The Chained Watcher

(Chained Watcher POV pt 4)

(Wow this is longer than I thought it would be)

They had enough time to pick up three more stray escapees before the sounds of fighting could be heard. Well that wasn't ideal. The sight that unfolded before them was one of a gruesome battlefield, with more of the emotionless guards blocking the entrance to the hub. A hodgepodge crowd pushed against the wall of defenders, with the only defining feature of their side being the lack of one. Animalistic hybrids fought alongside elemental mages who provided ranged support to more human-looking beings with powers even stranger than the hybrids looked.

The sign above the door confirms that, unfortunately, this is their destination. Of course. 

Now, while theoretically he could just blast the defenders into oblivion, in practice that wasn't the best idea. Doing so would inevitably reveal his not-so-human nature to the crowd, and despite his better judgement, he had let himself get attached to his rag-tag little bundle of strays. After being isolated for... how many years? There wasn't exactly a calendar in his prison, nor had he encountered one while making his way here. Ah well, doesn't matter.

Mumbo had been looking at the defender's side, and started looking down the empty halls with a bit of confusion. He glanced over at Grian, seeming to want to ask a question but also flicking his eyes at the other humans in the group. Perhaps he was wondering about the lack of reinforcements on the defending side? Then the reason he's not asking out loud would be... because he doesn't want to give away any hints as to his lack of humanity.

A small warm, fuzzy feeling rises (no not shipping, he's just touched at the thought behind the action) and he thinks for a moment on how to answer without actually referencing anything specific. Time to channel his inner philosopher. "When making a house of cards, should one of the foundational supports go missing, a substitute must be found swiftly, lest the entire thing collapse." That should answer Mumbo's question without actually meaning anything to anyone without context, right?

Seems it worked, as the mustached man is now thinking intently, expression shifting slightly at various realizations. Grian smiled faintly at the concentration visible on Mumbo's face, before feeling the magic network hidden in the walls tremble. The torches flickered ominously, and in some bizarre chain reaction, so did the actions of the entire wall of mind-wiped hybrids. Who designed the system that badly that a power problem caused such, well, problems?

The crowd surged against the wall, a couple of particularly skilled fighters taking down enough opponents to where the rest could force their way through. 

In a surprising show of spontaneous coordination, groups immediately began forming as leader-looking people stood next to portals and started yelling like in a human market. Strangely enough, this odd method actually seemed to be working, as the room started sorting itself out into large groups.

The abnormally positive top-hat-man they picked up earlier, Scar, scanned the room for a second, before somehow getting even more positive and doing his best to drag the entire group over to one of the portals. Standing in front of it was a strange man, wearing a helmet with a violet-tinted visor. Strange, most here seem to have developed an aversion to the color purple, so... Hmm.

The two begin conversing, Mumbo joining in as well when the topic turned to Scar's cat. Visor man, Xisuma as Scar had called him, checks his clipboard before calling out to the crowd. A response can be heard faintly, and after their arrival, Scar raises his hand to ask a question.

"Can they come with?" was the question asked by the living manifestation of the concept of optimism. Honestly, if it wasn't for his quite physical form, he might be genuinely mistaken for a concept-based elemental. Bringing his attention back to the conversation, Grian sees Xisuma turn towards the rest of the group he had gathered. He addresses them, warning sternly, "Now, don't take this as a lack of good faith on my part, but be aware that your actions will reflect on both your reputation and Scar's reputation, so don't go around causing unnecessary trouble, got it?"

That makes sense, honestly, after seeing the sheer level of optimism Scar carried with him. Someone meaning him ill would probably be welcomed with open arms, so long as they don't openly threaten to stab him. Grian's attention drifts back away from the conversation, and he wanders off to the side to look at the hub as a whole.

Mumbo ends up following him, and after a pause, asks a question. "Could they follow us? I mean, their power source is gone, and it's all they can do to keep the fortress powered, right?"

Ah, if only it were that simple. Grian hummed softly, saying "It would take them a while, but the situation is still salvageable." It saddened him to see his friend's expression fall at the bad news, but his mind started slowly spinning an idea in his head. "You know, the portal hub predates the fortress..." 

Mumbo looked up at that, not following his thoughts. "Would be quite a shame if something wrecked the anchoring systems that bind the portal hub to the fort, wouldn't it?" Grian spoke to the air, turning slightly to grin at Mumbo. He strolled over to the wall, finding the nearest dimensional anchor point and placing his hand over it.

"Such a shame."

Magic was forcefully pushed through the anchor, tearing apart the complicated inner workings before spreading to the others like a virus. The torches on the wall flickered from the abuse before going out as the entire hub was disconnected from the power network. He lifted his hand from the now-ruined anchor, watching it fade back into the wall before finishing his sentence. 

"Isn't it?"

Grian turned back towards the portal, noting that Xisuma was being strange again and looking for something. Despite his clear distress, there was remarkably little emotional leakage. Weird.

The fortress halls became very strange looking as the portal hub began drifting away from that plane of existence, appearing to shatter in a rather odd manner. Next was the walls of the hub, making the change back to what they used to look like, back before it was caged in the fortress. Last came the ceiling, disappearing entirely to give a gorgeous view of the night sky in all its glory.

Grian's attention is drawn from the night sky by a newborn elemental fluttering past, bearing the appearance of a soft ball of light. Mumbo is standing beside him, staring at the elemental with wonderment. "You know, they all died out when the hub was bound." Grian smiled sadly. "After all, how can something born of freedom live in a cage, let alone one like what was made."

Mumbo seems surprised by his comment, and is about to speak when Scar calls from over by Xisuma's portal. "Hey! You guys coming or what?" Question forgotten, the two of them make their way over to him. Mr. Positivity is currently bouncing with excitement, waiting for them to approach before speaking. "What do you think it's gonna be like? On the other side, I mean."

Grian laughs at the question. Was there ever any doubt? He breathes in the clear air of the hub, watching the elementals dancing under the star light. Feeling the echoes of the most fundamental truth of the place, he speaks with the certainty of one who has felt the answer. "A new beginning."