mindcracklove | Escaping a Dimension

Been a while since I've posted something, it seems. It has nothing to do with my laziness whatsoever, nope, not at all.
Anyway! I've been in the process of writing this for quite a while, (yet again having nothing at ALL to do with laziness) and thought that I'd post it because why not.
Oh, tiny tiny bit of language in this.
On to the story!

He didn't understand where he was. It was cold and hard beneath his back, something next to him strangely warm. The sky above him was a strange shade of blue - more turquoise than blue, filled with clouds the color of cotton candy. Despite the aforementioned color scheme around him, it was chilly and dark, giving him the impression that it was either night or very early morning. This was far more different from the lands that he called home, for sure. Actually, where was he?

"Get up," spoke a sharp voice, obviously possessing both a Russian accent and a position of at least some authority. There was an unmistakable note of disdain in her tone, showing through in her harsh manner of speaking and the almost tentative way the heels of her shoes clicked on the concrete floor. He attempted to stand, but found his ankles to be wrapped in chains.

"I can't stand up," he said, voice devoid of all emotion, trying to keep from letting this woman from knowing what he was racing through his mind. It was really an easy task, he was a good liar and usually very good at staying in a state of indifference. Fingernails dug into his shoulder, dragging him to his feet.

"Currently, you are thinking 'what the fuck, why am I here.' There is no reason to attempt hiding your thoughts. I'm a sorceress, and it seems as though you are an idiot," she said, still with a death grip on his shoulders. He could now see her face, she had defined features with curly blonde hair pinned back in the front to reveal pale blue eyes. "And you have no comment? Whatever. Guards!"

Two strong men took over the job of making sure he didn't escape. The woman walked around in front of him, tapping her clipboard as she assessed the situation. "Etho S. Lab, I was informed that you would be no problem to deal with. Do not prove me wrong, or the consequences will be... You know what? I'm not going to tell you what will happen. Guards, take him to Father. Take his friend too, and be sure to bring the knives," she ordered, walking out through a steel door with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Before he could react, he was blindfolded and his hands were tied behind his back. He could hear one of the men doing the same to whoever was with him. Etho started to fight back, but gave up - he was already tied up, not much he could do to stop them now. And whoever this "Father" was... He was pretty sure he didn't want to meet him, but it was obvious that the choice was not his to make. The other person was curiously silent, making him wonder who could possibly remain quiet and still through all of this. However, before he could find an answer of any sort, he was being dragged through what he assumed was the steel door and down several frozen hallways, cold enough to the point that he could feel himself slipping on the ice that undoubtedly covered the floor.

After a long while of walking, they entered a room. Their blindfolds were removed, allowing Etho to figure out who else was with him. A pair of purple, lazy eyes stared back at him - Nebris, obviously having been drugged with something. No surprise, really. Even if the two were fighting more often than anything, the familiar face was still somewhat comforting. Yet, at the same time, it was equally unsettling to know that they were both stuck in the same world, and possibly even more people.

He eventually decided to look towards the front of the room, where he was faced by a man who was undoubtedly tall - if not in stature, in presence. The man had dark hair, unlike the woman, however it was obvious that is was greying in some places. The start of grey hair did nothing to damage the defined features and sharp cheekbones, however. His eyes were a sharp turquoise, and his entire face was set in a stern glare towards the two new people in the room.

"So, it seems as though my daughter was correct in ordering your capture, Mr. Etho S. Lab. However, I am in slight confusion as to why she chose a madman such as your partner... His name is Nebris, correct?" The man asked. His voice was deep and expansive, making his presence increase from half of the room to the entire building.

"Yes, his name is Nebris. What do you mean by the term 'madman?' I'd hardly use that to describe him, much less in this state. Confusing at times and somewhat evil? Yes. Mad? Never," Etho said, using as much of his confidence as he could - a surprisingly difficult task when faced with the very definition of intimidating.

"He killed five of my finest men with a blink. You should both consider yourselves blessed that I didn't have both of you executed on the spot," the man said, as though drugging someone with something that was completely unknown to both of them was much better. "Anderson, undo their handcuffs." One of the guards, presumably Anderson, stepped forward and silently removed the handcuffs from both of their wrists.

Before anyone could do or say anything, Nebris leapt forward and tackled the man to the ground, hands curled around his neck, fingernails sinking into the flesh. "What did you do to me," he growled, teeth clenched in rage. "What did you do to me, what did you do to Etho. If you hurt him, I will kill you, right here, right now."

"Guards!" the man choked out, trying to fight back against him, but finding himself unable to overpower the extreme fury behind Nebris' actions.

"S-Sir! We can't move!" Anderson answered, seeming to struggle against some sort of invisible chains.

Etho walked over to Nebris and placed a hand down on the other's, gently removing them from his neck. "I'm alright. Confused, but alright," he said, pulling Nebris back to his feet. Nebris' face was a mixture of disbelief and relief at the sight of Etho, standing before him. However, he shook that expression away very quickly and returned to normal.

"Thank you for your time, sir, now, if you will excuse me and my friend here, we will be leaving your lovely establishment you have here," Nebris said, voice thick with sarcasm. Before Etho could say anything, or anyone for that matter, Nebris held his palm up and "removed" the door, to put it kindly. "Come along, Etho. We mustn't keep Sir Boulderfist waiting."

Etho, too shocked at the sudden shift in his personality, followed without complaint. However, the moment they got out into the hallway, he couldn’t resist. “Sir Boulderfist?” Etho said, trying not to laugh.

“You expected me to just say Guude? Sounds too unimportant. You have to sound like it’s important and fancy,” Nebris replied, snickering as he obviously had some afterthought. “Oh, Etho, look at how positively dreadful these hallways are! He needs a new interior decorator. Seriously, lime and pink?"

Nebris was repeatedly yelling insults about their lack of decent interior decor down the hallway, back to the man and his guards. Who, for some reason, Etho felt as though they were all staring at each other around a table with a "that didn't go as planned" look upon their faces. It was difficult to keep a straight face around Nebris some days.

"Stop." Etho and Nebris both froze, unsure of where the voice was coming from. "What was Father thinking, just letting you two go like that?" The woman walked over, heels clicking on the tiled floor. "He should be able to recognize Potentials when he sees them."

Etho saw it clearly - Nebris' eyes lit up with a fire only seen in combat. "Are we going to have to kill you?" he asked, grinning darkly.

"And to think that men such as you two would stoop to such a low point of killing an innocent lady like me. You two may be Potentials, but you certainly don't have the manners of even one," the woman said, elegance and sarcasm mixed together. "In an unfair battle too!"

"This battle is hardly unfair, Lady Elena," two men stepped from the shadows, each with axes.

"I have instructed you to call me Captain Elena, as all of you seem too incompetent to pronounce my last name," she answered, drawing her sword. "I'd be perfectly fine on my own anyway, they're just idiots."
Elena moved into a battle stance, sword out in front of her. "Shall we?" She asked, the taunt escaping her lips as they turned into a small smile.

"That's enough!" A voice echoed, at almost a shout, seeming to surround them. Elena froze on the spot, dropping the sword to the ground with a loud clatter. "Don't kill them, they are our special guests. Let them do as they wish."

"Yes, Master," Elena said, stepping back and bowing in apology. "I must apologize for my earlier actions. I... I did not realize."

"Be a good hostess and show them outside."

"... Yes, Master."

Etho and Nebris glanced at each other, more or less trying to process what had just happened. "I think we'd get along with him decently well," Nebris mumbled, grinning as they continued on to the door.

"You should lay off on the bluffing. What would we have done if they hadn't stepped in?" Etho said, glaring at Nebris. Nebris, however, made no move to remove the grin from his face.

"I'm not bluffing."

Etho started to say something, but quickly stopped himself. Nebris did kill people with just his glare, of course. However, before he could think of an appropriate response, Elena motioned for the two of them to follow down a hallway. She seemed to have solid footing on the slick, icy surface of the floor, while Etho and Nebris struggled and used each other and the walls for support to navigate the often narrow passageways. The results of the aforementioned attempts at maneuvering the halls were ungraceful falls to the ground and semi-annoyed glares from Elena as she frequently stopped to wait on them to untangle themselves from the floor.

“Would you two hurry up? Master may have requested you two remain safe, but that doesn’t stop me from dragging you two down this hallways on leashes like dogs,” Elena complained, standing at the end of what appeared to be the final turn while Etho and Nebris struggled to stand up.

“And us being the guests of honor means that we can do whatever we want.” Nebris’ reply was fast, short, and obviously not thought out well. All three of those things could only spell trouble if Nebris was crossed, possibly involving either an explosion of all objects within a ten-foot radius.

"This is still my father's base, I'll have you know," Elena shot Nebris a glare, and Etho couldn't help but expect that Elena would stick her tongue out at him in a childish manner. And, of course, right at that moment that Etho stopped to consider that idea and how amusing it would be, the two of them went crashing to the floor for the umpteenth time.

At the very moment the two looked up with an expression that could only mean "shit," Elena stuck out her tongue at the for the briefest of moments before smirking. "I told you so!" Her voice traveled down the hallway, tone smug as she flipped a lever and the doors came crashing open. Snow and ice blew in on gales of wind, greeting everyone in the hallway with a blast of fresh, frozen air not unlike that of their town back at home.

"Welcome to the Far North, land of Eternal Winter. Before I send you two off, know that you will not survive if you don't use your skills properly," Elena's tone was serious, for once. The poor guards who had posts outside both emerged from around the door, looking more like popsicles than humans. Both of them carried several bags, some of which appeared to be just as frozen as they were. The others, however, were thrust into Etho and Nebris' arms, filled to the brim with exotic-looking foods and beverages that neither of them recognized due to the peculiar scent.

"Good luck!" were the final words the two of them heard before being shoved outside, the doors slamming behind them.

"Do you have a map, Nebris?" Etho asked, looking at Nebris who appeared to be on the verge of punching something. And, of course, the only answer he got was a glare. "Don't be like that, Nebris. We're stuck out here."

"Take your damn map." Nebris practically threw the map at him, acting not totally unlike a child who was angry at their parents.

Etho took out a compass from one of the bag's many pockets, directing him south - towards this "Master's" house. "Looks like we have no choice. Let's go."