“I’m SURE this has to be the way to the Hilton, right?” Bec paused as he took a look at his map, the ship he was riding on slowly swaying from side to side. The anthropomorphic stork thought it might be easier, cheaper, and a bit more fun, to make his own way to the hotel that hosted the annual Confuzzled event, though he was starting to think that he had taken a wrong turn somewhere, as he couldn’t spot land in any direction he was facing - by now, he should have been able to spot some sign of life or dry land. “Maybe I should take a moment to retrace the path I’ve taken. I’ve been sailing this thing for the last few hours, I swear I followed the exact route on this old relic of a map, but it just feels like I’m in the middle of nowhere…” He sighed. “Maybe I should have had someone come along with me, or at the very least downloaded some accurate travel information on my phone.” His long beak clicked together as he finished his statement, looking up towards the sky. “I suppose all I can do is hope that someone pops up soon so I can ask for help!” As he turned back towards the ship’s wheel, the sound of arcane whooshing assailed his ears, which was somewhat surprising considering how loud the wind was blowing. He spun around to locate the source of it, and found himself staring into a portal. “What the?” He took a closer look, and he could see a city bathed in an eerie red light, buildings of various shapes and sizes, some of which were sporting large eyes. Bec nearly reached through it when a figure leapt through it, the portal closing behind them. “Oof!” He winced as he was knocked off his feet, the fall ruffling his tail feathers. “What even hit me?” “Hrm… I’m not seeing any signs of a hotel here, nor am I seeing any signs of anything… fuck, this portal really took me to the middle of nowhere, didn’t it?” A feminine voice spoke aloud, drawing Bec’s attention. He got back to his feet, and found himself looking at another avian creature, though she appeared to be taller than him, had a wolf-like tail rather than a feathery one, and sported canine ears atop her head. And all that was noticed BEFORE he saw the glowing markings on her body and wings. “Who.. who are you?” He asked, the other bird’s ears twitching as she turned around to face him. “Guess I was wrong at least on the whole ‘no signs of anything’ remark!” She said with a smirk. “And another bird to boot! I’m used to spawning these portals right in front of an unsuspecting human!” She extended a taloned hand towards Bec. “The name’s Shade!” “Bec!” He responded, taking her hand in his as he shook it. “Where did you come from, it didn’t look like a pretty place to be!” “I came up from Hell, and eh, I wouldn’t put it down immediately, there are a good few sights to see depending on what ring you’re on!” She cawed. “You came from HELL.” Bec blinked. “As in ACTUAL Hell?” “Is there any other Hell?” She retorted. “I’ve ascended from there as I’m taking an extended business trip, though it seems I’m nowhere near the Hilton Birmingham Metropole…” “What is it you’re heading to the Hilton for?” “Confuzzled, naturally!” Shade smiled. “That little event draws in plenty of humans in suits, and I felt like making them resemble those things, only MUCH more lifelike~” Her smile grew wider, almost a little sinister. “Maybe a few of them will get lucky and have their inner demons revealed to me so I can bring them back down to Hell for some fun~” “I… I don’t know what to say about that…” Bec looked at her in confusion. “Hey, it’s what I did when I was living as a raven up here, and it’s what I’m still doing as a hellraven down there, though given everyone down there is already a monstrous demon, my specific field of expertise is somewhat limited.” “I see…” “That’s the one downside to being in Hell for me. I’m just thankful that I’m able to make my way back up here thanks to a few additional spells I learned in my time down there!” She squawked. “And what better place to work my magic than at a place where hundreds of humans gather, alongside the occasional anthro?” “That makes sense, I suppose. Still, I don’t think we’re gonna be getting there any time soon unless you’ve got a good idea of where we’re meant to be going!” Bec handed Shade the map. “Hrm… who in the seven rings drew this crap?” She growled, tearing the map in half. “This thing might have been useful several decades ago, but I think it’s lead you straight into the middle of nowhere!” “Ugh, I was afraid of that…” Bec moaned in annoyance. “Now what are we gonna do?” “Let’s see…” Shade pulled a phone from out of nowhere, checking to see if she was getting any coverage. It took a few moments, but it did show she was getting a couple of bars of signal. “Perfect!” She grinned, loading up an app for Earth maps. “This might take a moment, so bear with me…” She put in the location of the hotel, and whilst it took a few moments to load due to the spotty connection, it did appear to point them in the right direction. “You managed to find out where we’re meant to be going?” He leant in close, looking at the map on Shade’s phone. “More or less, I don’t think this app is designed for aquatic routes, but I’m sure we’ll be able to find our way there if we take the right routes, or at least get to a place where we can fly the rest of the way!” “We?” Bec stared at her. “I can’t leave a fellow avian stranded in the middle of the ocean now, can I?” Shade smirked. “I mean you’re welcome to split up once we reach dry land, but I figured it might be more fun if we headed there together, raise a little hell and whatnot!” “True, it would be nice to actually get to where I want to go!” “Plus we ARE on a ship, so on the subject of raising some hell…” She flicked her wrist, a set of fancy-looking pirate clothing forming around her, complete with a hat adorned with a large, pink feather. “Not bad~” Bec chuckled, looking at the pirate garb Shade was now wearing. “Thank you, but I can’t leave you out of this!” Shade looked towards him, flicking her wrist once again, causing a fuzzy blue tricorn hat to appear over his head, a sword spawning in his hand. “And now you look the part as well!” “Heh!” He swung the sword about, smirking. “Shall we set course to the Hilton, then?” “Ready to go whenever you are!” She turned towards the ship’s wheel, spinning it around as she corrected the course, following the direction that the map on her phone was leading her to. “Ya better be ready for us, Confuzzled, cause we’re coming to raise some hell~”