Official Story: Enter Sedorra

[Loony BoB]

Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.

This isn't only true of people - this is true of all kinds of things. In this case, it was a world. In many ways, Sedorra was a fairly ordinary world. In this world, people went about their everyday lives. They had festivals and they had kings and queens, they spent their days discussing the weather, the likelihood of dragons and on occasions they would discuss celebrity engineers who spoke of making machines capable of soaring through the skies and cannons that could fit in the palm of your hand. It was an age where wars were fought with swords, bows and cannons and people still traveled by carriage.

However, there were things that made this world a little notable. There was a magic in it. Now, this magic was not something that the people thought was abnormal. In fact, they didn't even know it as 'magic'. To them, a desert could exist immediately next to a snow-laden land and it was just the way things were. There was no science involved with spinning of the world and the angle of the planet and the way the sunrays hit the tropics. There were still sciences in this world, no doubt, but the world itself was most certainly magical, and the magic could bend the rules of the sciences (or even compliment them).

The people had not harnessed this magic because they did not see it as magic. They simply didn't know any different. Magic, to them, was a card up a sleeve and a rabbit in a hat. They of course had fantasies of manipulating fire, but none knew of ways to actually attune to it. Indeed, this world was not born great. This peoples of this world had not achieved greatness. No, Sedorra was about to have greatness thrust upon it.

~

Welcome to the world of Sedorra. This is going to be something said to many over time (well, assuming they are indeed welcome) as people from other worlds - soon to be labeled Outworlders - are about to begin spontaneously appearing here. Not too many - and rarely if ever will there be more than one from the same world - but enough to send shockwaves throughout the lands.

These Outworlders may remember their past world and past life completely or alternatively have some kind of amnesia effect - it's down to the person controlling them to decide. They are appearing in this world without any real announcement. Nobody - resident of this world or another - knows why it is happening (people will inevitably come up with their own theories, but who knows if any of them will ever be revealed to be true?).

Some may come from worlds with high technology (pity the souls who so rely on it) while others could be cavemen. Some could be human, some could be of another race of this world, some could be very alien indeed. Some could seek friends in their new world, some could seek power and control. On rare occasions, some might have arrived hand in hand with someone else from their world. Some (or many), of course, may come from worlds where people know how to harness magic. How do people react, from this world and from other worlds? How did this even happen in the first place?

And lo, the arrivals began. Greatness entered Sedorra.

[Loony BoB]

OOC:

At this point in time, for the sake of convenience to the storyline, there will be three different areas of entry: Lucrecia, a grand city-state, complete with castle. Naith, a small fishing village on the coast south of Lucrecia. Finally, the farmlands to the east of Lucrecia. All areas are different enough for the varying kinds of entrances to the world, yet close enough that people can travel from one area to the other without it being akin to traveling from the Shire to Mordor.

[Loony BoB]

Aziish bit into an apple as he sat down on a bench just beyond the central markets. King's Square was bustling with activity. Akim traders had recently arrived and business was clearly booming for them as people from all around arrived to peruse their wares. Aziish smiled. When business was good for the Akim, business was good for him - after all, it was his set of stalls they rented whenever they popped by and he could sit around with all his money already in the bank. He waved towards one of them and they nodded and came over. "Hey, Jahred. Great day for sitting back and earning money by doing nothing, don't you think?"

Jahred grinned. "Every sunny day is a good day." He looked back to ensure his colleagues were coping well enough and sat down next to Aziish. His business was not in selling wares, after all. "So, what's new in Lucrecia?"

"Oh, you know, a bit of this, a bit of that. Peaceful as ever, really. Festival tonight. You going?"

"Ah, yes. Of course. It's why we're here, after all. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Jahred was not a massive fan of festivals but he was a massive fan of money and information, and the festival was a great source of both. People would be traveling from far and wide to celebrate the 50th year since the Queen took the throne after the death of her father. More notably, everyone would be wanting to buy new clothes to show off, and his carriage and the stalls were packed with them.

"So, what about you?" Aziish raised his eyebrows at his friend. "Any news from outside the walls?"

"Nothing in particular, it was a quiet journey for the most part. Although there was a man just beyond the gates, near a farm - peculiar fellow, didn't look from around here. Very odd fashion. I'll have to take a note to see if it's going to become a new thing. I asked him where it was from and he looked at me like he'd seen a ghost and just... ran."

"Weirdo." Aziish snorted a laugh.

--//--

Daniel was walking down Princes Street, Edinburgh when he blinked and suddenly fell to the ground, dizzy. But it wasn't concrete - it was... dirt. And then he was seeing things. Not just dirt, but fences. He figured he was hallucinatin, that he was sick, but everything was so real. The dizziness faded and suddenly he was there, on the side of a road, but not in Edinburgh. It was some country area, and there was farmland around him. In the distance he could see the walls of a city. It looked strangely old. There was a fresh smell in the air. Birds chirped. No cars. But... in the distance, he saw something. They came nearer, and he could barely believe his eyes. Two large animals - no, birds - ostrich like birds were pulling a cart towards him.

Daniel was in a panic. He jumped to the other side of the fence, thinking it would somehow protect him. There were a couple of men at the front of the cart, the birds were larger than ostrich and clearly much stronger. They were like giant, yellow moa, with huge beaks. His heart was thumping, this was crazy. Where was he? He could only watch as the huge birds pulled the cart to a stop near him. One of the men turned towards him. "You there, sir. Such strange clothing - where do you come from? Have you journeyed far?"

It was then that Daniel saw the face. It was like a mask, but definitely not a mask. He stepped back once, twice, nearly falling as his feet hit a rock. And then he turned. Ran. Ran like he could find his home once more. He wasn't home. He was no longer in Edinburgh. There were giant chickens pulling carts of strange alien men. He was on another world. Eventually, he fell to the ground, tears flowing from his eyes. Minutes passed. His heart wouldn't stop pounding, this was too much. It was crazy. He got back up, tried to seek out something - anything - that would be familiar. He stepped a few paces forward and that was when he saw the bear.

Once again, he ran for his life. He didn't stop, he didn't look back. Eventually he tripped on a rock, fell, hit his head on another rock in a rather unfortunate way and promptly died.

[Miss Mae]

Cohen woke to the sound of loud voices. He didn't remember going to bed, so he was sure he had fallen asleep at his desk again. He opened his eyes, ready to chastise his brethren for disturbing the peace in his study, and realised he was outside.

He was sitting on the side of a busy street, not unlike those that surround the university, but he didn't recognise the buildings or any of the faces. The university had been his home for decades - he knew everybody who lived nearby - but he didn't know any of these people. And there weren't just people. Was that a bear?

Some of the passers-by were staring at him. He touched his face, wondering if maybe he had drooled on himself while he was sleeping. He seemed to be fine. Why were they staring? He shook his head and tried to ignore them.

I'm certain I fell asleep at my desk, but now I'm in the city, so I mustn't have, Cohen reasoned with himself. I must've gone out for a walk or something. Yes, I'm sure that's it. There's nothing to do now but get back to my work at the university.

He stood up, swayed and immediately sat down again. Hmm, or maybe I'll just sit here for awhile longer, he decided.

He granted himself the morning off work, passing the time by people-watching. He caught snippets of conversation. Apparently there was a festival on tonight. Nice of them to tell us, Cohen thought. They always forget that the High Priests need time to practice before we perform at the festivals. I'll have to tell the Order when I get back to the university.

Somebody else commented on Cohen's outfit. The disrespect of the youths these days, he thought. When I was young I would never have dared speak ill of a High Priest's robes.

Cohen didn't like relaxing, or wasting time as he referred to it, so as soon as his legs felt stable again, he stood to leave. He walked along the street for a minute before realising he still didn't recognise anything. He had no idea where he was.

Frowning, he turned to a man on the street beside him. 'Excuse me,' he said, 'but can you please tell me where I am?'

The man looked confused. 'Not from around here?' he asked.

'Oh no, I'm a local High Priest. I live at the university. I'm just not familiar with this street,' Cohen replied.

The man continued to look confused. 'The university? I'm not sure what you're talking about,' he said and he walked away.

But everyone knows the university, Cohen thought. It's the largest building in the city. All of the High Priests and scholars live there. The children long to see what is inside its walls. If this man doesn't know what the university is... Where am I?

[Pumpkin]

When Kathvi awoke, she was curled up in a ball on the ground. The ground felt much warmer than she was used to, and she couldn't feel any fluffy snow against her face. She caressed her tail absentmindedly while debating if she should open her eyes or not. She felt disoriented and confused. She tried to grasp at any information her brain would cough up. Her name was Kathvi, she lived in the mountains, she could use ice magic, she.... ran a bakery? That last bit of information was a bit fuzzy and she wasn't sure if her brain was feeding her false information. She tried to think of the people, the place... she could remember the village in the snowy mountains, her home, she could picture it clear as day. But the people... she couldn't... picture any. Her head began to hurt, her ears narrowed, her eyes finally opened.

She could see the mountains behind her. But not her mountains. She was near a river. She stood up clumsily. She could hear people off in the distance. It was very loud and noisy. There was something going on...

Maybe they would be able to tell her how to get home. Or even where 'home' was.

[Formalhaut]

Locke I

He was running, running faster than it has ever ran in his life. The surrounding trees and foliage but a blur as he sprinted from his pursuer. He doesn't know how long he has been running for, but it does not matter. Safety was not assured, and the thick under-brush made running difficult. The arrow stuck in his leg hampered him further, but the adrenalin coursing through his veins gave him a second wind. He was slowly beginning to lose his pursuer.

Hiding behind a large, fallen tree, all he could do was rest. For now, at least, he was safe. But he could not stay there for long. Careful not to make a sound, he briefly looked at his injury. It was a harsh wound and blood was visibly seeping through, though the arrow has managed to plug much of it. The chances of surviving such an injury was limited, at best, not least in the wilderness of the forest.

*Crack*

But now he had to flee. The adrenalin now was fading and the pain was expressively evident. Still, he ran, fearful of any noises that may be his pursuer. The woods seemed endless, and he did not know if he could last much longer under the pain. He limped on. And on. Suddenly, an arrow shot through the leaves. It connected into his neck, and with that, he collapsed. He could feel the warm, yet horrifying, sensation of the blood trickling down his body. In the last few moments of life, all he could do is stare blankly into his surroundings.

Now still, his pursuer inched closer, and carefully removed the arrows from his neck. His young face was equal parts fascination, equal parts horror. A second person closed in, and rested his hands on the boy.

"A good clean kill. Good job. You'd do your father proud you know?".

The boy looked up, smiled, and said "Thanks Locke".

[Lonely Paper Star]

Southwest of Lake Arna, at the edge of the forest, by the fork in the river, all Camille could see were mountains and the lake itself. She still found it funny that she used to see so much more, when she was well-traveled and rich. But that was years ago, and now she struggled to make ends meet for her borrowed land and hungry chocobos.

The one next to her warked softly, like he was asking her a question. No doubt it was Takka, her eldest, tall and dandelion yellow. No one ever wanted to rent or buy him, and she didn't blame them. His speed was was pretty good, given his age, but his limp was noticeable, having been born with one leg longer than the other. Camille didn't mind, though; she grew attached to him.

"Nah, it's nothing, Takka-Takka," she said affectionately, rubbing the top of his beak when he lowered his head to her. "Same old, same old."

He cooed at her petting and she laughed.

"Something's going on in Lucrecia," she went on. "You know that? The queen's festival. But it's not important. Not to us."

The kingdom made her poor in the first place. But they had the right to. After what she did, what other option was there?

For a moment, her smiled wavered, and Takka noticed. He let out a loud wark. Camille jumped, shocked back into the present.

What was she doing? She didn't need the past. And the one thing that never changed was that chocobos were her life, even if she wasn't racing them now.

A chorus of kwehs and warks met her ears from behind the both of them, and Camille mock-frowned accusingly at Takka.

Just what she needed--another round of greens to quiet them all down again.

[Kossage]

The ocean was calm, only a soft breeze in the wind indicated that any change was afoot. Haruko could smell it; she knew that this serene scene wouldn't last forever, somehow.

A woman with blazingly red, short hair sat on a rock on the beach and turned her to look at Haruko with her glowing eyes. "It won't be long now," she said, a hint of a mischievous yet at the same time somewhat sad smile on her face. "Soon I'll have to leave you, and you'll be on your own...until the day of the damned. But worry not; even if I'm not there with you, I'll keep you and them safe. I may be many things, but I always look after my interests."

"No, this wasn't what was supposed to happen. I thought we were going to face this together!" Haruko protested.

The once serene landscape changed rapidly. Dark clouds gathered above and unleashed a storm, making the ocean itself roar as if in pain.

"Even my powers have limits. But you will survive just like you always have. Believe in yourself, and understand your role in all of this, and no challenge will be too great to overcome for a cunning vixen such as yourself." The woman turned her eyes back to the ocean. "Sayonara, my Izanami-no-Mikoto. Never forget who you are..."

The landscape began disintegrating rapidly, replaced by an ever-growing nothingess. Haruko tried to run towards the woman but before she could reach her, the sand below her vanished, and she fell into the bottomless abyss...

~

Haruko opened her eyes and breathed heavily. What had just happened? She was still alive, right? Something echoed in her head...waves? No...it was more like...leaves in the wind. A forest? But hadn't she just seen a beach?

She held her head in her hands, feeling a terrible headache coming. "Them? Day of the damned? What does it mean...I remembered it just a moment ago. How..."

"Whoa, look! This stuff's pretty cool. That chick appeared out of thin air just now!" a slow voice chuckled.

"Man, I wanna see if I can make people appear with my mind too!" another voice responded in an even slower voice.

Haruko's eyes grew wide and she turned to the source of the voice, seeing two blissfully smiling men in dirty, ragged clothes sitting next to a wall and smoking something. Based on the looks of things, this was apparently an alley of some sort.

"Hey, that's a nice dress. I wanna touch it!" one of the men said and stood up shakily before attempting to reach for Haruko.

Her eyes grew wide. These men...were they after her? Had they brought hounds to track her down? She gritted her teeth. "No, you won't take me back! I've left him behind me!" she growled, feeling anger boiling within hear and mixing with fear. She pushed the man back, making him fall down, and ran for it before the other man could stand up.

Haruko looked around, worried. She left the alley, only to find herself in the middle of a busy street, hearing voices and smelling so many scents. She thanked her goddess in her mind that she was still in human form; these people would no doubt hunt her down in her true form.

But if she was in a city, did it mean she had returned to Barjassil? She heard someone mentioned some sort of festival...for the queen? Had the king chosen a bride? Or was this all related to the hunt? But this street didn't look familiar, and the people weren't dressed in the outfits worn by Barjassilian citizens even if they looked human. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, and continued running.

As she focused ahead, she nearly bumped into a cart which a man was pulling. She was ready to utter an apology, only to stop mid-sentence when she looked at the "man" and realized he was anything but. What she saw instead was a scarred creature with pointy ears and a large jawline.

"Oni!" Haruko gasped in terror at the sight of this monstrosity and continued running, hearing the creature attempt to curse him with some dark spell, no doubt.

She had to find a safe place, somewhere to rest and calm herself down so she could assess the situation. Whatever this city was, it wasn't the capital of Barjassil. But if demons lived in this city too, it meant there would be no safe place for her or her kind. As much as she wanted to turn into her true form for better mobility, she had to stay in this form a while longer so she could blend in and then disappear.

What Haruko wanted more than anything right now was to live through all of this and understand how she had ended up in such a scary location.

#

"Frickin' human, watch where you're going! Damn it, you people are always running to and fro like headless chickens!" Nargul growled when he almost bumped into a dark-haired woman who quickly fled from him. "Yeah, that's right, run from the scary monster! Sheesh, where are people's manners these days? Can't a simple doban work in peace these days?"

"Hey, keep moving, you dumb brute! We're on a tight schedule here! If we miss the festival, it'll be on your head!" an annoyed voice addressed Nargul from the rickshaw he was pulling.

"Yes, sir. Right away, sir!" Nargul grunted in response and began running again.

It was yet another day pulling rickshaws where these pampered nobles and rich merchants and guild masters were telling him where to go, how to behave and how to fit into some made up stereotype they had in their heads as far as the doban race was concerned.

This latest gig involved taking a married pair of nobles to where the Queen's Jubilee or whatever these citizens were celebrating today was to take place. And this pair in particular had been so rude to him ever since he'd picked them up, so much so that he had considered leaving the rickshaw where it stood and take satisfaction from the nobles' crying. But money was money, and he needed it right now, so he had no choice but to continue for now. If only he hadn't lost his cloak in a bet last night while in the nearest pub...

Nargul took a deep breath and forced a docile smile on his face. He had to remain calm even if the woman from before had thrown off his groove. Now he had to find peace of mind again in order to not tear his head off at the nobles' equally boring and offensive banter.

Once he'd gotten this pair to their destination, his shift would be over, and he could get himself a well earned drink. He knew he should probably save some of it for the cloak as per his original plan, but right now he felt like he could drink a whole mountain full of ale just to recover from all the idiocy he had witnessed today.

Well, if I'm lucky, the festival might actually offer free beer to participants...at least that's what the doban would do. Or maybe humans will be cheapskates, which wouldn't surprise me considering the sad excuses of tips that the nobles have given me, Nargul thought and continued pulling the cart while doing his best to ignore the nobles' derogatory remarks about how slow he was and how they'd never take a ride from a dumb doban ever again.

[Tasura]

Xilkar slowly opened his eyes and looked around.

The water... is warmer? How can it be warmer? I was on my way to see a Deep Loquan about.. something? I ... I can't remember what I was doing. It's brighter too, far brighter than it should be. Something is wrong.

Xilkar began to slowly swim towards the surface noticing what he could only assume were differences between wherever he was now and where he vaguely remembered. As he approached the surface he reached for his surfacing knife, finding it where it was meant to be he gave a quick nod of satisfaction.

Well, at least I have that.

As Xilkar breached the surface he looked towards the land and he saw buildings?! He had never seen a building on land before, especially not made of wood, wood was a rare and precious thing in Linstra. There were also creatures he had never seen before milling about on the land, they were very pale, even paler than the palest High Loquan he had ever seen.

I am not home. Wherever I am, it is not home.

Clutching his knife for safety he began to walk towards shore, raising out of the water as he got closer to land.

[Pant Leg Eater from the Bad World]

Jhera 1

Jhera winged away from Steel, the capitol of the Empire of Kur. Another day, another message. That was the life he had chosen to live now. But Gods was it boring at times. At least today should be somewhat interesting, he thought. Today Jhera was delivering a message from the Emperor himself. The emperor rarely sent out messages himself, usually preferring to leave his emissaries to carry out such duties. But this wasn't just a message, this was a threat; a statement to the men from the south who thought that they could fight against the might of the Empire.

For two days Jhera flew until he saw the encampment of men. Immediately Jhera knew the reports had been wrong. This wasn't just some upstart man trying to take the reign of power away from the kur, this was a real rebellion. One that had a chance to win such a war. Hundreds of thousands of men had grouped together to form a massive army, an army that was marching on Steel itself. The Emperor will want a proper report of the situation, thought Jhera. He flew overhead taking everything in, looking for the tell tale sign of leadership.

Ah, there it is. The largest tent, towards the front of the formation, but still well guarded behind the line. And a big green and golden flag emblazoned with a cobra. That must be the leader of this rebellion. Jhera angled in and landed on the flagpole. Holding on to the pole and puffing his chest out, Jhera announced himself to all nearby.

Stay yourselves and listen! The Emperor, his grace Shael the third of the line of Steel, requires your attention to this message. Jhera's telepathically broadcasted thoughts immediately caused waves of unsettlement throughout the camp.

You are hereby ordered to cease and desist in this silly rebellion. If you turn away from this nonsense now, you will be pardoned and this act of treason forgotten. But if you persist, you will be given no quarter. All men, women, and children will be destroyed. The full power of the Brigade of Wizardry will be sent forth and you will be burned alive. This is your only and final warning. Leave now and return to your homes in peace, or march on to your deaths.

Having finished his message, Jhera leapt off of the flagpole, leaving hundreds of men looked up to see his departure. He hoped that the message would be powerful enough to sway the tiny brains of the men below. The Wizard Lords of the Brigade wouldn't just destroy them, but everything around them as well. If war was to be had, it would be devastating for all.

As Jhera flew away from the camp there was a pulse through the air that knocked him from flight. Jhera was plummeting towards the barren plains below one moment, and the next he was falling directly at a building. Jhera threw his wings back open and caught the air, catching himself before he smashed into the building. He circled it twice, taking in his new surroundings. He was no longer in the south of Kur. He was in a city he had never seen before, which was saying something for such an accomplished messenger. He floated down to the building, finding a perch to look below at the locals.

The men must have had some sort of magic, Jhera thought to himself. How else could they have transported me to this strange new place. Below him the hustle and bustle of the city ran without taking notice of him. There were no Kur here, he noticed. Men were everywhere, along with other peoples whom he had never seen before. There were large, pointy eared peoples who lumbered about with their stout stature. And peoples who looked like a man/shuur without wings. And then there were the big animals that were peoples. Big and furry with dangerous looking claws on their paws. Two were right below him exchanging words.

Jhela didn't catch all of what they said, but he understood there was to be a festival of some sort to celebrate somebody.

[Miss Mae]

Cohen wandered around the city blindly for a while, taking in the sights and trying to familiarise himself with this strange place. He saw more bears walking down the streets and nobody seemed to mind. There were other strange creatures - ones with peculiar skin pulling rickshaws and others who were tall and covered in yellow feathers. It was disconcerting to be surrounded by so many things he didn't recognise.

As he continued on, he heard the voice of somebody else who seemed confused. A growling voice was asking what was happening in the city and why everything was so busy. Somebody else is unsure what is happening here! Cohen thought. Thank goodness for that. Maybe they are from my city too. Maybe I'll know who they are and we can stick together.

But upon turning around to see the source of the voice, it immediately became very clear that it did not originate from somebody Cohen recognised; the voice belonged to a large, beautiful bear.

There's a bear. In the city. And it's talking, Cohen thought in shock. He stared, blinking slowly, and then bowed his head, not wanting to be rude. As confused as he was to be in such unfamiliar surroundings, he couldn't help but be curious about what he was seeing; it was in his nature. Fascinating, he thought.

[Agent Proto]

It was a peaceful time to spend out while sailing in the Deeps. The winds were calm, the sun shone bright, and the waters were as calm as they could be. Just the other day, the Lost Soul had been rocking back and forth during a rough storm, so it was relaxing to have the following day be calm. Radley was taking in the sun's ray outside of the ship's cabin where he spent most of his time while sailing. He shielded his face from the sun as he peered ahead at the horizon. "Well, I'll be damned. Are we finally approaching land?" He asked his crewmate who was looking through a telescope.

"Aye!"

Radley grabbed the telescope and looked for himself. It was just as he had expected. A beach lined with a few small huts. That meant there were people. That also meant there's loot for the taking. This has been his life for as long as he could remember. He raised his free arm in the air and pointed ahead towards the site of the beach at the distance. "Set sail for land!"

His tiny crew of five immediately got to work and the small red colored ship known as Lost Soul began to set sail towards their destination, for they have been sailing the Deeps in the northern bay for several days. Their exact location may be unknown to Radley and his crew, but based on where Lost Soul was headed, he figured that they are near the group of islands north of Sedorra. His crewmates were rather excited as they worked hard. Especially knowing that they will be setting foot on land again after a week's worth out in the treacherous Deep, and most definitely grateful after the other day's storm that they just went through.

[Pumpkin]

Kathvi had arrived in Lucrecia, a bustling city that had banners hanging up everywhere. It seemed like there was some kind of celebration. Thank the Gods that it wasn't too hot, heat made her all kinds of sick, and that was the last thing she needed right now.

She noticed the odd stares people were giving her. It made he quite self-conscious and she instinctively grabbed her large poofy white tail and hugged it in her arms. She had been doing it since she was a young girl, it made her feel... safe. She was trying to remember if she knew people like this where she was from. These... different looking people. These large yellow bird like creatures. Did they have them at home? She tried once again to grasp at any memories about her mountain village, about its inhabitants, but once again nothing would come. She let out a small whimper and looked at her feet as she walked through the city. She didn't know if there were people like them in her home town, but she could tell from the looks that there were not people like her here. She noticed a few large large beings, covered in fur, more fur than she herself had. They didn't seem to notice her and she didn't want to approach them, feeling as vulnerable as she did. But she needed to find some kind of information. She needed someone to talk to.

"....Excuse me, um..... miss?" said a reluctant voice behind her.

[Citizen Bleys]

Desmond Arsibault positively glided up the path leading to the small home he shared with Janelle, feeling like he was bursting with energy.

It had been a good night, for Prime. It was late as all get-out, and there were still five more days in the working week, but that was something to worry about later. He was humming a new riff he and the lads had written tonight as he pulled out his jigger and pressed it against the door panel. It unlocked with a dull click and he strolled in.

Janelle was waiting for him, and she was not happy.

"Another all-nighter, Dez? When are you ever going to learn to be responsible?"

Desmond's mood crashed like any number of drunks he'd tossed out of the bar at work today. It was going to be one of those nights. Still, maybe he could head it off. "It was a productive night, lass. We put together a massively porking riff and it's sure to get the creds rolling in."

She wasn't having any of it. She'd heard the same tale before. "And high as ever."

"It's just a little Brill, babe. You know what I'm like."

"Yeah," she said, frowning. "I do."

"It gets the cre-ative juices flowing. Brilliance is what music is made of."

"Then why isn't every tramp on every street corner richer than Melek? You know what? Don't answer. I've heard it all before. I don't want to hear it again. You're destroying yourself, Dez. You need to get off the Brilliance and get a real job. I won't take care of you forever."

Desmond tried to brush past her. "We can talk about this in the morning, lass. I'm harped."

Janelle stood in his path. "We can talk about this now. I'm sick of you ignoring me. Either you promise to get off the Brilliance and do something with your life, or we're done. I hate seeing you like this."

Desmond's spirits sunk. She'd been on his case about the Brilliance before, but there'd never been an ultimatum. Where his music career had failed to take off, leaving him in a dead end job as a bartender, she'd gone into jigger app development right out of school and was rolling in creds. She held all of the high cards and they both knew it. He had to get in control of this argument somehow.

"You hate seein' me, do you? Well, then maybe I should just go."

"Maybe you should. Good-bye, Desmond." She closed the door in his face

* * *

Desmond crashed at the bar that night. He tried to ping Janelle in the morning, and she didn't respond. He told Jerry, the bar's owner, that his old girl had tossed him out, and Jerry agreed to rent him the spare room above the bar until things got sorted out, however long that took. Jerry was gold, that man was.

It was still most of the day before Desmond's shift started, and he was cranky that Janelle hadn't responded to his ping. He couldn't take this drek, he needed to take the edge off. He popped a tab of Brilliance and went to his house and started moving all of his drek out. Maybe when she saw it was all gone she'd realise he was serious and ping him.

She didn't.

Days passed, and then the weekend, and still no pings. He tried pinging her again at the end of the weekend and finally she responded, then cut the connection as soon as she realised he was high.

Another week passed, and then another, and still another. It finally started to sink in to Desmond that the rotting hen had really cut him loose for good. He stopped practicing his jigger before work altogether; he needed Brilliance more. He got sloppier and sloppier with taking care that the Brill had worn off before work started, and fatigued at the end of the nights, he started drinking after the bar closed.

And then before the bar closed.

Between the Brill and the booze, Desmond was struggling to make ends meet financially. And that's when Jerry reamed him out for being all drekked up at work. He warned Desmond that if he kept it up, he'd be out of a job and a home.

Desmond kept it up. Jerry, as it turned out, didn't have even as much patience as Janelle.

Now he had nowhere else to go. No family to turn to. No prospects. Janelle still wouldn't respond to his pings. His musician buddies didn't have their own houses, they were all mooching off of their significant others, bosses, and sometimes even parents.

It was over.

* * *

Jerry'd given Desmond a decent severence package, but no matter how often Desmond checked his credit balance on his jigger, it never added up to enough to live off of for very long. Not at the rate he was giving it back to Jerry by drinking it away. The new bartender was complete drek, too.

Now it was Desmond getting tossed bodily out of Jerry's when he'd had too much. He started keeping company with shadier and shadier characters. He started helping with small robberies to keep the creds flowing in.

This isn't me, thought Desmond. Now he couldn't even meet Janelle's eye when he saw her in town. He started ducking away and hiding from anyone he knew, unable to face them knowing that he'd become a small-time hood. But he needed the Brilliance, and the Boys weren't going to let him have it for free. Desmond sure as drek didn't want to borrow money from the Boys, he knew what happened to people who didn't pay on time.

It was time to put a stop to it. He managed to resist the temptation to do Brill for a whole day. It was a drek-soaked nightmare, but he managed it. He wanted a clear head when the decision was made. It was only bearable because he spent most of the day hooked into Nexus, feeling the worm orange glow of the world's lifepulse fill him. It was risky as drek with the swinging dicks cracking down on gang-related crimes, but he needed it. Drek, maybe being hooked in was what made the swinging dicks overlook him. They'd never expect a petty thug to be hooked in during a robbery.

He made it. As the day's work was done, he was clearheaded and Brilliance-free, and the swinging dicks hadn't tossed him in the clink.

"Hey Crossbones," he said to one of his lovely, salt-of-Nexus co-workers, "Drek's getting a bit harsh. There's just too many swinging dicks patrolling, and I don't want to be talkin' to them while I'm holding. I need some protection, catch?"

"Aye," replied Crossbones. Crossbones didn't talk much. "You got fifteen hun?"

1500 credits was a lot of money for a gun, but Desmond wouldn't be needing credits for too much longer. He beamed the money into Crossbones' jigger without comment and Crossbones produced the gun.

Shoving it in his pocket, Desmond realised that he really wouldn't need creds anymore. He flashed his balance at Crossbones. "How much Brill can you get me for the rest?"

Crossbones grunted. "A cent and seven."

"107 tabs?" expostulated Desmond, "That's highway robbery!"

Crossbones showed his teeth. "'m a robber."

It didn't matter. With 107 tabs, Desmond could be happy for a while, before the time came.

* * *

Decision made, Desmond took a day off; gang life was a 10 day a week job, but he could opt out any time he wanted by giving up his share of the spoils, and that wasn't going to matter anymore. He had 33 tabs of Brilliance left from before his last purchase, so he filled one cent-case with the old ones and 45 of the new ones and put the other 42 in a separate case, taking care to keep the oldest ones at the bottom. Brilliance got more potent with time.

Desmond hadn't been to the Temple in years. Every town on Nexus sprung up around its Temple, and every Temple around its Table. The Tables were the points at which the boundaries between worlds were the thinnest, and standing on one, you could sometimes sense those other worlds. He'd actually heard one through a Table before when he was a kid, but it might have been his imagination. It was said that when the boundaries became thin enough, one could even step through to another world. Everyone knew those other worlds were real, because once in a while, an alien phased in through one of the Tables There were even tales that an alien had managed to phase back out and go home, but it had taken over 200 years for the same world to synch with Nexus a second time and most people didn't live much past 120. 150 at the most. Given that the world he lived in had no charm left for Desmond, he found the Table extra appealing today.

Desmond hooked into Nexus on the way in. Most people hooked in when they went to the Temple; it was always cold around a Table, and the world's orange glow was warm. Desmond slipped a tab of Brilliance into his mouth, but didn't bite down. He didn't want anyone to see him taking at the Temple, there would be swinging dicks there. He had on his best leather jacket, jigger in one pocket and gun in the other. He kept the gun with him all of the time now.

Janelle was there. Desmond wondered if it wouldn't be a sign. He said hi to her, but she pointedly ignored him.

"Sorry, miss," he muttered loud enough to be heard, "I thought you were someone I used to know."

Even that didn't get a reaction. Right then, Desmond changed his plans. Smurf waiting until he'd taken all of the Brilliance. It was time. He'd walked in the temple gates, but he sure as drek wouldn't be walking out. He'd blow his smurfing brains out right there in front of her, let her see what she'd done to him. Let everyone see. Idly, he wondered if he'd have a funeral. Would she even care? Would she come? Maybe she'd wear that green number he'd always told her he liked. He didn't actually like it, he'd just been trying to get it onto the floor at the time, but he'd consistently stuck with the story over a year and a half and surely that's what she'd wear to his funeral.

There were several people already on the table, doing a walking meditation. He joined the queue. Thankfully the friars weren't singing today. They were drek at singing. Those sanctimonious skunds wouldn't know music if it bit them right in the drek-chute. Those not on the table were listening to some sort of bird-drek speechifying by the abbess, but Desmond had never liked her, or the abbot who had come before her. Skunds, the both of them.

Desmond waited until he was near the center of the table, and then deliberately unhooked from Nexus. Everyone who was hooked in felt it, of course. Hooking and unhooking inside the temple was frowned upon. Desmond gloried in the disapproval. He revelled in the fact that no doubt, dozens of the swinging dicks were paying attention to him now, while he was holding enough Brilliance to start dealing, and it didn't even matter. You can't touch me now, skunds. It's too late.

The chill of the temple seeped in as the orange glow of Nexus faded out. Desmond closed his eyes and bit down on the tab of Brilliance in his mouth. Immediately, the chill started to fade. Brilliance was so much better than being hooked in. He took one step, then two, as the euphoria built up. Five steps. Six. Seven. Ten. At the first Height, he slipped his hand into his pocket and drew his gun. With a flourish, he held it high in the air while the Brilliance filled him like the light of a thousand suns, and set it against his chin. It was time.

But wait...why wasn't anyone screaming? He was waving a gun around in a Temple, for drek's sake. At least the swinging dicks ought to be taking aim at him, shouting at him to drop the weapon, but the only sound Desmond heard was birdsong.

Birdsong? In the Temple?

He realised that he could feel a warm glow as if of sunlight on his face, and it wasn't the Brilliance. He opened his eyes.

The temple was gone. He stood in a grassy clearing in a forest, with the sun beaming down on him. In the middle of winter. There wasn't a soul in sight.

Astounded, Desmond slipped the gun back into his pocket. He'd done it! He'd travelled to another world! Outside of legends, no Nexan had ever managed to phase out. That had to be the secret -- being hooked in linked a person too strongly to Nexus to allow them to phase out. That's why aliens could do it, most of them never learned to hook in. Or maybe it was the Brilliance. That would be perfect! He could phase back in, share his secret, and become rich as drek! Janelle would regret tossing him out when he was rolling in creds from being the only Nexan ever to master the secret of phasing--and if Brilliance was the enabler, they'd have to legalise it!

Only minutes before, Desmond had been ready to kill himself, but now all of the cards were falling into place. He'd be a smurfing legend. Grinning, he turned around and walked a few more steps, feeling for that sense of thinness that would lead him back home, to take his place in the history of all of the worlds.

It was gone.

He was still high. The Brilliance was strong as ever, he should definitely be able to feel the thinness. It wasn't there.

Desperately, he tried to hook in, and immediately recoiled. The warm orange glow of Nexus wasn't there. It was...blue.

He took a deep breath and tried to hook in again. It was different, but still warm and comforting, and the bluest blue he could possibly imagine. He tried to use the alien blue glow of this world to locate his way home, but to no avail.

Just for a moment, this world and Nexus had come close enough for someone to phase through...but now it was gone, and Desmond would be an old man when it came again, even in the unlikely case he was alive to see it at all.

He was trapped here forever.

[Loony BoB]

Jahred saw her first. He watched her for a moment as she . A furry person, with a pronounced snout and tail, but certainly no bear. Definitely nothing like what he had ever seen, and he had seen all known races of Sedorra. Nudging Aziish with his elbow, he whispered. "Look."

"What?" Aziish looked about in the direction Jahred faced, and immediately someone caught his eye. "...Woah, I've never seen an Ursus like that before..."

"Neither have I..." Jahred frowned.

"Incredible. A new tribe? I mean, I've never seen an Ursus with that kind of tail, either..."

"Neither have I." Jahred stood up and left his friend to watch as he slowly but carefully neared the newcomer. There was only one thing running through his mind. The peoples here may be confused as they are not so well travelled and might assume that this person is an Ursus, but Jahred did not feel this way at all. This was something new. Carefully and expertly, Jahred walked right past the individual and started up an idle conversation with a nearby guard, ensuring that the guard would be facing away from the individual. He intended on finding out about this new person and he did not want some meddling guard to interfere. With one ear open to the rather chatty guard and one eye on the newcomer, he began indulging his curiosity.

It was then that he spotted, further away, Aziish. Likewise, talking with a guard.

And pointing.

Oh, Aziish, you idiot.

And then, suddenly, loud bangs crackled around everyone's ears and high pitched yelling rained through the air. The festival entertainers had arrived in Lucrecia. Small fireworks crackled around on the ground, eccentrically dressed and dancers yipped and squealed as they ran into King's Square, painted fools rolling around on the ground behind them, and laughter and cheer shook through the square as Doban and Human citizens outside a nearby inn raised their glasses heartilly in approval.

Jahred had never been so thankful. The masks. Brilliant. He nodded to the guard, patting him on the back as he moved away. Quickly changing direction once the guard was clearly focusing on this distraction - he couldn't see Aziish or the other guard he was with - he darted behind the newcomer.

"Excuse me, um... miss?" The newcomer turned around and he saw that same wide eyed expression he had seen on the way to Lucrecia. He stared intently into the eyes of the newcomer, ensuring that she understood every word he meant. "I understand you are not from around here. Clearly, you must be one of the entertainers for the festival tonight. You have a most excellent mask and I love how you have added a tail to your costume. Perhaps we should speak somewhere a little more out of vision, we would want such excellent work to be a surprise for the masses tonight, after all. Now... where exactly does a unique individual like you hail from? Come. Walk with me."