Process for "The Histories of Schaat' Nath - Time Warriors"

So I've decided to jump into the new Crimson Daggers, BLOODSPORT 13 - The Histories of Schaat' Nath: Time Warriors

Yes, they made up the IP.

So the challenge is to basically do an illustration where a hero/heroine from either a futuristic era or a fantasy era travels to the other to save it. There must also be a sidekick for the her/heroine to meet in this different era.

After playing around with some ideas...

...I chose the upper middle comp. Then I did some studies...

...and I got to work.