MISSIONS - Outskirts Investigations

Cassie fled from Ethovalon in a fit of rage, Orion followed her soon after and it's been a scramble to find the whereabouts of the two of them since.

After Miliani and Leilani were able to track the two down on the

-- Grass Continent, --

-- Lanier Islands, --

-- Draconian Peaks, --

the Guardians soon realized that they were being pursued by a dangerous an hostile alien lifeform -- possibly multiple -- and likely the sources of the strife across the Great Ocean as of late.

Desperate to find the Cosmogs, the members of the GCSF were given orders to search for and protect the children wherever they were to be found. As reports from the teams have made their way back to headquarters, the guild leaders agreed to gather on the island they believed the Cosmogs had fled to.

Now, the four guild leaders stand at their rendezvous spot, awaiting intel from one another so that they may get one step closer to finding their wayward companions.

Yet... something seems to be amiss as a lingering cloud of utter confusion hangs above them.

All four of the explorers look around at each other and then at their surroundings.

Around them rests the immense trees of a forest tarnished by patches of ash from the recent fires;

a gravel path cutting through the desolate ruins of what once was a settlement, picked clean by bandits over the years;

a rocky clifftop and the imposing fog-covered mountains looming in the distance.

BOOM!

A terrified scream echoes over the treetops. As the guild leaders snap to attention, each one turns in the direction of the sound and sees their vision clear up.

They are standing in one of the ruins of a village on the Lanier Isles.

Even as they rush towards the cries, they realize something is amiss. The land beneath their very feet shifts in appearance periodically. Where once there was grass, there now was grey stone.

Even with their experience, it becomes a great effort to find where the trouble is.

Though stumbling and somewhat disoriented, they eventually make their way past a threshold. As each person steps through the invisible barrier in their path, they find themselves transformed into diminutive -- or in Stein's case, enormous -- feral forms.

The explorers suddenly find themselves at the edge of a clearing in the woods, stopping as they arrive at the scene. There, they find the source of the shriek.

Orion is hovering only a few inches off the forest floor, surrounded on all sides by the beasts that had been wreaking havoc across the islands. The Fireworks, the Parasite, and the Rampart all watch him with ire in their forms, poised to strike at any moment.

With scarcely any time to think, the leaders each ready themselves to rush into battle until...

...the hulking form of the familiar Palkia seemingly drops down in front of the group out of nowhere! She imposes herself between the guild leaders and the aggressors before them -- cutting them off from Orion's aid as well.

The beasts all quickly close in -- the Fireworks with its explosive head primed in its palm, the Parasite's tendrils flapping behind it as it rushes head-first towards Orion, and the Rampart with one immense leg raised to crush its mark underfoot.

In the next moment, Orion screams. A burst of energy spills forth from him, accompanied by a flash of blinding light.

The force nearly knocks Wyndam off his paws and he stumbles into Wynton just behind him. Andromeda stands as a shield between the chaos that unfolds and the guild leaders, shrugging the blast off of her shell with ease.

Just as the beasts are about to strike the frightened Cosmog, rifts in the space before them are forced open. The wormholes swallow each of the otherworldly assailants whole as they are about to make contact. A mere seconds later, the portals collapse, winking away and leaving no trace of them nor the beasts in the clearing.

In the aftermath of the confrontation, all falls quiet.

Andromeda withdraws from her protective stance, allowing her small companions to push past her to see what had become of Orion.

Where once Orion's cloud-like form once was, a blackened sphere of some sort has taken its place. His body floats in a glassy orb filled with stardust, protected by a golden shell.

A new form, perhaps?

While Stein and Wynton busy themselves with Orion, Wyndam prods Andromeda. He taps his paw against her leg, practically fuming when she looks down to him.

Andromeda turns her head towards the bushes along the edge of the clearing. As Wyndam follows her gaze, he realizes that his surroundings are no longer blurry nor shifting.

From behind the bushes, the familiar form of yet another Cosmog peers out timidly. The glowing blue crescents on its cheeks and pink eyes immediately identify the newcomer as Cassie.