d itself.

Congratulations User! You've completed your first Rift! Though the method of your completion is far outside the expected norm. It was still recorded by the Developers, and was placed in the outstanding category in the Dream Engine. The Developers would like to know if they can record and show the video to future Users who encounter the Rifts for the first time.

Yes/No.....

Yes...

Lash waited for a moment and didn't get a follow up. Well his Dream time was faster then most people. Maybe he would get a reward in a week Dream time. More then likely he'd get DP. Well that was a neat side quest! He took a moment to get his bearings caught the scent of the creature that was causing all the issues in the House and tore off down the cavern system.

==============================================================

Meanwhile in a galaxy far far away, on a cold and desolate planet called the Alien Xenomorph home world stood a Queen as it watched one of its very first and new eggs it had successfully birthed from the intervention of its one and only consort. Next to the Queen stood a Praetorian guard nearly half the size of the Queen herself, the Praetorian watched in fascination as it watched the egg gestate and wiggle. Something inside was growing, something was about to hatch. This egg did not contain a facehugger but a new born infant. The egg top blossomed as the egg yolk was popped and consumed by the creature with in. After a few minutes a thin and shaky figure crawled out of the egg and flopped across the ground. It breathed oxygen for several minutes as it coughed up the liquid contained in its lungs. Then it stood up, only a few feet tall the Xenomorph creature had a skull crest a lot like the Praetorian or Queen did but this one had the appearance of scales, it opened its mouth and the inner jaw sprung out. It screeched in greeting to its mother the Queen. The Queen screeched back in tender affection.

“Consort, our first child is born! The first of millions....” The Queen said.

================================================================

Lash walked on his two feet through a hallway of giant doors and massive paintings. Each painting was next to a door as if the painting helped designate to the guests who or what was contained inside the doors. The scent of the creature or person that had sent the spell was in this hallway. He had spent the past few hours running through different terrains, structures, and multi layered stairways that you would find in M.C. Escher paintings.

“aistiraha! tahatum, mubaeathar lilriyh! laqad han waqatk!” The crypt keeper voice called out. Lash had heard that incantation over and over again. He was sure it was Arabic but it was full of magical power so his Language Smith didn't activate.

Lash came to stop in front of a massive oak door that had a painting of dozens of different cages with strange and unique creatures contained with in them. However this painting had an exception as there was a young woman in a seductive tuxedo stage show suit with a magical shield protecting her from a squid like creature. It looked like a Cthulhu wannabe...Maybe it was? Lash pushed and pulled against the door as he remembered Cain's words. However the door didn't budge either way. There was no key hole or handle. He ran his hand along the wood and used his Nature Domain. Then he accessed Tree Stride and the skill Plant Control the door pulled itself open and Lash jumped through the miniature gateway.

On the other side the magical door, the giant wooden door cracked open like a walnut and spit out a Were-Lizard. Lash stumbled for a bit at the sight of a massive prison? Or maybe an exotic exhibit as all the creatures in the cages didn't seem to care they were in a cage. From the different environments maybe they didn't even realize they were in a cage. There in the center of the grand exhibit was a giant blue bubble with magical symbols floating around it. In the very center Zatanna sat cross legged trying to keep her focus as the chanting continued over and over. But abruptly stopped as the massive head with tentacles turned towards Lash. With giant shaking steps that caused miniature Earthquakes a massive fifty foot tall elephant creature stepped from the shadows, the tentacles spread from his face as its hands and feet had bird like talons. Its body was concealed with in a massive black robe, its head had a two pairs of red insectoid eyes. Two of them focused on Lash, while the others kept on Zatanna. In the brief moment it hadn't attack Zatanna her spell shield had regained several inches.

“NOOOOOO! Look at you've done! Hours of labor wasted!” The tentacle elephant shouted.

“Saurian! I choose you!” Lash called out in a dramatic fashion that brought a confused tilt of the massive creature.

Lash used Shape Shift and called Saurian. Spatial Item Shift activated as Saurian came out to play. Then he cast Size Alteration, his new found Intermediate Adaptation, he also used his Transmutaiton Domain and cast Enlarge. Soon he grew to be twenty five tall and fifty feet long, but it seemed Saurian got a little more from the Queen then Lash did because his body had become more compact. His major scale regions had a bone like appearance, especially his tail as it now ended in a blade like stinger. But at his core he was still a giant Carnosaur wrapped in armor! Saurian let loose Rallying Call the shock wave sent an energy pulse into Zatanna as he created a Temporary Pack Bond with her.

-Saurian!? What? How are you here!? Zatanna sent a message via Telepathy.

-Explain what this creature is first!? Saurian replied across the link. He sprinted towards the giant, he dug his claws into the ground and propelled himself forward.

-No don't! He is immune to damage nothing I've done hurts him! Zatanna screamed! Then was gobsmacked as Saurian dug his claws into the arm of the giant creature.

“GAAAAAAAH! How are you able to hurt me!” The creature screamed in pain.

As Saurian read a prompt he did not expect. True Damage activated when he carved his claws into him, all 5.3% of it. But when you are largely immune to all sorts of damage any damage is a surprise! Saurian jumped from the creatures arm and attached himself to the creatures face. He ripped and tore through body, soul, and mind. The creature screamed in agony as it flailed its arms back and forth in shock. Zatanna pulled down her spell shield and cast 'noitativel'. She flew up into the air pushed her hands in front of her and cast 'Worra fo cigam'! Repeated magical shots flew towards the creature, but just as before they did nothing to him.

The creature soon understood the situation it was in and reached up to snag Saurian off its face. With Sensory Awareness in play Saurian jumped off from the creatures face and in a act of odd acrobatics he did a back flip mid air when he flipped around his new blade tail slashed from neck to the top of the creatures head. True Damage activated again and again and it went from 5.3% to 5.4%. It seemed that since the creature was widely immune to all forms of damage Saurian had found a punching bag!

Saurian landed on the ground and jumped back towards Zatanna. She flew down and promptly hid behind him but not so close that she would be in the way. Zatanna looked at the massive Carnosaur version of Saurian and gave him a big smile. Saurian noticed it and sent a confirmation of their telepathic link. He was happy to see her too, he was worried about her. There was a brief moment when Zatanna was a little shy at the attention. Then a scream from the creature in front pulled her attention back to reality.

“It is a Calathris! A giant insect creature from another dimension they are more or less extinct. The House of Mystery caught it and had placed it in its own dimension so it would not fade from the multiverse. But some how it had learned it was in a cage and escaped. As far as I know its immune to all forms of damage. Body, mind, and soul. But you seem to be able to hurt it!” Zatanna gave a quick run down of the creature. Saurian's Other Worldly Lore got a prompt as it recorded the new data.

“I WILL KILL YOU ALL! THIS WORLD WILL BE MY NEW GRAVE YARD!” The Calathris screamed as the wounds on its face began to heal at a visible rate.

“Ask the House of Mystery if I can kill this thing or not!” Saurian called out as he sprinted towards the Calathris. Zatanna closed her eyes and communed with the house.

“Yes! If it refuses to return to its place with in the exhibit then you have its permission to kill it!” Zatanna called out. It was then that Saurian realized that Zatanna couldn't understand it! The Calathris was a super-natural beast. Beast Speak worked on it.

“Calathris return to your cage or die!” Saurian shouted at him, but all Zatanna heard was a collection of clicks and hisses oddly resembling the voice of the giant. The Calathris wailed in agony and shouted back.

“Die! I would rather die then live in a lie!” The Calathris shouted and stomped his way towards Saurian.

Zatanna shouted from the rear. 'Pirt revo ruoy teef'! The Calathris stumbled and fell down to with a massive seismic slam! Despite its massive size the room only shook a bit, it must be the House at work trying to keep the damage at a minimal. Saurian jumped onto the creatures back and tore into its spine. His claws barely dug in but it was incredibly painful to the giant Calathris! It flailed its arms, and wailed like a child being stung by a bee for the first time. His True Damage sent a 5.5% read out.

Then the Calathris did a barrel roll and took Saurian with him. Saurian sprung back to life after Zatanna had screamed his name in shock and worry! He had felt his bones snap under the pressure but he got another prompt from True Body has it negated a portion of the damage. All 2.3% of it. That is when Saurian understood this thing could only be hurt by True Damage and it only caused True Damage in return.

The Calathris rolled again but this time Saurian jumped off in time. Zatanna flew over and said, 'Ruoy ydob lliw revocer'. Saurian felt his health regain, bones snapped back into place, and his flesh reconnected. Oh! Zatanna knew healing spells! Saurian was happy then realized the effort drained Zatanna of nearly everything she had. Ah! Drawbacks! His healing spells were limited but took next to nothing out of him. He quickly cast Sooth, Nature's Supplement, and Nature's Kiss. Zatanna sprung back to life and flashed a smile at Saurian. They went back to work as the Calathris attempted to stand up.

'Uoy lliw eb dnilb' Zatanna shouted out in her magical speech and the Calathris stumbled around as if it couldn't see. Saurian then did the gruesome task of death by one thousand cuts. He clawed through the creatures legs, knees, elbows. He chopped off the tentacles one by one with his new bladed tail. Inch by bloody inch! His True Damage went to 10% but didn't evolve. It must need more! The creature fell to the ground bleeding from its wounds, what limbs that had been removed turned to ash and faded from sight. Reminded Saurian of his own body when his limbs came off. Odd.

“We were never meant to live forever... Being in that cage was torture, I spent so many years searching for another. I am the last.... I know that now. Send me home....Send me to the Grave....” The Calathris whispered to Saurian.

Saurian reached into his Grave Domain and cast Judgment just like before something ancient and powerful slipped him on like a glove. Saurian's entire body was lifted off the ground by a few inches as his bones creaked in protest. He tried to contain his agony as he gritted his teeth. This time what appeared was not a normal Grim Reaper. But a creature of massive size in a hooded robe, with four pairs of red insectoid eyes. Tentacles reached out from its hood and wrapped around the Calathris. A single word was spoke in a language that had been dead for a millennia. 'Home' the Calathris let out one last shuddering breath.

“Thank......you......” It said and faded away into ash.

The ancient presence left Saurian's body and he dropped like a puppet who's strings had been cut. His body shrunk and returned to a twelve foot tall, and twenty four foot long scaled monster. The magical tattoo's on his body glowed, but especially his Grave Domain. He received a prompt that the Grave Domain received a lot of experience from that event.

“It's done.” Zatanna said. She raised her arms into the air and said the words.

'Ruo emoh si efas' The darkness that covered the House of Mystery faded, light returned to the dreary halls. Like a fairy god mother had waved her wand and white sparkles danced through the house. It cleaned up cobwebs, cracked floors, broken windows. The room began to spin like a top with Saurian and Zatanna in the middle. Round and round it went, Zatanna lowered her arms and came to stand beside Saurian. She reached out and placed her hand on his massive shoulder. Around Zatanna's neck was the orichalcum necklace he had given her after the Joker's carnival incident. It looked dim and lifeless or at least a portion of it did.

“You died...Didn't you?” Saurian asked. Zatanna looked at him in surprise, she reached up to caress the necklace.

“Yes, I did. But I got better! Thanks to this, you saved my life again!” Zatanna said with a soft smile. The room stopped revolving and they found themselves back in the main foyer which looked a lot more lively and warmer to guests. There standing in the middle of the room was Cain.

“Welcome back Miss Zatara! Warden Saurian! I was sorry to hear about the Calathris. The House had no idea it was living a tortured existence. It's in the process of talking to the other occupants.” Cain said in a soft grand fatherly tone.

“I didn't even realize we had an exhibit hall for endangered and extinct races in the multiverse. I am sure Dad knew about it. I...” Zatanna said, then hugged her self in worry at the last part. She squeaked in surprise with a long bladed tail wrapped around her and pulled her into Saurian's arms. The Temporary Pack Bond was still active, Zatanna felt a sense of safety being in the giant reptiles arms.

A golden light enveloped Saurian as he used Cosmic Awareness. The golden light swallowed the entire room in divine light. Cain's eyes went wide in astonishment which filled Saurian with pride. He doubted much surprised the immortal anymore. He turned his head towards Zatanna who was sheltered in his embrace but she looked up at him with expectant eyes. She had just mentioned her father and now Saurian had received an oracle from his God.

“What do you know about your Mother, Zatanna?” Saurian asked as his energy levels dropped by 96%. His entire body language screamed he was exhausted. Cain bounced into motion and scurried off towards the kitchen/alchemist lab.

“I...My mother died when I was child. Car accident.” Zatanna was surprised by the question.

“No...She didn't die. Your mother is a Homo-Magi and returned to the Homo-Magi home dimension. The specifics as to why she faked her death is not known. However she has come into trouble and needed help. She reached out to your Father, but now he himself is also in trouble. You must find dimensional coordinates for the Homo-Magi world and rescue both your father and mother. But! Before you jump into danger, make sure you contact the Justice League so we can help.” Saurian finished his 'Oracle'

Zatanna looked incredibly angry and happy at the same time. She stepped from the enclosure of Saurian's tail. Then paced back and forth in the front room, Cain soon returned with a giant bucket full of rich espresso coffee which Saurian accepted gratefully and began sip on it as he watched Zatanna pace back and forth. He was amused at the way her hips swayed with every step. Zatanna was nineteen? Twenty? Despite her being of age he wasn't attracted her. But he was sure Richard Grayson would be head over heels in love with the woman.

“Cain! Did you know that my mother was alive?” Zatanna stopped and asked.

“Your mother is alive!? That's wonderful!” Cain said with a smile. Which made Zatanna discouraged and started to pace. It only took a moment for Cain to understand why Zatanna acted in such a way. He chuckled and shook his head as he watched the poor girl pace.

“Did your Deity tell you where the home world was?” Zatanna asked as she continued to pace.

“No, it was something for you to discover. But when you find it you should ask the League for help. Do not go in half cocked thinking you can take on anything you meet.” Saurian said. He meant no offense but that last sentence stung Zatanna's pride a bit, she had done that very thing with the Calarthis and died too! She once again reached up and caressed the necklace around her neck and sent a thankful glance at Saurian who continued to drain his bucket of coffee.

Cain stood off to the side and watched his charge pace back and forth. He refilled Saurian's bucket of coffee twice before he said he didn't need anymore. Zatanna asked a few more questions about Saurian's tracking ability and agreed that when she discovered Homo-Magi coordinates she would ask the Justice League for help in getting her parents back. Cain then jumped in with information about the Homo-Magi.

They were a race of magical people that grew and evolved along side humanity until the industrial revolution came. When the industrial revolution came the super-natural societies put it to a vote if they should stay on Earth or move to another dimension. One with out humans. The vote won out and the super-natural societies and communities all decided to stay on Earth and adapt to the new world. But several different communities decided to leave while the majority stayed. Homo-Magi were one of the groups to leave. Sometimes individuals from the self-exiled races would come back to Earth to visit. From the sounds of it Sindella, Zatanna's mother was one such individual.

One thing Saurian could tell Zatanna that she had about two years to complete the objective. After that it would be to late. He didn't know what it was that specific time limit just that his Cosmic Awareness gave him that specific time. Zatanna seem to accept the answer more like since it came from his Deity instead of him specifically. Saurian wasn't about to burst her bubble. Saurian then spent a bit to tell Zatanna about meta-humans and the dark matter phenomenon. That will gradually grow over time. Before Saurian left the house Zatanna had the house mark him so if he ever needed a place to stay or needed to visit the house he could call it.

“Ever thought about making it into a Wayside super-natural inn of sorts?” Saurian asked Cain and Zatanna. Zatanna had a look of puzzlement but Cain seemed a little excited about the prospect.

“Good way to collect stories, and a bit of adventure! We'll discuss it with the House!” Cain said as he bounced back into the place he began talk to the House over the idea.

Zatanna laughed at Cain then turned to look back at Saurian. She tucked a bit of her raven black hair behind her ear. She wringer her hands out as she was filled with nervous energy. She stepped closer to the massive lizard warrior and motioned for him to come closer. Saurian leaned down so his face was eye level with Zatanna. She reached up and kisses his snout, a bit of blush on her cheeks.

“Thanks for coming to my rescue, Saurian. It's not often I get to play the damsel in distress.” Zatanna said as she let go of him. Saurian tilted his head to one side.

“You are welcome Zatanna. By the way you should look for a man named John Constantine. His personality is like a thorn bush but he is a good man, as well as a planes walker. He may be able to cut the search in half.” Saurian said to her, Zatanna perked up in delight and smiled at him.

“If you are ever in Vegas again you should drop by the MGM Grand. That is where I preform my magic shows. Here this is a VIP card for the show, reserved for family and friends.” Zatanna produced card from her sleeve. Saurian took it and stored it into his Storage Space.

Saurian stepped from the front porch just in time to see a magical sign grow from the house with bright colors that said 'Vacancy Available'. Several new additions grew and expanded from the new Wayside Inn of Mystery! With a sudden draft and flash of light Saurian was once again alone in the desert of Nevada just outside of Vegas. It was night, and the moon was high in the sky. Saurian looked up at the night sky and watched the moon slowly move across the sky.

Congratulations User! You've obtained a VIP package at the New Wayside Inn of Mystery! A presidential suit will always be available to you, you also have the ability to call on the Wayside Inn of Mystery. As long as you have access to a closed door you can open it and walk into the Wayside Inn!

Saurian pulled on his Wraith disguise, cast Nature's Passage, Chameleon, and Invisibility. He should have done it as soon as he stepped out, but he felt that the House wouldn't have placed him in the line of fire of a camera. But as he started to move through the country side he needed to be careful. He dropped to all fours and ran through the desert towards Vegas. Unless he could find a cactus plant of decent size then he could use Tree Stride.

Along the way he found a pack of were-coyote's out on a patrol. He was just as surprised to see them as they were. He pulled out his Warden badge and explained why he was out there. They had all seen the House of Mystery. He also informed them about the new Wayside Inn of Mystery and produced a business card for all of them. The card allowed them to hail the Inn. The Alpha of the pack used his and sure enough this massive, well furnished, luxury hotel just appeared! The were-coyote pack all shuffled into the House with nervous excitement and said thank you to Saurian as he continued his journey into Vegas.

Saurian's top speed was eighty mph, he ran cross country so he soon arrived at the rural edge of Vegas. He slowed down to a slow trot of thirty mph as he padded through the suburbs of Vegas. It was like two different worlds had been welded together. He could see the vast array of lights in the not so distant area of the city, then there he was moving through the after midnight streets.

Along the way he noticed something peculiar. A flash of purple and blueish light. It had started to flicker in and out in front of him for several minutes. As he grew closer the intervals increased but he also heard the sounds of gun shots. He had moved into a less than desirable part of the city at this point. Litter on the ground, graffiti, alcohol stains on the ground. Reminded him of Gotham! When he turned the corner he saw the flashing light was a person!

The light was blinding when ever it popped into existence in the after midnight back ground. The street lights in the area had long been broken and no one had come to repair them. Several cars were in a crisscross pattern in the street, several Thugs-R-Us were scattered around the area as they tried to shoot at the flashing light. The light blinked into existence, it was a 5'9” man with chocolate caramel skin, short black curly hair that went just above his eyes, he had a lean athletic build that any young lady would squeal for given that he looked seventeen or eighteen years old. He wore black tennis shoes, black cargo pants, a gray hoodie, and carried a metal base ball bat.

All the thugs had taint to their aura that Saurian could see thanks to Sherogoth's Blessing. But none of the taints were enough for him to kill them. So he used Gravity Stride and 'climbed' up a wall and watched the show. As he got comfortable he used Insight on the teleporter.

Name: ???/ VI Avatar

Title: Peekaboo Master.

Origin: Meta-Gene

Rank: E+

Skills: See tool tip.

Powers: Active; Teleportation, Passive; Equilibrium Orientation, Passive; Matter Reconverter. Passive; Line of Sight Targeting.

Domains: N/A

Disposition: Neutral (Doesn't know you exist)

Comments: You've found another VI Avatar! Maybe a future member of the Justice League?

Saurian's interest was peaked as he watched the Meta-Human bounce around with his metal bat as he took out the thugs one by one. He swung with his bat but never did any real damage, maybe a broken bone. But he always held back when ever he cracked them in the skull. This of course made it so that they kept getting back up to fire again. An easy knock was exceptionally rare, you would more often just kill someone instead.

The whole battle took nearly an hour, about half the 'gang' was down when reinforcements showed up in the form of police officers. But these VCPD began to shoot at the meta-human. The gang members called out to the police in thanks. Dirty cops. Saurian 'climbed' down from his perch and made his way towards the cops. He still had his Wraith disguise on, and he was invisible. He could tell that the meta-human was conflicted.

Should the meta-human attack the cops and get pegged as a criminal or just focus on the gangs and maybe get shot? Thankfully he got an answer real quick as one of the police officers fire arms was crushed, along with his hand. Then a twelve foot tall, twenty four foot long Lizard Wraith appeared behind the VCPD. The entire street went dead quiet for a brief moment the only sound was the officer who hand his hand crushed. He screamed for a good thirty seconds before an electrical current went through his body and silenced him.

“Please don't stop on my account. I'll deal with the dirty cops you deal with the gangs. Deal?” Saurian's animalistic voice made every one shudder in fear except for a bright eye young hero who smiled wide.

“Happy to Sir!” The youth called out and teleported next to a thug and swung his bat. The thug crumbled like a crushed soda can.

The thugs and the dirty cops all tried to run at that point. Saurian deactivated all of their cars, radios, and cell phones. He tasered the cops into submission and spent sometime on the CCTV and internal affairs files. He found what he needed to incriminate the cops in their dirty dealings. Saurian then took the rest of the time to continue to watch the meta-human. His Skill/Power Trainer sent him prompts that he was understanding the teleportation ability. He wouldn't obtain himself, but he could train the kid on it. Despite all the different and wonderful things Saurian was. He wasn't a meta-human and couldn't learn their powers. At least not yet, he did see a Power Duplication ability in the store, but the thing took one hundred DP to buy. That was currently way out side his price range, even if he bought the DP credit card it would take a while to build up that kind of credit.

At last the kid finished the left over gang members. Saurian went from thug, to thug, and hand cuffed them. He read them their rights even if they were unconscious. The kid pulled the car keys from them and opened up each trunk. He found drugs, guns, and most importantly money. The kid had a backpack that was on top of a roof and pulled the money into it. He stopped and looked at Saurian who looked back.

“I'll assume you need it for a good reason. So don't worry about me reprimanding you.” Saurian replied to his question. The kid laughed and continued to stuff the money into his backpack. He soon filled the first one teleported back up to the roof and got another one.

Police sirens soon sounded off just a few seconds after the kid filled up the last back pack. He looked alarmed at the sirens then looked at Saurian. Saurian pointed at the rooftop where the other bag of money was. Asked him to wait up there if he could but if he had to leave he understood. Though he had something to talk to him about. The kid flashed to the rooftop and hunkered down to hide. The cop cars soon arrived and several of the officers took out their side arms and pointed it at Saurian. They shouted the normal phrases like. 'Get down on the ground now!' or 'Surrender or we will fire upon you' then his all time favorite 'Move and die asshole!' This always confused him, how was he suppose to get down to surrender with out moving?

Saurian used Commanding Presence, and Compulsion. To tell the cops to shut up and help him load the prisoners and dirty cops into the police cars. Like toy soldiers they all bounced into line, locked in step and moved over to help him. Saurian could hear the kid gasp in surprise from the rooftop. Saurian pulled the ranking officer aside and explained the gangs, and the dirty cops. He then said he had already sent the incriminating evidence to the local precinct and the internal affairs the files they needed to put the cops away. Saurian did explain that a meta-human did help with the arrest but only gave vague description of what he or she looked like. Once he was done he removed the 'influence' from the ranking officer who shouted bloody murder at Saurian for controlling him.

“Oh I'm sorry! Would you have rather had me beat you all to a bloody pulp for pointing your pop guns at me? Why don't you take a class in risk assessment and reevaluate how to handle a giant Alien monster who could easily kill all your men! Especially since I am the one who called i-->>

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