== > Be Iferna.

You turn from a meowbeast into the far larger, more powerful, spotbeast. It is like a meowbeast but it is five feet long and fast as lightning. Hopefully you can catch up to him.

There's a red spot on the horizon. That must be him! You revert to troll form and gaze over him, sympathy and sorrow and worry all in your gaze.

IFERNA: hestus/// hestus are you okay///

HESTUS: ~You can'1 do i1.~
IFERNA: what///

HESTUS: ~YOU CAN'1 DO I1, IFERNA! I NEED YOU HERE. I NEED YOU.

IFERNA: i am here/// right now///

== > Do it.

You lean toward and hug him. He stiffens, then relaxes a bit in your arms, His entire body is trembling and there are countless scars on him from the time he spent in the burning desert. You've never held a troll before, but it feels... nice. He turns his face toward yours. You get closer and closer and...

== > Brokensprite: Pounce.

Iferna.

About to kiss Hestus.

BROKENSPRITE: ThIs

BROKENSPRITE: wILl nOt STaNd!

Brokensprite leaps at the two of you, claws out, face alight with insane rage. You step in front of Hestus, trying to block him from his claws.

IFERNA: no/// nonononononono///

BROKENSPRITE: i ThOuGHT yOu LoVEd mE!
IFERNA: broken heart/// get away from hestus///

Bronze blood and tears spill down your cheeks and arms. You can't believe... your would-be mate... your best friend in the entire clan...

wants to kill your flushed crush... and possibly you.

== > Be Coanan.

You emerge from the gate into... your own land. The very land you started in. Four days ago, before trekking across countless miles.

COANAN: 15 7H15 50M3 51CK J0K3!?

Atop the tallest building of all, you make out a lone figure. He waves snarkily, then sits down with his legs dangling over the edge of the building.

== > Ascend.

Who knew ascension required so many damn stairs? As you climb toward UU, you feel even more hate (and admiration) fill you. Was he here all along? Did he just trick you into hiking for almost five days, nearly thirsting to death, getting attacked every ten minutes with an ogre of some sort? Was here the whole time, switching your gates around so you were walking for ages, all the while sitting pretty in your own land that you left, thinking he couldn't possibly be here!? It... it's certainly something you would do.

Oh he's good.

<3< <3< <3< <3<

He is not a troll. His eyes, instead of gold, are white, with orange rimming the black pupils. He smiles at you, his mouth a leer or a grimace with sharp, dangerous teeth. The green flesh covering his skull-like face stretches and you see two orange dots, like splotches, on his bony cheeks.

UU: SO YOu'VE ARRIVED.

COANAN: Y0U *puff puff* 84574RD.

UU: be niice. my name ii2nt ba2tard.

UU: I Suppose Youll Want To Know My Real Name Now

COANAN: *puff puff* Y35.

UU: I hAvE mAnY.

UU: as a cherUb, my name is qUite Unconventional.

COANAN: JU57 5P17 17 0U7 4LR34DY.

UU: WAIT.

UU: : 33 < it appurrs somebody is trying to contact hekata!

COANAN: WH0?

UU: Her Moir8il. This will 8e fun.

== > Be Cariel.

You've split off from the main group in search of Hekata. She's probably off in the kitchen... nope. Her bedroom? No. Her Quest Bed? Might be, but you have no way of finding her there if she is. You can sense the void, and you know that all the Quest Beds are hidden from anyone other than the one they are meant for.

You open your Husktop, attempting to contact her.

angelicTravesty [AT] began trolling telltaleTransfiguration [TT]

AT: +-- where are you?

AT: +-- hekaTa?

TT: W•w th\s qu|rk is SHIT

TT: how d• you even make the tr|angle

TT: J•Ô}7jA|°*&∆ aha n∆iled |t

AT: +-- uh

AT: +-- you love your quIrk, I ThoughT!

AT: +-- I suppose you're jusT Drunk.

AT: +-- well why am I noT surprIseD.

TT: yup glug glug glug :D

AT: +-- where are you, Though?

TT: just bettween the tw• b|ggest dune-hills in lofad, desten's l∆nd

AT: your Drunk quIrk Is really raTher oDD.

TT: hehe

AT: +-- anD why are you There?

TT: | wanted t• find some ∆ncestor object!

TT: <<><<>><>> ∆nd hurry up! I'm waaaaiiiting!

TT: wait

TT: w∆∆∆∆|||t|ng

AT: +-- comIng, moIraIl.

Your instincts tell you that something is trying to mislead you with this message, and you always trust your instincts. You draw your knife. It seemed like Hekata wasn't the one trolling you, but Trollian is fully unhackable by trolls. Perhaps she was captured and made to troll you, leading you into a trap! But then that must mean she's in trouble. Worried, you slink up to the gate and phase into the Land of Fire and Demons.

== > Be UU.

You smile.

UU: s0 c0anan

UU: D --> Do you want to cause a bit of mischief with your "friends"?

COANAN: WHY N07, 1 GU355, 45 W3'V3 4LR34DY 5CR3W3D W17H C4R13L.

You slide open your husktop and send a little ping to Desten. This should be very interesting. And little does Coanan know the other two in his Ashen quadrant will soon meet again on a battlefield. In another tab, discreetly, you contact Hestus as well. Ten minutes, at most, until everything goes ka-bang.

You'll be at the top of the world, naturally, watching it all go down.

You could care, but you are unfortunately far too apathetic for that at the moment. Just a side effect of being a high-functioning sociopath.

== > Be Desten.

angelicTravesty [AT] began trolling celestialTurmoil [CT]

AT: +-- Im comIng desten!

AT: +-- Im gonnA geT you! Im gonna be jusT behing The desert's two bIggest duneS!

CT: fat chance youll get me cariel.

CT: ill go to those dunes t0o. then well see whos got the better.

CT: fighting.

CT: skills.

CT: btw youre going to lose hardtime you punkass fairy bitch.

celestialTurmoil [CT] gave up trolling angelic travesty [AT]

UU: H-E H------E!!!

UnconscionableUvula [UU] ceased jeering celestialTurmoil [CT]

Next, Hestus. A shame you are unable to perfectly mimic another troll's quirk (stupid Trollian) until they die. Hestus is sharp, though; he might catch you at this.

celestialTurmoil [CT] began trolling tardisAmalgamation [TA]

CT: hey hestus

CT: hestus ring ring.

CT: it would be the motherfucking phone but we dont have one so its trollian.

CT: come at me

CT: i know you want revenge so come at me. ill be in my land between the deserts two biggest dunes.

CT: ring ring ring goodbye

celestialTurmoil [CT] gave up trolling tardisAmalgamation [TA]

Of course he's not going to answer. He's... busy. You eye Iferna's rustblood timeline's end rather deviously.

Coanan sits next to you (you), watching you (you) screw around with Trollian. He looks disappointed somehow. Is he feeling concerned about what he's doing?

Tsk, tsk.

He's not even trying to stop you or outwit you.

This kismesis thing is a lot less fun than you thought it would be.

== > Be Hestus.

Brokensprite's claws slash downward with a loud scrape of claws on skin. Hestus's clothing is torn into shreds and beneath it dry, irritated skin is crossed by scars. Blood is everywhere as he falls to the ground, moments in time wildly flickering around him as he screams in pain. The almost-kiss. The time session with Ciphre. Desten breaking the Tardis. Every moment he's ever felt strongly about flashes around him. You see faces, flashes, words, and nothing more.

== > 1 N3V3R 45K3D F0R 7H15.

Well you're done with this shit.

GC: 7H47'5 MY FUCK1NG MO1R41L!

UU: wwell then you fuckin savve him

You are now COANAN SEMLOH and your mind is racing. Your kismesis grins, watching you grapple with the new challenge. You pull out your portable MAGNIMESSAGEGLASSES (which also look cool as hell) and troll IFERNA.

grippingConundrum [GC] began trolling clawmarkedClanmember [CC]

GC: 1F3RN4 P1CK UP
GC: P1CK. UP.

CC: hestus is dying/// you have to help me///

GC: N0. Y0U H4V3 70 H3LP Y0UR53LF. Y0U 4R3 7H3 R0GU3 0F BL00D. Y0U C4N S734L H15 P41N.

CC: i can what///

GC: JU57 R34CH 1N51D3 Y0UR53LF 0R 50M3 5H17!

CC: oh my gog/// i think i have something///

clawmarkedClanmember [CC] has given up trolling grippingConundrum [GC]

UU: THAT WAS SO SAPPY. HOLY SHIT.

GC: 5HU7 UP. 17'5 G01NG 70 W0RK. 1 C4N H4NDL3 4NY CH4LL3NG3 YOU 7HR0W 47 M3.

UU: WaNnA bEt?

== > Save him.

You place your hand on his heart. And pull out his pain, his suffering. He is unendingly loyal to you... part of your clan. You feel his suffering slam into you like a wall and fall to the ground, shifting form randomly in spasms of pain.

HESTUS: ~1FERNA!~

HESTUS: ~1FERNA WAKE UP!~

IFERNA: you have to kil him hestus///

IFERNA: al the bonds have ben broken///

IFERNA: al of them///

HESTUS: ~1FERNA WHAT THE HECK YOU CAN'1 JUST SAY CRYPT1C SH1T AND D1E ON ME!~

IFERNA: hestus/// you have to let me go///

IFERNA: i se my ancestors in the stars///

IFERNA: theyre calling me/// it has to happen///

IFERNA:

HESTUS: ~NOOO!~

== > Meanwhile, in the desert.

The SARCASTIC WARMONGER misses her forest home. No forest animals here. No hunting partners. Just sand, sand, and more fucking sand.

== > Be SW.

You look across the dunes. You helped start this war with Derse in the first place. With your skills, you were sure Prospit could win. You know the turrets of Derse like you know the forest on a planet long-gone. And then you were banished. You had followers, too, but they were jailed. It's just you. And the girl you see through the tiny device that had been thrust upon you when you were relegated to this desert territory. A fellow huntress, in trouble.

> girl! huntress. you need to be wary!

She does receive your messages through the Void, but not word-for-word. You can tell she's in danger, but you don't know what kind. She's heading toward a desert world, much like the one you're on now. And you can't help her. Though you could tell her to stop, the SIGHTED MILITIAMAN, your brother, knows that her death has to be. Somehow, he's contacted you as well, but you don't know where he is either.

You turn off the Comm, not wanting to see her die. You stare at the moon as it settles over the expanse of sand, gleaming off your white carapace. Slowly, you sheathe your arrows and lie down to dream.

== > Be Hestus.

You are now HESTUS ATTENN and you are currently standing over the body of your flushed crush. Your eyes, already lined with veins and dark circles, are now filled with tears that almost sizzle as they fall from your hot and formerly dry eyes.

Iferna looks so happy. So peaceful.

Maybe she's just sleeping.

She's just sleeping.

Sleeping.

You could fix this. You are the Prince of Time! You've saved others before. You can mess around with timelines. You could... you could kiss her.

You give her a passionate kiss, hoping to resurrect her, but nothing happens.

Wait! You saved her dreamself! What could possibly have gone wrong?