it to take a step back.
Yerin used the opening and prepared another Final Sword, the giant sword of silver and red forming around her blade once more.
She drove it into the construct chest. Pushing it back step by step.
Lightning, fire and just pure energy poured over her but found no purchase over her smove black armor.
Then the construct was where she wanted it to and the bugs moved again.
[Now they say ‘move’ ] Dross translated, but Yerin could have guessed it herself.
She jumped back, kicking of the floor and clearing what she thought would be a safe distance from whatever who was controlling the bugs was about to do.
Then the guy in green robes flew past her and summoned a wall of energy to circle the construct.
Then there was a pillar of light.
[Wow that's at least Herald level attack] Dross sounded excited [do you think all the bugs in this world are so advanced?]
“Is it enough to kill it?” She asked, but she could already guess. This attack wasn't any stronger than her Final Sword, only larger.
[Absolutely not!] Dross said cheerfully.
“bleed me” she sighed and then prepared her stance.
As the pillar of light dimmed, then died down, the figure of the construct was visible again.
It's rocky flesh has been stripped by the attack, exposing a black skelaton. It's single red eye still shinning brightly in it's socket.
Yerin breathed in and out. Focused, and swang her sword.
Color drained away from the world, leaving it in only shades of grey, for miles people looked to the sky, or fell to their knees, shivering, tasting death in their mouths.
The blade struck the construct and cleaved through.
The world was silent as color slowly crept back, Yerin controlled the winds around her to quite the raging flames and guide the smoke away.
“Make sure it's dead and buried Dross”
[It is dead but not buried]
“Good enough for me” she shrugged.
The air filled again with noise.
Orders, shouted and relayed, overlapping in half a dozen languages. Aircraft engines screamed overhead. The bugs scattered outward, reforming into loose clouds that hovered at the edges of the battlefield.
Yerin stayed where she was.
She sheathed her sword and watched the corpse, what was left of it, She watched until she was satisfied it wasn’t getting back up.
Only then did she turn.
People were approaching, but carefully. Keeping distance. She recognized the posture immediately, fighters who didn’t know what they were dealing with, and were trying not to provoke it.
One of them hovered forward, green robe guy, using a field of distorted air to get closer to her. His costume was scorched, patched in several places, and he looked like he’d already been in this fight longer than his body wanted to allow.
“Unknown,” he said, voice carried by a speaker rather than shouting. “You intervened against The Behamoth. State your affiliation.”
Yerin frowned.
“you asking, or you telling?”
There was a brief pause. Someone else spoke over a channel she couldn’t hear. The man nodded once.
“A question,” he said. “For now.”
Dross drifted into view, eye swiveling as he scanned the gathering capes, the soldiers, the heavy equipment being moved into place around the battlefield.
[They’re nervous. Sensible humans. Very sensible.]
Yerin ignored him.
“Name’s Yerin,” she said. “No banner you’d recognize.”
“You killed The Behamoth,” the man said, careful with his words.
“Wasn’t alive, not the way you mean it” Yerin replied. “Was a construct. Big one.”
That got a reaction.
Several of the capes stiffened. One of them, wearing colorfull armor, broad shoulders, shifted position slightly, raised a device and pointed it at her.
“A construct,” the man repeated. “Built by whom?”
Yerin shrugged.
“Didn’t stop to ask.”
That wasn’t strictly true, but it was close enough.
The man studied her in silence. Not hostile. Not friendly. Measuring.
“You appeared mid-engagement,” he said. “You used abilities we don’t recognize. You neutralized a threat that has… global implications.”
“Mm,” Yerin said. “It was in my way.”
That answer didn’t land well.
“Tell ’em if they want to talk, they can do it without staring.”
The man’s jaw tightened slightly behind his white, featureless mask.
“You’re being monitored,” he said. “For obvious reasons.”
“Fair,” Yerin allowed. “I’d do the same.”
Another pause. Then:
“We’d like you to come with us.”
Yerin tilted her head.
“Like,” she said, “as a guest?”
No one answered immediately.
Behind the man, they were pulling bodies from rubble. Some alive. Some not. The city was still burning in places, though it was better than before.
The man finally spoke.
“As a… temporary asset,” he said. “At least until we understand what just happened.”
Yerin considered that.
She could leave. Walk the Way and be gone before they finished their next sentence. But she has yet to find the Fiend she was told was here. And the locals might know something.
“Alright,” she said. “I’ll talk.”
The tension didn’t vanish, but it eased. Just a little.
“Good,” the man said. “Then we’ll start with containment protocos-”
Yerin’s hand rested lightly on her sword.
“You’ll start,” she said calmly, “with questions.”
Dross bobbed happily beside her.
[Ooooh, negotiations! I like this world already.]
∆
Yerin looked around the flying metal construct they led her to, it wasn't flying right now and the guy in green wasn't here, instead two women were there with her.
One was tall, much taller than Yerin and had a horn growing from her forehead, the local equivalent of a goldsign probably.
The other one, Yerin didn't know what she looked like, she wore armor that had a lot of tiny parts that probably did all kind of things.
“Can I offer you some water?” The women in armor asked her.
Yerin grumbles something that could be taken as either a no or a yes.
“What are we waiting for again? I thought you guys had questions.”
The woman tilted her head to in what Yerin thought was supposed to imply a gentle calming smile.
“we do. We are just waiting for one more and then we will start, thank you for cooperating”
[She seems very nice, do you think they will try to poison the water they give you? ]
Yerin ignored him.
The door opened and a man in armor walked in.
“Well, don't you look like you had a fight with a pack of hungry wolves” the man seemed surprised when she talked to him.
“Ah, yes. Something like that”
The women in green armor offered him a chair and he sat down with a heavy sigh.
“So, who are you?” He looked at her, shifting his helmet.
“Name’s Yerin”
“And I am Dross!” Dross appeared next to her causing the armored man and the tall woman to flinch slightly.
“It's good to meet you, Yerin and Dross. I'm Dragon” the woman in green armor was quick to react.
“A dragon named Dragon? Bit on the nose”
“I am human. And Dragon is only a pseudo name I use for my hero activity, not my real name”
“Narwhel” the tall woman said.
“And I am Chevalier “ the last one added.
“Well, I heard worst names” Yerin shrugged. “So what do you want to know?”
“How did you kill Behamoth?” Was the first question from Chevalier.
“With my sword”
For a moment there was silence.
Then Narwhal made a soft laughing sound.
“Yeah, we all saw that”
“You're not from around here right? Not from this world” Narwhal continued, putting an emphasis on this, as if to make sure she was from another one.
“Well I don't look local, do I?”
They eyed her, maybe she did.
“Yes, got it in one. Not from around here”
Narwhel nodded.
“you have a way to travel to other dimensions then”
Yerin leaned back in her chair, boots hooked casually under it.
“I got legs”
Narwhel gave her a deadpan look.
“Yeah, can cut a portal open”
Dragon glanced at the sword at Yerin’s side. “You mean literally,“ she said carefully.
Yerin gave a short nod.
“Can you take others with you?”
“Can, won't “ was her short answer, she wasn't going to take anyone here off world, not unless there was a very good reason for it.
“Where are you from?” Yerin twisted her neck to look at Chevalier as he asked his question.
“Place called Cradle, but that's not what you mean, right?” Chevalier nodded, his helmet clanking against his armor.
‘Dross’ she called and the red body of her companion appeared again.
“Hello humans! We are part of an organization called The Abidan. Working across many words to keep the connection to the Way stable, that's what keeps physics and reality from falling apart, and protecting them against outside threats like the Vroshir and Fiends like the one you got”
“And you are high ranking in The Abidan?” Narwhal asked.
“Of the eight branches of the Abidan, we are part of the Reapers division, our division does not use the star ranking system but you could say Yerin is considered third in command of the Reapers.”
“And you?”
“I am the magnificent Dross! Ruler of…” Yerin shoot him a sharp look to silence him.
“He’s a mind Spirit. Lives in my head”
“... Yes, that.” Dross looked between her and the three locals.
“And you were sent here because of this threat, Fiends you said.” Dragon again.
“A Fiend” Yerin said. And then “Dross, show them”
Dross project an illusion of several floating balls connected to each other by threads of varying sizes.
In red letters above the floating worlds he wrote ‘Iteration 3120, Hunted’
“Your iteration is actually a cluster of connected worldsand we are on this one”
One if the worlds was highlighted in white light
“Lovely name” Narwhal commented dryly.
“This match the location of known portals to Aleph and Gimel, and some more” Dragon pointed at the lines connecting the worlds to the ones next to it.
“Your home show signs of void corruption, most likely caused by a level two Fiend hiding somewhere.” Parts of the balls were colored in twisting colors of red, dark green and purple.
“Without intervention you have..”
“Two years” Dragon spoke before Dross managed.
“...yes” Dross’s eye was opened widely, examining Dragon from closer than before.
“Our own precognition models show any where between one year and 75 years, but two, a bit less than that actually, remain the most likely time frame for the end of the world.”
Dross rocked up and down, miming a nodding head.
“So you can help us stop it” again Yerin looked to Chevalier as he spoke.
“A level two Fiend, not gonna be a stroll in the park but we can do it. Anything else and we'll see”
“These Fiends, what are they”
“Void creatures” she answered.
“That's not much of an answer”
“It's enough” she shrugged.
“Are they intelligent?”
“Oh yes, very, fully sentient too, so they can scheme and plan against us” Dross answered that one.
“you said it's hiding. How are you planning on finding it” Yerin was getting the impression that Narwhal was the practical one in this group.
“Don't know yet, but that big Behamoth construct definitely had a connection to it. Full of void corruption on the inside.”
The three look at each other after that.
“There are two more” Chevalier volunteered.
“Really? Only two? There aren't four beasts that will attack different places around the world periodcly and can only be driven off and not killed while causing untold deaths and destruction?” They all looked at Dross.
“Only two more”
“We call them Endbringers” Dragon added.
“I think Dreadgods is a better name” Dross said.
“Ignore him” Yerin leaned forward. “Tell me about the other two”