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huffle-dork · 1 month ago

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Long Live the King

Chapter 2: Birds of a Feather

Read Fantasy Masks | Read Swapboys | Read the first FM adventure | Other Multiverse Adventures | Read on AO3

The fall is rough. Is traveling through universes usually like this? It can't be, can it? But it doesn't last forever.

Dr. Jameson Jackson lands on a wooden surface. Not a floor, because it's... swaying slightly. Jameson blinks rapidly and tries to get his bearings. He feels the rocking and feels his stomach churn a little. Ugh… he hasn’t felt that since he was a lad… where are they?

He looks around and sees Henrik only a few feet away from him. The way Alt explained it- he half expected to be alone. So, the good doctor is startled a bit as he sees Henrik prone just a bit away from him.

They've both landed on... a boat. Of course, that's why it's swaying. This is about the size of a modern sailboat, maybe a bit bigger, but with the wood and canvas makeup of an old sailing ship. Looking over the side, the boat is docked on the bank of a river. There's a handful of tents set up on the grass.

Dr. J pushes himself up and staggers over to help shake the other man awake. Henny blinks blearily and then looks up at Dr. J. He smiles with a bit of daze, “Ah hallo Juwel…! You… why are you… tilting?”

Dr. J chuckles, “It seems we landed on a boat, my friend. Are you alright?”

Henrik pushes himself up and then pats himself down. Then he grins and nods eagerly. “Yes! I am fine!” Then his eyes widen as he takes in the sights of the river and landscapes and fresh air. He excitedly runs towards the railing and leans against it, laughing breathlessly, “Juwel!! Mein god!! Look at all of this!! It’s- it’s-! atemberaubend-!”

Dr. J startles and follows Henny with concern, “Henrik! Please be careful!!” He wishes he could be as carefree as the teal haired gentleman… but Dr. J can’t get the image of Alt and Bro out of his head… What if they were seriously hurt? Would they be able to find them?

Suddenly, a hatch on the deck opens, revealing a staircase leading down into the hold of the boat. Two people walk up into the deck, busy talking with each other. One is brown-haired, wearing a scarf and white tunic, and the other is blonde, wearing a blue coat with an eye-patch covering his right eye. At first, they sound like they’re speaking random nothing, but then the translator spell kicks in mid-sentence. “—just saying it does not make sense,” the blonde one is saying. “They’re not all above when She is below. Not really fair.”

“No, I understand, but I think it’s the thought that counts,” the brown-haired one replies.

The two of them are walking in the opposite direction of Dr. J and Henrik. But even with their backs to them, the two newcomers can see the white masks hanging around the pair’s necks.

Dr. J startles at hearing the hatch open and watches as they step out and walk away. He watches with fascination as their language starts to morph into something he can understand. And… those white masks- they look just like Alt’s! These must be the Masked Phantoms.

Henny is rocking excitedly against the railing of the boat, looking like an excited kid. He blinks back at Dr. J and then brightens up with a grin. “Oh oh! New friends already!! They have the maskes!!” He waves wildly, calling out, “Hallo!!” He is… very loud- kinda hard to miss.

"Kovatch--!" the blonde one shouts in surprise. He spins around first, pulling on his mask--one of the more elaborate ones, looking a bit like a dragon. Strangely, it only has one eye hole. The brunette turns around only slightly slower, also reaching for his mask. But he stops. He stares at Dr. J and Henrik, blinking in confusing. And for good reason. If this man's hair was teal instead of natural brown, he wouldn't look too different from Henny. The man laughs. "I think I understand what this is," he says. "Relax, Vsevna. They may be friends." He waves back at them. "Hello! Can you understand us?"

Henrik gasps in delight at seeing the two men. He grabs Dr. J’s arm and shakes him. “Juwel!! Juwel!! It is me!! Another me!! Hallo, other Henrik!! And your friend- is not one of us! But I very much like his mask!!”

Dr. J laughs and waves as he gets shook. He’s used to this. “Hello- yes we can understand you. Our friends Alt and Chase told us so much about you! They wanted us to come to visit.” He looks to Henrik and makes a motion to breathe towards him in sign before stepping back up and resting a hand on his chest. His voice is much more quiet and subdued compared to Henny’s. “I’m Dr. Jameson Jackson, but my friends just call me Dr. J. Or, Juwel, if you’re Henrik.” He grins then gestures, “and Henrik already gave his name… in a way.” He laughs. “And… forgive his… energy. He’s very excitable.”

The brown-haired man grins. "I am also Henrik! It's so nice to meet you, other me. No need to apologize, ah, Jameson. My friend Jackie is quite excitable as well, I am very used to it."

Vsevna relaxes slightly, pulling his mask off. He smiles at the two of them. "Well. The visitors from another world that I have heard about. It's been a shame that I was not there to see those two. How nice to meet you, too. And thank you." His smile widens into a grin. "I worked very hard for this mask design."

"Yes, and then you hardly use it," Henrik mutters, making Vsevna laugh.

Dr. J looks to Vsevna and smiles, “And you’re Vsevna then? A pleasure to meet you both.”

“Ah Juwel- how is that name spelled?? I don’t think my ear thingys are getting it right.” Henny asks, tapping his ear. The phantom masks can see something that rests inside his ear.

Henrik leans to the side a bit, trying to get a better look at what's inside Henny's ears. "Oh, maybe you are not getting it right because your ears are plugged up. Unless--that is normal in your world?"

Henny laughs and shakes his head, “Even if my ears are plugged up it would not make difference! I am deaf- less so now though! These devices help me to hear but- it is very complex and I am not sure I understand it well still.”

"Oh! Really?" Henrik's eyes light up. "That is amazing! I have heard of spells to help with deafness but they must be redone again and again. It would be so much easier to just be able to put something in your ears and have it help."

Dr. J brightens up, “It is a fascinating procedure! It’s all to do with the inner ear bones- and though it can’t restore it back fully it can help him re-experience sound in a new way!”

"I would offer to spell my name for you, but I do not think it would work properly," Vsevna says. "They said that the alphabets are not the same--and there aren't even the right letters in Glassish, so I doubt it will be conveyed in another world's language."

Dr. J smiles and nods and goes to Henrik, “I believe it’s V-S-E-V-N-A, Henrik.” He spells the letters out in sign.

Henny follows along and nods, trying out the name. “Vee… es- na… Vsevna!” Dr. J nods with a smile and Henny looks to Vsevna excitedly. “Vsevna! So good to meet you!!”

Vsevna smiles. "So good to meet you, too! Henrik--I mean, my Henrik, sova--" Henrik blushes a little "--should we go find your other friends who were there for the last visit?"

"Y-yes, we should." Henrik nods. "They are on shore."

"Of course they are, everyone is!" Vsevna laughs. "I will take care of the gangplank."

Henny and Dr. J share a glance with each other at Vsenva’s and Henrik’s exchange. Henny smirks.

As he walks off to do that, Henrik looks at Dr. J and Henny. "Did anyone else come with you? Alt, or your Chase? We need to find them if so, they've probably appeared in a different location just like last time."

Dr. J’s face falls a bit at the question. “Ah yes… they came. They brought us here… but… I fear they may be in trouble.”

Henny’s eyes flash with a slight growl, “Magnificent… that schmutzige Katze! He did something to them… we just do not know what…”

Henrik's expression darkens. "Yes, Magnificent came here last time. We saw him, and, though not for very long, it was clear he's a threat. If he... 'did something to them'... well, I doubt it is good."

Dr. J looks a bit shaken, thinking about confronting Mag and Henny is quick to hold him close by his shoulder. “All I know is… it looked like dark magics. But- most of the magics he does is like that so…” Henny sighs.

“However, Alt did think ahead this time.” Dr. J adds, rolling up his sleeve to show his bracelet. “This can help lead us to them.”

Henrik leans closer, looking at the bracelet. "Ah, this is a tracking talisman of some kind, then. Clever. Hopefully your friends are nearby. They weren't too far apart from each other last time they arrived."

"Aye!" Vsevna shouts from the edge of the boat. Part of the wall has swung outward, a plank pushed into place leading down to the nearby river bank. "We can't do much on a boat!"

Henrik laughs. "Yes, that's a good point. Here." He gestures for Dr. J and Henny to follow him as he walks towards the gangplank.

Henny and Dr. J follow close behind- though neither seem to have very good sea legs. Even if the boat isn’t moving.

"Ah, here." Henrik offers a hand to support them on the boat. "I know it can be difficult."

"You get used to it," Vsevna says cheerfully. "Careful on the plank. We don't have one with railings on a boat this small. Unfortunate."

"Unfortunate," Henrik agrees.

"Unfortunate."

The two of them seem stuck in a repetition loop for a bit until Henrik shakes his head. "Sorry, that was strange." Vsevna bursts into laughter.

Henny bursts into giggles. “Chase and Jackie do that a lot!”

“It’s a phenomenon called echolalia!” Dr. J explains, “Sometimes we just like to repeat sounds from around us- especially if it’s someone we love. Or are fond of.”

"'Eh-ko-lahl-ee-uh,'" Henrik repeats, carefully sounding out the syllables. "Good to know. We don't have a word for that here."

Vsevna laughs for a bit more then becomes serious again. "But to be true for a second. There are many of us here. All of us are trained to fight, and some of us have magic as well. We can keep your friends and you safe."

Henrik nods in agreement. "Magic is not faster than shooting an arrow."

Henny grins and nods, “We are quite well versed in taking on Magnificent. Bro and Alt are very strong! I’m sure we’ll find each other and everything will be okay!”

Dr. J doesn’t look like he shares his friend’s optimism. But he does try to smile, even if it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Right… at least we are around allies…”

Henrik smiles at the two of them. "Yes, I can promise no harm will come to you here. There is that, at least."

The group walks down the gangplank. There's a bit of a chill in the air, but it's not nearly as cold as it was the last time Chase and Alt were here. Not that Dr. J or Henny would know about that. There's a handful of people walking around the camp, most of them working on packing stuff into bags. All of them have masks. They glance at the group as they pass, confused on the newcomers' strange clothes--eyes tend to linger on Henny's hair--but they seem to shrug it off when they see Vsevna with them.

Henny smooths down his hair self consciously. He laughs nervously, “ah… maybe I should have brought a hat…?”

Dr. J shakes his head with a laugh, “I don’t think it would have done much good, friend. Our clothes already set us apart- especially your bright attire.”

“I like all the colors of the modern world!” Henny almost whines. Dr. J pats his back.

"You know your friends best, Henrik, where would they be?" Vsevna asks. "Or perhaps we should look for the other otherworld travelers first?"

Dr. J looks back at Vsevna and then hums quietly, “Well… maybe we should see who is closer by.” He rolls back up his sleeve and whispers the seeking word, holding it out to see if it can sense any of his friends nearby.

The gem starts to glow, trails of blue-green magic--more blue than green--heading straight through the camp and over the curve of a hill.

"Ah, I think Jackie went in that direction," Henrik says. "Our Jackie I mean, I know you have a Jackie too." There are also fainter, barely-there lines of green magic tracing down the river. "And that is the way we came from," Henrik says. "Towards Suilthair, the capital."

Dr. J studies the magic and hums. “Well… Alt said blue is nearby- and green is farther away so… maybe we should head that way to see.”

"Yes, great idea." Henrik nods. "Vsevna, do you mind finding Chase and Jameson and telling them about what happened? I'll go with these two to search."

"You don't want anyone else to come?" Vsevna asks.

"I will be fine for a short walk," Henrik says.

"Alright, then. You all be careful. When you get back, I do not doubt those two will want to meet these two. Especially you." Vsevna looks at Dr. J. "I think Jameson would like to meet another him."

Dr. J smiles and laughs lightly, “I’m quite eager to meet him as well.”

Henny jumps a bit, excited to see more of their friends. “let us get going then!!” He looks about ready to run up the hill himself.

Henrik grins. It's strange seeing someone with his face so enthusiastic, but nice, in a way. "Okay, okay, let's go." He starts off after the magic. "Meet us back here!"

"You have it!" Vsevna agrees, and goes to look for Henrik's other two friends.

◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈

The fall is just as rough for Jackie, though he has a softer landing than the other two. Relatively speaking.

Jackie cries out as he hits the ground and rubs at his head, "Jesus fucking christ!" He curses, blinking the spots out of his eyes. The hell was all of that?! Alt didn't mention any of that! Fucking.... Marvin. This wasn't going to be relaxing at all was it?

He landed on grass-covered ground, near a copse of trees. There's maybe about seven or eight of them, nowhere near a big forest. Nearby there's an old stump, like one of the trees collapsed.

SHING! THUMP! A knife flies through the air and smacks against the stump, gouging a mark in the wood but not getting embedded in it. "Cadé aan saolile?! Hwaet!"

Jackie stiffens as he hears the knife fly and startles backwards in surprise, falling onto his back with a oof. Then he rolls to look at who yelled.

There's a man standing about thirty feet away, wearing a bright red cloak and a white mask shaped like a wolf. "Kárth inigh tu?! Ní fedire leata beitle like that! Didn't you see me?!" The translator spell kicks in mid-sentence.

Hey- that's a cool cloak! Jackie pushes himself up and wipes the grass off him before waving at the other man, "Uhhh h-hey there!"

"...wait a moment." The man looks him up and down, noticing his strange clothes. He pulls his mask off to reveal--Jackie's own face! Just with less stubble and longer hair. "You're not--are you--I'm so sorry about almost hitting you, by the way, I-I was practicing, I'm not very good at range--But--are you...?" He gives Jackie another look. "Those clothes. Like the other ones."

Jackie's eyes widen. Then, he grins, laughing a bit nervously. "Ah well... A-Alt told me to expect this so... not as weird as it could be." He walks closer, sticking his hands in his pockets casually. "Oh don't worry it's chill. S'hard to predict someone just- coming outta nowhere. I wouldn't have blamed ya if you had hit me!" He laughs. Then he offers his hand. "I'm Jackie... Jackie Mann. ...but that feels dumb to say now cuz- you're... me. Fantasy me... I mean- who else would you be, right? " He laughs more, a bit more nervously," and uh yeah! Alt and Bro wanted to bring us here to meet you so... hi? ha- ...im talking too much, fuck-"

Jackie--this other Jackie--laughs. "No, it's okay! I talk a lot, too. Nice to meet you, Jackie Mann. I'm Jackie, son of Fiona." He holds his hand out. The motion draws attention to the wealth of weapons on his person. A sword on his hip, a sword on his back, several sheathed knives across his chest--holy shit. It's all safely secured but that's a lot. "You all have unfortunate placing with this realm jumping of yours. Last time, Chase says that your Alt friend showed up as he was loosing an arrow."

Jackie Mann's eyes widen, "Holy fuck that's a lot of weapons..." He breathes out in surprise.

Other Jackie looks down at his chest. "I don't usually have the knives," he says, as if that is the only bit of weaponry his other version is reacting to.

But then Jackie Mann laughs and shakes his head, "Yeah uh- Alt warned us about how... mixed jumping is. Said it can be good or like- really bad luck. So... sounds about right." He then straightens a bit as he remembers how Alt and Bro looked right before they fell and he curses again, quickly looking around. "Ah fuck right! Speaking of Alt i... s-something happened to him and Chase- my Chase... Bro! I don't know what but... i know for sure that fucking bastard Mag is behind it." He looks back to Jackie with a bit of desperation, "I was willing to take this all slow but... n-now im really worried. Can you help me find them?"

Jackie’s eyes widen as the other him talks. "Ah! Right, yes, okay. Elders damn it, uh--" He turns around. "We'll talk as we go back to camp. That'll cut down on time. Is it just the three of you and that 'magician' guy? Because I have to say, you appeared at a bit of a difficult time. We're on the move right now. Trying to get back to the main base."

"No uh... Henny and Dr. J are here too... your Jameson and Henrik-" Jackieboy explains while looking to keep up with the Phantom Mask Jackie. He frowns at hearing this and looks around, "Damn... shitty timing for real... Bro was like- super excited for us to see the- the dragon thing! God.... nothing's ever that simple, huh?"

"Oh, um... yyyyea." Jackie winces. "Wyvernlair was discovered. We were chased out a couple weeks ago. So..." He laughs. "Nothing's ever that simple for sure. We have a new base at the Cliffs of Feall. It's on the south end of the mountains."

"Fuck man..." Jackie Mann sighs. "Well- I'll stick with you but... hopefully we can find the others soon..."

Jackie nods. "Hopefully. Last time both of them appeared in Wyvernlair so they shouldn't be too far away. Even if that Magnificent appeared farther--that's not a good sign--whoa, what?" He squints at the field ahead of them, dotted with slight hills. "Do you see that glowing? Is that a will o'the wisp? We should probably stay clear."

Jackie Mann nods along, trying to make sure he's listening. ...he took his ADHD meds today right? He then perks up as he hears the other him and sees the glowing, "Oh! That's the spell Alt set up for us to find each other! jesus how did i almost forget that??" He laughs and messes with his hair, "At least one of the others remembered...."

"Really? Oh, useful!" Jackie grins, speeding up a little. "I wonder if we can use something like that. Marvin used a tracking spell to find Chase and Jameson while in Suilthair, maybe there's a talisman that can do the same."

"I think that's what Alt made! If he's okay... I'm sure he'd love to show you guys how... He talked our ears off trying to explain it!" Jackie Mann laughs.

The two of them go over the top of the hill, and--

"Ah, Jackie!" Henrik waves. Dr. J and Henny are with him. "And another Jackie, I think?"

As they crest the hill, Jackie Mann relaxes at seeing his friends. "Hen! Jays!"

Dr. J also relaxes and waves, "oh good- Jackie's alright..."

"JACKIEEEE!!" Henny shouts and waves his hand wildly, "HALLO MEIN FRIEND!!!"

The two Jackie's reach the others and Jackie Mann laughs, "Jesus Hen- s'only been a few minutes! You're gonna wake up the whole shore!"

"Ah yes Henrik... maybe it's best to... try to keep it a bit quieter?" Dr. J suggests, warily looking around.

"Ah, actually, we are quite isolated right now," Henrik says. "And we have scouts out even farther who would alert us if anyone comes close. You'd know if someone was around who can hear us."

"Always better to be cautious, though." Jackie says that, but he's smiling and playing with the edge of his cloak. It's just so exciting to meet more people from this other world! Especially himself. "But, uh, I don't think anyone's sleeping right now so you're not going to 'wake up the whole shore'."

"That is true," Henrik says.

Dr. J sighs in relief and nods, “that’s good to know…”

Jackie Mann blushes a bit and rubs his head more, “That… makes sense. Dunno why I… said that… when it’s… day…”

"Now, brief introductions.” Henrik says, “Jackie, this is the other Jameson and the other me. And you two, this is Jackie. The Jackie from this world."

"This is going to get confusing fast," Jackie mutters. "It was bad enough with just Chase."

Dr. J laughs softly, “to avoid confusion you can call me JJ, or Jay. Doesn’t seem like you use the Dr. title much here.”

“Eh you’ll always be a Dr, to us, Doc,” Jackie Mann says with a grin.

“You can call me Henny! It is nickname that I like very much!” Henny says with bright enthusiasm.

“And uh… well my wife calls me Jackieboy. S’kinds long but… you all could call me that… to help.” He laughs again with a shrug. “Even if we haven’t been to as many worlds as Alt and Ch-Bro… we get how confusing it can get.”

Jackie nods. "Got it. Under lock up here." He taps the side of his head.

Henrik smiles. "I am a doctor, actually. But you are right. It is not usually a, ah... title.”

Dr. J laughs quietly and nods, “Ah right. Forgive me, Dr.”

“Oh! And did they get home alright after they left here?" Henrik continues.

"Of course they did, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to tell their friends about us," Jackie points out.

"...right." Henrik winces. "I'm sorry. I am still..."

Jackie pats him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Schneep. We get it."

JJ then tilts his head at Henrik as he winces, curiosity in his expression.

Henrik nods. "Alright. Jackies, I told Vsevna to get Chase and Jameson to meet us at the shore. We have to talk about things."

"Ah, you're involving him, are you?" Jackie says, grinning. "Glad to see it."

"Shut up. He was there when these two appeared. I-it's practical."

"But you would tell him anyway."

"...yes." Henrik nods. "He was so disappointed to hear that he missed the last two's visit. He loves new places, you know this."

Jackie laughs. "Yea, I do." He becomes serious for a moment. "The things we have to talk about involve those other two, doesn't it? Jackieboy told me that something happened."

"Yes, it does." Henrik nods.

"Well, you three wait to give us all the details until we find Chase and Jameson," Jackie says, starting back towards camp.

Jackieboy looks between Jackie and Henrik and smirks, going to change the subject until they get to camp, “mmm? I’m sensing something here… with this Vsevna guy?”

“Oh yes, other me and him were very friendly on the boat!” Henny points out.

“Yo you guys landed on a boat?! That’s fucking sick!”

Dr. J smiles as he watches Henny and Jackieboy talk. He sticks close to the thems from this world, still anxiously glancing around them. He plays with the chain of his pocket watch as they all follow them down to camp.

"They're courting each other," Jackie immediately says.

"Jackie!" Henrik shoves him--which honestly doesn't move the other man that much. "I-it is a recent... development."

"Aaaand they both had feelings for each other foreeeeever," Jackie continues teasingly.

"I will shove a smoke potion down your throat."

"Nooo that's probably poisonous!"

Jackieboy grins, “I knew it! Alt’s the same way about Oliver.”

“As if you’re not completely love sick every time Zara comes home.” Dr. J comments.

“Hey! That’s my wife! I’m allowed to be love sick about her!” Jackieboy replies.

The banter continues as they go down into camp. With the appearance of a new stranger in different clothes, the glances resume, but no one says anything as the group continues towards the shore of the river.

Vsevna waits there, as well as three others. The Swaps don't know them, but they can figure out who they are. Chase has his bow and quiver close by, the deer mask on his belt (with the antlers pointing down to stop them from poking his stomach.) Jameson is fidgeting with a bandage around his arm, the rabbit mask around his neck. And the third man runs right up to the group. "Hey! What gives?! You send your partner to find those two but not me?!"

"Ah... hi, Marvin," Henrik says awkwardly. "I-I was... I thought you would still be busy."

"No, but if I was, I would still want to know about this! Fuck!" Marvin sighs. "It's alright," he says in a softer voice. "I understand." His cat mask is pushed back onto his head. An actual cat walks from his side up to the newcomers, sniffing them.

The swaps blink at the sight of the others. And Jackie actually seems a bit startled to see Marvin run up to the group. Ah… weird seeing Marvin’s face… not corrupted now. It makes his stomach churn.

Henny looks excited to see everyone, “oh wows! Other Juwel and Chase! So good to be meetings you!!” Then he gasps in delight at seeing the cat and bends down to let him sniff him, “Oh mein god! Tiny Kätzchen! Oh you are so pretty Hallo!!”

Marvin laughs. "That's Draco. He's my familiar." Draco sniffs Henny's hand and then shoves his face into it, practically forcing him to pet him.

“Hallo Draco!! You are very very pretty!!” Henny coos, giving Draco all the best pets. He’s so tiny compared to Sahne though so he’s trying to be gentle.

"So good to meet you guys too." Chase smiles. There's a strange tiredness to it, but it's no less warm.

Jackie lifts a hand to wave at the others, “uh… sup?”

Chase blinks "Um... 'soup' to you too."

Jackie bursts into laughter at Chase saying soup. “Hahaha! I guess I need to chill with the… words I use huh?”

“That’s gonna be so hard for you,” Dr. J lightly teases. He nods politely to everyone. “Pleasant to meet you all… you can call me Jj or Jay. To hopefully avoid confusion… and call our Jackie, Jackieboy and our Henrik, Henny.” He gestures to the others as he introduces them.

Jameson looks at his other self and gives a small smile. Pleasure to meet you, he signs.

"Oh, wait." Marvin grabs his amulet. It starts to glow white, and he pulls some of the light away. He gently throws it at Jameson, and it swirls around him for a moment before dissipating. "Try again." Jameson nods. It's nice to meet you, he signs, and small transcriptions appear to each of the newcomers. They're not really there, just in their minds, like a personal set of subtitles.

Dr. J and Jackieboy blink at the strange hand signs- then look fascinated at the subtitles.

Jackieboy grins, “Damn… where was that spell when I was learning sign for Henny?” He laughs.

“We both didn’t know magic existed then,” Dr. J replies.

Jackie rubs the back of his head, “ahh… maybe for you-“

Henny looks up and sees the subtitles and his eyes sparkle. “Oh!! How cool!! Hallo other Juwel!!”

Dr. J sighs, “I hate to ruin the mood but.. I’m afraid we don’t come with… the best news.”

Everyone becomes serious once more as Dr. J mentions having bad news. "Yes, it's that other villain of yours, da?" Vsevna says.

"Magnificent," Marvin says darkly. "Bastard."

"They also mentioned something about... something happening to Chase and Alt?" Jackie recalls.

Chase's expression flashes to worry. "Go on."

When the tone shifts Henny gets to his feet and stands by his friends, nervously fiddling with his watch.

Dr. J sighs but nods, “We’re not sure in what state they could be in… all we know is… M-Magnificent,” he shudders as he says his name, “Managed to grab Alt and the device we used to get here right as he was using it to come here. And whatever magic he used… it… it hurt them somehow.”

“They were screaming,” Jackieboy says, holding his arms, “It was awful… everything around us started to… to break. Like glass.”

Henny looks nervous, “But um… we have our bracelets so… maybe we can try to find them before Magnificent does…! We have to hope, ja?”

The guys all look very concerned when JJ reports what happened.

Jameson and Chase catch his reaction to Magnificent as well, and exchange sympathetic glances. “There’s always hope,” Jackie says. “How do the talismans work?”

“They used one earlier,” Henrik recalls. “There were two faint trails pointing that way.” And he points down the river.

Jameson winces. Back towards the city?

“I thought we agreed that staying there was bad,” Chase mutters. “That spirit is going to be waiting for us. And we already have a, uh, quest.”

“It’s not a time sensitive one,” Marvin points out. “At least, Sam didn’t give me the impression it was.”

“You all know you’re probably confusing the strangers,” Vsevna says, folding his arms.

“To be fair- all of this is confusing…” Jackieboy sighs, “We thought by now… alt and bro would have found us. Cuz you know- Alt can glitch and Bro can fly…”

Dr. J nods, “The first trail we used led us to Jackie… so Alt and Bro must be the other way, down the river. Didn’t you all say that was the capital? S..Suilthair, I think you said.”

Henny fiddles more with his watch, looking nervous. “Oh… what if something did happen to them?! Is this city… dangerous?”

Henrik laughs. Then covers his mouth. “I’m sorry, that is not funny, I don’t know why I laughed.”

“Suilthair is where the King lives,” Chase explains. “It’s his home. Which… I’m going to assume your friends told you how bad he is, but it’s worse than we thought two seasons ago. It turns out the King is possessed. Do you… have possessive spirits where you’re from?”

“They’re very rare even here,” Marvin adds.

“Yes.” Chase nods. “A-and the one controlling the King is very powerful.” He laughs darkly. “Turns out, I was communicating with the real King all this time. Through… magic dreams. That sounds ridiculous, I know, but it’s true. Do you guys know someone named Jack in your world? Or Aodhan, that’s his given name. They’re both very common names so maybe that doesn’t help… anyway I’m talking too much. Sorry. The point is, King Aodhan has been possessed for about seven years now and the spirit is the one doing terrible things.” He pauses. “Sorry. That’s a lot to just drop at your feet. But it’s been a while since your friends visited. A lot has happened.”

All the swaps eyes widen.

“…yeah they told us about the king but… d-damn… that’s… insane.” Jackieboy mutters. He’s dealt with possession but… not by any evil spirits.

Dr. J looks disturbed, grabbing his watch for comfort. “7 years… I-imagine being trapped in your own mind for so long…”

“But Alt said he… he scared the King off last time! With his ah- lightning Phoenix thing! Surely… he would not go after them again… right?” Henny adds with worry.

“…but Magnificent would…” Jackieboy mumbles bitterly.

“Oh yeah, that thunderbird thing he did!” Jackie gasps. “Elders. Yea, if I was a possessive spirit I wouldn’t want to mess with that.”

“Yeah…” Chase nods, a bit distractedly. He’s thinking about what JJ said, about being trapped in your own mind for so long. He has to find some way to help Jack, he really does.

“I’m guessing Magnificent doesn’t have a helpful tracking bracelet,” Marvin drawls. “So we can’t know what he’s doing. It’s possible that he’s with them.”

"God i really really hope not..." Jackieboy mutters, gripping at his arm, "Poor Alt is always being targeted by that maniac... but... I dunno. He can't seem to keep Chase down for too long! So... maybe it'll be okay?" He doesn't look too sure.

That settles it, we must go back, Jameson says.

“Are you sure, Jair?” Marvin asks gently.

Jameson nods. You all came back for us. We need to go back for them.

“If that is our plan, I will get some of the crew to ready sail,” Vsevna says. “Everyone else must finish packing up. Don’t worry about leaving tents behind, we have extras and we can stay on the boat at night if needed.” And with that, he heads off. Henrik glances at the others before following him. The group can vaguely hear him asking Vsevna about what a ‘fee-niks’ is.

Dr. J watches Vsevna rush off and looks back at the others, "...how far away is the capital from here?"

Not far enough, Jameson comments. We sailed all of the previous day to get here.

“So about eight to ten hours by boat,” Jackie sums up. “On foot it’s quite a bit longer. Hence, boat.”

“I can help a bit with my doorways,” Marvin offers.

“You spent so much magic yesterday, though,” Chase says.

“I know my limits. And if we want a small group to cut away some distance, I can help.”

“We’ll keep that in mind, but for now let’s stick with boat travel,” Jackie says.

Dr. J nods and holds his arms, suppressing a shiver. He should have brought more layers… he thought they’d all be more prepared. Then again… none of them were expecting this to happen. “Alright that’s… not ideal. But not terrible either.”

“Yeah Alt said it was a lot of travel last time too- at least for him and Bro, who are massive cheaters.” Jackieboy tries to laugh, “They don’t gotta walk around like us normal guys.”

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Henny asks timidly. “We do not want to be such a burden… or cause you all to use too much magics or energy!”

Chase smiles. "Don't worry too much about it. Maybe just help us pack up some of this stuff. And tell us more about how things are in your other world. If there's anything you guys can think of that would be helpful, it'd be great to know."

"Do you guys have a way to speed up time to make us go faster?" Marvin says jokingly.

Dr. J and Henny exchange glances, Henny fiddling more with his watch. “Well… I ah… do have… time magics… I have not tried to speed up time before though… do you think I could, Juwel?”

Dr. J rubs his arms and shakes his head, “Ummm I don’t know if now is the best time to experiment Henrik…”

“Other things hm…” Jackie thinks, “um… nothing of note I don’t think. Things have been kinda… tame since Alt and Bro got back from their first trip with the TRVLR… even mag has kinda left us alone. Alt’s mostly just been trying to get better at his magic…” He sighs and shakes his head, “It’s times like this I wish I had some kind of magic… if we could just… see if they’re okay… maybe we wouldn’t need to worry so much… but- can’t FaceTime in a place with no wifi-“

“Jackie… so many of those words are going to confuse them,” Dr. J sighs.

“I understand them now!” Henny says brightly, “It would be useful to use our handys-“

“Henny I’m begging you not to call it-“ Dr. J starts to say as Jackie holds back a snicker.

“No please keep calling it that dude, god I love it so much!” Jackieboy giggles.

“You are such a child,” Dr. J shakes his head, but he does smile a bit.

Honestly, it seems like the rest of the group stops listening the moment Henny says he has time magics. They all stare at the group with expressions caught between shock and blankness.

"Did you... just imply... that your magic controls time?" Jackie says haltingly.

"To borrow a phrase I heard your friends use," Marvin says. "What. The actual. Fuck."

The swaps blink and then look at each other. Henny laughs nervously, “oh yes ah… I forget that… that is unusual.”

“It’s really cool!” Jackieboy grins proudly. “Henny once used it to save Bro from Mag!”

Henny blushes, fiddling with his watch. “Um… I could… try to… demonstrate?” He asks timidly, not really meeting the Phantoms’ eyes. “I am… still trying to… figure it out but… it is not… magics I was born with. I use this.” He holds up his watch, and the clock’s face glows teal as his eyes do too.

Henrik returns at that very moment. “Why are you all standing here still?”

“Your other self can control time,” Chase states.

Henrik blinks. “What?” Then when Henny takes his watch out he gasps and leans close. “Oooo! What an interesting device! I hear they are making things like those back in my home of Alterde. But without the magic, I mean. Where did you find this?”

Henny smiles and looks at Dr. J, “Well… Juwel collects these watches… and he just so happened to give me this one. But it is.. from our past. And It just… came to life with magic one day.”

Dr. J chuckles, “I still think part of it is you, Henrik. The watch never showed any kind of magic for me or my step father. But… Alt is far more knowledgeable about that than me.”

“I mean- from what I know… s’not unheard of for someone with magic to like- need something to make it stronger. Like… needing crutches!” Jackieboy comments.

Henny blushes more.

Jackieboy nudges him a bit. “C’mon bro! Show it off! You’re not usually this shy!”

Henny looks away and mumbles, “ah… we are making it seem more… fantastical than it actually is…”

"Fantastical?! I don't know what it's like where you're from, but controlling time itself is fantasy here!" Marvin says. "Do you know how many theories I've read of wizards and oracles and sometimes sorcerers trying to do that and failing?! Time is just--time is as controllable as the Wyldlands are! Trust us, anything you can do will be amazing."

"And everyone here has their share of abilities, too," Henrik says. "If you ware worried about standing out. People may be confused but they are very accepting o-of the strange here."

"Oh! After this, we need to get you guys some new clothes," Jackie says. "We have some spares in storage, everyone will have to lend stuff. I mean, if you all want."

Henny blushes more and fiddles with the dial.

Dr. J perks up at the mention of clothes, “Oh that would be… much appreciated. I didn't account for the chill here…”

“Well i feel fine-“ Jackieboy shrugs.

“How you don’t constantly burn up in that jacket is beyond me,” Jj mutters.

“Before that though! Let Henny show you!! C’mere Schneep i got an idea!” Jackieboy pulls the taller swap down to him and signs something to him in BSL.

Henny’s eyes light up and he giggles, looking kind of excited. “Oh… that could be funny!” He looks back at the others and grins as his eyes light up teal.

To everyone else- it seems like nothing has changed. But to Henny, he paused time for just a few minutes and has gone around and switched the others’ masks around, so everyone is not wearing their own. He then stands behind them and restarts time and sharply whistles to get them to turn around. To the fantasy boys, It looks like Henny in a blink of an eye had just appeared behind them!

The guys are left staring at the spot where Henny was. Jackie turns around immediately in surprise, followed by Chase. Henrik, Marvin, and Jameson need to take a moment to process what just happened. Then Jameson laughs--an odd voiceless breathing--and that queues Jackie and Chase to start laughing, too. Henrik and Marvin look more confused and intrigued than anything.

"Wait a moment!" Marvin reaches up and feels his mask. Why does it have antlers? "Wait a--wait a moment!"

"Elders, you're wearing mine!" Chase laughs. He grabs the mask on his belt, finding a rabbit instead of a deer. "Whoa! Hey! Did you just--"

"Amazing!" Henrik gasps, taking off Jackie's mask.

"How did you notice that your own mask was different before you noticed anyone else's?" Jackie asks Marvin.

"You didn't notice, either. Now give me my mask back."

They all swap their masks around again.

That is incredible! Jameson says, grinning.

Henny giggles and looks at them proudly, “He he… it was nothing… but it was fun to see your reactions!”

Jackieboy whoops and jumps up, “Yeah!! That turned out amazing! Just like something in a comic book!”

“Of course you got the idea from there,” Dr. J laughs.

Henny looks down at his watch and smiles, “as far as I know… I can stop time… and then I can go back… but not too far back. The farther I do… the more it drains me.”

“Yeah! When he saved Bro apparently he went back a whole day!! And then he was out cold for like 3!” Jackieboy exclaims.

Henny nods, “And uh… oh! I can make things do the… the floating! And stop certain things- like it is ummm frozen!”

"That is so, um, 'cool!'" Chase says. "Did I--did I use the word right?"

"Sounds right to me," Jackie says cheerfully.

Jackie laughs and nods, “Yeah you guys got it!”

"That is--that's--" Marvin laughs. He's bouncing a little. "That is--wow. That's--" He laughs again.

Henrik grins. "It has been a while since I saw you so excited Marvin. So, ah, 'giddy.'"

"I-I like magic!" Marvin grabs his amulet again, holding it in his fist and shaking it--that's not him using his own magic, that's just him being excited. The amulet is very shakeable. "Going back into the past? That's--I mean, of course it would use a lot of energy, all magic uses energy. But still! That's--Elders and Sisters, that's--that's great."

Jameson laughs that silent laugh again. I know what you mean. Being able to change the present is incredible. Anyone can change the future with the right actions, but... well, I suppose the present was once the future. He looks thoughtful.

"Okay, okay." Jackie shakes himself. "We have to focus. That was--that was very 'cool,' but we have stuff to do. Um, how about I show you guys the tent where we've been storing our clothes? Everyone brought their own but we put all the bags in one tent.”

“Can’t believe we taught people from the past how to use the word ‘cool’…” Jackieboy grins mischievously, “Ohhh the power we could holddd!” He jokes in a weird deep voice.

Dr. J rolls his eyes and baps Jackie on the head. “No no- stop that.”

Henny laughs, “Yes yes we can do that! Please do the leading for us!”

"Great!" Jackie grins. "It's right this way." He starts to turn around, then looks back at the others. "And the rest of you?"

"We'll start packing our stuff," Chase says.

Henrik nods. "Yes. And then we should start to help load it."

"Wait, if everyone brought their own clothes, whose clothes are they going to wear?" Marvin asks.

"I mean, I was going to let them wear mine if they wanted," Jackie says.

“Oh! It is like getting hand me downs from mein brothers!” Henny says excitedly.

“You get so excited about the simplest things, Hen,” Jackieboy laughs.

And if they don't fit, feel free to look through mine, Jameson adds. In fact, I'll go with you to point them out. He pauses. And I'll also point out that we're not REALLY from 'the past', it's just that your world is a bit ahead of ours in terms of tools and such.

Dr. J smiles at his other self and nods, “Excellent point! I think Jackie just wishes this was our past-“ He chuckles.

"Ah, you say 'garden' I say 'garden'," Jackie says dismissively. The phrase doesn't really make sense to the Swaps. Clearly this saying doesn't translate well. "Let's go, guys. It's just this way." And he starts walking again.The swaps follow after Jackie.

Jameson starts to follow Jackie and the visitors, but Chase pulls him back for a moment. "Do you... think Alt and other-Chase are okay?" he asks quietly.

I don't know, Jameson says. I can't look into their futures at will. But... they were quite tough. Even if things aren't good right now, I'm sure they will be.

Chase nods slowly. "Okay. You're right." He lets go. "Go on, then." Jameson smiles a little.

We'll be sure to hurry, he says, and follows.

◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈

It took a couple hours for the King to gather some of his special forces, appoint a regent (a blonde woman who Magnificent could sense strong magic from), and commandeer the city's ferry to get everyone to the lake shore. Unfortunately, they could not commandeer a boat to sail down the river. Aneirin explained that he'd tried to keep boats limited to prevent too many people from leaving the city without his knowing. But that decision was coming back to bite them now, which he cursed. They would have to proceed along the bank of the Muinra Avon on foot and horseback--since horses were easy to acquire from the stable attached to the ferry docks. Now they were off. The Green Lake--with Suilthair in the center--is shrinking into the distance.

Magnificent didn’t mind…well once the King allowed him to be on one of the horses. Even if it was… embarrassing to have to be lead by the hero. But- horse lessons weren’t really something he got to learn. It was annoying to not have a direct line to the rebels… One thing he didn’t like about this world was the need for traditional traveling. But, the magic thick air more than made up for that. He breathed in and felt the magic flowing strongly in his veins. A very valuable resource for making sure the Brodys stayed under. Magnificent watched with a smug smile as he sees Alt travel in front of them on foot, using the tracking bracelet to keep them on the right path. Seeing his cub so loyal was such a sight to see…

The King glances over at Magnificent from his own horse--tall and with a jet black coat. "Enjoying yourself?" he says, a small smile on his face. "I'll guess this is very... satisfying for you." He nods at Bro and Alt.

Magnificent blinks and then grins wide, “Oh yes… very much so~!” He giggles. He glances back at Alt and hums. “I’ve had Alt under my thrall many times before… even made him my pet. So… I do enjoy seeing him caught in my power~!” He then glances at Bro and his eyes flash, watching him stoically follow after Alt, now dressed in a warrior’s outfit too. “But… it is so rare to get the annoying hero too! So I can’t wait to see how this plays out~ to see the hope drain from all those other pathetic puppets eyes!” He giggles madly, leaning against his horse’s head.

The King grins. "There is a sort of... vicious delight in finally getting what you've always wanted from them." Aneirin looks down at his hands--Aodhan's hands--and tightens his grip on the reins. "Personally, I can't wait to see that look in those rebels' eyes. Fools trying to undo what can't be undone. They'll see what they get."

Magnificent shares Aneirin's grin, "Exactly~!"

Alt is walking a bit farther ahead than the horses. As such, he has an unobstructed view of the sky. There's a bird up there. A small bird, its wingspan about fifteen inches long. It has brown feathers, a V-shaped tail, and wings that sort of look like a boomerang. Has it... been there for a while? Wait a second, is it circling them?

Alt pauses a bit in his walking and takes notice of the sky. As he registers the way he has seen this bird circling, his eyes narrow. He then pulls out his bow and nocks an arrow, lighting the end with some lightning. He aims to shoot it down.

The arrow goes a bit too wide. Which is understandable, this is a small bird that is flying very fast.

The King's head snaps towards Alt. "A klaíoh, why did you shoot?" He calls. Then he looks up into the sky and sees the bird. "Because of that? That's just a swift, they're common in this area. They are not messenger birds, if that's what you were concerned about."

Alt startles at the King's voice and then looks back towards him and bows slightly, "Ah... sorry, mu Ríth. I thought it... could have been one of the Rebel's birds..." He looks embarrassed now and apologetically looks away. "I-I'll stay more focused... Apologizes."

The King narrows his eyes slightly, then nods. "Your intentions were just. But in the future, bring it to our attention before taking action. We don't want to waste arrows."

"Of course, mu Ríth..." Alt mumbles quietly.

As Alt looks away, and as the King is too busy reproaching him, the swift in the sky does something... strange. There's a flash of light, and it suddenly jumps ahead in position. The jump is accompanied by a snap, a snap that... for some reason, brings lightning to mind. And then it turns and flies away. Like any other bird would. Maybe that weird jump was just his imagination.

Alt sees the swift seem to jump and his eyes widen slightly, staring after the bird. Magnificent watches with mild fascination, his eyes narrowing as he sees the swift jump. Strange...

Bro keeps leading them to go forward, not really paying attention to anything but the path.

"Very good." The King nods, turning his attention back to the river beside them. The rebels had a boat... they're probably still using that boat now. They should be prepared to board. Meaning he should save his power. But these enchantment powers cost very little. He experimentally reaches out mentally, but still finds no human minds within range. And they probably won't for a while. "If the rebels made camp at night, they could be twelve hours away by now," he mutters. "We need to prepare for long travels."

Alt gets snapped out of watching the swift and starts a little before getting back on track following the spell. "Y-Yes, your majesty."

"We won't rest until we find them, mu Ríth." Bro answers dazedly but with determination.

Magnificent frowns then nods, leaning on his horse more to watch the landscape.

This was going to be slow going for a bit... but it would be worth the wait.

#long live the king #LLTK #time for all the other swaps to enter the scene!#this rp was fun cuz it like really forced me to figure out the rest of the swap dynamics outside of bro and alt #and these three really do have a great dynamic!#i love making JB and Dr. J act like they are still college friends and J is just sick of Jackie's bs but he loves him hGJB #and Henny is just like an excited child they need a leash for GJBHKJ

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