WELCOME TO RAYVEN'S REIGN.

[♘ FierceOcelot]

Sergey Volkovoy


Prologue
8:57 AM...

Sergey sat on a picnic table in a secluded lake, in Florida. Just another morning, a cool one at that as summer faded and autumn began. He was by himself, which was pretty much the way he liked it. No loud, disruptive humans were around, at least for now, but their tendency to not give a shit about their environment was clearly here to stay.

He sighed as he laid eyes on a empty beer can on the lake's shore. Ugh. They just don't get it... He went over to the object and converted it into something more useful; a small bass. As soon as the transmutation finished, the fish flopped out of Sergey's hand, landed in the water with a weak splash, and darted away from sight almost instantly. The only remaining evidence of its being there was the ripples and the small underwater dust cloud...

Sergey didn't see any other trash on the shore, so he went back to the table he had transmuted when he first arrived. As soon as he left, he would turn it back into soil and grass. But right now, he was hungry.

Taking one more look around, Sergey scanned for humans. He'd rather not have to answer a billion questions or be labeled a freak of some sort. Humans had a tendency to reject any reality but their own; it was an arrogant outlook, but one Sergey liked taking advantage of. If one saw him transmute, Sergey could just play dumb, and most of the time it worked.

Sergey had approached the lake by way of a nearly thirty-foot-wide path that sloped down to the shore. At either side of the path he saw forest, no doubt teeming with wildlife and wild edible fruits, some of which he had put there on his last few visits. No humans in sight.

Good.

He knelt and touched the ground, converting some of the earth into a plate of food; breakfast. The soil rose up and began shifting its color and properties, and after a few seconds morphed into a plate holding steaming scrambled eggs, toast with jelly on one side, a Belgian waffle lightly covered with powdered sugar and maple syrup, and three thick, sizzling strips of bacon.

His powers came in handy so much...

Sergey caught the plate before it could fall after the transmutation and set it on the table, then sat down. With a front -row seat to the lake ahead of him, Sergey was ready to eat. He picked up his fork, stomach growling--

And then something happened.

The plate, followed by his wonderful breakfast, exploded and splattered his face. Sergey, eyes wide, surprised, fell from his seat and stayed low, on the ground.

What the hell just happened?! Even as he thought the question, the answer became readily apparent: a bullet. Some asshole had shot at him and taken out his meal, probably doing the latter on purpose.

Sergey had a pretty good idea who it was. He thought he had left that syndicate in the dust! How did they know he was here!?

He shouted, "What the hell?!" He wasn't really expecting an answer, but he got one anyway.

A voice he didn't know. "You know exactly 'what the hell', kid. You thought you could just sneak away and stay off our radar?"

Sergey didn't answer. He was trying to pinpoint the voice and focus, as he had already planned a counterattack.

The gunman continued. "The only way you leave the syndicate, son, is in a body bag. The boss made that clear."

Still not sure. Sergey rose slightly, only to be met with a warning shot hissing past his ear. He dropped to the ground again, this time with a grin. He had a good idea where the guy was, now. Human arrogance and stupidity had caused this gangster's downfall.

"Stay where you are and I won't shoot. My buddies will go over to get you." Standard tactic. Pin down the target and let others move in under the suppressive fire. Sergey was tired of being suppressed.

"The hell I will," he muttered under his breath and began another transmutation. A huge clump of soil rose from the earth and formed into a Tsar Cannon, aimed at the origin of the gunshot.

As Sergey expected, he heard a collective "OH SHIT!" and saw movement among the trees.

I'm sorry I have to do this...I'll have to come back and repair whatever damage this does... Sergey transmuted himself a zippo lighter, stood up and lit the huge cannon's fuse, then turned and ran for the lake, covering his ears.

He looked back in time to see the cannon fire; a deafening boom struck his ears. The trunks of oak trees, most of them at least decades old, exploded into splinters as the Tsar cannon's payload sailed effortlessly. They crashed to the earth. Sergey could hear branches snapping loudly from the impact like twigs.

The gunmen had likely taken casualties, if not from the cannon then certainly from the falling trees. As it was, those that survived took the opportunity to open fire. Sergey faced forward and began to focus, bullets whizzing past him.

If it weren't for the portal composition he had acquired in Los Angeles, this wouldn't be possible, and more than likely Sergey would have had to stay and fight. He drew from the transmutation powers within him, calling forth energy that he had saved in case he ended up in a situation like this. There was no time to be specific. He had to be anywhere but here.

An orb of light, almost as bright as the sun, appeared ahead of Sergey's path that grew to roughly the size of a refrigerator. Not taking the time to set the location and time, and also not really caring about it, Sergey dove headfirst into the orb and let it swallow him whole.
_______________

Sergey woke up to find himself staring at the sky, oddly with a pounding headache. He groaned and sat up, getting a good look at his surroundings. Where the hell am I?

He was sitting in the shade of a near-forty foot tall oak tree, on a small hill overlooking the area. The area in question? He stood and turned in place. Plains. Grass and trees as far as he could see.

He realized he was shorter, looked down and saw that he had gotten smaller. He looked like a thirteen-year-old kid. Using the portal had taken a lot more out of him than he thought it would...

Damn. I'm ain't in Kansas anymore... After making the reference in his head, Sergey exhaled and absorbed some of the matter around him to add mass to himself (this would allow him to "grow" and end up appearing like a boy in his late teens), then sat down, eying the portal he had made near the tree.

Odd. The sky seemed to have more...color to it. The air seemed different. Clearer. He must be sometime in the past...but how far back? That was the real question...

This post has been edited by FierceOcelot on Oct 19 2011, 05:04 PM

[✖ Outlaw Fallen]

Fallen walked along the beaten path, leading his horse on foot as he trudged along to another town. So far, he had uncovered very little about this new world, and even less about himself. He was getting frustrated. The question that had nagged at him for some time seemed to grow more and more overbearing with each passing day; would he be able to get back home?
Another question had begun a slow ascent in his mind, as well. Did he really want to go back? So far, he had met naught but decent people in this land, not to mention a few ethereal beings. No one was afraid to go to market, or just walk down the street. Kids chased each other in turn, not because one kid was different than the others.
He knew this was not a perfect world, and there was strife and turmoil. But it was a haven compared to the one he had left behind. After weighing the facts he had, he settled with the conclusion that, regardless of the situation, he had an obligation to get back. If he succeeded in finding a way, then he would help finish the revolution... providing he did not return too late to make a difference. If he couldn't, well... then he would be stuck in a place that he didn't exactly disagree with.
He saw a bright light ahead, and approached it. As he got closer to it, he began wondering what form of magic could create such a light, and why. All thoughts ceased, as he saw the man sitting near the light. Fallen threw caution to the wind. He wanted to believe that this was a portal of some sort. If it were, perhaps he could find a way back.
Fallen stopped several paces away from the man. "Hey, stranger. You alright?" Not that he cared, but that wasn't the point.

[♖ Laraine]

Brushing a hand through her long pink colored hair, Raine took another step on the plains. She gazed around her, seeing nothing but grass as far as the eye could see. She could barely see any trees, maybe a few houses sprung up here and there.

But at least she knew she wasn't being followed. Sighing in relief, Raine let her feet wander, thinking deeply about the past events that led up to this point.

Pulling the hood tightly over her head, she blocked the sun from shining on her hair. She knew her strange colored hair was more or less like a billboard to alert demons and humans alike. The half demon girl couldn't let anyone know who she was. If they did, they would either turn on her, or face the wrath of the demons who hunted her. Either way, Raine did not want to get anyone else involved.

She was so lost in thought she didn't even notice the rock, until she tripped and landed flat on her face.

"Ow..." She whined, sitting up and rubbing her face.

"Man why do I have to be such a klutz?" Fresh tears were starting to slide down her face from the pain of the impact. She wiped them away and stood up.

Hoping she didn't have a red mark on her face, she continued foreword. Pausing a bit when she felt a strange amount of power nearby.

She shifted on black boots, she pulled her cape over her body more tightly. She looked over where she felt the power. She was still quite a bit away. But she saw two people, both male. She also saw a strange vortex of power nearby.

"What's going on?" Raine asked herself.

She took another step towards them, her curiosity getting the better of her.

[♘ FierceOcelot]

Sergey had been considering whether to absorb the portal, or change the location and time and go back through it. He didn't know where or when he was, but he knew messing around in the past was a foolhardy move. What if doing something so simple as stepping on an ant could have a snowball effect? What if that tiny change could influence human existence? What if it influenced him, as a matter of fact? The risk was too great.

If that were true, he figured, then it was possible that he had already done irreversible damage by just arriving, and attracting attention. He spotted a man approach, walking alongside a horse. Either he was far out into the country...or this was a time period waaaayy back in time.

Crap.

The newcomer stopped a few steps away from Sergey and asked if he was alright. Sergey blew a lock of hair away from his eyes, then looked at the stranger and the portal in succession. The man might already figure that Sergey wasn't normal. In that case, this was only going to go downhill, given human nature to reject and destroy that which they either could not understand or could not control.

"I'm fine," Sergey answered simply, rising to his feet. He was conflicted between choices. Absorb the portal, or go back through and fight? Sergey's choice of clothing--jeans and a t-shirt-- would already give him away as someone not from the time period.

"What's going on?" A woman spoke, standing a distance away. There was an odd red mark on her face, as if she had fallen. It was fading, albeit slowly. Sergey chose not to focus on that and instead decide on what he should do.

Screw it. He'd been made already. He might as well prevent any crossovers to the present; it seemed like paranoia, but Sergey wouldn't take chances.

"This," he grumbled and went over to the portal, touching its surface with one finger as he put his powers to work. After a moment, the orb of light seemed to flicker and shrink, drawing itself into Sergey's hand. His hand glowed a faint radiant blue for a moment after he absorbed the portal, then faded.

Sergey turned to the two witnesses, wondering what their reaction would be, whether good or bad...

This post has been edited by FierceOcelot on Oct 19 2011, 09:25 PM

[✖ Outlaw Fallen]

"I'm fine," was all the stranger offered. Fallen nodded, but wasn't about to just walk away. Fallen had already studied the situation, and given the man's proximity to the supposed portal, as well as his less-than-nonchalant dismissal, it was a great bet that he was knowledgeable of the situation. Even if he didn't simply offer up explanation.
Add to that the rather strange attire he wore, attire Fallen had seen nothing like to this point in this world, and Fallen was practically positive that this pillar of light was caused by this man.
Then Fallen heard the distinct sound of someone falling, followed by the inevitable complaint. He glanced off in the direction of the sound briefly to see a cloaked figure; female by the sounds of her voice. When his gaze returned to the stranger before him, he saw that he had also noticed the approach of the female.
The young man was moving toward the light. "This." The uttered word stopped Fallen from reacting. Given his experience with magic, if he were in a dangerous situation, there was nothing he could do to avoid what was coming. Somehow, he didn't suspect danger. and while he had been wrong before, he hoped he wasn't in this case.
Then, as if the man had absorbed the light, it was gone into his glowing blue hand. What does this mean? Fallen was curious, but he didn't let it show through. He studied the stranger for a moment and began nodding. "Of course..." Perhaps pretending to understand was not the best humor for the moment, but it was all he could come up with.
Still, he could see that this task was in its earliest stages. He hoped, with time would come explanation. This stranger clearly wasn't the type to simply show his hand. Neither was Fallen.
Reaching up, he pulled his hood back so that it only sat on the back-half of his head, keeping the canine ears hidden and fully revealing his face. "I'm Fallen." Stepping toward the man, he extended a hand from the folds of his cloak. This was always awkward for Fallen, as people assumed the worst when presented with a bandaged appendage.

[♖ Kimi]

Fawn skipped along the long grass as she picked up flowers on the way, putting them in her hair, only for them to fall out as soon as they had been put in without her realising.

She'd had a break from working in the little fish market and so she had decided to explore more of what the humans had on land. It was very different from what she was used to in the water but it was many years since she had been able to return. All she could do was get used to her surroundings on the land.

Stopping in a field, she saw a gathering of humans and a strange ball of light land in one of his hands. Tilting her head, she skipped up to them, reaching for the flowers in her hair to give one to each of them - because she was just the type to want to see others smile - only to find them not there.

She was used to this but still was upset, her cheeks turning a slight peach as she got annoyed. Yet she surveyed her gaze at her new acquaintances, their figures much taller then hers.

Smiling brightly, she let out a little wave and gave a little curtsy in her yellow flowered on a white dress, trying to introduce herself best when she knew they would never understand her let alone hear her if she spoke. The only language she knew was from the ocean, and to human and land creatures alike, the language was silent.

Pulling out her bottle of sun protection which was, at the moment, was carrot peelings blending with herbs. She had heard that it was a necessity for protecting fair skin and so she gently poured some out and smeared it over her delicate skin, letting it slowly soak in and then she looked back up at the small crowd and smiled brightly, hoping that they were friendly enough to smile back.

[♖ Laraine]

Raine watched the portal vanish with a blank expression. Being half demon, she already had a lot of experience with magic and different forces, most would never see in their lifetime. However his strange attire confused her. She tilted her head to the side, trying to figure out where his clothing came from. She listened as the other man introduced himself. Then a strange girl suddenly showed up, it didn't seem like she spoke, trying to convey her feelings with her body.

Raine pulled the hood of the cloak tighter around her hair. "Ah, well I was just seeing if everyone here is okay. I guess I'll be going now." She turned to leave, when a gust of wind blew and brushed her hood back, revealing long pink hair. Purple eyes widening, she turned around abruptly and pulled her hood over her hair.

"Er...pretend you didn't see that." She said.

[♖ Kimi]

The girls hood dropped down to reveal a long lock of purple hair and Fawn gazed at it in awe.

Skipping up to the girl she smiled at tried to tell her her hair was a pretty colour. Without success, Fawn pulled out her drawing pad and drew a picture of a morning, supposed to be "Dawn". then next to it, she scribbled a "D", drew a line through it and next to the "D" she put an "F".

Pointing to herself she smiled and then sat down on the ground, choosing a victim to draw.

(sorry it's really short, dunno what else to put right now XD)

[♘ FierceOcelot]

It seemed the man was caught off guard, but acted like it was no big deal. He introduced himself as Fallen and extended a bandaged hand.

Sergey looked at his own right hand, which had finally stopped glowing blue. After a moment, he took Fallen's hand and shook, figuring that giving a name wouldn't have as much impact as what he had already done. "Sergey. And I think I'm far, far away from home right now. Where am I, and what year is this...?"

He spotted another girl approach, this one pale-skinned with gray hair. Her eyes drew Sergey's attention; the iris was turquoise but the pupils were completely white. It reminded Sergey of his own light gray eyes; most mistook him for a blind teenager until they saw him look directly at objects and people.

The girl pulled out what looked to be a bottle of some creamy liquid, which she then smeared on her skin like sunscreen. Sergey offered a small smile, though he didn't understand what was going on.

"Ah, well I was just seeing if everyone here is okay. I guess I'll be going now." The woman with the fading red mark adjusted her hood, about to leave when a gust of wind pushed her hood enough to reveal....pink hair?

This world is pretty damn different...Either that or I've happened to come across a group of interesting individuals...

Sergey made no comment as the woman tried hiding her hair. "Er...pretend you didn't see that."

He nodded, though he found himself liking the abnormal color. "Hm. Nice hair." He meant it.

After that he watched the other girl draw something, resembling a sunset, maybe. Or sunrise? The girl wrote a D, crossed it out and wrote F instead.

F at sunrise? Charades was not Sergey's strong suit. He was still lost for a moment when the girl pointed to herself. What does she mean...oh, it's her name...? He wasn't sure if he'd figured it out or not. "So...your name is...Fawn?"

[♖ Kimi]

Fawn glanced up at one of the men that was talking to her.

"So... Your name is... Fawn?"

A smile grew on her face and she nodded enthusiastically. Fawn was glad that her drawing worked. Standing up and handing to the man who had guessed her name the drawing she had decided to do of him, she looked around and surveyed the three figures. They all seemed a bit down and, well just plain faces.

Skipping to each of them in turn, starting with the girl with the pink hair, she smiled brightly, trying to make them smile like her. When it came to the last one, he hid his eyes and Fawn felt the darkest atmosphere from him. Brightening up her eyes, she smiled, trying to make him smile. Frustrated that it wasn't working, Fawn poured, flicking a finger against her chin as she thought.

An idea came to her head and she grinned. Reaching up on her tiptoes because, well she wasn't the tallest of creatures, and placed his two index fingers on each of his cheeks so that she could put his lips into a smile.

Fawn nodded approvingly as she saw her work in progress. Dropping her fingers, she turned her eyes to the girl and waved, trying to show her she didn't need to hide her hair with a hood by slowly pulling it down and showing the girls pinks locks.

Smiling happily, she let the wind blow through her, causing the sunlight to flicker it blue and she walked up to the first man - the one she had given the notebook to. Gently retrieving it from his hands, she curtsied only because she thought it would be rude to not do so, then she drew carefully on a new piece of paper.

Although she rarely revealed what she really was, Fawn felt that these three wouldn't want to hurt her for money or otherwise.

Making an action of clutching her neck then bring her hands out so that they were indicating something invisible coming out of her mouth. But then she pointed to each of them in turn, then doing the first actions again. Pointing to the picture of the sea she had drawn and then pointed to herself, hoping that he, or any of them, you realise that she was trying to tell them that "she can't speak like them because she is from the sea."

She watched hopefully, waiting to see if they understood what she was trying to say.

[✖ Outlaw Fallen]

Fallen chuckled as Sergey introduced himself. The sound was hearty, sincere even. It was a sound built on understanding. "You aren't the only one. We're practically on the same page as far as that's concerned. I haven't been able to make heads or tales of this place yet." As they released each other's hands, Fallen turned to look at the new arrival to this crowd of misfits.

As the girl curtsied the first time, Fallen offered his own polite bow that seemed to extend no lower than his neck. Seeing the picture she drew, he hadn't actually made the connection as fast as Sergey had. As he could see the interest Sergey had in 'Fawn', Fallen chanced a look back at the other female. And it was just in time to see her hood drop.

"Ah, well I was just seeing if everyone here is okay. I guess I'll be going now." She was turning to go on her way when the gust of wind took her hood. Who could miss that head of hair? Fallen narrowed his eyes pondering the enigma before him. Purple eyes, and pink hair. As he had seen thus far of this place, there were no such dyes as could create such an effect in one's hair.

Add to that a need to hide it, and Fallen would have bet his coin purse... well, it wasn't really his, but he would have bet it anyways, that he was looking at a half-breed. The breeze brought her scent to him, and he was very certain she was at least part demon.

As Fallen contemplated these things, he looked back at Fawn in time for her to push his cheeks into a smile. His was a very beautiful smile whether he faked it or it came naturally. However, he kept his lips closed during the forced act on his person so as not to expose his fangs. When she completed her task and moved on, he turned to walk toward Raine, wanted to confront her about her rather vibrant hair.

Luckily, his ears were very good about keeping his hood from flying off, excepting the heavier gusts. Sitting only halfway on his head as it was, he kept a gentle grip on it with his bandaged hand as he approached her. He didn't wish the same unwillful revealing as she had suffered. "I like your eyes and your hair. No doubt, heirlooms of your bloodline." Nothing if not direct, this one.

He paused, turning to glance back at Fawn. He did so in time to see her charading her way into saying she couldn't speak like them because she was from the sea. Which made sense, considering she had not said word one from the moment she had approached them.

Turning back to Raine, "I'm Fallen." He drew no closer, did not offer her a hand. He would let her make the decision. His main reason was suspicion. He didn't want her to think she had anything to fear from him since she had just revealed something she obviously did not want known, albeit, inadvertently.

[♖ Laraine]

Raine at first was surprised. First of their reactions. The two males, Fallen and Sergey stated that they liked her hair. Meanwhile the other girl pulled her hood down again. She had expected at least one of them to run screaming "Witch, Demon!" She had heard it before, they weren't wrong. But to get this type of response was different.

She gave a slight smile and pulled her hood back over her head. "Sorry Fawn, but it really is better if I keep it hidden. It's really easy to spot." She blinked as the other man approached her, almost cautiously and introduced himself.

She hesitated, then took a couple steps foreword, "It's a pleasure to meet you, all of you. My name is Raine. Well I suppose my full name is Laraine, but the only people that call me that want me dead." She grinned, amused. "So unless you want me dead I'd suggest just calling me Raine."

Her smile was soft, gentle. But at the same time, strong and her only shield.

She shook her head, trying to forget about her own problems. "Anyway, I'm curious what you all are doing here." She placed a finger on her chin, thinking. By doing that she revealed her forearm which had a couple scars scattered around it.

She looked at Sergey a bit. "Did you need some help?"

This post has been edited by Laraine on Oct 21 2011, 01:22 PM

[♘ FierceOcelot]

Sergey looked to the girl, caught by surprise somewhat as she--Fawn, she had confirmed with a nod-- went over to him and handed him a notebook, with a drawing of him. Hmm. She was a good artist...Fawn's style reminded Sergey of something he had heard of once...what was it called? ...Anime, that was it. Anime and manga.

He looked up to hear Fallen's comments to the pink haired woman, and to see Fawn try and make Fallen smile. The gesture succeeded in making Sergey smirk, though, and he took another look to the drawing before Fawn gently took it back.

The girl made another attempt at charades, though Sergey was pretty sure he wasn't even close to figuring it out; he at first thought Fawn was saying something like "You'll choke and cough up water if you go into the sea." Of course Sergey knew that was not it, but he didn't really have any ideas.

The pink-haired woman introduced herself and inquired about Sergey and the others' activities. He looked to her and spoke quietly. "Me? Nothing, really. I had to get out of a bad situation, and I ended up here..."

He eyed the scars on Raine's forearm, realized he was staring and refocused on her eyes. They were..purple? Contacts probably didn't exist right about now, so the eye color had to be natural. Sergey's own eyes were a light gray, irises and pupils. If it weren't for him focusing on and tracking the others' movements, they could very well have mistaken him for a blind teenager.

"Do I need help?" He echoed. "Maybe some company, I guess. After a little rest I can head back to my own time, hopefully without ending up as a ten-year old kid. Hm. Do you know what Fawn's trying to say?"

[✖ Outlaw Fallen]

He watched the exchange between Raine and Sergey, taking note of everything said. Sergey confirmed that it had been a portal, and what's more, it didn't just travel through time, but space, as well. Fallen could hardly believe his luck. He just had to hope that his own world wasn't in an entirely different dimension... or some other turn of terrible luck.

When Sergey asked what Fawn was trying to say, Fallen finally spoke. "She's saying she can't talk the way we can. She comes from the sea. I have to admit, I've never met any sea folk. And I'm probably not the only one who heard stories of mermaids and sirens growing up." Unless she was a complete nut who hung around a fish market all day, Fallen had no reason to believe she was anything but what she claimed.

"What, exactly, are you, Fawn? Not one of those, are you?" Fallen sat in the tall grass and watched Sergey and Fawn. As interesting as Raine was, Sergey was the main focus of his attention. He doubted he could simply ask for such a favor as a complete stranger. Such magics had to cost something. He glanced down at his bandaged arm before looking back at Fawn to see the answer to his question.

[♖ Kimi]

Fawn pouted, frustrated, as the human she had drawn guessed that she would choke and spit out water if she went into the sea - although she probably would if she did now without her skin.

It was the other man, the one with the bandage that got it right and she smiled at him, but she didn't like being called a mermaid or a siren. This Fallen that she'd drawn a picture of someone falling off a cliff to remind herself - and rain drops for the girl - asked her then what she was and so, jumping down next to him, she scrippled a picture of a mermaid and drew a cross right through it and shook her head. Then she drew a picture of a siren with musical notes coming out of her mouth and again drew the cross. She didn't like sirens - they were the ones always tricking the fishermen.

Although before Fawn hadn't been so fond of fishermen before she was trapped on land because of how they trapped her father in nets.

Finally, she took a new page, pointed to herself and drew a seal then a picture of herself with her seal skin. The next picture was sparks around an area where her skin would have been, meant to mean it had been stolen or disappeared.

Her final picture was her with a sad face and her little tear Mark under her right eye, marking that her skin had been stolen.

Looking proud at her attempt, Fawn smiled at the three, hoping they would understand what she meant.