Issue 1 Downtime

A figure is flying through the dreary London sky, barely if at all visible as it sticks close to the dark clouds, dipping in and out of the black veil hanging over the city. Eventually the little speck in the air leaves the cover of the clouds and descends towards the "Shard of Glass". The building itself seems abandoned, at least half of it's glass fronts shattered or blackened from fires, some stories almost uninhabitable from the battles that have obviously been fought about it once. These days the building is inhabited by squatters who do their best to avoid drawing attention from anyone.

The figure lands in between the three spires forming the top of the skyscraper, one of them toppled over forming a makeshift roof. The figure appears to shake out it's wings before folding them in and settling into what seems to be a familiar position, looking out over the city.

Days later, a flock of ravens was flying past the building, not knowing of any occupants within it.

There weren't any obvious signs of someone using the place, especially not from a distance, but as she passes by it Sam would feel the faintest hint of... something. It's no psychic signature, more like a concentration of energy around the top of the spire.

This was, at the least, distracting to the flock. It circled around the building in a spiral, climbing higher.

The feeling grows more distinct the closer she gets to it and would begin to seem familiar somehow.

The flock came to perch on the ruined spire.

The place still seems deserted, even from up close, though it almost seems a little too clean of debris aside from the toppled sheet of glass. The energy around the place seems reminiscent of incense and, for some reason, couches?

Puzzled, the flock poured onto the cleaned area, and resolved itself into Samantha. She quirked a brow, looking around.

Yep, definitely couches. Or maybe a couch?

Upon closer inspection there would be signs of someone having been here and having taken good care that no one would notice. In some places the concrete floor looks like it's stained by blood but it's long dried, at least several weeks old.

"Nnh. Too damned familiar," she mumbled.

"Not hers, not at that age..."

Still, as familiar as the place feels, something is off about it. Something that's tugging at parts of Sam she prefers to ignore.

"Not... not now... not here..."

She gritted her teeth.

It isn't hard to push it away, it's too far removed to overpower her after all. But it's also not getting any clearer.

"Damn... slipped away again... But I can't... I shouldn't. I don't want to be..."

"...but ultimately, why does what I want matter?"

Hesitantly, she let the feeling start to flow back into her.

It isn't quite the same as back home, but even here it seems to be a role that wants to be filled. Though if it was such a smart thing to give into remains to be seen. As everything in this place it's mythological landscape too is twisted and dark and whether the people fighting believe in her or not, constant strife and death has given the goddess of war quite a bit of sway.

Just like the presence clawing at her mind the top of the Shard suddenly seems a lot darker. What exactly happened here is impossible to tell, but someone definitely gathered magical energies in this place and dedicated them to a certain lion goddess. The energies, while similar to what Nailah called upon in their world, almost seem actively malicious. If this was Nailah's doing then something most certainly went wrong.

"No... not her," she snarled, curling a lip. "You can't have her without a fight..."

The energy isn't really directed towards anything right now and it's more lieing dormant but what's certain is that someone made a ritual place here. And used it.

Meanwhile something else is very much active and howling and clawing at Sam's mind and while the differences are keeping it back to some degree it does have a foothold.

"Is this what you were hiding from me? Offered her up as a sacrifice?"

"This is a gamble you'll lose... you'll tell me what you did or I'll sing your death-song..."

The flock descended from the tower.

It is late in the evening when Sam and Atropha make their way to the Shard and in the murky twilight of the low-hanging clouds it is almost dark. While they are still about a mile out two figures are standing on top of the building, one of them suddenly snapping their head towards the direction the two women are approaching from. The one that somehow noticed them hurries towards the access door of the roof, urging the other to follow.

When Sam and Atropha land the roof is abandoned just like earlier.

"You can feel it, can't you?" She asked after they landed.

"Yes... clear as day. I see why you'd think I did this..." she mumbles. "But this is no place of sacrifice... It's something else..."

"Is this why I can't sense her?"

"I don't think so. It's not a spell that was bound here, it's just... hallowed ground. A focal point."

"But I know who it's dedicated to..."

"I should unravel it. It has no place here..."

"And remove the one chance we have of finding her?"

"How is this going to help you find her?"

"It's something. I've found out more here than I ever have talking with you."

"Then again, you don't want her to be found, do you?"

"I don't think she can be found."

"There's a difference." she adds, mumbling.

"Don't think I haven't noticed how you've felt when I've said I haven't found her..."

She doesn't have anything to say to that. Instead she just stands in the middle of the invisible circle and closes her eyes.

"You can't tell me you want to find the person who created this..."

"I want to find her, and anyone who tries to stop me from doing that isn't going to like what I do to them."

"Maybe you should get in touch with Harbinger then. I'm sure she could give you a couple tips on how to be more effective."

"Don't. Mock. Me."

"You're still trying to warn me off trying to find her, and I'm beginning to want to know why."

"I just did! Listen to yourself! This world doesn't need two crazed self-proclaimed goddesses and that's exactly what you're headed towards!"

"And the solution is what, to give up?"

"Before you lose yourself too. I don't think she'd want that."

"Stop talking as if she's already gone..."