This is a fanfiction. The characters and world of the games involved in this story are the intellectual property of Nintendo. I am simply writing an original story in their world.
The Outrealms is designed for an appropriate audience based on the rating of the games that inspired the story. Expect content equivalent to that of a T-rated game. Mild language, frightening elements, mild suggestive themes, thematic elements, and fantasy violence may appear.
If you have not read the previous chapters of this story, you can find them here. While each chapter can stand alone to a degree, I recommend you read the previous chapters to experience the full impact of the story.
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Lucina stepped into the research facility of the space pirate vessel and gasped. All around her was a vast expanse of foreign technology. Beeping screens displayed images of horrifying creatures beyond the imagination. Grasping tentacles, gaping maws full of teeth, scuttling legs – all of these features and more decorated the alien beings displayed on the screens. Even more horrifying were the live specimens, trapped behind glass walls that did not make Lucina feel safe in the least.
Link went up to one glass case, looking inside at a bulbous, floating creature with sharp tusks at its base. “What in the world is this thing?”
Navi left his tunic and immediately ducked back inside as soon as she saw the beast. Her muffled voice still somehow reached Lucina’s ears. “That’s a Metroid. They suck the life out of their victims and grow larger.”
“What is that creature?” Samus asked, referring to the fairy. “My scanner doesn’t recognize it at all.”
“Navi’s a forest fairy,” Link explained. “She knows pretty much everything about all the worlds.”
“How is that possible?” Samus questioned. “And what do you mean ‘worlds?'”
“Link!” Lucina snapped. She then turned her attention to Samus. “Navi is our companion, and she is very knowledgeable. That’s all you need to know.”
“You ought to give me a little trust,” the huntress chided. “You’re willing to follow me around this place, having no idea whether or not I’m leading you into a trap; the least you can do is tell me a little more about where you came from. You definitely aren’t from any planet I’m familiar with.”
“Planet?” Lucina asked. “You’re familiar with more than one?”
Samus’s expression did not show through her visor, but Lucina could feel the penetrating stare.
“We should probably just tell her the truth,” Link said. Suddenly, the metroid next to him smashed against its cage, causing the hero to draw his blade and jump back defensively. “But maybe not in this room.”
The three of them moved through the rest of the chamber, Lucina keeping her eyes open for the maimai children. Unfortunately, they did not seem to be present here. Samus moved through the room slowly, taking a few moments to read each and every screen she saw. Everywhere she looked, small characters went wild on her visor, as if her suit was actively doing something at every moment.
“Oh no,” she said suddenly, staring particularly hard at a screen above an empty tank. “The things you’re looking for are called maimai, right?”
“Yes,” Lucina answered. “What’s wrong?” Samus turned to look at her. Lucina could barely see the huntress’s eyes through her visor, but they looked quite distressed.
“Maimai have the ability to shift through dimensions,” Samus explained. “Which means that if the space pirates harness their power, they could theoretically open gates to other worlds.”
“They’re trying to go to other worlds?” Link gasped. “That’s not good. If they end up in a world without all these crazy weapons and technology, they’ll be able to take over with no resistance.”
“There are other problems, too,” Samus sighed. “The space pirates love to experiment with strange technologies, substances, and creatures. If they were to combine experimental elements from multiple worlds together into one thing…who knows what kind of monstrosity they could cook up.”
“Then we need to move faster,” Lucina urged, turning to Link. “The whole reason we started this journey was to stop more worlds from mixing. These space pirates are exactly the kind of force we’ve been sent to stop.”
Link went to swing his blade and open the doorway to the next room, but Samus stood between him and the door.
“Alright,” she said, “enough is enough. Before we take one more step, you have to tell me exactly what you’re doing here. I’ve already gathered that you aren’t from this world. But how did you get here from another world? Who sent you?”
Lucina looked to Link, who shrugged. She gave a sigh and then turned again to Samus.
“We’re both from different Outrealms. Or worlds, as you call them. The name matters little. A cruel man from my world arrived in Link’s. I had been chasing him down. When we defeated him, Link’s gods gave him a test. He is to explore other worlds and prevent them from intermingling. The test will determine whether or not he is a true hero of the gods.”
“And you’re with him because?” Samus asked.
“I need her,” Link answered. “Lucina is smart, strong, and used to traveling through different worlds. The test may be for me, but every hero has other heroes that help them succeed. Without her, I wouldn’t be here.” Lucina blushed a little at that.
“Good enough,” Samus said. “We need to get moving. If we don’t stop the space pirates before they open a portal, there’s going to be more worlds intermingling than we know what how to deal with.”
She turned and blasted the glowing blue door. The door seemed to hesitate for a few moments, the barrier gone but the metal slats refusing to open. After a moment, they finally gave way. The heroes rushed through the doorway into a massive chamber.
All around them were tables covered in beakers with strange liquids. There were machines beyond Lucina’s imagination, horrifying devices that looked like armored monsters rather than inanimate objects. At the center of the room was a large pedestal with a glass case on the top. Wires connected the case to what appeared to be two door frames. Lucina recognized the structure, knew what those frames were meant to be.
The maimai children inside the glass case confirmed her suspicions.
All around the room, the twisted and ugly pirates turned their attention to the intruders. Many of them were carrying packs or large pieces of equipment and were standing at the portals, ready for the Outrealm Gates to activate. Some of the pirates were busy working with nearby machines and did not even bother turning around. An unoccupied pirate stepped forward and raised his weapon. When he spoke, Lucina inexplicably heard the words in her own language.
“You’re too late, Samus,” the creature hissed. “Nothing can stop us now.”
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Thanks for taking the time to read today’s chapter of The Outrealms! Ordinarily, the last Friday of the month would mark the end of the chapter, but since we’re a week behind the end of Chapter Two will come next week instead.
Remember that Adventure Rules will no longer be posting on the weekends. The site will be back on Monday with lots of new things in store. Have a wonderful weekend, adventurers!
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