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The Catacombs of Paris, subterranean tunnels that have existed below the city since the times of the Roman Empire. The beings from other worlds found it as a refuse from the humans of this world. One such being found the skull line tunnels to be like being back home. An underground network was created a underground crime ring literally. The leader of the group found as many off worlders as she could find while remaining undetected from the many groups of humans that hunted and kill their kind. The group dealt in drugs, gambling, brothels and smuggling. They do what they need to survive and gathering as many items they could get their hands on to one day find a way to open a portal to other worlds.
"Spookhouse is really making headlines," Spittor said as he reads the paper. He's a transformed velociraptor by a interdimensional criminal named Argor Zardok. He found himself on this world years ago, and managed to run into his new boss. He being the brains of his old gang managed to maintain his weapon, a tank on his back with various liquids released from nozzles on his hands, tail and mouth.
"They have already managed to gather some impressive number of off-worlders," a woman with cat like features name Polly said. She is a Thundercat who found herself on this world. She like Spittor sat at the big table with the other inner members of the crime ring. All five members are off-worlders with human underlings working for them.
"Well seeing that they're not killing people like us left and right it's no wonder they're growing so big," Bella a perfectly normal woman but for the fact she has a long monkey tail that she can use as a third arm. Her feet also can be used as hands.
"Don't get your hopes up. Been living on this world for a long time now. It's never that easy," Yehama said. He's a 10 foot tall half dragon and half human hybrid. He tells that he was a great dragon coming from the world of their boss. But ending up in this world he was transform into a weak form that is half human. He's still strong and his scales are strong as steel but it only covers his extremities. His stomach, underarms, and face are all much softer and thus vulnerable to attack. He still has his wings and can breath fire but with the humans with inventing guns, he knows he has to be careful.
"These Americans are becoming powerful thanks to working with off-worlders. Which is why the other humans are now trying to lure in other off worlders to come and work for them and teach them what they know. And they’re getting people who still have powers in this world," Lolth former goddess of the Drow said sitting in the big chair. She wore half a mask on her face covering the bandaged part of her head. Like Yehama she too lost almost all of her powers, only thing she has left besides her mind is a limited telepathic ability that allows her to charm those of weak minds and makes them want to follow her. It doesn't work on everyone as her inner circle aren't effected by it, along with some humans and those who are aware of what she's doing to them. She has been living in this world for 4 centuries now. Which worries her, for while she is now a drow in body and they can live for centuries they will feel the effects of old age and death. And in this world where magic and other powers can't work she has no idea how long she has to live.
She also learned that how she acted and did her business while in her world doesn't work well or at all in this one. Just because she's a goddess doesn't mean she's qualified in doing task she had easily done while having her power. And that the first gang she had created after seeing the horrific acts she's willing to do to both her foes and her own people. Deserted not wanting to follow someone like her, and the rest turn on her forcing her to flee. She then tried to set up a cult to create drows out of humans. Which the cult collapses on itself very quickly as unlike before without her powers she couldn't control them and her cult were killed by the hunters when they came for her. Forcing her to once again flee. Learning for her mistakes she is no long an axe crazy crime boss as she learn that her minions would always turn on her as soon as they get a better offer and are no longer afraid of her. (1)
"Should we join them?" Polly ask. "We're down to five now after those Templars raided the safehouse.”
"We are just getting by with what we manage to find that works on this world. But now with the humans now paying for off world objects they're not destroying them anymore. Sooner or later they will find something that will make it very easy for them to handle people like us if not already. There are already robots and energy weapons showing up," Spittor said.
"I'm sure they would love to have us seeing that we're a crime ring and all, killing hundreds of humans and poisoning others with drugs a year," Lolth pointed out. Years of living in this world has changed her as she had to adapt to this world or die like so many others. She's been on this world when it was much like her own world but for the lack of non-humans and magic. But over the centuries she seen them raise to levels she never thought possible without the aid of gods or magic. Then there were those off worlders who came from worlds that never had magic to begin with and were so advance that their machines would be magic to anyone who saw it. She once had a phaser as that man with the red and black uniform had called it, but whatever powered it had long ago lost its power. The man it came with she had charmed and told her about how humans of his world had flown into the stars and visited other planets and meeting aliens. Now that she was no longer a goddess that she was and even with her long lifespan she saw the effects of aging on her now mortal body. She came to understand why mortals push themselves to make a mark on the world, for they have little time to do it. She remembers too well what happen during the raid that cut down their numbers.
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Flashback -
Humans soldiers poured into the underground den, they're armed with machines guns and other advance weapons. For these weren't the soldiers of the normal army but for the convert units who track down and exterminate off-worlders. They're armed with weapons that are base on the ones they find that appear on their world. They're lead by a joint task force of both England and France hunters, who had tracked down the off-worlder crime group. The England branch had discovered the hideout and had called the France branch for help. The hunters who hunted off-worlders have always worked together when it came to stamping out groups of off-worlders.
Lolth cough as she run out of the smoke, the screams the dying came behind her. Her underground gambling and drug den was going up in smoke, along with her human minions and other off-worlders. She was so careful in her dealings making sure to hide her elf features wearing revealing clothes so that people wouldn't notice that her eyes are red. Which work quite well along with her charm power luring men and women to do her bidding.
"Now a proper lady doesn't run around half naked," a woman said standing down the tunnel. She's dress in what she has seen as the latest fashion from England, reminding her of a nanny for some reason. She held an umbrella in one hand and in the other which cause her to blink, a teacup in the other with a carpet bag slung on her shoulder.
"Who the hell are you?" Lolth ask pointing her gun at her.
"Ms. Poppins," the woman answers as she pointed her umbrella at Lolth, opening it and flames came spitting out of the end of the tip.
Lolth jump backwards as the flames barely miss her causing her to fire her gun wildly. As she is now a drow in body, her eyes can't stand bright lights well even with her exposing herself to the light to get use to it. She got onto her feet and saw her bullets didn't hit the woman at all. She blink even with the flames blinding her there's no way she could have missed a target that close.
"Now, now there be none of that," Ms. Poppins said as she closed her umbrella and took a slip of her tea.
Lolth growled as she throws her spent gun at Ms. Poppins head as she runs at her pulling a knife out. Ms. Poppins spun her umbrella deflecting the thrown gun and then pointed it at Lolth's face spitting out another burst of fire from the end. Lolth scream as part of her face and her hair caught on fire. She rolled on the ground using the dirty muddy water of the tunnel to put out the fire.
"Now just sit still and, I make this quick," Ms. Poppins said as she tested her umbrella and saw it's out of fuel. She finished her tea and threw the cup at Lolth's face as she was getting up, breaking it on impact.
She opens her carpet bag and put away her umbrella which somehow fits inside it, even if it's longer then the bag. She then pulls out another umbrella from the same bag. Lolth for her part was awe struck at the woman who is just a baby compared to her but is treating her like a child trying to fight a adult.
"If you don't want to suffer just let me give you a quick death," Ms. Poppins said.
The tunnel behind her caved open as two soldiers where used a buffer as Walter a green ogre came bursting through. Ms. Poppins seeing a new foe ready to attack, pointed her umbrella at Walter and bullets came flying out of the tip. Lolth seeing her chance made a run for it as Walter dying screams echoed through the tunnel.
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Present -
"So what do we do?" Yehama ask.
"We wait and see what happens. Besides we don't have anything yet that would allow the humans of this world to overlook what we have done," Lolth said.
"Good point," Spittor said getting what she means. He's smart and all but they already have people like him working for them.
"So lay low and be on the look out for anything that could help us cut a deal with the humans," Polly said.
"We are too few now and the raid has destroyed our business. We're going to have to rebuild and setup shop elsewhere," Bella said. She and Lolth are the only ones left in their group are the only ones who can pass for humans now. Polly could but only when she wear heavy clothes to hide the fact that she has fur covering her body.
"The hunters are still looking for us and with what the American's are doing they're on the look out for any off-worlders. We're going to have to just sit tight till the time is right for us to make our move," Lolth said as they still have money and supplies to last them for a good while. And she want's to make that woman pay for burning her face.
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In England -
Ms. Poppins step inside the boarder school she's running after being away for so long. Taking in children from different worlds and giving them a new home. The boarder school is also a research facility to deal with the children who went to and came back from other worlds. The scientists working there think that some of the children who went to other worlds are special as in they're able to travel to other worlds at will if they could understand how to. They conduct experiments to see if they have any powers. For many of the children had travel to other worlds when they were in danger, a reflex to save themselves. There are also children who thanks to what they went through while in the other world have gain powers or skills that could prove useful. (2)
"Welcome back, Ms. Poppins," Wally Waldo who ran the school when she isn't around. He's almost always seen wearing his distinctive red and white striped shirt and matching bobble hat. He has a talent to just fade in the background and people to forget that he's there.
"Mr. Waldo how are things while, I was away?" Ms. Poppins ask.
"Ms. Bedelia cause a mess again but that's expected," Waldo said.
"She has to stop taking everything so literal," Ms. Poppins said thinking of the cook. Amelia Bedelia a literal minded housekeeper whose failure to understand basic English metaphors leads to much trouble. But being such a good cook, she's been place as the cook for the school.
"How are the children?" Ms. Poppins ask.
"They're doing fine. The youngest are still learning to control themselves and their powers," Waldo said.
"And what of Ms. Liddell and Ms. Longstockings?" Ms. Poppins ask thinking of the two oldest children under her care.
"They're keeping the younger kids in line," Waldo said.
"Tell them to be ready. We're going to have some new children coming here. The children came from a magical school that suddenly appeared in this world. Most of them have no skills besides magical ones that no longer work but there are some who may prove useful," Ms. Poppins said.
"Non-humans?" Waldo ask.
"All human children. I would prefer some non-human children. Most of the off-worlders really need to behave like proper beings," Ms. Poppins said.
"Well you are the best nanny," Waldo said.
"Also you may need to hire some more help. I'll be taking Ms. Liddell and Ms. Longstockings with me," Ms. Poppins said.
"Where?" Waldo ask.
"M wants me to pay a visit to America and give a report on my findings on Spookhouse. I have been wanting to see the child Naruto when, I first heard of him. But my work has always kept me away," Ms. Poppins said.
"Careful he was raised by T.R. after all," Waldo said having read all about the American Lion as some people have come to call him.
"I wish him the best of luck then," Ms. Poppins said as she walks off heading for her room.
"I hope those Americans be ready for her," Waldo said to himself.
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