Shield & Sword! Worlds Apart, Yet Just The Same? [Invite]

At long last, the sword and shield were able to get some rest. It had been a day since the incident in Satan City with the specter, Greeve, and Chai wanted nothing more than to rest, for once. Training was no longer a priority. He just wanted to sleep, and never wake up... Did goats hibernate? Probably not, but Chai certainly wanted to now. The cottage he and Guardia lived inside hunkered low in the woods like a child in the elements trying to keep warm. Yet it looked alive and welcoming with a thin silver trail curling from the crooked stone chimney. The sides were coated in shining wooden planks, and the roof was a darker slate. From the outside it didn’t look like much more than a shed but the space was adequate enough to shelter a man and a small family. It had a slate roof patched so many times that it was hard to tell the original work from the repairs. The stone fireplace, the center piece of the cottage would serve other duties as well for it would provide a place to cook the meals and more than enough heat during the cold night. Many windows laced the square cabin. A fan was strung to the top, while a sliding window door provided entry into the building from the side, as an alternative route. Chai's abode was the first room to be seen through the side door.

The sun glimmered outside, making the nearby river twinkle like the night sky. Chai had force himself out of bed to go check on his partner, Guardia. The sword was currently backstroking through their pool in back, though he sometimes made use of the slide and diving board as well. It was best to leave him be for now. Currently sitting on a bench near the outskirts of their home, the goat stared at his tired reflection in the river, running a hand down his face. He wanted to sleep, but the goat found himself barely getting a wink of shut-eye during the dark night after their ghostly escapades... There was too much on his mind, simply.

Thankfully, a strange voice echoing in the depths of his mind snapped the goat out of his train of thought-- it was Azguard! There was only one person besides Guardia that called him a ninja edgelord... The term oddly made the goats chuckle, a smile brought to his tired face. But what could bring the little blob all the way out here...? Oh. Right. He told Azguard to come here, so he could tell him about his universe... That wasn't something the goat wanted to do now, but he did make a promise. Standing up, Chai quickly took to the skies and homed in on Azguard's energy signature, which was just a little ways away on the other side of the river, which lead to a pond. Manevering through the tall stalks of bamboo, Chai would once again hear the voice ring, proclaiming it's presence.

"Azguard!" Chai called from the skies, slwoing his descent. His bare feet touched the surface of the pond beside the little medic, causing some small fish in the pond to scatter like mice. The one-eyed zoan smiled as he recalled his brief meeting with Azguard during their "struggle" with Greeve. Kneeling down to the blob's level, the goat would speak again. "Nice to see you again. I presume you came for me to, well..." He trailed off, glancing to the side while biting his lip. After a brief shake of his head, the zoan continued. "I'll get into the details later. My place is just a little north of here." He spoke, pointing a finger to the trail of smoke rising a ways behind them. Hovering back into the air, the goat would close his eyes as he turned around, about to take off in the direction of his home. "Just... Do not tell anyone the things I am about to disclose under any circumstance. Do you understand?" Chai spoke, a solemn seriousness eclipsing his once chipper tone.

With Azguard sealing the promise to not tell anyone of Chai's story, the goat would nod with a sigh of relief and escort the blob to his abode. Guardia was quick to catch eye of the flying zoan and the blob, his eye widening in realization. They had promised to tell Azguard of their otherworldly tale, after all. 'Hey! Hey Azguard!' The inanimate being chimed when Chai and Azgaurd landed beside their home. 'Long time no see, amigo!' The sword chimed, orbiting the two before touching down near Chai.

Chai smiled in response to his sword, although they saw the blob only yesterday. The cheery weapon bounced up and down while Chai spoke once more in response to Azguard's comment about their home. "Well, you're welcome here any day if you would like. My doors are always open." The goat spoke, cheeriness returning to his voice. His expression shifted to a frown once more when Azguard brought up Chai's own promise- to tell him about his world. "Ah, right. That." Chai remarked, walking inside and gesturing for the blob to follow.

The goat stretched, taking off his cloak and hanging it on a coat rack, along with his bandanna. Guardia flew inside, landing on a tiny hammock hung above Chai's own bed. The goat took a seat at the central table, turning his eyes to Azguard once more. "Well, let's get the big bomb dropped first, I suppose." He spoke, taking a deep breath in and scanning the area with his ki sense- just to double check that there weren't any malevolent energies around. Once confirming that they were indeed alone, the goat dropped the first truth bomb.

"Me and Guardia, well... We're from another universe, parallel to this world." The goat spoke, leaving a moment of silence for Azgaurd to react before continuing. "My world has it's own Earth, alike to this one, but... different." Chai spoke, having a hard time articulating his thoughts. Guardia was quick to clear up the concept of alternate realities in a nutshell. 'Other universes are just like different timelines. Different stories in the same setting and characters.' The sword explained with a closed eye, peering down from his hammock. "My world... it's not this pleasant. A malevolent Earth managed to take over the whole galaxy, leaving only dying remnants of rebellions like the one I led to fight back."

"There was... lots of death wrought upon us rebels. Many people I know and love here are still alive. And people who wrought so much destruction and grief in my world are kind and warm here." Chai spoke, recalling how he met Collan, and then had a defying encounter with this world's own Bing. Sighing, the goat concluded. "It's... strange, I know. Feel free to ask me any questions, and I'll answer to the best of my abilities."

"I-it's fine. Really." Chai began when Azguard began to apologize for not being able to help. "...I'll fix it all someday. I just need to get stronger, and find a way to return home first." The goat explained with a sigh, the thought of what would happen to his friends in this world when the day when he left forever arrived. "...But when I do bid farewell to you all, I know I can trust you and everyone else to keep this realm safe and sound." Chai spoke with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. He wasn't sure how long he would be in this universe. Months, years, decades even. But one day- one day, he would have to leave everyone. "But that won't be for awhile. I have a loooong way to go still!" Chai remarked in a chipper tune with a smile, trying to shake of his own fears and doubts about his departure. 

Then came the blob's first question. Was there an Azguard in Chai's universe? It seemed like a very important question, judging by the medic's tone. Chai remained silent for a moment, tapping a finger against his chin. "...I'm sure there's a version of you somewhere in my world. But... I never had the chance to meet your parallel self." The goat spoke with a sigh. He recalled seeing a few black blobs looking a lot like Azguard during one stealth raid on Capsule Corp where he met Guardia, but they weren't THIS Azguard. Guardia also shook his form like a head, confirming he had neither seen nor heard of Azguard during his year of eavesdropping in the Capsule Corp storage closet.

A cheery chirp returned to Azguard's tune when it brought up it's next question. Could Chai sense ki? "You bet! It's a simple technique at it's core." He spoke, leaning back against his chair, folding his arms behind his head with a wide yawn. "I can't put numbers on someone's power or sense androids like a Scouter can, but it's useful." The goat spoke, tapping the side of his head. "It's just one big mind trick." Chai spoke, trying to explain the concept of sensing ki. It was hard for Chai to get the grasp of at first, but with countless sessions of meditation and reflection, the goat warrior got the grip of it.

Chai's eyes would momentarily widen, his expression shrinking to a shocked frown at the blob's final comment. "...Thank you. Really." Chai spoke with a genuine smile for once. Guardia's expression rose as well, his eye sparkling in response to Azguard's determination to keep the peace in this realm.

After a brief moment of focus, it seemed Azguard wasn't able to pick up the Ki Sense technique. "I could perhaps better teach you when you're ready." The goat offered. "It's hard to get the hang of, yes, but once you do, it's like riding a bike- You never forget." Chai explained, leaning back against his chair. Learning how to sense ki was infuriatuing for a younger Chai at first. But, it was extremely satisfying and equally terrifying when he learned how to. Being able to feel the raw power and difference of his own strength versus some of the key players of his world, and this one, was unnerving. Chai had a very long way to go before he could even think about returning home and saving his world.

Azguard's next question was a fairly simple one as well- Chai was expecting... heavier questions about his origins, to be honest. How did he come here? Who was responsible for taking over his universe? What about his missing eye? Were there more like Chai? But, Chai wasn't complaining. The easier to explain, the better. As for the other planets of this world, the blob would be met with a nod from the goat. "Yes. There are many populated planets in this galaxy, if it's anything like my own." The zoanthrope began, starting to list of planets, raising one of his furry fingers for each one listed off. "There's Planet Vegeta, a rough red planet housing warrior races like the saiyans. It's not a peaceful place, but it's a go-to planet for harsher training." Chai spoke. It was a shame that his world's Vegeta was ruined by the special forces- he could have used it to better train. If the Solar Empire was still a thing, perhaps they could have aided the Crimson Strikers as well. But that was enough dwelling on the irreversible past. 

"I also recall Namek, the home of the Namekians. They operate on a much more tribal caste system. Warrior clans are, well, warriors. The Mazoku are... kind of evil and have control over the planet now from what I understand." Chai explained, remembering this "Xylo" figure Vi-Poi had told him about. The Mazoku had took over the planet, and was now a galactic threat. But, there was one thing about the green world that Chai thought Azguard might find interesting. "Then there's the Dragon Caste, who have powerful magical abilities, like the gift of healing." The goatman spoke with a smile, recalling Azguard's duty as a medic. Still, there were a few more planets that needed to be listed off. "There's also Arcose, the Arcosians' home base, Beppa, the Brenchian Gemini, Kabocha, Shikk, Konats, Kanassa, and many more out there."