Legends of Mythalia (feel free to post!)

[Guest]

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"Legends say that this is a work-in-progress blurb."

ToC

Prologue

The one thing that could be heard most clearly was the light whirring of a machine. It was a large circular device, somewhat like a gateway, with wires and such connected to a large control panel. There was a sudden zap of electricity here and there from failed tests, only making it a quarter way before breaking off.
There were two people dressed in classic white lab coats. Both were standing at the control panel, flicking knobs, pressing buttons, and every once in a while they would look at the gate. There was another man standing beside it, a couple of tools in hand and some scattered on the floor beside his toolbox.
"Quit pressin' the buttons, yer makin' this harder fer me." The man at the gate grouched, pulling the large protection mask down his face. He turned on the soldering gun to continue his work. Unfortunately, the two at the control panel didn't hear him and proceeded to fiddle with more settings, which predictably didn't create a good outcome.
An electric current shook the gateway, reaching the soldering gun which not only fried the gun itself but burned the man holding it. But what they didn't expect was for the sparks to continue. The current grew with each passing around the shape, growing more and more dangerous and loud each second. The man beside the electric gate could barely hear the shouts from the other two at the controls, but he stared, awed, at the sight in front of him.
Not only was the electric current growing through it, the five poles they built around were now creating a ball of electricity in the center. The two's shouting had halted as they realized this - their plan was finally working.
Laughter erupted from the man at the control panel and he typed in a few codewords. 3D models appeared on the screen before him and, as fast as he could, he typed in a few more words, the model changing with each word pressed. When he was finally satisfied with his creation, he called over to his co-workers over the noise of the machine. "It's done! We've finally finished!"
The soldering guy quickly lifted up his mask and struggled to join the other two to watch their creation. There was a heavy wind now, blowing each one of their coats and hair. The noise was almost deafening and only kept growing. But they were all grinning together at what stood before them.
However, what they didn't expect was for the gateway to explode. They crashed into the wall behind them with a loud crack, proceeding to fall to the floor with a thud. The man who was at the control panel was bleeding in his back now, but it didn't stop him from getting up. The noise and intense light from the gate was fading now, so his ears would stop ringing and his head would clear. After counting to ten among the buzzing in his head, he opened his eyes slowly, immediately noticing the scientist beside him was unconscious. Quickly, he put a hand on her and shook her, worry clear in his blue eyes. "Come on! Kathy, wake up!"
But she didn't wake up then. He immediately tried to assume the best and turned her over on her stomach to take a look at her wound. Unfortunately, his optimism disappeared quickly as he gasped in surprise at the grotesque form in front of him. Her bones were clearly broken as he could see them puncturing through her skin.
The scientist quickly leapt to his feet - realizing it wasn't a good idea as he groaned in pain - and hobbled over towards the phoning desk. Slamming the button, he yelled into the microphone. "Code blue! Doctor Katherine is hurt! Houston is-" He broke off as he looked around, panicking when he didn't see the other. "-where is Houston?! Doctor Houston disappeared!" He finished in a hurry, quickly mashing the button again and limping across the room. "Houston? Hou-" Again, he broke off at the sight before him. The electrical current had stopped completely, replaced by a beautiful wall of color swirling inside. He could see the room on the other side, a circular room with a mix of gold and coppery colors and four exits in each direction. He couldn't make out much more of the details as his vision began to blur and he felt lightheaded and dizzy. The scientist tried to stay on his feet, but to no avail.
"It's... beautiful." Were the last words he managed before falling unconscious on the ground at the world's very first portal.

[Guest]

The aforementioned scientist was now sitting on a hospital-esque bed, his ears ringing and his head pounding. His shirt was stained with blood and his own back was throbbing with pain. They had given him painkillers, which had toned down the pain, but didn't quite remove it. Currently, there was a blonde woman tending to his back wound by cleaning it out. Fortunately, his wasn't quite so bad, unlike his co-worker Katherine. He suddenly wondered about her, but the thought was quickly pushed to this side by a sharp stinging sensation in his back, which caused him to jerk away.
"Sorry," the doctor apologized gingerly, putting her tools down on the table. "I've just got to apply these." She picked up the roll of bandages, wrapping it around his chest several times tightly before getting her medical scissors and cutting it. To finish it off, she pressed the end of the bandage against his stomach to hopefully stick it in place better.
"Alright, I'm done, sir." Her silver eyes turned towards his blood-stained shirt and then she took a brief sideways glance at his bare chest. "I'll get you a new shirt, expect me in about ten minutes." The doctor flipped through the pages of her clipboard and grabbed her pen, scribbling something. "Oh, Doctor Johnson, you'll be here for about a week or so, for you to heal," the doctor explained, straightening the pages again. She headed off towards the door, opening it quietly. "I'll be back."
Johnson nodded in acknowledgement, gingerly getting into a better position on his bed and laying back. The doctor had placed some pillows to cushion the area of his scar, which he noticed certainly helped, and a pre-warmed blanket. He was exhausted after his work and pulled the blankets uo, intending on resting, but worry clouded his thoughts as he thought about Katherine. She would be okay, wouldn't she? But he wasn't an expert. The bone fracture made if seem like it was certain she would die, but he didn't want to think that way. Optimism was the best he had going for him, as evidence said she wouldn't live through it.
With a deep sigh, Johnson shifted his pillows slightly and frowned, staring at the ceiling above him. His head was still aching, he realized, as he put a hand to his forehead. Quite suddenly, however, his bad thoughts vanished when he began to think about the new portal they had made. If he weren't so tired he would cry of joy, but doing so internally sufficient for now. He simply smiled, now beginning to drift off. The last thing he saw was the doctor coming in and placing a clean shirt on his bed before quietly closing the door behind herself.

Meanwhile, the doctor had just left Johnson's room, hugging her clipboard to her chest as she made her way towards the office. There was a small cluster of nurses at the front desk, talking in hushed whispers at each other. None of them looked up as she passed, so she continued walking, and though could only make part of what they were saying, it was enough to tell the subject.
"...Katherine was placed in the..."
"...? No way! What happened..."
"Apparently she... against the wall..."
"...hope she's alright..."
Being one of the doctors, she knew this already. In a bit of a hurry to get back to the office, she hadn't noticed for a while that someone was calling her name before she jumped from a tapping on her shoulder.
"Doctor Meredith!" Said doctor turned around, looking at who had tapped her shoulder. It was one of the nurses - her name tag read "Nurse Emiline".
"Yes?" Meredith asked, rather rudely, tilting her head slightly as she frowned. "Is it important?"
The nurse scratched her head in a nervous fashion. "Well, err, yeah. The scientist, Katherine, her procedure is finished. Doctor Kailey and Doctor Rupert want to see you immediately."
"Already on my way." Meredith replied smoothly, turning on her heel and heading in the direction. "Thanks."
The nurse ducked her head as the other left and then went back to her group, sharing gossip and discussing Katherine.

-- Time skip, seven days. --

Johnson was just walking out of his hospital room as he received his discharge papers. He was glad that it was finally time to leave, but the recent news had made him feel melancholic - Katherine, the well-known and appreciated scientist, had died in the accident of the portal. She was placed under intensive care for a few days, constantly being watched, but unfortunately it was her time. He was lucky he didn't encounter the same fate, but he said his silent goodbyes to his co-worker and friend. It was sad to see someone so great leave the world, and he could tell everyone felt the same by the solemn air floating about the hospital.
As he left, he was startled to find a news crew already on scene and discussing the death of Katherine Reede. He attempted to look nonchalant and inconspicuous but to no avail, they already saw him and were heading in his direction.
"Doctor Johnson, how does it feel to be the only person who survived the incident?"
"Doctor Johnson, can you reveal any information about the incident?"
Of course, the scientists group had decided to keep the new portal classified. Nobody knew about it yet except a few doctors and the scientists. Doctor Rupert had said they would reveal the creation when the time was right. And he didn't know when that would be.
Johnson frustratedly waved off the news crew, struggling to get to his car. "Jeez, give me a little time, I just got out of the hospital." He muttered, fumbling for his keys. The news crew bugged him for a few more moments, but he wouldn't talk, so they cleared up. He just sat down in his car with a deep sigh and a frown, starting up the car and pulling out of the parking lot. As he continued driving home, he wondered about the creation. If it had really been made how he intended, it would be like a paradise. And because it was artificial, the weather and properties could be changed manually. That would mean no draughts, no plagues, nothing. In a way, the animals themselves within the world would be technically artificial, but they behave and are made of what any normal animal would be made of.
Johnson pulled into the driveway of his house, pressing the button on his remote to lock the car and headed inside. It seemed just as he left it before, which was good, and as he predicted his dog, Luke, was on the couch waiting for him. He had found him as just a puppy abandoned on the road and raised and trained him. Now Luke was a fully grown jack russell terrier.
He slumped on the couch and gave his dog a little pat before turning the news on. The majority of channels were boring at this time, being pretty late in the day. The best it would get is a shooting which isn't very interesting in itself.
His eyes lit up as he focused his full attention on the screen. His jaw just seemed to drop as he stared, listening to the news reporter ramble on about recent events. But one thing in particular caught his attention. Even though there was something as crazy as a portal made, nothing had startled him more than seeing what he saw.
Behind the news reporter was a monster he couldn't quite make out, with a brownish body and orange hair. He could see tusks and bright orange belly scales.
What in the world?

[Guest]

Johnson had previously fallen asleep. Now, he was wide awake, getting back to his work schedule. The night before he had realized the "monster" he saw was simply his wild imagination and nothing more, as it disappeared when he blinked. Or so he hoped. But he walked up to the large building of science study, straightening himself. It felt like it had been weeks since he had actually worked here, even when it had just been one. He welcomed the large glass doors and hospital-esque atmosphere. This was practically his home.
He barely managed to take a step inside before someone had already called his name. "Doctor Johnson! Rupert has already assigned you a task in room B02. You are needed in half an hour. That leaves 10 minutes to organize yourself." Meredith called over from her position at the desk. "Good luck."
Johnson smiled briefly at her. "Thank you." He replied cheerfully, setting his bag down on a table and shoveling through to make sure he had everything. When he did, he quickly closed his bag and headed over to the elevator, selecting basement B, and leaned against the wall to wait. He'd have to ask Rupert a few questions, he had thought, but instead quickly dismissed the idea since he'd seem like a fool. Maybe when he could muster up the courage.

Johnson walked over towards room B02, inputting the regular pass code. When he got a beep and a green light, telling him it was correct, he turned the doorknob and pushed to open it, slipping inside the bright room. The first person he saw when he entered was a tall, formal man with fierce, narrowed eyes and a pointed face. His brows were thick and creased and his nose was large and slightly crooked. His hair was a neat, side-swept copper and he always seemed to glare. He had an icily formal and important aura aroumd him, which made Johnson cower on the inside. He attempted to stay calm and formal, looking the other in the eye.
"Doctor Johnson, you're a few minutes early. That's what I like to see." Even his tone was condescending, yet relaxed in an almost forced way, and he knew this man was very important. The man gestured to a seat and he obliged, sitting down, looking at the table that separated them.
"Now, we have a little problem here. It's really a shame that you're the last person to know, and haven't even figured it out yet. But I will be kind and tell you myself. There have been, heh, monster sightings, around the world. We've tried to keep it secret for as long as we could, but by government orders, we're releasing that information out to the public. Here's where you come in. Your job is to make absolutely sure nobody finds out about the portal. I've already told the others. Should you fail at your task, there will be consequences." At the last word, his voice seemed to drip with venom and his silver eyes held a certain burning intensity. Johnson only just realized his name tag read "Rupert".
"Do I make myself clear?"
He quickly nodded in response. "Yes, sir. I will make sure nobody finds out."
"Good." Doctor Rupert gave a forced smile, clasping his hands together. "You are dismissed. Your next task is in room A05. You are due in 20 minutes; don't be late."
With a quick nod, Johnson scurried out of the room, breathing a sigh of relief as he closed the door. He was practically shaking from his nervousness. It was only then that he thought about what Rupert had said.
Real, complete monster sightings?