There's: a woodland, old growth, colors vibrant, flowers blooming along the forest floor. A few bees bumble between the flowers. A stream meanders by; it seems she narrowly avoided landing in it. It's a rather picturesque place, calm and charming and only subtly humming with potential danger. Most people would probably miss that, actually, at a surface level the place feels safe.

There's a light through the trees - a small building next to where the stream meets a river, barely visible downhill of her.

Well. She should probably go- apologize, and see where she has landed herself.

There's an alarmed boy - or, well, young man - heading toward her actually, weaving up through the trees.

"Are you okay?" he calls.

He's rather familiar, albeit at least a decade younger than she's used to seeing him.

Luke?

"Yes, I am fine."

"Something crashed in the forest..."

"Ah, that was me. My apologies."

"It's - alright. Out here's pretty deserted."

"Some luck, at least. My name is Elesse, what is yours?"

" - Depends what you mean. I haven't earned a proper one yet."

...Odd culture.

"What shall I call you, then?"

"Luka's what my aunt and uncle call - called - me."

"It is good to meet you, Luka."

"It's good to meet you too, Elesse." He perks up a bit. "If you're someone with a name - could you help me with something?"

She smiles.

"Of course."

"There's a girl that got kidnapped - I'm not sure anyone else knows. I'm going to try to rescue her, but... I'm not anyone Great."

"Well. That sounds dire."

He nods. "I don't really know her, but - she feels important."

"I suspect she might be. Do you have any siblings, Luka?"

"No." He sounds a bit wistful about that.

"I see. Do you have supplies to gather?"

"I was almost done packing - I don't have much, really..."

"We should set out soon, then. This seems time sensitive."

"It is."

He turns, leading the way back to his cottage. It looks like there might've been a fight, recently, and there's two fresh graves nearby. It's small, one of several buildings that apparently makes up the small farm, though there's no livestock. Luka heads inside, glancing away from the signs of battle, and finishes putting together preserved food. He doesn't seem to have any weapon other than a few utility knives he hesitantly wraps up and stows.

This is disturbingly similar to Luke's story.

"Is there anything else you want to keep?"

" - I'd been assuming I could come back. But."

"Yeah, I might not be able to..."

He goes to add some more things, including a selection of small mementos.

"It is important to consider paths where things do not go as you would like, as well as ones where they do."

He nods, slowly. "Hadn't thought of it that way..."

"One usually learns the habit through experience."

"Huh. I mean, I know you can't count on a good harvest..."

"So it is with all areas of life."

He nods and finishes packing.

"Do you need me to pack anything away?"

"A few things - "

He starts directing her to help him.

She sets things in order quickly and efficiently.

He's melancholy as they finish up and leave.

"Are you from nearby?" he asks.

"I am not. This is my first visit to the area, unintentional as it is."

"Where were you going instead?"

"An old temple I used to know."

He nods. "There's a lot of ruins around here. Mostly tombs, but probably some temples... Though not much that's in use."

"Oh? Interesting."

"I dunno there's any big famous ones? The tombs are mostly small..."

"Even so, they are a reminder of history."

"Yeah. Keeps names alive."

"Indeed."

"But if you aren't local, you probably don't know a lot about the local people?"

"This is true. But there are still things one can learn, if one is perceptive and receptive."

Nod. "But, for what's going on - the girl who I'm trying to save isn't local, either. She was traveling. She's one of the Great, but not a really experienced one - she sent out a spell and I caught it and it said she didn't know how to do much more. A villain from nearby kidnapped her. He's more experienced, but..." He hums. "I mean, the rest of us usually can't challenge one of the Great, you know? So he pretty much ignores us. And without a Name there's a lot I could just shrug off... So I figured I have a chance, just sneaking in and out. And I gotta try."

"Hmm. What makes a person Great?"

"Having a Name, doing - big great deeds, having magic... You know, that sort of stuff?"

"I do not, in fact, know. Where I come from, we do not make such distinctions."

"...Where are you from?"

"A planet called Coruscant."

" - A planet?"

"A world, generally spherical, which orbits in space around a sun."

"Haven't heard of that."

"This world seems to be at a low level of technological development, so that is not entirely surprising. Of course, it may also be that this universe subscribes to a different philosophy of organization."

"You think you're from another universe?" He doesn't sound very surprised or disbelieving, just thoughtful.

"I am reasonably certain that I am, yes. This will not be the first one I have come across, though usually arrivals are not so... flashy."

"I've heard of that... Or, like, myths. Though everyone in the stories is like a kid or teenager..."

"Oh?"

"The myth's that the world pulls people into it who're destined to be a great hero or villain - usually alternating, I think? And I've heard there's someone claiming to be a Great Villain around... But - that's a myth."

"Myths are often attempts at explaining natural phenomena in a comprehensible fashion."

"I guess? But I haven't ever heard of anyone over sixteen appearing..."

"Perhaps I am a special case."

Smile. "That'd be interesting. I don't really know enough to do a full - explanation of everything? But the person we're rescuing might, the spell said she was a princess..."

"Let's not keep her waiting, then."

He nods. "I was thinking just walk in, trying to get a ride would be faster but might be conspicuous..."

"Some initial reconnaissance would be wise."

"Hm, yeah. Just watching the castle?"

"Observing the castle, cataloging defenses, entries, exits, guard personnel. Perhaps also speaking with the locals to see if they have relevant information about the inhabitants of the castle or quirks of the local terrain."

"There's a town that supports it, and a bunch of surrounding farmland. We could ask questions on our way there?"

"That sounds like a plan."

"Main road's over this way, then..." He cuts to the left at the next fork in the path, following the larger of the dirt roads. It eventually meets a dirt and mud road, wagon wheel marks pressed deep into it, winding along a river through land cleared for agriculture. Since they're talking to people anyways, Luka gets them a ride with some merchants going downriver to the big capital town - it'll be a lot faster, and the merchants are inclined to gossip. Luka says he's a farm boy, but the farm's not had much space for him, so he's seeking employment in the city, and his friend is a traveler.

(No one, at any point, introduces themself by - or uses - names.)

The planet seems thoroughly primitive, though from the merchants' talk this particular land, so far from the old Empire, is a lackluster backwater. Still, that means it's pretty far from The Villain, so it all balances out.

Elesse also does not use her own name. She draws the merchants out in conversation about the region, patterns of trade, local polities and politicians, history...

Well, the Villain has been laying low the last, oh, twenty years. People're still scared of her, though, even if things are now finally starting to recover from when she overthrew the last Hero. There's a lot of speculation about that, what she could be planning, what she's up to, but no real firm conclusions - of course, her main stomping grounds are also a bit farther from here, but the echoes still get felt whenever a war starts up.

Small time trade is mostly along the rivers, and is mostly short distance (there's a lot of grain flowing into the cities). Many of the Great retire to become merchants, though, so sometimes you get lucky and there's a portal or a teleport on offer - they're pricey but not as pricey as a ship.

One merchant's heard about a new tomb growing, too, that's been causing problems on some routes - some Great went and died on a major river (there's a silent 'the idiot'). They're hoping to entice someone to go beat it back a little, even if taking it out entirely is unlikely.

This region's not known for much. Exports high value wood, mostly.

The merchants generally don't like the local rulers, but are polite about expressing that - and the local rulers are disproportionately likely to have proper Names (there's a subtle quality to the one actually mentioned, a way it rings, something Luka's name never does). (Many of the Great also retire into conquest or politics). The top of the local little pile of lords is Taurna, a cruel man by anyone's measure, prone to raising taxes for petty reasons. No one really likes him, but he's been hard to unseat.

She nods along.

(Seems like fairly standard social dynamics, at least. Warlords are something she knows, and if these Names have more personal power than others- that's familiar too.)

Luka manages to get some gossip on the guards - well trained, obedient, though often as cruel as their leader - at least from descriptions of how they behave when about town.

People do trade directly with the castle, and there's a good amount of in and out.

That could be their entrance.

They'll be arriving soon enough. The closest stop is in the port on the edge of town; after that, the boat will keep going down river. It'll be evening; does she want to spend much time in the town itself? (Luka seems anxious.)

They can keep moving.

He prefers that...

The town is - decent sized, probably, for their technology level. Tiny by any metric Elesse's used to. Crowded and smelly and downtrodden, full of cautious people under the eyes of a rather disproportionate number of guards. The castle looms grandly over the shabby town, and there's a dedicated road to it from the docks that the wealthier merchants take.

Are there any merchants on the road at the moment?

There's some heading away from the castle; no one seems to be planning on starting business now.

Are the guards alert and competent as well as numerous?

Alert, certainly. Competent - possibly. They show signs of being extremely thoroughly drilled, at least, unusually so for a place apparently this far from active war zones.

What other approaches to the castle are there?

Not many; it's well fortified against outright attack, even if less so against sufficiently clever infiltration. There's no easily visible drain, nor a profusion of entrances and exits. The trees around the town are cleared to a good distance.  There's one heavily fortified gate in each direction, only one of which seems to be usually open.

"Here are our options, as I see them," she says to Luka. "We can attempt to infiltrate directly, which will be dangerous and has a high chance of failure. We can wait until tomorrow and persuade a merchant convoy to allow us to join. One of us could cause a distraction while the other sneaks in. Or we could ambush a pair of guards and take their uniforms."

He hesitates, biting his lip. "Ambushing guards seems risky, too - we won't know their routines or anything. I - don't want to wait, but I think failing would - just make more problems..."

"Uniforms will get us up to the gate. I am fairly confident I can talk us through."

"Would that be faster than going in with merchants?"

"Yes, we could do that tonight."

"I don't want to leave her longer than we have to."

"Let us find an alley, then."

He nods.

There's a few good ones, some even decent ambush points for assorted guards.

Elesse waits for a pair of guards with approximately the correct heights to pass by. She lures them into the dark with an illusory noise and knocks them out quietly and efficiently.

Luka hangs back, eyes a bit wide.

Still, he helps her get their uniforms off fairly efficiently, and arranges them into comfortable positions after.

Then it's off to the castle.

They're not stopped, heading towards the castle.

They are at the gate. They need to state their names, ranks, and current assignment.

She reaches out to push the gate guard's mind. They've already given that information.

His gaze goes a bit distant, but he agrees - their information looks good.

He steps aside.

Then into the castle. Now... which way to find Leia?

Down; the stairs are near the highest part of the castle, farthest from the river.

She leads Luka in that direction.

He keeps his face calm and even, following her, though he still feels worried and a bit jumpy.

They're not challenged on the way - but there's less activity in the area right around the stairs, and the stairs have a guard who asks their business.

They're here to see the prisoner. She flicks her fingers. They have permission, there is no need to report this.

That - seems a bit of a harder sell.

Still, she's able to overcome whatever mental defenses the guard has, and they're let through.

Getting out cleanly will be more difficult yet, then. She may want to skip straight to escalation at that point.

Down the stairs.

There's a corridor at the bottom - a guard station to one side, a heavy locked door to the other. There's two guards sitting at a table outside the locked door. Both rise to their feet when Elesse and Luka approach, demanding their business again.

She makes a clapping gesture, slamming their heads together with telekinetic force.

One of them staggers and falls, but the other keeps her feet and shouts, her hand going to a sigil on her waist.

Elesse slams her up against the wall, limbs pinned spreadeagle and mouth forced closed.

She tries to resist, jerking a bit - but while she's still conscious she isn't able to overcome Elesse.

She forces her into unconsciousness, then makes sure of the other guard.

They both go down.

Does one of them have a key to the door?

Nothing that's identifiable as a key, no.

She'll make her own, then.

She draws forth her lightsaber, igniting it and jabbing it snakelike into the locking mechanism in one smooth motion.

Something incredibly odd, like a shimmer of a soap bubble, flares in front of the door, before wavering and popping. Still, the door seems unlocked, now.

Must be the local flavor of magic. She opens the door, keeping her senses tuned for guards coming from behind in case it triggered an alarm.

There's definitely something stirring up above her. Quietly, though.

There's a hallway beyond, with staggered locked doors.

She searches for Leia's presence.

Third door on the right, and extremely angry.

Does her door submit to the same lockpicking technique?

Yes.

When the door gives way, she's apparently been blindfolded, gagged, and bound, even her fingers kept from moving, and chained to the wall. There's a few strange sigils painted on the walls and floor around her, and several on her bindings. A few of the sigils are exceptionally dangerous.

Ah. This could get tricky.

She takes a deep breath and sinks into the Force, letting her instincts guide her hands to free the captive.

The first thing -

Apparently freeing Leya's hands and eyes, carefully weaving around the sigils. Leya immediately takes in the scene, and her fingers start dancing as she keeps her hands still, rapidly unweaving the danger right around her as Elesse undoes further bindings.

It takes a little bit, and it seems some kind of alarm got tripped at some point, because there's a creeping sense of danger towards the exit.

"Could you check the door, please?" she says to Luka, continuing to work.

He ducks his head out. "I don't see anything... But something feels wrong."

"Taurna's noticed this."

"Of course. Are you able to move?"

She waves her hand, and the last of the sigils snaps. "I am now."

"Good. Let us go. Please stay alert against local magic."

Tight nod. "They might appear behind us; I'll be best going last."

She nods. "Then I will lead. Luka, stay between us."

He nods, tightly, privately deciding he really needs some training...

And onward.

Someone's waiting for them at the top of the stairs.

She blasts them out of the way with concussive force.

Two guards go sliding back, more stumble or fall or fly -

But there's a man, late middle aged, well groomed, wearing a sharply cut uniform, who doesn't move. He has his hands behind his back, right now, and just raises an eyebrow. (He's rather dangerous).

"Must we fight? This is quite a lot of effort for one girl," he says. "Especially one who barely has her Name."

"More so on your part than mine. If you wish to step aside, then by all means do so."

Tight smile. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Then you have your answer, as I am similarly disinclined to allow you keep her an unwilling guest."

He inclines his head. "May I at least have the honor of knowing your Name?"

"Don't."

"Perhaps if I had one to give you."

The look he sends Luka is very, very far from friendly. "You don't seem like someone without."

"Appearances can be deceiving," she says as she tosses her saber up and sends it scything a golden streak towards the man.

He disappears just before her saber would've stricken him.

She advances up the stairs as she calls it back to her hand.

And, a flicker behind her - 

She turns to address the threat, pre-emptively dodging-

Luka won't be as fast, and her opponent is opening with a blow meant for him - 

She pushes him out of the way with one hand, bringing the other around with her saber for a strike.

Taurna's blade meets hers - and, after a moment, fails.

Taurna flickers out of the way again, but he's startled, and he apparently can't or won't go far - he appears at the top of the stairs again - 

She gestures, and torches in their sconces rip off the walls to hurl themselves at him.

They burst into ash before they can reach him; his fingers dance a bit and he hums.

The step he's on attempts to flip itself over.

He leaps to another, and the wind whips up around her, harsh.

One of the side tables arrives to meet him at his landing.

He flinches, awkwardly blasting it to the side - leaving himself open for a second.

She's already launching in to exploit the gap.

He tries to twist out of her way, teleporting again - but for some reason he doesn't go as far, more blinking a few feet away than anything.

Running out of power or a cooldown, perhaps.

Regardless, she keeps the pressure on, mixing physical and telekinetic attacks in the style that served her so well on battlefronts across the galaxy.

He isn't nearly as skilled as her, especially once the advantage of his unfamiliar magic wears off, and quickly switches to the retreat, barely keeping himself from being critically wounded.

For now, she'll settle for getting her two followers out of here relatively cleanly.

That's manageable, and his underlings put up only a token show of fighting her once she beats him back.

The quicker they get out of her way, the less they will hurt. She's very fair like that.

They seem somewhat talented at striking a balance between 'looking like they followed orders to try and stop her' and 'actually getting seriously injured'. 

Neither of Elesse's followers is injured on the way out of the castle, though vanishing into the town might be hard.

Unless the princess has a pressing wish to do so, she does not think that should be their first course of action.

She doesn't.

"What now?"

"We should put some distance between ourselves and this place. Have you a suggestion or preference on which direction?"

"I can get us across the river. They'll have trouble following, since Taurna won't lower himself to transport."

"Excellent."

She grins and gestures, sending them all into the air - a bit jerkily, unideal for combat, but good for fleeing quickly - and flies them across the river. "I don't want to go straight to any hideouts," she calls. "But there's a weak tomb that throws off divination nearby, we can pass through there..."

"How dangerous is it likely to be?"

"I could handle it myself easy, and it probably wouldn't kill even farm boy over here if he was trying to take the entire thing on alone. We stick to the outside and we should be fine."

"Agreed, then."

"Right. This way..."

She's not able to fly them the entire way, but she can do long hops just fine even with fairly short rests between. Night falls quickly, but Leya mutters a spell giving herself night vision. The tomb she brings them to -

It's strange. Like there's nothing there. The outside is white marble ruins, fading into the forest, vines growing up broken columns that scream this place is forgotten. A pervasive shadow lies over it, deeper than it should be, and the columns glow in the moonlight.

"We should skirt around the outskirts - walking, keeping moving - but the longer we stay, the stronger the effect will be."

"Mm. I do not like this place."

"How so?"

"It feels... incorrect. Warped."

"It feels like a normal tomb to me. Though 'warped' isn't a bad description..."

Luka makes a face. "They're all creepy. Even the Hero tombs."

"I do not wish to linger here once our purpose has been fulfilled."

"That's fine. We'll keep moving, though going on foot will give me time to recover and get less attention..."

"We should have enough distance by now, yes."

She nods and starts walking.

"So why was Taurna so interested in keeping you?"

"He's been fighting with my family for decades, and I humiliated him recently."

"How so?"

"Stole a rather large chunk of classified material; after we'd used what we could militarily, I had the embarrassing bits spread."

"His response seems a bit disproportionate."

"Normal, for someone like him."

She clicks her tongue. "Poorly civilized."

Smile. "Sadly so."

"In my world, a man like he would not be gotten so far."

"Your world?"

"I am not a native. Luka mentioned a concept called the 'Summoned Hero'?"

" - Yes. They've always been a teenager at the oldest."

"It is the most likely explanation from my perspective, as none of the other methods of interworld transit I am aware of were in action at the time I arrived."

"That's - strange - but everything's been strange this cycle, if you trust the history books..."

"What else is odd?"

"There was - a lot weird with timing. The last Hero was around for an unusually long time - the Villain who showed up had support in overthrowing him, there's always that, but - looking at the dates, she didn't even try for a while, and now his tomb's lost when the tombs of the Summoned Heroes or Villains are usually massive. And the Villain's been barely around for a while, now, usually there's more of - the government being actually led by whoever was summoned last."

"The Villain's also refused to give anyone anything normal to call her by, and - she claimed 'The Villain of This Story' as her Name. Others have had titles, but not - like that."

"Hmm."

"Though I think you being an adult is - possibly odder."

"What is are the usual time gaps between Heros and Villains?"

She hums. "At least a few decades, almost never more than two centuries... The last Hero was around for at least three centuries, and the current Villain's been around for about forty years... On the low side, but not extremely so..."

"So a child faces someone with centuries of experience?"

"Yes. Usually they have help, but - it's often bloody."

"What a wasteful system."

Nod. "There's a lot of instability, too, whenever there's a changeover."

"Unsurprising."

"No one's sure if the cycle can actually be broken, or how to do that, though."

"Once I am found, I am sure considerable resources will be brought to bear on the problem."

"You'd mentioned other ways of getting between worlds?"

"Yes. I am part of a multiversal group of... templates, shall we say. Versions of the same person from different worlds. There are a variety of transit methods known to us, spells, portals, and the like."

"I don't think anyone's ever been followed... But I don't know how common transit methods are elsewhere..."

"How do you tell someone's the same person?"

"There are a pair of gods who can see such things. Personally, I am Force sensitive, and all members of a template have the same Force signature."

"Force sensitive?"

"The Force is an energy field, affected and generated by all living things. Gifted individuals can sense and manipulate the Force to a variety of ends."

"I've never heard of it..."

"I believe the ability to consciously interact with the Force is quirk unique to inhabitants of my native world."

She nods. "That makes sense; none of the Heroes or Villains have ever had our sort of magic starting out, either."

"We have encountered some contagious magic systems, though I have not picked any up."

"I don't know if ours is properly contagious - your Name and how well it's known feeds into your power, but your power and your accomplishments, even silent ones, also feed into giving you a stronger Name. The Great Heroes and Villains can learn to use it, but I don't know if that will be universal..."

"I do have a name of my own, though I am not sure if it is mystically significant in the same way."

"I'd be able to tell if I heard it, though there's tradeoffs. Your Name being well known gives you power, but if someone Great has your Name they can use that against you - more so the fewer people who know your Name."

"It sounded like one of the Names of the Great to me," Luka says.

"My name is Elesse."

She nods. "That does sound like an actual Name."

"I'm Leya."

Her name rings oddly, layered with potential.

"I can hear... something, in that."

"Potential?"

"Mm. Yes."

"I've been told my Name sounds like that. I'm - not sure what the layers to yours are. They're strange."

"What does the sound of a Name signify?"

She hums. "What it represents, mostly, or what it will represent, or - the associations people have or should or will have when they hear of you."

"So it's a shortcut to reputation."

"Effectively, yes..."

"I see."

"Getting a Name is hard, too, and you're at your most vulnerable while it's still building."

"Is getting a Name a voluntary action?"

"It's hard to do on accident, but that's possible technically."

"What is usually involved?"

"Generally you start out by accompanying someone with a Name on their adventures, learning to fight, and - being useful and well known, effectively, especially for martial prowess. Clearing out tombs helps a lot, there, if they're building up monsters - has anyone explained tombs to you?"

"Not exactly."

"If someone Great dies, a tomb forms where they fell. Usually its size scales with how powerful they were, and usually it has a theme, of sorts, that's - appropriate for the person. Tombs generate guardians, and also sometimes generate monsters that cause problems outside the tomb's proper area. Tombs can repair themselves, but only slowly, and they can be destroyed."

"That seems like.. an echo of their magic."

"Possibly so. I don't know how much - of the actual person remains in a tomb."

"Not very much, I should think."

"I've certainly never heard of someone's ghost outright manifesting - or even of someone rearranging the decorations to spell words."

"As expected."

"Does your world have something similar, then?"

"In certain, very limited cases, it is possible for a Force user to leave ghost behind in the event of their death, a sort of psychic impression on the world. It is possible to communicate with these, but they do not think as such. They are focused on the events and emotions surrounding their demise."

"Ah."

"We don't have that exactly."

"Yes, it is not quite the same."

She nods.

"Does magic vary a lot?"

"Typically, yes. There can be points of convergence, but the mechanics are usually distinct. We have found only two worlds that are outright copies."

"But there's the same people across multiple worlds?"

"Accounting for variations in circumstance and upbringing."

"Sounds - strange."

"It can be... disorienting, to see a reflection of oneself in another person."

He nods. "It seems like it would be..."

"The two of you are familiar to me, incidentally."

" - We are?"

"Yes." She smiles slighly. "Friends of the family, as it were."

"Huh... That's a really weird thought, that you know an alternate me and her..."

"They are siblings. Twins, in fact."

" - Wait really?"

"Yes, though they were separated at birth. They did not discover their relationship until they were, mm, a little older than you are now."

" - I'm adopted." She looks at Luka.

" - I am too..."

"While I cannot say anything for certain, elements of your backgrounds are suggestive."

"We might be able to get it confirmed magically..."

"If that interests you."

"It'd - change some things."

"Do you know who our birth parents might be, then?"

"One of them, perhaps. Though that is not necessarily consistent."

She nods, slowly.

"My aunt and uncle never told me anything about them - said my mother was Great, once, but - not much else."

"The mother is the one I know of your alternates."

" - I'm guessing 'what's she like' might not - transfer?"

"She was- bright and energetic, and had a fierce passion for the people she believed in."

Soft smile. "That's - good."

"I am better for having known her."

Leya hums, gaze a bit distant. "A good trait for someone to have..."

"If we happen across her counterpart, I can point her out."

She nods. "Thank you."

And, soon enough, they finish skirting around the ruins. Nothing attacks them, though there's some moments where it distinctly feels like something (not quite hostile, not quite hungry, but potentially so) is watching them. Leya's rested enough to take them the rest of the way to a safe house, which currently means somewhere to sleep in the house of an ally of her family (someone one of her aunts knows, apparently) who very carefully expresses absolutely no interest in them.

The next day, Leya gets them back to her family. She's able to confirm her and Luka's relationship, and she gets Luka some training in the local fighting styles and magic. Luka isn't the most dedicated student, but he slowly shapes up, especially as Leya takes him (and Elesse, if she wants to come) with her to go and solve assorted problems across the nearby countryside. There seems to be a rather high number of petty warlords and wandering monsters.

Nobody comes for Elesse from outside the world. No news comes from the Great Villain; she's as quiescent as she has been for over a decade. The world feels almost like it's holding its breath.

Elesse is perfectly willing to help, and dip a toe or two in the local magic system. She otherwise stays fairly self-contained, meditating and training on her own. (Any progress on the group finding her wouldn't be visible from her position, of course.)

And then they get word via spell of a monster attack on one of the border keeps - a tomb sprung up right outside of town, grew unusually quickly, the townspeople have retreated into the keep but they're besieged and desperately need at least a path to evacuate.

Leya and Luka are both going.

Just like Christophsis.

Elesse will join them.

Leya's flight has picked up speed over the last little bit, and she gets them there quickly.

The keep's still standing, archers along the wall. Leya drops them in the courtyard and finds someone to give them a situation summary.

Apparently another Great beat them here, helped the last few stranded townsfolk into the keep, and then went into the tomb alone to fight it back - that was about fifteen minutes ago. The monster attacks have mostly let up, but their defenders are growing tired, and they're afraid of another wave. The monsters are prone to swarming, and aren't nearly as individually weak as swarmers usually are.

It might be wise to split their efforts.

"We can stay here on defense - it fits our strengths better - if you're willing to risk going in alone..."

"It will not be the first time."

"Good fortune, then," she says, falling back to help coordinate the defense - she's got a knack for command, and no small amount of experience, and she deftly starts weaving herself into the local structure.

And Elesse sets off for the tomb.

It's strange, made of haphazardly stacked stone - it looks precarious, but feels solid. The monsters are mostly plant-like, tangles of thorns and vines and flowers with sharp teeth and wicked claws and barbed whip-tails. Most of them can climb. All of them are fast, and come up to her mid thigh at the shoulder at least, longer than they are tall. There's not too many near the walls, between the archers and whoever went in before her, and she doesn't get swarmed until she's entered the winding corridors of the tomb itself - and her lightsaber can make quick work of the monsters, which wither when cut.

- And there's sounds of a fight up ahead -

She increases her pace, her saber flashing a gold cocoon of death as she moves forward.

There's a woman, knives flashing around her - many of them floating - tearing her way through the swarms, teeth grit.

Her Force signature is very, very familiar, even if her face is new.

Well now. Isn't that something.

She notices Elesse and nods to her as she finishes off the last bit of the present swarm.

"Here to help?"

"Ah... as much as you need it."

"I wouldn't object. Speed here means fewer casualties out there."

"Do you have a plan beyond 'kill everything that moves'?"

"I can shut down the tomb if I get to the center."

"Good enough."

"Glad you approve."

"I think this is the fastest path, though if you happen to have picked up divination that'd be useful here..."

Elesse closes her eyes and reaches out to the Force for a hint of the future.

This is probably the second fastest path; there's a slightly faster one if they back up a bit and turn to the right, though there's more resistance - nothing that screams 'immensely dangerous,' though.

She opens her eyes and points.

"That way if you feel like more of a fight. This path will work, however."

She hums, clearly considering it for a second. "This path it is, then. Let's go."

A touch unexpected.

"Lead on."

She sets a harsh pace through the rest of the tomb, though, clearly expecting Elesse to keep up - but she also visually checks on Elesse at intervals, especially after fights, and seems to be avoiding unneeded injury.

Resistance gets higher the closer to the center, and then they come to two heavy stone doors - shut tight.

Elesse has no problems keeping up with the pace alt-Ani sets. When they get to the door, she glances over to see if the other has opinions on how to proceed.

She hums, examining it, putting her palm an inch from the stone.

"It isn't trapped," she says, "But the room's likely full. I can open with an area stun and head for the crux, if you can keep any early recoveries off my back. I won't be able to fight while shutting everything down, not well."

"I can do that," she agrees.

"Here we go, then," she says, and pushes her hand against the doors. Both fly open with a bang, and Ashes makes a little tossing motion, something glittering flying from her palm to arc into the middle of a surging swarm of monsters. The glitter explodes over them, and they reel, most of them - except the larger ones - stunned.

Ashes sprints into the room, dancing over stunned monsters, straight for a sarcophagus on a large pedestal.

Elesses floats around her, never blocking her way but always in just the right spot to clear a monster or block a strike.

She plants herself in front of the sarcophagus and starts humming, then - singing, more than chanting, hands moving like she's weaving. She trusts her defense to Elesse, focusing entirely on her spell, laying something a lot like a shimmering net over the sarcophagus. It tightens, gossamer threads winding in, and the tomb shakes a bit, monsters picking up their attacks against her, trying to get around Elesse. It takes her a short while, as the monsters escalate their defense, as more and more wake up only to be cut down by Elesse's blade.

And then -

It's like the tomb's essence folds in on itself, the threads in the woman's hands connected to the edges as she tugs them in. The ground splits open in front of the woman, and the sarcophagus sinks into the earth. Dirt flows in, and plants grow along the glowing net, life rapidly weaving over the sinking stones as the tomb decays in fast motion. A thorny bush roots and then grows over the burial mound, and the monsters moan and stop moving, their feet burrowing into the ground, until they're - just bushes, shaped only vaguely like creatures.

They're left in a sunny clearing, in the ruins of a building once built from stacked stone, now choked in vines.

The woman lets out a heavy breath. She seems - exhausted, worn down, like the spell drained something ephemeral from her.

"That should do it."

"So it would seem. That was very impressive."

She grins. "Would've been a lot harder without help." She looks at Elesse appraisingly. "You're a good fighter."

"I have been told as much once or twice."

"Not nearly often enough, then."

"It is not really my primary skillset."

"What is?"

"Diplomacy and philosophy."

"A woman of many talents, then."

"I enjoy being well-rounded."

"A good thing to be."

She stretches, languid, and glances toward the keep.

"The monsters should all be gone, but I'd like to check on the defenders anyways..."

"I left the other two members of my party with them. They should be in good shape."

"Oh, good."

"I wouldn't mind sticking around to investigate why this tomb went strange so fast, actually... And - " She waves a hand vaguely. " - The whole 'thanking' routine gets - weird."

"It's almost as much for their benefit as yours."

Small smile. "I suppose so. And they'll want to know whether it's safe to stick around..." She sighs.

"Do you make a habit of this sort of hero-ing?"

"Lately, I have been. I seem to have a knack for finding problems."

She chuckles. "You're able to handle it, at least."

"I'd hope so." She sighs and stretches again, cracking her neck, before starting to pick her way toward the keep.

"What about you?"

"The first thing I did after I arrived in this world was rescue a princess in distress."

She glances at Elesse, expression pensive. "Arrived in this world?"

"Opinions vary as to whether I am the next Summoned Hero or simply the victim of an unfortunate accident."

She stills momentarily - barely a moment - then keeps moving.

"Huh. Stranger things in heaven and earth, I suppose."

"And many places between. This is not the first foreign world I have traveled to, which is one point of confusion."

"But you didn't come here on purpose?"

"I did not."

She's quiet for a few beats.

"Well, I suppose it's about time things changed."

"This world does not seem so bad."

"There's - a lot that's broken."

"There is a lot that is broken everywhere. And if people are always waiting for one destined person to swoop down and fix things- or break them again- nothing real will ever change."

She grins, broadly. "And if the world plays with a stacked deck, you cheat right back."

"Just so. When my interworld group finds me, that will become much easier."

She nods, thinking. "What are they like?"

"We have a concept called alts, because we have noticed that certain people, personalities and circumstances, repeat across worlds. There are two major alt groups. One is mine, the other is- well, you."

She's clearly surprised, steps halting.

She's quiet for a few long moments, then: "That's. Strange, I suppose."

"You are the first to possess your particular face. Many of us look very similar."

"Then how did you recognize me?"

"My own brand of magic, which comes from manipulating the Force. Among other things, I am able to recognize members of a template."

"Ah."

She hums, gaze distant.

"How alike are alts, then?"

"Most of the basic personality is the same, with variations for peculiarities of upbringing and culture."

She nods. "I can't say I've ever met anyone who already knew me."

"It can be disconcerting, especially in cases where there are significant differences. For instance, one of your alts has children, twins."

"Ah."

"Only the one?"

"So far, yes."

She glances down, deep in thought.

Elesse reaches out to lightly brush the edge of her emotions, get an idea of the drift of her thoughts.

Sad, mostly, infused with a sort of bone deep exhaustion and traced with wistfulness.

"I mention this in particular," she says carefully, "because my two companions are alts of those twins."

Surprise, and unease, and - something almost like shame. Uncertainty.

She looks away.

"How are they?" she asks, voice quiet.

"They are both well. The girl is a princess and a Name, and I believe the boy will earn his. I told them what I suspected of their relationship, and the girl had her adoptive parents confirm it."

"They would both like to meet their mother."

She smiles a little.

"That's - good. Though I'd disappoint them."

"I would not be too sure about that."

"I'm hardly an ideal mother."

"You do not have to be. They are adults now. You just have to be yourself, that is all they want."