The Chained Watcher

A New Beginning

Looking around the portal room, some things immediately stood out.  Mostly how some of the leaders stood by different portals, calling out group names and gathering like-minded people.

Green Hoodie seemed to be fairly successful, with a fair number of ex-gladiators joining him.  Red Cloak went through a portal almost right away, just as soon as a friend of his arrived, though quite a few warriors went in after him.  Several other groups were shouting beside their own portals, but Scar perked up and dragged their group as best he could towards one with some not-as-combative looking people gathered around it.

"Xisuma!" He called out, waving vigorously.  A man with a clipboard in hand looked up, surprise faintly visible through the violet-tinted visor of his helmet.

"Scar? You're okay?"

"Why of course I am, would you expect any less of a wondrous magician such as myself?"

A hint of relief flashed across his face. "Nah, should have known you'd make it out alright." 

"Mew!" 

"Scar, when did you pick up a kitten?"

Mumbo couldn't help but interrupt, confused. "Wait, you mean he didn't have it the entire time?"

Xisuma looks rather confused now as well. "No, of course not. Where would he hide it when he has to go fight in the arena? Let's not even mention finding food for it-"

Scar interrupts Xisuma, stating happily "I'm gonna name her Jellie!"

"...You know what, you do you, Scar." Xisuma sighs before looking back at his clipboard. Looking around, he calls out, "Anyone seen Etho?" 

A faint "Over here!" can be heard from across the room, and a minute later a ninja-looking guy pushes through the crowd, heaving a sigh of relief at having managed to exit the throng of noisy people.  His hair is fairly messy, and he has a bandana thing draped over one eye, though it doesn't seem to be due to an injury, as it looks to be more for the aesthetic than anything else.

"Is that everyone?" a few murmurs, but no one speaks up about any missing members. Scar seems to think of something, raising his hand like he was trying to get a teacher's attention. "Yes, Scar?"

"Can they come with? I promise they won't cause trouble!"

"Is there any particular reason you're vouching for them?"

Scar looked away, a little embarrassed. "Well, I might have gotten myself in a bit of a pickle when rescuing poor Jellie here, and found myself with a rather sizable number of the foul fiends following-"

"Scar"

"Okay, I was running and they helped me get away"

"Thank you" Turning towards the group Scar had brought with him, Xisuma addressed them. "Now, don't take this as a lack of good faith on my part, but be aware that your actions will reflect on both your reputation and Scar's reputation, so don't go around causing unnecessary trouble, got it?

Noises of agreement sounded from the tag-alongs Grian had found on their way here, as they were all quite sick of fighting from their time in the arena, and most likely would be for a good long while.

"Now, unless anyone else has any other questions?" Xisuma looked around before nodding. "Good, let's go through then, and see what we've got to work with."  He started ushering them through like herding a gaggle of geese, which is more accurate to the truth than it sounds, and checked each name off on his clipboard as they entered the portal.

Near the back of the group, Mumbo stood with Grian as they took in the sights of the hub of portals, for the first and possibly last time.  He glanced at the Watcher's face with its unreadable expression, and felt the need to ask a question. "Could they follow us? I mean, their power source is gone, and it's all they can do to keep the fortress powered, right?"

Grian hummed softly, before saying "It would take them a while, but the situation is still salvageable."  Mumbo's expression fell slightly at the thought of having to deal with the Watchers again in the future, before Grian continued speaking. "You know, the portal hub predates the fortress..."  Mumbo glanced at him in surprise, but Grian continued before he could say anything. "Would be quite a shame if something wrecked the anchoring systems that bind the portal hub to the fort, wouldn't it?"  His face shifted slightly from that unreadable expression it had worn nearly the whole time. 

Grian turned to look at Mumbo and grinned, a spark lighting behind his eyes as he walked over to an innocuous part of the wall and lay a hand on it.  "Such a shame"  The place his hand lay became outlined in the tell-tale purple of Watcher magic, and the struggling magic torches on the wall flickered one last time before extinguishing.  He lifted his hand from the wall as it faded back into obscurity, and surprised shouts rang out from those still in the hub.  "Isn't it?"  The Watcher turned and strolled casually back towards the portal where Xisuma was frantically looking around, as if searching for something he really didn't want to find. 

Mumbo followed Grian back to the portal as the shouts of surprise shifted into those of alarm as the fortress halls outside the hub began to shatter in a very 4-dimensional manner.  The walls of the portal hub were next, crystalizing before shifting into a wall of clouds, then gradually dissipating to reveal small floating balls of soft light that floated over in a very fluttery manner to go illuminate the center of the hub. 

Soft gasps of amazement were next, as the ceiling faded away to reveal a breath-taking view of the night sky.  For some of the former gladiators, this was something they hadn't seen since they were a child, but for others, this was the first time they had seen something so open, so empty, yet so full all at the same time.

Grian watched one of the fluttering balls of light as it floated past, and remarked, "You know, they all died out when the hub was bound.  After all, how can something born of freedom live in a cage, let alone one like what was made."  Mumbo looked over at the unusually talkative Watcher, seeing an expression he hadn't been expecting.  Wistfulness.  He opens his mouth to say something, but then Scar calls from over by the portal.

"Hey! You guys coming or what?" the bubbly man waves them over enthusiastically before falling into step beside them.  "What do you think it's gonna be like? On the other side, I mean."

Laughing, Grian takes a deep breath at the antics of the showman before speaking with utmost certainty. "A new beginning."