~ The Fighter ~

"That stupid sad excuse of a scientist..." Rei grumbles as she trudges through the forest thicket. She pushes another branch out of the way, continuing her rant, "There are literally thousands of other potential victims for him to pick from. But instead, he keeps picking someone from our group."

"I don't know..." Noise yawns, stretching his arms over his head. "It's a lot more convenient to ask people you've met more than once."

The brunette sends a spiteful look at the boy. "Why am I not surprised to hear you say that."

He shrugs. "I'd do the same thing. It's too much effort to be nice to new people."

"Well, you better put some effort now." She raises her right arm from underneath her poncho, exposing a somewhat large handcuff loosely clamped around her wrist. When she jerks her arm towards her, a chain briefly appears in a low blue light, which ran all the way to Noise's left arm. The chain shortens in response to Rei's sudden movement, causing the redhead to be pulled forward. "Because we're going to have to talk to a lot of Inworlders, and we'll need to do some talking if we want to go home."

Slapping his hand over his face, he slides it down as he lets out a loud, tired groan. Rolling her eyes at her comrade's usual attitude, she turns and pushes forwards. With no other choice, Noise reluctantly follows the older girl but drags his feet across the layers of dead leaves on the dirt ground as she does so. Rei could feel him slowing down; she, having become familiar and a direct victim to his laziness, knew he was doing it on purpose.

To avoid wasting any more precious time - and oxygen - Rei chose not to argue with him and continued to press onward. If he wants her to literally drag him, then she will do it. Rei wasn't in the best mood at the moment to tolerate Noise and his excessive laziness. Her last mission left a foul taste in her mouth, and she was hoping to at least relax in her room before willing herself to face - well - anyone. But then she, along with Noise, got handcuffed then abruptly kicked in by Beatrix Staccato.

She doesn't know how he was able to nab Noise, but now they are stuck together. At least, until they find a way to get off this world and return to kick the four-eyed mad scientist's ass. The only thing she must focus on for now is navigating through the seeming tropical forest. Or at least she thinks it's a forest. Without any modes of communication, such as their Holos, there was no way to confirm the type of region they've landed into.

All that was known was that there was one team who was sent to investigate this world. That's about it. They were adamant in their refusal to turn in their individual reports; they even had the guts to deny Belial when he left his office to personally interrogate them. Because of that, this world was left unclassified.

And yet... Rei's forehead creased as she recalled Beatrix's conniving face seconds before she was pushed into an open Door. The bastard decided to throw us in, her thoughts growled.

Much to her relief, there were very few vines hanging from the trees and blocking their path. However, there were so many leaves scattered about that it was difficult to spot and avoid tripping over any protruding tree roots, rocks, or small holes. There was a variety of reptilian-type of fauna. And over-size bugs. Neither were particularly fans of any bug-type variant.

They weren't exactly repulsed by them; it's their insides that they don't want to get on their clothing if they're forced to fight them. Especially the poisonous ones. Hence why it's a relief they were being ignored. But that's the thing. Why wasn't anything hunting them down?

Another thing bothering her, aside from her current partner purposely annoying her for the past few hours, is just how hot the world was. There were some animals, but after seeing a two-headed frog with four eyes on both heads, she decided to only look out for animals that produce louder footsteps. The last thing she wants is to panic, especially since neither of them can properly fight while chained together.

The surrounding trees were tall and grand; many of them appear to be hundreds of years old. The sky above was nearly completely shielded from view by various branches and green leaves. Only some of the sun's light was able to slip through, but it wasn't enough to confirm the time of the day.

Rei at least knew it was still daytime, but eventually, they'll have to stop and rest some time. They came into the world with the wrong gear. If an animal or whatever intellectual being doesn't find and kill them first, the heat most certainly will. Rei can't remove her poncho as it is the only thing protecting her from the detection of this world's patron God(dess).

Noise oddly didn't require one, which she envied but found rather concerning. However, his jacket wasn't meant to be worn in such weather conditions. Compared to the dry heat of several deserts worlds she's traveled to in the past, humid heat is far worse and can be quite dangerous. Sweating, despite how annoying it is, is the one thing keeping your body cool. Due to the humidity, there is little to no chance for their bodies to naturally cool off.

Between the two of them, Rei was at least lightly dressed, so her body was somewhat ventilated. Noise, however, dressed as if he was preparing for the winter. Not only that, like his hair the color palette of his overall attire made him stick out in the forest. While his blue jeans and brown combat boots are just fine, his red sweater and oversized black parka jacket will not only have him easily spotted, but he’ll also die of a simple heatstroke. Even a color-blinded creature would spot him in a heartbeat.

But, since he's currently cuffed to Rei, he can't take it off. She doesn't care if the jacket is what he wore when he was in his original world's military, he might collapse, or worst-case scenario, die if she doesn't get him to strip at least the jacket. And she'd rather not be attached to his corpse the entire time they're here. He's already dead weight in her eyes just from how he's hardly raising his feet while they're walking.

"I know you're attached to that jacket but..." Rei trails off. She felt his eyes boring deeply into the back of her head as if he was expecting what she was going to say. "You okay if I rip it off?" When she turns her head, she was greeted with a look of fury flickers in the redhead's - previously tired - auburn eyes. Rei defensively raises her hands next to her head. "You're going to die of a heat stroke. At the rate we're going, I doubt we're going to find any type of civilization to gather ourselves in."

While her reasoning was sound, Noise would not have it.

Gripping the front of his jacket, he growls, "Unless you want to drown in this planet's mantle, I suggest you mind your own damn business."

She decided to not press on it and honor his decision, though she hopes he'll be able to last until they find someone, or at least locate a much cooler area. Although they're in a rain forest, it's impossible for it to be this hot without any of the fauna or the flora suffering its effects. The only thing Rei can do is watch out for any potential danger and keep moving forward.

Checking her armlet, she stares into the glass-like container as the crystalline dust within circulates in a clockwise pattern. The amount inside is just enough for one construct. The question is if she'll be able to maintain one for long enough. Hopefully, she won't have to figure that out. Frustrated, Rei jerks her arm forward, silently telling Noise to pick up the pace. Glaring, he complies, having lost the energy to argue with her.

He wasn't tired because he was just being lazy. The heat has been bothering him since they - quite literally - fell into this unknown world. Noise was in the middle of preparing for his next nap - hence why he was dressed in such warm clothes - when Beatrix decided to kidnap him while he was asleep and kick him in with the last person he wanted to be around. It's not that he disliked Rei, in fact, she's one of the few he tolerates and allows to rouse him from his sleep if necessary.

She's just awful when she's stressed. And taking up the role as a leader isn't exactly helping.

Still... Noise had to clench his jaw for a second when he felt an incoming yawn. I'm too tired to help her think...

If he yawns, he knows he will have to say farewell to his lower jaw if he gives her an excuse to obliterate it off his head. Their walk was only a few minutes, but for the two of them, it felt like hours had gone by. They had stumbled upon some natural wildlife on their way, but so far, many appeared to display a passive nature; only becoming aggressive if they drew too close. This made things somewhat easier.

That meant Rei won't have to use their only means of self-defense. She knows Noise has his on-hand, but she doubts he's even bothered to refill his armlet since his last mission. Which, now that Rei thinks about it, happened weeks ago. She stopped for a moment to check on her end of the handcuff. So far, there was no soreness from the numerous times it has been jiggled around her wrist, which also made things easier for them. However, they still need to get these removed.

Things may seem peaceful now, but that is never a good thing. There is always at least one or two territorial species in a world, and that does not specifically mean it has to be whatever became dominant over the rest of creation. As they continued their journey, Noise briefly stops to stare up at one of the nearby trees. For a second, he thought he felt something was watching them. Not with malice or any ill intent, but something else. He should know; he's felt those kinds of stares for most of his life in his original world.

And he wasn't the only one that sensed it. However, instead of acknowledging it, Rei chose to ignore it. There was no time for confrontation. Seeing the gap between them had increased, Noise followed her to prevent the invisible chain from shortening. The second he averts his eyes; a loud flutter of wings is emitted from behind the blanket of leaves before a large figure shoots upwards. Hearing this, Noise whips his head around to catch sight of the creature, but all he was able to see is a single feather as it slowly floats down to the ground below.

As much as he wants to approach and inspect it, with Rei still walking ahead of him, all he can do is stare at it before he is dragged along. The only thing he was able to see was the odd blue and red feather.

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The sound of continual tapping echoes throughout the clutter-filled dark room. The only source of light came from the multiple monitors mounted on one side of the room's wire-covered walls, all of which were placed far apart from one another. Sitting below was a hooded figure, whose fingers typed away on a worn-out metal keyboard at a steady rhythm. His eyes were kept hidden behind a large frame resting on the bridge of his pointed small nose.

The light of the monitors refracted on the surface of the round glasses, which did not appear to obscure his vision as his eyes remained glued on the monitor. There was a small knock at the door, but rather than acknowledging it, he hutches closer to his desk and continues types. The door slides open.

The footsteps were faint, but they stopped now and then to push aside any trash or incomplete project which laid across the poorly mopped floor. There were no sounds of disgust, just silence, which only added to the young man's anxiety as he tries his best to focus on his current task now that a visitor is within his room.

Sighing, a calming voice reaches his ears as the visitor comments, "I do not care what it is you do, but considering how fragile you mortals are, I suggest take better care of yourself." His brows crease after spotting another pile of unfinished projects. He grimaces, "Starting with the disposal of your junk. It's useless to start somewhere then never work on it again."

"Lord Belial!" Beatrix cries. Just as he was about to turn to face him, the wheels of his chair broke apart, causing him to fall over as his chair topples over. After faceplanting against the floor, Beatrix mumbles, "I'm sorry... I didn't realize the time..."

Standing in front of him was a tall man, whose skin, although pale, appeared translucent even within the darkened room. As handsome as he was, the softness of his expressionless face also gave off some femininity. Even his lean build was still enough to cause one to be confused with his gender. As expected of a Celestial in the creation of their form.

The two main features which act as the main characteristic of a Celestial are their pale gold hair and their golden yellow eyes; a trait everyone who has been recruited to Avarus shares.

Belial sighs once more. Despite having watched over her creations and bringing in others to act as their temporary replacements after so many years, he still couldn't understand the minds of these humanoid creatures. However, for the sake of maintaining Avarus and searching for Soleil, he knew he should at least try.

"I won't ask again, Beatrix. What's the progress on the product I asked for last week?" he questions. "The current batch of Liberi need to learn the importance of teamwork before they become Quietus Nors. Some of the Patron Gods and Goddesses only allow the Nors to enter their worlds' borders so long as they don't disrupt the Inworlders and interfere in their affairs."

Sitting up and positioning himself on his knees, Beatrix takes off his glasses and cleans the crystal lenses with the bottom of his shirt. When he lifts it for closer inspection, he glares when he sees smug marks on the surface. Belial starts impatiently tapping his foot on the ground as he waits for Beatrix's response.

"While the Nors are able to successfully follow such rules, their lack of teamwork always ends up with them getting mixed up due to lack of coordination and cooperation," Belial said with a deep brown. "Just recently, a group from one of the factions ended up getting captured after one had split from them."

"Ah! You mean Ulric and Succu's group," Beatrix said, recognizing this story from his last conversation with Xavier. "It's fine. They all returned in one piece; they always do!" He gets up and walks to another side of the room, carefully stepping over several discarded items. "The only one that has an issue with teamwork is this generation's Mythral. You know how rowdy that group can be, especially since it consists of a few different members from all three factions."

"That's exactly why I need what I requested to be finished," said Belial in a low voice. "Since two of the four are leaders of Tunera Clypse, they have to act as role models for members of their faction. I have already read over several reports from members of Infernum Poncitator and Persona Mendax, and these issues only arose when the new Sound and Noise was selected. And last I checked; Ulric Soknawo recently joined Tunera Clypse."

Beatrix, although he held some respect towards the substitute Patron God, didn't want to engage himself in this argument. While he hasn't been around as his mentor, he watched the group grow up long enough before reforming Mythral. Mythral was always a group full of misfits. Belial is only noticing this now because, after so many years, recently resumed his duties. Honestly, having this conversation with a literal God is something he's not too thrilled about.

Then again, his mentor did tell him that, if he had assumed her position by the time Belial had resumed his role, he must agree to everything that is requested of him. Even if those said requested are deemed questionable and rather concerning.

"I cannot allow their behavior to influence the other two factions. Our search for Soleil is to be as discreet as possible. I've been able to trick the others that have noticed their presence, but there is a limit to how many lies I can string up."

"So, you wanted me to make those handcuffs to act as a literal discipline collar to keep Mythral in-line," Beatrix clarified. "I must say, it's unbecoming of a God to decide such a thing. Treating them like dogs... do you truly need the help of some mortal?"

Belial narrows his eyes and crosses his arms. "I don't recall asking for your opinion."

"Now, now!" He waves his gloved hand in the air after sensing the Celestial's slowly rising temper. "Force of habit. I am, after all, a mad scientist. Or at least, that's what everyone calls me. I question and comment on everything, so don't expect me to hold back whenever experimentation is involved."

Beatrix reaches to one side of his desk for a large slice of cheddar cheese then to the other to reach into a tattered basket for an apple.

"Now, regarding your earlier question before so rudely entering my room-" He takes a large bite of the cheese and chomps the able, causing Belial to grimace as he is forced to watch. "I'm actually in the middle of testing out your product as we speak."

This piqued the Celestial's interests. He places a hand on the desk to lean closer and get a better look at one of the monitors. Beatrix, this time, didn't mind. The sooner he gets down to business, the faster he can get the literal walking holy-being to leave.

"I hand-picked the test subjects myself," said Beatrix, using only his left hand to continue typing. "It's a little ironic that you mentioned the group, I just sent them out a few hours ago to test out the cuffs you requested. Noise volunteered himself to participate in the trial." He paused then corrected himself, "Well, he was drunk on sleeping pills so I'm not sure if he understood what I was saying. I happened upon Reihana just as her group returned from their mission in another version of Hell. Right now, I'm just testing to see how well this plan of yours is."

With one loud tap, a map appears on all the monitors, with only two small dots on the monitor directly in front of his face. On another monitor, it presented their vitals, such as their blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, etc. Rei was excessively above normal range while Noise's was far below average. Both of which weren't enough to raise concerns for Beatrix.

"You better think up several candidates for the next Noise because I'm pretty sure only one's going to come back. Mostly in one piece."

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Night had fallen by the time the two had reached a cliff-side. While it was a nice change of scenery, the drop would be enough to kill even them if they even thought of jumping. The land was far bigger than Rei initially thought. Trees covered the surface of the land as far as the eye can see. She couldn't even see the ocean even from where she stood. She tried to search for any nearby rivers since, being the only bodies of water, in hopes of finding a potential path that will lead them to a community.

And to also re-hydrate before they could go any further. Water is a vital resource to any living creature, and that goes for those that settle in groups. While it is possible to get some water from the trees, it's highly unlikely every creature in this world is capable of collecting enough to last a day. From what she knows, only tools are capable of such collection.

If they can't reach it now, at least Rei has some semblance of an idea of where their next destination is in the morning. Neither were particularly thirsty so they should be fine for now. Noise, rather than assisting her, chose to use his time to do something he's been wanting to do since they landed. The second he saw she wasn't going to take a leap of faith; he went up to a nearby tree and checked to see if it was alive by kicking the base, earning no response.

Before sitting down, he grabs the invisible chains and checks the length. A few feet shorter than this morning, but it was more than enough to set up one small precautionary measure before clocking out for the day. As soon as Rei turned around to check on him, he had already closed his eyes and began snoring.

Her eye twitches at the familiar sight. "Of course, he falls asleep..." she mumbles before slapping a hand over her face.

If only a certain someone didn't claim Noise was their special one, Rei would have punched him into oblivion. But she can't, no matter how irritated she was with him. She checks the cuffs once more before walking over to where Noise was sleeping, then sits under a tree next to his. The temperature was still warm but had somewhat tempered down since the sun began to set.

At least Rei doesn't have to worry about them dying just yet. Still doesn't solve their current situation, but it's something to say the least. And right now, there's only one thing on her mind. Sleep.

"I don't think either of us has to keep watch," said Rei before stretching her arms and yawning. "Hopefully, the predators of this world aren't nocturnal. It'll be a problem if we have to fight in the dark."

Noise frowns and turns to lay on his side. "If you're going to monologue, do it a few meters away from me..."

"Didn't think you were still awake."

"I wasn't... till you started talking to yourself again." He turns his head to glare at the girl. "I know your beloved Knight isn't here, but you could at least learn to stop babbling like some mad woman."

"What was that...!?" said Rei, baring her teeth like an angered feline.

Noise yawns. "Stop talking. I sacrificed enough of my precious sleep time to allow you to walk me like a dog..."

Before Rei could come up with a snappy remark, he had immediately gone back to sleep. Clenching a tight fist in the air, she lowers it and bites the bottom of her lip as she holds back every urge to hit him. This wasn't the time for them to be fighting. In fact, he was right. For most of the day, she kept pulling him along without even once taking a short break. All Rei could think about was finding a formed civilization. Noise must have known it was pointless tiring themselves out as they had, but he still went along with Rei's recklessness.

Feeling a bit guilty for having pushed him as far as she did, Rei swallowed back her anger and rests her back against the tree. She cranes her neck to look up at the night sky. Every world may have been made different, but there's one thing she's relieved that has always remained similar. The stars.

Since they were in a land that has yet to be tainted with technology, there were numerous twinkling dots in the sky. The only difference this time around was the moon, which appeared more like a giant floating ring. Rei didn't mind. Just another thing to find unique about this world; a first in a while on her part. She closes her eyes and takes in a deep breath through her nostrils as she felt a gust of wind brush against her body.

The air was thick yet refreshing. While not as thin as the air from her original world, there was a sense of nostalgia just from how clear it was. None of that needless smog and the aggravating sounds of active machines running in the distance. She doesn't exactly feel at home since her world had fewer trees and far less landmass stuck on the planet's surface, but this was close enough. For Rei, no matter where, if it's the outdoors, she can put her heart and mind at ease.

As for Noise, he couldn't sleep. He was just pretending to so he can get Rei to stop walking and shut up. He'd rather be in his room in his queen-sized bed. Okay, it wasn't actually that big, but after sleeping on the floor for so long, it felt like it the moment he laid eyes on it.

"I bet that jerk would be hugging me right now..." Noise whispers. He pulls his jacket to cover most of his head when he felt his cheeks were beginning to burn.

Eventually, the two had fallen fast asleep. Seeing as neither would wake up, a figure raises its head from underneath a bed of leaves before carefully landing a few feet from Rei's curled-up form. Several feathers fall from their wings when the creature tries to carefully glide down without disturbing the pair. After gently planting its feet on the ground, reflexively digging its talon into the earth's soil.

It had been so long since their feet had touched the surface. They've kept to the air and perched on various trees for so long that they weren't sure if it was safe, but just this once, they threw caution out the window. Creeping as quiet as possible, the creature carefully approaches Rei, who had fallen asleep in a sitting position with her arms crossed.

Just as they were about to peer closer, something invisible wrapped around their ankle, causing the creature to cry out and flap its large wings. This was enough to cause Rei to jolt from her sleep the exact moment the creature falls forward and is suddenly dragged away from her. When it stops, the creature tries to lift itself only for the ground underneath it to turn into liquid.

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A hand shoots up from the ground to grab its large beak, effectively silencing it as its body begins to sink.

"Noise! Stop it!" Rei shouts before more than half of its body was inside the ground.

Refusing to let go, a person's head slowly surfaces from the ground, almost as if they were coming out of a body of water. Glaring, Noise demands, "Better give me a good reason, or I wasted more of my precious sleep time by rescuing your ass."

"It's just a child. Look!" Rei points out to the creature.

Next to Noise's head was a bird-like humanoid, though it appeared more bird than human in his eyes from the way it was acting and its cries. Though it appeared to be the same size as him, it did sound like a child due to how high-pitched it sounds even as it whimpers under his grasp.

He mutters a curse as he pulls away. "Why do we always bump into a kid in every different world...?"

Slipping out, Noise brushes himself and watches as the 'child' struggles to resurface. Rather than helping it, he just climbed and brushes his clothes, and the moment he resurfaces, the ground solidifies once more. Terrified to see parts of its wings stuck in the ground, it starts to thrash around, crying even louder as it tries to break free.

"You jackass!" Rei rushes over and goes on her knees. She yells at the redhead as she tried to carefully dig the bird out, "I know I told you to stop, but you could at least pull him out before you stop using that gross ability of yours."

Noise casually shrugs then yawns. "Liquefaction isn't gross. If anything, it's far useful than that monster strength of yours."

She sends him a harsh look before focusing on the child. Fear flickers in their large eyes as they watch the two argue. Well, more like one was yelling while the other continues to yawn and ignore her. They try once more to free their wings, only to feel a ripple of pain as it felt many of its feathers being pulled from its skin by the root. It begins to whimper after its failure.

"Are you okay?" one of them asks, now speaking in the child's language.

The bird stares up wide-eyed and jerks its head back, slightly taken aback by this. Noise stares at her with a similar expression, slack jawed. Ignoring the looks she was receiving, Rei crouches to the bird's level, allowing it to have a clear view of her face since its vision is awful in the dark.

Rei repeats, this time with a clear voice, "Are you okay?"

Noise stood there in utter disbelief he's seen the other talk in different languages - well, write when it comes to Sound - but never had he heard any of them speak like an animal. He's even more surprised with the amount of control and lack of strain on her voice as she 'spoke'. After a brief exchange, the bird child appeared to have calmed down, and Noise thought things were fine from there. Until she stood up.

"Hey... don't think you're getting off scot-free," she said in a low, sharp tone. She starts cracking her knuckles as she approaches him. "I know you forgot to wear the ONE thing you second gens need." Rei marches over and, before he could sink to escape, grabs his ear. He immediately froze and looks at her with fearful eyes. "Where the hell is your Holos? You're supposed to wear yours at ALL times!"

"Owowowowow! Stop! You're going to rip my ear off! And I know you actually can so stop before you make me partially deaf!"

Although she wanted to continue scowling the younger boy for lacking the one important item everyone in Avarus is required to wear at all times, Rei knew making him deaf won't benefit either of them. It'll make her feel good, especially after the amount of stress he's intentionally put her through but injuring him would only make things worse. Plus, not only does she still care too much to hurt him, a certain someone back home will be more than just pissed off if anything were to happen to Noise.

After a moment of silence, Rei releases Noise's ear and steps back as he turns away to make sure it was still intact. She can have the dragon reprimand him later once they get back. Right now, she must figure out how to deal with the child.

"What is that thing!?" it loudly chirps after the girl turns to face them, partially revealing Noise in doing so.

In the child's eyes, Rei appeared the same as the humanoid-bird, though her feathers were brown; far different from the usual blue and red the child is familiar with. Another thing was her eyes. While it wasn't an uncommon sight to see one with yellow eyes, mainly the adults, the hue in Rei's was different. They closely resembled a material that has rarely been seen and dug up from the rivers - gold. Still, there was no reason not to trust her, Rei had just saved the child from dying in the same soil her ancestors returned to.

Rei says the first thing that came to mind, "He's my pet. You may have noticed my appearance is somewhat different from yours." Her smile broadens while Noise cringes at her natural friendly disposition. "I'm from another part of the world. An adventurer if you must call me. This thing here is called a Sand Puppy, also known as a naked mole-rat."

His nose scrunches up and gaps his mouth open in disgust as he secretly sends her a dirty look. Out of all the things to be labeled as it's one of the most disgusting-looking creatures from his world. He regrets ever telling her about it. Rei ignores his stares and continues talking to the child, sounding almost chipper after saying that. And from his perspective, it was as if her face had developed a sort of youthful glow, annoying Noise even further.

He knew payback was a

"So, you're a Rukk too?" The child slightly leans to the side as it stares at her body. "You're pretty frail for an adult... Are you sure you're going to find a mate looking like that?"

Noise slaps a hand over his mouth when he felt the corner of his lips curl and a bubble of laughter welling up inside him. Rei's eye twitches but is - somehow - able to force herself to maintain her smile.

"Never mind that," Rei said to delve away from the subject. "Where are your parents?"

"Oh! They're at the Yggdrasil tree!" Noise was taken aback by the familiar name while Rei remained indifferent. The child asks her, "Is that where you're heading?"

"Yes, but as you can tell from my wings," Rei pauses to raise her arms. "Mine aren't exactly meant for flying."

"A flightless Rukk.... That's so cool!" The child's blue eyes practically twinkled as he looks up at her, unable to contain his excitement.

As the two continued to converse, Noise was perplexed with their conversation. While he couldn't understand every single word that was cawed out of their mouths, or beak in the case of the child-sized bird, there were some distinct words that sounded familiar. Not English but something close to human speech. And there was only one thing he was miraculously able to make out. Yggdrasil.

Having read so many illegal books when he was younger, it came to no surprise that he'd familiarize himself in read such subjects. However, that's the thing. He SHOULDN'T be able to hear such familiar terms, especially in a place that clearly is far different from the worlds he's visited. At least he can do is applaud this world's originality, it's the first he's seen something that's not human. Still a humanoid but it's different.

Whether that's a good or bad thing he'll have to figure that out later.

"Can you guide us there?" Rei politely asks.

"Sure! Just follow me!"

"Wait!" Rei cries out before the child could fly off. "What's your name? I think we should start introductions now before anything happens."

"Oh! I'm Caprimulgidae! You can just call me Capri."

Noise sends Rei a quizzical look after recognizing another word. She knows what he's going to say if she tells him, and she prays to every God that still exists that he won't. Still, regardless, Rei knew he must receive a translation sometime. If one of them is walking blind, the other will be forced to

"Isn't that the name of a brand...?" Noise mutters out loud, earning a foot on top of his own.

Thankfully, the boots he decided to go with were the ones that had a protective metal plating over the front of his foot, or Rei would have - quite literally - smashed his foot into the ground when she stomped on it. Still, that didn't completely save him from the brute trauma to his foot. He hisses and jumps one foot as moves away to tend to his potentially injured limb. Since he got the confirmation from Rei that Capri couldn't understand him without his Holos, he begins to shout every single curse in his dictionary.

Just as he expected, Capri couldn't understand him. This made it all the better when Noise began sending his cuss words directly to Rei. Her eye twitches in annoyance when she realized he was no longer cursing because of his injured foot. Rei knew he was doing this on purpose. If she reacts, then Capri will question several things that she cannot answer. She glances over her shoulder and shoots him a threatening glare, which Noise returned with a large grin, pleased with himself for successfully exacting his revenge.

Noticing a subtle change in her demeanor, Capri tilts his head and asks, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes! Everything is.... just fine..." Rei said, struggling to hold back a growl and maintain her smile.

Neither could tell if Capri was smiling or not, but his eyes appeared to be smiling, so they could only assume he believed her. The way Capri took off was.... unique, so to speak. Both jolt in surprise when Capri randomly spreads his wings and his feet apart, which appeared a little thinner than what was expected for a bird-child his size. No matter what version, anything with wings - the muscles and wingspan should appear more than enough to carry the body they're attached to.

And, just as expected, the second he flaps his wings, not even an inch off the ground, Capri lost his balance and falls face-first back down.

"Oh great, a flightless bird," Noise said dryly as Rei rushes over to help him up.

"Are you alright?" she asks while secretly the redhead a reproachful look.

"I'm okay... I've been practicing my gliding for a while. I'm still having issues when it comes to actual flying. I only land on the surface on windy days."

Rei didn't want to say anything, but she finds out a little disconcerting how to openly friendly and accepting Capri was. She knows he's just a kid, it's just that he shouldn't be so trusting with strangers. He should know better since he has parents.

"By the way, you're lucky I spotted you while I was practicing!" said Capri.

"Why is that?"

Glancing around his surroundings with wary eyes, Capri leans closer and whispers, "Since you're a Rukk from a foreign side of the world, I can at least warn you about the rival tribe..."

"Rival tribe...?" Rei repeats loud enough for Noise to hear.

Upon hearing this, he immediately pulls up his earmuffs and firmly places them over his ears. He then closes his eyes, which doesn't go unnoticed by Capri. He continues whispering to Rei, sneaking curious glances towards the supposed Sand Puppy. Capri understood the strange creature behind Rei was acting as her animal companion. Noise cracks one eye open after sensing Capri's stares.

His feathers stood and quickly snaps his head to completely face Rei.

"You do realize the risks you took in landing here," Rei remarks, causing the young bird to wink at the harshness in her voice. "Look, I appreciate that you're willing to help us, but next time, take into account the possible dangers the next time you see a stranger."

"But you're don't look dangerous. My friend Phorus says I have this uncanny ability to judge a person's personality just from looking at them several meters away!"

After Rei translated this to Noise, both simultaneously gave matching looks. There was, thankfully, no resemblance, but Capri was starting to remind them of a certain fox girl back at home and that spells out one thing both want to avoid as much as possible. Trouble.

"You know," Rei began as two slowly began to back away. "I think we're fine from here."

"Are you sure?" Capri asked his voice laced with genuine concern. "I know you're an adult, but with a pet around, it'll be difficult when for you to handle the Muninn."

Both his voice and the look he was giving her made it harder for Rei to leave him. As for Noise, he was more than happy with her decision. He would have left on the spot if he wasn't chained to the girl with the most annoyingly well-thought-out handcuffs in the universe. Rei is more than capable of taking care of herself, so much so that Noise doubts he'd even lose track of her even if he had the chance to book it. He'd rather handle Percy or the Midget Grandpa (Xavier) over Rei.

Hell, he'd even be willing to be stuck with the twins for a week so as long as he's not around the person that's an equivalent to a tank. Before Noise could even say anything, he heard the faint twanging sound of a bowstring behind his back. It was only when he heard a familiar ear-piercing whistling, did he realize what was going on, and he was the only one that noticed.

"Rei!" Noise shouts, grabbing the invisible chain to yank her away from the bird child.

He puts his hand on the back of her hand and forces her to go on her knees as they both duck from the incoming arrow. Lucky for Capri, he was a few inches too short for the arrow to touch even a single blue feather off his head. Soon, they heard something heavy land behind them. Another lands a few feet from them, but this time the sound resonated from behind Capri. Seeing a much larger shadow tower over replace his own when he looked down at the ground, Capri tries to flee to the edge and glide away but is inevitably captured as a large net with metal balls on the side is thrown over his thin body.

His cries for help soon became mere bird screeches to Rei when she tried to make a mental translation of what he's saying.

"Hold your breath and close your eyes..." Noise mutters, causing Rei to snap her head towards him.

"Wai-"

Before she had the chance to protest, she found herself submerged into the ground headfirst. Rei is forced to cover her mouth with her hands once more of her body submerges and slams her eyes shut before Noise swims through the surface of the earth to hopefully a much safer location. While Noise didn't feel whatever they were passing through, the brunette felt everything, and she could not wait until they got out. Noise should be relieved at the lack of resistance, but he knows this moment is only temporary.

Once they emerge and she gets a moment to collect herself, he knows she'll want to go back and help Capri. He has to think of what to do before it comes to that before they emerge; Noise can only hold his breath for so long. Just like when underwater, his surroundings were transparent, though it was far too blurry for him to properly navigate. His eyes were burning, and it was difficult to keep his eyes open the longer he's underground.

Even goggles, while they would spare him from the pain, wouldn't help him see due to the amount of dirt, rocks, and roots in his way. Honestly, he doesn't know how much he can keep this up. Combined with holding his breath and trying to see, liquifying then immediately reforming every single material that comes in contact with him is a very tiresome and careful process. He's usually fine if it's just him but having a second party is making things far more difficult.

Slightly turning his head to check on her, Noise could see Rei wasn't nearly as transparent as she's supposed to be. And, just like how he was at the beginning, saw she was very uncomfortable. Thankfully, she wasn't experiencing any pain and hadn't lost a piece of herself - yet. They still need to resurface, but he also needs to come up with a plan on how to handle Rei. Turning his head back to look straight ahead, he spotted a few figures moving about among the leaves of the forest trees.

Something was following them. He doesn't know how but based on how they were avoiding as much as possible to move directly over where they are. Rei, noticing his silence, tries to reach into her small black pouch attached to her belt. She can't use her Astral Dust or her curse, but she can at least give themselves the upper hand of a potential fight. Whoever is the Patron God of this world, avoiding exposure is completely out of the question. At this rate, until help arrives, she has to do all she can to make sure neither is captured.

However, right when either could think or do anything, something large dives down from the trees, causing much of the land to shake. This forces him to stop and remain both remained still as their bodies painfully vibrate with the earth. Keeping a tight grip on Rei's hand, Noise was about to move once more after the quaking ceases only for something from about to break the surface they were in. With no other choice, he was forced to let go.

Once this happened, Rei's form quickly solidifies, but in the process, is grabbed and pulled out. Noise moves further back to prevent losing any parts of himself as the ground is broken apart with clumps being scattered around the surrounding area. As she was violently pulled away from her partner, Rei screams when felt the chain on her end of the handcuff tugs and pulls at her arm. Had the creature not stop when it heard her, there is a high chance her entire arm would have been ripped from her shoulder.

Or worse.

With her arms pinned to her side and her legs held together, Rei could only struggle as she is brought further away from the ground. The only difference was that the creature was being considerate with how she was being held but made sure to avoid any possibility of escape. However, the longer she is away from Noise, the shorter the invisible chain becomes. Rei could feel it, but she was far too focused on the creature that held her.

Rei blows some of her auburn hair away from her face to get a better look at the thing that's captured her. Staring at her with large glowing green eyes was a long, slender, sleek-looking creature with rounded cat-like ears and a long snout. The entire body was covered in brown short fur, save for the head and its short legs which were grey. It was then that Rei realized that she wasn't held by the creature itself; both from paws were on the ground, what was wrapped around her was a large tree root. The root itself wasn't moving on its own; it was the creature who was in control.

While the creature was mesmerized by - from its perspective - the alien before it, Noise quietly emerges from underneath. Carefully climbing out to avoid creating sounds of splashing, he solidifies the ground underneath him once his foot was out and hunched over when he saw how close his head was to its belly. Going on all fours, Noise carefully crawls towards the front end to get a better look at Rei. She didn't appear to be in pain but there was something off.

She wasn't fighting back. In fact, she should have freed herself by now.

"Rei... the fuck are you doing...?" Noise quietly cursed.

Compared to him, she was the fighter. And right now, she should be fighting! Instead, she was too focused on the creature's eyes. Rei knew just from the way it acted that it was neither hostile nor territorial. There was a mixture of wariness and curiosity from the way it was looking back at her, almost as if it was trying to figure out what she was and what it is it should do with her. While this was going on, Noise places the invisible chain on the ground around the creature's paws. He was surprised with the amount of sound he was making had gone unnoticed by the creature.

Once he was done, Noise takes his earmuffs - which, to his surprise, has remained around his neck - and slides them to the side and out from underneath the creature. Rei, still trying to maintain as much eye contact as possible, notices the pair of orange and black earmuffs. Realizing what he was about to do, she had no other choice but to oblige and prepare for what's about to occur. Now wasn't the time to try and make peace, they had to go before whoever was chasing them earlier catches up.

Despite how little room she had, Rei was able to coil the chain around her wrist. Shutting her eyes, she tugs it, secretly signaling for Noise to proceed. With this, he takes a long deep breath through his nose and blinks several times before he touches the ground then dives back in. Sinking as fast as he possibly could, he stops the exact moment the chain wraps and tightens around the creature's ankles. It lets out a surprised cry as it finds its feel being pulled together. The creature's cries was so loud, it released a sound wave strong enough to move the leaves of nearby trees and a handful of smaller creatures to run away in fear.

Feeling the tree root around her loosen, Rei used this chance to escape. She whispers a quiet apology to mother nature before stretching her arms and legs to the side, stretching the wood as much as she possibly could. Hearing this, just as the creature was about to turn its attention back to the girl, large chunks of woof is sent flying with a loud burst as Rei effortlessly breaks free. At the exact moment she and the creature drops to the floor, Noise emerges, coughing and rubbing his eyes.

"Noise!" Rei cries, running over to her comrade. "You okay?"

"Sure..." Noise spoke with a raspy voice. He continues to rub his eyes as he sarcastically tells her, "If you like taking multiple mud baths, I'm just peachy."

"Least your attitude's still the same." Rei rolls her eyes before helping him up. "Let's freee this creature first," she said, gesturing to the fallen animal.

Noise does a double-take. "Are you crazy? We don't have time for this! We have to go before the things that were chasing us earlier come back."

"We can't exactly run if the thing that's tying us together," Rei pauses to hold up her wrist and point at the handcuff. "Is also tied around its feet. Besides, I think this creature actually saved us."

"How so?" Noise asks.

"Well for one thing, whatever was chasing us hasn't come back at all since I was dragged out of the earth," Rei states. She calmly walks over to the large creature and strokes the soft fur on its head. "They most likely got scarred off once they saw this big fella over here. Anyway, it's the least we can do after invading its territory. Even you act hostile to anyone that stumbles upon one of your secret napping spots."

He frowns but raises his arms in defeat. "Okay, whatever you say." Smiling at first, Rei was supposed to ask him for help until he adds, "But you better not pin the blame on me if your boyfriend asks why you're missing a hand."

The urge to punch him was strong, but unlike their exchange earlier that morning, she was able to squash those feelings and focus on the weasel-like creature. For some reason, her tolerance level has somewhat improved since they got here. In fact, she's quite impressed with how attentive he was to their surroundings, such as taking advantage of the chain's invisibility and use it as a trap. Between the two of them, Noise is far more capable than she initially thought he was.

As for Noise, he was surprised at how, both in her actions and her way with words, gentle she is. While she doesn't have a short temper like most girls he's met with a similar tomboyish nature, Noise expected her to be a lot more... Brutish when it comes to fighting. Honestly, he's surprised at her lack of initiative to fight. Now he's starting to wonder if those rumors he's heard from the others, except Percy and Sound, are true.

Wordlessly, Rei and Noise assist one another in unwrapping the chain from its legs. Rather than retaliating, the creature watches the pair as they slide the chain off while avoiding a little contact as possible. Despite how oddly calm it was acting, the last thing either of them wants is to accidentally spook the creature. Once freed, the creature rolls its back and stands on its feet. Shaking its body, the creature raises one of its paws and proceeds to clean itself in a manner similar to a feline.

Noise leans towards Rei and whispers, "So... are we good? Or is this thing preparing to eat us...?"

"I'm not sure...?" Rei said, sounding uncertain with her own words. "For now, I think we should go. The longer we stay here, the chances of encountering more Inworlders increases."

"What about the kid we met?" Noise asks, although he already knows the answer.

Rei balls her hands in a tight fist and fixates her eyes elsewhere. She reluctantly tells him, "You and I know we can't interfere in this world's affairs. Whatever happens to Ca- the child, we mustn't do anything that may cause any further disruptions."

He knew she was feeling conflicted about this. By refusing to mention the Rukk child by name, she was trying to put as much distance as possible to avoid having any second thoughts. Although he doesn't particularly care about what happens to Capri, especially since they had only just met, Noise knew her guilty conscience will continue to plague her thoughts even after they get back home. Capri was an innocent youngling, and he did not deserve what happened.

However, Noise knew there isn't anything they can do about it. From what little they gathered, the Inworlders' social system is divided as native Tribes, something that one of their own comrades was originally from before he was recruited by Ayane. If there's an ongoing rivalry between the existing Tribes of this world - combined with the fact it's clearly obvious the era in this world is Pre-Travel - they knew it is absolute that they are to follow the rules Belial had laid out. What had happened is no exception.

Regardless of how they feel, unless granted special permission, they cannot do anything. And for that, Rei feels utterly disgusted, both at the rules and herself. Her curse shall forever be what it is, not a blessing as others make it out to be, but a curse. Not only is it dangerous to use, but she also cannot freely use it to help those in need. She was utterly powerless. The creature, having sensed the change in Rei's emotions, to Noise's surprise, brings its head next to hers.

She froze as the creature starts to rub against her, releasing a soothing throaty whimper.

Noise snickers. "Looks like it likes you."

She dared not to look because she knew if she did, she'd have the urge to touch it, and she absolutely wants to avoid physical contact as much as possible. The only reason she allowed Noise to grab her hand was that he was the one that initiated it, not her. Had it been the other way around, regardless if it was instinctive, there would have been severe repercussions. He doesn't trust her enough as is. Or at least, that's how she views things.

Stepping back, the creatures stare at the pair once more, still unable to discern what it was they were. Seeing that neither were going to attack, the creature takes one step past Rei before hastily running back into the forest.

"Say, Noise," Rei began. She looks over her shoulder and sends him an unsure look. "I know things aren't cool between us, but I'd like to ask you a favor."

"Sure," Noise shrugged. "Not like I have a choice since you'll just force me."

"Will you-" Rei catches herself before she raised her voice. Taking a breath to calm herself, she spoke with a calmer voice, "Look, just listen. This doesn't have anything to do with me."

"Alright," Noise agreed. He yawns then adds, "But we gotta make this quick."

"Right..." she mutters. "Look, I know things have changed since your time in Eingesperrt, but you can't keep treating them like that." Surprised at first, Noise frowns and glares down at the ground, angered at the mention of his original home. Having noticed his reaction, Rei continues, "They're your friends, Noise. You three grew up in the same batch. Shunning them won't do anything."

Noise refuses to look her way. Rei sighs. She knew he wasn't going to listen, but she still wanted to try. Spotting his previously discarded earmuffs, she silently walks over to it and picks them up. Acoustic earmuffs. Although they were designed to be easily mistaken for headphones, they were meant for the exact opposite. Not to reduce, but to completely cancel out any noise. Rei doesn't know if she should consider it ironic considering the title he was given after joining his faction of choice with the twins.

She stares at them for a moment then back at the redhead, who was silently fuming over what she said. That still doesn't mean he hadn't taken her words into consideration. After dusting off and patting the dirt out of the headpiece's muffs, Rei approaches Noise's side. Noise only realized she was there when his earmuffs appeared in the center of his field of vision. Refusing to lift his head, he takes them with both hands.

"I know Ayane can be annoying when she pokes into other people's business," Rei said, sending him a knowing look. "But she does so with good intentions. Try to take it easy on her. Sound-" The mere mention of his name caused his blood to boil. "He's trying to give you the space you need, but it can't stay like this forever."

"Did he write you to tell me this?" he demanded with a flash of anger, catching Rei completely off guard. "Look, I'll do what you ask when it comes to Ayane because even I know it's unfair. But Sound? Screw him."

She doesn't understand why he's still acting so hostile towards Sound. Things were fine between the two when she and the others escorted Noise back home. The following day, Noise acted as if the older twin was an eyesore. Sound requested- No, begged for Rei not to act as the mediator, but since they're here, best to confront him about it now before anything else happens.

"Noise-"

"Don't." He raised his hand to stop her. "I know what you're going to say, but I'm not going to talk to that asshole. Not yet..." Noise quietly adds. "I just... need time."

"Alright," Rei said with a small smile. "I'm just glad you heard me out. I thought you were going to brush me off."

She didn't want to get him upset, but it was a relief to hear this. Not how she wanted their conversation to go, however she was at least able to give Noise a push in the right direction. Rei just hopes Noise doesn't mention this to Sound. The last thing she wants is to be inflicted with bad luck each time they crossed paths, which was constant considering they always train at the exact time.

"Like I said, you'd force me to listen if I said 'No'," Noise chuckled nervously, instinctively rubbing his left dominant arm. "But you know, I thought Percy was exaggerating when he said you were a delicate flower. Didn't think he meant that metaphorically."

"I- What?" Rei said, her olive skin turning into a darker shade as her entire face turns red. "I'm not going to ask. Look, let's just shake on it, and let's just be on our way."

"Fine by me," Noise agreed, eager to end this conversation.

Rei extends her right hand as Noise places his earmuffs around his neck. Once he had them on, he takes Rei's hand with his left and shakes it. Just as they were about to let go; they froze when cuffs pop open and drop to the ground. There was a long silence that impregnated the air. No longer caring if they were going to be caught again, Rei opens her mouth and takes in a deep breath until her lungs were completely filled.

"Are you kidding me!?" she screeches.

From behind, Noise could only comment, "Well, that was anti-climatic."

----------------------------------------

While their return took quite sooner than initially expected, Beatrixwould have warmly greeted the pair once a party was sent to pick them up, until he heard Rei's voice the second he opened the door to the Departure Station. The louder her voice grew, the more he felt himself sweat bullets as he remained where he was.

"Mr. Beatrix~" Beatrix yelped when a hand lands on his shoulder. Noise said, lacing his voice with sarcasm and a small hint of anger, "I'm so glad to have caught you! Rei and I have been meaning to have a word with you since we got back." His grip tightens on the taller boy's shoulder. "I'm sure she's just as eager to share her 'report' on the experiment."

And with that, Beatrix was sad to report that, while the experiment was a success to Belial, the cost of his feet were too great. On another note, it was then he added the application of metal plating to the top of everyone's standard combat boots. Or more specifically, anyone that's within Rei's circle of friends. Because they'll need it, especially after learning firsthand on what happens if you cross the line with Rei.

Dedicated to my dad.

Happy Birthday! (Which was March 30th)